| THE LAMB John 1:29 |
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| There is no clearer type of the Lord Jesus Christ in all the Bible than that of the Lamb. In this passage, John the Baptist very pointedly directs the attention of those around him to "the lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world." Satan strives harder to divert the attention of men from the Lamb than anything else. The sinner who truly sees the Lamb will recieve the Lamb as His Soveriegn. Thus Satan strives to distract men from seeing the Lamb by focusing attention on: * The Delights of the World * The Desires of the Flesh * The Demands of Life * The Defects of Believers Our attention must be always and only upon the Lamb of God. He is the focal point of the sinner's deliverance from sin and of the saint's delight. He is the Perpective, Point of Comparison, and Perfecter of every Christian. The best way - the only way to stay right with God is to BEHOLD THE LAMB OF GOD: I. Behold the simple Lamb of God. Our Lord was simple in that He was unpretentious. (Phil. 2:1-8, Isa. 43:1-4). He was simple in that He was entirely dependent upon the Father. (John 5:19, 30) In this simplicity He is our example. II. Behold the silent Lamb of God. Surely if ever a man had cause for complaint, it was our Savior, yet he did not. He made no reply to the outrageous gossip circulated about Him. (John 8:41, Luke 23:2) He made no defense at any of His trials. (Luke 23:8-10; Mark 14:60, 61; Mark 15: 1-5; Matt. 26:62, 63; Matt. 27:13) He made no complaint when beset by bitter foes. (I Peter 2:23) He made no threat in His hour of greatest torment. (Luke 23:34) We are so wont to complain. how like the silent Lamb of God we ought to be. (Matt. 5:10-12; Phil. 4:4-7) III. Behold the spotless Lamb of God. (I Peter 1:18, 19) In being spotless our Lord fulfills every requirement of the typology of the Old Testament sacrifices. (Heb. 9:11-14) He is the fulfillment of the righteous demands of a Holy God. (Matt. 5:48) It is only through His imputed righteousness that we can ever be acceptable to God. IV. Behold the slain Lamb of God (Rev. 13:8) Herein is the ultimate manifestation of the great love of God. (Rom. 5:8; I John 4:9, 10) As He died in Himself for us, so ought we to die to self for Him. (Col. 3:1-17) To accomplish this we must have no: - Love for this mundane world. (1,2) - Life of our own. (3,4) - License to indulge the flesh. (5-9) Instead we are to: - Learn of His person. (10, 11) - Live His personality before men (12-14) - Lean upon the might of His power (15-17) V. Behold the shorn Lamb of God (Isa. 53:7) The shearing of the lamb is to remove his coat of wool for the benefit of others. The wool of lambs of the Middle Eastern variety was particularly prized and valuable. Our Lord was stripped of: - His place with the Father (John 1:14) - His priviledge with angels - their ministry to Him was not as constant on the earth as in heaven. - His position of majesty to take the position of ministry (Phil. 5-8) - His power in the functional sense. He did not exercise His perogatives as diety but endured the privations of humanity. (Heb 4:15) If Christ was willing to be shorn for us, how can we resist His shearing process in our lives? Sometimes it takes cultivation and fertilizer to bring the believer to a fruitful life. (Luke 13:6-9) Sometimes God must purge the life to bring forth more and ultimately much fruit. (John 15:1-8) VI. Behold the substitute Lamb of God In the Old Testament there was a sacrifice for an individual, a sacrifice for a family, and a scrifice for a nation. In Christ we have a sacrifice for a world. (I John 2:2) As He bore our blame, we ought to bear His name. (I Corinth. 4:14-21; Heb. 11:23-26; Heb 13:12-15) |
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