CELEBRATE LIFE

1 Corinthians 5:8 Christ, our Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed. So we must not celebrate our festivals with the old yeast {of sin} or with the yeast of vice and wickedness. Instead we must celebrate it with the bread of purity and truth that has no yeast. CELEBRATE LIFE We live in a day made new by God's grace Washed free of all the sin we spent lost time in  Every morning brand new with mercy that is true For saints who depend on the freedom of the Lord   This is the day the Lord has made Perfect in glory by His sovereign grace Let us now choose to make a joyful noise And love God in purity as we live and rejoice Each day made fresh With the very mercy of heaven Breaks through night with pure light Reminding us every day to celebrate life JEFFREY POLLOCK FEBRUARY 2009 This is the day the LORD has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24     THEOLOGY MATTERS by John Koessler       The confrontation between Pharaoh and Moses reached its climax in Exodus 11-12.  The moment of the greatest destruction was also the moment of the greatest deliverance, as God struck down the firstborn of the Egyptians and rescued Israel from bondage.  The Israelites were commanded to remember these events in an annual event called Passover.  This feast of celebration was later transformed by Christ into the Lord's Supper or Communion (cf. Luke 22:15).  At the Last Supper, Jesus deviated from the traditional Passover ceremony and used the cup and the bread to illustrate the significance of His own sacrifice (Luke 22:17-20).   The apostle Paul also pointed to Passover to explain the practical implications of Christ's sacrifice: "For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed" (see 1 Corinthians 5).  Like the original Passover lamb, judgment and deliverance were joined together in Jesus Christ.  As the Passover lamb slain for us, Christ shed blood shields us from the wrath of God.  Because Jesus suffered on our behalf, those who are in Christ have been delivered from the bondage of sin (2 Cor. 5:21).   The Feast of Unleavened Bread was celebrated prior to Passover, when God's people removed all the yeast (leaven) from their homes (Ex. 12:15; 13:6-7).  For Paul, this custom symbolized the church's obligation to maintain a standard of purity among its ranks through personal holiness and the exercise of church discipline (1 Cor. 5:8-13).  Christ has made us a "batch without yeast."  We are holy in God's sight because of the Cross.  Through self-examination, personal repentance and corporate discipline, the church reflects in practice what is true of it in position.   Christ's sacrifice absolved us of the guilt of sin but did not eliminate sin's presence in our lives.  Instead, Christ's work empowers us to "put to death the misdeeds of the body" by the power of the Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:13).  Just as the first Passover delivered Israel from slavery, Christ our Passover has broken the back of sin and has rescued us from its bondage.  We are still capable of sin---but are no longer compelled to be its slaves (Rom. 6:12-14).   From: jepollock77@juno.com Subject: Big-Picture People Listen Now |  Download |  Podcast If you're getting weary as you follow Christ, then open up your Bible and join Dr. Stowell as he encourages you to stay faithful for the long run. Dr. Stowell draws on the lives of Old Testament figures like Abraham and Sarah to illustrate the importance of faithfulness, and he delves into Hebrew 11 as he discusses the 5 obstacles that can get in the way of finishing the race set before you. You'll discover a new outlook on life's challenges as you deepen your understanding of God's perspective on your circumstances.  Length: 27:58 This audio message was previously recorded for, and is used by permission of, the Moody Bible Institute.