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THE LAMB THAT SAVES I. TEXTUAL THOUGHTS 1. Exodus 12 - The Passover lamb represented the sacrifice for deliverance. 2. Isaiah 53 - The prophecy of the Messiah who would be the lamb. 3. John 1:29 - By divine revelation, Jesus is called the Lamb of God. 4. 1 Peter 1:19 - Jesus is the precious lamb who was slain for our redemption. II. MAIN THEME - The lamb has long been a symbol of a blood sacrifice for sin throughout biblical religions. The prophecy of a Messiah was associated with the figure of a lamb being slaughtered. Jesus, as the Messiah, without any imperfection, fulfilled this concept completely and his blood was sacrificed for the sins of mankind. 1. There are many Old Testament examples of the lamb sacrifice. a. A ram was provided when Abraham offered Issac - Gen. 22:1-14 b. The Israelites had the image of the Passover lamb - Exodus 12 c. The Messiah was to be slaughtered like a lamb - Isaiah 53 2. Jesus is called the true Passover lamb. a. He is the lamb that takes away the sins of the world - John 1:29,35 b. He is the reality of what the Passover lamb symbolized - 1 Cor. 5:7 3. Jesus fulfills the characteristics of the Passover lamb. a. He is unblemished - Exo. 12:5; Heb. 9:14; 1 Pet. 1:19; b. He had to be killed - Exo. 12:6; Matt. 20:28; John 3:16; c. His blood must be applied - Exo. 12:7; 1 John 1:7; Rev. 1:5 d. Jesus' blood causes death (God's wrath) to pass over - Exo. 12:13; Rom. 3:25-26; 5:9; Heb. 9:22; 4. Jesus' death as the Lamb of God makes him worthy to reveal the destiny of humankind and to receive all glory and honor - Revelation 5:1-14 5. Consider the crucifixion stories of Jesus in the gospels and recognize how they portray the way Jesus accepts his role as lamb - Matt. 26-27; III. APPLICATION 1. Though Jesus was sacrificed like a lamb, he was the one who voluntarily gave his life to be offered as the sacrifice – John 10:17-18; Luke 22:42; Rom. 5:6-8 2. Jesus' role as lamb fits wisely with his other roles - a. Lamb and Lion - Rev. 5:1-6 b. High Priest and Sacrificial Lamb - Heb. 9:11-11-14 c. Shepherd and Sheep - John 10:14-18 3. Jesus' sacrifice serves as the purchase price for the new covenant and the purification of the heavenly things - Heb. 9:15-28 4. Jesus' role as lamb was also evident in his sacrificial life - Matt. 20:26-28 IV. MEMORY VERSE: John 1:29 |