Praises be to
Jesus for this new day. He blessed us with summer like days this past weekend.
He blessed us in His house with His people yesterday. Alice and I walked in the
cool of early last evening. The moon reflecting the sun looked glorious, almost
the full moon. Sunita and Andy and Gabe landed in Cyprus safe and sound. They
are getting situated in their new home Cyprus. Sunita said it is a lovely house
with a brilliant view of the sea. One of the readings for yesterday was taken
from Exodus chapter 12. It is the wonderful account of the Passover. It is
concerning the last plague sent by the Lord to Egypt. It is about sacrifice and
also is about deliverance, as the Israelites were commanded to sacrifice the
lamb and apply the blood of the lamb on the door posts of each house hold. It
is all about the Passover Lamb. When we reflect on the event of the first
Passover we can conclude that it’s what’s on the outside that counts.
“Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the
sins of the world.” (John 1:29) Perhaps the
first thing to note about Passover is that Passover was a plague! The heading
for chapter 11 gives the other name for the Passover, it was “the plague on the
firstborn.” There had been nine plagues prior
to this one – nine signs to Pharaoh that the LORD is God and Pharaoh should let
the people go. Each time Pharaoh refused and each time his heart gets harder,
and so the plagues got harder, too. They get deadlier and deadlier as time went
on.
God was going to pass through the whole country. The distinction would be that some would take shelter under the blood of a lamb and the LORD would pass over them, while the rest would be judged. Each household was instructed to sacrifice lamb without a blemish and then, (v22) "using a bit of hyssop plant as a paintbrush, paint the blood on the outside of your doorframes". Then they were to go inside and not come out again till morning – only safe as they sheltered under the blood of the lamb. Once inside (verses 8-11) "roast the lamb with bitter herbs and eat it with unleavened bread". They were to eat it quickly, still standing, ready to leave the country because it would be the last night in Egypt.
Jesus is that He is the Lamb, so what we see here in Exodus is not just an account of one remarkable night in ancient history. Passover reveals the most fundamental truths about our LORD Jesus. Unlike the plagues of hail or darkness or gnats, in which Moses would stretch out his hand and the plagues would come through him. This time the LORD told even Moses to stay inside because, “I am coming.” All of Israel, even Moses must take shelter because the LORD Himself was judging the land. Salvation, if it’s going to come, has to be salvation from God. Passover was a meal certainly, but before it was a meal, it was a sacrifice, and the real key to the sacrifice was its blood.
Often people say, “I don’t have very strong faith.” I can reply, “Me neither. But thank God we’re not saved by how strong our believing feelings are! Thank God we are saved, not so much by our faith in Christ’s blood, thank God we’re saved by Christ’s blood!” Passover teaches us about our Christian lives. Christ saves you by His blood – not by anything in us. It’s not about the quality of our living, speaking, acting, or praying. It’s not even about the quality of our own faith. It’s only about the blood. Our status with God, both now and into all eternity, is NOT about the quality of our life – Our salvation has nothing to do with US – and everything to do with HIM, nothing to do with our performance and everything to do with His performance.
People so often worry that their sins have cost them their relationship with God. We can not out-sin the Blood of Jesus. It’s about His blood outside – not your heart inside. 1 John 1 verse 7: The blood of Jesus, God’s Son, purifies us from EVERY sin.
Salvation is entirely outside ourselves; it’s all about Jesus, the Lamb of God, who alone takes away the sins of the world. It is not about how we lead our lives as though our performance, good or bad, is what counts before God. Trusting in our Lamb is a whole way of life. We are not sinless but we are called to sin less every day. Once we recognize that His shed blood covers us, we can live in joy and live a life of worship and witness. We can live a life of a servant . We can run the race that is set before us in freedom and joy, renouncing sin, receiving His Grace, and taking shelter under His Blood.
In Christ,
Brown
http://youtu.be/taOXJZY-d-w
God was going to pass through the whole country. The distinction would be that some would take shelter under the blood of a lamb and the LORD would pass over them, while the rest would be judged. Each household was instructed to sacrifice lamb without a blemish and then, (v22) "using a bit of hyssop plant as a paintbrush, paint the blood on the outside of your doorframes". Then they were to go inside and not come out again till morning – only safe as they sheltered under the blood of the lamb. Once inside (verses 8-11) "roast the lamb with bitter herbs and eat it with unleavened bread". They were to eat it quickly, still standing, ready to leave the country because it would be the last night in Egypt.
Jesus is that He is the Lamb, so what we see here in Exodus is not just an account of one remarkable night in ancient history. Passover reveals the most fundamental truths about our LORD Jesus. Unlike the plagues of hail or darkness or gnats, in which Moses would stretch out his hand and the plagues would come through him. This time the LORD told even Moses to stay inside because, “I am coming.” All of Israel, even Moses must take shelter because the LORD Himself was judging the land. Salvation, if it’s going to come, has to be salvation from God. Passover was a meal certainly, but before it was a meal, it was a sacrifice, and the real key to the sacrifice was its blood.
"When the LORD goes through the land to strike down the Egyptians, He will see the blood on the top and sides of the door-frame and will pass over that doorway, and He will not permit the destroyer to enter your houses and strike you down."It’s the blood that makes all the difference. That was true of every house in Egypt that night. Whether Egyptian or Israelite, every house without blood on the doorpost had someone dead in it. On that cross: the LORD became the Lamb. The Savior became the Sacrifice. Our Maker was crucified – slaughtered as a Lamb. It’s all about the blood on the doorposts. It’s not about the LORD inspecting each household to see whether it’s up to scratch. It’s ONLY about whether the household is sheltering under the blood. And it’s not even about how much faith you have in the blood. If the blood is applied at all, you’re saved. Strong faith in the blood and wavering faith in the blood lead to exactly the same outcome.
Often people say, “I don’t have very strong faith.” I can reply, “Me neither. But thank God we’re not saved by how strong our believing feelings are! Thank God we are saved, not so much by our faith in Christ’s blood, thank God we’re saved by Christ’s blood!” Passover teaches us about our Christian lives. Christ saves you by His blood – not by anything in us. It’s not about the quality of our living, speaking, acting, or praying. It’s not even about the quality of our own faith. It’s only about the blood. Our status with God, both now and into all eternity, is NOT about the quality of our life – Our salvation has nothing to do with US – and everything to do with HIM, nothing to do with our performance and everything to do with His performance.
People so often worry that their sins have cost them their relationship with God. We can not out-sin the Blood of Jesus. It’s about His blood outside – not your heart inside. 1 John 1 verse 7: The blood of Jesus, God’s Son, purifies us from EVERY sin.
Salvation is entirely outside ourselves; it’s all about Jesus, the Lamb of God, who alone takes away the sins of the world. It is not about how we lead our lives as though our performance, good or bad, is what counts before God. Trusting in our Lamb is a whole way of life. We are not sinless but we are called to sin less every day. Once we recognize that His shed blood covers us, we can live in joy and live a life of worship and witness. We can live a life of a servant . We can run the race that is set before us in freedom and joy, renouncing sin, receiving His Grace, and taking shelter under His Blood.
In Christ,
Brown
http://youtu.be/taOXJZY-d-w
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