The Way of the Cross Message 2 A Lamb Reserved for Me Genesis 3

Transcription

1 The Way of the Cross Message 2 A Lamb Reserved for Me Genesis 3 When did God plan for the redemption of man after his fall from grace? Was our forgiveness and salvation God s response to man s sin, or did God have a plan all along to pardon humanity? Today we will discuss the fall of mankind into sin and God s divine plan for salvation through Jesus Christ on the cross. These verses are taken from the passage that records humanity's first sin, that of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. There are several truths we see from this passage about sin and God's forgiveness. 1. Man's efforts to cover his sins are never acceptable or sufficient. Genesis 3:7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings. When we sin, we discover that all the devil told us was a lie. When we sin, our eyes are literally opened and we see our guilt and shame. When we sin, we want to run and hide from God, like Adam and Eve did, because we know we have disappointed Him. When we sin, we realize that we are naked, exposed in God s sight. He sees and knows. When we sin, we sometimes try to cover our sin and make-up for what we did by doing good things, or making promises, or even punishing ourselves. We need to remember that man s efforts to make restitution for his own sins is futile. The prophet Isaiah said of these attempts: Isaiah 64:6 But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, Have taken us away. So what are we to do with sin? Thank God that He is merciful. Thank God the He is gracious and has provided a way for our forgiveness, pardon, and wholeness. 2. God always requires a sacrifice for sin. A sacrifice of blood is required of God for sin to be covered and forgiven. Genesis 3:21 Also for Adam and his wife the LORD God made tunics of skin, and clothed them.

2 We know that on that day that God came to fellowship with Adam and Eve and talk with them about the activities of the day, He already knew what had happened, and we know that His heart was broken. He must have shaken his head when He saw the attempt that the sinful pair had made to cover their nakedness with the fig leaves. God sees right through our vain attempts to cover our sin. Only a sacrifice ordained by God will suffice to provide forgiveness and pardon. And so the scripture says that God made tunics of skin for Adam and Eve. Well what does that mean? It means that a little animal had to give its life for what Adam and Eve had done, because God requires a blood sacrifice. Hebrews 9:22 says that without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin. (Hebrews 9:22 And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission. ) What a sad day this was in the history of mankind, of God s pure creation. It was the first time that Adam and Eve had seen something die. It was possibly the first time that they had seen blood as it poured out of that little animal. And I believe they realized what their sin had caused, the cycle of death had begun with their sin. 3. God is gracious and willing to forgive, even through His Omniscience. The irony of the forgiveness of man on God's part is that it was no surprise to Him, and yet He still forgave Adam and Eve, although He saw it happen long before they were ever born. The truth is, God had a plan of salvation and forgiveness before the world was even created. That plan was sending Jesus Christ, God's only begotten son, from heaven to earth, to die on a cross, and pay the price for the sin of mankind. The way of the cross began in the mind of God before the foundation of the world. Revelation 13:8 All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. 1 Peter 1:18-21 (20) He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you

3 I read one commentator this week who said that in the beginning of time, in God's creating process, -when He created the day, He thought to Himself that on an appointed day some 4,000 years in the future, that His only begotten son would die for the sin of mankind. -And as he created the tree, God could see Jesus hanging on a cross hewn out of one of the very trees that He had made. -And then in the garden, as God pronounced the curse for sin, and pronounced that the thorns would plague creation, that one day, those thorns would pierce the precious head of God's announced Christ. Lamb - But I would add to that commentator s remarks, that I also believe on the 6 th day of creation when God created the animals, I believe that when he created the lamb, He saw the day that Adam and Eve would sin, and He knew that one of those innocent little lambs would have to die as a substitute and blood sacrifice for Adam and Eve and also that the blood of that lamb would provide a covering for their sin, and that the skin of that lamb and maybe another lamb would provide a suitable and acceptable covering for the guilty pair. You see, in God s Omniscience, He looked down, before the creation of the world, before Adam and Eve or any animal was on the earth, and He saw their sin, their willful disobedience as they would listen to the devil instead of their Heavenly Father, and would turn their backs on God and sin. But you see, God had reserved a lamb for each of them. A lamb that would take away their guilt and cover their sin. And as we think of God s grace and mercy and His plan of salvation for us, even before time began, we can see that Lamb of God all through scripture. -In Genesis 22, we see Abraham taking Isaac, His only son, the son of promise, to sacrifice him as a burnt offering, as God had prescribed. And Abraham, a man of great faith in God, believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness. And as he was obedient to sacrifice his son, as he was raising the knife to slay Isaac, an angel of the Lord stopped him and pointed him to a ram stuck in the thicket. That day, Abraham called that place, Jehovah Jireh, The Lord Will Provide. God had reserved a lamb for Abraham. -In Exodus, as God was about to deliver the children of Israel from Egypt, He commanded them to take a lamb of 1year of age, and watch it for 4 days in their own house. Then after 4 days, if the lamb was healthy and without blemish, the father of the house would proclaim, worthy is the lamb to be slain. And they were commanded to slay the lamb and put its blood over the door post of their houses, and on the side door

4 posts, and to stay under the blood as they stayed in their houses. And that night, God sent His death angel through Egypt, and all the firstborn of Egypt were killed, but all the Israelites in the land of Goshen who stayed in their houses which had been covered with the blood of the lamb, those lost no children, and then next day, they were delivered from slavery and set free from Egypt. God had reserved a lamb for the Israelites. All through the Bible we see the Lamb that God has reserved for us. Last week in Isaiah 52 and 53, we read that the Suffering Servant was led as a lamb before the slaughter, but He opened not His mouth. That was none other than Jesus Christ. - In the 1 st chapter of the gospel of John as Jesus was to begin His ministry, He came to John the Baptist to be baptized. The scripture records in John 1:29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! -In Heaven today, there is a worship service going on, and it s all centered around this Lamb, the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ. In Revelation 5:11-13, the scripture records the Apostle John s vision of the throne room of heaven and he says: Rev 5:11 Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, Rev 5:12 saying with a loud voice: "Worthy is the Lamb who was slain To receive power and riches and wisdom, And strength and honor and glory and blessing!" Rev 5:13 And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying: "Blessing and honor and glory and power Be to Him who sits on the throne, And to the Lamb, forever and ever!" You see, God has reserved a Lamb for you and me. You and I, just like Adam and Eve, are guilty of sin. The scripture says in Romans 3:23 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. That s you and me. We are guilty. We stand naked and exposed in God s presence. We need a covering sufficient to turn God s wrath away from us and provide pardon, forgiveness and salvation that is acceptable to God. And God has reserved not just a Lamb, but The Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world, so that we might be saved. Isn t it exciting and a blessing to know that God has seen your future, he knows your sin and my sin that we are still to commit, yet, He in His infinite mercy and grace has reserved a Lamb for us to save us, because He loves us.

5 God's plan of salvation was no accident. It was on His mind from before the world began. But the plan involved the Lamb of God, innocent, sinless, the only begotten of God, the man of sorrows, to go to the cross of Calvary to lay down His life to pay for the sins of humanity and provide salvation through His shed blood. The old hymn written by William Cowper says: 1.There is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Emmanuel's veins; and sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains. Lose all their guilty stains, lose all their guilty stains; and sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains. 3.Dear dying Lamb, thy precious blood shall never lose its power till all the ransomed church of God be saved, to sin no more. Be saved, to sin no more, be saved, to sin no more; till all the ransomed church of God be saved, to sin no more. 4.E'er since, by faith, I saw the stream thy flowing wounds supply, redeeming love has been my theme, and shall be till I die. And shall be till I die, and shall be till I die; redeeming love has been my theme, and shall be till I die. God did it for you. God did it for me. He reserved a Lamb for me. To save me, to forgive me, because He loved me.