Christ Our Passover - Part 1

[John Alton]

Christ Our Passover - Part 1

Introduction
As the calendar revolves once again we are brought to that time of year when Christ our Lord was crucified. God in his wisdom and foresight deemed that this should happen so that man could be legitimately redeemed. The power and importance of Christ' death is matched and surpassed only by God's raising up of his dead body back to life never to die again. Because we are at this time of year I thought it would be a good time to post this study on the subject of Christ Our Passover.

1 Corinthians 5:7b For even Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us:

As I have continued in my endeavors to "search the scriptures" a couple of years ago I began to see that the phrase "Christ Our Passover" held a far deeper truth than I had previously been aware of and over these past few weeks I have been sharing this study in fellowship and thought this would also be a good forum to share what I have learned from the scriptures
In presenting this I went back to the beginning and looked at the details regarding the selection of the Passover Lamb on the 10th day of the month and that it was to be a lamb without blemish, the time of day it was to be sacrificed on the 14th and how it was to be eaten that evening with unleavened bread which was also the first day - (a High day) of the feast of unleavened bread. We also looked at how this related to the day and time that Christ himself was crucified. We also looked at aspects that relate to the Passover such as the use of leaven as a metaphor for doctrine, and also understanding that in the Hebrew calendar the new day started at sunset. All of these points are well known and documented and do not need to be repeated here.

To appreciate the truth that Christ is our Passover then the more we can understand just what was involved in the original Passover then the more we can appreciate just what it means for Christ to be our Passover.
We read about this original Passover that God instigated in Exodus 12
Selection
Exodus 12:1-5
Flesh And Blood
Exodus 12:6-11
Judgment
Exodus 12:12-13
The Feast of Unleavened Bread
Exodus 12:14-16
Re-Iteration of the Passover and its continued observance
Exodus 12:21-28

Two Aspects of the Passover
There are two symbolic aspects in the sacrificing of the Passover lamb.
Blood - The shedding of blood is required for the remission of sins.
Hebrews 9:22 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.
It took faith on the part of the children of Israel that by sacrificing the lamb and then spreading its blood upon their doorposts and lintel that God would pass over them and they would be spared from Gods executed judgment. Note they were not to put any blood on the threshold over which they walked.
Flesh - The flesh was to be eaten roasted with fire and bitter herbs for physical life and nourishment. In scripture fire many times represents Gods judgment.
They were also to eat un-leavened bread with the Passover meal and all though out the following week in the feast of unleavened bread.The eating of unleavened bread at the Passover meal and the feast of unleavened bread reminded the Children of Israel of two things.

• One, they were to rid themselves of all outside influences. When the Children of Israel lived in Egypt and were surrounded by its idolatry and the decedent luxuries of that nation which was the richest in the world. Egypt's financial wealth came by God, through Joseph at the time of the great famine.
• Two. Making un-leavened meant that for the bread to be decent the flour had to be ground daily which reminded Israel of the hard work they were forced to do in Egypt. Also if enough flour were ground for several days the bread made without leaven would be heavy which also served as a reminder of the heavy labor they were forced to endure whilst slave's in Egypt

The Passover a "Type" for Christ
Christ the Lamb
John 1:29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
1 Peter 1:18-19 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; 19But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:Matthew 26:27-28
27 And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; 28For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
Today it is common knowledge that Jesus shed his blood for the remission of our sins. He was the "lamb of God" he was the Passover lamb.Jesus died at the same time thousands of Jews were killing their Passover Lamb, little did they know that God was sacrificing his lamb for their remission of sins.Jesus died at 3:00pm outside the city gates just as many Jews were slaying their Passover Lamb at the same time also outside the city gates.

The Passover
I think it is generally a fair statement to make that Christ as our sacrifice for sin, Christ as the "Lamb of God" sums up what most think of as Christ our Passover Yet the more I look at scripture I see that this is really only half the story.
The service of the Passover has two parts corresponding to the flesh and blood.
The Lamb was slain and the flesh eaten and the blood of the Lamb was spread on the doorposts and lintel to protect them from Gods judgment which he executed upon the idolatry of Egypt.It was not until midnight that God would go over Egypt and upon seeing the blood of the Lamb He would not allow the destroyer to enter into that house but would PASS OVER that house and they would be spared from Gods judgment.
The Passover Lamb was a type for the coming Christ and just as the Passover service has two parts so does Christ have two advents. In his first advent he was the slain lamb of God, this is the first part of the type. In his second advent he is OUR Passover which means he is our protection our covering from Gods executed judgment.
Again look at what the Pass Over is all about.
Exodus 12:21-28 21Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel, and said unto them, Draw out and take you a lamb according to your families, and kill the passover. 22And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and strike the lintel and the two side posts with the blood that is in the basin; and none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning. 23For the LORD will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the LORD will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you. 24And ye shall observe this thing for an ordinance to thee and to thy sons for ever. 25And it shall come to pass, when ye be come to the land which the LORD will give you, according as he hath promised, that ye shall keep this service. 26And it shall come to pass, when your children shall say unto you, What mean ye by this service? 27That ye shall say, It is the sacrifice of the LORD'S passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when he smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses. And the people bowed the head and worshipped. 28And the children of Israel went away, and did as the LORD had commanded Moses and Aaron, so did they.

When Moses instructed Israel to put the blood of the lamb on the doorposts and lintel of their homes this was to protect the Children of Israel from Gods judgment of Egypt.This is why this whole sacrifice is called the "Passover", because God would upon seeing the blood "pass over" that house. Moses instructed Israel that in the future generations this was the explanation of the service that on this night God passed over the house of Israel and would not allow the destroyer to kill their firstborn.
This whole service as outlined in Exodus is called the "Passover" its not called the sacrifice of the lamb or named after any other aspect it is called the Passover which is all about Gods judgment and Gods "passing over" of judgment on those who have the blood of the lamb out there and on show for all the world to see.
The Passover Lamb was a type for the coming Christ the first part of the type was that Christ was sacrificed for our sins the second part of the type is that the blood of Christ will protect the saints from Gods judgment at the end of this age
Exodus 12:1313And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.
Token in verse 13: is defined as (in the sense of appearing); a signal (literally or figuratively), as flag, beacon, evidence, mark, sign

The children of Israel had to literally put the blood of the lamb right there on the outside of their homes right on their front door. They could not hide it somewhere inside their homes it was to be outside and on show. Because ultimately the Lamb was a type for Christ, even back then through the blood of the lamb they were giving God a "sign" they were giving "evidence" that they believed that the blood of the Messiah would cover their sins even if they did not understand the full significance of what they were doing.

This is fully consistent with the lack of understanding the Old Testament saints had of the sacrifice of Christ.
Today Christianity's most ardent cry is that Christ died for your sins, yet all through out the Old Testament this was a "mystery" God had revealed clues but the full understanding of what these prophecy's meant was hidden from man and were not revealed to man until taught by the Lord Christ himself after he had been resurrected.Why could Philip in Acts 8 teach the eunuch from Ethiopia the meaning of Isaiah 53, because Christ after his resurrection had taught his disciples "beginning at Moses revealed all things regarding himself". Luke 24:27, 45-47

Christ is our Passover not just the lamb that was slain for our sins but also our Passover which is our protection from the judgment and wrath of God.Just as the blood of the lamb protected Israel from Gods judgment upon the idolatry of Egypt so it is for us that the blood of Jesus Christ will protect us from the future judgment of God against the ungodly.

Romans 5:9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

This is what Christian Salvation is all about. Salvation basically means to be made safe, to be rescued and to be delivered. If a house is on fire and a fireman comes in and rescues you from the burning blaze you have been made safe, you have been saved you have been rescued.
The end of this age will culminate in God executing His judgment upon the earth and ultimately the pouring out of Gods wrath, on those who have refused to acknowledge the supremacy of God and his Son Jesus the Messiah and repent. Those who in their lives have repented and followed Christ those will be saved from the wrath to come.

To be continued….

[John Alton]

Hi John
I'm glad you liked the layout, I used a free HTML editor called Coffecup (www.coffecup.com) it was very easy to use so that I could apply some simple layout tags similar to what I had in Word, as you sometimes promote tools to help people with the technical side of things you might want to check this out.

as I knew posting this would be too long to do it all in one go some might say too long period!! HA I thought I would do it as 3 seperate threads but then it made more sense to just keep it under one. I wish I could be more succinct but unless I can back things up with the right detail I feel as though Ive only done half a job and the scriptures are just too important.

John you must be quiet a character you sound like King agrippa, (from your earlier comment) my view and understanding of the scriptures has grown and changed dramatically since our way days I see the Bible as one complete book and no longer divided into multiple sections written to different people and from this panoramic view Gods singular plan for man is so much easier to see. One God one faith one hope one body.

Cheers

[John Alton]

Hi John
I'm glad you liked the layout, I used a free HTML editor called Coffecup (www.coffecup.com) it was very easy to use so that I could apply some simple layout tags similar to what I had in Word, as you sometimes promote tools to help people with the technical side of things you might want to check this out.

as I knew posting this would be too long to do it all in one go some might say too long period!! HA I thought I would do it as 3 seperate threads but then it made more sense to just keep it under one. I wish I could be more succinct but unless I can back things up with the right detail I feel as though Ive only done half a job and the scriptures are just too important.

John you must be quiet a character you sound like King agrippa, (from your earlier comment) my view and understanding of the scriptures has grown and changed dramatically since our way days I see the Bible as one complete book and no longer divided into multiple sections written to different people and from this panoramic view Gods singular plan for man is so much easier to see. One God one faith one hope one body.

Cheers

[Eileen Davies]

listen, if someone else will clean house on our behalf, then i'm listening. i thank you and i thank you and i thank you chug chug chug

[John Richeson]

This is a nice way to do a blog, John. Nice layout. Makes sense and easier to follow. Thanks again.

Eileen - I did not see the section about a "clean house" but it probably means one where me and you are out in the back yard in lawn chairs smokin a cigarrette and chuggin a couple cold ones. Also I have a houskeeper who does my dirty work. Can I get a spiritual one too? Does that count?

Sorry John. No disrespect intended. Just trying to make Eileen laugh. We have a rich history.

[Eileen Davies]

yes, thank you. i love you, you cutie

[Ken LaPrade]

Dear John,
I really appreciate the heartful thinking in you 3 part presentation. I believe you hit on some true parallels between deliverance from wrath in the exodus from Egypt and future deliverance from wrath for those who faithfully (obediently) trust Christ, depending on his blood sacrifice and professing (or confessing) it with lifestyle (as genuine examples) and speech. I believe what you shared about the context of Romans 10: 9, 10 to be supremely important; it refers to a continuous commitment to a continuous "confession;" not a mere one time experience. This is consistent with every "new covenant" writing about the nature of real faith in Christ. Here are some more examples from the book of Hebrews: (from a translation by Wm. Barclay)
For we have been made partners with Christ, if only we preserve firm the confidence we had at the beginning. (3: 14)
And we are God's house, if we retain our courage, and our pride in the hope that is ours. (3: 6b)
It is our earnest desire that each of you should show the same eagerness in your efforts to reach the full and final realization of your hope. you must not become lazy. you must take as your examples those who through faith and perseverance are entering into the possession of the promises of God. (6: 11,12)
Thanks again for bringing out such wonderful points to consider with humility toward our God.
with agape, Ken

[John Alton]

Christ Our Passover - Conclusion

Blessings and Responsibility

We have looked at the sacrifice of the Passover Lamb and how that was followed by the feast of un-leavened bread which represented to Israel the importance of not allowing ungodly influences to work their way into their lives and corrupt the pureness of God.

1 Corinthians 5:6-8
6 Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?
7 Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:
8 Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

The feast of unleavened bread was to remind the Israelite believers that they were not to allow ungodly influences
in their lives, and the same thought is communicated to us that we are to keep our lives in sincerity and truth.

As newborn babes we are to desire the sincere milk of the word, (I Pet 2:2) we are to have Christ's words (which are Gods words) dwelling, abiding in us.
John 8:31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;
Colossians 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly…
The act of putting on the new man purges out the old man nature for we are to be to His praise and glory (Eph 1:12)

In the Passover they had to take the blood of the lamb and strike it upon the door posts and the lintel and that blood would be a "sign" to God

Exodus 12:13 And the blood shall be to you for a token [sign,signal] upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.
Token in verse 13: is defined as (in the sense of appearing); a signal (literally or figuratively), as flag, beacon, evidence, mark, sign

The children of Israel had to put the blood of the lamb right there on the outside of their homes right on their front door. They could not hide it somewhere inside their homes it was to be outside and on show. Because ultimately the Lamb was a type for Christ, even back then they were giving God a "sign" that they believed that the Messiah would cover their sins.
It took faith and action on behalf of Israel to literally put blood on the outside of their homes. They could not sit inside their homes and say "I believe" and not actually do anything this was not an intellectual exercise. If they did not do it they would have lost their firstborn as Egypt did. They had to take God at His word and do exactly what he commanded.

Christ is our Passover, He is our protection from Gods wrath
it is through our acceptance of Jesus as the Messiah and we have faith according to scripture that by his blood we are saved from the wrath to come.
All throughout scriptures Gods standard is that "The just shall live by faith".
We are to live by faith not just a one time confession but a lifetime of faith, a lifetime of endeavoring to put God first.
That means those who believe Gods word will endeavour to conduct their lives in accordance with the righteous doctrine of Gods word, we may fail and fall short many many times but the reality of Gods truth keeps us comming back, picking ourselves up and moving forward again. It's a good job God is so gracious and merciful because we certainly need it.

This walk takes us back to where we started we are to keep the feast with sincerity and truth because a little leaven (wrong doctrine - ungodly influences) works its way into the whole lump and corrupts it.
Putting off the old man and putting on Christ, letting the words of Christ dwell in you richly, all these truths are very relevant to this topic.

Israel put the blood of the lamb, which was a type for the blood of Christ on their front door you and I are to show forth Christ by our manner of life both in word and deed we are to show forth the salvation that is available through Jesus Christ our Passover.
Salvation is a subject that keeps coming up in looking at the Passover.

Romans 5:9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.
We have seen before that Saved is to be safe, to be protected, delivered

The Children of Israel were made "Safe" by the blood of the Lamb. Is there a colliery action for us today? and if so what is it?

There are many character traits listed in scripture that we are to put on in our lives which in many ways could be summed up as "walk in love" walking in love according to Gods word in its most common denominator is walking in obedience to Gods word. (John 14:15,21, I John 5:3)

Out of all the things we are commanded to do and keep when it comes to showing forth Christ there is no clearer, simpler or direct way than to speak Gods word.
Matthew 12:34b for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.
The bottom line is that what's is our heart is manifested by what we speak

Jesus said in Matthew 10:32-33
32 Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.
33 But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.

These words of Jesus are very strong and also very clear, Romans also talks about confessing Christ. Romans says we are to confess with our mouths the Lord Jesus, we are to speak about Christ,
we are to speak out that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, our savior, our Lord. This is not something we can just keep locked inside our hearts, it must be spoken out.

Romans 10:9-11
9That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. [Remember salvation is to be Saved from the wrath of God which is to come]

10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

Romans 10:9 must be kept in its context, the previous verses (6-8) are quotes from Deuteronomy which in essence tell us that we could do absolutely nothing to bring Christ - Mans savior into the world. God is the steward of time and it's according to His time table when Christ came the first time and when he comes the second time. What's most important for you and me is that we confess that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah.

verse 11 shows this is not just a one time confession but is the result of a faithful walk in Christ.
Verse 11 is a quote from Isaiah 28:16 which says "He that believeth shall not make haste"
Make haste means that you dont move around once you learn and trust in Jesus as your savior you no longer
get blown from pillar to post with every wind of doctrin. Christ is the rock upon which you stand because it is the only true and firm foundation.

The more we understand about the truth of Gods word and his master plan of salvation for mankind
accomplished through the attoning work of Christ then truly we will not be ashamed or disapointed,
we will not "make haste" but will stand firm because the overwhelming truth of God as revealed to us in scripture
humbles us and compells us to stand and speak, to acknowledge. For there is no greater truth is all the universe
and throughout all the universe the truth of Christ echoes and reverberates.

The more we understand the more proud we are of God and his son because God has left nothing undone,
He has dotted every i and crossed every t.
The more we understand God and his wonderful son Jesus our Messiah then the more we love him and want to stand up and speak for him.
For as the scripture saith, "Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed".

When we are ashamed we keep our head down and do not speak,
when you are not ashamed you sand up straight and speak out.
God says that whosoever believes in his Messiah shall not be ashamed. Faith is not intellectual,
faith is the belief of Gods word which can only result in one thing - you speak Christ.
The whole context of Romans 9 is moving the word.

Just like the Children of Israel could not sit inside the safety and privacy of their homes
and say "I believe" but they had to go outside and show forth Christ by putting the blood of the Lamb right there
for all to see
God likewise commands us to go out into the world and confess that Jesus is the Lord and the Christ.

2 Corinthians 4:13
13 We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak;

I believe this verse is to be taken very literally believing in Christ is evidenced by speaking Christ.

Philippians 2:12-16
12 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
14 Do all things without murmurings and disputings:
15 That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;
16 Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.

Philippians says we are to work out or demonstrate your own salvation with fear and trembling.
Work out is defined as: to work fully, to finish, to perform
Fear and Trembling: shows respect and humility for God.

How do you show yourself as being a son of God? How do you shine as a light in a dark and perverse nation? By holding forth the word of life.

We understand the importance of keeping scripture in its context,
look at the context of verse 13. The context is speaking the word of life. God will work in you to speak His word.
I'm not talking about being a walking concordance but as Peter says always being ready to give an answer regarding our hope.
When a door of utterence opens up before us we are to walk through it and speak we are not to be paralysed by fear.

Remember the parents in John 9 they were afraid to speak because of fear of the Jews we cannot not allow that to happen in our lives.
Christ told us we are to be witness for him unto the uttermost parts of the earth. We are to speak out Christ.

Revelation 12:10-11
10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God,
and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down,
which accused them before our God day and night. 11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony;
and they loved not their lives unto the death.

They overcame by the blood of the lamb and by the word of their testimony.

These are very revealing truths from scripture and I believe they require us to examine and re-examine the scriptures
and keep verses in their context because on several occasions in scripture the topic of salvation and speaking the word are inextricably tied together.

Ephesians 5 tells us that the mystery of the Christ and the church is akin to the marriage of a man and a woman,
Lets say your married, how strong and loving would your marriage be if you never told anybody you were married,
what does it say about you if you are never willing to publicly acknowledge your spouse?
I think the answer is self evident.

Just as the blood of the lamb spared Israel from Gods judgment, it is our faith in the blood of Christ that sums up
the atoning work of Christ and from our faith issues out the corresponding action to live for him and speak for him.
We cannot simply accept Christ as our savior and then do nothing.

The blood of the lamb protected Israel from the destroyer and it is the blood of Christ that will protect us from the wrath of God in the future.

Revelation 19:10
10 And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. True prophecy is to speak Christ.

The Blood

Israel was instructed to put the blood on the door posts and lintel,
but not on the floor, the threshold over which they walked.
The blood at the sides and the lintel meant they were surrounded and covered by the blood but not on the floor Hebrews explains why.

Hebrews 10:29
Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God,
and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?

Christ gave us the analogy of salt that has lost its savor that it is thrown out and it is trodden on under foot, because it is of no value it's trodden on.
We do not walk over that which is precious and the blood of Christ is so very precious. Its the only thing that will cover us and save you and I from the the wrath of God.

[Eileen Davies]

what does "clean house" mean ?

[John Richeson]

John, you are makin' a believer out of me.
Nice study. Good stuff. Thanks for posting it.
I find it interesting that there are few "heated" debates in some of the biblical studies posts while with politics it can become a hotbed of emotion. Not sure why.
Thanks again.

[John Alton]

Thanks Wolfgang
I think you are absolutly right and hopefully I will cover that in the next and final section
God Bless