Part 3: "How Not to Miss Jesus" (John 1:9–12, 29

Devotional

Day 1: Behold the Lamb who takes sin away

Jesus isn’t a seasonal decoration or a warm December feeling; he is the Lamb of God who deals with what we cannot fix—the sin within and the sin done to us. You may carry selfish thoughts, sharp words, addictions, insecurity, bitterness, or hidden shame. He does not ask you to manage it better; he came to take it away—fully, finally. Look honestly at your heart, and look humbly to him. His invitation is simple: follow me, receive me, and let me lead you. Behold him today, and let his forgiveness begin to quiet your soul. [00:54]

John 1:29–31: The next day John saw Jesus walking toward him and announced, “Look—here is God’s Lamb—the one who lifts away the world’s sin.” This is the one I meant when I said, “A man comes after me but outranks me, because he existed before me.” I myself didn’t fully recognize him, but I baptized so that Israel would see who he is.

Reflection: What particular wound or pattern do you sense Jesus inviting you to bring into his light this week, and how could you name it in prayer today?

Day 2: The true light for everyone—don’t miss Him

Jesus is the true light who gives light to everyone, yet many missed him then and many miss him now. Light can be uncomfortable because it exposes what we would rather keep hidden, so it is easy to settle for a holiday glow instead of real surrender. But the light that made the world stands at your door with a loving invitation to welcome him. In the noise of December, choose not to walk past him. Open the curtains of your heart, and let him help you see clearly. [03:22]

John 1:9–11: The real Light that enlightens every person was entering the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, it did not recognize him. He came to his own, and many did not welcome him.

Reflection: Where are you tempted to keep Jesus at arm’s length because his light would disrupt a comfortable habit, and what one step of openness could you take today?

Day 3: Children of God by receiving and believing

To all who receive him and trust his name, he gives the right to become children of God. This is not earned by performance, pedigree, or another person’s decision; it is God’s work, God’s initiative, God’s gift. Your identity in Christ is not fragile or probationary—it is secure. Receiving is simply opening your heart and admitting your need, and believing is entrusting your life to who he is. Live today from that settled adoption rather than striving to prove yourself. Let the Father’s delight in you steady your steps. [16:53]

John 1:12–13: But to all who received him, to those trusting his name, he granted the legal right to become God’s children—children born not of ancestry, nor by human choice or a husband’s decision, but born from God.

Reflection: What is one daily practice that would help you live from your secure identity as God’s child rather than striving to earn it?

Day 4: More than forgiven: baptized with the Spirit

Jesus does more than erase guilt; he fills you with his Spirit. Water can wash the body, but only he can baptize with God himself, changing you from the inside out. This is why Christmas is more than sentiment: the baby in the manger lived, died, rose, and now indwells those who come to him. So do not white-knuckle your way through change—welcome his presence and power. Ask him to empower fresh obedience and holy desire in the very places you feel stuck. He does not just come to you; he comes in you. [26:20]

John 1:32–33: John testified, “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven like a dove and settle on him. The One who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’”

Reflection: In a specific area of weakness, how could you ask and expect the Spirit’s help this week, and what small act of obedience will you pair with that prayer?

Day 5: Behold and bear witness in a busy season

John knew his role: to point beyond himself and say, Behold the Lamb of God. In a season crammed with pressure and praise-seeking, you are free to become less so Jesus becomes more. To behold means to look honestly within, understand he is the Lamb you need, expect the Spirit to work, and then look outward toward others. There is nobody beyond his reach; the light came for everybody. Let your words and your care become a quiet arrow toward him this week. Don’t miss him—and help someone else not to miss him either. [30:00]

John 1:31, 34: “I came baptizing with water so that he would be revealed to Israel,” John said. “I have seen and I testify: this is God’s chosen One.”

Reflection: Who is one person on your mind this season, and how could you humbly point them toward Jesus through a simple word, invitation, or act of care?

Sermon Summary

Jesus isn’t a seasonal decoration or a warm December feeling; he’s the true light who came for everyone. John’s Gospel says that the light entered a world that often resists it, because real light exposes what we would rather hide. That’s why many didn’t recognize or receive him; light is not just intellectual—it’s moral, personal, and disruptive. But to all who receive and believe, God gives the right to become his children—a secure, legal standing and a new identity not based on performance or heritage but born of God. This is not God lowering standards; it’s God fulfilling promises by sending the Lamb.

When John the Baptist saw Jesus and cried, “Behold, the Lamb of God,” he announced the one who would deal with our deepest problem: sin—both the sin within us and the sin done to us. Jesus doesn’t help us “manage” guilt; he takes it away. And he does more than forgive: he baptizes with the Holy Spirit. He wipes our slate clean and fills our lives with new power, new desires, and a new nature. Christmas is not sentiment; it’s an invasion of grace—God with us, God for us, God in us.

I told the northern lights story for a reason: sometimes light is right there and we still need someone to point it out, “Don’t miss it.” December’s noise can drown out the quiet work your soul most needs. So behold: look honestly at your heart; acknowledge Jesus as the Lamb you need; ask the Spirit to empower you; and then look outward to witness with the humble clarity of John the Baptist. Jesus did not begin in Bethlehem—he is the eternal Son entering time. History has been waiting for him; your heart has been, too. Behold the Lamb of God. Don’t miss him.

Key Takeaways

1. Jesus is the true light Light doesn’t flatter; it frees. It exposes what enslaves us so that we can see clearly and step into healing. The lights we chase—success, security, admiration—cannot warm the heart or scatter the dark. Jesus alone reveals reality and restores sight. [06:51]
2. Receiving births children of God God does not dangle love as a reward for spiritual performance. To receive and believe is to entrust yourself to Jesus’ identity and let him lead; God then grants you a secure, legal standing as his child. Your identity rests on his promise, not your oscillating consistency. [15:37]
3. Behold the Lamb of God Our deepest need isn’t advice; it’s atonement. Jesus carries away both our guilt and the grinding weight of wounds done to us. Forgiveness isn’t denial; it’s God’s decisive act to remove what we cannot repair and to restore what sin has fractured. [18:13]
4. The Spirit transforms, not just cleans Grace is more than a reset button; it is new life. Jesus baptizes with the Holy Spirit, making holiness possible where it once felt impossible. He doesn’t just come to us; he comes in us, empowering durable change from the inside out. [25:45]
5. Don’t miss Him this December Noise is the enemy of noticing. In the press of plans and pressures, choose to behold: be honest about your need, trust the Lamb, ask for the Spirit’s help, and bear witness to others. Light is present; don’t walk past it. [30:00]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:22] - Our deepest problem named
[02:10] - Chasing the northern lights
[03:49] - Reading John 1:9-13
[06:14] - Advent: the arrival of light
[06:51] - The true light for everyone
[10:40] - Why many did not receive
[13:58] - Receiving and believing defined
[15:37] - The right to be God’s children
[18:13] - Behold the Lamb of God
[20:28] - Forgiveness at the heart of Christmas
[25:32] - The Spirit descends and remains
[26:20] - More than a clean slate
[27:23] - December noise and missing Christ
[30:13] - Four ways to behold

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading
- John 1:9-13; 29-34

Observation questions

In John 1:12-13, what two responses to Jesus are named, and what is the promised result for those who respond? How does the text describe where this new birth does NOT come from, and where it does?
In John 1:29, what title does John the Baptist give Jesus, and what does he say this Lamb does?
In John 1:32-33, what specific actions are attributed to the Holy Spirit, and how is Jesus’ baptism described in contrast to John’s?
The phrase “Behold, the Lamb of God” was highlighted as “the five most important amazing words.” Where does this phrase show up in the passage, and who says it? “Behold, the Lamb of God” ([29:39])

Interpretation questions

“Light exposes. Light reveals. Light asks us to change.” If the true light is moral and personal, why might people resist it, and where might that resistance show up in everyday life? “Light exposes… asks us to change” ([11:40])
“He gave the right to become the children of God.” How does a secure, legal standing as God’s child reshape someone’s view of failure, guilt, or spiritual inconsistency? “He gave the right to become the children of God” ([15:37])
“Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” In what ways is “taking away” different from merely “managing” sin or guilt—both the sin within and the sin done to us? “Not to help us manage it… but to take it away” ([20:15])
“He will baptize with the Holy Spirit.” How is Spirit-empowered transformation different from self-improvement or a clean slate without power? “I saw the Spirit… He will baptize with the Holy Spirit” ([25:32])

Application questions

Where do you sense yourself resisting the light because it would require change—habits, relationships, attitudes, or secrets? What would it look like to open that area to Jesus this week? “Light exposes… asks us to change” ([11:40])
If becoming God’s child is a granted “right,” not earned by performance, what lie about your identity do you most often believe—and what truth will you speak to it each day this week? “He gave the right to become the children of God” ([15:37])
Is there a specific sin you carry (inside you) or a wound done to you (against you) that you’ve been trying to manage on your own? What concrete step could you take to entrust that to the Lamb who “takes it away”—confession, counseling, reconciliation, or prayer with a friend? “Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” ([18:13])
December can get loud. What simple practice will help you “behold” this week—quiet scripture at a set time, a phone-free walk, a daily breath prayer, or a brief fast? Name it and pick a day. “Don’t miss him” ([30:00])
If Jesus baptizes with the Holy Spirit, where do you most need power for lasting change? What is one bold, specific prayer you will ask daily for the Spirit to do in you? “He will baptize with the Holy Spirit” ([25:45])
Who around you might need a gentle nudge to see the light right in front of them—like the person who pointed out the northern lights? What’s a humble, clear way you can witness to them this week? “Don’t miss it” ([03:22])

Sermon Clips

But John says Jesus is the true light who gives light to everyone. This is incredible news for the skeptic this morning, for the believer this morning, for the wanderer, for the exhausted parent, the lonely college student, the grieving spouse, the quiet straggler. Good news for you and good news for me. No matter who you are, the light came for you. [00:10:16] (22 seconds) #TrueLightForEveryone

Jesus doesn't just forgive you. He wipes and fills you. He doesn't just wipe your slate clean. If you think about it, even if that's all that you could get, right? Even if that's all you could get, if you could get your slate wiped clean, wouldn't it be worth it to be able to walk around without the guilt and the shame? But that's not the all that he does. He doesn't just wipe it clean. He empowers you to live a life. He just doesn't come to you. He comes in you. [00:25:55] (28 seconds) #WipedAndFilled

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Part 3: "How Not to Miss Jesus" (John 1:9–12, 29–34)