Sermons - Cornerstone Christian Fellowship

The Beginning and the End - Part Eight

Dec 01, 2024 by: John Herbert | Series: The Beginning and the End

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Re 13:8………………the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

Today we will continue to look at God's provision of redemption.

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Sunday December 1st 2024 
The Beginning and the End
Part Eight

Re 13:8………………the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

Ex 12:5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats. 6 Now you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month. Then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at twilight.

We have previously seen in our study that God has revealed the means of redemption to us as being, a substitutionary death and shed blood. And He has shown us that this is a substitute that He alone provides and because it is His provision, He alone accepts it. And this has been set in the foundation, in the third chapter of Genesis - Ge 3:21 Also for Adam and his wife the LORD God made tunics of skin, and clothed them.

And we had seen that God accepted the death and shed blood of His Son, the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world before He began the process of restoring the ruined material creation following Satan’s rebellion. And because of this, every animal that God provided and accepted for sacrifice, from those animals killed in the Garden to every Passover lamb found its efficacy in this sacrifice. And God continued to provide and accept animal death and shed blood for redemption from that time until the Lamb of God Himself, slain from the foundation of the world, was physically slain in a body of flesh, bone and blood within the boundary of chronological time, fulfilling that seen in the death of these animals. Each of these animals then, foreshadowed what was to take place in AD33 on the one hand and looked back to the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world from which they gained God’s acceptance, on the other.

In this we can see the Christ as the beginning of redemption, seen in the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world, and the fulfillment of it, with His death and shed blood manifested within time at Calvary. The Christ then, is ‘the first’ in redemption’s process, from the foundation of the world, and He is ‘the last’ as all is brought to fulfillment through His finished work on the cross – Jn 19:30 So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.

Heb 4:3 For we who have believed do enter that rest, as He has said: “So I swore in My wrath, ‘They shall not enter My rest,’ ” although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.

And as Jesus is the Word made flesh, we can see Him as the Alpha, the first ‘Word’ that God spoke regarding redemption from the foundation of the world, and the Omega, the final ‘Word’ given on redemption at Calvary – Heb 1:1 God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, 2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He arranged the ages……..

And once the Lamb of God had been slain within the boundary of chronological time, then God ceased to provide and accept animal sacrifices for redemption as the One to whom all these animals pointed had now finished His work - Acts 4:12 Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

Acts 16:30 And he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.”

And the salvation that we presently possess had been made possible by the death and shed blood of God in the person of Son, made possible by His completed work at Calvary. A finished work revealed in time, but a work nonetheless, that had been completed from the foundation of the world.

And as we consider the way that God has revealed His means of redemption to us, from the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world all the way through to Christ’s physical death at Calvary at His first Advent, how could anyone think that the first generation of Israel to come out of Egypt was not redeemed or that the Jews alive at the Lord’s first Advent, who had been slaying the Passover lambs for generations, were not redeemed either? As all is based upon the same death and the same shed blood that God has provided and accepted. If our presently held eternal salvation is absolutely secure, which it is, then so must be the eternal salvation of every individual who has put faith in God’s provision for redemption, whether an animal before the cross, or the Christ after the cross. God provides and God accepts –
Ge 22:7 But Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, “My father!”
And he said, “Here I am, my son.” Then he said, “Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” 8 And Abraham said, “My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.” So the two of them went together.

Let’s just return to the beginning of Genesis once again so that we can place the death and shed blood of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world within the context of events seen there - Ge 1: 1 In beginning God created the heavens and the earth. [Between this verse and that recorded in v2 came Satan’s rebellion]2 The earth became without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. [between this event and what happens next – we will find the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world] And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. 3 Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. 4 And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day.

The movement of the Spirit of God leading to God speaking, His breath then forming the words, ‘let there be light’, is based upon the redemptive purpose of the death and shed blood of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. The One who is the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last. And that which then takes place in Genesis, as a result of His death and shed blood which God has accepted, is the introduction of light and the division of the light brought forth from above from the darkness that was on the face of the deep – Lk 1:79 To give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death,To guide our feet into the way of peace.”

And as we have seen before, this was the first day of six days of work to complete the redemptive and creative process, for the purpose of a Man and a Woman to rule together in the Seventh Day.

Having established the means of redemption then, a substitutionary death and shed blood, that which God provides and accepts, that seen on the first day as the light entered into the darkness provides one facet of the redemptive process. 
And we can add another facet to this process by looking at the account of the creation of Adam, which we find in - Ge 2:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.

The Man, Adam, was created from the dust of the ground, and the Man who God had created from the dust of the ground was dead, an empty shell devoid of life, until God breathed into his nostrils ‘the breath of life’. It was only then that he ‘became a living being’.

And the transition that we see from death to life following Adam’s creation brought about by God’s breath, His Spirit, parallels the transition we saw from dark to light at the beginning of the restoration of the ruined material creation, also brought about by God’s breath, His Spirit.

And we will realize that it was not until Adam became a living being through God giving him life that he was then able to do anything with respect to God’s purpose for creating him. He needed to be brought from death to life, from darkness to light before rulership in the Seventh Day could ever have been possible. And again, here we can see that a foundational truth has been established from the beginning. A simple truth, that it is only those in possession of the life that God alone provides through His Spirit, who can have access to rulership from the Kingdom of the heavens in the Seventh Day.

And with that in mind, let’s now read – Eph 2:1 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins…..

So then, from that recorded from the beginning of Ephesians 2:1 we can clearly see that before we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, each of us, in a spiritual sense, was just as dead as lifeless Adam before God breathed into him the breath of life. And we were just as separated from God’s purpose as Adam and the Woman were after their fall and before their redemption – Eph 2:11 Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh—who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands— 12 that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.

And as we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, so we were made alive in the same way that we see that Adam became a living being in Genesis 2:7. God breathed into us the breath of life. His Spirit entered us, and from that moment onward we have had spiritual life – Eph 2:13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

This is the redemption of the spirit: the impartation of spiritual life into the one who was previously spiritually dead. A free gift by the grace of God that can never be rescinded and can never be lost. A Sovereign act of God through Christ’s finished work at Calvary that has reconnected us with God’s purpose, ‘let them have dominion.’

And it is only once we have been ‘made alive’ that we are then able to do anything with respect to God’s purpose for redeeming us. The same purpose for which He created Adam and provided for Adam and the Woman’s redemption. That as redeemed individuals we should exercise dominion in the Seventh Day with the Last Adam.

As we consider this, we will need to keep two things in mind. Firstly, as the light shone in the darkness on Day 1 in Genesis Chapter 1, this was just a beginning point. The ruined material creation could not have been fully redeemed without this happening first, but Day 1 itself did not complete the redemptive process. And secondly, following Adam and Eve’s redemption in the Garden following their fall, they were not instantly returned to the image and likeness of God again. Nor did they immediately find themselves fulfilling the purpose for their creation, the reason for their redemption. In fact, quite the opposite, they were driven from the Garden and denied access to the tree of life – Ge 3:24 So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.

The stated purpose for God creating Adam and the Woman, ‘let them have dominion’ has not changed, nor did it change with respect to Adam and Eve once they were expelled from the Garden. But something else now came into view – Ge 3:17…….“Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it All the days of your life. 18 Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, And you shall eat the herb of the field. 19 In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread…..

Work was now required within a world under a curse if they were ever to have access to the tree of life again. This was not then, just work for its own sake, but work with a purpose that must be seen within the context of the reason for their creation and the reason for their redemption.

And what has been established through these two accounts in Genesis Chapters 1 and 3, is that the redemption of man for the purpose of rulership in the Seventh Day must move beyond passing from death to life. Redemption for us cannot be completed apart from this beginning point, passing from death to life, but this beginning point itself, just as Day 1 in Genesis, does not complete the process. There is a totality to redemption for the purpose of rulership then, that we possess now only in part – Eph 2:1 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. 4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

But what we will also now know with absolute certainty, is that the redemption of our soul and of our body yet future is provided for through a substitutionary death and shed blood. It is the same blood of Christ, poured out at His death, that purchased our eternal redemption, that is now upon the Mercy Seat in the heavenly Tabernacle to make propitiation for the sins of the saved with a view to the salvation of their souls and rulership in the Seventh Day – 
1 Jn 1:7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

The initial breath of life that we received by grace through faith as we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ is a most spectacular event, but, if we are to fulfill the purpose for our redemption then we must keep breathing in ‘the breath of life’, the Spirit of God, so that we may then walk in the good works that God has prepared beforehand for us to walk in them. And it is the continual breathing in of the breath of life that we read about in - Eph 5:17 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be continually filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord…..

To which we will add the companion verses from - Col 3:16 Let the word of Christ [continually] dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. 17 And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

It is only by allowing ‘the word of Christ [to] dwell in us richly in all wisdom’, which is what being continually filled with the Spirit looks like, that we will be able to walk in the good works the Lord has prepared beforehand for us to walk in them. And this process has been laid out for us in the type given through Ruth working in Boaz’s field. With Ruth being a type of the faithful Christian and Boaz being a type of Christ – Ru 2:8 Then Boaz said to Ruth, “You will listen, my daughter, will you not? Do not go to glean in another field, nor go from here, but stay close by my young women. 9 Let your eyes be on the field which they reap, and go after them. Have I not commanded the young men not to touch you? And when you are thirsty, go to the vessels and drink from what the young men have drawn.”

Ruth received specific instructions from Boaz as to how she was to conduct her work in his field. We might call to mind Adam’s work after he had been expelled from the Garden, which we had looked at earlier. And, in Boaz’s instructions to Ruth, we find a type for ‘the word of Christ’, which is to dwell in us richly in all wisdom. In this then we can see a foundational type for being continually filled with the Spirit. And Boaz, having provided the instructions for Ruth’s work, then draws attention to the outcome of it – Ru 2:12 The LORD repay your work, and a full reward be given you by the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge.”

And as Boaz continued to give Ruth instructions, paralleling the wisdom brought forth from above, so the foundational type for walking in the good works prepared beforehand for us to walk in them is introduced – Ru 2:14 Now Boaz said to her at mealtime, “Come here, and eat of the bread, and dip your piece of bread in the vinegar.” So she sat beside the reapers, and he passed parched grain to her; and she ate and was satisfied, and kept some back. 15 And when she rose up to glean, Boaz commanded his young men, saying, “Let her glean even among the sheaves, and do not reproach her. 16 Also let grain from the bundles fall purposely for her; leave it that she may glean, and do not rebuke her.”……………….. 23 So she stayed close by the young women of Boaz, to glean until the end of barley harvest and wheat harvest; and she dwelt with her mother-in-law.

‘The word of Christ’ is typified in the Book of Ruth, not only through the instructions that Boaz gave to Ruth while she worked in his field but also through the instructions given to Ruth by her mother-in-law Naomi, who herself is a type of the Word of God given to Israel. ‘The word of Christ’ pictured through Boaz or Naomi must always be understood as pointing us to the Scriptures, the only place where the word of Christ is to be found and the only means by which we can be continually filled with the Spirit. The Scriptures, whose focus is the Seventh Day and the fulfillment of God’s purpose for His Son, mankind, and the material creation with respect to rulership in the place of Satan and his fallen angels in the Millennial Kingdom.

And as we continue in the Book of Ruth, so the Scriptures’ focus is seen in Naomi’s instructions to Ruth to prepare her for going to Boaz’s threshing floor – Ru 3:1 Then Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, “My daughter, shall I not seek security [lit. Rest] for you, that it may be well with you? 2 Now Boaz, whose young women you were with, is he not our relative? In fact, he is winnowing barley tonight at the threshing floor. 3 Therefore wash yourself and anoint yourself, put on your best garment and go down to the threshing floor……………….. 5 And she [Ruth] said to her, “All that you say to me I will do.”

And as the Book of Ruth draws to its conclusion, with Ruth having faithfully followed the instructions given to her by Boaz and Naomi, so we find the redemption of a forfeited inheritance and a marriage with regality in view – Ru 4:9 And Boaz said to the elders and all the people, “You are witnesses this day that I have bought all that was Elimelech's, and all that was Chilion's and Mahlon's, from the hand of Naomi. 10 Moreover, Ruth the Moabitess, the widow of Mahlon, I have acquired as my wife, to perpetuate the name of the dead through his inheritance, that the name of the dead may not be cut off from among his brethren and from his position at the gate. You are witnesses this day.”………………. 17 Also the neighbor women gave him a name, saying, “There is a son born to Naomi.” And they called his name Obed. He is the father of Jesse, the father of David.

And that typified here in the Book of Ruth, is exactly what we saw through the first thirty-four verses of the Book of Origins, which laid the foundation, and exactly what we saw in the antitype of the Book of Ruth in the Book which reveals the Christ and finishes the mystery of God.
We can conclude then, that only by completing the process in faithful obedience, typified through Ruth’s work in Boaz’s field, and Ruth following Naomi’s instructions, will our redemption be brought to completion and our inheritance realized – 1 Pe 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, 8 whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, 9 receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls.

We will come back to this next time if we remain and the Lord is willing, and we have prayed.

The Beginning and the End - Part Eight

Refresh A Recap from the Sermon

The Beginning and the End - Part Eight

Dec 01, 2024

Speaker: John Herbert

Series: The Beginning and the End

Category: Sunday Morning

Refresh
A Recap from the Sermon