Into the Wilderness: The Danger of Decisional Salvation

• The Nature of the 10th Plague 00:29:48 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor describes the 10th plague as 'measured justice' rather than random cruelty, affecting both Egyptians and Israelites to show that judgment is universal and based on God's holiness.
• Israel's Guilt and Idolatry 00:31:19 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor argues that Israel was not exempt from judgment due to ethnicity but was guilty of idolatry, citing Ezekiel 20 to show they worshipped Egyptian gods despite God's deliverance.
• The Necessity of a Substitute 00:34:20 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor explains that the difference between Israel and Egypt was not moral superiority but God's mercy providing a substitute, establishing that no one stands before God on the basis of background or effort.
• Typology of the Lamb and Christ 00:36:50 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor connects the four-day inspection of the Passover lamb to Jesus' public scrutiny in Jerusalem, highlighting that both were found 'without blemish' or 'no guilt' before being sacrificed.
• The Necessity of Blood for Atonement 00:39:37 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor explains that salvation requires the shedding of blood, citing Hebrews 9:22, and contrasts this with ineffective religious activities like writing proverbs or decorating with gold.
• Faith vs. Understanding 00:48:02 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor argues that the Israelites' safety depended on obedience and trust in God's word, not on understanding the theological mechanics or foreshadowing of the event.
• Rejection of Works-Based Salvation 00:50:27 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor critiques the modern religious tendency to rely on good works, donations, or morality for salvation, asserting that only the blood of Jesus Christ saves.
• The Call to Personal Faith 00:53:20 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor urges the audience to stop trusting in their own righteousness and to personally receive Jesus by faith, acknowledging that all have sinned and fall short.
• The Necessity of Faith in Christ's Blood 00:51:57 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor asserts that salvation depends on applying the blood of Jesus by faith, contrasting it with the optional but required act of the Israelites in Egypt.
• Rejection of Self-Righteousness 00:53:20 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor argues that trusting in one's own righteousness or good works is insufficient for salvation, as all have sinned and fall short of God's glory.
• The Plan of Substitution from Genesis to Passover 00:54:07 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor connects the first sin of Adam and Eve, the Passover lamb, and Mount Sinai as a continuous foreshadowing of Jesus Christ as the ultimate substitute.
• The Call to Immediate Faith 00:54:47 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor challenges listeners not to wait for complete understanding or more information, but to trust Jesus by faith immediately, just as the Israelites had to act before the death angel came.
• Abandoning Idols and Religious Rituals 00:55:42 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor warns against relying on religious heritage (e.g., being a son of Abraham) or religious behaviors, stating that without applying the blood, even Israelites would die.
• The Method of Salvation 00:57:14 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor explains that salvation comes by calling on the name of the Lord, admitting inability to save oneself, and placing complete dependence on Jesus.
• The Lord's Supper as Remembrance 01:00:53 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor clarifies that communion is not a means of earning salvation or changing eternal destiny, but a reminder of the grace received through Jesus' shed blood.
• Symbolism of Unleavened Bread 01:02:30 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor explains that unleavened bread represents the haste of the Exodus and serves as a type of sin (leaven) being removed, pointing to the reality of God's judgment and Jesus' sacrifice.

• Sermon Illustration 00:27:51 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor recounts the historical context of Pharaoh commanding Hebrew baby boys to be thrown into the Nile, illustrating the depth of Egypt's evil and the subsequent reversal where the tables are turned in the 10th plague.
• Sermon Illustration 00:37:09 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor uses the analogy of the Passover lamb being inspected for four days to ensure it was perfect, comparing this to Jesus being publicly tested by priests, Pharisees, and Herod before the crucifixion to demonstrate His spotless nature.
• Sermon Illustration 00:38:36 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor shares a personal anecdote about growing up on a farm in Ohio, bringing baby lambs into the house during cold weather, to illustrate the vulnerability and perfection of the lamb required for the Passover.
• Sermon Illustration 00:43:04 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor recounts the historical event of Adam and Eve sewing fig leaves and God killing an animal to provide clothing, illustrating the first instance of substitutionary atonement.
• Sermon Illustration 00:46:54 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor invites the audience to imagine being an Israelite on Passover night, facing the illogical command to kill a lamb and apply its blood, highlighting the necessity of faith over human logic.
• Sermon Illustration 00:52:27 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor uses the historical account of the Passover in Egypt, where families had to dip hyssop in the basin and apply blood to the doorframe to survive the death angel, as an analogy for the necessity of personally applying faith in Christ's blood.
• Sermon Illustration 00:54:07 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor references the first sin of Adam and Eve, where God selected a substitute to die and shed blood for covering, illustrating that the plan of substitution has been present from the beginning.
• Sermon Illustration 00:56:12 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor uses the example of the Israelites at Mount Sinai to show that even those with a religious heritage (sons of Abraham) would die if they did not apply the blood, emphasizing that religious background does not save.

• Pastoral Charge 00:53:20 ▶️ 📄
  > Trust Jesus personally and receive him by faith, rather than merely agreeing he is a good person.
• Pastoral Charge 00:54:47 ▶️ 📄
  > To accept Christ and put faith in Jesus.
• Pastoral Charge 00:58:17 ▶️ 📄
  > To pray a prayer of salvation to receive Christ.
• Pastoral Charge 01:00:11 ▶️ 📄
  > To contact the pastors for follow-up discussion.
• Pastoral Charge 01:00:34 ▶️ 📄
  > To request the '30 Days with Jesus' booklet via the connect card.

[00:00:03] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:00:03] Good morning, everyone. Welcome to Venture Church. It's good to see you in the house of the Lord today. We're just still on your feet. I want to welcome you. If you're watching us online today, thank you for joining us. It's so good to be here together to praise the Lord. Amen. God is good in here. Come on, put your hands together.
[00:00:21] good for all so nothing could change my promise you constantly know you do the life to the life my king praise your name we have all of our praises therefore it is to praise your name to magnify your name jesus worthy is the lord worthy is the
[00:20:07] lamb who was laying because of that jesus we can stand here in confidence we can reach you god

[00:20:13] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:20:13] because of Jesus and so Lord we praise your name forever and ever a heart's desire Lord is to see you is to see your move in this place God so change hearts and minds today Jesus we love you so much

[00:20:26] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:20:26] thank you thank you for who you are and everything that you have done in our lives God speak to our

[00:20:32] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:20:32] hearts today we want to have a deeper understanding of who you are today review yourself through your word we thank you for the opportunity Lord that we have together in this place to listen to your
[00:20:43] voice to praise you, to magnify you through singing. Yes, Jesus, we love you. We praise you in your holy and precious name that we pray. Amen. Thank you for joining us, church. You may be seated.

[00:21:05] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]
[00:21:05] Welcome to Venture Church. I'm Jamie, and we're really glad that you're here today, whether you're joining us in person or online. If it's your first time with us, let us know by filling out a Connect card. This lets us know a little bit about you and how you
[00:21:19] can take your next step here. Tap the circle in the seat in front of you with your phone to fill one out or stop by the welcome desk after the service. If you've got questions about faith,
[00:21:29] we've got something coming up just for you. Jason is going to tell you about it now.

[00:21:35] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:21:35] Have you ever had questions about faith, God, or the meaning of life, but weren't sure where to ask them? That's exactly why Alpha exists. Alpha provides a welcoming environment where you can bring your questions, share your thoughts, and explore the Christian faith without pressure.
[00:21:51] It's designed for real conversation with real people. Whether you're just starting your faith journey or you're not sure what to believe, Alpha is a great place to begin. We'd love to have you join us, and you can learn more and register through our website or the Venture app. And if

[00:22:09] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]
[00:22:09] you've already worked those questions and you're ready to make your faith public, baptisms are coming up next month. We'd love to celebrate that moment with you. We've also got two new classes starting this fall, and here's the best part. They meet at different service hours, so you can take
[00:22:25] one and still make it to service. World Religions, Christianity, and the Gospel meets at 9 30 and digs into what other faiths actually believe and how to talk about the Gospel with people who believe different than you. And the book of James meets at 11. James is one of the most practical
[00:22:42] books in the Bible, all about what faith looks like when it actually shows up in your life.
[00:22:48] And for our families, Awana kicks off this week. It's our midweek program where kids learn scripture, build real friendships, and have a lot of fun doing it. And join us for Family Beach Day at Loudermilk Beach. Bring your chairs and your sunscreen and spend the morning with other Venture
[00:23:05] families. No registration, just show up. To learn more, visit our website or the Venture app.
[00:23:13] Everything you just heard about, Alpha, our classes, Awana, different opportunities to find community, all of this happens because of generous people like you.
[00:23:23] When you give, you're making room for someone else to find their place here.
[00:23:28] You can give through the Venture app, online, or through the offering boxes around our campus.
[00:23:33] Thank you for giving today.
[00:23:36] Well, today we're continuing our series, Into the Wilderness.
[00:23:40] Pastor Tim is walking us through the Passover, one of the most important nights in the whole story. Let's hear from God's word today. Good morning Venture Church. Great to see all of you

[00:24:42] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]
[00:24:42] here today. Welcome to those who are joining us online. We're glad to have you with us today as well. If this is your first time here, thanks for coming and checking us out. We appreciate
[00:24:50] that. If you have any questions, you can stop by the connect table in the lobby and I'll also be out there shaking hands. So I'd love to meet you. And so thank you for coming. If you've been coming
[00:25:01] to Venture for any period of time, you should have received an email from me this week giving the mid-year report and all the exciting things that God is doing so if you didn't see that I
[00:25:09] encourage you to check that out and then I'm super excited that this Wednesday night we finally are able to launch Awana. I am a product of Awana. I went to Awana as a third grader. My first real
[00:25:22] exposure to church was in this program and I just love it. It's great for getting kids to memorize scripture and learn the Bible and learn all the books of the Bible and it's a fun environment so
[00:25:35] parents if you have not yet registered your kids please make sure that you do that and bring them this Wednesday night 6 15 to 7 45 and it's a it's going to be a great evening all right today we're
[00:25:48] continuing our journey with Moses over the past several weeks we've watched as the tension has built between the living God and the hard-hearted Pharaoh. We've watched the plague after plague last week fall on the land and it was just one demonstration of God's power and judgment against
[00:26:09] all of the false gods of the Egyptians. And so today we're going to come to the climax of that entire confrontation, the 10th plague and the institution of the Passover. This is one of the
[00:26:24] most solemn and yet hope-filled nights in all of scripture. It's a night of judgment but it's also a night of mercy. It's a night of death but it's a night of deliverance as well and it's a night
[00:26:38] that still speaks powerfully to us today. Nine times God had knocked on Pharaoh's heart through the different plagues, the blood and the frogs and the gnats and the flies and the disease and the boils and the and the hail and the locusts and finally the darkness we talked about all that
[00:26:57] last week and yet nine times pharaoh hardened his heart and refused to let god's people go now we'll find that there is no 10th warning there's just one more display of god's power and and then god's final word you see when mercy is refused long enough judgment
[00:27:19] eventually comes and when it comes it comes to every house you'll see not just pharaohs so if you remember how this story began clear back several weeks ago we talked about this pharaoh looked at the growing number of israelites in the land of egypt and he began to get afraid
[00:27:39] that what if they uh what if they get so popular and so so populated and there's so many of them that they overtake us. And so out of fear, he did something that was truly unspeakable.
[00:27:51] He commanded that every Hebrew baby boy should be thrown into the Nile River. He tried to wipe out an entire generation. He tried to destroy the future of God's people by drowning their sons in the very river that was the lifeblood of Egypt. And today you're going to see that the tables are
[00:28:15] now turned in a way that no one could have predicted if you have your bibles turn to the book of exodus chapter 11 that's where we'll be this morning exodus 11 we'll begin reading in
[00:28:24] verse 4 so moses said this is what the lord says about midnight i will go out throughout egypt every firstborn son in egypt will die from the firstborn son of pharaoh who sits on the throne
[00:28:42] to the firstborn son of the female slave who is at her hand mill and all the firstborn of the cattle as well there will be loud wailing throughout Egypt worse than has ever been or ever will be again let's pray heavenly father we come this morning and we open your word
[00:29:04] God because we want to hear from you we want to learn from you God I believe that every verse and scripture has a lesson for us, and it's there for a specific purpose. So God, today as we study
[00:29:16] your word, I pray that you would open our eyes and our ears to the truth you'd have us to receive.
[00:29:21] Show us what you'd have us to do. Lord, there may be some here today that are exploring Christianity, or they're curious about who you are. And God, I pray that today there would be great
[00:29:32] understanding. I pray that today you would speak to hearts, that your Holy Spirit would speak through me, and God, that you would touch hearts here today. So Lord, as we open your word, just guide and direct our thoughts. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. So the same nation that celebrated
[00:29:48] when the children of Israel, their firstborns were thrown into the Nile, now are going to feel the sting of death in their own homes. From the palace of Pharaoh all the way down to the poorest
[00:30:02] household the firstborn will die now this is not random cruelty this is measured justice the God who sees the blood of the innocent will act and the God who heard the cries of his people
[00:30:17] in slavery as they prayed will he will respond but here's the part that really should draw our attention and that is the fact that this this particular plague this judgment was not just for the children it was not just for the Egyptians it also affected the Israelites
[00:30:37] you see if the Israelites did not put blood on the doorposts of their homes their firstborn children would die as well and that's kind of shocking you see the destroyer was going to go through the land that night and no house in the entire land was exempt
[00:30:57] automatically just because they were hebrew israel was not exempt because of their ethnicity they were not spared because of their ancestries or or their history of suffering the fact that they came from abraham no they were not spared for those things they would be spared only because
[00:31:19] of the blood. Why? Because Israel was just as guilty as the Egyptians. The prophet Ezekiel later revealed that Israel's problems went back before the golden calf that we'll see when we study the Ten Commandments when Moses comes down the mountain. He had told them clear back then to
[00:31:44] get rid of all of the false idols that they'd set their eyes on and to not defile themselves with the gods of Egypt and yet they rebelled and they refused to listen we see when we get to
[00:31:54] Ezekiel 20 verse 7 and I said to them each one of you get rid of the vile images you have set your eyes on and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt I am the Lord your God what are
[00:32:05] these vile images by the way they're the Egyptian idols the children of Israel were being drawn into idol worship along with the Egyptians verse 8 but they rebelled against me and would not listen to me they did not get rid of the vile images they had set their eyes on nor did they
[00:32:23] forsake the idols of Egypt so I said I will pour out my wrath on them and spend my anger against them in Egypt but for the sake of my name I brought them out of Egypt I did it to keep my name from
[00:32:36] being profaned in the eyes of the nations among whom they lived and in whose sight I had revealed myself to the Israelites the very people the blood was to protect were at that moment worshiping the
[00:32:51] same false gods of the Egyptians so Passover was not a rescue for the righteous from the wicked it was a rescue of guilty sinners by grace alone Joshua would later remind the people of this reality when they get to the promised land we see in Joshua 24 verse 2 says Joshua
[00:33:15] Joshua said to all the people, this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says.
[00:33:19] Long ago, your ancestors, including Terah, the father of Abraham and Nahor, lived beyond the Euphrates River and worshipped other gods.
[00:33:31] Abraham's own family had been idol worshippers.
[00:33:36] And even after the Exodus, what did the people do at the foot of Mount Sinai when Moses was receiving the law?
[00:33:42] They made a golden calf, right?
[00:33:46] Guess who that golden calf looked like?
[00:33:48] Looked like Apis, the sacred bull of Egypt.
[00:33:55] Even God, after he delivered them miraculously by his mighty power and outstretched arm, they ran straight back to the gods of their former masters.
[00:34:11] So Israel was not a nation of pure, innocent victims.
[00:34:16] They were sinners under the same holy God who was judging Egypt.
[00:34:20] the difference was not the fact that they were better people the difference was that God in his mercy provided for them a substitute and this is important for us to understand none of us stands
[00:34:35] before God on the basis of our background of our church attendance of our own efforts or even our own family heritage we all stand in need of mercy we all are in need of a substitute
[00:34:52] exodus chapter 12 let's continue in the next chapter verse 1 the lord said to moses and aaron in egypt this month is to be for you the first month the first month of your year
[00:35:06] tell the whole community of israel that on the 10th day of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family one for each household if any household is too small for a
[00:35:15] whole lamb they may they must share one with the nearest neighbor having taken into account the number of people there are you are to determine the amount of lamb needed in accordance with what each person will eat the animal you choose must be year-old males without defect and you may take
[00:35:31] them from either the sheep or the goats take care of them until the 14th day of the month when all the members of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight. Then they are to take
[00:35:44] some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the door frames of the houses where they will eat the lambs. So God makes it clear his plan here that, listen, the death angel is going to come
[00:35:58] through and is going to kill the firstborn of everyone, Israelites, Egyptians, even the animals.
[00:36:06] None was going to be spared. He said, but here's the thing. I have a plan to protect and to rescue and deliver some, but here's the deal. He doesn't say, if you'll just be really
[00:36:21] sorry, then I will pass over you. He doesn't say, listen, as long as you try to be really good, I will pass over you. He doesn't say, if you offer me your best intentions, then you'll be okay. No,
[00:36:33] he says instead take a lamb a perfect lamb and slaughter it now notice too he was very clear he said you know I want you to select the lamb on the 10th day I want you to slaughter the lamb
[00:36:50] on the 14th day so you go get the lamb and then I want you to keep the lamb for four days in direct view of the family so that they could see that this was a perfect lamb so that they
[00:37:09] could ensure that there was no spot or no blemish that there was nothing wrong with this lamb they were making sure that it was without defect very symbolic of the way Jesus spent his final days in
[00:37:26] Jerusalem under intense scrutiny right you bring the lamb in and you look at you watch it for four days to make sure it's a perfect specimen Jesus was brought into Jerusalem before the crucifixion he was questioned by the priest he was tested by the pharisees he was examined by herod and
[00:37:46] then finally handed to pilot who declared that he found no guilt and no fault in him the lamb was tested publicly and found spotless without blemish or defect before he was led to the cross
[00:38:04] first peter 1 verse 18 says for you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors
[00:38:14] nope but with the precious blood of Christ look at this a lamb without blemish or defect you see the connection there connecting it all the way back to the story we're reading in Exodus I grew up on a farm in northeast Ohio we raised all kinds of animals mostly we were crop farmers
[00:38:36] soybean, wheat, corn, things like this. But we raised animals. We had sheep and goats and horses and cows and pigs and chickens and turkeys and you name it. We had all kinds of stuff. And when it
[00:38:47] would get really cold, sometimes we would bring the baby lambs into the house. It could sometimes get bitterly cold. And we'd bring the lambs into the house, put diapers on them, and they would stay in our laundry room cutest little things sometimes we i've sat and watched tv holding a
[00:39:07] lamb you know yeah it's the cutest little thing um little lambs defenseless i mean there's nothing about them that is threatening and yet god said take this soft gentle perfect little creature and slit its throat and catch its blood in a basin and then apply that blood to the doorpost
[00:39:37] and the doorframe of the house why well because there is no salvation without the shedding of blood that's the price Hebrews tells us in fact Hebrews 9 22 in fact the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood, there is no
[00:40:02] forgiveness. Had the death angel come by and there be a lamb tied to the doorpost, it would not have worked. If they had just written proverbs over the doorframe, it would have done nothing. If they
[00:40:17] had taken their best gold and silver and jewelry and decorated the doorframe, it would have done nothing. Religious activity without blood would have meant nothing. Only blood poured out in the place of another could turn away the judgment of God. And this principle is woven throughout
[00:40:41] scripture. Life for a life. Leviticus 17 11 tells us plainly that the life of a creature is in the blood and God gave it to his people to make atonement on the altar and it was the blood
[00:40:57] that makes atonement for life so death was coming to every house in Egypt that night the only question was whose death the death of the firstborn or the death of a spotless guiltless lamb you see what God did for Israel he did not do for the Egyptians he gave
[00:41:23] them an option either your firstborn or a lamb he did not give that option to the Egyptians and so that night hundreds and thousands of lambs were slaughtered across the land of Goshen the smell of roasting meat would have filled the air families gathered together inside their homes
[00:41:47] that were marked with blood and outside the death angel moved through Egypt with terrifying thoroughness. Inside, under the blood, there was safety. There was a meal. There was the birth of a nation. Listen to the promise that God gave them, Exodus 12, 12. On that same night, I will
[00:42:11] pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn of both people and animals, and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the Lord. The blood will be assigned for you on the houses
[00:42:25] is where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt. He said, when I see you, when I see the blood, rather, he said, when I see the
[00:42:37] blood, I will pass over you. And that is the heart of Passover. I want you to think of something because the imagery we see here in the picture of the Passover and Christ is remarkable. But let's
[00:42:54] go all the way back let's go all the way back to the book of Genesis for just a moment remember when Adam and Eve first sinned and they realized they were naked and they sewed fig leaves together
[00:43:04] and tried to cover their what they had done with leaves and God came and said no nope nope nope nope that's not the way it works and so what did God do he went and killed one of the animals that
[00:43:20] Adam had named, right? I doubt that Adam had ever seen blood before. I doubt that he'd ever seen a dead animal before. I doubt he'd ever seen the inside of another creature before until that day
[00:43:32] that God killed that animal in order to make a covering, in order to make clothing for Adam and Eve. So that day there was an animal killed for Adam and an animal killed for Eve so that they
[00:43:44] could have a covering and then we see now at passover an animal kill but this time it's one animal for a family bring your family together in the house cook the lamb eat the meat apply the
[00:44:02] blood and it this sacrifice will cover one family in the future as we study on we're going to get to mount sinai and on the day of atonement there was going to there was going to be one animal
[00:44:14] sacrificed for one nation. And the high priest would carry the blood into the holy place on behalf of Israel, making an atonement for the sins of the entire people. Fast forward to the cross and God provided one sacrifice for the whole world. The apostle John saw this trajectory
[00:44:43] reach its full end when he looked into the heavens and saw the lamb of god revelation 5 9 and they sang a new song saying you are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals because you were
[00:44:57] slain and with your blood you purchased for god persons from every tribe and language and people and nation one skin one lamb one nation every nation the blood that first covered a single household in Goshen now covers everyone everywhere who comes to God by faith this is the path and the
[00:45:30] trajectory of redemption the entire Passover story is a very deliberate foreshadow of Christ Christ was the perfect unblemished lamb John the Baptist said behold the lamb of God which takes away the sins of the earth the world the blood on the doorpost points to the blood
[00:45:55] of Christ on the cross that was applied to our lives by faith the necessity of death shows that our salvation cost the life of another the fact that Israel needed the blood reminds us that all
[00:46:13] have sinned both Jew and Gentile alike and that we all fall short of the glory of God God did not lower the standard of justice he provided a substitute who met that standard for us I want
[00:46:34] you to think about something think about those Israelite families that first Passover night God told them to kill a perfect little lamb to catch its blood into a basin to get a hyssop branch and to put it over the door frames of their houses. Imagine that you're them for just
[00:46:54] a moment. You had to be going, why? I don't get this. This doesn't make any sense, right? Put yourself back there in their time frame. They've never done this before. What is this? I've got to
[00:47:11] kill a lamb and catch its blood and put it over the door. I don't get it. This doesn't make any sense it wasn't logical by human standards it wasn't religious as at least the way they had
[00:47:26] known religion in Egypt it probably felt strange it certainly seemed foolish yet they did it by faith they trusted in what God said when he said when I see the blood I will pass over you
[00:47:45] their safety, get this, did not depend on them understanding the full plan. You get that?
[00:48:02] They didn't have to understand it all. It didn't have to make sense. They didn't have to sit there and go, okay, well, this is probably a foreshadow. There's going to be somebody coming here in a
[00:48:09] thousand years or so, and this is probably what this all means. No, nothing like that at all.
[00:48:13] They had no clue what was going on. It made zero sense. They had a choice, either obey God and trust him and walk by faith or say, this is nonsense. You see, their safety rested on their obedience
[00:48:31] to what God had said. And in the same way, the gospel still requires faith in something that doesn't always make sense to the natural mind. One man died on a cross 2,000 years ago outside
[00:48:55] the city of Jerusalem and somehow his death now pays for my sin that blood covers my sin that single sacrifice was enough for the whole world skeptics and scoffers still today have a hard time wrapping their head around this because they're trying to figure it out they're trying to
[00:49:21] make it all make sense and sometimes you just have to understand it's not all going to make sense you just have to do what God says why because he's God amen you may be here today and maybe a lot of
[00:49:40] this stuff doesn't make sense to you but maybe you just need to say okay I don't have to understand it I'm just going to trust it and if that's what God says well then I'll go with it just as the
[00:49:53] Israelites had to act on what God said by faith we too must put our faith in what Jesus has already done. My friends, salvation is not based on something you do. You don't earn it. You can't
[00:50:09] prove it. You don't add to it. You just simply trust in the lamb who was slain. And yet in our religious world today, there are still those that are trying to do it their way, writing proverbs
[00:50:27] on the doorpost, decorating the doorpost with jewels and gold, thinking that their good works and their donations will get them to heaven thinking that perhaps their morality or their church attendance or their good intentions or their generosity or their spiritual activity
[00:50:47] is somehow going to spare them from God's judgment and if you learn only this from this story is it doesn't matter what you do if the blood is not applied it doesn't work it's only by the blood
[00:51:02] of Jesus Christ that we will ever be saved some of us here today and some joining us online today may need to trust Jesus Christ for the first time my friends the judgment of God is real
[00:51:23] death is coming none of us make it out of this thing alive the holiness of God is real but so is the provision of God he provided a substitute for you just like he did for the children of
[00:51:38] Israel that night at the Passover. Jesus Christ is my substitute, your substitute. He took your place on Calvary's cross. That's why we sing the old rugged cross, stained with blood so divine.
[00:51:57] That's why we sing. That's why it's so special, because it is the linchpin of everything.
[00:52:03] Our salvation depends on what Jesus Christ did in that cross when his blood was shed. A perfect sacrifice and a perfect atonement and a perfect substitute has already died. His blood has already been shed. The only question is whether you will apply it by faith, whether you will trust
[00:52:27] in the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. You see, applying the blood in Egypt was not complicated, but it wasn't optional either. Someone from each house had to take the hyssop branch, had to dip it in the basin, and had to put it on the doorframe. Believing that the
[00:52:54] promise was true enough, they acted on it. My friend, the same is true for you today. You have to act upon it. It's not enough to just agree that Jesus was a good person, a good prophet. You have to
[00:53:20] receive him by faith. You have to trust him personally. And this happens when you stop trusting in your own righteousness when you stop thinking that you're going to be able to achieve it on your own by all the good things that you do it doesn't matter you can never do enough good
[00:53:40] things to be accepted by God because it is not that is not how that is not how God accepts you he accepts you because of a blood sacrifice and that blood sacrifice was by Jesus because my blood
[00:53:53] is not good enough because I'm a sinner and your blood isn't good enough because you're a sinner we've all sinned and fall short of the glory of God. This has been the plan from the beginning.
[00:54:07] Adam and Eve sinned that first sin, and God said, somebody's got to die. Could have killed them, but he didn't. He selected a substitute, made a covering, blood was shed. Passover, death angel's coming, slaughter a lamb, apply the blood. Same at Mount Sinai. All of it a foreshadow
[00:54:34] of jesus christ all of it a picture so if you're here today and you've never accepted christ you're joining us online and you've never put your faith in jesus christ my friend i ask you what are you
[00:54:47] waiting for you think well i just need more information i just want to get it all figured out you know what if they had stayed in that house that night until they had it all figured
[00:54:56] out the death angel would have come and they would have they would have died in their sin because they just wanted a little bit more information because they wanted to understand it I've been a Christian for a long time, 40 years, and I can't say I have everything figured out. I
[00:55:17] don't understand everything. You have to come to the place where you just are willing to say, it's okay, I don't have to understand everything to trust Jesus by faith. God reveals more and more, and I learn every day, as will you. Some of you today need to turn from your idols. We're going
[00:55:42] to get to that here in this story. We're going to talk about the Ten Commandments. We're going talk about idols think oh well i mean i don't i don't worship any idols we have a lot of idols
[00:55:56] here in america don't we some of you today need to abandon your religious behaviors thinking because you're fill in the blank whatever religion i mean they could have said well you know i'm i'm i'm a
[00:56:12] i'm a son of abraham i'm a jew i'm an israelite you clearly see god said no israelites if you don't apply the blood you die too what was true for the israelites is true for us today and that
[00:56:30] is the fact that we cannot do it on our own we need a substitute and his name is Jesus if you're here today or you're joining us online and you realize hey truth be known I've been depending
[00:56:45] upon my own good works my own religious background thinking I'm a pretty good person can I tell you as nice as those things are that won't get you into heaven that won't make you right with God
[00:56:56] that will not pay the price for the sins that you've committed the only thing that will is you receiving Jesus Christ by faith, trusting in him even if you don't understand it all. Say, well,
[00:57:14] how do you do it then? The Bible says, whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. You ask him for forgiveness and you admit the fact that you can't do it on your own and that
[00:57:28] none of your righteousness is good enough, that you're putting your complete and total dependence on Jesus and what he did on the cross for your salvation not any works of your own you believe that you trust that my friends that is how we become children of God if you're here this morning
[00:57:48] and you'd like to pray to receive Christ as your savior with our heads bowed and our eyes closed and you joining us online I'm not gonna say a magic prayer this isn't a prayer that's in scripture
[00:57:58] I'm just gonna lead you in a prayer if you need somebody to kind of help you along in your prayer I will help you along but it's not my words it's whether these words are what you really feel in
[00:58:08] your heart it's between your heart and the heart of God you can do it in your mind you can say it out loud you can say it out loud at home or you just think it but if you if you pray this and
[00:58:17] you truly believe it this is what this is what it means to be saved if you'd like to pray to receive Christ this morning join me in this prayer let's pray heavenly father I admit this morning
[00:58:32] that I am a sinner and I've done wrong. I've broken your commandments. I've lied. I've cheated.
[00:58:41] I've stolen. I've taken the Lord's name in vain. I've put idols before you. God, I've broken your law and I'm a sinner and I'm sorry. I realize today that I cannot save myself, that my good
[00:59:02] works will do me nothing. So today I'm putting my faith in Jesus Christ and what he did on Calvary's cross to pay for my sins. The best I know how I'm asking you to save me, forgive me, cleanse me of
[00:59:20] my sin, and take me to heaven when I die. I believe in Jesus that he was a sinless man, born of a virgin lived a perfect life was crucified on a cross his blood was shed to pay for my sins
[00:59:40] i believe that he was in a grave for three days and he rose from the dead proving that he was indeed god and god i'm putting my faith in what jesus did for my hope thank you god for saving me
[00:59:58] in Jesus name I pray amen if you prayed that prayer whether you're here or online and you'd like to talk to any one of the pastors myself, Pastor Roger, Fernando, Sean any one of the pastors
[01:00:11] you'd like to come talk to us we'd be happy to do so we would love we have a great little booklet it's called 30 Days with Jesus that we would like to just give you
[01:00:19] to kind of help you understand salvation a little bit more it's a great little booklet if you'd like to receive that just go on the connect card just go on you know just just go on there and just say I'd like the 30 days booklet and we will
[01:00:34] send that to you or give it to you but anything we can do to help you on your faith journey that's what we are here for everything that we've talked about today in this sermon comes right back to
[01:00:53] this if you have the elements of the Lord's Supper if you take those out now the Passover night in egypt was never meant to stand alone it was always pointing forward to a greater lamb
[01:01:05] to a final deliverance on that night years ago families gathered together under the blood of a substitute they shared a meal of remembrance and hope and this morning we come to the lord's table lord's supper communion and these symbols remind us of that shed blood in his broken body
[01:01:31] Jesus is our Passover lamb his body was given his blood was shed and just as the children of Israel had to trust that that blood in the door was going to be enough even if it didn't make sense
[01:01:45] we too have to believe in Jesus Christ and what he did on the cross so as we come this morning we come not to earn anything you're not going to get into heaven because you take communion
[01:01:57] this is not going to change your eternal destiny because you take communion today.
[01:02:03] This is a reminder.
[01:02:04] This is not a means of grace.
[01:02:06] It is a reminder of the grace that is received because of what Jesus did on the cross.
[01:02:11] You see, we come by faith under the blood to celebrate what Jesus Christ has done for us.
[01:02:21] As you hold this in your hand today, this cup is a reminder of the shed blood of Jesus and this bread, this unleavened bread.
[01:02:30] You know why it's unleavened?
[01:02:31] You know why this isn't a big piece of fluffy bread?
[01:02:34] because they had to leave quickly and they didn't have time for the bread to rise in the Exodus.
[01:02:41] And so they made bread without the leaven.
[01:02:44] Leaven is a type of sin in the Bible.
[01:02:48] And so we have unleavened bread.
[01:02:51] Again, it all goes back to this.
[01:02:54] And this is a reminder that the judgment of God is real, but so is the sacrifice of Jesus.
[01:03:05] So if you're here today and you're saved, I encourage you we're going to pray in just a moment if there's anything between you and God that isn't right just take a few moments and get that right
[01:03:19] and then we'll take the elements of the Lord's Supper together let's go into an attitude of prayer Heavenly Father we thank you this morning for the sacrifice of Jesus Christ these symbols we hold in our hands
[01:03:50] remind us of that spotless lamb that was slain to pay for our salvation God this morning these symbols remind us of what Jesus has done.
[01:04:00] This cup reminds us of the shed blood of Jesus, the only thing powerful enough to pay for our sins.
[01:04:10] Father, thank you.
[01:04:11] Thank you for the love that was displayed on the cross.
[01:04:15] Thank you for forgiving us.
[01:04:17] We remember the sacrifice, God.
[01:04:20] May we please you with all we do in life.
[01:04:22] Lord, we love you and we praise you.
[01:04:23] In Jesus' name, amen.
[01:04:26] Let's take the bread together and let's eat.
[01:04:29] let's take the cup together and let's drink and all God's people said amen if you would drop your cups and the receptacles on the way out today let's

[01:04:56] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[01:04:56] all stand as we sing our final song this morning