THE LAMB OF GOD

 

 

John 1:29

 

Prayer

 

John the Baptist was preaching and baptizing.

He looked up.

 

 

He saw Jesus coming.

He said, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.”

 

 

I want to divide this statement into three parts.

          1) The sin of the world.

          2) The Lamb of God.

          3) The word “behold.”

 

 

1st---Let’s look at THE SIN OF THE WORLD.

Sin is a worldwide problem.

 

 

John said, “the whole world lieth in wickedness” (I John 5:19).

He was called up into heaven where he saw a seven-sealed scroll.

 

 

He asked, “Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?”

“And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the   

book, neither to look thereon” (Rev. 5:2-3).

 

 

No human being in heaven or on earth, alive or dead, will be able to open the scroll.

That covers billions and billions of people.

 

All of us have a problem with sin.

Paul said, “by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death   

passed upon all men, for that all have sinned” (Rom. 5:12).

 

 

The reason why sin is a worldwide problem is the fact that it offers pleasure for a   

season (Heb. 11:25).

Sin offers a temporary attraction.

 

 

But it doesn’t last.

Dr. Henry Stanley traveled the world.

 

 

He toured the dark forests of Africa.

He encountered many dangers.

 

 

He said the most dangerous thing he ever encountered was a tribe of African natives         

called the Wambutti.

They were dwarfs;

 

 

Little people who used little weapons that looked like tiny toys.

But the Wambutti tipped their arrows, darts and spears with a poison that could kill a

person in the blink of an eye.

 

 

They drove spikes into the ground;

Put poison on the tips;

 

 

Covered them with leaves;

And anything that stepped on one of those spikes was dead before it hit the ground.

 

 

 

Dr. Stanley said the Wambutti knew how to trick their prey.

They mixed honey with the poison.

 

 

The honey attracted animals.

It enticed them to their death.

 

 

That’s the way sin is.

Sin provides a temporary attraction.

 

 

It’s like honey mixed with poison.

It’s what gives sin it’s worldwide appeal.

 

 

It’s why sin is so dangerous.

Another man traveled the world [as told by Dr. Charles Robinson].

 

 

He was stopped at the border of a foreign country.

The police said he couldn’t cross the border until he was searched for illegal

contraband.

 

 

After they searched him, he said, “I want to tell you what was going through my     

mind while you searched me.”

“We’re all travelers.”

 

 

“We’re just passing through this world.”

“We want to go to that far country called heaven.”

 

 

“But we can’t cross until we’re searched for illegal contraband.”

He said, “Our hearts will be searched by God.”

 

“Nothing can be hid.”

“Nothing sinful can enter into heaven.”

 

 

That’s why sin is so dangerous.

It will keep us out of heaven.

 

 

The Bible says, “There shall in no wise enter into it [heaven] any thing that defileth”

(Rev. 21:27).

God won’t allow sin into heaven.

 

 

If we’re going to go to heaven, we have to have our sin covered.

And the only thing that God will accept is the blood of Jesus Christ.

 

 

2nd---Let’s look at THE LAMB OF GOD.

We don’t know.

 

 

But many scholars believe that the first lamb that was sacrificed was offered by God        

during the days of Adam and Eve.

We know that Abel sacrificed a lamb.

 

 

And God accepted it.

We also know that God had Moses tell Pharaoh to, “Let my people go.”

 

 

Pharaoh refused.

And God told Moses to have the people slay a lamb without blemish;

 

 

Catch the blood;

And sprinkle it on the lintels and door posts of their houses;

 

God said the death angel will pass over.

He’ll look for the blood.

 

 

He’ll go on by, if he sees the blood.

But he’ll enter the house, if he doesn’t see the blood.

 

 

The first born will die.

Moses led the Hebrews to Mt. Sinai where God gave them the Ten

Commandments.

 

 

He told them to slay lambs without blemish;

Two lambs for the sins of the people.

 

 

Three lambs to cleanse a leper.

These lambs pointed to the coming Messiah.

 

 

So when John the Baptist pointed to Jesus and said, “Behold the Lamb of God,     

which taketh away the sin of the world,”

He was saying, “This is the Lamb of God.”

 

 

One preacher said, “The Lamb of God didn’t fly around the world selecting a good         

person here and a good person there to go to heaven.”

“No!”

 

 

“The Lamb of God stepped forward.”

“Suffered.”

 

 

“Died.”

“Arose.”

 

“Threw His bleeding arms around the world;”

“Pulled it to His heart;”

 

 

“And said, ‘I died for everyone who loves me.’”

God smiled and said, “I accept that.”

 

 

A man stood at the entrance to heaven watching a great crowd go marching in.

“Who are these,” he asked?

 

 

An angel said, “These are the prophets.”

“They’re going in to see God.”

 

 

“Woe is me,” said the man.

“I’m not a prophet.”

 

 

“And I can’t enter heaven.”

He saw a second great crowd go marching in.

 

 

“Who are these,” he asked?

The angel replied, “These are the Apostles.”

 

 

“They’re going in to see God.”

“Woe is me,” said the man.

 

 

“I’m not an Apostle.”

“And I can’t enter heaven.”

 

 

 

He saw a third great crowd go marching in.

“Who are these,” he asked?

 

 

The angel replied, “These are the martyrs.”

“They’re going in to see God.”

 

 

“Woe is me,” said the man.

“I’m not a martyr.”

 

 

“And I can’t enter heaven.”

He saw a fourth great crowd go marching in.

 

 

This crowd was greater than all the others.

“Who are these,” he asked?

 

 

The angel replied, “These are sinners saved by grace.”

“There’s the demon possessed man from Gadara.”

 

 

“The leper who returned to thank Jesus.”

“The prodigal son who squandered his inheritance.”

 

 

“The thief who died on the cross beside Jesus.”

“The woman who was caught in adultery.”

 

 

“The woman who was married five times.”

“Zacchaeus who cheated people on their taxes.”

 

 

 

And the man replied, “Praise God.”

“I can enter heaven with this group.”

 

 

We’re all sinners.

We can’t enter heaven with the prophets, Apostles or martyrs.

 

 

But we can enter heaven with the sinners saved by grace.

Another man traveled the world [as told by Rev. Louis Banks].

 

 

He went to Norway.

He visited a Church.

 

 

He noticed a lamb carved into the steeple near the top.

“Why did you carve that lamb into the steeple,” he asked?

 

 

The pastor replied, “A man who helped build this church fell from that spot.”

“Others saw him fall.”

 

 

“They were sure he was dead.”

“They scampered down to pick up his body.”

 

 

“But he wasn’t hurt.”

“A sheepherder was passing with a flock of sheep at the exact moment the man      

fell.”

 

 

“The man fell on top of one of his lambs.”

“It killed the lamb.”

 

 

“But it saved the man.”

“That lamb carved into the steeple marks the spot from which the man fell.”

 

 

“It’s there to remind us that a lamb died in his place.”

That’s what happened to Jesus.

 

 

He was arrested;

Beaten;

 

 

Cursed;

Falsely accused;

 

 

Spit upon:

And nailed to a cross.

 

 

So sinners can be saved by grace.

He bowed His head on the cross and cried, “It is finished,” when He died for the   

sins of the world.

 

 

And absolutely nothing except a person’s failure to accept Him stands in the way of         

that person entering into heaven.

How can anyone deny Him?

 

 

“Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver         

and gold . . . .”

“But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without   

spot” (I Pet. 1:18-19).

 

 

 

3rd---Let’s look at the word, “BEHOLD.”

Several years ago, Rachel and I lived inside the city limits of Dyer.

 

 

I was sitting in the family room of our house.

Our son Jeff was on the front porch.

 

 

He started yelling.

“Come here! Come here!”

 

 

“Hurry! Hurry!”

I got to the front porch in time to see a large deer run across our front yard.

 

 

We see lots of deer around Dyer now.

But several years ago, a deer inside the city limits of Dyer was very unusual.

 

 

Anyway, Jeff’s excited yells were his way of saying, “You’ve got to see this.”

That’s what John was doing when he said, “Behold.”

 

 

“You’ve got to see this.”

“You’ve got to see Jesus.”

 

 

“You’ve got to see who He is:

“What He went through;”

 

 

“What He was doing on the cross.”

It was Christmas.

 

 

 

A store manager displayed some of his Christmas toys in the window of his store.

Three little girls were standing in front of the store window.

 

 

One was blind.

And the other two girls were trying to describe the toys to the little blind girl.

 

 

They struggled for words.

One little girl said, “I wish you could see the toys for yourself.”

 

 

That’s the way it is with Jesus.

Most of us have heard the great truths about Jesus.

 

 

But it would be great, if we could see Him for ourselves.

Some soldiers saw Him.

 

 

They went to arrest Him.

But they returned without Him.

 

 

When they were asked why they didn’t arrest Him, they replied, “Never a man        

spake like this man.”

Pontius Pilate saw Him.

 

 

He questioned Him.

He said, “I find no fault in this man” (Luke 23:4).

 

 

The Roman centurion saw Him.

He watched Him die.

 

 

He said, “Truly this man was the Son of God” (Mark 15:39).

Peter watched Him for three years.

 

 

He said, “God hath made that same Jesus both Lord and Christ” (Acts 2:36).

Paul saw Him.

 

 

He was on the road to Damascus.

He said, “This man offered one sacrifice for sins forever” (Heb. 10:12).

 

 

One day we will see Him.

Every knee will bow and every tongue will confess to Him (Rom. 14:11).

 

 

Are you prepared for that?

Jesus said, “Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish” (Luke 13:3-5).

 

 

“Except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and         

Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 5:20).

He’s able to save you.

 

 

He longs to save you.

He will save you.

 

 

Your eternal destiny hangs on what you do about Jesus.

Will you accept Him as your Saviour?

 

 

Will you do it right now?