Preparing for Passover
A. Introduction Freedom is the rallying cry of many deliverers that God is raising up.
3 streams of revelation that mirror the 3 stages of freedom that Israel experienced, as she left Egypt until she inherited the Promised Land. 1 st level of freedom - Deliverance from slavery in Egypt. 2 nd level of freedom - Learning the ways of God in the wilderness. 3 rd level of freedom Warring to inherit the Promised Land.
A. Deliverance From Egypt The Passover Experience Freedom from sin The nation of Israel was enslaved in Egypt. They were destined to be the covenant people of God but they were not living in covenant provision. As Israel began to cry out to God because of their heavy oppression & bondage, God heard. He sent Moses & Aaron to begin the process of Deliverance from Egypt.
Text - Exo 12: 1ff Month of Nisan & Passover - the beginning of months... 12:2. This event is so crucial that God designated it to be a beginning!! Beginning of a new season & whole new way of life!! Exodus 12: 1-2 (NKJV) 12 Now the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, 2 This month shall be your beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you.
Passover - Start of God's yearly cycle of Feasts... Goal of God's cycle of feasts - bring all into a fresh experience of His glory yearly. Why is that important?? WORLD FEASTS
Passover celebration is the doorway into that yearly cycle. 3 key events during Passover: 1. Passover (usually with a meal ) 2. Feast of Unleavened Bread - 7 days (Exo 12: 15-20) 3. Feast of Firstfruits!!
Passover is the story of Israel's redemption from Egypt Egypt held Israel in oppression for 400 years... They cried out to God so God set about setting Israel free!!
God's plan - sent wave after wave of judgments against Egypt & its gods!! (10 plagues) The land was devastated!! The key to that was Passover... Thru the plagues, God judged Egypt, broke the power of Pharaoh & brought Israel out to a new land & way of life!!
Angel of Death Passing Over Egypt On the night when the death angel was to pass over Egypt, God gave Israel some very important instructions: - He told each family to take a pure, spotless lamb, kill it, put the blood of the lamb on the door of their home... God promised to accept the sacrifice of that lamb in place of Israel's firstborn!!
So God's deliverance of Israel came, not by a mighty army or heroic deed...but by a pure spotless innocent lamb!! To commemorate this great Deliverance, God told His people to eat a special 'Passover' meal every year to celebrate this event!!
1. Passover meal & its Significance: bitter herbs remember bitterness of their past... unleavened bread eat in haste...no time for leaven to rise... & a reminder that Israel should get rid of whatever leaven (impurity ) in their lives to remind of lamb slain for their deliverance lamb
Passover meal celebration commemorates God redeeming Israel by the blood of the lamb!! The old order was judged & a new whole life awaited them... To the Jews, this is celebrated every year... Jesus & disciples did this...familiar with this... At the Last Supper, they were celebrating the Passover meal!!
Application For Jews, Passover is very important!! For us Christians, Passover has greater significance!! We celebrate not only God's power in delivering Israel from Egypt, but our deliverance from sin & Satan thru the blood of Jesus our Passover lamb!! Jesus came to earth to be the Passover Lamb!!
When John the Baptist introduced Jesus, he said, ' Behold the Lamb of God Paul said, 'Christ, our Passover lamb has been slain! In Rev 4:5. all heaven worships Jesus as the Lamb that was slain!! Passover is all about Jesus!! When Jesus' blood is on 'doorpost' of your life, God delivers you from the works of the enemy!!god gave Passover as a way to celebrate & experience all that Jesus did for us!!
Every element in Passover pointed to Jesus!! Every father in Israel had to dip the blood & put on both door posts & lintel...making an invisible sign of the Cross using the blood!! God's deliverance always comes by His cross & by His blood!! That's what Passover celebrates!!
Passover is also about Deliverance!! Derek Prince -greatest confession for deliverance is 'I have been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, out of the hand of the enemy!'
2. Passover initiates a second feast - Feast of Unleavened Bread!! Exo 12: 15-20 - remove leaven from house & eat unleavened bread for 7 days... Every Jewish family does this...removes all defilement from their homes before Passover!! Jesus did the same - He cleansed His Father's house of money changers before Passover!! When impurity is removed, one is ready to celebrate Feast of Unleavened bread!!
Early Church considered Feast of Unleavened Bread very important!! Paul planned the itinerary of one of his missionary journeys around it!! Acts 20:6. Paul chose to stay in Philippi to celebrate Feast of Unleavened Bread with the church there!! Acts 20: 16. Pentecost!! Paul wanted to be in Jerusalem for Paul understood the power of celebrating Unleavened bread - a life of consecration without impurity!!
1 Corinthians 5:6-8 (NKJV) Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? 7 Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. [a] 8 Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. 哥林多前书 5:6-8 (Simplified) (CNVS) 6 你们这样自夸是不好的 你们不知道一点面酵能使全团面发起来吗? 7 你们既是无酵的面, 就应当把旧酵除净, 好让你们成为新的面团 ; 因为我们逾越节的羊羔基督已经被杀献祭了 8 所以我们守这节, 不可用旧酵, 也不可用又邪又恶的酵, 而是要用纯洁真实的无酵饼
So Passover begins with a meal of remembrance (Passover meal), it continues with the Feast of Unleavened Bread ask God to reveal & cleanse any iniquitous generational sins. believe He wants to cleanse us!!
3. Culminates with the Feast of Firstfruits!! Because Israel's firstborn was spared when the firstborn of Egypt died, Israel was told to consecrate all of their firsts to God!! Exo 13- first born children, cattle, firstfruits of produce >>> all belong to God...
Holiness principle when you give God the first of everything, you are made holy!! Rom 11:16 Prosperity Principle when you give God the Firstfruits, it secures & guarantees the entire harvest!! Prov 3:9-10
On Sun after Passover, the Firstfruits of barley harvest was to be brought before the priests & waved before the Lord!! Lev 23: 9-12. Firstfruits offerings were brought throughout year because crops ripen throughout the year : Barley in early spring Wheat in early summer Grapes in late summer Olives in Fall
The Jews would bring a Firstfruits of every harvest to God but the barley harvest was first of the first!! The Firstfruits that guarantee the rest of the harvests... Hence God chose that day to reenact a very important event - resurrection of Jesus - the Firstfruits of those who would become a new creation!!
Jesus died as our Passover Lamb but was raised as the Firstfruits of a new creation! Firstfruits means His resurrection secures & guarantees our resurrection!!
So Passover is a time to pass thru death & enter new life!!
Israel experienced that - passing thru death to come into new life!! On that Sun after Passover, they found themselves closed in by the Egyptians at the Red Sea!! Moses raised the staff & Red Sea parted!! Israel passed thru into a new life ahead...
Feast of Firstfruits was when Israel waved their Firstfruits to God...a wave offering!! On that Sun God sent waves to pharaoh & sent them to their graves... So at Passover Israel was redeemed out of bondage & passed thru death to a whole new life!!
When Jesus hung on Cross at Passover, He died as Passover Lamb. But He did not die alone, you were crucified with Him...Your old self died with Him... But on Resurrection Sun, Feast of Firstfruits, Jesus was raised from the dead!! You were raised with Him to a new life!! Rom 8. Power of resurrection with us now...
End result of Passover >>> Resurrection Power!! Passover is a time to declare - I am redeemed by the Blood of the Lamb out of the hands of the enemy!! It's a time to be consecrated, to remove any impurity God shows in your life...& house... It's also a day to receive Resurrection Power!!
Application In God s calendar, Passover falls from Apr 11-17 April 16 Sun is this year s Feast of Firstfruits Resurrection Sun!! When to celebrate Passover meal? Choose your day.. use both the Seder (Passover elements) & Lord s Supper!! Invite friends enjoy a meal fellowship together, share, pray & prophesy over one another.
Testify of our Deliverance from Egypt & how it has affected us!! Jesus has come to take the Penalty of sin (Past), Power of sin (Present) & Presence of sin (Future) from our lives So we can experience fullness of life in Him!! Celebrate, activate Gifts of HS!!