Title: I am not the Christ
2012
June
10 days
Sermon Title
I am not the Christ
preacher
Old Testament text
Isaiah 40:3-5
New Testament text
John 1:19-27
sermon video
Old Testament
3. The voice of one who cries, saying, Prepare ye the way of the LORD in the wilderness; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
4. Every valley shall be raised up, and every mountain and hill shall be made low; the uneven shall be made level, and the rough places a plain.
5. The glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, saith the mouth of the LORD.
new testament
19. This is the testimony of John when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him who you are.
20. John speaks openly and does not hide it. I am not the Christ, but one
21. He asked again, “Who then are you? Elijah?” He said, “No, I am.” He asked again, “Are you the prophet?” He answered, “No.
22. And they said, "Who are you? Let those who sent us answer. What do you say about you?"
23. And he said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as the prophet Isaiah said.
24. They were sent by the Pharisees.
25. He asked again, "If you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the prophet, why do you baptize?
26. John answered, I baptize with water, but there stands among you a man whom you do not know.
27. He is the one who comes after me; I am not worthy to untie his shoelaces.
sermon
God wants to give grace to all of us. But not everyone has been blessed. Those who are humble among us will receive the grace. As water flows down and pools, so God gives grace to the humble. John the Baptist, according to the mission he received from God, humbled himself to prepare the way for the Lord. What kind of grace does the humble receive?
1. He gives the grace to be free from the evaluation of others. It gives you freedom from darkness. John the Baptist spoke openly and did not hide it. What motivates people to hide who they are without telling them who they are? It's because I want others to know me more than I really am. But it may work for now, but soon it will be revealed and someday it will be revealed. When my true self is revealed, what a shame if I am worse than they knew! It's the opposite of what I want. A humble person is free from human evaluation.
2. It gives you the courage to find your truth. John the Baptist said he was the voice of one crying in the wilderness. People like to talk about the roles and responsibilities of others, but they are not good at talking about their own roles and responsibilities. I don't feel the need to define roles because I just think of myself as a good person. However, if you don't define yourself, you don't know what your limits are, so you interfere with others and it becomes difficult for yourself. John knew how to define himself. I knew where my limits were, what my role was, and what my responsibilities were. The courage of truth is God's grace to the humble.
3. Become one who glorifies the Lord. John the Baptist said he could not even untie his shoelaces. We know that the purpose of life is to glorify God. But what exactly is the glory of God? And how can you give it? The glory of God is not that we shine a light on him, but that his light shines through us. When we are humbled, his glory is revealed. Those who humble themselves before God and men are those who reveal the glory of God.
An open mind is stronger than a closed mind. Because only those with inner strength can open themselves up. Being able to tell your truth is more powerful than hiding it without telling it. Because if you don't have courage, you can't tell the truth. He who acknowledges his weakness can glorify God. Because humility reveals the light of God.
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