This is the Truth Network. Welcome to the broadcast ministry of Finding Purpose with Russ Andrews, where we seek to glorify God by making him known and guiding others towards their true purpose in life. No one is here by chance. God put us here for a reason. And the most important thing we can do is discover His plan for us and commit ourselves to it.
Keep listening as we learn from the Bible how to live wisely in God's world, which is the first step towards finding your purpose.
Okay, I've entitled tonight's message, The Lamb and the Lion. We're going to be looking at the second half of John chapter 2, verses 12 through 25. The book Voyage of the Dome Treader. Is the third in the Chronicles of Narnia series by C.S. Lewis.
Narnia, in case you're not familiar with the series, is a mythical kingdom where magic happens, animals talk. and mysterious creatures abound. Two of the main characters are Lucy and Edmund. And they are looking at this painting. in their bedroom of a ship.
It's on the wall. And they're actually pulled through that painting into this magical, magical kingdom where they begin a voyage on the ship Dawn Treader, which will carry them to the outermost boundary of Narnia. Throughout their journey, Aslan, a powerful lion, appears several times to protect these two travelers from pending danger. Near the end of this voyage, The ship. comes to this Uh beach.
And Lucy and Edmund look out and they see an immense and perfectly level area of fine short grass stretching out as far as they could see. It's breathtakingly beautiful. And in the distance they see a white spot. And so, with great curiosity, they begin to walk towards that spot. And as they draw near, they realize it is a dazzling white lamb.
who invites them to sit down and enjoy a meal. By the sea. Reminiscent of what Jesus did when he walked on the shore in John chapter 21 and he saw the disciples out fishing and they had caught nothing. He said, cast on the right side of the boat and you'll catch some. How many fish do they catch?
Who said that? Bill, 153. Wonder why they got that number in there. You know what? Because they caught 153 fish.
Yeah. And so, what did he do? He had a fire going, they came ashore, and he cooked a meal for them by the shore. Lucy and Edward began to engage in a wonderful conversation with the Lamb about how to get to the land of Aslan, which is heaven. As the Lamb begins to explain the way, Something incredible happens.
As C.S. Lewis records it in his book, the lamb's snowy white wool changes into a golden brown color. And his size changed, and he was Aslan himself. towering above them and scattering light from his mane. What a beautiful Picture C.S.
Lewis gives us with the stroke of his pen. He's conveying the spiritual reality that is veiled for us in John chapters 1 and 2. The lamb. is the lion. The Lamb who takes away the sin of the world.
Is the lion of the tribe of Judah who roars and reveals his power and authority when he speaks? In John chapter 1. We see the lamb. John 1:29 says, The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Then in the first half of John chapter 2, We witness the lamb turn water into wine, which points to the love of God, one of his key attributes.
God is a God of love. Tonight in the second half of John, We're going to witness the same Lamb. Become a lion. and revealed another one of God's attributes. His wrath.
In Genesis chapter 49. Jacob calls his 12 sons. He's about to die. He calls his 12 sons to come and stand before him. And he's going to utter words over each one of these.
And these are prophetic words that reveal what's going to take place to their descendants. And when Judah, who was his fourth son, stands before him. Listen to what he says. Genesis chapter 49, verse 9. You are a lion's cub, O Judah.
You returned from the prey, my son. Like a lion, he crouches and lies down. Like a lioness, who dares to rouse him? The scepter will not depart from Judah. Nor the rule of staff from between his feet until he comes to whom it belongs, and the obedience of the nations is his.
Verse 11. He will tether his donkey to a vine, his colt to the choicest branch. He will wash his garments in wine, his robes in the blood of grapes. Is that not an incredible Prophecy. about the lion from the tribe of Judah.
So as we read through to the end of chapter 2, I want you to keep this image, which is in your outline, of the lamb. and a lion.
So look down with me at verse 12. John writes, After this, he went down to Capernaum with his mother and brothers and his disciples, and they stayed there for a few days.
Now, Capernaum lies about 20 miles northeast. Of Cana on the Sea of Galilee. Back in 2018, I had the privilege of taking a group of about 30 people, and we went all over Israel. But I'll never forget one morning we came to Capernaum. which was happened to be also the home of Peter.
And we actually walked down to the shore, and it was, I remember, huge rocks and pebbles, and the sun was glistening off the Sea of Galilee, and it was absolutely breathtaking.
So they go there for a few days, and then after a few days He headed south for Jerusalem for the most important event on the Jewish calendar, which is what? Passover. You recall that Passover points back to the time when God delivered the Israelites out of bondage in Egypt. Moses had been instructed by God to tell the Israelites to sacrifice a perfect lamb, one without defect, and to take the blood and put it on the doorpost of their homes.
So that when the death angel, who was the Lord Almighty, went throughout Egypt that night. When he saw the blood on the doorpost, he would pass over that house. And everyone in that house would be protected from. the wrath of God. Every year since that first Passover, the Jews around the world celebrate this event in remembrance of the night the Lord Almighty delivered them from 400 years of slavery, and they began their journey to the promised land.
the land of Aslan. Then verse 13, y'all with me? Look at verse 13. When it's almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple courts, he found men selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money.
So now notice this. He didn't grab a whip. He made a whip. Out of courts, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle. He scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables.
To those who sold doves, he said, Get these out of here. How dare you turn my father's house into a market? And then his disciples remembered from Psalm 69, verse 6, I believe, that it is written, Zeal for your house will consume me. Then the Jews demanded of him. These are the religious leaders of Israel.
What miraculous sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this? And Jesus answered them. This was a veiled answer that they had no clue what he was talking about. Destroy this temple. And I will raise it again in three days.
The Jews replied, It has taken 46 years to build this temple, and you're going to raise it in three days? Can't you see them scoffing and laughing? But the temple he had spoken of was his body. After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. that then they believed the scriptures and the words that Jesus had spoken.
Verse 23.
Now, while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover feast, many people saw the miraculous signs he was doing. Apparently, he was doing many while he was there. and believed in his name. But Jesus would not entrust himself to them. For he knew all men.
He did not need man's testimony about man. for he knew What was in a man? The next week, I'm not going to be here. Jaquan's going to preach in my place, but I hate to miss next week because it's John chapter 3. And it starts off in verse 1.
Now there was a man. Do you see how that just leads right into the next week's chapter? And you're going to see that Nicodemus is the most religious leader of all of Israel. And yet, Jesus tells him what? Unless you're born again, Nicodemus, you cannot see the kingdom of God, which means you can't even understand it.
So let me ask you a question, guys. This is the evidence if you're saved. Do you understand the Bible when you read it? Do you? Spiritual understanding.
is one of the evidences of salvation.
Now there's a very interesting prophecy in the book of Malachi. I think it's in your outline. Malachi chapter 3, verses 1 through 5 says this. See, Again, Malachi is looking way into the future. And he says, See, I will send my messenger who will prepare the way before me.
Who is that? John the Baptist. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple. The messenger of the covenant, that's the new covenant, whom you desire will come, says the Lord Almighty. But who can endure the day of his coming?
Who can stand when he appears? For he will be a refiner's fire or a launderer's soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver. He will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the Lord will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness.
And the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the Lord, as in days gone by, as in former years. Verse 5.
So the Lord says, I will come near to you for judgment. Passover was at hand, and from all of Israel, people came to Jerusalem to worship God in his holy temple. Keep in mind, it is a holy place. Why? Because that's where God's presence resided.
Suddenly, Just as Malachi prophesied, Jesus appears and what he witnesses infuriates him. You see, Jesus had become to Passover to Jerusalem ever since he was twelve. And every year things got worse. Commerce was taking place. More and more animals were sold, and more and more money was exchanged, and more and more booths were being crowded into the courtyard.
Why? Because that's how they made money. By the way, these booze were operated by the religious leaders. who took their orders directly from Annas.
Now, you may not remember Annas, but in John chapter 18, after Jesus' arrest, the soldiers bound him and they brought him to stand before Annas, even though he was not the high priest at the time. His son-in-law, Caiaphas, was the high priest. But Annas. was the godfather of organized religion. He was the man who determined who got to operate those booths.
It was so profitable. This Eric was known as the bazaars of Anas. Business was booming. Lots of money was being made. And no one dared to question Annas' authority.
You see, the problem was not only what they were doing, but it was where they were doing it that was so offensive. They were conducting business in the outer courtyard of the temple. The inner courtyard was reserved for the Jews, but the outer courtyard was the one place where Gentiles could come and pray. You see, the very design of the temple was to draw everyone. Two.
Come before God. and worship him in solitude, in prayer, in worship. But on this day, when Jesus entered the courtyard, He did not see these religious leaders trying to lead a lost world to God. Instead, as he looked through the crowd so busy conducting business, he saw a Gentile over in a corner trying to pray. From a nearby table, He heard coins fall to the ground as a money changer tried to grab them.
So here's the question. How did all this come about?
Well, every Jew was required to come to Jerusalem. The males were. To come for Passover, for three events. One was Passover. and they were required to pay a temple tax.
But only specially minted coins were accepted by the priests. They wanted the coins that had a lot of silver content.
So everyone had to exchange their foreign currency for these special coins.
So, guess what? There was an exchange rate. And the exchange rate fluctuated with the character of the money changer. The lower the character, the higher rate. And during Passover, the exchange rate was exorbitant.
Besides the sound of corns, Jesus also heard the sound of animals. Another bit of commercialism was taking place. The Jewish people who came from all over Israel for Passover either brought a lamb with them or they purchased one when they got there. But keep in mind These lambs had to be what? Perfect.
without any defect. And guess who decided if they were perfect? The inspectors who've been trained by the religious leaders, and somehow they always found. A defect. But no worries, the priest had perfect animals for sell.
Of course, they carried a premium price. You see, making a profit at Passover had become central to the holiday. Not prayer, not worship, not Thanksgiving. It was all about money. Do y'all know that he tell evangelists like that?
I saw a minister one time on TV, and I kid you not, this is my wallet. He pulled it up and said, It's all about this. He held up his wallet. Yeah. By the way, those little prayer cloths that they say they pray over, you send in $1,000 or $5,000, we'll send a prayer claw to you.
I hope you don't fall for that one. These these um televangelist and preachers, they don't have to be on television. We'll have to stand before God one day and give an account. Jesus looked at that Gentile who was trying to squeeze a little solitude, but his prayer was cut short by someone who was brushing by him with a squirming lamb.
So as he witnessed these things, his anger rose. Draped across the table, he saw a handful of leather tethers.
So he grabbed them and he began to methodically tie them together to form a whip. And when he pulled that last knot tight, he began to crack that whip. And everybody in the temple area looked up. And they saw this man with this whip cracking it. A lot of them didn't even know who he was.
And as Jesus continued to crack the whip, he turned the tables over. Coins went flying everywhere. And men dove to grab the money as he stormed through the temple courtyard, turning everything upside down. Can y'all see him doing that? He shouted, Kidney's out of here.
How dare you turn my father's house into a cook marketplace?
Now think about the disciples. They couldn't believe what they were witnessing. They'd never seen zeal like this. When was the last time they saw a Pharisee? repenting over his sin and crying out to God for mercy.
But now they are beginning to wonder. What they've got themselves into. Does Jesus not understand how powerful these men are? Does he not understand that this kind of action will turn people away? While all this is taking place, The more religious men are standing in the back cursing.
And for good raising. Religion had become big business. The priest lived well. And they'd grown to love it. They enjoyed all of the perks.
They enjoyed rubbing shoulders with all the important people, sitting in the best seats and wearing fine clothes. The good life have become more important. than a good heart. Reaching into the pockets of the people had become more important than reaching out to a lost world. This is why Jesus was so angry.
Oh, this day's zeal for his father's house had consumed him. One day that same zeal We'd kill him. Today these religious men cursed him. But one day They would crucify him. You see, the Lamb of God was headed to the cross.
And he was on a divine time schedule, and nothing would stop him.
So so let me ask you something. Do you know what one of the main reasons is that Jesus came into the world? Yes, he came to die for our sins. But you know what else he came for? to save us from the wrath of God.
Do you hear much talk about wrath in church these days? No, nobody wants to hear about wrath. They want to hear about the love of God. God is a God of love. But he's also a God of wrath.
And I want you to understand this: His wrath flows from His love, because His wrath is always directed at evil. It's evil that's destroying the world. And he hates evil.
So, I want to share with you three truths about the wrath of God so that you really understand it theologically. First, The wrath of God is real. John 3.36 says, we'll get to this in a couple weeks. Who believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains where? Yeah.
The fact that it remains on him implies one thing. It was always there. Here's the truth that you really Rarely, if ever, here in church, we are all born under God's wrath. Because we're all born in sin.
So just think about a cloud hanging on you as you're lying in a crypt. It's the wrath of God. Little innocent baby. is born under the wrath of God. Why?
Because that baby has a sin nature. David even mentions this in Psalm 51 and 5. He says, Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. What else does that tell you about? That verse.
Can matter sin. Yeah. Can this table right here sin? That's not easy. Uh answer.
What's the answer? Are y'all awake? This thing cannot sin. Why? Because this matter.
Only a human being can sin.
So If you're born with a sinful nature, A conception. What are you? A human being. That's my point. You're human.
What issue does that address? Starts with an A. Abortion. This is not matter we're talking about. This is a human being.
The Bible says that we're all born sinners. Romans 3:23 says, For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. To sin means to miss the mark. It's an archery term.
So you aim and you miss the target. You miss the bullseye. That's what it means to sin. The Ten Commandments are the bullseye, and we miss them. We break every one of them.
Moreover, we're all born God's enemies. Did you know that? We're not only born under his wrath, but we're born his enemies. Romans 5:10 says, For if when we were God's enemies, And the Bible says that we all deserve death. Romans 6.23 says, For the wages of sin is death.
So, one of the answers to your questions tonight, when it says, where do you see the wrath of God being revealed in the world? Death is one of the main answers. Death It's the Judgment of the world. It flows from God's wrath because He hates sin.
So here's the truth, men. If we refuse God's grace and mercy in this life, Then God's wrath remains on us. We remain his enemies. And we will face his wrath on the day of judgment, where he will have no choice but to condemn us. To a place of eternal darkness where the fire never ceases and where the worm devouring the wicked does not cease.
Total darkness separated from God. All throughout scripture. We see that God's wrath is real. It became real when death entered the world due to sin. It became real when God destroyed the world with a flood.
It became real when all the firstborn sons of Egypt died during the night on that first Passover. It became real when the Lord rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah. It was real when God sent both the Assyrian army and the Babylonian army to totally wipe out Israel, his chosen people. And it was real when God sent His Son to die on the cross. And it will be very real in the end when God judges the world.
So, just as we can look around us and see that there is death everywhere.
So we can see that God's wrath is real. In Romans 1, verse 18, Paul writes, The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness. I want you to understand this. God's when Jesus made that whip It is to show you that he didn't lose his temper. He didn't just jerk up something like I would and lose my temper, because that would be sin to lose your temper.
That means you're out of control. It was controlled wrath. It's like the most intense fire that you've ever seen, burning with God's intensity as he blows on that fire and is heated up to a maximum intensity. And it never diminishes and it never increases. That's a picture of God's wrath.
It's always burning at full power and force. Because it's burning against what? You and me? No, it's burning against evil. And you do not want to fall into the hands of an angry God.
And you don't have to. You see, the message that we hear most of the time coming from America's pulpits is that God loves everyone. And he does.
However, it is just part of the truth. God is a God of love, but He's also a God of wrath. The wrath of God should not be overlooked. Because the wrath of God is r is real. Let me ask you a question.
Just imagine that a group of people come from another planet and they've never heard of Niagara Falls. And they're out there on that river having a good old time. You know, they've got a 10-man raft with a guide, and they've got a keg of beer on there somehow. The raft's not sinking, and they've got some beautiful blonde girls. Kind of way I lived my college life.
And they, um, I'm just joking. And they're unaware of danger ahead. And this liberal minister walks by, and he says, Y'all just have a good time because God loves you, just as you are. And then this bald-headed prophet from Bethel comes up there and he says, You guys need to turn around and go that way. Because there's a waterfall up there and if you go over it, you are dead forever.
Which one is the most loving? The bald-headed prophet from Bethel. He's the most loving. Because he's speaking the truth. In 1 Corinthians 13, 6, it says, Love rejoices with what?
True. Because it's only the truth that can set a man free. It's only the truth that can lead people celebrating the world and all kinds of evil things that will turn around and go in the opposite direction. Men. The wrath of God is real.
Secondly, The wrath of God is coming. Don't you love the sermon? You know, Revelation 19, verse 11 through 6, you should love it because it's the truth. John's on the island of Patmos, and he's given a vision of the second coming. Listen to what he says: I saw heaven standing open, and there before me was a white horse, whose riders call faithful and true.
With justice, he judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing fire. That's symbolic of judgment. By the way, this is all symbolism. And on his head are many crowns.
He has a name written on him that no one knows but himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, pointing back to what? The crucifixion. And its name is the Word of God. In the beginning was the Word, the Word was with God, the Word was God.
The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Why? Because they've been declared righteous by God. Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. He will rule them with an iron scepter.
That's the same scepter. That um Jacob prophesied over Judah. The scepter will not depart from you until he comes to whom it belongs. Remember that? Nor the ruler's staff.
He will rule them with an iron scepter. He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh, he has this name written: King of Kings and Lord of Lords. See, John looks into our future and he sees the Lord returning as the judge of the world. He is the rider on the white horse, he is the lion of the tribe of Judah.
He's no longer portrayed as he was in his humiliation, Philippians 2, 5 through 8. Jesus entered our world. When he did, He did so as a baby born in a manger. When Jesus entered Jerusalem for his last Passover, he wrote in on what? A donkey.
When he comes back, he'll be riding a white horse, maybe symbolic as a victorious general. He'll be the returning lion of the tribe of Judah, the king of kings and the lord of lords. John saw Jesus with eyes. that are like flaming fire. These are the same eyes that beckon little children to come to him.
These are the same eyes that were so full of compassion for people who were down and out. The eyes that wept over Jerusalem and that do so today over the suffering of our world. John sees flashing. with the fire of judgment. Why?
Because when the trumpet sounds and he appears in the sky, The day of grace is over. The wrath of God is coming. And Jesus is the one. who treads the wine press of God's fury. Because he is the lion.
of the tribe of Judah.
So The wrath of God is real. The wrath of God is coming. And here's the good news. The wrath of God is what? Avoidable.
1 Thessalonians 1:10 says, Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath. John 3, 16 and 17 says, For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have what? And I love verse 17, which you don't hear much. For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world. Don't you love that?
But to save the world through him. Jesus did not come into the world meant to condemn us, but to save us. Save us from what? The coming wrath of God. Consider Passover.
The Israelites took the blood of the Lamb and spread it over the doorpost of their houses so that God's wrath would pass over them. In the same way, Jesus, the Lamb of God, Shed His blood on the cross to shield us from the wrath of God that's coming. All we have to do is what? Run to the cross. It's like an umbrella.
It's like a shield. that you can't penetrate. and you run to the cross and Jesus shields you from the wrath that is coming. Isaiah 53:5 says, He was pierced for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities.
The punishment that brought us peace was upon him. Jesus, as you know, hopefully, took our sins upon himself and died in our place. His shed blood satisfied God's justice. God the Father, literally, in that moment when He took upon Himself the sins of the world. poured out his wrath on his son.
And this action on the part of Jesus It's what allows us to no longer have that cloud of wrath hanging over us. no longer to be his enemies. But actually have peace with God. How about that? Peace.
with God. And when you have peace with God, guess what He'll give you? The peace of God. Romans 5:1 says, Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 5, 21 says, God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
Here's the deal. You ready for this? You can either accept Jesus' payment at the cross for your sins. Or you can make your own payment. Do you know you make your own payment?
You die in your sin. You'll stand before the great white throne judgment. And all you're waiting for. Yeah. is to see how severely you'll be condemned.
Did you know the degrees of judgment, degrees of condemnation? Did you know that? Some will be judged more severely than others. Your determines the severity of your judgment. the light to which you've been exposed.
The more light to which you've been exposed means the more light you've rejected. Then we'll let you reject. the more severe your punishment. God is patient with us men. And he does not want anyone to face his wrath.
2 Peter 3.9 says, The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise as some understand slowness. He's patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish. But everyone to come to repentance.
So let me ask you men. Have you come to repentance? Have you? If you're not sure if you have and you want to talk to me, I'll be glad to talk to you. My email address is on the website.
My phone number is on there. Call me. I'd be glad to have lunch with you. Madame That's what some of your contributions go to. Helping the eat.
I try to eat with a lost person, though. But anyway, enough about that. Let's go to the Lord in prayer. Heavenly Father, thank you for this night. Thank you, Lord, for your word.
Thank you for these men. Thank you for bringing them here on a dark night, dear God. But you're the light of the world. And we come in here, Lord. We feel your light.
Shining in our minds and in our hearts, and revealing truth to us that we can respond to because you're so full of grace and mercy. You tell us in your word that you delight. in showing mercy, delight. And that you're willing to cast all our iniquities, all our sins into the depths of the ocean. And you remember them no more.
And you separate our sins from us as far as the East is from the West. And then in that moment of repentance, we're born again. We're adopted into your family. You become our heavenly Abba, and we become your son, co-heirs with Jesus. and waiting for an inheritance that is prepared for us in heaven.
There are thousands and thousands of benefits, Lord, to knowing you. And the main one is just that we know you. Lord, we love you. We need you. We thank you, Lord, that you can control this world.
And that the church is still advancing. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Alright guys, I'll see you next week. Uh You've been listening to Finding Purpose with Russ Andrews. This broadcast is made possible because of the prayers and financial gifts of listeners like you. If you want to learn more about our ministry or support us as we reach others with God-centered Bible teaching, please visit us at findingpurpose.net.
