PLEASE BE A BLESSING TO US!

Roof Contribution Announcement

Matthew 16:18 ESV

And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

 New Bethel AME Church is asking for your assistance, as we continue to maintain our local assembly for a place of fellowship and worship.  We have a goal to obtain funding to replace our roof by the end of this calendar year.  We are asking you to partner with us in making a monthly or one-time donation.  There are multiple ways to make your contribution.  Please feel free to give online via New Bethel’s website (place website here), via the donate icon, Givelify, or mail your contribution to the address listed below. Please add the comment ‘roof donation’. We appreciate your continued efforts.

 

New Bethel AM Church

3754 Old Charleston Hwy

John’s Island, SC 29455

843-212-5450

Rev. Spavarie Taylor

 

 

Sunday School Lesson

September 29

Lesson 5 (KJV)

Faithful In Consequences

 

Devotional Reading: Psalm 103:1–14

Background Scripture: Numbers 14:10b–23

 

Numbers 14:10b–20

10b. And the glory of the Lord appeared in the tabernacle of the congregation before all the children of Israel.

 

11. And the Lord said unto Moses, How long will this people provoke me? and how long will it be ere they believe me, for all the signs which I have shewed among them?

 

12. I will smite them with the pestilence, and disinherit them, and will make of thee a greater nation and mightier than they.

 

13. And Moses said unto the Lord, Then the Egyptians shall hear it, (for thou broughtest up this people in thy might from among them;)

 

14. And they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land: for they have heard that thou Lord art among this people, that thou Lord art seen face to face, and that thy cloud standeth over them, and that thou goest before them, by day time in a pillar of a cloud, and in a pillar of fire by night.

 

15. Now if thou shalt kill all this people as one man, then the nations which have heard the fame of thee will speak, saying,

 

16. Because the Lord was not able to bring this people into the land which he sware unto them, therefore he hath slain them in the wilderness.

 

17. And now, I beseech thee, let the power of my Lord be great, according as thou hast spoken, saying,

 

18. The Lord is longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation.

 

19. Pardon, I beseech thee, the iniquity of this people according unto the greatness of thy mercy, and as thou hast forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now.

 

20. And the Lord said, I have pardoned according to thy word.

 

Key Verse

Pardon, I beseech thee, the iniquity of this people according unto the greatness of thy mercy, and as thou hast forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now.—Numbers 14:19

 

Lesson Aims

After participating in this lesson, each learner will be able to:

 

1. List key factors regarding Moses’ intercession on behalf of the rebellious Israelites.

 

2. Explain the importance of intercessory prayer.

 

3. Initiate a personal prayer ministry of intercession.

 

HOW TO SAY IT

Canaan	Kay-nun.
Gomorrah	Guh-more-uh.
Jericho	Jair-ih-co.
Kadeshbarnea	kay-desh-bar-nee-uh.
Rahab	Ray-hab.
Sinai	Sigh-nye or Sigh-nay-eye.
Sodom	Sod-um.
tabernacle	tah-burr-nah-kul.
Thessalonians	Thess-uh-lo-nee-unz.

 

Introduction

1. The Great and Powerful God

In the classic movie The Wizard of Oz, the wizard is reputed to be “the great and powerful Oz,” who causes fear and trembling within those who dare to approach him. When Dorothy and her three friends (along with her dog Toto) come before the wizard, they react in the same way. But when Toto pulls back a curtain, the friends find an older man who is making himself appear by means of trickery to be “the great and powerful Oz.” In reality, he is anything but great and powerful, and certainly no one to approach with fear and trembling.

Many have a view of God as a kind, grandfatherly figure who wouldn’t hurt a flea. It follows, then, that we humans don’t really need to take Him seriously—when all is said and done, He will be merciful and simply overlook whatever sins we may have committed. But as the Israelites discovered at Kadeshbarnea, reality doesn’t support this position. The God of Israel is truly “great and powerful,” and His judgment of human sin and rebellion dare not be taken lightly. The writer of Hebrews reminds us of a truth that stands rock solid throughout both the Old Testament and the New Testament and remains just as trustworthy today: “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:31).

 

1. Lesson Context

Today’s text follows immediately on the heels of last week’s. The discouragement brought about by the 10 spies’ report grew into a rebellion against Moses and Aaron. The text concluded with the congregation’s desiring to stone Caleb and Joshua (Numbers 14:10a). Today’s text begins with words even more ominous, as God comes in judgment to a people blinded by unbelief.

 

1. God’s Intention

(Numbers 14:10b–12)

1. Glorious Presence (v. 10b)

10b. And the glory of the Lord appeared in the tabernacle of the congregation before all the children of Israel.

 

God’s glory is referenced directly for the first time in the book of Numbers in this verse. The Israelites had already witnessed the glory of the Lord when He provided manna from Heaven to feed them in the wilderness (Exodus 16:7, 8; see lesson 3 commentary). His glory had appeared like a “devouring fire” on Mount Sinai (24:17) and filled the tabernacle upon its completion (40:33, 34).

One can only surmise how the people react when they see the glory approach, given how defiantly they have expressed their rebellion against the Lord and against His appointed leaders. However, their reaction after days of preparation suggests that nothing less than abject fear would be the response now (compare Exodus 20:18, 19).

 

What Do You Think? What are some ways to detect the presence of God’s glory? Why is it important to do so?   Digging Deeper How will 2 Corinthians 4 influence your search for God’s glory?

 

1. Destructive Plan (vv. 11, 12)
2. And the Lord said unto Moses, How long will this people provoke me? and how long will it be ere they believe me, for all the signs which I have shewed among them?

 

The questions raised by the Lord in this verse reveal His anger. The signs that He has displayed among the Israelites have been numerous, going back to the plagues that were brought upon Egypt (Exodus 7:14–12:30). These signs were followed by the parting of the Red Sea’s waters for Israel’s safe passage and bringing the waters back upon the Egyptians (14:21–28).

God further gave signs in the form of provision for His people in the desert (Exodus 15:22–16:15). The Israelites have “seen [His] glory, and [His] miracles, which [He] did in Egypt and in the wilderness” (Numbers 14:22). They had been granted the truly sacred privilege of witnessing mighty works from the hand of the Lord. Yet they still reacted faithlessly to His promise that He would carry out another mighty work by bringing them safely into the promised land.

Furthermore, likely only a few weeks have passed since the display of divine majesty on Mount Sinai (Exodus 19:16–19). At that time, the voice of the Lord had been so terrifying that the people begged Moses to speak with them as the Lord’s intermediary (20:18, 19). Though their fear was meant to teach them to trust and obey the Lord, they still refuse to believe.

 

What Do You Think? What are some ways to help a doubtful person identify ways that the Lord has been active in his or her life?   Digging Deeper In what ways will lessons learned during your own periods of doubt apply to others, and in what ways will they not? Why?

 

Inoculated Against Facts?

In the 1960s, psychologist Peter Wason demonstrated that people tend to seek information that confirms their existing beliefs. In the process, information that would disprove the belief is ignored. Wason called this phenomenon “confirmation bias.”

Such bias is seen in many issues of today. One example is the debate on advances or supposed advances in vaccinations. Persistent questions linger regarding their safety and efficacy. For some folks on the side of the fence who reject vaccination, no amount of scientific study will ever be enough to convince them otherwise. For some folks on the other side of the fence, the barest hint of a breakthrough vaccine causes them to be the first to rush to get it for themselves or a family member. Those on either extreme of various issues often end up being inoculated against the facts (or lack thereof).

Israelites opposing Joshua and Caleb exhibited confirmation bias. The evidence of God’s faithfulness should have led to fear being squashed. Instead, a bias toward fear led to the opposite. The choice they made is ours to make as well. Will faith (which is belief based on evidence; John 14:11) overcome a bias toward fear, or will you let the opposite happen?

—J. E.

12. I will smite them with the pestilence, and disinherit them, and will make of thee a greater nation and mightier than they.

 

The people gathered before the Lord are in an extremely precarious position: the God who had promised to give them the land now determines to disinherit them. Is His patience finally at an end? When the Israelites built a golden calf while God gave Moses the law on Mount Sinai (Exodus 32), the Lord told Moses that He planned to do just what He is proposing here: destroy the people and create a “great nation” out of Moses instead (32:10).

The threatened destruction is specified to come about by pestilence. Such a severe punishment had been promised previously by the Lord should the people continue to turn from His ways (Leviticus 26:21–25); it would be included as one possible consequence for disobedience and unfaithfulness once they were living in the land (Deuteronomy 28:21).

 

1. Moses’ Mediation

(Numbers 14:13–20)

1. Example Before the Nations (vv. 13–16)
2. And Moses said unto the Lord, Then the Egyptians shall hear it, (for thou broughtest up this people in thy might from among them;).

 

When the Lord stated His intention to destroy the Israelites for their rebellion at Mount Sinai, Moses interceded to the Lord on their behalf (Exodus 32:11–14). He noted at that time that if the Lord should carry out such an act, the Egyptians would question the Lord’s motivation for delivering His people from Egypt. They would conclude that He had brought them out from Egypt for the express purpose of destroying them (32:11, 12).

Moses then went on to cite the promise God had made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob concerning their descendants. Destroying the people instead of multiplying them and blessing them would make God look faithless. As a result of Moses’ intercession, the Lord held back His judgment of the people (Exodus 32:13, 14).

Moses now makes a similar appeal before the Lord, serving once again as the Israelites’ intercessor. Even though Moses has become displeased at the people’s pattern of rebellion (Numbers 11:10–15), he cannot bear to see them suffer such a devastating punishment as the Lord proposes. But Moses knows that the Lord’s reputation is more important still.

 

What Do You Think? What will unbelievers see in your refusing to hope for others to fail even when such failure would benefit you?   Digging Deeper On a scale from 1 (lowest) to 5 (highest), how well do you follow Matthew 5:43–48 and Luke 6:27–36 in this regard now? How can you improve?

14a. And they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land.

 

If the Lord completely destroys the Israelite nation, the Egyptians will not keep such news to themselves. The Egyptians will not know that Israel’s rebellion is the reason for the Lord’s destruction of His people. According to their misunderstanding of the spiritual world and their views of gods, a nation’s destruction or loss in battle reflects the weakness or apathy of the god or gods of that nation. Those gods are thought to come to the aid of their worshippers if the gods possess power to defend their own reputations.

 

14b. For they have heard that thou Lord art among this people, that thou Lord art seen face to face, and that thy cloud standeth over them, and that thou goest before them, by day time in a pillar of a cloud, and in a pillar of fire by night.

 

The Lord’s reputation as the God of Israel has already been established. He is known for His presence among His people, for having been seen face to face, and for His special protection of His people by means of a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.

The report that God has been seen face to face is noteworthy in light of God’s having forbidden Moses to see His face (Exodus 33:19–23; compare John 1:18). At the same time, Moses was allowed to see a portion of God’s glory (33:21, 22; 34:4–6), and others besides Moses are described as having seen God (24:9, 10). The expression “face to face” is used of how the Lord spoke to all the Israelites (Deuteronomy 5:4) and of the special relationship that existed between the Lord and Moses (34:10).

Thus, the phrase “face to face” is a way of describing the manner in which God reveals himself to His people at the time. His revelations occur strictly on His terms and are unlike anything that any other so-called god is able to do for their people.

 

15, 16. Now if thou shalt kill all this people as one man, then the nations which have heard the fame of thee will speak, saying, Because the Lord was not able to bring this people into the land which he sware unto them, therefore he hath slain them in the wilderness.

 

News of such a massive destruction of the Israelites will quickly get around to the surrounding nations. Whatever reputation for power and glory the Lord has established for himself will be harmed, Moses asserts, if God proceeds to wipe His people from the face of the earth.

The Egyptians in particular, who experienced the pain of losing their firstborn sons (Exodus 12:29, 30), would no doubt take great pleasure in hearing of the demise of these people. The Egyptians will not see this as an expression of God’s righteous wrath and judgment; they will interpret it as a sign that He is unable to follow through on His intention to bring them into their own land.

Moreover, peoples such as those residing in Canaan will hear of this and reach the same conclusion. They too hear of the Lord’s great power and mighty acts, as Rahab in Jericho will later confess (Joshua 2:10, 11). Rahab will inform the two Israelite spies of this fact and how, because of who the Lord is and all He has done, “your terror is fallen upon us” (2:9) and “our hearts did melt” (2:11). The witness of God’s people dying in the desert will give the nations the false idea that God is inept and callous.

1. Plea to Show Mercy (vv. 17–19)

17, 18a. And now, I beseech thee, let the power of my Lord be great, according as thou hast spoken, saying, The Lord is longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression.

 

Instead of God’s demonstrating the greatness of His power by judging the Israelites for their unbelief and disobedience, Moses now pleads with the Lord to manifest His power by showing mercy in forgiving them of these sins. In so doing, Moses cites the Lord’s self-description at Mount Sinai (compare Exodus 34:6, 7). To ask that the Lord show great mercy to a very wayward people is indeed a bold request! Moses’ intercessory pleading is reminiscent of Abraham’s concern for Sodom and Gomorrah (noted in lesson 1).

 

What Do You Think? What points can you use to speak in God’s defense when others characterize Him as being harsh, judgmental, and/or unfaithful?   Digging Deeper How important will the distinction between restorative justice and retributive justice be in your response? Cite biblical examples of each.

18b. And by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation.

 

At the same time, Moses acknowledges the reality of God’s judgment upon the guilty. The impact of one generation’s iniquity … upon the children unto the third and fourth generation is found within the second commandment (Exodus 20:4, 5). There it is contrasted with God’s mercy being displayed “unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments” (20:6).

Here at Kadeshbarnea, the mercy of God will actually be shown to the very next generation, to the children of those who have rebelled against the Lord and against Moses and Aaron. That next generation will be permitted to enter the promised land (Numbers 14:31).

 

19. Pardon, I beseech thee, the iniquity of this people according unto the greatness of thy mercy, and as thou hast forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now.

 

Moses now comes to the gist of his intercession for the Israelites. He notes that the Lord has had a lot of experience pardoning them already; He has forgiven this people again and again, from the moment they left Egypt up to the present. An early example of this forgiveness was when God responded to the Israelites’ complaints about lack of food—not by punishing them but instead by providing them with quail and manna (Exodus 16:9–12; see commentary in lesson 3).

 

What Do You Think? In what situations will you and will you not pray for God to be merciful toward another person?   Digging Deeper In what ways, if at all, do Jeremiah 7:16; 11:14; 14:11; Luke 6:28; 1 Timothy 1:20; 2 Timothy 4:4; John 17:9; Ephesians 6:18; James 5:16; and 1 John 5:16 cause you to modify your response?

 

1. Plan to Pardon Israel (v. 20)
2. And the Lord said, I have pardoned according to thy word.

 

The Lord responds favorably to Moses’ intercession. Yet stern consequences will follow. Pardon does not mean the removal of all consequences resulting from the people’s unbelief and disobedience. Yes, the nation will be spared the immediate destruction that the Lord had intended to bring upon them. But the unbelieving generation, consisting of those individuals who have constantly grumbled against the Lord, will not be allowed to enter the promised land (Numbers 14:21–23).

The people had “tempted” God 10 times (Numbers 14:22), which may be a way of saying that the number of times the Israelites had refused to trust God’s guidance and provision was completed. He will wait no longer to judge the unfaithful nation. That generation will be commanded to turn back and travel toward the Red Sea, from which their journey toward Canaan had begun (14:25). Eventually all who are age 20 and older will perish in the wilderness (14:29, 30). Only Caleb and Joshua will be spared to experience the thrill and the blessing of entering the promised land (14:30; contrast 20:7–12).

In place of that faithless generation, their children will enter the promised land. Ironically, these will be the individuals whom the unbelieving ones claim would die in the wilderness (Numbers 14:3). Instead, the Lord brings their own words back to haunt them: “But your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, them will I bring in, and they shall know the land which ye have despised” (14:31). As a final solemn affirmation of the Lord’s judgment, the 10 spies who had spread the “evil report” among their fellow Israelites (13:32) “died by the plague before the Lord” (14:37). What should have been an occasion for celebration and triumph becomes a day of great sorrow.

 

Pardon!

The U.S. president has nearly unchecked power to issue official pardons. This makes the pardon one of the most controversial presidential powers. Though this presidential power can be divisive, in some instances it has been used to heal wounds.

One of the most controversial presidential pardons was issued by President Gerald

Ford. Richard Nixon, Ford’s predecessor, resigned from office in August 1974 amid accusations of criminal behavior. After that resignation, Nixon could have been prosecuted and even jailed. Yet weeks later, President Ford pardoned the former president of any federal crimes he had “committed or may have committed or taken part in” during his terms in office.

Today many agree that Ford’s pardon was necessary to help the nation move forward from an era of scandal and abuse of power.

Pardons are not justice. Rather, they are acts of undeserved mercy. When the treasonous Israelites rebelled against God, they deserved an outpouring of his wrath. Moses, acting as a defense attorney for his people, convinced pleaded for and received mercy. Ultimately, God’s forgiveness of sin is based on the fact that Christ has made forgiveness possible because he took our penalty upon himself at the cross. What difference does God’s pardon make in your life?

—J. E.

 

Conclusion

1. The Importance of Intercession

From cover to cover, the Bible reveals the devastating consequences of sin. When God placed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, He clearly told them, “Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die” (Genesis 2:16, 17). Many are familiar with Paul’s declaration in Romans 6:23: “The wages of sin is death.” The climax of that death sentence is specified in Revelation. According to Revelation 22:15, sinners will be outside of the holy city, the New Jerusalem, much as the Israelites were left outside of the promised land because of their unbelief.

Consider this tragic irony: 12 spies brought back samples of the fruit of the promised land, fruit that could have been enjoyed by them and their fellow Israelites had they possessed the faith that God would give them victory over the land’s inhabitants. But they rejected that fruit and ate instead the bitter fruit that results from choosing a path of unbelief and disobedience.

Intercessory prayer, such as that which Moses offered on behalf of the rebellious Israelites, remains a vital ministry for Christians today. The person who prays for another stands between Heaven and earth, calling on the Lord to intervene on behalf of a person in need of His mercy.

When the prophet Samuel gave what amounted to his farewell address, he said, “Moreover as for me, God forbid that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you” (1 Samuel 12:23). Though his leadership role was changing, Samuel’s ministry of intercession for God’s people remained the same. The apostle Paul also wrote of the importance of intercessory prayer, particularly for those in positions of authority (1 Timothy 2:1, 2). But intercessions can and ought to be carried out on behalf of anyone (possible exception: 1 John 5:16).

 

How many times have we heard someone describe a problem or a crisis that the person (or someone he or she knows) is going through and we respond by promising to pray for that individual in need? How many times have we then failed to follow through on that promise? To pray for another is one of the most sacred privileges a follower of Jesus has. We must keep our promise to pray! There is so much in our hurting, broken world that needs to be covered by the prayers of faithful Christians. Instead of ceasing to pray, may we “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17).

 

1. Prayer

Father, forgive us for the times when we take the privilege of prayer for granted. Our world, our nation, and our communities need our prayers as much as ever. Stir us to be a people of prayer—as individuals, as families, and as churches. We pray this in the name of the one who modeled prayer for us: Jesus. Amen.

 

1. Thought to Remember

Let us pray—now as never before!

 

 

 

KIDS CORNER

How God Takes Away Sin

John 1:24-34

Sunday, September 29, 2019

 

John 1:24-34

(John 1:24) Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.

We learn in this verse that the priests and Levites who went to examine John the Baptist had been sent from the Pharisees, and they were probably Pharisees themselves. Because many were going to John from Jerusalem and Judea to be baptized by him, these priests and Levites went to examine John the Baptist, not to repent and be baptized by him. The Gospel of John does not repeat every event the other gospels report, but in Matthew 3:7-8, we learn what John the Baptist said to some of the Pharisees and Sadducees who did come to him for baptism: “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit worthy of repentance.” John’s baptism involved the personal commitment to repent, obey God, and do right. In Acts 23:8, we learn the primary differences between the Sadducees and the Pharisees, “The Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, or angel, or spirit; but the Pharisees acknowledge all three.” Eventually, these two groups of religious leaders joined together as a brood of vipers to crucify Jesus Christ and oppose His apostles in the early Church. They certainly did not bear good fruit, and many of them died when Jerusalem fell to the Romans and the Temple was destroyed in 70 AD.

(John 1:25) They asked him, and said to him, “Why then are you baptizing, if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”

The religious authorities always wanted to know why or by what authority others were doing what they were doing, especially if they were influencing large crowds without official authority from the leaders in Jerusalem. Even when Jesus obviously did the right thing, such as cleanse the Temple in Jerusalem, they asked Him to show them a sign and show them by what authority He had done so (John 2:18). Traditionally in Judaism, baptism was reserved for Gentile converts to Judaism who needed to be cleansed morally (the men who converted to Judaism were also circumcised). Natural born Jews were not baptized: they offered sacrifices at the Temple for their sins (but Temple practices had also become corrupt). John baptized all who came to him to prepare them for the coming of the King of Israel, the Messiah. John’s call for people to be baptized included the command: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near” (Matthew 3:2). Whenever God the King is near, the kingdom of heaven is near, and the kingdom of heaven was coming with the Messiah Jesus.

(John 1:26) John answered them saying, “I baptize in water, but among you stands One whom you do not know.

We learn the chronology of some events surrounding Jesus’ baptism and ministry from the gospels of Matthew and Luke. John baptized Jesus; then, the devil tempted Jesus forty days in the wilderness. After Jesus defeated the devil in the wilderness, He returned to see John (see Matthew or Luke chapters 3 and 4). Jesus came back to see John on the very day that the priests and Levites were examining him, and John certainly was not going to present the Messiah to a brood of vipers for them to examine Him. John saw Jesus standing among them, but they did not know Jesus.

(John 1:27) “It is He who comes after me, the thong of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.”

After John confessed to those sent from Jerusalem that he was not the Messiah, nor Elijah or the prophet, John expressed his humility. He said that the one “coming after” him was greater than him (notice John did not tell them directly “the Messiah”). To learn what John meant, they would need to know the Scriptures and have a repentant heart and a teachable spirit. Jesus once said to the Sadducees, “You are wrong, because you know neither the scriptures nor the power of God” (Matthew 22:29). Compared to the One who was yet to publicly declare himself according to His timing, John the Baptist confessed that he was lower than a servant. One of the jobs a servant would perform for a king or rich person was taking off his sandals for him and washing his feet. Compared to the Messiah, John confessed that he was lower than one who would do the most menial tasks for others.

(John 1:28) These things took place in Bethany beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

John was baptizing believers in the Jordan River and was examined by his inquisitors in Bethany. One town named Bethany was about 2 miles east of Jerusalem, and the other Bethany was east of the Jordan River. The KJV calls the town Bethabara, which means “house or place of a ford,” where Joshua led the Israelites into the Promised Land. Interestingly, John was there baptizing people to prepare them to meet Jesus, who would lead those who believed in Him into the Kingdom of God. The interrogators of John were not repenting of their sins and requesting baptism, so John did not introduce them to Jesus; but later, priests, Levites, scribes, Pharisees, Sadducees, and Herodians would try to entrap Jesus with their questions.

(John 1:29) The next day he *saw Jesus coming to him and *said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

In the first twenty-nine verses of the Gospel of John, John taught some of the most important facts about Jesus that he had learned from John the Baptist and from Jesus during His public and private ministry. In these verses, John revealed Jesus as “the Word was God,” “the True Light,” “the Father’s only Son,” “the Christ,” “God the only Son,” “the Lord,” “the Lamb of God,” and other truths. As a disciple of John the Baptist before he became a disciple of Jesus, John learned that Jesus is “the Lamb of God,” and throughout John’s Book of Revelation he called Jesus “the Lamb.” John the Baptist testified that as “the Lamb of God” Jesus would fulfill Scripture and die a sacrificial death for the sin of the world. The Holy Spirit within John gave John this title or name for Jesus. Probably none of John the Baptist’s disciples knew what John meant when the Holy Spirit inspired John’s name for Jesus, but they could have discussed this privately. Those who became Jesus’ disciples learned how Jesus would take away the sin of the world by His sacrificial death on the cross. The Lamb of God died, as a substitute for sinners, so God could be both merciful and just when forgiving sinners out of His heart of love.

(John 1:30) “This is He on behalf of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.’

Jesus was and is before John in every way because Jesus is God. Jesus was the Word who was with God the Father in the beginning before Jesus was born and came into the world in human flesh (see John 1:1-14). John the Baptist was conceived in Elizabeth and born before Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary. Jesus ranked ahead of John, because Jesus is God and the King of kings, the long-promised Messiah. Though Jesus was born after John, and though His public ministry began after John, John came to point people to Jesus as the fulfillment of prophecy. John came to prepare a way for the Lord, for the one who ranked ahead of him by His office as King.

(John 1:31) “I did not recognize Him, but so that He might be manifested to Israel, I came baptizing in water.”

When John said he did not know Jesus was the Messiah, John made clear that Jesus and he had not planned John’s baptizing as the forerunner to Jesus’ coming. They had not plotted together to make Jesus the Messiah, as the kings and leaders of this world plan or scheme. John did not know Jesus was the Messiah and the Lamb of God until the Holy Spirit revealed Jesus to him, though he no doubt knew the story of Mary’s visit to his mother Elizabeth before he was born. John preached a message of repentance and baptized with water to prepare people for Jesus’ coming and for Jesus’ revelation of himself as Messiah, Savior, and Lord. During John’s ministry of baptizing in the wilderness, Jesus came to be baptized and the Holy Spirit revealed to John a special aspect of Jesus’ ministry as the Lamb of God.

(John 1:32) John testified saying, “I have seen the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven, and He remained upon Him.

All four Gospels insist that John was an important forerunner of the Messiah. John was indwelt by the Holy Spirit from the moment of conception (see Luke 1:13-17). The Holy Spirit taught John and empowered his ministry; therefore, multitudes of people went to hear him preach, turned from their sins, and were baptized by him in the Jordan River. John recognized the Holy Spirit when the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus at His baptism, because he had always known the Holy Spirit as a divine Person living within him. Furthermore, John had been taught how to visibly recognize the prophesied Messiah: a dove would descend upon Him. John emphasized the fact that the Holy Spirit would remain on Jesus and empower Jesus’ ministry. Though Jesus is the unique Son of God the Father, He is also the Son of Man indwelt by the Holy Spirit for ministry. Throughout Jesus’ ministry, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit worked together to reveal the truth about God and save us from our sins.

(John 1:33) “I did not recognize Him, but He who sent me to baptize in water said to me, ‘He upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining upon Him, this is the One who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.’

John the Baptist repeats the fact that he did not know Jesus in advance of the Holy Spirit revealing Jesus to him as the Messiah. Though John knew some truths about his prophesied birth to his mother, Elizabeth, and about Jesus’ prophesied birth to his mother’s relative, Mary, he had never met Jesus personally prior to Jesus’ baptism. The Holy Spirit within John the Baptist told him how he would recognize the Messiah. God made John a promise, and then God did what He promised. The subsequent ministry of Jesus, including Jesus’ death and His resurrection, confirmed what John preached about Jesus. John’s preaching about Jesus inspired some of Jesus’ disciples to follow Him as the Messiah, and John’s ministry began to decrease as Jesus’ ministry began to increase, finally leading to John’s arrest and beheading by King Herod. After Jesus’ resurrection, Jesus baptized believers with the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, and that also confirmed what John saw and said about Jesus.

(John 1:34) “I myself have seen, and have testified that this is the Son of God.”

To testify to something in a court of law as a witness, you must either be an eyewitness or an earwitness to the event or situation. John the Baptist heard the word of the Lord. John the Baptist knew the work of the Holy Spirit inside him by experience. John the Baptist saw Jesus, and John saw God fulfill what He had promised him about how he would recognize the Messiah, the Son of God. As in any court of law with witnesses giving testimony, a verdict usually follows. And the next day, Jesus came and began calling His disciples, some of them were formerly John’s disciples, to teach them privately before He began His public ministry following John’s arrest by King Herod. Those who receive Jesus Christ believe in Jesus Christ because of many eyewitness testimonies in the Bible and the work of the Holy Spirit in their own lives confirming the Word of God. The Bible and the Holy Spirit teach and testify that Jesus is the Word made flesh, the Son of God, the Messiah, the Lord, the Lamb, and the Savior of the world.

 

 

How God Takes Away Sin

John 1:24-34

Sunday, September 29, 2019

The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him and declared, “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29—NRSV)

When we hear about a criminal and his crimes, we usually feel that they should be punished to stop them, to protect others from them, and to encourage others not to do the same. Executing just punishments shows what a government or a society thinks about a law’s importance and obedience to the law as a whole. When a criminal does not receive the punishment that a law specifies or that we think they deserve for an especially horrid crime, we can become outraged at the injustice. When someone of the privileged class ignores or violates the law and escapes the punishment that the law demands, we are sometimes offended by the injustice; we also lose respect for the law and the government. We know we would be punished if we broke the same law. We expect lawbreakers, especially persistent lawbreakers, to be punished in some way. As the Great King, God must deal justly with situations such as these; however, all of us have broken God’s law of love as written on our hearts and on Moses’ stone tablets. Even worse, we have been persistent breakers of God’s law of love: we have not loved God and others as we ought. We all deserve God’s punishment forever. For God to emphasize obedience to His law, for God to uphold justice and show mercy when forgiving sinners, the Son of God took upon himself the punishment we deserve. By His death, Jesus won the love of repentant believers, and He takes away the sin of the world one transformed sinner at a time.

— LG Parkhurst Jr.

 

 

Thinking Further

How God Takes Away Sin

John 1:24-34

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Name ________________________________

 

1. If someone asked you what Lamb of God meant, what might you say?

 

 

2. What did John say the Lamb of God would do?

 

 

3. How did John the Baptist know that Jesus was the Lamb of God?

 

 

4. In addition to Jesus being the Lamb of God, who else did John say Jesus is?

 

 

 

5. What are some of the ways Jesus, who is the Son of God and the Lamb of God, takes away the sin of the world?

 

 

 

Discussion and Thinking Further

 

1. If someone asked you what Lamb of God meant, what might you say? In the Old Testament, the Jews sacrificed animals to worship God. Some of their sacrifices and prophets pointed to the fact that God would someday send the ultimate sacrifice, His Only Son, to die as a sacrifice and substitute for the death sinners deserve for their sins. Jesus is the Lamb of God that God offered so He could be just, uphold His law of love, and express His mercy by forgiving believers in Jesus for their sins.

 

2. What did John say the Lamb of God would do? Take away the sin of the world and baptize with the Holy Spirit.

 

3. How did John the Baptist know that Jesus was the Lamb of God? God told him what he would see, and he saw it when the Holy Spirit descended and remained on Jesus.

 

4. In addition to Jesus being the Lamb of God, who else did John say Jesus is? John the Baptist also called Jesus “the Son of God.” In the first 29 verses of John’s Gospel, John revealed Jesus as “the Word was God,” “the True Light,” “the Father’s only Son,” “the Christ,” “the Messiah,” “God the only Son,” “the Lord,” “the Lamb of God,” and other truths.

 

5. What are some of the ways Jesus, who is the Son of God and the Lamb of God, takes away the sin of the world? By dying on the cross as a sacrificial substitute for sinners, Jesus wins our love and we can have God’s power to sin less and less through the work of the Word of God and the Holy Spirit in our lives, which is a process called sanctification. Under the kingship of Jesus our Lord and through the leading and empowerment of the Holy Spirit, we can resist the temptations of the world, the flesh, and the devil. When Jesus comes again, He will remove all evil and sin from the world, and He will separate His sheep from the goats.

 

 

Word Search

How God Takes Away Sin

John 1:24-34

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Name ________________________________

 

Y N A H T E B F T X H L T G T

L S R G X M C N S U S E J W H

K A M S C L Z F K A J Z C N A

W B D W P K I Y G D R U R F I

S O G N Y H L X W I E J O Y S

V Q R V A O A Z A Z T X Q U S

D M O T H S J R C M A O B D E

J G W A H Q A G I X W A L Q M

O S N O V Y X F M S P R A T D

R E H D L U H Z W T E C M Y G

D I O Y O A N S I H I E B D E

A F J G M G X Z U G M J S I X

N G S Z E K E D Q S I K T C L

Z Y X J A D P S B D E N R V Z

S P I R I T W C Q G U J A B W

 

Pharisees

Baptize

Messiah

Water

Worthy

Untie

Sandal

Bethany

Jordan

John

Jesus

Lamb

God

Holy

Spirit

 

 

True and False Test

How God Takes Away Sin

John 1:24-34

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Name ________________________________

 

Circle the True or False answers. Correct the False statements by restating them.

 

1. John wrote that before Jesus began His public ministry the Sadducees carefully questioned John the Baptist about Him. True or False

 

2. Those who questioned John the Baptist wanted to know why he was baptizing people if he was not the Messiah, Elijah, or the prophet. True or False

 

3. John the Baptist told people that Jesus the Messiah was hiding in their midst and if they looked carefully, they would find Him. True or False

 

4. John the Baptist said he was not worthy to untie the sandal of the one coming after him. True or False

 

5. When John the Baptist saw Jesus, he declared that Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. True or False 6. John the Baptist refused to admit that Jesus ranked higher than him. True or False 7. John the Baptist said that the Lamb of God would be revealed to Israel. True or False

 

8. John the Baptist saw the Holy Spirit descend from heaven as a dove and remain on Jesus. True or False

 

9. John was totally amazed and puzzled when he saw the Holy Spirit descend on Jesus. True or False

 

10. John said that the Son of God would baptize with the Holy Spirit. True or False

 

John 1:24-34 True and False Test Answers

 

1. False
2. True
3. False
4. True
5. True
6. True
7. True
8. False
9. False

10.True

 

 

Prayer

Father, forgive us for the times when we take the privilege of prayer for granted. Our world, our nation, and our communities need our prayers as much as ever. Stir us to be a people of prayer—as individuals, as families, and as churches. We pray this in the name of the one who modeled prayer for us: Jesus. Amen.