Thank the Teacher

Thank the Teacher
Words of Faith 9-12-16
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2016
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
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John 1
[32] Then John gave this testimony: "I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. [33] I would not have known him, except that the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, 'The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.' [34] I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God."

“I would not have known him, except that the one who sent me to baptize with water told me…”
Christians often get very excited talking about how hard they worked to get to know Jesus. We will sometimes give testimony of our quest to know Jesus through study or prayer and how our efforts were rewarded. We may even talk about how apologetics (the reasoned defense of Biblical truth) played a role in our coming to Christ.
But John was very clear to say, “I would not have known him, except that the One who sent me to baptize with water told me…” John knew who Jesus was because the Holy Spirit of God revealed it to him.
Don’t miss the point. God uses the study. Prayer is part of the mix. God uses apologetics. But in the end, we cannot apprehend or comprehend who Jesus is or why He has come except by God’s illumination. We must remember that “the light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it” (1:5). We were part of the darkness and did not understand the Light. It is only when God chooses for us to understand that we can understand. He is our Teacher.
So why witness, study or pray?
First, because God uses these things to reveal His Son. They are His tools.
Second, because God tells us to witness, study and pray. The response of John the Baptizer was to testify that this is the Son of God (1:34). He knew full well that apart from the illumination of the Lord his hearers could not comprehend this, yet He proclaimed the truth simply because this is the truth. Proclamation is the only thing one can do with truth.
There is a bumper sticker I like. It says, “If you can read this, thank a teacher.” I wonder if John the Baptizer wouldn’t modify the thought to say, “If you know Jesus, thank the Teacher… the Holy Spirit.”
Do you know Jesus? Do you know who He is and what He is about? If not, pray that the Holy Spirit will reveal Jesus to you. If you do know Jesus, thank the Teacher. Thank the Holy Spirit. And endeavor to share that truth with another.

Lord, I come in humility to give thanks that You have shone Your Light into the darkness of my life. I lay no claim to having discovered You. You have saved me by grace. I am utterly in awe before Your gracious illumination of my heart and life. In Jesus’ Name.

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2002, 2016
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2010 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.