Prepare The Passover. Prepare Your Heart

“Prepare the Passover”

Subtopic: “Prepare Your Heart”

By

Bishop Melvin L. Maughmer, Jr.

Prelude: - There are 2 sides to every story, there are 2 sides of a coin, 2 sides of the street. Well, when it comes to the Word of God there are 2 sides as well, there’s the natural and the spiritual. 1 Corinthians 2:14 says, “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned”. Two sides. 1 Corinthians 15:40-50 deals with the 2 distinctions when it talks about celestial and terrestrial bodies, corruption and incorruption, mortal and immortality. The number 2 conveys the meaning of a union, division or the verification of facts by witnesses. A man and woman, though two in number, are made one in marriage Genesis 2:23- 24. There is also a union of 2 between Christ and the church 1 Corinthians 12.

The testimony of God is divided into two Testaments Old Testament and New Testament. His agreements with mankind are divided into Old and New Covenants. Adam, the first man, sinned and brought death and destruction into the world. Jesus, however, as the second Adam brings Life, the hope of the resurrection and eternal life 1 Corinthians 15:21-22, 45-49.

Those who ultimately refuse to repent and obey God will be put to death forever by being thrown into the lake of fire, which is called the second death Revelation 21:8. This act will eternally divide those who are righteous from those who were unrighteous.

Two Witnesses, in the End Time, will appear on the world scene to testify and uphold the truth of God against the Beast and the False Prophet Revelation 11. Jesus sent the disciples out in groups of 2 so that they could not only testify about his teachings and miracles, but also be witnesses of those who accepted or rejected the gospel Mark 6:7-13.

Two can also convey comparison and contrast. The Old Covenant was based on physical blessings for obedience while the New is based on those that are spiritual.

In the Old Testament, physical circumcision was required so that a person could qualify to be part of God's people, while the New Testament requires circumcision of the heart. God formerly required obedience only to the letter of his laws but now calls upon man to obey their spiritual intent as well.

Today it is my desire to expound on the natural and open up the spiritual understanding of this topic “Prepare the Passover”.

PRAYER: -

SCRIPTURE: - Luke 22:7-13 “Then came the day of unleavened bread, when the passover must be killed. And he sent Peter and John, saying, Go and prepare us the passover, that we may eat. And they said unto him, Where wilt thou that we prepare? And he said unto them, Behold, when ye are entered into the city, there shall a man meet you, bearing a pitcher of water; follow him into the house where he entereth in. And ye shall say unto the goodman of the house, The Master saith unto thee, Where is the guestchamber, where I shall eat the passover with my disciples? And he shall shew you a large upper room furnished: there make ready. And they went, and found as he had said unto them: and they made ready the Passover”.

OPENING: - Often times when we read the Bible, we will read it so fast, because either it is so close to our bedtime, or we are so tired that we hurry through scripture to say I have read my Bible today but in the process of doing that we often miss out on the meat of the Word of God. Sure we get some milk but the real sustenance we deprive ourselves of because we read it to fast. I have been guilty of this myself from time to time, reading too fast and missing out on some deep spiritual understanding, the meat of the Word of God that God wants me to get.

In Mark 5 when Jesus raised Jairus daughter from the dead He commanded that something should be given her to eat 5:43. He didn’t say give her something to drink but give her something that will give her sustenance, not just something that is quick and easy, but something that will have sustenance to it and give strength.

So today I want to slow down & dissect this passage of scripture feasting on the meat of the Word of God and not just the milk. This is Palm Sunday and there will be sermons in most churches about Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem and how we need to have a triumphal entry into our hearts, our situations, our finances, etc. We know this week is called Holy Week, with Friday being Good Friday and Sunday Resurrection Sunday the day Jesus rose from the dead. However, there are some very vital things that took place down through this week leading up to the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ that I need to bring out on today that will give you strength as we prepare our hearts as they prepared the Passover.