Today's readings are Exodus 12.1-28 ( http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Ex.+12.1-28 ), Hebrews 5.1-14 ( http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Heb.+5.1-14 ), Lamentations 4.1-22 ( http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lam.+4.1-22 ), and Psalm 31 ( http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Ps.+31 ).
Rejoice, Christian! The Lord has proclaimed a sacrifice, the death of a lamb, to ransom the believing family. The angel who brings destruction sees the blood already present and does not bring us to sorrow and woe. While in Exodus, God decreed an annual sacrifice, now in these last days, our Lord Jesus Christ has become the perfect lamb of God, giving himself in the place of those he came to save, the just for the unjust, dying in our place. In Christ the annual sacrifice is no more, for he has given himself once for all. In Christ we have rest from the ravages of sin and the commandments, which required us to do the work of our own hands, in obedience to God, over and over again. We have entered into the rest of the Lord who has gone before us. Indeed, our Lord and Savior has been good to us.
How far does this sacrifice, this Passover of the Lord extend? It extends to all who believe. If you are believing on Christ, walk in confidence and joy today because his blood has been seen on your doorposts. He has surely accomplished his good will in you.
What of the complaint, currently rampant among the militant atheistic community, that it doesn't make sense that God would send his Son to die in our place? Is this tantamount to divine child abuse? Not in any way. It was the good pleasure of God to create the heavens and the earth, and all that is in them, through his living Word. It was the good pleasure of Jesus Christ, the living Word of God, to come and accomplish this death, resurrection, and ascension we are soon celebrating, in order to redeem a people to himself. Simply because we don't understand the efficacy of Christ's sacrifice, simply because we don't understand the full implications of our sin and the substitutionary atonement, does not give us right or reason to proclaim it wrong. The earth is the Lord's. All the earth. Let us rejoice that he has redeemed it according to his plan and perfect will. Let us not impose our little wills and plans on the mind of God, that we would think he must obey us.
Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!
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