Exodus chapter 12, and we're beginning to read from the first verse. Follow along in God's word, or if you prefer to watch the screen there, Exodus chapter 12 and the first verse. And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, This month shall be unto you the beginning of months. It shall be the first month of the year to you. Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for a house, and house. And if the household be too little for the lamb, Let him and his neighbor next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls. Every man according to his eating shall ye make your count for the lamb. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a meal of the first year. Ye shall take it out from the sheep or from the goats. And ye shall keep it up until the 14th day of the same month. And the whole assembly of the congregation shall kill it in the evening. And they shall take of the blood and strike it upon the two side posts and on the upper doorpost of the houses wherein they shall eat it. And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire and unleavened bread, and with bitter herbs shall they eat it. Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast with fire, his head with his legs, and with the pertinence thereof. And ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning. And that which remaineth of it until the morning, ye shall burn with fire. And thus shall ye eat it, with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, your staff in your hand, and ye shall eat it in haste. It is the Lord's Passover. For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast. And against all the gods of Egypt, I will execute judgment. And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you. and the plagues shall not be upon you to destroy you when I smite the land of Egypt. And this day shall be unto you for a memorial, and ye shall keep it a feast to the Lord throughout your generations. Ye shall keep it a feast by ordinance forever. And may the Lord bless this reading of his word to our hearts. We know that in the New Testament, we have the life of our precious Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, revealed. We have his birth. We have his ministry. We have his death, his rising again. And the early church recounts of what happens in the church in those letters and epistles to the churches, and we have prophecy of what will happen in the last days. But the Old Testament puts the life of Christ into context and we have the foundation for the Lord Jesus Christ being revealed. We have the choosing of the family of Abraham through which the Lord Jesus Christ would ultimately be born into the land of Israel. We have the setting in place the law and we have in in many forms, pictures and symbols of the Lord Jesus Christ. So when he is revealed, we can recognize him for who he is. And what we have read here this evening in Exodus chapter 12 is one of these pictures of the Lord Jesus Christ. The picture of this lamb that is sacrificed for the atonement and protection of, not the atonement, for the protection of the Hebrew children as they sojourned there in the land of Egypt. This is a historical event. It actually happened. The background to it is that Joseph is sold by his jealous brothers into the land of Egypt. And after he has been there, he passes through various events and ultimately ends up as prime minister there in the land of Egypt in God's providence. But a famine arrives in the land of Egypt and also affects the neighboring land of Israel, and Joseph is able to make contact with his family, his family come down to get grain. And he issues the invitation to his father Jacob and the rest of the family to come and to live in the land of Egypt and to stay there during the famine. They eventually turn out to stay in the land of Egypt for 430 years. And after that period of time, a pharaoh comes to the throne who doesn't know the legacy of Joseph or appreciate what the Hebrews had done in the past. And he considers the rapidly expanding family of Jacob to be a threat to them. He makes them slaves to make bricks to help in the building of his cities, Python and Ramses. And that doesn't seem to curtail their numbers, their numbers continue to grow. And so he gives direction to the Hebrew midwives that when a baby boy is born, they're immediately to murder that little boy. Of course, the midwives feared God and refused to do that. And so then the Pharaoh said that those children should be drowned in the river. And it gets to the stage where the people of the Hebrews, the family of Jacob, are being oppressed to such a level that they cry out in their bondage for deliverance from God. And God hears and sends one of their own, Moses, and his brother Aaron, to challenge Pharaoh to release them and let them go. And up until this passage here that we read of this evening, there have been nine times when God sends disasters, we call them plagues more commonly, promised by Moses from God to make Pharaoh let his people go. He originally, he reneges, he says, I'll let you go. And then whenever that plague is stopped, he turn changes his mind and says, no, you're not going. And so that's happened repeatedly now. And this is the 10th challenge to Pharaoh. The first born man and beast in the land of Egypt was going to die. the Egyptians were heading for catastrophe. If we were to look at our newspapers this evening, if we were to turn on our news, not this evening, but through the week, if you were to look at your newspaper, if you were to listen to the news, many people would portray that man is also in these days headed for catastrophe. They would describe that catastrophe in different ways. They talk about global warming and how it's getting warmer every year. So weren't we all basking this summer in the strength of the lovely summer sun? So we're all nearly burnt to a crisp. Global warming. If it's not global warming, it's financial crash and financial doom. Oh, the dollar, the sterling, this and that. Look what's happening to it. It can't keep going like this. If it's not global warming or financial crisis, it's political instability. We can listen to our news and hear about the war there in Russia and Ukraine. The turmoil that there is in the Middle East with Israel and its surrounding Arab neighbors. And people could say these are great events and these are catastrophic events. But they overlooked the greatest catastrophe of all. And that is man being lost in a sinner's hell. The Bible says in Ezekiel chapter 18 and verse 20, the soul that sinneth, it shall die. We're all heading for death. Someday, we're going to die. My grandparents, my grandmother came from a family of, her family lived to a good full life. 96 years of age, my grandmother died at. My grandfather was in his early 90s. My father died in his early 70s. We're all going to die. But the Bible goes on to say, not only is man going to die, but it is appointed in Hebrews chapter nine and verse 27, it is appointed unto man once to die. And after death, there's judgment. Matthew chapter 10 and verse 28 tells us that we're to fear him who is able to destroy both body and soul in hell. So we're going to die. For those that die without Christ, there's going to be judgment. And for those that die without Christ and face judgment, there's a lost sinner's hell. But praise God there is a remedy. And that remedy is also spoken of in Hebrews chapter 9. It says without shedding of blood there is no remission. There's no cancelling of your sin penalty without blood being shed. Hebrews chapter 9 and verse 26 says, but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. We're facing great catastrophe, but we have a great cure, the Lord Jesus Christ and his precious blood. And so verse 28 of the same chapter says, so Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many, and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation. I have it written in my notes, you have it on your text here on the corner of your building. Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world. And so great catastrophe, great cure. And so I want to point out three very simple things in bringing our service to a close. First of all, we have the availability of the blood. If you look there in verses 3 and 4, you will find there that the instructions are to the children of Israel to take a lamb. in the middle of verse three. In the 10th day of this month shall they take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for a house. And so that man, whether he was a farmer or not, or whether he was involved in carpentry or making bricks or whatever his job was, he was to get himself a lamb. It says there in verse four, if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbor next unto his house take it according to the numbering of their souls. Every man according to his eating shall make your account for the lamb. And so if there was a family that had a lamb and the family next door didn't have a lamb, they were to group together and they were to use that one lamb to cover both of their houses. There was availability for every man to have access to a lamb. What a perfect picture of the Lord Jesus Christ. we have access to the Lamb of God this evening. 2 Corinthians chapter 15 and verse 14 says that one died for all. And verse 15 says that he died for all. And so the Lord Jesus Christ went to the cross and he died for everyone. John chapter 3 verse 16, the famous word says, of how the Lord Jesus Christ died for the world. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever the extent of the love of God believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. These Hebrews, they were able to have access to a lamb. Every one of them. And tonight, we have access to the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Well, did John Wesley emphasize that all men can be saved. There's forgiveness of sin available for everyone. No matter how dark your past has been, no matter the sins that you were involved in, there is access to the Lord Jesus Christ. His blood is available for you. Secondly, there's the application of the blood. The Hebrews, the children of Israel, were given specific instructions of what they were to do with this lamb. They were to take it out from among the sheep or the goats. They were to examine it for its perfectness. Again, a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ. And after 14 days of keeping that little lamb separate, they were to take it and they were to kill it. They were to catch its blood in a basin. You'll find it described further. We didn't take time to read it, but if you read on down through the passage to verse 21, you will read of further details of what they were to do. They were to kill that lamb. They were to catch its blood in a basin. And they were to take that basin and a bunch of hyssop to the door of their dwelling. Now I understand hyssop to be something like heather or whens, which we would understand, something kind of wiry that you might have used to make a brush or something like that. But they're to take this bunch of hyssop and they were to splash that blood around the doorway of their dwelling. I can imagine the children in the home, they've just played about with this lamb in their house for the last fortnight, and that little lamb is dead. And they explain to their children that God is going to come in judgment over the land of Egypt, and when this blood is on the doorway, that angel will come past and see the blood and will pass on to the next home. And you can imagine the children saying to their daddy, daddy take that blood and apply it plenty. Make sure, make sure, make sure that the angel when he passes sees that blood applied. And so they take that hyssop and they apply that blood. And then they were instructed that when they'd applied the blood they were to stay within their dwelling. and they were to feast on the lamb that evening. Dear friends in this service this evening, there's salvation available for you, but is it applied? Is it applied to your heart and life? Because there was no point in going out and getting a lamb. There was no point in bringing that lamb into the home, making sure it was well looked after, making sure it was perfect, and shedding its blood, but not going out and putting it on the door. And the Lord Jesus Christ has shed his blood for sinful mankind like you and me. But if that blood isn't applied, then you're still in danger this evening. You must repent. You must, in faith, come and trust in the finished work of Christ on the cross. And praise God when you do come and trust him. He invites you to come and to live off him, to experience everlasting life. And just like the Hebrews sat within their dwelling and feasted on that lamb, You can have fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ as is described there in Revelation 3 verse 20. He will come in and he'll suck with you. What a wonderful privilege that is. The availability of the blood, the application of the blood, but praise God, there's assurance in the blood. Look at verse 11. And thus ye shall eat it. with your loins girted, your shoes on your feet, your staff in your hand, ye shall eat it in haste. It is the Lord's Passover. And so Moses emphasized to the people, get ready, get ready to go. And you know, someday we're going to leave this scene of time. Some glad morning, when this life is over, I'll fly away. Be ready, he said to the Hebrews. He said to them also there in verse 22, and none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning. Stay under the blood. Again, an emphasis to us, be ready to go, stay under the blood. There was no point in that blood being applied to the doorpost of the house, and then for the family to go out and dander down the street and see how everybody else's painting was getting on. They were to stay under the blood. Maybe you're in this service this evening, and there was a past time when you trusted the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior. but you've wandered far away from God, and you're no longer under the precious blood, and you no longer know its protection, then flee to the arms of the Lord Jesus Christ. Look at verse 13. And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you. When the record books are opened, And the recording angel is asked to look and see my sin. It's covered by the blood. Covered by the blood. And you know, in this chapter here, in verse 29, it says, and it came to pass, at midnight the Lord smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt. from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne, and to the firstborn of the captive that was in the dungeon, and the firstborn of all cattle. There was a midnight cry. Dear friends in the service this evening, the midnight cry may not be very far away. And sadly, you look back on eternity. And remember this meeting when you were warned to make preparation, when you knew there was the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ available, when it was stressed to you that the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ should be applied, but tonight you don't have that assurance. Well, praise God. The blood of Jesus Christ prepares me for life on earth, Prepares me for death, it prepares me for heaven. Prepares me for the mansion that he has prepared for me. The assurance in the blood, do you know that assurance tonight? When it's announced that we'll stand to sing blessed assurance, Jesus is mine, can you sing those words with assurance? Assurance in the blood. We'll praise God before this service is over tonight. you can know that blessed assurance that Jesus is indeed yours. We're going to sing our closing hymn. If you're following in the book, it's 302. Come every soul by sin oppressed. There's mercy with the Lord and he will surely give you rest by trusting in his word. We'll sing the last two verses, verse 3 and verse 4, bringing our time to a close. Verse 3 and verse 4. Stand together please.