JESUS IS OUR PASSOVER LAMB
1 Cor. 5:7
INTRODUCTION
A. HUMOR: THE REAL MOTHER-IN-LAW
1. 2 Young Jewish men were traveling by train to meet their prospective brides for the very first time. One man said, “I can’t do this. I’m not ready to get married!” And he got off the train at the next stop.
2. The other young man traveled on to his destination. There he met the 2 young ladies who were waiting with their mothers. He explained the situation, where upon the two mothers began arguing; “Well, he’s going to marry MY daughter!” “Absolutely not – he’s marrying MY daughter!”
3. The man suggested they go to the Rabbi for help. “Here’s what we will do,” said the Rabbi. “We will cut this young man in two and each bride can have half of him.” The first mother was horrified; You can’t do that, I’ll not allow it. That’s horrible!” The second mother said, “Yes, go ahead, cut him in two!”
4. “Ahhh!” said the Rabbi. “He shall marry the bride who’s mother wants to cut him in two.” “Why?” “For she is the real mother-in-law!”
B. THE KINDNESS OF JESUS TO LAMBS - US
1. Every summer a boy named Isaac went to see his grandparents in New Jersey. Above the bed where he stayed was a picture of Jesus as a Shepherd. In the picture, Jesus held a shepherd’s staff in one hand, and in the other -- close to his heart -- a lamb.
2. The little boy took great comfort in gazing at this picture; it helped him feel safe and secure, because Jesus, the Good Shepherd, was watching over him as he slept. He always thought of himself as the little sheep Jesus was holding. [Isaac Butterworth]
C. LAMBS IN THE HISTORY OF ISRAEL
1. What do you think of when you think of Easter? (Bunnies, egg hunts, chocolate, new clothes, Jesus). AT EASTER, THE CENTRAL FIGURE IS NOT THE EASTER BUNNY BUT THE EASTER LAMB -- the LAMB OF GOD -- which takes away the sins of the world!
2. When Jesus lived, lambs were a central part of the spiritual life of Israel. For centuries, Lambs died for the sins of the nation, especially at Passover -- the Jewish holiday where they remembered how God brought them out Egyptian slavery.
3. There was a very personal connection between people of Israel and the lambs that were sacrificed for their sins.
4. The father of each family went to the sale barn and bargained for a lamb, and purchased it. The family took it home, and you can imagine what an impact it had on that home. Families had to house the lamb for a few days. Children would pet it. Mothers would feed it. Everyone would hear it and smell it.
5. But everyone understood that this lamb would have to die when the hour came. "This lamb," a child would quickly understand, "will die because of my sin."
6. There must have been a nationwide flood of tears when those lambs died. It was a powerful object lesson about someone else paying for their sins; substitutionary sacrifice. God had said the Messiah would be wounded and die for the world’s sins (Isa. 53).
7. John the Baptist, when he saw Jesus, said, "Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world!" John 1:29. Many times in the N.T. Jesus is called the “Lamb of God.”
D. FROM SUFFERING TO TRIUMPHANT
1. Jesus, the Suffering Lamb, became the Triumphant Lamb in the Book of Revelations. What made the difference? What transformed Him from the silent, defenseless, lamb dying for the sins of the world, to the all-powerful, unstoppable, worthy-of-worship Lamb of God in heaven?
2. The resurrection made the difference. Easter made the difference! I want to point out 3 Bible truths about this Lamb of God.
I. JESUS’ DEATH IN YOUR PLACE SHOWS THE LOVE OF GOD
A. SYMBOL OF TRANSFERAL OF SINS
1. What’s the message of this story? That God loved us. He loved us so much, that He gave His only Son to die … and whoever believes that message shall have eternal life.
2. On the Day of Atonement (Lev. 16:21; 1:4; 4:15; Ex. 29:10; Num. 8:12), the Israelites laid their hands on a bull, a goat, and a ram (a daddy lamb) and they confessed their sins. When they did that in front of God, telling what they had done wrong, God allowed their sins TO BE TRANSFERRED to the animal.
3. They were told to take the life of the animal, since it deserved to die because of the sins it now carried. “The one who sins is the one who will die” Ezek. 18:4, 20.
B. SIN MUST BE PUT TO DEATH
1. There’s no salvation without sacrifice. Hebrews 9:22 reminds us that "without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness."
2. A living lamb might be cute and cuddly (at the Passover), but it could save no one unless it died. A living lamb’s blood could do no good. In God’s plan, only shed blood can forgive sin.
3. DID GOD WANT THOSE LAMBS TO DIE? NO! BUT WE HAD TO SEE OUR NEED FOR JESUS! As the great Lamb of God, Jesus had to go to the Cross in order to save the world.
II. JESUS’ DEATH SHOWS US THE HIGH COST OF OUR SIN
A. DIED FOR US UNDER CRIMINAL CHARGE
He was crucified as a criminal between two thieves. Because of love, He took our crimes upon Himself and died in disgrace as our substitute!
B. HIS DEATH – BY THE CRUELEST MEANS
1. None of us would ever want to suffer torture. For criminals today, most forms of capital punishment are thought to be excessively painful. Think how Jesus suffered!
2. SCOURGING – He was beaten with a cat of nine tails. There was the horrible pain of hanging on nails, cramps, bones out of joint. He loved us that much!
C. HE WAS MADE THE SIN BEARER
1. On the Cross, God let all the sins of the world be laid on Him. "For He (God) has made Him to be sin for us, Who knew no sin, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him" 2 Cor. 5:21.
2. "Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the Law, being made a curse for us..." Gal. 3:13. Imagine
if all the evil and crimes of the world became your responsibility. That’s what happened to Jesus (He volunteered).
D. HE DEMONSTRATED GOD’S LOVE
Paul said, “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly....God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” Romans 5:6-8.
III. JESUS’ RESURRECTION CHANGED EVERYTHING
A. JESUS ENDED THE NEED FOR SACRIFICES
1. After Jesus rose, there was never again a need for a lamb die for the Israelites’ sins. He was the final sacrifice.
2. And just a few years later the Temple was destroyed and from that day until now, no Passover lambs have ever been sacrificed again (legitimately). God was sending a message: the Lamb of God had died; there’s no more need of sacrifices.
B. GOD’S HASTE TO TRANSFORM US
1. The tomb was empty on Sunday morning. God the Father loved the Son so much, that the moment daybreak came, the earth shook, the stone moved away from the entrance, sleepy soldiers fell down as if they were dead, and angels waited for the first of the believers to come and see the difference a resurrection would make.
2. For the disciples, tears of sorrow turned to joy. Each of the disciples was transformed, because of the resurrection. Thousands began to believe, and then millions. In time, governments, cultures, and world
history changed, because of the resurrection.
4. And because of the resurrection, we can have eternal life and be freed from the bondage of sin. The resurrection changes everything, if we trust in Jesus.
CONCLUSION
A. ILLUSTRATION
1. During WW1, on the western battle front, there was a trench full of wounded men. One of the men, badly wounded, knew he had only moments to live.
2. He looked up at his friend, a man who’d been a criminal, and already served time in prison. In fact, if he went back home, he would wanted by the police again.
3. The dying man, grabbed the shirt of his friend, and pulled the wanted man down close to his face. He took his dog tags (his identification), and pressed it into the hands of his criminal.
4. "Listen, Dominic, you've led a bad life," he said. "Everywhere you are wanted by the police. But there are no convictions against me. My name is clear, so here, you take my dog tags and my wallet, and my identity and good name. Give me your bad identity, and when I die, I will carry all your crimes away with me in death."[Henri Barbusse]
5. That’s the same same thing Jesus did for us: He took our bad history of sins and died for them on the cross. Jesus, the Lamb of God, offers to take your sins. All you have to do is accept Him as your risen Lord and Savior. Because of the resurrection, you can take his good name ... Christ ... you can be a Christian ... and live in freedom!
B. ALTAR CALL
1. We’re going to pass out sticky-notes to you. We’re going to pray and ask God to forgive our sins. “He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy” Prov. 28:13. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness ...and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin” 1 John 1:9,7. Let’s confess our sins over their red notes – they shall represent our sins.
2. Next we’re going to come stick our notes on the large Lamb picture at the front. This demonstrates that we’re putting our sins on Christ, Who died for us on the Cross and rose again!
3. COME FORWARD. Closing prayer, “Lord, we give our sins to you. Wash us from our sins and come into our hearts. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”
[This is a rewrite of Andy Cook’s message, “He is Our Passover Lamb.”]
