John 1:35-39 The Humble Servant and Knowing Our Lord

What it must have felt like for John the Baptist to have two of his own comanions/disciples to leave him without any warning?  All it took for them to leave is for John to say, “Behold, the Lamb of God!”  John displayed a great deal of humility here in the fact that he says nothing to his disciples for leaving him to follow Christ.  Why?  Because John knows that is his purpose, to draw others to Christ.  He was called to be the forerunner, the one who prepares the way for Christ.  He knew he is suppose to bear witness of Christ that all may believe in Him, Jesus Christ (vs.6-7). 

The disciples here just heard John say to them that this is the this is “the Lamb of God”!  They immediately respond and leave John to follow Christ.  Notice also how they jst followed Him without any questions or comments.  The just followed with intrigue and anticipation.  Nothing seems to be said by them, at least not until Christ speaks to them.  All that Christ asks is “What do you seek?”  This is such a short and simple question, yet it was the perfect question.  If you were to be asked that question, how would you respond to the Messiah, the Son of God?

Hopefully our response would be, “to know you more Lord!”  That is not quite the way these two responded, but it is a step in the right direction.  They asked Him, ”Where are you staying?”  To get to know someone you start with the basics:  Where do you live?  What do you do?  What do you like? etc.  The Scriptures say that people only come to the Son if the Father draws them, and by no means do any who come to Him does He cast out (John 6:44, 37).  We know that Jesus’ response was according to the will of the Father who sent Him, “Come an see.”  Jesus did not send them away because He was aware that it was the Father’s working in them that drew them to Him. 

Application:  Are we being bold enough in our walk to point people to the Lamb of God?  Then are we humble enough to let people go and let them follow Christ?  As believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, it is our responsibility to share Christ (evangelize), bring them in to fellowship with the local body of believers (bond), disciple/train/teach to do the same (equip), and let them go into all the world to make disciples (send).  We need to remember that we are not making disciples to follow us, but disciples who are following Christ, and Christ alone!!

John 1:29-34 Trust God Words And Obey What You Know

God does not always reveal every little detail of His purpose and will.  That is if even reveals anything at all.  Here we see that God had chosen to reveal a part of His will in the revealing of the Messiah.  In verse 33 we God had spoken these words to John the Baptist, “Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.”  God did not tell John specifically who the Messiah was, but gave him signs to look for in which would indeed reveal who the Messiah was.  John knew that the Christ would revealed while he was fulfilling his own calling.  He did not know who to look for or when the Messiah would be manifested, but He did know how God would reveal the Christ to him.  John did what he was supposed by responding to God’s Word, no matter how much or how little God revealed, and obeyed what he knew God had revealed to him.

Application:  We to, like John, just need to obey and trust in what God has revealed.  He may reveal a lot to us or little to nothing.  But in His Word He has revealed some truths that we need to obey.  It will be no different with us than how God was with His prophets.  We will be held accountable for how we respond to what has been revealed.  There are reasons that God does not reveal everything to us and one of those reasons is God wants that personal relationship with us.  He wants us to come to Him in prayer and ask for those things we need.  Even wisdom and discernment and understanding.  If we want to know something just ask.  In James 1:5, James shares this, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him”.

God has a plan that is perfect and will not be derailed.  We just have to be willing to trust in Him and His Word and obey what He has commanded us to do.  Are you willing to just trust and obey?

John 1:19-28 Role Player

John the Baptist  knew he was a “role player” in God game plan.  He knew his role and purpose and accepted what God had planned for to be be and do.  He accepted it and did it whole heartedly “as unto the Lord”.  John knew that he was the one to prepare the way for the Messiah.  He was to make know to all that the Messiah was to come after him.  Though John was the forerunner for Christ he knew that the One who was to come after him was so much greater and more highly exalted that he, John, was not worthy to ever loosen the sandal straps on Jesus’ feet.  It reminds me of the ground around the burning bush in which Moses had to remove his sandals because the place he stood was holy ground.

Application:  We as Christians in this fallen world need also to know and understand our calling and purpose as a believer.  As a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ we are called to certain things to do.  We are supposed to love one another and to be bold witnesses for the gospel of Christ.  We are His ambassadors to this world.  As such we need to ensure that our lives are reflective of our position in Christ and of the character of God.

We also have a personal calling from that is in addition to the general calling that came with the gift of salvation.  Whatever that calling is we need to be diligent in seeking it out and doing it whole heartedly as unto the Lord.  We need to know our roles.  We are the role players and there is only one superstar on this team and that is Christ.

John 1:15-18 Grace Through Christ

John the Baptist shows his humility in the fact that he exalts Christ as the one who is “preferred” before himself.   Also we see that it is through Christ that grace has come into the world.  The law of the Old Testament was given through God’s servant Moses.  The purpose of the law was to show that we were sinners.  It showed that we were unable to live a life pleasing to God without His work within us.  However, God’s perfect plan was not finished there.  God in His infinite mercy demonstarted His love for His creation by send His Son Christ to this earth to bring grace and truth.  The grace and truth was brought to declare and reveal the Father as no one has seen the Father.  The Son, the only begotten of the Father, declares the Father and brings forth grace and truth by doing the will of the Father and not His own.

John 1:14 The Word of God Becomes Flesh

The Word of God, Jesus Christ, became flesh and dwelt (lived) among His creation.  Jesus Christ was shown in His glory during His transfiguration in which John, the beloved disciple and author of this gospel, along with Peter and James all got to witness.  However, that is not the glory that all got to see.  The glory that was shown to all was Christ fulfilling the will of the Father.  We to are able to display the glory of God by us doing His will.  What is His will?  Obedience to what we know He has commanded us.  Submit to the authorities over you.  Pray and talk with God on a regular basis.  Pray for those authorities over you.  Pray for one another.  But the second most important commandment was to love your neighbor as yourself.  The first, is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your strength, all your soul, and all your might!

John 1:12-13 Privilege: Becoming A Child Of God

To those whom receive His and accept Him are granted the exceptional blessing of becoming part of the family of God s His dear child.  Not only is this a blessing and privilege, but as a believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, it is our right that God has given and that NO ONE can take way (John 10:28-30, Romans 8:38-39).

This comes not because of something that we have done, but because of what God has done (Eph. 2:8-10)  This new relationship we have is because of the work God did in us, causing us to be born again.  We are spiritually dead at our birth into this world, but through the power and demonstration of the Spirit of God we are born again.  This time it is our spirit that is given life because of the Light that has been given to us.  This process of being reborn is similar to the way in which Christ was conceived and born into this world.  It was by the working of the Holy Spirit of God in the young virgin woman, Mary.  Praise God for His working in Mary to bring the Christ Child into this world, to save us dirty rotten scum of the earth sinners!  Praise God that that same Sprirt has worked and born in me a new man, a new creature!!

John 1:10-11 Christ Rejected By His Creation

The beloved disciple, John, once again points out the fact that Christ was active in the creation of the world and everything that is in it.  I see an emphasis on the need to understand that Christ and God are one and that Christ is responsible for the creation of everything that was created.  He continues by adding the fact that Christ, the Son of God, was sent into the world in which He created for Himself, and yet He was not known for who He was, the Son of God, their Messiah.  He was only looked up on as a carpenter from Nazareth.  “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”

Even among His own chosen people He was not known, understood, nor was He accepted.  The rejected Him to the point that they wanted to see Him dead.  Not only did they want to see Him dead, but they wanted to see Him die in a most horrible way, by crucifixion.  This was reserved for the worst of the criminals, and this is how the Jews, His own people, wanted to see Him die.  This would be like going to a family reunion only to be despised by everyone there because of what you believed and being beaten and even killed.  We have brothers and sisters all around the world facing that same kind of rejection, all for His name’s sake.  Because of their love for Him, and because of His love for them they are willing to pay the sacrifice.

Philippians 1:21 “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”

John 1:6-9 John the Baptist: Witness To The Light

John the Baptist was a man sent by God to bear witness to the Light that has come into the world.  The Light of the world being Jesus Christ, the Son of God.  John was sent that all may know Christ, but as oyu read the rest of the Gospels you will see that he to was rejected just as all the prophets of the Old Testament were rejected.  Those who bear witness of Christ often face rejection.   It is something that the Savior Himself said would happen.  Christ had come to bring every man light (or life).  As seen in verses 4-5 we see that those who have the Light, Christ Jesus, has life.  But not all will be able to receive Him.

John 1:4-5 Jesus: The Light of the World

Jesus is light and Jesus is life.  He is the light of the world.  He shows how we ought to live before God.  When we walk in the light we have life eternal.  John 17:3 says “…and this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true GOD, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”  To walk in the Light is to walk in Christ or to abide in Christ.  From John 15 we see that abiding in Him has to do with us obeying and keeping His commandments.  When we are abiding in Him we know Him and have a personal relationship with Him.  It is this type of knowing, that is to have a personal and intimate relationship with Him, that we have eternal life.

Do you know Him personally as your Lord and Savior?  Do you have the  intimate relationship where He is the center of your life and your other relationships?  Do you KNOW Him?

John 1:1-3 The Eternal Word of God

The Word of God is eternal.  It was with God in the beginning.  It is God.  We see an illustration of how God can exist in multiple persons, “the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”  Here at the beginning of John Chapter 1 we see two of the three person’s of God.  We see God the Father and God the Word.  We know from other Scriptures that the Word is Christ (See John 1:14; Compare v.3 with Col. 1:16-17)

By the Word all things were made.  Genesis 1 we see that all things were created after “God said…”.  It was the working of God’s Word (Christ) that created all things.  The reading of Genesis 1 we see that the Word of God was very active in the beginning.  God was not silent in creation, but His voice, His Word was the driving force in creating all things that were created.  This Word being Christ Himself.  So we can now see how Christ Himself was active in the creation of heaven, of the world and all that is there in.