A Little Lamb

 

 

I may not be much

For I am just a lamb

But Jesus identified with me

In salvation’s plan.

 

In that manger scene

I was very present

And I watched his father Joseph

Over him bent.

 

None shoo me away

On that eventful night

When into that animal stable

Came the Light.

 

Born of a virgin

In dire circumstances,

Regarding a manger birth of a king

What are the chances?

 

None I would suppose

But I witnessed it all,

Yes, that “King of kings” baby boy

Was the Son of God.

 

The animals all stood

Like they understood

That in the presence of Royalty

They also should.

 

I humbly stood too

Though just a little lamb

For that remarkable nativity scene

Was a wonderful plan.

 

 

 

Right there, was the Lamb

That would be slain

And it was for this very purpose

That he came.

 

The lamb of God

That takes away sin!

I was there in that manger scene

To see it begin.

 

Just a little lamb

Not as a sacrificial offering

But as a most unlikely invited guest

To watch grace unfolding.

 

God’s grace unfolding

In the advent of His Son

In time to fulfill a certain animal type

Of which I was one.

 

The spotless lamb

That takes away the sin

Of every single repentant sinner

That comes to him.

 

Stewart Russell © December 17, 2025

 

Art Thou He?

 

 

“Art thou he that should come

Or look we for another?”

And can you imagine this

John the Baptist a bother?

 

Was it not John that declared

Behold God’s lamb?

So why the sudden doubt

Concerning God’s plan?

 

Was it not the Baptist John

That baptized the Christ?

So why does the witness he had

Not more than suffice?

 

 

The Father’s voice from heaven

The Spirit descending dove-

There was no doubt then

Regarding the witness from above.

 

“Art thou he that should come

Or look we for another?”

In that Roman prison

The Baptist John was in a bother.

 

What better time than this

For Jesus to show his hand

And confound wicked Herod

And his evil plan!

 

And these wicked Romans

With their oppressive yoke-

Wasn’t this the time

Of which the prophets spoke…

 

Of the one that should come

To redeem all Israel?

Surely Israel’s God could see

The plight of His people.

 

That John had had his doubts

I have no doubt

And no doubt John felt

Jesus’ timing was a little out.

 

Here was John the Baptist

About to lose his head

And on the Messiah’s mind

Were other things instead.

 

If indeed Jesus was the one

The uprising should begin,

John had apparently forgotten

The primary matter of sin.

 

 

The lamb of God

For the sins of the world!

But can you blame John

If his head was in a whirl?

 

The greatest of prophets

That was born of a woman

But human nevertheless

Was his biggest problem.

 

“Art thou he that should come?”

A reasonable question indeed-

“Or look we look we for another?”

Of assurance he was in need.

 

 

Not only John’s misgiving

But the disciples’ at that time,

The yoke under Roman rule

Dominated their mind.

 

Sure, Jesus said many things

Which they would later recall

But this Roman oppression

Was of the bitterest gall.

 

And that first Good Friday

Would severely ram it home

When with Jesus on the cross

They were all alone.

 

And as their question too

This would become their bother,

“Art thou he that should come

Or look we for another?”

 

Stewart Russell © April 2, 2021

 

I Am He

Three words to make the point

But only two were spoken,

The “he” is italicized

It was not initially written.

If you use a red-letter Bible

For the words that Jesus spoke,

The “I Am” is written in red

This is important to note.

Now that I have your attention,

Now that your curiosity is aroused,

Turn to John Chapter 18

And see where these words are housed.

It’s verse number 5 to be exact

But we must also note the context

Which tells of the betrayal of Jesus

Then the arrest that comes next.

In verse 4 Jesus asked the question

“Whom seek ye?”

They answered, “Jesus of Nazareth.”

To which Jesus replied, “I Am he.”

It is interesting to note

His captors fell backwards to the ground,

There is something about the “I Am”  

That forcefully knocked them down.

In verse 7 the question is repeated

The answer is the same,

It appears for all intents and purposes

The “I Am” is his name.

The “he” is who they wanted

But they don't know whom they seek,

Jesus Christ was of course the “I Am”,

And he still is as we speak.

  

“I am the light,” he said,

And “I am the living bread.”

“I am the way, the truth and life,”

“I am he that was dead.”

Before Abraham was, I Am

Are the words of Christ Jesus,

“I am the door,” he also said,

And that should comfort us.

“I am the resurrection,” you’d recall

Is what he said to Martha,

“I am the true vine,” he also declared,

In John the 15^th chapter.

I AM that I AM

That is Jesus Christ,

I AM that I AM

The Father’s sacrifice.

The All Powerful, the Omnipotent

The Omniscient and All Wise,

God manifested in the flesh

Yet by his own despised.

The Lamb of God

Yet the Lion of the tribe of Judah,

The I Am that will come again

For every born-again believer.

Stewart Russell © April 2020

Purified or Putrefied?

Purified or Putrefied?

The two nearly sound alike

But there end the similarities,

The difference is day and night.

Note the “T” in the latter

It could actually stand for tainted,

No such “T” in the former

Not as far as I am acquainted.

You might be brighter than I

And you might insert a “T”

But that would be a terrible mistake

In fact, it would be rather silly.

Don’t mistake it for the cross

As some may want to do,

That I must tell you, my friend,

Would be a myopic view.

There is no “T” in purified

No taint or contamination therein,

Jesus’ blood is the cleanser

That washes away all sin.

Putrefied, however, is different

It’s contaminated through and through,

Hence the “T” therein means tainted

It’s not good for me or for you.

As a matter of fact, we were putrefied

Like whitewashed sepulchers we were

But thanks to our Heavenly Father

He drew us to the Saviour.

As a consequence, we are purified

Through no merit of our own

But through the blood of Jesus Christ,

We can now approach God’s throne.

Purified or putrefied

 That is the question one must ask,

The latter, reject; the former accept,

That’s an opportunity all should grasp.

It is provided free of cost

Having been paid for by the Christ,

Jesus, the suffering Lamb of God

Became that ultimate sacrifice.

Stewart Russell (c) March 2019

None Greater But One

And Jesus questioned them

What went ye out to see?

A prophet? More than a prophet

More than a prophet he be.

He was a wild man

So the religious clergy thought

And when in his company

They felt distraught.

But he was a great man

The greatest born of a woman,

To this testified Jesus

He was fitted for the Master’s plan.

He was God’s messenger

To announce the Christ,

His identification of the Messiah

Was what then sufficed.

“Behold the Lamb of God

That takes away the sins of the world,”

He was a strict adherent

To the Father’s Word.

He stood for truth

Even at the risk of his head

And Herod did not rest

Until he saw him dead.

Herod was a rogue

No two ways about that,

He took his brother’s wife

And that is a fact.

John pointed him out

For the rogue that he be;

The Baptist’s head on a platter

Was for Herod his fee.

Sometime before that

In prison he was placed

And O how he longed

To see Jesus’ face.

  

Being a little uncomfortable

In his troubled mind

He sent two of his disciples

To see what they could find.

His message to Jesus

Was straightforward and clear,

He wanted the Master

To dispel his fear.

“Are you the one? He asked,

“Or should I look for another?”

From the reply that came back

There was no need to bother.

“Go and tell John

Of the things you see and hear.”

Jesus sent this word back

So John wouldn’t have to fear.

“The blind see, the lame walk

The Gospel is preached to the poor,

The lepers are cleansed, the dead raised,”

And there was even more.

He must increase but I must decrease

John said this would be so

Hence Jesus’ appearing on the scene

Meant John would have to go.

In a moment of doubt

John may have forgotten

And so to him

This message was given.

Yes, John was great

But a greater than John had come,

In the flesh was the King of kings

Who came from the eternal kingdom.

John came neither eating nor drinking

But a devil he was called by some,

Jesus came both eating and drinking

And they called him winebibber and glutton.

There’s none greater than the Son

Who came down from above,

His ultimate sacrifice was the cross

On which he demonstrated his love.

Today we have a privilege

Which John the Baptist never had,

He announced the coming kingdom

But as its citizens we should be glad.

Thanks to a greater than John

And a greater than Solomon,

Jesus our redeeming Saviour

Is that eternal one.

Is he your Saviour and Lord?

Are you a child of his kingdom?

If not he is offering you a place

And says to you to come.

Stewart Russell © February 2018