Participants: John Dinzey
Series Code: ASHF
Program Code: ASHF000048
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00:21 Hello and welcome to another Sharper Focus
00:24 this Wednesday Night Bible study. 00:25 We welcome you 00:27 to this special study on God's Word. 00:31 We want to let you know that this is a live program. 00:35 Once in a while, we have it pre-recorded, 00:37 but if you see that this says live 00:39 in the right hand corner of your TV screen, 00:41 it's live. 00:42 Of course, those of you listening by radio, 00:45 we're letting you know it's live. 00:46 So thank you for joining us, 00:48 we're going to study God's Word today 00:50 and we have a group of people 00:51 here in Thompsonville Seventh-day Adventist Church. 00:53 And if you're in the Thompsonville, 00:55 Illinois area, 00:57 you're welcome to join us here 00:58 at the Thompsonville Seventh-day Adventist Church 01:00 located on route 149. 01:03 And just before you reach route 34 on route 149, 01:08 you will see the church in the left hand corner 01:11 and so you're welcome to come over here 01:13 on Wednesday nights at 7 p.m. 01:15 the Bible study begins, 01:17 you need to be here a little bit before 01:19 so you can be sitting down 01:21 by the time the live program begins. 01:22 Also you can join us on Saturday mornings, 01:25 we're here just before nine in the morning. 01:28 About from nine in the morning on, 01:30 people are worshiping the Lord, people are praying. 01:32 And right around 9:30, 01:34 we begin what we call our Sabbath School Bible study, 01:37 and then at 11 we have worship service 01:39 here at the Thompsonville Seventh-day Adventist Church. 01:41 You're welcome to be a part of the family. 01:43 You are personally invited. 01:46 Before we begin our study, 01:47 we'd like to go to the Lord in prayer. 01:49 And so we invite all present and all those listening 01:51 around the world to join us in prayer as we... 01:54 Before we study God's Word. 01:56 Let us pray together. 01:58 Our loving heavenly Father, we want to thank You, Lord, 02:02 that we can come before Your throne of grace 02:05 in Jesus' name. 02:07 And in this moment, Lord, we ask for You to bless 02:10 each and every person that is here present 02:13 and those joining us around the world, 02:16 whether it be by radio, internet, or television. 02:19 We pray, Father, for Your name to be glorified 02:22 and for every person sincerely seeking a blessing from heaven, 02:26 we pray that they will receive it. 02:28 I place myself in Your hands, Lord, 02:31 I surrender unto You and I ask that every word 02:34 will come directly from Your throne of grace. 02:38 We ask for Your Holy Spirit to be poured out, 02:40 we pray for forgiveness of sins 02:42 and cleansing from unrighteousness, 02:44 and we ask You for these things in Jesus' name. 02:47 Amen. Amen. 02:49 Well, we are going to be studying God's Word together 02:52 and so we like you to grab your Bible 02:55 or whatever it is that you may use 02:57 where you have the Bible 02:58 and nowadays you have electronic devices 03:00 where you have the Bible. 03:01 Well, we encourage you to open God's Word 03:03 and look at the text as we study them. 03:05 First of all, we'd like to mention that 03:07 when sin entered into the world, 03:09 it brought in death, pain, and suffering in this world 03:14 and when as soon as there was a sinner, 03:18 there was a savior 03:19 because the Bible says 03:21 that Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God slain from when? 03:25 From the foundation of the world. 03:28 So as soon as there was a sinner, 03:30 there was a savior. 03:32 And so if you join me now in Romans 6:23, 03:36 we will begin our study with this scripture. 03:39 There are going to be a lot of scriptures 03:41 that we are going to share tonight, 03:43 so we invite you to read along with us. 03:46 So Romans 6:23 has this announcement. 03:52 "For the wages of sin is death, 03:56 but the gift of God is eternal life 04:00 through Jesus Christ our Lord." 04:04 And so this scripture tells us that the wages of sin is death 04:09 and looking at the Spanish version, 04:12 because I have a Spanish parallel 04:15 and... English and Spanish. 04:17 It says, "The payment for sin is death." 04:22 And so the Bible also tells us that all have sinned 04:26 and come short of the glory of God. 04:28 That's in Romans 3:23 if you want to look that up. 04:31 So the wages of sin is death, 04:33 but notice the last part of Romans 6:23 04:38 tells us that, 04:40 "The gift of God is eternal life 04:45 through Jesus Christ our Lord." 04:48 So if Jesus Christ is your Lord and you believe in Him, 04:51 you are a candidate for eternal life. 04:54 And once again, I'd like to mention 04:55 that we're talking about eternal life, 04:57 not like we have life today, 05:01 we're talking about life without pain, 05:03 no suffering nor sickness nor death. 05:05 So we're talking about quality of eternal life. 05:09 So no one is going to come... 05:11 Once you have this gift, 05:13 once Jesus Christ and we are transformed, 05:16 the end of suffering for all of us. 05:18 Isn't that a good news? 05:20 Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. 05:21 And so let us consider the scripture John 3:16. 05:26 John 3:16 is a passage of the Bible 05:30 very well known from the Bible 05:33 and many, many people have memorized it 05:35 including songs have been written, 05:37 books have been written about John 3:16. 05:42 And so John 3:16 tells us 05:45 that, "God so loved the world, 05:48 that He gave His only begotten Son, 05:53 that whosoever believeth in Him should not..." 05:57 What? 05:58 "Perish..." There's that word perish again. 06:02 In the sense of the wages of sin is death 06:05 and so those that will not believe, 06:08 this will be the result. 06:09 If they do not believe, they will perish. 06:11 If they believe, the Bible tells us that, 06:13 "Whosoever believes in Him 06:15 should not perish but have..." What? 06:17 "Everlasting life." 06:19 So we have the God... 06:21 Even though the wages of sin is death 06:23 and we are deserving of death and all have sinned 06:26 and come short of the glory of God, 06:27 God announces 06:29 that He's willing to give us a gift 06:31 and that gift is eternal life. 06:33 What are the conditions to receive eternal life? 06:36 John 3:16 says you must believe. 06:41 And so I then ask you some questions. 06:44 Looking at this text in particular, 06:46 we must announce that it must be a belief 06:49 that is unto salvation 06:52 because the Bible announces 06:53 that the devils believe and tremble, 06:56 does that mean that because they believe, 06:58 they will be saved? 06:59 No. 07:01 If you keep reading in the Bible, 07:02 you will notice that the Bible says, 07:04 "If you love Me, keep My commandments." 07:06 Jesus says in John 14:15. 07:09 "If you love Me, keep My commandments." 07:11 You see, God goes beyond forgiving us for our sins, 07:15 He wants to rescue us from our sins 07:18 and bring us to the point where we will hate sin. 07:22 How many of you here would like to hate sin? 07:24 Would you like to hate sin? 07:26 Praise the Lord. 07:27 Jesus Christ is the only one 07:30 that can put in us a hatred for sin 07:32 because I have to let you know that yes, 07:36 Jesus Christ died on the cross for us, 07:39 but having died on the cross for us, 07:41 He wants to bring salvation to people 07:44 and eternal life to those 07:46 that are willing to live 07:48 according to the universe of God. 07:50 God... 07:52 There are two great commandments 07:53 based on the Ten Commandments, 07:55 the great Ten Commandments of God's law, 07:58 the first great commandment is, 08:00 love the Lord Your God with all of your heart, 08:02 with all of your mind, with all of your soul, 08:04 and in other words, with all of your heart. 08:08 And the second commandment is like unto it, 08:11 you will love your neighbor as yourself. 08:13 Those are the kind of people that will have eternal life 08:16 because God is not going to take people into heaven 08:19 and then into the new earth 08:20 that are willing to go around shooting people, 08:24 they have to learn to hate that. 08:27 God is not going to take people 08:29 that are going to be robbing from those 08:30 that have eternal life 08:32 or trying to find a way to commit adultery 08:34 or any of the other commandments involved. 08:37 God is going to take people to heaven 08:39 and bring them to the new earth 08:41 that are willing to be obedient. 08:44 And so these are the kind of people 08:46 that God is trying to rescue. 08:48 It's not just that you're going to be forgiven for sin... 08:50 "Wonderful, you're forgiven. 08:51 Let's go to heaven." 08:53 You see, because if you're just forgiven, 08:55 what are you going to do? 08:56 Keep doing the things you were. 08:58 God wants to work a transformation in us 09:02 and this is why the next verse is very important. 09:05 Let's go to John 1:29. 09:08 John 1:29. 09:11 If you happen to be in the Book of John, 09:13 just turn over to John verse 29. 09:17 John 1:29. 09:19 Notice what the John the Baptist announces. 09:24 "The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, 09:29 and saith, 'Behold the Lamb of God, 09:34 which taketh away the sin of the world.'" 09:39 Praise the Lord. 09:40 So what is it that John announces? 09:42 "Behold the Lamb of God 09:44 that taketh away the sin of the world." 09:47 And I like to think of the word behold, 09:49 not just as the word of a passing glance, 09:53 "Behold the Lamb of God..." 09:55 Oh, okay, I see Him. Great. 09:56 And you walk away. 09:58 No, it's behold, 09:59 continue beholding and follow the Lamb of God. 10:04 Not only this, 10:05 this verse tells us that Jesus Christ, 10:07 the Lamb of God is going to take away the sin of the world. 10:12 Not only is He going to take it away 10:13 in the sense of forgiveness, 10:15 but He wants to take the desire to sin away from us. 10:19 He wants to transform us in such a way 10:21 that we will not want to hurt people, 10:23 we will not want to hurt each other, 10:25 we will want to do good things. 10:27 And so that's what God's message is 10:31 and this is why there are many scriptures 10:33 that talk to us about this. 10:35 Romans Chapter 13 as you get to the end, 10:38 right around verse 13 or verse 11 around there, 10:41 it says that love is the fulfilling of the law. 10:46 And so you see, God loves us, He loves everyone around us, 10:51 and He doesn't want you to go around hurting those He loves. 10:54 Does that make sense? It makes sense. 10:56 So now as we look at the verse, 11:00 "Behold the Lamb of God 11:02 that taketh away the sin of the world." 11:04 Today, that does not make much sense to people. 11:07 If you say to them, "Jesus Christ the Lamb of God 11:10 that taketh away the sin of the world." 11:13 If you say that to someone 11:14 that has not read the Bible, they're kind of confused. 11:17 "What do you mean? Jesus Christ is a lamb? 11:20 What does that mean?" 11:21 To those that heard John the Baptist announce, 11:24 "Behold the Lamb of God 11:26 that taketh away the sin of the world." 11:28 Right away, they made a connection. 11:31 What was the connection? 11:34 They knew, they understood that if they sinned, 11:38 they were to bring an animal 11:41 as a sacrifice for their sins to be forgiven, 11:45 and the Bible tells us about a lamb in particular. 11:51 And when the person sinned, 11:53 they brought the animal to the priest in the sanctuary 11:58 or the temple of God 11:59 and we're thinking at this moment, 12:01 the wilderness sanctuary, 12:03 we've been studying the sanctuary 12:04 here at Thompsonville Church, 12:06 the sanctuary that had a outer court, 12:10 it had a holy place, 12:13 and then it had a most holy place. 12:15 We're not going to get too deep 12:16 into that aspect of the sanctuary. 12:18 But the people that would sin would have to bring an animal 12:22 that was completely innocent, 12:24 was not involved in the sin of the individual, 12:27 but that lamb 12:29 would take the place of the sinner. 12:31 And as you read in the Book of... 12:35 Right away from Genesis, 12:36 you notice that sacrifices are being made 12:39 for the forgiveness of sins. 12:41 Right away you notice that as soon as Adam and Eve sinned, 12:45 there was a sacrifice 12:47 because Adam and Eve after they sinned, 12:50 they clothe themselves with fig garments, 12:54 and when God came to talk to them, 12:59 He provided a better garment. 13:02 What was the better garment? 13:04 Skins of animals that had been sacrificed. 13:08 And right away after sin, 13:10 there was provision for their forgiveness made. 13:14 And this animal that was sacrificed 13:16 when Adam and Eve sinned was a symbol of the Lamb of God 13:22 that would take away the sin of the world, 13:24 that eventually would come upon the scene of human history. 13:28 So John the Baptist announces, "Behold the Lamb of God 13:30 that taketh away the sin of the world," 13:32 He's announcing something that would change history 13:37 that the Son of God had come 13:39 to take away the sin of the world. 13:42 So that... He was saying good news to them. 13:44 There is a question whether or not John the Baptist 13:47 fully understood the message 13:49 when he declared, "Behold the Lamb of God 13:52 that taketh away the sin of the world." 13:53 That's perhaps... 13:55 Some other time we may study that aspect of it. 13:58 But consider that Jesus Christ came to take away sin, 14:04 to be able to forgive sin, 14:06 and to be able to save us from death. 14:10 "The wages of sin is death," 14:12 the Bible announces in Romans 6:23. 14:17 Now let's go back to what I just described. 14:20 When a sinner sinned, 14:24 and the Bible tells us 14:25 that it is God through the Holy Spirit 14:29 that leads us to repentance and that is also a gift. 14:34 When the person responds and desires to be forgiven, 14:38 talking about the time 14:40 when the sacrifices were being offered, 14:42 and that person understood, "I must bring a lamb," 14:46 or some other animal, Leviticus Chapter 4 and on 14:49 describes to you some of the requirements. 14:52 So that person understood, 14:54 "I must bring a lamb for my sins to be forgiven." 14:57 You see, the Bible says 14:58 that without the shedding of blood, 15:00 there is no remission of sins. 15:04 Sin cannot be atoned for, 15:05 sin cannot be paid for unless there is death 15:09 because the wages of sin is death. 15:11 So either the sinner has to die 15:12 or someone in his place that is perfectly blameless 15:16 and spotless and does not have any sin. 15:20 In this case, it was an animal. 15:22 What kind of condition did the animal have to be in? 15:25 The Bible announces that the animal had to be 15:28 without spot and without blemish. 15:30 We're going to look at some scriptures 15:32 that tell us that. 15:33 The animal had to be without spot 15:35 and without blemish 15:37 because that animal was a symbol of Jesus Christ 15:41 who was going to live a perfect life 15:43 that would never sin. 15:45 So the animal had to be 15:47 without spot and without blemish. 15:49 So the person would bring, would look for the animal, 15:52 would carefully examine the animal 15:54 because that animal must comply with the conditions. 15:58 And so he examines the animal and once he finds an animal 16:02 that is without spot and without blemish, 16:05 he goes to the sanctuary to take it to the priest 16:10 because that animal must be examined 16:12 by the priest 16:14 and the priest must determine, 16:15 yes, this animal is fit to be sacrificed 16:21 to take your place 16:23 and die for you. 16:27 And once that person brought the animal 16:30 and he would then confess his sins 16:34 upon the animal by putting his hands 16:36 on the head of the animal. 16:38 This indicates a symbol or transferring of sin, 16:41 sin was moved 16:43 from the individual to the animal, 16:46 the animal was then sacrificed in his place 16:49 and would die for him. 16:53 The animal was completely innocent, 16:55 was not involved in the sin process, 16:57 he was not consulted 16:59 in whether or not the person should sin, 17:01 the animal was completely innocent. 17:04 It was a symbol of Jesus Christ 17:07 who would die for us and will live a perfect life. 17:10 So let's consider Jesus Christ the Lamb of God 17:15 that taketh away the sin of the world. 17:17 What were the steps involved in the process for the person 17:19 to be forgiven? 17:24 Upon acknowledgment of his sin, 17:27 upon being made aware of his sin by the Holy Spirit. 17:33 That person, I said, would find an animal, 17:36 bring it to the sanctuary, to the temple, 17:41 had to be without spot and without blemish, 17:44 he must confess his sins upon the animal, 17:47 then the sinner would have to kill the animal. 17:52 You see, who was responsible for the sin? 17:55 The sinner. 17:56 The sinner must be responsible for the death of the animal. 17:59 So the priest would tell him 18:01 exactly how the animal was to be killed 18:05 because there was no needless suffering 18:07 to be brought upon the animal. 18:09 So he was instructed exactly 18:11 how to use the knife to kill the lamb. 18:17 And then the blood would be used 18:19 to make an atonement for his sins. 18:23 Let's talk about Jesus, the Lamb of God 18:26 that takes away the sin of the world, 18:28 that takes away your sin. 18:30 Was He, in similar way, 18:32 examined to see whether or not 18:35 He was fit to be crucified for us? 18:39 Was He examined by the priests? 18:41 Let's look at what the Bible says, 18:43 let's analyze the scriptures. 18:45 Let's first go to Matthew 26. 18:48 Matthew 26. 18:50 And we are going to begin reading in verse 59. 18:54 Like I said, we have many scriptures 18:55 to share with you concerning these things. 18:58 We'll try to get through as many as we can. 19:01 Matthew 26, beginning in verse 59, 19:03 thus it is written, "Now the chief priests, 19:06 and elders, and all the council, 19:09 sought false witness against Jesus, 19:12 to put him to death." 19:15 For some reason that we cannot get into, 19:17 this is what they wanted to do 19:18 and it was not because they found him a fit sacrifice, 19:22 it was because they thought their nation, 19:25 their jobs were in danger. 19:26 "Now the chief priests, and elders, 19:28 and all the council, 19:30 sought false witness against Jesus, 19:31 to put him to death." 19:32 Verse 60. 19:34 "But found..." How many? 19:35 "None." 19:37 Praise the Lord. 19:38 "Yea, though many false witnesses came, 19:42 yet found they none. 19:44 At the last came two false witnesses, 19:47 and said, this fellow said, 19:50 'I am able to destroy the temple of God, 19:52 and to build it in three days.'" 19:55 So stop there for a moment 19:57 and consider that when it says they found two false witnesses, 20:02 they seem to agree it is 20:05 that the Bible says that the mouth of... 20:07 At the mouth of two or three witnesses, 20:09 everything will be established. 20:11 So in their system, 20:13 it was not just one individual that would say, 20:15 "Oh, yes, I saw that person 20:18 cut the head off of the other person." 20:21 There must be at least two witnesses. 20:23 So when the Bible says that there are two witnesses, 20:26 now they think they've got something. 20:28 Notice verse 21 again. 20:32 "And said, this fellow said, 20:34 'I am able to destroy the temple of God, 20:36 and to build it in three days.'" 20:39 Is that a crime? 20:41 No. 20:43 Verse 62. 20:44 "And the high priest arose, and said unto him, 20:47 Answerest thou nothing? 20:49 What is it that these witness against thee? 20:52 But Jesus held his peace, 20:54 And the high priest answered and said unto him, 20:57 I adjure thee by the living God, 20:59 that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, 21:01 the Son of God." 21:03 Verse 64. 21:05 "Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said, 21:08 nevertheless I say unto you, 21:10 Hereafter you shall see the Son of man 21:12 sitting on the right hand of power, 21:14 and coming in the clouds of heaven. 21:17 Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying, 21:20 He hath spoken blasphemy, 21:22 what further need have we of witnesses? 21:24 Behold, now ye have heard his blasphemy. 21:28 What think ye? 21:30 They answered and said, He is guilty of death." 21:35 You see, that was their declaration. 21:37 So he was examined by the high priest 21:39 and the counsel, 21:40 but they weren't trying to find... 21:43 They weren't trying to find a lamb 21:45 without spot and without blemish, 21:46 they were trying to find fault 21:48 and the Bible says they found none. 21:51 Praise the Lord. 21:53 Scriptures, as we continue reading, 21:55 you will notice that Jesus Christ 21:57 was tempted in all points like as we are, 21:59 yet without sin. 22:02 Praise the Lord. 22:03 So they found, he was examined 22:05 just as the lamb was supposed to be examined, 22:09 even though they had ill intentions, 22:11 Jesus Christ, in this particular scene, 22:13 was examined by the high priest and others. 22:18 But there were others that examined Jesus. 22:20 We're not going to read it, 22:21 but if you care to write it down 22:23 and read it later on, I encourage you to do so. 22:25 Mark 15:55-64 has a similar account to that 22:31 of which we just read. 22:32 Let's move over to Luke 23 22:35 and read that account 22:36 because it brings to light other things 22:38 that happened in the life of Jesus 22:40 during the end of His life. 22:43 We're looking at Luke 23. 22:45 We're going to read verse 13 all the way to verse 24, 22:50 so please pay attention and follow along. 22:52 Luke 23:13. 22:54 "And Pilate, when he had called together the chief priests 22:58 and the rulers of the people..." 23:00 So who are there? 23:01 The chief priests and the rulers of the people 23:04 and examination is about to take place. 23:06 They are about to examine the Lamb of God 23:08 that takes away the sin of the world. 23:10 Verse 14. 23:11 "Said unto them, 23:13 Ye have brought this man unto me, 23:14 as one that perverteth the people, and, behold, 23:17 I, having examined him..." 23:19 Having what? 23:21 "Examined him before you, 23:23 have found no fault in this man 23:26 touching those things whereof ye accuse him. 23:30 No, nor yet Herod..." 23:32 Another individual. 23:34 "For I sent you unto him, and, lo, 23:36 nothing worthy of death is done unto him. 23:41 I will therefore chastise him, and release him. 23:46 For of necessity..." 23:47 Verse 17 says. 23:49 "He must release one unto them at the feast." 23:53 It was the Feast of Passover at that moment. 23:55 Luke 23:18 continues, 23:58 "And they cried out all at once, saying, 24:00 Away with this man, and release unto us Barabbas." 24:06 So the opportunity was given to them 24:09 to release Jesus Christ 24:12 because He had really done nothing wrong 24:14 and Herod just told them, "I find no fault in Him. 24:17 I examined Him before you, there is no fault in Him." 24:20 A message that should echo in their ears. 24:24 And so let's continue reading. 24:26 Verse 19. 24:29 Thank you. 24:30 "Who for a certain sedition..." That's Barabbas. 24:32 "Made in the city, and for murder, was cast into prison. 24:36 Verse 20. 24:37 "Pilate therefore, willing to release Jesus, 24:39 spoke again to them. 24:42 But they cried, saying, Crucify Him, crucify Him. 24:47 And he said unto them the third time, 24:50 Why, what evil hath He done? 24:55 I have found no cause of death in Him. 24:57 I will therefore chastise Him, and let Him go." 25:02 So you see, we have another account 25:05 where Christ, the Lamb of God was examined to see 25:10 if there was any fault in Him and there was no fault to Him. 25:13 Now I ask you to join me in John 19. 25:17 John 19. 25:19 In John 19, 25:21 it's another account of the moment, 25:23 but here it stresses again several times 25:26 how they said they have found no fault in Him. 25:30 We're going to go to John 19. 25:33 Somebody forgot to turn off their cell phone. 25:35 John 19. 25:37 We're going to read verses 1 through 6. 25:39 Notice John 19. 25:40 By the way, if anyone else has a cell phone on, 25:42 you can please turn it off. 25:44 Thank you. 25:45 John 19:1, 25:46 "Then Pilate therefore took Jesus, 25:48 and scourged him. 25:49 And the soldiers platted a crown of thorns, 25:52 and put it on His head, 25:54 and they put on Him a purple robe..." 25:56 This was to mock Him. 25:57 "And said, Hail, King of the Jews! 26:00 And they smote Him with their hands. 26:02 Pilate therefore went forth again, 26:04 and saith unto them, 26:05 Behold, I bring Him forth to you, 26:09 that ye may know that I find no fault in Him." 26:14 So there is the first time in John's account. 26:17 Verse 5. 26:18 "Then came Jesus forth, 26:19 wearing the crown of thorns, and the purple robe. 26:21 And Pilate saith unto them, Behold the man! 26:27 When the chief priests therefore and officers saw him, 26:30 they cried out, saying, Crucify Him, crucify Him. 26:34 Pilate saith unto them, Take ye, and crucify Him, 26:39 for I find no fault in Him." 26:43 And so the Bible declares that his peers examined Him, 26:48 the high priest examined Him, 26:50 even the Herod and Pilate examined Him, 26:53 and they found no fault in Jesus Christ 26:57 because He had committed no sin, 26:59 He had no faults, 27:01 and I praise the Lord for that 27:02 because that means that as the Lamb of God, 27:05 He could die in our place, 27:09 fit sacrifice for us. 27:11 But yet there is another testimony 27:13 and I didn't bring that scripture before you 27:16 and that is the testimony of God the Father. 27:20 What the God the Father say as... 27:22 If I'm sure you remember reading this, 27:25 "Here is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased." 27:32 Praise the Lord. 27:33 "In whom I am well pleased." 27:37 And so there was no cause for Jesus Christ to be rejected 27:41 as the Lamb of God even before God the Father. 27:45 And as we look at these scriptures, 27:46 it lets you know, 27:48 the scriptures we're about to look at, 27:49 that the Father looked upon Jesus 27:53 and saw there was no fault in Him. 27:55 He lived a perfect life 27:58 and was a fit sacrifice to replace us, 28:01 and I thank God for that. 28:02 How many of you thank God for that? 28:04 Amen. 28:06 Let us go now to Exodus 12:4. 28:09 So it established some of the conditions 28:12 we mentioned to you that it must be a lamb 28:14 without spot and without blemish, 28:15 and if you want to find one of those scriptures, 28:18 one of them is found in Exodus 12, 28:21 we're going to read verse 4 and 5. 28:24 Thus it is written, 28:25 "And if the household be too little for the lamb, 28:28 let him and his neighbor next unto his house 28:32 take it according to the number of the souls, 28:35 every man according to his eating 28:37 shall make your count for the lamb." 28:39 This is the scene 28:40 that they're preparing for the Passover, 28:42 but here is a description of how the lamb must be 28:45 because it was a symbol of Jesus Christ. 28:47 Exodus 12:5 tells us, 28:50 "Your lamb shall be without blemish, 28:53 a male of the first year. 28:55 So shall ye take it out from the sheep, 29:00 or from the goats." 29:02 So it must be without spot or without blemish. 29:06 There are other scriptures 29:07 that communicate the same thing. 29:08 We're going to read another one very soon. 29:10 Notice in Leviticus 4, if you'd join me there. 29:13 Leviticus 4. 29:15 It gives you a description of what should happen 29:19 once the sin is confessed, 29:22 what should be the process. 29:23 Leviticus 4, 29:25 we are going to read verse 3, 4, 5, and 6. 29:28 Hope you are ready. 29:31 "If the priest that is anointed do sin 29:34 according to the sin of the people, 29:36 then let him bring for his sin, 29:38 which he hath sinned, 29:39 a young bullock without blemish 29:41 unto the Lord for a sin offering." 29:43 It must be without blemish. 29:45 Verse 4. 29:46 "And he shall bring the bullock 29:47 unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation 29:51 before the Lord and shall lay his hand 29:53 upon the bullock's head, 29:55 and kill the bullock before the Lord. 29:57 And the priest that is anointed 29:59 shall take of the bullock's blood, 30:01 and bring it to the tabernacle of the congregation. 30:04 And the priest shall dip his finger in the blood, 30:07 and sprinkle of the blood seven times before the Lord, 30:12 before the veil of the sanctuary." 30:15 This is what was to be done when a priest sinned. 30:19 Sometimes, the blood 30:20 was just put upon the horns of the altar of sacrifice 30:24 and was eaten by the priests. 30:27 On this occasion, you see very well 30:29 that the hand must be placed on the animal, 30:32 confession of sin was to be made, 30:34 there should be a transferring or removing of sin 30:37 from the individual to the animal, 30:39 the blood then would be offered as an atonement, 30:42 the animal will be killed and offered as an atonement 30:45 for the sins of the individual, 30:47 then the person would be what? 30:51 Forgiven. Forgiven. 30:55 Something that we do not have time to talk about 30:57 is the Day of Atonement, 30:59 the Day of Atonement because the sin was forgiven, 31:04 but not erased or blotted out until the Day of Atonement. 31:08 The person was forgiven, 31:10 but it was on the Day of Atonement 31:12 that it was blotted out or cleansed completely. 31:15 That should be a study for another time. 31:18 But let's consider 31:19 as we continue the Lamb of God 31:21 that takes away the sin of the world. 31:23 Let us move to Isaiah 53. 31:26 Isaiah 53. 31:29 And here we have a marvelous description 31:33 of a prophecy 31:36 that talks about what would happen to Jesus Christ. 31:39 We do not have time to read the entire of passage 31:44 that we would like to read, 31:45 but if you look at verse 1, it talks about... 31:47 It asks, "Who has believed our report?" 31:51 But let's begin with verse 3. 31:52 Isaiah 53:3. 31:55 Thus it is written, 31:57 talking about Jesus Christ, 31:59 "He is despised and rejected of men, 32:03 a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief 32:06 and we hid as it were our faces from Him. 32:10 He was despised, and we esteemed Him not." 32:15 Verse 4. 32:16 "Surely He has borne our griefs, 32:19 and carried our sorrows, 32:21 yet we did esteem Him stricken, 32:24 smitten of God, and afflicted. 32:27 But He was wounded for our transgressions, 32:30 He was bruised for our iniquities, 32:33 the chastisement of our peace was upon Him 32:36 and with His stripes we are healed." 32:39 We'll stop there for a moment in our reading. 32:41 As you look at this passage, 32:43 it's trying to communicate 32:44 something to you as an individual, 32:46 to me as an individual. 32:48 Jesus Christ, it says, 32:50 was wounded for our transgressions, 32:52 not for His because He had none. 32:55 "He was wounded for our transgressions, 32:57 He was bruised for our iniquities, 33:01 and the chastisement of our peace was upon Him 33:03 and with His stripes, 33:04 and only His stripes, can we be healed." 33:09 So let's continue verse 6. 33:12 "All we like sheep have gone astray, 33:15 we have turned everyone to his own way." 33:19 And that's the case of every individual. 33:21 The last part of the verse says, 33:23 "And the Lord hath laid on Him 33:27 the iniquity of us all." 33:29 Wow. Stop there a moment in verse 7. 33:33 The scripture tells us that, 33:35 "The Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all." 33:39 Why? 33:41 "Because God so loved the world 33:43 that He gave His only begotten Son." 33:46 That's why. 33:48 And He loved you so much 33:50 that He was willing to make that sacrifice 33:52 for you and for me. 33:56 But if He had not been a fit sacrifice, 33:59 if there was any spot of sin on Him, 34:01 if Jesus for one moment had committed one sin 34:06 by thought or by action, 34:09 with His words, 34:11 He would be an unfit vessel, 34:14 an unfit lamb to be sacrificed for us. 34:18 And because He was fit, because He was perfect, 34:21 the Father laid on Him the iniquity of all of us. 34:28 Each and every one of us. 34:31 Aren't you thankful for that? 34:33 I am thankful for that. 34:35 And He died in my place, He died in your place. 34:40 "The Lord laid on Him the iniquity of us all." 34:44 That's verse 6. 34:45 Actually, let's go to verse 7 now. 34:47 "He was oppressed, 34:49 and He was afflicted, 34:52 yet He opened not His mouth. 34:55 He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, 35:00 and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, 35:03 so He openeth not His mouth." 35:07 Wow. 35:10 He didn't try to fight being crucified, 35:14 He didn't complain, 35:17 He willingly died for us 35:20 and this is why a lamb is such a fit animal 35:23 to describe the Lord Jesus Christ, 35:25 that's what they do. 35:27 It says here that as they're being shaven, 35:30 they don't scream, they don't yell out. 35:34 They just sit there 35:35 and let you do all that cutting. 35:40 And Jesus Christ willingly took our sins, 35:43 willingly suffered on the cross 35:47 and was crucified. 35:50 You that understand or have read before 35:53 the description of the sacrifice of Christ, 35:55 the Bible says that two thieves were crucified with Him, 35:59 one on the left and one of the right. 36:03 Question. 36:05 If you were about to be crucified 36:07 and you knew that 36:09 once you're nailed to that cross, 36:10 you could not get away, 36:11 wouldn't you try to resist? 36:14 Wouldn't you try to get away? 36:15 Wouldn't you fight as they say to the nail 36:20 and try to kick and try to get away 36:22 before they place on the cross 36:24 and start nailing you to the cross? 36:26 Wouldn't you? 36:28 Because once they put you there, 36:29 you cannot get away. 36:32 And those two thieves, 36:33 they tried to get away, they fought, 36:35 they tried to fight their way so they wouldn't, 36:38 but they were overcome... 36:39 See, they were surrounded by soldiers, 36:41 there was no way out. 36:43 But Jesus, in comparison to them, 36:46 willingly took our place 36:52 because He was doing it for us, 36:56 doing it for you, 36:58 doing that for me. 37:00 Verse 8 of Isaiah 53. 37:02 "He was taken from prison and from judgment. 37:05 Who shall declare his generation? 37:08 For he was cut off out of the land of the living." 37:12 Why? 37:13 "For the transgression of My people was He stricken. 37:19 And He made his grave with the wicked, 37:22 and with the rich in His death 37:24 because He had done no violence, 37:27 neither was any deceit in His mouth." 37:31 Lived a perfect life. 37:32 Verse 10. 37:34 "Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him." 37:38 Why? 37:39 Because He knew 37:42 that it would mean salvation for as many as would desire it. 37:46 "Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him, 37:48 He hath put Him to grief, 37:51 when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin..." 37:56 My sin, your sin. 37:57 "He shall see His seed, 37:59 He shall prolong His days, 38:02 and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand." 38:06 Let us finish with verse 11 this part. 38:08 "He shall see the travail of His soul, 38:11 and shall be satisfied by His knowledge 38:15 shall my righteous servant justify many, 38:18 for He shall bear their iniquities." 38:22 So as you consider this moment, 38:24 Jesus Christ died on the cross for you. 38:27 The Lamb of God that can take away 38:30 your sins has died already, 38:35 has gone through the process of being examined 38:40 each step 38:42 and He's already shed His blood for us. 38:45 The part of confessing the sins 38:49 for us as individuals 38:51 comes during our lifetime, 38:54 but He already died for them. 38:56 And in anticipation of those sins, 38:59 He died on the cross for us. 39:03 I'd like to invite you 39:04 to notice the words that we read. 39:07 I'm going to mention some of them 39:09 in Isaiah 53:3-11, 39:12 we read words like this describing Jesus 39:14 and His experience, despised, rejected, 39:18 men of sorrows, acquainted with grief. 39:21 Have you been despised or rejected, 39:24 acquainted with grief? 39:26 Jesus Christ identifies with your suffering. 39:29 He carried our sorrows, 39:31 He was wounded for our transgressions, 39:33 bruised for our inequities. 39:36 And that's what Jesus Christ went through for us. 39:41 And I thank God for us... 39:44 For God for that again for myself and for you 39:48 because I know that 39:49 because Jesus Christ died on the cross, 39:51 others have the opportunity for salvation. 39:53 I would love to see friends and family 39:54 and even those that are not friends and family 39:57 find salvation through Jesus Christ. 40:01 I'd like you now turn to Romans 7. 40:05 Romans... I'm sorry, Chapter 5. 40:08 Romans 5:7. 40:11 Romans 5:7, 8. 40:14 And we now read verse 7. 40:16 "For scarcely 40:18 for a righteous man will one die, 40:21 yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. 40:27 But God commendeth His love toward us, 40:32 in that, while we were yet sinners, 40:34 Christ died for us." 40:39 Praise the Lord. 40:41 In this passage, the writer is including, 40:44 making it personal by saying He died for us. 40:47 Yes, He died for the world, 40:48 but He died for us, He died for me. 40:52 And all who will, can have salvation. 40:54 Unfortunately, as strange as it may seem, 40:58 God makes an offer of eternal life 41:02 without suffering, nor pain or sickness nor death, 41:06 where there is peace and joy 41:08 and happiness throughout eternity, 41:10 and you won't have to worry about whether or not 41:12 you're going to can eat today or tomorrow, 41:14 the next day or in 1,000 years. 41:19 He made that offer. 41:20 "I'm willing to forgive you for your sins, 41:23 forget your past completely, 41:25 transform you, change you, 41:27 give you a new body 41:30 where you never grow sick or old, 41:33 you will be enjoying life throughout eternity. 41:37 This is what I offer you." 41:40 What's the other offer? 41:42 The other offer is horror. 41:45 The Bible says that, "The wages of sin is death." 41:48 So the other offer includes death, 41:50 the wages of sin and suffering. 41:52 What kind of life do most people live on this earth? 41:55 A few people have, what they call, some luxuries, 42:00 a nice home, 42:02 some have cars, 42:03 some even have boats and planes. 42:05 But you see, everyone is subject to pain, 42:09 suffering, sickness, or death. 42:13 I have heard of some rich people 42:15 that their body became sick and eventually, 42:21 they saw death approaching and hoping to live, 42:25 to hang on to life, 42:28 they're thinking that perhaps technology in the future 42:32 would discover some cure for their disease, 42:36 have asked for their bodies to be frozen and paid, 42:39 I don't know how many thousands or millions of dollars, 42:44 but they have done this to try to hang on to life. 42:47 But you see, God offers eternal life free. 42:53 We may, as a result 42:55 of we're living in this world of sin, 42:59 get some kind of disease, 43:01 somebody may kill us in an accident 43:02 or some other thing, 43:04 but for us, 43:05 that believe in the Lord Jesus Christ 43:08 and choose to walk in His ways, 43:11 there's promise of eternal life 43:13 without pain nor suffering nor sickness nor death. 43:15 So God's offer is the best offer 43:17 there could ever be. 43:19 There is nothing that even comes close as they may say, 43:23 not even comes to the bottom of the feet, 43:26 you know, some people say 43:27 comes to the ankle or to the knees. 43:29 Not even to the bottom of your feet 43:30 the offer comes from the other side. 43:34 So God's offer is the best offer. 43:37 And even though some people trade 43:40 what God is offering 43:41 for some so-called pleasure in this world, 43:45 it is not worthy to be compared with what God has to offer. 43:50 So I encourage everyone to consider 43:53 that God's offer is the best offer 43:57 and nothing can come close. 43:59 Praise be to God. 44:04 I now invite you to turn in your Bibles, 44:09 1 Peter 2. 44:12 1 Peter 2. We must finish this topic. 44:16 1 Peter 2:21. 44:20 And we're going to read till verse 24. 44:23 "For even hereunto were ye called 44:25 because Christ also suffered for us..." 44:29 There is that word again. 44:31 "Suffered for us, 44:32 leaving us an example..." 44:34 What kind of example? 44:36 "That ye should follow His steps." 44:39 That's what God is expecting us to do, 44:41 follow His steps. 44:42 What steps? 44:45 "I have kept My Father's commandments. 44:48 If you love Me, keep My commandments." 44:51 Verse 22. 44:52 Concerning Jesus, "Who did no sin, 44:55 neither was guile found in His mouth. 44:58 Who, when He was reviled, reviled not again. 45:02 When He suffered, He threatened not, 45:05 but committed Himself to him that judgeth righteously." 45:11 Verse 24. 45:12 "Who his own self 45:14 bare our sins in his own body on the tree, 45:20 that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness, 45:27 by whose stripes ye were healed." 45:31 So there it is, 45:32 leaving us an example that we should follow His steps 45:35 living unto righteousness. 45:37 What is righteousness? 45:38 Righteousness is doing right. 45:42 And if you look in the Book of Psalms, 45:43 you will notice that the Bible says 45:44 that all His commandments are righteousness. 45:48 So those that obey His commandments 45:50 are walking in righteousness. 45:53 Not because keeping the commandments 45:55 will bring your salvation, 45:56 only Jesus Christ brings salvation. 45:59 Keeping the commandments, 46:01 you do it because you love God 46:03 and you want to live in His presence. 46:07 1 Peter 1. 46:08 Just turn the page over to Chapter 1. 46:11 We're talking about Jesus the Lamb of God 46:13 that takes away the sin of the world. 46:16 He complied with all the conditions, 46:18 was examined by the priest, was examined by others 46:21 and they found no fault in Him. 46:25 In 1 Peter 1:18-21, 46:28 we have a powerful message. 46:30 Let's consider it. 46:31 "Forasmuch as ye know 46:35 that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, 46:40 as silver and gold, 46:42 from your vain conversation received by tradition 46:45 from your fathers." 46:47 And I'll stop there for a moment 46:49 and say that we were not redeemed by silver or gold, 46:53 talking about what was precious in those days, 46:56 what was of most value in those days. 47:00 And by the way, gold and silver 47:02 are still of great value in this day. 47:08 And so even though you have 47:11 the highest currency in the world 47:13 and there is talk about which one that may be, 47:16 but even silver or gold, if you had all the... 47:20 If you were given 47:21 all the amounts of gold in the world 47:24 and all the amounts of silver in the world, 47:26 that could not buy you salvation, 47:29 for salvation is offered as a gift. 47:32 Isn't that wonderful? 47:33 We don't have to try to accumulate money, 47:36 try to get a loan, 47:37 try to buy it in some way, 47:42 God offers salvation as a gift. 47:44 Praise God. 47:46 So that means everyone can receive it 47:48 and it's not limited to certain individuals 47:51 or if you're only 5 ft 4, 47:53 then you can get salvation. 47:55 No. 47:56 Everyone can get salvation. 47:59 Let's continue. 48:02 We read verse 18, now we go to 19. 48:07 We were not purchased with silver or gold. 48:09 Wow. How were we purchased? 48:11 Verse 19. 48:12 "But with the precious blood of Christ, 48:17 as of a lamb without blemish and without spot, 48:23 who verily was foreordained 48:25 before the foundation of the world, 48:28 but was manifest in these last days for you, 48:34 who by him do believe in God, 48:36 that raised him up from the dead, 48:38 and gave him glory, 48:39 that your faith and hope might be..." 48:42 Where? "In God." 48:44 Praise be to His name. 48:46 We were not redeemed by silver or gold, 48:48 but with the precious blood of Jesus Christ 48:51 as of a lamb without spot and without blemish. 48:56 See, Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. 49:00 No man can come to the Father except through Him. 49:04 So I praise the Lord. 49:07 So we have here that Jesus Christ 49:09 was the Lamb of God examined 49:12 and God found Him even fit to die for us, 49:18 the fit sacrifice to bring us salvation, 49:21 the symbol was fulfilled 49:26 and the true Lamb of God appeared, 49:28 He died for us, we no longer need to sacrifice 49:31 lambs nor any type of animals, 49:33 Jesus Christ has fulfilled 49:37 that which was a shadow. 49:38 That was a shadow of what was coming, 49:41 and He who was the Lamb of God came and died for us. 49:46 I invite you now to go to Revelation 13:8. 49:50 We read in this passage that it was foreordained 49:53 before the foundation of the world 49:56 and now in Revelation... 49:59 Did I say Romans? 50:00 I said Revelation. Good. 50:02 Revelation 13:8. 50:04 "And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, 50:08 whose names are not written in the book of life..." 50:11 Talking about the beast. 50:14 But notice what it says. 50:16 "Whose names are not written 50:17 in the book of life 50:19 of the Lamb slain from..." When? 50:21 "From the foundation of the world." 50:25 Praise be to God. 50:26 You see, God foresaw, He saw that it would happen, 50:31 that Adam and Eve would sin 50:33 and sin would enter into this world, 50:35 and it was decided even before that act came 50:40 that the Son of God would become the Lamb of God 50:44 to take away the sin of the world. 50:48 And so as soon as there was a sinner, 50:51 there was a savior. 50:54 I would like to now invite you to turn to a beautiful passage. 50:58 There's a beautiful study about Revelation 4:5, 51:03 perhaps on another occasion we may be able to do that. 51:07 But for now we're just going to kind of 51:11 gather some jewels from there if you will please, 51:14 some wonderful things out of here. 51:17 Revelation 5:1 and onward. 51:21 We're going to read till verse 9. 51:23 Revelation 5:1-9. 51:25 Thus it is written, 51:27 "And I saw in the right hand of him 51:28 that sat on the throne 51:30 a book written within and on the backside, 51:33 sealed with seven seals. 51:35 And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, 51:39 Who is worthy to open the book, 51:42 and to loose the seals thereof?" 51:47 We'll stop there for a moment. 51:48 "The right hand of him that sat on the throne..." 51:50 That's God. 51:51 God is sitting on the throne with the book written within 51:54 and on the backside, sealed with seven seals. 51:56 So the question is, who can open this book? 51:58 Who is worthy to open this book? 52:01 Notice what happens. 52:03 Verse 3. 52:07 Notice the progression. 52:08 "And no man in heaven, 52:12 nor in earth, neither under the earth, 52:16 was able to open the book, neither to look thereon." 52:21 What was the question? 52:22 Who is worthy to open the book? 52:24 So if you were to take a survey 52:28 and examine every man in heaven, 52:31 no man was worthy. 52:32 If you were to look through the earth, 52:34 what man is worthy? 52:37 Go through every man 52:38 that has lived upon the history, 52:40 every woman that has lived upon the history, 52:42 no one worthy to open the book 52:46 because no one had lived a perfect life. 52:51 Who can open the book? 52:54 Now verse 4. 52:57 Notice what happens to John 52:58 as he's looking up on this scene. 53:00 "And I wept much, 53:03 because no man was found worthy to open 53:07 and to read the book, neither to look thereon." 53:10 So John is found weeping 53:12 that nobody's worthy to open this book. 53:15 Verse 5. 53:16 And in this process of weeping, something happens. 53:19 "And one of the elders saith unto me, 53:23 Weep not, behold, 53:25 the Lion of the tribe of Judah, 53:29 the Root of David, 53:30 hath prevailed to open the book, 53:34 and to loose the seven seals thereof." 53:36 So John is brought good news. 53:38 Who is worthy to open the book? 53:40 The Lion of the tribe of Judah. 53:44 Who is that? So John wants to know. 53:47 Notice what happens in the next verse. 53:49 This is really exciting. 53:50 "And I beheld..." 53:52 I'm sorry. 53:53 Yes, verse 6. 53:55 "And I beheld, and, lo, 53:57 in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, 54:02 and in the midst of the elders, 54:04 stood a Lamb as it had been slain, 54:10 having seven horns and seven eyes, 54:13 which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth 54:15 into all the earth." 54:17 Wow. 54:19 I wish we had time to go through this a little more. 54:21 But he is told, "Hey, don't weep. 54:24 The Lion of the tribe of Judah 54:26 has prevailed to open the book." 54:29 What does been prevailed mean? 54:30 Has been victorious, has conquered. 54:34 You see, Jesus Christ came to this earth, 54:36 lived a perfect life. 54:39 But the question was... 54:40 See, they went did a survey, there was no man in heaven, 54:44 no man on the earth. 54:46 Where was He? 54:48 Where was Jesus? 54:50 Unless this passage is merely saying 54:52 that of all the men on the earth, 54:54 there's only one... 54:57 See, the possibility is that Jesus Christ was on the way 55:01 'cause He's not in heaven and He's not in the earth, 55:03 He must be somewhere in between. 55:05 And by the time that John begins to look around, 55:08 He's there. 55:11 Notice the passage. 55:12 It says that the Lion of the tribe of Judah 55:14 has prevailed to open the book. 55:17 When John looks, does he see a Lion of the tribe of Judah? 55:21 No. 55:22 He sees a lamb that had been slain. 55:27 That's Jesus Christ. 55:29 Let's continue. 55:34 Verse 8. Thank you. 55:35 "And when he had taken the book, 55:37 the four beasts and four and twenty elders 55:40 fell down before the Lamb, 55:41 having every one of them harps, 55:43 and golden vials full of odours, 55:44 which are the prayers of the saints. 55:47 And they sung a new song, 55:48 saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, 55:52 and to open the seals thereof, for thou wast slain, 55:56 and hast redeemed us to God 55:59 by thy blood out of every kindred, 56:02 and tongue, and people, and nation." 56:05 Praise be to God. 56:07 You see, "Behold the Lamb of God 56:09 that takes away the sin of the world." 56:11 I invite you to do that each and every single day. 56:14 "Behold the Lamb of God 56:16 that takes away the sin of the world." 56:19 There is more that we could read 56:20 and actually, 56:21 I think I would like to read one more, 56:23 maybe we can sneak one in. 56:25 No, we can't. Time is up. 56:28 You see, Jesus Christ was tempted in all points 56:30 like as we are 56:31 and He is in heaven 56:32 ministering as our great high priest. 56:36 So I invite you if you have sin upon you, 56:38 come to Him, confess your sins, 56:41 and He who is the Lamb of God can take away your sins. 56:45 And in Him, you can find forgiveness 56:47 and in Him, you can find transformation, 56:50 in Him, you can learn to hate sin, 56:52 and in Him, you will have salvation 56:54 and eternal life, 56:55 joy and happiness throughout eternity. 56:57 God bless you. |
Revised 2018-11-29