Title: The Lamb of God That Takes Away the Sin of the World

Text: Hebrews 10:1-25

I. The Lion and the Lamb

Several years ago I read an excellent book by Brennan Manning – Lion and Lamb: The Relentless Tenderness of Jesus.

His title captures two seemingly contradictory images of Jesus.

As you read through the pages of Holy Scripture, Jesus is clearly presented as both Lion and Lamb.

In Revelation 5:5 – referring to Jesus – one of the heavenly elders told St. John,

5..."Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed..."

Revelation 5:5 (NIV)

In C. S. Lewis’s The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Aslan is a lion because of the clear connection to Jesus as the Lion of the Tribe of Judah.

Jesus is the all powerful sovereign God, not only the king of the jungle, but the King of the universe.

In the very next verse, in Revelation 5:6, Jesus is described as a,

"Lamb, looking as if it had been slain..."
Revelation 5:6 (NIV)

Scripture is clear: Jesus is both the Lion of the tribe of Judah and the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world.

1 Corinthians 5:7 says,

7...Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.
1 Corinthians 5:7 (NIV)

The Old Testament Passover sacrifice foreshadows the sacrifice of Jesus.

Before they left Egypt, in Exodus chapter twelve, the Lord God told Moses and Aaron:

To have each family choose a lamb "without defect."

To slaughter the lambs "at twilight."

To "take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of [their] houses..."

Why? Because on that night, the Lord said,

12"...I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn—both men and animals—and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the LORD. ¹³The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you...

Exodus 12:1-13 (NIV)

Just as the Lord’s judgment passed over those who put their trust in the blood of the lamb, so the Lord’s judgment passes over those who put their trust in the blood of Jesus.

Jesus is the Lamb of God without defect.

1 Peter 1:18-19 remind us:

18...you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, ¹⁹...with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.
1 Peter 1:18-19 (NIV)

When John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him, he spoke prophetically. He said,

29..."Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!"
John 1:29 (NIV)

The Angels in Heaven
According to Revelation chapter five, the angels around Jesus’ throne in heaven proclaim in a loud voice,

12..."Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!"

Revelation 5:12 (NIV)

Because Jesus is our "Passover lamb," God’s judgment passes over all who put their trust in Jesus’ blood.

III. The Old Testament Sacrificial System Points to Jesus

After the Exodus from Egypt, during their 40 years in the Sinai Wilderness, God gave His people a comprehensive sacrificial system.

The sacrificial system gave God’s people two things:

1) A tangible way to receive God’s forgiveness for their sins.

2) More importantly, God gave them a way to understand the coming sacrifice of Jesus. The Old Testament sacrifices foreshadow the sacrifice of Jesus upon the cross.

For 1500 years, the temple priests offered sacrifices day after day on behalf of the people:

Each morning and each evening, they offered a male lamb without defect.

Each day they offered a grain offering to the Lord.

Each day they offered a drink offering to the Lord.

(Numbers 28)

Take a look at our reading from Hebrews chapter 10.

Our reading from Hebrews chapter 10 says,

1The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming—not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship.
Hebrews 10:1 (NIV)

These endless sacrifices day after day after day, year after year, were "only a shadow" of the reality of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross.

These Old Testament sacrifices were like a fuzzy picture, compared to the real thing.

He goes on to say in verses three and four,

3But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins, ⁴because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

Hebrews 10:3-4 (NIV)

God forgave their sins, but their sins were still there:

Their sins were covered, they were hidden, they were passed over, but they were not washed away.

Therefore, the sacrifices day after day, year after year, became a continual reminder of their sins.

But unlike the repetitive Old Testament sacrifices, the one non-repeatable sacrifice of Jesus, washes your sins away forever.

Verse 10 says,

10...we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

Hebrews 10:10 (NIV)

Skipping down to verse 14,

14because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.

Hebrews 10:14 (NIV)

 

The sacrifice of Jesus cannot and needs not be repeated.

Through the sacrifice of Jesus, God not only forgives our sins, but makes us as holy and pure as He is. He imputes His righteousness to us.

In Jeremiah chapter 31, the Lord foretold the result of the New Covenant through the blood of Jesus. He said,

"For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more."

Jeremiah 31:34 (NIV)

 

Forty years after Jesus died and rose again, the Jewish sacrificial system was stopped.

In the year 70 A.D. the Roman army razed the Temple in Jerusalem to the ground. Not one stone was left standing upon another.

I believe this was no accident, but divine providence. The Old Testament sacrificial system, which pointed to the sacrifice of Jesus, was no longer needed. It was obsolete.

To this day, sacrifices have not resumed in Jerusalem.

Jesus Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed for us.

In Him, God’s judgment passes over us.

In Him, our sins are washed away, making us pure and holy.

 

What is the result?

Verse 19, "...confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus"

As children of God, washed by the blood of Jesus, we can have confidence to enter the innermost sanctuary of heaven, the very throne room of God.

In the earthly temple, the Most Holy Place (sometimes called the Holy of Holies), contained the Ark of the Covenant. This was the only place on earth where the tangible presence of God dwelt.

The High Priest was only allowed to enter the earthly Holy of Holies once a year, on the Day of Atonement.

He entered with great fear and trembling. He was not filled with confidence.

He would enter with a rope tied around his ankle, just in case he died in God’s presence due to some unconfessed sin. If he died they could pull him out.

Due to the perfect sacrifice of Jesus, we can enter the heavenly Holy of Holies with confidence, not once a year, but daily, hourly...

As John the Baptist said,

29..."Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" John 1:29 (NIV)