The Lamb of God

The Lamb of God John 1:29

We are gathered together to worship the Lord Jesus Christ and in a few moments we are going to observe the Lord’s supper as we remember the great sacrifice He made for us. The sacrifice that secures our place in heaven. The sacrifice that allows us to be saved, forgiven, and free.

This is a special moment for us as believers, as we think about how Christ offered Himself as an atonement for our sin. He endured the righteous judgment of God, and He poured God’s grace out on the world as He gave His life on the cross.

As I began to think about what I wanted to share this morning. I was reminded of this powerful statement made by John the Baptist in this passage.

We read about John in the New Testament but he is considered the last of the Old Testament prophets. The people loved John and they went out to the Jordan river to be baptized by him and listen to the words he would say.

He preached a powerful message of repentance but I am convinced the words we have recorded for us here are the greatest words he ever spoke.

This morning, I want to consider four important truths about Jesus from the words of John the Baptist.

John 1:29 NASB95

The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

In our passage this morning we have a verse that is so familiar to us that it doesn’t shock us, but it should. This was a radical thing for John to say about a young Galilean carpenter to a bunch of Jewish people.

These were people who for centuries had offered their sacrificial Lambs on the altar, at the temple.

What John was saying is; “This man (Jesus Christ) is the one sent from God to be what all of those thousands of sacrifices represent. He is not only the Lamb that was sent for you, but He is the Lamb that was sent for the whole world. That would have been shocking to the Jewish people.

For centuries Israel’s consciousness had been programmed with the image of the sacrificial lamb. When John says, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” Their Jewish minds would have been carried back to the story of Abraham and Isaac in Genesis 22.

When Abraham took his son to Mount Moriah to offer him as a sacrifice to God. Isaac said to his father, “The fire and the wood are here, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” Abraham replied, “God Himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering.” And He did in the form of His own Son, Jesus Christ.

Those who heard John that day no doubt, thought about the Exodus from Egypt and how they sacrificed the passover lamb and spread its blood over their door posts so the angel of death would pass them by.

No doubt those who heard John that day thought about the words of Isaiah 53:6–7 “All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him. He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He did not open His mouth; Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth.”

This one statement by John in verse 29 makes it clear who Jesus is and what He came to do. He is the lamb, provided by God, to be a sacrifice for sin and meet the greatest need of the world; to be forgiven.

This morning, I want to consider four important truths about Jesus, as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

This speaks of; The Significance of Jesus

John says, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.”

Keep in mind, John the Baptist had developed a great following by this time. Many people were becoming his disciples, and crowds were gathering to hear him speak.

Jesus Himself even said, that no one ever born of a woman was greater than John the Baptist. But, John was never focused on himself or his own ministry.

He didn’t care if people noticed him or followed him; he wanted them to see Jesus. He pointed to Christ for others to see.

Today, the world is searching for a way to have peace and security. Many people are looking for ways to be accepted by God and find meaning in life. Society wants us to believe that there are many paths to heaven.

But we know that Jesus is the only way. He is the only way to be reconciled to God. He is the only way to have eternal life. Our relationship with Him is of the utmost importance.

We need to do as John did, we need to point people to Jesus. We need to proclaim Him for all the world to see.

Acts 4:12 ““And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.””

Philippians 2:9 “For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name,”

Most people today just don’t see the significance of Jesus to their life because He is not the kind of Savior they are looking for.

That reminds me of a story I heard this week about the world renowned Violinist, Josh Bell.

In 2007 he went into the DC Metro in jeans and a t-shirt, wearing a baseball cap, and for 45 minutes he played Mozart as thousands of people passed him by.

But no one payed any attention to him or even noticed he was playing a three million dollar violin.

Just three days earlier he sold out the Boston Symphony Hall at 100 dollars a ticket, but in the subway, where people got to hear him for free, they didn’t care.

The same thing is true when it comes to having a relationship with Jesus Christ. People don’t care because they don’t see the importance, they don’t see how significant He is to their life.

So, the first important truth we see in this verse is the significance of Jesus. He is the only way to heaven. He is God’s only means of salvation.

2. We see The Sacrifice of Jesus.

When John says, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” It speaks of the sacrifice of Jesus.

When John pointed to Jesus he declared Him to be the Lamb of God. John could have referred to Jesus by any number of tittles.

John Knew He was the Christ. The Messiah who had come into the world. John knew He was the very Son of the Living God. But John choose to call Him the Lamb of God because John understood that was His purpose.

Jesus had come into the world to be the sacrificial Lamb that would die for our sin.

Jesus has many tittles and names He goes by and each one of them teach us something special about Him. But none of them is as important to you and me as the Lamb of God.

Our sin demanded a perfect sacrifice if we had any hope of salvation. The sacrifice of bulls and goats couldn’t fix our sin problem. Jesus came to offer Himself as the perfect, final, and fulfilling sacrifice for our sin and He purchased our redemption on the cross.

If Jesus had not been willing to die on our behalf we would still be covered in sin and shame. If He had not given His life for us we would still face the consequences of judgment and death.

But He was willing, He died in our place, was buried in the tomb, and on the third day He rose victorious over death. Today, He continues to bear the marks of the sacrifice He made.

And John tells us that In his great vision of Jesus before the throne of God in heaven.

Revelation 5:5–6 NASB95

and one of the elders said to me, “Stop weeping; behold, the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome so as to open the book and its seven seals.” And I saw between the throne (with the four living creatures) and the elders a Lamb standing, as if slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God, sent out into all the earth.

Jesus came into the world as the Lamb of God who would offer Himself for the sin of the world, and although He still bears the marks of the cross, today, He reigns as the lion of Judah. He will return one day in power and glory.

So, in this one statement from John we have two important truths. We see the significance of Jesus and the sacrifice of Jesus. The third truth we see is;

3. The Salvation through Jesus.

When John says, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” He is speaking of the salvation that comes through Jesus Christ.

Jesus came with a purpose. The cross wasn’t some horrible mistake. He was not hung because of the will of men. Pilate and the Jewish leaders called for His death but He wasn’t crucified at their command.

He came to die so that we could live. He came to die so that we could be forgiven and free. His death provided atonement for our sin. He reconciled us to God.

He traded His righteousness for our unrighteousness. He traded His sinlessness for our sin. He traded His strength for our weakness. And He payed our debt in full with His sacrifice.

Now His righteousness is credited to our account and we are acceptable to God through the blood of Jesus. 2 Corinthians 5:21 “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

The fourth and final truth I see in this passage is The sufficiency of Jesus.

“Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.”

If we would have been there that day we would have noticed that John was talking to Jewish people. John was telling them that Christ had come as a sacrifice for their sin. But notice His sacrifice wasn’t limited to the Jews, but was for the whole world.

Jesus came to take away the sin of everyone who will put their trust in Him. He came to provide salvation for the world and now anyone who will call upon the name of the Lord can be saved.

No one is to far from God. No one is beyond being forgiven. He is the one time sacrifice for the sin of the world. He met the righteous requirements of God for all sin, for all of time.

His sacrifice gives hope to everyone. We are not the chosen race of Hebrews. We are not the children of Abraham, but that doesn’t matter in Christ. His sacrifice is sufficient for all of us, and there will never be a need for another one.

Jesus met every requirement for your salvation and mine. There is hope for anyone who turns to Him in faith. It has been 2000 years and His ability to save is just as powerful today as it ever was. He is the only way and yet He has provided the way.

Now there are some Pastors who teach the sacrifice of Christ was only for the chosen. Only for those who were predestined to be saved. But scripture is clear, He died for all of us.

1 Peter 3:18 “For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit;”

1 Timothy 2:6 “who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time.”

Conclusion

It is clear that John the Baptist was fully aware of who Jesus was and what He came into the world to do. John knew He came to bear the sin of all humanity.

But I wonder if he realized the impact this one statement he makes would have. He points us to Jesus as the one who saves us, forgives us, and sets us free.

He hung on the cross with you on His mind. John 3:16 ““For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”

We are going to celebrate what Christ has done by taking communion together, and remembering the great sacrifice He made on our behalf.

Do you know Christ today as your Lord and Savior? Have you trusted in Him by Faith? If not, I urge you to do that today, don’t wait.

And if you are a believer I pray this message has reminded you of what we have in Christ and what He has done for us.

He is worthy of our praise and our commitment. If there are any needs in your life that you need to address before you take of the Lord’s supper do that now.

Benfield, C. (2015). Behold the Lamb of God (John 1:29). In Pulpit Pages: New Testament Sermons (p. 445).