God Will Provide Himself a Lamb

By Jim Biscardi, Jr.

Jesus, the Word of God, became a Lamb to dwell among the sheep that He came to seek and to save as the Good Shepherd. (Luke 19:10; John 10:11).

• “All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned everyone to his own way; And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” (Isaiah 53:6). “God will provide Himself a lamb…” (Genesis 22:8)  “…And when I see the blood [of the lamb] I will pass over you…”

• “In the beginning was the Word…and the Word was God…and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” (John 1: 1, 14)

• “He came unto His own and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, He gave the right to become children of God, even to all those who believe in His name …” (John 1: 11-12).

Jesus was born in a stable [like a lamb] – fit only for animals – so when He is born in our hearts, it begins as a place not fit for the Son of God. 

Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man (Luke 2:52) – so one day He would say, “When you’ve seen me, you’ve seen the Father.”  (John 14:9). Likewise, we are to mature and become like Him so that at the Judgment Seat of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:10), He will be able to see His image reflected in our lives. This happens as we surrender to the Master Sculptor’s chisel. 

He uses prayer, Word study, fellowship, worship, service, and suffering to transform us by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:1-2).  In John 14:3, Jesus said that He went away to prepare a place for us in heaven.  In John 14: 23, He says that we are to prepare a place for Him in our hearts by “keeping His words”.

 Jesus took upon Himself all our sin, and shed His blood fully, to satisfy His own standards for judging the world.  That standard is that he who sins must die!  We all die physically but that meant eternal separation from God with continuous pain and suffering.  Christ paid that price for us.  After descending into hell, He resurrected from the grave.  (1 Corinthians 15:3-8). 

This gave us two things:  First, the hope that someday our bodies would also be resurrected incorruptible. Secondly, because He’s alive and the Holy Spirit resides in us, we can be transformed into His image as we surrender our bodies as living sacrifices.  We say, “Christ in us – the hope of glory!” (Colossians 1:27).

Not only has Christ settled our sin problem, but by His power in us we can be like Him – we can “win Christ” (Philippians 3:8).  What does His power in us mean to you?  Read Hebrews 1: 1-3.  It says that Jesus is, “the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being.”  That means to me that if we trust Jesus and rest in His love, our face will have a bright and warm smile that reflects His Presence within.  And also, our priorities and behaviors will be just like God’s.  

Jesus is also the One who “sustains all things by His powerful word.” (Hebrews 1:3). That means to me that not only does Jesus personally maintain all the worlds He’s created, but also if we let Him, He can keep us from exploding in spite of ourselves and others. 

Jesus is also the One who, “after providing purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.”  (Hebrews 10: 12). This means to me that He not only has all authority and power in heaven and on earth but also He can intercede on our behalf so that anything that happens to us will work together for good and that His love can remove all our fears if we let Him.  “Fear not, for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy.” (Luke 2:10). Let’s keep His life and light burning brightly in the windows of our heart this Christmas time.  And let’s always press on to win the Prize of the Christian race – to be like Christ! (Philippians 3:13-14)

God has provided Himself a Lamb.

RELATED: Are You Running Toward the Finish Line… In a Way to Receive a Prize?

As a teacher, author, columnist, and president emeritus of New Jersey Christian Ministries, Jim Biscardi has been “privileged for many years to help Christians grow in their knowledge of Christ.” You can find his books at barnesandnoble.com or amazon.