INTRODUCTION
• SLIDE #1
• Have you ever tried to navigate in the dark? How would you like to drive at night with no lights? Imagine a world were cars did not have lights. The roads would be VERY dangerous at night wouldn’t they?
• Imagine living in darkness, living in a dark world where there was no light. That would be depressing.
• As we saw last week, Jesus is the light of the world! We need to understand there are some serious implications that spring forth from that fact.
• The coming of Jesus was predicted through prophecy hundreds of years before He came.
• There was much anticipation at the time of the coming of our Lord. There were those who knew the coming of the Messiah was nearing. Many were ready for the light to come!
• Last week we examined some things about Jesus that makes Him special, today we are going to build on that thought.
• The light was coming; let look at what John has to say together this morning.
• SLIDE #2
• John 1:6-8(ESV) 6There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. 8He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.
• Let us begin by looking at the one who paved the way for the Light to come.
• SLIDE #3
SERMON
I. Preparing the way- The ministry of John The Baptist. (6-8)
• It is interesting that as John speaks of Jesus, he introduces us to John the Baptist.
• In the Gospel of John, John does not call himself by name in the gospel, he refers to himself as the “disciple whom Jesus loved”, the “disciple”. Or “ the other disciple”.
• There were two important people by the name of John connected to Jesus life, the writer of this gospel and John the Baptist.
• We also should take note that John the Baptist was send by God, literally an apostle of God.
• He was the prophesied forerunner of Jesus (Isa 40:3-4; Mal 3:1; 4:5).
• John had a divine purpose from God and he knew it.
• John was the last of the Old Testament Prophets.
• He had a three-fold ministry for the most part.
• SLIDE #4
A. Bear witness to the Light.
• John began his prophetic ministry in A.D. 25—the 15th year of Tiberias Caesar (Lk 3:1).
• John was sent to identify the light!
• John was to tell others what he saw, heard and experienced concerning the coming light.
• He was the forerunner who was to prepare people for the long awaited coming of the Messiah!
• Next John was called…
• SLIDE #5
B. To lead people to the Light.
• He was to prepare the minds and hearts of the people to receive Christ.
• He was to lead the people in repentance.
• The message for many of his sermons was repent for the kingdom of God was at hand.
• When you examine John’s message in the other Gospels, you will see that John focused his preaching on twin ideas: (1) the promised King of Old Testament prophecy was about to appear, and (2) His coming demanded a moral renewal.
• John rebuked sin in ruler and common man alike. His tongue lashed the religious. “You brood of vipers!” he cried scornfully. “Produce fruit in keeping with repentance” (Luke 3:7-8) John’s job was to help people prepare for the coming messiah!
• John did not pull any punches and that eventually cost him his head!
• John was to help people to believe in the coming Messiah through his message.
• John understood the scope of his ministry.
• SLIDE #6
C. To step aside when the Light came.
• John was called to point people to Jesus, not to bask in the limelight himself.
• DO you realize that John NEVER performed a miracle?
• All John did was preach and baptize. John even baptized Jesus!
• John led a great revival.
• SLIDE #7
• Matthew 3:5-6(ESV) 5Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan were going out to him, 6and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.
• So forceful was his preaching that many took him to be the reincarnation of Elijah, Jeremiah or another prophet (Mt 16:14). Jesus says that he was the greatest person ever born of a woman (Mt 11:11).
• John was the first prophet in over 400 years, in Luke 3:15 people were asking him if he was the Christ.
• John knew he was called to prepare the way for the Lord!
• Let’s look at verses 9-11
• SLIDE #8
• John 1:9-11(ESV) 9The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. 10He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. 11He came to his own,£ and his own people£ did not receive him.
• SLIDE #9
II. The Light was not received by all. (9-11)
• Jesus came for a purpose also. His purpose was to bring light in a dark world. Can you imagine living in darkness?
• Helen Keller could.
• Helen Keller tells of the dramatic moment when Annie Sullivan first broke through her dark, silent world with the illumination of language.
• We walked down the path to the well house, attracted by the fragrance of the honeysuckle with which it was covered. Some one was drawing water and my teacher placed my hand under the spout.
• As the cool stream gushed over one hand she spelled into the other the word water, first slowly, then rapidly. I stood still, my whole attention fixed upon the motions of her fingers.
• Suddenly I felt a misty consciousness as of something forgotten -- a thrill of returning thought; and somehow the mystery of language was revealed to me. I knew then that "w-a-t-e-r" meant the wonderful cool something that was flowing over my hand.
• That living word awakened my soul, gave it light, hope, joy, set it free! There were barriers still, it is true, but barriers that could in time be swept away.
• SLIDE #10
A. The Light came for everyone.
• Jesus wants EVERYONE to have that awakening of the soul.
• Jesus came to remove the darkness of sin in our lives.
• Imagine was how the blind man must have felt when he saw water for the first time as he washed his eyes in the pool of Siloam.
• Just as the Light of the world gave sight to the blind beggar, and just as that "living word" awakened the soul of Helen Keller, so Jesus can awaken your life with the tender touch of His hand.
• He can give you light, hope, joy, and freedom like you’ve never known before. Surely there will still be barriers in your life -- but barriers that can be swept away in time.
• There were a couple things that were sad concerning the coming of the light.
• SLIDE #11
B. The world did not know the light.
• The creator was not recognized by the creation.
• The word “know” means either to understand who someone is, or it could mean to love and approve.
• The world did not love or approve of Him and they put Him to death.
• As far as understanding, the world did not understand they did not know Jesus was Messiah, or they would most certainly not have put Him to death.
• They also did not know who He was because He was not what THEY were looking for in a Messiah, they wanted one who would deliver them from the hands of the hated Romans.
• SLIDE #12
C. The Light was not received by His own.
• Verse 11 speaks of Him coming to His own, this means He came to the world He created, and then it speaks of His own people rejecting Him at the end of verse 11.
• Now, given the anticipation of the coming of the Messiah, you would think everyone would rejoice.
• They also did not know who He was because He was not what THEY were looking for in a Messiah, they wanted one who would deliver them from the hands of the hated Romans.
• What is it in your life that is keeping you from receiving Him? What misconceptions about God are you entertaining that keeps you from going all in with Jesus?
• Maybe we should quit trying to make the Messiah be what WE want Him to be and maybe we should accept Him for who GOD says He is?
• SLIDE #13
• John 1:12-13(ESV) 12But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
• SLIDE #14
III. Those who receive the light receive the ultimate blessing! (12-13)
• Even in the midst of all the rejection there were some who received Him. We would not be where we are at today had that not happened.
• Notice the tie in between receiving and believing.
• SLIDE #15
A. To receive means to believe.
• Believing is whole soul trust in God’s word as true because of the sufficiency of the evidence.
• If you believe, then you will take the step toward God.
• Believing is not just an intellectual exercise, but it includes the works of faith.
• Receiving Jesus should change your life. It should impact our life.
• Receiving Jesus is IMPORTANT because of the next thing we see in verses 12-13
• SLIDE #16
B. Those who receive Him receive a special privilege!
• They were not made children by believing, but they were giving the power, or the rightful claim to be children
• When one believes in Christ, his faith becomes a power to lead him to yield himself to the will of the Father!
• If one does not believe in Christ, then he has no claim or power to become one of God’s children.
• SLIDE #17
• John 20:31(ESV) 31but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
• Those who are given the power to become His children. This did not happen by…
• Not of blood. No favored Nation. Not of desire. The passions of the flesh.
• Not of man’s will. Not be the power of man or his effort. But of God.
CONCLUSION
• Jesus came into the world that He created, that world did not know who He was, nor did they love and accept Him.
• There were some that received Him; those are the ones who will enter into God’s kingdom. Today we have the same thing going on.
• God has sent His son, but you must believe and receive Him in order to enjoy the benefits of His sacrifice.
• You cannot deem yourself a child of God deserving salvation. You MUST receive Him, are you ready?
