Feast of the Passover – Unleavened Bread

This past several weeks I have been studying the book of Mark, today I am digging deeper into Mark 14:1 and 2

Mark 14:1, 2

After two days was the feast of the passover, and of unleavened bread: and the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take him by craft, and put him to death.

But they said, Not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar of the people.

My two main words to focus on are: passover and unleavened.  How do these words apply to me today as a bible believing saved Christian by the blood of Jesus Christ?

What I love about the bible is the answers are always in scripture.  Scripture answers scripture, when we as a Christian start to rely more on man and less on God and his word, it is then we stumble and fall.

We need to head back to the beginning, in the days of Moses, to learn about the feast of the passover.  Exodus Chapter 12 tells us when the passover is and the details of a the passover.  After reading this we know four important pieces:

1. lamb is spotless and unblemished
2. the instructions are to be followed-the first month and the 10th day and kept until 14th day, killed in the evening, with the blood strike on the two sides posts and on the upper door of the house.
3. the blood is a token
4. eat the flesh in night roast with fire and unleavened bread

 

Passover – (Webster’s 1828 Dictionary)

P`ASSOVER, n. [pass and over.] A feast of the Jews, instituted to commemorate the providential escape of the Hebrews, in Egypt, when God smiting the first-born of the Egyptians, passed over the houses of the Israelites, which were marked with the blood of the paschal lamb.

1. The sacrifice offered at the feast of the passover.

 

Now let’s look at the word unleavened:

Unleavened – (Webster’s 1828 Dictionary)

UNLEAVENED, a. unlev’ened. Not leavened; not raised by leaven, barm or yeast. Exo 12.

And let’s look what leaven means:

Leaven – (Webster’s 1828 Dictionary)

LEAVEN, n. lev’n. [L. levo, Eng. to lift.]

1. A mass of sour dough, which, mixed with a larger quantity of dough or paste, produces fermentation in it and renders it light. During the seven days of the passover, no leaven was permitted to be in the houses of the Jews. Exo 12.

2. Any thing which makes a general change in the mass. It generally means something which corrupts or depraves that with which it is mixed.

Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.

Mat 16.

LEAVEN, v.t. lev’n.

1. To excite fermentation in; to raise and make light, as dough or paste.

A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump. 1 Cor 5.

2. to taint; to imbue.

I really like using the Webster 1828 Dictionary – as I find it’s importance to the meaning of words as they pertain to the bible.  As a forward progressive society words lose meaning and change; and with change we need to be reminded of our history and what these changes once were.

By reading 1 Corinthians 5: 6-8 we have a clear understanding of why unleavened bread is used at passover.

Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?

Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:

Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

How does this relate to me today as a child of God? Are you surrounding yourself with godly men and women who are faithfully serving the Lord with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth? Or are you surrounding yourself with the old leaven bread full of malice and wickedness? As we read in Mark 14:1, 2 both the chief priests and the scribes knew they could not put Jesus to death on the passover or it would cause the people to roar.  So, do you think the chief priests and the scribes were unleavened or leavened?

 

Again, I love how scripture answers scripture by reading 1 Peter 1:18-19

Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;

But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:

To wrap this up in a full circle – Jesus became our passover – he was without blemish, no sin, without leaven and only unleavened. His blood become our token for our SINS, so that we are to have eternal life with God.  To observe the feast was a duty and privileged but until the crucifixion of Christ there was not a guarantee. It’s because of Christ, God’s grace and mercies we have a guarantee of going to eternity with our Lord.

HAVE you submitted to Christ today?

May you continue to not lean unto your own understanding but search the word of our living God. May you find peace in knowing you can have eternal life.

Times of Distress – My Church Notes

My Church Notes- May 22, 2016

1 Samuel Chapter 30: 1-25

VS 6: And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in theLord his God.

Do you go through distress?  How many times do we blame God for our stress?  Why do we blame God for our distress?  Is it perhaps we need correction ourselves or conviction?

Webster’s definition of distressed–  Suffering great pain or torture; severely afflicted; harassed; oppressed with calamity or misfortune.

What kind of day do you have?

1- Mountain Top Days (these are the best brightest days and nothing is wrong and you don’t have a care in the world)

2- Ordinary Days (these are the uneventful, nothing to exciting, nothing is wearing us down)

3-  Dark Days (drudge and despair, confusion and distressed)

Webster’s definition of despair– 1) Hopelessness; a hopeless state; a destitution of hope or expectation. 2) Loss of hope in the mercy of God.

There are times we need to journey through distress or despair in order to allow us to learn something new.  The good news God always sees us through. If we are in the wilderness of life and don’t know where we are or where we are going, we need our Lord to get us through this journey.  Walking this journey alone is not what the Lord intended for us.

We know this by reading his word-

Deuteronomy 4:31 (For the LORD thy God is a merciful God;) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them.

and

Deuteronomy 31:8 And the LORD, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.

When you are going through a dark day – reading God’s word, writing a poem, reading Psalms which are praises to God or perhaps write a song may help with your dark days.

Frances Jane van Alstyne (née Crosby; March 24, 1820 – February 12, 1915), more commonly known as Fanny Crosby, was an American mission worker, poet, lyricist, and composer. Fanny’s work produced more than 100 million copies printed, despite being blind from shortly after birth. 

“Jesus Is Tenderly Calling You Home” by Fanny Crosby

1. Jesus is tenderly calling you home—Calling today, calling today,Why from the sunshine of love will you roam Farther and farther away?

   • Refrain:
     Calling today, calling today,
     Jesus is calling, is tenderly calling today.

2. Jesus is calling the weary to rest—Calling today, calling today,Bring Him your burden and you shall be blest; He will not turn you away.

3. Jesus is waiting, oh, come to Him now—Waiting today, waiting today,Come with your sins, at His feet lowly bow;Come, and no longer delay.

4. Jesus is pleading, oh, list to His voice:Hear Him today, hear Him today,They who believe on His name shall rejoice;Quickly arise and away.

In Job we read how he has many dark days, however, we know by reading Job 13:15 he never gave up on God.

Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him.

In Isaiah we read about his dark days, however, Isaiah does not give up on our God.

Isaiah 25:4 For thou hast been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall.

Have you given up on God today?

May you not lean unto your own understanding but trust and read the living word of God and know he is a good God all days not just on mountain top days ………….but all days.

 

My Church Notes – Who Can…….

Who Can Find a Virtuous Women? (May 8, 2016)

Proverbs 31:10-31 King James Version (KJV)

¹⁰ Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.

Webster’s 1828 Dictionary states:

VIR’TUOUS, adjective

1. Morally good; acting in conformity to the moral law; practicing the moral duties, and abstaining from vice; as a virtuous man.

2. Being in conformity to the moral or divine law; as a virtuous action; a virtuous life.

From God’s word – Ruth is a virtuous women by reading Ruth 3:11-

“And now, my daughter, fear not; I will do to thee all that thou requirest: for all the city of my people doth know that thou art a virtuous woman.”

A woman should strive to be morally good and say “no” to immortality.

A woman should draw in her husband so he does not wander from her.

A woman should do good and not evil.

A woman’s lifestyle can draw in a lost husband to the Lord. From God’s word – 1 Peter 3:7

“Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.”

Thoughts to consider:

Are you a woman who is:

• convicted of God’s word and truth
• use wisdom over foolishness
• use kindness
• control your tongue to gossip or unpleasant language
• cheerful and helpful to others around you

We read in Proverbs 31:19-22 – she is not afraid to do hard work

¹⁹ She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff.

²⁰ She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy.

²¹ She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household [are] clothed with scarlet.

²² She maketh herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing [is] silk and purple.

Are you a Proverbs 31 Woman?  If not what is standing in your way?

What women do you think of from the bible, your church, your family or your friends who are Proverb 31 Women?

I pray you take the time to learn the truth from the living word of God and search your heart deep to remove any hindering thoughts or actions of becoming a Proverbs 31 Woman.

May you continue to search the word of our living God and not lean unto your own understanding. 

 

 

 

Go Your Way and Tell

My church notes:  April 2016 – Luke 7

Did you know the Baptist church can be traced back to John the Baptist?

We know from reading the bible John the Baptist is about 6 months older than Jesus and a cousin to Jesus. It was John the Baptist who baptizes Jesus. The calling from our Lord to John the Baptist was to point out to Israel who the Savior and Messiah was and this one called Jesus was here to save the world – you and me.  What a sacrifice and a love that one can’t even begin to comprehend from both, John who ends up beheaded, and Jesus who dies on the cross for us.

How easy it is to have Satan put doubt in your mind? John knew his calling was to prepare the way for the Messiah as read in Matthew 3-1,2.

3 In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea,

² And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

John knew Jesus was the Messiah but expected him to immediately save the world.  John didn’t understand God’s timing.  John was a man who like all of us was thinking in a worldly man’s view and not God’s.  How easy it was for Satan to place doubt in John’s mind – this can’t be the Messiah he is not saving man kind. During this time of doubt John was in prison for at least two years and heard of the miracles Jesus was preforming.  John was like we are today, a world which wants instant gratification.  We want, want and want more without ever thinking we may need to wait and wait and wait some more before getting our answers.

We read in Luke 7:19-29

27 This is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face,which shall prepare thy way before thee.

28 For I say unto you,Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist:but he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.

29 And all the people that heard him, and the publicans,justified God, being baptized with the baptism of John.

John’s calling was used in a mighty way.  Remember your calling and God’s will for you might seem unreasonable or you might doubt it, but we know by God’s living word we need to be patient and wait on God’s timing and not ours.

As we read about John the Baptist – a quick fix is not always the answer.  So continue to Go Your Way and Tell – just as Jesus said in Luke 7:22

22 Then Jesus answering said unto them, Go your way, and tell John what things ye have seen and heard; how that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the gospel is preached.

May you continue to search the word of God and lean not unto your own understanding.

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