Not One Feeble Person — Paris Reidhead

Israel's Need for Deliverance from Egypt

The difficulty there is when there's mass migrations of moving the sick and the injured and the grippled of the problem. The Israelites out of Egypt, now they were slaves. On the banks of the river Hartsea, new disease, that disease that has affected so many millions of the world's family, Bill Hartsea, the life cycle through the snails, so debilitating, so weakening, I'm certain that the Israelites were afflicted with and malaria of the 20th century.

Shores of the banks of the Nile and the irrigated areas flooded as they were. The degree of sickness and illness and handicap and crippled conditions there were from a slave people. Now, how in the world are they going to move them out of Egypt?

Going to send the angel of death through and smite the firstborn of Egypt? And he desires to protect his people Israel. Strangely enough, up till now, in the other nine plagues, the Israelites were protected.

And they had to do nothing about it. But we're now coming to the 10th, and because of the symbolism and the typology of the 10th, Israel is involved. If they are to escape the presence of the angel that will smite the firstborn, do something about it.

It's going to be necessary on a voluntary basis to be delivered, but God specifically commands and demands of them if they are to be delivered. This requires faith. What is it? Given day, go to Egypt, and in every home where there's a firstborn son, if the father was the firstborn of his parents, he shall die.

If there's a son of that father who's the firstborn, he shall die. If that one is married and there's a grandson of the father, the firstborn, it shall die. Though all of them are going to die. In Egypt, Israelite or Egyptian, unless the Israelites was enough on God's part to protect Israel in the previous 10 plagues, but now Egypt, the Israelites, as though they are part of Egypt.

Because the scripture is absolutely clear in what it says, that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, and the Israelites are as much sinners as are the Egyptians. And as much worthy of God's judgment, the of the sentence of death.

So, God has to deal with Egypt as He will with Israel, and Israel as He will with Egypt. He can't play favorites in this point. He can't protect this people on a national basis. And so God instructs the Israelites in the plan of salvation of the firstborn.

The Passover Lamb and the Significance of the Blood

Goats are of the sheep, without spot, for a given number of days, and then on the day that is set, hyssop, the vine growing on the mud wall around the house of hyssop, and then before the blood from the lamb is plotted, while it's still fresh, as it oxidized, dip the hyssop into the blood, and go to the door post of the house, and put the blood on the side post on both sides of the door, and across the lintel.

Make certain the blood is applied. See that it's there on both sides. Oh, how precise, how specific God is. He is not going to make any distinction between an Egyptian household and an Israelite household.

He is going to look for one thing, and one thing only is their blood on the door post for a moment. Post, and slide them together. And take the lintel and tie it to the two door posts. What have you done?

You formed a cross. Down across the centuries, to the time when the Lamb of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, is going to be lifted up upon it. And so there, in Israel, God introduces the cross and the necessity of blood.

Blood that is applied from a submissive mind, and from a willing heart. In this exercise of the instructions for the Passover, faith. In Hebrews 11 .28, Through faith Moses kept the Passover, and the sprinkling of blood, lest that he that destroyed the first day, He's looking down across the centuries.

To what degree Moses or the people of Israel, at that time, knew about the One who was to come, the Lord Jesus Christ. There's no way that I can say that it was at this degree, or that degree of insight and perception.

But I do know this, that it was through faith, that Moses kept the Passover. Through faith. That if he did as God commanded, God would do as He had promised. Romans 16 .26, We are told that through the obedience of faith.

There always has to be two things in faith. There has to be truth, and there has to be obedience. Truth and obedience. These two things, always just with truth. Because you believe what's in the scripture to be true, cannot be obedience.

For instance, had the Israelitish father sat there in the courtyard, when the message came through, from the tribal leaders, now on this night, you are to put the blood from the lamb you kill, on the door post, and the angel of death, seeing that blood, will let your firstborn go through.

Now had the father sat there with the tribe, and not obeyed, the firstborn in the family would have died. He had to have truth, but he also had to have obedience. Trust and obey, has never been improved upon.

Christ Our Passover and Deliverance from Sin

When looking back, that the Passover was indeed, in 1 Corinthians 5, in verse 7, for even Christ, our Passover, is sacrificed with salvation. God is always primarily concerned about deliverance from sin.

And always takes the first place. But there's always another problem. Remember I talked to you about the sick, and the weak and feeble, and the crippled and handicapped. Cut the blood and apply the blood, then you take, without cutting, just to draw the insides from it, then you put it over the fire.

Now the only way you can put a whole lamb over the fire, is to prepare a spit. And the spit consists of a rod, run through the neck, sufficiently strong to support, the weight of the animal, as it would be turned over the fire.

But you see, the cavity of the chest, has to be open. There has to be something to keep the body apart, so that the heat can get inside. And so, there's a cross piece that's put in, that spreads the two hind, I've seen it done many times, we've done it on trek, with gazelle, with antelope, and seen it done so many times in Africa.

As the animal is put on a cross, a long rod through it, resting in a fork stick, a short rod across it to spread it, and then it's slowly turned over the fire, so that it can roast. Now he said, don't touch the knife to it above that, that you've outlined, and he said, don't cook it in water.

It's got to be roasted over the fire. Why? Because it's a picture of Christ. Whom the fire of God's wrath was to fall, to vindicate His holiness, justify His law, and make possible, that God could be just, and the justifier of them, that would believe on Jesus.

And then, he previously said, gather so that there's just enough meat, from the lamb, for the people that are present to eat it. If you have a small family of three people, bring in your neighbor, so that you count according to the eating capacity, of the individuals, because it's so important, that none of the meat be left, and should there be any of it left, next morning, leave it not for those.

I don't know why. Someone suggested, perhaps because if it had, it would have spoiled the type, or else the Egyptians might have gotten, what they didn't deserve. But now, I want you to notice what happened.

This is the description. The roasting of the lamb, the people are to put on their sandals, put on their robe, and take their staff, and with their knives, cut the meat, and eat it, as though they were to get away.

Joshua's Hopelessness and Resistance to God's Deliverance

And they are at home, it's enough to let us see it. This home is the home, where there's a young man, for want of a better name, we'll call him Joshua. Familiar name, in the Egypt of the time, a slave.

And he was not used, in the making of bricks, though he was, but because of his ability, he was taken to, on some of the buildings. And they built these large buildings, and they rolled the granite up, inclines of sand, adding to it, and widening it.

The incline got the higher ropes on, to pull, and others with levers to push. But the whole idea was, to get that block on rollers, and there had to be agile young men, close enough, so the block wouldn't dip, what Joshua did.

And he, as the block slid over, rolled over it, but there was one of the men, and then two, and then three, on the rope on the right, that stumbled. They stumbled, or the men that were holding the block, lost their grip, and the blocks scraped the muscle, and it broke the bone.

And now, he's down in Lower Egypt, near Luxor, his home. He's been taken down there. And he's in the home. He's staying there. He can't get around. He's got a crutch. He can hobble a little, but his leg is atrophied.

He can't do anything. He's a hopeless cripple, wishing he were dead, because he's just a drain on the family. He can do some things with his hands, but can't walk. And now he's gone. Israel is leaving Egypt.

God's going to deliver. You can say, oh, isn't it wonderful, Joshua? Moses has sent instructions so the firstborn of Israel won't have to die this afternoon. We want you to see. We're going to kill the Lamb, and we're going to sprinkle the blood on the doorposts.

When the angel of death goes through, you'll be saved. He looks at them through weary eyes. Why save me? I must remain behind. I'd rather die than continue here a slave. How can I leave? What can I do?

I'm not interested in the sacrifice. I'm not interested in the blood on the doorposts. It makes no difference to me. We pay no attention to this. They're standing by as the Lamb is, as its throat cut and the blood pumps into the little basin.

And as the head of the house takes the hyssop and sprinkles it, he said, go bring Joshua so he can see. Don't bother bringing me. Now, you come, the father said, and they pick up the little angereb which is made of sticks and a rectangle with four posts and woven rope on it, grass rope, and they carry him out.

See? What difference? And then he says, Mother, what's that you've got? Well, that's your... What's that? Well, that's your rod to your sandals. What's this foolish? It's foolish for you to do that. To put your sandals on and put your cloak on and you're to take your rod and your...

That's foolish. Look, I'm a hopeless cripple. No need for that. I told you this is all ridiculous. But Moses told us what to do. Understand why. We don't know what it means, but we're going to do exactly what Moses said and whether you like it or not, you are going to have these sandals tied around your feet.

Now, hold your feet still while I put the sandals. Well, it's foolish. Foolish it may be, but we will obey. And so the father was put on one foot and tied around his ankle and then on the other. And then he says, Now, we're going to sit you up and put this cloak on.

Ah, it's all ridiculous. Nothing's going to happen to me. Why should you do that? Ridiculous it may be, but you're still going to do it. Sit there. So the cloak is put around his shoulder. Here's your staff.

Use that as you would a crutch. Lean on your staff. One hand will hold you. Sit standing and you're going to stand. Ah, this is all such nonsense. Be it nonsense or not, we're going to obey what God's Word says.

Faith, Obedience, and the Healing of Joshua

And so the father goes to the lamb and takes his knife and carves a piece just the size his son can have. And he takes a bite. Here, son, you eat it first. Why is it? And he takes a bite. He said, Well, that is good.

I'm hungrier than I thought. And he consumes the piece. And then he said, By Father, I'd have another piece. And by this time they're all eating. After a moment, he says, You know, the strangest thing has happened.

I've never felt anything from my hip down in this leg since the day of the accident, but I feel a tingling, a burning. Something's happening. I've never had any, but I can feel a tingling. Can I have some more meat, Father?

And he eats another piece. And he says, Father, look! I can wiggle my toe! I've never been able to wiggle it. It's moved! He has another piece of meat. And he says, The muscle's coming on my leg! It's bigger!

I put the staff in my other hand. Just take the staff, Father. I can stand! I can step. I just gush out. Eyes that have been dry so long since the day of the accident. As he walks. And what's happening to him?

In the next compound, behind the walls, the blind lady is now seeing. And the spastic child is now strong, and the feeble are standing. He can say, There was not one feeble person. Was no, and have a stretcher core.

One sick, weak, or feeble person among all their tribe. He sent them forth with silver and gold, and he did, for it's what the Egyptian neighbors gave them to get rid of them that they used for the tabernacle.

If that is true, and it is, it is equally true that when that night, when they left, not one sick person that fled from Egypt. Centuries later, millennia later, the Lord Jesus Christ gathers at that Passover in the upper room, and He took bread, and He said, Take, eat, and repent of your sins.

Salvation from sin is always through the shed blood, but healing and strength. For there are two blessings from God. One is the blessing of healing, and the other is the blessing of health. And both come.

This is my body, which is given person in all. Not one crippled person. Not one feeble person. That's a testimony of the Word of God. That's a testimony to our hearts today. He is the same yesterday, today.

How marvelous it is to think there was not one feeble person that same night in which he was betrayed. Every blessing we have other than utter and immediate judgment from God is on the basis of the atonement of Christ.

When God puts into that death as He has here in Exodus, let that man beware who would take from us. How marvelous it is that we can ask and believe and expect to receive both healing when it's needed and health when we stand on provisions as we seek to solve the problem.

The Passover as a Pattern for Christian Consecration

Let us stand together. As Israel stood with sandals on their feet, their coats upon their back, and their staff in their hand, and did eat, so might we in this closing moment see that Lamb there in the courtyard and Israel over there has done its work.

As Israel ate, so may we. As the fire penetrated and prepared the flesh to be food, so did the Lord Jesus Christ on Calvary's cross. Life of our life. Strength of our life. He not only shed His blood for the remission of our sins, but He gave His body to those nine agonizing hours from six in the morning until three in the afternoon, suspended over the fire of God's wrath against sin and Satan's wrath against God, that He might redeem us from the curse of the law, that He might become our Healer, Father of Jesus.

Prayer for Faith, Healing, and Spiritual Deliverance

Let Thy Word find its way into our hearts this day, and let its truth explode within us. And even now as we are standing before Thee, might it be that where there is need for that need, and some now just reach out, take as it were from Him that health, that healing, that strength that they need, that we can show to our day and to our generation, to our neighbors and our friends that Jesus Christ is alive from the dead, that He's mighty to save, that He's strong to deliver, that our weapons are not just fleshly and carnal, but mighty to the tearing down of strongholds.

Let each of us as we go, go realizing that Thou has given to Him all authority in heaven and in earth, that we may have the courage or need whom we meet and know about Him who is able to meet their need.

This time together, let each of us touch Him.

Who is so present among us. We ask in His worthy name. As we remain standing,. 178. Now this will not necessarily be a real familiar song to you. This happens to be a hymnal of the Christian Mystery Alliance, and as a result, it has some of A .B. Simpson's songs in it.

And as Pam plays for us, we will gather the tune, and then we will be able to sing together, and I think you will find much message to confirm what we've already heard by the spoken word today. Thus salvation, by His stripes we may be healed.

Verse 3,. Sacred is the best atoned, by the Holy Spirit sealed. Jesus lay His hands upon us, by Thy stripes we may be healed. Verse 4 together,.

I may not have done so well to sing that, but the message is there, and I trust that we apply.

Closing Prayer for Faithful Christian Living

Heavenly Father, we don't understand all the things concerning healing or salvation, or why You even care for us at all. But we thank You that as we learn to walk with You, we thank You for those who've gone on before, the examples how You have worked, as Moses led the people out, as You've seen fit, as You walked upon the course of this earth, Jesus, to touch people.

We think of Dr. Simpson this day as we've sung his hymn, this one whom You used to give this truth. We thank You again this day for the one who broke Your word to us to remind us that You still are the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Help us by faith to appropriate that which we need this day, and bless us as we are scattered. May we only be those kind of people that bring honor and glory to Your name, in Jesus' name.