Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/Sermons/zz20050605.htm

JOHN: TRUSTING IN JESUS AS MESSIAH AND GOD
Part VI: Trusting Jesus For His PUBLICLY CREDIBLE Introduction
(John 1:19-34)

Introduction: (To show the need . . . )

(1) While participating in a debate on the validity of the Christian faith before 2,500 students at a midwestern university, Josh McDowell reported he couldn't believe his ears when his opponent said "in her opening remarks: Historians today have fairly well dismissed Jesus as being historical . . .'" (McDowell, Evidence That Demands a Verdict, vol. I, p. 81.

(2) This idea has been promoted by contributors to the famous "Jesus Seminar" of theologians who discussed the historicity of Jesus. Robert Funk, founder of the "Jesus Seminary" that examined the authenticity of the Gospel records, has claimed that: "Jesus was a subversive sage. His witticisms tended to undermine the everyday view of things. Jesus taught them: If someone sues you for your coat, give them your shirt as well. In a two-garment society, that would have been funny," (cited from the article, "Who Was Jesus?" in the December 1994 issue of Life, p. 72).

(3) Mart De Haan's June 2005 circular to Radio Bible Class financial supporters, "Been Thinking About," reports on Dan Brown's bestseller, The Da Vinci Code. It notes: "a reviewer from Booksense says, This is one of those rare books that comes along and makes you question everything you thought you knew about religion, art, and what you were taught in school . . .'" Implying belief in Christ as God was begun as a hoax under the fourth century A. D. Roman Emperor Constantine, a hoax that was held by a secret conclave of important historical people, the book "begins with a lengthy list of acknowledgments and then a fact page' designed to leave the impression that the novel is based on careful research of little-known facts." (Ibid., p. 1)



So, IS there CREDIBILITY to the claim that Christ's claims were the product of a clever invention of a new religion either by a mere man in Jesus or by some key people in a secret conclave somewhere? How do we KNOW? After all, it affects our reason for believing in Christ for salvation to heaven!



(We turn to the sermon "Need" section . . . )



Need: "Some claim Christianity arose from obscure and thus questionable origins as a few people secretly invented the religion. As this matter involves my FAITH, how may I respond to this claim?"
  1. Christianity originated before the end of the FIRST century A. D. as is attested by the Rylands fragment of John's Gospel:
    1. John's Gospel has been shown by scientists to be a first century work:
      1. A fragment of John 18:31-32 (the Rylands fragment) was found in Egypt and dated A. D. 100-150 by the "competent paleographers" C. H. Roberts, H. I. Bell, A. Deissmann, W. H. P. Hatch and F. G. Kenyon (Merrill F. Unger, Archaeology and the N. T., p. 21).
      2. Marchant King noted this find contains and EXACT Alexandrian text type reading, so it was at least a copy of a complete copy of John's Gospel. (cf. Bibliotheca Sacra [1973] 130:517, p. 35-40).
      3. This fragment came from Egypt's "hinterlands,'" so decades were needed for John's complete Gospel to travel from its author to that area, meaning John wrote his Gospel no later than 90 A. D., Ibid.
    2. Well, this first century Gospel of John presents the life of Jesus Christ and the start of the Christian faith, cf. John 1:1,14; 20:30-31.
  2. That Gospel testifies of the CLEAR INTRODUCTION of Jesus to ALL ISRAEL as the WORLD'S SAVIOR and GOD in ways that reveal Christianity could NOT have been begun by a few schemers:
    1. John's Gospel records that before JESUS preached about His own identity and mission, a nationally renowned prophet, John the Baptizer, burst onto Israel's scene and caused the NATION to wonder if John himself might be her long-sought Messiah, John 1:19:
      1. When John the Baptizer began to minister, religious rulers from Jerusalem sent messengers to John to ask who he was, John 1:19.
      2. As these leaders were Pharisees (John 1:24), the most influential party in Judaism in that era (Ryrie Study Bible, KJV, 1978 ed., ftn. to John 1:24 and Matt. 3:7), John had attracted enough attention that Israel's national religious leaders wanted to get to know him!
      3. For John to attract this much attention when he ministered in obscurity across the Jordan meant the nation was aware of him, and many held him to be a key minister of God, John 1:28; Matt. 3:5-6!
    2. John's Gospel also records that this John candidly DENIED he was the Messiah, and tried to shift Israel's attention away from himself to the One Who was to come AFTER him, John 1:20-28:
      1. In a theological discussion with Judaism's leaders, John denied He was the long-sought Hebrew Messiah, John 1:19-20.
      2. John further explained to these leaders that he was NOT Elijah the Tishbite whom the Jews felt would personally return from heaven as Messiah's forerunner to fulfill the Old Testament Malachi 4:5-6 prediction, cf. Leon Morris, John, (NIC), p. 135; cf. John 1:21a.
      3. John also told these leaders that he was NOT the Prophet that Moses predicted would arise in Deuteronomy 18:18-19 (Jn. 1:21b).
      4. Rather, John publicly tried to deflect attention away from himself and onto the One he was sent to introduce; John said he was the "voice in the wilderness" announcing Messiah's arrival, 1:22-23.
    3. Indeed, John's Gospel reports John the Baptizer received insight from God that John would FIRST IDENTIFY WHO the Messiah was by the sign of the Holy Spirit's resting on Him like a dove, John 1:32-33.
    4. That Gospel then reports before JESUS preached about His identity and mission, WHEN the nationally renowned John the Baptizer FIRST recognized Jesus as the Messiah by the sign of the dove, he introduced Jesus to all Israel as the WORLD'S Savior and GOD!
      1. John told Israel's leaders that One stood among them whom they did not know Who was so great that he, John was not worthy to unloose His sandals as that Coming One's slave, John 1:26-27.
      2. Thus, when Jesus came to him and John recognized Him by the sign of the Holy Spirit as a dove, before Jesus could open His mouth about His identity and mission, John announced Jesus was the Lamb of God Who would take away the sin of the world, and that Jesus was the Son of God, or God, Jn. 1:29-34 with 5:18!
Application: Know for SURE that evidence ABOUNDS that the Christian faith was NOT contrived by a few ambitious people in a corner, but BURST on the PUBLIC, NATIONAL scene by divine power, and (1) believe on Jesus Christ as Savior from sin, John 3:16. (2) May we then heed His Word and leading TODAY!

Lesson: Since the FIRST century Gospel of John would report of a John the Baptizer's NATIONAL announcement to ALL Israel that Jesus was the WORLD'S SAVIOR and GOD, and that WHEN John FIRST learned WHO this One WAS, and that John MADE this announement BEFORE Jesus had even made His OWN identity and mission KNOWN, and since that Gospel reported these things to FIRST century READERS who could CHECK the HISTORICAL CREDIBILITY of its report, for that Gospel to SURVIVE as BELIEVABLE BEYOND the FIRST century reveals the Christian faith was NOT begun in obscurity by a few ambitious folk! No, it BURST SUDDENLY onto Israel's NATIONAL scene! (Acts 26:26)

Conclusion: (To illustrate the sermon lesson . . . )

 The New Testament record of how Christianity began is supported even by what early pagans have written about Christianity:

(1) Cornelius Tacitus, born A. D. 52-54, wrote the following revealing critique against Christianity as a Roman historian: " . . . Christus [Christ], the founder of the name, was put to death by Pontius Pilate, procurator of Judea in the reign of Tiberius: but the pernicious superstition, repressed for a time broke out again, not only through Judea, where the mischief originated, but through the city of Rome also.' Annals, XV.44" (brackets ours) (McDowell, Ibid., p. 82) Even Tacitus supports the Bible's view that Christianity began in Israel under Tiberius' A. D. 14-37 reign [ Z.P.E.B., v. Five, 747]!

(2) Mara bar Serapion as a non-christian wrote to his son, Serapion, sometime after 73 A. D. to encourage him to become a wise sage; to do so, he noted those who persecuted such wise men were overcome with misfortune (as follows): "What advantage did the Athenians gain from putting Socrates to death? Famine and plague came upon them as a judgment for their crime. What advantage did the men of Samos gain from burning Pythagoras? In a moment their land was covered with sand. What advantage did the Jews gain from executing their Wise King? It was just after that that their kingdom was abolished [in the fall of Jerusalem in 70 A. D.] . . . " (F. F. Bruce, Jesus and Christian Origins Outside the New Testament, p. 30-31)

As a NON-Christian, Mara bar Serapion omitted referring to Christ's resurrection in this context, and he wrote highly of the philosophers. Yet, he felt Jesus was a NATIONAL figure whose mistreatment by Israel was judged by her NATIONAL fall!

(3) Lucian of Samosata in the 2nd century A. D. wrote in The Passing Peregrinus of " . . . the man who was crucified in Palestine because he introduced this new cult into the world . . . their first lawgiver persuaded them that they were all brothers one of another after they had transgressed once for all by denying the Greek gods and by worshipping that crucified sophist himself and living under his laws." (Ibid., McDowell) This SECOND century critic of our faith shows Jesus taught He was to be worshipped in place of the gods.

Christianity was NOT formed by some men in a secret conclave -- it BLAZED into history in a NATIONAL stage by the ministry of John! May we TRUST in Christ and LIVE for Him!