Centerstage - 3

Centerstage - 3

Jesus Forgives Your Sin

John 1:19-34

Introduction

[pic] The picture on your screen is Jules Fisher. At the age of 83, he is the best in his field. During his over 50-year career, he has won more awards, received more accolades, and is more sought out than anyone else in the world in his field. Heave you ever heard of him? I didn’t think so. But let me ask you…have you heard of:

The Rolling Stones

Whitney Houston

Simon & Garfunkel

We’ve definitely heard of them. They are all incredible music stars who occupy center stage when they perform. They are legendary. But who is Jules Fisher? He is a world-famous lighting designer. He holds the record with receiving 9 Tony Awards for his work on Broadway. He also has worked as lighting designer on a number of feature films and numerous concerts by those legendary artists.

He said this about his role [pic]: “Lighting is not about function. It’s much more about the mood and the emotion that the playwright and the director are trying to create. Our job is to support their poetic direction.”

He understands a critical truth…he is there to support. His role is to light up whoever the star is…and it isn’t him. How crazy, and disappointing, it would be if a legendary artist came out for a concert, or a Broadway star came to their solo in the play…and as they stepped onto centerstage, there was no light shining on them. The job isn’t to be the star, but to make sure all the attention gets placed on the star of the show.

For the last couple weeks we’ve been in this series called Centerstage as we prepare for Christmas. Throughout the OT, Jesus was been hinted at, prophesied about…but now with his birth that first Christmas, Jesus comes centerstage. And as we walk through John 1, today we are introduced to another figure…not the star, but maybe we could call him the lighting designer. His role is to make sure all attention go to Jesus. His name is John the Baptist. Each time he shows up in John 1, the focus is very much on who he is not, but on who Jesus is. And in so doing, he shows us an incredible truth about why Jesus alone deserves Centerstage.

John 1:6-8 - 6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. 8 He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.

Notice the clear language on who John is not…he is not the light. He is a witness. Notice also the legal language. John is a witness, here to give testimony. This is a theme of the Gospel of John. John the Apostle sets up a courtroom scene for the purpose of declaring Jesus to the Son of God. He will put witness after witness on the stand so they can testify to the truth of Jesus’ identity. John the Baptist is the first witness. John makes a quick appearance yet again a few verses later.

John 1:14-15 - 14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. 15 (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’”)

We have this glorious truth of Christmas…Jesus, the Word, God himself, has come in the flesh, full of grace and truth. And John is his witness. And notice what he says this time…he outranks me. It’s as if John just keeps repeating, “I am here to point you all to Jesus. He is the star of the show. Don’t worry about me, I am a nobody. He is the important one. He is the top of the org chart. He is the eternal God come to the Earth. I’m just here to get your attention on him.” John will do this over and over again.

John 1:19-23 - 19 And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” 20 He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.” 21 And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.” 22 So they said to him, “Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” 23 He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.”

Who are you, John? I am not the Christ. I love this…John begins his identity with who he is not. Are you Elijah? The Prophet? The Jews believed that the OT prophet Elijah and another prophet like Moses would literally return before the Messiah arrived. Nope, nope, nope. Who is John? He quotes Isaiah 40:3…the voice of one calling in the wilderness. I am the forerunner of the Messiah. John will reiterate this one more time in this chapter in verse 27 when he says that he isn’t even worthy to untie Jesus’ shoes.

Jesus is the star of the show. He alone deserves to be centerstage. Why? John was a religious superstar by this time in Israel. Why is he so bent on making sure Jesus gets centerstage? He shows us why in the next verse.

John 1:29,35-36 - 29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world… 35 The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, 36 and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!”

We’ve made a couple of points the last couple weeks in this series…when Jesus takes Centerstage he shows you who God is, and he shows you who you are. Today we see that when Jesus takes Centerstage, we discover that Jesus forgives your sins. To define and describe who Jesus is and what Jesus does, he uses this loaded phrase…the Lamb of God. That phrase is packed with OT imagery that comes from two primary OT passages. Let’s take a look at them for a few minutes.

The first is all the way back in Genesis 22. Earlier in Genesis 12, God appeared to Abram (Abraham) and made a covenant promise with him. Through Abraham, God was going to birth a nation that would be his very own possession. That nation would be as numerous as the sand on the seashore or the stars in the sky. Just one problem…Abraham and his wife Sarah have no children. So God promises a son.

Years go by. 10 years in fact. Then God reaffirms his covenant promise about the nation and the land. And that the son is coming. Then even more years go by. 15 years in fact. It is a full 25 years…25 years!…that go by before God fulfills his promise. They have a son, Isaac, the son of the promise. He is their everything. He is their hope. He is the living manifestation of God’s faithfulness. Isaac means ‘laughter.’ They delight in him, laughing at God’s abundant goodness.

Genesis 22:1-2 - After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 2 He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.”

What?!!! We have the privilege of knowing that God is testing him. Abraham doesn’t have that. After all this time of waiting, now the Lord would ask him to kill the son of the promise? Can you imagine the confusion? The heartache? How could God fulfill his promise now? Everything centered on this son, this one and only son, whom he loves. This is the worst moment of Abraham’s life.

Genesis 22:3-8 - 3 So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac. And he cut the wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. 4 On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar. 5 Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you.” 6 And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son. And he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So they went both of them together. 7 And Isaac said to his father Abraham, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” He said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” 8 Abraham said, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So they went both of them together.

Even though this is horrific for him, notice the focus on his obedience. Got up ‘early.’ He cuts the wood. He went where God told him to go. Isaac carries the wood for the sacrifice on his own back. Abraham has the fire and the knife. Then Isaac asks a really good question…where is the animal? I’d be asking that too! Dad has a weird look in his eye! I love Abraham’s response…God will provide. And indeed he does.

Genesis 22:9-14 - 9 When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built the altar there and laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10 Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son. 11 But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 12 He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” 13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 So Abraham called the name of that place, “The Lord will provide”; as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.”

The Lamb was provided. This is such a powerful moment that Abraham renames Mt. Moriah. Its very name is The Lord will Provide. We will come back to this in a few minutes.

The second OT text that feeds into the phrase that John the Baptist uses for Jesus, that he is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, is Exodus 12. The ancient Israelites have been in slavery in Egypt for 425 years. They have cried out to God for deliverance. God calls Moses to lead them out of slavery into freedom in the Promised Land. Just one problem…the ancient Israelites are the Egyptian labor force. Pharaoh won’t let them go. So God unleashes a series of plagues that devastate Egypt. The first 9 didn’t work. Pharaoh’s heart is hardened and he digs in his heels. But it is the 10th and final plague that finally does it. God is going to send the angel of death and kill the firstborn son in every household in Egypt.

To ensure the safety and saving of the Israelites, God instituted what we now know of as the Passover. They were to take a spotless Lamb and kill it. Then cover the doorposts of their houses with the blood. Then when the angel of death sees the blood, he will pass over their house and save them. Then they were to eat the lamb that had been killed in a passover meal.

Exodus 12:11-13 - 11 In this manner you shall eat it: with your belt fastened, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. And you shall eat it in haste. It is the Lord's Passover. 12 For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the Lord. 13 The blood shall be a sign for you, on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt.

Because of the blood of the Lamb, death passed over them. We will come back to that in a minute.

We love John the Baptist, don’t we. Such an incredible, humble witness to the truth of who Jesus is and what Jesus has done. Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Let’s bring this home to us right now today. This phrase…the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world…is packed with OT meaning all the way back to Genesis. But it is also packed with truth for you right now today. If Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, two statements are true…

JESUS IS YOUR PROVISION

There stands Abraham on Mt. Moriah on the worst day of his life. But God provides a Lamb. The Lamb is the substitute…its death saves the life of his son. The Lord will provide. Yes he has!

You know much more about Mt. Moriah than you think. You just don’t know it by that name. It is on this very same mountain that the Jews built a temple where they would offer sacrifices to the God who provides. That temple is in a city built up high on top of a mountain. That city is called Jerusalem. It’s built on the same place where God provided that Lamb.

One day, far removed from Abraham, something amazing will happen in that temple on that mountain. God will provide yet again. A man will be brought before the Sanhedrin on charges of blasphemy, having claimed to be God in the flesh. Though he will say nothing, they will charge him as guilty and send him off to the Roman governor. Despite the fact that the governor finds no fault in him, this man is sentenced to death. And as he heads up the mountain where he will die, to a specific spot called Golgotha, he, like Isaac, will carry the wood for the sacrifice on his own back. Only this time it is not a bundle of wood he carries, it is a cross.

When he gets to the top of the mountain there will be no test. There will be nails, and pain, and blood. No other sacrifice will be provided. He is the provided sacrifice. This time, no one will cry out for it to stop. The knife will not be held back. The time, the Son, the one and only Son of the Father, will die. Because once and for all, the debt of your sin will be paid in full through the sacrifice that God provided for you in Jesus Christ.

JESUS IS YOUR PROPITIATION

Remember, we aren’t afraid of big bible words…we define them. Propitiation is the name of the doctrine that comes out of the Passover. Because of Jesus, death has passed over you and God’s wrath was poured out on Jesus instead of you. That is propitiation. Look at what the rest of the NT says:

Romans 3:23-25a - 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith.

1 John 2:1-2 - My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 2 He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.

1 John 4:10 - 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

When people read the Bible, sometimes they will make a grave error. They will read through the OT and see that God seems so mean, so angry. When people sinned in rebellion against him or against his chosen leader, God would start killing a bunch of people. He would send poisonous snakes, open up the earth and swallow them. But when you get to the NT, Jesus is so kind and compassionate, so merciful and ready to forgive. In fact, some people will even say that the Bible presents two gods…the god of the OT and the god of the NT. Why the change?

What is the difference between then and now? The reality of sin is no different. The wrath of God on sin is no different. Ephesians 2 says we are all by nature children of wrath, deserving of eternal condemnation from God because of our sin. Why isn’t God opening up the earth and swallowing you. Why isn’t he killing tens of thousands with poisonous snakes? Why didn’t God kill you in your sleep last night…because that is exactly what you deserve? What changed?

The cross. That is what changed. God’s wrath was poured out on Jesus, it was satisfied in Jesus instead of you. Death has passed over you and now in Jesus Christ you can have eternal life. Jesus is your provision. Jesus is your propitiation.

This is what we celebrate at Christmas. When Jesus arrives at centerstage, we discover who he is and what he has done.

Max Lucado - If our greatest need had been information, God would have sent an educator. If our greatest need had been technology, God would have sent us a scientist. If our greatest need had been money, God would have sent us an economist. But since our greatest need was forgiveness, God sent us a Savior.

Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. How do you respond to such an incredible and life-changing message as that? Well, the text tells us exactly. How to respond.

John 1:35-37 - 35 The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, 36 and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” 37 The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus.

When you hear this good news of who Jesus is and what he has done…the only right response is to follow him.

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