The Way Out
7 Clean out the old leaven so that you may be a new unleavened batch, as indeed you are. For Christ our Passover lamb has been sacrificed. 8 Therefore, let us observe the feast, not with old leaven or with the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
1 Corinthians 5:7–8 [CSB]
God knows we weren’t built for a sinful world, but here we are, like the Hebrews in Egypt.
And…
God knows we weren’t built to sin, but we have, like the Hebrews in Egypt.
And we do get tired and scared, and doubtful, till the Promised Land can seem so far away that this place can seem like all there is, and sinning can seem like our only option. But Jesus is here, and where Jesus is, Heaven is close.
He said, I AM THE DOOR.
Tell me, is a door inside a house or outside? Yes. So, if Jesus is THE DOOR, is He inside the universe or outside? Yes. He’s the DOOR between Nature and High Heaven.
Through Him alone, heavenly things come into the world, namely, His Word and Spirit and Sacraments. And through Him alone, natural things go out to Heaven, namely us. And THE DOOR is not somewhere way out at the edge of the universe.
No, WHEREVER TWO OR THREE HAVE BEEN GATHERED TOGETHER IN His NAME, THE DOOR is right here IN THE MIDST OF US. In the same way, neither is He at the very lowest edge of Heaven.
No, while He’s right here, He’s also ASCENDED TO THE RIGHT HAND OF THE FATHER ALMIGHTY. I mean that at the highest Height, there’s THE DOOR that opens right onto you and me. And as low as anybody on earth can fall, here’s THE DOOR that opens right onto the throne of God.
And THE DOOR is open night and day. Here and now, everybody who’s IN CHRIST is IN THE WORLD BUT NOT OF IT, and in HEAVENLY PLACES while we’re still in the world, because if you’re standing in an open door, are you inside or outside? Yes.
One of the wonders of Holy Communion is that here THE DOOR is unmistakably right here in flesh and blood. In a few minutes many of you are going to leave your seats and enter THE DOOR that opens on Heaven, Him in you and you in Him.
Now, I know that kids who haven’t been confirmed yet, you won’t be receiving tonight. And also, you adults whom we haven’t instructed for Communion here, you won’t be receiving tonight. But if either of those is you, don’t be afraid.
Ever since you were BAPTIZED INTO JESUS, you’ve been BAPTIZED INTO JESUS, right into Heaven’s Doorway, and your Heavenly Father’s love is shining on you right now.
But you who are going to receive, how can you not be afraid? I’ve already consecrated that bread and wine; there’s the body and blood of God. THIS IS THE GATE OF HEAVEN and who dares to come?
We may kid ourselves anywhere else, but here, it’s obvious that we’re no better than any other sinner and worse than lots. How can a real sinner; I mean a real sinner, how can a real sinner come to HOLY, HOLY, HOLY Communion?
But the Holy Spirit says, ALL IS PREPARED – for sinners like us. CHRIST, OUR PASSOVER LAMB, HAS BEEN SACRIFICED – for sinners like us.
THEREFORE “LET US KEEP THE FEAST” till sin is over and we enter all the way into the Heights.
Like the Hebrews in Egypt, come morning, we’re leaving. But for now, we’re like the Hebrews in Egypt. It wasn’t just that they were in Egypt, but that there was so much of Egypt in them. So that on that night when the Holy God came down with death for that unholy country, the Hebrews should have died like anybody else.
But God made a way for sinners to live and not die that night. He told them to kill a lamb, and on that awful night to eat its body and paint its blood on the outside of their doors and then stay indoors till morning.
The blood on THE DOOR was a sign for God to see. It meant, “O Holy Lord, we deserve to die, but look at the blood on THE DOOR and see: Death has already been here, the death of a lamb for us.” The blood on THE DOOR was a symbol of the blood on THE DOOR who was coming.
That night in Egypt, God saw the blood on THE DOOR. And judgment passed over those houses.
But now, now CHRIST, OUR PASSOVER LAMB, HAS BEEN SACRIFICED. Right there’s the true Body of the true Lamb who died instead of us. TAKE; EAT. And this Passover night, stand in THE DOOR wide open.
How can you stand in the open DOOR when the Holy God is right out there?
There’s the true Blood of the true Lamb. TAKE it, and put His blood on yourself, even in yourself: TAKE; DRINK.
It means, “Holy Father, I deserve to die, but, look: Death has already been here, Your Son’s death for me.” And stand in the Open DOOR to the throne of God the Judge. AND IN THE NIGHT HIS SONG IS WITH ME.
Your Father loves you. Your Father loves you. There’s no judgment here for any tired, scared sinner, just Holy Communion with the Father Almighty here, in Jesus Himself, here, in the open DOOR, here at His Father’s throne even while we’re still in Egypt.
The Holy Spirit says, CELEBRATE THE FEAST! NOT WITH THE OLD YEAST OF MALICE AND WICKEDNESS, BUT WITH THE UNLEAVENED BREAD OF SINCERITY AND TRUTH.
Why? Because we’re out of here, come morning.
The Hebrews ate UNLEAVENED BREAD their last night in Egypt. Why?
Because there wasn’t time to wait for bread to rise. They didn’t have time for YEAST. They ate their bread UNLEAVENED and they ate it WITH THEIR SHOES ON AND THEIR STAFFS IN THEIR HANDS – because they were leaving come morning for the Promised Land.
So are we. There’s no time for THE OLD YEAST OF MALICE AND WICKEDNESS. There’s no time to plan on sinning.
THE NIGHT IS FAR SPENT; THE DAY IS AT HAND. Scorn or lies or faking – we haven’t got time for them to rise.
There’s just time for SINCERITY AND TRUTH straight from Heaven into us, here, where we need them, with the Life of the place we were built for, coming into us here, where we need it, straight from the throne through CHRIST THE DOOR…
…in which we stand both on earth and in heavenly places all through this passing night, here, right here in Jesus…
Where our Father embraces us ahead of time, here, where the Holy Ghost blows from Paradise into our souls, here, while we kneel here in THE DOOR that’s open in Heaven.
And soon, soon, walk on in. AMEN.
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