Baker, Tom: John The Baptist-John 1-Richmo

I'm very thankful for the privilege of being here in West Richmond and for the exercise of God's people to come, and so we can open God's word together. I'd like to read in John chapter one, please, John's gospel in chapter one. This is our first time for us to be here, and uh, got to know your city a bit in the last few days we've been here, and you have a very beautiful city, and it's been a privilege and a joy for us to get to know not only the city, but more than that, to know God's people who live in the city, and very warm and kind to us. John's gospel in chapter one, reading verse six. There was a man sent from God whose name was John. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the light, that all men through him might believe. He was not that light, but was sent to bear witness of that light. God will bless the reading of his word that we've read together this evening. We find here a survey, or an outline, you may say, of the life of John the Baptist, and these words we have read together. We'll divide them up in three sections, and these three sections correlate with what we have at the latter end of this chapter, which gives in greater detail the description of his life. First of all, we find in verse eight, he was not that light, and that would relate to what we have in verses nineteen down through verse twenty nine. And then we find again in verse eight, but was sent to bear witness of that light. And this has to do with verses twenty nine down through verse thirty four. But then we go back in verse seven in the last or latter part of that verse, that all men through him might believe. And this is in relation to what we have in verse thirty five to the end of the chapter. As we look at the life of John the Baptist, we find him sharply in contrast with that of the person of our Lord Jesus Christ. In verse six, there was a man. In verse one, we find of the Lord Jesus, it says that in the beginning was the Word. To the same word in English, different, I understand, in the Greek language. The meaning behind the word was in verse one has to do with one who is pre-existent, one who is incarnate, and that word incarnate just simply means one who existed before taking on humanity, and the only one that could bear that title was the Lord Jesus Christ himself. In the beginning was the Word, pre-existent, the eternal Son of God. But here we find in verse six, uh there was a man, or we could say there a man began, a man who had his beginning just like you and I did. And as we come across the life of John the Baptist, we find an individual who was plagued with the same things we're plagued with, who was discouraged, who knew what it was to suffer hunger and thirst, disappointments, depression, all the rest of it. He, that was his lot. He was just an ordinary man. But not so ordinary. Because he was a man sent from God. Now, you can never see about a man who is sent from God that he's just an ordinary, another man. He was a man who knew what it was to spend time in the presence of God. He was a man much like you and I, with all the conflicts and the difficulties, but he occupied a position that maybe few occupy, and yet every child of God can occupy it, in the sense that we're applying it today. He was a man who was sent from God, and being that he was sent from God, he was a man who was able to meet and accept the challenges that were awaiting him just around the corner. You notice it did not say that he was sent by God. What a wonderful thing it would be to be sent by God to do something for God, wouldn't it? And yet that seems to to fail in its meaning. It doesn't seem to be that we don't find that that's what happened here with John the Baptist. He was a man who was right in the very presence of God. He lived there. That was his breath, that was his food, that was his life, God in his presence. And when the time we came for him to go to do something for God, he was sent not by God, but he was sent from God. I believe there's a difference. And possibly, maybe it touch a finger, it would touch a finger in every one of our lives today. How much do we know of what it means to spend time in the presence of God. Could that be the reason why we're so ill prepared for the challenges? Could that possibly be the reason why we're so cumbered with problems, depression, lack of joy. Not maybe having the joy of winning souls like once we did. Is it because in our life and in the style in which we live it, so little time spent with God that we might be sent from him to do his work his way. John the Baptist was just a man, ah, but a unique man. As we find John the Baptist being sent from God, he was ready for the challenges of life. We read in verse eight, he was not that light. Oh, why do we go to verse eight? I believe in verse nineteen down through, as I've already said, down through verse twenty eight up to verse twenty nine, we have a description of John the Baptist as he is in a temptation, and we're going to see that a man sent from God is a man who is well able to cope with temptation. And this temptation came, first of all, tempting him with pride. We don't have to point our finger too far away from our own hearts to know what that is. And then tempting him with intimidation. John the Baptist won a victory over temptation, and John the Bapta- Baptist won a victory over intimidation. He was not that light, but listen, the deputation that went out from Jerusalem that day came to John the Baptist, and they said in verse nineteen, who art thou? Suggesting very strongly that they thought that John the Baptist would claim to be the Christ. And his response was this. And he confessed and denied not, but confessed, I am not the Christ. And they said, or they asked him, what then art thou Elijah? Let's stay with the first part of the text. Who art thou? The temptation toward pride. You remember Mark tells us, as he opens his gospel, he tells us that John the Baptist is in the Jordan, and all of Judea and Jerusalem have gone out as he repeats, preaches the, the subject or the, the theme of repentance of sin, being baptized, and all Judea and Jordan, or Jerusalem, had fallen. And John looked on that vast multitude that gathered around him that day. These men, sent by the religious re- rulers of the day, messengers of Satan, came to John to tempt him. Where was John's Lord at that time? We know not for sure. But some think that maybe John's gospel is given to us in chronological order of the life of the Lord Jesus Christ. And some think, care to say that possibly the Lord was in his last day, the temptation in the wilderness. And John was being tried by Satan himself to see if he would succumb to the temptation of pride. Who art thou, John? All he had to do is give the slightest nod of the head. All he had to do to give the slightest indication, and the people probably would have lifted him up on his, on their shoulders, and they would have claimed him to be the Messiah. But John didn't, did he? Listen to the emphasis that the Spirit of God places upon John's confession. He confessed, he denied not, but he confessed, showing us in a threefold way what John was going through and how strong the temptation would have been, and yet a man sent from God was fit for the challenge. He confessed, he denied not, he confessed. A threefold, bold-faced testimony for the Lord Jesus Christ as one who was his disciple, a disciple. And I see this taking place at the commencement of our Lord's ministry, a man standing tall, confessing his Lord. But I see at the close of the Lord's ministry, probably a bigger man in statue, a man who had greater privileges as far as, as far as being with the Lord Jesus Christ was concerned than even John the Baptist. Peter. We know the story well. Three times over, Peter denies his fall. He says, I know not the man. And if I see this in the public ministry of my Lord, I see a parallel in the church. You look at the church in its beginnings, you go to the book of Acts, you read the epistles, and you even see Paul there as he's in prison, and he's talking about the believers that are waxing strong with confidence as they look upon his bonds, and he says, look at, this is not my imprisonment, it's not be carrying the gospel, and it's only sending it forth in greater measures than ever before. And over and over again, we see the church confessing their denying not, but their confessing. And vast numbers were being saved and won for the Lord. But that's what happened at the commencement of the church age, and that's what happened at the commencement of my Lord's public ministry. I've come to the close of my Lord's public ministry, and I come to the close of the church age, and I wonder, could there be a parallel between Peter and me? Could there be a parallel between the church and what Peter did? As we near the end of this, this, this confession. And instead of confessing and denying not but confessing, there's a measure of denial in our speech, in our lifestyle, in our teaching, in our love and devotion for our Lord. That was the first temptation, and you'll notice as John the Baptist responds to it. Who art thou? He confessed to me, die not. He says, I am not the Christ. And then he says in verse twenty one, I am not. And then the last word in verse twenty one, no. You see what's happening? You see the scale going down? The fulfillment of he must increase, I must decrease. John wasn't there to propagate himself. John wasn't there to speak about himself. John wanted Christ. He is all in all. You see him as he moves completely out of the scene, as it were. But then the second temptation of intimidation and the victory over it. They come, they came to him, and they said, who art thou? In other words, the same question, but Emma's displaced in different, in a different place. First of all, it was, is it me, John? And John denied not, he confessed that he was not. He was not that night. Then they came, as it were, and they put him under the thumb of intimidation. They said, then who are you? And, uh, it's wonderful how John responded to that temptation. You know, sometimes that's the one that hits us the hardest, isn't it? When we have an opportunity maybe to speak a word in the gospel, we're intimidated. We're afraid what they may say, what they may do, how they will respond. Listen to what was, I'd like to give you a little bit of the picture, I believe, that was behind the statement. John was an intruder as far as these men were concerned. John was not schooled in the school of the rabbis. Ga- John had no predominant place in the temple. John was a total outsider, and as far as they were concerned, John was a nuisance. Because the whole of Judea and Jerusalem was empty. The temple s- seats were empty. Th- there was nothing going on. It was dead. John had everything going on with him out there in Jordan, and they were worried about it. They were concerned about it, and they were going to come to see if they could bring him down through pride. If that didn't work, then they were going to put him under the thumb of intimidation. That didn't work either. But John has a lovely response for these people. Who, what sayest thou thyself? He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness. John, go out now. We've already been introduced to the one who's the word, haven't we? Now we're introduced to the one who says, I'm just a voice. The Lord Jesus Christ, if I may use this terminology, is to the Godhead what words are to the thought- to thoughts. Thoughts are invisible. The only way you can know and understand thoughts are through words, the articulation of words. And the Lord Jesus Christ be the divine articulation of heaven. He is the Word, and he has come, and he has been clothed in human flesh. And so if the Lord Jesus Christ is the Word, then John says, he's the Word, I'm just the voice. The voice is silent, or the voice is unseen, I should say. The voice is nothing to be admired. The voice is just an, a media, an instrument used to articulate the word. The word is what has the meaning. The word is what is full of power. The word is what conveys the message. The voice is just a media. John says, voice. Well, that word I understand, it means, it's or is derived from the word we get, telephone. A telephone comes from this word. And when you receive a a a phone call, you're not there admiring this instrument that you have in your hand. You're listening to the words that are being transmitted over the instrument. And John says, I'm just like a telephone. I'm nothing. The words of the word is everything. That's encouragement, is it not, to the Sunday school teacher, the gospel preacher, the open air worker, the person that goes from door to door, whatever aspect you are serving God. You're just a voice. He's the Word, and as the Word, he's the one who communicates the message, and he is the one that people need to know about and need to listen to. So John gives us the attitude in view of reaching sent souls for God. No pride. We preach not ourself. Woe betide the preacher that all is filled unto himself. Nor are we filled with intimidation and fear, but with courage and confidence, knowing that our God is with us, and the gospel we preach is the power of God unto salvation. I believe I'm just going to leave these last two points more or less to your own meditation. I'll just mention them. In verse eight, he was sent to bear witness of that light. You'll notice in verses twenty nine down to verse thirty four how often we have the words said, record, bear record, say over and over again, sent to bear witness. In other words, he was given public testimony of who the Lord Jesus Christ was, bearing witness of the one who is the light. And in bearing witness, there is the idea is of giving a public testimony in a court of law, speaking forth for God. In other words, I think God is telling us he's not really interested in a bunch of silent disciples. He's interested in people who are willing to tell others what the Lord has done for them. The bearing record, our witness. Next thing, and lastly, I'm going to leave with you, that all man through him might believe. This was John's ambition in life. You notice as you begin at verse thirty five and down to the end, five are reached for the Lord, that all men through him, and you can take that whatever way you want, but all men through him might believe, one after another, as they heard the message of the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. Five of them reached his faith, five alone, transformed, became disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ. That was John's ambition, gold and light. So it should be for you and me. Little thoughts, we trust, may be of some help and blessing on the length and subject of John the Baptist. We'll leave them there, and now we will like for the last, uh, part of this meeting.