THE LAMB OF GOD by Wm Henry Cash, Jr 1927 - 2012
John 1.29
BEHOLD, THE LAMB OF GOD
WHICH TAKETH AWAY THE SIN
OF THE WORLD.
Text: JOHN 1.19 - 37
REV. 5. 1 - 14
INTRODUCTION: IN THE OLD TESTAMENT, THE LAMB WAS THE SYMBOL OF SACRIFICE FOR SINS. THE PICTURE GIVEN IN THE SACRIFICE OF A LAMB IS THAT JESUS IS THE ONE WHO OFFERED THE FINAL AND ONLY SACRIFICE THAT MANKIND WOULD EVER NEED TO HAVE SINS FORGIVEN, AND TO HAVE ETERNAL LIFE. JOHN THE BAPTIST RECOGNIZED JESUS FOR HE SAID "BEHOLD ! THE LAMB OF GOD WHICH TAKETH AWAY THE SIN OF THE WORLD." IN THE BOOK OF REVELATION, JESUS IS PRESENTED TO US AS THAT LAMB SLAIN FROM BEFORE THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD. MY PROPOSITION IS THAT JESUS AS THE LAMB OF GOD GAVE HIS LIFE FOR US.
SCRIPTURE TEXT
JOHN
1.19 And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou?
1.20 And he confessed and denied not, but confessed, I am not the Christ.
1.21 And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that Prophet? And he answered, No.
1.22 Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself?
1.23 He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the Prophet Esaias.
1.24 And they which were sent were of the Pharisees.
1.25 And they asked him, and said unto him, Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not that Christ, nor Elias, neither that Prophet?
1.26 John answered them saying, I baptize you with water: but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not;
1.27 He it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, who shoe's latchet I am not worthy to unloose.
1.28 These things were done in Bethabara beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing.
1.29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and he saith, Behold, the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world.
1.30 This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me: for he was before me.
1.31 And I knew him not: but that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water.
1.32 And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode on him.
1.33 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 the Holy Ghost.
1.34 And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God.
1.35 Again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples;
1.36 And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God!
1.37 And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.
Here John proclaims that Jesus is the Son of God, the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world. As the Passover Lamb which was in type a picture of what Jesus would do by going to the Cross, he had to be spotless, pure, and without sin to be the sacrifice. He is the Lamb prophesied in Isaiah chapter 53. 1 - 12 in particular verses 5 - 7.
Isaiah 53 verses 1 - 6
"Who hath believed our report ? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed? For He shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. 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. Surely he hath 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. All we like sheep have gone astray, we have turned every one to his own way, and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, he openeth not his mouth."
I. The Lamb of God in HIS UNIQUE CHARACTER.
John 1.15 - 17 John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, "This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me. And of his fulness have we received, and grace for grace. For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ."
Preferred before John, John knew that this was MESSIAH. He declares that Jesus is full of grace and truth. The Law addressed mankind as members of the Old Creation - while Grace addresses mankind as members of the New Creation.
Philippians 5.19 But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
Ephesians 2.1 - 3 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience. Among whom also we all had our conversation (manner of life) in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh, and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. "
Romans 5.1-5 Therefore being justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also, knowing that tribulation worketh patience, and patience, experience; and experience, hope: and hope maketh not ashamed because the love of God is spread abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.
Ephesians 2: verses 4 - 7 But God who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace are ye saved) and hath raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
That John should describe Jesus as being full of GRACE AND TRUTH points us to the fact that here indeed was God living among us, and yet He had come to be the SACRIFICE OF THE LAMB for us that we might have everlasting life.
Romans 5.12 Wherefore as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin, and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned. Romans 5.15 If through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.
II. The Lamb of God in HIS UNIQUE MISSION.
John 1.18 No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.
In the past, God was unrevealed, and unseen, except for certain Angelic "appearances" of God Malachi 3.1 tells us "Behold, I will send my messenger and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts. Isaiah 40.3 The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Philippians 3.9 tells us "and be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith." Ephesians 2.8 -9 For by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. Romans 3.23 - 26 For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Being justified freely by the grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God: to declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.
In the Passover, the memory of how the people of God were instructed to put the BLOOD upon the posts of the door, and the Lintel - for only in doing so would the death angel pass over...
In making their exodus from Egypt, they were a REDEEMED PEOPLE.... They had been delivered and now were on their way back to their land.
John the forerunner pictures Jesus as the LAMB OF GOD WHICH TAKETH AWAY THE SIN OF THE WORLD.
Abraham, Jacob, Moses, all knew of God as the One who spoke with them, and who appeared to them in Angelic form. People were expecting Messiah - the Deliverer - the Redeemer to come.
Abraham received the promise of a SEED - a son - through whom the Blessing would come on the world. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses. And now here was John declaring, that the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob was here as the LAMB which taketh away the sins of the world. and that through HIM the FATHER HAS BEEN DECLARED.
John 14. 6 - 11 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth and the life, no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him and have seen him. Philip saith unto him, Show us the Father, and it sufficeth us. Jesus saith unto him, Have I been with you so long time with you and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father, and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father? Believest thou not that I am in the Father and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the workd. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father in me: or else believe me for the work's sake."
John was willing to submit to God's will that he was to PREPARE THE WAY for the ONE WHO WOULD COME ....
Now we have a choice.
We can receive Him and believe on Him as the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world.
Song SAVED BY THE BLOOD
SAVED BY THE BLOOD OF THE CRUCIFIED ONE!
NOW RANSOMED FROM SIN
AND A NEW LIFE BEGUN ...
SING PRAISE TO THE FATHER !
AND PRAISE TO THE SON!
SAVED BY THE BLOOD OF T
HE CRUCIFIED ONE.
SAVED....SAVED.... MY SINS ARE ALL PARDONED
MY GUILT IS ALL GONE
SAVED....SAVED...I'M SAVED BY THE BLOOD
OF THE CRUCIFIED ONE.
SAVED BY THE BLOOD OF THE CRUCIFIED ONE!
THE ANGELS REJOICING BECAUSE IT IS DONE !
A CHILD OF THE FATHER, JOINT-HEIRS WITH HIS SON!
SAVED BY THE BLOOD OF THE CRUCIFIED ONE !
SAVED BY THE BLOOD OF THE CRUCIFIED ONE!
THE FATHER HE SPAKE AND HIS WILL IT WAS DONE,
GREAT PRICE OF MY PARDON, HIS OWN
PRECIOUS SON,
SAVED BY THE BLOOD OF THE CRUCIFIED ONE!
SAVED BY THE BLOOD OF THE CRUCIFIED ONE!
ALL HAIL TO THE FATHER, ALL HAIL TO THE SON!
ALL HAIL TO THE SPIRIT, TO THE THREE IN ONE,
SAVED BY THE BLOOD OF THE CRUCIFIED ONE!
