Moses' Ten Steps to Freedom [Part 2]

Pastor, author, and Bible teacher, Allen Wright. I love to pray. We ought to pray more. I love to read the Bible. We ought to read the Bible more. I love all the spiritual discipline.

I love all of this. But you notice here, God doesn't say to the people, now you need to pray for three hours, fast all day, and recite these sayings or prayers. There was no religious mumbo jumbo in this.

It's just simple. The blood of the Lamb over the gate. That's Pastor Alan Wright. Welcome to another message of good news that will help you see your life in a whole new light. I'm Daniel Britt, excited for you to hear the teaching today in our series called Moses, as presented at Reynolda Church in North Carolina.

As you listen to today's message, we encourage you to go deeper as we send you today's special offer. Contact us at pastorallen.org. That's pastorallen.org. Or call 877-544-4860.

That's 877-544-4860. More on this later in the program. But now, let's get started with today's teaching.

Here is Allen Wright. Now you can do a lot of things to try to get your lamb. A lot of people try to turn somebody in their family into their lamb. Make a scapegoat out of them. Instead of looking at your own problems, try to shift it to somebody else.

You can try it by kicking your dog. You can talk about some other race of people. You can try to find others, but none of those will be a sufficient lamb for you. Because here is the next point, point number four. They not only had to pick out a lamb, they had to make sure that their lamb was unblemished. What I'm saying to you is if you want to be saved, if you want to be delivered, you need to get a lamb and you need to get an unblemished lamb. Because if you get somebody just as blemished as you are, then what good is that?

What payment could be made in that sense? They had to get a lamb that didn't have blemish. Later on we would learn that priests would examine even the eyelids of the lamb. And here's the beautiful thing about it, is that what mattered therefore was the unblemished nature of the lamb, not the unblemished nature of the worshiper. Number five, they had to apply the blood of the lamb.

This is the moment of faith. They got a word from God and they put the blood over the door. You got to be so foolish, every Hebrew so foolish to think that the blood of a lamb would sufficiently protect them from the most dangerous night in history. The blood of a lamb, really? Because God said so, we're going to believe it and we're going to put the blood over the doorpost, trusting in that blood as a sign to us that's reminding us we're not going to be destroyed.

As a sign to the destroyer that you cannot go past this bloodline. That there is something that has been spoken by God and He said wherever there's the blood of the lamb, in that house people will be saved. And God will not violate His word and therefore the blood was going to be honored. Can you imagine if the people of God on that night in Egypt could feel secure just because they had slaughtered a little lamb and put its little mortal blood over their doorpost. How much more does God want us to be secure in the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ as the writer of Hebrews says who has gone into the heavenly sprinkling his own blood on our behalf so that everything has changed for us forever and forever. You Christians when you accept Christ are under the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ and nothing can change that. Those Hebrews might have well been dancing and singing and popping popcorn and playing Monopoly that night. No harm no plague would befall them because the blood of Jesus didn't have anything to do with them had everything to do with the blood and if that's the case for them in a literal sense how much more for us in a spiritual sense are you safe. There's a bloodline around your life and greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world if God is for us who could be against us.

The blood of Jesus. Point number six I got to go fast I got 20 points point number six had to stay in their houses. This is important.

Do not go out of your house even for 10 seconds. Why? Because in the first place this is indicating that the Egyptians and the Hebrews were really no different. This is about being under the blood and if one of these Hebrew families or even the patriarch of the family went outside uncovered by the blood then you would be attempting to fight against the destroyer on your own strength and by your own flesh and you'd never be able to succeed.

In other words the only time the Lord was saying that you're going to be vulnerable is when you're trying to face the darkness by your own strength rather than by the blood. Number seven they had to eat the lamb. The one that paid the penalty for you that substituted for you is also going to nourish you. Instruction was eat the whole lamb you can't just choose part of it. You need to take the benefit of this and eat this lamb that has been roasted.

You see the gospel is a proclamation not just that Jesus died in your place so you didn't have to die but that the one who died for you comes to live inside of you. You eat the bread of life. You take him in. He nourishes you. He strengthens you for the journey. He is within you.

Christ in you. Number eight they were told they had to be ready to go. They had to have their sandals on their feet the staff in the hand because God wanted them to be expectant that the substitution that this lamb and the shed blood would be effective. They need to be expectant that they would leave their slavery expectant that God's word would prevail and would not fall empty to the ground nor return to him void.

They were symbolizing this by having no leaven in their bread no time for bread to rise because when God opens up the door of deliverance walk on through. Get ready. Get ready. Get ready. You know that's how God really is.

His joy for us for us to live not with a sense of what bad things going to happen next but to live with a sense of what's God going to do next. I'm ready. Number nine they had to plunder the Egyptians. This is really pretty amazing. God given them instructions that you had to be ready to ask the Egyptians for their gold and silver jewelry. So this horrible night has taken place all these plagues and then Pharaoh is going to come and say leave leave go quickly. And God said now when they're wanting to get rid of you I want you to go say I could I have that gold necklace of yours there.

Could I have that silver ring of yours right there and the people are going to say here take it take it take it take it just leave just leave. But here take all of our things and take some of our livestock and just you know go with it. Why is God doing this? Well one thing he wanted to finance their journey. But secondly I think God wanted them right off the bat to quit thinking like slaves and start thinking like owners. They hadn't owned anything.

They hadn't been heirs to anything. And God has given them a natural picture of a spiritual reality that you're actually my people and I have a promise for you and a promised land for you. And so I want you to be able to not only escape from your bondage but I want you to live. I want you to live well.

I want life to go well for you. Number 10 they had to tell their children about it over and over and over and never forget it. For this to be effective for you and the future the Lord was saying I'm going to institute the Passover as a feast. And later Christ come and gives us communion and you are to do this the Lord is saying in remembrance of me because when you remember you reactivate all of this grace. I was talking to somebody in the family recently we were talking about a great trip we had about five years ago out west. And it was just I mean it was just a trip of a lifetime and we got to talking about it and we just started telling stories. Well what about the time when such and such happened you know and what about you remember seeing the Grand Canyon and how incredible that was. And you know you sit around and talk about this for about 20 minutes or so and what do you feel? You're just like I feel happy all over again like I've just taken the trip again.

You know what I'm saying just even a happy memory if you talk about it some more you'll feel better. Well this is the spiritual principle how much more so when you think and talk about what God has done for you. This is the power of our testimony and so what he is saying is the Passover is something you're going to keep acting it out and reliving it. You're going to teach your children and your children's children. You're going to eat this lamb. You're going to remember about the lamb that was the substitute for them. You're going to taste the bitter herbs.

You're going to remember the bitterness of slavery. You're going to keep telling these stories because it's going to change your life to live with the ongoing consciousness of the mercies of God in your behalf. If you want your faith to grow and your life to be filled with increasing joy and peace think much of what God has done for you and Jesus Christ. Find every way possible to think on these things to soak in his word to receive from God by telling the stories by living the stories by worshipping and telling the stories. All of this is part of the reenactment of the gospel of Jesus Christ. That's 10 things. There you go. 10 steps to super easy, supercalifragilisticexpialidociously easy steps to spiritual freedom.

And a matter of fact, all joking aside, that really is the way it is for us spiritually now. Let me tell you though what's not in the list because the even better news is what you notice is not in the list the things that they are not required to do. Number one, are you surprised? They didn't have to understand everything about what was going on.

In fact, they probably didn't know much was going on. Why in the world a lamb and a blood over the door? Children saying, Daddy, why are we doing this? I don't really know. Son, the Lord told us to do this. That's Alan Wright and we'll have more teaching in a moment from today's important series. Ever feel like something's holding you back as if you lack an important key that could change everything?

Is there someone you love who seems stuck? You'd like to help them. But how?

What's missing? Blessing. We all need a positive faith filled vision spoken over our lives. You can learn how to embrace the biblical practice of blessing through Pastor Alan Wright's new book, The Power to Bless, which quickly became an Amazon number one bestseller after its recent release.

Until now, the hardcover book has only been available through retail sales. But this month, Alan Wright Ministries wants to send you the book as our thank you for your donation. Make your gift today and discover the power to bless. The gospel is shared when you give to Alan Wright Ministries. This broadcast is only possible because of listener financial support. When you give today, we will send you today's special offer. We are happy to send this to you as our thanks from Alan Wright Ministries. Call us at 877-544-4860.

That's 877-544-4860. Or come to our website, PastorAlan.org. Today's teaching now continues.

Here once again is Alan Wright. You don't have to understand everything that's going on. There could have been young and old, but they were saved if they were under that blood. Sometimes people think, well, the reason I just don't have much spiritual freedom, much spiritual joy in my life is because I just don't understand everything in the Bible.

I don't understand. The key to their salvation is like unto ours. It is a simple childlike faith. They didn't have to understand everything. Number two, they didn't have to do it on their own. In fact, the whole deal was done in community.

It was not an individual enterprise. You would eat the lamb together as a family or with friends under the same house. There never has been this Western individualistic mentality in the Bible about it's just about me and Jesus, and I've got to face the evil. No, it's all about community. There's a body in the body of Christ, and you are a part of it as a spiritual family.

You are not alone. Society tends to isolate us, but in the church of Jesus Christ, we are connected and integrated. Number three, they did not have to present themselves as unblemished. They had to present a lamb that was unblemished. You see, when a worshiper would come to the temple on Passover and bring their lamb, the priest, the religious authorities didn't inspect the worshiper who was bringing the lamb.

They'd get down and start inspecting the lamb. The question is, is your sacrifice spotless? Not are you spotless? And the whole joy of the Christian life is in discovering that we are not being examined by God. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, examined by the Father and found to be without blemish is the perfect sacrifice once and for all. And so whenever you're up against the accuser's voice and making you feel condemned and you feel like you don't have much faith, you just got to remember it's not about whether you have been good or bad. It's about Jesus and His righteousness and you have been merited with the righteousness of Jesus even though you never accomplished it on your own. You don't have to present yourself as unblemished.

You have an unblemished lamb. Number five, they didn't have to do any religious things. Didn't even have to pray a certain amount of time. I love to pray. We ought to pray more. I love to read the Bible. We ought to read the Bible more. I love all the spiritual discipline.

I love all of this. But you notice here, God doesn't say to the people, now you need to pray for three hours, fast all day, and recite these sayings or prayers. There was no religious mumbo jumbo in this.

It's just simple. The blood of the lamb over the door. Number six, what they didn't have to do, no penance. Penance is where you do something to make amends for your wrongdoing to get yourself back in good graces with God. Do a certain amount of this and you're back in good graces with God. They didn't have to make up for all their wrong.

They didn't have a lot of good deeds that they had to do real quickly. Does God have good deeds for you to do? Absolutely. He created good works for you from the foundation of the world that you're going to do in your life and He loves that.

Absolutely. If we have a faith that's not accompanied by action, then James says that faith is dead. All of that is true, but I just want you to see that for the saving, delivering power of God to take place at the Passover is the same for us, is there was no list of like you've been bad and therefore you need to take these steps in order to make yourself acceptable to God. A people that were not acceptable to God, a people who had no power to God, they were liberated by the blood of the lamb. Number seven, they didn't have to punish themselves. They didn't have to shed their own blood. They might have been the ones who deserved death, but they didn't have to beat themselves. They didn't have to whip themselves. They didn't have to sacrifice themselves or their children or prove how remorseful they were. They didn't have to lie on an altar and cry for three hours. They didn't have to cut themselves. They didn't have to talk bad about themselves. They didn't have to show a certain amount of remorse. It wasn't about that. Let me just tell you, there are times in your life where you're going to have remorse over your sin and you're going to just want to be before God on your face and just say, God, I'm just so sorry and there's just a cleansing that can take place with that and all of that can be fine.

But I just want you to understand the good news of the gospel is that you are set free not by your penance and not by punishing yourself and going around calling yourself a miserable old wretch and a terrible old sinner and all that is not doing anything for anybody and it's certainly not moving God. God is moved by the blood of the lamb. Number eight, they didn't have to be strong and fight the Egyptians.

It had nothing to do with their strength. Number nine, they didn't have to die. The lamb had to die. And number ten, because they were going to live, they didn't have to worry about dying. They didn't have to worry about anything because the fact of the matter is that if they had a great revelation of what God was going to do and saw that in the blood of the lamb there was wonder-working power that the destroyer could not go past the blood of the lamb because of the edict from God's own mouth that this is the way it will be. He is saying, I am going to look upon it as if you had died but it really was a lamb and every household therefore there's going to be either a dead child or a dead lamb and you are the ones that have the revelation of this and therefore you can be secure in it. You can just not worry about it.

Just have the time of your life because tonight is the night that you go free. And this is the Christian life. This is the abundant Christian life.

This is incredible. If I didn't believe the Bible but I read the Passover story and then read the Gospels and knew that this had happened over a period of thousands of years in different pens at different times I would just have to say as a student of literature this is impossible that this could be because do you know the day that Jesus came riding into Jerusalem on a donkey? It was the tenth day of Nisan. Do you know the day in which Jesus hung upon the cross and shed his blood?

It was the fourteenth day of Nisan. And did you know that the day after the Feast of Unleavened Bread had commenced which would be on the following Sunday that there was a part of the Passover called the Feast of the First Fruits and they would come out and wave a sheaf of the first grain as a thank offering unto the Lord and say this is the first fruits of many to come that on that day Jesus was raised from the dead as the first fruits of all creation the firstborn of many sons and daughters. It is all for this reason that John when he first saw Jesus he said look it's the lamb of God. It's our Passover lamb. For the night in which he was betrayed they had gathered to celebrate the Passover and Jesus was the presider and if you read the stories you will notice that they had the unleavened bread, they had the wine, they would have had the bitter herbs but there's no mention of a lamb. Somebody must have said Master where's the lamb? And Jesus broke the bread and he said this is my body.

The Passover was just a shadow. The way that people got out of physical slavery was just pointing you to how it is that you become free spiritually. You become spiritually free by the revelation of Jesus Christ. He is your Passover lamb and that's the gospel.

Allen Wright. In today's teaching, Moses' 10 Steps to Freedom. Unlock the power of blessing your life. Discover God's grace-filled vision for your life by signing up for Allen Wright's free daily blessing. If you want to fill your heart with grace and encouragement get Allen Wright's daily blessing.

It's free and just a click away at pastorallen.org. Ever feel like something's holding you back? Even if you lack an important key that could change everything?

Is there someone you love who seems stuck? You'd like to help them but how? What's missing? Blessing. We all need a positive faith-filled vision spoken over our lives. You can learn how to embrace the biblical practice of blessing through Pastor Alan Wright's new book, The Power to Bless, which quickly became an Amazon number one bestseller after its recent release. The free cover book has only been available through retail sales but this month, Allen Wright Ministries wants to send you the book as our thank you for your donation. Make your gift today and discover the power to bless. The gospel is shared when you give to Allen Wright Ministries. This broadcast is only possible because of listener financial support.

When you give today, we will send you today's special offer. We are happy to send this to you as our thanks from Allen Wright Ministries. Call us at 877-544-4860.

That's 877-544-4860. Or come to our website, pastorallen.org. So are you saying that all these steps, even looking back at the Passover now, is reflected in one, maybe one step Allen, one step and that is Jesus run to him.

It's covered under his blood. You know, when people want to know, Daniel, what do I need to do? All those steps really have to do in one way or another with accepting the amazing love of God for you. And in many ways, it's the hardest thing you can ever do, is to accept that your salvation comes not by your merit but simply by the grace of God.

Because that really compels you into a life of trust, a life of deep and messy ongoing trust of God. So the lesson from the Passover, yeah, there was something for Moses and the people to do, but what was more important than what they did was what they didn't do. They didn't have to die. The Lamb did. And through the blood of the Lamb, they were set free. If you really wanted to have freedom through the Passover, these are all things that would have to come together.

You'd have to decide you don't want to be a slave. You had to listen to the word of the Lord. You've got to get a lamb.

You've got to pick out one that's unblemished. You've got to get the blood of the Lamb. You've got to stay in your house. You've got to eat the Lamb. You've got to be ready to go. You've got to plunder the Egyptians and you had to tell it to your children over and over.

So there you go. In ten seconds, there's the ten steps. But actually, it's deep. It's rich. And also, as we continue this message tomorrow, we're going to be exploring as well the ten steps that they didn't have to take. What are the things that God has done that we could never do? So a rich message from the Passover.