Turn back to Exodus chapter 12. Exodus chapter
12. I titled this message, Who May
Eat the Passover and Who May Not Eat the Passover. The Passover was not for everyone,
as I just read to you out of these few verses here in Exodus
12. And I want us to look at this
here for a little bit. In this chapter, we have been
given the Passover. God directed Moses concerning
this ordinance. It was the beginning of their
year. They were to keep it at the beginning of their year. They were to choose a lamb, and
it was to be a spotless lamb. God directed everything about
the Passover. He gave directions concerning
everything about it. Nothing was left up to Moses
to add to or take away. God gave everything. He told
them to pick a lamb. The lamb had to be young. It
had to be without blemish. They were to keep it up 14 days.
Four days they were to observe it. And then they were to kill
the lamb. They were told how to prepare
it, how to eat it, what to do with the blood. Put it on the
two side posts and over the top of the door. They were given
instructions concerning everything about this. The unleavened bread,
as we looked at last Sunday. Now, in verse 43 through 51,
the instructions from God is given
on who may eat and who may not eat the Passover. As I said,
it was not for everyone. just like the death of our Lord. We know. We know by the Word
of God that Jesus Christ did not die to save every son of
Adam without any exception. We know that. I heard someone
say a long time ago, and I've never forgotten it, in order
to be able to claim a promise, to really, you know, you read
a promise of God and to be able to apply that to yourself, you
must fit the description of the person described in the promise.
Who does it say that the Lord Jesus Christ died for? In Romans it says he died for
the ungodly. Does that fit me? I'm not saying
doctrinally, do I believe that doctrinally? Do I believe that
we are totally depraved doctrinally? I do. But do I know that by experience? Is that my experience? That I
know that in myself, in this flesh, dwells no good thing? Do I know that by experience?
Paul said, oh wretched man that I am. Not that I was, that I am. Do I know that? Do I know that
by experience or is that just something I hold on to because
that's what Calvinists believe? There's a real difference there.
There's a real difference. It's the difference between regeneration
and being unregenerate. There's a real difference. Let
me show you a few scriptures. Turn over to John chapter 10
before we get into this. Over here in John chapter 10. He says in John chapter 10 verse
14, I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and have known
of mine. As the Father knoweth me, even
so know I the Father. I lay down my life for the sheep. There are no sheep in hell. There are no sheep there. It's full of goats, but no sheep. He said, I lay down my life for
the sheep, and other sheep I have which are not of this fold, them
also I must bring. They cannot perish. I must bring
them. They shall hear my voice, and there shall be one fold and
one shepherd. He says in John 17, he says, I pray for them. I pray
not for the world, but I pray for them which thou hast given
me. For thine they were, and thou gavest them to me." That's
who I'm praying for. He says over in Galatians chapter
2, Paul says this over in Galatians chapter 2, look in verse 20, I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless
I live. Yet not I, but Christ liveth
in me, and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the
faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for
me." There is no one in hell under God's torment that
was loved by Christ. Christ gave himself for them
and they ended up perishing anyway. Who loved me and gave himself
for me. Our Lord has a particular people.
Our Lord died to save a multitude of sinners that no man could
number. He knows who every one of them
are. He knows where they are. And
He'll call them. And they'll hear his voice, and
they will come, and they will eat the Passover. They will eat
the Passover. Now, let's look here. In verse
43, in this verse, let me get back over here to Exodus chapter
12. In this verse, we see that there
can be no communion with God where there is no union with
the Lord Jesus Christ. It says here, and the Lord said
unto Moses and Aaron, this is the ordinance of the Passover,
there shall no stranger eat thereof. Now the word stranger, this is
interesting because the word stranger here in verse 43, no
stranger shall eat of the Passover. But then you go down to verse
48, and when a stranger shall sojourn with thee and will keep
the Passover to the Lord. Those are two different meanings.
Two different meanings. I want you to turn over to Genesis
chapter 42. I'll show you the meaning of
this one in verse 43. Genesis 42. Let me see here. Let me find it.
Verse 7, And Joseph saw his brethren, and he knew them, but made himself
strange unto them. And he spake roughly unto them,
and he said unto them, Whence come ye? And they said, From
the land of Canaan, to buy food. But he made himself strange,
strange unto them. He pretended Joseph pretended
to be someone he wasn't. Now, if you go to the New Testament,
the word that fits that word, stranger, here, means hypocrite. It means hypocrite. One playing
a part. That's what it means. One who
plays a part. He's a hypocrite. As I told you
last Sunday, he's an actor. Joseph was acting in front of
his brother. He was playing like he was strange. He knew them, but he didn't let
them know him at that time. And he was playing like he was
playing a part. And like I said, over in the
New Testament, the word for that is hypocrite. That's what that
is. No hypocrite. That's what he's
saying. No hypocrite shall eat of the
Passover. No unregenerate, no pretender,
no poser shall eat of the Passover. Here the stranger in verse 43
is one who wants the benefits, but he does not want to be saved
from sin. That's what a hypocrite is. A
hypocrite wants to go to heaven, of course. What's the alternative? He wants to go there, he wants
the benefits, but he doesn't want Christ. He doesn't want
that lamb. He has no interest in that Passover
lamb. He has no interest in the blood. He has no interest in
the Lord's righteousness. He has no interest in Him. He
just has an interest in what he can get from Him, you know,
the benefits. That's that stranger that's not allowed to eat. He's
not allowed to eat. And this is one of the four times
given in these verses forbidden to eat. Now, let's look at the
next one. I think it's in verse 45. It
says here, A foreigner and a higher servant shall not eat thereof.
They are not allowed to eat the Passover. A foreigner is what? He is not a citizen of the country. He has no connection to that
country. His citizenship belongs to another
country. He's not an Israelite. He has
no interest in being an Israelite. He's a foreigner. He's a visitor.
That's all he is. He's just a foreigner. He lives
in the country, but he's not a citizen. Then here's the third one, that
shall not eat. A hired servant. One who comes in for a while,
you say, I've got a job here for you. And he says, OK, I'll
be here for eight hours. And after that, I receive my
wages and leave. A hireling, a hireling shall
not eat of this. A hireling is not allowed to
eat of the Passover. And what this one represents,
and we've got to see the spiritual application of this or we're
just missing it. You know, we're not looking at a history Listen
here, this is a spiritual application that we have to make here. This
hired servant is one who pursues salvation by works, by doing,
like the Pharisees. Paul was one at one time. He
thought God was pleased with him. The Pharisees, whom the
Lord said, you're of your father the devil, they said, we are
Abraham's seed. We have Abrahamed our father.
They thought by what they did, by their doing, by their work,
that God accepted them, that God was pleased with them. That
is a hired servant. He's in it for the wages. He's
in it for what he can get out of it. He's not in it because
he loves God. Not there because he loves the
Lord. He's there because of what he's going to get out of it for
being a good boy. That's what he's in it for. And then it says here, no uncircumcised
person. There in verse 48, it says down
at the latter part of that. For no uncircumcised person shall
eat thereof. We have no stranger, no hypocrite,
no pretender, no actor shall be allowed to eat thereof. No
foreigner, no foreigner, allowed to eat it. Someone who's just
there on vacation. Someone just visiting. Someone
whose citizenship is from somewhere else. This foreigner never joins
up with them. No hired servant. And no uncircumcised
person. In the word of God, the spiritual
application of circumcision is what God does in us. Turn over to Romans chapter 2. It's what God does in us. That's
what circumcision represents. Now listen to this. In Romans
chapter 2 and verse 28. For he is not a Jew, he is not
an Israelite, a true Israelite, which is one outwardly, neither
is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh. Here it
is, now verse 29, he is a Jew, he is an Israelite, he is a true
elect of God, which is, it says he's a Jew which is one inwardly,
and circumcision is what? That of the heart. You see, it
represents what God does in us. And he's saying here that no
unregenerate person shall eat the Passover. No unregenerate person. You know,
like when we take the Lord's, and this sheds some light on
the Lord's table. This really sheds some light on the Lord's
table, on who may eat and who may not. Unbelievers are not
to eat of it. Unbelievers are not to partake
of it. It's for those who believe. It's
for those who've been born of God. You see, this circumcision
is of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter, whose
praise is not of men, but of God. Turn over to Philippians
chapter 3. Paul gives us this in Philippians
3. He says here, let me read verse
1. Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same
things to you, to me indeed, is not grievous, but for you
it is safe. Beware of dogs, beware of evil
workers, beware of the concision, for we are the circumcision.
We are the elect of God. which worship God in the Spirit
and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and we have absolutely zero confidence
in this flesh." They said, we'd be Abraham's seed. That's what they had confidence
in. That's what Paul had confidence in at one time. He said, we have
no confidence in this flesh. But we are the circumcision which
worship God and spiritually rejoice in Christ Jesus. We're the true
Israel of God. All who believe. All who believe. These may not eat the Passover. They are unregenerate. They are
unregenerate. Okay, now who may eat? That's
what I want to know. That's what, Lord, can I eat of your flesh and drink
of your blood? Is it for me? Is it for me? Can I crawl up to the table?
Can I crawl up to your table and partake of you? First of all, back over here,
Exodus 12. In verse 47, here are the ones
that may eat the Passover. All the congregation of Israel
shall keep it. All of God's elect, all the true
Israel of God, not only may eat it, you are commanded to eat You may partake of it. And then look in verse 44. But every man's servant that
is bought for money, can't you just see it? You're bought with
a price. You're not your own. This is
the bond slave. This is the one owned by the
master. This is not a hireling. This
guy didn't show up and work for eight hours and then leave. This
one is not going to leave. This is the bondservant. This
is the bondslave. This one the master owns. Paul said over a Corinthians,
you are bought with a price. You are not your own. You may
eat. You may eat the Passover. You
may come to Christ. You may eat His flesh and drink
His blood by faith. It's for you. It is for you. It's for all the congregation
of Israel. It is for the servant that is
bought for money. He's bought for money, it says
there. He's been redeemed. And listen,
it doesn't stop there. For money, when thou hast circumcised
him, he's been redeemed and he's been born again, regenerated. See, I've read that to you, what
circumcision means. It's the work of God within us. You've been bought with a price,
born of God. You believe God? Do you believe
God? You have a right to eat the Passover. You have a right to feast on
the Lord Jesus Christ and all the benefits, the blood, His
righteousness. He's made unto us wisdom, righteousness,
sanctification, and redemption. You have a right to all of that.
You have a right to it. We have been bought with a price,
and the price is the blood of the Lamb. And to everyone that's
been circumcised in the And that is everyone, listen, that's everyone
here that worships God in spirit and in truth. You're not a pretender. You're not a hypocrite. You've
really experienced what you read in this book. You've really experienced
regeneration. You've really experienced, listen,
you've really experienced total depravity. You didn't just read
about it. And you say, you know, that makes
sense. It is what the Bible says. No, it goes deeper than that.
You know, but for the grace of God, there go I. You know it. You know it. And you worship
God in spirit and in truth and you have absolutely no confidence,
zero confidence in this flesh. Well, my daddy was this and so
what? You don't even say that. You don't even say that. You know that you're saved by
grace and by grace alone. And then in verse 48, a stranger. A stranger. Two different strangers
spoken of here. Two different strangers. One
that was an outsider. But did you notice the difference?
You see up here in verse 43, and the Lord said to Moses and
Aaron, this is the ordinance of the Passover. There shall
no stranger eat thereof. But down here in verse 48, and
when a stranger shall sojourn with thee, he joins up with thee. Now listen, here's the key. And
will keep. He desires the Passover. This stranger desires to eat
the Passover. This stranger desires to join
up with God's people. This stranger wants to join up
with God's people. Your people are my people. Your
God is my God. Now that's a different stranger.
That's a stranger that I read to you over here in Ephesians
chapter 2. Now listen, it says in verse
11, I mean, 12, that at that time you were without Christ,
aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, strangers from the
covenants of promise. That's our ancestry. That is our ancestry. The Gentiles were strangers.
They were aliens from the commonwealth of Israel. They were strangers
from the covenants of promise, having no hope without God in
the world. For the most part, the Gentile
world perished. But now, verse 13, in Christ
Jesus, ye who sometimes were far off, ye were strangers, are
made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who hath
made both one, and broken down the middle wall of partition
between us. There is no difference now between a Jew and a Gentile
that believes, having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even
the law of commandments contained in ordinances. For to make in
himself a twain one new man, in Christ we are one. We are
not two different races, two different people, we are one.
So make him peace, that he might reconcile both unto God in one
body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby. And it came
and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that
were nigh. For through him we both have access by one Spirit
unto the Father. Now therefore ye are no more
strangers and foreigners." Not anymore. Not anymore. You're fellow citizens with the
saints and of the household of God. You see, the foreigner spoken
of over here was one that was not a citizen. But over here,
one whom God has made a citizen. Through the Lord Jesus Christ.
In Him. In Him we are no more strangers
and foreigners. Oh my, that's so rich. But here in verse 48,
the stranger is one who desires to keep the Passover, desires
to keep it, willing to submit to circumcision. He's one who
worships God in spirit and truth. He's regenerated. He's born of
God. This stranger desires to be where the lamb is. He desires
to be in the house where the lamb is. This stranger does. This stranger believes the gospel
message and he receives and he feeds upon Christ by faith. This stranger may eat. This one
may eat. And look, I'll wind this down. Verse 49. There's one law, one
law shall be to him that is home born and unto the stranger that
sojourns among you. Now turn over to Galatians chapter
1. And Paul says here in verse 6,
I marvel, in Galatians 1 verse 6, I marvel that ye are so soon
removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ
unto another gospel, which is not another, but there be some
that trouble you and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though
we or an angel from heaven preach any other gospel unto you than
that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. There
is only one gospel. There's only one gospel for the
African, the American, the Chinese. You can go throughout the world,
no matter what culture, no matter what language. The language of
the gospel never changes. The message never changes. It
fits every race. One law, one gospel. shall be to him that is home
born and to the stranger that sojourns among you. And thus did all the children
of Israel, here's a mark of God's elect, here's a mark of God's
sheep, thus did all the children of Israel as the Lord commanded
Moses and Aaron. Obedience. Obedience. And it came to pass the same
day that the Lord did bring the children of Israel out of the
land of Egypt by their armies, marching out with their head
up, not running out afraid Pharaoh's going to change his mind. All
in a row, all in line, marching right out of that city with the
Lord of Hosts as their captain. But we have in those few verses
Those who may eat the Passover, those who may partake of the
Lord's table, and those who may not eat. Those who are born of God, take
it. Eat it. Those who are not, He said you
can't eat it. He said it's not for you. It's
for God's Israel. It's for those who believe on
the Lord Jesus Christ.