The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! -John 1:29
In many and various ways the world speaks to you by false prophets and false teachings. They say:
Follow your muse.
Take a step today to make your dream into a reality.
You owe it to yourself to become everything you've ever dreamed of being.
Just be yourself.
Feed your wild side.
Just do it.
You are a rugged individual who can take care of yourself.
Those are just a few of hundreds, if not thousands of examples where seemingly sound advice is given. Pick your advertising slogan.
On the surface of things, these sayings are as delightful and innocuous as could be. Who could possibly disagree? Who could possibly find fault? Who would be so negative as to criticize and pick apart these words that only encourage the joy and happiness you owe to yourself and the world owes to you?
Well, recall the kind words St. Peter has for Jesus upon hearing Jesus SAY that it is necessary for him, Jesus, to suffer and to be killed, and to be raised up on the third day. Peter says, “God forbid it, Lord! This shall never happen to You,” which in this case is another way of saying . . .
Follow your muse.
Take a step today to make your dream into a reality.
You owe it to yourself to become everything you've ever dreamed of being.
Just be yourself.
Feed your wild side.
Just do it.
You are a rugged individual who can take care of yourself.
To these worldly words of wisdom your natural flesh yields a hearty, “Amen!”
Yet what does Jesus say to St. Peter, who only a short time ago confessed Jesus to be the Christ, the Son of the living God? Jesus says to Peter, “Get thee behind me, Satan.”
That ought to be a sober reminder that your own thoughts and words, even when they sound their best to every ear around, may not be in accord with the holy will and purpose of your Father in heaven.
“Follow your muse.” We’ll just pick on that one for now. This is a way of directing you to follow your creative self, as it were, and you are certainly creative by nature. You are made in the image of God, Who is a creator.
But there are problems: There are limits to what you are able to create. You cannot create all things out of nothing and sustain them, as has your Father in heaven.
Moreover, your nature is now fallen and corrupt, so that the things you follow for yourself and create for yourself have a driving desire to take you away from your Father in heaven and plunge you into your own world which can, and would, only end in grief, despair, and damnation. And make no mistake about it, your muse is still at work and will be at work until that day when you depart this life.
The Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world does not bid you to follow your muse. He bids you to deny yourself, take up your cross and follow Him, and Him alone.
Do not let the word “cross” pass through your ears lightly and without further thought. The cross is forever identified with the most ignominious, shameful punishment, deserving only of the worst criminals. Not only that, the Cross also mark you as a discipline, and a disciple does not accept all that the world has to offer.
And so it is.
For you, O house of Israel, O saints of God who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus in this sanctuary here and now, for you the LORD God has made My mouth like a sharp sword, for I am given to you to speak the things The Holy Lamb of God speaks.
In the shadow of His hand He has concealed this Lamb of God who suffers upon the cross for you, and yet even the islands and peoples from afar will hear of His name and His deeds from of old.
Like a select arrow, like the perfect bullet, the LORD God has placed your sin, transgression, and rightful death upon Christ Jesus. Not just some of it, but all of it. Not just what you have done, but who you are by nature.
Today He baptizes you, He washes you, with the Word concerning His innocent suffering and death and his resurrection from death so that you do NOT follow your own muse and dreams and what you think to be your just desserts, but instead look to Him, behold him, behold the Lamb of God at all times and in all places for everything good both in this life and in the life to come.
Twice John the Baptist says of Christ Jesus, “I did not recognize him.” “I did not recognize Him, but so that He might be manifested to Israel, I came baptizing in water.” “I did not recognize Him, but He who sent me to baptize in water said to me, ‘He upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining upon Him, this is the One who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.’”
If the last and greatest of the prophets did not recognize Him, what makes you think you will? You won’t. You cannot. It is not in you. Your muse is taking you in the other direction.
Your muse is all about you. Your life. Your plans. Your notions, ideas. The flotsam of all the world has taught you and your flesh what to accept as true and real.
Therefore you must hear from him who says, “I myself have seen, and have testified that this is the Son of God,” and you must be baptized, washed, buried, clothed, and sanctified by and in Someone other than yourself.
The baptism of Christ is not yours to generate, conjure up, bring into being and distribute. No. He Who is from the beginning, whom you could not and would not recognize, has created you anew not out of your devices, but out of His from everlasting mercies.
The Lamb of God, Who is spoken to you, is the One Who baptizes you and joins you to Himself. He is the select arrow, hidden in the quiver of God, the one man of flesh given among men upon whom the sin of the world has fallen once for all.
No, John did not recognize him. He had to be told from the outside. He had to be instructed, just as you who once were dead in trespasses and sin. He had to hear, just as you must hear, and in hearing you are brought from death to life.
For just as God through Christ brought the heavens and the earth into being by speech, and still sustains them, He also brought you into being and moreover brought you into His kingdom through the washing of fire and sword that is His Gospel of the forgiveness of sins and everlasting life to be found and bestowed in and through Christ Jesus alone.
Twice John says He did not recognize him. Likewise twice John says, “Behold the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world.” O Christ, Thou Lamb of God, that takest away the sin of the world, have mercy upon us.”
How many times are you going to say those words? How many times are you going to sing them together with your brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus, you and old, rich and poor?
I’ll tell you this: You are going to sing them today, just as you have sung them each time the body and blood of Christ are shown before your eyes in the Divine Service, where His baptizing Word of fire is spoken aloud in His presence to deliver you from your own muse and from the passions and messages the devil, the world, and your own flesh would substitute for what is true and real.
What is true and real is the substitutionary atonement of the Lamb of God, for He was at one with your sin as He was crucified, and you are now at one with Him since He has washed you with water and word.
You see, to baptize is simply to wash and to soak and to cleanse and to wipe away all the filth that clings. This your Christ Jesus does by the word of His mouth, spoken to you this day, and delivered with the gift of His holy body and blood into your mortal body so that you may be blessed and preserved both now and unto eternity.
The same testimony concerning Christ that was given to St. John has also been confirmed in you. Confirmed because you are baptized into His name. Confirmed because you are here in the presence of Him and His Word as it is preached in your hearing. Confirmed because He delivers to you this day from this altar the fruits of his innocent sufferings and death and resurrection from the dead because he purposed from all eternity by His Holy Spirit to call you, to speak to you, and to point you to Christ, the Lamb of God, Who takes away the sin of the world.
So when the world comes along with its many and various ways of speaking its wisdom, do not fall for it. Test it. Question it. If it draws you away from Christ Jesus in any way, then reject it. Cast it aside. Move ahead in grace while awaiting eagerly the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will also confirm you to the end, blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
It is He, and He alone, who out of the everlasting mercies of God, will wash you with His Word and preserve you in the midst of this world full of false hopes, false teachings, false prophets, and your own, ruinous thoughts and deeds.
To Him be the glory, forever and ever.
