The Names of God
The
Lamb of God
"Behold, the Lamb
of God Who takes away the sin of the world!” John 1:29
"... the Lamb slain
from the foundation of the world." Revelation 13:8
Behold the Lamb:
Pure and
innocent, gentle and meek, giving and self-sacrificing -- a
stranger, a misfit and a pilgrim in this world of
self-gratification.
"He was led as a lamb to the
slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened
not His mouth." Isaiah 53:7
Had He spoken, his judges
would have misunderstood His words. His message didn't fit their
view of reality. They couldn't see beyond their personal wants
and their earthly existence. From their finite perspective, His meekness
looked like weakness. His
submission seemed like passivity.
But the Lamb was strong, not
weak, when He stood silent before His accusers. He modeled strength
when He chose obedience instead of resistance. His meekness
demonstrates, not passivity, but a resilient power to endure any trial
by trustful surrender to the will of God.
They put Him to death. Or so they thought. In reality, His accusers
had no power to take His life. The man they so arrogantly
taunted was the eternal King -- the creator of the universe! Nothing
would -- and nothing could -- happen apart from His sovereign will and
eternal plan.
That vast eternal plan is infinitely greater than all our human
dreams and plots. It far exceeds our finite human comprehension.
Yet, wonder of wonders, it includes an unending love-relationship
between God and those who would trust Him.
For even before the
beginning of time, "the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world"
had willed the salvation of all who would come to Him. And when the
time was right, He chose to enter our world, show us the
invisible God, teach us His ways, break the curse that had bound us to
corruption and open the door into His holy, heavenly eternity.
But while living among us as man, He chose to submit to those
who scornfully accused and tormented their own Maker and Lord.
Behold the bleeding Lamb:
"He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our
iniquities. The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His
stripes we are healed."
Isaiah 53:5
Those words were written
centuries before His bloodied, tortured body hung on the cross.
Throbbing with pain, He fulfilled that amazing prophecy. "He poured
out Himself to death" -- a death that bought our pardon, freed us from
bondage to sin and offered His holy, abundant, never-ending life to
all who would believe.
Hear the Lamb calling you:
“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give
you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am
gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Matthew
11:28-30
Do you believe that? Are you willing to endure
discomfort, deprivation and pain now in order to share His
joy and glory forever?
Paul did. "What things were
gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ," he wrote to his
precious friends in Philippi. "I also count all things loss for the
excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have
suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may
gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness,
which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the
righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him
and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His
sufferings, being conformed to His death...." Philippians
3:7-10
Remember the Lamb's path of triumph:
"Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains
alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain."
John 12:24 Through the fellowship
of His suffering we are "conformed to His death." When we
surrender our finite lives into His caring hands, He fills us with His
victorious life that will never die.
Behold the reigning Lamb:
Crowned the King of Kings, the Lamb now reigns from His heavenly
temple. A choir of celestial servants, friends and followers surround
His throne with songs of jubilant praise:
"Worthy is the Lamb that was slain
to receive power and riches and wisdom and might
and honor and glory and blessing...
forever and ever. Amen."
Revelation 5:12
Beloved Lamb,
I choose to share in
your death and resurrection. I rejoice in the amazing reality that "I
have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but
Christ lives in me." So take my life. Mold me and use me for Your
purposes. Let your will, not mine, be done -- even when my flesh
screams a silent protest to your good and perfect will.
I know that these moments of earthly pain are producing "an eternal
weight of glory" that far exceeds both temporary suffering and my
limited understanding, even "while we do not look at the things which
are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which
are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are
eternal." 2 Corinthians 4:17-18
Thank you, my precious Shepherd, glorious King, eternal Lamb....
Please prompt and enable my heart to worship you every hour --
forever.
"Blessing and
honor and glory and power
Be to Him who sits on the throne,
And to the Lamb, forever and ever!"
Revelation 5:13
