CHRIST-OUR PASSOVER LAMB
EXODUS 12:1-13, I CORINTHIANS 5:7
After spending 30 years in Burma, Missionary Judson returned to America. In his first address, he didn’t talk about the graves of his wife and 4 children in Burma. He didn’t talk about his imprisonment while he was there. He didn’t talk about the number of Churches he started or the number of converts. But he preached on JESUS, THE SACRIFICE FOR MAN. After the service, a woman came up to him and said, I was disappointed in your sermon. It was just ordinary, I expected more of a different message from across the world. Judson replied, I have nothing more thrilling to tell the story of Jesus, our sacrificial lamb.
Also, as I come before you tonight to speak before we fellowship with Jesus at the Lord’s Table, I too have nothing more thrilling than to tell the old, old story of Jesus and His love for you and I.
In this chapter, Moses could have told about his life in the courts of Egypt, or of Israel suffering in Egypt, but instead, he wrote about the events of the Passover Lamb that pointed to 1500 years later to Jesus, God ultimate Passover Lamb.
As we come together tonight, we ought to be rejoicing in the fact that God has provided a covering for our sins. His Passover Lamb sacrificed for us.
I-NOTICE CHRIST-OUR PASSOVER LAMB IS A SUBSTITUTE SACRIFICE:
EXODUS 11:5 And all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sitteth upon his throne, even unto the firstborn of the maidservant that is behind the mill; and all the firstborn of beasts.
12:13 And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.
The tenth plague was the death of the first born. But those who had the sacrificed Lamb’s blood on the door post escaped. Thus the first born were a substitute for those born in Egypt.
I Cor. 5:17B For even Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us: He died in our place,
2 Cor. 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. Paul talks about Jesus been our substitute.
ILLUSTRATION: A young soldier had been tried in military court and sentenced to death. He was to be shot at the "ringing of the curfew bell." His fiancée- climbed up into the bell tower several hours before curfew time and tied herself to the bell’s huge clapper. At curfew time, when only muted sounds came out of the bell tower, Cromwell demanded to know why the bell was not ringing. His soldiers went to investigate and found the young woman cut and bleeding from being knocked back and forth against the great bell. They brought her down and Cromwell was so impressed with her willingness to suffer in this way on behalf of someone she loved that he let the soldier go saying, "Curfew shall not ring tonight."
Why did Jesus go to the cross, why did he become our substitute? It was because of wonderful love for you and who were condemned sinners.
II-NOTICE CHRIST-OUR PASSOVER LAMB IS A SINLESS SACRIFICE:
EXODUS 12:5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats
For a certain period of time, they were to pen the lamb up and observe it to be sure there was no blemishes in it.
When our Lord Jesus was upon this earth, men observed Him, studied Him, tested Him, and even accused Him. But when it was all over, they had to admit that the Lamb was without blemish.
He was approved of God. Matthew 3:17-And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
He was approved of men. Luke 23:14-Said unto them, Ye have brought this man unto me, as one that perverteth the people: and, behold, I, having examined him before you, have found no fault in this man touching those things whereof ye accuse him:
He was approved of Judas. Matthew 27:4-Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that.
Even the religious leaders had to hire false witnesses to condemn Him. Peter said it all in I Peter 1:19.
We are not sinless, but we serve one tonight who is sinless in Jesus Christ. But we have been called to hate sin and not let it infect our lives.
As the Jews celebrated the Passover Supper through the years, they did several things. One of them being that the wife of the house hold would take a broom and candle and carefully examine the house to be sure the house was rid of “leaven”.
Leaven in the Bible is a picture of sin We need to sweep it out of our lives tonight.
ILLUSTRATION: The boys were skating on the river. The weather was getting warmer, and the thaw had begun. The old river man warned the boys of the danger, but one insisted, "Let me make just one more round." And with this he glided out on the river. Soon he reached the middle of the stream where the ice was thinner and it gave way. He cried, "Help, help!" But it was too late. He was gone. How many have said, "Just one more round in sin, but that was the last one."
III-NOTICE CHRIST-OUR PASSOVER LAMB IS A SLAIN SACRIFICE:
EXODUS 12:6 And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening.
The lamb was not chosen to be a family pet or to be admired but to be slain.
ILLUSTRATION: I heard the story about a preacher and a man talking about Jesus’ death. The man said, I wish you would quit talking about the cross, you got butcher house religion. You need to tell people more about His life. The preacher said, I love the life of Jesus and will talk about it. But may I remind you, we are not saved by His life, but by His death There is no forgiveness without his shed blood.
ILLUSTRATION: Someone send R. A. Torrey, a preacher of the past, a Bible that had works marked out. He had marked out any where in the NT where the Bible mentioned His blood. He said now, we have a Bible that makes sense.
The NT mentions the death of Jesus 175 times, and no Bible make sense without it.
IV-NOTICE CHRIST-OUR PASSOVER LAMB IS A SPRNIKLED SACRIFICE:
EXODUS 12:7 And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it.
The blood had to be applied to the doorposts of their own personal homes. Even though the lamb had been slain, if they had not applied its blood, they would have died.
It is the same with you and I who are saved, there was a time we had to apply the blood of Jesus to our soul to be cleansed from sin.
ILLUSTRATION: There is an old saying that says the Gospel is like soap, to do any good, it must be applied.
ILLUSTRATION: I heard a story about a little girl singing about what God did with our sins. She meant to say, He blotted them out, but instead she said, He bloodied hem out.
SHE MIGHT HAVE SANG THE WRONG WORDS, BUT SHE HAD THE RIGHT THEOLGY.
V-NOTICE CHRIST-OUR PASSOVER LAMB IS A SACRED SACRIFICE:
EXODUS 12:7 And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it.
Why didn’t they put it on the floor? Because none must trample the blood of Jesus. His royal blood is sacred.
Hebrews 10:28-29-He that despised Moses’ law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: 29: Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?
Men had better be careful how they talk about the blood of Jesus, for they will have to face God one day.
Jesus said, don’t throw your pearls to the swine. He was saying don’t let them trample the Gospel story. It is scared, it an Holy.
ILLUSTRATION: I once heard of a father who had a prodigal boy who had sent his mother down to the grave with a broken heart. One evening the boy started out as usual to spend the night in drinking and gambling. As he was leaving, his old father said, "My son, I want to ask a favor of you tonight. You have not spent an evening with me since your mother died, and now I want you to spend this night at home. I have been very lonely since your mother died. Now, won’t you gratify your old father by staying home with me?" "No," said the young man; "it is lonely here, and there is nothing to interest me, and I am going out." The old man prayed and wept, and at last he said, "My boy, you are just killing me as you have killed your mother. These hairs are growing whiter, and you are sending me, too, to the grave." Still the boy would not stay, and the old man said, "If you are determined to go to ruin, you must go over this old body tonight. I cannot resist you; you are stronger than I. But if you go out, you must go over this body." He laid himself down before the door, and that son walked over the form of his father, trampled the love of his father underfoot, and went out.
That is the way with sinners. You have to trample the blood of God’s Son under your feet if you go down to death, to make light of the blood of the Innocent, to make light of the wonderful love of God. -- MOODY.
VI-NOTICE CHRIST-OUR PASSOVER LAMB IS A SUFFICIENT SACRIFICE:
EXODUS 12:13 And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.
All who were under the blood that night were protected. The scripture didn’t say, when I see your gold or your diamonds, or your good works or character but the Blood.
It did the job that night, and it will do the job today, if people will apply it to there
soul.
ILLUSTRATION: There is a legend that on that night of the Exodus a young Jewish maiden, the first-born of the family, was so troubled on her sickbed that she could not sleep, "Father," she anxiously inquired, "are you sure that the blood is there?" He replied that be had ordered it to be sprinkled on the lintel. The restless girl will not be satisfied until her father has taken her up and carried her to the door to see for herself; and lo, the blood is not there! The order had been neglected, and before midnight the father makes haste to put on his door the sacred token of protection The legend may be false; but it teaches a very weighty and solemn admonition to every sinful soul who may be near eternity and is not yet sheltered under the Atonement of Jesus Christ. --Cuyler
My salvation does not depend upon me holding on to Jesus. Rather, Jesus holds on to me and he does not have slippery fingers.
CONCLUSION:
HAVE YOU APPLIED THE BLOOD OF JESUS TO YOUR SOUL TONIGHT? THE CHOICE IS UP TO YOU.
ILLUSTRATION: High on a hilltop overlooking the beautiful city of Venice, Italy, there lived an old blind man who was a genius. Legend had it he could answer any question anyone might ask of him. Two of the local boys figured they could fool the old man, so the caught a small bird and headed for his residence. One of the boys held the little bird in his hands and asked the old man if the bird was dead or alive. Without hesitation the old man said, "Son, if I say to you that the bird is alive, you will close your hands and crush it to death. If I say the bird is dead, you will open your hands and the bird will fly away. You see, Son, in your hands you hold the power of life and death."
Friends, likewise in your hands you hold the deciding power of whether you will choose God and eternal life or the Devil and eternal death. The decision is yours. God has given you the right to decide for yourself.
-Zig Zigler
