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Upcoming Sermons & Devotional Message
January Sermons 2026
1-4 - The Sacrifice
Numbers 29: 1-2 1 Corinthians 10:13
1-11 - The Delusion
Ezekiel 14: 6-9 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12
1-18 - The Hardening of the Heart
Ezekiel 11: 17-21 Matthew 13:15
1-25 - The Power of the Holy Spirit
Isaiah 44: 1-3 Galatians 5: 16-17
Devotional Message : These will change 1-2 times a week. Stop by often to read the new message.
Some Thoughts on Mary's Perfect Lamb
This devotional is longer than usual, but the information is too good not to share!
That first Christmas night:
"She gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She WRAPPED HIM IN CLOTHS and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them." (Luke 2:7)
Some translations render this “swaddling cloths”—but the best translation is “bands of cloth.” One thing I have learned in studying the Bible is God’s very intentional in the words inspired—every word matters. So—what does “bands of cloth” mean?
These words were rich with deep meaning to the people who first heard them. Bethlehem is only five or six miles south of the Temple in Jerusalem. Bethlehem was known for perfect, sacrificial lambs that were used for the 9 AM and 3 PM sacrifices each day in the Temple. Each sacrificial lamb needed to be male and perfect—without spot or blemish.
The region of the shepherd’s fields outside of Bethlehem is called Migdal Eder—which translated means the “tower of the flock.” A cave underneath the tower of the flock in Bethlehem was the place where the lambs to be sacrificed in the temple were birthed and cared for. In Micah 4:8—just before the prophet says the Messiah will be born in Bethlehem—he speaks of the watchtower of the flock—where the Kingdom will come—meaning the Messiah would be revealed at the watchtower of the flock.
On the night Jesus was born, the angel spoke to the shepherds who were raising sheep for sacrifice in the temple:
"This will be a sign for you. You will find a baby WRAPPED IN CLOTHS and lying in a manger.” (Luke 2:12)
These shepherds had been trained for their task. They knew a lamb to be sacrificed had to be perfect, and it was their job to make sure none of the animals were hurt, damaged, or blemished. The lambs born for sacrifice were birthed in the cave under the watchtower of the flock on the north end of Bethlehem. Upon birth, a priest assigned to the task anointed them with oil and wrapped them in bands of clothes (a gauze-like cloth) to protect them from injury. The wrapping would be done in the only clean place in the cave—a feeding trough hewn from limestone called a manger—where the lamb would be kept until it calmed down to protect it from injuring itself while thrashing about.
The shepherds knew exactly where to go—to the cave at the watchtower of the flock—the birthing room for sacrificial lambs—and that's where they found Jesus. The shepherds were probably the first ones to recognize what John the Baptist would say later:
“Look, the Lamb of God who comes to take away the sins of the world” (John 1:29).
What does this all mean for us? MARY’S PERFECT LAMB would grow to live a perfect life and die a sacrificial death by shedding His blood on a Roman cross during the Passover festival. He would be nailed to a cross at 9 AM—when the first lamb was being sacrificed in the temple—and died at 3 PM—when the second lamb was being sacrificed—giving His life as a sacrifice for the sins of the whole world.
Jesus is the LAMB OF GOD who died for you, me, and the whole world. The true meaning of Christmas is born in the nature and character of God, who loved the world so much He gave His one and only Son as a sacrifice for us—that whoever believes in Him will not perish, but have everlasting life.
There’s a lot more to MARY’S PERFECT LAMB than meets the eye—He’ll save your soul, forgive your sin, and change your life. Trust Him!