INTRO
This morning, we’re going to turn back to the Gospel of John and dovetail with last week’s message. Last Sunday, we walked down the hallowed halls of Biblical history and gazed upon the portrait of grace embodied in Jesus Christ. We stared intently into the word of God, as the true essence and personification of Father, who came to dwell among us as the One and Only Begotten Son of God.
Today, we’re going to walk into one of history’s courtrooms and observe the man called to point to the portrait of grace and truth we heard of last week. However, before we dig in, let me tell you a quick story, with somewhat of a parallel motif.
In 1981, my father was called as a court witness to testify to a number of thefts that occurred at his employer. Now, we had just moved from Pennsylvania to Minnesota, and dad was brand-new to the job as the corporate purchasing agent. So, dad reports to the CEO on day one, and within minutes his boss says, “Ron, you got big problems in your department.”
The CEO then brought him up to speed on the heists that had transpired in the years before our arrival to Minnesota. What had happened was this: in the course of a few months, a Chicago based company stole two truckloads of a Molybdenum-based steel alloy valued at over $500,000. Furthermore, the prosecutors determined the this company conspired with three men from my father’s employer to pull-off the robberies.
My father was called to testify not against the defendants per se, but rather, as to the value of the steel alloy, its uses, and the impact these thefts had on the corporation. Ironically, though, since dad was new to the job, he knew very little about the alloy. Nevertheless, the CEO tasked my father to serve the company as a witness to testify for them.
In a loose kind-of way, John the Baptist was called by the CEO of the universe to testify for God’s Kingdom concerning the Lamb of God, even though the scriptures indicate John knew him not, so all men might believe the truth and enter into God’s grace and favor. So… with that, let’s open our Bibles to John, Chapter 1, and start our time in verse six.
GOD CALLS HIS WITNESS
READ VV 6-9
Two things are going on that’s calling for our attention. The first being, God is doing the sending, and the second is the reason John the Baptist was sent.
The word used for “sent” translates as ἀποστέλλω — it’s the verb form for the word we know as “Apostle.” So, while we might not think of John the Baptist as an “Apostle” in a formal sense—like the twelve disciples and Paul — John the Baptist was an apostle, sent by God to testify for God. This has implication for you and me.
And while it’s easy to focus on John, the focus truly rests on God the father. For, the word ἀποστέλλω refers back to the one doing the sending. For, what this word really means is to “dispatch someone, or to send out.”
In this case, the dispatcher is God the Father. And that’s an important point. God dispatched John to serve God’s will and carry his message. Now, the task John was dispatched to perform was to serve as the Father’s witness.
We see this word “witness” being used twice in this passage: once in verse seven, and the other in verse eight. In both cases, John was sent to serve as a witness —like one today in a court of law on a witness stand, like my dad — and he was sent concerning the light. Okay, this brings us to the next point — the witness is dispatched by God to testify.
THE WITNESS TESTIFIES
These two words: witness and testify, are wholly interrelated, in more ways than meets the eye. Let’s see how.
According to Webster’s dictionary, a witness is “one that gives evidence; specifically: one who testifies in a cause; one who has personal knowledge of something; and publically affirms something by word or example. I’d say that probably fits the definition most of us understand.
Here’s something also interesting, the first synonym Webster lists for witness is “testimony”. But what’s more interesting, I think, is the definition Webster lists for the word “testimony.”
The first use of “testimony” listed in our English dictionary is this: “the tablets inscribed with the Mosaic law; the ark containing the tablets, and a divine decree attested in the Scriptures.” The definition also states that a testimony is a “firsthand authentication of a fact and a public profession of religious experience.”
That really fits with that which John was dispatched by God the Father to do — to attest to God’s divine decree, to point to the grace for grace in verse 16 we heard of last week.
For those of you who missed last week’s message, let me do a bit of a recap.
John 1, verse 16, in the NIV says, “From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another.” While this is true, the NASB says it better: “For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace.”
What this really means is the grace of the Old Testament law is replaced with grace embodied in Jesus Christ, who came to dwell amongst us as the Word of God.
Moses gave the law, which at the time was God’s grace and favor to his children.
God’s law was a blessing to his children, and intended to show them how to live righteously. But they truly didn’t understand that grace or live according to the Law.
So, God the Father dispatched his Only Begotten Son to fulfill the Law of Moses by speaking God’s truth, and making available through the Cross, God’s favor.
So, getting back to what the witness was dispatched to do, John was sent by the Father to testify concerning the light of grace and truth, to testify concerning the grace of Jesus Christ, that fulfilled (or replaced if you will) the grace testified within the Mosaic law; and the divine decree’s of God attested in the Scriptures. Pretty cool, huh?
This really brings us to the crux of the message of the day. The testimony the witness was called to give was to reveal the Lamb of God. Let’s move down to verses 19-34. Let me set the stage.
THE WITNESS REVEALS JESUS
Okay, so John the Baptist is out living out in the wilderness, dressed in clothing made of camel’s hair and eating locust and honey. Some today might think he’s a bit coo-coo.
Anyway, God dispatches John and sends him to the Jordan River to baptism the children of Israel for repentance (Matthew 3:11).
Now the point of the Baptism was not to baptize for baptism sake.
The point of the baptism was to point back to the Levitical Code (or the law) which required everything be washed before coming into God’s holy presence at the temple.
You’ve probably heard this before, but the Israelitles bathed in pools outside the temple where they washed themselves (and all their possessions) before entering into the temple gates.
In this way, the Jews were acknowledging their sin and need for repentance before offering sacrifice to God. This was a precursor to the Baptism we practice today, and as seen in the New Testament.
Okay, getting back, so John’s at the Jordan doing the thing God’s called him to do. His baptizing of others was meant to be a means for him to witness and testify to God’s grace and truth, and point to the Lamb of God, given by God as a sacrifice for Israel’s sins.
This got the attention of the religious establishment.
Verse 19 says “…the Jews of Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was.”
Likewise, VV 24-25 says “Now some Pharisees who had been sent questioned him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”
Let’s consider this for a second.
It was like the Pharisees, priests and Levites were acting like modern attorneys, some of whom nowadays put people on the witness stand and grill them — trying the best they can to not necessarily get the truth from them — but rather, to use something against them in order to defend their client.
In this case, that client was the religious establishment the Pharisees and Sadducees were sent to defend.
But John didn’t give into their ploy. Rather, he testified against the Pharisees and Sadducees, as recorded by Matthew 3. He said, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.”
John then continued his testimony, FOR GOD, by stating: “I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know. He is the one who comes after me, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.”
Now, know that his testimony didn’t end with just that one, on that one day.
Let’s move down to vv 29-34.
Okay, so John’s there at the Jordan again, not backing off from his mission but doing what God’s dispatched him to do: to baptize and testify concerning the light of grace and truth.
Not only are people coming from all over the Judean countryside to hear this message and to repent in the waters of the Jordan, but the Pharisees and Sadducees are there again, grilling him for a second day.
But just then as they’re laying it to him, Jesus enters the scene.
The moment hits a climax, and John points to his second cousin and says —“Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”
He continues…. “This is the one I meant when I said, — this past tense referring back to his testimony from the day before —‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ I myself did not know him know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.” Let me insert another parenthetical — John’s stating his true purpose and mission from God.
He continues… “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. I would not have known him —we’re hearing this for the 2nd time —except that the one who sent me — meaning God the Father —told me to baptize with water. ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God.”
VV. 31 & 34 are the reason God dispatched John to serve him as witness to testify on God’s behalf—as the CEO of the universe.
God sent John to baptize the children of Israel so that he could point to the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. He was dispatched to say, “I’ve seen with my own eyes and testify that truly, Jesus is the One and Only Begotten Son of God, and he’s come to fulfill the Law of Moses, in truth and grace.
WE’RE CALLED TO TESTIFY AS WITNESSES FOR GOD
Friends, that’s the point of our baptism. Our baptism is to serve as a reminder that, like John the Baptist, we’re called and dispatched by God the Father to point others to the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. It’s to serve as an outward sign for others that we’ve been washed and redeemed by God.
In a few minutes, we’re going to witness the baptism of Zohe
We’ve heard it said all morning that John the Baptist was dispatched to witness and give testimony on behalf of God the Father for Christ Jesus. Likewise, we are called by God, and are being dispatched to testify to the way, the truth and the life in Christ Jesus.
As baptized Christians, and saved by grace in faith alone, we who profess our faith in the Father, and in the Son, and in the Holy Spirit, are to stand up for Jesus — just as the great hymn states — and proclaim to the lost in our communities the freedom we’ve been given in God.
Let us each, as we go from this place today not compromise our faith by remaining silent and sitting still in our pews, homes, and workplaces. Rather, let us all act upon our baptism in which we’ve been made clean and sealed for the day redemption, to witness and testify for God, the truths in Jesus Christ, and the grace by which we have been saved.
John’s mission is our mission. As john was a called apostle to witness and testify, so are we called as little apostles — to go out into our communities as sent ones to be the church and fulfill the mission of Jesus Christ. Let’s be the church, and stand up, stand up for Jesus.
Amen, let us pray.
