And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.”

John 1:19-23

And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.” John 1:21

I continue my study of John, and today, I outline John 1:19-28 and unpack the text using the Sword Bible Study Method: 

Main point: John points to Jesus as fulfillment of prophecy and infinite worth.  

1. John the Baptist and men baptize with water - vv19-23
2. Jesus will baptize with Holy Spirit - vv24-28   

• What do we learn from the passage about God?: At this point in the text, Jesus has yet to start His ministry so He is not known - v26; Jesus fulfills prophecy from Isaiah and John - v23, vv26-27; Jesus has worth more than John - v27; Jesus will baptize with something more and better than water - vv26-27 
• What do we learn from the passage about people?: The Jewish leaders are concerned about and question John re: who he is and what he is doing imploring people to repent as he baptizes people in Bethany (in the Jordan River) - vv19-28; upon questioning John shares that while he is not Elijah (v21), and He is not Jesus (note the use of lower case "p" as John is not The Prophet as a proper noun as this is assigned to Jesus - v21), he does fulfill prophecy from Isaiah 40:3 as coming before Jesus - v23; John baptizes with water - v26; John is less than Jesus - v27. 
• Is there anything from the passage God wants us to obey (SPEC: Sins to avoid,Promises to claim, Examples to follow, Commands to obey?): Although John the Baptist can be seen as a biblical hero he is not God nor is anyone else, including pastors, etc. - we should avoid idolizing church figures but worship God alone; we should follow John's example to see Jesus is of great worth and value - our ultimate treasure; we should follow the example of those who received baptism from John and pursue baptism as a public statement of our faith and receive baptism through the Holy Spirit. 

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My Prayer: Father God, You are an awesome God who loves and who is my ultimate treasure - You save!  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such blessings...my sin is great and it continues....daily.  Please forgive me and help me turn from and overcome such sin and turn towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.