As we looked at Jesus being our Good Shepherd and the
comfort of intimate satisfaction that He brings, we also looked at Jesus being
the Lamb. Now you say, ‘How can He be both the Shepherd and the Lamb?’ Well,
because He is God, and they are just analogies of what He is like anyway!
Throughout the Bible, the picture of a lamb has carried with
it a picture of sacrifice. This ultimately is because of sin, and the blood
atonement that is required after sin in order to restore relationship with God.
But specifically in the law of the Old Testament and before, God required
sacrifices of worship or of atonement to be of pure, spotless animals from the
herd, normally sheep. A lamb given in sacrifice, then, would have been a hand-picked
lamb from the flock that had no blemishes in its skin and no deformities. The
innocent, undeserving lamb given as a sacrifice stood as a picture of what God
would ultimately do for us through Jesus.
One powerful early example of this foreshadowing occurred with
Abraham and Isaac. You can read about their story in Genesis 22:1-14.[1]
Isaac was the one and only heir that would continue the blessing that God had
promised to Abraham, but one day God commanded Abraham to sacrifice Isaac his
son in order to test his faith. You would think, ‘How horrific! Why would God
make a promise and provide a miracle child, only to have him killed in some
sick human sacrifice?’ Well don’t worry, it’s not like that. God often tests
His people to see whether or not they will let go of the things that are most
important to them in order to cling wholly to God in faith. So Abraham decides
to have faith in God’s goodness and faithfulness despite this terrible command,
and he prepares to sacrifice his son. When Isaac realizes that they haven’t
brought a lamb to sacrifice, he asks, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but
where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” Abraham, clinging on to his faith,
replies “God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.”
Abraham carries on with his faith-filled obedience until God stops him right
before the sacrifice, and directs him to a ram caught in a thicket nearby.
To me, the coolest part about the story is not necessarily the
display of Abraham’s great faith in God’s character, but the faithfulness of
God’s character itself. God did provide a lamb to take the place of
Isaac. Just like He has provided a lamb to take our place in the death that our
sin makes us deserve.
The Bible is pretty clear about the nature of our sinful
predicament. In various passages of Romans it says,
“As it is written, ‘None is
righteous, no, not one’”[2]
“For all have sinned and fall
short of the glory of God”[3]
And unfortunately once again, a death sacrifice is required
in order for sin to be atoned.
“Therefore just as sin came into
the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all
men because all sinned-“[4]
“For the wages of sin is death,
but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”[5]
BUT the cool thing is, God has once again provided for
himself The Lamb that would take our place in the ultimate atonement offering. And
He’s made a way for us to make the same decision of faith that Abraham made, a
decision to accept God’s provision.
“But
God shows His love for us in that, while we were still sinners, Christ died for
us.”[6]
“Because if you confess with
your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him
from the dead, you will be saved. … For everyone who calls on the name of the
Lord will be saved.”[7]
But what then? What happens if you decide to make a decision
of faith, accepting God’s provision of sacrifice that wipes away all your
sinfulness? What do you do now?
Well, we’ve been talking about what it means to be ‘compelled
by love’, to worship God, and to live for Him because of what He’s done for us.
All of these things are summed up in an exciting analogy that’s given later in
Romans. Paul, under the direction of the Holy Spirit, pleads with his audience
and with us,
“I appeal to you therefore,
brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice,
holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be
conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that
by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable
and perfect.”[8]
Because of our sin, we were sentenced to die just like Isaac
on the altar. And just like Isaac, we have been given a miraculous salvation
from death because of God’s provision. The only thing is, we have to make a decision
of faith to believe and accept God’s provision for us. We have to choose to
accept the atonement that brings us back into unhindered relationship with God,
who then becomes our Good Shepherd. And once this decision is made, the privilege
of being God’s protected and nourished child, and the privilege of serving Him
in a life-long sacrifice or worship, becomes yours forever.
God loves you, enough to take your place and die for you so
that you might live.
Will you accept His provision and believe in Him? Will you
choose to live with Him and for Him?
“For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be
saved.”
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