Unleavened Bread 2000 – Day 1

Let's begin by going to 2-Tim. 4, and we will see a prophecy that is so prevalent for our day today that it is just like this was written yesterday. This tells us, especially for those who are teaching:

• what we are to do
• when we are to do it
• how we are to do it

2 Timothy 4:1: "I charge you, therefore, in the sight of God…"

And everyone who's a teacher, and I do personally take this myself the same way, that this is a charge by the Apostle Paul before God! In other words, right from God.

"…even the Lord Jesus Christ, Who is ready to judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: Preach the Word!.…" (vs 1-2).

That's what is to be preached. Not all kinds of fairy tale stories of myths and different things like this as the world does now; as we have Easter this year right smack in the middle of the Feast of Unleavened Bread.

"Preach the Word!…." To preach it:

• truthfully
• honestly
• straightforward

"…Be urgent in season…" (v 2). That means to be instant or new, always have something new. It's like Jesus said of the scribe who teaches things concerning the Kingdom of God has new things and some old things.

That's what we will have today concerning this Feast of Unleavened Bread on this Holy Day. We will have some old things, we will have some new things, and we will have hopefully the inspiration of God so that we can grow in grace and knowledge and really in our lives fulfill the meaning of the Feast of Unleavened Bread.

He says, v 2: "Preach the Word! Be urgent in season and out of season; convict, rebuke, encourage with all patience and doctrine." Doctrine is important because doctrine then amounts to the very teachings of Christ.

• it is to be correct doctrine
• it is to be rightly divided
• it is to be in Truth for the edification of the brethren

so that we can all grow in grace and knowledge!

Verse 3: "For there shall come a time when they will not tolerate sound doctrine…" That's exactly what we are seeing today. The spin-offs are still taking place and the self-willedness of people running off just doing their own thing.

It's amazing what is happening. There are almost as many ministers as there are doctrines, and doctrines of those who claim to be ministers. Of course, God is separating out and trying and testing every one of these things. So, people are out there, and they always get an audience. No doubt about it they always get an audience.

"…but according to their own lusts they shall accumulate to themselves a great number of teachers, having ears itching…" (v 3). They want to hear something new, they want to hear something strange, they want to hear something different.

Verse 4: "And they shall turn away their own ears from the Truth; and they shall be turned aside unto myths"—Greek: 'mythos' We've seen that happen too.

Jesus said, 'When the Son of man returns will He find faith in the earth?' We also have the situation that 'many are called but few are chosen.' We don't know how many few is. I think that if you really look around and understand it has really been almost an unreal thing in our experience to go through what we've gone through and see the Church go through the things that it has.

All of that is to fulfill part of what we're doing today in the Feast of Unleavened Bread, because as we will see as Paul wrote, 'a little leaven leavens the whole lump.' What God is trying to do is:

• He's trying to get the leaven out of the Church
• He's trying to get the leaven out of people's lives

Therefore that's why we're going through the things that we are going through. 

Now let's go to Lev. 23 because that's where all the Feast days are contained. Let's see the commands of God as He shows us and teaches us, the very Word of God. Remember that God said, through Jeremiah, 'You have not listened unto My voice. And you have rebelled and you've gone a way backwards.' Isn't that what has happened to many in the Church? Yes!

Leviticus 23:4: "These are the appointed Feasts of the LORD, Holy convocations, which you shall proclaim in their appointed seasons."

I hope you understand that since God gave the command to keep these days, and also to the New Testament Gentiles, that He also gave us the Calculated Hebrew Calendar so we would know when to keep these days. Part of the leaven that a lot of people have today is they want to make a calendar, supposedly in their own image, supposedly better than the one God gave to the Levites.

Note calendar material at truthofGod.org showing that it was given by God, and that the Calculated Hebrew Calendar is the most accurate way to calculate the time for the Holy Days given the situation in the universe as it now stands than any other way. You shall proclaim in their seasons.

We have no choice if we are to follow the Word of God, if we're teaching the people, any elder or teacher, or minister.

Verse 5: "In the fourteenth day of the first month, between the two evenings… ['ben ha arbayim': between sunset and dark] …is the LORD'S Passover."

Now we've already had the Passover, and I hope that you had a wonderful Passover and a great Night to be Remembered. Of course, there's a great deal to do with the knowledge and understanding of the Night Much to be Remembered. I hope it was a wonderful event for you to experience and to know that that goes all the way back even to the time of Abraham. That is really quite an amazing thing!

Verse 6: "And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the LORD.…"

Now let's understand that this is not a Feast for the Jews. This is not a Feast for the Israelites. This is a Feast unto the LORD that those who follow God are to keep!

"…You must eat unleavened bread seven days." (v 6). No question about it! In the past we used to have people always ask: Must I eat unleavened bread during the Days of Unleavened Bread?

God says yes! It's not even to be questioned. Now, if you have an allergy or something then go ahead and eat just a small amount so it won't bother you.

You can make unleavened bread out of barley, corn, or rye as well as wheat. So, there are many different varieties. Now the children of Israel during their wanderings, had manna, which I'm sure was unleavened all the time.

Verse 7: "On the first day you shall have a Holy convocation. You shall not do any servile work therein, but you shall offer a fire offering to the LORD seven days. In the seventh day is a Holy convocation. You shall do no servile work therein" (vs 7-8).

Exo. 12[transcriber's correction]—we have in here right after the Passover instructions the very first instructions given by God to Moses for the children of Israel to keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread.

Exodus 12:15: "You shall eat unleavened bread seven days; even the first day you shall have… [past tense, already done] …put away leaven out of your houses…"

As I wrote The Christian Passover book, and it's very clear, that the Passover Day is an unleavened bread day separate from the seven days of Unleavened Bread. It's just the reverse of what we have with the Feast of Tabernacles and the Last Great Day, there we have seven days of the Feast of Tabernacles plus one, which is the Last Great Day. Here we have one plus seven. We have the Passover Day, which is an unleavened bread day because they were to eat unleavened bread for the Passover!

They were to have it all removed out of their homes. Then we come to the seven days of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. It is not making the Feast of Unleavened Bread eight days long, as some people may think, or contend. But it's really showing that there actually one day for the Passover as an unleavened bread day, and then seven days of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. They come back to back. While it is a total of eight days it does not make the Feast of Unleavened Bread eight days. One day is the Passover.

"…for whoever eats leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel. And in the first day there shall be a Holy convocation, and in the seventh day there shall be a Holy convocation for you. No manner of work shall be done in them, except that which every man must eat, that only may be done by you. And you shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for in this very same day I have brought your armies out of the land of Egypt. Therefore, you shall keep this day in your generations as a law forever. In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at sunset… ['ba erev,' at the end of the 14th beginning the 15th] …you shall eat unleavened bread, until the twenty-first day of the month at sunset" (vs 15-18)—'ba erev,' ending the 21st day.
So then that gives us seven days of unleavened bread, 15th-21st. Seven days of unleavened bread and it's calculated from sunset unto sunset. So, if you have any questions concerning this you can read this section in the Passover book.

Now let's see some of the meaning of the Feast of Unleavened Bread as it's given to us in the Old Testament.

Exodus 13:3: "And Moses said to the people, 'Remember this day…" That is the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. There's a reason why we are to remember it; not only for the children of Israel, but for us.

"…in which you came out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage; for the LORD brought you out from this place by the strength of His hand. There shall be no leavened bread eaten." (v 3). That's very important for us to understand.

Now let's remember that Pharaoh is a type of Satan; Egypt is a type of this world. Let's apply that to us spiritually. God has called us and brought us out of the world; we are to remember the day that God brought us out. I don't know about you but I can look back and remember the very day. I didn't mark it on the calendar, but I remember the very day that God started dealing with me. I didn't know it until I was able to look back on it and see it and realize that that was the beginning point that God began dealing in my life.

Then we are to remember the day that we are baptized, because that is the day that we made a covenant with God unto eternal life! So, we're to remember this day.

Verse 6: "You shall eat unleavened bread seven days…" I don't know how many times God has said that, but if someone wants to do a little concordance study you can look it up and see how many times God says seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, unleavened bread must be eaten.

"…and in the seventh day there shall be a feast to the LORD. Unleavened bread shall be eaten seven days. And there shall be no leavened bread seen with you, nor shall there be leaven seen with you in all your borders." (vs. 6-7).

Today when we just unleaven our houses, even though that's a quite a task in itself, just think what it was to unleaven the whole country and to get rid of all the leaven. That's why they had to start early.

On the news they show something concerning this and you will see what is called Israel today, which is not Israel but really Judea. They have official people going around, I guess they're assistants to rabbis, or maybe even rabbis, and they have a 55-gallon barrel metal drum with a portable gas tank on it of compressed gas and so they can have a flame that comes out of it and literally burn all the leaven so there is no leaven.

Of course, they start many days before the days before the Feast of Unleavened Bread just like you do, so that when they come to the time of the Feast of Unleavened Bread 'you shall have put away leaven out of your homes.'

Here is the reason: not only coming out of Egypt—coming out of Egypt is only part of it—but if you come out of the world and you don't come into the presence of God by receiving God's Holy Spirit and you don't start walking in God's way, then you're missing the whole point!

There are some people who just want to get away from the world so they find a little place in the country or on a mountain top way out in the wilderness if they can get there, but they have not done the other thing of following God! Here's what the Feast of Unleavened Bread is to picture on the second part. Not only coming out of Egypt, but something else must take place.

Verse 8: "And you shall tell your son in that day, saying, 'This is because of what the LORD did for me when I came out from Egypt.' And it shall be a sign to you upon your hand, and for a memorial between your eyes, that the LORD'S Law may be in your mouth…" (vs 8-9).

Today we are to have the laws written in our heart and our mind so that not only will it be in our mouth, it will become a very part of our beings, etched and inscribed in our mind!

"…for with a strong hand the LORD has brought you out of Egypt. You shall, therefore, keep this law in its season from year to year" (vs 9-10). This shows that it is an annual event just exactly like the Passover is an annual event.

Now let's see the similarity of the command in 1-Cor. 5, and here is the place where that God says and gives the command through the Apostle Paul to keep the Feast, even to the Gentiles; the Greeks were Gentiles. This is part of the Scriptures in season.

Now you know the problem that they had there with the man who was actually committing incest with his stepmother, and they were glorying over it.

Paul says here in 1-Corinthians 5:6: "Your glorying is not good. Don't you know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump?"

That is a key lesson! Oh how we've learned this through the years! You get a little sin here, a little sin there, and you allow this to happen, and it begins to grow and it begins to develop. Or a person gets a pet doctrine or ideological cause and they want to make this their little pet project or their pet religion, and all of that is leaven!

I've seen it and it virtually never fails. Once it's started, unless there is repentance, they're right on their way back into full-time leaven, back into the world, back into Egypt, because they didn't remember this day and they let a little leaven leaven the whole lump and take their whole lives away.

It's the same way with the Church. Not only just in an individual of leaven leavening the whole lump, but also to the Church; Paul was referring to the whole Church. Look at all the sins that were there in the Church at Corinth. It was many, many different pieces of leaven that were doing it, but this one was the worst one and he said to put it away.

Here's what we're to do, v 7, "Therefore, purge out the old leaven, so that you may become a new lump, even as you are unleavened…."

This is showing that they were unleavened by putting leavening out of their homes. Otherwise you wouldn't say a little leaven leavens the whole lump, that's the whole congregation; 'as they were unleavened' meant that they purged it out of their homes and got it out. Now he's saying as you have done that:

"…For Christ our Passover was sacrificed for us.." (v 7). That's why we keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread, because of the Passover. So, you see how all of these things go together:

• if you have the Passover you must have the Feast of Unleavened Bread
• if you have Easter you have all the leaven of the world that goes with that, and you have Christmas, Sunday, etc.

We've seen how the leaven within a whole church has done this. The leaven of doctrine, the leaven of the scribes and Pharisees. That's a very important thing for us to understand concerning leaven.

Verse 8: "For this reason…"—because of the fact that Christ was crucified for us; for our sins, and 'sin is the transgression of the Law.'

"…let us keep the Feast…" (v 8). Here's a New Testament command as dogmatic as you want to get where Paul commanded that Jews and Gentiles were to keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread, but predominantly the Church in Corinth was a Gentile church.

Part of the leaven that is entered into the thinking of people today is that this was only for the Jews and therefore the Gentiles don't have to keep the Feast. Maybe they should keep the Sabbath, but they should not keep the Feast. Here is one Scripture, and how many Scriptures does it take to prove a point? One! Here is a Scripture which says, "…let us keep the Feast…" Now here is the whole spiritual lesson for us:

"…not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness…"  (v 8). During this time of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, leaven pictures sin. Leaven grows, expands, puffs up and produces vanity. Vanity produces selfishness, selfishness produces greed and greed produces other kinds of sins. Pretty soon you're just back out in the world!

I had someone tell me something, which I think is pretty profound. He saw some people that he used to know that were in the Church, but the leaven got to them and they accepted the false doctrines of Sunday, Christmas and Easter. He saw them at a later date and he said, 'You know, it was like there was nothing there. It was just like kind of a blank.' He was concerned that maybe God had taken the Holy Spirit from them. It's possible! We don't want to make a judgment, but in cases like that pray for those people.

But it is something, once you go back into the world, and once you take in all that leaven again then you really get yourself in great trouble. But here's how we are to keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and here's the meaning for it:

"…but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and Truth" (v 8). Now that's what we are to do individually in our lives, collectively as the fellowship group, overall as the whole Church, and in reaching out to other Churches of God that's their duty to do also.

Now let's look at one of the leavens that leads people astray very quickly. Matthew 16:6: "And Jesus said to them, 'Watch out and be on guard against the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.'"

The Pharisees and Sadducees were the religious leaders of Jesus' day. As we've seen through the sermon series that we have done—Why God Hates Religion—that a religion is a substitute for God's way. Therefore, religion becomes a spiritual leaven.

Verse 7: "Then they…[the disciples] … reasoned among themselves, saying, 'It is because we did not take bread.' But when Jesus knew this, He said to them, 'O you of little faith…" (vs 7-8).

If we don't believe Christ, we are of little faith! Here Jesus was talking to His own disciples, the ones who would become the apostles.

"…why are you reasoning among yourselves that it is because you did not bring bread? Do you still not understand? Do you not remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets you took up?" (vs 8-9). How much God was able to do with such a little bit!

Verse 10: "'Nor the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many baskets you took up? How is it that you do not understand that I was not speaking of bread when I told you to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees?' Then they understood that He did not say to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees" (vs 10-12). 

One thing for sure, one of the things that is very important to remember for the Feast of Unleavened Bread is that it has to be sound doctrine according to the Word of God; that way we can test everything that comes in. We need to always be like the Bereans, 'searching the Scriptures whether these things are so.' Just like we had to learn with the calendar situation. Just like we had to learn with the Passover 14th/15th controversy. You see, the leaven of the 15th Passover is the leaven of the Pharisees down to this very day.

Now let me just tell you a little story behind how I got started writing The Christian Passover book. I had no idea of writing a Passover book, but it to understand when the 14th Passover began and whether it was really an afternoon sacrifice or an evening sacrifice right after the sun set at the end of the 13th. This goes clear back to 1977 when we had a ministerial conference in Worldwide Church of God, and we all went to Pasadena and we were all presented with this Passover paper. In this Passover paper—written by Robert Kuhn and Lester Grabbe—they were purporting the traditional Jewish interpretation of the Passover that the 14th,'ben ha arbayim,' meant that it was at mid-afternoon on the 14th.

So, I was stuck with a huge problem, because I had already sent out 10,000 of A Harmony of the Gospels (first edition), and those were already sold out and it was into the second edition, 5000 copies, and many of those were already out. I put at the end of the first addition that if anything new concerning the Passover would come up I would be sure and make any changes that were necessary.

So, this came like a bolt out of the blue. The things that were taught down there was just really the leaven of the Pharisees, no doubt just coming into destroy; Satan's agents there to teach the traditions of the Jews!

When I got home I thought: Bow what am I going to do? I went through the material over and over again and I saw many places where they weren't right. As a matter of fact, I saw where they were very wrong! I had to find in the Bible—do just like the Bereans and search the Scriptures whether these be so or not—and in searching the Scriptures when I came to Exo. 16 I found God's way of defining of between the two evenings: 'ben ha arbayim' in relationship to evening: 'ba erev.'

So, I've got two or three chapters on that in the Passover book. That's how I came to understand it, because I was stuck in a situation that if there was no place in the Scriptures that showed the Truth—which there was, but just if there wasn't—then we would be forced to accept the traditional explanation of the Jews. Well, thankfully we were able to understand that and now we have The Christian Passover book.

The lesson is to beware of the doctrine, the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees! There are an awful lot of 'Hebrew wannabes' that want to go around and bring people into bondage of a Seder Passover, of prayer shawls, of all kind of silly Jewish traditions. Christ said to beware of it, don't fall for it!

Now let's understand something concerning how we are to keep the Passover and what it means for us and the meaning of it for the Feast of Unleavened Bread. We know that foot-washing is something we are to do. We've covered that very thoroughly concerning what it means and how it is, and Jesus said, 'Blessed are you if you do them.' Jesus washed the feet of the disciples and He said, 'I have set you an example that as I have done unto you so should you do to one another.' So, foot-washing renews our baptism, and it also shows that we are to walk in the way of God!

Now let's see the meaning concerning how we are to apply the Passover to the Feast of Unleavened Bread because they are both. One is on the 14th, one is the 15th and runs for seven days. Christ makes it very clear.

John 6:51, Jesus said: "I AM the living Bread, which came down from heaven; if anyone eats of this Bread, he shall live forever…" The Passover is the key to eternal life, and the Passover is the covenant for the New Covenant, which is eternal life.

"'…and the bread that I will give is even My flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.' Because of this, the Jews were arguing with one another, saying, 'How is He able to give us His flesh to eat?' Therefore, Jesus said to them, 'Truly, truly I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink His blood, you do not have life in yourselves'" (vs 51-53).

Let's understand something here very clearly: There is no eternal life granted in any other way other than through Jesus Christ, nor with any other name other than Jesus Christ! The religions of this world are not all on their way to the Kingdom of God or the Kingdom of Heaven. They're all on their way to Gehenna, if they don't repent! They have no life in them! There is no eternal life in:

• Judaism
• Catholicism
• Protestantism
• Hinduism
• Islam
• Shintoism

or any other religion of this world!

Verse 53: "Therefore, Jesus said to them, 'Truly, truly I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink His blood, you do not have life in yourselves. The one who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up in the last day; for My flesh is truly food, and My blood is truly drink. The one who eats My flesh and drinks My blood is dwelling in Me, and I in him'" (vs 53-56).

That's a key thing concerning the Feast of Unleavened Bread! If Christ is in you, you are unleavened! That's very profound and important to understand: Christ dwelling in you! What is this to do?

Verse 57: "As the living Father has sent Me, and I live by the Father; so also the one who eats Me shall live by Me." That is:

• with Christ in you
• with the commandments of God
• walking in the way of God

That is so marvelous; something that we need to understand! That's why our way of walking in Christ is pictured as unleavened bread. That is sinless!

• Are you walking in Christ?
• Are you living by every Word of God?
• Are you truly living by Jesus Christ?

That is the whole meaning of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and we're going to see it in many, many instances here as we understand on this first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and the reason why this is a Holy convocation and the lessons that we are to learn in this season. 

Verse 58: "This is the Bread, which came down from heaven; not as your fathers ate manna, and died.… [all the physical things in life do not count] …The one who eats this Bread shall live forever."

That was a hard saying for them to understand, but the disciples understood it on the Passover night when Jesus took the bread and He broke it and said, 'Take eat, this is My body, which is broken for you.' And He took the wine and He said, 'This is My blood in the New Covenant.' These are the symbols!

We don't literally eat His flesh, and literally drink His blood, but these are the symbols that Christ has given. For the Passover service they represent the body and the blood of Christ!

Now let's see how that eating God's way—tasting of the LORD—is what we are to do. We are to literally eat, sleep, and breathe God's way!

Psalm 34:4: "I sought the LORD, and He answered me…" We are to seek God! God has the seven eyes of His Spirit going to and fro the earth seeking those who are seeking Him (Rev. 5).

"…and delivered me from all my fears. They looked to Him and were radiant; and their faces were not ashamed" (vs 4-5).

IF you look to God, He's going to help you; He's going to strengthen you. There's no shame in serving God! There's no shame in the difficulties that you are going through. That's all a part of Christian living.

Verse 6: "This poor man cried, and the LORD heard…" This is poor of spirit. Remember what Jesus said, 'Blessed are the poor for they shall see God.'

God heard him, "…and saved him out of all his troubles" (v 6). We have two things that are important for the Feast of Unleavened Bread:

• Not only did God bring us out of the house of bondage, from Egypt spiritually speaking from this world, but
• He also delivers us from all our fears, and saves us out of all of our troubles; every one of them!

I can look back and I can see all the difficulties and problems that we as a family have gone through while we've been in God's Church. I can see that God has delivered us out of every single problem, trial and difficulty that we have gone through. Now, there are times when you are going to have troubles and God doesn't immediately take it from you.

Let's understand that in the purpose that God has for us in these trials—to purge out the leaven, to give us experiences to grow in grace and knowledge—that these trials will come upon us. There is a great blessing that comes:

• by letting God deliver us
• by letting Him open the doors
• by trusting in Him
• by crying out to Him

just like it was in Psa. 34!

1-Peter 5:6: "Be humbled, therefore, under the mighty hand of God… [because He resists the proud and gives grace to the humble] …so that He may exalt you in due time; casting all your cares upon Him, because He cares for you" (vs 6-7).

Meaning that all your troubles and difficulties, all your trials and things, cast upon Him, "…because He cares for you." Even in your suffering He cares for you for He loves you!

Verse 8: "Be sober! Be vigilant! For your adversary the devil is prowling about as a roaring lion, seeking anyone he may devour." That's something that we have to be aware of.

Just as Pharaoh was the evil king for the children of Israel, so Satan the devil is the evil king and 'god of this world' right now, who's going around 'seeking whom he may devour.' The ones he wants to devour are those who are letting leaven into their lives because they become easy prey. If a person starts letting leaven into his life, then Satan will come along and he may even make the way a little easier; he will make the leaven come a little nicer. You will enjoy yourself, because Satan knows that 'there's pleasure in sin for a season.' But if you are resisting sin, and you're going through the trial you may have troubles and difficulties.

Verse 9: "Whom resist, steadfast in the faith… [not give into, but use the faith of Christ to resist] …knowing that the same afflictions are being fulfilled among your brethren who are in the world."

So everyone's going to have trials just like was in Psalm 34:4 "…delivered me from all my fears…. [v 6]: …and saved him out of all his troubles."

1-Peter 5:10: "Now, may the God of all grace, Who has called us unto His eternal glory in Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a little while, Himself perfect you, establish, strengthen, and settle you."

So, if you're currently going through a trial or a difficulty

• God will help you
• God will hear you
• God will save you

But let this trial have it's work in your life so that it will draw you close to God so that

• you will learn from it
• you will have the understanding from it
• you will have the spiritual sense of it
• you will be able to give God the glory and the credit for delivering you

Psalm 34:6: "This poor man cried, and the LORD heard… [God will hear you as well] …and saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear Him and delivers them…. [you'll even have angelic help] …O taste and see that the LORD is good…" (vs 6-8).

In this case it is tasting by doing, and it is also tasting through the Passover by eating the flesh of Christ and drinking His blood that the Lord is good.

"…blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him" (v 8). If you do exactly like Christ has said, then you're trusting in Him. If you believe Him, trust Him and hope in Him, then He'll be right there!

Verse 9: "O fear the LORD, all you saints, for there is nothing lacking to those who fear Him." That is you're not lacking anything, that doesn't mean just in physical things.

• How much in the spiritual?
• How much in understanding the Word of God?
• How much in loving God?
• How much in serving God?
• How much in knowing His Word?
• How much to be able to love Him with all your heart, mind, soul and being?

Brethren that is the best way! That is truly the way! That is the complete state of unleavenedness!

Let's understand that if you have been called of God, which you have been, and if you have received the Holy Spirit, God has a great and a tremendous purpose for you!

• God the Father is the One Who has intervened in your life to call you
• He is the One Who has done it
• He is the One Who has provided it

1-Peter 2:9: "But you are a chosen stock…" God the Father Himself and Jesus Christ have personally selected you! If you can't figure out the reason, don't worry. The purpose is to give you eternal life! He called you because you were a sinner, and He called you because you were willing to repent! He led you to repentance! He called you because you willing to fear Him and obey Him!

Verse 9: "But you are a chosen stock, a royal priesthood..." That is our destiny, to be a kingly priesthood. We shall be kings and priests and reign with Christ a thousand years (Rev. 20). Then from there into all eternity!

"…a Holy nation… [that's how God looks down here] …a people for a possession of God…" (v 9)—peculiar to God, or special to God. Maybe peculiar to the world, because you don't keep Sunday, Christmas and Easter and all that sort of thing.

(go to the next track)

"…that you might proclaim His excellent virtues, Who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light" (v 9).

This world is in darkness, utter darkness! We'll also see the darkness as a type of sin. God has called us into His glorious, marvelous light!

Verse 10, "Who once were not a people… [he's writing to Gentiles here] …but now are the people of God; who had not received mercy, but now have received mercy. Beloved, I exhort you, as strangers and sojourners, to restrain yourselves from fleshly lusts which war against the soul…" (vs 10-11).

That's all a part of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, abstaining from the fleshly lusts:

• overcoming the battle within
• overcoming the battle with Satan the devil
• overcoming the battle with the world

That is all absolutely a part of it. Let's keep this in mind:

• He's called us into His glorious and marvelous light
• He has called us out of darkness

The Feast of Unleavened Bread pictures a time when we are to be walking in God's way, that is in the light!

John 12:35: "Then Jesus said to them, 'Yet, a little while the Light is with you…." That is Christ talking. He was with them just a little while physically.

"…Walk while you have the Light, so that the darkness will not overtake you.…" (v 35). If you're not walking in the light of Christ you will walk in darkness. 'Darkness covers the earth and the people walk in darkness and live in darkness. But Christ, the Light, arose and shined!'

"…For the one who walks in darkness does not know where he is going" (v 35). That's what happens. If you're out in the world:

• you don't know why you're here
• you don't know who God is
• you don't know what life is all about
• you don't have a clue where you are going

If you get wrapped up in some 'religion' in this world they may bring you a little light but you're still walking in darkness.

Verse 36: "While you have the Light, believe in the Light, so that you may become the children of Light…." Brethren, let's follow this theme a little more closely here. Let's understand what we are to do: We are to walk in this Light; we are to come out of the darkness, and that's what the Feast of Unleavened Bread is all about:

• how we are to do it
• the way we are to do it
  • casting the leaven out
  • casting the darkness out
  • casting the sin out

Getting rid of these things out of our lives!

Here's the contrast, and the Proverbs are marvelous because they show the contrast.

Proverbs 4:18: "But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shines more and more to the perfect day."

This is a prophecy of us shining more and more unto that perfect day. What is the perfect day? The perfect day has got to be the resurrection! No doubt about it.

Now let's notice the contrast, v 19: "The way of the wicked is as darkness; they know not at what they stumble." Just like Jesus said, 'If you walk in the darkness you don't know where you're going.' God has called us into His marvelous light!

Now let's see what happened to the children of Israel when they got rid of God's way. When God split the kingdom between the northern ten tribes and the tribe of Judah, plus Levi and Benjamin, He split them off and Jeroboam was made king. God gave him the promise and said to Jeroboam, 'If you walk in My ways, and if you will do what I ask you to do then I will give you a dynasty just like I promised to David.'

But Jeroboam wouldn't do it. What did he do? He set up the two calves, one in Dan and one in Bethel. He changed the Feast of Tabernacles from the seventh month to the eighth month. He set up idols and built an altar, and he himself was high priest. So, Jeroboam the son of Nebat was known as one of the most evil; as a matter of fact he is the epitome of the evil of the kings of the house of Israel. Manasseh is the epitome of the evil of the kings of house of Judah.

What happens when people go back into the world and walk in darkness and walk in the way of sin?

1-Kings 16:29: "And in the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, Ahab the son of Omri began to reign over Israel. And Ahab the son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty-two years. And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the LORD above all who were before him…. [this was really a tremendous thing that happened here] …And as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat…" (vs 29-30).

So here we find even Ahab was worse than Jeroboam. The only reason that he ended up not being worse than Jeroboam was that Ahab did repent. But notice what's said here:

"…he also took Jezebel, the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, for a wife. And he went and served Baal, and worshiped him. And he reared up an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he had built in Samaria. And Ahab made a wooden image. And Ahab did more to provoke the LORD God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him" (vs 31-33). 

Now you see what happens when a little leaven leavens the whole lump. It grows and grows and grows:

• because there is profit in sin
• because there is pleasure in sin
• because God doesn't come and immediately cut you off

Then people begin to think they're all right. But the day of reckoning comes. But for us:

• every year we are to examine ourselves before the Passover, as we have done
• every year we are to get sin out of our lives, which we do
• every year we are to look again:
• to the sacrifice of Christ
• to the grace of God
• to the blood of Christ

to lead us through the power of His Holy Spirit to walk in righteousness!

Prov. 2 becomes quite an important thing for us to understand, how God will show us the way to discern the way between right and wrong, good and evil, light and darkness.

Proverbs 2:10: "Wisdom shall enter into your heart…" I'll tell you something, brethren, wisdom cannot enter into your heart unless you become unleavened in Christ! When there's vanity and foolishness and self-serving, those are all a lack of wisdom. The true wisdom comes from Christ, having the mind of Christ, having the Spirit of Christ.

Verse 10: "Wisdom shall enter into your heart, and knowledge will be pleasing to your soul; discretion shall preserve you and, understanding shall keep you…. [here's what it will do] …to deliver you from the way of the evil man, from the man who speaks wicked things… [perverse things, and these men are the ones] …those who leave the paths of uprightness to walk in the ways of darkness" (vs 10-13). So, it is to keep you from those things. And the true wisdom comes from Christ.

Let's see how important this is that we come out of darkness and we walk in light; Psalm 81:8: "Hear, O My people, and I will admonish you…"

• Will you listen to God?
• Will you hear His voice?

"…O Israel, if you will hearken to Me, there shall be no strange god among you; nor shall you worship any strange god" (vs 8-9). That's the ultimate of a little leaven leavens the whole lump.

Verse 10: "I am the LORD your God Who brought you out of the land of Egypt; open your mouth wide, and I will fill it. But My people would not hearken to My voice, and Israel would have none of Me. So, I gave them up to the stubbornness of their own hearts; and they walked in their own conceits" (vs 10-12).

That's what happens when there's so much leaven that comes in, and there's nothing but sin, and there's nothing but evil, and there's nothing but darkness then God gives them over to all of their own lusts.

Verse 13: "Oh, that My people had hearkened unto Me, and Israel had walked in My ways! I would soon have subdued their enemies, and would have turned My hand against their adversaries. The haters of the LORD should dwindle away before Him, and their punishment should endure forever. And they also would have been fed with the finest of wheat; and with honey out of the rock I would have satisfied them" (vs 13-16).

In other words God would have blessed them. All of the difficulties and problems that Israel had was because they wanted to go their way and not walk in the way of Light of God.

Now let's see something concerning the light. Let's see what Jesus said, and how it is that human beings respond. Let's see what they like, love, and how difficult it is for those who are in the world to become unleavened and follow God.

This is the whole statement of God and His whole mission purpose, as it were. John 3:16: "For God so loved the world…"—and God loved you.

• God does love you
• God still loves you
• God wants to love you more
• God wants to love you even more perfectly
• God wants to love you personally when you are resurrected to be in the Kingdom of God

"…that He gave His only begotten Son, so that everyone who believes in Him may not perish, but may have everlasting life" (v 16).

This is all a part of God's plan. The way that you believe in Him, at that is that you believe with all your heart and you commit with all your soul, and all your mind, and all your being.

Verse 17: "For God sent not His Son into the world that He might judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him."

Ultimately God is going to do this. God is going to save the world. And the rest of the Holy Days show exactly how God is going to do that especially beginning with Trumpets on down through Atonement, Tabernacles and the Last Great Day.

Verse 18: "The one who believes in Him is not judged… [condemned; you are not condemned if you are in Christ] …but the one who does not believe has already been judged because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the judgment: that the Light has come into the world…" (vs 18-19).

Christ said, 'I am the Light of the world. If you walk in the Light, darkness shall not overtake you.'

"…but men loved darkness rather than the Light because their works were evil. For everyone who practices evil hates the Light…" (vs 19-20).

• that's why there's so much hatred in the world today
• that's why people believe so many lies

We are living in a world of wonder and fantasy in everything that is in the world. The only reality is that they are living a lie. They don't understand the reality that's going to hit them when finally they come to the end of the bubble and the lie bursts and there they are. 

Verse 20: "For everyone who practices evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light, so that his works may not be exposed; but the one who practices the Truth comes to the Light…" (vs 20-21). That's why God has these annual Feasts that every year:

• we renew
• we come back to God
• we keep our course steady
• we keep it straight
• we keep heading toward God and the Kingdom of God
• we keep overcoming year-by-year, month-by-month, and day-by-day coming to the Light

"…so that his works may be manifested… [of course, also to repent] …that they have been accomplished by the power of God" (v 21).

In other words, Christ in them was activating and motivating them to live the way that they lived, but notice you are coming to, you are walking in the Light!

There's a strange phenomenon that happens, which is this. Once you are in the light, if you turn around and turn your back on the light you will still seem like you are in the light though you're walking away from it because the light is shining. And then you walk a little further, and a little further and it gets a little darker but you get accustomed to that. And you walk a little further and it still gets a little darker yet and you get accustomed to that, and pretty soon you're back in the darkness of the blackness of total sin. That's why we have to keep coming to the light, keep coming to Christ, keep knowing and understanding His ways.

Now let's understand that Light and Truth go together. The Light of God and the Truth of God go together. That's why Jesus Christ said, 'I am the Way—that's the way we are to live; the Truth—no other truth; and the Life.' We'll see part of this in:

Psalm 43:3. "Oh, send out Your Light and Your Truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to Your Holy mountain and to Your tabernacles." Let's understand that spiritually. This is also a prophecy of:

• how we are to live
• how we are to walk
• how we are to be led

Where is the Holy hill (mountain)? He's talking about Mt. Sion at the resurrection!

"…and to Your tabernacles." That's where the throne of God is. The tabernacles of God dwells with men (Rev. 21) in the completing of God's plan.

Verse 4: "Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy… [so that you can have joy and happiness in your Christian living] …yea, upon the lyre I will praise You, O God, my God. Why are you cast down, O my soul?…." (vs 4-5). David was coming to God to get out of a depression. He was depressed; his soul was cast down.

"…And why do you moan within me? Hope in God…" [that's what this whole Feast of Unleavened Bread is for] …for I shall yet, praise Him, the salvation of my countenance, and my God" (v 5). Not only for the health for your physical body, but the health of your spiritual well-being! Remember that it says, 'send out Your Light and Your Truth and let them lead me.'

note sermons series:

• Epistles of 1st, 2nd, 3rd John and Jude
• Epistle of James
• Epistles of 1st and 2nd Peter

note book: The Seven General Epistles, and that will help you go through these epistles There are a lot of lessons for us here.

1-John 1:5: "And this is the message that we have heard from Him and are declaring to you: that God is Light, and there is no darkness at all in Him."

James says there is not even any variance or 'shadow of turning.' You need to understand that concerning the Word of God. If anyone says that God did not mean what He said, he is a liar.

Verse 6: "If we proclaim that we have fellowship with Him, but we are walking in the darkness, we are lying to ourselves, and we are not practicing the Truth"—Greek'poieo.'

So, if you're in darkness you can't be doing the Truth because the Truth is Light, as we just saw: "Send out Your Light and Your Truth." There are many that way who think they are doing God's way but they're not. If you're walking in darkness you can't be doing/practicing the Truth because the darkness has blinded your eyes to the Truth and you don't know it. The greatest darkness that you can get into is have a little bit of Truth mixed in with a whole lot of error.

Verse 7: "However, if we walk in the Light, as He [Christ] is in the Light, then we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ, His own Son, cleanses us from all sin."

You are sinless before God! Did you know that? That's what the Feast of Unleavened Bread is all about!

Verse 8: "If we say that we do not have sin… [we have nothing to repent of or that we don't have a sinful nature] …we are deceiving ourselves, and the Truth is not in us." Again, two strikes against the Truth, walking in darkness and saying you have no sin.

Verse 9: "If we confess our own sins… [key to becoming sinless] …He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His Word is not in us" (vs 9-10).

Let's notice how we are to walk; 1-John 2:3: "And by this standard we know that we know Him: if we keep His commandments." Part of the commandment was inspired through the Apostle Paul, 'Therefore, let us keep the Feast'—of Unleavened Bread. That's part of His commandment. "…we know that we know Him: if we keep His commandments." That's how we know. Anyone who is not keeping the commandments of God does not know God:

• it doesn't matter what they profess
• it doesn't matter what they write
• it doesn't matter what they think

Verse 4: "The one who says, 'I know Him' and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the Truth is not in him. On the other hand, if anyone is keeping His Word, truly in this one the love of God is being perfected.…" (vs 4-5).

That's the whole thing. This Feast of Unleavened Bread is to perfect us even a little more from last year. And next year, and the next year, and the next year beyond; to perfect us in the love of God.

"…By this means we know that we are in Him" (v 5). God doesn't want us to be in doubt. He doesn't want us to believe in something we're not sure of. We know because we keep His commandments! Notice the result of how we ought to walk:

Verse 6. "Anyone who claims to dwell in Him is obligating himself also to walk even as He Himself walked."

Christ walked in the Light and He is the Light. That's how we are to live our lives!

2 John 6 it talks about walking, because the Feast of Unleavened Bread pictures the exodus for the children of Israel. The Feast of Unleavened Bread for us pictures the exodus out of the world! This tells us how we are to be out of the world.

2-John 6: "And this is the love of God: that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, exactly as you heard from the beginning, that you might walk in it, because many deceivers have entered into the world; those who do not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh. This is the spirit of the deceiver and the antichrist" (vs 6-7).

These deceivers carry the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees of old time and also of modern time. Those ministers who say that Christ did it all for you, you don't have to do anything. Look if you are in the liberty of Christ, you're in the liberty of not having sin imputed to you. You are not at liberty to not keep His commandments. Do you see the difference there? Christ delivered us from sin! He didn't deliver us from commandment-keeping. He delivered us from darkness to walk in His Light!

Verse 7: "Because many deceivers have entered into the world; those who do not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh. This is the spirit of the deceiver and the antichrist. Watch out for yourselves in order that we may not lose the things we have accomplished, but that we may receive a full reward" (vs 7-8).

That is true! You have to be careful how you're building on that foundation of Christ that you receive the full reward.

• What are you building on that foundation of Jesus Christ?
• How are you building it?
• Are you walking in the Light as He is in the Light?
• Are you coming to the Light?
• Are you walking as He walked?

or

• Are you becoming lackadaisical as we live in this age of the Laodiceans who are lukewarm and have need of nothing?

They are not watching how that they are building on the foundation from Christ!

1-Corinthians 3:10: "As a wise architect, according to the grace of God that was given to me, I have laid the foundation, and another is building upon it. But let each one take heed how he builds upon it. For no one is able to lay any other foundation besides that which has been laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now, if anyone builds upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones…" (vs 10-12)—the jewels of true spiritual righteousness! Also, in understanding that Christ told the Laodiceans to buy of Him gold tried in the fire.

That's why we're going through all the trials that we are going through now, because the fire is not the Tribulation alone; the fire represents the trials that you go through!

• Are you building the gold, silver and precious stones, the precious jewels of true righteousness?

or

• Are you building wood, hay, and stubble?

Wood can have a veneer and look really nice. As a matter of fact, even iron wood is very hard to burn, but it's still wood and still can be burned up. Now then, hay is fodder that you feed cattle, so there is still some little value in it but not very much. Stubble is that which is left over after the hay and after the grain has been harvested, which can blow up and explode almost on it's own just like some of these grain storage centers have done. They get too much stubble in there and it builds up and then it gets real hot and BOOM, it explodes of itself and there's a great fire and everything is burned up.

Verse 13, "The work of each one shall be manifested; for the day of trial will declare it… [the day of the trial] …because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall prove what kind of work each one's is."

Peter said, 'Don't think it strange concerning the fiery trials which have come upon you.' That's why when we read back there that the Lord delivers us from all of our fears and saves us out of all of our troubles, it's important to understand that God will bring us through that. If you come through that, delivered from all of them, then you have the building there of gold, silver and precious stone.

But if you give up, and if you waver and you fall, and you go back into the world or you sin greatly, then you're building wood, hay and stubble, and the fire is going to try it.

Verse 15: "If the work of anyone is burned up, he shall suffer loss; but he himself shall be saved, yet, as through fire." You're going to lose what you have wrought.

2-John 8: "Watch out for yourselves in order that we may not lose the things we have accomplished, but that we may receive a full reward." Because if it's burned up, you have no reward!

That's how it's so important that the Feast of Unleavened Bread is. We need to resolve to come to God, repent of our sins, examine ourselves, see where we're falling short:

• ask God to help us
• ask God to uplift us
• ask God to help us walk in His Light
• ask God to help us walk in His Truth
• ask God to help us walk in His commandments
• ask God to help us walk in love
• ask God to help us do the things that are pleasing in to Him

That's so important!

That's why David experienced so many trials. He wrote of them to give us encouragement, to help us realize that God will help us, to help us understand, that God will be there!

Psalm 26:1: "Judge me, O LORD, for I have walked in my integrity…." We're going to show that God is constantly judging us, and judgment is upon the house of God now; God is judging us all the time.

"…I have walked in my integrity… [which is really the integrity of the commandments of God] …I have trusted also in the LORD without wavering. Examine me, O LORD, and prove me; try my reins and my heart" (vs 1-2).

That's why we are to prove ourselves whether we are in Christ or not. That's why we are to examine ourselves before the Passover and let God do the proving, let God do the testing. Let it be that God finds us in

• a repentant attitude
• a humble mind
• a willing heart
• a tender heart

as we have gone through with the heart/mind connection to have the heart of David and the mind of Christ.

Verse 3: "For Your loving kindness is before my eyes; and I have walked in Your Truth." That's how we are to walk. Isn't that something?

• walk in the Light
• walk in the Truth
• walk away from darkness

Let God give us the wisdom to open our mind and our heart so that we can see that we don't walk with deceivers, vain men, false doctrine, self-serving, and all of the leaven of the flesh. That's why we keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread. It's very important that we understand that.

Gal. 5—we will see something very important on how we are to walk. This gives an added dimension to our walk because we don't do it by ourselves. We do it by the power of the Holy Spirit. The way that we overcome is through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Galatians 5:16: "Now this I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh." That's how you overcome:

• you walk in God's love
• you walk in His commandments
• you walk in His Truth

IF you're doing that you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh! But what happens if you don't? This is what we've seen happen in the Church!

Verse 15: "But if you bite and devour one another, watch out lest you be consumed by one another." There also, during this Feast of Unleavened Bread, needs to be:

• forgiveness
• understanding
• reconciliation

Because all of those things can also be part of the sin that you have. Remember: Jesus said that if you have anything against your brother, even as He was saying there in Matt. 5 that He didn't even want them to put the gift on the altar. 'You leave your gift and you go your way and be reconciled to your brother first.' If there is anything that you need to do with that then be reconciled to your brother.

Sometimes there are those who just absolutely throw the gauntlet down and run off on their own and there's virtually little that you can do to be reconciled to them. But pray for them anyway.

Verse 25: "If we live by the Spirit, we should also be walking by the Spirit" That's how we are to walk and how we are to live.

Notice between these verses we have quite a bit having to do concerning human nature, comparing the way of human nature and walking in the Spirit with the fruits of the Spirit.

Verse 19: "Now, the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, licentiousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, strifes, jealousies, indignations, contentions, divisions, sects…" (vs 19-20).

Sounds like I'm giving a review of the television, because that's the way it is.

Verse 21: "Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revelings, and such things as these; concerning which I am telling you beforehand, even as I have also said in the past, that those who do such things shall not inherit the Kingdom of God."

• that's why we are to put the leaven out
• that's why we are to put the sin out
• that's why we are to ask God to help us overcome:
  • vanity
  • self
  • all of the lust of the flesh

Verse 22: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faith, meekness, self-control; against such things there is no law" (vs. 22-23).

In other words, when you are doing these things there is no law that you are breaking. As a matter of fact you are fulfilling, and you are doing what God wants you to.

This also tells us how we are to walk, what we are to follow; Ephesians 5:1: "Therefore, be imitators of God as beloved children."

Just like the little children that Jesus said to allow to come to Him. He said, 'I tell you, unless you become like a little child, such as one of these, you shall in no way enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.' So likewise, Paul confirms that:

Verse 1: "Therefore, be imitators of God as beloved children":

• willing
• humble
• serving
• loving
• kind

all the fruits of the Spirit of God! That you truly love God with all your heart, mind, soul and being, and ask God to help you do that. Ask God to give you His Spirit that you may walk that way!

Verse 2: "And walk in love, even as Christ also loved us…" That's why we have the words of the New Covenant. When we go through the Passover on the Passover night we read the very words of Jesus Christ, 'Love each other as I have loved you.'

"…and gave Himself for us as an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savor" (v 2).

S, all of our sins have been removed. Count all of your sins as leaven and Christ has removed them, and you have been renewed by taking the Passover! Now you are coming to God in this Feast of Unleavened Bread so that you can put sin out, just like you put leaven out of your homes you can put sin out. This is something that we need to work on.

Verse 3: "But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness… [which we saw are all the works of the flesh] …do not permit it even to be named among you, as is fitting for saints; nor filthiness, nor foolish talking or jesting, which are not becoming; but instead, thanksgiving. For this you know, that no fornicator, or unclean person, or covetous person, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ and of God" (vs. 3-5).

Paul was very straightforward there with it; 'Let no man deceive you with vain words,' because there were those coming around with their vain words and twisting and turning the Scriptures as we saw in a case in where this man was having incest with his stepmother (1 Cor.).

Their glorying was not good and the leaven was leavening the whole church, which was going down in an inglorious blaze of destruction. I do believe personally that the Church at Corinth was one of the very first churches to leave when Paul died. I think that they went into idolatry and all of those things almost immediately. It was all that Paul could do, he said, 'Examine yourselves whether you are in Christ or not. Know you not that Christ is in you else you be reprobates?' Those were pretty stern words.

Verse 6: "Do not let anyone deceive you with vain words; for because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience."

Here again we see you are either the children of obedience or disobedience. If you are obedient you are walking in the Light. If you're disobedient you're walking in the darkness. The darkness blinds your eyes and you don't know where you're going.

Verse 7: "Therefore, do not be joint partakers with them. For you were once darkness; but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light, (because the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and Truth); proving what is well pleasing to the Lord; and have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them" (vs 7-11). To show sin for what sin is!

During the Feast of Unleavened Bread that's what Christ wants us to do:

• to show what sin is
• to show what righteousness is
• to show what Truth is
• to show what error is
• to realize that there is a firm dividing line between them

and

• we are not to mix them
• we are not to bring them together
• we are not to do these things in that way

Let's see what Paul wrote as inspired by Christ; 1-Corinthians 10:20: "But that which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons, and not to God…" He's showing clearly you can't mix the religions of this world with the way of God.

"…and I do not wish you to have fellowship with demons" (v 20). That becomes the ultimate of walking in darkness, because Satan is the lord of darkness.

Verse 21: "You cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord, and the table of demons."

That has a direct reference to the Passover. That's why those who have gone off and have allowed the leaven in their lives and in their churches and in their organizations to come to such a great height that they have gone back into total darkness. That's what happened.

• Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy?
• Are we stronger than He?
• Can we do these things and get away with them?
• No!

Paul says expose them, and he did!

Ephesians 5:12: "For it is shameful even to mention the things being done by them in secret. But all of these things being exposed by the light are openly revealed. Therefore, He says, 'You who are sleeping—wake up, and arise from the dead!' And Christ shall shine upon you" (vs 12-14).

Let's do that for this Feast of Unleavened Bread. Let Christ wake us up! Have Christ intervene in our lives with His Spirit:

• to lead us
• to guide us
• to help us
• to walk in His way
• to walk in His Truth
• to rededicate ourselves to God in a greater way

asking for:

• His Spirit
• His Truth
• His love
• His mercy
• His grace
• His kindness
  • to lead us
  • to help us
  • to get all leaven out of our lives

So therefore, brethren, let's keep this Feast not with the leaven of malice and wickedness but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and Truth! Then we will be truly walking in the Light and in God's way!

All Scriptures from The Holy Bible in Its Original Order, A Faithful Version

Scriptural References:

• 2 Timothy 4:1-4
• Leviticus 23:4-18
• Exodus 12:15-18
• Exodus 13:3, 6-10
• 1 Corinthians 5:6-8
• Matthew 16:6-12
• John 6:51-58
• Psalm 34:4-6
• 1 Peter 5:6-9
• Psalm 34:4. 6
• 1 Peter 5:10
• Psalm 34:6-9
• 1 Peter 2:9-11
• John 12:35-36
• Proverbs 4:18-19
• 1 Kings 16:29-33
• Proverbs 2:10-13
• Psalm 81:8-16
• John 3:16-21
• Psalm 43:3-5
• 1 John 1:5-10
• 1 John 2:3-6
• 2 John 6-8
• 1 Corinthians 3:10-15
• 2 John 8:8
• Psalm 26:1-3
• Galatians 5:16, 15, 25, 19-23
• Ephesians 5:1-11
• 1 Corinthians 10:20-21
• Ephesians 5:12-14

Scriptures referenced, not quoted:

• Exodus 16
• Revelation 5; 20; 21
• Matthew 5

Also referenced:
Books:

• The Christian Passover by Fred R. Coulter
• A Harmony of the Gospels by Fred R. Coulter
• The Seven General Epistles by Fred R. Coulter

Sermon Series:

• Why God Hates Religion
• Epistles of 1st, 2nd, 3rd John and Jude
• Epistle of James
• Epistles of 1st and 2nd Peter

FRC:
Reformatted/Corrected: bo: 2/1/19