Preparing Ourselves for Passover

 

Repent of Sin and Get Under the Lamb’s Blood. As the children of Israel applied the lamb’s blood to the door posts and lintels of their house, so we must apply the sin-cleansing and Satan-defeating blood of Yeshua afresh to our lives (i.e., to your thoughts as represented by the door lintel and actions and to our hands as represented by the door posts). This occurs as we repent of our sins, and pray for and receive YHVH’s forgiveness. He will then cover our sins over or wash away our sins by Yeshua’s blood (1 John 1:9; Rev 1:5)

In Egypt at Passover time, YHVH judged all those who had failed to put the lamb’s blood on the door posts of their houses. In other words, they weren’t under the blood of the lamb, and they were still under the penalty of sin, which is death. Unrepented sin has a death claim on us all. To the degree that one has sin in their life is the degree that the spirit of death has a hold on one’s life. Now is the time to repent of sin by confessing it and seeking Elohim’s forgiveness under the blood of Yeshua and then forsaking that sin through YHVH’s grace.

Here are some things of which to repent.

Pride. Do you always think that you’re right? Your opinion is what matters the most? Do you have a hard time with those who don’t see it your way, when you don’t get your way? Do you have a fit when people disagree with you? Do you criticize others and put others down (especially those who are closest to you)? Do you belittle, mock, scorn and ridicule others? Do you focus on other people’s faults? Do you have a hard time identifying any sins that you have committed? Are you proud of your humility? Are you proud of how Torah-observant you are (compared to others)? Are you overly defensive when someone corrects you or challenges your opinion? Do you blame others when things don’t go right instead of taking personal responsibility for your actions? These are all signs of pride. Pride is self-idolization. Elohim hates pride and calls it an abomination (Prov 6:16–17).

Selfishness and self-absorption (putting self above others too much of the time). Are you ungrateful? Are you discontent about your place in life? Do you always want more? Are your material possessions and personal belongings really important to you? Do you have a hard time giving things away? This is a form of self-idolatry and idolization of things.

Love of this world over love of YHVH and the things that matter to him. This a form of idolatry. You’re concerned with what others think more than what Elohim thinks about things.

Sins of the mouth include mean, selfish, unkind, angry, impatient, egotistical words toward others. This is idolization of self. What matters most is what I have to say, how I feel, my opinions and I have the right to say what I want when I want. This is also pride.

The lack of the fear of Elohim. Are you more concerned with what others think than what YHVH Elohim thinks about something? Anything in our lives that we put ahead of Elohim is idolatry.

Ask yourself this: In everything that I do and say, am I advancing the kingdom of Elohim and bringing glory to Yeshua or am I doing the opposite? Am I being a river of life to all those around me, or am I dragging them downward by being a purveyor of negativity and darkness?

Tell the Redemption Story. It is the responsibility of parents and elders to pass on to the next generation the Passover story (Exod 12:24–27). Explain how the Israelites were enslaved in Egypt (a metaphor for the world), to Pharaoh (a metaphor for Satan), and how YHVH delivered the Israelites from the judgment of the destroyer (YHVH’s judgment against sin) because they put the blood of the lamb on their doorposts (a picture of Yeshua’s sin-atoning death on the cross). In reality, this is the basic gospel message.

Celebrate the Feasts. Prepare your heart and mind to obey YHVH by keeping his appointed times of Passover and Unleavened Bread. Are you willing to obey his commands pertaining to these observances? How much do you love him (John 14:15)? How much do you want to know him (1 John 2:6–7)? Celebrating YHVH’s feasts help us to love him and to know him better.

Examine Yourself. At this time of the year, we must each examine ourselves to insure that we will not be partaking of the cup of redemption (i.e. the communion cup) unworthily (1 Cor 11:28).

Rediscover the Cross. It is time to rediscover the cross of Yeshua again and your place at its foot. It is also time to rediscover the power of the resurrected Yeshua in one’s life. Marvel at the miracle of the resurrection and consider the fact that you have access to Yeshua’s resurrected life through faith in him and through the work of his Set-Apart Spirit as we obey the Word of Elohim.

A Time of Spiritual Awakening and New Beginnings. Passover occurs in the spring at the beginning of the biblical year. Spring is a time of new beginnings physically and spiritually. It’s the time of year to take stock of one’s life, assess any weaknesses and deficiencies you have, and then resolve to make the necessary changes. It is the time to make improvements through the power of YHVH’s grace, his Word, his Spirit all through a vibrant, daily relationship with Yeshua our Master and Savior.

The Season for Spiritual Housecleaning. It’s Time to Deleaven.  Passover is time of spring cleaning and deleavening our physical houses (Exod 12:15–20) and removing the leaven of sin from our spiritual houses as well (Pss 26:2; 139:1, 23–24). We must root out and eradicate the old sin habits from the crevices and dark areas of our life.

In Scripture, leavening represents sin, pride, hypocrisy and false doctrine.  Do the sinful practices, evil habits and illicit delicacies of Egypt still hold sway on us? Do any unclean spirits or filthy habits still have control over us? It is time to take control of these sins and eliminate them and become wholly consecrated unto YHVH-Yeshua, his Word, his plans and purposes. It is time to seek first his kingdom and his righteousness (Matt 6:33). One can’t serve two masters at the same time (i.e. the world and the flesh) and expect to be pleasing to YHVH (Matt 6:24).

It’s time to forsake all these things that drag us down spiritually and pull us away from our Father in heaven. It’s time to move onward and upward spiritually!

Time to Renew Our First Love For Yeshua. It is time to renew our first love for Yeshua our Heavenly Bridegroom (Rev 2:4–5). Now is the time to rekindle our passion and zeal for Yeshua and to repent of spiritual lukewarmness (Rev 3:15–21).

 

8 thoughts on “Preparing Ourselves for Passover

  1. Thank you brother Natan. I have gathered much knowledge from you this past year. I will Spring clean my heart and get the leaven out of my life and ready myself for Pesach. Blessings to you in Yeshua’s name.

  2. Greetings!
    I am hoping that you would be able to explain a timeline issue in the book of Acts? Acts 12:3 says that it was during the Days of Unleavened Bread that Herod stretched out his hand to harass the church and then in verse 4 it says that he intended to deliver Peter to the people after Passover. Confused as to why the Feast of Unleavened Bread seems to be before Passover in this text.

    • In first century Jewish culture, Passover and Unleavened Bread were synonymous or interchangeable terms even though they’re separate moedim. This is because they’re back-to-back celebrations and the people came up to Jerusalem each year to celebrate them. You could say, “I’m going to Jerusalem to keep the Passover” and everyone knew you’d be also keeping Unleavened Bread and vice versa. Local colloquialism must be taken into account when trying to comprehend things originally written in other languages.

      • Thank you!
        I’ve been doing a little surfing since I asked and I’ve come up with this:
        The KJV uses the word Easter instead of Passover (as newer translations do) and the word Easter is actually relating to the pagan celebration of Eastre the godess of dawn. (Not to be confused with the contemporary celebration of Easter). I think that because the KJV recognizes the timeline of God’s appointed feasts by saying Easter instead of Passover, that they are more true to the original meaning of the Greek text in signifying paschal as a pagan celebration not the Passover celebrated by the christian believers.
        What do you think of this explanation?
        xo

      • P.S. Thank you for all of your videos and you blog teachings. I’ve learned so much intellectually but more importantly, for me…I’ve been forced to look at how I “see” my friends and family in light of this knowledge and it was a real awakening to my former self. I did and do love my church family but, now I’m loving them in spite of out different views about scripture. I’ve “sensed” differently but I hope that they can come to give and accept mercy like I’ve been moved to. This will be the second Passover I’ve celebrated and I’m so blessed to have been told about a Lutheran church about 30 minutes away that has a Passover celebration. *I’m not going to cry*
        Maybe by next year I’ll have persuaded the pastor of the church I attend to incorporate a Passover rememberance. He’s a lover of Israel and the word so it’s so possible…I just have to be a Priscilla 🙂

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