Twelve simple words spoken by the John the Baptist, yet what a world of meaning is contained within them. Have you beheld the Lamb of God lately? Have I? All we need to live the Christian spiritual life comes from truly beholding our gracious Redeemer and Lord. It is the cure for overcoming a life of fear and anxiety even in the chaos in which we live.
It is truly tempting to become fearful in this time. Jesus even predicted that fear would accompany the last days before His return. In Luke 21:25-26 He describes it: "And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; men's hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming upon the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken."
We have seen these things: the natural disasters, signs in the heavens (like Blood Moons on Jewish feast days), and wars and rumors of wars. We have seen society crumble rapidly, and all sense of decency is gone.
Two thoughts then. One is for the person who may read this who has never heard that there could be good news in the midst of all the bad news in the world. John the Baptist told us what the good news was: "Behold the Lamb of God who taketh away the sin of the world."
Do you believe that there was a man that did take on all the sins that mankind has ever committed? All the sins you ever committed? That paid freely for them all so that the only sin that could keep a person from heaven is unbelief? That Person was Jesus Christ, the Lamb spoken of in John 1:29. The word for Lamb is Amnos #286 in the Greek Lexicon to the New Testament. It refers to the Paschal Lamb, who was offered up during the first Passover when the Jewish people were being delivered from the Egyptians. The blood of the sacrificed lamb was put on their doorposts, and the angel of death "passed over" their house. The lamb offered had to spotless and without defect, and so Jesus our Savior was spotless and without defect. If He had sinned even one time, He would not have been qualified to be the Lamb of God. But He did not sin, ever in thought, word or deed, and that is why He was qualified to become our substitute.
"For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow His steps: Who did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth: Who, when He was reviled, reviled not again; when He suffered, He threatened not; but committed Himself to Him that judgeth righteously: Who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness; by whose stripes ye were healed." I Peter 2: 21-24
He takes our sins, and we take His righteousness, by one simple act of faith in His person.
"To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed to us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. For He hath made Him to be sin for us who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him." II Corinthians 5:19-21
So by placing your faith in Jesus Christ you can be relieved of worry about what will happen to you in the future, because you will then be a child of God and not a child of wrath. (Eph. 2:3) You can then, as a child of God learn about God's great love and care for you in the midst of all the evil and chaos which we temporarily see coming to a head right now. In the end, God will win. You can cast your every care upon this One who loved you so much that He died for you. (I Peter 5:6-7) You can start learning the limitless dimensions of His love for you, as the Apostle Paul wrote about in his letter to the Ephesians:
"That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and the length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled up with all the fullness of God." Ephesians 3:16-19
If you have just placed your faith in Him, then Jesus simply says to come and learn all about Him in Matthew 11:28-30. You will find He is kind and gracious. We need to learn about Him every day, for only learning about His great love for us will help us to overcome in these perilous days. Beholding Him, beholding His love, that is what will sustain us like nothing else can.
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