JOHN 1:29-42
29 On the morrow he seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world!
30 This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man who is become before me: for he was before me.
31 And I knew him not; but that he should be made manifest to Israel, for this cause came I baptizing in water.
32 And John bare witness, saying, I have beheld the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven; and it abode upon him. And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize in water, he said unto me, Upon whomsoever thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and abiding upon him, the same is he that baptizeth in the Holy Spirit.
34 And I have seen, and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.
35 Again on the morrow John was standing, and two of his disciples;
36 and he looked upon Jesus as he walked, and saith, Behold, the Lamb of God!
37 And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.
38 And Jesus turned, and beheld them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? And they said unto him, Rabbi (which is interpreted, Teacher), where abideth thou?
39 He saith unto them, Come, and ye shall see. They came therefore and saw where he abode; and they abode with him that day: it was about the tenth hour.
40 One of the two that heard John speak , and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother.
41 He findeth first his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messiah (which interpreted, Christ).
42 He brought him unto Jesus. Jesus looked upon him, and said, Thou art Simon the son of John: thou shalt be called Cephas (which is interpreted, Peter).
Let us pray..
Grace mercy and peace from God the Father and the Son Jesus Christ be multiplied unto you all. Amen.
Akwasi and Adjo, I will introduce you to the book of John …. John is one of my favorite books; it…. did you hear the Apostles reaction in chapter one?
During John the Baptizer’s days, people were looking for the Messiah to arrive. They were hoping for one who would lead them to freedom, so they could see some prosperity in their lives.
People were eager and excited when John came. Due to John’s bold and unique character in preaching, many thought he was A just in time leader.
As a matter of fact: John the Baptizer was a miracle baby of Zechariah and Elizabeth… he was born when both parents were old and weak., John was a wilderness preached, eloquently calling people to repentance and washing them off their sins through the waters of the Jordan. Could he be the Messiah?
But John the Baptist answered faded peoples perception of him.
“No, not me! He made it clear that he wasn’t the Messiah, but there was One who stood amongst them who was, who is and who will come, it is He who will Baptize with fire and the Holy Spirit. That person is the messiah who arrives, just in time.
Great! Everyone is asking who is this person? People were looking intently because they knew that if this One Person arrives just in time, He will surely change the world; he will turn things around by touching many lives for good!
Dear friends: Are you looking for the One who comes just in time? I mean He who will come just in time for you? Please if you are not looking for such a person; then; what are you looking for?
People at each point in time are looking for some leader, for some politician to come and save us from our calamities …. We always want to see or experience some changes in our communities and lives… Recently we elected Assembly men and women, and I do believe we elected people we believed will help solve our communal problems; even so we are in an election year and we shall be looking for the guru to solve our Socio-Economic problems.
Most definitely; we value a just-in-time person who makes the right decisions and takes the right actions for better things to happen… Whether such actions of theirs will cause them much suffering and sacrifices we care less, all we want is a just-in time leader lead. A leader who is up to the game.
Much the same way, people are looking for all kinds of material things,
People are looking all over the place for anything that will make them feel better.
People are looking for the latest cell phones and tablets, the latest big TVs.
We are looking for peace in a violent and a turbulent, war-torn world.
We are looking for security in unstable economies.
People are looking for unity and honesty in political leadership.
People are looking for healing; they are looking for love, looking for purpose, friendship and hope.
Adjo, maybe the aforementioned things will help you feel satisfied; but the question is: Can they really satisfy you deep in your souls?
Can these items and gadgets overcome the lasting problems that we all face?
My dear ones think about this statement; what shall it profit you to gain the whole world and lose your soul?
Adjo and Akwasi, in responds for all what you are seeking, I am send you to John the Baptizer… who says:
There is only One Person that you really need to meet.
You really need to listen to this just in time
In (Chapter 1:29) John exclaimed! There He is! The Lamb of God!
The Lamb of God! He who is to fulfill all God’s promises.
The Lamb of God! the One who is to satisfy humanities greatest hopes and dreams.
Lamb of God! the sacrificial Messiah who had come for all…, He had come just in time.
This was the Just in time seed of the woman whom God promised to Adam and Eve, in the Garden of Eden
The Lamb of God! Who is of the lineage of King David, This Man is the One, He is the real deal, the Savior who takes away the sins of the world.
Taking a walk through the Old Testament, we will see discover that rams and lambs were often sacrificial substitutes for sinners. Hence Let’s spend little time to meditate on lambs: In Abraham’s story: Abraham was commanded by God to sacrifice his son, Isaac. So father and son marched to the mountain where God told him to go. Young Isaac saw and carried the firewood, but no lamb: so Isaac asked where is the lamb? Abraham the father of faith; told to little Isaac, “God will provide for himself the lamb for the burnt offering” (ref Gen 22:8).
Isaac did believed in God and also believed his father’s words; so he was tied and placed on the altar without stress. As Abraham raised the knife, an angel of the Lord stopped him, and indeed provided the lamb. Just in time, the lamb of God was provided to Abraham for the needed sacrifice. The provisional lamb, arrived as a substitute to the Christ=the Messiah, Abraham’s lamb was a shadow of Jesus.
Akwasi: In the story of Moses; when the children of Israel were in bondage in Egypt; the Angel of Death was ready to strike Egypt for their willful disobedience to God. As Pharaoh rejected God’s call to let His people go. Surely it was Pharaoh’s direct opposition to God which brought the final plague of death of all the firstborn in Egypt.
The only way to be spared from the Destroyer was to take a lamb without defect or blemish, sacrifice it, and spread the blood on the doorposts. The sacrifice of lambs rescued the Israelites; other words the Hebrews from the angel of death. The Lamb of God save them (Exodus 12), just in time
With all the aforementioned knowledge, imagine the feeling of the Jewish crowd when John the Baptizer declared saying,
“Look! Look at Him!
The Lamb of God!”
Who is the Provision from God.
Comes with the Forgiveness of sin.
The Bible says, “When the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoptions to son-ship.”… Galatians 4:4ff; 1 John 4:9ff!
Yes, Jesus was exactly what the Israelites needed and He came just in time.
My dear Adjo:. A good student of IT, will tell you that; New mobile phones fade fast. New TVs become old quickly. In fact within the space of six-month or there about, whatever gadget you have, becomes outmoded,… …
Love and friendships are very good, but they end when life ends.
No matter how good some leaders have been to us in the past; not their leadership and sacrifice can overcome the ultimate challenges of sin, and guilt, and heartache, and brokenness in our lives.
My dear listener let me ask you a double question: what are you looking for? And In whom is your trust?
John says: God’s purpose and answer to all these things, which are now and forever, duels in the Lamb of God. We will find everlasting satisfaction in Jesus Christ. Jesus is exactly who you and I need to trust first above all things.
Jesus is what happened to John’s disciples just in time; As they were waiting and searching for the Messiah. They thought John was the one; but just in time came Jesus, the Lamb of God.
Our text has it that; Jesus turned and saw them following and said, ‘What are you seeking?’ And they said, ‘Rabbi, where are you staying?’ He said to them, ‘Come and you will see.’ So they came and saw where Jesus was staying, and they stayed with him that day. One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon-Peter’s brother. He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, ‘We have found the Messiah. (ref: John 1:37-41).
Truly truly: Everything they were looking for, they found all in Jesus. And they followed Him and abode with Him.
Friends: Thanks be to God; Jesus the True Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, is here, He is everlasting…!
The new life Jesus gives the believer, the hope He gives, the healing He provides lasts forever.
Jesus deposits into our lives satisfaction and peace which never fades.
Akwasi, Adzo and all my cherished Listeners; Today our Savior comes to us. Be assured that Jesus has heard your prayers. He has seen your needs. Believe John, that everything you’re looking for, everything you need is in Jesus the Just in time Savior of the world. Jesus is the righteousness of God; He is the promised One, The True Sacrificial Lamb who came: just in time Jesus is the message of the Bible
In our day to day lives, the Savior God who comes to us just in time.
My dear listener; what about your life? Do not harden your heart…
The arm of the flesh will fail you.. but The Lamb of God, Jesus, is here for you right now, to help you in times of trouble. Jesus has the word of encouragement we need in the Bible. He delivers to us the news of forgiveness when we need a new beginning. Jesus bestows upon us the everlasting news of eternal life to lighten our hearts.
Above all things; Jesus is who we need and should look up-to this New-Year 2020. Just in time and always; the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, Jesus is Our Hope and Our Savior. He is the light of the world. He is the way, the truth and the life who is with us till the end of the ages….May His name be praised now and forever more.
Amen.
May the peace of God which surpasses all human understanding keep our hearts and our minds unto Christ Jesus till eternal life… Amen!
The Lord bless you and keep you;
The Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious unto you;
May the Lord lift up His countenance upon you and grant you His everlasting peace.
Amen!