Lamb of God
John 1: 29 - 36
Intro: You will recall that during Story Time this morning I talked about the nursery rhyme, “Mary Had A Little Lamb.” It is believed that the rhyme was developed in England as a way to teach children about Jesus. That’s not a bad thing as long as we remember that Jesus is more than Mary’s little lamb.
I VS. 29 “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” It was John the Baptizer that called Jesus the Lamb of God.
A The title, “Lamb of God” appears only in the gospel of John and the Book of Revelation.
B We often think of a “lamb” as a weak, vulnerable animal ready for the slaughter. Perhaps this is where we get the impression of “gentle Jesus, meek and mild.”
C However, “THE LAMB OF GOD” is not something or someone independent from God. This LAMB reigns in heaven and will bring about judgment on the wicked and secure salvation for the righteous.
II VSS. 35 – 37 “The next day john was there again with 2 of his disciples. When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!” When the 2 disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus.
A John was a pointer. He pointed his own disciples to Jesus. John knew he was not “the one who was to come.” John played the role of SECOND FIDDLE.
B Have you ever lived in the shadow of someone else? Maybe it was an older sibling, or someone with whom you were always compared? Have you ever felt like you were always going to play second fiddle and never first chair?
C In an orchestra not everyone can be first chair. Besides, the first chairs can’t play all the notes and cover all the music. Someone must provide the harmony that makes any composition glorious.
III In Christianity we need John Calvin, Martin Luther, John Knox, Billy Graham, Rick Warren and other “FIRST CHAIR PEOPLE.”
A There is one thing those people all have in common: they could not and cannot reach everyone. They can’t do it all.
B Someone must minister to those they cannot reach. Maybe that someone is you.
C. We may believe we are the body of Christ in the world, and therefore, if the world is to be saved, we have to do it. But that’s just not true.
Concl: If we look at John the Baptizer, we may begin to realize that it isn’t our job to “save people.” John played SECOND FIDDLE to Jesus. His job, like ours, is to point people to Christ Jesus and let Jesus work on and with them. We can only point the way to the Lamb of God.
