A Conversation with Gary Hamrick and Lon Solomon

Summary

---

Cornerstone Chapel Podcast

Episode: A Conversation with Gary Hamrick and Lon Solomon

Date: April 1, 2026

---

Overview

On the Wednesday night preceding Easter, Pastor Gary Hamrick of Cornerstone Chapel welcomes Pastor Lon Solomon for an engaging, heartfelt discussion centered on the significance of the Passover, both in Jewish tradition and as a powerful foreshadowing of Christ in Christianity. Lon, raised Jewish and now a longtime Christian and pastor, shares his personal journey of faith, reflecting on his upbringing, the meaning of Passover, and the gospel’s message of grace through Christ’s sacrifice. The episode weaves together biblical teaching, personal testimony, and practical wisdom, offering profound insights into how Christ is revealed in the Passover.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Introducing Pastor Lon Solomon

• Pastor Gary introduces Lon, highlighting his 52-year marriage, storied ministry, and the founding of Jill’s House.
• Lon’s Jewish roots and conversion to Christianity set the stage for a unique perspective on Passover.

2. Lon Solomon’s Testimony: From Judaism to Christ (11:30–20:14)

• Growing Up Jewish:
  • Celebrated Passover as a child, understanding its role in Jewish tradition.
  • Reflections on the difference between “Old Testament Judaism” (temple, sacrifices) and “Rabbinic Judaism” (prayer, good deeds, post-temple).
• Path to Faith:
  • Encountered the gospel at UNC Chapel Hill from a street preacher.
  • Shared his now-famous “dog prayer” (16:22) – asking God to heal his dog as a test of faith:

    “I said, all right, God, one more thing. I’m gonna stop using this cream on my dog. I want you to heal my dog. Amen.” (16:22 – 17:29)

  • After seeing his dog healed, Lon gradually embraced faith in Jesus.
  • Initial family reaction was negative; years later, his parents and brother came to Christ.

3. Passover Explained – Jewish and Christian Perspectives (20:14–32:08)

• How Modern Jews Experience Passover:
  • The Seder today (21:22):

    “No Jewish person sees Jesus in the modern Seder... We would [as Christians], but do we break the matzah and does it symbolize Christ? For a Jewish person, no clue.” (21:38)

• Biblical Passover (Exodus 12):
  • Salvation was not based on ethnicity but on obedience—marking the doorposts with the blood of a lamb.
  • The blood forms a cross (27:11); the true core of Passover is being covered from judgment by the blood.
• Typology of Christ in Passover:
  • Each Old Testament feast was meant to point to Christ’s life, death, and resurrection.
  • Passover foreshadows salvation in Christ:

    “When I see the blood, I will pass over you. Now, all the other things about Passover are wonderful, but that’s the core… God does not judge us for sin when he sees us being covered by the blood.” (27:12)

4. Salvation and the Necessity of the Blood (32:08–36:59)

• The Exclusivity and Sufficiency of Christ's Blood:
  • Parallels between original Passover and salvation through Jesus.
  • The blood isn’t about ritual—it’s God’s chosen way for salvation.
• Addressing Doubts:
  • Many balk at the “simplicity” of the gospel:

    “People say, oh, that’s too simple. You just trust the blood of Christ, you get into heaven? Too simple. Well, look, don’t be educated beyond your intelligence... Of course it’s simple. God wants a three-year-old to be able to do this.” (34:30)

• God’s Justice and Mercy Converge:
  • Cites Romans and the wisdom of God:

    “Only God could figure out how to do this because we are sinners. So the way God figured out to do this is Romans 6:23. The wages of sin is death. Somebody's gotta die for my sin. Okay, somebody did die for my sin. The Lord Jesus.” (33:22)

5. Communion and The Last Supper (36:59–38:55)

• Disciples’ Surprise at Jesus’ Words:
  • The disciples would have been startled at Jesus redefining Passover as his body and blood.
  • Lon suggests it took the post-resurrection, 40-day period for the disciples to truly understand.
  • Jesus’ teaching clarified the Old Testament’s true purpose, leading to New Testament revelation.

6. Invitation to Receive Christ (39:11–43:25)

• Eternal Stakes:

  • Lon earnestly stresses the importance of not delaying a decision for Christ.
  • He emphasizes the finality of death and the singular importance of being “covered by the blood.”
  • Invitation Quote:

    “If you’re not 1000% sure, that if you showed up on the shores of heaven, that you would be able to say, I’m covered by the blood of Jesus and that’s what I’m trusting… then, my friend, there’s a quote from Robert Murray McShane who says that how much would people in hell give to have a chance to come back to earth for one minute and avail themselves of Christ? But they don’t have that chance. So you do.” (39:33)

• Sinner’s Prayer:

  • Lon leads a personal, heartfelt prayer for those wishing to trust Christ (41:01).

7. Closing Encouragement & Next Steps (44:18–46:00)

• For New Believers:
  • Guidance on finding a church:

    “…if you’re local, you just need to come to this church, it’s just that simple… If they (a pastor) go, thank God, praise the Lord, you’re in the right church. If they look at you like you’ve lost your ever loving mind, then you’re not in the right church.” (44:18)

  • Encouragement to pursue discipleship.
  • Humorous, humble reminder from Lon that “I can still go in the ditch—pray for me!” (46:00)

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Bold Advice for Young Believers and Pastors:

  “You’re going to come to a lot of these forks. Make sure, number one, you don’t make the decision in the energy of the flesh. Get on your face and say, God, what do you want me to do? …Just step out and do it. Just trust God like Abraham…”
  — Lon Solomon (08:52)

• On the Simplicity of Salvation:

  “Don’t be educated beyond your intelligence... Of course it’s simple. God wants a three-year-old to be able to do this. Why would He make it hard?”
  — Lon Solomon (34:30)

• A Humorous Theology Debate:

  “A kid came up at Liberty University... he said, ‘My theology does not allow God to heal dogs.’ And I said, ‘Okay, well, you know what? Honestly, I don’t really care about your theology.’”
  — Lon Solomon (18:19)

• Communion as Fulfillment:

  “How startled do you think they must have been? Because for all those centuries, they had been celebrating Passover with one thing in mind… but now Jesus is bringing brand new meaning to this because he is the fulfillment of all of this.”
  — Pastor Gary (36:59)

---

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:00–07:05 – Introduction & Personal Connection
• 07:05–11:30 – Lon reflects on God’s guidance through hard decisions
• 11:30–20:14 – Lon’s testimony from Jewish upbringing to faith in Christ
• 20:14–22:10 – Modern Seder and its differences from biblical Passover
• 22:10–25:58 – Reading Exodus 12 and discussing Passover’s original instructions
• 25:58–32:08 – Deeper explanation of Passover and symbolism of the blood
• 32:08–36:59 – Significance of Jesus as the Passover Lamb; salvation by faith
• 36:59–38:55 – Disciples’ experience at Last Supper and Jesus’ revelation
• 39:11–43:25 – Clear call to salvation and guided prayer
• 44:18–46:00 – Advice for new believers, assurance, and closing encouragement

---

Tone and Language

The conversation is warm, personal, occasionally humorous, and deeply earnest in its spiritual appeal. Both pastors use relatable stories, biblical references, and straightforward language to make profound theological truths accessible and engaging.

---

Summary

This episode is an illuminating blend of testimony, theological teaching, and practical application. Listeners walk away with a richer understanding of Passover’s significance, how it points to Christ, and the far-reaching grace available through Jesus’ sacrifice. The invitation to faith is made simple and sincere, connecting ancient tradition to present-day transformation.

---

Transcript

[Pastor Gary]

So tonight, the Wednesday night before Easter, we usually designate here at Cornerstone as our Passover service so that we can just talk about the things related to Passover and how Christ is revealed in the Passover. It just so happens that our calendar coincides with the actual Jewish feast of Passover. Tonight it starts. It's actually already started in Israel because they're seven hours, I think, with time changes six hours ahead of us. And so Passover has begun, and so this is timely for us to be here. When I saw in the calendar what we were coming up to, I texted Lon Solomon and asked, lon, would you be able to join me for this discussion together so that the two of us. And I'm going to lean on him a lot to walk us through the whole Passover story. Now, Lon Solomon does not really need a lengthy introduction. He is known and loved by most, if not all of you who are familiar with him. But for those of you who don't know about Lon Solomon, he has been in ministry now for a little over five decades here in the Northern Virginia area. In particular, he's been married to his wonderful wife, Brenda. Coming up on he told me 52. Is that correct? You got it right. Stand, Brenda. He was raised in a Jewish home in Portsmouth, Virginia, where he was born, and then he got saved at unc, of all places, by a street evangelist. Seriously, he's the only person I've ever heard who got saved because a street evangelist was yelling on the street about Jesus. But that's how he got saved. And just a remarkable story. He and Brenda have been married now. Coming up on 52 years, as I said, they have four children and eight grandchildren. One of their children, Jill, was really the inspiration behind them starting and beginning a wonderful ministry here in Northern Virginia called Jill's House. They're associated with McLean Bible Church, where Lon pastored there from 1980 till 2017. So for 37 years, he was the pastor of McLean Bible. How many McLean Bible fans do we have here? Yeah, is there anyone from Cornerstone here tonight? I just.

[Lon Solomon]

All right.

[Pastor Gary]

Okay, good.

[Lon Solomon]

All right.

[Pastor Gary]

It's not a competition, everybody. I just wanted to make sure I had the right people. But Lon is still on the radio. Lana's still on the radio. And his messages are entitled not a sermon, just a. Just a thought. And he told me before we came out here, this is his first public appearance on stage in the nine years since he has left McLean Bible Church.

[Lon Solomon]

So

[Pastor Gary]

I. I consider him now a dear friend, I'm sad to say. You know, I've been here with Terry pastoring Cornerstone now for coming up on 34 years. And I. I had known always of Lon Solomon. His reputation was stellar in this area, but I'm sorry to say I never even met him until about a year ago when he and Brenda started coming here to Cornerstone, and. But his reputation preceded him. And I have just always respected the way that God has used him, remarkably, not just in Northern Virginia, but wherever the Lord has used him. And so it's a real honor of mine, a personal privilege to have tonight. Join me on stage, Pastor Lon Solomon. Somebody loves you. Somebody loves you.

[Lon Solomon]

Yeah.

[Pastor Gary]

Look, if it means anything to you, that was a greater applause than what Shannon Bream got a few weeks ago.

[Lon Solomon]

Yeah. Well, thank all of you. Thank you so much. I appreciate it. Yeah.

[Pastor Gary]

So, Lon, let's start with prayer, and then we're going to dive in. And I want to hear some of your story, too, because it relates to the Passover story. But let's pray first, everybody. Lord, I thank you that Lon can join us here tonight. Thank you for him and for Brenda. Just pray, God that you would bless our time together. We just commit this service to you, Lord, that you would be most glorified in all of it. And, Lord, open our eyes to see Christ tonight, especially Christ in the Passover, how you, Lord, have revealed yourself through this wonderful, timeless story. And so just help us in our conversation tonight. We just commit it all to you. And again, I just thank you for Lon. Pray your blessing on him and Brenda. In Jesus name, Amen. Amen. All right, Lon, I'm going to tell you something that I have not told you, but Terry and I. So I was on staff as the youth pastor at Christian Fellowship Church for four years when Terry and I first got married, and before we started having kids, I took a Sunday off from cfc, but we did one of those stay vacations, so we wanted to stay in the area, and Terri and I decided we wanted to go to McLean Bible Church. But now listen, this was when you were at Langley High School.

[Lon Solomon]

Oh, yeah.

[Pastor Gary]

In between building programs. Oh, yeah. So we're thinking, because we got married in 87, we're thinking it was probably in 1988. That would have to be around the time you were there at Langley. And so Terri and I went. That was the first time that I had heard you preach. But I didn't meet you. As I said, I didn't meet you till like a year ago here. But I just remember thinking then and, you know, there we were, just starting out in ministry together. I still don't know what I'm doing, but I remember sitting there thinking, this man, you just loves the Lord and setting a wonderful example and how the Lord has used you for the kingdom. I just want to honor you and thank you for even being here tonight.

[Lon Solomon]

Thank you. Yeah.

[Pastor Gary]

You remember Langley High School days?

[Lon Solomon]

Oh, yeah. And there was no air conditioning.

[Pastor Gary]

No.

[Lon Solomon]

No. So we had those big BO fans, you know, in the. In the gymnasium that would blow the hot air out and more hot air would come in. It was something else. But, hey, you know what I was telling Brenda on the way here, and I want to take along with this. No, but I look back on my life. I was here Sunday, sitting right out there, and as the gentleman was preaching.

[Pastor Gary]

David Guzik. Yeah.

[Lon Solomon]

Yeah. I was thinking, you know what, Lord? I look at my life, and there's all these forks in the road in my life, going all the way back to choosing to go to the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, where otherwise I never would have met that street preacher. And how at every one of these forks, God made it clear which way he wanted me to go. And every time, it was the hardest choice. Every time. And every time, it was the one that demanded I step out by faith, like Abraham. And I was thinking as I was sitting out there this past Sunday, gosh, Lord, if at any one of those points, I would have chosen the other way, the other road, where. Where would. I wouldn't be where I am now, Lord. Thank you so much. So I said to Brenda, I said, you know, if I ever had to give advice to a young pastor or just to a young believer, I would say, hey, you're going to come to a lot of these forks.

[Pastor Gary]

Yeah.

[Lon Solomon]

Make sure, number one, you don't make the decision in the energy of the flesh. Get on your face and say, God, what do you want me to do? And then when he tells you, and you can almost depend on the fact, it'll be the toughest one of the options, then just do it. Just step out and do it. Just trust God like Abraham and just say, I don't know where I'm going, but, Lord, I know I can trust you and just do it. And God has never, ever, in 55 years of being a believer, ever let me down. Ever. And now I look around at where my life is now and all the incredible blessings the Lord has given me and my wife, my family, everything. And I say, oh, dear Jesus, how in the world did I end up here, when I came to Christ, I had nothing, absolutely nothing. No skills, no money, nothing. And it's not complicated. It's just obeying God and being willing to step out by faith. And the last thing I'll say is it gets harder, I believe the older you get because you got more to lose. I had nothing to lose at 22 years old. You know, I had nothing to lose much at 30. But the older you get, the more risky it is, and the more we have it, you know, all in. It has a lot more chips, you know, the older you get. But that doesn't matter. Abraham had to go up the mountain as an old man with Isaac. And it was. That's. You know, and we gotta. We can't help. May God help all of us. Never lose that willingness. Okay, how old we are. To say, okay, Lord, what do you want me to do? Really? You want me to do that? Are you kidding? Are you kidding? But. Okay, here I go.

[Pastor Gary]

Moses was 80 years old.

[Lon Solomon]

Yeah.

[Pastor Gary]

And he was just getting started.

[Lon Solomon]

Well, Abraham was 125. Going up the mountain with his kids. Yeah. So anyway, I don't mean to get us on a sidetrack, but.

[Pastor Gary]

No, but that's not really a sidetrack because that dovetails into this time because, you know, we're going to talk about the Passover, but you. I said to you earlier, I said, we're not only talking about the story of the Passover from your wealth of biblical knowledge, but you lived this as a young Jewish boy growing up in Southern Virginia.

[Lon Solomon]

Yes, sir.

[Pastor Gary]

And so talk about how your family would celebrate Pesach Passover.

[Lon Solomon]

Yeah.

[Pastor Gary]

And then. And weave that into. How did a Southern Jew from Virginia get. Get like, you got saved, and then the Lord has used you in such a marvelous way.

[Lon Solomon]

Well, I was born in Portsmouth, Virginia. Anybody here from Portsmouth? No, I don't.

[Pastor Gary]

Virginia Beach. Close.

[Lon Solomon]

I don't blame you,

[Pastor Gary]

really.

[Lon Solomon]

But anyway, And I had a. I used to act in plays in high school. The Lord was training me to be on stage, and I didn't even know it back then. But anyway, I had a girl ask me between times that I was doing my lines as a young Jewish kid, if I knew for sure I was going to heaven. And I'm like, I don't know. Never been asked that question. So I asked my rabbi, and he said, all Jewish people go to heaven. And I said, really? He said, yeah, this is true. He said, hell is a gentile problem. Okay. I said, well, I like that. And I went off to college thinking I'M going to heaven. Yeah, this is great. And I was one of the most depraved human beings known to man, but I'm sure I'm going to heaven.

[Pastor Gary]

Yeah.

[Lon Solomon]

But it wore off with all the depravity that was in my life. And by the time I was 22, I was in my fifth year. I was doing like a victory lap, you know what I'm saying? Yeah. And I was on drugs and pushing drugs and smuggling dope in from Amsterdam. And I was just really a bad person.

[Pastor Gary]

I'm just trying to imagine this. It's hard. Yo, yo, yo, I'm lon. I'm on the street.

[Lon Solomon]

I'm a drug pusher.

[Pastor Gary]

Yeah, yeah.

[Lon Solomon]

You know, but I was. And I met this street preacher who started talking to me about Jesus. And I was like, okay, first of all, I'm going to heaven. I'm Jewish. Which he quickly showed me in the Bible. That was wrong. And then he shared the Gospel with me. And at the end of that first day, about two hours, his words were like water on a dry sponge to me. And then he said, now, are you ready to receive Jesus? Well, now, there's two problems with this. Number one, I have no idea what that means. I mean, I know what receive means, and I know who Jesus is, but if you put them together, I have no idea what that means. And number two, I'm Jewish. So I said to him, no, no. And so he said, well, if I give you a Bible, will you read it? I was like, I mean, I didn't have. Drug pushers don't have Bibles except to

[Pastor Gary]

smuggle nickel bags in.

[Lon Solomon]

No. So. So I said, okay. So he gave me this Bible, King James. And he said to me, it was brilliant. He said, now you're going to read a lot of things in this Bible that you may not understand exactly what it's saying. Don't worry about it. There'll be plenty you do understand. Just keep going. That was brilliant advice.

[Pastor Gary]

Yeah.

[Lon Solomon]

You know, I wot not. What in the world does that mean? I'm an educated man. I don't know what wat means. But he said, keep going. So I kept going. And I got to Matthew 11, where Jesus said, come to me, all you who are labor and heavy laden, and I'll give you rest. You'll find peace for your soul. And I remember saying, bingo. I said it out loud, bingo. That's exactly what I'm looking for. I couldn't have put it into words that well. But if Jesus can do that for me, then he can have my life because it's not worth a plug nickel to me. So I got on my knees. This is more detailed than you want.

[Pastor Gary]

That's all right.

[Lon Solomon]

Okay. All right.

[Pastor Gary]

Yeah.

[Lon Solomon]

I got on my knees real quick, and I said, okay, God, I don't even know if you exist. And by the way, Jewish people don't pray on their knees, so I don't know why I got on my knees. Just seemed appropriate. And I got on my knees and I said, lord, and this Jesus character, I am really confused about him. But if you can do what you're saying you can do, you can give me peace, you can give me rest, you can have my life. So here's the deal. I'm gonna give you one month. Well, I didn't have anybody there helping me. You weren't there.

[Pastor Gary]

Yeah, right. Yeah.

[Lon Solomon]

So I'm flying by the seat of my pants here. I said, I'm gonna give you one month, God. And if you give me the peace and the rest that you say you can give me, you can have my life for good. And if you don't, I reserve the right to take my life back. Amen. That was my word for word prayer. Yeah. And I got up, I thought about it for a second, got back down my knees, and I said, one more thing, God. I have a dog. My dog's name was Noah. Big German shepherd. He had the mange. I'd been using cream on him. It wasn't working. And I said, all right, God, one more thing. I'm gonna stop using this cream on my dog. I want you to heal my dog. Amen. So I got up and I thought, golly, Dave, man, you know, you're putting your dog's life on the line. So I thought, well, maybe I should have asked God to do something else, like levitate the bed, you know, or something. But I said, nope, nope. A deal's a deal. Three days later, Gary, I'm telling you, my dogs, the hair was back on my dog. I'm telling you.

[Pastor Gary]

Now, listen, it's more evidence that God loves dogs. Go ahead. It is.

[Lon Solomon]

He does.

[Pastor Gary]

True.

[Lon Solomon]

He does. You know, my friends all said, oh, Lon, that was just a residual of the medicine. Look, I knew better than that. I'd been putting that medicine on him for weeks, and he was not getting any better. I knew God had done something. Now, I had a kid come up at Liberty University a few years ago when I spoke there in convocation. And he said, I'm really sorry. He said, but my theology does not allow God to heal dogs. And I said, okay, well, you know what? Honestly, I don't really care about your theology.

[Pastor Gary]

Yeah, good for you,

[Lon Solomon]

you little twerp. Yeah, I mean, he's a little college twerp, you know. I said, God, heal my dog, whether your theology allows it or not.

[Pastor Gary]

Yeah.

[Lon Solomon]

Cause God's not in these little pigeonholes that we put him in.

[Pastor Gary]

Totally.

[Lon Solomon]

And then eventually, I gave my life to Christ. And then I went home and told my parents, this guy who led me in Christ said, God saved you to be a missionary to your family? And I'm like, really? He goes, yeah, your grandparents, your aunt and uncle, your parents. I'm like, really? Okay. So I went and shared the Lord with my family. You know, honestly, they would have rather had me come home, tell them that I was on drugs than that I was believing in Jesus. So. And then I told my grandparents, and I had an uncle that I told, and he said, oh, so now it's you and Adolf Hitler? And I'm like, what?

[Pastor Gary]

Wow.

[Lon Solomon]

What's Adolf Hitler got to do with anything? He said, well, he wasn't Arab and he wasn't Jewish, so he's Christian. And I said, uncle Barry, Adolf Hitler was not a Christian.

[Pastor Gary]

Yeah.

[Lon Solomon]

So. But. And he never spoke to me much for the next 40 years. Yeah, no, it was bad. Wow. But let me just close this by saying, praise God. My. My dad came to Christ before he died. My mom came to Christ before he died. My brother is an active, practicing Christian. God saved my whole nuclear family. Praise the Lord. Huh?

[Pastor Gary]

That's great.

[Lon Solomon]

Now Passover. Now Passover.

[Pastor Gary]

Yeah, Passover.

[Lon Solomon]

But. So we celebrated the Passover.

[Pastor Gary]

Yeah,

[Lon Solomon]

we did.

[Pastor Gary]

Yeah. And.

[Lon Solomon]

Yeah, we had a Seder. Yeah. And I was young. I didn't understand it all, but I was old enough to get the basic idea. This was getting the children of Israel out of. Out of Egypt. But even though I think today. Well, let me say this. There's two kinds of Judaism. There's Old Testament Judaism and there's Rabbinic Judaism. Most Christians don't understand this. Old Testament Judaism was practiced when the temple existed because you could sacrifice. You had to sacrifice, and you're not allowed to sacrifice, you know, in the synagogue. So once the temple was destroyed, nobody could practice Old Testament Judaism anymore. So the rabbis had to come up with something or every Jewish person would go away. So they created a. What we call Rabbinic Judaism, where they had to make some serious adjustments. Like prayer replaces sacrifice.

[Pastor Gary]

Right.

[Lon Solomon]

And mitzvahs, which means a good deed replaces sacrifice. So in the. In the Seder that's celebrated today, the Passover meal. It's rabbinic.

[Pastor Gary]

Yeah.

[Lon Solomon]

So no Jewish person, not I. No one. No Jewish person sees Jesus in. In the modern Seder. Yeah. Yeah. Do we break the piece of matzah in half? The afikoman, which means dessert is what it means. And then, you know, does that symbolize Christ breaking the matzah at the Last Supper? Yeah. Would a Jewish person eating the seder? No clue. Right. Do we drink glasses of wine like Jesus offered the wine? Yeah. No Jewish person would make that identification.

[Pastor Gary]

Right.

[Lon Solomon]

We. We would. Today, you know, as believers, if you celebrate Seder, you say, oh, yeah. Breaking the. Yeah, but. And you say, well, then what kind of Seder did Jesus celebrate at the Last Supper? Folks? We really don't know for sure.

[Pastor Gary]

Right.

[Lon Solomon]

We know that he obviously had matzah because he broke it. Right. We know he had wine, actually from Exodus 12. We know he had bitter herbs.

[Pastor Gary]

Yeah.

[Lon Solomon]

But other than that, we really. We're not. We really don't know. Yeah.

[Pastor Gary]

It probably wasn't as elaborate as, like, a Seder dinner today.

[Lon Solomon]

No.

[Pastor Gary]

Didn't have all the extra elements, the food items that. That we have now today.

[Lon Solomon]

Exactly.

[Pastor Gary]

When Jews have seders. Let's go back to just the brief history of Passover, and let me read out of Exodus, chapter 12, and we have the verses on the screen for you, because I'm going to jump around a little bit on this, but this is Exodus, chapter 12, verse 1. Now, the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, this month shall be your beginning of months. It shall be the first month of the year to you. Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying, on the 10th of this month, every man shall take for himself a lamb according to the house of his father, a lamb for a household. Verse 5. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats. Now you shall keep it until the 14th day of the same month. And then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at twilight. And they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses where they eat. Where they eat it. And then they shall eat the flesh on that night, roasted in fire with unleavened bread and with bitter herbs. They shall eat it. Do not eat it raw nor boiled at all with water, but roast it in fire, its head with its legs and its entrails. You shall let none of it remain until morning. And what remains of it until morning you shall burn with fire. Verse 12. For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night. And I will strike 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. Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you. This is where we get the term Passover, Pesach. I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt. Verse 14. So this day shall be to you a memorial. And you shall keep it as a feast to the Lord throughout your generations. You shall keep it as a feast by an everlasting ordinance. For the Lord will pass through to strike the Egyptians and. And when he sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the Lord will pass over the door and not allow the destroyer to come into your houses to strike you. And you shall observe this thing as an ordinance for you and your sons forever. It will come to pass when you come to the land which the Lord will give you, just as he promised, that you shall keep this service. And it shall be when your children say to you, what do you mean by this service? That you shall say, it is the Passover sacrifice of the Lord who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt when he struck the Egyptians and delivered our households. So the people bowed their heads and worshiped. So for a Jew today who doesn't believe Jesus is Messiah, they're going to practice Passover. Looking back historically to how God delivered the Israelites out of their bondage in Egypt. Talk about this law and this. This whole. This whole instruction about marking your doors, the doorposts and the lintels with the blood of a lamb.

[Lon Solomon]

Okay, well, every feast and every festival in the Old Testament, some of the feasts and the festivals that are celebrated by Jewish people today, like Purim or Hanukkah, are not in the Bible. But the ones that are in the Bible, like Pentecost, Tabernacles, Yom Kippur, Day of Atonement, Pesach, Passover. Every one of them was meant to point to some part of the life. The death, the burial, the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. For example, Tabernacles. Well, for John, chapter one, verse 14, the Word became flesh. And tabernacle, that word means among us. Yeah. So the feast of. Of Pentecost, first fruits. Well, First Corinthians 15 says that Jesus is the first fruits from the dead. Yep. And of course, with Passover, the key point there is the blood. When I see the blood, I will pass over you. Now, all the other things about Passover are wonderful, but that's the core of Passover. It's meant to teach us that God does not judge us for sin when he sees us being covered by the blood. And if you notice, the top of the door and the two lintels forms a cross, interestingly enough. But so today, that is still God's promise. When I see you behind the blood of Jesus, I will pass over you in judgment.

[Pastor Gary]

Right.

[Lon Solomon]

You know, the Bible says. I think I gave you the verse, Joey, that God is a consuming fire.

[Pastor Gary]

Yeah. Hebrews 12:29.

[Lon Solomon]

Yeah. You know, when I was growing up, we had an electric stove. And if you let the burner get red hot, if you dropped a drop of water on it, it would vaporize. I mean, the water would just gone. Well, that's how God's holiness is going to be with sinners. No sinner is going to be able to stand in the presence of a holy God. We don't understand, and nor do I, what holy really means. So without a covering like the blood of Christ, you know, I'm always amazed at people who go away. You wait till I stand before God. I'm going to give my people. No, you're not. You're not even going to be able to speak. Yeah. The holiest people in the world, like Daniel wasn't even able to speak in the presence of God. So we need a covering or we're in big trouble. And so this is what Passover is meant to teach us. Had an Egyptian been in one of these homes covered by the blood, his firstborn son would have been spared. And had a Jewish person been outside of one of these homes, his firstborn would have died. Because the issue was not, are you Jewish or Gentile? The issue is, are you covered by the blood?

[Pastor Gary]

Yeah.

[Lon Solomon]

And so I've got a quote here. Can I read it? From Robert Murray McShane, who I know is one of your favorites. It's very short. He said, in our nature. Can we put it up? Yeah. In our past life, in our breaking of God's holy laws, in our neglect of Jesus, in our indwelling sin, God can see nothing in us but what his holiness must consume. Our tears will not blot out our sin. The people in hell do nothing but weep. Yet that changes nothing. Instead, we must be covered with a spotless righteousness. And Jesus offers us this perfect righteousness through his blood. And there's lots of ways that you can describe salvation. You know, it's a race change operation. You go from being in Adam to being in Christ. It's. You can describe it as being born again. You know, you were dead, but now you're alive. But one way to describe it is that I have taken the blood of Christ as my shield. And I've given up everything else I ever trusted. My good works, my religious activity, all of it. And the only hope I've got of standing before a holy God is that the blood of Christ is gonna shield me from that holiness. That's another way to look at it. And that's what Passover's meant to teach us. That's the basic lesson. There's. So all of us, it seems to me, have got to ask the question, you know, can I honestly say I've taken up refuge behind the blood of Christ as my. When I get to heaven, and the people at the hole at the pearly gate say, why should I let you in? You know, you say, well, I follow Buddha. I'm sorry, that name ain't going to work. I follow Muhammad. Sorry, that name don't work here. I follow Joseph Smith. That name don't work here. But I'm covered by the blood of Jesus. I'm taking. Hey, baby, come on in.

[Pastor Gary]

Why didn't you say so at the beginning?

[Lon Solomon]

I'm serious. Yeah. And so that's the bottom line of what Passover is all about. That's what the Jewish people were supposed to. To learn from that. And then, of course, extrapolate it and apply it to Jesus. You remember in Revelation where it says, these are those talking about the saints in heaven who have come out of the great tribulation and who have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb and their robes have come out white. Remember that? Yeah. So that's how, you know, normally blood won't make your clothes white, but the blood of Jesus does.

[Pastor Gary]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. So I suppose that people back in the day, you know, 1450 B.C. when Moses was instructed by the Lord, you know, put the sign of the blood over your doors, there was probably plenty of people who thought, well, this is a little ridiculous. I mean, you know, why do we have to do this? But yet it was God's prescribed way of being saved in the sense small s being saved from his judgment that was coming upon that land. And there are probably some people today who would say, well, why do I have to trust in the blood of Jesus kind of in the same skeptical way. But the reality is that that is God's gracious provision, his sacrifice on that cross for our salvation so that we can be permanently saved. Capital S, Right? So talk about how Christ now is revealed in that way.

[Lon Solomon]

Well, it's interesting that you say that, because that's what the book of romans, the first 11 chapters is all about, is about how there is no distinction, Romans 3, between the Jew and the Gentile. Romans 3:23. For all of us have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Well, many of us know that verse, but the next couple verses are the most exciting. It says, but God has provided a righteousness for us in the redemption that's in Christ. And here are the three magic words. Through his blood. Yeah, and this is God's way. The Bible says God has to remain just because he's God. And at the same time, he wants to justify the sinner because he loves us. Yeah. This is quite a paradigm how in the world only God could figure out how to do this because we are sinners. So the way God figured out to do this is Romans 6:23. The wages of sin is death. Somebody's gotta die for my sin. Okay, somebody did die for my sin. The Lord Jesus. Right. But then if you hide behind his blood, I will pass over you and take you to heaven. So God figured out this amazing way to remain just. His holiness is satisfied somebody paid a death for my sin. But at the same time, he's able to extend mercy to us by the blood of Christ. I mean, this is why Paul says, oh, the wisdom and the majesty. Who else could figure out a system? Let me just say, people think the blood of Christ is stupid. People think the blood of Christ is ancient. It's prehistoric. It's, you know, the Gospel of Gore, as people call it. Hey, you know what? You can think whatever you want as a human being, but God runs heaven. And if this is the way he's decided, you get into heaven, then what difference to make what you think? Yeah, you. You either come the way God said to come, or you don't. You don't. You don't get in. Yeah, it's just that simple. Yeah. So, you know, let me just stay in closing because I know we're out of time. Friends. Why would God make it hard to get saved? God wants children to get saved. Why would he make it hard? People say, oh, that's too simple. You just trust the blood of Christ, you get into heaven too Simple. Well, look, don't be educated beyond your intelligence. Okay, so what if it's simple? Of course it's simple. God wants a three year old to be able to do this. Why would he make it hard? So friends, be careful that you don't dismiss something just because it's simple. It might be simple, but it works. I mean, that's the bottom line. It works.

[Pastor Gary]

Yeah. So we do have just a couple more minutes before we're gonna take the break and go into communion. Which is why we're sharing communion tonight too. Cause it dovetails right into this discussion. But from your perspective, growing up Jewish, how startling do you think it was for his disciples on that last Passover meal that Jesus shared with them to hear him talk about, this is my body, which is, you know, he takes the bread, he breaks it. This is my body, which is broken for you, takes the cup. This is my blood of the new covenant, which is shed for you. I mean, how startled do you think they must have been? Because for all those centuries, they had been celebrating Passover with one thing in mind. This is all about our deliverance from slavery in Egypt and how we got freed by the Lord to the promised land. But now Jesus is bringing brand new meaning to this because he is the fulfillment of all of this.

[Lon Solomon]

Yeah.

[Pastor Gary]

How startling must it have been to them?

[Lon Solomon]

Well, honestly, Pastor Gary, I don't even think they fully got it at first. I think it was beyond their ability to take in all at once. But don't forget that Jesus did not go directly to heaven after his resurrection.

[Pastor Gary]

Right.

[Lon Solomon]

As you know, he spent 40 days here on earth teaching his disciples. The Bible says about himself in the Old Testament. So it's like going to Jerusalem Bible Seminary, you know, for 40 days. Can you imagine?

[Pastor Gary]

Yeah.

[Lon Solomon]

And we often look at these verses where they're quoting the Gospel, writers are quoting the Old Testament and saying that it might be fulfilled. And you look at some of those examples, like out of Egypt, I've called my son Hosea 11. 1. And you go, what? How in the world, how in the world did they get that to apply to Jesus? Well, it's real simple. Jesus told them during those 40 days, he said, now you see that verse there? That's talking about me. You see that? That's talking about me. Oh, okay, okay, we got it now. You see, when I see the blood, I'll pass. Oh, oh, that's you. Okay. So I think it was. I think they had to be. They took those 40 days to get them to really understand what's going on. But they obviously got it, because like I say, the whole book of Romans, the whole first 11 chapters, is Paul arguing this exact point, that it's the blood of Jesus that has purchased our redemption. And, hey, when I see the blood, I'll pass over you.

[Pastor Gary]

So, Pastor Lana, I don't want to make any assumption about anyone here tonight or watching online who has never accepted Christ and they don't know a personal relationship with him. What would you tell them tonight? And would you mind praying for them?

[Lon Solomon]

No, I would love to do that. What I would tell you is, folks, this is serious business. Everything else that goes on in our world, the politics, everything here in Washington or wherever you are, this is all temporary stuff. It doesn't matter. But, friends, when the angels come to get you like they did the rich man and Lazarus, well, the angels didn't come to get the rich man, but they came to get Lazarus. Yeah. When you die, baby, I'm telling you this. You got one chance. It's appointed on demand, wants to die. And after that judgment, there's no second chances. This is it. While we're on this side of the grave, folks, you got to be ready. I mean, a car accident, who knows what, you know? You got to be ready. And so I would say to you, if you're not 1000% sure, that if you showed up on the shores of heaven, that you would be able to say, I'm covered by the blood of Jesus, and that's what I'm trusting. Plus nothing to get me into heaven. That, my friend, there's a quote From Robert Murray McShane who says that how much would people in hell give to have a chance to come back to earth for one minute and avail themselves of Christ? But they don't have that chance. So you do. You still do. And, boy, I sure hope you'll. You'll. You'll do that.

[Pastor Gary]

Pray.

[Lon Solomon]

Shall I pray? Yeah, please.

[Pastor Gary]

Yeah.

[Lon Solomon]

Do you mind if I get. Have a little sinner's prayer?

[Pastor Gary]

Absolutely.

[Lon Solomon]

Yes.

[Pastor Gary]

Yeah.

[Lon Solomon]

All right. Well, look, we're not going to let you here and turn you loose without trying to rope you in.

[Pastor Gary]

Sure.

[Lon Solomon]

No, that's not how it. We work.

[Pastor Gary]

That's not how we do it.

[Lon Solomon]

No. No. So if you're here and you've never. You're not 100% sure that you're covered with the blood of Jesus, my friend, there'll never be an easier time or place to do it than right here. So let's bow our heads, okay? And close our eyes, please. Nobody looking around. I'M not looking around. And if you're not sure, but you'd want to make sure that the blood of Christ is covering you, then I'm gonna pray a short little prayer, one phrase at a time. I want you to repeat it with me. You can do it silently, you can do it out loud. It doesn't matter. Here we go. Lord Jesus, I come to you tonight because I want to make sure that the blood of Jesus is covering me and my sinfulness in the sight of a holy God. I want you to be able to look at me and say, because I see the blood covering you, I will pass over you in judgment. And so tonight, I give up everything I've ever trusted to forgive my sins and to get me into heaven. And Instead I put 100% of my trust into the blood of Jesus as my covering and my righteousness in the sight of God's holiness. Lord Jesus, please accept my prayer tonight. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

[Pastor Gary]

Amen. Amen.

[Lon Solomon]

Hey, now listen, I want to ask you something. Okay? I want to ask you something, and I'm not trying to embarrass anybody, but I want to know if you prayed that prayer, whether you got the guts to put your hand up and say, pastor Gary, I paid that prayer. Anybody? All right. All right. I'm proud of you. I am. This is gonna change your whole life and your whole eternal life. Let me just say, if you're watching like on TV or wherever you happen to be and you're not local, if you're local, you just need to come to this church. It's just that simple.

[Pastor Gary]

But

[Lon Solomon]

if you're not local, you say, now, Lon, what do I do? Now it's very simple. You go the next time you are in church, or you find a church and you go there Sunday, you walk up to the pastor and you say, hey, guess what? I was watching this show last week with Pastor Gary and Lon Solomon, and I prayed and asked Jesus blood to cover me and, you know, blah, blah, blah. And then you wait and see what he or she does. If they go, thank God. Praise the Lord, brother. Hallelujah, you're in the right church. And if they look at you like you've lost your ever loving mind, then you're not in the right church. You go get in another church, run where the pastor will do that, and then you get yourself into a discipleship, ministry of some kind in that church. Because if it's the right church, they'll have one.

[Pastor Gary]

Yep.

[Lon Solomon]

And then you just start growing in your walk with Christ.

[Pastor Gary]

Yeah.

[Lon Solomon]

Friends, I started right where. If you prayed tonight, I started right where you did. You are 55 years ago. And believe me, if you want to grow, the Lord Jesus Christ will help you to grow. So, Gary, thanks for having me. You're Pastor Gary. Thanks for having me.

[Pastor Gary]

No, no, no, no. I'm just Gary. I'm just Gary. Look. Well, 55 years. I think it's stuck. I think it's gonna work.

[Lon Solomon]

55 years. I don't know, man. You don't know me. I can still go in the ditch. Pray for me, you know, Pray for me.

[Pastor Gary]

That is, I cherish. He has prayed over me a few times, and we just prayed in the back, and I value that prayer. He prayed for me. Lord, keep Gary out of the ditch. Like, I don't wanna.

[Lon Solomon]

Keep me out of the ditch.

[Pastor Gary]

Yeah, keep me out of the ditch. I don't wanna end up in the ditch. And so. But I'm so thankful that you came tonight. I just want us to show our appreciation again to Pastor Lon Solomon. Thank you, my brother.