When John was Baptist and Paul was Jewish
Thomas Edison has been credited with inventing the light bulb. There were several inventors who designed and made various forms of the light bulb, in fact Edison’s idea originated from his purchase of Henry Woodard and Matthew Evans patent of the light bulb. Edison’s more advanced bulb helped pave the way for electric lighting. He designed the first electric powered station which gave power to residents within a one square mile area in lower Manhattan. The company that bore his name, Edison General Electric, was never owned by Edison because J. P. Morgan was his largest investor. Later the company Edison General Electric merged with its leading competitor and became simply known as General Electric or GE.
In many ways the gospel has evolved similarly to that of the light bulb. Many believers down through the ages have discovered different truths that make up the foundation of the Christian church. The power of God’s word has always been light. It is the harnessing of God’s Word in the life that makes us human light bulbs.
In him was life; and the life was the light of men. John 1:4 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Matthew 5:14
Edison’s achievement in electric lighting does not diminish what the other 9 inventors were able to do with their prototypes; his was an advanced design of further study and sacrifice. But believe you me, brothers and sisters, when Edison scored with his version of the electric light, I guarantee you the other nine inventors weren’t going around saying, “I’m not going to use his light bulb, I have my own light bulb.”
[GIVE SERMON TOPIC & PRAY]
Lets establish something first. Is this not the Word of God? Let me take it a step further. Is this the Book on which we base our faith and govern our lives? Jesus said:
Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth. Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. John 12:35 and John 8:12
The Holy Scriptures metaphorically describes itself as light.
Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. Psalm 119:105
There are three things I would like to share with you about the Light of God’s Word. First light is progressive. As you can see from our two previous texts, we must walk in and follow Jesus that means we are advancing, moving, going forward in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Second Light penetrates. Wherever darkness lies, God’s word can bring light. Ignorance is darkness. So many people don’t know about the Light of God’s word. Finally Light is permanent. Jesus the Bible says is the Light and the Father of lights and his goings forth are from everlasting to everlasting, however there are such things as artificial lighting which does expire we need to watch out for those.
In our scripture reading we discover that John the Baptist had a ministry. His ministry was not an end but was a prelude to the end. The message John preached was progressive Light, in other words it lead to something else. [READ John 1:6-9, 15.] He not only had a ministry but was a preacher who started a new faith. John was a Baptist. That’s what he did. He immersed people in water for the repentance of sins and preparation for the coming kingdom. The popular church of John’s day took issue with the new found faith. It wasn’t a new faith that John was preaching. It was a new revelation of truth which was already established. The rituals in the sanctuary did little for the Jews to understand the coming of Christ.
But woe unto you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in…Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves. Matthew 23:13, 15
God had to allow new forms and ways of reaching His people because the preachers made it hard for the people to understand.
In every age there is a new development of truth, a message of God to the people of that generation. The old truths are all essential; new truth is not independent of the old, but an unfolding of it. It is only as the old truths are understood that we can comprehend the new. When Christ desired to open to His disciples the truth of His resurrection, He began "at Moses and all the prophets" and "expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning Himself." Luke 24:27. But it is the light which shines in the fresh unfolding of truth that glorifies
the old. He who rejects or neglects the new does not really possess the old. For him it loses its vital power and becomes but a lifeless form. Christ Object Lessons, page 127
The Jews sent preachers to John to find out what he was doing. (John 1:19-27) The priests felt threatened. Little did they know that John was merely doing what they should have been doing in the services of the sanctuary and that is leading people to Christ. As a matter of fact this was the whole emphasis of John’s preaching. He wasn’t disturbed by the fact that people were leaving his church going to join up with the new Rabbi. Somebody ran and told him that the new preacher was baptizing people up the street and that all men were following him. (John 3:22-30). John said, “I can’t do anything about that. This is what I do.” “I bring people to Christ.” When John was Baptist, that is before he was beheaded in prison, he bore witness of Christ. The transition from John to Christ was the progression of Light. (John 5:33-39)
There were many who became ‘Baptist’ after John’s death. His ministry continued because for some it was all that they had heard. I believe the first recorded Baptist pastor in the Bible was a Jew by the name of Apollos. Apollos the Bible says was a “bad” preacher. Let’s read about this great preacher. [Acts of the Apostles 18:24-28] The preaching of Apollos was so good that people started saying that they belonged to his church. (I Corinthians 1:10-13, 3:1-8] Paul reminds us that preachers are nothing; no glory should be ascribed to a preacher for drawing souls to Christ. That’s how strife gets started in the church. The Scripture clearly states that there is one body, one faith, and one baptism. (Ephesians 4:4, 5) ONE! What about all of these different churches? Aquila and Priscilla was the “Adventist” couple that went and shared with Apollos while they listened to this great preacher preached the Word. (Acts 18:26)The Bible says that he only knew of the baptism of John, but Aquila and Priscilla expounded on the Word of God to him more perfectly, that is completely because as a Baptist he was limited in his understanding of the ways of God. After that Bible study, the record states that he mightily convinced the Jews that Jesus was Christ. The reason why Apollos was able to make the transition from “Baptist” (someone who was living in anticipation of His coming) to “Adventist” (someone who believes that He did come as prophesied and is coming again) is because he recognized light, and he knew that Jesus command to us was to “Walk” in the light while you have it. People are not walking in light they are standing in it but not walking in it.
Saul stood in the light, on horseback. He was a Jew, but more comparably in our day he would be classed as a Jehovah’s Witness. That’s what his job was. He believed in God—no problem with God, just Jesus. Saul had light but didn’t realize that light was progressive so as he was standing in the light of his understanding when the advancing Light of Christ’s presence shined on him it knocked him clean off his high horse and blinded him for 3 days. (Acts 9:1-9) Jesus could have very well explained to Saul what it was that he needed to do. But Christ referred Paul to His church. You mean to tell me that even then Christ acknowledged a group of people as belonging to him? Saul who later became Paul after conversion said that his new found faith in Christ made him discount all the things that he had learned in the flesh because he had come in contact with the Light. (Philippians 3:5-9) Paul was a preacher, and Apollos was a preacher in different faiths, but upon meeting new light they walked in the light and advanced further in their walk with Christ.
The second thing we need to understand is that light penetrates. My mother used to tell me that whatever is done in the dark will come to the light. We have people doing some of everything in the name of Jesus. But when we spend our time in the word of God the light of his word exposes what is done in the dark. One of our scripture verses state that light is in man. (John 1:4) How is it that Light has not penetrated the heart of everyone?
(v. 5) “And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.” And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought of God. John 3:18-21
The prophet Hosea informs us that a lot of people don’t have this light because they have rejected it and as a consequence they will perish. (Hosea 4:6)
When light is shining it gets into everything! It gets into your home, relationships, business practices, diet, where you go, what you wear, what you think, how you talk! Just like when the sun is shining there isn’t a place you can hide. Truth penetrates so that it may expose what is wrong with us. After we discover the cause we can get a remedy. Because Jesus is the Truth when I look at him I know that he will provide power for me to live by his standards. The Holy Spirit is beckoning unto us. When you see light brothers and sisters, the time is then to walk in its path we shouldn’t wait for a feeling or an impression to do what light has already shown to be the right way.
Feelings are often deceiving, emotions are no sure safeguard; for they are variable and subject to external circumstances. Many are deluded by relying on sensational impressions. The test is: What are you doing for Christ? What sacrifices are you making? What victories are you gaining? A selfish spirit overcome, a temptation to neglect duty resisted, passion subdued, and willing, cheerful obedience rendered to the will of Christ are far greater evidences that you are a child of God than spasmodic piety and emotional religion.--4T 188 (1876). Mind, Character, and Personality, volume 1, page 126
…To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts. Hebrews 4:7
When we allow the Light of God’s Word to penetrate our lives sin is annihilated, sickness is eliminated, lust is dominated, Christ is illuminated, Devil is incapacitated, temptations are subjugated, righteousness is vindicated, and evil is debilitated.
When we allow the Light of God’s word to penetrate our lives, Love is appreciated, hate is inoculated, faith is regulated, doubt is segregated, hope is elated, and despair eradicated.
When we allow the Light of God’s word to penetrate our lives ignorance is obliterated, wisdom is emanated, prejudice is emaciated, lives are emancipated, death is captivated, light is radiated, and darkness is discombobulated.
We must allow the Light to come in so that our lives can be punctuated with the Life of Christ.
Finally the Light is permanent. Jesus said that heaven and earth will pass before His Word will. See the Word of God has a permanent existence. John 1:1, 2 states:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God.
Some of you all don’t really understand what the word permanent means. The New International Webster’s Pocket Dictionary defines permanent as
Continuing or intended to continue in the same state or without essential change.
That means light is fixed. Apollos didn’t keep preaching the baptism of John after he ran into truth. He continued in truth and preached the Gospel of Jesus Christ. What we find is that when light comes into contact with people they try to change it. Change the color. Change its luminosity because they are of a particular denomination they try to bend light through the prism of their traditions and make it suitable to their liking. But what they don’t understand is that because light is permanent the refraction blurs the source from which it shines. Since Christ is that source, many are incapable of walking in the path that he established. That’s why Jesus told Saul it’s hard to kick against the pricks.
After nearly 2000 years the Christian church has existed we still have people who try to refract or bend the Light of truth. The Bible says don’t commit adultery, we say fine just get a divorce and remarry; the bible says flee fornication we say fine get a condom; the bible says don’t eat pork; we say fine, just make sure you pray over it before you eat it; the bible says don’t wear jewelry we say fine call it a wedding ring; the bible says don’t hate we say fine, I just don’t have to speak to them. The bible says keep the Sabbath holy, we say fine I’ll keep one but it won’t be on Saturday. The Bible says accept Jesus as your Savior, you say fine I’ll join up with a church and work for the Lord as if joining up with an organization would provide you salvation.
There is no permanency in those statements. There are all kinds of changes that have been made and people say they believe in the Truth, the whole Truth, and nothing but the Truth except… What is that? God said:
My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips. Psalm 89:34
For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed. Malachi 3:6
Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever. Hebrews 13:8
There are not more conversions to the faith because of our inconsistencies. God is faithful. Isn’t it good to know that we serve a faithful God? A God in whom there is no shadow of turning. And more importantly isn’t it good to know that we serve a God in which we can confide in his Word—His progressive word, his penetrating word, and his permanent word. I like to know that we serve a God who will keep his word and asks us to keep it as well. Will you pray with me?
