Mensa Otabil - A Witness
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John chapter 1, verses 8 and 9. He was not that light, but was sent to bear witness to that light. That was the true light that gives light to every man coming into the world. There is a lot said about light in this passage; four times light is referenced, and Jesus Christ is the light that is being referenced. However, the whole narrative is about John the Baptist, and John the Baptist was sent to bear witness to the light, Jesus Christ.
You know that John and Jesus Christ have a lot of similarities. Both of them had their births announced by an angel, and that is the first similarity. John’s mother and Jesus’s mother were relatives, they were cousins; one was barren, and the other was a virgin, so that’s another point of similarity. Both John and Jesus did not marry, and they appeared at a very precarious time in Jewish history. For 400 years the Jewish canon had been closed, and there was no word of the Lord coming to the people. Then John comes in and announces a new era. John is very, very important, and that’s why people thought he was the Messiah. He was very popular, and his ministry was very unique.
It was similar to the ministry of the prophets of the Old Testament, like Isaiah and Amos; they were rugged, they were strong, and they spoke bold words. So people thought that John was the Messiah, but he wasn’t. He was sent to prepare the way for the Messiah. John himself testified that he was not the light, and he was pressed many times, «Are you the light? Are you the one we’re expecting?» He said over and over, «I am not the light.»
It was important that his ministry be heralded the way it was heralded because the history of the human race was about to change. The personality of Jesus is going to change everything, and John had to come to announce that new era. John says that he was sent to bear witness to the light, and in a lot of ways, all of us carry on the ministry of John the Baptist. We are also sent; once we come to Jesus Christ as light, we are also sent to go and bear witness to the light.
In bearing witness to the light, we must ensure that we don’t let people think we are Him. The danger many times is that people who are supposed to point to Jesus Christ point to themselves. Sometimes preachers do this, and we make ourselves the center of the people’s hope, the center of the people’s faith, the center of the people’s trust. It is very easy to do that. John was tempted to do it, but we must be careful never to do that. We must imitate the ministry of John, always pointing to Jesus Christ. That is what we are called to do; that is what our ministry is all about-to show people who the true light of the world is.
The passage says that the light of the world gives light to every man in the whole world, and that is an introduction to who Jesus Christ was. He wasn’t just a man sent to the Jews or sent to some small group of people; he was sent to the whole world. That is why Jesus appeals to the whole world, to every part of the world. Christianity is not a geographical faith; Christianity is a global faith. Christ is global; He is the light of the world that shines unto every human being, male and female, that comes into this world.
I pray that His light will shine into your life. Let us pray: Heavenly Father, thank You for sending Your light into my world. Let my life be a true testimony of Your light. In Jesus' name, Amen and Amen. Well, I’ll catch you again tomorrow. I’m Pastor Mensa Otabil. Shalom, peace, and life to you.