This morning for our Bible study,
please turn to 1 Peter chapter 1 and begin reading at verse
18. For as much as you know that
you were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from
your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers,
but with the precious blood of Christ as of a lamb. A Lamb without
blemish and without spot. And this Lamb of God, we read
about here, was foreordained, verily, truly foreordained before
the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last
times, or these last days, for you. Now the subject this morning
that I want to bring before you, and bring a message to you, is
about the Lamb of God. were redeemed with the precious
blood of Christ as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. The scriptures plainly declare
that every believer's redemption from all sin was accomplished
by the substitutionary, satisfying sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ
at Calvary, were redeemed with the blood of Christ. God's Lamb
was foreordained in His wise and eternal counsel, wise and
eternal purpose and decree, and manifested and revealed in time
in the flesh to make an end of sin. He was manifested in the
end of the age to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. Now, all through the Scriptures,
Old Testament and New, we see the Lord Jesus Christ as the
sacrificial Lamb. as the Lamb of God, as that satisfying,
propitiating sacrifice for the sin of God's people. Now I want
to mention five different things about this Lamb of God we see
throughout the scriptures. In Genesis chapter 4 we see the
Lord Jesus Christ as the Lamb in type and picture, or the Lamb
typified. Now here's a scripture from Genesis
chapter 4. Cain brought of the fruit of
the ground an offering unto the Lord, and Abel he also brought
the firstling of his flock, and the fat thereof. And the Lord
had respect unto Abel and to his offering." Abel, he brought
the blood of the lamb. But under Cain and his offering,
God had not respect, and Cain was very angry, and his countenance,
his appearance, was sad. Abel brought the blood of the
lamb to make and atonement for his sin, and to worship God.
This picture is a way of grace and redemption from sin by the
blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ. We read in Hebrews 2, 17, For
barely he took not on him the nature of angels, but he took
on him the seed of Abraham. Wherefore, in all things that
behooved him, it became necessary for him to be made likened to
his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high
priest in things pertaining to to make reconciliation for the
sins of the people. In Genesis 4 we see the Lamb
typified and throughout the New Testament we see this Lamb identified
and glorified as the only sacrifice for sin. Now again in Genesis
chapter 22 we see Him as the Lamb prophesied, the Lamb that
was prophesied about. In Genesis 22, the story of Abraham
and Isaac worshiping God. Do you remember? Here's the scripture. 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.
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 the burnt offering? Abraham said, God will provide
himself a lamb for a burnt offering. So they went both of them together. The Lamb of God prophesied, God
will provide himself a lamb. Isaac knew to worship God, there
must be a lamb slain, must be a sacrifice for sin. He asked
his father, where is the lamb for the burnt offering? And Abraham
replied, And this is talking about Christ. My son, God will
provide himself. And he did. He provided himself
a lamb for a burnt offering. God did provide a substitute
that day to offer in the stead of Isaac. Do you remember the
ram caught in the thicket? Jesus Christ is the fulfillment
of that scripture. Abraham called the name of that
place Jehovah-Jireh, as it is said this day, in the mouth of
the Lord it shall be seen. Or the Lord will provide. The
Lord Jesus Christ died as a provided sacrifice and substitute to put
away sin, the sin of God's people. He said, I'm the good shepherd,
the good shepherd laid down his life for the sheep. He's a provided
substitute, and only that which God provides will God accept. We read in 2 Corinthians 5, 21,
God had made him to be sin for us who knew no sin, that we might
be made the righteousness of God in Him. There's the Lamb
typified and the Lamb prophesied, all talking about the Lord Jesus
Christ. Now, the third picture we see
here in Isaiah 53. Isaiah 53, we see Him, the Lord
Jesus, as the Lamb personified. The Lamb personified. Now, here's
a scripture from Isaiah 53. Who hath believed, I report,
and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed, for he shall grow
up before him as a tender plant, as a root out of dry ground.
He hath no form nor comeliness, and when we shall see him there
is no beauty that we should desire him. He despised and rejected
men, a man of sorrows, a man of sorrows. This is a lamb personified,
acquainted with grief, and we hid as it were our faces from
him. He was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath
borne our griefs, carried our sorrows, yet we did esteem him
stricken, smitten, and God-inflicted. He was wounded for our transgression. He was bruised for our iniquities,
and a chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes
we are healed." We learn that the sacrificial lamb would be
a real man. Here is a scripture in 1 Timothy
3.16. Without controversy, great is
the mystery of godliness. God was manifest in the flesh. He was identified with our flesh. The Word became flesh and dwelt
among us. He was identified with our flesh
as a real man. He did not have the fallen nature
of Adam, he had no sin, he knew no sin, and he did no sin. He identified with our flesh,
and even as God sacrificed for sin, he identified with our sin
when the Lord laid on him the iniquity of us all. Peter says
in chapter 2 of 1 Peter, he bare our sin in his own body on the
tree as the God-man mediator and as our high priest. So there
we see the Lamb of God typified, prophesied, personified as the
God-man. Fourthly, in John chapter 1,
we see the Lord Jesus Christ as the Lamb of God identified. Now, the whole Old Testament
says that someone's coming. Someone's coming. The New Testament
identifies this one who has come to put away the sin of God's
people. Here we see in John chapter 1, listen to these verses. John seeth Jesus coming unto
him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the
sin of the world. This is he of whom I said, After
me cometh a man which is preferred before me, for he was before
me. Here we see John the Baptist,
who knew all about these sacrificial lambs and their purpose. You
see, his father was a priest, remember? He grew up around the
temple, and he, every year, he witnessed the sacrificial lamb
on the Day of Atonement, and here, when it was revealed to
him, the Lord Jesus Christ was God's Messiah, he identifies
him as God's prophet, as the Lamb of God, which taketh away
sin. Jesus Christ accomplished all
that he was sent to do. He cannot fail. He is the Lamb
of God that was manifested in the end of the age to take away
sin by the sacrifice of himself. And John clearly identifies him
as the only Lamb of God, the only sacrifice of God. Now, fifthly,
we see the Lord Jesus as the Lamb of God crucified. In John chapter 19 we read, They
cried out, Away with him, and crucify him. And Pilate saith
unto them, Shall I crucify your king? The chief priest answered,
We have no king but Caesar. Then delivered he him therefore
unto them to be crucified. And they took Jesus, and led
him away. And he, bearing his cross, went
forth into a place called the place of the skulls. which is
called in the Hebrew Golgotha, where they crucified him and
two others with him on either side, and Jesus in the midst. Here we see the Lamb identified
and the Lamb crucified. Now remember this about Jesus
Christ crucified as God's Lamb. His death was not an accident. He dies the appointed death at
the appointed time as God's sacrifice for sin. Clearly in the Scriptures
in Acts 2 verse 23, Him being delivered by the determinate
counsel and foreknowledge of God, you have taken and with
wicked hands have crucified and slain the Lord of glory that
God raised Him from the dead. God planned the cross. It was
not an accident. This is God's way of redeeming
His people through the blood of that appointed Lamb to effectually
redeem His sheep. thereby satisfying God's holy
justice and bringing in and establishing an everlasting righteousness
for God's people who the Lamb crucified. We read in Romans
4, David also described the blessedness of the man unto whom God imputed
righteousness without work, saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities
are forgiven and whose sins are covered. How are they forgiven? How are they covered? Well, by
the blood of Christ. This Lamb crucified, blessed
is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin." God can't impute
the sin unto the Lord Jesus Christ and then impute it to me. There's
no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. If Christ
died for my sin and bear my sin in His own body on the tree,
then it's not chargeable to me. Who shall lay anything to the
charge of God's elect? It's God who justifies. It's
Christ who was died, J. Reznor, who was risen again,
who was even at the right hand of God. Now here, sixthly, we
see not only the Lamb crucified, identified, personified, we see
the Lamb glorified. all through scripture, talks
about the Lamb, the Lamb. In Revelation chapter 5, we see
the Lord Jesus Christ as a Lamb glorified. Listen to these scriptures. Saying with a loud voice, worthy
is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, riches, wisdom,
strength, honor, glory, and blessing in glory and throughout eternity
The Lord Jesus Christ will be worshiping His sacrificial character
as a Lamb who died that is risen when He had by Himself purged
our sin. He's seated at God's right hand
as a Lamb who died, as a Lamb that is risen, and a Lamb that
is exalted. The Lord Jesus Christ. Have you
ever noticed all through the book of the Revelation Twenty-some
times it talks about the Lamb. The Lamb. The book's all about
Christ in His glorious, sacrificial character. Now, here's my question
to you this morning. You can clearly see from the
Scriptures that the Lord Jesus Christ is the only sacrifice
for sin before God. Now, here's my question to you.
Is He your sacrifice? Is He your only hope of salvation? Can you say with sinning of old
as he took up the babe in his arms and blessed God and said,
Now let thy servant depart in peace according to your word?
For my eyes have seen thy salvation, which thou hast prepared before
the face of all people, a light to lighten the Gentiles and the
glory of thy people Israel." Is Jesus Christ crucified your
only hope of salvation? That's exactly what Paul said.
when he said, I'm determined to know nothing among you but
Jesus Christ and him crucified. He's saying the only way of salvation
before a holy God is by a suitable sacrifice. And my friend, that
only sacrifice that satisfies the holiness of God, the character
of God, is the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God. Peter said again,
we're redeemed not with corruptible things, but with the precious
blood of Christ as of the Lamb, without blemish and without spot,
who was barely foreordained before the foundation of the world,
but was manifest in these last times for you."