Jesus the Lamb of God

And I just want to say before we jump into the word that I appreciate you folks and we have been blessed. We’ve been here several times and also I watch you on TV. So, we gain from your ministry in that respect, the songs, the service, the preaching, every aspect of it. So, we ask tonight, what does it mean that Jesus Christ is God in the flesh, that he is the Lamb of God? What is all the stir about in terms of Good Friday?

Paul wrote in Galatians 4:4, “In the fullness of time God sent forth his son, born of a woman, born under the law.” I think he’s really saying, if we could put it in a few words, that God took 4,000 years to prepare the world for the coming of his son, Jesus Christ, on earth. Jesus Christ is eternal but he took on humanity, took on flesh some 2,000 years ago and God had readied the world for when he would come. And we’re going to primarily look in the Gospel of John about the one who is called the Lamb of God. I’m going to read first of all from John 1.

Remember the Book of John is written by the Apostle John, but he refers to another John, John the Baptist who was baptizing many people a baptism of repentance and faith looking forward to the Messiah to come. So, I’m going to read out of John 1 a couple of verses before we get to a key verse. John 1:1 says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” And down at verse 14 of chapter 1 it says, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we saw his glory glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.” So, one of the things we realize from this passage of scripture is that this Jesus is God in the flesh.

He took on humanity but he did not sin. He could not sin, he would not sin, he did not sin. But he is fully God in every respect and fully man, yet without sin. And so, as we look at this passage, we’re reminded that Jesus came to earth to die on the cross. That was the purpose that he came.

Though he did miracles to many people though he would give encouragement to those who were discouraged though he would even raise the dead like Lazarus and the the young man at Nain brought back to his mother’s side but he came for the purpose of dying. That was the the focal point of his life. A little bit later on in this same first chapter, John the Baptist, who was amazed that God would ask him and grant him the privilege of baptizing the Son of God as he began his ministry. He said says in verse 28 and following, “These things took place in Bethany beyond the Jordan where John was baptizing.” That’s John the Baptist.

“The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, ‘Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.'” What a what a powerful statement. And then just a few verses later he said it again. He looked at Jesus as he walked and said, “Behold the Lamb of God.” Why would he make that kind of statement at this point in time?

I think he was signaling, among other things, yes, he was going to baptize Jesus to initiate the beginning of his ministry, public ministry on Earth. But, he was saying the reason I’m pointing to him, I’m beholding him is because this is the long-awaited, God-appointed, God-anointed Messiah. This is the one. This is the one that all of history has been waiting for, in a sense. This is the one, Jesus Christ.

Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. And by the way, everyone here today has made or will make a decision about Jesus Christ in the course of their life. We all make decisions in the course of life. John the Baptist said, “That’s the way to know God. Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.”

I’m going to look at just three points. First of all, the prediction of Jesus Christ. Secondly, the plan of Jesus’ death, the prediction of Jesus’ death, the plan of Jesus’ death, and then the purpose of Jesus’ death. Going to turn now also to a little bit later on in this great book of John, chapter 19. Jesus has ministered for 3 years.

He’s come to the end of his life, almost the last half of all of John has to do with the last week of his life and the post-resurrection appearances of Jesus Christ after he was physically and bodily resurrected from the dead. So, we come to John 19, Pontius Pilate is the Roman governor. He has the freedom to give Jesus freedom to to go and not condemn him to death. And in fact, three times he said, “I find no guilt in him.” And yet, because of the persuasion of the Jewish leaders, of the the pressing crowd, the challenges they were giving to him, he turned him over to be crucified.

And yet, we realize this was all in the plan of God. It was all God’s plan that his son, Jesus Christ, would die on the cross. The wonderful cross we talk about, and the rugged cross, Jesus would die on that cross. And he came to the end of this time. It says in verse 17, “They took Jesus therefore, and he went out bearing his own cross to the place called a place of a skull, which is called in Hebrew Golgotha.

There they crucified him, and with him two other men, one on one side and one on the other, two criminals. And he was hung there, hanging there on that cross between heaven and Earth, hung there between two criminals. And here he is, the perfect, holy, righteous Son of God. He’s hanging there, but he’s doing that of his own choice. He willingly gave himself to die.

Jesus was not hauled off to the the cross. He willingly went to the cross. He was sent by the Father to go to the cross. His whole life was wrapped up in the cross, the cross of Christ. And then, when he came to near the end, after different scriptures had been fulfilled, and it’s mentioned in scripture, we come to verse 28, and I’m going to read several verses here.

John 19:28 and following. After this, Jesus, knowing that all things had already been accomplished to fulfill the scripture, said, “I am thirsty.” A jar full of sour wine was standing there. So, they put a sponge full of the sour wine upon a branch of hyssop and brought it up to his mouth. Therefore, when Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished.

It is finished.” That’s one of the greatest statements in scripture. What did Jesus Christ mean when he said, “It is finished”? He didn’t say, “I am finished” cuz he knew that he was taking his last breath when he made that great statement. He said, “It is finished.”

It was a cry of victory in an hour of seeming defeat, with death and pain racking his body. Jesus was saying, “It is accomplished. It is fulfilled. The will of the Father is accomplished right now in my death. It is paid in full.”

It was an accounting term that they would stamp on a piece of paper to say, “He paid his bill completely. He paid his debt that he owed.” The will of the Father was, at that point, accomplished in every respect. All that needed to be done to secure your salvation and mine was accomplished when Jesus said, “It is finished” on the cross. The Old Testament prophecies were each fulfilled.

The salvation plan was completed. The price was paid. The Lord had died. And he would be taken down from that cross after paying the penalty for that sin, the sins of all mankind. So, the we have the prediction of the death of Christ.

We have the plan of the death of Christ. We also have the purpose of Jesus’ death. Why did he die? 1 Corinthians 15:3 and 4 tell us this, “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day according to the scriptures.” So, the fulfilled scriptures were all met right at their point in time as they needed to be to fulfill the will of God.

All of the scriptures that were predicted by Isaiah and Zechariah and so many other people, those scriptures were fulfilled. The Isaiah 53, where it says, “All we, like sheep, have gone astray. We’ve turned everyone to his own way, and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” That was accomplished when Jesus said, “It is finished.” The purpose of Jesus’ death.

There [snorts] are several things I want to mention. First of all, Jesus died in our place as our substitute. Now, sometimes we say about a given situation, “Well, I deserve better than that. I I deserve much better than that. I deserve more than that.

That they didn’t treat me right. I deserve more.” But, you know what I realize? I realize that if I got what I deserved, it would be hell and separation from God forever. I believe in hell.

I believe there’s a lake of fire for anyone who doesn’t know Christ, sadly. But, I don’t want anyone to ever end up there. And so, that’s why we tell the good news, the great news, the wonderful news about Jesus Christ. I don’t get what I deserve. I I get what I have by the grace of God.

God’s grace is God giving us what we could never earn, what we can never achieve, what we can never accomplish, the grace of God. And God’s mercy is God withholding what I do deserve. And so, Rick, do you get what you deserve? Praise the Lord, I don’t. I get what God graciously gives me in Christ Jesus, and I’m thankful for that.

Jesus died in our place as our substitute. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “He made him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we, those who believe, might become the righteousness of God in him.” When a person says, “I want Jesus in my life. He died for me. He was buried.

He was resurrected from the dead for me. I want Christ in my life. I want to place my faith in the Lord. I want to become a new person, regardless of how I’ve lived in life, regardless of how many people I’ve hurt, how many times I’ve done horrible things in the in the lives of others or to my own personal life, to my family, whatever the case may be.” God says, “You are forgiven when you repent and come to him by faith.”

When we come to Christ, we are forgiven. God the Father, secondly, God the Father poured out his holy wrath on Jesus when he died on the cross. It wasn’t just that people put him to death. He willingly gave himself to die, and he chose the exact moment of his death as well. John or Matthew 27:46 says, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

While Jesus was hanging on the cross and God the Father was judging God the Son, he vented the wrath that God righteously has against all sin of all mankind forever. He vented it all on his Son. So, that because he vented it on his Son, we don’t have to experience that wrath. And in fact, we get to have the new life and the forgiveness and the many blessings of believing because we come to faith in Christ, if we have. A third aspect, Jesus paid the penalty for our sins.

Our sins deserve separation from God and consequences along the way. But, because Jesus died, we don’t have to face those consequences. We don’t have to experience that penalty of sin. But, what does happen when we come to faith in Christ? I like to challenge people to sometime, maybe in the next week, take out a piece of paper and write down all the many blessings of believing in Christ.

Can I give you a few? You are forgiven forever when you come to know Jesus Christ. You are given the sure promise of heaven. In fact, Paul tells us that our citizenship is in heaven. We have eternal life.

We have a relationship with God that will never end. We have a privileged relationship with other believers in the the of Christ that we share in together. And the list goes on and on and on. God looks at me and he doesn’t see my sin, he sees the very righteousness of his son on my account. And so, I have great reason to rejoice and praise the Lord because Jesus is the lamb of God.

I’d like to conclude our time by just reading something from a song that has been a great encouragement to me, The Power of the cross. Oh, to see the dawn of the darkest day, Christ on the road to Calvary. Tried by sinful men, torn and beaten. Then nailed to a cross of wood. This the power of the cross.

Christ became sin for us. Took the blame, bore the wrath. We stand forgiven at the cross. Oh, to see the pain written on your face. Bearing the awesome weight of sin.

Every bitter thought, every evil deed, crowning your blood-stained brow. Now the daylight flees, now the ground beneath quakes as at its maker bows his head. Curtain torn in two. Dead are raised to me, finished the victory cry. Oh, to see my name written in the wounds.

For through your suffering I am free. Death is crushed to death. Life is mine to live, won through your selfless love. This the power of the cross. Son of God slain for us, what a love, what a cost.

We stand forgiven at the cross. Jesus, the lamb of God. He not only died, he was buried, but on the third day he triumphantly rose from the dead. He’s alive today. And we have the privilege of knowing him by faith and changing our life, having God change our life forever and ever.

Let me encourage you in coming to know the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Would you bow with me in prayer? Father, as we reflect on the great privilege we have of knowing you, we thank you for your son willing to die in our place, to be our substitute, to receive the full vent of the very righteous wrath of God. We thank you, Father, that he was buried to prove the sufficiency of his death and the reality of it, that he did, in fact, die on the cross. And we thank you, Lord, also that Jesus Christ is alive forevermore.

That he was resurrected physically, bodily, personally, and forever from the grave. That we have a living Lord and a living savior. And we thank you for the privilege we have to have fellowship with you. And that fellowship will never, never leave us. Our security in Christ is forever there.

We rejoice in knowing Christ because of the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Jesus, we pray in his name. Amen. Amen. Well, thank you, Dad, for preaching the gospel.

In just a moment here, we’re going to be living out our faith in the gospel by taking communion together. I want to just call your attention again to the cross here, right in the center of the stage. With the crown of thorns, the nails for the hands and feet. And a cross behind it, of course. And you think about the cross, it is the universal symbol of Christianity.

Everybody knows if you see a cross, if it’s hung around a on a necklace, if it’s on a roof of a church building, or on the side of a of a building, you always recognize that is the the symbol of what Christ did for us. It’s all about the cross. And you know, Jesus knew that we needed visual, tangible reminders of his sacrifice. And so, there’s a reason he he established this meal, this communion that we take together as a body of believers, as a family. This is our our family meal where we come around the table and we do what Jesus called us to do as believers.

We don’t take this because this gives us salvation. But what we do is we by faith receive salvation in Christ and then we act on what he’s given us. And And this is the reminder, it’s to stir us up in our affection for Jesus. And especially on Good Friday, we want to be taking this time to reflect on what God has done for us. Thinking about his sacrifice.

I love the way Paul puts it. He says in very personal terms. Paul does this. He says, “The Son of God loved me and gave himself for me.” And I think that Paul, ever since that moment he was knocked down on the way to Damascus, I think he was just overwhelmed with how much Jesus loved even one of him.

And to personalize that, that’s my encouragement as we take communion. If you are a follower, a believer in Jesus, if you have put your faith in what Christ did for you on the cross 2,000 years ago, and your victory over sin, death, and hell is secured in Christ, I’m going to invite you to to take this meal with us in just a moment. I’m

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