Exodus 12:13-14 The blood shall be a sign for you, upon the houses where you are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague shall fall upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt. "This day shall be for you a memorial day, and you shall keep it as a feast to the LORD; throughout your generations you shall observe it as an ordinance for ever.

Sometimes we forget what’s so bad about Egypt, its slavery

Slavery so bad that the people called on God to deliver them,

And God heard their prayer

If there is one thing that summarizes God’s deliverance, it is the Passover

The blood, of a lamb without spot or blemish - sacrifice

a sign - deliverance - To pass over - memorial

We’d like to imagine that slavery ended with the Civil War,

But there are still many who are slaves to sin

Its one thing for temptation to be fun or tempting

But slavery to sin means that once you are a slave

The sin doesn’t need to be tempting or even fun

And still, since you are a slave, there is no choice

And it goes on forever.

This slavery is so bad that people having been calling on God

For deliverance ever since sin came into the world.

God has been working on a plan for salvation ever since sin

While the Passover was a memorial to remember the deliverance from one type of slavery, it was also a sign of a deliverance yet to come, one that would make people truly free, free from slavery to the world, the flesh and the devil. These are the bonds that still ensnare, and enslave people today.

the world, the flesh and the devil – what they look like

God’s plan to bring deliverance and salvation.

The Lamb of God, without spot or blemish – sacrifice

A sign – this is my body, this is my blood

Deliverance – to take away (sin and the need for sacrifice)

Given for you to take away all sins

Given – not free, rather God has paid the price, paid our debts

All sins – all people – all time

Memorial – something worth remembering