JESUS is The Lion & The Lamb

I've never met you, my name is Virg, pastor here at Vertical Church. So happy to spend some time with you and worship together. And if you didn't know, this church is known as the best looking church in the Western Hemisphere because of all of you. So thank you for helping us win that prize. Tell the person next to you, you're looking good today, it's good to be with you. Any Christians brought your Bible to church? Any Christians brought your Bible to church? Come on, come on, Bibles. If you have your Bible, you can open up to Revelation 5. If you don't know where Revelation is, you're new to church. Revelation 5, you can also put a marker in John 1 and Philippians 2. We will be in Matthew a lot today too. So all the verses will be on the screens to help anybody who might not have a Bible physically, or if you don't get to a verse because we're gonna be going smoothly through some of these. And we are closing off a series today called Jesus Is. We've been in this series these last weeks touching on who the Bible says that Jesus is, because this is a very important question that all of us will have to answer for ourselves. We heard it on week one, who do you say Jesus is? And your answer to this question is of utmost importance. Week one, we talked about Jesus is the Son of Man and the Son of God. Last week, we touched on Jesus is Savior and Lord. And the title of today's message is Jesus is the Lion and the Lamb. What's the title this week? Jesus is the Lion and the Lamb. Let's pray. Lord, we open up our hearts. We open up our ears. We are ready and receptive for what you have for us today. We ask that you would speak to us, Holy Spirit minister to our hearts and may we learn and

may these good seeds from your word land in fertile soil in each one of our hearts. In Jesus' name I pray, amen, amen, amen. Today is Palm Sunday. It's a special day on the Christian calendar. It's a day filled with movement, with celebration, with expectation. It's the day we remember when Jesus entered Jerusalem riding on a Harley Davidson, right? No, no, riding on a burrito, on a donkey, while crowds lined the streets waving palm branches and shouting, Hosanna, Hosanna, which means save us. Jesus is he who comes in the name of the Lord. For them, this was a moment of excitement and it was a moment of hope. It was a moment filled with expectation about who Jesus was and what he came to do. But here's what's interesting. Not everyone in that crowd saw Jesus the same way. Some saw Jesus as a political deliverer, someone who was going to overthrow the Roman Empire and be their hero. Others saw Jesus as a miracle worker, someone who healed the sick and fed the hungry. Others saw him as teacher, a rabbi with wisdom and spiritual authority. And others saw Jesus as a threat. There were different perspectives, different expectations, different understandings of who Jesus was and how Jesus would act. And if we're honest, even today, even nowadays, people still have varying perspectives about who Jesus is and how Jesus is. Some people see Jesus primarily as gentle and loving and compassionate, and they have a picture of Jesus comforting the hurting, forgiving sinners, welcoming the broken. They see him as the lamb. Other people see Jesus as bold and powerful, confronting injustice, standing strong in truth, and they see him as lion. But what many people don't fully realize, what the crowd on Palm Sunday, when that was actually happening, didn't completely understand, is that riding into Jerusalem that day on that humble donkey was not just a lamb and not just a lion.

It was one who was both lion and lamb. The one riding into Jerusalem on that day was one who had supreme authority over the universe, but also at the same time exemplified perfect humility. One who had the power to command heaven, yet chose the posture of a servant. One who didn't just come to offer us victory in life, but also came to offer us forgiveness and salvation in our hearts. You see, many people then, and many people now, they try to defy God. find Jesus by one side of his nature. Some prefer lion, strong, victorious, conquering. Others prefer Jesus the lamb, merciful, gentle, and forgiving, and the good news is that we don't have to choose because the truth of scripture is that Jesus is not lion or lamb, but Jesus is lion and lamb. Can I get an amen? I wanna go to the book of Revelation that unpacks this a little bit for us, chapter five. Revelation chapter five, and I want you to hear a little bit about what John writes in this revelation that God gives him, and he writes something interesting in verse five of Revelation five. It says, but one of the 24 elders said to me, stop weeping. Look, the lion of the tribe of Judah, the heir to David's throne, has won the victory. This is referring to Jesus. He is worthy to open the scroll and its seven seals. So of course, you're gonna think John

turns around and sees the lion, but then it says, then I saw the lamb that looked as if it had been slaughtered, but it was now standing between the throne and the four living beings and among the 24 elders. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which represent the sevenfold spirit of God that is sent out in every part of the earth. Let's stop there. According to John's revelation, we understand here that Jesus is the lion of the tribe of Judah, but he is also the lamb that was slain for us. Now, here's the issue. If you focus on Jesus only as lamb, you'll see him as loving Jesus, compassionate Jesus, patient Jesus, but this perspective may also lead you to see him as timid Jesus or weak Jesus or fragile Jesus. And on the other side, if you focus on Jesus only as lion, you'll see him as strong Jesus, courageous Jesus, firm Jesus, but this perspective may also lead you to see him as harsh Jesus or arrogant Jesus or aggressive Jesus. This is why, if you wanna have the image of Jesus that is correct, if you wanna have the right image of Jesus, you need to know that he is both lion and lamb. He is compassionate, and at the same time, he is courageous. He is both.

When you read the Gospels, they present Jesus to us in different moments of his life, in different situations, and in some of those, we see Jesus acting and responding like lamb, in others, we see Jesus acting like and responding as lion. And in life, practically speaking, let me just tell you, there will be times when you need Jesus, the lion, in your life, and there will be times when you need Jesus, the lamb, in your life. In John chapter one, verse 29, there's this key moment when John the Baptist is out and preaching, and all of a sudden, he sees Jesus, whom he knows very well, and he makes a statement about him in John 1, 29. The next day, John saw Jesus coming toward him, and he said, look, the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Again, this is a very, very important statement that John the Baptist makes about Jesus, and it reminds us once again why Jesus is the lamb. But then throughout the Bible, we have descriptions of Jesus as the lion of the tribe of Judah, and also descriptions of a lion. Proverbs 30, 30 says, a lion, mighty among beasts, who retreats for nothing. And it's this dichotomy of Jesus' nature is incredible because Jesus is lamb and Jesus is lion. He's not just the king of the jungle, by the way. He is the king of kings and Lord of lords.

Now, a little bit in contrast, lambs are herbivores, lions are carnivores. Lambs live in flocks, lions live in prides. Lambs are mild, calm, peaceful animals. That's why when your child can't get to sleep at night, you tell him, close your eyes and count the sheep, right? I don't know if any parents say, close your eyes and count the lions. That might keep you awake a little longer. Lions are strong, aggressive, untamed, and majestic, known as the king of the jungle. Now, many people filter Jesus according to how they are in life. There are people who are naturally more lamb while there are people who are naturally more lion. But remember, Jesus is both lion and lamb. So let me give you a little note. If you're taking notes, write this down. If you're not taking notes, write it down. Here you go. A Christian who wants to be more like Jesus needs to learn how to be a lamb and needs to learn how to be a lion. Because there will be moments in your life where you will need to learn to act like Jesus, the lamb. And there will be moments in your life where you will need to learn to act and respond like Jesus, the lion. I would say the word says this is wisdom, right? Wisdom is knowing how and when to act as lamb.

and knowing how and when to act as lion. So I wanna show you a few places in the Bible and give you a few kind of comparisons of lion and lamb as we go along. Are you guys with me? Number one, Jesus is the lion with authority and the lamb who shows humility. He's the lion with authority and the lamb who shows humility. In Matthew 28 verse 18 up on the screens, it says, Jesus came and told his disciples, I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. How much authority? All authority. Jesus was given all authority in heaven and earth. He was completely in authority. When you think about a lion, I don't know if you've ever been near a lion. I've heard stories from friends who live in South Africa and different parts of the world where they have wild animals that are not far off. When you hear a lion's roar, a lion's roar demands and commands attention. Why? Because a lion's roar commands authority. And I don't know about you, but I'm not gonna walk up to any lion thinking I have more authority than that lion because just the roar of the lion, it makes a statement. And when you look at Jesus' life in the Gospels,

Jesus would speak and demons would tremble. Jesus would speak and storms would stop. Jesus would speak and sickness would flee. Why? Because he is the lion who has authority. At the same time, we read this description about Jesus in Philippians 2, verse eight. It's powerful. Two, verse six, I'm sorry. It says, though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges and took the humble position of slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal's death on a cross. So even on Palm Sunday, even Palm Sunday's story in the Bible reveals and shows his humility because we're talking about the king of the universe, yet he didn't come in riding a war horse. He came in on a donkey. And it's interesting that true leadership isn't forced authority. It's a natural response to authority. The lion rules, the lamb stoops, and that combination is a powerful combination. I'll put this last line here.

His power commands heaven, his humility wins hearts. That's a powerful statement right there. Jesus' power as lion commands heaven, but his humility as lamb wins hearts, including mine. Number two, number two, another comparison here. Jesus is a lamb who comforts and a lion who confronts. In Matthew 9, verse 36, speaking of Jesus, it says, when he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless like sheep without a shepherd. Jesus is a lamb who comforts those who are hurt, oppressed, offended, and rejected. Jesus is a lamb when it comes to showing comfort, compassion, and mercy, and grace. And yet, you'll never see a lion being compassionate towards a gazelle. You're never gonna watch a video of the Serengeti and seeing a lion counseling or comforting an injured gazelle on the floor. But because Jesus is lamb, you and I can approach his presence with confidence, trusting that he's not going to devour us, but rather knowing that he can comfort me, he can counsel me, knowing that he'll extend mercy and grace to me even when I don't deserve it. If you wanna be more like Jesus, in the same way, you have to treat people with grace and mercy. We should help people and show compassion. We should treat our neighbor not with aggression,

but with kindness. This is the way in which Jesus treated people. Jesus is both lion and lamb. He is lamb and lion. And we should learn that there will be moments in our lives in which we need to be lamb, but there are also moments in which we need to be lion. Let me show you this scene, Matthew 23, verses 25 to 26. This is one of his not so pleasant confrontations with the religious leaders of the time. And it says, what sorrow awaits you, Jesus is speaking, teachers of religious law and you Pharisees, hypocrites, for you are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy, full of greed and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee. First, wash the inside of the cup and the dish, and then the outside will become clean too. Can you see this scene here? This is Jesus in action as lion when it comes time to confront. And often when we read in the New Testament, who did Jesus confront? He confronted the prideful. He confronted the hypocrites. Many times the Pharisees, the religious leaders. The Pharisees knew a lot about Scripture, but they had very little love. They had a lot of doctrine, but little faith. They knew a lot, but applied little of what they knew. And they believed, the Pharisees, that they were the absolute holders of the truth. And they criticized, persecuted, and condemned anyone who thought differently than them.

Jesus was lion when it came to confront these people. He called them whitewashed tombs, generation of vipers, blind guides. Now unfortunately, there are still Pharisees nowadays. People who pride themselves in knowing so much about God's Word and so much about doctrine. Yet all they do is judge and criticize people. Even on social media, they sow judgment, hate, and condemnation. So here's some advice that I think we should receive from the Word. And something that we should do is we should be really quick to confront our own lives. Before going throughout the world as police officers of the truth, confronting others, we should begin in the mirror confronting ourselves. Evaluating ourselves to determine is there any pride in me? Is there any religiosity in me? Is there any legalism in me? Is there any hypocrisy in me? Because there are many who are experts at identifying the speck in other people's eyes, but they're blind to see the planks in their own. They look at their own faults with telescopes really small and far, but they look at other people's faults with microscopes really close and big. So advice from Jesus in this case is let us examine our own lives and confront ourselves in order to see how we can change, how we can improve, how we can grow. Because so many Christians unfortunately move from relationship to religion. They move from love and grace to rules and religiosity. The Bible is really clear when it says without faith, it's impossible to please God. It doesn't say without rules or without the law. No, no, no. And I'll give you this note here. This is very important to know. Jesus is not impressed by how much Bible you know. Jesus is impressed by how much Bible you live. Okay? And so a few of us know some people we'd like to send that verse to today. Right? And if we're really quick to do that, we might need to send it to ourselves. Number three. Number three. Jesus is a lamb who serves and a lion who defends.

Jesus is a lamb who serves and a lion who defends. In Matthew 20 verse 26, Jesus says, But among you, disciples, it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant. And whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave. For even the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve others and give his life as a ransom for many. I want you to think about this for a moment. That Jesus came from reigning in heaven to serving on earth. Here's a line. Jesus was worshipped by angels in heaven and he came to serve sinners on earth. To serve those who would one day betray him. And because of this, we can state what the Bible states. The king of the universe made himself the servant of all. Why did he do this? He came to teach us a new way. He came to model his kingdom, the kingdom of God, which is a different kingdom. It's a different mentality. Before, the world's way is, well, the leader is the one who is served by everyone else. That's what the world's way is. But now, under Jesus' kingdom, whoever wants to be the greatest must become servant of all. And the good news here is that this means that all of us can be leaders and great in the kingdom. Why? Because all of us can serve someone. When you serve, when I serve, we look more like Jesus. This is one of the greatest traits of Jesus. That being the king, he became servant. That being the lion, he became lamb. Being worshipped by angels, he chose to come serve sinners. Now, Matthew 19, verse 13. It says, So Jesus was a lamb when it came time to serve, but he was a lion when it came time to defend.

In this scene there were parents with their children looking to be close to Jesus, to be blessed by Jesus. By the way, note that if families and children were drawn and willing to come close to Jesus, it's because Jesus had the image of a lamb. Because nobody in their right mind is going to try to get close to a lion, right? However, Jesus was a lion when it came to defend the innocent, to defend the children. And in this scene the disciples show themselves as lions to the parents and children, growling at them saying, don't bother Jesus. Jesus stops and defends the children and says, don't stop them, let them come to me. Because when it came time to defend, Jesus is a lion. You can be assured in your life when you are going through difficulty, in your life when you are going through danger, in your life when you are facing adversity, or when you are responding to the attacks of the enemy, you can be assured that Jesus is a lion and he will defend you. Amen? Number four, number four. Jesus is the lion who protects and the lamb that saves. Jesus is the lion who protects and the lamb that saves. A lion is known as a protector. Revelation calls Jesus the lion of the tribe of Judah. What does a lion do? A lion defends his territory. A lion protects his pride. A lion protects his family. Scripture shows Jesus defending his people all throughout the New Testament. It refers to Jesus as our fortress, as our refuge. It refers to Jesus as the one who strengthens and protects us and covers us. And in the same way that a father or a mother is protective of their children, whenever anything comes, any danger comes close, something inside of you rises, something causes you to be bold and protective, that is lion Jesus. He fights the battles with us and for us. But then we have lamb Jesus, lamb Savior. He's the lamb that saves us. That's why when John saw him, what did he say? Behold, the lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world.

That's a reference to the Savior, Messiah, because the only one who could take away our sins is the one who can save us. A lamb doesn't defend by force. A lamb saves by sacrifice. That's why Isaiah 53.7 describes that. And it says that he was led like a lamb to the slaughter. You know, something interesting in our homes, a security system protects the house, but insurance restores what's lost. In Jesus, we have both security and insurance. It's a beautiful thing. Here's a lion. The lion fights for us. The lamb dies for us. Thank God that we don't have to choose one or the other because Jesus is the lion and Jesus is the lamb. Last one, number five. Jesus is the lion who brings victory and the lamb who brings forgiveness. I thought there might be an amen or two, but that's okay. I'll try it one more time. Jesus is the lion who brings victory and the lamb who brings forgiveness. Yes, he is a lion who brings victory. We read in Revelation 5, he is the lion. The lion has triumphed. Why? Because Jesus defeated sin, death, hell, the grave. That's lion power. Now, the lamb. The lamb brings forgiveness. It tells us throughout the New Testament the same thing. Ephesians 1 says that in him we have redemption through his blood. And here's the interesting thing. Winning a war gives victory, but signing a peace treaty brings restoration. Jesus did both. He did both. He conquered sin, won the war, but then he forgave sinners. He brought restoration. What a beautiful thing. Victory gives us strength. Forgiveness gives us freedom. Thank you, Lord, for your freedom. And so all of this, it kind of brings us to what we're talking about today and what we kind of remember today, which is Palm Sunday.

And you could read about Jesus's triumphal entry into Jerusalem in Matthew chapter 21. You can kind of read a little more description about it. We're not going to read it today, but we read about how Jesus rode into Jerusalem and the crowds were ready to receive him with the palm branches, waving with the palm branches and the coats on the floor so that the king, they were seeing him as a king. They were shouting, Hosanna, which means come save us. They were shouting Hosanna as Jesus was walking, as Jesus was riding in on the donkey. Hosanna, blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord. And here's what they didn't realize. Here's what they didn't realize in that moment. That they were welcoming the Lamb of God. Riding on the donkey was a lamb, but they were visualizing the king, the lion. But interesting because this is connected to what the people of Israel celebrated in that season and in this season, which is the Passover. If you've ever celebrated the Passover feast, which is a feast that the Jewish people celebrate to this day, we as Christians see Jesus in the Passover. In fact, this takes us back to a whole story in the book of Exodus towards the beginning of the Bible, where we read about the people of Israel. If you didn't know about the story, the people of Israel were in Egypt as slaves for hundreds of years. And God says, I'm going to free my people. He raises up a deliverer, a liberator, whose name is Moses, and he says, Moses, I am calling you out of the desert, out of where you've been, back to the palace, and I'm calling you to go talk to Pharaoh and tell Pharaoh, let my people go, right? And so Pharaoh, when Moses finally gets the courage, he goes to Pharaoh and he tells Pharaoh, I'm coming in the name of the God of the people of Israel, and my God says to let his people go. What does Pharaoh say? No. Pharaoh says no.

And this is where we see the first plague. You've heard the 10 plagues of Egypt? There was one plague. Every time Pharaoh said no, God sent a plague that affected all of the Egyptians. It didn't affect the people of Israel, it affected all of the Egyptians. Now the last of those 10 plagues was the death of the firstborn in the home. So check this out. Moses says to Pharaoh, let my people go. Tenth time says no. Now the 10th plague is the death of the firstborn. So what happened is God gave the people of Israel instructions on how to celebrate the Passover and he gave them instructions, including that they had to each per family gather or have a lamb, a pure lamb with no defects, with no blemishes of one year or less. According to the law, according to what God told them, each family had to have a lamb. That lamb was to be with them for those days. And then that lamb was to be slaughtered. It was to be killed because that was going to be part of the Passover feast. But they had to take blood of that lamb and they had to put it on the doorposts of their homes. Why? Because on the night where the spirit or the angel of death was going to come to kill the firstborn of all of the firstborns in Egypt, if that angel of death saw the blood of the lamb on the door, it would pass over. That's why it's called Passover. It would pass over that house and death would not reach the firstborn. So who did this? It was the people of Israel who were celebrating the Passover. According to God's instruction, the blood protected them. It wasn't their strength. It wasn't their status.

It was the blood of the lamb on the doorposts of their home. Then we fast forward to where we see John the Baptist signaling Jesus coming and he says, behold, the lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world. He didn't say that because Jesus had fluffy white hair. He said it because Jesus was the one that was coming to be slain on the cross. And whoever has the blood of Jesus on the doorposts of their heart, the spirit of death will not come. It will pass over salvation, salvation. And so Jesus is our lamb. He is our Passover lamb. Palm Sunday began the week that ended with crucifixion. Jesus entered Jerusalem not to sit on a throne, but to hang on a cross. Not to destroy enemies, but to destroy sin. We've seen his lion power, but here we see his lamb love. And so we cannot afford to just casually walk by a day like today and not recognize and not remember not only who Jesus is, but what Jesus did. So if you have your little packet, if you can take out the communion cup, we are going to partake in holy communion. I do have the responsibility of letting you know that communion means nothing to someone who has never received Jesus as their personal Savior and Lord. So if you're here and you've never received Jesus as your personal Savior and Lord, we are not offended. We would rather you not partake in communion. If you're curious because you're learning about Jesus or learning about Christianity, that's great. And we want you to learn about Jesus. But if you're not yet a believer, this is why we don't do this regularly on Sundays, because communion is for believers, not for seekers or people who are still looking. But you can partake in communion at every prayer service that we have on Saturday mornings 9 to 10 and Wednesday mornings 6 to 7 a.m.

In case you are a believer who loves to partake in communion, it's always available during our prayer services, Saturdays and Wednesdays. Now we're going to partake in holy communion right now, and we're remembering the lamb. Not symbolically, only, but personally. And before you take the bread and drink the cup... I want you to reflect for a moment because the lion fought for you, and the lamb died for you. So right there where you are, just take a moment and close your eyes, just close your eyes. And I want you to think about what Jesus did. I want you to think about the rugged cross. I want you to think about the torture that he went through, not because he deserved it, not because he sinned, but because he knew it was the only way to bring forgiveness and restoration, salvation, and freedom to all of us. I want you to think about the nails. I want you to think about the crown of thorns. I want you to think about the price that he paid. I want you to think about the price that he paid. The price that he paid. Precious, his precious blood was shed, and his body was broken so that you and I could be forgiven when we receive him. So Holy Communion is a good opportunity to get our hearts right with God, to ask for forgiveness when needed, and repent, turn from the wrong ways and wrong things, and turn to the King of Kings, Jesus, the lion, and the lamb. In first Corinthians, it says, In first Corinthians 11, verse 23, Paul writes, for I received from the Lord, that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus, on the same night in which he was

betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and he said, take it, eat. This is my body, which is broken for you. Do this in remembrance of me. You can open up the bread portion of your cup on the bottom. When you have it, you can hold it in your fingers right in front of you. And I want you to remember that Jesus' body was broken. For you and for me, for our sins. Repeat after me, say, thank you, Jesus, because your body was broken so I could be forgiven. Today I remember your sacrifice. I value your sacrifice. I will never forget what you did and why you did it. You took the cross to forgive me. Thank you, Jesus. You may eat. Now we understand according to the Bible, there is no forgiveness of sins unless there is shedding of blood. And before Jesus, God's people needed to undergo the process by the priests in the temple where they would sacrifice offerings for atonement or forgiveness. And we understand that Jesus was the last, the last lamb who had to be offered and slain. And his blood is sufficient to forgive all of our sins past, present and future. Verse 25, in the same manner he also took the cup after supper saying, this cup is the new covenant in my blood. This do as often as you drink it in remembrance of me.

You may open up the cup portion, the juice portion. This is a symbolism of the blood of Jesus that was shed for us. We did not deserve it. That's why it's grace. So I want you to hold it up and I want you to say, thank you, Jesus, for shedding your precious blood to forgive my sins. To restore me. To save my soul. I remember the sacrifice. I value your sacrifice. And I will never forget what you did and how you did it. All for me. Thank you, Jesus. You may drink. I want you to say with me, thank you, Jesus. You are the lion who protects me. And the lamb who saves me. You may put the cup back in the little baggie and just hold it there. At the end of service on your way out. You can discard it. Now, I want you to grab the cross that's in your bag, I want you to take it out. As you look down at this small cross in your hand, I want you to hold it gently for a moment. I want you to feel the shape of it in your palm. By the way, this is made out of palm, which I think is very symbolic on a day like today. This cross is made out of palm leaves, and it's a small cross that represents the greatest act of love the world has ever known. As we've just taken communion together, and we remembered that his body was broken and his blood was shed for us, I want us to take a few minutes to reflect more personally and more intentionally on the cross of Jesus. We've been reminded today that Jesus is the Lion, and Jesus is the Lamb.

He is the Lion who has all authority. The Lion who fights for you. The Lion who conquers death, hell, and grave. But he is also the Lamb. The Lamb who, like Scripture says, was led as a Lamb to the slaughter. The Lamb who chose to surrender over resistance. The Lamb who became our substitute on the cross at Calvary. The Lamb that didn't die for his sins. He died for ours. Every nail, every wound, every drop of blood was the price that was paid so that all of these promises could be released into our life. So because of the Lamb, Jesus, there is salvation. Because of the Lamb, there is forgiveness. Because of the Lamb, we could receive healing, mercy, grace, peace, restoration, eternal life, the list goes on. All these promises because of the Lamb on the cross. So during these next few minutes, as our worship team leads us in this song, Jesus Paid It All, I want you to reflect quietly and personally. And I want you to ask the Lord, Jesus, what promise did you secure for me on the cross? And as he brings these words to your heart, maybe salvation, maybe forgiveness. I want you to write that word somewhere on that cross. I know it's small, but you can write on both sides, just write a few of the words that represent the promises. Maybe it's freedom, forgiveness, healing, I don't know. Take a moment, reflect, and write it on this cross as a reminder that the Lamb has paid the price so that the Lion could release the promise. And hold this cross as a testimony that what Jesus did on Calvary was done for you and for me. So reflect for a few moments, worship team will sing this song, and as those key words just come to your mind, write a few of them on the cross.

Jesus paid it all, brought to Him my own. Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed in white like snow. Oh now, indeed I find, Thy power and Thine alone. Can change the leper's bones, and melt this heart of stone. Jesus paid it all, brought to Him my own. Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed in white like snow. Oh Jesus, Jesus paid it all, brought to Him my own. Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed in white like snow. Oh yes He did. Oh, praise the one who paid my debt And raised this life up from the dead Oh, praise the one who paid my debt And raised this life up from the dead Oh, praise the one who paid my debt And raised this life up from the dead Oh, praise Him Oh, Jesus paid it all All to Him I owe Sin had left a crimson stain Here You are, dear White House knows Jesus paid it all All to Him I owe Sin had left a crimson stain Here You are, dear White House knows Jesus paid it all All to Him I owe Sin had left a crimson stain Here You are, dear White House knows Jesus paid it all All to Him I owe Your hope is alive because of the Lamb who was slain, because of the Lion who reigns. So as you hold that cross, may you be filled with gratitude in your heart. Gratitude for His sacrifice. Gratitude for the victory. Gratitude for the promises now written in your life because of what Jesus did. We're going to pray two prayers. As you hold this cross, let's just pray and thank God. Lord, Jesus, we thank You for being our Lion, our Defender, our Protector. And for being our Lamb, our Savior, our Redeemer, our Deliverer. Lord, help us to trust in Your strength and help us to live in Your mercy. Help us to live like people protected by the Lion and live like people forgiven by the Lamb. Teach us to walk in courage. Teach us to walk in compassion.

Teach us to walk in confidence and victory. And teach us to walk in humility and forgiveness. Because the world, just like us, needs both Lion strength and Lamb love. We pray all of this in Jesus' name. Amen.