Our blessed Lord has many titles given Him in Holy Scripture to convey to us the excellency of His divine glory. The above title is one of these many, and conveys to us the thought of sacrifice. The Lord Jesus Christ is God's Lamb come into the world in all the fulness of His love, to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself and bear the sins of many. All down through the ages sinful men had offered many sacrifices which could never take away sin. However they did serve a purpose. They were types of the Lamb of God, who in due time would come into the world and offer Himself at Calvary as the one great sacrifice to which all the others pointed. In the Lamb of God we see the Antitype of all the types. He is the One in whom they find their perfect fulfilment.

Before the cross, where the Lamb of God died for sinners, God saved those who in faith brought their sacrifices, not because of the value of the blood of the types, but on the ground of the value of what they all pointed forward to-the blood of God's Lamb, the great Antitype, on whom God's eye rested though He was not yet slain. Faith looked forward to the cross, even as faith must now look back there, and see that Blessed One in His love hanging on the cruel tree for us, that He might put our sins away and bring us to God in perfect righteousness. "Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world," cried John the Baptist (John 1 :29) as he turned the eyes of all to Him. He then refers to His baptism, and as we think of Him going down into the river Jordan to be baptized, we see in this the anticipation of a baptism yet to take place on the cross, where all the billows of divine wrath rolled over His holy soul for sin-not His own sin, but ours. "But I have baptism to be baptised with; and how am I straitened till it be accomplished" (Luke 20:50). He "did no sin," He "knew no sin," and "in Him is no sin." He was the Holy One of God. But, oh, wonder of wonders, He was "made sin" on the cross and bore our sins in His own body on the tree "that we might become the righteousness of God in Him" (2 Cor. 5:21).

A second time John exclaimed,"Behold the Lamb of God!" (John 1:36). Let us think of Him now as come up out of the waters of Jordan, as in resurrection. He was not only delivered for our offences but He was raised again for our justification. The Lamb of God in the glory of resurrection is now the object of our hearts' affection. The sin question settled at the cross, we now enjoy the Blessed One who died for us, as our eyes are fixed on Him in the glory. The risen Christ is our rule of life. He is to captivate our affections, and love for Him is to lead us to walk in a way well pleasing to God."That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit" (Rom. 8:4).

We read, "Two disciples heard him (John) speak, and they followed Jesus" (John 1:37). That is the effect of all true ministry given by the Holy Spirit. It will make followers of Jesus, the true and risen Christ who lives in the power of an endless life.

The two disciples followed Him to His dwelling-place, and abode with Him that day. In that sanctuary His grace won their hearts. Like a strong magnet He drew them to Himself. Learning from Him in communion, they go forth to witness for Him.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ would draw our hearts likewise to where He is now in the glory, to have sweet and precious communion with Him. By faith we can dwell with Him and enjoy His love, even though we are still down in this poor world of trouble caused by sin.
"Come and see," are still His gracious words to His own, if we have a true desire to see where He dwells and be with Him. May we know more and more what it means to be in His presence, communing with Him and if so, then our lives will show it in the display of those beautiful graces that so marked Him, the gracious, tender, and gentle Lamb of God. -T. W. Carroll.