The Lamb of God
Jesus was referred to in the bible as the "Lamb of God". Hopefully in this message I will bring out some things that you have never considered before. Exodus chapter 12 speaks of sacrificing a lamb to God. This lamb had to be a male without spot or blemish it was to be slaughtered and the blood applied to the doorpost of the house. This protected the people from God's judgement (Hebrews 10:10-14). This is called the Passover which is a type of Christ to come. Isaiah 53:7 in prophesying the coming of the Messiah, Isaiah writes in verse 7 "he (Jesus) is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent he opened not his mouth". In describing Jesus in 1 Peter, the writer says 1:19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:". So Christ who was our sacrifice was perfect in all ways. He was walking godly perfection! Verse 20 is what I am focusing on "Who verily (truly) was foreordained before the foundation of the world (ages) as manifest in these last times for you". So as we understand this scripture, we see Christ the Lamb of God sacrificed before the worlds were ever created, how can this be? The answer is... It was in the mind of God. He prepared a way for you and I before he even created the worlds. He knew you while you were yet in your mother's womb. God being all knowing prepared a way of salvation through the sacrifice of his Son before the worlds began in order to make you white in the blood of the lamb. So in his life Christ who was sent by God the Father was on a journey to his death because his Father had prepared and sacrificed before the worlds ever were spoke into existence. God remains the same yesterday, today and forever! Revelation chapter 5 verse 6 and 7 speaks of the only one worthy to open the seven-sealed book and this was the lamb that had been slain. Jesus is the Lamb of God without sin, without spot or blemish. Yet he was convicted as a criminal and sentenced to die on the cross. He paid the highest price possible to save you from the law of sin and death. He gave his own life and made it a curse to redeem you and I from the bondage of sin and its final consequences. Why couldn't the grave hold him? Why did he raise from the dead? It is because he had done nothing worthy of death. He took our place, he went to the cross instead of us as a better sacrifice for our purification (Hebrews 9:25-28). In perfection he was made sin because we could not save ourselves. He raised from the dead because he did not belong there. He made his grave with the wicked though he was perfect. His body couldn't stay there, it was impossible for it to decay. For he was the Lamb of God, perfect in every way without sin that was sent from the Father, to restore us to grace that we had lost. Being sinless he was made sin but he remained true his mission and purchased us back with his own blood. Without the shedding of blood there is no remission (forgiveness) of sin. Leviticus 17:11 "For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the alter to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul." (Ephesians 1:7, Hebrews 9:22) This is an Old Testament scripture, which is a shadow of the sacrifice Jesus became on the cross. Hebrews 10:5-7 "Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you have prepared for me. In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin you had no pleasure. Then I said, "Behold, I have come--in the volume of the book it is written of me--to do your will, O God." Jesus became the burnt offering in complete surrender to God. John the Baptist made the first public announcement when he saw Jesus coming to the Jordan River: "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29-36). Jesus was many different things upon the cross. First he was the sacrificial lamb, secondly he was the temple: "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up" (John 2:19) Jesus was the tabernacle among us (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). Thirdly, Jesus was the serpent. "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up (John 12:32), that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:14-15) Read (Numbers 21:5-9). As the serpent Christ was made sin who knew no sin (2 Corinthians 5:21). He brought healing (Matthew 8:17, 1 Peter 2:24, Isaiah 53). As the serpent he produced life (John 3:14-16, Romans 10:9-10, 1 John 1:9). The fourth image, that of the Good Shepherd (John 10:11-18) who was willing to lay down his life for his sheep. Jesus gave his life unselfishly. "Therefore My Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it again. No man takes it from me, but I lay it down myself" (John 10:17-18) The fifth picture is the seed buried in the ground, which will produce fruit (John 12:20-28). "The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified. Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain" (John 12:23-24). Jesus had to die on the cross! The sinner is dead in trespasses and sin (Ephesians 2:1). They have no life. They need to be spiritually resurrected, and this can only happen through what Christ did upon the cross. The lost person can come to life through Christ (Ephesians 2:4-5). There are three kinds of death. There is the physical death (James 2:26) which is the separation of the inner man from the body. There is spiritual death (Isaiah 59:2, Matthew 8:22, Colossians 2:13, 1 Timothy 5:6) is the separation from God because of sin. And lastly there is eternal death which is called the second death, the eternal separation from God because man chooses to live a life of sin (Matthew 10:28, Revelations 2:11, 14:9-11 20:14, Isaiah 66:22-24). Jesus truly experienced death so that we might have life. On the cross Jesus was many things. He took upon himself the absolute worse of mankind in order to make mankind the very best. He went through darkness so that we would have light. He was forsaken that we might have acceptance. He was misunderstood that we might know the truth. He died that we might live. Those around the cross mocked Jesus and made fun of him saying "If you are the Christ save yourself and come down off the cross." Nehemiah makes a great statement to the words of the crowd "I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down" (Nehemiah 6:3) Jesus drank the cup of his Father upon the cross, which means He drank from many cups. John 19:29 "I thirst!" This is the only statement from the cross in which our Lord referred to His own physical needs. First there was the cup of charity, when they offered Jesus the wine mingled with myrrh, an opiate to deaden his pain. That cup he rejected (Mark 15:23). There was the cup of mockery which was when the soldiers at the cross-ridiculed him and offered him wine (Luke 23:36). The cup of sympathy when somebody put sour wine on a sponge and lifted it to his dry lips (John 19:29) The cup of iniquity, "Shall I not drink the cup which My Father has given Me?" (John 18:11). Jesus was smitten on the cross like the event, which took place in Exodus 17:6 when Moses smote the rock and water came forth. John 7:37 "If anyone thirst, let him come to me and drink." Jesus drank from all of these cups of suffering (Matthew 20:22-23) so that we would not have to drink from the same cup. We drink from the river of life, from the well that never runs dry! Jesus was our substitute, our replacement our ransom when he obediently took up his cross. It is time each Christian take up their cross and be willing to share in the shame, suffering and even death if necessary of Jesus Christ. Without the cross our life would have no meaning, it would be fruitless. But we thank God daily that he allowed that one seed to fall into the ground that it would bare much fruit. That seed is Christ which most of you claim you have in your hearts. Spiritual birth must be followed by spiritual growth (2 Peter 3:18). Examine yourself, measure your life against the cross and see which carries the most weight. Charles Haddon Spurgeon said "There are no crown wearers in heaven who were not crossbearers here below." Matthew 1:21 "You shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins," Jesus lived with sinners, died with sinners, and he died for sinners of which I am one saved by grace!
In Christ Jesus,
Dale Thompson