The Lamb of God Exodus 12:21-25; John 1:29, NIV Then Moses summoned all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Go at once and select the animals for your families and slaughter the Passover lamb. Take a bunch of hyssop, dip it into the blood in the basin and put some of the blood on the top and on both sides of the doorframe. Not one of you shall go out the door of his house until morning. When the LORD goes through the land to strike down the Egyptians, he will see the blood on the top and sides of the doorframe and will pass over that doorway, and he will not permit the destroyer to enter your houses and strike you down. Obey these instructions as a lasting ordinance for you and your descendants. When you enter the land that the LORD will give you as he promised, observe this ceremony.” The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” Hallelujah! Let us greet each other one more time, saying, “Let us always praise the grace of the Lord.” I would like to share the grace of God under the title, “The Lamb of God,” based on Exodus 12. Could you please repeat after me? “The Lamb of God. The Lamb of God.” The problem of sin is the most troublesome problem throughout our lives. It pushes us into utter hopelessness. It is so pertinacious that it adheres to us, causing us to sin, hate, complain, hold grudges, get angry, and hurt others. Many religious leaders have tried to resolve this problem. Many religions have suggested ways for the forgiveness of sin. However, no religious leaders or religions could resolve the problem of sin. We must give thanks to God, for the blood of Jesus Christ on the Cross resolved the problem of sin. There is no other way. Only the blood of Jesus Christ on the Cross can save us from sin and death. The blood of Jesus Christ has the power of forgiveness, healing, and salvation. As long as we trust in the power of the blood of Jesus, the Lord will release us from all snares of sin and death, helping us to enjoy true joy, peace, and freedom in the Lord. The Passover describes the power of the blood of Jesus on the Cross analogically. As you know well, the Israelites had been slaves in Egypt for 430 years. In His plan to deliver them from Egypt, God ordered them to slaughter little lambs without defect on the Passover, take some of the blood, and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses. The Israelites obeyed God’s commands, killed lambs without defect, and put the blood on the sides and tops of the doorframes. The Lord passed over them when He struck down all the firstborn in Egypt. This signifies the death of the Lord Jesus on the Cross, who took all the sins of humankind on himself. Today, I would like to ponder the grace of God shown on the Passover. First, I want to speak about the Lamb without defect. Exodus 12:5 says, “The animals you choose must be year-old males without defect, and you may take them from the sheep or the goats.” It was the blood of lambs without defect that delivered the Israelites from the power of death The Israelites who put the blood of the lamb on the sides and tops of the doorframes were saved, while all the firstborn in Egypt were struck down. However, they could not sacrifice just any animal to God. It had to be a lamb without defect. A lamb without defect signifies “the Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior.” 1 Peter 1:18-19 says, “For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.” All humankind is born in sin, lives in sin, and dies in sin. Since God is the God of justice, He judges sin. Therefore, humankind has to live and die in sin and has to be punished for its sin, deserving eternal damnation in hell. In order for human beings to be saved from God’s judgment on their sin, a sinless and blameless person had to die in their stead. Since all human beings are born in sin, no one is qualified to do so. This is why the Lord Jesus, God himself, came to earth and became flesh as the Lamb without defect. He took all our sins and died on the Cross. This is the grace of salvation. Hebrews 4:15 says, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are?yet was without sin.” Jesus, in very nature was God, but He did not consider equality with God something to be grasped. He came to this lowly place in the flesh. He suffered and died on the Cross. Philippians 2:6-7 says, “Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.” When Jesus was born on earth, he was not born as an offspring of Adam, a man, but as an offspring of a woman, conceived by the Holy Spirit. Genesis 3:15 prophesied, “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” This Scripture says that Jesus, the offspring of the woman, would crush the head of the devil, and the devil would strike the heel of Jesus, causing Him to suffer and die on the Cross. Isaiah 7:14 prophesies, “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” The Scripture says that the virgin would give birth to a son and His name would be called Immanuel, meaning, “God be with us.” The Scripture prophesied that Jesus would be born with the name, “God be with us.” As the Passover lambs were sacrificed in order for the Israelites to be delivered from their slavery to the Egyptians for 430 years, Jesus Christ, our sinless Lamb, shed His blood and died on the Cross instead of us and for all humankind. The blood of Jesus has the power of redemption. It has the power to save us. Therefore, we must always trust in the power of the blood of Jesus. Second, I want to speak about the slaughter of the Lamb. Exodus 12:23 says, “When the LORD goes through the land to strike down the Egyptians, he will see the blood on the top and sides of the doorframe and will pass over that doorway, and he will not permit the destroyer to enter your houses and strike you down.” God sent the destroyer to strike down the Egyptians. He saw the blood on the top and sides of the doorframes and passed over those doorways. However, the Egyptian homes had no blood on their doorways and, thus, all their firstborn?men and livestock?were killed. The blood of the lambs saved the Israelites. Exodus 12:6-7 says, “Take care of them until the fourteenth day of the month, when all the people of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight. Then they are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the lambs.” The unique basis of the deliverance of the Israelites from the judgment of death was the blood of the lambs. The unique basis of our redemption is the blood of Jesus Christ. The power of the blood of Jesus shed on the Cross forgives all our sins, delivers us from hopelessness, and releases us from all oppression. In 1988, there was a huge earthquake in Armenia, an Old Soviet Union territory. The earthquake killed 55,000 people. A mother and a daughter were miraculously and dramatically rescued. They had been buried alive under the rubble of a nine-story apartment building. They cared for themselves in a small space under the rubble. They had a jar of fruit with them when the apartment building collapsed. The mother gave the fruit to her five-year-old daughter, Gayane. Soon they ran out of fruit, and the girl was hungry and thirsty. One day passed and then two days and three days. It took so long for the rescuers to get to them, because they were covered with concrete rubble. They could hear the sound of the rescuers working, but it was difficult for the rescuers to work through the rubble of a nine-story building. The little girl was pleading with her mother, “Mom, I am thirsty. I am dying of thirst.” Suddenly, something occurred to the mother. She had seen on TV that people quenched their thirst by sucking their blood before rescuers could get to them. She groped around and found a broken piece of glass. She cut her finger with it and thrust her finger to the girl so she could suck the blood. It quenched her thirst. Sometime later the girl became thirsty again and told her mother, “Mom, I am thirsty. I am very thirsty.” Then the mother cut another finger, and the girl sucked the blood. Eight long days passed. Finally, the mother and the girl were rescued from under the rubble. Both had survived. All ten fingers of the mother were covered with cuts and bloodstains from the cuts. The mother was extremely weak when rescued, while the girl was rather healthy. They were taken to the hospital. The grandmother held the girl at the hospital and shouted, “God has given her a second life!” Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Let us give glory to God. The love of the mother for her daughter compelled her to cut her finger to give her blood to quench her daughter’s thirst, and it extended her daughter’s life. This is the love of a mother. Jesus saved us by shedding His blood on the Cross, while we were groaning in the midst of sin. A mother saved her daughter because she loved her daughter. However, we were sinners, filthy, and debauched like criminals. Why should He suffer and shed His blood for sinners like us? His body was torn for us. Through His blood, we are forgiven and saved. We cannot thank Him enough for His grace. Jesus took all our sins and died on the Cross, because His love compelled Him to do so. John the Baptist shouted when he saw Jesus. John 1:29 says, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” Jesus himself became the Passover Lamb and shed His blood on the Cross. 1 Corinthians 5:7 says, “Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast?as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.” We are not saved according to how good we have lived or how much good work we have done. The blood of Jesus, the Lamb of God, saves us from sin and hopelessness. Our efforts or good works cannot save us. The blood of Jesus saves us and forgives us from all sin. Hebrews 9:22 says, “In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sin. There is no other power or means other than the blood of Jesus which can save us. I thank God for the hymn of praise that we always sing at our church about the blood of Jesus. We experience the great grace of God through such hymns. We gathered together and sang the hymn praising the blood of Jesus in Bulgwang-Dong, in Seodaemun, and now in Yoido. We have always trusted in the power of the blood. By the power of the blood of Jesus, demons are cast out, diseases are healed, and all the hurts in our minds are cured. We have received the wonderful grace of God. Trust in the power of the blood. The power of the blood is coming upon us even now. The words in Hymn No. 184 say: What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus; What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. O precious is the flow That makes me white as snow; No other fount I know, Nothing but the blood of Jesus. Hallelujah! O precious is the flow that makes me white as snow. Hallelujah! No other fount I know, Nothing but the blood of Jesus. We must trust in the power of the blood all the time. When we are gloomy and lonely, we must trust in the power of the blood of Jesus. “I look to You, Lord Jesus. Cover me with the power of Your blood so that Your blood will flow in my heart, healing all my wounds, covering my loneliness, and filling me with peace and joy. May Your blood cover my bitterness, filling my heart with Your grace. I trust in the power of the blood of Jesus. I trust in the power of the blood of Jesus. I trust in the power of the blood of Jesus. Hallelujah!” John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist church, encountered a robber on the street. The robber thrust a knife in front of him and demanded money. The robber searched Rev. Wesley for money but could not find any. He was so disappointed, and then he said to Wesley, “You look like a gentleman, but why aren’t you carrying any money?” Rev. Wesley looked at him for awhile and said, “I have something to give you.” Thinking that Rev. Wesley had hidden some money, the robber asked, “What is it?” Rev. Wesley replied, “The blood of Jesus Christ.” The robber said, “What? The blood? What a peculiar thing!” Rev. Wesley replied, “The blood of Jesus forgives you. Even though you are a robber now, as soon as you believe in Jesus, you will be saved.” The robber was irritated by such words and went away. Three years passed. Rev. Wesley was invited to preach at a church. After the service, he was greeting and shaking hands with the church members. A gentleman came up to him and said, “Pastor, do you recognize me?” Wesley replied, “I am sorry that I do not recognize you. I meet so many people.” The man said, “I was the robber who tried to rob you three years ago. You gave the blood of Jesus to me. I went home, being irritated by your words. But from that night on, your words, “the blood of Jesus, the blood…” kept echoing in my mind. I repented of my sins and accepted the Lord Jesus. I have become a man of God. I owe everything to you.” Rev. Wesley replied, “No. You do not owe me anything. This is due to the grace of the blood of Jesus Christ. The blood has done it.” Hallelujah! What can wash away our sins? It is only the blood of Jesus Christ. Just as no bleach can remove the spots of a leopard, nothing on earth can remove our sins except the blood of Jesus Christ. The blood of Jesus can save us from all our sins. That is why we confess, “What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.” Ephesians 1:7 says, “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace.” In Him we have redemption through His blood. Hallelujah! The problems in the world have come to us because of our sin. Sin has brought death and pain in our lives. Sin has brought hopelessness. Sin has brought disease, poverty, curses, hatred, anger, and fury. Sin leaves indescribably painful wounds and scars in our minds. We can be freed from all these snares when the blood of Jesus Christ covers us. We do not have to worry anymore. We are not cursed anymore. We are freed from the bondage of curses. We are freed from the bondage of disease and the wounds of our minds. We are new creations in the Lord Jesus. We are free! We are freed from all kinds of problems. Hallelujah! We are no longer sinners. We are recognized as the righteous children of God. Romans 5:9 says, “Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him!” This is true. We are justified by the blood of Jesus. Jesus Christ, our Savior, has brought the wonderful power of His blood and made us righteous. We are renewed. There is no other name in the world by which we can be saved. There is no other way to salvation. Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation. Only the blood of Jesus can free us from all snares and bondage. Acts 4:12 says, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” Hallelujah! When you accept the Lord Jesus as your Savior, trusting in the power of His blood, you will experience wonderful grace, miracles, and blessings. If you have not yet accepted Jesus as your Savior, I pray that you will accept the Lord Jesus as your Savior, trusting in the power of His blood. Your destiny will be changed. You will have wonderful blessings and miracles of God incessantly until the Lord comes again. It only requires your faith for you to be saved. You will become a child of God as soon as you believe and confess your faith in the Lord. Romans 10:9 says, “…that if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” There is no other condition for salvation. It is not that we are saved through our good works, education, self-discipline, many efforts, or many good actions. On the contrary, faith is the only requirement for us to be saved. Through the shedding of the blood of Jesus Christ, our Little Lamb, we are saved and renewed. We have become the children of God. As the children of God, we must give thanks to the Him for this amazing grace and must give glory to Him. Third, I want to speak about the eternal sacrifice. Hebrews 10:14 says, “…because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.” The animal sacrifice in the Old Testament was repetitive. Whenever a person sinned, he had to kill an animal and shed its blood. On the other hand, the sacrifice that Jesus gave was a complete sacrifice, given once and for all. Whoever believes in Jesus will be saved. The blood of Jesus forgives us of all our sins in the past, in the present, and in the future. When we believe in Jesus, trusting in the power of His blood, we will be freed from the consequences of our sins. All our problems were resolved when Jesus said on the Cross, “It is finished.” A teenage boy was looking around the bookshelves in his house while his mother was out. He found a book titled, The Work that Christ Has Accomplished. He read the book and was deeply impressed by the passage that Jesus accomplished the work of salvation 2,000 years ago. Jesus forgave all our sins on the Cross! He was so touched that he confessed to the Lord, “I will dedicate my life for the glory of the Lord. Now that the Lord has accomplished all the work and paid the price for my sin, I want to give my life to God.” He studied theology and went to China as a missionary. He was Hudson Taylor, founder of the China Inland Mission. A wonderful revival occurred in China through Hudson Taylor’s missionary work. This is true. Since Jesus gave himself as a sacrifice once and for all, what we have to do is accept this wonderful grace with faith and live for the glory of God, devoting the rest of our lives for the Lord. I pray that you will live a life that is most pleasing to the Lord. This is why we have to remember the blood of Jesus Christ. It is the grace and blessing from God that we have to remember forever and ever. Exodus 12:24 says, “Obey these instructions as a lasting ordinance for you and your descendants.” God commanded the Israelites to observe the Passover as a lasting ordinance. We must also remember the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. We should never forget the wonderful grace of God upon us. We should never forget the fact that we have been saved by believing in Jesus. When we forget the grace of salvation, when we lose the power of the blood of Jesus, we cannot avoid the problems of life. We will experience various trouble and temptation. A youth member of our church wrote a message on my homepage. He went to Prayer Mountain and heard about a “new heaven and earth” from somebody there. Being deluded by their doctrine, he wrote, “I heard something that I had never heard. I have found something mysterious there. Their leader, Manhee Lee, is the Comforter. I have found a new truth.” Why was he deluded? That is because he forgot the power of the blood of Jesus. When we march forward, trusting in the power of the blood of Jesus, we are not going to be deluded by any heresy. Trust in the power of the blood of Jesus Christ on the Cross. We must boldly proclaim, “Devil, go away. Heretics, go away!” I urge you to get rid of all evil power that tries to delude you by shaking the foundation of your salvation through the power of the blood of Jesus Christ. That is why the Lord told the Israelites to remember the Passover. We must remember the Cross of the Lord Jesus. As precious children of God, we must boast about nothing but the Cross of the Lord Jesus when we are asleep or awake, when we are standing or sitting. When we remember the Cross of the Lord Jesus and trust in the power of His blood, we can overcome all problems in the world. We can overcome all problems and live victoriously. Since the Lord Jesus is with us, and since the power of His blood is upon us, we can be more than conquerors by overcoming all toilsome and difficult problems in the world. We are not lonely anymore. We are not sad anymore. The Lord of love is with us. The power of His blood is upon us. The Lord who is the same yesterday and today and forever is with us. Hebrews 13:8 says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” When the Israelites forgot the grace of the Passover, they worshipped idols, sinned, degenerated, and lived debauchedly. Consequently, God judged them. They had to go through many disasters. Even though they were severely judged, they did not repent. Israel, the Northern Kingdom, was destroyed by Assyria in 722 B.C. Judah, the Southern Kingdom, was destroyed by Babylon in 586 B.C. They were destroyed because they forgot the grace of salvation through the death of the Passover lamb. According to the Bible, there were a few kings of Judah who observed the Passover in a great way. Hezekiah and Josiah were two of them. When Hezekiah destroyed the idols and observed the Passover, God greatly blessed him. 2 Chronicles 32:30 says about Hezekiah, “He succeeded in everything he undertook.” When we trust in the blood of Jesus, getting rid of all the idols from our lives, God’s grace will be upon us, and like Hezekiah, we will succeed in everything we do. Fight, and overcome sin. Destroy the power of the devil. I want you to get rid of worry, trouble, poverty, curses, and hopelessness, and live victoriously by the blood of Jesus on the Cross, by trusting in the power of salvation through Jesus. The Passover shows the wonderful miracle that God is with us. It signifies God’s grace that the blood of Jesus shed on the Cross saves us from sin and death. Therefore, whatever situation we may be in, let us trust in the Cross of the Lord Jesus and in the power of His blood. Even when tribulation comes, even when we are swept by sadness, even when we are lonely and weary, even when we are stricken by disease, and even when we agonize and suffer from pain and disease, let us look to the Cross of our Lord. The Lord is with us even in times of suffering. He will never leave us. From the moment we believe in Jesus until we go to heaven, He will stay with us. Therefore, let us leave all our cares and problems at the Cross. Psalm 55:22 says, “Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall.” When we trust in the Word, holding on to the Cross of the Lord and march forward with faith, God will perform miracles for us. The blood of Jesus Christ, our little Lamb, is soaking in our hearts to change us. The Lord delivers us from hopelessness. The blood of Jesus frees us from poverty and the curse. It releases us from all snares and the bondage of disease. It fills us with the grace of the Holy Spirit. It blesses us with hope for eternal life and the kingdom of heaven. It will lead us to live victoriously through our faith. I urge you to trust in the power of the blood of Jesus. The blood of the Lamb, our Lord Jesus, is with you. Let us trust in the power of the blood of Jesus. Let us trust in the power of the blood of Jesus. Let us trust in the power of the blood of Jesus. I pray that you will live victoriously through the power of the blood of Jesus. This is my earnest prayer for you. Let us pray. Our Father of infinite love, grace, and mercy, we trust in our Lord Jesus and praise Him who took all our sins and died on the Cross as our Passover Lamb. We trust in the power of the blood of Jesus. We are healed through the power of His blood. Lord, bless us so that every one of us will trust in the power of the blood of Jesus and live victoriously. Bless all the Christians who are participating in this service, including through TV or Internet, so that we may give glory to You throughout our lives, and be filled with the power of the blood of Jesus. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.