The Passover Season and the Power of God
April 19, 2011
By Rodney Kirkpatrick
The time of Passover marks some of the greatest events in Christian History. The official observance began in Exodus 12 with the final Egyptian punishment and the emancipation of Israel from the clutches of Pharaoh. The Lord told the people to slaughter a perfect lamb and place its blood on the posts and lentil of the front of their houses. The presence of this blood would distinguish God's people from Egypt and cause the angel instructed to kill the firstborn of every Egyptian household to "Passover" the Israeli families leaving them safe. While the protection of Israel from the fate of Egypt is worthy of major emphasis, it is also important to note that the sovereignty that the God displayed. Exodus 12:12-13 (NASB) says,
12 'For I will go through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments—I am the LORD.
13 'The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live; 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.'
Through these events, "all the gods of Egypt" were judged and shown to be powerless by comparison to the Lord. You cannot separate the sheltering that occurred from the other displays of power any more than you can split two sides of a single coin.
Today the central focus of the Passover season should be Jesus Christ. He is the fulfillment for all mankind of every aspect of the events depicted in Exodus. He is the "lamb that takes away the sin of the world (see John 1:29)" while simultaneously being "the Lamb (who) will overcome them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings (see Revelation 17:14)."
Christ's humility and selfless sacrifice at the cross were followed by a resurrection that clearly established His dominion over all. Not only should we commemorate these events during the time of passover, but the scripture also describes these principals as the pattern for every Christian's life:
Philippians 2:3-11 (NASB)
3 Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves;
4 do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.
5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,
6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,
7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.
8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
9 For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name,
10 so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
James 4:10 (NASB)
10 Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.
We must understand that the power displayed through Christian's lives depends on the degree to which we are willing to walk in humility. Furthermore, we must come to terms with the fact that "this attitude" of brokenness and dependence on God is sorely lacking in much of the Church today. We know this because of our overall lack of power. Look at some of the general standards for the Body of Christ in Mark 16:17-18 (NASB) which says,
17 "These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues;
18 they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."
When is the last time you saw demons cower or sicknesses divinely healed? For most Believers these are too often the exceptions rather than the standard rules prescribed in scripture.
As we remember the Lord's pattern during Passover, let us make this a season of repentance from our selfish leadings and become deliberately dependant on Christ's leadership. When we do this, it will be the beginning of His power flowing forth in our individual lives and through the Church Universal to a desperately needy world.