Address—Jim Hyland
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I'd like to sing another hymn from the Little Flock hymn book. It's Hymn #18.
Hymn #18.
I shall lamb by God.
I understand.
Prayer on the rain.
Everybody should have one of these little handouts. It's very basic, but I thought it'd be helpful. And you can actually take a few notes on here as well if you like. There's also of course some notepads and tablets and pens at the back if someone wants something else to take notes on and you didn't bring something up, uh, yourself.
We're going to take up in the three talks we share together, the subject of the wilderness journey.
Now you might wonder why I have put on the front of this from Egypt to Sinai. Usually when we think of the wilderness journey, we think of the journey from Egypt until they cross the Jordan and went into the promised land. And certainly that is the whole scope of the wilderness journey. But what I want to do this weekend is take up the part of the journey before they were under the law. In other words, if we can put it this way for our purposes today, they were still under grace in the part of the wilderness journey that we are going to consider.
And I believe it's very relevant for you and for me. Not that the whole journey isn't important, I'm not saying that. But you and I today live in what we sometimes refer to as the dispensation of the grace of God. We live in the Christian era where if we're not under law, but we're under grace. And so we're going to take up that part of the journey. Now you'll notice on the front too, I put a scripture and.
Let me just say this, we're gonna have to move very quickly. We're gonna only gonna mention a few things in connection with each of these aspects that I have spelled out on these pages because we only have a certain length of time, you know, ministry like this. Meetings like this are really simply to whet your appetite to search it out further. So I'm gonna give you a little outline, hopefully make some practical applications and hopefully you young people will then take this and search it out for yourself. Because young people, it's.
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Wonderful to sit in meetings like this and to go to conferences and in your home assembly. But it really in a sense, isn't enough, because you never have something until you search it out for yourself. So hopefully that's what this weekend will, will do. You'll notice the verse on the front. It says Now all these things happened unto them for in samples and are written for our admonition upon whom the ends of the world are come. This is a quote, of course, from First Corinthians 10.
The reason I put it here is if we were to go to 1St Corinthians 10 and we will notice a couple of things there later on.
But in the first few verses of 1 Corinthians, chapter 10, we have a little summary.
Of the history of the children of Israel in the wilderness, and at the end of it, this is what he says.
Showing that it is important and relevant for us to take up the Old Testament history of the children of Israel. And again, the whole Old Testament is important, but we're focusing on this part of it. And why do we are we? Why is it important or needful for us to take up this part of the Old Testament? Because this scripture tells us that it was. It's recorded for more than just being historical facts and interesting stories.
Yes, it is historical. Yes, they're interesting stories, but God has caused them to be written down for us. More than that, they're written by inspiration, part of the living word of God, for your learning and for mine. And of course we find in Romans chapter 15, verse four, that all scripture is. I'm sorry that the things that are written aforetime are written for our learning, that we, through patience and comfort of the scriptures, might have hope. So again, very important for us to go back and consider these portions.
In the Old Testament. So this morning we're going to consider a couple of things. The first, of course, is the Passover. Let me read just a few verses in that connection. I'm sure most of you, if not all of you, know the story very well, The story I heard from the very early days of my youth. And so in the 12Th chapter of Exodus, I'll just read a little bit here.
Chapter 12 of Exodus and verse one. And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, This month shall be unto you the beginning of months.
It shall be the first month of the year to you Speak unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the 10th day of this month they shall take of them every man a lamb according to the House of their fathers a lamb for an house. And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbor next unto him under his house Take it according to the number of of the souls. Every man according to his eating, shall make your count for the lamb.
Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year. I'm gonna stop there again. I'm not gonna read all these verses for the sake of time.
But just to get the context, we know the story well. The children of Israel had been slaves in Egypt.
And they were under the ******* of Pharaoh and the Egyptians. Pharaoh for the most part in the Old Testament is a very apartment picture of our enemy, Satan, the Egyptians, a picture of Satan's host, because Satan has a vast host of underlords or demons at his command today. And we find with the Pharaoh character of Satan and the Egyptians, it was it's the devil and his host seeking to keep souls.
From coming under the good of redemption and deliverance. Satan does not want people to get saved. He doesn't want them to become redeemed with the blood of Christ. And he doesn't want them to experience full deliverance from Satan and from and from the world. And so this was what was happening when our chapter opens. The children of Israel were in *******. It's a picture of you and I born into this world without Christ. We're under the ******* of Satan and his hosts and this world, Egypt again, for the most part in Scripture.
Is a picture of this world. But God heard their groanings and he looked down and he said he was going to deliver them.
But if he was going to deliver the children of Israel, it must be in a way that made them realize two things.
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Their guilt and his provision for them, because that is always the way of blessing. And in the instructions given to Moses at the beginning of this chapter, he tells them that it was going to start a new calendar is this month shall be unto you the beginning of months. Now if there's someone here at camp this weekend that isn't saved, I want to stress that this camp today.
Can be a new beginning in your life. What was going to happen for the children of Israel is they were no longer going to be under the ******* of Pharaoh and the Egyptians. There was going to be a new, a new beginning in their lives. And as we're going to see, they will eventually be off Egyptian ground and under the authority of Moses. A picture of the Lord Jesus. Moses was the one raised up to lead them through the wilderness.
And so if there's someone here and you haven't had this new beginning in your life today, right now can be that new new beginning. Now you'll notice here this lamb. Very interesting because it was to be taken on the 10th day and kept up for four days. I want to make a little application here, because remember, redemption and God's plan of deliverance for sinful man was never an afterthought with God.
It was way back in the eternal purposes and counsels of God. For those of us who are saved, we can turn to verses like Ephesians Chapter One and find that we were chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world.
But just hold your finger here and let's read a verse that corresponds or two that corresponds with this.
In First Peter.
First Peter chapter one.
We're gonna read from verse 18 because we'll refer back to a couple of these verses later, but let's read verses 18, uh 19 and 20 for as much. First Peter 118. For as much as she know that you were not redeemed with corruptible things of silver and gold from your vain conversation received by tradition from your Father's, but with the precious blood of Christ as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.
Now here's the verse I want to focus on right now, verse 20, who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you. So again, way back in a past eternity, the Lord Jesus as the lamb, as the sacrifice was in the purposes and counsels of God and the Godhead, this was not an afterthought with God. You know, sometimes we have plan A when we go to do something.
And then that doesn't work and we all of a sudden have to scramble and come up with plan. BI want to speak carefully and reverently. When man sinned in the Garden of Eden, God did not have to scramble and come up with Plan B.
God had planned had this plan from a past eternity. Now why was it 4 days? They had to keep it up.
Well, first of all, in a practical sense, it was to be a perfect lamb. It had to be without spot and blemish. And we'll speak of that in a moment because it speaks of the perfections of the Lord Jesus Christ as as they as, as a man. But there's also something else in Peter. There's a nice little key to a number of scriptures. It says this. A day with the Lord is as 1000 years and 1000 years as one day.
That's a nice little key to understanding certain scriptures that speak of different days. And why was it 4 days here? Because for 4000 years of man's history in the Old Testament, all the sacrifices that were offered from Abel's sacrifice right through the Passover, and all the Levitical sacrifices that were instituted later on, they all spoke of the Lord Jesus.
Who was going to come, as it says, in the fullness of time after 4000 years of man's history?
He was going to come, and he was going to give himself as that supreme sacrifice. So they had to keep it up until the 14th day. Now you'll notice at the end of verse 3 it's a lamb. Then in verse four it's the lamb. It becomes a little more specific, but at the beginning of verse five it is your lamb. Because again.
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Redemption and deliverance are a very personal thing.
You know, God looked at this feast of the Passover really in the sense of there just being 1 lamb. Now, for practical purposes every household had to take a lamb, of course, but God saw it in view of the Lamb of God that John the Baptist announced twice in the first part of John's Gospel. Behold the Lamb of God, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
But it has to be your lamb. And so, before we pass on, I ask you again.
Is the Lord Jesus your savior? Have you availed yourself of the finished work of Christ? Can he say you say He's as it were, your lamb? OK, we're going to skip over again. There's many things we could say, but I want to bring out some very practical things in connection with each aspect of this. Now in connection with the lamb, as I say, it had to be a perfect lamb, a male of the first year. It had to be without blemish, because it spoke to the heart of God.
Of the Lord Jesus who was going to come in the fullness of time, I want to drop down.
Two, we're gonna drop. Uh, we're gonna jump around a little bit, but I wanna drop down to verse 9.
He says eat not a bit raw nor sodden at all with water, but roast with fire. Now this is what I wanna notice. His head with his legs and the pertinence they're out. Three things we wanna notice. Before I comment on that, you'll notice that it was to be roast with fire when you have fire in connection with the.
Lord Jesus, it's not so much what he suffered at the hand of man.
It's not the scourging and the abuse that he suffered in those hours when he was shuffled from pilots judgment hall to the Jews and back and forth and so on. It has to do with what he suffered in those hours of darkness. Just quickly turn to Lamentations and we'll see this from the word of God, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations.
Think it's Chapter 3.
Or perhaps the chapter one?
Uh.
Yes, chapter one. And we often read verse 12. Is it nothing to you? All ye that pass by, Behold, and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow. But what I want to notice is verse 13 from above. Hath he sent fire into my bones, and it has prevailed against them. Notice where the fire comes from here. It's from above. It speaks to us of the judgment against sin, that the Lord Jesus.
Bore in those three hours of darkness.
When, as Peter says, he bore our sins in his own body on the tree, you have it again. You can look it up in the 8th chapter of Song of Solomon, where he speaks of the sufferings of Christ in a couple of ways. There he speaks of the coals of fire. It says the coals of fire are coals that have the most vehement flame. Again, it's what reached into the very soul of the Lord Jesus when he bore my sins.
In those hours of darkness. But I want to notice these three things that are mentioned here because these three things, I believe correspond with three scriptures in the New Testament that confirm beyond a shadow of a doubt the sinless humanity of the Lord Jesus Christ. We're gonna turn quickly to them. But let me just say this before we do. I know young people that you are sometimes bombarded by Christian friends.
With the thought that the Lord Jesus could have sinned, that is absolute blasphemy. If the Lord Jesus wasn't the perfect, sinless Son of God, we have no foundation on which to rest.
And I just say that because the Lord Jesus is the same man in heaven today.
As he was here when he walked on earth, apart from the fact that in his pathway here on earth he was the man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.
He walked here in lowly grace, and now he is exalted and glorified at God's right hand. But he is the same man. And if he could have sinned on earth, then why not say he could have sinned in heaven? And your salvation and mine would be we would have no foundation, we would have no salvation, we could have no peace, we could have no rest in our souls. If we really believe that the Lord could have sinned, He was the perfect sinless son of God. And I want to turn to three verses that correspond with these three parts of the Lamb that are mentioned specifically that show this beyond a shadow of a doubt. So the first is the the head.
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Let's go to 2nd Corinthians chapter 5 and find the corresponding truth.
2nd Corinthians chapter 5.
And verse 21 For he hath made him to be sin for us who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. Now when we think of the head, we think of the mind, we think of intelligence. You know, it's very interesting when you go through scripture. Here's a little tip that has really helped me in my study of the word of God and understanding context. Not just the context, but notice the the writer who God used.
To write what you're reading because God often put, or perhaps always put, the writers in certain circumstances, or chose writers with certain characteristics to give impact and moral weight to what they wrote. Now who better to write? He? He knew no sin. And concerning the head with the lamb in the in the 12Th of Exodus, who better to write that than the intellectual? Paul was the intellectual Paul was the one who I suppose by today's standards, we would say had gone to university.
He was the one who, perhaps again by today's standards, we might say had a had a masters or a PhD. Paul was the intellectual, and so God used him to record that the Lord Jesus knew no sin. OK, that's the head. Now let's go to First Peter, chapter 2.
First Peter, Chapter 2.
And uh, I'll just read the middle of verse 21 to get the context. Christ also suffered for us. Verse 22, who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth. This is the legs we think of. The legs we think of doing. So the the the head has to do with the mind. He knew no sin. The legs have to do with doing. He did no sin. Now who did God use as the inspired writer to record this? Peter?
Peter was the doer. You know I I like Peter. I think he was probably the multitasker. I I can relate to Peter. I like to have a lot of projects on the go and and be working on on different things. Peter was the doer, he was the one with the seemingly with the energy. I know sometimes he didn't said things before he thought about it but he was sincere and zealous and he really loved the Lord. And so the Lord uses God uses Peter to record that he did no sin.
But now let's get right to the heart of the matter and go to 1St John Chapter 3.
First Epistle of John, Chapter 3.
So we had the head. That was Paul. He knew no sin. We had the legs. That was Peter. He did no sin. But then there's the pertinence thereof that's the inwards. And here's what the apostle John says in first John chapter 3 and verse 5. And we know that he was manifest to take away our sins and in him was no sin. You see John, who writes so lovingly about the Lord Jesus.
Who brings before us the person of Christ? As the Son of God, He, I say, gets right to the heart of the matter. He doesn't just say he knew no sin. He doesn't say he did no sin. A lot of people will say, yeah, that's right, but John takes it even a step further. The pertinence thereof in him was no sin. So again, these three scriptures confirm, and there's many others, But these three scriptures confirm beyond the shadow of a doubt, the sinless humanity of the Lord Jesus.
And they correspond with this beautiful Old Testament illustration of the Passover lamb. Now what I want to do for a few moments is I want to know the seven things in connection with the keeping of this feast of the Passover. Again, they were about to be redeemed from by the blood of the Passover lamb. But there were seven things that were to characterize them. The night that they were, they were going to have this feast and the night that they were going to leave Egypt.
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Now maybe I better say this again. Remember this that the way of blessing.
Is always in connection with the death and the shedding of blood of an innocent victim. That's how it began with Adam and Eve in the garden. I know there's no mention of death or blood in connection with a victim there, but to have coats of skin provided for Adam and Eve when they send necessitated the death of an innocent victim or victims and its blood being shed. I suspect that that's why Abel understanding this and having heard the story.
From his parents as he grew up. That's why he brought a more excellent sacrifice than Cain in the he brought something from the flock. He realized that if he was going to be accepted before God, it had to be on the basis of a sacrifice in that way. And so again, that is always the way of blessing and will always be, even for those who are blessed in the Millennium and so on. It will be on the basis of death and the shedding of blood. Having said that, now we're going to go back here and we're going to notice, as I say.
Seven things in connection with this uh with this Passover. So first of all we find that they were going to have a feast. Now a feast would speak to us of rejoicing or happiness. You remember when the UH prodigal son returned from the Uh far country as a repentance center, There was a feast prepared. And they went into this feast, and there was music and dancing. The older brother heard that and so on, and it was a happy time.
Because God wants us young people to be a happy people, we sometimes sing that hymn happy people, happy though despised and poor. And so sometimes people look at Christians and think, you know, that must be a pretty dull and boring life, a pretty unhappy life. Well, there's a sobriety that is connected with Christianity and following the Lord, but there's a rejoicing and a happiness. And I want to encourage you when you go off to school and to work or you're with.
Other acquaintances in your day-to-day life, show it. Show that you're a happy person. You know, sometimes we sing that hymn happy people and we sing it something like this.
Happy people and we drag it. That's not the kind of people that God wants. No, He wants those we don't want to be.
Charismatic and I I I know sometimes this has been abused in certain Christian circles and so on. But again.
As with that, the world says, if you're happy, let your face show it. And so we ought to go about as a happy people. And so there was a feast prepared. Now what were they feasting on? They were feasting on the Rose lamb when the prodigal son returned to the Father's house, what did they feast on? They fed up, feasted on the fatted calf. Again, it speaks of Christ and his death for us. And what is going to give us joy and peace and rejoicing in our souls? It's to be enjoying the Lord Jesus Christ.
There are many other aspects of the person and work of Christ. We can enjoy and will speak of that in another meeting. But one of them, and of course first and foremost, is that we are feeding on Christ in connection with his death for us and the provision he's made through that, through that death. So there was to be this feast, but now I want to notice.
Some things that are listed here. First of all in verse 11. So the first thing is this was a feast, the feast of the Passover.
But now I want to notice in verse 11 The first thing is, and thus shall ye eat it with your loins girth. Now there's several thoughts in connection with the loins. Let's take a minute and turn very quickly to some scriptures in the New Testament that bring out what the loins being Gert would typify. Let's go first of all to Luke's Gospel chapter 12.
Luke's Gospel, chapter 12.
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And verse 35.
Let your loins be gird about, and your lights burning, and ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their Lord.
When he will return from the wedding, that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately. Now I think we all understand what it is to gird our loins. You know, still when I'm in the Middle East in the summer, uh, some of the men still wear the uh gala bears, the long robe and uh it's usually, uh, just let loose and flowing. Because that time of year when I'm over there, it's very, very hot and I've worn A gala Bay and they're actually very cool and comfortable to wear in that kind of of climate. But if you're going to move quickly, you have some purpose.
And you need to get along. What do you do? You gird it up. You tie it up. You, you, You make sure it's not flowing, that you're not. It's not going to hinder you. And so this is the thought in having our loins skirt first of all, here it tells us why we're to have our loins skirt. We're to have our loins girt in testimony, our lights burning as we walk through this world. We are to be lights for the Lord. It tells us in Philippians chapter 2 That you may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God.
Without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as light in this world. You know, when the Lord Jesus was here in this world, he spoke of himself as the light of the world. But the Lord Jesus today is not the light of the world, because the Lord Jesus is not on earth the way he was when he walked amongst men 2000 years ago. And now he says to you and me, ye are the light of the world.
And we are to walk through this world as those that shine for the Lord and young people. I think it's a very serious thing to consider in the day in which we live, that perhaps the only light this world is going to see is what is shines in your life and mine, and especially in a day when they've closed the pages of God's Word generally. It's not read in public places or schools or whatever anymore. What light is the world going to see of Christ?
Today, it's what is what shines forth in the life of the believer. Also we find in this verse that were to be like those who are waiting for our Lord. So we are to live as those who are waiting for the Lord to return that we're not to, to live as those who are permanent. Here again, if you see someone in those countries where they still wear the Galileas and those rope, if you see them with their loins girt, you know they're not staying in the same place very long. They're on their way somewhere else.
And you and I need to walk through this world as those that are on our way to somewhere else. And that somewhere else, of course, is the Father's house when the Lord Jesus comes. Now let's go to Ephesians Chapter 6.
This, of course, is in connection with the Armor of God.
Ephesians chapter 6.
And verse 14 stand therefore having your loins gird about with truth. So we are to what's you know. The loins speak of power, you know the you, someone who can lift weights or when that you're working out, you use your, your, your, your loins. OK, so it's the it's the middle part of us here and it speaks of power or strength. But what is going to give us power and strength to stand against the enemy?
And to live for God's glory in the wicked world and we find ourselves in.
It's the truth of God. That's why we encourage you to read the Bible, read the word of God.
Absorb the truth and then stand for the truth. We're so often in Scripture we're told to stand, to stand fast. Timothy was told to continue in the things he had learned and so on. So I'll just leave that with you first, Peter, Chapter one.
And just the first expression of verse 13.
Wherefore, gird up the loins of your mind. I I wanna say a special word on this of warning. You know, there's a great deal today that would teach us and encourage us to empty your mind or to let your mind go. Sometimes. It's called meditation. Now, meditation in connection with Scripture.
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Is right and proper, of course. But you know, there's a lot coming in from Eastern religion and cult. And it all sounds good and pious at at the begin. On the surface they talk about relaxation, meditation, emptying your mind, letting your mind go. That is very dangerous. We are never taught to empty our mind in scripture. We are taught to bring our thoughts into conformity with the word of God.
We must have our minds governed by Scripture. If you try to empty your mind, the enemy has got lots to fill the vacuum. Don't create a vacuum. And so often in Scripture it speaks of the mind, sets your mind. I know the King James in Colossians says your heart, but if you notice Mr. Darby's translation, set your mind on things above where Christ sitteth at the right hand of God, David said in the Old Testament By type he said, thou anointest my head with oil.
There was a special piece of armor for the head in Ephesians chapter 6, and so were to gird up the loins of our mind.
We're to bring every thought into captivity under the obedience of Christ.
So saturate your mind with the word of God. We need to get it down into our hearts as well. But saturate your mind with the word of God. I tell you, it will stand you in good stead against the Wiles and the attacks of the enemy. Now back in the 12Th chapter of Exodus, the third thing I want to mention is still in this 11Th verse. Shoes on our feet. Now we're not again, we're not gonna take time to turn to some other verses, but there are a number of scriptures that talk about shoes.
It says how beautiful are thy feet with shoes. I'm quoting from the book of Song of Solomon. Shoes would speak to us of a couple of things. It speaks to us of separation from this world. I have been out on the Sinai Peninsula some 13 times and traveled through a good cross section of it. I wouldn't want to be out there in my bare feet. It's hot desert sand with rock and other things. And you would certainly burn and cut your feet if you tried to walk across the Sinai without shoes.
And we need to walk through this world in separation from it, not isolation. I'm not an isolationist. I I I will listen to a newscast. I want to know what's going on in the world. If we isolate ourselves like the monks did in the early centuries, will never shine, as lights will never be a testimony in this world. But we need to walk through this world with spiritual shoes, shoes on our feet. Shoes also speak of of power and endurance. It says of Asher. And you can look it up in the book of Deuteronomy by shoe. Shall be as iron.
That's that's power. And as brass that's endurance. So there's power and endurance for you and I to walk through this world. If we are walking. Uh, in separation and with the Lord. OK, that's the shoes. Now I want to notice the, uh something else here. Umm, I wanna notice the uh staff.
Uh, let's see if we can, uh, focus on A first.
Oh yes, it's still in verse 11, I'm sorry. And your staff in your hand. Now again, very quickly, a staff in scripture speaks of support, It speaks of dependence. So David said, thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me. Recently I went on a hike up Mount Souffrae on the island of Saint Vincent with some other young people, and it was good to have a stout staff in our hand to get over the rough spot and the climbing and so on.
And so Jacob, at the end of his life, Jacob was a very independent person. He thought he could do a lot of things on his own. But at the end of his life he he learned the need for dependence. It says he worshiped leaning on his staff. And so it speaks of dependence because we are to be a dependent people.
Now notice too in this same verse.
They were to eat it in haste, and so why were they to eat it in haste? They were to be an expectant people.
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Not just ready to March, but to be ready to leave Egypt at a moment's notice. And so you and I, we've already spoken of this. We're not just to be waiting for the Lord to come, but we are to be expecting the Lord to come at any moment. I can't tell you when the Lord is coming, but I know one thing. We are closer this morning to the Lord's coming than we have ever been before. And we ought to operate and act in this world as those who are expecting to leave at any moment.
Now if you drop down to verse 15, you'll have the, uh, sixth thing, seven days shall you eat unleavened bread? So the feast of the Passover was in connection with another feast, the feast of Unleavened Bread. Now leaven in Scripture is invariably a type of sin. Always. It's one of those illustrations, one of those things that never changes in its application.
And the Lord Jesus spoke of it twice in connection with the Pharisees, once in connection with their immoral life, their practices, and once in connection with their doctrine. It corresponds to what you have in the book of Corinthians and Galatians In Corinthians they were It speaks of unleavened bread in First Corinthians 5 because that's in connection with their moral life or immoral life. They were allowing things that the Lord's table that were.
Uh, that were sin that were not conducive to the Lord's table. Because one thing God always teaches his people is that sin is a thing that is not fit for his presence or for the presence of his people. And in Galatians it also speaks of a little leaven. 2 Two times it speaks of a little leaven leavens the whole lump in Corinthians in connection with the Absolute.
Immoral situation that was happening there. They were in fornication at the Lord's table, they were drunk at the Lord's table and so on.
But in Galatians there was another form of leaven, and that was doctrinal. Leaven. And so leaven has to do with those two types of of evil. But they were to keep evil, or 11, I'm sorry, out of their houses, out of their lives for seven days. I want to make just a little application. If you and I are going to find ourselves, by the grace of God at the Lord's table, to remember him in with with the Lord's Supper, we claim to be in His presence. What are we to do? We're to keep evil out of our lives for the whole week.
That's really, I believe, the practical lesson we learn from the fact that they were to keep living out of their houses for seven days if they were going to come and eat of the of the Passover.
The seventh thing I want to stress is that they were to eat it, but not only were they to eat it, but they were to eat it with bitter herbs, so he says.
Let's go back here to the verse 8. And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire and unleavened bread, and with bitter herbs they shall eat it. Now again they were to eat it, because when we eat something, it becomes part of us. And eating in Scripture is always synonymous with the thought of fellowship or communion.
And so there was to be fellowship and communion, but they were to eat it with bitter herbs. The bitter herbs would speak to us of our entering in, in some little measure, to what the Lord Jesus suffered for us. Now we're going to quickly apply this in connection with the memorial that you and I have on Lord's Day Morning For Israel. Their memorial was the Passover, and they were told to keep it every year. They were to never forget.
What God did in redeeming them by the blood of the Passover lamb and bringing them out of Egypt, you and I have a memorial.
Our memorial is the remembrance of the Lord Jesus in the breaking of bread, not once a year or on a special occasion. But as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you do show the Lord's death till he come. And that's why, before the Canon of Scripture was completed, we see in the Book of Acts that it was already the joy and exercise of the early believers to come together on the first day of the week to break bread. So we need this memorial.
We need it. We need it. Often I just say this, and I say this particularly to the young brothers who are starting to take part in the meetings and so on. And we're thankful to hear you, young brothers speak up and especially Lords the Morning and worship and so on. But I believe it is very good for our souls on Lord's Day morning to read from scripture something of the sufferings of Christ that's entering into the bitter herbs. You know, sometimes I sit in the breaking of bread and there's nothing read from scripture.
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Concerning what the Lord Jesus suffered there on the cross, it's good to sing those hymns that bring before us in a very precious way the sufferings of Christ, again, not just at the hand of man.
But at the hand of God, O Christ, what burdens found thy head? Our load was laid on thee, and so on.
How good it is that's eating it with the bitter herbs that's entering in to something of the sufferings of Christ. Now I want to pass on very quickly to the next page before we end this morning again, please go back over the 12Th chapter. We've skipped a lot. There's a lot there for our meditation and connection with the person of Christ and in connection with our redemption. But I want to just speak a little bit for a few moments of the crossing of the Red Sea.
And that we have in the 14th chapter of Exodus. Let me just read the verse.
That I have quoted here on our page, verse 30. Thus the Lord saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the seashore.
Now the night they ate of the Passover lamb, it satisfied the claims of God, the lamb being slain and the blood being shed satisfied God's claims. But they were still on Egyptian ground the day they the night they crossed the Red Sea, which was sometime later the night they crossed the Red Sea. They were no longer under the authority and claims of Pharaoh and the Egyptians.
In other words, the crossing of the Red Sea was completely delivered. So when they got to the Sinai Peninsula, they now had two things. They had redemption which took place the 9th of Passover Lamb was slain. The blood was placed on the door. That's what saved them. That's what saved the first born in each home and so on. But they were still on Egyptian ground. Now remember Egypt? Egypt speaks to us.
Of this world. And so God was going to deliver them now from the claims of Pharaoh and Egypt, because we won't turn to it. But in Galatians that well known verse says, God forbid that I should glory save in the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me and I unto the world. You see, the cross of Christ separates us wholly from this world, you and I, who've been redeemed by the blood of the Passover lamb. We have also been delivered from this world and its claims and the judgment that is hanging over it by the Lord Jesus himself.
And so it was necessary that they passed through the Red Sea. And that's why after they passed through the Red Sea, then in the 15th chapter, they can finally sing this song as a redeemed and as a delivered people, they can sing as they look back and they see their enemies dead on the seashore. And so while it's true, the enemy seeks to to discourage and dishearten Christians, and we have an enemy as a roaring lion seeking whom?
Walking about, seeking whom he may devour. Yet you and I who know Christ as our Savior, we will never be part of this world again.
But I want to apply this in connection with how it is brought before us again in First Corinthians 10. Now instead of turning to it, I've quoted the verse at the bottom of our our page here. Moreover, brethren, I would not that you should be ignorant how that all our fathers were under the cloud and all passed through the sea. Now notice this, And we're all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea, the crossing of the Red Sea.
Is a figure of baptism. You know, there are certain things in the Old Testament, certain types and pictures that are so important for us to get ahold of that the New Testament confirms what they mean. Let me back up for a moment. When we say the Passover lamb is a picture of Christ's death for us, that's not some application. 1St Corinthians 5 tells us. Christ, our Passover is sacrificed for us.
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That's what that sacrifice typified, and that's what it means from Exodus 12 when we say the crossing of the Red Sea is a figure of baptism. That's not just some application that older brethren have come up with. That's what it actually means. The New Testament here in the verse we have just read shows us that the children of Israel passing through the Red Sea, they it's a figure of baptism. Now why were they baptized under Moses?
Just hold your finger here before I comment on that and let's read a verse in Galatians chapter 3.
Galatians, chapter 3.
And verse 26 I'm sorry, verse 27. For as many of you as have been baptized unto into our it's actually unto Christ have put on Christ. Baptism is always unto someone. So when you and I are baptized in Christianity, we're baptized under Christ. They were baptized unto Moses because as I said earlier, Moses becomes a picture of the Lord Jesus.
He was the one that was gonna lead them out of Egypt. He was the one that was going to lead them through the Sinai Peninsula. They were now going to be under not the authority of Pharaoh and the Egyptians, but they were going to be under the authority of Moses. And that that's what baptism does it. Baptism in the various aspects in which it's taken up in Scripture always brings us from one ground onto into another. That's what water does generally in Scripture. It brings us from one place.
To another place, it brought the children of Israel from Egyptian ground out to the Sinai under the authority of Moses. And when we are baptized in Christianity, we're baptized under Christ. What we're really saying is, now that we are redeemed with the blood of Christ, we want to outwardly own His authority in our lives. We're saying that Christ is not just our Savior, but we're owning Christ as our Lord.
It's an outward thing, you know. I have heard of some young people.
Who refused to be baptized? I know they're believers. I know they're washed in the blood of Jesus. But they refuse to be baptized.
I often wonder why. You know, in some of the countries that I've had the privilege of visiting, when you are baptized, they understand the significance of baptism better than we do because it puts a mark of death on them. Baptism is always a sign of death. Always. Now, of course, we don't leave a person under the water. We bring them up when after they're baptized. And there's the thought of resurrection after. But baptism has the thought of death. It's owning our death with our it's owning that Christ died for us and that now we want to.
Own his authority that we are no longer part of the world. Positionally, we'll never get back to the world.
We've been delivered from it. It does say of the children of Israel, though, after they went through the Red Sea.
It says that in their hearts they returned into Egypt. You get that in the 7th chapter of Acts, where Stephen recounts their history. You know, you and I who know Christ will never be part of this world again positionally, but we can return in our hearts into Egypt and they wanted they lusted after those things that they had left behind. That's a little aside baptism though. It doesn't save us as far as our sins and our eternal destiny. I believe it is important in our lives and I want to read one more verse.
In one Peter, in connection with what Baptism? The practical effect of baptism.
First Peter, Chapter 3.
And verse 21 He's Speaking of Noah and the flood here. And then he says in verse 21 The like figure were unto even baptism doth also now save us. I'm going to skip the the italics for a moment by the resurrection of Jesus Christ. So if we skip the italics, it seems that baptism is necessary for salvation.
But remember, salvation is taken up in different ways in the in the word of God, it isn't always the salvation of our sins. Salvation simply has to do with deliverance or a new ground and so on. And so it's not always in connection with the initial salvation that we need to put our sins away and make us fit for heaven. Now let's go back and read the verse again. The light figure were unto Baptism does also now save us not the pudding away of the filth of the flesh.
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Now notice this but the answer of a good conscience toward God. I don't believe that a Christian who refuses to be baptized can really have a good conscience before God, because this is something that God has asked us to do. You know, it's interesting that when they were saved on the day of Pentecost and they asked Peter, what shall we do? He uses very strong language. He says, I commend you to be baptized.
That's pretty strong language, isn't it? I commend you to be baptized, and I feel that perhaps that's where I have sometimes failed. Believers have confessed the name of Christ. They've been saved, and I haven't stressed perhaps that the next, very next step is baptism. And I don't believe when a person is saved there needs to be the waiting for baptism, the Ethiopian eunuch, when he was saved there reading the 53rd of Isaiah.
With the Evangelists there to explain it to him, and the power of the Spirit of God.
Why? That chariot never didn't go very far until they came to some water, and the Ethiopian eunuch said, what hinders me to be baptized? And Philip went down and baptized him. So it's a very important aspect of our lives. But again, they were redeemed by the blood of the Passover lamb in Egypt. They were delivered by a mighty hand by the power of God, from the authority of Pharaoh and the Egyptians, and from Egypt, the type of this world, through the Red Sea. And in the 15th chapter they sing as a rejoicing people. Again, I know we've covered a lot of ground.
But I hope you'll go back over those scriptures and meditate on them.