“And it will be when your children say to you, ‘What is the meaning of this new slavery to you?’ [Lit What is this service to you?]{some translations use ‘rite‘ or ‘ceremony’} that you shall say,
‘It is a Passover sacrifice to Yahweh who passed over the houses of the sons of Israel in Egypt when He smote the Egyptians, but delivered our homes.’”
NOW consider this as one of the MULTITUDES and hypocrites living the life in this world or in the time of Jesus' sacrificial days in Jerusalem.
Do you WORSHIP the Pascal Lamb?
(Can you make up your mind about JESUS?)
Borrowing briefly from a PRIVATE moment of Christ Jesus with the Twelve - a sorrowful scene before the night unfolded toward the Cross.
“With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; for I say to you, I will no longer eat of it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.”
On the first day there shall be a holy convocation, and on the seventh day there shall be a holy convocation for you..
Exodus 12:16a – NKJV regarding the required Passover Feast
מִקְרָא from H7121; something called out, i.e. a public meeting (the act, the persons, or the place); also a rehearsal:—assembly, calling, convocation, reading.
Every rendering of the LORD’s command sheds additional pathos of God’s only Son sacrificed on the CROSS and commemoration of HOLY COMMUNION for Christ followers.
פָּסַחpâçach, paw-sakh’; a primitive root; to hop, i.e. (figuratively) skip over (or spare); by implication, to hesitate; also (literally) to limp, to dance:—halt, become lame, leap, pass over.
Communion – a ‘difficult’ memorial
“For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed..
Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, “This is a hard saying; who can understand it?”
Limping toward the CROSS! – a ‘difficult’ Judgment
Returning to ELIJAH'S QUESTION to worshipers of a FALSE god of FALSE prophets:
“How long will you be limping between two opinions?
.. “O Baal, answer us.” But there was no voice and no one answered. And they limped about the altar which they had made.
1 Kings 18:21b,26b LSB
'by implication, to hesitate; also (literally) to limp..
- - - - - - - - - -
HOW CAN GOD PASSOVER OUR SIN?
HOW CAN THE FLESH AND BLOOD OF THE SON OF GOD BECOME OUR PASSOVER OFFERING?
Progress toward confession of Christ
An excerpt from THE PILGRIM'S PROGRESS
by John Bunyan ~A.D. 1675
I am in myself undone by reason of a Burden that lieth hard upon me: moreover, I am certain informed that this our City will be burned with fire from Heaven..
He was reading in his Book.. he burst out, as he had done before, crying, "What shall I do to be saved?"
I looked then and saw a man named Evangelist coming to him, asked him, Wherefore dost thou cry?"
[The 'man,' later named 'Christian' answers as anyone confronted by the CROSS and JUDGMENT. - RH]
"Sir, I perceived by the Book in my hand [a BIBLE] that I AM CONDEMNED TO DIE AND AFTER THAT TO COME TO THE JUDGMENT.."
[And here is where WE limp between the CROSS and our own worldly City of Destruction - RH]
".. AND I FIND THAT I AM NOT WILLING TO DO THE FIRST,NOR ABLE TO DO THE SECOND."
Now it was the day of Preparation for the Passover; it was about the sixth hour. And he said to the Jews,
“Behold, your King!”
– Gospel of John 19:14 LSB
“How long will you be limping between two opinions?
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.
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.
Bunyan’s characters look like characters from my church (and yours).
These past two weeks I've had some brief encounters with other 'Christians' about THE PILGRIM'S PROGRESS of John Bunyan.
Rather than adding a personal COMMENT to one of my Saturday Posts on Doctrines of the Church, I thought I might ask you directly (on a Wednesday).
Choose your Bunyan character:
(OTHER THAN young ‘Christian,’ Hopeful or Faithful) IF you will.
I already shared with you my fear that I might become the man – the Professor of Christ – in the iron cage.
IF you will comment I will be more than happy to share with you which Bunyan character I think I most resemble. – Roger
CLICK BELOW to take another look at Bunyan’s characters:
In our last Saturday Post we met many familiar faces of our own ‘church.’
The MAN FLEEING THE CITY OF DESTRUCTION with a burden on his back ASKED EVANGELIST the question every preacher would like to hear:
What must I do?
And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one’s bands were loosed.
Then said Evangelist, Why not willing to die? since this life is attended with so many evils?
The Man answered, Because, I fear that this burden that is upon my back, will sink me lower then the Grave; and I shall fall into Tophet (Isa. 30:33). And Sir, if I be not fit to go to Prison, I am not fit (I am sure) to go to Judgement, and from thence to Execution; and the thoughts of these things make me cry.
Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?
Gospel of Matthew 19:16
Does YOUR church proclaim the hard truth?
Bunyan has introduced us to some characters of his century seemingly alien to our own experience.
What can I learn from these acquaintances of Christian to apply anything to 21st century christians of MY local church?
Oh sure, there’s, Talkative of my Bible Study, Formalist of my former church, Hypocrisy who used to sing in the praise band but has left now.. I’ve heard rumors about Demas the donator who (with conditions) made the building of our church possible. Pliable used to come to our church but his friend Obstinate got him into the Sunday golf league.
What do these characters have to do with ME?
AND on Sunday,
Won’t MY pastor preach the BIBLEas writtenwith the same TRUTH as EVANGELIST?
Confession and Profession
Without spoiling the ending, (if you have never read THE PILGRIM’S PROGRESS of John Bunyan), I must confess reluctance to share my own worst fears of conviction. (No, it’s not the Burden of Christian which I left at the foot of the Cross years ago.)
One is a fearful scene and the other a fearful character.
The END of Ignorance
You remember Ignorance from earlier in Christian’s pilgrimage to the heavenly city. We chuckled knowingly each time Bunyan observed, “and Ignorance followed.”
But HELL is no laughing matter. Tophet (mentioned above from Isaiah), Sheol, Hades, Abaddon and Apollyon – ALL fearful, because of our SIN and the wrath of GOD against SIN.
The evil one is not caricature of man’s invention, but a questioner of man’s salvation.
Jesus Christ confronts Satan quoting Scripture – do not be deceived. The enemy of Christian is an enemy to you; for evil one is a fallen angelic enemy of the Lord God our Father in Heaven and the Son Jesus Christ, our Redeemer sacrificed on the Cross for sinners.
CHRIST IS the only Way to the Celestial City.
Christian, Hopeful and Faithful pilgrims must follow the Way, the Truth and the Life.
Fearful Scenes: A Byway to Hell
Then I saw in my dream that the shepherds took them to another place in the bottom of a ravine, where there was a door in the side of the hill.
.. it was very dark and smoky.. they heard a rumbling noise like that of a fire and the cries of someone being tormented, and they smelled the scent of brimstone.
This is a byway to Hell, a way that hypocrites enter by doing such things as [Bunyan provides us with some Biblical examples]..
Then said Hopeful to the Shepherds,
“I perceive that all of these people you have mentioned had the appearance of being pilgrims, just as we do, did they not?”
“Yes, and for a long time too,” the Shepherds replied.
“Now why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?
When he was come up at the gate, he looked up to the writing that was above, and then began to knock, supposing that entrance should be quickly administered to him..
“Whence came you? And what would you have?
“I have eat and drank in the presence of the King, and he has taught in our Streets?
Then they asked him for his Certificate, that they might go in and shew it to the King…
“When once the Master of the house has risen up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open for us,’ and He will answer and say to you, ‘I do not know you, where you are from,’
Now the man, to look on, seemed very sad; he sat with his eyes looking down to the ground, his hands folded together, and he sighed as if he would break his heart..
Then said Christian to the man, What art thou? The man answered, I am what I was not once.
Christian: What wast thou once?
The Man: The man said, I was once a fair and flourishing professor, Luke 8:13, both in mine own eyes, and also in the eyes of others: I once was, as I thought, fair for the celestial city, and had then even joy at the thoughts that I should get thither.
Christian: Well, but what art thou now?
The Man: I am now a man of despair, and am shut up in it, as in this iron cage. I cannot get out; Oh now I cannot!
Christian: But how camest thou into this condition?
The Man: I left off to watch and be sober:
I laid the reins upon the neck of my lusts;
I sinned against the light of the word, and the goodness of God;
I have grieved the Spirit, and he is gone;
I tempted the devil, and he is come to me;
I have provoked God to anger, and he has left me:
I have so hardened my heart, that I cannot repent.
DO YOU KNOW THESE CONVICTING SCRIPTURES THE MAN QUOTES?
Then said Christian to the Interpreter, But is there no hope for such a man as this? Ask him, said the Interpreter.
Christian: Then said Christian, Is there no hope, but you must be kept in the iron cage of despair?
The Man: No, none at all.
Christian: Why, the Son of the Blessed is very pitiful.
The former professor of Christ then quotes these Scriptures:
For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come and they have fallen away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame.
“A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and to return. So he called ten of his servants, delivered to them ten minas, and said to them, ‘Do business till I come.’ But his citizens hated him, and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We will not have this man to reign over us.’ ..
‘But bring here those enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, and slay them before me.’ ”
Has YOUR Pastor and Professor of Christ ever preached this? Most certainly John Bunyan would have preached the fearfulness of our punishment for sin as well as the saving grace of Christ's Cross for sinners.
The Man: I have crucified him to myself afresh (Heb. 6:6); I have despised his person (Luke 19:14); I have despised his righteousness; I have counted his blood an unholy thing; I have done despite to the spirit of grace (Heb. 10:29), therefore I have shut myself out of all the promises and there now remains to me nothing but threatenings, dreadful threatenings, faithful threatenings of certain judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour me as an adversary.
Hebrews 10:Hold Fast Your Confession; The Just Live by Faith
Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.
These cautions are NOT for the unbeliever, but for the CHURCH.
Confessors of Christ must remain more than simply Professors of christianity.
Christ's redeemed must also live the faith for which our Lord sacrificed Himself on the Cross for our sins.
For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries..
Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace?
It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
Hebrews 10:29,31 New King James Version
But canst thou not now repent and turn?
The Man: God hath denied me repentance.
His word gives me no encouragement to believe; yea, himself hath shut me up in this iron cage: nor can all the men in the world let me out.
Oh eternity! eternity!
how shall I grapple with the misery that I must meet with in eternity?
Then said the Interpreter to Christian, Let this man’s misery be remembered by thee, and be an everlasting caution to thee.
Well, said Christian, this is fearful! God help me to watch and to be sober, and to pray that I may shun the cause of this man’s misery.
NEXT God-willing, our Saturday Post series on doctrine for the Church will conclude with some Scriptures for our consideration as the Body of Christ tarrying in this City of Destruction. – RH
