IDENTIFYING The COMPETITORS For BELIEF-IV—John 1:19-28
Attention:
There are many competitors for your belief.
Identifying God’s servant(s)
John was approached by others regarding his spiritual niche.
*We must identify/concern ourselves with/ the spiritual niche of those vying for our belief.
How can/are we to identify the niche of those vying for belief?
9 considerations/keys/objectives/principles for identifying/categorizing those vying/competing for belief.
We’ve previously discovered that...
Identifying competitors for your belief employs...
1. TRUSTWORTHY INFORMANTs(:19)
2. QUALIFYING QUESTIONs(:19b)
3. UNQUALIFIED CONFESSIONs(:20)
4. EXHAUSTING Our LIMITATIONs(:21)
5—Identifying competitors for your belief employs...
PROBING QUESTIONs(:22)
Explanation:(:22) Open-ended(beyond ‘Yes’ or ‘No’)
:22—“Then they said to him, “Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?””
Since he denied being either the Christ, Elijah or the Prophet, they were at a loss as to what function he served. The priests & Levites were bound to the Jews to bring news of John’s purpose. The emissaries had exhausted the Jew’s repertoire of possibilities for John.
Since John maintained he was none of those figures which the leaders imagined, they asked him to explain who he was in his own words.
Don’t limit your inquiry to leading questions(news talk shows/lawyers). Open to the opinion of the one asked. Allow them to speak for themselves! Don’t put words in their mouths! They will either hang or exonerate themselves, in regard to particular faith.
Such Questions expose the belief of the one being asked to the light, while simultaneously exposing that of the ask-er. This is why many Christians are afraid to ask probing questions!
Argumentation:
Mat. 16:13-20—“When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” So they said, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, & others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered & said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus answered & said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh & blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter, & on this rock I will build My church, & the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, & whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, & whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Then He commanded His disciples that they should tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ.”
Illustration:
CWT Questions:
?Do you know for certain that you have eternal life & that you will go to heaven when you die?— ‘Yes or No’ question(Qualifying Question :19b)
*?Suppose you were standing before God right now & He were to ask you, “Why should I let you into My heaven? What do you think you would say?
F.A.I.T.H. Questions:
*? In your personal opinion, what do you understand it takes for a person to go to heaven?
What happens in Sunday School & on Wednesday Nights/I ask questions that expose my faith(things for which I may not have answers at the time)/Yet these are not frightening or faith destroyers...They are faith builders...because there will usually be someone in the audience who is familiar with that particular area of Christian doctrine & can lend credibility or wisdom to a discussion/PROBING QUESTIONs
Application:
?You employed PROBING QUESTIONs to identify the competitors for Your belief?
Jesus is competing for your belief & so are others(people, the devil, etc.)!
? You Identified those competing for Belief?
6—Identifying competitors for your belief employs...
A LISTENING/Hearing EAR(:23-24)
Explanation:(:23-24)
:23—“He said: “I am ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Make straight the way of the LORD,”’ as the prophet Isaiah said.”
John gave them his answer by quoting Isa.40:3. John’s purpose was to be the preparer & the herald of the coming of the Lord as specified for the future in Scripture.
Isa. 40:3—“The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the LORD; Make straight in the desert A highway for our God.”
John recognizes that his preaching is not only literally crying in the wilderness, but that his preaching was a lonely voice of truth in a lost world devoid of the ability to hear it.
Isa. 40:3 is a quote by which Hebrew ‘YaHWeH’ is captured in the Greek word “Lord”(kuriov) here.
Did John the Baptist state “as Isaiah the prophet said” or is it John’s(the apostle & writer’s) addendum?
“Voice”—fwnh—1) A sound, a tone—1a) Of inanimate things, as musical instruments; 2) A voice—2a) Of the sound of uttered words; 3) Speech, 3a) Of a language, tongue. Strong—probably akin to fainw[To lightent(shine), i.e. show] through the idea of disclosure; A tone(articulate, bestial or artificial); by implication--An address(for any purpose), saying or language.
“Crying”—boaw—1) To raise a cry, of joy pain etc.; 2) To cry, speak with a high, strong voice; 3) To cry to one for help, to implore his aid. Boaw to cry out as a manifestation of feeling, esp. a cry for help. Strong—To halloo, i.e. Shout(for help or in a tumultuous way).
“Wilderness”—erhmov—1) Solitary, lonely, desolate, uninhabited. Strong—Lonesome, i.e. by implication--Waste(usually as a noun, cwra[Room, i.e. A space of territory(more or less extensive; often including its inhabitants)] being implied).
“Straight”—euyunw—Adverb—1) To make straight, level, plain; 2) To lead or guide straight, to keep straight or direct—2a) Of the steersman or helmsman of a ship, 2b) Of a charioteer. Strong—To straighten(level); technically--To steer. Used 2X.
“Way”—odov—1) properly—1a) A way—1a1) A travelled way, road, 1b) A travelers way, journey, traveling; 2) metaph.—2a) A course of conduct, 2b) A way(i.e. manner) of thinking, feeling, deciding. Strong—apparently a primary word; A road; by implication--A progress(the route, act or distance); figuratively--A mode or means.
“Lord”—kuriov—1) He to whom a person or thing belongs, about which he has power of deciding; Master, lord. Kuriov has a wider meaning[beyond despothv], applicable to the various ranks & relations of life & not suggestive of either property or of absolutism. Strong—from kurov(supremacy); Supreme in authority, i.e. (as noun) Controller; by implication--Mr.(as a respectful title).
:24—“Now those who were sent were from the Pharisees.”
“The Pharisees” were an organized specific group of judaistic believers who had “sent” the priests & Levites(:19). Thus the priests & Levites were representatives of a known & recognizable belief system within Judaism. Thus it is also rightly stated in verse :1 that “the Jews” sent them.
In Jesus’ day “the Pharisees” appear to have held sway among conservative(?) Jews. It is stated elsewhere that the Pharisees held to a belief in the resurrection & in angels(Acts 23:8).
Did the Pharisees represent the majority of the common opinions of the Jews or did they merely have political influence?
A LISTENING EAR:
Your Ear may be an adjusted/attuned/sensitive Ear!! This can be either good or bad! Such an Ear grants you the ability to wade thru the superficial to arrive at the truth...BUT it must be developed by the Holy Spirit to both, 1)Recognize God’s work, 2) Recognize a person’s need.
Much of the time when we ‘listen,’ we are merely waiting for the other person to finish talking(we have an agenda!)...so we can throw in our two-cents or offer our advice!...We don’t even hear what they say because we are waiting to punctuate the air with our revelation. Such a scenario is NOT Listening but is instead, patience/bearing. However, advice can be offered with a Listening Ear! Such is appropriate & applicable advice.
“From”—ek—Prep.—1) Out of, from, by, away from. Strong— a primary preposition denoting origin (the point whence action or motion proceeds), from, out(of place, time, or cause; literal or figurative; direct or remote).
“Pharisees”—Farisaiov—1) A sect that seems to have started after the Jewish exile. In addition to OT books the Pharisees recognized in oral tradition a standard of belief & life. They sought for distinction & praise by outward observance of external rites & by outward forms of piety, & such as ceremonial washings, fastings, prayers, & alms giving; &, comparatively negligent of genuine piety, they prided themselves on their fancied good works. They held strenuously to a belief in the existence of good & evil angels, & to the expectation of a Messiah; & they cherished the hope that the dead, after a preliminary experience either of reward or of penalty in Hades, would be recalled to life by him, & be requited each according to his individual deeds. In opposition to the usurped dominion of the Herods & the rule of the Romans, they stoutly upheld the theocracy & their country's cause, & possessed great influence with the common people. According to Josephus they numbered more than 6000. They were bitter enemies of Jesus & his cause; & were in turn severely rebuked by him for their avarice, ambition, hollow reliance on outward works, & affection of piety in order to gain popularity. Strong—of Hebrew origin [compare vrp paw-rash']; A separatist, i.e. Exclusively religious; a Pharisean, i.e. Jewish sectary.
Argumentation:
Isa. 29:13-14—“Therefore the LORD said: “Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths And honor Me with their lips, But have removed their hearts far from Me, And their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men, Therefore, behold, I will again do a marvelous work Among this people, A marvelous work & a wonder; For the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, And the understanding of their prudent men shall be hidden.””
God offers an intervention to the Jews in the Cross-work of Christ!
Isa. 48:12,18—““Listen to Me, O Jacob, And Israel, My called: I am He, I am the First, I am also the Last.”.....“Oh, that you had heeded My commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river, And your righteousness like the waves of the sea.”
**Jer. 3:6-11—“The LORD said also to me in the days of Josiah the king: “Have you seen what backsliding Israel has done? She has gone up on every high mountain & under every green tree, & there played the harlot.” And I said, after she had done all these things, ‘Return to Me.’ But she did not return. And her treacherous sister Judah saw it. Then I saw that for all the causes for which backsliding Israel had committed adultery, I had put her away & given her a certificate of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah did not fear, but went & played the harlot also. So it came to pass, through her casual harlotry, that she defiled the land & committed adultery with stones & trees. And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah has not turned to Me with her whole heart, but in pretense,” says the LORD. Then the LORD said to me, “Backsliding Israel has shown herself more righteous than treacherous Judah.”
**Ex. 18:13-27—“And so it was, on the next day, that Moses sat to judge the people; & the people stood before Moses from morning until evening. So when Moses’ father-in-law saw all that he did for the people, he said, “What is this thing that you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit, & all the people stand before you from morning until evening?” And Moses said to his father-in-law, “Because the people come to me to inquire of God. “When they have a difficulty, they come to me, & I judge between one & another; & I make known the statutes of God & His laws.” So Moses’ father-in-law said to him, “The thing that you do is not good. Both you & these people who are with you will surely wear yourselves out. For this thing is too much for you; you are not able to perform it by yourself. Listen now to my voice; I will give you counsel, & God will be with you: Stand before God for the people, so that you may bring the difficulties to God. And you shall teach them the statutes & the laws, & show them the way in which they must walk & the work they must do. Moreover you shall select from all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; & place such over them to be rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, & rulers of tens. And let them judge the people at all times. Then it will be that every great matter they shall bring to you, but every small matter they themselves shall judge. So it will be easier for you, for they will bear the burden with you. If you do this thing, & God so commands you, then you will be able to endure, & all this people will also go to their place in peace.” So Moses heeded the voice of his father-in-law & did all that he had said. And Moses chose able men out of all Israel, & made them heads over the people: rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, & rulers of tens. So they judged the people at all times; the hard cases they brought to Moses, but they judged every small case themselves. Then Moses let his father-in-law depart, & he went his way to his own land.”
Moses heard & heeded his father-in-law, & was enabled to listen & judge with fairness & equity.
Illustration:
Counseling/Much of the time there is a neglected area, of which one is largely unaware, in the background of the one being counseled/A LISTENING/EAR can bring this neglected area to the forefront so that the problem is dealt with properly/A LISTENING/EAR
Example: Working-capable people with benevolence needs/Many of these are completely unaware that they themselves are responsible for their choices/They smoke & drink regularly, they ‘party like a rock star’ & then wonder why they can’t pay their electric bill!/A LISTENING/EAR
Application:
?You employed A LISTENING/Hearing EAR to identify the competitors for Your belief?
Jesus is competing for your belief & so are others(people, the devil, etc.)!
? You Identified those competing for Belief?
7—Identifying competitors for your belief employs...
TELLING ACTIONs(:25)Observed
Explanation:(:25)
:25—“And they asked him, saying, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?””
Don’t ask if you don’t really want to know.
The delegation attached great significance to John’s baptizing. In their eyes, all three—the Christ, Elijah & the Prophet—would have been expected to “baptize” in the same manner & purpose as was John.
The priests & Levites were of the opinion that the Christ, Elijah & the Prophet were associated with baptism. Or was it merely that John’s manner & words were primary & baptism was associated with it?
John was known by the population as ‘the Baptist’(Baptisthv) or ‘the Baptizer’(the practice characterized his ministry)(Mat. 3:1; Mat. 11:11; Mat. 14:2, 8, etc.).
Baptist/Baptizer—Baptisthv—1) A baptiser; 2) One who administers the rite of baptism.
What was the significance of John’s baptism?...
Baptism helped identify John as a prophet of God(Jn. 14:3-5).
Mat. 14:3-5—“For Herod had laid hold of John & bound him, & put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife. Because John had said to him, “It is not lawful for you to have her.” And although he wanted to put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet.”
Baptism was ordained of God.
Mat. 21:23-27—“Now when He came into the temple, the chief priests & the elders of the people confronted Him as He was teaching, & said, “By what authority are You doing these things? And who gave You this authority?” But Jesus answered & said to them, “I also will ask you one thing, which if you tell Me, I likewise will tell you by what authority I do these things: “The baptism of John--where was it from? From heaven or from men?” And they reasoned among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ “But if we say, ‘From men,’ we fear the multitude, for all count John as a prophet.” So they answered Jesus & said, “We do not know.” And He said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”
John’s baptism was associated with his preaching a particular baptism... one of repentance which would bring about “the remission of sins.” This involved a personal confession of sins.
Mk. 1:2-5—“As it is written in the Prophets: “Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, Who will prepare Your way before You.” “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the LORD; Make His paths straight.’” John came baptizing in the wilderness & preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. Then all the land of Judea, & those from Jerusalem, went out to him & were all baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins.”
Mat. 3:1-2—“In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, & saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!””
However, the repentance had thru John was only held by means of human ability as John’s baptism was only by water! It was a recognition & admission of personal need. John’s baptism was one in preparation for the salvation of God thru the Christ/Messiah, Jesus.
Mat. 3:11; Lk. 3:16—““I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit & fire.”
Acts 1:4-5—[After the resurrection]“And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me; “for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.””
Lk. 7:19-20—“And John, calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to Jesus, saying, “Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?” When the men had come to Him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to You, saying, ‘Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?’””
Lk. 7:28-30—““For I say to you, among those born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.” And when all the people heard Him[Jesus], even the tax collectors justified God, having been baptized with the baptism of John. But the Pharisees & lawyers rejected the will of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him.”
Jn. 3:25-30—“Then there arose a dispute between some of John’s disciples & the Jews about purification. And they came to John & said to him, “Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have testified--behold, He is baptizing, & all are coming to Him!” John answered & said, “A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven. “You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ,’ but, ‘I have been sent before Him.’ “He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands & hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease.”
Acts 19:1-7—“And it happened, while Apollos was at Corinth, that Paul, having passed through the upper regions, came to Ephesus. And finding some disciples he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” So they said to him, “We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.” And he said to them, “Into what then were you baptized?” So they said, “Into John’s baptism.” Then Paul said, “John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.” When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, & they spoke with tongues & prophesied. Now the men were about twelve in all.”
Acts 18:24-26—“Now a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man & mighty in the Scriptures, came to Ephesus. This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; & being fervent in spirit, he spoke & taught accurately the things of the Lord, though he knew only the baptism of John. So he began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Aquila & Priscilla heard him, they took him aside & explained to him the way of God more accurately.”
This is the same message Jesus preached:
Mat. 4:17—[After John had been imprisoned, Jesus declared in Galilee]“From that time Jesus began to preach & to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.””
Mk. 1:14-15—“Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, & saying, “The time is fulfilled, & the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, & believe in the gospel.””
Argumentation:
Mat. 7:15-20—““Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? “Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. “A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. “Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down & thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them.”
Mat. 12:32-33—““Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come. Either make the tree good & its fruit good, or else make the tree bad & its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit.”
Lk. 6:43-46—““For a good tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. For every tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush. “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; & an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ & do not do the things which I say?”
**Titus 2:11-15—“For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness & worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, & godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope & glorious appearing of our great God & Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed & purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works. Speak these things, exhort, & rebuke with all authority. Let no one despise you.”
**Lk. 16:10—““He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; & he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much.”
Illustration:
Something I do that sets me apart before others or identifies me.
[Graduates]Your future actions will tell the tale of your true reliance/Everyone needs to make a living—that’s biblical!/But the manner in which you will make a living holds potential to either dishonor or honor God/If you have no regard for others—its all about you—to the demise of everyone else—Then you have dishonored God also!/TELLING ACTIONs
Crabbers/A colleague of yours has crab pots(traps) near your own/While no one is looking, & you know the owner is elsewhere, you remove your competitors-colleague’s crabs from ‘just one’ of his traps/TELLING ACTIONs
Prayers/You know who the ‘prayer warriors’ are in your church!/You can tell by their public prayers that their private prayers are similar & you can tell by their demeanor(the way they present & handle themselves) that their love for the Lord is genuine/TELLING ACTIONs
Application:
?You employed TELLING ACTIONs to identify the competitors for Your belief?
Jesus is competing for your belief & so are others(people, the devil, etc.)!
? You Identified those competing for Belief?
8—Identifying competitors for your belief employs...
RELATING REVELATION(:26-27)
Explanation:(:26)Compare Explanations
:26—“John answered them, saying, “I baptize with water, but there stands One among you whom you do not know.”
John responded that his purpose in baptism would be overshadowed & vastly different from that of the One who would follow him & now was. John made it plain that his “baptism” was merely a “water” baptism.
“He is described as "the Baptist," "the Baptizer" for that is the rite that distinguishes him. The Jews probably had proselyte baptism as I. Abrahams shows (Studies in Pharisaism & the Gospels, p. 37). But this rite was meant for the Gentiles who accepted Judaism. John is treating the Jews as Gentiles in demanding baptism at their hands on the basis of repentance.”—RWP
By some connection to John’s baptism, the One whose coming he had announced would come on the scene. However, this One was unknown to them. John knew that thru the performance of his baptisms would reveal(:31-33) this “One” presently not known.
“Stands”—isthmi—1) To cause or make to stand, to place, put, set—1a) To bid to stand by, [set up], 1b) To make firm, fix establish, 1c) To set or place in a balance 2) To stand—2a) To stand by or near—2a1) To stop, stand still, to stand immovable, stand firm—2a1a) Of the foundation of a building, 2b) To stand—2b1) Continue safe & sound, stand unharmed, to stand ready or prepared, 2b2) To be of a steadfast mind, 2b3) Of quality, one who does not hesitate, does not waiver. Strong—a prolonged form of a primary staw(of the same meaning, & used for it in certain tenses); To stand (transitively or intransitively), used in various applications (literally or figuratively).
“Know”—oida—Perfect Active Indicative—1) To see—1a) To perceive with the eyes, 1b) To perceive by any of the senses, 1c) To perceive, notice, discern, discover, 1d) To see, 1e) To experience any state or condition, 1f) To see i.e. have an interview with, to visit; 2) To know—2a) To know of anything, 2b) To know, i.e. get knowledge of, understand, perceive, 2c) To have regard for one, cherish, pay attention to (1Th 5:12). To see with the mind's eye, signifies a clear & purely mental perception. properly--To see (literally or figuratively); by implication(in the perf. only)--To know. :27—“It is He who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose.””
The very One who was unknown to the delegates & others of the Pharisees, was the One who—& whose ministry—would rightly be “preferred”(take precedence) over John’s ministry.
John told them that his baptism was not insignificant, yet insignificant in comparison to that of the One he was the herald of.
This person would be of such great importance that John, a great man of God, wouldn’t be “worthy” to operate as His slave. This is a hint of Jesus’ Divinity.
There was someone already in their midst/ranks of whom they were unaware & who was of much more importance than John. Thru John’s baptism, the way of the Lord would be made straight(:23). Thereby the One who followed John would be honored by John.
This was telling also in that the very One they sought was before them yet they had discounted the very signs proclaiming Him.
“Preferred”[TR only—See :15]—emprosyen—Adv.—1) In front, before—1a) Before, i.e. In that local region which is in front of a person or thing, 1b) Before, in the presence of, i.e. opposite to, over against one, 1c) Before, in the sight of, 1d) Before, denoting rank. Strong—In front of(in place [literally or figuratively] or time).
“Sandal”—upodhma—1) What is bound under, a sandal, a sole fastened to the foot with thongs. Strong—Something bound under the feet, i.e. a shoe or sandal. Used 10X.
“Strap”—imav—1) A thong of leather, a strap—1a) in the NT—Of the thongs with which captives or criminals were either bound or beaten, 1b) Of the thongs or ties by which sandals were fastened to the feet. Strong—A strap, i.e. specially--The tie(of a sandal) or the lash(of a scourge).
“Worthy”—axiov—Adj.—1) Weighing, having weight, having the weight of another thing of like value, worth as much; 2) Befitting, congruous, corresponding to a thing; 3) Of one who has merited anything worthy—3a) both in a good & a bad sense. Strong—Deserving, comparable or suitable(as if drawing praise).
Argumentation:
**Mat. 10:16-28—[the 12 sent out to the lost sheep of Israel]““Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents & harmless as doves. But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils & scourge you in their synagogues. You will be brought before governors & kings for My sake, as a testimony to them & to the Gentiles. But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you. Now brother will deliver up brother to death, & a father his child; & children will rise up against parents & cause them to be put to death. And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved. When they persecute you in this city, flee to another. For assuredly, I say to you, you will not have gone through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes. A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher, & a servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more will they call those of his household! Therefore do not fear them. For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, & hidden that will not be known. Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; & what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops. And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul & body in hell.”
Deut. 12:29-13:5—““When the LORD your God cuts off from before you the nations which you go to dispossess, & you displace them & dwell in their land, take heed to yourself that you are not ensnared to follow them, after they are destroyed from before you, & that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, ‘How did these nations serve their gods? I also will do likewise.’ “You shall not worship the LORD your God in that way; for every abomination to the LORD which He hates they have done to their gods; for they burn even their sons & daughters in the fire to their gods. “Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it. If there arises among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams, & he gives you a sign or a wonder, & the sign or the wonder comes to pass, of which he spoke to you, saying, ‘Let us go after other gods’--which you have not known--‘& let us serve them,’ “you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams, for the LORD your God is testing you to know whether you love the LORD your God with all your heart & with all your soul. You shall walk after the LORD your God & fear Him, & keep His commandments & obey His voice, & you shall serve Him & hold fast to Him. But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has spoken in order to turn you away from the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt & redeemed you from the house of bondage, to entice you from the way in which the LORD your God commanded you to walk. So you shall put away the evil from your midst.”
Jn. 17:25-26—““O righteous Father! The world has not known You, but I have known You; & these have known that You sent Me. And I have declared to them Your name, & will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, & I in them.””
Rom. 9:17—“For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, & that My name may be declared in all the earth.””
Gal. 3:22—“But the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.”
**1Pet. 2:9-12—“But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy. Beloved, I beg you as sojourners & pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.”
**1Jn. 1:1-4—“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, & our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life-- the life was manifested, & we have seen, & bear witness, & declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father & was manifested to us-- that which we have seen & heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; & truly our fellowship is with the Father & with His Son Jesus Christ. And these things we write to you that your joy may be full.”
Illustration:
Highway patrolman/He follows you closely/His lights come on & his siren squawks/He is relating what has been revealed to him—your speed!/RELATING REVELATION
What has God revealed to you? Do you declare it to others?
What God reveals to you declare boldly
Application:
?You employed RELATING REVELATION to identify the competitors for Your belief?
Jesus is competing for your belief & so are others(people, the devil, etc.)!
? You Identified those competing for Belief?
9—Identifying competitors for your belief employs...
EFFORT(on my part)(:28)
Explanation:(:28)
:28—“These things were done in Bethabara beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.”
John was baptizing fellow Jews, which was a practice only reserved for Gentile proselytes(Jews sometimes practiced self-immersion). Thus to propose baptism for Jews was offensive as it made both Jew & Gentile equals regarding spiritual need.
The baptismal part of John’s ministry took place on the eastern side of the Jordan River—“beyond the Jordan”.
“Beyond the Jordan” is from a perspective of someone standing on the western side looking eastward across the Jordan R.—D.A Carson
John the baptist “baptized” people in a location revealed to John’s(the apostle/writer) audience as “Bethabara”(TR) or Bethany(Maj. T).
There are two possible Bethany’s. One was on the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives. This is the town associated with Mary, Martha & Lazarus.
Probably Bethabara[TR] was substituted for Bethany of which there appear to be two distinguished by one being on the eastern & the other being on the eastern(“beyond the Jordan”) side of the Jordan.—MNTC Bethabara was “a known village but almost certainly not the original text.” Or possibly even Batanea(OT Bashan) an area, not a town. “The later reference to Aenon near Salim[3:23] is probably not a village but a region of Batanea in the NE.”—D.A. Carson/ECNT
In 1:43, Jesus leaves from Bethany(beyond the Jordan) for Galilee yet calls Philip on the same day. Thus Bethany was apparently a day’s journey from Galilee, thus being closer to Galilee than Judea.—D.A. Carson
Argumentation:
Ex. 36:1-8—““And Bezalel & Aholiab, & every gifted artisan in whom the LORD has put wisdom & understanding, to know how to do all manner of work for the service of the sanctuary, shall do according to all that the LORD has commanded.” Then Moses called Bezalel & Aholiab, & every gifted artisan in whose heart the LORD had put wisdom, everyone whose heart was stirred, to come & do the work. And they received from Moses all the offering which the children of Israel had brought for the work of the service of making the sanctuary. So they continued bringing to him freewill offerings every morning. Then all the craftsmen who were doing all the work of the sanctuary came, each from the work he was doing, & they spoke to Moses, saying, “The people bring much more than enough for the service of the work which the LORD commanded us to do.” So Moses gave a commandment, & they caused it to be proclaimed throughout the camp, saying, “Let neither man nor woman do any more work for the offering of the sanctuary.” And the people were restrained from bringing, for the material they had was sufficient for all the work to be done--indeed too much. Then all the gifted artisans among them who worked on the tabernacle made ten curtains woven of fine linen, & of blue, purple, & scarlet thread; with artistic designs of cherubim they made them.”
Eccl. 9:10—“Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going.”
**Jn. 9:4-5—““I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.””
**Jn. 4:34—“Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, & to finish His work.”
**Jn. 10:37-38—““If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know & believe that the Father is in Me, & I in Him.””
Acts 4:15-20—“But when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they conferred among themselves, saying, “What shall we do to these men? For, indeed, that a notable miracle has been done through them is evident to all who dwell in Jerusalem, & we cannot deny it. But so that it spreads no further among the people, let us severely threaten them, that from now on they speak to no man in this name.” And they called them & commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter & John answered & said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen & heard.””
**Eph. 5:15-16—“See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.”
**Lk. 9:62—“But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, & looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.””
Illustration:
This building, our every ministry, ongoing & events/All require effort—time allocation, study, physical preparation, logistics, personnel, coordination, etc./EFFORT
Watering plants at the house/At least 1 ½ hrs. total for all the plants/EFFORT
Visiting people/EFFORT
Application:
?You employed EFFORT(on my part) to identify the competitors for Your belief?
Jesus is competing for your belief & so are others(people, the devil, etc.)!
? You Identified those competing for Belief?
CONCLUSION:
Action:
Identifying competitors for your belief employs...
5. PROBING QUESTIONs(:22)
6. A LISTENING/Hearing EAR(:23-24)
7. TELLING ACTIONs(:25)Observed
8. RELATING REVELATION(:26-27)
9. EFFORT(on my part)(:28)
1. TRUSTWORTHY INFORMANTs(:19)
2. QUALIFYING QUESTIONs(:19b)
3. UNQUALIFIED CONFESSIONs(:20)
4. EXHAUSTING Our LIMITATIONs(:21)
Presented 05/25/2014pm to:
FBC Cbelle
206 Storrs Ave. SE
Carrabelle, FL 32322
