You may be seated. When the Lord and his disciples
came to that upper room to observe the Passover, he said to them
that night, with desire, have I desired to eat this Passover
with you. And it is with desire that I
have desired to Look at this Passover with you tonight around
this scripture in Exodus chapter 12. I hope you have been looking
forward to this too since we announced it. With desire. Scripture says he will fulfill,
the Lord will fulfill the desire of them that fear him. He also
will hear their cry and will save them. Psalm 145, verse 19. Let's read verses 11 through
13 here of Exodus chapter 12. Verses 11 through 13. The Lord says, Thus shall you eat
it. Passover. With your loins girded,
your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand, and
you shall eat it in haste. It is the Lord's Passover, for
I will pass through the land of Egypt this night and will
smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast. And against all the gods of Egypt,
I will execute judgment. I am the Lord. And the blood
shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are. And
when I see the blood, I will pass over you. And the plague
shall not be upon you to destroy you when I smite the land of
Egypt." Now, this is a real story with real people, a true story. This is the story of when the
Lord God passed through Egypt and killed all the firstborn. Just as he said he would. Just
as he said he would. You noticed as we read through
here that he, the Lord said, I will pass through it. I will
pass through the land of Egypt and I will smile. And this is
also the story of how the Lord passed over. the children of
Israel, and did not smite them, but rather spared them, had mercy
upon them, and saved all the firstborn of the houses of Israel,
just as he said he would. So the Lord is true. His promises
are true. They are yea and amen in the
Lord Jesus Christ, just as he said. This really happened. really
happen and it will happen again. There are many today. Who question
the. Validity of this story you know
that there are many even professing Christians and modern theologians
don't believe this really happened at all. They believe it was an
allegory or something like that, just like they don't believe
in the garden, what happened in the garden and so forth. It's
very common today. Did you know that? Well, it did
happen, and it's going to happen again. That is, the Lord will
pass through this land again. Look with me at 2 Peter chapter
3. 2 Peter chapter 3. written of throughout the New
Testament Scriptures. The same Lord has warned all
flesh again. The same Lord has warned everyone
again, has promised to pass through this world one more time to destroy
it. And just as many do not believe
the first exodus and the first time of destruction and the flood. You remember Peter wrote in 2
Peter 3, how that scoffers and mockers reject the creation of
God as well as the flood. And they reject the story of
the exodus of the Lord smiting the land of Egypt. But the same
Lord has promised to pass through this world again to destroy not
just the firstborn, but all flesh, all flesh by fire. But the same Lord The very same
Lord has promised to save some the same way that he saved that
those Israelites in Egypt that day when he sees the blood. He's promised, promised that.
2 Peter 3, look at verses 9 and 10. The Lord is not slack concerning
his promise as some men count slackness. You see, they're saying,
where's the promise of his coming? Everything continues as it was.
Well, the Lord is not operating on man's timetable. And he's
long-suffering to us, we're talking about believers, the brethren,
the beloved, long-suffering to us. We're not willing that any
should perish, any of us, but that all should come to repentance. We've said before that When the
last elect of God is born upon this planet, and however long
he has for that elect to live, whether it's as an infant he
takes them or as an older person, when the last one is born and
the Lord either takes them or whatever, that's it. So, verse 9, and all of them are
going to come to repentance, but the day of the Lord, verse
10, will come as a thief. in the night, that is, unexpectedly,
in which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and
the elements shall melt with fervent heat. The earth also,
and the works that are therein, shall be burned up." Verse 14. Wherefore, beloved, seeing that
you look for such things, seeing that this is going to
happen, And you're looking for and hastening unto the coming
of the day of God. You're looking for a new heaven
and a new earth. Seeing that you look for such
thing, be diligent. That is, be serious about it. Seeking. Worshipping. Gathering. Like the children
of Israel did that night. See that you be diligent that
you may be found of God in peace without spot and blame. Be diligent, that you be found
of God in peace, without spot, and blameless. Now, so go back
to Exodus chapter 12 with me. Let's look at what it means to
be found of God in peace, without spot, and blameless. If you don't know already. Back
to Exodus 12. It's amazing how these go together.
Look at Exodus 12, let's just look at this briefly again, verses
1 and 2. The Lord spake unto Moses and
Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, now God spoke in time past unto
the fathers by the prophets. God did not speak to the people,
but God spoke through men and God spoke to Moses and Aaron,
who in turn spoke to the people. And that's the way he does now
so that here without a preacher well the Lord spake and he said
this month verse two this month shall be unto you the beginning
of months it shall be the first month of the year to you this
is the beginning to you it all starts over right now the Lord
said right now and not this that everything begins brand new old
things are going to pass away and all things are going to come
brand new right now. This is the first day of your
life. Right now, begins right now. Today is the day of salvation.
That's what the Lord is telling them. Today is the day of salvation
because God is going to reveal to them the Lamb. His salvation. And so he told
Moses and Aaron, you speak, verse three, unto all the congregation
of Israel. See, all Israel, all God's people
are going to hear this message through the preacher. They're
all going to hear the same message. And they're all going to hear
it. Speak unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, in the tenth
day of this month, they shall take to them every man, every
man. According to the house of their
fathers, a lamb for a house. Everyone has to have a lamb. Verse 4, if the household be
too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbor next unto
his house take it. According to the number of souls,
every man according to his eating shall make your count for the
lamb. We've got to count them all and everybody's going to
have a lamb. This lamb is their substitute. And if God is going to pass over
in mercy and salvation, every single person that he passes
over is going to have to have a lamb, a substitute. This holy
God, this righteous God, who is a consuming fire, the unknown God that our generation
doesn't know, the God who scripture says is angry with the wicked
every day. The God who will by no means
clear the guilty, Scripture says. The God who said, I kill and
I make alive. But the God who killeth is going
to pass through, just as he promised. And he's coming through here
again. He said he would. But he's also promised, as he
did back then. He's also promised that he will
pass over all whom he sees under the blood. When I see the blood,
the blood of a lamb, that's what this lamb is, a substitute, killed
in their stead, in their place. When he sees the blood over the
door and on the linen, he will pass over you. And therefore,
this God who's a consuming fire, this God who's angry and should
be angry with us, is at peace with everyone on the. So how
may we be found of God in. To be found of God in Christ
who made peace by the blood of his cross. That's how. So every
man, woman, boy and girl who will be saved. Listen to me now.
Everyone who will be saved must have a lamp. Everyone who will be saved must
have a substitute, but not just any lamb will do. Look at how
he describes the lamb. Verse five, your lamb, your substitute,
if you have one, it must be this way. Your lamb shall be without
blemish, or that is without spot. Your lamb shall be without spot,
without flaw, a male. Verse five, a male, a male, not
a female, a male of the first year, that is a yearling, it
is prime, and you shall take it, and also that means the firstborn
of a flock, you shall take it out from the sheep. So every
single person who is to be passed over by God, who is to be saved
by God, must have a lamb without spot, without blemish, a male,
Firstborn, chosen from among the sheep to be their substitute. Now, you know that the blood
of lambs and bulls and goats and turtledoves can't put away
one sin, don't you? The book of Hebrews says much
about that. Well, what is this lamb? Who
is this lamb? This lamb represents the Lord
Jesus Christ. Now, God hasn't changed. God
hasn't changed. Turn with me to Malachi chapter
3. This is what I'm trying to say. God has not changed. The
very last book in the Old Testament, the same God has made the same
promises, that is, to pass through and to smite this world and to
save. Same way. See, the same God has
one way, one truth, and one way to live, one life. In Malachi
3, most of you know this verse, but some don't. Malachi 3, verse
6, the Lord says, in the last book of the Old Testament, the
Lord says in verse 6, I am the Lord, I change not. Therefore
you sons of Jacob are not concerned. You see, Jacob have I loved,
but Esau have I hated. God chose a people, and they're
the sons of Jacob. That's Israel, that's who that
is. Jacob didn't deserve to be saved,
but God chose him. God loved him. Jacob loved God,
but not first. You sons of Jacob. So all you
sons of Jacob are not consumed. I'm the Lord. I change not. I
change not. You'll not be destroyed. Why?
Why won't they be consumed, sons of Jacob? Because look at chapter
4, verse 1. Behold, the day cometh. that
shall burn as an oven, and all the proud, yea, and all that
do wickedly shall be stubble, and the day that cometh shall
burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave
them neither root nor branch." The day is coming. God reveals
to all His chosen. Now turn with me to John chapter
1, the gospel of John chapter 1. Quickly turn there, please.
So God has a change, and God has promised, God has warned,
promises, the warnings of God haven't changed. Same Lord passed
through and smoked Egypt and the same Lord is passing through
this world to smite this world one more time. Not with water,
but with fire completely. But the same God will pass over
all who are under the blood, all who have a substitute. Same
Lord that passed through, same Lord tells all his elect the
same truth. You must have a lamb. He must
have a substitute. Because when I see the blood,
I'll pass over you. Every man should have a lamb.
Everybody needs a lamb. We still need a lamb. Do you
have one? Do you have a lamb? Look at John chapter 1. John
the Baptist was preaching one day. He was warning Everyone
to flee from the wrath to come. That's what he prayed. Flee from
the old generation of vipers, he said. John, on a good Sabbath
day morning, John stood up and told all that religious crowd,
he said, you generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from
the wrath to come? John was a true and faithful
prophet, wasn't he? The last of the Old Testament
prophets. And the message was the same, wasn't it? The same. Moses, God told Moses, Aaron,
same as God told Malachi, the same, who hath warned you to
flee from the wrath to come. So he stood preaching that, and
down in verse 29, one day he was preaching, verse 29, the
next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, Jesus of Nazareth coming
unto him. And he said, for all to hear,
and I believe he pointed, and he said, Behold, the Lamb of There he is. God's Lamb, which
taketh away the sin of the world. There is God's way of peace.
That's how you may have peace with God. Right there, that person.
That's the way to be found of God in peace, without spot, and
blameless, under the blood, because the Lord Jesus Christ is the
Lamb of God. He's the center substitute. He's
the guilty man's advocate. He's God's provided lamb to put
away sins of all of God's people, all the sins of all of God's
people by the sacrifice of himself on Calvary's tray. There he is.
You had one? Well, there he is. Look to him. Look to the lamb of God. Go back
to Exodus 12. Real story. I told you this was
a real story back in Exodus 12, and Christ did really come. He
really did come in the name of God. And he really was the sinner's
substitute. And he really was made sin for
his people. And God really will and really
has passed over in mercy and grace
and salvation all of his people that are under that blood by
faith. Real story. Back here in Exodus 12, Mindy
and I were talking about this after last week's communion table. These were real people. This
really happened. It's a real story. A good way
to really appreciate this is try to really enter into what
they must have been going through at this time. A real story, real
people. And they really did take a lamb,
a real lamb. Children saw this happen. And
they killed that lamb. All the congregation, it says,
took the lamb, each family. The elders did, that is. And
they all watched this happen. All the children watched the
elder kill that lamb, slit its throat, take that blood, put
that hyssop, and they put it on the door. Real death. It really happened. And then that night, they all
got in their houses together. And they closed the door. And
God really did pass through that night. He really did. They heard
the cries throughout Egypt. The whales. Death passed through. The Lord himself passed through.
They used to say the death angel passed through. No, no, the Lord.
He said, I killed. The Lord said, I will pass through.
And the Lord Jesus Christ is coming again. He is coming again.
He himself is coming again to smite and to save, to take his
people out. This was a real message from
Moses and Aaron to the people. It was a message of life and
death, wasn't it? That night when they preached this message,
was it, could it be taken lightly? When Moses and Aaron preached
that message that night, could it, was it a thing to be taken
or take it or leave it? I mean, really, was it? Could anyone
be indifferent to it? Could someone say, well, tomorrow,
you know, I'll give this more thought tomorrow? That really was the day of salvation.
Wasn't it? I mean, it really was. It was
a life and death message, wasn't it? You're either going to be
in the house under the blood and be spared, or you're going
to be smitten with Egyptians. And our Lord himself told us
not to boast of tomorrow. He said, Boast not thyself of
tomorrow. You know not what a day may bring
forth. Today, he said. Did he not really say today is
a day of salvation? Young people, this is not Sunday. But this is the message is being
preached now is that life or death thing. It really is. And the Lord is coming soon.
He is. He promised. The Lord's not slack
concerning his promise to some men. He's coming at a time when
you think not as a thief in a night. But he said, when I see the blood,
Not only will he have mercy upon. You take you. Go to meet the Lord in the air.
And so look at this this was a real message one is like a
man that really happened this really happened it helps it would
help us to really enter into the story that really did happen.
Living and true God. And this is a. The word the scripture
says is quick, that is, it's living, it's true. The word of
God, God does speak. We have this vessel, this treasure
in earthen vessels, but God really does speak powerfully. You must have a lamb. Well, the
Lord said in verse 8, he said, verses 8 through 10, he said,
eat the flesh that night. Here we are tonight, aren't we?
And we're talking about the very same thing, the very same one.
The sinner's lamb, Passover lamb, Christ's. Eat it that night,
right now. Eat, eat, eat, take, eat. Right now. Roast with fire, that represents
the wrath of God that Christ bore. Unleavened bread, that's
his sinlessness, but it's also, as Paul said, the unleavened
bread of sincerity and truth. And with bitter herbs, bitter
herbs, Christ tasted the bitterness
of sin and will taste the bitterness also in trials. They shall eat it. Christ said,
except you eat my flesh and drink my blood, you have no part in
me. Didn't he? What does it mean to eat the flesh of Christ and
drink his blood? He said, if you don't, you have
no part in me. We need to know, don't we? Verse 9, eat not of
it raw. That's Christ did not, it's not
an unfinished thing. Christ didn't leave it for you
to finish it. No, he said it's finished. Nor
sodden it all with water. And any water down in the gospel
don't do it. No, no. Roast with fire, his head with
his legs, complete, complete, finished. work of Christ with
the pertinence thereof, and ye shall let nothing remain, nothing
of it remain until the morning." No leftovers. There's no tomorrow. Whatever's left is going to be
burned up. No tomorrow. No tomorrow. It's an urgent message,
isn't it? The Lord didn't say what day
it was. Verse 11, so he says, Thus, so
that's how you shall eat it. Thus shall he eat it. You shall
eat it with your loins girded. When they were about to get up
and go somewhere and do something, when something was about to take
place, they all wore flowing robes. They would gird up their
loins, tie it up, get ready. Loins gird. Wrap yourself up
tight. You know, it's girted. Scripture
says we need to be girt with the truth. Your shoes on your
feet. But on your walking shoes, we're going walking, we're walking
out of here. Put your shoes on. Believe we're going. If there
is a tomorrow, we're going to have to walk by faith, aren't
we? We need shod with this gospel,
preparation of the gospel of peace and your staff in your
hand. Put your staff in your hand. A staff was to lean on
it, and that's it. It's a good thing to lean on when you limp
on your thigh. Like old Jacob. All of Jacob's,
all the sons of Jacob have a limp when the Lord touched them. Their
walks have been changed, and they lean on their staff. That's
this right here. It's thy rod and thy staff. They
comfort them. Staff in your hand. You have
it there, believer? Have a staff in your hand, put your shoes
on. Your lawn is girded. And you eat it in haste. That
means hurry. This can't wait. Eat it in haste. It is the Lord's Passover. It
is the Lord's Passover. It is. And it is now. And it
was. And he did. He really did. And He is coming again to judge
the earth, Scripture says, to smite, to take His people home.
And He said, just as He said to the children of Israel back
then, when I see the blood, all who are under the blood, all
who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, God's Lamb, will be saved. I love to think about this, how
that in those houses They were all different ages, male and
female, young and old. I started to say rich and poor,
none of them were rich, they were slaves. They were all poor
and needy. That's a good picture. But everyone
in those houses, they were old and young and male and female,
but they were all the same. They all had the same needs.
It would be under the blood. That night, all they needed was
one. There was nothing important. Nothing else. One thing they
did. And in that house, there was strong faith. Someone like
Moses. Moses was in his house with all
of his children, his wife and his children and so forth. Aaron,
who probably had strong faith, in his house with all his family,
wife and children. He had a man of strong faith
like Moses. He believed the Lord. That night
came that Moses stood there resolutely, steadfast, and sat there eating
quietly, confidently, with assurance. He knew the Lord. He trusted
the Lord. He believed the Lord. Doubted
not. He's persuaded. I think he had
full assurance that what God said, God was going to do. And
he was eating that and maybe he even had a smile on his face.
Sober, but smiling. Serious, but joyful. You know
what I mean? But then in that same house,
there may have been a young teenager who believed what her daddy or
her uncle or whoever Moses was to her, told him, her. Believed, she believed. Not very
strong. And she was afraid. And she kept
asking those. Dad or whoever. If you. Is God truly worse? You sure
it's not Now, what saved Moses? Or rather, who saved Moses? Was Moses' faith saving? Was Moses more saved than that
young girl? Moses was more at ease. Moses
had more comfort. Moses had less doubts and fears. Moses didn't worry as much. Moses had more peace and more
assurance. He wasn't more saved. They both had this one thing,
the Lord's promise in the blood of that lamb over their heads. And weak faith is saving faith,
the same as strong faith, because if it's in Christ, it's true
faith. And I see the blood. Now, look
down at verse 40 that we read. It said in verses 40 through
42, and I close. Now, the sojourning of the children
of Israel who dwelt in Egypt was 430 years, a long time. But it came to pass, just as
the Lord said. Where's the promise of his coming
all things have continued a long time and well it happened. One
hundred thirty years itself same day it came to pass. All the
host of the Lord went out. From the land of Egypt. Every
one of them. Every single one under the blood went out. Left
Egypt. Oh my. Our Lord Jesus Christ
shall someday present all of his people. All Israel shall
be saved. All the sons of Jacob shall be saved. All who trust
Christ shall be saved. All for whom Christ died shall
be saved. All whom God chose and gave to Christ shall be saved.
All whom God loves shall be saved. And in that day, the Lord Jesus
Christ will present them to the Father, saying, Behold, I and
the children which thou hast given me, those for whom I have
died, those for whom I shed my precious blood, they are all
here, present and accounted for. They all have a lamb and I'm
it. They all went out. And it is
a night, verse 42, it says, it is a night to be much observed
unto the Lord for bringing them out from the land of Egypt. This is the night of the Lord.
This is that night of the Lord, to be observed of all children
of Israel in their generation. And they did. We do. The Jews lost sight, didn't
they? Because not all Israel, not all
of Israel are national people, pardon me, but the children of
the promise are counted in the city. But all Israel, all spiritual
Israel will be saved, because they're all told who their Lamb
is. They all look to Him, and they're
all under His blood, by faith. And they'll all come out. And
they all eat. What does it mean to eat? I told
you we need to eat. Christ said, eat. And what do
you do when you eat something? Well, you've got to lay hold
on it. I mean, you've got to lay hold
on it. You take it. What shall I render
unto the Lord for all he's promised me? David said, I'll take the
cup. I'll take that. The preacher preaches the gospel
and says, here's crack. And a sinner who's hungry and
thirsty and needs him said, I'll take him. And he's not a real,
I mean, he's not a physical person to lay hold of. Here he is, but
not here. Someday we will actually touch
him and handle him like he, the disciples of old did. Remember
that? The Lord reappeared to them and
said, touch me, handle me. And so he ascended back to the
throne and where he sits now. right now, but we can't see,
but having whom haven't seen your love and you lay hold of
my thanks. I need this. Lay hold and you
eat. I'll take that. You swallow it. You ingest it. You say you don't just taste,
but you swallow it. You take it inside yourself.
When you hear this gospel of Christ and you say, I like that,
I want that, I want Him, I need Him, I'll take Him. Yes, I've
got to have Him. You lay hold on Him. Your loins
girded with the truth. This girdle of truth will bind
you. It will bind you up and you won't
spill out. You won't fall out. You won't
fall away bound and shod with the gospel. We've got to walk
by faith. I don't know how many more days
we'll have to walk. You need to number your days
upon this earth. But the just shall live by faith and walk
by faith. And we'll have to walk by faith, not by sight, but by
faith. How's that? Looking to Christ,
looking to his word, looking to his promises, looking to him,
looking, hastening unto his coming, believing that he is coming.
Walking by faith, not listening to the world, but listening to
him. Not looking at what you see around you. Looking under
Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, and run the race
before you. A lot of witnesses. Shot with
this gospel, and I'm here to tell you that these shoes won't
wear out. You can wear them many years, can't you? These gospel
shoes, they wear well, don't they? They become very comfortable
indeed. I don't like to go barefoot.
Do you? Maybe you do. If I'm in the sand, maybe. But
not around here, not getting work to do or anything anywhere
to go or any real walking. I want to choose. And this gospel
of Christ. Where's where? What will? Staff in your hand. We I lean
upon this don't you lean upon God's word don't you just lean
upon this and this rod our Lord is our shepherd and this is his
staff and it comforts me and it rains me back in like a shepherd's
staff it prods me to keep going it chases me. And it wards off my enemies.
Staff got it I need it lots of them out there and wolves out
there. And do it in haste, do it right now, right now. What? Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ,
right now. Right now. This is the Lord's message. And
I'll tell you what else the Lord said to do. This is what the
Lord Jesus Christ said to do. He said, you, everyone that believeth
and is baptized shall be saved. Baptism is just. A public is
that the way the Lord said to publicly confess him before all. Me. And the Lord said, do that,
you believe, do it. See, the children of Israel,
remember, they did exactly what Moses and Eric told them to do.
And they worship the Lord, and that's what they did. So he said,
you believe Christ said, believe. And be baptized. Confessment. If you don't, if you don't confess
me before me, I won't confess you before the Pope. And we've
got plenty of water. And Mary Parks cleaned out the
bad district. It's ready to go. It really is. You didn't do that.
You just decided to do that when we were cleaning the building,
didn't you? Huh? Maybe it needs to be used
again. And he that believeth and is baptized, the Lord said,
Be safe. What does that mean? I'm coming
through, and I'll pass over you in mercy and grace, and I'm going
to take you home with me when I come finally. He had his promise. He had his promise. So do it. Okay. Stand with me. Our God, our Father, thank you
so much for your word which liveth and abided forever," which is
a lie, which is new. Thy mercies, the story of thy
mercies, of thy gospel are new every morning. It's good news.
And there are some here who have laid hold of thee by faith, by
your grace, by your mercy, by your Holy Spirit, have laid hold
upon Christ by faith. You've revealed unto them the
Lamb, their Lamb, Christ the Lord, and they have by faith, laid hold of him, and
eaten his flesh, and drunk of his blood, and confessed him
in believer's baptism. Lord, we thank you for those.
And yet, brand new, fresh, they all, this night, lay hold again. The beginning of their conference,
again. To whom coming? We keep coming
to Christ again, and again, and again. Lord, we all need And so we ask that you would
keep us cleaving to thyself, dear Lord. And Lord, we ask that
for thy glory, the praise of the glory of thy grace, that
you would do this for someone else. And we'll give you all
the honor and glory. And it is in Christ's name that
we've met here tonight, Christ our Passover. Amen. I'm going to go ahead and do
that.