The transcript of the service can be read below.
Revelation 2:7
“Whoever
has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”
John 1:29-34
29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!30 This is the One I meant when I said, ‘A Man who comes after me has surpassed me because He was before me.’31 I myself did not know Him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.”
32 Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on Him.33 And I myself did not know Him, but the One who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The Man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the One who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’34 I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God.”
John 1:29-34 LOOK TO JESUS
Springford Baptist Church: January 17, 2021.
In LISTENING FOR GOD, we have recognized that we need to discern and know truth when we see it and when we hear it. We will find in John 1:29-34 four reasons why we are to look to Jesus in our ongoing pursuit of truth:
Jesus is:
I.
(our) SACRIFICE (vs. 29)
II. SUPREME (vss. 30-31)
III.
SPIRIT-DIRECTED (vss. 32-33)
IV. (the) SON OF GOD (vs.34)
When
a young couple found out that they were expecting a new baby, they
carefully explained the news to their son in kindergarten, with
instructions to keep it a secret. When the carpool mom brought him
home the next day, she said to his parents, “Alex tells me that you
have a big secret, but he can’t tell me what it is until his
mommy’s tummy gets bigger.”
You know, there always seems
to come a time when a secret gets out.
John the Baptist came to
reveal what was no longer a secret. (John
1:19-28) He was not interested in dwelling on
himself.
The Jewish leadership questioned him on who he was—was
he the Messiah, Elijah, or the Prophet? He answered that he was none
of those. Instead, he said he was a voice, a voice that was preparing
the way for the Lord’s coming. (John
1:27)
When we come to today’s text, it
is the next day. And the very thing that John has been waiting for
happens.
The Lord comes… Jesus arrives on the scene.
And
it’s not a secret anymore!
Jesus’ time
of preparation is over. His baptism has been accomplished. His time
of temptation has come and gone.
His time of ministry has
begun.
John gives some specific advice:
WE ARE TO LOOK TO JESUS.
John knows
his time is coming to an end. Although he will continue on in his
ministry for a little while longer, he has essentially fulfilled his
mission.
He has been a voice preparing for the Lord’s coming.
It
is now evident to him that this is the very thing that has happened.
It is now time to look to Jesus.
We
do find in John 1:29-34 these four reasons why we are to look to
Jesus.
I. The first reason why we are to
look to Jesus is He is our SACRIFICE (vs. 29).
John
says: “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”
He refers to Jesus as a lamb.
The common Israelite
understood that:
1. Lambs were living symbols of innocence. Lambs
were often pets and were greatly loved. Their playfulness and
innocence had a profound impact on the family. But more profound was
the price innocence paid. That same well loved lamb would become a
sacrifice.
2. For every Hebrew, the lamb is the reminder of
the Passover—a symbol of salvation through sacrifice. It was a
matter of atonement. In the old covenant, it was the innocent lamb
that took on the guilt of sin. The lamb was killed so that the Hebrew
would know the terrible cost of the reality of sin.
When John
exclaimed, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes
away the sin of the world,” these images
would come and stir in their minds.
This is what Jesus has done.
He came to perform the rescue.
And this is how Jesus would do it:
Jesus came to be the sacrifice for us.
There is only one victim!
Jesus tasted death for everyone.
He is the Lamb of God who takes
away the sin of the world!
II. The
second reason why we are to look to Jesus is that He is SUPREME
(30-31).
Though Jesus follows John, He is
SUPREME in both time
and importance. John the Baptist has continually repeated this theme.
He said, “He who comes after me has surpassed me because He was
before me.” John knew that Jesus was eternal.
He has always
existed. He has the supremacy. He is above all.
John’s mission
was to prepare people for the One who is supremely the best. He did
it through the practice of baptism.
He asked people to be baptized
as an act of repentance.
He asked them to prepare their own hearts
for what God was going to do for them and in them if they would
listen to Jesus who is SUPREME.
III.
The third reason why we are to look to Jesus is that He is
SPIRIT-DIRECTED (32-33).
1. The Spirit
remained with Jesus, proving and approving Him as the Messiah.
The
baptism of Jesus was a previous event. In fact, it seems that after
Jesus’ baptism, He went immediately into the wilderness for what we
know as the temptations of Jesus.
Now Jesus is returning after
these temptations, ready to begin the ministry. Jesus comes to
baptize with the Holy Spirit.
John had been offering a baptism of
repentance in the Jordan River. What Jesus was going to do was even
more radical.
Jesus would offer a baptism of the Spirit that would
be more than a symbol. It would give new life. People would become
new creations.
IV. The fourth reason
why we are to look to Jesus is that He is the SON OF GOD (vs. 34)
John the Baptist wants us
to be clear about who Jesus is.
As we come to verse
34, it is the climax of John the Baptist’s
testimony.
We are to look to Jesus
because there exists for Him the closest personal relationship with
God the Father that there possibly can be. John identifies Jesus as
the Son of God so that we will unmistakably understand the Deity of
the Messiah (a claim that the opposing Jewish leaders did not
miss).
Jesus is no less than God’s Chosen One. This is a divine
matter from beginning to end. Jesus is the Son of God.
We have 4 compelling
reasons to look to Jesus, the Lamb of God: Jesus
is our Sacrifice
Jesus is Supreme
Jesus is Spirit-directed
Jesus is the Son of God
John tells us to look! It is our opportunity to behold the Lamb of
God with eyes of faith, recognizing who He is!
Jesus is the Lamb
of God who takes away the guilt of our willfully committed sins and
our sins of neglect.
Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the
power of sin to master us.
Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away
the pollution and stain of our sin.
Jesus is the Lamb of God who
alone can take away the sin and brokenness of the whole world. How
much our world needs this!
Jesus wants to make us new creations!
In LISTENING
FOR GOD, we must look to Jesus and focus our
attention on Him. God sent Jesus to be our Redeemer and to loudly
proclaim His infinite love for us through His own Son Jesus.
A
story is told about a man who was on a cruise ship and suddenly he
falls overboard. He can’t swim and in desperation he begins calling
for help. There are several would be rescuers on deck who witnessed
the incident. The first man, when he saw the man fall overboard,
immediately reached into his briefcase and pulled out a book on how
to swim. He tossed it to him and yelled, “Now you read that and
just follow the instructions and you will be all right.” The woman
next to him, when she saw the man fall overboard, immediately jumped
into the water and began swimming all around the drowning man saying,
“Now just watch me swim. Do as I do and you will be all right.”
When the next person looked at the drowning man, he yelled out, “Now,
just hold on friend. Help is on the way. We are going to establish a
committee and discuss your problem. And then, if we have come up with
the proper financing, we will resolve your dilemma.” The next
person on deck thought everything could be solved by positive
thinking, for she yelled out to the drowning man, “Friend, this
situation is not nearly as bad as you think. Now you need to think
dry!”
Finally, the last man on deck, plunged into the water,
at the risk of his own life, and pulled the victim to safety.
This is what Jesus has done. He came to perform the rescue. And we are given the amazing responsibility of introducing people to Jesus. We are to invite people to look to Jesus, the only one who can rescue them and give them hope for today and the gift of eternal life in heaven.
In LISTENING FOR GOD:
Ask at the beginning of each day, “Lord, what do you want me to be and do for you today?
Ask at the end of each day, “Lord, what have I been and done for you today”?
In this way, we are looking to Jesus.