Introduction
The Bible says in the Book of James that life is like a vapor that appears for a little while and then disappears. The longer that I live, I realize the truth to that statement. I went to bed one night, a young man, and it seems like I woke up an old man. Time just disappeared.
I am told that you are old when you open the newspaper, and the first thing you look for is the obituaries. Let me let you in on a secret; I have been doing that for years. So, I think it is natural to find myself asking the question, “What will people say about me when I am gone?”
Anne might say that I was a good husband. Or she might say that I was a work-alcoholic. Some of you might say that I was a good pastor or a good Christian man. Jim Stewart would say that I like to pass the buck. Dale Coon might say that he gave me a hard time from the pulpit. I don’t know what you will say about me when I am gone, but I like what could be said about John the Baptist, and I wish that could be said about me. He was a man who pointed people to Christ. And I hope the same thing can be said about you. He or she was a pointer to Christ.
And a pointer, for the record, is a person who is less interested in himself and more interested in the person he is pointing to. Once again, emphasizing the driving force in John the Baptist’s life that less is more with God.
And our Scripture this morning clearly shows us that John the Baptist is a pointer because when he sees Jesus coming, he proclaims to those within the sound of his voice, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” And as he is saying this, I can imagine in my mind that his finger is out pointing to the Christ.
John the Baptist was a pointer, and we should be pointers too. Let me share with you three reasons why from our text.
Scripture reading
John 1:29-34 (NIV)
29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
30 This is the one I meant when I said, 'A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.'
31 I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel."
32 Then John gave this testimony: "I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him.
33 I would not have known him, except that the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, 'The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.'
34 I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God."
point #1
We need to be pointers because the way to redemption is narrow, and unless we show others, they may miss it.
29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
If you have your Bible’s open underline the phrase “the lamb of God.” Notice John the Baptist didn’t say a lamb of God, or here comes one of the Lambs of God which would indicate that there is more than one. He said the Lamb of God; there is one. And if there is only one lamb of God, there is only one way to salvation. And that is precisely what Jesus tells us in John 14:6 (NIV)
6 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
And the Bible says that redemption is a narrow way, and many will miss it; instead, they will enter the broad gate that leads to destruction. Why? Because people think that there are many ways to salvation. Greg mentioned Wednesday night; he was following another path to salvation until he met the Lamb of God in Roanoke VA.
Society tells us that it is impolite to point. The Bible tells us that it is mandatory that we do point. Listen, if Christians don’t point, most people will miss the way of eternal life because they will try one of the other ways thinking they are finding salvation that way.
point #2
We need to be pointers because this world circulates a whole lot of misinformation about Jesus.
30 This is the one I meant when I said, 'A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.
John the Baptist acknowledges that Jesus was born after John the Baptist’s birth. John the Baptist, earthly speaking, is about six months older than Jesus.
But John says something else. Jesus has surpassed me because he was before me. How can he be before John the Baptist if he was born after John the Baptist? I look to the Bible to give me the answer.
John 1:1-3 (NIV)
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 He was with God in the beginning.
3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.
John 8:56-58 (NIV)
56 Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad."
57 "You are not yet fifty years old," the Jews said to him, "and you have seen Abraham!"
58 "I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I am!"
The Bible’s position is clear: Jesus has always existed. But this world, especially the religious cults in it, says that Jesus is a created being- that there is a point in time that Jesus came into existence.
For a person who does not have the Holy Spirit living within them, that’s confusing! Is Jesus eternal, or is Jesus a created being? We need to be pointers, pointing them to the Jesus of the Bible not the Jesus of some religious institutions self-made believes about Him because Jesus of the Bible is Eternal.
If we don’t point, people may not understand the greatest of Jesus and the salvation that He offers us and miss it.
point #3
We need to be pointers because the Bible indicates that Jesus is the Redeemer, the one who offers eternal life, but if people don’t know the Bible, how will they know that Jesus is the one who offers them eternal life.
32 Then John gave this testimony: "I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him.
33 I would not have known him, except that the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, 'The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.'
34 I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God."
In the Old Testament, the Spirit would come upon someone to allow them to do something and then depart. But in our passage of Scripture, John the Baptist describes the Holy Spirit coming upon Jesus and remaining on Him. And that person it is said will baptize with the Holy Spirit. And apparently, John says that he got that information from God the Father.
Then the question we have to ask ourselves, did John the Baptist make this up? And the answer is no. In Isaiah 11:1-2 (NIV)
1 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
2 The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him-- the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD--
And so John the Baptist testifies, and the Old Testament testifies Jesus is the Son of God. And that is what we need to point people to- the reliability of the Bible.
So, this is what I want us to do this holiday season. I want each of us to point someone to Jesus Christ. In the front there is are two tubs, some index cards, and a couple of pens. During the invitation, I invite you to come down, write someone’s name you want to point to Christ, fold it up, and put it in the bucket. And then I want you to pray for that person, and when you see him or her during the holidays, you ask the Holy Spirit to help you point them to Christ.
