Journeying Through Exodus

As we journey through Exodus we discover the power of divine redemption. Only God is able, and willing, to bring us out of the bondage of sin and into true liberty and life.

Transcript: "Journeying Through Exodus"

“Redeemed how I love to proclaim it. Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. Redeemed through his infinite mercy, his child, and forever I am.” Those were written by Fanny Crosby long ago. We love to sing them. But where can you find that truth of redemption? There is a scarlet cord woven Throughout the entire Word of God. Perhaps the fullest teaching is found in the New Testament book of Romans, but it is first introduced to us in the Old Testament.

Remember that in the Book of Genesis, God killed an innocent animal to cover the nakedness of Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:21). Today we journey through the second book of the Bible, Exodus. What Exodus is to the Old Testament, Romans is to the New Testament - It is a revelation of what it means to be redeemed. You find in seed form this truth in the Old Testament, and then you find it in its fully developed form in the New Testament. 

An Overview of Exodus

Exodus is an amazing book. The first six verses of Exodus 1 are really a summary of the last five chapters of the Book of Genesis. There's a natural progression here. The Book of Genesis ends with the death of Joseph, and the Book of Exodus begins with the birth of Moses. When you see the children of Israel in Genesis 50, they're living in bounty in Egypt; as the curtain lifts in Exodus 1, they're living in bondage. About 300 years lapsed between Genesis and Exodus. When the people of Israel went down into Egypt, there were only about seventy souls; 430 years later, when they went out, there were approximately 3,000,000 of them! God prospered had them, and everything God ordains Satan opposes. 

While the children of Israel are living in Egypt, suddenly they find themselves living in bondage. The Book of Exodus is literally the story of their exit, their departure, their deliverance, out of Egyptian bondage. And it's a beautiful picture of the redemption that is available to all of us through the Lord Jesus Christ. Redemption is the only way to have a real relationship with God. Redemption is the great theme, not just in Exodus but in the entire Bible. Redemption. The Bible says, “Without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sins” (Hebrews 9:22). There's no freedom apart from the shedding of the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. These Israelites were slaves in Egypt when the Lord brought them out. This act of deliverance for God's people set a pattern that is followed all the way until its perfection in Jesus Christ. 

The Key Verse of Exodus

The key verse of the book is Exodus 12:23. We read this verse in the context of the first Passover. Now, the Jews still celebrate the Feast of Passover. Where do we even get that word, that name Passover? Exodus 12:23 says, “For the Lord will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the Lord will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you.” 

Did you catch the words? “The Lord will pass over.” God always either passes through or passes over. He passes through in judgment - this will be the case for every person who does not know the Lord Jesus Christ. But He passes over in mercy those who have received Christ's payment for their sins. Everybody must choose which it will be for you. Will Christ pass through in judgment or will he pass over in mercy? 

The Passover in Exodus 

In this first Passover, God required several things: 

1. They were to take a lamb from the flock. The lamb had to be a male without blemish. That's an amazing picture of the sinless Lamb of God that was to come (John 1:29, 36). Christ, who would be our full, final, and forever sacrifice for sins, a Lamb without blemish. 
2. They were to set that lamb apart on the 10th day of the month, Nisan. As we study the New Testament, we find that this is the exact day that the Lord Jesus Christ rode into the city of Jerusalem (on the 10th day of that very same month). On the day the Passover Lamb was set aside, Christ presented himself as the sacrifice for sin. 
3. They killed the lamb on the 14th day in the evening. And if you look at the timeline of the Passion week of Christ, you'll find that the Lord Jesus was crucified on that same day, on the very day the Passover Lamb was slaughtered. In the evening, in the afternoon hours between twelve and three, our Lord Jesus gave his life and shed his blood for our redemption (Matthew 17:35-54). Hebrews 12:24 says that we’ve come “to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling.” What does that mean, “the blood of sprinkling”?
4. They were to take the blood of that lamb and sprinkle it on the doorpost. The blood had to be applied. Understand this with your heart. God said that His Son was “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (Revelation 13:8). That means from the very beginning of time, before Genesis, in the mind of God, the Lord Jesus Christ was already sacrificed for our sins. That's powerful. But it also means the blood must be applied to our life. In other words, redemption must become personal. It has to be put on the doorpost of your heart into eternity. 

Every man either walks under the blood or over the blood. You either trample over the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, or you go under the blood because it's been applied to your life. 

When God delivered His people, He did it through His own power. They could do nothing to save themselves. You and I can do nothing to save ourselves. He did it by means of a Deliverer. In the book of Exodus, that deliverer was a man by the name of Moses. It's a fascinating study to see the parallels between Moses and Christ. It's an amazing picture, but you must look beyond Moses, because a greater than Moses has come. Our Deliverer is the Lord Jesus Christ. But don't miss this truth that redemption was not only through the power of God and by the means of a deliverer; It was under the cover of blood. “Without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sins” (Hebrews 9:22). 

An Outline of Exodus:

My friend, when you journey through Exodus, you meet God. 

• In Exodus 1-18, we see the Exodus - you meet God in His power. 
• In Exodus 19-24, we are instructed in the Law - you meet God in His holiness. 
• In Exodus 25-40, we are introduced to the Tabernacle - you meet God in his wisdom. 

Christ in Exodus

All of those things are simply pictures pointing us to the One who is greater than all, and that is the Lord Jesus Christ. As Exodus opens in Exodus 1, the people are literally groaning. They're groaning under the burden of sin. They're groaning from their bondage in Egypt. But when you get to the end, Exodus 40, they're singing, there's glory. The presence of God has come among His people. May I ask you what takes a man from the groan of chapter one to the glory of chapter 40? Only one thing can do that: The redemption that is found in the person of Jesus Christ.

 I want to challenge you today, first of all, be sure the blood has been applied to your own heart and life. Know for certain that you're one of the Lord's redeemed, bought back out of the bondage and slavery of sin. Trust the Lord Jesus as your savior. And if you are a redeemed soul, then rejoice in that redemption today. Praise God. Stop right now and thank the Lord that he set you free. He's brought you out of Egypt with a mighty hand and he has so much prepared for you.

Then determine today to pass the message of Exodus along to someone else. Tell someone else today about your Redeemer. This very day you'll meet people living in bondage, destined for an eternity without God. And what do they need? They need the redemption that is found only in Jesus Christ.

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