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The Hebrew people went down to Egypt during a famine. At first they were treated with respect because Joseph, the son of Jacob, was a ruler under Pharaoh. The children of Israel grew and multiplied, but there rose up a new Pharaoh who did not know Joseph. He feared that the Hebrews were growing so quickly in number that they would take over the land. And so he made them slaves. The Hebrews cried unto God in prayer, and He sent Moses to deliver them. But Pharaoh was harsh and cruel. He would not let God's people go. And so God sent nine plagues upon Egypt. Each time a plague came on them, Moses came before Pharaoh and said, "Thus saith the Lord God of the Hebrews, Let my people go." But Pharaoh never listened. His heart was hardened. Now it came time for God to send the tenth plague.

"And the Lord said unto Moses, Yet will I bring one plague more upon Pharaoh, and upon Egypt; afterwards he will let you go…" (Exodus 11:1).

And Moses came into Pharaoh's court again, and said,

"Thus saith the Lord, About midnight will I go out into the midst of Egypt; And all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die…For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt" (Exodus 11:4-5; 12:12).

But God did not want His people to be punished. He told Moses that each family should take a lamb and kill it.

"And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses…" 
     (Exodus 12:7).

Now stand and read Exodus 12:12-13 aloud.

"For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and…will execute judgment: I am the Lord. And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt" (Exodus 12:12-13).

For nearly 1,500 years the Jews observed the Passover. They ate a special meal of lamb and unleavened bread and read this passage of Scripture at the Passover season, in remembrance of their deliverance from Egyptian slavery. The name "Passover" comes from our text,

"And when I see the blood, I will pass over you"
     (Exodus 12:13).

I want you to think about this text in three ways. First, the meaning of the Blood. Second, the effectiveness of the Blood. And, third, the application of the Blood.

I. First, the meaning of the Blood.

"When I see the blood, I will pass over you."

Does that verse have anything in it for us today? Yes, it is full of meaning, for the blood that was shed on that first Passover pointed to the Blood that Jesus would shed - at the Passover. Oh yes, it was at the Passover that Jesus was crucified.

"His disciples said unto him, Where wilt thou that we go and prepare that thou mayest eat the Passover?" (Mark 14:12).

They went into an upper room to eat the meal and read this verse, Exodus 12:13,

"When I see the blood, I will pass over you" (Exodus 12:13).

First Jesus gave them the unleavened bread.

"And he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them…And he said unto them, This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many" (Mark 14:23-24).

Christ was showing them that the blood on the doorpost in Exodus 12:13 was a picture of the Blood of the new covenant, which He would shed on the Cross the next day.

"When I see the blood, I will pass over you" (Exodus 12:13).

It did not speak of any blood. It spoke of the Blood of

"the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world"
     (John 1:29).

The blood on the doorpost looked forward and pictured the Blood that ransoms sinners from destruction, and plants them in

"the church of God, which he hath purchased with His own blood" (Acts 20:28).

You may ask why this Blood has such power. Spurgeon said,

If Christ were a mere man…there would be no efficacy in his blood to save; but Christ was "very God of very God;" the blood that Jesus shed was Godlike blood. It was the blood of man, for he was man like ourselves; but the divinity was so allied with the manhood, that the blood derived efficacy from it…the unceasing wonder of eternity, that God should become a man to die. Oh! when we think that Christ was the Creator of the world, and that on his all-sustaining shoulders did hang the universe, we cannot wonder that his death is mighty to redeem, and that his blood should cleanse from sin… Because he is divine, he is "able to save to the uttermost, them that come unto God by him." His blood is the blood whereby ye may escape the anger and the wrath of God (C. H. Spurgeon, "The Blood," The New Park Street Pulpit, Pilgrim Publications, 1981 reprint, volume V, pages 27-28).

"When I see the blood, I will pass over you" (Exodus 12:13).

The blood on that doorpost pictured the Blood of the God-man, Christ Jesus.

"For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us" 
     (I Corinthians 5:7).

And that's the meaning of the Blood!

II. Second, the effectiveness of the Blood.

"When I see the blood, I will pass over you" (Exodus 12:13).

"I will pass over you." No judgment will come to you. No curse will fall on you - if you have that Blood.

"For the Lord will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the Lord will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you" (Exodus 12:23).

No judgment from God can fall upon the man or woman who has that Blood.

"And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the bason, and strike the lintel and the two side posts with the blood that is in the bason…" (Exodus 12:22).

Blood on the lintel - the top post. Blood on either side, on the side posts. Blood in the bason at the bottom. On the top. On the bottom. On either side. The motion pointed to the cross of Christ!

See, from His head, His hands, His feet,
   Sorrow and love flow mingled down;
Did e'er such love and sorrow meet,
   Or thorns compose so rich a crown?
("When I Survey the Wondrous Cross" by Isaac Watts, 1674-1748).

"Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold…But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot" (I Peter 1:18-19).

Martin Luther asks,

What now, is the treasure wherewith we are ransomed? Not corruptible gold or silver but the precious blood of Christ, the Son of God. This treasure is so costly and noble that no human sense or reason can grasp it, insomuch that only one drop of this innocent blood would have been more than enough for the sin of all the world. Nevertheless the Father wanted to lavish His grace upon us so richly and has let our redemption cost Him so much that He permitted Christ, His Son, to shed all His blood for us and has thus bestowed on us the entire treasure (Luther, Exposition of I Peter 1:18-19).

The Blood of Christ fell to the ground in sweaty drops at Gethsemane. His Blood ran freely under the snarling lash when He was scourged in Pilate's Hall. The crown of thorns pricked His forehead and Blood ran down into His eyes. The nails pierced His hands and feet, and Blood ran freely from the Cross. Then, the soldier pierced His side,

"And forthwith came there out blood and water" (John 19:34).

"[God] permitted Christ, His Son, to shed all His blood for us and has thus bestowed on us the entire treasure" (Luther, ibid.).

And

"the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin" 
     (I John 1:7).

All sin cleansed by the Blood of Christ Jesus! All sin! There is no sin so great that His Blood cannot cleanse it! There is no sin that the Blood cannot wash away. It can cast out Mary Magdalene's seven demons. It can release the madness of the Demoniac. It can cure the unspeakable sores of leprosy. There is no spiritual disease it cannot heal. No case is too great for it, no matter how loathsome or vile, for it is the all-sufficient Blood of Christ.

"When I see the blood, I will pass over you" (Exodus 12:13).

And that shows the effectiveness of the Blood!

III. Third, the application of the blood.

If the lamb had been strangled or poisoned, the destroyer would have struck in judgment the firstborn of every household. If the lamb had been killed and its body tied to the doorpost, the destroyer would have struck in judgment. Let those who say there is no Blood take note of that. It was not the death of the lamb alone, but the blood of the lamb that made the difference. True, the lamb had to die, and yet God said,

"When I see the blood, I will pass over you" (Exodus 12:13).

But the blood left in a basin could not prevent judgment. It must be applied. Take that bunch of hyssop

"and dip it in the blood…and strike the lintel and the two side posts" (Exodus 12:22).

The blood must be applied or it is not effective. Oh, sinner, take the Blood of Christ! Be washed from sin in the Blood of Jesus!

"Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood" (Romans 3:24-25).

It is strange that the NASV translates this wrong, a so-called literal translation! And yet the NIV translates it correctly, "through faith in his blood." I hate going back and forth. That's why I stick with the old faithful KJV, which is literally translated and trustworthy.

"Through faith in his blood."

The object of faith is the Blood of Christ Jesus. That's how you make the connection. That's how the Blood is applied to you - "through faith in his blood."

"Oh no," some new-evangelical may say, "you are not saved by faith in His Blood!" Well, I would like to know how you can be saved without it! "Well, if a man relies on the Blood, he may perish." Never! It cannot be! God would be untrue to Himself if He let you perish while relying on the Blood of Christ!

"For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins" (Matthew 26:28).

Therefore, come to Christ and trust His Blood. And, yes, I believe there is a feeling that often accompanies that cleansing. As the old hymn put it,

Amazing grace! 'tis heav'n below
    To feel the blood applied,
And Jesus, only Jesus know,
   My Jesus crucified.
The cleansing stream I see, I see!
   I plunge, and oh, it cleanseth me!
Oh! praise the Lord, it cleanseth me,
   It cleanseth me, yes, cleanseth me!
("The Cleansing Wave" by Phoebe Palmer, 1807-1874).

And yet it is true, there are some who do not "feel the blood applied." But that does not matter, for our text does not say that you are the one who needs to see the Blood. Oh no! It says,

"When I see the blood, I will pass over you" (Exodus 12:13).

God is the one who needs to see the Blood. It does not say "when you see the blood," but "when I see it." Your faith may not be very great. But if you come to Jesus and trust His Blood, God will see it. And

"When I see the blood, I will pass over you" (Exodus 12:13).

The Hebrews could not see the blood. They were inside their houses. They could not see what was on the crossbeam and the side posts outside the door. But God could see the Blood there. That is the only condition upon which a sinner's salvation depends - God seeing the Blood applied to you, not your seeing it. Then come to God in prayer and say, "Lord save me for the sake of Christ's Blood. I can't see it as well as I should, but Lord you see it, and you have said,

"When I see the blood, I will pass over you" (Exodus 12:13).

"Lord, you see the Blood. You see that I have trusted in its saving power. Forgive me and cleanse me for the sake of Christ's Blood alone." Make that your heartfelt prayer and desire and you will be washed clean in the Blood of Jesus very soon!

(END OF SERMON)

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at www.rlhymersjr.com. Click on "Sermon Manuscripts."

Scripture Read Before the Sermon by Mr. Abel Prudhomme: Mark 14:12-25.
Solo Sung Before the Sermon by Mr. Benjamin Kincaid Griffith:
"When I See the Blood" (by John Foote, 19th century).