The Essentials of a Good Witness

Today, we get to meet John the Baptist, who came as the Forerunner of Jesus Christ to prepare the way for the Lord, and AS John the Baptist prepares the way for the Lord. He also shows us the absolute essentials of us being a witness for Jesus.

You can turn this into a New Year’s message if you want. Many people do New Year’s resolutions. We don’t do New Year’s resolutions. In fact, we make life resolutions. In fact, if you really were expecting a New Year’s message, you can go to wordbymail.com and search “Make a Life’s Resolution” in the teaching tab, and you can get yourself a good New Year’s message. We make life resolutions around here, so maybe your resolution will be to see the witness that John was and to see the essential priorities that he demonstrated, that he acted out for us to be a good witness. I pray that you would take that in for your life.

We may not be called to John’s wild lifestyle, wearing camel hair and eating locusts crouched on the ground in the desert like a crazy guy. But we are called to the Essentials of being a Good Witness that John perfectly demonstrates for us in these verses.

We are introduced to John the Baptist in John 1, verses 6-8.

John 1:6–8 (NLT)
6 God sent a man, John the Baptist,
7 to tell about the light (that was his only job) so that everyone might believe (everyone – the Greek means “each, any, every or all” or “whosoever”) because of his testimony (because of his witness).
8 John himself was not the light; he was simply a witness to tell about the light.

John the Baptist had a huge role, but it boils down to this. God sent John the Baptist to tell about Jesus so that everyone might believe – because of his testimony. John the Baptist was a very special prophet. Jesus himself says of John the Baptist in Luke 7, verse 28, looking at the New King James Version (NKJV).

Luke 7:28 (NKJV)
28 For I say to you, among those born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist . . .

John the Baptist held this high place in the prophets because he was the last. Jesus said he was the greatest; he was the forerunner.

It’s amazing to compare the births of both Jesus and John (from Mary and Elizabeth, respectively). They are both supernatural. In Luke, Chapter 1, an angel of the Lord appeared to Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, to tell him WHO John the Baptist would BE.

Luke 1:15–16 (NLT)
15 . . . He will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth.
16 And he will turn many Israelites to the Lord their God.
17 . . . He will prepare the people for the coming of the Lord . . .

John the Baptist was the final and most powerful witness before Jesus Christ came on the scene. And so, if we want to learn the essentials of being a good witness, then John the Baptist is our perfect example.

As our story begins, here is what Matthew Chapter 3 says. (You can just write this down as this is preparation, to set the stage.)

Matthew 3:5 (NLT)
5 People from Jerusalem and from all of Judea and all over the Jordan Valley went out to see and hear John.

This is a vast geographical area. Crowds and crowds of people were going out to see and hear John the Baptist, and God was bringing “great fruit” through John’s ministry. In today’s terms, you could say John was becoming quite the “celebrity.” People from all around were responding to John’s call to repentance and baptism. So, John had plenty of reasons to focus on himself and his ministry. But. . . let’s see how John responds to that.

John 1:19 (NLT)
19 This was John’s testimony when the Jewish leaders sent priests and Temple assistants from Jerusalem to ask John, “Who are you?”

The religious leaders sent a delegation of Pharisees and Scribes to find out why so many people were responding to John the Baptist, and they asked him, “Who are you?”  What a great opportunity for John the Baptist to “expound” a bit on just “Who he was.” Can you imagine if he would have responded like this? “Well, I’m the son of a Levitical Priest. My mother was a Nazarite woman. I was raised as a Nazarite, and I never touched a dead body, I never drank wine, never cut my hair.” He could have said all kinds of stuff about himself.

Imagine John the Baptist on the famous Joe Rogan podcast.
Well folks, yesterday we had Elon Musk on the show, today, we have the pleasure of meeting John the Baptist (that crazy locust-eating guy from the desert). And then he would turn, and he would say, “John, who are you? Tell us who is John the Baptist. What are you all about, and how did you get so many social media followers?”

But notice John’s response in verse 20.

John 1:20 (NLT)
20 He came right out and said, “I am not the Messiah.”

Wait a minute, John. That’s not what Joe Rogan asked, and that’s not what the religious leaders asked. They asked who he was, but he pointed immediately to Jesus. This was his opportunity to let the world know who he was. However, John the Baptist ignores the opportunity to talk about himself.

He came right out and said, “I am not the Messiah.”

They want to know about John, but John wants them to know about Jesus. How different is that than from the people we see today? We have an addiction. It’s an addiction to self. Self-focus, self-interest, we love our “selves.” It comes in the sin nature, and we love talking about ourselves – some of us more than others.

They want to know more about John, but John wants them to know about Jesus. Can you see how that applies to your life as a witness? They want to know about you, but you want them to know about Jesus. So, tell them. Get to it as quickly as possible. Tell them about Jesus.

And so, they continue asking John questions about himself.

John 1:21 (NLT)
21 “Well then, who are you?” they asked. “Are you Elijah?” “No,” he replied. “Are you the Prophet we are expecting?” “No.”

And they were kind of close asking John if he was Elijah because Jesus himself said, John The Baptist came in the spirit of Elijah. But here, John the Baptist says, “NO.” I am not Elijah.” John refuses to do anything but direct these religious leaders to the Messiah, to Jesus. That’s his primary goal, his essential commitment.

The Jewish leaders are trying to find out what John the Baptist would say for himself. He won’t answer them except with a “No.”

Finally, in verse 22, they say, You’ve got to tell us something about who YOU are.

John 1:22 (NLT)
22 “Then who are you? We need an answer for those who sent us. What do you have to say about yourself?”

And when John the Baptist does speak about himself. He simply quotes scripture about what God had called him to be. When he does speak, he speaks the Word of God.

John 1:23 (NLT)
23 John replied in the words of the prophet Isaiah: “I am a voice shouting in the wilderness, ‘Clear the way for the Lord’s coming!’ ”

When he finally gives them what they want, who are you? He says I am a sound. The Greek word is for “sound” or “tone,” and because it comes from him, they translate it as “Voice.” He simply says I’m just a voice. I’m just a sound.

Quoting Isaiah 40:3, John says I am a voice crying out in the wilderness to prepare the way for people to recognize Jesus when he reveals himself to them. The first essential that we learn from John the Baptist about us being a witness is, number one, it is not about us. It just isn’t – NO matter what.

Even miracles. I talked to a woman after first service with just miraculous healing from cancer. And she said I want to do what John the Baptist did. I want it to be about Jesus. And that was so awesome to hear that.

So, first, John says, listen to what I say (because I’m speaking about Jesus), but don’t look at me, look FOR him. Listen to what I am saying, but look for Jesus.

So, as it often is today, the religious leaders miss entirely John’s point. One hundred percent miss it.

Instead, they question him about their religious matters.

John 1:24–25 (NLT)
24 Then the Pharisees who had been sent
25 asked him, “If you aren’t the Messiah or Elijah or the Prophet, what right do you have to baptize?”

They are challenging John based on their own religious laws and rules. Again, John the Baptist has a perfect opportunity to talk about himself. But instead, he shows us exactly what we should do. John points them right back to Jesus.

John 1:26–27 (NLT)
26 John told them, “I baptize with water, but right here in the crowd is someone you do not recognize.
27 Though his ministry follows mine, I’m not even worthy to be his slave and untie the straps of his sandal.”

John is saying Look, forget all that. You’re asking the wrong questions. The Messiah, the Savior, is right here among you, but you will not even look for him. He is physically here. There’s someone in your midst that you don’t even recognize because you’re so concerned about what I’m doing, and if it’s right, and if it falls under your law, if it fits your world. But the Messiah is right here, and you’re missing him. Someone is right here that you’re not recognizing.

John is saying, “Look, stop looking at me. Stop talking to me. Look for HIM. Look for the One I am talking about because there is no comparison between who I am and WHO HE IS. Stop looking at me and instead begin looking for him.” He’s pointing them to Jesus, who is physically in their midst.

We have the exact same opportunity day by day where we’re at. No matter how the spiritual conversation begins:
Just point them to Jesus.
Let them know Jesus is right here in their midst.
Encourage them to simply look to Jesus and to recognize Him in their midst.

How’s your relationship with Jesus? How much time are you spending with him? Are you looking for Jesus? Are you looking for him in the midst of your problems, in the midst of your circumstances? Because Jesus is IN your midst, and you may not recognize him.

We have to learn that it’s okay to point people to Jesus because if they find Jesus, they’ll find their answer. They will. Let them know he’s with them, and encourage them to look for him.

According to the actions of John the Baptist, this is the essential priority of being a good witness.

We read the following in John 1, verse 28, a transition verse.

John 1:28 (NLT)
28 This encounter took place in Bethany, an area east of the Jordan River, where John was baptizing.

So, we are moving from the messenger to the “message.” If you’re looking at an NLT bible, the section heading changes from who John the Baptist is to who Jesus is. This is a cool verse. Where this happens, we go every time we go to Israel. This area has been “venerated,” especially by the Byzantine Church. There is a ton of churches, memorials, and all kinds of stuff that the church built in the third and fourth centuries to commemorate John the Baptist baptizing people there.

This is also the same spot where Joshua brought the Children of Israel across the Jordan River. Unfortunately, all of that archeology is on the Jordanian side, so it’s difficult to go to. We go to the Israeli side, but across the river, we can see all of this stuff built by the early church to commemorate John the Baptist baptizing there.

The other thing you need to know before we transition is that this is not an account of Jesus’ baptism. That has already occurred. Jesus’ baptism had already occurred. Jesus has come up out of the water, the anointing of the Trinity upon him, and then he goes straight into the wilderness. He is now coming back after forty days in the wilderness, where he was led by the Spirit. The Pharisees sent this delegation to John, and Jesus is returning to where John is baptizing in the south across from Jericho.

John is about to give us the essence of the entire gospel message in a single sentence. And this is absolutely the best way for us to declare the very essence of the entire gospel message in a single sentence.

John 1:29 (NLT)
29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

This should be a very powerful statement to anyone who hears it today. However, to the Jewish people, it should have been overwhelmingly powerful. It was either complete blasphemy or the Messiah was there—about 2,000 years of history about the Lamb of God.

Almost 2000 years earlier, in Genesis 22, Abraham takes his only son Isaac up Mt. Moriah and offers him there as a sacrifice. This is what God tells him to do. If you know the story, you know he does not end up sacrificing his only son, Isaac. But it is an illustration, a picture of what God the Father would do with his only Son. Mt. Moriah is not some random mountain in Israel. Mt. Moriah is the ridge in Jerusalem where both the first and second Temples were built. It is on this same ridge (the middle one of three ridges) where Calvary is located, where Jesus would fulfill his role of becoming The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

In Genesis 22, as they walked up Mt. Moriah, Isaac says to his father Abraham in verse 7, “Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the offering?” And Abraham answered Isaac in verse 8,

Genesis 22:8 (NKJV)
8 . . .“My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.”

When Abraham said that, he still trusted God that if he were to sacrifice his son God would bring him back from the dead because of the promises God had made to Abraham.

In hindsight, we can say God will provide Himself AS the lamb for the FINAL offering.

Not only that, Exodus 12 describes the Exodus from Egypt, as well as the ten plagues of Egypt. The last plague was the death of the firstborn. And God says through Moses to Israel, each Jewish family must first care for a spotless lamb like it was part of the family. And then they were to sacrifice that innocent lamb and use its blood to cover over the home, over the doorposts, so that the Angel of Death would spare the family from the judgment of God. In this way, God instituted the “Passover.”

Not only that, but Isaiah 53 speaks of the Savior, the Lamb of God.

Isaiah 53:6–7 (NLT)
6-7 . . . the Lord laid on him (that’s the Messiah) the sins of us all . . . He was led like a lamb to the slaughter . . .

There’s so much – Genesis, Exodus, the Prophets – all speak of the lamb being slain for the atonement of sin for God’s people.

And not only that but twice a day – morning and evening – a spotless one-year-old lamb was sacrificed in the Temple to atone for the sins of the people. Every. Single. Day. In fact, on that Good Friday, when it says Jesus gave up his Spirit at three in the afternoon, that was the time of day that the afternoon sacrifice was happening in the Temple. At the very same moment, the Lamb of God was being sacrificed for the sin of the world.

And so, with centuries of preparation by prophecy, by example, by training, now here is John, and he says, “Stop talking about me; I’m just a voice. There’s one in your midst that you should be looking for.” Then Jesus showed up (he probably was already there), and John said the single statement that ties almost 2000 years of history to one man.

John 1:29 (NKJV)
29 . . . “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

The definition of the word “behold” is “to view attentively for a purpose, or to gaze at in admiration.” “Behold! The Lamb of God. . .  Set your gaze on, set your focus on, view attentively with a purpose, investigate. It’s a very descriptive word; it’s not a simple word, but it’s a very complex word.

Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

That statement has got to be our central and essential message as a witness for Jesus. Nothing else ultimately matters. Abram and Isaih, the Passover, and the Temple offerings all taught the principles of this Lamb. John the Baptist identified this Lamb of God AS Jesus.

Every time you begin a spiritual conversation, and you can tell when you are, do what John the Baptist did: direct them to Jesus.

Guys, it’s dangerous and ultimately ineffective for us to move away from this statement as the absolute central focus of our witness to the world. It’s true there are many benefits that come from our salvation, but every single one of them is a “by-product” of this one statement. But listen, our problem is a sin problem. Whatever other problems you’re having come from the sin problem. The answer is Jesus because, through Jesus, you will get through whatever it is you’re getting through. He will carry you through. He will promise to be with you, to give you the Peace of God, to give you the hope of Heaven, and to give you the strength to navigate what you are going through. Jesus IS the answer, and that’s what John the Baptist is saying. Jesus is the top priority.

Jesus didn’t come so we could compare churches – my church to your church. Jesus did not come so we can argue over or try to prove our minor doctrines. Jesus did not come for denominations or religious institutions. Jesus came to be the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

Then, John continues in verses 30-31.

John 1:30–31 (NLT)
30 He is the one I was talking about when I said, ‘A man is coming after me who is far greater than I am, for he existed long before me.’
31 I did not recognize him as the Messiah, (meaning prior to God revealing it to him) but I have been baptizing with water so that he might be revealed to Israel.”

John’s baptism was a Baptism of Repentance, and he says he knew the Savior was going to be revealed “therefore” he came with a baptism of repentance. . . why??

Because repentance is an essential step in salvation. A repentant heart means turning away from sin and the world as your lord and to Jesus as your Lord. Repentance is not a work of salvation; it is a preparation for salvation; it enables you to receive salvation. Repentance means to turn, to turn away from, to turn your back on something. If the world is your lord, or if something else is your lord, or if you are your own lord, you’ve got to turn your back on that. You’ve got to repent of that. And when you do, now you have space to receive Jesus, and so repentance is a critical prerequisite. Repent of sin to make way for the Savior and Lord of your life.

That repentance, that turning away, opens your heart to genuinely receive Jesus as your Savior and Lord.

Jesus said this in Mark 1, verse 15.

Mark 1:15 (NLT)
15 “The Kingdom of God is near! Repent of your sins and believe the Good News!”

Finally, John the Baptist finishes his essentials of being a good witness with his personal testimony, which is how we should finish our witness. Watch carefully John’s personal testimony and who gets the focus.

John 1:32–34 (NLT)
32 Then John testified, “I saw the Holy Spirit descending like a dove from heaven and resting upon him.
33 I didn’t know he was the one, but when God sent me to baptize with water, he told me, ‘The one on whom you see the Spirit descend and rest is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’
34 I saw this happen to Jesus, so I testify that he is the Chosen One of God.”

I saw this happen – so I testify.

God told John the Baptist how he would know who the Messiah was, and when John saw it happen, there was no doubt in his mind Jesus of Nazareth, the cousin of John the Baptist, was the Son of God who was born to be the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

Let’s review the essentials of being a good witness, which were perfectly displayed by John the Baptist.

First, although Jesus would say that John the Baptist was the greatest prophet ever born, John the Baptist knew that for people to know him meant nothing, but for people to know Jesus meant everything.

Second, John the Baptist was only interested in being a “voice” to point people to the one that truly matters: “The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.”

Third, John the Baptist knew the best way to prepare people to see and receive the Savior was to show them their need for repentance.

So, maybe today God is calling you to be a witness, or maybe today God is witnessing to you. If he is witnessing to you. . . please respond to him. Don’t miss it. He is in your midst. See him.

“Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.”