"Who Are God's People and What Are Our Characteristics?”

We’ve come to the end of chapter 12 but this morning's message goes in a direction that I didn’t expect it to when I first set out in studying for today. In order to set the stage, I want to review the structure of this chapter.

The chapter began with instruction on how to observe the Passover. Following the details of this, we are told about the tenth plague that happens. From there, God’s people are released and they leave. Then we have the institution of the Passover that includes who should and should not partake rather than when and how it will be observed in verses 1 through 28.

If you would, look with me at verse 3. The instruction for the Passover memorial is provided for the whole congregation of Israel. These are God’s people. They had a covenant with Him. This was a part of the Covenant that God made with His people all the way back in Genesis 12. These same people were instructed to place blood of a spotless lamb around their door to be spared from the tenth plague. As we keep that in mind, this morning I want to examine who the people of God and what their characteristics are.

Read Exodus 12:43-51.

There are identifying factors when it comes to identifying groups of people. For instance, there are things that qualify a person to be a doctor and allow them to practice medicine. There are certain things that they do after passing all of the necessary tests that they can be characterized by. This morning we are going to find the answers to two questions in this passage of scripture. First,

Who are God’s people?

Within these verses there are descriptions regarding who is and is not to take part in the passover. I think of the passover celebration in a way similar to the Lord’s Supper that we take part in. Each time we observe the Lord’s Supper together, I remind you that it is the Lord’s Supper around the Lord’s table for the Lord’s people. Because of that I want to look at several ways that God’s people are discussed in looking at who is and is not to take part in the Passover. There are two groups of people who are noted who are not to take part in the passover beyond the congregation of Israel.

The foreigner is described in verse 43. Now I know that immigration is in the news a whole lot these days. However, that is not what I want to focus on. It is not just a foreign person who is not apart of God’s people but someone who is foreign to God or far away from Him. Under the New Covenant, we are talking about someone who is unfamiliar with the truth of the gospel. They have not been “enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God” as Hebrews 6 describes. We will come back to this concept in a moment but this foreigner is not to partake in the passover. The second person that is not apart of God’s people is

The hired worker is mentioned in verse 45 and is mentioned alongside the foreigner. This would have been a person who was being paid to do labor in the house of one of God’s people but was only there for that reason. They were only there for compensation. We need to keep in mind that the passover was more than just a meal or a habit. It had a very specific purpose: for God’s people to remember what God did for them in sparing them from the tenth plague. As we consider how this translates to the New Covenant, we should think of the hired worker as someone who was maybe raised in church and is familiar with the things of God but has never made the next step in fully committing themselves to the Lord and His will. They simply do not possess the faith that is necessary for that.

These are those who are prohibited but there is a group who is permitted to partake in the Passover aside from Israel. Slaves and sojourners are both mentioned here as being allowed to partake in the passover with one simple qualification: that they have been circumcised. Circumcision in the eyes of God was a physical marking of the faith that a person has placed in the Lord. This means that the slave belonging to an Israelite has been exposed to the things of God, His word, and has come to a point of faith because of their frequent exposure to who God is. It means that the traveler, though they do not belong to the nation of Israel, has been willing to endure the physical toll of circumcision as an adult to possess the physical marking of a follower of the one true God. In the same way, a person who has made the intentional decision to follow Christ publicly proclaims this decision by being baptized.

To summarize all of this, it is the person who has faith in God that is worthy of being apart of the people of God. Another way of thinking about this can be summarized if we glance down at verse 51. It is now the person who has been delivered by the Lord who is able to be included in “the people of God”.

I’ve shared all of this to set the stage for a discussion on the characteristics of God’s people by looking at specific instructions on how to observe the Passover. We will apply these things directly to the Christian who is under the New Covenant. First,

God’s People Are Gathered Together

You’ve heard me say this before but the Christian person was not meant to walk for the Lord on their own. As we read in verse 46, the passover feast was meant to be observed by a family or families under the same roof. This isn’t to say that as long as they were in they were in the house, it was allowed. They were meant to be gathered in the same room and celebrate what their forefathers were spared from together.

In the same way, we are to come together as the people of God on a regular basis and worship together here in the same room. Sure, there are others apart of this congregation that are in other parts of the building serving as a matter of service to one another, ensuring that our babies are cared for and the children are being taught. But we are all here in the same room singing the same songs and hearing the same message together.

Not only was the instruction for the people to remain in the house together but there is also a requirement here to leave the meat in the house. This was to ensure that it was not left outside unattended so that the passover lamb that was cooked would be eaten without proper appreciation. The gathering of the people was to remember.

In the same way, we point one another to Christ in a way that preserves the memory of what Christ has done on the cross. We encourage one another, correct one another, and hold each other accountable.

The next point is along those same lines.

God’s People are United

In the same verse, we read that the bones of the passover lame are not to be broken. I spent a great deal of time attempting to understand why it is that the bones of the passover lamb could not be broken. Then finally I read after one commentator who suggested, wisely, this was to point at the unity of the Church. Consider with me what Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 12:27.

Because the church is the body of Christ, it then makes sense that the body of this Passover lamb was intended to remain intact, pointing to the coming church as God’s people. The cause of Christ is better when there is unity in the church. When the church is united, we remain aligned on mission. When the church is united, we are focused on God’s will for our lives. When the church is united, we bring him honor and glory.

But being united as a local body of believers takes work. It is difficult to remain in step with one another. It takes work to avoid petty quarrels. We need the assistance from the Holy Spirit, who is alive in each person who believes in Christ as the Messiah.

I have noticed that when God is doing a mighty work among us, there seemingly always seems to be issues that pop up and I fully believe that the evil one stirs these things up in hopes of putting to a halt what God is doing in our congregation. My prayer is that God would grant us the humility and patience with one another to continue to march forward in unity.

Finally,

God’s People Are Held to One Standard

Verse 49 points out that whether the person is an Israelite or a sojourner, they are held to the standard of circumcision. In the same way, the blood of Christ has covered all peoples. Galatians 3:28-29 says:

Galatians 3:28–29 ESV

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.

When we considered what heaven will look like, there will be all sorts of races. There will be people of every socio-economic class. Romans 10:13 states,

Romans 10:13 ESV

For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

There is one simple standard of salvation and thus a standard for living: obedience to the commands of Christ. If we love Him, we will do what it is that He has commanded us to do. Have you called upon His name? In that case, have you daily committed yourselves to living for Christ? Doing what His word states? If not, may today be the day that you do so.