“There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light” – John 1:6-8
Here, in these verses, we are introduced to John the Baptist. John was God’s messenger who announced the coming of God’s Messiah. The Old Testament prophets, Isaiah and Malachi, predicted his coming, and, here in John 1:6-7, the prophecies are fulfilled.
The objective of John’s ministry and message was to point people to Jesus. God spent him in the proclamation and exaltation of Jesus Christ. What a tremendous call! When people heard him speak and watched him minister, their ears and minds and hearts were directed to the truth about God’s Messiah, Jesus. His message was, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). His joy was the fame of Christ, and that people trusted in Him for salvation. J. Oswald Sanders wrote of him, “he prepares the way, clears the way, and gets out of the way.” John was in every sense of the words, a “Jesus guy”. Question: Is this true about your life? Does your life attract people to Jesus?
John is an example for us. His whole life, identity, and legacy were found in Jesus. He was Christ-centered and Christ exalting. He said, “He must increase, and I must decrease” (John 3:30). All he wanted for his life was to attract people to Jesus…and it did. This was his success in life and service. If we have the same passion for the exaltation of Christ, our lives will point people to the beautiful glory and infinite worth of Christ as well. Let’s spend time loving Jesus, and we’ll attract others to Him.
