John 1:7-8

Below is but a small measure of revelation that my father had received from the Lord. I hope this will be a blessing to you. All that is written below are the words of my father.

January 15, 2020

In loving memory of my father
Robert Louis (Bob) Padgett
July 28, 1931-May 22, 2023

In a previous message, we shared from John, Chapter 1, Verse 6, about names and the meaning of names. Now we want to look at John, Chapter 1, Verses 7 and 8. But before we look at Verses 7 and 8, we need to share a little more about John 1:6.

6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.

The Apostle John says that John the Baptist was a man sent from God. Have you ever thought about the great honor and privilege and blessing it is to be sent from God? In today's world, we give great honor and respect to kings, to presidents, to statesmen, to ambassadors, to sports stars who excel, to Hollywood actors and actresses, to inventors, to recipients of the Congressional Medal of Honor, to Nobel Prize winners, to authors, medical experts, to missionaries, to those ministers who have big megachurches, and even to the typical pastor. All of those sent by other men or sent from a church or sent by themselves occupy our full attention. I believe the greatest ambition any man could ever have is to be called "a man sent from God," and have written on his tombstone, "He was a man sent from God." Such a man gets no applause from men. On the contrary, such a man is looked at by the world as being a "loser" or a "nobody." But in today's world, we Christians degrade our ambition and settle for lesser goals. Why? because we do not want to appear "different," not simply different from those in the world but different even from those in the Church. A crowd sends themselves. The obedient are sent by man. But to be a man sent from God is a privilege greater than any other.

Zadok, which means "righteous," was a priest who remained faithful to David. Zadok had one son ... Ahimaaz. The name "Ahimaaz" means "brother of anger" or "brother of closed eyes." Ahimaaz was one of two young men appointed by David to bring him news of Absalom after Absalom had usurped the kingdom from David. David said to Hushai:

Behold, they [Zadok and Abiathar] have there with them their two sons, Ahimaaz Zadok's son, and Jonathan Abiathar's son; and by them ye shall send unto me every thing that ye can hear. 2 Samuel 15:36

After Joab killed Absalom (2 Samuel 18:14), Joab told Cushi to go tell David what he had seen (the death of Absalom). Cushi had NOT been one of the two young men appointed by David to be a messenger. After Joab had thrust three darts through the heart of Absalom. Ahimaaz asked Joab THREE times to let him run also to bear tidings to king David. After all, Ahimaaz. must have thought, that is my calling and function. 

19 Then said Ahimaaz the son of Zadok, Let me now run, and bear the king tidings, how that the Lord hath avenged him of his enemies.

20 And Joab said unto him, Thou shalt not bear tidings this day, but thou shalt bear tidings another day: but this day thou shalt bear no tidings, because the king's son is dead.

21 Then said Joab to Cushi, Go tell the king what thou hast seen. And Cushi bowed himself unto Joab, and ran. 

22 Then said Ahimaaz the son of Zadok yet again to Joab, But howsoever, let me I pray thee, also run after Cushi. And Joab said, Wherefore wilt thou run, my son, seeing that thou hast no tidings ready?

23 But howsoever, said he, let me run. And he said unto him, Run. Then Ahimaaz ran by the way of the plain, and overran Cushi.

27 And the watchman said, Me thinketh the running of the foremost is like the running of Ahimaaz the son of Zadok. And the king said, He is a good man, and cometh with good tidings.

28 And Ahimaaz called, and said unto the king, All is well.

2 Samuel 18:19-23, 27-28

Ahimaaz had not seen anything ... he had not experienced anything. Ahimaz was in a hurry to run even though he was not prepared; he ran before the Lord's timing in his life. Note also that Joab twice told Ahimaaz that he was not to run, but Ahimaaz insisted a third time; so Joab finally said, "All right, go ahead and run!" The Lord will let us have our way if we insist long enough. He had nothing to say, except, "All is well." But all was NOT well! Likewise, things in the Church today are certainly NOT well.

Note that Cushi, who was appointed by Joab to run (verse 21) and tell David what he had seen, first bowed himself to Joab. In so doing, Cushi showed both humility and respect for authority. Ahimaaz showed no such respect; he just ran. There are MANY so-called prophets today who have no respect for authority and have little humility. Please note that having respect for authority does NOT necessarily mean that you are a "card-carrying member" of some named Christian church. You can have your name on the roll and still be quite rebellious.

Note also that Ahimaaz overran Cushi; Ahimaaz brought his tidings to the king first. There is much scriptural evidence that the false emerges before the true ... Cain before Abel, Ishmael before Isaac, Esau before Jacob, the first Adam before the last Adam. Christians have been far too eager to accept that which comes first to tickle their ears. There is a great object lesson with Ahimaaz. Even though Ahimaaz had a calling and a function, he had SEEN nothing. So it was not yet his time to run. It is rather interesting that the Bible never speaks of Ahimaaz again.

A precious brother in the Lord and a personal friend of ours went to be with the Lord a number of years ago. He was two weeks short of being 102 years old. His real ministry did not begin until he was 70 years old. The ministry of Moses did not begin until he was 80 years old. We must minister out of what we have seen and heard. That was the message of the Apostle John.

1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;

. . . 

3 That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. 1 John 1:1, 3

There is another truth to be gleaned from Ahimaaz. From scripture, Zadok had only ONE son ... Ahimaaz; but Ezekiel 44:15 speaks of the sons (plural) of Zadok. Verse 23 of Ezekiel 44 says THEY (plural, the sons of Zadok) shall teach my people the difference between the holy and the profane and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean. In 574 B.C., during the time of Ezekiel, there was ONE son; in these last days, the Lord is raising up a COMPANY of sons to fulfill that prophecy. It is the same with Elijah, who is yet to come. I make no distinction between the Elijah Company and the sons of Zadok.

Obadiah 1:21, "And saviours [or deliverers] shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the LORD'S."

The important point is NOT who is going to be a part of the company of deliverers (Obadiah 21) that the Lord is raising up. The ONLY thing that matters is that the will of the Lord be done ... that He might be glorified.

In Luke 1:26 we read that the angel Gabriel was sent from God to announce to Mary of the soon coming of the birth of Jesus. Jesus was a man sent from God (John 3:17, John 4:34 and others). I do not doubt that there have been many men and women, such as Peter, Paul, Stephen, and many others, who have been sent from God, but to the best of my knowledge no other verses in the Bible record that statement.

As we mentioned in our previous message from John, Chapter 1 and Verse 6, Jesus said, concerning John the Baptist, in Luke 7:28, 

"For I say unto you, Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist: but he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he."

That is a rather amazing statement but we know it is true because Jesus Himself said it. Let us consider the greatness of some of the Old Testament prophets.

Jesus said, concerning Abraham, the father of many nations, in John 8:56, 

"Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day: and he saw it, and was glad."

Abraham saw the Lord's day afar off, but John the Baptist lived in the Lord's day.

David sang many songs about the Lord's day and Isaiah prophesied many truths of the Lord's day, but John the Baptist saw the Lord in person, touched Jesus, and baptized Jesus in water. Whose privilege was greater?

Malachi, reportedly the last of the Old Testament prophets, recorded a prophecy of the Lord in Malachi 3:1,

"Behold, I will send My messenger, and he shall prepare the way before Me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to His temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, He shall come, saith the LORD of hosts." 

But John the Baptist was that messenger who prepared the way of the Lord.

Then think about some of the other great prophets in the Old Testament: Elijah, Samuel (of whom it was said that the Lord did not let any of his words drop to the ground), Moses, who led God's chosen people out of Egypt, and Joshua, who led God's chosen people into the Promised Land.

But Jesus called John the Baptist a greater prophet than any of them. Why? Why did Jesus attribute greater honor to John the Baptist than to any of those other great prophets? Scripture provides us with the answer to those questions. We do well to pay heed to the qualities worked within John because of their applicability to us. There are a number of qualities that mark a man who is sent from God.

John the Baptist was a man of self-denial. His only motivation in life was to point to Jesus.

John 1:19-23, "And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou? And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ. And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No. Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself? He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias."

Jesus said, "If any man will come after Me let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me." (Matthew 16:24). 

What does it mean to deny our self? It means not my will but Thy will be done. The foundation of self-denial is humility. John the Baptist said, 

"He, that is Jesus, must increase but I must decrease." (John 3:30) 

John allowed Christ to displace him completely. He did not talk about himself; neither should we. He did not brag about himself; neither should we. He asked no glory for himself; neither should we.

Isaiah 57:15, "For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones." 

Then we have the very well-known verse in 2 Chronicles 7:14, where the Lord says, 

"If My people, which are called by My name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."

Has our land in these United States been healed today from all of the pandemic, protests, law suits, racism, and everything else? Just the opposite! Then the conclusion must be that God's chosen people have not fulfilled our part of 2 Chronicles 7:14. Humility is our first step.

Next, John the Baptist was a very plain, simple man. He wore simple, plain clothes and ate simple, plain food. His raiment was camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey (Matthew 3:4). In other words he lived off the land. Scripture does not tell us whether he ever had a change of garments. In Old Testament times a change of garments was highly desirable. The locusts that he ate were not the large edible pods from a locust tree. As a little boy I remember eating that type of locust, which is very sweet to the taste.

The locusts that John the Baptist ate were the insects similar to large grasshoppers. From Leviticus 11:22 those locusts were clean and could be eaten. Today, if all we ate were locusts and wild honey, our doctors and nutrition experts would tell us that we did not have a balanced diet and our body would soon suffer. If we only wore the simple clothes that John the Baptist wore, we would be considered a bum or homeless person. We would never be voted the world's best dressed man. But there is a simplicity in Christ (2 Corinthians 11:3). Little children are generally very simple in their desires for food and clothing. Jesus said, in Matthew 18:3,

"Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven." 

Little children are almost totally dependent upon their parents. Likewise, we Christians are totally dependent upon our heavenly Father, whether or not we know it.

Another characteristic about John the Baptist's lifestyle was that he lived in solitude in the desert, in the wilderness.

Matthew 3:1, "In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea," 

Note that John did not preach in the big cities, where the money was. How many pastors today would relish preaching in the wilderness, where no collection of offerings were available? Too many pastors today like the big crowds with all the glitter that goes with it. John would not fit in too well in today's churches. Also the wilderness, the desert, is a very quiet, lonely place. We humans do not like silence. We like to be around people who talk a lot. You could say that we are social noise makers. Sometimes I think the Quakers have a good idea of waiting on God in silence. But if we have two minutes of silence in our Christian gatherings, we get very uneasy. 

Arthur Schopenhauer, a German philosopher, was probably an agnostic, certainly not a born-again Christian. Most of his quotations are like those in Lamentations ... all is vanity. However a few of his quotations make some sense for a Christian.

"He who does not enjoy solitude will not love freedom."

"Great men are like eagles, and build their nest on some lofty solitude."

"The more you have inside you, the less you need people around you."

*       *       *

Psalm 46:10, "Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth."

Job 4:15-16, "Then a spirit passed before my face; the hair of my flesh stood up: It stood still, but I could not discern the form thereof: an image was before mine eyes, there was silence, and I heard a voice, saying,"

If we want to hear the voice of the Lord, we first have to be silent.

There is a hymn whose words are, or at least should be, very descriptive of our walk with the Lord. The title of that hymn is "Shut in With God." Only the Lord knows who wrote that song, but it seems to have been written during the great Welsh revival of 1904-1905, when God used Evan Roberts in a mighty way to bring in about 150 thousand souls to Himself. Evan Roberts apparently was not an apostle, not a prophet, not a pastor or teacher. But history records that Roberts for 120 consecutive days talked with God for about four hours a day ... face to face, as a man talks with his friend. Many have called the Welsh Revival the greatest revival in the history of mankind. The words of that hymn are:

"The disciples were praying for the power to fall; 

ten days they did tarry, on God they did call.

And God sent His Spirit to baptize them all; 

for they had been shut in with God.

Shut in with God in a secret place. 

There in the Spirit beholding His face, 

gaining new power to run in this race. 

Oh I love to be shut in with God.

Of all pleasant places on land or on sea; 

there's no place on earth that is sweeter to me.

Than to kneel at the feet of my Master and Lord, 

for there I'll be shut in with God." 

The best rendition of that hymn I have found on the internet is by Donna Carline. It will stir your emotions. There is certainly nothing wrong with stirring our emotions. But if we simply go to church every Sunday to get an emotional high, what happens the other six days of the week? The question is not whether we are challenged for one day. The question is, are we changed from glory to glory in our inner man every day?

That song seems to be particularly appropriate during this time of the pandemic, when for several months now, people have been shut in their own homes. Who has been shut in with God during these times? Are we shut in or shut out? Noah was shut in the ark by God Himself (Genesis 7:16). As long as Noah stayed in the ark, he never had a problem with man or beast. Even the animals who were mortal enemies of each other were content to dwell together in peace. John the Baptist was a man who was shut in with God in the wilderness. The Apostle Paul was shut in with God for at least three years in the deserts of Arabia (Galatians 1:17-18).

This pandemic is another amazing example of the love of God for His chosen people. He is giving us another opportunity to be shut in with Him. Unfortunately, some call it akin to claustrophobia. We Christians are too busy, too talkative, too oriented toward doing something to get quiet and listen to what the Lord wants to say.

Many years ago the Lord quickened to me this principle of being shut in with God from the life and ministry of Peter as recorded in the Book of Acts. We might recall that the 120 disciples were shut in an upper room for ten days after the ascension of Jesus until the Day of Pentecost. In Acts 1:15 we see that it was Peter with the 120.

In Acts 2:14, Peter stood up with the other 11 apostles. Then, from Acts 3 through Acts 8, it was always Peter and John. They were constant companions. But from Acts 9 through Acts 28, we never see Peter and John together because then it was Peter and the Lord. That reflects a solid principle in the maturity pattern of a Christian believer. When we are babes in Christ we need to experience the love of God through a pastor. But as we grow in grace we come to a point where we know that the Lord, not a human being, is our Shepherd.

A fifth important characteristic of John the Baptist was his courage. He called a spade a spade. That is a well-known idiom that dates back to ancient Greece. In other words he was not motivated by principles in the well-known, self-help book written by Dale Carnegie titled, "How to Win Friends and Influence People." He called the Pharisees and Sadducees a generation of vipers. He had the same resolve and motivation to please the Lord, not men. He was not afraid to be different from the multitude, in sharp contrast to so many soft-handed pastors of today who don't want to rock the boat. He was not afraid of losing his job, not afraid of losing his income, not afraid of losing friends, not afraid to offend men. He only wanted to do the will of God and prepare the way of the Lord. There is a song titled "Be Strong and Take Courage," which is worth listening to. The words of that song come from four different Chapters in the Book of Joshua. The words of that song include:

"Be strong and take courage. Do not fear or be dismayed; 

For the Lord will go before you and His light will show the way."

Another in-worked characteristic of John was that he was a man of vision. Some time ago we shared a complete message on vision. The man of the city sees the tall buildings, the red and green lights, the hustle and bustle of all of the ways of the world. But the man of the wilderness spends most of his time in the quiet solitude, peace and contentment of simply being alone with God. Every man takes the limits of his own field of vision for the limits of the world. The natural man has a natural myopia or nearsightedness. He can see only the here and now. But John, and all men sent from God, train their eyes to see eternity and the God of the eternal.

After the transfiguration of Jesus, as recorded in Matthew 17:8, speaking of the disciples Peter, James, and John, we read, 

"And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only." 

They no longer saw Moses and Elijah.

Returning now to John, Chapter 1 and Verse 7.

7 The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through Him might believe.

"The same" refers to John the Baptist. In Verses 7 we see another of the major key-words of John's Gospel ... the word "witness." The word "witness" means one who "bears witness." In John's Gospel there are eight different witnesses to the unique and supreme position of Jesus.

(1) The witness of the Father.

John 5:37, "And the Father himself, which hath sent Me, hath borne witness of Me. Ye have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His shape."

(2) The witness of Jesus Himself. What Jesus was in Himself was the best witness that His
claims were true.

John 8:18, "I am one that bear witness of Myself, and the Father that sent Me beareth witness of Me."

(3) The witness of His works.

John 5:36, "But I have greater witness than that of John: for the works which the Father hath given Me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of Me, that the Father hath sent Me." 

It is not by working miracles that we prove we belong to Christ, but by living a Christ-like life every day. It is in the ordinary things of life that we show that we belong to Him.

(4) The witness of the Scripture.

John 5:39, "Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of Me."

(5) The witness of those with whom Jesus came into contact.

John 4:39, "And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on Him for the saying of the woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I did."

John 12:17, "The people therefore that was with Him when he called Lazarus out of his grave, and raised him from the dead, bare record." [or witness]

(6) The witness of the disciples, especially the Apostle John.

John 15:27, "And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with Me from the beginning."

John 19:35, "And he that saw it bare record, and his record is true: and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe."

Then we have the witness of every disciple of Jesus over all of time. This includes you and me.

Acts 1:8, "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth."

The word "witness" in Acts 1:8 means a martyr, one who bears witness by his death.

(7) The witness of the Holy Spirit.

John 15:26, "But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, He shall testify of Me:"

(8) The witness by John the Baptist, the last of the Old Testament prophets, as we read in Verses 7 and 8.

Returning now to John 1:8,

8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.

Jesus said, in John 9:5, "As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world." 

Now, however, Jesus is seated in heaven at the right hand of the Father, so we Christians are to be the light of the world ... not our old, natural man, but Christ in us is the light of the world.

Jesus also said, in Matthew 5:13-16, 

"Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.

Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.

Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."

Verses 14 and 15 are the very first verses that the Holy Ghost sovereignly quickened to me shortly after the Lord sovereignly apprehended me. Verse 14 says that we Christians are to be the light of the world. Verse 15 says that we are to be a light unto all that are in the house.

When I read that verse in 1967, the Holy Ghost immediately quickened to me that the "house" refers to the household of God ... the Church. So Christ in us and through us was designed to be the light to all men. I remember when I received that revelation I became so excited that I ran out to tell another young brother in Christ what I had just received.

God is light and in Him there is no darkness. God wants a testimony of this light working in us to be a clear display that God cares for us, and no matter what we have to go through He is carrying us and His presence is sufficient to sustain us. The power source of this light is Jesus Christ and His life burning in us. This light is not kindled by man and cannot be put out by man.

There is a process of brokenness and crushing that God will allow in our lives that will produce a cry that will say, "Father into your hands I commit my spirit." It is a crushing that produces a cry and a commitment that we will be a flame of fire burning for Jesus Christ. Lord, continue to work within us that which is well pleasing in your sight. Amen.