The Sower's Bible Studies on John

Message Twelve

2011-02-03T10:23:00.001-08:00

Michelangelo was chipping away with his chisel at a huge piece of rock. Asked a friend, "What are you doing?" "I'm releasing the angel that's imprisoned in this marble," he answered. The Lord Jesus is the only one who can redeem and release the hidden hero in every man. We get a glimpse of this as we go with our Lord to Galilee. It was there that He found Philip. Now there are two ways to find something or someone. There's the stumbling and the seeking. In this case the Lord Jesus didn't stumble over this sinner. He sought Him out, for the Bible says, "The Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost."

Hear the call. To Philip the Lord Jesus said, "Follow Me." It's interesting to note that the word "follow" means accompany Me, or come and travel with Me. He wants us to walk by His side. He doesn't want us to lag or linger behind, neither does He want us to run or rush ahead. He wants us to accompany Him.

Let's meet the convert. The Bible says, "Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter." The name "Bethsaida" means fishtown. Think of it...our Lord went to fishtown to get several of His most dependable disciples. It was Dr. Harry Ironside who said, "The earlier followers of our Lord Jesus were, with few exceptions, men from the lower walks of life: fishermen, tax-collectors, Galilean peasants. Judas was the only 'gentleman' in the entire apostolic band. He was from Judea...and he turned traitor." Thus it was out of the lower walks of life that the Lord Jesus began to construct the church, against which the gates of hell can't prevail.

Let's listen to the confession of the convert. It's written in John 1:45, "Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, 'We have found Him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets did write, Jesus of Nazareth!'" Philip got saved, and he at once thought of his friend and brought him to the Lord. Andrew got saved, and he at once thought of his family and brought Peter to the Lord. The Samaritan adulteress got saved, and she at once thought of her neighbors and brought them to the Lord. Are there folk in your family, and friends in your community who are unsaved? Have you ever tried to bring them to the Lord? In the great commission, Jesus said, "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." And where does the world begin? Where your nose ends. So begin where you are to confess Christ. That's what Philip did. He confessed to a friend, "We have found Him!" There was no uncertainty there. One of old said, "If you have
any certainties, let us have them. We have doubts enough of our own." Philip was certain. He said with assurance, "We have found Him," not it. Christianity is Christ. It's not a system but the Savior, not a creed but Christ. Our Lord Himself said, "This is life eternal, that they might know Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou has sent."

Let's listen to a question. On hearing that Jesus came from Nazareth, Nathanael asked, "Can any good come out of Nazareth?" He answered, "Come and see." There was a newspaper man who was a skeptic and a slave to sin. One night he went to a revival. He, too, wanted to know if any good came out of Nazareth. The evangelist said to him, "Bill Shannon, God challenges you to test Him and to try Him, and if He doesn't make good you can quit, and you haven't lost a thing." He tried Him. No, he didn't quit. He became a great evangelist, and for many years I was his song leader. How I loved to hear him say: "Christ is not a disappointment." Why don't you try Him?

copyright 2000 Guido Evangelistic Association

All Scripture verses are quoted from the New King James Version.

This series of messages on the books of the Bible were originally written for broadcast on Dr. Guido's radio program, "The Sower." They are collected and reprinted here for your enjoyment and spiritual edification. Go to the Sower's site for more at www.TheSower.com.

Message Eleven

2010-09-21T07:58:00.001-07:00

A man of God asked a friend, "Have you ever found Jesus?" "No, sir," he answered. "Have you continued to seek Him?" he asked. "Yes, sir," he replied. "Why haven't you found Him?" asked the minister. "I don't know," he answered. "Let me tell you why," he said. "You haven't found Jesus, because you haven't realized the fact that He's seeking you. Jesus came into the world to seek and to save the lost. Instead of seeking Him you've been seeking a feeling, or somebody else's experience. Jesus has been seeking you. Now stop running after an experience, and let the Lord Jesus find you." That did it! He got saved!

Andrew started out to seek the Lord, and he, too, found that the Lord was seeking him. For the Lord who said, "Seek ye the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near," also said, "The Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost." So Andrew, the seeking sinner found the seeking Savior. Then he set out to seek other souls.

Let's think on the task. D. L. Moody was asked, "What's the best way to reach men with the gospel?" "Go after them," he replied. That's what Andrew did, for it's written in John 1:41, "He first findeth his own brother Simon." It's the natural desire of the newly-born child of God to find someone else. And that's the business of every believer. There's no cancellation from this commission. The Lord who saved you, has signed you to this task. When I was first saved, one said to me, "Guido, you're saved to serve." And I've never gotten away from it.

Let's think on his testimony. Andrew said, "We have found the Christ." How certain he was. He didn't say, "I hope I've found the Christ!" It's a good thing he didn't say to his brother, "I think I've found Christ. Come with me and see what you think!" Had he said that, I imagine Peter would have said, "Go your way, Andrew. I'm too busy fishing." But he testified, "I have found the Christ." For you to save souls, you must be saved; and you must be sure that you're saved. Our Lord said, "Can the blind lead the blind? Shall they not both fall into the ditch?" Even the rich man who was tormented in the flame, realized that only a saved soul could save another soul. That's why he begged for a believer to be released from heaven, and not for an unbeliever to be sent from hell. Let me ask you, my friend, are you absolutely certain that you're saved? You can be! A ten-year-old newsboy was telling one of his customers about being saved. Said the customer, "Peter, maybe you only think you're saved." "No sir," he answered. "I'm absolutely certain. Jesus said He wouldn't cast anybody out who came to Him. I came to Him, and I'm saved for keeps. Jesus couldn't make a mistake." How true!

Let's think on his triumph. The Bible says, "He brought him to Jesus." Who can measure what that conversion has meant to Christianity. Oh, how thrilled Andrew must have been, when several years later, on the day of Pentecost, he heard his brother preach the word of the Lord, and 3,000 souls were converted! It has been my glorious honor to do the work of an evangelist for many years. In many of our meetings I've had person after person say to me, "The Lord has called us to be faithful, but He hasn't called us to be successful." But I believe He has called us to be both, for He said, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men." That's why Andrew brought Peter to Jesus. How different he was from the Christian of whom Spurgeon spoke. To him, an unsaved brother said, "I'm dying. I know I'm lost. I can't help putting some of the blame of my ruin at your door. You believed I was perishing. Yet you did not speak to me." How tragic! Oh, win the lost at any cost.

copyright 2000 Guido Evangelistic Association

Message Ten

2010-09-20T07:30:00.001-07:00

By Dr. Michael Guido, D.D.

While conducting a revival in prison, one said to me, "I've taken so many wrong steps. They've broken the hearts of my loved ones, and they've brought me so much sorrow." But he didn't stop there. That prisoner continued, "But today I've taken a step to Jesus, and I'm going to keep in step with Him." It thrilled me to see the transformation that took place in his face and life. So think with me on some steps that will lead to salvation and satisfaction.

The first step is beholding Jesus. It's written in John 1:29, "Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world." To behold the Lamb of God is to believe in Him. As you trust Him, He'll take away your sins. The expression "taketh away" literally means, "to bear away," or "to tear apart." As you trust in the Lord you become separated from your sins by your Substitute bearing your sins in His own body on the tree. There lived in a small village in Northern Ireland a man who was nicknamed by his neighbor "drunken Dan." One night he went to church and he looked to the Lord and was changed. No longer was he cruel but kind. His sobriety and spirituality surprised everyone. In describing the change, one jokingly said, "A fairy changed him when he was drunk." "Oh, no!" said Dan. "I'll tell you what changed me. It was one good look at the Lamb of God."

The second step is following Jesus. After John the Baptist said, "Behold the Lamb of God," the Bible says, "they followed Jesus." There are some who follow the Lord as Samson followed his parents, till he came to a honeycomb. There are some who follow the Lord as a dog follows his master, till he comes to a bone. There are others who follow the Lord as did Peter - afar off. But the way to follow Him is closely. Testified the Psalmist, "My soul follows close behind Thee." Another way to follow Him is completely. Said the Lord, "My servant Caleb has wholeheartedly followed Me." As you follow Him closely and completely sin will be shunned, protection will be provided, and His strength will become your strength. This was true of the martyr, John Huss. When he was brought to be burned, a crown with devils on it was placed on his head. As he saw the crown he said, "My Lord Jesus, for my sake, wore a crown of thorns; shouldn't I wear for His sake this light crown, be it ever so ignominious? Truly I'll do it, and that willingly." When it was set upon his head, one said, "Now, we commend your soul to the devil." "But I," said Huss, as he lifted his eyes to heaven, "do commend my spirit into Thy hands, O Lord. When the wood was piled up to his neck, and he was asked to turn from following the Lord; he said, "No! What I taught with my lips I now seal with my blood!"

The third step is abiding with Jesus. A happy Christian met a salesman one day and said, "It's a grand thing to be saved!" "Yes," answered the salesman, "but I know something better than that." "What's that?" he asked. "The companionship of the Man who saved me," he answered. Concerning it, the Bible says, "John said, 'Behold the Lamb of God.' And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and He saith to them, 'What seek ye?' They said unto Him, 'Master, where dwellest Thou?' He saith unto them, 'Come and see.' They came...and abode with Him that day." It's only as you abide with Jesus that you'll abound with joy.

The fourth step is bringing others to Jesus. After Andrew abode with the Lord that day he went out and found his own brother Simon and said, "We have found the Christ," and he brought him to Jesus. In China a missionary doctor cured a man of cataracts. Several weeks later 48 blind men, each holding onto a rope, held in the hands of the man who was cured, came to the doctor. What a picture of soul-winning! The first blind man came to the physician, trusted him and he saw. Then he went out and brought others. If you've come to Christ, bring others to Him! Won't you?

copyright 2000 Guido Evangelistic Association

Message Nine

2010-06-01T08:33:00.000-07:00

By Dr. Michael Guido, D.D.

The Lord Jesus doesn't hide in the heavens and wait for you to come to Him. Before you ever come to Him, He comes to you. He's the seeking Savior, and He makes the first move. Your problem hasn't been how to find Him, but how to flee from Him. It's written in John 1:29, "John seeth Jesus coming unto him." Just as He came to John, so He comes to you. When He came, John declared, "Behold, the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world."

Let's think on the Lamb. Christ Jesus is the Lamb of God. God claimed Him and commissioned Him. Not one of many, but the only Lamb. As you study the Scriptures you'll see that many lambs were sacrificed in the Old Testament, but all the shadows disappeared when Christ the Substance appeared. He was the Lamb that was prophesied in the book of Genesis, when Abraham said, "God will provide a lamb." He was the Lamb that was pictured in the book of Exodus. On a dark night, when the Angel of Death walked abroad and smote the first-born of the Egyptians, not one of the children of Israel died. Why? Because of the blood of the lamb that was applied. So John the Baptist declared, "Behold the Lamb of God." He's the Lamb, the real, true Sacrifice that God supplied who can deliver you from death. Jesus wasn't sent to be a philosopher but a propitiation for our sins. He wasn't sent merely to teach, but to take away our sins. He wasn't sent to reform us, but to redeem us. To have seen everything in the life of Jesus but that of being the Lamb of God, is to have seen everything in His life but the one and only thing that will save you from your sins.

Let's think on the load. The Bible says, "Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world." This title reveals the sinlessness of Jesus, for He was the Lamb "without blemish and without spot." As sunbeams never contract the filth they pass through, so Jesus remained sinless. He became sin, but He didn't become a sinner. This title reveals the sacrifice of Jesus. He was the Lamb slain for our sins, for "without shedding of blood is no remission." The only way sin could be taken away was for Jesus to bear our load of sin in His own body on the cross. A workman was building a spire. Suddenly he slipped and fell. His companions rushed to the ground, expecting to find his broken and bloody body on the pavement. But to their surprise they found that he wasn't hurt at all. A flock of sheep was passing by just as he fell, and he landed on a lamb and was spared. But the lamb was slain. That's what took place at Calvary. Jesus the Lamb of God, was broken for our sins. He bore the weight of your sins and mine in His own body. Now there's life for us.

Let's think on the look. The Bible says, "Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world." You can't cleanse away your sins by cultivation, nor can you erase your sins by education, nor can you rub out your sins by reformation. Your confirmation and charm, your wealth and works can no more take away your sins than can putting a plaster on your finger cure an internal cancer. You can no more purge your passions by your behavior or your baptism than you can put out the fire of a volcano by pouring in a bottle of water. But the Lord can do for you what you can't do for yourself - He can take away your sins - if you'll behold Him! And what does that mean? To trust Him. A few days before Mr. Spurgeon was to preach at the Crystal Palace he went to check on the acoustics. In a strong voice he shouted, "Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world." A workman in the galleries, not knowing that Spurgeon was there, thought he heard a message from heaven. He dropped his tools, hurried to his home, looked to the Lord and was saved. O, that God would bless that message to the salvation of your soul as He did to the salvation of that soul.

copyright 2000 Guido Evangelistic Association

Message Eight

2010-05-04T11:20:00.000-07:00

John 1:14

He was born and bred in India. A man had never read the Bible or met a believer until he went to hear a missionary preach Christ. When he heard that God became man, he said, "I can't believe that!" But he loved ants, and to get away from the message of the missionary he went out to watch ants. As he saw them bearing heavy burdens and being crushed to death, he longed to help them, but couldn't. He asked, "How can I let them know that I love them? How can I help them?" In distress he cried, "Oh, if only I could become an ant, and still retain my human faculties, then I could let them know that I love them and I could help them." Then he shouted, "Now I see why God became man. Now I can believe it."

Let's look at the descent. It's written in John 1:14, "The Word became flesh." The virgin birth of Christ wasn't the origin of His personality. It was the entrance of His personality into the conditions of human life. The divine person became human, and yet He was still divine. He was perfect man and He was perfect God. He was the only person in all history who could choose His mother, and He chose one in the middle stream of society, making Him near to the rich and near to the poor. While He was born of a woman, He had no human father. Because He was born of a woman, He was a real man. Because He was conceived of the Holy Ghost He was born sinless. And He remained sinless. As God He wasn't able to sin, but as man He was able not to sin. By choice He remained the only person who never committed a sin. A Jesus born in sin and a Jesus who sinned couldn't atone for our sins. But He died for our sins!

Let's look at the dwelling. The Bible says, "The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us." The word "dwelt" literally means "tabernacled." Jesus didn't appear on earth and immediately disappear. He wasn't a ghostly phantom but a genuine person. All that's mighty and magnificent in men, all that's winsome and winning in women, all that's charming and charitable in children, is found in the lovely life of our lovely Lord. He went about doing good, and then He gave Himself for our sins. "Several years ago," said Dr. Hershel Ford, "a young doctor went to China as a medical missionary. He was soon confronted with a disease which was killing off many people, but for which there was no remedy. The disease wasn't listed in any medical book and there wasn't any place where he could do any research work. So the young doctor did a daring thing. He studied patient after patient and filled his note book with a list of their symptoms. Then he filled some tubes with the germs of the disease and sailed for America. Just before he landed in New York he took these deadly germs into his own body, then hurried to Johns Hopkins Hospital. He presented himself as a guinea pig to the doctors and professors there. They studied the disease and found a remedy. By the grace of God the young doctor lived and carried the remedy back to China, there to save hundreds of lives. That's a slight picture of what the coming of Jesus meant. He saw men dying in their sin. And what did He do? He came and took our sin in His own body and died of the disease on the cross. That was the purpose of His coming. He came to die that we might live forever."

Look at the display. The Bible says, "We beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." The life of our Lord was a display of glory! He gave hearing to the deaf, sight to the blind, health to the sick, cleansing to the leper, and life to the dead. In all these mighty miracles men saw the glory of God, and at the heart and hub of that splendor is the grace of God. His glory is His grace. Valentine Burke was a notorious burglar. As he sat in his cell in St. Louis awaiting trial, he read a sermon by D. L. Moody in the daily paper and he called on the name of the Lord and was saved. After his release he went to New York, and he lived a clean life. But he couldn't get work. So he returned to St. Louis and was picked up by the police. They told him he had been shadowed by the police day and night, and he proved himself to be straight and honest. Then they offered him a job as deputy sheriff. One day Mr. Moody visited him. Burke showed him some treasured jewels, saying, "Look! They trust me to guard them. See what the grace of God can do!"
Well did the poet write,
"Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me."
Tell me, have you been saved by the grace of God?

copyright 2000 Guido Evangelistic Association

Message Seven

2010-01-26T08:54:00.000-08:00

By Dr. Michael Guido, D.D.
John 1:12

The other day I asked a gentleman to become a Christian. "No," he said, "I can't." "Why can't you?" I asked. "There are too many things to give up," he answered. But I said, "You're wrong. You don't become a Christian by giving up things. You become a Christian by receiving the Lord. For the Bible says, 'As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name.'" And the Bible continues, "Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God."

You can't become a Christian by descent. The Bible says, "Which were born not of blood." Corruption runs in your blood stream, Christianity doesn't. Several years ago I spoke at a Youth Convention in San Antonio, Texas. After the meeting I got on a train to come home. On the way the train stopped at a college town and many young people got on, the first being a young lady. After looking over everyone in the coach she came and sat beside me...that was the only vacant seat. After sitting there quietly for several minutes, she looked at me carefully and said, "Three guesses what you are, Bud?" I said, "Guess, Sis." "Ah, I know!" she confessed. "You're a jazz orchestra leader." "I used to be a jazz orchestra leader," I admitted, but, "I'm not one now." "Oh," she sighed, "then you must be one of those horrible evangelists." "Yes, ma'am," I said, "I'm one of those horrible evangelists." Then I asked, "May I ask you a question?" Hesitatingly, she answered, "Yes." I asked, "Are you a Christian?" "Indeed, I am," she blurted out. "What makes you think so?" I questioned. "Well," she said, "my father is a minister, that makes him a Christian. My mother is a church worker, that makes her a Christian. Ours is a Christian home. I was born in a Christian home. That makes me a Christian." "Tell me," I said, "if I were born in a bread pan would that make me a biscuit?" "Oh, no!" she answered. "Just so," I replied, "being born in a Christian home won't make you a Christian." You may have been born with a religious spoon in your mouth, but unless you make a stir to be born again, you're not a Christian. You can't get to heaven hanging onto the coattails of a godly father, or by being tied to the apron strings of a saintly mother. You must be born again.

You can't become a Christian by desire. The Bible says, "Which were born...not of the will of the flesh." One night I spoke to a gathering of businessmen in Florida, and I urged them to receive the Lord Jesus as their Savior. After the service a deacon drove me to the hotel. Before
getting out of his car, I said, "Deacon, let's ask the Lord to bless His word to the salvation of their souls." We bowed our heads, and I prayed, "Dear Lord, please save the mayor, and the councilmen -" when suddenly the deacon poked me in the ribs and begged, "Ask Him to save me!" "You?" I asked. "Yes," he answered. "I desired to become a Christian. I asked for church membership and I was made a deacon and a Sunday School Superintendent. But I've never been born again." That night he got saved.

You can't become a Christian by deeds. The Bible says, "Which were born...not of the will of man." No man and no woman can make you a Christian. One might baptize you, or give you communion, but no one can make you a Christian. I attended the funeral of a wealthy but wicked man. The minister, in delivering the sermon, said, "I baptized Chuck, and when I did, that made him a Christian." That's what he said, but not what God said. Abraham Lincoln asked a group of senators, "How many legs would a donkey have, if you called his tail a leg?" "Five," they answered. "You're wrong," he said. "Calling a tail a leg won't make it one." And calling one who isn't a Christian a Christian won't make him one.

How, then, does one become a Christian? By receiving Christ. One Sunday morning as I was singing a solo the organist left the bench and came to the front of the church. Hurrying to her side, I asked, "What's wrong?" "I've been the church organist for years," she answered, "but I've never been born again." Turning to John 1:12 we read, "As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God." Kneeling, she prayed, "Lord Jesus, I receive Thee!" and she was born again. Won't you receive Jesus now?

copyright 2000 Guido Evangelistic Association

Message Six

2010-01-04T10:39:00.000-08:00

By Dr. Michael Guido, D.D.
John 1:12

When George the Fifth was crowned king, his eldest son went to an old castle to be received as Prince of Wales. Accompanied by David Lloyd George he approached the castle door. It was bolted. He knocked, but there was no answer. All was quiet within. He knocked again, but there was no answer. He knocked the third time. The bolt was drawn, the door was opened, and he was given a glorious reception. The Prince had come to his own, and his own received him with rejoicing. It wasn't that way with the Prince of Peace. The Bible says, "He came unto His own, and His own received Him not."

Let's look at the choice. There are some things you'll never do, some things you can't do, but there's one thing you must do. Whether you like it or not, you must take sides for, or against Christ. It's written in John 1:12, "But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name." You must either receive Christ or reject Him. And while you're choosing, you're in one of the choices. Until you believe, you're condemned. The Bible says, "He that believeth on Him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." "Oh," but you say, "I'm going to be neutral." You can't. Why? The Lord won't let you. He comes to you, saying, "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in." There are only two things you can do about a knock. You can open the door, or you can leave it closed. To leave the door closed, is to keep out Christ. "But," you say, "suppose I want the Lord to leave me alone." If you really want Him to leave you alone, He will. The granddaughter of Aaron Burr received the Lord Jesus as her Savior. But he refused, telling her that when he was a young man he went to a meeting and rejected the Lord, saying, "God, if You don't bother me, I'll never bother You." "Honey," he said, "God kept His part of the bargain. He's never bothered me. Now it's too late."

Let's look at the capability. You can make the choice, and you can become a Christian. You don't become a Christian by attainment but by acceptance. The Bible says, "As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God." You don't become a Christian by doing chores but by coming to Christ. He said, "Him that cometh to Me, I will in no wise cast out." You don't become a Christian by giving but by grace. The Bible says, "By grace are ye saved through
faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God." "Let me think it over," you say. Suppose you were drowning, and I threw you a rope, crying, "Take it. I'll save you." While you're deciding what to do, you're not taking it, and you're perishing. Just so, while you're deciding whether to receive Christ, you're not receiving Him, and you're perishing. One day I sang and spoke at a prison. As I went to the pianist to give him my music I was amazed to find that he once played in my dance band. He said, "When you became a Christian, you asked me to become one. I said, 'Let me think it over.' While thinking it over I went deeper into sin. Now you're a preacher and I'm a prisoner." But that day he received Jesus.

Let's look at the consequences. The Bible says, "But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God." The word "received" means "welcomed." As you'd welcome a cherished friend into your home, so welcome Christ into your heart. On seeing a picture of Christ at the door, a boy asked his father, "Who's that man?" "Jesus," he answered. "Why's He knocking?" "Because," said the father, "He wants to come in." "Daddy," he asked, "why don't they let Him in?" That touched him deeply. Slipping away from his son, he dropped to his knees, saying, "Lord Jesus, it's at the door of my heart that You're knocking. Forgive me for keeping You waiting for so many years. I open the door. Please come in." Jesus came in. Won't you, just now, let Jesus come into your heart?

copyright 2000 Guido Evangelistic Association

Message Five

2009-12-09T10:20:00.000-08:00

By Dr. Michael Guido, D.D.
John 1:6-8

Some time ago I read of an old tradition in England. It said that if an Englishman had three sons, he selected the bravest and educated him for the navy; the next, if he was stupid but brave, he educated him for the army; and the third, if he was good for nothing, he prepared him for the church. But that's not God's method for making a minister. When one was needed to prepare the way of the Lord, John the Baptist was chosen. Of him the Lord said, "Among them that are born of women, there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist."

Let's meet the man. It's written in John 1:6, "There was a man sent from God, whose name was John." He was a manly man who didn't practice self-indulgence but self-denial. He was brave and biblical, strong and spiritual. He dressed simply. He wasn't clothed in soft raiment, or with silks or satins, but camel's hair. He ate simply. He wasn't a luxury-lover; he ate locusts and wild honey. He spoke simply. He didn't use sugar-coated words; but his looks were as law-suits, his tones as thunder-bolts and his sentences as swords. He was a humble, holy and heroic man of God. Let's mark his mission. The Bible says, "There was a man sent from God." He wasn't in the ministry because of his selection, but because he was a sent one. The ministry wasn't that which he chose, but that for which he was chosen. There are too many in the ministry as a result of choice and not of a call. The ministry was a calling to Amos, for the Bible says, "The Lord took him as he followed the flock, and said, 'Go prophesy.'" That was true of the apostle Paul. It wasn't his oratory that made him a minister, but his ordination of God. That was true of Wesley. He did a great work among the miners at Cornwall. Whole villages were transformed from a drinking and gambling people to men and women of sobriety and godliness. In every home there was found a picture of Wesley. One day a stranger visited a home, and on seeing Wesley's picture, asked, "Who's he?" The host answered, "There was a man sent from God, whose name was John."

Let's mark his message. It's written in John 1:7 and 8, "The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through Him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light." With some men the messenger is often more important than the message. So they asked John the Baptist, "Who are you?" Not, "Who is He?" Displeased with their disbelief, he answered definitely, "I am not the Christ." "Then, who are you, Elijah?" they asked. "No, I am not!" he answered. They asked, "Are you a prophet?" "No," and he said in effect, "Let's stop talking about me and let's start talking about Christ. I'm here to bear witness Let's mark the meaning. "Ye are My witnesses," said the Lord. "How often we hear the phrase, 'the cause of Christ,'" said Dr. Albert Banks. "That's a legal phrase. When you hear it thoughtfully, a court room presents itself before your imagination, the judge sits on the bench, and the jury members are in their places, the lawyers are there to plead, but if it's an honest court, the issue depends more upon the witnesses than anybody else. Now the Lord Jesus has a cause which is being tried in this world. Ministers of the gospel are only attorneys to prosecute His claim. Every Christian is subpoenaed as a witness in the cause of Christ. We're in court all the time. The jury is watching us. The stenographers are taking down our evidence. The Savior is looking and listening, and a record is being kept in heaven. O my brother, what kind of evidence are you giving for the Lord Jesus?" A man who had been very antagonistic to Christianity, credited his conversion to his timid neighbor. This stunned the Christian neighbor. He said, "I can't remember that I had very much to say to you." "No," answered the ex-infidel, "you didn't have very much to say. But do you know what you did? You lived me to death. I could stand the preaching of the ministers, and could upset their arguments. But I couldn't the way you lived." Witnessing is more than Christian argument; it's Christian action. Not only with your lips, but also your lives, be a good witness for the Lord.

copyright 2000 Guido Evangelistic Association

Message Four

2009-11-09T08:35:00.000-08:00

By Dr. Michael Guido, D.D.

John 1:4

In days of old it was a common thing to see inscriptions on the houses of England. On one house there was found this inscription: "You would weep if you knew that your life was limited to one month; yet you laugh when you know not that it may be limited to one day." But should your life be limited to one minute then hear this: "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
The Gospel of John begins with life and it ends with life. In the beginning it's written, "In Him was life;" and at the end it's written, "These are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through His name." In between these two verses the word "life" is used more than 35 times in 21 chapters, and the words "to live" or "to have life" more than 15 times.

Let's consider the significance. Life as used in the Bible denotes that which is physical or natural, that is, mere animal life. It refers to man's bodily life upon this earth. This form of life is propagated by human generation, and it's subject to physical death. Cried a millionaire, as he was dying, "All that I have I'll gladly give for 5 more minutes of life!" How precious life is! Treasure and talents, position and prestige, fame or fortune are of value only while life lasts. All is lost when death comes. But life, as it involves the whole man, is endless in every human being, saved or unsaved. For the saved it involves living with the Lord in the Father's house. For the unsaved it involves living with the lost in the lake of fire. Both are endless. For the saved it's eternal enjoyment. For the unsaved it's endless existence. We looked at physical life, now let's look at eternal life. It's not merely a life that lasts for ever. Such a life could be a curse, if you're corrupt and cruel. It could be tragic, if you're transgressing and you're in trouble. In eternal life there's more than that which is durable; there's that which is desirable. It's a life that's enjoyable as well as everlasting; a life of forgiveness of sins here and freedom from sins hereafter. It's a life of happiness here and heaven hereafter, where there's no disease or death, no tear or trouble, no sorrow or sin. A Christian lady was about to go home to heaven and was visited by her brother who lived a great distance away. "I'll not see you again," he said with tears, "in the land of the living." "Brother," she answered, "I trust we shall meet in the land of the living. We're now in the land of the dying."

Let's consider the source. Man can take life, but he can't give life. All life, physical and eternal, is in the Lord. "But," you say, "I have physical life, however I don't have eternal life. How can eternal life be mine?" By receiving the Lord. It's not by your baptism or behaviour, nor is it by your church membership or communion. It's only in Christ. The Bible says, "He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life."

Let's consider the splendor. The Bible says, "In Him was life; and the life was the light of men." All true life is luminous. But the light that comes from the Lord is pure. Just as light passes through that which is poisonous without contracting or carrying any poison with it, so did our Lord. He came in contact with sin and sinners, but His life was as stainless when He died as it was when He was born. And He'll cleanse your life when you come to Him, and He'll keep you clean. The light which comes from the Lord is powerful. When darkness lay upon the face of the deep, the Lord said, "Let there be light, and there was light." Without the Lord your life is one of chaos and confusion, darkness and despair. But when you receive Christ He'll put to flight your darkness and despair, and you'll have pardon and peace. The light which comes from the Lord prevails. The Bible says, "The light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not." The light of the Lord shines sufficiently for the salvation of all sinners, but not all accept it. Some prefer to live without the Lord, so they live in darkness and they die in darkness. Such was the case with a young lawyer. On the day he was admitted to the bar he became ill. His father came to see him one bright day, and as he entered the room he said, "Father, it's so dark. A storm must be coming." And with those words he passed out into the darkness without hope. Don't live or die without the Lord! Come to Him and you'll enjoy His life and light!

Message Three

2009-11-03T07:02:00.000-08:00

By Dr. Michael Guido, D.D.

John 1:3

A gentleman, lying in the shade of an oak tree, was gazing on a pumpkin vine with its large swelling fruit. Suddenly he looked into the oak tree, and on seeing an acorn, said, "Had I been the Creator, I would have hung the pumpkin upon the tall oak. It's more suitable to bear it." Just then an acorn fell on his head. "Had that been a pumpkin," he thought, "it not only would have been unwise but also unmerciful." Isn't it wonderful that our Creator isn't only infinite but also intelligent! No wonder a sacred poet wrote, "To the only wise God our Savior, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever."

Let's meet the Son. A little while ago a young man was asked to preach in a certain church, and it was announced that the subject wouldn't be known until he entered the pulpit. At the appointed time he took his place, and a slip of paper was handed to him. It was blank on one side, and he turned it over and it was blank on the other side. Turning to his audience he said in a calm voice, "Nothing on this side and nothing on that side - out of nothing the Lord created the earth." He found his text. An architect can rear a cathedral, and a sculptor can cut forms from marble, a machinist can make an engine, but not one of them can create. They work with materials on hand. Only the Lord can work without materials and create. So we read in John 1:3, "All things were made by Him." By whom? The Son. The Father is the origin of all things, but the Son is the organ through which all things came into being.

Let's look at the Scriptures. The Bible says, "Without Him was not anything made that was made." Just as an artist writes his name at the bottom of his work, so inspiration has inscribed the name of Jesus beneath all things in heaven and on earth. A father took his son, hired a guide, and went on a camping trip. The boy was impressed by the guide who saw things he couldn't see. One day after the guide pointed out some hidden things of nature, the boy said, "Sir, can you see Jesus?" "Son," he answered, "it's getting so I can hardly see anything else when I'm out in the woods."

Let's think on salvation. Do you realize that the One who suffered for your sins on the cross was the Creator? One night, at a gospel meeting, a woman said to a man of God, "I can't accept that!" "Can't accept what?" asked Dr. McKay. "That God allowed an innocent man to die for guilty men. That wasn't right." "Madam," said the minister, "you've misunderstood the meaning of the gospel. The first declaration of the gospel is that God became man. The One who had been Christ In Creation sinned against, in divine grace, became Man that He might die for the creature's sin. On the cross we don't merely see an innocent man dying for guilty men. We see the offended God giving Himself for our sins."

"I stand amazed in the presence of Jesus the Nazarene
And wonder how He could love me, a sinner, condemned, unclean.
"He took my sins and my sorrows, He made them His very own;
He bore the burden to Calvary and suffered and died alone."

copyright 2000 Guido Evangelistic Association

Message Two

2009-10-30T06:58:00.000-07:00

By Dr. Michael Guido, D.D.
John 1:1

Here's an astounding statement. A friend said, "Jesus is the only Somebody you can't match."
Look at His duration. You can't match it. You began when you were born, but Jesus didn't! And He didn't cease to be when He died. He has duration without beginning or end. There never was a time when He was not. In addressing His contemporaries He said, "Before Abraham was, I am." In talking to God, He said, "Father, reveal My glory as I stand in Your presence, the glory we shared before the world began." One day a little boy asked his mother, "Who made Christ?" Taking off her wedding ring she gave it to him and asked, "Where does this ring begin and where does it end?" "There's no starting place," he replied, "and there's no stopping place." Beamed the mother, "That's the way it is with the Lord Jesus."

Look at this designation. In John 1:1 He's called the "Word." Do you wonder why? Well, for an answer let's go to the Bible. It's written in Hebrews 1:1 and 2, "God, spoke in many different ways to our fathers through the prophets...but now in these days He has spoken to us through His Son." What does that mean? He's the Spokesman for God. In a palace in Rome there's a famous fresco called the Aurora. It's painted on the ceiling. It's hard to gaze upon it. Your neck becomes stiff, and your head dizzy. So the owner of the palace put a mirror on the floor. Now if you look into the mirror you'll see the painting. So you want to see God? Look at the Lord Jesus. He reveals and reflects God to us.

Look at His distinctiveness. It's written in John 1:1, "The Word was with God." It doesn't say, "The Word was the God." That would signify that He had absorbed all Deity into Himself. Neither does it say, "The Word was a God." That would signify that He wasn't co-equal with the Father. Nor does it say, "God was with God." That would signify that there are two Gods. But it does say, "The Word was with God." That shows there's a distinction between the Father and the Son, and throughout all eternity there was communion and cooperation between the Father and the Son.

Look at His Deity. The Bible says, "The Word was God." Jesus wasn't merely a revealer of God, but God Himself revealed. He proved His Deity by accepting worship when Thomas fell at His feet, saying, "My Lord and my God." He proved His Deity by forgiving sins, saying to the paralytic, "Thy sins be forgiven thee." He proved His Deity by saying, "I and My Father are one." He proved His Deity by dying at will. He died as no other man ever died. Others have died sacrificial deaths. But Jesus died to save men from their sins and to bring them home to heaven. He didn't have to die. He said that He had power to lay down His life and to take it up again. And He laid down His life for you and me. I saw where a big lump of something - a stone supposedly - lay for centuries in a shallow brook in North Carolina. People passing that way saw only an ugly lump, and passed on. A poor man passing one day saw a heavy lump - a good thing to hold his door open - and he took it home. A geologist who stopped at the door of this poor man's house one day saw a lump of gold - the biggest lump of gold ever found east of the Rockies. Many people looked upon Jesus. Some saw only a Galilean peasant, and turned away. Some saw a prophet, and stopped to listen. When you look upon Jesus what do you see? O that you'd see Him as the Lamb of God and say,
"Just as I am without one plea, but that Thy blood was shed for me,
And that Thou bidd'st me come to Thee, O Lamb of God, I come, I come."

copyright 2000 Guido Evangelistic Association
All Scripture verses are quoted from the New King James Version.

This series of messages on the books of the Bible were originally written for broadcast on Dr. Guido's radio program, "The Sower." They are collected and reprinted here for your enjoyment and spiritual edification. Go to the Sower's site for more at www.TheSower.com.

Message One

2009-10-28T11:18:00.000-07:00

By Dr. Michael Guido, D.D.

In a forest in Italy a bandit held up a missionary. Noticing his books, he commanded, "Light a bonfire and burn them." The missionary lit the fire, but asked, "May I read something from each book before burning them?" "You may," he answered. From one he read the 23rd Psalm, from another the story of the Prodigal, and from another the story of the Good Samaritan. After reading each passage the bandit said, "That's a good book. Don't burn it. Give it to me!" In the end no book was burned, and the bandit took the books and walked away into the darkness. Years later he met the missionary, but this time not as a bandit but as a believer, yes, a preacher. "It was the reading of your books," he testified, "that did it."

On this broadcast we study one of the Gospels. I prayerfully hope you'll read it and receive the Lord as your Savior.

"But," you ask, "why are there four gospels?" One day, while in Europe, I stood before a beautiful stained glass window. There I gazed upon the symbolic figures that represented the writers of the four gospels. There was a Lion, a Man, an Ox and an Eagle. The Lion stood for Matthew. He saw the Lord Jesus as the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, and he presented Him as the Messiah and King. His message is "Behold your King!" The Man stood for Mark. He saw the Lord Jesus as the perfect Servant who went about doing the will of God. His message is "Behold the Servant!" The Ox stood for Luke. The ox is the animal of service and sacrifice. He saw the Lord Jesus as the Sacrifice of men. His message is "Behold the Man!" He is the one Mediator between God and man. The Eagle stood for John. The eagle can look at the sun and not be dazzled. John looked into the eternal mysteries. He saw Jesus being God and man in one blessed Person. His message is "Behold your God!" Thus we have four distinct records of our Redeemer, and that's why we have four Gospels. During the broadcasts that follow we'll study the Gospel of John. Don't miss a single one.

We thought on the portion, now think on the person - the apostle John. After a bloody battle during the last war, a chaplain asked a wounded man, "Can I do anything for you, son?" "Yes, chaplain, sir," he answered, "please return thanks for me." "Why?" asked the chaplain. "Thank God," answered the young man, "for giving me a godly mother." John, too, could thank God for a godly mother. She spent herself in ministering to the Lord and for the Lord. But there's no word about his father's love for the Lord. One day John went to a revival at a riverside. It seemed that everyone went to hear the evangelist - John the Baptist. As that evangelist got a glimpse of the Lord, he said, "Look! There's the Lamb of God!" Two men turned and followed Jesus. One of the men was John, the author of the book that bears his name. After his conversion he became a close companion of Christ. So intimate was he with our Lord that he was chosen to witness the miracles of Jesus, and to care for His mother after He was crucified. This splendid man of God was chosen to write, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the Gospel of John.

Let's think on the purpose. Why did he write it? The answer is found in John 20:31, "These are written that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through His name." There's a double use of the word "believe." Why? Because there are two sides of believing. First, there's intellectual belief. This means that you come to the fact that Jesus is the Son of God, the Savior of the world. Second, there must be more than intellectual belief. There must be a surrender or a trust to that of which the mind is convinced. So salvation means, "I believe that Jesus is the Son of God, the Savior of the world." But it doesn't stop there. It goes on to say, "I take Him as my personal Savior, and I trust Him with all my heart." When I was a boy in Ohio I walked with my uncle to a pond that was covered over with ice. "I believe that ice is strong enough to hold us," said my uncle. My uncle stood on it. "Trust yourself to it." I did. That's faith. Won't you just now trust yourself to Christ? Won't you just now trust your life to Christ? God bless you!

copyright 2000 Guido Evangelistic Association

All Scripture verses are quoted from the New King James Version.

This series of messages on the books of the Bible were originally written for broadcast on Dr. Guido's radio program, "The Sower." They are collected and reprinted here for your enjoyment and spiritual edification. Go to the Sower's site for more at www.TheSower.com.