Passover Preparation Essentials

Today, the title of the sermon, Passover Preparation Essentials. Passover Preparation Essentials. Why did God institute the first Passover? Well, you could say it was instituted to deliver Israel from Egypt. Egypt is symbolic of sin and death. But the greater purpose is to deliver all humans from the enslavement of sin and death. The greater purpose is to deliver all humans from the enslavement of sin and death. Some people ask, well, why did God start with Israel? Well, he had to start somewhere, and he decided to start with a people who really were no people at all. They were not the greatest, strongest, or any other qualification you want to put on it, as far as a nation is concerned. In fact, they were quite a pitiful lot of nomadic people. And in Ezekiel 16, the prophet Ezekiel describes a condition of Israel when God decided that he would look upon them with favor and he would enter into a covenant relationship with them. So he started with Israel, and so many of the things that happened to Israel are types for us because we are the Israel of God. So the greatest purpose, of course, of Passover, is to picture and honor that time in which the sacrifice of Christ made it possible for all humans to be freed from sin and death. We were all once enslaved in spiritual Egypt, and the death penalty was on our heads because the wages of sin is death. We should all be able to quote that in Romans 6, 23. The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let's note in Ephesians 2, verse 1, that at one time all of us were enslaved in Egypt, in spiritual Egypt, and all of us walked according to the prince of the power of this air, and all of us at one time had the death penalty on our heads. But because of what Jesus Christ has done and because of the love of the Father and Jesus Christ toward us and the fact that they want to share who they are and what they are with humanity, and how the family, sons and daughters in the kingdom of God, he foreordained this great plan of salvation and deliverance. Ephesians 2, 1, And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins, where in times past you walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now works in the children of disobedience, among whom also we all, that includes every person who has ever lived or ever will live, except for Jesus Christ. We all had our conduct in times past in the lust of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. So our very nature is subject to sin, and the wages of sin is death. It is the greatest enslavement that can be on a people. We'll now turn to Hebrews 2.

The first passover ordained to free Israel from Egypt, the tenth of ten plagues that had come upon the land of Egypt, but none had really affected Pharaoh in the sense that the death of the firstborn did. Of course, in every case, Pharaoh had hardened his heart. Pharaoh is symbolic of Pharaoh and his armies, symbolic of Satan and the demons, Egypt symbolic of the sin and death, and on the contrary, God and Jesus Christ, symbolic of life and light. And we are now the Israel of God, and we can be free from sin and death. In Hebrews 2, verse 12, saying, I will declare your name unto my brethren in the midst of the church while I sing praise unto you, and again I will put my trust in him, and again behold I in the children which God hath given me. For as much then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same. Jesus Christ became flesh, the word, as in John 1.1, that through death that through death he might destroy him that hath the power of death, that is the devil, and deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage or subject to being enslaved. So to me the greatest theme of Passover is, if I just had to use one word, would be freedom. Freedom. Freedom from sin and death. The only way we can be bought back from sin and death is through the sacrifice of Christ. Let's go now to Romans 3 and verse 23. Romans 3, verse 23. Remember the book of Romans chapter 1 takes the Gentiles, the nations to task. Chapter 2 takes the Jews to task. Chapter 3 is somewhat of a summary chapter in which Paul begins to summarize and he says in verse 23, all have sinned, Jew, Gentile, bond-free, male, female, rich, poor, any kind of category you want to name, all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Thus, as in Romans 6, 23, all have the death penalty on their head. All of sin comes short of the glory of God. Being justified freely by His grace. Justify means to balance the scales to equalize things, to justify. It can mean to pay the debt.

The debt in this case is a death penalty because of sin. Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption, that is the buying back power that is in Christ Jesus. What was the price? The price to be bought back was the death of the Son of God, whom God has set forth to be a perpetuation. That means a goal between one who goes in your stead. Instead of us having to die, Christ died to be a propituation through faith in His blood to declare His righteousness. And in this sense, His righteousness has to do with His faithfulness through the ages. For the remission of sins that are passed through the forbearance of God.

When the first Passover was instituted, God instructed the Israelites to kill lambs and sprinkle the blood on the doorposts of their dwellings. And God would then see the blood and would pass over that home. Let's review that in Exodus 12. Hence, the name Passover, that that household would be passed over and the firstborn would not have to die. In Exodus 12, there's a debate as to whether or not, I remember we debated this in the Doctrine, Committee, and Council back in the 90s with regard to the sacred calendar. There are a lot of calendar questions. A lot of people have formed their own, quote, different splinter groups over the calendar. And a lot of it has to do with when does the new moon, how do you really know when there's a new moon? Some say observation when you see that first little sliver. And of course, depending on the latitude that you're on, and also longitude, it's going to be different from people scattered around the world when that would appear because the Hebrew calendar is a lunar calendar. The moon revolves around the earth every 29 days, so many hours, so many minutes, and so many seconds. And there is, within a certain period of time, a 13-hour variation in this. The Hebrew calendar is a calendar by calculation, basically, the modern Hebrew calendar. Now, if you were strictly by observation, it might be cloudy, you might not see the moon when it actually should have appeared if it had been a fair evening. So there are a lot of variables and things having to do with communication, and there are some who made this very complex.

As far as what I believe in it, that God revealed this to Israel because, you notice, verses 12, I mean, verses 1 and 2 in chapter 12, the Lord spoke unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, this month, they had been in captivity now at least over 200 years, this month shall be unto you the beginning of months. It shall be the first month of the year to you. So this is God's calendar. He revealed it to them. In verse 6, talk about they would catch up this lamb. Verse 5, it would be without blemish. Verse 6, you shall keep it up until the 14th day. They would catch it up on the 10th. The whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it. That didn't mean everybody killed one lamb. Some of the wording in the Bible is a bit awkward, but each head of household. They shall take the blood and strike it on the two-side post and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it. Verse 13, and the blood shall be to you a token upon the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you. And the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you when I shall smite the land of Egypt. Verse 26, shall come to pass when your children shall say unto you what mean you this service, that you shall say it is the sacrifice of the Lord's Passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt when he smote the Egyptians. Some people talk about the death angel. You will not find the word death angel in the Bible. When I smote or he smote the Egyptians and delivered our houses, and the people bowed the head and worshipped. And of course, they went away and did as he said, and it did come to pass, that everywhere in Egypt where the blood was not sprinkled on the doorpost, the firstborn of both man and beast died. And you can imagine what kind of trauma this created. Today, the blood of Christ has to be sprinkled on, symbolically, the doorpost of our hearts. If you would now notice Hebrews chapter 10. Hebrews chapter 10 and verse 19.

Hebrews 10 verse 19. Remember what the book of Hebrews is about. We're not going to do interactive, but I'm asking you that question to see if you remember. The book of Hebrews compares and contrasts the various elements of the Old Covenant with the New Covenant. The calling, the priesthood, the temple, the sacrifices, the rewards. All of that is compared and contrasted in the book of Hebrews. In Hebrews 10 verse 19. Having therefore, brethren boldness to enter in the holiest by the blood of Jesus. And that holiest, of course, is the Holy of Holies in which only the high priest could go once a year on the Day of Atonement. But now, we can live, as I gave that sermon up the North Church on the Day of Atonement, combined services in 08, we can live in the Holy of Holies by a new and living way which he has consecrated for us through the veil, that is to say his flesh. And having in high priests over the house of God let us draw near with a true heart in the assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience. So our hearts sprinkled. Now, Jesus Christ died once and for all, and that same sacrifice that is able to cover your sins upon initial repentance and baptism, the same sacrifice that you claim on a daily basis, or however often you ask for forgiveness, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience. And that's one of the great differences between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant, is the heart part, because the heart now can have the law of God, the spiritual law, written on our inward parts. Let us draw near with a true heart, full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering, for he is faithful that promise.

Today, Christ is our Passover. We know that, and I think we know that we know that. So what are the essentials for eating and drinking the Passover? Here's how I would list the... I would highlight four essentials. Number one, reconcile to God and Christ. In other words, we judge ourselves and go before the throne of God. We judge ourselves, and you judge yourselves, through the... by the perfect law of liberty. And the Bible is your spiritual mirror, which reflects to you, reveals to you what your sins, dividing us under the thought and intent of the heart of man. Hebrews 4, 12. So, reconcile to God and Christ, discerning the physical body of Christ. That is, that through the body and blood of Christ, our sins can be forgiven.

Another aspect is discerning the spiritual body of Christ, the brothers and sisters in the church. In other words, reconcile to your brothers and sisters. But as we shall see, Paul uses this language, discerning. And then, fourth, realizing we must keep the feast with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. Let's look at those four, once again. We'll just review them once again. Reconcile to God and Christ, judging ourselves, confessing our sins, discerning the body of Christ. That is, His body that was given for our sins. Then discerning the spiritual body of Christ, that is the church. Christ is the head of the church. Christ is the head of the body. So, in short, reconcile to each other, to your brothers and sisters.

And then, fourthly, realizing we must keep the feast with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. To eat and drink of the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth, all day, every day, all year long.

For one to be reconciled to God, one must be convicted of sin. And it is the Spirit and Word of God that convicts us of sin. To repent of sin, to exercise faith in the sacrifice of Christ, be baptized, and receive the Holy Spirit. This requires giving up self and being led by the Spirit of God. Let's notice Romans 6, Romans 6, verse 6. This introduces what I call the three S's. Sometimes I talk about the three C's, conviction, commitment, and courage. But the three S's surrender, submission, and service.

In Romans chapter 6, we call the baptism chapter in the first five verses, Paul uses the analogy of baptism with that of crucifixion and resurrection. We go into the watery grave. We are crucified with Christ. We keep the old man in the watery grave. We are raised to newness of life, resurrected to a new life. So in Romans 6, Romans 6, knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin. That is the old man. That old man, buried, crucified under the water in the watery grave of baptism. Verse 12, let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in the last thereof, neither you your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin. But heal yourselves unto God as those that are alive from the dead. So here is the resurrected part, the new man that comes up out of the watery grave, those that are alive from the dead. Yield your members as instruments of unrighteousness, neither yield your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin, but yield yourselves unto God as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under the law, but under grace. What shall we say then? What then shall we sin? Because we're not under the law, but under grace, God forbid. In no way, no how. It's stronger in the Greek than it just, God forbid. Know you that, know you not, that to whom you yield yourselves servants who obey, his servants you are, to whom you obey, whether sin unto death or of obedience unto righteousness. So this requires giving up self, being led by the Spirit of God, which can once again be broadly summarized by surrender. Surrender. That apart from Christ and his sacrifice, we're going to die. The death penalty is on our head. Submit, here I am. What do you want me to do? I'm here to obey you. To serve whatever you want me to do. Hear Him, my Lord, as Isaiah said, send me. Surrender. Submission. Service. Now let's notice the specific instructions Paul gave for taking the Passover. First of all, I'm going to read 1 Corinthians 11.25, and we're going to go back into some in this chapter, in these instructions. But first of all, 1 Corinthians 11.25, this and the next verse, one of these verses we had in the bulletin, and here it shows the solemnity. It doesn't mean, of course, that on Passover you can't talk or be friendly or smile.

1 Corinthians 11.25, after the same manner also, he took the cup when he had stopped saying, This cup is the new covenant, not testament, Diathakei covenant, in my blood do this, this do you as often as you drink it in remembrance of me. Do it in remembrance of me. We must remember that Christ paid the price. Christ paid the price. You'd say that a few times. Christ paid the price for sin through his sacrifice. Then it says, verse 26, For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you do show the Lord's death till he come. The Greek word for show is katijello, means to announce, to declare, to make known the Lord's death. You announce, you declare, you make known the Lord's death. So you must recognize that Jesus Christ died for your sins. You do show the Lord's death till he comes. In other words, this is a very solemn and sober occasion. It's not a time for festive frolicking. But that's what the Corinthians, as we shall see, had turned the Passover service into, and their observance of it.

This is reinforced by verse 27. Verse 27, Wherefore, whosoever shall eat this bread and drink of the cup of the Lord unworthily. Now, I'm going to try to get this into our thinking. The Greek word for unworthily is anaxos, A-N-A-X-I-O-S, anaxos. It means irreverently. It is not the word that we think of when we think of unworthily. You know, I'm just poor, a little humble, me. I'm not worthy to do anything. I'm just dirt. You know, I've had a lot of sin and I've let it be a really bad life, and I'm not worthy. Now, to come to that understanding that none of us are worthy. All have sinned. We're all responsible for the death of Jesus Christ.

If you were the only person, if I were the only person, would Christ have died for each one of us? Yes. I would hope so. I believe He would. But what this word means is irreverently.

You can look it up. Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread and drink of the cup of the Lord irreverently shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. In other words, it's like you are killing Him by eating and drinking of it irreverently.

Now we go back to where Paul began this and bring it up. Look at verse 17. 1 Corinthians 11, 17. Now in this that I declare unto you, I praise you not that you come together not for the better, but for the worst. For first of all, when you come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions among you, and I partly believe it. So the theme throughout this has to do with how you discern the body of Christ, each member of the body of Christ, your brothers and your sisters. Is there jealousy? Is there envy? Are there factions? Are there divisions? Paul said, well, I hear there are, and I partly believe it.

Well, you can't reverently take the Passover in that situation, in that frame of mind. Verse 19, there must be also heresies among you that they which are approved may be made manifest among you, so it will be known in the course of time. When you come together, therefore, unto one place, it is not to eat the Lord's Supper.

Now, a lot of the churches say we're going to have communion. Some take it once every quarter. That's what we did in the Baptist Church. Grape juice and, I don't know, the bread wasn't unleavened. Grape juice and some kind of bread once every quarter.

But they were doing more than just taking grape juice or wine or bread or unleavened bread. They were having a festive meal. For in sitting, everyone takes before his own supper. In other words, they were having a meal in which each person would bring his own. It wasn't a potluck. They didn't all set it out together, and then everybody go through the line and share a little bit of what everybody else had brought. What they were doing was bringing their own. They were also bringing spirits, the wrong spirits, that is alcohol in excess. One is hungry and another is drunken. So you had those who were well off who would bring a sumptuous meal with, I guess, fine wine or some kind of wine. Verse 22, have you not houses to eat and to drink in or despise you the church of God? Are you talking about despising the building where we meet? Well, the church of God consists of you and I, the members, the brethren. Do you despise the church of God, your brothers and sisters, and shame them that have not? Oh, you can sit there and you can eat your fine food and drink your well-aged wine, your fine wine, and you can dine. But what about them? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you in this? I praise you not. For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, that the Lord Jesus, the same night in which he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, Take ye, this is my body, which is broken for you, this due in remembrance of me. Now, we have read verses 25, 26, and 27.

So why was Paul warning the Corinthians not to take of the Passover irreverently? Now, for years, church members labored under the assumption that they had to be worthy enough to take the Passover. No person is worthy enough, but each person can take the Passover in the manner that Paul is prescribing. And Paul warns them not to take the Passover irreverently because that's exactly what they were doing. We've seen that from the context. Seems quite clear. Now, the Lord Sephyr probably refers to, and a lot of the commentators comment on this, probably refers to love feasts, and they were having a love feast along with the Passover. And these were social meals that developed according to Greek custom. Let's notice two scriptures there. 2 Peter 2.13. We're coming back to 1 Corinthians 11, if you want to hold there. And I'm already, I cannot believe I'm already overtime. 2 Peter 2.13. When my brother was here, he said along about four o'clock that this lady got up and left. I think she took a child with her. He said, I thought she was getting up to ring the bell and say, that's all, Doc.

One of the few times that I've gone over, he had to be here. But anyhow, 2 Peter 2.13. 2 Peter 2.13. And shall receive the reward of unrighteousness as they count it pleasure to riot in the daytime, spots they are in blemishes, sporting themselves with their own deceivings while they feast with you. Now, quickly to Jude. 2 Peter 2 and Jude seem to go hand in glove. They're very much the same, some of the almost identical language. In Jude, verse 12, these are spots in your feast of charity, or feast of love or love feast. When they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear, clouds they are without water, carried about with winds, trees whose fruit withers without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots. And he goes on describing their ungodly behavior. So, in view of these divisive practices that had developed in Corinth, Paul said, when you eat and drink to pass over, do it in remembrance of the death of our Savior. To eat and drink without showing regard and understanding of the solemn significance of this event is to be guilty of the body and blood of Christ. Now, back to 1 Corinthians 11, verse 28.

We see in verse 28, let a man examine himself. The word examine in Greek is dakimazo. It means to test, to prove, to scrutinize, to see whether or not a thing is genuine or not. Whether it is a genuine diamond or whether it's a fake. To see if it's genuine. Let a man examine himself. And then, after that, let him eat and drink of that cup. Now, let's notice verse 29. The text, that is the Greek text from which the translation is made, omit, unworthily, in verse 29. The Greek text also admit lords. So, in that case, the verse would read, where he that eats and drinks, eats and drinks damnation. That Greek word is crema, judgment. Whose judgment? The judgment of God. If you eat and drink irreverently, not discerning the Lord's body. And the Lord's body has the aspect of Christ himself and each member of the body of Christ, because the church is the body of Christ. For he that eats and drinks damnation or crema or judgment to himself, since he does not diacrino, thoroughly judge the body. So, in examining yourselves, you thoroughly judge the body of Christ. You've had a sermon on the sacrifice of Christ last week, a study on the sacrifice of Christ today, and so we should have thoroughly discerned the body of Christ. Then the body, the church, the individual members in the church, how we discerned that body of the Lord. Having the same love, care, and concern for one another.

Now, in verses 30 through to the end of the chapter, For this cause, what cause? Not thoroughly discerning the Lord's body and examining oneself. For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many are dead. For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. So, reconcile to God and Christ, reconcile to each member of the body of Christ. Christ is our Passover, and we are to keep the feast with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. 1 Corinthians 5, 8 But when we are judged, verse 32, when we are judged, now who does this judging? If we refuse to judge ourselves, God would rather see us suffer, or he would punish us, and he would rather see us dead than to miss out on his kingdom. In other words, when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be judged with the world. So God is going to bring us into judgment. Once we enter into the covenant of sacrifice with him, he is our Father. And just as our human Father chastises us and brings us to judgment, as it talks about in Hebrews 12, verses 6 through 12, he that is without chastisement is not really a legitimate son.

So if we don't judge ourselves, God will step in and judge us, and for this cause, many are sick and some are dead. So is it a solemn, serious occasion? Yes. Wherefore, my brethren, in view of all of this, when you come together to eat, wait one for another. And if any man is hungry, let him eat at home, that you come together not unto judgment, and the rest will I set in order when I come. Now to 1 Corinthians 5 and verse 8. You can tie in here John chapter 6, the bread of life scriptures that we have to eat and drink of his body and blood. It talks about in John 6 verses 50 through 58. 1 Corinthians 5 and 7, purge out therefore the old leaven, that you may be a new lump as you are unleavened. Now that seems to be a contradiction, doesn't it? Purge out the old leaven that you may be a new lump as you are unleavened. I guess there are two ways to look at that. The old leaven they had with them, they had an incestuous fornicator among them and they were doing nothing. They were not bringing it to his attention. They were not being their brother's keeper. Paul told them to turn him over to the world or the devil so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord. So purge out therefore the old leaven, that spiritual leaven, that you may be a new lump as you are unleavened. If you take it in the literal unleavened sense, the only way they could have been unleavened at that time was they put the physical leavening out of their homes. And, brother, we know we're supposed to put out the physical leavening because as we put out that physical leavening, we're reminded of sin and that we are to overcome it, to get rid of it. For even Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us. Therefore, let us keep the feast, not with the old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. So, brother, I hope we will focus on these essentials for keeping the Passover. Next week, our Bible study, as you'll see in the bulletin, is on the Passover, or interactive Bible study, once again. And then I will be speaking on the title of the sermon will be Palm Sabbath. You've heard of Palm Sunday. Well, what about Palm Sabbath? Is this week, or this year, I should say, the days fall on the same day of the week? That is, keeping the Passover on Tuesday night, on that day of the week, when Christ instituted it, and then crucified on Wednesday afternoon.