MOTIVATE

Mysterious drone sightings are occurring in multiple cities: NJ, NYC, and even AACO.[1] Officials say the FBI & Homeland Security are investigating the origin and intent of these drones, along with local law enforcement. The unmanned aircraft are required to register with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to not interfere with airplane safety and traffic patterns. In all, it’s unknown if the drone invasion is an external threat to public safety or national security, or merely the foolish activity of a few.

Likewise, when Jesus entered our world, there were similar responses

• Some wanted to eradicate his presence.
• Most were oblivious thinking it was irrelevant to their life.
• And a few were curious to ask questions to discern and learn the meaning.

Today we continue our Advent series in John’s Gospel to listen to the eyewitness reports and learn about the background of Jesus’ entrance to our world.

EXAMINE       Born Sinless (John 1:6-34)

⁶ There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. ⁷ He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. ⁸ He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light. … ¹⁵ John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’”

We know the Christmas season is about the birth of Christ. John’s Gospel does not have a specific birth narrative, other than indicating to us that Jesus is before the world’s beginning; the only person who existed before His birth!
Jesus is the logos – supreme reality.

And John’s Gospel further describes Jesus with the testimony of another individual: John The Baptizer.

• Not to be confused with John the Gospel writer and disciple.
  
  
• Who is John?
  • Son of Elizabeth (& Zechariah) so, a cousin of Jesus.  Lk 1:36 Mother was barren which made him a gift from God. Lk 1:7 Wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. Mk 1:6 He lived in desert woods. Lk1:80 He addressed crowds as “You Brood of Vipers” Lk 3:7
  • He called people to repent and be baptized. Lk 3:1-19
    • This made Pharisees (conservatives) angry bc they thought they were the standard for morality. 
    • This made Rome/Herod (liberals) angry bc they promoted tolerance of deities and acceptance of all behaviors & lifestyles. Ultimately, they would kill John Baptizer (Mt 14:1-12).

¹⁹ And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?”

The religious leaders are perplexed at John. They don’t understand a man who can’t be controlled by power, manipulated by money, or swayed by politics. So, they ask “Who are you?”

And that’s a question everyone is asking…

And what we learn about personal identity from John is that we cannot discover ourselves until we determine who is Jesus. Carl Trueman says, “The question of identity in the modern world is a question of dignity.”[2] Humanity is searching for dignity, value, and purpose. But John’s dignity wasn’t based upon how others define dignity.

²⁰ He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.” ²¹ And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.” ²² So they said to him, “Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”

Your identity is not defined by labels (1:19-23)

John’s preaching was so impactful that many confused him for being “Christ.” Intertestamental times and 1^st century was rampant with those who claimed to be a mighty messiah and dominant deliverer. And Israel was desperate for any of them to be true. But no one who claimed messiahship had the integrity or miraculous power that Jesus would have, including John – who never proclaimed to be Christ.

If John wasn’t the Christ, others questioned if he was “Elijah.” John certainly dressed like him (2Ki 1:8; Ze 13:4). And when Elijah left town, he never returned so it’s possible the miracle prophet was sent back as promised by God (Mal 4:5).  While John dismissed comparisons with Elijah, Jesus expressed John was an Elijah type (Mt 11:14; 17:12; Mk 9:13; Lk 1:17).

Still more questioned if he was “the Prophet.” The Lord promised a prophet like Moses who would arrive to deliver God’s people and speak the words of God (Dt. 18:15–18). Yet, John would not be identified by any of these labels. His goal was not to draw attention to himself but toward God.

Labels are easy to assign to others but often lead to unhelpful stereotypes. Though John looked like the above labels they were not accurate because they were based on false assumptions.

Likewise, you may be labeled by false assumptions. These can be things like:

• Age:
  Too young to make a difference.
  1 Timothy 4:12 “let no one look down on you because you are young, but set an example for believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.”

Too old to matter.

Proverbs 20:29 “The glory of young men is their strength, and the splendor of old men is gray hair.”

• Race or Gender

Jn 4 w/ Samaritan Woman
Jn 20 w/ Mary’s resurrection testimony

• Dress style

John in camel’s hair and leather belt, not soft clothing (Mt 11:8);
    character & conviction > clothing

• People/Relationships/Friends

Matt 11:19 “they say.. look at [Jesus, he’s] a friend of sinners”

Mark 2:17 “I came not to call the righteous but sinners.”

• Others like education, background, personality… the list is endless. None of these things solely define your identity. Who you are goes much deeper than external labels.

> Define yourself not by labels but by your Lord. Lordship will label your life.

Lordship will label your life.

²⁴ (Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.) ²⁵ They asked him, “Then why are you baptizing, if you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” ²⁶ John answered them, “I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know,

Your identity is not defined by performance (1:24-26)
John was known as the baptizer. He preached and baptized. And the Pharisees were not pleased with his performance.

• You don’t have the credentials: you lack the right education, you don’t have the right network, you didn’t get approval; you don’t have the authority or job title to do what you’re doing!

In other words, the Pharisees were finding ways to label and limit John based on their criteria, but his humility superseded their criticism. Essentially, John agreed with them saying his baptism was insignificant compared to when Jesus will baptize – he baptized with water, but Jesus will baptize with the Holy Spirit.

> Remember to serve God for His glory and not your own.
    – hear feedback / receive help / recruit helpers

²³ He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said…. ²⁷ even he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.” ²⁸ These things took place in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing. ²⁹ The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! ³⁰ This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’ ³¹ I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.” ³² And John bore witness: “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. ³³ 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.’ ³⁴ And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.”

Your identity is defined by worship (1:23, 27-34)

John understood that his identity and dignity starts with humility before God. His ability and authority was not his own, but was provided to him from above. So, John was merely the voice with Jesus as the Word/message.

John voices 3 identities to Jesus:

1. Master. John says of himself regarding Jesus that ²⁷ the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie. In early society, feet were especially unclean with dirt roads and low hygiene. Lowly people would not remove their shoes, but masters did with servants expected to wash feet.^[3] But John regarded himself as lower than a servant compared to Jesus, his master.
   
   Illus: When we go to theatre to watch a movie/play. If you arrive early there are commercials to watch on screen or perhaps a curtain is closed with someone making announcements. But when it’s showtime, the commercials end and the host/hostess opens the curtain for the main show. LIKEWISE: Christians are merely commercials or curtain operators for Jesus, deserving of primary attention.
   
   > Is your life a commercial to develop curiosity or detract interest about Jesus?
   > Jesus says, “Why do you call me ‘Lord’ but do not obey my commands?” (Lk 6:46)
   
2. Savior. John describes Jesus as the sacrificial ²⁹ Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! In OT, the Israelites were beginning as a nation but were enslaved to Egypt. God was leading Israel away from slavery, but Egypt was an evil slave-master. So, God sent plagues upon Egypt to reveal to the Pharaoh Yahweh was the more powerful God and to follow His ways. But the Pharaoh wouldn’t swallow his pride, so Egypt received plague after plague upon the idols of their land. The last plague was death upon the firstborn. Yet, God provided escape for Israel to paint the doorposts of their house with the lamb’s blood. The death angel would “Passover” the house with the blood applied. Further, OT religious system practiced this same sacrifice year after year to atone for the sins of the people.

Jesus’ life and death is the substitute, not just for lambs & animals, but for people. Death does not need to haunt us bc sin can be forgiven, our past redeemed, if we apply Christ’s life and death to our own. (Gal 2:20)

This is the meaning of Christmas; why Jesus came! Mt 1:21 “Mary will bear a son, and shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

And Jesus isn’t just the lamb of God who takes away the sins of YOU, but the WORLD – including those you disagree, who drive you mad, and who are entirely different than you.  

3. Spirit-filled. John described Jesus as the one whom the ³² Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. Once again, John’s writing portrays the Trinity at work in the life and ministry of Jesus. Supremely, the role of the Spirit is vital and dynamically personal. Even Jesus promised His disciples that it was to their benefit that He return to heaven so that Holy Spirit could dwell in each of them (John 16:7). The Spirit-filled presence in us is better than the idea of Jesus beside us.[4]

It is by the power of the Holy Spirit that we can be assured of salvation (Jn 14:15-21; Rom 8:15), pray (Jn 15:7), understand Scripture (Jn 16:13), and serve others (Jn 15:16, 1Cor 12).

Bono “Religion is what happens when the Spirit has left the building.”[5]

> Don’t let faith turn into mere religion w/o meaningful relationship with God. That’s the point of the Spirit.

We walk in the Spirit (“feel God”) by
1) Saturate life in spiritual disciplines, 2) Surrender and repent.

“Religion is what happens when the Spirit has left the building.” – Bono

APPLY/TAKEAWAY  

Identity theft affects 1 in 4 people each year. Identity theft occurs when someone uses your name, SSN, bank acct, or credit card w/o your permission to assume finances or debt in your name. Thieves may open an account, make purchases, and charges until you discover and report the crime.

Victims can not only lose funds but ruin credit, they can lose out on loans or job opportunities, or endure months of aggravation.  The avg out of pocket expense for individual is $1,500.

Losing your identity is a matter of security. If your identity is protected then you are safe from outside harm; if your identity is unprotected then you are in constant danger. Same is true spiritually speaking…

Is your identity wrapped in the infinite or finite?

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[1] And social media has sightings all over the world with all sorts of conspiracy from UFO to military grade devices to detect & destroy nuclear attacks from adversaries; or perhaps simply those salespersons tracking us down about our car’s extended warranty.

[2] Carl R. Trueman, The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2020), 69.

^[3] D. A. Carson, The Gospel according to John, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Leicester, England; Grand Rapids, MI: Inter-Varsity Press; W.B. Eerdmans, 1991), 146.

[4] J.D. Greear, statement from Jesus Continued: Why The Spirit In You Is Better Than Jesus Beside You.

[5] http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2001/februaryweb-only/43.0b.html