The Passover Lamb

Exodus 12:1-13

HAPPY FATHER’S DAY

Thanks to Judd

Two weeks ago, we introduced God’s proclamation of the 10th plague, which began a 3-week study leading up to God’s deliverance of Israel from the evil and hard heart of Pharaoh. We learned that (1) God’s deliverance would be by His hand and would be complete (“altogether”), (2) God alone makes the distinction b/t those who wholly follow Him and those who don’t, and (3) how God is the only One who can deliver man from his sin and bring him into His marvelous light.

This morning: The first of two basic essentials for redemption--the essential requirement of an Unblemished Lamb. In studying this we must be mindful of the doctrinal truth foreshadowed here:

Just as the blood of an unblemished lamb was to be spread across the doorposts for death to pass by (Exodus 12:13), so to must the blood of the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, be what covers and consumes our hearts, in order for spiritual death to “pass us by.”

(READ EXODUS 12:1-13)

***A Brief Overview of Passover***

(FIRST) Scripture gives us a straight forward and eye-opening perspective:

Exodus 11:4-6 “Then Moses said, “Thus says the Lord: ‘About midnight I will go out into the midst of Egypt; and all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the female servant who is behind the handmill, and all the firstborn of the animals. Then there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as was not like it before, nor shall be like it again.”

Exodus 12:12 “‘For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike 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.”

Exodus 12:29-30 “And it came to pass at midnight that the Lord struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of livestock. So Pharaoh rose in the night, he, all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was not a house where there was not one dead.”

All through the night, Egyptian mothers and fathers cried/mourned/wept over the lifeless bodies of their firstborn--wives wept over firstborn husbands--husbands over firstborn wives, siblings lamented over firstborn siblings—even down to the livestock, the firstborn of ALL created life in Egypt was being stricken.

In the midst of this terror filled night, Hebrew mother’s clung to their firstborn, Hebrew fathers paced the floor in an anxious tension; husbands and wives embraced one another, as they heard the cries of immeasurable grief throughout the land. The scene is dramatic, the tension is thick, and the fear was real…but as the night progressed and morning ebbed closer—sighs of relief were breathed, prayers of relief were spoken, and grateful hearts full of relief exalted—because God Himself had taken notice of the blood of the Passover lamb, applied to their doorposts and passed them by

The exact, literal, and defining difference b/t life and death during the night of Passover, was obedience to God.

(SECOND) This night of redemption was to be remembered and told to the generations that followed this generation-it was to be taught, celebrated, and held by the generations to come

There is constancy within Scripture, from O/T prophets/priests/kings to the N/T gospel writers, and the Lord God Himself, which serve to teach and reminding us how God’s brought about deliverance of Israel and how in Jesus Christ He has brought about our deliverance from sin

As we begin let us be mindful of some truths about Passover

Passover is the greatest event in the history of ancient Israel

We can know exactly what Passover is and what it exactly means, b/c of Scripture

God gave the detailed means and mode of Israel’s liberation to Moses—He didn’t leave Moses in the dark concerning Passover—giving them exactly what they needed to know about what was to take place

What the Passover meant to Israel—the cross means for the believer or anyone who might surrender

Deliverance from bondage and slavery by and through the power of God

As death passed by the houses where the blood was spread over the doorposts..

So to does death pass by those who have been covered by the blood of the Lamb of God

Deliverance to a new and glorious life,

As the blood of the Passover lamb gave the Israelites a new and glorious life,

So too does the blood of Jesus Christ, free genuine believers to a new, glorious, and abundant life both now and for eternity.

There is a close tie b/t the Passover and the crucifixion of Christ

Listen to Isaiah:

Isaiah 53:4-7 “Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth.” ]

Look to Jesus Himself

Matthew 26:28 “For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.”

John the Baptist proclaimed it:

John 1:36 “And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, “Behold the Lamb of God!””

Paul the apostle taught this:

1 Corinthians 5:7-8 “Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.”

Peter declared this truth:

1 Peter 1:18-19 “knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.”

Hebrews put a stamp on it

Hebrews 9:12 “Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.”

The Passover is both an account of judgment and deliverance

Judgment is never pretty.

Judgment comes to those who refuse to turn from their sin/idolatry/wickedness and turn towards God in repentance and confession of their sin and of Jesus Christ as both Lord and Savior

God never winks at sin, nor turns His head, ignoring justice

God’s patience ran out for Pharaoh and Egypt due to relentless rejection and defiance of Him.

God will never wink at my sin, nor your sin—nor will He turn His head—ignoring justice that is due b/c of our sin

Just as God’s patience ran out for Pharaoh and Egypt, so will God’s patience run out for those who, today, reject and defy Him and His Son

Deliverance is beautiful.

Deliverance comes to those who truly believe and follow after God

The blood of the Passover lamb accomplished deliverance for Israel, b/c in their faith and belief in God—they covered the door frames of their homes with—they applied it to themselves, and

Just as deliverance came to the Israelites 1000s of years ago, who were “covered by the blood,” deliverance is offered to ANY person today, once and for all, through the shed blood of Jesus Christ, if they place their faith and trust in Him and commit to wholly follow Him.

Where the blood of the Lamb covers a person’s heart,

No longer can death threaten a man’s soul

No longer can sin condemn or define a man’s soul

No longer is man’s identity found in the world, rather man’s identity is found in Christ.

Passover was instituted to celebrate Israel’s deliverance from slavery

Passover is closely tied to the Feast of Unleavened Bread

Passover encompassed (3) major celebrations

Passover itself

The Feast of unleavened bread

Dedication of the first born

Passover is one of the most endearing and descriptive types in all of the O/T and is the wonderful highlight of the Book of Exodus

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With this in view, lets dig in

I. (v.1-2) The Significance of the Passover Feast (the calendar was changed—Passover month was to begin Israel’s year)

Exodus 12:1-2 “Now the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, “This month shall be your beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you.”

(CONTEXT)—

The Passover was such a significant event in Israel’s history—God used the Passover to change their very calendar.

The Passover was such a different event than ANY other event in Israel’s history, b/c it marked where God in the span of one night, delivered His people

From slavery in Egypt

From the plague of death

The Passover was the hinge—the hinge for a whole new way of life—therefore God wanted to institute an event that would stir Israel to remembrance. How? A new calendar, with a new year than began in the very month of Passover

“Abib”—means “young head of grain,” and it pictures, the “life-giving nature of spring.”

This corresponds to our March-April (months that began the Spring in Palestine)

This signified a “new beginning” for the nation of Israel—the life they had known was to be no more

This signified Israel’s conversion from living in bondage to living in freedom and liberty

Think about going from winter to spring, this “life-giving nature of spring” was replacing the coldness & dark of winter

(Biblical application—You and Me)—Hopefully the connection is not a hard one here (LOL)

The conversion of a heart—a heart delivered from sin and death—serves as the most significant event in a person’s life, there is nothing that can compare to this day, for it is a day where a person secured in the truth

They are no longer condemned (Romans 8:1)

They are no longer enemies of God, but at peace with God (Romans 5:1)

They are no longer under the wages of sin & death, but gifted eternal life (Romans 6:3)

They are no longer indebted to our flesh (Romans 8:12), but are liberated to pursue the things of Christ (Colossians 3:1-4 & Galatians 5:22-23)

They are no longer alive to the old man—but made alive in Christ to the new man (Romans 6:6 & Ephesians 4:24)

They are no longer children of wrath, children of this world, but are adopted sons and daughters of God (John 1:12, Galatians 3:26)

They are no longer citizens of this world, but are citizens of heaven (Philippians 3:20)

The conversion of a heart, being born again, marks the moment, where God rescues a person from the depths of his sin/shame/guilt/condemnation, and restores the person to Himself, where the believers name is written on His heart and graven on His hands

The conversion of a person’s heart—serves as the hinge, their hinge for a new way of life, one

Where they are given the divine nature of God Himself (2 Peter 1:4)

Where they are given the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16)

Where they are given the new desire to pursue His will—SANCTIFICATION

II. (v.3-4) Those to Observe the Feast

Exodus 12:3-4 “Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying: ‘On the tenth of this month every man shall take for himself a lamb, according to the house of his father, a lamb for a household. And if the household is too small for the lamb, let him and his neighbor next to his house take it according to the number of the persons; according to each man’s need you shall make your count for the lamb.”

(CONTEXT)—Who was to observe the feast?

The Whole Congregation—When God looked upon Israel—He saw them as a congregation of people who truly believed in Him—what we would call the body of Christ

“Edah”—(Heb) this is a term, first used here and then over 100 times, which refers to, “the people of God who gathered together either to worship the Lord or to hear the Word of the Lord.”

“Gahal”—(Heb) this is a term, used in Deuteronomy and Prophetic books—which means the same as the Greek word for assembly or church (ekklesia)

Each family was to celebrate and remember Passover together---it was to be family-centered

(J. Vernon McGee) “When Israel entered Egypt, it was as a family. When they made their exit from Egypt, it was as a nation. The interesting point is that God puts the emphasis on the family here because the family comprises the building blocks out of which the nation was made.… An old cliché says, “No nation is stronger than the families of that nation.

The Israelites have become a nation and God is going to deliver them, but He will do it by families and by the individuals in the family. There was to be a lamb in every house.”

Small households were to share the lamb with neighbors

Again, J. Vernon McGee: “This verse does not say anything about the lamb being too little for the household. This would not happen; the lamb is sufficient. It is possible, however, that the household might be too little for the lamb. God is interested in each individual member of the family. Each family was to have a lamb, but what if a man and his wife were childless or had married children who lived apart from them? This couple is then supposed to join with a neighbor who is in the same position and divide the lamb. Each individual in each family is to receive a part of the lamb. The celebration of the Feast of the Passover is to be a personal, private matter. It is redemption for the nation, yes, but it centers in the family. It must be received and accepted by each individual member in the family. The Passover is a family affair.

God is presenting the modus operandi by which He is going to save individuals. No one is saved because he is the member of a nation or a family … each member of [a] family made a transaction with the Lamb; each had to partake of the Lamb.… Every member had to exhibit his faith in this way.

… Each one [had] to participate and partake of [the lamb] in order to come in under the protection and the redemption of the blood that is out on the doorpost of the house.”

(Biblical application—You and Me)

We as a local congregation of believers:

Should hold God’s deliverance from sin in such reverence, it consistently serves as the foundation for all that we do as the body of Christ

Must ensure that the gospel is being preached, being remembered, and being fostered within our homes & families

“The light that shines the farthest is the light that shines the brightest at home.” (Paul Chitwood)

Must ensure we incorporate like-minded neighbors/friends/other families in remembering/celebrating God’s deliverance (this is our Friday nights)

As families (I WANT TO SPEAK TO THE MEN IN THE ROOM HERE—A SMALL SNIPPET FOR FATHER’S DAY)

Only 3.5% of the time when the children comes to Christ—will the family follow

Only 17% of the time when the mother comes to Christ—will the family follow

93% of the time, when the husband/father gets right with God—gets right with Jesus, His family follows

To get right with Jesus is to get right by no other means than through the blood of Jesus Christ!

One LifeWay research group says this, relating to the faith of the father/husband:

For the father who doesn’t attend church—though his wife goes, “only 1 in 50 children will become a regular worshipper.

For the father who does attend/worship—regardless if his wife goes—between 2/3 and 3/4 of children will become a regular worshipper (attend church)

For the father who attends irregularly—between 1/2 and 2/3 of children will attend with some regularity

FOR FAMILIES: The same study says:

“When both parents attend Sunday School in addition to service, 72% of their children will attend when grown.”

“When only the father…55%”

“When only the mother…15%”

“When neither…only 6%”

Scripture gives clear instructions on the value of faith within the family:

Deuteronomy 4:9 “Only take heed to yourself, and diligently keep yourself, lest you forget the things your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. And teach them to your children and your grandchildren,”

Deuteronomy 6:6-7 ““And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.”

Deuteronomy 31:12-13 “Gather the people together, men and women and little ones, and the stranger who is within your gates, that they may hear and that they may learn to fear the Lord your God and carefully observe all the words of this law, and that their children, who have not known it, may hear and learn to fear the Lord your God as long as you live in the land which you cross the Jordan to possess.””

2 Timothy 3:15 “and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.”

III.(v. 5) The lamb’s qualifications

Exodus 12:5 “Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats.”

(CONTEXT)

God had a standard for the lamb chosen for the Passover, the lamb:

Was to be a sheep or a goat

One year of age---meaning in it’s prime

Without blemish or defect—that is, perfect and spotless

Why? Why so specific?

God is perfect, perfect in holiness and righteousness, therefore

Whatever is given to God must be perfect in order to be acceptable to Him

Leviticus 22:21 “And whoever offers a sacrifice of a peace offering to the Lord, to fulfill his vow, or a freewill offering from the cattle or the sheep, it must be perfect to be accepted; there shall be no defect in it.”

Why? Again, why such a finality to this?

The problem with the gifts/sacrifices of the Israelites offered—bears the same problem as ours today:

Hebrews 9:8-10 “the Holy Spirit indicating this, that the way into the Holiest of All was not yet made manifest while the first tabernacle was still standing. It was symbolic for the present time in which both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make him who performed the service perfect in regard to the conscience—concerned only with foods and drinks, various washings, and fleshly ordinances imposed until the time of reformation.”

The problem is, what man tends to offer God is based on man’s standard, rather than God’s

We are sin-stained, imperfect, and our righteousness flawed—so whatever we “offer” is imperfect

We offer rules, works, and religious activity in an attempt to merit/earn God’s acceptance

We offer flawed obedience, with “look at me” attitudes and behaviors, believing God will find us acceptable

We offer a misplaced thinking our morality earns us favor/acceptance with God

We must remember, the Biblical standard by which we come to God

Psalm 51:16-17 “For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart— These, O God, You will not despise.”

The only thing which have to offer God,

Our broken hearts for the sin in our hearts

“Contrite” (HEB) means to collapse/to break

Our faith, belief, and trust, that God can do what He promises

Seeing the Passover lamb as a type of the Lord Jesus Christ

The lamb (or young goat) was a picture of Jesus Christ Himself

This is seen in the account of Abraham and Isaac in Genesis 22.

This is seen & described in the first 4 chapters of Leviticus.

John was given this vision of Christ in Revelation 7:9.

The Passover lamb was to be one year old—in it’s prime

Jesus Christ went to the cross while in the strength and vigor of His life—not as a child nor as an elderly person

The Passover lamb was to be without blemish or defect

Jesus Christ is the perfect, holy, and righteous Son of God—Lamb of God

2 Corinthians 5:21 “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

Hebrews 4:15 “For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.”

Hebrews 9:14 “how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?”

IV. (v.6-11) The Lamb’s Sacrifice

Exodus 12:6-11 “Now you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month. Then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at twilight. And they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses where they eat it. Then they shall eat the flesh on that night; roasted in fire, with unleavened bread and with bitter herbs they shall eat it. Do not eat it raw, nor boiled at all with water, but roasted in fire—its head with its legs and its entrails. You shall let none of it remain until morning, and what remains of it until morning you shall burn with fire. And thus you shall eat it: with a belt on your waist, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. So you shall eat it in haste. It is the Lord’s Passover.”

(CONTEXT)—Note the specific nature:

The lamb had to be slaughtered at a specific time, the evening of the 14th day (TWO SYMBOLS)

The lamb had to die, had to be slaughtered---this symbolizes that Jesus Christ HAD TO die—that it was necessary. Why?

The penalty and wage of sin is death

Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”

Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

There is only ONE way of escape from the wages of death and we cannot pay it; WE CANNOT DIE FOR OUR OWN SIN, NOR CAN ANY OTHER MAN)

The doctrine of Biblical atonement is ONLY accomplished through the shedding of the blood of Jesus Christ

Leviticus 17:11 “For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.’”

Isaiah 53:5 “But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.”

1 Peter 2:24 “who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.”

The lamb had to be slaughtered at a specific time—this symbolizes Christ became the incarnate Word of God, to die for the sins of man at a time set by God and God alone

Galatians 4:4-5 “But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.”

The lamb’s blood was to be smeared on the sides and tops of the door frames (v.7)

If a person believed God—God would save the person behind the blood—b/c in the belief and trust in God and His promises, they smeared the blood on the doorposts

It was the person’s faith in God—that through the shed blood of the Passover lamb, smeared on the door frame—that saved him—NOTHING or NO THING else

In the Biblical application of this, God doesn’t bring about salvation to:

A person who hides behind religion

A person who hides behind their wealth

A person who hides behind their sense of morality & goodness, b/c in truth and love

Without the blood of Jesus, the best of you is useless

Nor does God bring about salvation to a person who simply knows that Christ was sacrificed for our sins:

(Warren Wiersbe) “…to be effective, the blood had to be applied to the doorposts; for God promised, “When I see the blood, I will pass you over.” It isn’t sufficient simply to know Christ was sacrificed for the sins of the world. We must appropriate the sacrifice for ourselves and be able to say with Paul, “The Son of God loved me, and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20), and with Mary, “My spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior” (Luke 1:46). Our appropriation of the Atonement must be personal: “My Lord and My God” (John 20:28)

God ONLY brings about salvation to

The person who places their faith and trust in Jesus Christ and His substitutionary death on the cross, thereby being covered by the blood of the Lamb and in this—when God looks upon a surrendered heart—judgment/condemnation/wrath—pass them by b/c He sees the atoning blood o Jesus Christ covering them

The believer’s were to roast and eat the meat (3 things to see here)

Eating of the Passover lamb, symbolizes partaking of Christ’s death (God counts the believer as being crucified with Christ)

Unleavened bread symbolizes righteousness: we must “eat, partake of,” the righteousness of God

Imputed righteousness—Righteousness that is not our own—that is divinely given

Bitter herbs symbolized the bitter days of Israel’s slavery

Our hearts should be constantly broken over our sin

Ecclesiastes 7:2-4 “Better to go to the house of mourning Than to go to the house of feasting, For that is the end of all men; And the living will take it to heart. Sorrow is better than laughter, For by a sad countenance the heart is made better. The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, But the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.”

James 4:9 “Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom.”

We must correlate what the Israelites were instructed to do, with our need to purge the sin from our midst

1 Corinthians 5:6-8 “Your glorying is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.”

The believer was to roast the whole animal over a fire

This symbolizes the death of Christ was specifically spelled out & laid out—in order for God to dwell with His people, there was a standard which had to be met

This was foreshadowed later in Exodus (Exodus 25:8-9) and Jesus Himself levied the standard

John 14:6 “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

John 11:25-26 “Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?””

God is very specific about the means of man’s atonement today, yet man struggles

To reckon that Christ had to die

With being repulsed/disgusted, and even offended that Christ’s blood was to be shed

With the acceptance of these things, to the point they reject and search for other means of salvation

God is no respecter of persons and will not lower His standard of salvation for any man—if He didn’t lower for His Son, what makes you think He’ll do it for you

(NKJV) Romans 2:11 “For there is no partiality with God.”

(KJV) Romans 2:11 “For there is no respect of persons with God.”

(WARREN WEIRSBE)

“It wasn’t the life of the lamb that saved people from judgment but the death of the lamb.”

Hebrews 9:22 “And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission.”

“Some people claim to admire the life and teachings of Jesus who don’t want the cross of Jesus, yet it’s His death on the cross that paid the price of our redemption

The reality of the coss of Christ, brings the reality that we are sinners and in that another reality confronts us, a reality that we are accountable for our sin…it is unavoidable

The believer was to let no food remain until morning

This symbolizes we cannot pick and choose what parts of Christ we will accept and which ones we will refuse. Nothing of Christ can be left out:

You cannot accept the life of Christ, but dent the death of Christ

You cannot accept Christ yet refuse the demand for self-denial (1 John 1:6)

We cannot accept only what you want to hear—but neglect what you need to hear

The believer was to eat in haste and to be dressed, ready to quickly walk and march toward the promised land—

We are to partake of Christ quickly—in haste; and from that hastily move away from this world and towards the things of Christ—the things of heaven

Matthew 3:2 “and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!””

2 Corinthians 6:2 “For He says: “In an acceptable time I have heard you, And in the day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.”

Hebrews 12:1-2 “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

V. (v.12-13) The lamb’s purpose: to be a substitute in death for the believer

Exodus 12:12-13 “‘For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike 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. Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.”

(CONTEXT) The purpose concerns two things

FIRST--Passover concerned God’s judgment

Pharaoh and the Egyptians were idolatrous people,

Pharaoh and Egypt desired to do their own thing—live by their own will

Pharaoh and Egypt worshipped false gods and false religions, and

Pharaoh and Egypt went so far as to enslave and hold Israel in bondage

(SECOND) Passover concerned faith, belief in God:

Passover—simply stated means this:

If a person believed in God—REALLY believed—they would smear the blood of the Passover lamb over the doorpost (doorframe)

God would then “pass over” them; death would pass them by

(WORSHIP)—Our closing is also our Biblical application today. There’s so much Biblical application w/in these verses, however, I would like to focus on one.

Exodus 12:13 “Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.”

The significance of the blood

J. Vernon McGee: “God said that when he saw the blood, he would pass over that home. The blood was not some mystic or superstitious sign. A great principle runs all the way through the Word of God that without shedding of blood, there is no remission of sins. In other words, God cannot arbitrarily or big-heartedly shut His eyes to sin and do nothing about it, any more than can a judge today when the guilty are brought before him....“But God is gracious, and an innocent life may be substituted for the guilty. Up until Christ came, it was a lamb. Then Jesus was “… the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (Jn. 1:29). If we receive Christ, we are saved from the judgment that we deserve as sinners.”

Man’s greatest enemy isn’t anything physical or material nor mental or emotional; our enemy is not, as Paul says, “against flesh and blood...”

Man’s greatest enemy is, again as Paul says, “against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of the age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

Man’s greatest enemy is Satan—who has brought sin/evil/and death into this world

The greatest casualty of sin is death—spiritual death, one for which we cannot save ourselves from—though we strive and try.

God has made a way, He has given us “a sign” which will cause this judgment, this “plague” to pass us by…the blood of Jesus Christ.

In God examining your hearts, in order that death may “pass you by,” or “pass over” you, it’s not rules, work, religion that causes death to pass by, nor is it our misplaced/misguided morality or goodness that causes death to pass us by…no, it’s the blood of the unblemished, sacrificial, perfect, sinless Lamb of God—His only begotten Son Jesus Christ

Just as the exact, literal, and defining difference b/t life and death during the night of Passover, was obedience to God, so to does this stand as defining difference b/t life and death for man today.

The branch that was used to apply the blood/hyssop to the doorframe was weak and flimsy…but that’s not was saved the Israelites---it was their faith to believe God would pass them by when He saw the blood.

It’s faith in Jesus Christ—in His atoning & sacrificial death on the cross that brings about salvation—its this faith that believes the blood of Jesus Christ can take away your sin

As a believer—the greatest day you should and must hold on to—the greatest day you ought to and must celebrate, is the day the Jesus Christ brought you from death to life, from darkness to light, from lost to found, from being a prodigal to being a son, from wrath to peace, and from being a lost sinner to being a saved by grace sinner

To those unsure/undecided/lost—The greatest day in your life—the greatest day that you will come to celebrate, is the day you realize that the cross was meant for you and that Jesus carried it for you and bore your sins on it. and that you’ve been made free by the mercy of God.