PASTOR’S NOTES
Every man shall take for himself a lamb.”
Happy Easter!!! In our study of Exodus, what a place to land for a Easter service! How God has given us the perfect place in our study just shows how awesome He is!! The Passover is a wonderful Easter message of God’s goodness and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In the story of the Passover, the message points right at the cross and the celebration we call Easter.
As we saw in the plagues, God separated the Israelites and the Egyptians. However, don’t be confused in the fact that the Israelites deserved death just as much as the Egyptians. The people of God were sinners and fell short of perfection just like those who had punishment poured out on them in Egypt. What separated the the Egyptians and Israelites was simply that the Israelites belonged to God.
However the same night that God brought death to every house in Egypt in His tenth plague, He also visited the home of every Israelite. God came to bring judgement on all those who fell short of His glory and the people of God deserved to die every bit as much as their enemies. When it comes to God’s wrath, no one is safe because of the sin that we have in our lives. None are worthy and all deserve death.
In God’s great mercy, God provided a way for the Israelites. God provided a sacrifice for safety. In Exodus, God instructed the people to sacrifice a lamb without blemish and to smear the blood outside of their home to symbolize who they were to God. The blood would show God that a sacrifice had been made for their sins which would save them from the punishment they deserved. Each year after the Passover in Exodus, the people would continue this tradition to remember God’s salvation and also the lessons learned from the Egyptian’s sin.
Now how is all of this perfect for Easter?
Right before Jesus’s death, the people were preparing to celebrate the Passover. All of the lambs were being brought in and ready to sacrifice. This is the moment when everything changed!!
Scriptures tells us that Jesus became the lamb for those who would place their faith and trust in Him. That Jesus provided the perfect sacrifice and that His blood is what came between us and the wrath of God. From Exodus to the the Gospels, the message is clear, God will provide what God requires.
“Christ, our Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed” 1 Corinthians 5:7
SCRIPTURE TO GO ALONG WITH THE MESSAGE
Read Matthew 26:17-30 to read about the Passover before Jesus’s death. Also take time this week and read Matthew 27-28 on the death and resurrection of Jesus.
HIGHLIGHT IN YOUR BIBLES
Highlight verses 12:12-14 in Exodus.
