Sermon Tone Analysis

The Doctrine of the Lamb

by J. Sidlow Baxter

J. Sidlow Baxter (born in Australia, 1903; died 1999) was a pastor and theologian who authored as many as thirty books analyzing the Bible and advocating a fundamentalist Christian theological perspective.

His most popular work was Explore the Book, a 1760 page summarization each book of the Bible.

Baxter was raised in Lancashire, England, and attended Spurgeon's College in London before pastoring in England and Scotland, in Northampton and Sunderland.

When we evangelicals talk about progress of doctrine in the Bible, we do not mean as certain others do a kind of groping development from primitive error to later discovery.

To us evangelicals the whole Bible is the supernaturally produced work of the divine Spirit.

But we do recognize that the Biblical revelation is a developing revelation.

There is progress in it.

It is the same divine light which shines through all the pages but the degree of the light increases as the revelations unfold.

More particularly, I may add, more particularly by this progress of doctrine we mean that truths or teachings which first occur in Genesis or other early parts of the Old Testament, are found to have a recurring mention, a developing build-up, right through the Bible, book after book, stage after stage, century after century until usually some New Testament passage is reached in which there is some type of classic summary or a completed culmination.

Now in this progress of doctrine seldom does the first mention of a subject seem like being the first link of a chain of teaching.

The human agents who figure in the developing revelation never suspects that in what they say or do they are contributing this development of truth along a certain line.

That however only makes it all that much more obviously supernatural and endlessly fascinating.

One great instance of this progress of doctrine is what I have presumed to call the Bible Doctrine of the Lamb.

As a vestibule to our studies I want you now to turn with me to the 1 Peter chapter 1. I'll read the passage beginning at verse 18 and ending at verse 21.

Are you ready?

I will read it...

You will see a little later why I have read that paragraph in the outset.

And now right into our subject my dear fellow students of the Word.

In the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, there are 10 notable passages where the Lamb is conspicuously presented.

These are the 10:

You will see a little later why I have read that paragraph in the outset.

And now right into our subject my dear fellow students of the Word.

In the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, there are 10 notable passages where the Lamb is conspicuously presented.

These are the 10:

1.

We have the account of Able and the lamb which he offered.

2. In We have the incident of Abraham and the lamb which he offered in the place of Issac

3. In We have the passover lamb which was sacrificed on the night before Israel vacated Egypt

4. The book of Leviticus in which we have the sin offering.

The sin offering which the Israelites offered on the tabernacle alter.

5.

In we have the vicarious suffering lamb who was wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities.

Led as a lamb to the slaughter and as a sheep before its shearers is dumb so he openeth not his mouth.

6. [] In the first chapter of John's gospel in the paragraph running from verse 29-36 we have the lamb as announced by John the baptizer.

“Behold the lamb of God that beareth away the sin of the world.”

7. [.]

In the 8th chapter of the Acts, We have the lamb as preached by the evangelist Philip to the Ethiopian dignitary, the chancellor of the queen of Ethiopia as he was on the Gaza road going down from Jerusalem.

We read that beginning at the same Scripture, the Scripture about the lamb being led to the slaughter, beginning at the same scripture we are told that Phillip preached unto Him Jesus.

An now

8. [] In the Peterine passage we read at the outset.

There we have the lamb set forth as the redeemer of all believers.

An then

9. Revelation chapter 5 in which we see the Lamb enthroned in heaven.

Dear students of the word please turn to Revelation chapter 5

1 And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals.

2 And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?

3 And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon.

4 And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon.

5 And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.

6 And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.

7 And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne.

8 And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.

9 And they sung a new song, saying, 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 out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;

10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.throne,

and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.

And passage number

So now dear fellow pilgrims to Zion, Those are the the 10 great Lamb passages of the Bible.

1.-Abel, 2.-Abraham, 3.-The .-.-, 6th-1st chapter of John, 7.-8th chapter of Acts, 8.-1 Peter chapter 1, 9.-, and 10.- and 22.

And now will you travel quickly with me through these 10 Lamb passages and notice the progress of emphasis successively in them.

10.

The book of Revelation chapter 21 and 22 where we see the Lamb, the glorious King of the New Jerusalem in the new heavens and which are yet to be.

So now dear fellow pilgrims to Zion, Those are the the 10 great Lamb passages of the Bible.

1.-Abel, 2.-Abraham, 3.-The .-.-, 6th-1st chapter of John, 7.-8th chapter of Acts, 8.-1 Peter chapter 1, 9.-, and 10.- and 22.

And now will you travel quickly with me through these 10 Lamb passages and notice the progress of emphasis successively in them.

1st take the case of Abel and the lamb that he offered.

Beyond any peradventure, all the emphasis there is upon the necessity of the Lamb.

Abel's little lamb was an accepted offering by Jehovah

Cain's outwardly beautiful but bloodless offering was divinely rejected, but the instructions that had been evidently ignored from what we learn in Hebrews chapter 11 and verse 5.

And again Cain was rejected.

Here we see the indispensable necessity of the lamb.

We see it in the acceptance of Abel and the rejection of Cain.

Friends, let us never forget, that's the first Biblical emphasis of the Lamb.

The lamb is an indispensable necessity for we are deep died, deeply guilty, hell deserving sinners.

And that is the first emphasis in our Bible.

But now travel to the account of Abraham and the lamb which he offered for the young hansom 22 year old son, Isaac.

Now here the emphasis is not on the necessity of the lamb, but upon the provision of the lamb.

When the aged patriarch and Isaac were going up the mountainside, young Isaac could see that his father was in a troubled revelry, bur at last he felt obliged to interrupt him he said very respectfully, “Dad, dad, are you forgetting something?

We've got the wood and the sticks but dad, where's the lamb?

And the troubled patriarch said with profundity that he little suspected, “My son, God Himself will provide the lamb.”

And you know how the lamb was provided.

Just as that blade flashed in the eastern sun, their came a voice from heaven, “Abraham, Abraham, lay not thouest hand upon the lad for now I know that thou lovest me.”

And in that identical moment, Abraham heard a movement in the thicket behind him and there was the lamb for the offering.

And so impressed was Abraham that he named that place a name that clung to it for ever afterward, Jehovah Jireh, the Lord will provide.

Dear friends let rejoice in this that if the lamb is a prior necessity then thank heaven God Himself has provided the lamb for all of us.

And now passing through Exodus chapter 12 we find now in the case of the passover lamb the emphasis in neither on the necessity of the lamb nor the provision of the lamb but upon the slaying of the lamb.

There must be one lamb selected for each Hebrew family.

It must be set apart on the 10th day of the month until the evening of the 14th.

On this evening it must be slain and the blood must be applied to the lentils of the Hebrew dwelling.

Now however blemishless or however qualified in other ways the lamb might be, it had no protective efficacy as long it still remained alive.

It must be slain and the blood applied to the door posts of the houses.

The word of Jehovah was, “When I see the blood, I will passover you, for there is no doubt about it the emphasis is upon the slaying of the lamb and in this developing doctrine of the lamb in the Bible having seen the necessity of it and the the divine provision of it we are meant to understand that you and I cannot be saved only by the blemishless life, or of the immaculate character or the original, wonderful, and profound teaching of the Lord Jesus, it must be Christ and Him crucified.

I don't know how you feel older friend, but the old Sidlow Baxter grows, the more he feels the need for the precious blood.

Then you come to the book of Leviticus.

Which is the 4th of these great lamb passages.

And now in Leviticus the emphasis is upon the character of the lamb.

20 times we are told the lamb must be “without blemish” and we find the whole things expressed cocentratedly in chapter 22 and 21 Speaking of the Lord's offering, “It shall be perfect” to be accepted.

And the 4th great truth in this developing doctrine of the lamb therefore is the virtue of the lamb by reason of its utter blemishlessness, its perfection, and that which makes calvary our great sacrifice of atonement and redemption is that conjoined with the boundless Godhead of Christ there is His sinless manhood.

In this sinless manhood and boundless godhead one for all and once for all with absolute fullness eternal finality He exhausted the total sin penalty of the human race.

And because He did it with the absolute fullness and eternal completeness He made a foundation on which our holy God can remain righteous and yet pardon the penitent and believing sinner.

Excuse me friends, “Thank God and Hallelujah.”

And now passage number 5, and here we take a big step forward in the biblical doctrine of the lamb.

First the necessity of the lamb, and then the provision of the lamb, then the slaying of the lamb, then the character of the lamb, but here in we learn for the first time that the lamb of God's providing is a person.