"The fact that when we are "in Christ" there is no condemnation for our sins, does not mean there is no examination of our works."
—Samuel Leith

01-Apr-05

Essay: Be There!

I had just hobbled home from my daily walk, puffing, blowing, and perspiring, as usual. Trish, my wife, chuckled and asked, "How are you?"

"All right, thanks," I replied.

She quipped, "I'm glad you're good."

I came back with, "I didn't say I'm good. I said I'm all right!"

But what about you right now? Are you good? All right? Or what?

We have less than a month before the Passover. Every single Passover is truly special, precious, and important. This is one occasion that never loses its uniqueness. It is never ho-hum—never unnecessary!

However, as we get into the final approach to Passover 2005, someone out there would do almost anything to see us decide not to attend and observe this most wonderful of all festival services. There may have been worse years in God's church for pre-Passover blues, depressions, bad news, work difficulties, marital strife, sicknesses, and other major problems; but I really cannot remember when. It is all enough to make one wonder if Satan has been cast down to the earth yet, as prophesied in Revelation 12:10.

There is no doubt about it: Sicknesses and other physical trials are nasty. I certainly do not belittle their severity at all, but if we think about it, we will see that there really are worse things. One of those "worse things" is for one of God's dear children to be deceived into the decision not to take the Passover.

Is missing the Passover really that bad? Absolutely! The armies of the arch-deceiver are on their annual pre-Passover march right now. They are heading in our direction and, if they are not here already, they soon will be. Satan and his demons will employ any tactic to prevent us from recommitting our futures to the service of God and His people. They are not even averse to quoting—rather, misquoting—from God's Word if it serves their ends! Such misquoting has become a common ruse in their attempts to deceive God's people who are fervently striving to obey His commands to examine themselves as Passover approaches. These legions of liars might suggest that we really should not take the Passover because we know very well it is a sin to do so unworthily—and we would be committing the additional sin of vanity if we were to claim that we are worthy, right? They might remind us that Jesus said that no man is good, and that we should understand this to mean that we are not good enough to take the Passover. They also might try to convince us that we have committed the unpardonable sin.

Watch out! If you start receiving thoughts like these, know for certain that Satan's armies have arrived. Make sure that your armor is cinched up tight, draw your weapons, and do not hesitate to use them! In the name of our Savior and through the matchless power of His Holy Spirit, you can and must sternly and fearlessly command their leader: "Away with you, Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve'" (Matthew 4:10).

When you come under fire, call upon the power of our great God, pull out and use every weapon in the arsenal He has given you (Ephesians 6:10-18), and you will succeed in fighting them off. Satan's armies will withdraw; they must retreat (James 4:7).

If you are receiving these unwanted "Skip the Passover" broadcasts, you are not alone. In fact, you are in good company. In virtually every case, these misleading thoughts are false ideas that the prince of all liars is broadcasting in one form or another to all of God's people. If you honestly feel that you are an exception, and that there is good reason for you not to take the Passover, please do not make the mistake of keeping it to yourself. Get on your knees before God, and after you have done that, get on the phone to your minister without delay!

We could liken the general of the enemy forces to a crafty, slinking, vicious, roaring, man-eating lion. A more cowardly lion will sneak behind a herd of potential prey and pick off the weak, sickly, and old who might, through weariness or sickness, be hanging back from the main herd. Mercilessly, it will drag them off and tear them apart. In the same way, Satan and his demons will take advantage of any physical or emotional weaknesses we may have. They might, for example, take advantage of the side effects of certain medications a person might be taking, or as seems to be quite common these days, steal into the thoughts of a woman suffering hormonal imbalances due to menopause. Although we, too, have a Lion—the Captain of our salvation, the Lion of the tribe of Judah (Hebrews 2:10; Revelation 5:5)—who is far superior to that of the enemy, we still must continually improve, bolster, and strengthen our guard (I Peter 5:8).

Though not wishing to concede even one point to the Adversary, it is indeed true that no human being is good. We are all unworthy and remain, of ourselves, totally incapable of making ourselves worthy. But through the shed blood of Jesus Christ, of which we symbolically partake at each Passover service, all of our sins can be blotted out and taken completely away. Through God's grace, we can be made worthy and even good. It is incredible but true that God has forgiven and even forgotten every single sin that each of His children has ever committed, confessed, and truly repented of.

forgiveness, and the atoning sacrifices of Jesus Christ.< P>

Please, do not give up. If you have doubts, fears, or problems, your Captain and your fellow-soldiers will help you get through them. But please, keep fighting. You must continue to fight with everything you have. Keep saying to yourself, to God, and to the enemy, "I will keep the Passover this year. I am determined to be there! Nothing will deter me from recommitting my future to God."

Please! Be there!

- Staff

---

From the Archives: Featured Sermon

A Pre-Passover Look
by John W. Ritenbaugh

In this preparatory message on the Passover, John Ritenbaugh affirms that the New Covenant seals the agreement with the body and blood of Christ, which is consumed inwardly. Partaking of this cup indicates that we are in unity with those in the body--fellow heirs of the world, as Abraham's seed, participating in the death and resurrection of our Savior. We must thoroughly examine ourselves, exercising and strengthening our faith, actively giving love back to God, to avoid taking this solemn event in a careless, irreverent, or nonchalant manner, jeopardizing our relationship with God, our relationship with our brethren, and our Christian liberty.

---

From the Archives: Featured Article

Christ, Our Passover
by John W. Ritenbaugh

Many people believe that our sins are the focus of Passover—but they are wrong! John Ritenbaugh shows that Christ, the Passover Lamb, should be our focus. How well do you know Him?

---