Easter Sunday

first posted 04/10/04

Exodus 12:1-14   Institution of Passover
John 1:1-18    The Word of Eternal Life
Luke 24:13-35   The road to Emmaus

In Egypt, the Lord gave Moses and Aaron instructions to institute the Passover. They were told to begin their calendar with this as the first month of the year. On the tenth day of this month, each household was to take a perfect lamb, without blemish, a male a year old, from the sheep or from the goats. He might share with his neighbor if his household was small. They were to keep the lamb until the fourteenth of the month, and then kill the lambs in the evening (or between the two evenings).

They were to take some of the blood and mark both doorposts and the lintel (top frame) of the door of the house in which they eat the lambs. They were to eat it roasted (not raw or boiled), head, legs, organs and all. None of it was to be allowed to remain until morning; leftovers were to be burned. They were to eat it in haste, dressed and ready to travel. The Lord promised to pass through the land of Egypt that night and “smite” all the first-born of man and beast, and execute judgment on all the gods of Egypt. The blood of the lambs on the doorposts would be a sign; the Lord would “pass over” and spare those inside houses marked in that way.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God; all things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:1-5). John the Baptist was sent from God to bear witness to the light, so that all might believe. John was not the light, but came to bear witness to the light.

The true light that enlightens all people was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world had been made through him, but the world did not know  him. In his own home, his own people didn’t receive him. “But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God; who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; we have beheld his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father.” John 1:12-14). John the Baptist testified that he (the living Word, Jesus) was the Messiah (Christ; Son of God). From his fullness we have all received inexhaustible grace (redeeming love; unmerited favor). The law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. “No one has ever seen God; the only (begotten) Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has made him known. (John 1:18).

On the day of Easter, after the women had reported Jesus’ Resurrection, two of Jesus’ disciples were going to Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and were discussing this event. While they were talking, Jesus himself approached them, but “their eyes were kept from recognizing him” (Luke 24:16). Jesus asked what they were talking about. When they had told him the events surrounding the crucifixion and the discovery of the empty tomb, Jesus said to them “O foolish men, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” (Luke 24:25).

Jesus began to explain from scripture all the prophecies concerning himself. As they drew near to Emmaus, Jesus appeared to be going farther, but the disciple urged him to stay with them because it was late in the day. Jesus accepted their invitation.

At dinner, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it and gave it to them and in that moment their eyes were opened and they recognized him; and he disappeared. The disciples commented to each other how they had experienced “a burning of their hearts within them” as Jesus opened the scriptures to their understanding. 

They left that very hour and returned to Jerusalem. They found the disciples gathered together with The Eleven (The remaining inner circle, minus Judas). The rest of the group informed the two from Emmaus that the Lord had appeared to Simon (Peter; see 1 Corinthians 15:5). Then Cleopas and his fellow disciple told them what had happened on the road, and how Jesus was known to them in the breaking of the bread.

Jesus has been God’s plan for our salvation from the beginning of Creation. The institution of Passover and subsequently the "Lord's Supper" (Eucharist; Holy Communion) was part of that plan. The historical experience of the Exodus is also a prophecy and a parable. Jesus came in order to be the Passover Lamb, sacrificed on the cross; his blood marks Christians to be spared from destruction. His body became the Bread of Life for those who believe and receive him. Jesus instituted the Sacrament of Holy Communion on the night of the Passover Feast. Holy Communion is the New Passover Feast. Christians are marked with the blood of Jesus, fortified by his body, and headed out of the slavery of sin and darkness in this world to the Kingdom of Light in the presence of our Lord in Heaven.

Jesus is God’s all-powerful, creative Word in human flesh. The whole fullness of God dwelt among us in human flesh in Jesus (Colossians 2:8-9). Jesus is the Light of the World; the light of righteousness, spiritual enlightenment, and eternal life. Jesus is the only source of grace (redemptive love; unmerited favor) and truth (unfailing promises). Only through Jesus can we come to know God; only Jesus can reveal God to us, and Jesus is the manifestation of God in the flesh.

Jesus is alive! Jesus opens the eyes of his disciples so that they can see that Jesus is alive. Jesus manifests himself to his disciples (John 14:21). Jesus opens the minds of his disciples so that they can understand the Scriptures. Jesus marks his disciples with his blood and sustains them for their journey to eternal life in Heaven in his glorified presence. Where are we going to choose to spend eternity? Have we truly accepted Jesus as our Lord? Are we truly his disciples? Have we allowed him to open our eyes and our minds so that we can understand the Scriptures and see his working in our world? Have we seen Jesus? Are we hurrying to tell others the good news?

Easter Week - Monday

first posted 04/11/04

Exodus 12:14-27   Festival of Unleavened Bread
1 Corinthians 15:1-11   Paul’s Gospel
Mark 16:1-8    The First Easter

The Lord gave Moses instructions that the day of Passover was to be a memorial day forever among God’s People (in Jewish reckoning, the day actually began at sundown the night before, on which the Feast of Passover (Feast of Unleavened Bread) was held). The Festival of Unleavened Bread was to begin on the night of the Feast, and continued for seven days. During that period, no leaven was permitted in the house, and they could eat only unleavened bread, under penalty of being excommunicated from the people of God.

The Festival began with a holy assembly on the day of Passover, and ended seven days later with a holy assembly. No one was allowed to work on the days of holy assembly, except to prepare meals. The Passover commemorated God’s leading the Israelites out of Egypt. No one was to eat leavened bread for seven days, including visitors.

These are the basic truths that Paul preached and transmitted faithfully as he had received them, which we must believe and hold firmly to if we are to be saved: “That Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures , that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4; part of the basis of the Apostles’ Creed). Paul testified that the Resurrection of Jesus Christ is a fact well-testified to by over five hundred eye-witnesses, including Cephas [Aramaic, i.e. Jesus’ native language, for “rock,” the name given to Simon by Jesus (John 1:42). In Greek, translated “Petros;” hence, "Peter"] James (probably the author of the letter of James) and lastly, in Paul’s view, himself [on the road to Damascus (Acts Ch 9; Paul  was then known as Saul) which was after Christ’s ascension (Luke 24:50-53; Acts 1:8-11].

Paul considered himself the least worthy of the apostles, since he had persecuted the Church; Acts 9:1-2). God’s grace made it possible for Paul to be forgiven, restored to fellowship with God, and given a great ministry and leadership role in the Church. Paul was a good steward of the opportunities that God had given him, and Paul acknowledged that whatever he did was not his own accomplishment but the work of God’s grace within him. Paul didn’t care which preacher got the credit. His only desire was that the Gospel be preached faithfully, and that people come to faith.

When the Sabbath ended (at sundown on Saturday) Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, (the “other” Mary, wife of Cleopas, mother of the author of the letter of James, sister of Mary the mother of Jesus) and Salome bought spices so that they could prepare Jesus' body according to the Jewish burial custom. Early on Sunday morning, they went to the tomb to anoint Jesus’ body. On the way they worried about how they could roll away the stone which sealed the tomb, because the stone was large, but looking up, they discovered that it had already been rolled back.

Entering the tomb they saw a young man in a white robe (indicating that he was an angel) who told them not to be amazed; that Jesus had risen; he was no longer there. He also showed them where Jesus had lain. The angel told them to go and tell the disciples, and especially Peter, that Jesus was going to Galilee, and that they would see him there, as Jesus had told them. The women fled in astonishment and trembling and they told no one for they were afraid.  

God had instituted the Feast of Passover as a memorial to God’s saving act of leading God’s people out of slavery in Egypt into the Promised Land. The Passover and Festival of Unleavened Bread is also a parable and a prophecy. During the seven-day festival, which begins with the Feast of Passover, no leaven was allowed in the house. Leaven, because it caused fermentation, a sort of corruption of the original nature of the things it was added to, was considered ritually unclean by the Jews, and is intended by God as a symbol of sin.

The Last Supper was the celebration of the Feast of Passover by Jesus and his disciples on the night he was betrayed. During that Passover meal, Jesus instituted a New Passover Feast which the Church calls the Lord’s Supper (or Sacrament of Holy Communion, Eucharist). The Jewish Religion effectively ended at Jesus’ Crucifixion (see journal entry for Wednesday of Holy Week, April 7, and Maundy Thursday, April 8, 2004). The Church is its heir, and the New Israel.

Paul was committed to preserving the Gospel truths and transmitting them faithfully and accurately just as he had received them, without corruption or modification of any kind. Already there were distortions of that basic Gospel springing up; some were denying the reality of Jesus’ Resurrection. Paul’s statement was made to counter false teaching and to preserve the accuracy of the Gospel.

Mark’s Gospel ends with the eye-witnesses to the fact of the Resurrection running away and keeping silent because they couldn’t believe what they had been told, and were afraid to tell anyone else for fear of the hearer’s reaction to their story. If that were the end of the story, Jesus' Crucifixion, his sacrifice on the Cross for our sins, would have been wasted; he would have died in vain, because no one would have heard about it or believed it. Paul and lots of disciples since have given their lives to preserve the truth of the Resurrection and the Gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ.

All believers in Jesus are called to be disciples (discipleship isn’t optional, or just for super-Christians) and are commissioned to go into the world and make disciples (The Great Commission: Matthew 28:18-20). Paul was committed to making disciples. Paul was Timothy’s discipleship mentor. Whether Paul or one of Paul’s disciples wrote the Letter of Paul to Timothy, the letter expresses Paul’s commitment to make disciples and to transmit the Gospel faithfully, uncorrupted (2 Timothy 2:2; 15).

Like the cleansing of the houses of Israel in preparation for the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Church needs to remove sin from its house. It takes a continuous effort, as the First Century Church discovered. Is the Church today vigilant in preserving the Gospel truth, or has it tolerated all sorts of false doctrines and sin to creep in? Is the Church fulfilling the Great Commission to make *disciples*…, teaching them to *obey* all that Jesus commanded (Matthew 28:20 NIV)?

Are you trusting and obeying Jesus? Are you a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ? Have you studied the word and taken the time in discipleship to get to know Jesus personally, so that you can testify about that personal relationship to others, and to present the Gospel in a competent and accurate manner? Or, having witnessed the truth of the Resurrection, are you fleeing from witnessing, silent because of how you fear your hearers may react?

Easter Week - Tuesday

first posted 04/12/04

Exodus 12:28-39    The slaughter of the first-born
1 Corinthians 15:12-28    The Resurrection of Christ
Mark 16:9-20   The fact of the Resurrection

The Israelites kept the Passover Feast according to the Lord’s instructions. At midnight the Lord killed all the first-born in the land of Egypt, from Pharaoh’s son and heir to the throne to the first-born of the lowest criminal in the dungeon. The first-born of all the animals were also slain.  Pharaoh and all the Egyptians were awakened in the middle of the night to find their first-born dead, and Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron by night and told them to leave Egypt immediately with all the Israelites and all their animals.

The Egyptians rushed the Israelites to leave, so they left in haste; they didn’t have time to leaven their bread in their kneading bowls, and they had obeyed the Lord’s instructions to borrow silver and gold and clothing from their Egyptian neighbors, so they despoiled the Egyptians as they departed, (since there was no time or opportunity to return the items).

“Now if Christ is preached as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?” (1 Corinthians 15:12). Christ could have not been raised if there were no resurrection. If Christ has not been raised, then the apostles’ preaching and our faith are both in vain. Then those who proclaim the Gospel would be guilty of lying. If the dead are not raised then Christ could not have been raised, and if that were so, faith is futile, and there is no forgiveness of sins; then all who have died in Christ have perished. If the only hope we have in Christ is for this lifetime only, then we are the most pathetic of all people.

But Christ’s Resurrection from the dead is a fact and a “tithe” (“earnest money;” security deposit; down-payment) guaranteeing that those who die in Christ will rise to life again. As death came to all men through Adam, resurrection from death comes through Christ. “For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive” (1 Corinthians 15:22). But these things will be revealed in God’s timing. Christ is the first fruits (deposit); then when Christ returns, those who belong to Christ; finally  the kingdom will be delivered to God, after every worldly rule, authority and power have been destroyed and all his enemies have been vanquished. Death is the last of his enemies to be subjugated to him. Everything will be perfectly subjected to Christ as Christ is subjected to God “so that God may be everything to every one” (1 Corinthians 15:28b).

On the day of the Resurrection, Jesus appeared first to Mary Magdalene. She went and told his disciples, who were mourning Jesus’ death, “but they would not believe it” (Mark 16:9-11). Then Jesus’ appeared to [Cleopas and his fellow disciple on the road to Emmaus], who returned and told the rest, but the group did not believe them. Then Jesus appeared to The Eleven (Jesus inner circle of The Twelve, minus Judas, his betrayer) and Jesus “upbraided” them for their unbelief and hardness of heart in not believing the earlier testimony of those to whom Jesus had already appeared.

Jesus commissioned the disciples to go into all the world and preach the gospel to everyone. Those who believe and are baptized will be saved; those who do not believe will be condemned. Signs of the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit will accompany them, such as protection from snakes and poison, speaking in new tongues, and the gift of healing. “So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. And they went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by the signs that attended it. Amen” (Mark 16:19)

The People of God obeyed the Lord’s instructions, and what the Lord had promised happened just as he had said. The Egyptians ignored God’s commands and suffered the consequences. The Exodus from Egypt is not only an historical account, but a parable and a prophecy. Jesus is our "Moses" who leads us out of bondage to sin and death in Egypt, through the wilderness of this present world, and into the eternal Promised Land of God's kingdom in Heaven.  He will also bring the plagues of God's wrath upon the kingdom and people of the "Pharaoh" of this present  worldly kingdom.

Jesus has promised to return to judge everyone who has ever lived on earth (John 5:28-29; Matthew 25:31-46). Those who have trusted and obeyed him will receive eternal life in Heaven with Jesus, and those who have refused to believe in him and obey him will receive eternal death and destruction in Hell with Satan and his demons (2 Thessalonians 1:5-10).

Jesus’ Resurrection is absolutely central to the Gospel. It was prophesied throughout the Old Testament scriptures, it was foretold three times to his disciples by Jesus himself on the way to Jerusalem and the Cross (Mark 8;31; 9:31; 10:32-34). It was testified to by over five hundred eyewitnesses (1 Corinthians 15:6). It was preached by the apostles and attested to by the New Testament scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:4). But already, while the eye-witnesses were still alive, the resurrection was being denied, even within the Church. The false teaching denying the Resurrection persists even within the Church today (i.e. the “visible” Church, which consists of all who profess to be followers of Christ, as contrasted with the “invisible” Church which consists of all truly born-again disciples of Jesus).

Although the disciples had been eye-witnesses to Jesus’ earthly ministry, it took them a while to understand the significance of what had taken place. Their faith and understanding wasn’t immediate. But within a short period of time they were transformed, as they believed what had happened and began to follow Jesus’ commission (The Great Commission: Matthew 28:16-20; Mark 16:15).

Jesus' last instructions before he ascended into Heaven included the command to stay in Jerusalem until they had received the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:4-5). As the disciples began to believe what had happened and to follow the Lord’s last instructions, the promised gift of the Holy Spirit was fulfilled as Jesus had said, on the Day of Pentecost (Acts Chapter 2). With the infilling of the Holy Spirit, the accompanying signs began to be manifested through the disciples (see especially Acts 2:5-11 and Acts 28:1-6, Acts 3:6-7, Acts 5:16). [Disciples are not called to handle snakes or drink poison in order to test or demonstrate that they are anointed with the Holy Spirit, or to attempt healings for the same reason. Such signs are the work of the Holy Spirit, and they are done by his will and direction when they are necessary.]  

The Great Commission was addressed to *disciples* to go and make *disciples*, teaching the new disciples to *obey* all that Jesus had taught the original disciples. It takes a disciple to make disciples. The Church is the "New Jerusalem." New disciples are to be discipled within the Church by authentic disciples until they have received the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, before they are sent out to proclaim the Gospel. In very many cases this isn’t happening.

Do you know where you are going to spend eternity?  Have you believed the good news of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead? Have you accepted Jesus as your Lord and committed yourself to become obedient to him? Have you spent time in his word and in prayer in the Church and in your personal devotions, allowing yourself to be discipled by Jesus? Has he manifested himself to you (John 14:21)? Have you received the Holy Spirit since you first believed (Acts 19:2)?  Are you going out into the world and making disciples?

Easter Week - Wednesday

first posted 04/13/04

Exodus 12:40-51    A night of watching
1 Corinthians 15:30-41    The nature of the resurrection
Matthew 28:1-16    The empty tomb

The people of Israel had dwelt in Egypt for four hundred and thirty years to the day, when they departed. The Passover was also called a night of watching, to be kept as a remembrance forever. Foreigners, sojourners and hired servants were not permitted to eat the Passover Feast, but slaves bought for money were allowed to partake, provided that they be circumcised first. The Passover was to be eaten within the house; none of it carried forth, and none of the bones were to be broken.

Already false teaching denying the Resurrection of Jesus from the dead was springing up in the Church. Paul had been correcting this error. Paul continued his argument, saying that if there is no resurrection, why would anyone risk their life for the faith? If there is no resurrection, then we should “eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die.”  Paul quotes a Greek proverb, “Bad company ruins good morals” as a warning for believers not to associate with those who demy the resurrection. Paul tried to explain the nature of the resurrected body. Like a seed, our earthly bodies are designed to die and in the process to produce a new body that is eternal. Just as there are different kinds of flesh for men, animals, birds and fish, so there are different bodies for us. As the celestial bodies of the sun, moon and stars differ in glory, so our terrestrial body will differ from our celestial body in glory.

The Jewish Sabbath ended at sundown on Saturday. Early Sunday morning Mary Magdalene and the “other” Mary (wife of Cleopas, mother of James and sister of the Virgin Mary) went to the tomb where Jesus had been laid. There was an earthquake and an angel descended from heaven and rolled back the stone. His robes were dazzlingly white. The Roman guards froze in panic. The angel told the women not to be afraid; that Jesus had risen. The angel invited them to see the place where Jesus had lain, and then told them to go and tell his disciples that Jesus had risen from the dead; Jesus was going to Galilee, and the disciples would see him there.

They left in haste, with fear and joy, to tell the disciples. On the way, Jesus met and greeted them, and they bowed at his feet and worshipped him. Jesus repeated his instructions that the disciples should go to Galilee, and that they would see Jesus there. While they were going to the disciples, some of the Roman guard went into Jerusalem and told the chief priests what had taken place. The chief priests assembled the Sanhedrin (the Jewish religious court) and they paid the soldiers a bribe to tell the Jewish people that Jesus’ disciples had stolen the body to fake the resurrection while the guards slept. So the soldiers took the money and did as they had been told, and this story persists even to this day.

Only those who were full members in good standing in the congregation of Israel were allowed to participate in the Passover Feast. Participants were not required to be Jewish, but they were required to be in covenant relationship to God. On the night Jesus was betrayed, he celebrated the Passover Feast in the “Last Supper” with his disciples and instituted a new covenant of grace through faith in him, sealed with Jesus’ blood shed on the Cross (in contrast to the Old Covenant of law, of which circumcision is the rite and seal).

The Lord’s Supper, the Sacrament of Holy Communion (Eucharist) is the New Passover Feast and the heir to that scriptural observance and tradition. [The bones of the Passover lamb were not to be broken because God knew when he instituted the Passover Feast more than twelve hundred years before the Crucifixion, and prophesied through scripture, that none of Jesus’ bones would be broken. Jesus was the Passover Lamb, sacrificed for the forgiveness of our sins.]

The enemies of the Gospel of Jesus Christ began immediately to spread lies and to deny the truth of the Resurrection. Within a short time Paul found those who were denying the Resurrection within the Corinthian congregation, and had to take steps to correct that heresy. He warned believers not to allow fellowship within the Church to those who deny the Resurrection of Jesus from the dead. This heresy is alive and well and existing within the “Church” (the “visible” Church of those who profess to be Christians, as opposed to the “invisible” Church which consists of those who are truly “born-again” disciples) today.

The angel of the Lord told and showed the women that Jesus had risen from the dead. The angel of the Lord told them to go and tell the disciples that Jesus had risen from the dead (Matthew 28:7). Jesus had told the disciples at least four times before the crucifixion that he would rise again from the dead. (Mark 8:31; 9:31; 10:32-34; John 2:19). Jesus appeared alive to the women at the tomb as they went to tell the disciples that he had risen, and he appeared to over five hundred eye-witnesses (1Corinthians 15:6) in addition to his inner circle of disciples.

Paul (Saul), the prototype of the modern, post-resurrection disciple (he didn’t know Jesus during his earthly ministry and only came to accept Jesus after Jesus had ascended into heaven) personally encountered the risen Jesus on the road to Damascus (Acts Chapter 9) and testified to the reality of the Resurrection, as have countless born-again disciples in the two thousand years since. Countless martyrs have been willing to die for the Gospel in that same period, because they believed in the Resurrection. 

Have you believed? Have you experienced the risen Jesus? Do you think that you can be a Christian disciple apart from affiliation with a Church congregation and participation in the Sacrament of Holy Communion? Are you hurrying to tell others that Jesus has risen from the dead and that we can have personal fellowship with him; that we, too, can live eternally with him if we will trust and obey him?

Easter Week - Thursday

first posted 04/15/04

Exodus 13:3-10    The Feast of Unleavened Bread
1 Corinthians 15:41-50    The nature of the resurrection
Matthew 28:16-20    The Great Commission

Moses told the people of Israel that they were to remember the day that the Lord had brought them out of bondage in Egypt by keeping the feast of unleavened bread. From the day of the Passover (the fifteenth; Passover began with the feast of Passover the night before) in the month of Abib (the old name for the month; the newer name was Nisan; i.e. March-April) for seven days, they were to eat unleavened bread. On the seventh day there was to be a feast to the Lord. When the Lord brought them into the Promised Land they were to keep this service. They were to tell their children that the feast was a commemoration of what the Lord had done for them when they came out of Egypt. It was to be a sign to them, like a frontlet (or Phylactery; the Jews wore portions of scripture in leather cases on headbands) between their eyes or like we might tie a string around a finger.

Paul was trying to explain the nature of our resurrected bodies. Just as there are different types of animal flesh (1 Corinthians 15:39) and different types of celestial bodies ( 1 Corinthians 15:41), so our resurrected body will be different from our earthly body. It will be imperishable, and spiritual rather than physical. “The first Adam became a living being” (Our forefather according to the flesh; 1 Corinthians 15:45a); “the last Adam became a life-giving spirit” (Jesus became our spiritual progenitor; v. 45b). The first Adam is the man of the earth, of dust; the last Adam is the man from heaven. Those who have been born-again will be transformed into the image of the man of heaven (Jesus) just as we have borne the image of the man of earth (Adam). “Flesh and blood does not inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable” (1 Corinthians 15:50).

The eleven remaining disciples of Jesus’ inner circle (minus Judas who had betrayed him) went to the mountain in Galilee, as Jesus had told them (Matthew 28:10). “When they saw Jesus they worshiped him; but some doubted” (Matthew 28:17). “And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe (obey) all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age’” (Matthew 28:18-20).

The historical experience of the Exodus was intended by God to be a parable and a prophecy for all people. Slavery in Egypt is a metaphor for our human situation. We are born into this world, and for a while everything seems good, but we come to discover that we are in bondage to sin and death, enslaved by the things of this world. God has a plan to deliver us from that bondage and to bring us into the Promised Land of his kingdom in Heaven. The Exodus experience was to be the central commemoration of the people of Israel. It was so important that the Lord wanted them to keep it always before their eyes and in their thoughts.

We are all eternal. Our earthly bodies contain our immortal souls. We will all be raised from the death of our earthly bodies (John 5:28-29). Jesus will judge everyone who has ever lived on earth. Those who have rejected and refused to obey Jesus will receive eternal death and destruction in Hell, separated forever from God; but those who have trusted and obeyed Jesus will receive eternal life in Heaven with him (Matthew 25:31-46; 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10). Jesus is God’s only provision for our salvation and our earthly lifetime is our only opportunity to receive eternal life through Jesus (Acts 4:12; John 14:6).

Jesus’ last instructions to his disciples before Jesus ascended into heaven, were to go and make disciples, baptizing in the name of  Father, Son and Holy Spirit (the Trinity; one God in three persons) teaching them to obey all Jesus’ teachings. Jesus promised to be present among them as they did so.

The problem is that we are all in “Egypt” in bondage to sin (Romans 3:23). The penalty for sin is eternal death (Roman 6:23). We will all die eternally in “Egypt”, unless we follow God’s plan and instructions and allow him to lead us out of “Egypt” into the Promised Land of eternal life in Heaven. Jesus is God’s only plan for our salvation! In order to receive salvation, we must trust in Jesus and become obedient to him.

Have you accepted Jesus as your Lord and savior? Have you been baptized in the name of the Trinity? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus? Do you understand that being a Christian requires discipleship? Have you received the Holy Spirit?  Do you know with certainty where you will spend eternity (1 John 5:11-13; Ephesians 1:13-14)?

Easter Week - Friday

first posted 04/15/04

Exodus 13:1-2, 11-16    Consecration of the first-born
1 Corinthians 15:51-58    Victory over death
Luke 24:1-12    The empty tomb

The Lord told Moses that the first-born males of all the people of Israel and their livestock were to be consecrated to the Lord. This was to be the practice forever in the Promised Land of Canaan. Among the livestock, the first-born males of an ass (and other animals considered ritually unclean) must be redeemed with the sacrifice of a lamb, or else the animal must be destroyed by breaking its neck. All the first-born human males must be redeemed (by the sacrifice of a lamb).

The practice of consecration of the first-born is to commemorate the great saving act of the Lord in bringing the Israelites out of bondage in Egypt. The Lord had displayed great might in freeing the Israelites when Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let them go; the Lord slew all the first-born males of Egypt of both man and livestock. Therefore the Israelites were to teach their children the meaning of the consecration of the first-born. All the animals which opened the womb were to be sacrificed to the Lord, but all the first-born of the sons were to be redeemed. This commemoration was to be so important in the memory of the Israelites, that it was to be like a string around their finger, or as a frontlet (a leather case containing scripture hanging between the eyes on a headband; in other words, always in their awareness)

Paul had been discussing the nature of the resurrection. Paul said that not everyone will experience physical death, because when Jesus returns, those who are alive  will be changed into their spiritual and imperishable form instantly. At the moment of Jesus’ return, the dead will be raised imperishable, and those living will be changed. Our perishable nature must be transformed into an imperishable form, and our mortality must be changed into immortality. When that happens, the prophecy of Isaiah 25:8 that the Lord would cause death to be swallowed up, and Hosea 13:14 that the sting of death would be defeated will be fulfilled. “The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law” (1 Corinthians 15:56) But we should be thankful that God has given us the victory through Jesus Christ. Therefore believers should be steadfast and unshakable, always abounding in the Lord’s work, remembering that the work we do in the Lord’s name is not in vain.

At dawn on Sunday, the women went to the tomb with burial spices to prepare Jesus’ body. They found the stone rolled away from the entrance, but they did not find the body. As they stood there, puzzled, two men in “dazzling apparel” appeared and the women were frightened and fell to the ground. The men asked them why they were seeking the living among the dead. The men reminded the women that Jesus had told them he would be crucified and would rise on the third day.

The women remembered Jesus’ words and they returned from the tomb and told the eleven remaining disciples of the inner circle and all the rest of Jesus’ followers. The women who had gone to the tomb included Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James (wife of Cleopas, sister of the Virgin Mary) and others. The women’s report seemed like a foolish tale to the others, and they did not believe them.

God’s saving act of bringing the Israelites out of bondage in Egypt into the Promised Land is a parable and a prophecy as well as historical fact. It is an illustration of what God has done for us in Jesus Christ. We are in bondage to sin and death in the “Egypt” of this world. God gave his first-born Son as a sacrifice to redeem us from sin and death. Jesus became the sacrificial lamb slain for our sins, so that we wouldn’t have to die for them ourselves. By Jesus’ blood shed on the Cross, we are spared from death, freed from bondage to sin, and led into the Promised Land of Heaven and eternal life. The people of God were to constantly remember God’s saving act, and diligently teach it to their children.

All have sinned and fall short of God’s righteousness (Romans 3:23). If we say we have not sinned we call God a liar, and his word is not in us (1 John 1:10). The penalty for sin is eternal death (Romans 6:23). God loves us and doesn’t want us to perish, but to live eternally with him in Heaven (John 3:16; Romans 5:8) Jesus is God’s only provision for our salvation (Acts 4:12; John 14:6). Jesus has promised that he will return in triumph to judge all who have ever lived on earth (John 5:28-29; Matthew 25:31-46). Those who have trusted and obeyed Jesus will receive eternal life in Heaven. Those who have rejected Jesus and refused to obey Jesus will receive eternal death and destruction in Hell (2 Thessalonians 1:5-10). We are all eternal. The question is where will we spend eternity?

Jesus has won the victory over sin and death. Jesus died for our sins, and he rose again on the third day, just as he had said. As Jesus rose from the dead we too will rise again. Do we believe it, or does it seem like just a foolish tale? Have we personally experienced the risen, victorious Lord? Are we diligently transmitting the good news of God’s great act of salvation to our children? Are we abounding in the Lord’s work? Do we know with certainty where we will spend eternity (1 John 5:11-13; Ephesians 1:13-14)??

Easter Week - Saturday

first posted 04/16/04

Exodus 13:17-14:4   Israel’s departure from Egypt
2 Corinthians 4:16-5:10  Mortality compared with immortality  
Mark 12:18-27    Questions about the Resurrection

When Pharaoh allowed the Israelites to leave Egypt, God did not lead them through the land of the Philistines, although that was the most direct way.  The Philistines were a warfaring people and God knew that if the Israelites faced military opposition that they would turn back to Egypt. So God led the people inland into the wilderness in the direction of the Red Sea. The people were equipped for battle, and they carried the bones of Joseph. Joseph had told them that God would bring them back to the Promised Land, and Joseph made them promise to carry his bones with them for reburial.

God led them in a pillar of fire by night and a pillar of smoke by day. They were able to travel by night by the light of the pillar of fire. Their way was blocked by the Red Sea, and the Lord told them to camp there. The Lord told Moses that Pharaoh would think that the Israelites had become trapped there and that Pharaoh would pursue them, but that the Lord would win a great victory over Pharaoh and his army.

Paul told believers not to loose heart over their suffering for the gospel. Although our physical nature is wasting away, our spiritual nature is being renewed daily. The afflictions we suffer are slight and momentary in comparison to the eternal glory that awaits us. So we must not focus on what is visible, but set our sights on what is unseen, for visible things are transient; it is the unseen things which are eternal.

Our earthly bodies are like a tent in which we live temporarily, but we have an eternal house created in the heavens for us by God. Here we are “roughing it;” we long to be at home where we can change into clean clothes. While we are still "camping," we long to be not more wretched, but better clothed, “so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by (what is truly) life” (2 Corinthians 4:4). God is preparing us for this very thing, and has given us his Holy Spirit as a guarantee.

So we take courage, knowing that while we are in the body we away from the Lord. Here we must walk by faith rather than by sight; it would be better to at home with the Lord. So although we are separated now from the fullness of the Lord’s presence, we try to please him in all that we do, knowing that all will face judgment before Christ, and will receive good or evil according to what we have done in the body.

The Sadducees were a group of Jews who did not believe in the resurrection of the dead. They asked Jesus a hypothetical question in order to verbally trap him. According to the Law of Moses, a man was obligated to marry a deceased brother’s widow and raise children for his brother. The Sadducees question assumed that seven brothers all had been married to the same woman as a result of fulfilling this law.

The Sadducees wanted Jesus to say whose wife the woman would be in eternal life. Jesus told them that they were wrong in their assumptions because they did not know the scriptures or the power of God. Jesus said that in the resurrection people no longer practice marriage; they become like angels. Jesus also addressed their real issue, using scripture to show that their denial of resurrection was wrong.

Pharaoh was a slow learner. After God had repeatedly demonstrated his power, finally slaying all the first-born of the Egyptians, Pharaoh still would not submit to God’s will. The moment he thought that God’s people were in trouble, he was tempted to take advantage of the situation and attack them. God was leading his people out of Egypt, and he chose the route based on what was best for his people. Arriving at their destination safely was more important than how long it took.

God gave them supernatural guidance through the pillar of fire and smoke. The Holy Spirit is the Christian’s pillar of fire, which will lead us through the “night” and darkness of this life. Sometimes the leading of God seems to be taking us in the wrong direction; seeming to be leading us into a corner. But the Lord’s leading is trustworthy; we can depend on him to bring us through safely, regardless of how the situation looks to us.

Paul had a similar message for us about the nature of the Christian journey. Sometimes we will have to walk through darkness, but the Lord gives his people the Holy Spirit to lead them through it. Sometimes the Lord may seem to be leading us in the wrong direction, or not fast enough to suit us; perhaps we feel like his leading has gotten us trapped in a vulnerable situation. Here we’re camping between Pharaoh’s army and the Sea with no visible way out.

We must walk by faith rather than by sight. Those who truly trust and obey Jesus receive the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit who will lead us, and who is the guarantee that we are in Christ and that we will be raised from the dead to live eternally with him in the kingdom of God in Heaven.

Everyone who has ever lived on earth will be held accountable to Jesus for what he has done in his lifetime on earth (John 5:28-29; Matthew 25:31-46). Those who have rejected Jesus and disobeyed God’s word will receive eternal death and destruction in Hell, like Pharaoh and his army were about to be destroyed by God in the Red Sea. Those who have trusted and obeyed Jesus will receive eternal life.

The Sadducees considered themselves experts in the scriptures, religious law, and theology (knowledge about God). They thought they could entrap Jesus in his words. They didn’t believe in the resurrection, although their position was in opposition to the scriptures, as Jesus pointed out (Mark 12:26-27). They thought they knew God, but they did not recognize that Jesus was God incarnate (in human flesh). Their concern was the legal problems that would result; not a search for the truth. They vastly underestimated God.

The world is like that today. There are the sheep and there are the goats (Matthew 25:31-46). There are those who trust Jesus and obey him; and there are those who reject and refuse to obey him. There are religious experts who consider themselves authorities on the scriptures who reject Jesus as God (John 20:28; Colossians 2:8-9); who deny the Resurrection; who claim to know God through some way other than Jesus. Jesus is the only way; Jesus is God’s only provision for our salvation (Acts 4:12; John 14:6).

Are you a sheep or a goat? Do you know Jesus? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus? Are you led by his Holy Spirit? Do you know with certainty where you will spend eternity (1 John 5:11-13; Ephesians 1:13-14)?