Lamb of God Jesus Christ to get rid of the sins John1:19-31

18 January 2022

John, a disciple of Jesus, wrote about the ministry and teaching of Jesus in the Gospels. The first day of the ministry of Jesus is verse 19-28 and the second day is verse 29-34.

John the Baptist Denies Being the Messiah

¹⁹Now this was John’s testimony when the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. ²⁰He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, “I am not the Messiah.” 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 wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’” ²⁴Now the Pharisees who had been sent ²⁵questioned him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Messiah, 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 straps 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.

John Testifies About Jesus

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.” (John 1 : 19-31)

It is written in verse 19 that John’s testimony is this, but this John is not the apostle John, the disciple of Jesus who wrote this Gospel, but John the Baptist. As written in verse 8 chapter 1, he first testifies that he is not the light, and then he testifies about the light, Jesus Christ.

People ask John, “Who are you?” (Verse 19). At first, he gives a negative answer. “I am not Christ” (verse 20) The characteristic of heresy is that they says “I am Christ.” He was be asked again. “Who are you?” (Verse 22) John now gives a positive answer. “I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.” (verse 23).

John the Baptist had a mission to prepare the way for Jesus to come, but Christians living in modern times also have a mission. It is to prepare for the way of Jesus to come again. We may also be asked, “Who are you?” Let us answer boldly. “I believe in Jesus Christ as my Savior.”

Their question goes into the second stage. Ask about the authority and reason of John who is baptizing. “Why are you baptizing?” (Verse 25) John the Baptist shifts his focus to Jesus. “the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.” (verse 27) It is important for us to shift the focus of the story from ourselves to Jesus.

It will be the next day. Finally, we will enter into a testimony about Jesus Christ, the light. Who is Jesus Christ? Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. (Verse 29) Today, the theme is “lamb”. John the Baptist saw Jesus and said. “Lamb of God to get rid of the sins of the world”

“Ghent Altarpiece” Mysterious Lambs and Worshipers　 / by Jan van Eyck / 1432

John’s mission was to prepare for the way of Jesus Christ and to reveal Jesus Christ. In verse 31 says that the purpose of John’s life was clear. It was to introduce Jesus Christ to the people of Israel and to reveal Jesus Christ. I think this should also be the purpose of Christian life.

” Look. ” (Verse 29) John said, “Look at Jesus Christ. Focus on Jesus Christ.” The basis of Christian life is to see Jesus Christ. We cannot see Jesus with the flesh, but we can see him with the eyes of the spirit and the eyes of faith. It may be said that the difficulty of religious life lies in the fact that we cannot actually see Jesus. It’s easy to focus on ourselves, our situation and environment, the people around us, and the flow of the world. it is written in Hebrews 12: 2 . Keep an eye on Jesus, the founder and perfecter of faith, .

One purpose of coming to church and worship is to refocus at the beginning of the week. This is to reaffirm the focus of life. In order to tell others, “Look at this one,” we cannot introduce him to others unless we are familiar with Jesus.

“Look at that man, he is the Lamb of God who will take away the sins of the world, take away your sins,” John said. This declaration is a hopeful word. But if we don’t know the Old Testament, it’s difficult to understand the beauty of this word.

“Lamb” is one of the key words to understand the teachings of the Bible. Is the “lamb” the Christian god? Of course not. But the important thing is that Jesus Christ was crucified as the “Lamb of God.”

“Ghent Altarpiece” Mysterious Lamb / by Jan van Eyck / 1432

I would like to see some important scenes in the Bible. First is Genesis Chapter 3. The first humans, Adam and Eve, were created by God. But they rebelled against God and sinned. Bible says Genesis 3: 7, “They sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.” They hid their shame. That wasn’t enough. If a strong wind blew, the leaves on their waist would have flown away (laughs).

It is written in 3:21, “The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.” God covered their shame with animal skins. The animal is being sacrificed because the leather garment comes out.

Adam and Eve have never seen an animal die. They didn’t even see blood. But instead of judging them, God prepared a substitute for Adam and Eve, and the blood of the animal (probably the sheep) spilled and died in front of them. Seeing that, they would definitely be shocked. When I first went to Papua New Guinea on a missionary trip, they prepared pigs and chickens to welcome and entertain me, but they killed them in front of me, so I I was shocked.

Adam and Eve would have felt this was terrible. But they realized that this sheep’s condition is their reality. It turns out that thanks to this animal (sheep), this blood and death saved their lives.

The same was true in Exodus. The Israelites were slaves in Egypt for 430 years. God said to Moses. “Shave the sheep and smear the blood of the sheep on the door of the house, and the judgment of God will pass. But if you do not smear the blood, the judgment will come down and the eldest son of the house will die. “

Such a conversation would have taken place at the house of Israel. Dad fetched a sheep and tried to squirm. The eldest son who was watching it would have shouted. “Dad, Why do you kill sheep? Did it do something wrong?” But he replies. “It can’t be helped. If we don’t kill the sheep, you’ll die. This sheep is your substitute. Either the sheep or you must be killed. I choose the sheep. For you to live. “This eldest son saw the corpse of a sheep in his place in front of him.

The Israelites kept this divine command and was saved, but the Egyptians did not, so the judgment of death came and was ruined. Through this great event, Israel was released from slavery, rescued, and able to escape Egypt.

Those who knew the Old Testament understood when John said, “Behold, the Lamb of God.” That this person will be killed in his place, shed blood, and die. What did Jesus Christ come to this world for? Why was he born? The primary purpose is to die on the cross for our sins. To get rid of our sins. Not to be punished and not to be judged by God. This is what Jesus has done for us on the cross.

Sheep are guilty and humans are forgiven. Sheep die and humans are given life. Positions are exchanged. Jesus Christ takes our position, is convicted, and we take the position of Jesus Christ. We are acquitted. This is the gospel. II Corinthians 5:21 says: God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

The fish called piranha that even eats people in the Amazon River. It’s scary. It has tremendously sharp teeth. When something appears in the river, piranhas attack in groups, leaving only the bones and eating everything. The teeth are sharp like a razor, and the jaws are so strong that they tear off and eat up in an instant. Therefore, it is difficult for both animals and humans to survive if they fall into a river with piranhas.

For shepherds who keep sheep in areas with piranhas, the hardest part is crossing the river with the sheep. Those who keep sheep near the river where the piranhas are, have learned the secrets of crossing the river through many years of experience. When they have to cross the river with livestock, first throw a sheep into the river as a sacrifice. And while the piranhas are swarming and eating it dozens of livestock from other places are gathered to cross the river.

Jesus Christ was a sacrifice, a Lamb of God. Who is Jesus Christ? What kind of person is he? Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. He is the one who removes our sins.