”The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, ‘Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!’” “Again the next day John was standing with two of his disciples, and he looked at Jesus as He walked, and said, ‘Behold, the Lamb of God!’ The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. And Jesus turned and saw them following, and said to them, ‘What do you seek?’ They said to Him, ‘Rabbi (which translated means Teacher), where are You staying?’ He said to them, ‘Come, and you will see.’” (John 1:29,35-39 NASB1995)
Under the Old Covenant God had with his people Israel (Jews only), lambs were sacrificed for the atonement (payment) for sins. And this was something that had to be repeated over and over again. But when Jesus Christ, God the Son, gave his life up for us on that cross, he was the final and the ultimate sacrifice for the sins of the world. For in his death he became sin for us so that when he died, our sins died with him, so that by faith in him we will now die to sin and live for God and obey him.
And John the Baptist had this revealed to him by God the Father that Jesus Christ was that sacrificial lamb of God sent by God to take away the sin of the world, i.e. to deliver the people of this world out of their slavery to sin so that, by faith in him, they will now die to sin and walk in obedience to the Lord in daily practice, in God’s power. And John the Baptist was called of God to prepare the hearts of the people for the coming of Jesus, so that by faith in him, they would forsake their sins and now walk in the ways of the Lord.
And because John the Baptist believed God, and he was faithful to the call of God on his life to be “a voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘make straight the way of the Lord,’ as Isaiah the prophet said,” people began to follow Jesus, not many at first, but some, some of whom became his close disciples who then ministered along with him for about three years, the time of his ministry on the earth prior to his death, resurrection, and ascension back to heaven to be with God the Father, whereby he sent us his Spirit.
And I just love the progression of this here. One of the first to follow Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. And he said to his brother Simon, “We have found the Messiah” (the Christ). And Andrew brought Simon to Jesus, and Jesus named him Peter. The next day Jesus found Philip, and he called him to follow him, and Philip did. Then Philip found Nathanael, and he told him about Jesus, and he invited him to come and see the Lord. And on and on it went, and people believed in Jesus Christ as their Lord (vv. 39-51).
And as I was thinking about all of this, what came to mind is how we don’t really know how what we do might impact one person who then impacts others for Christ who then impacts others for Christ. We may reach one person who comes to Christ, who then is on fire for the Lord, who then shares his or her (their) faith with someone else who then may share their faith, and so on and so forth. Especially if our ministry is on the internet, we may have no knowledge of how God is using us, but he is, if we are of him.
So, the encouragement here is to be faithful to the call of God to be sharing the truth of the gospel with the people of the world, and then to trust God with the results. And the truth we should be sharing is what Jesus taught and what his New Testament apostles taught, in their full and correct biblical context. For so many people today are teaching a diluted and altered “gospel” that makes no requirements for death to sin and walks of obedience to our Lord as part of faith which saves. So, please know the truth.
For Jesus Christ taught that to come to him we must deny self, take up our cross daily (die daily to sin), and follow (obey) him. For if we hold on to living in sin and for self, we will lose our lives for eternity. But if we deny self, die daily to sin, by the Spirit, and we walk in obedience to our Lord and to his commands, in his power, then we have eternal life with God. For not everyone who calls him “Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one DOING (obeying) the will of God (see Luke 9:23-26; Matthew 7:21-23).
[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]
Your Servant Witness
An Original Work / March 13, 2012
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love
Humbly I bow, Lord, before You,
Bringing my requests to You.
May I listen; hear You speaking.
May I follow You in truth.
Gently lead me in Your service.
Guide my steps and strengthen me.
Fill me with Your love and mercy.
May I live for Thee!
Let me be Your servant witness,
Telling others of Your grace.
May I always share the gospel
With those I meet face to face.
May I show the love of Jesus,
Caring for the needs of men;
Be Your servant witness always
For my Lord, Amen!
My desire to be like Jesus,
Living for Him ev’ry day.
May I obey all His teachings
Given me, so I’ll not stray.
Love You, Jesus, Lord, my master.
You are the King of my heart;
Follow You where’er You lead me;
Not from You depart!
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Behold, the Lamb of God
An Original Work / July 31, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love
