The Lord's Passover. We have here in this chapter
one of the clearest pictures of substitution. The firstborn in Egypt died in
every house. When I was reading this today,
it stood out to me that those Israelites
were just as guilty as the Egyptians. A lamb had to die, but a substitute
died in their place. That blood, that blood that's
on the side post, on that upper door post, says death has already
taken place in this house. It says the firstborn in this
house has already died. That is how effectual the death
of Jesus Christ is for everyone whom he saves. We died in Christ. Paul teaches us that. In Christ
we died. In Christ we are risen. In Christ
we live. But that blood says death has
already been to this house. And God said, when I see the
blood, I see that death has already been here. I see that justice
has already been satisfied. And I'll pass over this house.
And everyone in that house is safe. Everyone in the house is
safe. It's one of the clearest pictures
in all the word of God of substitution. We see Christ, his substitutionary
sacrifice, his blood atonement. It has everything to do with
him. Christ, our Passover, Paul said,
is sacrificed for us. Now the Passover lamb, as I said,
is a very clear type of Christ. It sets forth His person in that
it's... When you think of a lamb, can
you think of any animal that would be more meek and lowly
than a lamb? It's so gentle. It's so gentle. It sets forth the perfection
of Christ because it's to be a spotless lamb. It's to be without
blemish. They would look that lamb over.
They would look it over from head to toe, head to hoof. And
if there was a little blemish, I mean, if it had a little speck
on a spot on it, it couldn't be used. and reason it couldn't
be used because it's not a good representative of Christ. It's
got to be spotless. It's got to be without blemish
because our Lord, God's lamb, the lamb of God's providing knew
no sin. He knew no sin. It sets forth
his sacrificial character as the lamb slain. You see, Christ
is a lamb slain from the foundation of the world. Now in verses one
and two, the Passover was given by the Lord. It's the Lord's
Passover. This is the Lord's, what we call
this, the Lord's table. It's not the Baptist table. It's
not closed communion. We don't have closed communion
here. It's not like you, well, you don't belong to our group. You can't take this. It's the
Lord's Passover. It's for everyone who believes.
wherever he or she may be from. If they believe, they believe
God, they believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, this is for them. It's the Lord's Passover. It's
His Passover. And if you'll notice here, let
me turn back here. If you'll notice here in verse
2, the Passover changed the Jewish calendar. The Lord said, this
will mark the beginning of your year now. This month right here. This Passover, it changed their
calendar. That's how important it was.
It marked the beginning of each year for them. Isn't this the
way to start a year? There's no better way to start
a year than Christ crucified. There's no better way to start
a year than with the Lord's Passover, the one that set you free. he says there in verse 3 this
Passover this ordinance was given to Israel to observe look here
and the Lord gave the people I mean I'm reading over from
chapter 11 and verse 3 of 12 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 a house this was given to Israel it wasn't
given to Egypt It wasn't given to Egypt. It was given to Israel. It was given to them to observe.
It was not given to the unbelieving Egyptians. It was given to God's
people. You believe the Gospel. You're
God's people. This is for you. This is for
you tonight. This is for you. You who believe. It's given to
God's Israel. God gave to Israel the substitute to die in their
stead. That's what He did. God gave
to His Israel. Who is Israel? It's everyone
who believes. Paul said, We are the circumcision
which worship God in the spirit and have no confidence in the
flesh. We are the true Israel of God. Everyone who believes,
whether Jew or Gentile, they make up the true Israel of God.
Then this is for them. It's who it's for. And then he
says there in verse 4, If the household be too little for the
lamb, let him and his neighbor next to his house take it according
to the number of the souls every man according to his eating shall
make your account for the lamb if the household's too small
you know christ christ is far more than you you and i can uh
consume we can't you know the israelites in in in back in the
old testament they got tired of that manna didn't they They
call it light bread. They got tired of it. Jesus Christ
is far more than we can ever consume. We can never have enough
of Christ. Christ is never too small. Now,
in most places, He is too small. That's why they turn to other
things. My soul, in Him dwells the fullness of God. Oh, He's never too small. He's
never, our Lord's never too small. It says nothing about the land
being too small. It's the household being too
small. Christ is more than we can eat. Listen, I thought of
this when I was, because you go to a restaurant, what's the
first thing they want to ask you before you eat the meal? You want an appetizer? Christ is not an appetizer. He's
the meal. He is the meal. He's the full
course. Him. You know, it's not Christ
and two side orders. It's Christ and Christ alone.
We don't have any side orders. I don't want any side orders.
Just give me Christ. Don't give me side orders with
it. Just give me Him. And listen, it says, let me point
this out. It says, if the household's too
small, they were to call their neighbor in. There's to be no
unnecessary slaying of lands. This is to be done exactly as
God said, as He prescribed. You're not going to just go out
and just slay lambs. No, you're going to slay a lamb. And if
the household's too small for it, you call your neighbors in.
You call them in to do it. And no man was to eat the Passover
alone. You call your neighbor. You call
your family. You know, you call them in. We
don't keep this ordinance at home. By ourselves. We don't do this at home. God's
family comes together just like we are tonight. And this is how
we observe the Lord's table. We don't do it at home by ourselves.
No man did this by himself. He called his neighbor in. It's
not, it's not, you don't, you know, if he slays a lamb, your
neighbor slays, you're like, neighbor, come over here. I'm
by myself. You come over here and this one
comes over and we gather together. This is what we're doing tonight.
We're not doing this separately. we're doing it together and we
have one lamb the one God provided the one God provided and then
we have a description of the land God specifically describes
the lamb that's to represent his lamb he describes there in
verse 5 your lamb your lamb shall be without blemish. The male
of the first year, you shall take it out from the sheep or
from the goats. You'll keep it up until the 14th
day of the same month, and whole assembly of the congregation
of Israel shall kill it in the evening." When did Christ come? In these last days, in the end
of the world, He has come to put away sin by the sacrifice
of Himself. We're in the end. We are honestly
in the end. Now, when that is, at the exact
time, I don't know. Nobody else knows but God. But we are in the end. This is
it. But your Lamb is going to be
without blemish Because the scripture says it must be perfect to be
accepted. God cannot accept anything short
of perfection, anything short of Himself, He cannot and will
not accept it. And our Lord is the perfect Lamb
of God who knew no sin. That's what it says, He knew
no sin. There's no blemish in it, no blemish. Listen here to
2 Corinthians 5.21, For he, that is God, hath God the Father,
hath made him, God the Son, to be sent for us, who knew no sin. Jesus Christ knew no sin. By
birth, by thought, by action, He knew no sin. Listen to 1 Peter
1.19, YOU WERE REDEEMED WITH THE PRECIOUS BLOOD OF CHRIST
AS OF A LAMB, WITHOUT BLEMISH AND WITHOUT SPOT. YOU WERE REDEEMED. THINK ABOUT THAT. GO HOME TONIGHT
AND THINK ABOUT THAT. YOU WERE PURCHASED. YOU WERE
BOUGHT WITH A PRICE BY THE LAMB OF GOD WHO IS GOD. YOU WERE PURCHASED. NOW LISTEN.
YOU WERE PURCHASED BY THE BLOOD OF GOD. THAT'S WHAT IT SAYS IN
ACTS 20-28. that God purchased the church
with his own blood. I can't express how important
this is because if he's not righteous, if he's not holy, if he's not
without sin, he can't do us any good. He cannot do us any good. He's rejected. And then it's
got to be a male of the first year. It can't be a female, cannot
be a female. And here's why. By man, sin entered
the world. By man, sin entered the world.
And by man, justice was offended. And by man, satisfaction has
got to be made. And Jesus Christ is the man. Behold, Pilate brought him out.
Behold the man. This is our man. I've read in,
uh, and, uh, I think it's first or second Chronicles. I think
it's first Chronicles. David, uh, it was, God was talking to
David about Solomon. Don't build his house. You know
what? God called him a man of rest. God called him Solomon,
a man of rest. That's who Jesus Christ is. He's
our man of rest. He has given us rest from the
works of the law. He's given us rest from the power
of sin. He's given us not the presence
of it yet, but that'll happen here in just a little while.
We'll be rid of the presence of it, and we'll have the complete
enjoyment of what real rest in Christ is. We will really enjoy
it. It has to be a male, and listen,
it can only be a year old. You're not gonna go out there
and get the oldest hold his sheep in the flock out
there and offer. Because I tell you what, by nature,
that's exactly what we do. We get the one about to die.
And we say, let's just offer this one. Let's keep that young
one. No, you're going to give it, it's going to be one year
old. It's going to be full of life and strength. It's not going
to die of itself. It's not going to die of old
age. It's going to be in the full vigor of life when it dies. When it's offered up as a sacrifice,
it's gonna be in the full vigor of life. Our Lord said this,
no man takes my life from me, I lay it down of myself. He was
33 years old, 33 years old. In the strength of life, he laid
down his life. He laid it down. When he was
in his full strength and vigor, he laid down his life. He didn't die of weakness. He
gave up his life. I laid down my life for the sheep. That's what he said. One of us,
a lamb laid down his life for the sheep. It also shows the eternality
of Christ, his eternal youth. And it was to be taken from the
sheep or the goats as Christ was taken from among
his brethren. and offered up for them. He became
one of us, bone of our bone, it says, flesh of our flesh,
that's what He became. He took upon Him the likeness
of sinful flesh, yet without sin, He became like unto His
brethren, and our elder brother was offered up in our place. God's Lamb, our elder brother,
God in the flesh, was offered up in our place all you who believe now he wasn't
offered up in the place of the egyptians no he wasn't and they
didn't want him pharaoh said who's the lord that i should
obey him but he was offered up for a multitude
of sinners that no man can number but those multitude of sinners
were given to him They were given to him. And to think that you're
one of them? To think you're one of them?
To think I'm one of them? And why do I think I'm one of them? Because I believe. I believe. Make your calling and election
sure. I believe God's called me. I have, listen, I have a
real interest in Jesus Christ. I have a real interest in him
saving me from my sins. I have a real interest in knowing
God. There was a time, Jesus Christ, God never crossed my
mind. I mean, not even a thought. And
now not a day goes by that he doesn't cross my mind. I mean,
not a day. I believe I can say that for
every child of God. It might be a brief thought,
but God put it there. And you have an interest in Christ,
that's why you're here. You have an interest in him.
God gave you that interest. Mom and daddy didn't give you
that interest. Growing up under the gospel didn't give you that
interest. God gave it to you. God gave you a real interest
in his son. I want to be saved. I want to know Jesus Christ.
Paul said, Oh, that I might know him. Where did that interest
come from? That is not what Paul wanted to know at one time. Paul
wanted to know everything about the law, everything about, I
think, how to make money, no doubt, because he was a Pharisee.
He was a Pharisee. He was a rich man. Many think
he was that rich young ruler. I don't know whether he was or
not. But it's to come from the sheep
or the goats. And this shows also that God
must become incarnate. God must become flesh. Because
it says this, he's got to be a male the first year. It's got
to be without blemish. Do you know anybody like that?
You know, you know, an animal can't really die and put away
my sins. An innocent animal can't die for the sins of my soul.
It's got to be a man just like me. Man who knows no sin. Do you know anybody like that?
I only know one. The man Christ Jesus. He's the
only one. The Word became flesh and dwelt
among us. And then in verse six, it was
to be kept up for four days is to be observed and expected for
any defects or flaws. And what this shows is how important
perfection is to God. I wish we could get just a real,
real serious glimpse of how important perfection is to God. Our Lord lived for 33 years before
God and men, and you know what He finally said? I find no fault
in Him. And you know what Pilate said?
He didn't say that by accident. That man examined the Lord Jesus
Christ because he wanted to do one two things. He wanted to
either let Him go or find a reason to crucify Him. And he couldn't
find a reason. So he said, I find no fault in
Him. I find no fault. God said, this
is my beloved son in whom I'm well pleased. He found no fault
in him. For 33 years, if anyone, if anyone
would have found fault in Jesus Christ, if they could have found
fault, it would have been God. If there had just been a brief
thought, I mean, just a briefest of thoughts like that of sin,
that would have been the end of it. That shows us how perfect he
is. not even a brief thought satan he said satan has has come
and what did he say about him and has found nothing in me there
was no sin in in christ for satan to lay his teeth into you see
he can come to me and you and boy there's a lot to work with
there's a lot there for him to work with I mean, he can come
at all angles at us and just break us and tempt us and we
just fall like a deck of cards. He came to Christ, the temptation
in the wilderness, couldn't even get him to budge. Couldn't even
get him to think. Couldn't even get him to say,
hmm. Couldn't even get a hmm out of him. Pilate found no fault. God found
no fault. Satan couldn't find any fault
in him. We have in Jesus Christ the perfection that we need. We have it in him. I have it.
Heaven and earth must stamp upon the person of Christ no
blemish. No blemish. And the whole congregation has
to kill it in the evening, in the last days. The whole church
of God are partakers of his death, aren't we? I mean the whole church
from the first one to the last one, the whole church partakers
of his death. The whole congregation are partakers
of the death of the Passover lamb. And the whole congregation
of believers, the whole congregation, are to eat his flesh and drink
his blood. Isn't that what we saw in John? He said, he that eats my flesh
and drinks my blood. And he's talking about faith.
He's talking about faith. because it tells us here in verse
7 they shall take of the blood and strike it on the two side
posts on the upper door post of the house wherein they shall
eat it this is an act of faith this is what he's talking about
this is an act of faith by faith the blood of christ was applied
or the blood of that lamb that passover lamb that was instituted
it was it was uh applied on the two door posts two door posts
and that upper door They applied it by faith. What
if somebody said, I'm not going to do that? They'd have died. It's an act
of faith. We receive the blood of Christ
by faith. I've never seen the blood except
by faith. I see it in God's word. I believe
it's very real. The blood of Jesus Christ is
very real to me. It's what cleanses me from my sins. His blood is.
No one could enter the house that did not see the blood. And
you notice something here. The blood was on the two side
posts and over at the top of that door, but it was not on
the floor for us to walk on. It was not put on the floor to
be trampled on. And where the blood is applied,
the lamb is feasted on. Where the blood is, there's faith
in the house where it's eaten. And the blood was applied only
on the houses where the lamb was eaten. They didn't just waste
it. They didn't go down through there
just slapping it on all the doors. It was just on the house. It
was only applied to the house where the lamb was eaten. Christ's blood, His blood was
not shed, nor is it applied to every son of Adam. It was not put on every house.
It was only put on the house where it was eaten, and where
there was faith, where they believed God, they believed what Moses
said, and they did it. They put it on the house. And he says here in verse eight,
let me move along here real quick. And they shall eat the flesh
in that night. You know, when Christ is preached,
like right now, as we look at these verses as his priest, you
eat him by faith, you eat his flesh and know what you're doing
now by faith. You eat his flesh in that night
when he's preached. Christ is to be received when
he's preached. You know what makes us a candidate
for this? For taking the bread and the
wine. You know what makes us a candidate?
Not baptism. It's not whether or not I was
baptized or not. Here's what makes you a candidate. Do you
believe God? Do you believe God? Do you believe
the record God has given of His Son? Do you believe with all
your heart that Jesus Christ is the Son of God? That's the
requisite for taking this bread and wine. Faith. It's faith. You believe God. And those who
believe God, I tell you this, those who believe God, they'll
be baptized. They'll identify with the Lord.
I guarantee they'll do it. They will identify with Him. And listen here. If you'll notice here also, the
suffering of the lamb, it says, is to be roast with fire. That's
Christ crucified. The fire of God's wrath fell
on him. You know, one day, I had the
privilege of doing a funeral this past Wednesday of a believer. And I'm telling you, we had like
a regular church service. I mean, it was like a worship
service. It was a worship service is what it turned into. She fell asleep. She woke up
in glory. Faith gave way to sight and hope
gave way to reality. And here's why, because the lamb
was roasted, Christ was crucified, Christ suffered the wrath, the
fire of God's wrath for us. And I don't have to. The testimony,
I wish Mike could tell you the testimony his mother was giving
at the time, right before she died, it was just, it was beautiful,
beautiful testimony she was giving. And it's all because of the Lamb
of God. All because God's Lamb, he took
the wrath, he took the fire of God's wrath. But the Christ we believe, Christ
we feast on, is Christ crucified. It's not Christ the miracle worker.
It's not Christ the one who wants to save everybody. It's Jesus
Christ and Him crucified. And it'll be that until we leave
this life. And then it's, listen, it's to
be eaten with bitter herbs. You all know this, you've heard
this before, but it's repentance. It's repentance. You know, in that house, They
understood that the reason they did not die that night because
that lamb died. Because his blood was on the
door. And when God said, when I see the blood, I'll pass over
you. And you know that they had to realize, when I read this,
the first thing I realized was this. They ought to have died. They were just as guilty as the
Egyptians. This is what it's saying. You are as guilty as
those in hell. But you're not there by the grace
of God. And you're not there because someone died in your
place. That's the only reason. The only
reason I'll stand in glory is by God's grace and because of
that man, Jesus Christ, stood in my place. He stood in my place,
took my death, took my wrath, provided for me a righteousness,
intercedes for me, and now intercedes for me. He interceded for me
before I was born. He said, in John 17, I pray not
for them only, but for them also who shall believe on me through
their word. He prayed for me then. I'm in
that prayer. I'm included in that prayer. When I read that,
I think, man, he's praying for me already. I mean, what's that,
2,000 years ago? Well, he did that even before
then. We receive Christ crucified by
faith and repentance. Repentance toward
God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. And he said, don't eat
it raw. Don't eat it raw. You know, a
lot of preaching today skips the crucified part. They skipped
the blood part. That's just a little too bloody.
It's a little too gory to talk about. They talk about, God wants
you to be happy. God wants you to be wealthy.
God wants you to be healthy. It's what God wants you to be,
and it's all about this flesh. That's raw. That's raw. Don't you eat that. Don't you
eat that. You know what happens usually
when you eat something raw? You get sick. What is that called,
E. coli? You get spiritual E.coli. That's
what you get. Don't you eat that raw. No, you
eat it roasted. Eat it roasted. If every truth,
every doctrine that we hold is not found in the sufferings and
death of Christ, don't eat it. Don't eat it. And don't eat it
sodden with water. Don't mix works with it and don't
water it down. I'm not going to water it down. It's not God's
grace. You eat it roast with fire. It's
Christ crucified all the way to the end and don't leave any
of it till the morning Well, I'll eat that later how
many times you said that you know at the table I'll eat that
later Ain't no who said later was coming. I Don't know who said later was
coming it God didn't I You know, now is the day of salvation.
Now is the accepted time. Who said you and I had tomorrow? You know, I know this. I realize
this. I probably talk a lot about dying
and death. It may be my age. I don't know.
You know, also maybe I've done 14 funerals in six years. That
may have something to do with it. I've had to deal with, I,
for whatever reason, for whatever reason, God has had me to deal
with death a lot over the last six years, more than any of the
other pastors I know. And I realize when I do these
funerals, some of them are not believers. Some of them have
not been believers. You know, it's serious business.
It's serious business. Makes me feel the responsibility
of this more and more. Don't leave any of it till the
morning. And if you do, he says, burn
it. If there's any left, burn it. You know why? Because somebody's
going to take it. There's two things. Number one,
the Egyptians will take it and make mockery of it. Or somebody
will take it and become superstitious with it. This is the bone of
the lamb. This is a bone of the lamb that we offered that night
in Egypt. It's like the same thing if they found a cross.
They'd make an idol out of it. They'd make an idol out of the
cross. They'd make one out of the ark if they found it. Men are given to idolatry. This is just a type. It's just a type. Your fathers
did eat man in the wilderness, and they're dead. Types never
give life. They never gave life. Only Christ
gives life. And you eat it with your loins
girded, you eat it sober-minded, your shoes on your feet, you're
ready to go, we're pilgrims, we're strangers on this earth,
and with a staff in your hand, the Word of God, are you ready to go? I've been made to face that a
lot more than probably the rest of you have because I've done
so many funerals. But you be ready. You're ready. You're ready to go. Get your
shoes on. Don't eat the lamb and go
to bed. You're going to eat the lamb
and you're leaving Egypt. We are going to leave this world
in a little bit. We're going to leave it in just a little
bit. That's why I said, eat it in
haste now. Don't say you'll eat it tomorrow. Now. Eat it now. It's the Lord's Passover. Don't
mess with the Lord's Passover. Eat it now. He's not going to
hang around. He's passing. Listen, he's passing through. He's passing through. And what he's saying here also
is this. In verse 12, I'll pass through the land of Egypt this
night, smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, man and
beast. Judgment's coming. Judgment's coming. It fell on
the lambs first. You see how God took care of
Israel first? All those lands were slain and all that blood
was being done and Egypt's over there. They're like, what's going
on? And after God took care of his
people, judgment fell. It fell. And God said, when I
see the blood, I'll pass over you. And he said, the blood will
be a token upon the houses where you are. It'll be an evidence.
It's an evidence of God's love. It's an evidence of God's promise.
It's an evidence of God's election of you. And it's an evidence
of God's favor to you. That's an evidence. It's an evidence
of preservation when I see the blood, not when you see it. You and I don't, you know, our
faith is like this up, down, up, down. We don't see the blood
like we ought to see the blood, but you know, God does. And that's
what matters. That's what matters. And this
day, he said in verse 14, it'll be a memorial for you. It'll
be a memorial. You remember, and that's what
we're doing right now. We are remembering the Lord's death
till he comes is what we're doing. I'm. I'm glad to be able to do this
and I glad I know what I'm doing. I know what I'm doing. And I
thank God. I thank God. By his grace. I believe. I believe God. And that's That's the hedge around
it. That's all. If you believe God
concerning His Son, Jesus Christ. That's it. All right, Doug, you
and Carl come and pass these out.