What Does Passover Have To Do With Me?

Passover

began in Jewish homes around the world last evening, April 14. It began the Feast of Un-leven Bread that will culminate with Passover April 22. What significance does this Jewish feast have for today’s believer? It began in Egypt. God had told Abram that his seed would be enslaved for 400 years. (Genesis 15:13)  But at the end of that oppression, God would bring His people out and give them Canaan.

And it happened.

Slavery; Cruel and oppressive. Had they forgotten God until their oppression grew so great they called out to Him for deliverance? One thing is certain, God had not forgotten them! In response to their prayers God sent a deliverer. And God sent his brother to go with him. Together they stood before the elders of the Israelites.

Exodus 4:29-31 Moses and Aaron brought together all the elders of the Israelites, 30and Aaron told them everything the Lord had said to Moses. He also performed the signs before the people, 31and they believed. And when they heard that the Lord was concerned about them and had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshiped.  

Their decision would be costly.

Things would get worse before they got better. They would have to turn loose of their security. Even though they were slaves, they had food to eat and water to drink. They would have to obey God when it didn’t make one ounce of sense to their human reasoning. Freedom is never free. It always costs. “Let my people go, so they can worship me.(NLT)” KJV says serve me… True freedom will always take you to worship.  Free (liberated), unbound (unshackled); (figuratively) free to realize one’s destiny in Christ. The truth of who God is and who He made you to be and the grace and strength to become that person in spite of obstacles is a freedom that only a believer can experience. Freedom that opens your heart to receive the greatest love imaginable. And receiving that love takes you to a place of serving that brings indescribable joy and fulfillment.

So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” John 8:31, 32

 

Pharaoh answered honestly.

“And Pharaoh said, Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the LORD, neither will I let Israel go. Exodus 5:2

Because he didn’t know God, Pharaoh refused and the plagues began.

Moses parroted God’s Words again and again to Pharaoh. “Let my people go, so they can worship me.(NLT)” Again and again Pharaoh refused. Again and again another plague arrived. Water to blood. Frogs. Locust. Boils. Ten plagues in all. All in Egypt. None in Goshen where God’s people lived. Each plague in itself was bad, but the last plague touched the heart beat of every Egyptian family. One final plague would cause Pharaoh to kick them out.  God wanted the Israelites to remember that night forever. He called that night Passover.

Passover

God’s detailed instructions were critical. A special, spotless, one-year-old lamb would be roasted in every home. The blood of the lamb would be smeared over the doorposts of every household. Every member of the family were required to stay inside the house. At midnight the death angel visited every home, but passed over the homes with blood on the doorposts. The oldest male in that household didn’t die because of the blood of the lamb. But in every Egyptian home the oldest male lay dead. The cry of overwhelming grief was heard throughout Egypt. Pharaoh bellowed for them to get out! Men. Women. Children. Livestock. Nothing to hold them back…a promise to walk toward and the freedom that would enable them to enjoy it.

Prophetic Picture

This historical event was a prophetic picture of the redemptive work of Jesus, the perfect lamb of God. His blood would redeem from sin anyone who would receive Him.

Jesus paid the debt of sin.

By His precious, sinless blood we are saved. He redeemed us from sin. Released us from sin’s punishment- spiritual death to live in newness of life in Christ Jesus. Released us from the bondages of sin to live righteous.  He purchased our peace. He purchased our healing. He tore down the barriers to the very presence of God.

Freedom at it’s best.

True freedom leaves us with a choice. God refuses to remove your right to choose. Jesus freely gave His life so we can be saved from our sins. But He will not violate  your free will. You must choose Him or reject Him. There is no in-between.

“Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live!” Deuteronomy 30:19

You must receive Him to experience His gift of salvation and freedom.

But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. John 1:12

 

But you must choose to stay free as well.

So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law. Galatians 5:1

Freedom to live life at it’s highest level is only found in Jesus.