The Cross and the Blood (John 1: 29-34)

We come to the part of Jesus' ministry where very early on, John declares something quite profound. "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world." He also confesses that the Spirit descended upon the Lord Jesus like a dove. This is the Old Testament being fulfilled. So many promises of God are made manifest in the ministry of John the Baptist as he pronounces the Messiah, God's Son, God in flesh, Jesus. Today, in this sermon, we are going to take a final look at John the Baptist's ministry. We are going to see how even at this early juncture, the cross and the blood are being made mention of. Not that John understood every aspect of that, but that he was called to bear witness of something to do with the Lamb who was slain. We also look at the difference between the cross and the blood. The cross being God's judgment and the blood that was shed, the very means by which God has used to give us the righteousness of God; free us by our faith in the God-Man, Christ Jesus.