(John 1:29)
�The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.�
My family, the kids and I, recently celebrated the Christmas season. Last weekend! My daughter is the true offspring of her mother. She said, �Why don�t we celebrate the gift giving part of Christmas sometime in January? That way we can do our Christmas shopping during the �After Christmas Sales.��
It made sense. So, for the past four years we have celebrated Christmas during the latter part of January.
The only real difference this has made to me is that I now do my last minute shopping a month later than I formerly had done! Both my kids seem to like the idea of spreading the Christmas spending out a little further than it had been. As for the grandkids, four- and one-year-old, they could care less. As long as they get presents to unwrap they are happy little things gleefully checking out the loot they garner.
For the young ones it is a real thrill. My family, sisters and brothers, celebrate our family Christmas early in December. My father has so many kids, grandkids, great-grandkids, and a couple of great-great�s, that he has decided to hold a large �pizza party� for everyone early in December and allow each of the families to hold their own family celebration at the traditional time. (Except, of course, for mine!) We have added our gift exchanges among siblings to take place at this time.
Meanwhile, Linda�s side of the family has their Christmas celebration on Christmas Eve. This is a large affair as well. Linda, you may recall, was the oldest of eleven brother�s and sisters. These all have their own children and grandchildren to account for in the crowd. This year the celebration was held in a rented town hall in a city near here.
Ethan and Jacinda had their own little gift giving, with my grandkids of course, shortly after the Guenther family party.
Oh, I almost forgot to mention the church Christmas party! After this month-and-a-half whirl of �going and getting,� the grandkids now enter every house with their little hands out expecting to find brightly colored paper to tear off of more new treasures!
It was with nearly that sense of anticipation which John approached his date with destiny when he realized that Jesus, the coming Messiah, was entering upon the scene. The entire ministry of John had been geared toward this day!
John had just spent some time defending his own ministry. We�ve looked at this in the past few weeks. Now came the expected morning. �The next day...�
I like to consider just what was the position of John as he waited for the coming Messiah. He was busy telling the story of He Who should come. He was busy defending the message which God had given him. The same should be the attitude of the Christian in this day as we await the second coming of our Lord. We should be busy telling the story of He Who has come, and is coming again!
We should be busy �defending� the Scripture. This doesn�t mean that the Scripture needs our defense. What is meant is that we should stand guard over that Scripture in the manner that a soldier stands guard for his unit.
When a military unit is �in the field,� they normally place a �LP� about twenty-five meters outside the lines. The duty of the LP is to be a �listening post� to detect the movement of the enemy forces toward the main body of soldiers. The LP is to warn the others of any danger. He does this by being alert and conscientiously searching for problem areas.
The LP knows that he is not there to defend the unit. He is there to allow the unit to defend itself. He is, of course, expected to take his part in that defense.
So, also, should we be toward the church and the Scripture. We can�t defend either. But we can see things happening that need to be addressed. We can pray, and study that Scripture, to see if the attack is real or simply something that we find distasteful.
We sound the warning.
That is the real meaning of the term �Militant Fundamentalism.� We are not to be militant toward the brethren or toward the sinner. We are to show honest love toward both. But, we are to be militant toward those who would seek to harm either. Still, we must realize that we are but a sounding board. We can only warn of the attacks of the evil one. We must depend upon the True Commander (Who already knows but, nonetheless asks that we be diligent!) to mount His defense, at His plan, and at His time.
John was prepared, actively prepared, for the anticipated King.
We, as did John, know that Jesus is coming. We, really, should have an even better idea of this fact. Do you remember the story of �Doubting Thomas?� When Jesus, after He had risen from the dead, visited the apostles, Thomas was not with the group. He was out, somewhere. At Thomas� return, the other disciples said, �Jesus is alive! He was here!�
Thomas� reply to this report was one of skepticism. He didn�t just question the fact. He made fun of these other men for believing it. �I�ll believe that when I can see the nail prints in His hands and the spear wound in His side!�
Jesus returned to the group. Thomas saw the risen Lord. Thomas changed his tune. He was struck by the reality of the risen Savior. �Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.� (John 20:29)
We have the glorious reality of hindsight. Jesus came once. He is coming again!
If John the Baptist could anticipate the first coming of the Messiah, how much more should we joyfully anticipate the second coming of this same Jesus!
Jesus was the announced King.
John looked over and saw Jesus approaching. They, in the natural, were cousins. They had probably met a multitude of times. Yet, this time was something special. The Holy Spirit moved upon the spirit of John and announced to him that this was He of Whom he had been preaching. Jesus was the coming Messiah. He had now arrived.
That is a picture of most of us when we accept Jesus as Savior. We had heard about Him. We knew that He was a reality. But, the Holy Spirit quickened our souls to the point where we were given the faith to accept Him as our Savior.
John had been preaching of this day for a long time. He had repeated his story over and over. But, this very day the reality filled the rhetoric with Truth.
May we never grow tired of telling the story of Jesus. We do not know just which day He will inject Himself into the history of our own moment. We just know that, as we are faithful, He is True. He is Power Personified in the Spiritual realms. We are to be the heralds of His coming in this day even as was John in his day.
Jesus came as the authoritative King.
John had been a capable servant. Crowds gathered to hear him speak the truth of the message of God. Religious leaders had come to examine the message of John the Baptist. But, John was a mere man. Soon, his head would be lifted off his body. He would lay in his own grave. A great man of God? From the human standpoint, yes. But, hardly indispensable.
Jesus was not a great man of God. Jesus was (Is!) the Great God of man! He came with an authority which was far beyond that of even John. Jesus came with the authority to save the souls of lost and dying men and women. He came to offer them true salvation. so great was His authority that, when His lifeless body was deposited in a grave, that grave could not hold Him. He burst forth, back onto the scene of mankind. He is the only indispensable Person in all of human history - and beyond.
From Him, alone, can come forgiveness of sin and a relationship with God.
It is no wonder that John saw this as an exciting morning. �...John seeth Jesus coming unto him...�
Did you ever hear someone say, �I found this thing I�d lost in the very last place I looked for it.�? Of course. And, this makes sense. No one continues to look for a thing after they have found it. Not even me!
John had been looking for the King. That had been the entire thrust of his ministry.
Preachers will often pray, �Lord, hide me behind the cross.�
I had a seminary teacher who said this was a bad prayer. He said that we should use our own personalities to put forth the message of the gospel. Seminary teachers can often be wrong. This one was!
Yes; we should use all that God has given us, including our personalities, to spread the gospel message. That can be a tool in our hands. But, we must never forget that we are simply the sights on the gun. Jesus is the target of the message. Truth be told: we�re not even the sights on the gun. We are merely a tool used by the Instructor, to show where the sights are located!
We are in no way of importance.
Yes; John was looking for the Savior. His entire ministry had been to induce others to also look for this same Savior.
The real longing of John was for the King.
I just cooked myself some lunch a few minutes before I sat down at this word processor. I had mashed potatoes, gravy, some sliced chicken, hominy, and a cup of coffee. I had no real problem making this meal. Well, I should have had no problem.
I don�t do real mashed potatoes. I used the potato flakes that make instant mashed potatoes. I heated the water. I then picked up a box of those flakes to mix into the water to make the meal. I picked up the wrong box. I picked up some breakfast cereal. I heated some more water and, this time, put in the proper ingredient. Then I heard my granddaughter. I said, �Hi, Shandi.� Then I put in another cup of the potato flakes. I heated some more water and, finally, got the process completed properly. Of course, by this time I had to re-heat the other elements of my lunch.
Now, I used to be fat. That�s before I gained all this additional weight. I was really ready for my lunch when I finally got it prepared.
But, I wasn�t longing for it.
John was longing for the Savior. This was He around Whom his entire life and ministry had been constructed.
How about us? Do we honestly long for the Savior�s return? Or, is this simply another article of faith to which we subscribe? How we need to understand the glory that awaits us when we see the Savior face to face.
We may need to go through the Valley of the Shadow, to see His comforting face. We may, hopefully will!, be called up into the clouds to be allowed to gaze upon His conquering face. The glory, the anticipation, the longing we should have for this day!
While he was waiting for the Savior he knew was coming, John did one simple thing. He was living for the King.
In the back of our brains, the lower part, there is a section which contains the autonomic nervous system. Sometimes I am quite aware of my breathing. Rarely, but sometimes, I can even feel the beating of my heart. But, if my health is good, I need not have any understanding, or concept, of either of these functions. The autonomic nervous system continues to cause these things to happen even while I am asleep.
We all do things because they are our �jobs.� We drive a truck, teach a class, work in a factory... When people ask us who we are, we often reply with, �I�m a truck driver, teacher, factory worker...� It is somehow sad that this is how we identify ourselves. Still, it isn�t wrong.
Most of us do things because they are our hobbies. We collect stamps, garden, build model railroads... When people ask us of our interests, we often reply with, �I collect stamps, I garden, I am a scale model railroad mogul...� Again, this is a sad way to confide our interests to another. Still, it isn�t wrong.
How much do we need to have the autonomic nervous system of our spirit to control our lives to such an extent that we would say, and feel!, �I�m a child of the King. I live for God.� All of us who have accepted Jesus as our Savior are able to claim the first. But, the second... How many of us can, honestly, claim that we live for God.
Oh, we might do something for Him. We might read our Sunday School quarterlies. We might even spend a little time on prayer. Some will go so far as to give an active witness to the world that Jesus is the Savior. But, live for Him...?
I don�t have a lot of preaching to make on that point. I just feel that it is something that we all need to work on. I know I do!
This was also an exclaiming morning when John saw the Savior. �...and saith, Behold, the Lamb of God...�
The lamb was a sacrificial animal in the Old Testament code. Each year the people were to bring a sacrifice to offer for their sins. God, of course, has no sin. He sent His Sacrificial Lamb, the Lord Jesus, to be the offering for the sins of any who would accept Him as their Savior. Jesus was not the lamb of man; He is the Lamb of God!
John had been in preparation for the King. He had preached His message. He had sought to prepare others to be ready to accept the Messiah. John had eagerly looked forward to the day when the King would appear.
Each of us needs to prepare our hearts for the King. We need to accept that we have no special goodness, no power, no possibility of pleasing God without the intervention of the Person of Jesus Christ. We accept Him as our Savior.
But, we also need to make Him our King.
If we are to fully live a victorious Christian life, we need to yield our own hopes and dreams to be conformed to His plan for our lives. This is not surrender of our personalities and joys. This is acceptance of greater joy and peace than we could find by ourselves.
My van isn�t home right now. It won�t be for a few weeks. It is being repaired. Some things have to be taken out and replaced with other things. It is only by this mechanical operation that the van will be able to perform its function properly.
So it is with our lives. There are things that we need to discard, and others to accept, if we are to function as we ought. Remember, if you would live life to its fullest you must meet the specifications of the manufacturer! The purpose of God is not to �hold us back,� or to �make us an automan.� The purpose of God is to restore us to that level at which we were created to live. He desires the best for us because that is the best for us.
We do not become less human when we follow the Lord. We become more, and more fully, the humanity we were designed to be!
John had made many pronouncements for the King. Some people had accepted these. Some had not. It made no difference to His task, this reaction of the people. The King came whether they accepted Him or not. But, it made, this reaction of the people, a great difference to the people. Those who accepted the King were justified and made whole. Sins were forgiven.
Those who refused just continued on in their walk. Their walk, whether they knew it or not, was on a short plank overlooking an ocean of eternal destruction.
It was only the performance of the King which could save their souls from sin. It was only the performance of the King which could give them access to the Throne of God�s Grace. It was only the performance of the King which could offer them any real fulfillment in even their temporal lives.
That is the reason that this time was an executing morning. �...which taketh away the sin of the world.�
The meaning of the word �execute� is to complete something. It is to present a finished work.
The preaching of John was designed to prepare people to walk to the King.
Jesus was coming. That much was a certainty. There was no need to make a straight path for the Lord. This was, of course, the work of John. He was to prepare a path for Jesus to enter into the community of man. (John 1:23) But, the important thing was that the road be straight so that others might follow the path to the Lord.
The incongruity of the situation was that in order for man to go toward Jesus, Jesus must first approach them. John 3:14 contains these words of Jesus: �And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up.�
Compare that verse with Romans 3:11. �There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.�
Man is a sinful creature. It is part of our nature since the fall of Adam. Spiritually, we are not presently constituted to seek fellowship with God. Our spiritual disposition is developmentally positioned to follow the road of sin.
I approached my eighteen-month-old grandson a couple of days ago. He was reaching for some things that I knew his mother did not allow him to have. I told him, �No.� When he continued, I slapped his hand and, again, said, �No.�
The little boy looked at me. He shouted, �NO!� Then he slapped at my hand. He had decided that he wanted his way. That was the only way that was important to him.
We are all like that. We are born like that. Very few are, honestly, altruistically inclined. We tend to do �good� things because doing so will make us feel superior to others. That may be a sad commentary on humanity. But, it is true.
There are, thankfully, many exceptions to the above rule. But, when it comes to true spirituality, there are none that will - of their own sinful nature - approach Christ. Jesus said, �No man can come to me except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.� (John 6:44)
That is just one of the reasons that we need to be in earnest prayer, by name!, for those who we know need the salvation which resides in the sacrifice of Jesus. We need to pray that the Spirit of God would draw them to Himself.
That is part of the work of the King.
He will draw people to Himself when the gospel message is related. He will draw people to Himself when the prayer of God�s people is offered up to the Throne of Grace. He will draw people to Himself when the preserved Word is preached.
We must do what we can. We must accept that He will do the rest.
When my son was younger I used to ask him to help me carry things. When he was young, I was stronger and would carry the larger share of the load. He never realized this. But, I certainly let his part of the load get larger with the passing years! The point is that I allowed him to do what he could. In this way he learned to do things that he might not have, otherwise, tried to do.
Do your part in the spiritual work. Do the very best you can. But, understand, and have that great confidence, that God will carry the bulk of the load.
The work of the King leads to the salvation of souls. But, the great glory is that He asks us to help in this work. We do our little part. He has already done the heavy work on the Cross of Calvary. He will continue to do the work of conviction. This is all the more so as we continue to do our part in obedience and prayer.
All of this led John to the worship of the King.
A few years ago Linda was very much against the NAFTA legislation. She was deeply involved in the garment industry and felt that this would lead to a very bad situation for these manufacturers. She complained to me a few times. This did her no good at all. Then, she had a short audience with President Clinton. As it turned out, this didn�t do much good for her cause either.
But, she had the chance, since she met the President, to voice her fears and worries on the subject. She couldn�t have talked to him without first meeting him.
Neither can we worship God unless we first meet Him. This is the center of the message of John. �The King is coming. Prepare to meet Him!�
Jesus has come. Have you met Him? Have you accepted Jesus Christ as the Savior of your soul? Has He washed your sins away?
Why not accept Him right now? He will save your soul and allow you to worship the God of Eternity.