Saved by the Lamb
SAVED BY THE LAMB- SALVATION AND REDEMPTION
I Peter 1:18-19 Forasmuch as ye know that ye 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 without blemish and without spot.
FOCUS THOUGHT
Salvation was purchased for all humanity by one spotless Lamb, Jesus Christ. Behold the Lamb of God, which takes away the sin of the world.
The story we just saw reenacted did not occur in the Bible, but it could have. It underscores the fact that God had promised from the very beginning that He would pay the price to restore our relationship with Him. How strange – of all the mascots and symbols of victory – that God would choose a lamb. When referring to God’s power, we can understand why He would be called the “lion of the tribe of Judah”. Power, strength, a victorious conqueror – sure but how can we be saved by a lamb?
It goes against our understanding, but it always has. God doesn’t work according to our line of reasoning. There were those that missed Him when He was born as a baby, and when He was cruficied there were also sincere, well-meaning folks that could not see how God could show up – as this man called Jesus – as a Lamb?
Isaac asked - where is the lamb?
John replied - Behold the lamb!
Throughout the ages we will proclaim- worthy is the lamb!
They enjoyed eating the food He multiplied, the entertainment He provided when He performed miracles, but when He began to share with them that He was God – it was too much – God wouldn’t show up like this. So they continued to pray, and believe that the Messiah would come, and so of course they had to get rid of Jesus – He was pretending to be the God that they could not see – and that they knew would not show up.
It should have been easy to understand. The concept of a lamb being slain and its blood being the covering for sin had been going on a long time. When they first left Egypt . .
Because they couldn’t accept Him – they had to reject Him.
When did Adam & Eve stop looking forward to walking in the garden with God? When they had sinned. When did they decide they needed to make a covering –
After they sinned, they were not comfortable around God.
Why don’t people have a relationship with God? They are not comfortable around Him, because being around Him makes them uncomfortable with themselves. And so they run, trying to simulate and come up with an alternative.
All that is out there is cheap imitations
ATONEMENT — the act by which God restores a relationship of harmony and unity between Himself and human beings. The word can be broken into three parts that express this great truth in simple but profound terms: “at-one-ment.” Through God’s atoning grace and forgiveness, we are reinstated to a relationship of at-one-ment with God, in spite of our sin.
This morning I got here early, put on a pot of coffee, and got a cup all ready for when it was done – a little creamer, two Splendas and half a teaspoon of a sugar from the bowl on the counter. Then I realized that I was using a small cup and I wouldn’t need that much, so I poured half of the mixture into another cup in case I wanted some more later.
My mind was on this service so I absentmindedly filled my cup and went back to the office, but something wasn’t right. There was a strange, not too overpowering, but a different taste to the coffee. Did I make the coffee too strong? Did I put in too much sweetener? Is something wrong with the creamer?
After drinking about half of the cup, I decided to try again.
How can I make you understand that it only works according to God’s plan. We want to help you in your walk with God. We could make a big deal this morning, but it is all about a restored relationship. Why won’t your way work? The same reason that you can’t use salt to sweeten your coffee.
It wasn’t God speaking in an audible voice, but something clicked as a looked at the sugar bowl and the row of salt shakers right beside it. That was salt. I threw away the entire contents of the sugar bowl and refilled it with the bag from the cupboard. I then repeated the process. Ah – that’s what it’s supposed to taste like.
I would never get the coffee to taste right as long as I kept putting salt in the cup.
Don’t throw salt in the cup. I guess I could have been able to pick out the salt from the middle of the sugar, but it was really only going to work when I threw it all out.
We celebrate today – yes, we acknowledge all the pain, suffering, and the death of our Lord. But the proof of His power was that He rose again, proving once and for all that death is not the end. You can be an overcomer today, you can have a restored relationship with the One who made you, because the Lamb has overcome!
What can a lamb do? When God became man, He became the sacrifice. It wasn’t a coincidence that on the day set aside to offer up a sacrifice that Jesus was sacrificed instead! It was all part of God’s plan. He died that you and I could live.
He has overcome everything! You want that blood applied to your life. You want to accept that sacrifice. You want to make sure He knows that you are thankful for what He is done. The only way that you can live for Him is because He died for you.