Exodus 12:43 (KJV) “And the LORD said unto Moses and Aaron, This is the ordinance of the passover: There shall no stranger eat thereof:” In March 2004, we were blessed to take a group from the church to do mission work in Cuba. It was a very blessed time of preaching, praying, and laboring alongside the Cuba Christians in constructing a new church and dining with them as presented their best for their guests. As we left Cuba, I was constantly checking my passport. Without my passport, I could not leave Cuba or I could not enter the United States at the International Airport in Miami, Florida. I still remember the feeling of relief when I gave them my passport, they checked and stamped it, and said I could enter the United States. What a blessing it was to be in my native country! In our Scripture today, only a citizen of the people of God, the Hebrews, could participate in eating the Passover supper, which was to serve as a reminder of how God delivered them from Egyptian bondage. Strangers could not eat. If a stranger was circumcised and became a Hebrew proselyte, he could then participate in the Passover super. Jesus celebrated the Passover Supper that we often refer to as the Last Supper. However, Jesus showed Himself as the Passover Lamb that would be sacrificed for our sins. Paul set in order the Lord’s Supper or as we call it Communion in 1 Corinthians 11. Communion is a celebration of the freedom from sin we have in Christ Jesus. Only those who have been circumcised in heart may participate in the Communion Service. Romans 2:28-29 (KJV) “For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.” How are we circumcised in heart? We are circumcised in heart when we are born-again of the Holy Spirit. When we have been born-again, we may eat at the Lord’s Table as Paul said in 1 Corinthians 11:24 (KJV) “… this do in remembrance of me.” It is an open symbol of the relationship that exists between you and Jesus and the hope we have in Him. Jesus is our passport to our new native country, heaven. Have you got your passport? Pastor Wayne
Posted on: Tue, 02 Jul 2013 12:55:10 +0000
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