You see again, once again, we're
back here in the church. We'll be back again at 6.30 tonight
to live stream again also from the church here. Let's go to
the Lord in prayer and ask His blessing upon the service today.
Heavenly Father, we thank Thee for Your mercy, Your goodness
and Your grace to Your people. Even through these uncertain
times, Lord, we see how You provide for Your people, how You take
care of Your people. how you watch over us, O Lord. And even during these times,
we're still able to get the gospel to go out and go forth, Lord.
all by thy will and thy decree. And we just praise thee, Lord
Jesus, for giving us a place that we can come to and meet.
Lord, we pray that you would have this virus pass, Lord, and
we know it'll be when it's your will, and we know it will pass.
Lord, but we pray, if it be your will, that it would be done quickly,
that we might meet together as your people and rejoice in the
presence of one another. Lord as we have in the past and
we miss that and we yearn for it Lord and you know our hearts
you know how we feel and you know how we love to be together
Lord so we thank you for once again your mercy and your grace
to us in and through Christ Jesus our Lord. Lord may you be magnified
through the preaching of your word oh may you be held up high
and lift it up, Lord, and may you give people eyes and ears
to hear the words and eyes to look to thee, O Lord, the great
ensign of your people, lifted high above all things through
the preaching of your word. O Lord, I pray you give me grace
and strength to do that. The Holy Spirit will give me
an unction from on high to boldly proclaim thy gospel, O Lord,
for your glory and honor and praise in Jesus' name. Amen.
The name of the message today is The Eternal Lamb Slain. The
Eternal Lamb Slain. Today's message and tonight's
message will be about the Lamb slain from the foundation of
the world. Now you often hear, we Grace Preachers, we say this
often, the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. Well
today we will look at who that Lamb is, and tonight we will
look at the blessings that come forth from that Lamb. And it's
wonderful, putting the messages together this week. Oh, how excited
my heart became to know that Christ is the Lamb slain from
the foundation of the world. To know that God had us in His
mind, and He's loved us with an everlasting love from eternity. Oh, how it'll make the believer's
heart sing. Let's look at Revelation 13,
verse 8. There will be three different
scriptures we'll look at here. Three different scriptures for
the text within our message. Revelation 13, verse 8. And all that dwell upon the earth
shall worship Him, this being the Antichrist, whose names are
not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation
of the world. Again, I'll read it one more
time. And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship Him,
again that being the Antichrist, whose names are not written in
the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of
the world. Again, often you will hear we
grace preachers proclaim that Christ is the Lamb slain from
the foundation of the world. And today we'll look closer at
this wondrous Lamb. At this wondrous Lamb. We'll
look this morning through Scripture where He's pictured, where He's
manifest. This wondrous Lamb slain from
the foundation of the world. And we'll see how in Scripture
He's revealed And remember, we who are the people of God would
never know who He was unless He reveals Himself to us. We
would never know Him. And we did not know Him in our
natural state, did we? And we would not know Him unless
He revealed Himself to us as He does in and through the Holy
Scriptures by the power of the Holy Spirit of God. And He does
this all according to His mercy, beloved. He reveals Himself to
His people all according to His mercy and according to His grace. Why? Because it pleased Him to
do so. Because it pleased Him to do so. Oh my! So let this
wondrous truth sink deep into your soul. Christ is the Lamb
slain from the foundation of the world. And we, we who are
God's people, we are redeemed by the precious blood of the
Lord Jesus Christ, the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. So no matter what situation we
find ourselves in, we can have great comfort knowing that our
Savior is the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
Oh, it's wondrous. It's absolutely wondrous. Let's
now turn to John chapter 17. We'll consider three more portions
of Scripture in light in light of what we read there in Revelation
13.8. John 17.24. Three more scriptures were considered
in light of the words in Revelation 13.8 which proclaim that Christ
is the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. John 17.24. Father, now this is Christ in
His high priestly prayer. He's praying to our great God,
the Father. And he says, Father, I will that
they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am. That
they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me, for thou
lovest me before the foundation of the world. Now note that.
Note that. I will that they also, whom thou
hast given me, be with me where I am. That they may behold my
glory, which thou hast given me, for thou lovest me before
the foundation of the world. Oh my, He's the Lamb slain from
before the foundation of the world. The Fathers loved Him
from before the foundation of the world. Now let's turn to
Ephesians chapter 1. Beloved, never forget that Christ is the
Son of God. He's the Word incarnate. He's
the Second Person of the Trinity. He's the Great and Everlasting
God. He's the Ancient of Days. He's the Great I Am. This is
who our Savior is. He's the captain of the Lord's
hosts, as we saw last week. And He came here to suffer, to
bleed, to die in the room and place of His people, to redeem
His people from their sins, to do that for them, which they
could never do for themselves. To save us from our sins. My, the one speaking there in
John 17, 24, Is God incarnate in the flesh? Now, men and women may deny this
truth. They may deny that Christ is
God. But let me tell you, it doesn't
change a thing, does it? It doesn't change a thing. He's
God. No matter whether men or women agree with Him or not.
It doesn't change a thing. People think, well, I don't believe
that. It doesn't matter. Well, it matters to your eternal soul.
Yes, it does. But it doesn't change the fact
that He's still God. They say it like, well, because
I don't believe it, it's not true. No, it's still true. Doesn't
change a thing. Jesus Christ is God. He's God. Now let's turn here to Ephesians
chapter 1. He set aside His glory, beloved.
Remember last week we saw he's the captain of the Lord's host,
he appears before Joshua with a sword in his hand, ready to
do battle? He laid all that glory aside,
beloved, when he came to this world to redeem us with his precious,
precious blood, to save his people from their sins. Look at this
in Ephesians chapter 1, verses 3 to 6. Blessed be the God and
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all
spiritual blessings in heavenly places, in Christ. According
as He had chosen us in Him, when? Before the foundation of the
world. He chose us in Christ before the foundation of the
world. That means it had nothing to do with us, didn't it? We
weren't even born. But God knew us. We were a chosen
people in Christ. Isn't that marvelous? You ever
think of that? God's love is set upon you from eternity if
you're one of His people. Look at this. He chose us in
Him, in Christ, before the foundation of the world. I'm going to say something here. Did you make a decision then?
No. We weren't even around. See,
this is pure, unadulterated mercy and grace shown to God's people. pure mercy, pure grace. Look at that. God chose us in
Christ before the foundation of the world. Why? That we should
be holy, sanctified, set apart. My! And without blame before
Him in love. Without blame. Sin is from the
top of our heads to the bottom of our feet. Without blame before
God in Christ. Isn't that marvelous? It's wondrous.
having predestinated us into the adoption of children by Jesus
Christ to himself according to the, well, look at this, according
to the good pleasure of his will. God chose you in Christ and me
in Christ who are his people because it pleased him to do
so. That's wondrous. Don't let these words pass by.
Don't say, well, I already knew that. This is wondrous. According
to his good pleasure. You ever do something because
it pleased you to do so just because you wanted to? You ever
did something for somebody because you just wanted to? No ulterior
motive just because you wanted to? No ulterior motive here in us,
nothing in us that would merit this, but all according to God's
will and purpose, He chose us in Christ because it pleased
Him to do so, beloved. My, oh my. My oh my. And then what does the believer
say? Of course, like Paul here, to the praise of the glory of
his grace. Wherein he hath made us accepted
in the beloved. Look at that. Accepted in Christ. Outside Christ, rejected. That's
the opposite of accepted, isn't it? That's what that verse is
saying. In Christ, accepted. Outside
Christ, rejected. And it don't matter what people
say. If they say, well, I don't agree with that, it doesn't change
it. Does it? Well, I don't like that, it doesn't
change it. Before I was saved, I didn't like it. Now I love
it. How do you explain that? That's the grace of God in Christ,
beloved. Now turn, if you would, to 1
Peter 1. 1 Peter 1, let's look at verses 18-21 here. 1 Peter chapter 1 verses 18 to
21, for as much as you know that you were not redeemed with corruptible
things as silver and gold. Well, money can't redeem you. Silver and gold are precious
metals. Precious metals, but they can't save your soul. For
what shall a profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose
his own soul? Can't save you. or from your vain conversations
received by tradition from your fathers. Church tradition can't
save you. It has no saving efficacy, nothing. Nothing at all. But my mom and
dad believed that, and my grandparents, can't save you. Only Christ can
save. See, people look at their church,
the Catholics, they're real big on that. Well, I've been a Catholic
my whole life. Well, you're lost your whole
life. Traditions cannot save you. Just
as baptism can't save you. No. My goodness. Only Christ can save. Look at
this in verse 19. But with the precious. Oh, with
the precious blood of Christ. God's blood. The blood of the
God man. as of a lamb without blemish
and without spot, perfect, holy, sinless. And look what it says. And tie this in with, remember
our verse, he's the lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
Look at this, in verse 20 of 1 Peter 1, who verily was foreordained
before the foundation of the world. Look at that, foreordained
before the foundation of the world. He's the lamb slain from
the foundation of the world. God planned, before there was
a fall, God saved you. Before there was a sinner, God
saved you. It didn't go to plan B when Adam
fell. I remember hearing that when
I was in religion. And even they used to say this too, when the
Jews rejected Christ, well God went to the Gentiles. That was
always His plan. because His elect are made up
of Jews and Gentiles who will become one in Christ. That was
always His plan. God doesn't go to plan B like
we do. When something goes wrong, we
may try to plan something else. God doesn't do that. He has planned
and purposed all that will occur from eternity, beloved. My, oh
my. Who verily was foreordained before
the foundation of the world Now look, Paul's writing to born-again
blood-washed saints, right? And look what he says here, "...but
was manifest in these last times for you." Now that's wondrous. He was manifested in time for
God's people. Why? To save us from our sins,
beloved. To fulfill the law perfectly
in our place. To weave a coat of righteousness
for us by fulfilling the law. that we are now clothed in. It's
wondrous. It's absolutely wondrous. Who
verily was foreordained before the foundational world, but was
manifest in these last times for you, who by Him do believe
in God. We believe in Christ, don't we?
By God-given faith that raised Him up from the dead. He died. He really died. And He was risen
from the dead and given and gave Him glory, that your faith and
your hope might be in who? Not in yourself, right? No, it
says in God. Who's our faith and hope in?
The Lord Jesus Christ, who is God incarnate in the flesh, beloved. Absolutely wondrous. Now let
us remember that our great God is a God of purpose. Absolute
and unalterable purpose. and his will and his purpose
must and shall be accomplished now beloved of God before the
world was made before time began our great almighty all-powerful
sovereign God sovereignly purpose all that comes to pass so what
comfort we can find in this precious precious truth that in uncertain
times to our human finite minds, there are uncertain times, right?
Because we live in time and space and we are caught by surprise
by things that happen in and on this earth, but God's not. And especially in the times we
find ourselves now, what comfort we can glean from the scriptures
knowing that this is all coming to pass according to God's sovereign
purpose. It is. Now the world freaks out,
and we can rest and repose in Christ as the Lord gives us grace
and strength to know that this is all happening according to
His purpose. We don't understand it, but beloved of God, everything
that is, has been, and shall be hereafter was purposed by
our great God from eternity. And think upon this also, that
everything in the universe is moving toward the predestinated
end of God's eternal purpose. Everything. There will be a day
when it all wraps up, beloved. And it's all moving toward the
predestinated end of God's eternal purpose with absolute precision
and accuracy, and there is nothing that is happening outside of
our great God's ever watchful eye. Nothing. Nothing. Everything that comes to pass
in time was purposed by our great God in eternity. We know this
because the purpose of God is eternal. Just like Him. He's
eternal. Therefore, His purpose is eternal.
And the purpose of God, with God being God, would include
everything. Right? Or He's not God. or He's not
God. And we know the scripture says
that all things work together for good to them that love God,
to them who are the called according to His what? Purpose. According
to His purpose. So the purpose of God has for
its particular design the spiritual and eternal benefit of God's
elect. So marvel at this, that everything God has purposed is
for the ultimate spiritual and eternal blessedness of His elect. That just leaves us in awe, doesn't
it? Leaves us in awe. Now the identity of the Lamb,
let's go back to Revelation 17, verse 14. The identity of the
Lamb who is slain from the foundation of the world is made clear in
Scripture in Revelation 17, verse 14. These words are spoken of
Him. These shall make war with the
Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them. For He is Lord of lords
and King of kings, and they that are with Him are called and chosen
and faithful." My oh my. There's some titles of the Lamb.
Lord of lords and King of kings. Notice the Lamb's capital. There's
only one Lamb. This is THE Lamb. slain from the foundation of
the world. The Lamb of God. God's Passover Lamb. God's Passover
Lamb. You go through scripture and
you see all them lambs that were offered, they're all just lowercase
lambs. This is the Lamb. This is the
title of our Lord Jesus Christ. Now something I would like us
to consider, that all the sacrifices of the Old Testament were pointing
to Christ. Those who were offering those
sacrifices, you know what they were saying? They were saying by offering
those sacrifices, I need a substitute. I need a substitute. That's what
they were. Brother Norm said that last week and that's so
true. When they were offering those sacrifices, they were saying
by offering those sacrifices, I need a substitute. I need a
substitute. My oh my. And who were all those
Old Testament sacrifices pointing to? Who did they picture? None
other than the Lord Jesus Christ, beloved. That's who they pictured.
That's who they pictured. John the Baptist, when looking
at Jesus, what did he say? He said, Behold the Lamb of God!
Behold the Lamb of God! That's what he said. Oh my. Behold the Lamb of God. This is the very one who Revelation
13, 8 speaks of. The Lamb slain from before the
foundation of the world. So again, as I said earlier,
before there was ever a sinner, there was a Savior. There was
a Savior. Before the world was ever brought
into existence. Before sin ever entered into
this world. The Word of God, the second person
of the Trinity, was the Lamb slain from the foundation of
the world. Marvel, beloved, at this precious,
precious truth. Let us consider now how the Scriptures
bring this precious, precious truth before us. And we see it
unfolded in the pages of Scripture. Let's turn to Genesis chapter
3 to start. Genesis chapter 3. Beloved, this
Lamb of God slain from the foundation of the world, this wondrous Lamb was first
introduced in Eden in Pitcher. In Pitcher, Genesis chapter 3.
This lamb of God slain from before the foundation of the world,
this wondrous lamb of God, was first introduced in Eden in picture. Genesis chapter three, we'll
read verses 21 to 24. Unto Adam also and to his wife
did the Lord God make coats of skins and clothe them. And the Lord God said, behold,
the man is become as one of us to know good and evil, Now, lest
he put forth his hand and take also of the tree of life and
eat and live forever. Therefore, the Lord God sent
him forth from the garden of Eden to till the ground from
whence he was taken. So he drove out the man and he
placed at the east of the garden of Eden cherubims and a flaming
sword, which turned every way to keep the way of the tree of
life. Now we know that the coats of
skin represent the righteousness of Christ. And it was God who
clothed them. It was God who clothed them,
beloved. Well, God clothes us in the righteousness of Christ.
And think of this. There was an innocent substitute
who died to clothe them. There was an innocent substitute
who died to clothe them, beloved. They were the guilty ones. And
an animal was sacrificed to clothe them in skins. What a picture
we have of the Lamb of God slain from the foundation of the world,
beloved. The skin was removed from the animal, the blood was
shed, and since it had not sinned, it did not deserve to die. But it did indeed die, didn't
it? And since Adam and Eve continued to live though they should have
died, then that animal died in their place to clothe them. See,
so we see the Lamb of God slain in picture, beloved. In picture. The innocent one dying for the
guilty. My! So here before us we have
what Paul wrote about in the book of Colossians. when he wrote
this under inspiration of the Holy Spirit of God, when he penned
this, let no man therefore judge you in meat or in drink, or in
respect of a holy day, or of the new moon, or of the Sabbath
days, which are a shadow of things to come, but the body is of Christ. That was just a picture, beloved,
a shadow. Christ is substance. He's the substance, beloved.
And all those sacrifices in the Old Testament, all those sacrifices
were shadows of things to come. Beloved of God, Christ is the
substance of those shadows. He is the Lamb slain from the
foundation of the world. What a picture of the sinless
Lamb of God, who would die as a substitute of His people, of
God's elect, in order that they should live, whose blood would
be shed for their redemption, and whose righteousness is our
covering. All glory be to the Lord Jesus Christ. Next, let
us consider in Genesis chapter 22. Let us consider that the
Lamb slain from the foundation of the world was prophesied by
Abraham. Was prophesied by Abraham. Now,
Abraham in Genesis chapter 22, he's told by God to go into the
land of Moriah and offer his son therefore a burnt offering
upon one of the mountains which God told him to go to. Look in verses 7 and 8. In verse 8 especially we see
Abraham prophesied about the great Lamb of God, who was God
incarnate in the flesh, God Himself. And His name was the Lord Jesus
Christ. Look at this in Genesis 22, verses 7 and 8. And Isaac
spake unto Abraham, his father, and said, my father. And he said,
here am I, son. And he said, behold, the fire
and the wood. But where is the lamb for a burnt offering? So Isaac knew what was to occur. He knew there was to be a sacrifice.
And he's saying, where's the sacrifice? We got the wood. We got the fire. We got the knife. But where's the sacrifice? Oh
my, do you imagine how Abraham felt when he asked him that question?
Oh my. And Abraham said, my son, look
at this. Now here's a prophecy of the
Lord Jesus Christ, right here. And Abraham said, my son, God
will provide himself a lamb. And he did. And his name's the
Lord Jesus Christ. The word of God incarnates. Isn't
that wonderful? Oh my. And look what did he provide
himself for? A lamb for a burnt offering. So they went both of them together.
God will provide himself the lamb for a burnt offering. Now
a burnt offering was a lamb consumed entirely by fire. on an altar,
which represented the entire dedication of the offerer to
God, and by which he was reconciled to God and therefore lived instead
of receiving the death he deserved." So again, the innocent victim
dying in the place of the guilty. The substitute died in his place. And then look in Genesis, what
we saw there in Genesis 22, Abraham had been commanded by Jehovah
to sacrifice his only son. Turn if you would to Hebrews,
Hebrews chapter 11, but keep your finger there in Genesis
chapter 22, Hebrews chapter 11. How do we know that Abraham obeyed?
Well, look in Hebrews chapter 11, look at this. But again,
keep your finger in Genesis 22. Hebrews 11, verses 17 to 19. By faith Abraham, when he was
tried, and oh, he was tried, wasn't he? This is his only son. By faith Abraham, when he was
tried, offered up Isaac, and he that had received the promises
offered up his only begotten son, oh my, of whom it was said
that in Isaac shall thy seed be called, accounting that God
was able to raise him up, Even from the dead, from whence also
he received him in a figure. Now look at that. His only begotten
son. God sent his only begotten son. Now Abraham, he figured,
well, if God tells me to kill him, he'll just raise him up.
Right? Well, the Lord Jesus Christ was
slain in our place. He was raised up by God. Look
at that. Amazing. Let's go back to Genesis
chapter 22. Now, we know that God did provide
a lamb for Abraham that day. And you know what? You ever think
of this? That lamb was divinely caught
in those thickets. That lamb was divinely caught
in those thickets. God told Abraham, you go up there,
you put your son on the altar, and you're going to sacrifice.
all the time knowing, all the time knowing that he would provide
a lamb. Because this is all being planned
and purposed for maternity, isn't it? Yeah. Look at this in Genesis
chapter 22, verses 11 to 14. And the angel of the Lord, that's
our King, beloved, that's the Lord Jesus Christ. And the angel
of the Lord called unto him out of heaven and said, Abraham,
Abraham. And he said, here am I. And he
said, Lay not thy hand upon the lad, neither do thou anything
unto him. For now I know that thou fearest
God, seeing thou hast not withheld thine son, thine only son, from
me. Now think of that. The knife
went up, and it was ready to plunge into Isaac. And I imagine he was probably
shaken. And God called out to him and
said, Abraham, Abraham. But when the Lord Jesus Christ was in our place. That knife
was plunged. That knife was plunged. And the
Lamb of God slain from the foundation of the world, that which was
planned and purposed by God in eternity, came to pass in time. He was manifested to save us
from our sins, beloved. To redeem us with His precious
blood. And that knife was not stopped. The sword of God's justice
plunged into Christ. Oh my. What a Savior. What a Savior. And that was pictured
in this lamb here. Again, this is a divinely caught
ram in a thicket. The Lord had this happen. And
Abraham lifted up his eye. eyes, verse 13, and looked, and
behold, behind him a ram caught in the thicket by his horns.
He caught there and he wasn't there before. Now he's caught.
He can't get out. He can't get out. He can't get
his head out. And he's caught in the thicket
by his horns. And Abraham went out and took
the ram and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead
of his son, in the room and place of his son. That knife plunged.
Plunged. into that ram, the innocent. The innocent one dying again
for the guilty. And Abraham called the name of
that place Jehovah-Jireh. Right? As it is said to this
day, in the mount of the Lord shall it be seen. The Lord provided
for him, didn't he? Yes, he did. The Lord provided. Oh my, it's wonderful. And we
know that all those Old Testament sacrifices could never take away
sin. But they were pointing to the
Lamb, slain from the foundation of the world, who would be manifested
in due time, in God's time. The sinless, spotless Lamb of
God, the Lord Jesus Christ, in the physical Lamb, God provided
that day, died as a substitute for Isaac, for Abraham's son. But it was again also a shadow
of things to come. But the substance is of Christ,
and it's Christ who was not spared in our place. And he willingly
went to that cross. to die in the room and place
of his people because he's the lamb slain from the foundation
of the world. He's the word of God. He's the
second person of the Trinity incarnate in the flesh. God himself
has provided himself a lamb, the lamb of God, mine, who was
offered for all the sins of God's chosen people, the sinless, spotless
lamb of God. The next point is the lamb slain
from the foundation of the world was portrayed in the Passover
sacrifice. Turn, if you would, to Exodus
chapter 12. Now in Exodus chapter 12, the
Passover lamb, he was to be without blemish, a male of the first
year. That means he's in the prime
of his life. He's in the prime of his life.
Look at verse 5 in Exodus chapter 12. Your lamb shall be without
blemish, spotless. Now why did it have to be without
blemish? Because it was picturing the one who's the lamb slain
from the foundation of the world, the sinless, spotless Lamb of
God. Exodus 12, verse 5, it says here
again, Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male the first year.
You shall take it out from the sheep or from the goats. Now
this lamb was to be sacrificed. An innocent one again dying for
the guilty. An innocent one again dying for
the guilty. And its blood, what was its blood
to be done? We know it was to be applied on the lentils of
the door, wasn't it? Yeah. To identify Israel. to identify
the houses which God would pass over, beloved, that night. When
the death angel came, he'd pass over those homes when he struck
the firstborn of Egypt. And those were the enemies of
God that were being stricken. Now look a little further down
here in Exodus chapter 12, verses 7 to 14. And they shall take
of the blood and strike it on the two posts and on the on the
upper post of the house wherein they shall eat." So we see here,
doorframe. They would have put blood on
the whole doorframe. My oh my. Blood. Blood. The blood of an innocent. The
blood of an innocent one. And they shall eat the flesh
in that night. Well, by faith, we hunger and thirst after righteousness,
don't we? We feast on Christ through the
gospel. We're not cannibals. We feast
on Him through the gospel, don't we? He's the bread of life. He's the water of life to us.
And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire,
and unleavened bread, and with bitter herbs they shall eat it.
Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast
with fire his head and his legs, and with the pertinence thereof.
And ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning, and
that which remaineth of it until the morning ye shall burn with
fire, and be consumed. And thus shall ye eat it, with
your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff
in your hand, ready to go, beloved, ready to leave Egypt. And ye
shall eat it in haste. It is the Lord's Passover. Now
look at this. Look at this. For I will pass
through the land of Egypt, the angel of the Lord, the Lord Jesus
Christ, this night and will smite all the firstborn in the land
of Egypt, both man and beast, and against all the gods of Egypt.
Look at that lower case of Egypt. I will execute judgment. I am the Lord. That's our Savior, beloved. And the blood shall be to you
for a token upon the houses where ye are. When I see the blood,
oh, this is wonderful. When I see the blood, I'll pass
over you. Isn't that wonderful? God's people are covered in the
blood of Christ, beloved. Oh, we're covered in the blood
of Christ. That's wonderful. And when I see the blood, I'll
pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you, just destroy
you. Oh my, the judgment of God will not fall upon them. Why? Because they're under the blood.
Isn't that wonderful? God's judgment, not a drop of
God's wrath will fall upon God's people, because Christ has extinguished
it. in our place. The sinless, spotless
Lamb of God has extinguished it in our place. And a plague
shall not be upon you to destroy you when I smite the land of
Egypt." Now remember, Egypt's a picture of the world. Right? There's a great judgment coming.
But not a drop of God's judgment will fall upon His people, because
we're covered in the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.
We're clothed in the righteousness of Christ, beloved. wonderful
in this day shall be under you for a memorial and you shall
keep it a feast to the Lord throughout your generations and you shall
keep it a feast by an ordinance forever so once again we have
a clear picture here of that which Paul wrote about a shadow
of things to come but the substance is Christ we have a very clear
picture there So, beloved of God, rejoice! Christ, who is
the Lamb slain from before the foundation of the world, is our
Passover Lamb, and He was sacrificed for us. He was sacrificed for
us. Oh my! Turn, if you would, to
Isaiah chapter 53. The next point is this Lamb,
the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world, was characterized
by Isaiah under inspiration of the Holy Spirit of God. Listen
to these words in Isaiah chapter 53. And note, I'm going to bring
this out tonight, but I want to bring it out now. Note the
past tense verbiage used in this portion of scripture. Note how,
and this is, I think it was 750 years before Christ even came
to this world. But notice the past tense verbiage.
He is despised and rejected of men. a man of souls and acquainted
with grief. We hid as it were our faces from
him. He was despised and we esteemed him not. See the past tense verbiage
there? Surely he hath borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows. Yet we did esteem him stricken,
smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions. He hadn't even come to this world
yet. Look at that. Beloved, he's the lamb slain
from the foundation of the world. Look at that. But he was wounded
for our transgression. He was bruised for our iniquities.
The chastisement of our peace was upon him. And with his stripes
we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray.
We have turned every one to his own way. And the Lord hath laid
on him the iniquity of us all. Our sins were imputed to Christ,
beloved. the sinless, spotless Lamb of
God. He was oppressed and He was afflicted,
yet He opened not His mouth. He is brought as a lamb to the
slaughter, and as a sheep before a shearer is done, so He openeth
not His mouth." And we know that this passage proclaims Christ.
Turn, if you would, to Acts chapter 8. We know by putting Scripture
with Scripture, we know that this is speaking of Christ. Look
in Acts chapter 8. Philip, the evangelist, he preached
Christ to the Ethiopian eunuch from this very passage. Now remember,
they didn't have the New Testament when Philip met up with this
eunuch. No, he's reading Isaiah. He's reading the scrolls of Isaiah.
Acts chapter 8, verses 29 to 35. Then the Spirit said unto
Philip, Go near, and join thyself to his chariot. And Philip ran
thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Isaiah. And
he said, understandest thou what thou readest? And he said, how
can I except some men should guide me? And he desired, Philip,
that he would come up and sit with him. The place of the scripture
which he read, and we just read this. He was led as a sheep to
the slaughter, and as a lamb before a shearer, so he opened
not his mouth. We just read that, didn't we?
In his humiliation, his judgment, was taken away, and who shall
declare his generation, for his life is taken from the earth?
And the eunuch answered Philip and said, I pray thee, of whom
speaketh the prophet of this, himself or of some other man?
So the eunuch's like, who's the prophet speaking of here? Now
remember, that was written 750 years before Christ came to this
world. In its past tense, as I said there, And look what Philip
said. Then Philip, oh, this is wonderful.
Then Philip opened his mouth and began at the same scripture
and preached unto him Jesus. He proclaimed Christ to him,
right? Because it speaks of Christ, beloved. It speaks of the Lord
Jesus Christ. And it said that lambs are not
driven to the slaughter, they're just led to the slaughter. They
just go. They just go. Some animals, you gotta drive
them to the slaughter. Not lambs. They just get led,
it's said, they just get led right to the slaughter. And Jesus
Christ willingly, willingly followed those who led Him to the place
where He was by them slaughtered on Calvary. Where His blood was
shed. Because He knew He must die.
He's the lamb slain from the foundation of the world. He knew
the whole reason he came here was to redeem his people from
their sins. He is God incarnate in the flesh. He knew he must shed his precious,
precious blood to redeem his people from their sins on Calvary
Street. And that's exactly what he did. And then he cried that
wonderful cry. It is finished. There's nothing
to be added to. It's his work. He's the one who's
redeemed us. And sheep are silent. It's said
that they're not complaining. Even when they get sheared, it's
said that they don't complain. They're silent. And Jesus Christ,
when he was sheared by his enemies, he kept silent and said nothing.
You know why? I've read this with several commentators. You
know why he was quiet? You know why he never said a word? Because
he's the silent suffering substitute. He's a substitute in the place
of his people. Oh my. What would we be doing
if people were nailing us to the cross? We'd be screaming. Not our Lord. No. Oh, He's sheared by His enemies
and He keeps silent and said nothing. When He was reviled,
He did not revile in return. And when He suffered, He did
not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously.
He committed His eternal soul to the Father. knowing that the
whole reason he came here to this earth was to die in the
place of his people. As the lamb slain from the foundation
of the world, that which was planned and purposed in eternity
must come to occur in time. Remember the scripture over there
in Peter when we read? He was manifested. He was manifested
for us. Yeah. He's a lamb slain from
before the foundation of the world, and that which was planned
and purposed must come to pass in time. It's wonderful. Number
five, this lamb of God slain from the foundation of the world
was manifested in time because he was ordained from eternity.
Christ was chosen and ordained to be our surety before the foundation
of the world, redemption of sinners by the precious blood of Christ,
again, was no afterthought of God. He didn't go to plan B,
as I said earlier, when Adam fell. No. When Adam fell, there
was already a Savior provided. There was already a Savior provided
before Adam fell. And he was bought out to public
view and to public rejection. and to public crucifixion in
these last days. For as much as you know that
you were not redeemed with corruptible things as silver and gold from
your vain conversations 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, foreordained before the foundation
of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you who
by him do believe in God that raised him up from the dead and
gave him glory that your faith and hope might be in God." Last
point I'd like us to consider is the Lamb of God slain from
the foundation of the world was presented by John the Baptist.
Turn if you would to John chapter 1. John chapter 1. Look at verse 29. The next day John seeth Jesus coming
unto him and saith, Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away
the sin of the world. Look at that. Behold the Lamb
of God. That's the Lord Jesus Christ. That's the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Lamb of God. My oh my. The Jews were looking
for a Messiah to come as a great prophet. Or to come as a great
king to deliver them from the oppression of the Romans. But Christ didn't come that way,
did He? No. No, He didn't come that way.
They understood nothing of a Savior-Priest, did they? No, they didn't. They understood nothing of the
Lamb of God. You would think those priests
and Levites who ministered about the temple and the sacrifices
would have inquired about the sacrifice, but no, apparently
they had no sense of sin. They were Abraham's seed. And
they would have welcomed him on the throne, but not on the
altar. You ever think of that? They had to welcome Christ on
the throne. but not on the altar. But Christ came to sacrifice
himself for the sins of his people. And John said, Behold the Lamb
of God. That's the Passover Lamb of God
right there. And this, this Lamb, this Lamb
slain from the foundation of the world, the one who John said,
Behold the Lamb of God, is the Lord Jesus Christ. Look at John
chapter 1 verses 14 and 15. the word was made flesh and dwelt
among us and we beheld his glory as of the only begotten of the
father full of grace and truth John and then verse 15 John bear
witness of him and cried saying this is this was he of whom I
spake he that cometh after me is preferred before me for he
was before me this is the word of God incarnate beloved oh my it is with good reason
that the final and concluding book in the Bible is titled The
Revelation of Jesus Christ. Turn if you would to Revelation
chapter 5. In this book we see the final unveiling of the Lamb
of God. In the fifth chapter of that
wonderful book, look at this in Revelation chapter 5. Revelation
chapter 5. We're going to read the whole
chapter. And I saw in the right hand of
him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the back
side sealed with seven seals. A lot of commentators say this
is the book of the decrees of God from eternity. And I saw
a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to
open the book and to loose the seals thereof? Who's worthy to
do this? And no man in heaven, nor on
earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither
to look thereon. Look at that. And I wept much. because no man
was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to
look thereon. And one of the elders, now see
he's weeping because no one can open the book, but look at this.
And one of the elders says to him, weep not. Behold, here's
another title of our king. Behold, the lion of the tribe
of Judah, the root of David hath prevailed to open the book and
to loose the seven seals there. And I beheld, and lo, in the
midst of the throne, and of the four beasts, in the midst of
the elders, stood a lamb, as it had been slain. The lamb slain
from the foundation of the world, the lamb slain, the same lamb
who was slain in time, the Lord Jesus Christ, and rose from the
grave, beloved. having seven horns and seven
eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent forth into all the
earth. And he came and took the book
out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne. And
when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty
elders fell down before the Lamb." Now they're worshiping him, aren't
they? Now these angels wouldn't worship him unless he's God. Remember again, I mentioned last
week, when angels, when men fell down before angels, they said,
don't worship me. They fall down before this one, before this
one. This is our Savior, beloved.
And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and the four
and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of
them harps and golden vials full of orders. Some say those are
the prayers of the saints, beloved, which are, again, well it says
right there, which are the prayers of the saints, it's right there
in Scripture. And they sang a new song, oh my, they sang a new
song. And don't we who are born again
sing a new song now? We do, don't we? They say thou
art worthy to take the book and to open the seals thereof for
thou was slain and has redeemed us to God by thy blood out of
a kindred and tongue and people and nation and has made unto
our God kings and priests and we shall reign on the earth and
I beheld and I heard the voice of many angels round about the
throne and the beasts and the elders and the number of them
was ten thousand times ten thousands and thousands and thousands and
number you can't even number saying with a loud voice, Worthy
is the Lamb that was slain, to receive power, and riches, and
wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing. And
every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the
earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them,
heard I saying, Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power,
be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb
forever and ever. They are worshiping him, and
adoring him, beloved. They're giving glory to the only
one who's worthy. That's the Lord Jesus Christ. And the four beasts said, amen. And the four and 20 elders fell
down and worshiped him that liveth forever and ever. So rejoice,
beloved of God. Rejoice. and marvel at what we
have seen and looked at today. Our great Savior, the Lord Jesus
Christ, is the lamb foreordained before the foundation of the
world. He was pictured and introduced in Eden, prophesied by Abraham,
portrayed in the Passover lamb and all the Levitical offerings,
characterized by Isaiah, presented by John the Baptist, and manifested
on Calvary's cross to be the lamb slain from the foundation
of the world. To God be the glory. for this
wonderful, merciful Savior we have, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Amen and amen. Heavenly Father, we thank you
all for this wondrous text of Scripture. Oh, Lord Jesus, we
marvel that you, who are the Lamb of God, died on Calvary's
cross to purchase our eternal souls. Wonder of wonders, oh
Lord. Wonder of wonders. We who are
your people will ever be grateful We will sing one day with the
choir in heaven. Worthy is the Lamb with a number
no man can number. We will sing, worthy is the Lamb
that was slain to receive glory and honor and power and blessings,
O Lord. And we will sing that all because
of Thee, because it pleased You to save us. We love You, Lord
Jesus, because You first loved us and You loved us with an everlasting
love. Glory to Your name, O Lord. In
Jesus' name, amen.