Jesus is the Focus of Our Hearts

WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.560 --> 00:00:11.869 And here God's word. Then from John Chapter One. I understand the pastor 2 00:00:12.070 --> 00:00:17.550 this morning that preached preached from the same text, John Chapter One, versus 3 00:00:17.629 --> 00:00:21.780 one through eighteen. I'm going to go a little bit beyond verse eighteen. 4 00:00:21.899 --> 00:00:25.820 I'm going to go to verse twenty three, and then at the end of 5 00:00:25.899 --> 00:00:32.020 the service you get to vote on the best sermon from this passage. After 6 00:00:32.060 --> 00:00:40.329 I leave John Chapter One, beginning at verse one. In the beginning was 7 00:00:40.490 --> 00:00:43.890 the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God. 8 00:00:44.609 --> 00:00:49.009 He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him 9 00:00:49.049 --> 00:00:54.320 and without him was not anything made. That was made in him was life, 10 00:00:54.560 --> 00:00:58.840 and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the 11 00:00:58.880 --> 00:01:03.880 darkness and the darkness has not overcome it. There was a man sent from 12 00:01:03.920 --> 00:01:07.870 God whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness 13 00:01:07.989 --> 00:01:12.390 about the light that all might believe through him. He was not the light, 14 00:01:12.909 --> 00:01:18.549 but came to bear witness about the light, the true light which enlightens 15 00:01:18.579 --> 00:01:22.060 everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world and the 16 00:01:22.180 --> 00:01:25.819 world was made through him. Yet the world did not know him. He 17 00:01:25.939 --> 00:01:29.140 came to his own and his own peace. People did not receive him, 18 00:01:29.700 --> 00:01:32.930 but to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he 19 00:01:33.049 --> 00:01:37.409 gave the right to become children of God, who were born not of blood, 20 00:01:37.450 --> 00:01:38.849 nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, 21 00:01:40.090 --> 00:01:44.530 but of God. And the word became flesh and dwelt among us, 22 00:01:44.769 --> 00:01:48.480 and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only son from the 23 00:01:48.560 --> 00:01:53.319 father full of grace and truth. John bore witness about him and cried out. 24 00:01:53.400 --> 00:01:57.159 This was he of whom I said, he who comes after me ranks 25 00:01:57.280 --> 00:02:02.469 before me, because he was before me and from his fullness we have all 26 00:02:02.510 --> 00:02:08.870 received grace upon grace, for the law was given through Moses. Grace and 27 00:02:09.069 --> 00:02:15.389 truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God, the only 28 00:02:15.430 --> 00:02:17.699 God, who is at the father's side. He has made him known, 29 00:02:19.900 --> 00:02:23.780 and this is the testimony of John. When the Jews sent priests and Levites 30 00:02:23.939 --> 00:02:29.340 from Jerusalem to ask him, who are you, he confessed and did not 31 00:02:29.539 --> 00:02:34.930 deny, but confessed I am not the Christ, and they asked him what 32 00:02:35.129 --> 00:02:38.250 then, are you Elijah? He said, I am not. Are you 33 00:02:38.370 --> 00:02:44.090 the Prophet? And he answered no. So they said to him, who 34 00:02:44.289 --> 00:02:47.400 are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. 35 00:02:47.879 --> 00:02:52.639 What do you say about yourself? He said, I am the voice of 36 00:02:52.800 --> 00:02:57.039 one crying in the Wilderness. Make straight the way of the Lord, as 37 00:02:57.159 --> 00:03:04.150 the Prophet Isaiah said, the word of the Lord, you may be seated. 38 00:03:16.780 --> 00:03:22.620 Some time ago, I believe back in the S, there was a 39 00:03:23.979 --> 00:03:31.930 world series, baseball series going on between the Milwaukee Braves, which gives you 40 00:03:31.969 --> 00:03:36.849 a little bit of an idea of how old this story is. Back to 41 00:03:36.930 --> 00:03:43.039 the S, the Milwaukee Braves and the New York Yankees, and during the 42 00:03:43.159 --> 00:03:46.360 time that this took place, that this world series was going on, the 43 00:03:46.439 --> 00:03:52.319 The New York Yankees had a player on their teamed named Yogi Bearra and Yogie 44 00:03:52.360 --> 00:03:57.229 bear is a hall of Famer, but he is most famous for his constant 45 00:03:58.150 --> 00:04:01.629 chatter. He was just a he was a chatterbox, both on the field 46 00:04:01.669 --> 00:04:09.669 and off the field. He's famous for several sayings, but he he he 47 00:04:09.750 --> 00:04:13.259 would chatter the whole time and he played catcher, so he his job, 48 00:04:13.379 --> 00:04:16.620 he thought, was to encourage the players on his team but, more importantly, 49 00:04:16.740 --> 00:04:21.500 to distract the batters when they came up to bat. Now the other 50 00:04:21.660 --> 00:04:25.769 team that was play a the Milwaukee Braves, had a player on their team 51 00:04:25.810 --> 00:04:30.449 named Hank Aaron. Now, Hank Karon was for many years the home run 52 00:04:30.569 --> 00:04:36.410 leader for the for baseball in the United States, and so when Hank Aaron 53 00:04:36.529 --> 00:04:40.720 came up to bat, yogie bear I just kept up his chatter. He 54 00:04:40.759 --> 00:04:46.000 kept chattering to his fellow teammates, but then he started chattering at at Hank 55 00:04:46.079 --> 00:04:47.560 Aaron, trying to distract him and he said to him, Hey, hey, 56 00:04:47.680 --> 00:04:50.680 you're holding the bat wrong. You need to you need to rotate it 57 00:04:50.800 --> 00:04:55.629 so that you can read the trademark. Well, well, Hank Aaron, 58 00:04:55.709 --> 00:05:00.069 being the consummate batter that he was, didn't pay any attention to Yogi Bearra 59 00:05:00.310 --> 00:05:04.910 and just just waited, waited for the pitch and he got the the pitch 60 00:05:05.310 --> 00:05:13.100 about three pitches later that he sent out over the left field wall, trotted 61 00:05:13.220 --> 00:05:16.420 around the bases and as he came back to home he said he looked at 62 00:05:16.420 --> 00:05:19.860 yogie baron. He said to him, I didn't come up here to read. 63 00:05:19.899 --> 00:05:26.529 He showed him what he came up there to do. He came up 64 00:05:26.569 --> 00:05:30.050 there to hit the ball out of the park. Well, Yogie Barrett, 65 00:05:30.529 --> 00:05:40.480 the consummate distractor, Hank Aaron not distracted totally focused. Wouldn't it be wonderful 66 00:05:40.600 --> 00:05:46.079 if we had that kind of focus, particularly when it comes to Jesus? 67 00:05:47.000 --> 00:05:50.629 We started with that call to worship this evening. Let us fix our eyes 68 00:05:50.829 --> 00:05:57.670 on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith. Fixing our eyes on 69 00:05:57.829 --> 00:06:04.579 Jesus. So we just ask you, what did you what distractions did you 70 00:06:04.740 --> 00:06:12.459 come in with tonight? What distractions do you are you dealing with right now, 71 00:06:12.699 --> 00:06:15.100 as the sermon is being preached, as the service is going on, 72 00:06:15.300 --> 00:06:23.490 or what? What distractions are at are tugging at your heart right now? 73 00:06:28.370 --> 00:06:30.970 There may be a number of things going on in your lives. Even with 74 00:06:30.009 --> 00:06:35.759 a small group like this, we could we could have that prayer time and 75 00:06:36.000 --> 00:06:41.000 have a number of things that we would offer up to each other and to 76 00:06:41.160 --> 00:06:45.519 the Lord that we would want to pray for. There's a number of things 77 00:06:46.199 --> 00:06:49.110 that are are plaguing us. That's the nature of the world in which we 78 00:06:49.310 --> 00:06:57.589 live right the world in which we live this this life. Suffering is not 79 00:06:57.709 --> 00:07:05.500 an interruption. Suffering is life. And so when we come to thinking about 80 00:07:05.699 --> 00:07:11.819 the distractions of life and what keeps our focus off of Christ or takes our 81 00:07:11.980 --> 00:07:15.220 focus of Christ, it can be a number of things that are going on 82 00:07:15.420 --> 00:07:20.889 in our lives. Or perhaps well, or perhaps for some of us they 83 00:07:20.930 --> 00:07:29.930 are. They are distractions of our own making. Sometimes, sometimes the the 84 00:07:30.879 --> 00:07:35.920 trials that were walking through, the hardships that we're dealing with, are so, 85 00:07:36.079 --> 00:07:44.589 so heavy upon us, carry so much weight that we will do most 86 00:07:44.709 --> 00:07:50.870 anything to be free of them. So we create our own distractions. Some 87 00:07:51.069 --> 00:08:00.019 might call it escapism, escaping life for a time. And perhaps perhaps it's 88 00:08:00.579 --> 00:08:07.420 perhaps it's alcohol, or perhaps it's it's illicit drugs, or maybe it's their 89 00:08:07.500 --> 00:08:13.449 prescription drugs, but but taking more than what's prescribed, keeping old medication, 90 00:08:13.569 --> 00:08:20.129 using extra medication, seeking medication in order to medicate, in order to Numb, 91 00:08:20.329 --> 00:08:26.009 in order to keep from feeling the pain. We create those kinds of 92 00:08:26.160 --> 00:08:31.319 distractions, those kinds of ways of escape. It doesn't have to be something 93 00:08:31.399 --> 00:08:37.639 like that. It could be something as simple as binge television watching right so, 94 00:08:37.759 --> 00:08:41.870 what's your favorite show on Netflix right now? What do you bend watching 95 00:08:43.029 --> 00:08:48.909 on prime how do you how do you escape? How do you escape life? 96 00:08:50.070 --> 00:08:58.259 What do you what do you create as a distraction? What I what 97 00:08:58.419 --> 00:09:03.700 I'm hoping we will find as we look through this passage tonight. We're going 98 00:09:03.740 --> 00:09:07.620 to we're going to focus. I Know Dan Smith, Pastor Dan Smith, 99 00:09:07.740 --> 00:09:13.409 this morning focused more on on the light and the darkness and how Christ comes 100 00:09:13.490 --> 00:09:16.409 and he he he is the light of the world and he pushes back the 101 00:09:16.450 --> 00:09:24.919 darkness. But I want to focus a bit tonight on John the Baptist and 102 00:09:24.200 --> 00:09:30.399 his purpose and being sent and how John the Baptist came as one to prepare 103 00:09:30.440 --> 00:09:33.000 the way for the Lord, to get the distractions out of the way, 104 00:09:35.639 --> 00:09:39.710 to remove the obstacles, to prepare the way in the desert for the Lord, 105 00:09:39.870 --> 00:09:43.789 for the coming of the Lord. He came as one to prepare the 106 00:09:43.909 --> 00:09:48.470 way and how he did that was in his witness. He did that through 107 00:09:48.590 --> 00:09:56.940 his witness to Christ, keeping Christ as the the center point, the focus 108 00:09:58.299 --> 00:10:05.179 point. Then that happens most and best as we witness to Christ. Then 109 00:10:05.220 --> 00:10:13.370 there's a there's a couple of ways that we understand witness. So there's the 110 00:10:13.450 --> 00:10:20.250 actual witness seeing of an event. Right. So perhaps this last fall you 111 00:10:20.490 --> 00:10:31.120 witnessed Arizona football and shed a few tears that every game except for their one 112 00:10:31.240 --> 00:10:35.309 win. Or perhaps you've witnessed, you've gotten to witness some of Arizona Basketball 113 00:10:35.870 --> 00:10:39.830 and you've cheered at every single win that they've had. Eleven wins in a 114 00:10:39.870 --> 00:10:43.909 row, never done before by a first time coach in the PAC twelve. 115 00:10:46.309 --> 00:10:50.659 That's witnessing something right. Or you witness an accident, you see something take 116 00:10:50.700 --> 00:10:58.539 place. Now we we keep our eyes on Jesus as that kind of witness, 117 00:10:58.659 --> 00:11:05.970 as we as we witness what Jesus has done and and we don't. 118 00:11:05.250 --> 00:11:11.769 We do have the advantage of God's word and the spirit who who takes us 119 00:11:11.889 --> 00:11:18.049 back to what Christ did when he walked this earth, as he came as 120 00:11:18.169 --> 00:11:24.360 as and took on flesh. Write. The word became flesh and dwelt among 121 00:11:24.480 --> 00:11:26.960 us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only son 122 00:11:28.039 --> 00:11:31.399 who came from the father full of grace and truth. We can, we 123 00:11:31.519 --> 00:11:35.830 can witness to that, but we weren't eyewitnesses. We know of John's other 124 00:11:35.870 --> 00:11:41.269 let, his letter, his first letter to the church, where he gives 125 00:11:41.389 --> 00:11:45.350 that witness right from the beginning. He starts out as letter, that which 126 00:11:45.470 --> 00:11:48.419 was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with 127 00:11:48.500 --> 00:11:50.980 our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning 128 00:11:52.059 --> 00:11:54.580 the word of life, the life was made manifest, and we've seen it 129 00:11:54.899 --> 00:12:00.379 and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life which was with the 130 00:12:00.460 --> 00:12:05.090 father and was made manifest to us. That which we have seen and heard, 131 00:12:05.529 --> 00:12:07.730 we proclaim also to you, so that you two may have fellowship with 132 00:12:07.850 --> 00:12:13.529 us. So John, John was one of those witnesses. We weren't witnesses. 133 00:12:13.649 --> 00:12:18.320 None of us were there. And yet aren't we? Aren't we the 134 00:12:18.559 --> 00:12:24.519 those who bear witness, who have seen, who have actually witnessed the work 135 00:12:24.679 --> 00:12:31.950 of Christ in our own lives and the lives of people around us? If 136 00:12:33.029 --> 00:12:39.789 you, if you think back. So my testimony is not it's not what 137 00:12:41.149 --> 00:12:46.580 what some might call super exciting, the testimony of me coming to faith in 138 00:12:46.659 --> 00:12:54.139 Christ. I think it's I think it's really, really super exciting personally because 139 00:12:54.179 --> 00:13:00.129 it's my testimony and but it's kind of just you know, I grew up 140 00:13:00.129 --> 00:13:03.809 in the church and my parents, my dad, was a missionary to the 141 00:13:03.970 --> 00:13:09.690 Novajo Indians up on the novel reservation. I grew up hearing my dad preach 142 00:13:09.769 --> 00:13:13.559 all the time, time and and hearing him witness two people all the time. 143 00:13:13.679 --> 00:13:16.919 He He loved the Gospel, he loved the novel people. He'd pick 144 00:13:16.919 --> 00:13:20.039 up hitchhikers just so he had a captive audience and he could witness to them. 145 00:13:20.159 --> 00:13:24.240 You can share the Gospel with them. And that's the setting I grew 146 00:13:24.240 --> 00:13:26.149 up in and I was I was, I was taught the Gospel. We 147 00:13:26.190 --> 00:13:37.470 were catechized in the Heidelberg Catechism from from our youth and and so in late 148 00:13:37.549 --> 00:13:41.659 high school, I made a public profession of my faith as one who now 149 00:13:41.860 --> 00:13:46.379 what my parents had taught me and what my church had taught me was my 150 00:13:46.620 --> 00:13:52.220 faith. It became mine. I trusted in Christ, I understood the Gospel, 151 00:13:52.259 --> 00:13:58.009 I believed the Gospel and that Christ died to save me. Some would 152 00:13:58.009 --> 00:14:00.289 say that's not so exciting. You Right. You want to hear the the 153 00:14:01.570 --> 00:14:05.889 testimony about the gutter, the gutter to the gutter most, to the uttermost 154 00:14:05.250 --> 00:14:07.730 is how some people say. At the gutter, you know, the person 155 00:14:07.809 --> 00:14:11.919 whose life was amazingly transformed. Well, my life didn't change a whole lot, 156 00:14:15.639 --> 00:14:20.480 and yet God, a Christ, took hold of my heart. And 157 00:14:20.639 --> 00:14:24.350 so perhaps perhaps the same as true for you. Perhaps you've been you've been 158 00:14:24.389 --> 00:14:26.669 in the church, you've grown up in the church, you've grown up in 159 00:14:26.710 --> 00:14:31.830 a Christian home and you've heard the Gospel and you have seen even as maybe 160 00:14:31.909 --> 00:14:37.700 as milk toast or you can't really call it boring because it's totally exciting. 161 00:14:39.259 --> 00:14:45.899 But you, you might say it's just not that great of a story. 162 00:14:46.659 --> 00:14:50.740 And yet it is the story of Christ taking hold of your heart and transform 163 00:14:50.820 --> 00:14:54.009 your heart. No matter how it happens, is always exciting. It's always 164 00:14:54.090 --> 00:14:58.490 exciting, and so you can bear Whitney. You have witnessed, you have 165 00:14:58.649 --> 00:15:03.169 seen what Christ has done, how he's changed the affections in your heart, 166 00:15:05.289 --> 00:15:11.200 how he's changed your your desires. Your desires are are maybe not all gone, 167 00:15:13.840 --> 00:15:20.759 certainly not all gone for toward fleshly things. That's not that's not ever 168 00:15:20.879 --> 00:15:24.429 going to end right. Our struggle with the flesh will not ever end in 169 00:15:24.590 --> 00:15:28.029 this life. It will end when we go home, when we get home, 170 00:15:28.309 --> 00:15:31.070 when we get to be with the Lord. Then there will be no 171 00:15:31.190 --> 00:15:37.299 more sin, there will be no more struggle. But now we will struggle. 172 00:15:37.299 --> 00:15:43.259 We tend to struggle. We have different desires that that come at US 173 00:15:43.299 --> 00:15:48.620 and tempt us. But but we're better equip now, we're better able because 174 00:15:48.620 --> 00:15:52.529 the spirit lives in us. The spirit is always after us to say no. 175 00:15:52.570 --> 00:15:56.210 He gives us the word, he gives us that way out right. 176 00:15:56.330 --> 00:16:00.090 That's what Paul says. There's always a way out whenever those temptations come. 177 00:16:02.850 --> 00:16:07.399 And I've I've witnessed that. I've seen my desires for fleshly things diminish. 178 00:16:07.960 --> 00:16:15.679 Not Complete victory, not complete absence of those desires. Some some desires, 179 00:16:15.720 --> 00:16:19.909 yes, some desires totally gone, but others that are diminishing and in an 180 00:16:21.070 --> 00:16:26.309 increasing work of holiness in my heart by the spirit. And and if you're 181 00:16:26.309 --> 00:16:32.429 a follower of Jesus, if you're a one who you would say Jesus is 182 00:16:32.629 --> 00:16:37.220 my Lord, Jesus is is my savior, then you you have seen it. 183 00:16:37.460 --> 00:16:41.860 You have seen it in your own life and you've probably seen it if 184 00:16:41.899 --> 00:16:49.289 you have any deep friendships, relationships, if you're married, you get to 185 00:16:49.450 --> 00:16:55.289 watch it in your spouse. You get to see God chip off the edges, 186 00:16:55.809 --> 00:17:00.370 you get to see the Holy Spirit sand down those little rough spots. 187 00:17:00.519 --> 00:17:06.680 You get to see that happen. You get wow, isn't she? Isn't 188 00:17:06.720 --> 00:17:11.720 she more beautiful today than she was on our wedding day? Yes, she 189 00:17:11.960 --> 00:17:15.549 is. She is season because I get to see it. I get to 190 00:17:15.710 --> 00:17:18.829 watch, I get to I get to see what God's doing. So there's 191 00:17:18.869 --> 00:17:22.349 that kind of witness right. You see it in your own heart, you 192 00:17:22.430 --> 00:17:25.869 see it in the lives of people around you, in the body of Christ. 193 00:17:26.430 --> 00:17:32.259 So one of my great privileges. I find it hard to believe sometimes, 194 00:17:32.380 --> 00:17:34.940 but I've been able to to be the pastor at Rincon Mountain now for 195 00:17:36.099 --> 00:17:41.019 twenty one years, and so there are people that I've that I've gotten to 196 00:17:41.099 --> 00:17:45.289 see their lives change over time. You know, change doesn't happen just like 197 00:17:45.410 --> 00:17:48.849 that. Sometimes it does some areas of our lives, but it's generally gradual 198 00:17:48.970 --> 00:17:52.490 and you see the spirit work and to be able to look at people and 199 00:17:52.650 --> 00:18:00.039 say, man, she's really grown or he's really changed. I have witnessed 200 00:18:00.160 --> 00:18:04.559 that. I and I I have seen that, and so have you. 201 00:18:04.839 --> 00:18:07.359 If you, if you've been in the church at all, if you've been 202 00:18:07.359 --> 00:18:11.200 in the church for a while, or maybe you're new, maybe you're new 203 00:18:11.240 --> 00:18:18.990 to Christianity and you're still exploring it, watch for that. Look for that, 204 00:18:18.750 --> 00:18:25.029 because you will see it. When Jesus has your heart, your heart 205 00:18:25.029 --> 00:18:27.140 will change. And that's what John the Baptist came to do, to be 206 00:18:27.220 --> 00:18:33.900 a witness of what Jesus is doing and so there's that kind of witness. 207 00:18:33.980 --> 00:18:37.220 The other kind of witness is actually, like saying it, when you bear 208 00:18:37.339 --> 00:18:42.130 witness, when you proclaimed what you've seen. So you witness. You might 209 00:18:42.250 --> 00:18:48.410 witness an accident and then you're called into court to witness to the accident, 210 00:18:48.609 --> 00:18:53.210 to be a witness, to say what it is that you saw, to 211 00:18:53.410 --> 00:19:02.079 describe it. And we have that kind of experience, don't we? Also, 212 00:19:02.240 --> 00:19:06.359 as as believers, as those who follow Jesus, not only do we 213 00:19:06.640 --> 00:19:08.960 see what Jesus is doing in our hearts and in our lives and how he's 214 00:19:08.960 --> 00:19:14.710 changing us, but we have opportunity then to proclaim that. We have opportunity 215 00:19:14.750 --> 00:19:18.630 to give testimony to that, to testify to it, like in a court 216 00:19:18.630 --> 00:19:26.059 of law or the Court of public opinion or the Court of my neighbor's opinion, 217 00:19:26.779 --> 00:19:30.460 right, and you have an opportunity to testify. And isn't isn't that 218 00:19:30.779 --> 00:19:36.019 where where our witness has the most effect, is in the lives of the 219 00:19:36.140 --> 00:19:41.410 people that that get to see us, get to know us in and then 220 00:19:41.529 --> 00:19:48.849 we and then we can enter into their lives and talk with them about the 221 00:19:48.970 --> 00:19:52.849 changes we've seen Jesus making our lives and how he can do that in their 222 00:19:52.000 --> 00:19:56.720 lives. Isn't that probably the most effective kind of evangelism we can do, 223 00:19:56.880 --> 00:20:03.599 the best witnessinging we can do, being involved in other lives, sharing life 224 00:20:03.720 --> 00:20:08.309 together? And that's again, that's what that's what John came to do. 225 00:20:08.470 --> 00:20:14.190 He came to be a witness, not not to himself but to Jesus, 226 00:20:14.390 --> 00:20:18.349 but to the light. So verse seven it says he came as a witness, 227 00:20:18.470 --> 00:20:26.500 to bear witness about the light that all might believe through him. So 228 00:20:26.700 --> 00:20:33.339 he's a he's a witness to another, he's a witness to the to Jesus. 229 00:20:33.500 --> 00:20:40.490 He's pointing to Jesus. He was sent from God right he verse six 230 00:20:40.529 --> 00:20:47.730 says there was a man sent from God whose name was John. And if 231 00:20:47.849 --> 00:20:52.119 you haven't had a sermon on it recently, oftentimes it's an advent sermon. 232 00:20:52.240 --> 00:20:56.440 But it's the birth of John The baptist. or how that how that pregnancy 233 00:20:56.480 --> 00:21:02.599 came about, and the Angel Gabriel going to Zachariah and the temple and Zachariah 234 00:21:02.720 --> 00:21:08.269 loses his voice because he he won't, he, he won't say John's name 235 00:21:08.309 --> 00:21:11.309 and when he does finally say his name will be John. His voice comes 236 00:21:11.349 --> 00:21:15.869 back, but that whole miraculous thing, right. They're both they're both old 237 00:21:17.109 --> 00:21:25.180 and she's bearn and God still gives them this child. It's a it's an 238 00:21:25.220 --> 00:21:32.059 amazing account told for us in Luke Chapter One. He was this man, 239 00:21:32.259 --> 00:21:37.410 was sent from God. He was sent to be a witness, sent to 240 00:21:37.490 --> 00:21:45.609 be one who would point to Jesus. So in that respect, John is 241 00:21:45.730 --> 00:21:48.640 like us, John Is, John is one of us. John, John 242 00:21:48.839 --> 00:21:52.680 is just like you or I, who's born and then he's a toddler and 243 00:21:52.759 --> 00:21:57.640 he's a teenager and he's an adult and he just goes through the life cycle 244 00:22:00.799 --> 00:22:03.869 and and his whole purpose is to point to Jesus, to point to his 245 00:22:04.269 --> 00:22:10.630 his his younger cousin or relative, we're not sure exactly the relationship, but 246 00:22:10.710 --> 00:22:18.299 to point to Jesus, the one who is not, is not like us, 247 00:22:18.579 --> 00:22:21.539 and yet became like us, right, the one who is the eternal 248 00:22:21.619 --> 00:22:25.259 God, the one who is has always been, and then he takes on 249 00:22:25.460 --> 00:22:30.849 flesh. He's born in that little that little manger in in Bethlehem, just 250 00:22:30.049 --> 00:22:37.170 outside of Jerusalem. So John Comes to bear witness to him, to this 251 00:22:37.329 --> 00:22:42.609 one who took on flesh, the one who is God. And John is 252 00:22:42.769 --> 00:22:52.400 really clear about who he is. And so a few years ago I found 253 00:22:52.440 --> 00:22:59.430 a book in my sister in Law's House that had the title and it was 254 00:22:59.549 --> 00:23:06.390 by a guy named, I think it was, Louis Giglio, more popular 255 00:23:06.630 --> 00:23:10.829 evangelical author, but the title of the book. I didn't read the book 256 00:23:10.829 --> 00:23:12.900 other than the title, but the title caught my attention. The title was 257 00:23:14.019 --> 00:23:19.700 this. It was I am not but I know I am. I am 258 00:23:19.819 --> 00:23:23.900 not, but I know I am. And what he was saying in the 259 00:23:25.099 --> 00:23:30.490 book as I perused it is that that he was saying. I know that 260 00:23:30.609 --> 00:23:34.450 I'm not God and I know he is God and I I need to get 261 00:23:34.490 --> 00:23:37.329 out of being the God being God. I need to get out of the 262 00:23:37.369 --> 00:23:41.720 business of being God. I need to stop trying to run my own life, 263 00:23:41.720 --> 00:23:45.920 stop trying to think I'm sovereign, stop trying to think I know what's 264 00:23:45.000 --> 00:23:48.920 best for me, stop trying to think about what's next for me in my 265 00:23:49.039 --> 00:23:55.079 life and submit to God and know that God is the one who is sovereign 266 00:23:55.119 --> 00:24:00.470 over all things and he's the one that makes things possible for us. So 267 00:24:00.589 --> 00:24:03.430 John the Baptist is really clear. I'm not the Christ. In fact, 268 00:24:03.430 --> 00:24:11.859 that last section we read down at Verse Twenty, verse Nineteen, and this 269 00:24:11.980 --> 00:24:15.420 is the testimony of John. When the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem 270 00:24:15.500 --> 00:24:19.299 ask him, who are you, and he says I'm not the Christ, 271 00:24:21.019 --> 00:24:22.420 and they asked him, well, what then? Are You Elijah? And 272 00:24:22.500 --> 00:24:26.049 he says no, I'm not. Are you the Prophet? And he answered 273 00:24:26.089 --> 00:24:27.569 no. They said to him, who are you? We need to give 274 00:24:27.609 --> 00:24:32.130 an answer. What do you say about yourself? I am the voice of 275 00:24:32.250 --> 00:24:36.289 one crying in the desert. Make straight the way of the Lord, as 276 00:24:36.410 --> 00:24:41.720 the Prophet Isaiah said. So I'm not. I know I'm not the Christ. 277 00:24:42.079 --> 00:24:48.160 In fact, you guys won't believe this, but but he's he's so 278 00:24:48.400 --> 00:24:52.950 great I can't even untie his shoes right. That was the lowest form of 279 00:24:53.190 --> 00:24:59.750 servanthood was to touch someone's feet. I'm not even I'm not even good enough 280 00:24:59.789 --> 00:25:02.990 to touch his feet. I'm not even good enough to untie his shoes. 281 00:25:03.829 --> 00:25:08.099 The one who's coming is greater than I am. I must decrease, he 282 00:25:08.220 --> 00:25:15.299 must increase. That was John's whole point. His whole purpose was to keep 283 00:25:15.299 --> 00:25:18.500 pointing to Jesus and to say no, I'm not, I'm not the Christ. 284 00:25:18.500 --> 00:25:21.970 I'm the one who comes to prepare the way and and the way I 285 00:25:22.009 --> 00:25:29.289 think about that is there's three little three little images I get about John Preparing 286 00:25:29.369 --> 00:25:33.650 the way for Christ. One is he's the bulldozer. He's like a bulldozer. 287 00:25:33.730 --> 00:25:37.799 He's clearing the big rocks, the boulders, he's clearing the ways, 288 00:25:38.000 --> 00:25:44.799 clearing the road, removing the obstacles. The second is like is like a 289 00:25:45.880 --> 00:25:52.109 lead tackle, a tailback or maybe a fullback. That's probably the better position. 290 00:25:52.230 --> 00:25:56.670 The the full back on a football team. He doesn't get the ball 291 00:25:56.829 --> 00:26:02.150 to run through the gap. He runs through the gap ahead of the guy 292 00:26:02.269 --> 00:26:04.660 that's got the football. So he runs through and he takes out. So 293 00:26:04.779 --> 00:26:08.420 he just comes through that whole looking for someone to hit, someone to take 294 00:26:08.579 --> 00:26:12.099 and clear out of the way, so the so that the tailback can actually 295 00:26:12.180 --> 00:26:17.940 run and get some yardage. So John the Baptist is the lead tackle. 296 00:26:17.980 --> 00:26:21.970 He's running ahead of Christ, he's ahead of them remove moving the obstacles. 297 00:26:22.450 --> 00:26:30.809 Or there's this image. John the Baptist is the pre release trailer for the 298 00:26:32.369 --> 00:26:37.960 for the full for the full show that will come right. So I don't 299 00:26:37.960 --> 00:26:41.000 know if you've been back to theaters yet since the pandemic. It's one of 300 00:26:41.000 --> 00:26:48.589 the things I love about the pandemic being over ish. But I love going 301 00:26:48.630 --> 00:26:51.829 to movies and I love getting there in time for the trailers, for the 302 00:26:51.910 --> 00:26:55.990 previews. I want to see the previews. Let's not get let's not be 303 00:26:56.069 --> 00:26:57.190 late. I want to be there for the previews. So I want to 304 00:26:57.230 --> 00:27:02.180 see what's coming. And that's what John the Baptist was. He was there 305 00:27:02.579 --> 00:27:06.740 to tell about the one who is coming. He was the pre released trailer. 306 00:27:06.859 --> 00:27:10.740 He was to tell everybody. And don't you hate it when the previews 307 00:27:10.819 --> 00:27:14.700 give away the whole movie? But that was his job, was to give 308 00:27:14.740 --> 00:27:17.049 away the whole movie. This guy is going to come and he's going to 309 00:27:17.089 --> 00:27:19.369 be so great I can't even touch his feet, I can't even carry his 310 00:27:19.490 --> 00:27:26.769 shoes. I he's just he's so perfect, so beautiful. In fact, 311 00:27:27.130 --> 00:27:30.880 when John the Baptist saw him a little bit later on in this chapter, 312 00:27:30.799 --> 00:27:34.799 behold, what does he say? Behold, look, look, everybody, 313 00:27:36.400 --> 00:27:45.549 behold the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. He 314 00:27:45.710 --> 00:27:49.789 bears witness. That was his whole us and that was that was how. 315 00:27:51.509 --> 00:27:55.509 That was how John, in the midst of the world in which he lived, 316 00:27:55.549 --> 00:28:00.460 in the midst of so much, so much political, so much religious 317 00:28:00.660 --> 00:28:10.420 intrigue, kept his focus on Christ, kept his focus on Jesus, I 318 00:28:10.579 --> 00:28:14.490 mentioned earlier. We have these we have distractions in our world, the pain 319 00:28:14.609 --> 00:28:18.650 we're dealing with, the hardships were walking through, or perhaps the distractions we've 320 00:28:18.769 --> 00:28:25.970 created ourselves to deal with that pain so that pain is numbed. But now, 321 00:28:26.250 --> 00:28:29.720 right now, in this season where we have additional distractions, don't we 322 00:28:29.759 --> 00:28:36.319 all kinds of distractions around us during Christmas time, and I like to believe 323 00:28:36.519 --> 00:28:41.869 that that God providentially uses these things in our lives to point us back to 324 00:28:41.950 --> 00:28:45.029 him. So like, so like, when we see Christmas trees, we 325 00:28:45.230 --> 00:28:49.309 look at we look at the fact that they're evergreen. We're reminded that God's 326 00:28:49.349 --> 00:28:52.829 love for us is is eternal, it never dies, it never ends. 327 00:28:52.950 --> 00:28:57.299 His love has no beginning and no end. For us, or the lights 328 00:28:57.420 --> 00:29:02.539 that we see right you'll drive around with your families, perhaps this week or 329 00:29:02.579 --> 00:29:04.420 next, or you'll go to winter haven this week, which we're planning on 330 00:29:04.579 --> 00:29:08.980 doing Wednesday, so you'll go and look at all the lights. Well, 331 00:29:10.289 --> 00:29:14.970 the lights are beautiful, the lights are amazing, but but they're nothing the 332 00:29:15.210 --> 00:29:18.849 best thing at winter haven, all of winter haven put together, is nothing 333 00:29:21.529 --> 00:29:29.200 compared to the light of the world, the light that shines in the darkness, 334 00:29:29.359 --> 00:29:33.359 the light that pushes away the darkness. And so when we when we 335 00:29:33.720 --> 00:29:41.390 when we get around the the different symbols of the year or the symbols of 336 00:29:41.430 --> 00:29:45.349 the season, the the things that might be a distraction to us, you 337 00:29:45.789 --> 00:29:49.190 use them to point, to point your heart back to Christ, to get 338 00:29:49.269 --> 00:29:53.099 your focus back on Christ, not to not to be distracted, not not 339 00:29:53.460 --> 00:30:00.019 that you can enjoy those things, but there's a purpose behind them. They 340 00:30:00.059 --> 00:30:04.259 are temporary. Their temporal. They will they will die. Right every year 341 00:30:04.259 --> 00:30:07.170 you get out the lights, you got to replace the bulbs. That burned 342 00:30:07.210 --> 00:30:11.210 out. Word get a whole new strand if the whole thing's burnt out. 343 00:30:14.730 --> 00:30:22.200 Jesus Christ never burns out. His light, his light is eternal. Is 344 00:30:22.240 --> 00:30:30.000 Light goes on and on and on. So witness a witness, John The 345 00:30:30.079 --> 00:30:37.670 baptist, witnesses to another buddy also, he's also sent. He's sent by 346 00:30:37.750 --> 00:30:41.190 God, and it's the same word that we have. We get the Word 347 00:30:41.230 --> 00:30:45.029 Apostle from. It's he's actually these post it right, he's is like it's 348 00:30:45.109 --> 00:30:49.700 like Jerusalem or a Bethleem or that whole area, that the Jordan, is 349 00:30:49.940 --> 00:30:55.660 his post. That's where he's sent to serve. Right. He's posted there. 350 00:30:56.859 --> 00:31:00.420 Now, if you're a if you're a witness to a crime and and 351 00:31:00.900 --> 00:31:06.730 the police have your information, it's likely they will summon you. They'll ask 352 00:31:06.769 --> 00:31:11.009 you to come and to be a witness to the crime. Right, at 353 00:31:11.089 --> 00:31:15.089 some point they want your statement, or maybe you'll even have to give testimony 354 00:31:15.210 --> 00:31:22.160 in a trial. But when it comes to spiritual matters, witnesses are sent, 355 00:31:22.200 --> 00:31:27.279 witnesses are posted, witnesses are are called to be the ones who proclaim. 356 00:31:27.720 --> 00:31:33.910 You know, at the end of Matthew, Jesus did not tell his 357 00:31:33.109 --> 00:31:37.230 disciples. All Authority and Heaven and earth has been given to me. So 358 00:31:37.430 --> 00:31:41.789 just sit tight, just sit tight, and and everybody will come to you, 359 00:31:41.869 --> 00:31:45.910 Christ our centers, from all around, from all the nations, they're 360 00:31:45.950 --> 00:31:48.420 going to come to you and all you have to do is tell them everything 361 00:31:48.460 --> 00:31:53.059 I've taught you and then baptize them, and that's good, we're good to 362 00:31:53.099 --> 00:31:56.619 go. Just sit tight, they're going to come to you, right. 363 00:31:56.740 --> 00:32:01.130 That's not that's not what Matthew says. It's not what Jesus says. He 364 00:32:01.250 --> 00:32:06.089 says go. He says go, and there's a lot made of the fact 365 00:32:06.089 --> 00:32:09.170 that that's not the imperative, that's not the command in that passage, and 366 00:32:09.329 --> 00:32:15.650 that's true. The command is make disciples, but you do that as you're 367 00:32:15.720 --> 00:32:21.839 going. It's a participle. It's as you're going make disciples and as you're 368 00:32:21.920 --> 00:32:30.470 going you're witnessing, you're telling your testifying to others. So you're sent by 369 00:32:30.589 --> 00:32:39.829 God and if you're a if you're a witness, it may be it may 370 00:32:39.869 --> 00:32:47.539 be a life or death calling the the actual word in the Greek is Marturion, 371 00:32:47.700 --> 00:32:52.859 from which we get the word martyr. So if you're a witness, 372 00:32:52.980 --> 00:32:58.099 wait. Basically what you're doing is what basically what this says in verse seven 373 00:32:58.220 --> 00:33:05.049 is he came as a martyr to Martio about the light that all might believe 374 00:33:05.210 --> 00:33:12.849 through him. He came as a martyr, and I I don't think it's 375 00:33:13.079 --> 00:33:17.279 I don't think it's soon that this will happen in the United States, that 376 00:33:17.440 --> 00:33:22.119 we as Christians will be persecuted. I think it's getting closer. I think 377 00:33:22.119 --> 00:33:27.990 things are showing us that perhaps that kind of thing might, might happen for 378 00:33:28.109 --> 00:33:31.990 the Christians in America, but we know we have brothers and sisters around the 379 00:33:32.029 --> 00:33:37.549 world who, for their faith, for their witness, for their testimony, 380 00:33:37.670 --> 00:33:45.140 are facing death daily. And that is that is the call, that is 381 00:33:45.220 --> 00:33:52.339 the calling of us. And and so while we may not face that kind 382 00:33:52.420 --> 00:34:00.170 of persecution here in the states, we will and we already are called to 383 00:34:00.450 --> 00:34:06.890 die, to die to ourselves, to deny ourselves, to take up our 384 00:34:06.970 --> 00:34:13.239 cross and to follow Jesus, to follow the one that we proclaim to follow, 385 00:34:13.320 --> 00:34:19.239 the one of whom we bear witness. It's a life and death commitment. 386 00:34:19.360 --> 00:34:22.280 This is what Jesus says. Crawling calling the crowd to him with his 387 00:34:22.400 --> 00:34:25.190 disciples, he said to them, if anyone would come after me, let 388 00:34:25.190 --> 00:34:30.309 him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me, for whoever would 389 00:34:30.349 --> 00:34:32.989 save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake 390 00:34:34.110 --> 00:34:37.739 and the gospels will save it. For what is it profit a man to 391 00:34:37.780 --> 00:34:45.099 gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? We know that martyrs were common 392 00:34:45.260 --> 00:34:51.099 after Christ ascended, those first couple of centuries. A lot of persecution against 393 00:34:51.139 --> 00:34:53.690 the Christians, a lot of martyrs for their witness. We've known, we 394 00:34:53.849 --> 00:35:00.250 know of Martyrs Throughout Church history, some of the the men who were burned 395 00:35:00.289 --> 00:35:05.289 at the stake or executed because of their faith, men like Yan Yan who's 396 00:35:05.889 --> 00:35:12.880 or John Huss the the check reformer, the missionaries that went to the alka 397 00:35:13.000 --> 00:35:16.320 Indians in the S. you've probably heard those stories of Elliott and his friends 398 00:35:16.400 --> 00:35:21.829 and how they they were martyred. They died because of their witness, their 399 00:35:21.909 --> 00:35:30.389 desire to tell people about Jesus. But for us it is that ongoing daily 400 00:35:30.230 --> 00:35:36.900 self denial, dying to self. Am I going to go out today, 401 00:35:37.219 --> 00:35:40.900 and is filled going to be first, or is Jesus going to be first? 402 00:35:43.940 --> 00:35:47.739 That's the question that who am I going to whose needs, whose desires 403 00:35:47.820 --> 00:35:51.889 are I'm am I going to fulfill today? Is it all about me or 404 00:35:52.010 --> 00:35:57.250 is it about Jesus? And if I fulfill Jesus is calling on my life. 405 00:35:57.690 --> 00:36:01.530 Everything else works out just fine, even though there may be trials, 406 00:36:01.570 --> 00:36:07.320 even though there will be trials, we're called to this life of self denial 407 00:36:09.039 --> 00:36:15.039 and to take up our cross and to follow Jesus. I just want to 408 00:36:15.119 --> 00:36:20.630 close with this. This evening, as we think about what it means to 409 00:36:20.670 --> 00:36:24.469 be a witness and to witness for Christ, to keep our focus on Christ. 410 00:36:27.429 --> 00:36:31.030 Here's what it really comes down to, and that is this, that 411 00:36:31.230 --> 00:36:47.010 is that Jesus, Christ took the focus on himself so that the focus would 412 00:36:47.010 --> 00:36:54.210 be taken off of us. So when we when we talk about the the 413 00:36:55.010 --> 00:37:02.519 deep, using some big theological words like propitiation or atonement, those are just 414 00:37:02.719 --> 00:37:07.079 they're they're wonderful words. They have such depth to them and they tell us 415 00:37:07.119 --> 00:37:14.119 about the fact that Christ paid for our sin, he had toned for our 416 00:37:14.199 --> 00:37:20.309 sin by taking it on himself. All of our sin, all of our 417 00:37:20.789 --> 00:37:25.989 are missing the mark, in our purposefully missing the mark, missing it by 418 00:37:27.030 --> 00:37:30.019 accident, trying to hit the mark right. That's that's the Hebrew word for 419 00:37:30.139 --> 00:37:34.179 sin is missing the mark. I can try to hit the mark, I 420 00:37:34.219 --> 00:37:37.739 can try to be as good as I can and I'll miss. There's other 421 00:37:37.860 --> 00:37:39.579 times I'm just not even going to try. I just want to do my 422 00:37:39.699 --> 00:37:44.489 own thing. and Jesus took all of that, all of my rebellion, 423 00:37:44.530 --> 00:37:50.530 all of my wanting to be my own ruler, my own God. Jesus 424 00:37:50.650 --> 00:37:57.130 took all of that so that the focus of God's wrath would not no longer 425 00:37:57.170 --> 00:38:00.800 be on me because of my sin, which is what I deserve. It's 426 00:38:00.840 --> 00:38:04.599 what you deserve because of your sin. You deserve of God's full attention, 427 00:38:05.000 --> 00:38:09.400 his full focus on you with his wrath. But Jesus provides for us by 428 00:38:09.480 --> 00:38:14.590 taking the sin upon himself. He provides for us a freedom from that. 429 00:38:15.230 --> 00:38:21.710 He averts God's wrath by his covering us with his righteousness. So what he 430 00:38:21.909 --> 00:38:29.059 earned by being perfect, we get, and our utter lack of perfection he 431 00:38:29.260 --> 00:38:34.820 gets. And the focus of God's wrath comes on him on the cross, 432 00:38:36.420 --> 00:38:39.019 so that you and I are set free from our sin. We're set free 433 00:38:39.059 --> 00:38:42.809 from that burden of our sin. We're set free from the taint of our 434 00:38:42.889 --> 00:38:45.809 sin, the damage of our sin, the habit of our sin, the 435 00:38:45.849 --> 00:38:52.690 guilt of our sin, all taken away by Christ by taking upon himself our 436 00:38:52.769 --> 00:39:00.840 sin. He does this for us. He takes the focus so that we 437 00:39:01.000 --> 00:39:08.039 can give him our focus. He is our he is our focus. He's 438 00:39:08.079 --> 00:39:16.309 the one to whom we owe all everything and and he's the one that we 439 00:39:16.510 --> 00:39:21.710 proclaim. He is the one that we we tell others about what a joy 440 00:39:22.750 --> 00:39:29.340 it is to know Jesus. Joy to the world, right, joy to 441 00:39:29.420 --> 00:39:31.460 the world, the Lord has come. We saying it every Christmas season but 442 00:39:31.579 --> 00:39:37.059 it's true joy, it's it's it's for Real, because he changes us. 443 00:39:45.329 --> 00:39:51.210 Witness Jesus. Jesus is the focus of our hearts as we bear witnessed him, 444 00:39:51.250 --> 00:39:53.239 as we keep our eyes on him. Keep your eyes on him during 445 00:39:53.320 --> 00:39:59.119 this Christmas season, the people that you encounter. After we leave here this 446 00:39:59.280 --> 00:40:01.800 evening, Shelly and I get to go to a gathering of our neighbors and 447 00:40:01.920 --> 00:40:07.190 not one of them are believers, and I can't wait. It just can't 448 00:40:07.230 --> 00:40:14.590 wait. We've developed a relationship and, praise God, in many ways because 449 00:40:14.670 --> 00:40:20.269 of Covid we've grown to love each other, rely on each other. When 450 00:40:20.389 --> 00:40:23.579 lockdowns were taken place, one would shop for all of it was just it 451 00:40:23.699 --> 00:40:28.980 was an amazing thing that God did to allow us entry into their lives and 452 00:40:29.059 --> 00:40:32.300 they into our lives. And I can't wait to go celebrate the birth of 453 00:40:32.420 --> 00:40:37.969 Christ with my pagan neighbors because I get to tell him, I get to 454 00:40:38.050 --> 00:40:45.610 tell him about Jesus. So keep keep Jesus the focus, make him the 455 00:40:45.730 --> 00:40:50.800 focus of your heart. He took the focus off you when it when, 456 00:40:51.000 --> 00:40:54.760 when when it would be really bad, so that you could have the focus 457 00:40:54.880 --> 00:40:58.760 on him. Let's pray. Father