January 11, 2004
Listen, World, Listen!

TEXT: John 1:29-34
The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.' I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel."
Then John gave this testimony: "I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. I would not have known him, except that the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.' I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God."

The Bible teaches that God is triune. This means He is One, but reveals Himself to us as three: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Worship services begin with the salutation, "We begin our service in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."

The Bible teaches that in the fulness of time a part of the Godhead came into the world in the form of a man. He lived on this earth as the God-man for thirty-three years. His mission was to redeem humans who had fallen into sin that they might become the children of God.

The question we pondered in last Sunday's sermon was, When did Jesus, during his thirty-three years on earth, come to a full realization as to who he was and why he was here? In last Sunday's sermon, when He visited the temple with his parents at the age of twelve, Jesus was aware that he had a special mission to perform. By the time he was thirty years of age, Jesus knew he was the God-man sent to redeem humankind.

In this Sunday's sermon, it is time for the world to hear of Christ and His mission. This announcement was made through the forerunner: John the Baptist. John the Baptist was a relative of Jesus. Yet he tells us, "I would not have known Him, except it had been revealed to me" (John 1:33). Only the Holy Spirit can introduce us to Jesus and reveal him as the Savior of the world.

Because the nation of Israel had been chosen by God to be His special people, they were the first to receive this revelation. They had dreamt of a leader who would destroy the Romans. He would be a man of war building a kingdom for his people. It is little wonder they would not receive Jesus as the Messiah when he came as a man of peace telling them that His Kingdom was not of this world.

But then came that day when John the Baptist announced in the wilderness, "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world." And with these words this great preacher pointed the crowd to Jesus.

When the people wondered if John the Baptist was not the awaited Messiah, he specifically taught, "I am not the Christ. I am not worthy to untie His shoes. I must decrease, but he must increase." This was the day when John declared, Listen, world, listen! Jesus is the Christ.

It was a message of hope. Jesus would forgive their sins and restore them into an eternal fellowship with God. No longer would a lamb have to be sacrificed in the temple each morning and evening as a payment for the people's sins. Soon the day would come when Jesus would be offered up as the sacrifice for all people's sins. The writer of the book of Hebrews stated it clearly, "So Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him" (Hebrews 9:28).

This is the Gospel. How sad for the people about whom John, the disciple, wrote, "He came to his own, but his own did not receive him." What a message for the world: "To those who will receive him, he gives power to become children of God" (John 1:11-12)!

No longer is salvation for one particular group of people. God so loved the world. The Gospel is for all. This is the message of Christ's Church to a lost humanity.

In those early days of Christ's ministry, John the Baptist was God's servant to announce the good news of salvation. Throughout history, God made His appeal to this world through people.

Who was the person whom God used to bring you into the Kingdom? Was it Jesus himself as he spoke to you through the Bible? Was it Peter who, when your guilt was killing you, said "He himself bore our sins on the tree that we might die to sin and live for righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed" (I Peter 2:24)? Or might it have been Paul, who spoke not only to the Romans, but to you using these words: "If you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved" (Romans 11:9)?

It is more likely that it was some person – a parent, sibling, friend, pastor, Sunday school teacher to mention just a few – who might have pointed you to the Lord Jesus. Then the Holy Spirit used this person's words to introduce you to the Savior.

If you are not a Christian, let me assure you that Christ loves you and wants to be your Savior. In faith receive Him, and he will restore you into fellowship with God to be His forever.

If you are a Christian, God has called you to be his ambassador. He desires to make his appeal to someone through you. This is the mission of the Church.

People do not change. For the people of John the Baptist's day, the message was annoying, and they sought to quiet it. However, it could not be quieted. So it is today. Others, then and now, simply turn off the Gospel. They live this life without Christ and go to the grave without Him. But thank God it is still true: "To those who receive him, he gives the power to become the children of God."

Listen, world! Listen.

Amen.

Rev. Homer Larsen
Christian Crusaders