Daily Devotional
The Cross: Crossroads of Substitution
“The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, ‘Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!’”
John 1:29
April 7, 2020
Ponder This
All through the Bible, God has been teaching the lesson of substitution. He has been talking to people about a lamb without blemish to be sacrificed to take away sin. By the time of Christ, the priests and the Levites have instructed a special rank of shepherds to grow spotless lambs. They are grown in Bethlehem. On Palm Sunday, those lambs are going up to the Temple Mount. The same day, riding upon a donkey, comes the Lord Jesus Christ. The Passover lambs and God’s Lamb enter into the city the same day. The priests and the Levites examine the lambs. They look inside the mouths, go through the fleece, the hooves…the eyes; even the eyelids are examined. If there is any flaw, the lamb is not worthy for sacrifice. Jesus is another Lamb born in Bethlehem. Mary’s little lamb, whose fleece is white as snow. He is the virgin-born Son of God. He too is examined…by the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the Herodian, and the civil leaders. He is pronounced sinless. Then comes the climax: at 3:00 in the afternoon, the priest tilts the head of the little spotless lamb and uses a lethal knife; at that very moment on cruel Golgotha, God’s Lamb pours out His royal blood for the sin of mankind. And Jesus says from the cross, “It is finished. It is paid in full.”
Practice This
The Lord Himself invites you to place your hands on that perfect, spotless Lamb and say, “Jesus, You are my substitute. Forgive my sin and take full control of my life. Thank You for saving me.”
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FOR YOUR GIFT TO THE MINISTRY
Front Porch Moments by Gayle Foster
WITH KEY INSIGHTS FROM HER FATHER, ADRIAN ROGERS
I try to unplug each morning with Jesus with just my rocking chair, my Bible, and a pen.
Having a secret place is very important because I know that Jesus is always there waiting for me. I know where I can find Him! His presence is everywhere, but there are places where it is so thick you can cut it with a knife. You may not even have a front porch, but there is a secret place for you as well. God’s invitations are for anyone who will respond. There is no more important request than the one found in Psalm 27:8: “My heart has heard You say, ‘Come and talk with Me.’ And my heart responds, ‘Lord, I am coming.’”
