John chapter one. Tonight, I'm going to be speaking
on this subject, help for unbelief. When John the Baptist said, behold,
the lamb of God, He fulfilled the preacher's mission and purpose. Behold, sometimes translated,
lo, lo, the Lamb of God, carrying with it the idea of surprise
and wonderment. Lo, the Lamb of God. the Lamb of God. Look upon the
Lamb of God and keep looking. Don't look at yourself. Don't look at your works. Don't
look at your good works. Don't look at your bad works
right now. Behold the Lamb of God. Don't look at your faith. Don't look at your feelings. The Lamb of God. Now, where were the snake-bitten
Israelites called upon to look? They were to look at that serpent on a pole. They weren't called
upon to look at their wounds. They weren't called upon to look
at the snakes crawling around. You can see where they would,
wouldn't you? What can I do to prevent myself from getting bit for these
snakes? But they were not called upon to look at the snakes. They
were called to look upon the brazen serpent on a pole. And the scripture says, behold,
everyone that looked, everyone that looked was healed, lived. Behold the Lamb of God, John
said, which taketh away the sins of the world. Question, who and
what is meant by the world? When he says, behold the Lamb
of God, which taketh away the sin and the sins of the world,
the sin of the world. Well, you know, it's really very
simple. He meant Gentiles as well as Jew. That simple. He covered every
demographic. Remember that passage in Revelation
chapter 5 verse 19 when it says thou has redeemed us to God by
thy blood out of every kindred, tongue, tribe, and nation. Every
demographic is covered by the world. It doesn't mean all men
without exception, because if he took away the sins of all
men without exception, all men without exception would be saved.
All sin would be gone. There would be no judgment. There
would be no hell. Now understand, somebody that
says that Jesus Christ shed his blood for all men without exception
does not preach the gospel. By the world is Jew and Gentile,
poor and rich, white and black, bond and free, educated and uneducated. It just covers everybody. God
so loved the world. that he gave his only begotten
son that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but
have everlasting life. Now, if elephants were on the
verge of extinction and then they were saved from extinction,
we would say elephants have been saved. Now, nobody would think,
well, that means all elephants without exception have been saved.
But we would say elephants had been saved. God so loved the
world. Behold the Lamb of God, which
taketh away the sin of the world. Now, I'm interested in having
my sin taken away, aren't you? There's nothing I can do to make
it go away. There's nothing I can do to put
it away, but I sure am interested in having my sin taken away. Now, my marginal reading, if
you have a King James version, my marginal reading says he beareth
the sin of the world. He beareth, this word is sometimes
translated, beareth. On the cross, Christ was a sin
bearer. Who his own self, the scripture
says, bear our sins in his own body on the tree. A sin bearer. Second Corinthians
5.21. says, For he hath made him to
be sin, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness
of God in him. Now, when our Lord was hanging
on the cross, he was not simply bearing the punishment of our
sins. The scripture says he bear our
sins. Now, my sin, the sin of every
believer, was lifted off of them and placed upon him so that he
himself bore my sin. Now, if it's on Christ, you know
what? It's not on me. Sin can't be two places at once.
My sin was taken off me and placed upon the Lord Jesus Christ. And
that's why he died. He was guilty. My sin became
his sin. And he bore our sins, the scripture
says, in his own body on the tree. The sins of the elect were
lifted off them and laid upon Christ. The scripture says the
Lord hath laid upon him the iniquity of us all. But not only did he bear them,
He took them away. I love the way the scripture
says, behold, the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of
the world. He took them away, where'd they
go? Well, wherever that place is, that as far as the east is
from the west is. That's where he took them. The word is also
translated, removed. He removed. the sin of the world.
He carried away the sin of the world. The same word is used
with regard to that one who, when the Lord fell beneath the
weight of his cross, Simon of Cyrene carried the cross, the
same word. He carried away the sin of the
world. First John, chapter three, verse
five says he was manifested to take away our sins. Now, I want to ask you a real
simple question. I ask you this all the time. Did he do it? Did he actually take away sins? Behold the Lamb of God, which
taketh away the sins of the world. Yes, he did. And in him is no
sin. Now, it was said of the scapegoat
in Leviticus chapter 16 on the Day of Atonement that he would
bear upon him all their iniquities. and take them to a land not inhabited. I love that. A land not inhabited.
Where's that? I don't know. It's not inhabited.
It's gone. Nobody knows where it is. Never
to come back again because sin is blotted out and destroyed. It is no more so that God says
regarding the sins of all his people, their sins and their
iniquities. Well, I remember no Now, where
remission of these is, I love that, don't you? Where remission
of these is, there's no more offering for sin. Don't dare
try to bring an offering for sin. Behold the Lamb of God,
which taketh away the sin of the world. When he had by himself
purged our sins, he sat down. the right hand of the majesty
on high from henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his
footstool. Now behold the Lamb of God. Wouldn't
it be a blessing of inestimable, inestimable, however you say
it, value if the Lord would allow us to behold the Lamb of God. Now I want to look at a few scriptures.
Turn with me to Revelation chapter 13. Verse eight. And all that dwell upon the earth
shall worship him. This beast, all that dwell upon
the earth, shall worship him, this man of iniquity, whose names
are not written in the book of life of the lamb slain from the
foundation of the world. Now that reads literally, the
Lamb, not who would be slain, who will be slain, but the Lamb
having been slain from the foundation of the world. Now, there was
a time when all this material existence wasn't here. All there
was was God. There was no time. I know we
can't understand this. We're creatures of time and we
can't understand eternity. But there was a time when there
was no time. All there was was God in the glorious Trinity of
the three persons of the Godhead. And even then, Christ was the
Lamb having been slain. Before there was ever a sinner,
there was a Savior. And always my only salvation
is the Lamb slain. God's elect have always been
viewed in the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
What was the subject of eternity past? The Lamb having been slain
from the foundation of the world. You know that is so glorious. Then, like now, Christ crucified
was and is everything. Our first parents, Adam and Eve,
sinned against God and hurled our race into spiritual death. They ran from God's presence.
They used to love God, but they don't love him anymore. Wherever
he is, they want to be away from him. They hide from his presence,
hiding their shame with aprons of fig leaves they made for themselves.
And we read where the voice of God came walking in the cool
of the evening, the Lord Jesus Christ, and said, Adam, where
are you? I hope the Lord asks each one
of us that question right now. Where are you? Where are you? Now he wasn't doing it because
he didn't know. He was showing Adam where he was. And you know
what he did at that time? He preached the gospel. The Lord
Jesus Christ is the voice of God walking in the cool of the
evening. He preached the gospel to Adam and Eve. He said, the
seed of woman myself shall crush the serpent's head. And then
we had the first blood shedding. He shed the blood of a lamb and
removed those fig leaves of human righteousness and covered them
with the blood of that lamb. Behold, the lamb of God, my covering
from my sin. In Genesis 4, The very first
event recorded after the fall, we have the story of Cain and
Abel. Two men that represent the only two kind of men there
are, saved and unsaved, righteous and wicked. Two men. Cain brought the fruit of his
works, fruit from the ground that he'd worked hard for. Abel
brought a slain lamb. You know what the scripture says? I'm quoting this, God had respect
to Abel and to his offering. But to Cain and his offering,
he had no respect. God had respect to Abel. That offering he brought pointed
to that offering who was to come, the lamb slain from the foundation
of the world. And God had respect. The living God respects that
one covered in the blood. But to Cain and his offering,
there was no respect. And you know what? There was
an argument that took place after that. And what was the issue? Why were they arguing? Cain was
wroth when God had no respect for his offering. His feelings
were hurt. He was upset. He was offended.
And he had a discussion with Abel about it. You know what
that discussion was about? It was about the blood. Holy Abel says to Cain,
there's no way you can approach God except apart from a sacrifice.
We're sinful. We can't come into God's presence.
We're looking to the Lamb who shall come. Cain says, blood,
I'll show you blood. And thus we have the first Christian
martyr and the issue was the blood of the lamb of God. God, turn to Genesis 22. I want you to see this. Verse one, and it came to pass
after these things that God did tempt Abraham and said unto him,
Abraham. And he said, behold, here am I. And he said, take now thy son,
thy only son, Isaac, whom thou lovest. and get thee into the
land of Moriah and offer him there for a burnt offering upon
one of the mountains, which I shall tell thee of. And Abraham rose
up early in the morning and saddled his ass and took of his young
men with him and Isaac, his son, and claimed the wood for the
burnt offering and rose up and went into the place of which
God had told him. Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his
eyes and saw the place afar off. And Abraham said unto his young
men, Abide ye here with the ass, and I and the lad will go yonder
and worship and come again to you. Now was he lying? Was he
telling these fellows a lie to keep them from, preventing him
from putting his son to death? He said, I am the lad. God said,
you go offer him up as a burnt offering. He had full intention
to kill him and to offer him up as a burnt offering. But you
know, God had promised the Messiah was going to come through that
boy. And Abraham believed God and he knew if he did kill him,
God would raise him from the dead. Now, if he would have said,
no, I can't kill him because then God's promise wouldn't take
place. All he would prove by that is he didn't believe God,
but he believed that God would raise him from the dead. So he
wasn't lying when he said that to these fellas. We're going
to go worship and we'll come back to you. Verse six, and Abraham
took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it upon Isaac, his son. And he took the fire in his hand
and a knife, and they went both of them together. You remember
some other time when one carried the wood that was to be used
for his own execution up a mountain? Oh, what a glorious type of the
gospel. Verse seven. And Isaac spake unto Abraham
his father and said, My father. And he said, Here am I, my son.
And he said, Behold, the fire and the wood. But where is the
lamb? for a burnt offering. You know,
regarding every sermon you hear preached, this is the question
we better be asking. Where is the lamb? Where is the
lamb for a burnt offering? We got the wood. We got the fire,
we got the ingredients, but where is the lamb? He knew a lamb had
to be offered. And look at Abraham's response.
And Abraham said, my son, verse eight, God will provide himself
a lamb for a burnt offering. I say with joy, God does the providing. There
isn't anything me or you could provide that God would accept.
And if you think he could accept something that came from you,
you show what a high opinion you have of yourself and what
a low opinion you have of God. God is the one who does the providing. God provides for himself. For God to do anything for me
or you, he first had to do something for himself. God provides for
himself. He had to provide for himself.
He had to make a way to be just and justify somebody ungodly
like me or you. And he provides for himself.
He provided for his own justice. He provided for his own satisfaction.
You see, for God to do something for me or you, he has to do something
for himself. God shall provide himself as
the Lamb. Behold God the Lamb. God will provide himself as the
lamb for the burnt offering. Behold the lamb of God, which
taketh away the sins of the world. God is going to pass through
the land of Egypt and destroy the firstborn. But the children
of Israel were to take a lamb without blemish and without spot. a male of the first year, and
it was to be slain and roasted in fire and eaten. And they were to take its blood
and strike it on the lintel of the doorposts of the house. And
God said, it's one of my favorite scriptures, Exodus 12, 13, when
I see the blood, I will pass over you. What was God looking for? He didn't say, when I see your
faith, he didn't say, when I see your knowledge, he didn't say,
when I see your works, one thing he was looking for only one. He said, when I see the blood
who had to see it, he didn't say, when you see the
blood, He said, when I see the blood, and notice the certainty
of all of this. When I see the blood, God says,
I will pass over you. Behold, the Lamb of God, which
taketh away the sin of the world. You know, in the scriptures,
in the Israel, in the Old Testament, do you know a lamb was slain
every morning and every evening? called the morning sacrifice
and the evening sacrifice. Every morning and every evening. You think of the thousands of
lambs that were slain, but that lets us know that we begin with
the blood of the lamb and we end with the blood of the lamb. There's the lamb of Isaiah 53
who opened not his mouth. He is brought as a lamb to the
slaughter and as a sheep before her shears is done. So openeth
he not his mouth. Why didn't he open his mouth?
I know. Now, listen to me. I know myself
enough to know if I if I'm accused of something and I didn't do
it, I'm not going to say I'm going to protect myself. I didn't
do it. I didn't do it. I'm not guilty.
But if I'm guilty, If I'm caught red-handed and I'm guilty, you
know what I'm going to do? I'm not saying anything. You
know why the Lord didn't open his mouth? Because he's guilty. He's guilty. So he opened not
his mouth. He's brought as a lamb to the
slaughter and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb. When he didn't open his mouth
before Pilate, there was one reason, guilty as charged. And when John said, behold, the
Lamb of God, he's saying all these lambs in the Old Testament
point to this Lamb, the Lamb of God, which taketh away the
sin of the world. Now behold, the Lamb of God nailed
to the cross. He's there because He's guilty.
Now I want you to listen to this prayer He prayed. He said, Father,
forgive them, for they know not what they do. Now let me ask
you a question. Was that some kind of generic
prayer? Or did the Father forgive everybody He prayed for? Remember when he said, I pray
not for the world, but for them which you've given me, for they
are thine. You see, the Lamb of God, when
he prayed, the Father heard what he prayed. Hear him cry out from
the cross as the Lamb of God, my God, my God, why has thou
forsaken me? because he took my sins and my
sorrows and he made them his very own. He bore the burden
to Calvary and suffered and died alone. When he cried, it is finished,
behold, the Lamb of God, which has taken away the sins of the
world, took them away. He took them away. Peter said,
You know that you are not redeemed with corruptible things such
as silver and gold from your vain conversation, which you
received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious
blood of Christ as of a lamb without blemish and without spot,
who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world,
but now is manifest in these last times for you. For you. Do you rejoice in the Lamb of
God? He was manifest for you. Are you somebody right now who
all your hope is found in the blood of the Lamb? Is that you? He was manifest for you. Turn to Revelation 5. I love all the references to
the Lamb in the book of Revelation. Verse 1, 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. Now this book represents
all of God's purposes and decrees. can't be added to, front and
back, totally full, sealed with seven seals. Verse two, and I
saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, who is worthy
to open the book and to loose the seals thereof? And no man
in heaven nor on earth, neither under the earth was able to open
the book, neither to look thereon. 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 saith unto
me, weep not. Behold, the lion of the tribe
of Judah, the root of David, hath prevailed to open the book,
and to loose the seven seals thereof. And I beheld, and lo,
in the midst of the throne, and of the four beasts, and in midst
of the elders, stood a lamb as it had been slain. having seven horns, all powerful,
seven eyes, all knowing, which are the seven spirits of God
sent forth into all the earth. And he came, I was looking for
a lion. You know what I saw? I saw a lion. As it had been
slain. Now, don't think of a bloody
lamb with horns and wool. This is talking about the Lord
Jesus Christ in his glorified body, showing his wounds, his
scars. And he came to him that sat upon
the throne. And he didn't ask for the book.
He took the book as equal with the Father. He took the book
with the names of his people written therein. Verse 7, 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 the four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb,
having every one of them harps and golden vials full of odors,
which are the prayers of the saints. And they sung a new song,
saying, 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 every kindred and tongue and
people and nation and has made us into 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 thrones and the beasts and
the elders and the number of them was ten thousand times ten
thousand and thousands of thousands 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. That's
the song of heaven. Worthy is the lamb that was slain. Turn to Revelation 12. Verse
7. And there was war in heaven. Michael, his name means he who
is God, the Lord Jesus Christ, and his angels fought against
the dragon. And the dragon fought in his
angels and prevailed not, neither was their place anymore in heaven.
And the great dragon. was cast out, that old serpent
called the devil and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world. He
was cast out into the earth and his angels were cast out with
him. And I heard a loud voice. Here's another one of those loud
voices in heaven saying in heaven, now has come salvation and strength
and the kingdom of our God and the power of Christ for the accuser
of our brethren. What a name for the devil, the
accuser of our brethren. I know his voice. I know his
voice. How could you be saved? How could you be saved? With
the thoughts that run through your heart, with the things that
you do? He accuses them to God. And is anything he says false?
Any accusation he makes against you, would it be wrong? Would
it be untrue? He's called the accuser. The
accuser. of the brethren. Now look what
it says. Verse 10, for the power, for the accuser of our brethren
is cast down, which accused them before God day and night, and
they overcame him. How? By the blood of the lamb. That's the only answer I need.
They overcame him. All of his accusations were silenced.
This is what the blood of the lamb does. It silences every
accusation. Who shall lay anything to the
charge of God's elect? It's God that justifies. Who
is he that condemns? It's Christ that died, yea, rather
that's risen again, who's even at the right hand of God, who
also maketh intercession for us. Turn to Revelation 14. And I looked, and lo, a lamb
stood on the Mount Zion, and with him an hundred and forty-four
thousand, having his father's name written in their foreheads."
Now, this is an exact number. It's a large number. It represents
God's elect. This is not some special 144,000
that'll be in heaven, and then the kind of inferior saints are
down. This is all of God's people, all who believe, a great number.
And look how they're described. And I heard a voice from heaven
as the voice of many waters, as the voice of a great thunder.
And I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps. And
they sang as it were a new song before the throne and before
the four beasts and the elders. And no man could learn that song,
but the 144,000, which were redeemed from the earth. These are they which are not
defiled with women for their virgins. These are they which
follow the lamb, whether so ever he goeth. These were redeemed
from among men, being the first fruits unto God and to the lamb.
And in their mouth was found no guile, no deceit, for they
are without fault before the throne of God. Revelation 17. Verse 13, these have one mind.
They're all of one purpose, and they shall give their power and
strength unto the beast. 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, chosen,
and faithful. Revelation 19. Verse 7. Let us be glad and rejoice
and give honor to him for the marriage of the land is come. And his wife had made herself
ready and to her was granted graciously bestowed that she
should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white for the fine
linen is the righteousness of saints. You see, the righteousness
of Christ is the righteousness of saints. Verse nine, and he
said unto me, right, blessed are they which are called. unto
the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, these are
the true sayings of God. Revelation 21, beginning in verse
22. John is talking about his side
of heaven, and he said in verse 22, and I saw no temple therein,
for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.
You know, the Lamb's the temple. He's who we dwell in. He's our
dwelling place. Verse 23, And the city had no
need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it. For the
glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. The Lamb of God is the light
as to how God can love me and how God can accept me through
the blood of the Lamb. No other way but the blood of
the Lamb. and the city, or verse 24, 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
into 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, and there shall no wise enter
in anything that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination,
or maketh a lie, but they which are written in the land's book
of life. Let's go on reading chapter 22.
And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as a
crystal proceeding out of the throne of God and of the lamb. And in the midst of the street
of it on either side of the river was the tree of life, which bear
12 manor fruits and yielded her fruit every month. And the leaves
of the tree were for the healing of the nations and there should
be no more curse. But the throne of God and of
the Lamb, the throne of God and the throne of the Lamb, the same
thing, shall be in it. And his servants shall serve
him, and they shall see his face, and his name shall be in their
foreheads. And there shall be no night there,
they need no candle, neither light of the sun, for the Lord
God giveth them light, and they shall reign forever. Now, what
is God's word to me and to you? Behold. Look upon. Keep looking. Behold the Lamb of God, which
taketh away the sins of the world. Beloved, if you behold the Lamb
of God, Your sins have been taken away. You don't bear them anymore. They're gone. They're separated
from you as far as the East is from the West. Behold, the Lamb
of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. Let's pray
together.