The Blood of the lamb

How do you feel when it comes to needles?

I find it is often only two types of people out there

Can’t stand them, you know who you are

The person who watches them take the blood

Blown veins

Angie and My experiences

Blood is life though it is important and today’s passage reminds us of that more than ever.

Pharoah is oppressing the Israelites.

Important to note that the Pharoah long before Moses even shows up has contempt for God.

Moses shows up and the Plagues follow.

The Plagues.

Water to Blood

Frogs

Lice/Gnats

Flies

Livestock

Boils

Hail

Locust

Darkness

Firstborn

The Final Plague

The Pharoah knew this was coming

His own heart lead to this

Exodus 4:22–23 NIV

22 Then say to Pharaoh, ‘This is what the Lord says: Israel is my firstborn son, 23 and I told you, “Let my son go, so he may worship me.” But you refused to let him go; so I will kill your firstborn son.’ ”

God Promises to Moses that he will harden the heart of the Pharoah

Truth is God is just finalizing what was already done

Exodus 3:19–20 NIV

19 But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless a mighty hand compels him. 20 So I will stretch out my hand and strike the Egyptians with all the wonders that I will perform among them. After that, he will let you go.

This is important because we need to recognize that God knows that the Pharoah was already resistant.

Yet, God wanted to assure Moses that he was in control and that there would be no doubt about God’s Authority so he allowed him to continue with that hard heart

God didn’t want there to be any doubt in his redemption of Israel

The cost of redemption is substantial and it is important

Exodus 12:1–6 NIV

1 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in Egypt, 2 “This month is to be for you the first month, the first month of your year. 3 Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household. 4 If any household is too small for a whole lamb, they must share one with their 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. 5 The animals you choose must be year-old males without defect, and you may take them from the sheep or the goats. 6 Take care of them until the fourteenth day of the month, when all the members of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight.

The Passover Lamb

God gives specific instructions for the people of Israel

How much is needed

how to cook it

what it should look like (spotless)

How old the lamb is

Let’s them know its okay to share

God even gives instruction on how to eat it

With haste

a Specific time of the day

Fully dressed

You could almost think of the Passover feast as the first fast food

This meal was intended to be a reminder of how God delivered the people of Israel and to show the relationship between God and his people.

Sometime later...

Roman empire is oppressing the Israelites

Many think God is silent

Then a man shows up dressing funny and eating strange food

He baptizes with water and calling people to repentance.

He Sees another man and tells the world who it is that stands before him

John 1:29 NIV

29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

The Lamb of God

Jesus Identified as the Lamb of God

Later in his ministry Jesus sends his disciples to prepare the passover meal

He calls his followers to be reminded of the story that we have been talking about this morning

They sit and eat together

Matthew 26:26–28 NIV

26 While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.” 27 Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. 28 This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.

The Lamb of God

The Promise of Jesus changes the very nature of one of the most important meals in the life of an Israelite

Jesus shift the meal to be for the whole world and it is not just for their freedom of oppression from an earthly enemy

It is for the freedom from sin

Sometimes i think we forget how much this cost

Sometimes we forget that Jesus died not just for one or two of us but for everyone.

WE need to remember that

That his Grace is deep and plentiful

That we participate in this meal together till he returns.