Journeying with John, It’s a Trip (JWJ-08)
Introducing Jesus
John 1:24-34
This morning I want to start by asking you a fascinating question- and that is this: How would you introduce Jesus? Let’s say, for instance, that you were at work and Jesus walked in, and your friends asked you, “Hey, who is that?” Or what if you had to introduce Him as a guest speaker to a large crowd.
Take a look at this.
Show video Steve Harvey, “Introducing Christ”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvCd_ANIKys
We are studying our way through the gospel of John. Our series in entitled “Journeying With John, It’s a Trip.” My title this morning is simply this: - “Introducing Jesus.”
Open you Bibles with me if you will to the gospel of John and the 1st chapter. I would like to read for you from verses 24 to 34. John and the first chapter.
Read and Pray - John 1:23-34
This passage we have just read is profound, and deep, and I guess we could spend many weeks just touching the surface of it. So the though that I want us to hone in on as we look at this passage is found in verse 31. Let me read that to you again if you will. It is where I got my title from this morning.
John 1:31
John’s function was to manifest Christ, to make Him known, to introduce Him to the world. The world did not know Him. That I would suggest to you is the function of every believer. John was there so that Jesus would be manifest to Israel. You are where you are so that Jesus Christ will be manifest where you are. Chester is a Hendersonville High so that Jesus Christ will be manifest at Hendersonville High. You are at your work so that Jesus can be manifest at your work. It is your job to introduce Him. Now that is not why they employed you - they employed you to get something done. Make sure you do that. That is not why your wife wants you to go to work - she wants you to bring home a salary. Make sure you do that. But the real reason you are at work is to introduce your work place to Jesus. He knows them already - but they do not know Him. They meet your Jesus in the way you work and the way you walk. Come on now - don’t let me loose you - this is good stuff. They meet your Jesus in the way you work and the way you walk.
Now watch this - we are not done yet - there is more good stuff. Let me tell you why you are in your marriage, or a parent, or a child, or a brother or sister. Where you are needs more Jesus. There is not enough Jesus in your marriage. That is why you are there.
By the way - that is why you are here. How many of you know we need more Jesus in the church? Did you realize that the reason you are here is we need more Jesus - and your function is to manifest Him, to make Him known - by your work and your walk.
Now how does that work? Good question - when you surrendered your life to the claims Jesus had on your life, He came to live in you. How many of you have Jesus Christ within you this morning? Let me ask you this then - how much of jesus came to live in you?
That is the measure of how much Jesus you have to give. Now watch this . . .
The measure, Jesus within.
The ministry, Jesus without.
Before you became a child of God we had one goal - that was to get Jesus inside of you. And people tried everything - they gave you Bibles, prayed for you, encouraged you, loved all over you. Then you became a Christian. Now it seems we are working just as hard to get Jesus out of you.
So there are four things I want to give you to help you get Jesus without - four things that will help you let Jesus be manifest through you - to introduce Him to your world and your home and your school and your fellow commuters and your fellow believers.
Are you ready. You may want to write this down if you are taking notes. There is . . .
1. A Practice You Must Affirm
There is a practice that I believe the modern Church is in danger of letting slide - it is the practice of recognizing that wherever you are - at any time - that is your place of ministry.
It occurs to me that many saints may be ashamed to take Christ to work, to the store, to the sport field - to wherever they go. Many, it seems to me, have created an unbiblical distinction between the secular and the sacred, the carnal and the Spiritual, between civil life and church life. The same Christ that is in us when we are at Church is in us when we are not. You can tell that because there is difference between our conversation and the way we carry ourselves when we are at church to the way it is at work or at home.
As a matter of fact, I am not even sure you have a ministry in the church. What we do when we come through these doors is serve, and what we do when you go out of these doors is minister. We serve in the Church and we minister in the mission field. The minute you leave this building you are entering your mission field.
Our ministry is not a ministry that takes place only in certain places or at certain times. The truth is that you are called to the full time ministry. Wherever you are, whenever you are there - that is when and where you must minister.
Now watch this - just like they did with John when he was ministering in our passage and they came and questioned him, while your ministry is in the world, it will always be criticized by the world. The world will not applaud your ministry, they may even insult you or hang you on a cross. Now be wise, don’t get sucked into their web of confusion and insecurity.
Did you not that John did not even answer their question, “If you are not Elijah, or the prophet or the Christ, who are you?” - instead he immediately went into his ministry. Here is his answer: “I baptize you wit h water but amongst you stands One you do not know.” Did you see that - instead of getting caught up in discussion, he simply launched into ministry.
Now here is what I want us to each understand bout our ministry.
It is a . . .
a. Personal Ministry - you were hand-picked and specifically equipped
b. Particular Ministry - being generally nice is not your ministry.
c. Powerful Ministry - it is Holy Ghost anointed
d. Persistent Ministry - it does not have an on/off switch but a wisdom one
There is a . . .
1. A Practice You Must Affirm
2. A Position You Must Acknowledge
John 1:27 “It is He who comes after me, the thong of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.”
Precious believer - this is where we sometimes get it wrong - we think it is all about us. Jesus is not here to make sure you and I are well heeled or in ease and comfort. He is here to save a lost and a dying world - when we turn the gospel into something for self gain, do not be surprised if He comes in a turns the table, and cleanses the temple with a whip.
The gospel is not, has never been and will never be about me no matter how far I travel back or forward in eternity. It is, was and always will be about Jesus.
That is why John says, John 3:30, “He must increase, but I must decrease.”
When we get that wrong, we turn the entire thing on its head.
We have all heard the remarkable story of Todd Beamer. He was the man who led the attack on the terrorists, who had hijacked United’s Flight 93. He is now famous for his two words, "Let’s roll!" which became the battle cry on the plane that morning.
In 1992, Todd made a list of the values and characteristics he wanted to identify in his life. A major goal of his was, "I want to fly below the radar screen."
In other words, he said, “It is not about me.”
In other words my friend, when you become too big or too tall, you become too important for God to use.
● Jesus said, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." (Mk. 8:34)
● He also said, “Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” (Mt. 10:39)
● Paul says, “But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.” (Ph.3:7)
Tell me where you find the prosperity gospel in that? You don’t.
Do you know how you can tell if somebody thinks it is all about them? Just let them pray! You can know a man’s heart by the focus of his prayers.
Somebody say, “He must increase.” Somebody say, “I must decrease.”
There is a . . .
1. A Practice You Must Affirm
2. A Position You Must Acknowledge
3. A Problem You Must Address
John 1:26 “. . . but among you stands One you do not know.”
Let me tell you what the problem with the world is - they do not know Jesus.
May I tell you what the problem with much of the church is? They do not know Jesus. You see my friend, you can be saved and not really know Jesus. You can out your faith in Him and not really know Him.
When you know Jesus He will shine out of you, you cannot know Jesus without your face lighting up. When Moses came down from the mountain with God His face glowed and they said, “He has been with God.”
The gifted English preacher, Charles Spurgeon, was telling a group of young pastors that their facial expressions should be in harmony with the subject they were focusing on. "When you speak of heaven," he said, "let your face light up and be irradiated with a heavenly gleam. Let your eyes shine with reflected glory. And when you speak of hell…well, then your everyday face will do."
Precious believer - get rid of your everyday face, and be clothed in Christ.
Here is the thing that amazes me -
When you go into some church services you would think you are in a morgue.
When you go into some Christian homes, you would think they do not know Jesus.
When you go into some businesses, it seems that there are no Christians there.
Precious believer - you and I have Christ.
He is resident within you and evident about you.
He is your Personal Helper and your Powerful Healer.
He is your Miracle Worker and your Mercy Giver.
He is your Souls Deliverer and your Spirit’s Desire.
He is the Rose of Sharon and the Lily of the Valley
He is the Light at Dawn and the Bright Morning Star.
He gives the Sun its Light and the Moon its shine.
He is our Great Message and our God-Sent Messiah.
The world is lost without Him because they cannot see Him.
The truth is that the world will not see Him unless we will live for Him.
The problem in the world is they do not know Him, and the problem in much of the Church that they will not show Him.
That leads me to my fourth and final point this morning . . .
There is a . . .
1. A Practice You Must Affirm
2. A Position You Must Acknowledge
3. A Problem You Must Address
4. A Purpose You Must Accomplish
John 1:37, “I did not recognize Him, but so that He might be manifested to Israel, I came baptizing in water.”
What is that purpose? To know Him and to make Him known.
Paul says, “I sought to know nothing amongst you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” [1 Cor. 2:2]
Did you catch the pattern there? It was why Peter was. It was why Paul was. It was why John was - that was John’s purpose - his life mission. He said it again and again, in many different ways. As a matter of fact, he gets toward the end of our passage and says . . .
John 1:3, “I myself have seen, and have testified that this is the Son of God.”
Precious believer - there is a purpose you and I must accomplish. We are here to manifest Christ, to introduce Christ, to say, “I have seen Him - and I testify - He is the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Last week we spoke of Missions - and the response was over whelming. This week we look at ministry - and the response needs to be just as over whelming.
A Practice You Must Address
A Position You Must Acknowledge
A Problem You Must Accept
A Purpose You Must Accomplish
Will you pray with me please?
We have come to the end of the service - we have come to decision time. This is your time to decide. What sorts of decisions will people be making this morning? They will be deciding to walk away from sin, to run to Christ, to commit to ministry, to choose to become less so that He can become more, to recognize that the world does not know Him because they have not shown Him, and to commit the rest of their lives to this one purpose - to manifest Christ.
It is time for you to decide - this is your decision time.
* * * * *
