Saturday, May 20, 2017

An Inalienable Right

“Passover affirms the great truth that liberty is the inalienable right of every human being." (Morris Joseph)

The lamb must be a one-year-old male, and it must be completely healthy. This animal can be either a young sheep or a young goat. You should watch over the animal until the fourteenth day of the month. On that day all the people of the community of Israel must kill these animals just before dark. You must collect the blood from these animals and put it on the top and sides of the doorframe of every house where the people eat this meal.

 “On this night you must roast the lamb and eat all the meat. You must also eat bitter herbs and bread made without yeast. You must not eat the lamb raw or boiled in water. You must roast the whole lamb over a fire. The lamb must still have its head, legs, and inner parts. You must eat all the meat that night. If any of the meat is left until morning, you must burn it in the fire.

 “When you eat the meal, you must be fully dressed and ready to travel. You must have your sandals on your feet and your walking stick in your hand. You must eat in a hurry, because this is the Lord’s Passover.

 “Tonight I will go through Egypt and kill every firstborn man and animal in Egypt. In this way I will judge all the gods of Egypt and show that I am the Lord. But the blood on your houses will be a special sign. When I see the blood, I will pass over your house. I will cause bad things to happen to the people of Egypt. But none of these bad diseases will hurt you. (Exodus 12:5-13, ERV)

1.     Jesus was selected to be our Passover Lamb:

 
The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God. He takes away the sins of the world. (John 1:29, ERV)

“Christianity means community through Jesus Christ and in Jesus Christ. No Christian community is more or less than this.” (Dietrich Bonhoeffer)

2.     Jesus was slaughtered as our Passover Lamb:

“…Christ our Passover Lamb has already been killed.” (1 Corinthians 5:7)


“On the eve of the cross, Jesus made his decision. He would rather go to hell for you than go to heaven without you.” (Max Lucado)

3.     Jesus is trustworthy as your Passover Lamb:

“The Lord had given this command to Moses and Aaron [his brother], so the Israelites did what the Lord commanded.” (Exodus 12:28)


“The more you trust Jesus and keep your eyes focused on Him, the more life you'll have. Trusting God brings life. Believing brings rest. So stop trying to figure everything out, and let God be God in your life.” (Joyce Meyer)

4.     Jesus’ trustworthiness should be taught also to your children:

You must remember this command. This law is for you and your descendants forever. You must remember to do this even when you go to the land the Lord is giving you. 

When your children ask you, ‘Why are we doing this ceremony?’ you will say, ‘This Passover is to honor the Lord, because when we were in Egypt, he passed over the houses of Israel. He killed the Egyptians, but he saved the people in our houses.’” Then the people bowed down and worshiped the Lord. (Exodus 12:24-27)[i]

“Never underestimate the power that comes when a parent pleads with God on behalf of a child.” (Max Lucado)

“This is true freedom: Our ability to shape reality. We have the power to initiate, create and change reality rather than only react and survive it. How can we all educate our children to true freedom? Teach them not to look at reality as defining their acts but to look at their acts as defining reality.” (Yaacov Cohen)




[i] Inspired by the sermon “Fantastic Feasts: The Passover Lamb” (Installment one) Sunday, May 14, 2017 Pastor Dave Jansen CenterPoint Gahanna Church Gahanna, OH.
 
All scripture is in the Easy-to-Read Version (ERV).



 


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