4:50 You know, I was driving on my way here, and I was having a conversation with my dad. And we were talking about scripture. And a few minutes, into our conversation, my heart began to flutter. And we both admitted, as I got closer to the church, of just how profound the word of God is. When you think you know a passage or a story or a reference, and then you really dig, you're you're always humbled.
5:19 And at the same time, it's a cause to rejoice. And the verse that came to mind that I would love to read in your hearing before we sing to the Lord is Psalm one nineteen verse 96. David says, I have seen a limit to all perfection, but your commandment is exceedingly broad. What a statement. Everything that you can deem beautiful, glorious, deep, fascinating, captivating, you reach a point where you get it and you understand, but when it comes to God's word, it's exceedingly broad.
6:03 There is no ceiling. There is no wall. There there is no bottom. And the psalmist is celebrating what part of God's word? You're talking about the Torah, the first five books of the Bible primarily.
6:15 And yet, even just with the Torah, he could say something like this. How much more us with the complete revelation of God's word? And then he goes on to say right after, oh, how I love your law. It is my meditation all the day. You need all day, every day to meditate on God's law.
6:33 But it's also because it is such a delight to do so. Lord, we thank you that as we've come here tonight, we do so with the understanding and the faith that your commandments are exceedingly broad. That there is so much for us yet to explore and to digest and to be nourished by. And we ask Lord that you would give us the capacity to not just believe it, but to experience it. So Lord, every person that has chosen to come here tonight, give us the energy and the grace to be able to rejoice with the psalmist as we come to your word this evening.
7:11 In Jesus' name, we pray these things. Amen. Amen. Can we stand and worship the Lord together?
7:49 Oh, Lord, my rock and my redeemer. Greatest treasure of my longing soul. My God, like you, there is your Oh, Lord. My rock and my redeem. My In my case, you and that they're come.
11:02 And then, redeemer. Forms have paid my ransom. Your words of life.
19:33 Yes, lord god. We praise you for your word, lord. We are so excited to plunge the depths of your word tonight. Eleven eighty nine chapters, Lord. God, we pray the words that we just say.
20:03 Give us ears to hear and eyes to see. Help us in our doubt and unbelief. Where else can we go? Where else can we go? You have the words of life.
20:49 You are our hope. You are our glory. Everything we need is in you now and for eternity. You are the rock of our salvation. You are our refuge, our joy, true joy that no one can give but you.
21:15 Lord, help us always seek you and always glory in the cross. In Jesus' name. Amen. Before you take a seat, please welcome somebody. It's time for our offering.
21:51 If the law puts on your heart, lays on your heart to give, we give in different ways and the way, the Lord lays on your heart to give. I have just couple of announcements to make. As usual, our Sunday service is at 10:30 every Sunday. Just a reminder, next week services are all canceled. Prayer meeting is canceled.
22:14 Friday service canceled. And also Sunday service is canceled because most of us will be at a conference in Michigan. Now I believe all of our messages will be live streamed, which means you can still listen. We have, I believe, one message Thursday evening, two messages Friday, two messages Saturday, and one message on Sunday. And, again, if you cannot make it to the whole conference, we welcome a one day visitors too.
22:45 We will never deny an entry to anyone. Right, Daniel? K. So please welcome at any time. Okay.
22:51 Tonight, we will continue, our brief, study or in our series that we began a few weeks ago, from slavery to freedom, a journey through, Exodus. If you turn with me to Exodus chapter 12. In our last session, we saw the stubbornness of pharaoh and his refusal to let Israel go. God's command was very clear. Let my people go.
23:31 God's commands are always specific. He instructed Israel to make a three day journey out of Egypt into the wilderness and to sacrifice to him there. God would accept their sacrifices. It was there he would provide for them. It was there he will lead them.
24:18 It was there he will nourish them. As we have seen, Egypt represent the present world and its system. A world that's opposed to God, opposed to its word. Worship that is separated from God's truth cannot please him. Before Israel could worship acceptably to God, they had to leave Egypt.
24:51 Now likewise, those who would worship God today must come to him out of the world system and approach him on his own terms. Now we have already seen pharaoh's four attempts, four tricks to prevent this from happening. Now first, we have seen when he was approached by Moses and Aaron telling him that our Lord God, Yahweh sent us, let my people go. He refused but then God begins to strike Egypt. And the first compromise Pharaoh made was this, sacrifice in the land.
25:44 I'm okay with you worshiping but no, it's only in the land, within my borders, according to my terms. Moses refused. Then Pharaoh compromised a little more when more strikes hit Egypt. And he told him, okay fine. Fine.
26:17 Go but not too far. Stay within my reach. Remain under my influence. Moses again refused and God sent another blow against Egypt. Then thirdly, we saw that pharaoh insisted that they can go but the children must remain in Egypt.
26:48 He knew if the children remain the parents for sure would return back to them. And if he could shave the children, if he could shave the next generation, oh, he won the battle. He won the battle. Moses again refused. He refused to compromise God's commands.
27:15 Now this reminds me of Nebuchadnezzar, if you remember, when he took some children from Israel, Daniel and his friends. And his purpose was not just to really relocate these kids, he wanted to reshape them. And what did he do? He wanted them to learn his language. He wanted them to feed them his food.
27:39 He wanted them to be immersed in his culture. Because in he knew if he could reshape them, he could change the way they live, that he could change the way they think, and he could change the way they worship. Daniel and his friends refused what Nebuchadnezzar has offered to them. Now fourth, Pharaoh said, fine. You can go the three days of journey.
28:12 You can take the children with you, but your livestock and your hurt, your hurts must remain here. Again, Moses refused. The livestock will be used for the worship of God in the wilderness. And I must insist that all our position, all what we have in Egypt must leave with us, Egypt. Nothing will remain.
28:40 Now must remember that everyone of Pharaoh's compromises had one objective, to obstruct God work and to draw Israel back to Egypt. Pharaoh was fine if Israel obeyed partially. In the same way, Satan will use every possible means to keep sinners within his kingdom. He is perfectly content with partial obedience. Satan does not surrender his captives willingly.
29:25 Moses, however, stood firm. He refused every compromise because we he determined to obey God's command completely. God's will was not negotiable for Moses and I pray that it is the same for us. Moses stood firm. Am I standing firm?
29:52 Am I refusing as Moses did? The world's commands, enticements to do what they want. There was still one more plague to come. One final blow would fall upon Egypt and Pharaoh at last will lead to God's demand and let Israel go. But Israel could not leave Egypt until something important must take place.
30:33 Some something that would happen the very night God's judgment fell upon Egypt. We find this in Exodus chapter 12 if you turn with me there and we will consider that briefly. Before God even tells Moses what Israel must do, he says something remarkable in verse two. Chapter twelve twelve verse two. He say, this month shall be for you the beginning of months.
31:13 It shall be the first month of the year for you. What an astounding statement is this. Lord, we have been in Egypt for almost if not more than four hundred years. Are you saying that our history begins just now? God's answer is in effect.
31:46 Yes. Yes. A new beginning. A new calendar. A new life begins only now.
32:00 From the day the Passover lamb was slain, its blood shed and applied, God gave his people a new starting point. He would no longer define them by the centuries they had spent in slavery but by the day of the redemption. This is God's way. Redemption marks a new beginning. Your whole life does not have to determine who you are today or who will you be.
32:40 From the point forward, from this point forward, everything would be measured from the passover. And it's the same thing true for every believer. Our true life begins at the cross where Christ our passover lamb shed his blood for us. If anyone in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away.
33:14 Behold, the new has come. God commanded his people to take a lamb for each household. A spotless lamb, a one year old lamb. And if the household was too small, they were to share it with their neighbor so nothing would be wasted. And on that very night, the night when the final and the most devastating plague would strike Egypt, they were to kill the lamb.
33:52 Now in verse six of that great chapter of of Exodus, we are told this, then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall slaughter it at twilight. And I'm reading it not from the ESV And I'll tell you why. It is in the Hebrew, this word is in the singular. It says exactly And they killed it. The ESV renders this and they killed the lamb.
34:37 There's no word lamb at all there or lambs. And they killed it. Even though there were many lambs, thousands maybe 10 thousands of lambs slaughtered that day, God said and they shall kill it. As if there was only one lamb and probably you know why. Look who this lamb or these many many lamb that they were slaughtered pointed to one lamb, the lamb of God who died on the cross.
35:13 Our Passover lamb. And it says, the whole assembly must kill it. Not one, but the whole assembly shall kill it. The whole assembly must must participate in the killing of that spotless lamb. My friend, it was your hand.
35:38 It was the hand of every sinner that slaughtered the holy lamb of God. There around the cross, the whole world secular, political, religious were joined together to crucify our Lord. Peter in his famous sermon in act chapter four twenty seven, he says, for truly in this city they were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus whom you anointed both Herod and Pontius Pilate along with the gentiles and the peoples of Israel to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place. The lamb must be slaughtered. Its blood must be applied to the doorposts and the lintels of the houses where they live.
36:40 Each family must remain within the walls of that house and each member of the family must eat of the roasted lamb. This is personal. It's not enough to be in the house. You must eat of the roasted lamb. It's a person hell.
37:10 The lamb was provided for the household but each individual had to partake. Each person must come to the lamb of God and receive him by faith. Now the angel of death will come. The angel of death will visit the land of Egypt that very night and kill every firstborn throughout the land. No exception.
37:45 Not ethnicity, not skin color, not language, not gender, not race, only one thing, the blood. When I see the blood, I will pass over. No blood meant certain death. Blood applied meant protection. Now everyone who believed the words of Moses, who slaughtered the lamb and applied its blood was spared from death.
38:28 All others have suffered the consequences of their disobedience because they did not apply the blood on the door posts and the lintel of their houses. God looked again at only one thing, blood applied. I will see the blood and I will pass over. First Corinthians five tell us that the Christ, our Passover lamb has been sacrificed. That Passover lamb, That's what sacrifice in Egypt points as we have seen again again to the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ for our sins.
39:23 Now I want to remember one thing. God did not say, I will see the perfect lamb. You could have said that but he didn't say that. But I will see the blood of the perfect lamb. It was the blood.
39:46 This is substitution. The lamb had to die in the place of each Israelite who applied that blood. Should blood meant life spared? And it's not just Israel's story. This is my story.
40:08 This is your story child of God. The story of only follower of Jesus Christ. Christ is your Passover lamb. His blood was shed for us and through faith in him, his blood is applied and his blood secures our forgiveness, our freedom from sin and our eternal salvation. And I want to ask you today, if you are just a visitor and you don't know Christ yet or you may be coming here and you don't really know Christ yet, why?
40:50 Why you have not applied? Why you have not let Christ apply his blood his blood to your heart? And you confidently say, I am secure, I have no fear because the blood has been applied. You see the Israelite had no fear. Why?
41:13 Because they saw the blood and they knew what God has commanded and because of that blood they were secure in their own houses. Would you let Christ today apply his blood to your heart and cleanse you from every sin? If you have not that done that yet, I pray that you will do it. Now as in Egypt, God saw the blood and he passed over. Now remember, he did not see the works of the Israelites and said, oh I see your good works and I will pass over.
41:54 He did not look and see, you know, I see your suffering. I will pass over. Oh, I see you have endured so much. You have been under slavery for so long. Oh, I feel sorry for you and I will pass over.
42:12 None of this could save anyone. Only one thing, I would see the blood none else can save. And it's not your blood. It's not about the Israelites that was shed there because of their suffering. No, that did not save them.
42:38 It was the blood of the lamb. Salvation is not through good works, not through suffering, not through observance of some rituals, not through family lineage. It is by the blood of the perfect lamb of God, our true passover. Now look at verse 29. At midnight, the Lord struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt.
43:17 From the firstborn of pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon and all the firstborn of the livestock. And Pharaoh rose up in the midnight or in the night, he and all his servants and all the Egyptians And there was a great cry in Egypt for there was not a house where someone was not dead. And he summoned Moses and Aaron by night and said, up. Go out from among my people, both you and the people of Israel and go serve the Lord as you have said. Take your flocks and your hurts as you have said and be gone and bless me also.
44:05 Get out. It did not have to happen this way. But Pharaoh's stubbornness, his pride, his rebellion brought devastation upon Egypt and upon his household. It's not to say that the Egyptians were innocent. They were too also guilty.
44:37 Guilt of idolatry, guilt of oppressing God's people, guilty before a holy God. Yet, this final plague of the killing of the firstborn, of the strikes over Egypt, I believe is more than just a historical judgment on Egypt. I believe it's a preview of the coming judgment that will fall upon the whole world of which Egypt is a picture. Just as no house in Egypt escaped death apart from the blood of the lamb, no one will escape God's final judgment apart from the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, our true Passover lamb. Now while the Egyptians were in their homes wailing and crying and sorrowing, shrouded in the darkness of death, the Israelites were feasting on the roasted lamb.
45:58 Look at the contrast. Two houses only few yards apart. In one house, there's a cries of death. In the other, there was a joy in God's presence. And when there was mourning, grief and sadness and the other, celebration and joy.
46:30 And does this not make you think of our communion today as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ? While this world around us lives in darkness, in misery and death is hanging upon every soul waiting that great day of God when the whole world will be judged, the Christians enjoys communion with Christ and we enjoy communion with each other. Feasting on Christ and waiting for his soon coming and the exodus from this world to our eternal home. Now while the Egyptian were waiting and preparing to bury their dead, the Israelites were getting ready to leave Egypt. Again, what a contrast.
47:30 One is preparing to bury my dead and the other is preparing to get out of Egypt into the freedom of the holy land. Leaving Egypt could happen only now after the death of the Passover lamb and not one minute before. First, the blood applied then freedom from slavery of Egypt and of pharaoh. First, believing on the Lord Jesus Christ and then deliverance from sin and from the power of Satan. Now look at verse 51.
48:27 And on that very day, the Lord brought the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their hosts. You see, salvation followed by separation. Salvation was followed by separation. Oh, what a lesson for me and for you today. Now don't believe the lies of Satan.
48:59 We sang one song about it today. Don't believe the lies of Satan. Separation must follow salvation. The evidence of salvation is a changed direction, is a departure from Egypt. Egypt as we have seen represent this world system that hates God, that marks holiness and moral purity.
49:28 Those who applied the blood departed Egypt. Those who applied the blood turned their back to the land of yoke and slavery never to return to it again. And this is our Christian calling, isn't it? Nothing less. Galatians six fourteen makes it very very clear.
49:55 But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ by which the world has been crucified to me and I to the world. Crucifixion always means death. It means being cut off from the old way of life and set free to depart Egypt. This is our calling as followers of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now there's one point worth mentioning in verse 38.
50:38 A mixed multitude also went up with them. Do you see that? You see, Satan has failed to retain the Israelites in Egypt. All are gone. All the schemes of Pharaoh or Satan because Satan was behind Pharaoh have failed.
51:11 Would he stop trying? And we have many examples in scripture to teach just the opposite. He has everyday new schemes. He has always new ideas to deceive and if possible even the believers, even the redeemed. Remember the story of Balaam?
51:35 When Balaam failed to curse Israel under the direction of the king of Noah, Balak. He advised Balak something. A new key scheme came out of hell. And we read that in Numbers chapter 22, chapter two to 25. Balaam counseled Balak to send the beautiful women of Moab and Midian to incite the Israelites men.
52:11 And he did. Did this scheme succeed? It did. It did. The Israelites committed sexual immorality with those women.
52:27 But the problem is it did that stop even there. There were some women invited the Israelites to their sacrificial feasts, the feasts for their gods. And before not before long, the Israelites were bowing down and worshiping foreign gods. So if Satan can't keep the Israelites in Egypt, he has no scheme. He will send some Egyptians with the Israelites.
53:06 A mixed multitude also went up with them. These probably were close friends, spouses of some Israelites, women or men. Those went up with them. Now this we are not Ruth who followed Naomi and said, oh my God is your God is my God and your people is my people. These people weren't Naomi.
53:34 These were mostly idolaters who caused Israel to sin. Look at numbers eleven four. They tell us that. The book of numbers chapter 11 verse four says, now the rabble, which means the mixed crowd, that was among them had a strong craving. So it's the rabble, started with the mixed crowd.
54:00 And the people of Israel also wept again and said, oh, that we had need to eat. We remember the fish we ate in Egypt that cost us nothing. The cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions and the garlic. But now our strength is dried up and there's nothing at all but this manna to look at. You see, these were people who left Egypt by their main Egyptians at heart.
54:30 Oh, how many sadly we have today in this kind of group, Christians by name, Egyptians at heart. They attend churches. They attend our events. But they are the first to complain and to lead others to complain and often even decide with the enemy. Yes, they they have accompanied accompanied us but they have never applied the the blood and Egypt has never departed their hearts.
55:10 Now look at with me at Exodus chapter 13 verse one as we jump there. When pharaoh let the people go, God did not leave him by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near. For God said, let the people change, lest the people change their mind when they see war and return to Egypt. You see, we like shortcuts, don't we? We like the quickest routes.
55:54 We like to see quick results but God often leads us into longer paths, longer waits, more rugged terrains because He has our well-being in His mind. He knows our weaknesses. He knows our fears especially those who are new babes in Christ, the inexperienced ones. I don't want to encourage you, never lose hope. Never never give up.
56:40 For it is for your protection that sometime Christ God takes you the longer way, the longer wait, the longer route, the more difficult path, the more rugged terrain. He takes you there to shape you, to make you better like him because the war on the other side may be too severe for you. That impatient too strong for you. You are not ready yet for such great enemies. Let him lead you whatever he chooses.
57:21 As a sinner, you trusted him to save you and now as a pilgrim, as a traveler in this world, let him lead you. And this is what we see in the following verses. Look at verse 20. And he moved on from Sukkot and encamped at Itam on the edge of the wilderness. Out of Egypt to a place called Sukkot, then they encamped, they put their camp encampment at a place called Itam.
58:09 Now they knew their final destination. Right? The land of Canaan. But I tell you, they did not know the way. None has traveled that land before.
58:30 Now Moses, now we understand your plan is to leave Egypt. But now show us the map. You are our leader. Right? I mean, you are leading more than 2,000,000 people into the wilderness.
58:53 You better have carefully prepared a plan. You better know the way. Now you'll find out that neither Moses or Aaron had the map. Right? Everything was a surprise.
59:16 And this is really, I find it, the most unusual thing. The most unthinkable thing a leader can do. I mean, what do you expect from a leader? Right? To lead people, you have to have a plan.
59:35 Right? I mean, this is the simplest, the easiest, the the first thing. If the leader doesn't have a plan, how where would the people go? Again, this is the least expected thing from a leader not to have a plan. I mean think about our children, our our church.
59:57 We moved it from one place to another just thirty minutes away. Less than 300 people. How many hours it took us to prepare and to plan for it? Countless hours. And here Moses is leading 2,000,000 people from one country to another through a vast wilderness yet no plan.
1:00:24 No plan. What should we make out of this? For sure, it does not mean that we should not plan. In fact, it's just the opposite because the bible full of examples how the Christian should plan. We need to plan ahead.
1:00:51 But the lesson here is that we must trust God in the unknown. We have to trust God in tomorrow for tomorrow. We have to put God first in our plans and plannings and be ready to change directions when he leads us to do so. I'm not I'm not just going to stick to a a plan written on a piece of paper if God wants me to change direction and God can do it sometime. Now the Israelites must not follow must not follow a written plan because again they have none that depend on God to lead every step of the way.
1:01:46 And not just to lead but to protect. For they know not what awaited them there in the wilderness. They are going to the land of the unknown. A land none of them has traveled before. Isn't it so with us often?
1:02:13 As as travelers in this world? None of us know what tomorrow will bring. Many of us have plans for tomorrow, but you don't know if you can keep them because you don't know what tomorrow will bring. We don't know what dangers await us in this world. But we know who's the one who secures tomorrow.
1:02:47 We know who will give us assurance in the wilderness of this world And God, here we see him, he surprised every one of the Israelites. No one expected what God would do that we'll see in few minutes. Who would have thought of such a plan? Look at verse 21. And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light that they might travel by day and by night.
1:03:35 The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart from before the people. That's the plan. Moses might not have a map. Aaron might not have one either. The Israelite might not have any of that either, but God has plan.
1:04:04 Their night would turn into day. How marvelous is this? How glorious is this? At the Red Sea, the pillar of a cloud stood between them and their enemies. And as they walked in a desert, it went before them.
1:04:27 And when they encamped in a tabernacle, the pillar was there, remained over them. You see God's provision for them? You see his protection before them, behind them, above them, around them. He's everywhere. What a glorious truth that we need to meditate on continually and digest it and our heart to receive it and rest in it as we live in this troubled world.
1:05:09 And how this is translated practically for me and for you today? I tell you how it is translated perfectly and practically. You know what is the pillar of light and a fire for you today that God has given you and me? He's given us his Holy Spirit. He has given us his word which is a lamp to our feet.
1:05:39 He's giving you your spirit and his word. These are your pillar of cloud and fire throughout this wilderness, in this world. And only in the light you can see. Only in the light you can walk safely. They are our safeguard from stumbling, our protection from the fiery serpents in this wilderness and there are so many of them.
1:06:13 Do not drift away from those. Not evil with a small step lest you fall. Yes. His word is a lamp to our feet and the light to our path. His spirit is our guide into all the truth.
1:06:36 He is our comforter. He is our teacher. He is our best Bible expositor who will open the mysteries of God's word to your soul as you live in full obedience to him. You don't need to know Hebrew and Greek. Trust me, you don't.
1:07:01 But you need the Holy Spirit to lead you and guide you and expound over you God's word. Many know them, the languages, but don't know him. Know him and that is sufficient. Love him, obey him, and let him guide you. Are we prepared for this path?
1:07:31 This path of self denial? This path of the cross? Yes. This path often comes with trials and sufferings. With closed doors and rugged trains, are you ready for it?
1:07:49 Believing and trusting in God's plan for you. I want to offer here a very short and small warning especially to all of us but especially to young believers. Excited as you are in your newly found faith, in your newly found love of the Lord Jesus Christ, in your newly discovered truth, I see your excitement. We see your excitement and that's wonderful, that's great, that's beautiful, that's glorious. But I must warn you of rash action.
1:08:48 Spur of the moment decisions and attributing this to the leading of the spirit of God. God will never lay upon someone's heart to do anything contrary to his will. Never. Do not confuse emotion with guidance. Do not mistake intensity for truth.
1:09:25 Those Israelites just left Egypt. They still did not know the word the ways of God. You could have rushed to do anything if Moses was not there on Aaron. You could have come up with many rash decisions, spirit of the moment decisions but thank God for Moses and Aaron. And I know as young believers, young Christian, I see your excitement but be careful.
1:10:00 Don't confuse intensity of feelings with the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Everything must be tested by the word of God and submit every impression, every desire, every decision to his authority. Walk carefully, humbly, obediently. And if ever there is uncertainty, choose the path that keeps you closest to scripture, closest to Christ and closest to his revealed will. And where would you find his revealed will?
1:10:50 In his word. Not in your feelings. Not in that intensity of your feelings, no. It's in his word. If you are unsure, ask the godly men and prayfully consider their advice.
1:11:12 Even if something feels pressing or emotionally intense, again, that alone does not prove it is the right direction from God. I see that often. And I want to warn you, my dear friend, never confuse intensity or strong emotions with guidance of the spirit of God. What proves it's right is whether it is faithful to God's word and consistent with God's character. Not impulse.
1:11:50 Be careful from your impulses. Not impulse but obedience. Not passion alone but truth anchored in God's unchanging world. Amen? Amen.
1:12:05 Let's pray. Our God and savior, we thank you for your goodness. We thank you for the many lessons you teach us from your word, whether it is in the Old Testament or the New. Because for you, it's one book, one message to us all. And we thank God everything that was written, it was written for our instruction as an example for us.
1:12:50 And Lord help your people. Help us. We who have exited Egypt, who have died to this world and the world died for us or to us. Help us continue in our journey where you lead us Lord. Help us to trust in your guidance, trust in your protection.
1:13:15 Lord, it's enough to have your spirit with us, your word with us, to guide us through this difficult journey. And yes Lord, we want to thank you for those difficult circumstances that you let us go through, for the rugged terrain, for the valleys that you let us go down to. We thank you because in those places you teach us those precious lessons. Lord help us be thankful in the valley as much as when we are on the top of the mountain. Help us be grateful for every difficult circumstance, for every long path you take us, for every what seems to be no outlet a dead end.
1:14:12 Help us be thankful trusting you every step of the way. Lord yours the glory and the honor. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.
1:24:08 Thank you for that blessed word. Thank you. I was reminded, many years ago I was invited to speak at a denominational conference for the young people. And I attended a different sessions and one of them was a q and a with the newly installed pastors of that particular denomination. And they had them on a panel and people were able to ask some questions.
1:24:32 And one of the questions that were presented that was presented was, seeing that you are younger pastors, and they were younger pastors, what strategies do you have in mind going into these new churches to win and draw in the younger generation of the lost? And one person lifted their hand and the answer that was given was so shocking. And, thankfully somebody actually responded to that answer with a well deserved rebuke. And the answer was something along the lines of, well we need to be careful of our messaging and our services. And I'll give you an example.
1:25:12 The example that this person gave was, you know, as Christians we talk about the blood a lot. How do you think an unbeliever hears that walking into our church? We sing about the blood, we preach about the blood, and that individual went on to be sarcastic and even mocking from the perspective of an unbeliever of what they would perceive and register about something that is common and familiar to us. Daniel, pastor Daniel presented a snapshot of the Passover instructions and one of them was that they had to spread the blood of the lamb on the two door posts and the lintel. But notice that there is one area that was not covered in the blood.
1:25:57 The ground. Everything else of that entrance was smeared with the blood except the ground. And there's an interesting verse in Hebrews ten twenty nine that warns, it is possible to trample underfoot the Son of God and profane the blood of the covenant. So even in Exodus 12, you have a symbolic picture of respect and reverence. Apply the blood to your doorpost and your lintel, but do not step on the blood.
1:26:36 And here's how Peter tells us how precious the blood is. In first Peter, chapter one, as we come to a close, here's our final scripture of the night. Chapter one verse 18. Knowing that you are ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. His blood is precious.
1:27:05 Believer, never be ashamed of the blood of Jesus Christ. Never be ashamed. It's more precious than gold, more precious than silver. It has more power and value than gold and any amount of silver. Amen?
1:27:20 Amen. Lord, we stand here as Your church to declare in Your presence that we are not ashamed of the blood of Your Son. May we never, Lord, in our doctrine, in our delivery, in our living, trample underfoot the Son of God and profane the blood of the covenant. Help us honor it. Help us tremble at it.
1:27:44 Help us rejoice in it. And Lord, as your word calls us to help us rest in it, help us rest in the power of the blood. We thank you, Lord, that when you look upon us, you look for the blood. We hide beneath the blood, and we praise you for it. Bring us back together again that we may continue to delve into the things of your word to discover your heart more and more.
1:28:08 Until then, be with us as we go our separate ways. In Jesus' name, Amen and Amen. May the Lord be with you. We'll see you Sunday, Lord willing. And remember, all the services next week, will be live streamed in from Michigan.
1:28:20 We hope to see you there. If not, we'll see you back here in a couple of weeks. Take care now. Have a blessed night in Jesus' name.
