JESUS CHANGES EVERYTHING
JOHN 1:29-51
SEGMENT 1 (p)
Demas waited by the side of the road in the shadows. He had his spot picked out perfectly… it was his normal spot. He could see the road coming down from Jerusalem, but none of the travelers could see him. He had done this several times and had stolen some good loot over the past few days. He tightened the grip on his knife. He didn’t want to use it, but would if he had to… it was more for show. He heard the sound of a voice coming down the road. He crouched a little lower. In the distance, he saw a big fat man singing obnoxiously loud and moving carelessly on the road. He moved his hands in the air and sang loudly to the sky to no one in particular. On his hip was a large leather sack… maybe money… maybe important scrolls someone would pay to get back. The man certainly was dressed wealthy and did not seem to pay attention to anything but his song.
The man loudly passed Demas’ hiding place. Demas sprung from his hiding place. He grabbed the man from behind and spun him around with force. He put the knife threateningly to his big fat belly. “Hand over the sack! I will rob you as I have all the others!” Demas said in a demanding low voice. The fat wealthy man tried to back up, but Demas kept a good hold on his cloak and shook him a little. “Hand over the sack!” Demas yelled louder. The fat man’s face was fearful, but only for a moment. All of a sudden the man stopped struggling, took the sack, and handed it to Demas with a large knowing smile spreading across his face.
IDENTITY OF JESUS ACCORDING TO JOHN THE BAPTIST
READ JOHN 1:29-31
“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. 32 Then John gave this testimony: "I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. 33 I would not have known him, except that the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, 'The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.' 34 I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God."
John the Baptist, prophet of God, pointed Jesus out to the crowds who were following him and confirmed for all of them who Jesus Christ was. John the Baptist labeled Jesus’ identity in three important ways.
First, Jesus was the “Lamb of God.” What does that mean? John the Baptist was using Old Testament language to describe Jesus. A lamb is used in offerings in the Old Testament by Abel, Noah, Abraham, and others. Another Old Testament passage, Isaiah 53, directly states that when the promised Messiah comes that He will be like a lamb led to slaughter. By stating that Jesus is the “Lamb of God” John is directly tying Jesus of Nazareth to Isaiah 53 and saying He is the Messiah. He is the Christ. Just so you know, Christ and Messiah are the same word just in different languages. Both mean He is the Promised One that the Old Testament talked about.
Second, Jesus “comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.” What does that mean? We know from Luke 1 that John and Jesus were cousins and that John was already in the womb growing in his mother when Mary gets the news that she is pregnant. John was physically older. John began his ministry first. Jesus definitely came after John in age and in beginning His ministry. So how could Jesus be “before” John? Jesus surpasses John in authority because He is God. Jesus existed eternally before John. Jesus existed before He came to this Earth and was born to Mary. Jesus was a divine eternal being who held all authority. Jesus is 100% God.
Third, Jesus was “the Son of God.” What does that mean? That means that Jesus Christ was not only divine, but was also a human being. The person standing before them was a real human being with a physical body. He got hungry and thirsty. He had a family. He had feelings. He walked and talked. By stating that Jesus was the “Son of God,” John the Baptist is highlighting the humanity of Jesus. Jesus is 100% human.
So we have John the Baptist, a prophet of God, identifying Jesus as 100% God and 100% human who is the Promised One from the Old Testament.
SEGMENT 2 (p)
Demas could not figure out why the fat rich man stopped struggling and smiled all of a sudden. Then Demas heard it behind him. The clink. The clank. The sound of several feet on the road. Demas turned to find five Roman soldiers with swords drawn. It had been a trap.
“Good soldiers,” the fat man said addressing the Romans, “this man came from the darkness beside the road and has robbed me of my pack. I believe he is the same highwayman that has been robbing other innocent travelers.”
The commander of the soldiers stepped forward. Demas dropped his knife and hung his head ashamed that he had fell for such an obvious trap. “We heard him. We’ve got our man and you held up your end of the bargain.” The commander took the sack from Demas and handed it back to the man. He also tossed a sack of coins in his direction. “Now be on your way!” the commander said to the man-who-had-been-bait. With that, the soldiers bound Demas and pushed him back towards Jerusalem.
While they were pushing him back to Jerusalem, they laughed that their trap had worked the first time they tried it. Also while they led him back to Jerusalem, they read off his charges:
Theft of travelers on a Roman road three times, Theft of a nobleman’s seal and blackmail, Theft from a market, Theft from a blacksmith, Theft from a baker, Theft from a barn, Theft from an inn.
All of those were true, Demas thought, along with some they had not tied to him. As he marched bound towards Jerusalem, he wondered what his punishment would be? What would happen to him now that the Romans had caught a thief?
PURPOSE OF JESUS ACCORDING TO JOHN THE BAPTIST
READ JOHN 1:32-36
“Then John gave this testimony: "I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. 33 I would not have known him, except that the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, 'The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.' 34 I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God." 35 The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. 36 When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, "Look, the Lamb of God!"
Not only was it John the Baptist’s job to point people to the identity of Jesus, but it was his job to tell them about the purpose of Jesus who was the Christ predicted in the Old Testament. We find two purposes mentioned in these verses which tell us much about Jesus and His purpose.
The first purpose we find described is the main purpose of why Jesus came. We read it in the first section of verses and it is repeated in these verses we just read. John the Baptist says in verse 29: “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” He repeats himself in verse 36 when he says, “Look, the Lamb of God!” A lamb is used in offerings in the Old Testament by Abel, Noah, Abraham, and others. Another Old Testament passage, Isaiah 53, directly states that when the promised Messiah comes that He will be like a lamb led to slaughter. What is the purpose of the lamb in those verses? Forgiveness of sin. Payment for sin. Atonement for sin. Substitution for sin. Jesus Christ came to willingly sacrifice Himself for us that we might be forgiven.
In John 10:17-18, Jesus says, “The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life-- only to take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father."
The second purpose is related to the Holy Spirit. John the Baptist tells us in verse 33 that Jesus will “baptize with the Holy Spirit.” Jesus’ ministry will bring the Holy Spirit into the lives of people on a permanent basis. The Holy Spirit will come and wash the soul of believers clean and make them permanently clean from sin as never before. The Spirit will not be temporary, but something permanently given once Jesus has completed His ministry and work.
In John 14:16-17 Jesus says, “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever-- the Spirit of truth.” And in John 14:26 Jesus says, “But the Counselor, 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.”
A great summary of what we have talked about thus far about Jesus of Nazareth who is the Promised Messiah can be found in Hebrews 1:1-3 which says: “In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. 3 The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.”
SEGMENT 3 (p)
Demas sat in his cell for over a month. He was now officially a convicted thief in the court of the Romans and no hope of release. All the charges against him were true. Witness and those he had stolen from had come forward and identified him as the thief. Not only that, the soldiers had caught him in their trap stealing. He was guilty. His punishment? He had not heard yet. The fellow with him in his cell was also a convicted criminal. Both were indeed guilty as they shared their stories.
Demas sat in his cell and heard a loud commotion outside. It was the loudest he had heard the soldiers get since he had arrived here. He heard the soldiers yelling and mocking. They were whipping someone. He heard the sounds of flogging. He heard words like “hail” and “king.” He wasn’t sure what was going on out there, but it did not sound good... not even a little. Who were they beating? What had the man done? What would make the soldiers yell so much? Was he next? After the beatings seemed to die down, the gates in the hall outside his cell began to open. Someone was coming for them. A solider arrived at his cell and raked the keys along the bars. He opened the gate. “Time for you two to receive your sentence!” the solider called out with a pleased tone.
“What is our sentence,” the other man in the cell questioned?
The solider said with a smile, “crucifixion.”
Demas hung his head in shame. Of course it was crucifixion.
PEOPLE REACT TO JESUS
READ JOHN 1:37-51
“When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. 38 Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, "What do you want?" They said, "Rabbi" (which means Teacher), "where are you staying?" 39 "Come," he replied, "and you will see." So they went and saw where he was staying, and spent that day with him. It was about the tenth hour. 40 Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. 41 The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, "We have found the Messiah" (that is, the Christ). 42 And he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, "You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas" (which, when translated, is Peter). 43 The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, "Follow me." 44 Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. 45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, "We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote-- Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." 46 "Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?" Nathanael asked. "Come and see," said Philip. 47 When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, "Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is nothing false." 48 "How do you know me?" Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, "I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you." 49 Then Nathanael declared, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel." 50 Jesus said, "You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You shall see greater things than that." 51 He then added, "I tell you the truth, you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.’”
When people met Jesus, they tended to either be repulsed or upset by Him or attracted to what He was doing and saying. Two disciples who were followers of John the Baptist heard John call Jesus the Messiah and switched to following Him immediately. They left the prophet to follow the Savior. The two asked where Jesus was staying so they might talk with Him and find out more about Him. They spent the whole day with Him.
After spending the whole day with Him, the first thing the one named Andrew did was go and find his brother Simon. When you find something or someone amazing, the first thing we want to do is tell someone else. Andrew found Simon. Jesus met Simon and immediately upon meeting him changed his name to Peter. The next day Jesus met Philip who immediately went and got his friend Nathanael to join the band of disciples. Philip explained how his view of the Law and Prophets had changed when he met Jesus. Nathanael was skeptical and was not a believer until he met Jesus. Jesus changed his mind wholeheartedly.
This passage describes that when these five men met Jesus that their whole lives changed. They met and talked with Jesus for a day and they immediately went to find others whom they cared for that they might meet the Christ. Once you meet Jesus, you are changed. Once you meet Jesus, He is to be shared.
SEGMENT 4 (p)
Demas hurt. His shoulders were out of socket. The nails pierced his bones in his hands and feet and he could barely stand the pain. His hands were numb. His back was raw from rubbing up and down on the cross. He could barely breathe. Demas was hung first. Then the man who had been in the cell with him. Then it was the man who he heard being beaten by the soldiers. He heard them all talking. The man between them was Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus was a Rabbi who had been about the countryside doing miracles and teaching people about God. He had even heard the soldiers say that Pilate the governor had declared Him innocent, but crucifixion was still His sentence. Crucifixion for an innocent man simply made no sense!
Demas heard Jesus say, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." He saw Jesus’ mother there. He heard Jesus ask some young man to care for his mother. He heard people pass by calling Him the Christ. The Christ! The Christ was being killed! Why would anyone kill the Christ! He was the One promised in the Law and the Prophets!
All three men suffered on their crosses all day long. Demas seemed to notice as the day grew strangely darker that Jesus bore more weight and pain than he or the other man. Something else was going on with Him. Suddenly the other man started to yell at Jesus. He would lift up on the nails and cry out over and over, "Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself and us!”
Demas could not believe that the other man would be awful even now. They were all dying. Demas pushed up on his nail and rebuked him saying, "Don't you fear God, since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong." Demas slunk back down and pain shot through his arms and lungs and legs.
Jesus looked over at him. His eyes were full of… compassion… sacrifice… power… omnipotence… goodness… holiness… he had never seen eyes like those before. Certainly this was the Christ! Then Demas lifted himself up again on the nail and eked out, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom."
Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.”
KEY QUESTION: WHAT DID JESUS CHANGE?
To be honest, Jesus Christ changed absolutely everything about life. Jesus changed death, the afterlife, how we see time, how we view love, and hundreds of other things we could talk about. Jesus changed everything. That is not helpful really to just say “everything,” so this morning we are going to focus on four changes.
First, Jesus Christ changed how God is viewed. God is not an omnipotent being who created the world and then just let it go to spin on its own. God is not indifferent or uncaring about the lives He has created. Our God is a personal God who emptied Himself of all that He had in Heaven and came to Earth to sacrifice Himself for sin (Philippians 2:6-8). We know God is love because He acts in love on a consistent basis and showed that through the life of Jesus. We know God is holy because Jesus lived a holy and completely righteous life. We know God is compassionate because in every instance Jesus acted with compassion. Jesus shows us exactly who God is in a tangible way. Because of Jesus, we now have a picture of what the invisible infinite God is like because of the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus.
* John 14:7, “If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him."
* John 14:9, “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.”
* Philippians 2:6-8, “Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-- even death on a cross!”
Second, Jesus Christ changed how we relate to God. For thousands of years, to access God one needed a priest or a prophet. God used intermediaries to communicate His Laws and His Word. God chose a particular people to live out life as a light amongst the darkness to show how God wanted life lived. Now, the curtain in the temple which separated us from God has been torn because of the death of Jesus and all people have direct access to God (Matthew 27:51, Mark 15:38, Luke 23:45). That means you and I can have a personal relationship with God because of Jesus Christ and the presence of the Holy Spirit within us. Because of Jesus, we now have God inside us and the ability to pray at will and seek His constant guidance.
* 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price.”
* Ephesians 1:13-14, “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession-- to the praise of his glory.”
Third, Jesus Christ changed how our sins are forgiven. I hope you understand that every single person who has ever lived, except for Jesus, has sinned and fallen short of God’s standard (Romans 3:23). We are all broken. We all have darkness inside us as our default setting. There was no permanent fix for our sins until Jesus Christ came along and willfully and innocently died for our sins. It is only through accepting Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord that we have access to forgiveness of sins. Jesus is the only sacrifice that can permanently wipe our sins clean. Sins are forgiven in Jesus. That’s it. No other way.
* Hebrews 10:4-7, “because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. 5 Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said: "Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me; 6 with burnt offerings and sin offerings you were not pleased. 7 Then I said, 'Here I am-- it is written about me in the scroll-- I have come to do your will, O God.'"
Fourth, Jesus Christ changed how the message of God is shared. We see over and over in John 1 that when someone found Jesus and talked with Him, the action that happened next was finding someone else. John pointed out Jesus. Andrew found Peter. Philip found Nathanael. The way the message of God’s love and forgiveness is shared is by personal contact and us sharing Jesus with someone else. Jesus came and chose to spread His Word not by a huge spectacle, but by changing the lives of people and having them share that message with others. Each one tells another one. Each one tells another one. And the message spreads.
* Acts 1:8, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
* Romans 10:14-15, “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 15 And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"
CONCLUSION
INVITATION TO FAITH: Choose who you will be on the cross?
INVITATION TO JOIN THE CHURCH
INVITATION TO SHARE FAITH: Who do you need to share with?
