https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20260120dev.mp3 Listen to Devotion For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. Colossians 2:9-10 The Lamb of God Is God Himself When John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward where he was baptizing in the Jordan River, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” But in what way was Jesus the “Lamb of God”? First, Jesus was a sacrifice for sin that only God himself could offer. All the lambs and other animal sacrifices brought to the temple by Jewish believers would never be enough to reconcile sinners to a holy God. Rather, they served to prepare the people for the one Lamb sent by God who alone could make full payment for our sins. This is possible because Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, was not only sent by God, he is God. The Bible tells us that “in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form.” So, when Mary gave birth to her firstborn son in Bethlehem, we can say that God in all his fullness was laid to rest in the manger. And when that child grew into a man, it was God in all his fullness who was hung on the cross to die. What does that mean for you and me? There can be no doubt that the payment made on our behalf was sufficient—more than sufficient—to cancel our debt with God. The blood that was shed for us was divine and holy blood. The very God that we have offended is the One who came to redeem us to himself, and, in Jesus, his work of redemption is complete. God and man have been fully reconciled through Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, who was both fully God and fully man. Resurrected from the dead and ascended to heaven, he continues to intercede for us before the Father. Our salvation has been brought to fullness. Prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, you are the eternal Son of God and yet you came to die in my place. Because of your holy life and innocent death, my sins have been forgiven and my debt with God has been paid in full. May this truth bring me comfort and peace, as I trust in you, my perfect Savior. Amen.   Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20260119dev.mp3 Listen to Devotion The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” John 1:29 Jesus Is the Lamb of God John the Baptist was appointed by God to point people to their Savior Jesus. When John saw Jesus coming toward where he was baptizing in the Jordan River, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” But in what way was Jesus a lamb? For nearly fifteen hundred years before this, Jewish believers had been commemorating the Passover Festival with a special meal featuring the meat of a lamb. In this way, they never forgot how God rescued them from slavery in a foreign land. While the angel of death had passed from house to house throughout Egypt, he passed over the homes of all who trusted God’s promise by painting their door frames with the blood of a lamb. Years later, the prophet Isaiah compared the coming Messiah to a lamb who quietly and without complaint allowed himself to be a sacrifice for others. He wrote, “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5). These and many other prophecies from the Old Testament help us understand why John later called Jesus “the Lamb of God.” He was sent to be our substitute, sacrificed in our place. As innocent as a young lamb looks, Jesus was even more pure at heart. The Passover lambs did not complain as they were led to be killed, partly because they did not understand what would happen to them and could not have done anything to protect themselves, even if they had known. But Jesus knew very well how he would suffer and die—and he had all the power of the Son of God to prevent it, yet he quietly and humbly accepted all of it. As the innocent Lamb of God, he came to stand between us and the punishment we deserved. Because of Jesus’ sacrifice in our place, nothing stands between us and peace with God. Prayer: Jesus, Lamb of God, you came to take away the sins of the world. Have mercy on me. You willingly came to be my substitute, and with your death you became my Savior. Amen.   Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20260118dev.mp3 Listen to Devotion The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” John 1:29 Closer than Cousins Jesus and John the Baptist were relatives. Their mothers, Mary and Elizabeth, were kinswomen or “cousins.” This would make Jesus and John cousins. But their closeness to one another exceeded a blood relationship. John was a herald and forerunner, the announcer of Christ’s coming. To this day, he prepares our hearts to receive the Savior by preaching repentance and faith. He preaches not only law but also gospel: “All mankind will see God’s salvation” (Luke 3:6). Again, pointing to Jesus: “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). How close this witness bearer was to Jesus! And Jesus was close to John, at whose hands he was baptized. In John 5:35, he calls John a “lamp that burned and gave light.” Further: “Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist” (Matthew 11:11). At that point in time, Jesus was still lingering in the background. Only after his baptism in the Jordan would he come to the forefront to begin his public ministry. And then Jesus would increase, but John would decrease. It’s tempting to be jealous of how close John was to Jesus. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to be Jesus’ blood relative? But the truth is, every follower of Jesus is closer to him than we imagine. He loves us more than we can fully know. He is with us every moment of every day. When we receive the Lord’s Supper, we receive his true body and blood along with the forgiveness it won for us. You really can’t get any closer than that! Rejoice in how close Jesus is to you—closer even than cousins! Prayer: Jesus, walk with me this day as you have promised. May all I do and say be pleasing to you. Amen.   Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.