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You may turn in your Bibles to 
1 Corinthians chapter 5 for our meditation before we participate 
in the Lord's Supper. 1 Corinthians chapter 5, our 
focus specifically is verse 7b. But I do want to read the chapter 
so we can see the flow of thought. Beginning in chapter 5 at verse 
1. It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among 
you, and such sexual immorality as is not even named among the 
Gentiles, that a man has his father's wife, and you are puffed 
up and have not rather mourned that he who has done this deed 
might be taken away from among you. For I indeed, as absent 
in body but present in spirit, have already judged, as though 
I were present, him who has so done this deed. In the name of 
our Lord Jesus Christ, when you are gathered together, along 
with my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, deliver 
such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit 
may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. Your glorying is 
not good. Do you not know that a little 
leaven leavens the whole lump? 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. Therefore let us keep the feast, 
not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, 
but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. I wrote 
to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral 
people. Yet I certainly did not mean 
with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, 
or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to 
go out of the world. Now I have written to you not 
to keep company with anyone named a brother who is sexually immoral, 
or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, 
or an extortioner, not even to eat with such a person. For what 
have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you 
not judge those who are inside? But those who are outside, God 
judges. Therefore, put away from yourselves 
the evil person. Amen. Let us pray. Father, help 
us now to glorify your name in a study of scriptures. We know 
that this is an act of worship, and we pray that the Spirit would 
guide us and lead us and help us to receive, with thanksgiving, 
the Word of God. Help us, Father, to see Paul's 
argument in this passage. Help us to appreciate the fact 
that Jesus Christ is our Passover. We thank you for his sacrifice. 
We thank you for his life, his death, his resurrection, all 
things accomplished on behalf of those whom the Father had 
given unto him. We just praise you, and we love 
you, and we adore you, and we give you thanks for so great 
a salvation. And we pray in the name of the 
Lord Jesus Christ, amen. Well, as I said, our focus is 
going to be on verse 7b, specifically Paul's statement, for indeed 
Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. But I don't think it's 
legitimate to just grab a text, take it out of its context, and 
look at it. I mean, that's not necessarily 
the unpardonable sin, but I think it is good to have an idea of 
what the context is in which the Apostle is operating. And 
as I see it, or as I perceive it, there are three things going 
on. First, he condemns a particular sin in verses 1 to 5. He identifies this sin and he 
highlights the gravity of it. He says, it is actually reported 
that there is sexual immorality among you and such sexual immorality 
as is not even named among the Gentiles. This is another, in 
other words, a very wicked thing going on in the church at Corinth. And as he goes on to reprove 
them, he says that they knew about the sin. And not only did 
they know about it, but they were arrogant and boastful. They 
didn't discipline the man. They didn't reprove the man. 
Perhaps they rejoiced in the liberty of the gospel, a bad 
or a misapplication of Paul's teaching that we saw or alluded 
to this morning in Romans 6. Maybe they thought it was okay 
to continue in sin, that grace may abound. But whatever the 
issue, the Apostle sets forth the particular sin, the gravity 
of it, he reproves the church, and then he gives his response 
in verses 3 to 5. Essentially, he says, this man 
must be removed from your midst. You must purge out the leaven. 
If there is a little leaven remaining among the lump, it has the propensity 
to leaven the entirety of the lump, and we can't have that. 
If you have undealt with sexual sin going on in the context of 
the local church, it will spread. And so Paul identifies that for 
removal. Secondly, he then exhorts them 
to holiness in verses 6 to 8. This is the particular context 
that we find our text. Notice he says, verse 6, your 
glorying is not good. Do you not know that a little 
leaven leavens the whole lump? therefore purge out the old leaven 
that you may be a new lump since you truly are unleavened." What's 
in the background of the Apostles mind? Exodus chapter 12. We just 
read that at the outset of worship. It fits with what he's going 
to say in verse 7 in terms of Christ being our Passover. Remember the Passover feast subsequent 
to that was the feast of unleavened bread. And the children of Israel 
were to take all leaven out of their houses. They were to get 
rid of it. It was not to be in their midst. 
If they had it in their houses, then they themselves would be 
cut off from the people. And so Paul, using that analogy, 
using that typology, speaks to the Corinthians and tells them, 
Purge out the old leaven. Get rid of the sin that is extant 
in the midst of the congregation. He says that you may be a new 
lump since you truly are unleavened. In other words, Jesus has saved 
you. He has freed you. He has broken 
not only the penalty of sin, but the power of sin. And therefore, 
you as the Church of Christ have the ability to pursue those things 
which are pleasing to God Most High. And then in verse 8, it's 
an interesting thing, he says, Therefore, based on what he has 
said, let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, not with 
the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread 
of sincerity and truth. Live your Christian life in such 
a way as to rejoice in God. It ought to be a lifelong feast, 
because the Lord has redeemed you, the Lord has saved you, 
the Lord has called you unto himself, and do it in such a 
way that is consistent with New Covenant biblical Christianity. Not with the leaven of malice 
and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity 
and truth. Then I understand this last section 
in verses 9 to 12 as a warning against compromise. He is not 
telling them not to associate with the godless. He is telling 
them not to associate or compromise with the professing Christian 
who is godless. In other words, Paul's logic 
is impeccable. Look at what he says. I wrote 
to you in my epistle, verse 9, not to keep company with sexually 
immoral people, yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually 
immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, 
or idolaters. Why? Since then you would need 
to go out of the world. If you're not going to associate 
with these kinds of people, you better get into a rocket ship 
and point yourself to the moon and launch. Because that's all 
there is in this world. These kinds of people. This is 
what sin and depravity has done. This is the effect of Adam's 
fall. This is how mankind lives. Paul's idea here is not that 
you leave the world, but rather it's those who profess to be 
Christians. now I have written to you not 
to keep company with anyone named a brother who is these things." 
B.B. Warfield makes the good observation, 
we see then the Apostles urgency here is not against association 
with the world but compromise with the worldly. How else are 
we going to affect those people that are indicated in our passage 
if we don't associate with them? If we don't share the gospel 
with them? If we don't teach them about the Redeemer? Paul's 
logic here is impeccable, as I say, and it sums up his whole 
argument in chapter 5. You need to deal with sin in 
your midst, you need to pursue holiness, and you need to make 
sure that you are guarding against compromise. So that's the context 
let's look at verse 7b under three considerations first he 
says for indeed Christ our Passover was sacrificed for us I want 
to look at the Passover sacrifice, the Old Testament type itself, 
and the type and the anti-type. First, the sacrifice. For indeed 
Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. This is given as a reason 
for 7a. Notice the flow. 7a, 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. Now listen to me, brothers and 
sisters, those who are in Christ, those who are believers, those 
who by God's grace have passed from darkness unto life, there 
ought not to be any sin whatsoever that you are able to say it has 
absolute dominion over me. That's not true. Look at what 
Paul says. Therefore, purge out the unleavened. This is something you can do. 
It's something you should do. It's something you must do. And 
he goes on to say that you may be a new lump since you truly 
are unleavened. Why? For indeed Christ, our Passover, 
was sacrificed for us. Christ's death on Calvary not 
only deals with the penalty of sin, which loosely corresponds 
to the doctrine of justification, but it deals with the power of 
sin, which does correspond to sanctification. In Christ Jesus, 
in gospel truth, in the blessing of a crucified and risen Savior, 
we not only have a right standing with God, but we also have the 
ability in this world to pursue those things which are pleasing 
in His sight. In other words, we ought not 
to have churches where there is sexual immorality running 
rampant. We ought not to have churches 
that are made up with such Why? Because Christ indeed, our Passover, 
was sacrificed for us. Yes, to break the power of reigning 
sin, but as well to set the captives free, that we may pursue those 
things which are pleasing in his sight. Again, this is the 
context. This is the issue. These Corinthians 
had received the message of the cross according to 1 Corinthians 
1, verse 18, all the way to verse 31. The Apostle highlights this 
reality, that they had received the truth of the gospel. By the 
grace of God, they had believed it. And shame on them for tolerating 
such sin in their midst. For indeed, Christ, our Passover, 
was sacrificed for us. not that we may continue in sin, 
but that we may pursue righteousness and holiness and godliness. Secondly, 
the Old Testament background. We read there in Exodus chapter 
12. You can turn back there if you'd like. First, the Passover 
was instituted while Israel was still in Egypt. Remember, God 
had said there would be ten plagues. And in these 10 plagues, we see 
God's manifestation of His power, of His majesty, and of His glory. You might be inclined to say, 
why didn't God just snap His fingers and lead the people out 
of Egypt? Well, Exodus 9.16 indicates the 
purpose for these several plagues. In 9.16, speaking of the Pharaoh, 
God says, indeed, for this purpose I have raised you up, that I 
may show my power in you, and that my name may be declared 
in all the earth. So plague after plague after 
plague after plague identifies, highlights, and demonstrates 
the majestic power of the God of Israel. It's beautiful. Secondly, 
the Feast, well that's before we get to the second link, the 
Passover was instituted while Israel was still in Egypt prior 
to the 10th plague. This is particular instruction 
given to them to avoid the penalty of the 10th plague itself. It's 
interesting, we often think that the blood was splashed on the 
door frame, or perhaps we haven't thought about it. What did that 
blood keep the children of Israel from? The tyranny of Egypt? No. The judgment of God? Yes. That blood splashed on the 
doorframe was not their e-ticket out of Egypt. That blood splashed 
over the door was their atonement for the sins that they themselves 
had committed in Egypt. And we'll see more of that in 
just a moment. So this is instruction given 
on the eve of the 10th plague that they were supposed to do. 
Secondly, the feast of unleavened bread was kept in conjunction 
with the Passover. Israel was to remove leaven from 
their houses. I've already alluded to this. 
Those who did not were to be cut off from the children of 
Israel. Exodus chapter 12 verses 15 and 
19 indicate that. Fifteen seven days you shall 
eat on leavened bread on the first day You shall remove leaven 
from your houses for whoever eats leavened bread from from 
the first day until the seventh day that Person shall be cut 
off from Israel Thirdly this Passover feast would function 
in a very similar manner to what this Lord's Supper does What 
does the Lord's Supper do it points us back to the great redemptive 
act of God in and through our Lord Jesus Christ? Isn't that 
the point? Isn't that the purpose? 1 Corinthians 
chapter 11 is do this in remembrance of how good everybody is. Do 
this in remembrance of how well you've done during the week. 
Do this in remembrance because you've read your Bible three 
out of five days in this... No, do this in remembrance of 
me. This ordinance brings us back to the foot of the cross. 
And the Passover would do that subsequently in Israel's history. Every time they ate, Every time 
they observed, every time they kept this feast, what would be 
primary in their minds? It wouldn't be their well-deserving 
attitude. It wouldn't be the fact that 
they had had a good week. It would be that God the Lord 
brought us out of bondage and put us in this land of promise. 
The Passover function as a reminder to the children of Israel of 
the great redemptive act of God in the Exodus. Fourthly, the 
Passover signified the salvation of God. Certainly they were safe 
from bondage to a foreign oppressor. Certainly they were delivered 
from Egyptian oppression. That is a reality and that is 
a truth. They left Egypt, they marched 
out boldly, and they went into the land of promise. Certainly 
that is an aspect, but as I've already alluded to, they were 
saved from the judgment of God himself. You see, when that blood was 
splashed up there, it wasn't so that the Egyptians would let 
them go. Look at Ezekiel chapter 20 for just a moment. Ezekiel 
chapter 20. I don't know, maybe you've not 
thought through this, maybe you have thought through this, but 
if you ask a Christian, or if you ask yourself, why did they 
splash that blood up there? It was to save them from the 
destroying angel of God. the self-same destroying angel 
that would destroy the Egyptians who didn't have blood splashed 
up on their door frames. It was the judgment of God that 
the Passover affected, it was not the tyranny of Egyptian oppression. Notice in Ezekiel 20 at verse 
4, will you judge them, son of man? Will you judge them? Then make known to them the abominations 
of their fathers. Ezekiel here preaching, prophesying 
in about the year 591. It actually is 591. Ezekiel tells us every step of 
the way what year he's dealing in. It's just amazing. So in 
591, God tells him to make known to these people the abominations 
of their fathers. And where does he go to indicate 
the sin of their fathers? Verse 5, say to them, thus says 
the Lord God, on the day when I chose Israel and raised my 
hand in an oath to the descendants of the house of Jacob and made 
myself known to them in the land of Egypt, I raised my hand in 
an oath to them saying, I am the Lord your God. On that day 
I raised my hand in an oath to them to bring them out of the 
land of Egypt into a land that I had searched out for them, 
flowing with milk and honey, the glory of all lands. Then 
I said to them, each of you throw away the abominations which are 
before his eyes, and do not defile yourselves with the idols of 
Egypt. I am the Lord your God. But they rebelled against me 
and would not obey me." You see that? In captivity, in Egypt, 
under that oppression, what did the children of Israel do? Probably 
not every single one of them, but at least a portion of them, 
instead of crying out to Yahweh of Israel, they cried out to 
the gods of Egypt. They needed that blood splashed 
on the door to keep them from the destroying angel for having 
sinned against their holy God. The blood splashed on the door 
had nothing to do with Egyptian tyranny. But they rebelled against 
me and would not obey me. Verse 8. They did not all cast 
away the abominations which were before their eyes, nor did they 
forsake the idols of Egypt. Then I said, I will pour out 
my fury on them and fulfill my anger against them in the midst 
of the land of Egypt. What is he talking about? If 
they don't throw that blood up on the doorframe, they're going 
to perish with the idolaters of Egypt themselves. I will pour 
out my fury on them and fulfill my anger against them in the 
midst of the land of Egypt. But I acted for my name's sake 
that it should not be profaned before the Gentiles among whom 
they were, in whose sight I had made myself known to them to 
bring them out of the land of Egypt. Therefore, I made them 
go out of the land of Egypt and brought them into the wilderness." 
He made a way of escape. He provided a sacrifice. He provided 
blood atonement. He provided remission. That blood 
on the doorpost typifies and looks forward to the great Lamb 
of God who would take away the sin of the world. It was based 
on that reality that the children of Israel got to leave. without 
experiencing the same judgment of God that he would pour out 
on the Egyptians. And then fifthly, in terms of 
the Old Testament passage, and there's other things to be said. 
One could read Gerhardus Voss's biblical theology, see other 
observations on the Passover, but these are just some things 
to get our minds tracking with the text. Fifth, the Passover 
demonstrated the power and majesty of God. We've already seen that 
in Exodus 9-16, but look again at Exodus 12, at verse 12 specifically. In verse 12 we see, For I will 
pass through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike 
all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast, 
and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment. I am the Lord. So in the midst 
of these plagues, in the midst of this situation in Egypt, with 
reference to the 10th plague, with reference to gods killing 
the firstborn, he is bringing at one and the same time judgment 
upon Egypt and a demonstration that their gods are simply false. So the Passover, instituted while 
in Egypt, the unleavened bread was kept in conjunction with 
it. The Passover would serve as a reminder. The Passover signified 
the salvation of God. and the Passover certainly demonstrated 
the power and majesty of God. Now let's hone in a little bit 
further. Christ indeed, our Passover, 
was sacrificed for us. Now there are certainly observations 
that we can make in terms of the type that given in Exodus 
chapter 12, and the anti-type that fulfilled or accomplished 
by our Lord Christ. First, the sacrifice used was 
a lamb. Exodus chapter 12 verse 3. What does John the Baptist say 
when he spots Jesus Christ? He says, behold the Lamb of God 
who takes away the sin of the world. Have you ever wondered 
why nobody standing there at that particular time said to 
John, what are you talking about? What do you mean? What's going 
on? No, they had an expectation. 
They had something in their documentation. They had something in the written 
covenantal records. They had expectations concerning 
one who would be a champion. One that would come from God 
to save his people from their sins. And he was indeed the Lamb 
of God. Secondly, the lamb was to be 
without blemish, Exodus chapter 12 and verse 5. Your lamb shall 
be without blemish, a male of the first year. Doesn't that 
answer, doesn't that typify what the scripture says concerning 
our beloved Lord Jesus? Hebrews chapter 7, verse 26, 
for such a high priest was fitting for us who is holy, harmless, 
undefiled, separate from sinners and has become higher than the 
heavens? Do you feel that or understand 
that or hear that? There's only one in the history 
of the universe that this could ever be predicated of, and it 
certainly isn't us. The reality is, brethren, is 
that sinners dead in their trespasses and sins need a righteousness 
that avails with God. We need one who's holy, harmless, 
and undefiled. We need one who obeys perfectly 
the law of God. At his baptism, when John the 
Baptist tries to hinder Christ from being baptized, Jesus says, 
no, permit it for now. Why? Because we must fulfill 
a righteousness. Christ, not only through his 
death, brings forgiveness of sin. It's not only that he splashes 
us with the blood of atonement to wash away our iniquity, but 
he also earns, he wins, he merits a righteousness that is then 
imputed to us by which we're able to stand in the presence 
of God Most High. One is well observed that if 
we only have forgiveness at this point, it brings us back standing 
in front of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. But because 
we have Christ, because we have an imputed righteousness, we 
have security and stability, and we now don't need to get 
this righteousness on our own because we never could. Brethren, 
we have one that is holy, harmless, and undefiled. 1 Peter 1 is another 
place where we see this impeccability, this sinlessness, this beauty 
of our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 1. I'm sorry, 1 Peter 
2. I'm looking at chapter 2 and 
saying chapter 1. It's hot up here, anyway. My 
mind's getting a little baked here. Twos look like ones. No, 
I'm just kidding. It's not that bad. 1 Peter 2, 
verse 18. Servants, be submissive to your 
masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also 
to the harsh. For this is commendable, if because of conscience toward 
God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully. For what credit is 
it, if when you are beaten for your faults you take it patiently? 
But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this 
is commendable before God. For to this you were called, 
because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example 
that you should follow his steps, who committed no sin, nor was 
deceit found in his mouth." Now probably most of us have italicized 
words in verse 22, and that indicates that this comes from the prophet 
Isaiah. And we might say cursorily that Peter's just applying Isaiah's 
prophecy to Jesus. And he is doing that, certainly. 
But I've always found it intriguing that Peter was one in the inner 
circle. Jesus had 12 disciples, didn't he? A little simple math, 
wake everybody up. 12 disciples. Of the 12, he had 
three close friends of those 12. Peter, James, and John. I 
know that John is referred to as the beloved disciple, but 
it is interesting. Anytime these men are indicated, 
it's Peter, James, and John. Peter, James, and John. If Peter 
wasn't the closest, he was one of the three closest people to 
Jesus. Now just think for a moment. 
The people that are closest to you in your lives, do they see 
constant holiness? The people that are closest to 
us see absolutely unconstant holiness. Don't we typically 
sin the most against those we're most familiar with? Probably 
as husbands and wives we sin more against our husband or wife 
than we do the next-door neighbor. We probably sin against our own 
kids more than we sin against, you know, brother and sister's 
kids in the church. The point is, is that intimacy, 
that union, that closeness of three years for Peter, he never 
once saw Jesus sin. He never once saw Jesus lose 
his cool. He never once, in an ungodly 
way, he saw Jesus drive out the money changers and the men that 
were prostituting the house of his father. He never saw him 
sin. Could you imagine anyone in your 
life ever being able to say of you, who committed no sin, nor 
was deceit found in his mouth? You say, well, no! But you know, 
in order to stand before God, that's the requirement. In order 
to stand before God, that is what is necessary. In order to 
stand before God, it must be perpetual, it must be exact, 
it must be constant obedience or entire obedience to the entirety 
of God's law. If we don't do it, We need the 
righteousness of another and that's what we have in the gospel. 
Our Lord Jesus Christ is without blemish. He secures for us the 
righteousness that avails with God. Beautiful, beautiful doctrine. The imputation of the active 
obedience of our Lord Jesus. Thirdly, The Lamb, the Passover 
Lamb, was to be slain as a sacrifice. The text is conspicuous. When we look at chapter 12, verse 
6, it says, "...the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel 
shall kill it at twilight." The theological significance is given 
to us in verse 27. That, you shall say, it is the 
Passover sacrifice of the Lord. So when we see this, the Lamb 
was to be slain as a sacrifice, that is precisely what Paul says 
in 1 Corinthians 5.7b, for indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed 
for us. Revelation chapter 5 says the 
very same thing. Scattered throughout the New 
Testament interpretation of the redemptive act of God, it tells 
us, it indicates for us, that Jesus was sacrificed for his 
people. Fourthly, The blood was splashed 
on the door to indicate appropriation. And by that I mean, or identification. We throw the blood up on the 
door so that when the destroying angel passes by, when he sees 
that blood, he knows that the inhabitants have appropriated 
it. They are identified by it. They 
are under the blood. Well, isn't this what the New 
Testament documents indicate about our Lord Jesus? In Him 
we have redemption through His blood! Ephesians chapter 1. Colossians 
chapter 1. 1 John chapter 1. These are passages we ought to 
reflect on, so you may turn there. We ought to consider these. If 
not at the Lord's Supper, Then I don't know when else. 1st John 
1.7, but if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have 
fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus Christ his 
son cleanses us from all sin. I'm always suspicious of what 
I've come to call a bloodless testimony. A bloodless testimony. You talk to somebody and they 
say, yes, I'm a Christian. Well, give me your testimony. 
Tell me about how you became a Christian. Well, I grew up 
in a Christian home, and they trotted me off to Sunday school, 
and they put a little catechism in my pocket, and they handed 
me a New King James Bible, and put a pencil in my pocket, and 
an Al Martin tape in my pocket, and therefore I'm a Christian! 
It's bloodless. The person who says, I was dead 
and washed in the blood, there's a lot more substance in that 
briefer confession than in the other. You see, we're not Christians 
because we're good. We're not Christians because 
we merit. We're not Christians because 
we were brought up in the Christian home or in a Christian church. 
We're Christians because blood was shed and splashed upon us. That's why we're Christians. Revelation 1-5. in an opening, 
in a greeting to the seven churches of Asia Minor. Listen to the 
richness of the theology in this statement. Beginning in verse 
4, John to the seven churches which are in Asia, grace to you 
and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come and 
from the seven spirits who are before the throne and from Jesus 
Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, 
and the ruler over the kings of the earth." If you ever wonder 
where the Bible teaches that Jesus is a prophet, priest, and 
king, there you go, right there. And then notice in verse 5 as 
it goes on, "...to Him who loved us and washed us from our sins 
in His own blood." And then in Revelation chapter 7, Revelation 
chapter 7, verse 13, Then one of the elders answered, saying 
to me, Who are these arrayed in white robes, and where did 
they come from? And I said to him, Sir, you know. 
So he said to me, These are the ones who come out of the great 
tribulation and washed their robes and made them white in 
the blood of the Lamb. You don't typically think that 
dipping a white linen cloth into blood is going to make it white. The imagery is rich. The blood 
of Jesus Christ washes, it cleanses, it purifies us from sin. Charles Hodge in his commentary 
on 1 Corinthians said, as the blood of that lamb sprinkled 
on the doorposts secured exemption from the stroke of the destroying 
angel, So the blood of Christ secures exemption from the stroke 
of divine justice. Fifthly, the blood atoned for 
the children of Israel, not the Egyptians. Antitypically, the 
blood of Jesus atoned for the elect of God, not the reprobate. The distinction is made ever 
so clearly in Exodus chapter 12 at verse 13. Now the blood shall be assigned 
for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, 
I will pass over you. and the plague shall not be on 
you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt." Now what 
happens subsequent to this? The land of Egypt is struck. 
Firstborn are slain. People died in the judgment of 
God. This blood did not cover everybody 
in the land. It covered those whom it was 
purposed to cover. In the same token, the blood 
of the anti-typical lamb covers those for whom it is intended. 
In Matthew 1.21, the angels announcement to Joseph, you shall call his 
name Jesus, for it is he who will save not all people, but 
his people from their sins. Matthew 20 verse 28, for the 
Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give 
his life a ransom for many. In his high priestly prayer, 
our Lord Jesus, in terms of intercession, says, I do not pray for the world, 
but I pray for those whom you've given me out of the world. We 
need to understand that atonement is particular. Atonement is definite. Atonement is specific. And then sixthly, and finally, 
the Lamb at the Passover and the Lamb of God function vicariously. I'm going to explain what that 
means. Substitute. You all know what 
a substitute is. My most popular example, if I 
would have dropped out on the way back from Abbotsford today, 
Pastor Cam would have stood in this place. He would have been 
the substitute. You say, how does the anti-typical 
Passover lamb show us that? Follow the logic, brethren. What 
happens if the Israelite doesn't take blood and splash it on his 
doorframe? What happens the next morning 
when he goes in to wake up his firstborn son to go work with 
him in the field? He finds that firstborn son destroyed 
by the angel. What's the point? The blood of 
the Lamb splashed on the doorframe is for Ham. It's vicarious. It's substitutionary. There is an in the place of-ness 
concerning that Passover blood in Exodus 12. When we jump to 
the New Testament, that is conspicuous. Christ, indeed, was sacrificed 
for us. I realize some of the other translations 
excise for us. The theology is present in 1 
Corinthians 5-7, even if those two words are absent. But we 
only need to comb through the Scriptures in several more places 
to see specifically this reality that curse-bearing was for others. Christ didn't take the punishment 
for himself or because of sins that he had committed. The glory 
of the atonement is substitution. He went in our place. He stood 
in our place. He suffered on our behalf. He 
took the wrath of God for us. That's the point. And we see 
that in the Passover sacrifice when the blood is thrown on the 
doorframe. And certainly it corresponds 
in the New Covenant setting to what our antitypical Lamb does 
in terms of atonement. Remember, the first nine plagues 
are unconditional, aren't they? There's no conditions attached 
whatsoever in the first nine plagues. But in that tenth plague, 
children of Israel, take this blood and throw it on your doorframe. Why? Because as Ezekiel 20 verses 
4 to 10 tells us, they were wretched idolaters along with the Egyptians. And if the blood isn't on the 
doorframe, they will suffer the wrath and punishment of God if 
another doesn't take it in their stead. a book by the name of 
Pierced for Our Transgressions. It was written in 2007. Three 
authors, I know one of them is Andrew Sachs, I don't know the 
other two men's names offhand. They write, thus the lamb becomes 
a substitute for the firstborn son, dying in its place. They 
go on to say the New Testament writers see Jesus' death as the 
fulfillment of the Passover. He suffered in the place of his 
people in order that they might be marked out by his blood and 
thus spared from God's wrath. beautiful thing. Charles Hodge 
again, Christ was slain for us in the same sense that the Passover 
was slain for the Hebrews. It was a vicarious death. John Gill says on 1st Corinthians 
5.7b, thus Christ is our anti-typical Passover who was sacrificed, 
whose body and soul were offered as an offering and a sacrifice 
unto God for us. that he might be proper food 
for our faith, and also in our room instead to make satisfaction 
to divine justice for all our sins and transgressions." Those 
are some observations on our particular text. As we conclude, 
consider again the reality that the atoning death of Christ frees 
us from the penalty of sin. frees us from the penalty of 
sin. I think in many respects at the 
very hub of atonement is satisfaction. Satisfaction of the penalty of 
God's wrath. It does that. But it also frees 
us from the power That's Paul's point in 1 Corinthians 5. Since 
Christ indeed, our Passover, was sacrificed for us, do not 
tolerate this leaven. Do not tolerate this ungodliness. Do not have truck with those 
who name the name of Christ and then live like the devil. He 
frees us from the penalty and the power of sin. Again, with 
reference to the Lord's Supper specifically, that book, Pierced 
for Our Transgression says, whereas the Old Passover focused on the 
body and blood of a lamb slain as a penal substitutionary sacrifice 
for the redemption of Israel, The Lord's Supper focuses on 
the body and blood of Christ who gave himself as a penal substitutionary 
sacrifice for his people. So as we eat this bread, as we 
drink this cup, we do so in remembrance of him, we do so calling and 
rehearsing the great redemptive fact that on Calvary's cross 
God made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us that we in turn 
might become the righteousness of God in Him. And if you are 
here this evening and you have not come to the Lord Jesus Christ, 
go back to Exodus chapter 12. Go back to Israel in Egypt. Go back to that reality. Remember 
that when that destroying angel came, people died. You wonder 
about the judgment of God, you hear us threaten the penalties 
of God, you hear us say that there is a day coming, perhaps 
Egyptians would have heard this and said, there's no judgment, 
there's no wrath, there's no fury, Yahweh of Israel, you know, 
if he's even there, he's certainly not concerned about us, he's 
never going to take vengeance upon us. Look at Numbers 33.3 
for just a moment. Numbers 33.3, I've always found 
to be a very haunting text. And it's an interesting text 
because it's actually a rehearsal of where Israel had been. We're 
going to read 3 and 4. It's actually verse 4. So Israel's 
journey from Egypt reviewed. This is sort of a retrospective 
look at where we've been. A few people have said today, 
how was your trip? It was Idaho. What else can you 
say? It's Idaho. I mean, I could have 
said, you know, we went on this freeway, and then we went down 
to this freeway, and we went to that freeway, and then we're 
in Mountain Home, and then we went over to Boise. You know, 
that's a retrospective look at the trip, isn't it? That's what 
Moses is doing in chapter 33. He's just rehearsing where they've 
been. And yet, verses 3 and 4 always strike me as haunting. They departed 
from Ramesses in the first month, verse 3. On the fifteenth day 
of the first month, On the day after the Passover, the children 
of Israel went out with boldness in the sight of all the Egyptians. For the Egyptians were burying 
all their firstborn, whom the Lord had killed among them, also 
on their gods the Lord had executed judgments." Now imagine, had 
you been in Egypt in those particular days and you didn't splash the 
blood, you would have learned all too well about the judgment 
of God. You would have known all too 
intimately about His wrath, His fury, and His curse. If you sit 
here this evening and you've not come to Christ, something 
far more horrible awaits you. Something far more atrocious 
awaits you. Not only is there an entry into 
a physical grave, but there is a departure into eternity. And 
the only way to be readied for that is through the gospel, through 
the blood splashed, through the one in whom we have redemption, 
through his blood. And the way by which we have 
a saving interest in that is to believe on the Lord Jesus 
Christ. So believe on the Lord Jesus 
Christ. Well, let us pray. Our Father, 
we thank you that Christ, indeed our Passover, was sacrificed 
for us. We thank you for this consistent 
thread throughout Scripture. We thank you, God Most High, 
that He is the Antitype, that all these things in the Old Testament 
foreshadowed and signified, have come to fruition and fulfillment 
in the Lord of glory. We thank you, most high God, 
for the forgiveness that we have as a result of his blood shedding. 
We thank you as well for the righteousness that is ours as 
a result of his life of perfect obedience. Thank you that he's 
holy, harmless, and undefiled. Thank you for his entire ministry 
on behalf of his people. And I pray now that you would 
just guide us as we consider him in more ways to come in the 
rest of this service. Help us as we eat this bread 
and we drink this cup to feast upon our Lord Jesus Christ. And 
it's in His name that we pray. Amen.