Tag Archives: Jesus

Where is the Lamb?

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Abraham took his son to Mt. Moriah to offer a sacrifice.  He took almost everything they needed.

But Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, ‘My father!’
And he said, ‘Here I am, my son.’
Then he said, ‘Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?’
And Abraham said, ‘My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.’ So the two of them went together.”  – Genesis 22:7-8 (NKJV)

Roughly 2000 years later and 2000 years ago, John the Baptist gave the final answer to Isaac’s question. 

… John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, ‘Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!'” – John 1:29 (NKJV)

  • A lot of lambs were killed for a lot of Passovers, but there is only one Jesus.  
  • Some sacrifices were offered for individuals, others for the nation; Jesus died for the sin of the world.
  • Animal sacrifices were meaningful, but that meaning was symbolic.

For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins.” – Hebrews 10:4 (NKJV)

  • In Christ’s case all symbolism is removed as the reality of what He has done becomes evident.

Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.” – Hebrews 9:12 (NKJV)

Back to Mt. Moriah, roughly 2000 years later and 2000 years ago: So where is the lamb?  There He is, the Lamb of God.  Behold, the Lamb.

One Good Bible Study

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These guys were discouraged.  Life had suddenly become gloomier than it had ever been.  The man they took for the Messiah had just died a gruesome death.  Now what?

They were confused.  Some women they knew said the body of Jesus was gone and claimed to see angels who said He was alive.  Alive.  What?  This was all going to take some time to process.

What they didn’t realise was that they were walking and talking with the risen Jesus at that very moment. 

Then He said to them, ‘O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?’ And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.”  – Luke 24:25-27 (NKJV)

Too often the Lord gets my attention the same way: “O foolish one!” (literally, “without mind, without sense”) In this case, He kept their attention for a long time – and the students took it all in.  Later, they recalled it:

And they said to one another, ‘Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?'”- Luke 24:32 (NKJV)

No question, that was the best Bible study we all ever missed.  Still, there’s one more thing Jesus said that we should all probably take more seriously. 

These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.” – John 14:25-26 (NKJV)

May our hearts and minds be open to everything the Spirit desires to teach us.

Palmer St. Podcast: Luke 23

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Today we’ll see Jesus before Pilate, then Herod, then before Pilate again.  We’ll see Him led to Golgotha and crucified.  We’ll see Him die and be buried. 

He endured all of this “for the joy set before Him” (Hebrews 12:2) – the salvation of our souls.  We can now “rejoice in God through whom we have now received the reconciliation.” (Romans 5:11)  “By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us…” (1 John 3:16)

Listen: Luke23.mp3 

Read: Luke23.pdf

True Worshipers

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It’s far less important where we worship than that we worship – and it’s also important how.  A Samaritan woman once brought up to Jesus the issue of location.  Christ responded as follows, de-emphasizing place altogether:

Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father … But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth‘” – John 4:21, 23-24 (NKJV)

The fact that worship may be valid in all places at all times does not automatically mean that we can worship in any old way we want.  God gives us two prerequisites:

  1. The first is worship in spirit:  This excludes all worship in the flesh.  Every church musician knows what it’s like to focus more on his music than on his Maker, more on the sound than on the Savior.  Examples like these touching all of us could be multiplied.  It’s really rather easy to focus on the creature more than the Creator during praise, but this we should never do.
  2. There’s also worship in truth:  This implies that there is such a thing as false worship – worship that is fake, make-believe, hypocritical.  And since Jesus is “truth personified” (John 14:6), true worship also excludes all worship that excludes Him. 

Worship the Lord often today, wherever and whenever you can.  And may the Father find a true worshiper when He looks at you.