WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.140 Let us now pray and ask for the Lord's blessing 00:00:02.140 --> 00:00:05.919 of the preaching of his word. O Lord our God, 00:00:05.980 --> 00:00:08.720 we give thanks unto you that by your sovereign 00:00:08.720 --> 00:00:11.419 grace you have made us your people. You have 00:00:11.419 --> 00:00:14.419 surrounded us with your mercies and your protecting 00:00:14.419 --> 00:00:18.539 care. Make us grateful morning and night, joyful 00:00:18.539 --> 00:00:22.120 in your providential care and your grace. Take 00:00:22.120 --> 00:00:25.260 our eyes from our burdens and griefs and grant 00:00:25.260 --> 00:00:27.800 that they may always be fixed upon your goodness 00:00:27.800 --> 00:00:31.600 and your grace. Teach us this day and always 00:00:31.600 --> 00:00:34.560 the things that we need to know so that we may 00:00:34.560 --> 00:00:37.759 serve you with all our heart, mind, and being. 00:00:38.280 --> 00:00:41.399 And so make the words of my mouth and the meditations 00:00:41.399 --> 00:00:44.159 of all our hearts pleasing in your sight for 00:00:44.159 --> 00:00:47.219 the sake of your Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ, 00:00:47.240 --> 00:00:53.159 our Lord. Amen. Sermon text again is our gospel 00:00:53.159 --> 00:00:56.500 reading. Let us hear it once more. The next day 00:00:56.500 --> 00:01:00.600 John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, Behold, 00:01:00.899 --> 00:01:03.179 the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the 00:01:03.179 --> 00:01:07.079 world. This is he of whom I said, After me comes 00:01:07.079 --> 00:01:10.480 a man who was preferred before me, for he was 00:01:10.480 --> 00:01:14.420 before me. I did not know him, but that he should 00:01:14.420 --> 00:01:18.379 be revealed to Israel. Therefore I came baptizing 00:01:18.379 --> 00:01:21.280 with water. And John bore witness, saying, I 00:01:21.280 --> 00:01:23.480 saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a 00:01:23.480 --> 00:01:26.879 dove, and he remained upon him. I did not know 00:01:26.879 --> 00:01:29.900 him, but he who sent me to baptize with water 00:01:29.900 --> 00:01:33.299 said to me, upon whom you see the Spirit descending 00:01:33.299 --> 00:01:37.019 and remaining on him, this is he who baptizes 00:01:37.019 --> 00:01:40.879 with the Holy Spirit. And I have seen and testified 00:01:40.879 --> 00:01:44.519 that this is the Son of God. Again the next day 00:01:44.519 --> 00:01:47.079 John stood with two of his disciples and looking 00:01:47.079 --> 00:01:50.700 at Jesus as he walked and he said Behold the 00:01:50.700 --> 00:01:54.180 lamb of God The two disciples heard him speak 00:01:54.180 --> 00:01:58.200 and they followed Jesus Then Jesus returned and 00:01:58.200 --> 00:02:01.180 seeing them following said to them. What do you 00:02:01.180 --> 00:02:04.680 seek? And they said to him rabbi, which is to 00:02:04.680 --> 00:02:08.919 say when translated teacher Where are you staying 00:02:08.919 --> 00:02:12.360 and he said to them come and see? And they came 00:02:12.360 --> 00:02:14.719 and saw that where he was staying and remained 00:02:14.719 --> 00:02:18.139 with him that day. Now it was about the tenth 00:02:18.139 --> 00:02:21.979 hour. One of the two who had heard John speak 00:02:21.979 --> 00:02:25.139 and followed him was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. 00:02:25.599 --> 00:02:28.080 He first found his own brother Simon and said 00:02:28.080 --> 00:02:31.800 to him, we have found the Messiah, which has 00:02:31.800 --> 00:02:34.580 translated the Christ. And he brought him to 00:02:34.580 --> 00:02:37.879 Jesus. Now when Jesus looked at him, he said, 00:02:38.159 --> 00:02:41.669 you are Simon, the son of Jonah. you shall be 00:02:41.669 --> 00:02:46.430 called Cephas, which is translated a stone. These 00:02:46.430 --> 00:02:49.590 are the words of Almighty God. Receive them in 00:02:49.590 --> 00:02:55.889 your hearts. This past week, we've been subjected 00:02:55.889 --> 00:02:59.930 to several very public revelations that demonstrate 00:02:59.930 --> 00:03:03.870 the confused and sad state of the people of our 00:03:03.870 --> 00:03:07.080 country. First, in arguments before a Supreme 00:03:07.080 --> 00:03:10.039 Court, the question of whether there is any true 00:03:10.039 --> 00:03:13.139 distinction between women and men who think that 00:03:13.139 --> 00:03:15.719 they are women. So that's one question. Is there 00:03:15.719 --> 00:03:18.599 a distinction between women and men who think 00:03:18.599 --> 00:03:23.240 they're women? Secondly, in a Senate oversight 00:03:23.240 --> 00:03:27.280 committee, a senator asked a doctor of obstetrics 00:03:27.280 --> 00:03:31.500 or a doctor that specializes in birthing of babies, 00:03:32.340 --> 00:03:35.050 right? asked him, the senator asked this woman, 00:03:35.449 --> 00:03:39.270 can a man get pregnant? The doctor danced around 00:03:39.270 --> 00:03:41.669 the answer because she said that there were pregnant 00:03:41.669 --> 00:03:47.030 people who don't identify as a woman. Both of 00:03:47.030 --> 00:03:49.250 these questions, which have garnered attention 00:03:49.250 --> 00:03:52.710 at both the highest levels of power and probably 00:03:52.710 --> 00:03:57.930 even around your dinner table, have the same 00:03:57.930 --> 00:04:02.129 root error or problem. They are rooted in the 00:04:02.129 --> 00:04:04.770 assumption that every person has the right of 00:04:04.770 --> 00:04:08.669 self -definition. Or to put it another way, every 00:04:08.669 --> 00:04:12.729 person is only held to his own truth. For people 00:04:12.729 --> 00:04:17.509 who desire to live this way, reality and truth 00:04:17.509 --> 00:04:21.889 do not matter. It is like a short video I once 00:04:21.889 --> 00:04:24.389 saw where there was apparent lighting what appears 00:04:24.389 --> 00:04:29.180 to be a Roman candle on a stick. For those of 00:04:29.180 --> 00:04:31.259 you that don't know what a Roman candle is, it's 00:04:31.259 --> 00:04:34.660 a firework that's a bit of a tube and sometimes 00:04:34.660 --> 00:04:36.720 they're sticks because they want all the excitement 00:04:36.720 --> 00:04:39.639 for you to be able to point them around. And 00:04:39.639 --> 00:04:43.100 what it does is it fires a rapid succession of 00:04:43.100 --> 00:04:47.000 these fireballs at different colors. Now in this 00:04:47.000 --> 00:04:49.120 video, there's a child about six or seven and 00:04:49.120 --> 00:04:53.300 he is giddy about being able to hold this firework. 00:04:53.720 --> 00:04:56.579 And the parent, his mother is telling him, hold 00:04:56.579 --> 00:04:59.810 still, hold still. He's so excited. She lights 00:04:59.810 --> 00:05:03.149 it on fire. And man, this is where the chaos 00:05:03.149 --> 00:05:05.149 ensues. And of course, many of you can imagine 00:05:05.149 --> 00:05:07.370 what's about to happen. This is all happening 00:05:07.370 --> 00:05:10.329 on what appears to be their front porch and the 00:05:10.329 --> 00:05:14.850 front door standing open. And so he is standing 00:05:14.850 --> 00:05:18.790 there. And as this begins to happen, he's real 00:05:18.790 --> 00:05:22.209 excited. And when the first explosion comes off, 00:05:22.610 --> 00:05:25.670 he is beside himself. And the parent is yelling, 00:05:25.790 --> 00:05:29.509 let it go, let it go. And he's like, ah. And 00:05:29.509 --> 00:05:32.790 he takes off running full speed. Now here's the 00:05:32.790 --> 00:05:35.269 thing. He doesn't run out into the driveway or 00:05:35.269 --> 00:05:39.670 the yard. He runs in the house. He's still holding 00:05:39.670 --> 00:05:45.870 this. And of course, as he does this, this firework 00:05:45.870 --> 00:05:48.970 rapidly and repetitively explodes all over the 00:05:48.970 --> 00:05:53.329 house. And the video ends with the parent screaming, 00:05:54.069 --> 00:06:00.779 no. We're all sitting here imagining that the 00:06:00.779 --> 00:06:04.220 fire department was called to that house Where 00:06:04.220 --> 00:06:07.279 there may have been fire in the house? There 00:06:07.279 --> 00:06:09.540 were probably some burns on both the child and 00:06:09.540 --> 00:06:12.939 for all the recipients of the exploding fireballs 00:06:12.939 --> 00:06:17.459 that were already in the house Now what was the 00:06:17.459 --> 00:06:21.560 cause of this funny but terrifying event? For 00:06:21.560 --> 00:06:24.339 some the answer might be that the boy ran into 00:06:24.339 --> 00:06:29.699 the house where that Where this is true, it was 00:06:29.699 --> 00:06:33.480 rather not the boy's fault, but the parent that 00:06:33.480 --> 00:06:36.399 handed the lit fireworks that hurls fireballs 00:06:36.399 --> 00:06:43.019 rapidly. I imagine that the parent blamed the 00:06:43.019 --> 00:06:47.420 child and didn't realize that the problem was 00:06:47.420 --> 00:06:53.120 her own sin and foolishness. We live in a world 00:06:53.120 --> 00:06:56.040 where we mistakenly think that we know what our 00:06:56.040 --> 00:06:59.620 problems are. So people go to court to fight 00:06:59.620 --> 00:07:02.420 over what they believe is their enemy or their 00:07:02.420 --> 00:07:05.959 biggest problem. Others, for the sake of their 00:07:05.959 --> 00:07:09.939 ideology, don't want to answer obvious questions 00:07:09.939 --> 00:07:15.000 lest they undermine the truth as they define 00:07:15.000 --> 00:07:19.790 it. Dearly beloved our biggest problem is our 00:07:19.790 --> 00:07:22.689 sin so as we go through today's passage I want 00:07:22.689 --> 00:07:25.970 you to see these three things our biggest problem 00:07:25.970 --> 00:07:31.350 is our sin Certainly collectively, but for each 00:07:31.350 --> 00:07:34.970 one of us individually So our biggest problem 00:07:34.970 --> 00:07:39.269 is our sin Jesus here's the good news Jesus is 00:07:39.269 --> 00:07:44.990 the lamb who takes away our sin Jesus is the 00:07:44.990 --> 00:07:51.060 lamb who takes away our sin. And finally, because 00:07:51.060 --> 00:07:55.800 of Jesus, we shine as his light to the world. 00:07:56.339 --> 00:08:01.120 Because of Jesus, we shine as his light to the 00:08:01.120 --> 00:08:05.519 world. Our passage this morning happens sometimes 00:08:05.519 --> 00:08:10.000 after Jesus' baptism and temptation in the wilderness. 00:08:12.000 --> 00:08:14.519 Presumably Jesus is returning from the wilderness 00:08:14.519 --> 00:08:19.000 temptation having defeated Satan. Now I believe 00:08:19.000 --> 00:08:21.680 that the Holy Spirit led the writers of the New 00:08:21.680 --> 00:08:24.939 Testament to write what we now see as the Gospels 00:08:24.939 --> 00:08:28.839 in order. So we have Matthew, Mark, Luke, and 00:08:28.839 --> 00:08:33.059 they give us detailed information relating to 00:08:33.059 --> 00:08:37.399 both Jesus' baptism and his temptation. As a 00:08:37.399 --> 00:08:39.419 matter of fact, we're told in Mark that Jesus 00:08:39.419 --> 00:08:43.500 after his baptism immediately goes into the wilderness 00:08:43.500 --> 00:08:46.840 and fasts for 40 days. So we know that that happens. 00:08:46.879 --> 00:08:49.759 So this is happening afterwards. And really, 00:08:50.360 --> 00:08:52.419 this is really important for us just to think 00:08:52.419 --> 00:08:55.179 about. You have those first three books. They 00:08:55.179 --> 00:08:57.279 give these detailed accounts of particularly 00:08:57.279 --> 00:08:59.720 this section. But what this allows John to do 00:08:59.720 --> 00:09:02.019 under the influence of the Holy Spirit is give 00:09:02.019 --> 00:09:04.620 us some deeper things, some other perspectives, 00:09:04.779 --> 00:09:08.059 kind of like the big 30 ,000 foot view of who 00:09:08.059 --> 00:09:10.480 Jesus is in the first half of the book of John. 00:09:10.980 --> 00:09:14.980 We see this all over the place. But it also allows 00:09:14.980 --> 00:09:18.019 John to focus from chapter 12 to the end about 00:09:18.019 --> 00:09:22.159 the last week of Christ's life. Really so at 00:09:22.159 --> 00:09:25.039 the beginning we get all of who Jesus is and 00:09:25.039 --> 00:09:27.500 then we see fulfillment of what Jesus does in 00:09:27.500 --> 00:09:29.559 the last week That's the whole book of John summed 00:09:29.559 --> 00:09:33.860 up So this text tells us that in verse 28 that 00:09:33.860 --> 00:09:37.720 these things happened and bethah barbara The 00:09:37.720 --> 00:09:40.279 place where Joshua this is important the place 00:09:40.279 --> 00:09:43.679 where Joshua led the people of God into the promised 00:09:43.679 --> 00:09:48.320 land Okay, so this is the same place where Joshua 00:09:48.320 --> 00:09:53.889 came across brought deliverance. It's also the 00:09:53.889 --> 00:09:58.049 place where Elijah leads Elisha out into the 00:09:58.049 --> 00:10:01.129 wilderness. Elijah is taken up in a whirlwind 00:10:01.129 --> 00:10:04.950 and Elisha comes back and crosses over in the 00:10:04.950 --> 00:10:09.070 same place. This isn't happening here by accident. 00:10:10.669 --> 00:10:14.230 Jesus like Joshua crosses the Jordan River to 00:10:14.230 --> 00:10:18.789 cast out demons, false kings, false priests, 00:10:19.080 --> 00:10:23.179 and to lead God's people out of bondage and into 00:10:23.179 --> 00:10:27.679 being reconciled to the triune God for service 00:10:27.679 --> 00:10:31.759 in his kingdom. Christ came not just to save 00:10:31.759 --> 00:10:35.639 people to heaven, but to set people free in order 00:10:35.639 --> 00:10:39.220 to bring the will of God to earth as it is in 00:10:39.220 --> 00:10:42.460 heaven. One more time, I want to say this. Christ 00:10:42.460 --> 00:10:45.820 came not just to save people to heaven, but to 00:10:45.820 --> 00:10:49.100 set people free in this life in order to bring 00:10:49.100 --> 00:10:52.379 the will of God to earth as it is in heaven. 00:10:52.419 --> 00:10:55.100 That's not just a petition, that is an action 00:10:55.100 --> 00:10:59.700 item for all Christians. In this passage, John 00:10:59.700 --> 00:11:02.840 the Baptizer declares four titles of Jesus. I'm 00:11:02.840 --> 00:11:04.320 going to give you what those are real quick. 00:11:04.419 --> 00:11:07.659 There are four titles that we see where we see 00:11:07.659 --> 00:11:11.659 Jesus revealed. One, this is obvious. The Lamb 00:11:11.659 --> 00:11:14.159 of God who takes away the sins of the world. 00:11:14.759 --> 00:11:18.539 The Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the 00:11:18.539 --> 00:11:23.039 world. That's verse 29. We also see that John 00:11:23.039 --> 00:11:26.759 identifies Jesus as the eternal one in verse 00:11:26.759 --> 00:11:30.279 30. This is where he says, as the one before 00:11:30.279 --> 00:11:33.220 me. We look at that, we understand that best 00:11:33.220 --> 00:11:36.500 as the eternal one. And we'll get to that in 00:11:36.500 --> 00:11:41.759 just a moment. He also identifies Jesus as the 00:11:41.759 --> 00:11:45.980 one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit. He identifies 00:11:45.980 --> 00:11:50.860 and illumines us, lightens us to the idea that 00:11:50.860 --> 00:11:53.679 Jesus is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit. 00:11:53.720 --> 00:11:58.679 That's verse 33. And finally we see Jesus as 00:11:58.679 --> 00:12:03.539 the Son of God. Jesus is the Son of God. Now 00:12:03.539 --> 00:12:07.059 John reveals his revelation here actually is 00:12:07.059 --> 00:12:10.500 book -ended because we see that in these he starts 00:12:10.500 --> 00:12:12.580 with, Behold the Lamb of God takes away the sins 00:12:12.580 --> 00:12:15.269 of the world. And then we see, behold, the Lamb 00:12:15.269 --> 00:12:17.750 of God. And in between are those other three. 00:12:18.269 --> 00:12:21.029 So the foundational thing is Jesus is the Lamb 00:12:21.029 --> 00:12:24.309 of God who takes away the sins of the world. 00:12:24.950 --> 00:12:27.929 And any time God repeats himself, he tells us 00:12:27.929 --> 00:12:30.990 something two times, we should say, wait, that's 00:12:30.990 --> 00:12:35.490 the key point here. That is the key point. In 00:12:35.490 --> 00:12:38.490 this epiphany or revelation of who Christ is, 00:12:39.009 --> 00:12:42.710 John The baptizer who is the greatest of all 00:12:42.710 --> 00:12:47.610 the prophets? Reiterates that Jesus is the eternal 00:12:47.610 --> 00:12:49.970 one in the very beginning of John chapter 1 we 00:12:49.970 --> 00:12:53.029 hear this and the beginning was the word and 00:12:53.029 --> 00:12:56.629 the word was with God and the word was God he 00:12:56.629 --> 00:13:00.429 was in the beginning with God all things were 00:13:00.429 --> 00:13:03.389 made through him and Without him nothing was 00:13:03.389 --> 00:13:07.269 made that was made and him was life and the life 00:13:07.269 --> 00:13:10.610 was the light of men And the light shines in 00:13:10.610 --> 00:13:14.169 the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend 00:13:14.169 --> 00:13:18.830 it. Since Jesus is the eternal God, the Son through 00:13:18.830 --> 00:13:22.750 whom all things are made, all life and light 00:13:22.750 --> 00:13:26.190 comes from Him. Everything that has breath in 00:13:26.190 --> 00:13:29.370 colluding every person before us in history and 00:13:29.370 --> 00:13:31.690 every person that will be alive in the future 00:13:31.690 --> 00:13:38.490 has been given life by God in Jesus. Jesus brings 00:13:38.490 --> 00:13:44.490 light that is truth and reality to men But by 00:13:44.490 --> 00:13:49.429 sin men live in darkness grasping for truth and 00:13:49.429 --> 00:13:53.269 meaning But darkness doesn't comprehend the light 00:13:53.269 --> 00:13:57.370 that is shining in it Of course we expect the 00:13:57.370 --> 00:14:00.850 unbeliever not to understand these truths But 00:14:00.850 --> 00:14:03.649 too often as Christians we live thinking in the 00:14:03.649 --> 00:14:07.960 same ways that we always have Not comprehending 00:14:07.960 --> 00:14:11.360 the light that is the truth that Jesus provides 00:14:11.360 --> 00:14:15.919 for us Too often we think that our biggest problems 00:14:15.919 --> 00:14:20.940 are everything but our sin and We especially 00:14:20.940 --> 00:14:25.799 think our problem and our problems are the sins 00:14:25.799 --> 00:14:31.559 of other people As the eternal creator Jesus 00:14:31.559 --> 00:14:37.379 defines the world and everything in it he rightly 00:14:37.379 --> 00:14:42.379 identifies our enemies and he is and rightly 00:14:42.379 --> 00:14:47.360 tells us what the way to life and peace are. 00:14:49.940 --> 00:14:53.139 So John the Baptizer next reveals that Jesus 00:14:53.139 --> 00:14:56.360 will baptize with the Holy Spirit. This is real 00:14:56.360 --> 00:14:58.519 important because during the Old Covenant the 00:14:58.519 --> 00:15:02.039 Spirit of God came down on judges and kings and 00:15:02.039 --> 00:15:07.980 prophets and priests for a particular time place 00:15:07.980 --> 00:15:12.019 Not every God -fearing Israelite or Gentile believer 00:15:12.019 --> 00:15:16.100 in God received the Spirit But because of the 00:15:16.100 --> 00:15:18.840 work the Lamb of God all Christians are given 00:15:18.840 --> 00:15:23.080 the Spirit and are empowered by the new heart 00:15:23.080 --> 00:15:28.700 new mind given by the Spirit To be able to do 00:15:28.700 --> 00:15:32.080 the works of God freed from the bondage of sin 00:15:34.780 --> 00:15:38.500 Now John here also reveals that Jesus is the 00:15:38.500 --> 00:15:41.820 son of God the one of whom all the prophets spoke 00:15:41.820 --> 00:15:45.600 of Psalm 2 reminds us that God set his son on 00:15:45.600 --> 00:15:49.100 the throne So all authority in heaven and earth 00:15:49.100 --> 00:15:53.480 is his He not only set him on the throne, but 00:15:53.480 --> 00:15:56.139 he set him on the throne and as Psalm 2 describes 00:15:56.139 --> 00:15:59.779 in a time of conflict Right. There are all these 00:15:59.779 --> 00:16:02.740 people and kings and leaders rising up Break 00:16:02.740 --> 00:16:06.039 the bonds of God and God just smirked Psalm 2 00:16:06.039 --> 00:16:09.100 actually says that he laughs at all those that 00:16:09.100 --> 00:16:12.580 are conspiring against him Because he's already 00:16:12.580 --> 00:16:18.919 set his son on the throne And so because of this 00:16:18.919 --> 00:16:23.179 all authority given to Christ Jesus all Truth 00:16:23.179 --> 00:16:27.480 comes from Jesus Jesus speaking in John 14 says 00:16:27.480 --> 00:16:33.049 I am the way the truth and the life No one comes 00:16:33.049 --> 00:16:39.690 to the Father but by me. Our sin is what separates 00:16:39.690 --> 00:16:44.029 us from God, and this is our chief problem. We 00:16:44.029 --> 00:16:47.289 cannot know the truth, the way, or what life 00:16:47.289 --> 00:16:52.470 is outside of Christ Jesus. Jesus made the world 00:16:52.470 --> 00:16:56.970 and all men, so He has the only way, the only 00:16:56.970 --> 00:17:01.940 truth, and the only way of life. So in that God 00:17:01.940 --> 00:17:05.980 defines all things. So if you want to know can 00:17:05.980 --> 00:17:10.079 a man get pregnant or What a woman is we must 00:17:10.079 --> 00:17:14.240 look solely to the Bible If any person wants 00:17:14.240 --> 00:17:17.099 to know what their chief Difficulty or biggest 00:17:17.099 --> 00:17:19.960 problem in their life is we must look to the 00:17:19.960 --> 00:17:26.539 words of God From Genesis to Revelation man's 00:17:26.539 --> 00:17:32.460 chief problem is our sin And that is what separates 00:17:32.460 --> 00:17:38.299 us from God. The only solution is Jesus, for 00:17:38.299 --> 00:17:42.920 he alone takes away the sin of the world. But 00:17:42.920 --> 00:17:46.160 why does God use the title, the Lamb of God, 00:17:46.240 --> 00:17:50.019 who takes away the sin of the world? We understand 00:17:50.019 --> 00:17:52.519 that there's imagery in the Old Testament regarding 00:17:52.519 --> 00:17:57.599 the Passover lamb whose blood was used for the 00:17:57.599 --> 00:18:00.180 deliverance from the angel of death during Passover. 00:18:00.519 --> 00:18:03.059 And, of course, the eventual deliverance out 00:18:03.059 --> 00:18:07.319 of Egypt, the land of bondage. Again, we see 00:18:07.319 --> 00:18:12.640 God using lambs for the sacrifice for sins and 00:18:12.640 --> 00:18:16.500 for trespasses and for the peace offering. Faith 00:18:16.500 --> 00:18:20.859 in the mercy of God, using a little lamb for 00:18:20.859 --> 00:18:24.460 deliverance from the bondage of sin, and it gives 00:18:24.460 --> 00:18:29.839 us God's grace and peace. What's this image? 00:18:29.839 --> 00:18:32.380 They had to have faith that God said, okay, here's 00:18:32.380 --> 00:18:33.799 what you're gonna do. You're gonna do these things. 00:18:33.819 --> 00:18:35.420 You're gonna get a little lamb without spot and 00:18:35.420 --> 00:18:39.339 wrinkle, and you're gonna put him on this altar, 00:18:39.940 --> 00:18:42.559 and his blood's gonna be spilled for you. They 00:18:42.559 --> 00:18:45.240 had to believe what God was telling them in order 00:18:45.240 --> 00:18:51.180 to receive that grace. You know, even for all 00:18:51.180 --> 00:18:54.940 of Christendom, right? What's one of our symbols? 00:18:55.000 --> 00:18:58.000 It's called the Angus Day. It is this banner. 00:18:58.400 --> 00:19:01.660 This big pole with a flag is flying. It's got 00:19:01.660 --> 00:19:04.660 a cross on it. We're all like yeah Right, but 00:19:04.660 --> 00:19:08.019 what's at the base of that little banner a little 00:19:08.019 --> 00:19:13.720 tiny lamb? Why is there a lamb for deliverance? 00:19:14.680 --> 00:19:17.759 After all a lion sounds more glorious and more 00:19:17.759 --> 00:19:22.759 likely to be able to deliver his people We see 00:19:22.759 --> 00:19:26.519 that John later in Revelation 5 sees this dramatic 00:19:27.400 --> 00:19:30.700 situation unfolding, where he sees the mercies 00:19:30.700 --> 00:19:33.799 and judgments of God that close out the old covenant 00:19:33.799 --> 00:19:38.519 and brings in the new creation. And in this situation, 00:19:39.480 --> 00:19:42.920 here is this call. Who is worthy to open up this 00:19:42.920 --> 00:19:47.539 scroll, right? And it says this. What's this 00:19:47.539 --> 00:19:50.799 scroll? Who can open it up? This is the scroll 00:19:50.799 --> 00:19:54.859 from Daniel. Where this lays out all the things 00:19:54.859 --> 00:19:56.839 that's going to happen to transition the world 00:19:56.839 --> 00:19:59.680 from the old covenant to the new the old creation 00:19:59.680 --> 00:20:06.140 to the new creation and of course John says this 00:20:06.140 --> 00:20:08.200 you know the angel says who's worthy and it looks 00:20:08.200 --> 00:20:10.539 like no one is found and so John says in verse 00:20:10.539 --> 00:20:14.680 4 of Revelation 5 so I wept much because no one 00:20:14.680 --> 00:20:18.099 was found worthy to open and read the scroll 00:20:18.099 --> 00:20:22.490 or to look at it But one of the elders said to 00:20:22.490 --> 00:20:26.089 me do not weep behold the lion of the tribe of 00:20:26.089 --> 00:20:28.809 Judah and you can hear you never The lion of 00:20:28.809 --> 00:20:32.369 Judah, that's right Jesus is the fulfillment 00:20:32.369 --> 00:20:38.410 of Jesus of David rather and He is called the 00:20:38.410 --> 00:20:41.210 lion of Judah by the way just pointing back to 00:20:41.210 --> 00:20:45.849 the original Prophecy that that Jacob gives to 00:20:45.849 --> 00:20:48.869 Judah about being the one who holds the scepter. 00:20:48.970 --> 00:20:52.900 He calls him a whelp Like a little little baby 00:20:52.900 --> 00:20:55.559 lion you might be fine, but you're just a baby 00:20:55.559 --> 00:20:59.660 Right the root of David has prevailed to open 00:20:59.660 --> 00:21:02.980 the scroll and to lucid seven seals But then 00:21:02.980 --> 00:21:06.200 it says when he looked when John looks and behold 00:21:06.200 --> 00:21:08.420 in the midst of the throne and of the four living 00:21:08.420 --> 00:21:11.500 creatures And in the midst of the elders stood 00:21:11.500 --> 00:21:14.480 the lamb as though it had been slain having seven 00:21:14.480 --> 00:21:17.480 horns and seven eyes Which are the seven spirits 00:21:17.480 --> 00:21:21.839 of God sent out to all the earth? Then he came 00:21:21.839 --> 00:21:23.660 and took the scroll out of the right hand of 00:21:23.660 --> 00:21:28.480 him who sat on the throne So here it is our expectation 00:21:28.480 --> 00:21:31.819 is in strength many times our own strength to 00:21:31.819 --> 00:21:35.799 find deliverance, but God Consistently brings 00:21:35.799 --> 00:21:40.319 deliverance through what we see as the weak and 00:21:40.319 --> 00:21:45.309 the impossible We see in Genesis God takes an 00:21:45.309 --> 00:21:48.269 imprisoned slave to deliver the whole world from 00:21:48.269 --> 00:21:51.430 famine and preserve the seed of the woman. That 00:21:51.430 --> 00:21:57.170 is Jesus. In Judges we see Gideon's 300 men with 00:21:57.170 --> 00:22:01.930 torches and trumpets defeat a field of 135 ,000 00:22:01.930 --> 00:22:04.490 Midianites. Are you kidding me? They didn't even 00:22:04.490 --> 00:22:08.150 have swords. They had a torch in a clay pot that 00:22:08.150 --> 00:22:10.430 they waited to break open at the right time, 00:22:11.250 --> 00:22:17.279 right? And what else? A trumpet. And yet that's 00:22:17.279 --> 00:22:21.460 how God delivered. They repented of their sins 00:22:21.460 --> 00:22:27.059 and they obeyed. And there was deliverance. We 00:22:27.059 --> 00:22:33.099 see David against Goliath. We see Israel at the 00:22:33.099 --> 00:22:35.660 Red Sea with the whole Egyptian army coming down 00:22:35.660 --> 00:22:39.630 on them. And God brings deliverance to the people 00:22:39.630 --> 00:22:42.309 of Israel by leading them through the baptism 00:22:42.309 --> 00:22:48.309 of the Red Sea. Much, much later, we see King 00:22:48.309 --> 00:22:52.910 Hezekiah facing off with the Assyrian army. There's 00:22:52.910 --> 00:22:58.289 185 ,000 Assyrians surrounding Jerusalem. And 00:22:58.289 --> 00:23:01.910 Hezekiah goes to the Lord and says, have mercy. 00:23:02.800 --> 00:23:06.019 All the ways we've sinned, forgive us. Bring 00:23:06.019 --> 00:23:10.599 deliverance to us, please. They didn't even have 00:23:10.599 --> 00:23:15.200 to go outside the walls of Jerusalem. God Himself 00:23:15.200 --> 00:23:19.740 brought defeat against those 185 ,000. God wants 00:23:19.740 --> 00:23:23.180 us to trust in Him for our deliverance. Standing 00:23:23.180 --> 00:23:27.400 behind a little lamb for deliverance is God's 00:23:27.400 --> 00:23:29.920 way of telling us, don't trust in yourself and 00:23:29.920 --> 00:23:35.170 in what you think is strong. We look at our lives, 00:23:36.049 --> 00:23:39.390 the struggles, the challenges, and the hardships. 00:23:40.329 --> 00:23:43.609 And we look towards other means for deliverance. 00:23:44.490 --> 00:23:48.269 We often look to ourselves, and how are we going 00:23:48.269 --> 00:23:55.369 to deliver ourselves? Behold, the Lamb of God 00:23:55.369 --> 00:23:59.470 who takes away the sins of the world. That includes 00:23:59.470 --> 00:24:05.490 you. That includes of us This is important because 00:24:05.490 --> 00:24:10.049 what truly ails all of us this morning is our 00:24:10.049 --> 00:24:14.349 sinfulness Christ came and died for our sins 00:24:14.349 --> 00:24:19.410 So confess your sins and turn away for your own 00:24:19.410 --> 00:24:23.849 efforts in your salvation So much theology today 00:24:23.849 --> 00:24:26.769 so many churches are teaching a false gospel 00:24:26.769 --> 00:24:30.799 Because they say you choose you bring Dearly 00:24:30.799 --> 00:24:33.380 beloved the only thing we bring to our salvation 00:24:33.380 --> 00:24:37.099 is our wretched sinfulness and We are delivered 00:24:37.099 --> 00:24:41.200 from our sin because of the work of Jesus Christ 00:24:41.200 --> 00:24:45.480 So confess your sins and turn away from your 00:24:45.480 --> 00:24:50.640 own efforts in your salvation Now Jesus is revealed 00:24:50.640 --> 00:24:54.230 by having his titles named And this is what's 00:24:54.230 --> 00:24:56.170 interesting. He goes out, he has his title's 00:24:56.170 --> 00:24:58.630 name, and he immediately goes out and begins 00:24:58.630 --> 00:25:03.750 to name others, defining them in him. Right? 00:25:03.750 --> 00:25:07.769 We saw right there that Simon, the son of Jonah, 00:25:08.589 --> 00:25:12.170 was renamed into who God had him to be. That 00:25:12.170 --> 00:25:17.210 is Cephas the Rock. That's verse 42. And then 00:25:17.210 --> 00:25:21.490 a few verses later, we see Nathaniel, an Israelite 00:25:21.490 --> 00:25:24.420 that we're told, that Jesus declared an Israelite 00:25:24.420 --> 00:25:28.700 in whom there is no deceit. That's a very interesting 00:25:28.700 --> 00:25:31.660 thing that happens right there. In all of the 00:25:31.660 --> 00:25:36.619 gospels, Nathaniel is the only one named as an 00:25:36.619 --> 00:25:40.720 Israelite. What's the description used in the 00:25:40.720 --> 00:25:43.920 gospel for all the other people that we find 00:25:43.920 --> 00:25:48.839 in the land of Judea? They're Jews. Here though 00:25:48.839 --> 00:25:51.940 we have an Israelite Jesus names Nathaniel and 00:25:51.940 --> 00:25:54.900 Israelite. What's an Israelite a son of Abraham 00:25:54.900 --> 00:26:03.140 who actually believes and follows God Dearly 00:26:03.140 --> 00:26:08.400 beloved you have been named by Jesus as his in 00:26:08.400 --> 00:26:12.920 your baptism Jesus calls you to a life of confronting 00:26:12.920 --> 00:26:17.710 your sin and confessing your sin because you 00:26:17.710 --> 00:26:25.450 carry His name. Reigning sin is defeated for 00:26:25.450 --> 00:26:28.069 the Christian. You're no longer in bondage to 00:26:28.069 --> 00:26:32.130 it. But what we must do is deal with our remaining 00:26:32.130 --> 00:26:38.170 sin. What worries do you have now? What do you 00:26:38.170 --> 00:26:41.349 believe? Or who do you believe are your chief 00:26:41.349 --> 00:26:47.420 enemies? For some of you, The answer is your 00:26:47.420 --> 00:26:53.380 spouse. Might be your children. Maybe it's your 00:26:53.380 --> 00:26:57.579 coworkers. Maybe it's what's going on with your 00:26:57.579 --> 00:27:01.740 finances. Maybe it's in the labors of the education 00:27:01.740 --> 00:27:07.299 of your children. It might be loneliness. You 00:27:07.299 --> 00:27:10.160 might be pointing towards your community or country. 00:27:12.180 --> 00:27:14.640 Dearly beloved, let me tell you this before I 00:27:14.640 --> 00:27:20.730 go there. I want you to understand that you need 00:27:20.730 --> 00:27:26.069 to believe in the forgiveness of Christ. And 00:27:26.069 --> 00:27:31.089 then do what? You're set free. All of us come 00:27:31.089 --> 00:27:33.329 here in this room and we gather and glorify God, 00:27:33.609 --> 00:27:36.210 and we are grateful for the forgiveness of His 00:27:36.210 --> 00:27:38.690 sins, but we get bowed up because we forget that 00:27:38.690 --> 00:27:41.250 there's something that we are set free that we 00:27:41.250 --> 00:27:46.789 are to do, and that is to obey Him. So what happens 00:27:46.789 --> 00:27:51.009 is we become totally stymied, stuck, and we don't 00:27:51.009 --> 00:27:53.890 take the next step. We know that we're baptized. 00:27:53.950 --> 00:27:56.029 We know that our sins are forgiven. We know that 00:27:56.029 --> 00:27:58.170 we're no longer in bondage. And then what do 00:27:58.170 --> 00:28:02.549 we do? We waller in self -pity. And then all 00:28:02.549 --> 00:28:05.170 the things we think are the problems in our life, 00:28:06.029 --> 00:28:09.130 instead of believing Jesus, confessing your sin, 00:28:09.190 --> 00:28:11.609 and know that by the power of the Spirit, we're 00:28:11.609 --> 00:28:14.109 going to get to that in a second. You are enabled 00:28:14.109 --> 00:28:20.589 to do these things. Dearly beloved, Jesus is 00:28:20.589 --> 00:28:23.150 the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world, 00:28:23.589 --> 00:28:27.750 and this includes your sin. Jesus, the Son of 00:28:27.750 --> 00:28:30.029 God, in whom all authority in heaven and earth 00:28:30.029 --> 00:28:35.670 dwells, has claimed you. So stand with the Lamb. 00:28:36.630 --> 00:28:41.450 Your chief problem is your sin. Confess it. and 00:28:41.450 --> 00:28:45.049 believe Jesus has in fact delivered you from 00:28:45.049 --> 00:28:50.970 the bondage of your sin. Jesus is the light and 00:28:50.970 --> 00:28:54.710 life of the world. Trust in Jesus' work on the 00:28:54.710 --> 00:28:58.430 cross and so get up and walk in obedience to 00:28:58.430 --> 00:29:03.470 Him. You desire a better marriage? Confess sin 00:29:03.470 --> 00:29:06.700 and obey Him. I'm going to tell you right now 00:29:06.700 --> 00:29:09.579 across this church and across the Church of Jesus 00:29:09.579 --> 00:29:12.339 Christ broadly, there are people looking for 00:29:12.339 --> 00:29:15.559 every way to make their marriage better. So they're 00:29:15.559 --> 00:29:17.759 reading books, listening to podcasts, maybe even 00:29:17.759 --> 00:29:19.599 going to counseling, and none of those things 00:29:19.599 --> 00:29:22.380 are wrong, but they are not the way to a better 00:29:22.380 --> 00:29:26.819 marriage. The way to a better marriage is to 00:29:26.819 --> 00:29:30.920 confess your sin and then go walk in obedience 00:29:30.920 --> 00:29:33.849 to God. See we want to believe Jesus for the 00:29:33.849 --> 00:29:36.049 forgiveness of our sins But we don't want to 00:29:36.049 --> 00:29:37.950 believe that if we just simply do what he tells 00:29:37.950 --> 00:29:41.309 us to do that it'll work out We want to have 00:29:41.309 --> 00:29:43.849 faith in Jesus because it soothes our conscience 00:29:43.849 --> 00:29:48.269 for our sins, but we don't want to have in Jesus 00:29:48.269 --> 00:29:55.269 To obey him So what do we do we think our enemy 00:29:55.269 --> 00:29:58.730 is our husband or our wife or our children, or 00:29:58.730 --> 00:30:00.710 the other problems, or the other difficulties, 00:30:00.849 --> 00:30:03.930 or all those other rotten sinners out there, 00:30:04.869 --> 00:30:09.369 confess your sins. And then go and walk in obedience. 00:30:09.430 --> 00:30:16.650 You can. Do you desire less stress in your life? 00:30:17.710 --> 00:30:22.680 Confess your sin and obey. because you can because 00:30:22.680 --> 00:30:25.339 Jesus remember it said he one of the titles was 00:30:25.339 --> 00:30:28.900 he baptizes with the Holy Spirit because Jesus 00:30:28.900 --> 00:30:32.680 sent the spirit to give you a new heart if he 00:30:32.680 --> 00:30:34.420 says he gives you a new heart you have a new 00:30:34.420 --> 00:30:38.259 heart yes and do you have a new mind in Christ 00:30:38.259 --> 00:30:43.019 Jesus yes and so if you have a new heart a new 00:30:43.019 --> 00:30:46.220 mind you're able to obey him and in that you 00:30:46.220 --> 00:30:49.089 will bring light and life to the world You think 00:30:49.089 --> 00:30:51.490 there's darkness and confusion in your household? 00:30:52.730 --> 00:30:55.829 Confess your sins and be obedient, you, yourself. 00:30:56.750 --> 00:30:59.410 Children, are you listening to that? Confess 00:30:59.410 --> 00:31:04.349 your sins, be obedient, joyfully so. In Philippians 00:31:04.349 --> 00:31:08.269 chapter two, we see all this great stuff about 00:31:08.269 --> 00:31:10.890 Jesus coming down, and we all know that first 00:31:10.890 --> 00:31:16.009 part of Philippians two very well. And we see 00:31:16.009 --> 00:31:18.490 that he condescended to us, he stooped down low, 00:31:18.549 --> 00:31:21.549 he cared for us, he did all the things. And because 00:31:21.549 --> 00:31:24.650 of his obedient death on the cross, God lifts 00:31:24.650 --> 00:31:29.009 him up and all creation, every voice in history 00:31:29.009 --> 00:31:35.150 will say Jesus is Lord. We all go, right? We 00:31:35.150 --> 00:31:38.769 think, here's the lion. Well, here's the lamb. 00:31:39.750 --> 00:31:43.369 In verse 12 of Philippians chapter two, therefore, 00:31:43.630 --> 00:31:46.920 my beloved, You have always obeyed now. This 00:31:46.920 --> 00:31:49.059 is to the church and Philippi. This is all the 00:31:49.059 --> 00:31:52.779 Christians there But as you have always obeyed 00:31:52.779 --> 00:31:57.259 not as in my presence only But now much more 00:31:57.259 --> 00:32:01.099 in my absence Work out your own salvation with 00:32:01.099 --> 00:32:04.079 fear and trembling. What does this mean? Well, 00:32:04.079 --> 00:32:07.180 you believe Jesus is forgiving your sins You 00:32:07.180 --> 00:32:09.460 want to work out your salvation and fear and 00:32:09.460 --> 00:32:16.910 trembling? Obey what he says and trust that the 00:32:16.910 --> 00:32:20.410 creator of the world, the definer of all things 00:32:20.410 --> 00:32:23.950 says, this is how you're delivered. This is what 00:32:23.950 --> 00:32:27.609 brings you life and peace. This is what brings 00:32:27.609 --> 00:32:32.529 change to the world so that my will is done on 00:32:32.529 --> 00:32:35.849 earth as it is in heaven. And here's the thing, 00:32:35.890 --> 00:32:38.710 he says all this. How can you figure this out? 00:32:39.000 --> 00:32:42.380 And and and he says this for it is God who works 00:32:42.380 --> 00:32:45.759 in both to will and to do for his good pleasure 00:32:45.759 --> 00:32:48.319 Because Jesus died and he has sent the spirit 00:32:48.319 --> 00:32:52.779 you can do the will of God and please him and 00:32:52.779 --> 00:32:54.859 Then he says so here it is again. We're kind 00:32:54.859 --> 00:32:57.220 of like yeah this spiritual thing. God's doing 00:32:57.220 --> 00:33:00.460 Here's the tangible part for you right now. Are 00:33:00.460 --> 00:33:05.700 you ready verse 14? Right so you work out your 00:33:05.700 --> 00:33:08.359 your salvation and fear and trembling The spirit's 00:33:08.359 --> 00:33:10.660 going to give it to you. Here's the crux for 00:33:10.660 --> 00:33:15.339 you. Are you ready? Do all things without complaining 00:33:15.339 --> 00:33:20.920 and disputing. Every one of us in this room is 00:33:20.920 --> 00:33:23.940 guilty of complaining for the circumstances that 00:33:23.940 --> 00:33:28.319 we find ourselves in. We do not submit to the 00:33:28.319 --> 00:33:30.559 fact to say that this is God's providence in 00:33:30.559 --> 00:33:34.619 our life. Dearly beloved, stop complaining and 00:33:34.619 --> 00:33:36.980 disputing. You know where the disputing here 00:33:36.980 --> 00:33:40.529 is? This is debating with God as to whether or 00:33:40.529 --> 00:33:43.250 not if I do what he says that the things will 00:33:43.250 --> 00:33:47.589 work out the way he says them. Are you with me 00:33:47.589 --> 00:33:50.710 on that? The disputing a lot of times we think 00:33:50.710 --> 00:33:53.329 is with one another. That's not what this is 00:33:53.329 --> 00:33:55.990 talking about. We are disputing with God to say, 00:33:56.009 --> 00:33:57.890 yeah, I'll take your forgiveness, but I don't 00:33:57.890 --> 00:34:00.250 want to go be and do what you say and be obedient. 00:34:01.390 --> 00:34:04.910 In the hard providences and the good graces. 00:34:05.230 --> 00:34:11.030 that He gives us. Dearly beloved, believe in 00:34:11.030 --> 00:34:12.769 the Lamb that takes away the sins of the world, 00:34:12.789 --> 00:34:16.530 and then go and be obedient. And what does He 00:34:16.530 --> 00:34:20.309 say? Do all things without complaining and disputing, 00:34:20.550 --> 00:34:24.050 that you may become blameless and harmless. Harmless 00:34:24.050 --> 00:34:27.329 to what? Yourself and the world. Children of 00:34:27.329 --> 00:34:30.210 God without fault in the midst of a crooked and 00:34:30.210 --> 00:34:32.570 perverse generation, which we all admit that's 00:34:32.570 --> 00:34:39.889 where we are. And he says this, among whom you 00:34:39.889 --> 00:34:44.070 shine as lights in the world. Dearly beloved, 00:34:44.150 --> 00:34:47.570 when you walk in obedience to God, you will shine 00:34:47.570 --> 00:34:50.130 as lights to the world, bringing his truth to 00:34:50.130 --> 00:34:53.070 everyone else. You want to see your coworkers 00:34:53.070 --> 00:34:56.289 come to Christ and stop acting bad? Be a light 00:34:56.289 --> 00:34:59.349 in the world. You confess your sins and then 00:34:59.349 --> 00:35:02.059 walk in obedience to God. You want to see your 00:35:02.059 --> 00:35:04.360 marriages improve, your family life get better, 00:35:04.639 --> 00:35:07.960 confess your sin, and get up and be obedient. 00:35:14.099 --> 00:35:17.440 Behold, Jesus is the lamb who takes away the 00:35:17.440 --> 00:35:22.000 sin of the world. Believe it, confess it, and 00:35:22.000 --> 00:35:25.500 confess your sin, and go and obey all that Jesus 00:35:25.500 --> 00:35:29.320 commands. That's the battle. Not all these other 00:35:29.320 --> 00:35:33.699 struggles that vie for your attention. So ask 00:35:33.699 --> 00:35:37.059 in every situation and circumstance, what does 00:35:37.059 --> 00:35:41.139 God's word say? And if you've sinned, confess 00:35:41.139 --> 00:35:45.039 it. And then go and sin no more to the glory 00:35:45.039 --> 00:35:51.980 of God and be life and light to the world. Our 00:35:51.980 --> 00:35:55.199 biggest problem is our sin. Jesus is the lamb 00:35:55.199 --> 00:35:58.829 who takes away our sin. And because of the work 00:35:58.829 --> 00:36:02.570 of Jesus, we shine as His light to the world. 00:36:03.230 --> 00:36:07.969 Let us pray. Heavenly Father, we thank You for 00:36:07.969 --> 00:36:10.489 the refreshing power of Your Word and of Your 00:36:10.489 --> 00:36:13.409 Spirit. Make us ever mindful of the wealth that 00:36:13.409 --> 00:36:15.630 we have in Christ for the forgiveness of our 00:36:15.630 --> 00:36:18.510 sins and that the Holy Spirit has made us His 00:36:18.510 --> 00:36:22.949 habitation. Your love, mercy, and strength surround 00:36:22.949 --> 00:36:26.840 us. Your Word Your promises are in our hands 00:36:26.840 --> 00:36:30.579 and in our heart. How rich you are unto us, O 00:36:30.579 --> 00:36:34.480 Lord, and we to you. Help us to believe in the 00:36:34.480 --> 00:36:37.360 strong work of the Lamb, your Son, our Savior 00:36:37.360 --> 00:36:39.940 Jesus, who reigns with you in the Holy Spirit, 00:36:40.280 --> 00:36:42.219 world without end. Amen.