Series: Investigating Easter
Sermon: Four Shadows
ICE BREAKER: Would you rather always have shoes one size too small OR always have a slightly damp sock?
REVIEW: This week, we continued our Investigating Easter series by looking at the hundreds of prophecies from the Old Testament that Jesus fulfilled! The odds of one man showing up centuries after these prophecies were made and fulfilling all of them are astronomical!
However, we also saw that the direct prophecies are not the only thing in the Old Testament that points to Jesus; in fact, the entire Jewish Scriptures foreshadowed the coming of Christ! To help us see this, we looked at FOUR of these SHADOWS to understand how they prepared the world for its Savior!
First, we saw the call from God to Abraham to sacrifice his only son, Isaac. Abraham had the faith to follow through; however, God stopped Abraham and clarified that he would never ask humans to sacrifice each other for His sake! Instead, God provided a lamb to take Isaac's place. Centuries later, God would NOT spare His own son, but instead would give Jesus as the Lamb of God who died to cover the sins of the world!
Next, we looked at the first Passover. The Israelites were held in bondage to Egypt, but God had a plan to save them. One night, death would encompass Egypt for everyone except those who had followed God's orders! They were to sacrifice a lamb and paint its blood on the doorposts of their house. Every home crossed in the lamb's blood would be spared the coming judgment! Centuries later, Jesus celebrated Passover the night before his death and told his closest friends that the Passover meal was now all about HIM! The next day, he died as the perfect Passover lamb, rescuing all who put their faith in his blood!
After the Israelites escaped Egypt, God gave them the sacrificial system to cover their sin and stay in fellowship with Him. The biggest day of the year was Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. This holy day involved a long, arduous process of sacrifices and ceremonies that had to be repeated yearly! The New Testament book of Hebrews goes to great lengths to show that what Jesus did in his death, burial, and resurrection was the PERFECT version of the Day of Atonement. In other words, the Old Testament system was simply a shadow of the solution that came when Jesus gave His life!
Last, we looked at a moment in the wilderness where poisonous snakes were killing the Israelites. God told Moses to cast a bronze serpent and lift it up in the middle of the camp. Anyone who looked with faith to the serpent would be healed! Centuries later, Jesus sat down with a Pharisee and used that moment to describe His own mission on earth!
John 3
14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 so that everyone who believes in Him will have eternal life.
APPLY:
The Old and New Testaments are often viewed as entirely separate, almost unrelated documents. However, upon closer examination, the entire Old Testament points us to Jesus!
How does this understanding change your view of the Old Testament?
How do the fulfilled prophecy and foreshadowing shape your view of Jesus?
What is your one most significant takeaway from this week's message, and how will it make a difference in your life?
PRAY:
As a team, spend time praying over the Easter services at MetaChurch. Ask God to draw people who have not put their faith in Jesus.
