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New Year, New Birth
Text: Exodus 12
Introduction: A New Year, A New Beginning
- Theme: Your new life begins with redemption. A fresh start is on the other side of redemption.
- John Newton was a rowdy young man who got into the merchant marine business in the 18th century. He was so lawless at one point that the captain tied him to the deck until he could offload him. Newton found financial success in the slave trade and eventually became captain of a vessel called the African. After years of overseeing the cruel treatment of slaves, he began to have reservations and doubts that such inhumanity was defensible. In 1754, he suffered a seizure that ended his career as captain. He was relieved to abandon the job that he’d morally struggled with. He decided to pursue ministry and the abolition of slavery. He would write the most famous English hymn in the world, Amazing Grace… that saved a wretch like me.
- The New Year symbolizes renewal and opportunity. Just as we long for fresh starts, so did the Israelites in Exodus 12.
Oppression creates a hunger for redemption
- Israel’s suffering in Egypt in 14th century B.C. was brutal.
- There was an attempted infanticide of all male children by the government. Then the Israelites were slaves in forced labor by the Egyptian government to build Egyptian properties.
- You can hear the crack of the whips and cries of the violently oppressed early in the book of Exodus.
- Moses was born during the infanticide and was providentially protected. He would be brought to the Egyptian palace to be raised. But at 40 years old he watched an Egyptian taskmaster beat an Israelite to death. Moses then chose to serve his own people, not Egypt, but he would not be able to deliver Israel by single-handedly killing Egyptians.
- We jump ahead forty years. Moses is 80 years old. The nation cries for deliverance. Moses approached the Pharaoh to let the people go to worship God in the wilderness. Pharaoh doubled down on the government pressure. He is agitated with the request.
- Nine requests later and nine plagues have swept through Egypt destroying the landscape. Pharaoh is irate with the Israelites, but this tenth plague will break the Egyptian chains.
The 10th plague was the death of all firstborns in Egypt
- But before the death angel would pass through Egypt, the LORD gave a prescription to provide immunity from death. It was the blood of a lamb.
- The Israeli New Year (vss 1-2) began with redemption from bondage. This time became known as the Passover because death would pass over the blood.
- Redemption from death by the sacrifice of a certain kind of lamb (vss 3-10)
- Unblemished
- Male
- The lamb was examined for four days and then killed. Some of the blood must be applied to the door of the house so that when death passed by that night, the house was safe (vss 7, 12-13).
Redeemed lives were associated with faithful participation in God’s grace
- Moses faithfully prepares the people for the plague of death (vss 21-28) – By faith, Moses kept the Passover (Hebrews 11:27-28). Paul said life is by grace through faith.
- Faithful participation in this redemption (vss 11-20)
- You’ll eat this lamb in haste. You must be ready to leave Egypt, with your clothes on, your bags packed, and all tools for traveling ready to go (vs 11).
- You’ll take the lamb’s blood and apply it to the door of your home (vss 12-13).
- You’ll gather as a congregation at the beginning and end of this week (vs 16).
- You’ll bake your bread without leaven for a week (vs 15).
- Faithful participation in this redemption meant honoring the sacrifice of the lamb.
- This is what calling on the LORD looked like. Their responsibility was to honor the sacrifice of the lamb. Not to ask the lamb to come into their heart. Not to pray to be saved. Their responsibility was to honor the sacrifice of their unblemished lamb! This was their faith!
- What does it mean to honor the sacrifice? How would you have felt applying the blood and waiting in faith?
The plague of death moves through Egypt, but liberates the Israelite slaves (vss 29-36)
- There was so much sorrow in Egypt that night because of Pharaoh’s stubbornness.
- Pharaoh and the Egyptians demand the Israelites get out of the country.
Christ our Passover
- John the Baptist saying, Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world.
- On the 10th day of the month Jesus, the Lamb of God, enters the temple and cleans it out. He is interrogated by lawyers, priests, and politicians for four days.
- The evening before the Passover he eats a meal with his disciples explaining things regarding his death. Then says his body and his blood are the basis for the covenant God will make with mankind.
- That night Christ is arrested and beaten multiple times. Falsely accused, mocked, whipped, punched, lied about, but like a lamb to the slaughter he is silent.
- Governor Pilate and King Herod argue about who’s jurisdiction this case falls in. Until Pilate finally washes his hands of the whole thing, parading a bloody and beaten Jesus before the Jews, he says, Behold your king! John notes that when Pilate said this to the Jews it was the preparation of the Passover, and about the sixth hour:
- Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, was then crucified outside of Jerusalem. And LISTEN to THIS! God the Father would see of the travail of his soul, and be satisfied: for he shall bear their iniquities. The Father would now accept this death of Jesus Christ on behalf of whoever would want to participate in this redemption.
- 1 Corinthians 5:7 …For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:
- Faithful participation in this redemption looks like the following things.
- You must be ready to consume the Spirit of Christ that will affect your mind, motives, affections, and pride (vs 11).
- You must honor the sacrifice of the Lamb presenting your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. The Father wants you to wear the sacrifice of the Lamb of God on your heart daily.
- You must gather as a congregation faithfully. Hebrews 10:22-25
- You must remove the old leaven and begin with a new dough which is Christ, the Bread of life.
