April 21, 2025 • 26 mins
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Have you ever found yourself struggling to explain the significance of Easter beyond bunnies and chocolate? You're not alone. This powerful exploration delves into the heart of Christianity's most important holiday, tracing its profound meaning through the ancient Passover story to Christ's ultimate sacrifice.
We journey back to Exodus, where God's people faced the tenth plague in Egypt. Each household was instructed to select a perfect lamb, bring it into their home for four days, and then sacrifice it – applying its blood to their doorposts so death would "pass over" them. The progression from selecting "a lamb" to it becoming "your lamb" reveals the deeply personal nature of sacrifice. Children would inevitably name these lambs and bond with them, making the sacrifice genuinely costly on an emotional level.
Fast-forward fifteen centuries to John the Baptist declaring Jesus as "the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world." The parallel becomes crystal clear: Jesus is our perfect, unblemished sacrifice who willingly laid down His life. His blood doesn't merely cover our sin like the Old Testament sacrifices – it completely washes it away, making us righteous in God's sight.
Through communion, we remember this sacrifice personally. The bread representing His broken body, the cup symbolizing His blood shed for us. While sin's wages is death, Jesus paid that price in full. He didn't just say He loved us; He proved it through the cross and validated it through the resurrection.
Whether Easter has always been meaningful for you or you've struggled to connect with its deeper significance beyond cultural traditions, this message will transform your understanding of why Easter truly matters – and why it represents good news for everyone who believes.
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Speaker 1 (00:12):
Okay, so Easter.
I don't know if you've noticedthis in your life, but Easter is
probably one of the most well,it's the most significant
holiday in Christianity butprobably the hardest to explain,
right?
Especially when you puttogether all the things that
it's become.
You get questions like you know, why is it called Easter?
(00:33):
For one?
What's with all the chocolate,bunnies and plastic eggs?
How does that fit into theBible story?
And a lot of folks just kind ofscratch their heads.
Honestly, a lot of believers.
We're just kind of at a losswhen it comes to what it's all
about and what those thingsreally mean.
(00:53):
Even the name Easter, youprobably realize, is a little
bit of a mystery.
It's not a word you'll find inthe Bible.
Thus was born the Feast ofEaster.
You know it's not.
And even the background of that.
We could just really have areal downer study here tonight
(01:13):
and talk about that.
Perhaps it's associated withGermanic pagan rituals and maybe
Canaanite goddesses is wherethis comes from the fertility
goddess, the bunnies, the eggs,all these things, and we go.
Well then, why would we call itEaster?
(01:34):
And that's probably a goodquestion.
I hate to say it, but probablybetween now and Sunday I'll
refer to it as Easter a fewtimes, to it as Easter a few
times.
But, as with Christmas, as withanything else in the Christian
life, we need to know why wecelebrate.
We need to bring meaning towhat the world has made very
(01:56):
meaningless, and so that's whatwe want to do, as simply as we
can tonight.
We want to bring it back toJesus and the center of what
he's done for us.
Bring it back to Jesus and thecenter of what he's done for us,
specifically his death, what wecelebrate tonight, and his
resurrection.
So let's kind of look at theorigins if we could, the best we
can maybe of the event.
Exodus 12 is where I'm going toland tonight.
(02:18):
The book of Exodus, if youhaven't considered it in a while
, is a history of God's people.
Right, it takes place 1,200 to1,500 years before Christ, and
it describes a time where God'speople, the Jews, were in
bondage to Egypt, and youremember there in the book of
(02:43):
Genesis, they got there throughone of their ancestors, joseph.
You remember that whole story.
Joseph sold into slavery,thereby his brothers, who hated
him, and God works it out forgood.
Right, I'll ruin the story foryou, but through a process of
(03:05):
events, god takes care of thewhole family and brings them to
Egypt, where they thrive.
Well, they thrive.
And the book of Exodus startstoward the beginning there verse
8, with this idea that therearose a king in Egypt that did
not know Joseph's people.
And you know the story Pharaoh,a new pharaoh, came on board
and he was afraid of God'speople.
They were getting strong and hewanted to make sure that they
stayed in their place.
(03:25):
So he put them into slavery andoppressed them there.
In chapter three, you know, godpurposes a deliverer.
He calls a guy named Moses.
Moses right, and they're at theburning.
Bush, he tells him I'm going touse you to deliver my people
(03:46):
from slavery.
And the big thing here is thatit's this sort of battle of the
wills.
It's God through Moses sayinglet my people go, and Pharaoh
stubbornly saying I don't knowthis God that you're talking
about.
Why should I let you go?
And God says let him go.
(04:09):
Pharaoh says not going to do it.
God sends plagues, you rememberTen plagues total in increasing
intensity, you could say, andGod uses it for a lot of
different things there, butreally to bring Pharaoh to the
end of himself.
Now Pharaoh becomes morestubborn and God more insistent.
(04:32):
I guess if you could say thathe does, that he's not giving up
.
And finally we come around tothis final plague, the 10th
plague, and in chapter 11, godsays this is what's going to
happen I'm going to send deaththrough the land of Egypt, death
to all the firstborn in theland, from Pharaoh to his
(04:55):
servant, man and beast right.
And God promises that afterthis plague, after this death
goes through the land, that notonly will Pharaoh let you go,
he's going to force you out,he's going to push you out.
And so, chapter 11, it's alllaid in order.
This is what's going to happenNow.
(05:17):
Chapter 12, god gives them theinstructions for their
Independence Day, the Passoverfeast, in chapter 12.
And this really is where Ithink we get a clear picture of
Easter, the resurrection and thecross.
(05:38):
Chapter 12, let's look at verseone.
Now the Lord spoke to Moses andAaron in the land of Egypt
saying this month shall be yourbeginning of months.
It shall be the first month ofthe year to you.
So here we're, given a month.
It's interesting this would bethe month of Nisan, not the car,
(06:00):
but the month, the month ofNisan.
And that falls March to Aprilon the Hebrew calendar, a little
different system.
There it's based on thesequence of the moons, but it
falls usually March to April.
Now, interesting, this year2025, it almost exclusively
(06:21):
falls in the month of April,almost perfectly.
And so what's funny is that aswe get to this Feast of Passover
this week is the Feast ofPassover Usually it doesn't work
out that way and Easter, ourResurrection Sunday and Good
Friday fall in the week ofPassover.
(06:42):
Kind of neat how that allworked out this year.
What does it mean?
I don't know.
Anyways, verse three speak toall the congregation of Israel,
saying on the 10th of this month, every man shall take for
himself a lamb According to thehouse of his father, a lamb for
a household.
(07:02):
And if the household is toosmall for a lamb, let him and
his neighbor next to his housetake it according to the number
of persons, according to eachman's need.
You shall make your count forthe lamb.
Your lamb shall be, withoutblemish, a male of the first
year.
You may take it from the sheepor from the goats, and you shall
(07:24):
keep it until the 14th day ofthe same month.
All right, we stop there.
So the feast involves a lamb.
Now notice in verse three everyhousehold is to have a lamb.
Verse five tells us it's thelamb of the first year, so it's
(07:46):
a baby, right.
And it must be a male, perfect,without blemish.
Now we're told here in versethree it's a lamb.
That's pretty general, right, alamb.
Just take a lamb, Notice inverse four.
In verse four, they're toldthat it will be the lamb.
(08:09):
I think this is interesting andnot an accident.
Verse 4, it is the lamb.
A little more specific, youchoose one of those lambs and it
becomes the lamb.
Now notice what you do, though.
You take this lamb into yourhouse.
Verse 3 lets us know theprocess starts on the 10th day
(08:32):
and it ends on the 14th day.
So just picture this For fourdays you have a lamb, a little
baby lamb, fuzzy, cute lamb,living in your house.
So it seems.
Now, as a father, I know thisis a mistake.
This is a big, big mistake.
(08:53):
Now, if you read this, it'sinteresting.
It can be a lamb or it can befrom the goats.
You can use goats too.
Now we've had goats and we'vehad baby goats, and what I know
from having goats is nobodywants a goat.
You know, when you go to sellgoats.
Nobody wants a goat, but whenthey see a baby goat, oh people
(09:15):
go crazy.
When they see baby goats, babygoats are dangerous.
They got their little ittybitty hooves, you know, and just
to say hooves, it's just cute,right.
And they got their little babygoatees, and you know what?
They don't walk.
I don't know what it is.
They don't walk.
They actually hop everywherethey go.
(09:35):
And they don't just hop, theyhop sideways.
I mean, this is true, babygoats, like they just are full
of energy or something, and theyhop sideways and you just look
at them and you go, they're socute and we have brought them
into our house before.
But what happens at that point?
When you bring them in yourhouse for four days, it is 100
(09:59):
percent guaranteed that thosechildren named that baby lamb by
that point.
Now this is going to get darkhere in a second, but picture it
the baby lamb is a lamb, it'sthe lamb.
And then in verse five, godknows, he says your lamb right.
(10:20):
So we've gotten closer andcloser to this lamb, a lamb, the
lamb, your lamb right.
And there it is.
And I imagine those little kidsthey're guaranteed Somebody
tried to dress their little lambup by that point.
You know what I mean.
Put a bow on it, gave it a nameit's our lamb, this is our lamb
(10:42):
, freddie, or whatever you know,and, and it's very personal, it
is a pet at that point.
Now, this is not an accidenteither.
A lamb, the lamb, your lamb,notice where we go from here,
verse six.
Now you shall keep it until the14th day of the same month.
(11:04):
Then the whole assembly of thecongregation of Israel shall
kill it at twilight.
And so here we find that thislamb is a sacrifice.
At sunset they would kill thelamb.
The father of the house, nodoubt, would go and would kill
(11:27):
this lamb, and that's graphic,right.
There is no clean way to dothis.
And I'm with every child atthat point and I would probably
say why?
Why do we have to kill our lamb?
Why?
Now we find out in verse eight.
(11:48):
I guess we didn't read on.
We better read on In verse 8,.
I guess we didn't read on.
We better read on Notice, verse7.
And they shall take some of theblood and put it on the two
doorposts and the lentil of thehouse where they eat it.
And they shall eat the flesh onthat night, roasted in fire
with unleavened bread withoutyeast and with bitter herbs,
(12:09):
they shall eat it.
So this lamb is dinner.
Now, that's not too unusual,especially in their world, but I
guarantee nobody enjoyed thatfeast.
The kids did not enjoy thatfeast right, because that was
our lamb.
But the whole reason is notjust because we needed something
(12:31):
to eat for dinner.
We understand.
There's more to it.
Notice verse seven.
They would paint the doors withthe blood.
Yeah, strange but specific.
They would put blood on the topof the door and on the sides of
the door and on the sides ofthe door.
And the reason why we find, aswe read on, let's look at verse
(12:57):
12.
For I will pass through theland of Egypt on that night,
that plague we talked aboutthere before.
I will pass through the land ofEgypt on that night and will
strike the firstborn in the landof Egypt, both man and beast,
andborn in the land of Egypt,both man and beast.
And against all the gods ofEgypt, I will execute judgment.
(13:22):
I am the Lord.
Now.
The blood shall be a sign foryou on the houses where you are
and notice this.
And when I see the blood, Iwill pass over you and the
plague shall not be on you todestroy you.
When I see the blood, I willpass over you, and the plague
shall not be on you to destroyyou when I strike the land of
Egypt.
So we get it now right.
God says, when I go through theland, the plague, the plague to
(13:46):
take the firstborn in all ofEgypt, the final plague where
Pharaoh will make you leave,when I see the blood on your
door, I'll pass over.
And the feast was calledPassover because death would
pass over the houses where theblood was on the door.
So there was a real reason.
It wasn't just for something toeat, it wasn't just for the
(14:08):
feast, it was to save thefirstborn in every house.
It was redemption for thepeople, it was salvation from
certain death, and so, as thatfather man, I wouldn't want to
be a father during that time.
Why, dad?
Why do we have to kill our lamb?
(14:29):
The father knew, though, it'sjust gotta be.
If this blood is not on thedoor, then death will come to
our house, the firstborn will betaken.
That's what was gonna happen.
So it made it a little moretolerable as a father, knowing
that this is what needed tohappen.
(14:51):
And yet it became theirsalvation right.
It became their independence,they were redeemed from slavery
and bought out of slavery.
In that, now, this was a feastthat they would celebrate every
year.
They didn't always do it, butit was to remember what God had
(15:12):
done for them.
But then we fast forward againabout 1500 years ahead, and and
we remember John the Baptist,the guy that baptized.
He was kind of a little strange, maybe, you know, wore camel's
hair and ate grasshoppers andhoney and all these things, but
(15:32):
he came with a pretty certainmessage.
Remember that.
He told people to repent, turnfrom your sins, turn to God.
You brood of vipers, right.
But he also pointed at Jesus atone time.
Remember that Jesus, hisrelative, was coming towards him
to be baptized, and John looksat him, and for no good reason.
(15:55):
I don't even know what hedidn't, did he know?
I don't know, but he pointed atJesus and he said behold, check
it out.
Behold the lamb of God whotakes away the sin of the world.
Did he know what he was saying?
I don't know, but he knew heneeded to say it.
Jesus was the lamb of God whotakes away the sin of the world.
(16:18):
And John lays it down for us soclearly.
Then, as we look at this accountof this feast of Passover, that
Jesus was that lamb right Tothe world.
He was a lamb right, in reality, he was the lamb, but
(16:39):
ultimately he has to be our lamb, but the lamb of God to take
away the sin of the world.
We look at this evening, wecome together really simply here
tonight.
We come together to rememberwhat Jesus did for us.
And you know, I can takecommunion and I can go through
the motions and sometimes Idon't think about it, but to
(17:01):
think that Jesus was a sacrifice, oh, he was a sacrifice, he was
the sacrifice, but he was mysacrifice.
You know, when we look atsacrifice in the Old Testament
sin sacrifice it's kind of alongthe same lines.
Check it out.
They would take a lamb and ithad to be a perfect lamb, it had
(17:22):
to be the best, and they wouldput their hand on that sacrifice
when they would bring it to thepriest.
They would put their hand onthat sacrifice and they would
confess their sins right Now.
If I had to say, right now,let's all confess our sins, that
could be awkward anduncomfortable, but you can go
through your week and go.
I got a couple examples,keeping it to myself.
(17:44):
I got a couple of examples.
And you could say in your heartand go, I got a couple examples
, keeping it to myself.
I got a couple of examples andyou could say in your heart God,
I confess I was wrong when Iacted that way.
God, you know what was in myheart, god, you know what I did.
No one else knows what I did,but you know, and I was wrong.
And that's what happens.
(18:05):
When they would come with thesacrifice, they put their hand
on the animal and they would say, god, I messed up, I lied, I
sinned, whatever it was, andthen the sacrifice would take
place and they would kill thatanimal.
And you go why, why, why doesGod have to have a sacrifice
like that?
Well, because sin is serious.
(18:26):
Paul tells us Romans 3.23,.
The wages of sin is death.
It's not 3.23, it's 6.23.
The wages of sin is death.
And I look at my sin and I go,yeah, it's bad, but you know,
everybody does it.
You know it's bad, but you knoweverybody does it.
You know, but yet death is whatmy sin deserved.
(18:48):
And think about how real thatwould be if you can put your
hand on something.
And then you had to sacrificeit and you saw it die.
And you saw it die because ofwhat you did, taking your place.
Well, that's exactly what Jesusdid on the cross.
We don't always stop to thinkabout it, but in reality, we
(19:08):
come to the cross.
What does it mean?
To believe and receive whatJesus did for us?
I think it means to come to thecross.
And if we could put our hand onhim and say, god, you know, I
messed up.
I'm messed up.
Since the very beginning, I'vealways been messed up and I
always will be messed up.
Now, god changes us for sure,but we will always be sinners.
(19:30):
We will always need a savior.
And we come to Jesus on thecross and we need to see him
there.
That's a good Friday.
That's why it's good we see himthere dying.
And you've seen recreations ofthis which are probably nothing
close to what it really was like, but it was brutal right.
Isaiah 53 says you know, he waswounded for our transgressions
(19:53):
and he was bruised for ouriniquities and he was just beat
to the point where he wasn'teven recognized anymore.
But he did it for us because ofour sin, and we would go.
Well, I got some bad sins, butI got some not so bad sins, but
the wages of sin, every sin, isdebt and that's heavy.
(20:15):
But the wonderful gift andgrace of God is that God loved
us.
He did what we couldn't do forourselves.
He paid the price.
Perfect lamb of God who takesaway the sin of the world and
doesn't just cover it, takes itaway as if it never happened, so
that God can look at us and goperfect, I see, perfect.
(20:38):
I mean I really can't imagineGod smiling at me.
You know what I mean.
Like if I were God and I'm not,you know, I would imagine he'd
look at me and go oh wow, thisis kind of this thing, you know.
And yet God, because of whathis son has done for us, he
looks at us and he loves us andhe goes you did everything right
(21:00):
and we go I absolutely did notdo everything right.
Is that what Jesus did?
And he took your place and hegives us his righteousness.
First Corinthians, our secondCorinthians, 521, says gives us
his righteousness.
And so we stand in therighteousness of Christ forgiven
(21:23):
and loved because of Jesus, ofChrist forgiven and loved
because of Jesus.
So we do have communion Good,my wife's so wonderful.
I'm so unprepared.
We're going to take time toremember, because Easter's got
to be more than chocolatebunnies and plastic eggs.
Right, it's what he's done forus.
(21:45):
It's totally what he's done forus that God loved us so much
and because of Jesus, he sees usas righteous and forgiven and
perfect.
Well, let's take the bread asyou have it.
Let's just consider it for amoment.
(22:06):
It was actually the same feast,the night before Jesus went to
the cross, he took bread.
It probably wasn't exactly likethis, but it was a little like
this.
It had the same kind of makeupin some ways here, but he took
it and he broke it and he saidthis is my body broken for you.
(22:29):
I'm telling you, do it,remember me.
And so we consider Jesus.
He laid down his body, his life, for us and consider how he was
beat and bruised and mocked.
And you know, they spoke to himand said well, you're the,
(22:54):
you're the son of god.
Tell us who hit you now.
He was on the cross, you're the.
If you're the christ, come downoff the cross and we'll believe
in you.
And he didn't open his mouth,he didn't say anything, he
didn't come down and he didn't.
You know, if it were me, Iwould have.
Just that's it, I'm done.
And yet he laid down his lifewillingly for us and proved it.
(23:18):
He didn't just say he loved us,he proved that he loved us.
So let's thank him for this.
God, thank you.
We deserve the very worst andyet you loved us so amazingly.
You laid down your life for us.
God, we were right there withthe mockers we so many times are
(23:40):
mockers, we so many times areand the amazing patience that
you have for us in life.
It just blows my mind that youwould have done this for me so
willingly.
God, thank you for this love.
Work it into our hearts that wewould know it as more than a
fact, but we would just trust init every single day.
(24:04):
In Jesus' name, we pray.
Let's take the bread and thecup there, the juice Guarantee.
It looked nothing like thislittle cup that we have here,
but the essence is right.
(24:26):
Jesus took a cup and he toldhis disciples this cup is my
blood, the blood of the newcovenant blood.
The blood of the new covenantblood sealing a promise to us.
I think about I think it'sHebrews, where it says without
(24:55):
the shedding of blood there's noremission of sins.
And I know I've told this story.
But there was one point I wastaking communion and I spilled
some on my hand and I just itreminded me all at once you know
how God speaks to you that Ineeded that blood and that blood
was on me, and that blood makesus clean.
The Bible uses words likejustify it's just as if we never
(25:16):
sinned.
It's perfect and and blameless.
I like that because, man, Ifeel pretty blamed most of the
time and I got a lot of blame,and yet he washes us.
He doesn't just cover us, hewashes it away as if it never
happened.
And only the blood of Jesus cando that.
Nothing else can do that.
No amount of counseling oranything like that can do that.
(25:38):
But the blood of Jesus can washaway every sin, and I need it
every single day.
So let's just thank him forthat.
God, thank you for your blood,lord.
Without it we would be withouthope, and yet you give us so
completely your blood thatwashes away every sin.
(26:00):
God, we can pick apart sinsfrom our childhood and last week
and everything, and yet, god,you choose not to remember it.
Because of what you've done forus, I pray that you'd make us
clean.
I pray that you'd clean ourminds that we throw so much
trash in God.
I pray that you'd clean ourhearts that hurt us every time
(26:21):
we turn around God.
We would just be new and freshthis year, a new creation in you
.
God, help these things to bereal in our heart, not words we
say, but the truth of our life.
Thank you for laying down yourlife for us In Jesus' name.
Okay, so Easter.
I don't know if you've noticedthis in your life, but Easter is
probably one of the most well,it's the most significant
holiday in Christianity butprobably the hardest to explain,
right?
Especially when you puttogether all the things that
it's become.
You get questions like you know, why is it called Easter?
(00:33):
For one?
What's with all the chocolate,bunnies and plastic eggs?
How does that fit into theBible story?
And a lot of folks just kind ofscratch their heads.
Honestly, a lot of believers.
We're just kind of at a losswhen it comes to what it's all
about and what those thingsreally mean.
(00:53):
Even the name Easter, youprobably realize, is a little
bit of a mystery.
It's not a word you'll find inthe Bible.
Thus was born the Feast ofEaster.
You know it's not.
And even the background of that.
We could just really have areal downer study here tonight
(01:13):
and talk about that.
Perhaps it's associated withGermanic pagan rituals and maybe
Canaanite goddesses is wherethis comes from the fertility
goddess, the bunnies, the eggs,all these things, and we go.
Well then, why would we call itEaster?
(01:34):
And that's probably a goodquestion.
I hate to say it, but probablybetween now and Sunday I'll
refer to it as Easter a fewtimes, to it as Easter a few
times.
But, as with Christmas, as withanything else in the Christian
life, we need to know why wecelebrate.
We need to bring meaning towhat the world has made very
(01:56):
meaningless, and so that's whatwe want to do, as simply as we
can tonight.
We want to bring it back toJesus and the center of what
he's done for us.
Bring it back to Jesus and thecenter of what he's done for us,
specifically his death, what wecelebrate tonight, and his
resurrection.
So let's kind of look at theorigins if we could, the best we
can maybe of the event.
Exodus 12 is where I'm going toland tonight.
(02:18):
The book of Exodus, if youhaven't considered it in a while
, is a history of God's people.
Right, it takes place 1,200 to1,500 years before Christ, and
it describes a time where God'speople, the Jews, were in
bondage to Egypt, and youremember there in the book of
(02:43):
Genesis, they got there throughone of their ancestors, joseph.
You remember that whole story.
Joseph sold into slavery,thereby his brothers, who hated
him, and God works it out forgood.
Right, I'll ruin the story foryou, but through a process of
(03:05):
events, god takes care of thewhole family and brings them to
Egypt, where they thrive.
Well, they thrive.
And the book of Exodus startstoward the beginning there verse
8, with this idea that therearose a king in Egypt that did
not know Joseph's people.
And you know the story Pharaoh,a new pharaoh, came on board
and he was afraid of God'speople.
They were getting strong and hewanted to make sure that they
stayed in their place.
(03:25):
So he put them into slavery andoppressed them there.
In chapter three, you know, godpurposes a deliverer.
He calls a guy named Moses.
Moses right, and they're at theburning.
Bush, he tells him I'm going touse you to deliver my people
(03:46):
from slavery.
And the big thing here is thatit's this sort of battle of the
wills.
It's God through Moses sayinglet my people go, and Pharaoh
stubbornly saying I don't knowthis God that you're talking
about.
Why should I let you go?
And God says let him go.
(04:09):
Pharaoh says not going to do it.
God sends plagues, you rememberTen plagues total in increasing
intensity, you could say, andGod uses it for a lot of
different things there, butreally to bring Pharaoh to the
end of himself.
Now Pharaoh becomes morestubborn and God more insistent.
(04:32):
I guess if you could say thathe does, that he's not giving up
.
And finally we come around tothis final plague, the 10th
plague, and in chapter 11, godsays this is what's going to
happen I'm going to send deaththrough the land of Egypt, death
to all the firstborn in theland, from Pharaoh to his
(04:55):
servant, man and beast right.
And God promises that afterthis plague, after this death
goes through the land, that notonly will Pharaoh let you go,
he's going to force you out,he's going to push you out.
And so, chapter 11, it's alllaid in order.
This is what's going to happenNow.
(05:17):
Chapter 12, god gives them theinstructions for their
Independence Day, the Passoverfeast, in chapter 12.
And this really is where Ithink we get a clear picture of
Easter, the resurrection and thecross.
(05:38):
Chapter 12, let's look at verseone.
Now the Lord spoke to Moses andAaron in the land of Egypt
saying this month shall be yourbeginning of months.
It shall be the first month ofthe year to you.
So here we're, given a month.
It's interesting this would bethe month of Nisan, not the car,
(06:00):
but the month, the month ofNisan.
And that falls March to Aprilon the Hebrew calendar, a little
different system.
There it's based on thesequence of the moons, but it
falls usually March to April.
Now, interesting, this year2025, it almost exclusively
(06:21):
falls in the month of April,almost perfectly.
And so what's funny is that aswe get to this Feast of Passover
this week is the Feast ofPassover Usually it doesn't work
out that way and Easter, ourResurrection Sunday and Good
Friday fall in the week ofPassover.
(06:42):
Kind of neat how that allworked out this year.
What does it mean?
I don't know.
Anyways, verse three speak toall the congregation of Israel,
saying on the 10th of this month, every man shall take for
himself a lamb According to thehouse of his father, a lamb for
a household.
(07:02):
And if the household is toosmall for a lamb, let him and
his neighbor next to his housetake it according to the number
of persons, according to eachman's need.
You shall make your count forthe lamb.
Your lamb shall be, withoutblemish, a male of the first
year.
You may take it from the sheepor from the goats, and you shall
(07:24):
keep it until the 14th day ofthe same month.
All right, we stop there.
So the feast involves a lamb.
Now notice in verse three everyhousehold is to have a lamb.
Verse five tells us it's thelamb of the first year, so it's
(07:46):
a baby, right.
And it must be a male, perfect,without blemish.
Now we're told here in versethree it's a lamb.
That's pretty general, right, alamb.
Just take a lamb, Notice inverse four.
In verse four, they're toldthat it will be the lamb.
(08:09):
I think this is interesting andnot an accident.
Verse 4, it is the lamb.
A little more specific, youchoose one of those lambs and it
becomes the lamb.
Now notice what you do, though.
You take this lamb into yourhouse.
Verse 3 lets us know theprocess starts on the 10th day
(08:32):
and it ends on the 14th day.
So just picture this For fourdays you have a lamb, a little
baby lamb, fuzzy, cute lamb,living in your house.
So it seems.
Now, as a father, I know thisis a mistake.
This is a big, big mistake.
(08:53):
Now, if you read this, it'sinteresting.
It can be a lamb or it can befrom the goats.
You can use goats too.
Now we've had goats and we'vehad baby goats, and what I know
from having goats is nobodywants a goat.
You know, when you go to sellgoats.
Nobody wants a goat, but whenthey see a baby goat, oh people
(09:15):
go crazy.
When they see baby goats, babygoats are dangerous.
They got their little ittybitty hooves, you know, and just
to say hooves, it's just cute,right.
And they got their little babygoatees, and you know what?
They don't walk.
I don't know what it is.
They don't walk.
They actually hop everywherethey go.
(09:35):
And they don't just hop, theyhop sideways.
I mean, this is true, babygoats, like they just are full
of energy or something, and theyhop sideways and you just look
at them and you go, they're socute and we have brought them
into our house before.
But what happens at that point?
When you bring them in yourhouse for four days, it is 100
(09:59):
percent guaranteed that thosechildren named that baby lamb by
that point.
Now this is going to get darkhere in a second, but picture it
the baby lamb is a lamb, it'sthe lamb.
And then in verse five, godknows, he says your lamb right.
(10:20):
So we've gotten closer andcloser to this lamb, a lamb, the
lamb, your lamb right.
And there it is.
And I imagine those little kidsthey're guaranteed Somebody
tried to dress their little lambup by that point.
You know what I mean.
Put a bow on it, gave it a nameit's our lamb, this is our lamb
(10:42):
, freddie, or whatever you know,and, and it's very personal, it
is a pet at that point.
Now, this is not an accidenteither.
A lamb, the lamb, your lamb,notice where we go from here,
verse six.
Now you shall keep it until the14th day of the same month.
(11:04):
Then the whole assembly of thecongregation of Israel shall
kill it at twilight.
And so here we find that thislamb is a sacrifice.
At sunset they would kill thelamb.
The father of the house, nodoubt, would go and would kill
(11:27):
this lamb, and that's graphic,right.
There is no clean way to dothis.
And I'm with every child atthat point and I would probably
say why?
Why do we have to kill our lamb?
Why?
Now we find out in verse eight.
(11:48):
I guess we didn't read on.
We better read on In verse 8,.
I guess we didn't read on.
We better read on Notice, verse7.
And they shall take some of theblood and put it on the two
doorposts and the lentil of thehouse where they eat it.
And they shall eat the flesh onthat night, roasted in fire
with unleavened bread withoutyeast and with bitter herbs,
(12:09):
they shall eat it.
So this lamb is dinner.
Now, that's not too unusual,especially in their world, but I
guarantee nobody enjoyed thatfeast.
The kids did not enjoy thatfeast right, because that was
our lamb.
But the whole reason is notjust because we needed something
(12:31):
to eat for dinner.
We understand.
There's more to it.
Notice verse seven.
They would paint the doors withthe blood.
Yeah, strange but specific.
They would put blood on the topof the door and on the sides of
the door and on the sides ofthe door.
And the reason why we find, aswe read on, let's look at verse
(12:57):
12.
For I will pass through theland of Egypt on that night,
that plague we talked aboutthere before.
I will pass through the land ofEgypt on that night and will
strike the firstborn in the landof Egypt, both man and beast,
andborn in the land of Egypt,both man and beast.
And against all the gods ofEgypt, I will execute judgment.
(13:22):
I am the Lord.
Now.
The blood shall be a sign foryou on the houses where you are
and notice this.
And when I see the blood, Iwill pass over you and the
plague shall not be on you todestroy you.
When I see the blood, I willpass over you, and the plague
shall not be on you to destroyyou when I strike the land of
Egypt.
So we get it now right.
God says, when I go through theland, the plague, the plague to
(13:46):
take the firstborn in all ofEgypt, the final plague where
Pharaoh will make you leave,when I see the blood on your
door, I'll pass over.
And the feast was calledPassover because death would
pass over the houses where theblood was on the door.
So there was a real reason.
It wasn't just for something toeat, it wasn't just for the
(14:08):
feast, it was to save thefirstborn in every house.
It was redemption for thepeople, it was salvation from
certain death, and so, as thatfather man, I wouldn't want to
be a father during that time.
Why, dad?
Why do we have to kill our lamb?
(14:29):
The father knew, though, it'sjust gotta be.
If this blood is not on thedoor, then death will come to
our house, the firstborn will betaken.
That's what was gonna happen.
So it made it a little moretolerable as a father, knowing
that this is what needed tohappen.
(14:51):
And yet it became theirsalvation right.
It became their independence,they were redeemed from slavery
and bought out of slavery.
In that, now, this was a feastthat they would celebrate every
year.
They didn't always do it, butit was to remember what God had
(15:12):
done for them.
But then we fast forward againabout 1500 years ahead, and and
we remember John the Baptist,the guy that baptized.
He was kind of a little strange, maybe, you know, wore camel's
hair and ate grasshoppers andhoney and all these things, but
(15:32):
he came with a pretty certainmessage.
Remember that.
He told people to repent, turnfrom your sins, turn to God.
You brood of vipers, right.
But he also pointed at Jesus atone time.
Remember that Jesus, hisrelative, was coming towards him
to be baptized, and John looksat him, and for no good reason.
(15:55):
I don't even know what hedidn't, did he know?
I don't know, but he pointed atJesus and he said behold, check
it out.
Behold the lamb of God whotakes away the sin of the world.
Did he know what he was saying?
I don't know, but he knew heneeded to say it.
Jesus was the lamb of God whotakes away the sin of the world.
(16:18):
And John lays it down for us soclearly.
Then, as we look at this accountof this feast of Passover, that
Jesus was that lamb right Tothe world.
He was a lamb right, in reality, he was the lamb, but
(16:39):
ultimately he has to be our lamb, but the lamb of God to take
away the sin of the world.
We look at this evening, wecome together really simply here
tonight.
We come together to rememberwhat Jesus did for us.
And you know, I can takecommunion and I can go through
the motions and sometimes Idon't think about it, but to
(17:01):
think that Jesus was a sacrifice, oh, he was a sacrifice, he was
the sacrifice, but he was mysacrifice.
You know, when we look atsacrifice in the Old Testament
sin sacrifice it's kind of alongthe same lines.
Check it out.
They would take a lamb and ithad to be a perfect lamb, it had
(17:22):
to be the best, and they wouldput their hand on that sacrifice
when they would bring it to thepriest.
They would put their hand onthat sacrifice and they would
confess their sins right Now.
If I had to say, right now,let's all confess our sins, that
could be awkward anduncomfortable, but you can go
through your week and go.
I got a couple examples,keeping it to myself.
(17:44):
I got a couple of examples.
And you could say in your heartand go, I got a couple examples
, keeping it to myself.
I got a couple of examples andyou could say in your heart God,
I confess I was wrong when Iacted that way.
God, you know what was in myheart, god, you know what I did.
No one else knows what I did,but you know, and I was wrong.
And that's what happens.
(18:05):
When they would come with thesacrifice, they put their hand
on the animal and they would say, god, I messed up, I lied, I
sinned, whatever it was, andthen the sacrifice would take
place and they would kill thatanimal.
And you go why, why, why doesGod have to have a sacrifice
like that?
Well, because sin is serious.
(18:26):
Paul tells us Romans 3.23,.
The wages of sin is death.
It's not 3.23, it's 6.23.
The wages of sin is death.
And I look at my sin and I go,yeah, it's bad, but you know,
everybody does it.
You know it's bad, but you knoweverybody does it.
You know, but yet death is whatmy sin deserved.
(18:48):
And think about how real thatwould be if you can put your
hand on something.
And then you had to sacrificeit and you saw it die.
And you saw it die because ofwhat you did, taking your place.
Well, that's exactly what Jesusdid on the cross.
We don't always stop to thinkabout it, but in reality, we
(19:08):
come to the cross.
What does it mean?
To believe and receive whatJesus did for us?
I think it means to come to thecross.
And if we could put our hand onhim and say, god, you know, I
messed up.
I'm messed up.
Since the very beginning, I'vealways been messed up and I
always will be messed up.
Now, god changes us for sure,but we will always be sinners.
(19:30):
We will always need a savior.
And we come to Jesus on thecross and we need to see him
there.
That's a good Friday.
That's why it's good we see himthere dying.
And you've seen recreations ofthis which are probably nothing
close to what it really was like, but it was brutal right.
Isaiah 53 says you know, he waswounded for our transgressions
(19:53):
and he was bruised for ouriniquities and he was just beat
to the point where he wasn'teven recognized anymore.
But he did it for us because ofour sin, and we would go.
Well, I got some bad sins, butI got some not so bad sins, but
the wages of sin, every sin, isdebt and that's heavy.
(20:15):
But the wonderful gift andgrace of God is that God loved
us.
He did what we couldn't do forourselves.
He paid the price.
Perfect lamb of God who takesaway the sin of the world and
doesn't just cover it, takes itaway as if it never happened, so
that God can look at us and goperfect, I see, perfect.
(20:38):
I mean I really can't imagineGod smiling at me.
You know what I mean.
Like if I were God and I'm not,you know, I would imagine he'd
look at me and go oh wow, thisis kind of this thing, you know.
And yet God, because of whathis son has done for us, he
looks at us and he loves us andhe goes you did everything right
(21:00):
and we go I absolutely did notdo everything right.
Is that what Jesus did?
And he took your place and hegives us his righteousness.
First Corinthians, our secondCorinthians, 521, says gives us
his righteousness.
And so we stand in therighteousness of Christ forgiven
(21:23):
and loved because of Jesus, ofChrist forgiven and loved
because of Jesus.
So we do have communion Good,my wife's so wonderful.
I'm so unprepared.
We're going to take time toremember, because Easter's got
to be more than chocolatebunnies and plastic eggs.
Right, it's what he's done forus.
(21:45):
It's totally what he's done forus that God loved us so much
and because of Jesus, he sees usas righteous and forgiven and
perfect.
Well, let's take the bread asyou have it.
Let's just consider it for amoment.
(22:06):
It was actually the same feast,the night before Jesus went to
the cross, he took bread.
It probably wasn't exactly likethis, but it was a little like
this.
It had the same kind of makeupin some ways here, but he took
it and he broke it and he saidthis is my body broken for you.
(22:29):
I'm telling you, do it,remember me.
And so we consider Jesus.
He laid down his body, his life, for us and consider how he was
beat and bruised and mocked.
And you know, they spoke to himand said well, you're the,
(22:54):
you're the son of god.
Tell us who hit you now.
He was on the cross, you're the.
If you're the christ, come downoff the cross and we'll believe
in you.
And he didn't open his mouth,he didn't say anything, he
didn't come down and he didn't.
You know, if it were me, Iwould have.
Just that's it, I'm done.
And yet he laid down his lifewillingly for us and proved it.
(23:18):
He didn't just say he loved us,he proved that he loved us.
So let's thank him for this.
God, thank you.
We deserve the very worst andyet you loved us so amazingly.
You laid down your life for us.
God, we were right there withthe mockers we so many times are
(23:40):
mockers, we so many times areand the amazing patience that
you have for us in life.
It just blows my mind that youwould have done this for me so
willingly.
God, thank you for this love.
Work it into our hearts that wewould know it as more than a
fact, but we would just trust init every single day.
(24:04):
In Jesus' name, we pray.
Let's take the bread and thecup there, the juice Guarantee.
It looked nothing like thislittle cup that we have here,
but the essence is right.
(24:26):
Jesus took a cup and he toldhis disciples this cup is my
blood, the blood of the newcovenant blood.
The blood of the new covenantblood sealing a promise to us.
I think about I think it'sHebrews, where it says without
(24:55):
the shedding of blood there's noremission of sins.
And I know I've told this story.
But there was one point I wastaking communion and I spilled
some on my hand and I just itreminded me all at once you know
how God speaks to you that Ineeded that blood and that blood
was on me, and that blood makesus clean.
The Bible uses words likejustify it's just as if we never
(25:16):
sinned.
It's perfect and and blameless.
I like that because, man, Ifeel pretty blamed most of the
time and I got a lot of blame,and yet he washes us.
He doesn't just cover us, hewashes it away as if it never
happened.
And only the blood of Jesus cando that.
Nothing else can do that.
No amount of counseling oranything like that can do that.
(25:38):
But the blood of Jesus can washaway every sin, and I need it
every single day.
So let's just thank him forthat.
God, thank you for your blood,lord.
Without it we would be withouthope, and yet you give us so
completely your blood thatwashes away every sin.
(26:00):
God, we can pick apart sinsfrom our childhood and last week
and everything, and yet, god,you choose not to remember it.
Because of what you've done forus, I pray that you'd make us
clean.
I pray that you'd clean ourminds that we throw so much
trash in God.
I pray that you'd clean ourhearts that hurt us every time
(26:21):
we turn around God.
We would just be new and freshthis year, a new creation in you
.
God, help these things to bereal in our heart, not words we
say, but the truth of our life.
Thank you for laying down yourlife for us In Jesus' name.
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