“Watch the Lamb!” (John 1:29-34)

The Denial of Death
In 1973, Ernest Becker wrote a Pulitzer Prize winning book called The Denial of Death. The main thesis of this book is that the fear of death haunts the human animal like nothing else; it is a mainspring of human activity—activity designed largely to avoid the fatality of death, to overcome it by denying in some way that it is the final destiny for man. Becker says that the fear of death produces a pervasive, lifelong bondage. Fear makes us restrained, confined, narrow, robbing us of adventure and dreams for the sake of Christ and his kingdom. Without knowing it, fear of death binds us with invisible ropes, confining us to small, safe, self-centered ways of life. The Book of Hebrews agrees with Becker. Hebrews 2:15 says that the whole human race is subject to lifelong slavery through fear of death. Unfortunately, Becker has no solution for this bondage, but Jesus does.

We as a church are grieving over the recent deaths of our loved ones. Those incidents make us stop and ask ourselves: “Why this person died so unexpectedly?” “Why did that person had to suffer so badly?” “What happens when I die?” The list of questions goes on. Those questions may make us depressed and increase our fear of dying. But we do have a merciful and faithful high priest who has gone through this. He is able to comfort us and help us to walk through our grief (Heb 2:18). He is able to set us free from the fear of death. In today’s text John the Baptist introduces Jesus in two ways: “The Lamb of God” (v. 29) and “the Baptizer of the Holy Spirit” (v. 33). This morning we will explore why these two roles of Jesus are so important for us to overcome our grief and loss, guilt and shame, anxiety and fear of death.


The Removal of Sin (v. 29)
John the Baptist sees Jesus coming toward him and he says, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” The first and the greatest gift of Jesus Christ our Savior is a taking away of all our sins. Sin has power. Once we commit sin, from that moment it begins to have authority over us. We become lifelong slaves to sin and are controlled by sin. Jesus says, “Everyone who sins is a slave to sin” (John 8:34). Now this is not the end. The necessary consequence of sin is death. The Message Bible translates Romans 6:23 in this way: “Work hard for sin your whole life and your pension is death.” After death, we have to face judgment (Heb 9:27). The problem is that there is no way to take away sin in this world. In other words, there is no way for us to flee from this vicious circle: sin -> death -> judgment. At the end of our rope we cry out, “What a wretched person I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?” (Rom 7:24) Then, we see the light of salvation. We see the Lamb of God, who takes away our sin. Hebrews 2:14-15 puts this good news in this way: “Since the children [that’ us] have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity [he became human], so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death--that is, the devil – and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.” By his death Jesus has taken away our sin and the fear of death once for all.


Gordon MacDonald was a pastor of Grace Chapel in Lexington, MA for 12 years. In 1987 he admitted to an adulterous affair. He publicly repented. He experienced forgiveness of sin in a very personal way. He asks us to imagine the scene of Jesus’ baptism if it took place in the twenty-first century. Imagine John’s baptism occurs in our lifetimes, so we go out to be baptized by John. Imagine someone decided to get organized, so they set up a registration table, handing out nametags for each person who wants to be baptized by John. When a person registered for baptism, the person working the registration would ask, "What’s your name? And what sins do you need to repent of?" You’d say, "My name is Gordon and I’m an adulterer." So each person to be baptized would have a nametag with their name and their sin written on it. My nametag would say, "Victor" and then underneath would be words like “hypocrisy,” "pride," and "judgmental spirit." Then comes Jesus who doesn’t need a nametag, and he asks each of us to take off our nametags. As Jesus prepares for his baptism, he puts all our nametags on himself, mine and yours, my name and your name, my sins and your sins. And then Jesus goes into the waters of baptism, identifying himself with our sins. That’s why Jesus was baptized by John. Jesus became our sin, and we became his righteousness (2 Co 5:21).

What would you have on your nametag? Perhaps your nametag would have “unforgiving spirit” or "gossip” or "premarital sex" or “guilt of abortion” or “scars from divorce.” Whatever we have on our nametags, Jesus takes off ours and gives us a new nametag, on which is written, “Beloved child of God” (cf. Matt 3:17). All we have to do is to confess our sins and to trust in the Lamb of God who takes away our guilt and shame, sin and sadness, anxiety and fear of death. You don’t have to wait until you die. You can get a fresh start right now. Look to Jesus Christ. Look! Look! Look! You have nothing to do but to look to the Lamb of God, and the cloud and darkness will be rolled away, and you will live!

The Bestowal of the Holy Spirit (v. 33)
Indeed, the forgiveness of sins is the wonderful gift that only God can give us. But God’s salvation is much more than just forgiveness of sins. Not only does God remove our sins, but also he bestows the Holy Spirit upon us without limit. That is the other half of God’s plan of salvation. In today’s passage John the Baptist cries out at the top of his voice, “He will baptize with the Holy Spirit.” On the night Jesus was betrayed, he said to his disciples, “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Paracletos to be with you forever” (John 14:16). And he continued, “But Paracletos, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you” (v. 26). The Greek term, Paracletos, which refers to the Holy Spirit, can be translated as “Advocate” (NRSV) or “Helper” (ESV) or “Comforter” (KJV) or “Counselor” (NIV). In our life’s journey on earth God knows we need this Paracletos to finish the race and to keep the faith.

On January 19, 1981, a group of terrorists called "M-19" broke into the S.I.L. residence in Bogotá, Columbia, and kidnapped Wycliffe translator Chet Bitterman. The communiqué from the terrorists read, "Chet Bitterman will be executed unless the Summer Institute of Linguistics and all its members leave Columbia by 6:00 PM February 19." Wycliffe did not budge. Brenda Bitterman and her two little children waited 48 days. On March 7 the terrorists shot Chet Bitterman through the heart and left his body on a bus in Bogota. More than one hundred Wycliffe members in Columbia were given the choice of a new field. None left. And two hundred candidates volunteered to take Chet Bitterman's place.

When we hear stories like these, we ask ourselves, “Could I stand it?” “Would I have the courage of Chet Bitterman?” or more practically, “If I battled fatal disease and had to suffer so badly, would I still have the strength to endure it and keep the faith?” Corrie ten Boom helped many Jews escape the Nazi Holocaust during WWII and was imprisoned for it. She tells how she worried as a girl whether she would be able to stand against the Germans if she was threatened. She felt so weak when she thought about what might happen. Her father gave her a great illustration. He said, "When you are going to take a journey on the train, do I give you your ticket three weeks early or just as you get on the train?" She answered, "As I get on the train." "So God will give you the special strength you need to be strong in the face of death just when you need it, not before." Corrie was released from a Nazi concentration camp, but in her last years she suffered several strokes. The first stroke made her unable to speak, the second stroke resulted in paralysis, and after a third stroke she died. But she endured trials and tribulations and finished the race. The Holy Spirit doesn’t help you escape hardship, but surely he will give you the strength to endure it. The Holy Spirit will help you die the way you should. He will sustain your faith. He will stand by you when there is no one else. He will be with you forever!

Watch the Lamb!
The Bible says the last enemy to be destroyed is death (1Co 15:26). The devil still intimidates us with all kinds of troubles, hardships, persecutions, sufferings, diseases, and death threats (cf. Rom 8:35). But by the blood of Christ and by the power of the Holy Spirit we have victory. We fight from victory, not for victory. Apostle Paul puts it in this way: “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?... But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!” And then, he concludes, “Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain” (1Co 15:55, 57-58). I pray that as we get through the grieving process; as we go through valley experiences in life, we will remember the words of today’s message. We have Jesus. Jesus is all we need. In Christ we are forgiven, and by his Spirit we are able. In Christ our life is invincible, and by his Spirit our church is unstoppable. Look, the Lamb of God! He will take away your sin. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit! Amen.