When you heard me read that Passage from Exodus 12, your thoughts
may have been just like mine on Monday morning.
What on earth?
How do you take something like this in the middle of what is a great.
A great rescue story?
And what do you do with it?
How does it fit into the story that we've been told of God rescuing
his people out of Egypt?
Well, it's been a few weeks since we looked at the book of Exodus,
and this morning we're looking at these last few verses that must
be here for a reason, and the reason for why they're placed in
the middle of.
What is this Exodus?
Chapter 12 has been the decisive chapter for God's people.
They were told about the plague on the firstborn in all the
land in chapter 11.
And this was the 10th and final plague that was going to fall
on the people of Egypt.
And in chapter 12, they prepared themselves for the night
when the angel of death would move throughout the land.
And the homes that didn't have the blood of the lamb sprinkled on
the doorposts and on the lintels would face death as punishment
for not trusting the word of the Lord.
But this blood wasn't to be obtained in any simple way that the
people wanted to.
It wasn't about doing it the people's way.
It was about doing it God's way, because God instructed his people
about how the blood would be provided for them.
And it would be provided through essentially what was a family
meal that the people would share in.
And we discovered in chapter 12 that this meal was going to be
called the Passover.
The reason why it was called the Passover is because the Lord
would quite literally pass over the houses where the blood had
been sprinkled on the doorposts and on the lintel, and
death would not come to that house.
And in verse 11 of chapter 12, God gave this instruction to Moses
to pass on to the people.
This is how you're to eat it, with your cloak tucked into your
belt, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand.
Eat it in haste.
It is the Lord's Passover.
So this meal was to be eaten with the expectation of departure.
430 years they'd been waiting for this day.
The Lord had promised them deliverance from Egypt because he
heard their cries.
And this was the moment when the people knew God would answer
their prayer.
They would be delivered, and they would be free.
So for 430 years, they'd lived in the land of Egypt, and now it
was time to go home.
They came to Egypt as a free people, knowing the favor of the
ruling classes of Egypt, all because of what Joseph had done to
rescue Egypt from starvation.
But the stories of Joseph had long died out.
The people of Egypt had forgotten about him, even if the
children of Israel hadn't.
And so God's people were enslaved.
They now saw that their cries for rescue to God, that had been
made throughout their generations, had been heard.
And because of Moses and Aaron's willingness to be led by
God, they would be God's agents to lead the people out of
Egypt.
But this wasn't going to be something just for that generation.
Yes, the physical act of leaving Egypt was their physical
movement.
But the memory of this was not just for that Exodus generation.
It was to be remembered by the people.
And it was to be celebrated every year.
And it continues to be celebrated and remembered every year
within the Jewish faith.
You see, in verse 14, God instructs His people, this is a day
you are to commemorate for the generations to come.
You shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord, a lasting ordinance.
So this defining moment for the people was to be remembered.
It wasn't to be forgotten.
And you have to remember what we're like as human beings.
We easily forget things.
And let's be honest, we all do.
We forget the name of someone that we maybe went to school with,
we when they walk towards us in the street.
Even in a community such as this.
Or perhaps we have now forgotten three generations ago of
who our family were or of even where they came from.
We do easily forget.
But the Lord says this is not to be forgotten because this was
his great deliverance of his people out of slavery.
But this wasn't going to be a case of simply remembering it every
now and again, just when it came to mind.
The Lord is establishing the Passover as an annual festival so
they could remember.
A festival of remembrance that would last for seven days.
And the people knew all this as they went into the first observance
of Passover.
And as these instructions were passed on to the people, we're told
in verse 28 that they observed every everything that they were told.
And as they did, verse 29 tells us, at midnight, the Lord struck
down all the firstborn in Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh
who sat on the throne, to the firstborn of the prisoner who was
in the dungeon, and the firstborn of all the livestock as
well.
So this tenth plague, remember how Pharaoh has played this game?
He's played it like a true politician.
His initial response was one of defiance.
Well, I'm not going to be beaten.
Then his response moved into saying to Moses, okay, well, we'll
let you go.
And then at the 11th hour saying, no, you're not going anywhere.
What was it going to take for Pharaoh to relent?
And it turns out it's the 10th plague that finally gets Pharaoh's
attention.
And with the death in Pharaoh's household, he summons Moses
and Aaron and he tells them to take the people out of the land.
He has had enough.
And as they leave the land, they take with them the riches of
Egypt and they head out and they leave Egypt for good.
So as we come to the final verses of chapter 12, it seems that
there is a repeat of the information that we already know,
because verses 43 and 51 present to us how the people are
to keep the Passover.
And this is now the third time that there's a record of the these
instructions.
So why do we need it repeated to us again at the end of this chapter?
Well, the instructions presented here in these verses contain
the same details as before, but they have a very different focus.
Verse 43 begins by telling us that these are the regulations for
how the Passover is to be kept so that as the people get their freedom,
they will be aware of what God has set down for the observance of
the Passover.
See, essentially the Passover is the celebration of a freedom meal.
That's what the Passover means.
It means that an enslaved people go free.
And so these enslaved people, these children of Israel, had been
released from their overlords and, and we're now free to go.
Now, if you grew up in the 1990s, then when you hear the word
freedom, your mind turns immediately to the 1995 film Braveheart,
as Mel Gibson, with a rather questionable Scottish accent, cries
freedom to rally the faint hearted armies of Scotland.
And it's a defining moment in that film where William Wallace,
portrayed by Gibson, rallies these Scottish armies, these clans
finally coming together to stand against the English.
And so in the movie, it's a defining moment.
However, it's not a historical accurate one.
For there is no evidence that William Wallace ever said those words
to his Scottish countrymen.
In fact, the, the evidence is that he stood trial and spoke there
to his fellow countrymen rather than leading the charge of
an attack.
And even if he did say the word freedom, the freedom he offered
was simply from one form of government to another.
That's all it was.
Well, how different it was for the children of Israel.
Yes, they were getting their physical freedom from Egypt, but
they were also getting spiritual freedom as they trusted
God and as they worshipped him by the ways that he set rather than
a design of human beings.
So when we hear freedom of the people here, we're not simply thinking
of William Wallace and the Scottish armies.
We're thinking of a freedom that goes beyond all human understanding,
where we're not simply moving from one government rule to another
government rule, but it is true freedom that can only come in
Jesus Christ.
And so, as they leave, they're told how to observe what has just
happened to them so that they will never forget.
Now, previous Passover instructions focused on properly
choosing a lamb, killing it, applying its blood to the home, and
eating it.
But these instructions now in verses 43 to 50, focus on who may
join in the Passover celebration and are especially important
considering that it is a mixed multitude that leaves Egypt with
Israel.
And we're told this in verse 38, many other people went up with
them, as well as large droves of livestock, both flocks and herds.
You see, the children of Israel were not the only enslaved
people in Egypt.
The Egyptians were the world's superpower.
And whichever land they conquered, they took from it slaves
to keep the country of Egypt running.
Now, we don't know if these slaves lived in the land of Goshen
as the children of Israel did, but they take their opportunity to
leave Egypt as God's people are being driven out.
So, taking this into account, these instructions first describe
who can eat the meal.
And since the Passover celebrates the Lord's deliverance
of his covenant people, it's only members of the covenant community
who can partake.
Now, this will naturally include Israelites and any of their
household servants who have been grafted into the household and
receive the covenant sign circumcision.
And verses 44 to 45 tell us, any slave you have bought may eat
of it after you have circumcised him, but a temporary
resident and a hard worker may not eat of it.
So here we're told that why non Israelites and hired workers
who are not part of the household cannot partake.
They have not received the covenant sign.
And this is key for the people of God.
To be part of the covenant community means the administration
of of the covenant sign and seal.
Through circumcision, God demonstrated his love towards his
people so that they would know the blessing of being part of the
covenant family, not just for those with the lineage of Jacob,
but also for those who are coming out of Egypt who became members
of the households.
And this, of course, did not automatically save the children of
Israel.
But it was the sign and the seal of the covenant promises of
God.
And this is what we continue to see today in the administration
of baptism.
Because with the waters of baptism that is now the sign and
the seal of the new covenant, Baptism does not save.
I'm not even talking here about how it's administered.
No form of baptism saves, but it continues to express God's love
towards a people who desperately need his salvation.
That can only come through Jesus Christ and through faith in
him.
So that's why we have something here that the people are
now being told that as they move out, as they will have to celebrate
this festival of Passover, well, here's who can and here's who
can't.
And there's a year to get ready for those who want to partake
of it.
And so as the text moves on, we see in verses 46 and 47, instruction
about the Passover lamb.
We're told that it must be eaten in one house.
None of it can be taken outside, and none of its bones may
be broken.
Now, the requirement to keep it in one house and not to take it
outside is, may be to assure that it is eaten only by those qualified
to do so and then disposed of properly.
As for why the bones cannot be broken, well, there's no immediate
understanding why this instruction is given to the Exodus
generation.
One of the only other biblical passages that mentions breaking animal
bones does so in the context of preparing the meat for boiling
in Micah 3:3.
So the instructions here in Exodus 12 against the breaking of
bones may be more relating to what we read in the New Testament.
It's instructions that have already been given in Exodus 12.
But it's actually the Apostle John who can't help but notice that
Jesus, who is crucified at the time of the Passover, does not have
his bones broken.
A detail that John includes to help us see that Jesus is the far
greater Passover lamb.
And as he talks about in John 19, you see, these things are not
by mistake or by accident.
This isn't simply made up by one generation trying to rewrite
something of another generation.
What God is doing here is giving us a thread to follow that
as the Passover lamb, not a bone was to be broken, so the true
Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, no bone would be
broken on Calvary's cross, so that as he lay in that tomb, as he
endured the agony of Holy Saturday, but as he rose victorious
on Resurrection Sunday, so in his physical yet divine body of Resurrection,
we would know him to be the true God, man, and the one of our
salvation.
These things are not to be overlooked, but to be understood
in the full council of Scripture as given to us from Genesis
right through to Revelation.
And so the passage returns in verse 48 to who may partake in the
Passover, emphasizing that all Israelites must do so, but also making
clear that non Israelites may, if their meals are circumcised.
And this is what we read, an alien living among you who wants
to celebrate the Lord's Passover must have all the males
in his household circumcised.
Then he may take part like one born in the land.
No uncircumcised meal may eat of it.
When non Israelites are circumcised and partake of the Passover,
they are therefore declaring their allegiance to God, and in the
case of their circumcised infants, their commitment to raise
them as God followers.
And once this occurs, they are to be considered as native Israelites
as far as the Passover is concerned, and treated as such when
it comes to celebrating it.
There's no such thing as a blow in when it comes to the Passover
of the Lord.
For following the Lord's way, by which it should be celebrated
and must be celebrated, all nations are welcome at his table.
And so having this now put before the people, this happening
right at the start of Israel's history as a nation, it underscores
that the Israelites are to be what they always were, to be a nation
welcoming non Israelites into their midst as the Lord's followers.
So that as the Lord said to Abraham in Genesis 12 and verse three,
all the families of the earth shall be blessed.
And this is truly an amazing initiative on the part of God here.
He could have kept them as his own, but he didn't.
His love was overflowing for just one nation.
That indeed those outside.
Even at this stage in Israel's history, at its foundation, the nations
could come to worship God, but it would be by his way and not a
way of man's making.
So the Passover was a meal to be shared with all of God's people.
God said to Moses in verse 47, the whole community of Israel must
celebrate it.
And this is something God had said from the beginning of his instructions
for the Passover in verses 3 and 6 of chapter 12.
And this was partly a matter of public safety, because remember,
the destroyer was coming, and the firstborn sons would only be
safe if they were covered by the blood of the Lamb that was on
the lintels and on the doorposts.
And those within would be saved.
So God said, not one of you shall go out the door of his house
until morning, in verse 22.
And so to be safe in this great rescue mission, all the Israelites
needed to celebrate was the first Passover.
That's how they knew their safety, to celebrate what the Lord
had commanded.
But even after death passed over, they all needed to keep the
feast of unleavened bread.
God told them to to hold a sacred assembly, which meant the
entire community was to gather for worship.
If anyone refused to participate, we were told, then they
were to be cut off from Israel.
So Passover was a meal to be shared.
It was a meal to be celebrated by the whole family of God wherever
they would be found.
And the reason it was necessary for all God's people to
celebrate the Passover was because it was they were all rescued
together.
Since salvation was something they shared, it was only right for
them to join together for the feast that praised God for the grace
that they had received.
And this is why it's here, right in the middle of them leaving
Egypt.
We have these verses giving these regulations of how to celebrate
the Passover so that the people would know what God's intention
for them is.
Even before they cross the river, they would know what God's
standard was.
And it was for them to be a people.
It wasn't about individuality.
It was about a community that eventually would become a nation.
And whenever we take that and think about it today, there's a problem
that we're faced with.
And that problem is many Christians think of salvation in
individual terms.
We talk about a personal faith or a personal savior.
Evangelicals often talk about having a personal relationship with
Jesus Christ.
In his 2002 recording America 4 the man comes around, Johnny Cash
covers the Depeche Mode song Personal Jesus.
And in his rustic tones, Cash begins by singing, your own personal
Jesus.
Someone to hear your prayers, Someone who cares.
Now, Cash came from a Christian background and at one point
made a profession of faith.
And what he was emphasizing here was what faith in Jesus meant
by having someone, almost like a personal butler, to service our
requests and to make us feel good.
But faith in Jesus is so much more than this sentiment.
Christianity is about what God has done for you and for me.
And yes, only my relationship with Jesus is what saves me.
I can't rely on the faith or on the relationship of others for
my salvation.
I must take responsibility to live out my faith each day.
But we also believe in the communion of saints, which means
that we all have something in common in salvation.
God has joined us together with Jesus Christ.
This is why when the New Testament explains the great doctrines
of salvation, it almost always speaks in the plural.
And to give just one example, let me read from Titus chapter three
and verses four to seven.
It's too long for the words to be on the screen, but listen to these
words where Paul writes.
But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved
us not because of righteous things we had done, but because of
his mercy.
He saved through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy
Spirit, whom He poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ
our Savior, so that having been justified by his grace, we might
become heirs having the hope of eternal life.
What's Paul talking about here in what God does for his people?
Well, it's regeneration, it's justification, it's sanctification,
and it's glorification.
How could we wrap this all up?
Well, we wrap it all up in the simple phrase union with Christ.
That's what we're given.
And this is a deep term that we need to understand and we will
be thinking about more and more.
This union of Christ is not simply benefiting from Jesus and
salvation.
Union with Christ means that we have everything that is His.
It's a completely different relationship and understanding of
who our Savior is to us, as it is through regeneration, justification,
sanctification and glorification.
See, this isn't just for me, and it's not just for you.
Individually.
Together, we share every aspect of salvation when we trust
in the risen Lord Jesus Christ for salvation.
And it's the reality for every Christian, not just in this building,
but in every place of meeting in this village, across this island
and across the world.
We are all sinners in need of a Savior.
But we were all included with Christ when He died on the cross
and rose from the grave.
And one day, those who believe in him will be transformed into his
glorious image.
That's why it's important for believers to be together.
And it's important to be together week by week.
I hope you realize you don't come to church on a Sunday simply
to keep me in a job or to increase the bank balance of this
congregation.
That's not why you come.
Coming together is far more important than any of these.
Throughout His Word, God has told us that to be his people means
that we come together in worship of him together.
Every Christian should maintain some regular routine, yes,
of personal prayer, praise and Bible study.
But we cannot be Christians on Our own.
It is of the very essence of our Christianity that we worship
God together, praising him for the salvation that we share in Christ.
A Christian who decides that it's not necessary to attend church
is actually in grave spiritual danger because God's design for us
is to be his community.
So please do not let the devil tempt you by saying, I don't feel
like going today.
Or don't let the devil tempt you by saying, I'm too tired or I'll
give it a miss or I'll skip it.
Whether this is a good sermon or not is up to each of your individual
opinion.
And I've often said, my goodness, you can get a far better
preacher than me.
But I'm sorry, I'm the one you have.
And as someone was saying to me for the next 20 years, but when
the Word of God is read and when the Word of God is preached,
then God speaks.
And so to simply think of Sunday morning and evening as something
you can casually choose to miss because something better came
along, or simply because you don't feel like it is to actually
miss the purpose of why we gather.
We gather as God's people, regenerated, justified, sanctified,
glorified, to worship him and sing praise of his name.
Why wouldn't you want to be here?
Now, I understand in the world in which we live there are shift
work patterns that do not allow for people to attend some Sundays.
And there are medical reasons why people cannot attend.
But if we have the opportunity to be here, then we should and must.
Not because I say so, but because the Word of God says so.
That we must not neglect in worshipping together as some have
become in the habit of doing.
Why?
Because of the guidelines and the regulations God has set down
in Exodus 12, that as a people who are saved, and yes, in this New
Testament time, we may be saved at different moments in history.
It all goes back to that one moment in history where Jesus rose
from the grave, proving that he is the Lord and giver of life
and salvation.
You see, it is in a community that we come to the Lord, but it's
also a community that anyone can join.
And membership comes through faith in Jesus.
The cry of Mel Gibson's William Wallace may have been freedom.
But it is in Christ that we can only know this freedom and see
it demonstrated through his people, the church.
And we won't always get it right.
And I'm the first to say that.
And so rather than looking only to the people around us, we
must look primarily to Jesus because He is the one who keeps us,
and he is the one who will keep us.
And so with open arms, as Jesus welcomes us to salvation, to
trust in him, so his arms are open to welcome you to his family,
the church.
There is no other model given to us in Scripture by which we are
to gather and worship God, but the church.
And so the invitation, if you're not a member of the church,
is to join us.
And that may be in two different ways.
It may be that you are a believer in Jesus, but you've never
taken that step to come forward for communion, the Lord's
Supper and church membership.
And that's a good thing to do.
And so if that's something you'd like to talk about, then mention
it to me and we'll get a conversation about it.
But the second part of that invitation is to come to Jesus for
the first time to know your salvation, to know that his is the
greatest family ever, ever to be a part of.
I joined this family on the 9th of July, 1988.
And look, a date and time doesn't matter.
I just happen to know when it was for me.
And I have not regretted it one moment.
And being part of this family of God in every place that I've worshipped
and in every part of the world I've gone to.
And so when Jesus opens his arm wide to invite you to come onto
him for salvation, it's a family invitation.
It's an invitation to gather around a table to have a meal together,
just as the children of Israel would do once a year.
It's an invitation to be part of each other's lives, that we don't
gossip about each other, but in fact we care about each other.
And we pray for one another and we do what we can for one another
because we are to be different from what's going on outside of these
walls.
We're not excluded from it, but we are different.
And that's what it means to trust in the Savior and to know true
freedom.
That freedom that these children of Israel were knowing as
they left Egypt.
But yet God places these verses here so that they will know
by which standard they are to live and to remember and to celebrate.
But it's Jesus that we turn to as we finish.
Because Jesus speaks of freedom whenever he challenges the
Jews, the hypocritical Jews of his time, as to who they belong to.
And they say they're the children of Abraham.
Well, he turns around and says, well, I've come and I'm greater
than Abraham.
Why?
Because I'll give you freedom.
And Jesus says so if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
For some of us, Egypt was a long time ago and we were rescued
through faith in Jesus Christ.
And perhaps that path has got a little bit slower for you.
And maybe you're not as warm and as vibrant as you were in faith
as you once were on your first coming out of Egypt.
Come back to the Lord.
Come back to his people.
Worship Him.
It may not always suit you as to what your style is, but be amongst
God's people.
But maybe you're still in Egypt.
Maybe you're tired and you know the sin that so easily ensnares
you will receive the invitation of true freedom, this
invitation of freedom from Jesus, who says that whenever he
frees you, you indeed will be free forever.
And most importantly, free from that punishment that sin brings.
So why are these obscure verses here at the end of chapter
12?
Why could they not be left to some of the books and all the regulations
and the laws?
Because God is setting the mark by which his people should live,
a mark that still remains for us today.
To be his people means to be in community with one another.
Church does not save, just as I said, the waters of baptism does
not save.
But it is a place to be by which we can know God more and trust
in Him.
So look to him for your freedom, keep with him for your freedom,
and know that your only hope in both life and death can be placed
in him alone, as we know that the salvation that comes from him
is for his glory and our good.
So let's pray.
Our Father God, we thank you for your word and these obscure verses
that really do challenge us about how we approach you.
Forgive us for whenever we've just been too lackadaisical about
it, when we've thought we can pick and choose of what suits us.
Father, as the boys and girls are learning about you on your throne,
that throne of authority, that throne that created us and keeps
us, forgive us for whenever we've had such a diminished view
and gone away from who you are, stir our hearts, cause us to
hunger for you, that indeed we will enjoy being part of your family
and perfect as it is until that day when Christ will return.
And Father, may we simply not pick and choose, just as the world
does, as if this is some club as to when it suits us and when it
doesn't.
Lord, may we be faithful because you demand us to be faithful.
So may we look ever to you as the God who will keep us as we live
by your ways and your ways alone.
And we ask it in Jesus name, amen.