Grace and peace to you all. 

Some of you here tonight are new to our Fireside gatherings.  We especially want to welcome you and thank you for the courage you mustered up to drive out here, especially after this morning's snowfall!  And as you might suspect, we will not be going outside afterward to the campfire area, but will gather in the den for music and fellowship just like we did last month.

Tonight we will be continuing our study of my own personal favorite book of the Bible, the incredible book of John in the New Testament.  Would anyone like to catch the others up to where we all are?

Indeed, we have learned that the author of this book and later apostle, John of Zebedee, has written quite eloquently and deeply here concerning the person and divinity of Jesus Christ, in the opening five verses of his book .  In those first five verses John has given us a great amount of information.  In fact, one could conceivably study those first five verses indefinitely, I think, without ever exhausting all that he is revealing to us there. At the end of his book John writes that what he has written is but the tip of what has occurred, but that he chose these few things to write about so that in reading about them, we might "believe."

Having acknowledged the eloquent description given of One man, Jesus Christ, in verses 1-5,  let us turn our attention to  verse 6, John of Zebedee's very concise assessment of the "other John" referenced in this book--Jesus' other cousin--John the Baptist.

This verse, devoid of adjectives or superlatives, stands starkly contrasted against the first five verses--the long revelation that Jesus Christ was in the beginning not only with God, but WAS God--paints but a simple portrait of Jesus' cousin.  And yet within those brief words exists one of the best descriptions of what a minister should be--his or her main requisite, and it is that they should be first "sent by God." John has not here written that 'there was a GREAT man sent by God,' but just simply that there was a man, a mere mortal man, and he was sent by whom?

Let us look at Matthew 3 verses 1-17*. And also look at  Isaiah 40 verses 3-5.   And finally let us read Luke 1 verse 76.  We find that John the Baptist was ordained for this work--sent for, actually called by God--from before Old Testament prophecy of such an event--his birth--took place.  He was to be what every good minister then and now should be, that is, called by God--but called to do what?

When we look up (in our lexicons) the word for "witness" in verse 7, we find the Greek word MARTUREO,  meaning "to bear testimony or bear record; to testify."   And verse 7 goes on..." to bear witness," -- this time the word "witness" has become a variation of MARTUREO, that is MARTURIA, which is kind of a plural form of the word, meaning EVIDENCE as a result of given testimony.  And upon reading the rest of verse 7 we find, "...that all through him (John) might believe."

A man sent from God so that others, through his words, might believe.   That is and should be every minister's job--they should be called of God to give witness to others of the truth , so that others might believe.

And Romans 10:17 reminds us that "faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God."  Some translations say"...by the word(s) of Christ."  From John verse 1-5 we now are assured these are the same.  So if ministers are supposed to be sent from God to share His words with all,  so that all, through God's words might BELIEVE," then what happens when ministers don't share God's words with folks?  What happens when they spend most of your time chewing on their words, thoughts, philosophies?  You learn something about that minister--but what of God? Once, not long ago, I was invited to lunch with a woman who was a pastor.  I waited our entire meal to ask her how she accomplished that goal. Finally, we finished eating and I told her I was really curious about her choice of professions. She informed me that when it came time to choose in college, for her "it was either dentistry or the ministry; either would earn a good living."

Ministry should not just be about earning a living--in order to be effective a minister should feel "called" to their role as "shepherd(s)" or PASTOR (one who tends sheep) in a way most of us can't entirely understand, or else they are just laying bricks to nowhere.  They must be called of God, to do His work--not their own--and His work is "bearing witness to the Truth so that all may believe." A minister should stand as God's messenger sent to bring a testimony, Gods' word, to others.   John the Baptist indeed did this, even denying himself lfie's comforts.  He was devoted to delivering God's word and "making straight the way for the Lord."

We look at the word for "that" and we find an emphatic Greek article prefacing the word for Light -- PHOS or PHOS-- meaning a light burning so brightly as to not be confused with light such as from a candle (as in Jesus'  own reference to John the Baptist in John 5:35). In fact we could say that here the author is letting us know that His shepherds, ministers, who are sent from God, are not to become the light themselves, but are only to give witness of that Light.  The True Light. Kind of like the moon does not generate its own light, but reflects that light generated by the sun.  The sun is the true source of light; the moon also appears to give light at night, yet it is merely reflecting the true source of light, the sun. That is what good ministers should do--they should reflect to all of us the One who is the true Light, the Son.

When we turn back to verse 4 we read that "In Him [Jesus] was life and the life was the light of men."  That Greek word there for light is the aforementioned PHOS transliterated "PHOS". Continuing then with verse 9, this is again affirmed as we read, "That was the true Light [Greek word for true =  ALETHINOS , meaning "not concealing, eternal, everlasting" ) which gives light to every man coming into the world."  From this statement we realize how much the author John wants us to understand how Jesus Christ has become to mankind what the sun is to the earth.  He "shines" His light for all; rich, poor, Greek, Jew, American, prince, pauper.  His gift of life is offered freely.  And it is only His gift to give.  (John 14:6 "I am the way, the truth, and the life...")

In Romans chapter 1, we find the great apostle Paul writes how all men have been given a bit of this light/life, acting as that "good voice'' deep within us, our conscience.  And we know this because no matter where or how we are raised, there is something deep inside us all that tells us when we are about to mess up.  Now sometimes we don't listen to that "voice" for whatever reason, but per this book we are all assured of at least having that voice.  John is saying this in different words.

Continuing in John 1 we read in verse 10, "He was in the world (Greek word for world is KOSMOS or KOSMOS or cosmos), and the world was made through Him (now turn back to verse 3), and the world did not know him." There are many stories in the Bible of those who did not recognize Jesus Christ as the one whom the apostle John portrays to us as both with God, and God.  Ironically, some of those who recognized Jesus most often and even addressed him by many of His names at once, were the sick, demon-possessed, and the blind.  Imagine that.  The ones who could see, often didn't.  And the ones who were least able to see, could.

When we turn to chapter 23 in Matthew, we see Jesus using such language repeatedly, apprently condemning the "shepherds".  In fact His condemnation takes up the entire chapter.  What is Jesus accusing them of?  When Jesus utters, "brood of vipers," it seems like pretty strong language.  What do we think could have so enraged both John and Jesus to use the same language on the very ones who were alleged to have been "annointed by God" to lead the Jewish people?  Perhaps the so-called "knowledge" those religious leaders were utlizing that Jesus claimed had "broadened their phylacteries"--had resulted in those shephards turning away fromm God's truth, to their own ideas of what truth was. In other words, could the religious emphasis have shifted form God;s will, to the (oral) tradtiions of the priesthood?  Perhpas Jesus was condemning such idoloatry as a blatant act of disobedience on their parts--co-mingling oral traditions (originally from pagan Babylon) with tradions not given to them by God--numerology, astrology, and mysticism (as in the Kaballah), with God's origianl laws, given to Moses 1500 years earlier. And, worst of all, haviing known Jesus, and having witnessed His many miracles--even raisng the dead-- they could not, despite all that extra knowledge, discern the Son of God and God standing right before them, time after time.  Such "broadened" knowledge and traditions which the leaders and priests were requiring everyone who attended synogogue to also honor, were ultimately unable to decipher the only One who could save them frp, themsleves.  But that is because such traditions are blatantly useless for discerning God or determining God's will.  And are forbidden by Him.

Why else do we think Jesus and John the Baptist were so angry with the religious leaders? (Ian answers: "Because they were selling out the church, and selling in the church, for money").  

Does anyone think religion has changed much since 2000 years ago?  Who do you think "His own" are, now?  Do you think this could happen today in Christian churhces, that His own would reject Him?  Are we any different?  We do have His word,His loving letter to us all--what are some of the ways we turn Him away even today?

And yet, back  in verse five John assures us that the light of Christ still shines in the darkness of this world, and even more, that the darkness did not overcome Him--the truest of all Lights.  For even as He died on the cross as the sustitute for those who truly deserved death, death could not hold Him in its grasp but had to release Him.  For death was the price/penalty for sin. For turning away from God ("The wages of sin is death"),  And we have learned that Jesus Christ, LOGOS, the Word who was with God in the beginning, and who was God--knew no sin.  So the darkness of death could not overtake/overcome Him.