PASSOVER CEREMONY

INTRODUCTION:

Good Evening.

We are here to commemorate the Passover in the manner and pattern instructed by Jesus Christ.

18 And He said, "Go into the city to a certain man, and say to him, 'The Teacher says, "My time is at hand; I will keep the Passover at your house with My disciples."' "

19 So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them; and they prepared the Passover.

20 When evening had come, He sat down with the twelve.

21 Now as they were eating, He said, "Assuredly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me."

22 And they were exceedingly sorrowful, and each of them began to say to Him, "Lord, is it I?"

23 He answered and said, "He who dipped his hand with Me in the dish will betray Me.

24 "The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had not been born."

25 Then Judas, who was betraying Him, answered and said, "Rabbi, is it I?" He said to him, "You have said it."

26 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, "Take, eat; this is My body."

27 Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you.

28 "For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

29 "But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father's kingdom."

We live in momentous times where people are lovers of pleasure instead of lovers of God.  

Mankind faces utter destruction--except for the intervention of the Almighty God through Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord.

This Passover is a sobering occasion,  because we are reflecting on the suffering and death of our Savior Jesus Christ.   Yet, it is also an encouraging and happy time because of God's love and Sacrifice for us.

This is our annual reminder of the Victory of Christ over Satan and sin,   by way of the ultimate sacrifice of His Life--by the cruel instrument of crucifixion.   

This service is a renewal of our faith in Christ.  and a re-commitment to him. Tonight we are here to express our faith in the sacrifice of Christ for our sins--and to renew our commitment to Christ and our Father.

And to renew our covenant with Christ to let Him live his life in us.

The final Passover of Christ consisted of 3 parts.

    1.   The Passover Meal.    The traditional meal of the slaughtered lamb--Which was a type of Jesus Christ.

    2.   The institution of the covenant symbols--The bread and the wine.

    3.   A Service of Humility.   Enacted by Jesus-- the washing of the disciples feet.

Historical account of this Supper...

24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, "Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me."

25 In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me."

26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death till He comes.

27 Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.

28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup.

29 For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord's body.

   John 6:32-37  A Very personal relationship with Christ and his disciples.

33 "For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."

34 Then they said to Him, "Lord, give us this bread always."

35 And Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.

36 "But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe.

37 "All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.

39 "This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day.

40 "And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day."

41 The Jews then complained about Him, because He said, "I am the bread which came down from heaven."

42 And they said, "Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How is it then that He says, 'I have come down from heaven'?"

43 Jesus therefore answered and said to them, "Do not murmur among yourselves.

44 "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.

45 "It is written in the prophets, 'And they shall all be taught by God.' Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me.

46 "Not that anyone has seen the Father, except He who is from God; He has seen the Father.

47 "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life.

48 "I am the bread of life.

49 "Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead.

50 "This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die.

51 "I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world."

52 The Jews therefore quarreled among themselves, saying, "How can this Man give us His flesh to eat?"

53 Then Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you.

54 "Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.

55 "For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed.

56 "He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him.

57 "As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me.

In  Luke 22... We will pick up with the account of the Passover service where Jesus is introducing the breaking of the bread for a Symbol of His sacrifice.... the Sacrifice of his body:

15 Then He said to them, "With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer;

16. "for I say to you, I will no longer eat of it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God."

The Apostle Paul continues and adds more to this in I Cor 10:15.   Paul wrote to the church at Corinth.

16. The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?

Please note:   We become one body by partaking of that bread of life.... who is Jesus Christ.  

Christ lived his life in us through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

...   that spiritual body of the Church of the living God.   

The begotten family of God. 

This bread that we eat is a symbol of Jesus' body broken for us.

Many years later the Apostle Peter wrote to the churches...turn to...

21 For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps:

22 "Who committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His mouth";

23 who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously;

At this point I might note that there are 2 aspects of this sacrifice:

1st  is the Spiritual--which we all have received. We trust that we have been spiritually healed.

2nd is the Physical...   when Jesus Christ was on earth, part of his ministry was demonstrating that he was indeed the Son of God, and that he had the power to forgive sin.... and part of that forgiveness was the healing of physical diseases.

This second aspect of Jesus’ sacrifice is the healing of physical diseases.

We are to have the attitude of Love to one another, at all times... always.…

Christ's suffering set an example for all Christians that we should suffer one for another.

He willingly suffered tremendous pain and agony in the flesh so that ultimately.... all men might be released from the suffering that results from sin. Christ's stripes were a part of his total perfect Sacrifice to pay the penalty for our personal and collective sins.

Eating this Unleavened Bread at the the Passover Service demonstrates our total commitment to God and His way of life.

[Remove Napkins from the Bread....  Ask Gods blessing on the Bread as a Symbol of Christ's broken body for us.   For the Healing of Physical and Spiritual Sins.)    

Prayer:

This Bread is a symbol of Christ's Body broken for us.

Healing of our our hearts and minds 

Forgiveness of all of our sins...

Give thanks for the Love of God. (The Father)

Who sacrificed His Most Beloved Son for us...

Thank God for His Mercy and His Spirit.

John 13:1-17 INTRODUCTION of a NEW service to His disciples....

3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God,

4 rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself.

5 After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded.

6 Then He came to Simon Peter. And Peter said to Him, "Lord, are You washing my feet?"

7 Jesus answered and said to him, "What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this."

8 Peter said to Him, "You shall never wash my feet!" Jesus answered him, "If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me."

9 Simon Peter said to Him, "Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head!"

10 Jesus said to him, "He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you."

11 For He knew who would betray Him; therefore He said, "You are not all clean."

12 So when He had washed their feet, taken His garments, and sat down again, He said to them, "Do you know what I have done to you?

13 "You call me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am.

14 "If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet.

15 "For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you.

16 "Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him.

17 "If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.

12 Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.

13 For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh,

14 how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

8 which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence,

9 having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself,

21 And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled

I think we should appreciate the awesome joint sacrifice of almighty God our Father and Jesus Christ on our behalf when Jesus Christ was on the Cross or Stake.   Jesus    cried out to the Father in Prayer....

"My God, My God,  why has thou forsaken me..." in Mat 27:46

I think it is very important to note Jesus Christ's willingness to accept our Guilt and Our sin... and in that moment in time Jesus Christ was bearing our sins--the incredible, awesome, magnitude of all sins of all humanity on his shoulders.

The great God, His Father and our Father, turned away and allowed Jesus to bear those sufferings, and to bear that experience alone.

Jesus recognized that he was bearing those sins for all mankind... and he was at that moment cut off from God.

It is very difficult for a father who has the power to intervene to watch a son in suffering and pain, to turn and walk away. Almighty God our Father walked away  in order that you and I might be reconciled, that Jesus might make that supreme sacrifice for us.

That we also might be begotten and be ultimately born sons in His Family. The magnitude of the Sacrifice of Jesus and God our Father is beyond comprehension to any human mind.

I think it is important, at this time,  to try to appreciate, as much as possible, the incredible sacrifice that has been made for us individually and for all humanity collectively.

[Uncover Wine]

    Give thanks for the Wine for it's intended use as:

        A symbol of Christ's shed blood for the remission of our sins. This wine is a symbol of Christ's shed blood shed on our behalf. We thank God for Christ's shed Blood for the Remission--our sins, so that all of our sins can be forgiven,  and our confession that we have sinned and we do accept our savior's sacrifice for our sins.

We ask your blessing on this wine for this sacred use as we accept Christ's shed blood for the Re-missions of Our Sins.

Having now gone thorough the service set by Jesus--this commemoration of the Passover observed with NEW SYMBOLS instituted for the New Testament Church, we review the subsequent events:

Judas Iscariot went out to betray Jesus to the religious authorities....

29 For some thought, because Judas had the money box, that Jesus had said to him, "Buy those things we need for the feast," or that he should give something to the poor.

30 Having received the piece of bread, he then went out immediately. And it was night.

31 So, when he had gone out, Jesus said, "Now the Son of Man is glorified, and God is glorified in Him.

32 "If God is glorified in Him, God will also glorify Him in Himself, and glorify Him immediately.

33 "Little children, I shall be with you a little while longer. You will seek Me; and as I said to the Jews, 'Where I am going, you cannot come,' so now I say to you.

34 "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.

35 "By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."

36 Simon Peter said to Him, "Lord, where are You going?" Jesus answered him, "Where I am going you cannot follow Me now, but you shall follow Me afterward."

37 Peter said to Him, "Lord, why can I not follow You now? I will lay down my life for Your sake."

14:1 "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.

2 "In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.

3 "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.

4 "And where I go you know, and the way you know."

5 Thomas said to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?"

6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

7 "If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him."

8 Philip said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us."

9 Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, 'Show us the Father'?

10 "Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works.

11 "Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.

12 "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.

13 "And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

14 "If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.

15 "If you love Me, keep My commandments.

16 "And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever;

17 "the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.

18 "I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.

19 "A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also.

20 "At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.

21 "He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him."

22 Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, "Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?"

23 Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.

24 "He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father's who sent Me.

25 "These things I have spoken to you while being present with you.

26 "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.

27 "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

28 "You have heard Me say to you, 'I am going away and coming back to you.' If you loved Me, you would rejoice because I said, 'I am going to the Father,' for My Father is greater than I.

29 "And now I have told you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe.

30 "I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me.

Jesus has mentioned here that God the Father has been a distinct "entity" apart from himself, ...  and yet he and the father are one.   They are one in Spirit and Mind... and they are one Family.

Again note the dichotomy (2) of the 2 distinct individuals.  

Christ is the true vine and the Father is the vine dresser.

3 "You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.

It is a temptation on the part of many of us to believe that belonging to a particular nominal body,  belonging to a particular "Church of God" group...    keeps us in the body of Christ.   Yet Jesus clearly shows us the True Church of God is a Spiritual unit... the Spiritual body, and  who are of the same spirit and mind as Jesus Christ--which is the mind of God the Father--are indeed one.

Just as a husband and Wife are to be totally dedicated to one another, to have one purpose. We who are in Christ are to be one flesh.  Christ in us.

7 "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.

8 "By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.

9 "As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love.

10 "If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love.

11 "These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.

12 "This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.

13 "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends.

14 "You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.

He said,  I include you... Notice that Jesus has not withheld from his friends the purpose and nature of God the Father.

Jesus Christ came to reveal the Father.... to make Him known,... to show Him to us... to Explain to us the mind of the Father.

There is a  great deal of animosity and hatred in the world today,  because the persons who have chosen not to obey God but to seek and obey traditions of men are sometimes finding themselves at odds with their families or their friends who do obey Him--those who have truly devoted themselves to God and who have put God and Jesus Christ first, ahead of their families.

This animosity we must bear... We must be willing to accept the suffering of Christ if we are to be a part of the body of Christ.... as true servants of God...

If you have come out of the world.   You will find yourself at odds with the ways of this world.  You will find you are at odds with those that have chosen to go back into the world and the worlds ways, the world’s traditions,.... 

And those who have chosen to accept the traditions of men and the world, we understand the blood of Jesus Christ was shed for them also..... when they repent come to him. We ask Him, what is His will in our lives, and then follow His will.

We have to forgive,  we must forgive...  We must seek to help all understand the truth of God... And pray for them....

Because they do not know God the Father, they proclaim to only know Jesus.     Christ said..."They do not know him who sent me;"    

Because they do not know God the Father, they will persecute you.

23 "He who hates Me hates My Father also.

24 "If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would have no sin; but now they have seen and also hated both Me and My Father.

25 "But this happened that the word might be fulfilled which is written in their law, 'They hated Me without a cause.'

26 "But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me.

2 "They will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service.

3 "And these things they will do to you because they have not known the Father nor Me.

4 "But these things I have told you, that when the time comes, you may remember that I told you of them. And these things I did not say to you at the beginning, because I was with you.

5 "But now I go away to Him who sent Me, and none of you asks Me, 'Where are You going?'

6 "But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart.

7 "Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.

8 "And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:

That is they do not believe the very message of Jesus... the Message that Jesus brought.....    the gospel of the coming Kingdom of God... the Ruler ship of God...

9 "of sin, because they do not believe in Me;

10 "of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more;

11 "of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.

12 "I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.

13 "However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.

14 "He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.

15 "All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.

16 "A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me, because I go to the Father."

17 Then some of His disciples said among themselves, "What is this that He says to us, 'A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me'; and, 'because I go to the Father'?"

18 They said therefore, "What is this that He says, 'A little while'? We do not know what He is saying."

19 Now Jesus knew that they desired to ask Him, and He said to them, "Are you inquiring among yourselves about what I said, 'A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me'?

20 "Most assuredly, I say to you that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; and you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy.

21 "A woman, when she is in labor, has sorrow because her hour has come; but as soon as she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world.

22 "Therefore you now have sorrow; but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you.

23 "And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you.

24 "Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.

25 "These things I have spoken to you in figurative language; but the time is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figurative language, but I will tell you plainly about the Father.

26 "In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I shall pray the Father for you;

27 "for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me, and have believed that I came forth from God.

28 "I came forth from the Father and have come into the world. Again, I leave the world and go to the Father."

29 His disciples said to Him, "See, now You are speaking plainly, and using no figure of speech!

30 "Now we are sure that You know all things, and have no need that anyone should question You. By this we believe that You came forth from God."

31 Jesus answered them, "Do you now believe?

32 "Indeed the hour is coming, yes, has now come, that you will be scattered, each to his own, and will leave Me alone. And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me.

    John 17:1-26    This is the true Lord's Prayer. for us.

2 "as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him.

3 "And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.

4 "I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do.

5 "And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.

6 "I have manifested Your name to the men whom You have given Me out of the world. They were Yours, You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word.

7 "Now they have known that all things which You have given Me are from You.

8 "For I have given to them the words which You have given Me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came forth from You; and they have believed that You sent Me.

9 "I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours.

10 "And all Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine, and I am glorified in them.

11 "Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are.

12 "While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.

13 "But now I come to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves.

14 "I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.

15 "I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one.

16 "They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.

17 "Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.

18 "As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.

19 "And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth.

20 "I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word;

21 "that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.

22 "And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one:

23 "I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.

24 "Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.

25 "O righteous Father! The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me.

When Jesus  came to this earth he lived a physical human experience--followed by offering His blood for our sins.

He revealed the relationship between himself and the Father, and between Himself and us,  so we can understand his very special relationship.  We, at this time of year, remember our covenant with God and with Jesus, our Savior.

And as we look forward to His Kingdom that is coming.…  not already established on this earth but represented by those who are true ambassadors of His Kingdom, servants of God and Christ.

We look forward to that true Kingdom of God on earth when Jesus Christ will come in Glory, and Power, from heaven to the Earth to bring Peace to all mankind, to suffering humanity over all the earth.

When He comes for the first time in almost 6000  years there will be peace, happiness, and joy on earth--because of the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ--and because of the One who was sacrificed living in those who will repent and  accept Jesus Christ.  

Those who accept what he taught, and accept what he lived—

May God hasten that day.