Pass Over

Today marks the first day of the Passover celebration. In the Old Testament, Passover is best described in Exodus 12. Verses thirteen and fourteen of that chapter reads, “The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt. This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord – a lasting ordinance.” This day serves as a constant reminder of how God delivered the Hebrews from being enslaved by Egypt.

Jesus and His disciples observed Passover right before He made the ultimate sacrifice. In Luke 22:15, Jesus is quoted as saying, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.” He then went on make His journey to the cross to die for us as our Sacrificial Lamb. So, not only does this day serve as a constant reminder of how God delivered the Hebrews from being enslaved by Egypt, it should also serve as a constant reminder of how Jesus delivered us from being enslaved by sin.

While there are plenty of things you can do in honor of the significance of today, here are a few simple suggestions of where you might want to consider starting.

Ensure you’re covered by the blood. Just like the death angel passed over the homes that were covered by the blood of the sacrificial lamb, we are able to have victory over death when we’re covered by the blood of The Sacrificial Lamb. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” If you have not already accepted Jesus as your Savior and Lord, now is a great time to do so.

Remove all yeast from your life. During the time of the Old Testament Passover, Exodus 12 tells us the people were instructed to remove the yeast from their houses. Yeast (or leaven) was a type of representation of their old life of bondage. In the same way, 1 Corinthians 5:7 tells us to “Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch – as you really are. For Christ, our Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed.” Romans 3:23 informs us “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Sin was our old way of life, but according to 2 Corinthians 5:17, “If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” You can’t be a new creation and continue living the same old way. Remember, before being covered by the blood of Jesus we were in bondage to sin, but now we are free – free to choose to walk away from it. Some sins may require more work for you to remove from your life than others, but today, commit to doing whatever it takes to remove all the yeast from your life.

Commemorate with communion. Matthew 26:26-28 says, “While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and gave it to His disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is My body.” Then He took a cup, and when He had given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” This was such a beautiful and intimate time the disciples got to experience with Jesus and so it is for us as well. Did you know you don’t have to wait for a special service at church to take communion? You can experience this intimate time in remembrance of Him at any time. Jesus’ body was broken and His blood was shed for us. Communion is a great way to remember and honor His sacrifice.

Don’t keep it to yourself. Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” If we have accepted Christ and have been covered by the blood of the Lamb; if we have repented of our sins and removed all the yeast from our lives; then, if we died today our worst-case scenario would be to live with Jesus for all eternity. But what about all those who haven’t made this choice? Hebrews 9:28 says, “So Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and He will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for Him.” So, instead of being consumed with focusing on the plague of a virus, we need to be committed to helping others focus on the promise of victory.

This one might sound like an overwhelming undertaking for some – especially if you tend to be more introverted, don’t feel like you know as much about the Bible as you think you should, or if you just feel like you’re not quite bold enough. If this is you, let me present it to you a different way. If you could deliver a gift to someone that you knew would benefit them for all eternity, would you do it? (SELAH) Jesus has already purchased the gift. All He needs for you to do is deliver it. Don’t keep it to yourself. Be willing to share this free gift with someone else.

In this season, don’t pass over all the intimate time you could be spending with The One you say you love. Don’t pass over the opportunity to share the love of Christ with others. Don’t just sit and wait for this season to pass over. Do something during this time that will have eternal value. Help ensure someone else will spend eternity with Jesus when they pass over from this life to the next.

Questions to Ask

·      What yeast do you still need to remove from your life?

·      Who could you call today to deliver the free gift of salvation?

·      What divine appointments have you passed over because you’ve been focused on the plague of a virus rather than focusing on the promise of victory?

Scriptures to Study

·      Exodus 12

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