Chico Alliance Church
Pastor David Welch
The Passover Reborn
Introduction
God first prepared his people for deliverance through hardship. They needed to realize how miserable it is to serve any other nation and god. Next God prepared a leader to lead them through the process of deliverance.
It took time bring about the level of humility needed for such an awesome task.
It took 40 years, but he got the job done.
By the time God was finished wit Moses he had a man who place no confidence n his own power and had absolute confidence in God’s promise. Finally, after over 400 years of increasingly difficult bondage, God initiates the events necessary to bring about not just a deliverance but a GREAT deliverance that would stand in history as the benchmark of all deliverances and serve as a most remarkable illustration of the final deliverance through Jesus.
Beginning in chapter 5 Moses recorded a series of twelve confrontations with Pharaoh and his gods. After a series of confrontations and national calamities, God delivered the final blow that would force Pharaoh to relinquish his hold on the Israelites. God would dispatch an angel to kill the first-born male of both man and beast. Escaping this vicious visitation of death would require absolute adherence to God’s instruction. The angel of death would PASSOVER Every family who followed God’s instructions. These instructions are found in Exodus 12-13. The instructions were not only prescribed for that point in time but to be celebrate yearly as a remembrance of that significant event when God “passed over” the families of Israel but struck every family in Egypt. By the time God was finished, there was no doubt who was in charge.
I. Passover Celebration Instituted
• Each household was to select an unblemished male lamb or goat and bring it into their homes for fourteen days.
• Passover celebration followed several days of avoiding leavened bread. (yeast symbolized sin).
• Passover could be celebrated only by those who where Hebrews or circumcised converts.
• Passover must be preceded by a time of personal cleansing.
• None of the bones of the sacrifice were to be broken.
• The blood of the sacrifice was to be applied with a hyssop branch (purity) to the top and sides of the entrance to the house.
• The Passover sacrifice was to be completely consumed along with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.
• Because God spared the first-born of Israel’s family, the first-born male was to be dedicated to God’s service or redeemed (payment of a price).
Out of these instructions has come a traditional ceremony still practiced today by Jewish families. The ceremony is pretty standardized but there are some variations.
II. The Passover Celebration formalized
A. Candle lighting
Preparations began with a ceremonial lighting of candles to search the house for any leavened bread.
B. 1st Cup (Sanctification)
With the first cup the family was encouraged to remember the fact that they were a people chosen of God. Out of all peoples, God chose them. This is probably the cup drunk by Jesus as He expressed His desire to eat this Passover before His suffering and that He would not celebrate it again with them until the Kingdom of God.
C. Wash
Again a ceremonial cleansing before eating.
D. Vegetables in salt water
At this time, onions or parsley were dipped in salt water to signify the tears of bondage.
E. Break the Bread
Three wafers of unleavened bread were laid out. (Trinity) The wafers appeared pierced and stripped. The middle wafer was taken and broke in two, hiding one of the wafers until later.
All in need were invited to celebrate.
F. Recount the great deliverance
At this point one of the children would ask four questions regarding the significance of it all.
It would be answered by recounting the story of the great deliverance. They would describe each plague as the head of the house would dip his finger in the second cup and touch the plate.
The plagues not only got the attention of the Egyptians but each plague undermined and humiliated some god venerated by the Egyptians. On a spiritual level, each of these gods also represented some demonic entity associated with them.
No, but I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God; and I do not want you to become sharers in demons. 1 Cor. 10:20
The significance of the lamb and the unleavened bread and the bitter herbs is then discussed.
G. Washing
At this time there is another cleansing.
H. Bitter Herbs
Everyone eats strong horseradish with bread.
This is again the reminder of how bitter things were under the servitude of anyone other than God.
I. Broken bread
The bread once hidden will be found again.
J. Cup of redemption
K. Cup of Praise
Thanksgiving was then given to God for His great deliverance. They went out after signing a hymn of praise.
Psalms 113-118 were always recited in connection with the Passover celebration.
Today we celebrate our great deliverance, not through the blood of bulls or goats but through the precious blood of Christ the Lamb of God who now sits on the throne.
III. The Passover Celebration Reborn
A. Search for sin
19"This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. 20"For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21"But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God." John 3:19-21
13But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light. 14For this reason it says, "Awake, sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you." Eph 5
Will you allow God’s light to shine into your life? Will you allow Him to examine and expose all the areas that displease Him? Paul urged the Corinthians,
7:1Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. 2 Cor. 7:1
B. Cup of sanctification
Do you realize God has chosen you?
He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. Eph 1:4
But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God's OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 10for you once were NOT A PEOPLE, but now you are THE PEOPLE OF GOD; you had NOT RECEIVED MERCY, but now you have RECEIVED MERCY. 1 Peter 2:9-10
C. First Cleansing
D. Tears of bondage
2:1And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, 2in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. 3Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. Ephes. 2:1-3
11Therefore remember that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called "Uncircumcision" by the so-called "Circumcision," which is performed in the flesh by human hands— 12remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. Ephes. 2:11-12
E. Recount the great Deliverance
3For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another. 4But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, 5He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, 6whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. Titus 3:3-7
Since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, 15and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives. Hebrews 2:14-15
4But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. Ephes. 2:4-10 2:13-22
F. Second washing
This is probably the time when Jesus washed the disciple’s feet.
10Jesus said to him, "He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you." John 13:10
10By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. Heb 10:10
Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. 28But a man must examine himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself if he does not judge the body rightly. 30For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep. 31But if we judged ourselves rightly, we would not be judged. 32But when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord so that we will not be condemned along with the world. 1 Cor. 11:27-32
If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; 7but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. 8If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.
My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world. 1 John 1:6-2:2
G. Reflect on the bitter consequences of serving another master
H. Embrace the body given for us
At this point Jesus took the bread and broke it. This is my body which is given for you.
Sinless, pierced, stripped.
While they were eating, Jesus took some bread, and after a blessing, He broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, "Take, eat; this is My body." Matthew 26:26
I. Accept the once for all sacrifice
Jesus took the cup and declared it as representing the shedding of His blood.
27And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you; 28for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins. Matthew 26:27-28
11But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation; 12and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. 13For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh, 14how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? Hebrews 9:11-14
J. Hymn of praise
