from the very beginning, for reasons that we
cannot fully understand, God has had a peculiar
love for humanity. So that even after humanity
fell away from him in sin and rebellion, God
loved humanity. God loved us. and purposed to
go about the work of restoring us to Himself.
God desires us. In order to accomplish that,
God's justice, which was offended by our sin,
had to be satisfied. In our society we're losing
the sense of justice. A crime is committed and
somehow there are reasons for that crime that
all of us are responsible for. And so we all
share the blame of the crime and the guilty person
is let off sometimes with a mere slap on the
wrist, if any punishment at all. That's why we're
so offended by this young man in Singapore who
has received a sentence of caning. Now whatever
you think of the punishment for the crime that
he's done, understand this, that there they are
not afraid to express justice according to the
law. That is a concept we're losing in America,
and it's creeping into our theology. We have
to understand that justice and the law must be
satisfied. In order for God to be restored to
us and we to Him, His justice had to be satisfied.
The penalty for sin had to be paid. The penalty
of death. That theme of sacrifice is found throughout
the Scriptures from Genesis to Revelation. The
theme of the sacrifice to Lamb. For just a couple
of minutes, think with me at various spots in
the Scripture where this theme is found. Let's
begin in Genesis 22 where the story is found
of Abraham and Isaac. God's command to Abraham
was, Hills of Moriah and there sacrifice your
son your only son Isaac to me Abraham took what
was necessary and Started the journey and eventually
he and Isaac wound their way up to the hills
that God had commanded them to go to where Jerusalem
sits today and There God Abraham rather prepared
to sacrifice his son to God. Isaac said, Father,
here's the wood, here's the fire, but where's
the lamb? Abraham said, My son, God will provide
for himself a lamb. Abraham was fully prepared
to slay his own son if God asked him to do that.
But before he did it, God drew his attention
to a ram, a wild sheep that was caught in the
thickets, and that lamb, that wild sheep took
the place of Isaac. A substitute died in his
place. We speed ahead a few hundred years to
a terrible night in Egypt. Nine plagues have
come upon the Egyptian people because they would
not allow the Israelites to go. One final plague.
It is the death of all the firstborn in the land
of Egypt. All of them must die because of their
rebellion against God and His command, let my
people go. The firstborn of the Israelites would
have died too. except that God provided the Passover
lamb. And He said to His people, get a lamb,
each of you for your households, a prime lamb,
a perfect lamb, a proven lamb, and slay the lamb
at the door of your house. And apply the blood
on the door. And then when the death angel comes
through the land of Egypt, He says, I will pass
over you. And they were spared the penalty of
the death of the firstborn by the death of the
lamb. Hundreds of years later, Isaiah the prophet
gives us a strategic clue as to what the lamb
theme is all about. When he identifies the lamb
not as an animal, but as a person, he was wounded.
for our transgressions. He was bruised for our
iniquity. The Lord laid on him the sin of us
all, like a sheep led to the slaughter. It was
700 years before the scene was fulfilled at the
River Jordan. where John was baptizing sinners
coming in repentance and he looked up and He
saw Jesus coming to him and he said behold the
Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world
Behold the Lamb of God the one pictured in Genesis
22 the one pictured in Exodus 12 at the Passover,
the one prophesied of in Isaiah 53 was there.
And we know well the story how that he went to
the cross and there died as the Lamb of God,
slain from the foundation of the world in the
mind of God because God had planned it from the
very beginning. A chariot is driving down through
the wilderness. A man is sitting in the chariot
reading from Isaiah 53, the passage that we had
read to us earlier. And Philip is commanded to
go to the chariot. He did. And the man says,
who is being spoken about here in this text I
am reading? And Philip got into the chariot and
began to preach to him Jesus. But then let's
move ahead to the book of Revelation where John
is caught up into heaven itself and there he
sees God sitting on a throne and in his hand
is the right to reign and to rule on the earth
The inheritance of all creation represented in
a scroll in a book that was there and Heaven
was searched and no one was found worthy to take
a hold of the scroll and open it that he might
reclaim the earth for God and in so doing pour
out the judgments of God upon wicked men until
there was one who approached whose name was the
Lion of Judah. And he stood before the throne
of God like a lamb sacrificed. It's Jesus. And
he takes in his hand the scroll and prepares
to reclaim the earth for God and to establish
His kingdom here. And all of heaven breaks out
in the chorus, worthy is the Lamb who was slain.
And it was all for us. It was all for you and
for me. From the very beginning God had His eyes
on you and He loved you. And He prepared a way
to restore you to himself through the death of
his own beloved son. And he has accomplished
that. And today, we who have believed have entered
into that reconciling with God. We have become
gods. And if you're here today and you've not
yet stepped into that relationship with God,
do you know, do you understand that just by an
act of your faith, By receiving Jesus Christ
into your life, you can step into that relationship
that God has prepared that he might have with
you through Jesus. We're going to close by singing
of that sacred head that has been wounded on
our behalf. It's number 178 and I invite you
to take your hymnal as we sing together. We'll
sing verses 1 and 3. Let's stand together, please.
O sacred head, now wounded, With grief and shame
weighed down, Now scornfully survived. With thorns
thine only crown? How pale's the heart with anguish,
With sword of loose and strong? How does that
visit land has paid the price for our sins and
now of course is resurrected and is glorified
in heaven. And we invite you to be back with
us on Sunday as we celebrate together that glorious
event. But we are here in this world and it is
our privilege to suffer with Christ if need be.
We have received word just a few moments ago
that one of our missionaries Raymond Rising has
been captured by terrorists in Colombia and is
one of a number now being held hostage there.
He apparently was on a motorcycle on his way
to the Summer Institute of Linguistics meeting
when he was captured by them. And so I know that
Doris would want us to be praying for Ray, but
let's pray also for her and for God to work out
His purpose in this situation. Let's pray together.
Father, whatever suffering we have in this world
is nothing compared to what Jesus suffered for
us. We reflect on the cross and on the dying
sorrow of our dearest friend. and our hearts
are deeply touched and moved and we pledge afresh
our love and devotion to you even if it brings
suffering to us. We suffer today spiritually
with Ray rising and our prayer on his behalf
is that he might quickly be released. We pray
for Doris as she is left now to the situation
in the face alone. I pray for her. Surround her
with your comfort. We pray for their son as well.
And for all of those who are involved in the
negotiations involved here for Ray and for the
other missionaries who've been kidnapped in Colombia
and Panama, we pray for them and ask that you
use them in this time of captivity to be witnesses
for you. We pray that if it's your will that
you would sustain them and preserve their lives
and return them to their loved ones. We are confident
that they are in your hands, however, and that
brings us a measure of peace in this moment of
shocking news. In Jesus' name, amen.