Notice the Difference
Prairie Baptist Church – 10/4/09
P.M. Service
Text: John 1:19-34
Key verse: John 1:34 - And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.”
Premise: John wasn’t here to bring attention to himself, but when he saw Jesus, he wanted to bring attention to the One that would make the difference in every one’s life He touched.
The Introduction
An older gentleman was walking along the seashore one day in the hot sun. As he walked he was sweating profusely and seemed to be in a hurry! Every few steps he would bend over, pick up a starfish from the hot, burning sands and cast it back into the cool waves. One after another he would pick the starfish up and cast them into the water. Some would come back to the hot sand as the waves washed them back in while most would eventually go into the deeper waters of safety. A young man came along, after having watched this for a while and told the old man, “You are wasting your time and energy. There are thousands of starfish on the sand, what difference can you possibly make?” The man simply bent over, picked up another starfish, and threw it into the water. As he quickly moved on to the next one, the old man turned to the younger man and said, “Well, it makes a difference to that one!”
John’s background:
• John was the child of Elizabeth, a relative of Mary (Luke 1:5-80 [v. 36])
• His father was Zachariah, who was struck silent until John was named.
• John was a Nazarite from his birth (Luke 1:15; Num. 6:1–12).
• Matthew and Mark describe John’s appearance and diet: he wore a camel-hair cloak with a waist belt made of leather and he dined on locusts and wild honey (Matt. 3:4; Mark 1:6).
What was so unique about John the Baptizer and his encounter with Christ?
It was not his preaching
It was not his humility
It was not his baptizing
It wasn’t even his lifestyle and diet
Body
1. The Inquisition of John the Baptizer – 1:19-28
A. The Challenge – 1:19-21
i. Left on a sinking ship were the captain and three sailors. The captain spoke first.
“Men, this business about a captain going down with his ship is nonsense. There’s a three-man life raft on board and I’m going to be on it. To see who will come with me, I will ask you each one question. The one who can’t answer will stay behind. Here’s the first question: ‘What unsinkable ship went down when it hit an iceberg?’
The first sailor answered, “The Titanic, sir.”
“On to the next question: How many people perished?”
The second sailor said, “One thousand five hundred and seventeen, sir.”
“Now for the third question,” and the captain turned to sailor number three. “What were their names?” Steve Templeton in Woodmen of the World Magazine
ii. First question – Who are you?
a. Answer: I am not the Christ? Messiah
b. The anointed one
c. John wanted to stop that thought dead in its tracks.
iii. Second question – Are you Elijah?
a. Answer: I am not.
b. Elijah was taken up in a whirlwind, and they were expecting his return.
iv. Third question – Are you the Prophet?
a. Answer: No.
b. This was a prophet like Moses
c. They were depending on the prophecy Moses made - Deuteronomy 18:15, 18 - 15“The LORD your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear, 18I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren, and will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him.
B. The Confession – 1:22-27
i. What John says is very revealing about his calling and his character
ii. John’s Calling - 23
a. John had a specific mission to perform – to prepare the way for Christ
b. John was prophesied in the Old Testament – Isaiah 40:3-5 - 3The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
4Every valley shall be exalted and every mountain and hill brought low; the crooked places shall be made straight and the rough places smooth; 5The glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together; for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”
• To prepare the way - it was customary in the march of armies to send messengers, or pioneers, before them to proclaim their approach; to provide for them; to remove obstructions; to make roads, level hills, fill up valleys, etc.
• The word “straight” in verse 23 is the greek word meaning to make straight, straighten a road or path pilot a ship, steer straight
• Another word that could be used is the word “prepare”
c. He was a forerunner, a preparer for the coming of the King of kings and Lord of lords.
d. He came to make a difference for the one that would make a real difference.
iii. John’s Character - 27
a. Humble
b. The “latchet” of sandals was the string or thong by which they were fastened to the feet. To unloose them was the office of a servant, and John means, therefore, that he was unworthy to perform the lowest office for the Messiah.
c. In John 3:30, John proclaims - He must increase, but I must decrease.
C. To John, there was no comparison:
i. He did not want to be put in the same category with Jesus
ii. Jesus, to John, was far above himself. He could not compare.
iii. There was a vast difference, as wide as the universe, between the messenger and the Messiah.
iv. John may have been “the voice” but Jesus was and is the Living Word.
2. The Introduction of Jesus the Savior – 1:29-34
A. John takes the focus off of himself and shifts it the very next day:
i. He sees Jesus coming toward him and offers to the world the very Messiah they are looking for.
ii. His description of Jesus makes it unmistakable who He is
B. Savior of Man – 29
i. He is the Lamb of God
a. Our mind goes back to the first Passover lamb and God’s declaration – Exodus 12:13 - Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt. (God did the work himself, no death angel)
b. Propitiation properly signifies the removal of wrath by the offering of a gift, that is, Jesus Christ was offered so that the wrath of God could be satisfied - 1st John 2:2 - And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.
• He was the permanent sacrifice, because that is what it took
• No good works or religion can satisfy God
• Otherwise, how do we know at the moment of death that we have done enough good works to satisfy the just and perfect demands of a holy God?
ii. Jesus purpose was to reconcile the world to God
a. Done by His sacrificial death and shed bleed
b. Only when one trusts in Christ can the matter be accomplished
c. God held up His end by giving the gift
d. We must now accept the gift, and that gift is offered to the world.
C. Sovereign of the Ages – 30
i. “preferred before me” – He ranks higher than I
ii. “he was before me” – He existed before me
a. The greek word is different here. It means “came before, or existed before”
b. John was born about six months earlier than Jesus.
c. This could only speak of His deity and existence before John
d. John 1:1-2 - 1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was in the beginning with God.
iii. In other words – He is Sovereign and eternal God
D. Son of God – 32-34
i. The Messiah is uniquely the Son of God as prophesied – Psalm 2:7 - “I will declare the decree: the LORD has said to Me, ‘You are My Son, today I have begotten You.
ii. The title “Son of God” goes beyond the idea of obedience and messianic King to that of Jesus’ essential nature. In the Fourth Gospel this title is not applied to believers. They are called “children” (tekna; e.g., John 1:12) while “Son” (hyios) is used only of Jesus.
E. To John, this was a pivotal moment in his life:
i. It was what his ministry was all about.
ii. Even growing up, John did not know that this relative, Jesus, was the coming Messiah (verse 31 “I did not know Him”)
iii. Seeing Jesus changed his life and his ministry
F. APPLICATION:
i. When one sees Jesus as He really is, it changes your life:
a. You realize that you are a sinner who cannot save yourself or do anything to save yourself.
b. That Jesus is the only way to have peace with God
c. That by surrendering your life to Him and trusting in what He did on the cross you can have real salvation and peace.
ii. For believers, when we refocus in on who Jesus is:
a. Our life takes on a richer meaning
b. We want to serve him because we love Him more every day
c. We remember that He has a great future planned for us.
Conclusion:
Where are you in your relationship to Jesus Christ today? (give invitation to unbeliever)
John saw Jesus, not as a relative but as the Messiah.
Has your view of Jesus been renewed?
He is a friend, but He is also our Savior and our Sovereign Lord.
Could it be you need to renew your relationship with Him today?
