JESUS, THE SIN REDEEMER, IS THE CENTRE OF OUR TESTIMONY
By Lay Pastor Jusak Pundiono
Lemah Putro, Sunday, February 16, 2020
Shalom,
Because we serve Him as one Body of Christ, let us pray that our praises may give us strength and to remind us that our praises are for none other than our God. May that be an encouragement and strength to others as well.
How did the Apostle John, the disciple of Jesus, write the testimony of John the Baptist about Jesus, the redeemer of sin? The Gospel of John 1: 19-34 wrote some dialogues of John the Baptist’s testimony that showed Jesus in the end. Generation and age may change but Jesus, the redeemer of sin, must always be the centre of testimony of the believers.
So, what do we need to be aware of when we testify?
• Not to boast about anyone (oneself or the servant of God whom we admire) except Jesus (John 1:19-23). “Now this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?”
The priests and Levites were a group of important people who were related to the service at the Holy Temple. They were sent by the Jews who were at the capital city, Jerusalem, to find the Messiah. They investigated people who were deemed important for the service.
John the Baptist’s way of teaching and baptizing were pretty outstanding. Nevertheless, he did not take that into advantage to gain more fame and attention when he was being interviewed by a spiritual public figure. The truth is the spreading of the testimony only happened by the power of the Holy Spirit and it was proven that John did not boast about himself even when he had a chance to receive the benefit of fame because he knew Jesus.
When we have a chance to testify in front of any body, let us testify not to boast about other people except Jesus so that:
- A testimony will not steal the glory of the Lord just like John the Baptist admitted, “I am not the Christ.” (v. 20)
Jesus did not clearly reveal Himself as the Messiah when the doubtful Jews asked Him (John 10:24). In another chance, Jesus left when He perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king after he fed 5.000 men (John 6: 10-15).
- A testimony is not to worship the servant of the Lord (v. 21). John the Baptist refused when he was called Elijah eventhough he was given the power of Elijah to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just (Luke 1:17). We need to know that Elijah was considered one of the great prophets because he was full of power to bring fire to consume the burnt offering, the wood and even licked up the water that was in the trench (1 Kings 18:36-38). However, John the Baptist did not want to be identified as any prominent man.
There are so many ways of the Lord to bring us to know Him and some of them are through His servants, parents, siblings and friends but we must never overly adore, let alone, depend on them. It is true that in the beginning we need spiritual guidance but over time, we must try to be independent in terms of worshipping the Lord. Our knowledge of Jesus must grow personally, and the Lord gives us the ability to know Him more. Take heed, we repent not because of a servant of the Lord but because of the Lord Himself.
- A testimony that says make straight way of the Lord (vv. 22-23).
When he was forced to show his true self, John the Baptist quoted from Isaiah 40 that he himself was the voice that pushed Israel to welcome salvation. For that, the Israelites (and us) had to be ready to be fixed by the Word of God so that there would be a life-changing testimony that they used to live in a crooked way and chase/ prioritize/ depend on the temporary glory of the world now are processed by the Word of God after they believe in Jesus (vv. 3-8).
John did not show his identity; instead, he humbled himself and considered himself just as a mere “voice”. It’s because he wanted to show a voice that was greater than his and that was Jesus, the Word of God that became flesh.
Application: Despite different looks and positions, all servants of the Lord must position themselves as one “voice” preaching about Jesus, the Redeemer. We must remember, each one of us, not just the servant of the Lord, can be used by the Lord. That is why we must appreciate each voice without idolizing the person who owns the voice. A question for us: Has the voice of the Word of God (not the voice of the preacher) worked in our lives? Each of us (husband, wife, parents, children, etc.) has some crooked way of life that needs to be straightened by the Word of God. This goes to the servant of the Lord too, no matter how greatly he is used, everyone has its time (the greatness is just temporary) but the Word of God is forever. That is why we should not depend on anyone except Jesus, the Word of God that became flesh.
• Not exaggerating the success of our ministry because Jesus first served us (vv.24-27).
John the Baptist had a pretty good success in his ministry, he baptized a lot of people and had disciples also, who, among them, became the disciples of Jesus. A lot of people from different social classes came to him including the Pharisee, teachers and the students of the Law. The Pharisee could differenciate legal and illegal. John the Baptist did not answer the question from the Pharisee about his ministry because he knew the legality of his ministry was not given by human/ the religious officer/ people in Jerusalem but was sent by God Himself (John 1:6).
Application: Whoever and whatever our ministry (whether it is seen or behind the scene) is considered a messenger who is used by the Lord in each place so that we don’t have to show off our success in our ministry.
Why don’t we need to show off our ministry?
- Because our ministry is only by His Grace (John 1:25-26a).
We can serve not because of the authorization from man, church’s organization or being active in church but because of the love and grace from God in Jesus.
Don’t imitate the concept of the Pharisee (and politicians) that they gave a testimony of their ministry with an expectation to be seen, respected and admired by others (Matthew 23:2, 5-6).
How was the statement of Paul, an ex-Pharisee? He positioned himself at the last place just like one who was born prematurely, wasn’t worthy to be called an apostle because he had persecuted the church of God but later received the grace of God (1 Corinthians 15:8-11).
- Because our ministry is not worthy before the Lord (vv. 26-27).
The truth is no matter what we do, we are still not worthy before Him. We become the servant of the Lord/church’s officer not because we could find our way politically or being close to the head of the church but because the Lord Himself chose us. Therefore, we shall remain humble and realize that without Christ we are aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenant of promise, having no hope and without God in the world (Ephesians 2:12). Only by the blood of Christ that we have been brought near (v. 13) and become the priests of the Lord (Revelations 1:5-6).
Application: When we receive the trust of the Lord, let us serve wholeheartedly because Jesus, the Redeemer, is with us in our ministry and make us worthy in whatever condition we are in and however bad our past was. We need His grace to keep us humble because our ministry is still lacking and full of mistakes.
• It is undeniable (no compromise) to testify about Jesus, the Redeemer (vv. 28-34).
The dialogue of the testimony of John happened in Bethabara beyond the Jordan, a small city compared to the other Bethany near Jerusalem (John 11: 18). This shows that we do not need to be choosy when it comes to testifying (in tall buildings, rented houses, city, village, etc.) as long as Jesus perceives it wholeheartedly.
What point/ topic that needs to be testified?
- To testify about Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (v. 29).
John said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” The word “Behold” contains a serious invitation to know, pay attention and focus only on Jesus. It is the proof that God has provided the offering for the atonement for sins according to His standard. In the Old Testament, the lamb sacrificed – however good its condition was – kept and raised by a sinner; whereas in order to make atonement for sins, it needs a sacrifice of a blameless lamb. The Lamb of God is so much different because it is a sacrifice from God Himself, being kept in Heaven by God; so, it is sinless. It is clear now that Jesus who is flawless fits the standard of God’s sacrifice for it is impossible that the blood of bulls and goats can take away sins (Hebrews 10:4). When Jesus, the Word of God, from Heaven entered the world, God provided a body for Him (Hebrews 10:5). The power of the Highest overshadowed Mary (Luke 1:35) and the “zygote” of the body of Jesus was placed in the womb of Mary (Matthew 1:20), so that there was no flesh and blood of Mary in Jesus. Mary only provided nutrition for the growth of the body of Jesus that was sinless. This is the Lamb of God, the sacrifice to take away the sin of the world according to God.
Trials that were assaulted to Jesus by the devil proved that He was without sin and there was no sin in Him and thus His mind and heart was not affected by the temptation of the devil like what Adam and Eve experienced before.
- Jesus was before us (v. 30).
God knew what happened in the Garden of Eden and was not surprised when men disobeyed His Word (Genesis 3). He chose us before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4). He has chosen a sacrifice lamb, His own Son as the Lamb of God that was without blemish and without spot (1 Peter 1:18-20).
The blood of Christ was to take away all sins in the world – sins that happened in the world since the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:15). We have been sinful since we were young (Genesis 8:21-22) and as long as the world exists, there are a lot of sins that all men have done (in marriage, family, business, etc.). In other words, ever since man fell into sin until His coming, every sin that is confessed has been taken away by the blood of Christ.
Application: Don’t ever feel hopeless regardless of any struggle for God has provided for us Jesus, the Lamb of God and the Redeemer of our sins.
- Jesus, the Baptizer of the Holy Spirit (vv. 31-33).
When we believe in Jesus as the remover of sins, our sins will surely be taken away and the Holy Spirit will baptize us not to be exclusive or to be the greatest but in order that we can testify about Jesus (John 15: 26-27). He will process us until we are holy and blameless before Him.
Application: Let us testify in the power of the Holy Spirit how God works in a supernatural way. Then our testimony will be fruitful because the Spirit of God is working alongside us.
• We have seen that Jesus is the Son of God (v. 34).
Jesus, the Son of God, has given us the right to become children of God (John 1: 12-13) so that we may live in His Name (John 20: 30-31).
We need to watch how Jesus works to straighten up our crooked lives with His Word and to purify us with His blood so that we may come boldly to the throne of grace (Hebrews 4:16). The centre of our testimony should be Jesus and His sacrifice only – not the success in our ministry because no matter what we do, we are still not worthy before God if He does not give His grace to us. Let us be the living witnesses through our words and actions so that many souls will be won over to know who Jesus, the Redeemer, is. Amen.