📖Scripture:
“The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live; when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will fall on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.” Exodus 12:13
🔎Examination:
When God, through Moses, told Israel to take an unblemished lamb and mark their doors with its blood (Exodus 12), He wasn’t issuing a religious ritual. He was foreshadowing salvation. Judgment has come to the descendants of Adam; it is only those who enter through the ONE door into the Ark of Salvation who will survive the flood of God's wrath. Only those protected by the blood of the Lamb will live. The passover lambs died so that people wouldn’t.
The blood wasn’t magic; it was faith demonstrated through obedience. Those who feared the LORD trusted the WORD and acted on it. They were shielded from the destroyer under the grace God provided. That night, every home in Egypt experienced death—either the death of the firstborn or the death of a spotless substitute (Ex 12:30). God's righteous judgment is unavoidable. Only those covered by the blood of the Lamb are safe.
Come the New Testament, John the Baptist pointed at Jesus and cried, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29). John wasn’t trying to be cute or poetic; he was declaring that every prophetic shadow in Scripture finds its substance/fulfillment in Christ. Three years later, on Passover, the very week the lambs were being slain, the Lamb of God's blood was shed so that death's curse would pass over all the faithful in Christ.
Just as Israel didn't negotiate terms with God or contribute to their emancipation, neither do we. God saves by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. There is no such thing as free will for those who are dead in transgressions and sin. God is the only one who causes the blind to see. God is the only one capable of giving us heart transplants (Ezk 36:26) by applying the blood of Christ—not to doorframes, but to living hearts born again by the Holy Spirit. As those dead in our transgressions and sin, no one asks, invites, or decides to follow Jesus. It is by the grace of God that the ELECT are chosen according to the Father's foreknowledge (1 Peter 1:3)... receiving a new nature/identity that trusts completely, loves faithfully, and follows Him relentlessly.
Just as Israel was not delivered merely from bondage but for worship, we are redeemed for a purpose—to delight in Christ and declare His glory among the nations. Salvation is no private spiritual upgrade; it creates a united people, a priesthood, a Church washed in the Lamb's blood and called to proclaim His excellencies (1 Peter 2:9).
Countless false gospels shrink redemption into religious drivel, sacramentalism, syncretism, self-help, and personal comfort. They promise reconciliation without repentance, liberty without the Lamb, victory without the Victor, and forgiveness without legitimate faith. But the true gospel produces a marked family—a holy people—those who crave the WORD in faith (1 Pet 2:3), purge the residue of sin (1 Peter 2:2), and passionately follow King Jesus, the Lamb worthy of all glory, honor, and praise, in joyful obedience. Sanctification is not optional; God emancipates the ELECT from spiritual bondage to sin, and purges its patterns and lusts from our hearts & lives... because the Father desires worship in Spirit and Truth (John 4:24).
No priest stood between Israel and the lamb’s blood that night. It wasn't about religious ceremony. Fathers marked the doors themselves, foreshadowing the veil rent/torn from top to bottom... our direct access to God the Father through Christ the Son. The Church isn't called or compelled to worship the idols of former shadows. We don't revisit what the Lamb died to fulfill. Our hope rests not in the former things, but on the once-for-all, perfect sacrifice of the Lamb of God, slain from before the foundation of the cosmos (Rev 13:8).
Believers are NOT safe from the fires of hell and eternal torment; even the demons believe and tremble (James 2:19). Blessed assurance and everlasting life belong to the ELECT, those born again from above, i.e., those who are in Christ. They are neither casual churchgoers nor private, autonomous, independent religious folk. The ELECT aren't those who'll squabble with Jesus as unknown goats, demanding, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?”
The ELECT are those who deny self, pick up their cross daily, and follow the Good Shepherd (Matt 16:24). There is no other kind, type, or variety of Christian. The SAINTS are safe and without shame—not because hell and judgment don't exist (the lies of universalism and annihilationism), but because Jesus, the Lamb of God, was pierced for our transgressions and crushed for our iniquities (Isa 53:5). The members of Christ's Body & Bride are sealed by the Holy Spirit, not with blood painted on wood or religious externals, but with the gift of God's grace and righteousness imputed to us. We were brought out of slavery to sin for worship, service, ministry, praise, and rejoicing. Every plague, every lamb, every brush of hyssop pointed forward to Calvary's cross, where the true Passover was accomplished and eternal redemption was secured by the Lamb of God, Christ Jesus.
“Get rid of the old leaven, that you may be a new unleavened batch, as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.” 1 Corinthians 5:7
If you are truly in Christ... Rest. Rejoice. Walk in the holiness of His life-giving presence. Lift your voice in thanksgiving and praise because the Lamb who was slain reigns—and His people are seated with Him in the heavenly realm! We are with our King forever in paradise!
“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain… to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever.” Revelation 5:12–13
🤺Action:
Ask the LORD to examine whether your trust is truly in the gift of God-given FAITH from the imperishable WORD... or in the perishable: a prayer, an emotional decision, or a religious system/tradition. Does your confidence in deliverance from slavery and sin rest EXCLUSIVELY on the Lamb's blood or on manufactured and supplemental works?
Read Exodus 12:1-14 and John 1:29, 19:14-16; prayerfully reflect on every lamb reference.
Confess any area where you worry, grumble, strive, or negotiate with God rather than resting in the finished work of Christ's perfect and sufficient atonement.
Are there any relationships (personal, political, or religious) where Satan’s bondage still deceives and oppresses? Allow Christ’s victory at the cross to deliver you from condemnation, fear, guilt, and shame.
Pick up copies of A) James Hamilton Jr's book, What is Biblical Theology? B) Stuart & Fee's book, How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth and C) Duvall & Hayes' book, God's Relational Presence.
🧠Reflection:
God applied the blood of the Lamb before you even knew to cry out... for while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Therefore, let the Holy Spirit expose whether you now live as a delivered priest in His spiritual house or a delusional slave in prison. Are you, figuratively speaking, truly craving worship at Mt. Sinai... or craving the familiarity and comfort of Egypt’s chains? The answer is whether your identity/life is defined by proclaiming Christ's excellencies as a devoted member of Christ's Body & Bride... or not.
Click the following link for a short video version of today's post:
Blessings & love,
Kevin M. Kelley
Pastor
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