Sermon Guide: Exodus 12:1-6 "The Death of the Lamb"

Key Passage

Exodus 12:1–6 ESV

The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, “This month shall be for you the beginning of months. It shall be the first month of the year for you. Tell all the congregation of Israel that on the tenth day of this month every man shall take a lamb according to their fathers’ houses, a lamb for a household. And if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his nearest neighbor shall take according to the number of persons; according to what each can eat you shall make your count for the lamb. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year old. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats, and you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill their lambs at twilight.

Sermon Overview

In the first Passover, God did not save his people because they were good, but because He is. Each household took a lamb, brought it into their home, and then watched as that lamb died in place of their firstborn. The blood on the door was a simple, visible confession: “The lamb died instead of me.” That night taught Israel — and now teaches us — that salvation is not earned, but received through substitution. This is the story Jesus fulfills as the true and perfect Lamb of God, who entered our world, was found without fault, and gave his life in our place. He did not die in general, but personally — for you. And because his sacrifice is finished, you are safe, you are loved, and you are free.

Sermon Structure

#1 Ex 12:1–2 — The New Year

• New year marked by substitution, not improvement

#2 Ex 12:3–4 — A Lamb for Each Family

• Applying the blood was an act of faith

• Everyone marked by the blood is safe

#3 Ex 12:5 — A Lamb without Blemish

• Tamîm — without blemish, and with perfection

• Four days in the home

• A priest at his work

#4 Ex 12:6 — A Lamb Killed at Twilight

• “Between the evenings” and the 9th hour

• Love is essentially substitutional

Questions for Discussion & Reflection

1. Exodus emphasizes that every Israelite house would have a lamb. What comfort can be found for us in the particularity of the sacrifice?

   
   

2. The lamb had to be tamîm (whole, complete, perfect). Why does Christ’s sinlessness matter so much for our salvation?

   
   

3. This first Passover was given to the Israelites, and not the Egyptians. Have someone read Exodus 12:43–49. This passage describes Israel’s future Passover celebrations. What’s different from the first one?

   
   

   Leader’s note: Israel alone observed the first Passover; they had to be freed, so that future Passovers (observed at the temple) would be open for anyone who was willing to become part of Israel. Help people see how this leads us to Christ, our Passover Lamb, whose arms are open wide!

   
   

4. The sermon ended with: You are loved. You are safe. You are free. Which of those is hardest for you to believe, and why?