Exodus Going With God #8 Exodus 12 Going In The Power of the Passover

Exodus Going With God #8
Exodus 12 Going In The Power of the Passover

Dead Horse Philosophy

 I don’t know if this is true but there is a legend about the Dakota Sioux tribal wisdom. That has a saying “When you discover you are riding a dead horse, get off.”

However, in the business/church world (might even apply to military command), we often see other strategies for this situation:

Whip harder.

Change riders.

Appoint a committee to study the dead horse.

Hire a contractor to ride the dead horse.

Arrange a visit to another site to see how they ride dead horses.

Create a training session to increase our riding ability.

Remind all concerned that "this is the way we have always ridden this horse".

Harness several dead horses together for increased speed.

Promote the dead horse to a supervisory position.

Some people are riding dead horses, thinking that we are going somewhere, when in reality we are stuck in our past, our routines and sometimes in our sin. If we don’t get off the dead horse soon, we’ll be dying as well. Life, especially the Christian life is about personal change. We see just such a time of change in the book of Exodus chapter 12. It was time for a change, time for a new life for Israel.

Going Into A New Beginning - Exodus 12:1-2

 And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you.

God Brings a New Start

God tells the Israelites that a change is coming. It will be a radical, complete change. For the last 400 years the Hebrews, the children of Israel have lived in Egypt. First as guests but then when a new Pharoah come to power, the Israelites were reduced to slavery.

But on this night, all that would change. There will be a new year from now on.

The Jewish nation in the Old Testament had two calendars, a civil calendar that began in our September–October, and a religious calendar that began in our March–April. New Year’s Day in the civil year is called “Rosh Hashana” which means “beginning of the year”. – W. Wiersbe, Be Delivered

But here the Lord says that now, Passover would mark a new beginning of months. This would be the beginning of the religious year, Passover would focus not on the harvest or crops but on a sacrificed lamb and the peoples relationship to God.

And on this first Passover, they will end their years of slavery and begin a new life, in a new land. Because of Passover, they would be free.

God Always Brings Change

As you read the Bible, as you study God and His interaction with man, you find that when God reaches out to man, it always brings a change. Experience God is so powerful that it always brings change.

Before Moses experienced God at the burning bush, he was a simple shepherd, after he experienced God he was a prophet, leader and nation builder. The Hebrews were slaved before they experienced God after the experience they were free and they became conquerors. David the shepherd became a King. Peter, James and John the fishermen became Apostles that changed the Pagan world.

God always Brings Change. The Bible is a record of one change after the other, from creation, to the flood, to the beginning of the nation of Israel, to the new Jerusalem, and New Heaven and earth. God changes hearts, he changes nations, He changes churches.  

This is what scripture says.

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold all things are become new.

Revelation 21:5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.

For us as Christians we need to understand and even anticipate that when we experience God, there will be change. Something must change, something must become new in me, because I experiencing God cannot leave any one the same as they were. God is too powerful not to bring change.

And let me add this, when God brings change, or a new life it always means leaving the old behind. The Israelites had to leave Egypt. It was a monumental undertaking, 400 years had to be left behind.

God’s new direction is never easy but through His power it is possible and by His will it is required.

No matter how hard it is to change, or how difficult it is to leave things behind, we need to embrace the change that God will bring because it always, always will be better than the old. Don’t keep trying to ride that dead horse, because sooner or later it won’t just be the horse that is dead.

Wesley and the Robber

Let me tell you a story about John Wesley and what used to be called a road agent. That sounds like an elected office but back in the 1700s a road agent was what we now call a robber, a thug, a gangster.

As John Wesley rode across Hounslow Heath late one night, singing a favorite hymn, he was startled by a fierce voice shouting, “Halt,” while a firm hand seized the horse’s bridle. Then the man demanded, “Your money or your life.”

Wesley obediently emptied his pockets of the few coins they contained and invited the robber to examine his saddlebags which were filled with books. Disappointed at the result, the robber was turning away when evangelist cried, “Stop! I have something more to give you.”

The robber, wondering at this strange call, turned back. Then Wesley, bending down toward him, said in solemn tones, “My friend, you may live to regret this sort of a life in which you are engaged. If you ever do, I beseech you to remember this, ‘The blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, cleanseth us from all sin.’” The robber hurried silently away, and the man of God rode along, praying in his heart that the word spoken might be fixed in the robber’s conscience.

Years later, at the close of a Sunday evening service with the people streaming from the large building, many lingered around the doors to see the aged preacher, John Wesley.

A stranger stepped forward and earnestly begged to speak with Mr. Wesley. What a surprise to find that this was the robber of Hounslow Heath, now a well-to-do tradesman in the city, but better still, a child of God! The words spoken that night long ago had been used of God in his conversion.

 Raising the hand of John Wesley to his lips, he affectionately kissed it and said in tones of deep emotion, “To you, dear sir, I owe it all.”

Wesley replied softly, “Nay, nay, my friend, not to me, but to the precious blood of Christ which cleanseth us from all sin.”

That highway man experienced God that day and later he found real change in Jesus Christ and it was the best change he could ever make and it brings us to our next point. Change this profound requires something much greater than our strength and resolve. It requires sacrifice.

Going In a New Life- Exodus 12:3-7

 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 an house:  And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbour 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: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats:  And ye shall 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.  And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it.

God Brings New Life

The single event that for the Hebrews, would accomplish the complete break from the old was the sacrifice of the Passover lamb.

God told Moses that each house was to take a male lamb w/o spot or blemish. It was to be slain in the evening with the whole assembly of Israel. They were to take the blood of the lamb and put it upon the doorposts of the house. Then they were to eat the lamb with all their family.

This would be the last action they took as slaves, for once they partook of the Passover lamb they would be made free by the power of God. For that night the Angel of the Lord passed through the land of Egypt and those who did not put themselves under the blood of the lamb suffered terrible death and heartache. Those who refused to accept God’s word, His protection and His change, suffered the terrible loss of life, instead of being under the protection of God, they were under the wrath of God.

But those who believed, those who made that slain lamb the sign of their faith, were spared God’s wrath and they found a new life and freedom from slavery.

New Life Starts With The Lamb

Just as God brought new life to the Israelites through a slain lamb, He will bring new life to us through THE slain Lamb. Slain in order to give us new life. Slain in order to protect us from the wrath of God. Slain to deliver us from the slavery of sin.

Back in Genesis 22:7 Isaac asked Abraham his father, Where is the lamb?

Here in Exodus 12 we see a lamb, a type of the true Lamb, but it is not until the New Testament that we understand fully and see The Lamb of God.

In John 1:29 John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.”

1 Peter 1: 18-19  Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:

 In Revelation 5:6-10, John records his vision of the throneroom of God. “6 And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. 7 And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne.
8 And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints. 9 And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; 10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

If there is to be a new life for us, if there is to be a new start for us it must be through the blood of the Lamb of God. He is our deliverance from sin, our salvation from slavery, our redemption from death.

 We must look to the Lamb of God. Look to Jesus Christ slain for us and then just as the Hebrews we must place ourselves under the protection of that precious blood. That is the sign of our faith, just as it was for them that first Passover night. Then and only then can we really be changed. Changed from fear to hope, from sorrow to joy, from eternal death to eternal life.

William Wilberforce, a man who changed the world through Christ

When William Wilberforce was brought to Christ he went with fear and trembling to his friend, the great statesman of the day, William Pitt, to tell him of the change. For two hours his friend endeavored to convince him that he was becoming visionary, fanatical, if not insane. But the young convert was steadfast and immovable. He had spent his twenty-fifth birthday at the top wave and highest flow of those amusements—the racecourse and the ballroom—which had swallowed up a large portion of his youth. He had laughed and sung, and been envied for his gaiety and happiness. But true happiness he had never found till he found Christ. And now he laid his wealth and wit and eloquence and influence at the feet of his Lord, his motto being—“Whatsoever others do, as for me, I will serve the Lord.”

God changed William Wilberforce and William Wilberforce changed England and the world by working for decades in Parliament to finally eradicate slavery in England and to influence the emancipation of all slaves in the Christian nations throughout the world. That is the kind of change God can bring, first with one life and then that life that can change everything around it.

Finally, we need to also understand that change often means moving, taking action or going where God wants us to go.

 Going Into a New Land - Exodus 12:8-14

 And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it.  Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast with fire; his head with his legs, and with the purtenance thereof.  And ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; and that which remaineth of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire.  And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the LORD'S passover.  For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD.  And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.  And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the LORD throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever.

God Brings A New World

God tells His people to prepare to go. They are to be dressed, with their staff in their hands and their shoes on their feet. When He gives the signal, then they are to go immediately leaving Egypt for the Promised Land. That night He would pass through the land separating the old world of Egypt from the new world of the Promised Land. Those who believed God would have the blood upon the door. Those who rejected God would not.

When the death angel, the Destroyer, passed over Israel that was God’s signal for the nation to begin their move into the promised land. Now from that day forth, they would keep the Passover as a memorial to what God had done in making them free from Egypt’s chains of slavery.

Are We Ready To Go?

I have to ask myself this morning, Am I prepared to move, to go, when God say go?

The answer isn’t just a mental assent, just a verbal affirmation. No, being ready for us means that just like the Israelites that night we are dressed ready for the journey. We must have our staff in our hands, our loins girded, our shoes on our feet and we must be standing up waiting for the Lord’s moment to act.

This Bible, the Word of God is your staff. The staff is used to support you when you walk and if you don’t have God’s word in your hand and in your heart, then you won’t be ready to go when the time comes. Carry it, read it, study it, meditate on its eternal words of life. Be ready with God’s Word.

 Psalms 119:11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.

Psalms 119:16 I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word.

Our loins must be girded. The people of God knew what this meant. They would bind up their long robes tying them through their legs and around their lions so that they would be able to move quickly or to fight without being tripped. Girding up your lions for us means having our hearts and minds ready to follow the Lord.

 Jesus told his disciples in Luke 12:35-36 Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning; 36 And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, …

To be ready we must also have our sandals on our feet. We must be ready to go in the direction that God points us to.

Paul in Ephesians 6:14-17 seems to be echoing this event as he writes to the church at Ephesus. He says, “14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; 15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

 This morning as you sit in this church, are you ready to go? Will you respond as you experience God? As he touches your heart and tells you to leave the old life find new life in Jesus Christ, the lamb slain from the foundation of the world?

Or will you stop and look back to your old life, your old disbelief, your old sin and stay in the bonds of your own Egypt?

 Remember, the death angel, the Destroyer, comes into every life one day, but only those who have made Jesus Christ their Savior, only those who have put His blood on the doorpost of their hearts will be passed over and spared from the judgment of. Are you ready?

Conclusion

If God should tell you to go this morning you ready?

If God should open a door of opportunity for us as church would we be willing to pass through it? Would we see the chance to go for God and step out? Would we have our loins girded, take our Word of God staff in our hands, put on the Gospel shoes of Peace and go where God directs us? Or would we hold on to our the past life, our past disbelief, our old traditions, our familiar comfort zones and miss the new world that God has prepared us for.

Are you ready this morning to move when God says go?

Those who are will go on to the to the newness of God. Those who are not will stay behind and miss the blessing that God brings with His call to change. I hope and pray that I will be ready and go when God says, “It is time.” I hope and pray that we all will be ready when God say go..