DIGGING DEEP NO. 914 – December 21th, 2021 THE SON OF GOD IS HERE (PART 2) Jh.1: 15- 28, 49

In this first chapter, John recorded seven names and titles of Jesus that identify Him as eternal God. 1. The Word; 2. The Light – Jh.1: 4- 13.

3. The Son of God – John the Baptist is one of the most important persons in the New Testament. He is mentioned at least eighty-nine times. John had the special privilege of introducing Jesus to the nation of Israel. He also had the difficult task of preparing the nation to receive their Messiah. He called them to repent of their sins by being baptized and then living changed lives. Jh.1: 15 John the Baptist was actually born six months before Jesus; so in this statement he is referring to our Lord’s preexistence. Jesus existed before John the Baptist was ever conceived.

Jesus Christ has the fullness of grace and truth – Jh.1: 16- 17 Grace is God’s favor and kindness bestowed on those who do not deserve it and cannot earn it. If God dealt with us only according to truth, none of us would survive, but He deals with us on the basis of grace and truth. Grace without truth would be deceitful, and truth without grace would be condemning. In Jesus Christ, grace and truth reach their fullness, and this fullness is available to us. We are saved by grace Ephe.2: 8- 9, but we also live by grace 1Cor.15: 10 and depend on God’s grace in all that we do. We can receive one grace after another Jam.4: 6.

Jesus Christ reveals God to us – Jh.1: 18 God is invisible 1Tim.1: 17; Heb.11: 27. Man can see God revealed in nature Ps.19: 1- 6; Rom.1: 20, and man can see His mighty works in history, but he cannot see God Himself. Jesus Christ reveals God to us for He is the image of the invisible God Col.1: 15 and the express image of His person Heb.1: 3. Jesus Christ explains God to us and interprets Him for us. We simply cannot understand God apart from knowing His Son, Jesus Christ.

Jh.1: 18 the phrase “only begotten” means unique, the only one of its kind. He is not only the Son of God, but He is God the Son. Even the demons admitted this Mk.3: 11; Lk.4: 41. John the Baptist is one of six persons named in the gospel of John who gave witness that Jesus is the Son of God Jh.1: 32- 34. The others are Nathaniel Jh.1: 49; Peter Jh.6: 69; the blind man who was healed Jh.9: 35- 38; Martha Jh.11: 27; and Thomas Jh.20: 28. If you add our Lord Himself Jh.5: 25; 10: 36 then you have seven clear witnesses.

Jh.1: 19- 24 a committee from the Jewish religious leaders interrogated John the Baptist. These men had every right to investigate John and his ministry since they were the custodians and guardians of the faith. They asked him several questions and he clearly answered them. “Who are you?” was a logical question. Was he the promised Messiah? Was he the prophet Elijah who was supposed to come before the Messiah appeared Mal.4: 5? Great crowds had gathered to hear John, and many people had been baptized; though John did no miracles Jh.10: 41. In one sense, he was the promised Elijah Matt.17: 10- 13.

John had nothing to say about himself because he was sent to talk about Jesus! Jesus is the Word; John was but “a voice” and you cannot see a voice. John pointed back to Isaiah’s prophecy and affirmed that he was the fulfillment Is.40: 1- 3.

Having ascertained who John was, the committee then asked what he was doing. “Why are you baptizing?” John got his authority to baptize not from men, but from heaven because he was commissioned by God Matt.21: 23- 32. The Jewish religious leaders in that day baptized Gentiles who wanted to adopt Jewish faith, but John baptized Jews. John explained that his baptism was in the water, but that the Messiah would come and baptize with spiritual baptism.

John made it clear that he was not establishing a new religion or seeking to exalt himself. He was pointing people to the Savior, the son of God Jh.1: 34. We shall learn later that it was through baptism that Jesus Christ would be presented to the people of Israel.

In Conclusion – is your life and message pointing to the Messiah the Son of God or is the gospel all about you? It is all about Jesus; nothing more, nothing less!