Did Jesus Really Mean We Should Pluck Out Our Eyes?

Introduction
In the 10 commandments, God said, “Do not commit adultery.” (Exodus 20:14).  Adultery is a serious crime against God and humanity.  It wrecks marriages, tears apart families, and fills people with hurt, anger, and resentment.  Adultery is a sin of betrayal that destroys the peace and harmony of communities.  It compromises our integrity, corrupts our character, and mars the sacred image of God within us.

That is why God takes adultery seriously.  In the civil law for Israel in the Old Testament, the punishment for adultery was death.  Deuteronomy 22:22 – “If a man is discovered committing adultery, both he and the woman must die. In this way, you will purge Israel of such evil.”

That may seem to be too harsh of a penalty to us who live in the modern era. But if you’ve ever been betrayed by an adulterous spouse, you may wish the OT penalty was still in effect.  Adultery is evil and destructive, not just to the spouse.  It harms families and society.

While infidelity may have become more common in civilian life, the military continues to enforce strict prohibitions against adultery.  It is still illegal for married military personnel to engage in adultery.  It is a military crime that can be prosecuted, because the military understands adultery is a distraction that leads to the loss of trust and morale, and a decline in fighting efficiency.  If convicted of adultery, a soldier can face up to a year of jailtime, dishonorable discharge, and forfeiture of all pay and allowances.

Hopefully, you have never cheated on your spouse.  However, statistics indicate that there are some here who probably have.  I’ve read research that says anywhere from 10-20% of married couples cheat.  If that’s true, there’s probably several people reading this today who have cheated on their spouse.  But for those of who haven’t, we need not be too proud of ourselves.  Jesus has a few words to say about adultery in the sermon on the mount.  His words challenge all of us.

Matthew 5:27-30
²⁷ “You have heard the commandment that says, ‘You must not commit adultery.’ ²⁸ But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. ²⁹ So if your eye—even your good eye—causes you to lust, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. ³⁰ And if your hand—even your stronger hand—causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.

Heart Lust
The holiness God demands of His people is tremendous.  Those tremendous demands are spelled out in the Old Testament Law by the extreme penalties for adultery.  Those who committed adultery were to be put to death.  But Jesus points out that the demands of God’s Holy Law go even deeper than what happens outwardly.  Jesus says it goes all the way down into a person’s heart.  So, if you even desire sensual intimacy with someone other than your spouse, you have committed adultery in your heart.

A study of the University of California[i] interviewed 676 men and women, whose average age was 25, on the intensity and frequency with which they experienced sexual desire.  Almost all those interviewed—97.3%—reported having experienced lustful feelings, with men only slightly more likely to feel sexual desire (98.8%) than women (95.9%).

These statistics may or may not be representative of the wider population.  But I know we live in an over-sexualized society.  People today in Dalton, GA are certainly more infatuated with sex than the socially conservative people to whom Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount 2,000 years ago.  Their culture required modest clothing whereas our culture prefers to accentuate and advertise the desirability of a human body.  The conversations of 1^st century Jews carefully avoided sexually provocative language while in our time we crave sexually explicit lyrics in songs and readily portray nudity and sensuality on TV while exploiting sexuality to sell products in commercials.

There is no doubt we are more obsessed with sex than the people who first heard Jesus words:  “anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”  The point:  We are all guilty.

Jesus said, “So, if your eye—even your good eye—causes you to lust, gouge it out and throw it away.”  One might wonder why we aren’t all walking around like pirates with an eye patch.

It’s important here to point out Jesus was using hyperbole.  There’s a fancy word:  Hyperbole.
Hyperbole is an exaggerated statement not meant to be taken literally.  We might say, “I’m so hungry, I could eat a horse!” even thought we really wouldn't ea a horse.  And we may say, “My feet are killing me!” even though our feet aren't literally killing us; they just hurt.

So, Jesus wasn’t actually instructing His followers to pluck out their eyes to keep from lusting.  Blind men lust too.  Nor did Jesus want His disciples to actually cut off their hands to keep them from stealing.  These were exaggerations Jesus used to make some serious points.

First of all, don’t be self-righteous just because you never cheated on your spouse.  Romans 3:23 spells it out clearly, “For all have sinned and fall short of God’s glorious standard.”  Don’t judge someone else because they sin differently than you.  James 2:10 tells us, “For the person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as a person who has broken all of God’s laws.”  That puts us all on equal footing, at least in terms of God's perfect and righteous judgment.

Second, Jesus points out God’s incredible standard of holiness.  It goes way beyond just our physical actions.  God even cares about the motives of our hearts.  And since our hearts are corrupt, we have a serious problem.  We need a new heart. 

Third, Jesus shows our utter helplessness in regard to sin and holiness.  Romans 6:23 puts it this way, “The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”  So the consequences of our sin is death—not just our sinful actions, but even the inner motives of our sinful heart.  So we are all guilty and deserving of death.  That’s why Jesus came; to free us from the curse of sin.  He paid the penalty for our sin and He also offers us a remedy for our sinful hearts.  Through Jesus, we can have a new and perfect heart--one the Holy Spirit can shape and form to be godly, Christ centered, and full of love.

Jesus satisfied the demands of the Law.  He paid the penalty for our sins.  And Jesus fulfills the Old Testament prophecies about God’s New Covenant with His people, such as Ezekiel 36:26, which says, “And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart.”  And Hebrews 10:16 says, "This is the new covenant I will make with my people on that day, says the Lord: I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds.”

So now, we can make a fresh start with God. When we repent of our sins, Jesus begins to change our hearts so that we actually want to live the way God wants us to live.  Not just because we are following the rules, but because we love God and we love our neighbor and want to do the right thing for the right reasons.

Fourth, Jesus calls His followers to live holy lives.  Jesus exaggerated statements about plucking out eyes and cutting off hands—though symbolic—also have practical meanings.  If your eye causes you to sin, then don’t look.  Act as though you had plucked out your eyes and were blind.  What I mean is, be extremely careful what you look at.  Guard your eyes so they don't lead your into temptation that causes you to sin.

And when Jesus says, “Cut off your hand”, take his advice and don’t put your hands near things that cause you to sin.  With a little thoughtful prayer, we can recognize the kinds of things that tempt us.  We can learn ways to steer clear of them.  The practical ways this plays out may be different for different people.  If you are an alcoholic, don’t hang out at a bar.  In fact, you would do well to avoid being around alcohol altogether.  That doesn’t mean alcohol is bad for all people (even Jesus drank wine with His disciples).  But use some common sense.  Avoid being around those things that lead you into temptation and cause you to sin.

Conclusion
What is the Holy Spirit saying to you today?  Which of these 4 points hits you right where you are?
Maybe today, you need to repent of your sin, turn to Jesus to save you, and start living the holy life He calls and enables His followers to live.  Maybe today, you need to consider practical ways you can avoid looking at or handling things that lead you to sin.  What is the Holy Spirit saying to you?

---

[i] https://www.forbes.com/2005/06/02/cx_0602health.html?sh=23141d7a2cc6

Did Jesus Forbid Lawsuits?

Introduction and Review
Last Sunday, we learned that Jesus didn’t come to do away with the Old Testament Law, but to fulfill it.  He said that unless you follow the Law more perfectly than the Pharisees, you can never enter into the Kingdom of God.  (If you missed that message, it will be helpful for you to go back and read to it - "Why Christians Follow Some Old Testament Laws But not Others")

Jesus said, unless you follow the Law better than the Pharisees, you can never enter the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 5:20).  Now the Pharisees were the holiest people in Jesus’ day.  Everyone looked up to them and respected them.  And Jesus’ followers would have thought it quite impossible to be more righteous than the Pharisees.  And that was the point.  Jesus was saying, “You can’t do it.  The Pharisees can’t earn their way into Heaven and neither can you!”

That’s why Jesus came.  Since we can’t fulfill the requirements of the law, Jesus came to fulfill it for us.  Since the penalty of sin is death (and we’ve all sinned and fallen short of God’s glorious standard), Jesus came and paid the penalty of our sin by dying on the cross for us.  His death atones for our sin and makes us right with God.

But to prove His point that we cannot follow the law perfectly (and so we desperately need Jesus’ help), Jesus give some real life examples to point out some of the ways we fall short.  The first example is about anger ad comes in Matthew 5:21-26. (We'll see some more examples in future blogs.)

Matthew 5:21-22
²¹ “You have heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment.’ ²² But I say, if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell.

Jesus shows how incredible demanding is God’s perfect Law.  Of course, we can understand that we should not murder.  But lest we boast that we have never murdered, Jesus points out that the spirit of the Law requires more.  If you are angry at someone, you’ve broken the Law.  If you are driving down Cleveland Hwy and someone cuts in front of you and almost causes a wreck and you say, “You idiot!”, you will face judgment.  And if you curse at someone, you are dangling precariously over the fires of hell and it’s only a matter of time before you fall into it!  The perfect Law of God is that demanding.  And Jesus goes on.

Matthew 5:23-24
²³ “So if you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you, ²⁴ leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God.

Here, Jesus is showing forgiveness and reconciliation is the most important act for God’s people.  In the Jewish religion of Jesus’ day, sacrifice in the Temple was very important.  People would travel for hundreds of miles (on foot) to visit the Temple to make a religious sacrifice.  It was a high and holy event.  But Jesus says there’s something even more important.  Even though your sacrifice was very expensive and you traveled many miles to offer it as the Temple that is held up as the most important place on earth, forgiveness and reconciliation is more important.  It is so important, in fact, that Jesus left the glory of Heaven to come down to our broken world, and to die on a cross for our sins so we can be reconciled to God and each other.

Matthew 5:25-26
²⁵ “When you are on the way to court with your adversary, settle your differences quickly. Otherwise, your accuser may hand you over to the judge, who will hand you over to an officer, and you will be thrown into prison. ²⁶ And if that happens, you surely won’t be free again until you have paid the last penny.

This last part is often seen as Jesus’ practical advice for people in a lawsuit.  It makes sense.  If someone has a suit against you (and you are in the wrong, or maybe even just partly in the wrong), settle it out of court if you can.  You never know how it’s going to go in court.  Plus, honest people ought to be able to work out a fair agreement among themselves.  (Sadly, that’s not always the case since we are too broken by sin.)

But the Lord revealed something to me as I prepared for this message (and I checked it out and found there is another way of understanding this passage that gets at what Jesus is really saying).  This is more than just practical advice.  Jesus is using a metaphor about eternal judgement.

Matthew 5:25a
“When you are on the way to court with your adversary…”  We are all involved in a divine “lawsuit”.  You see, God’s Law is perfect.  And we have all broken it.  And the Bible often says the Devil is our accuser and adversary.  Satan is the prosecuting attorney who brings the case against sinful people to God.  Our great enemy, the Devil, shows all the evidence of our sinfulness to the Heavenly Court and points His accusing finger at our face, “He is guilty!  She is guilty!  And the penalty is death and eternal damnation!”

And what will you say when you find yourself on the judgment seat in the court of Heaven?  We have no defense.  We are indeed guilty.  As Jesus shows, we are guilty even if we’ve only ever been angry or called someone an idiot.

And so Jesus says, “Don’t wait until the Day of Judgment!  Then it will be too late.  Settle this matter now, while you’re still on the way to that Heavenly Court.  Here’s your chance.”

Here’s your chance, people.  Jesus is here now.  He came to offer grace.  He came to offer reconciliation with God and your fellow man.  It’s more important than worship or sacrifice.  It’s THE most important thing.

Reconcile with God through Jesus
So first off, we need to get our hearts right with God.  That starts when we turn to Jesus and repent of our sin.  We say, “Jesus, I will follow You as the Lord of my life.  I am no longer in charge.  You are.  I will follow You.  Please, forgive me for my sins and save me.”

When we do this, Jesus’ death on the cross washes away all our sin.  When the Devil tries to accuse you before God, there will be nothing left to find you guilty.  Your sins are gone.  You are innocent and holy before God.  But there’s more.

Now, we are called to live like Jesus in this broken world. We are ambassadors of peace and reconciliation. Jesus forgives our trespasses and so we forgive those who have trespassed against us.  And we are healed and there is healing in our world and the Kingdom of Heaven comes on earth.

No.  It is not easy to forgive people who hurt us.  It was not east for Jesus to die on the cross, but He did it.  And Jesus said in Matthew 16:24, Mark 8:34, and Luke 9:23, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me.”  And so just as Jesus forgave us, we must forgive others. 

Closing
As we close, I want to first invite you to be reconciled to God.  Turn away from your sin and turn to Jesus.  Believe in Him and trust Him and follow Him as Lord and receive the grace and mercy and forgiveness He freely gives.  He will wash you clean of your sin so you are holy before God.  The Devil will have nothing of which to accuse you.  You will be innocent.

Second, I invite you to do the hard work of forgiving others.  Just as Christ forgave you, freely forgive those who have wronged you.  Do not be angry, for anger leads to wrath.  Instead, leave the judgment to God, for He is the only one qualified to judge.  As for you, be an ambassador of peace and reconciliations as is fitting for those who follow the Lord Jesu Christ.

For a incredible testimony of God's power and forgiveness that transforms lives, watch this video from Samaritans Purse about an orphan from Rwanda who gave his life to Christ and then forgave the people who murdered his family in the Rwandan genocide of the 1990s.

Explain the Beatitudes

Matthew 5:1-2
¹ One day as he saw the crowds gathering, Jesus went up on the mountainside and sat down. His disciples gathered around him, ² and he began to teach them.

Introduction
Today, we begin a study of Matthew chapters 5-7, what are known as Jesus’ famous “Sermon on the Mount .”  The sermon gets its name from the big hill (or mount) where Jesus shared these teachings.  Many consider these to be Jesus’ central teachings about how to live as His disciple.  The Sermon is only three chapters long, but it is packed full of wisdom that challenges us to be a better follower of Christ.  So, we will take it slowly, lesson by lesson, until we work all the way through it. 

We start with  Matthew 5:3-12, what is commonly called The Beatitudes.  Beatitude is a fancy word that means “A state of supreme happiness and blessing.”  People will often say, “I am blessed!”  If you ask how they are doing, they might respond, “I am blessed!”

What do you think of when you think of being blessed?  Does it mean life is good, all is well, you're happy and content? Well, Jesus’ definition of Beatitude—supremely blessed—may surprise you.  Let’s take a look at what He says about being truly blessed.  Let's go through the blessings one by one.

Matthew 5:3
³ “God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him,
    for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.

Right off the bat, we get a clue Jesus is going to turn our ideas of blessings upside down. Do you honestly think you are blessed when you are poor?  Does anyone actually go around saying (without sarcasm): "Yep, I'm so broke I can't afford to put gas in my car. My rent is passed due, and I have no money to buy food.  I'm truly blessed!"

Most of those folks Jesus ministered to were that kind of poor. But Jesus said they were blessed, because He knew it gave them an advantage over rich people because they knew they must depend on God.  When we have money, it's easy to forget how much we need God.  Why do you need God?  You can take care of yourself.  Or at least we think we can take care of ourselves.  We have a false sense of security.  Let me remind you:  your money cannot save you.

But most Bible translations render this verse to say, “Blessed are the poor in spirit.”  And that is important, because Jesus isn’t just talking about your finances.  There are people—in Jesus day and in our own—who feel as though they are spiritually safe and secure.  They say to themselves: “I’m a good person.  I treat people fair.  I live the right way.  Therefore, God will be good to me.”  This was the basic philosophy of the Pharisees in Jesus time.  And it’s the way many people think today.  But, God doesn’t owe you anything.  Our so-called righteous deeds are but filthy rags in the sight of a pure, perfect, and holy God.  And so Jesus says, “You are truly blessed if you really know you are poor in spirit and realize you desperately need God to save you.”  It isn't those who think they are good; it is those who know they are not good and rely completely on the mercy of God that He welcomes into His Kingdom.  And Jesus goes on, smashing our preconceived notions of what it is to be truly blessed:

Matthew 5:4
⁴ God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

We’ve had a lot of deaths in our community lately.  It seems like the last few months have been particularly hard.  Our bereavement committee has been working overtime to provide meals for the families.  According to Jesus, that means we are truly blessed.  Does it feel like it?  Do you feel blessed when someone you love dies?

Jesus is pulling from Old Testament Scripture in Ecclesiastes 7:2-4 where it says:  “Better to spend your time at funerals than at parties.  After all, everyone dies—so the living should take this to heart.  3 Sorrow is better than laughter, for sadness has a refining influence on us.  4 A wise person thinks a lot about death, while a fool thinks only about having a good time.”

We live in a culture where we want to avoid pain at all cost.  And yet the cliché really is true.  No pain.  No gain.  We live in a broken world.  Things are not as they are supposed to be.  We are not as we’re supposed to be.  If we never realize this (and feel this), we are missing out on something really important.

Matthew 5:5
⁵ God blesses those who are humble, for they will inherit the whole earth.

This beatitude is a difficult one to translate.  The NIV says:  Blessed are the meek.  The NASB says:  Blessed are the gently.  The NLT uses the word humble.  The Greek word is praus, which means mild of disposition, gentle of spirit.

In Jesus day, the Romans were the one’s who possessed the Holy Land.  They were the powerful and proud ones.  They used violence to subdue the Jews and anyone who resisted them.  Some in Israel wanted to use violence to rise up and overthrow the Romans.  Jesus says, no.  It is not the violent or proud or powerful who will possess the land.  It is the humble, the gently, the meek.  These are the kind of people who will possess the Holy Land.  In fact, they will possess the whole earth when God's Kingdom comes on earth.  So, you are blessed if you are humble, gentle, and meek.

Psalm 37:7-9 – “Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act.  Don’t worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes.  Stop being angry!   Turn from your rage!  Do not lose your temper—it only leads to harm.  For the wicked will be destroyed, but those who trust in the Lord will possess the land.”

Matthew 5:6
⁶ God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied.

Most people know what it’s like to be really hungry.  Can you remember the last time you were really starving?  Or what about a time you were really thirsty?

One day, some people are going to be truly satisfied—like a starving man who finally gets food; like someone dying of thirst who finally gets cool, refreshing water.   Those who hunger and thirst for justice—for all that is wrong in the world to be made right—they will finally be full and satisfied because God will make it all right.

Matthew 5:7
⁷ God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

This one goes right down into the core of Christianity.  We say it every time we pray the Lord’s prayer.  “Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.”

There are so many offences in this life that just cannot be repaid.  If we demand that every wrong done is repaid in full, it will make our life (and everyone else’s) a living hell.  And at the end of it all, we will not be satisfied, because some debts cannot be repaid.  They can only be forgiven.  So, You are blessed when you show mercy, because you will receive mercy too.  Do you want to be angry and full of pain and resentment all your life?   Or do you want to be at peace with God and yourself and the world around you?  You don't forgive for the sake of the one who wronged you; you forgive for the sake of your own peace of mind.

Matthew 5:8
⁸ God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God.

If I were to put this in my own words, I would say it this way:  “You’re blessed if you’re totally sincere, because you will actually see God.”

When you’re your thoughts are pure, when you’re motives are pure, when you are totally sincere,
then you will see God.  Most of us have a long way to go on this.  Often, we don’t even know the impurities that lie within us.  We need God’s help to root them out.  The Christian journey is walking alongside Christ every day, allowing Him to reveal the impurities within us until we are totally sincere and blessed to actually see God, face to face.

Matthew 5:9
⁹ God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God.

Most people agree a little more peace in the world would be nice.  Then we wouldn’t have wars and fighting.  The problem is:  you want things your way and I want things my way.  And this country wants this and that country wants that.  And it seems like the only way to settle it is to fight it out and see who comes out on top.  Of course, the one that comes out on top can’t stay on top forever.
The biggest, baddest bully grows old and weak and someone takes their place.  Even the strongest empires rise and eventually fall.  It always happens--always has, always will.

Jesus came to end all that.  He came to bring true peace.  It’s not a peace where the weakest people must submit to the strongest rulers.  It’s a peace where we all finally live in a right relationship with our loving Creator God—as we were originally intended to live.

God's true children spend their lives working to bring this kind of peace on earth, more and more.

Matthew 5:10
¹⁰ God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.

Living for God and doing the right thing may make you blessed in God’s Heavenly Kingdom, but it may not feel much like it in this world.  In fact, it may make you a lot of enemies in this world.  Those who want to remain in darkness will fight to keep your light from exposing them. Even if you are overtly calling them out on their wrong behavior, your righteous life exposes their unrighteousness.  So, if you are truly living for Jesus, people who aren’t will mock you, persecute you, lie about you, and say all sorts of evil things because you follow Jesus.  But don’t worry about it, because you are blessed.  The Kingdom of Heaven is yours.  And Jesus said in Matthew 5:11-12:

Matthew 5:11-12
¹¹ “God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers. ¹² Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way.

The Kingdom of God is Not of this World
As we review what Jesus said about who is truly blessed—supremely blessed and happy—we can clearly see Jesus’ definitions are not at all the same as the world’s.

You can strive to be blessed according to this world’s definitions.  You can strive for:
wealth, comfort, power, prosperity, and selfish fulfillment.  But this world and what it stands for is passing away.  At most, you may have 100 years to scrape and scratch and fight to hold onto the things of this world.  But the end will come.  You will have to stand before God and give an account for your life.  And then you will have all eternity to answer for it.

But those who repent and turn to Jesus, turn their back on this world and its values.  They become children of God and royal priests in the Kingdom of God.  And Jesus atones for all their sins.  They are made pure and righteous before God.  They offer mercy and receive mercy from God.  And their's is the glorious Kingdom of God,  in which they will dwell for all eternity in everlasting life--where there will be no more sin or sickness or suffering or sorrow or death.

Which Kingdom do you choose?  The kingdoms of this world or the Kingdom of God?

Closing
If you choose God's Kingdom, pray to Him today.  Ask Him to forgive you.  Promise to follow Jesus from this day forward.  Thank Him and receive His Holy Spirit to lead you and guide you and empower you to live for Jesus every day.

What is Consecration?

Introduction
Probably one of the best known verses of Scripture in the whole Bible—memorized by people all over the world—is John 3:16. Say it with me.

John 3:16 (NIV)
¹⁶ For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Jesus Himself, the one and only Son of God, spoke these beautiful words that summarize His mission.  If there was one verse that could sum up the whole story of the Bible, John 3:16 would probably do it best.  But most don’t know the full historical context of this verse.  It is grounded in the whole story of Scripture, going all the way back through Genesis.

In the wild and disturbing story of Abraham and Isaac in Genesis 22, God commands Abraham to sacrifice his one and only son, Isaac, on Mount Mariah.  Then, as Abraham’s knife is poised to slaughter his son, God stops Abraham and provides a ram to take Isaac’s place. 

In Exodus, we find the Israelites living in slavery in Egypt.  God sends Moses to deliver them, but Pharaoh refuses to let them go.  So God sends 10 plagues to torture the Egyptians and convince them to let God’s people go.  The was blood and frogs and gnats and flies.  All of Egypt’s livestock died.  Then there was boils, hail, locusts, and darkness.  And do you remember the last plague?  It was the most terrible of all…  Every firstborn son not sheltered in a home marked by the blood of a Passover lamb died in a single night.  Every male offspring, from the livestock to the servants and all the way up to Pharoah’s own son, died in that single night.  It was a costly sacrifice brought on by the hard hearted, stubborn Pharoah who would not submit to the God of Israel and let the Israelites go free.

A Day to Remember
It was a day to remember forever.  God does not take death lightly--even the death of those who would be called His enemies.  Jesus said Our Heavenly Father knows and cares if even a single sparrow dies.  How much more when the entire nation of Egypt—every family—loses their first born sons.  It’s devastating.  But that was the cost of that nation’s sin and the cost of Israel’s freedom.

So God wanted His people in Israel to remember that day forever.  He gave them a special way to remember and honor God for saving them. We read about it in Exodus 13:1-5

Exodus 13:1-5
¹ Then the Lord said to Moses, ² “Dedicate to me every firstborn among the Israelites. The first offspring to be born, of both humans and animals, belongs to me.”

³ So Moses said to the people, “This is a day to remember forever—the day you left Egypt, the place of your slavery. Today the Lord has brought you out by the power of his mighty hand. (Remember, eat no food containing yeast.) ⁴ On this day in early spring, in the month of Abib, you have been set free. ⁵ You must celebrate this event in this month each year after the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Hivites, and Jebusites. (He swore to your ancestors that he would give you this land—a land flowing with milk and honey.)

Passover
This passage is the institution of the Passover Feast.  These instructions were given to the Israelites over 3,000 years ago and they have been celebrated by the Hebrew people every year since then as a way to honor God and thank Him for delivering them from slavery in Egypt.  It was a costly deliverance—the death of every Egyptian first born son.  In recognition, the Hebrew people were to eat a special Passover meal and dedicate back to God the first-born male of every Israelite family—both humans and animals.

The Pagan cultures all around Israel were known to practice human sacrifice.  Whereas God stopped Abraham and would not allow Abraham to actually sacrifice his son, Isaac, other non-Israelite people often did sacrifice their first-born sons (as well as other children).  Child/human sacrifice is one of the reasons the Bible says God drove other nations out of the Promised Land and gave it to the Israelites instead.  Those other nations sacrificed their children, thinking it would please and manipulate their gods into helping them.  But the one true God of the Bible abhors human sacrifice. He forbids anyone to do it.  And if you think how people made these evil sacrifice thinking they could manipulate their gods with them, you get an even deeper sense of how evil they are.  They do not trust God and think they should and can perform some type of magic to control their gods.  But the one true God is sovereign and we cannot and should not try to control Him--especially by taking the life of a child or any other person.

So God didn’t ask the Israelites to actually place their children on the Temple altar and sacrifice them.  Rather, God instructed them to “dedicate” or consecrate them to God.  Since God had purchased the Israelites at the cost of every first born son of Egypt, now the Israelites honored God by consecrating to Him their firstborn sons.

Consecrate
Consecrate is a special word for a special action.  To consecrate means to make or declare something sacred—dedicated formally to a religious or divine purpose.

When something is consecrated, it is dedicated for a holy purpose.  For instance, our altar is consecrated for use in religious services in our church.  It would be out of place to use this altar for just any old purpose.  Right?  We wouldn’t take it home and use it as a breakfast table in our house.  That would be disrespectful and sacrilegious.  That’s not what it was made for; it has been dedicated to be used for Christian worship services.  The only meal we place upon this table is a sacred meal—Holy Communion—dedicated to remember Jesus.  That is what it means to consecrate something.  It is to set it apart for God’s divine purpsoses.

We are here today on Consecration Sunday.  It is a day set aside to consecrate ourselves and our gifts to God for the coming year.  I have asked each of you to complete a Stewardship Survey and to indicate how you will serve God with your prayers, your presence, your gifts, your service, and your witness.  You have had time to prayerfully consider what you will dedicate to the Lord.  We have not required you to dedicate any certain amount.  I’ve instructed you over the last several weeks about the biblical standards, but what you choose to give is a matter of prayer between you and God.  And today you have a chance to consecrate what you have chosen to give. 

In a moment, I will ask each of you to come forward and lay your survey upon the altar.  What you lay upon the altar, you consecrate to God.  It is set apart as holy for the Lord.  Therefore, it should only be used for His glory.  You shouldn’t take it back to use however you please.  It is for God.

John 3:16
But now we come back to John 3:16—that verse we love so much because it makes God’s Word in the Bible so simple.  “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

Who is it who gave?  It is God.

What did He give?  Jesus, His one and only son.

Who did God give Jesus for?  For the whole world.  That includes you and me.

Why did God give us Jesus? 
So that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Just like the Israelites in Exodus, we have been delivered from slavery.
But our slavery wasn’t to a Pharoah in Egypt.  Our slavery was to sin and death.
Our sin separates us from God and corrupts our whole world.  We are spiritually dead.
But, praise God, through Jesus we can be delivered from our slavery.
When we repent of our sin and trust Jesus to save, He does and we have freedom and eternal life.

Won’t you repent and turn to Jesus today?  Ask Jesus to forgive you.  Trust Him to save you.
Dedicate your life to serve Him as Lord.  Please join me in the Wesley Covenant Prayer as a way to consecrate ourselves to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Closing – Wesley Covenant Prayer
“I am no longer my own, but thine.
Put me to what thou wilt, rank me with whom thou wilt.
Put me to doing, put me to suffering.
Let me be employed by thee or laid aside for thee,
exalted for thee or brought low for thee.
Let me be full, let me be empty.
Let me have all things, let me have nothing.
I freely and heartily yield all things
to thy pleasure and disposal.
And now, O glorious and blessed God,
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
thou art mine, and I am thine. So be it.
And the covenant which I have made on earth,
let it be ratified in heaven. Amen.”