Sermon Central
-
Clear The Way, Part 5 Series
Contributed by T.j. Conwell on Sep 1, 2025 (message contributor)
Summary: Is the confession of John the Baptist, combined with the affirmation of God, enough for you to believe that Jesus is the Son of God? Or, do you still need Jesus to perform for you in order that you can be convinced that He is who He said He is?
John, Part 5
Series: Clear the Way, Part 5
John 1:29-34
- Welcome to Seasons – intro – we are so glad you’re here with us; dismiss kids
- I never want to assume that we all have the same knowledge …
? A young Jewish man; referred to as youngest Apostle (late teens / early 20s)
? John wrote 5 books in NT: 3 epistles, Revelation, and this Gospel (~90 AD)
? Along with Peter and James, he was considered part of Jesus’ ‘inner circle’
? John centers on the truth of Christ: He is the Messiah sent from God to save
- 3 more msgs (including today) to finish this series (“Chapter 1”)
-- FOCUS: The identification of the Christ - revealed by John the Baptist
- The next day, following conversation with the Pharisees, John returns to baptize
• This takes place in the Jordan, near Bethany (near Jerusalem, in West Bank)
• And in it, we see a few key items including the obvious: Baptism of Jesus
• Note: Matthew/Mark record Jesus being baptized (see this later)
- Read John 1:29-34 / Pray
Point 1 – Revealing the Lamb of God
- The Lamb is the depiction of Christ; Passover sacrifice for our sin 1 Cor 5:7
-- TEACH: God delivered Egypt from slavery; before that judgment fell
-- Re 10 plagues: last plague would be the death of the firstborn son of each home
-- Passover was act of spreading of blood of a pure, sacrificed lamb on doorposts
-- Done as an act of obedience: God’s Spirit would “pass over” those homes
- John’s testimony, seen firsthand for us, is that Jesus is our Lamb! (v29)
-- John calls Jesus as the Lamb of God: the one to be sacrificed for our sin
-- This is why his declaration is so powerful for us – he is an eyewitness to Him!
- APP: The blood of the Lamb is what saves us from owed punishment of sin
-- When the lamb was sacrificed, it served as protection from God’s wrath
-- If we will not accept this sacrifice for our sin, then we face God’s wrath
- BIG: This is the simplicity of the Gospel: we cannot save ourselves
- KNOW: Jesus willingly offered himself as our sacrifice; our substitute for sin
- RE: Looks back to the Passover – the lamb slaughtered had to be pure!
-- In that, God was satisfied at that sacrifice having been spotless (free of sin)
-- APP: The only way perfection could be assured, is if it came FROM God
- God had to provide the way, in order that the solution would not have “us” in it
-- RE: God provided the ram for Abraham (Genesis 22) to sacrifice vs. Isaac
-- HELP US: Remove “coincidence” from vocab: God put these things in place!
- WHY: The sacrifice came from God - so only Jesus is able to remove our sin
-- The word for sin is: hamartia; (archery) to miss the mark SEE: Singular
-- Don’t miss that: He is able to remove the SIN (all of it) from our lives
- Plainly, Jesus fulfilled the punishment for our sin; the wrath of God owed to us
-- Why? Because of the unbelievable love God has for His creation!
- It is only through the deity of Christ’s sacrifice we are rescued Heb 9:28
-- This is why God calls it a “gift”; we must receive what is being offered by Him
-- Jesus was able to offer Himself once, for all, so that all might be forgiven
- WARNING: Do not take this lightly; do not just assume you are safe
? Just because you are in church doesn’t mean you know Jesus
? Just because you do good things doesn’t mean your sins are forgiven
? Just because you aren’t like someone else doesn’t mean He is Lord
? Make sure that you know: we can settle that today if you are in need!
- FACT: Jesus speaks more on avoiding hell than going to Heaven for a reason
-- It’s why we must be sure that we belong to Him – because our sin is real
-- If we’ll admit that our sin is real; then must know that our punishment is also
-- APP: The only way to have that punishment pardoned is through the Lamb
Point 2 – The Introduction of Jesus and the Holy Spirit
- John the Baptist gives great intel here: Tells us that Jesus was before him (v30)
-- This is a nod to the preeminence of Christ – He always existed (vv1-18)
-- But don’t miss the subtle revelation of truth: John didn’t know who He was
- He knew Jesus personally (cousin), but didn’t know He was the Messiah (v33)
