Sermon Tone Analysis

Happy New Years!

I love the thought of the new year because of the hope that springs with it.

Now I’m not much on making new year’s resolutions since they merely bring guilt due to the inevitable inability to keep them.

But I like New Years because of the thought of having a clean slate — the hope of having a start of something new.

Please turn in your Bible to .

Not starting a new series

This is intended as a “stand alone” message

Of course that could change

The decision to preach this message came while studying for a new series on the Passion of Christ from Matthew’s account

First Sunday of a new year and new decade

Message about the marking of the new year for the nation of Israel

Our outline for this morning will be very simple: we will look at the History of the Passover, the Application of the Passover, and the Ultimate Passover.

Our outline for this morning will be very simple: we will look at the History of the Passover, the Application of the Passover, and the Ultimate Passover.

Let’s begin by readying

Let’s consider first:

The History of Passover

Note that:

God had a plan for the redemption of His people

Israel’s move to Egypt

The raising up of Moses and Aaron

The Plagues on Egypt

Blood

Frogs

Gnats

Flies

Cattle

Boils

Hail

Locusts

Darkness

Death of Firstborn

If I understand correctly, the first three plagues were felt by both Egypt and Israel, while the last seven were only on Egypt.

Our passage is about the preparing Israel for the final plague

The final plague opened the door for Israel to leave Egypt

Hence the new year for the nation of Israel

The preparation for this plague provided for the redemption of Israel from bondage to Egypt

The preparation provided protection for God’s people

The preparation prefigured the atoning sacrifice of Jesus on the cross

We’ve been looking so far at the events leading up to the Passover.

Let’s consider next:

The Application of the Passover

Note that:

Something had to die to offer protection for God’s people

The first step in the Passover Preparation was to set apart a lamb or kid for each household

This plan included familiarity with the sacrificial victim

I’ve read somewhere that part of the process was to actually take the lamb or kid into their home and care for it as a pet

If true, this would make the sacrificing of this innocent lamb all the more difficult

This plan pointed to the sinlessness of Christ

This plan had to be applied to each individual household

This plan included the eating of the sacrifice

My reason from preaching this message today

It was sparked by a statement I read in my studies for expositing Matthew 26:1-5

Leon Morris, in his commentary on Matthew summarized the things we have been looking at regarding the Passover celebration — not necessarily the original Passover as we are looking at, but the memorialized version of it.

Then Morris made this statement, which got my mind thinking:

The people made preparation for it by clearing all leaven out of the houses; then on the fourteenth day of the month Abib they solemnly slew a lamb or a kid for sacrifice in the temple and threw the blood on the altar.

They took the carcass home and roasted it; it formed the main feature of a meal in the evening, which was taken reclining, a symbol of the rest God gave his people.

The statement that got me thinking was about the carcass of the lamb becoming the main feature of the Passover meal.

Notice what Matthew had to say about what occured during the Passover meal which the twelve celebrated with Jesus on the night of His betrayal:

Jesus is indicating that He is the True Passover Lamb.

As John the Baptist had indicated before Jesus even began His public ministry:

We understand the eating of the flesh of Jesus to be symbolic.

But the symbolism is important.

Jesus voluntary sacrifice provides far greater protection of God’s people than the blood of lamb and goats ever provided.

Jesus’ death on the cross atoned for the sins of the people of God.

It provided a covering for the people of God so that we can stand before God clothed in the righteousness of Christ.

In other words, Jesus is:

The Ultimate Passover

The Passover, as with every other OT sacrifice and offering, found it full fulfillment in the death of Jesus Christ.

But we would be amiss if we thought that the story ends there.

Note that:

Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice has ramifications for God’s people in the here and now

Paul’s letter to the church in Corinth

An incestual relationship was being tolerated with the church

The church seemed to pride themselves regarding how tolerant they were of this individuals sexual preference

Paul chided the church for not disciplining this individual

After instructing the church to do their job and exercise church discipline, Paul stated this:

After instructing the church to do their job and exercise church discipline, Paul stated this:

The learned apostle brings the people back to the OT ritual, by means of the death of Christ, to indicate how God’s people should behave in view of Christ being our Passover.

Get rid of the sin that is in your midst

This is in reference to both corporate sin as well as to personal sin

Corporately the church was sinning by not exercising proper church discipline

Personally this one individual was sinning by entering into such a relationship with his father’s widow!

When sin is tolerated its effects spread like gangrene

Clean out the old — bring in the new

Live in sincerity and truth

As we begin this new year, each of us who are believers in Jesus need to evaluate our own spiritual walk.

Is there sin our own lives that needs to be dealt with?

How are we doing with cleaning out the old and bringing in the new?

Are our lives characterized by living in sincerity and truth?

Spurgeon Study Bible

MacArthur Study Bible

Spurgeon related our text to believers

Regarding the eating of the roasted lamb he wrote: “As the lamb was to be roasted and eaten, we who are saved by Christ’s death must continue to live on Christ … Christ must be food to our minds and nourishment to our hearts.

We must love Him, trust Him, and endeavor to know Him better.

This feeding on the lamb was to be on a roasted lamb — not raw, nor boiled, “but roasted over fire.”

Christ is food for our hearts as having suffered for us — as having passed through the fire of God’s wrath against sin.

I rejoice in Christ as He is now exalted at the right hand of the Father, but first of all, I must know Him as despised and rejected.

Christ’s second advent is proper and lawful ground for joy but not until we understand His first advent and see Him in His humiliation on Calvary.

Christ on the cross is to be the one object of our faith; we must look to Him there even as the Israelite was to look on and feed on the lamb roasted over the fire.

Think what Christ has endure for us.