Brother Dan read the first 14
verses in your hearing, and now I wish to read, beginning with verse 21,
a few verses. Exodus 12, beginning with 21. 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
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. You shall observe this thing
for an ordinance. to thee and to thy sons forever. 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? What mean ye by this Passover? Then 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 their head and worshipped. Our Lord said, Your children
and others are going to ask you, Now what meaning you by this
service? And I ask that question tonight
as we come to the Lord's table. What do we mean by this service? And the need now is not for intellectualism. It's not for deep and profound
preaching. But the need is a simple, direct
answer to the question. What do we mean by this service? Well, the story of the Passover
is simple. And what they meant by the service
is simple. What they meant by the service. God permitted Israel, his chosen
people, to go down into Egypt. Jacob led them willingly down
into Egypt. About 70 of them. There were
about 70 in a small group of people, 70 people. They
went down into Egypt, and they prospered. Joseph was still living,
and Joseph was second in command in Egypt. These were his people,
his brethren, and they were treated quite well, quite honorably. Well, the years passed, and the
people multiplied, the people of And the scripture said, a
Pharaoh arose who knew not Joseph, and he enslaved the people. There
were many thousands of them now. Estimate, they stayed there 400
years. 400 years. That's as long as
this, longer than this United States has been a nation. They
were in Egypt. down there from 70 to 100 million,
triple million, four million, just different estimates. After
400 years in bondage and slavery, treated horribly, God called
Moses to deliver his people out of Egypt. He promised them a
land, and he called Moses to deliver his people out of Egypt.
And God sent plague after plague upon Egypt. You know the different
plagues that God brought upon that nation, but Pharaoh would
not let the people go. And here in verse 1 of chapter
11, the Lord tells Moses, I'll send one more plague. Now listen
to the reading. And the Lord said unto Moses,
Yet will I bring one more plague, one plague more upon Pharaoh,
upon Egypt. And afterwards, I'll bring one more plague. Afterwards
he will let you go hence. When he shall let you go, he
will do it willingly. He will do it enthusiastically.
He shall surely lift you up, thrust you out altogether. He turned to chapter 12, verse
31. And he called for Moses and Abram
by night, after the death of the firstborn. And he said, Rise up and get
you forth from among my people, both you and the children of
Israel, and go, rise up and go, and serve the Lord, as you have
said. Also take your flocks, everything
you've got, every memory of you out of this place, and your herds,
as you have said, and be gone. Rise up, go forth, and be gone. And bless me also." Well, there's
no problem, then, knowing what is meant by the Passover. I'm
certain that most of Israel saw nothing more in the Passover
than this deliverance from Egypt. They were down there in bondage,
in slavery, and God said, I'm going to pass through it this
night and destroy the firstborn in every home, except where there's
blood on the door. You put the blood on the door,
and when I see the blood on your doorpost and the lintel, I pass
over you. And he told them to keep this
Passover for years, when they come to the Promised Land. And
I'm just confident that these Israelites, in their ignorance
and blindness, saw nothing more in the Passover, which they sacrificed
each year than the historical, wonderful event of their deliverance
out of Egypt, out of the hand of Pharaoh. So they kept it every
year. And they told their children
this story year after year, Israel's greatest triumph, Israel's greatest
victory, Israel's deliverance out of the hand of Egyptians,
by God's power, his deliverance, bringing them into their own
land. And they kept this all these
years. That's the story they told their children. But now
in Luke chapter 22, turn to Luke 22. 2,000 years later, 2,000
celebrations, 2,000 lambs slain, 2,000 Passover, 2,000 telling
of this story of Israel's greatest triumph in the deliverance from
Egypt. Our Lord, you know, was of the household of David and
Israel And he was born a Jew. He kept the Passover. He went
to the temple. He kept the Passover. He did
all of these things that were required of the Jewish people.
Now, before he goes to the cross, in Luke 22, verse 7, it came
the day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover must be killed.
And he sent Peter and John, saying, Go and prepare us for the Passover,
that we may I doubt that the disciples saw the true meaning
of the Passover. They didn't see Christ the Lamb
slain. When he talked about going to
the cross, Peter tried to talk him out of it. They thought about
him setting up a kingdom and Israel being victorious again
over their enemies, deliverance from Rome now, into a glorious
kingdom, with the Lord Jesus sitting on a throne in Jerusalem.
That's their imagination. And they didn't see the meeting,
but he's going to show it to them. All right, let's go ahead
and read. He said, Go and prepare us the Passover that we may eat.
Verse 9, And they said unto him, Now where wilt thou that we prepare?
And he said to them, Behold, when ye are entered into the
city, there shall a man meet you bearing a pitcher of water.
Follow him into the house where he entereth in. And ye shall
say to the good men of the house, The master saith unto thee, Where
is the guest chamber? where I shall eat the Passover
with my disciples. And he'll show you a large upper
room, there make ready." And they went and found, as he had
said to them, and they made ready the Passover. And when the hour
was come, he sat down with the twelve apostles with him, and
he said to them, now they hadn't done this before, the Passover.
He's never broken the bread and poured the wine and said what
he's going to say here. But he's about to go to the cross.
This is the last Passover of spiritual Israel. This is the
full form of the Passover. This is the true meaning of the
Passover. He said with desire, I have desire to eat this Passover
with you before I suffer. For I say unto you, I will not
any more eat now, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God."
And he took the cup and gave thanks, and he said, take this
and divide it among yourselves. For I say unto you, I will not
drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God shall
come. And he took bread and gave thanks and break it. Saved it. Gave it to them. Saved it. This
is my body. which is given for you. This
dirt in remembrance of me. No more lamb slain. No more blood on the door, on
the altars. No more of that. This is my body
broken for you. This dirt in remembrance of me.
Likewise the cup after supper. This cup is the new covenant
in my blood which is shed for you. And Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians
5, 1 Corinthians 5, you're familiar with this scripture, 1 Corinthians
5.7, "...Purge out therefore the old
leaven, that ye may be anew lump, as ye are unleavened. For even
Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us." In other words, the
true meaning of the Passover through picture which the Passover
presents, is not Israel's great victory over the Egyptians, is
not Israel's physical deliverance from the land of Egypt over to
the promised land. It's a picture, the Passover
is, of the Lamb of God dying, of the person and work of our
Lord Jesus Christ on behalf of true Israel. The Passover which
Israel observed is a prophecy in the Old Testament fulfilled
by Christ, his perfect life and his death. The Passover is the
promise of redemption by Christ Jesus our Lord, a picture, a
type, a prophecy, a promise of the coming Lamb of God who will
shed his blood for our sins. And Israel is a type of a church
in sin. Now let me show you this, three
things I want you to see. how we're related to this picture,
how we're related to these people. We're born in sin, like they
were born in Egypt. When God was pleased to deliver
them, 400 years, think about this. Now when Jacob took them
down into Egypt willingly, as Adam took us into sin willingly, And Jacob took them down into
Egypt, God permitted it. As Adam took us into sin, God
permitted it. We were his people before we
were found. We were chosen in Christ before
the foundation of the world. But Jacob took them down into
Egypt. He did it willingly. He did it looking for something
to eat. He did it looking for prosperity. He did it looking
for a better life. There was a famine out there
where he was. Well, Adam led us into sin. Now, everybody down
there in Egypt now was born in Egypt. Nobody left who came from
where Jacob lived over there. They were all born in Egypt,
born in bondage. They were born in bondage. They were born in slavery. And
that's where we are. Every one of us are born in sin. David said, in sin my mother
conceived me. I was brought forth from the
womb speaking lies. The wicked go astray from the
womb speaking lies. So, they were born in Egypt. That was where they were born.
There's culture and everything. And you and I are born in sin.
Now, sin is a nature more than an act. Sin is an act. I know that and you know that.
But sin is a nature. We're born with it. We're born
in bondage, we're born in darkness, we're born in slavery. That which
is born of the flesh is flesh. We sin because we're sinners.
We're not sinners because we're sinners, we sin because we're
sinners. We're born sinners. A leopard is not a leopard because
he has spots. You could take a tiger and paint
spots on him, but he wouldn't be a leopard. A leopard's not
a leopard because he has spots. He has spots because he's a leopard. A man is a black man. Not because
he's black. He's born that way. That's his
nature. And the leopard can't change his spot. He can't change
his nature. He can't do anything but a leopard.
And the black man's Ethiopian. That's what... I'm not being
biased. I'm doing a quote in Scripture.
He's Ethiopian. Cannot change his skin. And a man is not a thief because
he steals. He steals because he's a thief.
He's born a thief. He's born in Egypt. Born in sin. He steals because
he's a thief. When a man takes another person's
life, he doesn't become a murderer. He was a murderer before he took
that man's life. That's what made him do it. So
that's where we are. You understand that? That's the
picture. Israel is in Egypt, and all of
them were born there. or a second gun. They had no
way out. You talk about without hope,
without help, without strength, without power. They had no way
out of these. Their enemies, their catcalls
were too powerful, too strong. Israel was hopelessly, helplessly
weak. Israel was held captive by the
most powerful nation in the world that had no weapons of strength
to deliver themselves. We, born in this dark kingdom,
in this world of Egypt, in this sinful state, we have no power
to change our state. Paul said in Ephesians, We are
without hope, we are without God, we are without Christ in
this world. The disciples said, Well, who
can be saved? Our Lord said, With me, and it
is impossible. We are held captive by the holy
law of God, who has us under a judgment and a curse. We are
held captive by the justice and judgment of Almighty God, which
says, The soul that sayeth it shall surely die. There is no
way out. Can the Ethiopian change his
skin? Nope. Can the leopard change
his pot? Nope. Can you do good that are
born in sin? Nope. That's right. Well, why don't we resolve never
to sin again? Let's just decide we're going
to change our status and state and nature. We're not going to
sin anymore. Paul said that won't work. When I tried to do good,
evil was present. I found there alone, roaring
in my memories, bringing me back into captivity. I'm going to
escape. No, you're not. My nature pulls
me right back. I'm going to flee. No, you're
not. I'm going to change my ways. No, you're not. He's bringing
me back. Well, why don't we resolve to
start keeping the law? Don't you hear the law? James
says the sin in one part is to be guilty of all the law. Why don't we bring this situation
to God, like Abraham did? Read it sometime. I'm not going
to take the time. Genesis 18. But the angel of
the Lord said to Abraham, God's going to destroy Sodom. He's
going to destroy Sodom. Abraham went to prayer. He said,
Lord, shall not the judge of the earth do right? Is it right
to punish the righteous with the wicked? Is that right, God? Is that right, Lord, to punish
the righteous with the wicked? The Lord said, Abraham, if you
can find fifty righteous men in Sodom, I won't destroy Abraham
said, well, Lord, he didn't know whether he could find fifty or
not. He said, Lord, he said, about five, take five from that
and make forty-five. I'll find forty. Abraham, if
you can find forty-five, I won't destroy the city. And he got
thinking about forty-five righteous men in Sodom. He said, well,
Lord, if I find forty, have you read this? I know you have. Yes,
I'll spare the city for 40. How about 30? All right, this is a beautiful
conversation. Abraham was humble too. He said,
Lord, don't be angry with me, but 20? I'll spare it for 20. 10? It's
kind of over there, I meant Genesis.
Genesis 20, Genesis 18. Twenty, he got to twenty, and
then he got down to ten. Verse 32 of Genesis 18, oh, he
said, Let not my fellow be angry, I speak yet but once. Pervent
your ten shall be found there. He said, I will not destroy it
for ten's sake, and the Lord went his way. And as soon as
he had left communion with Abraham, Abraham returned to his place,
because he knew that while he was going down to Sodom, he couldn't
find 10 men. And our Lord looked down from
heaven upon us, and he said, There's none that doeth good,
no, not one. Not one. Not one. Not one. There's none that doeth
good. There's none righteous, no, not
one. And God will by no means clear
the guilty. They were born in Egypt. It's past hope. No hope. Or stay in Egypt. And if they're freed, here's
the third thing I want you to think about. If they're freed
from Egypt, it will have to be because the
Egyptians are willing to let them go. Yeah. And take. You see Moses laid this down
to Down to Pharaoh, he said, Pharaoh, he started telling them,
go and leave your children here. Moses said, no, children go with
us. Some other time, he said, go
and leave your cattle here, because he knew if they left the children
there, they'd be back. If they left the cattle there,
they'd be back when they got hungry. He kept proposing ways,
but finally, he said, you leave and take everything you own. He did it willingly. He wanted
out of that. You know, like, rise up, he said.
Rise up! Go forward! Get out of here!
Leave us! Take everything with you! Willingly! All right. If you and I get out
from under the law's curse, the law is going to have to willingly
let us go. The law is going to have to escort
you to the door, and say get out, and take everything you
got with you. God's justice, that's, we're
prisoners, not of, they were prisoners of the Egyptians, and
the Egyptians must be willing to let them go, must thrust them
out. We're prisoners, not of the Egyptians,
but of God's law. Cursed is everyone that continues
not in everything written in the Book of the Law of The prisoners
of justice, the justice that God serves the soul of sinners,
it shall die. That's where this Lamb comes
in. Go back to Exodus 12. Exodus 12. God says in Exodus 11, let's look at Exodus
11.4, Moses said, thus saith the Lord, at midnight I'll go
through the land of Egypt. And all the firstborn in the
land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that
sitteth on the throne, even to the firstborn of the maidservant
that is behind the barn, the mill, and the firstborn of the
beast. And there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of
Egypt, such as none like it nor be shall be like it any more.
For against any of the children of Israel shall not a dog move
his tongue, man or beast. But you may know the Lord has
put a difference between Egypt Egyptians and Israel. Now take
your lamb, look at chapter 12, verse 4, take a lamb without
blemish or spot. Our lamb is Christ without sin,
our perfect lamb. Verse 4, the household be too
little for a lamb, let him and his neighbor next door according
to the house, take it according to the number of souls. And every
man Every man, according to his eating, shall make his count
for the lamb. Your lamb be without blemish." Perfect. A male of
the first year in the prime of life, take it from among the
sheep or the goats, keep it up, verse 6, it will be tried. Our Lord Jesus was tried and
tested, found no fault in him, no sin in him, until the 14th
day of the same month, and then the whole congregation of the
children of Israel. kill it, kill the lamb, shed
the blood, and I shall take of the blood and strike it on the
two side posts, and on the upper post of that house is where you
shall eat it.' And he said, and they shall eat
the flesh, and that night roast it with fire. Our Lord Jesus
suffered under the judgment of God for our sins, unleavened
bread, no leaven, Bitter herbs should be eaten in repentance
over sin. Don't eat it raw, it's got to
suffer. It can't be Christ the babe or
Christ the teacher or Christ the moral example, it's got to
be Christ crucified. Eat it not raw, don't mix it
with water or gravy or anything else, it's Christ alone, nothing
mixed. but roast with fire his head with his legs, and the pertinence
thereof, and let nothing of it remain till the morning. All
of Christ, Christ prophet, priest, and king, all of Christ, not
part of Christ, not some of Christ, all of Christ is all, and all
is in Christ. Eat it all. And you, verse 11, you eat it
with your bags packed, and your clothes on your back, your loins
girded and your shoes on your feet and your staff in your hand,
you're leaving that place. You're leaving that. You're leaving
in haste. Eat in haste because you're leaving.
You're leaving. Put on your traveling clothes,
you're about to be free. Egypt's had all they want of
you. They're going to set you free. And the law is satisfied. The holy law of God is satisfied
in the suffering, blood, obedience, and righteousness of my Lord.
And the law like Pharaoh is going to take me to the gate and say,
get out, you're free. And the justice of God is going
to say, rise up, go forth from among us, get out of prison,
get out of bondage, get out of slavery, you don't belong here
anymore. I heard a fellow one time He was trying to show how that
Christ died for everybody, the whole world, indiscriminately. And he said, now this is what
it's like, Brother Mahan. All of us are in prison. You're
right about that. All of us are in bondage and
slavery to sin, to the law of God, to justice. That's right. I believe you, you're telling
the truth. Christ came and paid everybody's fine, paid everybody's
debt, suffered in the place of everybody, and the Holy Spirit
comes to the door of the prison and says, now your sentence is
fulfilled and your debt's paid and your fine's paid and everything's
paid, if you want to you can come out. And he says, everybody
that's saved wants to come out and the rest of them stay in.
I said, what ain't wrong with that? He said, what is it? I
said, they can't stand that. The jailer's got to come down
and tell them to leave that. He's not rooming and boarding
folks free. The law can't keep you when your
debt's paid. The law, they don't want a motel
down there at the jail. They got people there, old fines
and sentences. But everybody who's fines paid
and sentences finished, they give them a new suit. and uh,
extra pair of socks, and uh, uh, take him out to the door
and say, you got him! Like Cairo said, rise up, go
forth and get out of here! He don't belong here anymore.
And that's what the law does, because of this. Because of this. The Lamb of God has died, opening
the door to heaven wide, and opening the door to prison wide.
All who believe are justified freely from every sin. The law
says no more curse, justice says deliver him, I've found the ransom.
He can't stay here anymore. And now our Lord gives the disciples
a Passover. And this no more Passover to
be observed. He gives them the Lord's table.
And the exodus from Egypt is What story do we tell? About
Egypt's deliverance? No. About the great victory of
Israel? No. We talk about the deliverance
of true Israel by the great victory of Christ. Christ met the law
and met justice and met Satan in conquering us all. He said, to preach the gospel of the poor,
deliverance to the captives, to set at liberty them that are
bound, and preach the acceptable year of the Lord. And so I've
got a good title for that message. Pharaoh said to Moses right here,
he called him that night, I mean right now. Pharaoh rose up, verse
30, in the night, he and all his servants, and he called for
Moses and said, rise up and you go forth And be gone just as soon as you
can with everything you've got. Isn't that good news? And that's
what we remember in here. That's what I tell our children
and all who ask that question. What mean you by this service?
Deliverance from sin, from the law, from this bondage, and from
death, and from judgment, and from all under which we were
pay it off.