THE LAMB IS THE LION

SELECTED SCRIPTURE READINGS 

I have one simple desire   on this Christmas  Day. I  want to present Christ to you !    I  shall not do that  by way   of my  customary  systematic exposition of a text, but by tracing  some of the names  of Christ  used  in  the Scripture : Christ , the Lamb and the Lion . In Revelation Chapter 5  we find  the  only place where these two names are used  in the same context .

The result of  our Christmas meditation  should be  a renewed  sense of worship  and glory  to God .  

Christ  was born to stir up worship in us  . The news of Christ’s birth  caused  the angels to say :  “Glory  to God in the highest! “  (Lk 2:14)  . The understanding  of who Christ is  restores  meaning  and purpose  in life . We were made to worship .  North Koreans  were made to worship  , but unfortunately many of them they worship only  a dead human leader . We were  made to worship the One  , true , eternal God , who is not like a man , but who has manifested Himself for our sakes  in  the man Christ Jesus .  Jesus  is the exact imprint  of God ( Hebr. 1:3)  . He said : “ If you have seen me you have seen the Father” ( Jn 14:9) .  Beholding Christ invokes  worship .

That is what Mary  did  in response to what  the angel  told her  when he said that  she was going to be  the bearer of  God’s  Son  , and  when she spontaneously composed  the Magnificat  ( Lk 1: 46-55) “ My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour…” . That is worship !

I want  you  to  feel  what the shepherds felt   after they had seen  that baby in the manger at Bethlehem ,  the sight of which  left  them  glorifying and praising God (Lk 2:20) .  That is worship !

I want you to understand what   that righteous and devout worshipper of God,   Simeon  understood   when he  saw that baby presented  in the temple :

[29] “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word;[30] for my eyes have seen your salvation [31] that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, [32] a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.”  (Luke 2:29-32 ESV) . That is worship !

May  God deliver  us from  the boredom  or the artificial hype   that  now generally surrounds  Christmas . This  boredom is seen in  articles such as I have  read   on the BBC  internet news  on Friday (23/12/2011 ) ,  entitled :  “  War on Christmas : Is this festival under attack ? “ [1] .  A  picture  in the article had  Santa Claus in the crosshairs , which told me that they  were aiming at the wrong guy !  His Name is Santa , and not Christ!   He is fiction , Christ  is   real!

What interested me in particular  were  the  responses  of  many  hundreds of  readers to this article. Some were just cynical , some were atheists , and others were  Christians. Some  said that  Christians had hijacked  an ancient pagan winter festival  and had made it their own.  There is of course some truth in that.  I have never yet figured out what  decorated  trees and Santa Claus have to do  with the Christmas story  .  Others   criticized the unrestrained commercialism of Christmas ,  – there is also truth in that !   Some   criticized Christianity itself   with  a heavy sarcasm and disdain. And, of course , there was not a little wrangling  with each other as  the   many criticized  each others comments about the  meaning of Christmas .   

I searched  hard among the   comments  of these hundreds of readers   to find  some  glory. There were some traces , but  I must admit that I came away with a sense  of   what   always feel  when  I come to this  time of the year . There is  so little  real glory  and worship   that shines from this  momentous event !  What has happened  in Bethlehem   2000 years ago has been trivialized so much , that it now lies buried  beneath  a heap  of cheap ‘Christmas magic ‘ .

The fact is that that this baby of Bethlehem   is the Lamb of  God , the Lion of Judah. I have chosen to look at these two names  because   they help  us  to understand  Him  whom we too have come to worship .

The story of Christmas is the story of Jesus  and  this  story begins  in eternity. He  came  from that eternal  glory  which He  had  with His Father  before the world existed (see  John 17:5) .  From  that place of utter perfection and glory   He  came (He was incarnated / born)   into a world of finite realities  and fallen beings.

After His baptism , at about the age of 30  He  began   to   proclaim that   the  kingdom  of God  was near . By that He  told us that  mankind  had  been alienated from that kingdom , and that He had come to open the door  back into that kingdom .  

In this process  Jesus  points to Himself as “ the Way , the Truth , and the Life “  ( Jn  14:6)  , the door for the sheep   ( Jn  10:7) by which  people  could  re enter into that paradise that was lost in Genesis 3 .  The Bible records  that  people  to whom  He says these things  find  it difficult to believe Him ( Jn  1:11).  This is because  mankind  by its fallen nature  is so  spiritually dead  that they  will not believe. (Eph 2:1) .  Fallen people need  something more  than human ability to believe .  

Any self effort to understand  God   and  the nature  of our relationship  with  Him  will only  result in creating  another  false religion/ cult .  That is precisely what has happened  in the world . Fallen mankind in response to  that spiritual  vacuum  has gone of in search  of God , but  our sinful hearts  will always create idol gods   that suit us  . The world is in a spiritual mess!   We need  help ! 

We need  revelation  !  That is  what the Bible  provides . That is why  the Bible is  important . The Bible claims to be a God inspired book  ( 2Tim 3:16)

We need  to be helped to believe . We need Grace from  God   to have faith in God. Like helpless babies  we must be  helped. Babies can do nothing for themselves.  That is why  the beginning of the Christian life is likened to a birth – the new birth !                     “ Born to raise the  sons of earth , born to give them second birth” [2]

We must understand who  Christ  is  and  where He has  come from .  If Christ  is who he says He is  , then  we had better listen  to Him !

We must understand what Christ  came to do.   Christ  was born to die ! The cross  becomes the  all  important  focus.  Why did Jesus die ?  He died  to take away  sin –the obstacle   between God (the Creator)  and men (the created) . Without  the removal of this obstacle it is impossible  for us  to  have  a relationship with God .

But how did Christ  manifest Himself  to  this world ?

Two  names are used to describe the nature  of Christ  :   He is both a lamb and a lion!  What do we mean by that ?

a.       Christ the Lamb  :

This metaphor ( lamb)   was well understood in Israel . We first come across it in  Genesis  22. Abraham  has a very difficult task at hand . He is commanded by God to offer up  his only son , Isaac,  on an altar.   Abraham obeyed  and trusted that  God  would provide “a lamb for a burnt offering”  in the place of Isaac (Gen 22:8). This happened in fact  (Gen 22:13)  , and it is illustrative of  the doctrine of “substitutionary atonement “ : one dies for another !   This is what Jesus  did . He was born to  die  for you !

Another prominent   reference  to a  lamb  is found in  Exodus 12 – the Passover Lamb .  This story also  illustrates  what Jesus  came  to do . His blood  shed for us  causes the righteous wrath of God  to “ pass over” us .   In the  OT the institution of the Passover became a  ordinance throughout  their generations ( Ex  12:14) . In the NT  , Easter which corresponds to the Jewish Passover  has culminated in the institution of the Lord’s supper / Communion  - an ordinance of the Christian church  until Christ returns  - a constant reminder that Christ died for our sins .

The fact that Christ  is referred  to as a lamb  points  to  other  important realities .       Please note that  Jesus  did  not come into this world in  a spaceship from outer space  and  as a grown person    !  He came  to us as a humble  baby  - a lamb ! He  was born to a human mother , Mary .   And  is  it incidental    that shepherds  who care for ordinary sheep and lambs  should be among the first  to see  the new born King ?  Is  not  all this a  part of the divine logic  and a part of  the  divine symphony  that conducts  the events  of the world and  of  the universe   with such astounding   wisdom and harmony ?

However  it is really John the Baptist  who first makes the  OT-  NT connection   when he   first sees  Jesus.  ( See   John 1 : 29-36) . When he    saw Jesus  for the first time  he immediately declared : “ LOOK,   the Lamb of  God  who takes away the sin of the world !”   That was  a prophetic utterance  , and by this John   helped us to see that  the  Passover  lamb  of  the OT   found its ultimate fulfillment in  Jesus  Christ  !

But it  is in the final book of the Bible  ( Revelation)   that the term  “ the Lamb”  with respect to Christ    is used in an unprecedented fashion  ( over 30 times!!!) .    “The  Lamb!” .  This is John’s favourite title  for  Jesus  who by now no longer  dwells   on earth , but who at this time is the ascended  Christ!   In heaven , He still is the  Lamb of God ! 

b.     Christ The  Lion

We  have seen that  the  text in Revelation 5  brings the  metaphors  of  “ lamb” and  “lion”  together .

Two natures meet in Christ , and here I am not referring to the classical  formulation   of the ancient creeds of the church that in Christ both the  “divine and human“ natures  meet . That is so. But there are two  other aspects that meet in Christ  : the tender and the tough  - the  Lamb and the  Lion  - the  Saviour / Redeemer and the Judge!

The tribe of Judah is  traditionally symbolized by a lion. In  Genesis  49:9   Jacob,    when blessing his sons  refers to  Judah as a young lion  .    Jesus  was born in the line of king David  in the tribe of Judah . ( see Matthew’s genealogy in  chapter 1)

We need a balanced view  of the person and nature of Christ , and here  is the other side to His being.  He is  a  Lion!  A lion is  feared. When the Lion roars  all the other  beasts of the earth  must remain silent. In the prophecy of Amos,   the Lord   God is frequently compared   to  a lion .  Amos 3:8 says : “ The lion  has roared , who will not fear ? The Lord God has spoken ; who can but prophesy ?”   Here  is an aspect of Christ’s person and work  that we must not miss .  Yes , it is true that He has come as our gentle Saviour into this world  .  As the lamb He has not come a Judge , but as Saviour . He came to die for our sin .

That is the Good News , the gospel , the message of Christmas  that brings peace and joy to the world .  However , this is not a message that   you can listen to  in a  detached  manner . It is a message  that you must embrace  with all your heart . Like a child you must  say :  “ Oh come to my heart , Lord Jesus , there  is room in my heart for Thee!”

The truth  is this : If this message is not embraced , then remember that the Lamb  will be the Lion  to you . The Lion has roared . He  has spoken . He has finished His work .  What God needed to say  to  fallen humanity He  now has  said .  He has sent you a  Lamb  . Embrace the Lamb  , because if you don’t  God remains your enemy, and at the end of days  you will  face a lion  ! For a true Christian , He will of course  for ever be the Lamb upon the throne.    

If you have not embraced  Christ  yet , then I want to ask  : Are you listening ?  You must listen ! Right  now , at this time  there are  so many people  who will not hear this message , and it will do  them  no good to  ignore it  .  Embrace the Lamb ! Now !

             

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[1] http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-16273917 by  Daniel Nasaw

[2] Charles Wesley : Hark the Herald Angels sing

What Child is this ?

TEXT : Luke  2:25-35

TITLE  : "What Child is this ?"

DATE PREACHED:  Christmas  2009

Christmas celebrates and commemorates a huge event in our year when we remember the birth of Christ.


What child is this? I want to answer this question with the help of our text , but before I do so I want to share what a friend of mine has written in a recent Christmas letter, so very beautifully:
“Although the world tilts towards the rich and powerful, God seems tilted towards the humble. He did not come in raging royalty or in the rags of riches but He came down, down, down to a single cell not even visible to the human eye. Then like the rest, He enlarged cell by cell inside His mother’s womb. The word “humble” comes to mind but it seems deficient as a description of deity, but Paul does say that He “…made himself nothing…he humbled Himself” (Phil. 2:6, 8). While some in the world cry “God is great” it seems to me that at Christmas time “God is little.” The God who can move empires like pawns on a chessboard entered this world as a baby. No flare no flash, but instead the event that divided our calendar was witnessed by nameless shepherds and a few fortunate animals. God alone arranged the circumstances of His own birth on the planet. He chose neither power nor wealth, rights nor justice. Within a short time He even became a refugee in Africa; the continent today with the most refugees. It seems almost foolish to come to a planet where violence was the clumsy norm and to a race whose habit was to reject their prophets.”

But more profound than my friend’s great prose are these inspired words from Simeon as he holds the infant Jesus in his arms .

What child is this? The whole gospel story tells us that Christ was born ; that He lived the perfect life ; He died for sin ; He rose again from the dead – just as the prophets had said ; He ascended into heaven – and from there He shall come again to judge the living and the dead. But right now let us get back to that first event – his birth, and in particular the words spoken by an obscure man called Simeon. We are told that he was a “righteous and devout man“; he was waiting for “the consolation of Israel”, and we are told that ‘the Holy Spirit was upon him’. We are also told that the Holy Spirit had revealed to him that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Christ – Yahweh’s Messiah! What a promise! Imagine if God should tell a righteous and devout person , right here in our congregation , waiting for the Lord’s 2nd coming, that they would not die before the Lord had returned !


One day this man named Simeon “came in the Spirit into the temple “ and when He saw the baby Jesus whom his parents would have brought according to the custom of the law ( v.27) , Simeon knew in an instant that his earthly journey had come to an end! This piece of Scripture is traditionally known as the “Nunc Dimittis” , and with these words he announces that God’s salvation – Yeshua /Joshua (v.30) had arrived ! What a stunning announcement. Imagine holding Jesus in your arms (v.28) and saying “Lord, my eyes have seen your salvation. My eyes have seen Jesus!”
But Simeon says so much more. Look at the wider scope of that announcement! Simeon announces that this baby that he is presently holding in his arms is the Christ who was prepared of God for the salvation of God for all peoples (v.31). He explains in v.32 - “a light of revelation to the gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.” From the Jewish point of view the world was divided into 2 kinds of people: Jews and gentiles. So what Simeon is clearly saying here in agreement with the prophets of the Old Testament is that this Saviour which he is presently holding in his arms is the Saviour of the whole world. This is the fulfillment of Isaiah 9:1&2. This is God’s ancient solution for those born under the curse of sin. Oh, if only the scribes and the Pharisees would have humbled themselves to sit at Simeon’s feet, listening to his word. If only modern people would stop and listen to Simeon speaking again!

Listen! Christ was born to be “a light of revelation for the gentiles ..." How much we need the light that Jesus gives today. I am genuinely concerned about the spiritual darkness in which we presently find ourselves, as more and more people openly embrace “  Me centered spiritualities”. A German magazine recently carried an article entitled  “Spirituality without God “. We ought to be greatly concerned about the ‘sex driven pursuit of life‘ going beyond the limits that God has set. There is nowadays almost no magazine that will not carry an article on “how to spice up your love life “. And it should grieve us that a prominent church now appears to say that couples living together in non covenantal relationships are an acceptable alternative to marriage. The darkness is increased when we think of what is abnormal by God’s standard and contrary to human nature is now becoming the norm. Magazines now routinely portray same sex relationships as ‘normal‘, when the Scripture clearly teaches that such a way of life actually is a sign of being ‘handed over ‘ (Rom 1 :24,26,28). I mention this because these are not good signs. They are signs of a society that is far from the one true God who is holy and just. That, dear people typically happens in a society in which God is distant and where His truth does not reach into our hearts and minds.
The Gospel of Christ was like a sun-rise to Greece and Rome, and indeed all of the gentile nations – so steeped in mystical religions , in idolatry and in immorality. The light which Christ brought into their world was as great as the change from night to day!

Listen! Christ was indeed "the glory of Israel." Israel was descended from Abraham; they had the covenants; they had the promises; they had the Law of Moses; they had the Temple service. These were all great privileges. But surely, the greatest privilege was this: that the Messiah, the divine Deliverer came out of Israel! This was to be the highest honor of the Jewish nation!
Now Simeon saw this baby as the Mighty Christ – by faith. He saw that this One was the hope of the nations and the glory of Israel. Oh pray that our generation – those people to whom we are responsible to deliver this gospel, will see the light and the glory of Christ!

Now I want you to see another striking thing which Simeon reveals to us concerning Christ. He shows us the RESULTS which would follow when Jesus Christ and His Gospel came into the world.
Christ was to be "a sign that is opposed… “(v.34b). Jesus was born into a world hostile to Him. Not only was He resisted by Satan who tried to kill him; we also know that He was going to be “a man of sorrows - despised and rejected by men." (Isa 53:3). The same was true for His body, the church. People who had nothing in common, united and agreed to hate Christ and His church. They eventually murdered Christ, and they persecuted His church. She was hardly born at Pentecost when persecution broke loose. We see that this gracious Saviour, instead of being gladly and graciously received, was grossly and grievously resented – a sign that is opposed! Thousands remained unbelieving, and many became persecutors. Now you understand why this Spirit filled Simeon said: “Behold this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel …”
He was to be a stone of stumbling to many proud and self-righteous Jews, who would reject Him and therefore ultimately perish in their sins. Many would fall because of Him!
But he was also the Christ who caused the “rising of many in Israel." He became the Saviour of many who, at one time, rejected, blasphemed, and reviled Him, but afterwards repented and believed in Him. Among them was the great apostle Paul.

Simeon finally revealed that Christ was to be the occasion of "the thoughts of many hearts being revealed." The Gospel brings to light the real characters of people. Some are shown to be enemies of God, and others become sons of God through the preaching of the cross.

What do you think of Christ? What child is this? Are we for Him, or are we against Him? Do we love Him, or do we neglect Him? Do we see what Simeon saw when he saw the Christ? Or are we offended by Him?

An Invitation to come to Christ NOW!
Christmas is an annual reminder of God’s love for this world. Why would God give us a Son? Well, Simeon has explained it adequately, hasn’t he? God loves this world. He has a Saviour for the whole world. However, in this world there will be those that receive Him and those that will continue to reject Him, as they always have.
What child is this? This child is Jesus, Lord and Creator of all things both seen and unseen. He is the King of kings and He will soon be invading this earth with His armies. Currently He is offering amnesty in advance of His invasion and should you receive the pardon now before He invades this world, you will be considered His friend. The alternative is to continue to be under the wrath of the King.

So, I remind you then that the gospel is not an invitation to come and make a choice. You have already made your choice. The gospel is a command and not a request. The command is to  “Repent and believe in Christ”, and if you do, you may be able to really celebrate Christmas truly for the first time in your life! May the grace of our Lord be with you! Amen.