Sermon, Who I Am Not – Part Two: Do You Know Who Jesus Is?
Scripture: John 1: 19-27
19 Now this was John’s testimony when the Jewish leaders[c] in Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. 20 He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, “I am not the Messiah.” 21 They asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” He answered, “No.” 22 Finally they said, “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” 23 John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, “I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’”[d] 24 Now the Pharisees who had been sent 25 questioned him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” 26 “I baptize with[e] water,” John replied, “but among you stands one you do not know. 27 He is the one who comes after me, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.”
Do you know who Jesus is?
Jesus is the Son of God, the Messiah, the sacrificed Lamb that was led to slaughter, the High Priest, the Prince of Peace, the Light of the World, God’s Only Begotten Son, and the I Am.
John the Baptist was preordained in his mother’s womb when the angels told his mother how he was to be raised.
God has a plan for each of us, like He had for John, but to know your mission, you must know and accept God. The Book of John shows Jesus as fully human and fully God. Although Jesus took full humanity onto Himself, He never ceased to be the eternal God who has always existed. He is the Creator and Sustainer of all things, and the source of eternal life. This is who John the Baptist tells the world that Jesus is.
Jesus is the one true light.
We, like John the Baptist, are not the source of God’s light; we merely reflect God’s light. Jesus Christ is the one true light. He guides us to the Father. We must never think we can be the one who brings the light; we are only reflectors of Christ’s light.
When we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we become part of God’s family and are spiritually alive with God’s grace. This is God’s gift to all of us.
Don’t be like the Pharisees that went to John the Baptist asking who was he. They had the Old Testament. They had the Torah plus the prophets to tell them who he was. These same books told them about Jesus Christ. These same priests outwardly obeyed God’s law to look pious while their hearts were filled with pride and greed. These religious leaders believed their oral traditions were just as important as God’s Word.
The Pharisees asked John who gave him authority to baptize. They really were asking why was he baptizing God’s chosen people like Gentiles? When John replied that he was baptizing with water, he was merely helping the people perform a symbolic act of repentance. But one was coming who would truly forgive sins. He is the Messiah, Jesus Christ, God’s only Begotten Son. He is the only one with the power to forgive.
John the Baptist said he was not worthy to be Jesus Christ’s slave or to take off His shoes. John emphasized why he came; to prepare the way for the Messiah. The Messiah, the Son of God, is the only one who has the power to forgive you of your sins.
Read the Entire Chapter of the Scripture Referenced:
Return Next Week to Read Part Three of the Sermon, Who I Am Not