Out of the House of Slavery

I apologize for my voice sounding like this.

My kids were wrestling with some kind of cold this week,

and I thought I was doing really well, fighting it off.

And we've gotten the kids tested.

I got a negative PCR test on Friday and a negative rapid test this morning.

But obviously it doesn't sound good.

I sound pretty pitiable, but trust me, it's not as bad as it sounds.

And it's kind of when I was getting trained to be a pastor,

what they teach you primarily is unless you're dying,

you're supposed to show up on Sunday morning and preach.

And because someone has to preach, that's, I think, changed a little bit with COVID.

People were being a little more careful.

So I hope you guys understand.

And I'll keep my mask on when I'm not preaching.

Please turn with me to Exodus 12, 29 to 13, 16.

Let me pray for the reading and preaching of God's word.

Lord, we are your servants.

And your servants, as servants, we are here listening to your word.

Lord, we want you to govern us by your word.

Teach us by your word.

Draw us near to yourself.

Make us more like your son through your word.

Impress upon us deeply this morning, Lord,

the privilege and joy of being a people who have been set free

from the bondage to sin and death.

Renew our joy of salvation this morning.

In Jesus' name we pray.

Amen.

Exodus 12, 29.

I'll go to 13, 16.

At midnight, the Lord struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt,

from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne,

to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon,

and all the firstborn of the livestock.

And Pharaoh rose up in the night,

he and all his servants and all the Egyptians,

and there was a great cry in Egypt,

for there was not a house where someone was not dead.

Then he summoned Moses and Aaron by night and said,

Up, go up from among my people,

both you and the people of Israel,

and go serve the Lord as you have said.

Take your flocks and your herds, as you have said,

and be gone and bless me also.

The Egyptians were urging with the people

to send them out of the land in haste,

for they said, We shall all be dead.

So the people took their dough before it was leavened,

their netting bowls being bound up in their cloaks on their shoulders.

The people of Israel had also done as Moses told them,

for they had asked the Egyptians for silver and gold jewelry and for clothing.

And the Lord had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians,

so that they let them have what they asked.

Thus they plundered the Egyptians.

And the people of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Sukkoth,

about 600,000 men on foot, besides women and children.

A mixed multitude also went up with them,

and very much livestock, both flocks and herds.

And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough that they had brought out of Egypt,

for it was not leavened, because they were thrust out of Egypt and could not wait,

nor had they prepared any provisions for themselves.

The time that the people of Israel lived in Egypt was 430 years.

At the end of 430 years, on that very day,

all the hosts of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt.

It was a night of watching by the Lord to bring them out of the land of Egypt.

So this same night is a night of watching kept to the Lord

by all the people of Israel throughout their generations.

And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron,

This is the statute of the Passover.

No foreigner shall eat of it,

but every slave that is bought for money may eat of it after you have circumcised him.

No foreigner or hired worker may eat of it.

It shall be eaten in one house.

You shall not take any of the flesh outside the house,

and you shall not break any of its bones.

All the congregation of Israel shall keep it.

If a stranger shall sojourn with you and would keep the Passover of the Lord,

let all his males be circumcised.

Then he may come near and keep it.

He shall be as a native of the land,

but no uncircumcised person shall eat of it.

There shall be one law for the native and for the stranger who sojourns among you.

All the people of Israel did just as the Lord commanded Moses and Aaron.

And on that very day, the Lord brought the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their hosts.

The Lord said to Moses,

Consecrate to me all the firstborn.

Whatever is the first to open the womb among the people of Israel,

both of man and of beast, is mine.

Then Moses said to the people,

Remember this day in which you came out from Egypt,

out of the house of slavery.

For by a strong hand the Lord brought you out from this place.

No leavened bread shall be eaten.

Today in the month of Abib you are going out.

And when the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites,

the Hittites,

the Amorites,

the Hivites,

and the Jebusites,

which he soared to your fathers to give you,

a land flowing with milk and honey,

you shall keep this service in this month.

Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread,

and on the seventh day there shall be a feast to the Lord.

Unleavened bread shall be eaten for seven days.

No leavened bread shall be seen with you,

and no leavened shall be seen with you in all your territory.

You shall tell your son on that day,

It is because of what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt.

And it shall be to you as a sign on your hand,

and as a memorial between your eyes,

that the law of the Lord may be in your mouth.

For with a strong hand the Lord has brought you out of Egypt.

You shall therefore keep this statute at its appointed time from year to year.

When the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites,

as he swore to you and your fathers,

and shall give it to you,

you shall set apart to the Lord all that first opens the womb.

All the firstborn of your animals that are males shall be the Lord's.

Every firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb,

or if you will not redeem it, you shall break its neck.

Every firstborn of man among your sons you shall redeem.

And when it's time to come, your son asks you,

what does this mean?

You shall say to him,

by a strong hand,

the Lord brought us out of Egypt from the house of slavery.

For when Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go,

the Lord killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt,

both the firstborn of man and the firstborn of animals.

Therefore I sacrifice to the Lord all the males that first opened the womb,

but all the firstborn of my sons I redeem.

It shall be as a mark on your hand or frontless between your eyes,

for by a strong hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt.

This is God's holy and authoritative word.

We are finally at the long-anticipated moment

where the actual exodus of the Israelites from Egypt happens.

And I've titled my sermon,

Out of the House of Slavery,

which is the phrase used here in Exodus 13, 14.

And it's often repeated throughout the Old Testament

to refer to Israel's slavery in Egypt.

Although we didn't intentionally plan it this way,

this passage is particularly fitting for today

for two different reasons.

First, today is the third Sunday in June,

which means it's Father's Day.

And we're going to see in our passage,

God, the Father's zeal to redeem his son,

the nation of Israel, from slavery.

And then secondly, today is,

as Matt mentioned earlier, also Juneteenth.

Even though the Emancipation Proclamation

declared all slaves free in 1863,

it could not be enforced in the southern states

because they were actively warring

against North or in the Civil War.

And so because of that,

until June 19, 1865,

two years after the Emancipation Proclamation,

that the news didn't reach the African Americans

in Galveston, Texas,

that slavery had been abolished

and that they were in fact free.

And so when they were finally notified on Juneteenth,

the freed slaves immediately started celebrating

with prayer and worship, song and dance.

And since then, it has been celebrated

by African Americans throughout the country.

It became a state holiday in Texas in 1980

and a federal holiday in 2021, last year.

I think most of you guys probably didn't celebrate it

because it was passed the week before.

You don't have to be a political liberal

to celebrate this.

The end of racist, kidnap-sourced, chattel slavery

where black people suffered involuntary,

permanent, and absolute subjugation

is something that every Christian

can celebrate regardless of his or her

political persuasion.

If Juneteenth is Black Independence Day,

then Passover is Jewish Independence Day.

It's also the day many years later

that Jesus died on the cross

to free us from our slavery to sin and death.

This passage teaches us that God gave his son

to ransom his people from slavery and death

so that they might serve him.

And we're gonna first see the redemption

of God's firstborn son, which is Israel in this case,

and the redemption of Israel's firstborn sons

after that in chapter 13.

So in Exodus 4, 22 to 23, the Lord declared to Pharaoh,

Israel is my firstborn son.

And I told you, let my son go so he may worship me.

But you refuse to let him go,

so I will kill your firstborn son.

This is what God had threatened to Pharaoh at that time.

And now God makes good on that threat.

It says in verses 29 to 30 of chapter 11,

chapter 12, sorry.

At midnight, the Lord struck down all the firstborn

in the land of Egypt,

from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne

to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon

and all the firstborn of the livestock.

And Pharaoh rose up in the night.

He had all his servants and all the Egyptians.

And there was a great cry in Egypt,

for there was not a house where someone was not dead.

So this is a divine retribution.

Thanks, I don't think it's gonna help,

but I'll try it.

I tried so hard this morning to get rid of it.

And thank you, yeah.

Because Pharaoh and the Egyptians struck Israel,

God's firstborn son,

God is now striking down the firstborn sons

in the land of Egypt.

Formerly in Exodus 3,

Pharaoh so opposed,

or so oppressed the Israelites,

that it said that their cry went up to God.

And now another cry goes up to the heavens,

but it's not the cry of the Israelites.

It's a great cry of the Egyptians.

And the final strike of the Lord is so severe

that it says in verses 31 to 32,

Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron by night

and said,

Up, go out from among my people,

both you and the people of Israel,

and go serve the Lord as you have said.

Take your flocks and your herds as you have said,

and be gone and bless me also.

So finally, Pharaoh is giving up.

He had recently told Moses,

if you remember from a few weeks ago in chapter 10,

Get out of my sight.

Make sure you do not appear before me again.

The day you see my face, you will die.

That's what Pharaoh had said to Moses.

But he's having to eat his words again.

And he summons Moses himself.

And the situation is so urgent,

Pharaoh can't even wait till sunrise.

In the middle of the night, he summons Moses.

And earlier, if you remember,

in Exodus 5.18,

when the Israelites were complaining to the Egyptians

for being beaten,

for not meeting the quota of brick

that they were required by Pharaoh to produce,

they complained to him saying,

Well, your Egyptians are not giving us a straw

that we need for the brick.

So it's their fault.

Why are you beating us for it?

And this is how Pharaoh responded to them.

You are idle.

You are idle.

That is why you say,

Let us go and sacrifice to the Lord.

Go now and work.

The word work is the same Hebrew word

that's translated in this passage as serve.

So then there's a contrast here

in verse 31 of our passage

where Pharaoh, who once said to the Israelites,

Go and serve me,

now says, Go serve the Lord.

Previously, Pharaoh kept seeking concessions from God.

He initially said that he would not let any of them go.

And then he would say,

Yes, I'll let the adults go, but not the children.

And then he said,

Fine, I'll let the children go too,

but not the animals.

But now he says,

Go serve the Lord as you have said.

Take your flocks and your herds as you have said

and be gone.

And bless me also.

So he now has no qualifications,

has no seeking, no concessions,

and totally surrendering and saying,

You may go as you wish.

And Hebrews 7, 7 tells us

that it's the lesser who is blessed by the greater.

So Pharaoh, by asking Moses to bless him,

is acknowledging his state of humiliation,

that he's not this son of Ra,

the so-called divine king of Egypt,

but that he's been exposed

and now he's pitiably seeking a blessing

from the Lord who is the true king of the universe.

So the rest of the Egyptians

share Pharaoh's sense of urgency.

He says in verse 33,

The Egyptians were urgent with the people

to send them out of the land in haste,

for they said,

We shall all be dead.

The word urgent is a translation of the Hebrew word

that's elsewhere translated as strengthen,

strengthen or harden.

Previously, Pharaoh hardened his heart,

strengthened his resolve not to let Israel go,

but now the Egyptians are strong in their resolve

and urgency to let Israel leave as soon as possible.

In fact, they're in such a hurry

that Israelites don't even have time

to wait for their bread to rise,

to incorporate leaven into their bread.

And how did this radical change come about?

It tells us in chapter 13, verse 14,

By a strong hand,

the Lord brought us out of Egypt

from the house of slavery.

You hear the same word again, strong.

The strong hand of the Lord

has broken the strong will of Pharaoh

and has made the Egyptians strongly urge

the Israelites to leave Egypt.

God's brought about a great reversal.

And the Israelites don't leave empty-handed.

And this is shocking.

As the Lord had instructed them,

they asked the Egyptians as they're leaving

for their silver and gold jewelry

and for clothing.

And to their astonishment,

they say yes.

They say take it.

Go leave with it.

And why would they do that?

It says in verse 36,

Because the Lord had given the people

favor in the sight of the Egyptians

so that they let them have what they asked.

Thus, they plundered the Egyptians.

This passage intentionally uses language

that evokes warfare.

The Israelites, it says,

plundered the Egyptians.

Verse 37 says,

The people of Israel journeyed

from Remses to Sukkoth,

about 600,000 men on foot.

That expression, on foot,

is typically used in military contexts

to describe the infantry.

Furthermore, it says in verse 41

that all the hosts of the Lord

went out from the land of Egypt.

The word hosts refers to military divisions

or armies.

So Lord of hosts means

that God is the Lord of the armies.

So in this passage,

there are armies, foot soldiers,

and plundering of war.

But incredibly,

the Israelites never give battle

to the Egyptians.

Not even once.

There's never a clashing

of swords, shields, or chariots.

Even in the plundering,

there is no violent force.

The Israelites simply ask the Egyptians

and they give them their jewelry

and clothing.

Why?

Because the Lord is fighting

their battles for them.

This point is highlighted

in the phrasing of verses 29 and 36.

Usually in Hebrew sentence structure,

the subject comes after the verb.

But in verses 29 and 36,

the subject of the sentence,

which is the Lord, Yehovah,

is fronted.

It comes before the verb

for emphasis.

So why were the Egyptians

so urgent in sending

the Israelites out of Egypt?

Not because Israel's army

struck them down in battle,

but because the Lord

struck down all the firstborn

in the land of Egypt.

Why did the Egyptians

give the Israelites

their own silver and gold jewelry

and clothing?

Why were they able

to plunder the Egyptians?

Not because of their superior force,

but because the Lord

had given the people favor

in the sight of the Egyptians.

Again, again,

Lord, the Lord.

It's the Lord who fights

Israel's battles

on their behalf.

He is their champion.

That's why verse 42 says,

it was a night of watching

by the Lord

to bring them out

of the land of Egypt.

So this same night

is a night of watching

kept to the Lord

by all the people of Israel

throughout their generations.

It's a wonderful image.

Can you imagine God

up all night

like a century

to watch over

and guard his people?

That's what he did

on the night of the Passover.

And so to commemorate that,

they have a night of watching

to celebrate the Passover

for generation after generation

because it's the Lord

who fought on their behalf.

This truth

that the Lord fights

for his people

applies to us

as Christians as well.

Hebrews 2, 14 to 15

teaches us that Christ

by his death

destroyed the one

who has the power of death.

That is the devil.

And delivered all those

who through fear of death

were subject to lifelong slavery.

We did not break

the power of the devil

but Christ did.

Christ bound the strong man

and he plundered his house

taking for himself

those who were enslaved

by the enemy.

As Yahweh rescued Israel

and brought them out

of their house of slavery

in Egypt

to serve the living God,

so Yahweh has rescued us

from the dominion of darkness

and brought us

into the kingdom

of his son

whom he loves.

Let me ask you,

which of you,

which of us

has the power

to stand up

to the devil

apart from God?

Which of us

has a righteousness

that can withstand

the vicious

and ceaseless

accusations of Satan?

when he points out

all our sins,

our guilt,

and demands

our condemnation

and damnation,

can any of us

protest

that he is wrong?

No, we can't.

But Christ

is our champion.

We cannot destroy

the devil,

but Christ has.

Christ,

by dying on the cross

for our trespasses

and rising from the dead,

canceled the record

of debt

that stood against us

with its legal demands

and he nailed them

to the cross,

thereby disarming

the rulers

and authorities

and putting them

to open shame.

He's talking about

evil spiritual authorities.

And he triumphed

over them.

When Satan

points to our sin

and says,

guilty as charged,

it's Jesus

who points to the cross

and says,

paid in full.

When Satan

tries to claim us

as his own,

when he tries

to be our slave master,

pointing to our debt

of sin,

Jesus,

our champion,

claims us

as his own,

saying,

mine.

Purchased

with the blood,

the son of God.

The Lord

fights for us.

If you belong

to the Lord,

then you are free.

We're no longer

slaves of Pharaoh.

We're slaves

of the Lord.

But how do we know

that we belong

to the Lord?

For the Israelites,

the sign of their

covenant relationship

with God

was circumcision.

that's why

verses 43 to 51

excludes foreigners

from partaking

in the Passover meal.

The foreigner

is like a,

I guess,

an immigrant

or traveler

just passing through,

a visitor

in the country,

a person who doesn't

belong to God's people.

That's why they can't

eat the Passover,

which commemorates

God's deliverance

of his people.

However,

the stranger

mentioned in

verses 48 to 49

refers to someone

who has a more

extended sojourn

in the land of Israel.

We might call them

in the U.S.

resident aliens

or green card holders.

Such a person,

that kind of stranger,

he says,

may partake

in the Lord's supper

provided that they

first convert

to the worship

of the Lord

and acknowledge

their covenant loyalty

to him

by getting circumcised.

So already here

in the book of Exodus,

we see that God's plan

ultimately isn't

only to save

ethnic Israel,

but his plan

is to save

all nations.

And it says

in verse 38,

a mixed multitude

also went up

with them.

The mass exodus

from Egypt

included not only

ethnic Jews,

but also others.

It was a mixed multitude.

And even the strangers

among them

may join themselves

to God's people

by getting circumcised

and eat the Passover.

The reason why

God takes circumcision

so seriously

is that it is

the sign of the covenant

that God made

with Abraham,

the agreement,

the binding agreement

that he's made

with Abraham,

Israel's forefather.

In Genesis 17,

he made that the sign

between him

and the Israelites.

And he said,

any circumcised male

who is not circumcised

in the flesh

of his foreskin

shall be cut off

from his people.

He has broken

my covenant.

Circumcision was a sign

that God had ordained

to mark Israel

as his chosen people,

his special possession.

In a limited sense,

it's similar to how

a logo

or a brand

functions

in distinguishing

or setting apart

a product

from others.

Can you imagine

a Nike product

that doesn't have

the iconic

swoosh logo

emblazoned on it?

The logo,

it's the logo

that makes it special.

It's the logo

that sets it apart

from other generic sneakers

in the market.

It's the logo

that makes it cost

twice as much

as the other shoes.

Similarly,

God's people

are set apart

by the sign

of circumcision.

Circumcision

is a particularly

appropriate sign

of covenant

because it represents

Israel's identity

as God's son,

God's heir.

And also because

it represents well

the curse of the covenant

that those who break

the covenant

shall be caught off

from his people.

I think the pun

is intentional.

God takes the sign

of the covenant

so seriously

that he almost

killed Moses

when Moses

approached Egypt

without circumcising

one of his own sons

in Exodus 15.

Because if Moses

is to lead

the nation of Israel

in keeping their covenant

relationship with God,

he must set an example

in keeping it himself.

And today,

because Jesus came

and established

a new covenant

for the people of God,

we also have

a new sign

of the covenant.

It says in Colossians

2, 11 to 13,

in him also

you were circumcised

with the circumcision

made without hands

by putting off

the body of the flesh

by the circumcision

of Christ,

having been buried

with him

in baptism,

in which you also,

you were also

raised with him

through faith

in the powerful

working of God

who raised him

from the dead.

And you,

who were dead

in your trespasses

and the uncircumcision

of your flesh,

God made alive

together with him

having forgiven us

all our trespasses.

So then,

baptism,

which is an outward

profession

of an inward faith,

has now superseded

circumcision

as a new sign

of our covenant

relationship with God.

the sign of the old covenant

was circumcision

made in the flesh

by hands,

but the sign

of the new covenant

is baptism,

which is the circumcision

of Christ

made without hands,

a spiritual circumcision,

being forgiven

of the trespasses

of the flesh

and being made alive

together with Christ.

Just as it's only those

who are circumcised

who could partake

in the Passover,

it's only those

who have been born again

through faith

in Jesus Christ

and who's made

a public profession

of faith

by getting baptized

that can now take

on the sign

of the covenant

as belonging

to God's people

and partake

in the Lord's Supper.

So have you taken

a stand for Christ?

Have you taken

on the sign

of the covenant

by putting your faith

in Jesus

and getting baptized?

Baptism is a line

in the sand.

It's a flag

planted on the ground

saying,

I have renounced

all other lords

to serve the Lord

Jesus Christ.

I renounce the world

to the flesh

and the devil

and pledge allegiance

to Jesus.

I'm taking on the name

of the Father, Son,

and the Holy Spirit

declaring to the world

that I belong to him.

You don't need

to remain a stranger

and a foreigner

among the people of God.

You too can believe

in Jesus

and get baptized

in his name

and partake

in the family supper.

that's because

of the redemption

of God's firstborn son.

Having seen

God's redemption

of his firstborn son,

I'm sorry for,

I'm finding that

it's very hard

to emphasize anything

when my voice

is like this

so everything

sounds the same.

You guys are being

very patient.

We now see

Israel's redemption

of the firstborn sons,

of their own sons

in chapter 13.

The Lord says to Moses

in verse 2,

consecrate to me

all the firstborn.

Whatever is the first

to open the womb

among the people of Israel,

both of man

and of beast,

is mine.

This consecration

of every firstborn male

is mentioned

many times

throughout the Old Testament

and it's directly linked

to how the Lord

delivered Israel's

firstborn males

from the death

of the firstborn

during Passover.

In verses 12 to 15

of chapter 13,

Moses explains

the significance

of the redemption

of the firstborn.

He says,

you shall set apart

to the Lord

all that first

opens the womb,

all the firstborn

of your animals

that are males

shall be the Lord's.

Every firstborn

of a donkey

you shall redeem

with a lamb

or if you will not

redeem it

you shall break

its neck.

Every firstborn

of man among

your sons

you shall redeem

and when in time

to come

your son asks you

what does this mean?

You shall say to him

by a strong hand

the Lord brought us

out of Egypt

from the house

of slavery.

For when Pharaoh

stubbornly refused

to let us go

the Lord killed

all the firstborn

in the land of Egypt

both the firstborn

of man

and the firstborn

of animals.

Therefore I sacrifice

to the Lord

all the males

that first opened

the womb

but all the firstborn

of my sons

I redeem.

Similar to the way

that you know

if someone were

to rescue you

from deadly peril

you might say

to the rescuer

I owe you my life

because the Lord

has passed over

the firstborn

males of Israel

they literally

owe him

their lives.

They belong to him

in a special way.

We as Christians

also are God's

consecrated people.

God's only begotten son

Jesus Christ

says in John 17

19

that he

consecrated himself

that we also

may be

sanctified

or it's the same word

consecrated

in truth.

Jesus is evoking

the idea

of the consecration

of the firstborn.

Jesus was consecrated

set apart

for God's special purposes

to die for our sins

and rise again

to save us

from sin and death

and we

as those people

who have been

united to Jesus Christ

through faith

are also therefore

consecrated to God.

That's the purpose

for which

God

gave his son

to consecrate

us to himself.

When the people

of this world

look at your life

would they say

that your life

is in a real way

set apart

from theirs?

We no longer

follow the pattern

of this world

the course

of this world.

We're no longer

to serve the evil

ruler Satan.

We're no longer

to indulge

the desires

of our sinful flesh.

Why?

Because we are

a consecrated people

set apart

for God

special

for God

because we have

been redeemed

from our slavery

to sin

and we've been

redeemed to serve

the living God.

Ask yourselves

in what area

of your life

is the Holy Spirit

convicting you

this morning

to be set apart

for him?

This passage

repeatedly states

the fact that

Israel went

out of Egypt

on this

very day.

He says

in 1241

on that very day

all the hosts

of the Lord

went out

from the land

of Egypt.

1251

says

on that very day

the Lord

brought the people

of Israel

out of the land

of Egypt.

13 3 to 4

says

remember

this day

in which you

came out

from Egypt

out of the house

of slavery.

Today

in the month

of Habib

you are going

out.

Again and again

today

this day

you're going

out

you've been

brought out

you went

out.

This is similar

to how Jesus

says in Luke

19 9

in Zacchaeus'

house

today

salvation

has come

to this

house.

Luke

especially

emphasizes

that theme

he uses

the word

today

repeatedly

to teach

us

that the

window

of opportunity

the hour

of salvation

is not

tomorrow

but it's

today

now

this

very

moment

if you

have not

put your

trust in

Jesus

today

is the

day of

salvation

you can

give your

life to

him

today

today

is an

opportunity

to submit

your life

to Christ

and be

free

from your

slavery

to sin

don't say

I'll consider

Jesus

following him

one day

but not

today

or I'll

think about

that stuff

when I'm

less busy

or I'll

follow after

Jesus

after I've

had some

time to

myself

to enjoy

the things

I want

to do

you may

not have

a tomorrow

why would

you linger

one day

longer in

your slavery

to sin

and death

when Christ

offers us

freedom

and life

forevermore

and if you

have already

entrusted your

life to

Jesus

then you

should remember

that you

have already

come out

of Egypt

out of the

house of

slavery

you're not

a slave

to sin

anymore

you have

been indwelled

by the

spirit of

God

and the

spirit of

God

will not

be bound

he says

in 2nd

Corinthians

317

where the

spirit of

the Lord

is

there is

freedom

Paul

exhorts

as in

Romans 6

18 to

19

having been

set free

from sin

you become

slaves

of

righteousness

just as

you once

presented

your members

as slaves

to impurity

and to

lawlessness

leading to

more lawlessness

so now present

your members

as slaves

to righteousness

are you going

back to your

old chains

like they still

have power

over you

have you

forgotten

that you are

no longer

slaves

we are now

dead to sin

but alive

to God

in Christ

Jesus

we need

to ever

be reminded

of the

redemption

that we

have in

Jesus

Christ

the word

redeem

is a

key word

in this

passage

and is

repeated

four times

in verses

11 to

15

we encountered

the same

word earlier

in Exodus

6

6

but that

was a

different

Hebrew

word

there

the word

redeem

referred

primarily

to the

role of

the

kinsman

redeemer

the

family

protector

the nearest

relative

who is

responsible

for defending

the rights

of his

extended

family

members

so for

example

when

a

relative

became

poor

and was

forced

to sell

his

ancestral

land

or to

sell

himself

as a

slave

it was

the

responsibility

of the

kinsman

redeemer

to go

and repay

the debt

and redeem

the property

and redeem

his

relative

but the

word

redeem

used here

in our

text

has a

slightly

different

nuance

it's

used

most

frequently

to refer

to

rescue

from

death

or from

some

kind

of

deadly

threat

in

Exodus

21

30

the same

word

is used

to refer

to the

ransom

price

of a

person's

life

so here

it's referring

directly to

how God

ransomed

Israel

from death

on the

night of

the Passover

it is the

price

the literal

price

of their

life

and because

the Lord

has paid

the ransom

for the

firstborn of

Israel

their lives

belong

to him

this is why

all the

firstborn males

have to be

sacrificed

the ceremonially

clean animals

like cow

sheep

and goats

they have to

be sacrificed

to the

Lord

as

Numbers

18

17

says

however

ceremonially

unclean

animals

could not

be sacrificed

to God

so they

had to

be either

killed

or

redeemed

that's why

verse 13

says that

every firstborn

of a donkey

you shall

redeem

with a lamb

or if you

will not

redeem it

you shall

break

its neck

a donkey

was a

ceremonially

unclean

animal

according to

Leviticus

11 26

because it

parts the

hoof

but it

does not

chew

the cud

so the

firstborn

male donkey

could have

to be killed

and not

offered as

a sacrifice

likewise

since the

Lord explicitly

forbids

child sacrifice

in Leviticus

20 and

many other

places in

scripture

that firstborn

male children

obviously could

not be

sacrificed

or killed

so God

commands them

to be

redeemed

he says

in verse 13

every firstborn

of man

among your

sons

you shall

redeem

the ransom

is the price

you pay

for the life

of someone

else

and God's

ransoming

of Israel

on Passover

night

ultimately

points to

the ransom

that God

pays

with his

son's

life

Jesus

Christ

the Passover

lamb

remember

what Jesus

says of

himself

in Matthew

20

28

the son

of man

came not

to be

served

but to

serve

and to

give

his life

as a

ransom

for many

first

Timothy

2

5

to 6

says

for there

is one

God

and there

is one

mediator

between

God

and man

the man

Christ

Jesus

who gave

himself

as a

ransom

for all

we all

as sinners

had the

sentence

of death

just imagine

for a moment

having that

sentence of

death

pronounced

over you

and you

have no

means

to pay

the ransom

but God

sent his

only son

Jesus

Christ

as a

ransom

price

to save

us

to give

us eternal

life

and freedom

in the

spirit

that's why

the Bible

says over

and over

again

that we

were bought

with a

price

that's why

we belong

to God

that's why

we belong

to his

kingdom

I don't

know if

you're aware

but there

are still

people being

sold as

slaves

today

according

to

2021

federal

human

trafficking

report

released

three days

ago

there were

449

human

trafficking

victims

last year

right here

in the

United

States

and that's

only counting

those

who are

caught

can you

imagine

how much

worse

it must

be

in more

impoverished

countries

where the

rule of

law

is not

as strong

64%

were victims

of sex

trafficking

36%

were victims

of forced

labor

over half

of the

new

victims

identified

in

2021

were

minors

over

half

most

of whom

were used

as sex

slaves

since

they're

no good

for forced

labor

93%

of the

new

victims

of forced

labor

were

foreign

nationals

how's

that

any

different

from

slavery

of the

past

ages

meaning

they're

recruited

from

foreign

countries

with a

fraudulent

job offer

or a

false

promise

of a

visa

and then

they're

transported

to the

U.S.

where they're

forced

into a

job

that they

didn't

sign up

for

and held

bonded

with

violence

intimidation

and

manipulation

just two

months ago

a 15

year old

Texas

girl was

trafficked

at a

Dallas

Mavericks

basketball

game

and then

repeatedly

sexually

assaulted

before she

was rescued

by law

enforcement

these are

hundreds of

cases

but there

are

millions

billions

of

spiritual

slaves

all

throughout

the world

and they

are serving

their cruel

master

Satan

and

they're

believing

his lie

that there

can be

no other

life for

them

that this

is all

the happiness

that they

will know

that they

will never

know the

joy of

salvation

that they

will never

know the

love of

God the

father

that he

will never

come

for them

but we

know better

than that

we know

the great

emancipator

our savior

Jesus Christ

who gave

his life

to redeem

his people

from slavery

to sin

he is our

champion

he is our

advocate

and he has

the authority

and power

to break

every chain

of the enemy

so remember

that we are

his servants

we are the

freedom riders

his messengers

heralding

the good news

of freedom

and salvation

to the end

of the earth

let's pray

together

father we

lament the

fact that

there are so

many lost

people in

this world

and most

of them

don't even

know that

they are

lost

most of

them don't

even know

that what

they have

been reduced

to is in

fact slavery

because they

have known

nothing else

because they

haven't tasted

and seen

that the

Lord is

good

but Lord

we have

tasted

and seen

that you

are good

and we

want to

take that

good news

of Jesus

Christ

to the

end of

the earth

help us

ever to

remember

to be

mindful of

the redemption

we have

in Jesus

and help

us to

boldly

and unashamedly

declare that

good news

to our

neighbors

our friends

and our

family

members

in Jesus

name we

pray

amen