The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! He is the One I was talking about when I said, ‘A man is coming after me who is far greater than I am, for He existed long before me.'" John 1:29-30
When thinking of people who lived solely for the purpose of making Christ known, John the Baptist is at the top of the list. As his ministry gained the notice of Jewish leaders in Jerusalem, religious leaders were sent to ask John who he was. When asked, John quoted a passage from Isaiah, saying, "I am a voice shouting in the wilderness, ‘clear the way for the LORD's coming!'" (John 1:23). By quoting Isaiah, John was stating that he was the fulfillment of the prophecy in Isaiah that someone was coming to prepare people for the coming of the Messiah. He was also saying that his whole life's work was to make much of Jesus. John was quick to tell people that he was not the long-awaited Messiah, and he was not afraid to tell people how much greater Jesus was than he was. His whole life pointed to Jesus, the Savior of the world.
John willingly committed his life to make much of Jesus, even though that meant sacrifice for himself. Instead of living a life of luxury, he lived in the desert, with locusts and honey to eat for food. Eventually, he was beheaded because of his faith. Nothing stopped him from his mission to prepare people for Jesus' coming and earthly ministry.
What about you? Is your life centered around making Jesus known? I'm not asking if you are willing to go live in the wilderness and eat locusts and honey, but what are you willing to give up in order to bring others to Christ? Are you willing to give up your time to develop intentional relationships with those who do not know Christ? Are you willing to spend time with people different than you for the sake of making Christ known? Are you willing to have conversations with difficult people, in hopes that God may reveal Himself to them? Friends, people are lost and searching for hope. We have the message that they are looking for. What are you willing to do or give up in order to share that message with them?
Take a few moments to think about the five people on your list who do not know Christ. Spend a few moments praying for them. Pray that God would give you opportunities to share your faith with them and that He would prepare their hearts for those conversations.
This was John’s testimony when the Jewish leaders sent priests and Temple assistants from Jerusalem to ask John, “Who are you?” He came right out and said, “I am not the Messiah.”
“Well then, who are you?” they asked. “Are you Elijah?”
“No,” he replied.
“Are you the Prophet we are expecting?”
“No.”
“Then who are you? We need an answer for those who sent us. What do you have to say about yourself?”
John replied in the words of the prophet Isaiah:
“I am a voice shouting in the wilderness,
‘Clear the way for the Lord’s coming!’”
Then the Pharisees who had been sent asked him, “If you aren’t the Messiah or Elijah or the Prophet, what right do you have to baptize?”
John told them, “I baptize with water, but right here in the crowd is someone you do not recognize. Though his ministry follows mine, I’m not even worthy to be his slave and untie the straps of his sandal.”
This encounter took place in Bethany, an area east of the Jordan River, where John was baptizing.
The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! He is the one I was talking about when I said, ‘A man is coming after me who is far greater than I am, for he existed long before me.’ I did not recognize him as the Messiah, but I have been baptizing with water so that he might be revealed to Israel.”
Then John testified, “I saw the Holy Spirit descending like a dove from heaven and resting upon him. I didn’t know he was the one, but when God sent me to baptize with water, he told me, ‘The one on whom you see the Spirit descend and rest is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ I saw this happen to Jesus, so I testify that he is the Chosen One of God.”
