WHEN WE TRULY KEEP PASSOVER

April 23, 2011
WINNIPEG EASTER RALLY
NIGHT 2
MF Blume

Numbers 13:25-31 KJV And they returned from searching of the land after forty days. (26) And they went and came to Moses, and to Aaron, and to all the congregation of the children of Israel, unto the wilderness of Paran, to Kadesh; and brought back word unto them, and unto all the congregation, and shewed them the fruit of the land. (27) And they told him, and said, We came unto the land whither thou sentest us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it. (28) Nevertheless the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled, and very great: and moreover we saw the children of Anak there. (29) The Amalekites dwell in the land of the south: and the Hittites, and the Jebusites, and the Amorites, dwell in the mountains: and the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and by the coast of Jordan. (30) And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it. (31) But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we.

Numbers 14:22-34 KJV Because all those men which have seen my glory, and my miracles, which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tempted me now these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice; (23) Surely they shall not see the land which I sware unto their fathers, neither shall any of them that provoked me see it: (24) But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess it. (25) (Now the Amalekites and the Canaanites dwelt in the valley.) To morrow turn you, and get you into the wilderness by the way of the Red sea. (26) And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, (27) How long shall I bear with this evil congregation, which murmur against me? I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel, which they murmur against me. (28) Say unto them, As truly as I live, saith the LORD, as ye have spoken in mine ears, so will I do to you: (29) Your carcases shall fall in this wilderness; and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, which have murmured against me, (30) Doubtless ye shall not come into the land, concerning which I sware to make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun. (31) But your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, them will I bring in, and they shall know the land which ye have despised. (32) But as for you, your carcases, they shall fall in this wilderness. (33) And your children shall wander in the wilderness forty years, and bear your whoredoms, until your carcases be wasted in the wilderness. (34) After the number of the days in which ye searched the land, even forty days, each day for a year, shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years, and ye shall know my breach of promise.

Few people realize that these children were told to bear the whoredoms of the doubting elderly people because GOD PUT A BAN ON ISRAEL FROM THAT DAY ONWARD.

The ban would only be lifted when the doubting parents of these kids WERE DEAD.

We find what that ban was later when the parents did die.

Joshua 5:1-6 KJV And it came to pass, when all the kings of the Amorites, which were on the side of Jordan westward, and all the kings of the Canaanites, which were by the sea, heard that the LORD had dried up the waters of Jordan from before the children of Israel, until we were passed over, that their heart melted, neither was there spirit in them any more, because of the children of Israel. (2) At that time the LORD said unto Joshua, Make thee sharp knives, and circumcise again the children of Israel the second time. (3) And Joshua made him sharp knives, and circumcised the children of Israel at the hill of the foreskins. (4) And this is the cause why Joshua did circumcise: All the people that came out of Egypt, that were males, even all the men of war, died in the wilderness by the way, after they came out of Egypt. (5) Now all the people that came out were circumcised: but all the people that were born in the wilderness by the way as they came forth out of Egypt, them they had not circumcised. (6) For the children of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness, till all the people that were men of war, which came out of Egypt, were consumed, because they obeyed not the voice of the LORD: unto whom the LORD sware that he would not shew them the land, which the LORD sware unto their fathers that he would give us, a land that floweth with milk and honey.

They were banned from being circumcised.

God caused the younger ones to suffer because of the elder doubters, UNTIL THE DOUBTERS DIED.
Last night we talked about DOUBT MUST DIE before we can enjoy the land and BE PASSOVERS ourselves.
FORTY YEARS TO THE DAY when they took a PASSOVER LAMB for the Passover victory to leave Egypt was the day ISRAEL PASSED OVER Jordan and entered the Canaan land.
We told you how PASSING OVER was repeated several times in Joshua 4 and into Josh 5:1, and how verse 19 of Josh 4 said it was the 10th DAY of the 1st month, just as Ex 12:3 said a PASSOVER LAMB WAS SELECTED the 10th day of the 1st month.
WE BECOME PASSOVERS.
Their unions to the Passover Lamb stands for our unions to JESUS CHRIST WHO DIED AS OUR PASSOVER LAMB.

He died on the cross for more than us celebrating an Easter story and having a rally and talking about —and even believing in the CROSS and how it saves us.

HE SAVED US BY THE CROSS SO WE COULD BE PASSOVERS TOO and cross on into a LAND WHERE WE RULE.

Many think the ultimate goal of God and the reason for the cross is to die and be ready to go to heaven.

I believe in heaven and I am going there when I die.
But the ultimate goal is what God told Adam back when he created him.
Multiply replenish the earth and HAVE DOMINION.
HE GAVE US DOMINION ON THE EARTH.

Adam was never meant to die and go to heaven.

He was meant to rule the earth.
So to RETURN USE TO WHERE ADAM FELL FROM would be to return us to dominion, too!

Think of that while you think of God telling Israel they can leave slavery and come into a LAND THEY WILL RULE THEMSELVES, and making it possible by a PASSOVER LAMB’S DEATH.

They were going to a land of their own they would rule!

And they come to the borders, and are afraid of the giants and the walls in the land!!!!!!!!

The whole purpose for the Passover lamb was for them to be freed from Egyptian slavery and rule their own land!

And they feared to even go in and get that land.

So God bans CIRCUMCISION of the people, and as a result of not being circumcised, look what else was banned…

Exodus 12:43 KJV And the LORD said unto Moses and Aaron, This is the ordinance of the passover: There shall no stranger eat thereof:

Exodus 12:48 KJV And when a stranger shall sojourn with thee, and will keep the passover to the LORD, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as one that is born in the land: for no uncircumcised person shall eat thereof.

We have an entire generation of Israel born and raised in the wilderness – lived 39 years – and COULD NOT ENJOY PASSOVER because their parents FEARED the thing that PASSOVER was instituted to let them enjoy!

God wants us to RULE IN LIFE

Romans 5:17 KJV For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)

And that verse is talking about us REIGNING IN LIFE BECAUSE of JESUS… HIS OBEDIENCE OF EXPERIENCING DEATH FOR US!

We were meant to reign in life because of the cross!
And just like doubting Israel so long ago, too many believers are not reigning in life, but are still experiencing a slavery to some problems and addictions and troubles.

I heard a song recently singing about watching dolphins from a ship and how they jumped through the water and followed the ship, and watching children play and laugh as hard as they could….ASKING why cannot we have that PURE JOY of life?

This same question goes for Christians!
BUT I KNOW THE ANSWER!
They do not LIVE lives based upon the work of the cross.
THE CROSS was where OUR PASSOVER JESUS CHRIST died so we could REIGN IN LIFE!
And when it is only a story and an event to celebrate once a year, and NOT A LIFE LIVED BY THAT CROSS, we live lives as though the cross never occurred to give us victory.
AND JUST AS THESE ISRAELITES COULD NOT CELEBRATE PASSOVER FOR 39 YEARS, CHRISTIANS ARE NOT TRULY KEEPING THE REAL PASSOVER.

We are not celebrating the REAL work of the cross if we live in defeat and see life trample us over.

When you grab hold of the purpose for the cross, so you can rule in life, and rise up in faith and not care how bigger the giants are than you, YOU KNOW GOD IS WITH YOU…
You BECOME A PASSOVER and FEAR IS GONE.

We find out later that the enemy feared Israel

For all those forty years while Israel feared the enemy.

Joshua 2:9-10 KJV And she said unto the men, I know that the LORD hath given you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you. (10) For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red sea for you, when ye came out of Egypt; and what ye did unto the two kings of the Amorites, that were on the other side Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom ye utterly destroyed.

But Israel lost their fear when the doubters died BUT THE ENEMY KEPT HIS FEAR!

Joshua 5:1 KJV And it came to pass, when all the kings of the Amorites, which were on the side of Jordan westward, and all the kings of the Canaanites, which were by the sea, heard that the LORD had dried up the waters of Jordan from before the children of Israel, until we were passed over, that their heart melted, neither was there spirit in them any more, because of the children of Israel.

They were scared when God dried the Red Sea at the time Israel had a fear of enemies like themselves.

But now when God dried up JORDAN, TOO…. It’s like the power of GOD ALL OVER AGAIN—and this time ISRAEL LOST ITS FEAR!

THE RED SEA was called RED sea, as the colour of BLOOD is being emphasized over and over, just after the Jews put BLOOD of the lamb on their doors.

So we can see the Cross in the Passover lamb’s death as well as the Red Sea.
And the enemy was defeated by the cross of Jesus.
But OUR CONNECTION TO HIM means WE DIED WITH HIM AND WE RESURRECTED WITH HIM.
So when ISRAEL “PASSED OVER” on the same day they took a PASSOVER LAMB, and lost their fear, we see a picture where THEY FINALLY truly LIVED PASSOVER.

If Jesus died to give you a land to RULE like the Passover lamb was slain to free them from SLAVERY, and we finally realize it and LOSE OUR FEAR…

WE MARCH INTO THE LAND AND PASS OVER EVERY BARRIER.

The destroyer COULD NOT “PASSOVER” the doorway in Goshen into God’s people’s land, but ISRAEL DID PASS OVER INTO THE ENEMY LAND!

And lo and behold…

Joshua 5:8-10 KJV And it came to pass, when they had done circumcising all the people, that they abode in their places in the camp, till they were whole. (9) And the LORD said unto Joshua, This day have I rolled away the reproach of Egypt from off you. Wherefore the name of the place is called Gilgal unto this day. (10) And the children of Israel encamped in Gilgal, and kept the passover on the fourteenth day of the month at even in the plains of Jericho.

I like how it said “EVEN IN THE PLAINS OF JERICHO!”

The VERY LAND of an enemy city that had not yet been conquered!!!!!!
Do not miss a word!
THE FIRST CITY THEY HAD YET TO CONQUER.
I can picture them with NO FEAR of their elders around anymore.
Excited they are in COVENANT WITH GOD AND CELEBRATING PASSOVER for the first time in their lives in the shadow of the VERY CITY THEY ARE GOING TO BRING DOWN AND THEY KNOW IT!

They knew Jericho was STRONGER THAN THEM.

But they also knew something their parents never learned.
GOD IS STRONGER THAN JERICHO!
And where WALLS caused fear 39 years earlier, THE DISTINCTIVE VICTORY OF ISRAEL WAS WALLS OF JERICHO COMING DOWN!

You will celebrate PASSOVER like we are supposed to celebrate it BY LIVING IT!

Celebrate the DEATH, BURIAL AND RESURRECTION as you were supposed to celebrate it.

He died so you could REIGN IN LIFE!

As much as -- EVEN MORE THAN –the Passover Lamb was slain to rescue them from Egypt to go to a land to rule on their own.

He died THAT YOU COULD enjoy this life…
But it’s up to you if you WILL LIVE by it and identify with it and rule the land.