The Lamb of God In All The Scriptures

Q: What does the Bible say about the Lamb of God?

The Bible presents Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, fulfilling Old Testament sacrifices. Throughout the Scriptures, Jesus is revealed as the Lamb of God, a title encapsulating His role in the redemption of humanity. In John 1:29, John the Baptist identifies Jesus as 'the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.' This declaration signifies that Jesus is the ultimate sacrifice for sin, fulfilling the foreshadowed lambs in the Old Testament. His sacrificial death provides atonement for selected people, showing the depth of God's love and justice as He satisfies His own holiness through the blood of His Son. The significance of Jesus as the Lamb is deeply rooted in the sacrificial system established in the Old Testament, where lambs were offered for sin, symbolizing the need for a pure and innocent sacrifice.

Q: How do we know the doctrine of the Lamb is true?

The doctrine is affirmed through biblical prophecy and fulfillment, showing Jesus as the Lamb foretold in Scripture. The doctrine of Christ as the Lamb of God is substantiated by the entirety of Scripture, where both the Old Testament and New Testament portray this essential truth. From the sacrificial lambs in the Mosaic Law to the prophetic declarations about the Messiah, we see a clear line leading to Jesus. For example, in Leviticus 16, the Day of Atonement rituals serve as a precursor to Christ's ultimate sacrifice. The culmination is found in John 1:29, affirming Jesus as the Lamb who bears the sins of the world. Additionally, the apostles consistently reference this identity in their teachings, solidifying its place in Christian doctrine. Thus, the comprehensive biblical narrative confirms and affirms the truth of Jesus as the Lamb of God.

Q: Why is knowing the Lamb of God important for Christians?

Knowing the Lamb of God is crucial for understanding salvation, grace, and our relationship with God. For Christians, knowing the Lamb of God is foundational to their faith, serving as the basis for their salvation and relationship with God. The concept of Christ as the Lamb emphasizes God's grace in providing an all-sufficient sacrifice for sin. As stated in Revelation 7:14, it is through the blood of the Lamb that believers are cleansed and redeemed. This knowledge fosters a deep sense of awe and wonder, encouraging believers to respond with worship and obedience. Furthermore, understanding Jesus as the Lamb helps believers grasp the magnitude of God’s love and the lengths to which He went to reconcile humanity to Himself. The Lamb embodies hope and assurance for believers, as He is the reason for their acceptance and redemption.

Q: What benefits do Christians receive from the Lamb of God?

Christians receive acceptance, salvation, and eternal life through the Lamb of God. The benefits of knowing and believing in the Lamb of God are profound and multifaceted. Firstly, believers are accepted in the beloved, as Ephesians 1:6 tells us that we are accepted in Christ. Secondly, the Lamb's sacrifice delivers believers from death and judgment, as seen in the Passover narrative (Exodus 12:13). This act of salvation extends beyond mere physical safety; it assures eternal life through faith in Christ. Additionally, Christians are sustained spiritually, as they feed upon Christ, who is their sustenance and life. Finally, the Lamb of God provides victory over sin and death, for by His blood believers overcome any trials or temptations they may face (Revelation 12:11). Therefore, the Lamb of God is central to the Christian experience, encompassing acceptance, salvation, spiritual nourishment, and ultimate victory.

John chapter 1 and verse 35. Again the next day after, that is now the third day after the scribes and the Levites came out asking John who he was. And John gave testimony concerning the Lord Jesus Christ and him being just a voice to speak of him. And then the next day after he had seen the Lamb of God coming and he said behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world. Now the next day John stood and two of his disciples and looking upon Jesus as he walked.

I'll get a picture. John's probably sitting around chatting maybe preaching to his disciples and He sees the Lord Jesus just walking by. He stopped what he was doing. He stood up. He looked at him. Looked at him. With awe. Reverence. Adoration. Wonder.

He just gazed at him. Gazed at him. And he said, First, John beheld the Lamb of God himself, and then he said to his disciples, you behold, behold the Lamb. I have been this week making preparations to preach to you, and I've had the blessed privilege of beholding him in the scriptures. Now, I want to persuade you to behold him. Behold the Lamb of God.

This word, behold, is one of those words in the scripture that's just pregnant with meaning. It has so, so very much more to say than what we grasp just at the surface. First, it is a word of wonderment, astonishment, amazement. It is an acclamation of utter awe.

And John says here, behold, he's saying now, now fellas, you pause here with reverence and wonder and awe is the Lamb of God. Behold Him. It's the same word that John uses when he says, behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God. He says here, now you behold him, that is you, you wonder at him, you, you be amazed that he'll never cease to be amazed that he who is God Almighty has come here to be the Lamb of God to suffer and die for such as we are. I stand amazed in the presence of Jesus the Nazarene, don't you? and wonder how he could love me, a sinner condemned unclean. The fact that Jesus Christ has come as the Lamb of God to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself is utterly astounding.

The Apostle Paul seemed never to be able to get over this. He didn't want to, but he seemed never to get over astonishment at this fact. He says, Concerning the Lord Jesus, thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift. Oh, what an unspeakable gift he is.

He was constantly amazed that the Lord Jesus, who was rich, rich in all the glory of his eternal Godhead, rich in all the possession of heavenly glory, that he should become poor for your sakes. that ye through his poverty might be made rich. The apostle John writes in first John chapter four and says herein is love, not that we love God. We didn't, we wouldn't, we couldn't. It's not within the realm of possibility that a man by nature should love God, but that he loved us and sent his son to be the propitiation for our sins. And so this word first has the idea of astonishment. Stand astonished at this fact. Jesus Christ, who is God the Son, has come to be God the Lamb, and he's the Lamb of God. Secondly, this word behold means consider. Don't just take a glance now. Stop and study. Stop and study. Meditate upon.

Give serious consideration to him. He's the Lamb of God. The greatest, most excellent, most ennobling study in the world is the study of Jesus Christ and him crucified. I want to know him. The Apostle Paul said, O that I may know him, in the fellowship of his sufferings, being made confirmable unto his death. I want to know him. To know him is life eternal. I want you to know him. Now, I'm not a learned man, and I don't pretend to be. I'm not a scholar, and I don't pretend to be. But I know this. I know this. If you know Jesus Christ, if you know him, you are wise above all your peers, no matter what else you don't know. And if you don't know him, Larry, doesn't matter what you know, your imaginary knowledge is under following.

Oh, to know him. in the glory of his person, God and man in one person, in his divinity, in his manhood, in his exaltation, in his humiliation, in his glory, to know him and all his offices, prophet, priest, king, mediator, surety, to know him and to know his work on our behalf.

Oh, I've made it my life's study to know him and to know his work. His will, His word, so that I might declare Him to you, to know Him. This is what John says, now fellas, get to know Him. Behold the Lamb of God, get to know Him. If I had nothing else to say to you, and had nothing else to preach to you, I would say to you, get to know Him. Get to know Him. know the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ and him crucified. He is our Savior, so know him, study him, all about him. Never, never let it become something that's common, ordinary, or mundane, but know him.

Thirdly, this word behold, as it's used in the scripture, as I mentioned this morning, implies faith. The scripture uses the word behold, or the word look, to suggest faith. Looking to Christ is believing on Christ. Looking to Christ is trusting him. To behold him is to believe him. Now this is not a glance, but a stare, persistent, lifelong look. It is not looking at him for an hour during some time of emotional crisis, but looking to him forever. Multitudes.

Multitudes. are persuaded somehow or another to take up a profession of faith in a time of crisis, when there's sickness, a bereavement, or there's some calamity in life. Ron taught the Bible study lesson this morning out of Revelation. And preachers, the worst in law is to chase ambulances. They find somebody who's got a little trouble, and they'll try to get them to make a profession of faith.

But repentance doesn't come by judgment. And it is not looking to Christ just to get you over the hump of a difficult time. It's not looking to Christ just to get you through this emotional crisis in your life, but looking to Him persistently and forever. Not just for mercy alone, but for everything. Looking to Him as wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption. Looking to Him for both His providence of goodness as well as His saving goodness. Looking to Christ is not looking to Christ alone with many other things, but looking to Christ alone.

When John says, Behold the Lamb of God, he's saying, let him fill your vision. This oath to have blindness to everything else. Behold Him, the Lamb of God. And then John's clear intention was understood by his disciples. He said, behold. He meant for them to follow the Lamb. And that's what they did. You see that in verse 36? He said, behold the Lamb of God, and then in verse 37, and the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. That's exactly what John intended. That's exactly what he wanted them to do.

You see, the preacher's business is not to make disciples for himself, but for Christ. I'm not trying to get you to follow me. I don't want you to follow me. I want to be an example to you so that I can say to you, follow me as I follow Christ, but my object is not that you follow me.

Oh Lord, the object of God's service, those who are just a voice crying in the wilderness to pray you the way of the Lord, is follow him. Behold the Lamb of God and follow him. Those who are believers are men and women who follow the Lamb with us wherever we go. Now, with that as the introduction to my message, I want to talk to you this evening about Christ, the Lamb of God in all the scriptures. This book is a book about the Lamb. It's all about the Lamb. Everything in the book is about the Lamb. Several years ago, Brother Mahan was preaching on television. He had been preaching for a few years at that time on television out of Huntington, West Virginia.

And there was a young man and his wife who were going through some difficulties. This fellow had begun to have a lot of trouble in his life and he just, he decided to pick up a Bible and start reading. And he decided the place to start reading was right in the front. So he started reading in Genesis, went right over to Exodus and through Exodus and Leviticus, and he said to his wife, he was totally ignorant of anything with regard to religion, he said to his wife, he said, honey, we've got to have a lamb. We've got to have a lamb. God requires that men have a lamb to worship him. And he didn't know what was going on. He didn't know what to expect. He didn't know what was meant by the tithes and the requirements of the law. But he said, we've got to have a lamb.

And then one Sunday morning, he was just flipping through the channels. And there came Bill Mahan. He's sitting out the door. I want to talk to you about the Lamb of God. He said, hold it for a minute, this man's going to tell us about that Lamb. And he did, told him about that Lamb.

That's what this book's all about. Now anybody who reads this book understands the prominence given to the Lamb in the Scriptures. Everything in this book is about Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God. Oh, word to God folks that understand that. If we would preach the word properly, if we would preach the word truthfully, if we would preach the word honestly, at all times, all our preaching would be about the Lamb. All of it. All of it. Not about theories, not about this creed or this aspect of theology, but about the Lamb. Not about moralisms, not about reformations, but about the Lamb.

That's what the book's about. If we would sing praise to our God, If we would come before God and lift our voices to Him, every song we sing must be about the Lamb. Not about me, not about what I do, but about Him and what He's done. Not about me and my feelings, but about Him and His grace and goodness.

If we would worship God, everything in this assembly, everything we do as a body of believers must have its center in Christ the Lamb of God. Everything. Everything else is mockery of the Lamb. everything else. Any other preaching, any other worship, any other religious activity is just to mock the Lamb.

Now this evening I want to show you two things. First, I'll talk to you a little bit about the revelation of the Lamb, and then the benefits of the Lamb. Let me show you a seven-fold revelation of the Lamb. Now I realize that somebody else may come up with other numbers they could add to this. Somebody might have less. But I find in the scriptures, as I've looked through them this week, seven particular purposes for which the Lamb was given, both in the type and pictures of the Old Testament and in the full revelation of the New Testament.

Let's begin in Leviticus chapter 16. Leviticus, chapter 16. Here is instruction given for the children of Israel on the Day of Atonement. In Leviticus, chapter 16, and verse 9, we see a lamb for the Lord. Remember, Aaron is commanded to take two And in verse 9, Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the Lord's lot fell, and offer him for a sin offering. This is the lamb that was set aside for God himself. This is the paschal lamb who was to be offered in sacrifice to God for the sins of the children of Israel.

Now I begin here because this is the place where we must begin. You see, before God can do anything for a man, Before God can do anything for the sinner, before God can do anything for us, he had to do something for himself. He had to have something, someone, to satisfy his justice. Before God could pour out his mercy toward us, before he could be gracious to us, before he could forgive our sin, before he could justify us, he had to have satisfaction for his justice. Because God's holiness demands that sin must be punished.

And so Christ The Passover lamb who was sacrificed for us is here pictured by this lamb who was selected for the Lord. This lamb upon which the Lord's lap fell was to be sacrificed for the atonement of the sins of the people. This is what's going to happen. There's one coming whose blood shall satisfy justice for the offended law of God, and God will meet with sinners in this Passover lamb by virtue of his blood. All right, now turn to Genesis chapter 4. Genesis chapter 4 is the first mention we have of a lamb. In Genesis the fourth chapter, I'm fairly certain that the first Lamb mentioned in scripture, though not called by name, was over in chapter 3.

Adam and Eve had sinned against God. Adam and Eve made fig leaves to cover their nakedness, attempting to hide from the Lord. And when God came and exposed their sin, he stripped away the fig leaves and he killed an innocent victim. and made clothes for Adam and Eve out of the skins of that animal.

I suspect that was a lamb. I don't remember, but I suspect that's the case. I know this. The first blood shed in the world was shed by the hand of God to clothe a naked pair. An innocent lamb or an innocent victim was slain for a guilty couple, Adam and Eve. Whatever the case may be there.

Here in Genesis chapter 4, Abel had learned something. Cain and Abel were coming to worship the Lord God. And when Cain came before the Lord, he brought the fruit of the ground. He brought something he had raised in his garden. Brother Scott Richardson began to milk this thing.

One time we were at a conference down in Rocky Mount, Virginia and he said, you know what Abel brought or what Cain brought to the Lord? Of course nobody knew what Cain brought to the Lord. And nobody was going to be done with that to answer that question as a leader, you know. He said, I know what it was. He brought turnips. You can't get blood out of a turnip, he said.

And that's pretty good theology. But what he's saying here is that Cain brought to the Lord something that was the produce of his hand in cooperation with God. Now, Cain couldn't raise anything in that garden without the sunshine and rain that God gave. It wasn't something that Cain just went out and said, now, my work's good enough for God. But he put his hand with God's hand and said, this is good enough. Oh, but Cain didn't understand anything his hand touched was polluting.

Abel came, however, having learned from his father Adam that he must come to God with a blood sacrifice. Read with me in verse 1. Adam knew his wife, and she conceived and bare Cain, and said, I've gotten a man from the Lord. And she again bare his brother Abel, and Abel was a keeper of the sheep, but Cain was a teller of the ground. And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain bought of the fruits of the ground an offering unto the Lord.

Well that would be pretty good, wouldn't it? No. He bought his own works as a sacrifice that he expected God to accept. That's the problem. He expected God to accept him on the basis of something he had done. And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock, and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel in his offering, for unto Cain in his offering he had not respect." What's that mean? The Lord God looked upon Abel's sacrifice as a type of the Lamb of God who was to come.

Abel believed God, and he came to God through the merit of a blood sacrifice with faith in Jesus Christ, and the blood of Abel speaks better things than that of Cain. Cain killed his brother. because he could not endure the fact that Abel worshipped God on the basis of blood atonement and free grace, and Cain came to worship God with his works, and he was rejected. God always rejects those who worship on the basis of their works.

Now you listen to me, listen carefully. It doesn't matter what you mix with the blood of Christ. It doesn't matter how much you mix with the blood of Christ. If you mix anything with Jesus Christ for acceptance with God, God will never accept you. He'll never do it.

You can't come to God and believe on Christ and say, I believe God and I trust the Son of God and I know He's going to accept me because I believe Christ and I read my Bible every day. Oh no, that makes your Bible reading competing with the blood of Christ. God won't have that. I know God will accept me because I believe on Jesus and I've been faithful in church all my life. Oh no, God will not have that.

If you be circumcised, if you do anything by which you hope for acceptance with God, it will profit you nothing and Christ will profit you nothing. Cain rebelled against God. He refused to come to God on the basis of free grace through the blood of an innocent victim. He says no, I won't do that. And God wouldn't have him. God wouldn't accept it. And because he was self-righteous, he persecuted Abel and killed his brother who came to God on the basis of free grace through blood atonement.

Thirdly, turn to Exodus chapter 12. Exodus chapter 12 and verse 3. Here's a broader picture. Here's a lamb for a house. When Moses was given commandment concerning the deliverance of the children of Israel, God said, speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying in the tenth day of this month, they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for a house. Every father in the nation of Israel was responsible to get a lamb and bring that lamb home for his family and sprinkle the blood of that lamb upon the doorpost and the lintel of his house for the saving of his household. Now what on earth does that mean?

We recognize and understand that grace does not run in bloodlines. Our sons and daughters have absolutely no claim upon God's grace because they're our sons and daughters. The fact that we believe Christ does not in any way necessitate the salvation of our children. It does not in any way. Our faith in Christ cannot be passed along to our sons and daughters.

Understand that. We cannot believe God as sponsors for our children. We can't do it. That's one of the problems with infant baptism and the folks dedicating babies when they bring them to the church and they promise they'll raise them and believe God for those children. You can't believe God for those children. You can't stand as a sponsor for those children. Only Christ can stand as a sponsor for sinners before God. So the grace of God does not run in bloodlines and we cannot believe God for our children.

And yet we are responsible, particularly You and I who are fathers are responsible to bring the Lamb of God home to our households. We're responsible to. We're responsible to. It is my responsibility. It has been my responsibility for 26 years as a man to act as a priest in my house. and bring the Lamb of God to the door of my house and instruct my family in the truth of God. That's my responsibility. It's been my responsibility to teach my daughter the truth and to raise her in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

And you, me, and her fathers, that's your responsibility. You may not like that. You may say, well, I'll let my wife handle that. I'm telling you, it's your responsibility and you will not be excused in the day of judgment. We must assume that responsibility that God's given us. And we are also responsible to believe God on behalf of our families.

Now understand the difference. You can't believe God for your children, but you can sure believe God on their behalf. You sure can. You sure can. Take your sons and daughters and mine. The sons and daughters of this assembly, the sons and daughters of our family and friends, bring them to the Lord God and believe God on their behalf. Let me give you an illustration.

There was a man by the name of Jairus, whose daughter was sick. And he came and sought the Lord Jesus to come and heal his daughter. And the Lord Jesus saw his faith. You know what he did? He went home with Jairus to heal his daughter. That's right. There was a Syro-Phoenician woman, a Gentile woman, who came and cried for mercy. And the Lord ignored her and the disciples tried to send her away. And they finally said, Lord, she's bothering us. And the Lord turned to her and said, I'm not sent but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

And she said, I understand that. That's all right. But it's alright for the dogs to get some crumbs from the master's table, isn't it? And the Lord said, I've never seen such faith as this. Be it unto you even as you will. You know what she wanted? She said, Lord, my daughter, my daughter is grievously wretched to the devil. She believed God on behalf of her daughter.

And you and I, who are born of God, are responsible under God, not only to bring the land to our households, but to bring our households to the land, and to leave God on their behalf. So that we make it our business to seek God's grace for those for whom we are responsible. Oh now, please don't misunderstand, I don't mean that in a selfish way, I don't mean that in any kind of a self-centered way. I want to be just as earnest and concerned for your family rather than for mine. But still, you're responsible for your family, and I'm responsible for mine. And we must believe God on their behalf. We must do so. All right.

Fourthly, turn to Exodus 29. Exodus chapter 29 and verse 38. Here we see the blood of a lamb poured out at the door of the tabernacle, and it was a lamb for an elect nation. Exodus 29 and verse 38. Now this is that which thou shalt offer upon the altar, two lambs of the first year, day by day continually. The one lamb thou shalt offer in the morning, and the other lamb thou shalt offer at evening. Look in verse 43.

And there will I meet with the children of Israel, and the tabernacle shall be sanctified by my glory. Here is a lamb for a chosen people, the nation of Israel. The lamb was offered specifically for them. They and they alone receive the benefits and the blessings of the lamb being sacrificed.

And I want you to understand, I keep trying to hammer away at it, I understand and I realize that we're in the minority in this religious world and I understand that most people have no understanding at all of what Jesus Christ did when he died at Calvary. But the Lord Jesus Christ died for a chosen people, an elect nation, not that nation over in Palestine, but for the Israel of God. and he effectually redeemed every one of that elect nation. Now that's glorious gospel truth. The Lord Jesus did not simply make it possible for us to be saved, but he the Lamb of God was sacrificed for an elect people and by his blood we have been redeemed and God meets with us in Jesus Christ the Lord and accepts us for Christ's sake.

We are the tabernacle and temple of God. and were sanctified by his glory, by the revelation of his glory in the redemptive work of Christ Jesus. Fifthly, let's turn back to John 1 29. John chapter 1 verse 29. John says, Here behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world. Now here is the Lamb, the Lamb of God for the world. But Don, you just said Christ died for an elect nation.

You can't have it both ways. I beg to differ. I can too, because God does. I certainly can. The Lamb of God died for and redeemed God's elect among the Gentiles as well as the Jews. Men and women of every race, of every place, of every clime, of every time, men and women of every category imaginable, so that we carry the gospel to people everywhere and proclaim the Lamb of God who has sacrificed himself for the sins of his people wherever they are in all the world.

You understand that? You understand what's meant by the word world here? It's not talking about everybody in the world. There's not even a remote possibility that that's the case. But rather it's talking about God's elect, wherever they are throughout the whole world, Jew and Gentile alike.

One Lamb for all men. We come to God now by faith in Christ the Lamb. Just exactly the same way Abel did. You mean Preacher Abel was saved the same way we are? You got it right. You got it right. You mean he believed the same Savior we do? That's right. You mean there's no difference in how God saved Abel and how God saves us? That's exactly what the book says. We're saved by the same grace, all saved in the same Redeemer, all accepted in the beloved, and that's the whole about acceptance. And all who are in him, all who are in the Lamb of God, are one in him.

In this world, harmony of people, unity of people, is an absolute impossibility. It's an absolute impossibility. It seems utterly impossible for folks of means not to look down their nose on folks who have or for folks who have less not to be envious of folks who have more. It seems just impossible. It appears to me an utter impossibility for blacks and whites to possibly get along in this world and have no prejudice at all. It's just an utter impossibility. It seems utterly impossible for us to exist without pride of race and pride of place and pride of face.

We're such proud, hideously proud creatures. But in Christ the Lamb, we're one. I mean really, we're one. Or in the kingdom of God, in the church and kingdom of God, there's an equality. There's an equality. Regrettably, it's not perfect yet, but it's real. And we're one with our brethren, one in Christ Jesus the Lord.

In Christ, neither male nor female. There's neither bond nor free. There's neither Jew nor Gentile. There's neither barbarian nor Scythian. There's neither educated nor uneducated. Now that doesn't mean that when a fellow is born of God, suddenly he loses his education or he gets one. It doesn't mean that suddenly a fellow ceases to be a Jew or a Gentile. It doesn't mean that suddenly people are no longer men and women. That's nonsense. What it means is nothing matters. All these outward social distinctions are irrelevant.

William crashed the lamb. This is a lamb, men. One lamb for all men throughout all the world. Believe on him. And this lamb died for you. Now then, turn to Revelation chapter 7. Revelation chapter 7. There's a lamb for God. a lamb for a man in Genesis 4, a lamb for a family, for a household in Exodus 12, a lamb for a nation, a lamb for the world. Now here in Revelation 7 and verse 14, here is the lamb for heaven.

Now said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, these are they which came out of great tribulation. and have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. The only way on this earth you or I will ever enter into God's presence in heaven is if we by faith wash our filthy garments in the blood of Christ the Lamb. and we must do so personally, we must do so experimentally, we must do so by faith.

It is not sufficient, now listen to me, it is not sufficient merely that Christ died for me, I must believe him. That's right, it's not sufficient merely that God chose me, I must believe him. if not sufficient mirror that the Holy Spirit has regenerated me, I must believe God.

And don't ever neglect that issue of responsibility. If you would enter into glory, you must wash your garments in the blood of the Lamb. That's an act of faith. Now I grant, all who are redeemed by Christ, called by the Spirit, born by the Spirit, all of them, who are chosen of God, shall indeed believe God. But believe God you must. Will you now wash today in the blood of the Lamb? I do again. I confess my sins, and the blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, cleanseth thee from all my sins.

Now the glory, the delight, the happiness, and the fullness of heaven is in this Lamb, the Lamb of God, who alone is the way of access to heaven. Look in chapter 5 of Revelation, in verse 9. As you read through the book of Revelation and you read about heaven's glory, everything seems to be just centers around the Lamb in the midst of the throne. Everything.

Here in chapter 5, verse 9, they sung a new song. And this is what they said, thou art worthy to take the book and to open the seals thereof, for thou wast slain and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood. Now look at the next two words. Ara. not along with but out of every kindred and tongue and people and nation and has made us under our God kings and priests and we shall reign on the earth.

And I beheld and heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beast and the elders and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands of thousands and this is what they said with a loud voice worthy is the lamb that was slain. Christ Jesus is the glory. He's the delight. He's the happiness of heaven itself. The lamb, Christ Jesus, brings us to glory, and he's the fullness of glory. One last thing.

Look in chapter 6, in verse 16 of Revelation, and we see the Lord Jesus Christ in another light as the lamb of judgment. cry for the rocks and mountains to fall upon them, and said to the mountains and rocks, fall on us and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb. For terror seizes the hearts of men who have despised the Lamb of God, for in the sea the Lamb of God with the sword of justice to destroy them.

You see, in the day of judgment, the basis of judgment, the basis upon which God will be with your soul forever, is the Lamb. That's the basis of everything. If you're in the Lamb, God will reward you according to the righteousness of the Lamb with everlasting glory. If you're not in the Lamb, God will send you to hell. according to the basis of your own filthy sins before his sight. You understand that? The basis of judgment is the Lamb. And the judge will be the Lamb. God's appointed a day when he's going to judge the world by that man who's ordained Jesus Christ the Lord. And the executioner of justice will be the Lamb.

Now briefly, Let me remind you of the benefits of this lamb. I can't begin to enumerate them, let much less describe them. Let me just throw them out to you and you take them along while you lay on your pillow tonight. If God will enable you to behold the lamb, meditate on these things. Like Abel, we're accepted with the lamb. Oh, glory. Abel brought the blood of the Lamb. God said, I'll take you. I'll take you. I come to God with the blood of the Lamb. Do you? Do you right now come to God by faith in Christ, the Lamb of God? Then understand this. We're accepted in the new life. Accepted in the Lamb.

Like the children of Israel, we have been saved by the blood of the lamb. When that Passover lamb was slain, the firstborn in the house of Israel, every one of the firstborn was saved from death, saved from judgment. And every one of us who believe God, every one of us upon whom the blood of Christ has been sprinkled by the Spirit's grace, every one of us to whom blood has been applied, we are delivered from death. by the blood of the Lamb, saved by God's free grace in Christ Jesus the Lord. Like the Jews of old, we feed upon Christ the Paschal Lamb too. They not only had the blood applied to the doors, they fed upon the Lamb.

And our Savior said, this is life. If you eat my flesh and drink my blood, you have eternal life. What does that mean? That means if you take Christ's righteousness and his blood to be yours by faith, you have eternal life and you feed upon him. Oh, how our souls are nourished and strengthened as we feed upon the sacrifice of our Redeemer. He is indeed the bread of life to our souls.

Like those Jews who saw the scapegoat Carrying in tight their sins off into the wilderness. A fit man takes a scapegoat upon whose head the sins of Israel had been imputed and there they go. Walking off, folks watching. Pretty soon just two dots out on the horizon and then nothing. In a little while, here comes one dot coming back over the horizon. That fit man, the scapegoat, has been left in the wilderness. And we beholding Christ, going into the tomb, carrying our sins in his own body on the cursed tree. He's buried in the tomb. And then we see him rising again without sin. And we see our sins carried away by the Lamb of God. all together taken away.

Moreover, the Lamb, the Lamb of God is our guide, and we follow him whithersoever he goes. Believers do. They follow his word, they follow his will, they follow the direction of his spirit, they follow his example, they just follow Christ. And we shall one day at last overcome by the blood of the Lamb. Look here in Revelation 12, Revelation chapter 12 in verse 11. Listen to this description of God's saints.

And they overcame him, that is, they overcame Satan, the dragon, the devil, they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb. And by the word of their testimony, and they love not their lives even unto death. Now that means, like us, if you're his and I'm his, we're going to overcome Satan and everything hell throws in our way by the blood of the Lamb. Is blood sufficient to carry us through? and to bring us at last into glory.

Now, let me just read some scripture to you and I'll let Ron lead us in hymn and we'll observe the Lord's table. Turn to Revelation 21. And understand that the Lamb of God will indeed be the light, the glory, and the joy of heaven. Verse 22. John's describing what he saw when the new Jerusalem, heaven was revealed to him, the heavenly estate. I saw no temple therein, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. And the city had no need of the sun, neither the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God did lighten it. and the lamb is the light thereof.

And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it, and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honor unto it. And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day, for there shall be no night there, and they shall bring the glory and honor of the nations into it.

There shall in no wise enter into it anything that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination or maketh a lie. that they which are written in the Lamb's book of life. And he showed me a pure river, a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bared twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nation.

There shall be no curse, no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in him, and his servants shall serve him, and they shall see his face. And they shall see his face. Oh, what a blessed apostle. We shall see his face. Whose face? The face of the Lamb. The Lamb of God slain from the foundation of the world. The Lamb of God portrayed in all the sacrifices of the Old Testament. The Lamb of God who actually died for us at Calvary. The Lamb of God who intercedes for us in glory. We'll see his face. See his face in his name. That is, he will stamp his stamp of approval on you and me in the merits of his blood and his righteousness. Amen.

The Lamb of God In All The Scriptures

What does the Bible say about the Lamb of God?

How do we know the doctrine of the Lamb is true?

Why is knowing the Lamb of God important for Christians?

What benefits do Christians receive from the Lamb of God?

Sermon Transcript

About Don Fortner

Comments

Articles

Featured Authors

Podcast

Sermons

Featured Preachers

Books

Browse by Format

Music

Recent Comments

About

Legal

Subscribe

Account

Articles

Featured Authors

Podcast

Recent Comments

Sermons

Featured Preachers

Books

Browse by Format

Collections

Music

About

Legal

Subscribe

The Lamb of God In All The Scriptures

What does the Bible say about the Lamb of God?

How do we know the doctrine of the Lamb is true?

Why is knowing the Lamb of God important for Christians?

What benefits do Christians receive from the Lamb of God?

Sermon Transcript

About Don Fortner

Comments

More from Don Fortner

Related Sermons

Same Scripture

Articles by Don Fortner

Books by Don Fortner

Where this book stands in the tradition

Plato

Augustine

The Western Christian Tradition

This Book