7. The greatest escape.

Exodus is a thrilling story of the great escape, when a band of slaves escaped from the most powerful nation on earth. God remembered his covenant with Abraham and promised the Israelites to ‘rescue them from the hands of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey’. (Exodus 3:8)
The great escape happened because the Israelites obeyed a simple instruction given by the Lord.
“Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month Abib (also called Nisan) each man is to take a lamb … take care of it until the fourteenth day … slaughter them at twilight. Then take some of the blood and put it on the sides and doorframes of their houses, where they eat the lambs … Eat it in haste, it is the Lord’s passover.” (Exodus 12:3-11)
“The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt.” (Exodus 12:13)
‘All the Israelites did just as the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron. And on that very day the Lord brought the Israelites out of Egypt by their divisions.’ ( Exodus 12 :50-51)
‘By faith Moses kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel‘ (Hebrews 11:28)

However the greatest escape that ever happened in the history of mankind, was when a band of captives escaped the grip of death and Hades, ‘for Christ, the Passover Lamb was sacrificed’ (1 Corinthians 5:7) and ‘he rescued them from the dominion of darkness and brought them into the Kingdom of the Son he loves.’ (Colossians 1:13)
‘The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of their tombs and after Jesus’ resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people. (Matthew 27:52-53)
‘When he ascended on high, he led captives in his train and gave gifts to men.’ (Ephesians 4:8)
The greatest escape happened when the Jews, together with the help of the Gentiles, unwittingly fulfilled ‘God’s set purpose and foreknowledge’, when they ‘put him to death by nailing him to the cross. But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.’ (Acts 2:23-24)

But the story doesn’t end there. We too ‘have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood.’ (1Peter 1:2)
All we have to do is obey a simple instruction, to escape the grip of sin, Satan, death, Hades and Hell.
‘That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord”, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.’ (Romans 10:9-10)
Amen.