“What Do You Believe?”
John #4 1:19 – 34
Pastor Ben Fleming
June 14, 2009
Turn in your bible to John 1. My friend Mitch Duckworth had got a model car for his 10th birthday. I wanted one too – so I got on my bike and rode down to Ben Franklin Five and Dime Store. I walked in and went right to where the model cars were and pick one up and made a bee line for the door – Mr Hensley almost caught me before I got on my bike – I rode away from the store as quickly as I could and went down to the Ohio river and stopped --- I was shaking and felt like the weight of the world was coming down upon me – I was a thief – I prayed to God and said – “Please forgive me--- If no one finds out I would not steal again.” No one had to teach me to sin – it was not Mitch’s fault – I did it – it was all me. And I dealt with it by trying to bargain with God.
(PHOTO) When Martin Luther was a monk, he felt sorry about all the bad sins he did. These sinsbothered him so much, because Martin Luther thought that God was mad at him and would punish him. So Martin Luther tried to do good things in order to be forgiven. He worked hard and prayed. He slept on the floor and beat himself up hoping God would feel sorry for him and take his sins away. Then one day he read in the Bible that God forgives sins because Jesus died on the cross.
John #4 1:19 – 34
Pastor Ben Fleming
June 14, 2009
Turn in your bible to John 1. My friend Mitch Duckworth had got a model car for his 10th birthday. I wanted one too – so I got on my bike and rode down to Ben Franklin Five and Dime Store. I walked in and went right to where the model cars were and pick one up and made a bee line for the door – Mr Hensley almost caught me before I got on my bike – I rode away from the store as quickly as I could and went down to the Ohio river and stopped --- I was shaking and felt like the weight of the world was coming down upon me – I was a thief – I prayed to God and said – “Please forgive me--- If no one finds out I would not steal again.” No one had to teach me to sin – it was not Mitch’s fault – I did it – it was all me. And I dealt with it by trying to bargain with God.
(PHOTO) When Martin Luther was a monk, he felt sorry about all the bad sins he did. These sinsbothered him so much, because Martin Luther thought that God was mad at him and would punish him. So Martin Luther tried to do good things in order to be forgiven. He worked hard and prayed. He slept on the floor and beat himself up hoping God would feel sorry for him and take his sins away. Then one day he read in the Bible that God forgives sins because Jesus died on the cross.
It does not matter if you are a monk or 10 year old little boy – every body wants to do something with the sins in their life. Everybody wants to get rid of them. Some people drink and try and numb the pain from the guilt. Some people try and ignore them and their heart grows cold and apathetic to their sin – some blame other people – its not my fault for the things I do – and some try and fix it with spiritual teaching that tells them to look for the answers within themselves. John the Baptist said in our text today – “Behold – the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.”
Please stand as we read John 1:19 - 31 19Now this was John’s testimony when the Jews of Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. 20He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, “I am not the Christ.£” 21They asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” He answered, “No.” 22Finally they said, “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” 23John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, “I am the voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’ “£ 24Now some Pharisees who had been sent 25questioned him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” 26“I baptize with£ water,” John replied, “but among you stands one you do not know. 27He is the one who comes after me, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.” 28This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing. 29The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ 31I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.” ----------
The apostle John again records the testimony of John the Baptist. The Jews of Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to question him. (MAP) (Vs. 28) says that it happened on the other side of the Jordan River in the town of Bethany. So the priests and Levites had to walk a distance to see John the Baptist --- obviously, word had spread back to Jerusalem and the Temple about John the Baptist – the religious leaders had heard about his preaching and baptizing. (BLANK) They asked him who he was and he confessed to them --- “no I am not the Christ.” --- the name Christ is a greek word which means the Messiah. Every Jew and every priest were looking for the coming Messiah – the Messiah would be the savior of man. Every Jew knew that God had promised a Messiah. Every Jew knew they were walking in darkness and were looking for the light of God.
Isaiah 9:2 “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.” Those were words given by God to Isaiah 600 years before Jesus. John knew those words and every Jew did too. The priests and the Levites wanted to know who he was. John assured them he was not the Christ. And then they asked him – (PHOTO) Are you Elijah? Remember Elijah called down fire from heaven on the prophets of baal. (BLANK) Based on the words in the last book of Malachi about Elijah – the Jews were expecting Elijah to return from the dead in bodily form before the Messiah was to establish His earthly kingdom. Even today at a Passover Meal – the Jews will leave an empty seat for Elijah. Well John answered them “I am not” – he knew what they meant…. but in John there was a sense that he was a type of Elijah as a prophet challenging the people to repent. The third question they asked him was are you The Prophet? They were referring to the prophecy given by Moses in Deut 18:15”The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers.” And John the Baptist boldly says NO. And they finally say -------- well then who in the world are you?
John tells them “I am the voice of one calling in the desert, Make straight the way of the Lord.” Clearly John says – I am not the one – I am calling you to get ready – get ready for the coming of the Messiah is near.” …… These guys would not listen to him and they wanted to know why he baptized. John tells them “I baptize you with water – but among you stands one you do not know – he comes after me and I am not worthy even to untie his sandals.” Can you just picture it --- Jesus is perhaps standing in the crowd – John says this --- and then John sees the spirit come down upon this man who is walking towards him and a dove rests on the mans shoulder. John would not have know what that meant unless the Holy Spirit had not previously spoken to him and told him what to look for. This narrative account is interesting but the words I want us to take home today are in verse 29. “Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.” What does that mean? What does it mean to you? Do you understand why your sins need to be taken away?
The Lamb of God Who Takes Away The Sin Of The World ---- look with me at several points………..
1. A sacrificial lamb was familiar to the Jewish people. All through the history of Israel – the people knew that they were separated from God because of their sin and that sin could only be removed by a blood sacrifice. The Jews still today have Yom Kippur or the day of atonement. It is actually 10 Days of Repentance where a Jew tries to amend his behavior and seek forgiveness for wrongs done against God and against his fellow man .The evening and day of Yom Kippur are set aside for public and private petitions and confessions of guilt . If you participate in the 10 days - At the end -- one considers one's self fogiven by God.
Hebrews 9:22 “In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”
The Jewish people knew that forgiveness of sin could only be granted by God when a substitute died as a sacrifice. They were correct in that. When God is sinned against – He cannot forgive without a payment for the breaking of the law. If God did not require that sin be paid for then He would cease to be God --- He would cease to be just and loving God. The people hearing John’s words knew of the Abraham’s confidence that God would provide a lamb to offer in place of his son Issac. They knew that a lamb was sacrificed at the Passover when the death angel passed over the Jewish nation and they knew the prophecy in Isaiah 53:7 “he will be like a lamb that is lead to slaughter.” The Jewish people could not understand this----- they thought that God would send them a Messiah who would be a prophet – a King and a conquerer – someone who would ride into Jerusalem with a sword and wipe away all the Romans but God Almighty sent them a lamb.
Is that not much like today?........ “We think God is loving and God is God when He does what we expect and demand what we want and yet He sends us what He knows that we need.”
You may think you know what you need and what you need to do. But God has His plan. He says in Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a future and a hope.” John is telling the people that the future and the hope they need is only found in the sacrificial lamb of Jesus Christ – their Messiah. This picture of a an animal taking the sins of people was not knew to the Jews.
Leviticus 16:21-22 ““When Aaron has finished making atonement for the Most Holy Place, the Tent of Meeting and the altar, he shall bring forward the live goat. He is to lay both hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the wickedness and rebellion of the Israelites—all their sins—and put them on the goat’s head. He shall send the goat away into the desert in the care of a man appointed for the task. The goat will carry on itself all their sins to a solitary place; and the man shall release it in the desert.” ---- the problem was this had to be done again and again --- confession of sin could only be done by a priest and when the temple was established they brought animals to the altar to be killed and blood poured out on the altar to cover sins. In God’s economy --- covering sin against Him required the taking of a life. 2nd point…….
2. All people have sinned against God and need forgiveness from God. It does not matter who you are and it does not matter what you have done or what has been done to you --- you need forgiveness from your sins. Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death…..the payment for your sin and for my sin is death --- spiritual separation from God. “ Romans 3:23 “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” When you fall short of the glory of God --- you have sinned. When you and I fail to measure up to the standards and life that Jesus Christ walked on this earth we have sinned against the living God and we deserve death and nothing less.
Photo: To sin – means that you have missed the mark. God is the one who determines what the mark is. When you do not hit the bullseye every time --- all throughout your life – you miss the mark. The glory of God is hitting the mark every time.
Seems hard to comprehend. There are so so many good people out there. There are many good people doing so many good things and yet they have nothing to do with God. Why in the world did John say and assume that there had to be a need for someone to take away the sins of the world?
Please stand as we read John 1:19 - 31 19Now this was John’s testimony when the Jews of Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. 20He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, “I am not the Christ.£” 21They asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” He answered, “No.” 22Finally they said, “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” 23John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, “I am the voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’ “£ 24Now some Pharisees who had been sent 25questioned him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” 26“I baptize with£ water,” John replied, “but among you stands one you do not know. 27He is the one who comes after me, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.” 28This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing. 29The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ 31I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.” ----------
The apostle John again records the testimony of John the Baptist. The Jews of Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to question him. (MAP) (Vs. 28) says that it happened on the other side of the Jordan River in the town of Bethany. So the priests and Levites had to walk a distance to see John the Baptist --- obviously, word had spread back to Jerusalem and the Temple about John the Baptist – the religious leaders had heard about his preaching and baptizing. (BLANK) They asked him who he was and he confessed to them --- “no I am not the Christ.” --- the name Christ is a greek word which means the Messiah. Every Jew and every priest were looking for the coming Messiah – the Messiah would be the savior of man. Every Jew knew that God had promised a Messiah. Every Jew knew they were walking in darkness and were looking for the light of God.
Isaiah 9:2 “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.” Those were words given by God to Isaiah 600 years before Jesus. John knew those words and every Jew did too. The priests and the Levites wanted to know who he was. John assured them he was not the Christ. And then they asked him – (PHOTO) Are you Elijah? Remember Elijah called down fire from heaven on the prophets of baal. (BLANK) Based on the words in the last book of Malachi about Elijah – the Jews were expecting Elijah to return from the dead in bodily form before the Messiah was to establish His earthly kingdom. Even today at a Passover Meal – the Jews will leave an empty seat for Elijah. Well John answered them “I am not” – he knew what they meant…. but in John there was a sense that he was a type of Elijah as a prophet challenging the people to repent. The third question they asked him was are you The Prophet? They were referring to the prophecy given by Moses in Deut 18:15”The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers.” And John the Baptist boldly says NO. And they finally say -------- well then who in the world are you?
John tells them “I am the voice of one calling in the desert, Make straight the way of the Lord.” Clearly John says – I am not the one – I am calling you to get ready – get ready for the coming of the Messiah is near.” …… These guys would not listen to him and they wanted to know why he baptized. John tells them “I baptize you with water – but among you stands one you do not know – he comes after me and I am not worthy even to untie his sandals.” Can you just picture it --- Jesus is perhaps standing in the crowd – John says this --- and then John sees the spirit come down upon this man who is walking towards him and a dove rests on the mans shoulder. John would not have know what that meant unless the Holy Spirit had not previously spoken to him and told him what to look for. This narrative account is interesting but the words I want us to take home today are in verse 29. “Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.” What does that mean? What does it mean to you? Do you understand why your sins need to be taken away?
The Lamb of God Who Takes Away The Sin Of The World ---- look with me at several points………..
1. A sacrificial lamb was familiar to the Jewish people. All through the history of Israel – the people knew that they were separated from God because of their sin and that sin could only be removed by a blood sacrifice. The Jews still today have Yom Kippur or the day of atonement. It is actually 10 Days of Repentance where a Jew tries to amend his behavior and seek forgiveness for wrongs done against God and against his fellow man .The evening and day of Yom Kippur are set aside for public and private petitions and confessions of guilt . If you participate in the 10 days - At the end -- one considers one's self fogiven by God.
Hebrews 9:22 “In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”
The Jewish people knew that forgiveness of sin could only be granted by God when a substitute died as a sacrifice. They were correct in that. When God is sinned against – He cannot forgive without a payment for the breaking of the law. If God did not require that sin be paid for then He would cease to be God --- He would cease to be just and loving God. The people hearing John’s words knew of the Abraham’s confidence that God would provide a lamb to offer in place of his son Issac. They knew that a lamb was sacrificed at the Passover when the death angel passed over the Jewish nation and they knew the prophecy in Isaiah 53:7 “he will be like a lamb that is lead to slaughter.” The Jewish people could not understand this----- they thought that God would send them a Messiah who would be a prophet – a King and a conquerer – someone who would ride into Jerusalem with a sword and wipe away all the Romans but God Almighty sent them a lamb.
Is that not much like today?........ “We think God is loving and God is God when He does what we expect and demand what we want and yet He sends us what He knows that we need.”
You may think you know what you need and what you need to do. But God has His plan. He says in Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a future and a hope.” John is telling the people that the future and the hope they need is only found in the sacrificial lamb of Jesus Christ – their Messiah. This picture of a an animal taking the sins of people was not knew to the Jews.
Leviticus 16:21-22 ““When Aaron has finished making atonement for the Most Holy Place, the Tent of Meeting and the altar, he shall bring forward the live goat. He is to lay both hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the wickedness and rebellion of the Israelites—all their sins—and put them on the goat’s head. He shall send the goat away into the desert in the care of a man appointed for the task. The goat will carry on itself all their sins to a solitary place; and the man shall release it in the desert.” ---- the problem was this had to be done again and again --- confession of sin could only be done by a priest and when the temple was established they brought animals to the altar to be killed and blood poured out on the altar to cover sins. In God’s economy --- covering sin against Him required the taking of a life. 2nd point…….
2. All people have sinned against God and need forgiveness from God. It does not matter who you are and it does not matter what you have done or what has been done to you --- you need forgiveness from your sins. Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death…..the payment for your sin and for my sin is death --- spiritual separation from God. “ Romans 3:23 “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” When you fall short of the glory of God --- you have sinned. When you and I fail to measure up to the standards and life that Jesus Christ walked on this earth we have sinned against the living God and we deserve death and nothing less.
Photo: To sin – means that you have missed the mark. God is the one who determines what the mark is. When you do not hit the bullseye every time --- all throughout your life – you miss the mark. The glory of God is hitting the mark every time.
Seems hard to comprehend. There are so so many good people out there. There are many good people doing so many good things and yet they have nothing to do with God. Why in the world did John say and assume that there had to be a need for someone to take away the sins of the world?
Why does a good person need their sins to be taken away? Think about it. How much goodness is necessary to cover up and have God overlook that part of a person that is not good? Or who gives us the standard of what is good? Let me try and answer that by looking at Romans 3 --- would you turn there??????? Verses 11 -12. and then I want to read you 10 points from a very famous message – by Jonathan Edwards. Wait for people to find it………..
Romans 3:11 -12 (ESV) “There is none righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one” Paul is writing about man – in verse 9 he makes the point saying there is no difference between a Jew or a Greek. In God’s eyes – all men are the same. Not one man does good --- all men are worthless and all have turned from God – no one seeks God and no one understands God. Look what John wrote about what Jesus said about man..John 2:24 (ESV) “But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man.”
So our second point is that all people are sinners and need forgiveness from God. Jonathan Edwards wrote this about that and called it Sinners in the hands of an angry God. It might shock some of you….
Please listen to his 10 points……
1. There is no want of power in God to cast wicked men into hell at any moment in time.
2. The wicked deserve to be cast into hell: so that divine justice never stands in the way, it makes no objection against God using his power at any moment to destroy them.
3. Sinners are already under a sentence of condemnation to hell.
4. Sinners are now the objects of that very same anger and wrath of God that is expressed in the torments of hell: and the reason why they do not go down to hell at each moment, is not because God, in whose power they are, is not then very angry with them; as he is with many of those miserable creatures that he is now tormenting in hell, and do there feel and bear the fierceness of his wrath.
5. Satan stands ready to fall upon sinners and seize them as his own, at what moment God shall permit him.
6. There are in the souls of wicked men those hellish principles reigning, that would presently kindle and flame out into hellfire, if it were not for God's restraints.
7. It is no security to wicked men for one moment, that there are no visible means of death at hand.
8. Natural men's efforts and care to preserve their own lives, or the care of others to preserve them, do not secure them a moment .
9. All wicked men's plans and schemes they use to escape hell, while they continue to reject Christ, and so remain wicked men, don't secure them from hell for one moment.
10. God has laid himself under no obligation by any promise to keep any natural man out of hell one moment.
Demonstration: Hand cuffs --- call Tiegan up and cuff him…. You need to believe in the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Place your faith in him. Ask God to help you believe.
An un forgiven sinner is handcuffed to sin. Whoever believes – the cuffs are opened – sin no longer has power over that person – they have forgiveness from God and Jesus Christ the Lamb has broken the curse of sin. John 3:36 “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.” ------ so – if you have not believed – then the wrath of God remains on you --- the 10 points of Edwards message are absolutely true. 3rd point………….
3. Jesus was the perfect sacrifice for all men’s sins but not all people will be forgiven. So – when John said – “Look the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world” does that mean that all peoples sins have been taken away and all people will go to heaven? Absolutely not. That is false teaching and the bible in no way supports it. But it is true that the death – the slaughter of Jesus --- his blood was sufficient to cover the sins of all mankind. The bible clearly states that only people who believe in the Lamb of God and receive Him are forgiven. When a sinner comes to God and places their faith in the sacrifice of Christ --- they are made clean before God. It is as if the are just as perfect as Christ is perfect. The bible says they are justified. Paul put that clearly in Romans 5
Romans 5:9 - 10 “Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! “ Someone who does not believe --- is still God’s enemy. They are still chained to sin. They are lost --- they do not have any understanding and they are perishing. Jesus Christ was the perfect sacrifice BUT not all men are forgiven.
Application:
1. What sin in your life do you need victory over? You believe – the handcuffs have been opened but you keep putting them back together? Job prayed to God to keep his eyes from looking on a woman with lust. Men --- do you care how you look on a woman? Men – lets be leaders in our nation when it comes to glorifying God by putting to death lust in our lives. Let’s be honest about pornography. Let’s become legalistic about the movies that we see and refuse to allow our eyes to look on women with lust. Let’s teach our boys – lets be honest with our struggle against sin.
Paul said in Ephesians 4:29 “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”
Application:
1. What sin in your life do you need victory over? You believe – the handcuffs have been opened but you keep putting them back together? Job prayed to God to keep his eyes from looking on a woman with lust. Men --- do you care how you look on a woman? Men – lets be leaders in our nation when it comes to glorifying God by putting to death lust in our lives. Let’s be honest about pornography. Let’s become legalistic about the movies that we see and refuse to allow our eyes to look on women with lust. Let’s teach our boys – lets be honest with our struggle against sin.
Paul said in Ephesians 4:29 “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”
What area of your speech is not glorifying to God? Sins of the mouth are so easy to justify and overlook. Sins of the mouth deceive us. Sins of the mouth hurt other people. Sins of the mouth hinder the work of God.
Paul said to Christians at Colossae 3:12 “As God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourself with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”
Who in your life do you need to go to and ask forgiveness or give forgiveness to? Can you honestly say that you have done everything and anything to restore a relationship with someone?
2. Take the step of believing today. Ask God to unlock the chains of sin in your life. Tell God that you believe – ask Him to help you in your unbelief. I want to lead you in a prayer to help you do that.
Let us pray: Pastor John Piper writes – if you desire to respond to God then turn from the deceitful promises of sin. Call on Jesus to save you from guilt and punishment and bondage. The bible says,
“all who call on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Would you pray….. Jesus I call on you to save me from guilt --- save me from the punishment for my sin ---- save me from bondage – thank you for hearing my prayer. In Jesus name ---amen ------------ IF YOU PRAYED THAT PRAYER AND THAT IS THE DESIRE OF YOUR HEART I HAVE A PAPER FOR YOU CALLED SIX BIBLICAL TRUTHS – DID YOU KNOW GOD COMMANDS YOU TO SEEK YOUR HAPPINESS --- ITS FREE PLEASE TAKE IT AND READ IT --- I WILL GIVE YOU ONE.
