God in his wisdom says the best way for me to bring the most happiness to the greatest number and the most glory to my son is to use

people to witness. I want them to herald him. I want them to announce him and

proclaim him. I want to bless people with the privilege of announcing and witnessing to my son.

So why does God use humanity to testify to the glory of his son?

That's one of the questions John Piper answers from John 1 6 to 8

in this episode of Light and Truth. This sermon was originally preached at Bethlehem Baptist Church on December 10th, 1989.

This text is short. It can be summed up in three statements. Number one, God

sent a man named John. First six. Number two, John came to bear testimony to the light. Number three,

the aim of the testimony was that all might believe.

You can see those very simply in verses 6 and 7.

Let's take them one at a time and watch how they move us toward the goal of faith and life. First, God sent a man named John.

Verse 6, there was a man sent from God whose name was John. Now the question I raised as I read these verses was, why does John get introduced

right here? Because it seems like an interruption, it seems abrupt. You're reading in

verse 5, the light shines in the darkness and the darkness is not

overcome it and in verse 9 right after this little paragraph the light has shown into the world and you wonder why did he interrupt this theme of light coming into the world and shining with this introduction of John the Baptist.

Why not finish the introduction of Jesus in a glorious, a continuous way and then say,

and on the scene came John instead of interrupting twice in this prologue with John.

Well, he could have done that. He could have written it differently, but he didn't.

And my job and your job is to try to experience the effect of the way he wrote it.

And the effect it has on me,

and I just commend it to you for your consideration,

perhaps it has the same on you, is to make crystal clear from the

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