Brief, non-denominational Bible messages presenting the practical essence of John’s Gospel. Ideal for daily devotions focusing on the evidence that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
Excerpt
The Fullness of God John 1:15-18
As John the Baptist bore witness to the coming Jesus, he con- tinually emphasized Christ’s superiority over himself. Though Jesus came after him, He was greater, John said, because He existed before him. Notice verse 15. “He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.” John was born into this world before Jesus; he was older by several months. John’s words here are an unmistakable reference to the eternal nature of Jesus, His divinity, His existence in the beginning mentioned back in verses 1-3.
Grace and truth have come by Jesus Christ. The Bible often speaks of grace and truth, claiming Jehovah God as the source of both. God’s grace is often referred to by such words as loving- kindness, mercy and compassion, and His truth represents what is real, lasting and unchangeable, the trustworthiness of God. Exodus 34:6 says the Lord is “abundant in goodness and truth,..” and in Psalm 25:10 we read, “All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth, To such as keep His covenant and His testimonies.” In verse 17 of our text, John identifies Jesus Christ as the avenue by which we are made to realize God’s grace and truth.
Many great men have improved the course of man’s history. Moses, for example, brought a system of law and correct deal- ings the like of which history had not seen. Galileo opened to us new vistas of understanding. Shakespeare used his genius with language to stir our emotions. With their music, Mozart and Schumann continue to soothe our souls and fire our spirits. But, true knowledge of God’s love and faithfulness came only through Jesus Christ.
John points to the fullness of Christ received by men and extends the scope of Christ’s fullness to all men. That includes you and me as well as all those early disciples. His fullness is without limit, sufficient to fill the needs of everyone of all time. Out of the fullness of the God who came down we all receive grace upon grace. Literally, the thought is grace exchanged for grace. All the attributes of divinity are summed up in Jesus, and, as from a divine spring of which there is no end, blessings out of the grace of God flow forth upon all Christians. There is no end to God’s loving-kindness. Each expression of God’s grace stands as a promise of more and greater blessings ready to take its place.
Is it any wonder that John concludes this thought in verse 18 with the fact that we see and know of the Father by looking at the Son? Jesus is God, the only begotten of the Father. He was with Him in the beginning and, though in His bosom, He came down to reveal the fullness of God’s grace and truth among men. Dear friend, would you like to know God? If so, learn of Jesus. Only in Him can you come to know God.
Just a Voice John 1:19-23
John 1:19 begins a discussion in which John the Baptist gives testimony of himself and the Christ and how Christ was greater than he.
John was a powerful preacher. He told it like it was, often in scathing terms. Such preaching did not go unnoticed. It couldn’t. National fame, or should we say notoriety, was hard on the heels of his preaching. For most of us this would have been a heady experience, a monumental ego trip. When public attention comes, it is easy to get caught up in it and bask in the glow of be- ing widely known and acclaimed. Some may even lose sight of their true mission as they bathe in the glory of self-importance. John kept himself and what he did in proper perspective. When the Jews in Jerusalem sent priests and Levites out into the coun- tryside to find John and to learn more of this preacher who caused such a stir, John did not let it go to his head. He was careful that they understood he was no more than he really was. He took no undue glory. “I am not the Christ,” he said. “What then? Are you Elijah? Or are you the Prophet?” perhaps referring to the prophet that Moses had said would come (Deuteronomy 18:15-18). “No,” John said. None of these.
How easy for John to have taken credit for himself. Can you hear him saying, “I am a lot like Elijah, aren’t I?” And wasn’t that so? Wasn’t he a lot like a modern day Elijah? “I am not Elijah,” he might have said, “but I have a similar mission.” John didn’t do even that. He answered simply, humbly and truthfully. Who I am is not important. “I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness. Make straight the way of the Lord.” My reason for being is to tell people to prepare for the coming of the Lord.
Surely there are lessons for us in John’s answer. First, though John the Baptist fulfilled his mission wonderfully, we dare not, in the religious fervor of our day, make more of him than he really was, than he made of himself. Just a voice crying, “Make straight the way of the Lord.”
Further, let us not miss the lesson that we ought not to make ourselves more important than we really are. The apostle Paul put it this way in Romans 12:3, “For I say… to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think;…” This is certainly a most important lesson for any area of our lives, but it is especially needed as we tell others the gos- pel story and work to bring others to the Savior. Let us not think of ourselves more than we are – a voice, simply a voice in the world’s wilderness of sin helping others prepare for the Savior.
Copyright 2010 Charlie Brackett. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author.
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