What Did John the Baptist Reveal About Jesus in John 1?

Who was John the Baptist according to Dr. Lloyd-Jones' sermon?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that John the Baptist was the forerunner or herald of Jesus Christ. He was sent by God to prepare the way for the Messiah. As Lloyd-Jones states: "Far from being the Christ, I am simply the man who goes ahead of him. The kind of forerunner, the kind of herald the men sent in advance to prepare the way for him, to make the road for him, as it were, and get the people to be ready to receive him and to be expectant of him." John clearly denied being the Christ himself, saying "I am not the Christ" and even declared himself "unworthy to undo the latchet of his shoe."

How did John the Baptist initially recognize Jesus as the Messiah?

According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, John the Baptist confessed twice that "I knew him not" despite knowing Jesus physically. It took a divine revelation for John to recognize Jesus as the Messiah. Lloyd-Jones explains: "It took this revelation. It took this special word from God. It took this seeing of the Holy Ghost coming and abiding upon him in order to convince John the Baptist." The key moment was when John baptized Jesus and "saw the spirit descending from heaven like a dove. And it abode upon him." This fulfilled what God had told him earlier - "upon whom thou shalt see the spirit descending and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost."

What did John the Baptist mean when he called Jesus "the Lamb of God"?

When John the Baptist called Jesus "the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world," he was identifying Jesus as God's sacrifice for sin. Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains this has deep roots in Jewish understanding: "John was a Jew. He speaks to Jews. He's got the whole of the background of the Old Testament in his mind." Lloyd-Jones connects this to the Passover lamb, the daily temple sacrifices, and Isaiah 53's prophecy. He states: "Here is the lamb of God. Here is the one to whom all the other lambs were pointing forward. Here is the great anti-type, actually. Come. God is going to lay on this one our sins and he's going to punish them in him. He's God's sacrifice. He's God's lamb."

According to Lloyd-Jones, what are the two main sources of trouble in understanding Jesus?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones identifies two main sources of confusion about Jesus:

1. Regarding Him only as a man: "The tendency to think of our Lord in terms of human categories." Lloyd-Jones explains that many see Jesus as "only a man. An extraordinary man, certainly. An unusual man. Yes. Like John the Baptist was a great prophet. Yes. A great religious teacher. Certainly." This reduces Jesus to merely "the great teacher, the example, the one to follow to emit it, the one who points us the way that we must take in order to arrive at God."

2. Failing to fully realize the truth concerning Him and what He can do for us: Lloyd-Jones quotes John's statement that "there standeth one among you whom ye know not" to illustrate this point. Many know about Jesus externally but don't truly know Him. As Lloyd-Jones explains: "You can know a great deal about the Son of God and not know him. And there are many who've never known this fullness."

What does Lloyd-Jones identify as the reason many Christians don't experience the "fullness" mentioned in John 1:16?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones argues that many Christians don't experience the fullness of Christ because they are unclear or confused about the person and work of Jesus Christ. He states: "The whole condition of the church in general, and the condition of so many of us as individuals, is that we have somehow or another got into trouble about the person and the work of our blessed Lord and savior, Jesus Christ."

He emphasizes that there can be no fullness without understanding two fundamental truths: that Jesus is the Son of God (not merely a great human teacher), and that His death on the cross was a sacrificial atonement for sin. Lloyd-Jones says: "There is no knowledge of God. There is no new life. There is no life which is more abundant. There is no receiving of any fullness unless we receive it from him, the eternal son of God, the word made flesh, the lamb of God who bore our sins in his own body on the tree."