Jesus Christ Is Our Passover Lamb

Jewish Independence Day - The Passover
Scripture Lesson: Exodus 12:13-14
"And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where you are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt. And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the LORD throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever."

More than anything else, the Jewish Independence day expresses this one fact: God did it! Their independence day resembles a worship service, not a party. No Israelite armies stood against the mighty Egyptians. Freedom came in the blackest night while Jewish families huddled around the Passover table, their bags packed, waiting for deliverance. For the Jews, independence from the Egyptians meant total dependence on God. God came back to this event to describe Himself through the Bible as: "I am the God who brought you out of Egypt." When the wilderness wanderers ran out of water, God provided (Exodus 17). When food supplies failed, God provided (Exodus 16). When the raiders attacked, God provided. Independence day merely set the tone for a national history that was an active movement to God.

Notice how the details of the Passover paralleled the events surrounding the death of Christ:

The sacrifice must be a lamb (Exodus 12:3)
Christ was the Lamb of God (1 Corinthians 5:7)

The lamb must be without spot or blemish (Exodus 12:5)
Christ was without spot or blemish (1 Peter 1:18-19)

The lamb must be in the prime of life when offered (Exodus 12:5)
Christ was in the prime of His manhood when He died (John 8:57)

Lamb's blood was shed that Israel might have life (Exodus 12:23)
Christ's blood was shed that the world might have life (John 3:16)

"If the things of this world are all an empty show, 'a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.' what is important? The atonement of Jesus Christ - that is the one supreme reality of our life upon this earth!" - Hugh Nibley (OAT, p.6)

"Everything that He did was prompted by His unselfish, infinite love for us" - Ezra Taft Benson

Therefore,

"The principle question before us is not do we comprehend the atonement, but do we accept it" - George Q. Morris (CR, April 1956, p.112)

I do not mean to come across as being callous, cruel, or mean-spirited, but the older I get, the more discouraged and dishearten I become as I watch some of our young people - the future of our world, place themselves in a proverbial box called defeatism. Unquestionably, some of us have grown up in unfavorable conditions and in an unkind society that constantly reminds us, and in some cases has thoroughly convinced us, that our father never amounted to much, and our mother has never amounted to much, and so, as the proverbial apple never seems to fall far from the tree, we ourselves can expect to never amount to much either. The tragedy of it all is that society is not alone in painting this picture of hopelessness and despair, but that same picture hangs on the walls in our homes, as well as, in the classrooms of our schools.

I wish to send a very clear, precise, and concise message to our youth of today: the time has come for you to stop wallowing in the mud of hopelessness and slowly drowning yourselves in the sea called despair. Now is the time to break free from that proverbial box that you have found yourselves in, and from the strangling chords of the voices of naysayers who preach negativism and defeatism. Rise above your current station in life. You can if you believe that you can!

Maybe it is true that your father and mother have never done anything to make an honorable name for themselves, or have ever tried to get out of their current situations and better themselves. Maybe it is true that you were born in unfavorable and adverse conditions. Maybe it is true that all of your young life people have done nothing but knock you down and kick you while you were down. However, it does not have to stay that way. Though the night may seem dark and dreary, nighttime only last for a season and then the morning comes. And with the dawning of the morning comes a light of hope that shines bright as the noon day sun.

Now is the time for you to start realizing that you are not your father and you are not your mother. God Almighty has made each of us uniquely YOU. He has meted to you and me a measure of faith, hope, courage, talents, and abilities. It is time for you to put behind you those things that once were, and press forward to obtain those things that can, and (with faith, hope, patience, determination, and endurance) will be. Stop listening to the perpetual lies of those who do not have your best interest at heart, and start believing in yourself. You can do whatever it is you have a mind to do, and you can become whatever it is that you have a desire to become in life, but YOU have to believe that you can do it. If you cannot believe in yourselves, how can you honestly expect anyone else to?

Do not become discouraged if at first you do not succeed at doing something, but try and try again knowing that the road to success is often filled with potholes called failure. Many a success in life has been wrought through heartache and failure, so don't let that stop you. Even along the road of success will be hurdles and discouragement which you will have to get over, but don't let that stop you either. Continue to run your race with your head held high and a song of hope and gladness in your heart. You may not be the first to cross the finishing line, but then the winner of a race is not always necessarily the swiftest runner in the race, but he who runs his race well by remaining focused, staying his course, and enduring to the end.

There will be times along the way when you may become weary. Stop and rest for a little while if you must, but don't give up, give in, or quit. Remain focused on your goals and objectives. The finishing line is just in sight. You can make it. Yes you can! May God give you the hope, courage, faith, and determination to endure to the end. God bless you all!

Add a comment

Lessons in the Key of Life

Lessons that I have learned as I journey through life.