1/17/13. John 1:29-34. THE MEANS AND POWER TO LIVE-my devotional

Key Verse: 1:29                                                                                   Kevin Jesmer NIU UBF

“²⁹ The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”

    Dear Lord Heavenly Father, thank you for the liberating freedom of the Gospel. In the world news I see lots of bad news and suffering, but in the Gospel I see light and life and hope. In countries with a Christian heritage there is relative security and prosperity and hope. Lord, thank you for Jesus that we don’t have to live in fear for our lives. Thank you that my daughters don’t have to live in fear for their lives. Thank you that here, there is every reason to believe that there is hope for the future. Lord, bless our time a “To Every Tribe” ministry. Help us to present about the way to send missionaries to the Native people of NW Ontario Canada. Inspire every heart. Inspire my heart now through this passage. I thank you and I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen!

Part 1: The Means (29-31).

John had a prosperous ministry. But when Jesus came on the scene, he was eager to reveal and glorify Jesus. Look at Verses 29-31, “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! ³⁰ This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ ³¹ I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.” (NIV)

When John saw Jesus, he said “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”   John knew the reason why he was called to ministry. He knew the purpose of his life. It was to reveal Jesus to the world. It was to prepare many hearts to see and recognize Jesus and accept Jesus as their own personal Lord and Savior. I need to remember the reason that I am called by God to be a Christian and a servant of God. Of course it because God loves me and wants me to be part of the family of God. But there is another, and perhaps a greater reason. It is so that I may reveal Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. I pray that I may reveal the Gospel. May this be the overriding purpose and goal of my life.

Let’s think about what John was basically saying about Jesus. he was saying, “It is Him! He is the One!”  He refers to Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. This treasured name for Jesus brings to mind Jesus’ innocence, peace, and love. It also reminds us of his suffering and death for our sins. Around His throne in heaven the angels sing, “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!” How true! Jesus knew the meaning of John’s words. Isaiah writes, “he was led like a lamb to the slaughter…he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was punished.” All of this can be summed up, Jesus is the means of our salvation. He is the one who has set us free from the bondage of sin. This gift of grace was purchased with the priceless blood of the Lamb.

I am very thankful for the Lamb of God who took away my sins. To make a new beginning, to find strength to rise up from the ashes, requires more than just inner resolve and human strength. It requires the power of God granted to us by the grace of forgiveness. Those who have a deep sense of being forgiven by God and a sense of thankfulness have inner strength to get up off their “mats” and walk. There is only so much that self discipline can get you. I know one company executive who thought that he had it all. But first came the divorce and then came the untimely death of his young child. How do you get up and pick yourself up after that? We all need God, from the weakest of us to the most disciplined.

I need Jesus, the Lamb of God, everyday. I need his grace of forgiveness to move forward. I am the kind of person who is very sensitive of failures and short comings. I tend to dwell on mistakes, mistakes that no one other than myself can remember.  It brings me down. It deflated my spirit for days. Humanly, I would just want to withdraw and isolate myself trying to find rest, and solace. But with Jesus I can find grace and forgiveness. I can be set free. Knowing I am forgiven completely means that I can come to God and rely on his almighty power. And he delivers every time. There is power in Jesus, the Lamb of God. Lambs are gentle. Jesus is gentle. Lambs are innocent. Jesus is innocent. His intentions are loving and pure. He is a wonderful Savior.

Part 2: The Power (32-34).

Jesus is full of power. We can see the source of the power in verses 32-34, “³² Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. ³³ And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ ³⁴ I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One.”

John baptized with water, but Jesus baptizes with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the power of God living inside of us, purifying and transforming our sinful nature into the image of Christ. What a job! What a wonderful gift! This gift is possible because Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. The Holy Spirit is God who dwells in our hearts. The Holy Spirit is the Holy Spirit. He is Holy. Normally, something completely holy can never dwells where there is unholiness. If that is the case then the Holy Spirit can never dwell among people, because all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Romans) But there is one way for the Holy Spirit can dwell in the hearts of an unholy humanity. It is when God forgives them. When God forgives them they are completely forgiven. They are seen as holy before the eyes of God. The Holy Spirit can now freely dwell in the hearts of any believer. I thank God for opening up the way for his Holy Spirit to dwell in my heart through faith.

I thank God for the Holy Spirit in my heart. He gives me understanding and wisdom. He teaches me what to say and how to say it. He gives me strength every day to challenge new things and to have the strength to embrace my responsibilities and challenges. For example it is hard for me to go to my job each day as a nurse. But I pray and ask the Spirit’s help and he helps me. I am going to help give a report about the mission field to the Aboriginals of NW Ontario. I will be speaking to seasoned missionaries. How can I stand there? I can do it only by the help of the Holy Spirit. Lord, help me to depend on your Spirit to accomplish all that you have in store for me.

Prayer: Father, thank you for our new life in Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away our sin.

One Word: Jesus is the Lamb of God