REFLECT/DISPLAY THE GLORY OF THE LORD
JOHN 1:6-8; 19-28 - December 12, 2004 - Third Sunday of Advent
6There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. 7He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. 8He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. 9The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.
19Now this was John’s testimony when the Jews of Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. 20He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, "I am not the Christ."
21They asked him, "Then who are you? Are you Elijah?"
He said, "I am not."
"Are you the Prophet?"
He answered, "No."
22Finally they said, "Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?"
23John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, "I am the voice of one calling in the desert, `Make straight the way for the Lord.’ "
24Now some Pharisees who had been sent 25questioned him, "Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?"
26"I baptize with water," John replied, "but among you stands one you do not know. 27He is the one who comes after me, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie."
28This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
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Dearest Fellow Redeemed and Saints in the Lord:
What do people see when they look at you? What do they notice? Well, some people when they look at you know your name, and thus know how to address you. Some people when they look at you may know what you do and thus put you in that category of your occupation -- you’re calling in life. Sometimes people know us by our character or personality. Then they put us into another category, which narrows us down to who we are in this world. Sadly, we know when people note character traits or personality traits they seldom remember the good traits or the good personalities in a person. Many often seem only to remember those character traits which are not good, not very flattering. So what do people see when they look at you? Do people see in you just a name, just a person with a job, just a character? Once again today we turn our attention to John the Baptist, who in his day was (and had) quite a character. When people looked at John they saw the reflection of God’s glory. Today, especially in our world today, especially in these times of today, you and I as Christians are encouraged to do the same. We are reminded our purpose to reflect or display the glory of the Lord. Our Lord’s words in Matthew remind us: "Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear"(MATTHEW 13:43). So may we come with open hearts and hearing ears, to listen to what God’s word has to say to us to encourage us this morning. We consider the account of John the Baptist, by considering that we are to:
REFLECT / DISPLAY THE LORD’S GLORY!
I. in this sin darkened world,
II. as lights of the true Light.
I. REFLECT GOD’S GLORY IN THIS SIN DARKENED WORLD
We know a lot about John the Baptist. We have been looking at him the last couple of Sundays. Because of his preaching and teaching and in his baptizing, many of the crowd came out to see him. Still John and his mission were misunderstood. People are still had sin darkened hearts. Our text tells us in verse 19: Now this was John’s testimony when the Jews of Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. The priests and the Levites were the leaders of the church. They had heard a lot about John the Baptist. They had noticed the crowds going out to him. And now the church sent them to find out who really is this person in the wilderness, this character. 20He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, "I am not the Christ."
Now you have to remember that the Jewish nation was looking for the Christ to come ever since the Lord promised Adam and Eve that a Messiah would be born to take away their sins, thousands of years earlier. Now they thought maybe this John was the Christ. But he admits and he says "I am not the Christ". That is his confession. John was going to reflect the glory of the Lord, the glory of Christ -- not his own glory. The leader’s questioning continues. You can picture the leaders of the church addressing John, they ask him: 21They asked him, "Then who are you? Are you Elijah?" Again, they had a mistaken notion that maybe this John who was so great in attracting crowds was Elijah. Elijah was supposed to come before the last great day of the Lord. He said, "I am not."
"Are you the Prophet?" He answered, "No." The leaders were thinking of Isaiah and the other prophets. He answered "No". John wasn’t any of those. Even though he could have claimed that he was because they did not know. They did not understand, even though they should have. They were the leaders of the Church. Yet they did not recognize the one, this one, John, preparing the way.
22Finally they said, "Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?" And John was always reluctant to boast about himself. John came in deepest humility to carry out God’s will: To prepare the way for the Savior. John does not boast about himself, but he points them in the direction of God’s word. John reminded them what God’s word said. 23John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, "I am the voice of one calling in the desert, `Make straight the way for the Lord.’ " Now these scholars of the Bible would recognize those words of Isaiah the Prophet. Hopefully they thought to themselves: Yes he is the one in the wilderness. He is the one calling out "Repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand". They should then recognize in John the one who was the way-preparer. And yet we find later on, their hearts are still darkened. Their hearts are darkened in ignorance, darkened with the sinfulness of their own pride. These leaders thought they know more than what Scripture told them.
Today our own society also tries to overlook the truths of the testimony concerning Jesus. We have come to what today in our society is often call the Holiday season. But it is still the Christmas season for many. People in this world celebrate December as just a holiday season. It is a time of buying and indulgence and celebration, forgetting about Christ. What has happened? Sin has blinded mankind. In Corinthians Paul writes: "The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God" (2 CORINTHIANS 4:4). That exactly describes our world today. So much time and money is spent on finding that perfect gift. Many worry so much about getting that gift that the eyes of many are blinded in not being able to see Christ in Bethlehem.
Now you and I don’t want to sit here and just point fingers at everyone else. When we point a finger at anyone the remaining fingers are still pointed at ourselves. We are also sometimes slaves to sin. Sometimes we are also caught up in the same attitude and the feelings of this world that we have to get just the right gift for just the right person. This can become an all-consuming passion. We worry if are we going to get what we want, or if we are going to get enough. When we honestly look at life, each one of us has plenty. But as we live in this world, as we hear the commercials and see the sales and crowds it’s easy to get caught up in the blindness of this age. Our loving Lord reminds us in Luke: "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?"(LUKE 6:41). Do not let the plank of sin blind you in reflecting God’s glory.
When we look at sinfulness we look at ourselves and see our hearts need to be made straight for the coming of the Lord. We have these few Sundays of Advent to prepare for God’s coming, for the birth of our Savior. Now how are you and I going to do that? How are you and I going to be truly prepared for Christmas morning, and the day after Christmas, and the year after Christmas, and the days for the rest of our lives? The Lord gives us advice as believers. He says we are different than the people of this world. We are not to walk around down that path of darkness. We are not to act like the rest of the world, which seems as if it can never get enough or have enough. But we are to be lights. We are to now the way-preparers. We are to reflect the glory of the Lord. Philippians tells us how: "Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe" (PHILIPPIANS 2:14,15).
In a world that cannot find peace we are called to reflect the peace of God. In a world that travels down the path of darkness day after day we are called to reflect the light of the Lord. As believers, the darkness of sin seems to grow. Now you and I as lights in the Lord are to also grow ever brighter. Brighter than any store bought lights, we reflect the Lord’s glory in a sin-darkened world. Then we display the Lord’s glory as lights of the true light.
II. DISPLAY GOD’S GLORY AS LIGHTS OF THE TRUE LIGHT
To display God’s glory was the unmistakable message of John the Baptist. Time and again people were willing to throw the mantle of the Messiah on him. They were willing to give him the title of Elijah the greatest prophet, or Prophet. They were ready to make him the king. And over and over again John said: "I’m not the prophet, I’m not Elijah, I’m not Christ." But the religious leaders still wonder why is John doing what he is doing. 24Now some Pharisees who had been sent 25questioned him, "Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?". The leaders looked at John and said you are not those people (Christ, Elijah, Prophet). You have no authority to do what you are doing.
26"I baptize with water," John replied, "but among you stands one you do not know. You know at this time Jesus was walking around among the people. He was soon to come and be baptized by John the Baptist. And yet as he walked among the people they still did not know him, the Light of the world. And John reminds them of how much greater Christ is than he or anyone else in the world. He says: "He is the one who comes after me, the thongs of whose sandals I’m not worthy to untie". John realized his mission was to prepare the way, and Christ would come.
John was not the light. This is how verses 6 - 8 began in our text today. "There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John". We may remember John as the son of Zechariah and Elizabeth. The family was going to name him Zechariah. Zechariah who had been speechless during the pregnancy of his wife wrote his name was to be John. Then Zechariah’s tongue was loosed and he could speak. This son of Zechariah was John the Baptist.
And he is described: 7He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. John came as a witness to testify concerning that light so that thru him all men might believe. And so it was crowds came out from the city and the whole Judean countryside. John came as a witness. The original world reveals a martyr, one who gives up his life for his faith. John gave up his earthly life so that the life of Christ would be known. In verse 8: He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.
Today you and I are the John the Baptists of the world. We are the ones who are the wilderness voices calling in the desert of the darkness of sin. You and I are the ones who need to shout out: Prepare the way for the Lord! Make straight paths for the Savior, the Christ-child, in your own hearts. You and I are to display the Lord’s glory as lights of the true light. The prophet Daniel writes: "Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever"(DANIEL 12:3). We heard that in our gospel lesson today (Matthew 11:2-11). John’s disciples spoke to Jesus. Jesus told them there is none greater than John the Baptist. John the Baptist was the one who had a shorter ministry than Jesus, who stayed only in the wilderness and not in the towns. Yet he led many to righteousness. John ended up shining like the stars in heaven.
You and I have grown up in general for the most part with that message of salvation planted in our hearts. We have not been lost and then found. We have been found from early on. We have been found from our baptism on because of our faithful parents and their faithful parents. Sometimes we may forget the excitement of those who were lost and now are saved. Sometimes we lose the excitement because being saved has become all too familiar and routine. Our loving Lord reminds us to search his word. Then we are renewed and refreshed by the Spirit of the Lord in order to be shining lights. Listen to Isaiah: "For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, for Jerusalem’s sake I will not remain quiet, till her righteousness shines out like the dawn, her salvation like a blazing torch" (ISAIAH 62:1).
The use of the example of light in the Old Testament and the New Testament is important. We need to remind ourselves that example of light is very important. There was a lot more darkness than light in Biblical times. They did not have electricity. They had small candles and oil lamps that don’t give much light. So when the Lord talks about light and a torch people listened and paid attention. People understood.
Today you and I are those lights to reflect the glory of the Lord. People might not always listen or pay close attention as in the Bible. People may not even understand as clearly as they did then. The Lord reminds us of the privilege we have. Not only do we have a privilege we have a responsibility. It seems as if year after year many more people speed down the path of darkness rather than walk on the path of light. You and I then have a greater responsibility, a greater privilege year after year to reflect the Lord’s glory. Listen to this from Ephesians as children of light: "For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord”(EPHESIANS 5:8-10). This is exactly how we shine like lights to display God’s glory -- when we look in our lives and find out what pleases the Lord, not what pleases ourselves. We shine when we find out not what pleases my family, but what pleases the Lord. What pleases the Lord is going to be pleasing in our lives, for our family for our church, for our country. What pleases the Lord is going to make us shine like lights of the true Light.
We know how around us many seek to please themselves. Many seek to search for the opposite, not what is good and righteous and true. The Lord says you and I are to be different. We are the modern day way-preparers. Believers are the lights to display that true Light, by seeking out and displaying goodness and righteousness and truth in this sin darkened world. Being bright, shining lights takes work, takes time, takes effort, but it is well worth it. We might want to think of that as we lead our daily lives. What do people see in us? Do they see in us someone just like the rest of the world who likes to grumble and complain -- high prices, poor weather, taxes, government, etc.? Or do they see in us a little bit of light reflecting the glory of God? Do they see in us the joy, which they do not have? Do they see in us the peace, which they cannot find in the materialism of this world? Do they see in us the happiness because of sins forgiven? Maybe not every day, but they could, couldn’t they? You and I as lights in this sin-darkened world are to light the way for those who are lost in order that they may be found and come into the light and knowledge of the true light. Peter tells us "Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us" ( 1 PETER 2:12). May the world around us always glorify God because they see his Light shining brightly in our lives! AMEN.
Pastor Timm O. Meyer
Lessons for Advent 3(A): ISAIAH 35:1-10; JAMES 5:7-11; MATTHEW 11:2-11
