Provoking Thoughts From 1 John (15 Of 16)

He could have solved that problem by making us all robots. All He would have to do then is push a button and make us believe on Him as our Savior.

Illus: That would be a bit like a young man pulling a gun on a beautiful young lady, pointing it in her face, and saying, “Tell me that you love me."

Yes, God could have made us all robots that would say, "I love You," at the push of a button, but He does not want us to express love for Him because we are forced to do so. Instead, He chose to make us "free moral agents." He made us so we would be free to make a choice TO ACCEPT HIM or TO REJECT HIM.

Many do not accept Him for Who He said He was. They are free to do this, because God gave them that freedom. IT IS THEIR CHOICE.

When people choose to REJECT HIM, they have made the worst decision they could possibly make.

Jesus constantly preached to the people and told them Who He was, and that He wanted them to accept Him.

One day Jesus asked His disciples who did the people say that He was. He was not polling the people to collect information. Remember, the Lord Jesus is OMNISCIENT. There is not a thing that He does not already know, so He was not asking that question just to gain information.

Jesus was asking the question because He wanted His disciples to GET IT CLEAR in their minds WHO HE WAS!

The reply He got was, Matt. 16:14, "And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias, and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets."

But then the Lord brought it closer home. He asked them who they said that He was.

Peter then made this proclamation, Matt. 16:16, "...Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” When Peter made the proclamation that Christ was the Son of the living God, Jesus assured Peter that, based on that proclamation, the church should be built and the gates of hell itself would not prevail against it.

The task of getting people to recognize that Peter's proclamation is true, that Christ is the Son of God, is still being worked on today.

Whom do you say that Jesus is?

John, in this passage we are dealing with in this message, wants you to think about that.

Let me show you THREE things to consider from our text.

I. THE TESTIMONY OF HIS ACTS

Look at verse 6. We read, "This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth." We see TWO proofs in verse 6 that show Christ is Who He said He is.

A. HIS BAPTISM

John said, "This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ..." Some of might be saying that the fact John baptized Jesus does not prove anything. John may have baptized thousands of people.

Well the fact is, if Jesus' baptism had been like other believer's baptisms it would not prove He is the Son of God. All kinds of things can happen at baptisms.

Illus: One pastor baptized a lady who was deathly afraid of water. The lady was fine until it came time to go under, then she suddenly grabbed the pastor, and nearly drowned both of them. After the service the pastor asked why she had not told him she was so afraid. She told him she had prayed so hard and thought she would be all right.

Something special happened at Jesus baptism and it was not because He was afraid of anything.

John had baptized many, perhaps thousands, of people. Then came Jesus. John the Baptist, being the forerunner of Jesus, announced Jesus was the "Lamb of God...”

Then God gave John, and all present, a sign so that they might know Jesus was His son. Look at John 1:32. We read, "And John bare record, saving, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him."

John testified, verse 32, that he had seen, "...the Spirit, descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him." God had told John that this would happen (v. 33).

Listen, anyone who would have been present when the Lord Jesus was being baptized would have said, "I have seen many baptized, but never have I seen a baptism service like this one!"

Anyone would have left that baptism service concluding, as John did, "...this is the Son of God.”

HIS BAPTISM WAS A TESTIMONY OF THE FACT JESUS WAS GOD'S SON. Another witness is the WITNESS OF...