The New Year's Passover

EXODUS 12:1-14

Happy New Years!

I think it is perfectly fitting to have church on the very first day of the year and I think its perfectly fitting to have the Lord’s Supper on that day.

In order to get to the Lord’s Supper or communion, we need to understand the passover. See when Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper with His disciples and told them to do this in remembrance of me, they were celebrating the passover dinner together. And as we well know, Jesus doesn’t do anything by coincidence. It was intentional and for a reason.

So, before we look at the NT passage describing the Lord’s Supper, we should go back and look at the institution of the passover feast in Exodus.

Now, let’s set up the story.

The Israelites have been enslaved in Egypt for 400 years.

Generations of suffering and brutal treatment. Forced labor and physical harm.

80 years earlier, all of the male babies were murdered by their captures. Horrible atrocities were committed.

Then Moses, a baby that escaped that horrible time, ran away but has returned.

He says that He has been sent from God, the God of Abraham, the God of Issac and the God of Jacob. The Great I AM has sent him to deliver them from slavery. To set them free!

The Israelites had seen the Lord do incredible things lately!

They had seen:

All of the water in Egypt turn to blood.

All of Egypt covered in frogs, lice, flies and locust

All of the livestock were struck with pestilence.

They had seen hail fall from the sky and destroy crops.

Then they had seen the the Lord literally make it so dark in the Egyptian cities that they couldn’t even see theirs hands in front of their own faces, while the Israelites had sunlight in their camps!

They had seen all of these incredible things that the Lord was doing around them!

In the verses prior to our reading, Moses goes up to Pharoah and makes the final threat. The Lord was going to kill the first born of every human and animal. That death was going to rule in the land.

I bet as an Israelite, they were wondering if this was going to be one of the plagues that affected them as well as the Egyptians. Because many of those plagues hit them too. But the Lord had not sent the darkness to them. I bet they were wondering if this next one was going to affect them too. Were they going to lose all of their first borns?? Was the Lord going to spare them?? Was the Lord going to provide a way for this plague to pass them by?

Exodus chapter 12 verses 1-14

To start, isn’t it interesting that the Lord would make a change and say that this was going to be the start of their year? The Lord was saying, THIS! This is going to be the start of a whole new year, the start of a whole new phase, the start of a whole new journey. Things are about to change. I am about to do something big! The whole year is going to be different.

But start it by doing this. Every year, in the future, start it by doing this!

3 points about the passover that we can learn. The past, the present and the future.

1. THE PAST: THEY WERE REMEMBERING ALL THAT THE LORD HAD DONE FOR THEM.

They were coming out of seeing all these incredible acts of God that were signs of how the Lord loved them and wanted to provide for them. The Lord was more real to them now then He had ever been in their lives. They were seeing the Lord do incredible things.

Now, as they were going into new year, they could of fixed their minds on the suffering and trouble and enslavement or they could have fixed their minds on the incredible acts of God in their lives. They could focus on the trials or the acts of God.

As you and I look back over 2022, will you focus on the trials or the acts of God? We, as humans, have a tendency to compare struggles and trials. Its become normal to look back and hate the year. To look back and focus on the hard times and the things that you didn’t get that you really wanted.

But the institution of the Passover meal was to look back at the mighty ways that the Lord had provided and delivered them.

Will you look back and see the good and mighty works of the Lord?

2. THE PRESENT: THEY STOOD IN FAITH IN THEIR CURRENT SITUATION.

The Lord commanded them to eat this meal Exodus 12:11

Exodus 12:11 ESV

In this manner you shall eat it: with your belt fastened, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. And you shall eat it in haste. It is the Lord’s Passover.

They were to eat this meal on the first day of the year standing in faith that the Lord deliverance was coming. Freedom was coming.

Spurgeon imagines a family observing this meal on this very night. He says.

The New Park Street Pulpit Sermons, Vol. II Christ Our Passover (No. 54)

He looks at his hands, they are rough with labour, and clapping them, he cries, “I am not to be a slave any longer.” His eldest son, perhaps, has been smarting under the lash, and he says, “Son, you have had the task-master’s lash upon you this afternoon; but it is the last time you shall feel it.” He looks at them all, with tears in his eyes—“This is the night the Lord God will deliver you.” Do you see them with their hats on their heads, with their loins girt, and their staves in their hands?

They stood ready and in faith that the Lord’s deliverance was now! Oh, that we could also look at our lives now and our current struggles and stand in faith that the deliverance of the Lord is near! Whatever your trial, whatever your affliction, it is light and momentary.

The Lord is coming and the Lord is here to

Isaiah 61:1–2 (ESV)

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,

because the Lord has anointed me

to bring good news to the poor;

he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,

to proclaim liberty to the captives,

and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;

to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor,

and the day of vengeance of our God;

to comfort all who mourn;

Stand strong in faith that the Lord is coming to free you, to resolve, to restore, to bind up. This is the year of the Lord’s favor.

3. THE FUTURE: THE LORD WOULD SEND THE PERFECT LAMB.

There can be no question that the passover is prophetic of the coming Savior. Jesus was the coming lamb!

Isaiah chapter 53 prophecies that Jesus would be led like a lamb to slaughter.

John the baptist sees Jesus coming towards him and say “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world!”

Paul in 1 Corinthians calls Jesus our Passover Lamb.

The passover celebration was forward looking to a day the the perfect lamb would come.

But have you noticed that we don’t celebrate Passover anymore? Jesus took that celebration and gave us a NEW ordinate. A new meal to partake in and its different but not by much.

LUKE 22:7-23

Jesus was here with His disciples right after the beginning of a new year and He wanted to celebrate this passover meal with them and bring it into the now. Because apart of the passover was the prophecy that the Lamb of God was coming to take away the sins of the world but that time was now! Jesus was there! That prophecy was about to be fulfilled that very next morning. There would be no need to look for the coming of the Lamb because the Lamb was here!

So, how can we apply the Lord’s Supper to our lives just as they applied the Passover to their lives at this our New Year. To our past, our present and our future.

1. THE PAST: HOW HAS HIS BLOOD AND BODY PROVIDED FOR YOU?

To look back over 2022, are you going to focus on the trials, the struggles, the difficulties, or are you going to look back over your year and see how surely His goodness and mercy has followed you everywhere.

Are you going to look at how the blood of the lamb has covered all of your sins? Are you going to thank the Lord for His mighty grace that He has poured out for you in 2022?

Are you going to take this cup and give thanks that Jesus has sprinkled His blood over the door post of your heart and forgiven your sins?

Are you going to take this bread and look at how Jesus has been your provision this year? How Jesus has sustained you? How Jesus has given you life?

Can we take this cup and this bread and remember all that Jesus has done for us this year and give thanks?

Or are we going to get stuck in the negative mindset on the trials and difficulties?

I would challenge you to take this Lord’s Supper and give thanks for all of His grace and provision in 2022.

2. THE PRESENT: THE DELIVERANCE OF THE LORD IS COMING.

The disciples and the Israelites were in a very similar situation! The Israelites were standing in slavery waiting in faith the deliverance was coming in the morning. The disciples were still dead in their sins waiting for the deliverance that was coming in the morning. With the rising of the sun, the Israelites were going to walk out of the slavery. Just like with the rising of the sun, Jesus would be arrested and crucified, setting the disciples and the rest of the world free from the slavery and penalty of sin.

Some of you here have never been set free of the penalty of sin. Some of you here have never received Jesus in to your life and accepted His grace and His provision for life. Some of you here need to know that today in the day of salvation that Jesus is offering His hand of deliverance today! It can be yours. And with this morning’s sunrise, you too can walk out of the slavery and our of the penalty of sin.

Some of your here are believers that are suffering trials and tribulations. And you need to eat of the bread and drink of this cup as a reminder to like the Israelites to stand strong in the faith that deliverance is coming. Put on your sandals. Get dressed to move. Grab your walking stick. Jesus is on the move. Deliverance is coming! Stand in faith ready for Him.

So, as you take this cup and this bread, this morning, stand firm in faith that the sunrise is coming.

3. THE FUTURE: YOU ARE SECURE FOR COMING PASSOVER.

Just like Moses telling Pharaoh that judgement is coming to the land of Egypt, we have been warned that there is a coming judgement that will cover the whole Earth. Jesus is going to be coming back and sweeping across the face of the Earth to cast judgement on those who do not have the blood of the lamb covering their hearts. The passover Lamb has provided the blood for you! He suffered on a cross to give you life, eternal and abundant.

Jesus said that there will be another meal and He is waiting to eat that meal with those of us that have followed His direction and prepared the meal of His blood and His body. As you take this bread and this cup, this morning set your mind on the future meal with Him in eternity!

But imagine with me if you will, being an Israelite in slavery in Egypt. Having seen the Lord do incredible things. Imagine hearing the instructions of the Lord, you must be covered with the blood of the lamb and you must ingest the lamb in order for death to pass by you. Imagine, seeing all of that and hearing all of those instructions and choosing to ignore them.

Imagine the grief that will crush you when you realize that its too late. Death has come and you have ignored the path to deliverance. You have chosen not to partake in the passover.

The Lord desires that none should be lost. Maybe today, when you take the Lord’s supper, it would be the first time that you take it with assurance of the future. It would be the first time that you take it as a child of God, covered by the blood of the Lamb.

Jesus is offering Himself as the passover Lamb for you today. Deliverance is here. Will you stand now and put your faith in Him?

Every eye closed and every head bowed. Ask those to stand if they want salvation today.