2005-04-24 Communion Dedication - Baldwin Christian Church
Exodus 12:25-27
25. And it shall come to pass, when ye be come to the land which the Lord will give you, according as he hath promised, that ye shall keep this service.
26. And it shall come to pass, when your children shall say unto you, What mean ye by this service?
27. That ye shall say, It is the sacrifice of the Lord's passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when he smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses. And the people bowed the head and worshipped.
As the children of Israel returned to their houses, and they had a decision to make. They had been told that they would be set free that night; free from the cruelty and hard bondage of Egypt; free to receive the wonderful promises of God. All He asked of them was to believe and do what He told them to do. It wasn't a hard thing; it wasn't like making brick without straw. Each house was told to slay their best lamb, roast it, and eat it. The blood of it was to be painted around the door of the house as a sign of obedience.
(now let's turn to 1 Corinthians chapter 5)
They had a choice to make that day in Egypt. They had the Word of God telling them the destroyer would come that night, but where He saw the blood of the lamb, that house would not see death. He only asked of them to believe and do what He told them to do. It wasn't a hard thing, but you know how doubts come in.
1 Corinthians 5:7-8 Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
Jesus of Nazareth is our passover Lamb. Through no fault of His own, He was sacrificed to deliver us, and with thanksgiving we receive this unleavened bread, and this fruit of the vine.
When your children ask you, "What's the meaning of this service?", you can read with them from Exodus 12, and they can see that the LORD is true to His Word. You can show them the meaning of the word, "destroyer," and you can show them that they don't have to be afraid. Because of the blood of the Lamb, we don't have to be afraid, but we have a choice to make.
I might get into a wreck on the way home. My heart might stop beating even before this service is over. The destroyer might come looking for me when I least expect it. Am I worthy to sit at the Lord's table at this moment? I don't think so. I ask Him to wash me with His blood and make me clean through His Word. I'm not afraid of the destroyer, because I believe what He says.
I suspect that my problem is just like your problem: I say that I believe, but I don't do what He says to do. I'll paint the blood around my door, so to speak, but then I won't sweep out the leaven. I believe that He will deliver me from the destroyer, from death, so I'm not afraid, but I continue to eat the bread of corruption. I want the things that aren't mine, I don't honor my parents, I hold on to anger in my heart, I speak foolishly, I'm selfish, and I could go on and on with this list. When I allow even a little speck of these things to remain in my house, they get into everything. One little speck of yeast, and the whole lump of dough puffs up.
Is it easier to sweep my house, or make bricks without straw? Is it easier to live without fear of death, or with fear of death? We have a decision to make.