Rabbi Schneider - Celebrate the True Meaning of Passover Whether You're Jew or Gentile
Many Christians first exposure to the Jewish roots of their faith is that they've been to a seminar or to a Messianic Passover Seder, where some Jewish person came and led the congregation in a Seder showing the connection between the ancient Passover Seder and what Yeshua fulfilled for us in the Brit Chadasha, the New Testament. After all, when John the Baptist identified Jesus to the world, when Jesus came out of the Jordan River, John the Baptist said "behold, the Lamb of God". In fact, many of you have heard me teach before that 29 times in the Book of Revelation, Yeshua and His ministry is referred to as "the Lamb".
And so Passover is something that's very important for every Christian to understand. Obviously for Jewish people like myself, it has tremendous application and meaning when we consider it in its original historical context, when the Lord delivered the children of Israel out of Egypt, 3,500 years ago. But beyond that, it has application for our lives today, whether you're Jewish or Gentile. Many Gentile Christians are still coming into the appreciation of understanding how the Jewish understanding of their faith in Jesus enhances their walk with God. And one of the foundational things to understand in regards to understanding Jewish teaching, as it relates to Jesus, is understanding how Jesus completes the Passover.
Now in the back of our minds, some of us are unconsciously struggling because we know that we're not under the law. No one's wanting to go back to the law. But on the other hand, we don't want to throw away the baby with the bath water. Just because we're not under the law doesn't mean that the law has no application for our lives today. In fact, Shaul, Paul, said that the law was Holy, spiritual, righteous, and good. The law was written, the scriptures tell us in the New Testament, "for our instruction upon whom the end of the ages has come". So we're not under the law, but the law is God's self-revelation. We see in the law, part of God's nature. And so considering this, we want to consider the Passover. The Passover again was originally part of the law, but it has application beyond the law, Jesus Himself, being the fulfillment of Passover. That's why He was crucified on Passover. And that's why beloved one, the Lord's supper or communion actually comes right out of the Passover meal.
And so I want to encourage you now, as we're in the midst of this Passover season, to open up your heart to the Holy Spirit in prayer and ask Him to do something special for you during this season. Something in connection with freedom and deliverance. Because Passover is a celebration of freedom and deliverance. Even as the Lord brought Israel out of Egypt into freedom 3,500 years ago, so too today, King Yeshua is bringing His people out of bondage to sin and the powers of darkness into the freedom that He purchased for us in the Spirit. And so King Jesus, right now, we just ask you to work in our life in a mighty way during this time, circumcising our hearts by the Ruach HaKodesh, by the Holy Spirit, and bringing us deeper into the light and deeper into freedom. Jesus, You said that You would set us free and that we would know the truth and the truth would set us free. So right now, King Jesus, as we enter this Passover season, we ask you to sanctify us in the truth and bring us in to freedom.
One thing that's important to understand that's a mystery is that even though God is sovereign, He sovereignly delivered Israel out of Egypt, 3,500 years ago by the blood of the lamb, even though it was by the sovereign arm of the Lord, Israel participated in the process. In fact, when they came to the Red Sea or the Sea of Reeds, Moses had to stick his staff over the sea in order for the sea to part. So the Lord oftentimes works in cooperation with His people. And so it is in your life and my life today, if we're going to enter deeper into the freedom that has been purchased for us through the blood of Jesus, we need to be in cooperation with the Holy Spirit. We need to surrender to Him. We need to submit to His Lordship.
Everyday I'm asking Father God to help me submit to His Lordship in my life. To submit and to come under the blade of the working of the Holy Spirit. And when this happens, when we come under the Lordship of Jesus, when we come under the Lordship of the Father and His Word, everything gets surrendered to Him. And one of the areas that the Lord asked Israel to surrender to Him during this time of year, was in the area of their finances. And so during the Passover season, Israel came to Jerusalem in Deuteronomy 16 and presented an offering to the Lord. And by opening up our hearts to God and loving Him back. In other words, we respond to His love by loving Him back and honoring Him with our tithes and finances, our offerings. I believe God responds to that.
So I would just encourage you today, during this time of year, expect the Lord to work in your life in a special way, ask Him to. Number two, cooperate with Him, yield to Him, surrender to Him, give yourself to Him in prayer and in love. And number three, if that translates for you, if you feel the Holy Spirit just knocking at the door of your heart, and touching you right now, and you feel that He's asking you to respond to His love during this time of year through a special Passover offering through this ministry, as I always do beloved, I just encourage you to be obedient. This is Rabbi Schneider saying I love you. Chag Sameach to you, Happy Passover. And may God bring us, beloved, into a deeper unity in Him, a deeper freedom, and a deeper love in the Spirit.