Series: Types of Christ
Title: The LORD's Passover
Text: Exodus 12: 1-14
Date: June 20, 2010
Place: SGBC, New Jersey
Exodus 12 describes the last night of Israel’s bondage in the land of Egypt. The children of Israel stand as a type of God's spiritual Israel--his chosen--who were born into the bondage of sin with no way to free ourselves.
Exodus 12: 1, 2: And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you.
This month would be the new beginning for the children of Israel. In the day of grace when Christ enters the heart made new through his blood, it is the new beginning for the believer--all things are made new.
2 Corinthians 5:17: Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
Exodus 12: 3: Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house.
A. The Lord Jesus Christ is set before us throughout scripture as “the Lamb of God”
1. The Passover Lamb is a type of Christ Jesus.
Paul said, "Christ, our Passover, is sacrificed for us." I Corinthians 5: 1.
Revelation 13: 8:…the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
Genesis 22:8: And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.
John 1:29: The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
Exodus 12: 4: And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbour next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb.
Every chosen child of God is in the family of God--brothers and sisters. We all live by this same spiritual meat--Christ the Lamb.
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.
A. The lamb had to be without blemish
1. The Lord Jesus Christ lived a perfect life as the representative of his people.
2. In order to be a fit sacrifice to God for his people, he had to have no sin of his own.
I Peter 1: 19: 18: Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; 19: But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot
B. The lamb was a male…
1. The head of the bride is the man.
2. Adam was a male, the federal head and representative of all mankind.
3. Christ Jesus is the last Adam--the federal head and representative of all those given him of the Father--Christ is the Everlasting Father of all who are born of his Seed.
C. The lamb was a male of the first year.
1. Christ Jesus was slain in the prime of his life, when he was of full strength.
D. From the sheep, or from the goats
1. The lamb represents Christ who knew no sin
2. The goat is a picture of Christ being made sin for his people.
2 Corinthians 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.
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.
A. The lamb was kept until the 14th day of the same month--until an appointed time.
1. Throughout our Savior's life:
John 7:30:…they sought to take him: but no man laid hands on him, because his hour was not yet come.
2. But when the time was come:
John 12:23: And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified.
B. The whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening.
1. The crucifixion of Christ is attributed to the whole nation of Israel.
2. Of God’s true Israel--it was because of our sin that Christ was crucified.
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.
A. Christ blood must be shed for each of God's elect, but his blood also must be applied to each of his elect.
Heb 9:14: How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?...19: For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the people, 20: Saying, This is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you.
1. By the application of the blood "we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ"--it is by Christ that we receive the atonement.
Exodus 12: 8: And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it.
A. This is a picture of faith by which we live before God.
John 6: 53: Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. 54: Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. 55: For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. 56: He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. 57: As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.
B. The lamb was roasted with fire.
1. The Lord Jesus Christ endured the fire of God's holy wrath in the place of his people.
C. They ate the lamb with unleavened bread.
1. Leaven is a type of evil.
2. As we believe on Christ, we add nothing of our flesh with the sacrifice of Christ.
3. We partake of Christ in sincerity and truth.
1 Corinthians 5: 7: Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: 8: Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
D. They ate it with bitter herbs.
1. Accompanying faith in Christ is bitterness and sorrow of heart--true repentance. Our sin put him on that cross.
Zech 12: 10: [By the Spirit of God's grace the believer] looks upon [Christ] whom [we] have pierced, and [we] mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, [we are] in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.
Exodus 12: 9: Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast with fire; his head with his legs, and with the purtenance thereof. 10: And ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; and that which remaineth of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire.
A. The lamb was not to be eaten raw, or boiled in water, but thoroughly roasted with fire and all was to be eaten.
1. Believers receive all of Christ, not half-heartedly
2. Not lukewarm in our commitment to Christ and his church
3. Not partaking of some truth only
(Turn to Rev 3)--To the church at Sardis the Lord said,
Revelation 3: 15: I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. 16: So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. 17: Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: 18: I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. 19: As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
4. We are to receive all of Christ and to be committed to Christ wholly, not in part, not being lukewarm. Now is the time to turn from this world and serve Christ whole-heartedly. Here is zeal in the next verse:
Exodus 12: 11: And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the LORD'S passover.
A. This is how the believer is partake of Christ.
1. With our loins are “girt about with truth” (Ephesians 6:14).
2. With our feet are “shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace” (Ephesians 6:15).
3. With the staff of faith in our hands.
4. Partaking of Christ in haste--hastening to that day we shall depart, eagerly anticipating going home to be with our Lord forever.
B. Here is our motivation: It is the Lord’s Passover! Salvation is of the Lord!
1. He chose the Lamb.
2. He slew the Lamb.
3. He applies the blood, gives the gifts of faith and repentance
4. The glory belongs to him!
Exodus 12: 12: For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite 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. 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.
A. All the firstborn in the land of Egypt were smitten that night--all died--but those under the blood were passed over because they died in a lamb.
1. Christ the Lamb of God died in place of multitude no man can number that the plague should not be on his children to destroy us.
2. Those who are brought by God to believe on Christ, live and go out free.
Romans 8: 1: There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
Ephesians 1: 6: To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. 7: In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; 8: Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; 9: Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:
Exodus 12: 14: And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the LORD throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever.
A. We do not keep the carnal feast, but we do keep the feast, as we live by faith upon Christ our Passover, who is sacrificed for us.
Paul said, "let us keep the feast…with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth."
Application:
God shall pass through once more at the great day of judgment. Only those under the blood of Christ will be saved. Will you be found under the blood of Christ Jesus? If you have not believed on Christ flee to the Lamb, today. The LORD God says, "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." Amen!