NO
BLEMISH
Third
of twelve in Lamb of God Parallel Bible Series
Exodus
12:5, 1 Peter 1:19
Exodus
12:5: “The animals you choose must be
year-old males without defect, and you may take them from the sheep or the
goats.”
1
Peter 1:18-19: “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.”
God cannot be mocked (Galatians 6:7). But, God is serious about redeeming people! Since the wages of sin is death (Romans
6:23), death is the price a redeemer pays.
After sin came into the world, God demanded animal sacrifices to pay for
people’s sins. Sacrificing a deformed
sheep or goat definitely wouldn’t work.
But people tend to take short
cuts. They love to barter, and make deals. Why not sacrifice the maimed animal for God’s
forgiveness and keep the perfect ones for breeding? The sacrificed one’s going to die
anyway. Uh, uh ah, God shakes His head “no,” wagging His finger.
What honor does God receive when people
sacrifice the worst—or even second-best—for Him to forgive sin? No honor. That’s mocking God. And today, what honor does God receive when
people give some of what’s left after paying bills in God’s collection
plate at church? First fruits mean first
(Exodus 23:19)! We need to take that
seriously.
To redeem us, God sacrificed His best.
His perfect Son! Jesus never sinned. Jesus never even told a lie. Jesus was not deformed. Jesus wasn’t saved for breeding. Jesus offered Himself as a willing sacrifice
to die for you and me.
Wouldn’t you agree that sin is a
defect, a blemish on people? How can we
honor God’s giving us Jesus? Hebrews
10:26 says, “If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge
of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left.”
We saw in “No Deceit” devotion that
ten year old Brad found a baggie of weed in the playground. When his classmate Jeremy wondered what he’d
do with it, Brad said, “Smoke it!”
Marijuana isn’t legal in most states in the USA…so the right thing to do
with that baggie is to turn it into someone with authority. Like a teacher.
Take Home Nugget
Jeremy
confronted Brad. “You know, we really
ought to turn in the weed. What if you get caught smoking it?”
“Yeah, I know.” Brad admitted. “It is tempting, though. One smoke wouldn’t hurt, would it?”
“Forget that!” Jeremy said, laughing
out loud. “No more brilliant ideas,
Brad!”
God is a perfectionist. Jesus never sinned. Why do people think a little sin won’t
matter?
J.D. Griffith
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