Exodus Chapter 12 Verse 13

• The blood of the lamb is the reason why the people will be spared. But what if they were like really good people?  Super amazing awesome philanthropic people?  Would that be 1% of the reason why God’s judgment would pass over them?  Or what if they didn’t believe in or ascribe to the Word of God but were really really really sincere in their worship of the Egyptian gods?  Would then God recognize that, respect that and cause judgment to pass over them?  The obvious answers to these questions is   God says here, gives the 100% complete and final reason and way that judgment would pass over the people…, “When I see the blood, I will pass over you.”
• I’m not a good person. I’m not a very nice guy.  I’m moody, needy, arrogant, tense, selfish…I have a difficult time NOT being frustrated at the smallest of things…I have yet to live a perfect day in my life…I still sin and I still fall short of what God is worthy of in terms of a servant, a follower, a son…but none of those things move Him at all in terms of judgement.  In spite of all of that, I am filled with the Holy Spirit and my home is in heaven.  Why?  I am saved and spared only because of…I’m talking 100% completely and finally forever by the blood of the Lamb of God, Jesus!  Nothing else in terms of my salvation matters one single dust of a bit…have you received Jesus?  Then your payment has been made.
• Also, look at this. Back in verse 12 God said, “I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt.”  Why the firstborn?  I think this is interesting and this may be only me, but I see something significant  Back in Exodus Chapter 4:22, when all the plagues began, God said of Israel, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Israel is My son, My firstborn.”  And this got me to thinking, which is dangerous, HA!!
• Israel is called God’s firstborn (and here tonight we have God’s Chin – HA!)…let me draw you a parallel. Who was God’s firstborn on the earth?    Who was Satan’s firstborn on the earth?  Adam.  God created Adam and Adam was perfect.  Made in the image of God and without blemish.  Then Satan introduced the concept of sin to mankind and mankind took the bait.  Romans 5:12 says, “Through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned.”  And thus, God’s firstborn was taken into captivity and that captivity was and is the grave.
• But then God provided the lamb, the substitutionary sacrifice without blemish and perfect. Taken into the home of all families, all mankind for a period of time and then given as a perfect sacrifice.  And through that, God slayed the firstborn of Egypt…the firstborn of Satan.  Ok, let me try to put this together.  God’s firstborn, the original intent and design of man was taken…and a new firstborn arose, the firstborn of the world…but through righteous judgment, through the blood of perfection, God has slain the firstborn of the world and taken back again His own…man, the Passover is a layered revelation!!

Exodus Chapter 12 Verses 14 – 20

• Passover was to be recognized for all generations on the fourteenth day of the month. Notice back in verse 14, God says, “So this day…”  It was a one-day event.  Passover is on the 14^th day of the first month, the month of Nisan.  The following day, on the 15^th day of the first month, began the Feast of Unleavened Bread.  Of course all of this forward pointing to Jesus as when Jesus died as our Passover Lamb, He began a new era, a reborn era if you will on the earth, and that is men, once again, positionally with God, without sin as Jesus was and is the Lamb of God that “takes away the sin of the world.”  (John 1:29)
• Ok, so the Feast of Unleavened Bread (leaven being a picture of sin as it puffs up (like pride) and it spreads with just a little pinch (Galatians 5:9)) began the day after the Passover, goes for seven days, and in the midst of began yet another feast, and you’re going to love this!  On the 16^th day of the first month (so the third day, including Passover) was the Feast of First Fruits!  You can read about this in Leviticus 23 and I love this!  These three feasts taken together are a perfect prophetic picture of Jesus Christ!  Jesus who was offered on Passover, who indeed is our Passover, and we can answer the question, was He actually without sin?  Perfect?  Unblemished?  The resurrection, aligning with the Feast of First Fruits (a sweet smelling aroma to God), answers that with a resounding YES!
• And now you ask, what about the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Welcome back to the era of men who are positionally and eternally without sin!  Why?  Because now we’re perfect and none of us sin?  Not at all!  Simply and only, completely and finally and totally because of the blood of the Lamb!

Exodus Chapter 12 Verses 21 – 24

• So who is the “destroyer?” It does appear here that the destroyer is commanded by God so perhaps the destroyer is an angel…but, contrary to popular belief, you do not find an “angel of death” written of, mentioned or taught by the scriptures.  And we also can’t escape what God has already made clear.  Back in Chapter 11, Verse 4, “Thus says the Lord:  About midnight I will go out into the midst of Egypt; and all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die…”  And then in Chapter 12, Verse 12, “For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt…”  And then in the next verse, Verse 13, “Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are.  And when I see the blood, I will pass over you.”
• And so here is what we have. We have God speaking of the destroyer in the first person…and then we have Him speaking of the destroyer in the third person.  May I suggest to you, the destroyer is the very Spirit of God.  The Third Person of the Holy Trinity.  Why would I make that suggestion?  Doesn’t God always live to make intercession for all men?  Isn’t His will that none should perish?   Of course those things are true.  But what happens if man rejects God…?  Hebrews 10:26 – 31.  The very Savior of man is also the very Destroyer of sin. 

Exodus Chapter 12 Verses 25 – 28

• In the Jewish Passover meal three pieces of unleavened bread are stacked on top of each other. They then break the one in the middle and half of it is wrapped in a linen napkin and hidden for the children to find.  The one who finds it is awarded a prize.  Now, there exists great controversy amongst the Jewish Rabbis today as to why they do this and when/where it began.  There are lots of answers but little agreement between them.
• This particular tradition, part of the Jewish Passover meal is called the Now, what’s crazy interesting is this is the only part of the celebration that is not titled in Hebrew.  Afikomen is a Greek word and it means, “I came.”  The body of Jesus, the middle Person in the Triune God comprised of the Father, Son and Spirit was broken, wrapped in linen cloth and today He is hidden away for anyone who would become like a child and seek Him with their whole heart.  And for the one that finds Him, they are awarded the prize.