1 00:00:00,940 --> 00:00:07,380 Centuries and centuries ago, the prophet Isaiah said that a man would come who would be a voice in the wilderness. 2 00:00:08,040 --> 00:00:16,500 Specifically, Isaiah said that a man would come who would prepare the way for the Messiah and to make straight a highway for our God. 3 00:00:16,940 --> 00:00:23,180 In today's study of John 1, we're going to read about that man, a man we call John the Baptist. 4 00:00:25,180 --> 00:00:31,700 Have you ever noticed the guys at the airport that hold up the signs with people's name on it? 5 00:00:31,700 --> 00:00:33,100 Now, what are those guys doing? 6 00:00:33,240 --> 00:00:34,840 Well, when I was a kid, I had no idea. 7 00:00:35,000 --> 00:00:35,960 I thought, this is odd. 8 00:00:36,040 --> 00:00:38,760 You come off a plane, there's people with signs, and they have names on it. 9 00:00:38,760 --> 00:00:39,860 I didn't quite understand them. 10 00:00:39,980 --> 00:00:44,300 I said, well, these are chauffeurs that are looking to pick up people who just came off the plane. 11 00:00:44,460 --> 00:00:46,960 Now, the only thing I knew about chauffeurs was that we didn't have one. 12 00:00:48,520 --> 00:00:53,960 The wealthy aristocrats had guys who sat there with signs waiting for them when they got off the plane. 13 00:00:54,220 --> 00:00:56,080 With that said, why the sign at all? 14 00:00:56,720 --> 00:00:57,320 Why the sign? 15 00:00:57,580 --> 00:00:58,260 Well, here's the thing. 16 00:00:58,500 --> 00:01:01,940 The guy who was waiting didn't necessarily know the guy he was waiting for. 17 00:01:02,460 --> 00:01:05,960 And so the sign is a means by which they could make some sort of connection. 18 00:01:06,380 --> 00:01:09,840 The guy waiting for the guy coming off the plane didn't know what to look for, per se, 19 00:01:09,920 --> 00:01:11,540 wasn't really sure who it would be. 20 00:01:11,540 --> 00:01:14,140 The guy could be standing right next to him, and he wouldn't know it 21 00:01:14,140 --> 00:01:16,720 if there was not some sort of connection made. 22 00:01:17,240 --> 00:01:21,840 Well, with that said, the first century Jewish leadership was a lot like the guy with the sign, 23 00:01:21,960 --> 00:01:23,540 the chauffeur at the airport. 24 00:01:23,880 --> 00:01:26,240 In one sense, they were waiting for somebody to show up. 25 00:01:26,680 --> 00:01:29,260 In one sense, they were waiting for a Messiah, someone. 26 00:01:29,440 --> 00:01:30,860 You know, Rome is really messing with us. 27 00:01:31,120 --> 00:01:32,260 We're under the boot of Rome. 28 00:01:32,340 --> 00:01:33,240 We sure don't like that. 29 00:01:33,600 --> 00:01:35,500 We hope the Messiah comes any day now. 30 00:01:35,580 --> 00:01:36,320 Are you him? Are you him? 31 00:01:36,360 --> 00:01:37,240 Here's the sign, right? 32 00:01:37,320 --> 00:01:40,980 At one level, they were expecting and anticipating that this Messiah would come. 33 00:01:41,100 --> 00:01:44,720 However, they had lost complete touch with what to expect when he finally showed up. 34 00:01:45,460 --> 00:01:47,720 They had been given instruction on what to look for. 35 00:01:47,720 --> 00:01:49,960 The Old Testament is filled with prophecies that said, 36 00:01:50,200 --> 00:01:51,520 he's going to do this, but not that. 37 00:01:51,760 --> 00:01:53,480 He'll be born here, but not there. 38 00:01:53,720 --> 00:01:55,580 He will grow up in this place, but not that place. 39 00:01:55,920 --> 00:01:58,360 The Old Testament's filled with passages that should have told him, 40 00:01:58,420 --> 00:02:00,480 like a neon arrow, what to expect when he showed up. 41 00:02:00,680 --> 00:02:03,160 And if that wasn't enough, there was a miraculous star 42 00:02:03,160 --> 00:02:05,100 that hung over the exact place where he was born, 43 00:02:05,220 --> 00:02:07,120 that others witnessed, the star of Bethlehem. 44 00:02:07,200 --> 00:02:09,960 There was all manner of means by which God had told him 45 00:02:09,960 --> 00:02:13,080 what to expect, who to expect, where he'd be born, when he'd be born, 46 00:02:13,140 --> 00:02:14,900 that he even was born through the star. 47 00:02:15,140 --> 00:02:17,820 And if that wasn't sufficient, he's going to send this man named John the Baptist 48 00:02:17,820 --> 00:02:20,620 to make it as abundantly clear as is humanly possible, 49 00:02:21,220 --> 00:02:23,000 despite every sign that they could have been given 50 00:02:23,000 --> 00:02:25,160 that this is the guy, behold, the Lamb of God 51 00:02:25,160 --> 00:02:26,400 who takes away the sins of the world, 52 00:02:26,620 --> 00:02:28,840 despite literally John pointing his finger. 53 00:02:29,120 --> 00:02:31,040 The prophets for centuries, all they could do 54 00:02:31,040 --> 00:02:32,660 was point through the annals of time 55 00:02:32,660 --> 00:02:34,180 to some guy who would eventually come, 56 00:02:34,560 --> 00:02:36,460 point with their words that there will be a guy 57 00:02:36,460 --> 00:02:38,000 who will one day come who will do all these things. 58 00:02:38,440 --> 00:02:39,760 John didn't just point with his pen. 59 00:02:39,820 --> 00:02:41,020 He pointed with his finger and he said, 60 00:02:41,180 --> 00:02:44,640 that guy, that's the guy we have been waiting for. 61 00:02:44,780 --> 00:02:47,100 And yet, the Pharisees and the religious leaders, 62 00:02:47,660 --> 00:02:49,060 they wouldn't comprehend and understand 63 00:02:49,060 --> 00:02:51,240 who in the world this guy was 64 00:02:51,240 --> 00:02:52,840 in comparison to who they wanted. 65 00:02:53,000 --> 00:02:58,560 who they desired. They misunderstood. The worst case of mistaken identity was Jesus Christ. They 66 00:02:58,560 --> 00:03:02,520 didn't know who he was, to the point of killing him when he was the Son of God. They had no 67 00:03:02,520 --> 00:03:05,520 proper understanding. Now, if they didn't get Jesus right, they definitely weren't going to 68 00:03:05,520 --> 00:03:09,380 get John the Baptist right. And today's text, John the Baptist, is going to be introduced to us as 69 00:03:09,380 --> 00:03:13,140 this guy who was baptizing people down by the waters. That's how he got his name, John the 70 00:03:13,140 --> 00:03:18,500 Baptist. With that said, they had no idea who he was, even though, just like Jesus before him, or 71 00:03:18,500 --> 00:03:23,360 just like Jesus after him, even though he also had numerous verses in the Old Testament that 72 00:03:23,360 --> 00:03:26,520 anticipated who he'd be, what he would do, and what he would look like. This morning's text, 73 00:03:26,580 --> 00:03:30,480 we're going to look at these verses. We're going to see how John the Baptist was anticipated and 74 00:03:30,480 --> 00:03:35,180 more the point, how Jesus was anticipated through the Old Testament lens that here in the first 75 00:03:35,180 --> 00:03:40,020 chapter of John should have resonated more with the original audience, including the very priests 76 00:03:40,020 --> 00:03:44,480 who were told to expect him. All right, let's look at verses 19 through 23. I'll read this 77 00:03:44,480 --> 00:03:50,380 text and we'll work our way through as we usually do through the passage. Verse 19. Now this is the 78 00:03:50,380 --> 00:03:56,620 testimony of John, John the Baptist. This is the testimony of John when the Jews sent the priests 79 00:03:56,620 --> 00:04:03,080 and the Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, who are you? And he confessed and he did not deny, 80 00:04:03,240 --> 00:04:08,500 but he confessed. That's really almost impossible in the Greek to translate properly because it's 81 00:04:08,500 --> 00:04:13,140 so emphatic. It's more emphatic than we have words to really put to. So it says this, he confessed, 82 00:04:13,140 --> 00:04:18,280 he did not deny, but he confessed, I am not the Christ, because some said that maybe he is. 83 00:04:18,940 --> 00:04:24,660 And so they asked him, well, what then? Are you Elijah? Are you Elijah? We were told to expect 84 00:04:24,660 --> 00:04:27,820 Elijah, the last prophet in the Old Testament. What's the last book of the Old Testament? 85 00:04:29,040 --> 00:04:33,360 Malachi. The last book is Malachi. The last book in the Old Testament, and the last prophet of the 86 00:04:33,360 --> 00:04:37,620 Old Testament anticipated the coming of this one who would be like Elijah. And so they ask, 87 00:04:37,620 --> 00:04:42,780 are you Elijah? Are you Christ? No. Are you Elijah? And he says, no. And so they ask him, 88 00:04:42,840 --> 00:04:48,020 verse 21, what then? Are you the prophet? And he answered, no. Now, in this particular case, 89 00:04:48,060 --> 00:04:51,340 they're reaching way back to the book of Deuteronomy, because in Deuteronomy, Moses 90 00:04:51,340 --> 00:04:55,540 talks about one who would come who would be a prophet, a prophet greater than he. Now, 91 00:04:55,580 --> 00:04:59,160 that's also pointing forward to Jesus Christ. They didn't know any better. So they say, well, 92 00:04:59,160 --> 00:05:02,180 you're not the Christ, you're not Elijah. Are you that prophet Moses talked about? 93 00:05:02,560 --> 00:05:07,160 So they go through all the possible candidates. We know you're someone important. We know you're 94 00:05:07,160 --> 00:05:11,220 doing things no one has done. And there's people who are saying you're one of the three. Which is 95 00:05:11,220 --> 00:05:17,160 it? Are you this guy? Are you this guy? Are you this guy? And the answer is no, no, no. And so 96 00:05:17,160 --> 00:05:22,780 verse 22, having exhausted the options, then they said to him, who are you then that we may give an 97 00:05:22,780 --> 00:05:29,940 answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself? And this is John's answer. And it's just 98 00:05:29,940 --> 00:05:36,700 a wonderful answer because he's quoting Isaiah. He said, I'm the voice. I am the voice of one who's 99 00:05:36,700 --> 00:05:43,800 crying in the wilderness, make straight the path of the Lord, just as the prophet Isaiah had said. 100 00:05:44,520 --> 00:05:50,900 All right, let's stop for a minute. What caused the Jewish leadership, the Jewish elites, the 101 00:05:50,900 --> 00:05:54,520 priests and Levites and all of those, not only the guys who were sent, but the guys who were 102 00:05:54,520 --> 00:05:59,160 waiting in Jerusalem for the report back, what caused them to care about what some itinerant 103 00:05:59,160 --> 00:06:04,280 hermit was doing in the wilderness? Why did they care in the least about what was going on 104 00:06:04,280 --> 00:06:06,220 so far from their seat of power. 105 00:06:06,780 --> 00:06:08,620 Well, they cared because there was people in Jerusalem 106 00:06:08,620 --> 00:06:10,060 that were going to that guy. 107 00:06:10,440 --> 00:06:12,820 Scripture says in Mark, all of Judea and Jerusalem 108 00:06:12,820 --> 00:06:14,460 were traveling out, were leaving the city, 109 00:06:14,520 --> 00:06:16,100 were going to the wilderness, 110 00:06:16,260 --> 00:06:17,780 to a place no one went of their own volition. 111 00:06:18,340 --> 00:06:19,200 It's like going to Wiggins. 112 00:06:19,840 --> 00:06:20,680 I'm so sorry. 113 00:06:23,280 --> 00:06:25,100 They went to a place of their own volition 114 00:06:25,100 --> 00:06:27,100 that people, generally speaking, don't otherwise go. 115 00:06:27,160 --> 00:06:28,460 So they go to this place, and people go, 116 00:06:28,520 --> 00:06:30,120 why, why are you going there, why are you going there? 117 00:06:30,160 --> 00:06:30,860 Great multitudes. 118 00:06:31,060 --> 00:06:32,900 So John was attracting large crowds. 119 00:06:32,900 --> 00:06:34,880 That's number one. That's why they had his attention. 120 00:06:35,000 --> 00:06:37,980 It was attracting large crowds, and everyone was talking about this guy. 121 00:06:38,400 --> 00:06:41,840 This guy is in a place that no one else would volitionally go, but everyone's going to him. 122 00:06:41,900 --> 00:06:43,900 Why? Is he a great speaker? What's he doing? 123 00:06:43,980 --> 00:06:45,500 Well, he's doing this. He's baptizing. 124 00:06:46,000 --> 00:06:47,640 That was the second thing that got their attention. 125 00:06:47,720 --> 00:06:51,340 He's baptizing? Baptizing? What is he baptizing for? 126 00:06:51,640 --> 00:06:55,860 You see, they understood baptism through a very cultural lens, and here was the lens. 127 00:06:56,180 --> 00:06:59,960 The only people that you put water on, the only people you immersed in the Jordan in this case, 128 00:06:59,960 --> 00:07:01,660 the only people who were baptized were who? 129 00:07:02,780 --> 00:07:07,920 were the Gentiles. Let's say you had some Gentile who drifts into the land and says, 130 00:07:07,980 --> 00:07:11,600 you know, I kind of like what y'all got going on. I think I'd like to convert. Is that okay? 131 00:07:11,600 --> 00:07:15,060 Could I convert? And they said, well, yes. And here's the things you need to do. And there was 132 00:07:15,060 --> 00:07:19,640 circumcision and feast days and all sorts of things that had to happen. But among the things 133 00:07:19,640 --> 00:07:23,640 that had to happen if a Gentile was to become a Jew is he had to undergo something called 134 00:07:23,640 --> 00:07:29,400 proselytite baptism. Proselytite baptism was basically a way of saying, you, you know, 135 00:07:29,420 --> 00:07:35,260 Mr. Pagan, you, Mr. Gentile, you're not clean enough to even set foot in our holy city, 136 00:07:35,300 --> 00:07:40,340 let alone the court guards of the Most High. You are unclean. Remember that word comes up 137 00:07:40,340 --> 00:07:46,420 all the time in the Old Testament. So you're unclean. And so what must happen? Well, you must 138 00:07:46,420 --> 00:07:53,700 be washed. You must undergo baptism as a type of spiritual cleansing, a shadow of that which you 139 00:07:53,700 --> 00:07:58,780 need in the heart. You must also endure outwardly. You'll undergo this proselyte baptism, and only 140 00:07:58,780 --> 00:08:03,500 then can you join with us? All right, so that's their understanding of baptism. Well, here you 141 00:08:03,500 --> 00:08:09,180 got this guy out in the wilderness, out in nowhere land, and he is not only drawing multitudes to him, 142 00:08:09,180 --> 00:08:14,040 but he's drawing multitudes to him, not just to hear him speak. In fact, that wasn't foremostly 143 00:08:14,040 --> 00:08:18,420 what he did, but rather to baptize. Now, if you're a Jewish aristocrat, you're saying, 144 00:08:18,720 --> 00:08:24,260 what in the world are people Jews, what are our brothers and sisters doing going to a guy to be 145 00:08:24,260 --> 00:08:30,860 baptized. That's reserved for them, the pagans. That's reserved for the Gentiles, the dogs, right? 146 00:08:31,000 --> 00:08:34,860 Because that's a term they use for those nations. That's reserved for them. They're the ones that 147 00:08:34,860 --> 00:08:42,120 need it, not the Jews. We don't do that. Who is this guy? Who is this guy who is baptizing as if 148 00:08:42,120 --> 00:08:46,980 we're unclean? You see, John got something the religious leaders didn't. They thought they were 149 00:08:46,980 --> 00:08:50,340 good. They thought they were clean. Remember the Pharisees would stand before Jesus all prim and 150 00:08:50,340 --> 00:08:54,820 proper, as if they were just fine. They would say, no, no, no, no. You're a brood of vipers. You don't 151 00:08:54,820 --> 00:08:58,380 understand who you are. You're of your father, the devil. They didn't understand corporately, 152 00:08:58,580 --> 00:09:03,480 and especially in the leadership there in Jerusalem. They didn't understand just how 153 00:09:03,480 --> 00:09:08,320 dire their situation was. They didn't understand corporately how far Israel had strayed. They 154 00:09:08,320 --> 00:09:12,260 didn't understand that just in a few decades, God's judgment would come down. In 70 AD, the 155 00:09:12,260 --> 00:09:15,440 whole city and the temple would be utterly destroyed because of their sins. They didn't 156 00:09:15,440 --> 00:09:19,340 get it. They had no idea. They thought things were just fine. And it's funny how that happens. 157 00:09:19,780 --> 00:09:21,380 In the Old Testament, even in the New Testament, 158 00:09:21,460 --> 00:09:22,980 there was times when God's people think, 159 00:09:23,080 --> 00:09:24,120 we're doing pretty well. 160 00:09:24,700 --> 00:09:26,740 We're on top of this faith game. 161 00:09:26,920 --> 00:09:27,860 God's pleased with us. 162 00:09:27,880 --> 00:09:28,640 Things are going well. 163 00:09:28,920 --> 00:09:30,580 I have no idea that the hammer's about to drop. 164 00:09:31,360 --> 00:09:32,500 What's about to happen? 165 00:09:32,560 --> 00:09:34,880 In 70 AD, God's hammer would come down. 166 00:09:35,180 --> 00:09:36,880 With that said, there was going to be warnings. 167 00:09:37,340 --> 00:09:39,600 Warning, the end is coming. 168 00:09:39,660 --> 00:09:41,280 At least the end is coming for Jerusalem. 169 00:09:41,480 --> 00:09:43,040 Warning, judgment is coming. 170 00:09:43,180 --> 00:09:45,140 The winnowing fork is in his hand. 171 00:09:45,540 --> 00:09:46,780 He comes to baptize with fire. 172 00:09:46,780 --> 00:09:48,740 The one who's coming is not going to deal just with Rome. 173 00:09:48,820 --> 00:09:53,460 going to deal with you, Jerusalem. That alone would have gotten under their skin if you were 174 00:09:53,460 --> 00:09:58,540 a Jewish leader, because your main issue was Rome. If we could get rid of Rome, man, we'd be cool. 175 00:09:59,040 --> 00:10:03,980 Get rid of Rome. Get rid of Caesar and the empire and all that sort of stuff. Get the tax guys out 176 00:10:03,980 --> 00:10:09,360 of the way. Then, then we could really, really thrive. They thought their problem was Rome. It 177 00:10:09,360 --> 00:10:15,040 was not their problem. If the problem was in here, it was sin, and they didn't get it. So everything 178 00:10:15,040 --> 00:10:18,360 John was doing was counter-cultural. It didn't match with their understanding. They thought they 179 00:10:18,360 --> 00:10:21,900 were good. They thought they were clean. They didn't think they had an issue. And so when John 180 00:10:21,900 --> 00:10:29,880 says, come repent, repent, those who had no sense of a need to repent didn't grasp it. Whatever the 181 00:10:29,880 --> 00:10:35,020 case is, John had gotten the attention of the elite in Jerusalem. So they sent their priestly 182 00:10:35,020 --> 00:10:40,320 henchmen to go and ask him these questions and get to the bottom of what's going on. With that said, 183 00:10:40,380 --> 00:10:45,460 how did John respond to their inquiries? On verses 19 through 23, he makes two things clear. Number 184 00:10:45,460 --> 00:10:50,160 one. He says that if anyone had any doubts, if anyone had wondered whether he was the Messiah, 185 00:10:50,360 --> 00:10:55,380 he says, I am not. If anyone anywhere is wondering whether I'm that guy, as a case of mistaken 186 00:10:55,380 --> 00:11:00,680 identity that plagued first century Israel, he says, I'm not that guy. I am not the Messiah. 187 00:11:01,280 --> 00:11:04,840 And he goes on to say, I'm not Elijah, and I'm not the prophet who's mentioned in Deuteronomy. I'm 188 00:11:04,840 --> 00:11:10,480 none of those guys. I'm none of those guys. And yet, I am somebody in this sense. I'm the 189 00:11:10,480 --> 00:11:15,840 fulfillment. I'm the fulfillment of the text in the book of Isaiah. I'm the fulfillment of a prophecy 190 00:11:15,840 --> 00:11:20,260 of one who would come who would be a forebearer to the Messiah. You see, the Messiah is coming. In 191 00:11:20,260 --> 00:11:24,860 fact, he's here, and you don't even know it. The Messiah is coming. But remember, priests, remember 192 00:11:24,860 --> 00:11:29,300 Levites, the guys who should know better. Remember what the scripture said. It said before that guy 193 00:11:29,300 --> 00:11:33,140 gets here, there's going to be another guy. Another guy's going to come and prepare the way. 194 00:11:34,420 --> 00:11:40,260 I'm that guy. I am the voice in the wilderness preparing the way of the Lord. Make straight the 195 00:11:40,260 --> 00:11:47,040 highway of our king. So that's his answer. That's his answer to them. Now again, these same priests 196 00:11:47,040 --> 00:11:52,300 and Levites and leaders, they would not understand Jesus properly, and they would not understand John 197 00:11:52,300 --> 00:11:57,160 the Baptist properly, even though there was verses and passages that said exactly what they would do 198 00:11:57,160 --> 00:12:01,480 when they showed up. They were witnessing the fulfillment of things that they had been looking 199 00:12:01,480 --> 00:12:05,560 forward to for centuries, but with the blinders on and a different level of expectations in place, 200 00:12:05,900 --> 00:12:10,060 they either didn't understand it or rejected it, even when it was told them to their face. 201 00:12:10,260 --> 00:12:14,500 it's not like these guys walked away and said hey we just met the voice in the wilderness awesome 202 00:12:14,500 --> 00:12:18,940 and he says that guy's the savior all right let's worship him even when he made it clear 203 00:12:18,940 --> 00:12:25,160 they did not respond accordingly all right let's look now verses 24 through 28 now those who were 204 00:12:25,160 --> 00:12:31,360 sent from the pharisees and they asked him saying why then do you baptize if you're not the christ 205 00:12:31,360 --> 00:12:37,520 if you're not elijah if you're not the prophet and john answered and said i baptize with water 206 00:12:37,520 --> 00:12:40,800 I baptize with the most common ingredient on planet Earth. 207 00:12:40,920 --> 00:12:41,740 I baptize with water. 208 00:12:42,180 --> 00:12:44,460 But there stands one among you who you do not know. 209 00:12:44,920 --> 00:12:48,800 And it's he who comes after me, is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I'm not worthy 210 00:12:48,800 --> 00:12:49,240 to loosen. 211 00:12:49,780 --> 00:12:53,840 Now, these things were done in Beth Barah, beyond the Jordan, where John was baptized. 212 00:12:54,500 --> 00:12:57,360 All right, so their first questions were geared to who in the world are you? 213 00:12:57,460 --> 00:12:59,800 And I'm not sure they were satisfied with his response. 214 00:12:59,980 --> 00:13:01,300 So they moved to the next question. 215 00:13:01,720 --> 00:13:02,720 Why are you doing this? 216 00:13:02,860 --> 00:13:04,280 Why are you baptizing? 217 00:13:04,340 --> 00:13:05,580 This makes no sense. 218 00:13:05,580 --> 00:13:10,040 As we said before, they were caught up in the idea that only pagans needed to undergo this. 219 00:13:10,120 --> 00:13:12,320 They didn't understand why Jews were undergoing it. 220 00:13:12,380 --> 00:13:15,660 And so they ask him these questions, and he responds. 221 00:13:15,820 --> 00:13:18,960 And he says, I am baptized in baptism and repentance with water. 222 00:13:19,040 --> 00:13:21,740 Of course, one is going to come after me who's going to baptize with the Holy Spirit. 223 00:13:21,800 --> 00:13:23,440 And that's a whole other and better thing. 224 00:13:23,760 --> 00:13:26,060 But then in verse 27, he says something interesting. 225 00:13:26,760 --> 00:13:29,880 He says, if you're all wondering who I am, remember, I'm nobody. 226 00:13:30,240 --> 00:13:32,000 And prove I'm nobody in verse 27. 227 00:13:32,460 --> 00:13:35,200 He says, it's him, the one who comes after me, is preferred before me. 228 00:13:35,200 --> 00:13:43,880 and his sandal strap I'm not worthy to loosen. Now what's significant about that? Well culturally 229 00:13:43,880 --> 00:13:48,160 that was a phrase that would have been very well understood. You see the most disgusting thing in 230 00:13:48,160 --> 00:13:52,280 the first century Israel was feet. They wore sandals, it was dusty, it was dirty, they were 231 00:13:52,280 --> 00:13:56,500 sweaty, they were all day long. Messing with anyone's feet, really in any context is no fun, 232 00:13:56,580 --> 00:14:01,180 but especially in this context, it was not the most desirable thing in the world. So let's say 233 00:14:01,180 --> 00:14:03,520 that you were the master of the house or what have you, 234 00:14:03,560 --> 00:14:05,200 or let's say you were a rabbi, right? 235 00:14:05,340 --> 00:14:08,520 Now, you had disciples who would sit around and listen to you, 236 00:14:08,520 --> 00:14:09,600 and they'd sit at your feet, right? 237 00:14:09,620 --> 00:14:11,440 They'd listen, and you'd train and teach and so forth. 238 00:14:11,700 --> 00:14:13,740 But disciples didn't take off your sandals. 239 00:14:14,360 --> 00:14:17,100 Disciples didn't wash feet, touch feet, generally speaking, 240 00:14:17,180 --> 00:14:19,580 which is why it's such a shock when Jesus would do this later on. 241 00:14:19,740 --> 00:14:20,460 But they didn't mess with that. 242 00:14:20,520 --> 00:14:23,200 That wasn't the job of even the disciples who were listening to the rabbi. 243 00:14:23,540 --> 00:14:25,500 With that said, you know whose job it wasn't either? 244 00:14:25,860 --> 00:14:27,240 It wasn't even the slave's job. 245 00:14:27,640 --> 00:14:30,420 If you had a Jewish brother or sister who was a slave in your house, 246 00:14:30,420 --> 00:14:35,420 you know what? It wasn't their job to untie your sandals either. This is really the lowest, lowest, 247 00:14:35,560 --> 00:14:40,720 lowest, lowest job in the world at this time. So whose job was it? If your disciples didn't do it, 248 00:14:40,900 --> 00:14:46,280 and if your own slaves in your own house didn't do it, who's left? Well, at that time, it was once 249 00:14:46,280 --> 00:14:53,180 again the Gentiles. You could get a Gentile dog, so to speak, to untie your laces, to take off 250 00:14:53,180 --> 00:14:58,360 your sandals. That was a job that was worthy only of the lowest of the low of the low, which didn't 251 00:14:58,360 --> 00:15:03,320 even include anyone in Jewish society, but only included the Gentiles. With that said, notice what 252 00:15:03,320 --> 00:15:11,300 John says here. John says, I am not worthy even to untie the lace on his sandal. This one who's 253 00:15:11,300 --> 00:15:16,120 coming, I can't even be the guy to mess with the feet. If I'm lower than a disciple, and I'm lower 254 00:15:16,120 --> 00:15:21,960 than a slave, and guess what? I'm also lower than even a Gentile compared to this guy, then what 255 00:15:21,960 --> 00:15:27,240 does that leave? Well, it leaves nothing. Yeah, he didn't say this. Notice in this text, he didn't 256 00:15:27,240 --> 00:15:32,900 say, I'm only worthy to untie his laces. He didn't say, I'm only worthy to loosen his sandal strap. 257 00:15:32,980 --> 00:15:37,420 That would have said, I'm like the Gentile dog, right? I'm like those guys. I'm only worthy to 258 00:15:37,420 --> 00:15:41,360 do that. I'm compared to those guys that we all hate. I'm like that. He says, I'm not even up to 259 00:15:41,360 --> 00:15:47,780 that standard compared to him. You see, the interesting dichotomy here is that Jesus would 260 00:15:47,780 --> 00:15:53,300 later say that John the Baptist was the greatest one of woman born. Of all the people who've ever 261 00:15:53,300 --> 00:15:57,820 walked the planet earth, whose name was not Jesus the Christ. Of all anyone else, you know who the 262 00:15:57,820 --> 00:16:02,500 greatest is? John the Baptist. And we know that because Jesus said it. He says, of anyone who's 263 00:16:02,500 --> 00:16:07,740 ever been born of a woman, the greatest is John the Baptist. And yet John the Baptist rightly 264 00:16:07,740 --> 00:16:12,480 understood this, that even he is the greatest person to walk the planet earth, is the greatest 265 00:16:12,480 --> 00:16:18,100 among men and women of all time. Even he was not even worthy to do the least of all jobs in Jewish 266 00:16:18,100 --> 00:16:24,360 society to untie the sandals of this king. The object here was not simply for John to be humble, 267 00:16:24,480 --> 00:16:29,200 although he did that. John regularly said, I must decrease, he must increase. Humility was 100% 268 00:16:29,200 --> 00:16:35,500 part of his desire here. But it's not just to lower himself. It was to say, you have no idea 269 00:16:35,500 --> 00:16:41,340 the majesty and the holiness and the radiance of the one who walks among you. You don't know who 270 00:16:41,340 --> 00:16:46,460 he is, but he walks among you and you don't know it. So that's what he's saying in verses 24 through 271 00:16:46,460 --> 00:16:53,880 28. All right, let's look at verses 29 through 34. Now, the next day, John saw Jesus coming toward 272 00:16:53,880 --> 00:17:01,480 him, and he said, behold, the Lamb of God who taketh away the sins of the world. This is he 273 00:17:01,480 --> 00:17:07,080 of whom I said, after becomes a man who's preferred before me, for he was before me. That's a way of 274 00:17:07,080 --> 00:17:10,980 saying this is the eternal king. This is not a guy who was just born, you know, a week before, 275 00:17:11,080 --> 00:17:15,400 a week after me, or anything like that. This is the eternal one. So this is he of whom it is said, 276 00:17:15,480 --> 00:17:19,880 after me comes a man who is before me, for he was before me. I did not know him, but that he should 277 00:17:19,880 --> 00:17:24,440 be revealed to Israel. Therefore, I came baptizing with water. I'm the voice saying, that's the guy. 278 00:17:24,440 --> 00:17:29,480 Verse 32, and John bore witness, saying, I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove. 279 00:17:30,100 --> 00:17:35,960 So this text takes place after the time that John baptized Jesus in the Jordan. And he says, 280 00:17:36,020 --> 00:17:42,560 I saw it. I was there. I saw the Spirit, the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God descend from heaven 281 00:17:42,560 --> 00:17:47,280 like a dove. Not necessarily as a dove. We don't know exactly what it looked like, but at least 282 00:17:47,280 --> 00:17:52,240 like a dove. And he remained upon him. And I did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with 283 00:17:52,240 --> 00:17:57,240 water said to me, upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining upon him, he is the one 284 00:17:57,240 --> 00:18:02,200 who baptizes with the Holy Spirit. And I have seen that, and I have testified that this is, that guy 285 00:18:02,200 --> 00:18:08,760 is the Son of God. He was there when the Spirit came down to anoint the one who would be the Son 286 00:18:08,760 --> 00:18:13,720 of God. He was there to hear the words that were proclaimed from on high from the Father that said, 287 00:18:14,060 --> 00:18:19,300 this is my beloved Son in whom I'm well pleased. Again, this wasn't just his conjecture saying, 288 00:18:19,380 --> 00:18:23,740 I sure hope and think and pray that it might work out this way. He says, I saw it. I heard it. 289 00:18:24,120 --> 00:18:28,980 I'm a witness to this. The word witness comes up time and time again in chapter one. Again, 290 00:18:29,000 --> 00:18:33,360 our faith doesn't hang just on conjecture. It hangs on facts. He says, I was a witness to this, 291 00:18:33,580 --> 00:18:37,920 and I saw the Spirit come down, and I heard the voice, and the Spirit, and the voice, and the dove, 292 00:18:37,920 --> 00:18:43,160 and all of it testified that this man, that man, behold, behold, look at him. He's right there. 293 00:18:43,280 --> 00:18:49,620 He's coming down the river. That man, behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. 294 00:18:50,500 --> 00:18:56,800 Now, as we look to wrap up this morning, why that phrase? That's not a normal phrase. That's 100% 295 00:18:56,800 --> 00:19:01,140 not a normal phrase anywhere in Scripture. The term Lamb of God really comes up here and it 296 00:19:01,140 --> 00:19:05,600 comes up in Revelation. It's not a concept they understood at great length throughout all the 297 00:19:05,600 --> 00:19:11,820 pages of scripture so why use it why not just say behold the son of god behold the messiah is here 298 00:19:11,820 --> 00:19:17,800 everyone why didn't he just do that why do you refer to the lamb of god well as we wrap up remember 299 00:19:17,800 --> 00:19:24,080 what jesus came to do he didn't come down just to flex his power come down and you know from his 300 00:19:24,080 --> 00:19:29,800 high and area state just to show off some miracles and and everyone realized who he was and maybe 301 00:19:29,800 --> 00:19:34,140 worship him because he was you know so great and majestic and powerful he didn't do that exclusively 302 00:19:34,140 --> 00:19:39,480 he didn't do that principally principally he came down from a throne to this fallen world 303 00:19:39,480 --> 00:19:45,680 ultimately to go to a cross in order that he might die our lord and savior came down that 304 00:19:45,680 --> 00:19:51,260 he might die now that would have resonated with first century israelite because because they 305 00:19:51,260 --> 00:19:55,500 engage frequently daily in something called the sacrificial system you ever wonder why they 306 00:19:55,500 --> 00:19:59,260 slaughtered animals in the old testament when i was growing up that was the one part i had the 307 00:19:59,260 --> 00:20:03,580 most trouble with you know i was like you know six seven eight years old i got the idea that 308 00:20:03,580 --> 00:20:08,620 Jesus loves me. Jesus loves me. This I know. So I got that sort of stuff really well. But I'd go to 309 00:20:08,620 --> 00:20:12,860 Old Testament or Sunday school class. I'd be on some sacrifices in the temple, and I just didn't 310 00:20:12,860 --> 00:20:17,340 get it. I love animals. I still do. That's why I adopt every weird thing that comes down our path. 311 00:20:17,740 --> 00:20:20,920 You know, everyone abandons dogs and cats and chickens and other things in our front yard 312 00:20:20,920 --> 00:20:25,980 before I know it's in my house. Why? Because I love animals. Well, that said, I just couldn't 313 00:20:25,980 --> 00:20:30,620 fathom. What's the deal with all the slaughter of the animals? What is this all about? Well, 314 00:20:30,640 --> 00:20:36,440 here's the thing. The slaughter of animals was a teaching mechanism. God tutors people for centuries 315 00:20:36,440 --> 00:20:42,480 on the need for a sacrifice to do what? To take away sins. And so when they slaughtered oxen and 316 00:20:42,480 --> 00:20:47,800 goats and the like, the idea was that those sacrifices pointed forward to a sacrifice that 317 00:20:47,800 --> 00:20:53,300 would later come. That one day one would come, would be the fulfillment of these shadows and 318 00:20:53,300 --> 00:20:58,640 types. Now not only did they sacrifice all these bulls and oxen and so forth at the temple, but you 319 00:20:58,640 --> 00:21:03,400 remember, once a year they celebrated something called Passover. Now, Passover was the recollection 320 00:21:03,400 --> 00:21:08,040 of what God had done during the Exodus. You recall during the Exodus that God says, let my people go. 321 00:21:08,160 --> 00:21:13,120 He sends Charlton Heston to talk to Pharaoh, and let my people go. And Pharaoh is like, no, 322 00:21:13,220 --> 00:21:16,900 Charlton Heston, I'm not going to do that. Not going to happen. And so all these plagues, you 323 00:21:16,900 --> 00:21:21,680 know, rained down upon this hard-hearted Pharaoh. And ultimately, the final plague was the death of 324 00:21:21,680 --> 00:21:25,660 the firstborn. The death of the firstborn. The angel of death would go through the land at night 325 00:21:25,660 --> 00:21:27,820 and slaughter the firstborn throughout Egypt. 326 00:21:28,160 --> 00:21:31,840 Now, how could you be saved from such a terrible event, 327 00:21:31,920 --> 00:21:33,940 such a terrible encounter on this one night? 328 00:21:34,140 --> 00:21:36,180 How could you and your family be spared? 329 00:21:36,980 --> 00:21:39,880 Well, remember, God gave instructions through Moses to the people, 330 00:21:39,980 --> 00:21:42,740 and he says, what you're going to do is you're going to find a perfect lamb. 331 00:21:43,020 --> 00:21:46,040 Not just any lamb, not the three-legged, buck-toothed, cross-eyed lamb. 332 00:21:46,080 --> 00:21:47,140 You're going to find the perfect lamb. 333 00:21:47,180 --> 00:21:50,180 When you find the perfect lamb, in the exact manner that's described, 334 00:21:50,480 --> 00:21:51,980 you're going to kill this lamb, 335 00:21:52,220 --> 00:21:54,540 and you're going to take the blood from this perfect lamb, 336 00:21:54,540 --> 00:21:56,580 and you're going to mark the doorpost of your home. 337 00:21:57,040 --> 00:21:59,200 You're going to mark what's called the lintel of your home. 338 00:21:59,200 --> 00:22:02,220 And because your home is marked in the blood of the Lamb, 339 00:22:02,300 --> 00:22:05,540 when the angel of death comes through, comes through the city, 340 00:22:06,140 --> 00:22:10,280 he will pass over your home and spare those who are within. 341 00:22:10,500 --> 00:22:15,240 Why? Because your house is marked in the blood of the Lamb. 342 00:22:16,000 --> 00:22:19,760 For century upon century upon century, they celebrated the Passover. 343 00:22:20,240 --> 00:22:23,440 They found the perfect Lamb and they slaughtered this Lamb in recognition, 344 00:22:23,580 --> 00:22:25,820 not only what God did way, way back then 345 00:22:25,820 --> 00:22:26,740 during the time of the plagues, 346 00:22:27,220 --> 00:22:30,580 but in anticipation of what he would later one day do, 347 00:22:30,880 --> 00:22:33,500 that ultimately, finally, there would become one. 348 00:22:33,580 --> 00:22:35,320 One would come down who would be the fulfillment 349 00:22:35,320 --> 00:22:38,100 of all those dead animals over all those centuries. 350 00:22:38,560 --> 00:22:40,760 One day one would come that would be the perfect lamb. 351 00:22:41,080 --> 00:22:42,900 And on this particular day by the river, 352 00:22:44,000 --> 00:22:44,940 John pointed to him. 353 00:22:45,600 --> 00:22:48,420 He says, behold, behold the lamb of God 354 00:22:48,420 --> 00:22:50,540 that takes away the sins of the world. 355 00:22:51,180 --> 00:22:53,600 What we've been doing for centuries, slaughtering animals, 356 00:22:53,680 --> 00:22:55,920 what we've been doing every time we celebrated the Passover, 357 00:22:56,400 --> 00:23:00,080 it all pointed to that guy right there. 358 00:23:00,620 --> 00:23:03,240 Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. 359 00:23:04,040 --> 00:23:05,320 So we wrap up here this morning. 360 00:23:06,120 --> 00:23:09,580 This whole book is predicated on the belief that you and I are sinners 361 00:23:09,580 --> 00:23:12,780 and that we need a sacrifice on our behalf 362 00:23:12,780 --> 00:23:15,080 if we're ever going to be able to dwell with God on high. 363 00:23:15,500 --> 00:23:18,140 Now the culture around us believes in something called appeasement. 364 00:23:18,820 --> 00:23:23,920 the culture around us says, okay, there is a God. He exists. How am I going to be right with Him? 365 00:23:24,220 --> 00:23:30,320 I'm going to be right with Him by appeasing Him. Maybe I've offended Him. Okay, maybe I've sinned, 366 00:23:30,380 --> 00:23:34,320 right? Maybe I've done something like that. But what I'll do is I'll do these right good things. 367 00:23:34,320 --> 00:23:37,440 I'll give to the Boys and Girls Club. I'll volunteer to do this. I'll help the old lady 368 00:23:37,440 --> 00:23:41,460 cross the street. I'll do these various tasks. And because I've done these things collectively, 369 00:23:41,860 --> 00:23:46,040 God will look at me and say that my wrath that was otherwise going to fall upon you 370 00:23:46,040 --> 00:23:51,480 is now appeased because you're just too lovable I just can't do it you know look at all that you've 371 00:23:51,480 --> 00:23:56,540 done I mean I can't turn a blind eye to all that you did right so what happens then is that 372 00:23:56,540 --> 00:24:00,820 salvation there's no grace in that salvation there's a debt God owes you because look you 373 00:24:00,820 --> 00:24:05,000 earned it he just can't judge you now because you're too wonderful that's appeasement and that's 374 00:24:05,000 --> 00:24:08,740 what culturally our whole world believes there's belief systems that don't even call themselves 375 00:24:08,740 --> 00:24:12,980 Christian that still believe the same concept that you appease whatever's out there wherever he is 376 00:24:12,980 --> 00:24:16,160 you do enough good stuff, you offset the ledgers, and you're in. 377 00:24:16,940 --> 00:24:19,540 Maybe there's some of us who have fallen into that trap. 378 00:24:20,120 --> 00:24:20,900 That's not the gospel. 379 00:24:21,640 --> 00:24:23,440 The gospel is not about appeasement. 380 00:24:23,520 --> 00:24:24,940 The gospel is about atonement. 381 00:24:25,120 --> 00:24:25,820 Do you understand the difference? 382 00:24:26,340 --> 00:24:29,500 The gospel is not about appeasing God so that he just, 383 00:24:29,740 --> 00:24:31,760 well, eh, I can't judge you today or down the road. 384 00:24:31,920 --> 00:24:32,520 Welcome on in. 385 00:24:32,720 --> 00:24:33,660 It's not about appeasement. 386 00:24:33,740 --> 00:24:34,540 It's about atonement. 387 00:24:35,080 --> 00:24:36,960 The wages of sin is death. 388 00:24:37,320 --> 00:24:39,240 If a man has sinned, then a man must die. 389 00:24:39,500 --> 00:24:40,920 Scripture's unequivocal about that. 390 00:24:40,920 --> 00:24:48,520 the wages of sin is death so the question is are you a sinner you should hear a lot more yeses i 391 00:24:48,520 --> 00:24:54,580 know we're presbyterian but yes yes we are sinners we confess that's confession we confess we are 392 00:24:54,580 --> 00:24:59,620 sinners we've sinned more since breakfast you know than we could possibly imagine yes we're sinners 393 00:24:59,620 --> 00:25:05,100 we sin we sin we sin the wages of sin singular not plural the wages of sin singular is death 394 00:25:05,100 --> 00:25:09,640 what are we going to do about that well john knew the answer he points and says that guy 395 00:25:10,160 --> 00:25:12,980 Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. 396 00:25:13,420 --> 00:25:16,600 This one, through his sacrifice, because that's what he came to do, 397 00:25:16,620 --> 00:25:20,480 through his sacrifice and our faith in him, not in ourselves, not in our works, 398 00:25:20,780 --> 00:25:23,140 not in the pile of stuff we've piled up here, 399 00:25:23,420 --> 00:25:27,480 but our hope in him and our faith in him and our trust in his perfect person and work. 400 00:25:27,720 --> 00:25:29,140 That's the means of our salvation. 401 00:25:29,580 --> 00:25:33,020 Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. 402 00:25:33,700 --> 00:25:36,920 God looked down upon the Lamb when he hung on the cross 403 00:25:36,920 --> 00:25:39,440 and it pleased the Father to crush the Son. 404 00:25:39,640 --> 00:25:42,000 He who knew no sin became sin for us. 405 00:25:42,740 --> 00:25:43,800 What must we then do? 406 00:25:44,300 --> 00:25:46,940 Get away from the idea that we're going to pile up our mountain of works. 407 00:25:47,280 --> 00:25:48,100 That's not the answer. 408 00:25:48,440 --> 00:25:49,740 Instead, we behold the Lamb. 409 00:25:50,320 --> 00:25:53,340 We say, this one, this one, this one who came down, 410 00:25:53,780 --> 00:25:56,880 who suffered and died, it is on him and his person, his work, 411 00:25:57,180 --> 00:25:58,740 that I have any hope now or for the future. 412 00:25:59,460 --> 00:26:02,040 John the Baptist, John the Apostle, 413 00:26:02,460 --> 00:26:03,720 they both are in the same business, 414 00:26:03,720 --> 00:26:05,180 and it's the same business you and I are in, 415 00:26:05,640 --> 00:26:08,460 to say, behold the Lamb, 416 00:26:09,080 --> 00:26:12,600 To say that although a man has sinned and a man must die, that's exactly what happened on Calvary. 417 00:26:12,960 --> 00:26:14,460 He who knew no sin became sin for us. 418 00:26:14,520 --> 00:26:15,880 It pleased the Father that crushed the Son. 419 00:26:16,180 --> 00:26:23,600 And because of who he is and what he did, his sacrifice is considered sufficient to save not only me, but the whole lot of we who believe. 420 00:26:24,780 --> 00:26:26,380 Atonement, not appeasement. 421 00:26:26,380 --> 00:26:31,180 Your sins were atoned for by Jesus Christ on Calvary, the Lamb who was slain. 422 00:26:31,540 --> 00:26:32,180 Let's pray.