(Chapter 67) God so Loved the World that He Gave His Son:

God so Loved the World that He Gave His Son: The greatest Spiritual battle ever fought – part sixty-one

I have been asked to do a teaching regarding Communion for a class at our church. As I was preparing the teaching my wife Shirley suggested that it would make a good blog post. To begin the teaching regarding Communion, it’s important to go all the way back to the first Passover when the Israelite people were in bondage in Egypt. They had been in bondage for 430 years.

Describing the Passover prior to the Teaching regarding Communion

Exodus 12:1-42 (NLT) (Some verses intentionally not shown to conserve space. You may read them later on your own.)
¹While the Israelites were still in the land of Egypt, the Lord gave the following instructions to Moses and Aaron: ²“From now on, this month will be the first month of the year for you. ³Announce to the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each family must choose a lamb or a young goat for a sacrifice, one animal for each household.

⁶“Take special care of this chosen animal until the evening of the fourteenth day of this first month. Then the whole assembly of the community of Israel must slaughter their lamb or young goat at twilight.

⁷They are to take some of the blood and smear it on the sides and top of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the animal. ⁸That same night they must roast the meat over a fire and eat it along with bitter salad greens and bread made without yeast.

¹¹“These are your instructions for eating this meal: Be fully dressed, wear your sandals, and carry your walking stick in your hand. Eat the meal with urgency, for this is the Lord’s Passover. ¹²On that night I will pass through the land of Egypt and strike down every firstborn son and firstborn male animal in the land of Egypt. I will execute judgment against all the gods of Egypt, for I am the Lord! ¹³But the blood on your doorposts will serve as a sign, marking the houses where you are staying. When I see the blood, I will pass over you. This plague of death will not touch you when I strike the land of Egypt. ¹⁴“This is a day to remember. Each year, from generation to generation, you must celebrate it as a special festival to the Lord. This is a law for all time.

¹⁷“Celebrate this Festival of Unleavened Bread, for it will remind you that I brought your forces out of the land of Egypt on this very day. This festival will be a permanent law for you; celebrate this day from generation to generation.

²³For the Lord will pass through the land to strike down the Egyptians. But when he sees the blood on the top and sides of the doorframe, the Lord will pass over your home. He will not permit his death angel to enter your house and strike you down.

²⁹And that night at midnight, the Lord struck down all the firstborn sons in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn son of Pharaoh, who sat on his throne, to the firstborn son of the prisoner in the dungeon. Even the firstborn of their livestock were killed.

³¹Pharaoh sent for Moses and Aaron during the night. “Get out!” he ordered. “Leave my people—and take the rest of the Israelites with you! Go and worship the Lord as you have requested. ³²Take your flocks and herds, as you said, and be gone. Go, but bless me as you leave.”

⁴⁰The people of Israel had lived in Egypt for 430 years. ⁴¹In fact, it was on the last day of the 430th year that all the Lord’s forces left the land. ⁴²On this night the Lord kept his promise to bring his people out of the land of Egypt. So, this night belongs to him, and it must be commemorated every year by all the Israelites, from generation to generation.

At this point, you are most likely thinking to yourself, “This is all very interesting but what does it have to do with Communion”? Just like a TV series that leaves you with a cliff-hanger between episodes, you will have to wait till next week to see how the Passover leads to Communion.

Lord, I thank you for your blessing on this message! Thank You for your love for each one of us! In Jesus’ name, Amen