Well folks do have that passage open in front of you. So critical that we have the Lord's
word open in front of us so you can make sure that what I'm saying is what the passage is
saying. So with John chapter 1 open in front of you I want to tell you about my friend
Terry. Okay Terry, I first met him when I was doing the Cornhill course in Glasgow.
So Terry is a brilliant little guy. Terry is the founder of a charity that's called Hope
for Glasgow. And what they do is they work to see people get off the streets, get clean
from substance abuse and get connected to a local church where they will be loved, cared
for and where they will be nurtured to come to see Jesus. And the reason Terry's heart
is burdened for this work is that he spent a large part of his time, previous season of
his life, on the streets in Glasgow. He was a self-confessed addict. And God in his kindness
brought people into Terry's life who helped him recover and who introduced him to Christ.
And Terry says as he looks back on that season of his life, he says this. He says, I had to
get clean in order to see how dirty I really was. Now take that in for just a minute what
he's saying. So once he got his mind back, he was confronted with the depths of his heart.
Right? His shame, his guilt, his selfishness, his anger, his deep-seated and rooted bitterness.
As it worked itself out in his life, both horizontally and most importantly, vertically, as he considered
himself in light of this holy God who he just heard about. I had to get clean in order to see
just how dirty I really was. And I find that a fascinating admission for two reasons. Firstly,
because it's not how our culture would finish that sentence. I had to get clean to realize
my full potential. I had to get clean in order to realize just how great I was. I had to get
clean to realize that I'm worth it. You know that slogan from L'Oreal? I was reading this week
that since it was introduced in 1971, it's been translated into over 40 different languages.
Pretty good, isn't it? But why? Because it doesn't matter where you are in the world.
We love hearing that we're worth it. And yet, here's what writer Rebecca McLaughlin points out in her
brilliant book, Confronting Jesus. And she's a writer, if you've not read her, she's just a brilliant
apologist for the Christian faith. There's a QR code there. Don't get distracted by it, but feel
free to click it and you can check it out later, okay? She says this in this book that I'm reading
just now. She says, isn't it striking that the people who are most drawn to Jesus, as you read
about him graciously welcoming and transforming people in the gospels, isn't it striking that it's
those people that believe about themselves the exact opposite? Which takes us to the second thing
that's striking about Terry's comment? That he would be the first to tell you that him owning it
proved to be for him not the gateway to despair. It proved to be for him the doorway to life.
And if we're wondering to ourselves how on earth that works, which I take it, whatever is going on
in our lives and whatever we think about the God of the Bible, we are, then this passage wonderfully
tells us the answer. Primarily because it shows us what God has done to deal with our dirt.
Now, if you've got the passage there today, you'll see John the gospel writer introduces us
to two men. And the first man is at verses 19 to 28, and he's a servant who's in the business
of pointing away. So his name is John, right? Not to be confused with John the author. This is John
the Baptist. John the Baptist, at this point in time, is the new kid on the block in Galilee.
If he was around today, he'd be trending on Twitter. His words would be getting shares on Facebook.
His photos would be getting liked on Instagram. John the Baptist is big news in Galilee.
And I think he's big news because he's not your average guy. Everything about John the Baptist,
as you read about him in the gospels, is strange. Okay? Strange dress sense. A garment of camel's hair
and a leather belt. Not going to see that one in Milan anytime soon, are we? Strange dress sense.
Strange eating habits. Locusts and wild honey. Again, not going to be on the menu at the Shuma anytime
soon, is it? Locusts and wild honey. And strange practices. So John the Baptist, it's in the name.
What has he been doing? He's been baptizing. That's why he's making the headlines. Now, religious washings
would appear to have been around at this time in the religious world, but there's clearly something
striking and different as to the notch that John the Baptist is upping it to and his message that goes
alongside it. Now, if you're in the text, verse 19, come with me.
The religious authorities of the day send Levites and priests on a scouting mission. Do you see it?
They send them to find out who this man really is. Simple question, verse 21. It's probably the one
that we're all asking this morning. Three words. Who are you? Candidates, do you see them in the text?
Are you Elijah? This Old Testament prophet who didn't die but was drawn up to heaven. Are you him?
Come back. Are you the prophet of Deuteronomy 18? The man that Moses said that God would raise up
after him who would speak to the people, the very words of God. Are you him? Who are you?
Well, whilst everything on the surface may appear strange with this guy,
look behind the scenes and John's arrival is profoundly significant when you consider the bigger
Bible story. Now, John the writer has already introduced us to John the Baptist at verses
six to eight of chapter one. Glance there if you want. Okay. He wants us to know that this man is a
witness. Now, if you include the word testify there, you'll notice that between those verses six to eight
of chapter one and our verses today, that concept comes up six times. So John the author wants us to
know that John the Baptist is a witness, right? What's he witnessing to? That's the question. He's
a witness. But John, the author, also wants us to know that John the Baptist, he also wants John
the Baptist to speak for himself. Verse 23, who are you, John the Baptist? He is the voice of one crying
in the wilderness, makes straight the way of the Lord. Now, he's quoting, and John tells us there,
he's quoting the Old Testament prophet Isaiah. And specifically, he's quoting chapter 40. Now,
if we get this, and this is a little bit of mental work, if we get this, we will see why John the Baptist
appearing is such brilliant news for us here today. Okay. Isaiah chapter 40, God has been making a
promise to his people who are in exile in Babylon. Okay. They're away from their homeland.
Their enemies have defeated them. They're away over there, suffering under cruel impressors. God has
made a promise to his people over there that he's going to come to them, he's going to rescue them,
and he's going to lead them out to the place where he's prepared for them. And God is saying,
you will know that that promise is about to kick in, that I've come to deal with your biggest problem.
You'll know it's about to kick in when you hear a voice telling you to get ready.
I'm going to send somebody up front, just out ahead, who's going to tell you that I'm coming.
And he's going to say, God's coming just over my shoulder. You've got to get ready. And do you know
what? He's coming to save us. This is the voice that God is going to send. Right? Do you know,
my brother sent a video last week on our family WhatsApp group? Okay. I love a family WhatsApp
group. Brother lives in Stockbridge, just north of the city. And so last week, I forget which day it
was. He goes up to Queen's Furry Roads and he goes up to see the Queen's Hearst coming into Edinburgh.
Right? And so he videos this thing. What an incredible thing to say that you've witnessed. And it was a
five minute walk from his flat. Incredible. Right? One of those once in a lifetime moments. But he sends
this video around. And what's striking about the video is that the first thing that you see
is not the hearse. The first thing that you see and you hear are the flashing lights of the police
motorbikes who've gone up ahead. And they've got one job. Their one job is to make sure what is clear.
The roads are clear. Right? People are off to the side. There's no bits of metal or anything in the road
that's going to burst the tires. Everything has to be ready. Clear the way. Because the car's coming
just behind me. And sure enough, as soon as the people in the video, we could see it. As soon as
they saw the bikes, there they are with their cameras out. Because they know that the bikes tell
them that the very thing that they're waiting on is just about to come. Friends, John the Baptist is the
motorbike in this day. He's gone out ahead. He's getting people ready. He's saying, God is coming.
You need to get ready. His message is a moral one. Okay? He's saying, get your life in gear. Change
your ways. Lift your eyes. Stop cheating. Stop lying. Clean up your act. Because our creator, our God,
is coming. And boy, do people respond when you put it together with the other gospels. All strata of
society respond to his message. Tax collectors respond. Roman soldiers respond. They say, what do
we need to do? I imagine that they respond because they're people who know that their lives are those
that need to get ready. But notice the attitude by which John does his baptizing. Verse 27.
He says, the one who comes after me, the one I'm telling you is just about to come, I'm not even
worthy to untie the straps of his sandals. Now listen, you might be here and see the thought of feet.
It gives you the heebie-jeebies, right? But just be thankful that you don't live in the first century
where people's feet into the bargain are sweaty and dirty. Now you read around this and a pupil,
is they sit under the teaching of a rabbi, right? There's many things that they would do to serve
their rabbi, the one that they're learning from. But the one thing that was off bounds,
the one thing is a no-go, the one thing that is not even a pupil should have to stoop down to
is washing feet. And yet John considers the greatness of the one who's just coming behind him.
And he says, I'm not even worthy to do that job.
Such is the humility. Do you not love his humility?
The one who's coming, don't look at me. I'm ducking out of the way. Don't look at me. Look at him who's coming.
There's a story told about Alexander the Great,
the great leader of ancient Greece.
A story told about how he proudly just
parades into town on his horse,
right?
Wants his people to see how great he is.
And he goes up to
an individual called
Diogenes. He goes up to him,
he puffs out his chest, gets down off the horse,
and this big brute of a man goes over to
Diogenes and says,
what do you want me to do for you?
And Diogenes
cheekily replies,
I just want you to move to the side
because you're blocking the sun.
Do you not love the
humility here of John the Baptist?
I don't want to get in the way of the sun.
And I take it
evangelistically, that's a lesson for us
as well, as we think about our life as disciples.
We just want to get
out of the way of the sun.
It's not about us.
It's about him.
The disciples of Jesus
saying, don't look at me.
Look at him.
He is the
servant, John the Baptist, who's in the business
of pointing away.
And he's pointing away
secondly, verse 29 to 34,
to the king who's in the business
of taking away.
So back in the text, you see the next
day John saw Jesus
coming. And notice the description
of who John says that Jesus is.
And remember, John, the writer,
is recording all this
for a reason.
You don't waste ink in this day.
You don't waste thoughts.
It's not kind of
tweeting or blogging or Facebook posts.
There's a lot of effort goes into
documenting this.
So you want people to know this.
Who does John know that Jesus is?
He is the one who existed before me.
He's the one
who is greater than me.
The reason I came baptizing.
And at last, John answers the question.
Verse 31.
Here's the reason I came.
I came that he might be revealed
to Israel.
Who is he?
Just notice the two titles
that John gives Jesus here.
He is the
lamb who's come to take away
the sin of the world.
And here's what I reckon, John,
knowing
who he is,
what he thinks,
as he looks at Jesus.
And at this point in the narrative,
do you see his
clock dies on Jesus.
Here's what I reckon
is going through
John's
mind.
Isaiah 40.
God declares to his people
who are in exile,
I'm coming to rescue you
and take you out.
But right at the beginning
of Isaiah chapter 40,
the only reason
that God can do that
is because
he's dealt with
our
iniquity.
The only reason
it's possible
that God can say
he's coming to save
is because your
iniquity,
your sin
that caused me
to send you
into exile
in the first place.
That sin,
I have dealt
with it,
is pardoned,
is not swept
under the carpet,
is not written off
as a bad debt.
This God,
he's coming
to deal with it.
Now what kind of God
would he be
if that's how he treated
and viewed all the wrongs
in the world?
That he swept them
under the carpet,
that he wrote them off
as a bad debt?
No, this God
and remember
who he is,
the one who knows
the end from the beginning
as he considered
the lamb
who was slain
before the foundation
of the world.
This God says
not I will deal
with it,
this God says
I've dealt
with it.
But you're still
reading it
and you're asking
how?
How have you dealt
with it?
Remember that?
Your math teacher
at school,
remember what they said
you got marks for?
Not so much the answer
although that definitely
helped.
What did you get marks for?
Showing you're working,
right?
So what's happened
to that iniquity
that God said
has been pardoned?
Isaiah chapter 40,
you go on a few chapters
to Isaiah 53
and you read about
God's saviour
who will be a man
of sorrows
acquainted
with grief
who will be like
a sacrificial lamb
and who God
will take
and lead
to the slaughter
and who
on whom
God will
lay like straw
all the iniquity
of his people.
He will lay it
all on him.
This is how God
is going to pardon
his people's iniquity.
He is going to lay it
all on the sacrificial lamb.
How will God deal
with the iniquity
of his people?
He'll lay it
on the lamb.
The lamb will die
instead of the people
and the people
will live
instead of the lamb.
And in that context
you see what this does?
As John sees Jesus,
God come to save,
God coming over my shoulder,
he says,
Behold
the lamb
of God.
Because this lamb
has come
to bear
our iniquity
on himself.
words that will be
fulfilled
as Jesus goes
to the cross,
silently endures
unjust torture
and death,
bearing the punishment,
the iniquity
of his people
on himself.
He bears
their
dirt.
And if your trust
is in him
today,
no matter how weak
you think your faith
is,
if you're looking
to him,
know that the lamb
took your iniquity
on himself.
You need not
pay for it
anymore
because the lamb
died
in your place.
The iniquities,
all of our iniquities
were on him
laid.
And that's why
Christians down the
centuries have
rejoiced in this
chapter of Isaiah
53.
We all like sheep
have gone astray,
each one to his own
way,
but the Lord
has laid
on him
the iniquity
of his all.
And John
says,
behold,
the lamb
of God
who takes
away
the sin
of the
world.
Brothers and
sisters,
if you are
struggling with
guilt and shame
today,
if you are
struggling with
your dirt,
look to the
lamb.
He never
ceases to be
a lamb who
was slain.
Yes,
he is king
in glory,
but what is
described in
Revelation?
At the
throne is
a lamb who
was slain.
He's died
for our
iniquity.
My sin
put him
there.
Some of you
might know
Rembrandt
famously painted
the crucifixion
scene.
What you might
not know is
that Rembrandt
painted himself
into that
crucifixion
scene.
He painted
himself into
the scene as
one of the
men who was
crucifying Jesus,
as if to say,
in one sense,
I wasn't there
that day.
But in
another sense,
I absolutely
was.
It was my
sin that put
him there.
It was my
iniquity that
he died
for.
Behold,
the Lamb
of God,
the words of
the old hymn,
t'was I that
shed the sacred
blood.
I nailed him
to the tree.
I crucified
the Christ
of God.
I joined
the mockery.
It was our
sin that he
took.
It was my
sin that
put him
there.
Don
Carson,
I think,
New Testament
commentator,
helpfully clarifies
the meaning of
the word
world here.
The Lamb
of God
takes away
the sin
of the
world.
That is to
all human
beings without
distinction,
though not to
all without
exception.
I was reading
an article this
week in the
Telegraph that
reflected on the
events of the
last ten days
and it was
reflecting on the
fact that
subconsciously,
and I think
this is true,
we kind of all
believed the
Queen was going
to live forever.
She was just
always there.
How many people
have you heard
reflect on the
fact that our
whole life she
was just always
there?
And how this
week we've all
been reminded of
our own mortality.
Everyone dies.
Here then is an
invitation to all
the world to
trust in Jesus
and by faith
know the truth
that there is
forgiveness in
the Lamb who
takes away our
sin.
And let me just
lovingly say by
implication, all
those who don't
trust in the
Lamb, the math
says that that
iniquity still
sits on you.
We're all going
to have to give
an account in the
end before our
righteous and
just creator.
How we've lived
before him.
And in light,
friends, of who
we all are, do
see the good
news that the
Lamb of God has
come to take
away the sin of
the world.
He is the
Lamb of God
and he is the
Lamb, verse 33,
who gives the
spirit.
As Jesus is
baptized, and I
think that's what
John is reflecting
on here.
Jesus baptized,
and be clear on
this, not to
repent of his
own sin, but to
associate himself
with the very
people that he's
come to save.
The Holy Spirit
comes down, do
you notice in the
text, in the
form of a
dove?
Right?
Likely a, I
don't fall out,
maybe disagree
over this, but
likely a symbolic
presence of God's
peace.
Okay, just as in
the days of Noah,
the dove returns,
symbolizing that
peace between God
and man was
here.
I think similarly,
the ultimate peace
between God and
man that that no
episode points us
to will be what
Jesus is.
Death and resurrection
will accomplish for
all who believe,
peace with God.
But John's
emphasis here is
that that dove,
the spirit,
remains on Jesus.
So the word
remains, I think,
with the emphasis
is he remains on
Christ.
You see, in the
Old Testament, the
spirit came on an
individual, empowered
them for a God-given
task.
But in those
instances, the
spirit empowering
was temporary.
So it's striking
here then that John
wants us to know
that the spirit, as
the spirit falls on
Jesus, remains.
Right?
Enabling him to
live the perfect
life, I take it
enabling him to
know the love of
his father.
John's baptism
could only really
instruct somebody
externally.
It could only
really encourage
somebody morally.
But Jesus is
baptism.
Not the
baptism as
anything special.
But understand,
it's what it
symbolizes.
As our lives
become wholly
bound to his,
that's what we're
doing as we go
under the water
and come back up.
The shape of
Jesus' life is the
shape of our
lives now.
If you haven't
been baptized,
you've got to do
it.
Come and do it.
Make it happen.
That baptism is
Jesus gives us
the spirit,
the very presence
of God coming
to live inside
of us.
That baptism
doesn't change
us externally.
It changes
us internally.
As the very
presence of God
takes up residence
in the life's
of his people.
And he
transforms us
from the inside
out.
That's what
John's baptism
couldn't do.
That this is
what Jesus'
baptism will
do.
And so the
question is,
as we respond
to this this
morning,
are we living
our every day
in light of
the Lamb?
You know,
just as we
close,
and maybe to
help us
think about
it,
friends,
let me tell
you about the
car that we
drove in
America.
John and
Kelsey generously
lent us their
car when we
were over
there.
Olin,
who's here,
drove it down
to Chicago,
we picked it
up there.
Incredibly
generous of
them.
But the
minute I
stepped into
this car,
I realised
that things
were different.
Automatic,
steering wheel
on the other
side,
driving on
the right
side of the
road.
That is a
royal flush
of differences.
for the
first few
days,
all I
heard in
the car
was beep,
beep,
beep.
No idea
what this
noise is.
Beep,
beep,
beep.
Okay,
that's
getting
annoying.
Beep,
beep,
beep.
This is
a four-hour
journey,
and I'm
going to
follow up
with someone
if I don't
find out
what this
noise is.
Beep,
beep,
beep.
Do you
know what
telling me
that I
was drifting?
And beep,
beep,
beep was
code for
get yourself
back to
the center.
Friends,
what we've
looked at
this morning,
the lamb
who takes
away the
sin of
the world,
the gospel,
is the
center of
Christianity.
It is
the wondrous
heartbeat
of God,
the center
of our
faith,
and the
question is,
friends,
is it the
center of
our lives?
And as we
think about
our lives in
response to
this passage
today,
here's an
observation.
How easy
is it to
drift?
How easy
is it to
think to
myself as I
go about my
day every
day,
do I really
need the
lamb?
Do I really
need him?
Does he make
any difference
to my
life?
Do you
know how I
see myself
drifting?
Two ways.
It's when my
default reaction
to my sin is
one of two
things.
Firstly,
it's that I
try and
cover up.
When I get
it wrong,
it's just to
write it off.
It's not
really that
big a deal,
my sin.
I try and
justify it to
myself that I
only thought that
or said that
because it was
the other
person's fault.
they're the
ones that got
me riled up.
It's their
sin.
No,
it's not.
It's my
sin.
It's my
sin.
Friends,
let me just
ask you,
when was the
last time you
said sorry?
When was the
last time you
got clean and
said a costly,
I got it
wrong,
to your
spouse,
to your
children?
Most
importantly,
our
children,
I say this
all the
time,
listen,
daddy needs
Jesus just
as much as
you do.
Oh,
friends,
to your
colleagues,
to your
flatmates,
how easy
is it to
cover up
our sin?
Or secondly,
I try and
cover up,
secondly,
I try and
make up.
I think to
myself,
tomorrow is
going to be
a better
day,
tomorrow I'm
going to
get up at
five o'clock
and read my
Bible,
tomorrow I'm
going to
try harder.
Well,
friends,
covering up
and making
up,
not only
are they
exhausting
ways to
live,
but they
are deeply
anti-gospel,
anti-Lamb
ways of
living that
rob us of
knowing the
sweetness of
Jesus'
forgiveness
and grace.
And the
liberating news
here,
because the
Lamb has
paid for
my sin,
my past
sin,
my present
sin,
my future
sin,
as I
contemplate
my dirt,
the news
is that I
don't need
to pretend
that I'm
sorted.
This
liberates me
to hold
my hands
up and
say,
here is
a sinner
who's also
in need
of God's
grace.
Not a
once-in-a-lifetime
decision,
it's a
lifetime.
John Calvin
called the
Christian life
a lifetime
of repentance.
It's why
we do
what we do
every Sunday.
Let me
just say,
have you ever
clocked that?
There's a lot
of effort
goes into
picking the
readings and
the songs
and everything
else that
goes on
here.
Why?
Because all
of us
drift.
What do we
need as we
come in here
on a Sunday?
And let me
just say,
this is why
church membership
is so important.
What do we do
to one another
when we gather
on a Sunday?
What do we
remind ourselves
of?
What do we
read about?
What do we
celebrate?
What do we
sing?
We sing
about the
center.
we sing
about the
lamb who
was slain
before the
foundation of
the world.
We sing
about the
lamb who
was slain
for the
sins of
the world.
We sing
about the
lamb who
has come
to deal
with the
dirt of
his people.
We sing
about the
lamb who
takes away
the sin
of the
world.
So brothers
and sisters,
as we
close,
is this
the center?
Have you
drifted this
morning?
Have you
drifted?
come back
to him.
Isn't it
amazing that
Jesus is
here?
The lamb
who has
come to
take away
the sin
of the
world.
Let's
pray.
So
father, we
just thank
you this
morning for
John's
gospel.
We thank
you,
Lord, that
we have it
in our
language.
We thank
you,
father, that
we can
understand it.
We thank
you most
of all that
you are a
God who
has revealed
yourself and
done something
to save us
from our
deepest
problem.
Father, would
you help us
this morning as
a local
church, as
a family,
oh, Lord, to
help one
another, keep
each other's
eyes on the
lamb.
Thank you
that our
lives are
caught up
with him.
Thank you
that his
death is
our death.
Thank you
that his
life is
our life.
Father, I
pray that if
there's any
here this
morning who
don't know
the lamb,
oh, Father,
by your
spirit, you
would open
their eyes
to see the
grace and
truth that
are to be
found in
Jesus Christ.
Father, we
thank you for
this morning.
Be with us,
Lord, as we
sing, as we
close, and as
we spend
time together.
Oh, Father,
may we know
just a sweet
time of
knowing your
peace and your
greatness together.
Father, in
Jesus' name
we ask.
Amen.