23rd December

23rd December 


Pray (ACts)


Read - 1 John 1:29


In the wonder of the revelation that God gave John the Baptist, to be able to confess that “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (Jn 1:29). The Lord Himself in the fullness of time had sent His Son. The Son whom Abraham’s near sacrifice of his son Isaac was prophetically pointing forward to what God would do, to the actual sacrifice by God of His Son the Lord Jesus Christ on Calvary, in which He showed His great love for the world, not His cruelty. Abraham receiving his son back from death, typifies Christ’s resurrection from death on the cross.  Jesus is that which the sacrificial system of the Old Testament was pointing forward to, and Jesus in His sinless life and sacrificial death was the suffering servant of Isaiah 53, who was like a lamb to the slaughter, who was crushed but victorious (10-12). For He the Lord Jesus Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed (1 Co 5:7), for we have been redeemed with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot (1 Pe 1:19).


While this confession of John the Baptist of how Jesus is the lamb of God looks back to that which the Old Testament had been pointing to throughout but it is also to what he would do for us. In the book of Revelation we see the wonder and the glory of the lamb of God and the provision that has been made for us. I have paraphrased some of the following passages due to length. 


Revelation 5, there was the Lamb standing, as though it had been slain… And when the lamb had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God  from every tribe and language and people and nation, In that revelation John looked, and heard voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honour and glory and blessing!” (Paraphrased Rev 5:6–12).


It is from the Lamb that wrath will be poured out on an unbelieving world (Rev 6:16). It is the Lamb who enables the great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, to come and stand before the throne and before the Lamb. (Paraphrased Rev 7:9). Who have been washed in his blood and their robes have been made white (7:14), who will have triumphed though the blood of the Lamb (Paraphrased Rev 12:11), and whose book contains all the names of those whose name has been written before the foundation of the world in the Lambs book of life (Paraphrased Rev 13:8), therefore if you have ears to hear of who the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world is and all that He has done then turn to Him, trust in Him, for all who believe in His name will be saved and only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life (21:27), who will enter the garden city, to the very presence of God. 


What Christmas is about is not the presents the things that we can so often make it rather it is the wonder of the redemption that we have been freely given in Christ Jesus. He is the most precious gift of all. The Christmas story doesn’t begin with a manger nor does it end with the cross or the resurrection, instead it ends with us before the throne looking upon the glorified Lamb, on that day all who believe will join with the chorus “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and donor and glory and blessing!”. Let us celebrate at this time of year His first coming for “Worthy is the Lamb!” (Rev 5:12).


Message - Alan Burke


Pray (acTS)


Sing


WSC 
Q31 What is effectual calling?
Effectual calling is the work of God’ s Spirit, (2 Tim. 1:9, 2 Thess. 2:13–14) whereby, convincing us of our sin and misery, (Acts 2:37) enlightening our minds in the knowledge of Christ, (Acts 26:18) and renewing our wills, (Ezek. 36:26–27) he doth persuade and enable us to embrace Jesus Christ, freely offered to us in the gospel. (John 6:44–45, Phil. 2:13)
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