Christ is the Lamb of God
John 1:29
Behold the Lamb of God. The principal office of Christ is briefly but clearly stated; that he takes away the sins of the world by the sacrifice of his death, and reconciles men to God. There are other favors, indeed, which Christ bestows upon us, but this is the chief favor, and the rest depend on it; that, by appeasing the wrath of God, he makes us to be reckoned holy and righteous. For from this source flow all the streams of blessings, that, by not imputing our sins, he receives us into His favor.
By the word Lamb he alludes to the ancient sacrifices of the Law. This had to do with Jews who, having been accustomed to sacrifices, could not be instructed about atonement for sins in any other way than by holding out to them a sacrifice. As there were various kinds of them, he makes one, by a figure of speech, to stand for the whole; and it is probable that John alluded to the paschal lamb. John employed this mode of expression, which was better adapted to instruct the Jews, and possessed greater force; as in our own day, in consequence of baptism being generally practiced, we understand better what is meant by obtaining forgiveness of sins through the blood of Christ, when we are told that we are washed and cleansed by it from our sins. At the same time, as the Jews commonly held superstitious notions about sacrifices, he corrects this fault in passing, by reminding them of the object to which all the sacrifices were directed. It was a very wicked abuse of the institution of sacrifice, that they had their confidence fixed on the outward signs; and John, holding out Christ, testifies that he is the Lamb of God; by which he means that all the sacrifices, which the Jews were accustomed to offer under the Law, had no power whatever to atone for sins, but that they were only figures, the truth of which was manifested in Christ himself.
Who takes away the sin of the world. He uses the word sin in the singular number, for any kind of iniquity; as if he had said, that every kind of unrighteousness which alienates men from God is taken away by Christ. And when he says, the sin Of The World, he extends this favor indiscriminately to the whole human race; that the Jews might not think that he had been sent to them alone. But hence we infer that the whole world is involved in the same condemnation; and that as all men without exception are guilty of unrighteousness before God, they need to be reconciled to him. John the Baptist, therefore, by speaking generally of the sin of the world, intended to impress upon us the conviction of our own misery, and to exhort us to seek the remedy. Now our duty is, to embrace the benefit which is offered to all, that each of us may be convinced that there is nothing to hinder him from obtaining reconciliation in Christ, provided that he comes to him by the guidance of faith.
Although God had appointed the one sacrifice which directed men to Christ; but yet every man contrived for himself his own method of appeasing God. John leads us back to Christ alone, and informs us that there is no other way in which God is reconciled to us than through his agency, because he alone takes away sin. He therefore leaves no other refuge for sinners than to flee to Christ.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Saturday, January 16, 2010
There's Joy in the Temple
2 chronicle 29:27
“And Hezekiah commanded to offer the burnt offering upon the altar. And when the burnt offering began, the song of the Lord began also with the trumpets, and with the instruments ordained by David king of Israel.”
There was silence in the temple for 16 years. We read in verse 27 that “the song of the Lord began.” The word “began” indicates that the song of the Lord had ceased in the temple. The temple had become like a body without a spirit, like an envelope without a letter, like a house without a family. Everything inside was still and silent. The reason for the silence is SIN. In chapter 28, verse 1, we read, “And Ahaz reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem; but he did not that which was right in the sight of the Lord.” So he encouraged idolatry, the worship of false gods, in Israel. In verse 3, we read that “he burnt his children in the fire, after the abominations of the heathen whom the Lord had cast out before the children of Israel.” The “song of the Lord” ceased in the land. For sixteen years, the song of the Lord did not break from the throats of the people.
Then, there was surrender in the temple. When Ahaz died, and Hezekiah succeeded him to the throne, a change immediately came to the nation. In chapter 29, verse 3 and following, we read, “In the first year of Hezekiah’s reign, in the first month, he opened the doors of the house of the Lord, and repaired them.” The people were called upon to surrender two things. First, Hezekiah charged them to surrender their sins. He said, “Carry forth the filthiness out of the holy place.” This is always the first step toward Divine blessing. The formula sounds wonderfully similar to the words of the New Testament in II Corinthians 7:1, “Let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit.” And in verse 16 we read, “They went into the inner part of the house of the Lord, and brought out all the uncleanness that they found.” Then in verse 23, they offered a sin-offering, which was the means of their forgiveness and reconciliation with God. Let this be said to Hezekiah’s everlasting credit: he lost no time in hedging or compromising. He put first things first. He promptly called the people to repentance—to put sin away. Today, many Christians have forfeited the song of the Lord from their lives because the inner shrine of their hearts has become full of sin. Look into your own heart. Perhaps you didn’t deliberately reach out to bring the sin into your heart. Maybe the sin just accumulated over a period of time when your heart went without regular cleansing. But, however it happened, the dust and filthiness of the world has accumulated in your soul, and has stifled the song of the Lord. Now, you must deal with your sins. Open the doors today, admit God to the inner sanctuary, let Him search your soul, and show you the unclean thing therein, and then, by a decisive commitment of the will, surrender that sin to God!
Then, Hezekiah called upon them (indeed, he “commanded” them) to surrender their total selves to God. In verse 27, we read, “And Hezekiah commanded them to offer the burnt-offering upon the altar.” Now, the “burnt-offering” was one of the five Levitical sacrifices in the Jewish sacrificial system. You can study the burnt-offering in the very first chapter of the book of Leviticus. In Leviticus 1:3, we read, “If his offering be a burnt-offering, let him offer a male without blemish: he shall offer it of his own voluntary will at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the Lord.” Then in verse 9 (listen carefully!): “And the priest shall burn all on the altar, to be a burnt-sacrifice, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor unto the Lord.” In the other four Levitical sacrifices, only part of the sacrifice was consumed on the altar as an offering to God. The key is found in the phrase, “All on the altar.” Those old sacrifices, the “sin-offering” and the “burnt-offering,” have long since been abolished, but the deep truths which they stand for abide permanently in the purpose of God.
Finally, there was joy in the temple. Nehemiah 8:10 says, “The joy of the Lord is your strength.” One wise saint said, “Joy is the infallible sign of the Presence of God.” But what is joy? What is this “song of the Lord?” It is a lifting sense of gladness and delight. It is a free happiness. It is an inner celebration flavored with purpose and accomplishment. It is this joy that is the strength of a believer’s personal life and the strength of the service he renders for Christ. Sam Shoemaker was right when he said, “The amount of good a person can do depends greatly on how much pleasure he gets outs of it.” One of the important reasons for the rapid growth of Christianity at the beginning was the joy which was characteristic of the early disciples.
Andrew Murray was surely right when he wrote, “My first business in each new day is to get my own soul into a happy relationship with God.” So today, at this moment, I humbly claim from you in the name of Jesus a burnt-offering of your total life and self, placed all on the altar. And I can promise you this, that when all has been put on the altar in your life, in your heart God will put a new song. You will enter into a new liberty and a new kind of joy. And as long as you leave your all on the altar, that song will continue, and will deepen as the years go by.
Think of Mary, the mother of Jesus. She drew back when the angel told her that she was to be the mother of a supernatural son. But at last she bowed her head and said, “Behold, the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to Thy Word.” That’s the burnt offering; she surrendered herself; she placed her all on the altar. And listen to her next words: “My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.” There’s the song of the Lord! “When the burnt offering began, the song of the Lord began also.” You see, surrender and song are Siamese twins. If you have lost the song of the Lord, you can have it again. But before the song of the Lord can begin, at some sudden, decisive moment like this one, you must surrender all of your sins and all of your self to God in a crucial act of your will.
Think of Jesus. At the last supper, He shared with His disciples the broken bread and the cup of wine, picturing His Body broken and His Blood poured out on the Cross. This is the burnt offering. Then we read, “And they sang a hymn.” This is the song of the Lord.
2 chronicle 29:27
“And Hezekiah commanded to offer the burnt offering upon the altar. And when the burnt offering began, the song of the Lord began also with the trumpets, and with the instruments ordained by David king of Israel.”
There was silence in the temple for 16 years. We read in verse 27 that “the song of the Lord began.” The word “began” indicates that the song of the Lord had ceased in the temple. The temple had become like a body without a spirit, like an envelope without a letter, like a house without a family. Everything inside was still and silent. The reason for the silence is SIN. In chapter 28, verse 1, we read, “And Ahaz reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem; but he did not that which was right in the sight of the Lord.” So he encouraged idolatry, the worship of false gods, in Israel. In verse 3, we read that “he burnt his children in the fire, after the abominations of the heathen whom the Lord had cast out before the children of Israel.” The “song of the Lord” ceased in the land. For sixteen years, the song of the Lord did not break from the throats of the people.
Then, there was surrender in the temple. When Ahaz died, and Hezekiah succeeded him to the throne, a change immediately came to the nation. In chapter 29, verse 3 and following, we read, “In the first year of Hezekiah’s reign, in the first month, he opened the doors of the house of the Lord, and repaired them.” The people were called upon to surrender two things. First, Hezekiah charged them to surrender their sins. He said, “Carry forth the filthiness out of the holy place.” This is always the first step toward Divine blessing. The formula sounds wonderfully similar to the words of the New Testament in II Corinthians 7:1, “Let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit.” And in verse 16 we read, “They went into the inner part of the house of the Lord, and brought out all the uncleanness that they found.” Then in verse 23, they offered a sin-offering, which was the means of their forgiveness and reconciliation with God. Let this be said to Hezekiah’s everlasting credit: he lost no time in hedging or compromising. He put first things first. He promptly called the people to repentance—to put sin away. Today, many Christians have forfeited the song of the Lord from their lives because the inner shrine of their hearts has become full of sin. Look into your own heart. Perhaps you didn’t deliberately reach out to bring the sin into your heart. Maybe the sin just accumulated over a period of time when your heart went without regular cleansing. But, however it happened, the dust and filthiness of the world has accumulated in your soul, and has stifled the song of the Lord. Now, you must deal with your sins. Open the doors today, admit God to the inner sanctuary, let Him search your soul, and show you the unclean thing therein, and then, by a decisive commitment of the will, surrender that sin to God!
Then, Hezekiah called upon them (indeed, he “commanded” them) to surrender their total selves to God. In verse 27, we read, “And Hezekiah commanded them to offer the burnt-offering upon the altar.” Now, the “burnt-offering” was one of the five Levitical sacrifices in the Jewish sacrificial system. You can study the burnt-offering in the very first chapter of the book of Leviticus. In Leviticus 1:3, we read, “If his offering be a burnt-offering, let him offer a male without blemish: he shall offer it of his own voluntary will at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the Lord.” Then in verse 9 (listen carefully!): “And the priest shall burn all on the altar, to be a burnt-sacrifice, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor unto the Lord.” In the other four Levitical sacrifices, only part of the sacrifice was consumed on the altar as an offering to God. The key is found in the phrase, “All on the altar.” Those old sacrifices, the “sin-offering” and the “burnt-offering,” have long since been abolished, but the deep truths which they stand for abide permanently in the purpose of God.
Finally, there was joy in the temple. Nehemiah 8:10 says, “The joy of the Lord is your strength.” One wise saint said, “Joy is the infallible sign of the Presence of God.” But what is joy? What is this “song of the Lord?” It is a lifting sense of gladness and delight. It is a free happiness. It is an inner celebration flavored with purpose and accomplishment. It is this joy that is the strength of a believer’s personal life and the strength of the service he renders for Christ. Sam Shoemaker was right when he said, “The amount of good a person can do depends greatly on how much pleasure he gets outs of it.” One of the important reasons for the rapid growth of Christianity at the beginning was the joy which was characteristic of the early disciples.
Andrew Murray was surely right when he wrote, “My first business in each new day is to get my own soul into a happy relationship with God.” So today, at this moment, I humbly claim from you in the name of Jesus a burnt-offering of your total life and self, placed all on the altar. And I can promise you this, that when all has been put on the altar in your life, in your heart God will put a new song. You will enter into a new liberty and a new kind of joy. And as long as you leave your all on the altar, that song will continue, and will deepen as the years go by.
Think of Mary, the mother of Jesus. She drew back when the angel told her that she was to be the mother of a supernatural son. But at last she bowed her head and said, “Behold, the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to Thy Word.” That’s the burnt offering; she surrendered herself; she placed her all on the altar. And listen to her next words: “My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.” There’s the song of the Lord! “When the burnt offering began, the song of the Lord began also.” You see, surrender and song are Siamese twins. If you have lost the song of the Lord, you can have it again. But before the song of the Lord can begin, at some sudden, decisive moment like this one, you must surrender all of your sins and all of your self to God in a crucial act of your will.
Think of Jesus. At the last supper, He shared with His disciples the broken bread and the cup of wine, picturing His Body broken and His Blood poured out on the Cross. This is the burnt offering. Then we read, “And they sang a hymn.” This is the song of the Lord.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
CHRIST DEATH IS NECESSARY
When the priest in the Old Testament represented Israel before God he made the offerings by which fellowship was consummated and carried on between the people and God. So the priest, representing men before God, made the reconciling offerings. Just as the great offering that the Lord Jesus Christ made was a satisfaction, that is, he, in the gift of himself, satisfied God's requirements and his claims against us. His satisfaction anti-typically effected an expiation of sin. That is by what he did on the cross, sin was expiated, paid for. And God was propitiated, his holiness and righteousness satisfied, and by the death of Christ, the Father was rendered able, consistent with his perfections. That is, his perfections of mercy and holiness and justice, to reconcile us in mercy, to renew us, and to, finally, exalt us to the dignity, to the excellence, to the blessedness of the sons of God. So when we think of the Lord Jesus Christ as priest, we think of him as offering that offering, that satisfaction. Theologians for many centuries called it a satisfacio or the making of that which was sufficient. Satis in Latin means sufficient. Facio means to make. So satisfacio was the satisfaction, Christ's work by which he satisfied God's requirements for his people.
Now the apostles preached this fact, we believe. Paul said to the Corinthians, "I determine not to know anything among you save Jesus Christ, and him crucified." When Peter stood on the day of Pentecost in the city of Jerusalem by the temple he said,
"Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know this Man, delivered up by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death."
That, of course, was the satisfacio, that is the satisfaction. And he says, "And God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power." Later when Peter writes his first epistle, in the very 1st chapter, he speaks again of this fact when he says, "Knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ." So Peter affirmed the same thing that Paul did. He affirmed the death of the Lord Jesus, and that it was the ground of the redemption of men.
When we turn to Revelation chapter 5 and verse 9 and 10 and read the vision that John has given us there in chapters 4 and 5, the climax of it is the statement in verse 9 and verse 10 in chapter 5, "And they sang a new song, saying, Worthy art Thou to take the book and to break its seals; for Thou wast slain, and didst purchase for God with Thy blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. Thou hast made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth." So, it's quite clear that the apostles, Paul, Peter, and John, thought that the Lord Jesus had offered an offering by which men are brought into fellowship with the Lord God, and each one of them affirms the necessity of the death of the Lord Jesus for the accomplishment of that.
When the priest in the Old Testament represented Israel before God he made the offerings by which fellowship was consummated and carried on between the people and God. So the priest, representing men before God, made the reconciling offerings. Just as the great offering that the Lord Jesus Christ made was a satisfaction, that is, he, in the gift of himself, satisfied God's requirements and his claims against us. His satisfaction anti-typically effected an expiation of sin. That is by what he did on the cross, sin was expiated, paid for. And God was propitiated, his holiness and righteousness satisfied, and by the death of Christ, the Father was rendered able, consistent with his perfections. That is, his perfections of mercy and holiness and justice, to reconcile us in mercy, to renew us, and to, finally, exalt us to the dignity, to the excellence, to the blessedness of the sons of God. So when we think of the Lord Jesus Christ as priest, we think of him as offering that offering, that satisfaction. Theologians for many centuries called it a satisfacio or the making of that which was sufficient. Satis in Latin means sufficient. Facio means to make. So satisfacio was the satisfaction, Christ's work by which he satisfied God's requirements for his people.
Now the apostles preached this fact, we believe. Paul said to the Corinthians, "I determine not to know anything among you save Jesus Christ, and him crucified." When Peter stood on the day of Pentecost in the city of Jerusalem by the temple he said,
"Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know this Man, delivered up by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death."
That, of course, was the satisfacio, that is the satisfaction. And he says, "And God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power." Later when Peter writes his first epistle, in the very 1st chapter, he speaks again of this fact when he says, "Knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ." So Peter affirmed the same thing that Paul did. He affirmed the death of the Lord Jesus, and that it was the ground of the redemption of men.
When we turn to Revelation chapter 5 and verse 9 and 10 and read the vision that John has given us there in chapters 4 and 5, the climax of it is the statement in verse 9 and verse 10 in chapter 5, "And they sang a new song, saying, Worthy art Thou to take the book and to break its seals; for Thou wast slain, and didst purchase for God with Thy blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. Thou hast made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth." So, it's quite clear that the apostles, Paul, Peter, and John, thought that the Lord Jesus had offered an offering by which men are brought into fellowship with the Lord God, and each one of them affirms the necessity of the death of the Lord Jesus for the accomplishment of that.
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