Exodus, The Red Sea, and New Testament Baptism

Heb 9:22 “Almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.”

Heb 2:14 “Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;”

Jesus took on flesh and blood because He couldn’t die as a Spirit. Angels can’t die. God can’t die. A spirit can’t die, only flesh can die. The incarnation was deity and dust coming together. Immortality took on mortality. If we want to understand all of this, we need to read the Old Testament. That’s our schoolmaster. That’s where we get our understanding of who Jesus is and what He came to do and why He came to do it.

Lev 17:11 “For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.”

Atonement means taking the blockage or barrier out of the way, taking the sin out of the way so that we can get close to God.

When Satan wanted to touch Job, he said, ‘Come on, God, skin for skin.’ You can’t replenish blood. You don’t get another life. Life is precious. The value of a life is weighed up against all the sin that comes to God. However, He says if the blood is in between or on the scale, He will remove the sin and its consequences.

Ex 12:13 “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.”

If the blood of the lamb was on the outside and the meat of the lamb on the inside, you would be saved. Moses delegated that message throughout the land. It was the last plague. The firstborn would be killed if they didn’t follow God’s commands.

Ex 12:11-12 “And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the LORD’S passover. 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 against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD.”

No time for the bread to rise, no yeast. Eat with your shoes on, loins girded. This was the biggest jail break in the history of the world. This was the Lord’s Passover.

Ex 12:13 “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.”

There’s more to remission of sins than just asking for forgiveness. There had to be some blood applied.

Mat 26:28 “For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.”

How do we get the blood applied to our lives today? We don’t need the blood of bulls, goats or lambs. These are just animals. We get remission of our sins through baptism in Jesus’ name.

Acts 2:38 “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.”

It is the lamb that we are saved by, His blood. He is sitting on the throne right now as the Lamb, because He is God and had to take on flesh in order to save us. We need to get this into our spirits. Jesus had to die for our sins.

You don’t get the death of Jesus applied to your life just by your belief in Him. Moses could’ve said, ‘We believe’ and then done nothing. God said, ‘If you believe, put that blood on your door posts and eat that lamb.’ They had to do something. It’s when people repent and decide to serve the Lord and obey the commandments of God, i.e. be baptized in Jesus’ name (blood on the outside) and filled with the Holy Ghost (Lamb on the inside), Acts 2:38.

Finally, Pharaoh ordered the Jews to leave. Then, in the middle of the night, he changed his mind. He decided to go after all the Jews.

The Israelites got to the Red Sea. They had cliffs on either side and the Red Sea in front. Then they realize the entire Egyptian army was in pursuit of them. They were terrified.

So, Moses prayed and God answered. Moses stood at the edge of the sea and all night long the wind blew and split the Red Sea. Millions of people walked across on dry ground. They were able to drag their stuff along behind them. It was an easy walk.

Then, Pharaoh made the biggest mistake of his military career. What happened to Moses and the Israelites was a type of baptism. Their sins were washed away just like the Egyptian army was washed away. The old nature was destroyed.

There has got to be a death of the past. In the watery grave of baptism, we are set free. The burial the Egyptians had is the same burial your sins will have when you are baptized in Jesus’ name.

Being baptized in Jesus’ name is an experience like no other.

Excerpted from a sermon by Pastor Anthony LoCascio

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