The Passover | Resurrection Sunday 2003 (04/20/2003)

The Passover as a Picture of Christ’s Resurrection

Let's pray and then we'll read Acts chapter 12 verse 1 through 4. Father. We thank you so much for this day this Passover season Lord the season of your resurrection. We thank you so much for all that it means.

For by your resurrection you you give us life for we are quickened in you. We thank you that you had the power to come forth from the grave showing that you are who you claim to be and Showing that the father was propitiated and satisfied with your death for our sins.

We can never thank you enough nor can we ever know what you experienced on the cross when your father said He would turn his back upon you. We will never experience that nor understand it nor comprehend it.

We thank you for it and we pray that the Holy Spirit would take our word Thanks and magnify it into your heavenly language in such a way that it would be worthy. We praise you and we thank you this morning in Jesus name.

Amen. Acts chapter 12 verse 1. Now about that time Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church and he killed James the brother of John with the sword and Because he saw it pleased the Jews he proceeded further to take Peter also.

Then were the days of the unleavened bread. I want you to notice that that tells us what season this is in and when he had Apprehended him. He put him in prison and delivered him to the four court quarterians of soldiers to keep him intending after Easter.

To bring him forth to the people. In the Greek language the word Easter is not there it is the word Passover it is a Jewish Celebration it is not Easter that was placed there later by the King James English translators.

It does happen to be at the same time of year. You've probably noticed because this is Easter Sunday but last Thursday at at dusk Passover Began and went through the dusk of the next day and then the season of the unleavened bread began.

For seven days, so I want to turn. I want you to turn to Exodus chapter 12 and verse 1 and let's look at this Celebration called the Passover this morning this occurred 1 ,500 years before Easter Sunday occurred.

But it pictured What happened three days before the first Easter Sunday? It pictured it with power. There are at least a couple of verses in the New Testament that say to us today that everything that is written before time that means in the Old Testament was written as types or Pictures of spiritual truths that we learn in the New Testament revelation.

So we have the benefit of hindsight that the Old Testament Saints did not have. We have the doctrines of the New Testament that the Holy Spirit gave through holy men through the Apostles. They're the Lord Jesus Christ.

And even after Jesus went back to heaven by his Holy Spirit He continued to give that to his Apostles and the New Testament writers but the Bible tells us that if you can then take the Old Testament and go back and See it through spiritual eyes.

You'll see that everything that happened in the physical world in the Old Testament all the physical things. They did were spiritual pictures of Truths we learned in the New Testament about Jesus Christ.

They were all pictures. They were important. In fact, they were so important as pictures or types That in the Old Testament God told them if you don't do this exactly the way I say you will be cut off from your people.

God did not want them to ruin the type so that we today could see the type and understand exactly what it teaches. And so they were very careful To worship God God's way. We're not that careful today we have a whole nation full of churches that are inventing modern ways to quote worship God Never has worked and God never has been pleased with it and he never shall.

It gives us in the scriptures exactly what worship is supposed to be all about and exactly what a church service is supposed to be and Jesus says when I come will I find the faith on the earth that implies by the time he comes at the Second Coming churches won't Even be doing what churches were doing in the book of Acts at all.

They'll be off into some modern earthy fleshly Worship, it's not even truly worship. It's as strange as the strange fire That was offered up in the Old Testament. And those people were killed for that because they weren't supposed to give a wrong type but let's look here at Exodus chapter 12 in verse 1 and Let's realize as we read this that there are pictures in these physical things that teach us spiritual truths about our Lord Jesus Christ about his blood about his life about his death about his substitutionary death.

About the way that his blood Bought us it was the price of our purchase and it set us free from slavery. It's all here start with verse 1 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.

So this used to be the Jewish New Year and After they came out of Babylon, which many evil things come out of Babylon. They changed that They should not have but they did. They also brought many interesting things out of Babylon that are pagan worship that they've instituted into modern Judaism.

For example at the Passover feast today, they have a little egg that they place on the table. Did you know that that's not anywhere in the Bible and God never told them to do that? It came from Babylon and it's a picture of the fertility God the same as our modern Christians do Easter egg Hunts and have little eggs for the children.

It pictures pagan worship. It is not anywhere in the Bible to be found. The Jews have done the same thing. They brought many things out of Babylon and placed it on their table. God has never been pleased with that.

And so it used to be that this was the new year. Verse 3 says speak ye into 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.

Now you do remember the time period here. This is when God was just about to Take them out of Egypt. Egypt pictures the world system in the negative sense. The Pharaoh pictured Satan and They were burdened and they were in slavery to Satan and to the world system.

Just like we can be today if we live in the flesh if we walk in the flesh and not in the spirit this world system has everything to offer us that we don't need to have and It was a picture when they were taken out of that place called Egypt.

It was a picture of God's people being taken out of the world being separate from the world. Even though we're in the world. We're not out of the world. It pictures all of that and this is about to take place in their lives.

Physically which pictures many spiritual things about our salvation and how it ought to be. Now let's look at verse 4 and if the household be too little for the lamb. They're going to share it with a neighbor.

The Lamb Without Blemish and the Fire of Judgment

Now go to verse 5 your lamb shall be without blemish. What is that picture? That picture is the perfection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Without blemish. The Bible says that he was tempted in all points as we and yet without sin.

Your lamb shall be without blemish a male of the first year. You shall take it out from the sheep or from the goats and you shall keep it Up until the 14th day of the same month and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening and they shall take the blood and strike it on the two side post and on the upper door post of the houses where in they shall eat it and Now see how God is being very specific.

He is not telling them general things. He's saying you do these exact things point by point by point. And he says you're going to place this blood on the upper door of the houses. We're in you shall eat and they shall eat the flesh in the night of this sacrificial animal roast with fire and eat Unleavened bread.

Now we understand in the Bible throughout scripture leaven is a picture of sin. Leaven picture sin. It just always does so unleavened bread pictures bread with no sin in it the wheat. Where the wheat with no sin in it is pictured here and They will eat bitter herbs.

They shall eat it. Pictures the suffering of Jesus Christ. Verse 9 eat not of it raw nor sodden at all with water. You see he didn't say you can just do what you want to with this. He says here's exactly what you shall do roast it with fire.

Because the fire pictures the suffering of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross. It picture it pictures not only his spiritual separation from God when he said my God my God. Why have you forsaken me? But it pictures his physical death showing that he gave his all.

So they were not to boil this they were to roast it. The fire pictures the judgment of God upon his son Jesus Christ. Why did God judge his son because he looked at his son and he did not see him. He saw you ladies and gentlemen and young people.

He saw every sin you've ever done every evil thought you've ever had. He saw every evil deed you will ever do in Christ and he slew him now that judgment Was poured out upon him by the wrath of God the wrath of a just God.

Who said the soul that sins it shall die and when he looked at Jesus, he saw your sins imputed unto him. That's an accounting term it means God took the sins out of your account placed him in his and judged him for it.

A Slight rabbit trails not really in the message this morning. But did you know that if you're born again today that when God looks at you? Guess what he sees? Just as he looked at Jesus and he saw your sins and he slew him now he looks at you and he sees his perfection and righteousness and purity and goodness and holiness and He lets you live.

That's what this Passover is all about. It's about letting his people live. Even in the midst of the judgment of God. He lets his people live but only because of the blood as we shall see so they roast this Sacrifice picturing the suffering on the cross verse 10 and ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning.

You know why nothing was left of the Lord Jesus Christ after that experience on the cross. He was dead. He had given his all for his father and That which remain it remains of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire.

No doubt about it. This picture is a total utter giving of his life verse 11 and thus shall you eat it? With your loins girded and your shoes on your feet. I love this verse. You shall do this Passover even today the Jews that really celebrate this properly.

They do they dress like this. They do this whole thing even still today. Unfortunately, they got the egg on the table. They don't even know what they're doing. They don't do the sacrifice anymore. They don't do a biblical Passover at all because they don't have one because they missed their Messiah.

Not all of them. My mentor in the faith was a Jewish believer for PhDs in theology. He was an awesome brother and mentor to me. He was Jewish God. Has it so that some of them see their Messiah, but as a nation they missed it, but they should have seen it.

It was all pictured right here. There need to have their loins girded about. Their shoes on their feet your staff in your hand and you shall eat it with haste for it is the Lord's Passover. You know what that pictures that at the moment that you are born again and his blood is applied to your life.

You hasten right out of the land of the world. You hasten right away from the world the flesh and the devil and you are separated unto God. Just like they were in that wilderness and just like they were when they got in the promised land.

They were to drive out the pagans they were to kill every man woman boy and girl and animal and drive out the ungodliness and the witchcraft and the Homosexuality and everything that had defiled the land.

God told them drive it out. They didn't obey him and they left some of it and they're still fighting over there today because of it. But it is a picture of being separated from the world when you get born again.

Ladies and gentlemen, you are different if you're really saved. You are different on the inside and your walk is supposed to demonstrate it and I can never forget my experience as a young person as it is a teenager in a big church in Mahea and I went to the youth group.

I knew I was not saved. I didn't get saved till I was 24 years old out of college. So I knew I wasn't saved but I went anyway with my grandmother and my mom sometimes my dad. And I went to that youth group and I knew what every one of those kids were doing on Friday night and Saturday night.

They claimed to be Christians and you know that that had an effect on me and caused me to doubt the whole thing. But you know what? I know now after I've studied the scriptures and walk with God is there probably weren't two of them that were saved out of 60 maybe four out of 60 in The time when I was there, but you know what their life showed it because a pig goes back to the slot, doesn't he?

It's his nature. Do you know what happens when you get saved? This is not a thing where you just say well, I just you know bow my head said dear Jesus come my heart. Say amen got baptized. That's it. That's not what happens.

What happens is you get delivered from Egypt? You get absolutely delivered. You get delivered so much that it's pictured by you better have your shoes on your feet your staff in your hand and be ready.

To walk with God and get out of that world because he's taking you out whether you want to or not. It see God is sovereign. We're not in control. We're not in control of our salvation. We didn't choose God.

He chose us. God is in control. Those people got out there to that Red Sea with their back to the Red Sea and the mightiest power as powerful as the United States Army is today with comparatively speaking the most mighty army of the world in that day the Egyptian army.

They could see the dust of it coming. You know what they wanted to do. They wanted to give up and quit and go back and they wanted to hang or stone. That's a hanging one to stone Moses. If Moses hadn't been walking with God as closely as he was he'd been scared to death not of the Egyptians.

But of the Jews. They didn't save themselves that day. They didn't say oh, okay. Well, all right. I accept. I accept what you're doing God. I know they didn't accept any of it. What God did was he parted the sea with the hand of his power and he told them now go and he gave him a leader and he let him through and as they went through and came out on The other side the Egyptian army.

Most powerful army the world came after them and the waters closed in and destroyed them. When Jesus saved you He not only saved you and took you out of the world. He destroyed your enemy. You just don't know that because you still listen to him sometimes.

He lies. He is the accuser of the brethren. He is the liar. The word devil means the slander and we as Christians listen to him and he says well. You're not really, you know, you're not really. Back into Egypt and get some of those.

Those locks and some of those lentils and some of those onions and some of that stuff the world's God. You don't really want to be out here separated from the world. It's going back into it. But the Bible tells me that because of my death in Jesus when Jesus died.

My sins were in him. I Am dead to Satan. He Has no right to even talk to me or to you and we certainly ought not be listening if he does. They had their shoes on their feet their staff in their hand because when salvation comes it sets you free and you're ready to run Verse 12 for I will pass through the land of Egypt this night and will smite all the firstborn.

Do you realize that the same salvation that saves you destroys? Satan seed in other words those who are not going to be God's now you say well, I don't get into that Calvinism. Well, I do but you don't have to but let me just say this when you get to heaven and you look around.

After it's all over and we're all there that's going to be the ones Jesus died for. You know how I know that because if he had died for one of the ones down there. They'd fly right out of hell right back to heaven because his death is sufficient.

It's more than sufficient. It accomplishes all that has to be accomplished because you can't do anything. You can't add one thing to your salvation any more than they could part that Red Sea. You can't do anything.

So that means Jesus did it all his blood did it all for you. If his blood had done it all for those who are in hell, they're coming out of hell. So I'm telling you the ones that end up in hell when you get out there I don't care what you think why you're here so much.

I mean, I want you to grow in the word. But when you get there and you look at that group of people the ones that aren't there his blood was not shed for them. The proof of it is they're not there. Now there's some theology you can go and study for two or three weeks.

You're not taught that in your churches today. If you're visiting today, you might not have heard that. Now if you had been in your same Baptist Church before 1900, you'd heard it every Sunday. Because historically Baptists have been strong on the sovereignty of God.

How do you think you get your eternal security if God's not in control? If he didn't know you before the foundation of the world know your name and love you before you're even born. Before you're ever saved you were his in his mind.

How could he lose you? He cannot because he is sovereign. He's in control of everything. You know what his sovereignty is demonstrated throughout this story in every verse. He says in the same Action that saves my people it pictures here that it destroys the enemy.

You think about the Ark for a moment the Ark. Noah's Ark. The same thing that saved Noah and his children and the animals that God put in that Ark killed everybody else. They were not God's. They did not belong to him.

Yes, they didn't choose him because they didn't have a nature to choose him. They never would have thought to choose him. They were lost and they were goats. Now there are lost sheep people who don't not saved yet that are going to be saved.

We know that Spurgeon said this. God didn't put a yellow stripe on the back of the elect. So I witnessed to everyone that's the attitude we should have in time, but I'm just telling you how it is in the heavenlies.

Now God demonstrates it. Listen, we live in a world today. That is about it's being judged and it's about to be judged and At the same time it is judged you. God's people are going to be preserved. You're going to be protected and eventually we're going to be raptured out of here.

We're going to be changed in the air. We are not of this world. Pictured all throughout this he says Egypt this night I will pass through the land of Egypt this night and will smite all the firstborn.

Who is the I in that verse. Tell me who I is in that verse. And check and see if you're awake, okay. God, so who is it that slew the firstborn? So, can you tell me that God loves everybody. Why do you hear that every Sunday and every church and on every radio station and on TV everywhere.

God loves everybody and you're supposed to. Too well, maybe true. We're supposed to because we can't see with his perfect eyes of judgment. But let me tell you something. He doesn't there are more than one people in the Bible that the Bible says God hated.

One of them it doesn't say he hated Pharaoh, but I'll promise you he was not in love with Pharaoh. You know. When you study the word you get deep into the word and you go beyond your Sunday school lesson you go beyond the sermon you heard.

Last Sunday you get on your knees and you ask the Holy Spirit to teach you and you get in your own Bible at home. Did you know you'll learn things about God that you never knew you're gonna find out he's not anything like what people tell you.

He's like He is not like that. His justice is a burning justice. His holiness is a pure holiness that sin cannot even approach. You cannot even look upon him. You will never look upon the father. Is that uncomfortable?

Well, let me help you a little bit. When you're in Christ in heaven brother Otis taught me this about four weeks ago. He never thought of it in his life. And it hit him and he shared it with me when you're in Christ in the heavenlies.

You'll see the Father through Jesus eyes. Didn't that amazing if you saw him any other way just blow you away you'd be totally destroyed. God is holy. God is demonstrating his holiness. He is killing the firstborn of that nation, which had totally given over to Satan and paganism and false worship and He's snuffing it out.

He does that from time to time. And it is right for him to do it because he's God the land of Egypt both man and beast. And against all the gods of Egypt, I will execute judgment. Let me say this. He says I am the Lord.

I am Jehovah and if this nation ever passes to the place where the Christians in the churches become pagans and defile the land. You better go find you an island somewhere or a mountain to get on somewhere way away from here.

And don't go to California Or Houston verse 13 and the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where you are and when I see the blood I Shall pass over you you understand. That's what salvation is all about.

Don't ever blame God for who he didn't save. Thank God that he saved anybody. We were a fallen race. We are the we were a depraved people who were dead to God blind to God deaf to God. We hated God the Bible says in the New Testament.

There's none that loved God and you know what he did in Judging the world he reached out and he snatched his own out of it and saved us as firebrands. He saved us he says in John 10 now We're in the palm of his hand and Jesus said I the father that's greater than me has his hand on you, too.

He said Jesus says you're in my hand and he has his hand on you, too. And in the Old Testament, he says look the very your very mother may forget you. He asked the question will the mother that nursed you forget you and he said well I'll tell you she might but he said I will never forget you and you're graven in the palm of my hand.

Listen God is the eternal I am. That means you were always graven in the palm of his hand because he is. He's not past and in future. He's not back here. And he says now someday you'll get saved. You'll be in my hand.

It's not like that to him. You're graven in his hand all the time and always have been. You can't lose your salvation. It's up to him. You've always been his now as we continue if I quit if I quit preaching and just read.

We'll get to the place where you will see that those who say well once saved always saved. It means go out and live for the devil doesn't mean that the whole thing of salvation is deliverance. It's not just skip in hell.

That is a good byproduct by the way. But it's deliverance from sin now in this life. Did you know ladies and gentlemen if you're born again right now that you're already living eternal life. You don't have to die to start that you're living it now.

Jesus said whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believe us now this you're not going to die if you're born again. You're already living eternal life. Now your body may shut its eyes and lay there.

That's just your tabernacle. But the real you that you talk to when you talk to yourself will never die. And in the first day There shall be a holy convocation. I skipped one didn't I? Let's go back to verse 14.

Verse 13 He said when I see the blood I will pass over you. Verse 14 says in this day shall be unto you for a memorial. Now you see memorial that means it's a picture. You're supposed to look at this picture and learn what it means and remember it all the time.

Every year once a year you do This do this with your children whole lot better than Easter egg hunts. It's a whole lot better to get with your children and teach them the Passover and tell them what it pictures.

Do you know at the end of this passage one of the last things God tells them is you make sure you rehearse this with? Your children every year. Why is it the world gets us off of this and on the stuff the world invented back in Babylon?

Isn't it crazy. Think about it's crazy. Fertility eggs. Explain that to your child to go last night for this message. He's gonna ask you. You can thank me later. I'll go hide so you can't find me memorial.

An ordinance forever seven days. Shall you eat unleavened bread now? This happens after the Passover. The Passover is one day one night. The next day started that day and going for a week is the feast of the unleavened bread now.

What is leavened picture again? Tell me sin, so Unleavened for an entire week now in the Bible seven is the perfect number this pictures that after you are passed over. Because the blood has been applied to you then you live a perfect number.

With no sin. What does that picture ladies and gentlemen? Does that picture here Jesus come the heart say maymen get baptized go out live for the devil on Friday and Saturday like my youth Group did when I was a kid or like many adults do in churches today.

No, it does not picture that it pictures that with your deliverance comes power to avoid sin. That's what deliverance is all about power over the enemy the world the flesh and the devil power. You can't have it if you're not in this book.

Did you know one of the things he tells them in this story? He says Well, I'm getting ahead of it. Let's just read it. Let's read it. Verse 15 seven days shall you eat unleavened bread even the first day shall you put away leaven out of your houses?

They have a little game where the father goes and hides some leaven and they let the children go all over the house looking for It when they find it they get to take it outside and throw it away. It's a picture to the child where the child learns that sin is bad get it out.

Is that not a good thing you could do around this season with your children? There's a lot of better things we can do than some of the things we do. Create a little game with them and go hide. Something get some yeast and go hide it around the house and make it conspicuous where they can find it.

If they're a little bitty and they'll go around and find it take it outside and then praise them for it. So, you know what that picture is that picture sin? We don't want sin in our house. We don't want sin in our lives we get it out.

Teaching that from the time they're one to the time they leave for college. You'll be happy you did. Now it goes on and it says. Whosoever eateth leaven bread from the first day until the seventh day that soul shall be cut off.

From Israel, you know why because God didn't want the type or the picture messed up. That's all there is to that. This is not a teaching that anybody loses or salvation that has it. It's a teaching that you do you worship God God's way.

You do it God's way. Do you know if you're born again? God's given you his own nature the divine nature. Why would you want to do it any other way? Verse 16. And in the first day there shall be a holy convocation that means a meeting a congregation of people like we're doing today a Congregation and in the seventh day there shall be a holy convocation unto you now look at this.

These were Sabbath's these were special Sabbath's that were placed on either end of this feast of unleavened bread. What does Sabbath mean? Do you know the word Sabbath is a bad word really in English because it's not a translation.

It's a transliteration which means it means nothing to our our Gentile minds in the original. It simply means rest. So everywhere you see Sabbath in your Bible just get rid of it mark it out put the word rest there and you'll understand it.

With your English speaking mind, you'll know what it means. It means rest. So it says no matter of work shall be done. Well that kind of proves what it means. Save that which every man must eat that only may be done.

Do you know what that pictures ladies and gentlemen? That when you are saved at the Passover, you're covered by the blood of Jesus it pictures your salvation. Then you start a feast of unleavened bread with no sin in the house for a perfect number days seven days that at the first of that seven days and then at the other end of that seven days is a holy meeting where you're not Allowed in the whole days of Sabbath, you're not allowed to do any work.

You just rest. You know what it pictures you're resting in Christ. He did all the work for you. The finished work of Christ on the cross is what saved you. You can't add anything to it. Don't try just rest.

Rest in Christ. It said however, I will let you do this. I'll let you eat. Guess what we eat for our spiritual lives. This manna right here. Now listen, that's one of the main problems if anybody in this room today is having any problem with his message at all.

And you're feeling funny about anything I've said. Get in this book when you get home and Study it every day. Don't take it for granted. It is your spiritual food. Picture your body having gone as long without eating as it's been since you studied the Bible last.

Now I could sell that weight plan weight loss plan. Picture that that's what's happening to your spirit. And this says we rest in Jesus, but we continue to eat. We eat the word Hallelujah, and it goes on and it says and ye shall observe the feast of the unleavened bread for in this self same day I brought you out of the armies.

I brought your armies out of the land of Egypt. I delivered you from the world system. Therefore shall you observe this day in your generations by an ordinance. Forever as a picture to your children's what he's saying in the first day of the month 14th day of The month at evening you shall eat unleavened bread until the 1 and 20th day.

This is now talking about the feast of unleavened bread that happens after the Passover. Seven days shall there be no leaven found in your houses picturing no sin in the life for whosoever eateth. That which is leaven even that soul shall be cut off.

Why God doesn't want his type messed up. He did not allow the Jew to mess it up physically because we might misunderstand it spiritually today. That's what this is all about. You shall eat nut nothing leavened in all your habitation.

Shall you eat unleavened bread? Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel and said to them draw out and take you a lamb. According to your families and kill the Passover. I will promise you this when those men struck that lamb in the neck with that knife and he slowly laid there and didn't kick.

Or anything, but just bled and the life bled out of him and he watched it. That was the most powerful picture God could have given him that it's our hands. They put Jesus on the cross in a sense not really the father did but he did it because of our sins for our sins.

And there's a powerful picture of the fact that the innocent lamb has to die because we've sinned. And he says you will take the blood put it in a basin and look at verse 22 you shall take a bunch of hyssop weeds and Dip it in the blood that is in the basin and strike the lintel and the two sides of the doorpost.

With the blood that is in the basin and none of you shall go out at that door of this house until the morning. Do you know what that hyssop weed pictures now picture this they slay the Innocent animal.

They spill his blood into a basin. They take the blood in the home. They dip hyssop weed in it and they strike it on the door and the in the lintel. And the doorpost of their door that hyssop weed pictures your face.

Your faith is a gift from God just like they couldn't make a hyssop weed. They had to go out and get it. God made it grow. God gave it to him. It's a gift. Faith is a gift from God. You can't work it up.

But when God gives it to you the first thing you do in your life before you're you know at the place where you're starting. Your spiritual walk with God is you take that faith and by faith you dip it in the blood of Jesus Christ.

And you apply it to your life. You apply it to you personally you receive him as your personal Lord and Savior by applying his blood to you. It's actually the father that applies the blood because only he can do that.

But the only way they had to picture it was the father of the household. You see what I'm saying father of the household dips that hyssop weed, which is faith. Applies the blood to to the life. That's what the God God makes the application.