Glory in the Specifics

Praying rightly, specifically, and intentionally

1Ki 17:20 And he cried to the LORD, "O LORD my God, have you brought calamity even upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by killing her son?"
1Ki 17:21 Then he stretched himself upon the child three times and cried to the LORD, "O LORD my God, let this child's life come into him again."
1Ki 17:22 And the LORD listened to the voice of Elijah. And the life of the child came into him again, and he revived.
1Ki 17:23 And Elijah took the child and brought him down from the upper chamber into the house and delivered him to his mother. And Elijah said, "See, your son lives."
1Ki 17:24 And the woman said to Elijah, "Now I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in your mouth is truth."

Notice how Elijah prays here. He prayed 3 times which means he was steadfast. But what we need to see here is that he prays a very specific and courageous prayer. Specific because he asks God exactly what he wants. Courageous because asking God to bring a girl back from the dead is a big deal. Would you feel comfortable praying such a prayer? We could argue that this is Elijah. We are not Elijah. But look at what Paul tells the church in Romans.

Rom 8:9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.
Rom 8:10 But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
Rom 8:11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.

We have the same spirit in us that raised Jesus from the dead. We have the same spirit that raised that little boy in Elijah’s arms that day. We have our Helper. We have our Counselor. We have the Holy Spirit living in us. What does that mean for us? It means that we can approach the throne of God with confidence because it wasn’t us who chose him first; He chose us first.

“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.”
-Jesus Christ, John 15:16

Knowing this, we can ask God very specific and very courageous prayers. We tend to stay away from praying like this because we think that our requests are just too big and too specific.  We fear that if we asked God, we might be let down. We are afraid that God isn’t going to answer. Trust in His word and His promises and that He has chosen us and appointed us to cry out to Him.  Share with God the specific details of your heart and allow Him to reveal to you all of His glory.

Jehovah Nissi

The Lord is my banner

The name Jehovah Nissi comes from two root names. “Jehovah” which means “the self existent one.” “Nissi” means “banner, raised up, exalted.” The full translation of the name with both names together means “the Lord is my banner.” This name for God is only found once in the entire Bible and was used in Exodus 17.

What does a banner do?

A banner is used to rally the troops, bestow honor, declare who is represented, calls attention to, heralds an event, unifies the company, proclaims victory, and puts flight to enemies. It goes before us, and over us.

When we say the lord is my banner what are we saying? Let’s look at the text it originally came from.

Exo 17:8 Then Amalek came and fought with Israel at Rephidim.
Exo 17:9 So Moses said to Joshua, "Choose for us men, and go out and fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand."
Exo 17:10 So Joshua did as Moses told him, and fought with Amalek, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill.
Exo 17:11 Whenever Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed, and whenever he lowered his hand, Amalek prevailed.
Exo 17:12 But Moses' hands grew weary, so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it, while Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side. So his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.
Exo 17:13 And Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his people with the sword.
Exo 17:14 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Write this as a memorial in a book and recite it in the ears of Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven."
Exo 17:15 And Moses built an altar and called the name of it, The LORD Is My Banner,
Exo 17:16 saying, "A hand upon the throne of the LORD! The LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation."

This is a powerful scripture of victory and promise. This is the first battle Israel fought after the exodus out of their enslavement to the Egyptians and is right before they would receive the 10 commandments and the law. It is also the first scripture where God tells someone to record an event.

Why did Moses call the Lord this name through an alter?

The important thing here is that this is their first victory as a nation. They may have run from the Egyptians and succeeded but there was no empowerment from God in that. God completely, without the use of anyone, destroyed the Egyptian army. This time was different. God used his people for victory over the enemy. He used them to have victory over something attacking them.

Moses understood that with God, victory was theirs. He was reassured God’s promises are true. More than that though, I think Moses is telling God on behalf of Israel, “I will have you lead us in every battle and in every circumstance that we are going to face. You are our banner. Go before us. Cover us. We trust in you.” This deep understanding would aid Moses and Joshua for the rest of their days while leading Israel.

Here is the issue for us. We need to raise the banner of Christ to go before us and cover us in everything that we do. Are you doing this? Are you humbling yourself before him, raising a banner, and having him go before you in anything that you do? We are not fighting a physical war like Israel did, but we are fighting to have our lives completely given to and saturated with Christ.

Raising a banner for us, most of the time, applies to our decision making. Look at this scripture.

Jas 4:13 Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit"--
Jas 4:14 yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.
Jas 4:15 Instead you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that."
Jas 4:16 As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.
Jas 4:17 So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.

Simple decision making and simple planning. Are you raising the banner of God before you do these things?  Do you come before God and have him lead you in all that you do. Before you buy a car, before you decide to go to this church, before you decide to move, before you plan a vacation, are you trusting in God as your banner to go before for you before you do all these things? Are you seeking him to find the answer? Are you allowing his will to have an impact on these decisions?

We don’t have an issue raising him up when there is trouble attacking us, but are we raising him up in everything?

Not Our Way but His Way

Mat 6:7 "And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words.
Mat 6:8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
Mat 6:9 Pray then like this: "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.
Mat 6:10 Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Mat 6:11 Give us this day our daily bread,
Mat 6:12 and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
Mat 6:13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil."

In everything that God has commanded us to do, there is a device in that command that reveals to us the state of our heart. For example, God told us to tithe not because he needs money, but because it reveals to us our hearts desires, either on God or on our possessions. Another example would be that God has commanded us to be honest because when we come to a situation where we could lie or be truthful, it reveals whether our heart is using the things around us for our own gain or whether we are using everything around us for Christ. The command to pray is the same way. Scripture says:

Mat 6:7 "And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words.
Mat 6:8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him."

When we pray to God, we aren’t giving him new information. Prayer isn’t a device to let God know what we need. He is all-knowing. He already knows what we need. So why pray?

2Ch 7:14 "If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land."

Prayer requires us to humble ourselves. Humbling ourselves isn’t becoming outwardly weak but spiritually strong because we are submitting to God’s authority. The way Jesus teaches his disciples to pray reflects this perfectly.

Mat 6:7 "And when you pray…"

The Greek word here is “whenever.” So whenever we pray, in our bedroom, in the car, at church, we are to pray like this.


Mat 6:9 Pray then like this: "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.
Mat 6:10 Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven."

Christ says whenever you pray, it looks like this. Holy is your name, let your name, let your reputation, let your glory, let your renown, let everything you do and everything you're worth be here and not just known in heaven.

This is a God-centered prayer that has nothing to do with us. Christ is teaching exactly what it says in 2Ch 7:14, “humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways”.

Jesus is teaching that we need to turn away from ourselves and focus on God in all parts of life. Jesus teaches us to pray this way because this prayer reflects a heart that is humble before the lord, submitting to God’s will and glory.

The next part of the prayer looks and feels focused on us but in truth it isn’t at all.

Mat 6:11 "Give us this day our daily bread,"

Look at what Solomon writes in proverbs about this very same concept.

Pro 30:7 "Two things I ask of you, O LORD; do not refuse me before I die:
Pro 30:8 Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread.
Pro 30:9 Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, 'Who is the LORD? Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God."

Solomon’s concern was the name and renown of the Lord on each end of the pendulum swing. Solomon is praying, "don’t give me too much or too little, but exactly what I need for you to be glorified in my life today." Do you see what a humble prayer this is? Solomon wants nothing to do with his wants, his desires, or his personal preferences, but only God’s way, God’s desire, God to be lifted high.

Mat 6:13 "And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil."

This is still a humble prayer that is totally God focused when he says, “lead us not into temptation.” The statement here is simply, “help me. I can’t, you can. Cover me, lead me, and protect me with your ways." This is humbleness. This is submitting by conveying helplessness.

Jesus teaches his disciples to pray like this in Mat 6:7-13 and then prays like this in Mat 26:36-39. Look at the prayer of Jesus the night before his betrayal.

Mat 26:36 "Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, 'Sit here, while I go over there and pray.'
Mat 26:37 And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled."
Mat 26:38 Then he said to them, "My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me."
Mat 26:39 And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, "My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will."

What better example is there than this? Christ is about to absorb the wrath of all of mankind’s sin on the cross and he says, “not as I will, but as you will.” This displayed humbleness of Christ should break our hearts and inspire us to be humble in our own life’s circumstances. Christ paid it all for us in his perfect display of humbleness before God.

Are we humbling ourselves in prayer, or are we just kind of doing life our own way and praying out of duty? Are we praying for something to be done in line with our will or are we submitting to the will and authority of God and asking him to be glorified by doing it his way? Are we praying that God would show us where we are not humble? Let us keep ourselves from heaping up empty phrases and submit to God by bringing ourselves low and exalting him.

Pray that God would be glorified by doing things his way and not your own way. Ask him to show you what he desires and ask him to give you what you need to carry it out with nothing more or nothing less. Humble yourself and pray according to his ways and not your own.

Steadfast, Watch, Glorify

Praying rightly, specifically, and intentionally

Col 4:4 Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.

Col 4:3 At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison--

Col 4:4 that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak.

If you ever want a quick encouragement, or to find a wealth of wisdom from a text of scripture, go to the end of one of Paul’s letters. Like at the end of a telephone conversation cut short, Paul blurts out many but quick truths he wants to get across to the receiver of his message. In this letter to the church in Colossi, Paul gives a quick but deep command to them about praying.

Col 4:2a Continue steadfastly in prayer…

Steadfastly: Firm: with resolute determination

Could you say that you are firmly, with a resolute determination, praying to God? This is not just a command for a single prayer, but it is a command for your prayer life. If you were praying with resolute determination, does it seem like that would also reflect frequency of prayer? I know that if I am firmly resolute in determination about something, I’m going to be tenacious about it until what I am determined about is accomplished. Are you praying like that? If not, why? Does the answer speak to you about where your heart is whether good or bad?

Col 4:2 Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.

Paul tells the church to be watchful in it their prayers. So they are to continue steadfastly not only in prayer but also in watchfulness while praying. Why would he say that? Why would someone be watchful in prayer? When someone is watchful, they expect something to happen. People watch the news to see what is happening, people watch sports to see who will win, and people watch the stock market to see how the economy is doing. They watch because they expect something to happen. That is why we should watch while we pray with firm, resolute determination. We watch because we expect and trust God to do something. Are you expecting him to move? Are you expecting him to do anything?

Jas 1:3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.

Jas 1:4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Jas 1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.

Jas 1:6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.

Jas 1:7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;
Jas 1:8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

If we don’t expect him to answer, if we doubt his many promises of answering prayer, James says that we cannot expect God to do anything. Are you watching for God with eager expectation?

Col 4:2b …being watchful in it with thanksgiving.

Paul says that thanksgiving is going to come with our watchfulness. This can only mean one thing, God is going to do something. This is crystal clear. There will be thanksgiving when we watch because when we are attentive, alert, and searching for God’s answer without doubt, we will see his answer to our prayer. He has promised to answer them in his word.

Joh 14:13 whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

That is the key. God loves to answer prayer because he receives glory by our thanksgiving. God loves to be our giver. It is more glorious to be the giver than the receiver. God loves to answer prayer because he wants us to know that he loves us, he wants unbelievers to know that Jesus is the true Son of God, and he wants all the earth to give him Glory.

Mat 7:7 "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

Mat 7:8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.

Mat 7:9 Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone?

Mat 7:10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent?

Mat 7:11 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

1Pe 5:6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you,

1Pe 5:7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

Joh 15:7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

Joh 15:8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.

Psa 50:14 Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and perform your vows to the Most High,

Psa 50:15 and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.

Are you praying like Paul commands us to? Are you steadfastly praying, are you watching eagerly, and are you glorifying him when he does answer prayer? This is the most important thing for us to do. If we do not humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God, and firmly with determination go after him in prayer, believing that he is going to do something, we are not being responsible with the work God has given to us. We cannot be self-reliant because self-reliance is spiritual suicide.

Pray now for him to glorify himself through answering your prayers and then watch for his answer.

The Birth of John the Baptist Foretold

Luk 1:5 In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah. And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.

Luk 1:6 And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord.

Luk 1:7 But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years.

Luk 1:8 Now while he was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty,

Luk 1:9 according to the custom of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense.

Luk 1:10 And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense.

Luk 1:11 And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense.

Luk 1:12 And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him.

Luk 1:13 But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.

Luk 1:14 And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth,

Luk 1:15 for he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb.

Luk 1:16 And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God,

Luk 1:17 and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared."

Luk 1:18 And Zechariah said to the angel, "How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years."

Luk 1:19 And the angel answered him, "I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news.

Luk 1:20 And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time."

Luk 1:21 And the people were waiting for Zechariah, and they were wondering at his delay in the temple.

Luk 1:22 And when he came out, he was unable to speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision in the temple. And he kept making signs to them and remained mute.

Luk 1:23 And when his time of service was ended, he went to his home.

Luk 1:24 After these days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she kept herself hidden, saying,

Luk 1:25 "Thus the Lord has done for me in the days when he looked on me, to take away my reproach among people."

Luke is the only gospel writer who documents the promise and birth of John the Baptist. But why is this so important? Why is it worth Luke’s time and our understanding to include John the Baptist? John the Baptist is the second most prophesied person in the Old Testament beside Christ. These prophecies spoke of one “preparing the way” of the coming of the Messiah. Israel was looking for this person prophesied about whom was, “the voice of one crying in the wilderness.” They were looking for this first indication of the promised Messiah.

Joh 1:19 And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?"

Joh 1:20 He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, "I am not the Christ."

Joh 1:21 And they asked him, "What then? Are you Elijah?" He said, "I am not." "Are you the Prophet?" And he answered, "No."

Joh 1:22 So they said to him, "Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?"

Joh 1:23 He said, "I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, 'Make straight the way of the Lord,' as the prophet Isaiah said."

John the Baptist says in this text that he is the one prophesied about in Isaiah 40. "I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, 'Make straight the way of the Lord.” Two other prominent prophecies about John are found in Malachi.

Mal 3:1 "Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts.

Mal 4:5 "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes.

Mal 4:6 And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction."

When the angel Gabriel appeared to Zechariah and said, “And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared," Gabriel validated John as the one in the prophecies.

In validating John the Baptist as the one prophesied about, Gabriel is in fact validating the eminent arrival of the promised Messiah. So, documenting John, validates Christ as the arrived Messiah.

Another reason to document John’s promise and birth shows that God’s hand was in both John’s and Christ’s arrival.

Luk 1:18 And Zechariah said to the angel, "How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years."

Unlike Abraham who responded with faith, Zechariah did not have any. Zechariah understood that his wife was too old and it was impossible for her to have a child in her old age. He could not see God supernaturally overcoming the impossible. But God did. In fact, in both cases, John and Jesus were born supernaturally. Do you think that this fact is a coincidence? Maybe God brought the arrival of John and Jesus in a supernatural way as more validation of His involvement. God is saying, “I am doing this. I am ushering in ‘the day of the LORD’. These are the two prophesied about.”

Two Final Thoughts…

John denied that he was “Elijah” and “the Prophet” even though Gabriel says he will have the spirit of Elijah and Gabriel connects him to the prophecies about God sending Elijah to prepare the way. It seems odd that John would deny that. But the fact is, he was not literally Elijah the prophet but that seems too easy an answer. What do you think?

Second. With all of this considered, it is hard to believe that Israel then and even today, can’t see the truth of who Jesus is with their knowledge of the Old Testament prophecies. God did many things to validate Jesus as the Messiah including fulfilling all of the prophesies about Him in the Old Testament and performing the miracles to the extent that He did; Not to mention the big one, Jesus risen for the dead. Scripture does speak of this hardening on Israel in Romans.

Rom 11:25 Lest you be wise in your own sight, I want you to understand this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.

Rom 11:26 And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written, "The Deliverer will come from Zion, he will banish ungodliness from Jacob";

Rom 11:27 "and this will be my covenant with them when I take away their sins."

Rom 11:28 As regards the gospel, they are enemies of God for your sake. But as regards election, they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers.

Rom 11:29 For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.

All the proof is there for us to use as a tool to share the gospel to those around us. But the question is, are we serious enough and faithful enough to seek out, learn, and understand the proof? Are we serious and faithful enough to actually share the gospel? How many people have you spoken to about the gospel this week? This month? Last year?

Do not follow the way of Zechariah. Believe in the promises of God, that he will be with you.

Act 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."

We are empowered. God saves. We are faithful. Go.

John's Mission and Christ's Identity

John 1:19-34

John was baptizing in the Jordan and he is about to defend his ministry and proclaim the deity and mission of Christ…

Joh 1:19                And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?"

Joh 1:20                He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, "I am not the Christ."

Joh 1:21                And they asked him, "What then? Are you Elijah?" He said, "I am not." "Are you the Prophet?" And he answered, "No."

Joh 1:22                So they said to him, "Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?"

Joh 1:23                He said, "I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, 'Make straight the way of the Lord,' as the prophet Isaiah said."

Joh 1:24                (Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.)

In everything John ever did, he directed it all straight to Christ. John accepted no praise and demanded none. He denied what he could not claim but he also denied what he could have claimed. He had the spirit of Elijah and he did prophesy the Christ to come. But why did he deny it?

John’s mission was to point everyone to Christ, to show His infinite worth, and to inspire a need for the Messiah. John came to prepare the way of the Lord, not his own.  John’s denial in what he could claim, was him fully embracing his purpose on earth. John essentially was saying, “This is not about me. This is about the Messiah.”

The amazing thing about this story is that we have the same mission today. We are to proclaim the messiah, we are to show people Christ’s infinite worth, and we are to inspire a need for Jesus in everyone we come in contact with. We join together with John the Baptist in the same mission. The question for us is, do we point everything to Christ like John did. If this is our same missions, are we in all things saying, “Not me, Christ! He is infinite, He is perfect, and He is all!”

Do you talk more about yourself or about Christ? Do you boast more in Christ’s work or your own? Does your heart and mind lean more toward lifting yourself up or exalting Christ? Do you give Christ the credit in all you do? Is He your aim? Is His glory your goal?

Joh 1:25                They asked him, "Then why are you baptizing, if you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?"

Joh 1:26                John answered them, "I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know,

Joh 1:27                even he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie."

Joh 1:28                These things took place in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

Joh 1:29                The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

This is a huge testimony from John. Up until this point, Israel had been using an actual lamb without spot of blemish to sacrifice for their sins.

 It was only a temporary price though. The sacrificial system in which Israel had operated in from the days of Moses pointed toward one final payment for their sin and it was prophesied that it would be delivered by the Christ to come.

John is proclaiming Jesus as that final payment not just for Israel but for the entire world. Do you see and feel the weight of this? The Christ, from God, was going to be slaughtered like a lamb. He was going to bleed for everyone so that we could be forgiven. Forgiveness and salvation was here in a horrific display that reveals how serious sin is to God.

Joh 1:30                This is he of whom I said, 'After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.'

Joh 1:31                I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel."

If Jesus’ deity was not clear up until this point, it was now. “He out ranks me because though I was born before Him, He was before me.” Christ is eternal. He is the God of the Old Testament and of eternity. He is the word became flesh.                                                                                                                        

Joh 1:32                And John bore witness: "I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him.

Joh 1:33                I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.'

Joh 1:34                And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God."

Will you proclaim Christ as bold, courageous, and selfless as John? Our Testimony should echo Isaiah 53.

Isa 53:3                  He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Isa 53:4                  Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.

Isa 53:5                  But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed.

Isa 53:6                  All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned--every one--to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

Isa 53:7                  He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.

Isa 53:8                  By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people?

Isa 53:9                  And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth.

Isa 53:10                Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.

Isa 53:11                Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities.

Isa 53:12                Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.