Sermon Central
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The Forerunner To The Messiah Series
Contributed by T.j. Conwell on May 16, 2016 (message contributor)
Summary: John gives us three important lessons from his testimony: 1. We are not the focus of the witness; 2. We are not the light of the world; and, 3. We proclaim (for others) our own belief in Jesus. Before we can ever grow, we must realize these first!
The Forerunner to the Messiah
Introduction
- The gospel of John screams of the faith that we should have in Christ
-- It is the clearest example of living life FOR the one who redeemed you and I
- If we can learn to love like Jesus’, we can bring others to Him
-- Re: We won’t bring a friend to something we do not like
-- We must learn to love Christ which John demonstrates to all of us
- In the last two messages we’ve seen two specific things about Jesus:
• That He is Life and Light (defined who He is)
• What His purpose was (to bring us hope from a place where hope is eternal)
- Today, we will see what His incarnation means to us
-- And we will discuss the forerunner to His coming (spoiler: John the Baptist)
- Read John 1:14-28
- Pray
∆ Point 1 – The Word became flesh
- What John tells us is the most important item we must understand (v14)
-- He uses his favorite phrasing again to describe God and His authority
-- Writes, “…the Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us”
- God, literally the creator of the universe, became one of the created
-- He who was the word, became one of us (IMP) to be an example for us
- He demonstrated the glory of the Father that He represents
-- Their testimony gives weight to their message; it’s first person knowledge
- Seeing His glory allowed them to understand how their life must change
-- Being in His presence allowed them to go and testify to those after them
- IMP: Again, if you miss this concept the rest of the book falls flat for us
-- Re: Only the one who created this Earth could EVER redeem it
-- God, who created us in His image, became one of us, in order to redeem us
- He came with both grace and truth so that we might be without excuse
-- Without excuse to say “we didn’t know” or “we weren’t told”
-- APP: If you are hearing this today, you can never say that again
-- Jesus’ purpose to reveal who He served is on full display for us
- John blends two marvelous words for us to take note of
-- Jesus came to represent grace AND truth so that we might know God
-- Not only to redeem, but to show us there is so much than religious acts
-- There is a God who desires to have a relationship with you and me
-- It is because of this that we worship and celebrate … or we SHOULD
- TRANS: Even though Jesus became flesh, He still always was first
∆ Point 2 – Jesus is still first
- The incarnation of Jesus is always a matter of discussion for scholars
-- The real question is: When was Jesus really born? Was it Dec 25, 0 AD?
- Answer: It occurred specifically at a point in God’s plan when it should
-- Galatians 4:4-5, “But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship.”
-- IMP: We’ve got to stop missing the main thing by arguing about outlying stuff
-- It is true that Jesus followed John the Baptist, but Jesus was always first (v15)
-- Jesus always was and therefore is always placed first in John’s life (life lesson)
- And now, John’s theology is laid out for us to understand (v16)
-- We have received grace on top of grace
- Consider:
• First grace: God saved Noah and didn’t wipe us totally out
• Second grace: God gave us a Law that we could follow through Moses
• Third grace: Prophets like Isaiah, Jonah, and Micah given to warn us
• Fourth grace: JTB and his testimony to the same world Jesus would see
• Grace upon Grace: Jesus willingly going to the cross for you and I
- But even with this grace, (v18) “no one has seen God but the one and only Son”
-- Many might argue this concept and quote this as a Biblical inaccuracy
-- They will gladly try to use Moses example from Exodus 33:12-23 (Read)
- Let’s be clear, what Moses saw was a temporary form of God’s appearance
-- He did not see God as Jesus saw God, else He would not have survived
-- God’s glory is beyond comparison … WHO could stand before Him and live?
-- Who among us would be able to see God and live? (To think so is arrogance)
- John’s clarification is clear … NO ONE has seen God but the Son
