The Passover Lamb

Brethren, when we were small, when we were small little children, we were probably told either by our parents or some other Bible teacher teaching us as children, we were told the story of the Israelites leaving Egypt and crossing the Red Sea. And particularly we heard about the 10 flags and we heard about the land being killed and the blood being put on the door pulse and on the temporal at the top of the door on the lintel, and how God passed over those households which had blood that killed the firstborn of those households without the blood on their doors. And the story goes on and as young people, we probably understood the significance up to a point. We probably thought it was an amazing story, but maybe it was just a story. Maybe we did not get the full impact and meaning of that story. And today, brethren, I want to spend a bit of time to look at this event, specifically the event of the Passover, of the killing of the lamb and of the blood on the door pulse and on the lintel, and see how important it is today now, now, and particularly how then we need to prepare for it physically and most importantly spiritually. Indeed, brethren, it does affect our future eternal life. So let's go into those scriptures, and I'm going to spend a bit of time at first going through some of the specific instructions here. And the reason I'm going through it, it's because we all have, and if you want to turn to it, it takes us 12. So as you turn to it, it's 12. Where are we going to go? But as we do this, we need to understand that there are people that one day may ask you the reason of your fight. And you need to be grounded in the scriptures to understand why you do certain things. And so it is important for you to have a solid biblical background why we do certain things at specific times. Because you may have come from different church groups or areas. Some may have come from a church where you could have the bread any time or at least once a week. My wife and I, before we came into the church, we were Catholic, and you could take that bread pretty much, pretty frequently. You may have come from other church areas, environments before you came into God's church where people said that you had to take it once every three months. Others said, well, you got to take it every month but on the new moon. Others say, oh well, you take it once a year, but you got to do it like the Jews do on the 15th. And we in God's church, we do it on the 14th. And so you need to be able to look at the scriptures and prove why we do it when we do it. In case somebody one day asks you, and you can answer, there is the reason of your faith. So we have to be grounded in the scriptures. It's the Bible, and only the Bible, that we've got to follow. So we've got to make sure we follow according to God's Word. And so that's why I'm going to go through these details carefully, slowly. I know it's a little technical, but it is important that we understand why we observe it when we observe it. And so in Exodus 12, you read how they went to take a lamb aside on the 10th of the month and keep it aside. And then we're going to start reading on verse 6. And it says, now you shall keep it, in other words, you'll keep that lamb until the 14th day. In other words, you ought to keep that lamb carefully set aside until the 14th day arrives. So it's there, and you don't do anything until the 14th day arrives. So it's kind of waiting until the 14th day arrives.

Of the same month, obviously, so it's not every month, it's that month, then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at twilight. In other words, as we have the sunset and the sun sets, as we know in God's way of looking at days, the day begins at sunset. So when sun sets, after it gets set, we have what we call twilight. It is still not night, but it's already the next day. It's twilight. It's kind of, there's a little bit of light, maybe for half an hour, maybe an hour, sometimes a little longer, depends on how the weather looks, different things, whatever it is. If there is a period of time, in which it's still not dark, that's twilight. That's after the sun has set. So they were to keep the land until twilight, until the sun has set, the 14th has arrived, and now it's twilight, and they are to kill the land. Then the instruction goes on, verse 7 and 8, and they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses where they eat it. So where they are, they'll take the blood and put it on the doorposts and on the lintel, as a symbol or in a sense of covering or protecting the entrance into that house, the blood. This was important. So remember this, the eye is, the sun has set, let's say sun sets at six o'clock, okay, fine. So they do that, and then they, one of the first things in their mind is to put the blood, and then they are to to cook this meat. They obviously to drain the blood, and then to cook it, that elsewhere we'll read it. Not to fry it, not whatever, they give specific instructions of how to cook it. And it says, and then they ought to eat the meat on that night. Now this kind of pretty well says, you kill it, you are then to drain the blood, and then you to eat it pretty well in a short period of time. Now this brings a point that some people say, well, as a Christian, we must be vegetarians. Well, if you need to be a vegetarian as a Christian, how could you do this?

So that brings an important point that reminds me of the sin of Cain, that when the time came, he didn't do the meat, but he did something else. It kind of hints that could have been a possible at that time. That's why God was so cross with him. Not saying it is, there's no real indication that that is the case, but it just shows how important it is to follow that instruction. Anyway, it says, they shall eat the flesh that not roasted in the fire. That's a barbecue. You know, think about it. It's roasted in the fire. It's not fried. It's not whatever. It's done that same night with unleavened bread. Now, understand, it was not yet the days of unleavened bread, but they were to eat it with unleavened bread because we'll see later it represents Christ, and Christ unleavened is without sin. That's why they had to do it with unleavened bread. That's the reason. It's not because it was the days of unleavened bread. We'll see it later. That's only on the 15th. We're still on the 14th, but they have to eat it with unleavened bread because it represents Christ. We'll look more at that with bitter herbs, and they shall eat it. And there's also interesting meaning with that. Do not eat it raw. Don't boil it at all with water, but roast it in a fire. It's very specific. It's head with its legs and its entrails.

So, the instruction here is very clear, and then it goes on in verse 11.

It says, okay, whatever is left till the next day, you must not eat it. You must burn it. But it says, verse 11, and thus you shall eat it with the belt on your waist, your sandals on your feet, and your stuff on your hand, and you shall eat it in a haste. Now, think about it. It has to be eaten in a haste because, as Sain has just said, twilight is there. We're going to kill the lamb. That's quite a job. They've got to steam it. They've got to take the meat out. They've got to put the blood. They've got to cook it, and they've got to eat it. And they've still got to go to bed afterwards, I mean, it's in haste. There's going to be things being done in haste, and they're not elsewhere. The instruction says they're not to leave the house until the morning. You know there's an instruction, very clear instruction. It's important for you to read and study this. I'm not going through every single verse. They were not to leave the house till the morning. So it was very, very specific instruction. And then if there was any meat left in the morning, they were to burn it. And it's continued then at the end of verse 11. You shall eat it in the haste. It is the Lord's Passover.

And we know the Lord is Christ. Christ is our Lord. It's the Lord. It's Christ's Passover. It's the day that the Lord came over to that area and passed over certain houses that had the blood. The meaning of the blood is extremely important because He would pass over those that had the blood on the doorposts of the house, into the entrance of the house. When would He pass over? Look at verse 29. At verse 29, and He said, He will come to pass at midnight that the Lord struck all the firstborn of the land in Egypt. So it was still the fourteenths because it's the Lord's Passover. So it's got to be on the fourteenth. It's not the thirteenths, it's not the fifteenths, it's the fourteenths. It's the Passover. And when did He pass over? At midnight. You see, God's day starts from sunset to sunset. So that whole period is still the fourteenths. At the beginning of the fourteenth, they kill the land. At midnight, the Lord's Passover, the Lord passed over those houses that had the blood on their doors. So you can see that it's very, very clear.

Let's continue on verse 13. That's where we were reading. Verse 13. And this says, or verse 12, I'll pass through the land of Egypt on that night. And verse 13, Now the blood shall be assigned. Now this is so important. The blood is assigned. And it says, For you and for your houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I'll pass over you. It's such an important symbolic meaning into the future, into us. Think about it. Your mind is already thinking about how the blood of Christ washes us. You're thinking ahead. And therefore, Christ's God passes over our sins because we have the blood of Christ on us. It is a wonderful meaning. But it wasn't quite shown to them all the story at that time. They were just shown a little bit. But it is a wonderful meaning. You see, there are a couple of points here we need to remember, just in kind of review. First, it was on the 14th. It is clear. It was on the 14th. They were to kill the lamb. Then on the 14th, at about midnight, you know, the scripture says, about midnight. We saw in verse 29, it said at midnight. So, whether it was midnight or five minutes before or after, doesn't matter. Okay, but around the middle of the night, the first born were killed of those that did not have the blood. Okay? Because it says, when I see the blood, I'll pass over. But those that had the blood over their doors, they were not to die. Obviously, the first born. Okay? That's the story. There was a first born. And then it says, it's a memorial, and it is a feast.

You see, the 14th is a memorial. It is a feast night, but it is not a holy night. It's important that we understand there is a difference between a feast night and a holy night. Now, God's only days are feast days. But not all feast days are holy days. For instance, the third day of the Feast of Tabernacles is not a holy day. The fourth day of the Feast of Tabernacles is not a holy day. So, there are many days. There are festivals, but they're not holy days. The Passover is a festival, but it's not an annual Sabbath. It's not a holy day.

Then, after the 14th, at the end of the 14th, so think about at the end of the 14th, the 14th is coming to the end of the 14th. What is that? At sunset, at the end of the 14th. That's a reason. Then begins what? The 15th. At the end of the 14th, you know, it was the 14th at even, then you begin the 15th. And read with me in verse 18. It says, verse 18, in the first month, on the 14th day of the month, at evening, you know, it was at the end of the 14th, as it comes towards sunset, at evening, you shall eat and live on bread until the 21st of the month, at the evening. So, at the end of the 14th, from the end of the 14th, which means from the 15th, in other words, till the end of the 21st, which means includes the 21st, you shall eat and live on bread. Those are the days of the live on bread. And if you got a calculator, you take 21 minus 14. Guess what comes up? Seven. Seven. It's seven days. And then it goes in and says, for seven days, verse 19, for seven days, no leaven shall be found in your houses.

Since whoever eats what is leaven, that same person should be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he's a stranger or a nighter of the lamp. So, the instruction is very clear that during those seven days, that is, by the end of the 14th, at sunset, you know, it was from the beginning of the 15th, till the end of the 21st, for seven days, inclusive of the 15th to the 21st, you, we are not to have leaven in our houses.

That's what the instruction says. Now, obviously, not to have leaven in our houses means we have to be leaven. That does not mean you say, well, yes, my leaven, give it to your neighbor, and then at the end of next week, you borrow it back from the neighbor. That's not it! That's not it! That's wrong! So, like, say, well, I'll take my sins out, but at the end of the week, I'll put my sins back in, you know? That's kind of the wrong analogy!

That's not it! Now, that is the example of, as recorded, of the first, let's call it first, Passover celebration. Now, let's look at the law at the Torah. How does it describe it? And you'll see it's exactly the same thing. And that is in Leviticus 23 verse 5. Leviticus 23 verse 5. And this is a scripture we all know well in God's church, because it's a beautiful scripture, because it summarizes in one place all of God's festivals and holy days, highlighting which ones are festivals only and highlighting which ones are festivals and holy days.

In other words, which ones are festivals only and which ones are festivals and annual Sabbaths. All right, so let's start reading in verse 5. It says, On the fourteenth day of the first month at twilight, it is the Lord's Passover. So, from the beginning of the fourteenth day, when it's twilight, is the Lord's Passover. It's the fourteenth. It's not the fifteenth. I'm sorry, it's not the fifteenth. That's what it says there. I mean, show me in the Bible.

Now, believe me. Believe what God's Word says. It's the fourteenth. At twilight, it is the Lord's Passover. It's Christ's Passover. He's the Lord. He's our Lord. We've got one God, the Father, and one Lord, Jesus Christ. He's the Lord. He's the Lord's Passover. And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread of the Lord. Seven days. You must eat unleavened bread. So, that feast runs for seven days, but there's only two holy days during that feast. There's only two sappets during that feast, annual sappets. On the first day, you shall have an holy convocation. You shall do no customary work on it.

So, he keeps a sabbat on the first day of unleavened bread. And then he says, but you shall offer an offering made by fire to the Lord for seven days. On the seventh day shall be a holy convocation.

On the seventh day, you shall do no customary work on it. So, there's two annual sappets during that period of seven days of the feast. An annual Sabbath on the 15th and an annual Sabbath on the 21st.

So, the instruction is very clear. And we can see the Passover as we read on verse 5. It says it's a festival because in verse 4 he says, these are the feasts of the Lord. So, on verse 5, the Passover is a festival, but does not say that on the 14th day you shall do no customary work on it.

You see, on the 14th day is not an holy day. Does not say that. So, the 14th day is not a Sabbath, not an annual Sabbath. The 15th is, but the 14th day is not. Okay, so let's look at, summarize again. What have we got from God's Word so far? We've got one thing. There's one thing I want you to get. That the Passover is on the 14th. I want you to get that.

It's not on the 15th. It's not once a month. It's not once every three months. It's not every Sunday or whatever it is. It is on the 14th. It's an annual memorial on that day. That's what I hope you can see from that, the instructions in the Old Testament. Now, what about the New Testament? Has Christ done it away? Did Christ really observe the Passover at the right time on the right day? Did He? So, because it is Him where we need to follow, it is Christ where we are to follow.

So, what did He do? I mean, after all, is the Lord's Passover? He is the Lord, and Christ is the same yesterday, today, forever. So, surely, He's not doing something different. Now, let's go to 1 Corinthians 11.1. 1 Corinthians 11.1. 1 Corinthians 11.1. This is Paul speaking. 1 Corinthians 11.1. And what does he say? Paul says, Imitate me just as I also imitate Christ. Paul is saying, follow me just as I follow Christ. Now, the converse is also true, which means, don't follow me if I don't follow Christ.

That's what it means. You don't follow a man if he's not following Christ. Follow Paul as long and as much as he's following Christ. Follow any minister of God as long as he's being a faithful minister and following Christ. That's what he's saying. If that minister departs, don't follow the minister.

So, I don't want you to follow me. I want you to follow Christ. I'm only a servant here, pointing you to Christ, not to me. Not to me. So, what did Paul do then? So, if Paul said that, what did he do? Now, we stay in 1 Corinthians 11, but look at verse 23. Look at verse 23. The same chapter. Paul says, For I have received from the Lord. It was from Jesus Christ. I received from Jesus Christ that which I have also delivered to you. So, I, Paul, am telling you something, and what I'm telling you is what I got from Jesus Christ himself. And you can go back and see how Christ actually dealt with Paul individually after he was converted. They are sections, probably for as much as three and a half years and things like that. So, that's not the purpose now. But the point is, is that he personally received it from Christ, an instruction, and he personally is delivering exactly the same instruction from Christ, which is the following. That the Lord Jesus, so it's very clear who is the Lord. The Lord Jesus. On the same night in which he was betrayed, he took great.

Jesus Christ observed the Passover on the same night that was to be done, and on the same, that was the night that was betrayed. Now, we will see in a moment that that was the 14th. We'll see that he observed the Passover. We'll prove that from God's own scriptures, from his own Word. But the point is, Paul said, imitate me as I imitate Christ. And he says, Christ told me, and I'm imitating Christ, that he on the same night that he was betrayed, he also took that bread. And then goes on explaining the bread. He says, take, and he says, and when he had given thanks, he brought and says, take it, this is my body, which is broken for you, this too in remembrance of me. He's clearly talking about the symbolism of the Passover, and he clearly says, it was on the same night that he was betrayed. Was not another night, it was not two days early or two nights early, and then was betrayed like three nights later, or the same night, they was betrayed.

So, the question is, did Jesus keep the Passover? When he did this, when he broke the bread, and he did this, and he said, this is my body in remembrance of me, was this the Passover night?

Isn't it? I mean, some people say, oh no, it's just any meal. It's just any meal. It just happened to be it was a meal, because the Passover was the next night, that's when the Jews were keeping it, before he did it the time before, because he couldn't do it afterwards, because he was dead. I've heard that. I've heard people telling me that. So, the question is, was Jesus really keeping the Passover? Or was he doing it one night before, because obviously he couldn't do it the next night? Because he was dead!

Let's look at Luke. Look. Look at Luke.

Chapter 22, verse 9. Let's look.

Luke 22, verse 9. And he sent Peter and John, this is talking about Christ, saying, Go and prepare thee Passover for us, then we may eat it. Was he telling them to prepare any meal? No, he was telling them to prepare thee Passover. The Lord Christ was being very specific, was thee Passover. He knew what he's talking about. Now, look at verse 13, the same chapter, verse 13. So they went and found it just as he had said to them, and they prepared thee Passover. Not any meal. They prepared thee Passover. They knew, they knew that they were doing it one day before the Jewish people in general were doing it.

You see, because the Jewish people in general would only kill the lamb during the day portion later on, and they would only eat the meal the following evening. So they knew they were doing it one night before. They didn't question it. Why?

Because at that time, there were some people that kept the Passover correctly on the 14th, and there were some people that kept the Passover incorrectly on the 15th. So the mere fact of people saying today, oh well, the Jews keep it on the 15th, therefore, I mean, well, the Jews at Christ's time already kept it in the wrong day. We've got it, yeah.

And then on verse 15, oh, still on verse 14, I want to highlight another point. On verse 14, it says, And when the hour had come, brethren, Jesus Christ did not only keep it on the right day, he kept it at the right hour. God does everything on time. It was not just the right day, it was the right hour. It wasn't like three o'clock in the afternoon, the next morning or whatever, it was the right hour. Which means they killed the lamb at twilight, which means they prepared a meal. Obviously, they did not have to put the blood on the dopos because that was not for that period, right? But they prepared a meal and they prepared it and it was done at that hour, at the right time. Now, look on verse 15. When He said, then He said to them, He sat down with the apostles, and then Christ said to them, With fervent desire, now this is Christ talking and He says, With fervent desire, I have desired to eat this Passover. Christ was eating the Passover. So we've seen, we've told them to prepare the Passover. They said they prepared the Passover. Christ Himself said, I've desired to eat this Passover. Was not any meal. Was not any meal, was that Passover. And they knew they were doing it before the bulk of the Jewish nation. Because the Jewish nation was killing the lambs only at three o'clock. Still on the 14th, but at three o'clock that afternoon. God allowed it for His great purpose, because remember, Christ died about at three o'clock. Amazing how God does things. Even with man's stubbornness, God works things out. Beautifully, beautifully. So God allowed it for His great purpose. So, this is very important. This is very important, because Christ kept the Passover on the right day. And He said, this too, He'll memorial me. And He says, I've desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. And so that evening He was betrayed. And then He was taken out. He was beaten. He suffered. And then He was... Then He ended up being going to court and going before Pilate and all the story, you know. And then they put Him on the tree, as it says elsewhere. And then He was hanged. And then He died that same day. That same day. Now, this is very important. You see, if the Jewish people, or in fact if the Israelites families, any Israelites family, in Egypt, had decided to kill the Lamb only in the afternoon of the 14th, and before to only put the blood on the door on the 15th at night, would have been one night too late. In fact, the firstborn would have been dead already. Would have been in vain. Would have been in vain. So, that's that serious. It is that serious. And God has everything on time. You see, otherwise, the blood is a sign, if they did it, if they were going to do it one day later, the blood of sign would not be on their house. And therefore, they would have died. The firstborn would have died. It's then critically important, because the blood as a sign is important of that length, because it was a sign of the true blood of Jesus Christ. It's a sign of the true blood of Jesus Christ. And that is not to be taken lightly. It's very important. Turn with me to 1 Corinthians chapter 5 verse 7. 1 Corinthians chapter 5 verse 7. 1 Corinthians chapter 5 verse 7. We're going to be reading this whole verse a little later, but at this time, I just want to emphasize on the latter part. We're going to come back to this verse a little later, as I said. For indeed, Christ our Passover. Christ is our Passover. He is our Passover Lamb. In one of the Portuguese Bible translations, it actually says, Christ is our Passover Lamb, which is interesting. But anyway, Christ is our Passover. He is our Passover Lamb. Now, were the Israelites better than the Egyptians?

No. No. Because you and I know the Israelites still took with them the Egyptian gods. They still disobeyed. They followed the Balaam later on, and they were punished, and they went, they were dispersed, and they went to captivity. They were not better than the Egyptians. Then why?

It is a lesson of the blood. If you, the lesson of blood is, if you have the blood over the door of your house, the Lord will pass over your sins. If you don't have the blood over the door of your house, you will die. Big lesson for us. The blood is the sign of the blood, in our case, the real blood is Christ. It's important. The Israelites were required to kill the lamb and place the blood on the door. They were required to believe in that instruction. I mean, they said, okay, we'll kill the lamb, oh, but put the blood on the door. That's such a silly thing. I'm not going to do it. Please, that's silly. It's dirty. It's horrible. I'm not going to do it. No, I'm better than that. I'm not going to do it. You know, they've gone through a number of plagues that made them realize we better listen. And it's kind of the only time these Israelites really listened. They listened. Now, in other words, they believed. Believing is doing something about it. It's doing something is acting upon that belief.

And the Lord's blood would be a sign for the Lord to pass over their households. Just like you and I, brethren, are to believe in the blood of Christ. Christ is the ultimate sacrifice. That's why, when other scriptures say, well, during the feast days, you have to offer sacrifice. We don't have to do that because they point it to Christ. Christ is the ultimate sacrifice. It's the sacrifice of God.

It's the symbol of His love to you and I to die for us before the foundation of the world. You know, the moment God the Father and the Word, as it was at that time, when they decided to create man with the purpose they have, they knew the death sentence to one of them had been signed and sealed. They knew it. They knew this would happen. They knew you would have to suffer painfully on the cross.

Or on the pole, whichever. Painfully the way He did. How do I, how can I say that? Because you see that prophesied in Isaiah and in Psalms, you see that prophesied that you would suffer. You would see that prophesied the way you would suffer. And that was about 800 years before the Romans even had invented crucifixion and was really prophesied that way.

Realize, I have 53 years. Psalms, I think it's another Psalm, I think it's 42 or 40 or somewhere around there, I think it's 42, another. It already prophesied the way Christ would die. It is amazing. And crucifixion had not even been invented, which means the moment they, they, the Father and the Word decided to create mankind at the foundation of the world, the Lamb of God was killed. That blood had already been decreed to have to happen. And that's the love that He has for you and I to give your only beloved Son for you and I, which are rich, human beings with all our failings and failures and whatever it is.

The blood of Christ is very important.

And brethren, what is it that we must believe? Well, you can read in Acts 2.38, you don't have to turn there, but it says, repent and be baptized and then you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. They baptize in the name of Jesus Christ. Repent. That's what we're going to do. We're going to believe that we got to change our way of living, repent completely, that all the way be buried in the watery grave symbolically. It's not the baptism that that forgives us, just a symbol, just a symbol, right? It's the blood of Christ that forgives us that is applied to us. But we've got to repent and then be baptized. That's an act of belief. Like they had to put the blood. Now we've got to be baptized. A act of belief. You could say, oh, well, that's silly. I'll do it differently. I'll just sprinkle myself or give somebody to sprinkle me. That's not good enough. That's not the way it is. And this is the symbol of being buried and things like that. It's we've got to do something and that is what we've got to do. We've got to repent and be baptized as a symbol of that. Because that's the belief in the real possible blood, which is Jesus Christ's blood, which is a real atoning blood for you and I. That blood is what washes us. Turn with me to Hebrews 9 verse 13 and 14. Hebrews 9 verse 13 and 14. Hebrews 9.

Sisia. For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of an ephra sprinkling the unclean sanctifies for the purifying of a flesh, it just sets you aside for the for the purified flesh. Just sets you aside. Doesn't forgive. Doesn't wash it away. Doesn't do that. Because that's why they had to do it all the time and keep doing it. Do it every year. They had to do it because it didn't do it. It didn't really forgive them. It didn't really purify them. It would just set them aside for the purifying of the flesh. Just put them aside, sanctify them, make them different as a lesson, as a pointer, as a shadow to the real sacrifice. Verse 14. How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal spirit offered himself, he offered himself, no man killed Christ in the world? Of course, we killed him. But what I'm saying is, he offered himself. He gave his life for us. Had he not wanted, you have not died. Had he spoken up when there was, they says, why don't you speak? He just kept quiet. Why? Because had he spoken, you would have gotten himself out. They would have not killed him. Pilate would have not killed him. He says, but you can defend yourself. Open your mouth. And he did not open his mouth. Why? So that he would be killed.

I mean, other times Christ spoke out. He spoke out against the Pharisees. He says, you bunch of hypocrites. So it's not that he never spoke out, but at that time he needed to keep quiet so that he would be killed. He offered himself. Yes, we killed him or all killed him, but he volunteered to do that of his own free choice. He offered himself without spot to God. In other words, without blemish, like that lamb, set aside for a year, it was without... It's that blood that cleanses your conscience. Brethren, once we are baptized and we've repented of our sins, we don't have to have a guilty conscience of our past sins. We do not have to have a guilty conscience of our sins because we have to believe that Christ's sacrifice was big enough to forgive us. Or is he or are your sins or all my sins so big that God can't forgive? No. So his blood cleanses our conscience from what? From dead works. In other words, works that we don't do anymore because they're dead. We put them down at the burial, at the baptism. Those works are dead. We don't practice anymore. We're now living a different life, a life of obedience. Those works are dead, but it cleanses us from those works that we've done in the past.

So that we now serve the living God, to serve the living God. We see, it's the blood of Christ that washes us. The blood of Christ is extremely important, and that is the symbol of that story that you and I have heard as young people.

Probably read to us about the blood being put on the doors, but you and I probably never really grasped it to this degree that you can grasp now. The meaning of that blood that basically covers the entrance of our household, spiritually speaking, our bodies, our house, and covers our bodies so that the Lord passes over us, in other words, forgives us of our sins.

Now, here's another point where mankind today regrettably gets it wrong as well. Now think about it. Think about it. Physically speaking, what was the cause of Jesus' death? Answer it to yourself. Physically speaking, what was the cause of Jesus' death?

Now, some people say, well, he died of a broken heart. A broken heart. Oh, don't you broken heart. Is that where he died? Physically speaking, was it a trauma? Was it exhaustion by being there, crucified? Was that why he died? He suffocated. You know, he was there for a long time. He suffocated. Why did he physically die? Brethren, you and I have to believe that Jesus Christ's blood was poured out for us. That's how he died.

He died because his blood was poured out and therefore his heart had no more blood to pump.

That's how he died. But just the way it translates, as I put things into the Bible and or omitted certain scriptures, it hides that from us.

So, let's first look at a few scriptures about how Christ died and then look at the scriptures in the New Testament in more specific detail. The first one I want you to look at is Zechariah chapter 12. Zechariah chapter 12. Zechariah chapter 12 is 10.

And it's a prophecy about the entire and then it says, And I'll pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the spirit of grace and supplication. So, it's a time in the future when the Israelite people would actually be receiving God's Spirit of grace and supplication will be knowing the truth, they will repent, and they'll receive God's Spirit. And then they will look, so they'll look, on me whom they pierced. They will look at the return Jesus Christ, which will be ruling on earth. It says, they'll look at me, the Word, Jesus Christ, whom they pierced. And when they pierced, they caused all the blood to come out and then he died.

Let's look at Acts 20. Acts 20 verse 28.

Acts 20 verse 28.

Therefore take heed to yourselves and all the flock amongst which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers to shepherd the Church of God, which He purchased with His own blood. So, he's talking about Yah. He is Paul talking to the elders in Ephesians and he's saying goodbye to them. It will be the last time he sees them and he says, listen, goodbye. Cheers! It's the last time I see you. And they all cried and said goodbye to him. But he says, listen, man, take care of God's people because they are the ones that Christ purchased with His own blood.

Now, when you and I understand fully that it was Christ's blood being lost and drained and that's why he died, that takes a deeper meaning. And it ties into the blood being the doorposts and on the lintels. That's what it is. Look also at Ephesians 2. Ephesians 2, verse 13. But now in Christ Jesus, you who once were for all have been brought near by the blood of Christ. We're brought near to what? Brought near to God. We can go, we can approach God's throne. When we pray, we can get through, we are reconciled with God, we close to God, we can have a relationship with God the Father. How? Because Christ's blood paid for that. And therefore, it passes over our sins so that we can now be near to God the Father. It's the blood of Christ that did that. Look at 1 Peter, chapter 1. 1 Peter, chapter 1. 1 Peter, chapter 1, verse 18 and 19.

2 Peter, chapter 19. Knowing that you are not only redeemed with corruptible things like silver or gold from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ. We were redeemed with the precious blood of Christ as a lamb without blemish and without spot. That lamb that was killed in a possible over had to be killed in a certain way. The blood had to come out. That's how he had to die. And it's symbolic of Christ died. That blood was then put on the door and things like that. So we were redeemed with Christ's blood. And look at Matthew 26, verse 28. Matthew 26, verse 28. These are just scriptures to show that we were redeemed with the blood. Scriptures we heard before. So let's just emphasize that first and then we're going to prove that Christ died by losing blood. Matthew 26, verse 28.

This is talking about the fossil of a ceremony as Christ instituted. And he says, this is my blood of the new covenant which is shared for many for the remission of sins. Christ's blood was shared, was poured out, was shared for many for the remission of sins.

And it is the blood of the new covenant. In other words, it's the contract that signs and seals that new agreement between you individually and God at baptism. That's what it is. It's the new covenant that you sign with God individually. So clearly the focus, as you and I can see in these few scriptures that we turn to, is that Christ's sacrifice was through his blood. The blood is very important. And the blood was shared for our sins, to redeem us.

Now, we need to believe that to connect all the dots. You know, sometimes we don't connect all the dots. We see something and say, oh well, we signed by Christ's blood. But we don't connect all the dots.

You see, recreatively, the connection of these dots is obscured.

And let's look at where it's obscured in John 19, verse 30 to 34. John 19, verse 30 to 34.

John 19, verse 30 to 34. And when Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, it is finished. That's it. I've done the job. I've run the race and down he said he gave up his spirit.

So how did he die?

How did he die? He just kind of put the wine on his lips and he said he's finished and he gave up his spirit and he died. So there's a blood. There's no blood poured out.

Let's continue reading verse 31. Therefore, because it was a preparation day, yes, it was the Passover, it was the 14th, the preparation for the 15th, which was the annual Sabbath, a holy day, the first day of the 11th bread, that the body should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath. It was the annual Sabbath, the 15th of Nisan. For the Sabbath was a high day, it was an annual Sabbath. The Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, because they didn't want work to be done. And therefore, they said, no, not on the Sabbath and they'll be hanging there another day and that they might be taken away. In other words, why? Because they did and once you break the legs, the legs were holding part of the body up and once you didn't have the legs broken, this body would pull down and will pull down, they would suffocate and will die by suffocation. So just so I get it, you couldn't breathe. It's explaining great detail in this booklet and I've got a few extra copies if you don't have it. I got, yeah, and it refers scripturally to a number of things and historically to doctors' reports and things like that. It really is very well explained. So as a preparation for Passover, I really recommend you to study this book with your Bible and use this as a study guide to see what Christ went through and how he suffered. But anyway, it goes on. Verse 32, reading in John 19 verse 32, Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who were cross and crucified with Christ with him. But when they came to Jesus and they saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. He'd already died. They knew he was dead. I mean, they didn't have to bring in a doctor specialist to do a check and check the heartbeat and look into his eyes and see when he was really dead. They knew he was dead. I mean, he was dead and they knew he was dead.

Verse 34, But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out.

So the way it's written implies that after he was dead, they came with a spear, they pierced him, and blood and water came out. Okay, when you read it and you cut the scriptures from certain doctors, when you're dead and the heart is not pumping, the blood will not rain like that.

You see, this is a mis-translation because it should say, but or because one of the soldiers had pierced his side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out.

So then what happened is, they took the sponge, he said, it's finished. They came to him and they took a spear, they pierced his side all the way through his lungs, all the way up to his heart. The heart was still pumping. It pumped all that blood and water and all things just gushed out and he died.

You see, we also need to look at other scriptures. Matthew's account also gives an explanation of this, but regrettably, some of the Bible translations do not have the scripture or this verse in it. And let's read then, Matthew 27. Matthew 27 with the verse. That is omitted, but it is in some older manuscript and it is on a few Bible translations on the Moffat it is and a few others. Let me just see. It's a Moffat translation, it has, the Rotterdam emphasized Bible has. The 20th century New Testament has, and also some other Bibles have it as a footnote or a marginal reference noting the omitted words. But let's read with those words as it should read Matthew 27, verse 46 through 30.

Matthew 27, 46 through 30. And about the ninth hour, and that means three o'clock in the afternoon, Jesus cried out with a loud voice saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabatami, which is a remake, which is my God, my God, why do you forsake me? Some of those who stood there when they said that thought that this man is called for Elijah. Immediately one of them ran and took a sponge, folded with one, and poured it in a reed, and offered to him to drink. And we read that in John a little earlier on. They put the sponge and put it in his mouth for him to drink. And the rest said, let him alone, and let us see if Elijah will come to save him. And now I'm going to read the text that is missing, and it says, and taking a spear, spear's the side, and there came out blood and water. You can read that in Adam Clark's commentary as well. And in verse 13, and Jesus cried out again with a loud voice. So imagine when this happened, and that the thing burst, he just cried out, ah, whatever pain.

Cried out with a loud voice, and yielded up his spirit. Now, it becomes a lot clearer that Jesus died because his blood was poured out for us.

In this booklet, we make some references here, which I'm going to read about. It's entitled in the chapter page 39, the final fatal blow. Page 39, the final fatal blow.

And it says, John Lyle Cameron, a medical doctor, explains, the soldier was a Roman. He would be well trained, proficient, and would know his duty. He would know which part of the body to pierce in order that he might obtain a speedy fatal result or ensure that the victim was undeniably dead. The soldier standing below on our crucified Lord as he hanged on the cross, would thrust upwards under the left ribs. The broad, clean cutting, two-edged spearhead, would enter the left side of the upper abdominal, would open the stomach, would piece the diaphragm, would cut wide open the heart, and great blood vessels, arteries, and veins, and would lacerate the lung. The wound would be large enough to permit the open end to thrust into it. That's why Christ is saving John to doubting Tom, Thomas, put your hand on my side, because he holds that hole. John 20 verse 24, 27. And then continued, blood, together with water from the stomach, would flow forth in abundance. The whole event described by John must indeed have happened, for no writer could have presented in such coherent detail so recognizable event, unless he or someone had actually witnessed its occurrence, from 10-day-old New Testament commentaries under John, 2000 pages 212 and 213. So, it is interesting that, as we read elsewhere in John, remember when Christ came to John the Baptist, right at the beginning, John the Baptist says, Behold, the Lamb of God. Jesus Christ was the Lamb of God. He was to die by His blood being poured out. Indeed, His blood is what washes us away. It is terrible. It is terrible. But brethren, we have the confidence, and we have the knowledge and the comfort that God did it knowingly, allowing it knowingly. Jesus Christ offered Himself knowingly for you and I to be forgiven. We need to thank God, thank God, for giving His Son to die for us by shedding His blood. And now, that meaning, when we talk about shedding the blood, it takes a whole deeper understanding and meaning. The meaning of the blood around the doors and the lintel, it has a whole different meaning than just an interesting story that we've received. Therefore, the apostles were moved. The apostles were moved when they saw this, and a few days later, there He was talking to them. And it was with them for about 40 days, and it was seen by over 3,000 people. They were just moved. It says, This is it! There is no doubt. There was no doubt they were prepared to die for it, and to stop for it as well. There's no fight. This was real stuff. They were moved. And therefore, in 1 Corinthians chapter 5, verse 7, when we reverse, Therefore, that's why the apostles were moved and said, Therefore, 1 Corinthians chapter 5, verse 7, purge out the old leaven. What is our duty? Our duty is to say, Let's take that leaven out, that sin out, purge it out, then we may be a new lump, since you truly are in leaven, because this was during the days of unleavened. So physically, this was during the days of unleavened bread. So they were unleavened physically. And they said, For indeed Christ our Passover was sacrificed for us. Indeed, Christ our Passover lamb died for us. And so we, because of this, we need to purge ourselves out. We need to clean ourselves out. We need to deal with ourselves. Yes, physically. Because it is something. You see, why do we do the baptism? Because if baptism doesn't wash us, it's a symbol, because we physical human beings, we need the symbols to remind us things. Why do we take the bread and wine? It's not the wine, it's not the bread that does things. It's the symbolism that does, it reminds us things. And likewise, why do we deal with it? Because when we deal with it, physically speaking, we learn certain physical lessons that then we can meditate about the real spiritual intent of those lessons.

So if you have not gone through the exercise, talk to some other people, you either have done an experience, but what is it? How to be leaven and how do we do it? Ask others that have done it before. What is leaven? Well, it's every leavening agent. It's baking powder, it's bakarov, soda, and things that make the dough to rise. But remember, the physical is only a lesson of the spiritual.

The important is the spiritual. Regrettably, some people have spent so much time doing the physical, they do not spend any time doing the spiritual and trying to examine themselves to learn some lessons and to analyze themselves to take the leaven spiritually out of their lives.

Because continuing on verse 8 says, therefore let us keep the feast. What feast? The feast of unleavened bread, of course. Not for old leaven, not with leaven of malice and weakness, but of the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. And therefore, let's keep the feast, the days of unleavened bread, with the real meaning of looking at ourselves, analyzing ourselves, and taking the real spiritual leaven out of our lives.

The important, yes, the physical is a lesson. We learn lessons from it. But please, let's not neglect the spiritual. Let's not neglect time to look at ourselves, to examine ourselves, as it says in 1 Corinthians chapter 11. Turn with me to 1 Corinthians chapter 11 verse 27 and 28. 1 Corinthians chapter 11 verse 27 and 28. It says, Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, and we don't want to do it in a way that it's unworthy, will be guilty of the body and blood of Christ. But let a man examine himself. So what is our duty? To examine ourselves, to look at ourselves. Yes, we do the physical delabening, which is a lesson, but the important is the spiritual delabening that we have to do, and we have to examine ourselves. And then he says, And so let him eat of the bread and drink the cup. In other words, install let him take the symbols of the apostle. It does not say, examine yourselves and therefore reach to the conclusion not to take the apostle.

That's not what it says. It doesn't say, examine yourselves and therefore, through your dissemination, say, I'm not good enough, therefore I'm not going to take the apostle. That's not what it says. It says, examine yourself, look at where you need to be overcoming, and where you need to take change and improve and ask God through the power of his spirit, which you have, because you are baptized members, to help you to take, to overcome. And so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup and therefore take the apostle.

So how do we analyze ourselves?

I'm going to give you some homework now. I'm going to give you some homework. I could go through this, but it's a lot more valuable if you say, I've come to church today and I've got certain things to do to help me examine ourselves, myself, spiritually.

Look at Exodus 20, the 10 commodities, and analyze one by one and see and identify how you're doing in each one of those. Then look at the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5 through 7, which is Christ's amplification of the Lord, and take it to one degree further, to the spiritual, real spiritual event, and analyze yourself. It doesn't say analyze yourself so you don't take the apostle, but analyze yourself so then you're doing or taking the apostle in a worldly manner because you have analyzed yourself.

Look at the works of the flesh and the fruit of the Holy Spirit, Galatians 5, 19-23, and analyze yourself and examine yourself in those areas.

Look at Colossians 3 and Ephesians 4 and 5. Colossians 3 and Ephesians 4 and Ephesians 5. And that is putting off the old man and putting on the new man. Look at things that we need to put off and look at things that we need to put on. That's how we examine ourselves.

And then continue in verse 29 in 1 Corinthians 11. So that's the end of the homework. Okay, that's the end of the homework. So those areas, the Ten Commandments, as expanded also by Christ, the works of the flesh and works the fruit of the Spirit and putting off the old man and new man. If we just work on those very simple, basic areas, that gives us a good opportunity to examine ourselves. But let's continue then in verse 29 of 1 Corinthians 11. It says, For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner, eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. Brethren, that's a whole additional story, discerning the Lord's body. That is the bread. You and I talked today about the wine of the fossil. My next sermon will be going to look at the bread, discerning the Lord's fossil, which will then be in about five to nine or six weeks' time from today. So, brethren, the story of the Israelites leaving Egypt and crossing the Red Sea and killing the Lamb and putting the blood, which we heard as young people, has great significance for you and I today. The Lamb was killed, brethren, representing Jesus Christ, which is our fossil, the Lamb. The blood on the two-door posts and on the lintel represents God passing over those households with the blood, but killing all those firstborn on the households without the blood, which also, by itself, represents Jesus Christ pouring out his blood on us over our households, spiritually speaking, over us, cleansing our conscience of our sins, of past sins, and his blood being in our bodies spiritual doors, which is our mind and our hearts. And God passes over our past sins, provided we believe and act upon that belief, which is repent and be baptized and do what we need to do. Brethren, you and I can humbly appreciate the full depth and meaning of the symbolism. And we thank God for the fossil, because it's based only on Christ and only on Christ's blood. It's based on God the Father and Christ's love for us, that makes possible the plan of God for us as human beings to be renewed from the old carnal nature to the new spiritual nature that God wants you and I to be in. Let us, brethren, examine ourselves in this month ahead before we partake of the possible.