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1 TV Program CURRENT EPISODE Dinner Jackets Required SERIES: Pillar of Faith #7 of PRODUCTION #: 1098 SPEAKER: Shawn Boonstra There s an amazing prediction in an ancient ceremony that says something about your future. A whole nation of slaves escaped from their masters one night, and as they did, they were telling a story that could revolutionize your life and give you freedom you ve only dreamt about. What was their secret? It s a spring night in the ancient land of Egypt. The ripening grain is waving under a full moon on an otherwise still evening, and the day s work is finished. Everyone is safely in their homes and the smell of freshly baked bread and roast lamb fills the air. It looks like the close of an average workday, except for one little thing. Everyone s having dinner with their coats on. Not only that, but they have their sandals on, too, and the father of the family is holding a walking staff in his hand. All of a sudden, the quiet of the night is pierced by the horrified shriek of a mother, who has just found the body of her oldest son, lying stiff and cold in bed. A cry goes up from the neighbor s house because they, too, have made the same discovery. Something or somebody is taking the lives of all the oldest sons, but it s only true in the homes of the Egyptians. The Israelites are completely untouched. When the Pharaoh woke up this morning, his oldest son was dead. Even though the Pharaoh was a god among the Egyptians, he was powerless to stop the awful plague. And he d been powerless to stop any of the plagues that had fallen on the land of Egypt. How much more could his people take? Maybe it was time to let the Israelites go. Maybe it was time to release them from slavery, but of course, he d made that promise before and human nature is quick to forget a promise made under pressure. In our modern world, for example, church attendance shot through the roof after 9/11, because people suddenly realized we don t have answers for everything. But it only took a few short weeks for most people to stop going to church. When we re in real trouble, we find it easy to be religious, but when life gets easy again, our change of heart seems to vanish. That s something the Pharaoh had done over and over again. The Bible tells us that when the Nile River turned into a stream of blood, he made all kinds of promises. When the country was infested with flies, lice and frogs, he was quick to give Moses his word, but the very moment life returned to normal, he hardened his heart and forgot all his promises. But the loss of all the first-born children seemed to be the last straw. All right, he said, get out of here. Go. Of course when the Israelites actually left, he changed his mind again and sent the army, but this time God drew a line in the sand. The Egyptian army was drowned in the Red Sea, and the Israelites were on their way, completely untouched by the horrible plague. In the twelfth chapter of the book of Exodus, there s an amazing story of a whole nation that did a very strange thing. They wiped blood on their doorposts. Here s what the Bible says in the book of Exodus 12:21-23: Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel, and said unto them, Draw out and take you a lamb according to your families, and kill the passover. And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the bason, and strike the lintel and the two side posts with the blood that is in the bason; and none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning. 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

2 suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you. On the tenth day of the month, the Israelites went out into the field to choose lambs for a special ceremony. And it couldn t be just any old lamb, it had to be the very best they had. In fact, the Bible says that it had to be perfect, without the slightest little blemish, and that special lamb would be set aside until the fourteenth of the month, when it would be slaughtered and the family would eat it. Now, in addition to eating the lamb, they also took its blood and smeared it on the doorposts of their homes. That way, the destroying angel would pass over their homes and move on to the next one. And of course, that s the reason we still call the annual celebration of that night the Passover. It s because the plague of death completely passed over God s people and left them unharmed. Now, you don t have to be too imaginative to see the message God was trying to give us that night. Throughout the Bible, Jesus is called the Lamb of God. In the book of Revelation He goes by that title more than 20 times. The innocent lamb that the Israelites slaughtered was a symbol of Jesus, the innocent Lamb of God who would die for the sins of the world. As you and I accept the death of Christ on our behalf, and smear his blood on the doorposts of our hearts, the plague of death which is the result of sin passes over us. But there s more to this than first meets the eye. After the lamb s blood was sprinkled on the doorpost, the Bible tells us that the family roasted and ate the lamb along with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. If there was any meat left over at the end of the meal, it had to be destroyed in the fire, because under no circumstance could it be wasted or allowed to spoil. And this also points us to Jesus, whose sacrifice on the cross will never be wasted. Even though He passed over into death for us, He did not decompose in the grave. In a stunning prophesy found in Psalm 16, David writes this (Psalm 16:10): For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. And of course, that s exactly what happened. Jesus was placed in the tomb, but He didn t stay there. On the third day, the Bible tells us, He rose from the dead, and because of what He accomplished, you and I can pass through the grave into everlasting life. As you study the Passover lamb, there is no question that it points us to Jesus. After the first Passover, the Israelites continued to celebrate every year in the spring. On the tenth day of the Hebrew month of Nissan, they chose a lamb to be slaughtered and then killed it on the fourteenth. During the four days between the selection and the slaughter, the lamb was usually tied to a stake where people could examine it and make sure it really was a perfect lamb. You know, it s really interesting that in John chapter 12, when Jesus entered the city of Jerusalem on a donkey, it was the ninth day of the month, or five days before the Passover. Then in Luke chapter 19, we read that after Jesus rode into the city, He drove the moneychangers out of the temple and started to teach publicly. Now, it might seem a little strange that Jesus would spend so much time teaching publicly when He knew the authorities were out to get Him. But when you compare Jesus to the Passover lamb, it s not so strange after all. It would appear from the Bible record that Jesus taught publicly in the temple from the tenth day of the month until the day he was crucified on the fourteenth. Just like the Passover lamb, He was on public display for four days, so that anyone who wanted to inspect Him could do so. They could hear his teachings and judge for themselves whether or not He really was a pure and spotless lamb. In fact, when Jesus was in the court of Annas, the former high priest, Annas told Him to explain Himself. When He answered, Jesus said that He had been in the temple teaching publicly, and if Annas wanted to know what He stood for, he could go and ask the people who had heard Him. You read about it in John chapter 18. Just like the Passover lamb, Jesus had been on public display long enough for everyone to know that He really was the Lamb of God. And that means you and I have a Passover Lamb, too. His name is Jesus. When John the Baptist first saw Jesus, he said (John 1:29): Behold, the Lamb of God, which takes away the sins of the world.

3 In his first letter to the Corinthian church, Paul calls Jesus our Passover, and says that He was sacrificed for us. Peter said that Jesus was the perfect Lamb, without blemish or spot. In the book of Revelation, John sees Jesus enter the courts of heaven like a Lamb that was slain. You see, there s an invitation in the Bible to sprinkle the blood of Jesus on the doorposts of your heart. He gave His blood so that you and I could escape the plague of death and enjoy eternal life in His presence. Little Mary desperately needed a blood transfusion. She had a very rare disease and her only chance of survival was to get blood from someone who had already had the disease and survived it. And as luck would have it, her older brother, Timmy, fit the bill perfectly. Two worried parents took their children down to the hospital where the doctor interviewed little Timmy. Listen, Timmy, I have an important question for you and I want you to think it over very carefully. Would you be willing to give your blood for your sister? The room fell deathly quiet. The little boy didn t say anything for a moment, and then his lower lip started to tremble as if he were going to cry. Someone was just about to say something to take the pressure off such a young boy, when suddenly the trembling lip gave way to a big smile. Oh, sure, doctor, Timmy said, for my sister I ll do it. The two children were wheeled into a hospital room pale, sickly Mary, and her big, healthy brother. Neither of them spoke a single word, but in one moment their eyes suddenly met across the room. Timmy flashed a big smile at his sister. But the smile faded when the nurse pushed a needle into his arm. He watched the blood flow through a tube in grim silence for a few minutes, and then he called for the doctor. What is it, Timmy? Doctor, he said, when am I going to die? All of a sudden everyone knew why Timmy hesitated to give his consent. He thought he was going to give all his blood, that to save his sister, he was actually going to have to die. Greater love hath no man than this, said Jesus, that a man lay down his life for his friends. (John 15:13) The Passover Lamb teaches us that Jesus was willing to give us everything to save us for the kingdom. Not only was He willing to shed His blood, but He was willing to die for us, so that we could be free from the plague of death and the slavery of sin. I like the way that Christian author, Martha Zimmerman, puts it: God sacrificed the Lamb on the altar of the Cross. Those wooden beams became the doorposts of the world s home. God promises to pass over us with his judgment of death as we are willing to stand under its protection. This is what we remember and celebrate at Passover. Isaiah, the gospel prophet, predicted the crucifixion of Jesus in a language that reminds me of the Passover (Isaiah 53:7): He was oppressed and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. I don t know if you ve ever been to a slaughterhouse, but it can be pretty terrible. A lot of the animals, once they figure out what s actually happening, begin to squeal in protest. But some people have noticed that a lamb is different. A lamb will take it quietly, without protest, and that may be another reason that God chose this beautiful little animal to represent His Son. When Jesus appeared in the Judgment Hall, He refused to fight back, even though they spit on Him and whipped Him and pulled the beard right out of His face. He never fought back. He knew that if you and I were ever going to step back into paradise, He was going to have to go through with the cross. There was just no other way. And so out of a love for you that is hard to fathom, He went quietly to His fate.

4 You know what I sometimes wonder is this: How could the angels keep quiet when Jesus went to the cross? What held them back when we whipped the back of God s perfect Son with a crude Roman whip? Who stopped the angels when we made fun of Him and drove the nails into His hands and shoved the spear through His side? How could they just stand by and do nothing? I used to wonder about it, and then I found a little passage in the book of Revelation that gives us a clue as to how the angels managed to restrain themselves. It says in Revelation 13:8 that, Jesus is the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. That means that even before we sinned, Jesus volunteered to become our sacrificial Lamb. At some point in the distant ancient past, before sin had become a problem, God planned for our safety, just in case. And before Christ was born, the angels already knew why He was coming. And they knew how important we were to Him. But that doesn t mean it was easy. I m sure when the angels saw the way we treated Jesus, it was all they could do to hold themselves back. If Jesus would just give the word, they would spring into action and put an end to it. But that call for help never came because Jesus wanted to be your Passover. You know, when Jesus was arrested, Peter pulled out his sword to defend him, but Jesus told him to stop. Listen, Peter, He said, Don t you think I could call twelve legions of angels if I really wanted to? Don t you think I could put a stop to this? And in that brief moment, Jesus showed us something really important. He wasn t a helpless martyr. He didn t go to the cross because we gave Him no choice. He suffered and died because it was the only way you could be spared the wages of sin. Oh, it s not that Jesus wanted to suffer. In fact, the Bible shows us clearly in the Garden of Gethsemane that at one point, the suffering was so terrible that Jesus asked his father to remove it from Him. But Father, He said, I want to do your will, and if I have to do this, I m going to do it. And in His mind s eye, He could already see you, even though it happened 2,000 years ago. And He knew that if He didn t go to the cross, you would be lost to the kingdom of heaven and you would never spend eternity in His presence. So He went through with it, and it was His love for you that kept the angels from stopping the crucifixion. And even though they didn t stop it, try to imagine how hard it must have been just to watch. What was it like to watch us spit in the face of God s Son and nail him to a cross? What was it like to watch us mock our own creator? If angels couldn t put a stop to it, they must have turned their faces in absolute horror and shame, which makes me wonder, what it s like when somebody today still rejects the invitation of Jesus Christ? How do angels contain themselves when they see people turn away from Jesus? It reminds me of a famous story about a man who operated a lift bridge for passenger trains. One day he took his little son to work, and as the day wore on, he lost track of where the little boy was playing. So, he looked all over, and to his horror he discovered that the little boy had fallen into the gearbox that raised and lowered the bridge. And if that wasn t bad enough, at that very moment, he heard the train coming. What was he going to do? A whole train full of people was going to plunge into the river if he didn t lower the bridge, but if he did, his only son would be crushed to death. There wasn t much time to deliberate; he had to make a decision. And in his heart he knew what he had to do. He couldn t sacrifice everyone else s loved ones to save his own, so he ran back to the hut, and with his eyes pinched shut, he lowered the bridge. The train was safe, but his son was lost. Now as the train passed by, he noticed that the people inside had no idea they d just been saved. They were talking and laughing with each other, engrossed in magazines and books, but nobody, absolutely nobody noticed the little boy who had just given his life to save them. It was more than the father could bear, and even though his voice was drowned out by the thunder of the train, he screamed out in agony, Don t you care? he said. Don t you care that I just gave my only son to save you? You know, there s a passage in the Bible that some people find a little confusing. In the book of Hebrews it says (Hebrews 6:6): Seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.

5 Here s the confusing part. In other places the Bible says that Jesus died once to save us. It s something that only happens one time, but here it says that Jesus is crucified again. So how can that be? Well, in this case, the context is speaking about people who once knew Jesus, but chose to walk away from Him. When that happens, when we deliberately choose to go on sinning, it s like crucifying Jesus all over again. As angels watch in absolute disbelief, we walk away from the cross and refuse to accept it. It s as if we re a passenger on that train, completely oblivious to the fact that our safety cost Him everything. The gift of Jesus at the cross is a gift so big that most of us will never be able to grasp what it really cost Him. It was more than just the pain of the nails and the humiliation of the mockery. It was a complete and utter separation from His Father, as the weight of your sins fell on Him. It was the wrath of God against sin being poured out on Him when you deserved it. He gave up what He had in heaven so that you could enjoy it yourself. And it became sin for us so that we could share in His righteousness. So my question for you is this: you have a Passover lamb. The innocent Son of God willingly gave himself so that the ultimate destruction of sin would pass over your life. He stood in your place and He made it possible for you to live a brand-new life with the guarantee of a paradise in the presence of God. But He s not going to force the issue. Like the Passover lamb of old, you can examine Him to see if He really is everything He claims to be. And then the decision is up to you. Will you accept the Lamb of God? Will you sprinkle His blood on the doorposts of your heart? Take a few moments to contemplate the lengths to which Christ went to provide you safe passage into the presence of God. The Bible teaches (John 3:16): For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. Let me ask you again today, what would keep you from accepting that gift, and putting the blood of God s Lamb on the doorposts of your heart? Why don t we pray together? PRAYER: Father in Heaven, we stand in awe at the love you displayed for us at the cross of Calvary. There, your Son shed His blood. He was willing to have the guilt of our sins heaped on Him. He was willing to be separated from His Father so that we could be united with you. Lord, we thank you for the gift of Jesus Christ. We confess today that we are sinners in need of His help. We ask you to forgive us, to cleanse us from all unrighteousness, and to set us on our path to heaven. Above all, Lord, we love you and we thank you for what you ve done for us. In Jesus name, amen. Scriptures Used in Dinner Jackets Required Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel, and said unto them, Draw out and take you a lamb according to your families, and kill the Passover. And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the bason, and strike the lintel and the two side posts with the blood that is in the bason; and none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning. 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. Exodus 12:21-23 For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. Psalm 16:10 Behold, the Lamb of God, which takes away the sins of the world. John 1:29 Greater love hath no man than this, said Jesus, That a man lay down his life for his friends. John 15:13 He was oppressed and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. Isaiah 53:7

6 Jesus is the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. Revelation 13:8 Seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame. Hebrews 6:6 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. John 3:16 Keywords: Shawn Boonstra Pillar of Faith It Is Written Box O Thousand Oaks, CA USA Tel: (805) Fax: (805) Copyright 2010, It Is Written International Television. All rights reserved. Webmaster