OUR PASSOVER LAMB
John 1:29 "The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!"
The "Lord's Supper" or "Communion" ordinance is rooted in the ancient history of the Jewish community as a lasting observance. Understanding the significance of the Passover Lamb greatly heightens our appreciation of something precious in the eyes of our Father - something that is often practiced as a mere religious rite without giving thought to its centrality to our faith.
This study will examine four areas concerning our Passover Lamb.
1. The Institution Of The Passover Lamb
2. The Fulfillment Of The Passover Lamb
3. The Suffering Of The Passover Lamb
4. The Resurrection Of The Passover Lamb
Consider The Institution Of The Passover Lamb
Exodus 12:1-14
The Lord instructed Moses and Aaron to institute the Passover feast. It was a feast for those who were about to be delivered from their Egyptian bondage through their obedience. Passover celebrated God's deliverance and protection of the Israelites.
Passover is celebrated according to the Jewish calendar in the month of Nisan (also called Abib) which coincides with the months of March - April on our calendars. Passover marks the beginning of the new year reflecting the new life granted to Israel through God's miraculous deliverance.
The Passover feast centers around killing and eating the Passover lamb. At the initiation of this feast, the blood of the lamb was used to mark the doorposts of the Israelite's homes. When the death angel passed over Egypt to slay all the firstborn, the angel "passed over" the homes marked by the blood of the lamb.
The Passover lamb prefigures and represents Jesus Christ as the Passover Lamb whose blood saves and delivers all who believe in Him and make a personal application of the blood to their lives.
Consider The Fulfillment Of The Passover Lamb
Luke 22:7-20
Jesus and His disciples prepare to celebrate the Passover and have before them the traditional elements used in the feast.
Knowing that His own body and blood were about to become a Passover sacrifice "once for all" the Lord introduces his disciples to the emblems that we still use in recalling the sacrifice of the Passover Lamb - the bread and the cup.
The bread represents the body of the Lamb of God and the cup represents the shed blood of the Lamb of God.
The Lord's Supper celebrated God's new covenant which was based on the blood of the Lamb (Jesus Christ) removing the stain of sin and making a way for a brand new relationship between God and man.
Consider The Suffering Of The Passover Lamb
Isaiah 53
This is the best known prophecy concerning the Crucifiction in the Bible. Matthew 8:17 and 1 Peter 2:24 both refer to it. Nearly 800 years before the birth of Jesus, Isaiah wrote these incredibly accurate words about the death of Jesus and, more importantly, outlined the purpose of the Cross.
In His sacrificial suffering, Jesus provided cleansing and release from sin. The penalty for sin is death and Jesus Christ substituted Himself in our place and took our punishment for sin.
Consider The Resurrection Of The Passover Lamb
Luke 24:1-12
When Jesus' followers came to the tomb after the Sabbath, they found the stone rolled away from the entrance and the body of Jesus wasn't in the tomb where it had been placed.
Jesus had bodily risen from the dead!
Under the guard of the Roman soldiers there was no way for the body of Jesus to be stolen. He had literally risen from the dead.
The resurrection of Jesus is the most significant event in all of human history. It proves beyond the shadow of a doubt that Jesus Christ is God. Every other spiritual leader or guru that has died has stayed in the grave. None have been resurrected. Jesus Christ is living proof of the resurrection and as followers of Jesus we live with the hope that the grave is not our final resting place.
What happens when we behold the Lamb of God?
When we behold, truly look upon, the Lamb of God our blurred vision becomes very clear.
There are three realizations that our cleared vision brings us to.
1. We realize our own personal imperfection and need. Romans 3:23 becomes very real to us. It says, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." We also see the clairty of Romans 6:23. It says, "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."
2. We realize that our preferences can't replace His purposes. Jeremiah 17:9-10 tells us, "The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it? I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give every man according to his ways, According to the fruit of his doing." We must be careful that our preferences are in total alignment with God's purposes for our lives and for the work of the church.
3. We realize our options where the will and purpose of God is concerned.
We can follow after the deceptions/preferences of our hearts that are generated by our own thought and actions and by the thoughts and actions of others.
Or
We can follow after the will of God that's born in the heart of God and plainly disclosed in the Word of God.
In John 12:26 we find Jesus saying, "If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor."
The prophet John said, "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world!"
Are we honestly beholding the Lamb.....the Passover Lamb?
The table set before us is more than a table of remembrance. It's a table of commitment - commitment to the Way of salvation wrought by the body and blood of our Passover Lamb and commitment to service in the way of servanthood on behalf of our Passover Lamb.
Come to the table by way of your commitment.
COPYRIGHT - DAVE KRALIK 2000.
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