Good Morning Friends,
Calling someone the Lamb of God for a Jew in the time of Jesus was really a more impressive comment than we give credit to the title today. It was a Wow!!! statement that prompted excitement and emotions. It was an invitation to a spiritual feast and a discovery of something very valuable and nothing less than the answer to the question on the minds of Jews looking for the Messiah and yes, finding God’s gift of the second Adam…righteousness. For all of us today who, do not have the same cultural heritage, the topic might be initially less exciting but not at all boring. The experience of becoming righteous in a relationship with bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh is the enthusiastic story of life in the called-out assembly of God. So maybe for those who have yet to get it we should ask something like, Would You Be Willing to Come and See How Jesus Helps Us To Answer The Call To Holiness?
Scripture: Little children, let no one deceive you. Everyone who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. Everyone who commits sin is a child of the devil; for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The Son of God was revealed for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil. Those who have been born of God do not sin, because God’s seed abides in them; they cannot sin, because they have been born of God. The children of God and the children of the devil are revealed in this way: all who do not do what is right are not from God, nor are those who do not love their brothers and sisters.
1 John 3:7-10 (NRSV)
The next day John again was standing with two of his disciples, and as he watched Jesus walk by, he exclaimed, “Look, here is the Lamb of God!” The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, “What are you looking for?” They said to him, “Rabbi” (which translated means Teacher), “where are you staying?” He said to them, “Come and see.” They came and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him that day. It was about four o’clock in the afternoon. One of the two who heard John speak and followed him was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He first found his brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated Anointed). He brought Simon to Jesus, who looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You are to be called Cephas” (which is translated Peter).
John 1:35-42 (NRSV)
“Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food,” and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is meant not for fornication but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. And God raised the Lord and will also raise us by his power. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Should I therefore take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! Do you not know that whoever is united to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For it is said, “The two shall be one flesh.” But anyone united to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. Shun fornication! Every sin that a person commits is outside the body; but the fornicator sins against the body itself. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body.
1 Corinthians 6:13-20 (NRSV)
the lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was. Then the Lord called, “Samuel! Samuel!” and he said, “Here I am!” and ran to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call; lie down again.” So he went and lay down. The Lord called again, “Samuel!” Samuel got up and went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call, my son; lie down again.” Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, and the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. The Lord called Samuel again, a third time. And he got up and went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” Then Eli perceived that the Lord was calling the boy. Therefore Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down; and if he calls you, you shall say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.'” So Samuel went and lay down in his place. Now the Lord came and stood there, calling as before, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.” Then the Lord said to Samuel, “See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make both ears of anyone who hears of it tingle. On that day I will fulfill against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end. For I have told him that I am about to punish his house forever, for the iniquity that he knew, because his sons were blaspheming God, and he did not restrain them. Therefore I swear to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be expiated by sacrifice or offering forever.” Samuel lay there until morning; then he opened the doors of the house of the Lord. Samuel was afraid to tell the vision to Eli. But Eli called Samuel and said, “Samuel, my son.” He said, “Here I am.” Eli said, “What was it that he told you? Do not hide it from me. May God do so to you and more also, if you hide anything from me of all that he told you.” So Samuel told him everything and hid nothing from him. Then he said, “It is the Lord; let him do what seems good to him.” As Samuel grew up, the Lord was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground.
1 Samuel 3: 3-19 (NRSV)
He drew me up from the desolate pit, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord. Happy are those who make the Lord their trust, who do not turn to the proud, to those who go astray after false gods. You have multiplied, O Lord my God, your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us; none can compare with you. Were I to proclaim and tell of them, they would be more than can be counted. Sacrifice and offering you do not desire, but you have given me an open ear. Burnt offering and sin offering you have not required. Then I said, “Here I am; in the scroll of the book it is written of me. I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart.” I have told the glad news of deliverance in the great congregation; see, I have not restrained my lips, as you know, O Lord. I have not hidden your saving help within my heart, I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation; I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness from the great congregation.
Psalms 40:2-10 (NRSV)
Message: When it comes to sin and being a Christian, on the surface of it, there seems to be a contradiction, for all the Christians I know still sin. The Jews had sacrifices to deal with the contradiction but even that was not enough. The revelation is that we tend to get better at being good when we love, for God desires our love more than our sacrifices. But still, we all fall short. We need something to engage us in getting better for we are typically not a great attraction for the faith on our own. Though our individual faith matters. Thankfully, God provides a solution to the problem by providing the sinless Lamb of God. Here God provides the opportunity for us to offer others the chance to experience forgiveness and to come and see the depth and breadth of this movement that started as a tear in the Father’s eyes and turned into a flood of emotion designed to baptize us in the Spirit and fill our cup with overflowing joy and a wave of love. For in this experience of life we are to discover that Jesus is the Son of God…the answer to everything of importance. We are to discover that we have been made in the likeness of the Second Adam, Jesus, not just the first. So, friends we need to try out not sinning and see what happens. Perhaps we might just find that the love of God is so prevailing a match that we no longer desire to sin. We need to realize that Jesus is calling us. Jesus sees us and knows us and will praise us. Friends, Jesus is such a good lover of people and wants to know us even at the expense of his life. All the stories in the Bible are about Jesus. The gap between what the world is and what the world needs to be must be bridged. Jesus is the way to bridge the gap.
And So, much like the role of the faith of friends in the healing story of the paralytic from a few days ago, our attributes of holiness play a part of the salvation of others. It is that important. You see holiness by its very nature extends into every area of existence and even to those things we do not completely understand. Holiness is related to history, nature, the destiny of nations and even to our individual lives. The Gospel, from John, picks up on John the Baptist’s definition of Jesus the Messiah and this idea of the holiness of Jesus present in his role as the Lamb of God. The allusion to the Passover lamb is unmistakable. Jesus is the true Lamb, who will be sacrificed three Passovers into His ministry to really take away the sins of anyone who repents and follows Him. This is the path and presence of holiness. So, we are to trust patiently for Jesus to deliver this love into our lives and abide in us with this holiness. We are to trust Jesus our Lord to make us to do what we are called to do and cannot do alone for the simple reason that we are connected. So, the overarching theme of today’s scripture and message is about a call to be holy and to live a life in Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit in a vocation to holiness. Holiness in us is important but the key is Jesus. So, believe in the amazing grace of Jesus. Invite others to come and see an example, in your life of what it means to be called to be a saint. See this message in the story about the prophet Samuel, his miraculous birth, and his wistful call. Like Samuel learn to listen, as you grow in holiness and in leading others to salvation. When we like Samuel speak for God, through the example of our lives it makes a difference. In a real sense, Samuel’s response to God simply continues the tradition set by Moses, Joshua, and most of the judges. And we are to continue this tradition. Psalm 40 captures in song this habit of seeking to do the will of God and to delight in it. And in Paul’s letter to the wayward Corinthians the call to holiness means that our body is designed for God’s work too, and destined to resurrection, not sin. Paul teaches that if you want to live in Christ, you must substitute virtues for vices. If you are sinning, you are not following Jesus. Today’s message is a universal call to holiness.
Pray we realize that being a good example is better than giving good advice. Pray the undergirding and pervading mark and signature of the divine is on us. Pray we be patient. Pray we have courage. Pray we be a friend to others by being faithful and ourselves. Pray we help others to come and see the path of sanctification. Pray we have friends that practice their faith with confident humility. Pray we have friends that come and wonder and worship with a sense of excitement that is more amazing than what we can imagine alone. Pray the adventure of personal and collective transformation is truly wonderful for us and others. Pray we realize that the way to find Jesus is though friends who have found Jesus. Pray we stop deceiving ourselves. Pray we practice righteousness and in this realize that Jesus is never boring. Pray we answer the call of Jesus, the lamb of God, and that he purposes our hearts the means to point others to way of salvation.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 