Rorate Coeli

Part of what it means to confess Christ is to deny ourselves. This is what John did. When the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” he confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ” (Jn 1:20). The priests and Levites wanted to talk about John. He refused. He had been sent to talk about Jesus. And so he did. John denied himself. “I am not the Christ. I am not the Prophet. I am not Elijah” (Jn 1:20–22) And he confessed Christ: “Make straight the way of the Lord” (Jn 1:23) “Among you stands one you do not know,” (Jn 1:26) Immanuel, God with us, “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (Jn 1:29).

How is it that God could stand among His people yet they did not know him? Much of the blame can be laid at the feet of the false pastors of Israel, the priests and Levites. They were the appointed teachers of Holy Scripture, and Christ is found on every page, but they did not direct the gaze of the people to Jesus. Instead they were happy to point to themselves. “I am a great teacher. I have amazing wisdom and insights into spiritual things. I have a magnetic personality. I can fill stadiums and offering plates. Buy my books. Visit my website. Sign up for my mailing list. Look at my perfect smile and my beautiful wife.” To put oneself in the place of Christ is the definition of the antichrist. Remember, “anti” doesn’t necessarily mean “against.” It’s a Greek word that means “in place of.” John resisted the temptation to stand in the place of Christ, to steal His glory, but many pastors do not.

Why is this? You might say it’s a conspiracy. It is. The devil, the world, and the sinful nature conspire together to silence the preaching of the gospel and to turn our eyes away from Jesus. But let’s not look only at unfaithful pastors. This tendency is alive and well within your own heart. The default position of the sinful nature is to ignore Christ and His work and focus instead on our own feeble efforts. It’s no accident that we tend to think of heaven as a reward for living a good life. It’s not a coincidence that Christians generally see going to church as something we do for God. This is part of the grand anti-Christ conspiracy, the perennial attempt to focus on ourselves instead of Jesus. We must follow the faithful example of John the Baptist, who points steadfastly to the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

Consider the season of Christmas. If anything ought to be about Jesus, this is it. We are celebrating his Incarnation and birth, after all. But what does Christmas mean to most people? Santa Klaus, reindeer, and elves. Snow, presents, and a cozy dinner with the whole family. Oh, and make sure you’ve been good this year, or else Santa will leave you a lump of coal. What does this have to with the free gift of the Gospel which our Lord Jesus gives to underserving sinners? Little to nothing at all. We must hear the voice of John the Baptist: “Repent. Turn away from this idolatry, and look to Jesus.”

Consider the way most Christians talk about their salvation: “I saw the light, I found Jesus, I gave my life to Christ, I turned away from sin, etc…” Perhaps you catch yourself speaking this way. It’s not as though these statements are patently false. There is some truth in them, but they often reveal an improper focus on ourselves rather than Jesus. Within your sinful heart is an anti-Christ whose voice needs to be silenced by the preaching of the Gospel.

Let me give another example: For a record-breaking 129 weeks, the #1 pop Christian song is “You Say” by Lauren Daigle. The chorus goes like this:

You say I am loved when I can't feel a thing You say I am strong when I think I am weak And you say I am held when I am falling short And when I don't belong, oh You say I am Yours And I believe, oh, I believe what You say of me

The song functions as a sort of Creed: “I believe, I believe…” and Christians all over the world are confessing this. But what it is that we believe? “I believe what you say of me.” This creed is all about me! No wonder it’s the #1 Christian song in the world! Your personal anti-Christ, that is, your sinful nature, loves to talk about himself. This explains how John can say, “Among you stands one you do not know.” Christ is among His church today. And yet in place of the ancient creed which confesses, “I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ…who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven…and was crucified for us,” the church that Christ purchased would rather confess, “I believe what you say of me.”

In two dozen lines of lyrics, the word “I” is found 61 times. The song, beloved by Christians the world over, is pure, unapologetic narcissism. “I am loved, I am strong, I am held, I am yours.” Christ is never mentioned by name, though He does appear to have a bit part to play: “I believe what you (assuming this is Jesus) say about me.” In other words, Jesus, if He is mentioned at all, exists to make me feel better about myself. He is an emotional accessory, like a Ken doll is to Barbie.

What’s insidious about this sort of confession, is that it is not blatantly wrong. We do, after all, believe what Jesus says about us. But if this becomes our focus, then we have put ourselves and our feelings in the place of Christ. We have erected an anti-Christ, and consequently, the saving gospel is lost among us. This is the case in much of the church, and but for the work of the Holy Spirit, it would be the case within your heart as well. But the Holy Spirit is faithful to speak through the mouth of John the Baptist and call you to repentance.

The Holy Spirit declares to you the One who stands among us, that you would not otherwise know. The Holy Spirit reveals Christ to us, where He stands among two or more who gather in His name. The Holy Spirit imparts to us the faith, by which we learn to recognize Jesus, clothed as He is in the water of Holy Baptism, in, with, and under the Bread and the Wine.

And the Holy Spirit uses the mouth of John the Baptist to accomplish His salutary purpose. John, and the faithful pastors who follow his example, will never write a hit song that tops the charts. John will always refuse to cater to the felt needs of his hearers. His words won’t necessarily make you feel good. But again and again John will deny himself and point you to Jesus. He will teach you the true Creed which confesses what Jesus has done to secure your salvation. And where John’s preaching is received with joyful and repentant hearts, there we, the people of God, will learn to recognize the One who stands among us, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Amen.