03_07 The Lamb of God
Behold! The Lamb of God, that taketh away the sins of the whole world!
Song for Introduction:
For God so loved the world, He gave His only Son,
to die on Calvary’s tree, from sin to set us free:
Very soon, He’s coming back, what glory that will be!
Wonderful His Love for me!
Consider Genesis Chapters 1 – 3:
Genesis 3:15 paraphrased: “Eve, your seed [Jesus] shall bruise Satan’s head, but you, Satan, shall bruise His heel.”
3:21 “The Lord made them coats of skins, and covered them” [with the skins of animals, sacrificed to provide for their covering].
4:4, 7 Abel’s offering was acceptable – the death of a Substitute, pointing to Jesus, the Lamb of God.
Hebrews 9:22 “Without shedding of blood (death of a substitute) there is no remission.” [to remit (dictionary definition) means “to forgive, as a sin;” but also, “to transfer to a lower court.”- the Sanctuary, in heaven, (illustrated by the one Moses made) built exclusively for God to deal with man’s sin!]
Hebrews 10:10 “We are sanctified [made right with God] through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all.”
Next, another reference to the Lamb of God – not understood by the Jews – God working with Abraham, to reveal that He would provide a Substitute – God’s own only Son, as a sacrifice for man, in the place of Isaac, Abraham’s only son!
Genesis 22:2 “And God said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee unto the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.”
On the way up that mountain, Isaac said, “Behold, the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” And Abraham said, “My son, God will provide Himself a lamb for a burnt offering.”
“They came to the place God had told him of: and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood. [And Abraham] took the knife to slay his son [to slit his throat, like they did to lambs]. But, the angel of the Lord called him, and said, “Abraham, Lay not thine hand upon the lad; for now I know that thou fearest God [he trusted and obeyed, even this demand of God to sacrifice his son] seeing that thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son, from Me.” “And [Abraham found] behind him, a ram caught in a thicket by his horns; and took the ram, and offered it up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son.” The ram was a temporary substitute, taking the place of the Lamb of God, till the time of Jesus, the Messiah’s, Coming. The Jewish Temple was built on this mountain! In those Temple services, the morning and evening sacrifices of lambs represented Jesus’ covering us all day and all night – the Lamb of God! – His daily work in the Temple in heaven! How was the Lamb of God conceived?
Luke 1:34,35 Then said Mary unto the angel, “How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?” The angel answered and said unto her, “The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee, shall be called the Son of God.”
John 3:14,15 Jesus, at His Coming to minister as Messiah, stated to Nicodemus “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.” (See Numbers 21:9)
1 Peter 2:24 Jesus, “Who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree, [the cross] that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes we are healed.”
John 3:14 “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness [on a wooden pole – in the shape of a cross, to hang the brass serpent on – symbol of a defeated serpent] even so must the Son of Man be lifted up.”
2 Cor. 5:21 “For He hath made Him to be sin for us [He has condemned sin in the flesh – the wages of sin is death – Romans 6:23] who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.”
2 Cor. 5:15 “And since He died for all, they that live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto Him which died for them, and rose again.”
John 1:29, 36 John the Baptist declared: “Behold! The Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the whole world!”
John 1:34 (John the Baptist also declared): “This is the Son of God!”
Since Jesus died for us, in our place, paying our penalty for sin;
Romans 6:11-16 “Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof; Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin, but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God: For sin shall not have dominion over you; for ye are not under the law, but under grace [unmerited forgiveness]…Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?”
Romans 6:23 “The wages of sin is death.”
Romans 3:23 “All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” [“glory” – the character of Jesus, as a man].
Romans 6:22 “But now being made free from sin [by the blood of Jesus] and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end, eternal life!”
Romans 6:2 -7 “How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into His death? Therefore, we are buried with Him by baptism into death, that, like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of His death, we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection [as we rise from the water]; Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be destroyed: that henceforth we should not serve sin; For he that is dead is freed from sin.”
John 3:5 Jesus emphatically declared:
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a man be born of water: and of the Spirit; he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God!”
Do you want to inherit eternal life in the Kingdom of God? Jesus has emphatically declared that you MUST be baptized, and reborn of the Spirit, as you rise from the water!! [as Jesus, when He rose from the water at His baptism, prayed [NOTE, prayed, and received Holy Spirit] you MUST choose to be baptized! Not just the few we usually see baptized after evangelism lectures, but everyone who has not yet been baptized, should make their choice. Many thousands have deceived themselves into believing that they will inherit the kingdom without having to be baptized. The thief on the cross beside Jesus is only an exception to this commandment. He could not so choose. For such as he, Jesus was baptized [as well as to illustrate the one true baptism].
You can, and MUST choose to be baptized!!
Obey the Gospel! (1 Peter 4:17). Peter preached the real Gospel at Pentecost in Acts 2: “Repent [of sin] and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins [transfer – a legal term – to the Temple in heaven, of sins], and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Your testimony to God, at your baptism, must be, “I don’t want to sin, any sin, anymore!”
Don’t put it off. Please! Choose NOW, and get started on the Bible studies that prepare you for baptism, at www.prophecybyjesus.com
Matthew 28:19 “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.” A lack of decision is a decision! Choose NOW who you will serve! SELF; or your Creator/ Redeemer God – Jesus! TODAY is the day of salvation!