The Uniqueness of Jesus (11/5/17 The Book of John #8)

ATTN: A mood swing is not just for teenagers Nor is it just for women. It happens to middle-aged men too. Let me tell you, several times throughout the week, I go through ups and downs of “God loves me”, “God loves me not,” “My life is great,” to “My life stinks. I want someone else’s life.” Several times a week! For example, this Thursday, as I was going to work, there was a beautiful rainbow in the sky and for me, a rainbow has a special meaning and I felt so loved by God. I thought, “I love my job and I love my church!” But by Friday evening, I was just so exhausted and tired – I had some difficult conversations on the phone at work, I was thinking, “I want to take my sabbatical now! I need a break…”  It’s just that we can’t express it because we will seem like wimps if we did. The middle-aged men like myself are usually married with family and for the sake of the family, we want to appear strong and have everything under control, and really more than pride, it’s the sense of responsibility that makes us pretend we got everything under control.

It’s a fool’s errand to base God’s love for us on our circumstances and especially our mood. We will be going through “God loves me; God loves me not” all through our lives. God’s love does not depend on our subjective feeling, nor on our ever-changing circumstances. It depends on the objective truth of this incarnation and His death on the cross. That fact will not change no matter how we are feeling. “He who did not spare His own son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:32). What does Paul urge us to look at as the proof of God’s love? Him giving His Son to us not only to live among us, but also to die for us. This happened! And it will not change.

Now, the Veteran’s Day is coming up and it reminds us of those who are willing to give their lives for us. And the Memorial Day reminds us of those who have given their lives for us. So, there had been many who gave their lives, so that we may enjoy the freedom that we have now. So, what makes Jesus’ death special? Many people gave their lives for others. Isn’t Jesus just one of many? No. The difference is who He was. Who Jesus was infinitely more important than what He did. He was God. He was unkillable. He was and is in absolute power and control. And yet He became a man, became one of us, to give HImself to us, so that He may be killed. That is utterly different than anything anyone has done. Many people gave their lives for others. But they were men and women giving their lives for other men and women. But Jesus was God. It was WHO He was that is of utmost importance.

TRANS: Today, as we look at the words that John the Baptist has spoken about Jesus, we will observe the uniqueness of Jesus that is true of no other person in history.  

1. Jesus forgives sins.  
2. 29 “Behold the lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” That is a very odd call-out. If I’m being introduced to the world and I have all powers, I want something like, “Behold, the mighty warrior of God!” Or “Behold the Maker and Creator of the world, the one and only!” But John the Baptist introduces Him by saying, “Behold the lamb of God!” That sounds so wimpy and weak. If you are going to refer to Him as an animal, then at least a lion or a tiger but not a lamb!” Why? Because lamb was used in that day to be sacrificed to atone for the sins of the people. Each year, a one year old lamb without any blemish would have its throat slit and its blood poured out and sprinkled in the temple as a sacrifice unto the Lord so that people’s sins would be forgiven. No doubt, John the Baptist had this in mind when he called Jesus the Lamb of God. And John makes it clear for what purpose Jesus came to earth. He came to save us from our sins by sacrificing Himself.  

Max Lucado: “If our greatest need had been information, God would have sent an educator. If our greatest need had been technology, God would have sent us a scientist. If our greatest need had been money, God would have sent us an economist. But since our greatest need was forgiveness, God sent us a Savior.”

Have you realized that forgiveness, our lost relationship with God, is our greatest need? Why so? Because we were created for God, to fellowship with Him forever. But our sin separated us from God. And everything undesirable in this world is because of sin since we are removed from the source of all good things in God. Death. Divorce. Loneliness. Pimples. Addiction. And just plain old discontentment – “the only ifs of life…” All because of our sin, separating us from the all satisfying love of God. Therefore, what we need more than anything is to have that relationship restored with Him, and the only thing that will accomplish that is forgiveness.

2 cor 5:18-19 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.

The greatest message in the world is not that you’ve won $700 million in lottery money, but that you are saved! What good is $700 million if you are diagnosed with terminal cancer the next day?

But here’s a question to consider. Why did God have to send His Son to forgive us? Why couldn’t He just stay in heaven and say the word – “You are forgiven?” and simply pardon our sins? Why go through the trouble of becoming a man and dying on the cross to forgive? The reason is two fold. It’s because 1) God is just, and 2), He is love.

God is just. That means, God must punish sin. Now, before you think, “I don’t like that about God. I want God to turn a blind eye when I do something wrong. I don’t like to be punished!” Well, you are seeing God from the perspective of a perpetrator. Now, try to see it from the perspective of the victim. Imagine if a robber came into your house, maimed you and killed your family. But he is caught. And standing in front of the judge, the judge pronounces, “I forgive you. You may go free.” What would you think of the judge? “Oh, what a gracious and merciful judge?” No! “What an evil and unjust judge! I want my justice!”

Our God is just. He punishes evil doers. And as much as we want God to have a double-standard – meaning that when others sin, God should punish them, but when we sin, God should let us go – He can’t. He must punish sin or He wouldn’t be just. Habakkuk 1:13, “You who are of purer eyes than to see evil and cannot look at wrong,” That means He must punish us for our sins!

But here’s the good news. He is also love. 1 John 4:8, “Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.” So, because God loved us, He doesn’t want us to be punished. He wants to see us flourish and be with Him forever in paradise. So, you see the divine dilemma. God is just. That means He must punish sin and be separate from sinners. But God is love. That means He wants to live with us in peace. What does He do? His, Son, His only Son, volunteers. “Father, I will go and take their punish on myself. That way, your justice is satisfied and your love will be consummated.” And that is why the God-man, Jesus, came into this world. And do you understand why it had to be a god-man? It couldn’t be God who got punished for our sins since it wasn’t God who sinned. But then, it couldn’t be just a man who got punished for our sins since he would be dying for his own sins for all men are sinful. It had to be a god-man! It had to be Jesus Christ – God who became man.

So, John the Baptist shouts, “Behold the lamb of God who takes away your sin and my sin”, so that we can have peace with God forever!

 

2. Jesus was pre-existing:
3. 30 After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.” John the baptist is saying that Jesus outranks him because Jesus existed before Him. Now, in the eastern culture, generally, if someone is older, then you respect and honor him just because of his age. In Korean culture for example, even if a person is a year older, there is a special honorific title you are to use to call that person. For example, my 9 year old calls her 11 year sister “unni”. That is not her name. It’s an honorific term that means “older sister.” She will never call her by her name, but by that title.

Now, John the baptist says that Jesus outranks him because Jesus was before him. However, if you know your Sunday School story, John the Baptist is actually older than Jesus. Remember, they are cousins? Mary, Jesus’ mother goes and visits Elizabeth, John the Baptist’ mother, when they were both pregnant. But John the baptist was born earlier by several months than Jesus. So, what does John mean that Jesus was “before me? He recognized that Jesus pre-existed. John’s life began when he was conceived in his mother’s womb, but Jesus had no beginning. He always was. John the gospel writer writes so – “In the beginning was the word and the word was with God and word was God…. “

John the Baptist, through the revelation of the Holy Spirit, recognizes that Jesus is infinite and therefore, he outranks him infinitely. The difference between Jesus and John the Baptist is not like the difference between Aragorn and Legolas in the Lord of the Rings, but the difference between Aragorn and J.R. Tolkin, the author of the Lord of the Rings.

In case you think I’m making too much of this, Jesus Himself says this about Himself. John 8:57, the pharisees say to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?” If you are fuzzy on Old Testament history, Abraham lived around 2000 B.C. – that 2000 years BEFORE Jesus. And Jesus had this to say about it. “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” What Jesus claims is that even though Abraham lived 2000 years before He did, He outranks him because He existed before him. Now, the word “I am” has a very special meaning which we don’t have the time to get into, but at the least Jesus is saying that he is even older than Abraham who lived 2000 years before him.

This is utterly unique to Jesus. Everyone starts at 0 and goes to positive infinite. We all live somewhere forever. But there was a time when we didn’t exist. But there was never a time when Jesus didn’t exist. And this is where we get stumped when our children ask, “Where did God come from?’ We will just have to say “He just always was.” But if I were explaining that to teenagers, I would say, “Think about the question of .” “Where did God come from?” That question presupposes God is bound by space for Him to have come from somewhere. But He is beyond space. So that question no longer applies to God. The same with time. God is outside of time. Or He is the one who created time. So, when did God begin, that question is invalid since God is outside of time.

So, Jesus outranks all of us because He was before all of us. Infinitely so.

 

3. Jesus sends the Holy Spirit.
4. 33 He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.

Jesus is not the only man upon whom the Holy Spirit came. In the Old Testament, there had been many men upon whom the Holy Spirit came. For example, Samson. He was like Hulk, except he wasn’t green. He was freakishly strong, once taking on 1000 men, and killing them all with a jaw bone of a donkey. And the Bible says that it was the Spirit that would come upon him and give him this strength. Judges 15:14, “And the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon him,..” and he was able to perform all these great feats that only a superhuman could do. The same is said about men like Joshua, Gideon, David, etc. But the Spirit didn’t dwell in them in that the Spirit would come upon them to give them the strength to do what they were called to do, and then would leave them. For example, regarding Samson, it says, “But he did not know that the Lord had left him.” Judges 16:20. He was in trouble by his enemies and he thought he would get up and defeat them all like he did before, but because of his sinful lifestyle, the Holy spirit had left him and was no longer with him.

David writes about this as well. “Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me.” Ps. 51:11. David was afraid that the Holy Spirit that empowered him to do so much, such as defeat Goliath, would leave him because of his sin. And that was because the Holy Spirit would come on and then would also leave people in the Old Testament. However, when it comes to Jesus, it says that the Holy Spirit descended and remained on Him. And not only that, he baptized with the Holy Spirit. What that means at the least is that Jesus dispensed or gave the Holy Spirit to whom He wanted. No other man ever had that kind of authority. The Holy Spirit is God. No one orders God around! David, the greatest king the Israel has ever known could only beg God that the Holy Spirit would not be taken away from him. But Jesus, was the dispenser or sender of the Holy Spirit! No man has this kind of authority. Only God Himself!

 

Some Applications:

APP 1: Do not try to clean up your life before you come to God. I’ve heard people say to me, “I’m too dirty and sinful. Let me get my life straight before I come to church.” Are you kidding me? A Lamb of God had to be slain to take away my sin and your sin. You think we can make a dent in erasing our sins when God had to go to that extent to eradicate it? That’s as if I sacrificed my daughter to save you and you are offering me a $100 for it! Don’t insult God by trying to pay for your sins before you come to Him. Just come and ask for forgiveness. Repenting of your sins and turning to Jesus in faith.

 

APP 2: Have confidence in jesus who preplanned your arrival and your salvation. Remember He pre-existed all of us? He created time? He knows our future. Actually, He fashions our future. Rest in this God who holds our past, present and future in His hands equally. Have you had a tumultuous past? Give it to God. Are you in a storm presently? Know that God is with you in the storm. Are you worried about the future? God is already in that future. And if you are in Him, you are completely safe. Even if our body is pulverised, He will restore it and make it better.

 

APP 3: If you are a believer of Jesus, the Holy Spirit dwells in you. He who is in you is greater than he would is in the world. The Holy Spirit that is in you can and will help you drive out your sins and habits and addictions.

If you are not a believer, wouldn’t you want to have the blood of Jesus to apply to you so that you are cleansed? So that you can have peace knowing that God is in charge? And so that you can have the guidance and gaurdianship of the Holy Spirit? Repent and believe!