06/02/26

John 1:29-35

Transcript

0:01

Um if y'all pull on in, the ones in the back, drag on in here. Um we'll be at John 1, John chapter 1, verse number 29, where we're gonna dig in tonight. Um there's a group, there's a group from Georgia Southern that's moving in, gonna I'm at moving in, but they're gonna be here tonight. And uh they're staying here tonight. So we're gonna try to we're gonna try to get in, get done, and get out of here by about eight. Um that way those those college kids can come in and and and stay here tonight. So we're gonna try to when we get done, I'm not trying to rush the Lord, but when we get done, let's try to get cleaned up and get done and kind of kind of scoot on out as soon as we can. But uh let's dig in right here. Uh I'm gonna read I'm gonna read 29 through 34. We'll pray and uh and we'll see what the Lord has for us. So the next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him and saith, Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world. This is he of whom I said after him after me cometh a man which is preferred before me, for he was before me. And I knew him not, but that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore I came, therefore am I come, baptizing with water. And John bare record, saying, I saw the spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him, and I knew him not. But he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the spirit descending and remaining on him, the same as he which baptizes with the Holy Ghost. And I saw and bear record that this is the Son of God. Let's pray right quick. Lord, I love you. Lord, I thank you for this time that us as men get to come in here and dig into your word, Lord, and I just pray you'll you'll just speak to us. God, I pray that Lord, you'll just give us a nugget, God. Lord God, I pray your spirit shows up in this place tonight, Lord Jesus. Dear God, we pray against the devil and demons of hell. They're not welcome in this place. But you are the Holy Spirit welcome to rule and reign. And I pray the words out of my mouth will be of you, not of me. And Lord, I pray I decrease, as John said, and I I I don't increase at all, but God, I decrease, and Lord, you increase. And Lord, we're gonna be careful to give you the honor, praise, and glory because you are worthy of it all. Lord, help us to see the light and the example that John the Baptist was, and let us be a little bit like him and a lot like you. I love you, Lord, in Jesus' name. Amen. And it said in the in the first three verses says the next day. So when it says the next day, you've got to look upon, look, look, look back, want to see what he's talking about. And you remember that that the Pharisees and the Jews, the the high, they were sending the priests and and and all these people to go ask ask John the Baptist, hey, what's going on? What you're baptizing with water, and man, you're doing all this stuff. Who are you? Are you are you are you Elias? Who are you? Are you Isaiah? Who are you? And that they wanted to know all the questions. They sent these people to find out, are you real? Are you the Messiah? Are you the one we're looking for? And then it says, and then the next day. The next day, John seed Jesus. The next day, John seen Jesus because John was looking for Jesus. And the thing that we we've got to understand is what God is saying to us. If you're not looking for me, you ain't never gonna find me. And we can't be, and I I just I just feel this because I've seen it in my own life that so many times we we get stagmented. So many times we just show up and get in a pew and and and we we enjoy all the air conditioning and all the stuff, but are we looking for Jesus or are we just looking to get our get out of hell ticket? Are we looking to just check the box, so to speak? And I believe God's saying is right there. John was looking for Jesus. And when he was looking for him, he would find him. And he's seen him, and he's seen him, and when he's seen him, I want you to understand and see this because you got to jump around a little bit to see what he's seeing there. If you'll I'm gonna jump down to verse number 33 because it says, The next day John seeth Jesus. But look where it says in verse number 33, and I knew him not, but he that sent me to baptize the water, the same said unto me, upon whom thou shalt see the spirit descending, and remain on him, the same is he which baptizes with the Holy Ghost. So we've got to see, we've got to see what what the context is. And if you go to Matthew, I'm gonna flip over there for you right quick. If you go to Matthew 3.16, you'll see what he's saying right here, and and and put all this into context. So he says in Matthew 3.16, and Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water, and lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting upon him. And lo, a voice from heaven saying, This is my beloved son, and whom I'm well pleased. So the reason that he's seen him this next day, I think, I think between the day and the next day, I believe there was some time. Jesus and John had done seen each other, is what I'm saying. He had experienced him as he came to him out of the wilderness. He had experienced him. He had already baptized him before Jesus went into the wilderness, is what I'm seeing. I'm no great theologian, somebody might help me better, but that's what I see right here. But he's telling them, he's telling them right here, the next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him. Jesus was coming unto him. Now put this picture in the text for a minute. Where did Jesus just come from? Jesus, so Jesus was baptized in Matthew 3.16. The spirit, the spirit lit upon him. The spirit came down from heaven and he's seen it just set upon Jesus. And then the very next thing is the very next thing that we need to understand is when when a great situation, when something good about Jesus comes into your life, when when when when when someone gets saved, when someone has Jesus Christ to come in their life, you I can stop right now, we can testify the rest of the night of what happens when Jesus Christ comes upon you, when something, it just feels like when something great, when you get that mountaintop experience, when Jesus Christ comes in life, all of a sudden all hell comes against you. Because the devil knows that, man, if I can't have his soul, I want his testimony. And that's what happens is he tries to attack. And this is what happens. Man, Jesus, Jesus just went from this experience of experiencing the Holy Spirit coming upon him, which he was the Holy Spirit, and the Trinity was him. But right after that, in chapter four of Matthew, what happens? He goes and he's tempted, he's tempted above every man. He's tempted by the devil. The devil's trying to get him to give up, the devil's trying to get him to quit. He's trying to get him to give in. And the same thing that we hear every single day of our lives. He's always trying to give us the give in. But I want you to understand that Jesus Christ showed us that it could be done and he did it, man. He beat death, hell in the grave. He beat the devil in the wilderness when nobody was around. Come on. Now, whenever when nobody was around, man, he beat him. And that's something that we need to understand is, man, hey, you are who you are when no one else is around. And you got to beat him right there. And he beat him right there. And somebody might be sitting here and saying, Well, you know what? I messed up in the wilderness. I messed up in the wilderness. Man, I was in the wilderness and and I failed. I failed God. And now, and now I'm beating myself down. But I want you to see what Jesus Christ did when he left this place. And you remember the angels ministered to him when he got done. But I want you to see what Jesus Christ did. Where did he go? Where did he go when he got done being attacked? He went right back to John. Look right there. It says, John says Jesus coming under him. He wanted to be right there where the man was baptizing. He wanted to be right there around his people, man, that loved him. He wanted to be right there among that stuff. And listen, the devil's going to tell you you need to hide and get in the corner because you messed up. And Jesus Christ is telling you, man, you need to come under these brothers in Christ that are here tonight that can help you along the way. Hey, quit being ashamed and letting the devil tell you you can't have no help. Can I tell you he is the help in the time of need? And that's what he's trying to teach us right here. He's trying to tell us, listen, we've all messed up. But when you mess up, it ain't time to run. The only thing you need to run to is to Jesus Christ. Run to these brothers. That's why I always say you need four, you need those four Mac carriers. The four Mac carriers that know, not that it'll just tell you how you wrong. I'm talking about the four MAC carriers that'll pick you up and get in your face and say, listen, I love your brother, but you've messed up. And you accept it. That's the thing. And you accept it. And that's what he's saying to us tonight. You've got to be okay with me saying, hey, I love you, brother, but the way you acting, man, I'm concerned about you. Because listen, this life ain't about us. It's about lifting him up. And sometimes we just mess up. We just do. I'm not saying it's a ticket to sin. But I'm saying there's a ticket to go to someone when you do sin and get some help. Get some comfort. That's what he's saying to us. He wanted to be with his people. But look, it said the next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him and saith, Behold. That word behold is to look or to see. It's an express an expression that someone was great. Someone is great in front of him. It's kind of like this. When you catch a big great fish, or you kill a real big buck, man, you want to express in them, hey man, I want you to come to the house. I want you to look how big this thing is. Man, I got this bigger than we had on camera. It's an expression that, hey, this is something that means a lot to me. And man, Jesus needs not be compared anywhere to this, but I'll be honest with you, he does. He does. The expression many times of how great we enjoy, what we enjoy, sometimes is greater than the expression when we see somebody get baptized and get it get all excited because they get they just get Jesus. And sometimes that's a golf clap, sometimes just a golf clap when it needs to be a rejoicing that that that hell lost another one and heaven gained another one. But too many times it's just I'm just gonna be honest. I've been there. Man, it needs to be a rejoicing. In just a couple weeks, when we get to dunk Tony in this water right here, it needs to be a rejoicing. That's what it needs to be. There needs to be some intensity. That's that and that's what he's saying when he says when he when he says this word. Behold, man, he wants you to just everybody stop and look. Everybody stop and look and see. This is who our life should be about. There he is, right there in front of our face. And could you just imagine? Could you imagine if Jesus Christ, hey, just ascended through that roof right there and just, oh man. It ought to get you jacked up. It ought to get you jacked up. And he said, Behold, the Lamb of God. He could have called him anything. But he said, the Lamb. And he's trying, he's telling you he's trying to, hey, hey, you Jews, you want to know who he is? You know who he is? He's that sacrificial system that you've lived for all your life. That lamb, that he's the lamb. He's the lamb that's gonna. Let me tell you who the lamb is. In Exodus 12. In Exodus 12, he he said, he said right here in verse number 3, he said, speak you unto all the congregation. This is the Lord speaking to Moses and Aaron right here, to all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of the month, they shall take of them every man a lamb according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for a house. And if the house be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbor next unto the house take it according to the number of the souls, every man according to his eating, shall make your camp for the lamb. Your lamb shall be without blemish. A male of the first year, you shall take it out of the sheep, and from the goats, and you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month, and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening. And they shall take the blood and strike it upon the two doorposts and on the upper doorpost of the house wherein you shall eat it, and they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast it with fire, unleavened bread, and with bitter herbs shall they eat it. Eat it not of it raw, nor soden at all the water with the roast of fire, his head and his legs with the puritance thereof. And you shall let nothing of it remain until the morning. That which remained of it until the morning shall it burn with fire. What he's saying right there is this lamb, this lamb, he's fixing the he's fixing the he's fixing to come on this earth, and he's fixing to be the one that God sends to take over. This lamb's gonna be the substitution for you. He's gonna be the substitution for you. He he's the same land that that was the substitute that God put in there with Abraham and Isaac, he provided the substitution right there in that place. He's the same land that's gonna hang on that cross. Hey, and and and those posts are gonna be painted with blood so you can live, so we can live tonight. That's who he is. He is that Lamb of God, and he's trying to make them understand. And I try to look through the eyes of John and see what he's saying right there. And just to understand that he's saying, Man, I believe that this man right here that I've never met till a few days ago, this man right here is gonna save the world. That's hard to that's hard to fathom. That's hard to understand that this this one man, but he's gonna teach us this in just a minute. But that's who he is. And it says right there in the last part of this verse, which taketh away the sin of the world. The sin, it didn't put plural there. He said, I'm gonna take away the sin. And you go back and you'll look where I just read it in Exodus 12, it said there was a lamb for every man. See, see, see, the lamb that they used could only sacrifice for a man. Hey, but the lamb that's fixing to die is fit to sacrifice for the world. That's how big my God is. He can take, he took it all away. And man, that that that's that should get us excited. But don't think that he just took away your sin. Understand that he bore your sin. He bore your sin on that cross. And I've said it many times. It ought to make you sin different when you really realize what Jesus Christ did for you on that cross. It wasn't just okay, well, he took my sins away. I'm good now. No, man, he bore them. He felt them, he had to experience it. Man, that there was at one time, there was only one time that God had to look away. He had to look away, man, on that cross because he couldn't see see that sin. Man, that purity was gone for just a second, man. He had to look away from his own child, man. That that should make us understand that sin is real and it should be something that's real in our life, and we need to get rid of it. He took it away just to make it real. I got more reading than normal. In Isaiah 53, 3, he said, He despised and rejected men and a man of sorrows acquainted with grief, and we hid, as it were, our faces from him. He was despised and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. Yet we did esteem him stricken and smitten of God and afflicted, but he was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace was upon him and with his stripes with He was wounded for our transgressions. He was wounded for my transgressions. He was wounded for your transgressions. He was rude because you chose to turn. Because I chose to do it my way because I thought my way was better. Because I chose to to to to look into sin, man. He faced that. Because he knew that I was gonna do that. And man, it just ought to make you sin different. You say, Brother Matthew, you you're making some things come up in me that I can remember that I ain't took care of. But he's saying right here, you need to understand that. Listen, even though he died for it, even though you've messed up, don't mean you've got to quit. Don't mean you've got to give up. Don't mean that you've lost your salvation, don't mean that you've lost everything you've got because you just messed up. Can I tell you, he said if you'll confess your sins, he is faithful and just to cleanse you and forgive you for all unrighteousness. So what he's saying is, you listen, you might have messed up. But just because you messed up don't mean you're done. It don't mean you're done. There's so many people today, there's so many people today that's not in a church house because they're so embarrassed of what they did years ago. Maybe God's telling you to go see one. I don't know. Maybe God's pressing upon your heart and say, listen, you know one that ain't where it ought to be anymore. You're called to be his brother's cooper. If God put him on your heart, he put him on your heart because he wants you to put him back with Jesus. So if God's laying them on your heart, let's do something about it. I've said it many times. All we do is come in here and we go out the same and we never do anything more. We just become a social club and we need to quit. We need to take what God's given us and go out there and be a light and be salt to this unsalty world. So let's look at the last few words of this, which taketh away the sin of the world. Let's look at sin for a minute. I just looked at the definition in the strong concordance. The offense against an holy one a sin. An error, bad action, an evil deed. But here was the best one that I think we can all relate to. Failing to hit the mark. Failing to hit the mark. And it hit me. It hit me because I'm a bow hunter and I love to bow hunt. I failed to hit the mark many a time. But how excited are you when you try to do something in life and you succeed? I mean, I can just take it from for instance, I'm gonna show a Sarah Hunt story. When when when I do get to hit that mark, and I'm so excited because I made a choice to try to hit the mark, and I didn't fail. It's kind of like it's kind of like when when you have a choice to to sin or don't sin. You have a choice to to lie or don't lie. You have a choice to stay pure or don't stay pure. And you say, Brother Mike, I'm I'm I'm married. How do I how do I stay unpure? If you can look on your phone, it won't take you just a second. You have a choice. And what God is saying right there is as you make this choice, as you make this choice, aren't you so it so more excited when you hit the mark? When you don't err, when when you don't have a bad action, it is victory. It is victory because listen, that victory gets easier. When you can beat him down and kick him in the teeth one day, and you come back the next day, and you kick a and you kick him in the teeth again. Oh yeah. Come on now. Man, you're in the wrong chapter. Come on now. Look look look what he did. Then Jesus said, Matthew 14, then Jesus said, Jesus said to him, Get thee hence, Satan, for it is written, thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him shalt thou serve. Listen to verse number 11. Then the devil Leaveth him. Then the devil leaveth him. And look what happens. Man, this gives me all up. When the devil leaveth him, and behold, the angels came and ministered to him. What happens when you win? I was watching the College World Series. I was watching those girls play last night, and the underdogs, Texas Tech, was playing. Who were they playing? And they beat him. But what happened at the end of the game when the last out was out in the seventh end? What happened? They all come in victory and they all celebrated and they all were glad. Do you not know that the heaven, the angels in heaven, they rejoice when you when you win? They're on your team, man. Just like I'm on your team. Just like this brothers in here are on your team to say, listen, I don't care that you mess up. I care that this time you won. That you won. And that's what it's about. We're finally at the first verse. Here we go. I don't know why y'all hold me up like this. Which take away the sin of the world. I done got that part. Verse 30. This is he of whom I said. This is he of whom I said. After me cometh a man which is preferred before me, for he was before me. What he's saying right there. What he's saying is right there. The one that we've all we've read about. The one that we've read about from here to here, he said, there he is. He said, the one you asked me about yesterday, you want to know, you really want to know who he is? Do you want to know who he is? He said, There he is. He said, the one that the one that come after me. But yet he was preferred before me. And you remember when he when he said that, we talked about it a couple weeks when John the Baptist was me and uh my minds went blank. Anyhow, we were talking about earlier. That's why happened. 48 is gone. But he don't tell me it's gonna get much worse. Don't tell me it's gonna get this is who he came after, which before preferred before me, because you remember John the Baptist is a little bit older than Jesus in the physical terms, and you remember he leaped up in his in his mother's womb. He was excited before he ever seen him. But but understanding, could you just imagine? Just imagine getting to see your child. And I got to thinking about Hagan, and I know Hagin's not here tonight because he's with Jamie, because they just had a baby, and he wants to be on the good side, so he's helping with the baby not being here because he's learning. He's getting smarter, men. He's getting smarter. We might need to take lessons from this boy. I don't know. Probably not. But anyhow, could you imagine when you just just imagine when you've seen your baby for the first time? When you got to hold them in your hands. That probably still doesn't compare to getting to see the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords walk up on the scene. And that's what he's saying right here. He said, I see. But then he says, Then he says in verse number 31, I gotta I gotta rush. Oh, we good, man. Acts 726. And I knew him not, but that he should be made manifest to Israel. Therefore I am come baptizing with water. That word manifests to make known what was hidden or unknown. Man, I this word manifests. Well, what he's doing right now, he says, I'm witnessing. That's what John's saying. He says, I'm I'm witnessing to you. I'm telling you about the mighty the Savior, I'm telling you about Jesus Christ, I'm telling you who he is. And it reminded me as I was studying back today, I'd left a spot right there to rot in, and I'm like, there it is. There it is. That's what he that's what he's showing me. He's showing me it's the same way, like someone, when you're trying to witness to someone, as he says right here, and I knew him not. It's like you're trying to witness to someone and telling them about Jesus Christ that they knew not. They never they don't know about, they don't understand about this living Jesus. They don't understand that this Jesus that changed your life and and radically changed you from who you were to who you are now. They've never known him, known him. And what he's saying right here is I mean, you can you can know him. And and I look at this picture of this thing, and I knew him not, but he that he should be manifest to Israel, therefore, am I come baptizing with water? And I get I get all excited, understanding that it makes me see a different picture when I'm witnessing to someone that listen, they don't know him, they don't understand what you're talking about. But you know what? John didn't know him, but he's still he still told all about it. He he had an inner something that that that like I ain't got. Okay? I'm just saying, if a man can leap when Jesus Christ is beside him in the other belly, listen, he got a little more than me and you do. I'm just gonna go on and tell you. You didn't get what you thought you got, because he got way more, okay? But it's saying, I'm almost done five more minutes, brother. And John bear records saying, because this is this is how it was expressed to him. And John bear record saying, I saw the spirit descending from heaven like a dove. And it abode upon him. I I don't know your relationship with Jesus Christ I know. I don't, I mean, I'm hoping that we're drawing people that that's never been saved, that might not go to church into this place so we can win them. I mean, that that's this setting is to draw somebody that might might not because they don't know him. You see what I'm saying? And I don't encourage you with that. You got somebody that, man, that they they did they don't know him, they know about him, but they don't know him. Man, I want you, I don't encourage you to bring him. But he says right here, and John bear record saying, I saw the spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him. And I got thinking about baptism in in verse the last part of verse number 31 and then 32, and you max these together, and and and he he's showing of the death, burial, and resurrection, but the death, burial, and resurrection of your life also. Because if if I see what I'm seeing right here, that water don't save you. We understand that, right? But you've got to have that death and that burial of your own self. And then when the water don't save you, but it's the experience of what happened is man, when you give up, the spirit come in. You ask Jesus Christ to come in your life and to save you, and the spirit came in. You ask him to come in and save you and change you forevermore. Man, that's just different. And it and it abode upon him. It just set upon him. And it's unexplainable. When he just comes up and sets up camp in your life. And then I I don't know, there might be somebody that's you you get everything, but you've never you've never felt the spirit come upon you and guide you and tell you when you're right and tell you when you're wrong, and tell you what to do, and you be obedient to him and just die to yourself. But man, he came upon him right there. And look, look in verse number 33. And I knew him not. So he's telling him, that that's why I said that. I read 29 and 33 together, because I wanted you to understand and wanted us to understand that listen, he's talking about he didn't know him before before he baptized him. And that's what he's saying in verse 33, I knew him not, but he that sent me to baptize with water, I mean he was led by God. The same said unto me, upon whom thou see the spirit descending and remaining on him, the same as he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. Thou shalt see the Spirit descending upon him and remaining on him. The same as he which baptizes with the Holy Ghost. See, there's something we gotta realize as men. And a lot of us do. When Jesus Christ comes in and the Spirit comes in to reside within you, he didn't come for a weekend visit. He didn't come for a weekend visit. He didn't come to be your God on Saturday or Sunday, or he didn't come to be your God just on Sunday morning to Sunday night, or maybe maybe on a Tuesday night. Listen, he he come to be a God of you, 724-7. He came to live within you, and listen, he's never gonna leave you, he's never gonna forsake you, he's gonna be there, he don't, he don't, hey, he don't want just visitation rights, man. He wants all rights. He don't want you to just give him give him what's left over. He wants he wants all this over. He is your everything. And I believe he's telling us right now, listen, if you want to experience me, if you want to experience the Holy Spirit that lives within me, what John said, uh if you want to experience Jesus Christ, listen, you've got to you you gotta you gotta do more than a weekend visitation. You gotta do more than just say, God, I'll I'll I'll serve you when I get this age, or God, I'll serve you when I calm down, or God, I'll I'll serve you on Sunday. Listen, you need to serve him every single day. He needs to be your day, he needs to be your end of your day. And if he's not that, then you need to get on your knees and ask God to make him your day. That's what he's saying to us. And you know what he said in verse 34? I am. And I saw and bear record that this is the Son of God. Hey, just a few verses of God, he was the Lamb. Now he's the Son. He's explained who all He is, He's explained the Trinity right here in these verses, the Trinity. Hey, he's God, He's Jesus, and He's the Holy Spirit that showed up all in these verses right here. And we need to understand that. And that's what John's saying. Listen, he's all about all. If you take God, if you take God the Father, God, God the Son, and God the Spirit, you know what that is? That's all. And that's what He wants from you and I. He gives He gives you His all, and He's saying, Listen, I want you to give me your all. I want you to understand what you can experience if you're just if you're just stick your feet in the bucket, man. Quit standing beside the bucket, just step on him and say, okay, God, here I am. I'm getting in the bucket. And wherever you pick this bucket up, wherever you lead it to, I'm gonna go. That's what he wants from you and I. And and listen, it's tough sometimes. It's tough sometimes. I'll share this story till the day I die. I've said this this analogy I heard from that that preacher that night when I was at church camp when I was 19 years old. Or maybe it's when I'm the youth pather. I can't remember, but it was the same camp. He said, Your life is a hundred-acre field. Your life is a hundred-acre field. And the devil only wants one acre. But it's in the middle of the field. And he'll tell everything up around you to get to you. You need to you need to keep preparing your corners. I heard brother pray about praying over his the corners of his land. Listen. All he needs is a crack. All he needs is a crevice. To get in. Don't let him in your field. Don't let him in your field. There's too many people we've seen let him tear their life apart because you let him in the field. You say, but I didn't mean to. I was busy. I was working. Well you was too busy if he was too busy to keep God out the field. I mean keep to keep the devil out the field. You better let God in the field. He better be in the field. Don't let the devil in the field. Keep him out. Do the work. You know how you keep the fire out in the field? You keep it hard. You keep it haired. But if you let the grass grow up, it's easy for the fire. Creep across the creep across into the next into the next field, and that field might be yours. You might need to check your corners and make sure they've been haired. Make sure your life's been haired. Make sure you you're you're digging into God's word and make sure you're praying. You say, you say, Brother Mac, that wouldn't happen to me. I guarantee you, a lot of those people in Rayleigh County didn't think that that fire came in their yard. And man, I'm sorry for those people, and I I still pray for those people and pray that God'll continue to restore. But they didn't think the fire would come in the yard. But listen. Keep the field clean. Anybody got anything else right?