Tuesday, April 3, 2012

"PASSOVER"

"PASSOVER"

 "Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month
 they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a
 lamb for an house:  And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his
neighbour next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls; every man
according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb.  Your lamb shall be without
 blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats:  
And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly
of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening."  

"And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper
 door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it.  And they shall eat the flesh in that
night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it. 
 Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast with fire; his head with his legs,
and with the purtenance thereof.  And ye shall let nothing of it remain until the
morning; and that which  remaineth of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire.  
And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your
staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the Lord’s passover."  

For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn
in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will
execute judgment: I am the Lord.  And the blood shall be to you for a token upon
the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the
 plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt."
(Exodus 12:3-13)


Death Angel

On the night before the Israelites were to leave Egypt, they were instructed to kill a spotless lamb and it was to be eaten in the manner directed; they were to apply the blood of the lamb to the doorposts of their houses to mark them as distinguishable from the Egyptian homes, so that the Death angel would "pass over" them and the Israelites would be spared.  Thus, the name "Passover" is an ordinance to be kept every year by the Jews in remembrance of Israel's preservation and deliverance out of Egypt, and it is a profound type of Christ.

Jesus Christ


The Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior and our Redeemer, is known as the "lamb slain from the foundation of the world."  Jesus Christ is our passover.  Matthew Henry's comparison of the spotless passover lamb and the Lord Jesus Christ is excellent:

"It was to be without blemish; the Lord Jesus was a Lamb without spot: the judge
who condemned Christ declared him innocent. It was to be set apart four days before,
denoting the marking out of the Lord Jesus to be a Saviour, both in the purpose and in the
 promise. It was to be slain, and roasted with fire, denoting the painful sufferings of the
Lord Jesus, even unto death, the death of the cross. The wrath of God is as fire, and Christ
was made a curse for us. Not a bone of it must be broken, which was fulfilled in Christ,
 John 19:33, denoting the unbroken strength of the Lord Jesus.  The sprinkling of the blood
 was typical. The blood of the lamb must be sprinkled, denoting the applying of the
merits of Christ's death to our souls; we must receive the atonement, Romans 5:11.
Faith is the bunch of hyssop, by which we apply the promises, and the benefits of
the blood of Christ laid up in them, to ourselves. It was to be sprinkled on the
door-posts, denoting the open profession we are to make of faith in Christ.  It was
not to be sprinkled upon the threshold; which cautions us to take heed of trampling
 under foot the blood of the covenant. It is precious blood, and must be precious
to us. The blood, thus sprinkled, was a means of preserving the Israelites from the
destroying angel, who had nothing to do where the blood was.  The blood of Christ
is the believer's protection from the wrath of God, the curse of the law, and
the damnation of hell, Romans 8:1."

The Lord Jesus Christ's death
 on the cross

The old testament of the Holy Bible was, and ever remains to be, prophecies fulfilled in the new testament, types and shadows of things to come, and the God of the universe does nothing without reason, without purpose, without significance.  The Lord Jesus Christ is our Passover lamb; His blood was shed for us so that the torment of death, Hell and the grave would pass over us  ...  we now have a promise of life everlasting, sins forgiven, newness of life, infilling of His Spirit, baptism in His name  ... all to secure our deliverance and preservation in our heavenly home to come.

Israelites applying the blood


That night, when the firstborn of the Egyptians were destroyed, the Israelites were commanded to stay indoors until they were called to march out of Egypt.  They must stay protected by the blood.  So it is for the Christian believer; if we expect to be safe from evil, we must stay under the blood of Jesus Christ.  It is by the Blood of Jesus, the Name of Jesus, and the Word of Jesus that we are protected, delivered, saved, reborn, washed, cleansed, healed, filled, and made holy unto Him who sits upon the circle of the earth.  Thank You, Lord Jesus!

The Lord Jesus Christ

When the Israelites left Egypt, many Egyptians went with them; they had seen the miracles of God to His people; they observed the holiness of a people toward their God; they became believers of the One true God.  So it is today; in every Nation of the world, people are seeing the miracles of the Lord Jesus Christ, and they believe!  No other has the power to forgive sins; no other has the ability to draw all men unto Him; no other died, shed His blood, and rose again for the souls of every man, woman, and child on planet earth  ...  no other  ...  only The Lord Jesus Christ.

It's still observed today by Jews everywhere; and Christians observe it as we worship our Lamb, who is the lion of Judah, the bright and morning star, the Alpha and Omega, the Holy One of Israel, the Lily of the Valley, the soon coming King, the Lord of Lords and King of Kings, the Creator, God in the flesh, the One responsible for the Eternal pardon of our sins, our Lamb of "PASSOVER"


(Visit promiselandchurch.net and theexperience238.com.
PromiseLand Church, Austin, Texas, Pastor Kenneth Phillips)

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