In today’s study, we will watch John the Baptist come to the same crossroads of choice each of us face when we are maligned, attacked, misunderstood, or mistreated unjustly.  Like John, we can either take matters into our own hands, do what feels right, and vigorously defend ourselves from those who wish to cause us harm.  Or, we can take the road less traveled.  We can submit to the Lordship of Christ, recognize His sovereignty in all matters, and leave the results up to Him.  Come what may.

But make no mistake, the road less traveled is a road of graduate-level faith.  But it is also the same road our Lord traveled and left as an example for each of us.

The text we will be looking at today is John 1:24-25:

Now those who were sent were from the Pharisees.  And they asked him, saying, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”

We will also discover one of the missing keys to the abundant life in Christ promised to each of us (John 10:10) is our faith in the sovereignty of God and the truth that, as our Sovereign, He is our Defender.  And if He is our Defender, which Scripture affirms He is, then we don’t have to defend ourselves.  This is Lesson One that we can learn from the life of John the Baptist.

Take some time today and read Hebrews 11 and see for yourself what trust in our Sovereign God looks like.  And be blessed today.

This is Part One of this week’s Tuesday Night Bible Study and today we will once again look at the character trait of humility that John the Baptist exhibited when he chose to not defend himself against the accusations of the Jerusalem delegation but instead pointed the conversation back to Jesus.  If we could only learn this tactic in our day of keyboard warriors who defame others while hiding behind their computers.  But, that is a lesson for another time.

The text we will be looking at this week is as follows:

Now those who were sent were from the Pharisees.  And they asked him, saying, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”  John answered them, saying, “I baptize with water, but there stands One among you whom you do not know.  It is He who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose.”  These things were done in Bethabara beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing. (John 1:24-28)

We will also look briefly at the different political, religious, and social groups that made up the Jewish landscape in the time of Jesus:  the Pharisees, Sadduccees, Zealots, and the Essenes.

I pray you will be blessed on this third day of June and be encouraged to strive to become more like Him.

This is Part Five of last week’s Tuesday Night Bible Study and we will be exploring together what the delegation from Jerusalem meant when they asked John if he was Elijah or the Prophet.  Note, not one of the prophets or a prophet, but “the” Prophet, using the definite article to signify a specific Prophet.  And also notice the word Prophet is capitalized.  Do you wonder why?

You can read below the text we have been studying this week.

Now this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.” And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.” Then they said to him, “Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?” He said: “I am ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Make straight the way of the LORD,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.” (John 1:19-23)

In this study, we will also discover how to use Scripture to answer questions we might have about Scripture.  After all, the best way to interpret God’s Word is by God’s Word.

I hope this will help you in your walk with our Lord and help you grow closer to Him.

This is Part Three of this week’s Tuesday Night Bible Study and we will be looking at the accusing question the hostile delegation from Jerusalem confronted John with, namely, “Who are you?”  Our study this week is on the testimony of John the Baptist and is found in John 1:19-23.

Now this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?”  He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.”  And they asked him, “What then?  Are you Elijah?”  He said, “I am not.”  “Are you the Prophet?”  And he answered, “No.”  Then they said to him, “Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us?  What do you say about yourself?”  He said: “I am ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Make straight the way of the LORD,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.” (John 1:19-23)

But setting their question aside for the moment, John’s answer will compel each of us to become more like Christ.  His humility is contagious.  And his wisdom and unwavering focus on his mission, is convicting.  It’s something quite enviable.

Be blessed by John’s words and ask the Lord what you can learn about your own priorities in life compared with those of John the Baptist.

This is Part Two of this week’s Tuesday Night Bible Study and we will be looking deeper into the testimony of John the Baptist as recorded in John 1:19-23.

Now this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?”  He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.”  And they asked him, “What then?  Are you Elijah?”  He said, “I am not.”  “Are you the Prophet?”  And he answered, “No.”  Then they said to him, “Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us?  What do you say about yourself?”  He said: “I am ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Make straight the way of the LORD,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.” (John 1:19-23)

Here we learn more about the makeup of the hostile delegation sent to John from the religious elite in Jerusalem.  But we also will look at the word “testimony” to discover the depths of its meaning and how John the Apostle uses it over 70 times in his writings alone.  Why is that?  You’re soon to find out.

As you study along with us today, consider the elements of your own testimony.  How much of it is about you?  And how much of it reveals Christ?   Something to consider, isn’t it?

Today, as we continue our study into the life of Christ, we’ll look into the testimony of John the Baptist regarding Jesus that begins in John 1:19.  In fact, it’s hard to read the question they ask him without having the CSI theme song, the Who classic from 1978, playing in my head.  “Who are you?”

Now this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” (John 1:19)

What we have before us is the testimony of John the Baptist.  And the word “testimony” (marturía) means “a witness, certification, record, that which someone witnesses or states concerning a person or thing.”  It is a declaration by a witness who speaks with the authority of one who knows, like an expert witness.  John is very familiar with this word and uses it over 75 times in his writings.  But there is more.

Just think, John the Baptist is the first witness the Apostle John calls to testify of the Lordship of Christ.  Later he writes:

This is the disciple who testifies of these things, and wrote these things; and we know that his testimony is true.  And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. Amen. (John 21:24-25)

But there is more.