God is shining a light into our homes during this time. We’re in the midst of a rare opportunity for families to take inventory of their spiritual lives and see where we’ve laid up our riches. Inside a church building cannot be the only place we worship. It cannot be the only place we pray. We can no longer wait until we “go to church” to read the Bible, take communion, or lay hands on one another for healing. Could it be that God is saying, “Time is of the essence. I want you to nurture the Lamb—your relationship with Jesus—in your homes, with your families.” 

In this message, Jentezen Franklin teaches us an important lesson from Scripture: When you can’t give your family anything else, you can give them the Lamb.

Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household.
—Exodus 12:3

Holy Week All Over the World

There is a miracle coming to your house! There are miracles that the Lord wants to do in homes during this pandemic.

In the Bible, Holy Week began with the triumphal entry when Jesus rode into town on a donkey as the entire city threw him a parade, waving palm branches and shouting, “Hosanna, Hosanna!” which means VICTORY NOW! Today, the week also serves to remind us of the Last Supper when Jesus shared His last official meal with His disciples and His powerful prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane. This was also the week when the entire world went dark in the hour when Jesus was crucified, and climaxed with His resurrection just three days later.

For the first time in modern history, our churches and cathedrals all over the world were not filled with worshippers and all the amazing services throughout Holy Week, but that doesn’t mean that millions of Christians all over the world weren't be gathering to worship in homes and remember the price Jesus paid on the cross, celebrating the greatest day in the Christian faith, Easter Sunday.

The Power of the Lamb and The Fall and Rise of a Hero

When King David went through one of the lowest seasons of his life, he committed adultery and then had a man murdered to try and cover his sin. Nathan was a prophet that the Lord sent to confront David with his sin. This had to be no easy task for Nathan, especially since he loved David and knew the David that “used to be.” The David who would worship for hours; the one who feared nothing because of his confidence in his God.

When it came time to confront David, the prophet Nathan used a story about a poor man’s one and only lamb to help David see the magnitude of his own sin. As David hears the story about the cruel rich man, who owned a thousand lambs, taking the one and only lamb of the poor man, he became infuriated at the rich man and even pronounced judgment over that rich man. Then the prophet Nathan springs his trap and makes the connection. In showing the sin of another man, Nathan reveals that this “other man” was none other than David himself.

Good News — The Lamb Brings Forgiveness

After being confronted by his sin, David was devastated and immediately repented and humbled himself before the Lord. But the story doesn’t end there. Even in the aftermath and consequences of that sin, which included the death of some of his own children, he continued to worship and cling to the Lord. In fact, some of the most powerful Psalms including Psalm 51 and the 23^rd Psalm were written AFTER David’s greatest failures.

Today, the very blood of the Lamb of God, His Son Jesus, brings forgiveness as a payment for our sins and spreads hope where there was only despair, light where there was only darkness. It’s all about the Lamb---Jesus Christ.

Key Points to Consider

1. The Lamb must be welcome in your home. You need the Lamb in your home. In Nathan’s case he uses a lamb as the primary object in the illustration. Throughout history the lamb has represented the innocent and unblemished Lamb of God, His son Jesus. Twenty seven times in the Book of Revelation Jesus is referred to as “the Lamb.”

2. You must nurture the Lamb. You have to allow the Lamb to grow in your home. The Lamb must be known by your children and hold a prominent place in your family.

3. You feed the Lamb with your worship, and not just at church. Worship must be in your home. We have to learn to worship in our homes.

4. The Lamb must eat at you table. We can’t treat the Lamb like a common pet that we leave outside or keep on a shelf in a book we seldom open. The Lamb must be welcome in your family conversations and in the very fabric of your home. This is a beautiful picture of communion---"common union” with the Lamb.

5. You can’t give your family everything but you CAN give them the Lamb. Make the Lamb the bedrock of your life and in every part of your home. There IS no greater gift you can give your family than the gift of the Lamb.

6. The very blood of that Lamb is what will protect you when the difficult and tragic times come. Just like the blood of the Lamb protected the Hebrews when the death angel passed over their homes in Egypt, the very same blood that will save your family.

7. Plead the blood of the Lamb. When you fail or give in to temptation, there is power in the blood of the Lamb to forgive and to save you. The story of David’s failure is there to remind of us of the grace, mercy, and compassion of the Lamb. Simply plead the blood of the Lamb over every situation and in humility ask for the forgiveness that the blood of the Lamb has already paid for.

Final Thoughts

If ever there was a time we need the Lamb in our homes it’s now. A miracle is coming to your home and it will come through the Lamb. Every house must have a Lamb. Will you get on your knees as a family and invite the Lamb of God into your family and into your home again right now? Make the Lamb the center of your life today. Give the Lamb of God a place of prominence and allow it grow within your home as the days go by.

God is shining a light into our homes during this time. We’re in the midst of a rare opportunity for families to take inventory of their spiritual lives and see where we’ve laid up our riches. Inside a church building cannot be the only place we worship. It cannot be the only place we pray. We can no longer wait until we “go to church” to read the Bible, take communion, or lay hands on one another for healing. Could it be that God is saying, “Time is of the essence. I want you to nurture the Lamb—your relationship with Jesus—in your homes, with your families.” 

In this message, Jentezen Franklin teaches us an important lesson from Scripture: When you can’t give your family anything else, you can give them the Lamb.

Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household.
—Exodus 12:3

Discussion Questions

1. Take a look at Key Points 1-4 above and talk about whether or not each point is or isn’t happening in your home presently.

2. Follow-up: How could you make each of those items more of a priority?

3. How do you “take the Lamb” with you in your daily life? Allow each small group member or family member an opportunity to respond.

4. In the message, Pastor Franklin talked about growing the Lamb and making Him larger and larger in your home and in your life. How are you “growing the lamb” in your life?

5. Are there things you need to add to your daily life to “grow the Lamb” in your personal life?

Final Thoughts

If ever there was a time we need the Lamb in our homes it’s now. A miracle is coming to your home and it will come through the Lamb. Every house must have a Lamb. Will you get on your knees as a family and invite the Lamb of God into your family and into your home again right now? Make the Lamb the center of your life today. Give the Lamb of God a place of prominence and allow it grow within your home as the days go by.