Essentials Of The Faith / Sunday Morning Sermon Series / Exodus

Exodus 11-13:16 Part 2 12/28/03

I. Judgment and Death

Review: Two weeks ago we looked at Judgment and Death as one of the three themes of Exodus 11:1-13:16.

 We saw that Judgment from God is the just action of a holy God towards those who are unholy, towards those who sin.
 We saw that the just judgment of our holy God for unholiness and sin is death. Both physical and spiritual.
 We saw that spiritual death is separation from God and his heaven because of sin.
 We saw that while physical death comes to everyone, spiritual death comes only to those who reject and rebel against God by rejecting his Son, Jesus.
 We  saw that there was a death in every Egyptian home that unforgettable night of the 10th plague while the homes of the Israelites were spared.

 Why were the Israelite families spared the wrath of God that unforgettable night? Because, by the grace of God and their faith in God, a sacrifice was made and a substitute provided. This is the theme we will look at this morning.

Transition: Open you Bibles to Ex. 12:1 where we will examine the theme of Sacrifice and Substitute.

II. Sacrifice and Substitution
Sacrifice
    What does it mean to make a sacrifice?
    Do we ever make sacrifices?
    What kind?

ILL: ‘Boarding the SS Dorchester on a dreary winter day in 1943 were 903 troops and four chaplains, including Moody alumnus Lt. George Fox. World War II was in full swing, and the ship was headed across the icy North Atlantic where German U-boats lurked. At 12:00 on the morning of February 3, a German torpedo ripped into the ship. "She's going down!" the men cried, scrambling for lifeboats. A young GI crept up to one of the chaplains. "I've lost my life jacket," he said. "Take this," the chaplain said, handing the soldier his jacket.  Before the ship sank, each chaplain gave his life jacket to another man. The heroic chaplains then linked arms and lifted their voices in prayer as the Dorchester went down. Lt. Fox and his fellow pastors were awarded posthumously the Distinguished Service Cross.’   Today in the Word, April 1, 1992.

To sacrifice is to give.
     Not what is easy,
     Not what is expendable,
     Not what is outdated or unwanted.
To sacrifice is to give the best.

Read: Ex. 12:12-13; 21-23; 30

God said there was going to be a death in every home in Egypt  that night, and there was. It was either the firstborn son or a lamb. And it was true for every home in Egypt: whether Egyptian or Israeli.

We saw two weeks ago that God was very specific about death as his judgment for rebellion, rejection and sin. Today, we will see that he is just as specific when he talks about how that judgment and death can be avoided.

Read: Ex. 12:1-11

This is the Passover. 5 things we need to see.

1. Each household was to take a lamb, a spotless, lamb w/o imperfections and it was to live with the family for 4 days. Why did the lamb live with the family? So that the it would become a part of the family, so it would be loved and the sacrifice of something cherished.

2. The lamb was to be killed, the blood placed around the door of the home. The blood was the key part of the sacrifice.
 
3. The lamb had to be totally consumed. That means either eaten by the family or burned up.

4. The lamb was to be eaten in faith. Dressed and ready to leave Egypt, they trusted that God’s deliverance, God’s salvation from Egyptian bondage would be immediate.

Those, who in faith and obedience to God, had blood on their doors were saved from the death God brought as an act of judgment against sin.

     -It wasn’t enough that they went through the motions of the sacrifice but didn’t really believe  in their hearts that God would save them.
     -It wasn’t enough that they believed what God had said about the sacrifice of the lamb, they had to act, they had to make the sacrifice.

5. Each family was responsible for placing the blood of that sacrificed lamb on it’s own door. Those families not doing this would not find God’s gracious salvation.

A sacrifice was made that night. An innocent lamb was killed and it’s blood sprinkled on a wooden door. When this was done, God and his wrath, passed over that home. Thus, the Passover. The people inside the home saved from experiencing death.

Transition: What was so important about the blood that those who put it on the doors to their homes were saved?

Substitute

The sacrificed lamb, with it’s shed blood, became the substitute for the firstborn in that family.

What is a substitute? Do we ever substitute things?

ILL: During the Civil War, a company of irregulars known as ‘bushwackers’ was arrested by the Union soldiers. Because they were guerrilla fighters and not in uniform they were sentenced to be shot. A courageous young boy in the Union army touched his commanding officer on the arm and pleaded, ‘Wont you allow me to take the place of one of the men you have just condemned? I know him well, he has a large family who needs him badly. My parents are dead and I have few friends. No one will miss me. Please let me take his punishment.’ The officer hesitated but finally gave his consent. Pulling the husband and father to one side, the young man filled his position in the death line. On the stone that marked his grave in a little southern town are the words ‘Sacred to the memory of Willy Lear. He took my place.’
(Michael Green: Illustrations for Biblical Sermons)

A substitute takes the place of someone or something else. It stand in their place, it act in their behalf.

Read: Ex. 13:13

The sacrificed lamb takes the place of the firstborn son or animal. It dies so others may live.

Salvation from death that unforgettable night was accomplished only through an innocent life given on behalf of those who deserved to die.

The Passover taught the Egyptians and Israelites that a substitute has been provided in the lamb. When it is sacrificed, and when by an act of faith, they place the blood on the door of their home, they will be saved from the judgment and wrath of God…they will be saved from death.

Conclusion
So what does all this mean to us today? What importance does sacrifice and substitute have in our lives?

There is no clearer example of salvation by grace in the OT than the Passover.  Let’s see if we can follow this through.

1. Each household was to take a lamb, a spotless, lamb w/o imperfections and it was to live with the family for 4 days. Why? So that the lamb would become a part of the family, so it would be loved and the sacrifice of something cherished.

     -Jesus was that spotless, sinless lamb. He lived with us, he became part of the family of humanity. And as such, he was loved by many. But most especially he was loved by his heavenly Father. Jesus was the much cherished sacrifice.

2. The lamb was to be killed, the blood placed around the wooden door of the home. And key to the sacrifice was the blood.

     -Jesus was killed and his blood was shed as an atonement a covering for our sin. It is through his blood that we are forgiven.

Hebrews 9:22b ‘without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.’

3. The lamb had to be totally consumed. That means either eaten by the family or burned up.

     -Make no mistake: Jesus died. He didn’t pass out, he didn’t go into a coma and later woke up. He died. The judgment and death from God that we deserved, consumed him.

4. The lamb was to be eaten in faith. Trusting that God’s deliverance, God’s salvation from Egyptian bondage would be immediate.
 
     -When you, by faith, accept Jesus as the Lamb of God who, not only takes away the sins of the world, but your sins, will not experience spiritual death. And it is not something that happens later or when you go to heaven, it happens immediately. There is no waiting, you are saved the instant you accept Jesus as the one who died to forgive your sin.

     -For you, as for the Israelites, it is a matter of faith.

James 2:17: ‘In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.’

     -Its not enough to go thorough the motions of church or Christianity.

     -It’s not enough to believe that Jesus is God.

Romans 10:9  ‘If you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord AND believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.’
 
 You must believe and then act upon your belief. Just as the Israelites did.

5. Each family was responsible for placing the blood of that sacrificed lamb on it’s own door. Those families not doing this would not find God’s gracious salvation.

     -No other person can save you. No one can pray you into heaven. You can’t get to heaven on the coattails of someone else. You are responsible… for you.

     -You need to say yes to God by saying yes to Jesus.
     -You need to accept his sacrifice.
     -You need to ask him to be your substitute.

 Jesus took your place. You owe a debt you can not pay. Jesus paid a debt he did not owe. That is the essence of the Passover.

ILL:A stressed father sat at the bedside of his comatose son, hurt playing basketball. At a crucial point in the game, the 16-year-old lunged for an errant pass going out of bounds. As he toppled over a spectator's chair, one of its legs caught him in the stomach and damaged vital organs. Because he felt little pain, the teen continued to play the game's final minutes while he hemorrhaged internally. By the time the pain grew enough to warrant a trip to the hospital, it was almost too late. The doctors worked frantically to save him, but the outcome was uncertain.

Though the son eventually recovered, those awful hours of waiting for the slightest signs of recovery forced family members to ask questions they'd never before faced. The father was alone on his bedside shift one evening when the pastor visited. Trembling with emotion, the father asked, "Will God kill my son to punish my sin?"

"No," said the young minister, searching for words that would comfort and grant renewed trust in the God this father now so desperately needed. "The Lord's not punishing your son for your sin. He couldn't, because God punished his son for your sin."

It will be an unforgettable moment in your life, when by faith, you accept the shed blood of Jesus on Calvary as the only sacrifice and substitute acceptable for your sin.