Not I but Christ
Message by the Rev Dr Jeffrey Khoo at the Chinese Worship Service of True Life BPC, 6 June 2010
False Christianity is not uncommon in these last days. The Bible warned of false Christs and false prophets (Matt 24:11, 24). How can we tell a true preacher from a false one? To answer this question, let us study the words of John the Baptiser as found in John 1:19-34.
John the Baptiser was no doubt a true preacher of the Gospel of Christ because of the way he saw himself and the way he regarded the Lord Jesus Christ. Consider his life-principle as found in John 3:30, “He must increase, but I must decrease”. In other words, “Not I but Christ”. We see this “Not I but Christ” motto of John in his three “I am … I am not” statements:
“I am not the Christ … I am the voice …” (John 1:20, 23)
Jesus is the Christ. The word “Christ” is a title. It means the “Anointed”. Jesus is the Anointed Prophet, Priest, and King. Although the nation of Israel had prophets, priests and kings, none of them could save mankind from sin. Only Jesus Christ the Prophet of prophets, Priest of priests, King of kings can be the Saviour of mankind. Jesus Christ is very special and unique for He is the Son of the living God who became fully man to save us from our sins.
That was why John said he was just a voice (v23), a mouthpiece ofGod, announcing the coming of the Christ. Know that John was merely an instrument, a mouthpiece of God. It is not the instrument that is important but the person using that instrument. The wok is nothing without the chef; the scalpel is useless without the surgeon. When we taste fine cuisine or get cured after surgery we do not say, “What a good wok!” or “What a good knife!” but “What an excellent chef!” “What an excellent doctor!” Likewise the case with John and Jesus—Jesus gets all the glory, not John, and John understood this only too well.
John served as God’s heralder to make straight the way of the Lord (v23). Last year, many foreign dignitaries were in Singapore for a trade conference, and stayed at the Shangri-La, next to RELC. On our way to church that Sunday, we were stopped at the traffic light junction. The traffic police would not allow us through. They were clearing the road for these VIPs to have a smooth journey to the conference venue. John the Baptiser was serving like the traffic police clearing the road for the King of kings and Lord of lords—Jesus Christ Himself. Jesus Christ is prominent, not those who clear His way.
Likewise, as servants of God and preachers of His Word, we must understand who and what we are—mere mouthpieces of God. We must always point people to Christ, never to ourselves. As Christians we must also make sure that our faith is in Christ alone and our focus is always on Him. If people were to ask you, “Why do you believe in Christ?” How would you answer? If you say, “I believe because my pastor is so capable, a Doctor of Ministry, so eloquent and so handsome, so good in this and so good in that,” then I think that either that pastor has failed or you have failed. He has failed to point you to Christ or you have failed to see Christ as the One who is truly and fully the object of your faith. As Christians, we believe not because the pastor is good, but because Christ is good and only He. True ministers of the Gospel must ensure that church members see more and more of Christ and not more and more of them, that they should have the highest view of Christ and not any other person. Believers are in church not because of the pastor, but because of their Saviour—Jesus Christ Himself. Pastors are only under- shepherds, directing people to Christ the Good Shepherd who alone is God and Saviour.
Church leaders can fall and can fail, but Jesus cannot. If one day, your pastor falls, will your faith be shaken? Your faith will not be shaken if your faith is in Christ and Christ alone. Look to Christ always. Now, I am not saying that pastors and preachers can live any way they like and sin against God. Of course as servants of God, they must live a Christlike life, and strive towards perfection or holiness in Christ. But know that for every Christian, whether clergy or laity, Christ alone is the perfect Standard and we are all accountable to Him.
“I baptise with water … I am not worthy …” (John 1:26, 27)
Water baptism is only external, ceremonial cleansing. It is symbolic and does not actually take away sins. Water baptism seeks to point to Holy Spirit baptism and the cleansing that comes from Christ and His blood which actually and effectively take away sins. That was why John pointed to Christ in verse 29, “Behold the Lamb of God …” for He is the One who baptises with the Holy Spirit and with fire—“the same is he which baptiseth with the Holy Ghost” (v33).
John here confesses that he is nothing. It is Jesus Christ who is Everything—all powerful, all-knowing, all-seeing, God Himself in the flesh. John says that the One who comes after him is Someone so great, he is not even worthy to untie His shoelaces. Note that the job of taking off the sandals and washing the feet of someone was the job of a slave in those days. In other words, John was actually saying, “Jesus is so great, I’m not even worthy to be His slave.”
To serve the Lord is a great privilege. A true servant of God will not feel that he is worthy to serve God. He will feel very unworthy. He will not think that God needs him or anything that he has, whether it be a high IQ or a high EQ, or whatever else it may be. A true servant of God is one who knows himself—where he stands before God. He will not go ahead of God, but will serve only if God allows him to. He will serve only if the Lord grants him the opportunity, calling him into ministry. God was the One who chose John and called him into ministry. John himself knew that he was able to preach and baptise only because God had called and empowered him to do so.
God’s calling of a man to pulpit ministry is something that transcends human standards. The Apostle Paul makes this clear, “For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence” (1 Cor 1:26-29).
I am thankful to the Lord for calling me to full-time service. Although I currently serve as Principal and a lecturer at FEBC, I know I am there only because God allows it. I consider it a wonderful privilege. I do not deserve to serve God like this, and I know very well that God can take it away anytime. It is only by His mercies and grace that I am what I am, and can do what I am doing now, even preaching from the pulpit. It is not something I am worthy of. If one day God says, “No more, I don’t want you anymore” or “I don’t need you to do this anymore”, I will still praise His Name and worship Him. Because everything belongs to Him, nothing belongs to me, and I am nothing, a nobody. If I am to be useful for God, I must follow the example of John—in everything “He must keep on increasing, and I must keep on decreasing” (John 3:30).
“I knew Him not … I saw the Spirit descending … And I saw … the Son of God” (John 1:31-34)
We know that Mary (Jesus’ mother) and Elizabeth (John’s mother) were cousins. John was only about 6 months older than Jesus. Yet, John did not know Jesus. That is not strange because Jesus grew up in Galilee and John in Judah. Travelling in those days was not so easy or convenient (no planes, MRTs, buses, etc). So both of them did not grow up together, and until Jesus made His appearance John did not know it was Jesus and that He was the Christ.
Why is this important? This is important to show that there was no conspiracy involved. John did not use his cousin Jesus to create a new religion. The Christian religion is not something that came from man but entirely the work of God. John’s ministry and identification of the Messiah was something God had already revealed way ahead of time, by the Prophet Isaiah 700 years before (Isa 40:3). Furthermore, John’s birth and work was also announced in a miraculous way to his parents even before he was conceived in his mother’s womb (Luke 1:5-20).
The heavenly origin of Christianity is also attested by two divine Witnesses. God the Father and God the Holy Spirit both testified concerning God the Son for the Spirit descended visibly as a dove and
lighted not on anyone else but Jesus, and the Father’s voice was heard from heaven saying, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matt 3:17).
All this tells us that knowing Jesus Christ is not something that we can achieve in and of ourselves. All of us because of our sin are blind towards God. We see Christ, know Christ, believe in Christ because God by His love and His Spirit has revealed Him to us, and given us the faith to believe. For example, when Jesus asked His disciples, “Whom say ye that I am?” Peter answered, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Peter answered correctly, but who gave him the answer? Jesus said, “Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven” (Matt 16:17).
A true preacher is someone who will not preach man’s ideas, but God’s truth that comes from God’s Word. He will be totally dependent on the Holy Spirit to guide Him into the truth, and not on any intelligent man or method. He must never preach himself but only Christ and nothing else but Christ (2 Cor 4:5). Know the Holy Scriptures, be sensitive to the Holy Spirit, and you will be able to tell the true preacher from the false preacher. Remember this good motto: “Not I but Christ.” “He must increase, and I must decrease.”
