Worthy is the Lamb

 “11 Then I looked again, and I heard the voices of thousands and millions of angels around the throne and of the living beings and the elders. 12 And they sang in a mighty chorus: “Worthy is the Lamb who was slaughtered—to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing.”

-Revelation 5:11-13

Worthy is the Lamb is a unique reference used here in Revelation 5 to describe Jesus Christ. Jesus is, often, referred to in song, sermon and scripture as the Lamb of God. This stems back to the when Israel was in bondage and the last plague that God released on Egypt to free them was the death of all the first born. However, God told Moses to instruct the children of Israel to take a lamb and slaughter it. They were to apply the blood of that lamb to the doorposts of their home and this would cause the death angel to pass-over them. This was the genesis of the Passover celebration. In the New Testament, John the Baptist made an interesting declaration:

“The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!-John 1:29

John didn’t declare Jesus to be a conquering king or a great prophet. He declared Jesus to be the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. The Passover lamb was a foreshadow of Jesus and His sacrificial death on the cross to save us from the penalty of our sins. Just as the Passover lamb’s blood applied to the doorposts of their homes caused the death angel to pass over each household, Christ’s applied blood causes God’s judgment to pass over sinners and gives life to believers:

“He entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. 13 For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify[a] for the purification of the flesh, 14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.”-Hebrews 9:12-14 

God was very specific with Israel about the lamb that they were to choose for the Passover. “Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats.”-Exodus 12:5

The apostle Peter links the lamb without defect from Exodus 12:5 with Christ, whom he calls a “lamb without blemish or defect”:

“But with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.”-1 Peter 1:19. 

Jesus qualified to be called one without blemish because He had no sin, nor did He ever sin:

“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.”-Hebrews 4:15

Jesus was chosen by God to be our substitutionary sacrifice and was slain for our salvation and was even crucified during the time that the Passover was observed:

“And on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they sacrificed the Passover lamb, his disciples said to him, “Where will you have us go and prepare for you to eat the Passover?””-Mark 14:12

The Passover was a foreshadow of a greater reality that is found in Christ. His sacrifice negated the necessity of any further sacrifices as it was sufficient. He was the perfect Lamb. This makes Him worthy, but what did such a sacrifice make Him worthy of or worthy for?

If I were to ask you what is Jesus worthy of? I am sure we would all begin with many of the same answers. He is worthy of praise, honor, glory and power (Psalm 145:3, Revelation 4:11) However, Jesus’ death on the cross made Him uniquely qualified and worthy of something else.

As we approach Easter and consider everything Jesus' death accomplished: healing, deliverance, and salvation; one thing we rarely think about is how His sacrificial death qualified Him to be the only one worthy to open the seals of judgment:

“And they sang a new song with these words: “You are worthy to take the scroll and break its seals and open it. For you were slaughtered, and your blood has ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.”- Revelation 5:9 

It was His sacrificial death that qualified Him for this task. Until the moment He breathed His last breath on the cross there was no one found worthy to execute God's divine plan for justice. Because of His willingness to die for the sins of the world, He was found worthy to judge it. 

Scott Burr

Leaving Egypt (Pt.2)

(Part 2)

 “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”-John 1:29

Freedom from sin begins with the lamb that was slain and Jesus is our lamb. The blood of the lamb was placed on the doorposts of the Israelites homes to save them from certain death. By faith, you and I can accept the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross and His blood is applied to the doorposts of our hearts to save us from certain death. Romans 6:23 definitively states that the wages of sin is death; the penalty we would have all faced if Jesus hadn’t chosen to be our passover lamb!

“And all the people who belong to this world worshiped the beast. They are the ones whose names were not written in the Book of Life that belongs to the Lamb who was slaughtered before the world was made.”-Revelation 13:8 

Before Jesus came to this earth, as a babe born in a manger, He had already chosen to lay down His life for us. The cycle of sin cannot be broken off of your life without placing your faith in the shed blood of Jesus Christ. When you put your faith in Him, He will break those chains off of you like 400 years of bondage off the children of Israel. However, once those chains are broken, you got to come out and come out quickly! 

 I find it interesting that when God gave Moses the specifications for the Passover meal, He included this instruction to pass on to the Israelites:

“These are your instructions for eating this meal: Be fully dressed, wear your sandals, and carry your walking stick in your hand. Eat the meal with urgency, for this is the Lord’s Passover.”-Exodus 12:11

Why would God tell them to be fully dressed, have their shoes on and walking sticks in hand? Because he didn’t want them to hesitate. The moment that the chains were broken He wanted Israel to be prepared to come out. The moment Pharaoh loosened his grip, God expected them to flee. God was declaring: Be hasty not hesitant when fleeing from bondage. 

He didn’t want them moseying away, he wanted them to exit with urgency. To flee Egypt, like their lives depended on it. The problem is we don’t prepare people to come out quickly. Believe it or not, even though folks have been in bondage for years and the concept of freedom is attractive, they are often hesitant to leave it, because it’s all they’ve known. Everything they know is rooted in their bondage and we as the Body of Christ don’t help matters any by trying to ease the blow of leaving their sinful past lives.

Coming to Jesus means leaving everything to follow Him, that includes our sinful lives. Yet, because people seem hesitant, we’ve tried to make the gospel more attractive, by communicating that coming out of sin quickly and all at once isn’t necessary and that it’s alright to come out little by little. Funny, that was Pharaoh’s plan. He kept trying to get Israel to leave little by little instead of all at once. I wonder why? That doesn’t sound much like an exodus. It sounds like conceding. You want to break the cycle of sin from off your life and find real freedom? You have to come out of it quickly and come out completely. No hesitation! 

We don’t come out little by little, because Jesus didn’t sacrifice Himself little by little. He purchased your redemption in full at Calvary. You aren’t on a payment plan. He didn’t shed His blood a pint at time as you determine when and how quickly you want to leave Egypt. When you receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior and He breaks the grip of sin off of your life, it’s time to come out. Come out quickly and come out completely! 

Scott Burr

Dayspring Community Church 

Leaving Egypt (Pt.1)

11 “These are your instructions for eating this meal: Be fully dressed, wear your sandals, and carry your walking stick in your hand. Eat the meal with urgency, for this is the Lord’s Passover. 12 On that night I will pass through the land of Egypt and strike down every firstborn son and firstborn male animal in the land of Egypt. I will execute judgment against all the gods of Egypt, for I am the Lord! 13 But the blood on your doorposts will serve as a sign, marking the houses where you are staying. When I see the blood, I will pass over you. This plague of death will not touch you when I strike the land of Egypt.”-Exodus 12:11-14 

The story of Israel coming out of Egypt is a historically significant event that is packed with a ton of spiritual truth. Israel’s exodus out of Egypt is a type or shadow of you and I coming out of sin. Have you ever considered why it takes some people so long to find freedom once they've been set free? 

Israel’s exodus gives us a lot of answers. Did you ever do the math and consider why it took Israel so long to reach the promise land? A journey that should have taken them three weeks lasted 40 years. Some people’s journey out of sin, seems to reflect the same cycle of events that kept Israel wandering in circles.

Over the next several weeks we want to break that cycle and help people find the freedom Jesus secured for them at the cross:

"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”-Galatian 5:1 

We will do this by examining three things that Israel had to overcome to break the cycle: hesitation, frustrations, and false expectations. 

Before we fully understand the significance of the passover that we read about in Exodus 12:11-14 we need to understand the history. Israel had been in Egypt for over 400 years. They fled there during a time of famine when Joseph (one of Jacob’s sons) was second in command of all of Egypt. However, scripture tells us that after Joseph died another Pharaoh arose who knew not Joseph and was intimidated by the number of Jews occupying the land. So he subjugated them and made them slaves. This was there lot for hundreds of years. Bondage was all Israel knew. Entire generations were raised that never knew what freedom looked like or felt like, until God called a man by the name of Moses to lead them out. 

However, Pharaoh hardened his heart and refused to let the people of Israel go. So, God brought 10 plagues against the land of Egypt. You would have thought, after the first  plague or two, that Pharaoh would have relented, but it was not until the final plague (the death of all the firstborn) that Pharaoh relented and let Israel go. 

We read in Exodus 12, how God instructed to Moses to slay a lamb and apply the blood to the doorposts of their homes. When the death angel passed through, he would see the blood and “passover” the children of Israel’s homes. God did many miracles leading up to Israel’s deliverance, but they didn’t come out until the lamb was slain! It was the blood of the lamb that brought them out. 

Somebody needs to hear this today. You’ve tried everything, yet you still feel like you are in bondage. You feel trapped in a never ending cycle of sin. You fear you will never find freedom, however the the blood of the lamb can bring you out. Freedom from sin begins with the lamb that was slain. Jesus is our lamb! 

Scott Burr

Dayspring Community Church 

Courageous Generosity (Pt.3)

(Part 3)

“Then the soldiers nailed him to the cross. They divided his clothes and threw dice to decide who would get each piece. It was nine o’clock in the morning when they crucified him. A sign announced the charge against him. It read, “The King of the Jews.” Two revolutionaries were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. The people passing by shouted abuse, shaking their heads in mockery. “Ha! Look at you now!” they yelled at him. “You said you were going to destroy the Temple and rebuild it in three days. Well then, save yourself and come down from the cross!” The leading priests and teachers of religious law also mocked Jesus. “He saved others,” they scoffed, “but he can’t save himself! Let this Messiah, this King of Israel, come down from the cross so we can see it and believe him!” Even the men who were crucified with Jesus ridiculed him.-Mark 15:24-32 

 

True generosity will always take you outside what’s comfortable. Jesus not only taught that, He lived it. Jesus didn’t just give, He gave until it hurt. Jesus was under no obligation to die for our sins, yet He took on our penalty and shame. He paid a great price and in doing so, did more than what was expected. Why? 

 

 “Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Himendured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”-Hebrews 12:2

 

He did it for the joy set before Him. What was this joy set before Him? What caused Him to endure the cross? You and I! Remember what Paul said about the churches in Macedonia: “they were filled with abundant joy, and that joy overflowed in rich generosity.” Jesus for the joy set before Him, overflowed in rich generosity towards us. He gave until it hurt because he felt the value of that which He was giving His life for was greater than that which He was holding. What are you holding on to?

 

Remember, Jesus gauges generosity not on what we have to give from, but rather what we have to give up. He laid down his life, so that we could have an eternal future with God. That is the heart of generosity. 

 

The woman with the two mites didn’t give generously based on what she had. She only had two mites and no surplus. Her generosity was not calculated on what she possessed, it was calculated on everything she would be giving up when she released what she was holding on to. Courageous generosity means giving even when it frightens us. It is motivated by love and compassion, not compulsion or obedience. 

 

It is when the joy of what is set before us is greater than what we are holding on to, we will learn what it means to give until it hurts. 

 

Scott Burr

Dayspring Community Church 

Courageous Generosity (Pt.2)

(Part 2)

“For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.”-Matthew 7:2

 

 When we are motivated by love and compassion we measure with a shovel rather than a teaspoon. Our motivation for giving determines how we measure out our offerings. Love and compassion will always give far more than obedience and obligation. It is the difference between whether we sow hours or minutes into something. It is the difference between whether we will sell off a car to help meet a need or just give the change that’s in the cup holder.

 

 When our giving is motivated by love, it not only causes us to give more, but to fear less: 

 

“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear.”-1 John 4:18. 

 

One of the greatest hindrances to generosity is fear of not having enough to meet our own needs. However, let’s be reminded of what the Apostle wrote to the church in Corinth: 

 

“Remember this—a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop. 7 You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.” 8 And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others. 9 As the Scriptures say, “They share freely and give generously to the poor. Their good deeds will be remembered forever.” 10 For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you. 11 Yes, you will be enriched in every way so that you can always be generous. And when we take your gifts to those who need them, they will thank God.”-2 Corinthians 9:6-11

 

This passage affirms that God will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you. You will be enriched in every way so that you can always be generous. God promises to make certain that our needs our met, so that we can be a conduit of blessing to others in need. It is a principle Jesus, himself, taught:

“Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”-Luke 6:38 

 

With the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. Your ability to be generous is directly tied to you willingness to be generous. True generosity will take you outside what’s comfortable. Jesus not only taught it, he lived it. Jesus gave until it hurt.

 

 

Pastor Scott Burr

Dayspring Community Church