The Certainty of Grace: Beyond Ritual and Ritualism

• Passover and Redemptive History [00:19:24 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor introduces the Passover as the central Old Testament theme that foreshadows Christ's sacrifice, contrasting the biblical account with Islamic narratives.
• Islamic Theology vs. Christian Gospel [00:19:36 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor contrasts the Quran's omission of the death of the firstborn and the crucifixion with the Christian belief in Jesus' death and resurrection as the only path to salvation.
• Church Revival [00:19:01 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor expresses a passion for the revival of the American church through the descending of the Holy Spirit, linking this spiritual need to the theological depth of the Passover.
• Typology of Christ [00:26:46 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor explains that Old Testament history, specifically the Passover and the story of Joseph, serves as a prophetic picture of Jesus' life, death, burial, and resurrection.
• Typology of the Passover [00:27:29 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor explains the Passover lamb ritual as a direct picture of Jesus' death, contrasting it with Islamic beliefs and emphasizing the cost of sin.
• Prophetic Nature of Old Testament History [00:28:31 ▶️ 📄]
  > He argues that OT history (like Joseph's life) is prophetic and explicitly points to Jesus' life, death, and resurrection, citing 1 Peter 1.
• Redemptive History and Baptism [00:30:40 ▶️ 📄]
  > Using 1 Corinthians 10, he connects the Israelites' crossing of the Red Sea to Christian baptism, showing spiritual parallels in the wilderness journey.
• Unbelief and the Wilderness [00:33:49 ▶️ 📄]
  > He contrasts the Israelites who saw miracles but still died in the wilderness due to unbelief with the Christian call to walk by faith, not sight.
• Salvation and Deserving Death [00:34:23 ▶️ 📄]
  > He asserts that all humans deserve death due to sin, making the Passover Lamb (Christ) the only means of salvation, and critiques modern entitlement.
• Chronological Fulfillment [00:38:45 ▶️ 📄]
  > He highlights the specific timing of Jesus' death on the 14th day of the first month, aligning it precisely with the Passover lamb selection and slaughter.
• Typology of the Passover Lamb [00:38:06 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor connects the timeline of Jesus' entry into Jerusalem (10th day) and crucifixion (14th day) to the Old Testament requirement for the Passover lamb to be kept in the house from the 10th to the 14th day, emphasizing Jesus' perfection and lack of blemish.
• Resurrection and Firstfruits [00:43:21 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor argues that Jesus rose on the 17th day, which corresponds to the Feast of Firstfruits, citing 1 Corinthians 15:20 to establish Jesus as the 'firstfruits of them that slept.'
• Baptism and Red Sea Typology [00:45:02 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor links the Israelites crossing the Red Sea on the 17th day to Christian baptism and resurrection, viewing the event as a prophetic picture of rising from the dead.
• Noah's Ark and Salvation [00:46:17 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor notes that Noah's Ark rested on Mount Ararat on the 17th day of the seventh month (which became the first month), creating a triad of salvation events (Ark, Red Sea, Resurrection) all occurring on the same calendar date.
• Critique of Islam and Secularism [00:48:28 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor contrasts Christian certainty of salvation with Islamic 'inshallah' (uncertainty) and critiques secular distractions like sports, arguing that a lack of devotion to the Lord's Day indicates a lack of fitness for heaven.
• Assurance of Salvation vs. Uncertainty [00:51:20 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor contrasts the 'Inshallah' (if God wills) uncertainty of Muslims and the 'I hope so' ambiguity of average Americans with the definite knowledge possessed by those born again by grace through faith.
• The Necessity of the Resurrection [00:52:08 ▶️ 📄]
  > He argues that without the physical death and resurrection of Jesus, there is no joy, victory, peace, or salvation, citing 1 Corinthians 15 to prove that faith without resurrection renders believers 'most miserable.'
• The Sinlessness of Christ [00:54:13 ▶️ 📄]
  > He explains the theological distinction between Jesus' virgin birth and Adam's sin, asserting that Jesus, as the federal head of a new lineage through His heavenly Father, was unblemished and qualified to be the spotless Lamb.
• Power of the Resurrection for Believers [00:57:14 ▶️ 📄]
  > He teaches that the same power that raised Jesus from the dead resides in believers through the Holy Spirit, enabling them to live as living sacrifices and produce fruit, unlike the 'dead vine' of unregenerate life.
• The Finished Work of the Cross [01:01:33 ▶️ 📄]
  > He analyzes John 19, highlighting that Jesus' legs were not broken to fulfill the Passover lamb prophecy, demonstrating that salvation is complete ('It is finished') and requires no human addition.
• Salvation and Finished Work of Christ [01:02:44 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor asserts that salvation is complete in Christ with nothing to add, emphasizing the fulfillment of scripture regarding the Passover lamb.
• Typology of the Passover Lamb and Church Birth [01:03:53 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor connects the unbroken bones of the Passover lamb to Jesus, explaining that the church was born from His side (blood and water) just as Eve was born from Adam's side.
• Relationship with God vs. Cultural Misconceptions [01:04:25 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor contrasts the Islamic view of God with the Christian view of a loving Father who gave His Son, correcting the idea that God is distant or unrelational.
• Adam, Eve, and the Last Adam [01:05:09 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor uses the creation of Eve from Adam's side to illustrate the relationship between Christ and the Church, highlighting intimacy and love rather than domination.
• Call to Repentance and Revival [01:07:52 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor urges the congregation to get serious about Jesus, repent, and seek revival, positioning the church as the source of change in a sinful America.
• Pilgrim Journey and Eternal Hope [01:08:52 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor concludes with imagery of the Christian life as a pilgrimage, sustained by God's word and the sacraments, looking toward the promised land.

• Sermon Illustration [00:17:54 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor shares a personal anecdote about his travel time (45 minutes from Mooresville, estimating 2 hours and 15 minutes total) to humorously set the stage for his sermon, noting his excitement for Jesus.
• Sermon Illustration [00:18:26 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor references his personal background, being born to a Muslim father and an American Christian mother, and his work as a missionary to Muslims, to establish his credibility and passion for sharing Christ.
• Sermon Illustration [00:19:36 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor uses the Quran's account of Moses' nine signs (Exodus plagues) as an illustration of what he perceives as a 'missing' element in Islamic theology: the death of the firstborn, which he argues is the key to understanding the necessity of the Passover Lamb (Jesus).
• Sermon Illustration [00:28:31 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor uses the story of Joseph as an illustration of typology, describing Joseph's life as a 'beautiful picture' of Jesus' perfect life, sinless death, burial, resurrection, and ascension.
• Sermon Illustration [00:27:38 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor describes the Passover ritual where children play with the lamb for four days before it is slaughtered, illustrating the tangible cost of sin.
• Sermon Illustration [00:34:01 ▶️ 📄]
  > He references the movie 'The Ten Commandments' and Charlton Heston to illustrate that the Israelites witnessed massive miracles yet still failed to believe.
• Sermon Illustration [00:37:35 ▶️ 📄]
  > He uses a hypothetical scenario about President Donald Trump changing the calendar to July to illustrate how significant the Passover was to God, who actually changed the Hebrew calendar to make it the first month.
• Sermon Illustration [00:47:15 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor uses the analogy of the Ark resting on Mount Ararat to illustrate salvation and rest, connecting it to the Hebrew concept of 'Rest' in Hebrews 4.
• Sermon Illustration [00:47:22 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor references childhood cartoons with gravestones reading 'R-I-P' (Rest In Peace) to explain the theological concept of rest as salvation.
• Sermon Illustration [00:52:39 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor uses a hypothetical dialogue about saying 'inshallah' (if God wills) to a friend about visiting tomorrow to illustrate the lack of certainty and faith in the Islamic concept of salvation compared to Christian assurance.
• Sermon Illustration [00:52:39 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor uses a rhetorical dialogue to mock the concept of 'Inshallah,' comparing it to a friend saying they will visit 'inshallah' (maybe), which he argues is an unreliable promise compared to a definite 'yes.'
• Sermon Illustration [00:56:16 ▶️ 📄]
  > He tells a joke about an old evangelist asking a congregation if they want to go to heaven; when everyone raises their hand, a man in the front row refuses, saying he isn't ready yet because he has 'a lot of stuff I need to do here first,' illustrating a lack of true heavenly desire.
• Sermon Illustration [00:58:10 ▶️ 📄]
  > He references a colloquialism from the mountains, 'Dead men tell no tales,' to illustrate that an unregenerate person ('dead in trespasses') cannot produce spiritual fruit or testimony until born again.
• Sermon Illustration [01:02:59 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor describes the historical/biblical scene of soldiers breaking the legs of the two criminals to hasten death, but piercing Jesus' side with a spear instead, fulfilling the Passover lamb prophecy.
• Sermon Illustration [01:05:41 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor recounts the creation narrative where God causes Adam to sleep, takes his rib, and forms Eve, using this to illustrate the intimate, loving origin of the Church from Christ's side.
• Sermon Illustration [01:08:52 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor uses the analogy of Abraham looking for a heavenly city and the Israelites having pillars of cloud and fire for sustenance to describe the Christian's pilgrim journey and reliance on God.

• Pastoral Charge [00:28:31 ▶️ 📄]
  > Study the life of Joseph to understand its prophetic picture of Jesus.
• Pastoral Charge [00:29:04 ▶️ 📄]
  > Read 1 Peter chapter 1 to understand the importance of Old Testament history.
• Pastoral Charge [00:30:40 ▶️ 📄]
  > Turn to 1 Corinthians 10 to see the parallel between Israel's history and Christian admonition.
• Pastoral Charge [00:38:54 ▶️ 📄]
  > Turn to John chapter 12 to see the chronological connection between Jesus' entry into Jerusalem and the Passover.
• Pastoral Charge [01:08:07 ▶️ 📄]
  > To get serious about Jesus Christ and understand the salvific work of His death.

[00:00:05] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:00:05] Well good morning and if you don't mind go ahead and take your seats we're going to get started because time just tends to go fast when something really interesting is going on. That 45-50 minutes of Sunday school felt like five or ten minutes and so we were to go ahead and get going this morning and at the end of service Pastor Joseph will stick around
[00:05:25] um he can you can even just hang out where there's more room up in here if you have questions for him because i know sometimes people like during the sunday school you don't want to ask a question
[00:05:36] in front of everybody but he's here he wants to answer your question uh wants to make sure you understand because i'm going to be honest based off of what i just heard and what i watch
[00:05:47] every time i watch the news that's two totally different things two totally different things it's you know um so we just want to we want to be informed and um and we want to know how to
[00:06:01] witness we want to know how to share christ because what an amazing thing when someone comes to know christ and what an amazing thing if the lord leads you where you work that there is
[00:06:13] a muslim in where you are or in your neighborhood or that lives beside you that you get a chance to witness to and they come to know Christ.
[00:06:22] So, I've always said the safest place you'll ever be in life is in the will of God.
[00:06:29] So, we don't want to walk in fear because the Bible tells us that the Lord doesn't give us the spirit of fear, but of love and peace and a sound mind.
[00:06:37] But we want to share Christ.
[00:06:39] So we'll get started and anybody else that comes in can trickle in.
[00:06:42] So, welcome to church this morning.
[00:06:45] If you are here for the first time, We'd love to have a record of your visit, so there's a connect card in the little slot in front of you.
[00:06:53] If you would fill that out and drop it into the offering plate when it comes by, then we would certainly appreciate that.
[00:07:00] So let's, if you would, go ahead and stand.
[00:07:04] We'll open up in prayer, get to our call to worship, and join in.
[00:07:09] Let's pray. Lord, thank you for this opportunity to be in your house.
[00:07:12] Thank you, Lord, for Pastor Joseph. Thank you for his ministry.
[00:07:15] God, thank you, Lord, for your Holy Spirit.
[00:07:18] God, that we don't just come in this place simply just to gather as people.
[00:07:23] Lord, what a great time church is of fellowship.
[00:07:27] But Lord, we come because, Lord, we want to be in the presence of an Almighty God.
[00:07:31] Lord, we just ask for You to move, to stir in our hearts and our minds today.
[00:07:36] And Lord, to just open Yourself up to each and every one of us.
[00:07:39] I don't know all the prayer requests that are in this place today.
[00:07:43] And Lord, those that need touches from You.
[00:07:45] or, God, those that have special things going on in their life, they need You to reveal Yourself to.
[00:07:51] But, God, You certainly do.
[00:07:53] And so, Lord, we lift it all up to You.
[00:07:55] Let us leave this place today knowing, Lord, that we haven't just been in Encounter Fellowship, but we've been in Encounter with an Almighty God.
[00:08:03] Lord, we do love You and we thank You.
[00:08:04] In Jesus' name, amen.
[00:08:06] If you will, just join me in a call to worship, and then we will jump right in.
[00:08:12] Together, You have been my hope, Sovereign Lord, My confidence since my youth, my mouth is filled with Your praise, declaring Your splendor all day long.
[00:08:22] I will always have hope, and I will praise You more and more.
[00:08:27] I will praise You with the harp for Your faithfulness, my God.
[00:08:31] I will sing praise to You with the lyre, Holy One of Israel.
[00:08:36] My lips will shout for joy when I sing praise to You, I whom You have delivered.
[00:08:44] Amen. Praise the Lord.

[00:08:46] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]
[00:08:46] You can be seated.

[00:13:28] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:13:28] We shift a little shift in schedule today.
[00:13:32] So we're going to get Pastor Joseph up here pretty quick.
[00:13:35] But, you know, singing that song, what an amazing thought is that, as we just learned in Sunday school, is that the Islam slays to conquer.
[00:13:47] Jesus allowed himself to be slain to conquer.
[00:13:51] Amen. What an amazing thing.
[00:13:53] If our ushers would come, we're going to go ahead and take an offering.
[00:13:56] So if you have an offering to give, go ahead and get that prepared.
[00:14:02] And if you are visiting with us today, I mean, there's no cover charge, so we're not asking you to give anything.
[00:14:07] Just the fact of you being here today is you've blessed us enough.
[00:14:12] But if you call this your church home, then we certainly encourage you to bless the Lord in your giving and worship Him in your giving as well.
[00:14:22] Amen.
[00:14:23] So let's go to the Lord in prayer.
[00:14:25] God, thank you for our time to be together.
[00:14:27] We lift this offering up to you.
[00:14:29] And God, we just ask you to bless it, to multiply it for the building of your kingdom.
[00:14:34] Lord, not for us, but for you.
[00:14:37] Lord, that we continue to see souls saved.
[00:14:40] We continue to be able to do things as a church, to get your gospel out.
[00:14:45] We continue to be able to be a lighthouse to our community and to our city.
[00:14:50] God, we thank you, Lord, for all that you're doing.
[00:14:52] And I pray a special blessing upon those, Lord, who worship you in this area.
[00:14:57] We give it all to you, King of kings and Lord of lords.
[00:15:00] In Jesus' name we pray, amen.

[00:15:58] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:15:58] Thank you. Thank you.

[00:16:51] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:16:51] All right, if you were not here for Sunday school, you did not get a chance to meet Pastor Joseph.
[00:16:58] But I'm going to call him up, and we are going to pray over him as we begin to, and we'll just deliver the time to him.
[00:17:07] So come on up here, Pastor Joseph.
[00:17:08] Just pray with me together.
[00:17:10] Let's pray together.
[00:17:11] Lord, we thank you for Pastor Joseph.
[00:17:13] We thank you, Lord, for the ministry, the anointing, God, the place, the platforms that you have put him to be able to share, Lord, this message and many other messages, even in his own church, God.
[00:17:25] Lord, thank you for what you're doing in him.
[00:17:27] And today we just pray for a special anointing.
[00:17:29] Lord, we just pray, Lord, as he opens your word, he began to preach, Lord, that your anointing be upon him.
[00:17:34] And Lord, we just pray, God, that you use them in this place in a mighty way today.
[00:17:38] Those that are here, those that are over at our campus in Clover, those that will be watching online.
[00:17:44] Lord, we give it to you. This is your service. This is your servant. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

[00:17:50] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:17:50] Thank you, brother. Thank you. Thank you all. So delighted to be with you.
[00:17:54] And, you know, it's a 45-minute drive down from Mooresville.
[00:17:58] And I know that after service, it'll take more like an hour and a half.
[00:18:04] And so, let's see, an hour and a half, 45, that's what, two, that's two hours and 15 minutes I got from my sermon.
[00:18:12] So, I'm excited about Jesus.
[00:18:19] If you were here for the study about Islam, you know, the real answer to Islam, of course, is Jesus Christ.
[00:18:26] and my heart even though I was born with a Muslim father and a American Christian mother and I've been a missionary to Muslims and all of this and I have a lot of information to share a lot more
[00:18:39] than what I did but that's not the passion the passion is Christ and my passion even though I'm from a church that you might call frozen chosen we have a couple frozen chosen from from my church
[00:18:50] Bonnie and Gary I'm so glad you're here but you know I heard the church of God's not frozen chosen So y'all going to help me as I preach, right?
[00:18:59] I'm excited.
[00:19:01] My heart is for revival of the American church.
[00:19:04] Not just the ARP church, but everybody who loves Jesus.
[00:19:09] What we need more than anything else in America today is true Holy Spirit descending and reviving the church.
[00:19:16] But when I look around America today, I don't really see it.
[00:19:24] So I want to preach to you today about the Passover.
[00:19:27] We're getting ready to celebrate Easter, Resurrection Sunday.
[00:19:30] And I think the Lord has given me some things about the Passover.
[00:19:34] We want to talk about that.
[00:19:36] But before we do, I want you to see one verse from the Quran.
[00:19:39] Now, I'm not preaching the Quran.
[00:19:41] I just want you to understand how sorry and sad Muslims are.
[00:19:45] In the Quran, chapter 17, verse 101, it says, Allah is supposed to be talking to Muhammad.
[00:19:51] We surely gave Moses nine signs.
[00:19:55] It's talking about the plagues.
[00:19:57] How many plagues in the Bible were there?
[00:19:59] Well, he's got nine.
[00:20:01] There's a little discrepancy.
[00:20:03] Now, my father, God bless him, he says, well, you know, my son, nine, ten, that just shows how close we really are.
[00:20:13] They're missing one very important.
[00:20:16] What plague do you think they're missing?
[00:20:19] The death of the firstborn.
[00:20:21] And how do the people of God escape the death of the firstborn?
[00:20:24] The Passover, the blood of the Lamb.
[00:20:26] isn't that an interesting omission you can take that off thank you um so we have the 10 plagues that are clear in the book of exodus and just think about this for a moment if in islam they
[00:20:40] have a lot of the old testament stories but they're kind of jumbled up and the information is not always right but one of the things that i always notice is the key things in the old
[00:20:49] testament that point to the new and especially to jesus christ death bell and resurrection to our salvation and the redemptive history that's so rich in the Old Testament all of these prophecies all of these signs
[00:21:01] all of these historical events that point towards Jesus Christ and what he's done for us are not in the Quran in Islam the Passover is passed over and how sad for them and if there's no Passover
[00:21:17] there's no Passover to point to the death of Jesus and the Muslims believe Jesus was on the cross but they didn't die that's kind of weird and that somehow another allah their god deceived the jews
[00:21:29] and and jesus was taken up real quick raptured up and he didn't die well if he didn't die where's salvation and that's why muslims don't know whether or not they're saved and by the way if he didn't
[00:21:42] die there's no easter there's no resurrection how sad are muslim people and they are sad most of the time it's a sad thing we got to pray for him pray for him to know Jesus as we do so I'm going to
[00:21:55] read our main text in the book of Exodus chapter 12 verse 1 let's look at the text about the Passover and I think this is going to encourage you as we're heading towards Easter especially
[00:22:06] as it points to Jesus Christ his death bill and resurrection and what that means for you and me as believers and especially as we mentioned how that relates to revival of the church which we
[00:22:17] so desperately need in America today. Just look around. Not here, but outside here, right? Exodus chapter 12, verse 1. 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
[00:22:33] to you. Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of the month they shall take to them every man a lamb. This is the Passover lamb. According to the house of
[00:22:43] their fathers a lamb for a house and if the household be too little for the lamb let him and his neighbor next under his house take it according to the number of the souls every man according to
[00:22:52] his eating shall make your count for the lamb your lamb specifications for the passover lamb should be without blemish a male of the first year you shall take it out from the sheep or from the
[00:23:03] goats you shall keep it up until the 14th 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
[00:23:14] strike it on the two doorposts and on the upper doorpost of the house wherein they shall eat and they shall eat the flesh that night roast with fire and unleavened bread and with bitter herbs they shall eat it he did not raw nor sodden that's boiled at all with water but roast with
[00:23:29] fire his head his legs and with the pertinence thereof and you shall let nothing of it remain until the morning and that which remaineth until the morning you shall burn with fire and thus shall you eat it with your loins girded with your shoes on your feet your staff in your
[00:23:44] hand you shall eat it in haste because it is the lord's passover for i will pass through the land of egypt this night and i will smite all the firstborn in the land of egypt both man and
[00:23:55] 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 you are and when I see the blood I will pass over
[00:24:06] 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 you shall keep it a feast to the Lord throughout your
[00:24:18] generations you shall keep it a feast by an ordinance forever seven days shall you eat unleavened bread even the first day you shall put away leaven out of your houses for whosoever eateth leavened read from the first day into the seventh day that soul shall be cut off from israel and in the first
[00:24:36] day there shall be a holy convocation and the seventh day there shall be a holy convocation to you no manner of work shall be done in them save that which every man must eat that only may be
[00:24:46] done of you and you shall observe the feast of unleavened bread for in that self-same day have i brought your armies out of the land of egypt therefore shall you observe this day in your
[00:24:57] generations by an ordinance forever we're going to go to the 28th verse in the first month on the 14th day of the month at even you shall eat unleavened bread until the 1 and 20th day of the
[00:25:08] month at even seven days shall there be no leaven found in your houses for whatsoever whosoever eateth that which is leavened even that soul shall be cut off from the congregation of israel whether he be a stranger or born in the land you shall eat nothing leavened in all your habitations
[00:25:24] shall you eat unleavened bread then Moses called for all the elders of Israel and said unto them draw out and take you a lamb according to your families and kill the Passover you shall take a
[00:25:36] bunch of hyssop dip it in the blood that is in the basin strike the lentil and two side posts of the blood that is in the basin and none of you shall go out of the door of his house until the morning
[00:25:47] For the Lord will pass through to smite the Egyptians, but when He sees the blood upon the lintel and on the two side posts, the Lord will pass over the door and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you.
[00:26:04] Amen.
[00:26:05] And you shall observe this thing for an ordinance to thee and to thy sons forever.
[00:26:09] And it shall come to pass when ye be come to the land which the Lord will give you according to His he hath promised, that you shall keep his service and it shall come to pass when your children shall say unto you
[00:26:19] what do you what what is this what mean ye by this service then you shall say it is the sacrifice of the lord's passover who passed over the houses of the children of israel and egypt when he smote
[00:26:30] the egyptians and delivered our houses and the people bowed their head and worshiped and the children of israel went away and did as the lord had commanded moses and aaron so did they may god
[00:26:41] add his blessing and understanding to the reading of this, his holy word. Amen?
[00:26:46] Amen. We need to understand that this Passover is a wonderful part of scripture that points directly to Christ. In 1 Corinthians 5, verse 7, the apostle Paul says Jesus Christ is our Passover lamb sacrificed
[00:27:01] for us. By the way, when Jesus was on the cross, there was a special Hebrew festival. Do you know what day it was? Passover. What a coincidence, isn't it? You think God might have done that on purpose?
[00:27:18] Jesus is our Passover lamb. He died on Passover. By the way, the Muslims have no concept. They don't have Passover. The Passover is passed over. They don't believe he died on the cross.
[00:27:29] In the Bible, there's dates. By the way, you take the lamb in on the 10th day of the month, okay, the first month, and you keep it in your house for four days, that cute little lamb. The
[00:27:38] kids are playing with it and then on the 14th day slit its throat wow right because you see the you see why you see the cost of our sin because the wages of sin is romans 6 23 but muslims don't
[00:27:53] know that and the world doesn't know that they make fun of sin but you see the only way to get out of bondage is through that passover lamb the only way to be saved is through jesus christ and
[00:28:03] so i want to take just a moment to show you i don't know if you're a pastor or in this church you do a lot of teaching on this maybe you know all of this if so rejoice and have patience with
[00:28:12] me but if you learn something here i hope it'll be a blessing all of these things in the old testament history are all historical and true absolute truth but they are also prophetic not just the prophetic writings like isaiah 53 and others that talk about jesus specifically
[00:28:31] and explicitly but the actual history of what took place like the story of joseph right it's a beautiful picture of jesus christ go study joseph everything in his life is a picture of what jesus did in his perfect life in his sinless death in his burial in his resurrection in his
[00:28:46] ascension to the right hand of the father and saving the gentiles that's the life of joseph it's beautiful and we should expect this because after all the word history what does it mean but his story whose how about jesus i'll go for that and so we have this beautiful picture i want you
[00:29:04] to see this that i'm not making this up go to first peter just for a moment first peter chapter one and i want to say oh these presbyterians are a little weird well maybe we'll let peter tell us
[00:29:17] i want you to see this exceptional passage that gives us an insight in the importance of of old testament history for us as new testament christians first peter chapter 1 verse 10 through 12 of which salvation the prophets have inquired he's talking about salvation in christ the
[00:29:33] prophets inquired and searched diligently who prophesied of the grace that should come. That's the Old Testament prophets. Seeing what or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them. The Spirit of Christ
[00:29:45] was in the Old Testament prophets. That's what the Bible says. How many know the Holy Spirit is the same Spirit as Christ and as the Father. One God we believe in. Three persons. At the manner of the time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did
[00:29:57] signify when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow unto whom that is the prophets of the old testament it was revealed that not unto themselves but unto us new testament christians did they minister the things which are
[00:30:13] now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the holy ghost sent down from heaven which things angels desire to look into redemptive history these prophets were talking about stuff that he didn't really understand completely but it was revealed to them that
[00:30:27] there's a group of people that's coming that will understand. And that's after Jesus has come and died for us. And the Holy Ghost has come. Praise God. And now we have this understanding. If you turn to 1 Corinthians 10, you'll see the same thing.
[00:30:40] Moreover, brethren, verse 1, I would not have that you should be ignorant.
[00:30:44] Christians. He's talking to us. Don't be ignorant. How that all of our fathers were under the cloud. Remember, God led them out by a pillar of cloud by day, a pillar of fire by night. All
[00:30:55] of our fathers were under the cloud and all passed through the sea. Red Sea crossing. And all were baptized. Did they have Baptists back then? They were baptized into Moses in the cloud and the sea.
[00:31:10] So going through the Red Sea, what was a baptism spiritually, typologically. You see it's pointing forward. The Passover pointed forward to the death of Christ. And then the next thing they do is they go to the Red Sea and that points
[00:31:26] forward to, according to the Bible, baptism. They were all baptized. So once you're born again, you do baptisms, right? Right after you get saved.
[00:31:34] Same thing they did in Egypt. Why? What a coincidence. No, God made it that way.
[00:31:38] And then notice, it says in verse 3, and they'd all eat the same spiritual meat.
[00:31:42] What did they eat? Manna, coming down from heaven. And what do you? You all do communion here, the Lord's Supper? You all eat the same bread, right? The same spiritual meat? Because that's referring to Christ.
[00:31:55] And by the way, they did all drink the same spiritual drink.
[00:31:59] How did they drink?
[00:31:59] They were thirsty, hit that rock, Moses, the first one, and here comes the water.
[00:32:05] Right?
[00:32:05] And we drink the same spiritual drink, the fruit of the vine, the Lord's table.
[00:32:09] Okay?
[00:32:09] And it says, and they did all drink of the same spiritual drink, for they drank of that spiritual rock that followed them, and that rock was Christ.
[00:32:17] You mean Christ was in the wilderness, out of Egypt?
[00:32:20] Amazing.
[00:32:21] How many of you know he's the Alpha, the Omega, the First and the Last?
[00:32:25] He's everlasting.
[00:32:26] He's the Lamb that was slain from the foundation of the world.
[00:32:31] And so all of this is pointing to our salvation.
[00:32:34] Verse 5, But with many of them God was not well pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness.
[00:32:38] Now these things were our examples.
[00:32:42] Then we better pay attention, right?
[00:32:44] To the intent that we should not lust after the evil things they lusted.
[00:32:48] Neither be idolaters as some of them were.
[00:32:50] as it is written the people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play neither let us commit fornication as some of them committed and fell in one day three and twenty thousand neither let us
[00:32:59] tempt christ as some of them also tempted and were destroyed of serpents neither murmur ye as some of them murmured and were destroyed of the destroyer now all of these things verse 11 happened unto
[00:33:11] them for examples and they are written for who for our admonition upon whom the ends of the world will come I'm not making this up all of that was written down why they didn't say hey Moses did
[00:33:25] you write what happened today we'd like to hear it no he wrote this down God instructed him by the Holy Spirit so that it is a blessing to us to better understand salvation and that we might
[00:33:35] not fall the same way they did because of the people that left Egypt how many made to the promised land not a whole lot two of that generation right Joshua and Caleb the rest died in the wilderness because of their unbelief they refused to enter in we're called to walk
[00:33:49] how? By faith or sight. They saw everything. They saw the ten plagues. They were with Charlton Heston, you know, when he didn't know. They were in the Ten Commandments movie. No. But they saw everything. They saw the Red Sea parted. They saw manna from
[00:34:01] heaven. They were living miracles for 40 years and at the same time they turned away and refused to believe God. The world says, seeing is believing.
[00:34:09] The Bible says, hearing is believing. Faith cometh by hearing. Hearing by the word of God. And so these people could not enter in by unbelief. Now real quickly, Egypt is a picture of the unbelieving world. We're in bondage. We're in slavery. That's
[00:34:23] what they were, right? Until you're born again, you're in bondage. You're going after the God of this world. Who's that? Satan. And so you're in bondage to sin. You're spiritually dead. You have to be saved. You cannot do it yourself. There's no payment that you can offer. Therefore, God
[00:34:37] himself has to provide the lamb. And that's the Passover lamb. We take the blood. We put it over the doorpost. And when he comes and kills the Egyptians, by the way, did they deserve to die?
[00:34:46] they sure did did the Israelites deserve to die they sure did do you deserve to die what what what do we deserve in America today I deserve this and that and benefits and in citizenship and snap and
[00:35:00] and I don't even know what all and this and that millions of dollars and a cell phone or trampoline and in a nice mobile home or whatever I don't know but according to the Bible the only thing
[00:35:10] I can tell we deserve is death the wages of sin is death and that's what payday is coming And so the only way to be saved Because the wrath of God God cannot change God is love but he is also wrath
[00:35:24] And how many sins does it take for us to go to hell How many sins did it take for Adam and Eve To get kicked out of the garden How many of you have sinned at least once
[00:35:32] A couple of you I think I've sinned at least one time I'll go for that And so you can't make it And so Christ has to die So too the way for them to be out of bondage
[00:35:44] Is for the Passover lamb to die for them in their place and so this is a picture of Christ on the cross so Egypt Pharaoh is a picture of Satan Egypt of the unregenerate people who are not yet born again and then the Passover
[00:35:58] is the way to be saved that points to Christ and then they go through the Red Sea well there's three days they go through the Red Sea and it says they're baptized in the Red Sea that's a picture of baptism you're born again you get saved
[00:36:10] isn't this interesting how it all goes together and then from the time you're baptized until the time you go to heaven there's usually a little bit of time right in this case 40 year wilderness wandering and then before you get to the promised land which is a picture of what
[00:36:24] you got to cross that jordan and what's that a picture of death you ever hear about crossing jordan yeah to get into the promised land doesn't that fit nicely together it's not my thought this
[00:36:39] is god this is his word and so all of that keep that in mind as we move forward so with that Muslims don't have a clue about this They don't understand the chronology They don't believe in the Passover
[00:36:50] They don't believe in the death of Christ They don't believe in the resurrection They don't know the history They don't know any of that Did you all know all of that?
[00:36:58] And if you did The more important thing is not is it here Is it here How is it affecting your life?
[00:37:07] How are you any different from anyone else You pass on I-77 Or get passed by folks the passover was on the 14th day of the first month according to exodus chapter 12 very interesting this passover is so important if you go back to exodus 12 for just a moment
[00:37:24] it is so important now what if donald trump or i don't know you name who you like if you don't like donald trump but somebody like a president or something that says you know this is going to
[00:37:35] be so important that we're going to have a new calendar january is going to start in july That'd mess a lot of people up, right?
[00:37:43] But that's pretty important for that to happen, right?
[00:37:47] So that's what he does in Exodus chapter 12, verse 1 and 2.
[00:37:51] And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, This month shall be unto you the beginning of months.
[00:37:57] It shall be the first month of the year.
[00:37:58] God changes the whole calendar from creation until this point because this is so important.
[00:38:03] It's so important that this is going to be the beginning of the year.
[00:38:06] And by the way, the old Hebrew calendar would have been the seventh month.
[00:38:10] and that's why if you try to figure out a Hebrew date there's two Hebrew calendars and one the first month is the seventh month the seventh month became the first month but why is that important well I'll tell you in a minute but the point is it's so important
[00:38:23] and so you're supposed to take this lamb for the Passover into your house on what day of the week the 10th day keep it in your house until what day the 14th day and then you kill it on the 14th
[00:38:38] Very interesting.
[00:38:40] Remember now, the first month of the year was the year that Jesus died.
[00:38:45] And he happened to die on the 14th day.
[00:38:49] That's interesting.
[00:38:50] If he's our Passover lamb, that should make sense, right?
[00:38:53] But there's more.
[00:38:54] Turn with me to John chapter 12, if you would.
[00:38:58] In John chapter 12, Jesus is on the way to Jerusalem for the last time.
[00:39:02] We're getting ready for Easter.
[00:39:05] Palm Sunday.
[00:39:06] in john chapter 12 verse 1 then jesus six days before the passover came to bethany where lazarus was which had been dead whom he raised from the dead so this is saturday six days before the
[00:39:21] passover uh no i'm sorry yeah that's saturday because look what happens on the next day in the same chapter john chapter 12 verse 12 on the next day this is sunday how do we know much people that
[00:39:35] were come to the feast when they heard that jesus was coming to jerusalem took branches of palm trees and went forth to meet him and cried hosanna blessed is the king of israel that cometh in the
[00:39:47] name of the lord and so jesus when he had found a young ass sat there on his ridden fear not daughter of zion behold thy king cometh sitting on an ass is cold and that's palm sunday right that's coming
[00:39:59] up what two Sundays from now so but this is the week that he's going to die and then on that Thursday is the last supper and then Friday is the crucifixion and remember the Hebrew days pass
[00:40:13] span overnight you know begin at sundown and and so he dies on the 14th what day did he enter Jerusalem the 10th he entered on Sunday the 10th day of the week isn't that interesting he enters
[00:40:30] on the 10th and he's killed on the 14th now I've heard that somewhere before Passover lamb right but now what did you do with that lamb for four days you kept it in your house
[00:40:40] well where did he go if you look at all the gospels when he came in to the temple his father's house and on the 14th day where before he's being questioned by by the they're trying to get some
[00:40:53] kind of false accusation against him and he says look I was daily in the temple with you and you didn't take me where's he been in the house from the 10th day to the 14th day in his father's house
[00:41:08] the passover lamb and what was going on during that time the passover lamb has certain specifications should be a male of the first year another a male in the prime of his life that's jesus and he's supposed to be without blemish he's four days being questioned by the lawyers
[00:41:27] They're trying to trip him up, and at the end, when they put him on trial, those Sadducees, it's because they're sad, you see, and they couldn't find any witness against him.
[00:41:39] They even tried to find false witnesses, and they couldn't, and then Pilate, who's not religious as far as Judaism or Christianity, says more than once, I find no fault in the man. This Passover lamb was studied for four days very carefully no blemish no spot perfect passover lamb jesus christ
[00:42:01] hallelujah hallelujah but there's more in leviticus chapter 23 we have a rehearsal of the feasts of of the israelites and uh after the past the first feast by the way that's mentioned there this will trip you up what's the first feast mentioned the sabbath the all observed the
[00:42:23] sabbath i encourage you to do that one day a week set apart for the lord the second is the passover and then what's the third you can't answer he's heard some of this before keep him
[00:42:36] quiet about it first fruits wonderful thank you and so the first fruits is when you got the 14th is the passover when's the first fruits the 17th of the month sunday is the 10th thursday is the 14th now if you just trust me on this if you count the days as days not
[00:43:02] sunday's the 17th first fruits first fruits what's that first fruits very interesting turn with me to first corinthians chapter 15 and see what the bible says about the first fruits first corinthians chapter 15 verse 20
[00:43:21] but now Christ is risen from the dead and become the first fruits of them that slept so he is the first fruits from the dead have happened on the very day of first fruits I'm starting to see some kind of connections
[00:43:43] here must be coincidence right must be AI we have on our LED sign out front Well, we need to put it back up.
[00:43:54] It says, we prefer real intelligence, the Bible, as opposed to artificial intelligence, right?
[00:44:01] Here is real intelligence.
[00:44:03] Why do you vote AI if you've got real intelligence?
[00:44:05] All right.
[00:44:06] Forget that.
[00:44:07] Sorry.
[00:44:07] So anyways, moving on.
[00:44:09] 20, verse 21.
[00:44:10] But for since man, for since by man came death, by man came the resurrection of the dead.
[00:44:16] That is the man Jesus.
[00:44:17] For in Adam all die, even in Christ shall all be made alive.
[00:44:21] but every man in his own order Christ the firstfruits afterward they that are Christ at his coming isn't that amazing the Passover lamb Jesus our Passover sacrifice for us dies on the very day of Passover
[00:44:33] if he was a trickster or a charlatan how could he do that and then the firstfruits of the dead Jesus Christ rises on the festival of firstfruits what do you think interesting huh you got something as the 17th day of the month
[00:44:50] now go back and study you have to look at it carefully it's there but you have to do a lot of work to find it so when they left egypt they left on the 14th day the passover they started
[00:45:02] walking on the 15th right when did they cross the red sea the 17th day and so they go down into that red sea just like you baptized by immersion right Just like you guys baptized by immersion
[00:45:23] But then they come back out Praise God And that symbolizes what?
[00:45:30] Resurrection And that's the very day of the first month That Jesus resurrected from the dead The 17th day Praise the Lord There's nothing like this in Islam Or any other religion Is there anybody in here that has any doubts?
[00:45:46] Doubt no more All the supercomputers in the world Couldn't have figured this out Because not only is it written But it's history You can go to secular history and find out a lot of these things are true and right, dates-wise.
[00:46:00] Romans tells us, right, even as we're buried with Him in baptism, but then we rise with Him.
[00:46:06] That is the picture of the Red Sea crossing.
[00:46:11] But not just that.
[00:46:12] There's more.
[00:46:14] Turn to Genesis chapter 8.
[00:46:17] Remember I told you that the calendar was changing?
[00:46:20] Well, the Bible tells us the calendar was changing in Exodus 12.
[00:46:22] Genesis 8.
[00:46:23] remember the flood now why did God send a flood on the earth because everybody was so good and he gets us how about everybody was so wicked they were so wicked because I'm going to destroy all
[00:46:38] flesh but he just saved Noah his wife his three sons and their wives that's it right and so he destroyed God's wrath but the only salvation is in the ark which itself is a picture and type of
[00:46:49] Jesus Christ because how many of you know his wrath is going to be unleashed again one more time on the last day and that there's a lot that went on 150 days and in the ark with the animals
[00:47:02] but it's interesting there's a time where it came to rest and it overcame if you will the wrath of god and comes to rest and rest by the way in hebrews chapter 4 and other places is a picture
[00:47:15] of salvation you remember those cartoons when some of us were kids and somebody there's a Gravestone, R-I-P.
[00:47:22] Rest in.
[00:47:24] Rest is a picture of salvation.
[00:47:26] So the ark comes to rest.
[00:47:28] Look at Genesis chapter 8.
[00:47:30] And it just so happens that there's a date here.
[00:47:33] Genesis chapter 8, verse 4.
[00:47:35] And the ark rested in the seventh month on the seventeenth day of the month upon the mountains of Ararat.
[00:47:42] Now remember I told you that the seventh month was changed to the first month.
[00:47:47] And what happened on the first month, on the 17th day?
[00:47:51] The Israelites passed through the Red Sea And then 1450 years later, Jesus raised from the dead And it's the same day, the very same day That the ark came to rest upon Mount Ararat Salvation in Jesus Christ and in Him alone
[00:48:10] How beautiful, how wonderful is my Savior's love to me Muslims don't understand the seriousness of sin but let me say to you I think most Americans don't understand the seriousness of sin and I'm going to hit you and run
[00:48:28] I'm going back to Mooresville I think most church people don't understand the seriousness of sin be ye holy for I am holy I don't think most people want to go to heaven why? because when we preach really long
[00:48:44] and they start sleeping and they say Oh, he preached so long.
[00:48:47] I don't know what's wrong, you know.
[00:48:49] It probably doesn't happen here.
[00:48:52] But in my church, people leave because we preach too long, service too long.
[00:48:55] I got to find a shorter church.
[00:48:57] I actually have people that got to find someplace shorter.
[00:48:59] So how long do you think heaven's going to be?
[00:49:02] If you can't sit through an hour, how about eternity?
[00:49:05] What's the closest on earth you're going to get to heaven?
[00:49:07] But it should be here in the worship service, around the world.
[00:49:10] God's people, in God's day, in God's house, around God's word, filled with God's spirit.
[00:49:16] That's heaven.
[00:49:17] If you can't sit for an hour, that tells you that you wouldn't like heaven.
[00:49:21] You're not fit for heaven and don't expect to go to heaven.
[00:49:26] Is there something wrong with that thinking?
[00:49:29] Who we're supposed to love more than anybody else?
[00:49:32] NFL?
[00:49:34] NASCAR?
[00:49:35] That stuff shouldn't be on Sunday.
[00:49:37] Sunday is the Lord's day.
[00:49:38] You're supposed to love the Lord with whatever's left after your NASCAR and football and baseball and basketball and kids sports and everything else that you do.
[00:49:48] With all of your heart All of your soul All of your mind And all of your strength Where's the room for anything else?
[00:49:56] And we're supposed to love our neighbor as ourself And love We're saved by grace through faith But guess what?
[00:50:03] Faith according to Galatians chapter 5 Works through love Without love there's no faith Because God so The world We have no salvation without love There's no love in Islam It's all about who Allah hates.
[00:50:19] It's who the Muslims hate.
[00:50:20] But in Christianity, it's all about God's love and God's mercy and what He did for us through His Son, Jesus Christ.
[00:50:27] Our Passover lamb sacrificed for us.
[00:50:30] You know, another thing is interesting.
[00:50:32] When they say there were nine plagues, they do not have the death of the firstborn, the Passover, and the Quran.
[00:50:39] But interestingly enough, they also don't have the ninth plague.
[00:50:44] Here's a quick test.
[00:50:45] What's the ninth plague in the Bible?
[00:50:48] Anyone?
[00:50:48] darkness then how long was it dark three days interesting and and it but in the israelites house it was light they had led no they had the lord but in in the egyptian house they couldn't
[00:51:05] see anything it was thick and it's interesting because that that's that's where muslims and by the way for that matter every unbelieving unregenerate person america is they're walking in darkness they can't see second corinthians the god of this world has blinded their eyes that they
[00:51:20] may not believe. And if you've been born again, praise God, we've been translated out of the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light. But it's a satanic omission. Muhammad wasn't smart enough to get rid
[00:51:32] to put all this stuff in that's similar to the Bible and then just take out those things that point to Jesus. Take out those things that point to Jesus. That's satanic. And so we pray for Muslims.
[00:51:45] They don't have it. But you do have it. So what are you doing with it. Unto whom much has been given, much will be required. Now, they don't know about the Passover. They don't understand that Jesus actually died on the cross. If there's no death on the
[00:52:08] cross, there's no resurrection. And if there's no resurrection, there's no joy. There's no victory.
[00:52:14] There's no peace. There's no salvation. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15, if Jesus has not raised from the dead, you're still dead in your sins. We are of all men most miserable. That's the life of
[00:52:26] Muslims. If you ask a Muslim, are you saved? Do you know for sure if you die tonight that you go to heaven? You know what they say? Inshallah, inshallah. And what is inshallah? It means,
[00:52:39] well, if it's God's will, what kind of answer is that? In other words, I don't know. I don't have much faith in inshallah because i'd ask him are you coming to see me tomorrow inshallah that means
[00:52:51] yeah probably not i said no come on tell me what time are you going to come i'll come sometime tomorrow morning evening sometime tomorrow are you sure you're going to come inshallah i don't want inshallah i want yes inshallah so they don't know but if you're born again you know
[00:53:09] because salvation is not based on our works we're saved by grace through faith not of ourselves not of works that any man should boast. But we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, to the glory of our triune God.
[00:53:22] But Muslims know nothing about this. And they have no idea whether or not they're saved. And it's a sad thing. But folks, let me tell you, most Americans don't have a clue. Ask the average American.
[00:53:35] I don't have something to knock on. I guess you knock on glass. But you know, if you were to die tonight, are you sure you're going to go to heaven? I hope so.
[00:53:43] Well, that means probably not.
[00:53:45] What are you hoping?
[00:53:45] I'm hoping and praying.
[00:53:46] For what?
[00:53:47] If Jesus paid it all, all to him I owe.
[00:53:51] Sin has left a crimson stain.
[00:53:52] He washed it white as snow.
[00:53:54] But if you're trusting like a lot of people, well, I believe in Jesus and I hope I'm good enough.
[00:53:59] You're not.
[00:54:01] You ain't going to make it.
[00:54:03] What do you want to know?
[00:54:04] You have to be trusting in him alone.
[00:54:06] He alone is perfect.
[00:54:07] He alone is holy.
[00:54:08] He alone is virgin born.
[00:54:09] In Islam, they say that he's virgin-born, but they have no clue what it means.
[00:54:13] For us, we know that he's virgin-born and that the sin of Adam and Eve did not pass upon him because it passes through the federal head of the family.
[00:54:20] And Jesus' federal head of the family was not his physical father.
[00:54:23] He has a heavenly father.
[00:54:24] He had an earthly mother, so he has Adam in him, and yet he doesn't have the sin of Adam.
[00:54:29] So that he alone, in the whole history of humanity, there is not one human that was qualified even to be a nominee for the Savior of mankind, but the sinless, spotless, wonderful, unblemished Lamb of God
[00:54:44] slain from the foundation of the world, our God, the second person of the Trinity, Jesus Christ, who came in the virgin womb, lived a perfect life, was tempted in all points as we are, yet without sin.
[00:54:59] Why? So that He could be that spotless, unblemished, perfect Lamb of God.
[00:55:04] Even on the cross, where He's in terrible pain and anguish, The spikes are in his feet and his ankles and his hands And the thorns in the brow They're thrust in until the blood comes down
[00:55:17] By the way, remember one of the curses was the thorns And the curse he took upon himself So that we might have the blessing of Abraham Amen And it is written Cursed is everyone who hangeth upon a tree
[00:55:32] That the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles That's us, through faith This is what Christ has done for us How wonderful, how glorious, how marvelous So that for we as Christians Now, let me say real quickly
[00:55:48] Thank you for all the time you've given me And the freedom I have here in this place I really appreciate it How many of you are excited about going to heaven?
[00:55:59] Now don't lie I hope so Most Christians I find are not that excited about going to heaven you heard about the old evangelist that says how many of you want to go to heaven raise your hand
[00:56:16] they all raised their hands except there's one fellow on the front row said you don't want to go to heaven he said well yeah but i thought you was getting a train to go up there right now i'm
[00:56:25] not quite ready yet that's how i yeah well i want to go to heaven sometime i got a lot of stuff i need to do here first what do you mean i thought you love the lord god your god with all your heart
[00:56:34] soul mind and strength what's better than heaven i mean that's what we should colossians chapter three says, if, if and if, it says it once, but I hear it three times, a hundred times, if you've
[00:56:44] been risen with Christ, set your affection on things that are above, not on the things of the earth, where your life is hidden in God, in Christ Jesus. That's where your treasure is, there will
[00:56:56] your heart be. Also, Jesus said, where is your treasure? Where is your time? Where is your money going? Our life is for the glory of God. We are to spend it to the glory of God. We are to live it
[00:57:04] to the glory of God.
[00:57:06] We are called to be living sacrifices.
[00:57:08] Christ died for us.
[00:57:09] We're called to live for Him.
[00:57:11] But how can we do it?
[00:57:12] Because of the power of the resurrection.
[00:57:14] Ephesians chapter 1.
[00:57:15] Christ, when He was resurrected, that power comes to us through the Holy Spirit.
[00:57:20] It says in Ephesians chapter 1 that Paul is praying that the eyes of our understanding might be enlightened to know the hope of the resurrection, the hope of His calling.
[00:57:28] And the glorious power that He works towards us, the saints.
[00:57:32] What power?
[00:57:33] The exceeding great power that he used in raising Jesus from the dead is the power that is in us.
[00:57:39] You mean the power that raised Jesus is in me.
[00:57:42] Praise God.
[00:57:43] I'm a partaker of the divine nature.
[00:57:44] The Holy Spirit of God is inside me.
[00:57:46] I can do all things through Christ who strengthened me for his glory.
[00:57:49] Not what I desire, but what he calls me to do.
[00:57:52] As I abide in him and he abides in me, as his word abides in me, ask what you will and it shall be done to his glory.
[00:57:58] Because he has ordained us to be fruitful.
[00:58:01] We're to be part of the vine.
[00:58:02] were to glorify Him.
[00:58:03] But how can a dead vine produce fruit?
[00:58:06] And until you're born again, you can't produce anything.
[00:58:10] Dead men tell no tales.
[00:58:13] That's what they said up in the mountains.
[00:58:15] I think it's true.
[00:58:17] And that's why Christ is alive.
[00:58:19] Muhammad's dead.
[00:58:21] Jesus is alive.
[00:58:23] And that's why it says in 1 Corinthians 15, again, isn't it interesting?
[00:58:28] All of this in Corinthians.
[00:58:30] 1 Corinthians 5, 7, Jesus, our Passover lamb, sacrificed for us.
[00:58:33] 1 Corinthians 10, all of these things, the rock they drank from is Christ, the food that they had all of these things picturing Christ now 1 Corinthians 15, Jesus is the first fruit from the dead and
[00:58:44] in 1 Corinthians 15 verse 51 Behold, I show you a mystery, we shall not all sleep, but we shall be changed in a moment in the twinkling of the eye at the last trump, for the trumpet shall sound
[00:58:59] and the dead shall be raised incorruptible and we shall be changed for this corruptible must put on incorruption and this mortal must put on immortality so when this corruptible have put on incorruption and this mortal have put on immortality
[00:59:14] here we go brothers and sisters then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written death is swallowed up in victory hallelujah praise God oh death where is thy sting oh grave where is thy victory
[00:59:27] when I look at death I look right past it and I see Jesus on the throne Here's your place Doesn't it say that in Ephesians chapter 2 verse 5 and 6 If you've been born again
[00:59:36] You've been raised up and made to sit in heavenly places in Christ Jesus It's already done There's a place for me there He is the author and the finisher of my faith We're not called to dwell in Rock Hill or Mooresville
[00:59:47] America, praise God I'm in America I'm thankful to be an American Not proud because I didn't get to choose when I was in the womb God gave it to me as a blessing To be in the greatest country on the face of the earth
[00:59:57] But folks there's a greater country than the United States There's a greater country than Israel It's heavenly Mount Zion, the new Jerusalem that's coming down and is set apart for you and for me and all who would believe.
[01:00:09] And there's no wars and there's no sin and there's no hatred and there's no racism and there's no more death or crying or sickness.
[01:00:18] It's all and even death itself is swallowed up in victory.
[01:00:22] A life of eternal victory in the presence of the victorious forerunner of our faith.
[01:00:27] the Lord God who loved us and gave himself for us he is the one that has passed through the veil he is the one where our anchor is there in the holy of holies and when no matter what life is giving us
[01:00:39] we have an anchor a sure anchor of faith that goes with a forerunner our high priest has entered in to the very blood not of the lamb but his own blood but thanks be to God
[01:00:55] which giveth us the victory through Jesus Christ our Lord now we're almost done I want us to go to the gospel of John John chapter 19 now I'm assuming that clock is right if it's not there's no telling when you might get out of here
[01:01:19] I just had to get up on me John chapter 19 verse 25 Jesus is on the cross on what Jewish festival?
[01:01:33] starts with a P praise God now when your pastor asks you next time And we say, Passover! Don't you know, Pastor?
[01:01:42] Y'all know now.
[01:01:43] John 19, verse 25.
[01:01:46] Let's take a look at this little passage of Christ on the cross.
[01:01:51] 19, 25.
[01:01:53] Now there stood by the cross of Jesus, his mother, his mother's sister Mary, the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene.
[01:02:00] When Jesus therefore saw his mother and the disciples standing by whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son.
[01:02:09] Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother.
[01:02:15] And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home.
[01:02:19] After these things, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst.
[01:02:27] Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar, and they filled it, a sponge with vinegar, and put it upon hyssop, and put it to his mouth.
[01:02:35] When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished.
[01:02:40] Then he bowed his head and gave up the ghost.
[01:02:43] Praise the Lord.
[01:02:44] All that needs to be done for our salvation is finished in Christ.
[01:02:48] There's nothing you can add to it.
[01:02:50] The Jews, therefore, because it was the preparation that the body should not remain upon the cross on the Sabbath day, for that Sabbath day was a high day, besought Pilate that their legs might be broken.
[01:02:59] So remember, he's got two criminals, one on this side, one on that.
[01:03:02] And they come to break their legs to hasten the death.
[01:03:06] Because they're pushing up with their legs so they can breathe on the cross.
[01:03:09] and so then came the soldiers verse 32 and break the legs of the first and the other which was crucified with him but when they came to jesus and saw that he was dead already they break not his
[01:03:22] legs but one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side and forthwith came there out blood and water and he that saw it bear record and his record is true and he knoweth that he saith true
[01:03:36] that ye might believe.
[01:03:37] For these things were done.
[01:03:38] Why?
[01:03:39] That the scripture should be fulfilled.
[01:03:41] A bone of him shall not be broken.
[01:03:44] In Exodus chapter 12 verse 46 one of the specifications for the Passover lamb you're not allowed to break any bone.
[01:03:53] They broke the bones of this one.
[01:03:56] They broke the bones of that one.
[01:03:58] But in God's superintending providence they couldn't break the bone of the Passover lamb.
[01:04:05] They stuck him with a spear Right under the heart Blood and water came out And the church was born By the water and the blood The soul cleansing blood of the land The washing and regeneration of the word of God
[01:04:25] And the living water The holy spirit of God I want to end with this thought Muslims have no idea Their God is this far being With whom there is no relationship possible maybe some of you have looked at God that way
[01:04:44] but I want you to know that's not the way it is God so loved the world he gave his only begotten son whosoever should believe in him should not perish but have everlasting life and Adam
[01:04:56] God creates Adam in his image and he shows him all the animals and at the end it says but there was no help meat suitable for him so God makes woman that's when the problem started
[01:05:09] and And so God makes woman, and of course Adam is very pleased.
[01:05:21] But you know the story.
[01:05:23] The serpent comes and deceives Eve.
[01:05:26] Eve gives to her husband, and he fails to take the right place of the spiritual head of the house.
[01:05:33] And he succumbs.
[01:05:35] But I want to get it.
[01:05:37] How was Eve formed?
[01:05:41] Out of the rib.
[01:05:42] And Adam, was he just kind of hanging out?
[01:05:45] And then God said, zoop.
[01:05:45] no he laid down like he was dead and that's when the rib was taken out and there's his wife in the bible in first corinthians 15 and ephesians chapter 5 it says that we that jesus is the last adam jesus is the second man and that in adam all die romans chapter 5
[01:06:10] But in Christ, Romans chapter 6, all are made alive.
[01:06:14] How was the church born?
[01:06:16] The same way that Eve was born.
[01:06:19] Eve was born out of Adam's side.
[01:06:21] It's been said, not out of his feet that he might trample over her and teach her.
[01:06:27] Not out of his head that she might rule over him.
[01:06:31] But here, by his heart, close underneath his arm, a place of love.
[01:06:37] so to Christ as dead the spear enters the church is born his bride the water and the blood flow and where do we belong?
[01:06:51] close to his bosom right here in love Muslims don't know anything about that unfortunately I don't think most Christians really get that but I want you to know today as you prepare for Resurrection Sunday
[01:07:08] and as for Easter don't just go through the motions and do the same things but remember who loved you and gave himself for you remember who lived the perfect life who died on the cross
[01:07:22] and took the punishment and the wrath of God that you and I deserve remember the one who created all history to be pointers to you to show how he is the superintendent of all history
[01:07:35] and that how all history converges in one man Jesus Christ and then it comes back out into his church you his bride and that you are called to be his salt and his light upon the earth
[01:07:52] if America is in sin and I believe it is it's time for repentance it's time for revival where is it going to come from the church get serious about Jesus Christ know what he's done for you
[01:08:07] know that he gave his life that you might live and that not just and we'll end on this not just did he take you out of slavery with an outstretched arm and a mighty hand
[01:08:17] by the Passover lamb his son dying for you but now he's baptized you and he's washed you from sin coming to the Red Sea and now he's also raised you up and made you to sit in heavenly places
[01:08:29] in Christ Jesus he's the author and finisher of our faith he's given you his Holy Spirit he's given you the armor of God for the way He's given you the preparation of the gospel of peace
[01:08:39] To shod your feet And now as you go on this pilgrim journey Remember like Abraham You're not looking to Israel on earth You're looking to the Israel that's to come We confess that we have a city
[01:08:52] Whose builder and maker is God Who is waiting for us And we are pilgrims on that journey And that day is coming In the meantime we don't look to the right We don't look to the left
[01:09:01] And we have sustenance on the way Like the children of Israel A pillar of cloud to shade us from the burning sun A pillar of light by night Thy word is a lamp unto my feet
[01:09:12] A light unto my path And we have sustenance The body of Christ And the blood of Christ And praise God One day we'll cross that Jordan Into the promised land May your heart and mind
[01:09:24] Be consumed and obsessed With Jesus Christ and Him alone To the glory of God The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit Amen God bless you.
[01:09:37] Praise the Lord.

[01:09:45] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[01:09:45] I'm going to ask if you'll just stand with us as we close out.
[01:09:54] Just where you are, just everybody in the room, if you'd just kind of bow your heads, close your eyes.
[01:10:01] What do you do with the truth that was just shared today?
[01:10:07] Nobody's looking around.
[01:10:09] No need for anybody to look around.
[01:10:12] But God doesn't give us that truth just to say that was a good sermon.
[01:10:18] He didn't become the Passover lamb to bear the sins of all of mankind, including you, just so we could say that was a good sermon.
[01:10:32] It's not meant just to make us feel good.
[01:10:35] It's meant to make us free.
[01:10:39] So today, if you're in this place, and like Pastor Joseph said, if your answer to going to heaven is, I hope so, or I think so or probably and let's settle today that you can leave this place
[01:10:59] with an answer that says I know so.
[01:11:05] So today if that's you I'm not going to ask you to come up I'm not calling you out you know it nobody's looking around anyway the only eyes that really matter at this place right now
[01:11:16] are the eyes of God the Holy Spirit if you feel that tugging in your heart today you want today to be the first day of the rest of your life that you can answer, yes, I know that I'm going to heaven.
[01:11:34] And you want to be able to say, this is how I know because on this day, on this Sunday, at Encounter Fellowship, I heard the gospel.
[01:11:46] I heard the word.
[01:11:48] Today, I surrendered my life to Jesus.
[01:11:51] If that's you, then I want you to pray this prayer with me today.
[01:11:54] As a matter of fact, I'm going to ask for everybody to pray because I just think in this church people don't need to pray alone maybe you're already forgiven maybe you already know but it's not going to hurt
[01:12:09] to pray with those in this place that will pray this prayer today to surrender their life to Jesus dear God thank you for sending your son to die for me to become the perfect Passover lamb
[01:12:29] to shed His blood to set me free.
[01:12:34] Today, God, maybe I've had a knowledge of You.
[01:12:38] Maybe I have some understanding.
[01:12:39] But today, I want to surrender my life to You.
[01:12:44] Today, I ask that You come into my life.
[01:12:48] Lord, that You forgive me of every sin that I have ever committed.
[01:12:52] God, that You set me free in this place right now.
[01:12:56] Lord, that You unloose the bondage that the enemy has upon my life.
[01:13:01] Because God, today I'm giving my life to You.
[01:13:04] No matter what I have to face tomorrow, no matter the things, Lord, that lie ahead, I'm giving it to You because God, I know You're going to take care of it all.
[01:13:14] Maybe even the people that may not understand it.
[01:13:17] Maybe the people I'll have to face, but God, today I'm not focused on that.
[01:13:21] I'm just focused on You.
[01:13:23] So dear God, save me today right where I am.
[01:13:29] make me a new creature in you because God I give you everything I surrender it all to you in Jesus name amen if you prayed that prayer today and you meant it then based off of the integrity of God's word
[01:13:45] then you've received Jesus as your savior what do I do now well I don't do what I did yesterday here's what I do I walk in this truth I grow in this truth I get connected into a body of Christ to grow in this truth.
[01:14:06] And I just continue to walk in it.
[01:14:10] And I grow as I go.
[01:14:12] That's sanctification.
[01:14:14] We grow as we go.
[01:14:17] And so we're going to close.
[01:14:21] And I don't ever like to just close without giving an opportunity.
[01:14:25] Maybe there's a person in here that needs special prayer this morning.
[01:14:28] It's only 1210.
[01:14:29] He got done way earlier than I thought he would anyway.
[01:14:32] It's kind of like this.
[01:14:35] The line at the restaurant is already there So you might as well wait Until some of it clears out But as they lead us In our closing song Altars are going to be open Maybe you just want to come
[01:14:49] And kneel and pray Maybe you want to pray for a family member Maybe you want to pray for a loved one Maybe you want to pray for a neighbor I don't know Or maybe you want special prayer
[01:15:00] If you want special prayer I'll be down front I'd love to pray along with you join with you in one accord to pray over whatever it is that you might have need of before we close.

[01:15:11] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]
[01:15:11] Glad that's who your God is.

[01:22:32] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[01:22:32] Aren't you glad that you're not serving Allah who offers nothing to you?
[01:22:37] He's dead.
[01:22:39] He's gone.
[01:22:40] Ours resurrected.
[01:22:41] Amen?
[01:22:42] Praise the Lord for that.
[01:22:43] So, anyway, in closing, I want you to be praying if some of you don't know this.
[01:22:51] um stephen fail our our friend our young man that we prayed for who had the cancer diagnosis he had surgery and then um this past week um friday and then and then saturday i found out
[01:23:09] yesterday i think they had to rush him to the hospital he had some internal bleeding young man in his 30s and um and they had him on life support prayers have went out they did have
[01:23:21] another surgery. I did find out that he's stable, but keep praying. Keep praying. He's a big, strong young man, but he needs more than just his strength. He needs the touch of God. So pray for him, if you
[01:23:37] will. Let's just get more prayers going. I'll keep you posted as I know more, but we definitely want to be praying him through this and his wife Alicia and their kids. Amen. Don't forget to pick up a
[01:23:50] couple invite cards as you go out. Just find somebody to invite. I went to Dunkin' Donuts this morning to get my coffee and invited the manager there to come to church. She said she's about to get a new job, and so she won't be working on Sundays. So I invited her. Just find
[01:24:07] opportunities to invite somebody to church. You never know what somebody else needs. Only the Holy Spirit does, right? So Terry, come on up. Terry's going to close us out today because she needs to give you we're terrier oh um because we need to give you information we have a very big
[01:24:23] event coming up saturday um for the uh easter journey egg hunt and so we we she's got some information for you on that and last week somebody left these glasses if these are yours i'm just going to put them right here feel free to come up and get them if they belong to you

[01:24:43] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[01:24:43] all right so i didn't wasn't here for this service but i bet it was an awesome service and aren't we glad the god we serve well um i'm a little emotional because of what i heard this
[01:25:00] uh morning and then i didn't hear none of it but it's just we just serve an awesome god that's all i have to praise uh praise him for everything that he's done in my life and i'm pretty sure
[01:25:10] in you all's life but we do have an event coming up this weekend which is a very important uh because as pastor has been saying it is um an evangelism so it's not just oh we're gonna have
[01:25:23] an easter egg hunt and it's an easter egg hunt okay it's not an easter egg hunt it's to bring those who do not know god to know god okay and that's how we do it on that important day which
[01:25:36] is saturday we are having on wednesday to uh fill the eggs at 6 30 here at church so those of you who are not doing anything on wednesday i do know there is a live group going on on wednesday but
[01:25:49] those of you who do not have live group on wednesday can come and join me to fill eggs so yay yes uh we do not have enough candy so if you want to bring your bag of candy that day that
[01:26:01] would be great i only see one bag of candy out there so please even though that you cannot come on wednesday i think tuesday i believe there is tuesday prayer bring it on tuesday come on
[01:26:16] wednesday drop it off you can't stay that's fine okay we need 2 000 eggs to fill that's the eggs that we're going to have on saturday we need help there's a duplicate of helpers here we can't do it
[01:26:31] all by ourselves. One person can't do it. We need everybody else help. So please sign up. I will be in the back to answer any questions. I will actually also get a group message going on so
[01:26:45] that everybody is not confused on the times to come because we need people to help put tents up in the morning. That was going to start about 8 30, 9 o'clock. We have some people that might
[01:26:55] only be here for a limited time. Any help? It doesn't matter if you're here for hopefully 30

[01:27:01] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[01:27:01] minutes any help is needed thank you all have a blessed day all right wow what a sunday what a god we serve like she said thank you for being here and i hope uh you learned something today
[01:27:20] i hope you were moved as most of us are i think we're going to have a benediction on the back screen there you go will you join and let me hear you this this is something we do about every week
[01:27:31] Sometimes we change it up, but it doesn't matter.
[01:27:34] The Word is alive.
[01:27:37] It's a sword to penetrate.
[01:27:39] So speak accordingly.
[01:27:42] May the Lord bless you and protect you.
[01:27:44] May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you.
[01:27:48] May the Lord show you His favor and give you His peace.
[01:27:52] Amen. Shalom. Go in peace.