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Please stand for the reading of God’s Word. This evening’s passage comes from John 1. We will be reading from verses 19 to 34. In the Pew Bible, this is page 1053. John 1, verses 19 to 34. Hear now the word of the Lord. And this is the testimony of John. When the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, who are you?

He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, I am not the Christ. And they asked him, what then, are you Elijah? He said, I am not. Are you the prophet? And he answered, no. So they said to him, who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself? 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. Now they had been sent from the Pharisees. And they asked him, then why are you baptizing if you are neither the Christ nor Elijah nor the prophet? John answered them. I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know.

Even he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.” These things took place in Bethany, across the Jordan, where John was baptizing. The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him and said, Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. This is he of whom I said, After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.

I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came, baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel. And John bore witness. I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, he on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit. And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.

Let us pray. Lord, we thank you for this word. We thank you that you have sent your only Son, the Lamb of God, to take away the sins of the world. I pray, O Lord, that as we read your Word this evening, the Spirit would work in us—the Spirit which Jesus promised would work in us—so that the Spirit would cause us to become more like your Son, Jesus Christ. May we come to know Him more, to love Him more, and to love one another more. I pray all this in your Son’s name. Amen. You may be seated.

Several weeks ago, we considered John the Baptist and the role he played in preparing the people of God for the coming Messiah. We learned, for example, that the Old Testament prophets did not only prophesy about the coming Messiah, but they also foretold of the coming prophet who would precede the Messiah to prepare the people of God for him. In our passage this evening, we see that one of the primary ways in which John prepared the people of God for the Messiah was by directly identifying him as the Lamb of God, as he does in verse 29. In doing so, John clearly and emphatically distinguished himself—the prophet—from the Messiah.

We will examine this passage in two points, from verses 19 through 28. The Apostle records for us John’s testimony about himself in verses 19 through 28. In verses 29 through 34, we will consider John the Baptist’s testimony about Jesus. First, we will look at John the Baptist’s testimony about himself in verses 19 through 28. Next, in verses 29 through 34, we will consider John the Baptist’s testimony about Jesus.

Several weeks ago, when we considered John the Baptist, we examined in depth the role that John the Baptist played in redemptive history. So this evening, in our passage, much of our focus will be on his confession rather than his identity. John the Baptist’s confession here is one of the greatest confessions made about Jesus prior to his resurrection. It is notable that this confession occurs at the very beginning of Jesus’s ministry.

Before Christ began his ministry, John the Baptist declared to the world that this man is the Messiah. He has come as the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. This man is the very Son of God. This man will send the Holy Spirit to his people. Of course, this does not mean that John the Baptist had a complete understanding of the doctrine of the atonement, the sonship of Jesus, or the Holy Spirit. But we affirm that the Holy Spirit, through the Holy Spirit’s inspiration, enabled John the Baptist, the forerunner of the Messiah, to prepare the covenant people of God for the revelation of the Messiah by declaring the fundamental truths of the gospel: who Jesus is and what he has come to do.

This is an extraordinary testimony that we too must proclaim before all people. Let us now turn to our first point: considering John the Baptist’s testimony about himself. John the Baptist’s testimony about himself. Our account begins in verse 19, when Jewish leaders sent priests and Levites to investigate the claims and actions of John the Baptist. These leaders likely had heard that a man was baptizing Jews in the wilderness, and they sent a delegation to determine by what authority John was performing these baptisms.

The baptisms in and of themselves were not unusual for the Jews at that time. But John’s baptisms were unique for two reasons. First, he was the one performing the baptisms rather than the people baptizing themselves. Second, his baptism was for the forgiveness of sins. As Mark records, John appeared in the wilderness, baptizing and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. When a man or woman came into contact with a dead body, they would purify themselves through ritual washing to remove the uncleanness associated with contact with a corpse. But when John baptized, he was the one initiating and performing the act.

This was no longer about ritual cleanliness. Instead, John was baptizing for inner cleansing, meaning the purification of the inner person from sin that had been committed. The religious leaders of that time were concerned that this man was establishing a new ritual and administering it without the explicit approval or authority of the Jewish leadership. Therefore, they sent a delegation to learn who this man was and by what authority he was baptizing.

Interestingly, this is the only place in any of the four gospels where Levites are mentioned in the gospel narratives. Jesus does refer to the Levites in the parable of the Good Samaritan, but in an actual historical narrative within the gospels, this is the only instance where Levites are mentioned. Later in our passage this evening, they are identified as coming from the Pharisees, meaning they were priests and Levites who belonged to the Pharisaic group. It is noteworthy that John did not say that Pharisees approached him, but instead used the terms “priests” and “Levites.” One reason John may have done this was to present these men as representatives of all Israel. Remember what John the Apostle wrote in verses 9 through 11.

The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. The priests and the Levites were those who knew the Old Testament best. They studied the scriptures and the law and practiced them daily. Yet these men, when they came to hear the one who was prophesied of old, rejected the testimony regarding Jesus. These men refused to accept the prophet of the Lord who was sent to testify about the light. Jesus’ own rejected the testifier and the one whom he testified about. These Jewish leaders were more concerned about the effect that John was having on the crowds than about the truthfulness of the message of repentance and forgiveness of sins. Therefore, these men interrogated him to determine by what authority he was baptizing. They asked him three questions: Are you the Christ? Are you Elijah? And are you the prophet? If he had answered yes to any of these three questions, it would have established, in theory, the authority by which he was baptizing. On the other hand, if John the Baptist had answered yes to any of these, these men would likely have brought him before the courts and tried to convict him of being a false prophet. In other words, these men were not truly seeking to know who he was, but were trying to trap him, as they would later do to Jesus.

But how does John respond to them? John rightly answers that he is not the Christ. And John rightly answers that he is not the prophet referenced in Deuteronomy 18. For both of these titles belong only to Jesus. But why does he deny being Elijah? Does this contradict what Jesus says about John the Baptist? Jesus says that John the Baptist is Elijah. Some commentators argue that John the Baptist denies being Elijah because they understood the reference to mean that he was literally Elijah. Some of the Jews at that time believed that Elijah would rise from the dead and live again.

These commentators suggest that John was saying he was not literally Elijah. This is a plausible interpretation, but I submit to you that there is a better way to understand John’s testimony about himself by considering the rest of verses 24 through 27. As we will see in later chapters, in chapter three, John the Baptist says this to his own disciples:

I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him. The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore, this joy of mine is now complete. He must increase, but I must decrease. He must increase, but I must decrease.

These words of John, later in chapter three, summarize the confession found in our passage this evening. Regarding himself, John confesses: I am not the Christ, I am not Elijah, I am not the prophet. I am merely the voice crying out in the wilderness, make straight the way of the Lord. Regarding Jesus, on the other hand, he says in verses 26 through 27: I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know. Even he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.

If John were to acknowledge that he was in fact Elijah, the conversation would end there, because the priests and the Levites would begin asking him questions about his identity and his authority. But what is John’s role according to John? Now that the Messiah has arrived, the Messiah must increase and John must decrease. He is merely a voice crying out in the wilderness.

What John wants them to focus on, then, is not his identity, but his message. And the message is about one who will come after him, whose sandals he is unworthy to untie. The one whose sandals John is not worthy to untie is greater than he. John is not even worthy to perform the task of a servant who removes his master’s sandal. And so John sees himself as lower than a servant. He is certainly not worthy to be mentioned with the titles of Christ, Elijah, or the prophet. But who is this one? This is the one whom John says he is not worthy to untie the sandal. And this brings us to John’s testimony regarding Jesus.

Let us read once again verses 29 through 34. The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” This is he of whom I said, “After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.” I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel. And John bore witness: “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.'”

And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God. The very next day after John proclaimed both his own inadequacy and the greatness of the one who is to come, Jesus came to that place. And John was able to testify more directly and clearly about the identity of this man. He first identifies Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. This is the glorious doctrine of the atonement, clearly stated and applied to Jesus at the very beginning of his ministry.

Many commentators discuss which lamb in the Old Testament John is referring to in this passage. Some say that he is referring to the Passover lamb, and others say that John is referring to Christ as the fulfillment of the sacrificial lambs in the Mosaic law. Still others say that the lamb here refers to the lamb described in Isaiah chapter 53. But I think there is no need to identify a specific passage that John is referring to.

Because all of the lambs in the Old Testament that are used for sacrifice are ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ. But I want to examine one passage from the Old Testament. The first lamb in the Old Testament that is presented as a type of Christ is given to us in the story of Abraham and Isaac in Genesis chapter 22. Let us turn there now. Genesis chapter 22, and we will read from verses 1 through 14. Genesis 22, verses 1 through 14.

After these things, God tested Abraham and said to him, Abraham, and he said, here I am. He said, take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.

So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him and his son Isaac. He cut the wood for the burnt offering and went to the place that God had told him. On the third day, Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar. Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey, and I and the boy will go over there and worship, and we will come back to you.” And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son, and he took in his hand the fire and the knife.

So they went both of them together. And Isaac said to his father Abraham, “My father.” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” He said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” And Abraham said, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.”

And so they went both of them together. And when they came to the place that God had told them, Abraham built the altar there, laid the wood in order, bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar on top of the wood. Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son.

But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham.” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him. For now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram caught in the thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son.

So Abraham called the name of that place, “The Lord will provide.” As it says to this day, “On the Mount of the Lord, it shall be provided.” In this short story that we have just read, we have recorded for us one of the greatest testaments to faith in the Scriptures. Abraham trusted that God would provide a substitute for his son so that he would not have to offer him up. As Abraham said, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering.” In the immediate context, we see that God provided a ram as the burnt offering, but ultimately we all know that no mere animal is sufficient to pay for the sins of humanity.

And in the Old Testament, over and over again throughout the Scriptures, the people of God are reminded of this reality as they are continuously required to offer up the blood of lambs. And as we go back to our passage this evening, we are also reminded of Isaac’s words. Isaac asked his father, “My father,” and Abraham said, “Here I am, my son.” And Isaac said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?”

And John the Baptist in our passage this evening answers emphatically, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.” The people of God had been waiting for that Lamb, and behold, the Lamb of God had indeed been provided. And who is this Lamb that God ultimately provided? It is the Lord Himself. Abraham trusted that God would provide a lamb, and that lamb that He did provide for the sins of the world was His only son, Jesus Christ. You see, brothers and sisters, God is not unreasonable. He does not demand from us that which is impossible.

He knows that you and I are all dead in our trespasses and sins, and we cannot atone for our sins. And thus He sends His only begotten Son to live a perfect life, to die for our sins, and to rise from the dead for our salvation. As Paul writes in Romans chapter 5, “But God shows His love for us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

Since therefore we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more now, we who are reconciled, shall be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through Jesus Christ, through whom we have now been reconciled. We have now received reconciliation.

God sent his only Son to be a propitiation, a payment for our sins, because no other sacrifice would suffice. All men have sinned, and thus it was necessary that the second person of the Trinity become a man, enter into human history, live a perfect life, keep the law of God perfectly, and go to the cross willingly as a payment for your sins and for mine. So that, as Paul says, we can have reconciliation—reconciliation with our Creator and reconciliation with our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Turning now to the Gospel of John, John the Baptist testified that Christ came to take away the sins of the world. Does this mean that Jesus died for every single person’s sins? Is that not what John is clearly teaching here? No, we confess that Jesus died only for the sins of his people. So what does John mean when he says that Jesus came to take away the sins of the world?

One of the things you will see as we travel through this gospel is that John loves to use the word “world.” In fact, he uses it 78 times. And he uses it in different ways depending on the context. In this context, when he uses the word “world,” he means it in contrast to Israel. Take a look at verse 31.

John testifies in verse 31, I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel. John the Baptist was sent to Israel and to the household of God to prepare them for the coming Messiah. But Jesus came not only to die for the sins of Israel, but for every people from every tribe, every tongue, every nation, and from every corner of the earth. And this is what it means when it says that Jesus came to take away the sins of the world. And John’s testimony continues in verses 32 through 33. Here John the Baptist is establishing the independence of his testimony.

John says twice that he did not know Jesus. Is he saying that he did not literally know who Jesus was? They were cousins, so it is unlikely that he meant this in a literal sense. What he means is that before the baptism and before the Spirit descended upon Jesus, he did not recognize Jesus’ true identity. In other words, what John is saying is that before John began baptizing and preaching the gospel, Jesus did not meet with his cousin John and arrange a plan for John to testify about him as the Messiah.

Rather, John says that God revealed to him directly and independently about his testimony. Therefore, his testimony is independent and trustworthy regarding Jesus. And John further testifies, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.

John’s baptism represented, as we saw, the cleansing of sins for the sinner. But in Christ Jesus, we are not only given the sign, but the thing that it signifies: true forgiveness of sins by the blood of the Lamb. Further, Christ sends the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit works in us. He regenerates us, grants us faith, and sanctifies us so that we can have a right relationship with God. And John ends his testimony with these words, and I have seen and I have borne witness that this is the Son of God.

And here we have the culmination of the testimony of John the Baptist. He came to prepare the way of the Lord, to prepare the way of the Lamb of God who was coming to save his people from their sins. And this same Lamb of God, who was coming to save his people from their sins, would give his people not only the baptism of water, which signifies the cleansing of their sins, but also the actual cleansing from their sins. But who is this man? John alludes to it a little in verse 23 when he calls him Lord. But he comes out and makes it explicit. He is the very Son of God, the only Son of God.

And therefore we see that the Father looked down from heaven. He looked down from heaven in eternity past, and he saw you and me, and he said, I will save these people. And he sent his only Son, the Son of God, so that we would be reconciled to him. Brothers and sisters, we have a God who is delighted in redeeming sinners’ souls. From the very beginning, he revealed his plan to send his only Son as a sacrifice for you and me, so that we would no longer live in sin and misery. He is not a God who stands far off, but a God who is drawn near to us in his Son, Jesus Christ.

And when Jesus ascended to the Father’s right hand, he did not leave us alone. He sent the Holy Spirit, so that he would always be with us, even to the end of the age. If you are struggling this evening with sin and feel that God is far off, know that he is not far off. You must draw near to him. The Father is not holding you at arm’s length, waiting for you to be good enough to come before him. We do not clean ourselves up to come before the throne of grace.

We come to the throne of grace with all of our sin, our shame, and our guilt, and we lay it at the feet of our Savior, knowing that the Lamb of God has truly taken away our sin. Jesus has done it all. He has accomplished salvation for us. As the hymn writer wrote, “I hear the Savior say, Thy strength indeed is small. Child of weakness, watch and pray. Find in me thine all in all.” And when before the throne I stand in him complete, Jesus died my soul to save. My lips still repeat, “Jesus paid it all. All to him I owe. Sin has left its crimson stain. He has washed it white as snow.” Christ has lived a perfect life and conquered sin and death so that you and I could live freely before the throne of grace.

So as we go forth this day, let us remember this testimony of John the Baptist and the example that he set. May we decrease that Christ may increase. May our testimony, both in word and deed, proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ as clearly as John did. May your words not be a stumbling block for those who do not know God, but lead them to the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. And may you rest in the reality that the Son of God has indeed paid it all, so that we can confidently and boldly live before the throne of grace, seeking out of gratitude to do all of His good pleasure. Let us pray.

Lord, we thank You for the bold confession of John the Baptist. We thank You for the clear gospel that he proclaimed, that the Son of God was sent by the Father to take on human flesh and to be the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. We thank You, O Lord, that we no longer have mere types and shadows. We no longer look to a literal lamb, but we have the true Lamb of God, Jesus, the Son of God, who has come to this earth, lived on our behalf, and died in our stead to take our sins upon Himself.

We thank you that he has conquered sin and death through his resurrection, and that through the Holy Spirit, this salvation is applied to us. We pray, O Lord, that as we go from here, we would remember this confession, and that we would confess this same confession before all people, so that many through your saints at this church would come to know you. May the confession that the Lamb of God has come to take away the sins of the world be heard throughout this neighborhood and this city. And I pray all of this in your Son’s name, amen. Let’s stand and sing Psalm 98.