Make Way For Jesus

Well folks do have that passage open in front of you. So critical that we have the Lord's

word open in front of us so you can make sure that what I'm saying is what the passage is

saying. So with John chapter 1 open in front of you I want to tell you about my friend

John 1 · chapter mention

Terry. Okay Terry, I first met him when I was doing the Cornhill course in Glasgow.

So Terry is a brilliant little guy. Terry is the founder of a charity that's called Hope

for Glasgow. And what they do is they work to see people get off the streets, get clean

from substance abuse and get connected to a local church where they will be loved, cared

for and where they will be nurtured to come to see Jesus. And the reason Terry's heart

is burdened for this work is that he spent a large part of his time, previous season of

his life, on the streets in Glasgow. He was a self-confessed addict. And God in his kindness

brought people into Terry's life who helped him recover and who introduced him to Christ.

And Terry says as he looks back on that season of his life, he says this. He says, I had to

get clean in order to see how dirty I really was. Now take that in for just a minute what

he's saying. So once he got his mind back, he was confronted with the depths of his heart.

Right? His shame, his guilt, his selfishness, his anger, his deep-seated and rooted bitterness.

As it worked itself out in his life, both horizontally and most importantly, vertically, as he considered

himself in light of this holy God who he just heard about. I had to get clean in order to see

just how dirty I really was. And I find that a fascinating admission for two reasons. Firstly,

because it's not how our culture would finish that sentence. I had to get clean to realize

my full potential. I had to get clean in order to realize just how great I was. I had to get

clean to realize that I'm worth it. You know that slogan from L'Oreal? I was reading this week

that since it was introduced in 1971, it's been translated into over 40 different languages.

Pretty good, isn't it? But why? Because it doesn't matter where you are in the world.

We love hearing that we're worth it. And yet, here's what writer Rebecca McLaughlin points out in her

brilliant book, Confronting Jesus. And she's a writer, if you've not read her, she's just a brilliant

apologist for the Christian faith. There's a QR code there. Don't get distracted by it, but feel

free to click it and you can check it out later, okay? She says this in this book that I'm reading

just now. She says, isn't it striking that the people who are most drawn to Jesus, as you read

about him graciously welcoming and transforming people in the gospels, isn't it striking that it's

those people that believe about themselves the exact opposite? Which takes us to the second thing

that's striking about Terry's comment? That he would be the first to tell you that him owning it

proved to be for him not the gateway to despair. It proved to be for him the doorway to life.

And if we're wondering to ourselves how on earth that works, which I take it, whatever is going on

in our lives and whatever we think about the God of the Bible, we are, then this passage wonderfully

tells us the answer. Primarily because it shows us what God has done to deal with our dirt.

Now, if you've got the passage there today, you'll see John the gospel writer introduces us

to two men. And the first man is at verses 19 to 28, and he's a servant who's in the business

of pointing away. So his name is John, right? Not to be confused with John the author. This is John

the Baptist. John the Baptist, at this point in time, is the new kid on the block in Galilee.

If he was around today, he'd be trending on Twitter. His words would be getting shares on Facebook.

His photos would be getting liked on Instagram. John the Baptist is big news in Galilee.

And I think he's big news because he's not your average guy. Everything about John the Baptist,

as you read about him in the gospels, is strange. Okay? Strange dress sense. A garment of camel's hair

and a leather belt. Not going to see that one in Milan anytime soon, are we? Strange dress sense.

Strange eating habits. Locusts and wild honey. Again, not going to be on the menu at the Shuma anytime

soon, is it? Locusts and wild honey. And strange practices. So John the Baptist, it's in the name.

What has he been doing? He's been baptizing. That's why he's making the headlines. Now, religious washings

would appear to have been around at this time in the religious world, but there's clearly something

striking and different as to the notch that John the Baptist is upping it to and his message that goes

alongside it. Now, if you're in the text, verse 19, come with me.

The religious authorities of the day send Levites and priests on a scouting mission. Do you see it?

They send them to find out who this man really is. Simple question, verse 21. It's probably the one

that we're all asking this morning. Three words. Who are you? Candidates, do you see them in the text?

Are you Elijah? This Old Testament prophet who didn't die but was drawn up to heaven. Are you him?

Come back. Are you the prophet of Deuteronomy 18? The man that Moses said that God would raise up

after him who would speak to the people, the very words of God. Are you him? Who are you?

Well, whilst everything on the surface may appear strange with this guy,

look behind the scenes and John's arrival is profoundly significant when you consider the bigger

Bible story. Now, John the writer has already introduced us to John the Baptist at verses

six to eight of chapter one. Glance there if you want. Okay. He wants us to know that this man is a

witness. Now, if you include the word testify there, you'll notice that between those verses six to eight

of chapter one and our verses today, that concept comes up six times. So John the author wants us to

know that John the Baptist is a witness, right? What's he witnessing to? That's the question. He's

a witness. But John, the author, also wants us to know that John the Baptist, he also wants John

the Baptist to speak for himself. Verse 23, who are you, John the Baptist? He is the voice of one crying

in the wilderness, makes straight the way of the Lord. Now, he's quoting, and John tells us there,

he's quoting the Old Testament prophet Isaiah. And specifically, he's quoting chapter 40. Now,

if we get this, and this is a little bit of mental work, if we get this, we will see why John the Baptist

appearing is such brilliant news for us here today. Okay. Isaiah chapter 40, God has been making a

Isaiah 40 · chapter mention

promise to his people who are in exile in Babylon. Okay. They're away from their homeland.

Their enemies have defeated them. They're away over there, suffering under cruel impressors. God has

made a promise to his people over there that he's going to come to them, he's going to rescue them,

and he's going to lead them out to the place where he's prepared for them. And God is saying,

you will know that that promise is about to kick in, that I've come to deal with your biggest problem.

You'll know it's about to kick in when you hear a voice telling you to get ready.

I'm going to send somebody up front, just out ahead, who's going to tell you that I'm coming.

And he's going to say, God's coming just over my shoulder. You've got to get ready. And do you know

what? He's coming to save us. This is the voice that God is going to send. Right? Do you know,

my brother sent a video last week on our family WhatsApp group? Okay. I love a family WhatsApp

group. Brother lives in Stockbridge, just north of the city. And so last week, I forget which day it

was. He goes up to Queen's Furry Roads and he goes up to see the Queen's Hearst coming into Edinburgh.

Right? And so he videos this thing. What an incredible thing to say that you've witnessed. And it was a

five minute walk from his flat. Incredible. Right? One of those once in a lifetime moments. But he sends

this video around. And what's striking about the video is that the first thing that you see

is not the hearse. The first thing that you see and you hear are the flashing lights of the police

motorbikes who've gone up ahead. And they've got one job. Their one job is to make sure what is clear.

The roads are clear. Right? People are off to the side. There's no bits of metal or anything in the road

that's going to burst the tires. Everything has to be ready. Clear the way. Because the car's coming

just behind me. And sure enough, as soon as the people in the video, we could see it. As soon as

they saw the bikes, there they are with their cameras out. Because they know that the bikes tell

them that the very thing that they're waiting on is just about to come. Friends, John the Baptist is the

motorbike in this day. He's gone out ahead. He's getting people ready. He's saying, God is coming.

You need to get ready. His message is a moral one. Okay? He's saying, get your life in gear. Change

your ways. Lift your eyes. Stop cheating. Stop lying. Clean up your act. Because our creator, our God,

is coming. And boy, do people respond when you put it together with the other gospels. All strata of

society respond to his message. Tax collectors respond. Roman soldiers respond. They say, what do

we need to do? I imagine that they respond because they're people who know that their lives are those

that need to get ready. But notice the attitude by which John does his baptizing. Verse 27.

He says, the one who comes after me, the one I'm telling you is just about to come, I'm not even

worthy to untie the straps of his sandals. Now listen, you might be here and see the thought of feet.

It gives you the heebie-jeebies, right? But just be thankful that you don't live in the first century

where people's feet into the bargain are sweaty and dirty. Now you read around this and a pupil,

is they sit under the teaching of a rabbi, right? There's many things that they would do to serve

their rabbi, the one that they're learning from. But the one thing that was off bounds,

the one thing is a no-go, the one thing that is not even a pupil should have to stoop down to

is washing feet. And yet John considers the greatness of the one who's just coming behind him.

And he says, I'm not even worthy to do that job.

Such is the humility. Do you not love his humility?

The one who's coming, don't look at me. I'm ducking out of the way. Don't look at me. Look at him who's coming.

There's a story told about Alexander the Great,

the great leader of ancient Greece.

A story told about how he proudly just

parades into town on his horse,

right?

Wants his people to see how great he is.

And he goes up to

an individual called

Diogenes. He goes up to him,

he puffs out his chest, gets down off the horse,

and this big brute of a man goes over to

Diogenes and says,

what do you want me to do for you?

And Diogenes

cheekily replies,

I just want you to move to the side

because you're blocking the sun.

Do you not love the

humility here of John the Baptist?

I don't want to get in the way of the sun.

And I take it

evangelistically, that's a lesson for us

as well, as we think about our life as disciples.

We just want to get

out of the way of the sun.

It's not about us.

It's not about us.

It's about him.

The disciples of Jesus

saying, don't look at me.

Look at him.

He is the

servant, John the Baptist, who's in the business

of pointing away.

And he's pointing away

secondly, verse 29 to 34,

to the king who's in the business

of taking away.

So back in the text, you see the next

day John saw Jesus

coming. And notice the description

of who John says that Jesus is.

And remember, John, the writer,

is recording all this

for a reason.

You don't waste ink in this day.

You don't waste thoughts.

It's not kind of

tweeting or blogging or Facebook posts.

There's a lot of effort goes into

documenting this.

So you want people to know this.

Who does John know that Jesus is?

He is the one who existed before me.

He's the one

who is greater than me.

The reason I came baptizing.

And at last, John answers the question.

Verse 31.

Here's the reason I came.

I came that he might be revealed

to Israel.

Who is he?

Just notice the two titles

that John gives Jesus here.

He is the

lamb who's come to take away

the sin of the world.

And here's what I reckon, John,

knowing

who he is,

what he thinks,

as he looks at Jesus.

And at this point in the narrative,

do you see his

clock dies on Jesus.

Here's what I reckon

is going through

John's

mind.

Isaiah 40.

God declares to his people

who are in exile,

I'm coming to rescue you

and take you out.

But right at the beginning

of Isaiah chapter 40,

Isaiah 40 · chapter mention

the only reason

that God can do that

is because

he's dealt with

our

iniquity.

The only reason

it's possible

that God can say

he's coming to save

is because your

iniquity,

your sin

that caused me

to send you

into exile

in the first place.

That sin,

I have dealt

with it,

is pardoned,

is not swept

under the carpet,

is not written off

as a bad debt.

This God,

he's coming

to deal with it.

Now what kind of God

would he be

if that's how he treated

and viewed all the wrongs

in the world?

That he swept them

under the carpet,

that he wrote them off

as a bad debt?

No, this God

and remember

who he is,

the one who knows

the end from the beginning

as he considered

the lamb

who was slain

before the foundation

of the world.

This God says

not I will deal

with it,

this God says

I've dealt

with it.

But you're still

reading it

and you're asking

how?

How have you dealt

with it?

Remember that?

Your math teacher

at school,

remember what they said

you got marks for?

Not so much the answer

although that definitely

helped.

What did you get marks for?

Showing you're working,

right?

So what's happened

to that iniquity

that God said

has been pardoned?

Isaiah chapter 40,

Isaiah 40 · chapter mention

you go on a few chapters

to Isaiah 53

and you read about

God's saviour

who will be a man

of sorrows

acquainted

with grief

who will be like

a sacrificial lamb

and who God

will take

and lead

to the slaughter

and who

on whom

God will

lay like straw

all the iniquity

of his people.

He will lay it

all on him.

This is how God

is going to pardon

his people's iniquity.

He is going to lay it

all on the sacrificial lamb.

How will God deal

with the iniquity

of his people?

He'll lay it

on the lamb.

The lamb will die

instead of the people

and the people

will live

instead of the lamb.

And in that context

you see what this does?

As John sees Jesus,

God come to save,

God coming over my shoulder,

he says,

Behold

the lamb

of God.

Because this lamb

has come

to bear

our iniquity

on himself.

words that will be

fulfilled

as Jesus goes

to the cross,

silently endures

unjust torture

and death,

bearing the punishment,

the iniquity

of his people

on himself.

He bears

their

dirt.

And if your trust

is in him

today,

no matter how weak

you think your faith

is,

if you're looking

to him,

know that the lamb

took your iniquity

on himself.

You need not

pay for it

anymore

because the lamb

died

in your place.

The iniquities,

all of our iniquities

were on him

laid.

And that's why

Christians down the

centuries have

rejoiced in this

chapter of Isaiah

53.

We all like sheep

have gone astray,

each one to his own

way,

but the Lord

has laid

on him

the iniquity

of his all.

And John

says,

behold,

the lamb

of God

who takes

away

the sin

of the

world.

Brothers and

sisters,

if you are

struggling with

guilt and shame

today,

if you are

struggling with

your dirt,

look to the

lamb.

He never

ceases to be

a lamb who

was slain.

Yes,

he is king

in glory,

but what is

described in

Revelation?

At the

throne is

a lamb who

was slain.

He's died

for our

iniquity.

My sin

put him

there.

Some of you

might know

Rembrandt

famously painted

the crucifixion

scene.

What you might

not know is

that Rembrandt

painted himself

into that

crucifixion

scene.

He painted

himself into

the scene as

one of the

men who was

crucifying Jesus,

as if to say,

in one sense,

I wasn't there

that day.

But in

another sense,

I absolutely

was.

It was my

sin that put

him there.

It was my

iniquity that

he died

for.

Behold,

the Lamb

of God,

the words of

the old hymn,

t'was I that

shed the sacred

blood.

I nailed him

to the tree.

I crucified

the Christ

of God.

I joined

the mockery.

It was our

sin that he

took.

It was my

sin that

put him

there.

Don

Carson,

I think,

New Testament

commentator,

helpfully clarifies

the meaning of

the word

world here.

The Lamb

of God

takes away

the sin

of the

world.

That is to

all human

beings without

distinction,

though not to

all without

exception.

I was reading

an article this

week in the

Telegraph that

reflected on the

events of the

last ten days

and it was

reflecting on the

fact that

subconsciously,

and I think

this is true,

we kind of all

believed the

Queen was going

to live forever.

She was just

always there.

How many people

have you heard

reflect on the

fact that our

whole life she

was just always

there?

And how this

week we've all

been reminded of

our own mortality.

Everyone dies.

Here then is an

invitation to all

the world to

trust in Jesus

and by faith

know the truth

that there is

forgiveness in

the Lamb who

takes away our

sin.

And let me just

lovingly say by

implication, all

those who don't

trust in the

Lamb, the math

says that that

iniquity still

sits on you.

We're all going

to have to give

an account in the

end before our

righteous and

just creator.

How we've lived

before him.

And in light,

friends, of who

we all are, do

see the good

news that the

Lamb of God has

come to take

away the sin of

the world.

He is the

Lamb of God

and he is the

Lamb, verse 33,

who gives the

spirit.

As Jesus is

baptized, and I

think that's what

John is reflecting

on here.

Jesus baptized,

and be clear on

this, not to

repent of his

own sin, but to

associate himself

with the very

people that he's

come to save.

The Holy Spirit

comes down, do

you notice in the

text, in the

form of a

dove?

Right?

Likely a, I

don't fall out,

maybe disagree

over this, but

likely a symbolic

presence of God's

peace.

Okay, just as in

the days of Noah,

the dove returns,

symbolizing that

peace between God

and man was

here.

I think similarly,

the ultimate peace

between God and

man that that no

episode points us

to will be what

Jesus is.

Death and resurrection

will accomplish for

all who believe,

peace with God.

But John's

emphasis here is

that that dove,

the spirit,

remains on Jesus.

So the word

remains, I think,

with the emphasis

is he remains on

Christ.

You see, in the

Old Testament, the

spirit came on an

individual, empowered

them for a God-given

task.

But in those

instances, the

spirit empowering

was temporary.

So it's striking

here then that John

wants us to know

that the spirit, as

the spirit falls on

Jesus, remains.

Right?

Enabling him to

live the perfect

life, I take it

enabling him to

know the love of

his father.

John's baptism

could only really

instruct somebody

externally.

It could only

really encourage

somebody morally.

But Jesus is

baptism.

Not the

baptism as

anything special.

But understand,

it's what it

symbolizes.

As our lives

become wholly

bound to his,

that's what we're

doing as we go

under the water

and come back up.

The shape of

Jesus' life is the

shape of our

lives now.

If you haven't

been baptized,

you've got to do

it.

Come and do it.

Make it happen.

That baptism is

Jesus gives us

the spirit,

the very presence

of God coming

to live inside

of us.

That baptism

doesn't change

us externally.

It changes

us internally.

As the very

presence of God

takes up residence

in the life's

of his people.

And he

transforms us

from the inside

out.

That's what

John's baptism

couldn't do.

That this is

what Jesus'

baptism will

do.

And so the

question is,

as we respond

to this this

morning,

are we living

our every day

in light of

the Lamb?

You know,

just as we

close,

and maybe to

help us

think about

it,

friends,

let me tell

you about the

car that we

drove in

America.

John and

Kelsey generously

lent us their

car when we

were over

there.

Olin,

who's here,

drove it down

to Chicago,

we picked it

up there.

Incredibly

generous of

them.

But the

minute I

stepped into

this car,

I realised

that things

were different.

Automatic,

steering wheel

on the other

side,

driving on

the right

side of the

road.

That is a

royal flush

of differences.

for the

first few

days,

all I

heard in

the car

was beep,

beep,

beep,

beep,

beep,

beep,

beep.

No idea

what this

noise is.

Beep,

beep,

beep,

beep,

beep,

beep,

beep.

Okay,

that's

getting

annoying.

Beep,

beep,

beep,

beep,

beep,

beep,

beep.

This is

a four-hour

journey,

and I'm

going to

follow up

with someone

if I don't

find out

what this

noise is.

Beep,

beep,

beep,

beep,

beep,

beep.

Do you

know what

telling me

that I

was drifting?

And beep,

beep,

beep,

beep,

beep was

code for

get yourself

back to

the center.

Friends,

what we've

looked at

this morning,

the lamb

who takes

away the

sin of

the world,

the gospel,

is the

center of

Christianity.

It is

the wondrous

heartbeat

of God,

the center

of our

faith,

and the

question is,

friends,

is it the

center of

our lives?

And as we

think about

our lives in

response to

this passage

today,

here's an

observation.

How easy

is it to

drift?

How easy

is it to

think to

myself as I

go about my

day every

day,

do I really

need the

lamb?

Do I really

need him?

Does he make

any difference

to my

life?

Do you

know how I

see myself

drifting?

Two ways.

It's when my

default reaction

to my sin is

one of two

things.

Firstly,

it's that I

try and

cover up.

When I get

it wrong,

it's just to

write it off.

It's not

really that

big a deal,

my sin.

I try and

justify it to

myself that I

only thought that

or said that

because it was

the other

person's fault.

they're the

ones that got

me riled up.

It's their

sin.

No,

it's not.

It's my

sin.

It's my

sin.

Friends,

let me just

ask you,

when was the

last time you

said sorry?

When was the

last time you

got clean and

said a costly,

I got it

wrong,

to your

spouse,

to your

children?

Most

importantly,

our

children,

I say this

all the

time,

listen,

daddy needs

Jesus just

as much as

you do.

Oh,

friends,

to your

colleagues,

to your

flatmates,

how easy

is it to

cover up

our sin?

Or secondly,

I try and

cover up,

secondly,

I try and

make up.

I think to

myself,

tomorrow is

going to be

a better

day,

tomorrow I'm

going to

get up at

five o'clock

and read my

Bible,

tomorrow I'm

going to

try harder.

Well,

friends,

covering up

and making

up,

not only

are they

exhausting

ways to

live,

but they

are deeply

anti-gospel,

anti-Lamb

ways of

living that

rob us of

knowing the

sweetness of

Jesus'

forgiveness

and grace.

And the

liberating news

here,

because the

Lamb has

paid for

my sin,

my past

sin,

my present

sin,

my future

sin,

as I

contemplate

my dirt,

the news

is that I

don't need

to pretend

that I'm

sorted.

This

liberates me

to hold

my hands

up and

say,

here is

a sinner

who's also

in need

of God's

grace.

Not a

once-in-a-lifetime

decision,

it's a

lifetime.

John Calvin

called the

Christian life

a lifetime

of repentance.

It's why

we do

what we do

every Sunday.

Let me

just say,

have you ever

clocked that?

There's a lot

of effort

goes into

picking the

readings and

the songs

and everything

else that

goes on

here.

Why?

Because all

of us

drift.

What do we

need as we

come in here

on a Sunday?

And let me

just say,

this is why

church membership

is so important.

What do we do

to one another

when we gather

on a Sunday?

What do we

remind ourselves

of?

What do we

read about?

What do we

celebrate?

What do we

sing?

We sing

about the

center.

we sing

about the

lamb who

was slain

before the

foundation of

the world.

We sing

about the

lamb who

was slain

for the

sins of

the world.

We sing

about the

lamb who

has come

to deal

with the

dirt of

his people.

We sing

about the

lamb who

takes away

the sin

of the

world.

So brothers

and sisters,

as we

close,

is this

the center?

Have you

drifted this

morning?

Have you

drifted?

come back

to him.

Isn't it

amazing that

Jesus is

here?

The lamb

who has

come to

take away

the sin

of the

world.

Let's

pray.

So

father, we

just thank

you this

morning for

John's

gospel.

We thank

you,

Lord, that

we have it

in our

language.

We thank

you,

father, that

we can

understand it.

We thank

you most

of all that

you are a

God who

has revealed

yourself and

done something

to save us

from our

deepest

problem.

Father, would

you help us

this morning as

a local

church, as

a family,

oh, Lord, to

help one

another, keep

each other's

eyes on the

lamb.

Thank you

that our

lives are

caught up

with him.

Thank you

that his

death is

our death.

Thank you

that his

life is

our life.

Father, I

pray that if

there's any

here this

morning who

don't know

the lamb,

oh, Father,

by your

spirit, you

would open

their eyes

to see the

grace and

truth that

are to be

found in

Jesus Christ.

Father, we

thank you for

this morning.

Be with us,

Lord, as we

sing, as we

close, and as

we spend

time together.

Oh, Father,

may we know

just a sweet

time of

knowing your

peace and your

greatness together.

Father, in

Jesus' name

we ask.

Amen.

Amen.