May it please Almighty God to
bless us together this morning as we consider His Word. Let
us turn to the Gospel of John, chapter 1, and we'll read verse
29. The Gospel of John, chapter 1,
and reading verse 29. The next day John seeth Jesus
coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh
away the sin of the world. John tells us here that he sees
the Lord Jesus coming unto him. And of course, this was after
Jesus had been baptized and after Jesus had been in the wilderness
for those 40 days and 40 nights. So John here is now seeing Jesus
because when Jesus was baptized, as John makes reference to it,
we know that a dove descended upon him and they heard that
wonderful word, this is my beloved son. in whom I am well pleased. And then we're told immediately
the devil took the Lord and tempted him for those days in the wilderness. But now it would appear that
just after that, Jesus comes to John. And that's why John's
able to say, behold, the Lamb of God, which taketh away the
sin of the world. And I hope you know that this
refers, of course, to the Lord Jesus Christ as the Lamb of God. We'll come back to that in a
moment. But first of all, just to remind us that this chapter
is a very important chapter and it speaks about Jesus as the
Word. In the beginning was the Word. And it's important that we have
that because there's often discussions about the Trinity, God the Father,
God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, as to whether there is
such a thing as a Trinity, or whether it is not so. Well, we
can indeed believe that it is so. And in the epistle of John,
the first epistle of John, and the fifth chapter, the seventh
verse tells us this. For there are three that bear
record in heaven, the Father, the Word and the Holy Ghost. And these three are one. So we have there a very clear
picture and some people dispute therefore that the Word refers
to the Lord Jesus Christ. the Gospel of John and the first
chapter confirms that to us and as it commences in the first
verse in the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God
and the Word was God the same was in the beginning with God
if we go down to the 14th verse and it tells us and the Word
was made flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld his glory glory
as of the only begotten of the Father full of grace and truth. So therefore we see there again
the Lord Jesus referred to as the Word and therefore it is
very clear that we do worship God the Father, God the Son and
God the Holy Spirit. And it's a great blessing therefore
that the Word of God is so wonderfully complete People often make errors
because they don't understand it and they don't study the Word
of God and they don't understand all the references which there
are. But nonetheless we should be
thankful this morning to truly believe that the Word is the
Lord Jesus Christ. And now the Apostle says with
regard to John the Baptist. And we should remember, of course,
that John the Baptist was only a few months older than the Lord
Jesus. But of course, he didn't live
to the 33 years that Jesus did. He was beheaded by Herod. And
therefore, he didn't live a very long life. But nonetheless, he
was that one who God called to wonderfully set forth the Lord
Jesus Christ. And John the Apostle, as he wrote
this, speaks about John the Baptist with regard to being the witness. And we read together, there was
a man sent from God whose name is John, that's John the Baptist
that we refer to. The same came for a witness,
to bear witness of the light. That's the Lord Jesus Christ.
that all men through him might believe. Well, everyone, given
God's grace, must believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. It's the
one fundamental thing for every true believer. If there is not
that belief, then there's no saving knowledge. And yet a wonderful
favour it is to realise that he is the true light which lighteneth
every man that cometh into the world. He was in the world and
the world was made by him and the world knew him not. Well,
as we read through the Gospels, it's so evident that Jesus went
about doing good. And yet how few there were that
believed on the Lord Jesus Christ. And as time has progressed, that
hasn't changed. So few believe on the Lord Jesus
Christ. But what a great, wonderful blessing,
vital it is for all of us to have the evidence that we do
believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, that he is the saviour of sinners. Indeed, that this word therefore
is so relative and so true. Behold the Lamb of God, which
taketh away the sin of the world. Let's take it away, your sin,
take it away, my sin. And again, just to clear up a
point here, when we talk of the world, when the Bible speaks
of the world, it doesn't always, but usually it speaks about the
people of God as the world. and not as the whole world and
indeed the Lord Jesus Christ when he prayed to his father and that
prayer is recorded in the 17th chapter of John as a very clear
statement really in that chapter when the Lord tells us perhaps
beginning at verse six in the 17th chapter of John, this is
what it says. I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou
gavest me out of the world. That doesn't mean everyone. Thine
they were, and thou gavest them me, and they have kept thy word. Now, they have known that all
things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee. For I have given
unto them the words which thou gavest me, and they have received
them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they
have believed that thou didst send me. I pray for them. I pray not for the world, but
for them which thou hast given me For they are thine, and all
mine are thine, and thine are mine, and I am glorified in them. It's a very clear statement,
isn't it, really? And we should be very thankful
that there is a record of this very glorious prayer that Jesus
prayed to his father. And to understand that it is
true, because it's a fact, isn't it? I have manifested thy name
unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world. Well, you
and I, what a blessing it is if you and I have the evidence
that Jesus has been manifested to us as our Lord and Savior. Because if that is so, then we
can indeed agree with this statement, behold the Lamb of God, which
taketh away the sin of the world. It's a wonderful statement, isn't
it? It's a most glorious statement.
And as John goes on in this 17th chapter, now they have known
that all things whatsoever thou has given me are of thee. You
see, the great truths of God, the glorious gospel is known. by the Church of God. It is known
by the people of God, it's not something which is unknown. And
therefore how important it is that you and I have the evidence
of these great truths in our heart to know the Lord has revealed
them to us, that he's manifested them to us. It's very humbling
and yet it's very glorious and it's very wonderful. Now they
have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee.
For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me, and
they have received them. Again, what a mercy it is if
God has given you and me his word, perhaps just a few words,
perhaps a sentence. He's given them to us and we
have received them as the word of God. directly spoken to us
well only you can answer that before God I can't we can only
answer for ourselves but what a blessing it is a wonderful
blessing this morning if we have the evidence that God has given
us these things and by his grace and that's how we receive it
by his grace and have known surely you see these things and not
something which are doubtful. Again, so many people today doubt
the truth of God, but here is a very clear statement, and have
known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed
that thou didst send me. Well, my friends, this morning,
may we indeed be amongst those that the Lord Jesus Christ is
speaking of when he prays to his Father And what a blessing
it is, it's recorded for us. Because it was prayed, as you
may know, in the upper room with the other 10 disciples. Of course, Judas wasn't there,
he'd gone out. And John is the only disciple that actually records
this great and glorious truth, this great and wonderful prayer. Matthew, Mark, and Luke don't,
but we're very thankful that it is recorded in this detail. And therefore, to have this concluding
statement, really, I pray for them. Wonderful, isn't it? Wonderful to think that Almighty
God prays for us, prays for us as individuals. I pray for them. I pray not for the world, but
for them which thou hast given me, for they are thine." Well,
it's wonderful truths, aren't they? And this Gospel of John
is a very wonderful gospel, with the whole Word of God, of course,
is a wonderful book. But this particularly, in this
first chapter, does in fact clear up a number of questions that
people may pose And it's wonderful, therefore, that the Lord has
given us such clarity, really. Again, we need to, as I've gone
through these couple of examples, to study the Word of God and
to therefore be blessed with these very positive and these
very sure and these very certain conclusions. Because we don't
want to just wander on aimlessly through life. We want to be confirmed
in our faith, confirmed that what we read and what we believe
is true and is applied to us individually, to our very souls,
so that we can rejoice in the great truths of the Gospel and
be very humbled to think that the great and glorious Saviour
has indeed prayed for us. Well then, coming back to this
verse, John the Baptist says, Behold the Lamb of God. On this occasion, the people
that were there had a physical view of the Lord Jesus Christ. John said, behold the Lamb of
God. My friends, the same word is
true today for all of us to behold the Lamb of God in a spiritual
sense. And how important it is that
God gives us faith to behold the Lamb of God and to behold
the Lamb of God particular in this way that John draws our
attention to which take it away the sin of the world and therefore
by faith to behold the Lord Jesus Christ who has taken away all
our sin this is not something trivial this is something so
important for all of us to know and to understand. And may the
Holy Spirit therefore come and apply such words to our soul
that we can be very thankful for such words and rejoice in
them and thank God for them. So the word here is to behold
the Lamb of God. Well, just to reiterate what
I speak about sometimes, this Lamb of God, why is the Lord
Jesus Christ referred to as the Lamb of God? Perhaps people may
read this and think that really they're expecting a sheep to
come running along. But of course it was the Lord
Jesus Christ. and he was depicted as a lamb. And we can go right back really
through scripture and find the many references to Jesus Christ
represented as a lamb. And very particularly with regard
to the case of the children of Israel. Firstly, when they were
in Egypt, when the Passover was instituted when they were instructed,
every household was instructed to take a lamb and to offer it
up as an offering and to take of the blood after it had been
killed and to put it on the doorpost and the lintel so that there
was safety for all those who went into the dwellings and passed
under the blood this lamb of God had to be taken and the the
picture was that this lamb which was taken had to be roast in
the flames and it's again a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ suffering
and bearing the agonies the anger Almighty God against sin, roast
in the flame. The Lord Jesus was, of course,
roast, not in the same way, but roast in the wrath of God as
he endured all the suffering the Lord God had ordained for
him and that he died then that sin atoning death upon that cross
of Calvary. Well there was then that lamb
instituted on that Passover time and they were instructed every
year to keep the Passover as a remembrance of their deliverance
and as a remembrance of the suffering that was depicted to them and
the picture of the Lamb of God. And then, when they were in the
wilderness, and Moses was given such wonderful instructions with
regard to the construction of the tabernacle, and also the
sacrifices. Again, a very significant position
was that the Israelites had to offer up for a sacrifice every
day a lamb without blemish one in the morning and one in the
evening really a continual burnt sacrifice and really it sets
before us therefore the wonderful work of the saviour showing to
us the continual sacrifice for our sins. The Lord Jesus suffered
and accomplished the work that His Father gave Him to do. He
finished it. He paid the price required for
the forgiveness of all our sins. He paid the price for our redemption. As you and I read through the
Word of God, there is so much in the pages of the Word of God
with reference to this great sacrifice for sin and directing
us again and again to that wonderful sacrifice of the Saviour. How willing was Jesus to die
that we fellow sinners should live the life they could not
take away How willing was Jesus to give. Well, we can look back,
can't we? To see the wonder of it. And here, of course, John the
Baptist is directing them to the Lamb of God. He was to live
another three years on the earth and to suffer and to be mocked
and to live a very hard and difficult three years. And then to complete
the work that his father gave him to do. The picture which
had been so clearly set before the Israelites for so many years. The picture really which is set
before us in the word of God. and the wonderful conclusion
of it. So surely this morning we have
this tremendous statement. Behold the Lamb of God. What a blessing if you and I,
by faith, behold the Lord Jesus Christ suffering in our place,
in our place. He bore the punishment instead. It's a glorious gospel. It's
a wonderful gospel. It's a gospel that you and I
would never have been able to have planned and yet you see
it was planned and it was planned again in eternity past and that's
wonderful to think of isn't it a wonderful truth because the
lord jesus christ was eternal as john told us he lived before
john He was indeed before him. What a wonderful truth that was. What a wonderful blessing that
was. What a wonderful mercy that was
that we have a situation like that. He was indeed before him. What a mercy then to think that
we have this great God set before us and yet you and I today, blessed
with living faith, to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, come
with that need of salvation, are able to behold this great
and glorious Saviour. Behold the Lamb of God, which
taketh away the sin of the world. Well, the great question is,
isn't it for us, all of us, young and old, if God has given you
and me faith to look and to behold the Lord Jesus Christ as that
one who was a great and glorious substitute for us. We have the wonderful picture,
don't we, back in Genesis of Abraham, and Isaac. And there God commanded
Abraham to offer up Isaac. He did the will of his father.
He did God's will. He took Isaac. He took Isaac
and with the fire and the wood. And as they were journeying to
the mount that God had told Abraham of Isaac, his son, asked Abraham,
his father, where is the lamb? Where is the lamb? Again, we see wonderful faith
of Abraham, not knowing how it would occur, but he said this,
God himself will provide a lamb. And as you may remember the account,
they went up Mount Moriah and there on the top of the mount
there was the Abraham built an altar and put Isaac on the altar
and was about to slay him. The Lord told him to stop. now
he proved he was one who would obey Almighty God and he then
looked behind and there was a ram caught by its horns in a thicket
and he was commanded to take that ram and to offer the ram
up instead of Isaac well we have don't we a wonderful glorious
picture of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of
God, being offered up instead of us. We deserved death for
our sin, yet the Lord Jesus Christ, God himself, gave himself as
a sacrifice so that we might be set free, free from sin. And I hope you're getting hold
of the picture, which is here in this beautiful verse. Behold
the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. Well, he did, not the whole world,
but for his people, for his church, and what a great blessing that
is for us today to think of that. And in the Epistle to the Hebrews,
which again speaks so much of the Lord Jesus Christ and so
much of his great and glorious sin atoning death, and in the 9th chapter of Hebrews and towards
the end the 26th verse We read this Or perhaps I'll just read
the 25th verse Nor yet that he should offer himself often as
the high priest entering into the holy place every year with
blood of others for then must he often have suffered since
the foundation of the world, but now once In the end of the
world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of
himself. Well, that's the true Word of
God. And that's what occurred. And
how blessed it is. And so, the Apostle goes on and
says, And as it is appointed unto men once to die. It's true of all of us. wants to die, all of us, none
excused. None of us would escape death
unless we're on the earth when the Lord comes, returns in all
his glory. So Christ was once offered to
bear the sins of many and unto them that look for him shall
he appear the second time. without sin unto salvation. Well, what a great and wonderful
truth and what a great and glorious picture that is, the Lord Jesus
Christ. But, of course, in order to procure
this satisfaction to his Father, he had to live that perfect life. He had to die that sin atoning
death. And he had to endure all the
opposition in his life. Sometimes we might think that
we have opposition. Well, we don't have very much
opposition really. The Lord Jesus Christ had so
much to endure. so much opposition and yet he
did it so willingly and the 53rd of Isaiah of course gives us
a little insight of the Savior and what he had to endure and
we're told in that 53rd chapter in the third verse He is despised
and rejected of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces
from him. He was despised and we esteemed
him not." Well, that was true of all of us. We esteemed him
not. I wonder whether in our lives
there's been a change. A change from when we were just
happy to read about the Lord Jesus, his death, and to hear
about it. And really it didn't touch our
hearts. And yet you see, we didn't esteem him. But what a blessing
today if we do esteem the Lord Jesus Christ. To us, He is the
one thing needful. He is indeed more precious far
than earth and all its comforts are. What a blessing it is to
realize that. And so, we're either those who
do not esteem Him or we are those who do esteem Him. Sounds very
obvious, isn't it? but you know the vast majority
of mankind do not esteem the Saviour so what a blessing for
us today if we do indeed esteem Him and then the Apostle goes
on surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows Yet we
did esteem him, stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he
was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace
was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed. We see that, don't
we, very clearly, that sin has to be paid for. Sin had to be
atoned for and therefore our transgressions, our iniquities,
all had to be paid for. The Lord Jesus willingly, willingly
took our sins upon himself. Now then, this word, behold the
Lamb of God. What a blessing for you and me
today. If we, by faith, behold the Lamb
of God, wounded for our transgressions,
bruised for our iniquities, and having to endure those stripes
that we might be healed. He was oppressed and he was afflicted.
Yet he opened not his mouth. He didn't complain. Sometimes
we complained that way very readily and very easily. It's good, you
know, sometimes just to, as the Apostle said in the 12th chapter
of the Hebrews, consider him. It's a very good thing to do,
to consider the Lord Jesus Christ. And in that considering, by faith
to behold the Lamb of God that taketh away my sin, your sin,
the sin of all His people, and how relevant and how vital and
how important it is, because we cannot enter into heaven with
any sin. And yet we sin, don't we, continually. What a great and glorious saviour
we have, who's taken our sins, carried our sins. And as the
apostle goes on, the prophet rather goes on, it pleased the
Lord to bruise him. He has put him to grief when
thou shalt make his own offering for sin. He shall see his seed. He shall prolong his days. and
the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. He shall
see of the trouble of his soul and shall be satisfied. By his knowledge shall my righteous
servant justify many, for he shall bear their iniquities. Well, we've come here this morning
to hear the great and glorious gospel. And the great and glorious
gospel is very readily summed up in the things that we've been
considering this morning. And to realize that we have such
a Savior, such a glorious God, the second person in the Trinity,
so great, so high, and yet so willing to come into this world deliver our souls from the wrath
to come, to set before us a glorious eternity in heaven with the Saviour
and all the Church of God. A wonderful and blessed prospect
which we should really desire to praise God for and to thank
Him. And so think of this as we go
on our way. Behold the Lamb of God. in so
many ways, bearing the curse for us, enduring the agony the
Lord saw fit to place upon him, dying that death that you and
I might be set free. And again, later on in the eighth
chapter of John, I think it is, if the Son therefore shall set
you free, you shall be free indeed. And that's an eternal freedom. Eternally free. Free from sin. If we're free from sin, we shall
be received into glory through what Christ has done. Well, ponder
these words. They're worth considering. They're
worth thinking about. They're very simple. They're
very vital. What a fullness there is. And
so we read, behold, the Lamb of God, which taketh away the
sin of the world. Every one of us, by faith, must
behold the Lord Jesus Christ as our sin bearer, as that one
who has died for us to take away all our sins before we die. There's no salvation after we
die. What a blessing it is to have
this good hope, this faith to believe that Lord Jesus Christ,
the second person in the Trinity, that loved us so much that he
gave his life that we might receive life. Behold, the Lamb of God,
which taketh away the sin of the world, every sin, every sin,
washed away in the precious blood of the Lamb of God. Amen.