All glory to God the Father and our Savior Jesus Christ
Please turn to the book of John and we will explore verses 7 and 8.
Before we start, let us review what we have learned so far in this book of John. We know that John was among the 12, with his brother James, chosen as Disciples of Jesus Christ. These two were chosen while in their father’s boat, and this disciple was known simply as the one whom Jesus loved. He wrote this book while a very old man and also wrote John 1, John 2 and John 3 along with the book of Revelation.
The first 5 verses are;
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 He was in the beginning with God.
3 All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.
4 In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men.
5 The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
So, we know this speaks of Christ, of our Savior being eternal and being the agent of creation. He is the Light of men, and that Light overcomes darkness, the darkness of men’s souls before they are drawn to the Light.
Last week we discovered the other John in the Bible. John the Baptist, whose birth was foretold in a prophecy by Isaiah 600 years before his coming.
John, son of Zacharias and Elizabeth was destined, by the hand of God, to be the herald of the coming of the Messiah, and apart from Christ himself, is probably the most theologically significant figure in the Gospels. And you may ask, why is that? Jesus said of him in Luke 7:28, “I tell you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John.”
His birth was meticulously recorded ( Luke 1:5-25 ). His entrance into the world was marked by angelic proclamation and divine intervention ( Luke 1:57-80 ). John’s birth not only parallels that of Jesus, but echoes the momentous occasion of the birth of Isaac to Abraham and Sarah ( Gen 17:15-22 ; 21:1-7 ).
Although his formative years were lived in obscurity in the desert, this is found in Luke 1:80, And the child continued to grow and to become strong in spirit, and he lived in the deserts until the day of his public appearance to Israel.
His public ministry ended nearly four hundred years of prophetic silence. John was that voice crying in the wilderness preparing the way for the coming Messiah, referred to in
Isaiah 40:3, A voice is calling, “Clear the way for the Lord in the wilderness;
Make smooth in the desert a highway for our God.
In this sense his message and ministry marked the culmination of the law and the prophets, but heralded the coming of the kingdom of God. So John was truly a transitional figure, forming the link between the Old and New Testaments.
Today’s discussion, verses 7 and 8 reads as follows.
John 1:7-8
7 He came as a witness, to testify about the Light, so that all might believe through him.
8 He was not the Light, but he came to testify about the Light.
So this man was foretold by Isaiah hundreds of years before his birth. He came as a witness of the coming of the Lamb of God. John was an end-times prophet. The original end time prophet. An image comes to mind of a scruffy man in a beard standing near a busy highway, shaking a cardboard sign at cars, with the words Repent Now For The End Is Nigh. John the Baptist is who they are emulating. He conducted his ministry with divine authority that demanded immediate action. He taught that judgment is at hand. The axe is laid to the roots and God will thoroughly purge his threshing floor
Matt 3:10-12
10 The axe is already laid at the root of the trees; therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
11 “As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
12 His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clear His threshing floor; and He will gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
Luke 3:9
9 Indeed the axe is already laid at the root of the trees; so every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”
Luke 3:17
17 His winnowing fork is in His hand to thoroughly clear His threshing floor, and to gather the wheat into His barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
And the true repentance was evidenced in very practical terms: share with those in need, eliminate graft, and prohibit extortion.
Luke 3:11-14
11 And he would answer and say to them, “The man who has two tunics is to share with him who has none; and he who has food is to do likewise.”
12 And some tax collectors also came to be baptized, and they said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?”
13 And he said to them, “Collect no more than what you have been ordered to.”
14 Some soldiers were questioning him, saying, “And what about us, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Do not take money from anyone by force, or accuse anyone falsely, and be content with your wages.”
But today’s verses deal with witnessing of the Light, not clearing the threshing room floor or burning the chaff, although that is much needed in today’s society as it was back then.
The terms “witness” or “to testify” receive special attention in the gospel, reflecting the courtroom language of the Old Testament where the truth of a matter was to be established on the basis of multiple witnesses
Here are a few examples of witness in the scripture.
The Samaritan woman: John 4:29 Come, see a man who told me all the things that I have done; this is not the Christ, is it?”
She witnessed to the headmen of her village as to this amazing man she just met.
The works of Jesus: John 10:25 Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe; the works that I do in My Father’s name, these testify of Me.
Jesus is witnessing to his people, the Jews, who incredibly, do not believe him.
The Father: John 5:32-37 There is another who testifies of Me, and I know that the testimony which He gives about Me is true.
Witness of John:
John 5:33-35 You have sent to John, and he has testified to the truth.
34 But the testimony which I receive is not from man, but I say these things so that you may be saved.
35 He was the lamp that was burning and was shining and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light.
Witness of Works:
John 5:36 But the testimony which I have is greater than the testimony of John; for the works which the Father has given Me to accomplish—the very works that I do—testify about Me, that the Father has sent Me.
Witness again of the Father:
John 5:37 And the Father who sent Me, He has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time nor seen His form.
We now see what it means to witness, according to God’s word. How do we bring that lesson back here to July 1st 2020? How do you witness or testify to somebody? Your family, your friends, people you meet. Maybe on a street corner with a cardboard sign?
I am doing that right now, to you, as to the truth and inerrancy of the Bible. It is a frightening concept to step out of your comfort zone. John was able to do it in a forthright manner, because the Holy Spirit was within him while in the womb. True believers also have the Holy Spirit within them. My question to you is do you feel the Holy Spirit within you? If you are a believer, one drawn to the Light, you have that same capability of testifying that John did. Ours is not a timid God. Use the gifts that God has given you.
John knew that he was not the Light ( John 1:8 ) but he was sent to bear witness of that Light, and you too can and should bear witness of that Light. That Light that has changed your life. Being a believer should show. Not in a splashy prosperity preacher style, but in gentleness of spirit, in hospitality, in a kind word and most importantly obedience to His word. Those are the works of the spirit.
There is so much fear in this world, but what is fear to a child of the God who created all? And that God loves you and has your back. How do we know this? Because He sent his only begotten Son to die on the cross and be raised again on the third day that we may live. Go forth and be witnesses of the Light.
Now while you are mentally chewing on that, I will give you another thing to chew on. I ran across Pastor John Piper’s quote on the Covid virus and really liked it. “This is not a season for sentimental views of God. It is a bitter season. And God ordained it. God governs it. He will end it. No part of it is outside his sway. Life and death are in his hand.”
You see, there is simply no room for “I have Faith, but..”.
“Grace and peace be yours in abundance, through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.” 2 Pet. 1:2