We begin tonight in John chapter
1, the gospel of John chapter 1. The message of the gospel is
so unique. It meets the needs of God's people
in all their circumstances. The gospel we preach is that
which you who are dead in trespasses and in sins must hear and believe. The gospel we preach is that
which you who are struggling with trials and temptations and
heartaches and difficulties must hear and believe. for the reviving
and refreshing and sustaining of your souls. The gospel of
Christ is that which you, whose hearts are cold and languishing,
your souls seem to be dying within you. It's that which
you must hear and believe by which God grants refreshing.
So tonight I want us to look at three things, three passages
in this book, where God points us to three great wonders, which
he calls us to behold. Three great wonders by which
our souls are taught to believe God and taught the grace of God
and taught the blessed joy of knowing God. John chapter 1,
verse 29. First, we'll look at the wonder
of the Lamb. The first thing revealed in this
book, the first great wonder set before us in the Word of
God is the wonder of redemption through Jesus Christ, the Lamb
of God. You remember when our first parents
sinned in the garden The Lord told Adam and Eve that he would
send one who would be the woman's seed. And by sending the woman's
seed and having his heel crushed, that one whose heel was crushed
would, by the crushing of his heel, crush the serpent's head
and deliver his people. And then the Lord gave him a
picture. Now, this is how it's going to happen. And he killed
a sacrifice. killed an innocent victim instead
of killing them. And he pulled the fig leaves
that Adam and Eve had made with which they wanted to clothe themselves
and hide from God. He stripped them naked, took
off those fig leaves, and he took the skins of the innocent
victim slain in their stead and put those skins on Adam and Eve,
and thus portrayed the necessity of redemption by sacrifice. the
necessity of righteousness bestowed through the sacrifice of another.
And they understood the picture. I know they understood the picture,
because in the next chapter, as soon as Eve gave birth to
her first child, she said, behold, I've gotten a man from the Lord.
Quite literally, she said, I've got the man. I got the Redeemer. Little did she know it was Cain.
She named him Cain. But she didn't have any idea
what Cain would become. She thought the Lord had then
and there fulfilled the promise. When Adam and Eve found out,
the things weren't as they had thought. And Cain turned out
to be what he was, just a sinful man. And Abel turned out to be
what he was, just a sinful man. Adam and Eve worshipped God by
faith in that sacrifice, the man who is the woman's man, the
woman's seed. And I know they did because Cain
and Abel came to a place of worship. Cain didn't hear his father's
instructions, but Abel did. Abel brought the same sacrifice
that God brought to Adam in the garden. He brought him a lamb. and a lamb that God had respect
unto and received. And that lamb was represented
and typified throughout the Old Testament Scriptures, presented
in prophecy, presented in type. Of course, you have the Paschal
Lamb on the night of Passover in the land of Egypt. The Lamb
of God is constantly set before us in the prophecies and pictures
of the Old Testament. And then our blessed Savior appears
on the scene. And in John chapter 1, verse
29, for the first time, he is personally identified and specifically
called the Lamb of God. John chapter 1, verse 29. The
next day, John the Baptist seeth Jesus coming unto him and saith,
Behold, the Lamb of God. Behold. What a great word. What a great word. Stop now.
Don't just walk on your way. Don't act as if something important
hasn't happened. Something's crossed your path
that demands your attention. Stop and give consideration to
this. There is the Lamb of God which
taketh away the sin of the world. Now watch this. John specifically
identifies the Messiah, the Christ, Lamb of God and as he does he
directs his disciples to follow Christ the Messiah the Lamb of
God looking verse 30 This is he of whom I say that is fellas. This is the one I've been talking
about This is the one I've been telling you is coming after me
cometh the man which is preferred before me for he was before me
and I knew him not But that he should be made manifest to Israel,
therefore am I come baptizing with water. There's coming a
man after me who is preferred before me because this man was
before me. He's saying this man is no ordinary
man. This man is that man who was
set up from eternity. The God-man, our mediator, who's
now come in the flesh. This man is himself God. Read
on. And John bear record saying,
I saw the spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode
on him. And I knew him not, but he that
sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, upon whom
thou shalt see the spirit descending and remaining on him, the same
is he which baptizeth with or in the Holy Ghost. And I saw
and bear record that this is the son of God. Again, the next
day after, John stood and two of his disciples, and looking
upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold, the Lamb of God. And the two disciples heard him.
They heard him speak and they followed Jesus. I'm calling on
you to behold the Lamb of God. Behold Christ, who is God's Lamb. Abraham takes Isaac up to Mount
Moriah and he's going to worship the Lord. The Lord God required
Abraham to sacrifice his son. And Abraham puts the wood on
Isaac's back and he puts the fire in Isaac's hand. And Isaac
is on his way to worship God with his daddy. They've done
this many times before. And Isaac says to his daddy,
he said, he said, father, we have the wood for the burnt offering.
I've got fire in my hand, but where is the lamb for a burnt
offering? And Abraham said to his son, my son, God will provide
himself a lamb. Not God will provide for himself.
God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering. The Lord
Jesus is that lamb who is the lamb of God, the lamb of God's
providing and God's approving and God's accepting. And he is
the lamb who is himself God. Otherwise, he could not take
away the sins of his people scattered through all the earth. I call
on you who are yet under the wrath of God. Oh, God, give you
grace. Behold, the lamb of God. Does the wrath of God Almighty
crush your guilty soul down to hell so that you have utter hopeless
despair overwhelming you? Behold the Lamb of God that taketh
away, what a great word, taketh away the sin of the world. It's
his business. He put it away by the sacrifice
of himself. And he comes to each one of his
own at the appointed time of love and lifts up and carries
away the sins of his people throughout all the earth. Look to the Lamb
and watch your sin taken away. Look to the Lamb and behold guilt
gone. Look to the Lamb and be free. This is what he says. Look unto
me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth, for I am God,
and there is none else, a just God. And to say, look to me,
as the children of Israel, look to the brazen serpent, look away
to Christ, and salvation is yours. But the message is the same for
you who are born of God. to you who are the possessors
of eternal life, to you who know our God. Behold the Lamb. I pray every single day, every
day. Lord, set Christ before me and
set my eyes and my heart on my Redeemer. Fix my mind and my
heart and my thoughts on Christ. I pray like that because I am
so easily turned to other things. I'm so easily grabbed by other
things. Meaningless things, like who's
in the White House. Insignificant things, like what's
going to happen to the economy. But brother Don, how can you
call those things meaningless and insignificant? Those things
are just matters of time. Can you get hold of that? They're
just matters of dust and vanity, vanity. Oh, but we shouldn't
have that attitude. Well, that's exactly attitude
we ought to have. It's exactly attitude. Don't you think we
ought to be patriots? I am. I am. Oh yes, I am. But let nothing take my mind
and my heart from my Redeemer. Set my heart on Him. Children
of God, whatever your soul's trouble is, whatever your need
is, wherever your heart is, whatever your soul craves, whatever your
present condition is, this is what you need. Behold the Lamb
of God. I'll tell you what you do. If
you wish to entertain some objection to what I've just said, try beholding
anything else that helps. Set your heart on anything else
that does some good. You read whatever you want to,
study whatever you want to, spend your time investigating whatever,
just set your mind on whatever else you want to and let me know
if it helps your trouble If it helps your heart, if it helps
you to deal with the boy that's about to go to prison,
your daughter that's dying, or your husband that's about to
leave you, let me know if anything else helps you, will you? Oh,
no, no. Set your heart on Christ. Behold the Lamb of God reverently. Behold the Lamb of God and worship. Behold the Lamb of God, believe
Him. Behold the Lamb of God and bow
to Him. Behold the Lamb of God and be
at peace. Behold the Lamb of God and you'll
find inspiration for your soul's devotion to Him. You'll find
your soul ravished by Him. Behold the Lamb of God and you'll
be broken over your indifference toward Him. Behold Him and be
revived and renewed and refreshed and follow Him. Follow the Lamb
whithersoever He goeth. Follow the Lamb. Follow that
which the Lamb directs your heart to. Follow that which is inspired
by beholding the Lamb. Follow the Lamb. Behold the Lamb
of God as He's presented in all the scriptures. That one prophesied
and typified and now identified the crucified Lamb of God, now
glorified on our behalf. Behold the Lamb of God. All right,
turn back to Lamentations chapter 1. I've referred to this a number
of times in recent weeks. Pause for just a little while
now and behold the sorrow of the suffering Lamb of God. Lamentations
chapter 1 and verse 12. Oh, what a wonder. It is the constant theme of this
book. It is that which no tongue can explain, no mind can comprehend,
no heart can fathom. The sorrow and suffering of Christ
the Lamb of God as He die in our stead. Listen to what it
says. Chapter 1, Lamentations, verse
12. Is it nothing to you? All ye that pass by, behold. Stop now. Don't just pass by. Stop right here and pause a while
and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow which is
done unto me, the sorrow done to me. He voluntarily took the
sorrows, but its sorrow done to me, wherewith the Lord hath
afflicted me in the day of his fierce anger. Samuel Sennett wrote these words,
yonder amazing sight I see, the incarnate son of God expiring
on the accursed tree and weltering in his blood. Behold, a purple
torrent run down from his hands and head. The crimson tide puts
out the sun. His groans awake the dead. The
trembling earth and darkened sky Proclaim the truth aloud
and with the amazing cheering cry. This is the son of God. So great, so vast a sacrifice. May well my hope revive if God,
his own son, if God's own son does bleeds and dies, this center
sure may live. Oh, that these chords of love
divide might draw me Lord to the Thou hast my heart, it shall
be thine, thine it shall ever be. Behold and see, our Savior
says, if there be any sorrow, liken to my sorrow, wherewith
the Lord God hath afflicted me. Turn over to Isaiah chapter 53. Here in Isaiah's gospel, we're
told the source of our Savior's sorrow. It is that which the
Lord heaped on him. Verse 9, he made his grave with the wicked
and with the rich in his death. Because he had done no violence,
neither was any deceit in his mouth, yet it pleased the Lord
to bruise him. He hath put him to grief. When
thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed. He shall prolong his days. He's going to revive and live
again. And the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his head.
The holy, immaculate, spotless, sinless Son of God was made sin
for us. He hath made him sin for us who
knew no sin. And he did it for this purpose,
that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. Jesus Christ,
the Lamb, just as he, the Word, was made flesh, really and truly
made flesh. He was made sin, really and truly
made sin. What does that mean, Pastor? I don't know. But I behold Him as He cries,
My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken Me? I hear Him as He
cries, Reproach. hath broken mine heart. As he
says, the reproaches of them that reproach thee have fallen
on me. As he says, my iniquities are
more than the hairs of my head, so that I cannot look up. And
understand that he, who is God's Holy Son, who did no sin, knew
no sin, who could not sin, was made sin. Had he not been made sin, he
could never have been punished for sin. Justice wouldn't do
that. We don't have the best of judicial
systems the world has ever known. We probably had the best one
in the world today, but we certainly don't have the best of judicial
systems. But even in our judicial system, if a man is sentenced
to any kind of punishment for a crime he did not commit. No
matter what crimes he did commit. No matter what crimes he did
commit. If he's given a sentence for a crime he did not commit,
it's considered a travesty of justice and reparation is made. Jesus Christ could never have
suffered the wrath of God, the just and holy God. He who is
the just God, our Savior, he could never have died in our
stead, Bob, had he not been made sin for us. But when he was made
sin for us, justice drew forth its dreadful sword and smote
the shepherd, smote him. Under the wrath of God, he died
that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. And now, because
the Lamb who sits yonder on the throne of God, as one that had
been slain, died in my stead. I'm redeemed. I'm righteous. I'm justified. I'm saved. I'm
sanctified. Heaven's mine. Life is mine.
Eternity's mine. All is mine. All because the
Lamb died in my stead. I'll write one more text. 1 John chapter 3. Let me talk
to you a little bit about the source and cause. of all this. Behold what manner of love the
Father hath bestowed on us that we should be called the sons
of God. I have been preparing to preach
to you on the last verses of John 17
about God's everlasting love for us in Christ. And I got here
and I just couldn't get any further. Behold, what manner of love the
father hath bestowed on us that we you and me, that we should be called the
sons of God. Oh, God help me never to get
over this wonder. I want to God's sons. because God himself wants me
as his son. John would have us to behold
with wonder the love of God bestowed on us. God is love. Thank God he is. Love is of God. Thank God it is. It's an attribute
of the holy Lord God, an attribute essential to his being, without
which he would not be God. But love can only be known by
its action. You sometimes hear people talk
nonsense, you know, well, boy, I can just look at her and tell
she's such a loving lady. Well, you might want to talk
to her husband about that. I just look at him, tell him he's such
a loving man. You can just see it in his face. No, no, I'm sorry. You're deluded. The only way
love can be known is by its acts. And love can't be dormant. Love can't be idle. Love swirls
up and bursts forth in activity. Activity of good. and benefit
and blessing for its object. Love is not known by words. It's
not known by facial expression. It's not known by some look in
the eye. Love is known by deed. Only by deed. Now the deed may
be reflected in the words. The deeds may be reflected in
the sparkle of the eye. The deeds may be reflected in
the appearance of the face. But love can't be known except
by its deeds. Behold the love of God. Oh, the indescribable length
and depth and height of the love of God that passeth knowledge.
Oh, the breadth of his eternal love for his own. Behold what
manner of love the Father hath bestowed on us. that we should
be called the sons of God. Here are three or four distinct
displays of that love. Listen to this. You can look
at it yourself later in Deuteronomy 7. The Lord did not set his love
upon you, nor choose you because you were more in number than
any people, for you were the fewest of all people, but because
the Lord loved you. He chose you. Not because you
had anything to offer Him. Not because you could contribute
anything to Him. Not because of any need He had
of you. He chose you just because He
loved you. Chose you as His own. The second
act of God's love is our redemption by Christ Jesus. Behold what manner of love. Commended his love toward us
in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us looked at
him verse 16 Just first John 3 16 hereby perceive we hereby
we Understand we see we know that we get a handle on the love
of God Because he God laid down his life for us Don't you? just find it delightful to see
how the scriptures state things as almost matter of fact that
men spend their lives trying to figure out and never can figure
out. Well, God couldn't do that. God couldn't lay down his life
for us. Well, that's an impossibility. That's inconsistent. You know,
I find it much more delightful to hear John speak. Hereby perceive
we the love of God, because He, the infinite, eternal, self-existent
God, in all the fullness of His being, God who is life, God who
is life in the person of his darling son laid down his life
for us. It just stands for reason then
we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. God laid down
his life for us. We ought to lay down our lives
for the brethren. How can I do that? How can I
lay down my life for Darren Duff? How can I lay down my life for
Shelby Fortner? Oh, if worse comes to worse,
I'd be willing to die for them. I hope so. But I'm taught to
lay down my life for them now. How? You give up your own to
live for somebody else. You give up your own to devote
it to someone else. You live, give up your old to
devote it to the brethren. Read on 1st John chapter 4 verse
9. In this was manifested the love
of God toward us because that God sent his only begotten son
into the world that we might live through him. Herein is love. Herein is love. I know your love for me. Thank God for it. This dear lady's
love for me. Oh, I thank God for it. But that love pales into something
less than love. When I understand that he, Who is my God? Lay down His life
for me. Herein is love, not that we loved
God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation
for our sins. Because He loved us, the Son
of God assumed our nature. He assumed our sin. He assumed
our guilt. And he died our death under the
wrath of God as our substitute to put away our sins. The Son
of God loved me and gave himself for me. And he shows his love in a third
way. He comes in the fullness of time in effectual saving grace
and gives eternal life to sinners loved of God. redeemed by his
blood, chosen by his grace. He comes and draws us effectually
to himself. He comes with irresistible power
and causes the chosen redeemed sinner to live. I have loved
thee with an everlasting love, he says. Therefore, with loving
kindness have I drawn thee. Blessed is the man whom thou
choosest and causes to approach him to thee he comes and Causes
us To have revealed in us his love and Names us the sons of
God Turn to Galatians chapter 4 Galatians chapter 4 when we experienced this blessed thing
called adoption. The experience of it is not the
deed itself. We do not become the sons of
God because we believe on Christ. We were adopted when the father
chose us before the world was. And in the fullness of time,
just as in the fullness of time He sent Christ to redeem us,
so in the fullness of time, at the appointed time of love, He
sends the Spirit to give us life and make known our adoption to
us. Look here in Galatians chapter 4. Unlike civil adoption, this
adoption is such that God comes to His chosen and gives us more
than a name. I have a lot of friends who have
adopted children, and they love those children. And I have a
lot of friends who were adopted, and they love their adopted parents. But with everything they can
give the adopted child, they can't give them their nature. Now, maybe that's a blessing,
but they can't give them their nature. They can give them their
name. They can give them their money, they can give them their
property, they can give them an education, they can give them
protection, they can give them care, but they can't give them
their nature. But God's adoption is such that
when He comes to make known the adoption, He gives us the nature
of His Son. Look here in Galatians chapter
4. Now I say that the heir, as long as he is a child, Differeth
nothing from the servant that is as long as the the heir the
son the family-born son is under the law He's not a adult. He's a servant though. He'd be
Lord of all But is under tutors and governors until the time
appointed of the father Even so we when we were children were
in bondage under the elements of the world That is, God's elect,
his church, his family, during the Old Testament economy, were
under the time of our tutelage as children. Now, in this gospel
age, we've come to full maturity in Christ. Now watch this. But
when the fullness of time was come, God sent forth his son,
made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were
under the law, that we might receive Not that we might have,
but that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because
you are sons, not to make you sons, because you are sons, God
has sent forth the spirit of his son into your hearts, crying,
Abba, Father. I've tried to tell you as best
I know how We know nothing. We don't experience nothing. The cry Abba father is the cry
of faith. It is the result of the new birth. It is the result of God sending
his spirit forming Christ in you. We, uh, dare not. We could not. Maybe we pretended
to do so but knew it wasn't so. Call God our father. Some of you pray and speak to
your father and you know full well he's not your father. It's
just a word. But when God the Spirit comes,
opens your heart, and drops grace into your soul. In life, in the new birth, when
he puts Christ in you, Christ speaks from within and says,
My Father. And the God of glory, for the
first time, is known as your Father. My Father. My father, my father, that faith
in Christ is not the cause of adoption. The adoption was done
in eternity. That faith in Christ is not the
cause of God sending his spirit. That faith in Christ is the result
of the adoption, the result of God sending his spirit, the proof,
if you will, of adoption, the evidence of it, the declaration
that you're gods. Now, we receive the adoption
of sons by faith. By faith. Say, well, Brother
John, you preach so much about God's sovereignty. Don't you
think we ought to say something about man's faith? Yes, sir.
Yes, sir. If you imagine that you're God's child because of
some experience you've had, because of something you've heard, because
of something mom and daddy told you, and you don't trust Christ
for yourself. Your imagined adoption is a delusion. The evidence of life, Larry,
is faith. Do you believe the Son of God?
Believing him, my soul cries, behold, what manner of love the
Father hath bestowed on us that we should be called the sons
of God. Shelby and I spent a good bit
of time talking one morning and one evening this week about things
past, things we see going on around us, things that have happened
to folks we knew. And here we are, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ. Most folks I read with when I
was growing up were either in prison or in hell. And here I am, one of God's sons. Behold, what love. Now, I pray for me and for you
that we may comprehend with all saints what is the length and
breadth and depth and height, and to know the love of God that
passeth knowledge. Amen.