Behold, The Lamb Of God
Jeffery Anselmi / General Adult
Easter Series / Lamb of God / John 1:29; John 1:35–37
Jesus is the Lamb of God. What does that mean for me?
INTRODUCTION
- It is Resurrection Sunday!
- This is a time to celebrate this wonderful holiday that represents the greatest event (next to the birth of Jesus) in history!
- God offers us the greatest gift of eternal life through His Son Jesus, who died on a cross for our sins.
- While dying is not a significant event, rising from the dead is!
- Jesus defeated death on the third day when Satan thought he won the war!
- As we gather today, let us direct our hearts and minds to a profound moment in the life of Jesus Christ.
- It is encapsulated in a simple yet powerful declaration made by John the Baptist: "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" found in John 1:29.
- This statement calls us to pause, reflect, and truly understand the depth of who Jesus is and what He came to accomplish.
- Today, we will delve into this significant declaration.
- We will examine the identity of Jesus as the Lamb of God, the purpose of His coming, and how this truth should transform our lives.
- Easter celebrates the resurrection, but it finds full meaning in light of the cross.
- The Lamb who was slain has conquered sin through His death and triumphed over death through His resurrection.
- Jesus rises not as a different figure, but as the Lamb who has completed His mission — living proof that the sacrifice was accepted, the judgment was satisfied, and salvation secured.
- Today our focus will be on a passage that took place early in the ministry of Jesus.
- John the Baptist had already baptized Jesus, and following His baptism, He led Him into the wilderness for 40 days to undergo temptation.
- In our main passage today, Jesus is returning victorious from the temptation in the wilderness when John the Baptist sees Jesus approaching him.
- It may not seem like a typical Easter passage to use; however, the message of John 1:29 gives meaning to what happened at the crucifixion and the subsequent resurrection.
- John the Baptist was a pivotal prophetic figure who preached about repentance and the coming of the Messiah.
- His baptizing activity, especially in the Jordan River, symbolized purification and a return to God.
- He was considered a forerunner to Jesus, and his primary role was to prepare the way for Jesus's ministry.
- John the Baptist forges ahead, unveiling the essence of Jesus and outlining the purpose of the Messiah!
- Easter celebrates the resurrection, but it finds full meaning in light of the cross.
- The Lamb who was slain has conquered sin through His death and triumphed over death through His resurrection.
- Jesus rises not as a different figure, but as the Lamb who has completed His mission — living proof that the sacrifice was accepted, the judgment was satisfied, and salvation secured.
- Let’s move to our passage as we see what John the Baptist says about Jesus!
John 1:29 NET 2nd ed.
29 On the next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
SERMON
I. Who is the Lamb?
- As I mentioned in the introduction, Jesus has returned from being in the wilderness for 40 days, facing temptation from Satan.
- John sees Jesus approaching.
- Then John makes his statement concerning Jesus.
- John the Baptist’s declaration connects Jesus directly with the concept of the sacrificial lamb from the Old Testament.
- In the Jewish context, the lamb was central to several key rituals.
- The Passover lamb (Exodus 12)—A lamb without blemish was slain, and its blood placed on the doorposts of Hebrew homes.
- The angel of death 'passed over' these homes during the final plague in Egypt.
- Jesus becomes the ultimate Passover lamb whose blood delivers us from spiritual death.
- The daily temple sacrifices.
- Lambs were sacrificed morning and evening to atone for the sins of the people (Exodus 29:38-42).
- Jesus is presented as the final and sufficient substitutionary sacrifice.
- The suffering servant of Isaiah 53
- Isaiah prophesied one who would be 'led like a lamb to the slaughter.'
- This connects Jesus with the image of a silent, willing Savior bearing humanity’s iniquity.
- So when John the Baptist says, 'Behold the Lamb of God,' it is more than poetic language.
- He is identifying Jesus as God's appointed sacrifice—the fulfillment of centuries of sacrificial symbolism.
- This imagery is rooted in Jewish sacrificial traditions.
- Lambs were often used as sacrifices during the Passover festival, symbolizing deliverance and atonement.
- By referring to Jesus as the "Lamb of God," John the Baptist was identifying Jesus as the ultimate sacrifice for humanity's sins.
- The lambs of the Old Testament were shadows of what God had in store for us when Jesus came.
Exodus 12:3–6 NET 2nd ed.
3 Tell the whole community of Israel, ‘On the tenth day of this month they each must take a lamb for themselves according to their families—a lamb for each household.
4 If any household is too small for a lamb, the man and his next-door neighbor are to take a lamb according to the number of people—you will make your count for the lamb according to how much each one can eat.
5 Your lamb must be perfect, a male, one year old; you may take it from the sheep or from the goats.
6 You must care for it until the fourteenth day of this month, and then the whole community of Israel will kill it around sundown.
- Jesus, the Lamb of God , the substance of the Old Testament lambs who were used to prepare people for the perfect Lamb of God!
1 Peter 1:18–19 NET 2nd ed.
18 You know that from your empty way of life inherited from your ancestors you were ransomed—not by perishable things like silver or gold,
19 but by precious blood like that of an unblemished and spotless lamb, namely Christ.
- The lambs of the Old Testament were slain on the altar; the cross would be the altar upon which Jesus was offered.
- Then the resurrection is the proof that sin has been removed and death defeated.
- The book of Revelation picks up the image again.
- The Lamb is not just a tragic figure but a reigning King who is worshipped in heaven.
- 'Worthy is the Lamb who was slain.'
- Throughout history, there have been many who claimed to be from God or God themselves; yet which one of those people rose from the dead?
- Which of those people lived a perfect, sinless life and could prove it?
- NONE of them!
- A lamb represents innocence, sacrifice, and atonement.
- The notion connects deeply with Old Testament sacrificial systems and highlights Jesus as the final and perfect sacrifice.
- Jesus is the perfect Lamb of God!
- Let’s go back to our passage again.
John 1:29 NET 2nd ed.
29 On the next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
II. Why did the Lamb come to us?
- Why did the Lamb come to us?
- It was going to be a rough ride for Him.
- Being a lamb in Israel during the Old Testament was not a good thing for the lamb.
- When John the Baptist points to Jesus as the Lamb of God, John is highlighting Jesus’ role as a sacrificial Savior.
- John testifies to Jesus' divine mission, emphasizing the importance of sharing the truth.
- Jesus came to be the perfect sacrifice for our sins!
Hebrews 9:11–14 NET 2nd ed.
11 But now Christ has come as the high priest of the good things to come. He passed through the greater and more perfect tent not made with hands, that is, not of this creation,
12 and he entered once for all into the Most Holy Place not by the blood of goats and calves but by his own blood, and so he himself secured eternal redemption.
13 For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a young cow sprinkled on those who are defiled consecrated them and provided ritual purity,
14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our consciences from dead works to worship the living God.
- These verses explore how Jesus, unlike the earthly high priests, entered the heavenly sanctuary with His own blood, securing eternal redemption.
- Jesus is the reason we do not have to sacrifice innocent lambs any longer; Jesus is the final sacrifice for our sins.
1 John 2:1–2 NET 2nd ed.
1 (My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin.) But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous One,
2 and he himself is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for our sins but also for the whole world.
- Jesus died so that anyone can have their sins forgiven and be saved!
- Jesus made a once-and-for-all sacrifice!
- Only through Jesus does God offer redemption and forgiveness.
- Jesus' sacrifice surpasses any Old Testament sacrifice in permanence and scope.
- Restoring Relationship with God.
Romans 5:10 NET 2nd ed.
10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, how much more, since we have been reconciled, will we be saved by his life?
- Jesus’ sacrifice restores humans to a right relationship with God.
- Jesus bridges the gap created by sin, reconciling us to the Father.
- Eternal life is offered through Jesus!
John 10:28 NET 2nd ed.
28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish; no one will snatch them from my hand.
- You can live with the assurance and hope of eternal life, influencing how you live today.
- Jesus' mission was not just to be present in history but to enact a powerful, spiritual revolution.
- By taking away the sin of the world, He was providing a means of reconciliation between humanity and God.
- He removed the barrier that kept us from a relationship with our Creator.
- You do not have to live a defeated life!
- We have to quit trying to make up our own way and path to salvation!
- Salvation only comes through Jesus!
- Understanding this universal mission of Christ challenges us to embrace His forgiveness personally and also prompts us to share this good news with others, bearing witness to the global scope of His redeeming work.
John 14:6 NET 2nd ed.
6 Jesus replied, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
- That thought leads to our final observation.
- Let’s go back to our passage along with John 1:35-37.
John 1:29 NET 2nd ed.
29 On the next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
John 1:35–37 NET 2nd ed.
35 Again the next day John was standing there with two of his disciples.
36 Gazing at Jesus as he walked by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!”
37 When John’s two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus.
III. How should I respond to the Lamb?
- The following day, John sees Jesus again, and he points Jesus out to a couple of his disciples.
- Remember, John the Baptist had a huge following.
- John also said that his job was to blaze the trail for the Messiah, to point others to Jesus so those people could follow Jesus.
- Here is the dilemma: when you see Jesus, what do you do?
- What does one do when confronted with Jesus and who He is?
- In fear, some will walk away.
- Either they are afraid of the unknown or they want to live their lives however they choose .
- Can I share a secret with you?
- If you respond to Jesus, you will live the life you want to live, a new life in Christ!
- In verses 29 and 36, John uses the word “look.”
- The call to "look” invites us to gaze intently and reflectively upon Jesus.
- Being a Christian is not a passive activity; it requires an active engagement with who He is and what He has done.
- We are not called to a blind faith.
- Looking involves more than acknowledgment; it is about allowing the truth of Jesus' life and sacrifice to transform us.
- It means living in light of His love and letting His example guide our actions and decisions.
- John called his two disciples to deeply examine Jesus, not just to gaze at Him.
- Our response to Jesus should be to move to a life of worship, gratitude, and service.
- We are to let this perspective influence our relationships, our choices, and our commitment to living in a way that reflects His love to the world.
- The proper and only acceptable response to looking at Jesus is to surrender our lives to Him.
- You won’t be sorry you did!
CONCLUSION
- John 1:29 reveals the profound identity and mission of Jesus as the Lamb of God, providing a pivotal moment for recognition, reflection, and response.
- As we understand Jesus' role in taking away sin and offering eternal life, we are called to respond through belief, worship, and being an example to others.
- Let us commit ourselves to reflect daily on the significance of Jesus as the Lamb of God.
- May we be driven to live lives marked by faith, worship, and Christ-like love, sharing this transformative truth with a world in need.
- The Lamb of God was slain on the cross, and God raised Him on the third day!
- Do you want to defeat death and receive eternal life?
- Come to Jesus today!
