The Lion IS a Lamb

Ladies and gentlemen, Cain's offering symbolized religion, self-made religion. Abel's offering symbolized redemption. And today, my friends, the world is divided into these same two companies, those who hope to find their way to God by the way of Cain and those who come by way of Calvary. The way of Cain is a path created by the effort of human hands.

The way of Calvary is the way of God through the hands of God's work alone. There's a pretty significant problem that most people face. They don't know what to do about their guilt. They have a sense that they do bad things. They feel some degree of guilt about their sin and shortcomings, but they have no solution. So, they try to appease God and appease their conscience.

Not by doing what God says, but by pursuing their own remedies. Jesus Christ came to earth to be the Lamb of God. He came as God's perfect sacrifice for our sin.

When we respond to Him in faith, we can be free from sin's guilt and consequences. That's the theme of our lesson today here on Wisdom for the Heart. Stephen Davey has a message for you called, The Lion is a Lamb. Well today we return to some of the great truths of the Christmas story and its fullest version.

I think it's wonderful to be celebrating this day specifically set aside as the day we remember the birth of our Savior. Thus far in our series we have listened to the song of the Emperor's son, the creative music of the great lion Aslan, the son of the Emperor beyond the sea. The song that Aslan sang at the creation of Narnia would become in the mind of C.S. Lewis the picture of creation by means of the word of God through his son, the creative agent, that one among the triune God for by him all things were created, Colossians chapter 1 verse 16. And then into fresh and innocent creation came the tempter.

C.S. Lewis illustrated the temptation with Edmund being offered a future kingdom where he could become the prince of the white witch and in the future he would become the king of Narnia. And he's tempted with a box of Turkish delight, the best tasting Turkish delight he had ever eaten. And while eating it he promises the evil one that he will betray his brother and his two sisters to her not knowing that this act of treason will demand his death. He just doesn't know it at the time. He doesn't seem to care anyway as long as he has the promise of Turkish delight for the rest of his life.

Well eventually all four children, Peter, Lucy, Susan and Edmund move through the magic wardrobe and they find themselves in the land of Narnia together and Edmund if you've read the books slips off and tells the white witch where they've arrived and where they can be found. It is the height of selfishness. It is the epitome of pride. It is an act of treason. And according to the law of Narnia it will mean the death of Edmund. So also we watched as the serpent whispered in the ear of Eve that she could one day have her own kingdom and she could one day rule as God. And we watched Eve take the forbidden fruit and eat it not realizing that it would mean the death of her for having betrayed the word of God. See there was this unshakable irrevocable law in both Narnia in the mind of C.S.

Lewis and on earth. And it is this law, the wages of sin is what? Is death.

And C.S. Lewis called that unshakable law deep magic in Narnia. Irrevocable magic. When all seemed lost for Edmund and the hope of Narnia, Aslan appeared and he had that private conference with the witch and in that private meeting he tells her that he will offer himself up in the place of Edmund. That he will die in Edmund's place. And the wicked queen of course is ecstatic.

She's thrilled. That night Aslan walks up the hill toward a jeering mob of monsters and hags and ogres. He allows himself to be bound with rope.

He allows them to shave in humility his mane and they taunt him and they kick him and they spit at him. Susan and Lucy have been watching at a distance bury their heads and their hands in deep sorrow and they sob as the great lion is put to death. Eventually the crowd disperses as the queen calls for her army to defeat the armies of the lion and Susan and Lucy walk up the hill and they mourn the death of their prince their king their leader. Hours later as they are walking away they hear a loud crack in the stone table upon which Aslan was killed is broken in two. But Aslan is gone and they are filled with terror because Aslan is missing he's disappeared he's gone.

C.S. Lewis writes of that moment what now wailed Lucy haven't they done enough already. But Susan put a hand upon her shoulder wait she said do you think it could be more magic. Yes cried a voice like morning thunder they wheeled around and shouted Aslan for it was the lion himself bright as the sun and larger than they remembered him. Aren't you dead.

Not anymore he answered. See there is a magic the witch knew nothing about and even deeper magic. When a willing victim who had committed no treachery is killed in a traitor's stead the table will crack and death itself will begin working backwards. Now dear children death has begun working backwards.

Come let us run and play. Who would have ever conceived of such a plan but it is true isn't it. The law of treachery and death can be overcome by the innocent sacrifice of another and the son of the emperor is in fact indeed a lion and he solved the dilemma of sin. However by becoming a lamb and his willing sacrifice on behalf of sinful mankind would render that deep magic that irrevocable law powerless against the lives of those who are redeemed by his death and his resurrection life. I took a tour through the Bible and found more traces of the land than we have time to cover but they can be clearly seen as early as in the books of Moses. Let me give you seven things about the lion of the tribe of Judah who is also the lamb of God. Turn to Genesis chapter 4 the first one is this the payment of the lamb is symbolized in Genesis chapter 4 in verses 1 and 2 of that chapter we're told that Adam and Eve had two sons one quickly after the other the text implies Moses records in verse 2 and Abel was a keeper of flocks but Cain was a tiller of the ground. Evidently Cain grew up to be a farmer while his younger brother Abel became a shepherd.

Both were honorable occupations both were acceptable careers. They had been taught well they knew there was a God they knew about atonement they had learned the principles of sacrifice perhaps Adam and Eve had taken trips with their two boys to the east side of Eden where they could see the cherubim with his flaming sword guarding the tree of life and barring entrance into paradise. Furthermore in Romans 10 verse 17 we're told that true faith can only come by hearing and hearing by the word of God. So they evidently heard the word of God that the record of Moses is silent. It's obvious that Cain and Abel were not left to their own ideas of how to approach God. They had been told the stories no doubt of the serpent and the stolen fruit and the skins of the animals. Cain verse 3 tells us the approached God with an offering of fruits and vegetables.

Mark this well Cain was no atheist he believed in God without a doubt the existence of God he was conscientious and furthermore he was interested in approaching God. Evidently the boys had reached an age where they were to come and personally offer a sacrifice to God. He wasn't hesitating.

He wasn't refusing. He said I will come to God as well and I will bring my offering. But it was something in this offering for he demanded that he approach God in his own way apart from the word of God that had clearly been taught.

No bloodshed no atoning sacrifice of an innocent animal. But with something that represented the work of his own hands Abel will approach God Hebrews 11 verse 4 clarifies for us by faith he will place his faith in the word of God and approach God as God demanded he will bring the first born lambs of his flock to offer them. Ladies and gentlemen Cain's offering symbolized religion self-made religion Abel's offering symbolized redemption. And today my friends the world is divided into these same two companies those who hope to find their way to God by the way of Cain and those who come by way of Calvary. The way of Cain is a path created by the effort of human hands something that we can do.

The way of Calvary is the way of God through the hands of God's work alone. So the very first two descendants of Adam and Eve represent both the way to heaven and the way to hell. In Genesis Chapter 4 the payment of the lamb is illustrated as the only way to approach a holy and righteous God. If you'll turn over to Genesis Chapter 22 the promise of the lamb is prophesied. This is the event where Abraham's faith and the promised Messiah through his son Isaac is tested. The Bible says in verse one now it came about after these things that God tested Abraham and said to him Abraham verse to skip there now take your son your only son whom you love Isaac go to the land of Moriah and offer him there is a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you he is told by God to sacrifice his son the son of the promised seed which would bring about the Messiah but to take his life on Mount Moriah. Moriah by the way means foreseen by God.

This is all in the plan and providence of God. God had promised Abraham a son and through that son the lineage of the coming Messiah. But imagine the heart of Abraham not just the fact that he would seem to be sacrificing the redemptive purpose of God and wiping it clear of the potential of ever coming about. But imagine this is his beloved son. This is the son of the promise.

Offer him. Why Isaac? I can imagine Abraham thinking to himself listen I'll give you Ishmael. I'll put him on the altar.

I'll give him to you. But I know Ishmael represented Abraham's past life. Isaac represented his future hope. I can imagine that he would have little trouble just as we have little trouble giving to God our past. See I can easily give God my yesterday but can I give him my today? Can I give him my tomorrow?

Can I give him the sovereign rule over my hopes or will I only give him my shattered dreams? For Abraham he was to offer everything about his future. Look at verse 7 and Isaac spoke to Abraham they're walking up the mountain. My father he said here I am my son and he said behold the fire in the wood and where's the lamb? And Abraham said God will provide for himself the lamb for the burnt offering. So the two of them walked on together. I love that. God will provide a lamb.

Would you just continue reading through this text and we don't have enough time to really go very far. But you don't see a lamb anywhere ever. Isaac mounts the altar willingly representing the willingness of the son. Abraham raises the knife. Verse 11 but the angel the Lord called to him from heaven he was poised ready to trust God with everything in his life.

Abraham and Abraham said here I am. Verse 12 he said do not stretch out your hand against the lad do nothing to him for now I know that you fear God. Verse 13 and Abraham raised his eyes and looked and behold behind him a ram caught in the thicket by his horns and Abraham went and took the ram and offered him up for a burnt offering in the place of his son. Now notice verse 14 and Abraham called the name of that place the Lord will provide in the mount a reference to this mount on this mount the Lord will provide future tens. No lamb now anywhere just a ram.

The lamb has yet to come on this mount. It's interesting if you study Mount Moriah you do a little digging you'll find that it's really nothing more than a ridge of hills. It would be the place where Solomon would build his temple his magnificent temple would later be destroyed just two stones throw away from the ridge the place where Isaac was offered would be the city built called Jerusalem. By the time of Jesus Christ this ridge of hills was no longer referred to as Moriah but it had been given a slang Aramaic term or expression because of the way one of the ridges was shaped.

It was now called Golgotha. It looked like a skull. Abraham prophesied on this mount the Lord will provide. It is significant to recognize the fact the place where Isaac was offered as a type of Christ the willing beloved son offered as a willing burnt offering for sins as it were would be the very place where Jesus Christ would hang from the cross. The prophetic statement of Abraham would indeed come true the Lord would provide on the mount a lamb in Genesis for the payment of the lamb is illustrated in Genesis 22 the promise of the lamb is prophesied in Exodus Chapter 12.

Turn there. The illustration becomes even more vivid for the protection of the lamb must be personalized. Exodus Chapter 12 is the tale of life and death. The people of Israel were slaves in Egypt but God was coming to deliver them. You remember and he would deliver only those however who took the lamb who slew the lamb and took the blood of the lamb and pasted some of it upon the doorposts of their huts. Only those homes that had the signature of the lamb would be rescued. Every family would have to decide in this story. It was no longer enough to be a Jew rather than an Egyptian.

The protection of the lamb must be a personal choice. My friend let me ask you a question today. Has the gospel become personal to you? A few days ago I heard about the testimony of a young man who had recently come to Colonial. He had heard our program on the radio and when he heard on the program that I pastored Colonial Baptist Church in Cary North Carolina he said hey that's where I live I'm gonna go find that church. He had been to church as a little boy but when his parents divorced church had sort of fallen away. He away from it. Some of his friends had told him that he needed to find a church. He didn't know where to begin until that radio program and he drove into the parking lot. He sat there struggling for a while and then he walked up to the door and stood there for a while and then turned and walked away. The next week he again pulled into the parking lot struggling with this and it was cold. It got cold out there and he decided to come in at least it'd be warm in the lobby and he came in and met the lady at the welcome desk who discerned he needed to talk to one of our men about the gospel and the two of them sat over here I believe and he said that he had heard the gospel before but now his heart was ready and prepared and he prayed and received Christ as his personal savior.

When has it become personal for you? Is it just stories? Is it just the Bible? Is it just that he is in fact the lamb? Is it that he is the lion?

When has it become yours? When has he become your savior? It must be this protection of the lamb a personal transaction at some point in your life as it were the signature of the lamb written in blood read upon your heart. The fourth evidence that the lion of Judah is a suffering lamb is found in Isaiah where the purpose of the lamb is identified. Turn to Isaiah chapter 53.

The prophet identifies the lion this lamb is a messiah and he writes in verse seven like a lamb that is led to slaughter and like a sheep that is silent before it shears so he did not open his mouth. Back up in verse five it says but he was pierced through for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities. The chastening for our well-being fell upon him. By his scourging we are healed.

If you go back to the writings of Lewis you discover that powerful moment when Aslan tells one of the children do not be cast down. Evil will come of this but I will see to it that the worst of it falls upon me. So the lion of Judah becomes the submissive lamb stripped and mocked taunted and jeered at by humans and demons alike as he walks up the hill to die as it were for the sons of Adam and daughters of Eve.

Yes there is evil but the worst of evil will fall upon himself. Isaiah prophesied in verse six of the same chapter and the Lord caused the iniquity of us all to fall on him. This is the purpose of the lamb. In John chapter one the person of the lamb is recognized. Turn to that gospel. John chapter one verse twenty nine. There are a lot of moments in the scriptures that I would like to have seen.

This is one of them. John the baptizing prophet of God sees the young Messiah approaching him. Jesus is approximately 30 years of age. And according to the law in Numbers Chapter 4 a man had to be 30 years of age before he could enter the priesthood. So in fulfillment of even the smallest demands of the law Christ is now approximately 30 years of age and he is about to enter the priesthood. This one though would become the final and great high priest the only remaining to this day and forever mediator between the triune God and mankind. John's gospel records that public introduction of Christ to the nation for when John the baptizer saw him walking toward him he did not say behold the lion of Judah come to take the throne of David. He did not say behold that the son of the sovereign emperor who has come to rule the nations.

No. What did he say? Behold the who? The lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

What an introduction. Behold the lamb of God. The payment of the lamb is illustrated. The promise of the lamb is prophesied. The protection of the lamb is personalized. The purpose of the lamb is identified and the person of the lamb is recognized.

There's still more to come. Things that John the baptizer never saw and we haven't seen yet. Turn to Revelation chapter 5 where the power of the lamb is magnified. Where John is given a tour of heaven and shown the future of earth. He is profusely weeping in chapter 5. He is overwhelmed with sorrow.

Why? Because there's no one worthy to open the book. There's no one powerful enough to break the seals. In other words, there's no one capable or powerful enough to control the destinies of the nations and the future.

No one is worthy of that. And one of the elders says, John, stop weeping. Look, behold, verse 5, he says, the lion of the tribe of Judah. He says, the lion, look at the lion. He is powerful enough to control the destiny of the universe.

No need to weep. The lion of the tribe of Judah has everything under control. And when John looks however, where the elder is pointing toward the lion of the tribe of Judah, in verse 6, John does not see a lion. What does he see? He sees a lamb standing as if slain. That is, I believe, a reference standing still bearing the marks of his sacrifice in his hands, his feet and side as permanent reminders even in his glorified body of his sacrifice. There the power of this one who is able to open the books and break the seals and bring about the courses of events that will signal the end of human history. He, the lamb, is powerful enough to do all of that. The power of the resurrected lamb who was slain yet stands is magnified.

Not only that, the preeminence of the lamb is glorified. In verse 12, all of heaven, the living creatures, the elders, the angels, thousands of them times thousands fall before the lamb. Imagine that number is literally saying thousands times thousands. One thousand times one thousand is one million. But here John records there are thousands times thousands. So you can imagine 500 million angels or maybe 500 billion.

We don't know. Thousands times thousands of angels chanting together, singing their praise, and here are the lyrics of their song. Verse 12, worthy is the land that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing. Verse 13, to him who sits on the throne and to the lamb be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Verse 14, the elders as they fell down and worshiped, these four living creatures keep on saying, Amen. Amen. That is so be it. You're telling the truth.

We believe it. That's what Amen means. And they chant it. Amen.

Can you imagine it? Billions perhaps of angels surrounding the lamb. And there is the chanting of Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

Amen. The preeminence of the lamb is glorified from the book of Genesis through the prophets on into the gospels and ending with the book of Revelation. The message is clear. It's like a crimson ribbon, one author said. The sacrifice of our Redeemer weaves his way throughout the unfolding of God's design and plan. The payment of the lamb is illustrated. The promise of the lamb is prophesied. The protection of the lamb is personalized. The purpose of the lamb is identified.

The person of the lamb is recognized. The power of the lamb is magnified and the preeminence of the lamb will be glorified. You know, I find it interesting that in the very last chapter of the last book, this book of the Bible, you find the Lord Jesus seated upon the throne.

John has showed a river and it is flowing from the throne, crystal clear, coming from the throne of God and of the lamb. Even at this point, as heaven and earth are remade for us to enjoy forever, we shall forever see him in heaven, not so much as the lion, but almost as if we were to be eternally reminded of how we got there. The lamb, the lion was and is and always will be, will be remembered and worshiped as the lamb for sinners slain. The lion is the lamb. Those of us who have placed our faith in Jesus Christ have been saved and forgiven. The reason that's true is because Jesus is the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.

I hope that's true for you. If you've joined us after the broadcast started, you've been listening to Wisdom for the Heart, the Bible teaching ministry of Stephen Davey. This message is called The Lion is the Lamb. This was the third and final message in a special Christmas series called The Chronicles of Christmas. If you know someone who enjoys the Chronicles of Narnia series by C.S.

Lewis, they might enjoy this series. It's posted to our website so you can share the link with others. We also have it available as a set of CDs, and you'll find information about that on our website, which is wisdomonline.org. This is the last day we'll be in the office this week. Our staff will be off tomorrow enjoying some time with family and friends. So if you want to call us, please call today.

But everything you can do over the phone can also be done at wisdomonline.org. So visit there anytime. Well thanks again for joining us today. We're so glad you were with us. I'm Scott Wiley, and I hope you'll be with us for our next lesson tomorrow, right here on Wisdom for the Heart. Thank you.