Scripture: John 1:29-42
Title: What is Our Role?
Proposition: In this passage John the Evangelist reveals to us our role - TO BE A WITNESS. To tell others 1. Jesus came to take away sin 2. Jesus is the Only Son of God 3. Jesus will baptize us in the Holy Spirit
INTRO:
Grace and peace from God our Father and from Jesus Christ who came to take away the sin of the world!
Several years ago, I had the privilege of working with a couple of High School Basketball coaches. One of them was coaching the boy's team while the other was coaching the girl's team. It was amazing how much I was able to learn from these two individuals. They taught me about the fundamentals of basketball along with some ways that a team could improve both their offense and defense. They also taught me that each player on a team has a specific role to play.
You see, recently, I had noticed that there was this one player that never seemed to shoot the ball during a game. They would dribble the ball up the court, they would pass, they would rebound and they would play defense but very rarely would they ever take a shot. About the only time they would shoot was when they were shooting a layup or when they were about 5 feet from the goal with no one around.
So, one day while I was working with the coach I ask him why this particular player wouldn't shoot. He looked at me and told me that this young man better not shoot. Shooting wasn't his role. His role was to guard, to bring the ball down the court, to pass and when possible to rebound. The team had no specific plays designed for that particular player to shoot the ball.
That made me even more curious so I asked why shooting wasn't a part of his role on the team. The coach's answer was quick and straight - "He can't shoot". The young man was excellent at dribbling, rebounding, passing and defending but he was a terrible shot. No matter how much the young man practiced his shot the reality was he was a terrible shooter. So, the coach gave him a specific role. He could dribble, pass, rebound and defend but when it came to shooting it better be either a layup or a shot so close with no one around that he could rebound his own miss.
Since then I have found out that in almost every sport players have certain roles that they are suppose to play. If you are on a football team and you are a running back, wide receiver or an offensive guard there is a specific role you are suppose to play. You can get into a lot of trouble not playing your role. You can get a penalty, lose the ball or make your coach very angry which I have a feeling is the worst thing you can do.
I knew that in music and drama every person has a particular role to play. In music each instrument has a certain role to play to help create the wonderful of music. In drama each person has a certain role to play. Each role has certain words to memorize and certain actions to display. For example, if you have a lead role then you must play like a lead role. If you have a supporting role you are to support the lead actors and not put yourself into the lime light.
In our passage this morning we find John the Baptist playing a particular role. While he was viewed by many as the lead spiritual player at the time, John knew his true role was that of supporting Jesus who was the true spiritual leader at the time. John knew that he had been born to play a certain role in the life of Israel and in the life of the Messiah. John tells us in this passage that there was one who was coming after him that far outranked him. It would be this person would take center stage. John's role was that of being a witness.
In our passage we can also see another role player. He operates from the sidelines as our author. History tells us that this person would later on be called the "disciple whom Jesus loved". Now, that is quite a title and it could have made our writer arrogant and egotistical. But what we see is the very opposite. Our writer at no time focuses on himself. Like John the Baptist he does not seek the limelight. He understands that the Jesus must be the focus. He understands that Jesus outranks him. He understands that his role is that of being a witness for Jesus.
Both the Evangelist and the Baptizer saw their role (their mission) in life to be a witness for Jesus. They saw their mission in life to tell others what they had experienced in Jesus. It was their desire is to never be the center of attention but instead to make sure that they were doing all they could do to make Jesus the center of attention. They wanted people to know and experience Jesus.
The role they played here at the Jordan River and in the writing of this Gospel is the same role that you and I are called to play. More than anything else in this life we are called to play the role of being a witness for Jesus Christ. We are called to testify about who Jesus is and what He has done in our lives and is able to do in the lives of others.
We must always remember that it is very easy to forget our mission. It's easy to forget that our main role in this life is to be a witness for Jesus. It's easy to be tempted to take our eyes off of Jesus and put them on ourselves or our own pet programs and agendas. It's easy for us to even think that the Church is for us and our needs instead of lifting up the name of Jesus in praise and worship.
It's even easy to fool ourselves into thinking that we get to choose where we want to go to church. That where we go should be solely our choice. That we get to pick a place where we like the music, where the programs meet our needs and where we like a particular pastor/preacher. And then when we get unhappy or upset that we can simply walk away. The truth is Jesus should be leading us to the place that He wants us to serve.
At times, even as a connected body of Christ, we forget that our role is that of witnessing about and for Jesus. At times we get the misguided idea that our main job is constructing some building or fellowship hall. We get the idea that we have to be busy doing something but so often that something has very little to do with true witnessing.
This has even happened on what some have called Work and Witnessing Trips. A group of people will raise thousands of dollars, travel thousands of miles to work on churches/building in foreign countries. A great deal of good things will be accomplished but when the teams are asked how they did in sharing the Gospel many times they simply report - "we worked in the dirt, we laid concrete or we put up walls for the new building. We didn't go out and share the Gospel. We had church with the locals but we didn't tell anyone outside of our group about Jesus." When that happens it means we have forgotten our true role - that of being a witness for Jesus.
Sadly, for years the Church of Jesus Christ found itself marooned as it thought its main mission was getting involved in the world of politics. Some church leaders thought our #1 mission was to discover ways to sway, convince or badger people into thinking that the only way to change our world was to work through government or through education. Hopefully, we have realized that is a fool's mission. Our mission is to be a witness for and about Jesus Christ.
Now, of course it is not wrong to build a building or to work on a work and witness project. It is not wrong to try to help put some right programs into place or assist in people's education. It is not wrong to work alongside some areas of government. All of those things are wonderful and needed. However, our passage this morning and many others like it remind us what our true mission is in this life. It reminds us where center stage is and who is to be at center stage. It reminds us that as the Body of Christ it is Christ who must be at the Head leading and guiding us. It reminds us that today we have a very important role to play and that role is the same we see here with John the Evangelist and John the Baptist - the role of being a witness for and about Jesus.
Now, just exactly what are we to witness about? Glad you asked. Let's go to our passage.
I. We are to witness about Jesus being the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world
Our writer, John the Evangelist beautifully sets up the scene. John the Baptist is doing his thing, he is preaching and baptizing people. He also is being asked if he is the coming one, the Messiah. John emphatically tells them that he is not the Christ, Elijah reborn or the Prophet. John tells everyone that he is simply the one whom God has called to sound forth the message of repentance and to announce the coming of the One to Come.
We can gather from what John the Evangelist shares with us in the passage John the Baptist did not know exactly who it was who was to come. He didn't know that Jesus was the Messiah. The Evangelistic makes plain that the only way John knew that Jesus was ... "the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" was through the power and presence of the Holy Spirit. All John knew was that the Holy Spirit had revealed to him that when the Messiah showed us John would know beyond a shadow of a doubt.
And it is that same Holy Spirit this morning that will reveal to all of us that Jesus is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. It is that same Holy Spirit that Jesus spoke of in John chapters 16 - 17 when he told us that the Holy Spirit would be our teacher and guide. The role of the Holy Spirit is to testify about Jesus. We share that same role today.
We share the role of telling our world that Jesus is the Lamb of God who has the power to take away the sin of the world.
Think about it for a moment. All of humanity is plagued by sin and sinful acts. If it were possible for us to have a listing of our sins this morning it would amaze us and horrify us. I don't think anyone here this morning would want a scroll to come down from heaven to come down and show everyone all the sins you or I have committed. We wouldn't want anyone to know all the lies, all the gossip, all the wrong thoughts and actions that we have committed. It would be too embarrassing and condemning.
But what if they all those sins could be wiped away? What if everyone of them from the largest to the smallest were suddenly removed and remembered no more? Wouldn't that be great? That is what John is telling us about Jesus. That is what John is sharing about Jesus. Through Jesus all of our sins can be removed. We can have the whole scroll wiped clean and not simply put over to the side to be picked up and used against us when it is convenient but wiped clean.
Have you ever had someone who kept a few of your misdeeds in their pocket to use when they wanted to manipulate you? They would remind you of some of your failures when they wanted to get you to do something for them or to remind you what you did in the past. At times they would even tell you that the only reason they reminded you of such things was to help you? Didn't that make you feel horrible? Who wants to have all their wrongs brought up again and again and again?
That is not the way it is with Jesus. In the name of Jesus all of our sins can be removed. We need to know this morning that there is no sin greater than the grace of our LORD JESUS CHRIST. It is that message that we are to share this morning. It is that message that our family, our friends and others need to hear this morning.
Our Lord Jesus came to take away the sins of the world. That means our sins this morning. Jesus did that by going to the Cross and dying for our sins. Jesus takes away our sins when we repent and confess that He is our Savior and LORD.
Let me ask you something this morning. Have you ever received or bought someone a gift card? People give them as Christmas presents, birthday presents or for any number of reasons. Did you know that many people never use them? They put them away or they lose them. In fact, according to Brian Riley, an analyst for the TowerGroup research firm, it is estimated that over 41 billion dollars worth of money put on gift cards since 2005 has gone unclaimed. That's 41 with a "b" for BILLION. Broken down, that's more than 125 dollars for every boy, girl, man or woman in the United States.
I am sure that there are many of you this morning that would like for some way for all that money to be given out as a type of stimulus package. A family of four would be able to have an extra 500.00 to spend and it wouldn't cost the government a dime. All we have to do is to free up all that money that is just laying around on gift cards not being use. It's crazy to have all that money and it just be lying around doing nothing but gathering dust.
What is even more crazy to have all the grace, mercy and love that Jesus made possible and people all over our world not taking advantage. Jesus came to take away the sin of the world. All we have to do is to repent of our sins and confess that Jesus Christ is our Savior and LORD. All we have to do is allow God's Spirit to infill us and lead us towards a life of progressive holiness. All we have to do is to live and walk in the Holy Spirit.
This morning, the first way we can be a witness for Jesus is to do what John the Baptist did - tell others that Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God who came to take away the sin of the world. Tell others that through Jesus they can be free from the power and penalty of sin. Tell others that in the name of Jesus they can have everlasting life.
II. A second thing our passage tells us that we can do is to witness that Jesus is the Only Son of God
In verse 34, John the Evangelist tells us that Jesus in the Son of God. In John 3:16 he will tells us that Jesus is the Only Son of God.
Today, we may think that it is not necessary to tell others that Jesus is the Son of God. We may think that after 2,000 years surely everyone knows about Jesus. We may think that the majority of people on planet earth know that Jesus is the Son of God. What we don't realize today is that all over the US and the world there are billions of people who do not know or believe that Jesus is the Son of God.
For example, the majority of Jews today do not believe that Jesus is the Son of God or even Divine. Instead, they believe that Jesus is just an important religious and historical figure. They believe that Jesus was merely a common Jewish man who took on the role of an wandering rabbinical teacher who got into trouble with the Romans and was crucified.
When we look at the other great religions we seem similar views concerning Jesus.
+Those aligned with Islam see Jesus as a great prophet of Allah and accord him religious respect but he is inferior to Mohammed. They also vehemently deny that Jesus is the Son of God.
+For those following Hinduism, Jesus is not seen as the Son of God. Instead, he is only one of millions of humans who upon his death became enlightened and merged with the Godhead who is the source of all creation. At best Jesus is an enlightened guru but not as enlightened as Brahma, Vishnu or Shiva. He may have been divine but then again all mankind can be on the path towards divinity.
+For the Dalai Lama, Jesus is the model of a "spiritually mature, good, and warm hearted person." To emulate him, we should practice meditation. But like all good Buddhists, Jesus is not the only Son of God.
What does that mean? That means for over 3 billion people on this planet that follow Judaism, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism the one we call our Savior and LORD is not seen or believed to be the Son of God. Added to that 3 billion are another 1 - 2 billion people on the planet that are either non-religious or follow one of the lesser known faiths that also do not believe that Jesus is the Only Son of God. The truth is that only a little over 2. 2 billion people on earth believe that Jesus Christ is the Only Son of God. We got our work cut out for us to witness for Jesus.
At first you may say, "Well that's over there in foreign countries. Here in the US we all believe that Jesus is the Only Son of God. We have done a great job over the last 25 - 40 years witnessing for Jesus."
Well, according to recent polling done by the Harris Group and Pew Research only 65% of Americans today believe that Jesus Christ is the Only Son of God. A larger percentage believe that Jesus was a holy man, a great teacher and even a man who could do great miracles but not the Only Son of God.
Now, what does all of this mean? What does it mean for over 5 billion people to not believe that Jesus is the Only Son of God. What does it mean for over 100 million in our own country no longer believe that Jesus Christ is the Only Son of God.
It means that they need to hear us share the Good News. It means that we need to do all we can to witness about Jesus. It means that we need to join John the Evangelist and John the Baptist in playing the role of being a public witness for Jesus. It means that we must verbally tell people about Jesus. It means that we must use ever means possible to tell others that Jesus Christ is the Only Son of God.
We must witness to people that Jesus is God in Flesh. Listen to how the MESSAGE translates John 1:14 -
14 The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood. We saw the glory with our own eyes, the one-of-a-kind glory, like Father, like Son, Generous inside and out, true from start to finish.
The Word became flesh and moved into the neighborhood. Jesus the Son of God took on flesh and moved into the human neighborhood. That is what we are to share with our world. That is what we are to witness. We are to tell others that Jesus is the Lamb of God who came to take away sin. Jesus is the Only Son of God and it is through Him that we can experience forgiveness, redemption and restoration. It is through Jesus Christ the Only Son of God that we can experience the New Life of Salvation.
Yes, the other religions have a great deal to say. And yes, some of what they say is both good and inviting. But the truth is none of them can lead us to everlasting life. They all miss the mark. They all fail to acknowledge that Jesus Christ is the Only Son of God.
Today, we must be a witness for Jesus everywhere we go. We need to be a witness at home, at school, at the office and at the factory. We need to uplift the name of Jesus so that everyone can hear the Good News and repent of their sins and be infilled with His Holy Spirit.
Five billion people on our planet need to hear or witness. 100 million people living all around us need to hear the Good News of Jesus. Will we accept the call? Will we join the Evangelist and the Baptizer and take up our role as witness? Only we can answer that question and accept that call.
III. Finally, this morning we need to witness and experience the baptism of the Holy Spirit made possible through our LORD and Savior Jesus Christ.
In verse 33 John the Baptist tells us that Jesus will baptize us with His Holy Spirit. On the Day of Pentecost Peter reinforced this truth when he told those who heard his sermon to repent, be baptize and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
What does it mean to be baptized in the Holy Spirit? I am so glad you asked.
It means to be filled with Jesus Christ. It means that you have repented of your sins, confessed Jesus Christ as Savior and LORD and received the infilling presence of God's Holy Spirit. It means that you will experience a life of walking in the Spirit. It means that you are now able to walk in the light even as Jesus is the LIGHT. It means that the blood of Jesus Christ has cleanse you of your unrighteousness and you are able to experience a deepening life of being one with the LORD. It means you are being restored into the image of Jesus. It means that you have surrendered the control of your life over to Jesus. This is important and makes all the difference in the world. So many people have misunderstood this small but vital truth.
When we receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit we are telling the LORD that we no longer desire to be in control. We are aligning ourselves with the Apostle Paul in saying that "we count everything as a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus as LORD. We are wanting to experience a life in which Jesus is more than our Savior, more than the one who can remove our sins. We want to enjoy a relationship with the LORD where He is LORD and King of our Lives
Being filled with the HOLY SPIRIT therefore is a life in which we surrender the control of our body, mind and soul over to the LORD. It is a life in which we are no longer on the throne of our lives making all the decisions. We go from being the decision maker to being an obedient and listening disciple/servant. Rather than sitting on the throne of our lives we have fallen on our knees acknowledging the Lordship of Christ in our heart and life. It is no longer we who live but it is Christ who lives in us.
It is right here that many people put on the brakes. They want a Savior. They know that they need a Savior. They want to go to Heaven. After all, who in their right mind would want to go to Hell? But no longer being in control of your own life. No longer looking after oneself above everything else? No longer being the one who calls the shots? Those are some thoughts that can cause us to stop and ponder if we want such a life in Christ.
So, many people attempt to play a shell game. They kneel at an altar or begin a prayer and tell God that they will allow Him to be #1 in our lives. They tell the LORD those things with their spiritual fingers crossed. In the back of their minds they think that God is just testing them. They want to believe that the LORD really doesn't expect them to die out to themselves. They want to believe that the LORD will baptize them in His Holy Spirit and then just ride shotgun in their lives. They want to believe that the LORD only wants to be near the controls but never at the controls.
When we do that we can never expect to experience a life of great power and glory for the LORD. We can never expect our church services to be more than ho-hum or our messages to be saturated with the anointing of the LORD. For when we operate in such a fashion we are operating out of the flesh and we are doing things out of duty rather than out of power and presence of the Holy Spirit.
We are tempted to want the Garden, the Tree and the LORD all at the same time but we also want to be able to take from the Tree anything we wish. We are tempted to be like Adam and Eve but the truth is we will never experience the Abundant Life as long as we are in control. It just doesn't work that way.
The only way to experience the fullness of the Holy Spirit is to give ourselves completely over to the Holy Spirit. The only way to experience the fullness of the Holy Spirit is to present ourselves over to the LORD and continue to allow the HOLY SPIRIT to have control.
We will never lose our free will but we can surrender our self-will over the LORD. We will never lose the ability to choose but we can willingly give over our control to the LORD.
It will cost us everything but it will gain us everything as well.
At times we may find the Holy Spirit moving us in rather odd directions. At times we may even find ourselves having to endure and learn some challenging lesions. There are even times we may face rejection and persecution. It is easy to become confused when this happens. So many people have this misunderstanding that if you are following the will of the LORD then your life will always be sunshine and butterflies. They make the mistake that only those who are outside of God's will are those who find themselves begin rejected, persecuted and ostracized.
However, that is not the truth. It is true that for some the LORD's plan for their lives is a smooth pat. But for others the path is not so easy. Some will be like young Joseph and will have to face times of great pain and suffering. Some will be like the old saint Daniel and will have to face persecution and danger. Some will be like Esther who after rising to the top of their profession find themselves having to put everything on the line for the LORD. Some will be like Abraham and Sarah and will have to go years of placing their trust in the LORD before they see their promises realized.
But in each of those cases those individuals learned how to walk in step with the LORD. They left behind their stories of commitment, consecration, listening and obedience to inspire us and to challenge us to walk in step with the LORD.
This morning, we all have a role to play.
+It is that of being a witness
a. A witness who will share with others that Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God who came to take away the sin of the world.
b. A witness who will share with others that Jesus Christ is the Only Son of God
c. A witness who can testify what it means to be baptized by the Holy Spirit. A witness who can testify that they have God's Holy Spirit living within them. A witness who has surrendered their heart, their mind and their soul over to the LORD.
This morning as we close - will you accept the role of being a witness for Jesus?
+Will you tell others that Jesus came to take away their sin? That Jesus came to take away the ugliness of their lives? That Jesus came to bring them freedom, redemption and renewal?
+Will you tell others that Jesus Christ is the Only Son of God? That the only way to the Father is through the Son? That Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life? That Jesus is the only way to salvation?
+Will you bow your knee, your heart and your mind over to the Holy Spirit? Will you surrender everything over to Him? Will you allow Jesus to baptize you with His Holy Spirit today, tomorrow and forever?
Altar Call or Communion
This is the Message of God for the People of God
If you are using this message or parts of it may the LORD bless you today. It is my prayer that the LORD use these words to help you and it is my desire that you be anointed and filled with God's Words as you teach/preach His Word. May the Lord increase you in wisdom and in grace. May the LORD grant you favor and blessing. May the LORD speak through you and enlarge your ministry and may your life be used by our LORD to bring glory and praise to His Holy Name. Thanks so much for sharing your life. God's blessings!
