John the Baptist - John 1:6-8

John 1:6-8

6 There was a man sent from God, whose name [was] John.

7 The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all [men] through him might believe.

8 He was not that Light, but [was sent] to bear witness of that Light.

John the Baptist is a man whom many may not relate themselves – he was a preacher that lived in the wilderness, wore camel's hair with a leathern girdle, and ate locusts and wild honey (Matt 3:1-4). On the surface many may consider him to be crazy and radical! …and yet John the Baptist is the perfect picture of what a born-again, blood-bought child of God should be in this dark world.

Separated from the world (1Jn 2:15-17; 2Cor6:14-18; Jn 17:15; Rom 12:1-2; Col 3:1-2)

John was a man that was physically separate from the world – his home was the wilderness, his clothes were made from camel hair, and his diet was locusts and wild honey. Spiritually we are to be just like John – our "home", the place where we comfortably dwell, is in Jesus Christ (Col 3:3; 2:3; 2Pt 1:2-4); our "clothing" is the righteousness of God received through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ (Rom 3:3:21-22; Eph4:24; Col 3:10); our "diet" is to do the will of God and finish the work he's given us (Jn4:34; Job 23:12; Ps 40:8). Just as John was despised by the "religious elite" of his day that were too proud to acknowledge the truth, so it is with us. Our "home", "clothing", and "diet" are despised by our flesh, the systems of this world (including religious systems), and the enemies of God. There is a natural separation that should exist, and if we find any grey area in this separation, it is because we have chosen to compromise in our relationship with our Saviour and Lord, Jesus Christ.

Sent from God (Mt 28:18-20; Mk 16:15; Lk 24:47; Acts 1:8; Rom 10:14-15; Is 6:8)

John was the messenger sent by God to prepare the way for the Messiah (Is: 40:3; Mal 3:1, 4:5-6; Mt 3:3; Mk 1:3; Lk 3:4; Jn1:23), and we too are messengers sent from God to reconcile the world to Jesus Christ (2Cor 5:18-21). Born-again believers, washed and purchased by the blood of God have a message to declare to the world, and if God be for us, who can be against us (Rom 8:31)?! The Creator of the universe has commissioned his people to be his ambassadors in this dark and dying world... How can we succeed in our mission for God's glory if we do not accomplish what we were sent to do? The sooner we (born-again believers) understand that we are no longer our own and that Jesus Christ died for us so that we would live the rest of our lives for him (2Cor 5:14-15), the easier it is to submit to God's call upon our lives to go and do his work.

Bore witness of the Light that all men might believe (2Cor 5:17-21; 2Pt 3:18; Acts 13:38-39; Jn 3:16-18, 36)

As John was not that Light, so are we not that Light; and as John was to be a witness of the Light, so we must reflect the glorious light of the gospel to all creatures from every aspect of our lives. The Lord said that he put the treasure of "the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ...in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us (2Cor 4:6-7)." It truly is a wonder that the all-powerful, immutable, transcendent, omnipresent, omniscient, and eternal God decided to use weak, finite, ever-changing, limited human beings to declare his message, help bring our fellow mankind to the Saviour, and assist in the maturing process of born-again brothers and sisters in Christ. God has chosen the weak things of this world to confound the mighty, therefore let us glory in this weakness and shine forth the Light that all men may see, repent, and be converted!

-Stephen