Passover - The Old Testament Foreshadows Salvation

Pastor Matt Davis – Passover, The Old Testament Foreshadows Salvation

Exodus 12:1-13

And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, 2 This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you. 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: 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. 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: 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. 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. 8 And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it. 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. 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. 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. 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.[1]

Introduction

The book of Exodus picks up four hundred and thirty years after Israel begins sojourning in Egypt. After the death of Joseph, and a new ruler over the land, they enter into captivity and are no longer free, but slaves. In the Exodus, God raises up a prophet sent to deliver Israel out of captivity and bring them to the promised land, but there is prominent person in the way preventing the Israelites from leaving. May I introduce to you Pharaoh.

Pharaoh is a prototype of the devil. He desired to keep the Israelites under bondage and only give in where it suites his needs. Notice through the plagues of Egypt, how quickly Pharaoh reverts to subjecting Israel into captivity, even increasing their burdens.

In the same, the devil has brought this earth into captivity, and he desires to keep it that way. As God moves throughout the church, the devil is working hard to keep his servants under submission. The more we fight to be godly people and the closer we go to God, the more it seems, the devil increases our workload.

Ever hear of the acronym busy? It stands for being under satans yolk. We see in the Egyptian Pharaoh a prototype for the invisible enemy we have in common. Exodus is a story of deliverance from bondage and evil to a land of promise and prosperity.

After the dialog between Moses and Pharaoh, God introduces one final plague. God condemns all in the land of Egypt and gives instructions that will stay the plague away from your house. This event is known as the Lord’s Passover, for the Lord has come into Egypt and slain the first-born of every house, both of man and beast, save the homes with the blood of the lamb, which He passed over.

The Exodus account is more than a story of Israel’s deliverance from bondage, but as Pharaoh is a prototype of the devil, so Passover is a prototyping of our salvation. Through the text today, we will notice five similarities in the Lord’s Passover and our salvation after Christ’s Passion.

1. Condemnation – Verse 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.[2]

The Lord say’s, “I will smite all the firstborn”. God made no distinction between Egyptian and Israelite. Condemnation is the state of all who are under the curse of the law. The condemnation, then, is that the firstborn in all the land of Egypt shall be slain. There is no escaping the consequence in all the land of Egypt. The punishment is so complete, that all the firstborn of the land extends out to the beasts of the fields, as well as the men in the houses. This is the last and final plague of Egypt, and consequently, judgement is the final plague of the ending of this heavens and earth.

Romans 3:23 tells us “23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; [3]”

Just like in the Passover, all of us have sinned. The Bible is all inclusive when it say’s all have sinned. What about the innocent tribe in the jungles of Africa? They sinned as well. What about the tribe of people on some island we have yet to discover? They sinned too. All people, including you and I are responsible for sinning against the Lord.

The natural state of men then, is a state of condemnation. We are told in Romans 3:19, “Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. 20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.[4]” Therefore, if all the world is guilty before God, we are condemned already. As in Egypt, there is a consequence inescapable that comes with condemnation.

Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death”

As in Egypt, the plague extended to the first born, the final plague of humanity will extend to all who stand condemned. Revelation describes to us in great detail the ending and pouring out of God’s wrath upon the earth, which wraps up with all of the condemned tossed into the lake of eternal fire and brimstone.

For there indeed is of God a law, and that law demands of itself justice. But God shall allow both the demands of justice to be satisfied, and the work of love to present itself in mercy. For the satisfaction of the law, and the saving of souls, God has provided another way.

2. Substitution – Verse 3

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:[5]

The law demanded its wrath, and its wrath shall be satisfied. Therefore, the first-born of all in Egypt shall stand condemned, or the blood of an innocent shall take its place. God provided for all who would escape the judgement, a substitution, that another may die in their stead. Upon examining the text, every man was to take unto them a lamb. The lamb was satisfactory for a household, but every man was required to take unto them the lamb and eat. This indicates that every person required of themselves a substitute, for each person has stood condemned.

Shall we examine the substitute, and we will notice a few characteristics of our replacement. Verse five further instructs Israel on the selection of the sacrificial lamb: “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:[6]”

For the substitute in death, the sacrifice must be without blemish, perfect. The substitute is of the first year, indicating the innocence of the replacement. For if an imperfect and sinful person died, the law shall not be satisfied. What good is it, for one who stands condemned already, to offer tribute on the behalf of another. For the law to satisfy itself, all who stand condemned must pay their price. But the sacrifice of one who is not condemned, even the price of our God, shall satisfy the debt in full.

The sacrificial lamb prototypes and foreshadows the way in which God would provide for His creation. Yea, even God Himself should come down from Heaven and die for us.

Romans 3:24-26 states “ Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: 25 Whom God hath sset forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; 26 To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.[7]”

God set forth and make Himself the sacrificial lamb which would die in our place. Paul writes, whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation. That is, our replacement. What a strong display of love and mercy, that our Holy God would set forth a law, and die also to satisfy the law for such undeserving, unholy people.

I hear oh so frequently, the sinner shall say, “I must become perfect before I can enter into a relationship with God.” Oh sinner, hearken unto this wisdom, you stand condemned already. I should say, your only hope of overcoming sin is through the Blood of Christ.

It is beautiful, His love for you. “8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.[8]”

In beautiful imagery of the Old Testament, Paul writes for us “For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:[9]” and John is recorded as pointing Christ out as the Lamb that would take our sins, “Behold the Lamb of God, which ||taketh away the sin of the world.[10]

The saving grace of God is through the atoning work of Christ, for He became sin, who knew no sin, that we may become righteous. But this act must be accepted of each of us.

3. Appropriation – Verse 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.[11]

The death and blood of the alone was not enough for the salvation of the Israelites. They had to apply the blood in their lives. This was done by striking the blood on the lintel and posts of their door and consuming the meat.

A payment alone is not sufficient if said payment is not applied. I can pay for each of our members today to eat in a fancy restaurant, juicy steaks, nine course meals, desert, the whole bang. But unless you applied my code to your bill, your paying just the same.

After the lamb was offered as a replacement, each person had to apply that payment to themselves. The same is true of us.

Christ died that the world by Him might be saved. In fact, God so loved the world, that He gave us Jesus that if we would believe in Him we would not perish. The substitute has been made, have we applied it? Until you take the blood of Christ for yourself, and you wash yourself in it, His death is of no effect unto your soul.

Christ said that unless you are born of water (physical birth) and of Spirit you shall not see the Kingdom. You must be born again. We must have the blood of the Lamb appropriated as the restitution for our sins.

When we have applied the blood of Christ to our lives, we can wait inside our homes while the Lord’s judgement passes over us. We have peace and security, as we have been redeemed.

To apply to the blood of Christ means to trust in Him. It means to make Him Lord over our lives. In the Passover, the lamb covered the whole house, but each member of the house must partake of the lamb himself. The Lord’s Passover has foreshadowed the salvation of the Lord we have access to today.

It is not enough to have grown up in a Christian home. It is not enough to say “I go to church each week”. It is not enough to be passive in your walk. To think that your children are saved because you are saved. Salvation is an individual aspect of the Christian walk.

Charles Spurgeon said of verse eight, which states “And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it.[12]”

“As the lamb was to be roasted and eaten, we who are saved by Christ’s death must continue to live on Christ. As he said to the Jews, “Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you”. This is, of course, a figure, meaning that 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 endured for us. Oh was a fire our Lord Jesus Christ passed through that he might become food for our souls!”

4. Confirmation – Verses 13, 23

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.[13]

For the Lord will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the Lord will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you.[14]

On that dreadful night that the firstborn was slain, God wasn’t looking for Jews or for Egyptians. He was looking for those covered by the blood and those who were not. The blood was available to all who desired it. Make no mistake, the Jewish household that did not follow the command paid the same penalty the Egyptian household paid. And make no mistake, had the Egyptian household also applied the blood, they too would have been spared.

The bible tells us there is neither Jew or Gentile, bond or free, male or female – We are all one in Christ or we are one in condemnation. We are either saved or not. In the end times, it will make neither difference if you are Jewish or not, but only that you have the seal of God.

In the Exodus, the confirmation was the physical blood on the lintel and posts. In the Christian today, the moment we are covered with blood, we are sealed with the mark of God and given the Holy Ghost as a token of that confirmation.

2 Cor 1:19-22 - For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us, even by me and Silvanus and Timotheus, was not yea and nay, but in him was yea. 20 For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us. 21 Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God; 22 Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.[15]

Paul writes to the church in Corinth that we are established in Christ by God, and He has sealed us, that is, He has marked us as His possession, and has given us His Spirit in our hearts. Paul writes again in Ephesians 1:12-14

“12 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. 13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, 14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.[16]”

That when you first believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise. What a wonderful confirmation that we have been redeemed! We are sealed – With a Holy Spirit of promise! Paul goes on and tells us this Spirit is our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession. We, oh believer, are the purchased possession. Christ, in atoning for our sins on the cross, has purchased for Himself the souls of this earth. It will be on that great day, before the Great White Throne that Christ says to the Father, don’t touch that one, he is mine.

To Timothy, Paul wrote:

“19 Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his.[17]”

As the blood on the lintel and door posts told God which souls were His and which to slay, having the seal of God, He knows that we belong to Him. The Spirit is our confirmation that we have been redeemed and purchased of Christ.

And the resurrection of Christ is the confirmation that His sacrifice and atonement were acceptable before God. Having been redeemed, we must then be purified.

5. Purification – Verses 11, 15, 18

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.[18]

Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread; even the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses: for whosoever eateth leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel. [19]

18 In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at even, ye shall eat unleavened bread, until the one and twentieth day of the month at even.[20]

In relation to these texts, there are two separate contexts we must explore. The first being the historical narrative and the logical reasoning for these requirements and then the spiritual relevance to how this corresponds to us today. Logically, why did the Lord command these things?

Historical and Contextual Relevance

In verse eleven, there was with it a requirement to not boil the meat, to eat it with unleavened bread, and to eat it standing up, with their shoes on their feet, and the staff in their hand.

There is a logical pattern that we can follow later in the chapter. Examine with me, verses 31-34:

“ And he called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, Rise up, and get you forth from among my people, both ye and the children of Israel; and go, serve the Lord, as ye have said. 32 Also take your flocks and your herds, as ye have said, and be gone; and bless me also. 33 And the Egyptians were urgent upon the people, that they might send them out of the land in haste; for they said, We be all dead men. 34 And the people took their dough before it was leavened, their kneading troughs being bound up in their clothes upon their shoulders.[21]

The Israelites knew not when these events would happen, only that they would happen quickly and urgently. That night, after they had slain the lambs and marked their doors, they began to eat their meat. The Lord was moving through Egypt at the same time, slaying the firstborn of the households without the seal. The Israelites had to be ready at a moments notice, to pick up and leave. The text indicates to us this happened quickly, as they had to grab their dough and belongings before it was leavened.

Today, we find ourselves in this same situation. We know the end is coming. We know the Lord is returning – We don’t know when. They Lord says to be diligent, or He will come like a thief in the night. The Lord says be watchful, for no man knows the day nor the hour. The Lord says, “I am coming back quickly”, meaning, suddenly without notice.

We are reminded of the parable of the ten virgins, five had their lamps and spare oil, ready to go and the other five were unprepared. We must be prepared for the coming of the Lord, swiftly as it will be. We must be guarded, watchful, and diligent. We must be eating of the Word and renewing our minds. We must be diligently sharing His message, reaching all who would hear us. We must not be the five virgins who plead, “spare us some of your oil”.

Logically, these rules represented that they must be ready, but Spiritually, these rules have an impact on us internally.

Spiritual Relevance

Paul recorded in 1 Corinthians 5:7-8:

“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.[22]”

Leaven represents inside of us hidden sin. As yeast in the bread eats away at the sugars making holes of air pockets, so sin eats away at us internally. For the redeemed, we must cleanse ourselves of this old leaven. We must purge the impurities of our dead selves and become the new creature that we are in Christ.

It is no wonder, then, that the Lord commanded all those who partake of leaven during the Passover would be cut off from Israel. We are told in the scriptures that God has begun a work in us that He will continue until it’s completion.

For the Israelites, this meant ridding the practices of idol worship. It meant separating themselves from the likeness of others in the land of Canaan. For us, it means not being conformed to our world. We must examine ourselves, are we being leavened? Are we being eaten away by dark and secret sin?

As Paul said, let us keep the feast with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

Summary

The Passover portion of the Exodus account is a epic foreshadow of the deliverance God would deliver to all people. Our devil prototype, Pharaoh, worked hard to keep the Israelites under his oppression, even seeking them in the desert out by the sea.

The Passover shows us that all are guilty and condemned before God. For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. We all have a debt that is owed before God. We have seen in the Passover the prototype for our substitution. Throughout the Old Testament history, animal sacrifices were necessary daily, annually, and for many purposes of sin, redemption, and purification. They all point to the one Lamb which would be the end all of sacrifices, the Lord Jesus Christ. Through His sacrifice, the debt has been paid on account of all who would accept Him as their Lord and Savior. Each person must individually choose for themselves to appropriate the blood of Christ and be washed. We each need a substitute, and only the perfect blood of Christ could pay the tribute of our redemption.

The Passover shows us that God identifies those who are His, and He withholds the judgement from them. After Christ, we have been sealed with the Spirit of Promise, and Christ will stand between us and the throne on the day of judgement. We shall be judged not on our sins and deeds, but on the righteousness of the Lord, for He has settled the debt.

We must be ready for the day our Lord returns, purifying ourselves with the newness of our soul, removing the old leaven from our bodies.

Application

Early in our message, I quoted the first part of Romans 6:23, for the wages of sin is death. Now, turn with me back and finish the verse off with me:

“but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.[23]”

Although we have all been born into this condemnation, it is the free gift of our Lord that we should have eternal life. When we have this gift bestowed upon us, something happens, we are born again. The Bible calls this a new creation:

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.[24]”

We discussed that God gives acknowledgement, confirmation, of the substitution for our redemption. But there this also confirmation on our part. The old man dies and we are become new.

Christ says “I am the vine, ye are the branch. Whosoever abideth in I and I in him, it is he that will bear much fruit.” When the old man passes and is born again, there is a visible change in the behavior and personality of the saved man. Our hearts are made new, we are given new life.

One of the unique things that sets true Christianity apart from the rest of the cults in our world is this new life. False theology teaches you must work your way to salvation and God’s presence. The Bible teaches that it is a gift to all who accept it. But part of that gift is being made new. We bare good fruits, but not as a means to enter God’s room, but because we have already been accepted in.

I love what Paul says, when he knows people will question this type of theology:

Romans 3:27-31 “Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith. 28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law. 29 Is he the God of the Jews only? is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also: 30 Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith. 31 Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.[25]”

Though we shall be plagued by sin the days of our life, we must submit ourselves to the new creature. We must allow God to purify us, day by day, until we are perfect in the day we see the kingdom. Paul says that neither murders, or adulterers, or covetous, nor idolators, and the list goes on will enter the kingdom. And as such, were some of you. We are characterized no longer by the life we used to live, but by a new identity in Christ. Purge the old identity away and continue the feast with truth.

Yea, we have all sinned and fell short of the glory, but we have been made righteous, for we wear the garments of Christ.

Invitation

The judgement is coming. The Word of God has been warning for generations that the day is nigh. And this judgement is a judgement that cannot be escaped. Whether you die today, or see the tribulation tomorrow, you will experience this judgement.

You are condemned already, but there need not be a penalty you pay. For your substitute hath already settled the debt, if you would only apply it. Take, oh sinner, the blood of the Lamb, even the blood of Christ, and apply it to your life.

John 3:26 tells us that God so loved the world, He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. The Lord is calling. He says you must apply that blood, for on the day of His vengeance, He will be looking, not for Jew or Gentile. Not for the rich or poor. Not for the morally upright or the morally wrong. He will be looking for those who have not the seal of His Holy Spirit.

I plead with you today, take these steps. Cover yourself. Allow me to take you through it. It begins with Admitting that Christ is Lord over all. Believe that God is there, and has a perfect law. Believe that Jesus is the only begotten of God, who lived a perfect life, took on the cross, and rose the third day for the remission of your sins. Then confess that you are a sinner, and repent. Repent means to turn around, leave your old life behind and begin anew with God.

Jesus said in Matthew 10:32-33, “whosever will confess me before men, I will confess before the Father above. And whosoever will deny me before men, I will deny also before the Father which is above”. And Paul tells us in Romans 10:9 how to get saved “For if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead; thou shall be saved.”

***Prayer***