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You can turn in your Bibles to 
John's gospel. We're in chapter one. John chapter 
one. Remember the apostle John begins 
his book with what we call the prologue, verses one to 18. Basically 
what he shows us is a behind the scenes look at the word who 
became flesh and dwelt among us. In other words, he starts 
with theology before he gets to the economy of salvation. 
And then we see the testimony of John the Baptist. That's what 
we're considering this morning. verses 19 to 34. We looked at verses 19 to 28. 
Last time, we'll look at verses 29 to 34 this morning. But I'll begin reading in verse 
1. In the beginning was the Word, 
and the Word was with God. And the Word was God. He was 
in the beginning with God. All things were made through 
Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In him 
was life, and life was the light of men. And the light shines 
in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. There 
was a man sent from God, whose name was John. This man came 
for a witness, to bear witness of the light, that all through 
him might believe. He was not that light, but was 
sent to bear witness of that light. That was the true light, 
which gives light to every man coming into the world. He was 
in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world 
did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own 
did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, 
to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those 
who believe in His name, who were born not of blood, nor of 
the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. 
And the Word became 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. John bore witness of Him and 
cried out, saying, This was He of whom I said, He who comes 
after me is preferred before me, for He was before me. And 
of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. For the 
law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through 
Jesus Christ. No one has seen God at any time. 
The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He 
has declared Him." Now, this is the testimony of John, when 
the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, who 
are you? He confessed and did not deny, 
but confessed, I am not the Christ. And they asked him, what then? 
Are you Elijah? He said, I am not. Are you the 
prophet? And he answered, no. Then they 
said to him, who are you that we may give an answer to those 
who sent us? What do you say about yourself? 
He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness. Make 
straight the way of the Lord, as the prophet Isaiah said. Now 
those who were sent from them were, excuse me, now those who 
were sent were from the Pharisees. And they asked him saying, why 
then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor 
the prophet? John answered them saying, I 
baptize with water, that there stands one among you whom you 
do not know. It is he who coming after me 
is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy 
to lose. These things were done in Bethabara 
beyond the Jordan where John was baptizing. The next day John 
saw Jesus coming toward him and said, Behold the Lamb of God 
who takes away the sin of the world. This is He of whom I said, 
After me comes a man who is preferred before me, for he was before 
me. I did not know him, but that 
he should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with 
water. And John bore witness saying, 
I saw the spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and he remained 
upon him. I did not know him, but he who 
sent me to baptize with water said to me, upon whom you see 
the spirit descending and remaining on him, this is he who baptizes 
with the Holy Spirit. And I have seen and testified 
that this is the Son of God. Amen. Well, let us pray. Father, 
thank you for the written word of the true and living God, and 
we pray now for the ministry of the Holy Spirit. We pray that 
he would guide us and direct us and lead us, that he would 
shine the light upon this one described by the Baptist as the 
Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. We thank you 
for this principal office of our blessed Savior. We thank 
you that he is a prophet. We thank you that he is a king. 
God, we thank you that he's a priest, that he is both priest and victim, 
that he is both the offerer and the one offered. And he is that 
one who takes away the sin of his people. Bless our time now. Encourage and strengthen our 
weary hearts. Again, save those who are still dead in their trespasses 
and sins. And we ask this in Jesus' name. 
Amen. Well, as we come to the testimony 
of John the Baptist, we see similarities with the prologue of John the 
Apostle. They both testify concerning 
the divinity of Christ. Notice in verse 1, in the beginning 
was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And then John the Baptist ends 
his testimony in verse 34, confessing this is the Son of God. As we saw last week, John's testimony 
is broken down into two sections. First, there is this dispute 
with the religious leaders or a delegation from religious leaders 
in verses 19 to 28. Notice in verse 19, now this 
is the testimony of John when the Jews sent priests and Levites 
from Jerusalem to ask him, who are you? He's out there baptizing 
in the wilderness. At a time when there was no prophetic 
voice in Israel, John was a prophetic voice. So when this delegation 
comes to him, he denies that he's the Messiah. He says, I 
am not the Christ. As well, he denies that he's 
Elijah. He comes in the spirit and the power of Elijah, but 
he is not a reincarnated version or rather one that had dropped 
out of heaven. And then he denies as well that 
he's the prophet. And the prophet there hearkens 
back to Deuteronomy 18. Again, there was messianic expectation 
in the first century, and John the Baptist wants to make sure 
that nobody mistakes him for the Messiah. Now, in verses 29 
to 34, Jesus is present. In the previous testimony, or 
dispute rather, with the delegation, Jesus isn't there. But notice 
in verse 29, the next day, John saw Jesus coming toward him. So in the first place, John makes 
a declaration of Jesus' mission. You see that in verse 29. And 
then secondly, he highlights the dignity of Jesus' person 
in verses 30 to 34. So we have a declaration of his 
mission, verse 29, and we have the dignity of his person in 
verses 30 to 34. So let's pick up first at the 
declaration of his mission. Now we're going to go a bit slowly 
through this section. So I don't want anybody to worry. 
If it looks like it's getting late, we won't try to jam in 
verses 30 to 34. God willing, there'll be a next 
Sunday. And if not, we'll see on the other side. That would 
be even more incredible and even more remarkable to behold the 
Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world in His land, 
Emmanuel's land. But notice in the first place, 
with reference to the declaration of his mission, John highlights 
the arrival of the Savior. It's a small word, it's only 
one word, but it's a word that demands our attention. Notice, 
the next day, John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, Behold. And the word simply means to 
behold. It means to see. It means to 
pay attention. In fact, in BDAG, which is a 
lexicon of the great language, here it gives the definition 
as a marker of strong emphasis. A marker of strong emphasis, 
see. The use of the word underscores 
the importance of the one that John the Baptist is now pointing 
to. So John the Baptist has said, 
I'm not the Christ, I'm not Elijah, I'm not the prophet. The next 
day, Jesus comes walking toward him. John lays eyes upon him 
and John says, behold, In other words, he underscores the importance 
of the one to whom he is now looking. And it's this particular 
reference, or at least this particular function of John the Baptist's 
ministry, that lends itself to Jesus' comment in Matthew 11. 
Jesus says that John was more than a prophet. What does he 
mean by that? Well, John the Baptist, like 
the Old Testament prophets, prophesied concerning the coming of the 
Messiah. So John the Baptist does that. 
He's in the wilderness. He's the voice of one crying 
out. He is making straight the path of Yahweh. But now John 
not only announces his coming, he announces his arrival. And 
so John has that privilege in redemptive history, to not only 
be one who prophesies concerning the coming of Christ, but to 
also declare and identify the arrival of Christ. Now, when 
John says, behold, and especially when he employs the language 
of Lamb of God, I think John is reminiscing upon the Old Testament. In other words, this was a key 
time in redemptive history when the Messiah prophesied in the 
Old Testament would come to his people to save them from their 
sins. Genesis chapter three gives the 
first promise concerning the Redeemer. Genesis 3, 15, God 
says to the devil, and I will put enmity between you and the 
woman and between your seed and her seed. He shall bruise your 
head and you shall bruise his heel. Now what seems to be a 
bit vague for us New Covenant readers is actually quite vivid 
when we consider the rest of the Bible in terms of Genesis 
3.15. The champion, the Messiah, the 
promised victor that God would send would in fact be a man. I will put enmity between you 
and the woman and between your seed and her seed. He would be 
the seed of a woman. And notice the specific reference 
only to the woman. Again, it's not a full blown 
out developed doctrine of the virgin birth, but it certainly 
fits in well with what we find out concerning Messiah and his 
birth by the virgin. Also, it describes how this victor 
would engage in triumph. It says, he shall bruise your 
head and you shall bruise his heel. So there is a comparative 
statement. The devil will bruise the heel 
of the servant of the Lord. How does he do that? The sufferings 
of Jesus Christ, the death of Jesus Christ. But in that, the 
seed of the woman crushes the head of the serpent. In that, 
the seed of the woman is victorious. The seed of the woman does triumph. 
And as we move on from Genesis chapter 3, especially to Genesis 
chapter 12, and the call of Abram out of Ur of the Chaldeans, we 
see the family of the Messiah begin to narrow down. We see 
it's now located in Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. In Galatians 
chapter 3 at verse 16, the apostle calls the seed of Abraham, Jesus 
Christ. He doesn't say it's all ethnic 
Jews that have ever lived or ever will live. No, the seed 
of Abraham is our Lord Jesus Christ, the one in whom all of 
the nations of the earth will be blessed. And then as you move 
on in redemptive history, it's not just the family of Abraham, 
but it's the specific family of David. 2 Samuel chapter 7, 
God makes a covenant with David concerning kingdom. And he says 
that from your line, I will raise up a son. I will sit him on my 
throne. He will build a house for my 
name and of his kingdom, there will be no end. And so when John 
the Baptist sees Jesus Christ, that behold carries with it the 
weight of biblical prophecy. The Lord Christ has arrived on 
scene, the one who was in eternity, the one who's co-eternal with 
the father, who is distinct from the father, but consubstantial 
with the father in time. enters into history and becomes 
man. He takes on our humanity, he 
assumes our flesh, and he lives for us, he dies for us, and he's 
raised again for us. The promise of the Messiah throughout 
the Old Testament. One man, James Hamilton, says 
the Old Testament is a thoroughly messianic document. See, we read 
the Old Testament simply for principles, and how to dare to 
be a Daniel, and how to face our giants. That's not how the 
Old Testament is supposed to be read. Jesus condemns the religious 
leaders of His day. You search the Scriptures, for 
in them you think you have eternal life, but these are they which 
testify of Me. Peter in Acts chapter 10, we 
saw this a few weeks ago in a baptismal service with reference to Cornelius. 
What does Peter say to the Gentile Cornelius? To him, all the prophets 
give witness that through his name, everyone who believes in 
him will receive forgiveness of sins. So for John the Baptist, 
living in this wonderful time in redemptive history, when his 
eyes gaze upon the Lord Jesus Christ, He doesn't say, oh look, 
the new teacher, oh look, the revolutionary, oh look, the reformer. That's not what he says. He says 
the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Notice, 
not only the arrival of the Savior is indicated for us, but notice 
the nature of his mission. And there's two things to observe 
here. First, his function, and secondly, his purpose. Notice 
the function of this man. The next day, John saw Jesus 
coming toward him and said, behold the Lamb of God. Again, that 
is a passage or rather a description of Jesus that is loaded with 
theological freight. It is heavy, it is dripping as 
it were, good fruit concerning what the Old Testament declares 
concerning the Lamb of God. Again, this isn't accidental 
on the part of John the Baptist. He's not just pointing out a 
new teacher. He's not just pointing out a new philosopher. He's pointing 
to the Redeemer. In other words, Christ comes 
to meet man's greatest need, not just more education, not 
socioeconomic benefit, but redemption by a holy God, ultimately from 
a holy God. In other words, Jesus saves us 
from the wrath and fury of God most high. And so John the Baptist 
calls him the Lamb of God. There's two things we ought to 
consider. The function, or rather the general use of the Lamb in 
the Old Testament, the various sacrifices. I've often thought 
for a person that had never heard the gospel, had never understood 
anything about the Bible, had never come to Genesis, had never 
read through Exodus or Leviticus or Numbers or Deuteronomy, and 
then they meet this Jesus in John 1, 29, and he's called the 
Lamb of God. What would they conclude about 
that? Well, probably not a whole lot different than what many 
professing Christians conclude because we're ultimately ignorant 
of the Old Testament by and large, but with reference to the use 
of lambs in the sacrificial system. The lamb was used for the Passover 
in Exodus 12, 5. Could be a lamb of the goats 
or a lamb of the sheep. It was utilized in the daily 
sacrifices, Exodus 29. It was used in burnt offerings, 
though not exclusively. You could use other things in 
Leviticus 1. It was used for peace offerings. 
Again, not exclusively, but you used lambs in Leviticus 3. as 
well sin offerings, though not exclusively, Leviticus chapter 
4, and then in guilt offerings in Leviticus chapter 14. So the 
Lamb of God has with it a lot of connotation that the people 
of God ought to take time to unpack and they ought to meditate 
upon, they ought to contemplate and consider, because there's 
a world of hope, a world of encouragement, a world of blessing and privilege 
held out by this title of our blessed Savior. As well, in the 
Old Testament, there was a demand for purity on the part of the 
Lamb. In Leviticus 22, verses 17 to 
33, When you brought an animal to sacrifice to the Lord, I know 
this is gonna sound odd, it's gonna sound counter-cultural, 
it's gonna sound almost revolutionary, but when you brought an animal 
to present to Yahweh, it was supposed to be your best. You 
didn't try and find the worst in your flock. You didn't try 
and find the one that was lame. You didn't try to find the one 
that was blind. You didn't find the one that 
was second in every barnyard fight that there was. You brought 
the best. What's the idea? What's the significance? Your God is glorious. Your God 
is majestic. Your God is supreme. Your God 
made this world. Your God governs this world. 
Your God has redeemed you out of this world. And you're gonna 
grab the worst of your animals as a token of your gratitude 
in payment back to God, not payment for atonement, but an expression 
of gratitude for God's having been beneficent to you. This 
was the sin in Malachi's day. The prophet Malachi comes under 
God to indict the nation and specifically the priests. As 
the priest goes, so went Israel. And you know what the priests 
were doing in temple worship at the time of the prophet Malachi? 
Again, they were accepting the lame. They were accepting the 
blind. They were accepting the worst 
of the flock. And God through the prophet says, 
do you think your governor would be impressed? In other words, 
try to pay your taxes to the pagan governor with the worst 
possible thing you can offer up. Do you think he'd like that? 
Do you think he'd approve of that? Do you think he'd say that's 
okay? No, God says, I am a great king as well. The people of God 
or the professing people of God at the time of Malachi even went 
so far as to, now again, brace yourself, steal sacrifice to 
present at the temple. I've often thought that if you're 
in the process of stealing a sacrifice to offer it up to God, you've 
hit rock bottom. You're at the lowest of the lows. 
You can't get any worse. The idea of sacrifice is to deprive 
yourself of something and to give it to one who is altogether 
lovely and chief among 10,000. But that's what they were doing 
at the time of Malachi the prophet. And when it comes to this particular 
mandate, the demand for purity in Leviticus chapter 22, verses 
17 to 33, listen to the apostle Peter as he muses on this relative 
to the person of Christ. He says in 1 Peter 1.19, but 
you're not redeemed with those sort of worthless things, but 
with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish 
and without spot. In other words, when God comes 
to deal, when God comes to initiate, when God comes to rectify the 
problem, He doesn't send the worst, He doesn't send the lame, 
He doesn't send the maimed, He sends His only begotten Son. 
He sends the one in whom is all grace and truth. He sends the 
one who is the Word, the Word that was with God, the Word that 
is God. Nevertheless, He becomes flesh. 
He assumes our humanity with all of the essential properties, 
all of the common infirmities thereof, and yet without sin. 
He identifies with us in order to redeem us. So when it comes 
to our salvation, the Father gives the best. So you see, when 
we consider these things, our hearts should be drawn out in 
worship. We should praise, we should adore. When we sing these songs, it 
ought not to be just a little bit of mumbling it out. We ought 
to belt it out to the majesty of God Almighty, because He is 
worthy, because He has saved us, because He's gone to these 
great lengths in order to redeem us, us, horrible, guilty, vile, 
helpless sinners. That's who we're dealing with. 
The object that God sets his affection upon is not somebody 
that's upright, somebody that's polished, somebody that's pure. 
He's come for the likes of you and me. He's come for sinners. 
The apostle describes it in Romans 5, 8, God demonstrates his own 
love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died 
for us. The glory of John 3.16, God so 
loved the world. It isn't that the world is so 
lovely, it's just the opposite. The grandness and the greatness 
and the measured love of God is set in contrast to the unloveliness 
of the world. But back to our text, there's 
this general reference in terms of the Lamb in the Old Testament. 
But then I want to look at three specific applications. I'm not 
suggesting that these are actually what was in the mind of the Baptist. 
Exegesis can go far, but it certainly can't uncover the minds of men 
as they make pronouncements in terms of the Lamb of God. But 
there are three pieces of evidence in the Old Testament, three passages, 
that we should be alerted to with reference to this title 
of Messiah. Turn to Genesis chapter 22. Genesis 
chapter 22. In this first point, I want to 
show the initiative of God the Father in the salvation of sinners. the initiative of God the Father 
in the salvation of sinners. And I think Genesis 22 certainly 
points in that direction. The arrival of the Lamb of God. 
He doesn't come in a vacuum, as Paul says in Galatians 4.4, 
in the fullness of the time, God sent forth his son, born 
of a woman, born under the law. Genesis 3.15, God says, I will 
put enmity. In other words, brethren, as 
we ponder our so great a salvation, we mustn't ever forget divine 
initiative. We must parrot, we must sing 
alongside of Jonah in Jonah 2, 9, when he says, salvation is 
of the Lord. We must take our stand with the 
saints, the redeemed in heaven, who cry out to God and to the 
lamb who sits upon the throne. And what do they cry out? Salvation 
belongs to you. In other words, we didn't make 
a good decision one day. We weren't wiser than other people. 
We're not smarter than everyone else around us. We're certainly 
not more righteous or pure. We're certainly not more virtuous. 
The fact that we're saved is owing to the glory of God Most 
High and His grand initiative. If you're not familiar with Genesis 
chapter 22, I'll just give you the basic sketch. Genesis 22 
indicates that God tells Abraham to take his son, his only son, 
the son whom he loves, up to Mount Moriah and to sacrifice 
him. Now, there's a piece of text 
in verse two that tells us that God's testing Abraham. Abraham 
didn't have that text, brethren. As far as Abraham was concerned, 
God was doing this in order to demonstrate something of God 
and something about Abraham. We know that it's a test. We 
know how it turns out. We've seen the famous painting 
when the angel of the Lord stops Abraham from driving the knife 
into Isaac. Notice as well the significance 
of the place. Take him up to Mount Moriah. 
Now, for those who have read and are understanding of the 
Old Testament, that is the place where the temple would be built. 
It is a sacrifice mountain, as it were. And so God tells Abraham 
to take his son, his only son, the son whom he loves. Again, 
the language is reminiscent of that relationship between the 
father and the son. And he tells him to take him 
up and to sacrifice him. Isaac is probably not four. Maybe 
not 24, he's probably a late teens, maybe early 20 at the 
time. He's not a dim bulb, he understands 
what's happening. Notice, at least to some degree. 
Notice in verse 6, so Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering 
and laid it on Isaac, his son. And he took the fire in his hand 
and a knife, and the two of them went together. But Isaac spoke 
to Abraham, his father, and said, my father. And he said, here 
I am, my son. Then he said, look, the fire 
and the wood, but where is the land for a burnt offering? Now 
notice what Abraham says, my son, God will provide for himself 
the lamb for a burnt offering. There's a world of good theology 
in Abraham here. There is a world of gospel in 
Abraham here. The Lord will provide for himself. The father sends the son of his 
love. The father sends his only begotten 
son. The father initiates. It's the 
father's plan and purpose. There are those who teach that 
Christ came to get the Father to love us. No, the cross didn't 
procure the Father's love, rather the cross is an expression of 
the Father's love. And then notice, after the transaction, 
after the angel of the Lord stays Abraham's hand so that he does 
not kill Isaac, look at verse 13. Then Abraham lifted his eyes 
and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket 
by its horns. So Abraham went and took the 
ram and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son." 
There's substitutionary blood atonement in Genesis chapter 
22. It's already present in Genesis chapter three. When God clothes 
Adam and Eve with the skins of animals, he doesn't zip the costume 
off the bear and place it on those two. He kills the animals. He takes their skins and he covers 
them in their filth and in their degradation. Blood atonement 
is what the Baptist is announcing when he sees the Lamb of God. 
As well, turn over to Leviticus chapter 16. The sacrificial system 
indicates not only divine provision, or I'm sorry, the divine initiative 
for salvation is seen there clearly in Genesis 22, but secondly, 
the sacrificial system shows the provision for sinners by 
God. Now, Paul tells us in the book 
of Hebrews that the blood of bulls and goats can never take 
away the sins of man, but they prefigured, they were types and 
shadows, and they pointed forward to the Lamb of God who takes 
away the sin of the world. So the old covenant worshiper 
was saved by grace, through faith in Jesus, and these sacrifices 
helped his faith. These sacrifices helped his understanding. These sacrifices furthered his 
interest in the coming Messiah. Just like we look back in history 
to the Messiah, they look forward in history, but it's the same 
Messiah by which they had salvation. Now, the sacrificial system, 
it's all throughout the books of Exodus and Leviticus. You 
see it in Numbers and Deuteronomy as well. But here in Leviticus 
chapter 16, you have what's called the Day of Atonement. And again, 
we could say a lot about the sacrificial system, but I think 
at least in terms of the centrality of blood atonement, you see it 
indicated here very richly in Leviticus chapter 16. specifically 
at verses 15 to 19 and then at verses 20 to 22. Essentially 
what you have is the killing of one goat and then the driving 
out of another goat. So the high priest on that one 
day, that one day of atonement, this wasn't a regular occurrence, 
this didn't happen as a daily sacrifice. There was one day 
out of Israel's calendar in the year where the high priest alone, 
not the king, not the other priests, not the, you know, parishioners, 
not the members, not covenant citizens, but the one man went 
into the Holy of Holies for the nation. And with that first goat, 
he did, or he killed it and he took blood. And when he went 
in behind the veil, he poured the blood on the mercy seat. 
Why? Because we need God's wrath propitiated. In other words, God is angry 
with the wicked every day, according to Psalm 711. And when it comes 
to our understanding, we are actually those ones that God 
is angry with every day, we will see the need for atonement. We 
will see the need for covering, which is sort of the essential 
meaning with reference to atonement. And so the priest would kill 
the animal and then take the blood into that Holy of Holies, 
and he would pour out the blood on the mercy seat. And intriguingly, 
he had to make atonement for himself. Christ didn't, because 
Christ was holy, harmless, and undefiled. but the priest also 
made atonement for his household. And then he made atonement for 
Israel, not the heathen around the people of Israel. This was 
a particular redemption. This was definite atonement. 
This wasn't willy-nilly for anybody that might want to activate it 
through their own free will. No, he went in there for the 
sins of Israel. Now comes the second goat. So 
he's killed the one, he's taken the blood into that place. And 
with that second goat, it's symbolic. It demonstrates God in Christ 
reconciling the world to himself. We just sang, my sin, oh, the 
bliss of this glorious thought. My sin, not in part, but the 
whole, is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more. Praise 
the Lord, praise the Lord. If we would have been living 
at the time of Leviticus 16, and if Spafford's hymn would 
have been available to us, we would have sang, my sin, oh, 
the bliss of this glorious thought. My sin, not in part, but the 
whole, is laid on this goat and driven away. Praise the Lord, 
praise the Lord. It was a picture of what God 
does in atonement. And so the high priest takes 
his two hands, he lays them onto the goat, and he confesses. not 
inequity, not some past sort of thing, not some social justice 
warriorism. He confesses the sins of Israel, 
the breach of the Decalogue. We have been idolaters. We have 
been blasphemers. We have been Sabbath breakers. 
We have been insubordinate to lawful authority. We've been 
murderers. We've been adulterers. We've been thieves. We've been 
liars. And we've been covetous. He lays 
those hands on that goat, and then he drives that goat. out 
into the wilderness. Brethren, I realize not everybody 
in Israel was saved, but the ones who were saved, could you 
imagine the blessedness of that day? I mean, we have it in the 
supper. As often as you eat this bread 
and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. 
Do we do that with hard and cold calloused hearts? No, we do it 
joyfully. We do it happily. We do it corporately 
and individually. We proclaim the gospel of our 
salvation in the visible sign that God has given to the new 
covenant community. The same obtained with the old 
covenant saint. That remnant, according to God's 
grace, saw that goat driven out into the wilderness and he rejoiced. He praised. He understood that 
no longer will sin keep me from my holy God. As one commentator 
says with reference to the significance of the event, he says, the two 
goats thus symbolize both propitiation for sins by death and the complete 
removal of the sins for which atonement was made. In other 
words, it was complete, it was efficacious. Now, of course, 
because it wasn't Christ, it had to be replicated each and 
every year as a tutoring method to keep the people pointed forward 
onto the Messiah or the Lord Jesus Christ. In the language 
of Michael Morales in his excellent book on Leviticus, it's a biblical 
theology of the book of Leviticus. I highly recommend it. He says, 
Israel's sins must be dealt with, expiated. Only a cleansed humanity 
may belong to Yahweh. The way to God then is through 
a bloody knife and a burning altar. So when John says, behold 
the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, I guarantee 
you, brethren, if not these particular texts, texts like them suggested 
themselves to the minds of those who now laid eyes upon the Lamb 
of God who takes away the sin of the world. And then one final 
passage before we go back to John's Gospel. You hopefully 
are guessing the prophet Isaiah. Isaiah chapter 53. Isaiah chapter 53. The prophet 
there deals with the servant of Yahweh. There's four songs 
in the prophecy of Isaiah. We call them the servant songs 
of Yahweh, the servant songs of the Lord. And you find one 
in 42, you find one in 49, you find one in 50, and then you 
find the last one here in chapters 52 and 53. And what these servant 
songs do is they provide for us various facets or aspects 
concerning the Messiah that would come. Remember, in John 1, 29, 
behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. These 
persons had the Old Testament. These persons knew their Bibles. These persons were conversant 
with the prophets. These persons understood the 
significance of Mount Moriah. They understood the significance 
of Abraham announcing that God would provide for himself. They 
understood these things. So when they now gaze upon the 
Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, the weight 
of redemptive history is now flowing or rather terminating 
upon this blessed one who they see with their eyes. So in Isaiah 
53, we have his humiliation, we have his suffering, we have 
his death, and we have his triumph. But notice specifically at verse 
7. It said, well, back to verse 
6, all we like sheep have gone astray. See, the Bible sort of 
parallels us as well to that particular animal. But it's not 
positive. We ought not to say, hey, I'm 
just like a sheep. That's typically never a good 
sort of thing to confess. I mean, we have the Lamb of God 
who takes away the sin of the world and in that we greatly 
rejoice. But in terms of the Bible's sort of paralleling or 
metaphorically speaking of us in that capacity, it's not typically 
to celebrate our ingenuity. It's not typically to celebrate 
our wisdom. It's not typically to celebrate 
how great we are. Notice in verse six, all we like 
sheep have gone astray. We have turned everyone to his 
own way, and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. 
Now notice in verse 7, he, the servant of the Lord, was oppressed, 
and he was afflicted. Yet he opened not his mouth, 
he was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers 
is silent, so he opened not his mouth. So going back to John's 
gospel, John 1 at verse 29, he gives the nature of the mission 
of the Lamb of God. His function is just that, Lamb 
of God. But then notice the purpose. 
Why is he the Lamb of God? Certainly just based on those 
few verses we've surveyed, we can sort of guess the answer. 
But if we look at this, verse 29, he tells us, the Lamb of 
God who takes away the sin of the world. That's wonderful. If you've never felt yourself 
or known yourself to be a sinner, then this is gonna go right over 
your head. It's like trying to describe color to a blind man. You know, you meet people all 
the time and they think, yeah, pretty good. I'm all right, never 
killed anybody. I've never committed adultery. 
I've never done anything really bad. I was brought up in a Christian 
home, or I was brought up in a moral home, or I just tried 
to stay on the straight and narrow and say, yeah, this sin thing, 
you guys, you Christians always go on about. I just don't get 
it. If you don't get it, this text isn't gonna make sense to 
you. You have to understand what sin is. Sin is bad. I don't know 
how better to describe it. It's just bad. What Ralph Barnard 
would tell people, the Bible doctrine of total probity means 
you're just plum bad. Just plum bad. That's what it 
means. We're estranged from God. We're 
alienated from our Creator. We not only hate him, but as 
scripture tells us, he's not thrilled with us either. In Romans 
5, when Paul is celebrating reconciliation, it's not so much that we now 
see God favorably, but it's that God sees us favorably through 
the work of the Messiah. And so when we see that phrase, 
who takes away the sin of the world, there is great encouragement 
for the people of God, again, to celebrate, to rejoice, to 
praise, and to adore him. But if you're not the people 
of God, pay attention. Listen, because there might be 
something here in this next little bit that you can cleave to, by 
God's grace, through faith, looking unto Jesus, and understand the 
significance of, He takes away the sin of the world. In the 
first place, the verb that John uses signifies two things. It 
signifies first, taking up, and then secondly, taking away. Does 
Jesus do that? Yeah! In fact, John Calvin makes 
the observation with reference to the verb. As the latter, taking 
away, depends upon the former, taking up, I gladly embrace both. Namely, that Christ, by bearing 
our sins, takes them away. So the first meaning is relative. He takes up our sin. What does 
that mean? Well, it certainly means Isaiah 
53 and verse 4. There the prophet says, surely 
he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows, yet we esteemed 
him stricken, smitten by God and afflicted. Or Peter the Apostle 
in 1 Peter 2.24, who himself bore our sins in his own body 
on the tree, that we having died to sins might live for righteousness 
by whose stripes you were healed. Or consider Paul in 2 Corinthians 
5.21, God made him Christ who knew no sin to be sin for us. Not that he himself was morally 
impure, not that he himself had ever committed adultery, but 
our sin is imputed to the Savior, so that his righteousness can 
be imputed to us. 2 Corinthians 5.21 is glorious. God made him who knew no sin 
to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God 
in him. So He takes up our sin to the cross, and there He's 
punished in our stead, so that He can take away our sin in that 
blessed remission, that blessed forgiveness, that blessed covering 
by His blood. We don't need the blood of bulls 
and goats. We don't need the typical significance 
of the Day of Atonement. We have the once-for-all sacrifice 
of the Lamb of God, who took upon Himself our sin and the 
punishment due for it, such that He could take away our sins, 
when by grace we believe. It is most blessed, it is most 
wonderful, it is most glorious. And as I've said before, and 
I feel sorry for you, brethren, that have been here the whole 
24 years, I'm not getting more creative as I move on in my life. 
I am not getting more innovative. My horizons aren't expanding 
in terms of that many more sort of illustrations. But what I've 
said and what I hope I'll say in my dying breath is that one 
of the chief boons of the Christian gospel is the forgiveness of 
sins. There is nothing better than 
to be forgiven. There's nothing better than to 
have that blood atonement. There is nothing better than 
to be able to sing with a heartfelt joy, my sin, oh the bliss of 
this glorious thought. My sin, not in part, but the 
whole, is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more. Praise 
the Lord, praise the Lord. If you don't know the forgiveness 
of sins, listen to John the Baptist concerning the Lamb of God. He 
takes it away by having taken it up, by having received in 
himself the punishment that was due for us. We speak of substitutionary 
atonement. He went in the place of his people 
and there took the penalty and wrath of God. He went in the 
place of his people to exhaust the wrath of God on our behalf. Remember in Gethsemane, Christ 
knows all too well what lay on the other side in terms of Golgotha. That's why his soul is exceedingly 
sorrowful, even unto death. He has the cup of God's wrath. 
He says, according to his humanity, Father, if it is possible, let 
this cup pass from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but 
thine be done. Well, what's the cup? It's the 
wrath and fury of God. If you die in your sins, there's 
no dreamless existence in your future. There's no sort of ethereal 
place that's kind of a no man's land where you can hang out for 
eternity. You're either in Christ and end 
up in Emmanuel's land, or you're out of Christ and you end up 
in hell, which was prepared for the devil and for his angels. 
That's it. Those two places. The Bible knows 
no other. This is one of the most important 
sermons you'll ever hear because you are a sinner. You stand in 
need of God. You need his grace. You are dependent 
upon him for your life, your breath, your food, your water. 
And all the while you resist him and defect against him and 
rebel. But he has made provision for your sin in the gospel of 
our salvation. And it's in the lamb of God who 
takes away the sin of the world. He takes it away by having taken 
it up. And I think A.W. Pink is right 
on when he makes this observation. He says, it was the Spirit of 
God presenting the Lord Jesus to Israel in the very office 
and character in which they stood in deepest need of Him. You got 
to follow what Pink says here, and I may comment along the way. 
What does Israel have? I've already mentioned it. They 
come, or the delegation comes to John the Baptist. Before they 
ask him, what does he say? I am not the Christ. They ask 
him, are you Elijah? They ask him, are you the prophet? 
But notice, before they even ask, he says, I am not the Christ. 
Why? Because the Baptists knew that 
there was a messianic expectation. There had been 400 years without 
a prophet. There had been 400 years of silence, 
as they interpreted, from God to man. And so there was this 
expectation. But what was their expectation? 
They wanted a king. and not the king that Jesus was. 
They wanted a king to deal with the Roman Empire. They wanted 
a king to break the teeth of the Roman Empire. They wanted 
a king to free them from subjugation to the Roman Empire. They wanted 
a king to put a chicken in every pot, put a new car on every driveway, 
put a new boat to summer home. That was their messianic expectation. They had a geopolitical hope 
of regaining their prestige and being that nation among the others 
that basically ruled. So Christ comes lowly riding 
on a colt into Jerusalem. They missed it by a long shot. 
They weren't looking for redemption in the spiritual sense. They 
weren't looking for freedom from sin. They weren't looking for 
blood atonement. They weren't looking for remission. 
And such is the case today. People want things. People want 
prestige. They want power. They want money. 
They want success. They want to have a a good family, 
and all these things aren't necessarily bad, but they don't always want 
what Christ came to give, taking away their sins. Listen to Pink. It was the Spirit of God presenting 
the Lord Jesus to Israel in the very office and character in 
which they stood in deepest need of Him. They would have welcomed 
Him on the throne, but they must first accept Him on the altar. 
And is it any different today? Christ as an Elijah, a social 
reformer, will be tolerated. Christ as a prophet, as a teacher 
of ethics, will receive respect. But what the world needs first 
and foremost is the Christ of the cross, where the Lamb of 
God offered Himself as a sacrifice for sin. That's the problem. That's the issue. That's what 
we face today. If we're in Christ by grace, 
we can rejoice. But if you're not in Christ today, 
you ought to fear and tremble. You ought to realize that God 
is holy. That if you happen to die before 
you're prophesied in your own head 80 years, it is going to 
be most miserable. It is going to be most hellish. 
It is going to be most destructive. At the end of Matthew chapter 
25, Jesus casts away unbelievers into that place which was what? 
Prepared for the devil and his angels. We rejoice in the fact 
that Jesus goes ahead of us to prepare a place for us in my 
Father's house, our many mansions, he says. Well, do you realize 
that hell is a prepared place also? Do you realize that when 
they're musing on the disposition of Judas in Acts chapter one, 
it says he went to his own place. In other words, you're not going 
to escape the wrath of God. You're not going to escape unfazed. You're not going to get into 
the presence of God and God say, oh, well, you know, I'll make 
an exception for you because you're wonderful and you're awesome. 
And I just really have it in for you. No, that's not going 
to happen. There is one hope, there is one way, there is one 
means by which we are saved, and that's through the Lamb of 
God who takes away the sin of the world. It is a most blessed, 
wonderful statement, but as well, it is a most promising and encouraging 
statement. Don't continue in your sin. Don't 
continue in your rebellion. Don't continue in your rejection 
of Him. Don't try and act like, well, 
I don't need that. Oh, yes, you do. Sin has such 
a power over you, such a corrupting influence over us, that we don't 
see things properly. Remember a few weeks ago, we 
considered those demoniacs in Matthew's gospel. Mark and Luke 
tell us about the one of them, probably the more notorious of 
them. Well, after these men, or after this man comes to Jesus 
and is saved by grace through faith, we see him now clothed 
and seated and in his right mind. See, prior to that, he was unclothed. He was naked. He stood amongst 
the tombs. He caught himself. All night long, he weeped and 
he wailed and he gnashed his teeth. But then when he meets 
Jesus, he puts clothes on and then he sits at the feet of Jesus. 
And it says very specifically, he's in his right mind. What 
should you conclude? That outside of Jesus Christ, 
you're not in your right mind. I hate to be the bearer of bad 
news today, I hate to shatter your self-image, I hate to affect 
the delicate snowflakes among us, but you're out of your mind 
if you're not in Christ. Remember Paul before Festus in 
Acts chapter 25, when Felix says, much learning is driving you 
mad, or Festus says, much learning is driving you mad. What does 
Paul say? Oh yeah, I'm just a religious 
nut. Oh yeah, I'm just a conspiracy theorist. Oh yeah, I've just 
left the reservation. That's not what he says. Much 
learning has driven you mad. He says, I am not mad, most noble 
fastest, but I speak the words of truth and reason. See, to 
be out of Christ is to be out of your mind. You don't understand 
your needs. You don't understand what you 
should want. You don't understand the problem that actually faces 
you. But God does. And God in his 
kindness, God in his mercy, God in his grace has made a way of 
access for even you through the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. 
Why? Because he's the Lamb of God 
who takes away the sin of the world. And that last little phrase 
there, the world, it doesn't mean every single human being. 
The Bible doesn't teach universalism, but the Bible does teach every 
single human being without distinction. It's not without exception. Every 
single body is going to be saved, but it's without distinction. 
If you've understood properly, these promises of the Old Testament 
were given to Israel. They were given to one body politic. They were given to the covenant 
people. So one might conclude that Jesus' mission of redemption 
will only apply to ethnic Israel. No, that's not what the text 
says. He takes away the sin of the what? of the world. It is 
Jew, it is Gentile, it is all those who by God's grace believe 
in him. If you think that's a bad way 
to understand world, look at verse 10. The same apostle uses 
the same word with three different meanings in the space of one 
verse. He was in the world, that's the 
earth that he made, and the world was made through him, that's 
the cosmos, that's the universe, that's everything, and the world 
did not know him. That is the ethically perverse 
rebels among whom he lived. So that word world doesn't always 
mean every single human being without distinction. Later in 
John's gospel, we will see that the Samaritans understand that 
Christ is what? The Savior of the world, John 
4, 42. In John chapter 12, Greeks want 
to see Jesus, right on the heels of the Pharisees saying, the 
whole world has gone after him. And then the same apostle uses 
the same word in Revelation 5, 9, and there he describes the 
world to us. Men from every tribe, every time, 
every people, every nation. And so in John 1, 29, he says, 
behold the Lamb of God with all of the theological phrase that 
that phrase carries and the specific purpose for which he is the Lamb 
of God to take away the sin of the world. Not just Jews, not 
just a small handful, but men, women, boys and girls from every 
tribe, tongue, people and nation. That's Bible, brethren. That's Bible. Friend, I'm not 
making this up. That is what is clearly communicated 
by the God of heaven through his inspired apostles and hopefully 
preached throughout the earth today. It is the gospel of our 
salvation. And the gospel of our salvation 
isn't about us. and about our doings and about 
our virtue. The gospel of our salvation concerns 
the life and the death and the resurrection of our Lord Jesus 
Christ, who is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the 
world. In conclusion, in terms of what we consider here in verse 
29, relative to the Lamb, We ought to appreciate what one 
commentator says, Jesus, the word, the light, the life is 
the lamb of God and the lamb of God. So that his person, ministry, 
and ultimately his death acts for the reconciliation of the 
world to God. 2 Corinthians 5, 19, verse 8, 
part A, the apostle says, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling 
the world to himself. So again, it's not every single 
human being without exception, but the usage of the word world 
does show something about the beneficence, that means the large 
heartedness, that means the goodness and the kindness of our God. When John 3.16 says, for God 
so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whoever 
believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Yes, 
the badness of the world is in view, and the goodness and the 
love of God is there. But also, it's not just a small 
handful. It's not just the frozen chosen. 
It's not just a few people that are gonna find their way into 
heaven. Revelation 7 says, there's a great multitude that no man 
can number. So don't tarry, don't wait, don't 
hesitate, don't reject and don't resist. The way of access is 
by faith in Jesus Christ. You see that clearly. Verse 12, 
it says, but as many as received Him, to them He gave the right 
to become children of God, to those who believe in His name, 
who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor 
of the will of man, but of God. Notice again, who believe in 
His name. Why do you think I bang that 
drum whenever we look at the book of Galatians? It's so that 
you sinner don't begin to think that some of these weird preachers 
are actually right. That you need a bit of Jesus 
plus you. Jesus plus you will always land 
you in hell. That's Paul's emphasis in the 
book of Galatians. It's Jesus alone. That's why 
he says, I do not nullify the grace of God. For if righteousness 
comes through the law, then Christ died in vain. If you for a moment 
think that somehow you've helped Jesus save you, or if you for 
a moment think that somehow you've assisted Jesus in saving you, 
then you've basically said that the cross work was in vain. It 
is Christ alone for salvation. Believe in him and you will be 
saved. And then you, along with the 
rest of us, will hopefully have an earnestness when it comes 
time to sing, and when it comes time to worship, and when it 
comes time to participate in the praise of our glorious God. 
For what the Lamb has done for us, we should be a lot more earnest 
in our singing, we should be a lot more earnest in our attendance, 
we should be a lot more earnest in our seeking to understand 
and grow in the grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and 
Savior, Jesus Christ. Well, let us pray. Our Father, 
we thank You for Your Word, and we thank You for the Lamb of 
God who takes away the sin of the world. And may this Lamb 
be preached throughout the earth today, and may sinners everywhere 
believe on Him and be saved. For we know, ultimately, it's 
not the pandemic, it's not the government, it's not all these 
other things that is man's ultimate problem. It is estrangement from 
a holy God. It is the wrath and fury and 
curse of an almighty God that will ultimately come upon guilty 
sinners. So, Lord in heaven, bless your 
word. Send it forth, conquering and to conquer, and save sinners. 
To the uttermost we pray, in Jesus' blessed name, amen. We'll 
take your hymn books and turn to 568, and we'll conclude our 
service by singing a doxology of praise to our great and triune 
God. is praise Father, Son, and Holy 
Ghost. Amen. O Israel, hope in the Lord, for 
with the Lord there is mercy, and with him is abundant redemption. And he shall redeem Israel from 
all his iniquities. God in heaven, we thank you for 
this grace. We thank you for this mercy. 
We thank you for your sovereignty. And God, I pray that you would 
go with us now, that your face would shine upon us, that we 
would know your peace, your nearness, your security, and that God, 
you would bless us and help us to glorify you in this world. 
We thank you for the Lord's house, on the Lord's day, for the Lord's 
worship. And go with your people now, 
we pray, in Jesus' name, amen. Well, please be seated for a 
brief time of meditation.