250-Passover - The Beginning of the New Year#
250-Passover, the beginning of the New Year
(JP Text Group - Organized by the Little Prince of Heaven)
The topic we are sharing is: Passover, the beginning of the New Year.
Exodus 12:13-14
13 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 no plague will befall you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt. 14 This day shall be for you a memorial day, and you shall keep it as a feast to the Lord; throughout your generations, you shall observe it as a statute forever.
Let us pray together:
Heavenly Father! Thank You and praise You! You renew us through Your word, You know the needs of our hearts, and the Holy Spirit will provide for us in due time. During this time, let us once again receive from You. We are willing to leave Egypt with Your strength and start a new life with Your power. Please help every brother and sister, we pray in the name of the Lord Jesus. Amen!
When the Israelites left Egypt, they faced great obstacles. They endured a long life of hard labor under the oppression of the Egyptians for four hundred years. They cried out, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, so He sent Moses as the leader of Israel to bring them out of Egypt and back to the promised land of Canaan.
Pharaoh of Egypt repeatedly obstructed this matter, even after God warned Pharaoh nine times, “If you do not let my people go, I will bring plagues upon you.” However, Pharaoh's heart remained hard, refusing to let the Israelites go. On the tenth time, God severely punished the Egyptians, killing all the firstborns of Egypt, including the firstborn of livestock. In this judgment, God preserved the firstborns of Israel and their livestock to demonstrate that this was God's work. At that moment, Pharaoh no longer resisted God and finally allowed the Israelites to leave.
Spiritually speaking, before we knew Jesus, we were all under the bondage of the world and the devil. No matter how hard we tried, we could not escape. Many people suffer in various bindings, feeling pain, despair, and pressure, unable to rely on themselves to break free. God personally sent His servants to clearly explain the gospel to us, which will untie all our bindings.
Perhaps we have tried many methods but failed. However, God's way is to bring us out of “Egypt” completely through the blood of His Son Jesus, and God has cut off the way back; we can never return. God does not want us to go back. When the blood of Jesus flowed for us on the cross, we believed, and at that moment, our new life and new living began. God wants to bless us in the land He leads us to.
On the day the Israelites left Egypt, God called this month Nisan, the first month of the year. This is somewhat like the Chinese lunar calendar; according to the solar calendar, the New Year has already passed for two months, while the lunar calendar is still in Nisan. Why is it at this time? Many people may not know what it means to celebrate the New Year; in fact, it originates from God, who called the month in which He saved the Israelites the beginning of the New Year.
You also have a “New Year” spiritually; from the moment you accepted Jesus, your “New Year” began. From that moment on, every day, God leads you. Do not say, “I cannot feel God’s presence; I feel abandoned by Him.” No, even if you go the wrong way, if you are weak and fall, or even if you curse Him, He is still with you.
When the Israelites were in the wilderness, did God ever leave them? During the day, there was a pillar of cloud, and at night, there was a pillar of fire. God was with them twenty-four hours a day. God did not stay with them because of their behavior; what He remembered was His covenant with Abraham. When we believe in Jesus, we also have a covenant with God. From that moment on, our God is responsible for everything concerning us, supplying us with everything. No matter what difficulties we encounter, as long as we are willing to come before Him and call upon Him, God will help and support us because He loves us to the end.
The first problem they encountered in the wilderness was a lack of water. When they arrived at Marah, the water there was bitter. After you believe in Jesus, you will still encounter problems; you will face issues, but you have supernatural solutions. What do you do when you encounter suffering and bitter water? You might want to find other water to drink, but what if you cannot find sweet water? This is when God’s method began, a method they had never used in Egypt. What do you do when you encounter bitter water in Egypt? You simply do not drink it. But now, in the desert, you must drink this water; what do you do?
God used a supernatural method. He told Moses: “Take a tree and put it in the water.” The water was healed, and the bitter water became sweet. From the moment you believe in Jesus, you will still encounter some obstacles and problems. You must believe that when that tree was put in, the curse would turn into a blessing, and suffering would turn into blessing. Everything that was a hindrance to you in the past will turn into something beneficial for you.
That tree symbolizes the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Once Jesus enters your life, everything will change because of Him. Do not say, “It’s over; I’m doomed.” That is not what we should say, for God has all the answers you need. God does not look at your good behavior to bless you or love you; rather, He remembers the covenant.
Let us first look at what happened at the beginning. Exodus 2:23-25,
23 After many years, the king of Egypt died. The Israelites groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help. Their cry for rescue from slavery came up to God. 24 And God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 25 God saw the people of Israel, and God knew their suffering.
What is the key point here? It is not that the Israelites were pious enough for God to save them. Some schools of thought believe that unless you are deeply penitent and cry out to God, as long as you cry out in a miserable way, God will listen to your prayers. Absolutely not. God heard the Israelites because He remembered His covenant with Abraham; their cries reached God.
Crying out is also a form of prayer. God did not say, “If you cry out enough, I can save you.” It is not like that. God heard their cries and remembered His covenant with Abraham. We just talked about the covenant God made with Abraham; God thought of that agreement, which is a contract. When we pray now, it means we are reminding God: “Lord! I need You to treat me according to what is in the contract; I am facing this problem now.” It is absolutely not saying, “Lord! Look, I have performed well enough, so You bless me.” Relying on your own strength will lead to problems.
Every time we pray, we remind ourselves that we have a covenant with God. And this covenant is given to you because Jesus accomplished everything in the covenant for you, which guarantees that every prayer you make will reach God. When God fulfills His promises to you, it is absolutely not based on your behavior; God remembers His covenant with Jesus, and that is why He fulfills it for you.
Just like the Israelites, it was not because their cries were loud enough that God blessed them and saved them; it was because God remembered: “I want to fulfill the covenant I made with Abraham, so I will save them.” So what did the covenant God made with Abraham mention? Your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs for four hundred years, and when the number is complete, I will bring them out, and I will punish the nation they serve.
This is what God personally said, and now the time has come; their cries have reached God, and He begins to fulfill His covenant. It goes on to say that God saw the Israelites and knew their suffering. Do not pray in a way that says, “Lord! Open Your eyes and see how pitiful I am.” God knows everything about you; what you need to do now is: “Lord! According to that covenant, please help me.” The key point is that God remembered the covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Let us look at the next passage, Exodus 6:5-8,
5 I have heard the groaning of the people of Israel whom the Egyptians hold as slaves, and I have remembered my covenant. 6 Say therefore to the people of Israel, “I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from slavery to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment. 7 I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. 8 I will bring you into the land that I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. I will give it to you for a possession. I am the Lord.”
Does this mention good behavior? God keeps mentioning the covenant, but what did the Israelites do? “I have heard your cries, and I have begun to remember my covenant; I will punish the Egyptians.” It is God who is acting. You may encounter your enemies attacking you, but do not attack your enemies yourself; you may not win, let God handle it. “I will redeem you from their burdens.” You say, “What should I do if I have burdens now?” Come to Jesus; His yoke is easy, and He will help you out of your burdens. “You will no longer work for them.” Everyone’s suffering is different, but when you come to Jesus, He will not let you suffer more; He will solve your suffering.
In verse 7, “I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God. You shall know that I am the Lord your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.”
Isn’t this implementing the content of that covenant? This sentence means that God’s intention is: You come to me, and I will take responsibility for you. So whatever problems we have, we can come before the Father. He says, “I swore to give the land to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and I will bring you into it.”
What is remembered is still that covenant. Remember: God brings you into a land of abundance, blesses you, and makes everything good for you, not because of your good behavior, but because God remembers the covenant He made with Jesus. So He will bring you in. When God wants to bring us in, we should follow His footsteps, let God go before, and you follow behind. It is that simple, and everything becomes very easy.
Then God says, “I will bring you in and give you that land for a possession.” He has also given us an inheritance; today, Jesus has brought you into His kingdom. The latter part of this sentence is being fulfilled in you: I will also give you an inheritance. We are now in a time of inheritance, so you go and preach the gospel for the Lord, willing to come to church to worship Him on Sundays, and willing to rely on Him in everything; this is all your way of receiving your inheritance. Hallelujah!
The firstborn of Israel and the firstborn of livestock in Egypt were preserved because of the covenant God made with them. God established a recognizable sign so that the angel of death would see this sign and pass over, not entering to kill. This method was that the Israelites killed the lamb on the fourteenth day at dusk, and painted the blood of the lamb on the doorposts and lintels, while their whole family ate the lamb inside, waiting to leave Egypt. That blood became the sign, the sign of salvation, and the reason they could leave Egypt.
The focus is not on the behavior of the Israelites, but on the blood on the door. The blood brought them protection; when the angel of death walked outside, he saw the blood on the doorposts and lintels and could not enter. This was God’s command. When you believe in Jesus, you also have the protection of His precious blood.
So you should believe: all curses and disasters will not come upon you as long as you do not go outside. They can come close to you, but they cannot enter, just like the angel of death could come to the door of the Israelites but could not enter because the blood provided a barrier for them. The blood became their salvation and the true reason for their departure from Egypt.
Exodus 12:13, “The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live.” All of this is a foreshadowing; in reality, Jesus shed His precious blood on the cross for you. You also have a sign, which is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is greater than all spirits in the world. Curses and diseases cannot cross over the Holy Spirit to strike you; they cannot do it. Therefore, you are also a person with this sign. No matter where you go, the Holy Spirit is with me; this is the sign. In the future, whether one is saved or not depends on whether they have the Holy Spirit inside. If they do, they are saved; if not, they are not saved. “When I see the blood, I will pass over you.” What does “pass over” mean? It means not to harm you. “When I strike the firstborn of Egypt, no plague will come upon you to destroy you.” This is passing over.
We celebrate the New Year, but many people do not know why we celebrate it or why we set off firecrackers at midnight. Some say, “In the past, there was a beast of the year, so we set off firecrackers to scare it away.” Firecrackers do not scare that away; they celebrate the arrival of the New Year. The so-called beast, when we pass it down, may have some deviation. On New Year’s Eve, we all stay home and do not go out because there is a beast that comes into the house to eat children and livestock; is that the meaning? In fact, if you go back to the Bible, that is the angel of death, who wants to consume people and livestock...
The general idea still exists, so we need to hide in the house; if we go out, we will be eaten. But God says clearly: “If you hide in the house, the angel of death will not find you because there is blood on the door.” When we celebrate the New Year, we all post couplets. I have told everyone before that Chinese people are very clever; perhaps in the past, they also painted blood, but later found it troublesome to paint animal blood, so couplets came out. Later, someone thought it was good to write a few characters on it. As a result, it has evolved to today, where people post all sorts of things, like inviting the God of Wealth, and all sorts of nonsense...
Does this have anything to do with it? The blood does not make you rich; it brings you protection. What truly guarantees you in terms of wealth is not this blood but God’s guidance. We think about getting rich, thinking about avoiding disasters, but we are using the wrong method. If we return to our Lord Jesus, all of this will be realized.
This blood is for God to see, not for you to see. After the doorposts and lintels were painted with blood, can you see the blood outside the door while hiding inside? You cannot see it. Today, can you see the precious blood of Jesus? You cannot see it; can God see it? Yes. So when you believe in Jesus, the precious blood of Jesus is seen by God. He says, “Whoever believes that my Son’s precious blood brings forgiveness for their sins, I acknowledge that they are the ones in this covenant; they are under my protection.”
You say, “I cannot see it.” You tell me, why is the blood that Jesus shed two thousand years ago still effective today? It is for this reason: it is not for you to see; it is for God to see. But you receive protection in this precious blood, so when God sees the blood, He passes over them. That is why every time we take communion, we need to remind everyone: when you hold the cup, you should remember what Jesus has done for you. In fact, it is to remind you again of your covenant with God, and to remind our God that I am a person of the covenant.
So many people, when taking communion, see this precious blood, and when they eat the bread, all their diseases disappear. They pray to God, saying, “Lord! I believe You can restore me just like You restored the Israelites; You can redeem me just like You redeemed the Israelites.” Instantly, all diseases disappear. Because God sees their prayer, He remembers that covenant, and then it is fulfilled in them. So this blood brings us this.
2 Corinthians 5:21, For our sake, He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.
Through the blood of Jesus, God no longer sees your sins. This does not mean you have not sinned. It just means He does not remember your sins, does not look at your sins, because the issue of your sins has already been borne by Jesus.
Jeremiah 23:4-6,
4 I will set shepherds over them who will care for them, and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall any be missing, declares the Lord.” 5 Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. 6 In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this name by which he will be called is ‘The Lord is Our Righteousness.’
Here it mentions righteousness; God will execute justice and righteousness on the earth. As we just mentioned, God no longer remembers your sins and transgressions. Has God lost His righteousness? No, God’s justice and righteousness on earth have never weakened, but God’s righteousness is a reward. This reward is not earned by your efforts but received by you; this is the reward Jesus accomplished for you on the cross. What does God’s righteousness refer to? In the past, we were in sin; God’s righteousness manifested itself in that God must execute judgment and punishment upon you; this is where God’s righteousness is manifested. If you are an unjust person, judgment must come upon you; this is the righteousness in the original text.
At that time, the situation was like this: the people were very afraid of God’s judgment. Since Adam sinned, people are born with sin. God’s righteousness is contrary to human thinking; God’s righteousness declares: whoever sins must die. This is God’s righteousness. But how does God want to save us? He must meet the standard of His righteousness. We have sinned, so we must die. This is why all sinners are afraid before God.
Of course, God does not want the Israelites to die, nor does He want their livestock to die. So God established a sign for them: I give you a method; if you do it my way, you can avoid death. So God said, “You shall put the blood of the lamb on the doorposts and lintels.” This is what happened on the day of Passover. When God saw the blood, His righteousness was satisfied.
This blood represents that someone has already sacrificed; the animal has already died in place of the firstborn. When the precious blood of Jesus flows out for you, believe that Jesus has done all this for you on the cross, and God’s righteousness is satisfied. So God says, I will no longer judge you because you have already been judged. I see this blood flowing out; the issue of death has been resolved, so God’s righteousness has been manifested. Therefore, when God sees the blood on the doorposts and lintels, it represents that God has accepted this family. This is a foreshadowing of Jesus Christ; when He died on the cross in our place, it meant that all our sins have been punished, and God’s righteousness has been satisfied. Those transgressions and sins that should have come upon us were manifested in Jesus; Jesus became our scapegoat. Is there a scapegoat in the world? I have sins, but then a scapegoat comes, proving that that person is innocent.
Jesus is our scapegoat. Because Jesus took our place, He had to die on the cross; the wages of sin is death, and the price of sin has been paid. You have violated the law; your sins have been cleared, so God’s righteousness is upon you. How is God’s righteousness manifested? If you are innocent, I must say you are innocent; if you are guilty, I must see you as guilty. God cannot treat the guilty as innocent or the innocent as guilty; that is not God. Righteousness is manifested here.
So today, when God says, I call you righteous, it proves that your sins have been resolved. Therefore, every time you take communion, you should remember that my sins have been resolved, God’s righteousness is upon me, and God sees me as righteous; I am justified because of Jesus Christ. When God sees the blood on the door, He passes over; that means death has passed over, and what remains is that God wants to bless them. This is exactly the message we need in this era: the Lord, our righteousness. Jesus Christ is our righteousness. Because of Jesus, today we wear the robe of righteousness of Jesus Christ. Thank You and praise the Lord!
Exodus 12:2, “This month shall be for you the beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year for you.”
Leaving Egypt represents a new beginning. Leaving Egypt is the beginning of a new life and a new way of living. The past days, God no longer remembers; whether you succeeded or failed, God no longer remembers; the days before you believed in Jesus, God does not remember. Why does He not remember? Because you were not in the covenant; you did not believe in Jesus. No matter how successful you were, it does not count in God’s eyes. In this world, there are many successful people, but they are not saved. God no longer remembers the days before they believed in Jesus, so no matter how you were in the past, do not boast about it. From the moment you accepted Jesus, God began to remember the days after that; the issue of sin is not remembered; the past and future sins are not remembered. The days after you believed in Jesus are days that God remembers because of the blood covenant. We have a new beginning, a completely new way of living that is no longer the same as the past.
Brothers and sisters, our thinking also needs to be renewed. Why do I say this? Many people’s bodies have entered the New Year with us, but their minds are still in the last year. Many people are still talking about last year’s matters, still complaining about who wronged them in the past... which proves their thinking is still in the past. The Israelites, because of the blood of the lamb, had already been saved; they had left Egypt, but during those forty years in the wilderness, their hearts were still in Egypt.
In God’s eyes, they already had a new beginning, but their eyes did not see this. They always thought of living in the past way. Every time they encountered problems in the wilderness, they complained to Moses: “Who made you lead us out of Egypt? Is there no grave in Egypt that you must bring us out to die in this wilderness?” They said such things many times during those forty years, “There is no water to drink here, and no meat to eat. In Egypt, we had onions, garlic, leeks, and meat soup...” They thought the life in Egypt was so wonderful. If it was really that wonderful, why did they cry out to God?
They did not want to acknowledge that the life God was giving them now was the best. For forty years, they did not adapt to this new way of living; this was their failure. How many Christians have believed for decades, yet their way of living is exactly the same as those who do not believe? This shows that their thinking has not changed. People have already entered the New Year, but their thinking is still in the past.
The Israelites could clearly receive blessings, but they did not, and in the end, they all perished in the wilderness because they did not believe, did not believe that God would give such abundant blessings. God’s way is too simple, but they could not believe it. Think about it: when they were in Egypt and wanted to eat some meat, could they say to the foreman, “I’m not in the mood to work today; I want to eat some meat”? How do you think that foreman would treat them? “Get a knife; I’ll cut a piece of meat off you to eat...” Wouldn’t he give them a few lashes? “I see you are just being lazy.” They had to work hard to get a little meat soup.
When they were in the wilderness and wanted to eat meat, how did they say it? “Moses, we want to eat meat,” and they complained, “Why is there no meat to eat here? We don’t want to eat manna; this manna has no taste; we want to eat some meat.” Then Moses went to pray to God. He did not tell the Israelites to start digging wells or setting nets to catch birds...
He did not make them labor. Moses prayed to God, and God said, “Okay! Since my people want to eat meat, I will let you eat meat for a whole month, and you will eat until you are sick of it.” God had already spoken, and the quails had already been blown in by the wind. Shouldn’t the Israelites have believed? Yet the people still did not believe; they stayed up for three days and nights catching quails. This is a manifestation of unbelief.
God had already said, “I will let you eat for a month!” They did not believe; their thinking was still in the past. They were afraid of being poor and accustomed to hard labor, and now suddenly such great blessings came, and they could not believe it.
We need to adjust our minds. You are a person with new life; you need to have a new way of living. When God’s grace comes down, do not proudly say, “This is my effort.” This is not your effort; it is the result of your prayer. You pray, and God gives it to you, not because of your good behavior, but because God remembers the covenant with Jesus and gives it to you. We should be very grateful to God. Therefore, the Israelites spent forty years in the wilderness and did not learn this lesson. God had already supplied them with what they wanted to eat and drink, but their thinking was still that of the Egyptians, wanting to do something to earn God’s blessings. This is what we need to clear away.
You should know that from the moment you believed in Jesus, that was your Nisan, your new beginning. Do not waste another forty years in the wilderness. Think about it: how much time have you wasted since you believed in Jesus? How many days have been spent in the wilderness? Let me tell you what a life spent in the wilderness looks like: complaining every day, “My neighbor scolded me again; why is he treating me this way now? He was so good to me in the past...”
Complaining and complaining, you have already wasted that day’s time. When you feel unhappy in your heart, pray to God and say, “Lord! I feel uncomfortable; in the name of the Lord Jesus, grant me Your comfort.” Why repeat the past? Just like the Israelites in the wilderness, when it was hot, did complaining a little change the heat? No. When there was no water to drink, did complaining a little make water appear? No, you can pray to God, and He can solve your problem.
This is the beginning of a new day. Remember: from the day you believed in Jesus, God began to remember your days; that is, when you accepted Jesus as your Savior, the blood of Jesus cleansed you of all your sins, and you were justified by God. Everything you do for God will not be forgotten. This is Nisan, a prophetic word. God is speaking to everyone now; Passover is a new beginning. Today is also a new beginning, the beginning of a new week, the beginning of a new year.
Forget the past, strive for what is ahead. This is a message for everyone. The past, no matter how successful, has already become the past; the past, no matter how failed, has already become the past. Do not let past thinking influence your present self, because a new day brings new grace, Hallelujah! A new year brings new favor; you only need to receive God’s new strength to work and live.
No matter what happened in the past, whether it was failure or sin, it is all in the past. Now tell the person next to you: this is a new beginning. Therefore, you shall regard this month as the beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year. For the Jews, this is indeed the first month of the year, which is their New Year. The Jewish method is the same as ours; we have two, and they also have two: one is the civil New Year, and the other is the religious New Year, which is the month of Nisan, the Passover, the first month of the year.
For them, the month of Nisan is the true New Year, just like our lunar and solar calendars. From the day you trust in Jesus, your days are continuously moving forward. How do people calculate time? It is based on Jesus as the dividing line. The year Jesus was born divided the common era; before Jesus is B.C., and after Jesus is A.D. One is B.C., and the other is A.D. What is the reason? Because from Jesus, everything is divided.
From the moment you believe in Jesus, your life is also divided: before Jesus and after Jesus. God remembers the days after Jesus; you should not live according to the B.C. days. Now it is 2018; do we remember the B.C. or the A.D.? Why is it not 2018, but next year 2017? Your days are lived according to A.D. This is the day God remembers, so you need to remember well; the days after you believe in Jesus are remembered by God and are the days you need to emphasize; those are the days of your new beginning.
In the end, the Israelites celebrated Passover with Jesus, which was also a new beginning, the transition from the Old Covenant to the New Covenant. Before Jesus went to the cross was the Old Covenant; after the cross, the New Covenant began. Now, should you live according to the Old Covenant? No, live according to the New Covenant. The Old Covenant has many rituals and regulations that we can overlook because the New Covenant replaces the Old Covenant with a higher covenant. The New Covenant does not abolish the Old Covenant; it includes the Old Covenant.
Let me give you a simple example. The incandescent lamp today, compared to the era of the kerosene lamp, can do everything the kerosene lamp could do. Which is better? The incandescent lamp is better, brighter, cleaner, more energy-efficient... many benefits. Everything the kerosene lamp could do, this one can do. Brothers and sisters, the New Covenant replaces the Old Covenant because the New Covenant is better; grace replaces the law because grace is better. When we say better, it indicates that the original was also good. Was the kerosene lamp good? It is certainly better than complete darkness, but this lamp is better; the law is good, grace is better; the Old Covenant is good, the New Covenant is better. So now you are in the New Covenant, regarding this month as the beginning of months; it is a new beginning. Therefore, God says this is the New Covenant.
1 Corinthians 11:23-28,
23 For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. 27 Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. 28 Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup.
These are the words Jesus Christ said to His disciples on the night of Passover. Did similar things happen on the night of Passover? But in the Old Covenant, those were shadows; the reality was explained by Jesus during the Passover He celebrated with His disciples. The night Jesus was betrayed was Passover. I have told everyone before that on the night of Passover, they were to leave Egypt, and that night, through the blood of the lamb, they were protected and saved.
Now looking back, that blood of the lamb symbolizes our Lord Jesus Christ. Now Jesus is actually celebrating the last Passover. The first Passover was celebrated in Egypt, and the last was celebrated by Jesus with His disciples. After this, this matter was completed, and there was no need to offer sacrifices every year.
That night, Jesus took the bread, gave thanks, broke it, and said, “This is my body.” The Lord Jesus made it very clear: this is my body. Now Jesus had not yet gone to the cross; He wanted to give them the final explanation, “This is my body. In the future, when you break bread like I did today, remember me.” Hallelujah!
So every time we take communion, it should be to remember the Lord Jesus, to remember the New Covenant. This is my body, which is broken for you. On the night of Passover, when the Israelites were eating roasted lamb in their homes, they tore it apart. Now let’s think about it: when Jesus was whipped, did this event not come to pass? Jesus was tied to the post, and the whip struck Him, tearing His flesh apart. Is this not the reality of the lamb? And Jesus said, “This is my body, which is broken for you.” So every time you receive Jesus’ body, you should know this is a complete body that was broken, and after it was broken, we should eat it. After eating, we will be healed.
You should do this in remembrance of me. The current communion symbolizes the body of Jesus. Every time you receive communion, you should remember that Jesus has brought you the beginning of the New Covenant. After supper, He took the cup, and the same way means saying according to the above: this cup is the new covenant in my blood. It is the New Covenant, brothers and sisters, so do not celebrate the Old Covenant Passover anymore; the New Covenant has already come. Hallelujah!
Every time you drink, you should do this in remembrance of me. So the center of the entire communion should be to remember our Lord Jesus Christ, whose body was given for you and whose precious blood was shed for you; these two must bring you everything you need. Every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.
What does it mean to proclaim the Lord’s death? When you hold the bread and cup, remember that you live in the New Covenant, absolutely not in the Old Covenant, and the New Covenant is not earned by your behavior; it is the blood of Jesus that brought you the New Covenant. It is different from the Old Covenant; otherwise, why say Old Covenant and New Covenant?
So, whoever eats the Lord’s bread or drinks the Lord’s cup in an unworthy manner, what does this mean? Unworthy means not in the correct way.
Many people interpret this passage of scripture as saying, “Unworthy means you do not confess your sins when you eat...” The Bible does not record this. Unworthy means you do not know this is the body of Jesus, you do not know this is the precious blood of Jesus. After eating, it has no effect.
In the Old Covenant, when the Israelites celebrated Passover, they knew what that lamb represented. Today, when you receive communion, you should also know what communion represents before you eat; otherwise, it will have no effect. Eat the Lord’s bread and drink the Lord’s cup in the correct way. What does it mean to offend the body and blood of the Lord? Clearly, you can receive release through the body and blood of Jesus, but because you do not know, you condemn yourself; this is called offending the body and blood of the Lord.
If the body has a certain disease, and someone gives me a piece of bread and says, “Eat this, and you will be healed.” If I carefully look at this bread and say, “This is just a piece of dough,” and he says, “No, it’s not,” I say, “It’s just a piece of dough.” If we argue back and forth, saying it’s just a piece of dough, what can it bring me? Nothing can happen. It is absolutely not because it is a piece of dough; it is not the body of Jesus. Even if I eat it, it will have no effect. Jesus would not say, “Dare to eat my body, and I will curse you to death.” Jesus never cursed anyone while He was on earth. If we do not believe, this is called offending the body and blood of the Lord, meaning there will be no effect on you. When you hear some people testify, saying, “You do not know, that person did not get baptized, ate communion, and ended up dead. That person did not confess and ate communion, and died.”
Brothers and sisters, remember, these two have nothing to do with communion. First, we must know that Jesus gave us communion as a foreshadowing of the New Covenant. There is no curse in the New Covenant; the curse has been borne by Jesus. This is what is in the New Covenant. In the Old Covenant, the sacrifices bore the curse, but the sacrifices had a time limit; the time limit was one year. If a year passed and no sacrifices were made, the sins would still be revealed.
Jesus is the sacrifice of the New Covenant, and the validity is eternal. Because He bore your curse, punishment, and death, according to the New Covenant, God will not remember your sins anymore. How could He kill you just because you took communion? This explanation is contradictory. The meaning here, everyone should understand correctly: a person should examine themselves. What should you examine?
According to the context of this passage, the Corinthians did not examine that this was the body of Jesus, so they ate and choked; they drank the cup and got drunk. They did not examine. The Bible does not record that those who ate and drank too much were cursed and died by Jesus. Do not speculate on this.
The meaning here, a person should examine themselves, means to examine the above part. When you take the bread, how should you examine it? This is the body of Jesus, broken for me. The body of Jesus was given for you; what does it bring you? By His stripes, I am healed. This is what you need to examine. The cup is the same; when you take the cup, you should examine that this cup is the new covenant in the blood of Jesus given to me. When you examine in this way, it proves you are in the New Covenant. When you are in the New Covenant, you can pray to Him. Thank You and praise the Lord!
Hebrews 10:16-20,
16 “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws on their hearts, and write them on their minds.” 17 Then he adds, “I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.” 18 Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin. 19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, 20 by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh.
These passages make it clearer; after those days is the New Covenant. After the day Jesus went to the cross, this is the covenant I will make with them: the New Covenant has begun! I will put my laws on their hearts; here, the law refers to the supreme law, also called the law of the Spirit.
Romans 8:1-2, you can read it yourself later. Today, God has placed the Holy Spirit within us. The moment you believe in Jesus, the Holy Spirit dwells within you; you have the Holy Spirit inside you, and you belong to the Lord. This happens in an instant. Then He says, “I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.”
The Holy Spirit dwelling in you proves that God no longer remembers your sins and transgressions because they have been replaced by Jesus. These sins have already been forgiven, so there is no need to offer sacrifices for sin anymore. This is what the New Covenant brings you. It goes on to say, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, what is the purpose of entering the holy places?
Let’s first talk about the Old Covenant. In the Old Covenant, when the high priest entered the holy places, he was afraid of dying, which proves that entering the holy places was very dangerous. The New Covenant is not dangerous; we can enter the holy places boldly because of the blood of Jesus. Some say, “Why should I enter the holy places? What is in the holy places?” In the Old Covenant, there was the tabernacle, and inside the tabernacle was the Ark of the Covenant. When the Israelites went to battle, they carried the Ark of the Covenant, and the enemies were killed. That was a covenant; the focus is still on the covenant.
Covenant, it is still related to the covenant. So when they carried the Ark of the Covenant, it proved: I am a person who has a covenant with God; my God can fight for me. That is why it is called the Ark of the Covenant. When the high priest entered the holy places once a year, it was to remind God once: I have come to make a covenant with You. He had to take blood with him; otherwise, he would die.
Now, because the blood of Jesus is already on the mercy seat, you can boldly come before the mercy seat today. The blood of animals in the Old Covenant was only valid for one year, so the next year, sacrifices had to be made again. Now the blood of Jesus is permanently on the mercy seat, and you can go there anytime. Hallelujah!
Why go to the mercy seat? What does the mercy seat mean? It is the place where God bestows blessings. Hebrews 4:14-16
14 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
This is the true reason for coming to the mercy seat. You can boldly come before the throne of grace because of the New Covenant established by Jesus with His precious blood. Coming before the mercy seat is to receive mercy and find grace, to be helped at all times. Does it say here that when you come before God, you must recount everything you did in the past and ask for mercy? It says that when you are weak and helpless and need help, you can come before Him, and He will give you mercy, grace, and be your help at all times.
So at the New Year, people have already entered the New Year; your thinking should also enter the New Year. You are in the New Covenant; people should also enter into the New Covenant, and your thinking should enter into the New Covenant. Face your New Year with a New Covenant mindset. Do not learn from the Israelites, who were in the wilderness while their hearts were in Egypt, and in the end, they did not receive abundant blessings.
In the New Year, I bless you in the name of the Lord Jesus; may you receive His grace through the New Covenant in Christ.
Let us pray together:
Heavenly Father! Thank You and praise You! Thank You for such abundant grace upon us. We have new hope; in the New Year, we have a new way of living. We are willing to look to You in everything! Passover is the New Year for the Israelites, and the Spring Festival is our New Year. I have already entered the New Year; no matter what happened in the past, I expect good things to happen to me in this New Year.
As this new week begins, I also expect good things to happen to me. I declare in the name of the Lord Jesus: in Christ, I possess the righteousness of God; I am a blessed person. Wherever I tread, there is God’s blessing. No matter where I go, the Holy Spirit will be with me; He is my strength, and He is my help. Thank You and praise You! Thank You for always helping me. I pray in the name of the Lord Jesus. Amen!