Day: April 14, 2017

Christ Our Passover

Penang Assemblies Combined Easter Conference 2017: Session 1.

Speaker: Dr Peter Wong

“For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep. After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles. Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time.” ~ ‭‭I Corinthians‬ ‭15:3-8‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Context/Background
Corinth was a young, richly blessed assembly eagerly using their gifts.
Problems faced:
• Divisive rivalries
• Defilement
• Disorderliness at meetings
• Disregarding others interest
• Denying important doctrines (including resurrection)

Truths
Christ the messiah foretold & foreshadowed in Old Testament
• He died for our sins
• He was buried
• But His tomb was empty
• He is risen

Paul makes a further point: according to the scripture (mentioned twice!)

Where was the Lord Jesus Christ on His first resurrection Sunday?

“And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.

And they said to one another, “Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?”” ~‭‭Luke‬ ‭24:27, 32‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Christ our Passover

Exodus 12 ESV

There is none righteous.
The wages of sin is death.
Substitution of a life for a life.
A redemption of blood.

“Pasah” in Passover means spreading.

“For the LORD will pass through to strike the Egyptians; and when He sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the LORD will pass over the door and not allow the destroyer to come into your houses to strike you.” ~‭‭Exodus‬ ‭12:23‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

The hand of the Lord is for all who trust Him & His wrath for all who forsake Him.
No option for us to be neutral.

Did the blood of the Passover lamb save the life of the Israelites firstborns?
Yes

Did the blood take away the sins of the Israelites?
No (Hebrews 10:4)

John the Baptist testified on Him (John 1:29)

Our key verse tells us that true Passover the Lamb is our Lord Jesus Christ.

Christ foreshadowed
• Without blemish and flawless
• Checked thoroughly
• Displayed publicly

Passover lamb with unleavened bread & bitter herbs.
Leaven a picture of sin as a tiny bit of leaven causes the bread to be drastically transformed.
Causes bread to be puffed up – like pride in men.
Each generation of men inherit the sin of Adam.
The feast of unleavened bread for 7 more days.
All traces of leaven was needed to be removed from the Israelites home.
It’s an object lesson that sin must & can be removed – with the Passover lamb.
They reflects the breaking of the sin nature.

Because Christ has died as our Passover lamb we can & must purge all traces of sinful ways from our lives. Live lives of sincerity and truth.

The order is important
1. Passover
2. Feast of unleavened bread

Israelites put away leaven because they had been saved (and not the other way around).
We are saved by grace not by works. We are saved for good works. After we have been saved, we must be involved in good works.
There is no pause between the Passover and feast.
Likewise when a person trusts Jesus, there is no more room for sin in our lives.
Christ has finished the work of redemption on the cross.

In summary: We are not holy in order to be saved. We are saved in order to be holy. All who are saved must be holy.

Why bitter herbs?
Remind Israelites on their lives as slaves.
Speak to us of the suffering of Jesus Christ.
Like the hymn:

O Christ, what burdens bowed Thy head!
Our load was laid on Thee;
Thou stoodest in the sinner’s stead,
Didst bear all ill for me.
A Victim led, Thy blood was shed;
Now there’s no load for me.

Death and the curse were in our cup:
O Christ, ’twas full for Thee;
But Thou hast drained the last dark drop,
’Tis empty now for me.
That bitter cup, love drank it up;
Now blessing’s draught for me.

In what matter Passover meal eaten?
In haste. Ready to leave at a moments notice. Belt faster, sandals on feet, and staff in hand.
We who are redeemed are to be ready to go whenever called or when raptured.
Are we ready? Be watchful like soldiers on night duty, and not asleep.
We are called to be sojourners on earth (not tourists).

The Passover changed everything for the Israelites. Everything would be new after that. They would experience the provision of God in the wilderness. Their lives would never be the same again.

So must it be for us being saved by the blood of Christ. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

“Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us.” ~‭‭I Corinthians‬ ‭5:7‬ ‭NKJV‬‬