Randall Caselman
Bella Vista Church of Christ
September 1, 2002 A.M.
The Lamb & Love Of God
Reading - Isaiah 53.3-7 &12
Access a Bible and turn to two scriptures for our lesson this morning. First... Hebrews chapter 10... Just mark that spot, and then turn to the Gospel of John... chapter one.
Four hundred years is a long time not to hear from someone. But that's how long it had been since Israel had heard directly from God through a prophet. Even though there had been 400 years of silence, now out in the Judean wilderness the voice of a new prophet could be heard.
He looked like a prophet.... He came acting different than other men, wearing camel skins...
And eating locust and wild honey.
He sounded like a prophet, he was preaching...
Faith...
Repentance...
Baptism...
Obedience...
And judgement to come.
Listen, as I read about this prophet John the Baptist... From the Gospel of John... Chapter one, verse 29 beginning... "The next day John saw Jesus coming towards him and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is the one I meant when I said, `A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.' I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel." I would not have known him, except that the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, `The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.' I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God." The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, "Behold, the Lamb of God!"
The symbol of the lamb had a rich history in Israel.
The first time the word lamb, singular, appears in the Bible is in Genesis chapter 22.7
God comes talking to Abraham. It's interesting to note that God speaks to Abraham after many years of silence. Just taking what we know from the narrative in Genesis 21 and 22, we must conclude several years had passed... Perhaps 15... Maybe 30.
Well, God comes to Abraham and says... "Take your son... Your one and only son... Isaac... Whom you love and sacrifice him as a burnt offering in the region of Moriah." It took three days for Abraham and Isaac to get to Mt. Moriah.
That's another interesting point! Three days... You see...
The Death... Burial... and Resurrection of Jesus... God's one and only Son... was a three-day event.
Audience... Watch for the similarities in comparing Abraham and Isaac to God and Christ. In fact... Did you know that Isaac is spoken of as the only begotten son of Abraham? He is... In Hebrews 11.17... "By faith Abraham was about to sacrifice his one and only... (His only begotten)... Son".
The word in the Greek is MONOGENES (MON-O-GACE) meaning...
- The one and only...
- The unique one...
- Only one of a kind...
Abraham had many sons... But only one Isaac. God has many sons and daughters, but only one Jesus... RIGHT?
Well... When they arrived and preparation was being made, Isaac noticed something strange and asked the right question...
- He saw the wood...
- He saw the knife...
- He saw the fire...
"But, father where is the lamb?" It must have dawned on Isaac that since there was no lamb, he was to be the sacrifice. Isaac was no doubt familiar with the religious practices of their pagan neighbors who offered their children to their idol gods.
I can't imagine the hurt... Can you?
I can't comprehend the feeling... Can you?
I can't relate to the emotions of either of these two.
I can't imagine the fears of Isaac... Or the pain of Abraham.
- The tears...
- The guttural sobbing...
- The nausea...
- The heartache...
- The lump in the throat...
I wonder how many times they must have grabbed one another. Held one another in a tight hug as they worked to prepare the altar... the fire; and, as Abraham tied down the sacrifice, I wonder... In those moments of anxious preparation... How many times Abraham told his son he loved him?
This reminds us of another such time...
- The pain...
- The heartache...
- The sweating drops of blood...
- The intense prayers... In the garden... As God and Jesus made their preparation for our sacrifice. It took place in Gethsemane... Overlooking almost the same spot... Mt. Moriah... The Temple Mound.
But, like Jesus... Isaac seemed to be a willing sacrifice.
- He didn't run off...
- He didn't hide...
- He didn't fight Abraham's intentions...
It was not my will... But thine be done.
WHERE IS THE LAMB?!!
- With aching wrist...
- With white knuckles...
- With bursting heart...
Abraham tightens his grip on the knife. It flashes in the afternoon sun... WHERE IS THE LAMB?!! You see... God has always required a blood sacrifice for sin.
From the beginning of time, when God brought animal skins to cover Adam and Eve's sin, an animal had to die--shed his blood to cover sin.
- An animal sacrifice was demanded of Cain and Abel...
- Of Noah...
- Of Abraham..,
- Of Moses and Israel under the Law.
A blood sacrifice is still necessary for us here this morning. God has always, and still does, require a blood sacrifice for our sins.
Turn now to our passage in Hebrew and let's read it together. Hebrews chapter 10... beginning with the verse numbered one:
"The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming--not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship. If it could, would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshippers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins. But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins, because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said: "Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me; with burnt offerings and sin offerings you were not pleased. Then I said, `Here I am--it is written about me in the scroll--I have come to do your will, O God.'" First he said, "Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them" (although the law required them to be made). Then he said, "Here I am, I have come to do your will." He sets aside the first to establish the second. And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ (Listen now), once for all.
Note with me now what this Hebrews passage says to us...
First it says that we all have sinned.... We are all guilty. We must all admit that we are sinners in constant need of the blood of the lamb.
- Paul concluded in Romans that all have sinned and have fallen short of God's glory... That there is none righteous... No not even one of us.
- John says... Denying that we are sinners makes us liars and forbids our salvation.
- James tells us that... We all have faults that we need to confess... Sins that need to be forgiven.
You see... Some of us here this morning are alien sinners in need of forgiveness. Others of us are children of God, in need of continual forgiveness... Right?
Secondly... The Hebrews writer says that without the blood of Jesus there is no forgiveness. The reason is that the blood of bulls and goats:
- Could not forgive sins...
- Could never make us perfect...
- Could never cleanse our conscience...
- And remove our guilt.
He says... Without the blood of Christ, there was always an annual remembrance of sins. The animal sacrifices only pushed the remembrance of sin forward one year at a time. At the end of the year their sins were brought to mind again and again, and again. And another sacrifice had to be made year after year.
Under the Old Testament sacrificial system... Sins were not forgiven--just forgotten for a year. But... Thirdly... The writer says,... Christ died once for all mankind. He actually became... The Lamb of God that forgives the sins of the world. That's exactly what John the Baptist said when he saw Jesus... Wasn't it???... BEHOLD THE LAMB OF GOD WHO TAKES AWAY THE SINS OF THE WORLD.
Folk... We can never know forgiveness without the blood of the Lamb. We can never know forgiveness without the blood of Jesus shed on the cross. You see, on the cross He died, where we should have died... For our sins.
Peter declared in Acts 4.12... There is no other name given among men whereby we can be saved.
- If there is no lamb... We must become the sacrifice.
- If there is no lamb... We must feel the plunge of the knife.
- Indeed, if there is no lamb... Death is a fearful, tragic event
- If there is no lamb... We are destined to the fires of hell.
But listen to the prophet from our text this morning...
- He has borne our grief and carried our sorrows...
- He was wounded for our transgressions...
- He was bruised for our iniquities...
- He was led lake a SACRIFICIAL lamb to the slaughter...
- He bore the sins of many.
This is the good news of the GOSPEL.
I want you to notice something else... Another first in the Bible. The first time the word love appears in the Bible. The first time the word lamb in the singular is mentioned is in Genesis 22.7. The first time the word love is mentioned in the Bible is also found in Genesis 22, verse 2... Speaking of Abraham's love for his son Isaac.
Go with me now to the New Testament.
The Gospel narratives are filled with the concept of love. The Gospel of John uses some form of the word LOVE 54 times. That's more than all the other Gospel writers combined.
The good news for us here this morning is that God loves us.
John 3.16 and 17 tells us that, God so loved the world that he gave His one and only Son, (His only begotten Son) that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. Then John goes on to say: For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.
I like the way Twila Paris put it in her song.
Your only Son no sin to hide
Now You have sent Him from Your side.
To walk upon this guilty sod
And to become the Lamb of God,
Your gift of love they crucified,
They laughed and scorned Him as He died.
The humble King they named a fraud,
And sacrificed the Lamb of God.
I was so lost I should have died,
But You have brought me to Your side
To be on high Your staff and rod
And to become a lamb of God.
O Lamb of God, sweet Lamb of God
I love the holy Lamb of God.
O wash me in His precious blood
My Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God.
It is interesting to note that four times in the New Testament God recorded His love for His Son... With a shout from heaven...
- This is My Son... Whom I love... With Him I am well pleased.
- This is My Son... Whom I love... Hear you Him.
Let me be quick to point out that three of these four love affirmations from God come on the occasion of Jesus' baptism. They came at His obedience to the Father's will. The other came at the transfiguration, with directions for us to hear and obey Jesus.
Indeed... Jesus is the one we must hear... obey... and mimic.
Indeed... We must conform to the image of His Son.
YES... YES... God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son to save us... But..BUT...
- He is pleased...
- He forgives...
- He comes to dwell...
- He saves ...
Only... ONLY those who are willing to HEAR and OBEY Him.
Audience... We are only fooling ourselves when we think that God is pleased... forgives... saves... and dwells in us when we are not responsive to His Lamb and Love... When we are not willing to accept Jesus as our Savior and be obedient to Him.
Remember the message of the prophet in the wilderness??... It was a message of... WHAT?... Faith... Repentance... and Baptism.
Paul tells us in Galatians 3.26 and 27 that... "We are all sons of God by faith in Christ Jesus... For as many of us as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ... Have been clothed with Christ." Peter told his audience on Pentecost that they could receive the forgiveness of their sins and the presence of God in their lives... If they would repent and be baptized.
NO... Not baptism as some form of religious ritual... But in a genuine faith response to God's Lamb and Love. Baptism is an act of obedience... An act of obedience that... When done in FAITH... Makes us a child of God... An act of faith that... Pleases God.
You see... God's forgiveness is imputed to us at baptism... at obedience... Not before. Yes, God loves us before obedience... But He does not forgive us before obedience.
Then in Romans 8.1 that amazing statement of God's LOVE & GRACE... "Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are (WHERE?)... In Christ Jesus. (How did Paul say we got into Christ Jesus?... We were baptized into Him.)
"What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning, so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. For if we have been united with Him in his death, we will certainly also be united with Him in His resurrection."
QUESTION!!... Are we willing to...
- Listen to Jesus?...
- Obey Jesus?...
- Strive to live like Jesus? I pray that we are.
Respond to The Lamb and Love of God as we stand and sing this invitation song.
Will you come?
