When you were little what kind of animal did you admire the most? I was always partial to cheetahs/leopards. Maybe you liked giraffes, elephants, otters, gorillas. Probably few would say sheep.

Great nations same. US – eagle, England – Lion, Russia – Bear. Has any nation ever adopted the sheep as its emblem? Probably not. Why? Sheep is what we don’t want to be. Defenseless, dependent, foolish.

Chapter in John Identity of Jesus

1. Word of God

Lamb of God

6. Bread of Life

8. Light of World

10. Gate

Good Shepherd

11. Resurrection and Life

14. Way, Truth, and Life

15. Vine

Lessons from the Lamb of God

29The 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

1. The lamb has great value.

18For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed…, 19but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. 1Peter 1:18-19

Lambs that have good bone structure, overall health, are very valuable to the future health of the flock. All your hopes are built on them.

But it’s in Hebrews 1 that you can see how God values the Lamb:

The Son Superior to Angels
1In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 2but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. 3The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. 4So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs. 5For to which of the angels did God ever say,  "You are my Son; today I have become your Father"? Or again,  "I will be his Father,  and he will be my Son"? 6And again, when God brings his firstborn into the world, he says,  "Let all God's angels worship him." 7In speaking of the angels he says,

 "He makes his angels winds, his servants flames of fire." 8But about the Son he says,  "Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever, and righteousness will be the scepter of your kingdom. 9You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions  by anointing you with the oil of joy." 10He also says,  "In the beginning, O Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands.

11They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment. 12You will roll them up like a robe; like a garment they will be changed. But you remain the same, and your years will never end." 13To which of the angels did God ever say, "Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet" ? Hebrews 1:1-13

2. The lamb is humble and lowly.

Ewes have to be shorn so they will be cold when they have their lambs because if they have their wool and are warm they may not come in from the cold and their lambs would starve. Sheep are such creatures of habit that you have to feed them where they are used to being fed or they will follow you away and then bawl for food where they think it should be.

5Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death--
even death on a cross! Philippians 2:5-8

28"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.30For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."Matthew11:28-30

Sheep when they are taken to be shorn will sometimes bawl like crazy until they are set down on their rear end and then they are not only silent, they even calm down.

as a lamb before the shearer is silent, so he did not open his mouth. 33In his humiliation he was deprived of justice Acts 8:32

3. The lamb lives in danger.

Lamb is in danger from most predators even rats in some situations. But alone away from the flock they are defenseless. Is it any wonder that Jesus always depended on the Father in prayer

16But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed. Luke 5:16

Aside from predators, lambs face two dangers. First they are born with a layer of brown fat that keeps them warm. But it only lasts for about 20 minutes. Then they need to eat because they can’t regulate their body temperature and they will die of pneumonia from starvation. Later the danger is the opposite. They can gorge themselves and die by overeating

1Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. 2After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3The tempter came to him…

Matthew 4:1-3

31Meanwhile his disciples urged him, "Rabbi, eat something." 32But he said to them, "I have food to eat that you know nothing about." 33Then his disciples said to each other, "Could someone have brought him food?" 34"My food," said Jesus, "is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. John 4:31-34

The Lamb of God faced danger from his own countrymen as well. John says that he came to that which was his own but his own did not receive him.

28All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this. 29They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him down the cliff. 30But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way. Luke 4:28-30

In fact his own put him to death.

32The eunuch was reading this passage of Scripture: "He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and. Who can speak of his descendants? For his life was taken from the earth.”34The eunuch asked Philip, "Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?" 35Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus. Acts 8:32-35

Danger from people, devil, finally put to death.

18For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, 19but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.
1 Peter 1:18-19

3Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.
Philippians 2:3-4

"God creates out of nothing.  Therefore until a man is nothing, God can make nothing out of him."  -  Martin Luther

3Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves.

Luke 10:3

14They will make war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will overcome them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings--and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers."

Revelation 17:14