Still learning who He is

Pastor Max Lyons opens with a story from London, when Juliet casually mentioned she had once auditioned for Nala in The Lion King on the West End. Three years into their relationship he was still learning new things about her, and ten years in he still is. Our relationship with God should work the same way, but too many Christians let excitement fade into familiarity, lose their awe, stop growing, and settle for comfortable Christianity. Revelation 3 warns the lukewarm, and Luke 12 reminds us that the Prince of Peace also came to divide; Jesus is loving, but He is not passive.

Why Passover matters

Continuing the journey to the cross that began with the raising of Lazarus, Pastor Max notes from John 12 that Jesus went to Jerusalem for the Passover festival. That was no accident. Passover, straight out of Exodus 12, commemorates Israel’s deliverance from slavery in Egypt through the tenth plague, which receives more verses than the first nine combined. First Corinthians 5 calls Christ our Passover Lamb, so if you miss Passover, you miss Jesus.

The lamb points to Jesus

Walking through Exodus 12 verse by verse, Pastor Max shows how each detail foreshadows Christ. The lamb was a year-old male without defect, like Jesus, sinless and in His prime at 33. It was chosen on the 10th day, the very day Jesus rode into Jerusalem, and slaughtered on the 14th at twilight, the very day Jesus died, at the ninth hour, 3 p.m., the exact moment priests across the city began sacrificing lambs. No bone was to be broken, and John 19 records that the soldiers did not break Jesus’ legs. “Jesus did not just celebrate Passover. He became Passover.”

Eat it ready to leave

The Israelites were told to eat with cloaks tucked in, sandals on, and staff in hand, in haste, the first dine and dash in history. They could not get comfortable; they had to be ready to go at any moment. Revelation 16 echoes this: blessed is the one who stays awake and keeps his clothes, spiritually ready for the Lord’s return. Are we ready if Jesus came back today?

The cost of sin and the sign of the blood

God would strike down every firstborn, and Pastor Max stresses that Israel was not exempt; Joshua 24 reveals they had worshiped Egyptian gods. Likewise, no one is exempt for going to church. The wages of sin is death, and without the wrath of God there is no love of God. The blood on the doorframe was a sign for the people that their sin took a life, as it did when God covered Adam and Eve with animal skins, and a sign for God that the price was paid. Israel was saved by God and saved from God, and so are we. But the blood in the basin did no good until it was applied, and the command to stay inside until morning shows that obedience was required too. There is a difference between making mistakes and a rebellious spirit that refuses Jesus’ lordship. Salvation is God’s gift of grace, received through faith; obedience is the fruit of a life surrendered to Jesus.

Where is the lamb?

The Passover lamb and the sacrifices of the Day of Atonement point us toward the greater work of Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. If you are covered by the blood of Jesus, the price has been paid. God does not grade on a curve; it is not about trying harder but about being covered.

Communion: remembering our Passover Lamb

Just as Passover was a meal for Israel alone, communion is for those who have given their lives to Jesus, and 1 Corinthians 11 calls everyone to examine themselves first. Pastor Max leads Elan through the elements: the unleavened matzah, yeast being a picture of corruption, representing the only sinless body, and the third cup of the Passover meal, the cup of redemption, representing His blood. Whenever we eat and drink, we proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes, remembering the cross and looking forward to His return. The gathering closes in thanksgiving that His body was broken so ours could be made whole.