Behold The Lamb of God

SCRIPTURE READING: #

John 1:29; 1 Peter 1:18-21; Revelation 5.

“Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” 

John 1:29 NKJV

INTRODUCTION #

When John the Baptist pointed to Jesus and declared, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29 & 1:36), his Jewish audience would have understood him to be referring to sacrifice for sins.

• They may have been reminded of how God had provided a lamb as a sacrifice on Mount Mariah to die in the place of Isaac (Genesis 22).

• Their minds may have gone back to that night of the Passover in Egypt in Exodus 12 when every family among the Israelites had to slay a lamb as a sacrifice and apply the blood on their doors to protect them from the death angel.

• They may have thought about all the sacrifices offered for sins in their Temple day-by-day and year-by-year.

But notice that John said, “Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the World.” (John 1:29).

• He was God’s Lamb, provided by God Himself!

• He would be sacrificed for the sins of the whole world, and not just the sins of an individual, or of a nation. To emphasize, He would be the atoning sacrifice for sins, for the whole world, meaning: for every individual; for every family; for every nation; and indeed, for the whole world! He would be God’s final all-sufficient sacrifice. No further sacrifice for sin would ever be needed again.

• His sacrifice would not just COVER SIN but TAKE AWAY our sins! Compare Hebrews 10:1-14 and 1 John 1:7-9.

1. HE WAS THE FOREORDAINED LAMB #

• 1 Peter 1:18-21 “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a LAMB without blemish and without spot; WHO VERILY WAS FOREORDAINED BEFORE THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD, but was manifest in these last times for you.”

• Revelation 13:8, “THE LAMB SLAIN FROM THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD…”

• When God planned the creation of man, He knew man would disobey Him, sin, and fall and as a result would need to be redeemed. So not only did God plan man’s creation, before the foundation of the world, He also planned their redemption through the death, shed blood, and resurrection of His only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. God had a CROSS on His Heart, and in His mind from eternity. Jesus Christ was indeed God’s foreordained Lamb. (See also Ephesians 1:3-7; 2 Timothy 1:9; 1 Peter 1:1,2)

2. HE WAS PRE-FIGURED OR PICTURED AS GOD’S LAMB IN THE OLD TESTAMENT SACRIFICES #

         See: Genesis 22: ”God will provide Himself a Lamb.”

• Exodus Chapter 12:  The Passover Lamb.

• Book of Leviticus. All the Old Testament sacrifices for sin pointed ahead and prefigured God’s Lamb who would one day die for our sins.

3. THE OLD TESTAMENT PROPHETS PREDICTED THE SUFFERINGS AND DEATH OF GOD’S LAMB #

See Isaiah 53:1-12. Note verse 7:“He was led as a lamb to the slaughter.”

4. BEHOLD THE LAMB OF GOD IN HIS BIRTH #

Luke 2:10-12 – He who came into this world as God’s Lamb that first Christmas was born in a humble manger among the cattle because there was no room for him in the Inn. Angels announced his humble birth to shepherds who were watching over their flocks by night.

5. LET US NOW BEHOLD THE LAMB OF GOD IN HIS LIFE AND MINISTRY #

Read Luke 4:14-19 In this passage of Scripture the Lord Jesus clearly declares what His mission to this earth was for. Note the words carefully!

In Acts 1O:38 Peter says, “God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with Him”

6. BUT LET US ESPECIALLY BEHOLD HIM IN HIS SUFFERING AND DEATH FOR OUR SINS #

• Behold Him in the Garden of Gethsemane as He prays. Luke 22:33-39; 54; John 18; Matthew 26:36-46; Mark 14:32-42. The place or name Gethsemane means “Oil Press”–a place to squeeze the oil from the olives. It was here that Jesus sweat, as it were, great drops of blood as He submitted to His Father’s will. Read Luke 22:40-44.

• Behold Him before the High Priest and Jewish Council, before Pilate, before Herod, and then back again before Pilate. Compare Matthew 26-27; Mark 14-15; Luke 22-23; and John 18-19.

• Oh let us behold Him, the Lamb of God, as he is mocked, spit upon, his beard plucked out, beaten, scourged, bleeding, suffering, a crown of thorns planted on his head, then falsely accused, condemned, rejected, delivered to be crucified, carrying his cross, falling to the ground, forced to get up and go on to the top of the hill called Golgotha where they crucified him between two thieves.

• Behold Jesus, the pure Son of God, the Lamb of God, on that cruel cross, bleeding, suffering, dying for our sins. He fully paid for our sins and then cried “IT IS FINISHED” (paid in full) John 19:30. And then He bowed His head and died. Isaiah 53:4-6; and 1 Corinthians 15:3. This is called the finished work of Christ.

7. BEHOLD HIM IN HIS GLORIOUS RESURRECTION AND ASCENSION #

Jesus Christ, God’s Lamb, fully atoned for our sins paying the full price of our redemption through His death and shed blood! But that is not the end of the story, thank God. Three days later He arose from the grave triumphantly and appeared to his disciples, walked, and talked with them and even ate with them.

Compare Matt 28; Mark 16; Luke 24; John Chapters 20-21. For forty days he appeared unto his disciples after his resurrection showing himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs. Compare Acts 1:1-8. He was then received up into heaven and sat on the right hand of God’s throne. He completed the work he had come to earth to do. Luke 24:50-53; Mark 16; Acts 1:9-11.

8. O BEHOLD THE LAMB OF GOD UPON THE THRONE! #

Revelations 5. All the redeemed will worship the Lamb Who redeemed them with His precious blood. In this chapter He is also called the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, who will ultimately triumph over all his enemies including death and will rule and reign for ever and ever.

 9. WE SHALL ALSO BEHOLD HIM AS HE COMES AGAIN ONE DAY IN THE CLOUDS OF GLORY! #

Revelations 1:7 “Behold he cometh and every eye shall see Him.”  Compare 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 and 1 John 3:1-3.

1O. WE ALSO BEHOLD HIM IN THE COMMUNION  SERVICE #

• 1 Corinthians 11:23-26: The Bread we break speaks of His broken body. The cup of grape juice speaks of His precious shed blood for our sins.

• Each time we partake of this Table of the Lord, (the Communion service), it speaks of Christ’s death, and His shed blood on our behalf.

• In the Communion service we first look back to the cross to behold the Lamb of God suffering for our sins. Then we look within our own hearts, examine ourselves, and confess anything not right so we can be cleansed. After this we look ahead to that day when He will come again to receive us unto Himself to be with Him forever.

CONCLUSION: #

Today let us “Behold the Lamb of God” whether it be  Christmas or Easter or any other time of the year. We need to fix our eyes upon Jesus the Lamb of God.

God Bless.

Word in Season—Lloyd Schuetz

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