THE LAMB OF GOD

Exodus Twelve

Sermon of the Week #200607-February 18, 2006

Pharaoh had commanded all the male babies of Israel to be cast into the river. Now it was payday. All the first born of the Egyptians were to be slain when God passed over the land the night of the institution of the Passover. We must take notice here that America has out done Pharaoh in the abortion laws. It is important that I remind you at this time, PAY DAY IS COMING.

Now the lamb was to be without blemish—a male one year old, the whole assembly shall kill it in the evening. Take the blood of the lamb strike it on the two side posts and on the upper doorpost. God said, "It will happen at midnight; and I will smite the first born of both man and beast. The blood shall be a token upon the houses where you are. When I see the blood of the Passover lamb I will pass over you.”

Ladies and Gentlemen, it came to pass even as the Lord declared. On that midnight the Lord smote all the first born in the land of Egypt, from the first born of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the first born of the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the first born of cattle. And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he and all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt; for there was not a house where there was not one dead.

What happened on that night in Egypt is a picture of the coming event of the appearance of the Lord Jesus Christ when He comes again in Judgment. Notice the similarities in the two events.

It happened at midnight. The judgment of God will fall on the sinner at the most unexpected time. Jesus said it is at midnight when the cry was heard, “Behold the bridegroom.”

 The judgment fell upon every classification of people: from Pharaoh to the people in the dungeon. From the members of congress, the Supreme Court, to the dog catcher of your county, from the Hollywood star as he receives the Oscar, to the usher in the theater, from the billionaire to the person who works for minimum wage, from the liberal professor in the University, to the high school drop out, from the person who lives in the mansion, to the person who is homeless on the street. No classification of sinner will be exempted.

Then remember also a great cry was heard throughout the land when the judgment fell upon them. The darkness of the hour did not conceal them. There will not be any place on this earth or in space to hide. John tells us all the tribes of the earth shall mourn because of Him. In the book of Hebrews we read, “Judgment is mine, I will repay saith the Lord.” It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.  

This in brief is the story of the offering of the PASSOVER LAMB. In the gospel according to John, John pointed Jesus out as the Lamb of God when he said, “Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world.” There are many similarities in the Passover Lamb and the Lamb of God—even the Lord Jesus Christ. We have time to mention only a few. First notice the selection of the Lamb.

SELECTING THE LAMB

A lamb one year old and without blemish was to be selected. A lamb was selected for each household. Evidently the slaying of the lamb was tied in with each household. It is the home that is emphasized. God wants to see each home covered with the blood of the lamb both then and now. I heard a theology professor say many years ago that society walks on two legs, the church and the home, and when one of those legs is broken society is crippled. These are days when more homes are broken than ever before.

I heard the following unbelievable conversation recently on television. A woman was obviously pregnant and the interviewer asked her if she was married? The woman was not insulted by this remark at all, she graciously replied, she was. There was a time when such a question would have been the grossest insult, but not now.

What a contrast this was to the statement of Paul to Timothy when he said he remembered the unfeigned faith that dwelt first in his grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice. The news carried the story a few years ago of the death of the husband of a famous actress in a plane crash. The pictures showed three former husbands in attendance at the funeral. I mentioned this to a preacher friend and he said, “Why they live like a bunch of dogs.” Is there any better description of the attitude of thousands concerning marriage today? God is concerned about the family.

THE EXAMINATION OF THE LAMB

Then notice the examination of the lamb. The lamb was to be selected on the tenth day of the month and kept for the fourteenth day of the month. By this time they could observe if it was without blemish. This reminds us that the Lamb of God was examined thoroughly. The Lamb of God came into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. Then for four days He was examined. Monday through Thursday they looked Him over and tried to find a flaw.

Question after question was asked. "Who gave thee this authority? Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar? Whose wife shall she be? What is the greatest commandment in the law? Art thou the King of the Jews? What is truth? Hearest thou what these are saying? Answerest thou the high priest so? I adjure thee by the living God that you tell us whether thou art the Christ?^" Question after question, is there some flaw in the Lamb? None could be found. Judas testified, "I have betrayed innocent blood." Pilate said,  "I find no fault in Him."  Pilate’s wife told him, "Have thou nothing to do with this righteous man."

Perhaps the statement that sums up His life on earth best of all is when He said publicly so everyone could hear, "Which of you convicteth Me of sin?" Hear Paul as he declares He was temp­ted in all points like as we are and yet without sin. The Lamb was perfect. Now let us notice the killing of the lamb.

THE KILLING OF THE LAMB

The whole assembly was to kill the lamb. Although there were hundreds of lambs, maybe thousands of lambs that were slain, it speaks of the killing of the lamb as though it is in the singular—THE WHOLE ASSEMBLY SHALL KILL THE LAMB.

This is what happened in the slaying of the Lamb of God. It was singular. There was only ONE LAMB. And the whole assembly of the human race too killed it. Who crucified Jesus? It was the Jews and it was the Gentiles. It was Annas, the high priest, and it was Pilate, the Roman governor. We all did it. The weight of your sins and mine was on the hand that held the ham­mer that drove the nails through the hands and feet of Jesus. You are a murderer. You killed Jesus.

Someone asked why make such a fuss about the killing of one Jew two thousand years ago and not about the six million Jews who died in the gas chambers in World War II. The six million Jews were killed by a handful of men—maybe the whole German nation—but that one Jew was killed by all the billions of people who have ever lived. Not only was He slain by all of us, but also the blood of that one Jew who died on the cross was the blood of the Son of God, the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world, to save a number that no man can number from the holocaust of hell.

Notice how they were in a hurry to get the killing done. They were to kill the lamb and eat it roasted, and to eat it in haste. Their shoes were to be on and their loins girded, their staff was to be in their hand. The Lamb of God was also crucified in great haste. Many times today a trial can drag on for years. Sometimes continuances are made and some of the wit­nesses die. In the trial of Jesus there was no such delay. They could not get to it fast enough. There was no noted defense at­torney hired for the trial. They did not even wait until the next morning. The trial was held all night and at nine o’clock the next day, Jesus was already on the cross. After they got Him on the cross they were in a hurry, hurry to get Him down. Someone noticed that the next day was the Sabbath and got Pilate to have their legs broken and get them off the cross before the Sabbath. They did not break the legs of Jesus, He was already dead. They were in a hurry to get the job done.

We only wish that people could be in just as big a hurry to ac­cept the Lord as their Saviour, as they were to crucify him. We wish that people were in as big a hurry to get the message on television and radio as they were that day to crucify Jesus. The world is dying and going to hell, and the Church is dragging its feet. Now notice the sign of the lamb.

THE SIGN OF THE LAMB

The thirteenth verse says that the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are and when I see the blood, I will Passover you. The blood was to be applied to the two sides and the top of the door. The blood formed a sign of the cross—the true and only sign of the cross. The blood had to be applied in the specified way. It would not be enough to collect the blood in the basin that was specified, but the hyssop must be dipped in the blood and the blood struck on the three places. To put the basin of blood on the front steps or the front porch was not enough—it must be applied. When the Lord passed over the land he was not looking for Israel or for the Egyptians, He was looking for the blood. The blood made all the difference.

Consider the prominent place the blood of Christ has in the salvation of man. Here are at least eight statements about the blood of Christ. Number one: This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many unto remission of sins. Number two: Much more then, being now being justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath. Number three: Take heed therefore unto yourselves to feed the Church of God that He hath purchased with His own blood. Number four: In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of His grace. Number five: Without the shedding of sins there is no remission. Number six: The blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all sins. Number seven: These are they that have come out of the great tribulation and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Number eight: Unto Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His blood and made us to be kings and priests unto His God and Father, unto Him be the glory for ever Amen.  

Evidently from these verses, the Lord considers the blood of Christ of supreme importance, even though some scholars may call it slaughterhouse religion. 

Verse 22 says they were not to leave the house that night until after the Passover was over. They were to stay behind the blood. They were not safe anywhere else. This is a warning to the Christian today. Stay behind the blood. Remember what the Apostle Peter says, “For if after they have escaped the defilement of this world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are entangled again therein and overcome it is worse for them than at the first; For it has happened unto them according to the proverb; the dog turning again unto its own vomit, and the sow that was washed to wallowing in the mire.”

Think of that, the dog turning to its own vomit. People feed their bodies with vitamins, and eat all manner of nutritious food to feed their body, and then feed their souls with the vomit of pornography, and some of the television sitcoms. Then like hogs they wallow in it.     

 Note that the blood was not to be applied to the threshold; the blood was not to be trampl­ed on. Consider too that when the Lord passed over that night that no family escaped in the land of Egypt. Verse twenty-nine says that, as every house from the Pharaoh to the man in the dungeon was the loser of the first-born. Even the first born of the beasts were taken. The Egyptians worshipped certain animals—the crocodile, the bull, among others. To kill the first born of animals too was to kill the gods of the Egyptians.

While we do not worship animals today as the Egyptians, it does seem that America is an idolatrous nation when you consider the worship of sports events. It should give us pause and make us wonder when we consider that many of the teams in America we worship have the names of animals. Such names dominate the news as: Tigers, lions, colts, cats, eagles, birds, dogs, dolphins, bears, rams, long horns, cubs, and many others.

Consider also how blood must be applied in the prescribed way. Paul said in Romans the sixth chapter that as many of us as were baptized into Christ were baptized into His death. When we are baptized it is there that we make the sign of the cross—the only way to make that sign.

The blood is not to be trampled on. Paul says in Hebrews ten that when we neglect the assembling of ourselves together we trample underfoot the body of the Son of God and count the blood of the covenant whereby we were sanctified an unholy thing and have done despite to the Spirit of grace.

When the Lord passes over on that great day there will be none who will escape who are not under the blood. In that day all from Pharaoh to the man in the dungeon did not escape, and when the Lord comes again none will escape who are not under the blood. That blood is our token too. The Lord will be looking for the sign of the cross. Consider last of all the Memorial of the Lamb.

MEMORIAL OF THE LAMB

Verse fourteen tells us that this feast shall be unto you as a memorial. When your children ask why you keep the feast tell them it is the sacrifice of the Lord^’s Passover who passed over the house of the children of Israel.

The Lord^’s Supper on the Lord^’s Day is our memorial of our Passover Lamb too. Paul tells us that often as ye eat this bread and drink this cup ye proclaim the Lord’s death till He come.

 By the taking of the Lord's Supper we preach a sermon in action. We proclaim that Jesus died for us and arose from the dead as we bow our heads to eat of the loaf. When we raise our heads and look up as we drink the cup we say that He will come again on the clouds with power and great glory.

We proclaim that message in action. We proclaim the message to ourselves that Jesus died for us. We also proclaim that message to others. We tell them Jesus also died for you. We proclaim that message to Almighty God, who sent His Son to die for us and thank Him for this marvelous gift, and we also proclaim that message of our salvation to the Devil. We remind Satan of the promise of God in the Garden of Eden: The seed of the woman shall bruise the head of the serpent, and it shall bruise thy heal. What a blessing it is for the Christian on the first day of the week to observe the memorial concerning smashing of the head the serpent. When I see the blood, I will pass over you.