Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth and the Life. We follow Him by preaching His message, caring for His disciples and serving others as He served.
Error message
Could not retrieve the oEmbed resource.Magnified
MAGNIFIED: Are We Missing the Point of Jesus' Story?
Listen
Audio file
The story of Jesus Christ is the most important one ever told, but many people have been getting it wrong for centuries. Join us on a journey of understanding the story of Jesus as it was written, to look past the traditional narrative and shed new light on His teachings and message.
Transcript
Micah: The wolf huffed and puffed, but the brick house did not fall down. And the three little pigs remained safely inside. The moral of this story is if you are ever a hungry wolf that needs to tear down a brick house, bring a hammer, a chisel, and a drill, and maybe a hand grenade.
Wait, that's not the moral of the story.
Micah: You're right, Barry. We all love stories, but it drives us crazy when people tell them wrong. But what if I told you that one story, one of the most recognizable and most important stories is consistently told wrong?
You gotta be kidding me.
Micah: The story we're gonna be looking at today is the undeniably true story of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. These three events are supported by so much historical and manuscript evidence, and they outline the purpose of the gospels that so many affirm to be accurate accounts. But when I say the story is often told wrong, it isn't that the plot points of the story are missing, but the focus is often incorrect. We good, Cam?
Yeah.
Micah: Okay. To see this, we need to know a little bit about the way the biblical writers told stories compared to the way we tell them now. Modern stories, and by modern, I mean for the last thousand years or so, are often told in this pattern.
So, in the beginning, we meet the three little pigs with three houses constructed out of different materials. Then we meet the hungry wolf. The wolf blows down two of the three houses, and after a series of failed attempts to blow down the brick house, the wolf flees. And in the end, we get the moral of the story, which, yes, Barry, is that hard work, dedication, and proper planning pay off.
Now, you're cooking with gas.
Micah: But this is not how biblical stories were so often written. Throughout the Old and New Testaments, stories are often told in a structure called a chiasm.
"Though the beginning can still set up a story much like it does for us today, it is mirrored with the ending and ascend and descends around a certain midpoint, which acts as the focus of the story. This midpoint is often where the reader's attention is supposed to be directed. And in it, the most important lessons are highlighted."
We're live.
Micah: Let's look at how Moses used chiasm to tell the story of Noah and the flood. In the beginning, God closes the door to the arc. The flood begins. At the midpoint, God remembers Noah. The flood recedes. Noah opens the door to the ark. God never abandoned Noah before, during, or after the flood. He honored his commitment to Noah through everything, and that is the point highlighted by this chiasm.
So, let's take the story of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ and plug the familiar elements into this structure to see where the emphasis is. Christ begins His ministry in relative anonymity. When things begin heating up, His disciples flee from Him. He suffers through shame, torture, and pain.
Then the pinnacle, His death. This story into trial, mockery, and torture, culminating in the crucifixion, was punctuated by darkness, earthquakes, the dead rising from their graves, and the veil in the temple torn in two. These miracles were a frightening display of the monumental thing that had just been accomplished. And immediately unbelievers began to believe.
On the other side of the chiasm, Jesus experiences healing and resurrection. His disciples return and He is exalted as a resurrected being, reassuming His place beside the Father, and His ministry is spread around the world. When placed in the structure that the biblical writers communicated in, we see clearly what God believes the midpoint to be.
This way of understanding the story is not meant in any way to minimize the depth of the trials that Jesus went through or the glory of His resurrection. Isaiah says that it is by His stripes we are healed. And Paul writes that if He hasn't been raised from death, we among men are the most pitiable and our faith is empty. The resurrection, while invaluably important, isn't the thing he focused on most, it was the sacrifice of Christ.
Why is this at all important for our lives? Because if we desire to be raised with Christ, we also have to die with Him. This means no longer seeking after our own desires. This means giving ourselves as living sacrifices to further His work and support His people. This means being willing to walk step by step after Jesus Christ, obeying His commands, and not even shying away from death itself if it's required of us.
This means surrendering what time, abilities, willpower, and strength we have so that we can say along with Paul, "I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me." His sacrifice was the turning point for God's entire plan. He wanted so badly to rescue humanity, and this was the fulcrum for salvation for all people who have ever existed. That's why Paul said, "Proclaim His death until he comes." His death.
It's true that without the life of Christ, we have no example to model our life after. But without His sacrifice, His death, and our willingness to follow Him into that, too, we have no ability to be cleansed from our sin, be reconciled to God, or receive His spirit. And this is what God desires for us.
So, as we approach the anniversary of the death and resurrection of Christ, and we hear His story retold, let's not forget the emphasis of the story that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but shall have everlasting life.
Jamie Schreiber
Jamie Schreiber works in the Media Department at the Home Office in Cincinnati. He studied Digital Video and Media Production in Minneapolis, MN.
Related Media
Given In
The Power of His Resurrection
What should the resurrection of Jesus Christ teach us?
Transcript
[ This sermon was given on the last day during the Days of Unleavened Bread. ]
There's an interesting passage that caught my mind the other day and it's over in Philippians 3:8. We're just going to start right off with it because it's quite an interesting passage and how it relates to the Days of Unleavened Bread. It's over in Philippians chapter 3, we'll begin in verse 8 because it was reminiscent of the song that we just heard about the Lamb of God and His sacrifice and of course the connection of this time of the year. It is one of those passages that certainly reminds us of this time of the year. Let's notice what it says there.
Philippians 3:8 But indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, (And of course this week we've done that haven't we? We've counted leavened bread as loss. We're going to suffer eating unleavened bread this week, a piece of flat stuff this week, because we understand what that symbolizes. We know what it means for us personally. But here Paul says everything, not just the physical things but anything that is most important, those spiritual things, those difficulties, those sins we're supposed to leave behind. Get rid of those things, count those as loss and accept the excellence that's found in Christ.) for whom I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish,
(What I used to think was important is no longer important to me. Why?) That I may gain Christ.
Verse 9: and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness which is from the law, (That's limiting, I can't work up salvation on my own, that's doesn't come from me, but he says:) but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.
So here the apostle Paul says something that maybe at first glance, you wonder why did he say that? What in the world is the power of His resurrection? What should the resurrection of Jesus Christ teach us and why would you want to talk about that during the Days of Unleavened Bread? What does that mean for the Days of Unleavened Bread? As you begin to think about it, when was Christ resurrected? During the Days of Unleavened Bread, wasn't He? He became that perfect wave sheaf offering. You can just write down Leviticus chapter 23, verse 10 talks about that physical offering that was given right after the first holy day of Unleavened Bread.
That Sunday during Unleavened Bread the priest would go out at night, they would cut down a sheaf of barley, they would prepare it, they would bring it into the temple and they would wave it before God. They would lift it up or shake it (different commentators say different things), but they would lift it up, they would elevate it, similar to the way that Jesus Christ Himself was elevated, was resurrected, was waved before God.
We know the connection to that during the Days of Unleavened Bread (you can find that over in John, chapter 20, verse 17). You don't need to turn there, just write it down. That's where Christ said to Mary, "Don't cling to Me yet, because I have not ascended to My Father." He hadn't been lifted up yet, He hadn't been elevated to the Father. Now later that day, He allowed the disciples to touch Him after He had fulfilled that wave sheaf offering. So here He was cut down, just like that sheaf was cut down. He was in the tomb three days and three nights, He was waved before God, He was that omer that was sacrificed and honored God in the temple and He was resurrected becoming the first of the first fruits fulfilling that.
So Paul connected that to a power that was found in His resurrection. That word power is the Greek word "dunamis" which is the same word that we get dynamite from or a dynamo. This is a powerful thing, a miraculous power, a huge power, mighty power and a power that is strong and wonderful. So what is the strength, the miraculous power, the meaning, the might behind the resurrection of Jesus Christ and how does it connect with the Days of Unleavened Bread?
Well it actually connects in a few different ways. I think first and foremost we recognize the fact that Jesus is Christ. If it hadn't been for the power of His Resurrection, could Jesus claim to be the Messiah? What was the sign that He was the Messiah? Do you remember what He said, "I'm going to give you one sign." What was it? The sign of Jonah, three days and three nights. He fulfilled that. Over in Romans, chapter 1, verse 3, I will turn there. We see that it is with this power that was in the resurrection that Jesus is recognized as the Christ, as the anointed one. Let's notice that right at the beginning of the book of Romans. Paul jumps right into some very deep meaning for us right at the beginning of his letter to God's people in Rome. He says:
Romans 1:3 Concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, (So what about Christ?)
Verse 4: and declared to be the Son of God with power (With dunamis) according to the Spirit of holiness, (Now how was "He declared to be the Son? How was He recognized as the Son of God?) by the resurrection from the dead - or because He rose from the dead – that's what the New English Bible says – because He rose from the dead - through whom we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name, among whom you also are called of Jesus Christ.
So if it hadn't been for the resurrection we have no savior, there would be no captain of our salvation, no anointed one, there wouldn't be a Messiah. We wouldn't have a High Priest. There would be no soon coming king without the resurrection of Jesus Christ by that sign that He gave in Matthew 12:40. If it hadn't happened, He wouldn't be the one, He wouldn't be the anointed one and so the power of the resurrection shows very clearly that Jesus is Christ.
Now we're connected to that by an interesting example over in Acts chapter 13, verse 32. Let's notice here as the New Testament church began and they were preaching Jesus is Christ, that He was the Messiah, He was the one that came and died for our sins. So they were preaching that truth, they were preaching the good news, the gospel message that Christ was Savior and God has a plan of salvation.
Acts 13:32 We declare to you glad tidings, (glad tidings of course that's the word for the gospel, the good news) that promise which was made to the fathers. God has fulfilled this for us their children, (O.K. how did God fulfill the promises to us? How are the promises that God made fulfilled? Well, it was through Jesus Christ. How was it fulfilled?) in that He has raised up Jesus. As it is also written in the second Psalm: "You are My Son, Today I have begotten You." And that He raised Him from the dead, no more to return to corruption, He has spoken thus: "I will give you the sure mercies of David."
The absolute promises that were made to David. So this one chief, this one omer that Jesus Christ gave of Himself signifies that He is the Christ, He is the Messiah, He is that one mediator, that one omer, that one Savior, the forerunner for you and me, our Redeemer. So the resurrection itself points to the fact that Jesus Christ is the Messiah, He is the Christ and yet the power of His resurrection doesn't stop there, it doesn't stop there at all.
Flip over to Romans, chapter 5, verse 6. Let's notice another aspect of the power of His resurrection. Here we find the connection for all of us, for you and mebecause:
Romans 5:6 For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
He died for all mankind. He died for you and me. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
We recognize that fact at the Passover, don't we? That Christ shed His blood for us so that we could have a relationship with God, so that we could begin to come out of sin, so we can be unleavened, Christ died for us.
Verse 9: Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son (There's the Passover) much more having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only that, but we also rejoice in God though our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.
You see we have been since forgiven by the death of Christ, we are saved by His life. This begins to point to another important aspect to the power of His resurrection. The fact that He is not alone, He paved the way, so in other words the power of the resurrection of Jesus Christ is proof that God will resurrect us. The power of the resurrection is proof that God will resurrect you and me. We will have an opportunity to be in the Kingdom of God because we can be forgiven by His death and saved by His life. We can be in the Kingdom of God because of the resurrection, because Christ was resurrected during the Days of Unleavened Bread, we have the potential to be in the Kingdom of God forever.
In fact, just a couple of pages back, Acts chapter 3, verse 26 an important passage points right to this fact. It is a little bit of a challenge when you start looking into some of the passages in the New Testament that point to the fact that Christ's resurrection is proof that we will be resurrected, you have to leave out so many passages in order to get it all in there. There are so many of them that point to that. Let's notice what it says here.
Acts 3:26 "To you first, God having raised up His servant, Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your iniquities."
There is our forgiveness of sin turning.
Acts 4: 1 Now as they spoke to the people, the priests, the captain of the temple and Sadducees came upon them, being greatly disturbed that they taught the people and preached in Jesus the resurrection from the dead.
Now if we read that rather quickly, we see that the Sadducees were upset with the disciples because they were preaching Jesus, but that's not what they were most upset about. They didn't like the fact that they were preaching Christ. They didn't like that at all. But what were they most upset about? They were upset about the resurrection, because the Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection. They said no resurrections, forget that. That's non existent, that doesn't happen, that's not going to be. So they were upset with the disciples because they preached the resurrection. Now what's interesting, if we read a little bit too quickly, we see at the end of verse 2 they taught the people and preached in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. What is that saying? Well that's telling us that because of the resurrection of Christ, because of the power of His resurrection, we can be resurrected, we can be raised as well. It's a little more clear in the New International Reader's version. It says: The apostles were saying that because Jesus rose from the dead, people can be raised from the dead. No wonder they were upset. They didn't believe any of that.
So we begin to see, because of the power of the resurrection of Christ, we can look forward to our resurrection at Christ's return, we can meet Him in the air. It begins to introduce, I think that's kind of interesting to think about for a minute, to think about the resurrection. The Sadducees were upset because it was a fact. The resurrection was a fact the disciples went around preaching, knowing Christ appeared to them undoubtable proof that the resurrection was a reality and I think there's also something that goes beyond just the fact of knowing the resurrection, that there's also a principle that's involved as well. When you think about it, it's kind of an unleavened principle, the resurrection principle, think about it for a second. Christ was dead, brought back to life. It seems like the exact opposites, right? Death and life – opposite. How about sin and forgiveness or sin in growing in spiritual character? That's kind of a resurrection principle, isn't it?
If you have had a mind that has been destroyed by drugs, by pornography, by selfishness, can that life be renewed? Can that mind come back to life to a spiritual essence again? Can an emotion that is destroyed by adultery? Can an emotion that is destroyed by anger and rage or abuse? Can that mind be restored? You see, by the resurrection principle it can be. To the Holy Spirit of God a mind can be resurrected from the dead and brought to life. Can it? That's through God's Holy Spirit. You look at the ministry of Jesus Christ, wasn't that evident throughout His ministry if He walked the earth? Didn't He forgive prostitutes? We might have a hard time with that, but Christ could resurrect their minds when they turn to Him. How about dishonest abuse of tax collectors? Absolutely. You see when we repent and we allow God in a sense to resurrect our mind, to renew our minds and our hearts, ultimately we stay in that condition, we can look forward to the spiritual resurrection later. So that principle is throughout the New Testament, throughout I Corinthians 15 for sure. Can life come through God who brings it back? Something that dies can be resurrected? Well when we repent and we put on the mind of Christ, there is no doubt that that resurrection principle comes into play. In fact it reminds me of Philippians 3:21. It reminds us our lowly bodies will be conformed to His glorious body, all made possible because of the power of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Now it doesn't stop there. The power of His resurrection also changes our perspective, doesn't it? Well it sure should, it changed our diet this week, didn't it? O.K. how many of you pulled into McDonalds this week? You don't have to admit it. Those are the challenges that remind us how we need to come out of sin. How we are not quite there yet. That our thinking has to change, not just by looking at the package and seeing what's on the ingredients, but looking inside us and seeing what ingredients make up our character. Our ingredients, what's a good listing, have you ever thought of it that way? If you had to make a listing of the ingredients in you, would it be some of those traits that we want to get rid of? Is it being short tempered, is it being impatient? Or if we listed out those ingredients would we have the fruit of God's Spirit as our ingredient list? You see, that's what we're striving for and as we think about the resurrection of Christ, there is a measure of confidence that we can have because of what He did and how He sacrificed His life and the fact that He was resurrected.
I Peter chapter 1, verse 3 indicates our next principle that's found in the power of His resurrection, how there can be a certain level of confidence, a certain level of certainty as we are found in Him. Let's notice what I Peter chapter 1, verse 3 has to say.
I Peter 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
Now here's Peter, he's writing (you check out the letter) those like you and me. What is your life like? He was writing to some people who were threatened, they were threatened by unbelievers, unbelieving relatives, some of them were being threatened by. Maybe we found ourselves in that situation, He was also writing to those who had overbearing bosses. Some of us could probably say that as well. He was writing to those who had neighbors who ridiculed them, people that they worked with, acquaintances that were persecuting them because they believed the truth. So the apostle Peter is trying to help them and help us to see beyond those things. What can we do about that? What should our frame of mind be when we're faced with these challenges? You know it's hard to be unleavened and have that kind of a godly frame of mind when there are so many challenges around us, when people are threatening us, when people are not believing the truth, when people are criticizing us, putting us down, persecuting us. Well Peter says that we've been given a living hope. You see, because of the power of His resurrection, we have hope, we have hope, the third principle of the power of the resurrection. We have hope. We know that this life is not all there is. There's eternity beyond this because of the life, the death and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The resurrection makes it very obvious that there's no immortal soul. Life just doesn't go on forever, but there's hope beyond the grave, isn't there? There's a hope that goes beyond it, that our fate is not a hopeless fate. It says it's a living faith, it's a faith for living, a hope for living.
We don't have to focus on this world and let that overwhelm us because we know God is with us. We know God can help us to deal with these situations and beyond this. There's so much more, so our faith is not hopeless, it's not a race, it's not ineffective and our faith is not inadequate that somehow we can't meet the challenge, because through Jesus Christ we certainly can. We can live an unleavened life, we can have a different perspective. These seven days, haven't they proved that? I think they have. They've proven that it's possible to get leavening out of your house. Maybe it hasn't proved you can keep it out for those seven days, but hopefully you've done pretty well. But it's possible isn't it? It's possible to change our perspective, it's possible to change our diet for a week and hopefully learn the spiritual lessons that go along with that. So if we can do that physically, with the power of God's Spirit in us, is it possible to do that spiritually? It is, and that's part of the lesson of the Days of Unleavened Bread and that faith that we have gives us that encouragement, gives us that certainty that if God is with us, who can be against us? Who can be against us? He has a plan and wants us in His family forever. So Unleavened Bread is certainly a reminder of that. I mentioned a little earlier maybe we'll turn over there, I Corinthians 15. Let's notice because it describes this living hope that we can have because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Because He was resurrected during the Days of Unleavened Bread, we can have that living hope, not a dead hope, He wasn't left in the grave, but we have a living hope.
Paul wrote to God's people in Corinth, He said:
I Corinthian 15:13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. (Do you think this is an important concept to the apostle Paul and the preaching the gospel? Absolutely.) And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is also in vain. Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ whom He did not raise up - if in fact the dead do not rise. For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
So Paul points out this great hope. That isn't the hope that though I just wish this would happen and wouldn't it be nice if this comes about and it sure would be helpful if these things do happen. That's not what that word hope means. You might look that up in a lexicon. That really means that this is a sure thing, that this is an undoubtedly thing, this is a certainty, this is something we can absolutely count on. So we can have hope because the dead do rise and if Christ was resurrected, it means because of the power of His resurrection, we're going to follow. We will be resurrected as well, so our faith is not ineffective, it's a living faith that says, that's pretty amazing (look at verse 17). Your faith is futile, it's vain, it's useless, it's not going to count for much. Then is says something amazing here at the end of verse 17, you are still in your sins! You are still in your sins. I thought my sins were forgiven by His death and were saved by His life. You see that's an Unleavened Bread principle, isn't it? We celebrate and commemorate Christ's death at the Passover, but if we leave Christ in the grave, where is our living faith? You see, during Unleavened Bread, we're to be out of sin. How is that possible? How is it possible to come out of sin, stay out of sin? Well, it's like the apostle Paul said here, if Christ is not risen, we're still in our sins, we don't have the power to live a sin-free life. We can't live a spiritual life without Christ in us. Galatians 2:20 makes that so clear. Right? Paul said:
Galatians 2:20 It is no longer I who live, but Christ Lives in me.
The resurrection, Jesus Christ is living His life in me and through me so that I can be sin free. That's an Unleavened Bread principle isn't it? I wish I had thought of that, but that's pretty cool. But, you know what? I didn't come up with that on my own. I was reading and old article from April 1951, the Good News magazine written by a fellow, I don't know if you've ever heard of him, Herbert W. Armstrong. He wrote this on page 14 of the Good News, l95l: The symbolism of the Passover is not complete alone. He said Passover pictures the acceptance of Christ's blood for the remission of past sin. It pictures the crucified dead Christ. Of course we commemorate that at the Passover, don't we? Now he says: Shall we leave Christ hanging on the cross? He said seven days of Unleavened Bread following the Passover pictures to us the complete putting away of sin, keeping of the commandments after past sins are forgiven. Then he goes on: They picture the life and work of the risen Christ who ascended to the throne of God where He now is actively at work in our behalf as our High Priest, cleansing us of sin, delivering us completely from its power. You see, it's because as Mr. Armstrong wrote, the risen Christ lives in us. We recognize that fact. We can say we celebrate that fact, that Christ lives in us. In a sense, don't we do that? It's not just during the Days of Unleavened Bread that we want to recognize that and commemorate that. This is a principle that's supposed to be ingrained in our mind in these seven days and that we carry it through the rest of the year, that we live as Christ, that my thinking is not my thinking anymore, it's Christ way of thinking, that I allowed the mind of Christ to shine through. Like Mr. Armstrong said here, that I am now picturing the life of the risen Christ in my actions, in my thinking, in the things that I do, because we are unleavened, we're not in our sins. We are the first fruits and so we can have an energy that's full of hope because we have the life of Christ in us, we're alive because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. That's a powerful thought. In fact over in Hebrews chapter 2, verse 14 we read about that power that's found because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ that helps us to maintain an unleavened like spiritually speaking. I did write down the New Revised Version, it might be a little bit different then yours. It brings out the point a little bit clearer.
Hebrews 2:14 Since therefore, the children share flesh and blood (that's you and me, we're normal every day human beings, flesh and blood) He himself likewise shared the same thing (Christ was a man and God, He was God in the flesh. Now it's interesting, what did that picture, what did that point out, this life of God in the flesh?) so that through death He might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil – so because of the death of Christ, we can overcome sin – sin can be forgiven – and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by the fear of death.
In other words, we have death hanging over our head, not just dying a physical death, but ultimately a spiritual death if we don't overcome sin without the sacrifice of Christ and His resurrection, there is the fear of death and yet what he's pointing out here is that there is a hope, there is a living hope that our sins can be forgiven through His death and by His life we can be saved. So he goes on:
Verse 16: For indeed He does not give aid to angels, but He does give aid to the seed of Abraham. Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God. to make propitiation for the sins of the people.
Hebrews 3:1 Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider that Jesus the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus.
Consider that, that's now our hope. In His resurrection that He is alive, that He is at the right hand of the Father, that He is our Savior. He was the pioneer, the author and finisher of our faith, that death can be destroyed and so we can have the hope of the dead, that the grave is not the end of the story because of the resurrection of Christ. So we can have faith in our High Priest, we can have true faith that our sins are forgiven and so that will help us then to live a life (that's a hopeful life) of undying faith because of the power that's found in His resurrection.
That leads us into my next point. You see the power of His resurrection, it's not just that we know these things will come about in the future, it's not just the fact that Jesus is Christ, it's not just the fact that there is hope for the dead, but that it's a power right now. The power for living. The hope of the resurrection gives us the power right now to live a changed life. Romans concentrates on this almost throughout the entire letter the apostle Paul wrote to God's people in Rome. Romans chapter 5, verse 17, let's begin there and notice this amazing power that we can have right now. Because Christ was resurrected, we can have God's Spirit in us and that changed way of life isn't something that we just have to look forward to in the future, it's something that can begin right now. Let's notice that:
Romans 5:17 For if by the one man's offense death reigned through the one, (Of course that's talking about Adam) much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.
Now often times we'll read that through and we'll think about reigning and ruling and with Christ as Revelation 20 talks about and we look forward to the millennium when we'll reign and rule and absolutely, that's certainly the ultimate fulfillment of being a spirit being in the Kingdom of God. But you see, that's not just focusing on something that's far off in the future, this says reign in life, living, meaning life right now as a part of Paul's thinking, that we can triumph over sin, we can triumph over the penalty of sin in death through Jesus Christ. So that should change the way we think of who we are and so in a sense, we can ask ourselves, are we ready to rule right now? Don't we have authority? I think we do. If we claim to have God's Holy Spirit living in us, we have authority over sin through Jesus Christ. Now do we use that power to overcome that sin? That's really the question, isn't it? The Days of Unleavened Bread help us to picture that, that we can overcome and our life can be different. These seven days hopefully have engrained that habit within us, that we're going to spot not just the leavening and the puffed up bread and those kinds of things, but we're going to spot sin in our lives and depend on God's Spirit to eradicate it from us, from our thinking so it's no longer a part of who I am, that I'm putting on Christ more and more and sin is departing, it's becoming less and less a part of who I am. Paul goes on in chapter 6.
Romans 6:1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?
But did we stay there? No. We know that baptism recognizes the death, the burial, the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Just like Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread. Let's notice that.
Verse 4: Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in likeness of His resurrection.
So as having our sins forgiven, we go on from there. We live that unleavened life and the only way that's possible, the only way it's possible to have that new life to walk in newness of life is to have Jesus Christ living in us and through that and if that's going to be possible, the only way that's possible is because He was resurrected, He's not left in the grave, He was the wave sheaf, He fulfilled the wave sheaf, He was dead and buried. In fact it's interesting to think about it. He was dead and buried for the first three days of Unleavened Bread wasn't He? He didn't keep the beginning of Unleavened Bread that year at all, He was in the ground those first three days of Unleavened Bread. Then He was raised. He became the first of the first fruits, right? So in a sense, for you and I, it required this burial with Christ and figuratively being raised up so that we can walk with a different frame of mind, with a different life. We pictured that at our baptism, didn't we? We were put down in that watery grave and if you were baptized and here today, they did not leave you under the water, did they? They didn't wait until the bubbles stopped, no they lifted you back up and you stood up, didn't you? You were raised, in fact look up resurrection, it means to stand forth, just like you stand up out of the waters at baptism, you were resurrected in a way, you left that old man buried and you were resurrected in a figuratively sense to live that new life in Christ, made possible by the power of His resurrection.
So how do we walk in newness of life? Well we have God's Spirit, we had those hands laid on us after standing for it and we received the power so that we can overcome. So Unleavened Bread is that yearly reminder, that we're supposed to continue be unleavened because we've been given the power of God's Holy Spirit so do we have to be fearful or have we been given the power that things just don't look the same anymore? Life has taken on a different perspective for us because of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. So does that change how we view our troubles and our trials, our difficulties? Does that give us a peace of mind? Does that help us to get rid of self pity, doubt, does it help us to understand when things don't go as the way that we hope? I think it does because it gives us purpose. We know that God has a plan and that gives us a power for living and that power makes our lives different because Jesus Christ Himself. As He was resurrected it was a totally different form of existence from being a man, being God in the flesh. It was totally different and now He's willing to share that with us as we look forward to the future. As it says in verse 4, chapter 6, (Above).
Unleavened Bread is a reminder of that. There's life beyond the pain. There's life beyond loss. There's life beyond disappointment. Didn't Christ face all of those things? Didn't the disciples face all of those things; loss, pain, disappointment, death? All of those things, but the resurrection of Christ points us to the fact there is life beyond that. Unleavened Bread is a reminder of that for us. Look down to verse 11, chapter 8, skip over a page or so.
Romans 8:11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you (Which we claim that to be as baptized Christians, we claim to have the Spirit of Him who raised Christ from the dead) He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.
Now there's the future for you. Future being a part of the Kingdom forever. Looking down to verse 31.
Verse 31: What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? The Revised Standard says: "Everything else."
Verse 33: Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? (Plenty of people will do that, won't they? But with a changed perspective what does that do for our thinking? What will that do for us? Well, we know Satan is the accuser of the brethren, that's where it goes back to and yet do we have power to have a different perspective, live a different way? Yes.) It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.
Now that's not a future thing, thinking oh well, that's all going to happen down the line in the kingdom. No, that's power for living life right now. We can have a changed perspective. He's willing to help and guide and as we submit our lives to Him, He's going to be there, He's going to intercede for us because He was resurrected, He's at the right hand of the Father. So ultimately when we face the leavened world out there, we can have a different perspective. We can say:
Verse 35: Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? (Well, this world wants to. Satan wants to, but that's not what has to happen. He goes on:) Shall tribulation, or distress or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? (Are any of those things going to separate us? No.) As it is written: "For your sake we are killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter." Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. (So, there is a power for living a hopeful life. He goes on:) For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
So we can do all things through Christ who strengths us. Unleavened Bread is that reminder, that we have the risen Christ living in us and through us. You see the power of the resurrection is the fact that Christ is the Messiah, He's not just the Messiah, but He's my Savior, He's your Savior, He's our High Priest, He is our soon coming King and because He is, is proof that God will resurrect us and so we can look forward to that. He pioneered the way, He lead the way as the author and finisher of our faith. He showed that is it possible to live unleavened, it is possible to live a sin-free life, it is possible to have victory over Satan, it is possible to have a living faith that we can live a godly life because our sins are forgiven. We can have that undying hope and because of the resurrection of Christ, we've been given the power for living.
So as we conclude the Days of Unleavened Bread, let's be rededicated to live that way, to think that way, to have that unleavened life, not just to put it away for seven days and can't wait to get out to have that pizza tonight (that's not a bad thing) but don't indulge in the spiritual leavening, right? We want to stay away from that and continue in the power of God to live a sin-free life. As we do that, we will be found in Him and we can all truly say that we know Christ and the power of His resurrection.
Jamie Schreiber works in the Media Department at the Home Office in Cincinnati. He studied Digital Video and Media Production in Minneapolis, MN.
Christians are saved by His death, resurrection and the life in which He lives within His followers.
Six Steps to Passover: Part 1: Jesus Our Passover
41 minutes
read time
Listen
Audio file
This is the first part in the Bible study series Six Steps to Passover. The Bible reveals Jesus as Creator, Prophet, Priest, and King. It is said there are over 200 ways He is made known to us in Scripture. The first Bible study in our series will focus on Christ as the Lamb of God slain for the sins of the whole world and the deep meaning for each of us. He is Jesus, our Passover.
Transcript
[Steve Myers] Good evening everyone. Good to see you all here tonight. I'd like to welcome you all who are with us, here at the home office in the ABC Lecture Hall. Good to be here. Good to have you here. Welcome to all of you visiting with us on the web.
This is our very first in the series of Passover Bible studies. We've called it "Six Steps to Passover". Some have asked us, "Why in the world would we call it Six Steps to Passover? Isn't seven a much more godly number?" Well, we ran out of weeks before Passover is what happened. And so we've got six bi-weekly Bible studies left before the Passover and so we came up with this brilliant idea. Let's do six Bible studies and we'll just call it six steps instead of seven. We thought about doing a seventh, but then it would be after Passover so we just kept it the way it was.
Anyway, I'd like to welcome you all tonight. Let's ask God's blessing on our Bible study as we open His word and begin to study it. Let's bow our heads.
Prayer: "Great, Loving, Heavenly Creator, Father, Almighty. Thank you so much for Your wonderful ways. We are so thankful, God, for Your truth and Your love and Your calling. We pray, Father, that You will be with us tonight as we open Your word and we look into it. Help us to deeply understand more thoroughly Your way and Your word and Your plan and Your purpose, Father, for us. We just want to look to You and put it into Your hands and ask Your presence and blessing on the Bible study tonight. We pray that You bless the speaking and bless the hearing and, most importantly, Father, bless the application in our lives so we may do the things that we hear. So now, God, we put it into Your hands and pray for Your presence. We pray for Your guidance. And we do all of this, asking it by the authority of our Savior, Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.
Well beginning our Bible study tonight, this is our very first step out of six. As an introduction, I thought it might be helpful to get a little bit of a background as we think about delving into the word of God. When you think of a Passover Bible study the Psalms may not come to mind immediately but there is an interesting Psalm that gives us some insight into the study of God's word. Over in Psalm 111. It is a Psalm called a Hallelujah Psalm. In fact, there is three of these Hallelujah Psalms all in a row: Psalm 111, 112, and 113.
Psalm 111 is one of those psalms that is an acrostic which means it's organized by letters of the Hebrew alphabet. So there are 22 letters in the Hebrew alphabet and each verse begins with a letter of the alphabet. The first letter being the first letter in the Hebrew alphabet and so on, all the way to the end of the passage. They wrote them in this way so that you could remember them. So that you could keep them in mind. So that you could remember, especially in this situation, the amazing acts of God. So, let's notice Psalm 111 as we begin the Bible study tonight. It says:
Psalms 111:1 "Praise ye the LORD."
Psalm 111, 112, and 113, all start the same. That is why it is called a "hallelujah psalm" because hallelujah is "praise the Lord." So it starts, "I will praise the LORD with my whole heart, in the assembly of the upright, and in the congregation."
So here we are as a congregation of God's people. We are assembling together. And God's name is to be praised among His people.
V:2 says, "The works of the LORD are great, sought out (studied by ) of all them that have pleasure therein."
V3 "His work is honourable and glorious: and his righteousness endureth for ever."
Now, as we look at Psalm 111, I think we find an interesting beginning. As we begin to praise God; as we seek understanding in God's way, He says, we should study it. I think the King James (version) says "to seek after", or it is "sought after" by those who have pleasure in God.
So that is what we are going to do on our six steps to Passover. We are going to inquire about God's word. We are going to consult the word of God. And we're going to dig into the word of God and examine it and try to deeply consider the impact of God's word. Because God's word is the word of life and this word of God has tremendous significance. So, we're going to dig into it.
He says that it is an honorable thing. That God's work is honorable. And that His righteousness endures forever. So this is something that we are digging into that is not good just for right now. It is not good just for this moment. But God's way and His word are eternally right in every circumstance - in every instance. And so, as we look at these words and we make them a part of our life, we are always going to be doing what's right. The more we make God's word a part of who we are, the more we become like Jesus Christ and, ultimately, that is our goal. So, as we study God's word, and as we seek after it, and we consult it, and we examine it, we are going to notice the significance of Jesus Christ.
This first Bible study is titled, Jesus Our Passover. So we are going to look at Jesus Christ. Who is Jesus? Who is He? How can you know who He is? Is it even important? Because, what this Psalm begins to show is that He can be found; He can be sought after; we can, certainly examine and study God's word and find out. But, you know what? Most people miss it. Most people miss the significance of Jesus Christ.
If you look back in the New Testament, Matthew, Chapter 16:13, Christ asked His disciples, "Who am I?" Who do the people say that I am? What do men say that I am?
Matthew 16:13 "When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?"
Do you remember what the disciples said in that situation?
Matthew 16:14 "And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets."
So the people, they didn't get it. They didn't know who Jesus Christ was. They didn't understand. In fact, to illustrate this, we'll go over to the Book of John. Look at John, Chapter 7:5. This is one of those Scriptures that is actually startling when you notice the significance of what is being said here. Because you kind of understand that people wouldn't get it, people wouldn't understand, "Well, You're Elijah. You're Jeremiah. You're John the Baptist." That seems kind of understandable. But notice who He is talking to here. When you look at John 7:5, it says,
John 7:5 "For neither did his brethren believe in him."
So, even in His own family, they didn't understand who Jesus was. They didn't understand His purpose. They didn't understand the mission. They didn't understand God's plan. They missed it when they grew up with it in plain sight. And yet they didn't see it. In fact, if we skip down a little bit, here in John 7, look at what the Jews say in verse 11.
V. 11 "Then the Jews sought him at the feast, and said, Where is he?"
V.12 "And there was much murmuring among the people concerning him: for some said, He is a good man: others said, Nay; but he deceiveth the people."
So, they didn't understand who Jesus was. In fact, some claimed that He was demonic. Some claimed that He had a demon. They said, "Well. He can't be the Christ. Can He?"
Look at V. 20:
John 7:20 "The people answered and said, Thou hast a devil: who goeth about to kill thee?"
So, sure enough, they didn't get it. They didn't get it at all. In fact, V. 25, some of them from Jerusalem, said,
V.25 "Then said some of them of Jerusalem, Is not this he, whom they seek to kill?"
V.26 "But, lo, he speaketh boldly, and they say nothing unto him. Do the rulers know indeed that this is the very Christ?"
Well, did the rulers know? Did they understand? Well, they didn't seem to get it either.
V. 27 "Howbeit we know this man whence he is: but when Christ cometh, no man knoweth whence he is."
"He's just an ordinary guy. We know where He is from. There couldn't be anything special about Him." There couldn't be anything supernatural about Him." And so, on a quick scan of Jesus, it's easy to totally miss who He is and who He was. To the average person, they didn't know. He was a mystery. They didn't understand Him. They seemed to like Him but, you know, they didn't understand what He was doing or why He was doing these things. In fact He said that many would come and say, "Lord. Lord", to Him. And He'll say, "I didn't know you."
Matthew 7:22 "Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?"
V.23 "And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity". And they didn't know Him.
So, when you look at the religious leaders; the Pharisees, the Sadducees, all of those who were in charge, you might say, what was their opinion of who Christ was? You see they saw Him as a rival. They saw Him as a competitor. They saw Him as someone who was going to take authority from them. They thought He was maybe some kind of ringleader. Some kind of new cult or something like that. So, they didn't get it either.
Even the Romans. What did the Romans think of Christ? Well, they thought He was a ringleader. An insurrectionist. Someone that was going to try to boot out Caesar. Maybe a magician or something like that.
So what we come to see is that people can miss what Jesus is all about. In fact religion misses what Jesus Christ is all about. So, what is Jesus like to you? When you think of all these ways that it is described, who is Jesus? Who is He to you? Do you have a relationship with Him? What has He done for you? Does it matter what He has done? The Bible reveals Christ in so many different ways, does it not? When you look at what Christ is revealed as in the Bible, we know He is supposed to be our Savior. He's Creator. We know that He's revealed as a prophet or a priest or a king. In fact, you start going through the Bible and you'll find so many descriptors revealing bits and pieces about Christ. Maybe over 200 different ways the Bible describes Jesus Christ.
But tonight, and for the next several weeks, we're going to focus on Jesus, our Passover. Jesus as our Passover. So, we'd like to focus on Him as the sacrificial lamb – the Lamb of God that was slain for you and for me – for the entire world. And, there is something puzzling that is written about Jesus by the Apostle Paul. And I'd like to turn over to Romans, Chapter 10:4. Notice a statement that can seem kind of puzzling – at least on the surface. But it begins to reveal something, I think, that is so very important to the fact that Jesus is our Passover. Let's notice what it says.
Romans 10:4 "For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth."
And so, people read this particular verse and you know what they like to say? Oh, Christ is the end of the law. I don't have to worry about the law anymore because it's over; it's done. And Christ is the end of it. It's finished. It's over with. But, that's not what this means.
If you were to look up this word, "the end" in Greek, it is "telos". Christ is the ‘"telos' of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes." So, what is that talking about? Well, He's the aim of the law. So, instead of being the end, you have to think of it more in terms of a finish line. A finish line that, ultimately, when we have fulfilled the law, we are like Christ. Christ is the goal of what the law is all about. Christ is the fulfillment of what the law is all about. It is the culmination of everything!
So, when we look at the outcome, or the aim, or the goal. Or, you might even say the purpose of the law, you see we come to an important aspect of Jesus, our Passover. And that is a simple fact that Christ is the goal. Christ is the goal. And Paul was very specific here in Romans, showing this so clearly. He is the purpose. He is the goal. He is the ambition that we all have. We are to produce the mind of Jesus Christ in ourselves through Jesus Christ. Or, maybe a different way of putting this: as Christ being the end, or the goal, or the purpose, the culmination of the law. Would it be fair to say that Jesus is the object of the law? Or, for that matter, we could say Jesus is the object of the entire Bible. Isn't He? When you really get down to it, isn't Christ the object of the Bible? Everything points to His purpose, His plan, and what God is all about. What is the Father doing through Jesus Christ?
You see, that is a pretty big statement there – that Christ is the goal. He is our purpose. He is our aim. And so, Paul really makes an amazing point. And, even as a little sideline, if the talos is an end, or a goal, or a purpose; some would say it's a conclusion. It doesn't seem to really carry that connotation. But, even if you try to interpret it that way, if the meaning of this word was that something was coming to an end, what would it be that was coming to an end?
Christ is the Goal
If it says here, "Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes." If you try to interpret it that way, how does that apply? I don't think that is really what this verse is saying. But I think it does hint at something that is so important that relates to this concept of Christ being our goal. And that's the fact that, when we recognize Christ; when we understand what His role is; when we understand His purpose, we come to see that, "I can't do this on my own". "I can't be righteous on my own." "I can't fulfill the law on my own." It doesn't matter how much Sabbath keeping. It doesn't matter how many pork chops I avoid. It doesn't help me to be righteous, ultimately. I need Jesus Christ. It's impossible for me, by myself, to be righteous before God. No amount of law keeping is going to make that happen.
If I am going to accomplish anything spiritual, it's got to be through the goal of Jesus Christ, doesn't it? That is what Paul is getting at here, not that the law is over with; it's done; it's concluded. No, I can't use the law to accomplish something that the law cannot accomplish. Because, can the law make me righteous? It can't. It can't make me right before God. It can't establish a relationship with God, the Father and Jesus Christ. It can't do those things. It points out sin in my life. And it points to the fact that true righteousness is only possible through Jesus Christ. Now it doesn't do away with works; doing what is right; doing what is good. What it is pointing out that those works are not going to save us, are they?
So, when you think of being saved; being rescued, having salvation, it is a matter of that goal. That Christ is the goal and having a right relationship with God, the Father and Jesus Christ, is really what salvation is all about. In fact, Paul put it a couple of different ways than Romans 10. He was the goal. He is the aim.
Philippians talks about trying to achieve that goal by having the mind of Christ. By putting on Christ. Just like when we put on our clothes, we put on Christ. His perspective; His attitude.
Philippians 2:5 "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:"
Galatians 3 talks about the same thing.
Study Christ
So, when we think about the goal of Christ, then I think it begins to shape our understanding of what the law is all about. And that means we can, like it says in Psalm 111, we can study His word. We can dig into it. And we can begin to understand more thoroughly about what our goal is. What Christ did. How He fulfilled this law perfectly. How He exemplified everything that God was about. He exemplified what it is like to be spiritual.
Did He set us an example? Absolutely. Did He show us the way? No doubt. And we're to grow in His likeness, in His image. In fact in Ephesians, it tells us that we are to "grow to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ:"
Ephesians. 4:13 "Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ:"
Is He the goal? He is the goal. And Passover certainly reminds us of that. If we want to know what this goal in life is all about; if you want to know what the most important goal in life is, what do we do? Study Christ. Because, ultimately, isn't He everything? Isn't He the personification of everything that is good and right and wholesome. And, after all, He was God in the flesh. He was the perfect man. He also demonstrated perfect obedience. He was the perfect standard to live by. So, as Christ is the goal, should I study Christ? How much have we studied Christ? Have you really studied Jesus? Because, in some ways that sounds a little funny, doesn't it? Study Jesus. Does that sound Evangelical, or sound Protestant, or something like that? It's not. It's Biblical. And, as we read through the Bible and you think about getting to know Jesus Christ, making Him what our life is all about. That needs to be what we are doing so that He is our goal and we are studying Him and understanding what He was all about.
We think of the gospel of the Kingdom of God. If someone said to you, "What is the gospel of the Kingdom of God?", what would you answer? You would probably say, "Well, it's God's plan." Which is not a bad answer. It means being born into the family of God. Not a bad answer either. But, here is something else to think about. Would it be fair to say that the gospel is the sum total of the message, the life, the works, the example, and the promises, all rolled into Jesus, our Passover. Is that fair to say? Sometimes we don't think of it in those terms but I think we are saying the same thing. When you think about Him being our Creator. We're talking about a plan. He is the Son of God. He conquered and overcame the world. He overcame Satan. He's qualified to come and to reign and rule. He proves Himself to be Savior because He lived the perfect life. But, if we don't study that life; if we don't understand that life; if we really don't know it, then we're going to miss the point.
So, we've got to make sure we study Christ. What does it mean for Christ to be my Creator? How did that happen? I thought the Father created everything. But, how does Christ fit into that. Well, if I don't study it, I'm not going to know that. How did Christ overcome? How did He qualify to replace Satan on this earth? If I don't study those things, I won't know. I really don't have a deep understanding of who Christ is. I don't understand how He conquered and overcame. How was it that He was able to meet the challenges and to be crucified? Do I understand the crucifixion and the resurrection? Do I understand how He is the firstborn? How does that fit with what Christ is all about?
You see those are all aspects of things I need to study. If Christ is my goal, then I need to study these things. If He is the "captain of my salvation", what army am I in anyway? How does that fit? How does that work?
Hebrews 2:10 "For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings."
If He is the head of the church, how do I define that responsibility that God gave Him? Do I understand how Jesus Christ is head of the church? How about being High Priest? He's our High Priest. Do I understand connections between Jesus and that of a High Priest?
Really, as we get down to it, it is so important that we keep Christ at the forefront of our thinking; the forefront of our minds. Philippians 2 says,
Philippians 2:5 "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:"
If we don't have His frame of reference; if we don't have His attitude; if we don't have His thinking, then we are outside the bounds, aren't we? Because, after all, if we let that mind get away from us, do we really understand what it means for Christ to be our Savior? Do we really understand what it means for Christ to be a wonderful, caring, elder brother, and keep that at the forefront of our thinking? In the forefront of our mind, don't we have to deeply understand what He did and what He accomplished, and what He did for me personally, and what He helps me to become. And what I can accomplish through Him. But see, I think, too often, that strays from our thinking, doesn't it? And we get so busy and so distracted that our mindset isn't on that same wavelength and we miss the correct way of thinking because it doesn't come automatically. We saw that as we looked through Mark and through John.
In fact, over in Luke, Chapter 8, we'll see another example; the wonderful example of the fact that God is working with us. He is doing amazing things and here, in Luke 8, we get a little bit of insight into that. Notice V. 10. Here Christ is speaking to the disciples. He has been speaking to them in parables and most of the people had no clue what these parables meant; just like they didn't really have a clue what Jesus Christ was all about, they didn't understand His teachings. They didn't understand the stories that He told. And so, here, the disciples asked Him, "What does it mean?"
Luke 8:10 "And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand."
Christ goes on to give them understanding. So people can see Jesus. Churches can talk about Jesus but totally miss a depth of understanding about Jesus Christ. They just don't understand the significance of Jesus Himself.
If we're not careful we could miss too. So, people could see with their eyes. They could listen with their ears. They could read the word here as well and still miss it and never, really, truly grasp what Christ is all about and what it means to us personally. So, it takes that relationship. It takes that kind of an understanding that the disciples were given. They were given that understanding. They lived with Christ for years and Christ opened their minds to His truth. So we see He is also opening our minds to His truth so that we recognize Him. We see Him. We understand. Then, as we do these things; as we set Christ as our goal and we study the person of Jesus Christ; and we strive to become like Him; we recognize it; we do it; we apply those things, then life changes. And we become a spiritual creation. We begin to put on Christ. I think we gain a deeper understanding then, of what God's plan is all about. And that is where the Passover comes to mind because the Passover is that initial step in illustrating God's plan.
Let's turn over to 1 Corinthians where it mentions how to properly keep the Passover. V. 28 is where we will pick up the story here.
Here Paul is giving instructions to Corinth and Corinth had many issues; many problems; many difficulties that they were dealing with. And one of them was just identifying who Jesus was, what He did, what He should mean to them, because they were keeping the Passover. Or, you could say they were observing it. But they weren't doing it properly. So here in 1 Corinthians 11:28, notice what Paul writes to them. He says,
1 Corinthians 11:28 "But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup."
V.29 "For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body."
So, normally we will read through this passage and what do we normally focus on? "Let a man examine himself…" and we should. We should examine ourselves. No doubt. We should look at our lives. We should notice our behavior our sins. Are we rising to the standard of Christ? But that's not the purpose of the Bible study tonight. That'll come later. That'll be on another step.
What I want to draw your attention to is V. 29. It says, "he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself". Why would someone be judged? What's the issue there? What' the problem? Well Paul says the problem is "not discerning the Lord's body." That's what he says the problem is. It's discerning. You look this up in different translations. It can mean "to recognize" the Lord's body. Or some translations say they "fail to understand", or the don't "distinguish"; they don't" recognize". They don't distinguish the significance of the body of Christ.
You see that is important because, if Christ is our goal, as we study Christ and understand who He was and what He did, and how He lived, we have to recognize, or discern the Lord's body. Or, in other words, recognize the significance of Jesus. He is a monumental figure that, without, we have no hope. We have NO hope without Jesus Christ. One of the problems with Corinth is they weren't really remembering Christ. They weren't really memorializing Christ. This became a habit for them. It became kind of casual; they did it haphazardly. They didn't recognize the significance of Jesus Christ. So this is SO IMPORTANT that we recognize.
Recognize the Significance of Christ
We'd better recognize Jesus Christ, recognize the body of Christ. In fact, in this little passage here, with just these couple of short little verses and in V. 28 and 29, really he is talking about a couple of bodies that we need to discern, that we need to exhibit.
First we examine ourselves. That is one body that needs to be examined. There is also recognizing Jesus Himself. He is our topic for tonight. Jesus, the Passover. But there is also recognizing the body of Christ as the church. So, in a way, you have three bodies that should be recognized and discerned here. Ourselves, the church, and Jesus Himself. We need to recognize, and I think the foundation which the Corinthians were missing here, they didn't recognize Christ. They didn't recognize the significance of His sacrifice. They weren't just supposed to remember, well a few historical things that. "Jesus went through that. And He had the bread and He had the wine…" It wasn't just that. And it wasn't just to "well, let's honor His memory." No. It wasn't that at all. That maybe is a minor little part of that. But there is something so deep and so spiritual here. As we really discern and we recognize and we understand at a deep level the significance of His life, His death, His burial, and His resurrection, that's discerning the body of Christ. That's recognizing Jesus Christ who gave His life for our sins.
So, as we do this, yes it is time for a self-evaluation. And we've got to do that. No doubt. We need to examine ourselves. But I think we fail in keeping the Passover because the focus of the Passover is not self-examination. I think what this passage is telling us, it's not self-examination because it's not our sin but more importantly the focus is the payment for our sins.
How is our sin paid for? How is it possible to be sin free? You see the focus is Jesus, our Passover. He is the goal. And we recognize the significance of what He did; what He accomplished for us. So we recognize the body of Christ. We discern the Lord's body and we study that and we come to a deep understanding that truly salvation is by grace through faith. And that leads us to obedience so we obey the law. So we focus at Passover on the basics of salvation.
Ephesians. 2:8 "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:"
Salvation starts, not with self-examination. Salvation starts with Jesus Christ. Our Passover starts and ends, and even in the middle, is Jesus Christ. And that's a phenomenal thing when we really wrap our minds around that concept. Paul talked about it all the time. And sometimes we can skip right over it and miss the significance that Paul was trying to get us to focus in on. There is a passage in Hebrews that came to my mind. It is in Hebrews 12. Maybe part of this came to mind because we spent so much time in Hebrews in our series of Bible studies. But right at the beginning of the Chapter. (Okay, I think this was the Bible study where I got through, like, two verses. But we're going to get through more than that tonight.)
Heb 12:1 "Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses," this hall of fame of faith that he just got done talking about in Chapter 11, he says, "let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,"
How can we do that? How can we accomplish the goal so that we reach the finish line, the Kingdom of God?
V.2 "Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God."
"Looking unto Jesus…" He is our goal. He is what we recognize; how significant He is to our very spiritual life. That, without Him we are nothing. We are nothing! In fact, didn't He say that in John. And, when you look at the whole lesson of the vine. Remember where He said,
John 15:1 "I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman."
V.2 "Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit."
He says, "if you're not attached to the vine, you're dead. You're dead. We're going to cut your off and throw you out, and burn you up. So, without Christ we are nothing. WE ARE NOTHING. So He says, "looking to Jesus" because Jesus is "the author and finisher of our faith."
It starts with Him and the goal, the finish line, is with Him as well. Because, look what He did. Here is just a little glimpse into that significance that Paul wrote to the Corinthians about, to discern the body. Here is a little bit of discernment right here "who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God." You know you could tear that verse apart and you could study each, individual part of that. What does that mean that "Christ despised the shame?" What does that mean? Could I gain a deeper insight into the mind of Christ by just tearing that apart and studying that? What did He do as He endured the crucifixion? We study what the crucifixion is like; what is that like? What did Christ endure? What did He say when He was being crucified? How did He endure that?
Then the resurrection, we have, "He set down at the right hand of the throne of God." What is it like? What is Christ doing today? If we study what that means to sit at the right hand of God, I think we'll gain that recognition and that significance of at least what Christ is all about. I think this is so important because all too often, as we look to our Savior, Jesus Christ, it is very easy to get distracted. We can get distracted and our mind goes over here. Or our life is so busy with so many things that we fill our lives with, maybe, things that are important, but not with the things that are most significant. As we think of this, Christ needs to be the focus. He needs to be at our heart and at our core. As we learn who He is and how He lived, and about His ministry and understand how He handled situations; How He dealt with people. How compassionate was He?
How did He love people? What are His teachings? What does He give? What does Christ bring?
What does He require?
You see those are all aspects that, as we study Christ and we look at the significance of His life, I think it helps to keep that focus so that we can do what Paul says here. That we can look to Jesus. We can look to the Author and the Finisher of our faith. Because, if we don't keep that focus on Christ, we can say He is a part of our life. But, is He really? Is Jesus really a part of our everyday life? Do we talk about Him? Do we fellowship and express the importance of Jesus Christ? I'm not talking about a phony spiritual, super syrupy kind of thing. No, this is amazing, deep, spiritual meat. That's what Paul is getting at.
Certainly Christ can't be something we only think about or bring up when we are in church. It can't be that way because then we are just superficial like the Corinthians were. What part is Christ in our daily lives? Maybe that is just a bad way to say it. Should Christ be part of our lives? Or, IS HE OUR LIVES? You see, I think that is the challenge.
How would you identify Jesus Christ? If you had to identify Jesus Christ, is He your associate? I'm associating with Christ? Is He an acquaintance? You see God's word doesn't say, "become acquainted with Christ, does it? No. I don't think so. Is He just another name in our "contact list"? We just scroll right through that thing. "Yep, there went Christ." Maybe He is just a Facebook friend. If it's on Facebook, it better say, "I'm in a relationship with Jesus Christ" because that's what it means to have Christ as our goal. And if you begin to think about that, that's something that has to be so important to us that it defines who we are.
If we had to imagine our life in Christ, imagine your life in Christ as a great big (okay, my drawing isn't that good). But, here is our life in Christ. Right? It is a big target. So, if we had to imagine that's our life in Christ, where would that dart be in your life? Is Christ over here (pointing off center of the target)? I think we know where He is supposed to be. Right? We know He is supposed to be right here, right (center of the target)? That's where He's supposed to be. Right at the heart and core, in the very center of our life. That's the significance of discerning the Lord's body. As we do this, He has to be that focus and that's not just a one-time thing, "O, I did that at baptism. I said those words…" . No. It's to live our life that way and that's a challenge. In fact as we look at the Passover, let's go back to Exodus, Chapter 12. We'll see an example in the Old Testament that really puts the bull's eye right, dead center. Let's notice that back in Exodus 12. Right at the beginning of the chapter, we have the description of the Passover under the terms of the Old Covenant. And notice the instructions in Exodus 12.
Exodus 12:1 "And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying,"
V.2 "This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you."
V.3 "Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house:"
So we are introduced to the concept of a lamb. We know that Christ fulfilled this spiritually as the Lamb of God. But notice this representation of Christ here in the Old Testament Passover. So they say, "every man shall take for himself, a lamb…" and it goes on, "according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house:"
V. 4 "And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbour next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb."
So He gives that instruction and guidance about keeping the Passover. Then, in Verse 5, he says,
V.5 "Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats:"
So, if we said, what was the focus of the Old Testament Passover? The answer would be the lamb. They had to go out and pick that lamb from the flock and they had to bring it into the house. So, that 10th day they went out, by the middle of the day. They picked out that lamb and brought it in the house and for 3 ½ days it had to live with them. And then they had to kill it. It was the focus of the Passover.
The Focus of Passover is Jesus Christ
I think that's important to recognize. The focus of Passover in the Old Testament was a physical lamb. New Testament we have the Lamb of God. We have Jesus Christ and that hasn't changed. It was that way right from the start. Right from the start the Passover focus is the Lamb. Of course, spiritually speaking, that is the Lamb of God.
In fact, if you fast forward all the way to Revelation 14, I think it's in Verse 14 (you might have to check me on that one). But it talks about those who will be a part of the Kingdom of God, those who will be with the Father forever. It talks about those are the individuals who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. So, what an amazing connection. From the very beginning the focus of the Passover was Jesus Christ, the Lamb. It stayed that way. It's going to stay that way. We may get our goal and our focus to follow the Lamb.
Now, let's flip back to Corinthians for a moment. Let's get the rest of the story of Jesus our Passover back in the Book of 1 Corinthians again. This time let's go to chapter 5:7.
Often times we'll read this at the beginning of the Days of Unleavened Bread. But here he tells us,
1 Corinthians 5:7 "Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us:"
Paul is trying to draw them to the significance of discerning the Lord's body; discerning what He was all about. Discerning His purpose; His mission; His goal. And, as we look here, we begin to see something that's so significant that, if we're not careful, we could miss it. That Christ is our Passover. The lamb was the Passover in the Old Covenant but today Jesus Christ is our Passover. The Jews killed the Passover. That's what they did. Then they kept the Days of Unleavened Bread. Physically speaking, yes, we do that too. We don't kill the lamb. But we keep the Days of Unleavened Bread for seven days. We keep and observe the New Testament Passover. But, what do they point to? They point back to that goal that we need to be in the likeness of Jesus Christ. That we need to have our minds and our hearts new. Unleavened Bread reminds us of that. Our whole life must be unleavened. Not just for a week but how we live the rest of our lives. We can do that because Jesus Christ is a part of our life. He is our life and He is becoming more and more vital and integral to our lives on a daily basis.
Peter talked about this in a little bit different way. Look at:
1 Peter 1:17 "And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man's work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear:"
He makes an important point that ties in with the focus of the Passover. Let's notice it.
That is in awe and in reverence.
V.18 "Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;"
So we understand this. We have a depth of meaning in our life so we know what it took to pay the penalty for our sin. We know that. He says, "know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;"
Yes, life is going to lead us in the way of man and that's, ultimately, destruction. But notice the focus here. We weren't redeemed with corruptible things that are going to wear out, things that are going to fade away. But instead, V. 19
1 Peter 1:19 "But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:"
V.20 "Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,"
V.21 "Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God."
So Peter gives us a framework of how to view our life. We begin to see how are we redeemed? What paid the penalty in our stead? Well, here we see that Peter says it's the precious blood of Christ. The precious blood.
In fact we see the fulfillment of that lamb that was represented in the Old Testament. This wasn't an add on or a last minute idea or even just foresight from God's perspective. We see purpose. God purposed that this would be true; that this would come about; that mankind could be redeemed. We could have sin forgiven. We could be brought back from sin through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and that plan was put in place before creation. Pretty amazing when you think about it that way.
Look how valuable that idea and that concept is. How valuable is it? Did you notice the word that was used in V. 19? It says, "with the precious blood of Jesus Christ". Do you have anything that is precious to you? Maybe you take that precious thing and you might, you know, put it in a lock box because it means so much and you don't want to lose it. You don't want anything to happen to it. Because what do you do with something that is precious to you? You value it. You know that it is important. It's something that is especially dear to you. So things that are precious to us we value highly.
As we look at the Passover, I think we need to ask ourselves, "How precious is the blood of Jesus Christ to you and to me? Is that something that I categorize as precious?" How much is the sacrifice of Christ worth to you? How much is that worth to me? What kind of value you place on it? What is a relationship with Jesus Christ and God, the Father, what does that mean to you?
If I had to place a value on it, what would you be willing to give for it? Our life? Are we willing to give our life for the precious truth of God. The precious relationship with God, the Father, with Jesus Christ because we take special care of the things that we value. But do we really take special care of our relationship with Jesus Christ?
You see, I think it's so important that, if we have Christ as our Passover, we have to value Christ.
We have to value a relationship with Him. That means we're not going to sacrifice that. We're not going to put it on the side burner. We're going to make that the highlight of our life. We're going to focus on that, this precious Lamb of God. Unblemished and perfect. Because, without Christ, we are nothing.
So, the opposite is true, too, isn't it? That Jesus should be everything to us. We need Him so badly words don't even come to mind. That's the way it should be because He is our Savior.
He is our example. He is our Lord. He is our Master. He intercedes for us. He's our dear brother. He loves us and cares for us. He's our teacher. He's our guide. He's our strength. He is our rescue. And, without Him, life doesn't have any meaning. I mean, we just go through the motions.
In fact, a couple of verses later, chapter 2:4. It shows us how we can value Christ. How can we value Jesus' sacrifice? How can we do that? Peter says:
1 Peter 2:4 "To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious,"
If we don't recognize that Jesus is precious, God the Father sure does. In His eyes, Jesus Christ is precious to God. He is full of value. There is nothing like Him. So, we come to Him.
How often do we come to God the Father and Jesus Christ? Have we developed that relationship? He says, we do this, as living stones so that we can be built up to a spiritual house, a holy priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. The only way we can be spiritual before God is through Jesus Christ. Take Jesus out of the equation, and it's not possible. It's not possible. We miss the mark. We can't reach the goal. It's impossible. So he tells us very clearly. In fact, he quotes Isaiah here.
V.5 "Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ".
V.6 "Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded."
So Christ better be precious to us if we claim to be true believers. He is precious.
V.7 Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner,"
V.8 "And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed."
It says they "reject Him", the stone the builder rejected. He's a "stumbling stone" a "rock of offense." If He's precious to us, we see a direct connection to the value we place on the sacrifice of Christ and what? That value is reflected, V. 7. He is precious. But to those who are disobedient, they reject Him.
There is this connection of believing and obeying. Not good enough just to believe and take Jesus into your heart and know about Him and all that. That's not good enough. The obedience has to follow for you who believe He is precious and you are obedient because you are not one of those who are disobedient. That's what we do. And, as we do that, He describes who we are,
V. 9. "But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light:"
That's what Christ's sacrifice has done for us. Because, without Christ, we are helpless slaves of sin. We recognize that Christ died for our sins. Sins is disgusting to us so we appreciate what Christ did. We are indebted to Him. Because we are so thankful and we are so close to Christ, we are motivated to obey and to come out of sin because we recognize the value of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. We know "there is no other name under heaven by which men can be saved" – kind of a loose translation of Acts 4.
Acts 4:12 "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved."
There is no other name. In fact, in Acts, it says, "we live and move and have our being."
Acts 17:28 "For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring."
Does that describe our life? Does that describe our goal? Our purpose? Our intentions?
Because, after all we can't do anything to justify ourselves. We can't do anything to save ourselves – not our thoughts or our wishes, our plans of our own. We can't do any of that. So, when we see Christ as He really is, it changes everything. And that is our ultimate purpose, isn't it?
Colossians 3:2 describes that. We see the example of just that. It says it a little bit differently but I think it makes a very powerful point. It says,
Colossians 3:2 "Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth."
So that's that mind of Christ in our thinking. It says,
V.3 "For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God."
V.4 "When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory."
As we approach the Passover we can ask ourselves, "Is my life hidden with Christ in God? Is my way of thinking; my way of doing the things that physically, carnally do, and say, is that hidden? Is that gone? Is that man dead and buried so all you see is Christ?"
That's what Paul is taking about here. That our lives need to be hidden with Christ. Who I used to be is no longer and I am identified with the Lamb of God. That my meaning, my purpose, my goal, is Christ, because Christ is the goal. And we discern and we study and we examine Him so we can draw closer to Him. We recognize the significance of Jesus Christ because we know that the focus is Jesus Christ and God's plan begins and it ends, the Alpha and the Omega, with Jesus Christ. We value His sacrifice.
As we consider that, we hide our life with Christ. If we truly do that, we come to a deeper appreciation of Jesus, our Passover.
This is just the first in a series. We'll be continuing our "Six Steps to Passover". I suppose now we're down to five steps to Passover. Our next study will be February 5th.
We hope you'll join us two Wednesday nights from tonight. On February 5th, Mr. Gary Petty will be leading our next step to Passover in a Bible study that's entitled, "Jesus, the Second Adam".
We hope you'll join us.
Course Content
Beyond this physical life, God’s faithful people are heirs of a breathtaking future with Christ.
