Good Weekend to you my “Walking with Jesus” friends,
Have you ever thought about what Christmas looks like from 1/2 way around the world? Have you ever been in another country, far from your home, at Christmas time? As I write this I happen to be traveling in Africa, visiting some of my family who live here for the purpose of sharing Jesus with the people of this African country. Why? Because for nearly all the people of this African country Christmas is meaningless here.
In the place where I am today, as I write this, the people of this nation in Africa are passionate followers of Islam. The call to prayer awakened me this morning well before daylight. Oh, they know a few things about the man Jesus, but they reject any notion that Jesus is God incarnate who came to earth to offer God’s salvation to the world through His atonement death and resurrection. How does that compare to what people believe where you live?These days we are walking a 30-day journey together toward Christmas and we are looking at the great story of Moses and God’s deliverance of the Hebrew slaves found in the Bible book of Exodus. The highlight of the exodus story is of course that miraculous night when the angel of death passed over Egypt and all the firstborn died in every home EXCEPT those who had believed God’s promise and had splashed the blood of the Passover lamb on their doorposts, as God had instructed them through Moses. (Exodus 12)
It was the ultimate FAITH test. For those who doubted God or rejected God’s conditions for being rescued from slavery, they experienced the horrific death of their firstborn that night. But for those who had believed God’s instructions, when the angel of death came near those homes the blood on their home doorposts identified those inside the house as believers in God and no harm came to that home that night.
Instead, the people in those homes picked up all they had packed and walked out of Egypt that night, freed by the Pharaoh who had finally bowed his hard heart in acknowledgment that the God of the Hebrews was more powerful than Pharaoh, or the great military of Egypt, or Pharaoh’s powerful sorcerers, or all the Egyptian gods. That night was not only significant and historic for the Hebrew slaves, but also a very significant forward pointing to the first Christmas and Easter, do you see how?
Moses had brought the very clear conditions for rescue to the Hebrew people, but God’s rescue plan was conditional. God would ONLY rescue from slavery those who accepted God’s conditions and did as God instructed. There was no alternative plan, no other way.
Each family was instructed to take a lamb and on a specific day, they were to slaughter the lamb, collect some of the blood and splash the blood on the doorposts of their homes, then cook the lamb and eat it as a last supper, for later that night they would be set free from Egyptian slavery bondage. (Exodus 12:21-28) But as I said it was OPTIONAL, and there were many who refused, many who rejected God’s offer. Three weeks from now we will be celebrating Christmas, the earthly birth of Jesus. But do we understand that the purpose of God coming to earth at Christmas, was to live in the human body of Jesus, so that His body could be ultimately hung on the cross to die and his blood spilled.
The atonement death of Jesus is God’s ONLY provision for rescue from human sin slavery. Our full trust in God’s plan, in the efficacy of the death and resurrection of Jesus, provides God the opportunity to then rescue us from our sin bondage, just as full trust in God’s rescue plan provided God the opportunity to lead out of Egypt many Hebrew slaves who trusted God fully. Do you see how Exodus 12 points forward to Christmas and Easter?
Hebrews 9:27 says “It is appointed unto mankind once to die and after that the judgment.” It means that to every human being is given by God the opportunity to live ONE earthly life, die once, and then stand before God in judgment. No reincarnation to live a second life here on earth. But this one life on earth is NOT all there is. Eternal life will follow this earthly life, for to every human being is given an immortal soul as part of God’s distinctive design for humanity. The judgment we will face, after our life and death, determines where each person will spend that eternal, never ending life… heaven with God or hell apart from God.
That judgment is based on ONE thing… What was your response to God’s offer of salvation during your earthly lifetime? Did you fully trust in the shed blood of Jesus, or did you reject God’s redemption plan and try to find your own way or earn your own way to eternal life with God?
In Egypt, the night of the exodus this graphic statement paints a clear picture of distinction between those who trusted and obeyed God and those who did not: “At midnight the LORD struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, from the firstborn son of Pharaoh, who sat on the throne, to the first born of the prisoner who was in the dungeon… Pharaoh and his officials and all the Egyptians got up during the night and there was loud wailing in Egypt, for there was not a house in Egypt without someone dead… The Israelites did as Moses instructed… and they journeyed out of Egypt going from Ramses to Sukkoth. There were about 600,000 men on foot, plus women and children… The Israelites did just what the LORD had commanded Moses and on that day the LORD brought the Israelites out of Egypt.” (Exodus 12:29-51)
So significant was that dramatic and traumatic event that the Jewish people worldwide, to this day, celebrate this night with their Passover observance. As they gather around their table for that last supper, one of the children traditionally approaches the eldest man in the family with this question: “Why is this night different from all others…” And that question provides that Jewish man the opportunity to recount, through that special, several hour dinner meal, the full story of God’s rescue of His Hebrew people from Egyptian slave bondage.
Once a year every family worldwide is given the opportunity to gather on Christmas to consider the very same question… “Why is this Christmas day different from all others?” And how would YOU answer that Christmas question my friends? Every Easter, once again, every Christian family gathers and the very same Easter question should be asked, and how do you answer that question about the uniqueness of Easter my friends?
Finally, of course, it’s one thing for Jews on Passover night or Christians at Christmas and Easter to provide God’s correct Biblical answer, but it’s another thing to be able to look your children directly in the eyes and tell them that you have fully trusted in God’s redemption provision through Christmas and Easter, and you are fully confident that Jesus Christ is your Savior and heaven is your eternal home. Will you be able to do that this Christmas my friends? If you have any question about that, I’d welcome the chance to help you both understand and experience God’s rescue from sin slavery this yea! Please write to me with your questions and I’ll respond.
Friends, I’ve chosen the closing worship song for today with great anticipation that one day, even the people of the African nation where I am today, will be gathered and sing this song to the glory of Jesus the Savior of the world! Oh, let’s worship…
Today’s Scripture is Exodus 12.
Choose below to read or listen.
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson 262.441.8785
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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