The second scripture reading is from the New Testament, from the Gospel of John. They're of chapter 1, and we'll start reading from verse 19 until verse 39. John 1, verse 19 to 39. And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, who are thou? And he confessed and denied not, but confessed, I am not the Christ. And they asked him, what then? Are thou Elias? And he said, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And they answered, No. Then said they unto him, Who art thou, that we may give an answer to them that sent us? What sayest thou of thyself? He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness. Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Isaiah. and they which were sent were of the Pharisees. And they asked him and said unto him, Why baptizes thou then, if thou be not that Christ, nor Elias, neither that prophet? John answered them, saying, I baptize with water, but there standeth one among you whom you know not, He it is who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose shoes, let's just, I am not worthy to unloose." These things were done in Beth-Abarah, beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing. 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 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 am I come baptizing with water. And John bear record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode on 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 is he which baptizes with the Holy Ghost. And I saw and bear record that this is the Son of God. Again, the next day, after John stood and two of his disciples, And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God. And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. Then Jesus turned and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? They said unto him, Rabbi, which is to say, being interpreted, Master, where dwellest thou? He saith unto them, come and see. They came and saw where he dwelt, and abode with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour." So far the readings. Now in the coming months, children, you will get some different preachers to preach here. Once I leave, and hopefully there will be some other ministers that will come from time to time. But I will doubt you'll ever get a minister like John the Baptist. He had a really strange coat, unusual, and he ate some really strange food, grasshoppers, locusts. I see some of you pull up your nose And honey, well that's good stuff. But that's not the main thing about this preacher. This John the Baptist, he was a different preacher than all the preachers that were around in those days. What was so different about him? Well, he wasn't a preacher that was making you feel very good. John did not make you feel good. John says, you're a bad boy and a bad girl. We don't like to hear that, do we? We like to think we're good boys and good girls, but John says, no. Yeah, but I'm acting quite nice. I'm coming to church two times on Sunday, sit there a whole long service, and I pray before I go to bed. and I pray when I come out of bed, and I read the Bible. So, am I still a bad boy and a bad girl? Well, yes, you are, because in your heart there are things that God sees, and hopefully you see too, somewhat, that are not good. See, John told him that. He's a very clear preacher. He says, you've got to stop sinning. You have to change your way of living. You cannot live like this. Very clear. And I must say the same to you today. Children, if you keep on being naughty, and you keep on ignoring God, or you keep on not listening to the Bible, and to the Lord, and to the parents, and to the teachers, you are to change that. The Bible calls that repent you. You need to change that light. But John didn't only make people feel bad. That was one of the purposes that he came. Make people feel their sin. No, no. John also was a preacher who, as it were, had a real big light in his hand. Real big light. And he shone that light in front of people, to show them in their darkness a pathway. What was that light? I didn't see in the Bible that I read this morning that John had a light in his hand. Yeah, he did. The light is Jesus, Jesus Christ. John would preach about Jesus Christ, and Jesus Christ says, I am the light of the world. And in the beginning of this chapter that we didn't read, But I'll read it to you now. It says, there was a man who was sent from God, whose name was John, and he came to bear witness of the light, that all men might believe. He would shine the light. Ask John, he preached about Jesus. No, no, he didn't preach about Jesus. He preached Jesus. He told people, Jesus. Now in the chapter I read this morning, I would like to draw your thoughts today to verse 29. Maybe your mom and dad can help you find that verse for a moment, if you can read. And if not, listen. This is a very plain text of the Bible. I'll read also verse 28. These things were done in Bethabara. on the other side of Jordan, beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing. And the next day, John seeth Jesus coming unto him. And he said, Behold, look, the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. So far. We are going to gather this morning Listen to what God has to say to us. Before we look at this verse, we have to understand what's happening here. It says that John is at Beth Tiberias. Parents, will you please take your children today and show the map where Beth Tiberias is. It's right there, right above the Dead Sea on the Jordan River. Let's show them for a moment. And Beth Tiberias is a place by the river Jordan And the river Jordan there is very shallow. And that was a very important part of that place, because it was shallow, and please show them on the map, because the kids would like to see that. From the north of the hills of Bashan, they would drive the little lambs that were born there, north, they would drive them south, And by Bethabara, they would cross the Jordan River to go to Jerusalem. And every day, there were lambs shepherded across to go to Jerusalem. And they probably lived for a little while in the fields of Bethlehem, until it was time to move to the city, and there they would... What would they do with those lambs, children? They would kill every one of them. We'll talk about it in a moment. Why that was? That's very important that while that, probably while John is preaching, on the river, you can hear all these sheep. They cross the river. They hear them. And all of a sudden John says, look! The Lamb of God! And he pointed to a man standing or not standing yet, but he is coming towards the people. And John says, look! In the Bible, if you read it well, there's a comma missing here. It says, behold, comma. It's not a verb in this case. It's not looking. It's look, like we say, hey, look! There's a lamb. No, not a lamb. There is the Lamb of God. that taketh away the sin of the world. Now we know that that Lamb is Jesus, but how did John know that? We don't know for sure how John got to know Jesus. But we know that about a month before this very moment, Jesus came for the first time to listen to John's preaching. And on that day, Jesus also asked, can I be baptized? Now, you know that John was called John the Baptist because John was baptizing. He was preparing people. He was telling them about their sin. He says, you need to be washed. Today, we're going to see baptism. You need to be washed, John said. You need to be washed from your sins. And then they were baptized as a picture of that they needed to be washed, but also of a picture that they wanted to be washed and that they wanted to start a new life. So people would come to John and they would say, John, I've listened to your message. I feel sorry about what I've done, John. And the preacher said, John, I want to be baptized. And John says, you have sinned? Yes, John. Are you sorry about your sin? Yes, John. Have you confessed it to the Lord? Yes, John. And then John said, then I will baptize you. Let's go. And one day Jesus comes to John. And what did Jesus ask? He says, John, may I be baptized? And John recognizes this Jesus. We don't know for sure how, but it says, I knew him not. But there comes a moment that John begins to know that this is Jesus. Maybe he met him before, we don't know for sure. But he knows that this man doesn't need to be baptized. John would have said to him, but Jesus, you don't have any sin, have you? You don't have to confess any sins to me, do you? I ought to be baptized by you instead of me baptizing you, Lord Jesus. There was no sin. Jesus had nothing to say. I'm sorry about I've done this. I'm sorry about that. Namaste. No. Maybe Jesus said this to John. John, I need to be baptized not for myself, John, but I'm here to be baptized for others. I'm here, John, to be the lamb, to bear away the sin of the world. Baptize me. And then Jesus was baptized too. Not because Jesus was sinful. Now, after a month, the Lord Jesus comes back. We read in our text, the next day, John is preaching, he sees Jesus coming, and he says, Behold the Lamb of God. That's the one to help you. Now, we're going to see lambs pretty soon. Maybe you've seen them already. I love lambs. They're cute. But they're not very strong. They're not going to defend you, are they? What's a lamb going to do? They have no horns. They have no sharp teeth. They have no claws. They're just really a cute animal. But they're really not very helpful to protect you, or to help you. They cannot even carry you when you're big. And yet, John says, look, there is the Lamb of God. Now, this morning, let's think about that. Two things. Why do I need a Lamb? And secondly, why has God given us this Lamb? Behold, or look, the Lamb of God. You know, in the Bible times, children, every day lambs are killed. Thousands and thousands of little cute lambs are killed every year in Israel, in the Bible days. They were first killed and then they were burned on a fire. The Bible calls that a sacrifice, an offering. They were laid before God and they were burned in the fire. Why? Why were those lambs killed? Those cute, sweet, nice lambs, they don't harm anybody. Well, they were punished. Those lambs were punished, every one of them. That's why they were killed and burned. punished, why had those lambs, what had they done wrong? And why would you punish a lamb by killing it and putting it into the fire? Well, they were punished because of sin. This is good. These lambs were punished, they were killed and burned because of sin. Poor lambs. Do lambs sin? Do lambs sin? They can be naughty, and they can walk out of the fence, but they don't sin. No. Let's indeed understand why God commanded these lambs to be killed. God says, children, when you think a bad thought, or when you do a bad deed, or when you say a bad word, you sin against Me. You hurt me. You're not only hurting your parents, you're hurting your brothers and sisters, you're hurting me. You are sinning against me. You are indeed doing wrong and I need to punish you. When I was a child, I sometimes heard that statement, that sinning is like hitting the Lord in His face. That's a terrible thought, isn't it? Hitting God in His face. That's what sin is. You know, when I get hit in my face, that hurts. It probably doesn't hurt my skin as much. But if one of my children would hit me in the face, it probably hits my heart more than anything. I feel so bad. Sin is bad. And God said, you do that to me. You need to be punished for that. Because you cannot do that to me. I am God and I am holy. And so, you need to be punished. And your parents will do that, right? When you break the rules, then they punish you. Depending on what you've done, depending how you will be punished. Now, let's for a moment think about this, children. This morning, you and I have to think about our sins. If you've only done one sin, You are deserving to be punished. What about two? I need two times. Three? Three times. We sin all day. We sin every day. We've come again out of a whole week in which we have sinned against the Lord. And each of these sins need to be taken away. And what will we do to take away those sins? What will we do to take away the punishment? Well, we can't do anything. Imagine that you hit your brother on his nose, and you quickly go do something nice, and then you say to your mom and dad, yeah, but I did something nice. Will they not punish you for hitting your brother on his nose? No, of course they will. See, you can't take away the wrong with doing something nice. And this is what our problem is. This is why God has come up with this wonderful plan in the Word of God. And this wonderful plan is this. God has said to the Israelites, when you feel sin in your heart, when you feel you've done wrong, when in your heart that little voice says, you have done wrong, you've sinned against God, Then what I want you to do, I want you to go to your herd, and I want you to pick out one of your lambs. I know that these people all love their lambs, but I want you to go pick out one lamb. And if you don't have any lambs, I want you to get all your money, and I want you to go buy a lamb. And I want you to take that lamb, and I want you to walk that lamb all the way to the temple, to the priest. And when you come there by the priest, I want you to lay your hands on the head of the lamb, and I want you to say this, God, I have sinned. I have done wrong. I have hurt thee. I have given thee great pain by what I said or did. See, while you're holding those hands on that lamb, we need to say to the Lord what you've done. And the Lord says, and what will happen then? Then I will take your sin and I will put it on the lamb. Now the lamb is naughty and guilty. And then you have to kill the lamb. And you have to burn him. That will be for you. And then what would the priest say to those people, children? They would say, go home in peace. your sin is taken away, it is covered. And if those people would believe that, they will go home feeling joyful, because now their sin is taken away. And they will do this many times, because every time, at least once a year they will do that, even if they lived far away, but every day there are lambs being burned in the temple to remind the people of the need for forgiveness. Now, let's for a moment stop and think. Have you sinned? When you say sorry to your mom and dad about your sin, does that mean that the sin is gone? No. When you bow your knees at night and say, sorry, Lord, for my sin, does that mean the sin are gone? Don't know. They only will be gone if you take along a lamb. What lamb? There are no lambs out in the fields anymore, but the lamb. the land of God which taketh away the sin of the world. That's the only way God can take away that sin. Let's think about that together a bit more after we sing. We're going to sing Psalter 89 verse 1 this morning. Ye children, come, give ear to me, and learn Jehovah's fear. Psalter 30, 89, verse 1. Venerate all that is. In the room of love, let there be bliss. Let there be joy all the year. Look, John says, the Lamb of God, the Lamb. There's only one like this. And it is not any kind of a lamb, it is the Lamb of God. It is God's Lamb. Jesus Christ is God's special Lamb. You know, God loved the Lord Jesus, children. I was his son. We can understand it, but before the world was even existing, before there was any world, God was there. He was there as a Father, and as a Son, and as a Spirit. And the Father loved the Son, and the Son loved the Father, and the Spirit and the Son loved each other. They all loved each other. And that special Son, God made into a Lamb. Not a real lamb, of course, but like a lamb. And I always wonder why John the Baptist didn't say, behold, the Lion of God, because he's also a lion. Jesus compared to a lion. And people that are in need, that are in danger, they may need a lion rather than a lamb, don't they? But no, a lamb. Behold, look. The Lamb of God, that special Lamb was God's Lamb. You know the text in the Bible that God so loved the world that He created. And He loved so very many sinful people in this world that one day, that Father has asked already before the world was even there, You ask, Son, I have a plan. All these people out in this world out there, they all deserve to be punished. They are terrible in their disobedience. But are you willing, Son, to leave our home, our fold, And are you willing to go to that fallen and that miserable world? And are you willing to die like a lamb for all the people that I give to you? That's something. Think about that for a moment. Maybe some of you will soon have a pet lamb. And if your father would say sometime, we're going to have to put a pet lamb to death, you might not be so happy. Here, God says to His Son, will you go to that miserable world and will you die there? Will you be punished for those awful and rebellious children and men and women I have chosen to save? Do you know what the Son said? He says, yes, Father. I love to do what you ask me to do. I will be the Lamb. to bear away the sin of the world. God sent Jesus as the Lamb to take away the sin of the world. That never stops amazing me, children. Your minister has preached so many times to you about Jesus, and it never stops to amaze me that God was willing to give his son as a lamb. Never did Jesus do anything wrong. Never did Jesus have a wrong thought, never did Jesus have a wrong word, never disobeyed his parents, never was nasty, and never was cruel, never teased his brother, never teased his sister, always was a nice child as he grew up, always was a wonderful man as he was an adult, and he died for sinners like you and me. And now John says, no, no, now John, let's forget about John because he's alone in heaven. Now Jesus says to you, look at me. I am the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world. God has given himself in his Son, and Jesus has given himself as the Lamb, the Lamb to take away the sin of the world. That's a big world here, and there's a lot of sin in this world, isn't there? Maybe some of us think, maybe John, you should have not said it that way. You should have said, behold the Lamb that takes away the sin of God's Church. Some of us would like to say that that way, but I'm glad the Spirit didn't make John say that. He says, Behold the Lamb that taketh away the sin of the world. That means the whole world can look at that Lamb, and the whole world is allowed to make use of that Lamb. There has to be not a single person in the world to feel shy this morning to take this Lamb. You have to take this Lamb. When you feel sin in your heart, congregation, when we feel we've done wrong, when we feel our conscience speaking, we are to go back to God, but don't come without a lamb. And don't come without a single different lamb than the lamb that God has given. Don't just pray, forgive my sins. Without this lamb in your hand, as it were, or without pleading in prayer on this lamb, without laying the hand on this lamb. Yeah, but how do I dare to lay the hand on a lamb? The lamb of the world, remember? The lamb that takes away the sin of the world, remember? That anyone in this world can take this lamb, and is to take this lamb. If the sin is ever to take, be taken away. You know, this lamb is worth enough for all the world. In New Zealand there are 30 million sheep or so. Pretty soon there will be 60 million or more when all the lambs are going to be born. You know, children, if we decide to kill all those 60 million sheep this year, Not one single sin of you will be taken away by that. Even if you burn all the sheep and lamb in the whole world, not one single sin can be taken away by that, because we sinned against God, and God is great. But this Lamb of God that John was seeing there, he says, don't look at those lambs who are at the Jordan River anymore. Look! The Lamb, that one Lamb, Jesus Christ, is enough for 30 million, for 60 million, for 600 million, for 600 million. It is enough, that one Lamb, for the whole world's sin. Never do I have to doubt whether I may take that Lamb Here is your word. And you say, yeah, but I can hardly believe that. And this morning, I may add to the two children of the congregation that most of the children here have already received as well, a very special token. And what does that token of baptism mean? That means I speak to you, child, that I am the Lamb for you too. No other Lamb will do for you. No other Lamb can take away your sin but Jesus Christ. And you never have to doubt that you may come to me. With all your sin, with all your wrongdoing, you never have to doubt, never have to doubt. You can say to the devil, get away devil, don't ever tell me that I am not allowed to come to the Lord Jesus. You have His name written on your forehead. So God wants to assure you that this Lamb He has brought into this world is a Lamb that you also may use, must use, if you ever will have peace with God. Let us close with those thoughts this morning. We need this land. To have peace between God and you children, you need this land. This cute little Ruben and this cute little Josiah that's going to be baptized this morning, they are cute in my eyes and in their parents' eyes, but they are not in God's eyes. They're not. Why not? Because God looks at their heart. He sees that they're sinful. Every child in this world is a sinful child. So are you. You were once a cute little baby. But you are a sinful baby. You know what they are, those two children? They're little enemies of God. That's what you and I are all, little enemies or big enemies. And soon enough, it will be seen in Josiah and Reuben, that they have a sinful heart. They're cute, yeah, but they're guilty. They need this Lamb as much as the oldest person needs this Lamb. Congregation, children, adults, when we feel bad about sin and when sadness fills our heart about sin, nothing can take that sin away. Nothing! What I do, what I feel, what I say, nothing but the Lamb of God which taketh away, which carries away the sin of the world. When you don't feel bad this morning, when you don't feel your sin this morning, then go to that same Jesus today and say, Lord Jesus, I know and I've heard that Thou art the Lamb, but I do not know why I need Thee. I don't feel my sin. Jesus is also a teacher. Then pray to Jesus today, show me why I need that Lamb, that I also need to be covered by His death. And then lastly, it says here in our text, Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world. There's a sweet thought in that. It's in the present tense, you notice that? My children of God, those of us here who have come to repentance and have taken this Lamb and are daily taking this Lamb, that's not a one-time thing. Daily, morning and evening, a Lamb was offered in the temple. Constantly, it was as it were, the presentation of this Lamb before the very throne of God. Constantly, day and night, you'd say. And today that's no more necessary. Why not? Because there He stands. Now He's at the right hand of the Father. And what did John see when he looked in the book of Revelation? He saw the Lamb. standing at the right hand of the throne, the same Lamb that John saw is now in heaven. And let us be reminded this morning that we will feel every day bad about sin. If we have grace in our heart, there is not a day that we do not feel more or less our sin, that we carry with us this burden of our sinfulness. But every day, This land taketh away the sin. All Church of Christ, people of God, and you don't have to be old to be a child of God, you can be a boy and a girl looking unto Jesus. You know what happens every time when we look unto Jesus, and that Lord Jesus in heaven, as it were, takes those father's judge's eyes away from your sin and sinfulness. And he looks, Father, look, I have given myself as the land for the sin of the world. And every day, Christ is, as it were, hiding, covering the sins of his people. As far as the East is removed from the West, so far has he removed sin. And so let us remind ourselves lastly that the smallest faith in this Lamb, the smallest faith in this Lamb saves. It doesn't have to be big faith, big story faith. No, the smallest trusting on this Lamb for the forgiveness and the pardoning of my sin takes away that sin out of the sight of God the Father. Congregation, do you live with this lamb in your hand all day? That's the Christian's life. To have this lamb all day between God and me. And then there is peace. If by faith I take this lamb. Do you? For Jesus' sake. Amen.