Do This In Remembrance of Me

A title for the sermon today is, Do This in Remembrance of Me. You'll likely recognize those words from the last Passover that Jesus Christ spent with His disciples on this earth, in the flesh. Do this in remembrance of Me. If you've checked the calendar recently, you recognize that the spring Holy Days, again, right around the corner, Passover is just a few weeks away, coming up on us very rapidly. And the Passover is an annual event that commemorates for us and brings into our focus, once again, the sacrifice and the death of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

And in one way, the Passover is a very sobering event. You know, we walk into the door of the Passover, we partake of the symbols, the bread and the wine, and we're reminded of the penalty of sin, of what sin cost the perfect Son of God. In fact, the wages of sin is death, and He stepped in on our behalf and paid that price for us. Jesus Christ is the Lamb without spot and blemish that was offered up for propitiation, that it would be the atoning sacrifice for the sins of all of mankind.

And so, from that perspective, it's a sobering event. You know, we, again, acknowledge and remember the sacrifice and the suffering that He went through on our behalf. We recognize the consequences of sin and the fact that each and every one of us have fallen short of the glory of God. But I would say that it's important as well that we keep our perspective in check. Because, although Passover is very sobering in that way, it's not to be depressing.

It's not to be discouraging. And I think sometimes we can almost, as we come up to the Passover, enter it with a frame of mind of discouragement, because, you know, we've gone through this self-evaluation, we've examined our lives, and we realize, okay, I'm a sinner. I've stumbled this past year. I've, perhaps even am still struggling with something that I struggled with last year, and I acknowledge coming up to the Passover.

And so we can almost tend to beat ourselves up as we walk into the Passover, saying, you know, I caused the death of Jesus Christ, which we did, and he died for each of us individually, personal sacrifice. But the point is, again, it's not to be depressing. It's not to be discouraging, because the point is there is hope, and there is deliverance. The Passover is a blessing from God, because it pictures His deliverance for us. I don't know if you've ever quite thought of it fully that way, but the Passover pictures God's deliverance for us.

Just as God brought Israel out of slavery to Egypt through the Passover, that was a very joyous event you can go read about in Exodus 12. The Israelites slaughtered the perfect lamb, placed the blood on their doorposts, the destroyer passed over, sparing the firstborn of Israel, striking at the firstborn of the Egyptians, and that precipitated the delivery of the nation of Israel from slavery to Egypt.

And just as God brought Israel out of that slavery and oppression through the Passover, He brings us out as well, through the slavery and the oppression of the consequence of sin, through the Passover and the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ. And so Passover is very sober, but it is also a joyous occasion from the perspective of the grace and the mercy that has been granted to us by God and the deliverance that He offers through His Son.

So again, the point is we walk in with a sober frame of mind. We understand what that evening pictures and that service pictures, but the joy of the grace of God and the blessing that comes by coming under that sacrifice needs to be a part of our perspective as well. I want to look at Hebrews chapter 12 as we begin today, as we consider that joy for just a moment, because it's a joy that Jesus Christ shared in His perspective as well. Hebrews chapter 12, I looked at this at another recent message, but I think it's important for us to keep it in our perspective of the Passover as well.

Hebrews chapter 12 and verse 1, it says, Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight in the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him.

Notice the joy, part of the emphasis here. The joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and had sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. So it's important to consider, as we think towards the Passover and the grace of God as well, the joy that Jesus Christ expressed. It says, for the joy that was set before Him, He endured these things.

He suffered unto death. Well, what was the joy that was set before Jesus Christ? You know, was it the fact that, well, He didn't have to be human any longer? You know, was the joy, the fact that, all right, I can, if I just get through this, then I can ascend to the right hand of the Father. Again, not having to walk through the flesh, not having to suffer what all these other human beings suffered. Was that the joy that was set before Jesus Christ?

Well, I would suggest to you that the joy that was set before Him was the knowledge that His death would provide the opportunity for all of mankind to be reconciled to God the Father. The fact that, by laying down His life, shedding His blood for the remission of sins, we could have our sins forgiven. That wall of separation, that stumbling block between mankind and God could be relieved. We could be reconciled to God, and we could fulfill the purpose for which we were created.

Again, the incredible human potential is to be sons and daughters in the family of God for all eternity, and the hindrance to that is unrepentant, unforgiven sin. But it is through the blood of Jesus Christ, through His sacrifice, those sins can be forgiven, and we can be reconciled to God in heaven. So again, the joy that was set before Him was the recognition that, you know what, He's accomplishing the purpose for which His Father sent Him, which is to open the door for bringing many sons to glory.

As you and I approach this time of the year, it's critical we understand that the purpose for which we have been created can only be fulfilled through the Passover.

To have our sins forgiven, to become children in the family of God, can only be realized through the Passover, through coming under the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, through having the remission of sins.

I won't turn here because this is such a familiar Scripture to us. Jot it in your notes, Romans chapter 6 and verse 23. It says what? Probably all could quote it. The wages of sin is death. All right? So what is a wage? If you go out, take a job, work 40 hours a week, what you receive in your paycheck at the end of the week is the wage. It's what you have earned for your investment, for your actions through the week. So we do earn a wage. The wages of sin is death. That is what we have earned for ourselves by the actions of our carnal nature. But Romans 6, 23 goes on to say that the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ, Christ Jesus our Lord.

So the wage we can earn, the gift we cannot. It is a gift from God, the expression of His love, of His grace and His mercy. Now we receive that gift by coming under the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, but we cannot earn it. The best that we can earn in this life is death. But God, in His love and His mercy, has extended to us life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Passover is God's gift to mankind.

Again, I don't know if you've processed it necessarily in that way, but it is a gift.

Sacrifice of Jesus Christ is God's gift to mankind, because there's no other way that salvation comes except through the sacrifice and coming under that sacrifice. Another memory scripture, John 3, verse 16. God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. God the Father's love for the world was so deep that while we were still enemies of God, He sent His Son to die for us, to bring us to the point we could be reconciled to God. Jesus Christ's love for the world was so deep that He willingly laid His life down as the sacrifice. You know, no greater love has anyone than this, but they lay down their life for their friends. Christ died for the ungodly that we might be reconciled to our Father in heaven. Again, the purpose for which we've been created can only be fulfilled through that process of the Passover. As it pertains to Jesus Christ, Peter said in Acts chapter 4 and verse 12, that there is salvation in no other. It says, no is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.

And so the Passover, again, is a sobering event. It's a solemn event because it brings us face to face with the consequences of sin. The wages of sin is death, and the Son of God paid that price.

But the Passover also brings us face to face with the love, the mercy, and deliverance of God that He's extended to us through His Son. And that is the encouraging part of this as well.

So don't beat yourself up. We do need to acknowledge sin for the purpose of repentance, the purpose of overcoming. But Christ died for us, not only that the sin would be forgiven, but the guilt associated with sin. The blood of bulls and goats, the sprinkling of the sacrifices for the purification of the people, could not relieve the guilt of the conscience.

Under the Old Covenant, sacrificially and ceremonially, they could be clean. But the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sins, washes away the guilt if we truly accept that forgiveness that God has extended. Under the Old Covenant system, the Passover sacrifice was a young lamb or goat without spot or blemish. It was offered up and consumed with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. And it commemorated the passing over, again, of the destroyer in Egypt, sparing the firstborn. I mean, that's why it was called the Passover. He passed over, sparing the people of God who came under that blood. The New Covenant Passover, in that service, Jesus Christ is a sacrifice. He is the lamb without spot and blemish. And those who have entered into a covenant relationship with God through baptism have had their sins passed over, as they have come under the blood of that sacrifice. Let's notice John the Baptist's declaration of Jesus Christ's identity, as it pertains to the Passover sacrifice. John chapter 1 verse 25.

John chapter 1 and verse 25.

And they asked him, saying, this is John the Baptist they're speaking to, Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, or Elijah, nor the prophet?

John answered them, saying, I baptize with water, but there stands one among you whom you do not know. It is he who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to lose. These things were done, and, you know, as I spoke about the Hebrew words and the names last week, they named their towns and tongue twisters to me. Beth, anybody want it? Thank you. Yes. You know, I practiced this, but you run up on the Word and what can you say? Beth Arbrough, beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing, the next day John saw Jesus coming towards him and said, Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Well, that's quite a proclamation, isn't it? The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Verse 30, This is he of whom I said, After me comes a man who is preferred before me. For he was before me. In terms of physical existence, John the Baptist was born before Jesus Christ. But in terms of his eternal existence, the Word was God with God from the beginning, and he was before John. Verse 31, I did not know him, but that he should be revealed to Israel. Therefore I came baptizing with water.

And John bore witness, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and he remained upon him. He said, I did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water, said to me, Upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining on him, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit. And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God. And so you had the Holy Spirit, which in visible form descended upon Jesus Christ, bearing witness to the fact that he was the Son of God. And he was the one who would baptize, not with simply water as John did, to bring about an understanding of sin. But Jesus Christ, in the baptism through Jesus Christ, and in his name, is the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Verse 34, and I have seen and testified this is the Son of God. Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples, and looking at Jesus, he walked. As he walked, he said, Behold the Lamb of God. Again, Jesus Christ is the literal Lamb of God. He is the literal Lamb, which is the fulfillment of the physical Passover Lamb of the Old Covenant under the Old Testament. It was literally simply an animal, a lamb, and you slaughtered that lamb. You ate of that lamb. All right, but you didn't necessarily give a whole lot more thought to the lamb, other than the fact that death was portrayed. But Jesus Christ is not just any lamb. His life was not representative of just, you know, nothing like a young lamb would be their significance behind the one who is the Lamb of God. He takes away the sins of the world.

Revelation 13, verse 8, calls Jesus Christ the Lamb slayed from the foundation of the world. And so this plan of God is very old, was in place before mankind even came into existence.

God gave man free moral agency, the right to choose, and man made their own choice. But God knew from the beginning the choice that man would make, according to their carnal nature.

And the understanding was clear from the foundation of the world that there would need to be a sacrifice for the remission of sins. Jesus Christ slain from the foundation of the world.

Jesus is the Passover lamb we must partake of in order to receive eternal life. And that concept was a concept that not all of the multitude that followed Him grabbed the magnitude of.

As Christ went about His ministry, He taught, He did miracles, He healed people, and so naturally had these masses of people following Him. He performed miracles and fed people. But the fact was not everyone quite grasped the concept of what He was saying in terms of eternal life as it would come through Him. Let's again notice a little farther forward in the book of John, John chapter 6 and verse 41. John 6 verse 41. This falls on the heels of Jesus Christ feeding the multitudes, taking the fish, taking the bread, multiplying it, feeding the droves of people that were following Him. It was a profound miracle, and many followed Him to see what He would do next. But what He said next is what took people off guard. John chapter 6 and verse 41 says, And the Jews complained about Him because He said, I am the bread which came down from heaven.

And they said, Is this not Jesus, Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? You know, we know this kid, he's just a carpenter's son, grew up in the neighborhood. What's he saying? He came down from heaven. He's this bread. What's he talking about? And Jesus, you know, is this not Him? Verse 43, Jesus therefore answered and said to them, Do not murmur among yourselves.

No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws Him, and I will raise Him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, and they shall be taught by God. Therefore, everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me. Not that anyone has seen the Father, except He who is from God, He has seen the Father. Verse 47, Most assuredly I say to you, He who believes in Me has everlasting life. I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness and are dead.

It was physical food, miraculously provided by God, consumed in a day, the strength of it, gone in a day. But there was nothing miraculous about what it did in terms of giving them life beyond the moment. It was physical food. It says, Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness and are dead. This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever, and the bread I shall give is my flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.

The Jews therefore quarreled among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat? You know, is he talking about cannibalism here? You know, what kind of strange religion is this? You know, this guy had some pretty great miracles, but now he's getting a little weird on us.

We're not sure we can quite hang with this. Verse 53, And Jesus said to them, Most assuredly I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.

Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. So clearly what we see is that apart from partaking of Jesus Christ our Passover, again, he is the Lamb of God, and apart from partaking of him of coming under that sacrifice, the penalty of sin and death remain, and there is no eternal life. Not in us. Verse 55, For my flesh is food indeed, my blood is drink indeed. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me and I in him. As a living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on me will live because of me. You know, you can just sort of imagine from their perspective a number of people who maybe didn't quite catch what he was saying, probably scratching their head at this point and saying, what's he talking about? Eat his flesh. Drink his blood. Verse 58, This is the bread which came down from heaven. Not as your fathers ate the manna in our dead, he who eats this bread will live forever. These things he said in the synagogue as he taught in Capernaum. Therefore many of his disciples when they heard this said, this is a hard saying. Who could understand it?

When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples complained about this, he said to them, does this offend you? What then, if you should see the Son of Man ascend where he was before? You know, would that offend you? Verse 63, It is the spirit which gives life. The flesh profits nothing. The words I speak to you are spirit and they are life. That there are some of you who do not believe, for Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe and who would betray him. And he said, therefore I have said to you that no one can come to me unless the father has been granted to him by my father. And from that time many of his disciples went back and they walked with him no more. Again, this concept, at least among some, blew their mind. Eat your flesh, drink your blood. Some either would not or could not come under the understanding of what he was talking about. Here Jesus Christ expressing that he was the bread of life, that he was the sacrifice for sins leading to eternal life. They just couldn't seem to wrap their mind around that and it says they turned aside from following him. Now some continued.

Jesus asked his disciples, as it carried on, do you want to go away also?

But what was their response? No, Lord, you have the words of life. Eternal life is with you. They understood what it was that Jesus Christ was expressing.

Question for us today, brethren, is are these hard sayings for us? Are these hard sayings for us? I'm the bread of life which came from heaven, who gives us life for the world. You partake of me if you want eternal life. Are these hard sayings for us?

They must not be. Certainly, as we come up to baptism, these are things we must have already reconciled in our mind as we commit to coming under the covenant relationship of baptism.

Certainly, as we come up to the Passover, we should have our mind clearly wrapped around this concept. Jesus Christ is the bread of life, the Lamb of God, slain from the foundation of the world. He is our Passover for the remission of sins, for the granting of eternal life. And in this process of salvation, we must partake of him. Again, those are principles that must be clearly established in our mind as we walk in the door and partake of the Passover. In the last Passover that Jesus Christ spent with his disciples before his crucifixion, he instituted the New Covenant symbols. And as you go and read through those, at which we will, Luke 22, what you're going to see is that he was speaking of those very symbols in John 6. Luke 22, verse 14. Again, we get the understanding of what he is saying. Eat my flesh, drink my blood.

Luke 22, verse 14. This is the final Passover just before his deliverance and crucifixion. He says, when the hour had come, he sat down in the twelve apostles with them. And he said to them, With fervent desire, I have a desire to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I say to you, I will no longer eat of it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God. Then he took the cup and gave thanks and said, Take this and divide it among yourselves. For I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes. And he took bread, gave thanks, he broke it, and he gave it to them, saying, This is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me. Likewise, he also took the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is shed for you. So clearly, what we see is that Christ was pointing his disciples in John chapter 6 to the fact that there would come a time when he would be crucified, when he would lay his life down, when his body would be battered and beaten, when his blood would pour out on the ground for all of mankind, for the remission of sins, and those who desired eternal life would have to partake of that sacrifice for salvation. The new covenant Passover symbols of the bread and the wine that we partake of once a year portray the eating of the flesh of Jesus Christ and the drinking of the blood of Christ. It's not some strange cannibalistic sort of ritual that we walk through. It is indeed what our Lord and Savior has commanded us. Now, an interesting comment back here in the latter part of verse 19 is to do this in remembrance of me. Jesus Christ said, do this in remembrance of me. This goes to our focus at the Passover. Christ is telling his disciples to do this as a memorial to his sacrifice, to acknowledge, to remember who he was, where he came from, the life that he lived, the sacrifice that he laid, the suffering he was willing to endure. He said, do this in remembrance of me. The Apostle Paul later explains that which he was taught by Jesus Christ directly in this regard as well. Let's look at 1 Corinthians chapter 11 verse 23.

1 Corinthians 11 and verse 23. Apostle Paul writing, he says, For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the same night in which he was betrayed took bread.

And when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, Take, eat, this is my body which is broken for you. Do this in remembrance of me. In the same manner, he also took the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new covenant in my blood. This do as often as you drink it in remembrance of me.

For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death till he comes. Again, the principle being emphasized is that our focus at the Passover must include doing these things in remembrance of Jesus Christ.

So the point is the Passover is not all about us, and we can almost walk in the door thinking that it is. You know, I'm here for the remission of sins. It's about my forgiveness. It's about my eternal life. Well, yes, it is. But the point most directly as well that Christ said, he says, You do this in remembrance of me. When you partake of that bread, when you partake of that wine, the emphasis on the Passover itself is to be reflecting on Jesus Christ and what has been done for us through his sacrifice, the sacrifice he made willingly. After all, if you go over and look into Peter's writings—let's see, I've got the Scripture reference for you here.

Hang on just a moment. It's Paul's reference in 1 Corinthians 5 verse 7. He says, Christ, our Passover was sacrificed for us. So the point is, not only is it an observance, the Passover observance, Jesus Christ is the Passover, and he was sacrificed for us. And the instruction is, do this in remembrance of me. He didn't say, when you come in and partake of the symbols, do it in remembrance of the Israelites' deliverance from Egypt. That was a type that pointed to the fulfillment and the spiritual fulfillment. He didn't even say, do it in remembrance of your baptism, although that is an essential core of the Passover, because our baptism is where we make the covenant and we come under that sacrifice. But when we walk in the door to the Passover, it is an annual reminder and a renewal of the commitment we've made to accept that sacrifice and to acknowledge the price that was paid for us so we could be reconciled to our Father in heaven.

And Christ said, do this in remembrance of me. Verse 27, therefore, whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord, but let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. And so, the time leading up to the Passover, and I would say a good time is between now and the Passover, it is a time of self-examination.

Paul said, let a man examine himself and then eat of the bread and drink of the cup.

You know, this isn't the time for spousal examination. You know, my dear, I've been observing you over the last year, and I think there's some things you do really well to focus on and get over as we come up to the Passover. That's not what this is saying. It's not neighbor examination. It is self-examination. Sometimes I think, brethren, we can get in the habit of doing a little too much examination outside and not enough examination inside.

Let us focus, as Paul said here, let a man examine himself, then let him partake of the bread and the cup. And you know what? If we're honest with ourselves, the conclusion that we'll come to is that I need the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. If you've taken that examination, if you've looked honestly into your life, your conclusion is going to be I need, personally, the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. That is the conclusion I came to this year. You know, it's a conclusion I came to last year, in the year before that, in the year before that. Paul Moody needs the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

As do we all. Paul said, examine yourself, then walk in the door and partake of those symbols.

Verse 29, for he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. You know, sometimes people will say, well, I don't think I'm worthy to take the Passover. My question and response would be, who is worthy to take the Passover? That is the point. None of us are worthy of the blood of Jesus Christ. It is the free gift of God, and it is the purpose that we are there. The point isn't don't come take the Passover if you're not worthy, because we're all unworthy. The point is don't take the Passover in an unworthy manner. The context here of 1 Corinthians 11 was Paul actually just finished rebuking the Corinthian church. People were showing up to the Passover. They're taking a meal in front of somebody else. Some are drunk. Paul says, excuse me, do I praise you in this? He said, no, I do not praise you in this. And this is the follow-up. Those who do not take the Passover in a worthy manner, in a discerning manner, understanding the significance and the magnitude of the sacrifice and who it was that laid his life down, says, we'll be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.

He drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord's body, not discerning the sacrifice they are taking. Verse 30, for this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep.

It was apparent that there were people who were illnesses and diseases and things they weren't getting over, people who were dying prematurely in the Corinthian church because they were despising and not appreciating the sacrifice that had been laid out for them.

Consider these things. Take this Passover in remembrance of me. That was the instruction of Jesus Christ. Verse 31, for if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged.

And that's a big, big topic in and of itself. We'll save that for a sermon on another day.

But if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged. Let me just say that God expects us to hold ourselves to account, expects us to hold ourselves to a standard. The standard has been clearly laid out for us. It's the stature of the fullness of Jesus Christ and how He lived His life.

And if we would judge our own hearts and our own actions, if we would be self-correcting, then God would not have to be the one to step in and chastise us and judge us in a way that forces us to make a correction. When God does it, it is out of love and it is for our good. And thank God He does that when He does it. But why must it come to that point? If we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged. We would be self-correcting, turning from sin, walking according to the example of Jesus Christ. Again, Jesus Christ said, do this in remembrance of Me. Partaking of the Passover and remembrance of Christ will remind us that Jesus was a servant. Jesus Christ was a servant. He was the greatest of servants. That was His nature. That was His character. In the flesh, there has been no greater servant than Jesus Christ. Let's look at Philippians chapter 2.

Philippians chapter 2 and verse 5. Again, the Apostle Paul writing. Philippians 2.5, he says, let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.

So the mind that He had is the mind that is now to be developed within us. It's what we're to be thinking on as we partake of the Passover. What was His mind? What was His service? How can I live that in my life today? Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in the appearance as a man, He humbled Himself, became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

One who had the greatest of reputations, God with God, John 1-1, humbled Himself, became of the least of reputations, taking on the form of a servant, dying in a horrific way for sins that were not His, they were ours. This is part of the mind that must be in us. Mind of a servant.

Mind of a servant.

Romans 12, verse 1, says that we ought to be living sacrifices, it says, Paul says, which is your reasonable service. So in light of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, we come under that. What ought our response and reasonable service, what ought it to be? Well, it should be that we ourselves then would lay our lives down, not to death, but as a living sacrifice, giving of ourselves for the good and the benefit of others. Verse 9, therefore, says God has also highly exalted Him, given Him a name which is above every name, that the name of Jesus every knee should bow of those in heaven, those on the earth, and those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. The Son came to fulfill that which the Father had given Him to fulfill, and is now resurrected in glory, sitting at the right hand of God. Brother, an important aspect to remembering Jesus Christ as the Passover is that it teaches us to become like Him. And isn't that what we walk through during the foot washing? You know, we have the foot washing service in advance of partaking of the symbols, all right? The bread and the wine, those are the symbols. The foot washing is not the symbol of the Passover, but Christ did it with His disciples as a matter of humble service. And He says, I've done this for you, you ought to do this for one another as well. And so we engage in the foot washing, and it puts us in the mind of humble service and the humility of Jesus Christ. That's the lesson we should be learning. As, you know, He knelt down and loosened the sandal strap of His disciples' feet and washed their feet. Again, symbolism of one of the greatest of reputations now coming as a servant. It is the humility that you and I must take on and live before one another as well. Take that Passover in remembrance of Him.

For taking the Passover in remembrance of Christ also reminds us that He willingly paid the penalty for sin, which is death, even though He was without sin Himself. He was perfect. Never strayed off course, never stumbled, never made a mistake, and yet He paid the price for sin, and not just one person's sin, the sin of all of mankind. First Peter chapter 2 and verse 19.

First Peter 2 verse 19 says, For this is commendable, is because of conscience towards God, one endures grief, suffering wrongfully. For what credit is it when you're 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 in His steps, who committed no sin, nor was the seat found in His mouth, who when He was reviled did not revile in return. When He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously. When Jesus Christ was reviled against, He did not revile in return. That's part of what we think about, is what we read about as we come in and we read the Scriptures during the Passover. The fact that He was flogged, He was beaten, He was scourged, He had that whip with the tassels at the end that they generally weaved in, or metal, that when it was pulled away, it just ripped hunks of flesh away. Scripture says His visage was marred beyond those who knew Him. I mean, His face, missing enough flesh that those that would look on Him who knew Him, would not have recognized Him. In Psalms, there's a prophecy about the fact that He says, I can count all my bones. You know, look down, see your ribs exposed because of what's been torn away. He was brutalized. He had His beard ripped out. He was spit upon. He was beaten. He had a crown of thorns placed on His hand. He was mocked. He was reviled, and He did not revile in return. Hebrews 12 talks about the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel. What was the blood of Abel? What did the blood of Abel speak? Well, Cain kills Abel. God comes and says, what is this you've done to your brother? His blood cries out to me from the ground. You know, it's figurative, but the point is Abel's blood cried out for vengeance. God punished Cain and sent him on his way. What does the blood of Jesus Christ cry out? Is it vengeance?

Is it justification? Is it due to them what they've done to me? Is that what the blood of Christ cries out? Or is it not forgiveness? Remission of sins. Reconciliation. As He is dying in the most horrific way with literally His last breath practically, He says, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. I've got to admit, when I read the account of Jesus Christ being beaten and crucified, it makes me angry. He wasn't angry. He said, Father, forgive them, they know not what they do. So that is part of the mind we take on. That is what we think about as we're taking that Passover sacrifice in remembrance of Him. Again, it is a sobering concept to consider what our sins cost the perfect Son of God. But it was God's gift to mankind, and Jesus Christ's willing contribution as well. He was without sin.

I don't think I finished this passage. Verse 23, who when He was reviled, did not revile in return. When He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously, who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness by whose stripes you were healed. For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the shepherd and overseer of your souls.

The perfect Lamb of God, without spot in blemish, laid His life down for mankind who are blemished up to their eyes. And He did so willingly. Hebrews chapter 4 and verse 14.

Again, the purity of Jesus Christ.

Hebrews chapter 4 and verse 14.

It says, seeing then that we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Therefore, let us boldly come to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Jesus Christ was tempted in all points as we are.

The opportunity to sin was ever around Him. You know, He could have lusted after a woman in His heart. He could have had murder in His heart for those who were killing Him, for those He was dying for. The opportunity for sin was ever present around Jesus Christ, just as it is ever present around us. The difference is He never crossed that line. He never even walked up close to it.

He was perfect. He could exercise perfect control of His thoughts and His heart.

But it says that He was in all points tempted as we are, and that He can sympathize with our weaknesses. So He does understand. He is our Advocate at the right hand of the Father. He understands the poles of the flesh. He understands not the fact that we crossed the line, but He understands the pole and the struggle that we fight against. And when we fall short and we come to God in repentance, He is there saying, it is a struggle. They are trying. If it is sincere repentance, indeed, He is our Advocate. And He understands the struggle. Take the Passover in remembrance of Him. Portions of Isaiah 53 get read every year at the Passover because it is a stretch of Scripture that prophesies the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. We don't necessarily read the entire stretch of it at the Passover service, but oftentimes we read bits and portions of it. I would like to read to you today Isaiah 53 from the New Living Translation.

I would just ask you if you jot down in your notes Isaiah 53. When you go home later, study it in whatever translation you have. I recommend the New King James.

But there are differences in the Living Translation as well that help to, I would say, maybe bring out some understanding. That can be a little difficult or fuzzy in other translations. But as I said, go ahead and study it through in what we would call maybe a more accurate translation. But the story flow of the New Living, I'd like to just read this to you. So if you would, sometimes you can lose the focus because you're trying to follow along in a different translation. But just listen as I read to you Isaiah 53. Consider what it is that we ought to be thinking about as we take the Passover in remembrance of him. Isaiah chapter 53.

Who has believed our message? To whom, as a Lord, revealed his powerful arm.

My servant grew up in the Lord's presence like a tender green shoot, like a root in dry ground. There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance, nothing to attract us to him. He was despised and rejected, a man of sorrows, acquainted with the deepest grief. We turned our backs on to him and looked the other way.

He was despised and we did not care. Yet it was our weakness he carried, it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins. But he was pierced for our rebellion. He was crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed. All of us like sheep have gone and strayed away. We have left God's paths to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on him the sins of us all.

He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet he never said a word. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep is silent before the shears, he did not open his mouth. Unjustly condemned, he was led away. No one cared that he died without descendants, that his life was cut short in midstream. He was struck down for the rebellion of my people. He had done no wrong, never had deceived anyone, but he was buried like a criminal. He was put into a rich man's grave.

But it was the Lord's good plan to crush him and to cause him grief. Yet when his life is made an offering for sin, he will have many descendants. He will enjoy a long life, and the Lord's good plan will prosper in his hands. When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish, he will be satisfied. It reminds me, Hebrews chapter 12, for the joy that was set before him. He endured these things. When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish, he will be satisfied. And because of his experience, my righteous servant will make it possible for many to be counted righteous, for he will bear all their sins. I will give him the honors of a victorious soldier because he exposed himself to death. He was counted among the rebels. He bore the sins of many and interceded for the rebels. Rebels, as it would say in the New King James Version, the transgressors.

Those under sin, that is you and I. That's the full extent of Isaiah chapter 53, but again, it lays out for us the mindset, the perspective of what we must remember as we partake of the Passover, the sacrifice that was laid down on our behalf. Father sent his son to die. The son died willingly so that through the plan of God, the purpose could be fulfilled to bring many sons to glory. And speaking of Jesus Christ, John the Baptist said, Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. The Apostle John stated that Christ was the one from whom the Father had sent into the world to be a propitiation for sins, that atoning sacrifice, a sacrifice that, if we come under it, reconciles us to the Father. Jesus Christ himself declared, He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me and I in him. The Apostle Paul stated in 1 Corinthians 5-7 that Christ our Passover was sacrificed for us. In light of that incredible understanding and blessing, let us not take the Passover in an unworthy manner or irreverently or diminishing the magnitude of the sacrifice, but let us first examine ourselves, then let us eat of the bread, drink of the cup, remembering as we do so that on the same night in which He was betrayed, Jesus took bread. And when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, Take, eat, this is my body, which is given for you, broken for you, do this, the remembrance of me. And in the same manner, He also took the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new covenant in my blood.

As often as you drink it, do so in remembrance of me.