Agnus Dei

Introduction

The title of our sermon today is Agnus Dei.

This is a latin expression that has been used throughout church history.

Agnus Dei means: Lamb of God.

The lamb of God is a biblical concept that has its origins in the Old Testament.

In our reading of the Bible this year we have already come upon the concept of the lamb of God two times:

We first encounter this concept in the sacrifice of Isaac where Abraham and Isaac go up to mount Moriah. Isaac notices that there is no animal to offer up to God as a sacrifice and Abraham says:

Genesis 22:7–8 NASB95

Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, 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 for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” So the two of them walked on together.

Gn 22:

Genesis 22:7–8 LBLA

Y habló Isaac a su padre Abraham, y le dijo: Padre mío. Y él respondió: Heme aquí, hijo mío. Y dijo Isaac: Aquí están el fuego y la leña, pero ¿dónde está el cordero para el holocausto? Y Abraham respondió: Dios proveerá para sí el cordero para el holocausto, hijo mío. Y los dos iban juntos.

Although God had commanded Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac, God himself provides a substitute. God provided a ram for Abraham to offer as a sacrifice.

The second time we encounter the concept of the lamb is during the Exodus narrative. Today we will consider:

The passover lamb.

The God who provides a substitute.

John’s declaration.

I. The passover lamb.

I. El cordero de la pascua.

To understand the Exodus narrative we must turn our attention to .

The people of God have been slaves in Egypt for at least 400 years.

They have lived a life of hard labor.

God had heard his people’s cries and had raised up a deliverer - Moses.

God had given Moses a special calling. His message to Pharaoh was simple:

Exodus 7:16 NASB95

“You shall say to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, sent me to you, saying, “Let My people go, that they may serve Me in the wilderness. But behold, you have not listened until now.”

Exodus 7:17 NASB95

‘Thus says the Lord, “By this you shall know that I am the Lord: behold, I will strike the water that is in the Nile with the staff that is in my hand, and it will be turned to blood.

Exodus 7:16 LBLA

Y dile: “El Señor, el Dios de los hebreos, me ha enviado a ti, diciendo: ‘Deja ir a mi pueblo para que me sirva en el desierto. Mas he aquí, hasta ahora no has escuchado.’

Exodus 7:17 NASB95

‘Thus says the Lord, “By this you shall know that I am the Lord: behold, I will strike the water that is in the Nile with the staff that is in my hand, and it will be turned to blood.

God was going to deliver his people from the bondage of slavery so that they would be free to worship God as he had commanded.

They could not worship God under slavery. They must be liberated so they could live as God’s free and chosen people.

Pharaoh’s heart has been hardened.

Pharaoh was determined to not let the Jewish people go from Egypt.

Time and time again God sent plagues upon the Egyptians. God would make a great display of his power to demonstrate to all that it was he who would liberate his people through the power of his hand.

God sent various plagues:

The Nile became blood.

Frogs.

Lice.

Open sores.

Hail that destroyed all the crops.

God sent a total of 10 plagues. The last of the ten plagues would be the death of the firstborn.

The plague of the firstborn would be 10th and final plague.

This plague is explained in .

God’s last and final judgment upon the Egyptians was to take the life of the firstborn:

Exodus 11:4–6 NASB95

Moses said, “Thus says the Lord, ‘About midnight I am going out into the midst of Egypt, and all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of the Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the slave girl who is behind the millstones; all the firstborn of the cattle as well. ‘Moreover, there shall be a great cry in all the land of Egypt, such as there has not been before and such as shall never be again.

Exodus 11:4–6 LBLA

Y Moisés dijo: Así dice el Señor: “Como a medianoche yo pasaré por toda la tierra de Egipto, y morirá todo primogénito en la tierra de Egipto, desde el primogénito de Faraón que se sienta en su trono, hasta el primogénito de la sierva que está detrás del molino; también todo primogénito del ganado. “Y habrá gran clamor en toda la tierra de Egipto, como nunca antes lo ha habido y como nunca más lo habrá.

All the firstborn children of Egypt would die, but God offered his grace through the passover lamb.

That night, the angel of death would pass throughout all Egypt.

The Israelites were commanded to celebrate a feast unto the Lord as they prepared to leave their house of bondage.

The centerpiece of this celebration would be a year old lamb. God commanded:

Exodus 12:3–8 NASB95

“Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying, ‘On the tenth of this month they are each one to take a lamb for themselves, according to their fathers’ households, a lamb for each household. ‘Now if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his neighbor nearest to his house are to take one according to the number of persons in them; according to what each man should eat, you are to divide the lamb. ‘Your lamb shall be an unblemished male a year old; you may take it from the sheep or from the goats. ‘You shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month, then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel is to kill it at twilight. ‘Moreover, they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. ‘They shall eat the flesh that same night, roasted with fire, and they shall eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.

Ex 12:

Exodus 12:3–8 LBLA

Hablad a toda la congregación de Israel, diciendo: “El día diez de este mes cada uno tomará para sí un cordero, según sus casas paternas; un cordero para cada casa. “Mas si la casa es muy pequeña para un cordero, entonces él y el vecino más cercano a su casa tomarán uno según el número de personas; conforme a lo que cada persona coma, dividiréis el cordero. “El cordero será un macho sin defecto, de un año; lo apartaréis de entre las ovejas o de entre las cabras. “Y lo guardaréis hasta el día catorce del mismo mes; entonces toda la asamblea de la congregación de Israel lo matará al anochecer. “Y tomarán parte de la sangre y la pondrán en los dos postes y en el dintel de las casas donde lo coman. “Y comerán la carne esa misma noche, asada al fuego, y la comerán con pan sin levadura y con hierbas amargas.

The lamb would have to die and its blood spilled so that the children of Israel may live, specifically the firstborn in their home.

God was very serious about this. It would not matter that they were Israelites if they did not follow God’s command:

Exodus 12:12–13 NASB95

‘For I will go through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments—I am the Lord. ‘The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live; and when I see the blood I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.

Exodus 12:12–13 LBLA

“Porque esa noche pasaré por la tierra de Egipto, y heriré a todo primogénito en la tierra de Egipto, tanto de hombre como de animal; y ejecutaré juicios contra todos los dioses de Egipto. Yo, el Señor. “Y la sangre os será por señal en las casas donde estéis; y cuando yo vea la sangre pasaré sobre vosotros, y ninguna plaga vendrá sobre vosotros para destruiros cuando yo hiera la tierra de Egipto.

That final and dreadful day came to pass.

Exodus 12:29–30 NASB95

Now it came about at midnight that the Lord struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of cattle. Pharaoh arose in the night, he and all his servants and all the Egyptians, and there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was no home where there was not someone dead.

Exodus 12:29–30 LBLA

Y sucedió que a la medianoche, el Señor hirió a todo primogénito en la tierra de Egipto, desde el primogénito de Faraón que se sentaba sobre su trono, hasta el primogénito del cautivo que estaba en la cárcel, y todo primogénito del ganado. Y se levantó Faraón en la noche, él con todos sus siervos y todos los egipcios; y hubo gran clamor en Egipto, porque no había hogar donde no hubiera alguien muerto.

Ex 12:29-30

The stench of death was all around the land of Egypt, except for the homes of the Israelites.

God had fulfilled his promise. God has saved his people from destruction.

The people of God were now liberated and free to journey towards the promised land, just as God had promised 430 years earlier.

II. The God who provides a substitute.

II. Dios provee un sustituto.

Although the people of God were free someone had to die.

Although the people of God were alive, joyful, liberated - someone had to die in their place.

That someone - was the passover lamb.

The passover lamb died a substitutionary death - in other words, the lamb died in their place.

The lamb did not deserve to die.

The lamb did nothing wrong.

The lamb was not a slave.

The lamb had no sin.

Nevertheless, God looked upon the blood of the lamb and spared the children of Israel.

In the same way, when Abraham was about to sacrifice Isaac, God provided a substitute.

The ram would die in Isaac’s place.

It is through the ram’s death that we see Isaac’s life spared.

God acts in the same way through providing a substitute on our behalf.

We are all sinners in the eyes of God.

As sinners we deserve God’s just condemnation.

God cannot simply forgive those who have sinned against him. He cannot ignore the breaking of his law. Otherwise, he would be justly accused of corruption.

God is so holy, that he must punish sin. He must carry out justice and punishment for each sinful act.

We cannot save ourselves. There is not enough good we can do to save us from God’s just punishment.

Since we cannot save ourselves, God has to intervene and provide a substitute that will take on God’s punishment on our behalf.

The primary message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is that we cannot save ourselves and therefore we need Jesus Christ!

III. John’s declaration.

III. La declaración de Juan.

John the Baptist sees Jesus from afar and points to him saying:

John 1:29 NASB95

The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

John 1:29 LBLA

Al día siguiente vio* a Jesús que venía hacia él, y dijo*: He ahí el Cordero de Dios que quita el pecado del mundo.

The moment John sees Jesus he remembers God’s way of providing for his people.

God has sent his substitute. This is a glorious event!

God has entered into time and history to act on behalf of humanity once more.

God has come to offer up a sacrificial lamb for the salvation of the world.

John’s declaration teaches us that Jesus is the only lamb of God.

There is no other savior.

There is no other gospel.

There is no other way of salvation.

There are no other ways to be reconciled to God.

It is only through belief in Jesus Christ that we may be saved.

John’s declaration teaches us that Jesus came to take away sin.

Jesus bore the punishment that we deserve.

Jesus was complete innocent. He was without sin. There was no reason for him to suffer and die. Jesus Christ was not dying for what he had done, but rather died so that we who are guilty would be spared from God’s just punishment.

For this reason, those who believe are forgiven - because Jesus suffered punishment in their place.

Those who do not believe are condemned and suffer the just consequences for their sin.

At the end of the day, someone must be punished, someone must receive/endure the wrath of God. Jesus did this for those who believe.

In his death of the cross, Jesus suffered the unbelievable pain and suffering that our sin justly deserved.

He did this willingly. He was not forced to do it but voluntarily gave up his life for our forgiveness.

Jesus came to take away all sin. It does not matter how awful our sin has been; God will surely forgive us for his Son’s blood is so precious that it covers a multitude of sins.

Jesus came to take away are past and future sins.

This is the most precious news that humanity could receive - God is willing to reconcile humanity to himself through the substitute - Jesus Christ.