In this sermon, “Jesus, Our Passover Lamb,” Pastor Allen Victor taught from Matthew 26:26–30 and explained how the Passover pointed to Jesus Christ and His sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins. Through the events surrounding Jesus’ final Passover meal with His disciples, the message revealed how the elements of the Passover Seder illustrated the deliverance, redemption, and freedom that Jesus provided.

Pastor Allen explained that the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Passover, and the Feast of First fruits were connected to Israel’s history and God’s plan of redemption. As Jesus prepared to share His final Passover meal with His disciples, He was not focused on what He wanted to eat but on what He was about to offer: His body and His blood. During the meal, Jesus announced that one of the disciples would betray Him. While the disciples questioned whether they could be guilty of such an act, the message reminded believers that sin was a form of betrayal, yet Jesus continued to extend grace and fellowship.

The sermon examined the six elements of the Passover Seder and their connections to Jesus. The search for leaven reminded the Israelites to remove it from their homes and recalled their deliverance from Egypt. Pastor Allen connected this practice to the removal of sin and explained how Jesus bore our sins so that we could be freed from their bondage and live in righteousness. The breaking of the unleavened bread pointed to Jesus’ broken body, which was placed in a grave and seen again three days later. The bitter herbs recalled Israel’s suffering in Egypt and pointed to the sorrow and suffering Jesus experienced because of our sins. Believers were encouraged to reflect on the cost of sin whenever they partook of Communion and to remember that Jesus offered freedom from its slavery.

The Passover lamb represented the innocent sacrifice whose blood protected the Israelites from death. Pastor Allen explained that Jesus was our Passover Lamb, whose body was broken and whose blood was shed to provide redemption. The four cups of the Passover Seder represented God’s promises of sanctification, judgment, redemption, and rejoicing. These promises pointed to God’s deliverance of His people and His commitment to bring them into their promised inheritance. Jesus took the cup of redemption and identified it with the new covenant in His blood, while the judgment He would face was connected to His suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane.

The final element, the empty seat reserved for Elijah, represented the Jewish expectation that Elijah would announce the coming of the Messiah. Pastor Allen explained that John the Baptist fulfilled this role in preparation for Jesus’ ministry. The empty seat was presented as an invitation to respond to the Messiah. The sermon concluded by directing attention to Jesus Christ, the fulfillment of the Passover, who gave Himself to deliver people from sin and offer them redemption, freedom, and the promise of an eternal inheritance with God.

This message was presented at Calvary Chapel West Jacksonville, under the leadership of Pastor Allen Victor.

Scripture References: Matthew 26:17–30; Exodus 12:3, 12:15; Exodus 1:14; Exodus 6–7; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 2:24; Matthew 26:38; John 8:34–36; Matthew 17.

#JesusOurPassoverLamb #Passover #Communion #NewCovenant #JesusChrist #ForgivenessOfSins #Redemption #Deliverance #FreedomFromSin #PassoverSeder #BloodOfJesus #BodyOfChrist #GodsPromises #CalvaryChapel