God’s Plan of Perfection

God’s Plan of Perfection

By Pastor Gary Wayne

Text: John 19:25-30, John 20:1-18

How many understand the things of God, are layered with meaning?
In studying about the Resurrection, this year, I felt compelled to study the feasts God set up. God’s plan of perfection.

When you study the “7 feasts”, it just gets deeper and deeper.

All these feasts point to God’s complex plan for Jesus to fulfill God’s desire to make it possible for us to spend eternity with Him.

The Hebrew calendar is much different than ours, with the first of their year starting in the month of Nisan, our March & April.

Last week I referred to this time of the year being highly spiritual.

The time of Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection, happened at the exact timing that coincided with the first 3 feasts of God that began in the book of Exodus 12 with the Passover.

That first Passover happened 3,500 years ago and these feasts God set up to observe have been celebrated 3,500 times every year.

So when we see the events surrounding the Resurrection we celebrate today, you can see an intricate plan God unfolded at the Death, Burial, and Resurrection of God’s Son Jesus.

What are these feasts about?

After God brought the plagues on Egypt, when Pharaoh wouldn’t let the people go, God caused one more plague to take place. Passover.

God sent a death angel over the land, and in preparation, God instructed the people to place lamb’s blood on the door posts and mantel of their house.

That night, when the death angel moved over the land, every house that was covered with the blood of the lamb he would pass over them.
But for those who ignored God’s salvation plan, the death angel killed all the first born.

Why lamb’s blood? I’m sure there are MANY reasons, but recently I came across some fun facts I want to share with us. Gen 46:33-34

Do you remember when Joseph set his family up in Egypt? Joseph told them to tell Pharaoh their “occupation has been with livestock”, because ever shepherd is an abomination to the Egyptians.

History tells us hundreds of years before Joseph's time, there was an Arabian shepherd that ruled and abused the Egyptians for 200 years.
The Egyptians said, never again will a shepherd rule over us.

Now fast-forward to Moses’ time, God used one of the most humble and helpless animals to destroy this proud, arrogant, and powerful nation.
WITH THE BLLOD OF A LAMB!

How has God destroyed our enemy’s bondage over our lives?
With the blood of the Lamb, applied to the door of my heart.

When Jesus sat down with His 12 disciples for the Last Supper, I think He walked through all the traditional steps of in that meal that pointed to that season.

During a Passover meal, there are details that directly point to what Jesus went through.

One fascinating step was for the father of the house to place some unleavened bread in the middle pouch of a 3 partition linen pouch. At some point, He would reach in, take out that middle piece of bread and break it and place it in a linen napkin. Then as the children hid their eyes, he would hide it. Towards the end of the meal, the kids would go in search for that hidden piece to finish the meal.

Lu 22:19-20 “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.” Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.”

Jesus was acting out what God put in place a few thousand years earlier.

When they took Jesus down from the cross, they wrapped Him in linen and placed Him in the tomb. Then on resurrection morning, the women we read about went in search for His body to anoint it properly for burial, BUT…..

When Jesus took the last cup after supper, I purpose to you it wasn’t the last cup He would drink from.
John 19:25-30

I don’t think He was thirsting for a physical cup, but a spiritual cup.
In the garden praying, Jesus prayed “Father… take this cup from me” Lk.22:42

When Peter tried to defend Jesus in the garden, “Shall I not drink the cup which the Father has given me?” Jn.18:11

I think when He said I thirst, He was saying, I am ready to drink the cup – the sins of the world – I am ready to do whatever it takes to become that sin offering

I’m ready for the cup –“ I thirst.”

I chose to read this resurrection text because it shows how personal Jesus was.

While hanging on the cross, He took care of His mother.

Even thought there was a lot going on here, He took time for individual people.

God has a plan for your life that is full of complexities and potential.
What looks like chaos is nothing to Him.