Exodus 12: 13-24 "And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt. [14] 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 an ordinance for ever. [15] Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread; even the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses: for whosoever eateth leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel. [16] And in the first day there shall be an holy convocation, and in the seventh day there shall be an holy convocation to you; no manner of work shall be done in them, save that which every man must eat, that only may be done of you. [17] And ye shall observe the feast of unleavened bread; for in this selfsame day have I brought your armies out of the land of Egypt: therefore shall ye observe this day in your generations by an ordinance for ever. [18] In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at even, ye shall eat unleavened bread, until the one and twentieth day of the month at even. [19] Seven days shall there be no leaven found in your houses: for whosoever eateth that which is leavened, even that soul shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he be a stranger, or born in the land. [20] Ye shall eat nothing leavened; in all your habitations shall ye eat unleavened bread. [21] Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel, and said unto them, Draw out and take you a lamb according to your families, and kill the passover. [22] And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the bason, and strike the lintel and the two side posts with the blood that is in the bason; and none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning. [23] For the LORD will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the LORD will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you. [24] And ye shall observe this thing for an ordinance to thee and to thy sons for ever."

As you know, we were gone to Fayetteville, NC, to be at my little sister's wedding last Sunday. It was a beautiful service, and a wonderful time for my whole family. We didn't just go for the wedding, but we got there early enough to sit through all the rehearsals, rehearsals that seemed to go on and on for an eternity.

As I sat through a "preliminary rehearsal" the Holy Spirit began to speak to my heart about covenants. Though the centerpiece, the "core" of the wedding is the covenant vow made between man and woman, we often seem to lose sight of the core while we focus on other things. We focus on the pomp and circumstance of the wedding: Where shall we stand?, How do I look?, What do we say?. The ritual overshadows the reality if we aren't careful. The covenant vow between man and wife is the core. All else is but pretty ritual.

I can imagine our Heavenly Father looking down from Heaven, shaking His head as we practice our elegances. Can you imagine the beauty of Heaven? Imagine the streets paved with pure translucent gold. Imagine the angelic choirs singing praises to our Lord and our God, while the anointed Cherubim in all glory guard the Heavenly Throne.  To our Almighty God, bathed in glory, our pomp and rituals must seem rather childish. How dare we cover the reality with ritual? Yet it's the Bride's big day, and we want everything to be perfect.

The core of the reality of marriage is the covenant vow made between man and woman. Today, in just a little while, we will celebrate one of the sacraments of the Church, what we call "the Lord's Table". The Lord's Table, just like marriage, has often been shrouded in pomp and ritual. We want the sacrament to be exercised in just the right way, but as we focus on the ritual we often forget the reality the Table represents.

The Lord's Table actually originated when God's chosen people, Israel, were under Egyptian bondage. God called a shy man, Moses, to lead His people out of bondage and into the Promised Land (Exodus 4.12). When Moses went before Pharaoh he was made fun of, ridiculed. "Let my people go? Because of your foolish request, I'll make their lives more miserable!". Pharaoh neither knew nor cared about the God of Abraham and Isaac, nor did he believe.

So God began to smite Egypt. He brought plague after plague on Egypt, turning water to blood, bringing lice and flies, hail and locusts. Following each plague Pharaoh was given the chance to repent, yet each time he refused.

Dear brothers and sisters, God will warn, and warn, and warn. Yet finally the warnings will stop, and the true judgment will come. Just before the final judgment came, God brought darkness on the land of Egypt:

Exodus 10:21-23 "And the LORD said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even darkness which may be felt. [22]  And Moses stretched forth his hand toward heaven; and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days: [23] They saw not one another, neither rose any from his place for three days: but all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings."

Israel was God's firstborn, and Egypt held that firstborn in bondage. Pharaoh refused to let the children go, and after so many plagues finally came the darkness.

When darkness comes, the final judgment will surely follow. When darkness comes God declares that He is finished with warning. All of the plagues that hit Egypt up to this point were but light taps. The darkness emphasized that true judgment was now coming.

Just as God brought darkness on the land when our Saviour hung on the Cross, He brought a darkness you could literally feel on the land of Egypt. The harshest of punishments are now coming, yet how to separate the righteous from the wicked?

Only by the blood!

On the day of Egypt's punishment our Father established a "feast" among the Israelites, a feast of unleavened bread. This feast, also known as the Passover, was seven days long. On the first day of the feast a lamb, without spot or blemish, was killed and its blood gathered. The children took the blood and, using a bunch of hyssop, dipped the hyssop in the blood and struck the top and sides of the doorways of their homes. God told Israel:

Exodus 12.23 "For the LORD will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the LORD will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you."

The blood of an innocent lamb would be the sign that caused the Angel of Death to "pass over" the Jewish household. When the Death Angel went out over Egypt I can imagine the Israelites, all huddled in their houses, blood freshly struck on the doorways. I can imagine the cries of the Egyptians as their firstborn children died, one by one. Imagine the screams of anguish from the mothers, from the fathers who turned away from the blood. For only the blood would stay the Angel's hand.

The feast of unleavened bread, the Passover, was a ritual that God established in Israel the night of this terrible judgment. God demanded that the Jews observe this ordinance forever, throughout all their generations. On the first day of the feast they always killed a lamb, and ate of unleavened bread for seven days. Even to the time of our Lord's earthly ministry.

Matthew 26:18-19 "And he said, Go into the city to such a man, and say unto him, The Master saith, My time is at hand; I will keep the passover at thy house with my disciples. [19]  And the disciples did as Jesus had appointed them; and they made ready the passover."

Our Lord had walked the earth for three years, proclaiming the Gospel, healing the sick, showing the world that He was indeed the Messiah. Many had followed Him, greedily seeking whatever they could get for themselves out of His ministry. Yet few realized that this dear Jesus would be sacrificed for our sins, just as the Passover Lamb was sacrificed and its blood poured out for Israel in Egypt. When the disciples "made ready the passover" little did they realize that the Lamb that would die that night would be their own beloved Jesus. Yet our Lord knew, our Lord knew.

Matthew 26:26  "And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body."

Jesus tied His upcoming death and the Lord's Table to the Passover. The Lamb of God would have His body broken for us. The Lamb would be willingly slain to pay for our sins. When Jesus picked up the bread, took it in His hands, He was showing that what was coming was not being forced on Him, but that He willingly accepted the sacrifice.

When we take of the bread at the Lord's Table we are emphasizing the covenant relationship we have with our Lord. If you do not know Jesus Christ as your Saviour today, do not take of the Table. Judas sat with the disciples and took bread along with the rest, yet he killed himself later in unbelief. Unbeliever, do not partake until you believe. His Body was broken for you, but unless you have entered into covenant with Him by believing on this Saviour, your actions are fruitless - you are yet dead in your sins.

Matthew 26:27-28 "And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; [28]  For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins."

The Blood of the Lord's Table is similar to the blood of the Passover. The blood of the Passover was taken from the death of an innocent lamb, and the blood was then splashed on the lintel and door posts of the house. The Blood of the Lord's Table symbolizes the blood of our Saviour, precious blood, that ran down the ragged tree He hung from. Jesus picked up the cup, again showing that His sacrifice was voluntary. No one took His life, but He willingly gave it. When we take the cup and drink it we show that the blood of the New Testament is part of our very being. We take all of the blood, for we are saved to the uttermost because of what Jesus did for us.

If you do not know Christ as your Saviour today, do not partake of the Table. The Death Angel yet hovers near you, you will one day die and be buried in your sins. You are not in a covenant relationship with the Messiah, Jesus Christ.

Unless you believe on Him. Would our deacons and Associate Minister come forward, and sit on the front pew? The rest, close your eyes as we prepare ourselves for the Table. If you do not know Jesus Christ as your Saviour, receive Him now! Do not die in your sins, do not leave this life unjustified. If you need to confess sin before God before taking of the Table, do so right now. Make your heart right with God, for taking of the Table with unconfessed sin in your life is an abomination to God.

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