WEBVTT

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from the very beginning, for reasons that we

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cannot fully understand, God has had a peculiar

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love for humanity. So that even after humanity

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fell away from him in sin and rebellion, God

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loved humanity. God loved us. and purposed to

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go about the work of restoring us to Himself.

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God desires us. In order to accomplish that,

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God's justice, which was offended by our sin,

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had to be satisfied. In our society we're losing

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the sense of justice. A crime is committed and

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somehow there are reasons for that crime that

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all of us are responsible for. And so we all

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share the blame of the crime and the guilty person

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is let off sometimes with a mere slap on the

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wrist, if any punishment at all. That's why we're

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so offended by this young man in Singapore who

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has received a sentence of caning. Now whatever

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you think of the punishment for the crime that

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he's done, understand this, that there they are

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not afraid to express justice according to the

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law. That is a concept we're losing in America,

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and it's creeping into our theology. We have

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to understand that justice and the law must be

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satisfied. In order for God to be restored to

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us and we to Him, His justice had to be satisfied.

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The penalty for sin had to be paid. The penalty

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of death. That theme of sacrifice is found throughout

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the Scriptures from Genesis to Revelation. The

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theme of the sacrifice to Lamb. For just a couple

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of minutes, think with me at various spots in

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the Scripture where this theme is found. Let's

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begin in Genesis 22 where the story is found

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of Abraham and Isaac. God's command to Abraham

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was, Hills of Moriah and there sacrifice your

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son your only son Isaac to me Abraham took what

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was necessary and Started the journey and eventually

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he and Isaac wound their way up to the hills

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that God had commanded them to go to where Jerusalem

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sits today and There God Abraham rather prepared

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to sacrifice his son to God. Isaac said, Father,

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here's the wood, here's the fire, but where's

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the lamb? Abraham said, My son, God will provide

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for himself a lamb. Abraham was fully prepared

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to slay his own son if God asked him to do that.

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But before he did it, God drew his attention

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to a ram, a wild sheep that was caught in the

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thickets, and that lamb, that wild sheep took

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the place of Isaac. A substitute died in his

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place. We speed ahead a few hundred years to

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a terrible night in Egypt. Nine plagues have

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come upon the Egyptian people because they would

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not allow the Israelites to go. One final plague.

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It is the death of all the firstborn in the land

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of Egypt. All of them must die because of their

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rebellion against God and His command, let my

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people go. The firstborn of the Israelites would

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have died too. except that God provided the Passover

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lamb. And He said to His people, get a lamb,

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each of you for your households, a prime lamb,

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a perfect lamb, a proven lamb, and slay the lamb

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at the door of your house. And apply the blood

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on the door. And then when the death angel comes

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through the land of Egypt, He says, I will pass

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over you. And they were spared the penalty of

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the death of the firstborn by the death of the

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lamb. Hundreds of years later, Isaiah the prophet

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gives us a strategic clue as to what the lamb

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theme is all about. When he identifies the lamb

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not as an animal, but as a person, he was wounded.

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for our transgressions. He was bruised for our

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iniquity. The Lord laid on him the sin of us

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all, like a sheep led to the slaughter. It was

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700 years before the scene was fulfilled at the

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River Jordan. where John was baptizing sinners

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coming in repentance and he looked up and He

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saw Jesus coming to him and he said behold the

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Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world

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Behold the Lamb of God the one pictured in Genesis

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22 the one pictured in Exodus 12 at the Passover,

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the one prophesied of in Isaiah 53 was there.

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And we know well the story how that he went to

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the cross and there died as the Lamb of God,

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slain from the foundation of the world in the

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mind of God because God had planned it from the

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very beginning. A chariot is driving down through

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the wilderness. A man is sitting in the chariot

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reading from Isaiah 53, the passage that we had

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read to us earlier. And Philip is commanded to

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go to the chariot. He did. And the man says,

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who is being spoken about here in this text I

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am reading? And Philip got into the chariot and

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began to preach to him Jesus. But then let's

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move ahead to the book of Revelation where John

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is caught up into heaven itself and there he

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sees God sitting on a throne and in his hand

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is the right to reign and to rule on the earth

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The inheritance of all creation represented in

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a scroll in a book that was there and Heaven

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was searched and no one was found worthy to take

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a hold of the scroll and open it that he might

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reclaim the earth for God and in so doing pour

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out the judgments of God upon wicked men until

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there was one who approached whose name was the

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Lion of Judah. And he stood before the throne

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of God like a lamb sacrificed. It's Jesus. And

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he takes in his hand the scroll and prepares

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to reclaim the earth for God and to establish

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His kingdom here. And all of heaven breaks out

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in the chorus, worthy is the Lamb who was slain.

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And it was all for us. It was all for you and

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for me. From the very beginning God had His eyes

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on you and He loved you. And He prepared a way

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to restore you to himself through the death of

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his own beloved son. And he has accomplished

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that. And today, we who have believed have entered

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into that reconciling with God. We have become

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gods. And if you're here today and you've not

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yet stepped into that relationship with God,

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do you know, do you understand that just by an

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act of your faith, By receiving Jesus Christ

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into your life, you can step into that relationship

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that God has prepared that he might have with

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you through Jesus. We're going to close by singing

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of that sacred head that has been wounded on

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our behalf. It's number 178 and I invite you

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to take your hymnal as we sing together. We'll

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sing verses 1 and 3. Let's stand together, please.

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O sacred head, now wounded, With grief and shame

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weighed down, Now scornfully survived. With thorns

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thine only crown? How pale's the heart with anguish,

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With sword of loose and strong? How does that

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visit land has paid the price for our sins and

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now of course is resurrected and is glorified

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in heaven. And we invite you to be back with

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us on Sunday as we celebrate together that glorious

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event. But we are here in this world and it is

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our privilege to suffer with Christ if need be.

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We have received word just a few moments ago

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that one of our missionaries Raymond Rising has

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been captured by terrorists in Colombia and is

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one of a number now being held hostage there.

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He apparently was on a motorcycle on his way

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to the Summer Institute of Linguistics meeting

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when he was captured by them. And so I know that

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Doris would want us to be praying for Ray, but

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let's pray also for her and for God to work out

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His purpose in this situation. Let's pray together.

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Father, whatever suffering we have in this world

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is nothing compared to what Jesus suffered for

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us. We reflect on the cross and on the dying

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sorrow of our dearest friend. and our hearts

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are deeply touched and moved and we pledge afresh

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our love and devotion to you even if it brings

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suffering to us. We suffer today spiritually

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with Ray rising and our prayer on his behalf

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is that he might quickly be released. We pray

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for Doris as she is left now to the situation

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in the face alone. I pray for her. Surround her

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with your comfort. We pray for their son as well.

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And for all of those who are involved in the

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negotiations involved here for Ray and for the

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other missionaries who've been kidnapped in Colombia

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and Panama, we pray for them and ask that you

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use them in this time of captivity to be witnesses

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for you. We pray that if it's your will that

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you would sustain them and preserve their lives

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and return them to their loved ones. We are confident

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that they are in your hands, however, and that

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brings us a measure of peace in this moment of

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shocking news. In Jesus' name, amen.