Passover Me!

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Darkness, plagues and death are coming to the world.

Will it all “Passover” us?

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The pattern through history is consistent with the promises of God.

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1. The most deadly of all the 10 plagues was about to occur, in a land that was pagan and rejecting God. The first ones were just warnings, compared to this one.

God commanded Moses to protect the chosen people with the application of lamb’s blood.

Exd 12:3   Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth [day] of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of [their] fathers, a lamb for an house:

Exd 12:6   And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening.

Exd 12:7   And they shall take of the blood, and strike [it] on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it.

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On the night of the 10^th plague, the angel of death went out over all

Egypt, and death occurred in every house where there was NO

blood to protect it.

Those protected by the blood were “passed over.”

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2. Thousands of years later, Jesus offered himself as the final Passover lamb, to assure salvation and protection for all those who applied his blood to the doorposts of their lives and homes.

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3. After the departure of Jesus, and during Peter’s ministry, Apostle Peter was cast into prison for preaching the gospel on Passover (Days of Unleavened Bread).

Act 12:1 ¶ Now about that time Herod the king stretched forth [his] hands to vex certain of the church.

Act 12:2   And he killed James the brother of John with the sword.

Act 12:3   And because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter also. (Then were the days of unleavened bread.)

Act 12:4   And when he had apprehended him, he put [him] in prison, and delivered [him] to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people.

When this happened, prayer went up for him among the believers.

As believers, they would have applied the blood of Jesus over him as they celebrated the Passover.

The blood would have immediately cleansed them of any sin, so making it possible to approach the throne of God in boldness, and present their prayer.

Hbr 10:19 Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,

1Jo 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses us from all sin.

Act 12:5 ¶ Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him.

God responded again, as he did thousands of years before that.

Act 12:7   And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon [him], and a light shined in the prison: and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly. And his chains fell off from [his] hands.

Peter was delivered from prison.

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4. Then later on, during the ministry of Paul and Silas, a similar deliverance happened. They were cast into prison for preaching the gospel.

Act 16:23   And when they had laid many stripes upon them [Paul and Silas], they cast [them] into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely:

Act 16:24   Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks.

But they knew what to do. Pray in the name of Jesus, worship God, and apply the blood.

Act 16:25 ¶ And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.

As with Peter, God heard them, and delivered them.

Act 16:26   And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one’s bands were loosed.

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5. Marianne’s story:

I once was discouraged, and complained to God that I had been unfairly treated at work, and in my life.

I did all the work and others got ahead, financially and socially, using me as a stepping stone. They gave no proper credit to me.

In a life full of obstacles, it was very hard to achieve what I needed to do, to have a sense of financial security.

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The same happened in my family life and church life.

Everyone else was getting blessed, and helped, and I felt “not helped.”

My focus was on my temporal salvation, well being, and preservation, not my eternal one.

So, I complained to God that I was being passed over, when all the blessings and good things were handed out, and I was left with nothing.

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Then God boomed in my head:

“I” passed over you!!!!!

That shocked me.

I immediately understood.

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When the world (which can include the church) passes over me, it means nothing.

But when God passes over me, it means that I am in His care, and He will provide deliverance for that time, and a way in the wilderness ahead.

That is all that counts.

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I am not here in life to be a success in the world.

I am here to glorify God.

When I do that, He passes over me when judgment comes to the world, and I am protected.

This “passing over” is a good thing.

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It means I escape judgment due me for my errors, because Jesus took that punishment for me.

My real home is heaven, not here anyhow.

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Darkness and death coming in this world

So, today, we are facing plagues, trouble and deadly times ahead.

Will we apply the blood of Jesus, worship God, and sing praises to Him during the darkness moments?

Will we apply the blood of Jesus to the door posts of our hearts?

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When God’s judgment comes, personally, I plan to cry out “Pass over me!”

The Lord will know what I mean.

 

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