Scriptures the Lord has laid on my heart to share warning those who are promoting falsehood and perversion of truth at this moment.

Matthew 18:6 But whoever shall offend one of these little ones who believes in Me, it would be better for him that a millstone were hung around his neck, and he be sunk in the depth of the sea.

Isaiah 5:20-21: Woe to those who call evil good and good evil; who put darkness for light and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! Woe to those wise in their own eyes, and bright in their own sight!

2Timothy 3:1-5: Know this also, that in the last days grievous times will be at hand. For men will be self-lovers, money-lovers, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, unyielding, false accusers, without self-control, savage, despisers of good, traitors, reckless, puffed up, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness, but denying the power of it; even turn away from these.

 

Ambassadors for Christ

Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

2 Corinthians 5:20a  “Then we are ambassadors on behalf of Christ.”

In the Bible, ambassadors were representatives sent by God or a king to bring messages, negotiate, and act on behalf of the one who sent them. We Christians called to be ambassadors for Christ.

We are to speak truth and to live our lives in truth because Christ is the truth, the way and the light (John 14:6). In His truth, we are to negotiate, that is, to navigate the complexities of this life led by the Holy Spirit because the Holy Spirit has all knowledge (John 14:6). We are to live out every aspect of our lives in the light of Jesus. “Then one of them, a lawyer, asked, tempting Him and saying, Master, which is the great commandment in the Law? Jesus said to him, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:35-37).

As ambassadors of Christ, we must let His light shine through us.

 Sometimes It Takes a Mountain

By Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

Sometimes It Takes a Mountain

By Gloria Gaither and Mark Mathes

“Sometimes it takes a mountain

Sometimes a troubled sea

Sometimes it takes a desert

To get a hold of me

Your Love is so much stronger

Then whatever troubles me

Sometimes it takes a mountain

To trust you and believe.”

This song has captivated my heart. It resonates in my spirit even in my sleep. It has caused me to meditate on the mountains, the troubled seas and the deserts of life.

In scripture, mountains often represent difficulties and hardships that must be overcome.

Jesus assures us, “Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, `Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will come to pass, he will have whatever he says. Therefore, I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them” (Mark 11:22-24.)

Holding onto the promises of God, we discover that those mountains of obstruction in our lives can be removed, most often one layer at a time.

However, the mountain image is not one-sided. We often describe those victory moments in our lives as “mountain top” experiences. Remember the ark rested on Mt. Ararat. Abraham offered Isaac on Mount Moriah and received the provision of God for salvation. Later, Solomon built the Temple on that sight. Moses received the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai. Elijah called down fire from heaven on Mount Carmel. Golgotha gave us the ultimate mountain top experience when Jesus cried, “It is finished” and died to pay the price for our sin.

Whether the mountain offers obstruction or deliverance, a mountain top experience opens us to the revelation of God. God gets a hold of us on the mountain.

On the troubled seas of life, we can either be like Jonah or like the Apostle Paul. Jonah tried to escape the Lord on the tumultuous sea. Jonah asked to be thrown overboard in the storm and found himself in an unlikely and uncomfortable place of protection. God got a hold of him in the belly of the great fish.

God got a hold of Paul on the road to Damascus. Later, when the tempest arose, Paul prayed and fasted during the storm and received the assurance that though the ship would be lost, all the lives on board would be saved. When the stormy sea arose, Paul prayed because he knew his Lord.

God's love surrounds us even in the most turbulent times.

Then we come to the desert times when we feel empty, deserted and spiritually lethargic. During those times, we must remember the Israelites in the wilderness. God found his people in that desert: "He found them in a wilderness, a wasteland of howling desert. He shielded them, cared for them, guarded them as the apple of his eye" (Deuteronomy 32:10)

When the people of Judah were exiled in Babylon, God told them to return to their homeland. The desert wilderness that lay between them and Jerusalem became a pathway back to God: "A voice proclaims: In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord! Make straight in the wasteland a highway for our God!" (Isaiah 40:3.)

We are not deserted in the desert.

What we must learn in difficult times is that His love is stronger than anything that might trouble us. It is in those seemingly impossible situations that we learn to trust and believe. Sometimes it takes a mountain for us to accept that.

 

Haggai’s Message for Today

By Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

The biblical prophecies all have a message for their time and for all times. God’s message for Israel through Haggai is a relevant for our time as it was for ancient Israel.

The Lord spoke to the prophet Haggai after the Jews had returned from their exile in Persia. The people of God had been diligent in rebuilding their own homes and lives, but had neglected the Temple and the worship of the Lord.

Haggai 1:3-8 (NKJV) Then the word of the LORD came by Haggai the prophet, saying, "Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, and this temple to lie in ruins?" Now therefore, thus says the LORD of hosts: "Consider your ways! "You have sown much, and bring in little; You eat, but do not have enough; You drink, but you are not filled with drink; You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm; And he who earns wages, earns wages to put into a bag with holes." Thus says the LORD of hosts: "Consider your ways! Go up to the mountains and bring wood and build the temple, that I may take pleasure in it and be glorified," says the LORD.”

As He declared in the time of Haggai, the Lord is speaking to the church today. We have not only built beautiful homes for ourselves, but we have also often constructed elaborate edifices designated as places for worship. Yet, we have even more often neglected the building of God’s temple. God has set us aside for a time to consider our ways.

Consider Paul’s first letter to the Corinthian church. According to Easton’s Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Corinth “was noted for its wealth, and for the luxurious and immoral and vicious habits of the people.” Paul wrote the letter when he learned of the strife and sin practiced by members of the congregation. The purpose of the letter was to address the different factions within the church and to correct doctrinal errors.

The Corinthians had neglected personal sanctification and had, as a result, neglected to build the true temple of the Lord.1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NKJV) “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.”

Paul addressed the corporate Body of Christ in Ephesus as the temple of the Spirit of God. Ephesians 2:19-22 (NKJV) “Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone, in whom the whole building, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.”

Individually and corporately, we are to be the sanctified temple of God, the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit. Individually and corporately, we are to consider our ways. If our emphasis is on material wealth, we are impoverished and malnourished. If we are not good stewards of our wealth, we are putting our funds into bags with holes.

Like the ancient Israelites, we are to go to the mountains, to go up higher in our relationship with the Lord. We are to take the wood, the message of the cross and build on that relationship.

In Acts 7:48-50, the first martyr, Stephan, quoted Isaiah 66:1-2,:“However, the Most High does not dwell in temples made with hands, as the prophet says: 'Heaven is My throne, And earth is My footstool. What house will you build for Me? says the LORD, Or what is the place of My rest? Has My hand not made all these things?'” (NKJV)

It is time for us to lay aside the divisive philosophies and practices of the world, to take up the cross of Jesus Christ and to build, both individually and corporately, the true temple of the Lord.

 Blessed Are Those Who Mourn

By Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

Matthew 5:1-2,4 (NKJV)
¹  And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him.
²  Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying:

⁴  Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted.

            To mourn is to be sad or disappointed because someone or something has passed away or has changed significantly. We must be aware of at least two issues in the mourning process.  The first issue is that in order to receive comfort, we must be willing to mourn.  To be stoical in the face of loss is to drive the pain more deeply into our being and actually prevent the healing that can come from the grieving process. When we refuse to grieve, we deny the comforting ministry of the Holy Spirit.  We shut the door to the desire of God to be our Comforter.  One of my favorite songs is “For Those Tears I Died” by Marsha Stevens.  In the song the Lord speaks, “I felt every teardrop when in darkness you cried, and I strove to remind you that for those tears I died.”

            In John 14, just before the crucifixion, Jesus had much to say about the Holy Spirit as our Comforter.   In verse18, He promised, “I will not leave you comfortless.”  Be willing to mourn and, therefore, willing to be comforted.

            The second issue is to remember that mourning is for a season. Solomon wrote:  "To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven:
 A time to weep, And a time to laugh; A time to mourn, And a time to dance; Ecclesiastes 3:1,4 (NKJV)

David wrote, “Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning.”  Psalm 30:5 (NKJVB)

            To be overly mournful is to be lugubrious is to wallow in exaggerated, ludicrous or overly dramatic grief.  To be lugubrious is also to shut the door to the desire of God to be our Comforter and the joy-giver of our lives.

God can use even our grief to enhance His kingdom.  ^“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”  2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (NKJV) Praise the Lord!  When we accept His comfort. we are then able to comfort others.

            “O, Lord God, I receive Your comfort so that I may be both comforted and a comforter. Amen.”

 

The Poor in Spirit

By Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

 

Matthew 5:1-3 (NKJV)
^“And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying:  "Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”  Paul wrote in Romans 14: 17-1: " for the kingdom of God is not food and drink, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. For he who serves Christ in these things is acceptable to God and approved by men."

 

The Greek word translated as “Blessed” is “makarios” which means “happy” or “happier”.  We are happier when we follow the word of the Lord.  In John 10:10, Jesus said that He came that we might have life more abundantly.  An understanding of that scripture is foundational to an understanding of the commandments and precepts of the Word of God.  God’s commandments are a handbook to the “good life”, or as the Italians say, “La dolce vita.”  God desires for us to have His best in spite of a world system that desires the opposite.  

 

God has said that we are happier if we are “poor in spirit.”  What does that mean?  The Message Bible interprets vs. 3 as "You're blessed when you're at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule.” (Matthew 5:3 MSG). We are poor in spirit when we swallow our pride and realize that our way is never the best way and that God’s way is always the best way.

 

Adam and Eve chose to do things their way, and all of creation fell.  Abraham and Sarah chose to produce an heir through Hagar rather than waiting on the Lord to bring to them the promised son, the son of the covenant.  As a result, conflict arose between the children of Abraham, and today, the animosity between the descendents of Hagar (the Arabs) and the descendents of Sarah (the Jews) has not abated.

 

However, when Mary declared herself the handmaiden of the Lord, Jesus Christ was born and redemption manifested.  When Paul, blinded, accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior, he received his sight and became a champion of the One he had once denounced.  He evinced his depth of joy when he wrote from prison, “Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice.”  (Philippians 4:4.)

One of the saddest television events in my lifetime was the reporting of the death of Elvis Presley.  One network ran a tribute to Elvis featuring a montage of his life.  In the background was Elvis’ rendition of “I Did It My Way.”  He did it his way and died at the age of 42.  

 

Are you doing things the way you have always done them and are still disappointed in the outcome? Have you reached the end of your rope and there is no knot to hold on to? Have you come to the end of yourself?   Are you willing to be poor in spirit so that God can bring the blessings of His Kingdom into your life?  Allow the following to be your prayer:  “Lord, I am so weary of my way.  In humility and with a submissive heart, I desire to live my life Your way.”

 

When we choose to be poor in spirit, when we choose submission to our Lord, ours is the kingdom of  heaven.  Ours is the righteousness, joy and peace of the Holy Spirit.

“Precious Lord, take my hand,
Lead me on, let me stand,
I am tired, I am weak, I am worn;
Through the storm, through the night,
Lead me on to the light.
Take my hand, precious Lord,
Lead me home.”         
---Thomas A. Dorsey

 Resurrection

By Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

Jesus, beautiful Redeemer,

You who bore the agony of Calvary,

Pierced by the thorns,

Scourged,

Wounded,

Forsaken,

Reviled.

Your passion paid sin’s price.

Your death opened the veil.

Your tomb is the key to freedom

From death and the grave.

Your resurrection sealed our covenant

with the Father.

Your return is the culmination of creation,

The restoration of Eden,

The doorway to eternity.

You are the way, the truth and the life.

 Passover/Feast of Unleavened Bread 

By Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

    Passover is also called The Feast of  Unleavened Bread and commemorates the finished work of the cross. 

In the Bible, leavening (yeast) symbolizes sin. The Feast of Unleavened Bread is a seven day memorial of not only the Israelites being taken from the bondage of Egyptian slavery, but also, the journey of Christians as we have been set free from the bondage of sin and grow in grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior. 

This is a time to meditate on some promises of God that will empower us to walk away from doubt, unbelief and fear and into a restful relationship with our Lord.  

Consider the following scriptures.

 Matthew 11:28-30 (NKJV)  “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."

John 14:1-3 (NKJV) "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. 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. 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.”

Hebrews 13:5-6 (NKJV) "Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you."
So we may boldly say: "The LORD is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?"

2 Chronicles 7:14 (NKJV)  "If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land."

Jeremiah 29:11 (NKJV) "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope."

1 John 1:8-9 (NKJV) "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

James 1:5-6 (NKJV) "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.

Our prayer:  Oh, Lord, may the words of my mouth and the mediation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight  (Psalm 19:14).

Bless the Lord, oh my soul.  And let all that is within in me bless His holy name (Psalm 103:1).

“Baruch HaShem Hamashiach Yeshua.  Barach HaShem Adonai.”

“Blessing in the name of Jesus the Messiah.  Blessing in the name of the Lord.”

 

The Passover Mandate

By Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

 Maundy Thursday is often celebrated during Holy Week.  Maundy means mandate.  On this day, Jesus mandated the Passover in communion, the Lord’s Supper.  In Biblical times, when people ate together, they entered into covenant with one another.  As Christians, in various times and places, when we celebrate communion, we seldom realize that in the act we are entering into is not only covenant with our Lord, but with one another. 

After they had finished the Passover meal, Jesus and the disciples sang a hymn and went out to the Garden of Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives.  There Jesus prayed.  He not only poured out His anguish before His Father, He prayed for believers through all the ages.  John 17:20-22:  "I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word;  "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. "And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one.”

As He faced the agony of the cross, the desire of Jesus’ heart was for unity in the Church—unity across denomination, culture and ethnicity.  His desire is the same today and forever more.

1 Corinthians 12: “For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free and have all been made to drink into one Spirit. For in fact the body is not one member but many.”

Let’s join together spiritually wherever we are today and, in unity, celebrate the Lord’s Supper

.

Matthew 26:26-28:  And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed it and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, "Take, eat; this is My body.''  Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you. For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

 

Christian Passover Haggadah  

By Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe  

Leader : We are entering into the Spring feast days, the Spring appointed times of the Lord.  

The Spring feast days are Passover, Feast of Unleavened Bread and First Fruits.  

Leviticus 23:5-11 establishes the Spring Feasts.  `These are the feasts of the Lord, holy convocations which you shall proclaim at their appointed times.  `On the fourteenth day of the first month at twilight is the Lord's Passover.  `And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the Lord; seven days you must eat unleavened bread. `On the first day you shall have a holy convocation; you shall do no customary work on it.  `But you shall offer an offering made by fire to the Lord for seven days. The seventh day shall be a holy convocation; you shall do no customary work on it.' '' And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, "Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: `When you come into the land which I give to you, and reap its harvest, then you shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest to the priest.  `He shall wave the sheaf before the Lord, to be accepted on your behalf; on the day after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it.”  

This is the first fruits of the barley harvest.

  

The Passover Dinner is in reality the first meal of the 7 Day Feast of Unleavened Bread.  Jesus died during the time when the sacrificial lambs were killed.  That was before sunset.  At sunset, Passover ended and the Feast of Unleavened Bread began.  The Feast of First Fruits came 3 days into the Feast of Unleavened Bread.  Jesus died on Passover and rose on the Feast of First Fruits.   

1 Corinthians 15:20:  "But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep."  Jesus is both the Passover Lamb and the first fruit of resurrection to eternal life.  

Let us begin our Passover by washing our hands.  This act pictures spiritual cleansing and preparation.  Let this act remind us of Jesus’ washing the feet of the disciples reminding us that it is the sacrifice of the Cross that brings spiritual cleansing into our lives and prepares us for service for our king. 

Explanation of Passover Display Elements:  

Passover Plate contains several items that illustrate the trials of Israel and their exodus out of slavery.   

  •Karpas:  the bitter vegetable:  represents the bitterness of Israel in Egyptian slavery.  Later we will dip it  into salt water to signify the tears of bitterness. For Christians it is a reminder of the bitterness and agony of a sinful life and an eternity separated from the presence of God.  

 •Haroset:  A mixture of fruits, honey and nuts symbolizing the mortar that the Israelite slaves used in building structures for Pharaoh. The name itself comes from the Hebrew word cheres or clay. As Christians the Haroset reminds us of the sweetness and stability of our covenant with God.  

•Zeroa:  In the Jewish Passover, a shank bone representing the sacrificial Passover lamb is placed on the tray.  As Christians, we place an edible cross on the plate to symbolize the sacrifice of Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.  

  

•Beitzah: the hard-boiled egg represents the cycle of life. In Christ, we are continually moving toward a new beginning, toward the hope we have in Him.  

  

•Four cups represent the four promises the Lord made to Israel in Exodus 6:6-7:."Therefore say to the children of Israel: `I am the Lord; I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, (sanctification) I will rescue you from their bondage,(deliverance) and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments.(redemption) `I will take you as My people, and I will be your God. Then you shall know that I am the Lord your God who brings you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.(the joy of full salvation).  

The four cups prophesy the ministry of Jesus.  

Jesus sanctifies us – “And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth” (John 17:19).  

Jesus delivers us – “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32).  

Jesus redeems us – “But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons” (Galatians 4:4-5).  

Jesus is our joy – “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full” (John 15:11).  

 

  

• The Afikomen: (leader takes a piece of matzah, breaks it into three pieces, places one piece in a napkin and hides it under the tablecloth or some other convenient place to be brought out later.  The other two pieces are broken and placed on the dining table to be eaten during the meal.) The three stacked pieces of matzah represent the Trinity, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The middle piece, the Afikomen, is placed in a napkin and hidden.  While the Jews follow the ancient ritual of the Afikomen, most do not understand the prophetic significance.  The middle piece of matzah, wrapped and hidden, is a picture of the body of the Son of God, wrapped in grave clothes and hidden in a sealed cave.  

 

•Two candles:  to be lighted now by one of the women. 

Lighting candles is a way to welcome Shabbat and make it a day of pleasure, as commanded by the Torah.   

The act of lighting candles is also a symbol of the union and harmony between heaven and earth, and a way to express inner feelings.   

Traditionally, women have been seen as the keepers of the household and are responsible for ensuring its spiritual and physical well-being.   It is also a reminder that light (Jesus) came into the world through a woman.

Genesis 3:15  And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He will bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel. 

John 1:4-5  In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overtake it. 

John 8:12  Then Jesus spoke again to them, saying, I am the Light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. 

Leader: (Blessing of the sabbath candles):   

Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us to kindle the light of the holy Sabbath.  

Oh Lord, our God, we praise You for bringing us once again to this season where we remember  our deliverance from worldly sin and into the promises contained in our covenant with You based on the atoning sacrifice of Jesus, our Messiah.  

We thank you for the lesson we see in the deliverance of your people from the slavery of Egypt.  Amen  

The candles are lighted. 

Let us now bless the first cup, the cup of sanctification:  

In His High Priestly prayer recorded in John 17:18-20, our Lord prayed for us, "Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. "As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.  "And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth. "I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word.”  

Lord, we praise You that through the sacrifice of Jesus, our Passover lamb, we can be sanctified and set apart for your service. Amen (drink the first cup.)  

The blessing of the Karpas—the bitter herb: Pass the bitter herb around the table each person is to receive a portion; dip yours in the salt water.  “Father, we thank you that the sacrifice of Jesus has delivered us from tears of the bitterness of sin and unforgiveness.  Create in each of us a pure heart and renew a steadfast spirit within us.” (Eat the karpas.)  

Please take a piece of matzah and top it with some of the haroset. This pictures the bitterness of the slavery in Egypt and the sweetness of freedom.  It is a picture of the bitterness and anguish when we are enslaved in sin and the sweetness and joy that come into our lives when we accept salvation in Jesus Christ. 

Exodus 12:1-20: “Now the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, "This month shall be your beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you. "Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying: `On the tenth day of this month every man shall take for himself a lamb, according to the house of his father, a lamb for a household. `And if the household is too small for the lamb, let him and his neighbor next to his house take it according to the number of the persons; according to each man's need you shall make your count for the lamb. `Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats. `Now you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month. Then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at twilight.  `And they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses where they eat it. `Then they shall eat the flesh on that night; roasted in fire, with unleavened bread and with bitter herbs they shall eat it. `Do not eat it raw, nor boiled at all with water, but roasted in fire its head with its legs and its entrails. `You shall let none of it remain until morning, and what remains of it until morning you shall burn with fire. `And thus you shall eat it: with a belt on your waist, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. So you shall eat it in haste. It is the Lord's Passover.  `For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the Lord. `Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.”  

 

The price for sin has been paid.  Because of Jesus' shed blood, we are "passed over" from the eternal consequence of sin. On the cross, Jesus declared, “It is finished” meaning that the debt has been paid in full.  Please take the cross at your plate, dip it in the horseradish take a bite of it as a reminder of the agony our Savior suffered at Calvary.   

  

The sun has set. Passover has been completed. It is time for the Feast of Unleavened Bread.    In scripture, leavening pictures sin.  Leavening spreads throughout the dough and changes it chemically. In the same way, sin can permeate our body, mind and spirit changing us from the people God created us to be.

  

`So this day shall be to you a memorial; and you shall keep it as a feast to the Lord throughout your generations. You shall keep it as a feast by an everlasting ordinance. `Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall remove leaven from your houses. For whoever eats leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel. `On the first day there shall be a holy convocation, and on the seventh day there shall be a holy convocation for you. No manner of work shall be done on them; but that which everyone must eat that only may be prepared by you. `So you shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for on this same day I will have brought your armies out of the land of Egypt. Therefore, you shall observe this day throughout your generations as an everlasting ordinance.  `In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at evening, you shall eat unleavened bread, until the twenty-first day of the month at evening. `For seven days no leaven shall be found in your houses, since whoever eats what is leavened, that same person shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he is a stranger or a native of the land. `You shall eat nothing leavened; in all your dwellings you shall eat unleavened bread.' ''  

Take the second cup, the cup of deliverance. As we take this cup, we thank God for our deliverance.  “Father, we are thankful that You do not lead us into temptation and that You willingly deliver us from evil.  You are our deliverance.  Just as You delivered Israel from the slavery of Egypt, in the atonement of Your Son, You deliver us from slavery to sin.  In You, sin no longer has mastery over us.  Amen. (Drink the second cup.)  

Please take a piece of the matzah.  The matzah is unleavened bread.   Passover is a time to purge the leavening from our lives just as spring cleaning purges the leavening from our homes.  On the day after He entered the city, Jesus went to His house, the temple.  He cleansed Temple of the leavening of sin by chasing out the moneychangers and declaring His Father’s house as a House of Prayer and not a den of thieves.  

  

In like manner, Passover is a time to cleanse our temples (our bodies) of sin through confession and repentance and to offer ourselves once again as a living sacrifice to our Lord.  

Deliverance brings purity into our lives.  It is time to drink the second cup.

Traditionally, Jews thank God for the meal after they have eaten.  We will follow this tradition this evening.  

Please remember that every time we eat together, we are coming into covenant with one another.  This is a family meal.   

  

Psalm 133  

1.  Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!  

 2.  It is like the precious oil upon the head, running down on the beard, The beard of Aaron, Running down on the edge of his garments.  

 3.  It is like the dew of Hermon, descending upon the mountains of Zion; For there the Lord commanded the blessing Life forevermore.  

  

Please enjoy your Passover meal as you fellowship with others.  

  

(After the meal.)  

  

Let us bless the third cup, the cup of redemption.  

  

Heavenly Father, we praise You for Your provision of food and fellowship as we have gathered together around the table and as we look forward to the heavenly Marriage Supper of the Lamb. As we prepare to drink the third cup, the cup of redemption, we welcome the Holy Spirit into our lives as the seal of our redemption in Jesus Christ. We declare that our deliverance has come through the Jesus, our sacrificial lamb. We drink this cup in anticipation of our soon and coming King of Kings and Lord of Lords. We are redeemed by the blood of the Lamb.  Hallelujah! Amen. Please drink the third cup.  

  

What was accomplished during that Holy Week over 2,000 years ago?  

1.    The death and resurrection of Jesus paid the price for our sin and allowed God to declare us pure, innocent, righteous, acceptable and forgiven.  

2.    The death and resurrection of Jesus gave us access to God.  Remember that the veil in the temple was torn from top to bottom when Jesus died.

3.    The death and resurrection of Jesus set us free from the rule of evil powers.  

4.    The death and resurrection of Jesus gave us victory.  

  

He is our salvation—Passover.  

He is our Righteousness—Unleavened Bread.  

He is our Resurrection—First Fruits.  

  

The appointed times of the Lord are all about Jesus.  

He is not here; He is risen.  Hallelujah!  

  

The Hallel—Psalms 113-118 are recited during Passover.  After the leader reads a selection, the people shout “Hallelujah!!!   

  

Our Hallel is based on portions from the Hallel psalms.  Please stand for the reading and response of the Hallel.  

  

  

The Hallel:  

 Leader:  Praise the Lord! Praise, O servants of the Lord, Praise the name of the Lord!  Blessed be the name of the Lord From this time forth and forevermore!  

Congregation:  Hallelujah!  

 Leader:  From the rising of the sun to its going down The Lord's name is to be praised.  The Lord is high above all nations, And His glory above the heavens.  

Congregation:  Hallelujah!  

Leader:  He will bless those who fear the Lord, Both small and great.  May the Lord give you increase more and more, You and your children.  May you be blessed by the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.  

Congregation:  Hallelujah!  

Leader:  O Lord, truly I am Your servant; I am Your servant, the son of Your maidservant; You have loosed my bonds.  I will offer to You the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the Lord.  

Congregation:  Hallelujah!  

Leader:  Oh, praise the Lord, all you Gentiles! Laud Him, all you peoples!  

For His merciful kindness is great toward us, And the truth of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord!  

Congregation:  Hallelujah!  

Leader:  You are my God, and I will praise You; You are my God, I will exalt You.   Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.  

Congregation:  Hallelujah!  

  

Please be seated as we receive the Lord’s Supper and drink the fourth cup, the cup of the new covenant, the cup of joy.

It is time for the afikomen to be revealed. (Leader takes the afikomen and unwraps it.) The afikomen was eaten at the end of the meal.  It was this bread that Jesus served.   

  

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

  

Look carefully at the matzah.  You can see the stripes, the blotches that look like bruises, and the piercing.  The matzah pictures His suffering for our sin.  

  

Isaiah 53:5-6:  But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, everyone, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.  

  
Father, we thank You for the broken body of Jesus Christ.  We will partake often in remembrance of Calvary. Please eat the matzah  

  
Matthew 26:27-28:  Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you. "For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.”  
Thank You, Lord for the blood of Jesus that washes white as snow.  

  
And now drink the fourth cup, the cup of joy in the Lord.  
  

Matthew 26: 29-30 Jesus said, "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.'' And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.”  

  

Please join hands as we sing “Blest Be the Tie That Binds.”  

  

Blest be the tie that binds  
Our hearts in Christian love;  
The fellowship of kindred minds  
Is like to that above.  

  

Benediction:  Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, to God our Savior, who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen.  (Jude 24-25).  

 The Triumphal Entries

By Rev. Lonnie C.  Crowe

Matthew 21: 5-9:  "Tell the daughter of Zion, `Behold, your King is coming to you, lowly, and sitting on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey.' '' So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them. They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them. And a very great multitude spread their garments on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road. Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying: "Hosanna to the Son of David! `Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!' Hosanna in the highest!''

“Hosanna” means “God save us” or “God is our salvation.”  Later that week, the crowds became a mob demanding His crucifixion.  Little did they know that it is the crucifixion that brings the salvation.

On that first Palm Sunday, our Lord entered from the Mount of Olives, which is east of Jerusalem, on the back of a donkey.  He came as the obedient servant. Matthew 20:28: “the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.''

A few days later, Jesus knelt, as a servant, and washed the feet of His disciples, even the feet of Judas Iscariot.  Later that evening, He was arrested, tried by three courts, and then died on the cross at the time when the Passover lambs were slain.  He served.  He gave His life as the ransom for sin.  He gave His life for all the children of Adam.

Ø  The triumphal entry fulfilled an ancient prophecy.

Ø  Zechariah 9:9 reads: “Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”

However, it isn’t over.  He is coming again.  He is coming again along the same route.  He will again enter through the Eastern Gate.  Zechariah 14:4a: “And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem on the east.” 

He will enter again, but not as a servant riding a donkey.

Revelation 19: 11-16:  “Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.”

It will not just be crowds on earth that will welcome Him. A great multitude in heaven will sound forth.

Revelation 19:1, 5-: 7a “After these things I heard a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, "Alleluia! Salvation and glory and honor and power to the Lord our God! Then a voice came from the throne, saying, "Praise our God, all you His servants and those who fear Him, both small and great!''

“And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, "Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns! Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory.”

Look up! Your redemption draweth nigh. (Luke 21:28).

Psalm 24:

⁷    Lift up your heads, O you gates!

    And be lifted up, you everlasting doors!

    And the King of glory shall come in.

⁸    Who is this King of glory?

    The Lord strong and mighty,

    The Lord mighty in battle.

⁹    Lift up your heads, O you gates!

    Lift up, you everlasting doors!

    And the King of glory shall come in.

¹⁰    Who is this King of glory?

    The Lord of hosts,

    He is the King of glory.

The First Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem has passed.

The Second Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem is to come.

The question is “Will you live in triumph with Him today?