Please remain standing in honor of God's word. We're continuing on through the gospel according to John. And this morning we'll look at John chapter 1 verses 6 through 8. John 1 beginning at verse 6. This is God's inspired and errant authoritative word. There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness to bear witness about the light. that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light. This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. Heavenly Father, when our Lord walked on the face of this earth, the people who walked in darkness saw a great light. Those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them had light shone. This morning we ask that Jesus, the light of the world, would shine in us so that we may experience salvation and walk in the light as he is in the light. And it's in his name that we pray. Amen. You may be seated. the last book of the Old Testament Malachi and the first book of the New Testament Matthew we have what is commonly known as the 400 silent years They're called the silent years because God had not spoken through a prophet. It's not that God wasn't working Of course, he was working all during that time, but there had not been a prophet the silence of was broken finally with the coming of John the Baptist though, who is the last of the Old Testament prophets. In verse 6 we read, there was a man sent from God whose name was John. John the Apostle isn't specific but he is referring to John the Baptist and notice specifically he is sent from God just like Moses was sent from God and Isaiah was sent from God and Jeremiah and all the other Old Testament prophets he was specifically sent from God and he came preaching Matthew 3 verses 1 & 2 makes that clear in those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." So Matthew presents John the Baptist as a preacher. John, however, emphasizes his calling as one who would give witness. It's significant that John doesn't say, there was a man sent from God whose name was John, he came preaching in the wilderness. John doesn't say that. What does John say? John says, who came as a witness to bear witness about the light. Now doesn't that seem a little redundant? He came as a witness to bear witness about to light. If John was working with an editor, I imagine an editor may have said, and we have some editors here, John, you don't need to use the word witness twice in the same sentence. I think we can smooth this out for you a little bit. And John might have replied, you know what, you're right. I don't need to use the word witness twice in the single in a single sentence. Rather, I need to use the word three times in two sentences. John's editor, if you will, was that of the Holy Spirit. And it is not an accident that three times in two sentences, we are told to make it really clear, John came as a witness, to bear witness. Now this word witness is important. It is a legal term that points to testimony rendered in a court of law. Now let's follow the flow of John's thought from the beginning of this gospel to where we are now. In case you weren't here last week, we looked at the first five verses and we had some audacious claims about Jesus. He is the Logos. He is the final word of God through whom God makes himself known. Also, he was with God from the very beginning before creation even started. And not only that, but he was God himself. He was the agent of creation. All things that were made were made through him. And in him was life. And he also is the light of the world that shines in the darkness. Now these are some incredible claims that I imagine some people would have trouble believing. So now what John is going to do is present his first witness to these truths. And the first witness is that of John the Baptist. And John is witnessing for a very specific purpose so that all would believe through him. That's what he is after. Belief in Jesus Christ. Now, if you're taking notes, I have a clear outline. Three points. Number one, John was not the light. Number two, but he bore witness to the light. Number three, that all might believe through him." John was not the light, but he bore witness to the light that all might believe through him. Now, C.H. Dodd has pointed out that after John's prologue, which is the first 18 verses, the rest of the chapter is summarized in these three points. Verses 19 through 28 talk about John not being the light. And then 29 to 34, we see him bearing witness to the light. And then in 35 to the end of the chapter, we see people coming to faith in Jesus Christ because of the testimony of others. So in case you're wondering where we're going with the first chapter, that's a little bit of an outline. So let's begin with the first point. John was not the light, verse eight. He himself was not the light but came to bear witness about the light. Now does it seem a little odd to you? A little strange that the Apostle John would have to say, now I want you to know right up front, John the Baptist was not the light. Don't confuse the two. Does that seem a little odd? I've been here for over 26 years now. And not one time ever have I ever had to clarify, no, I am not the light. I am not the Messiah. Jesus is the light. Jesus is the Messiah. I've never had to make that clarification. But John has had to make that clarification. Drop down to verse 19 of chapter one. And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, who are you? He confessed and did not deny, but confessed, I am not the Christ. He made it very clear he was not the Christ. People were confusing him with the Christ. Now why might they do that? couple of possibilities. Number one, he was massively popular and also he had a very powerful and effective ministry. This is what we read about his ministry in Matthew 3 verses 5 and 6. 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. Now I'm sure most of you know that there were huge crowds that followed Jesus. I think tens of thousands of people following Jesus. What you may not realize is that John the Baptist likewise had massive crowds following him. I don't think it's an exaggeration when we're told that all Judea and all the region about the Jordan were going out to John. And then we read in Mark 11, 28 and following, this account. It takes place after the cleansing of the temple. But this also will help us to have a clear understanding of how high of a regard the people held John. The religious leader said to Jesus, after he cleansed the temple, by what authority are you doing these things? Or who gave you this authority to do them? Jesus said to them, I will ask you one question, answer me. And I will tell you by what authority I do these things. Was the baptism of John from heaven or from man? Answer me. And they discussed it with one another saying, if we say from heaven, he will say, why then did you not believe him? But shall we say from man, They were afraid of the people, for they all held that John really was a prophet. So they answered Jesus, we do not know. And Jesus said to them, neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things. They were afraid to say from heaven, then Jesus would say, then why didn't you reply? But if they say from man, they are going to rise up in rebellion against them because all the people held that John the Baptist was a prophet. There was no doubt in their minds that he was from God. So the religious leaders couldn't answer this question. We also know, not only from the scriptures, but this is fascinating, I think, we even know from secular history that John was immensely popular among the people. Some of you are familiar with the Jewish historian, Flavius Josephus. He lived in the first century. He died about 100 AD. He describes in his Jewish antiquities the fall of Jerusalem, which took place in AD 70 and he talks about the destruction of the army of the Jewish leader Herod Antipas Now this is the reason given by Josephus for that destruction now some of the Jews are thought that the destruction of Herod's army came from God as a just punishment of what Herod had done against John, who was called the Baptist. In case you don't know, he had him beheaded. Josephus goes on to say, for Herod had killed this good man who had commanded the Jews to exercise virtue, righteousness towards one another, and piety towards God. Now many people came in crowds to him, for they were greatly moved by his words. Herod, who feared that the great influence John had over the masses might put them into his power and enable him to raise up a rebellion, for they seemed ready to do anything he should advise. thought it best to put him to death. In this way he might prevent any mischief John might cause and not bring himself into difficulties by sparing a man who might make him repent of it when it would be too late. Now the Jews thought that the destruction of his army was sent as a punishment upon Herod and a mark of God's displeasure with him. I think that's fascinating. John was held in such high regard among the people that when Jerusalem was destroyed, they thought Herod is being paid back from God because of how he treated John. Now, the truth is they were being judged for their rejection of Jesus Christ, the Messiah, but it is fascinating that they thought he was being judged because of what he did to John. because he was held in such high regard. So John had to make it very clear, I am not the light, which brings us to our second point, but he did bear witness to the light. Verse eight again, he was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light. One example of this is seen in verse 29, John one, the next day, He saw Jesus coming toward him and said, behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. I don't know exactly how it happened, but this is how I picture it in my mind's eye. John is going about his business, doing whatever he's doing, and then he sees Jesus. And I think maybe he said it like this, look! That's what behold means, okay? English look the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world and he is bearing testimony to who Jesus is and then if you drop down to verse 35 the next day again John was standing with two of his disciples and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said behold the Lamb of God He says it again to the disciples who are there, this is the Lamb of God. That statement by John is loaded with meaning. He is implying that the entire Old Testament sacrificial system was only a type and shadow of the reality which will be found in the death of Christ. And specifically, by referring to Jesus as the Lamb of God, he is referring to the Passover Lamb. I'm sure most of you are familiar with Passover. When the Israelites were slaves in Egypt, God brought upon them ten plagues. And the last plague was the death of all the firstborn in every household, including the animals. But God had told the Israelites, a death destroyer is coming and he's going to kill all the firstborn. But if you slaughter a lamb and take its blood and put it on both sides of the doorpost of your house and on the top, when the destroyer comes through the land, it will see the blood and it will pass over that house and you will be saved. You will not be judged. Their only hope of deliverance, their only hope of salvation was the blood of the lamb. And now, what does John the Baptist say? Look! This is the Lamb of God who will take away all the sin of the world. If you want to avoid the judgment and destruction of God, you must turn from your sin, put your faith in Him, and you will be saved by His blood. This is one reason why we love the hymn. nothing but the blood of Jesus first stanza says what can wash away my sin nothing but the blood of Jesus what can make me whole again nothing but the blood of Jesus stanza three nothing can for sin atone nothing but the blood of Jesus. Not of good that I have done. Nothing but the blood of Jesus. It's not our good deeds. It's not our church attendance. It's not putting money in the offering basket. It's not charitable work. It's nothing but the blood of Jesus Christ. Have you put your faith in the blood of Christ? John the Baptist is bearing testimony. Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. He continues on, John 1 30. This is he of whom I said, after me comes a man who ranks before me because he was before me. We know from Luke's gospel that John the Baptist was six months older than Jesus. Jesus' mother Mary and Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist, were relatives and were told very specifically John was older. But here he says, but he actually existed before me. Another hint at his eternal existence. And of course, he ranks above me. And in reality, he ranks above everybody because of who he is. And then John continues on, verse 31. I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came, baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel. And John bore witness. I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. He's referring to the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River. Jesus came to John to be baptized. He was baptized. And when he was baptized, the spirit rested upon John like a dove. And a voice came from heaven to Father, this is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased. And then John goes on to say in verse 32, 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 borne witness that this is the Son of God. So John is bearing witness. This man right here, is the very son of God and that's what it means to bear witness to point people to Jesus to tell them who he is and and what he has done for sinners such as you and me Paul Little has an excellent little book called how to give away your faith and in that book he mentions that godly living is pre evangelism Godly living is pre-evangelism. Sometimes we say that our life is a testimony to what God has done in our lives. And that's okay. And in that sense, our lives can be testimony but technically speaking I think Paul Little is right it really is just pre evangelism it's just preparing the way for evangelism because true evangelism true bearing witness a person must talk about Jesus you must mention the very person of Jesus you must talk about the fact that he is the Son of God the second member of the Trinity that he came from heaven to earth, took upon himself flesh and blood, lived a perfect life that we've never lived, died on a cross, taking upon himself our punishments, so that if we would believe in him, we could be forgiven to have everlasting life. We need to talk about his resurrection on the third day and how that was God's ultimate vindication of his sacrifice on our behalf. Now, I know when you talk to people, you often can't get all that in, okay? I'm aware of that. Sometimes as soon as you talk about Jesus, people are like, oh, look at the time, my, my, my oh my, you gotta be going. I remember in college, my first roommate and I, we would love walking the streets of Chicago and we would talk to people and sometimes just as we were getting to the place where we were trying to encourage them to put their faith in Jesus, something would happen, almost without, something would happen to distract them. I mean, it happens all the time. It's a battle. You just bring up the name Jesus and count on the fact that there is going to be some kind of battle. But nevertheless, to truly bear witness, we must bear witness about delight. who in this case is Jesus Christ. And that's what John the Baptist did. He made it very clear, I'm not the light, but he bore witness to the light. And our third point, that all might believe through him. Verse seven, he came as a witness to bear witness about the light that all might believe through him. That's what John is after. He wants people to believe in Jesus. And again, in case you haven't been with us, we started this series by looking at John's purpose statement, which was found in John 20, verses 30 and 31, where he says, now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not recorded in this book, but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, That by believing you may have life in his name Believing comes simply through faith in Jesus Faith alone nothing else is needed. I Salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone. And that's what John is after. He's pointing to who Jesus is. He's telling you what he has done. He's telling you that he's the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. He's telling you he's the son of God so that you will believe in him. And then by believing, you will have life. because that's the only place where eternal life is found in Jesus Christ in him alone. If you have your Bibles open, turn ahead just a little bit to John 5. John 5, this is what we read in verse 31. This is Jesus speaking. If I alone bear witness about myself, my testimony is not true. Now, don't misunderstand that. Jesus isn't saying, if I alone bear witness about myself, I'm telling you a lie. That's not what it means. What it means is, if I alone bear witness, and there's no other witness, my testimony is insufficient. He's drawing our attention to an Old Testament principle that really is very important for law. there must be at least two or three witnesses to verify a fact. For example, in Deuteronomy 19 verse 15 we read, a single witness shall not suffice against a person for any crime or for any wrong in connection with any offense that he has committed. Only On the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses shall a charge be established. There has to be at least two or three witnesses. If you have a he said versus a he said and that's all you have, if you have no other witnesses, no other evidence, you let the person go. It's the Old Testament law. The bad news is, of course, that sometimes guilty people will get off the hook. That's the bad news. The good news is that guilty people, or excuse me, innocent people, will not be condemned for something they didn't do. There has to be at least two or three witnesses in the court of law. And that same principle applies positively to who Jesus is. And even Jesus says, if I alone testify, that's not enough. So he goes on and he says in verse 32, there is another who bears witness about me, and I know that the testimony Testimony he bears about me is true. You sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth. Not that the testimony that I receive is from man, but I say these things so that you may be saved." He's letting you know about the testimony so that you will believe, so that you will be saved. He was a burning and shining lamp, and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light. But the testimony that I have is greater than that of John. For the works that the Father has given me to accomplish, the very works that I am doing, bear witness about me that the Father has sent me." The works, the signs, the miracles also bear witness, verse 37. And the Father who sent me has himself borne witness about me. his voice you have never heard, his form you have never seen. And you do not have his word abiding in you, for you do not believe the one whom he has sent. You search the scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life, and it is they that bear witness about me. Yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life. In this short passage right here, Jesus says, I bear witness about myself. John the Baptist has borne witness about me. The works, the miracles, the signs that I do, they bear witness about me. The Father in heaven bears witness about me. The scriptures also bear witness about me. And then sadly, he says in verse 40, Yet you refuse to come to me." Isn't that sad? You refuse to come to me that you may have life. In light of all these abundant witnesses who testify one after another, Jesus is the Christ. He's the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. He is the Son of God. And then dropping down to John 5, 45, do not think that I will accuse you to the Father. There is one who accuses you, Moses, on whom you have set your hope. For if you believe Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. And accused here is another legal term. He's basically saying on the day of judgment, You know who's going to accuse you? Moses. And he says that because they were putting their trust in Moses. And he says, Moses wrote about me, and on the day of judgment, Moses is going to say to you, I wrote about Jesus. I told you that he was the Lamb of God who took away the sin of the world, yet you rejected him. And Moses is going to accuse them before the Father, and they will know that they are guilty of unbelief. They will know that in light of all the testimony, they're guilty because they rejected it, refused to come to Christ. Now what's fascinating about John is that he gave the ultimate testimony by dying for what he believed in. Now before he did that, some of you may not remember this, but John wavered. In Matthew 11 verses 2 and 6 through 6, we read this. Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, are you the one who is to come or shall we look for another? Isn't that fascinating? John's in prison at this point. And as I said earlier, he pointed to Jesus and said, behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. And now he's saying, are you the Christ? Or should we expect another? He's having doubts. He's in prison. The Christ isn't bringing about the salvation that he thought he would bring. And here's the mercy of Jesus. And Jesus answered them, go and tell John what you hear and see. The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk. Lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me." That is so merciful on the part of our Lord. Go back, tell John about all these miracles that you see, and how the good news is preached to the poor, so that John will have evidence that, yes, I am the Christ, he was not mistaken. And we're not told specifically, but I don't think it's a reach to say, and they did go back to John, and they reported this to John, just as Jesus said, and it bolstered his confidence, and he was able to stand firm to the end, and as we read earlier, he was beheaded by Herod. It cost him his life to be a prophet for God. Now, there's something very interesting about this word witness. In the Greek, the word witness is martyria, martyria. And you may be able to recognize that we get the English word martyr from this Greek word. What is a martyr? A martyr who will testify to what they believe in, even though it will cost them their life. And that was John. He bore witness to Jesus, he stood for the truth, and it ended up costing him his life, and he became the ultimate witness, a martyr. We could say the same of the 12 apostles, with the exception of the Apostle John. We're told by church history that all the other 11 apostles testified to who Jesus was and his resurrection, and it cost them their lives. Why would they be willing to do that? Because they did believe Jesus when he said, I am the resurrection and the life. And they were willing to bear witness even unto death. What a powerful testimony. This is what Chuck Colson says about the testimony of the Apostle. Some of you might be familiar with him. He was part of President Richard Nixon's administration. And for his role in Watergate, he went to prison. But before he went to prison, God miraculously saved him. And he talks about his conversion in his excellent book, Born Again. But this is what Chuck Colson says. I know the resurrection is a fact, and Watergate proved it to me. It's kind of interesting, how? Because 12 men testified that they had seen Jesus raised from the dead, then they proclaimed that truth for 40 years, never once denying it. Everyone was beaten, tortured, stoned, and put in prison. They would not have endured that if it weren't true. Watergate embroiled 12 of the most powerful men in the world, and they couldn't keep alive for three weeks. You're telling me 12 apostles could keep alive for 40 years? Absolutely impossible. Chuck Colston is saying, the witness from those who saw the resurrection of Christ must be true. Look at the evidence. They were willing to lay down their lives for their proclamation that Jesus was the Son of God and that God raised Him on the third day. God, in His mercy and grace, has provided us with abundant testimony to whom Jesus is. And He has done this so that we would believe, and believing in Him, we would have life. Now let me close with just a couple of words of application. First of all, for unbelievers, can I ask you in all sincerity, if you're here this morning and you haven't put your faith in Christ, what is holding you back from putting your faith in Christ? There is abundant evidence, eyewitnesses of the life, the death, the resurrection of Christ. And again, they were willing to lay down their lives for this truth. The scriptures bear witness. And when you read the scriptures, the Holy Spirit Himself will speak to you through God's word and tell you what you are reading is true. I would exhort you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God by putting your faith in Him. Read through the Gospel of John, and as I said a couple weeks ago, and sincerely pray that if Jesus really is the Christ, the Son of God, God would show that to you as you read the Gospel. And a word of application to you Christians, and I hope this is a great encouragement to you. God uses ordinary people to bring people to faith in Christ. God uses ordinary people. If you're sitting there this morning and you're thinking, I'm not really much, I'm just average Joe, Jane, you're perfect. That's who God uses, ordinary people. This is what we read in Luke three, beginning at verse one. In the 15th year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip, tetrarch of the region of Iteria and Tricontius, and Lysistias, tetrarch of Albelene. During the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John, the son of Zechariah in the wilderness. These two verses read like a virtual who's who's, a political and religious elites. And yet, to whom does the word of God come? John the Baptist, who's out in the wilderness. Isn't that awesome? You have all these powerful and influential political and religious leaders, yet where is the action really taking place? Out in the wilderness. That guy, John, you watch him because God is going to use him to change world history. John. Now he was something special if you read about his birth and his ministry. But again, he's just an ordinary person. It's one of the reasons why I drew attention to his wavering, so that you could understand. Even John the Baptist wavered, but God used him, and God would use you. God would use me. God would use the children in here. God uses ordinary people. Be encouraged. And I'll close with this challenge right here. James Montgomery Boyd said this, and I thought this was pretty good. He said, sometimes we don't think evangelism is exciting, but maybe it's because we stop short. He said, encourage people, after you've talked about Jesus, encourage people to put their faith in Christ. Ask them, are you ready to put your faith in Christ? Is there any reason why you can't put your faith in Christ? What's holding you back? Do you still have questions? See if you can't get to the place, and again, I know there's all kinds of distractions, but see if you can't get to the place where you could, in a very direct and sincere way, say, is there any reason why right now you couldn't turn away from your sin and put your faith in Jesus so that you could experience eternal life? And if we could do that, maybe we would find that bearing witness to Jesus really is exciting and enthralling. Let's close in prayer. Father, how thankful we are that you do use us ordinary people. Sometimes we look at these leaders in the Bible, like John the Baptist and 12 apostles, and we think that they were super saints. And we sometimes forget they were just ordinary men. Many of the apostles, they were just fishermen. but our Lord called them to himself and used them in a great way. Father, we offer ourselves to you this morning. Will you use us? Use us to make a difference for your kingdom, your glory. Use us to testify about Jesus. And Father, I wanna pray, if there's any here this morning who haven't put their faith in Christ, I pray that this day could be the day of salvation, that they would turn to Christ and experience eternal life. And it's in His name that we pray, amen.