CHRIST – “Christ – Our Passover Lamb” 1
Christ – Our Passover Lamb Exodus 12:1-14
INTRODUCTION:
A. Exodus 12:1-14 - Now the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of
Egypt, saying,
2 "This month shall be your beginning of months; it shall be the first month
of the year to you.
3 Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying: 'On the tenth of this month
every man shall take for himself a lamb, according to the house of his father, a
lamb for a household.
4 And if the household is too small for the lamb, let him and his neighbor
next to his house take it according to the number of the persons; according to
each man's need you shall make your count for the lamb.
5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year. You may take
it from the sheep or from the goats.
6 Now you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month. Then
the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at twilight.
7 And they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and
on the lintel of the houses where they eat it.
8 Then they shall eat the flesh on that night; roasted in fire, with
unleavened bread and with bitter herbs they shall eat it.
9 Do not eat it raw, nor boiled at all with water, but roasted in fire — its
head with its legs and its entrails.
10 You shall let none of it remain until morning, and what remains of it until
morning you shall burn with fire.
11 And thus you shall eat it: with a belt on your waist, your sandals on your
feet, and your staff in your hand. So you shall eat it in haste. It is the LORD's
Passover.
12 For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike 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.
13 Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And
when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you
to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.
14 'So this day shall be to you a memorial; and you shall keep it as a feast
to the LORD throughout your generations. You shall keep it as a feast by an
everlasting ordinance.
B. 1 Corinthians 5: 7 – “For indeed Christ, our Passover , was sacrificed for us.”
1. The Paschal Lamb. “Paschal” means Passover”
2. The Lamb was the object to be offered.
CHRIST – “Christ – Our Passover Lamb” 2
C. The central theme of the Bible is Jesus the Christ.
1. Perhaps you have heard about Types and Anti-types.
a. Type – A historical fact that illustrates a spiritual truth.
b. The Old Testament is filled with such as it is a shadow of what God will
fulfill in His only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ.
c. The Paschal Lamb and the Passover observance of the Old Testament
portray the sacrificial offering of Christ on the cross in minute detail.
d. The Holy Spirit guided Paul to pen this statement in 1 Corinthians 5:7 –
“. . . “For indeed Christ, our Passover , was sacrificed for us.”
e. Christ is . . .
1. Christ is Divine in His origin . . . . . . Mark 15:39
2. Christ is Powerful in His actions . . . . . . Matthew 8:27
3. Christ is Perfect in His offering . . . . . . Hebrews 10:12
4. Christ is Unchanging in His priesthood. Hebrews 7:24
5. Wonderful in His teaching . . . . . . John 7:46
6. Christ is Faultless in His character . . . . . . Luke 23:4
7. Christ is Loving in His grace . . . . . . Luke 15:2
8. Christ is Oil to the wheels of life . . . . . . 1 John 2:20
9. Christ is Light in the lamp of the heart . . . . . . John 8:12
10. Christ is Salt in the character of being . . . . . . Colossians 4:6
11. Christ is Power in the machinery of service . . . . . . Philippians 2:13
12. Christ is Love in the dwelling of the home . . . . . . John 11:5
13. Christ is Food on the table of need . . . . . . John 6:35
14. Christ is Sweetness in the cup of trial . . . . . . 1 Peter 1:7-8
15. Christ is Life to the body of truth . . . . . . Colossians 3:16
16. Christ is Light to the realm of thought . . . . . . Ephesians 4:20-21
17. Christ is Energy to the machinery of work . . . . . . 1 Corinthians 1:24
18. Christ is Music to the notes of life . . . . . . Hebrews 2:12
19. Christ is Soul to the sphere of conduct . . . . . . Galatians 2:20
20. Christ is Love to the heart of affection . . . . . . 2 Corinthians 2:14
21. Christ is Grace to the beautifying of character . . . . . . Ephesians 3:8
f. Christ is . . .
1. Christ is our great Authority . . . . . . Matthew 28:18
2. Christ is our Ransom . . . . . . 1 Timothy 2:6
3. Christ is our Substitute . . . . . . Isaiah 53:5
a. Our Bearing substitute . . . . . . Isaiah 53:4
b. Our Wounded substitute . . . . . . Isaiah 53:5
c. Our Bruised substitute . . . . . . Isaiah 53:5
d. Our Silent substitute . . . . . . Isaiah 53:6
e. Our Rewarded substitute . . . . . . Isaiah 53:11
f. Our Sin-made substitute . . . . . . Isaiah 53:10
g. Our Displayed substitute . . . . . . Isaiah 53:12
CHRIST – “Christ – Our Passover Lamb” 3
4. Christ is our Way . . . . . . Our Truth . . . Our Life . . . . . . John 14:6
5. Christ is Example . . . . . . 1 Peter 2:21
6. Christ is our Life . . . . . . Colossians 3:4
7. Christ is our Friend . . . . . . John 15:13
8. Christ is Redemption . . . . . . Ephesians 1:7
9. Christ is Mediator . . . . . . 1 Timothy 2:5
10. Christ is Our King . . . . . . . 1 Timothy 6:15
a. Appointed King . . . . . . Micah 5:2
b. Anointed . . . . . . Hebrews 1:8-9
c. Assaulted . . . . . . John 19:1-3
d. Ascended . . . . . . Acts 5:30-32
e. Acclaimed King . . . . . . Revelation 19:11-16
11. Christ is the author and finisher of our faith . . . Hebrews 12:2
12. And for this study, Chris is our Passover . . . . . . 1 Corinthians 5:7
D. Let us compare the Passover lamb in Exodus 12 with our Passover Lamb in
1 Corinthians 5:7 and learn the Biblical lessons and applications therein.
THE LAMB ITSELF
A. Exodus 12:21 – “Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel and said to
them, ‘Pick out and take lambs for yourselves according to your families, and
kill the Passover lamb.’”
1. An innocent lamb’s life was to be taken and its blood used to avert certain
physical death.
2. The lambs were not arbitrarily selected but rather deliberately examined
and chosen.
B. And so it was with our Passover as well.
1. 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!’”
2. Isaiah 53:7 – “He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not
His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before
its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth.”
WITHOUT SPOT OR BLEMISH
A. Exodus 12:5 – “Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year.
You may take it from the sheep or from the goats.”
B. Note the New Testament Comparison:
1. Luke 23:14 – “I have found no fault in this Man concerning those things of
which you accuse Him.” Pilate, a man appointed by Rome to judge men,
found no faults to judge in Jesus.
CHRIST – “Christ – Our Passover Lamb” 4
2. 1 Peter 1:19 – We are redeemed with “ . . . the precious blood of Christ, as
of a lamb without blemish and without spot.” Imperfection is not found in
perfection and Christ was perfect in every way.
3. 1 Peter 2:22 – Christ “ . . . Committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His
mouth” Christ was sinless . . . without spot or blemish.
C. The Perfect Lamb of God was slain for us to cover what we could not cover
without Him . . . . . . Our ugly sins before the righteous face of God.
D. The Perfect Lamb of God was slain to cover the sins of imperfect humanity.
a. Romans 3:23 – “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
b. Romans 6:23 – “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal
life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
c. 2 Corinthians 5:22 – “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us,
that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
a. Christ was made to be for us what we could never be without Him.
b. Christ was made to do for us what we could not do for ourselves.
c. Christ was made to provide for us what was beyond the human grasp
without Him.
CHOSEN . . . THE LAMB WAS CHOSEN BY THE FAMILY
A. The Paschal Lamb was chosen. Exodus 12:3 – “Speak to all the congregation
of Israel, saying: ‘On the tenth of this month every man shall take for himself a
lamb, according to the house of his father, a lamb for a household.’”
B. They each chose their own lamb . . . God chose ours for us. John 3:16-17 –
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever
believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that
the world through Him might be saved.”
C. The Lamb of God was slain for only one house and one family.
1. Ephesians 5:25 – “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the
church and gave Himself for her.”
2. 1 Timothy 3:15 – “I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct
yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar
and ground of the truth.”
3. Ephesians 3:13-14 – “For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is
named.”
D. Only those in the house of God (the church of the living God) will be spared
from spiritual death, covered and protected by the shed blood of the Lamb of
God, Jesus Christ.
CHRIST – “Christ – Our Passover Lamb” 5
NO BONES BROKEN IN EITHER
A. Explicit instructions were given by inspiration and delivered to the people.
Exodus 12:46 – “In one house it shall be eaten; you shall not carry any of the
flesh outside the house, nor shall you break one of its bones.”
B. No bone was to be broken in our Passover Lamb, either.
1. Psalm 34:20 – “He guards all his bones; Not one of them is broken.”
2. John 19:36 – “For these things were done that the Scripture should be
fulfilled, ‘Not one of His bones shall be broken.’”
a. Note: The religious leaders knew the Psalms.
b. Why did they not ask if the soldiers had broken any of the Nazarene’s
bones.
c. Evidence overlooked. Evidence foretold about one thousand years
before that fateful Friday afternoon of April 7, 30 A.D. just outside the
walls of Jerusalem.
d. A litmus test they refused to take.
e. All that he had been through . . . and yet no broken bones. Why did
they not ask? Did they really want to know?
f. Listening friends . . . Do you really want to know? You can!
REDEMPTION INVOLVED IN EACH
A. Exodus 12:13 – “Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where
you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall
not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.”
1. The God-prescribed blood was applied to each house.
2. Safety was inside the blood . . . not outside the blood.
3. Safety was inside the house protected by the blood from the lamb.
3. The death of a lamb gave them life.
B. Concerning Christ as our Passover Lamb, let us note:
1. Ephesians 1:7 – “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the
forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.”
2. 1 John 1:7 – “But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have
fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son
cleanses us from all sin.”
3. The apostle Peter tells us that we are redeemed by the blood of Christ.
1 Peter 1:18-19 – “Knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible
things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition
from your fathers,
But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and
without spot.”
CHRIST – “Christ – Our Passover Lamb” 6
COMPARISON OF THE SACRIFICIAL LAMB WITH CHRIST
OUR PASSOVER LAMB
A. Each served as a memorial. The lamb in memory of the passing over of the
angel of death in Egypt. Exodus 12:11-14 – “And thus you shall eat it: with a
belt on your waist, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. So
you shall eat it in haste. It is the LORD's Passover.
12 For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike 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.
13 Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And
when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you
to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.
14 So this day shall be to you a memorial; and you shall keep it as a feast
to the LORD throughout your generations. You shall keep it as a feast by an
everlasting ordinance’”
B. Christ, our Passover Lamb has provided His Christian followers a memorial
feast called the Lord’s Supper. It is done in His memory.
1. Luke 22:19 – “And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to
them, saying, ‘This is My body which is given for you; do this in
remembrance of Me.’”
2. 1 Corinthians 11:24-25 – “And when He had given thanks, He broke it and
said, ‘Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in
remembrance of Me.’
25 In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, ‘This
cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in
remembrance of Me.’”
a. The Lamb of God’s blood.
b. The Son of God’s blood.
c. Our Savior’s blood
d. Our forgiveness of sins blood
e. Our only means for going to Heaven blood.
THE PASSOVER WAS TO BE FULLY EXPLAINED
A. Concerning the lamb, Israel was to fully explain the meaning of the supper
from generation to generation. Deuteronomy 16:3 – “You shall eat no
leavened bread with it; seven days you shall eat unleavened bread with it, that
is, the bread of affliction (for you came out of the land of Egypt in haste), that
you may remember the day in which you came out of the land of Egypt all the
days of your life.”
CHRIST – “Christ – Our Passover Lamb” 7
B. Concerning Christ our Passover Lamb, Christians are to instruct one another
in the meaning and significance of the Lord’s Supper. 1 Corinthians 11:23 –
“For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you.”
CONCLUSION:
A. In order to find refuge, Israel had to be in a physical house sheltered by the
blood of the slain lamb.
B. In order to find eternal refuge, we must be in the spiritual house (the church)
that is sheltered by the blood of Christ. Acts 20:28 – “Therefore take heed to
yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you
overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own
blood.”
C. In order to enter this house, we must pass through the blood of Christ.
1. Ephesians 1:7 – “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the
forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.”
2. Ephesians 2:13 – “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have
been brought near by the blood of Christ. “
3. Colossians 1:14 – “In whom [CHRIST] we have redemption through His
blood, the forgiveness of sins.”
4. Hebrews 9:22 – “. . . Without shedding of blood there is no remission.”
5. 1 John 1:7 – “. . . The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all
sin.”
6. Revelation 1:5 – “. . . To Him [CHRIST] who loved us and washed us from
our sins in His own blood.”
7. Revelation 5:9 – “For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by
Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation.”
D. You reach the blood of Christ when you reach His death.
1. 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 – “Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel
which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand,
by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached
to you — unless you believed in vain.
For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ
died for our sins (1st part of the Gospel), according to the Scriptures,
and that He was buried (2nd part of the Gospel), and that He rose
again the third day (3rd part of the gospel) according to the Scriptures.”
2. Romans 6:3-5 – “Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized
into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? (1st part of the Gospel)
Therefore we were buried with Him (2nd part of the Gospel) THROUGH
BAPTISM INTO DEATH, (That is how you obey the gospel and reach
the sin-forgiving –cleansing blood of Christ) that just as Christ was
CHRIST – “Christ – Our Passover Lamb” 8
raised from the dead (3rd part of the gospel) by the glory of the Father,
even so we also should walk in newness of life.
3. One dies to sin through REPENTANCE.
One is buried (immersed) with Christ in BAPTISM
One rises from the watery grave to walk in newness of life.
FAITH + OBEDIENCE = SALVATION
OR
FAITH - OBEDIENCE = BEING LOST