God Begins to Reveal His Eternal Plan
God's original purpose for man is gracious engulfment in love, where He provides the Lamb and regenerates people's spirits and saves their souls through floods of Holy Spirit.
G.W. North emphasizes that through the ministry of John the Baptist, God began to reveal His eternal plan, showcasing Jesus as both the ultimate Sacrifice and the Baptizer. Unlike the outdated Mosaic sacrificial system, which had become mere ritualism, John's call to baptism signified a transformative shift towards a relationship with God through the Holy Spirit. North highlights that God's original intention was never for people to bear the burden of their own sacrifices, as He had already provided the Lamb through Abraham's revelation. This transition from the old system to the new covenant illustrates God's gracious love and the regeneration of spirits through baptism. Ultimately, the sermon underscores the significance of recognizing Jesus' role in fulfilling God's eternal purpose for humanity.
Text
By the Mosaic propitiatory system the Lord Jesus was chiefly set forth as both sacrifice and priest; but differing from His illustrious predecessor Moses, John's ministry unmistakably revealed Jesus to be both Sacrifice and Baptizer. John never led anyone to an altar; he called them to a river, where later He who was the Lamb of God and the Baptizer in the Spirit was to be presented. Whether or not John knew what his actions and preaching would effect among men we do not know, but by his light we see that baptism has now replaced the practice of that former sacrificial system.
History reveals that by John's day the Mosaic system had already ceased to be anything more than mere ritualism. Behind the Temple veil in Jerusalem there was no Ark of the Covenant, no tables of stone, no Mercy Seat, no blood, no glory, no Holy of Holies, no God. But this was not the only reason why God was making moves to replace that old system. He was revealing the greater and more wondrous fact that the onus which had lain upon people under Moses' law to provide themselves with their own sacrifices for sin was not God's original and eternal purpose for man.
For those who had eyes to see it, He had revealed to Abraham long before Moses' day that He Himself would provide the Lamb. Through John He was giving men a glimpse of the fact that His method for mankind is gracious engulfment in love, which is by floods of Holy Spirit in which to baptise dead men into life, regenerating their spirits and saving their souls, Of necessity God had imposed upon His people the historic sacrificial system, but He did so reluctantly and then only until the time when according to His original purpose, the symbols should be swept away in the reformation brought in by His Son.
Sermon Outline
- The Mosaic Propitiatory System
- The Role of John the Baptist
- God's Original Purpose for Man
- God's Reluctant Use of Sacrificial System
- The Reformation Brought by Jesus
Key Quotes
“For those who had eyes to see it, He had revealed to Abraham long before Moses' day that He Himself would provide the Lamb.” — G.W. North
“He was revealing the greater and more wondrous fact that the onus which had lain upon people under Moses' law to provide themselves with their own sacrifices for sin was not God's original and eternal purpose for man.” — G.W. North
“Of necessity God had imposed upon His people the historic sacrificial system, but He did so reluctantly and then only until the time when according to His original purpose, the symbols should be swept away in the reformation brought in by His Son.” — G.W. North
Application Points
- We should recognize that God's original purpose for man is gracious engulfment in love, not a sacrificial system.
- We should be grateful for the reformation brought by Jesus, which swept away the symbols of the sacrificial system.
- We should seek to be baptized in the Holy Spirit, which is a symbol of God's love and regeneration.