The Witness
John 1:6-13

Intro.:
1. How many of you know about John the Baptist? We meet his name in verse 6. John is a man who is humble and does not claim fame for himself. John was regarded as a prophet, a person who spoke God’s message, and this was an exciting time in Israel. There had not been a prophet for over 400 years. Then John appeared on the scene and great attention was given to him. Many people in Israel went to hear John speak and John called the people to repent of their sins for the kingdom of heaven was at hand.

2. The gospel declares that John came to bear witness to the Light. He rejected the idea that he was the light, and instead he came to bear witness to the Light that was coming into the world. The prophet Isaiah spoke of this centuries before the birth of Jesus. Isa 9:2 “ The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.” Light is related to God. In the Old Testament story of the Exodus, God appeared at the Tent in the form of a cloud, lighting the night so they could travel at night.(Ex. 13:21) The writer of the Psalms prays, Psa 43:3 Oh send out thy light and thy truth; let them lead me. Our world needs light in all its darkness.

3. Let us look at John for a moment to see what he did.

I. He was a witness v.7

1 A witness is someone who has been an eye witness to an event. No second hand information will do. One must be an eye witness. Many years ago there was a murder committed in Emporia by a man named Byrd. One of the problems in the trial was that there were no witnesses. There was a death and there were some circumstantial issues that were brought together and he was convicted of murder. He is serving prison time for that now. But there were no witnesses.

2. John said he came for testimony to bear witness to the Light. John bore witness that he saw the Spirit descending on Jesus. He declared that God had told him beforehand that the one on whom you see the Spirit descend, that is the Son of God. (1:34) This culminates a long expectation awaited in Israel for the promised Messiah. There are many passages in the Old Testament indicating a coming Messiah.

3. In regard to this Jesus said, “Search the Scriptures, for they bear witness to me. (5:46). “If you believed Moses you would believe me, for he wrote of me. It was Philip’s conviction that he had found Him of whom Moses and the law and the prophets wrote. (1:45) The Scriptures were a witness to a coming Messiah.

There is a background for understanding the idea of a Messiah. There are the words of the prophets that he would be born in Bethlehem, of the tribe of Judah. There are people who have claimed to be the Messiah, like Sun Moon from Korea. There is nothing in Scripture about a Messiah from Korea, nor a word of anyone like Mohammed in Arabia.

4. The Gospel of John speaks of the witness of the Father. “The Father who sent me has himself borne witness. (5:37) And “The Father who sent me bears witness to me.” (8:18)

5. There is the witness of his works. He said, “the works which the Father has given me to accomplish, the very works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me.
(5:36)

The works that I do in my Father’s name, bear witness to me. (10:25) Jesus told Philip of his complete identity with the Father, and then went on to say, “Believe me for the sake of the works themselves. (14:11)

6. There is the witness of those with whom Jesus came into contact. The woman of Samaria bore witness to the insight and to the power of Jesus (4:39) The man born blind bore witness to Jesus’s healing power (9:25) The people who witnessed his miracles told of their wonder at the things he did. (12:17) There were all kinds of people who bore witness of him.

There is a legend which tells how the Sanhedrin sought for witnesses against Jesus. There came a crowd of people saying, “I was a leper and he healed me.” I was blind and he opened by eyes, I was deaf and he made me able to hear.” This was not the testimony the Sanhedrin wanted, but it reflects the kind of testimony available to the people of His day.

7. There is the witness of the Spirit. John 15:26, says that when the Counselor comes, he will bear witness to me.

8. We have to ask ourselves concerning our own witness. Have you met Jesus in your life? If you have received Him as Lord and Savior, then trying to find a time and person to share this witness to is important. You can’t witness about something you have not experienced.

There is a story about Dr. James McGinlay’s experience in making a comment from the pulpit that he had a duodenal ulcer. At the evening service, one person came back and said, “I once had an ulcer like that, but I found this pill that helped me.” Another person came back and empathized with him, and indicated that he had suffered the same problem, and he gave him a number of pills. Now these people were not doctors, nor did they attend medical school, nor take a seminar on ulcers. What happened is that found something that helped them and brought relief, and they wanted to share it. If you have found in Jesus forgiveness for your sins, if you have found peace in your heart, and hope for your future, all you have to do is share it. That is witnessing for Jesus.

II. The Light that lights every man was coming into the world. V. 9

1. This is a wonderful verse but we are not sure what it means in the full sense. What is the nature of the light that comes to every person? The verse is so short that it is difficult to know exactly what is meant.
A number of possibilities.

A. It refers to the light of reason and intelligence. As the creation of God man has been enlightened by reason. All men are given reason to live life. Life without reason is a life lived on impulse or sensation, or emotion.

B. The light of grace given only to believers. This could be limited to those who have commited their lives to Jesus.

C. It could refer to intellectual and spiritual insight sufficient for anyone to conclude for the existence of God and worship Him.

D. John Wesley’s view was that all men have the light of God upon their lives so that they can make a decision for or against Him.

2. The marvel is that Light, Jesus, has come into the world. He is the Light of the World. There is no life without light. In the physical realm light is captured in photosynthesis and we live because of light. Every vegetable is a product of light. Every piece of meat is related to light captured in grasses, or grains. The regularity of light makes life possible.

3. Jesus is the light for every man coming into the world. The ancient world had lots of prejudices. The Jews hated the Gentiles and held that Gentiles were create for no other purpsoe than to be fuel in the fires of hell. The Gentiles, the Greek world never dreamed that knowledge was for every person. The Roman world looked down on the barbarians, the lesser breeds without the law. But Jesus came to be the light for every man. Only God has a heart big enough to hold all the world.

III. God’s Child v. 12-13

1. Becoming God’s child is not by blood (in Greek physiology, the seed of the father was mingled with the blood of the mother), not of the will of the flesh, (sexual impulse,) nor of the will of man (human paternity), but of God. There is a spiritual rebirth that takes place in believing. This believing in Jesus issues forth in a lifestyle that is God’s will for us.

We can think of this in human terms. There are two kinds of sons.
A. There is the son that never does anything else but use his home. All thought his youth he takes everything that the home can offer, and gives nothing in return. His father may work and sacrifice to give him his chance in life, and he takes it as a right, enver realizing that he is taking and making no effort to deserve it or repay it. When he leaves home, he makes no attempt to keep in touch. The home has served its purpose for him and he is finished with it. He realizes no bond to be maintained and no debt to be paid. He is his father’s son; to his father he owes his existence, and to his father he owes what he is; but between him and his father there is no bond of love or intimacy. The father had given all in love;but the son has given nothing in return.

B. On the other hand, there is the son who all his life realizes what his father is doing and has done for him. He takes every opportunity to show his gratitude by trying to be the son his father would wish him to be; as the years go by he grows closer and closer to his father; the relationship of father and son becomes the relationship of fellowship and friendship. Even when he leaves hom the bond is still there and he is still conscious of a debt that can never be repaid.

2. Do you recognize yourself here? What kind of child are you? Do you take all the good gifts that God has given and regard them as your right? Or, do you recognize and admit to God you owe everything you have to him and you want a continuing relationship with him?

3 We do not have the option of choosing our parents in the human sense. We do have the option of choosing whether we want to be adopted into the household of God. Look at our verse again, “to as many as received Him, He gave power, or the right to become children of God.”
The question I must ask this morning is: “have you received Jesus as Lord and Savior of your life?” Do you know Him as your forgiver? Your friend? Your counselor?

You can become a part of God’s family by asking Jesus to come into your life, to forgive you of your sins, and to give you the gift of everlasting life in God’s presence. If you have not done this, will you do it today?