When John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him he said these words, “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” John 1:29 ESV
 
     Jesus, in Exodus, is the Lamb of God, Deliverer, and Friend. Many recognize the fact that Jesus is Son of God; the sacrificial lamb that takes away the sins of the world. But I am afraid we live in a time when people are not always willing to recognize their need to be delivered from their sin by the sacrificial blood of the Lamb. There is a general understanding of sin and the need of forgiveness but not the willingness to want deliverance through repentance. Forgiveness? Yes …… repentance or lifestyle change? No. The story of Exodus is the people of Israel in bondage and slavery in Egypt. They were praying and crying out for God to deliver them. God sent Moses to lead them from a land and lifestyle of slavery. During the last of the ten plagues upon Egypt, a death angel passed over every house killing the first born male in that household. The only escape was for the blood of a sacrificed lamb to be painted on the door post and lintel. When the angel saw the blood, it passed over that home. This story of the people Israel is our story today in Jesus.
 
THE LAMB OF GOD
     When John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him he said these words, “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” John 1:29 ESV We must realize that Jesus was the sacrificial lamb of God that was sent for the the purpose of death passing over us. Death caused by sin. Without the blood of the lamb on the door post and lentil, death was certain for the first born male in the homes throughout the land of Egypt. Without the sacrificial blood of Jesus covering our lives, we are dead in sin with no hope of life. The sacrifice of Jesus, God’s only Son, should cause you to recognize the seriousness in which God views sin. Hebrews 9: 22 states, “Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.”
 
DELIVERER
     Moses lead the people out of the land of Egypt, but God was the deliverer then as he is now. God told Moses to say to the people, “I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of Egyptians, and I will DELIVER you from slavery to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched hand and with great acts of judgment.” Exodus 6:6 ESV When you receive Jesus in repentance seeking forgiveness of sin and freeing you from spiritual death, you can make the same claim as in Colossians 1:13-14 “He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”
 
FRIEND
     Thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. Exodus 33:11 ESV What a picture as to how personal God will be to us when we desire his presence and leadership in our lives. He has already proven he wants to be our friend. “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you.” John 15:13-14 ESV The writer Paul said, “For I deliver to you as of first importance what I received; that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures.”       1 Corinthians 15:3 ESV
 
     Lamb of God, Deliverer, Friend is who God, if not already so, can be in your life today. The people of Israel in the land of the Egyptians prayed and God took action. God continues to take action in the lives of people today who cry out to him. God continues to cover people with the blood of the lamb, deliver them from the slavery of sin and become a friend that sticks closer than a brother. May you be numbered in those who cry out to God.
 
Because of His Grace ~ Pastor David

     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. John 1: 1-3 ESV
     In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Genesis 1:1 ESV
 
     God is the author, artist, and creator of all things and all life. All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. John 1:3 ESV What an awesome God we serve. He is bigger and more glorious than our minds could ever imagine. Yet God, knowing we needed a Savior, became flesh. And the word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have see his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14 ESV A Savior needed because, by the third chapter of Genesis, we read the account of the fall/sin of the man and woman that he had made and breathed life into. God chose not to destroy Adam and Eve but to bridge the gap of separation by sending his only Son to suffer the consequence of all sin. And this is where the story of Jesus begins – in the beginning of all things. When the serpent deceived Eve into doing what God had commanded her not to do, and Adam also disobeyed, the result was sin. Sin will always be dealt with by God for he is not author or creator of sin. Sin was the the result of the serpent’s deception and the woman and man’s disobedience.
 
God dealt with the serpent. The Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and the dust you shall eat all the days of your life. I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he (JESUS) shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” Genesis 3:14-15 ESV
 
God dealt with the woman. To the woman he said, “I will surely multiply your pain in child bearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.”      Genesis 3:16 ESV
 
God dealt with Adam. And to Adam he said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of you life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the fields. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till youreturn to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”
Genesis 3:17-19 ESV
 
     In the third chapter, sin became a reality, but God dealt with it immediately as stated above. He dealt with Satan by informing him: I am coming after you. “He shall bruise your head” The “HE” is the offspring of the woman… JESUS- God becoming flesh in his only Son to deal with sin in the flesh. So the battle began and continues to this day. But in reality the battle has already been won by the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. Satan, however, will never give up and will continue to deceive all who will listen to him. Satan delights in causing pain which is always the consequence of sin. Jesus, the one who conquered sin in the flesh, has a different desire for your life. “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” John 10:10-11 ESV
 
     The call to us is still the same in all we do in life; we must make a choice as to whom we will listen and obey. May your answer be as stated in Joshua 24:15 “But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
 
Because of His Grace ~ Pastor David

     Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. Matthew 26: 41 ESV
 
     The setting was the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus came here to pray as He had many times before, but this time He was agonizing. Only He knew what was going to take place over the next few hours. He was going to experience a mock trial, be denied by one in his closest circle of friends, and others of them would run away. He would endure beatings that would inflict pain so intense that it will take him to the brink of death. He would carry a cross upon his bruised body and flesh torn back, to which he would be nailed. No wonder his sweat became as drops of blood. (Luke 22:44) Jesus spoke to His Father in the garden and asked “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will,” Matt 26:39 ESV . In this difficult time of His life, Jesus prayed to his Father. His Father didn’t respond by taking away the present suffering of His Son; He sent ministering angles. And there appeared to him an angel from heaven strengthening him. Luke 22:43 ESV For this purpose Jesus had come redeeming to himself all who would repent and call upon his name. Redeeming them from sin by paying the price for that sin. There was no other way, and God the Father had sent his Son for this purpose. In doing so God gave us a picture of his love for us and how seriously he views sin. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23 ESV ….. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 ESV
 
     Jesus instructed His disciples what to do in times such as this in order not to enter into temptation… Temptation that will cause you to abandon everything you know to be true.
 
1. WATCH Have a keen eye for the lies of Satan. It is in times like these that you could question everything you know to be true. Have you ever thought about what was going through Jesus’s mind when he said, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me.” ? Matthew 26:39 ESV
 
2. PRAY. What do you do when life becomes so difficult that you are tempted to question everything you know to be true? PRAY! Perhaps you are tempted to run away and hide from the circumstance in your life…..PRAY! Your personal suffering may be greater than you believe anyone understands……PRAY! It is times like these when you may not even know what to pray because you are so overwhelmed; CRY OUT TO JESUS!!!!!!!!!!” The Spirit will intercede for you. Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groaning too deep for words. Romans 8:26 ESV
 
3. KNOW YOUR LIMITATIONS. The Spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. Matthew 26: 41b ESV Jesus was totally man and yet totally God. When struggling in the garden, he was sent a ministering angel to strengthen him. If Jesus needed a ministering angel, I know for sure we need this even more. We are not made to carry this world’s load by ourselves. When a person attempts to operate in their own strength, THEY WILL FAIL ….NO EXCEPTIONS. Paul said it best when addressing the issues of life. “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13 ESV  Which, if that be true, then without him you could do nothing of lasting value.
 
     Don’t be caught sleeping in your Christian walk. Be alert and vigilant in your prayer life. “Be sober minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8 ESV  In closing let me repeat the words of Jesus, “Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Matthew 26: 41 ESV
 
Because of His Grace ~ Pastor David