The Last Passover

Q: What does the Bible say about the Last Passover?

The Last Passover marked the end of the traditional Jewish observance, as Christ became our sacrifice once for all. The Last Passover is significant in scripture, particularly as described in Luke 22, where Jesus explains to His disciples that this would be the final observance of the Passover. He indicates that He is the fulfillment of this ritual, as Paul later teaches in 1 Corinthians 5:7 that Christ is our Passover sacrificed for us. The Last Passover signifies a transition from the old covenant observance of the Passover lamb to the new covenant that is established by Jesus’s sacrifice. From this moment onward, the church observes the Lord’s Table as a remembrance of this ultimate sacrifice, no longer needing to present lambs or observe traditional Passover rites.

Q: Why is observing the Lord's Table important for Christians?

Observing the Lord's Table is a command from Jesus to remember His sacrifice and signifies our union with Him. The Lord's Table serves as a vital practice for Christians, rooted in Christ's instructions during the Last Supper, as detailed in Luke 22:19. Observing the Table is a way to remember the body and blood of Christ, given for the sins of His people. By partaking in this ordinance, we reflect on His once-for-all sacrificial death and our continuous need for grace. It reinforces our faith and unity with Christ and among believers, signifying that His sacrifice is the foundation for our salvation. Furthermore, 1 Corinthians 11:26 emphasizes that when we partake, we proclaim the Lord’s death until He returns, reminding us of His promise and our hope.

Q: How do we know Christ's sacrifice is sufficient?

Scripture teaches that Christ’s single sacrifice is sufficient for the forgiveness of sins forever. The sufficiency of Christ's sacrifice is affirmed throughout the New Testament, particularly in the book of Hebrews. Hebrews 10:12 states that 'this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God.' This underscores that Christ’s sacrifice does not need to be repeated, unlike the animal sacrifices of the Old Testament, which were temporary. Through His death, He fulfilled the demands of the law and atoned for sin completely. The concept of His sacrifice being sufficient is further reinforced by verses such as Hebrews 10:14 which says, 'For by one offering He hath perfected forever them that are sanctified.' Thus, the assurance of salvation is grounded in the finished work of Christ.

Q: Why do we remember Christ during the Lord's Table?

We remember Christ during the Lord's Table to acknowledge His sacrifice, our union with Him, and His ongoing presence in our lives. The act of remembering during the Lord's Table is pivotal for Christians as it involves an acknowledgment of Christ's sacrifice made for us. This is reflected in Luke 22:19 where Jesus states, 'This do in remembrance of me.' By remembering, we contemplate the depth of His love and the gravity of what His death signifies for our salvation—our sins being atoned for through His body and blood. It also serves as a reminder of our union with Him, as symbolized by the elements of bread and wine; just as these physical elements become part of us when consumed, so does Christ, spiritually, become integral to our lives. Furthermore, remembering also includes looking forward to His return, reinforcing hope in the promise of eternal life and fellowship with Him.

Luke chapter 22. The title of
this message is The Last Passover. On this day of the Passover,
before our Lord died on the cross as our Passover, He met with
His disciples He said in verse 15 of Luke 22, unto them with
desire, I have desired to eat this Passover with you before
I suffer. And this will be the last Passover
which the people of God will ever observe. This is the last
final Passover on the program of God, the last one he'll ever
have anything to do with, because Paul said over here in Corinthians,
now is Christ our Passover sacrifice for us. From this point, this
point here, when our Lord sat down with his disciples to eat
this Passover which God gave to Israel in Egypt, when he told
them to put the blood on the door, and when I say the blood,
I'll pass over you, and to roast the lamb and eat all of it, and
to observe that Passover as long as he had ordained for them to
observe it. And this is the end, from this
point on, when our Lord, the Lamb of God, our Passover is
sacrificed for us, the Church will no longer observe the Passover. But the church will now observe
the Lord's table as he indicated in verse 19 here in Luke 22. He said as he took the bread
and gave thanks and break it, gave it to his disciples, he
said, this is my body which is given for you, this do. No more
lambs to be slain. No more sacrifices to be offered. No more blood to be put on the
mercy seat. This is the end of the Passover. And Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians
11 to the church. In verse 23 of 1 Corinthians
11, he said, I have received of the Lord that which also I
delivered to you, that the same night The Lord Jesus, the same
night in which he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given
thanks, he broke it, and he said, Take, eat, this is my body, which
is broken for you. This do, this do, from this point
on, this do, in remembrance of me. And after the same manner,
also he took the cup when he had supped, saying, This cup
is the new covenant. the New Testament in my blood,
this do ye, this do, as oft as ye drink it in remembrance of
me." Now look back at the text, Luke 22. Those who were present,
and the only people who were present, were his disciples. It says in verse 14, and when
the hour was come, he sat down at a table. and the twelve apostles
with him. He sat down and the twelve apostles
with him. And he said to them, with desire,
I have desired to eat this Passover with you. These were not perfect
men by any measure, but they believed on him. They had said
before, we believe and assure that you are the Christ, the
Son of the living God. They were not perfect men. But
they believed. Peter would deny him. He told
him that. Thomas would doubt his resurrection. Philip would say to him, how
can we know the way? Judas would even leave and never
return and take his own life. But these men, 11 of them at
least, believed. And all of them professed to
believe. And they sat with our Lord about the table. Now listen
to this. You note this in verse 14. And
when the hour was come, he sat down and the twelve apostles
with him. They were not kneeling before
him, but they were sitting with him. This was not a time when
they were receiving a blessing. They knelt before him as we do.
But this is not the time that they were receiving a blessing.
This is a time for contemplation. This is a time for meditation,
for thought, for consideration. Not to receive something, but
to reflect on and remember what they had received. You understand
what I'm saying? Never, never kneel before any
man and take the Lord's table. That's not the way it was instituted.
They were not receiving a blessing. They were considering the blessing
received. They were thinking. That's what
he said, this do remembering me, thinking upon me, considering
who I am, what I did for you. That's what you're doing. You're
sitting here. And a lot of people want to make it appear to be
a little more pious or a little more environmentally religious. to kneel and take something from
the hand of a priest, but that's not the way the Lord's table
is to be observed. It's the Lord's table, and we sit with him, and
we reflect upon his mercies and his blessing to us, what he has
done. That's what he said over and
over again, this day, remembering me. And then notice this, it's
his table. It's not our table. He presided. Listen to these verses here,
verse 17. He took the cup. He gave thanks. He said, take this and divide
it among yourself. He gave it to them. Verse 19,
He took the bread. He gave thanks. He break it.
He gave it to them. This is my body. Roland Hill,
years and years and years ago over in England, a powerful,
a mighty preacher of the gospel of God's grace, and he was invited
to a church to preach for them. And before he was to get up and
preach, they were observing the table of the Lord. And when the
elders passed the bread and the wine, he reached to take it,
and one of them pulled it back and said, Brother Hill, but you can't come
to our table. And he replied, I'm awful sorry. I was under the impression it
was the Lord's table, not yours. And that all of his children
were invited. Well, that's what it is. It's
the Lord's table. And his children are invited.
All of his disciples were there. All of them were there. And he
presided. Peter was not appointed over
them. And let us try to observe the
table in the same manner. We're all believers. Christ is
the host. He serves the table. These men
here are just serving in his name, for his sake, in order
to get the table into your hands. But he's the host. It's his table. Alright, the two simple elements
here in Luke 22 says he took the bread and the wine. Two simple elements. Unleavened
bread. Unleavened bread. How do you
know this was unleavened bread, preacher? In a Jewish household,
when the Passover was observed, there was no leaven anywhere
in the house. You men who teach the Word know
that. No leaven. was anywhere in that house during Passover
time. And this is unleavened bread,
and this is pure wine. And this bread and wine speak
of several things about our Lord. It's important, I believe, to
use the unleavened bread and the wine for several reasons.
First of all, the bread and the wine that we have before us tonight
speak to us of his incarnation. God is spirit. But in Christ,
God became flesh. And this bread and wine, this
is earthly elements. This is not spiritual elements,
this is earthly elements. This is bread, real bread and
real wine. And our Lord had a real body
and real blood. That's what this bread and wine
is saying. He had a human body. A body hast thou prepared me.
He said, touch me. Touch me! A spirit doesn't have
flesh and bones. So the bread and the wine indicate,
speak to us that he was a real man with real body and real blood
and real suffering. Then this unleavened bread and
wine speak of his holiness. There's no leaven, there's no
sin in his body. He knew no sin. He did no sin. His body saw no corruption. There
was no death and sin in him. And wine speaks of the purity
of his blood. He wasn't in any way connected
with Adam's transgression. He was of pure blood and a holy
body. And this unleavened bread and
wine speak of his holiness. And then the bread and the wine
speak of his sufferings. This bread at one time was wheat.
growing in the field, and it was cut, and it was ground under
a stone, ground to powder. And then it was kneaded into
bread, and then it was baked in an oven, and then it was broken. And our Lord Jesus Christ, his
body suffering, bruised, it pleased God to bruise him, smitten of
God and afflicted. and baked in the fires of God's
wrath against our sins. And the wine, at one time within
the grape, and then at the wine press, it was crushed out. And
the wine, the juice, ran from the grape. And our Lord Jesus
Christ's blood was shed. And when you take the bread, Don't do it this, don't take
the bread and dip it in the wine. He died, his blood was separated
from his body, and he died. Our Lord died. There was no swoon,
there was no faint, he shed his blood. And when the blood, the
life of the body is in the blood, and when the blood separates
the body, the body is dead. That's the reason he said when
he took that bread and blessed it and break it, this is my body. broken for you, and took that
wine, separated from the bread and from the body, this is my
blood, poured out, shed for you. And then that substitution, for
you, it tells that my body broken for you, in your place. He was
wounded for our transgression, bruised for our iniquities, a
chastisement of our peace, for our peace was laid on him, his
blood. was shed for us, substitution. And then this bread and this
wine, when we drink it, the wine and eat the bread, speaks to
us of our union with Christ. Christ in use the hope of glory,
not Christ studied and heard about, Christ received. By faith
we receive him as we receive this bread and this wine in a
few moments and cheer it up, swallow it. Drink the wine and
swallow it. It becomes a part of our being
and our bloodstream. Tomorrow morning, I'm supposed
to go in for some blood tests. And the nurse today said, now,
after midnight, don't you eat anything? Don't you drink? You
all know all about that. Don't you drink anything? Because
we want your blood to be free from anything you take in. So
when I take this in, I take in Christ. And he runs through my
bloodstream, my spiritual bloodstream, just like that food. If I eat
something after midnight, it's going to show up. If you eat
Christ, it'll show up too. Really will. All right. So, two
simple elements, bread and wine, but oh, how they do talk to us.
And then two simple words. Look at verse, verse, 19. And he took bread, and gave thanks,
and break it, and gave it to them, saying, This is my body,
which is given for you, this do. Now, it seems like that that's
clear enough, doesn't it? This do, not something else.
Don't dress up for this occasion in a robe or uniform to make
it more impressive. Don't put a row of candles up
here to make it more impressive. Don't form a possessional. Don't
appoint some officers and officials and some aides. Don't have some
crosses and make signs. Don't utter some strange words
that nobody understands in a foreign language. Don't try to change
this bread into the actual body of Christ and make it a saving
ordinance. Don't do that. Don't say this
wine is anything but wine. It's not anything but wine. It
is not the blood of Christ. It represents the blood of Christ.
Just as that lamb that was slain in Egypt, it wasn't a Savior.
It represented the Savior. The blood on the door didn't
hold back the wrath of God. The blood of Christ held back
the wrath of God. And don't try to This do! Take the bread, give thanks,
and eat it. Simple as that. Take the wine,
give thanks, and drink it. This do. This do. All right, let me give you, and
then here in verse 19, four simple words, which tell us why we do
this. And he took the bread, and gave
thanks, and break it, and gave it to them, saying, This is my
body, which is given for you. This do in remembrance of me."
This do in remembrance. This do, not as a sacrifice,
in remembrance. Turn to Hebrews 9. Hold your
hand there and Luke 22 will come back, but Hebrews 9. This is
not another sacrifice, it's just one sacrifice, and that's his,
his blood. In Hebrews 9, verse 26, verse 25 says, Not yet that he
should offer himself often, as the high priest entered into
the holy place every year with the blood of others, for then
must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world.
But now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put
away sin by the sacrifice of himself. Hebrews 10 verse 12. This man, after he had offered
one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of
God, from henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his
footstool, listen, for by one offering He has perfected forever
them that are sanctified. Don't call this a sacrament,
a saving ordinance. It's not. It has no saving power. This bread is not a sacrament.
It's not a saving ordinance. We do not do this in order to
be saved. We do this because we are saved. To remember Him who redeemed
us and how He redeemed us. All right, this do in remembrance
of me. How do I remember my Lord? Well,
first, I remember Him as my representative. Galatians says this, you're familiar
with it. It says, in the fullness of time,
God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law,
in human flesh. to redeem them that were under
the law. He came as our representative. I remember him as walking this
earth. Hebrews, I do want you to look
at Hebrews chapter 2. Let's read this right here. Hebrews chapter 2, verse 16. This is how I remember him. Hebrews
2, verse 16. He took not on him the nature
of angels, but he took on him the seed of Abraham, their nature.
Wherefore, in all things it behooved him to be made like unto his
brethren, that he might be a merciful, faithful high priest in things
pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of his people. For
in that he himself hath suffered, being tempted, tried, he is able
to succor them that are tempted. I remember him as having walked
this earth in my flesh, my representative, second Adam, the Lord from above. Secondly, I remember him as my
sacrifice and atonement. Now, a person cannot, I don't
know how, but possibly can read the Bible and not see the relationship
between forgiveness and blood. How can you read the Bible in
the Old and New Testament and not be aware of the relationship
between blood and forgiveness? For example, Abel. His brother
brought whatever he brought, but there was no blood involved.
Abel brought the blood, and God had respect to his offering.
He was pleased with his offering because it was blood, and he
forgave him. came before his judgment. The Passover in Egypt,
on every home where the blood was placed on the lintel and
the doorpost, God's judgment passed over. That's where we
get the name Passover. His judgment passed over. But
every home where there was no blood, there was death. See,
the relationship, blood and forgiveness. In the Old Testament, let's look
at Hebrews 9 here. verse 7, Hebrews 9 verse 7. It says, But into the Holy of
Holies went the high priest alone once every year, not without
blood, not without blood, never without blood. There's no forgiveness. Look down at verse 22, Hebrews
9 verse 20. He said, This is the blood of
the covenant which God hath enjoined unto you. Moreover he sprinkled
with blood the tabernacle, all the vessels, and almost all things
are under the law purged with blood. And without the shedding
of blood there is no forgiveness." He said the relationship between
blood and forgiveness. Will I be saved? Not without
blood. Will my sins be forgiven? Not
without blood. He says without the shedding
of blood, no remission. And here in verse 23, Hebrews
9, it was therefore necessary that the pattern of things in
the heavens should be purified with these, with the blood. But
the heavenly things themselves were better sacrifices than bullets
and goats and sheep. For Christ is not entered into
the holy place made with hands, which are figures of the but
into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us.
His blood maketh atonement for our sins. I remember Him as I
come to this table, as my representative in human flesh. I remember Him
as my sacrifice, my atonement, and I remember Him as my mediator. My high priest, I have a high
priest, and so do you. We have a high priest. That old
high priest in the tabernacle, he was ordained of God to offer
sacrifices on behalf of the people. He was ordained of God. And seeing
that we have such a high priest, the Lord Jesus Christ, who's
ascended to the right hand of God, let us come boldly. and
find grace and mercy to help us in our time of need. I remember
him in that way. He's my mediator, the only one.
And then finally, in 1 Corinthians 11, I remember him in 1 Corinthians
11, verse 26, as coming again. He said, before he left his disciples
to go back to the Father, He said, I go to prepare a place
for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come
again and receive you unto myself. So as we take this bread and
wine, in verse 25, verse 26 of 1 Corinthians 11, as often as
you eat this bread and drink this cup, you show the Lord's
debt till he come. All right. They ate the last
Passover. It may be, this will be our last
Lord's Table. Maybe, because we won't need
it then. Remember, you take this bread
and drink this wine, you show the Lord's debt until he comes.
No more Passover, no more Lord's Table. Because faith is going
to give way to sight, and hope to reality, the presence. The hymn writer said, in memory
of our Savior's love, we keep this solemn feast where every
humble believing soul is a welcome guest. By faith we take the bread
of life with which our souls are fed, and the wine in token
of his blood that was shed in our stand. We see thee at thy
table, Lord, By faith we see thee with great delight, but
oh, how complete our joy will be when our faith is turned aside.

The Last Passover

What does the Bible say about the Last Passover?

Why is observing the Lord's Table important for Christians?

How do we know Christ's sacrifice is sufficient?

Why do we remember Christ during the Lord's Table?

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The Last Passover

What does the Bible say about the Last Passover?

Why is observing the Lord's Table important for Christians?

How do we know Christ's sacrifice is sufficient?

Why do we remember Christ during the Lord's Table?

Sermon Transcript

About Henry Mahan

Comments

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