Christ, Our Passover Lamb

Christ, Our Passover Lamb

Life B-P Church Good Friday Service, 18 April 2025

Text: 1 Corinthians 5:7,8

Jesus came into this world to die on the Cross for sinners.
He was called “the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29)
No other title of Jesus speaks more of His death than this one.

1. The Origins of the Passover

Throughout history, God has been warning man about the awful punishments that sinners will have to bear for their sins.
Natural disasters and plagues are a very mild preview of this.
To the Egyptians, God’s judgments came as the Ten Plagues.
The last plague was the death of all the firstborn in Egypt.
It affected all sinners, regardless of whether they were Egyptians or Israelites. (cf. Ezekiel 18:20)
The only way of escape was through trusting in God’s own provision.
This involved slaughtering an animal and applying its blood on the entrance of the house.
The angel of death “passed over” that house because the blood shows that death had already taken place there. (Exodus 12:13)
The slain animal was called the Passover.

2. Christ is Our Passover

1. It must be a lamb (cf. John 1:29)

2. It must have no blemishes (cf. Hebrews 4:15)

3. It must be a male

4. None of its bones must be broken (cf. John 19:31-36)

Question: Are you been washed in the blood of the Lamb?

3. The Implications of Knowing Christ as Our Passover

a. The Motivation We Can Obtain

v.7 – “For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us…”
We should have been the ones to die, not Him.
Only His pure selfless love for us can explain why He did this.
There is no better remedy for cold hearts than to meditate on this.
The Lord’s Supper was instituted to help us do this regularly. (1 Corinthians 11:26)
The Passover was observed annually by Israel as a reminder of their deliverance from slavery and death.
The Lord’s Supper is a Passover meal with a new meaning:
To remember our deliverance through the blood of Christ.

b. The Commandment We Must Obey

In the commandment to “purge out the old leaven” (v.7), sin is represented as leaven.
As leaven multiplies quickly in a lump of dough, sin will dominate our life when it is allowed to grow. (cf. James 1:15)
The Corinthians had failed to discipline a member who was living in open immorality. (vv.1,2)
If this were to continue, sin would soon multiply and pollute the whole church.
The toleration of sin insults the death which Christ died for us.

Application: Are you tolerating any sin in your life?

c. The Exhortation We Should Observe

v.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 begins on the evening of the Passover meal, and continues for seven days (Exodus 12:15-20).
It is a time of joyful celebration.
It points to the new life we should live in response to His death.
The new life He purchased for us by His death is like keeping a perpetual feast.

Application: Live this new life well, to honour Christ!

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