Christ our Passover, part 1
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Intro
Intro
Lord willing, I would like to start a two part sermon today on “Christ our Passover” as pertaining to the Lord’s Supper. When given opportunity, I like to focus the message on the Lord’s Supper on the day that we are partaking of it. With such a sacred ordinance for us to observe, I like to do as much as the Lord permits me to in turning our attention upon it.
The verse from which this message is based is:
1 Corinthians 5:7b (AV)
For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us
The passover is an important part of God’s redemptive history-- meaning that it was crucial in the revelation of God’s redeeming plan for his chosen people. Jesus Christ is called the Passover, or Paschal (πάσχα pás-cha) lamb. Paul is giving us the New Testament clarification of what was meant by the revelation in the Old Testament concerning the passover.
We have talked about Types and Antitypes before. In the Old Testament there were types, things which represented something that would later be revealed— they were a shadow of things to come. Types and shadows were an example or a pattern for things to be revealed at a later time.
An example of this is in Hebrews 8:5, concerning the priests of the Old Testament,
Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount.
The Greek work for pattern is tupos, from which we get the word type. The writer of Hebrews makes it clear that those things which were given Moses were a type of heavenly things. They were patterns that represented something spiritual.
Now the correlative to type is antitype. An antitype is something that is represented by the type. Webster’s 1828 Dictionary defines it this way, an antitype is “A figure corresponding to another figure; that of which the type is the pattern or representation. Thus the paschal lamb, in scripture, is the type of which Christ is the antitype. An antitype then, is something which is formed according to a model or pattern, and bearing strong features of resemblance to it.”
The Old Testament gives us types that point to Jesus. The New Testament gives us the antitype-- who is Jesus.
The first sacrifice that was made was a type that pointed forward to Christ. It was made by God, who sacrificed an animal to cover Adam and Eve. While the Scriptures do not tell us what the animal was, many believe it to have been a lamb. As the skins from the sacrifice covered our first Parents representation of sin (their nakedness), the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, his shed blood, would cover our sins before God.
Likewise, God also showed Abraham the importance of a sacrifice.
And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together. And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together. And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood. And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.
And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I. And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me. And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son. And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen.
Jehovahjireh means the Lord will provide.
Abraham, the father, was to sacrifice his son Isaac, the son of promise. But God stopped him and provided a sacrifice. God the Father has offered up his Son, Jesus Christ, as the perfect, spotless, sacrifice— in whom are all the promises of God.
Isaac was a type of Christ, as a son who would be sacrificed to God. The lamb provided to Abraham by God, was also a type, pointing forward to the Lamb of God whom the Lord God would provide as an atoning sacrifice.
Please turn to Exodus chapter 12, verse 41.
Further revelation about the sacrifice of a perfect lamb came to Moses and the Israelites while in bondage to the Egyptians.
Exodus 12:41–43 (AV)
And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years, even the selfsame day it came to pass, that all the hosts of the LORD went out from the land of Egypt. It is a night to be much observed unto the LORD for bringing them out from the land of Egypt: this is that night of the LORD to be observed of all the children of Israel in their generations.
And the LORD said unto Moses and Aaron, This is the ordinance of the passover…
430 years after Abraham began his sojourn in that land, God would bring the Israelites out of bondage from Egypt. The only way to find life and experience freedom from bondage, and the wages of it, was by the shedding of the blood of a lamb.
Let’s take a look at that. Turn back to the begging of Exodus chapter 12.
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 was the month of Nisan. Verse 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: 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. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats: 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. 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. And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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.
look down to verse 22
And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the bason, and strike the lintel and the two side posts with the blood that is in the bason; and none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning. 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. And ye shall observe this thing for an ordinance to thee and to thy sons for ever. And it shall come to pass, when ye be come to the land which the LORD will give you, according as he hath promised, that ye shall keep this service. And it shall come to pass, when your children shall say unto you, What mean ye by this service? That ye shall say, It is the sacrifice of the LORD’S passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when he smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses. And the people bowed the head and worshipped.
I have in the past used some of Benjamin Keach’s book Tropologia: A Key to Open Scripture Metaphors on the types and shadows in the Scriptures. In studying this topic I found that his book had some great points laid out concerning the parallels that describe the types and antitypes of the passover as given in Exodus. Keach draws out Jesus Christ in each part of the passover. I’m going to be using some of his points here to expound upon Christ as our passover.
1. The first we see concerning the passover lamb is that it must be without blemish and without spot. Malachi gives some additional details about the quality of the sacrifice:
And if ye offer the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? and if ye offer the lame and sick, is it not evil? offer it now unto thy governor; will he be pleased with thee, or accept thy person? saith the LORD of hosts.
It cannot be blind, lame, or sick. For all appearances sake, it must be perfect.
Peter writes in
But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:
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?
In Acts chapter 8, Philip, being led by the Holy Spirit, came upon the Ethiopian who was reading from Isaiah 53. Philip taught the man that this was about Jesus. Isaiah writes:
Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.
Jesus was the perfect, spotless lamb that was brought to the slaughter for our sakes, carrying our sins— it is because of our sins that he was sacrificed. It is because of our transgressions, our violation of the perfect laws and standards of God, that Jesus needed to be nailed to that cross and take the wrath of God we deserve.
The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
Behold the Lamb of God, prepared and provided by God to be a sacrifice for God’s people.
So important was this sacrifice, that this is declared at the inauguration of Jesus’ earthly ministry. The first thing John proclaims about Jesus upon seeing him— this is the Lamb of God— this is the one who will be a sacrifice to redeem sinners— this is the one who will set sinners free from the bondage of sin and the punish due that sin. No longer will sin have a hold on those who have recieved God’s grace, no longer will sin separate the elect from God for they are reconciled by the sacrifice of the Lamb of God.
So faithful and trusting in the grace of God, John declares it again.
Again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples; And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God!
To start his ministry, Jesus is introduced to the world as the Lamb of God.
2. Exodus chapter 12, verse 5, tells us that the lamb must be a “… male of the first year… ”
That year was meant to give time for examination, to make sure that the lamb would meet the requirements for an acceptable sacrifice.
Our Lord Jesus, the God-Man, had not only the 30 years prior to his public ministry, but also his 3-1/2 years of being presented to the public to prove he was without blemish or spot— he was proven to be an acceptable sinless sacrifice.
3. Verse 5 continues that the lamb should be taken out from the flock— separated from the other sheep.
Jesus Christ is not like the rest of the flock, he is separate in that he is without sin
Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.
4. Verse 6, The lamb was to be slain in the evening. The sacrifice of the passover lamb was to be made between the Hebrew’s ninth and eleventh hours.
Turn to Matthew chapter 27, verse 45, please.
Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Some of them that stood there, when they heard that, said, This man calleth for Elias. And straightway one of them ran, and took a spunge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink. The rest said, Let be, let us see whether Elias will come to save him.
Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many. Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.
The Lamb of God slain, giving up himself, at the appointed time.
Please turn back to Exodus chapter 12, verse 7.
5. God said in 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.”
He continues in verse 12, Exodus 12.12-13 “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.”
If a house did not have this blood covering it, God would execute judgement on those inside. By the blood, God would passover those covered, he would spare them his wrath.
Glory be to God that we are covered in the blood of Jesus Christ. It is Christ that has taken the wrath that we deserve for our sins— and through the shedding of his blood, believers are covered in it— whereby God passes over us in his judgment.
And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
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; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God. Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.
6. Exodus 12:8, the lamb was to be roasted with fire.
Keach writes, this signifies…
Tropologia: A Key to Open Scripture Metaphors Christ Our Passover
the agony of Christ in the garden, and the wrath of his Father, which he did endure both in soul and body. It was a sign either of the Spirit of God, which is compared to fire, through which Christ offered himself; or of the fire of God’s wrath, which he suffered when he was made a curse for us, Heb. 9:14.
7. In it being roasted, it must be cooked fully, as verse 9 commands that it not be eaten raw.
John Gill writes,
This, with respect to the antitype, shews, that Christ is not to be received in a cold lukewarm manner, and with indifference; and that nothing is to be mixed, added, and joined unto him, but he alone is to be regarded in the business of our acceptance, justification, and salvation
8. Exodus 12:9 & 10 continues that the whole of the lamb was to be eaten, “… his head with his legs, and with the purtenance ( innards or organs) thereof. 10 And ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning… ” — not separated into pieces, no bones broken.
Turn to John chapter 19, verse 31.
The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. Then came the soldiers, and brake the legs of the first, and of the other which was crucified with him. But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs: But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water. And he that saw it bare record, and his record is true: and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe. For these things were done, that the scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken. And again another scripture saith, They shall look on him whom they pierced.
That Scripture which was fulfilled was Exodus 12:46, which was a continuation of the instructions by God concerning the passover:
In one house shall it be eaten; thou shalt not carry forth ought of the flesh abroad out of the house; neither shall ye break a bone thereof.
They shall leave none of it unto the morning, nor break any bone of it: according to all the ordinances of the passover they shall keep it.
In a Messianic Psalm, it is written of Jesus Christ:
He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken.
9. The lamb is to be eaten completely and with unleavened bread.
We are to accept all of who the Word tells us that Jesus Christ is. And we are able to have all of him, all of his grace, all of his redeeming work and the justification, pardon,righteousness, and peace that comes with that. We are able to have all of his blessings, all of his love, grace, and affections. Song of Solomon 6:3 “I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine… ”
In accepting him we are fully believing that he is the only begotten, incarnate, Son of God-- fully God and fully man.
I read from part of 1 Corinthians 5.7 at the beginning, which says,
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:
Verse 8 continues,
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.
A born again believer is a new creature, a new man, with new thoughts and affections. Their life should be characterized as one filled with joy and with a desire to please God. As we take all of Christ as our passover, we are to put away the old leaven, the old man— no more sin-- no more pursuing it, enjoying, or being held in it’s power. Not living in wickedness, but abhorring it and hating sin. In opposition to sin and unholiness, we are to have all of Christ in sincere love and in the truth of the Gospel. In having all of Christ, we are to give all of ourselves as his devoted disciples- fulfilling our Christina duties and living a holy and godly life.
11. In Exodus 12, verse 8, we are told that the passover lamb is to be eaten with bitter herbs.
Those bitter herbs represent tears and sorrow. Sorrow for former and present sins, sorrow for the bondage that we once lived in, and sorrow for the death and afflictions that come as a result of sin.
John Gill wrote,
and of those bitter afflictions and persecutions in the world, which they that will live godly in Christ Jesus must expect to endure; as well as they may signify that as a crucified Christ must be looked upon, and lived upon by faith, so with mourning and humiliation for sin, and with true repentance for it as an evil and bitter thing, see Zech. 12:10.
Zechariah 12:10 reads,
And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.
12. In Exodus 12 it is instructed that the passover be eaten in every family.
Please turn to
And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne. And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints. And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.
The Lamb that was slain "… hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation...” In Christ there is unity. Unity among all of his redeemed people. We are a family, and Christ is our elder brother (Mark 3:34-35). We are adopted in the family of God the Father, through the shed blood of Jesus.
Exodus 12:4 tells us,
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.
The death of Christ secured a particular redemption for his people, the atoning sacrifice was specific and limited. To those particular people to whom his redemption is applied, they have the full measure of it. They have all of God’s Sovereign and free grace for their salvation.
Taking in of neighbors may also reference God’s calling of the Gentiles to be partakers of the Covenant of Grace along side the Jews.
Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:
In addition to that, each local church is as a family. And in unity do we come together to partake of the Lord’s Supper— remembering the body of our Lord that was broken and the blood of the new covenant that was shed for the remission of sins— remembering Christ our Passover.
13. Part of making ready for the passover included preparing the house.
Preparations need to be made for when we partake of the Lord’s Supper. There are physical and spiritual preparations. Physically we make ready with the proper elements of unleavened bread and wine. We also take care of other things such as a gathering place for the saints to gather for the observance— thankfully the Lord has provided us a place for that meeting.
We also prepare in feeding ourselves physically so that we do not come to the table hungry. Not only should our bodies not be desiring the food of this world, our souls should not be desiring the things of this world— but rather desiring the pure food of God that satisfies both body and soul.
Spiritually we must prepare ourselves.
But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.
I often make that reminder on the day of communion, but it is worth reminding a head of time so that we have adequate time to prepare our hearts and minds. It also gives us time to repent or make things right, or be reconciled, among brethren that we may have sin against or those who have sinned against us.
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Every little detail of the passover points to Jesus Christ— everything that was revealed was progressively opening up the Covenant of Grace, and the glorious Gospel contained therein— until the full revelation with our Lord Jesus.
God said in 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.
Christ fulfilled the passover and became it for us. His sacrifice was done once for all of his people.
The Lord’s Supper is an ordinance that we are to keep until his return— it is a memorial of his sacrifice and the redemption of God’s people.
All of the details, the care, and the preparation that went into the Old passover reveal to us the desire of God to make known his grace and his works of salvation. Great attention should be given by the people of God in attending the Lord’s Supper where we remember Christ our passover— and the grace of God demonstrated through Jesus.
Lord willing, next week we will continue to look at Christ our passover in making ready for the Lord’s Supper.