Sermon Tone Analysis

Scripture Reading

Introduction

Sometimes a title can tell you a great deal about a person.

For example, Cyrus the World Conqueror, or Alexander the Great.

Some names, you may not want to be called.

Billy the Kid.

Whoopi Goldberg.

Caryn Elaine Johnson's nickname isn't exactly from childhood, but it comes from a childish (but hilarious) prank toy.

"Here's the thing," she told the New York Times in 2006, "when you're performing on stage, you never really have time to go into the bathroom and close the door.

So if you get a little gassy, you've got to let it go.

So people used to say to me, 'You are like a whoopee cushion.'

And that's where the name came from."

And so here in John’s Gospel we read of Jesus passing by and what is the declaration of John? “Here is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world!”

Body

This is a mighty declaration, but if you take some time to think about this statement, it seems rather strange.

The Lamb of God.

This phrase is only found in two places in the Scriptures, here and again in vs 36.

No where else in the New Testament do we read this title.

Peter describes Jesus as being like a lamb in 1 Peter 1:19 and John again describes Jesus as a lamb in Revelation.

But why did John call him that?

Why the Lamb of God?

In the Old Testament, lambs were used for sin offerings, for cleansing of a leper, for daily and afternoon sacrifices in the temple, the passover supper.

However, none of the deaths of those lambs were truly expiatory.

They were treated as offerings for forgiveness of sins, but not to actually take away sins.

This proclamation is not only unique in its occurence in John’s Gospel, but it conveys a very important truth about who Jesus is with implications for us.

The Theologian Tenny said...

“It combines in one descriptive term the concepts of innocence, voluntary sacrifice, substitutionary atonement, effective obedience, and redemptive power like that of the Passover Lamb (Exod.

12:21–27)”

You see John here is not describing just one aspect of Jesus.

Not just the humility of Jesus.

As though he is as soft and humble as a lamb.

Nor is he describing Jesus as a dainty animal.

But John is pointing the readers to a truth about who Jesus is and what Jesus has done for us in obedience to God the Father.

Now there are several interpretations for the phrase Lamb of God.

The full effect of this title is brought to light with the next phrase that John gives… “who takes away the sins of the world.”

1.

The Passover lamb (Exod 12).

This is perhaps the strongest contender, as the writer of the Gospel of John applies the Passover lamb imagery to Christ at His death (John 19:36, citing Exod 12:46).

Moreover, the Gospel dates Jesus’ death to the time of the slaying of the Passover lambs (John 18:28; 19:14, 31).

However, the Passover sacrifice was not oriented towards taking away sin.

2. The Suffering Servant (Isa 53).

The Suffering Servant bears the sins of the people of Israel (Isa 53:6–12) and is described as a lamb (ἀμνός, amnos) led to the slaughter (Isa 53:7 LXX; compare Acts 8:32; 1 Pet 1:19).

John 12:38 cites Isaiah 53:1 in application to Jesus.

Although this may not have been the only Old Testament text behind the phrase, it is very likely one of them.

3. The lamb sacrificed daily in the temple (Lev 1:4; Exod 29:38–46).

The Greek word “lamb” (ἀμνός, amnos, see John 1:29, 36) appears 75 times in the Septuagint, mostly in reference to the lamb sacrificed daily to make atonement.

However, this atonement lamb does not receive much attention elsewhere in Scripture and thus is probably not the referent of John’s phrase.

4. The “lamb” Abraham offered in place of Isaac (Gen 22).

The account in Genesis clearly uses substitutionary and sacrificial language (Gen 22:13), and the New Testament authors invoke this account as foreshadowing Christ (Gen 22:16; Matt 3:17; Rom 8:32).

However, Genesis does not present this sacrifice as taking away sin.

In addition, the Septuagint uses the word “sheep” (πρόβατον, probaton) rather than “lamb” (ἀμνός, amnos) in this account (Gen 22:7 LXX).

The actual animal that was sacrificed in place of Isaac was a “ram” (κριός, krios; Gen 22:13 LXX).

So, immediately there is a vivid picture in the minds of the readers.

They are connecting it to a specific prophetic word and a specific event in their history where God saved them.

The lamb that Isaiah spoke of.

The one who was silent before the shearers.

The one who was crushed by God and the one who bore the sins of many and interceded for many.

That Lamb of God.

The Lamb of God who takes away our sins.

Spurgeon said,

It is very likely that, if I had time to explain to you, my hearer, the fulness of your sin and the utter ruin of your natural state, you also would grow angry.

Yet you would have no cause to be angry, for all that I could say would fall far short of the truth about your real condition in the sight of God; and it is most solemnly important for you to know that, however high you may stand in the ranks of merely moral men, you are a lost soul, and a condemned soul, so long as you remain without living faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

And so, when we think on the Lamb of God, we must reflect on three things:

We recognize who we are

We are sinners.

Our true state is that of those who need saving grace.

We cannot save ourselves on our own.

We are powerless to do so.

And so we do not look to ourselves.

John told those around him to look to Jesus.

Martin Luther had a Latin word that he used to describe our condition as sinners.

How we were incurvitas, a self-curved inward nature.

And because of this, no matter how much our effort, no matter how hard we try, we fail.

Luther would try so hard to fix himself and to find penance through good works, but when it came time for daily confessions, he was in the booth for hours.

How much trouble could you get in a monastery?

But he tried so hard and tried so hard in vain, his father confessor told him to come to him when he had done something serious.

not that he had....

The reality was that he could do nothing.

If we really examine ourselves, we would recognize our state.

We need to look outside of ourselves.

We need an “alien” righteousness.

Not one that is from outer space.

But a righteousness that is alien, outside, of us.

It was by the Lamb of God that we were able to be justified before God.

2.

Not only do we recognize who we are, but also, what we are to do

We do not look to ourselves.

We do not work hard in trying to fix the situation on our own power and our own effort.

We look to Christ.

We look to Christ.

You may get a bit angry, thinking on your own sin or feeling that this message is too strong or offensive.

And some people do react that way and so in light of that, they think that what they are to do is to focus even more inwardly.

Or they will get more upset about it.

The fault is not in the gospel which we preach, so you should not be angry with it, or with us; the fault is in your own selves, in your own hearts and lives; and if you do not like to be told the truth about sin, it is a sure sign that your heart is not right in the sight of God.

It is still true that “every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.”

Your offence was committed against God.

And it is to Him which we must fix our eyes.

It is on him that we are to behold.

The Son of God, who died on the cross, who while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

So we see our state and we behold the Son.

And thirdly we must...

3. We recognize what he has done being the Lamb of God

When Jesus Christ was put into our place, our sin was laid upon him; and sin, like anything else, cannot be in two places at one time.