I'm gonna be reading verses 19 to 34. 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 do 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 of yourself? And he said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness. Make straight the way of the Lord, as the prophet Isaiah said. Now they had been sent from the Pharisees. They asked him, then why are you baptizing if you're neither the Christ nor Elijah nor the prophet? John answered them, I baptize with your water, but among you stands one who you do not know, even he who comes after me. The strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. These things took place in Bethany across the Jordan where John was baptizing. Let's pray. Almighty Heavenly Father, we thank you for the glorious truth that is revealed to us in your word. Open our hearts and minds, may your spirit attend, O Lord, our worship, in the study of this word, that Christ might be proclaimed, his truth brought home to us, that we might believe with the assurance that we have eternal life in him. In whose name we pray, Jesus Christ, our Lord, amen. The Apostle John, when he penned his gospel, insists that we have in mind one thing as we read this book, and that is Christ's, that is his insistence that we get to know Christ. He says, these things are in that you might know that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing, you will have life in his name. He began his book with a beautiful and powerful introduction that we looked at the last time I preached John 1, 1 to 18. In it, he gets us ready for the rest of the book. John also speaks about another John, and I hope we don't get too confused during this sermon about which John I'm talking about. I think you'll pretty much work it out. First introduce us to John the Baptist, who came to bear witness to Christ for a purpose that we might believe in Jesus. Our text this morning centers around that witness that John made of Christ. He introduces Christ as the Son of God, introduces Christ to the world as the Son of God who takes away the sin of the world. He does this by way of drawing our attention to three principle ways in which Christ is revealed. John, the author of the book, takes up those three things, and the book really revolves around these three things to achieve that purpose of bringing us to faith in Christ as the Son of God. In our text, the temple officials have come to John He's been baptizing by the Jordan, and a lot of people are coming to be baptized of him. He's drawing a crowd. He's drawing crowds. They wonder, who is he? By what authority is he doing these things? He's certainly not doing it by our authority. By what authority are you doing these things, John? Very interesting, isn't it, that introducing Jesus to us, the author introduces John to us first. And as John the Baptist introduces himself to us, he does so by telling us who he is not. I am not the Christ. I am not Elijah. I am not the prophet who was to come. Then who are you? I am the voice crying in the wilderness, prepare the way of the Lord. He quotes Isaiah 40, the herald in Isaiah's prophecy. Isaiah tells us that the people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. There's an end to the darkness coming, Israel. There's a hope in God's promise to end that darkness. John is telling us that time has come. That time is now. Now is the day of fulfillment. Now is the day of the new creation. The new day, the kingdom of God is coming. And John is the herald of that. And as he heralds the coming of Jesus, he tells us to be prepared for that coming. Isaiah 40 is what he introduces to us, calls our attention to. And that's a wise move, because the officials from the temple are there, and they are Bible scholars, They know the scriptures. They know Isaiah, that great prophet. And so it's a good thing, a wise thing for him to quote Isaiah 40. Let me read the first five verses of that 40, the chapter of Isaiah. The prophet begins by calling our attention to what God says to his people. Comfort, comfort my people. speak tenderly to Jerusalem and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the Lord's hand double for all her sins. A voice cries in the wilderness. This is where John the Baptist comes in. A voice cries, in the wilderness, prepare the way of the Lord. Make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up. and every mountain and hill be made low. The uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places are plain, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall sing together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken. Verse five, notice what he says there. He has come to reveal the glory of the Lord. Jesus is that Lord. And in him, the glory of God comes to our attention. We're going to take a look at John's passage according to those three points I talked about. Verse one, welcome him as the Lord of the covenant. Who is he who has come to us? Two, behold the Lamb of God. What is his mission for us? And three, rejoice in the giver of the Holy Spirit. What will he accomplish for us? Welcome the Lord of the covenant then. How do we welcome him? John's ministry was a ministry of repentance. Repent. for the kingdom of God is at hand. Make straight a highway for our God, level the hills, and straighten the road. When Queen Elizabeth was inaugurated, she took her inauguration tour through London. Prior to that tour, roads were repaved, potholes were filled, Buildings along the way were scrubbed clean or repainted. Welcome to Elizabeth had to be as grand as possible. That's the sort of thing John is referring to because it was done in ancient times when the king came to visit a community. But John, of course, isn't talking about actual roads and highways. He's talking about hearts and minds. to welcome God with a heart that's made right. Because the day of salvation is here and are you ready to receive his message? Repent. Be conscious of your sin. Repent. Confess that sin before the Lord. Repent and ask for forgiveness. In Isaiah's day, The people of God faced the desperate need. The atomic bomb of the ancient world was about to be dropped on Jerusalem. It was the coming of the Babylonian warriors who would devastate the city. That's a critical need to be protected. But John is talking about a more critical need. the desperate need of every human heart to stand before the judgment of God. God will judge each of us. Are you ready? Will God be merciful to you? A sinner? Will he be merciful to you? A sinner? You know what the wages of sin are. The wages of sin is death. And the soul that sins shall die, the scriptures tell us. Are you ready? We need salvation. For all have sinned. Examine your heart, my friend. Examine your heart and confess your sin. That is what John is calling on the people in his day to do, and we are called upon by Christ to do in our day. Repent, believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and you will be saved. Romans 10, 19. If you declare with your heart that Jesus is Lord, what John is doing here, asking us to receive Jesus as Lord. If you declare with your mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 10, 19. Acknowledge Jesus as the Lord. Believe in him. believe in him as the Lord of the covenant. Moses was shepherding his father-in-law's sheep in the wilderness, and he saw a shrub on fire, and God spoke from that fiery bush, that burning bush, to Moses. You are to go to Egypt, Moses, and free my people. Well, when I go, who will I send sent me? And that's when God revealed his covenant name to Moses. He said to Moses, Exodus 3, I am who I am. This is the 14th verse. I am who I am. And he said, say this to the people of Israel. I am. has sent me to you and you will meet that I am in the book of John. God also said to Moses, say to the people of Israel, the Lord. The God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Jacob, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob has sent me to you. This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered through all generations. And so he made a covenant with his people, that is, at Mount Sinai, I will be your God and you will be my people. Now when John steps on, John the Baptist steps on the scene of history, He says, I've come in the name of the Lord. I've come to make known to you the Lord. And this is the Lord of the Exodus that John is making known to us. The Baptist John is no small, the Baptist Jesus is no small Jesus. He is the Lord of Exodus. He's the Lord of Isaiah's prophecy. Another look at Isaiah 40, down to verse nine. Go up onto the high mountain, O Zion, herald of the good news. Lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good news. Lift up your voice, fear not, say to the cities of Judah, Behold your God, which is what John the Baptist is doing. Behold, the Lord God comes with mighty and his arm rules for him. Behold, his reward is with him and his recompense before him. He will tend his flock like a shepherd. He will gather the lambs in his arms. He will gather them in his bosom and gently lead those that are with young. You can see where John got his message from, and you can see why he humbled himself in the presence of the Lord Jesus. The Lord who spoke to Moses from the burning bush now speaks to Israel with human lips. The Lord who gave the water from the rock in the Exodus, poured out the living water to the woman in Samaria. You will meet her in the book of John. You will meet also the one who fed Israel in the wilderness, the manna of life. You will meet him as he feeds the 5,000. You will meet him as he's welcomed as Israel's king entering Jerusalem in fulfillment of Zechariah's prophecy of the king who comes on a donkey. Point two, behold the Lamb of God. Let's focus in on his mission to recognize Jesus as the Lamb of God. The Baptist pointed him out. There in the crowd, someone was coming to be baptized of John. And John cries out, behold, this is he of whom I spoke. Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Do you get it, my dear friends? Do you get it? Temple officials all wrapped up in the bloody sacrifices which were being made at the temple that very day. John's word must have felt like thunder. It must have created confusion. A man, the Lamb of God, what are you talking about? What are you trying to tell us? John is telling his people that Jesus has come to replace the ancient sacrificial system to fulfill the slaughter of all those animals. All the sacrifices, lambs, sacrificial lambs, symbolized the work of Christ that he would accomplish in his power to come and take away the sin, not only of Israel, notice, but the sin of the whole world, the true lamb who was symbolized in the great preparation of the system, his glory and power is revealed in the system, his glory and power is revealed now in real life in Israel. the cure for our sin. John quotes Isaiah 40, but we read in Isaiah chapter 53, and we come to those glorious words. He was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace was upon him, and by his stripes we are healed. He was wounded, who was wounded? He was wounded, who was wounded? John is telling us as he points to Jesus, this is the one to be wounded. No wonder that he said, I must decrease and he must increase. The great Lord himself has come to visit us. So serious was the offense that the Lord had to come. So wide was the need that the Lord had to come. So desperate the problem that the Lord himself had to come. There was no other way. Jesus said, no one comes to the Father but by me. And here he is, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. And the apostle in the third chapter made it plain. And you probably all know this verse. God so loved the world. that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in him shall not perish, but have everlasting life. We need to appreciate the purpose of his coming to take away the sin of the world. I'm reminded of an incident that I spoke about in an earlier sermon. Moses and Aaron at the end of the book of Exodus about to enter the newly erected tabernacle, and they could not. They were kept from entering that. These men were representing Israel in their presence before God, and they were not allowed to come into the presence of God. And so the book ends. A read-on. How can I read on? The book is over. Read on into the next book, Leviticus. And later in Leviticus, we read the words, Astounding. Glorious words. Moses and then Moses and Aaron entered into the tabernacle. What happened in between? What happened in all those verses that went in between them not being able to go in and being able to go in? The sacrifices, the whole system of sacrifices was inaugurated only by the shedding of blood. through forgiveness of sin. Now, just as Moses and Aaron were able to enter the presence of God, John the Baptist sees the world. For many tribes and nations and tongues and peoples, there'll be those who will stand in the presence of God. singing hymns of redemption and praise to the lamb who was slain and is alive in the book of Revelation, another book by John. No other way was open for reconciliation than the sacrifices. No other way is there room for reconciliation of mankind, whoever you are or wherever you live. only by the blood of Christ. Recognize him. We meet him in John's gospel, the Lord who stooped to consider helpless Israel in Egypt, lovingly stooping into the presence of his disciples to wash their feet. The Lamb of God. In Isaiah 53, who opened not his mouth, see him, in John's book, silent before Pilate. Hear the cry of Psalm 22, my God, my God, why have you forsaken him? of God singing the very hymn, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? See his hands and feet pierced as it is spoken of in prophecy and not a bone broken and see him on the cross with hands and feet pierced and no body, no bone broken. Hear David sing the hymn in Psalm 103 of the one who redeems us from the pit. And see John in chapter 20, stand before the empty tomb. He is risen from the pit. And all who are in Christ shall rise with him. Brings us to our third point. rejoice in the giver of the Spirit. You'll notice in your bulletin that while we're here today, it says at the top of your bulletin, this is a worship service. We're here to rejoice in the Lord, to worship Him. That's what the gift of the Spirit is all about. John's mission of water baptism was an important mission. He baptized with water, but he says someone greater is coming with a greater baptism because he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit. He will soak your souls with the presence of God himself. John's water baptism pointed to something very important, the washing away of sinner's guilt, but John's baptism could not wash away. It did speak of cleansing and renewal and forgiveness. It did point to reunion with God, but it was a sign, and no more than a sign, but there was coming the greater reality. Jesus' baptism is that reality. Oceans of water cannot wash away my sin, but the blood of Jesus can do it. In John 14, verse 15, Jesus spoke to his disciples about the gift of the Holy Spirit he was going to give them. after his crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension into heaven. He talked to them about life of being born of the Spirit to Nicodemus. And in John 14, he tells his disciples that the Holy Spirit will dwell in you and will be with you the Spirit of Christ dwelling in you and being with you. And that's why this building this morning is the temple of the Holy Spirit. Because each believer who is here this morning is a temple of the Holy Spirit. Do you understand that? Do you live that reality day by day? That you walk with God? that the Holy Spirit is alive in your heart and life. You know, Jesus makes some amazing claims in this book. Incredible claims. Routinely, he called himself the Son of God, the one sent by the Ancient of Days to bring in the kingdom of God. He makes the incredible claim that I am the I Am of Exodus 3. He makes that incredible claim, I and the Father are one, speaking of his union with God. Yet this one, as great and grand and glorious as he is, Paul says this of him, for our sake, God made him to be sin who knew no sin. so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. What God promised in his glorious covenant with his people in ancient days, Jesus has accomplished, for the Holy Spirit has come. Pentecost is a reality. What the Father promised, Jesus accomplished, and the Spirit applied to our hearts to be made holy. as the Lord our God is holy. The gift of the Holy Spirit of life from the one who has the power to baptize us with the Holy Spirit, with the gift of the Spirit. Rejoice. That's the great message. We have all the reason in the world to rejoice for the gift of the Holy Spirit. In Joel's prophecy, he calls upon the people to rejoice because of the pouring of rain. And he speaks then of pouring out of the Holy Spirit. Zephaniah pictures God's people singing with exultant joy. Exultant joy. It's the kind of joy where you just explode with happiness. You can't keep it in. We're encouraged to sing songs of exultant joy, to mirror in our lives the fruit of the spirit, which is love expressed in joy. And so we read on in the book of John. Remember, King David's hope, I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. We read of Jesus promising eternal life to all who believe in him. Promising to prepare a place for us in glory in the Father's house. We read of the love Nicodemus, born again by the Spirit of God, who first came to Jesus by night, now comes in public view, showing his devotion for Christ by lovingly receiving his body from the cross after Christ's crucifixion. You will read in John of Jesus, filled with the Spirit, working wonderful miracles, who is now able to pour out his Spirit in your own life. What Moses hoped for, oh, that all of God's people would have this Spirit. What God in Joel promised, I will pour out my Spirit upon you. What Ezekiel saw happen in vision in the Valley of Dry Bones, Jesus has accomplished that great outpouring of the Spirit It's a day to repent, my friends, to confess your sin, to receive, like the blind man, that great spiritual insight who said, once I was blind, now I see, to see spiritually all that Christ has done for you and to worship Him with great joy. to worship him, as John told the woman at the well, in spirit and in truth. Amen. Gracious Heavenly Father, we thank you for your servant.