Sermon #2 John's Gospel 
BEHOLD THE LAMB OF GOD

A message by Pastor Donald Sheley
Church of the Highlands

John 1:6-50 
There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness of the light. The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world. 

He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God --children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God. 

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John testifies concerning him. He cries out, saying, "This was he of whom I said, "He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me. From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father's side, has made him known.

Now this was John's testimony when the Jews of Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, "I am not the Christ." 
They asked him, "Then who are you? Are you Elijah?" 
He said, "I am not." "Are you the Prophet?" He answered, "No." Finally they said, "Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?"
John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, "I am the voice of one calling in the desert. Make straight the way of the Lord." 
Now some Pharisees who had been sent questioned him, "Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?" 
"I baptize with water," John replied, "but among you stands one you do not know. He is the one who comes after me, the thongs of his sandals I am not worthy to untie." This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing. The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is the one I meant when I said, 'A man comes after me who has surpassed me because he was before me.'

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I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel. 

Then John gave this testimony: "I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. I would not have known him, except that the one who sent me to baptize with water told me. 'The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.' I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God."

The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, "Look, the Lamb of God." 
When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, "What do you want?" 
They said, "Rabbi" (which means teacher) "where are you staying?" "Come," he replied, "and you will see." 
So they went and saw where he was staying, and spent that day with him. It was about the tenth hour. 

Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, was one of the two who heard what John said and who had followed Jesus. The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, "We have found the Messiah" (that is, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus.
Jesus looked at him and said, "You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas" (which when translated, is Peter). 

The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, "Follow me." 
Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. Philip found Nathanael and told him, "We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote--Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." "Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?" Nathanael asked. "Come and see," said Philip. 
When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, "Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is nothing false." "How do you know me?" Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, "I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you."
Then Nathanael declared, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel." 
Jesus said, "You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You shall see greater things than that. He then added, "I tell you the truth, you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man." 

This is a large portion of Scripture, so let's divide it into three primary sections. (1) A Man Sent from God, (2) Jesus Christ, Man of Time and Lord of Eternity, (3) Man's Reaction to the Person of Jesus Christ.

(1) There was a man sent from God! John is immediately introduced as 'only a man' in contrast to the person of Jesus Christ who was introduced as the pre-existent Word, the Lord of eternity and Creator of all that exists! John was the son of a human father, whereas Jesus Christ was the only begotten Son of God. All through the Fourth Gospel, John is careful to point out again and

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again that the place of John the Baptist in the scheme of things was high, but that nonetheless, it was still subordinate to the place of Jesus Christ. Verse 7 tells us that John was sent as a WITNESS...and this is one of the key words of the Gospel. In fact, witness after witness is presented throughout John which give witness to the supreme place of Jesus Christ. Let's note some of them: 

(a) There is the witness of the FATHER. Jesus said: "The Father Himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me" (5:37). In His heart the inner voice of God spoke and that voice of God left Him in no doubt as to who He was and what He was sent to do. Jesus did not regard Himself as having Himself chosen His task. When persons were confronted with Christ there came to them the inner conviction that this was none other than the Son of God.

(b) There is the witness of JESUS HIMSELF. "I am one" He said, "that beareth witness of myself" (8:18). "Though I bear record of myself, yet is my record true." (8:14). What Jesus was proved to be His best witness. Unless His life and His character had been what they were, such claims as...I am the Light of the world...I am the Way...I am one with the Father...these claims would have been merely shocking and blasphemous. 

(c) There was the witness of HIS WORKS. He said: "The works that the Father hath given me to do...bear witness of me" (5:36). He tells Philip of His complete identity with the Father, and then goes on to say: "Believe me for the very works' sake" (14:11). No man could have done the mighty works that Jesus did unless He was closer to God than any other man ever was: but equally, no man could have lived that life of love and pity, compassion and forgiveness, service and held in the life of the every day, unless He had been in God and God in Him. 

(d) There is the witness which the SCRIPTURES bear to Him. Jesus said: "Search the scriptures for in them ye think ye have eternal life; and they are they which testify of me" (5:39). All through the history of Israel men had dreamed of the day when God's Messiah would come. They had drawn their pictures and set down their ideas of Him. And now in Jesus all these dreams and pictures and hopes were finally and fully realized and fulfilled. He for whom the world was waiting had come! 

(e) There is the witness of the LAST OF THE PROPHETS, JOHN THE BAPTIST. "He came for a witness to bear witness of that light" (1:7-8). 

(f) There is the witness of THE HOLY SPIRIT. "when the Comforter is come...even the Spirit of truth...He will bear witness of me (15:26). In the First Epistle John writes: "It is the Spirit that beareth witness, for the Spirit is truth" (1 John 5:6). To the Jew the Spirit had two functions. The Spirit brought God's truth to men, and the Spirit enabled men to recognize that truth when they saw it. It is the work of the spirit within our hearts which enables us to recognize Jesus for what He is and to trust Him for what He can do. 

John wrote his gospel to put before the world the unanswerable witness that Jesus Christ is the mind of God fully revealed to men. John the Baptist was sent

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from the very heart of God with the high calling and mission of introducing Jesus to His public ministry. And when you think of it...every believer, every Christian is a person with a mission! 

John 15:16 
"Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain; that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he will give it you." 

2 Corinthians 5:18-20 
"And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; to wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God."

John had a message...to bear witness of the Light. His purpose was not even to preach...his purpose was to lead men and women to believe in the Light. 

Observation! The servant of God has one primary purpose: to lead men and women to believe in Jesus Christ, the Light of the world! The servant's purpose is not to organize, to administer, to oversee, to manage, to teach or preach...his purpose is to lead people to Jesus! Everything else is method, not purpose. And far too frequently, man becomes so involved in method, or perfecting the method, that the purpose gets lost! All that we do should have just one purpose...helping people to know and love Jesus. 

Of John the Baptist, Jesus said: "Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist; notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he" (Matthew 11:11). John the Baptist's greatness was lifting Jesus up and reducing his posture and importance! "He must increase, and I must decrease"" (John 3:30). 

(2) IN THIS CHAPTER WE HAVE A WONDERFUL PRESENTATION OF JESUS CHRIST. THE MAN OF TIME AND THE LORD OF ETERNITY! 

Verse 14 
"And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father) full of grace and truth." 
Here we come to the sentence for the sake of which John wrote the Fourth Gospel. He thought and talked about the Word of God, that powerful, creative, dynamic word which was the agent and the cause of creation, that guiding, directing, controlling Word which put order into the universe and mind into man. That Word was none other than Jesus Christ. God in human flesh!

Paul writes in Philippians 2:5-8: "Your attitude should be the kind that was shown us by Jesus Christ, who, though he was God, did not demand and cling to his rights as God, but laid aside his mighty power and glory, taking the disguise of a slave and becoming like men. And he humbled himself even further, going so far as actually to die a criminal's death on a cross."

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1 Timothy 3:16 
"It is quite true that the way to live a godly life is not an easy matter. But the answer lies in Christ, who came to earth as a man, was proved spotless and pure in his Spirit, was served by angels, was preached among the nations, was accepted by men everywhere and was received up again to his glory in heaven." 

Hebrews 1:1-3 
"Long ago God spoke in many different ways to our fathers through the prophets [in visions, dreams, and even face to face] telling them little by little about his plans. But now in these days he has spoken to us through his Son to whom he has given everything, and through whom he made the world, and everything there is. God's Son shines out with God's glory, and all that God's Son is and does marks him as God. He regulates the universe by the mighty power of his command. He is the one who died to cleanse us and clear our record of all sin, and then sat down in highest honour beside the great God of heaven." 

Colossians 1:15-19 
"Christ is the exact likeness of the unseen God. He existed before God made anything at all, and, in fact, Christ himself is the Creator who made everything in heaven and earth, the things we can see and the things we can't; the spirit world with its kings and kingdoms, its rulers and authorities; all were made by Christ for his own use and glory. He was before all else began and it is his power that holds everything together. He is the Head of the body made up of his people--that is, his church--he began; and he is the Leader of all those who arise from the dead, so that he is first in everything; for God wanted all of himself to be in his Son." 

When John wrote these words...THE WORD BECAME FLESH AND DWELT AMONG US...it was a staggering new and unheard-of concept of God. John used a Greek word [sarx] which is used many times in the New Testament to describe what is called flesh, human nature in all its weakness and in all its liability to sin. In the early church, there were those who called themselves "Docetists." They believed that Jesus, in fact, was only a phantom, an appearance, only a walking spirit like a ghost, that He could not really feel hunger and weariness, sorrow and pain...that he was, in fact, a disembodied spirit in the apparent form of a man. John addressed this concept in his first epistle: "Hereby know we the Spirit of God. Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God; and every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God; and this is the spirit of Antichrist" (1 John 4:2,3). 

Jesus was not only fully God, but He was fully man! This is the Good News! God came to this world, in the person of Jesus Christ, to redeem us back to himself for the purpose He made us...to have fellowship with Him now and forever! John presents Jesus Christ with these words: BEHOLD THE LAMB OF GOD WHICH TAKETH AWAY THE SIN OF THE WORLD! So many wonderful truths are embodied in this title. As John spoke these

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words, Passover was very near. This was an extremely important day in the life of the Jewish nation for it was the celebration of the ancient night when the children of Israel were set free from the bondage of Egypt. The old story of the Passover was that it was the blood of the slain lamb which protected the houses of the Israelites on the night when they left Egypt (Exodus 12:11-13). On that night when the Angel of Death walked abroad and smote the first-born of the Egyptians, the Israelites were to smear their door-posts with the blood of the slain lamb, and the angel would see that blood which delivered them from destruction. Paul, too, thought of Jesus as the Passover Lamb (1 Cor. 5:7).

THE LAMB OF GOD! This name did not merely mean, as some have supposed, that Christ was meek and gentle as a lamb. This would be truth, no doubt, but only a very small portion of the truth. There are greater things here than this! It meant that Christ was the great sacrifice for sin, who was come to make atonement for transgression by his own death upon the cross. He was the true lamb which Abraham told Isaac at Moriah God would provide (Gen. 22:8). He was the true lamb to which every morning and evening sacrifice in the temple had daily pointed. He was the lamb of which Isaiah had prophesied, that he would be 'brought to slaughter' (Isaiah 53:7). He was the great propitiation for sin which God had covenanted from all eternity to send into the world. He was God's lamb! Please notice! In this passage, the peculiar work which John the Baptist describes Christ as doing. He says that he 'taketh away the sin of the world.' Christ is the only Saviour. He did not come on earth to be a conqueror, or a philosopher, or a mere teacher of morality. He came to save sinners. He came to do that which man could never do for himself, to do that which is essential to man's real happiness; He came to take away sins! Christ is a complete Saviour! He 'taketh away sin.' He did not merely make vague proclamations of pardon, mercy, and forgiveness. He 'took' our sins upon himself and 'bore them away.' He allowed them to be laid upon himself, and 'bore them in his own body on the tree' (1 Peter 2:24).

Christ is the perpetual and unwearied Saviour. He 'taketh away' sin. He is daily taking it away from every one that believes on him, daily purging, daily cleansing, daily washing the souls of his people, daily granting and applying fresh supplies of His mercy. He lives in heaven as a priest, to present his sacrifice continually before God.

John says: "Grace and truth came by Jesus Christ" (v. 17). "And of his fullness have all we received, and grace for grace" (v. 16). The word 'fullness' means the sum total of all that is in God. It is a word which Paul uses often. In Colossians 1:19, he says that all 'fullness' dwelt in Christ. In Colossians 2:9, he says in Christ there dwelt the 'fullness' of deity in a bodily form. He meant that in Jesus there dwelt the totality of the wisdom, the power and the love of God. Just because of that, Jesus Christ is inexhaustible! A man can go to Jesus with any need and find that need supplied. In Jesus the man to whom life is

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the search for knowledge, will find the supreme revelation. In Jesus, the man who feels that he cannot cope with life, will find the Master of life and power to live it! In Jesus, the man who is conscious of his sin, will find the forgiveness for his sin and the power to be good and righteous! 

(3) THERE IS ONE MORE MAJOR THEME THAT RUNS THROUGHOUT THIS FIRST CHAPTER OF THE GOSPEL OF JOHN. 

It has to do with man's reaction to the person of Christ.

John says in verses 10 through 12: 
"He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name." 

'World' is a major theme in John's gospel. Almost without exception 'world' has negative overtones: it is the 'world' organized in rebellion against God's rule and claim. It was to this world that Christ came in person, but, in character, his own did not receive him. People regularly exclaim at what they see as God's indifference to human tragedy and pain. If only God would appear and accept some responsibility or give some help, then perhaps they would recognize and follow him. In fact, as this gospel makes clear again and again, he is not indifferent; he does care! Indeed, he could not care more, and it is because of this that he came! But, when he came he was ignored and rejected! What a tragedy of history! "He came to his own" (the nation of Israel) and they rejected and killed him! There can be no more poignant expression of human folly and perversity than Israel's rejection of Christ. In spite of all the centuries of waiting for their promised Messiah, when at last he appeared, they not only dismissed his claim, but instigated his destruction. There is no ground here, however, for pointing the finger, for in all of this, Israel only typifies the folly of the human heart universally. The continuing widespread rejection of Christ in our generation is a daily witness to the universal rebellion against the living God in which each of us is involved. It is also a sobering reminder of the inevitability of coming judgment for such rejection! 

BUT NOT ALL CLOSE THEIR HEART TO THE LOVE AND SACRIFICE OF JESUS CHRIST! 

"But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God...."Another translation: He gave the right to become children of God! In a world where rank counted for everything, and the majority of the population were slaves without rights or freedoms (or any prospect of ever acquiring them) the gospel carried immense appeal as a message which promised to all people, irrespective of rank, nothing less than personal membership within the family of God. Nobodies were in a moment transformed into somebodies! In that moment of faith and trust in Jesus Christ, we are transformed from sinners into saints; from captivity in Satan's darkness and despair we are translated into the kingdom of God's Son!

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"When someone becomes a Christian he becomes a brand new person inside. He is not the same any more. A new life has begun!" (2 Corinthians 5:17) 

Verse 37-39 
"And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, what seek ye? They said unto him Rabbi (which is to say, being interpreted, Master) where dwellest thou? He saith unto them, Come and see. They came and saw..." 

WISE MEN STILL FOLLOW JESUS! Can you see them? They are drawn to Jesus...it may well be that they were too shy to approach Him directly, and they followed respectfully some distance behind. Then Jesus did something which was and is entirely characteristic of Him...He turned and spoke to them. He met them half way, He made things easier for them. He opened the door that they might feel welcomed into His presence. Here we have the symbol of the divine initiative! It is always God who takes the first step. When the human mind begins to seek and the human heart begins to long, God comes to meet us far more than half way! God does not leave a person to search and search until he comes to Himself; God goes out to meet the person! He came to seek and to save! 

"Look! I have been standing at the door and I am constantly knocking. If anyone hears me calling him and opens the door, I will come in and fellowship with him and he with me. I will let everyone who conquers sit beside me on my throne, just as I took my place with my Father on his throne when I had conquered." (Rev. 3:20) His invitation is still open--COME AND SEE! 

They came...they saw...they dwelt with Him. When searching hearts reach out to Jesus, when faith begins to stir within the human breast, when trust is placed in the person and work of Jesus Christ...Oh! What joy there is in abiding in Christ! 

AND WHEN CHRIST COMES TO DWELL WITHIN OUR HEARTS. THE MOST NATURAL THING WE WILL WANT TO DO IS SHARE THAT JOY WITH ANOTHER! 

"One of the two which heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, WE HAVE FOUND THE MESSIAH, which is being interpreted, the Christ." 

And he brought him to Jesus! Jesus! the eternal Word! Jesus! the Saviour of the world! Jesus! the only one who can forgive our sins and fill our hearts with divine peace and joy! We who have found Jesus, have experienced his love and mercy, should be joyfully sharing this wonderful news with others! Only to Him can mankind go...He has the words of eternal life! 

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on Him, should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16) 

"He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth upon Him." (John 3:36) 

"He that hath the Son hath life...." (1 John 5:12).