“Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world”
Have you ever had one of those “aha” moments, when the veil is lifted off your mind and your eyes suddenly see the truth before you? You may have read the Scriptures many times and thought that you knew, only to have truth revealed to you in ways that exceeded your expectation.
Such was the case of John the Baptist. “I did not know Him but the One who sent me to baptize in water, said to me, ‘Upon Whom you see the Spirit coming down and remaining upon Him, this is the One who baptizes in the Holy Spirit'” (33). Notice two things about John’s words:
- John was sent by God to baptize, with the expectation that the One to come would be revealed. He didn’t know when. He only knew that he was to remain faithful to his calling. God would reveal in His “fulness of time” (Gal.4:4).
- John will know when the time is right, by the sign given to him. “I saw the Spirit coming down as a dove from heaven, and He remained upon Him” (32). John baptized many people from different walks of life. Only One fulfilled the sign give to John. Only One could fulfill the prophesy, “The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (29).
Is it possible to miss God’s revealing truths because we are not found in the place of our calling when God chooses to make His truth known? Is it also possible to miss these revelations because we have loss the sense of expectancy, that today may very well be the day when the Spirit of God is poured out and revival breaks forth.
How often have we heard, maybe said ourselves, “It’s just another prayer meeting, another church service. I have better things to do with my time.” Yet, on the day of God’s choosing, “when the Lord restored the captives of Israel, we were like those who dreamed. Then our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with shouts of joy. Then it was said among the nations, ‘The LORD has done great things for them'” (Ps.126:1-2).
Each morning John arose, made his way to the riverbank and waited for those who longed to hear a word from God from this Spirit-anointed preacher. People still long to hear a word from God. It is a travesty when hungry souls come to the table, expecting the King’s food and are fed with less than that which befits “a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession” (I Peter 2:9).
John knew, when Jesus came on this day to be baptized, “to fulfill all righteousness” (Mt.3:15), this Jesus is the promised One, who will “save His people from their sins” (Mt.1:21). From his own lips, by his own testimony he could declare, “I have seen and have witnessed that this is the Son of God” (34).
Pundits declare the church to be on its last legs, that by 2040 it will no longer exist. Such fatalism exists, even by those within the church. Those who declare such things, neither know their God or His power for “the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits. And those of the people who understand shall instruct many” (Daniel 10:32-33).
The land is thirsty, souls are hungry for a Word from God. May we be His people that wait upon the Lord until we be clothed with power from on high and declare, with full conviction, “I have seen; I have witnessed that this One is truly the Son of God”.
Blessings!
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