The Lamb of God

John 1:29–34

Looking for the Real Thing

The Diet Soda Desire

Have you ever heard that drinking diet soda might actually make you crave more sweets? The idea is that your body tastes the sweetness, but because there are no real calories, it gets confused and keeps asking for more. You’re giving it something that looks and tastes like the real thing, but it never satisfies.

That’s the problem with substitutes. They promise fulfillment, but in the end, they leave us hungry.

The world is full of spiritual substitutes, things that look like they can solve our problems, take away our guilt, cover our shame, or make us whole, but they never truly satisfy.

In the passage we look at today, John the Baptist sees Jesus coming and proclaims, “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”

For centuries, God’s people had lived with a substitute, the blood of lambs, offered year after year. But those lambs could never really take away sin. They were never meant to. They were pointing to the real thing. And now, at last, the real Lamb had come.

What this passage does…

It establishes the very nature of the Gospel,

It teaches us about God and how we can know Him,

It gives us a mission.

Behold the Lamb

Why The Image of the Lamb?

When John called Jesus the “Lamb of God,” his Jewish audience would have immediately connected that with the entire system of sacrifice:

Gen. 3 - Covering Adam and Eve’s shame

Gen. 4 - Abel’s offering of the firstborn of the flock.

Gen 22 - When God called Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, but then provided a ram as a substitute…

Ex. 12 - The Passover Lamb: whose blood protected Israel from judgment.

Lev. - Temple sacrifices: an spotless animal stood in the place of the sinner.

Isaiah 53:7: the Suffering Servant was like a lamb led to the slaughter.

Heb. 9:22 Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.

Can a lamb take away sin? The truth of the matter is, No.

The sacrifice/symbol was always insufficient, that’s why they had to be repeated.

Heb 10:4 For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

Symbols are meant to point to the reality - the lamb was a symbol of what God had promised to do.

Jesus Is the Fulfillment

Jesus is not a lamb, but the Lamb, God’s provision for sin.

He “takes away” means a real and permanent removal of sin, not just covering it up.

1 Pet 2:24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.

He took the wrath reserved for us, dying in our place.

"The sin of the world" points to the broad reach of this atonement. No one is beyond the grace of God.

Sin is singular - not excluding our individual sins, but Jesus is dealing with the root of our problem, the universal sin, mankind’s rebellion against God.

The world, not every person, but all people. John is saying Jesus came not just for Israel, but for the Gentiles as well. All who are lost in the wilderness of sin, regardless of where they started, can look to Christ.

John points us to Jesus is because we are incapable of dealing with our sin ourselves. Our guilt is not superficial. Our rebellion is not minor. We need a substitute; pure, willing, powerful.

Application: Behold is an imperative: we must see, experience, take in, Jesus. Look to Jesus, not yourself, to deal with your sin. Behold Him, believe in Him, and rest in Him.

Revealed by the Spirit

John’s Testimony:

I did not know him…

Though they were relatives (not cousins), John did not know Jesus. Though they had met while in the womb, there is no indication that they would have known each other in growing up.

He who comes after ranks ahead of me - he is before me

John is older, but he knows Jesus is the incarnate, eternal Word of God. He, by nature of his being, comes before John.

He who sent me (God), said that the one on whom I see the Spirit descend and remain, will baptize in the Spirit.

John testifies that he saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove and remain on Jesus. This was not something he imagined or manufactured. It was the sign God had promised him.

The Spirit Reveals Christ

This reveals something profound: spiritual recognition is not natural but supernatural. Unless God had told John what to look for, and unless the Spirit had revealed Christ to John, he would have kept looking.

It is the work of the Spirit to make Christ known. Just as the Spirit revealed Christ to John, so today the Spirit reveals Christ to us. How? Through the means of grace where God has promised to meet us…

Scripture

Through the reading and preaching of the Word (Rom 10:17) (1 Cor 2:12–14)

Through the conviction and transformation of our hearts (John 16:13–14)

Worship and Fellowship

through the communion of the body of Christ, as we see and learn from others who walk in the faith

As we draw near to God in community, learning to forgive as we have been forgiven in Christ.

Prayer

As we draw near to God, depend upon him, and give him praise and glory in the midst of all things.

These means open us to see Christ, to know him, and to walk with him

Application: Don't depend on intellect, emotion, or upbringing to know Christ. Ask the Spirit to reveal Him through the Word, and He will.

Proclaimed to the World

John doesn’t just behold Jesus, he bears witness. Twice he testifies: “I have seen and have borne witness.”

I have seen: He witnessed, he experienced, he knew Him.

I have borne witness: John was telling the world - this was his purpose, his mission.

His message was clear: This is the Son of God.

This is the natural result of truly beholding the Lamb: we speak of what we have seen.

True evangelism is not salesmanship, but testimony. Like John, we point others to Jesus.

1 John 1:3 that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.

Application: Have you seen Him, do you know him? Are you making Him known?

Who in your life needs to hear that there is a Lamb who takes away sin? Will you point them to Jesus?

Jesus is the Lamb of God, sent by the Father, empowered by the Spirit, to take away the sin of the world. Behold Him in faith. Trust Him for your cleansing. And having beheld Him, go and tell others to behold Him too.

When you behold him, when you know him as the lamb who has taken away the sin of the world, then you will proclaim with all the saints:

“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” (Rev 5:12)