Preparing for Passover

Well, brethren, we are now just a tiny bit more than one week from Passover. Soon the Passover 2014 will be history. Here in Tulsa, we've talked a lot about becoming a big loser, what that means about the importance of losing the sin that so easily besets us and ensnares us, losing that weight that pulls us down. We covered seven important principles that should help us examine ourselves before the Passover. Do you remember those principles? I'll just go through them very quickly to refresh your memory. First of all, what is your relationship like with God the Father and Jesus Christ? As you examine yourself, you should ask yourself, how close is your personal relationship with God and Jesus Christ? And do you have a close, again, a very close personal relationship with both of them? Are you following your coach's instructions? Are you obeying them? Are you keeping their commandments carefully? Have you fully accepted Christ as your Savior, your Lord and Master, your high priest, your soon-coming King? Are you awaiting His return? Number two, do you see yourself as a sinner? Have you admitted that you are a sinner and that you and have you confess your sins before God and repented of them? Of course, this should be something that we do as we need to, which may be quite regularly, perhaps on a daily basis, that we ask God to forgive our sins and help us to walk more faithfully with Him. Principle number three, are you fully committed? Are you surrendered to God? Are you seeking first His Kingdom? Are you fully committed? Number four, are you now on a good program of spiritual exercise that is daily prayer, daily Bible study, daily meditation, and regular fasting? Is this a program that you're on? I mentioned a spiritual quadrathalon. That's what we all need to be on, a spiritual quadrathalon. This actually is a real name. I did look that up. I've never heard it before, but that means four events, and those are the four that we shared in the sermon. Number five, are you determined to be very careful to guard your mind and dwell only on those things that are good and virtuous, to make choices, to put the good into your heart and mind? And number six, are you determined to reject all that is evil and to resist Satan the devil? With God's help, are you shattering all the strongholds, the addictions, the persistent habitual problems that you have? With God's help, are you shattering all these strongholds that Satan has set up in your life? Or is there still something that's still there that you really need to concentrate on more fully? And remember, some things don't happen except through greater prayer and fasting. And number seven, are you loyal to your church family?

And are you fully engaged in helping God's church to become without spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing? Are you doing your part? And are you drawing close to one another? Because God does want us to learn to love each other and to truly be brothers and sisters in Christ, who are truly faithful and loyal to one another. So those are the seven principles that I've been talking about for about four different Sabbaths as we prepare for the Passover. Mr. Hopper covered the vital importance of forgiveness. Being forgiven and forgiving others is very important for all of us. I think that was the sermon that he gave last week or very recently. In an earlier sermon, he spoke of Moses' special relationship with God and the Exodus experience. Are you developing that kind of personal relationship with God that Moses had? Moses was able to talk to God, and he spoke up and told God what he thought very respectfully, but also in a way that God took notice of. Is that the kind of relationship that you have with God? Mr. Cagle recently spoke about Paul's first letter to the Corinthians and how that relates to observing Passover. In an earlier sermon, he spoke of the necessity of having deep gratitude for God's calling in our lives as we approach Passover. We have to be grateful, obviously, for Christ's sacrifice and for our calling. Many sermonettes, like the one today, have also helped us focus in on preparing for the Passover. Perhaps you're also listening to or watching the excellent series of Bible studies entitled, 6 Steps to Passover. These Bible studies have been given at the home office by three of our Beyond Today presenters. I think the sixth one may be coming up this week. I'm not sure if they've done the sixth one yet. I think it's coming up. There are many ways to prepare for Passover. Sometimes people say, I'm not being spiritually fed.

They're talking about coming to church. They're not being spiritually fed. My thought is, well, why aren't you? You have a personal responsibility. If you're not getting enough at church services and through your own personal Bible study and through the things that you're doing, we've got a thousand sermons that you can go listen to. If you want to be spiritually fed, don't come and tell me you're not being spiritually fed. That's your responsibility to be spiritually fed. A lot of it has to do with your attitude toward God and your approach toward Him.

Brother, being properly prepared to observe the Passover is certainly vitally important. We must not take lightly the renewal of this most important covenant with God the Father and with Jesus Christ. It's a yearly covenant that we renew. We renew it every year, is what I mean to say. Are you prepared to participate in the Passover symbols of unleavened bread and wine?

Are you properly prepared to wash one another's feet? Will you be worthy to take the Passover?

Brother, our minds should be focused on the tremendous meaning behind these holy days that we're about to observe. They picture something very real that points back to our history, back to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, back to the children of Israel.

But these days, these observances also point forward to the fulfillment of God's great plan for all of mankind. Let's go to Leviticus 23 and review a few of the scriptures in regard to these holy days. Leviticus 23, and we know this is the holy day chapter. Leviticus 23, verse 4, These are the feasts of the Lord, the Eternal. They're holy convocations, which means they're commanded assemblies, just as the Sabbath is. You know, it amazes me how some people think the annual holy days are more important than the Sabbath. Now, they think they can skip Sabbath services much more easily than they would these annual holy days, but they're all holy convocations. They're all commanded assemblies, so I think we need to perhaps adjust our thinking and realize the weekly Sabbath is every bit as important as these annual holy days. They're all extremely important in God's sight. So these are the feasts of the Eternal. They're not the feasts of the Jews. They are the feasts of the Eternal. They're for God's people. And we shall proclaim them at their appointed times. On the 14th day of the first month at twilight is the Lord's Passover. On the 14th day. And then the next day, on the 15th day of the same month, is the feasts of Unleavened Bread. So, they're separate. The Passover is on the 14th. We observe it at the beginning of the 14th. And then on the 15th is the feasts of Unleavened Bread. So at the very beginning of the 15th, we have the night to be much observed. And then that day, the next day, that first day, is the first day of the feasts of Unleavened Bread. So on the 15th day of the same month is the feasts of Unleavened Bread to the Lord. Seven days you must eat unleavened bread. And on the first day, that first Holy Day, you shall have a Holy Convocation. Now, that's why we go to church on the high days. We have services on these high days. You shall do no customary work on it. But you shall offer an offering made by fire to the Lord for seven days. The seventh day shall be a Holy Convocation. You shall do no customary work on it. That seems pretty clear to me. I know there are some other scriptures that people use to think otherwise. But these are choices that you have to make as you study God's Word.

You do need to be faithful to your convictions. Of course, if your convictions are not correct, and in time you should learn to change them and submit to what is true, but that's something that you have to answer between you and God.

Now, right now we're in what I would call the putting the leaven out phase. We are in the process of putting the leaven out. If we go to Exodus 12, verse 15, Exodus 12, verse 15, verse 17, seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall remove leaven from your houses. Now, we believe that primarily means that by the beginning of that first day, the leaven is to be out of your homes. Now, it's much more complicated today in one sense than it was in the old days because we have bigger homes. We don't have tents that we just sweep out. You know, they're larger. We might have kids that take toast throughout the house and leave pretzels laying around in various rooms in the home. So, it takes a little more cleaning out, perhaps, than it did in those days. So, I know that we do start a bit earlier than perhaps they did back in those days, putting the leaven out of our homes. It says, "...for whoever eats leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel." So, this is very important to God. It's symbolic of our relationship with God and our faithfulness and obedience to God. On the first day there shall be a holy convocation, and on the seventh day there shall be a holy convocation for you. No matter of work shall be done on them, but that which everyone must eat, that only must be prepared by you. So, you shall observe the feast of unleavened bread, for on this same day I would have brought your armies out of the land of Egypt." So, on the very first evening, the night to be much remembered is observed as they were coming out of Egypt. Therefore, you shall observe this day throughout your generations as an everlasting ordinance. Verse 18, "...on the fourteenth day of the first month at evening, you shall eat unleavened bread until the twenty-first day of the month at evening. For seven days no leaven shall be found in your houses. Since whoever eats what is leavened, that same person shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he is a stranger or a native of the land. You shall eat nothing leavened, and in all your dwellings you shall eat unleavened bread." So, seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day, you shall have all the leaven removed from your homes. Whoever eats leavened bread from the first until the seventh day, that person is to be cut off. Again, we have cars to clean out. They didn't have vehicles back in those days. And we have to clean cars, mobile homes, other various things, possessions that we have. We know that Egypt is symbolic of sin. We know that leaven is also symbolic of sin.

The Israelites were leaving the Egyptians behind. We are to leave our sins behind. We are to put the leaven out of our homes. We are to put the sin out of our lives. Now, the Passover service itself. Okay, we're in the process of putting the leaven out of our homes. We need to continue to do that, get the leaven out. The Passover service. Let's go to 1 Corinthians 11, and let's consider what Paul says about the Passover service here. 1 Corinthians 11.

1 Corinthians 11, verse 23. 1 Corinthians 11, verse 23, For I received from the Lord, that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus, on the same night in which he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, Take, eat, this is my body which is broken for you, do this in remembrance of me. And in the same manner, he also took the cup after supper, or during supper, saying, This cup is the new covenant in my blood. This do as often as you drink, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death till he comes. So we do it as a memorial on the evening, once a year.

It has deeper meaning, I believe, when we do it the way we're supposed to. Once a year on the actual day, the time when this took place. So we commemorate the death of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Verse 27, Therefore, whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord, in an unworthy manner, will be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord.

But let a man examine himself. It doesn't say that if you think you're unworthy, you shouldn't come and keep the Passover. Now that isn't what it says, but some people do that. They feel unworthy so they don't come to Passover. But what does it actually say here? It says, But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup.

So if you've made that covenant with God, if you've been baptized, if you've received God's Holy Spirit, then you need to be at Passover service. But you do need to examine yourself, and you need to repent of any sins that you haven't yet repented of.

And you need to recommit yourself more fully to faithfulness and obedience to God. But God wants you to be here. He wants you to keep the Passover. There's not a single person in here that's perfect. In one sense, we're all unworthy, but we'll talk about that more in a few minutes.

We're to keep it in a worthy manner. That means we're to examine ourselves. We're to see that we are in desperate need of the sacrifice of our Savior, Jesus Christ. That's why we all need to be here, because we're all in desperate need of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for each and every one of us. So please, if you have any questions about that, give me a call before the Passover, but don't not come to Passover. It says, verse 29, For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord's body, not discerning the importance of that sacrifice and what Christ did for you. So it is essential that you do take to heart these days, and that you are examining yourself and that you are spending time with God on your knees, confessing your sins and praying for God's forgiveness in His direction and His guidance in your life. Now, this word, worthy, we might ask ourselves, how is it used in the Bible? I'm not going to take a long time on this because a couple of years ago I gave a whole sermon on taking the Passover in a worthy manner and what it meant to do this. So if you have more questions, you can go back on the internet. I think that sermon is probably still there on our website. It's about, are you worthy to take the Passover? The word, unworthily, in verse 27, in an unworthy manner, that word is the Strong's word. It's G371, which is anaxios. It means to take it irreverently, indicating that a person may take the Passover without the proper attitude of humility and reverence for what these symbols picture spiritually. So it's talking about taking the Passover irreverently. If you come here Passover and you're full of pride and you're haughty and you think you're perfect, then you're in real trouble. So you need to have a different approach when you come to Passover. It needs to be a humble approach, a reverent approach. Now, the word, worthy, is used in a number of different ways. There's many scriptures that use this word. In the sermon a few years ago, I went through a lot of them. I just want to go through a couple today. One is in Matthew 3, verse 8, where Christ says we are to bear fruit worthy of repentance. Matthew 3, verse 8, we are to bear fruit worthy of repentance.

Actually, this was John the Baptist I misspoke there. John was speaking here. He says, therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance. And what is he talking about here? The word, worthy, in this case is Strong's 514 in the Greek. It's axios, so it's closely related to the other word. An axios was just the opposite. Unworthy. This is worthy. So it's essentially the same word in that sense. I mean, it's the opposite word, but it's saying the same thing.

My wife has a hard time interpreting that kind of stuff. Anyway, we are to bear fruit worthy of repentance. Worthy. This word, axios, means deserving, comparable or suitable. So when we come here on the Passover, we need to be deserving in that sense because we've examined ourselves and we understand that we need the sacrifice of Christ. We're humbled by that. We come here solemnly, also very joyfully, realizing that we need a Savior and that Christ is our Savior.

And it's something that is suitable. We've done our homework. We've examined ourselves and we can take it in a suitable, a worthy manner. Now, in 2 Thessalonians, let's go there for a moment. This is a different word that's translated worthy. It's the word cataxio. It's k-a-t-a-x-i-o-o.

And it's related to the word that we already talked about. They both have X's in them. They're related. They're similar. They're very close. 2 Thessalonians chapter 1. 2 Thessalonians 1. Let's read verses 3 through 8 here. 2 Thessalonians chapter 1, beginning in verse 3.

We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is fitting because your faith grows exceedingly and the love of every one of you all abounds it abounds toward each other. So that's the way we're supposed to be here. The church at Thessalonica, they were a close church. And we are to love each other so that we ourselves, most of you, among the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that you endure, which is manifest evidence of the righteous judgment of God that you may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God. So the children of God in Thessalonica, basically he's saying that they are counted worthy of the kingdom of God for which you also suffer, since it is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you and to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, inflaming fire, taking vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. So here he's talking about being counted worthy of the kingdom of God. Are you also counted worthy of God's kingdom?

Now, basically what God is saying is that we need to be counted worthy or we need to be deemed worthy. This word kataaxiu means to deem entirely deserving. And there's an element here actually where God is the one who does the deeming. I mean, he's the one that decides whether or not we're worthy. And it's actually of his doing. God is the one who deems us worthy. It isn't that we're worthy. I mean, in many ways we're unworthy because we're all sinners and Christ was perfect and Christ died for us. He's the perfect sacrifice for us. So in one sense, we're not worthy, but we are counted worthy. We are deemed worthy because God looks on our heart. He looks at the attitude that a person has and he looks at the heart. In 2 Thessalonians 1 verse 11, we'll just skip a few verses, therefore we also pray always for you that our God would count you worthy. So God is the one that has to count you worthy. You don't make yourself worthy.

God deems you worthy. It's because you've examined yourself, you've repented of your sins, you've taken this seriously, you've gone before Him, and you come here in a humble way, in a humble attitude, wanting to learn to be taught and to renew that covenant with God.

That God would count you worthy of this calling and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power, that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you and you in Him according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. So, brethren, we need to be counted worthy. We need to be deemed worthy, and God is the one that has to do that. It's His call, so to speak.

Our part is to seek Him with all of our heart, with all of our soul, with all of our might, to love Him, and to, again, spend this week getting close to God and showing Him your heart, showing Him that you really are so grateful for His calling and that you are humbled by this wonderful calling. We are among the first fruits, and frankly, that is a small number on an earth of six billion people. There aren't many that are being called, so we should certainly be humbled and so very grateful for our calling.

So, pray that you will be counted worthy. That's something that you need to pray about this week.

Pray that you will be counted worthy if you don't pray anything else.

However, you might be in trouble if you don't pray anything else.

But you do need to certainly pray, along with everything else, that God will count you worthy of His calling. And then we're familiar with Luke 21, verses 34 through 26, where Christ tells us to watch, therefore, and pray always. Let's go to Matthew 21. I'm sorry, Luke 21. Luke 21, verse 34. This is a parallel chapter with Matthew 24. Luke 21, verse 34. Here Christ says, Take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, with drunkenness, and cares of this life. And that day, speaking about the return of Christ, that day of judgment for us, because judgment has begun at the house of God, we are being judged at this time. Those of us who have taken the step of being baptized and we have received God's Spirit, this is our day of salvation. And again, just because you're not baptized doesn't mean you won't also be held accountable to a degree. There are great blessings in taking that step of faith and being baptized. But it is a very important decision, and one that should not be taken lightly, but it is one that should be taken in this life. And should not be put off, and put off, and put off.

So be ready for that day comes upon you unexpectedly, it says in verse 34, for it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. Now we as God's people will certainly be more prepared for this day, and hopefully will be very prepared. And Christ says in verse 36, watch therefore and pray always that you may be counted worthy, that you may be deemed worthy. This is again that same word, cata exeiu.

I know I'm butchering that one. To escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man, to stand before Christ at His return.

There's also another verse that uses the word worthy. It's Hebrews chapter 10. Now you know that Hebrews 10 is where it talks about the unpardonable sin, where basically a person is enlightened by the Holy Spirit, and then turns from that Spirit, and God takes the Spirit away. Because the person rebels against God, that person is no longer found worthy. He is no longer deemed worthy.

God has rejected Him because He has rejected God.

Now let's look at that in Hebrews chapter 10, verse 29.

Hebrews 10 verse 29. Of how much worse punishment do you suppose will He be thought worthy, who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which He was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace?

Okay, this is a word very similar. It's a little different word, but it's very similar and very closely related to 514, which was Axios. This is 515. I guess I didn't write the actual word down here, but it's very closely related. It says a person could be worthy of punishment, who trampled the Son of God underfoot, and took this sacrifice lightly. So, brethren, we do need to be counted worthy, and we have a week to prepare, no matter what you've done. Hopefully you've been preparing. I'm sure you have, but we certainly have another week to draw closer to God. Okay, Luke 22. Let's go there. Luke 22.

Luke 22. Jesus is preparing now for the Passover. Then came the day of Unleavened Bread when the Passover must be killed. Okay, and they talk about the Passover, the days of Unleavened Bread, somewhat interchangeably. Sometimes when they say Passover, it's talking about just the Passover. Oftentimes, it's talking about the entire days, the Passover, the days of Unleavened Bread, all of it together.

So then came the day of Unleavened Bread when the Passover must be killed, and he sent Peter and John saying, Go and prepare the Passover for us that we may eat. So they said to him, Where do you want us to prepare? And he said to them, Behold, when you have entered the city, a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water. Follow him into the house which he enters. Then you shall say to the master of the house, The teacher says to you, Where is the guest room where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?

Then he will show you a large furnished upper room, their make ready. So they went and found it just as he had said to them, and they prepared the Passover. Verse 14, When the hour had come, he sat down in the twelve apostles with him, and he said to them, With fervent desire, I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. So Christ is anticipating this Passover. Christ will be here in spirit. Christ wants to keep this Passover with you. You are his children. You are his disciples now today.

So we need to be again preparing ourselves to take the symbols of the wine and of the bread. And again, we'll talk more about that. But the Passover service is a very meaningful one. Now we start the Passover service that evening with the foot washing. So let's go to John chapter 13. And I know we'll go through these scriptures again on Passover, but I think it's important in preparation that we also cover them. John chapter 13 verse 1. Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come, that he should depart from the world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.

And a better translation would be, and during supper, the devil, having already put it into the heart of Judas the Scary at Simon's son to betray him, Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands and that he had come from God and was going to God, he rose from supper and laid aside his garments. He took a towel and he girded himself. After that, he poured water into a basin and he began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with a towel with which he was girded.

So he had a towel around his waist and he was going, he was beginning to wash the disciples' feet. Now, true service is impossible without humility, and Christ is the greatest of servants. He is referred to as the suffering servant in that he was the perfect servant and that he suffered and died for all of us. If we drop down to verse 12, so when he had washed their feet, taking his garments and sat down again, he said to them, Do you know what I have done to you? You call me teacher and Lord, and you say, Well, for so I am.

If I then your Lord and teacher have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example that you should do as I have done to you. So we follow Christ's example. We get together, we wash one another's feet. Verse 16, he said, Most assuredly I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master. Jesus Christ was clearly their master. A servant is not greater than his master, nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him. So he's saying that if I will wash your feet, you certainly ought to wash one another's feet.

You should serve one another. You should lay your lives down for each other. Now, that's what God is telling us. That's the message that he wants us to get, that we should lay our lives down for each other, that we should sacrifice for each other. And we should be drawing closer together and not splitting and pulling further apart. Now, God wants us to learn the lesson of unity during these days of Unleavened Bread. It's a very, very important lesson during these days.

So Christ washed his disciples' feet and he set an example for us to follow. True service is impossible without humility. True humility and true greatness is impossible without humility. Now, it's likely that the disciples had been arguing earlier that evening, on the before the Passover began, it's very likely that they had been arguing on that very night about whom among them was the greatest. Now, you're familiar with that account.

Perhaps their attitudes directly triggered Christ's decision to wash their feet. Now, we don't know that, but it could be that Christ saw their attitude. He saw that they were fighting among themselves as to who would be the greatest. They were offending one another.

So that's speculation. It's not proven in the Scripture. Certainly, Christ was clearly looked upon as the greatest by his disciples, and now he was washing their feet. What a lesson in service! In fact, Peter said, you won't wash my feet. Of course, Christ said, yes, I will wash your feet, or you'll have no part with me.

So, sometimes we think we know better than God, but God knows a whole lot more about what we need than we know ourselves. So, this is a real lesson in service and in humility. We should all strive to have this humble attitude of service. How willing are we to sacrifice our personal time, our resources to serve others? God wants us to take care of each other, to love each other, and to be there for each other. He also wants us to be responsible, obviously, and do our part. How willing are we to esteem others better than ourselves?

Christ cleaned up His disciples. Their feet were dirty. They went through the dusty streets to get there. Their feet were dirty, not their whole bodies at that time, but their feet were dirty. So, He washed their feet. He cleaned them up. He will also clean us up, and we should have a sincere desire to help others cleanse themselves as well. And that is also based on humility. First, we have to get the plank out of our own eyes, right? That's what the Scripture says. Before we try to help someone else, let's make sure that we're getting the planks out of our own eyes. So, we can humbly help someone get the speck out of their eyes. So, it is obviously essential that we are able to see ourselves, to see our sins, and to repent of those sins, and then humbly serve one another. So, if you have a sincere desire to be clean, you will humble yourself and accept the help of others. Again, Christ will clean us up, and we need to strive to help each other. Now, some hate having their feet washed. I mean, I'm not real crazy about it either, to tell you the truth. It's kind of awkward. We probably all feel a little awkward about that, having our feet washed. In some ways, even more than washing another person's feet, it seems, you know, it just seems more humble, I guess, to wash someone else's feet than to allow someone to wash your feet. But actually, it probably takes more humility to let somebody wash your own feet, wash your feet. It takes humility to accept help from others. From a spiritual perspective, it is extremely damaging to refuse help that we need. You know, if you need help, by all means, accept it. Listen, take correction, get the spiritual help that you need.

When we allow others to wash our feet on Passover night, we are expressing our willingness to be cleansed and to receive help in being cleansed. You might ask yourself, do you have a friend here at church that's able to correct you without you bristling too much and taking offense? Do you have some close friends? Is iron sharpening iron here? We all need some friends that should be able to help correct us. And we would not take offense, but we would realize that the person loves us and is doing it for our own good. Also, ask yourself, are you a friend who is able to correct another friend in humility? Are you that kind of friend to others? After getting the plank out of your own eye, are you able to help someone else? If a person knows that you love and respect them, it's much easier for them to receive correction.

If we love and respect someone, we can also be more effective in helping him.

So, this love relationship is very, very important. Friendships are important in God's church. My wife and I have developed many friendships over the years here. We really do love all of you. Some of you we don't know as well as others, but we have that same kinship. We have the Spirit of God that bonds us together. We have the love of Christ in our hearts and in our minds, and that bonds us together.

So, that's a good thing. We should really be close to each other. We should have these kinds of friendships in God's church, and we should do what we can do to develop those friendships and be outgoing and express our love for each other.

Now, let's talk about lessons from the bread and the wine.

On Passover evening, we'll eat a little bit of unleavened bread, and we'll drink a tiny bit of wine. In Isaiah 53, there's a prophecy regarding our Savior who laid his life down for us. Let's go to Isaiah 53. Isaiah 53, Isaiah 53, this is a prophecy of Christ. He is despised and rejected by men. Well, that's certainly true of Christ, isn't it? A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from him. We've always been the ones hiding from God, not the other way around. God isn't hiding from you. We tend to hide from God.

He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely He has borne our griefs, He has carried our sorrows, yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God and afflicted. Now, Christ bore the pain and the agony for you and me. It wasn't because He did anything wrong, it was because we did everything wrong, in a sense, because we're all responsible for having killed Jesus Christ. It's your sins and my sins and everyone else's sins that made it imperative for Christ to lay His life down for us. And that was a part of the plan from the very foundations of the world. Christ was slain from the very foundations of when Christ created the world.

He knew what was coming. He knew what needed to be done. And the Father knew what needed to be done. And the Father loved all of us so much that He was willing to give His eternal friend up for us, the one that was there in the beginning with Him. That was God also. He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but should have everlasting life.

Verse 5, but He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities, and the chastisement for our peace was upon Him. And by His stripes, by what He suffered, we are healed. Christ paid the penalty for us. He was beaten and He was crucified for us. And we are healed because of that. We're certainly healed spiritually. And even our physical maladies at times are healed because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and the beating that He went through. All we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned everyone to His own way. Remember, there's a way that seems right to a man, but the end thereof is the ways of death. And the Lord has laid on Him, on Christ, the iniquity, the sin of all of us.

This is a prophecy that has been fulfilled. Christ has died for us. This was written long before Christ died. It was a prophecy of His death. In 1 Peter 2, it clearly shows that Christ suffered for us, that He bore our sins. 1 Peter 2. Christ was willing to do what needed to be done for us. 1 Peter 2.

1 Peter 2.

For what credit is it if when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently?

You see, that's what you deserve. You reap what you sow. So if you're beaten because of your faults and you take it patiently, where's the credit and all that? You deserved it. But when you do good and you suffer, you don't deserve it. You've done good and you suffer. If you take it patiently, then it is commendable before God.

For to this you were called because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example that you should follow His steps.

Who committed no sin, nor was deceit found in His mouth, who when He was reviled did not revile in return. When He suffered, He did not threaten, but He committed Himself to Him who judges righteously, who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died descends, might live for righteousness by whose stripes you were healed. You were like sheep going astray, but you've now returned to the shepherd and the overseer of your souls. Jesus Christ is our shepherd. He loves the sheep. He is our great high priest. Hebrews chapter 4 shows that He is indeed our great high priest who sits at the very right hand of God the Father. Christ makes intercession for us. Hebrews chapter 4 verse 14. Seeing then that we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens. Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. Christ lived a perfect life and died for us, was resurrected, has passed through the heavens. He's now at the right hand of God. For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. You know, when you sin, Christ understands that because He was tempted as you are. He is the Son of God. He had the Spirit from the very beginning. He was conceived of the Holy Spirit. So He knows that it's more difficult for human beings to overcome, to do what needs to be done. He understands what you're going through, so you needn't be so ashamed that you don't go to Him. Now, when we sin, we feel guilt, but don't feel so ashamed that you don't go to Him. In fact, we're told to go boldly before the throne of grace. It is a throne of grace, and Christ will forgive you when you go boldly before His throne. So, brethren, do that this week. Go boldly and ask Christ to forgive all of your sins, to show you where you are lacking, to show you things that you haven't yet seen, that you need to repent of, but you haven't yet faced. Verse 16, let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Okay, we are in time of need right now.

We are examining ourselves before we take the Passover. Let us go boldly before God's throne this week. Let's repent of our sins. Let's open our hearts to God. Let's draw closer to Him. Let's have a closer walk with Him. Let's do those things that are pleasing in His sight.

In Luke 22, Christ took bread. Let's see that. In Luke 22, on this Passover evening, this final Passover that He kept with His disciples as He was in the flesh, now He still does it today in spirit. He'll be here in spirit, keeping it with us and everyone else around the world only He and the Father can do. Luke 22, verse 14, When the hour had come, He sat down, the twelve apostles with Him, He said, With fervent desire I have a desire to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. Now, verse 19, 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.

So He took the bread, He took the wine.

He established new symbols for this Passover. Not something that they had done back in Old Testament time, but this was to be the New Testament Passover. And in Matthew 26, well, we'll go there in a minute. Let's go first to 1 Corinthians chapter 10. 1 Corinthians chapter 10, verses 16 and 17, where Paul talks about communing with Christ on the Passover. 1 Corinthians chapter 10, verse 16, The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion, is it not the fellowship or the sharing of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? We commune with God. It's a very special evening. We eat His bread, or we eat His, what is it, we eat His body, we drink His blood. There were disciples who laughed when He was here on the earth because they didn't understand what He meant. This is what He was talking about.

We do it when we come here. We drink His blood. We accept Him fully as our Savior. We commune with Him. We share with Him. We have fellowship with Him. For we, though many, are one bread and one body. For we are all partakers of that one bread, the unleavened bread that comes down from heaven, Jesus the Christ. We all take of Him on this Passover evening.

So let's talk about some lessons from the unleavened bread, the bread that we eat. The life and body of Jesus Christ is what made the blood so precious. Christ lived a perfect sinless life, and He did it in the flesh. He was a human being. He did have the same temptations. He had the same poles that we have. Yet He was without sin.

So it is the life and the body of Christ that made the blood so precious. Living a perfect sinless life. Eating the bread on Passover evening symbolizes us allowing Christ to live in us, to invite Him in, to live in us. We are to live the same life that Christ lived, one of humility, one of service, one of faithfulness, one of obedience. When we all eat a piece of unleavened bread, we collectively show that we're all members of the body of Christ. We are a part of the very Church of God. Individually, we are each one small piece of the body of Christ. Think about that. When you eat that little piece of bread, we're all eating of Christ. Every one of us is eating of Christ.

Collectively, we are God's elect. All of us are called out now to be God's elect. Those who have the Spirit of God dwelling in them are God's elect. They will be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye at the last trumpet if they happen to be alive when Christ returns, or they will come out of the graves instantaneously right before those who are alive and are changed. They will be resurrected to eternal life. They will enter God's kingdom. They will be in the God family forever and ever.

So, it's important that we consider that when we take that bread on Passover evening, that we are the elect of God, called and chosen by Him, remaining faithful to this day. And that's why we're there on Passover, because we're faithful. We realize we need to be there. We need to take the Passover. Remember, we are collectively very important as God's elect, because what does it say in Matthew? If not for the elect's sake, no flesh would be saved alive. All flesh would be completely decimated, destroyed, annihilated. They would be gone. But it is for the elect's sake that no flesh is for the elect's sake that some would be saved. A remnant would be saved.

We are each a part of something much bigger than ourselves.

Individually, we're each one small piece of the body of Christ, but collectively, we are God's elect.

In Matthew 26, Jesus institutes these symbols of the bread and wine. Matthew chapter 26.

Matthew 26, verses 27 and 28.

Then He took the cup and gave thanks, and He gave it to them, saying, Drink from it, all of you. For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. Before that, He had taken the bread. Now He was to take the wine. Let's talk about lessons from the wine.

The wine clearly represents the shed blood of Jesus Christ. We are cleansed and forgiven by the shed blood of Jesus Christ. Humility is also needed to realize that we cannot gain salvation on our own. There's nothing that we can do on our own. Some people think that it's just me and God. I can stay home. I don't have to go to church. I don't have to listen to God. I don't have to obey Him. I don't have to do what He says. It's not really a commanded assembly, is it?

I don't have to change myself. I can continue as I am, just me and God.

Well, that's clearly not what the Scriptures say.

These are commanded assemblies. We are to assemble together. So the wine clearly represents the shed blood of Christ. We are cleansed and forgiven by the shed blood of Jesus Christ. Now, humility is needed to realize, again, we need Christ. It's natural to pride ourselves in being self-sufficient. That's human. I'm self-sufficient. I don't need anyone's help, including Christ. I don't have to humble myself and do what He says.

Rather, we need the sacrifice of Christ. We absolutely need to accept Christ as our personal Savior. We must be cleansed spiritually by first having our sins forgiven. It says, if you don't have the Spirit of God dwelling in you, you are none of His. You're not yet there. If you haven't been baptized, if you haven't had the laying on of hands by an ordained minister of God, have you received the Holy Spirit?

The biblical formula is to repent and be baptized, to have the laying on of hands by somebody who knows the truth of God and is obeying it. Not perfect, but nevertheless, ministers of Jesus Christ. And when the laying on of hands takes place and the minister prays, the Holy Spirit is given. So, we absolutely need Christ as our personal Savior.

We must be cleansed spiritually by first having our sins forgiven.

Then we must be cleansed spiritually by an ongoing relationship with our High Priest, who makes intercession for us when we sin after initially being forgiven of our sins at baptism. Okay, that's the beginning. Our sins are forgiven at baptism. Our sins are forgiven. They're gone. They're washed away. We're cleansed. But then we find out just how human we are, because even with God's Spirit, even with the down payment and earnest of God's Spirit, we still find that we're still flesh, and that at times we still walk in the flesh. Even though we want to walk in the Spirit, as Paul so aptly described in Romans chapter 7, O wretched man that I am, who's going to deliver me from this body of death?

I thank God through Jesus Christ. My Lord, that's who's going to deliver us, is through Christ. And He is our High Priest who makes intercession when we sin. He goes to the Father. He pleads our case, and we are forgiven. Christ is our Advocate. Satan is our enemy. He is our adversary. He is the accuser of the brethren, but Christ is there for us. Humility is a thread throughout the whole Passover service and Holy Day season. It is not just a lesson to be learned from foot washing. To become unleavened is to be cleansed spiritually. To be unleavened is to be flattened. It's to be humbled from a spiritual perspective. Now, wine is known as a blood purifier. It has certain properties. That's why Christ says, or it wasn't Christ, it was Paul who said, drink a little wine for your stomach's sake. 1 Timothy 5 verse 23, drink a little wine for your stomach's sake, your often infirmities. It is a blood purifier. Now, the blood of Christ shed for us cleanses us from all sin. It purifies us. Wine is also known as an antiseptic. It's good for cleaning cuts and wounds. We've all been bruised and battered. We need our wounds cleaned. Christ does that through His shed blood. We go before Him. He takes care of us. Now, brethren, we should treat each member of God's church as we would Jesus Christ, with love and respect. Although the body can function with hurting diseased or amputated parts, it's not as effective and it must learn to compensate. Brethren, we are to be responsible members of God's church. We represent God's way to others and we should represent it well.

In Galatians chapter 2 verse 20, it speaks of Christ living in us and the life that we are to live. In this flesh, we're to allow Christ to live in us in a very special way. Galatians chapter 2 verse 20. Paul says, I have been crucified with Christ and we are crucified when we go under that watery grave. We die with Christ. Our sins are forgiven. They're washed away. I've been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me and the life which I now live in the flesh. I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. We live by faith. We walk by faith, not by sight. We must make sure that what we add to the body is unleavened, not leavened. We should not be responsible for leavening the body of Christ. Each part, each member must continually be putting the sin out of their lives, de-leavening themselves. So humility, cleansing each other and letting Christ live in us are all a part of being a piece of unleavened bread that we bring to the body of Jesus Christ. Unity is essential. Love and loyalty is important. It is essential. Now, I don't really have time to go any further today. I've pretty much reached my time, but we could talk about the night to be much observed and what it pictures coming out of slavery. We're all going to get together and keep the night to be observed. And then we're going to keep the days of unleavened bread. We're told to come out of hypocrisy at these times. We're not to be hypocrites. No, Christ was really down on the hypocrites, wasn't he? Matthew 23, he called them hypocrites over and over and over very strongly. Let us not be hypocrites at this season. Let's examine ourselves. Let's admit who we are. Let's seek the forgiveness that only God can give us. Repentance is a gift that comes from God. It's not something that we can work up on our own. But God grants us repentance as He looks at our heart.

So, brethren, it is important that we consider these Holy Days that are upon us now. They're just about here. These days picture the beginning steps of God's wonderful plan of salvation for all of mankind. They picture a new world that is surely coming just as sure as we're here today. Even more surely, Christ is coming. Christ is returning His kingdom. His government will be established. We're called to be firstfruits now. This is a high and a holy calling. So, brethren, let us keep the Passover and let us keep the Feast with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. Now, let's keep the Feast in the way God intended. Let's examine ourselves and let us keep the Passover.