Sermon from this past Sunday. LSB Series A, Epiph. 2 Pr. Ron Rock
Behold the Lamb 2nd Sun. a. Epiphany, A Sun. & Wed., January 16 & 19, 2011 Zion Lutheran Church, Beecher, IL Sermon Text John 1:29 Old Testament Reading Isaiah 49:1-7 Epistle Reading 1 Cor. 1:1-9 Gospel Reading John 1:29-42a Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and from our blessed Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. [Amen.] Our sermon is based on the following from todays Gospel reading: The next day [John] saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! (Jn. 1:29, ESV) Dear friends in Christ Jesus, It was in the fall of 1989. My family and I had just moved to Ft. Wayne, Indiana so that I could attend the seminary and study for the pastoral ministry. By that time, we had our three children and they were old enough to play with some of the other neighborhood kids. Just like it is in your neighborhoods, there were a number of families who didnt bother to go to church. And because of that, the kids from those families were pretty much clueless regarding anything pertaining to the Christian faith. One evening Id walked down the street to call our kids home for supper. One of the neighborhood boys (Id guess him to be about 10) one of them asked me: Hey Mister, arent you the guy thats studying to be a preacher? I told him that he was right. He then said: But why would you want to do that? All that preachers do is just stand up in the pulpit and blab on and on telling people: Do this! Dont do that! Is that what you want to do, to go around and tell people what they can and cant do? Unfortunately, that attitude isnt limited to some 10 year old kid in Ft. Wayne, Indiana. For so many people, their perception of God is that Hes a giant Bully in the sky who takes extreme pleasure in pushing people around. And in their estimation, the only things that God will allow them to do are things that are totally boring, silly, and downright mind-numbing! In other words, they, like that 10 year old kid, are unaware of the true identity and personality of God! In todays Gospel reading a similar thing is going on. John the Baptist is speaking to a number of people around him. A few verses before todays reading began, were told that the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem (Jn. 1:19, ESV) to challenge him as to who he was. In answering them, John told them that he [wasnt] the Christ (John 1:20, ESV) nor was he Elijah come back to life. Rather, he said: I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as the prophet Isaiah said. (Jn. 1:23, ESV) What John told them was the same thing that he would say countless times that following him would be the Christ of God, who would fulfill Gods promise to restore fallen man to a place of holiness and righteousness and thus be able to dwell with God once again. You see, the Jewish authorities were also pretty much clueless regarding not only John the Baptists identity but, sadly the same was true regarding their knowledge of the identity and personality of Jesus. But, as weve already seen, that was the Baptists God-given purpose to be the one who would go ahead of Jesus and point Him out to all whom God brought before him. Hed show that Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah finally come into the world in Gods perfect time. And so, our Gospel reading picks up on the day after John told the priests and Levites that he wasnt the Messiah. And, as this second day begins, not coincidentally Jesus approaches John and those with him. Try to picture the scene in your minds eye As Jesus drew near them, John simply points and says: Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. With his simple, but oh-so-profound words, John tied it all together. Here was Jesus, coming toward them for whom John was sent to prepare the people. Here was Jesus, who was the NOT a He was the Lamb of God Hed be the once-for-all-time-Sacrifice who would atone for all the ugliness and wretchedness and depravity that sin brought onto the human race for after Him there would be no need ever again for any of the Old Testament sacrifices for sin. Thats pretty good news, isnt it? For who of us doesnt from the youngest in here on up who of us doesnt fully realize that were caught in a sinful world, and sadly and pathetically were often to blame for the difficulty and heartache that sin brings upon us! But this Jesus who approached John and those with him would fully and completely remove the guilt of their sin and yours! He would fully and completely restore sinners standing before the Lord of heaven and earth to be seen as holy and righteous in His judging eyes! You see, the God who reveals Himself to humankind isnt the Figure that many suppose Him to be. Not at all! Hes not that big Bully in the sky whos just waiting to smack down those who cross Him. Although He is the all-powerful Lord of the Universe, Hes also a God of love who sent His one and only Son into our world so that His fallen creatures may have life. As Jesus said: I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. (John 10:10, ESV) This came about when Jesus allowed Himself to be lifted up on the cross to be crucified unto His death and in the process, He was punished for the sins of all people of all time including all of yours! Now, through repentance and faith in Him, new life, eternal life, is the result for those who walk with Him, the Risen Lord of All. Faith in Christ is created, fed, and fostered through Gods Word in invisible form when His Gospel of forgiveness is audibly heard. And its to be found in visible form when Gods Word of forgiveness and life is delivered to His people in the Sacraments of Baptism or His Supper. Just a few minutes ago little Annabelle had the Lord of Life reveal Himself to her. Using His eternal, errorless Word connected to simple water, God revealed Himself to Annabelle not as a Bully rather, He showed Himself to her as her loving Creator, Redeemer, and Sanctifier. And so it is for you! You, too, by Gods grace, have had Jesus revealed to you. Youve heard His call to repentance and faith, and you know His love His forgiveness His peace that the world can never, ever provide. You, too, have had revealed to you that the main purpose of Jesus coming to our world isnt to bully you No! He came to redeem you and give you life in His name. Jesus own words reveal not a bully but a loving Savior: For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. (John 3:17, ESV) Do you remember the 10 year old kid that I mentioned earlier? He asked me: But why would you want to be a preacher? All that preachers do is just stand up in the pulpit and blab on and on telling people: Do this! Dont do that! Is that what you want to do to go around and tell people what they can and cant do? Hopefully, by now, that boy (whos now about 32 years old) has had the real identity and personality of God revealed to him and he hasnt rejected Him. Hopefully, by now, he knows what we know that the Lamb of God has taken away the sin of the world and in the process has opened up heaven itself. Hopefully by now, he knows that on the Last Day when he stands with us before the judgment seat of Christ, hell gladly hear God tell us all what we can do. Christ will say: Come, My son. Come, my daughter. Come now, and enter My rest. Dwell with Me in joy, peace, and happiness without end! God grant it to us all, for Jesus sake! [Amen.] ` ____________________________________________________________ Obama Urges Homeowners to Refinance If you owe under $729k you probably qualify for Obama's Refi Program http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL3141/4d3616f64bceac51d28st03vuc
