Hallelujah, Praise the Lamb! John 1:29-34 John, more than any of the gospel writers, gave titles to the Lord, Jesus. Here in John one, for example, John gives Jesus eight titles, Just in this first chapter. He calls Jesus:.The Word 1:1.The Son of God 1:34.The Life 1:4.The King of Israel 1:49.The Light 1:7.The Son of Man 1:51.The Messiah/Christ 1:41 But the most beautiful title that John gives Jesus is, The Lamb of God. John calls Jesus the Lamb over 30 times in the Gospel of John and the Revelation. -It is interesting that Matthew, Mark, and Luke never refer to Jesus as the Lamb of God. In John 1:29, the words, The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, Forms something of a bridge to the events. John does not record the actual baptism of Jesus nor His temptations by Satan in the wilderness. -Mark points out that when Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens parted or were torn open and the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus like a dove and a voice from heaven said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. -Then immediately the Spirit sent Jesus into the wilderness for 40 days to be tempted by Satan. -John does not record that. He builds the bridge between the two events by saying, The next day. He is reminded of the sign that God gave him that the one he saw the Spirit descending upon was the Messiah; the Christ. - The next day, after the temptations and Jesus comes back to see John the Baptist, John says, I knew who He was but I didn't know what he was the messiah, the Christ, the Lamb of God, until I saw the Spirit descending upon Him. -Now, as a group of Jews are coming to see John and John sees Jesus, he points to Jesus and says, Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. It is a sacred, holy moment. We are on Holy Ground. The Jews have been waiting and watching, longing for God to send His Holy One, The Lamb of God, and now John the Baptist identifies Jesus as God's Lamb. -Notice that John does NOT say, Behold, the Messiah of God, or Behold, the Son of God, or Behold, the Word of God, but the Lamb of God. -Why does he say Lamb of God? John's baptism confronted the people with their need of Repentance. But, they needed more. They needed Redemption. The Lamb of God would redeem them. Three things I want you to see concerning the Lamb of God: I. The Presentation of the Lamb Our God is an all knowing God. He knows the end from the beginning. He knew when He created man that man would fall into sin and would have to be redeemed if he was to fellowship with God and live with Him forever. And, so, Jesus was the Lamb, slain before the foundations of the world. 16 May I ask you a question? Whose hand shed the first drops of blood on this planet? The answer is, our creator, for He took a sacrificial offering. -When Adam and Eve sinned, they tried to cover their nakedness, their sinfulness, the fact that they were now exposed to themselves, and to each other; and to God, and covered themselves
with fig leaves. God found them and told them that fig leaves would not cover their sinful act. The works of their hands or their human reasoning would never be enough to cover their sin. God would accept only a blood sacrifice on their behalf. In Genesis 3:21, God shed the blood of the first animal, a sacrifice, and made coats of skin as a covering for Adam and Eve. -I believe it was a lamb that God used as an offering and sacrifice, because in Genesis 4:4 it was a lamb, his best lamb, that Able offered before the Lord. How would Able know to offer a lamb unless Adam told him to follow the example of the Lord and offer a lamb? The Question of the O.T. is, Where is THE LAMB? A. In Genesis 4:4, the Lamb is Typified Able brought the lamb for a sacrifice. God said that the life is in the blood and without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin. -The sacrifice of the lamb was ingrained in the heart and mind of God's people. B. In Genesis 22:7-8, the Lamb is Prophesied Abraham and Isaac go to Mt. Moriah to offer a sacrifice there. God is putting Abraham to a test: Does Abraham love God more than he loves Isaac? As they are walking together, Isaac said to Abraham, Father, here is the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? Abraham answered, My son, God will provide Himself a lamb. -As Abraham and Isaac were going up one side of Mt. Moriah, a ram was going up the other side of Mt. Moriah, and God stayed the hand of Abraham as he was about to sacrifice Isaac and said, sacrifice instead the ram that is caught in the thicket by his horns. That ram was wearing, as it were, a crown of thorns, a wonderful picture of our Lord upon the cross, wearing the crown or thorns. C. In the Exodus 12, the Lamb is slain and the blood is APPLIED God is about to redeem His people from Egyptian bondage. The night has come for the final plague upon Egypt the killing of the first born. God's method of redemption is laid out for His people - note Exodus 12:3-13 Notice: For Isaac a lamb was provided for an Individual; here, a lamb is provided for a Family. God wants His people to Personalize the lamb. In 12:3, it is A lamb; in 12:4, it is THE Lamb; in 12:5, it is your lamb. Notice that each family must take a lamb that meets certain requirements. It is a beautiful picture of the Lord Jesus 12:5-11- without blemish (perfect)...a male...of the first year (first born)...keep it up (watch it; examine it to make sure it is pure)...kill it...take the blood...eat it 17 (personally receive it into yourself). -12:46 do not break a bone of it -Notice 12:22,13 The lamb could be slain, the blood put in the basin, but unless it was applied to the entrance of their home, it would do no good. Jesus has died, shed HIS blood, but unless His blood is applied to our individual hearts personally, it will do us no good. EVEN the precious blood of The Lamb cannot save us unless it is applied to our heart and lives.
-Lev. 16 Two scapegoats were slain daily, one in the morning and one in the evening, were for the sins of the NATION. D. In Isaiah 53, the Lamb is Personified Very clearly Isaiah is talking about Jesus A man of sorrows, despised and rejected, wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities, bore the sin of many Jesus was the Lamb provided for the world. E. In John 1:29, the Lamb is Identified I Cor. 5:7 Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us. John the Baptist was the son of a priest. How often he must have watched his dad take a lamb and sacrifice it. You can almost hear little John ask, Dad, is this God's lamb? Zacharias would say, No, son. It is A lamb, but it is not THE LAMB. Now John stands and declares, This is God's choice Lamb; God's Predicted Lamb; Behold THE Lamb! -This is the lamb that Abraham told Isaac about. He is the Passover Lamb Moses spoke of. He is the sacrificial Lamb Isaiah spoke about. -He is OUR Lamb! Whatever else we glory in about Christ, let us glory above all things in His cross; His sacrifice for us! Would you be free from the burden of sin There's power in the blood, power in the blood... There is power...wonder working power In the precious blood of the Lamb. II. The Purpose of the Lamb 1:29 Jesus came to take away the sin of the world. What does that tell us about Jesus Christ? A. Christ is a Saviour He did not come into the world to be a conqueror or a philosopher, or a good teacher of morality. He came to save sinners. -He came to do that which man could never do for himself; that which money or works can never obtain. He came to take away sin. B. Christ is a complete Saviour Jesus TOOK our sins upon Himself and carried them away. 18 -He allowed our sin to be laid upon Himself Isa. 53:6 and the Lord laid upon Him the iniquity of us all. -I Peter 2:24a who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree. The sins of every one that believes on Jesus are made as though they had never been sinned at all. The Lamb of God has taken them clean away. How can that be? -I don't know much about computers, but there is something I have experienced. It is called a computer crash. That means that, for some reason, you lose all that is stored on the computer. All information is gone. Well, where did it go? Usually when something crashes, there are at
least some remains. Not so with a computer. It's gone, as if it was never there and you can't get it back. -When the blood of Jesus is applied to our heart and lives,he takes away our sin. Our sins are gone; none remain! What can wash away my sins? Nothing but the blood of Jesus What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus Oh! Precious is the flow That makes me white as snow No other fount I know, nothing but the blood of Jesus C. Christ is an Almighty Savior, and a Saviour for all mankind He did not die for the Jews only, but for the Gentile as well; not for a few people, but for All mankind. -His blood was precious blood one of a kind blood that will wash away all of the sins of ALL, but only to them that believe on Him will have their sins forgiven. D. Christ is a Perpetual and Unwearied Saviour He is daily taking our sins away from everyone that believes on Him daily purging, daily cleansing, daily washing the souls of HIS people, daily granting and applying fresh supplies of mercy. -Lam. 3:22-23 says that the Lord's mercies are new every morning. -Our Lord's work did not cease for His saints when he died for them on the cross. He lives in Heaven as a Priest, to present His sacrifice continually before God. In grace, He still works for us, ever taking away sin. In John 1:33, we are told that Jesus will baptize us with the Holy Spirit. That means He places us in His church, writes our name in the Lamb's Book of Life, never to be removed. III. The Praise for the Lamb No longer is Jesus the bruised, beaten, bleeding Lamb; He is the Beautiful, Brilliant, Blessed Lamb. -His saints will worship and rejoice with the Lamb throughout all eternity. -Rev. 5:11-13; 19:1,3a, 4b, 5-7 Behold the Lamb, behold the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. For sinners crucified, O holy sacrifice, behold the Lamb, behold the Lamb. 19 Crown Him with many crowns, The Lamb upon His throne: Awake, my soul and sing of Him who died for thee And hail Him as thy matchless King Thru all eternity Crown Him the Lord of love: behold His hands and side Rich wounds, yet visible above, In beauty glorified Crown Him the Lord of life Who triumphed o'er the grave, Who rose victorious to the strife For those He came to save His glories now we sing Who died and rose on high Who died eternal life to bring And lives that death may die.
Crown Him the Lord of Heaven From yonder glorious throne To Thee be endless praise For Thou for us has died. Be Thou, O Lord, thru endless days Adored and Magnified.