Or I pay careful attention, I've
skipped the part that we'll come back to in the evening service,
beginning in verse 13 now with an exhortation. 13 through verse
21. Wherefore, gird up the loins
of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that
is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, not fashioning
yourselves according to the former lust in your ignorance, But as
he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of
conversation, because it is written, Be ye holy for I am holy. And if you call on the Father,
who without respect of persons judges every man according to
his works, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear. Now quicken our attention. Forasmuch
as you know that you're not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver
and gold, from your vain conversation by tradition from your fathers,
but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb, without
spot and without blemish, who verily was ordained before the
world, or 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 your hope might be in God? Now we noticed again,
verse 19, as of a lamb without spot and without blemish. Now there are other passages
that will come before us today. I'll name them now, we'll visit
them later. John chapter 1 and verse 29. Behold the Lamb of God that taketh
away the sins of the world. The same thing again in John
1 and verse 36. Of course, we will visit the
Passover in Exodus chapter 12, and then there is that verse
in Isaiah chapter 3 and verse 7. He is led as a lamb unto the
slaughter. Now, that which has our interest
now is that the Lord Jesus Christ is presented to our view under
the image of a lamb that bears away our sin. That He Himself
is without sin and knew no sin, and what's more, that He was
appointed unto this by God the Father before the world ever
began. And there, in verse 19, we read
these words, that before the world ever began, He as a Lamb
without spot and without blemish. Now we're going to begin with
the passage here in 1 Peter chapter 1, so let us get our contextual
bearings as to the overall context in which we found our text of
the morning. That way, we will be able to
see how the apostle comes to the words that are our text for
today. Notice back over the chapter.
In verse 1 and in verse 2, You have the opening greeting, very
common in the epistle, which is to the stranger that are scattered
abroad, the sojourners in the wilderness of this world, the
pilgrims who make their way to the city foursquare up on the
hill. Some have it to the elect or
to the chosen sojourners. Verse 2, that their election
is in accordance with the foreknowledge of God. Then let us very quickly
notice that all three persons in the Trinity are mentioned
in verse 2 as having to do with their salvation and their sanctification. Notice, elected by the Father,
sanctified by the Spirit, and sprinkled by the blood of the
Lord Jesus Christ. Then, in verse 3, down through
verse 12, by the grace of regeneration, The elect of God are begotten
unto an abundant mercy and to a living hope by the resurrection
of Jesus Christ from the dead. They are begotten to that hope
to an incorruptible inheritance. it is reserved yonder in heaven
for them, to which the elect are kept by the power of God
through faith, preserving faith or persevering faith, that will
be attained in due and in proper time, which salvation, he said,
the prophet's prophesied of. That's our evening text. Now
coming to the 13th verse and following, it begins here with
a set of very strong exhortation. Verse 13, gird up the loins of
your mind. Some say this is a metaphor referring
to those who wore the flowing robes in that day that were loose
and flowing. And here he uses this metaphor
as an exhortation to be mentally alert, to prepare the mind, to
be sober, and to hope in the expectation of the grace, to
be brought to revelation in the appearing of Jesus Christ. He says, being obedient children,
not walking in the form of desire, and way of life, living a holy
life, because the one that has called you is holy. And the God that has called you
is no respecter of person. He does not prefer the rich over
the poor. He does not prefer the noble
over the common. or the Jew over the Gentile,
or the strong over the weak, he is no respecter of person. Then coming to verse 18 through
22, the apostle sets before them the strongest possible incentive
to living the Christian life and living it well. the only
sure foundation of the Christian life and hope, which is knowing,
believing, being assured that Christ has paid the ransom as
a redemption for His elect from their former bondage in sin and
slavery. They are redeemed. Here is one of the great doctrines,
not only of the Old Testament, but also of the New. The great doctrine of redemption
by Christ, as in Ephesians 1.7 and Colossians 1 and verse 14. in whom we have redemption through
his blood, even the forgiveness of sin. Now, redemption or redeem
or ransom or redemption is not the freeing of a slave by might
or by power or by violence or by force. The redemption is by
ransom. And ransom or redeemed is freeing
by the payment of a price. To redeem or to ransom is to
free or to buy by payment. To buy out of a former miserable
condition originally It pertained unto those that were a slave. And in Exodus 21 and 30, there
is that premise of redemption. And the Apostle speaks of this
redemption both negatively and positively. Negatively, notice,
the price is not silver, or gold, what we might expect to be the
most valuable among men. In verse 18, which the apostle
calls corruptible, these, in his mind, compared to our price
of redemption, are corruptible things. Now back in verse 7,
he had said, gold that perishes, it is not as lasting as we might
like to believe. These are highly favored by men. These they use for the purchases
of life and things expensive. But they have the most purchasing
power among the human family and in most society. But they
are useless and they are worthless as the redemption of the soul
of a sinner out of his sin. Now with what then are we redeemed? In the Old Testament it was silver
and gold, a type of something better that was to come. With
what then are we redeemed? What is a fit ransom for sin
and for sinners. We are, as Paul says in 1 Corinthians
6 and verse 20, bought with a price. We are bought with a price. And
again he says it in 1 Corinthians 7 and 23, Be not the servants
of men, ye are bought with a price. What is that price? Well, here
in 1 Peter 1 and 19, It is declared to be the precious blood of Christ
Jesus. Now, precious is the word timios,
meaning costly, meaning valuable, esteemed, honored, and even dear
and held in high reputation." In other words, it has a dignity
about it that other prices do not have. And the Apostle, in
speaking here of the precious blood of Christ, likens him and
his bloodshedding to a lamb without spot and without blemish. Now this causes us to remember
how the New Testament writers use this means of describing
the Lord Jesus as a sin bearer, as the sacrifice for the sins
of the elect of God. Now that verse in John 1 and
verse 29, when John the Baptist saw the Lord coming and he said
this to those people who were there, Behold the Lamb of God
that taketh away the sin of the world. Again, he used that expression
in John chapter 1 and verse 36. Lam, or Amnos as it is, again
in Acts 8 and verse 32. The book of Revelation several
times uses the word Arneon, a Lamkin. is the meaning of that word.
The Lamb of God as the basis of both redemption and vengeance. The Lamb is presented in the
book of Revelation because we read of the wrath of the Lamb
in Revelation 6 and verse 16. Now the question becomes then,
what is the significance of Christ being called the Lamb of God? Why does John and others refer
to Him as the Lamb of God. Why does he use this rather peculiar
way of describing our Lord? John might have spoken more plainly. Why does he not say very plainly,
Behold the Son of God. That would, of course, have been
true. Why does he not say, Behold, your Messiah has come. Why does he not say, Behold the
Christ. the Anointed One of God. Behold the Holy One of God come
down from heaven. Why? He could have said, Behold
the Man, Christ Jesus, as is often done. He could have even
said, Behold Him that is King of the Jew. He could have said,
Behold the Savior of the world. is come. Instead, He calls him
the Lamb of God. Behold the Lamb of God. Now why the Lamb? Why and how
is Jesus in the flesh God's Lamb? Now, some say, well, because
it refers to His gentleness and His meekness only. This does
not go near far enough. Yes, He submitted to His sufferings
without complaint, without violence against His enemies. He went
meekly unto His death. Every aspect of His suffering
He endured meekly without any complaint. But some martyrs have
done this as well. His being God's Lamb and what
He came to do, bear away sin. Marks Him therefore clearly as
the anti-type of the Passover Lamb. He is the substance of
the Passover lamb and the daily sacrifices and all of the lambs
that were offered morning and evening during the course of
the old economy. For in Exodus chapter 29 and
verse 39, a lamb offered morning and evening. Day by day. And they were lambs of the first
year. Numbers 28, verses 1 through
4. The Lamb of God also, remember
that Christ is called a lion. in Revelation 5 and verse 5,
a lion out of the tribe of Judah. Now the word lamb is a familiar
one in the Old Testament Scripture, especially in connection with
all of the sacrifices for sin. Perhaps the most memorable one,
lamb, is that of the Passover lamb in the land of Egypt as
it was instituted in chapter 12. If you want to turn there,
we'll make some references. If not, just remember. Remember
that the people there were commanded by the Lord God through Moses
to take a lamb. Yes, to take a lamb for a house
or for those that would gather in the house. They were to not
only take it, but then they were at a set time to kill it and
to roast it, to put its blood upon the doorposts of their houses
and eat the flesh of the lamb. God would pass through the land
and He would smite all of the firstborn in which there was
no blood. Those He would pass over without
smiting the firstborn where the blood was applied under their
homes. And listen to this connection.
that Paul makes in 1 Corinthians chapter 5 and verse 7. Here it is. Christ, our Passover,
is sacrificed for us. There he ties it together. There
he shows that Christ is the antitype of the Old Testament. Passover. The Lamb was the essence of the
Passover. And the Lamb Himself is called
the Passover. Not just the ceremonies, but
the Lamb Himself is the Passover. 2 Chronicles 35. and verse 11. Matthew 26, verse 17, where shall
we eat the Passover? And on its account and the applying
of the blood, the Lord passed over those houses that night,
spared and delivered the people where the lamb had been slain
and the blood had been applied. And after that, the Lord God
instituted a yearly Passover feast in order to commemorate
the deliverance of the people out of the miserable enslavement
they had experienced. in Egypt. It was still observed
in the days of our Lord in the flesh here upon the earth. And in fact, the Lord used the
very elements of the Jewish Passover that He might institute the Supper
of the Lord. He took the bread and the wine
from the Jewish Passover and used it to institute the Lord's
Supper. which was to be done as a memorial
unto the death of our Lord, as a way to remember Him, as a way
to show forth His death until He came again. Now, on Passover
day, a lamb, having been chosen, was killed and was roasted and
was eaten. Prior to that, all leaven was
found and cleared and swept out of the house. All leaven was
to be put out of the house prior unto the Passover. Now, when
Paul says, Christ our Passover, and in doing so, makes the connection
between the Passover in Exodus 12 and the death of our Lord
Christ, Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us is the same
as saying Christ is our Passover. By Him we are delivered from
the punishment of sin. Stephen Sharna, if you are familiar
with that name, wrote a large and very edifying treatise published
under the title, Christ Our Passover. And on page 11, of that good
work, he said, quote, the design of the Passover was to set forth
Christ, unquote. Whole design. Here is Christ
pictured in type and in symbol. All the sacrifices for sin reminded
them of human depravity. reminded them that God was an
offended sovereign who must be propitiated in order that sin
might be forgiven and put away. Thus, Christ is called the Lamb
of God as being the one foreshadowed by the Passover, by the bloody
sacrifices. The Passover represented unto
them the true, our great Deliverer that was to come. Not Moses,
but one greater than Moses. And the true Passover, which
of course was the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, let's consider the
way that the Passover lamb was typical of Christ's Our Passover,
when we have reminded ourselves that these things were shadows
of things to come. Colossians 2 and verse 17. Hebrews 10 and verse 1. Shadows of good things to come,
not the very image or the substance themselves. So with that in our
mind, these things were images or shadows or types of things
that were to come. Here are several ways, if you're
still in Exodus 12, that the Passover Lamb foreshadowed the
Lord Jesus Christ. Number one, I guess we'd start
here. That is that the Passover Lamb
The one to be killed and to be slain was not delayed to be appointed
until the day of his death, but the Passover lamb was chosen
and appointed ahead of time. The Passover lamb was picked
out of the herd ahead of time. He was designated ahead of time. to be their Passover. And that's
in verse 3 of Exodus chapter 12. The Lamb was appointed four
days in advance. Right then and there, He was
marked out for death. Then and there, He was under
a sentence of death. You remember what Peter said?
in 1 Peter 1 and verse 20, who verily was foreordained before
the foundation of the world. Revelation 13 and 8 calls him
the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. As the lamb was
taken ahead of time, so in the decree of God, Christ was appointed. He was set up to be the sacrifice
for our sin. That's typified in the lamb. Now the second thing that we
notice is that in verse 3 and 4 of chapter 12 of Exodus is
that the lamb, or I might say each lamb, was to be specified
for a certain number of souls. Each lamb was to be partaken
of by a particular number of souls. It says a lamb for a house. It says according to the number
of the soul. Exactly as needed for everyone
intended. And in verse 10, any remaining
was to be burnt with fire, not to let for the heathen to consume. Even as the Lord Jesus Christ
died for His sheep, John chapter 10, verse 11, and again in verse
15. He died for His friends, John
15 and verse 13. He died as a ransom for many. Matthew 20 and verse 28. He died for the church, Acts
chapter 20 and verse 28. So that there is a type of the
particular limited redemption in that Passover. The third thing
that we notice will be in verse 5. That is, the Lamb for the
Passover was to be of a certain age and a certain condition. As to condition, it was to be
perfect, without defect. It was to be without blemish. You can read this in Leviticus
chapter 22, 19 through 21. Malachi 1, verse 8, where the
prophet rebukes them for offering the lame and the sick and the
blind. Well, coming to 1 Peter 1, verse
19, it was said of Christ that He was as a lamb without spot
and blemish. Again, in Hebrews 9, verse 14,
He offered Himself without spot to God. Now, spot here signifies
not so much as the slightest defect or fault. Not so much
as the slightest was allowed. The sacrificial lambs were to
be perfect physical specimens. Now they don't have a moral nature,
of course, so their outward blemishes are counted. They were not to
be lame, they were not to be sick, they were not to be blind
in one or both eyes, they were not to have the scurvy, that
is, they were not to have scabs scabbed over them, they were
not to have a wind, that is, a running sore anywhere, upon
those that were chosen." Now these expressions used of Christ
without blemish, without spot, are a reference to He who in
the hypostatic union of the two natures in the one person of
Jesus Christ, His impeccable person that was constituted to
be our Passover. John Owen, another one, of the
old Puritan wrote on the words without spot, he commented this,
it respects the purity of his nature and the purity of his
life, unquote. Christ is without spot. That
is marvelous. He was impeccable. He was thoroughly
holy. He had no sin. He knew no sin. Just as there was nothing in
the legal sacrifices to disqualify them for being offered because
they must meet every qualification required, so that they were meet
and fit to be used as the Passover in that night. Even so, it was
with Christ. There was absolute perfection
in Him. Therefore, everything needful
in Him to make Him the perfect sacrifice, so that there was
nothing lacking in Him that would make His sacrifice unacceptable
to God in any way, He was a Lamb without spot and without blemish. Also, we notice back there, as
to age, the lamb was to be a male and a male of one year old. Exodus 12 and verse 5. A male of the first year. The
margin has it, son of a year. What that means is that he was
young and strong and in the prime of his life, and in the prime
of his strength. As to our Lord, he began to be
about 30 to 33 years old during his ministry and the time of
his death. Fourthly, we notice something
else. In Exodus chapter 4 and verse 46, again numbers 19 and
verse 2, that in their killing, their
roasting, and their eating of the Passover lamb, no bone was
to be broken in that animal. No bone broken whatsoever. care was to be taken that not
so much as a bone was broken in the handling of the Passover
lamb." Now that might seem very insignificant unto us way back
there in the Passover lamb, but when we remember a passage found
in John chapter 19 and verse 31 through verse 37, where we
have two very powerful witnesses that Jesus is the one prophesied
in the Old Testament Scripture. And how in all aspects of His
suffering, of His dying, and of His death, the Scriptures
were fulfilled. Even in some minute things, let's
notice them. Picture it if you might. John
19. Jesus has just given up the ghost. He has yielded up His life. The day is drawing on and on
to a close. And the Jews knowing that the
next day was a special high day, a particular Sabbath, a special
Sabbath, not wanting the bodies of these three that were crucified
to remain on the cross overnight and into the special Jewish day
or Sabbath, they went and petitioned, I'm trying to say, Pilate, that
he might have their legs broken. to hasten their death, that they
might die that day and evening, and that they might be taken
down from the cross, not be there the next day. Now, let me get
on the soapbox just a half a minute. Imagine these Jews having absolutely
no qualms whatsoever about crucifying the Prince of Life The Holy One
of God, but they did not dare defile a holy day. And that's what I have to say.
Pilate grants them their request. Go ahead and break their legs,
hasten their death. The soldiers come and they broke
the legs of the two thieves, one on either side of the Lord
Jesus. That's in verse 33 through verse
37 of John 19. When they saw that Jesus was
dead already, they did not break His legs. But one of the soldiers,
under what impulse but divine, I cannot tell you, thrust his
sword into the side of the Lord Jesus. And there came out blood
and water when he did so. Now what strange impulse moved
these soldiers? Why not in their meanness and
toughness just bash the legs of our Lord as well? Now the
two things were very providential. Each one of them fulfilled a
scripture. Number one, a bone of him shall
not be broken. Exodus 12 and verse 46. Secondly,
Zechariah chapter 12 and verse 10 had said, They shall look
on him whom they pierced. Now, John 19, verse 36, the first
part, look at it. These things were done that the
Scripture should be fulfilled. Such a thing as the soldiers
not breaking his legs did answer a part of the type of the Passover
lamb. And this was because he was dead
already. But then, since he was already
dead, What moved one of the soldiers then to thrust a spear into the
side of our Christ? What John writes, that these
things were done that the Scripture should be fulfilled. He does
not imply that the soldiers themselves were mindful of the Scripture
and were seeking to be guided by the Scripture and to do those
things which were written up in the Scripture. He does not
mean that they were careful to act in accordance with the messianic
prophecy, to be sure that each saying of the prophets were literally
fulfilled when Jesus was put to death. They unwittingly did
these things, but yet they fulfilled the scripture. Now, let's revisit
the question raised earlier, why John and the New Testament
writers refer to the Lord Jesus as the Lamb of God, and even
as a lamb slain? To refresh our minds. the connections
made. 1 Peter 1.19, a lamb without
blemish and without spot. Now this is clearly Old Testament
terminology, not only of the Passover, but also of other sacrifices
as well. It was a type of the impeccability
of the man Christ Jesus, that he knew no sin. 2 Corinthians
5, 19-21. Neither was any guile found in
his mouth who did no sin. 1 Peter 2 and verse 22. But John's connection is too
plain for us to miss. The Lamb of God that takes away
sin. The Lamb that is a sin-bearer. The Lamb that is a sacrifice
for sin. Again, in 1 Corinthians 5 and
7, Christ, our Passover, is sacrificed for us. Now of a long time in
history, the Jewish religions consisted in slain lambs. It was an integral part of their
religion and of their worship. Many were slain, much blood was
shed, they were sacrificed for sin, needful to them to be approached
unto God and their sins be in type forgiven. They were required
by God on account of sin. John, who preached almost exclusively
to Jews in his ministry, wants to establish the fact clearly
in their mind the Old Testament lamb offerings were typical of
the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the true sin-bearing
Lamb. He is God's Lamb. He's the one, perfect, all-sufficient,
everlasting sacrifice for sin who does not simply roll it forward
but who takes it away, the Lamb of God. Linsky put it like this,
he's pretty good on the tenses, quote, a truer and a more expressive
title could hardly have been found for the Savior, unquote. It has the article The before
the Lamb. Let us also notice that. And in language, an article such
as the that is used here is a word that is used to give definiteness
to a noun that follows after it. Or to simplify it, the significant
article identifies one particular Lamb who is so in the most imminent
sense of the word, the Lamb of God. You remember, no doubt,
in Genesis chapter 22, when Abraham took his beloved son Isaac to
the mount to offer him there as a burnt offering unto God. Abraham, I'm sorry, Isaac, one
of the closer types of Christ to be found anywhere in the Old
Testament. And in the seventh verse of that
chapter, Isaiah asked, Father, here's the fire, here's the wood,
where is the lamb for a burnt offering? And what does Abraham
say in verse 8? Abraham answered, My son, God
will provide Himself a lamb for a burnt offering. And he looked in a moment, as
you remember, and a ram caught by its horns in a thicket that
was offered up. God will provide Himself a lamb
for a burnt offering. Again, the prophet Isaiah chapter
53 and verse 7 tells us of one who would be led as a lamb to
the slaughter. who would neither resist nor
protest the unrighteous suffering and death imposed upon him."
Now, John ascribes a particular work to this Lamb which is Christ. He takes away the sin of the
world. He bears away sin. It is lifted off of them. It is lifted up. It is taken
up. It is carried away. It is born
away. And as Isaiah 53 and verse 6
tells us, the reason the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity
of us all. The margin has it made the iniquity
of us all to light upon Him. God imputed the sins of all of
the elect unto the Lord Jesus Christ that He might bear them
away to the cross. Can you see Aaron now on the
Day of Atonement with those goats before him? And one goat, he
puts his head upon his his hands upon the head of the goat and
mashes down, pressing down, confessing the sins of the people over that
goat, who then is carried away by a fit man in the wilderness,
never to return again. God has made our sins to light
upon the blessed Lamb, slain from the foundation of the world. As stated in 2 Corinthians 5
and verse 21, He made Him to be sin for us that we might be
made the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. Now let's be
careful here, some have stumbled badly at this deck. It says very
clearly, Christ was made sin, not sinful. He was made sin,
but in being made sin, He was not made sinful. In other words,
sin was legally imputed unto him. It was not infused into
him so that he himself became wicked and corrupt. As the surety
of the covenant, the Lord had pledged the same for us as Judah
did for Benjamin. In Genesis 43 and 9, Judah says
of Benjamin, listen, I will be surety for them. Of
my hand shall you require them. If I bring them not again unto
you and set them before you, then let me bear the blame forever."
Finally, we read in Exodus 12 and verse 9 that the Passover
lamb was to be cooked out, roast with fire. not raw and not boiled
in water, not raw, not boiled in water, but directly exposed
unto the fire, even to the inner parts. And again, Sharnock called
it a type of the scorching sufferings of our Redeemer." The greatest
sufferings of our Lord were not the physical sufferings which
He suffered at the hands of men, but the wrath of God even into
his soul. He endured the punishment against
our sin without being consumed by the judgment of God. Able
he was to endure all that our sin deserved. He is our Passover. He is sacrificed for us. One more thing. They ate that
Passover before they left out of the land of Egypt that night. They ate it. Even as the regenerate
spiritually eat the flesh, eat of our Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ. We do not eat Christ in a wafer,
but spiritually and by faith we eat of Him. The lamb is roasted in the scorching sufferings that
God imposed upon Him. Because of Him, God passes over,
God spares us the wrath that our sin deserves and delivers
us as His firstborn from eternal death and eternal condemnation. Christ Our Passover is sacrificed
for us as a lamb without spot and without blemish. Thank God
for the great lamb, the lamb, the one lamb, the only lamb that's
able to bear away sin. Our Passover is the Lord Jesus
Christ. The lamb was both sacrifice and
food for them, and thus with us. For our sins he was sacrificed,
for the life we eat of that blessed bread which he brings down for
us. Thank God for our lamb.