One Holy Lamb
This morning I want to preach on “One Holy Lamb”. That is the title of the song that Chris and I just sang, and for the believer in Jesus it has so much meaning. The message behind the title is the very heart of our salvation, and it rejoices our hearts just to muse upon the many elements of gospel truth contained in those three words - “One Holy Lamb”! We will consider 3 points from our title, which include…
1. Jesus the ONE and ONLY One
2. Jesus the HOLY One
3. Jesus the One Holy LAMB
Jesus is the One and only Saviour. Nothing or no one else ever could pay for a single sin, much less save fallen man from all his sins.
Jesus was the One and only acceptable Sacrifice for sins, who was offered once for all the sins, of all His people, for all time and eternity. I want to read some Scriptures that speak of Jesus as the One and only sacrifice and offering for sin…
Hebrews 10:11-12 And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins:
12 But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;
Hebrews 10:14 For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.
“Perfected for ever” means to take unworthy, imperfect, sinful people and make them perfect in the eyes of God and accepted in Him - and that forever! Not for time alone, but for eternity, as the song goes. And this Jesus did by one offering of Himself as the perfect sacrifice for His people.
Next, Jesus was ONCE offered for all His people, for all their sins, for all time!
Hebrews 7:26-27 For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens;
27 Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people’s: for this he did once, when he offered up himself.
Jesus died once! His perfect offering of Himself was sufficient and efficient for the salvation of everyone of His people.
Hebrews 9:11-12 But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; 12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.
The high priests had to enter the holy place every year with the blood of animals to make atonement for their own sins and the sins of the people. But Jesus entered just once into the holy place in heaven with His own blood to obtain eternal redemption for the sins of His all people.
The writer of Hebrews goes on to explain…
Hebrews 9:24-28 For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:
25 Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others;
26 For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.
27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.
Hebrews 10:10 By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
1 Peter 3:18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:
Jesus was the One and only One who could and who did pay the debt for the penalty for our sins. No animal sacrifices, and no human sacrifices could atone for a single sin. Only Jesus, the God-man was able to pay the price we that could not pay! And this He did once for all!
Luke 1:35 And the angel answered and said unto her (Mary), The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.
Jesus was the one and only Holy man because He was conceived by the Holy Spirit of God in the womb of the virgin Mary. Jesus had the natural body of a man, and the holy, sinless nature of God. Because God was His Father, Jesus was, and is, inherently Holy. That was how He could always please God, and always do His Father's will. And that is how He could be the perfect, acceptable Sacrifice to God for sin, because He is Holy. Because Jesus was Holy, He was the perfect, spotless Sacrifice for our sins. That can not be said of any other man!
Acts 2:27 Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
Psalm 16:10 For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
The body doesn't corrupt until after the third day after death, therefore Jesus rose again in three days. Because Jesus is Holy, He could not see corruption.
Acts 3:14 But ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you;
This only shows how wicked the Jews were, especially the most religious among them, that they would have a murderer set free, and the Holy Son of God put to death!
Acts 4:27-28 For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together, 28 For to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done.
Hebrews 7:25-26 Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.
26 For such an high priest became us, [who is] holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens;
Because Jesus is the Holy One, He is also the sovereign Saviour and has all power in heaven and earth to do whatsoever He pleases with His creation…
Revelation 3:7 And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth;
So then, Jesus is the one and the only HOLY Son of God, who was the only acceptable sacrifice for our sins.
The teaching of the Lamb of God goes way back to the beginning.
Genesis 4:4 And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering:
Abel, the second son of Adam, offered to God a spotless lamb. That lamb pictured the Holy Lamb of God, and therefore God accepted Abel’s sacrifice of faith in Jesus, the Lamb of God who was to come.
Abraham also pictured God's One Holy Lamb when he offered His only son Isaac on Mount Moriah…
Genesis 22:6-8 And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together.
7 And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? 8 And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.
Abraham obeyed God and took his one and only son Isaac up to the top of Mount Moriah to offer him as a human sacrifice to God. But God provided Himself a Lamb to take Isaac's place! This story pictures the most beautiful types of God the Father and Jesus His Son, the One Holy Lamb who would come to die in the place of sinners!
Exodus 12:3-5 Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house:
4 And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbour next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb.
5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats:
Exodus 12:11 And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the Lord’s passover.
The passover lamb pictured the One Holy Lamb of God, who would be sacrificed for the sins of God's people. Jesus was the One and only true passover Lamb of God.
John 1:29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
After joining the Eunuch in his chariot, Philip found him reading the Scriptures…
Acts 8:32-35 The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth:
33 In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth.
34 And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man?
35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.
The Scripture where the Eunuch was reading was Isaiah 53:7-8 where Jesus was prophesied to be the Lamb of God.
1 Corinthians 5:7 Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:
1 Peter 1:18-19 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;
19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:
Revelation 5:6 And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.
Revelation 5:8 And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.
Revelation 5:11-13 And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;
12 Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.
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, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.
Revelation 6:15-17 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;
16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:
17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?
Revelation 17:14 These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.
Revelation 19:7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.
Revelation 21:23 And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.
Revelation 21:27 And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.
In conclusion, Jesus is the One and Only sacrifice and offering for sin. This He offered once for all the sins of all His people for all time when He offered Himself on the cross.
Jesus is the Holy One. He was holy, harmless and undefiled, the Lamb without spot and without blemish, and the only acceptable sacrifice to God for sin.
And Jesus is the One Holy Lamb who paid the only acceptable price for our sins when He died on the cross for us.
Is Jesus your One Holy Lamb?
Believe in Him as your Sacrifice and Offering for your sins, and He will save you now!