Preparing for Passover 2020

God's Word - the Holy Bible - refers to the first month of the year with the name Nisan (see Nehemiah 2:1; Esther 3:7). The Passover and God's holy feasts (some of which are also this month) are based upon the calendar which begins on Nisan 1st. 

After sunset on March 25th was the first day of the year - according to God's calendar in 2020.

When speaking of the Hebrew month of Abib/Nisan God declared:

"' This month shall be your beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you'" - Exodus 12:2; NKJV, unless otherwise noted.

But, sadly, most people do not realize that is what God's living Word actually teaches. The first month of the sacred year has various God-ordained and commanded observances.

True Christians are to prepare for it.

The apostle Paul wrote:

"For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; 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.' [this represents, is symbolic – the bread doesn’t change into human flesh, as a major church organization says, and that’s (if you think about it would really be creepy, that would be cannibalism) not what’s going on here, it’s just symbolic] 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 [Once a year. It’s an anniversary. It’s not day after day or week after week, or month after month] 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 [and a woman] examine himself [herself], and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29) For he who drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord's body.

30) For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep [are dead]. 31) For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world." - 1 Corinthians 11:23-32.

Remember friends, Paul is chiding the Corinthian people because some of them were making this into an all-out drunken bash! A gluttonous feast. While others without many provisions, they were in the corner with nothing! “…not discerning the Lord’s body.” – not realizing and appreciating what He went through!

Of course, the majority who profess Christ believe that they're just fine - yet this is a GRAVE DANGER as the Lord God told some within the Body of Christ: 

"' Because you say, 'I am rich, have become wealthy [even including related to knowledge], and have no need of nothing' - and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked - 18) I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. 19) As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore, be zealous and repent.'" - Revelation 3:17-19.

A very SERIOUS OBSERVATION! A similar WARNING is found in Ezekiel:

“…’ whoever hears the sound of the trumpet and does not take warning, …’” – because they think they're rich, they think they're increased with goods, they think they have need of nothing, and they do not understand just how miserable and poor and lacking in understanding they are! And one of the reasons they are lacking in understanding is because they’re religious tentacles are in the soil of the Old Covenant! Their roots are feeding off the Old Covenant! And they do not understand that they need to change and become adherents and practicers, believers in the PROMISES OF JESUS CHRIST IN THE NEW COVENANT!

It is indeed, the time of the year to truly consider this!

So, as far as a self-examination here is an excerpt from the article "Passover Service 2017" by Minister Michael C. Garrett:

2 Corinthians 13:5 – “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? …” – otherwise, you are reprobates, you are not accounted in the Body of Christ. And so this idea of periodically examining yourself whether you be in the faith. So again, how do you determine if you’re in the faith!? You can only do that by going by the Word of God. And you can only do that by living under the provisions and the concepts and the principles of the New Covenant. If you live your life according to the Old Covenant – the Old Testament ideas – if you sort-of wanna be Jewish in your heart and mind your missing the picture. ... There is new life in the New Covenant! But you have to listen to the Bible and not what your ministers say. Because the ministers of so many of the other churches of God are stuck in the past. They’re simply repeating what they heard 20, 30, 40, 50-years ago! And many of them have not progressed one iota into understanding more truth, more ideas – presented in the Bible! Well, it’s a very important concept – examine yourselves whether you be in the faith. Or as he says back in 1 Corinthians chapter 11 – “But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup.”

The apostle Paul also wrote that Christians were not to glory in their compromising and in their tolerance and indeed are to observe Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread:

"Your glorying is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? 7) Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. 8) Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth." - 1 Corinthians 5:6-8.

Again, Minister Michael C. Garrett:

And the largest and most important meaning of it all – the Days of Unleavened Bread, the unleavened BREAD of sincerity and truth is what we find here in John 6. Verse 32 –

“Then Jesus said to them, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true Bread from Heaven. 33) For the Bread of God is He who comes down from Heaven and gives life to the world.’ … 35) ‘I AM [Jesus said] the Bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes [on] Me shall never thirst.’” And here’s verse 44, an important principle – “’ No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.’” – that’s not the last “great” day, it means ‘the last day when I change mortal people into immortal eternal beings.’ Verse 47 – “’ Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes [on] Me has everlasting life. 38) I AM [that] Bread of life. 49) Your fathers ate manna in the wilderness, and are [now] dead. 50) This is the Bread which comes down from Heaven, that one may eat of it and not die. 51) I AM [that] living Bread which came down from Heaven. If anyone eats of this Bread, he [or she] 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 [blowing of the SEVENTH TRUMPET]. 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 here’s the important part, “…’ and I in him.’”

For seven days, we’re told, to take unleavened bread, which represents sincerity and truth, and Jesus Himself, and we are to remind ourselves that without Him in us – we have nothing.

(Garrett, M.C., Passover Message - 2013; posted April 19th, 2019).

The time to prepare for it is now. □

Speaking of Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread, we have dozens and dozens of Holy Day Sermons located on our home website http://www.owensborochurchofjesuschrist.com/.

Several items of related interest:

During Passover - Grape Juice or Wine? - Friends, last year before Passover I had touched on whether our Lord Jesus Christ was observing Passover with grape juice or wine. [...]

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Christ In You (Unleavened Bread) - 2017 a seven-part series - Table of Contents: [...]

Proving the Truth! - “Well, what do you believe!?” And sometimes you feel brave enough to walk through that door and sometimes people sort-of shy away from it. But it’s a good question. What do the churches of the world believe and teach which are dramatically different than what we believe and teach!? And I thought it would be an interesting thing to go over some of these ideas. [...]