Lamb of God
Notes
Transcript
WELCOME
WELCOME
Welcome to Fox Valley Christian Church, where every member is a missionary.
Today looks different, today might be hard for some, scary for some, and discouraging for some. For me, this is different. This is out of my comfort zone, this is not how I prefer to do ministry.
We are used to gathering. We recognize the benefit of a warm smile, a hug, a handshake. The Church was not meant for social distancing. We weren’t designed to be apart from each other. We were told to gather, to do life together, to be a community. So for many, this is hard.
I want to encourage you as we begin this temporary journey to remember what happens when God scatters His people. Because that is what we are right now, scattered. We are not dismembered. The Church has not suddenly stopped. Simply doors have been closed. Not just at FVCC but in many Churches across our communities and across the country. But the Church is not silent, we are simply scattered.
Children have been sent home from school, businesses are encouraging you to work from home when you can, and in our fast paced world the Church has been scattered to their homes, to their neighborhoods.
As we begin a series today focused on Easter. Focused on Christ coming, giving His life for us, and defeating death. I want to remind you of how foolish that looked. A Savior came to die. Satan felt like He was winning.
The Church, a little over a month later, in the midst of prayer … receives God’s Spirit and begins a mission to save the world. But then there is persecution and the Church is scattered. Satan felt like He was winning.
But Satan didn’t scatter the Church, God did. God scattered the Church through the region. He sent His people out into the world, equipped with His Spirit, dependent on Him and ready to share the Good News. They did not run in defeat, they scattered into victory.
We believe that God has sent everyone of us as Missionaries. We typically talk about how we are missionaries in our homes, missionaries in our schools, missionaries at our place of work, and missionaries in our community. Because of this, we believe that God is temporarily scattering us to our homes and our neighbors. Calling us to do life on mission.
I know that you will seek out your neighbors to see how they are doing. Make sure that they have all they need physically. Look for the vulnerable and seek ways to help them. I encourage you, if you are able, to share these messages with your neighbors. As we begin this series looking at the real hope of the world.
I encourage you, if you are able, to invite neighbors into your homes to gather, worship, and seek God through these weekly messages. Do it safely. No need for hugs and handshakes. Clean all surfaces before they come and after they leave.
We are trying to stop the spread of the virus by holding off on large gatherings, but we encourage the spread of the Gospel by maintaining and maybe even beginning small gatherings.
I am glad you have joined us today and if you are new we want to welcome you to Fox Valley Christian Church, where every member is a missionary.
SERIES INTRO
SERIES INTRO
Today we start a sermon series that is going to take us up to Easter. We are going to be looking at the book of John and we are going to look at our Lord and Savior who finished, who completed, who fulfilled God’s promise of salvation.
STAY IN YOUR LANE BRO
STAY IN YOUR LANE BRO
I read story this week and I saw it on the internet, so it must be true.
I am a skeptic at heart, but the story was so interesting I decided I would try to hunt down its validity. Based on an article written for the Chicago Tribune in 2002, I have decided that this is in fact a true story, so I would like to share it with you.
Back in 1958, a baby boy was born into the Lane family. The father, a man named Robert, chose to name his boy Winner. How could the young man fail to succeed with a name like Winner Lane?
Several years passed and the Lanes had another son. When Robert asked his oldest daughter what they should name the younger son she said, “Well, we’ve got a Winner, why don’t we have a Loser.” That’s all it took and Robert names his son Loser.
It kind of seems tragic, right? You named your son Loser Lane. I would think that everyone that knew them from a young age expected them both to live up to their names.
To the contrary, Loser Lane graduated from Lafayette College in Pennsylvania and worked himself up to being a Detective in the 40th Precinct in the South Bronx of New York City.
Winner Lane has racked up at 31 arrests and he was sent away for two-year stretch in the state prison in 1999.
Neither of these brothers lived up to what people expected them to be.
THE COMING KING
THE COMING KING
Now this is a silly story, but the reality of it is, when Jesus came into the world … when He was born into the world and when He eventually began ministry, there were high expectations for the Messiah. There were specific expectations for the Messiah.
They were expecting a King, one who would bring justice, one who would conquer nations and free the Israelites from Roman rule. In fact, one who would destroy all of Israels enemies.
Psalm 110:1-7
1 The Lord says to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.”
2 The Lord sends forth from Zion your mighty scepter. Rule in the midst of your enemies!
3 Your people will offer themselves freely on the day of your power, in holy garments; from the womb of the morning, the dew of your youth will be yours.
4 The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind, “You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.”
5 The Lord is at your right hand; he will shatter kings on the day of his wrath.
6 He will execute judgment among the nations, filling them with corpses; he will shatter chiefs over the wide earth.
7 He will drink from the brook by the way; therefore he will lift up his head.
This is one of many prophecies pointing to a King that is coming. A Messiah. A Savior.
Several times in the Old Testament God refers to Himself as a lion. Who can stand against God? What shepherd could possibly stand up to God when He leaves His lair?
The Jews were waiting for a King, they were expecting a lion.
THE PROPHET
THE PROPHET
They weren’t just expecting a King though, they were expecting a Prophet. They were expecting a messenger who would be calling from the wilderness. There was going to be one that came first and pointed the way to the Christ.
And that is where we find ourselves today. Today we are going to look at three days, three consecutive days that happened in the life of John the Baptist told to us by John the disciple.
So today, if you turn to John 1 … we are going to camp there and look at these three days.
John 1:19-28
19 And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?”
20 He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.”
21 And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.”
22 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?”
23 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.”
24 (Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.)
25 They asked him, “Then why are you baptizing, if you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”
26 John answered them, “I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know,
27 even he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.”
28 These things took place in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
He is Here
He is Here
First, we have John and he is testifying that the Christ has come. He stands among you now. He is here.
John is not the Messiah himself, he is simply the voice of validation. He is the voice that is pointing to the Messiah. And John testifies that “He is here”.
Pause for a second and think about that statement. He is here. Christ has come. He has ushered in God’s Kingdom. Jesus reigns.
Those are some of the most powerful statements that the world has ever heard. Those should be some of the most powerful statements in our own lives.
Think about it, we are seeing a state of panic rushing across our country. Stores are out of toilet paper, hand sanitizer, water, meat. Sports have been shut down. Churches are worshipping out of their homes.
Please understand, we fully believe that it is wise and prudent to be prepared and to take precautions. That is why at FVCC has taken the steps we have taken.
That being said, He is here. Christ has come. That significantly changes everything for the Christian. When times like this come, the Christian can take reasonable precautions, but we do not have to live in panic and fear. Instead, we can lean into the Lord. We can trust God.
Whether it is persecutions or pandemic, we can put our hope in God. We can have courage where others have fear. Throughout history, Christians have often stood out because they were willing to help the sick even during plagues, pandemics, and persecutions. They loved people and weren’t afraid of death because they understood that:
Philippians 1:21
21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
So, rather than just asking “How do I stay healthy?” perhaps we should be also asking “How can I help the sick?” and really how can I reach those that don’t know God. How can I speak to the real pandemic, the plague of sin? Let’s be quick to help, urgent to spread the Good News of Christ the hope of the world.
An article I read this week said, “Prayer-infused confidence, compassion, and selflessness should mark how we talk about the coronavirus.”
He is here and that really does change everything for the Christian.
The lamb of God
The lamb of God
John 1:29-34
29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
30 This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’
31 I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.”
32 And John bore witness: “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him.
33 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.’
34 And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.”
Yesterday John was baptizing, and he baptized Jesus. Today, John sees Jesus and testifies. Look! The lamb of God! Who takes away the sin of the world! He is the Son of God!
The lamb of God. They expected a lion, they expected a King. They got a lamb. If you are going to put your hope in Christ, if you are going to really celebrate Good Friday and Easter; then you need to understand that Jesus is the lamb of God. And that is powerful.
God promised a savior that would rule over His enemies and shatter kings. The Jews believed that this meant that God was going to crush their physical enemies. People groups. Nations. Sure, He can and He has.
But the lamb of God. The sacrifice that would pay for the sins of the world. They thought nations as enemies and God came conquering sins. He conquered the enemies. He conquered:
- Lust
- Addiction
- Hate
- Anger
- Greed
- Envy
- Worry
- Fear
Jesus conquered the sins that plague us. He has given us power over sin. What is more impressive? What is more powerful? Conquering nations or forgiving sins?
He is here, the lamb of God
Come and See
Come and See
John 1:35-39
35 The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples,
36 and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!”
37 The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus.
38 Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, “What are you seeking?” And they said to him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?”
39 He said to them, “Come and you will see.” So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour.
John again, the third day, points out Jesus … Look! The lamb of God! And two of John’s disciples immediately left to follow Jesus. They were all in.
When they asked where are you staying? They were saying, “We are all in and we want to be with you. We want to be your disciples. We want to follow you.”
So Jesus … how do we do that? How do we give ourselves all in to you?
And Jesus simply responds, “come and see.” Come and see.
Every Member a Missionary
Every Member a Missionary
At Fox Valley Christian Church we believe that every member is a missionary. We desire to lead every member to the point that they are a missionary. So we believe you are either a missionary or a missionary in the making.
So what does this mean for us today?
1. He is here. Whether Christ is completely new to you or you have known about Him for years. I want to simply remind you today, especially with all of the frenzy that is going on right now, that He is here.
Maybe you need to put your trust in Christ today. Maybe you need to let go of your worries and your fears and you need to lean into Christ. Recognize Him as Lord, recognize that there is more to hope for than just this life.
Maybe you simply need to be reminded of what you already know. Maybe you need to look at all of the ways that He has shown His presence in your life. Trust Him. He is here and we have so much more to hope for.
2. Lamb of God. We all have expectations for God. We talked about this last week in our Bible Study on Luke. They wanted a vending machine Jesus. They wanted a Jesus that would come and heal all of their ailments. He never promised that we would be without pain and suffering. He never promised an easy life. He promised us eternity, He promised us forgiveness of sins, He promised us victory over the sin that reigns in our lives, He promised us a new life empowered by His Spirit. We wanted a lion, but the lamb we got is more powerful than your expectations.
Instead of trying to dictate who God is and make Him something He is not, I want to encourage you to really seek Him for who He is and trust that He is good, and He is sovereign, and He loves you.
3. Come and see. Finally, if you do not know God. If you have never really taken the time to know Him … I just simply want to encourage you to come and see. Seek Him in His Word, continue to be engaged through this series as we look at our Savior and what He did for us. Come and see what Easter is about. Come and see what God has done for you. Come and see what He is currently doing. Come and see.