Would you turn with me to Exodus
chapter 12? I'd like to begin reading in
verse 43. And before I read this passage
of Scripture. The Lord is telling. Who was allowed? And who was
not allowed? to eat the Passover meal. Verse 43, And the Lord said unto Moses
and Aaron, This is the ordinance of the Passover. There shall no stranger eat thereof. But every manservant that is
bought for money, when thou hast circumcised him, then shall he
eat thereof. A foreigner and a hired servant
shall not eat thereof. In one house shall it be Thou
shalt not carry forth aught of the flesh abroad out of the house,
neither shalt ye break a bone thereof. All the congregation
of Israel shall keep it. And when a stranger shall sojourn
with thee, and will keep the Passover to the Lord, let all
his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep
it. And he shall be as one that is born in the land. For no uncircumcised
person shall eat thereof, one law shall be to him that is homeborn,
and unto the stranger that sojourneth among you. Thus did all the children
of Israel, as the Lord commanded Moses and Aaron, so did they. And it came to pass the selfsame
day that the Lord did bring the children of Israel out of the
land of Egypt by their armies." I have entitled this message
May I believe? May I believe what? May I, do I have the right to
believe that Jesus Christ the Lord died for me? Can I really believe May I really
believe? Am I permitted to believe that
the Lord Jesus Christ died for me? Now, here's why I ask that
question. In our text that I just read,
there were some people who were strictly forbidden to eat the
Passover supper. And there were some people who
were commanded to eat the Passover supper. Now, my question is,
which group am I in? Which crowd am I in? Am I allowed
to eat of the Passover? Now, the Passover, eating the
Passover represents faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Wherever
the blood was shed, there were people in the homes eating the
Passover. Eating the Passover represents
faith in Christ. Am I permitted to believe that
he died for me? Now, there are a couple more
introductory comments in order. May I believe that Christ died
for me? You know, to the average person, that's a mute point.
Because most people believe that he died for everybody. If he
died for everybody, of course he died for me. But. Does the Bible teach that
he died for all men without exception? Does the Bible teach that? Now,
I want to answer that question from the scriptures. Turn with
me for a moment to John 10. You just hold your finger there
in Exodus 12 and turn to John 10 for a moment. Verse 14, I am the good shepherd, our Lord
says, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. As the Father
knoweth me, even so know I the Father. I lay down my life for
the sheep. Now, I've got a question for
you. Is everybody a sheep? Let's answer that from the scriptures.
Look in verse 24 of this same chapter. Then came the Jews,
ran about him, and said unto him, How long dost thou make
us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly. Jesus answered
them, I told you, and you believe not. The works that I do in my
Father's name, they bear witness of me, but you believe not, because
you are not of my sheep, as I said unto you. If words mean anything
and they do, not everybody is a sheep. The Lord says to these
people, you're not my sheep. How much plainer can it get?
Look in John 17. You remember when our Lord was
hanging on the cross. His first words, there's seven
different sayings by the Lord on the cross. His first words
were, Father, forgive them. They know not what they do. Now, when he prayed for that
prayer, was there anybody that he prayed for when he said, Father,
forgive them, that the Father didn't forgive? Did the Father say no for any
of those people? Look in John chapter 17, verse
9. I pray for them. I pray not for
the world, but for them which thou hast given me, for they
are thine. Did Jesus Christ die for those
that he refused to pray for, that the Father did not give
him? You know better than that. Look at Ephesians chapter 5. Verse 25. Husbands. Love your wives, even
as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it. Now
is everybody in the church? Obviously not. He loved the church. and gave himself for it. Acts
chapter 20, verse 28, Paul said to the Ephesian elders, feed
the church of God which he purchased with his own blood. The Bible, you listen to me very
carefully, the Bible does not teach that Jesus Christ shed
his blood For everybody, without exception. Just doesn't teach
that. A preacher that stands up before
a congregation of people and assures them that God loves them. God loves you. Christ died for
you. He paid your sin debt. A preacher that stands up before
a congregation and says that. He's no gospel preacher. As a matter of fact, he's a false
prophet, bringing a message of salvation by works. Now, if the
message is Christ paid for your sins, he made your salvation
possible, but there's something you need to do to make what he
did work. If that's my message, I have
no idea what the gospel message is. You think of what Paul said
in Galatians chapter 2, verse 20, when I read that passage
of Scripture, he loved me and he gave himself for me. What's
that mean if he loved everybody and gave himself for everybody
and some of them end up being damned anyway? It's a meaningless statement,
isn't it? But Paul said he loved me and
he gave himself for me. Now, when a preacher stands up
to a congregation, a mixed congregation, believers and unbelievers, and
says, God loves you. Christ died for you. God wants
to save you. It's up to you to do whatever
it needs you to do to make it work. That's a satanic message. And listen to this. Either I'm
telling you the truth or I'm a messenger of Satan. Now, did
you hear me? Either I'm telling you the truth
or I'm a messenger of Satan. And if I'm a messenger of Satan,
you'd be a whole lot better off somewhere else, wouldn't you?
I'm either telling you the truth or I'm a liar. Now, in our text,
there are four kinds of people who were forbidden to eat the
Passover. And there were four people who
could. And I want to see if I may really believe that Jesus died
for me. This is what I want to know.
I want to know if Jesus Christ shed his precious blood for me. Now, I want him to have shed
his precious blood for you, too. There isn't anybody in here that
I'm saying, well, I hope he didn't die for them. I'm not, no. I want you to know the Lord.
I want you to be saved. But I've got to I want to know
he died for me. Yes, I'm concerned about that,
but here's what I'm at for number one right now. I want to know
that he died for me, don't you? You know, if he died for you,
all the blessings of the full assurance of salvation are yours.
If he died for you, all of God's salvation and everything that's
included in it is yours. I want that, don't you? Let's
look at a few scriptures before we turn to Romans 8. I'm going
to look at some very familiar scriptures. Verse 31. What shall we then say to these
things if God be for us? Who can be against us? He that
spared not his own son, but delivered him up for us all. The all who
are included in verse 31, if God be for us, who can be against
us? And they're described in verses 28 through 30. He that
spared not his son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall
he not with him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay anything to the
charge of God's elect? It's God that justifies. Who
is he that condemns? It's Christ that died. That's
the only answer I need. It's Christ that died, yea rather
than risen again, who's even at the right hand of God, who
also makes intercession for us. You see, if Jesus Christ died
for you, that's all yours. Every bit of it. Look over in
Revelation 1, the book of Revelation. Verse 5, And from Jesus Christ, who is
the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and
the prince of the kings of the earth, now unto him that loved
us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and hath made
us kings and priests unto his father, to him be glory and dominion
for ever and ever. Amen. Now, is there any way that
he could love you and wash you from your sins in his own precious
blood and make you a king and a priest to God and you end up
in hell anyway? Can't happen, can it? Listen,
all the blessings of salvation, if you can have some assurance
and understanding that He died for me, all the blessings of
God's salvation are yours. Now, if He died for everybody,
that would be meaningless. But, oh, I want to leave this place
with some understanding that He died for me. May I believe? May I believe that Jesus Christ
actually died Now, I think it's interesting in our
text that he first tells who is forbidden to eat of the Passover. Look in verse 43, Exodus chapter
12. And the Lord said unto Moses
and Aaron, this is the ordinance of the Passover. There shall
no stranger eat. thereof, no stranger was allowed
to eat of the Passover. Now see the word stranger in
verse 48. Look, and when a stranger shall sojourn with thee and will
keep the Passover, that word translated stranger in verse
48 is a completely different word than the word translated
stranger in verse 43 in the Hebrew. It's a completely different word.
Let me show you how this word is used in the verb form. Turn
back to Genesis chapter 42. Verse 7. And Joseph saw his brethren and
he knew them. He knew who they were. You remember
the story. He's now over all of Egypt, but they don't know
who he is. He knows who they are, but they
don't know who he is. But he made himself strange unto them
and spake roughly unto them and said unto them, Whence come ye?
And they said, From the land of Canaan to Bathu. pretended
to be who he was not. That's what the word stranger
means. It's someone who fangs themselves to be somebody else.
That's what the word means by definition. You know what the
New Testament word for it is? A hypocrite. An actor. Someone who pretends to be what
they are not. No stranger, no pretender is
allowed to eat of the Passover. Okay, we got that. No strangers
are allowed to eat at the Passover. Now, can you give me some more information
about who He died for? I hear that and it scares me.
I don't want to be one of these strangers. I don't want to be
one of these pretenders. Can you give me some more information
about who can eat at the Passover? Who can believe that Jesus Christ
died for? Does the Bible give us any more information about
this? Well, turn with me to Romans chapter 5. Now, we see I've already
read scriptures that show conclusively that Jesus Christ died for the
elect. He died for those the Father gave him. He died for
those who believe. We see that. He died for his
church. There's no question about that. He died for a specific
people. But look here in Romans chapter
5. I want to look at some more scriptural information before
we get back to this stranger thing. Romans chapter 5, verse
6. When we were yet without strength
in due time, Christ died for thee who? The elect? Doesn't say that there, does
it? Those who believe? Doesn't say that there. Those
who are sincere? Doesn't say that. What's it say? When we were yet
without strength in due time, Christ died for thee. Let's say
that aloud together. The ungodly. Do you hear that? Let's go on reading. Verse 7.
For scarcely for a righteous man will one die yet for adventure.
For a good man some would dare to die. But God commended His
love toward us in that while we were yet what? Sinners. Christ died for us. 1 Timothy 1. Verse 15, this is a faithful
saying. It's worthy of all acceptation.
Everybody I've received, this is the best news they've ever
heard, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners
of whom I am the chief. Now, in those two verses of Scripture
I just read, I find three descriptions of the people Christ died for.
You listen to them. Christ died for those without
strength. Not just weak, but without strength,
without spiritual ability. You won't hear them talking about
their free will that they can choose whenever they want to
do it. No, they're without strength. They're ungodly before God. They're sinners. Now, that's
who He died for. He didn't die for good people.
He didn't die for righteous people. He died for sinners. Now, here's
the question I want to ask you. When you hear these descriptions
of who He died for, the ungodly, those that are without strength,
sinners, do you just kind of role play in there? Or does that
describe you? Do you have to act the part?
Or are you the real thing? Do you just give agreement? Or
is this you? without strength, ungodly of
sin. You're the real thing. Now, if
you've just got to act that part, but you don't really believe
it's true regarding you. Do you believe, for instance, that scripture
in Genesis chapter 6, verse 5, and God saw that the wickedness
of man was great on the earth and that every imagination of
the thoughts of his heart was only evil, continually, nonstop. Would that be you? Or would you have to act that
part out? You know, I've said this many times. It's one thing
to believe in the doctrine of total depravity, but it's an
altogether different thing to believe that you are totally
depraved, isn't it? All the difference in the world. Who did Christ die for? He died
for sinners. Now, if you can fit yourself
into that group, I can guarantee you, upon the authority of God's
Word, that Christ died for you. And if you can't, I can't give
you any assurance that Christ died for you. If you're better
than that, I'm talking about what God sees when He looks in
your heart and sees how you really view yourself. If you see yourself
as better than that, having some spiritual strength, I can't give you any hope that
Christ died for you. You see, he didn't die for any actors.
Only real bonafide sinners. Christ died for them. Look in verse 45 of our text
in Exodus chapter 12. A foreigner and an hired servant
shall not eat thereof." And here's another twofold description of
somebody who's forbidden to eat. Somebody who may not believe.
Someone who's not given permission to believe. First, a foreigner. A foreigner. No foreigner shall
eat thereof. Now, a foreigner is a resident
alien. He is one who lives in the country
and enjoys many of the privileges of being in the country, but
he is not a citizen. Now, a resident alien. You may
be in a group of people and there's a resident alien. Can you tell
by looking at them that they're not citizens? No. They look like citizens. They
act like citizens in many ways. They seem to have the same interests. They go to church. They hear
the gospel. But they don't believe. You see, they're interested in
the benefits of being an Israelite, but they're not interested in
having the nature of an Israelite. They want the blessings. They
don't want to go to hell. They want to go to heaven. Who
wants to go to hell? Everybody wants to go to heaven. They want
God's blessing on their lives. They want to have everything
good for them. They want to have good marriage and good home life
and good finances. You know, they want God's blessings
and so on. And they want that, but they're
not really interested in having the nature of a true Israelite. They're not really interested
in being like Jesus Christ. That's not really their interest.
Oh, they'll take the benefits, but as far as being like Christ,
that really holds no interest to them. Now, to a believer, Heaven is being with Christ,
seeing Christ. Heaven's not sinning anymore.
Heaven is being perfectly conformed to the image of Jesus Christ.
Now, the resident alien, he'll take the benefits, but he's not
interested in the nature of being a true Israelite. No foreigner
is allowed to eat of the Passover. And next, he says, no hired servant
is to eat thereof. No hired servant. Now, what's
a hired servant? He's somebody who works for wages. It's that
simple. Someone who believes that his
salvation is given to him because of something he's done. Now,
all you've got to do, this is so simple, all you've got to
do is believe that Jesus Christ died for everybody and he paid
for everybody's sins and made salvation possible for everybody.
But there's something you need to do in order to make what he
did work. That's all you've got to do to
be hired servant. You've got to believe your salvation is
in some way, to some degree, in some respect, dependent upon
you. If you believe that. You're a hired servant. And you
are forbidden to eat of the Passover. No uncircumcised person shall
eat. A circumcision, look in the verse
The last line of verse 48. No uncircumcised person shall
eat thereof. A circumcision represents what
God does in the heart. No uncircumcised person shall
eat thereof. Turn with me to Romans chapter
two. Let me show you this. Hold your finger there in Exodus
12, Romans 2. Verse 28, For he is not a Jew, which is
one outwardly, neither is that circumcision, which is outward
in the flesh. That's not circumcision. But
he is a Jew, which is one inwardly, and circumcision is that of the
heart In the spirit and not in the letter, whose praise is not
of men, but of God. So we see circumcision talks
about what God does on the inside. It's somebody with a circumcised
heart that is allowed to eat of the Passover. Now, what is
this circumcised heart all about? We'll turn with me to Philippians
chapter three. Well, I sure am thankful for the New Testament
that tells us what the Old Testament means. Look at Philippians chapter
three. Here's what a circumcised heart
is. Verse three, for we are the circumcision,
Philippians 3, 3. For we are the circumcision which
worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no
confidence in the flesh. Now, that tells me that somebody
who's not circumcised does not worship God in the Spirit, does
not rejoice in Christ Jesus, and has confidence in the flesh. That's what an uncircumcised
person is. He doesn't know anything about
worshiping God in the Spirit. You see, the only way I can worship
God is by the Holy Spirit. I can't drum it up. There is
no worship of God apart from the Holy Spirit. And an uncircumcised
person doesn't even know what that means. Hey, we'll have worship
service. Let's have a worship service.
Let's get together and worship. An uncircumcised person doesn't
have a clue as to what it means to rejoice in Christ Jesus. Paul said, God forbid that I
should glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. All I have any confidence in
is the cross of my Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is
crucified unto me and I unto the world. I rejoice in Christ. An uncircumcised person has confidence
in the flesh. I have confidence in my will.
I can choose the good if I want. I've got a free will. I've got
the power to obey. I mean, I don't always do it,
granted, but I've got the power to do it. I can believe when
I want. I can repeat. Why, if I do all
these different things, these works of the flesh, the understanding
of the flesh, I can figure this thing out. The uncircumcised
person has confidence in the flesh. Now, no uncircumcised person
is allowed to eat at the Passover. So we see the four types of people
who are not allowed to eat at the Passover. No actor, no pretender,
no foreigner. No hired person. No uncircumcised person. And no resident alien. Now, who
can eat the Passover? Here's the good part. We see
who can't eat it. Who can? Am I included in this
group of people who are allowed to eat the Passover? Can I believe,
can I leave this room really believing that Jesus Christ died
for me and having all of whatever salvation is, it's mine? Can
I believe that Jesus Christ died for me? Well, who can eat the
Passover? Look in verse 47 of our text. All, A-double-L, all the congregation
of Israel shall keep it. Who can eat the Passover? All
the congregation of Israel. All of God's elect. Everybody
that Christ died for. They can all eat of the Passover. Now, the big question is, am
I in that all? Can I be included in that all? Well, look in verse 44. Now, remember, we talked about
a hired servant in verse 45, but you know, there's not only
hired servants, there's bought servants. Look in verse 44. But every man's servant who is
bought for money, when thou has circumcised him, then shall he
eat thereof everybody who is bought. There are hired servants
and there are bought servants. Now, if you have been bought,
if you have been bought by the blood of Christ, you will plead
nothing but His redeeming blood. Here's what bought people do.
All they plead is His blood. Have you ever done that? Before
God, have you ever pled the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ? That's
all my plea. I don't plead anything else.
That's what bought people do. They plead the price. Lord, have mercy on me for Christ's
sake, for His blood's sake. I wouldn't bring any other reason
before you as to why you'd have anything to do with me other
than His precious blood. Everyone who's circumcised. Everyone who's circumcised. Well,
who are they? Well, they're the opposite of
the folks who aren't circumcised. Everybody that's circumcised.
You know what that is? That's everybody who worships
God in the Spirit. That doesn't simply mean to worship
God in a spiritual manner. You know, we don't have to have
all the trappings of religion. We don't have to have the organ
playing silently in the background and the beautiful cathedral.
That's not just talking about against that stuff. That's talking
about worshiping by the Holy Spirit of God. I cannot worship
apart from the Spirit of God. I don't even know what it means
apart from the Spirit of God. True worship is Holy Spirit inspired
and caused. And you know what people who
have the Spirit of God in their worship do? They rejoice in Christ
Jesus. They really do. And they really
have no confidence in the flesh. I don't have any confidence in
my understanding. I really don't. I don't have any confidence in
my will. I don't have any confidence in my strength. I don't have
any confidence in my abilities. I've got no confidence in the
flesh, mine or yours. I really don't. That's a circumcised
person. Now here's the mark I like the
best. Look in verse 48. Here's who
can keep the Passover. Verse 48. And when a stranger, someone
who's not an Israelite, he's an outsider, he can't claim be the child of
God, when a stranger shall sojourn with thee, and will keep the
Passover to the Lord." He desires to keep the Passover. He wants to keep the Passover. He wants to be in one of those
houses with the blood mark over the door. He doesn't want to
be outside of one of those houses. He wants to be in the house.
He has heard where God said, when I see the blood, I will
pass over you. And he wants to be in one of
those houses where the blood is over the door. And he doesn't
want to be anywhere else. That's the only place he wants
to be. He desires to eat. over. He desires to be in the
house where the blood's over the door. That's what he wants.
The New Testament puts it this way. Whosoever will. Let him take the water of life freely. You don't have to find
a reason in yourself. You don't have to find any merit
in yourself. You don't Whosoever will. Do you want to be saved by Christ?
Do you want to be in one of the houses where the blood's over
the door? Is that what you want? That stranger who will. What thee to do? Verse 48, And
when a stranger says, Adjourn with thee, and we'll keep the
Passover to the Lord, let all his males be circumcised, and
then let him come near and keep it. And he shall be as one that's
born in the land. There won't be indifference between
him and the children of Israel. He'll be as one born in the land.
For no uncircumcised person shall eat thereof. One law shall be
to him that's home born and unto the strangers. Same thing that
sojourns among you. Do you desire to eat the Passover?
Now I'd like to close this message by turning to Acts chapter 8. Acts chapter 8. Let's begin reading in verse
26. And the angel of the Lord spake
unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south, unto the
way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert. He's going to speak to somebody
that's in the desert. No life. A dry, parched, barren
place. A desert for a heart. And he arose and went, and behold,
a man of Ethiopia, and eunuch of great authority under Kandesi,
queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure,
had come to Jerusalem for the worship. He wanted to worship the Passover, and he was returning
and sitting in his chair and reading Isaiah the prophet. Now,
I have no doubt that he was going back just as empty as he was
when But he was trying to read the Bible. You know, the Bible
is a good book to read. I'd read the Bible. And he was
reading Isaiah chapter 53. What a chapter. Verse 29, then the Spirit said
unto Philip, Go near and join thyself to this chariot. And
Philip ran thither to him and heard him read the prophet Isaiah
and said, Do you understand what you're reading? Now I know what
most people would say, well of course I do. Who do you think
I am? Here's what I think it means. That's what most people
would say. That's what I think. I think
I got this down. But look at this fellow's attitude. And he said, verse 31, how can
I? I don't have a clue. Except some
man should guide me. And he desired Philip that he
would come up and sit with him. The place of the scripture which
he read was this. He was led as a sheep to the
slaughter and like a lamb done before a shearer so open not
his mouth in his humiliation if judgment was taken away and
who shall declare his generation for his life is taken from the
earth. And he's reading about the substitutionary death of
Jesus Christ on the cross out of Isaiah 53. And the eunuch
answered Philip and said, I pray thee, whom speaketh the prophet
this of himself or some other man? Then Philip opened his mouth
and began at that same scripture and preached unto him, Jesus. Can you imagine what it would
have been like to sit under that message? And as they went on their way,
they came under a certain water. Evidently, Philip had said something
about baptism, confessing Christ and believers' baptism. And Beunik
said unto Philip, See, here's water. What doth hinder me to
be baptized? You give me a reason. I want
to know, because I want to know if I should be baptized. Is there
a reason why I should not be? Is there a reason why? I hear
of his death, his sacrificial death, what he did. I believe
it. But can I believe this is for
me? Is there something hindering me from being baptized? Is there a reason why I should
not believe that he died for me? Now, if you believe he died
for you, you have every reason to be baptized, don't you? Now,
if there's a reason why I shouldn't, I want to know. I love the sincerity
of this man. OK, verse 37, And Philip said,
If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe
with all my heart that I'm a Christian. I believe with all my heart that
Jesus died for me. I'm just sure. That's all he
said, isn't it? He said, I believe that Jesus
Christ is the Son of God. And Philip commanded the chariot
to stand still. That's enough. Ain't nothing
hindering you from being baptized. If you believe that Jesus Christ
is God the Son, the uncreated Christ, the Son of the living
God, the Maker of heaven and earth, the only Savior of sinners. If you believe that Jesus is
the Christ, you're born of God. If you believe He's the Son of
God, yes, He did die for you. He shed His precious blood for
you. You're already saved. You're set free. Your sins have
been washed away. And all of the blessings of God's
great salvation are yours completely. Everybody who believes that He
is Everybody? Every blessed one
of them. Did He die for me? Do you believe He's the Son of
God? Do you believe He's the Christ? Yes, He did die for you. Therefore you have every right
to believe that all salvation is yours. Let's pray together.