Last Sunday, while you were all gathered here together worshiping our Lord with our dear friend Bill Lindner, I was stepping off of a boat. Literally, we stepped off of the boat at 9:47 am on Sunday morning. We had just finished a week long cruise with Amy’s family, all 21 of us, and we were even missing a few. After getting through all the lines, baggage claim, customs agents, loading/unloading zones, and finally getting on the road to head back to Houma, Amy and I were finally given the chance to exhale. What was especially funny was that we arrived back in Houma about the exact same time that we had left exactly one week earlier. As I thought about this, it made me think about how long a week truly is. In one sense, it felt like we just left, while there was also a feeling that we had been gone forever. Whereas my time on the boat, stopping in Jamaica, Grand Caymans, Cozumel, and then returning home, seems like a blur and feels like it happened too fast, there are a lot of things that I can take from it. I have a ton of memories from our trip. There were a lot of events, meals, and memorable moments that happened along the way. It was truly an amazing week reconnecting with family and connecting with some family that we had never really spent much time around.
As eventful as my week might have been, it still hails in comparison to another week that has been on my mind as of late. No, I’m not talking about this past week at the EPC General Assembly in Baton Rouge. An amazing week spent in worship and fellowship with many of my brothers and sisters in the EPC; a time where we could very much feel the real presence of God himself there with us as we conducted our business. Although this too was an incredible week, it isn’t the week that I have in mind. The week that I am thinking of is the week that is occurring in John’s gospel. Remember back when we started our journey into John’s gospel, we said that the first chapter and a half of John’s gospel occurred over the course of 7 days. Our text today covers days 3 and 4 of this momentous week (the hump days); and what happens on days 3 and 4 of this first week of Jesus’ earthly ministry is that he calls his first disciples to follow him. Over the course of these 17 verses, Jesus calls Andrew, Simon Peter, Philip, and Nathanael to be his disciples. Now, in our modern society, when we hear the term disciple, we immediately think of THE disciples. We think of those who went with Jesus and sat constantly under his teachings, in order that they might adequately spread the news that the Messiah had come. These men who played such a vital role in the establishment of the church and the spread of the gospel so embody what this word disciple means, that they have become the primary definition of the word. That being the case, let’s look at the account of events that took place during Jesus’ calling of his first disciples.
Now, this account of four disciples being called isn’t just done in a matter-of-fact way. It isn’t even done as a unified event. This calling happens on 2 consecutive days with 2 disciples being called each day. Our first account, the calling of Andrew and Peter, is a fairly simple one. Jesus is walking by John the Baptist once again. This time John has two others with him, one of whom was a man named Andrew, who after hearing John the Baptist refer to Jesus as the Lamb of God, seemingly immediately follows him. Jesus, seeing that these 2 men are now following him asks them what they’re doing and what they want. Referring to Jesus as Rabbi (teacher) the two men ask him where he is staying. Jesus doesn’t say an exact location, but instead says, “Come and you will see.” These two men follow Jesus and sit with him. The language here tells us that they had little regard for themselves and their need for rest, but they just wanted to learn from the teacher, the Messiah. As Andrew told his brother Peter, “We have found the Messiah.” Andrew went and found his brother Peter and told him the good news and Peter came and saw Jesus. Peter knew the moment that he met Jesus that the Savior had come. What a glorious moment this must have been in Peter’s heart.
And I don’t want to dwell too much on this one fact, but Andrew and Peter indeed were brothers. Andrew’s words to his brother about finding the Messiah show the joy that they have in Christ. Andrew couldn’t, wouldn’t, or shouldn’t keep this excitement that he had to himself. He brings Peter to Jesus and we see what wonderful joy there is in Peter’s heart and in the words of Jesus himself. And it’s at this point that I want to ask you a personal question. No, I don’t expect everyone to answer me, but I just want you to think for a second about your family. Do you know what the relationship between your family and Christ is? Do you have any clue which members of your family cling to the cross and which ones resist? Or perhaps an easier question for us to answer is not DO I KNOW, but what have I done to nurture the Christian faith within my own family? You see, family is the closest group that we have in our society. Unfortunately, those closest to us are often times the ones that we have the most difficult time sharing our faith with. Discussions about religion tend to magnify and point out everyone’s differences and so we keep that kind of talk to a minimum for the sake of decency. We would rather, at times, discuss our faith with a complete stranger instead of our closest friends and especially our family. Or at least that’s what we tell ourselves. I’ll get to whether or not we even do this in just a moment. Friends, I challenge you to be an exception to this rule. Follow the example of Andrew; be overjoyed at the possibility to share the good news with your family and take full advantage of such a blessing.
Now that’s the first calling account that we have for us in our text today. The second calling of disciples by Jesus isn’t about two brothers; they aren’t even from the same town, but their story does begin in a very similar fashion to that of Andrew and Peter. A man named Philip hears Jesus say, “Follow me.” So, Philip obeys and follows Jesus. Much in the same way that Andrew found Peter, Philip goes and finds Nathanael. Philip tells Nathanael something very similar to what Andrew told Peter. Nathanael’s response, however, isn’t like that of Peter’s. Nathanael, after hearing the found Messiah referred to as Jesus of Nazareth, responds with, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Well, that’s a heck of a response to this news, but let’s don’t be too harsh on Nathanael just yet. You see, he was from Cana, a village just north of Nazareth, and it’s likely that there was somewhat of a rivalry between Nazareth and Cana. It’s kind of like if someone tells me that they are from Oxford, MS and that university that sits up there (TSUN), my response might be, “Can anything good come out of Oxford?” It’s not that Oxford, or more importantly Nazareth, has or had a bad reputation, but there is just a little personal bias shown. I want you to notice the beauty in Philip’s answer to this question. He doesn’t rebuke him or even get mad at Nathanael. His words are simple, yet profound: “Come and see.” If I could elaborate upon Philip’s words, “come and see for yourself. Once you have seen this man, you will know without a doubt that not only has something good come out of Nazareth, but something great. You might even say that instead of something good, it is all that is good that has come out of that village.”
These few words, “come and see” are still needed today. We mentioned earlier in the case of Andrew and Peter that there is great need for pointing our own family to Christ, but we see here that it doesn’t stop with family. It extends to our friends, our co-workers, and to all mankind. We know that great and wonderful news of Christ even better than Philip did at this time. It is our job to turn to our fellow men and women and to tell them, “come and see Christ Jesus.” Why, there is even more of an advantage for us today because so many have already heard of Jesus Christ. Even those who do not believe in Christ at this moment, many of them have already been exposed to the good news held within God’s word. We need to have faith when we say to them, “come and see.” There are people all over the world, including right here in Houma, LA, who are longing and waiting to hear someone tell them to come and see Jesus Christ the Lord.
It’s at this point where we might ask ourselves, “Well, what happens when they come and see Christ for themselves?” I don’t think we need look any further than what happens with Nathanael. After coming to see Jesus, Nathanael is convinced. Jesus begins by saying that he knows Nathanael is an honest man. After some discourse, Nathanael calls Jesus Rabbi, the Son of God. This phrase acknowledges that Nathanael believes Jesus to be the Messiah. Jesus, then in his wisdom, tells him that if he believes now, he hasn’t seen anything yet. He tells him that there are even greater things to come, which is astounding to Nathanael because to the Jews of that day, there was nothing greater than the mere coming of the promised Messiah. Look at the final verse in our text, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”
Friends, all of us in this room have come to know Christ in a variety of ways. For as many of us as are in this room right now, there are as many different stories about how God reached out and claimed us as His own. And the wonderful thing about it is, we haven’t seen anything yet. All of the blessings and all of the joy that we have experienced whether as a new Christian or someone who has faithfully served for a lifetime hails in comparison to what is yet to come. We have seen today the example set forth by not only our Savior in the calling of his disciples, but we have seen men just like you and me call for others to come and sit with Christ. Let’s all labor unceasingly for the cross. Share the good news of the gospel with those around you. Share what God has done in your life and how He has worked through you to bring you to where you are today. Invite them to church, to Bible studies, or even just invite them to pray with you. Because we know without a doubt, that once someone has come and seen our Savior, that they will follow him to the ends of the earth. We haven’t seen anything yet when it comes to the power of our Lord God Almighty. Glory be to God; in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
John 1:29-34 "Words of Witness"
We said last week that beginning in John 1:19 and continuing through John 2:11 was one week in the life of Jesus Christ. Our text from last week, John the Baptist’s meeting with the Jewish delegates, was the first day of this week. The very next day after this meeting, we have another meeting, our text for today. While this is another meeting involving John the Baptist, it is a much greater meeting. This day, John isn’t meeting with the priests, Levites, Pharisees, or any other group of Jewish or religious leaders; he is meeting with Jesus Christ himself. Now I don’t want to dwell on John the Baptist for long, but imagine the last 24 to 48 hours of his life at this point. He has gone from calling for repentance and baptizing people in the wilderness in the Jordan River, to having a face-to-face encounter with the Jewish delegation, to now seeing Jesus Christ coming toward him. At this point we might expect John to want to tell Jesus all that he has been through and boast about what he has done, but John stays true to who he is. We said last week that he was someone who didn’t want the spotlight, but instead wanted to aim or shine the spotlight at Christ, and that’s exactly what he continues to do here.
Look at John’s words as he sees Jesus coming towards him, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” Now, John the Baptist, as we will see in just a moment, has much more to say about Jesus at this point, but I want to quickly draw your attention to this title Lamb of God. Now, many of us have nicknames. Depending on which group of people we are around determines what name we will be called. However, I don’t know if there is anyone in history that has more titles or names than Jesus Christ. Why, in just the 34 verses that we have read to date of John’s gospel we have seen Jesus referred to as the Word, the Christ, the Lamb of God, and the Son of God. Some other titles that are commonly seen are the Son of Man, Lord, the Consolation of Judah, the Lion of Judah, the Alpha and Omega, King of Israel, and many more. We could fill an entire worship service just recounting the names that have been used to indicate and identify Jesus Christ.
This particular title, Lamb of God (Angus Dei in Latin), is a prominent and common one. This comparison of Jesus Christ to a lamb isn’t an unusual one. What is odd is that there are only 2 books in all of Scripture where Christ is called the Lamb of God, and both of them were written by the same person. It just so happens that one of those books is the final book of the Bible, Revelation. Revelation 5 records John waiting for the Lion of Judah when instead a Lamb appears that had been slain. This results in a chorus of angels singing, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!”
Now throughout history, biblical scholars have had varying opinions as to the significance of the lamb, but there is no doubting that this creature extends the length of Scripture. The first specific mention of this animal is found in Genesis 22, when God called Abraham to go to Mount Moriah and offer his son Isaac (his only and long-awaited son) as a sacrifice. In an act of complete obedience to God, Abraham followed the will of the Lord. He had his knife drawn back, ready to drive it into Isaac’s heart when God stopped him, “Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me (Gen.22:12).” Then Abraham hears a rustling in the bushes, so he goes over to see what it is. Low-and-behold, he finds a ram, a male lamb who is now fully grown, caught in the thicket by his horns. God provided this lamb as a sacrificial substitute for Abraham’s son Isaac, just as His Son was provided as a substitutionary sacrifice for us on the cross. However, Jesus’ substitution was a once-for-all sacrifice that extends throughout all of history; from the very beginning to the completed end, whenever that may be.
Likewise, we can see the Lamb of God in the Passover. As God was ready to bring the tenth and final plague upon the Egyptians (the death of all firstborn males), He told the people of Israel to kill unblemished lambs and put their blood upon the doorpost of their houses. God told Israel that He would pass over every house where he found the blood of the innocent lamb. This lamb’s blood spared Israel from God’s wrath. It was their substitution in a way, for giving of their firstborn males; it saved them. The Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, with his very own blood, redeemed His people from the penalty that was due to them because of their sin.
These are just a few examples of recorded texts that point to a lamb in the Old Testament. And it’s most likely that this title of Lamb of God was not an invention of John the Baptist. Also, it’s highly unlikely that John the Baptist, in his finite mind, would have readily made this connection at the time of his seeing Jesus coming toward him. It’s not as if he had any idea as to what Jesus’ earthly ministry would look like. How could he; he wasn’t God. Only God knew what Jesus’ earthly ministry would look like and how it would end. However, it is just further proof of God’s plan. The fact that we have events and accounts that occur back as far as the book of Genesis and the time of Abraham that are already pointing to the very sacrificial act that God himself will undergo on our behalf. As if there wasn’t sufficient proof of God’s love already, we have even more now. He knew what the plan was before creation ever happened. Despite the actions of man during the time between creation and Christ’s coming into the world, God never changed His mind. Regardless of how much we strayed and sinned, he stayed true. When all the things of this world were being corrupted and tainted, the Almighty was unchanged; He was a rock; He was OUR rock. “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”
Now, I mentioned earlier that John the Baptist has much more to say about Jesus than simply calling him the Lamb of God and stating what his ministry is ultimately to accomplish. As a matter of fact, John has a pretty detailed explanation of who Jesus is to go along with his initial statement. He speaks of Jesus’ ranking above himself and every other person. He mentions Jesus’ divinity and the fact that there has never been a time when the Son was not. And just for good measure, so that no one will say that John is saying these things because he has been told them by someone else, he makes a statement that tells us that he didn’t even know Jesus. To quote John Calvin, “John does not speak at his own suggestion, nor for the favor of man, but by the inspiration of the Spirit and the command of God.” John is silencing all critics who would bring up claims that he is merely saying what Jesus told him to say.
Then, beginning in verse 32, we find John’s testimony or witness saying, “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.” And while we could take time and poke and prod each and every word of this witness made by John the Baptist, I don’t think that it’s necessary. We could look at theologically what each and every line means and what biblical doctrines flow from them, but I think that there is something much greater to be learned from this witness as a whole. You see, John could have just stopped with his concise description of Jesus in verse 29. He could have ended after his brief comments about Christ that we find in verses 30 and 31, but he didn’t. He could have ended things and just turned it over to Christ so-to-speak, but he needed to do something more.
Now, I’m not saying that God needs us to do something so that His work can be accomplished, because He doesn’t. What I am saying, is that many times, we need to do more in our own efforts. I have said numerous times in my life and many times from this very pulpit that our life, our way of conducting ourselves as Christians, is perhaps the strongest witness that we have with others. Now, I fully stand behind my words and still feel that this is true, but I think that some clarification needs to be made here. How we conduct ourselves does carry a lot of weight and is important in being a good Christian witness. However, much in the same sense that many of us think that words without actions are worthless, when it comes to witnessing for Christ, action without words can many times have no value. Hear me out for just a moment if you will; how do you know when you see someone doing something of virtue or something that you would consider to be a righteous act, that it is because they are Christian? In other words, how do you know that a person’s positive actions are because they cling to the cross? Quite simply, you don’t; none of us do.
In fact, in our world today where so many believe strongly in forces of the universe, karma, destiny, fate, or any other thinking along these lines, many times morality or civility are detached from one’s faith. Add to this fact, unfortunately, that there are numerous cases of where Christians are actually the ones who conduct themselves in the immoral manner. Well, we may ask ourselves, “What can we do about it?” And I think that what we have for us here in our text today with John’s witness is the very answer. As we go throughout our lives, as we conduct our business in this world, we are presented with tremendous opportunities. We are given chances to conduct ourselves in such a manner that allows us to bear the name Christian appropriately, but it shouldn’t stop there. There should be some verbal witness added to the nonverbal. Now, I’m not saying that every good thing that we do that we ought to stand up on the nearest table and say that we did it because we’re a Christian. No, that would probably end up having a negative effect on our witness. What I’m talking about is something much more subtle and, I believe, more effective than that. It isn’t overly interjecting our faith into every conversation, but it’s taking advantage of the opportunities that we’re given.
Take for example, if someone asks a favor of you; it can be either a work favor or a personal one; because they really need some help. Well, most of us, if we can, will help that person out without a second thought, and that’s a good thing. But how many of us, after agreeing to help, would ask that person if and how we can pray for them? Or perhaps another example of how we can add some verbal witness to the nonverbal; let’s say that things are going good at home and that brand new boat or kitchen or whatever it may be is finally becoming or has become a reality. Well, eventually someone is going to ask you about your new addition. Instead of saying, “Yeah, we’ve been wanting this for quite some time and we just decided to go for it”; how about placing God into the mix. You could say something along the lines of, “Yeah, God has really blessed us lately. We sure are lucky to be in the situation we’re in and we just can’t thank Him enough for allowing us to have something that we’ve wanted for a while now.” It isn’t much, but it still points to God.
Friends, as we prepare our hearts to partake of this meal before us, we’re called to re-examine our hearts. Now I’m not saying that if we haven’t lived up to the high standard that comes with being a Christian then we aren’t worthy to partake. I’m not saying that if we haven’t exactly pointed others to Christ as John the Baptist did then we aren’t worthy to partake. No, although I think that both of these things, the high standard of being a Christian and pointing others to Christ, are important and they are things worthy of our highest and best effort, they aren’t what this meal is about. This meal, this symbolic remembrance of a sacrifice goes back to the words of John the Baptist when he saw Jesus coming, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” Brothers and sisters, we were purchased at a great price. As we will remind ourselves in a few short moments about how great that price was, let me encourage you to pray that God, through his Holy Spirit, will daily place that burden and that reminder upon your heart. And I can say without a doubt, that if we truly understand what Christ has done for us, then our witness, our efforts in growing his kingdom, will be blessed beyond all imagination. Glory be to God; in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Look at John’s words as he sees Jesus coming towards him, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” Now, John the Baptist, as we will see in just a moment, has much more to say about Jesus at this point, but I want to quickly draw your attention to this title Lamb of God. Now, many of us have nicknames. Depending on which group of people we are around determines what name we will be called. However, I don’t know if there is anyone in history that has more titles or names than Jesus Christ. Why, in just the 34 verses that we have read to date of John’s gospel we have seen Jesus referred to as the Word, the Christ, the Lamb of God, and the Son of God. Some other titles that are commonly seen are the Son of Man, Lord, the Consolation of Judah, the Lion of Judah, the Alpha and Omega, King of Israel, and many more. We could fill an entire worship service just recounting the names that have been used to indicate and identify Jesus Christ.
This particular title, Lamb of God (Angus Dei in Latin), is a prominent and common one. This comparison of Jesus Christ to a lamb isn’t an unusual one. What is odd is that there are only 2 books in all of Scripture where Christ is called the Lamb of God, and both of them were written by the same person. It just so happens that one of those books is the final book of the Bible, Revelation. Revelation 5 records John waiting for the Lion of Judah when instead a Lamb appears that had been slain. This results in a chorus of angels singing, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!”
Now throughout history, biblical scholars have had varying opinions as to the significance of the lamb, but there is no doubting that this creature extends the length of Scripture. The first specific mention of this animal is found in Genesis 22, when God called Abraham to go to Mount Moriah and offer his son Isaac (his only and long-awaited son) as a sacrifice. In an act of complete obedience to God, Abraham followed the will of the Lord. He had his knife drawn back, ready to drive it into Isaac’s heart when God stopped him, “Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me (Gen.22:12).” Then Abraham hears a rustling in the bushes, so he goes over to see what it is. Low-and-behold, he finds a ram, a male lamb who is now fully grown, caught in the thicket by his horns. God provided this lamb as a sacrificial substitute for Abraham’s son Isaac, just as His Son was provided as a substitutionary sacrifice for us on the cross. However, Jesus’ substitution was a once-for-all sacrifice that extends throughout all of history; from the very beginning to the completed end, whenever that may be.
Likewise, we can see the Lamb of God in the Passover. As God was ready to bring the tenth and final plague upon the Egyptians (the death of all firstborn males), He told the people of Israel to kill unblemished lambs and put their blood upon the doorpost of their houses. God told Israel that He would pass over every house where he found the blood of the innocent lamb. This lamb’s blood spared Israel from God’s wrath. It was their substitution in a way, for giving of their firstborn males; it saved them. The Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, with his very own blood, redeemed His people from the penalty that was due to them because of their sin.
These are just a few examples of recorded texts that point to a lamb in the Old Testament. And it’s most likely that this title of Lamb of God was not an invention of John the Baptist. Also, it’s highly unlikely that John the Baptist, in his finite mind, would have readily made this connection at the time of his seeing Jesus coming toward him. It’s not as if he had any idea as to what Jesus’ earthly ministry would look like. How could he; he wasn’t God. Only God knew what Jesus’ earthly ministry would look like and how it would end. However, it is just further proof of God’s plan. The fact that we have events and accounts that occur back as far as the book of Genesis and the time of Abraham that are already pointing to the very sacrificial act that God himself will undergo on our behalf. As if there wasn’t sufficient proof of God’s love already, we have even more now. He knew what the plan was before creation ever happened. Despite the actions of man during the time between creation and Christ’s coming into the world, God never changed His mind. Regardless of how much we strayed and sinned, he stayed true. When all the things of this world were being corrupted and tainted, the Almighty was unchanged; He was a rock; He was OUR rock. “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”
Now, I mentioned earlier that John the Baptist has much more to say about Jesus than simply calling him the Lamb of God and stating what his ministry is ultimately to accomplish. As a matter of fact, John has a pretty detailed explanation of who Jesus is to go along with his initial statement. He speaks of Jesus’ ranking above himself and every other person. He mentions Jesus’ divinity and the fact that there has never been a time when the Son was not. And just for good measure, so that no one will say that John is saying these things because he has been told them by someone else, he makes a statement that tells us that he didn’t even know Jesus. To quote John Calvin, “John does not speak at his own suggestion, nor for the favor of man, but by the inspiration of the Spirit and the command of God.” John is silencing all critics who would bring up claims that he is merely saying what Jesus told him to say.
Then, beginning in verse 32, we find John’s testimony or witness saying, “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.” And while we could take time and poke and prod each and every word of this witness made by John the Baptist, I don’t think that it’s necessary. We could look at theologically what each and every line means and what biblical doctrines flow from them, but I think that there is something much greater to be learned from this witness as a whole. You see, John could have just stopped with his concise description of Jesus in verse 29. He could have ended after his brief comments about Christ that we find in verses 30 and 31, but he didn’t. He could have ended things and just turned it over to Christ so-to-speak, but he needed to do something more.
Now, I’m not saying that God needs us to do something so that His work can be accomplished, because He doesn’t. What I am saying, is that many times, we need to do more in our own efforts. I have said numerous times in my life and many times from this very pulpit that our life, our way of conducting ourselves as Christians, is perhaps the strongest witness that we have with others. Now, I fully stand behind my words and still feel that this is true, but I think that some clarification needs to be made here. How we conduct ourselves does carry a lot of weight and is important in being a good Christian witness. However, much in the same sense that many of us think that words without actions are worthless, when it comes to witnessing for Christ, action without words can many times have no value. Hear me out for just a moment if you will; how do you know when you see someone doing something of virtue or something that you would consider to be a righteous act, that it is because they are Christian? In other words, how do you know that a person’s positive actions are because they cling to the cross? Quite simply, you don’t; none of us do.
In fact, in our world today where so many believe strongly in forces of the universe, karma, destiny, fate, or any other thinking along these lines, many times morality or civility are detached from one’s faith. Add to this fact, unfortunately, that there are numerous cases of where Christians are actually the ones who conduct themselves in the immoral manner. Well, we may ask ourselves, “What can we do about it?” And I think that what we have for us here in our text today with John’s witness is the very answer. As we go throughout our lives, as we conduct our business in this world, we are presented with tremendous opportunities. We are given chances to conduct ourselves in such a manner that allows us to bear the name Christian appropriately, but it shouldn’t stop there. There should be some verbal witness added to the nonverbal. Now, I’m not saying that every good thing that we do that we ought to stand up on the nearest table and say that we did it because we’re a Christian. No, that would probably end up having a negative effect on our witness. What I’m talking about is something much more subtle and, I believe, more effective than that. It isn’t overly interjecting our faith into every conversation, but it’s taking advantage of the opportunities that we’re given.
Take for example, if someone asks a favor of you; it can be either a work favor or a personal one; because they really need some help. Well, most of us, if we can, will help that person out without a second thought, and that’s a good thing. But how many of us, after agreeing to help, would ask that person if and how we can pray for them? Or perhaps another example of how we can add some verbal witness to the nonverbal; let’s say that things are going good at home and that brand new boat or kitchen or whatever it may be is finally becoming or has become a reality. Well, eventually someone is going to ask you about your new addition. Instead of saying, “Yeah, we’ve been wanting this for quite some time and we just decided to go for it”; how about placing God into the mix. You could say something along the lines of, “Yeah, God has really blessed us lately. We sure are lucky to be in the situation we’re in and we just can’t thank Him enough for allowing us to have something that we’ve wanted for a while now.” It isn’t much, but it still points to God.
Friends, as we prepare our hearts to partake of this meal before us, we’re called to re-examine our hearts. Now I’m not saying that if we haven’t lived up to the high standard that comes with being a Christian then we aren’t worthy to partake. I’m not saying that if we haven’t exactly pointed others to Christ as John the Baptist did then we aren’t worthy to partake. No, although I think that both of these things, the high standard of being a Christian and pointing others to Christ, are important and they are things worthy of our highest and best effort, they aren’t what this meal is about. This meal, this symbolic remembrance of a sacrifice goes back to the words of John the Baptist when he saw Jesus coming, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” Brothers and sisters, we were purchased at a great price. As we will remind ourselves in a few short moments about how great that price was, let me encourage you to pray that God, through his Holy Spirit, will daily place that burden and that reminder upon your heart. And I can say without a doubt, that if we truly understand what Christ has done for us, then our witness, our efforts in growing his kingdom, will be blessed beyond all imagination. Glory be to God; in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Monday, June 4, 2012
John 1:19-28 "Who Are You?"
Last week, we looked at John’s introduction, his prologue, to this gospel account. We briefly talked about the difference between John’s gospel and the other 3 that we have in Scripture. We said that one of the things that sets John’s gospel apart from the other accounts is that there is no record of Jesus’ life before his earthly ministry begins. We said that after the introduction that we move directly into the events of the first momentous week of Jesus’ ministry. This week of events begins here with John the Baptist’s meeting with the delegation and extends all the way through the wedding at Cana and Jesus’ first miracle in the first half of chapter 2.
The Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to find out about this person who was proclaiming that the Messiah had come. They wanted to know the identity of this man who was preaching in the wilderness of Judea. Who is this man who is proclaiming, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand”? I mean, this man was wearing camel’s hair and a leather belt and was eating locusts and wild honey. Meanwhile, tons of people were going to him in the wilderness. They were being baptized by this man in the Jordan River and confessing their sins. At the very least they might want to find out what authority this man thinks he has to carry out such rituals. By this time, it is very possible that he, John the Baptist, has already called the Pharisees a “brood of vipers”; a term that is anything but flattering. The Jews quite simply just want to know who this man is, so they send a group to point-blank ask him, “Who are you?” They were expecting some great answer to this mystery. They were thinking that John the Baptist would claim to be someone of supreme importance, but what they got was not what they were expecting.
I want you to notice the progression of his answers as to his identity. John the Baptist first responds to this question with “I am not the Christ.” As we look at the entirety of verse 20 we find, “He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, ‘I am not the Christ’.” Now this may seem awkward to us, but that’s because we don’t speak Biblical Greek. This is a literal translation of a Greek statement that means without a doubt. It’s similar to our stating something and then saying the word “period” after the completion of that statement. If someone were going to translate that into French or Spanish, it would confuse them when the word period is at the end. Anyone who was familiar with the Greek of the day would have absolutely no question that John was not the Messiah after reading these words. This verse takes away all doubt that John might be the long awaited Messiah.
After hearing that he was not the Messiah, the priests and Levites move on to the next option, “What then? Are you Elijah?” Well, I don’t want you to get the impression that I think that you don’t know your Bible, but I do want to remind you for a brief minute about this figure from the Old Testament. Elijah was a prominent prophet during the Old Testament, primarily during the Book of 1 Kings. His ministry was one of disproving other gods and showing that there was One True God. His most famous story is perhaps found in 1 Kings 18 where he and the prophets who worship Baal are both given the task of igniting a pile of wood in order to make a sacrifice without using water. The magicians are unable to do so despite numerous attempts, whereas Elijah, with the power of God, has no trouble whatsoever on his very first attempt even though he has soaked his pile of wood with jars of water. Elijah is probably best known for his departure. He is one of a select group of individuals who we have a biblical account of them actually not dying, but simply being taken up into heaven. In Elijah’s case, he is taken up in a whirlwind as a chariot and horses of fire appear. At this time he passes on his mantle to Elisha, his successor.
But why would the delegation ask if John was Elijah? Well, in the Book of Malachi, in the next to last verse of the Old Testament, the prophet records the words, “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes.” In other words, right before a 400 year period of divine silence, God promised that the day of the Lord would come, but not until He first sent Elijah to announce it. So it makes sense that the Jewish leaders would ask John if he was the prophet Elijah. However, similar to his response to the first question, he states, “I am not.” Once again the delegation is sent back to the drawing board so-to-speak.
So, John the Baptist is not the Messiah; he’s not the prophet Elijah. If he’s neither of these promised figures, then who is he? Well, the priests and Levites give it one more chance. They ask him if he is the prophet. And I want you to notice something that you may just gloss over if you are not careful. They don’t ask him if he is a prophet, but if he is the prophet. Well, what specific prophet does the delegation have in mind here? Well, most biblical scholars agree that this is a reference to Deuteronomy 18:18 in which God tells Moses, “I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him.” Since the time of Moses, the Jewish people had been waiting for a prophet on the same level as Moses to arrive. And when we say a prophet on the same level as Moses we have to think about who Moses was to Israel. He wasn’t just a prophet; he was a direct mediator between God and His people. This prophet that the Jews were waiting on was not just a prophet, but the prophet who would be the mediator between themselves and God.
Alas, after finding out that John the Baptist wasn’t the promised Messiah and that he wasn’t Elijah, the Jewish delegation was hoping that maybe he would be this promised prophet. But John’s response was the same as it had been during the previous 2 attempts at his identity, “No.” And this had to dishearten the Jews, because it wasn’t as if they were hoping that he wasn’t one of these people. You have to remember that the Jews of this day, much like those of today, were anxiously awaiting the coming of the Messiah. They wanted him to come and to conquer all of their enemies. Perhaps the most humorous part about it for us is that even when the Messiah did come, they rejected him as we saw in our text from last week. They are eager to welcome this Messiah, but when given the chance they throw it away and deny him.
Frustrated with the responses to their questions, the priests and Levites cut to the point and just ask John, “Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” In other words, “Give us something. We can’t go back without anything. Just tell us who you are and why you are doing what you are doing out here by the Jordan.” John’s response is pretty straight forward. The priests and Levites had asked him if he was the figure promised in Malachi and Deuteronomy, and John answers them with the words of the prophet Isaiah, “I am the voice of the one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’.” John makes very clear that he isn’t really anybody in-and-of himself. Instead, he is simply someone who is here to point others to the one who is coming.
Well, it seems like the priests and Levites are satisfied with this answer because they don’t press him any more on his identity. However, they quickly turn their attention from his identity to his work. “Then why are you baptizing, if you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” You see, baptism wasn’t unheard of during this time. In fact, it was something that was done by Gentiles (i.e. non-Jews) as a cleansing ritual. But John wasn’t just calling Gentiles to be baptized; he was calling everyone to be baptized and confess their sins. He was even calling the Jews to be baptized, something that they would have considered to be a laughable notion seeing as they were children of Abraham and part of national Israel. But John’s answer isn’t what they want to hear. They are wanting him to tell him a specific person who has given him the authority to baptize others. John answered their inquisition saying, “I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know, even he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.”
Think about these priests and Levites and what they must have been thinking at this point. First, they tried to find out who this person was. They ultimately find out that this man in the wilderness eating locusts and honey isn’t anyone of great importance and doesn’t really claim to be. Then, they want to know who gave him permission to do the work that he is doing, and he gives them this answer; he tells them that this great person, who they don’t know, has given him such authority. I mean, the delegation knew all of the major religious figures in the area, but John tells him that this one who is greater than any other is someone who none of them knows. They have to be thinking that this guy is crazy.
Now, the reference that John gives to this strap of a sandal is a very deliberate one that is aim directly at the Jews. You see, a rabbi (or teacher) would have had disciples just as Jesus had his disciples. These were students who would have traveled with, studied under, and learned from the rabbi. Their job was to learn from the rabbi while taking care of every need that he might have. In one sense, they were very similar to slaves. One of the main differences between a slave or bondservant and a disciple is that the disciple was never asked to take care of the rabbi’s shoes. John the Baptist’s words here are the equivalent of him saying, “I’m not worthy. I’m not even a disciple. I’m lower than a disciple. I am here merely to serve this One who is coming and to prepare his way.” The account in John’s gospel tells us right from the very beginning that this isn’t about John, the priests and Levites, or anyone else. This gospel is about Jesus and Jesus alone.
You see, John is just a voice. He’s not someone of great importance. You can’t see a voice; you can only hear it. His presence isn’t a great coming in-and-of itself as it would be if he was the Messiah, Elijah, or the Prophet. He is someone who is preparing the way. No one usually pays much attention to the one who is merely preparing the way for a king to come, but that’s exactly what is happened here with John the Baptist. And he is making every effort that he can to take the focus off of himself and place it where it belongs; squarely upon the shoulders of Jesus Christ the true Messiah. And such a mindset should be the desire of all Christians. We should want the focus to be upon Christ and not upon ourselves. No matter how hard we have worked, no matter what we have sacrificed, no matter what; it isn’t about us. I never has been and it never should be. It’s not about our likes, dislikes, wants, needs, interests, work, or ambitions; it’s about our Savior. Even when it comes to dealing with others, we have to place their need for the Savior above all else.
When I was in high school I was afforded the tremendous opportunity of doing some pretty amazing things and taking some amazing trips through my church. We were a smaller church, but we happened to have a couple of us who were around the same age who were all able to afford to do some amazing things. One of the most meaningful trips that we ever took was a mission trip to Jamaica. We spent 2 weeks building houses and teaching Vacation Bible School to families in a local village. Now, I don’t remember exactly which part of Jamaica we were in, but I do remember seeing a sign that said Negril, Mandeville, and Montego Bay to the right; we turned left. What is funny about this particular trip is what stands out to me the most vividly today. I remember working in the hot sun for nearly 8 hours a day for 10 of our 12 days spent working, but there is nothing that sticks out more clearly than anything else. I can remember our talks at night consisting of general meetings, group Bible studies, and even a foot-washing event one night. I can remember being surrounded by a heard of ankle-biters wanting to get their hands on any and everything that I had during my day of teaching VBS. However, the most impactful day of them all was one spent inside.
Each group was to spend one day of their 12 at a local infirmary. Now, an infirmary wasn’t really a hospital, but a place that people went to die; many of them dying a long and painful death. Y’all know me; I tend to find myself in some of the oddest situations without even trying. Well, me and another guy managed to find our way into a room with a man with no legs; Mr. Ben-Bo. Mr. Ben-Bo had lost his legs while working in construction and getting bitten by a poisonous snake in both of his shins. There was no antidote, so they were forced to chop his legs off at his knees. It was a pretty interesting experience. I even had to hold this man up underneath his arm with he used the restroom. Consequently, my close were a little worse for wear that day if you follow me.
But that’s not what sticks out to me the most about my day spent with Mr. Ben-Bo. No, what stands out to me about Mr. Ben-Bo was his outlook on life. You see, Mr. Ben-Bo had recently become a Christian prior to his being bitten by the snake and consequently losing his legs and his ability to walk. Instead of being angry about his physical debility and personal setback, Mr. Ben-Bo viewed it as an opportunity. He viewed his personal problem as a gift from God. You see, he knew full well what the purpose of that infirmary was. He knew that the people there were all facing death, and facing it fairly soon. He viewed his condition as a way of God placing him in this place. He considered it his mission from God to witness to those around him. Many of these people in this infirmary weren’t Christians, but he was given a chance to share the Gospel with them before they died. After all, it wasn’t like they could leave and go somewhere else. He had a captive audience, literally.
What a blessing. What an outlook on life. How much better would this world be if we could look at our problems and our situations and take ourselves out of the equation and focus only upon Christ? I can tell you that this infirmary was one of the most depressing places that I have ever been, even more so that any nursing home or hospice facility that I have ever been in, but here was a man excited to be there. John the Baptist, Mr. Ben-Bo; both of these men are putting their own lives and their own situations aside and pointing to the One True God and Our Savior Jesus Christ. Who are you? Are you someone who stands from and center firmly in the spotlight? Or are you someone who stands pointing; pointing to Jesus Christ? Friends, regardless of who we are and what we are doing or have done, we should always be pointing others to Jesus Christ. Glory be to God; in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to find out about this person who was proclaiming that the Messiah had come. They wanted to know the identity of this man who was preaching in the wilderness of Judea. Who is this man who is proclaiming, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand”? I mean, this man was wearing camel’s hair and a leather belt and was eating locusts and wild honey. Meanwhile, tons of people were going to him in the wilderness. They were being baptized by this man in the Jordan River and confessing their sins. At the very least they might want to find out what authority this man thinks he has to carry out such rituals. By this time, it is very possible that he, John the Baptist, has already called the Pharisees a “brood of vipers”; a term that is anything but flattering. The Jews quite simply just want to know who this man is, so they send a group to point-blank ask him, “Who are you?” They were expecting some great answer to this mystery. They were thinking that John the Baptist would claim to be someone of supreme importance, but what they got was not what they were expecting.
I want you to notice the progression of his answers as to his identity. John the Baptist first responds to this question with “I am not the Christ.” As we look at the entirety of verse 20 we find, “He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, ‘I am not the Christ’.” Now this may seem awkward to us, but that’s because we don’t speak Biblical Greek. This is a literal translation of a Greek statement that means without a doubt. It’s similar to our stating something and then saying the word “period” after the completion of that statement. If someone were going to translate that into French or Spanish, it would confuse them when the word period is at the end. Anyone who was familiar with the Greek of the day would have absolutely no question that John was not the Messiah after reading these words. This verse takes away all doubt that John might be the long awaited Messiah.
After hearing that he was not the Messiah, the priests and Levites move on to the next option, “What then? Are you Elijah?” Well, I don’t want you to get the impression that I think that you don’t know your Bible, but I do want to remind you for a brief minute about this figure from the Old Testament. Elijah was a prominent prophet during the Old Testament, primarily during the Book of 1 Kings. His ministry was one of disproving other gods and showing that there was One True God. His most famous story is perhaps found in 1 Kings 18 where he and the prophets who worship Baal are both given the task of igniting a pile of wood in order to make a sacrifice without using water. The magicians are unable to do so despite numerous attempts, whereas Elijah, with the power of God, has no trouble whatsoever on his very first attempt even though he has soaked his pile of wood with jars of water. Elijah is probably best known for his departure. He is one of a select group of individuals who we have a biblical account of them actually not dying, but simply being taken up into heaven. In Elijah’s case, he is taken up in a whirlwind as a chariot and horses of fire appear. At this time he passes on his mantle to Elisha, his successor.
But why would the delegation ask if John was Elijah? Well, in the Book of Malachi, in the next to last verse of the Old Testament, the prophet records the words, “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes.” In other words, right before a 400 year period of divine silence, God promised that the day of the Lord would come, but not until He first sent Elijah to announce it. So it makes sense that the Jewish leaders would ask John if he was the prophet Elijah. However, similar to his response to the first question, he states, “I am not.” Once again the delegation is sent back to the drawing board so-to-speak.
So, John the Baptist is not the Messiah; he’s not the prophet Elijah. If he’s neither of these promised figures, then who is he? Well, the priests and Levites give it one more chance. They ask him if he is the prophet. And I want you to notice something that you may just gloss over if you are not careful. They don’t ask him if he is a prophet, but if he is the prophet. Well, what specific prophet does the delegation have in mind here? Well, most biblical scholars agree that this is a reference to Deuteronomy 18:18 in which God tells Moses, “I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him.” Since the time of Moses, the Jewish people had been waiting for a prophet on the same level as Moses to arrive. And when we say a prophet on the same level as Moses we have to think about who Moses was to Israel. He wasn’t just a prophet; he was a direct mediator between God and His people. This prophet that the Jews were waiting on was not just a prophet, but the prophet who would be the mediator between themselves and God.
Alas, after finding out that John the Baptist wasn’t the promised Messiah and that he wasn’t Elijah, the Jewish delegation was hoping that maybe he would be this promised prophet. But John’s response was the same as it had been during the previous 2 attempts at his identity, “No.” And this had to dishearten the Jews, because it wasn’t as if they were hoping that he wasn’t one of these people. You have to remember that the Jews of this day, much like those of today, were anxiously awaiting the coming of the Messiah. They wanted him to come and to conquer all of their enemies. Perhaps the most humorous part about it for us is that even when the Messiah did come, they rejected him as we saw in our text from last week. They are eager to welcome this Messiah, but when given the chance they throw it away and deny him.
Frustrated with the responses to their questions, the priests and Levites cut to the point and just ask John, “Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” In other words, “Give us something. We can’t go back without anything. Just tell us who you are and why you are doing what you are doing out here by the Jordan.” John’s response is pretty straight forward. The priests and Levites had asked him if he was the figure promised in Malachi and Deuteronomy, and John answers them with the words of the prophet Isaiah, “I am the voice of the one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’.” John makes very clear that he isn’t really anybody in-and-of himself. Instead, he is simply someone who is here to point others to the one who is coming.
Well, it seems like the priests and Levites are satisfied with this answer because they don’t press him any more on his identity. However, they quickly turn their attention from his identity to his work. “Then why are you baptizing, if you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” You see, baptism wasn’t unheard of during this time. In fact, it was something that was done by Gentiles (i.e. non-Jews) as a cleansing ritual. But John wasn’t just calling Gentiles to be baptized; he was calling everyone to be baptized and confess their sins. He was even calling the Jews to be baptized, something that they would have considered to be a laughable notion seeing as they were children of Abraham and part of national Israel. But John’s answer isn’t what they want to hear. They are wanting him to tell him a specific person who has given him the authority to baptize others. John answered their inquisition saying, “I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know, even he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.”
Think about these priests and Levites and what they must have been thinking at this point. First, they tried to find out who this person was. They ultimately find out that this man in the wilderness eating locusts and honey isn’t anyone of great importance and doesn’t really claim to be. Then, they want to know who gave him permission to do the work that he is doing, and he gives them this answer; he tells them that this great person, who they don’t know, has given him such authority. I mean, the delegation knew all of the major religious figures in the area, but John tells him that this one who is greater than any other is someone who none of them knows. They have to be thinking that this guy is crazy.
Now, the reference that John gives to this strap of a sandal is a very deliberate one that is aim directly at the Jews. You see, a rabbi (or teacher) would have had disciples just as Jesus had his disciples. These were students who would have traveled with, studied under, and learned from the rabbi. Their job was to learn from the rabbi while taking care of every need that he might have. In one sense, they were very similar to slaves. One of the main differences between a slave or bondservant and a disciple is that the disciple was never asked to take care of the rabbi’s shoes. John the Baptist’s words here are the equivalent of him saying, “I’m not worthy. I’m not even a disciple. I’m lower than a disciple. I am here merely to serve this One who is coming and to prepare his way.” The account in John’s gospel tells us right from the very beginning that this isn’t about John, the priests and Levites, or anyone else. This gospel is about Jesus and Jesus alone.
You see, John is just a voice. He’s not someone of great importance. You can’t see a voice; you can only hear it. His presence isn’t a great coming in-and-of itself as it would be if he was the Messiah, Elijah, or the Prophet. He is someone who is preparing the way. No one usually pays much attention to the one who is merely preparing the way for a king to come, but that’s exactly what is happened here with John the Baptist. And he is making every effort that he can to take the focus off of himself and place it where it belongs; squarely upon the shoulders of Jesus Christ the true Messiah. And such a mindset should be the desire of all Christians. We should want the focus to be upon Christ and not upon ourselves. No matter how hard we have worked, no matter what we have sacrificed, no matter what; it isn’t about us. I never has been and it never should be. It’s not about our likes, dislikes, wants, needs, interests, work, or ambitions; it’s about our Savior. Even when it comes to dealing with others, we have to place their need for the Savior above all else.
When I was in high school I was afforded the tremendous opportunity of doing some pretty amazing things and taking some amazing trips through my church. We were a smaller church, but we happened to have a couple of us who were around the same age who were all able to afford to do some amazing things. One of the most meaningful trips that we ever took was a mission trip to Jamaica. We spent 2 weeks building houses and teaching Vacation Bible School to families in a local village. Now, I don’t remember exactly which part of Jamaica we were in, but I do remember seeing a sign that said Negril, Mandeville, and Montego Bay to the right; we turned left. What is funny about this particular trip is what stands out to me the most vividly today. I remember working in the hot sun for nearly 8 hours a day for 10 of our 12 days spent working, but there is nothing that sticks out more clearly than anything else. I can remember our talks at night consisting of general meetings, group Bible studies, and even a foot-washing event one night. I can remember being surrounded by a heard of ankle-biters wanting to get their hands on any and everything that I had during my day of teaching VBS. However, the most impactful day of them all was one spent inside.
Each group was to spend one day of their 12 at a local infirmary. Now, an infirmary wasn’t really a hospital, but a place that people went to die; many of them dying a long and painful death. Y’all know me; I tend to find myself in some of the oddest situations without even trying. Well, me and another guy managed to find our way into a room with a man with no legs; Mr. Ben-Bo. Mr. Ben-Bo had lost his legs while working in construction and getting bitten by a poisonous snake in both of his shins. There was no antidote, so they were forced to chop his legs off at his knees. It was a pretty interesting experience. I even had to hold this man up underneath his arm with he used the restroom. Consequently, my close were a little worse for wear that day if you follow me.
But that’s not what sticks out to me the most about my day spent with Mr. Ben-Bo. No, what stands out to me about Mr. Ben-Bo was his outlook on life. You see, Mr. Ben-Bo had recently become a Christian prior to his being bitten by the snake and consequently losing his legs and his ability to walk. Instead of being angry about his physical debility and personal setback, Mr. Ben-Bo viewed it as an opportunity. He viewed his personal problem as a gift from God. You see, he knew full well what the purpose of that infirmary was. He knew that the people there were all facing death, and facing it fairly soon. He viewed his condition as a way of God placing him in this place. He considered it his mission from God to witness to those around him. Many of these people in this infirmary weren’t Christians, but he was given a chance to share the Gospel with them before they died. After all, it wasn’t like they could leave and go somewhere else. He had a captive audience, literally.
What a blessing. What an outlook on life. How much better would this world be if we could look at our problems and our situations and take ourselves out of the equation and focus only upon Christ? I can tell you that this infirmary was one of the most depressing places that I have ever been, even more so that any nursing home or hospice facility that I have ever been in, but here was a man excited to be there. John the Baptist, Mr. Ben-Bo; both of these men are putting their own lives and their own situations aside and pointing to the One True God and Our Savior Jesus Christ. Who are you? Are you someone who stands from and center firmly in the spotlight? Or are you someone who stands pointing; pointing to Jesus Christ? Friends, regardless of who we are and what we are doing or have done, we should always be pointing others to Jesus Christ. Glory be to God; in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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