This sermon is from the Rev. Charles G. Dennison sermon archive, part of “The Name of Jesus Christ” series, and was preached at Grace Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Sewickley, PA, during a worship service on Sunday, April 5, 1987.
Our scripture this morning is from John’s Gospel. We are in the nineteenth chapter. We are reading from the seventeenth verse through verse thirty. And he, bearing his cross, went forth into a place called the Place of the Skull, which is called in the Hebrew, Golgotha, where they crucified him and two others with him on either side, one and Jesus in the midst. And Pilate wrote a title and put it on the cross. and the writing was Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews. This title then read many of the Jews, for the place where Jesus was crucified was nigh to the city, and it was written in Hebrew and Greek and Latin. Then said the chief priests of the Jews to Pilate, write not the king of the Jews, but that he said, I am the king of the Jews. Pilate answered, What I have written, I have written.
Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments and made four parts to every soldier apart, and also his coat. Now the coat was without seam woven from the top throughout. They said, therefore, among themselves, Let us not rend it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be, that the scripture might be fulfilled, which saith, They parted my raiment among them, and for my vesture they did cast lots. These things, therefore, the soldiers did.
Now they stood by the cross of Jesus, His mother and his mother’s sister, Mary, the wife of Clovis, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus, therefore, saw his mother and the disciples standing by whom he loved, he said unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son. Then said each of the disciples, Behold, thy mother. And from that hour, that disciple took her into his own home.
After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, I first. Now, there was set a vessel full of vinegar and they filled a sponge with vinegar and put it upon his head and put it to his mouth. When Jesus, therefore, had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished.
And he bowed his head and gave up the girls. By the water, in the desert, the man stands. Uncommon, this man, hardly clothed like others. He preaches out his message about the water and about cleansing. and his voice is heard in all of the territories around the people’s stream to that stream where they receive the water to his message. Repent. Repent. Be cleansed for the Kingdom of God is coming. The princes of the land send out their emissaries. They come with their question, who are you? Are you the Christ? Are you Elijah? Are you that prophet who was promised?
His response to them is, no, I am none of these. I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness. There is one greater than I. He comes after me. But truly he is important. And I am not even fit. To take off his shoes. The very next day after confrontation with these emissaries. There appears another figure. Coming towards the water stream submitting himself to a yoke. And the profits all. He appears. And this one the prophet the Baptist sees him as with the eyes of heaven. And recognizes him immediately.
Behold, behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” Those words, not repeated throughout the account in the gospel, but there nonetheless throughout the entire ministry of this one so recognized. This one then, bearing those words in himself. And now, some three years later, from pavements of judgment out beyond the city walls to Golgotha, there this one, the Lamb of God, And what a sight it is! For he now goes out having heard the sentence of the powers of this world.
The Lamb, to be sure, that one who has not as much as opened his mouth before those who assault him. He has not raised his voice against their insults, against their jibes. As a lamb before his shears is dumb, so he opened not his mouth And now, out from those pavements of judgment, beyond the city walls, to the place of the skull, there to die. For the sins of the world.
And yes, again it is said, what a strange sight it is. This land then bearing on his own shoulders upon his back the implements of his death, carrying them himself. And as that is said about him, as we behold him thus, our minds run back over the centuries. about a wandering Semite, a man come down from the north into a land in which he doesn’t even own a piece of ground, a man given promise concerning that land and the sea. And to this wandering Aramean there is born a child. and how he loves the child. But the voice out of heaven now says, Abraham, take the child whom you love and offer him to me in sacrifice. What transpires in the man’s mind, we do not know, except to say there is no record of his complaint, his objection.
He quickly sets about the task given him by the Lord. And he places upon the child the implements of the child’s death, the wood for the altar and the fire. so that that child, Isaac, goes out bearing the cross. I see, I see the supply. Father for the sacrifice, but Father, where is the sacrifice? And Abraham says, the Lord will provide. They make their way into the country designated by the law. to the territory of Mariah, and there Isaac is prepared for the sacrifice. He is laid upon the altar, and the knife is lifted, and the word comes out of heaven, Abraham, withhold your hand. Now I know that you fear me. The Lord indeed provides, for in the thicket nearby there is a ram, a lamb, and that lamb is the sacrifice.
The lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world. more than, than even Isaac, more than, than all of the sheep, more than all of the livestock offered throughout Israel’s history. Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. But what a strange Lamb He is, for this Lamb is also portrayed in might. He goes forth carrying His own cross, And no one carries it for him. Overlay this message of the Lamb. Overlayed is the message also of the Lord. For this one who is the Lamb is the Lord, and his power, even in this description of his deepest humiliation, is one of glory. He is a king. He is the king. What a procession it is!
Only those with the eye of faith will perceive it. You will understand it only if God has spoken to you and opened your heart and given you new life. Then you will see in this one who goes forth as the Lamb, the Lord as well. For he carries with him his throne, and the procession It marches out through the city gates, and then comes the coronation. He is lifted up upon his throne, and he is attended by the two, one on either side. What a court! For this King, this Lord, who is a Lamb, And what about the kings of the Earth and those who have power here?
They at first mock. Why does Pilate write the inscription that he does? Yes, he does it in jest. It’s meant as a goad, both to the one crucified and to the Jews whom he despises. So, in mockery, the inscription, the title for this king is given, Jesus the Nazarene, the King of the Jews. Much true, infinitely more true than Pilate ever thought. And how, then, the kingship, the lordship of this land is proclaimed. For there, the Jews read the inscription to be sure. But the inscription is written in Hebrew, Latin and Greek for all the world to read. Regardless of time. This came so ascribed then by all the nations.
But this lamb, who is the Lord, has come to his own and his own do not receive him. And therefore, the priests of the Jews make their complaint. They raise their objection. Don’t write king of the Jews, but that he said, I am the king of the Jews and out of that confrontation, then there comes, as it were, a purgation for this Gentile Lord, Pilate, who even against his will now is constrained. A mockery aside, to acknowledge this Lamb as Lord, I have written what I have written, and so it stands for all the world to read. Never a lamb like this. And never Lord. But this lamb. Is your lamb? And this Lord. Is your Lord? The sins that he came to remove. are your sins. And the sins over which he has been victorious. They are your sins. His victory. Is yours. What a magnificent. Magnificent.
Figure. the Lamb who is the Lord, worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and light and honor and glory and blessing. Yours and every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea and all things in them, I heard saying, to him who sits on the throne and to the land, be blessing and honor and glory and power forever. And the four living creatures kept saying, Amen. And all the elders fell down and worshiped him. Never, O Lord, a lamb like this, your own son, and never a Lord like this the one you have glorified.
May we see in Him, you having opened our eyes, the wonders which He Himself bears, the glory which is His. And Father, may we count ourselves amongst those who conclude all of history with the hymn to the Lamb, worthy is the Lamb that was slain. Father, with these things in mind, impressed upon our souls, we come and partake of the supper.
The sermon text provided above is derived from the sermon audio recording making use of generative tools. It has not been manually edited. While transcription tools have a high degree of accuracy, the output may include generative textual, punctuation, and/or formatting errors.