For our members in Singapore, our Holy Communion is a monthly affair. In some places, it is held twice annually. During our baptism, we also have our Holy Communion. Holding it ever so frequently should not diminish its meaning for us. We should at each Holy Communion feel very deeply for its significance because it is returning to the most significant and meaningful story of how God, the creator, loves His people; how He came in the form of man to save His people with a sacrifice that no other would make. It tells of great forbearance over a people who are always stiff-necked and disobedient.

The Holy Communion was instituted when the Lord Jesus Christ had His last Passover with His apostles. The Passover is still being celebrated by religious Jews all over the world. It is one of the many ways God tells the world of His love and wonderful salvation. For this afternoon, the speaker would like to tell us the story of Passover, which is how the Lord Jesus used the Passover to institute the Holy Communion.

This morning it was discussed how the Lord’s people became slaves in Egypt but God had His plans. Before the people went to Egypt, God had His plans. His plans were for His chosen people to grow in the midst of difficulties. With God, difficulties help us to grow. Without God, even a smooth sailing life would cause us to fall. So, God allows His people to flourish in Egypt. In fact, the more the Egyptians persecuted them, the more they grew. In the midst of the trials, some felt weak and murmured against God. But after going through all these, after God fulfilled His plans among His people, they emerged strong. They became more appreciative of God and His love. Their experiences with God are all recorded in the Old Testament.

If we pay attention to read, the Old Testament is so rich. If you were to read it meditatively, we cannot fail to amaze by how great it is. After many years in Egypt, God brought His people out of Egypt. God says, “Which nation enjoyed this privilege? Has God ever brought out one nation out of another nation with signs, wonders and miracles? With a mighty and outstretched arm?”

The night Israel left Egypt, there was wailing throughout Egypt because the first-born of all the Egyptians died. Through Moses’s mouth, the Lord warned pharaoh, “Israel is my Son, Israel is My first-born. If you mess around my first-born, I will kill YOUR first-born.” In the midst of the wailing of Egypt for the death of their first-born, God’s first-born was delivered - They went through the Red Sea.

After they crossed the Red Sea, there was great jubilation. Moses and Miriam sang hymns and danced to praise God - This is the story of the Passover.

The Bible wants to tell us this great story of deliverance because we ourselves have also gone through it. When we were baptised, we were delivered out of bondage, darkness and sin. We cannot help ourselves but continue to sin and we accumulate God’s wrath upon us. There’s no way to cancel out the record of our sinful paths. Our debt will just accumulate and accumulate. But when we went through the waters of baptism, the blood of Jesus Christ cleansed us from all sins. The blood of Jesus sprinkled on our hearts and continues to take effect. All the debts we accumulate, is just like an IOU torn into pieces. God wants us to read the story of the Passover, to appreciate the rich blessings God has given us because we’ve been baptised and crossed the Red Sea. Let us read the story in Exodus 12:2-3;

‘“This month shall be your beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you. Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying: ‘On the tenth of this month every man shall take for himself a lamb, according to the house of his father, a lamb for a household. ‘

The month when God delivered them out of Egypt is now the first month in the religious calendar. It was the seventh month. The seventh month now becomes the first month and God turned it around because God wanted them to realise its a new beginning. V5;

‘Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats. ‘

Later when Jesus died on the cross, the Holy Spirit made it clear to the people that Jesus is in fact the Passover lamb. A one-year old Passover lamb is helpless and is supposed to be without blemish. Jesus is without sin and blemish, but Jesus did not speak out against those who took Him to the cross. The Bible said that He was led silently to the place of slaughter, NOT because He was silent. When He was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane, one of His disciples took out His sword to defend Him. Jesus then said, “Did you not know, angels will come to My rescue?” It’s not that He was helpless, but that He silent. He chose to be silent. He chose to be a lamb led to the slaughter.

Every year when the Jews celebrate the Passover, they still do not see this story. Today, our eyes are blessed, our ears are blessed. When we read this scripture, we know this refers to Jesus. The one year old silent lamb, the willing saviour.

V6 says;

‘Now you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month. Then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at twilight. ‘

From 9am in the morning, he hung till the afternoon, for 6 hours. When He breathed His last, that was when Jerusalem slaughtered the Passover lamb. Here says, “Then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at twilight.” “Who killed the Lord Jesus? We read how He was arrested, tried in two trials, how the religious leaders persecuted Him, how the soldiers nailed Him, how the people needed at Him including the two thieves by His side, how Pilate questioned Him, how Pilate sent Him to death, how the people shouted, “Crucify Him!”. We think we’re the third party watching the situation, “It’s THEY who crucified Jesus! It’s PILATE who gave in to the overwhelming voices of the people! It’s the VOICE OF THE PEOPLE who jeered Him.” No. It’s not just them.

One of the robbers who realised He was Jesus shouted back at the other thief, “Don’t you fear God? We deserve to be hung here to die, but this man has done nothing wrong.” He turned to Jesus and said, “Jesus, remember me when You come into the kingdom.”

What was the sudden realisation? It was that Jesus didn’t die for His own sin. The sudden realisation was that Jesus died for HIS (the robber’s) sin. The robber took the opportunity to turn to Jesus and asked Jesus to remember him.

The centre cross was actually made for another man, by the name of Barabbas. Barabbas was in jail just as the other two criminals. When day break comes, he’d be dragged to calvary. But when the prison doors opened, the two robbers were dragged to Calvary and Barabas was set free. The Bible didn’t record this incident but the Bible said that Barabbas was set free. How do you think Barabbas must have felt? He wouldn’t have believed it - Why was he so lucky? Barabbas means Son of the Father. Bar means son, Abbas means father.

Who is Jesus? Jesus is the Son of the Father. The Father in heaven didn’t spare His own Son, He sent Him to the cross to die. But a man called Barabbas, the son of the father, was set free. Do you not see Barabbas in yourself? We all have sinned. We all deserve to die. The cross was made for Barabbas. Death was our punishment. Eternal death. But we’re spared, why?

Because the Son of God, Jesus Christ, took our place. Because of Barabbas, because all of us are Barabbas, Jesus had to take our place. Who killed Jesus? The entire nation of Israel at that time. Today, we who have enjoyed His physical death must realise that it’s for our sins that He died. Who killed Jesus? All of us who have sinned, WE killed Jesus. We made it necessary for Jesus to die. Unless God doesn’t love us. But how can God not love us? So, Jesus must die. Because we sinned, He must die. The entire congregation slaughtered the lamb.

In v7;

‘And they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses where they eat it. ‘

The lamb was to be slaughtered, it’s lamb was to be used as a protection. When God sent death into all the homes in Egypt, v13 says the blood shall be a sign;

‘Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.’

Death won’t be sent into the house of the blood of the lamb but God will be sent into every house that does not have the blood. This is why it’s called the Passover feast, because God and death passes over all the houses with the lamb’s blood. The lamb itself is to be roasted and eaten inside those houses with the blood on the doorpost. Jesus Christ’s blood protects us from death. His body is given for us.

On the night when He ate the Passover meal with His disciples, He took the unleavened bread and said, “Take, eat, this is my body. This is My body that is broken for you.”

During the first Passover in Exodus 12, God says that they shall eat the roasted lamb in the house with unleavened bread and butter herbs in v8;

‘Then they shall eat the flesh on that night; roasted in fire, with unleavened bread and with bitter herbs they shall eat it. ‘

In v11, He said to eat it in this manner;

‘And thus you shall eat it: with a belt on your waist, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. So you shall eat it in haste. It is the Lord ’s Passover.’

This is how the Passover is eaten. The lamb is to be eaten with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. They have to be ready to move anytime. Any time God gives a signal, they have to leave Egypt. When you see a fire burning in a house, do you slowly walk away? You’re supposed to flee. What is this staff on the hand, belt on your waist and sandals on your feet? It means to be ready to leave.

In Matthew 3:7;

‘But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? ‘

When John the Baptist was baptising people, some of the pretenders, scribes and Pharisees came to Him. John told them, “Who told you to flee from the wrath?” Today when we’re baptised, we’re fleeing from the wrath of Egypt. Though the Israelites were out of Egypt, spiritually and mentally, Egypt wasn’t out of them. Maybe they wanted to go back to Egypt. It’s easy to physically extract yourself of Egypt, but it’s so difficult to rid Egypt from themselves. So did they really flee?

Today we need to ask ourselves: we who have been baptised in Jesus’ name, have we really fled? The Bible tells us to flee from many things. Paul tells the Corinthians, “Flee from adultery! Flee from idolatry! Because you have crossed the Red Sea.” Paul told Timothy to tell the churches to flee from the love of money and again he tells Timothy to flee from youthful lust. It makes a lot of sense for us to do two things:

To read the Bible and look at the things the Bible wants us to flee from.
Since we’ve fled from the wrath to come, make sure we really flee. Since fleeing from Egypt must be such a hasty thing, we must not delay. We must not even turn back.

What happened to Lot’s wife? Apart from telling us to flee, the Bible also tells us to remember Lot’s wife. Look at the Bible and the things the Bible tells us to flee from.

Look within ourselves.
What are the things that have a hold on us? What are the things that belong to Egypt? Jesus says, “Give to God what belongs to God, give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar.” It’s not so bad when its, “What belongs to the world, give to the world what belongs to the world.”

But what if it belongs to the devil? Your lust, greed and the many things in you that only YOU know.

What are the things we need to flee from? Many times, we need to flee from ourselves because we’re our greatest enemy. Don’t listen to what your inner voice tells you, listen to what the word of God tells you.

The Bible says the unleavened bread must be eaten with the meat of the lamb. Why? Why must it be eaten with the bitter herb? V9 says that it must be roasted. All these are symbols of the sufferings of God’s people that are now converts for Jesus Christ. Jesus came to represent God’s people. Whatever the people of God went through, Jesus had to go through. Jesus is said to be a fiery furnace, so when the people were saved out of Egypt, three times were mentioned that they were saved from the fiery furnace. Hence, the Passover lamb had to be roasted in fire because Jesus was like the Passover lamb that was roasted and went through the sufferings, just as God’s people who went through the fiery furnace.

It is eaten with bread that is represented by sufferings. In Deuteronomy 16:3 tells us that this unleavened bread is also the bread of affliction;

‘You shall eat no leavened bread with it; seven days you shall eat unleavened bread with it, that is, the bread of affliction (for you came out of the land of Egypt in haste), that you may remember the day in which you came out of the land of Egypt all the days of your life. ‘

Why is it called this way? They were under persecution and had to flee. There was no time for them to use their own sweet time (in Chinese, slow fire makes good food). There’s no time for them to make nice bread; to knead the flour properly and wait for the bread to leaven.

The speaker will tell us of a story:

In Myanmar, the preachers’ wife makes the unleavened bread. After returning from the baptism site, he knows that the unleavened bread can’t be eaten easily. When he laid the bread on the table, a sound was heard. When the bread was being torn, his hands hurt. When he put it into his mouth, he pities the elderly without teeth. Although the speaker has teeth, he cannot chew it until it’s easily swallowed. When the speaker gave thanks for grape juice, the bread is still in his mouth. He had to use the grape juice to soften it to be swallowed. The unleavened bread can be that tough, because it’s a bread of affliction. It signifies the roasted meat, the affliction of Jesus Christ. The bitterness that Jesus had to suffer is the bitter herbs.

The bread of affliction also talks of the training Jesus gives. Throughout the 40 years, God also gave them the bread of heaven, pointing to Jesus. Why did God give them manna to eat? In Deuteronomy 8:3 tells us that the bread of heaven is given to rest and humble them;

‘So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord . ‘

They didn’t have scrumptious things to eat. They couldn’t have food they dreamed of; leaks, quails and meat. They had manna, manna, and manna every day. Until they got sick of it. They complained twice, “Why only manna?” The Bible says that the manna was given to toughen them up, to make them people with determination, courage and well-training. Instead of people who are soft, dote and spoil their children. These people become useless but God wants us to be useful, so God trains us up.

Christians are not promised a smooth-sailing life and a bed of roses but Christians are promised the strength that comes from God. In times when we’re too weak to move, He gives us strength. If we continue to depend on God’s strength, we will realise one day that we’re also strong within ourselves because God’s strength is also in us. The strength comes from the Word. Manna tells us this, “man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord .” Manna made them valiant soldiers to fight at the city of Jericho.

Similarly, the word of God makes us strong. When Jesus came into the world, He Himself is the word of God. He was born in Bethlehem, meaning the house of men. He went into a poor household.

Today, our unleavened is not rich men’s bread, but it’s the bread that makes us strong. After the Passover meal, v15 says;

‘Seven days you shall keep a sacred feast to the Lord your God in the place which the Lord chooses, because the Lord your God will bless you in all your produce and in all the work of your hands, so that you surely rejoice.’

Today Jewish family before Passover also clear the leavened. Sometimes they play a game with their children: they’ll hide leaven and ask their children to find them. They’ll be rewarded with a price when they find them. This teaches them to clean up the leaven in their lives.

7 is a complete number, so God wants them to eat leavened bread for 7 days. Today after our baptism, for our entire lives, we must remember that we’re out of Egypt and must clear of leaven. If we return to our sins, God compares us to two types of animals: dogs and swines (猪狗不如).

The third thing to be mentioned is the grape juice. In Exodus 12 nothing is mentioned of the grape juice but later on, the Israelites had four cups of grape juice at the Passover meal. Grape wine and grape juice were common drinks at every meal but because of Passover, there cannot be wine so it’s unfermented grape juice.

They had four cups of grape juice because they want to remember what God says in Exodus 6:6-7;

6 ‘Therefore say to the children of Israel: ‘I am the Lord ; I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, I will rescue you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments.
7 I will take you as My people, and I will be your God. Then you shall know that I am the Lord your God who brings you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. ‘

There are four statements here which the Israelites link to the four cups. When Jesus instituted the Holy Communion, there were also four cups there.

The first cup is called the cup of sanctification. With this cup, they say, “I will take you out” (v6).

The second cup is called the cup of judgement, “I will judge Egypt and I will rescue you.”.The second cup is the cup of judgement of the cup of rescue (when you punish Egypt, you’re saving Israel).

The third cup is the cup of redemption, because it says, “I will redeem you.”

The fourth cup is the cup of restoration or the cup of praise. It says, “I am your God and you are My people.”

We turn to the gospel of Luke. Luke 22:20;

‘Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you. ‘

Earlier, Jesus also took one cup before He finished the meal because in v17 says;

‘Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, “Take this and divide it among yourselves; ‘

In v19 He took bread;

‘And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”’

In v20 He took another cup;

‘Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you. ‘

We know there’s two cups here but there are actually four cups. The cup where Jesus said, “This is my blood,” is the third cup, the cup of redemption. “Because this is the blood of the covenant, the blood I shed for you.” This is also the cup of thanksgiving or the cup of blessing.

When we see the Holy Communion in the setting of the Passover then we realise the sacrifice God has given us and we realise the status before Him. We have departed from Egypt and we have been saved from Egypt. We have been redeemed by His blood. We are His people and He is our God. With these thoughts, we’ll observe the Holy Communion.