Mensa Otabil - A Man Sent From God
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John chapter 1, verses 6 and 7. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the light, that all through him might believe. So now the writer of the Gospel, John the Apostle, is introducing another John, not himself. This is John the Baptist. But I want you to see what the scripture is telling us here. It starts by talking about the pre-existence of the Word, and it says that the Word is God. It also says the Word has life, and the Word is the light of men. So this is all happening before Christ is born or Christ becomes flesh.
Now John is shifting from the pre-existence of Christ to His physical existence, and in doing that, he starts with the mission of Christ. To introduce the mission of Christ, he introduces John the Baptist, who was the one sent ahead of Jesus Christ to announce the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. So John is bearing witness to this light, who is the Word of God, who is God. He says there was a man sent from God. The whole of the Christian life is about being sent; it is God sending His Son, the Holy Spirit being sent to us, and John being sent to us. God comes to us by sending, by coming in ways that reach out to us. That is why the Gospel is propagated through sending. God has to send us to preach His Word.
So John is sent by God; without John, the Jews would not have recognized that this man was the light of God or the Word of God. John was a credible witness because he was known as a prophet of God at that time in Judea. He came and announced that somebody was coming, and this person was the expected Messiah for mankind. So John went ahead of Jesus, and it’s a very important thought to consider that many times God wants us to go ahead to announce His mission. God wants us to go ahead and witness of Him. God wants us to go ahead and tell people about Him. God is the light; He is who He is, but we must point people to Him. That is why there is preaching at all, because there have to be those like John who are able to point the way to the Lord Jesus Christ.
It says in that passage that John came to bear witness, and that’s a very important thought because, you know, John was a very well-liked preacher in his day, and part of the reason was that he could speak to the authorities of his time, point out all the wrongs in society, and really call the people to repentance. People thought John was the Messiah, and they gave him the opportunity. There, as in many times, they asked, «John, are you the One? Are you the one we’re expecting? Are you the one the prophets have been speaking about?» John would say, «No, no, no, no, no, but somebody else is coming. I’m just sent to prepare His way.» That was John’s mission: to prepare the way to the light, and the light who was the life, the life who was the Word, the Word who is God.
John’s mission is very simple: to say that somebody has come into your midst. Very soon, you will see Him as a human being, but He is the light of the world. He is not just a light of the world; He gives life to the world. Not only that, He is the Word of God that created all things, and He is God. So when you encounter Him, receive Him as such. That was the mission of John the Baptist. May God lead us to proclaim Christ to our world. Let us pray. Say with me, «Heavenly Father, you have called me to bear witness to the light. Use me to draw souls to Your kingdom. In Jesus' name, amen and amen.» Well, I’ll catch you again tomorrow. I’m Pastor Mensa Otabil. Shalom, peace, and life to you.