Here are devotional topics for family on the Lamb of God, true children of God and perseverance for you to study.
The Lamb of God
When Jesus is called the Lamb of God in John 1:29 and John 1:36, it is referring to Him as the perfect and ultimate sacrifice for sin. In order to understand who Christ was and what He did, we must begin with the Old Testament, which contains prophecies concerning the coming of Christ as a "guilt offering" - Isaiah 53:10. In fact, the whole sacrificial system established by God in the Old Testament set the stage for the coming of Jesus Christ, who is the perfect sacrifice God would provide as atonement for the sins of His people - Romans 8:3; Hebrews 10.
The sacrifice of lambs played a very important role in the Jewish religious life and sacrificial system. When John the Baptist referred to Jesus as the "Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" - John 1:29, the Jews who heard him might have immediately thought of any one of several important sacrifices. With the time of the Passover feast being very near, the first thought might be the sacrifice of the Passover lamb. The Passover feast was one of the main Jewish holidays and a celebration in remembrance of God's deliverance of the Israelites from bondage in Egypt. In fact, the slaying of the Passover lamb and the applying of the blood to doorposts of the house's - Exodus 12:11-13, is a beautiful picture of Christ's atoning work on the cross. Those for whom He died are covered by His blood, protecting us from the angel of (spiritual) death. Encouraging Words for Worship Team from a Music Minister
Another important sacrifice involving lambs was the daily sacrifice at the temple in Jerusalem. Every morning and evening, a lamb was sacrificed in the temple for the sins of the people - Exodus. 29:38-42. These daily sacrifices, like all others, were simply to point people towards the perfect sacrifice of Christ on the cross. In fact, the time of Jesus' death on the cross corresponds to the time the evening sacrifice was being made in the temple. The Jews at that time would have also been familiar with the Old Testament prophets Jeremiah and Isaiah, who foretold the coming of One who would be brought "like a lamb led to the slaughter" - Jeremiah. 11:19; Isaiah. 53:7, and whose sufferings and sacrifice would provide redemption for Israel. Of course, that person was none other than Jesus Christ, "the Lamb of God."
While the idea of a sacrificial system might seem strange to us today, the concept of payment or restitution is still one we can easily understand. We know that the wages of sin is death - Romans 6:23, and that our sin separates us from God. We also know the Bible teaches we are all sinners and none of us is righteous before God - Romans 3:23. Because of our sins, we are separated from God, and we stand guilty before Him. Therefore, the only hope we can have is if He provides a way for us to be reconciled to Himself, and that is what He did in sending His Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross. Christ died to make atonement for sin and to pay the penalty for the sins of all who believe in Him.
It is through His death on the cross as God's perfect sacrifice for sin and His resurrection three days later that we can now have eternal life if we believe in Him. The fact that God Himself has provided the offering that atones for our sin is part of the glorious good news of the gospel that is so clearly declared in 1 Peter 1:18-21: "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. He was chosen before the creation of the world but was revealed in these last times for your sake. Through him, you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God."
Cheer up yourself if you have obediently answered the call to be redeemed by the precious blood of Christ. If you have not, please honour this simple but redemptive invitation for your eternal life. All you need to do is to surrender to Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.
True Children of God
The Bible is clear that all people are God's creation - Colossians 1:16, and that God loves the entire world - John 3:16, but only those who are born again are children of God - John 1:12; 11:52; Romans 8:16; 1 John. 3:1-10.
In scripture, the lost are never referred to as God's children. Ephesians 2:3 tells us that before we were saved we were "by nature objects of wrath" - Ephesians 2:1-3. Romans 9:8 says that "it is not the natural children who are God's children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham's offspring." Instead of being born as God's children, we are born in sin, which separates us from God and aligns us with Satan as God's enemy - James 4:4; 1 John 3:8. Jesus said, "If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and now am here. I have not come on my own, but he sent me" - John 8:42. Then a few verses later in John 8:44, Jesus told the Pharisees that they "belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire." The fact that those who are not saved are not children of God is also seen in 1 John 3:10: "This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother." Morning Devotion Topics on Key to Effective Prayer, Spirit Guides, Compromise and Compassion
We become God's children when we are saved because we are adopted into God's family through our relationship with Jesus Christ - Galatians 4:5-6; Ephesians 1:5. This can be clearly seen in verses like Romans 8:14-17: "…because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him, we cry, 'Abba, Father.' The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs-heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory." Those who are saved are children "of God through faith in Christ Jesus" - Galatians 3:26, because God has "predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will" - Ephesians 1:5.
Where do you belong?
Perseverance
The Bible has a lot to say about perseverance in several different contexts. Clearly, the Scriptures teach that those who "overcome" and persevere in the faith will inherit eternal life - Revelations 2:7. This truth is also expressed in Colossians 1:23 where we see that people will be holy, blameless and above reproach "if they continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel." So all Christians should be in agreement that those who are ultimately saved are those who do persevere and continue to believe the gospel.
There are two very distinct views on the issue of the perseverance of the saints among Christians. The first is the Arminian view that it is possible for true Christians to turn away from God and not persevere. This is consistent with the concept of salvation which has man's "free will" at the centre of it. It is logically consistent that, if man's "free will" choice is the determining factor of his salvation, then it would also be possible for that man to later choose to reject God and thereby lose his salvation.
However, the Bible clearly teaches that we are "born again" by the Holy Spirit, which results in our coming to faith in Christ. All who have been "born again" do have eternal security and will persevere. The doctrine of the perseverance of the saints is founded in the promise that "he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ" - Philippians 1:6, and Jesus' declaration that "all that the Father gives me will come to me" and "I shall lose none of them that he has given me" - John. 6:37, 39. 15 Minute Family Devotions on the Art of Praying, Angels in the Bible and Cross-dressing
Beyond the concept of perseverance in regard to salvation, there are biblical exhortations to persevere in the Christian life. In his pastoral epistles to Timothy, the apostle Paul reminds the young pastor to "watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers" - 1 Timothy 4:16. Timothy's character was that of a godly man, and his doctrine was sound and scriptural. Paul warned him to watch them both closely and persevere in them because-and this is a warning to all Christians-perseverance in godly living and believing the truth always accompany genuine conversion - John 8:31; Romans 2:7.
Further exhortations to persevere in the Christian life come from James, who warns us to be "doers of the word and not hearers only" because those who hear but do not do are "deceiving themselves." "But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it [perseveres]…this one will be blessed in what he does" - James 1:22-24. The sense here is that the Christian who perseveres in godliness and the spiritual disciplines will be blessed in the very act of persevering. The more we persevere in the Christian life, the more God grants His blessings upon us, thereby enabling us to continue to persevere. The psalmist reminds us that there is great reward in persevering in the Christian life. In keeping God's commandments, there is "great reward" for our souls - Psalm 19:11, peace of mind, a clear conscience, and a witness to the world more eloquent than many words.
James also exhorts us to persevere "undertrials" because those who do will be blessed and will receive the "crown of life" which God has promised - James 1:12. Just as the true believer will be eternally secure in his salvation, his faith will also persevere in affliction, sickness, persecution, and the other trials of life that befall all believers. If we desire to live godly lives in Christ, we will suffer persecution - 2 Timothy 3:12, but the faithful will persevere, kept by the power of the Holy Spirit who is the guarantee of our salvation and who will keep us "strong to the end," persevering so we will be "blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ" - 1 Corinthians 1:8.
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