WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.259 We hope that you enjoy this teaching from Christchurch. 00:00:05.259 --> 00:00:15.419 This material is copyrighted and no unauthorized duplication, redistribution, or any other use of any part is permitted without prior consent from Christchurch. 00:00:15.419 --> 00:00:22.620 Please consider donating to this work in the San Francisco Bay Area online at ChristChurchEastBay.org. 00:00:25.219 --> 00:00:27.500 Good morning and happy Sunday. 00:00:28.000 --> 00:00:33.060 I'm Tonya. I'm part of the Oikos in the Oaks and Women Reading Women groups. 00:00:33.660 --> 00:00:40.600 Today's scripture reading is from the Gospel of John, chapter 1, verses 29 to 34 is printed in your liturgy. 00:00:41.160 --> 00:00:43.759 A reading from the Gospel according to John. 00:00:43.759 --> 00:00:48.719 The next day, John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, 00:00:49.219 --> 00:00:52.579 Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. 00:00:53.199 --> 00:00:59.799 This is the one I meant when I said, A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me. 00:01:00.219 --> 00:01:07.039 I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel. 00:01:07.859 --> 00:01:09.879 Then John gave this testimony. 00:01:09.879 --> 00:01:15.259 I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. 00:01:15.260 --> 00:01:21.680 And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, 00:01:22.219 --> 00:01:28.980 The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit. 00:01:29.960 --> 00:01:35.120 I have seen and I testify that this is God's chosen one. 00:01:35.719 --> 00:01:37.560 This is the Gospel of the Lord. 00:01:38.080 --> 00:01:39.680 Praise to you, O Christ. 00:01:39.680 --> 00:01:41.380 Thank you, Tonya. 00:01:41.800 --> 00:01:42.360 Good morning. 00:01:42.480 --> 00:01:42.880 Let's pray. 00:01:47.240 --> 00:01:51.840 Lord, we ask that you would use this ordinary means of grace, 00:01:52.360 --> 00:01:56.940 the opening up of your word and the preaching of what your word says, 00:01:57.760 --> 00:02:00.120 to shape us into the people that you want us to be. 00:02:00.120 --> 00:02:09.240 A people who are so convinced that Jesus truly is the greatest gift, the best news in history. 00:02:10.500 --> 00:02:17.360 And a people who therefore go out into the world to share his love, to serve others, 00:02:17.719 --> 00:02:23.000 to empty ourselves in ways that our Savior has emptied himself for us. 00:02:23.000 --> 00:02:30.360 So would you do that by your Spirit this morning and be honored, Lord, in the preaching and in the listening of your word. 00:02:31.039 --> 00:02:32.539 In Jesus' name, amen. 00:02:33.819 --> 00:02:38.379 Merry Christmas and happy last Sunday of the year, 00:02:38.500 --> 00:02:43.020 which means here at Christ Church that we are officially in the Gospels now. 00:02:43.120 --> 00:02:47.099 Jonathan started us off in John chapter 1 on Christmas Eve, 00:02:47.099 --> 00:02:51.960 and that's what we're going to be in all the way till two weeks after Easter, 00:02:52.099 --> 00:02:53.799 which is when my sabbatical begins. 00:02:53.900 --> 00:02:57.019 Not that I'm counting, but that's what we're going to be doing. 00:02:57.120 --> 00:02:58.099 We're in John chapter 1. 00:02:58.199 --> 00:03:02.859 Jonathan kicked us off from the beginning, and today we jump right into the middle. 00:03:03.560 --> 00:03:05.879 And, you know, of course we're going to talk about who Jesus is today, 00:03:06.000 --> 00:03:08.759 but what I want to talk about first is John the Baptist. 00:03:08.840 --> 00:03:12.799 I want to talk about who Jesus is through the lens of John the Baptist. 00:03:12.800 --> 00:03:17.360 Before we, you know, rush past John to get to Jesus, I want to linger here for a moment, 00:03:17.740 --> 00:03:20.800 because John the Baptist is absolutely fascinating. 00:03:20.939 --> 00:03:25.180 If you've ever spent time just considering who this figure is in all of Scripture. 00:03:26.080 --> 00:03:29.439 Personally, I've admired John the Baptist ever since high school, 00:03:29.560 --> 00:03:33.100 when one of my youth mentors opened up the Bible with me, 00:03:33.160 --> 00:03:34.380 and he showed me this passage. 00:03:34.520 --> 00:03:38.320 It was John chapter 3, verse 30, where John the Baptist speaks of Jesus, 00:03:38.319 --> 00:03:43.419 and he says, he must become greater, and I must become less. 00:03:43.500 --> 00:03:47.180 Some translations say, he must increase, and I must decrease. 00:03:47.340 --> 00:03:48.739 I even had a t-shirt that said that. 00:03:48.799 --> 00:03:51.780 I love that passage so much in high school, in college. 00:03:51.959 --> 00:03:57.759 It's really been an inspirational and aspirational passage of Scripture for me ever since. 00:03:57.900 --> 00:04:00.699 I love John the Baptist for saying this. 00:04:00.859 --> 00:04:06.019 And I plan to spend the rest of my life trying to figure out what this looks like in my life. 00:04:06.020 --> 00:04:09.000 He must increase, and I must decrease. 00:04:09.500 --> 00:04:13.620 Whatever it looks like to, you know, live and minister like John the Baptist, 00:04:13.620 --> 00:04:17.800 to give Christ more and more of the center stage of my life, 00:04:17.840 --> 00:04:21.439 and to increasingly remove myself from the spotlight. 00:04:22.180 --> 00:04:24.420 John the Baptist was an expert. 00:04:24.540 --> 00:04:27.000 He was an expert at making much of Christ. 00:04:27.220 --> 00:04:30.519 He was Jesus' like ultimate forerunner, his hype man. 00:04:30.939 --> 00:04:33.620 And we have a ton to learn from this final prophet of God, 00:04:33.620 --> 00:04:36.360 whose words we're going to be looking at this morning. 00:04:37.079 --> 00:04:43.420 Now, at first glance, John is not really the kind of person most of us would choose to imitate. 00:04:43.780 --> 00:04:44.500 He's strange. 00:04:44.899 --> 00:04:45.819 He's intense. 00:04:46.360 --> 00:04:47.399 He lives in the wilderness. 00:04:47.780 --> 00:04:50.300 His diet is not something that most of us look forward to. 00:04:50.379 --> 00:04:51.420 Locusts and wild honey. 00:04:51.519 --> 00:04:52.759 He dresses in camel's hair. 00:04:53.300 --> 00:04:56.620 He's got no career ladder, no platform, no safety net. 00:04:57.100 --> 00:04:58.560 And yet, what do we know? 00:04:58.620 --> 00:05:00.120 We know that people flock to this guy. 00:05:00.120 --> 00:05:03.660 Crowds leave their cities to join him in the desert. 00:05:03.819 --> 00:05:06.720 Religious leaders take notice and join the crowds. 00:05:06.840 --> 00:05:12.199 And even kings feel threatened by this peripheral voice screaming out from the wilderness. 00:05:13.040 --> 00:05:17.759 Because there's just something about this guy that draws people in and commands their attention. 00:05:17.899 --> 00:05:20.120 It's not that he's polished or attractive. 00:05:20.500 --> 00:05:23.199 He's not very relatable or winsome. 00:05:24.399 --> 00:05:26.579 No, it's simply because he's clear. 00:05:26.579 --> 00:05:26.620 He's clear. 00:05:27.539 --> 00:05:29.519 He's clear about his convictions. 00:05:29.719 --> 00:05:31.079 He's clear about who he is. 00:05:31.159 --> 00:05:36.500 John the Baptist knows exactly who he is and what he's been placed on this planet to do. 00:05:37.019 --> 00:05:39.240 Again, he's Jesus' ultimate forerunner. 00:05:39.539 --> 00:05:40.500 His ultimate hype man. 00:05:40.560 --> 00:05:43.339 The final prophet of God preparing the way for the Messiah. 00:05:44.279 --> 00:05:48.959 And what makes all of this even more striking is also where John the Baptist comes from. 00:05:49.039 --> 00:05:52.299 Remember, he wasn't always an outsider in the wilderness. 00:05:52.599 --> 00:05:54.919 He's the son of a former high priest. 00:05:54.920 --> 00:05:59.060 He was born into the religious and cultural heart of Israel. 00:05:59.199 --> 00:06:01.080 So he was no stranger in the temple. 00:06:01.340 --> 00:06:05.699 He was no stranger to the sacrifices, to the whole religious establishment and system. 00:06:05.840 --> 00:06:10.340 Perhaps it was even said of him that he's going to one day become the next high priest just like his dad. 00:06:11.400 --> 00:06:12.700 And yet we meet him here. 00:06:13.300 --> 00:06:14.720 He's walked away from all of that. 00:06:14.840 --> 00:06:16.220 He's left the center for the margins. 00:06:16.360 --> 00:06:19.160 He's traded priestly robes for camel's hair. 00:06:19.280 --> 00:06:24.460 He's traded the security of the religious establishment for the vulnerability of the wilderness. 00:06:24.459 --> 00:06:27.060 And not only does he leave all that, but he leaves loud. 00:06:27.479 --> 00:06:30.500 He leaves quite loud and with an inherently offensive message. 00:06:30.879 --> 00:06:31.279 Repent. 00:06:32.279 --> 00:06:33.219 Repent, he says. 00:06:33.539 --> 00:06:41.139 And not just to the tax collectors and the pagans, but to the Pharisees as well, to the Levites and to the priests, to the commoners and kings alike. 00:06:41.399 --> 00:06:43.019 No one gets a pass with him. 00:06:43.019 --> 00:06:45.379 No one's righteousness meets the mark. 00:06:45.639 --> 00:06:46.919 No one apart from repentance. 00:06:47.120 --> 00:06:51.639 No one apart from sensing their need for a fuller cleansing than what the temple system could offer. 00:06:51.819 --> 00:06:56.219 No one apart from repentance and cleansing was ready for the coming of the Lord. 00:06:56.439 --> 00:06:58.019 No one was ready for the Messiah. 00:06:59.159 --> 00:07:04.159 This John the Baptist figure we're looking at this morning, he is being a major disruptor here. 00:07:04.240 --> 00:07:05.639 After 400 years. 00:07:05.699 --> 00:07:08.560 Remember, this is after 400 years of silence from God. 00:07:08.560 --> 00:07:11.759 He's now acting like the new Elijah in this camel outfit. 00:07:12.540 --> 00:07:21.379 He's calling all of Israel away from the temple and to be cleansed and baptized in the Jordan River once again as their forefathers had been when they crossed the Jordan into the land. 00:07:22.459 --> 00:07:27.019 And so now he's not just saying repent, but he's also saying something new is about to happen. 00:07:27.879 --> 00:07:31.980 God is doing a new work, forming a new people, forming even a new kingdom. 00:07:31.980 --> 00:07:35.879 God is doing a new work, forming a new life, forming a new life, forming a new life, forming a new life. 00:07:35.879 --> 00:07:36.720 You must repent. 00:07:37.360 --> 00:07:39.540 You must be cleansed of your sins, he says. 00:07:40.259 --> 00:07:43.500 He's telling them everything they think is off. 00:07:43.680 --> 00:07:49.840 Everything you think needs an adjustment that demands a change in really the whole of your life is what he's telling people. 00:07:50.620 --> 00:07:53.840 And again, what's crazy is that people actually listen to him. 00:07:54.420 --> 00:07:58.759 They make the trip out of the city into the wilderness and they receive his baptism. 00:07:58.759 --> 00:08:04.279 Again, not because he's got some killer argument or a feel-good message, quite the contrary. 00:08:05.019 --> 00:08:10.560 Nor because he's got some amazing, you know, influencer lifestyle that people are hoping to imitate. 00:08:11.259 --> 00:08:11.599 No. 00:08:12.500 --> 00:08:14.819 It's simply because he's clear. 00:08:15.659 --> 00:08:18.480 He's clear about who he is, what he's called to do. 00:08:19.339 --> 00:08:25.339 And some of these folks in the crowd, they aren't even convinced of what he's saying, but they still make the trip out to go listen to him. 00:08:25.339 --> 00:08:35.059 And it's kind of like when George Whitefield used to preach in the revival era and the famous Scottish philosopher David Hume, well-known skeptic, he was asked, 00:08:35.720 --> 00:08:42.600 Mr. Hume, why do you go to listen to George Whitefield's revival preaching when you don't even believe what he says? 00:08:43.439 --> 00:08:48.339 And Hume said, I don't believe what he says, but he believes what he says. 00:08:49.079 --> 00:08:50.980 And that was compelling to Hume. 00:08:50.980 --> 00:08:58.940 And John the Baptist had everyone's attention because of the clarity and conviction of which he preached and he ministered. 00:08:58.980 --> 00:09:05.279 Clarity and conviction that manifested themselves in courage and confidence and a unique kind of freedom. 00:09:05.420 --> 00:09:11.960 And if we're honest with ourselves, I think there's something about people like John that draws us all in, isn't there? 00:09:11.960 --> 00:09:20.420 Think of Gandhi, think of Mother Teresa, whose lives, like John's, we don't exactly envy or desire to emulate. 00:09:20.660 --> 00:09:27.519 And yet, at the same time, these kinds of people still stand out to us and we honor them and we admire them. 00:09:27.800 --> 00:09:28.060 Why? 00:09:28.960 --> 00:09:33.560 Because regardless of what you think about Gandhi or Mother Teresa or John the Baptist, 00:09:33.559 --> 00:09:39.699 whether or not we think they made good life decisions, whether or not we want their lifestyle, 00:09:39.839 --> 00:09:43.399 one thing is obvious to us, the clarity of their conviction. 00:09:44.459 --> 00:09:49.299 The people who most stand out to us, the people that are most worthy of our respect and admiration, 00:09:49.539 --> 00:09:53.319 aren't they usually the people who seem most undivided? 00:09:53.919 --> 00:09:58.939 Like not pulled in ten different directions, not trying to be everything to everyone, 00:09:58.939 --> 00:10:02.399 people with a clear center, anchor, and compass. 00:10:02.399 --> 00:10:10.139 And we're drawn to people of such clarity and conviction because so many of us feel like that's the opposite of our own lives, right? 00:10:10.980 --> 00:10:15.179 Don't we live in a culture that tells us that we can be anything, do anything, optimize everything? 00:10:15.279 --> 00:10:16.000 So we try to. 00:10:16.819 --> 00:10:20.279 And yet we are exhausted, pulled in a million different directions. 00:10:20.799 --> 00:10:22.779 We always wake up already behind. 00:10:22.919 --> 00:10:26.919 We're constantly measuring our worth by our output and our productivity. 00:10:26.919 --> 00:10:34.659 We carry a quiet fear that if we stop performing, we'll fall behind or disappear into irrelevance and worthlessness 00:10:34.659 --> 00:10:41.740 in these empires we're trying to fit into, these kingdoms whose rules we're trying to live by and succeed in. 00:10:42.719 --> 00:10:49.019 And you know, some of us here, you know, we're in Berkeley, we're in the Bay Area, most of us maybe are quite good at playing the game, 00:10:49.399 --> 00:10:51.879 quite good at fitting in, playing by the rules. 00:10:51.879 --> 00:10:56.759 We figured out how to work the system, how to fit in these empires, in these kingdoms. 00:10:57.799 --> 00:11:01.740 But the thing is, while we grow, we might be growing in our capabilities, 00:11:01.980 --> 00:11:05.840 are we not also growing in our captivity to these empires? 00:11:06.480 --> 00:11:09.299 We may be productive, but are we at peace? 00:11:10.039 --> 00:11:13.879 We may be successful, but aren't we also unsettled? 00:11:13.879 --> 00:11:14.399 Unsettled. 00:11:15.480 --> 00:11:19.799 And it's not for, you know, lack of data, options, and information that we struggle with exhaustion. 00:11:19.960 --> 00:11:21.139 No, we lack wisdom. 00:11:21.799 --> 00:11:22.639 We lack guidance. 00:11:22.759 --> 00:11:23.779 We lack orientation. 00:11:24.179 --> 00:11:29.379 So when we see someone like John the Baptist, someone unhurried, undivided, unafraid, 00:11:29.500 --> 00:11:31.939 someone who isn't scrambling to secure his identity, 00:11:32.120 --> 00:11:34.860 someone who isn't managing an image or trying to be impressive, 00:11:34.860 --> 00:11:41.879 but rather someone simply operating out of who he's utterly convinced that he's supposed to be, 00:11:42.720 --> 00:11:46.480 someone or something in us, when we recognize John the Baptist, 00:11:46.600 --> 00:11:49.480 something in us recognizes what we're missing. 00:11:50.100 --> 00:11:56.919 Something in us, doesn't it long for that kind of freedom and boldness and clarity that we see in this guy? 00:11:57.860 --> 00:11:59.560 See, John shows us another way. 00:11:59.639 --> 00:12:01.120 He shows us a better way. 00:12:01.120 --> 00:12:05.360 He says, in effect, my life makes sense because it's not about me. 00:12:06.560 --> 00:12:07.779 And that's not resignation. 00:12:08.240 --> 00:12:09.320 That's not self-hatred. 00:12:09.500 --> 00:12:10.879 That's actually liberation. 00:12:11.379 --> 00:12:11.960 That's freedom. 00:12:13.159 --> 00:12:17.639 John the Baptist is so abundantly clear about who he is and who he is not. 00:12:17.940 --> 00:12:19.639 I am not the Christ, he says. 00:12:19.799 --> 00:12:21.419 I am not the light of the world. 00:12:22.019 --> 00:12:24.899 I'm just here to bear witness, prepare the way. 00:12:25.240 --> 00:12:26.240 He must become greater. 00:12:26.740 --> 00:12:27.860 I must become less. 00:12:28.039 --> 00:12:28.899 That was it for him. 00:12:29.340 --> 00:12:30.379 It was that simple. 00:12:30.379 --> 00:12:31.460 It was that clear. 00:12:31.580 --> 00:12:37.039 John's clarity came from his vision, his vision of who he was in reference to who Jesus was. 00:12:37.720 --> 00:12:41.639 And from that clarity came incredible freedom, incredible boldness. 00:12:41.759 --> 00:12:44.299 John was free because he didn't have to hold center stage. 00:12:44.679 --> 00:12:46.899 He didn't have to hold the spotlight. 00:12:47.159 --> 00:12:53.279 No, his job was to shine the spotlight on the only worthy object of the spotlight. 00:12:54.220 --> 00:12:56.080 And this is where we talk about Jesus. 00:12:56.080 --> 00:13:02.100 As John lifts up his eyes in this text and raises his voice here in verse 29, what does he command his hearers? 00:13:02.860 --> 00:13:03.960 He doesn't say try harder. 00:13:04.500 --> 00:13:06.500 Try harder to be worthy of the spotlight. 00:13:07.780 --> 00:13:13.820 He tells them to repent of their own self-centered navel gazing, to pay attention to where the spotlight most rightfully belonged. 00:13:13.900 --> 00:13:14.840 He says, look. 00:13:14.980 --> 00:13:16.500 Or in the Greek, behold. 00:13:16.920 --> 00:13:17.920 He commands them, behold. 00:13:18.460 --> 00:13:18.900 Look. 00:13:19.259 --> 00:13:19.919 Turn your gaze. 00:13:20.259 --> 00:13:22.539 Turn your eyes upon Jesus. 00:13:23.559 --> 00:13:25.179 That's what he's crying out from the wilderness. 00:13:26.699 --> 00:13:32.100 And again, this is where we really pay attention to Jesus and who he is through the eyes of John the Baptist. 00:13:32.939 --> 00:13:38.879 From the very beginning of our passage, John is telling people to look away from him and look on to Christ. 00:13:38.879 --> 00:13:42.639 Even though he's no slouch himself, remember, he's the final prophet. 00:13:42.860 --> 00:13:46.620 He's the final voice from God after 400 years of silence, right? 00:13:47.679 --> 00:13:53.740 But it is absolutely clear in his mind who he is in light of who the Messiah is. 00:13:54.019 --> 00:13:54.720 Look at verse 30. 00:13:55.159 --> 00:13:59.419 Like, sure, he comes after me, this Messiah figure, but he surpasses me, John says. 00:13:59.700 --> 00:14:01.059 He was actually always before me. 00:14:01.080 --> 00:14:02.100 He's the preeminent one. 00:14:02.740 --> 00:14:03.200 Verse 31. 00:14:03.200 --> 00:14:08.680 The whole reason, John says, I came baptizing was to point to him, to reveal him to all of Israel. 00:14:09.360 --> 00:14:14.100 My water baptism was just preparation for the main event, the baptism of the Holy Spirit. 00:14:15.140 --> 00:14:20.340 Really, the whole point of my life, John is saying, is Jesus and to make him known. 00:14:21.960 --> 00:14:27.480 So let's look at, I want to look at three things that John the Baptist sees in Jesus 00:14:27.480 --> 00:14:34.860 that gives him such clarity, such purpose, such peace about not being the center of his own life. 00:14:35.580 --> 00:14:35.700 Okay? 00:14:35.899 --> 00:14:37.980 And what John sees are these three things. 00:14:38.659 --> 00:14:41.899 He sees a lamb, a dove, and a son. 00:14:42.720 --> 00:14:44.360 A lamb, a dove, and a son. 00:14:45.180 --> 00:14:45.940 So first the lamb. 00:14:46.019 --> 00:14:46.480 Verse 29. 00:14:46.480 --> 00:14:53.680 The next day, John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. 00:14:53.779 --> 00:14:59.159 Now, John may not have understood the fullness of what would one day happen to Jesus 00:14:59.159 --> 00:15:04.080 and of what he just said about Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. 00:15:04.840 --> 00:15:09.539 He may not have known how the cross would unfold, what it would cost, how deep the mystery would go, 00:15:09.539 --> 00:15:14.620 but he knew this much, that the deepest problem in the world isn't merely injustice. 00:15:15.519 --> 00:15:17.899 It isn't merely broken systems and structures. 00:15:18.079 --> 00:15:20.620 It's not a lack of law-abiding orderliness. 00:15:21.039 --> 00:15:24.500 And neither is it a lack of kindness or compassion and empathy. 00:15:24.639 --> 00:15:28.480 No, the deepest problem in the world he understood to be sin. 00:15:29.259 --> 00:15:33.360 Humans insisting that we must become greater and God must become less. 00:15:33.360 --> 00:15:39.340 And John knew that sin could not be solved by better rules, better intentions, better people. 00:15:39.500 --> 00:15:42.440 So when he sees Jesus coming toward him, he doesn't say, behold, a great teacher. 00:15:42.820 --> 00:15:44.519 He doesn't say, behold, a moral example. 00:15:44.659 --> 00:15:49.039 No, he says, behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. 00:15:51.120 --> 00:15:54.960 The word lamb here, it would have landed with enormous weight. 00:15:55.680 --> 00:15:57.320 A lamb is not a rabbi. 00:15:57.480 --> 00:15:58.580 A lamb is not a prophet. 00:15:58.720 --> 00:16:00.460 A lamb is not a coach or a consultant. 00:16:00.460 --> 00:16:02.580 A lamb is a substitute. 00:16:03.360 --> 00:16:06.560 A lamb stands in the place of another. 00:16:08.159 --> 00:16:09.879 I love how John Stott puts this. 00:16:10.039 --> 00:16:16.200 He says, for the essence of sin is man substituting himself for God, while the essence of salvation 00:16:16.200 --> 00:16:18.960 is God substituting himself for man. 00:16:19.980 --> 00:16:24.320 Man asserts himself as God and puts himself where only God deserves to be. 00:16:25.139 --> 00:16:30.740 God sacrifices himself for man and puts himself where only man deserves to be. 00:16:30.740 --> 00:16:36.960 And so John here is saying, this is the one who will carry what we cannot carry. 00:16:37.580 --> 00:16:40.320 This is the one who will bear what we cannot bear. 00:16:41.000 --> 00:16:43.500 And that is why John is so free here. 00:16:44.060 --> 00:16:46.519 He's such a non-anxious presence here. 00:16:46.879 --> 00:16:49.680 That's why he's not scrambling for approval or for control. 00:16:49.679 --> 00:16:54.000 Because he knows his sin will be dealt with, not just managed, not just minimized, not ignored, 00:16:54.579 --> 00:16:57.079 but taken away by the Lamb of God. 00:16:57.699 --> 00:16:58.819 That's where his faith is. 00:16:59.039 --> 00:16:59.919 That's where his hope is. 00:16:59.979 --> 00:17:04.500 And this is so crucial for us to internalize if we are to live with the clarity, the courage, 00:17:04.700 --> 00:17:07.960 the freedom, and the purposefulness of John the Baptist. 00:17:08.440 --> 00:17:09.259 It's so essential. 00:17:09.259 --> 00:17:14.299 See, most of us, most of us honestly don't think our biggest problem is our sin. 00:17:15.319 --> 00:17:16.519 We think it's stress. 00:17:17.019 --> 00:17:17.900 We think it's burnout. 00:17:18.200 --> 00:17:22.700 We think it's insecurity, lack of clarity, a busy schedule, a broken world, past traumas. 00:17:23.140 --> 00:17:25.700 And these are all things that are real. 00:17:27.480 --> 00:17:32.480 But these are also kind of sometimes the only things that we often share with the people in our community group, right? 00:17:32.519 --> 00:17:36.299 When they ask us how they can be praying for us. 00:17:36.640 --> 00:17:39.059 These are the things we talk to our therapists about. 00:17:39.059 --> 00:17:42.720 These are the things that we look for, hacks and fixes for. 00:17:43.619 --> 00:17:45.740 And don't get me wrong, that's completely fine. 00:17:45.819 --> 00:17:49.019 But beneath, I think we miss what's oftentimes beneath. 00:17:49.599 --> 00:17:51.440 We miss what's deeper. 00:17:52.740 --> 00:17:59.419 What actually exhausts us is not just how much we have to do and how many things we need to fix all around us. 00:18:00.339 --> 00:18:08.759 But what if the deeper problem is our insistence that we have to bear the full weight of fixing ourselves by ourselves? 00:18:09.639 --> 00:18:15.299 That we have to justify ourselves, prove we're enough, absolve our own guilt, get ahead of our shame? 00:18:16.299 --> 00:18:18.019 It's no wonder we're exhausted. 00:18:19.819 --> 00:18:21.700 Don't you see, this too is sin. 00:18:22.299 --> 00:18:24.639 See, sin isn't just the bad things we do. 00:18:24.779 --> 00:18:26.059 It's not just breaking rules. 00:18:26.059 --> 00:18:36.960 No, actually more fundamentally, sin is our insistence upon taking our own lives into our own hands and carrying what we were never meant to carry. 00:18:36.960 --> 00:18:42.079 But the gospel says you were never meant to carry that. 00:18:43.000 --> 00:18:44.100 That's why we need a lamb. 00:18:44.500 --> 00:18:47.620 Not advice, not self-help, not self-improvement. 00:18:47.680 --> 00:18:48.480 We need a substitute. 00:18:49.539 --> 00:18:54.660 Someone to carry for us and in our place the load that was too heavy for our backs to bear. 00:18:54.799 --> 00:18:56.440 Someone who steps in our place. 00:18:56.840 --> 00:18:58.299 Someone who carries what we cannot carry. 00:18:58.299 --> 00:19:03.619 Someone who frees us not by demanding more from us, but by giving himself for us. 00:19:04.559 --> 00:19:10.099 So in John the Baptist, when he says, behold the Lamb of God, he's saying, look away from yourself. 00:19:10.259 --> 00:19:11.220 Behold, he says. 00:19:11.419 --> 00:19:12.399 Look away from yourself. 00:19:12.740 --> 00:19:14.139 Look away from your striving. 00:19:14.259 --> 00:19:15.379 Look away from your failure. 00:19:16.099 --> 00:19:16.819 And look to him. 00:19:17.559 --> 00:19:20.980 Because when you see him clearly, you finally see yourself clearly. 00:19:21.339 --> 00:19:23.059 And that's where freedom begins. 00:19:23.059 --> 00:19:25.359 But here's the thing. 00:19:26.259 --> 00:19:30.659 If all Jesus ever came to do was to forgive our sins, that would be incredible. 00:19:31.679 --> 00:19:33.480 But it also would not be enough. 00:19:34.319 --> 00:19:36.839 Because forgiveness alone doesn't change us. 00:19:37.099 --> 00:19:39.519 It clears the record, but it doesn't give us a new heart. 00:19:39.599 --> 00:19:42.440 And that's why John doesn't stop at calling Jesus the Lamb of God. 00:19:42.659 --> 00:19:43.200 He goes on. 00:19:43.259 --> 00:19:43.799 Verse 32. 00:19:44.179 --> 00:19:45.579 Then John gave this testimony. 00:19:45.579 --> 00:19:50.440 I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. 00:19:50.440 --> 00:19:55.600 And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me baptized with water told me, the 00:19:55.600 --> 00:20:00.779 man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the 00:20:00.779 --> 00:20:01.340 Holy Spirit. 00:20:02.320 --> 00:20:07.680 Now, in these two verses, there are a ton of hyperlinks that we could click on and go deeper 00:20:07.680 --> 00:20:08.400 down into. 00:20:08.519 --> 00:20:11.360 But the word I want to focus on is the word here, remain. 00:20:12.460 --> 00:20:13.580 That word, remain. 00:20:13.759 --> 00:20:16.799 It's doing enormous theological work here. 00:20:16.799 --> 00:20:21.200 See, you know, throughout the Old Testament, the Spirit comes and goes. 00:20:21.319 --> 00:20:24.460 It would come and go upon the judges, on kings, on prophets. 00:20:25.319 --> 00:20:32.659 But here, finally here, you know, the Spirit never permanently rested on anyone until here 00:20:32.659 --> 00:20:33.619 with Jesus. 00:20:34.879 --> 00:20:37.659 So this is not just another anointed servant. 00:20:37.799 --> 00:20:42.539 This is not another prophet temporarily empowered for a specific task. 00:20:42.539 --> 00:20:45.119 Jesus doesn't just have the Spirit for a moment. 00:20:45.279 --> 00:20:48.700 He is the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit. 00:20:49.659 --> 00:20:50.779 And that changes everything. 00:20:51.399 --> 00:20:56.299 Because if the Spirit rests fully and permanently on Jesus, then Jesus is not only the Lamb who 00:20:56.299 --> 00:21:00.519 takes away sin, but He is the source of all new life itself. 00:21:01.680 --> 00:21:06.539 And see, this is where the gospel goes actually deeper than the forgiveness of our sins. 00:21:06.659 --> 00:21:08.339 Forgiveness isn't the whole of the good news. 00:21:08.339 --> 00:21:13.259 Forgiveness deals with our past, but the Spirit addresses our present and our future. 00:21:13.379 --> 00:21:17.819 Forgiveness says your debt is canceled, but the Spirit says your life is being made new 00:21:17.819 --> 00:21:21.399 and will one day be finally glorified and consummate. 00:21:22.139 --> 00:21:25.079 That's why John says Jesus will baptize with the Holy Spirit. 00:21:25.559 --> 00:21:26.980 He will baptize with the Holy Spirit. 00:21:27.079 --> 00:21:29.359 Not visit occasionally, but baptize. 00:21:29.839 --> 00:21:30.319 Overwhelm. 00:21:30.559 --> 00:21:31.519 Cover you completely. 00:21:31.699 --> 00:21:33.039 This is not just moral improvement. 00:21:33.339 --> 00:21:34.319 This is new creation. 00:21:34.319 --> 00:21:38.619 This is God saying, I'm not just going to forgive you and leave you the same. 00:21:38.720 --> 00:21:40.700 No, I'm going to come and live within you. 00:21:41.159 --> 00:21:46.819 I'm going to give you a new heart, new desires, even new power to do what you never expected, 00:21:46.939 --> 00:21:48.299 never thought you could be able to do. 00:21:49.059 --> 00:21:50.639 And that's why John is so captivated. 00:21:50.919 --> 00:21:55.339 That's why he can step back without fear because he knows what Jesus brings is not just 00:21:55.339 --> 00:21:57.119 pardon, but power. 00:21:57.119 --> 00:22:02.119 And this is such an important reality for the Christian life because, you know, I think, 00:22:02.579 --> 00:22:07.079 I think for a lot of us, we can tend to think of the Christian life as, I said sorry to God. 00:22:07.299 --> 00:22:08.259 He forgave me. 00:22:08.859 --> 00:22:11.099 Now, let me really try hard to keep clean. 00:22:11.639 --> 00:22:15.979 And hopefully, my gratitude will empower me to live a clean life from now on. 00:22:17.059 --> 00:22:22.239 And so many of us, you know, are trying to live the Christian life just based on sheer 00:22:22.239 --> 00:22:23.119 willpower. 00:22:23.119 --> 00:22:28.399 Like, like my forgiveness was up to God, but now my righteousness and my obedience and 00:22:28.399 --> 00:22:31.699 my cleanliness going forward, all that's up to me. 00:22:33.000 --> 00:22:34.059 But then, of course, what happens? 00:22:34.119 --> 00:22:35.639 Before we know it, we've soiled our clothes. 00:22:36.879 --> 00:22:39.519 We, we, we, and now we're left wondering, is this it? 00:22:39.759 --> 00:22:41.059 Is this the Christian life? 00:22:41.119 --> 00:22:44.339 Just trying to be thankful for the past and then trying to do better in the future on 00:22:44.339 --> 00:22:44.819 my own? 00:22:45.500 --> 00:22:47.299 Like, sure, Jesus forgave me of my sins. 00:22:47.359 --> 00:22:48.199 He's the Lamb of God. 00:22:48.399 --> 00:22:51.739 But what about this, this porn addiction that's still in my life? 00:22:51.740 --> 00:22:56.460 What about this resentment and this inability to forgive that I still carry? 00:22:56.960 --> 00:23:02.980 What about my lingering insecurities, my preoccupation with my job or with my looks or with my income? 00:23:04.319 --> 00:23:10.099 For many of us, our understanding of the gospel has stopped at God's provision of a Lamb. 00:23:10.099 --> 00:23:17.899 But we have yet to discover the beauty of God's provision of a dove, the Holy Spirit, for us. 00:23:18.099 --> 00:23:20.059 See, Jesus doesn't just forgive us. 00:23:20.199 --> 00:23:21.419 He, he fills us. 00:23:21.959 --> 00:23:27.039 He fills us with the Spirit that permanently came to dwell within and upon him. 00:23:27.039 --> 00:23:33.440 If we are united to Christ by faith, the same Spirit who rested on Christ now dwells in us. 00:23:33.680 --> 00:23:37.339 And in fact, we wouldn't even have placed our faith in Jesus. 00:23:37.460 --> 00:23:42.339 We wouldn't even have been united to him apart from his Spirit coming upon us, drawing us near 00:23:42.339 --> 00:23:43.879 to him in the first place. 00:23:44.740 --> 00:23:49.779 And yet, how many of us actively seek the Spirit's ongoing work in our lives? 00:23:49.779 --> 00:23:56.779 Or do we not believe that he who began a good work in us will be faithful to bring it to completion, 00:23:57.379 --> 00:24:00.180 that he intends to complete us by his Spirit? 00:24:01.579 --> 00:24:07.319 God is just as much at work in our growth and in our formation as he was in our conversion 00:24:07.319 --> 00:24:08.619 and in our forgiveness. 00:24:09.180 --> 00:24:11.940 And that means that we are never left alone to fight sin. 00:24:12.240 --> 00:24:15.480 We are not left to manufacture our own righteousness. 00:24:15.480 --> 00:24:18.980 We are not left to carry the weight of holiness by ourselves. 00:24:19.120 --> 00:24:21.220 No, Christianity is not self-improvement. 00:24:21.519 --> 00:24:26.240 It's Spirit-empowered transformation in Christ and by his Spirit. 00:24:27.120 --> 00:24:32.140 And when you know that the Spirit of God is at work in you, shaping you, leading you, sustaining 00:24:32.140 --> 00:24:36.720 you, you no longer need, you no longer need to cling to control. 00:24:37.299 --> 00:24:41.579 You no longer need to build your own righteousness or be the center of your own world. 00:24:41.579 --> 00:24:44.179 And that's why John, again, here, he's so free. 00:24:44.619 --> 00:24:46.500 He's so excited about Jesus. 00:24:46.639 --> 00:24:49.079 He's not striving to prove anything. 00:24:49.279 --> 00:24:53.299 He's living from a place of deep alignment with what God is doing. 00:24:53.379 --> 00:24:58.859 His baptism, John's water baptism, it was just to help people see their need for cleansing 00:24:58.859 --> 00:25:00.099 and a purer righteousness. 00:25:01.500 --> 00:25:05.240 But the people's repentance and righteousness were never up to John the Baptist. 00:25:05.419 --> 00:25:06.539 It was never even up to them. 00:25:06.539 --> 00:25:12.480 But always up to the one whom the dove came upon, the one who baptizes us, not just with 00:25:12.480 --> 00:25:14.399 water, but with the Spirit. 00:25:15.539 --> 00:25:21.379 Now, to wrap all this up, notice the last verse in verse 34, where John doesn't just 00:25:21.379 --> 00:25:25.399 stop, you know, he doesn't stop with calling Jesus the Lamb. 00:25:25.500 --> 00:25:29.399 He doesn't just stop with calling Jesus the Spirit-bearer, the Spirit-giver. 00:25:29.899 --> 00:25:31.079 He goes one step further. 00:25:31.079 --> 00:25:37.399 He says, I have seen and I testify that this is God's chosen one, okay? 00:25:38.259 --> 00:25:42.119 Now, I debated whether or not to include this in the sermon, but here we go, all right? 00:25:42.839 --> 00:25:48.579 In your liturgies, in your blue pew Bibles, it says, I have seen and I testify that this 00:25:48.579 --> 00:25:51.019 is God's chosen one, okay? 00:25:51.460 --> 00:25:57.079 And that's in line with the very earliest manuscript that we have of John chapter one. 00:25:57.079 --> 00:26:00.419 The earliest manuscript we have, it says, chosen one of God. 00:26:01.439 --> 00:26:08.159 But in other translations, and in actually the majority of the other transcripts, actually 00:26:08.159 --> 00:26:12.879 what John says is, I have seen and I testify that this is God's son. 00:26:14.259 --> 00:26:15.960 So scholars debate, which is it? 00:26:16.339 --> 00:26:17.679 Should we go with the earliest manuscript? 00:26:17.839 --> 00:26:20.559 That's a really good principle to go by, go by the earliest manuscript. 00:26:20.819 --> 00:26:24.059 But the majority of the other manuscripts say, it's the son of God. 00:26:24.059 --> 00:26:25.919 Should we go by that instead? 00:26:26.379 --> 00:26:27.079 What should we do? 00:26:27.859 --> 00:26:28.579 What should we do? 00:26:29.779 --> 00:26:34.759 And I bring this up not to confuse you or to force you to make a choice, but I want you 00:26:34.759 --> 00:26:38.019 to know that these are very much related things. 00:26:38.480 --> 00:26:40.240 God's chosen one and God's son. 00:26:41.240 --> 00:26:43.419 They actually hover around the same meaning. 00:26:44.019 --> 00:26:48.259 If John the Baptist really did say chosen one, it would have been hard for people not to 00:26:48.259 --> 00:26:51.039 also have had Jesus' sonship in mind. 00:26:51.039 --> 00:26:55.039 And if he really did say God's son here, it also would have been hard for people not 00:26:55.039 --> 00:26:57.639 to think of Jesus' chosenness as well. 00:26:58.399 --> 00:27:04.059 But ultimately, I bring this up because I do want to accent the sonship that's implied 00:27:04.059 --> 00:27:08.659 here when it talks about God's chosen one, maybe God's select son. 00:27:09.399 --> 00:27:15.440 When John is calling Jesus not just the lamb, not just the dove bearer, the dove giver, but 00:27:15.440 --> 00:27:17.900 also the chosen select son of God. 00:27:19.039 --> 00:27:25.140 What he's saying is, this is not just a poetic flourish, okay? 00:27:25.259 --> 00:27:28.400 This is a declaration of his identity. 00:27:28.720 --> 00:27:32.480 He's saying that Jesus, he shares the life of God himself. 00:27:33.120 --> 00:27:37.820 The son is the one who lives in perfect relationship with the father, the one who knows who he is, 00:27:37.819 --> 00:27:39.839 the one who is secure, loved, and sent. 00:27:39.939 --> 00:27:45.500 John is saying this isn't just a prophet, not just a servant, not even just the Messiah 00:27:45.500 --> 00:27:46.519 in a political sense. 00:27:46.599 --> 00:27:48.799 This is God's own son. 00:27:49.500 --> 00:27:53.939 The one who comes from the father, who knows the father, who's known the father from eternity, 00:27:54.159 --> 00:27:55.779 and who reveals the father to us. 00:27:55.919 --> 00:27:57.019 And this changes everything. 00:27:57.019 --> 00:28:04.359 Because if Jesus is the son, then what he offers is not just forgiveness, it's not just power, 00:28:05.480 --> 00:28:08.859 but it's sonship, it's belonging, it's family. 00:28:09.240 --> 00:28:10.500 And this is where it all comes together. 00:28:10.619 --> 00:28:12.779 Maybe it's especially important as we enter this new year. 00:28:12.859 --> 00:28:16.359 Maybe some of you are thinking about New Year's resolutions or New Year's intentions. 00:28:16.619 --> 00:28:20.000 See, the deepest human question is not simply, what should I do? 00:28:20.740 --> 00:28:21.859 It's who am I? 00:28:22.480 --> 00:28:24.379 That's really what we should be asking every year. 00:28:24.460 --> 00:28:25.000 Who am I? 00:28:25.039 --> 00:28:25.700 Who am I becoming? 00:28:25.700 --> 00:28:29.440 And, you know, every one of us answers that question in some way. 00:28:29.559 --> 00:28:33.100 Some of us answer it with work, with success, with morality. 00:28:33.660 --> 00:28:38.319 Some of us have that answered to us by our failures, or some of us need the approval of 00:28:38.319 --> 00:28:39.940 others to give us that answer. 00:28:40.940 --> 00:28:44.299 But the thing is, all of those identities, they're all fragile. 00:28:44.860 --> 00:28:46.259 They can all be taken from us. 00:28:46.319 --> 00:28:47.039 They can be lost. 00:28:47.140 --> 00:28:47.840 They can be shaken. 00:28:48.559 --> 00:28:54.180 But when John says Jesus is the chosen son of God, he's saying something revolutionary. 00:28:54.180 --> 00:28:57.279 In Jesus, God is not just fixing a problem. 00:28:57.920 --> 00:28:59.140 He's creating a family. 00:29:00.220 --> 00:29:02.140 Jesus is the son by nature. 00:29:02.840 --> 00:29:07.500 And through him, through our union with him, we become sons and daughters by grace through 00:29:07.500 --> 00:29:07.779 faith. 00:29:07.860 --> 00:29:09.060 That's why this matters so much. 00:29:09.059 --> 00:29:14.759 Because if Jesus is the son, then that means that if you are united with him, you are not 00:29:14.759 --> 00:29:16.480 just defined by your performance. 00:29:16.720 --> 00:29:18.059 You are not defined by your past. 00:29:18.139 --> 00:29:19.359 You are not defined by your productivity. 00:29:19.779 --> 00:29:24.299 You are defined by your belonging in the family of God as a child of God. 00:29:24.299 --> 00:29:27.180 And this is incredible news. 00:29:27.759 --> 00:29:28.359 Like, think about it. 00:29:28.359 --> 00:29:33.319 In a world that's constantly telling us to define ourselves by curating our identities, 00:29:33.539 --> 00:29:38.960 by building our brands, by performing the gospel, the gospel offers a different way, a better 00:29:38.960 --> 00:29:39.299 way. 00:29:40.079 --> 00:29:43.960 This is why John can step back and say, he must increase and I can decrease. 00:29:44.279 --> 00:29:45.240 It's not self-loathing. 00:29:45.319 --> 00:29:45.839 It's freedom. 00:29:45.839 --> 00:29:51.359 When you know that you are beloved child of God, when you are freed from having to be 00:29:51.359 --> 00:29:55.419 the center, when you don't need to prove yourself, when you don't need to grasp to find your 00:29:55.419 --> 00:29:59.980 own meaning, when you don't need to pay or perform your way into a family, you already 00:29:59.980 --> 00:30:00.539 belong. 00:30:01.339 --> 00:30:02.299 And that's the gospel. 00:30:03.000 --> 00:30:07.879 If all your hope is in Christ, the lamb has taken your sins, dealt with the biggest burden 00:30:07.879 --> 00:30:08.539 of your life. 00:30:08.740 --> 00:30:13.279 The spirit is upon you like a dove, empowering you to live in the liberating, life-giving way 00:30:13.279 --> 00:30:18.259 of Christ, and you are a child of our Father in heaven, and you are secure in His love, 00:30:18.440 --> 00:30:19.319 you can rest. 00:30:20.079 --> 00:30:21.379 It's not a passive rest. 00:30:21.500 --> 00:30:22.839 It's a courageous rest. 00:30:23.160 --> 00:30:29.399 Because when your identity is secure, you are finally free to live boldly, to love generously, 00:30:29.680 --> 00:30:31.539 and to serve without fear. 00:30:32.639 --> 00:30:34.099 So this is what John saw. 00:30:34.720 --> 00:30:41.139 And this is what he was beckoning us to see when he cried, look, behold, the lamb who takes 00:30:41.140 --> 00:30:47.720 away the sin of the world, the spirit who empowers our new lives, and the son, the son who brings 00:30:47.720 --> 00:30:48.140 us home. 00:30:49.020 --> 00:30:54.820 So that when you see him, when you really see him, you can begin to live differently. 00:30:55.700 --> 00:31:02.980 Not driven by fear, not crushed by expectation, not scrambling for worth, but grounded, freed, 00:31:03.420 --> 00:31:03.920 alive. 00:31:04.720 --> 00:31:07.600 And the invitation of this passage is simple, but it's profound. 00:31:07.599 --> 00:31:09.079 It's just look at him. 00:31:10.359 --> 00:31:11.379 Behold the lamb. 00:31:12.119 --> 00:31:15.000 Behold the spirit giver, the spirit bearer, the son. 00:31:15.139 --> 00:31:16.899 Behold the son who brings you home. 00:31:16.980 --> 00:31:18.359 Let him define you. 00:31:19.240 --> 00:31:22.339 See, John was clear because his life was centered. 00:31:23.039 --> 00:31:26.480 And his life was centered because his eyes were fixed on Jesus. 00:31:27.359 --> 00:31:31.899 Because when your life is oriented around Christ, everything else, it just falls into place. 00:31:32.139 --> 00:31:33.019 You know who you are. 00:31:33.319 --> 00:31:34.439 You know what you're here for. 00:31:34.440 --> 00:31:37.660 You also know what you don't have to be. 00:31:38.440 --> 00:31:45.559 And you are liberated to live in joyful, self-forgetful service toward others and toward your Savior, 00:31:46.160 --> 00:31:51.580 with your whole life proclaiming the ironically good news that he must become greater, he can 00:31:51.580 --> 00:31:54.039 become greater, and I can become less. 00:31:54.920 --> 00:31:57.440 So let's live that way going into 2026. 00:31:58.180 --> 00:31:58.820 Let's pray. 00:31:58.820 --> 00:31:58.860 Let's pray. 00:31:58.860 --> 00:31:58.900 Let's pray. 00:31:58.900 --> 00:31:58.900 00:32:04.440 --> 00:32:12.019 Lord, would you give us such a sight, such a vision of your son, Jesus, the lamb who was slain for our sins, 00:32:12.140 --> 00:32:19.759 the dove who is with us in your Holy Spirit, and the son of God, our older brother who brings us home. 00:32:19.759 --> 00:32:34.259 Would you give us such a vision of him that it makes complete sense for the whole of our lives to proclaim that he must become greater and we must become less. 00:32:34.259 --> 00:32:39.720 Oh, Lord, make your son the center of our lives. 00:32:39.720 --> 00:32:50.339 And bring with that the clarity, the purposefulness, the meaning and the freedom that we all long for, that we all crave. 00:32:51.600 --> 00:32:57.440 We thank you that we don't have to bear our own burdens, craft our own identities. 00:32:58.259 --> 00:33:05.220 We thank you that we don't have to save ourselves or the world, but that you have sent forth your son to do all of that for us. 00:33:05.220 --> 00:33:08.779 So, Lord, help us adore him. 00:33:09.559 --> 00:33:12.400 Help us to behold him with eyes wide open. 00:33:13.200 --> 00:33:14.240 In Jesus' name. 00:33:14.940 --> 00:33:15.160 Amen.