A WITNESS TO THE LIGHT

 

John 1:6-8

What is the purpose about being a witness? By definition a witness is someone who has, who claims to have, or is thought, by someone with authority to induce testimony, to have knowledge relevant to an event or other matter of interest. In law a witness is someone who, either voluntarily or under compulsion, provides testimonial evidence, either oral or written, of what he or she knows or claims to know about the matter before some official authorized to take such testimony.

 

What usefulness does a witness play in our lives? Well firstly, we wouldn’t have much to talk about when it came to news or current events or court cases that require witnesses to the crime or event. If you think about a witness plays a crucial role in today’s society. Why? We are people who need more information, warnings signs when it comes to doing anything or believing something. This is why you should read the comments about a product on Amazon before you add it to your cart. This is why you read articles by auto Journalists before purchasing that next vehicle. This is why its very important to do your homework and read other testimonies about something you find of interest, or want to invest time and money into.

 

But let’s change gears from practicality of a witness for a moment.  How important a witness plays when it comes the Scriptures, the coming Christ, or the gospel message. A witness is absolutely crucial that the world needs to hear! Why? It a message about hope and everlasting life found in the giver of life….. the Incarnate Christ. Read the text! John 1:6-8

 

Wow, what a message of hope to proclaim to a fallen and helpless nation that desperately needs saving not physically but spiritually. The change of subject here is pretty abrupt, we go from the “Word” the Sel-existent creator God to mere man sent from God. We go from the eternal, self-existent Creator God to His earthly herald. John was chosen by God (v6), to break some 400 years of silence from the last letter of the Old Testament was written.

 

This message is the fulfillment of Isaiah’s and Malachi’s letter some 700 years before both John and Jesus were born. Isaiah wrote, “A voice cries: "In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.” Isaiah 40:3. The prophet Malachi wrote, “Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts.” Mal 3:1. Zechariah the father of John said this after he was born, “And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.” And the child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel.” Luke 1:76-80

 

A quick disclaimer! The Apostle John does not name himself in his gospel, so every time the name John appears, it refers to John the Baptist. (except for 4 references to Peter’s father 1:42; 21:15; 16, 17). Apostle John writes, “There was a man sent from God” this literally means “there came into being or history a man.” There is a sad side note to this section of John’s gospel letter; and that is they needed to be told that Light has come to dwell with men.

 

This truly reveals our fallen and corrupt condition before a holy God. This was supposed to be the people’s hope as they anticipated the Messiah coming throughout the Old Testament. One writer wrote, “At the heart of the Old Testament is the expectation that God will send a unique king, associated with the Davidic dynasty, who will bring God’s blessing to the nations of the world. Significantly, he will sacrifice his life to atone for the sins of others.”

 

The Book of Genesis reveals that future hope in the first gospel message. “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” Gen 3:15. At the heart of the Messianic Hope reflected in the New Testament is the expectation of a king linked to the Davidic dynasty. (1 Sam 16:1-13; 2 Sam 5:1-12; 2 Sam 6:1-15; 2 Sam 7; 1 King 6). We know some of the Psalms point to the Messiah. 

Specifically, the trilogy Psalms. 

Psalm 22 The Saviour’s cross.

Psalm 23 The Lord is my Shepherd.

Psalm 24 The reigning King of kings

 

Other references to the coming Messiah…. Isaiah, 9:6-7; 11:1-5; 49:6 chapter 52, 53, Amos 9:11-13…. to name a few of many. We know the death of the Anointed/Christ/Messiah is presented in the NT as having significant redemptive consequences, as well as fulfilling OT expectations. “And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.” Luke 24:25-27

 

It is sad to understand that the nation of Israel needed a forerunner to tell the people the Messiah has come to dwell with men. God’s purpose for John was to let the people know that His Son would not go unrecognized and unheralded. Just as God did when Jesus was born, He sent angels to the shepherds at night, to proclaim His Name to them. John the Baptist had one purpose in life to proclaim, to herald, the testimony that the coming Messiah was coming to save the people from their sins.

 

What an honor and special privilege

John had before him.

We know according to the Scriptures John’s first encounter with Jesus was something nothing less than a divine encounter. “In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! “ Luke 1:39-42

 

And if that wasn’t enough of an honour, when Jesus was asked about John the Baptist, He said this about His cousin, “Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist” Matt 11:11

 

We do know that John certainly did not see himself as “great”, he did not see himself as worthy enough to baptize Jesus or tie His sandals. “I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.” Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented.” Matt 3:11-15

One reason that Jesus called John the Baptist the “greatest” was that John held the honor of being chosen by God as the forerunner to the Messiah. See John was privileged to share in His coming, but we get to share in the results of His finished work on earth. Every one of us is living testimonies or witness to the grace found in the finishing work of the cross through Jesus Christ the Incarnate Lord. We must herald to the world the “good news” of Jesus Christ without reservations or excuses. John was truly the greatest prophet of his era, the Old Testament time; yet all Christians today have a fuller perspective on the work of Christ. John’s witness is a great encouragement for you and me today! Why? Because we are to do the same with the gospel that saves to the uttermost!

We are to be Witnesses.

John came as a witness; this defines the character of preachers’ office. A W Pink wrote, “A witness is one who knows what he is says and says what he knows. He deals not with speculations, he speaks not of his own opinions, but he testifies to what he knows to be the truth. “Witness “comes from the Greek word “martur”. This is a person who is a witness in life, and by death. From which we get the English word “martyr”. A witness is someone who has heard, seen, experienced, and knows the truth of a person or event. The Apostle John wrote, “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life—the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us—that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete. This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.” 1 John 1:1-5

Charles Spurgeon wrote, “God sent me as an ambassador now; but if you do not listen to me, he will not send an ambassador next time, but an executioner. There will be wooing words of mercy soon: the only exhortation will hear be the dull cold voice of death, that shall say, “come with me.” John’s witness was to proclaim that the Son of God was coming to save us from that pending doom that Spurgeon talked about in his generation. We read in Matthew’s gospel “Mat 3:1-7 “In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said, "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.'" Now John wore a garment of camel's hair and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan were going out to him, and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?”

What was John’s underlining message to

the people and what’s ours today?

 

The same message that John spoke to the Pharisee’s. God has come in the flesh to reconcile us back to the Father through Jesus Christ the Incarnate Saviour and sacrifice for our sin. Jesus Is The One Who Settles The Debt  (v7) “Reconcile” is defined as the process by which God and man are brought together again. See we need to understand. God and man are alienated [withdrawn, separated, estranged] from one another. Because God is Holy, Just, Righteous, and transcendent and we are rebellious and sinfulness. That’s why we read in Luke 2:10-11 “And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” We see the beauty of that truth fulfilled in Romans 5:8 “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” This is what makes John’s witness so beautiful, the Saviour is coming to save sinners.

This is what makes our witness in

Christ so beautiful

 

See reconciliation is God’s own complete act. This is something that takes place before any human action…such as confession, repentance, or restoration. Paul affirms this truth when he wrote…“that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.” 2 Cor 5:19. This was John’s witness, Paul’s witness and ours today! Why? V20-v21 of 2 Corinthians says “Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” Through the sacrifice of Christ, man’s sin is atoned and God’s wrath is appeased! Which means it’s possible for us to have a relationship that was once hostile in nature; to a relationship that is one of peace and fellowship with a holy God. The wonderful truth is that we get to play a part in His redemptive work. See how I said His and not ours! Look at (v8) “he was not the Light, but came to bear witness about the light” John was not “that Light, or the Light” but a lamp that shined the light towards the “The Light.” John was a burning and shining light, this reveals a lamp has no inherent light on its own, it has to have something to supply it to give out light. God used John was the agent, a lamp of belief……just as we are evidence to the saving power found in the One who John boldly proclaimed about.

 

This is a wonderful truth this morning! That God would choose to use us to share the good news about the Incarnate Christ who came to reconcile sinners back to God. J C Ryle said “Christian ministers are not priests, nor mediators between God and man. They are not agents into whose hands men may commit their souls, and carry on their religion by deputy. They are witnesses. They are intended to bear testimony to God’s truth and specifically to the great truth that Christ is the only Saviour and light of the world. This is why Peter’s ministry on the day of Pentecost: ‘with many other words did he testify’. This was whole the tenor of Paul’s ministry: ‘testifying both to the Jews, and also the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ’. Unless a Christian minister bears a full testimony to Christ, he is not faithful to his office. So long as he does testify of Christ, he has done his part, and will receive his reward, although his hearers may not believe his testimony. Until a minister’s hearers believe on that Christ of whom they are told, they receive no benefit from the ministry. They may be pleased and interested; but they are not profited until they believe. The great end of a minister’s testimony is that ‘that through him, men may believe’.”

 

We are in a wilderness of unbelief and confusion as it was in John’s age, but God has given us something to say this generation and the next. This world is hostile towards the things of Giod just as they were in John’s time. The Jew’s said Jesus was misleading and leading many astray, even at His trials the Jewish authorities said this to Pilate, “Then the whole company of them arose and brought him before Pilate. And they began to accuse him, saying, “We found this man misleading our nation and forbidding us to give tribute to Caesar, and saying that he himself is Christ, a king.” Luke 23:1-2. A resent podcast I listened to this week by Jeff Durbin, he said, “This is the time to evangelize the Jewish covenant breakers” Why? Because they still live in rebellion and they reject the message of Jesus Christ, the Messiah. The still reject the message of Moses and the prophets and the forerunner John the Baptist, a man who Jesus said “there is none great than John.” 

Can you love the lost enough to be a witness for Christ, like the forerunner? The cult member, the false church pew sitter, the alphabet group, the Jew. How about the Muslim despite the wickedness of Hamas and what they have done recently? There is no great time then now to be a witness to the truth of God and the gospel. Millions of lights for the Light are needed in this perverse, wicked, rebellious season of covenant breakers, who need to hear this truth before they place themselves under a greater condemnation. We serve a saving and sending God. He provides the foundation of our salvation in Jesus Christ, and he provides the means of our salvation in those whom he sends. Believing comes through a witness this is the underlining theme we will see throughout this letter. “but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” John 20:31. Believing comes through a human witness to the light. And this witness is a great necessity. Our witness is a great necessity. Without a witness no one believes. (v7) Paul reminded the church in Rome,” And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” Rom 10:15-17

 

A Witness who can say….

 

I HAVE BEEN RECONCILED THROUGH THE CHRIST FROM THE WRATH THAT IS YET TO COME. “For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.” 1 Thess 5:9-11

 

WE HAVE SURPASSING PEACE THAT’S BEEN SATISFIED BY THE FATHER THROUGH JESUS CHRIST. “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ…” Rom 5:1-2

WE HAVE ACCESS TO GOD IN FELLOWSHIP THROUGH JESUS CHRIST. “And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,” Eph 2:17-19

 

WE ARE FORGIVEN THROUGH THE PROHPETS WHO PAVED THE WAY TO BE READY. “Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love. He will again have compassion on us; he will tread our iniquities underfoot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.” Micah 7:18-19

 

We read in Act 3:19 “Repent therefore, and turn back,

that your sins may be blotted out,”

 

As R C Sproul said “The glory of the gospel is this: The one from whom we need to be saved is the one who has saved us.” John was a God’s calling forerunner, a witness that the grace of God has come in the person of Jesus the Christ. The same rule applies to you and me! Why? We are the witnesses to that grace to which we have already received bountifully.

 

May our voices, our witness, be heard and may

His grace fall upon those who hear.