2000-04-16 - Jesus as the Lamb of God

Passages about Jesus, Part 8

As Easter approaches, we are reminded that Jesus, the only man Who never himself sinned, suffered the punishment necessitated by my sins and yours -- our pride, selfishness, "fudging"on our taxes, lies, greed -- all our weaknesses. He fulfilled the requirements of God's holy justice. The lambs sacrificed under the Mosaic Law had to be unblemished, and Jesus surpassed even them, was the most perfect Lamb Who ever lived.

Jesus was destined to be the sacrificial Lamb of God for us, before God even created you and me:

1 Pet. 1:17 Since you call on a Father who judges each man's work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear. ¹⁸ For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, ¹⁹ but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. ²⁰ He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. ²¹ Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God.

John the Baptist recognized that Jesus would be sacrificed for our sins:

John 1:29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! ³⁰ This is the one I meant when I said, 'A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.'

Jesus was as submissive as a passive lamb, to a tortuous death:

Acts8:32 The eunuch was reading this passage of Scripture: "He was led like a sheep to the slaughter. And as a lamb before the shearer is silent, so he did not open his mouth. ³³ In his humiliation he was deprived of justice. Who can speak of his descendants? For his life was taken from the earth." (See Isaiah 53:7,8) ³⁴ The eunuch asked Philip, "Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?" ³⁵ Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.

Jesus' sacrifice as God's Lamb should inspire holy lives:

1 Cor. 5:6 Your boasting is not good. Don't you know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough? ⁷ Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. ⁸ Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with bread without yeast, the bread of sincerity and truth.

At the end of the age, the Lamb of God will receive the honor He deserves:

Rev. 5:11 Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. ¹² In a loud voice they sang: "Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!" ¹³ Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing: "To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!" ¹⁴ The four living creatures said, "Amen," and the elders fell down and worshiped.

Jan

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http://www.cfdevotionals.org

All verses today are from the New International Version (NIV).