SEARCH THE SCRIPTURE by Pastor Kumuyi of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry for today is here. Digest the word of the lord and pray believing.
YOUTH STS LESSON 128
TOPIC: JOHN’S WITNESS CONCERNING CHRIST
MEMORY VERSE: “John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me”
(John 1:15). TEXT: John 1:1-34
John the beloved, an apostle of Jesus Christ was the writer of the gospel according to John, the fourth gospel. John simply means, “Jehovah has been gracious”. John was the son of Zebedee and brother of James. He was a fisherman before Jesus called him. He also wrote First, Second and Third John, as well as the book of Revelation.
Question 1: How does the life of John the beloved challenge you today?
John’s spiritual life and commitment to his Lord should be a challenge to all Christian youths. He was saved, sanctified and Spirit-filled. He was loving and submissive. He was a humble servant of the Lord Jesus Christ. He was fully consecrated to and suffered greatly for his Saviour and Lord. The main purpose of the gospel according to John is faith in Christ for our salvation. This is what produces eternal life (John 20:30,31). The text deals with John the baptist's call to be a witness of Christ, his ministry, the content of his witnessing and the confirmation of his message on his listeners. He told his listeners that he was not the Messiah but rather, Christ’s forerunner and witness. “And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ” (John 1:20). There are other witnesses to the messiahship of Christ. These include God the Father (John 8:17,18), Christ Himself (John 8:14), the Holy Spirit (John 15:26), the word of God (John 5:37-39), the divine works (John 5:36) and the disciples of Christ (John 15:27). All these witnesses are in agreement that Jesus is the Messiah to the world of sinful youths. He is to be accepted as the Saviour of our soul.
THE CREATIVE POWER AND SALVATION THROUGH JESUS (John 1:1-5,9-14; 1 John 1:1-3; 5:6-13; Revelation 19:11-13; John 14:6; Proverbs 8:12-31; Philippians 2:14,15; Colossians 1:13-17; Hebrews 1:2,3; Romans 3:23,24; Ephesians 1:7; Matthew 11:28)
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). The “Word” here refers to Jesus Christ, our Lord, the Son of the living God “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made” (John 1:14,3). Jesus existed before the world was created. This speaks of His divinity. He is also the Creator of all things. “For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist” (Colossians 1:16,17).
Question 2: Enumerate what the creative power of Jesus can do in our lives.
Christ transforms life. He can recreate are wayward. The miracles in the Bible and contemporary times confirm His creative ability. The Scripture says, “…he hath done all things well…” (Mark 7:37). “In him was life; and the life was the light of men” (John 1:4). He is here described as the origin of life and light. He is the source of our being, the very essence of our life. Without Him, no youth can have the full knowledge and life of God. He is the fountain of knowledge and understanding of the true God. Simply put, Christ, the Word and Creator, is God Himself. “That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world” (John 1:9). It is one thing to exist but another thing to know how to live, the true purpose of life and the way to heaven. The entrance of sin into the human race brought separation from God, and as a result, spiritual darkness. The darkness resulted into not knowing God, the Creator. Also, the entrance of sin corrupted all the nature of man including the mind. However, Christ was made flesh to do away with the veil of darkness and restore true light through the gospel. “I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness” (John 12:46). But some rejected and refused Christ to their detriment (John 1:11).
Question 3: How does a sinning youth become a child of God?
A sinning youth must receive Christ by faith and turn away from sins. Then Christ will give him the power to become a child of God. This is what is known as being born again. Christ’s power transforms lives, our attitude and value system to make us fit for true relationship and fellowship with God. Furthermore, salvation is by faith (John 1:12). “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father) full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). The very Word that was in the beginning with God became “flesh” and dwelt among us. Christ shed His eternal glory and assumed the nature of man, not in the sense of sharing in our sinful nature but of being surrounded with our infirmities. By this, He identified with our suffering and shared in our weakneses and temptations. Christ’s coming in the flesh was inevitable for the redemption of sinful boys and girls. That is, One without sin, who is from God, and satisfies all divine demands should take the place of sinful boys and girls, since no one is qualified to atone for the sins of man. Through Christ, the glorious light of divine love, righteousness, holiness and wisdom shone brilliantly through the veil of sinful flesh. Allow Christ into your life today and you will discover that your life will be filled with the glory of the Father, full of the grace of Christ and the joy of the Holy Spirit.
THE CALL AND MINISTRY OF JOHN THE BAPTIST (John 1:6-8; Luke 1:13-17; John 3:26-36; 5:32-35) “There was a man sent from God, whose name was John (John 1:6). John the Baptist was the son of Zacharias and Elizabeth. He was the forerunner of Jesus.
Question 4: State some of the qualities in the life of John the Baptist that challenge you. “He was a burning and a shining light: and ye were willing for a season to rejoice in his light” (John 5:35). The life of John the Baptist should be a challenge to Christian youths today. In him, we see evidence of genuine salvation (Luke 1:15), practical humility (John 3:30), holiness (Mark 6:20), the power of the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:15), boldness (Mark 6:16,17), sacrificial service (Matthew 3:1-6) and obedience to parents (Luke 1:80). What a challenge! However, John the Baptist was not that Light. His ministry was to announce the arrival of the true Light that was to lighten the Gentiles and be the glory of His people Israel. “Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him” (John 3:28). Christian youths are Christ’s witnesses. We are to preach the gospel to our friends, classmates and those we have the opportunity to meet. “I have declared, and have saved, and I have shewed, when there was no strange god among you: therefore ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, that I am God” (Isaiah 43:12).
Question 5: Mention some young people God called into His service in Bible day.
The first call by God is to salvation in Christ. Afterwards, He calls us into His service. Therefore, we are saved to serve. Young people like Joseph, David, Samuel, Daniel, Esther, Timothy, Philip’s daughters are just a few to mention. However, the call of God to His service does not hinder one from attending to his academic work. God does not expect a student to abandon his studies because of His service. “And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and in deeds” (Acts 7:22).
THE CALL OF JOHN TO BE A WITNESS OF JESUS (John 1:15-34; Luke 1:13-17; Isaiah 43:10,12; 44:8; Colossians 4:17). “John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was before me: for he was before me” (John 1:15). A witness is one he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred who testifies to any fact from his own personal knowledge. A witness is needed when there is doubt about something in dispute. The testimonies of witnesses can help to clear the doubts or disprove false claims. Christ, the Messiah needed a witness who would testify of His arrival. John the Baptist was appointed by God to witness to the messiahship of Christ. “There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe” (John 1:6,7). Today, Christian youths are called to be witnesses of Christ. Therefore, we must not be ashamed of Him. We must witness about how He saved us from our sins.
Question 6: What does it mean to be Christ’s witness?
To be Christ’s witness means to preach the gospel to sinning youths. We should preach the gospel by our deeds and words to youths around us. In the Early Church, everyone was Christ’s witness. “And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him” (Acts 5:32). John the Baptist was faithful to his call and ministry. He was a true witness. “A faithful witness will not lie: but a false witness will utter lies. A true witness delivereth souls: but a deceitful witness speaketh lies” (Proverbs 14:5,25). John the Baptist was an unusual man who preached an unusual message to an unusual multitude in an unusual place. He was a unique man.
Question 7: In order to be successful in our ministry, what qualities do we need to possess?
To be successful in the ministry, we must seek God’s glory, obey His word, be prayerful, have fervent love for souls and be ready to sacrifice our time, talents and treasures for Him. “And say to Archippus, Take heed to the ministry which thou hast received in the Lord, that thou fulfil it” (Colossians 4:17). The Lord Jesus Christ is more superior than all the Old Testament prophets put together. In Christ Jesus, we receive the fullness of God (John 1:16; Ephesians 3:19), grace that transforms (John 1:16, 17; 1 Corinthians 15:10) and truth that guides (John 1:17; 14:6). He is the only begotten Son who declares God, the Father to us. “No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him” (John 1:18). “The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God” (John 1:29,34). It is important to note that the content of John’s witness centred on the purpose of Christ’s first coming, that is, to take away “the sin of the world”. Jesus Christ is here described symbolically as the “Lamb of God” who takes away our sins. Jesus did not only come to take away our sins, but also the guilt, power and consequences of sins. He is the Saviour, Justifier and Sanctifier. The benefits of Christ’s blood include salvation from sin, sanctification of heart, supernatural healing of the body and deliverance from satanic attack.
