Now, the Lord permitted his people,
Israel, to go down into Egypt. Jacob and his sons, Joseph was
there, you remember, and they went down into Egypt. There were
about 70 of them that went down into Egypt. And they prospered,
and they were blessed in Egypt for a while. But the Scripture
says, a Pharaoh arose who knew not Joseph. And that's when the
Lord's people suffer, when a leader arises who doesn't know the Lord. And a Pharaoh arose who knew
not Joseph. And the people were made slaves. Seventy of them went down into
Egypt, and now four hundred years later, four hundred years later,
they were still in Egypt, and there were many of them now.
Estimates run from two to five million. I do not know. No one
knows. But there were many, many, many
of them. And God called Moses to deliver
his people from bondage, from slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh
from Egypt. And God sent Moses down into
Egypt to declare unto Pharaoh, let my people go. Well, Pharaoh
would not let them go. So God sent plague after plague
after plague upon Egypt. I do not, cannot name all of
them. There were nine until we get
to this one that we're going to talk about this morning. The
plague of lice and frogs and the river turned to blood and
darkness and several plagues. But Pharaoh hardened his heart.
We'll read in the scripture where it says God hardened his heart.
And it says also that Pharaoh hardened his heart. In answer to the question, how
does God harden a man's heart? Well, God's the first cause of
all things. But the way God hardens a man's
heart is to withhold that which will soften it. Very simple. God said, I create light, I create
darkness. How does He create light? By
saying, let there be light. How does darkness come when He
withholds the light? So when people's hearts are hard,
they're hard by birth, they're hard by nature, they're hardened
by sin. But I'll tell you this, if God
sent grace, He'd break the heart, wouldn't He? If God withholds
understanding, withholds the grace, He doesn't. He's not obligated. He doesn't owe us anything but
the wages of sin. He doesn't owe us mercy. If He
owed it, it wouldn't be mercy. If He owed it, it wouldn't be
grace. So here's Pharaoh. His heart already hardened by
nature, by birth, by sin. And God sends His messenger,
and His messenger delivers God's message. The messenger delivers
the message. And he doesn't hear it. He hardens
his heart. Well, he hardened his heart, but the grace that
would have broken it, and the light that would have enlightened
him, and the power that would have given him understanding
was not given. That's right. That's the reason
that hymn writer wrote the hymn, Pass Me Not, O Gentle Savior. Hear my humble cry. While on
others, you're calling, don't pass me by. All in the world God has to do
for a man to perish is leave him where he is. That's all.
Just leave him where he wants to be. Because most folks are where
they want to be. Whosoever will, let him take
the water of life. But leave a man where he wants
to be, where he wills to be. He'll stay there. He'll never
move. He's comfortable. He's crying peace when there
is no peace. So Pharaoh hardened his heart, and finally, finally,
this is what God said. Chapter 11. Finally, this is what the Lord
said to Moses. Chapter 11, verse 1. The Lord
said, Moses, yet will I bring one plague more upon Pharaoh
and upon Egypt. And afterwards, He'll let you
go. And when He shall let you go,
He shall surely thrust you out, hence all to you. He's going
to let you go gladly. When I said one more place. Speak
now in the ears of the people and let every man borrow of his
neighbor. That word is require or request. Every man require or request
of his neighbor and every woman of her neighbor jewels of silver
and jewels of gold. And the Lord gave the people
of Israel favor in the sight of the Egyptians. God can do
anything. He can give you favor in the
eyes of people. That's what it says. The heart
of the king is in the hands of the Lord. He turns it whether
so ever he will. The average person thinks that
the President and Congress is making all these decisions. They
make them, but I guarantee you God turns their hearts. That's
right. He allows them to make foolish
mistakes and errors and decisions, and He enables them to make good
decisions. They don't make good ones on
their own. He enables them. He enables them to make good
decisions that affect our well-being, and He allows them to make bad
decisions that send us trials. That's right. So he gave the people favor in
the eyes of the Egyptians. Moreover, the man Moses was very
great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh's servants. They liked Moses. In the sight
of all the people. Everybody respected Moses. God
gave him favor in the eyes of the people. And Moses says, 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. Let's right now quit talking
about death angels. Okay? I don't want to ever hear
it again in 13th Street Baptist Church or anywhere else. God
said, I do this now. I do this. I'll go out. And all the firstborn in the
land of Egypt shall die. From the firstborn of Pharaoh
that sitteth upon his throne, Even unto the firstborn of the
maidservant, every heir, every firstborn of the servant behind
the mill, the firstborn of the beast. 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, these are the untouchables. That's what you are. If you're
in Christ, untouchable. Untouchable. By anything, any
adversary or adversity, except in His will. But against any
of the children of Israel shall not even a dog move his tongue,
against man or beast, that you may know how that the Lord doth
put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel. Who made
the difference? God made the difference. Who
made you the difference? Paul said this in 1 Corinthians. Who
maketh thee to differ? What do you have that you didn't
receive? Now, if you received it, why do you boast as if you
didn't receive it? God made the difference. This
is divine election. Well, man, do you believe in
covenant mercy and divine election and God choosing of people? I'd
be a fool not to. I'd be an outright, utter fool
not to. I go back and look at the angels.
The angels fell before Adam fell. Did they not? And yet God gave
the angels no Savior, no surety, no salvation. Every angel, and
someone said a third of the heavenly hosts, followed Lucifer. And
God has put them in everlasting chains in darkness until the
day of judgment. He took not on Him the nature
of angels. But he took on him the nature
of the seed of Abraham. Christ did. He became a man.
He didn't become an angel to redeem angels. He became a man.
And here, Israel, God made a difference. Who made a difference? God did. He chose Abraham. He chose Israel. He said, the Lord did not set
His love upon you because you were more in number than any
people. You were the fewest of all. Seventy of you. And then,
less than that, before that. But because the Lord loved you,
and because the Lord would keep His covenant, which He made and
swore unto you, My people. And during those days, there
was only one temple, one tabernacle. It was in Israel. There was only
one high priest, Israel. The Philistines and the Amorites
and the Malachites and the Babylonians, they had no priest. They had
no law. They had no scripture. They had
no prophets. They had no mercy suit. They
had no atonement. They had no gospel. Israel did. God made a difference. You believe
Christ? He made the difference. You have
a priest, a mediator, he gave him to you. You have faith, God
gave it to you. You repent, goodness of God leads
you to repentance. Salvation is of the Lord. My
dear friends, salvation is of the Lord. Don't you believe that?
I expect everybody to because it's so. I expect sensible people
to believe the truth. And God made a difference. I
read on, and all, verse 8, these thy servants shall come down
unto me, and bow down themselves unto me, saying, Get thee out. There's coming a day when every
knee will bow, and every tongue will confess, He is Lord. That's what God says here about
Egypt. They'll come. They'll come. And they'll bow down. And they'll
say, You get out of this land, all your people that follow you,
After that, I'll go out. And he went out from Pharaoh
in a great anger. Get thee out, and all the people
that follow thee. And after that, I'll go out.
And he went out from Pharaoh in a great anger. And the Lord
said unto Moses, Pharaoh will not hearken to you, that my wonders
may be multiplied in the land of Egypt. Now he won't listen. 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 out of
the land. Now then, the Lord is sending this plague, and He
gives to Israel the Passover, this wonderful, wonderful feast
of the Passover. This is the clearest, plainest
picture of our redemption to be found anywhere in the Old
Testament. Here it is now in chapter 12.
Let's look at it together. And you'll see here the clearest,
plainest picture of the Passover. You say, what's the Passover
got to do with us? Well, before I read it, turn to 1 Corinthians
5. Let's lay this foundation first before we read chapter
12. 1 Corinthians 5, 7. And Paul writes, "...purge out
therefore the old leaven, that you may be a new lump as you
are unleavened. For even Christ, our Passover,
is sacrifice for us. This Passover is a picture of
our Passover. This redemption from bondage
is a picture of our redemption from bondage. This deliverance
from death and judgment is a picture of our deliverance. When I see
the blood, I'll pass over you. So Christ, I will pass over.
You see that? Alright, let's look at it then. And there are
four things I want you to see. Let's read verse 3. Speak ye 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. You'll take
it out from the sheep or from the goats, and keep it up until
the fourteenth day of the same month, and the whole assembly
of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening."
Here's my first observation. It's not just blood that delivers
from the wrath of God. But it's the blood of a divinely
appointed Lamb. It's not just blood. It's not
just death. It's the blood and death of a
divinely appointed Lamb. God said in verse 3, take a Lamb. Every house, every house, take
a Lamb. And God has given us a Lamb.
He is a Lamb without spot or blemish. Our Lamb, the Lord Jesus
Christ. Turn to Revelation chapter 5.
Revelation chapter 5. We have a Lamb. We have a Lamb. And that Lamb is the Lord Jesus.
Look at Revelation chapter 5, verse 1. And I saw in the right hand of
him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside,
sealed with seven seals. And I saw a strong angel proclaiming
with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book and to loose
the seals thereof? And no man in heaven or in earth,
neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither
to look thereon. And I wept much, because no man
was found worthy to open and read the book, neither to look
thereon." Now watch it. And one of the elders saith to
me, Weep not. Behold, the lion of the tribe
of Judah, the root of David, hath prevailed to open the book,
and to loose the seven seals thereof. And I beheld, and lo,
in the midst of the throne, and of the four beasts, in the midst
of the elders, stood a lamb, as it had been slain. Having
seven horns, that's His omnipotence. Seven eyes, His omniscience. And seven spirits, His omnipresence. The seven spirits of God sent
forth into all the earth. There's our Lamb. It's the Lord
Jesus. We have a Lamb. Alright. Not
only take a Lamb, but a Lamb for a house. Now watch this in
verse 3. In the tenth month, take to them
every man a Lamb. according to the house of their
fathers, a lamb for a house. If the house is too little for
a lamb, in other words, it's not before five of you, or two
of you, or three of you. And one lamb is just too much
because, you see, they're going to kill this lamb, they're going
to roast this lamb, they're going to eat it. And every bit of it
must be eaten, none left over. Every bit must be eaten. Now,
if it's too small a household, A lamb cannot be consumed. Let
the master of the father of the house count the house and figure
out what they could eat. If it's too small a house, get
your neighbor and bring his house up. A house for a lamb. Now this
is what it's teaching. Here's what it's teaching here.
Is that the Lord Jesus Christ is sufficient to save His people
and effectually save His people, but He's efficient, sufficient,
and effectual for His people only. Nothing lacking. There must not be any lacking
and nothing left over. Nothing lacking and nothing left
over. The lamb was a substitute. The lamb was for the house. And
they took that lamb and they ate it. And there wasn't any
left over. It takes Christ to save us. All of Christ. All of
Christ. And there wasn't any lacking.
Nobody said, hey, I didn't get enough to eat. There was plenty. but nothing left over. That's
like heaven. There's room for everybody who
wants to come, but there ain't no vacant seats. That's right. Heaven, there's
plenty of room. Come on! But let me tell you,
if you don't come, there won't be any vacant seats. And the
Lamb's sufficient and effectual, but there's not anything left
over. Isn't that right? Alright. And this Lamb, it says
in verse 5, will be without blemish. Without blemish. This Lamb has
no spot. Our Lord Jesus Christ, our Lamb,
knew no sin, had no sin, did no sin. Perfect. That's how He
could be our righteousness, is because He's perfect. He's perfect. And it says, what's this now?
This lamb is without blemish a male of the first year, the
prime of life. Take it from among the sheep
or the goats and keep it up to the fourteenth day of the month.
I can just see a father went out, counted his household, got
with his neighbor, whomever, found the lamb, the prime of
life. He examined it carefully. Took
that lamb in his arm. Brought it down to the house.
And outside the house there, they had a special little place. He put the lamb right in there.
And every day, they'd pass by and look at it. That's the lamb. That's the lamb. That's God's
lamb. That's the designated lamb. Every day, they'd look at it.
One day, two days, three days, four days, keep examining, look
at it. You know, John the Baptist sent to the Lord and said, Are
you the lamb, or do we look for another? He's a designated Lamb. He's an observed Lamb. He's a
known Lamb. They're acquainted with Him.
He's a tested Lamb. He's a tried Lamb. He's the Lamb
and there is no other. And that's our Lord Jesus Christ.
God said He set Him forth. There is no other Lamb. God set
Him forth in the promises, seed of woman, God set him forth in
the prophecies. A virgin shall conceive, bring
forth a son. God set him forth in the types,
Old Testament. God set him forth in person,
put a star over his birthplace. This is the Lamb. This is the
Lamb. God set him forth by the works
that he did, the words that he spoke. God set him forth. When
he died on that cross, God hung a sackcloth over the sun. Opened the graves. God did all
that. He set him forth. And this family
took this lamb. Four days. Everybody was familiar
with the lamb. Everybody got to know the lamb.
There wasn't a doubt. There wasn't anybody out here
qualified. This is the one. And that's why
Christ is the one. He is the one. Yes, He's the
one. Alright, one more thing. He set
him forth. All right, here's the second
thing. Now, it's not just blood that
saves, it's the blood of the lamb. It's not just a lamb, it's
the lamb, the one designated, without spot or blemish. But
my friends, the second thing, it has to be slain. All right,
verse 6. Keep it up to the fourteenth
day of the same month, and the whole assembly of the congregation
of Israel shall kill it. In our day, this is something
that is just, I don't know, folks are embarrassed, preachers are,
and people are embarrassed to talk about the blood. But I'll tell you, the blood
must be shed. It's to be killed. It's not the
babe in the manger that saves. It's the Christ on the cross. That's right. It's not the holy
life of Jesus. I know He's our righteousness.
He kept the law in our room and stand and gave us a perfect righteousness. But I tell you, it's the death
of our Lord on Calvary that saves. Scripture says the soul that
sinned shall die. He had to die. The lamb's got
to die. The blood's got to be shed. It's not the law and the
commandments that saves. It's the cross, the blood of
Christ. Listen to me. It's not even the
power of Christ that saves. It's the blood. Is that clear
what I'm saying, Bob? It's the blood. It's the death
of our Lord. What can wash away my sins? Nothing
but the blood of Jesus. The Word of God plainly says,
we're not redeemed with corruptible things such as silver and gold
from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers,
but with the precious blood of Christ. Turn with me to Hebrews 9. Let's
look at this. Hebrews chapter 9. Let's never
be ashamed of the blood of Christ. It's the blood that makes the
atonement for the soul. It's the blood of Christ that
redeems. Paul said, who is he that condemns?
It's Christ that died. The Lamb's got to die. Hebrews
9, listen to verse 11 and 12. But Christ being come, a high
priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect
tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building,
neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by His own blood,
He entered once into the holy place, having obtained eternal
redemption for us. That's where it is. It's the
blood that maketh atonement for the soul. Without the blood,
there's no remission. You see those two things? All
right, here's number three. Here's the two. In this Passover,
it was the Lamb. Select the Lamb without spot
or blemish. Put it up. Designated Lamb. God has given us His Lamb. Christ,
the Lamb of God. That Lamb's got to die. And I
know when you put a Lamb up, the children get attached to
it. Mom and Dad get attached. I tell people, my Dad used to
have, when my Dad was living down in Georgia, he had two,
he called them bull yearlings. He named one Napoleon, one Nebuchadnezzar. And he raised those things from
just the little fellas. Came time to kill them and eat
them. He had to get rid of them. He couldn't afford to keep them.
So he had them butchered. And he couldn't eat a bite of
it. He gave it all to me. He filled my freezer with Nebuchadnezzar
and Napoleon because he couldn't eat it. Let me tell you this. I love my Savior. the woman's seed. I love the
Christ of the Judean road. I love the stranger of Galilee.
I love our Lord and His Word. But I love Him on a cross. That's
where He redeemed my soul. He died for my sin. That's where
it is. The death of Christ. He suffered
the just for the unjust to bring us to God. And you hadn't preached
any gospel If you don't major on the blood. Now here's the
third thing. But it's not only the blood shed. It's the blood applied. Now listen to me. Verse 7, chapter
12. And they shall take the blood,
and strike it on the two side posts, and the upper door post
of the houses, wherein they shall eat. Now listen, I'm going to
dwell on this a few minutes. Without faith, it's impossible
to please God. He that believeth on the Son
of God hath life, and faith believes the judgment of God. These people
took that lamb and put it up and slew it. Why? They believed
the message. God said, I'm coming through
and I'm going to destroy them. They believed Him. Faith believes the judgment.
Faith believes the lamb is the deliverance, the promise. Faith
believes that lamb is Christ. And faith applies and rests in
the blood. That father killed that lamb
and roasted it and took the blood and put it on the door, willingly,
deliberately put it on the door and went in and shut the door
and sat down, resting in the blood. That's right. That's right. And you and I do the same thing.
We receive Christ. We believe Christ. We rest in
Christ and in His blood. And watch these things here.
It says here in verse 8, and they shall eat the flesh."
We receive Christ, eat His flesh and drink His blood. We receive
Him into our hearts and souls by faith. Roast it with fire. When they roasted that lamb,
that's a picture of Christ suffering under the judgment and wrath
of God. The fire of judgment. And roast
it with unleavened bread. What is unleavened bread? Well,
unleavened bread is bread without the yeast, I believe it is. without
that quality that makes it spoil. Bread without that quality can
last on and on and on. And when we receive Christ, you
know, when they ate the Passover, there was no leaven in the house.
The leaven was all taken out of the house. Leaven is a type
of evil. And when we receive Christ, we receive Christ like
they ate this lamb with unleavened bread without hypocrisy. Without
hypocrisy. Without false profession with
a true heart and true motive. That's what he's saying. With
unleavened bread and with bitter herbs. What's the bitter herbs?
Sorrow over our sin. We receive Christ within. And it's not with leaven or evil
or hypocrisy. It's with truth. And we receive
Christ with bitter herbs, knowing we're sinners who need Christ.
And verse 9 says, Don't eat it raw. Christ must suffer. And
don't eat it sodden at all with water. Don't make a gravy or
a wine or an oil. Only the Lamb. Only Christ. Not Christ and our feelings.
Not Christ and the law. Not Christ and our works. Not
Christ, something to temper Christ. Something to take the edge off
the offense, the edge off the blood. No. Just the Lamb itself. Not raw. Gotta eat, gotta die,
gotta be roasted. And the lamb without anything
added. And listen, and eat it all. Legs, head, pertinence. It's
the whole Christ. It's Christ our prophet, Christ
our priest, and Christ our king. In other words, everything about
Him. People today, some religious
folks, have certain things about Christ they exaggerate to the
exclusion of others. But the Christ that saves is
the Christ of eternal deity. The Christ of eternal counsels.
The Christ of the Old Testament. The Christ who is the prophet,
priest, and king. It's Christ as He is in the Word.
That's how we receive Him. Just tell me what the Word says
about Him, that's what I believe. Alright, let's move on. And eat
it, verse 10, don't let anything remain till the morning. Anything
that remains, just burn it. But like I said earlier, there's
nothing left over. Plenty of room, but nothing left
over. Christ is sufficient. Verse 11, and thus shall you
eat it with your loins girded, shoes on your feet, staff in
your hand. Eat it in haste, it's the Lord's
Passover. In other words, He's saying to these people, Egypt
is no longer your home. You're packed up. You've got
your clothes on. You've got your staff in your
hand. You're ready to go. This is not your home anymore.
You're looking for a city whose builder and maker is God. You're
looking for a kingdom, His kingdom. When you receive Him and believe
Him and rest in Him, You're ready to go. This is no longer home.
We're sojourners here now. We're just getting ready. They
didn't walk out that night. They had to do some preparation.
Had to be some things done. But they were through with Egypt.
Egypt was no longer home. Isn't that right? No longer home. They're ready to go. Alright. So, I've showed you three things.
It's not just the blood of a lamb, it's the blood of His Lamb, the
appointed Lamb. And it's not just the Lamb, it's
the Lamb slain. He had to die. And it's the blood
received. Everybody knows Christ died on
the cross. But it's those who receive it.
To as many as receive it, to them gave He power to become
the sons of God. Now, fourthly, it's not when
I see the blood, It's when he sees the blood. Now this is so
important. Listen here to verse 12. God says, I will pass through
the land of Egypt. I will smite all the firstborn
in the land of Egypt. I will. That's a promise. I will execute judgment, for
I am the Lord. Verse 13. And the blood shall
be to you for a token upon the houses where you are. And when
I see the blood, I'll pass over you. The plague shall not come
upon you and destroy you. Someone says, well, I don't see
why God has chosen this particular way to deliver us. You don't
have to see why. He didn't say when you see it.
He said when I see the blood. Someday you'll know why. As you
grow in grace and understanding of the Word, you'll see why God
has to be just and justified, why God's law has to be satisfied,
why God's honor has to be upheld, why God's glory must be accomplished. But it doesn't matter right now.
He said, when I see the blood. Not when you do. Somebody else
said, well, I don't see how the blood can hold back the wrath
of God. You don't have to see how. He didn't say when you see
it. When I see it. You say, well,
I see it. But I don't understand how folks
like us can be accepted in the blood of Christ. You don't have
to understand it. I don't think these people understood
all about this either, do you? I expect some of them put Moses
through the third degree. What? You kill a lamb, put the
blood on the door? What's that mean? Just do it? Just do it. Just do it. Listen to me. I wrote this thing
down out of my own heart. Maybe you'll profit by it. All of us grieve over our weaknesses
and sins and failures and seek God's forgiveness. All of us
believers pray that the Spirit of God will abide with us and
keep us. We all ask God to cleanse our
hearts and make us more like Christ. We all look within, don't
we? Look within and try to find some
evidence and some growth and some understanding, and when
we don't find it, we're depressed and doubtful. And we wonder why,
but the answer comes. Listen. When I see the blood,
I'll pass over you. We're not to look to the Spirit's
work, we're to look to the Savior's work. We're not to look within
ourselves, we're to look to Him. We have tried to find a reason
in us for God's favor, and the reason's not in us. It's in Him. It's the blood that maketh atonement
for the soul. It's the blood that cleanses
us from all sin. It's the blood that maketh atonement,
so don't put your works on the door. Put His blood. Don't put your deeds on the door,
put His blood. And whatever, don't put your
name on the door. It's His name. It's His name. But here's where
I live. Here's where He lives. Oh, it's
the blood. It's the blood. Thank God for
the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. It's not just the blood of a
lamb, it's the blood of The Lamb. And it must be slave. And it
must be believed. And rested when I see the blood.