The Passover
Use these materials to go deeper into this message on your own, or with your small group.
Series Overview
Scripture Passage Handout
Sermon Questions
Good morning Chapel family. I have to take just a minute to celebrate what happened this weekend. We held our first ever Chapel Women “StayTreat”—we’ve traditionally had retreats, but we decided to hold this one right here on the Chapel campus. So it was a staytreat, and it was amazing. Typically at our women’s retreats we have 150-200 women attend; the StayTreat had over 350 women. The speaking was done by our very own Julie Barclay and Susan Breitz, it was so spiritually enriching and so relationally connecting. It was just an awesome weekend. So can we just say thank you to our Chapel Women leadership team?
Okay…welcome to the fourth Sunday of Lent. Our Lent series is called “Lead Me to the Cross,” because we believe the entire Bible is ultimately about Jesus and what he did on the cross. So each week we’re looking at a familiar story from the Old Testament, and we’re asking the question: what does this story teach me about the cross, and what does that mean for my life?
So today we come to probably the most important event in the entire Old Testament. It’s the event that the book of Exodus is named for. “Exodus” comes from a Greek word that literally means “a way out” or “a road out.” So after more than 400 years of slavery in Egypt, and more recently, after nine terrible plagues that God unleashed on Egypt, and multiple unsuccessful attempts by Moses to convince Pharaoh to let the people go, God was about to provide a way out.
So we’re going to be in Exodus chapters 11 and 12 today. And I want to read through and get the highlights of this story—starting in Exodus 11, verse 1. I invite you to hear the Word of God…
1 Now the Lord had said to Moses, “I will bring one more plague on Pharaoh and on Egypt. After that, he will let you go from here, and when he does, he will drive you out completely. Go to verse 4: 4 So Moses said, “This is what the Lord says: ‘About midnight I will go throughout Egypt. 5 Every firstborn son in Egypt will die, from the firstborn son of Pharaoh, who sits on the throne, to the firstborn son of the female slave, who is at her hand mill, and all the firstborn of the cattle as well. 6 There will be loud wailing throughout Egypt—worse than there has ever been or ever will be again.
No go down to chapter 12, verse 1: 1 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in Egypt, 2 “This month is to be for you the first month, the first month of your year. 3 Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household. Verse 5: 5 The animals you choose must be year-old males without defect, and you may take them from the sheep or the goats. 6 Take care of them until the fourteenth day of the month, when all the members of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight. 7 Then they are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the lambs. 8 That same night they are to eat the meat roasted over the fire, along with bitter herbs, and bread made without yeast.
Skip down to verse 11: 11 This is how you are to eat it: with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. Eat it in haste; it is the Lord’s Passover. 12 “On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn of both people and animals, and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the Lord. 13 The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague
will touch you when I strike Egypt. 14 “This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord—a lasting ordinance.”
Go down to verse 29: 29 At midnight the Lord struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh, who sat on the throne, to the firstborn of the prisoner, who was in the dungeon, and the firstborn of all the livestock as well. 30 Pharaoh and all his officials and all the Egyptians got up during the night, and there was loud wailing in Egypt, for there was not a house without someone dead. 31 During the night Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “Up! Leave my people, you and the Israelites! Go, worship the Lord as you have requested. 32 Take your flocks and herds, as you have said, and go. And also bless me.”
Verse 37: 37 The Israelites journeyed from Rameses to Sukkoth. There were about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides women and children. Verse 40: 40 Now the length of time the Israelite people lived in Egypt was 430 years. 41 At the end of the 430 years, to the very day, all the Lord’s divisions left Egypt. 42 Because the Lord kept vigil that night to bring them out of Egypt, on this night all the Israelites are to keep vigil to honor the Lord for the generations to come. This is the Word of the Lord.
It’s impossible to overstate just how huge this moment was. The tenth and final plague…the exodus out of Egypt…the first Passover. These are epic events in the history of Israel. But the bottom line for the people of Israel was that they were free. So what does this have to do with us? Everything.
So first, let’s talk about The Need for Freedom. The people of Israel needed freedom in two big ways. First, they needed Freedom from Slavery. That’s pretty obvious. They had been born into slavery—just like their parents and their grandparents and their great-grandparents had. Every day, they woke up and faced a life with no sense of dignity; no freedom; no ability to travel; they were treated like property. And as the years went by, they were treated more and more brutally. They were living in a way that human beings should never have to live. So they desperately needed freedom from slavery.
But they also needed Freedom from Judgment. Because God was about to bring a devastating judgment on Egypt: taking the lives of the firstborn in every household. Which is so hard to think about, isn’t it? But think about this: it wasn’t just the Egyptians who were in the path of this coming judgment. In Exodus 11:6, God says, “Every firstborn son in Egypt will die.” That includes everyone. It didn’t matter your nationality or your religion—the judgment of God was coming. And the Israelite people needed a way to escape it.
So they needed freedom from slavery; they needed freedom from judgment. And here’s where it starts to get personal: so do we. We need the same kinds of freedom they needed.
First of all, we need Freedom from Judgment. Just like it’s hard for us to think about the tenth plague on Egypt, it’s hard for us to think about the judgment of God in general, isn’t it? It’s much nicer to think about God’s love and God’s grace. But you can’t stop there. Because all through the Bible, we encounter a God who is completely holy and perfect, and therefore, by his very nature, he cannot tolerate sin. Jesus talked about judgment and hell a lot. So yes—God is a God of love, but he’s also a God of justice. Hebrews 9:27 says: people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment. So there will come a moment in every person’s life—in your life—when you will stand before your Creator, and be judged by him. As your pastor, I need to warn you of that. That day is coming.
Now: you might be thinking…why can’t God just forgive? If he’s so loving, why can’t he just overlook our sins? And the answer is: that’s not how reality works. And you know this—if you’ve been sinned against and deeply harmed, real forgiveness is never that simple. It’s not that cheap. Let me illustrate
it like this. A few years ago, I was home on a Saturday morning, and I heard a huge crash. I ran downstairs, and it turned out my son had been playing soccer with some friends in the backyard. And one of his friends had kicked a soccer ball into one of our windows, and just shattered it. So I came out onto the back deck, and the guilty party sheepishly came up to me, and he said, “I’m sorry, Mr. Gustavsen.” And that was nice of him—I appreciated his apology. But there was still a problem. You know what the problem was? My window was still broken. And in order to restore things to how they needed to be, someone would need to absorb the cost of fixing that window. So an apology is great, but it doesn’t bring real restoration. So either I would be the stingy dad, and make my son’s 15-year-old friend cough up the 300 bucks, or I would cover the cost myself. But someone had to pay for it. And I’ll let you guess which one I chose.
But here’s the point: when we sin—when we break the commands of God (which, by the way, always causes damage to ourselves, and often hurts other people)—it’s like we are breaking a window in God’s house. God takes sin that seriously. So yes—we need to apologize—the Bible calls that “confession.” But a payment also needs to be made. And that’s what God’s judgment is all about. It’s about restoring what’s been broken—so someone needs to absorb the cost for the damage that was done. Are you following me? To fix what’s been broken.
So judgment day is coming, and that should be a sobering thought. Because the same God who poured out judgment on Egypt will one day bring judgment on the entire world—and that includes me and you. And therefore, we need something to free us from that judgment.
But then also, just like the Israelites, we need Freedom from Slavery. Why would I say that ? Well, there’s a timeless principle in the New Testament. 2 Peter 2:19 says …people are slaves to whatever has mastered them. We are slaves to anything that has mastered us. And maybe you say, “Well, nothing has mastered me!” You’re probably not thinking deeply enough.
For example, it’s very possible that you are mastered by the opinions of other people. When you post something on social media, you obsessively monitor the comments and the likes, or the lack thereof. When someone criticizes you, it devastates you—you lie awake in bed thinking about it. When you receive a compliment, especially from someone you admire, you are walking on air for days. Sometimes this is called “people pleasing”; the biblical term for it is “fear of man.” It’s very common, and it’s a form of slavery, because your self-image is completely at the mercy of other people. And your life would be so much better if you were freed from that slavery.
Or, maybe your slavery is a compulsive dependence on a substance—nicotine or alcohol or pain pills. Gambling or food or porn. And those are just the well-known ones! Gerald May was a Christian therapist who specialized in addiction. And in his book Addiction and Grace, he lists over 200 things that he has seen people addicted to—things like body image, exercise, money, power, sports, winning, shoplifting…the list goes on and on. In fact, he says every single person he’s ever known has struggled with some kind of addictive behavior. Isn’t that crazy? Because here’s what he says: anything that you do, not because you choose to do it, but because you feel compelled to do it, qualifies as an addiction. And he says all addictions “impede human freedom and diminish the human spirit.” In other words, addiction enslaves you. And your life would be so much better if you were freed from that slavery.
So—just like the Israelites, we need freedom from God’s judgment, and we need freedom from slavery. And of course the question is: where does that freedom come from?
Point number 2: let’s talk about The Cost of Freedom. Thankfully, God is not only holy and just; he’s also merciful. So in his mercy, he provided a substitute to receive judgment in place of his people. Just
like—remember—when Adam sinned, God took the life of an animal and covered Adam’s guilt and shame with the animal skin. And just like, when Isaac was supposed to die, God provided a ram as a sacrifice in his place. We’re seeing a pattern here, right? And once again, in Egypt, God provides a substitute—and it’s a lamb. And he tells them three things about this lamb.
First, the lamb had to be perfect. Did you notice it said that the lambs had to be “without defect”? So you couldn’t use an animal that was lame or diseased. Had to be perfect.
Secondly, the lamb had to be sacrificed. It had to spill its blood and give up its life. So each family would slaughter a lamb and use it for a special meal.
And then third, the lamb had to be personally applied. It wasn’t enough just to sacrifice it! Each family had to actually take some of the blood and put it on their doorframe. And he says, “If you do that, I will pass over your house; you will be free from my judgment, and you’ll be free from slavery.
Because here’s the timeless principle—this is so important: Freedom comes only through the blood of the lamb.
And sure enough, God is true to His word; this horrible plague strikes down the firstborn in every home without the blood. And I have to remind myself that it’s God’s prerogative to give life and to take life away. I also need to remind myself that all throughout the Bible, when a child dies, that child is immediately taken to be with God in heaven. But it’s still hard. And the Israelites are kept safe because they have the lambs’ blood on their doors. And the Egyptians—including Pharaoh himself—are so distraught, they say, “Please—get out. We give up! You win!”
And on that night, one of the most amazing events in the history of the world took place. Remember: these people had lived their whole lives in slavery; and now they find themselves walking out of this prison camp, with no one stopping them.. This is like Louie Zamperini (if you read the book Unbroken), after spending two years of torture in a Japanese prison camp, walking out of the camp a free man. This is like Andy Dufresne crawling out of the sewage pipe from Shawshank Penitentiary, standing in the rain, gloriously free. Only here, it isn’t just one person, it’s 600,000 men, plus women and children. This is one of the greatest moments of liberation in all of human history! And God says, “In the generations to come, I never want you to forget that freedom came by the blood of the lamb.
Now: fast-forward 1,400 years. It’s around 30AD. The nation of Israel is still celebrating the Passover. So every Jewish person knows that God brought his people to freedom through the blood of a sacrificial lamb. Everybody knows that! And that’s why everyone is electrified when they see this Rabbi named Jesus wading through the Jordan River toward this wild man named John, and they hear John say, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”
And then as you watch the life of Jesus unfold, you start to see how he played that role of the Passover Lamb. Remember the requirements for the lamb? It had to be what? Perfect. Jesus is the only person who ever lived a perfect life. 1 Peter 1:19 says He was a lamb without blemish or defect.
Secondly, the lamb had to be sacrificed. Despite his perfect life, Jesus was arrested, and tortured, and He gave up His life on the cross. It says in 1 Corinthians 5:7 that Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. As a matter of fact, it happened during the feast of Passover. Not a coincidence.
And there’s one more thing—you remember what it is? The blood of that lamb had to be personally applied to each door. You know what that means for us? It’s not enough to know that Jesus showed up and lived a perfect life and died on the cross. We have to make it personal! John 1:12 says But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who
believe in His name. You have to receive him. You have to believe! You have to apply the blood to your life. And that’s a humbling thing to do.
Can you imagine, if you were an Israelite dad living in Egypt, and you’re out there in front of your house, with a scrubby branch of a bush, dipping it in blood and smearing it on top of your door. And your Egyptian neighbor comes by and says, “Hey—what are you doing?” And you say, “Well, God is about to bring judgment on Egypt, but he said if we put the blood of a lamb around our door, we’ll be okay.” And your neighbor says, “What?” And you say, “God is about to bring judgment…” He says, “No, I heard you. But you believe that?” And you say, “I really do, and I wish you would believe it too.” And he shakes his head, and says, “Man, whatever works for you.” Because God’s ways will always seem strange to this world. The gospel message will always be a little out of step with the world—a little offensive. 1 Corinthians 1:18 says the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to those who are being saved it is the power of God.
See, freedom comes only by the blood of the lamb. So when we open our hearts and receive Christ, that’s when start to experience freedom.
First of all, freedom from slavery. So how does that work? How does the blood of Christ free you from being enslaved to things? Well, let me use the two examples I used earlier. If you’re enslaved by the approval of others, and what people think of you, here’s what the world says: “Stop worrying about what everyone else thinks; it only matters what you think about yourself!” But the gospel says, “Don’t even trust what you think about yourself!” In fact, you might have the most critical voice of all! Base your self-image on what God says about you. And when you look at the cross, you see how he really feels about you. He came to this world and gave up his very life for you. Willingly! So let the blood of Christ free you from slavery to people-pleasing. Find your self-image in the cross of Christ, and you will be free to love people and serve people, without desperately needing them to like you. Oh, that really is freedom!
If you’re enslaved to a substance, why is that? Why are you unable to stop going back to that addiction? Seth Haines was a successful attorney in Little Rock, Arkansas. And his infant son had some serious medical problems, so he was in the ICU. In response to the pain of that experience, he started numbing the pain by drinking. He talks about taking a Styrofoam hospital cup with crushed ice, and filling it to the top with gin. And for a few moments, his pain was gone. And that began several years of addictive drinking. So in his book Coming Clean, he suggests that all addiction is a response to pain. It doesn’t remove the pain, but at least you feel better for a while, right? That fourth glass of wine or that extra piece of cake at least give you temporary relief. But the more you focus on the blood of Christ, the more you realize he went through unspeakable pain for you at the cross. And now, he promises to walk with you through all your pain. So instead of finding comfort in that addiction, you learn to find your comfort in Jesus. And that’s a very simplified explanation, but that’s what our addiction recovery group, More than Conquerors, is helping people do every week. It’s real, and it works. The blood of Christ brings freedom from slavery.
And finally, the blood of Christ gives us freedom from judgment. When you think about that day when you’ll stand before your Creator, instead of looking at that moment with terror, you start to view it with anticipation. Because even though you know you’re guilty—you know you’ve broken all kinds of windows in God’s house, right? But you have chosen to allow your debt to be paid by the blood of Christ. So you find your confidence in the cross.
Last month I told you about a woman that I had the privilege to visit in her home. Her body was clearly failing, but she just radiated joy because of her faith. And the day after I visited her, God called
her home. But when we were together, there was this very holy moment where we shared communion—her husband and her nurse and I were gathered around her bed. And as I handed her the cup—the blood—I said, “This is why you can face eternity with no fear. This is why you can stand before God with confidence. Because your sins are covered in the blood of Christ.
Do you have that kind of confidence? About your own death? Because of not, I urge you—open your heart to Christ—accept the sacrifice he made for you. And you’ll be free from the judgment of God. That’s a freedom that comes only from the blood of the lamb.
And when something is that important, you have to celebrate it. So the third and final point of the sermon is going to be all about the Celebration of Freedom. We call the celebration “communion.” So let’s take a moment to prepare our hearts for communion…
Pause to prepare for communion.
Communion Script:
When you read Exodus, don’t you get the sense that celebrating Passover was kind of a big deal to God? This thing that had happened was so central to the identity of God’s people, He never wanted them to forget it. So he said, “When your children ask you about it—when they say, ‘Why is this night different from every other night?’ you’re going to have the opportunity to remind them what God did for his people.
So as Christians, what are we supposed to do with this? Well, do you realize that the night Jesus and his disciples gathered for the Last Supper was the first night of…what? Passover. So as faithful Jewish men, this was something the disciples of Jesus had done many times before—gathering to eat the Passover feast. So they gathered in that upper room. And this is very interesting: in the Gospel accounts of the Last Supper, have you ever noticed there’s no mention of a lamb being served? Now, it could be that the Gospel writers just didn’t mention it. But there’s another possibility. I think it’s very possible there was no lamb on the table…because the true Lamb was sitting around the table with them.
And on that night, he gave his followers a new kind of Passover feast. He took bread, and he said, “This is my body.” He took wine, and he said, “This is the new covenant in my blood.” And he said, “After I’m gone, I want you to eat this bread and drink this cup in remembrance of me.”
So just as Passover reminded the Israelites how God had set them free, Communion is going to remind us how God sets us free
Let’s pray and thank God for what we’re about to do…PRAY, share the bread and cup.