Sanctify Unto the Lord (Exod 13:1-16)
Speaker: Pr Joshua Yong
Date: 14 Aug 2022

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Sermon notes taken by:

Mrs Haw Hui Jen


To sanctify unto the Lord is to set apart things for the Lord. As believers, we are to set apart our lives to be given entirely for the Lord’s use. We are to dedicate every area of our lives to Him, for we belong to Him.

In Exodus 13:1-16, God reminded the children of Israel that He had brought them out of the land of Egypt and from the bondage of Pharaoh. This marked the end of their slavery and the beginning of them becoming a nation. God used the feast of the unleavened bread and the law of the firstborn to remind them that they were different from other nations. They, and all that they possessed, were to be set apart for the Lord. Hence, the children of Israel were not to be governed, nor were they to live their lives, like the gentile nations.

The feast of the unleavened bread (Exod 13:3-10) was to be observed for 7 days during which no leavened bread was to be eaten. Anyone who disobeyed this would be cut off from Israel (Exod 12:15). This feast was a reminder to the children of Israel of the sanctified life that they were to live. They were not to harbour any sins in their lives, but were to purge their lives daily of all sins.

As Christians, we too must purge all sins from our lives as we remember how we have been saved by our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. We must not let any sin remain in our lives because “a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump” (1 Cor 5:6). We must search our hearts daily and quickly confess any sins that we may still be harbouring in our lives. Otherwise, these sins will destroy our godly testimonies, and our lives cannot be used by God.

The law of the firstborn (Exod 13:11-16) was one where every firstborn male (child and animal) was set apart unto the Lord. This is a reminder of the Passover in which a “clean” animal was sacrificed to redeem the firstborn male child and the firstborn “unclean” animals in the household. This law of the firstborn emphasizes that all that we have come from, and belong to, the Lord. Therefore, we must set apart unto the Lord all that we possess; for without our Redeemer Jesus Christ, we would be without hope.

With these in mind, we must watch our actions and guard our thoughts daily so that we may live a life that is sanctified, set apart, unto the Lord.

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