Consecration of the Firstborn

Well this morning we are back in full swing as we press forward with The Exodus narrative and of course, we're getting to the

Exodus proper We're in these next several weeks looking at how God will finally bring his people out of the grasp of Pharaoh at that last

Impasse between the Red Sea and the army of Pharaoh. We're not quite there yet, but we are beginning chapter 13

And this morning we're looking at verses 1 & 2 as well as 11 through 16

Where God gives a command and instructions about the firstborn so beginning in Exodus 13 1 & 2

Then the Lord spoke to Moses saying Consecrate to me all the firstborn

Whatever opens the womb among the children of Israel both of man and beast it is mine

With these verses we come to an entirely new concept in the biblical storyline. We have not seen consecration in this way before here the

Lord says Whatever opens the womb among the Israelites whether of man or of their own cattle their own animals

That belongs to the Lord. He says it is mine So consecrate it to the

Lord. That's the command in other words set it apart That's what consecration means very similar to sanctification as we'll see later on this morning to be set apart especially for some sacred purpose or devotion and so this fundamental idea of Dedicating devoting or setting apart unto the

Lord the firstborn and we come again to this in verses 11 through 16 Now verses 3 through 10 we considered

Some I think it was last month in chapters 12 verse 14 through 20 with the feast of unleavened bread

So we included those verses with our discussion of that feast. We're not going to have any time to look at verses 3 through 10

However, it's important to recognize the flow Again, God is not only drawing his people through the

Passover and Exodus But he's also commanding them with how they will remember this ever after and so these instructions are part of this whole

Complex of maintaining the Passover and keeping the feast and the feast of unleavened bread

We said is how Paul describes the the Christians need to not have the

Leavened bread of malice and wickedness, but the unleavened bread of sincerity and truths we spoke about this larger picture of purity of mortification as part of our

Sanctification in the Lord and that of course is after the justifying event of the

Passover Christians of all ages are saved through the blood of the Lamb and therefore they keep the feast in sincerity and truth sanctification flows out of justification but getting back to this law of the firstborn verse 11 and It shall be when the

Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites as he swore to you and your fathers and gives it to you that you shall

Set apart again the language of consecration set apart to the Lord all that opened the womb that is

Every firstborn that comes from an animal which you have the males Shall be the

Lord's So we have the command repeated It's an elaboration of verses 1 & 2 set apart to the

Lord all that opened the womb The wordings not clear in verses 1 & 2 this could speak of male or female

But by the time we get to verse 13, it becomes clear that males are in view for the firstborn law

Why would that be? Well males would be representative of their future households Representative therefore of the next generation of the

Israelites even as the male offspring of the the beasts of the earth and the cattle of the

Israelites would represent that next generation the seminal fruit of the former generation

So we have this idea of belonging to the Lord Requiring a being set apart or a devotedness to the

Lord just as he set aside Set apart or consecrated the seventh day just as he set apart set aside or consecrated the tabernacle just as he set aside or set apart or Consecrated the tribe of Levi you see this again throughout the unfolding narrative in Exodus Most of this concept is the bedrock the soil of Leviticus this idea of what is rendered

Separate unto the Lord that which is holy unto the Lord Here this law of the firstborn applies to both man and beast and we have that more clearly in verse 13

Perhaps a confusing verse can't imagine too many people if you were looking at this passage ahead of time said

Oh, yes, verse 13. That's the real heartbeat for me of this passage Every firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb and if you will not redeem it, then you shall break its neck

And all the firstborn of man among your sons you shall redeem

So here's verse 13 and we have a real elaboration of the principle of the law of the firstborn notice

All of the firstborn whether man or beast belong to the Lord, but here we have this elaborate

Principle there is a distinction that is made between the sons of Israel and the beasts But every firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb and If you shall not redeem it, then you shall break its neck

But we should say rather than and all the firstborn of man among your sons

You shall redeem So the principle is made clear in verse 15 later on Therefore the the

Israelite father would say to his son. I sacrifice to the Lord all the males that open the womb

All right. There's your your biggest title your biggest umbrella for this law. I sacrifice to the

Lord all males that open the womb, however All the firstborn of my sons

I redeem So all are sacrificed But the sons are redeemed and then we have this elaboration.

Well, what about a donkey? In other words, what about an unclean animal because donkeys are rendered?

Unclean ritually impure they are not allowed to be offered unto the Lord Well, nevertheless they belong to the

Lord and so you either redeem them as well just like the sons or you must kill them and The idea is you kill them by the breaking of the neck

You wouldn't want to even kill them in a way that shows some intent or some possibility of them being

Sacrificed they must not be sacrificed So like the male sons

These unclean animals belong to the Lord and yes They either are killed or they are redeemed

And we see the logic of the law of the firstborn all the males that open the womb

They belong to me and they must be given to me. They must be sacrificed to me

However, the Lord will not allow the sons of men to be sacrificed So they must be redeemed and that's the law all the firstborn of my sons

I redeem why verse 13 all the firstborn of man among your sons you shall redeem

So it's a token sacrifice that comes by way of redemption by the way

Spurgeon drew a wonderful message if you are prone like I am to read a

Spurgeon sermon at least weekly This would be a great one to look up.

It's it's one of the few messages he preached out of Exodus 13 But he had a wonderful gospel focused evangelistic sermon all from this text about the unclean donkey to me

That's just a total flex. That's just Spurgeon just being like give me anything I'll make a gospel message out of it, but in party he draws out this beautiful point

God could not receive the donkey because it was unclean, but still it belonged to the God for all of that God's claim extends to all the firstborn clean or unclean and that claim is maintained sinner

You cannot serve God You're too sinful. Your heart is too evil your service too impure but still

God claims You for a perfectly holy life and that claim has not ceased it has not lost its power

God's law does not change though. You have been changed you see God's claim upon fallen man has not changed

And this is the gospel which we've we have to preach to you every time we stand before you namely this

Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God who's offered as a substitute for the ungodly the unclean the unacceptable

That we might not die Christ died that we might not be cursed Jesus was cursed and hung upon a tree that we might be received

He was rejected that we might be approved. He was despised that we might live forever He bowed his head and gave up his breath

And then Spurgeon says if any man wants to understand theology, he better begin here This is the first this is the main point

And in some ways that's a lot like what Moses is saying To the people if you want to understand the theology of the

Passover, you better begin here With the redemption with the substitute life redeemed by way of the

Lamb So once more we see this intent not only for the event to be remembered but to be

Instructive there is a didactic content to the memorial in other words

It's intended to teach more than just to remember what God had done

Exodus 13 beginning in verse 14 So it shall be when your son asks you in time to come saying what is this?

This theme that we've seen throughout these past two chapters your son will ask and this is what you'll say

By strength of hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt out of the house of bondage and it came to pass when

Pharaoh was Stubborn about letting the people go that the Lord killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt Both the firstborn of man and the firstborn of beast

Therefore I sacrifice to the Lord all males that open the womb but all the firstborn of my sons

I redeem you see my son the father would say You should have died that night if you were there

But God spared you by the blood of the Lamb all the firstborn belonged to him and must be given to him

But just like he redeemed the sons on that night, so I redeem all of my sons

The Passover theology of sacrifice and devotion unto the

Lord this he says it shall be as a sign as a frontlet as a

Testimony a visible perhaps testimony Egyptians were known to wear Amulets a papyri often with certain inscriptions rolled up and worn whether as an armband

Or something perhaps around the neck We know of the Teflon that the Jews wore the phylacteries that Jesus spoke of that the

Pharisees were so fond of this May well have been a physical aspect to this command.

It shall be as a sign I think that's the right way to understand it as a sign, but they actually made it quite literally a sign something worn like a frontlet became an actual frontlet between your eyes for By strength of hand the

Lord brought us out of Egypt in other words never forget this saving event

Never cease to not only remember But to walk in such a way

That your whole life Corresponds to that saving activity of God you have so been

Consecrated to the Lord the whole event of Passover then is rehearsed

With every first birth among the Israelites every time a little boy or an animal is born

As soon as something opens the womb among the Israelites. The Passover is Rehearsed it's brought to remembrance now importantly

God's claim on the firstborn is not here connected with his General lordship over all creation to any commentators.

I think make the mistake Terence Fretheim in his commentary is a classic example of Drawing creation theology into the chapter here

Of course if you're talking about firstborn if you're talking about birth and God's right or God's claim

You're naturally thinking about God as creator. There's certainly good truth there God has a claim on all that he has made because he has made it

He is the creator. Therefore all things are for him and unto him We don't deny that for a moment

But notice that creation is never appealed to in a logic of chapter 13 God's claim on the firstborn is not here connected with his lordship over creation or the fact that he is man's creator

As we see in these verses instead it's based on the fact that God had already set apart to himself

The sons of Israel as his firstborn in other words the whole people of Israel have already been described as the firstborn son of God and that is why he spared them and yet struck the firstborn of Egypt Do you remember this from chapter 4 verse 22 this you shall say to Pharaoh thus says the

Lord Israel is my son My firstborn, right if you don't let my firstborn son go then

I will kill your firstborn son so God makes a distinction between this son that he has adopted his people

Israel and the son of Pharaoh the people of Egypt It's the same thing we see in numbers eight.

It's not connected to creation But rather to redemption in other words, and here's the main point in other words

It is not because the Israelites were delivered it is not because they were adopted and and claimed

That God delivered them No, no. No, it's not because they were delivered that he adopted them.

No, it's because they were his own that he delivered them very important point

It's not because he delivered them that he says well, I guess I I guess now you're my son I guess I'll adopt you now.

No, no. No, it's the other way around He delivered them because he had already adopted them.

They were already his firstborn son Therefore he delivered them And so naturally this sets them apart unto

God if that was already the case prior to the Passover How much infinitely more after the fact and that's the logic of redemption

Intensifying the claim that God has on the life But also giving the ethical motivation for us to consecrate ourselves unto the

Lord as we'll see in application So Desmond Alexander who has a tremendous rather technical but a tremendous commentary.

It's been very helpful in my own understanding And he spends some time elaborating this idea of redemption going hand -in -hand

With consecration because of the nature of the Passover and so Desmond Alexander in his

Apollos series Commentary on Exodus. He says this God God's remarks regarding the firstborn underline a connection between being holy and Belonging to God.

Okay being holy and Belonging to God both must go together all right

God's remarks regarding the firstborn underline a strong connection between being holy and Belonging to God both go together

Anything that belongs to God moreover must be dedicated to his service if it belongs to God It is for his use for his service now think back to the logic of that call upon Moses You shall go to Pharaoh and say thus let my people go says the

Lord that they may serve me Rather than serve you. I have a rightful claim as their

God And their Savior you do not have such a claim Pharaoh. So let them go that they may serve me

It's the same logic here if they belong to God then part of that belonging is holiness and part of that holiness is service

Later on the Levites are set apart by God chosen not only to be

Those who serve in the tabernacle, but interestingly in numbers three They serve now as the ransom for all the firstborn of Israel so rather than Exodus 13 being in play numbers three

Begins to shift the way this law of the firstborn works now all of the firstborn sons of the

Israelites are considered redeemed because all of the sons of Levi are dedicated unto the service of God and So now the ransom takes place among the priesthood of the tribe of Levi But notice even there and we'll see this in the consecration when we get to Exodus 29

Even there we see the same elements of Passover at play these main elements of the

Passover an atoning sacrifice in other words a sacrifice that answers the guilt that the thirst for justice and spares from the the angel of death so we have an atoning sacrifice that comes about through paying a ransom a

Ransom that is paid by the blood of the Lamb or later on we see that ransom is actually given a monetary figure

For males, that's five shekels in numbers 18 And so there's a ransom that is paid and then there is a element of purification there's a

Purifying from sin the Feast of Unleavened Bread as part of this Passover Complex and then there's a holy meal to eat just like on the night of the

Passover so notice these elements an atoning sacrifice a payment of ransom a

Purification from defilement a holy meal that is consumed all of these things are at play not only in Exodus 12 but also when

Aaron and his sons are Consecrated unto God in Exodus 29. So what does that mean?

well, I think Desmond Alexander's right on the money the Passover is rightly understood as a consecration ritual

And I think the implication here is massive The Passover in other words is not merely an event of deliverance but in its very substance ongoing ever after is a

Consecration ritual it's the means by which God not only delivers his people but Consecrates them unto his service

They're brought through the blood of the Lamb unto the service of God Just like the

Levites in Exodus 29 will be brought through the blood of the Lamb unto service for God And so the law of the firstborn being connected to here even as Exodus 29 connects to numbers 3

Helps us understand that God brought about the Passover for the sake of the service for the sake of the consecration

In other words, there's no cheap grace here Passover was always about consecration salvation was always about service.

Do you see? Matthew and Mark in Their own unique way especially emphasized this

What does Jesus say and one of the most pivotal aspects the the sort of? crowning moment in the gospel of Mark remember our years in Mark when we came to that beautiful divide and in this unfolding revelation of who

Jesus is and why he has come and what he will do and what does he say in 1045 the

Son of Man came To give his life as a ransom for many now.

Is that ransom mere deliverance? Or is that ransom a deliverance that brings about consecration?

John has the vision in Revelation 5 you see the same elements in Revelation 14 Worthy are you who's worthy the

Lamb? Why is the Lamb worthy? Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals for you were slain and by your blood you ransomed people

From every tribe and language and people and nation and what did that ransom accomplish?

What did that deliverance bring about? Well, what does John go on to say? By your blood you ransomed people for God From every tribe and language and people in nation and made them a kingdom and priests to our

God Do you see? The ransom the deliverance the Passover in its fullness is for consecration

By this you have made them this they were ransomed for God the

Passover then is rightly understood as a means of consecration and Yet for all of this we do not commonly think about consecration

For all of this we hardly use the language of consecration I'm ashamed to say it

Roman Catholics speak far more often of consecration than we do the closest we get our

Pentecostals for some reason Pentecostals love to think of themselves as consecrated Amen You say

I'm just consecrating this to God or I'm you know, I'm trying to consecrate myself today. It's like amen That's a right view right language right application so I think in our perhaps

In ability to connect the Passover as a

Consecration ritual in other words to connect our salvation our deliverance to consecration.

I think we end up Reducing or miss applying

What sanctification is or the logic of sanctification in the life of the Christian? That's my main thrust of application this morning

I Don't think it only affects Sanctification that's just one part. In fact, I think if we rightly understand the logic of consecration it has application in every direction

Most of what we'll cover now in application. I'm just giving three points I'd be just as happy to have an extra week and maybe look at more of the horizontal dimensions of Consecration what that means for a church body or ecclesiology what that means for all sorts of aspects of the

Christians life But here let me highlight three things So we're trying to recover the concept the language the logic of consecration being intimately connected to salvation

Toward the salvific event. Why are we doing that? Because Exodus 12 is followed by Exodus 13

Because the night of the Passover is followed not only by the Feast of Unleavened Bread But also the law of the firstborn the logic of Passover is consecration

Okay, that's why we're looking at application in this way So let's consider how consecration comes to bear on three things first consecration and conversion

Consecration and conversion In other words holiness

Discovered when you're converted and You discover the holiness of God and are rendered holy by God holiness discovered

So that's first consecrate consecration and conversion secondly consecration and sanctification

Consecration and sanctification in other words holiness devoted and then third consecration and evangelism

Consecration and evangelism in other words holiness directed So if holiness discovered holiness devoted holiness directed so beginning first with consecration and conversion when we talk about Conversion we talk about that initial act of repenting and trusting in Christ for salvation from our sins

Or we talk about justification as a declaration from God By faith that we are righteous in his sight because we have been united to Christ by faith.

We're no longer our own We recognize that now we are in union with the

Son and as the father looks on the son So he looks on us we are declared to be righteous

Just is the sentence the verdict that is laid down because of the blood of our

Savior Well, that's justification and we see it right there at the very dawn of conversion

It's what it means to be Converted whether that process is like a lightning strike in the confines of a day or something that's drawn out over time

These things will always be at play but just as the Passover is followed by the

Feast of Unleavened Bread so that Repentance and faith is followed by a life of sanctification and when we talk about sanctification

We always think of this lifelong pursuit of holiness with all of its ebbs and flows

When in fact the Bible more commonly speaks of sanctification as a position Rather than as a progression now there are some who would say we too readily take any language of Transformation or renewal and we just throw it into the bucket of sanctification so when we come across verses that speak to being transformed from one degree of glory to the next or being renewed by The washing of the water of the word we we tend to just say oh, that's that's sanctification, right?

We have transformation or renewal. That's the language of sanctification and as some scholars who've said we should separate that move

We should not throw automatically into the concept of sanctification any aspects of renewal or transformation

Let renewal and transformation be renewal and transformation perhaps we should

Strictly view sanctification as being set apart unto God Being set apart by God for God our position are standing before him

Now I think that goes a little too far. I Would be hesitant to say there's nothing

Progressive or transformational about sanctification. So I think that goes too far, but it's a good point to make

We tend to assume Sanctification is exclusively Progressive when in fact the

New Testament pictures sanctification as primarily Positional you're standing your status before God So when we talk about positional sanctification we have verses like 1st

Corinthians 6 verse 9 and Such were some of you he says, you know

We know that the unrighteous don't inherit the kingdom of God He says such were some of you but you were washed tense is really important here.

You were washed you were sanctified you were

Justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God notice in the word order here

Sanctification comes before justification We were sanctified we were justified

Paul. You've got it all wrong. We were justified and we will be sanctified No, no.

No Paul says you're misunderstanding you were sanctified with the same concrete finality as your justification

But of course we have other language Where we have the concept of Sanctification and and the reality of it whether or not the words are used and I think there is something to say about the progressive idea of sanctification

Ephesians 1 3 just as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world that we should be holy

Notice we should be holy It's what he will do.

He always begun a good work will complete it into the day of Jesus Christ But notice that it's the should be not the were should be holy by the way that word holy holiness

It's all connected etymologically to sanctification or consecration

Hebrew actually has a few different terms, but when the Hebrew was brought into the Greek it was all just hagiadza

From the noun in Greek hagia is holy So sanctification or consecration is to render holy to set apart to devote

So we're talking about holiness or sanctification or consecration in one way or another

We're talking about the same thing But my argument here is we need to be very careful and thoughtful about how we use language as you'll see.

I hope It is because God is holy That he sets apart his people to be holy

In setting them apart. They are made holy right to be set apart is to be made holy and yet They must also make themselves holy

Right all the firstborn belong to me So consecrate them to me.

All right. In other words. I have made you holy. So be ye holy It's the same logic

God sets them apart by that very act they are holy and yet they must be holy

He set them apart so that they would become holy now that holiness is a response as we've seen to redemption

Because he's delivered them they are set apart unto him to image him in his holiness for God is holy

So we must also be holy not conforming ourselves as Peter says. It's a former loss as in our ignorance, but and He who called you is holy

So you also be holy in all your conduct as it is written from Leviticus 11 be holy

For I am holy When we understand the logic there we see this consecration has at its very heart a relationship with God You are mine.

That's a language of possession. It's a language of relationship. I Will be your

God you will be my people why because I've set you apart unto myself I've delivered you so that you would be mine and I am holy and if you would walk with me

And you must be holy as well So consecration and conversion or holiness discovered

Da Carson points out the same point that's been made earlier that Sanctification can sometimes speak to the process of purification in our life

But in Paul he notes it commonly refers to that initial setting aside of a believer unto

God at his conversion So consecration and conversion

We are sanctified by God when we first believe When we were saved by faith in the blood of the

Lamb, we were Consecrated to God we are set apart unto God and this has brought

I think a very important point into how we describe holiness Peter Gentry who's an

Old Testament scholar. He teaches at Southern who's just phenomenal. He's he's you know, he's he's excellent

I've sat under some of his lectures and and he he's a very eccentric man but he just has this incredible grasp of Nuances in the text and he's very thoughtful about how we sort of steamroll a certain understanding

And it's quite painful to go back and unlearn things that are just taken for granted So he has some very seminal thoughts on how we understand the word holiness and he says this

I Doubt that holiness should be primarily understood in terms of separation

Right, I'm painting myself here because I that's usually my go -to the idea of holiness is separateness separation, right and he says

I Doubt that holiness should be primarily understood as separation and he goes through the history of the lexicons and reasons why

This has become the case and he says for holiness to be seen as primarily separation or transcendence

Runs against the evidence we have from its early usage and if we follow its early usage

We find a through line throughout biblical understanding that the basic meaning of holy is consecrated in other words devoted Sinclair Ferguson, by the way has the same view in perhaps more layman's terms

Sinclair Ferguson has this tremendous book called devoted to God blueprints for sanctification and He makes the point that when we're talking about the attributes of God and what's the thrice

Thrice claimed attribute of God. Holy. Holy. Holy we talked about the holiness of God But Ferguson says if it is an attribute of God, it must be true of God Irrespective of the fact that he has a relationship with creation

Right. It could not be an essential attribute of God if it can only be discovered or revealed in Relationship to something he has created it must be within reference to himself if it is an essential attribute

So he says this any attribute of God must be true of God as he always existed in the eternal

Trinity before creation And since there is no attribute of God in this case that involves separation

Holiness cannot be defined Fundamentally as separation. Do you see the point?

We can think of holiness because God is separate transcendent from what he has made

But if holiness is an essential attribute of God, he was holy before he made anything

So if we think of holiness as separation, what is he separate from it's only him and he would not separate himself

From you know, the father from the son or from the spirit, right? There's a perfect communion within the

Godhead. So holiness then can't be fundamentally separation So then what is it?

It's devotion Ferguson says we mean this

Holiness is the perfectly pure devotion of each of these persons to the other and this is his conclusion to be holy

To be sanctified therefore is in simple terms to be devoted to God So you see the beauty of this picture of Consecration, what is

God doing when he sets apart the sons of Israel unto himself? He's telling them what?

Sanctification is you are now to be utterly devoted to me.

I Unto me so here you see the positional merge with the progressive

Because as you're devoting yourself unto God because you've been devoted by God unto himself

There will be this progressive conformity to his image You will inevitably be holy as God is holy this relationship of consecration demands it

So that's consecration and conversion secondly Consecration and sanctification if conversion is holiness discovered then consecration is holiness devoted And we've already seen this with the

Feast of Unleavened Bread, right? This calls for a uncompromised purity among God's people

Sweep out all of the leaven there must not be any Leaven and we saw how Paul takes that up in 1st

Corinthians 6 and so coupled with this Consecration of the firstborn the Israelites were to remember their deliverance and they were to set apart or Consecrate their lives and their ways even as they had acknowledged they had been set apart for this very reason

So this is a perpetual testimony The Israelites were born

Remembering that they had been set apart unto God Think about that Every firstborn son was brought into the world in this relationship of consecration

Now think about the logic of the new birth When God has brought about the new birth in the life of a believer

What does that new birth demand? Consecration it's the law of the firstborn.

I Am now your horse utterly exclusively My life will be a service unto you.

I Have been born unto you and we see new birth tied with deliverance

I have been delivered by you and I've received this new birth Therefore I am yours holy completely here

Lord. I give myself away. It is all that I can do That's holiness devoted again, the

Lord's judgment on the firstborn in Egypt is the Explanation for why he has delivered and consecrated the firstborn of Israel The sons of Israel were not exempt from God's judgment

They should have been struck down just like the sons of the Egyptians But instead of receiving judgment that they deserved because of the blood of the

Lamb, they received mercy but you you are a chosen generation a

Royal priesthood a holy nation his own special people That you may proclaim the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light

Who once were not a people but now are the people of God? Who had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy

So again, we see the logic of consecration God has a rightful claim on all things, but that is not the basis for his claim upon us

He claims us as believers because when we deserve judgment We received mercy instead by the blood of the

Lamb and for that reason he has delivered us We're born again unto him. And so our lives are now devoted to him.

It is mine. He says If you've been born again unto

God You cannot have the New Hampshire license plate as your life motto, you know live free or die

My way or the highway? It's mine. The Lord says

I Saved you I birthed you. You're my son.

I've redeemed you and now you belong to me For an unbeliever.

This sounds like cosmic tyranny can listen to old debate Recordings from Christopher Hitchens.

This is one of the reasons he hated God so much and went around the country Promoting his books and his debates about his hatred for God It was the father who never lets go the father who demands everything and he had this rejection for this cosmic tyrant

But for the believer when you understand the price that has been paid and the love of God in Christ is shed abroad in your

Heart by the Holy Spirit. This is the most magnificent thing you could ever hear I've been working through a volume of essays in honor of Sinclair Ferguson called theology for ministry and I was reading at the end a little biographical sketch by Chad Van Dix one of the life of Ferguson And he grew up in a devout home and yet like so many and perhaps our own homes was very disinterested

Sundays were the worst day of the week All the things I can't do I have to go listen to teaching and when will it be over and I could just do what?

I want it was the drudgery of all things divine and then he began to wrestle with his own sense of sin and after his conversion it was a great ordeal of wrestling and wanting to close with Christ and feeling conviction of sin and having great hopes and even an interest in the word and yet not closing with Christ and and As he has told it in many different settings one day

He slipped and he fell and when he kind of came to an older man was there and noticed that he had a

Bible in His hand and he said son. Are you saved? Are you saved and it struck right through Ferguson's heart?

but he recalls after how Sunday became the greatest day now, it was the delight of the week and All the things that had been drudgery were now great joys to him and it was this work of Transformation that brought about Consecration in his life.

He realized now I want to serve God with with my mind With my heart and with everything

I can I want to help others Come to know this God who has made himself known to me.

And so this deliverance became devotion That's how it always must be in the life of a

Christian for Ferguson Everything was new he spoke about in this sketch how after some months

He sat under preaching and I mean he was in the right place to do it he sat under some of the best preaching that Northwest Scotland had to offer and He says he'll never forget when the sermon was preached about Christ being present in him.

This is what? Christ is in me and He walks down the street in the cold of the night and when eyes weren't looking he'd start to skip and jump around all happily

He was just floored amazed at the thought that Christ is being formed in him is present in his life and so you see this this picture of absolute consecration to God It sounds like tyranny.

It sounds like a burden. It sounds so tyrannical to those who have not experienced the love of God in Christ, but to those who have

This is the most wondrous joyous doctrine that we could ever possibly understand Do you not know?

Paul says that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you whom you have from God and you're not your own

You were bought at a price Therefore glorify God in your body You see the logic of consecration there

Don't you know you're no longer your own you were reborn born unto him At such a cost you were bought with a price therefore

Glorify God Because you've been delivered devote yourself you have been consecrated and so consecrate yourself

You are a treasure His own special possession. You are his joy. He loved you at this expense

So now devotion as our brother said at prayer time. It's your reasonable or a different translation your acceptable service

The Love of Christ is it constrains us as Paul says in 2nd Corinthians 5 This love undergirds our consecration and dare

I say Christian you will not persevere in this life of Sanctification in this work of putting to death those sins that so easily entangle you

You will not persevere in that if the motive if the basis for it is not the constraining love of God in Christ I Say again the love of Christ constrains us

Roman Catholics get so far whipped by guilt Southern Baptists can get so far whipped by guilt

But you will not get very far if you're not constrained by the love of Christ Paul says you were bought at a price stop and think about that price

And only then may you say therefore I glorify God with my body we sang it from Francis Avergill take my hands let them move at the impulse of thy love

Not rest my hands make them move by anxious guilt have I earned enough? No.

No, why are the hands being moved? Why is the life being consecrated? It's at the impulse of thy love the impulse of thy love now if God's deliverance is

The basis for God's command If God's deliverance is the basis for for God's command here in Exodus 13, then

Consecration is everywhere Consecration is everywhere Don't make the mistake that the doctrine doesn't exist unless the word that we connect to the doctrine is present

You know, for example, we don't find the word Trinity and yet we have the doctrine of the

Trinity that's rightly understood from the scriptures You say well, it's not biblical.

Well, the word famous the famous punchline for that is the word biblical is not found in Scripture either But when you understand this connection what

I'm trying to hold together between chapter 12 and chapter 13 and Exodus is That deliverance leads to devotion that the redemptive salvation of God comes with this desire to consecrate a people unto himself and I dare say

He would not have done the former if it were not for the sake of the latter There would be no

Passover if it was not God's desire to consecrate a people unto himself That's the very heart of redeeming the fall that God would be with his people in a land that he would bring them to So when you understand that you see consecration is

Everywhere. Let's just take a look at Colossians 3 if then you were raised with Christ Seek those things which are above where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God Set your mind on things above not on things on the earth for you died

And your life is hidden with Christ in God and when Christ who is our life appears

And you also will appear with him in glory. Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth fornication uncleanness passion evil desire

Covetousness, which is idolatry. You see what Paul's getting at now. We don't have the word consecration here But consecration is everywhere

If we could summarize this in SLBC one sentence fashion we would say this

Because you've been delivered devote yourself Because you've been delivered if you were raised with Christ For you died your life is hidden with Christ in God.

So what? So seek those things which are above so set your mind on things above So put to death those members on the earth.

You see the logic here You have been delivered so devote yourself We have a new identity

We're in Christ no longer dominated by the categories of our old nature of old creation itself

We're now new creations in him. We've died with Christ. We're raised with him. Our life is now hidden in him

I've been delivered translated from a kingdom of darkness and the dominion of that kingdom into a kingdom of light and freedom and peace

And so I think through the logic of this look at verse 12 therefore as the elect of God holy beloved

Put on tender mercies kindness humility meekness long -suffering Right as the elect of God as the chosen as the adopted as the firstborn as the consecrated

Put on tender mercies Here's where I don't think we'll do it

But if I had a whole other week to talk about consecration, I'd be talking about this Notice that part of being consecrated unto

God is how we treat one another and how we look at and regard one another Putting on tender mercies kindness humility meekness bearing with one another that's part of what it means to be consecrated, you know

God forbid we have a church with dirty Levites We've been rendered clean unto

God and that means we must humble ourselves in meekness with with ferocious gentleness bearing with one another

That is a high and holy calling brothers and sisters But if we've been delivered we must be devoted even to that above all these things

Put on love which is the bond of perfection and let the peace of God rule in your hearts to which also you were called in one body and be thankful let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom teaching admonishing one another in Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs

Singing with grace in your hearts of the Lord and whatever you do in word or deed do it all in the name of the

Lord Jesus what is that? That's devotion. That's consecration Why are you doing that?

Because God in Christ forgave you and delivered you through the blood of the Lamb. You've been delivered. So devote yourself

Paul says now lastly last thing I'll connect consecration to is evangelism

Which is holiness directed? so at conversion we have holiness discovered in our

Sanctification which we should understand as consecration. We have our holiness devoted and With evangelism we have our holiness directed and this is all again the logic of this

Passover complex We already had it rehearsed for us I beseech you therefore brethren by the mercies of God now don't read past that too quick It's by the mercies

That we did not have but now we have obtained It's by those same mercies that we present our bodies a living sacrifice again by the deliverance

We devote by the mercy we present our bodies as a living sacrifice

Holy acceptable to God, which is your reasonable or acceptable Service so consecration means

I'm in your employ Lord Just like Some of us were talking this last

Sunday night. I think then he mentioned it we're talking about just proper names for Lord and so on somehow we talked about how the the title for Lord in the

New Testament is Simply Lord, there's no divine name that's used in reference to Jesus. It's simply

Lord he's addressed as Lord a Title like Christ is very important But Lord is how any ruler any master would be addressed, you know governor the master of a house.

It's Lord and So it's interesting to me that servants in the house would be calling their master

Lord We still get that if you watch, you know Downton Abbey. Oh, you know my lord Let me get you some tea.

You had this old English quaint way of still using his lordship or her ladyship So Lord is the address from from the servant to the master

It's interesting that the early Christians spoke this way many early Christians were probably slaves They had many

Lords earthly Lords But they still recognize even when I'm done serving my earthly masters and even as part of serving my earthly masters

I'm serving my heavenly master Lord Now we've dropped away from this idea of devoted service and so for us the idea of of Consecration is more foreign

But Paul here says because you've been delivered lay your life down that you may be a profitable servant

Let my people go that they may serve me therefore 2nd

Timothy 2 21 if anyone cleanses himself He will be a vessel for honor sanctified.

Oh interesting sanctified Consecrated and Useful for the master prepared for every good work

So this is holiness directed I'm not just made holy

So that I can go and do my own thing with a new status in a new nameplate

I Am made holy I am consecrated for service unto

God prepared for every good work useful for my master my lord

Andrew Murray says this in Israel all the firstborn and as their representatives all the children of Levi that's numbers three were exclusively claimed by God To be continually in the service of his house

The church is now to maintain her hold on what they once occupied

Let me say that again in Israel all the firstborn and as their representatives all the children of Levi were

Exclusively claimed by God to be continually in the service of his house The church is now to maintain her hold on once they once occupied

Her calling and her redemption from sin is distinctly and essentially

Aggressive. I love this her calling is distinctly and essentially aggressive to teach all of the nations and Extend the kingdom throughout the whole earth

So the Levites are set apart among the Israelites and the nation of Israel as a whole is set apart from all other nations

Why? So they could just kind of do their own thing build walls and ignore what the pagans were doing

Kind of make a monastic nation as it were To move to some compound and really work at holiness

No, they were made holy so that they might be light and salt that Gentile rulers would come funneling to the

Mount of Zion And we said the same logic here with the church Murray rightly says we must maintain that same hold

We're made holy so that we can aggressively seek to extend the kingdom throughout the world

Why this is the promise made to Abraham. I will make your seed a blessing to all the nations of the earth

So, how do we maintain that hold Well in part we remember that's why

God gives them the Passover, right to be practiced year by year It's because like the

Israelites were fickle were prone to forget So God says you will celebrate and you will learn from this every time you rehearse it

You'll be reminded of the deliverance that has called forth your devotion and you will be renewed by this great

Celebration to the great work in the world that I am doing Now if you followed after last

Sunday We could say the same thing is still in view with the new covenant Passover meal the

Lord's Supper Whenever we eat and drink we are proclaiming the

Lord's death until he comes and just like the

Israelite year by year there are being renewed by that Passover remembrance to the

Abrahamic promise to the nations that Zion must rise above all mountains That the lights and the holiness of Israel is to correspond to all of the tribes and tongues of the earth and the church now when we celebrate this meal is proclaiming his death his delivering death and his return and The work of extending the kingdom is held forth from it

Such a declaration Gordon Keddy has written such a declaration is both evangelical and evangelistic he says this the

Lord's Supper is an ordinance that claims our hearts and commands consecration

It captures the abiding character of our commitment in coming to the table I declare my heart is for the

Lord and I'm a witness to the cross and I desire to lift him up not only to Myself, but before all as a

Savior such a declaration is both evangelical and evangelistic

Evangelical because it's coming from a heart that has been transformed by the gospel Evangelistic because it proclaims to the world that there is a

Savior they need to know So Holiness is being directed.

I don't know that we've approached the meal in this way as we are that's not only for our own individual examination leading to the objective

Appreciation of the cross and the objective accomplishment of our redemption But it's also something thereby that we are consecrated renewed in our consecration

To go forth and tell the nation's the good news of what God is doing Joel Beeky if you ever read tremendous book by Beeky, it's a short read

Puritan evangelism He talks about how the Puritans approached sharing the gospel and preaching the gospel and he says this

Preaching Christ with winsomeness and grace was the greatest burden They often repeatedly presented

Christ in his willingness to save and the Preciousness as the only

Redeemer of lost sinners. They did so with theological articulation grandeur and passion they extolled

Christ to the highest as both an objective and a subjective Savior and In doing so they abased man to the lowest.

It's not interesting Listen to what he says But they were not worried about injuring the self -esteem of listeners

They were far more concerned about rightly esteeming

God They were not concerned about offending the self -esteem of listeners

Because they were far more concerned to esteem God To lift up Christ before the eyes of all and if the only way to Highlight and magnify his holy redemption is by showing the sinful fickle

Fallenness of man then so be it they would not tickle the earth Now what does first Peter 3 say about that first Peter 3 do not be afraid of their threats nor be troubled but Sanctify the

Lord God in your hearts and Always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that's within you

Now, what do you see held together there? Peter says don't be afraid don't be threatened but sanctify the

Lord in your heart set him apart Realize you've been consecrated by him for him.

So sanctify him in your heart sanctify yourself by sanctifying him in your heart and Therefore you will always be ready to give an answer for the hope that's within you.

So what do you notice? Consecration and evangelism are bound together But if we understand we've been delivered

So that we may be devoted it goes hand in hand that as we're sanctifying

God in our hearts We will be prone to speak to the hope that is within us. We will be like Levites Shedding light and salt bringing foreigners to us

Notice we just read past it. But again first Peter 2 9 you are a chosen generation adopted by God a

Royal priesthood a holy nation his own special people why so that you may proclaim his praises you see

Consecration and evangelism bound together You are not saved to dwell in four walls behind a screen

You were saved to proclaim his praises That's the foundation for why if we are truly held by the gospel, we will truly hold forth the gospel

Consecration belongs to evangelism this recognition this wonder That causes us to say truly and sincerely take my life and let it be

Consecrated Lord for thee wonder if I could close just with some Reflection on the life of Francis Ridley Avergade who wrote that him

She deserves honorable mention for this reason only I think the only time we ever use the word consecrated is when we're singing her him

So a few times a year our lips say consecrated and that's it and it's all because of Francis Ridley Avergade but she understood that Conversion is consecration.

She understood that her whole life and She understood that her growth in grace is actually a growth in devotion to God a

Cleaving and a parting with anything that has a grasp on her life on her thoughts on her resources on her affections

That does not have God's name stamped upon it or is not in service unto him

And of course she understood that her consecration was bound up with evangelism

That she could not but share the hope that was within her Because God had set her apart to himself

She lived a relatively short life born in 1836 died in 1879 she grew up in a home that both parents were very warm Very keen to teach their children to love the

Savior and she grew up not with missionary parents, but with parents devoted to mission She knew when they had to skip

Certain treats or certain luxuries because that was what they had devoted to the work of mission

They were very faithful to support several International missions and so she grew up seeing the the belt tightening as a result of devotion to the work of God Sadly her mother took ill at a young age as well.

And when she was 11 Her mother died and it really shook her to the core

Before She died something that stayed with her for many years was her mother's words

Pray that God would prepare you for all that. He is preparing you Pray that God would prepare you for all that.

He is preparing you This was said to young Francis before she was a believer She wrote in her 20s that one of the turning points in her life was a sermon she heard at about the age of nine and The effect of that was she began to feel uneasy about the state of her soul

She appreciated the warmth of her home and the Christian light that she saw in the church but at this time she wrote

I don't think I had any clear idea about believing on the Lord and So ridding myself of this burden that had pressed on my little soul

My general notion was I didn't love God at all or at least not comparatively to most things in my life

And I was very bad and very wicked altogether And if I went on praying very much something would come to me and change me all at once and make me like so many

I had read about and so many that I had saw But when I tried to be good that seemed to be next to no use

It was like struggling in quicksand the more I struggled the deeper I sank And then she was converted her stepmother saw in intervening years how the

Lord was working on her heart and did often have conversations late at night around the fire and Francis could say

I truly hope that I can be forgiven and her stepmother would say if you're speaking like that You're not far off from it, dear

And at one point in the night Having a conversation her stepmother asked if the

Lord Jesus were to come now and Stand before you and bring about the the end of all things

Could you not in that moment flee to him and embrace him and trust him? Could you trust him if he were to come now?

And she said well, yes, if he came now, I believe I would trust him And she said then why can't you trust him even when you can't see him when he has not come yet And that seemed to be the spark of conversion in her life and from that point forward the change was immediate and it was consequential

For the next decades of her life. She would constantly search out the scriptures. She was an incredibly intelligent woman brilliant she

She went to Germany and among native German speakers finished first in the class on German She also spoke

Greek and Latin understood Greek and Latin fluently and she was a brilliant woman French As a growing believer she would take passages and she would meditate on them for years

For instance, she would take the fruits of the Spirit and every morning She begin with the first fruit and should meditate on it and pray and then in her journal

She would record that fruit and the impact it was making in her life and how she was praying for its increase

Ways that it was not increasing areas where she was falling short and she would meditate and pray and ask the

Lord Increase this quality in my life. Give me more of your spirit in this way the very year that she died

She had begun writing a journal of mercies every day. She wrote down God's kindnesses. However, small they may have been

She had a heart to appreciate all the goodness. She never married She died young had very poor health

And always despite sickness or disappointment she found something to write down as a kindness from God She wrote devotional books for children she had a passion to teach young children

She also visited the homes of married women like a like a solid Titus to woman She'd spend time with them and point them to the

Lord and give them counsel Her whole life was filled with spiritual self -discipline

But when she wrote this famous hymn take my life and let it be it was toward the end of her life remember she died in 1879 in 1873

Towards the end of her life though. She didn't know it at the time She became increasingly aware of how serious sin was and very zealous that no one would be caught up in it and risk breaking their fellowship with God She wrote

Sin in any compromise with sin spoils fellowship with God even if it's for a moment

We cannot receive it back until we repent and ask forgiveness So she became zealous that no one would have a spoiled fellowship with God And she became increasingly convinced of this need to utterly devote herself to the service of God in this way

When she wrote the hymn she had been staying with a family for five days she often did that should go and spend a week with a family and just help out and also

Observe and be able to speak into their life and at this particular house She saw there was an opportunity to speak to Christ.

She wrote this there were ten persons in this home Some were unconverted and they had long been prayed for some were converted, but they were not joyful Christians in the least

And so the Lord gave me a prayer Lord I kept praying give me everyone in this house

And by the end of the week he did just that Before I left the house everyone was blessed of God.

So the last night of my visit I was entirely too happy to sleep I passed the whole night in praise and wonder that God had consecrated me in this way

And so these cupboards began to form and one after another they fell in place as I was caught up in the rapture of that constant refrain ever only all for thee

So you see this woman's experience in sickness in Disappointment in loss.

She's recording all the kindnesses of God and she's examining her life Lord. Is there any part of my life?

That's not constrained by her love. I want to be profitable I love you, and I want to show you that love

And here she is at this house and she realizes there's some who aren't saved and some who if they are saved

They're not very joyful And she recognizes Lord. I'm here for this reason Set me apart.

Give me some word make me a light make me useful make me evangelistic Lord She understood that her deliverance and her devotion was for this very reason

That she would be the cause of others to be delivered and devoted unto God so beautiful That she desired to share

Christ with others it was said of her this was the pattern of her entire short life

Didn't matter how old how young how far away? Her short life was geared towards sharing the hope of Christ and the joy of Christ and the joy of his service

But in reading about her this week I wondered what would

Francis Ridley Havergal estimate of my house if she were to spend five days with me and my family

What would her prayers be for us? What would her encouragement be what difference would her example make would

I come away more? devoted to God Would I be able to say like her take my life?

Take my hands take my feet take my voice take my lips take my silver my gold my intellect my heart my love

Take my life and let it be Consecrated Lord for thee

Brothers and sisters if we've been converted, but we've not been consecrated

Something is entirely wrong And I hope we understand the logic of the

Passover and the law of the firstborn if we've been delivered from death Into this new life reborn as adopted children of God then it's for this very reason that God lays a claim upon us and says you are mine and Constrained by that adopting love in the spirit

We cannot but help to devote ourselves entirely to his cause his work in this world

We may not be able to change the nation's But we can by grace and effort change the neighbor

God help us to do so. Amen Let's pray father.

Thank you for your word Thank you for the beauty of not only what is said but just how it's structured

How things are put before and after that help us to see the brilliance and the clarity and the logic of what?

You have done and what you desire to do I pray Lord that in my own life.

I would start using the word consecration far more Not just the word

Lord, but the reality that it speaks to I Pray for this church Lord that we would understand more as a church both outward facing and inward toward one another

What it means to be consecrated unto you totally devoted to you Giving no place for the flesh no place for Grumbling or division no place for condescension or judgment

But as those who had once not received mercy, but now have received mercy

Let us remember that our deliverance is to be our devotion to you to your people to this whole fallen world

Take our corporate life Lord take our family life take our individual lives consecrate them to you

May our lives resound with havergals ever only all for you these things we ask in your son's name.