John 1:29 - The next
day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who
takes away the sin of the world!’’ – The Lamb of God, the ultimate sacrifice that
was anointed and sent by God, to pay the price for the sin that we once lived
in.
To understand how
Jesus fulfils the prophecy of Isaiah 53, where He is described to be
slaughtered as a lamb by the will of God, as an offering for sin and to destroy
all ungodliness among us, we must first comprehend the function and role of the
lamb in the Old Testament under the law of Moses (the old covenant). During the
exodus of the people of Israel from slavery in Egypt, the Lord declared that He
would strike down every first born son and first born male animal in Egypt. In
order for the people of God to be saved from this judgement, they were
instructed to slaughter a sacrificed lamb, share a haste Passover meal and then
use the blood to paint it on the sides of their doors of the houses they ate in.
This was to be done in order to establish their identity as people of the Holy
God, so that God would pass over the house when He sees the blood. {Exodus
12:13} This blood was a symbol of protection and complete covering of God, as
it meant that they were to be delivered from the bondage of slavery under Pharaoh,
because their belief in God was rewarded with His mercy on them, to set them completely
free.
Here we see that the
blood of the sacrificed lamb distinguished
the Israelites as God’s people, and this same concept is shown through the
precious blood of Christ. By His death and shedding of blood, that covers our
sin and shame, we are differentiated from the rest of the world. The blood of
the Sacrificial Lamb is what wipes the slate clean and brings forth a new
creation of righteousness and complete surrender to God, in comparison to those
that do not belong to God. As
believers, people should be able to see that we are drenched in the forgiving
blood of Jesus – Philippians 2:12-13 {Work hard to show the results of your
salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. For God is working in you,
giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases Him.}
This same sacrifice using
the blood of a slain animal is reflected through the grace of the Messiah –
Jesus. In the New Testament, Jesus is referred to as a clean, unblemished,
spotless and sinless sacrifice; one in which could be offered as an eternal reconciliation
with God. Within the temple, lambs were being killed and offered as an atonement
for the sin of the people, however the death of Jesus on the cross and His resurrection
three days later, provide the faith and hope in eternal life with God, because of the willingness of Jesus to lay
down His life for the world. God initiates this offering through His gracious
kindness and desire for His people to have renewed hearts and minds, by giving
up His son Jesus for the sake of man kind’s salvation and the redemption of
sinners.
The same way in which
the Israelites were granted physical freedom and escape through the slaying of
the Passover lamb, through JESUS we are recipients of the only true form of
spiritual freedom. We were once slaves to sin, in bondage to our own type of
lifestyle, yet through the blood that now covers us, we receive the freedom in
Christ Jesus. Romans 6:23 tells us that ‘’the wages of sin is death, but the
free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord’’, showing that
despite our fleshly desires and fallen sinful nature, our repentance and faith
in the love that was displayed on the cross, paves a way for eternal life to be
gifted in Christ Jesus. The blood of Jesus the Lamb, shields and defends us
from all evil and danger (angel of death). We can be at rest, knowing that
through the Son of God that was pierced for our transgressions, and crushed for
our iniquities, we are free from all captivity of sin, bondage and oppression.
Jesus being sacrificed
and completely cleansing us with His blood fulfils the will of God for His
creation. We no longer practice Jewish custom of sacrificing physical animals
on behalf of our wrongdoing, but we rely on and find joy in the ONE sacrifice that
was made as an immutable offering. Instead of a lamb for each household, we
yield to the promise of an immaculate Lamb that was slain for the WHOLE WORLD.
Join me on this journey to get expand our understanding of the heart of who our Saviour is - EVERY MONDAY FOR 7 WEEKS!
''He Is Everything He Says He is''
Contact Me:
Email - kingdomambassadors@hotmail.com
Twitter - @_caitlinnunez
Instagram - @caitlinnunez
No comments:
Post a Comment