A Promise... A Lamb, So What?

 A Promise… a Lamb, So What? (Presented at Village Church early & 2nd services, and Walla Walla prison on May 26. 2018) Atheist blogger, James Lindsay wrote a blog in 2014 entitle, “Why I really don't care if Jesus existed or not.” In it he said this, [next slide] I care about whether or not Jesus existed in a way similar to whether or not Socrates [existed], which is to say that it has absolutely no bearing on my day-to-day or even academic existence to find out a positive or negative answer to that question--that is, it's trivia. http://goddoesnt.blogspot.com/2014/07/why-i-really-dont-care-if-jesus-existed.html There are some things in the Christian faith that feel so important that we center our life around them, and many others that seem like mere trivia and appear to have no impact on our day to day life. Doctrines and Christian practices mean more or less to each of us based on our culture and our personal experiences. To some the foot-washing service has significant personal meaning, and to others it feels like nothing more than a formality of religion. To some the doctrine of the trinity is at the center of their belief in God, but to others it just doesn’t matter whether God is three in one or one expressed in three. [next slide] In this sermon series called Village Windows we’re exploring the themes and messages of the fantastic faceted glass windows that grace our sanctuary and chapel. Last week pastor Jeff shared the powerful message of the Cross that we see in the chapel window. Today I get to uncover some meaning in the rainbow and the lamb. To prepare for this sermon I began exploring the stories of God’s promises and the beautiful symbols associated with salvation. I was enjoying myself, but then I asked a simple question, [next slide] “so what?” What does this covenant stuff have to do with my everyday existence? I mean, it’s nice as a point of reference for history. It would probably have had a lot of meaning for the Hebrew mind that was steeped in all this symbolism for a 1,500 years. But what’s the point for me? Are these covenants just stories of how God related to people thousands of years ago, or do they matter for me today? The Bible isn’t a list of dogmas or doctrines—it doesn’t include spreadsheets or diagrams or vision statements about God. The Bible is primarily a storybook, and God has chosen to reveal himself in his actions toward mankind. We get to know God as we watch him work throughout the Bible and in the lives of people around us. As we consider the stories of God’s covenants, ask this question with me, “so what?” Let’s not be content to enjoy the ancient stories; let’s get our hands dirty and figure out what this means for you and me today. A broken partnership [next slide] At the beginning of the Bible we read about God creating the world—full of potential and goodness. Then He made Adam and Eve his partners in managing His creation and helping Him bring more good out of it as they filled the earth. But Adam and Eve chose not to partner with God and instead tried to manage the world on their own terms. [next slide] This broken relationship is the Bible’s explanation for why we’re in a world full of corruption and injustice and death. It’s not just Adam and Eve, but all of mankind have broken this partnership. [next slide] Throughout time, God has selected small groups of people to make new partnerships with—the Bible calls these covenants. In His covenants God made promises and asked His partners to fulfill certain commitments. God’s goal was to renew His relationship with everyone on earth through these partners. Adam & Even The first of these promises, or covenants, was a promise that the serpent would be crushed. You can read about it in Genesis 3:14-15 where God says this to the serpent: [next slide] “Because you have done this,  cursed are you above all livestock  and above all beasts of the field;  on your belly you shall go,  and dust you shall eat  all the days of your life.  [next slide] 15  I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring;  he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”  (Genesis 3:14-15, ESV) The promise is tucked away in a curse, but it’s still very clear. God promises that He will create a state of opposition between mankind and satan and that ultimately He will crush the devil’s head. He doesn’t ask any commitments of Adam and Eve in the text, but in Gen 3:21 it says “the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them.” And then in chapter four we read about Abel offering a sacrifice of a lamb as a symbol of the promise. From the very beginning of their broken relationship, God extends promises of salvation and marks the promise with the symbol of a slain lamb. [next slide] That lamb that provided clothes for Adam and Eve would be the vehicle through which Adam and Noah and Abraham and Moses and a string of prophets and priests, all the way down to the time of Jesus, would communicate to each other and the world about God’s promise to restore His relationship with them. Noah 1,600 years after the first promise to Adam and Eve God found that nearly everyone had rejected him and fully corrupted themselves with evil. He knew that in order to fulfill His promise that he had made in the Garden, He would have to do something dramatic. So He chose Noah and his family and made Noah a promise in Genesis 6:18 [next slide] But I will establish my covenant with you, and you shall come into the ark, you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you. Genesis 6:18 (ESV) They built and then went into the ark, survived the flood, then came out of the ark and the first thing they did was build an altar and offer sacrifices to God. Then God reiterated His promise to Noah in Genesis 9:12-15 [next slide] 12 And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: [next slide] 13 I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. 14 When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, [next slide] 15 I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh. And the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. At first glance you might think this covenant is only a promise about a flood. But take a second look and you’ll see between the colors that God isn’t just saying He’s not going to destroy the earth with water again, He’s saying: “I’ll do whatever it takes to keep from having to destroy the earth again before my original promise is fulfilled.” Even though the promise is made to Noah and his family the impact of the promise is for all mankind. ——— Noah’s descendants chose not to partner with God, and a short time after the rainbow promise they rebelled at the tower of Babel. The relationship was broken again and God found himself needing to make another covenant promise. Abraham One of Noah’s great, great grandsons, Abram, received this new promise. You can read about it in Genesis 12:1-3: [next slide] Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. [next slide] 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. [next slide] 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (Genesis 12:1-3, ESV) The promise says that through Abram and his children the entire world would be blessed. What God asked in return was that Abram would travel to a new country. What was this blessing that God wanted to give the whole world? Well, it’s the same promise that God made at the beginning—to crush the devil and redeem mankind from their rebellion. God repeated his promise many years later in Genesis 15 after Abram expressed questions about God’s promise to make him a great nation since he didn’t have any kids yet. God assured him that his kids would be like the stars of the heavens in number. Lets pick up in Genesis 15:7 [next slide] 7 And he said to him, “I am the Lord who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess.” 8 But he said, “O Lord God, how am I to know that I shall possess it?” [next slide] 9 He said to him, “Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” [next slide] 10 And he brought him all these, cut them in half, and laid each half over against the other. But he did not cut the birds in half. [next slide] 11 And when birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away. 12 As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram. [next slide] 17 When the sun had gone down and it was dark, behold, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces. [next slide] 18 On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your offspring I give this land… (Genesis 15:7-12, 17-18) Like his promise to Noah, this promise seems to be very specific to Abram about the land God would give him. But this promise is a repetition of His original covenant with Abram that through Abram all nations of the earth would be blessed. He’s reassuring him that the promise still stands and that He’s going to accomplish this by giving him children as numerous as the stars in heaven and provide this land for them to live in. This is a still a promise for all mankind, and in this promise God gets really serious. [next slide] In Abram’s day there were city-states rather than large countries with multiple cities. Each city would control a small area of land around it and would form militias to defend the land against invaders. A smaller, less powerful, city might enter into an agreement with a nearby, larger, city. If an invading army came to attack either of the cities, they would defend each other. When they made this agreement the more powerful city would set the terms of the covenant. For example, they might provide protection in exchange for a yearly tax. The terms of the covenant would include what would happen if the less powerful city broke their part of the agreement. To ratify the agreement the leaders of the two cities cut animals in half and the leader of the less powerful city would walk through the animals, signifying that if he broke the covenant he would be ripped apart like the animals that he was walking through. [next slide] God used this common form of agreement to show Abram just how serious He was about His promise. In a normal covenant, Abram would have walked through the bloody animal parts, and Abram would have been on the hook if the covenant were ever broken, but that’s not how God’s promises work. In this covenant, God walked through the animal parts, indicating that if the covenant was broken then HE would be torn apart like the animals. Some people think that the old covenant is a covenant of legalism and works—ratified by the law and resting on the shoulders of mankind. But up to this point, God’s covenant has been totally dependent on God’s faithfulness, and ratified with the blood of lambs. We’ll circle back to this idea in a couple minutes. If you read the stories of Abraham’s and then Jacob’s children you’ll be disgusted at how evil they were. Even though God promised his very life, they couldn’t keep the simple commitments they had made. And yet, God renewed the covenant with Jacob and then later with his children many generations later when He brought them out of Egypt. Israel You can read about the covenant to the Israelites in Exodus 19:5-6: [next slide] 5 Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; [next slide] 6 and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. (Exodus 19:5-6) In a way it sounds like Israel has the hard part of this covenant because they have to obey God and keep His covenant, but remember that every covenant up to this time has been relatively easy for humans and super hard for God. • Adam and Eve had the commitment of performing sacrifices to remember the promise God had made in Eden. • Noah was asked to build an ark and get into it during the flood. • Abram was asked to move his family and then to circumcise the boys in his camp. Really, these are simple things. God is the one doing the heavy lifting here. All Israel had to do was stick with Him. This promise reiterates what God said to Abram when He said that through his children all nations of the earth would be blessed—this isn’t just a promise to Israel, it’s a promise that impacts all mankind. If they kept their commitment, then God promised to make them a nation of spiritual leaders that would have a world-wide impact. You only have to read the stories in the the book of Judges to see how Israel failed to follow through with their commitment. They rejected their partnership with God and embraced the gods of the Canaanites. Over and over again God drew the people back to Him through prophets and judges until the age of the kings rolled around and David sat on the throne. David After a lot of hard work, Israel finally had peace with their enemies. He got to thinking about how much effort he had put into fortifying Jerusalem and building his own beautiful home, and he realized that while he had a beautiful palace, God had a tent that was built in the wilderness 400 years before. He decided that he wanted to build a temple for God. Through the prophet Nathan God refused, but assured David that his son Solomon would build the temple. It’s in this context that God makes a promise to David, found in 2 Samuel 7:12-16 [next slide] 12 When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. [next slide] 13 He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14 I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men, [next slide] 15 but my steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. 16 And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.’ ” (2 Samuel 7:12-16, ESV) Like the last couple promises, at first glance this one appears to be a promise to David about how God will treat his son, Solomon. But the last couple lines show that God intended this promise to be for all mankind, “And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.” (vs 16) The only throne that will last forever is God’s throne. David and his kids were messed up and broke the covenant just like every other generation before them, but God had staked his very life on the covenant promise being fulfilled. The New Covenant promises After the years of apostasy and exile in Babylon, the religious leaders in charge of rebuilding Jerusalem became really vigilant about making sure they were keeping their covenant commitments. Unfortunately they missed the point of the covenants so badly that when Jesus, the lamb of God, came to redeem them, they rejected him. Maybe it’s because of how people would twist God’s words that He decided to add more specifics to His promise. You can read about it in Jeremiah 31:33-34: [next slide] For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. [next slide] 34 And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” (Jeremiah 31:33-34, ESV) [next slide] And again in Ezekiel 36:22-28 22 “Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God: It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations to which you came. [next slide] 23 And I will vindicate the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, and which you have profaned among them. And the nations will know that I am the Lord, declares the Lord God, when through you I vindicate my holiness before their eyes. [next slide] 24 I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land. 25 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. [next slide] 26 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. [next slide] 28 You shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and you shall be my people, and I will be your God. (Ezek 36:22-28, ESV) Even though these covenants are said to be “new”, God is just repeating what he said to David and to Israel and to Abram and to Noah and to Adam and Eve at the very beginning. He will crush the serpent and through them all mankind will be blessed. [next slide] I promised to circle back to the Old and New covenant idea. For those who care, the difference between the old and new covenants is primarily that the Old Covenant was ratified with a symbol—a sacrificial lamb—while the New Covenant is ratified with the blood of the One who made the promise in the first place. Paul tells us all about it Hebrews 9:15-28, which you should read in it’s entirety, but I’ll just summarize. He says that these promises or covenants of God are like a legal will—it only becomes active at the death of the one who made the promise. And so, the first or old covenants were made active by a symbol of what God would ultimately do—the lamb. The second covenant that we call the New Covenant, is based on a “better” promise because even though it’s just a repetition of the promises made to all the patriarchs, these promises are made to all mankind and are based on the death of God himself. It’s just like God told Abram—he promised that He would be torn asunder if the covenant couldn’t be kept. And even though the covent requirements were relatively easy for us to keep, we still failed and failed and kept on failing. All mankind has chosen their own path and embraced sin rather than partner with God and embrace His love. The only way for God to renew his original relationship with mankind was for Him to become one of us, and to fulfill all the covenant requirements on our behalf. [next slide] Jesus did this, and then, like he promised Abraham he would, God the son hung on the cross and cried out to His Father God “why have you forsaken me?” And then he said “It is finished,” His life left Him, and He died. The eternal Godhead was torn in pieces. Jesus died to activate the New Covenant. He died so that we, who He calls His children, can receive the inheritance of God—eternal life with Him and a renewed partnership. [next slide] Jesus is the lamb. The lamb in the garden that provided it’s skin for clothes for Adam and Eve represented Jesus. The lamb that Noah sacrificed after the flood, symbolized Jesus. The lambs that Abraham and Jacob offered each time they moved their family around the promised land represented Jesus. The lambs that Moses sacrificed when God gave Israel the ten commandments and the promise that He would make them a nation of priests represented Jesus. Jesus is the lamb slain from the foundation of the world and for all eternity. ——— [next slide] So what? I’ll tell you what. The God that made these promises is a God that can be trusted. He was so consistent throughout all of human history. He staked his very life on fulfilling his promises. Do you know anyone that is more committed to being in a relationship with you? Do you have anyone that loves you more? Because God is faithful and consistent and loving I don’t have to live in doubt and fear. I don’t have to live in putrid self-righteousness—pretending that I can do it on my own—or wallow in self-pity—believing that they’s no use in trying. Instead I lean on the promise that “he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 1:6, ESV) Over the years I’ve counseled with dozens of young people who struggle with doubt about their position with God. They fear that the ugliness of their hearts is too much for God. They seem certain that because they keep failing, God’s promises must not apply to them. But that’s just not the case. Abraham struggled with trust, committed adultery, lied and much more. Still, God made him promises and kept them. David was a murderer and adulterer and still, God made him promises and kept them. Noah was a drunkard and still, God made him promises, and kept them. The promises weren’t contingent on them—they were going to fail—they were contingent on the lamb of God taking their place and giving His life for them. Paul confidently writes to the Corinthian, gentile, Christians in 2 Corinthians 1:20: [next slide] 20 For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory. (2 Corinthians 1:20, ESV) Every promise God made with people was a promise for all people, and through Christ’s death we are the inheritors of that promise. All we need to do is what Abram did, [next slide] 6 And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.  (Genesis 15:6, ESV) Knowing that is a relief, and it centers my life on Christ. Like the angels who sang praises to the lamb as Jesus entered heaven after his resurrection, we can worship and praise the Lamb too. Revelation 5:6-10: [next slide] 6 And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. [next slide] 7 And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne. [next slide] 8 And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. [next slide] 9 And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, [next slide] 10 and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.” (Revelation 5:6-10, ESV) I love how Paul and now these heavenly beings apply the promises to you and me. Paul said that because of Jesus’ death I can say “Amen—I believe that’s for me” to all the promises from the Old Testament, and now, these heavenly beings are applying the promise that Israel would be a nation of priests to you and me. Isn’t that exciting? Now that we’re included in these promises, we become part of the commitment too. Through us, all nations of the earth will be blessed. At the end of Revelation, John is looking in vision at the New Jerusalem and he says this in Revelation 21:23-24: [next slide] 23 And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. 24 By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, (Revelation 21:23–24, ESV) John saw the ultimate fulfillment of all God’s promises. The lamb, the symbol of the covenant promise, is the center and glory of the New Jerusalem, and all nations of the earth come to give glory and honor to God. By then no one will need to teach his neighbor, because they will all know the Lord. Until the promises are fulfilled, our everyday life is impacted by these covenants through our daily surrender to Christ and our participation in the covenant commitments to bless the world. This kind of life is an expression of our worship of the Lamb. Just like the heavenly beings who fell at Jesus’ feet upon His return to heaven and cried “worthy is the lamb…” every day we can lay ourselves at Jesus’ feet and trust Him to fulfill His promises. Every day we can sing out to God, “Worthy is the lamb who was slain.” Maybe you’ve seen worship as something that only happens on Sabbath and is performed for you by the people on the stage. I challenge you to embrace worship as a personal, daily practice. Worship the God who created you and redeemed you and called you His own. Worship by singing. Worship by prayer. Worship through praise. Worship through service. Worship in private. Worship in public. Give glory and honor and praise to God for His promises and for making you an heir to them. Give God your very life, because that’s what He has given you. Will you bow yourself before God today and give him your life? Will you worship Him for his faithfulness and never failing promises? Closing Hymn We’ll be singing a closing hymn called “God’s Faithfulness Revealed by the Rainbow” set to the tune of “Glorious Things of Thee are Spoken,” number 423 in the Hymnal. Please stand. Benediction Thank you for the cross Lord Thank you for the price You paid Bearing all my sin and shame In love You came And gave amazing grace Thank you for this love Lord Thank you for the nail pierced hands Washed me in Your cleansing flow Now all I know Your forgiveness and embrace Worthy is the Lamb Seated on the throne Crown You now with many crowns You reign victorious High and lifted up Jesus, Son of God The Darling of Heaven crucified Worthy is the Lamb Amen Hillsong - Worthy Is The Lamb 15 of 15