Be Bold

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.” And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.” 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?” 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.” (Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.) They asked him, “Then why are you baptizing, if you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” John answered them, “I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know, even he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.” These things took place in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing. The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’ 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. 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 have borne witness that this is the Son of God.”

Let us notice the scene.

The Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask John, “Who are you?”

I don’t get the idea from the text that this was a question posed in order to satisfy a curiosity…this was a question of,

“Who do you think you are to do what you are doing?”

The situation was hostile.

John was humble in his response.

Yet, he was bold in his response.

“‘I’ am not the Christ!”

I believe that was his emphasis— that he was not the Christ.

Yet, he came to bear witness to the Christ.

How do we respond when someone questions us about our faith? silence? annoyance? pride?

Or, do we even speak up to where someone might ask us who we think we are to tell about Jesus?

The Jews had identified from prophecy some personalities who would come in the Messianic age.

Malachi 4:5

Malachi 4:5 ESV

“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes.

Deut 18:15-

Deuteronomy 18:15–18 ESV

“The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen— just as you desired of the Lord your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly, when you said, ‘Let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God or see this great fire any more, lest I die.’ And the Lord said to me, ‘They are right in what they have spoken. I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him.

Isaiah 40:3 ESV

A voice cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

John was the God’s word spoken, not God’s word incarnate. College Press commentary

John was asked who he was. He answered their question with what his message was. He was a voice. The message was salvation.

He was the spiritual Elijah.

Matthew 11:14 ESV

and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come.

They questioned who he was again.

This time, they wanted know what authority he had to baptize if he were not the Christ, Elijah or the Prophet.

John’s answer, “I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know.”

He will come along after me.

He is so much greater than me, I am not worthy to untie his shoes.

John was given some exclusive information about Jesus.

Yet, though he was related to Jesus, he did not know Jesus.

However, he boldly proclaimed what he did know.

He served the purpose God had given him, even though he still had some questions.

John 1:31

Once John saw the Spirit descend on Jesus, he knew who the Messiah was.

John 1:31 ESV

I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.”

Acts 4:13 ESV

Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.

AcOnce John saw the Spirit descend on Jesus, he knew who the Messiah was.

Once John saw the Spirit descend on Jesus, he knew who the Messiah was.

He knew that Jesus was more than simply the one sent by God, He was God.

How often do we proclaim Jesus in our conversations?

HOwe

Would persecution or hostile attitudes make us more or less likely to confess him publically?

Christianity is becoming the object of scorn by many in our country.

The church is beginning to be attacked.

We must put the focus on Jesus…on who he is.

Conclusion:

We need to be bold.

We need to be humble.

We need to tell what we know.

We need to continue to learn more…then tell that!

John was in a hostile environment..yet he was bold.

The more we are attacked, the more we should talk about Jesus.

Said another way, the darker the world is around us, the more we should shine the light of Christ.

Will we boldly proclaim, “this is the Son of God!?”

Be Bold

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