GOSPEL LIGHT #677

The Emperor Who Had No Clothes and The Self-Righteous Sinner 

There was this emperor who loved fine clothing. He was the perfect patsy for two swindlers to inveigle him to weave for him the finest clothing ever. Not only was the clothing beautiful, majestic and elegant; it was also magical --- only the eyes of fine men and women could see it. To the rest, who are stupid, it will appear invisible. 

On the day of the great procession, the emperor marched in front of his entire kingdom...completely naked...wearing nothing but his pride. Everyone could see it. But for fear of being thought of as stupid, they all, nonetheless, sang his praises. Until a child blurted out the naked truth "But he doesn't have anything on!"

The story is made-up of course. But Hans Christian Andersen's story here is a perfect illustration of a self-righteous sinner. The words of Revelation 3:17 is an apt description of the bankruptcy of a self-righteous sinner: "... you say, “ I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,” and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked."

The self-righteous sinner thinks, swindled of the truth and hoodwinked by Satan, that he is fine. He doesn't know that, in the eyes of God, he is anything but that. It takes the convicting voice of the Holy Spirit to make him realize that he is a sinner in need of the robes of righteousness, which he could only be attired with, by faith in Christ.

 

GOSPEL LIGHT #676

When it comes to salvation, at least two things are essential: 

a) First, there must be an acceptable sacrifice for all your sins
b) Second, you must be connected to it 

With regard to the first, the Lord Jesus came and died for all our sins. And God demonstrated that He has accepted His sacrifice by raising Him up from the dead. 

With regard to the second, you can be connected to His sacrifice through the bonds of faith. The moment you trust in His death on the cross is the moment that connection has been made. Faith is simply the conduit pipe that connects you to the fount of salvation. 

The sacrifice is there already done and provided for you. Now, make the Cross Connection. Trust in it for your salvation. 

GOSPEL LIGHT #675

Why is the Lord Jesus called "The Lamb of God?" 

Joh 1:29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

The lamb was a sacrificial animal used in the Old Testament to symbolically atone for one's sins. All the animal sacrifices in the Old Testament were only pictures and symbols. They all point to the Lord Jesus Christ and what He will do on the cross. 

The Lord Jesus Christ is "The Lamb of God" because He is the ultimate and real sacrifice that God appointed and provided for our sins.  

He is God's propitiation and God's provision. 

He is portrayed as "The Lamb" because He is God's propitiation for our sins. 
He is provenanced as "of God because He is God's provision for our sins. 

And God wants you to personally make use of Him as your sacrifice for your sins. He wants you to stand behind Him as your sacrifice; He wants you to trust in Him and what He did on the cross for your salvation.