Exodus chapter 12. I want to read verses 1 and 2 of
Exodus chapter 12. And the Lord spake unto Moses
and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, This month shall be unto
you the beginning of months, it shall be the first month of
the year to you." I've entitled this message, When
Does Life Begin? When? Does life begin? This issue is a political football
between those who are opposed to abortion and those who support
abortion. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm
not preaching on abortion tonight, but I'm using this to introduce
this message. At what point does life begin? At what point does the fetus
become a person? Is a fetus a real person at the
point of conception? Does it become a person at the
time of viability when the baby can live separately from its
mother? The time for that is as early
as 19 weeks after conception. Or does it take place only after
the baby is born? When does that baby become a
person? And supposedly you can determine
whether or not it's right to abort a baby if you can determine
whether or not they are a person. Turn with me for a moment to
Jeremiah chapter 1. This passage of scripture answers
the question as to when one lives. Jeremiah chapter 1 verse 4. Then the word of the Lord came
unto me, saying, here's what the Lord said to Jeremiah, before
I formed thee in the belly, I knew thee. That answers that question. Jeremiah was a person before
God, before He was ever even formed in the belly. Now that
answers that question, as far as I'm concerned, conclusively.
I don't pretend to be able to intellectually grasp this, but
I have always been a person before God. There was never a time when
I was not a person before God. There was not a time when God
didn't know me, and now he does. That blows my mind. But how old
are you? I'm as old as the mind of God. There was never a time when he
began to know me. Now, my experience didn't begin
until September 9th, 1959. But as far as me being a person
before God, I've always been a person. You see, he didn't
know someone that would not be conceived. Jeremiah was a person
before God even then. OK, that's settled. When does spiritual life begin? When does spiritual life begin? Well, that says chapter 12, verses
1 and 2. God changed the calendar. I think this is very interesting. Verse 2, this month shall be
unto you the beginning of months. This is where time begins for
you. This is where your experience
begins. This month shall be the beginning
of months for you. It shall be the first month of
the year to you. Now, this is when God gives the
children of Israel instructions regarding the Passover. And we're
going to consider that in just a few moments. But the children
of Israel were made to change their calendar for this. And
that's a pretty significant event, isn't it, when the calendar is
actually changed. This month was formerly the seventh
month, roughly equivalent to our September, and it was changed
to the first month, our April. And God says this shall be the
beginning of months. I know this. Life begins with
the Passover. Life before God begins with the
Passover. Now this word beginning in verse
2, this month shall be unto you the beginning of months. It's
the Hebrew word that is pronounced Rosh. And I want to show you
what my Hebrew dictionary says about this word beginning. I
just want to read to you how the dictionary defined this word. Listen real carefully. It means
the head. The person. The chief. The beginning. The best. The highest. The supreme. The summit. The total. The sum. The commencement. The foremost. The principle. The headstone of the corner. It's also used to describe extreme
joy. It's called in Psalm 137, six,
the chief joy. It means the source. Where a
journey begins. The Zenith. Do you remember where
several times, particularly the book of Genesis, we read this
phrase, the lifting up of the head, it's the same word, the
lifting up of the head. It's actually the declaration
of innocence. This shall be the declaration
of innocence for you. This is the headstone. Now, the Passover is all of these
things to the believer. When does spiritual life begin
before God? Well, it has something to do
with the Passover. Now, this Passover shall be the
beginning of months to you. Pharaoh had seen the first nine
plagues already. He'd seen the water turn to blood.
He'd seen the frogs. He'd seen the lice. He'd seen
the swarms of flies. He'd seen the disease of the
livestock. He'd seen the boils. He'd seen the hail. He'd seen
the locusts. He'd seen the darkness. And oh,
the power of these mighty plagues that God sent upon the land.
And the Scripture says Pharaoh still heartened his heart. Now, if you want to know just
how hard your heart can be, if you want to know how bad your
heart is, look at Pharaoh's. All God has to do is withdraw
his hand from you and you and I will not be any different.
But God hardened Pharaoh's heart. Now, let's pick up reading in
chapter 10, verse 27, Exodus chapter 10, verse 27. But the
Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart and he would not let them go.
And Pharaoh said unto him, Get thee from me, take heed to thyself,
see my face no more. For in that day thou seest my
face, thou shalt die. And Moses said, Thou hast spoken
well, I'll see thy face again no more. Pharaoh was going to
be killed and Moses knew it. And he knew he would never see
his face again. He says, Pharaoh, you told the
truth. Chapter 11, verse 1, And the
Lord said unto Moses, Yet will I bring one plague more upon
Pharaoh and upon Egypt, and afterwards he'll let you go hence. When
he shall let you go, he shall surely thrust you out. He is
altogether. Speak now in the ears of the
people and let every man borrow of his neighbor and every woman
of her neighbor jewels of silver and jewels of gold. And the Lord
gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. The Lord
is in control of everybody. Moreover, the man Moses was very
great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh's servants
and in the sight of the people. And Moses said, Thus saith the
Lord, About midnight will I go out into the midst of Egypt,
and all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from
the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat upon his throne, even unto
the firstborn of the maidservant that is behind the mill, and
all the firstborn of the beasts. And there shall be a great cry
throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there was none like it,
nor shall be like it any more. But against any of the children
of Israel shall not a dog move his tongue. against man or beast,
that ye may know how that the Lord doth put a difference between
the Egyptians and Israel. And all these thy servants shall
come down unto me, and bow down themselves unto me, saying, Get
thee out, and all the people that follow thee. And after that
I will go out. And he went out from Pharaoh
in a great anger. And the Lord said unto Moses,
Pharaoh shall not hearken unto you, that my wonders may be multiplied
in the land of Egypt. And Moses and Aaron did all these
wonders before Pharaoh, And the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart
so that he would not let the children of Israel go. Now look
down in chapter 12, verse 11. This is the first time the word
Passover is used. And the word Passover means an
exemption. I'm interested in an exemption,
aren't you? I want an exemption. Now look in verse 11. And thus
say ye, Pete speaking of the Paschal Lamb. With your loins
girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand,
you shall eat it in haste, for it is the Lord's Passover." It's
the Lord's exemption. God says, "...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." Pure, impartial
justice is being done. I am the Lord, and the blood
shall be to you for a token upon the houses where you 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, go back
up to verse 3. He says, Speak unto all the congregation
of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall
take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their
fathers, a lamb for a house. And 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 the souls. Every man according
to his eating shall make your count for the lamb. Your lamb
shall be without blemish. A male of the first year And
you should take it out from the sheep or from the goats. Now,
what this is a reference to is the sinlessness of the Lord Jesus
Christ. I love to think about his life.
He never sinned. He never thought an evil thought.
He never had a covetous desire. He never in his heart lusted
He did always those things that pleased the Father. He truly
was without blemish. He never sinned. Now, when I think about that,
I don't even know what to think. Because I can't imagine it. Can
you imagine not sinning? Can you imagine being absolutely
pure and perfect before God? He was. He is. He is the sinless Lamb
of God without blemish and without spot. Verse 6, And ye shall keep
it into the fourteenth day of the same month, and the whole
assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the
evening. What were they to do with the
Lamb, the sinless Lamb, without blemish and without spot? They
were to kill it. The life of Christ alone, as
precious and perfect as it is, could not save anybody. Now you think about that. The
perfect life of Jesus Christ the Lord alone could not save
anybody. His life alone could not save
you. What did they have to do? They
had to. Kill it. He had to die as the substitute. The sins of his people became
his, and that's why he died. You were to kill the lamb. Now
look in verse 7. And they shall take of the blood
and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door posts
of the house wherein they shall eat it. They were to take the
blood of that lamb and strike it upon the door posts of the
house And then in verses 8 through 11, we're given the instructions
regarding eating that lamb. And we're going to consider that
more next week, Lord willing. But what did God say? Pick back
up in verse 11, after that blood was struck on the door. Verse
12, God says, 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'll execute
judgment. I am the Lord, and the blood
shall be to you. for a token assigned upon the
houses where ye are, and when I see the blood, I will pass
over you." Now, what is the one thing God was looking for? I'm so thankful for what he didn't
say. He didn't say, when I see your faith. He didn't say, when
I see your doctrinal understanding. He didn't say when I see your
knowledge. He didn't say when I see your motives. He didn't
say when I see your sincerity. He didn't mention anything about
us, did he? What's the one thing God was looking for? He said,
when I see the blood, I will pass over you. Was the blood over everybody's
door or just the Israelites? You know the answer to that question.
It was just over the door of the Israelites. Now, who had
to see this blood? Who had to see it? You know those folks in the house?
I'm not real sure they could see it at all. I don't see how
they could have. They were in the house. They
couldn't see. Who had to see the blood? God said, when I see
the blood, I will pass over you. You see, the blood is not for
you. It was not shed for you. It was shed for God. For God to do something for me,
He first had to do something for Himself. His law had to be
honored. Sin had to be punished. He couldn't
touch me with a ten-foot pole until He first did something
for Himself. The blood was shed He said, when I see the blood,
I will pass over you. The sins of God's elect became
Christ and he was punished in their stead. Now, what does God
do when he sees the blood? I love this. He said, when I
see the blood. I will. Pass over you. But were there any Israelites
that were so wicked. I mean, they were more evil than
other Israelites. They were just so wicked and
they were so worthless and they were so, I mean, deserving of
damnation. Were there any Israelites that
were just so bad that when God passed through, even though they
were in the houses with the blood, God said, well, I'm going to
smite them anyway. I can't let them get by. Did that happen
one time? You can be sure it didn't. Wherever God saw blood,
He passed by in mercy. You can imagine some people in
those houses. There were some people, I don't
have any doubt, that didn't have any doubt. They were safe. They were secure. They knew it.
They weren't worried about a thing. They knew when God passed by.
They weren't sweating. They knew, I'm secure. I'm safe.
God promised. He's going to pass by. I believe
God. I have no doubt that I'm secure. I'm sure there were people
like that. And I'm sure there were other people who were scared
to death. They were in the house trembling
in fear, perhaps fear that they might be smitten anyway. They
were scared to death. They didn't have the same assurance
that those other people had. They were trembling in fear.
My question, was the fellow who had full assurance any more secure
than the fellow who was trembling in fear? The answer to that question is,
no, he wasn't. Because the security was in the
blood. It wasn't in his assurance. What about that person who was
trembling in fear and scared to death? Were they any less
secure than the person who had all that security? No, because
the security was in the blood. When I see the blood, I will
pass over you. Now, life before God begins with
the Passover lamb, and life cannot even be considered. independent
from the Passover, the Lamb. When does somebody live? When
does somebody have life before God so God sees them as living
before Him, as a person before Him that is loved and that is
accepted, that He has a relationship with? And if you live before
God, God has a relationship with you. He knows you. He knows your person. He calls
you His friend. He calls you His child. Now,
when does this life that we're speaking of, spiritual life before
God, and what a glorious thing it is, when does life begin before
God? Well, God is eternal. There is no yesterday with Him,
and there is no tomorrow with Him. Everything is in the present
with Him. Now my life before God, and I
have life before God. My life did not begin on September
9th, 1959. Nor did my life begin when I
first believed the gospel. Remember what God said to Jeremiah
before I formed thee in the belly. I knew thee. He said in Jeremiah 31 verse
3, Behold, I have loved thee. with an everlasting love. There was never a time when God
began to love me. I've always been known by God. There was not a time when God
didn't know me. There was not a time when I was
not a person before God. There was not a time in the mind
of God when I didn't have life before Him. I've always lived
before Him. God knew me Before any of that,
turn with me to Psalm 139. I want to look at a couple of
scriptures. Psalm 139. Verse one, Oh, Lord. Thou has
searched me and known me. Look in verse 14. I know this
is talking about the Lord Jesus, but David's talking about himself,
too. He says, I will praise thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully
made, marvelous at thy works, and that my soul knoweth right
well. My substance was not hid from thee when I was made in
secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect, and in thy
book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned
with as yet there were none of them. My name was already written
down, my members were already fashioned, I was before I ever
was. I had this existence, I had this
life before God. 2 Timothy 1.9 says He saved us. And He called us with a holy
calling, not according to our works, but according to His own
purpose and grace which were given us. We were not sinned. They were given us in Christ
Jesus before the world began. Now that's how long I've lived
before God. Ephesians 1, 4 says, according as he has chosen us
in him before the foundation of the world, that we should
be holy and without blame before him. Now, five times in the book
of Revelation, we read of the book of life. I like that name,
the book of life. Remember, we're talking about
living before God. When did I live before God? We
read of the book of life. Everybody who lives before God,
their names are written in the book of life. Now, turn to Revelation
chapter 13. Verse 8. And all that dwell upon the earth
shall worship Him, talking about the false prophet and the beast,
all that dwell upon the earth shall worship Him, whose names
are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the
foundation of the world. Now, how old is Jesus Christ? That's how old I am. How long has he been slain? How
long has he been the Paschal Passover Lamb? We read that scripture, however
long that is, that's how long I've had life before God. My life is in the Lamb slain
from the foundation of the world. That's when life began. Now,
that's impossible to grasp. I realize that. It's impossible
to grasp. I believe it. Understand it, not even close.
But I believe this with all my heart, and I rejoice in it. I'm
not ashamed of it. I love this. I've always lived
before God in the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
But if that's all I say, I have failed to give a scriptural representation
of when life begins. If I just stopped right there
and closed the book and said, that's when life begins, and
I just stopped and didn't go on with when life begins, I would
be preaching ever. You see, a half of the truth
is error. And if that's all I said, I'm
in trouble. I've not told the truth. So let's
go on. When do I live before God? When is there life before
God? Well, turn to Ephesians chapter 2. Ephesians chapter
2, verse 4. But God, who is rich in mercy
for his great wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in
sins, hath quickened us." That means given us life. He has birthed us. He has given
us life together with Christ. Now, when did I live before God? The Lord Jesus died. They put Him in that tomb. And
there he lays, dead in a doornail. Dead. Whatever dead he is, he
was that. Three days later, after he suffered
all the wrath of God and bore all the equivalents of hell as
the sin-bearing substitute, he died. And three days later, I
love thinking about this, all of a sudden his eyes opened.
There he is in that tomb, his eyes opened. He gets up. He lived
before God. He was raised from the dead.
He lived before God. You know when I lived before
God? when the lamb slain was raised from the dead. When Jesus
Christ lived before God, God said, Todd Kniper lives before
me. So real, so vital is this union
with Jesus Christ. When he was raised from the dead,
when he lived before God, every single one of his people lived
before God. The hour is coming and now is
when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and
they that hear shall live. I live before God. But look up in Ephesians 2, verse
1. Now, I lived before God when
Christ was raised from the dead, when the Lamb slain. You see
the connection between life? I was in the Lamb slain from
the foundation of the world. I lived when the Lamb slain was
raised from the dead. But look at Ephesians 2, verse
1. And you have he quickened, has
he given life to, who were dead in trespasses and sins. We were
dead in trespasses and sins, and then we were quickened. We
were given life, spiritual life. I was raised from the dead. When?
When I heard the gospel of the Paschal Lamb and believed. and
not before then. When does a man live before God?
When does a man have true spiritual life before God? When he hears,
I mean hears with hearing ears, the ears that God gives, when
he hears with hearing ears of the accomplishments of the Paschal
Lamb, when that man actually trusts the Lord Jesus Christ
as the Lamb of God and really believes that when God sees the
blood, I'm passed over. Do you believe Do you have faith
in the blood of Christ? Do you really believe His blood
satisfied God and you can rest in who He is and what He did? Do you believe? Then you pass
from death to life. That's the evidence of life. It's so simple. If you believe
the gospel, you live before God. You have spiritual life. God
sees you and He smells that sweet smelling savor of life. You don't live before you trust
the person and work of Christ. Your Passover is your salvation.
That's when you live, when you actually do that. When does life
begin? Now turn to Mark chapter 9. When does life begin? I know you won't disagree with
me when I say this. Your life. Let's talk about your
life right here. Ain't that much to it, is there?
I mean, as far as your life, it's just not. Would you even
really call this life? This is a place of sin. This
is a place of sorrow. This is a place of weakness. This is a place of sickness.
This is a place of disappointment. This is a place of heartache.
This is a place of disillusionment. This is a place of trouble. Now
that is a true and accurate description of this life. Do you call this
life? And look what our Lord says in
Mark chapter 9 verse 43. And if thy hand offend thee,
cut it off. It's better for thee to enter
into life. This isn't life, not yet. It's
in life. What this existence we have,
this is not life. He talks about the time when
we will enter into life. It's better to enter into life
maimed than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire
that never can be quenched, where the worm dies not and the fire
is not quenched. And if thy foot offend thee,
cut it off. It's better for thee to enter, halt, into life than
having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that's never
quenched. Life begins in heaven, that place where there is no
sin. That place where there is no
death. That place where there is no
trouble. That's life. There's no way I
can describe what life is. But life is. And it ain't yet. It's coming afterwards. Let's
turn to Revelation chapter 5 for just a moment. There is a song, sung, that all
who are in life sing. And truly, this is the song that
never ends. I remember Aubrey used to sing
this, she'd, this is the song that never ends, and she'd just
go on and on with it, and Glenn, I'd slap her, he'd go, shut up,
I mean, driving her crazy. And she'd just keep going on
and on, going, she's driving us crazy. Well, here's the true
song That never ends. It goes like this. Revelation
chapter 5. Verse 12. Verse 11, And I beheld, and I
heard the voice of many angels round about the throne, and the
beasts, and the elders, and the number of them was ten thousand
times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands sang with a loud
voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain, to receive power,
and honor, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing.
That's the song that never ends. made up of 10,000 times 10,000
and thousands of thousands. And they're singing this hymn
right now. Same hymn you and I are singing
down here. Worthy is the land that was slain. Now the only
hope you have is the land that was slain, isn't it? And he is a sufficient hope.
I mean, you glory in this hope. You rejoice in this hope right
now. This is your hope. And you sing in your heart, worthy,
oh, how worthy. is the lamb that was slain, that's
precisely the same song they're singing there. And it's the song
that goes throughout eternity. The song, truly, that never ends. Now, when does life begin? Well, life begins in the lamb
slain before the foundation of the world, doesn't it? That's
when life begins. When your name's written in the
book of life. of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
When does life begin? When the Lamb was slain and was
raised from the dead. That's when my life before God
began. When does life begin? When we trust the Lamb that was
slain and not a second before then. Life comes when we trust
the Lamb that was slain. And this is one of those things
that you just believe. You don't understand. Life's got to come before faith,
doesn't it? I mean, you can't believe until you have life. You know that. I mean, that's
the product of spiritual life. Logically, life's got to come
before faith. But chronologically, they come
at the precise same time. You live when you believe. And you don't live until you
believe. My life before God came when
I trusted the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. And life begins when we sing
the song of the Lamb slain. That's the song we sing in glory. Truly, this is the beginning
of months to us. The Lamb slain. from the foundation
of the world. Let's pray together. Lord, accept our thanksgiving
through the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. But
from the very depths of our heart, we thank you And we praise You
for giving Your Son as our Paschal Lamb. How we thank You for His
precious blood that causes You to pass us by in mercy. How we
thank You for His precious blood that makes us perfectly pure,
holy, and clean before You. Accept our thanksgiving and our
praise, Lord. We realize our thanksgiving and
praise is weak compared to what it ought to be. But, Lord, we
ask that you accept it in the Lamb's flame. God bless you,
Son. Bless this message for His sake
and for His glory. In His name we pray. Amen.