??Can you remember something good that happened to you last week？Do you remember something sad that happened to you lately'some of those things we remember may be happy, sad, and some of them very important to us!
??God says that He has some very important things He wants us to remember! Can you think of something important for us to remember in the first book of the Bible, Genesis？??He wants us to remember about how He created the world! In the second book of the Bible, Exodus, God did another important thing He wants us to remember.
??We've been learning from Exodus about God's people, the Hebrews, and how they were slaves in Egypt. Moses kept going to Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, and saying, "The LORD says, Let my people go." And even though God sent many plagues, still Pharaoh refused to set the Hebrews free. Do you remember some of those plagues？In our lesson today, God is about to send the 10th plague.
??Moses gave careful instructions to the Hebrew people："Take a male lamb without blemish or fault, the firstborn of its mother. It can be from the sheep or from the goats. Keep it apart for 4 days, and then it will be killed in the evening of that 4th day. You will take the blood of that lamb and strike it on the two side posts and the upper part . Then you shall keep your family inside your home, and none of you shall go out that door until morning. Roast the lamb with fire and eat it with unleavened bread (that means bread with nothing in it like yeast or baking powder) and bitter herbs. Get your things packed and ready, have your shoes on your feet, and your traveling clothes on, even have your walking staff in your hand as you eat this meal. And eat it in a hurry. This is the Lord's passover meal. For at midnight God will pass through the land of Egypt and will kill all the firstborn children in every home, even the firstborn of the animals. The blood on your door will be for your protection, for God says, "When I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not destroy your firstborn."
??The safety of the oldest child in each Hebrew home depended on God seeing the blood on that door. The Hebrew people believed and obeyed God's instructions. That night, all the Hebrew people were ready. They were inside their homes with the blood on the door.
??Exodus 12：29 tells us that at midnight there was a great cry in Egypt, much screaming and crying I am sure, for the LORD had passed through Egypt with the 10th plague. God had killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn son of Pharaoh to the firstborn of the poorest person in Egypt, even of the animals. Of all the Egyptian homes, the Bible says there was not a house where there was not at least one dead. But all the Hebrew families were spared, for when the LORD saw the blood on their door, He passed over their homes, just as He promised.
??As the Egyptians were screaming and crying over all their dead loved ones, Pharaoh called for Moses and demanded that he take the Hebrew people and leave the land! The Hebrew people were packed and ready, even with their walking staffs in their hands! Also God had put on the hearts of the Egyptians to give them much expensive jewelry and clothes, so the Hebrew people also went out rich!
??What a strange and wonderful night! After 430 years of being in Egypt, and multiplying to about 2 million people, the Hebrews were leaving the land! No more slavery! No more beating! No more killing the boy babies! To the Hebrews it was probably like a happy dream! They were walking out free, facing an exciting future of becoming a nation of their own! The Bible says as they left, there was not one feeble person among them, even among the older Hebrews.
??God told the Hebrews that this was an important night to be remembered! From that time on, the Hebrew people would have a special holiday every year called Passover, where they would eat special foods and have special activities to remember the night of the Passover. Through the hundreds of years since that night, the Hebrews, or Jewish people, have celebrated Passover. In fact, if you look on most calendars, you will see the Passover holiday in late March or April.
??As Christians we do not usually celebrate Passover, but we do remember our Passover Lamb that was sacrificed for our sins. As believers we remember the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus when we observe Communion or the Lord's Supper in our church. If you know the Lord Jesus, every day should be a time to remember and to offer much thanks and praise to God for Jesus. Thank God that when we believed in Jesus, He passed over our sin!
??If you have never believed on the Lord Jesus that you might be saved, and you want to do that, will you bow your head and close your eyes right now？Will you pray this prayer after me？Dear Lord Jesus, I know I have sinned. Today I understand that the punishment for my sin is everlasting death, separation from God and Heaven forever.
??But I believe You came down from Heaven as God's perfect Son. I believe You loved me and gave Your life on the cross for my sin. I believe You came alive the 3rd day. Lord Jesus, will you come into my life right now and save me from sin. Thank You, Jesus, Amen.
??Did you pray that prayer with all your heart？Why not write and tell Aunt Dee you did. I'll be looking for your letter.
??上个星期，有没有什么让你觉得非常高兴呢？最近，有没有让你难过的事情发生呢？我们记忆中的这些事情有快乐的，有伤心的，也有一些对我们来说是非常重要的。神说他有一些非常重要的事要让我们记住。你记不记得在圣经的第一本书“创世纪”中神要让我们记住什么重要的事吗？他要让我们记住“他怎样创造了世界！”
??在圣经的第二本书“出埃及记“中，神要让我们记住另外一件重要的事。我们在“出埃及记”中学到神的百姓以色列人在埃及做奴隶。摩西一次又一次地去见埃及的国王法老，说：“以色列的神这样说：‘容我的百姓去’。”虽然神降下许多的灾难，法老仍然拒绝让以色列人离开。你还记不记得神降下了哪些灾难？在我们今天的圣经故事中，神将要在埃及降下第十个灾。
??摩西仔细地嘱咐以色列百姓：每一家取一只没有残疾，一岁的头生的公羊羔，从绵羊里取，从山羊里取，都可以。把它带开四天，在第四天的晚上把羊羔宰了。把羊羔的血涂在房屋左右的门框和门楣上。谁也不可以出自己的房门，直到早晨。羊羔的肉要用火烤了与无酵饼和苦菜同吃 (无酵饼就是不加酵的饼)。他还告诉以色列百姓要收拾准备好，穿上鞋子，穿上外出旅行时的衣裳。吃羊羔的时候，手里还要拿着杖。而且要赶紧地吃，这是神的逾越节晚餐！在那天晚上，神要巡行埃及地，把埃及地一切头生的，无论是人是牲畜，都击杀了。 以色列人门上的血成为他们的保护。因为神说：‘我一见这血，就越过你们去，杀长子的灾殃就不临到你们身上。’每个以色列人家长子的安全就靠神能够看见门上的血。以色列人相信并遵守了神的命令。
??那天晚上，所有的以色列百姓都准备好了。他们待在自己家里，门上涂着血。出埃及记第12章29节告诉我们，到了半夜，埃及到处是哀号和哭声，神在埃及降下了第十个灾。他把埃及所有的长子，就是从坐宝座的法老，直到埃及最穷的人的长子，以及一切头生的牲畜，都杀了。圣经说，在埃及人中，没有一家不死一个人的。但是，每个以色列人家都安全无事，因为当神看到门上的血，正象他应许的，神就越过他们的家。
??当埃及人在为他们死去的亲人哀号痛哭的时候，法老召了摩西来，让他带以色列人，离开埃及。以色列人已经收拾准备好了，甚至手里还拿着行走的杖！神还叫以色列百姓在埃及人眼前蒙恩，以致埃及人给他们贵重的珠宝和衣服，他们就把埃及人的财物夺去了。这是一个多么奇怪而又奇妙的晚上！
??以色列人住在埃及正满了四百三十年的那一天，他们共有二百万人，离开了埃及。不再做奴隶了！不再挨打！他们的男孩也不再被杀！对以色列人来讲，这好象是一个快乐的梦！他们自由地走出来，面对着一个令人兴奋的未来，就是成为一个他们自己的国家。圣经说当他们离开的时候，在他们当中没有一个人是软弱的，甚至老年人中也没有。神告诉以色列人要把这一夜当作一个重要的日子来纪念。从那时候起，以色列人每年有一个特殊的节日叫逾越节。在这一天，他们吃特别的食物，举行特别的活动来纪念逾越节的晚上。从那个晚上起，许多年来，以色列人 (或叫犹太人)，都在庆祝逾越节。作为基督徒，虽然我们不庆祝逾越节，但是我们纪念我们的逾越节羔羊为我们的罪死。我们在领受主为我们摆设的饼与杯的时候，我们就纪念主耶稣为我们所做的牺牲。
??如果你相信主耶稣，每一天都应该来纪念他，为主耶稣把感谢和赞美献给神。感谢神，当我们相信主耶稣的时候，他就越过我们的罪！如果你还没有相信主耶稣，但你愿意来相信，请你低头，闭上眼睛，与我一起做个祷告：??“亲爱的主耶稣，我知道我是个罪人。今天，我知道对罪的惩罚就是永远的死，与神和天堂永远的分离。但我相信你是神完美的儿子。你从天上到世上来。我相信你爱我，为我的罪死在十字架上。我相信你在第三天复活。主耶稣，请你现在就进入我的生命，把我从罪中拯救出来。谢谢你，耶稣，阿门！”
??你有没有真心地作这个祷告？ |