Unleavened Bread 2001 – Day 1

Time keeps kind of rolling right along and here we are for the Feast of Unleavened Bread. It just seems like just a little while ago we finished the Feast of Tabernacles. I hope everyone had a good and meaningful Passover, and as you know, the Passover renews the covenant that we have with Jesus Christ. Also, it reflects back upon, as the Night Much to be Remembered pictures, how that God on that Passover night took Abraham out and showed him the stars and gave him the promise of which we are the ones who are the actual fulfillment of that promise, as well as all the other brethren that God has called.

So this is a tremendous Feast, a tremendous event, and a wonderful thing for us. The greatest thing that we can have are the Feasts of God because they:

• give us knowledge
• give us understanding
• lay out the plan of God step-by-step
• show us how we are to become as God is

Always with the Holy Days we begin in Lev. 23. Moses writes the words of God. Let's understand something that I've reiterated in the past: All of the things that Moses wrote are the words of God. When you read the words of God, study the words of God and read the Bible, it is really God speaking to you and me! Let's view it from this point of view, because a lot of people have said, 'If God would just come and talk to me…' Well, God has, and it's been recorded, so let's read it.

Leviticus 23:4: "These are the appointed Feasts of the LORD… [the belong to Him] …Holy convocations… [they're Holy convocations because God puts His presence in them] …which you shall proclaim in their appointed seasons." Now it's the season for Unleavened Bread!

Verse 5: "In the fourteenth day of the first month, between the two evenings… [all of you have The Christian Passover book, so I'm not going to go through and distinguish anything here concerning the technical details of 'even' (KJV)—between sunset and dark] …is the LORD'S Passover, and on the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the LORD…." (vs 5-6). That's what this day is; this is the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread!

"…You must eat unleavened bread seven days…. [we will eat unleavened bread] …On the first day you shall have a Holy convocation…. [which is what this day is for] … You shall not do any servile work therein… [you will do no work for hire or labor] …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 6-8).

We always take up an offering according to God's command on each one of the Holy Days. I want to just thank you, brethren, for all that you have done down through the years, and those who have been with us faithfully in helping, providing and giving offerings, and faithfully giving your tithes, because all of this is used to serve the brethren. We try and get 'the most bang for the buck' as we can. That's what we're endeavoring to do in everything that we try and accomplish, to use God's tithes and offerings in a way that will be pleasing to Him.

Exodus 23:17: "Three times in the year all your males shall appear before the Lord GOD."

Deuteronomy 16:16: "…shall not appear before the LORD empty, every man shall give as he is able…" (vs 16-17). There's just another thing that's important with it.

Even though God commands it, it is still our free will and choice to do it. What God is looking for in all of these things, He is not looking for the amount, but He wants to know what the heart is.

Exodus 25:1—we have something very important concerning offerings that God brings out. "And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 'Speak to the children of Israel that they bring Me an offering. You shall take an offering from every man that gives it willingly with his heart." (vs 1-2). Then it lists all the things that they were to do to build a sanctuary so that God may dwell with them!

Now the whole thing that we are doing in the Church is the same thing. We come before God willingly; we are part of the temple of God and we are going to be of that eternal living in the Kingdom of God. We are doing a spiritual fulfillment of this! Notice that it starts out with the things that they shall bring: gold, silver, brass. That's very similar to what we have in building on the foundation of Christ in 1-Cor. 3: gold, silver and precious stones.

We know that the treasure that we are to build up is to build that up in character and spiritual development in heaven above. All of this is reflective in the giving of an offering that we take up for the Holy Days.

(pause for the offering)

Recently a man was responding to someone accusing those who keep the Sabbath of trying to earn their salvation. Or in keeping the Holy Days, of trying to earn their salvation. Well, nothing could be further from the truth! No one can earn salvation! But no one will receive salvation living in disobedience to God!

Now let's see the spiritual lessons that we are going to learn, which is actually getting the spiritual leaven out of our lives. You know the Scripture that says 'a little leaven leavens the whole lump.' When it leavens the whole lump then everything is corrupted and we can see that time and time again in many, many different things.

Eph. 2 has to do with our calling; this has to do with the whole meaning of the Feast of Unleavened Bread and what God is doing in our lives and what we should be doing as well.

Ephesians 2:1: "Now, you were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you walked in times past according to the course of this world…"

• we are to come out of this world
• we are to come out of Babylon
• we are to come out of the way that human beings are living their lives today

"…according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now working within the children of disobedience; among whom also we all once had our conduct in the lusts of our flesh, doing the things willed by the flesh and by the mind, and were by nature the children of wrath, even as the rest of the world" (vs 2-3).

That's the condition of the whole world. God has shut them all up unto sin so that He can have mercy on them according to His own ways and His own plan. But God has called us and we have received the mercy first.

Verse 4: "But God, Who is rich in mercy because of His great love with which He loved us." Let's understand that God loves us, Christ loves us. He did it because of His great love that He has for us.

Verse 5: "Even when we were dead in our trespasses, has made us alive together with Christ. (For you have been saved by grace.)…" The Greek here means have been saved from your sins and Satan the devil. That's what we have been saved from.

This grace is something that shows the action of God. We live under His grace, within His grace. We are saved by grace, and that means God's graciousness, kindness and gift. That's why eternal life is a gift of God because it is through His grace. We will see in a little bit that through grace:

• we establish Law
• we establish the commandments of God
• we walk in the way of the Lord

Verse 8: "For by grace you have been saved… [not 'once saved, always saved,' because there are three steps to being saved] …through faith…"—meaning:

• you must believe in God
• you must believe in Jesus Christ
• you must accept His sacrifice for the forgiveness of your sins
• you are saved from your sins and Satan the devil

"…and this especially is not of your own selves…" (v 8).

Let's stop here and just rehearse a little bit. We have nothing that we didn't receive! You've heard me say that many times. However, when we have so many of these false doctrines coming around, which are leaven and they leaven the whole lump! That comes from the self, and people are trying to accomplish a spiritual thing by themselves without doing it God's way, which is from themselves rather than from God and God's Spirit. But it's impossible to save yourself. No man can save himself! Here's the reason:

"…it is the gift of God… [God gives it; it's not something you can earn] …not of works…" (vs 8-9)—of self. As we will see, there are works of God that we are to do, and we are to walk in the ways of the Lord.

"…so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship…" (vs 9-10).

• God is creating Christ in us
• we are the work of His hands
• we are His workmanship

"...being created… [because salvation is creation] …in Christ Jesus unto the good works…"  (v 10). There's a distinction between not of works that are your works and good works, the works of God!

"…that God ordained beforehand in order that we might walk in them" (v 10). That becomes profoundly important because there are good works that we are to do, that we are to walk in!

If we do that we are not earning our salvation, we are not attempting to earn our salvation by any stretch of the imagination.

• we are letting God unleaven us
• we are letting God lead us
• we are looking to the grace of God
• we are looking to the mercy of God
• we are looking to the love of God
• we are walking in His ways
• we are walking in His commandments

Remember, Jesus said on the Passover night, 'If you love Me, keep My commandments. And if you are keeping My Word you are loving Me and My Father will come unto you and will love you and We—Christ and God the Father—will make their abode or dwelling place within us!'

That is the greatest unleavening factor that we can have in our lives, as far as overcoming, changing and growing in grace and knowledge. But there are good works that we need to do, and these good works are going to judge us.

We have been saved from our sins and Satan the devil. However, since salvation—being created in Christ Jesus—is a process; it is not 'once saved, always saved,' and as some Protestant ministers have said, 'God is going to save everyone and even Satan the devil is going to be saved.' I don't know what Bible they are reading, but that certainly is not from God and you don't find it in the Bible. Paul said that he kept himself under, and beat his flesh, lest after he had preached to others, he himself would be a castaway. Salvation is a process!

1-Corinthians 1:18: "For to those who are perishing, the preaching of the cross is foolishness; but to us who are being saved… [showing the process; this is the passive progressive] …it is the power of God."

Now he repeats that in 1-Cor. 15. It is something that is being done as Christ is being created in us. We are being created unto good works. We are His workmanship; that's why it is a process of being saved.

1-Corinthians 15:1: "Now, I am declaring to you, brethren, the same Gospel that I proclaimed to you, which you also received, and in which you are now standing; by which you are also being saved… [it's conditional] …If…" (vs 1-2). It's not conditional on God's part! On God's part it's unconditional. But we have the conditions given to us:

• Will we walk in the way of the Lord or not?
• Will we put the leaven of sin out of our lives or not?
• Will we look to Jesus Christ as the sacrifice and continual propitiation and atonement for our sins or not?

"…If you are holding fast the words that I proclaimed to you; otherwise you have believed in vain" (v 2). So, if you believe in vain there is no salvation!

Back to the works that we are to walk in.

• Christ is speaking to us
• Christ is talking to us
• Christ is talking to His Church

And all the seven churches (Rev. 2 & 3) have had their difficulties and their problems, but I just want to focus in on something here that's very important; let's understand what Jesus says:

Revelation 2:2: "I know your works, and your labor, and your endurance…that you did test those who proclaim themselves to be apostles, but are not, and did find them liars"

Verse 4: "Nevertheless, I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Therefore, remember from where you have fallen, and repent, and do the first works…" (vs 4-5). He is going to judge every man and woman according to their works, whether they be of God or whether they be of the self. Now remember: any works that come from us are going to be burned up!

• Verse 9—Jesus says to Smyrna: "I know your works…"
• Verse 13—to Pergamos: "I know your works…"
• Verse 19—to Thyatira: "I know your works…"

• Does God know your works? No question about it, yes, He does!
• His Spirit is in you, isn't it?
• Then does He not know your works?

Verse 26—to Thyatira: "And to the one who overcomes and keeps My works unto the end…"

All the way through Christ is showing that there are works and those that are the good works that we are to do, or the sins that come in and He takes that into account and judges us for that, too. But we are going to be judged according to our works. And that is the way that we are to walk in, the way of God. This is what is so profound and what is so important in everything.

Now let's come all the way back to the book of Deuteronomy and let's see something that is very important. Keeping the works of God means to be walking in His ways.

• IF you keep the Sabbath Day Holy, as God has commanded, whose work is that?
• Is that your work that you initiated yourself?

or

• Is that a good work that God has created that we should walk in them?
• Obviously it's a good work that God has created that we should walk in!

If we keep Sunday, whose work is that? {note sermon series: Refuting Sunday-Keeping} That's a human work, therefore there is no grace though they claim it! There is no righteousness of God because He didn't command it. Now you need to think on that and everything in relationship to the way of God. God has always made it clear that He's had:

• His way
• His commandments
• His laws
• His statutes
• His judgments

Deuteronomy 10:12—here is what God told Israel: "And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways... [everything concerning the way of God] …and to love Him, and to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul…"

This is what God desires for us to do; Old Testament and New Testament, but more profoundly in the New Testament, because remember what the apostle Paul wrote to Timothy, 'You have known the Holy Scriptures'—that are referring to what is called the Old Testament today—'which are able to make you wise unto salvation through faith in Christ Jesus!' When we read these Scriptures let's read them with the faith of Jesus Christ and let's apply the spiritual lesson to it.

Verse 13: "To keep the commandments of the LORD, and His statutes, which I command you today for your good?" Not one thing that God ever commanded was not for the good of the people of Israel!

There is nothing that God commands us to do today that is not for our good either, because God loves you. Remember, He called you because He loves you! He has forgiven you and you are under His grace because He loves you. Now we are to respond back and love God with our whole heart, and mind, and whole being. This is how the leaven of sin in our lives is overcome.

Verse 14. "Behold, the heaven and the heaven of heavens belong to the LORD your God, the earth also, with all that is in it."

So, God is saying, 'Now look, think big!' Realize that God has created the heavens and the earth and everything that there is, and God has called you!

Verse 15: "Only the LORD had a delight in your fathers to love them, and He chose their seed after them, you above all people, as it is today."

Is that not true with our calling? Yes it is! God has chosen you! God has chosen all whom He gives His Spirit to, and it is God the Father that has reached down to call you!

We have an obligation of something that we need to do, too, v 16. "Therefore, circumcise the foreskin of your heart, and be no longer stiff-necked."

Let's understand that we have the spiritual circumcision not made with hands, through Christ by the operation of baptism and the receiving of the Holy Spirit! That is done by God! But we have our part in overcoming human nature, which then also is part of the circumcision of the heart. So, we have a responsibility in it.

"…be no longer stiff-necked." I tell you what, through the years we've seen a lot of stiff-necked people that just resolutely go on their own way and figure they are going to do things the way that they want to. It comes in waves and almost like cycles. We're going through another cycle of Judaizing people coming in and wanting to tell you that you originated from the Jewish way of doing things. That is not true! {note sermon series Scripturalism vs Judaism}

As a matter of fact, there are different Jewish organizations today who have written in and who have gotten the whole log from the Bible Sabbath Association of all the Churches of God, with their address and phone number. I got a call from the Jewish Christian Foundation. They wanted to tell us how that everything that we have learned is of the Jews. The woman who called was talking to me and I said, 'Tell me, what day do you keep the Passover? On the 14th or the 15th?' She says, 'Oh, I'm a Gentile.' I said, 'Well, Paul taught the Gentiles to keep the Passover on the 14th.' She said, 'Sir, I didn't call to argue with you.' I didn't invite the call and I didn't ask her to call. I wasn't arguing with her, I was just trying to find out what it was that they really believe. Some come in and say you have to have prayer shawls and yarmulkes and all these things. Those are all physical. Remember this: you cannot accomplish spiritual things by physical means—period!

Verse 17: "For the LORD your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, the mighty and awesome God Who does not respect persons nor take a bribe." This sounds like the book of Revelation, that Christ comes back and He's King of kings, and Lord of lords. We have it right there! Same God!

Verse 18: "He executes justice for the fatherless and widow, and loves the stranger in giving him food and clothing. Therefore, love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt" (vs 18-19). The book of Deuteronomy is so good, so good, so profound, so marvelous!

Let's see what it is that God wants us to do in the meaning of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. God tells us we are to remember this day, beginning with the Night to be Remembered. By the way, there are some people who say that since the command is 'You shall return to your tents in the morning' (Deut. 16), you shall stay up all night and observe the Night Much to be Remembered all night.' Nowhere does it say that you shall stay up all night. That command is for those who did, not everyone could.

• Do you think all the children could? Of course not!
• Do you think all the senior citizens who kept the Night to be Remembered could? No!

You need to use some judgment in these things!

Exodus 13:3: "And Moses said to the people, 'Remember this day in which you came out of Egypt…" What I want you to do is remember the day that God called you!

• when you came out of the world
• when you began to answer God's way
• later when you were baptized

Remember the day that you were baptized because that day is the covenant that you made with Jesus Christ and God the Father, and it is a covenant unto death! You were buried and the old self has been put under that watery grave so that the man of sin may be crucified, showing it's a process.

We remember this day, and that's why we have the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Every year it is a complete renewal. It is giving us a reinvigoration of God's way and Truth.

"…in which you came out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage… [we've been delivered from the bondage of sin] …for the LORD brought you out from this place by the strength of His hand. There shall be no leavened bread eaten. On this day you are going out, in the month Abib" (vs 3-4)

Here is the whole reason for it, v 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…" (vs 8-9). All of God's Sabbaths are signs! It is a perpetual covenant!

What I'm beginning to see more and more, which you will see in the sermon series: Refuting Sunday-Keeping, all of these arguments against keeping the Holy Days of God are nothing more than self-righteous, carnal-minded arguments of men who have hatred towards God's way. Hatred towards His laws and commandments, and do not want to keep them. That's what they are! They are walking in their ways. If you want to do God's way you walk in His way, and you keep His commandments.

Verse 9: "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, for with a strong hand the LORD has brought you out of Egypt…. [He brought them out of Egypt to keep His commandments, laws, statutes and judgments] …You shall, therefore, keep this law in its season from year to year" (vs 9-10). That's why we keep it; God says that we are to keep His Sabbaths as a sign!

Let's see something that's important, because this affects what we need to do.

Exodus 23:14: "You shall keep a Feast unto Me three times in the year. You shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread. You shall eat unleavened bread seven days, as I commanded you, at the time appointed in the month of Abib, for in it you came out of Egypt. And no one shall appear before Me empty. Also, the Feast of the Harvest of the Firstfruits of your labors…[which is Pentecost] …which you have sown in the field. And the Feast of Ingathering, in the end of the year, when you have gathered in your labors out of the field (vs 14-16)—at the end of the harvest year!

What happened? When Moses went up on the mountain to receive the instructions from God, he came back down and they confirmed the covenant! They took all of the things that needed to be taken for doing the offering. God gave the commands here in Exo. 30 , and in Exo. 31 He gave this command. Now let's just reiterate it to let you know how important that Sabbath-keeping and Holy Day-keeping is, because this day is an annual Sabbath.

Exodus 31:12: "And the LORD spoke to Moses saying…" I love that because every time someone says 'the Law of Moses,' it doesn't mean the Law of Moses the way people think. That's the way the Jews interpret it, which they add all their own laws to it that becomes what they say is the Law of Moses. But what Moses wrote in the Scriptures, God told him what to say and what to write!

Verse 13: "Speak also to the children of Israel, saying, 'Truly you shall keep My Sabbaths… [plural; in the Greek translation of the Old Testament, the Septuagint, it is plural] …for it… [the keeping of the Sabbaths] …is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations to know that I am the LORD Who sanctifies you.'"

Exodus 32:1: "And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, then the people gathered themselves to Aaron, and they said to him, 'Up! Make us gods which shall go before us, for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.'"

So, immediately they left the way of God! I mean just like blinking an eye they went right back to their old ways. That's why in Deut. 5 God said—when the Ten Commandments were reiterated again—'Oh I would that there were such a heart in them that they would fear Me always and keep My commandments.' Look at what they did, even Aaron got involved with it.

Verse 2: "And Aaron said to them, 'Break off the golden earrings which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them to me.' And all the people broke off the golden earrings, which were in their ears, and brought them to Aaron. And he took them from their hand, and fashioned it with an engraving tool, and made a molten calf. And they said, 'These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt'" (vs 2-4). I want you to think for a minute what a tremendous violation this was by Aaron!

• Was he not there with Moses every time that he had the confrontation with Pharaoh?
• Was he not there when Moses called unto God and the plagues came down upon Egypt, one after the other?

For him to turn around and do this is an amazing thing! You know the rest of the story. They went back to the religion of Egypt—sun-worship, Baal worship, Ishtar worship—and God destroyed them because of it!

Now since God is 'the same yesterday, today, and forever,' what does God think about the pagan ways of this world today? The same thing as here! So, after that God reiterated the things again to Moses; He said, 'Take two more stones, come on up here, and I'll give it to you again.'

Exodus 34:17: "You shall make no molten gods for yourselves." That's just what Aaron did, and they had a feast, and they said, 'It's a feast unto the Lord'! Hurrah! They proclaimed it unto the Lord but God didn't recognize it. Listen, because people feel something or believe something, if it's contrary to the Word of God it doesn't make any difference. God is not going to fulfill a wish! God is not going to fulfill a false belief!

Verse 18: "You shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread…."

• after they had it given to them once in Exo. 23
• after they had lived through it coming out of Egypt
• after they had come to Mt. Sinai and received the commandments of God
• after the rebellion with the golden calf

What does God give again? He gives His Holy Days! Are those not important? Profoundly! That's part of the way of God! That isthe way of God! He also talks about the Sabbath and everything through there, so we are to keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread.

What did God do? What does He say in Ezek. 20? I took the children of Israel and brought them out into the wilderness and gave them My Sabbaths, but they rejected them and they refused them! Yes, they wanted to go back to the way of Egypt. What happened when the children of Israel went into the 'promised land'? Again He reiterated the Sabbath and the Holy Days, as we find in the book of Deuteronomy and the book of Exodus. What happened right after Joshua and the elders died? The children of Israel went after Ashteroth and Baal!

• they went right back to the way of the world
• they went right back to sin and pagan observance
• they went right back head long into leaven

The Feasts of the Lord are the way of the Lord! Can you show me any other way? Of course not! Now let's understand something, because what we are to do is to follow in the way of God. Now let's focus in on that.

• we are living the way of God
• keeping the Holy Days is the way of God
• keeping the Sabbath is the way of God

God did not give us a religion; God gave us a way of life! All religions are a substitute for God's way of life. {Note sermon series: Why God Hates Religion}

Psalm 49:6—these are the people who are the evil ones: "Those who trust in their wealth and in their many riches boast themselves…. [hello, Laodiceans] …No man can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him; for the redemption of their soul is costly, and no payment is ever enough…. [in other words, God is the One Who's going to do it] …That he should live forever and never see corruption, for he sees wise men die; likewise the fool and the brutish person perish together, and leave their wealth to others" (vs 6-10). And that's just the way it is in the world!

Verse 13: "This is the way of the foolish, and of their followers who delight in their sayings. Selah." Nothing could be any clearer than that concerning the ways of God that have been rejected by this world!

It's their own way, their own righteousness! They are filled with leaven and sin.

• It's not of God!
• God never authorized it!
• God never blessed it!
• God never sanctified it!

Yet, they claim that He did!

Now let's see how we are to learn the way of God! Let's see how David cried out to God in asking God to help and lead him in his way. This is what we need to do, brethren, in being unleavened in heart, mind, spirit, and putting in the way of God! We have to put out sin and put in the way of God! We do it this way, with this attitude:

Psalm 25:1: "To You, O LORD, do I lift up my soul. O my God, I trust in You; do not let me be ashamed, let not my enemies triumph over me. Yea, let none who wait on You be ashamed; let them be ashamed who deal treacherously without cause. Show me Your ways, O LORD; teach me Your paths" (vs 1-4).

• it's the Holy Spirit that teaches us
• it's Christ in us that teaches us
• it is the Father that leads us in that way

This needs to be our attitude toward God!

Verse 5: "Lead me in Your Truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; on You do I wait all the day long."

Notice how this ties in with the Feast of Unleavened Bread, v 6: "Remember, O LORD, Your tender mercies and Your loving kindness, for they have been of old. Do not remember the sins of my youth; nor my transgressions… [not any of our sins, let them all be put out and let us all be unleavened in Christ] …according to Your loving kindness remember me for Your goodness sake, O LORD. Good and upright is the LORD; therefore, He will teach sinners in the way" (vs 6-8). God's way!

Verse 9: "The meek He will guide in judgment; and the meek He will teach His way." The meek are those who:

• repent to God
• yield to God
• seek Him with a whole heart

Verse 10: "All the paths of the LORD are mercy and Truth to those who keep His covenant and His testimonies." That's an interesting statement!

• IF you don't keep His covenant
• IF you don't keep His testimonies
• IF you don't keep His commandments

None of the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth! That's why it's so important for us to keep it!

Verse 11: "For Your name's sake, O LORD, pardon my iniquity, for it is great." That's the whole purpose of the Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread!

• to know that our sins are forgiven
• to know that we live in the grace of God
• to know that salvation is a process
• to know that we need to walk in God's ways and let Him:
  • teach us
  • lead us
  • guide us

in everything that we need to do!

Prov. 12 talks about the way of the Lord, the way of God! We will see that likewise in the New Testament it is the same thing. Notice that it's called the way of righteousness.

Proverbs 12:28: "In the way of righteousness is life…" The way we are called to is to walk in righteousness! Does not God impute to us through His grace, the gift of righteousness? Yes, He does!

"…and in that pathway there is no death" (v 28). This is actually a prophecy of salvation through the New Testament. Let's see some more concerning:

• the way of the Lord
• His way
• His Truth
• His righteousness

That's what this whole Feast of Unleavened Bread pictures: Walking in the way of God, coming out of the sin of Egypt! We can say coming out of the sin of the world, coming out of the world.

Psalm 91:11: "For He shall give His angels charge over you to keep you in all your ways." That is:

• IF you are walking in the ways of God
• IF you are walking in the paths of righteousness

This is tremendous!

Now let's go to the New Testament and let's see that what was taught, and of course remember they taught the way of the Lord, and that's what we are to live. We are to not live our own ways; we have been called out of that. We'll see what the Apostle Paul taught. The more you study the Bible, and the more you look at the silly arguments that men have against keeping the commandments of God, you know not only are they silly, but they are satanic.

Acts 19:8: "Then he [Paul] entered into the synagogue and spoke boldly for three months, reasoning and persuading the things concerning the Kingdom of God."

Almost everywhere Paul went in the synagogues there was a near riot, because there were those that didn't want to believe.

Verse 9: "But when some were hardened and refused to believe, speaking evil of the way…"

• today we are to walk in the way of the Lord
• today we are to walk in the paths of righteousness
• today we are to walk in all the ways of God

because He has ordained that we should walk in them (Eph. 2:10).

"…speaking evil of the way before the multitude, he departed from them and separated the disciples; and he disputed these things daily in the school of a certain Tyrannus. And this took place for two years, so that all those who inhabited Asia heard the message of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks" (vs 9-10).

Now let's understand that right there in Ephesus was the center for the goddess Diana. Paul was preaching against idol worship, and preaching against the witchcraft booklets that they had. There were thousands who converted to Christianity and came and burned all of those books. So much so that the idol-makers got together and they created a riot and a rally for Diana and drove Paul out of town. Paul escaped with his life. But it is the way of the Lord!

Let's see again what the Apostle Paul preached when he was in the synagogue. We have something that is greater than what it was in the Old Covenant. Look what you do and understand:

There are laws and commandments in every covenant that God gives; Sabbath-keeping is required for salvation, just as all the commandments are to be kept which are required for salvation! You don't earn it, but those are the ways that God has ordained that we are to walk in.

• because of that
• because of the sacrifice of Christ
• because now we have direct access to the Throne of God in heaven above

The Apostle Paul in teaching in the synagogues, told the Jews:

Acts 13:38. "Therefore, be it known to you, men and brethren, that through this Man the remission of sins is preached to you. And in Him everyone who believes is justified from all things, from which you could not be justified by the Law of Moses." (vs 38-39).

Now the heart and the mind is changed, not just the exterior of your behavior, and you are justified from things in heaven above from all your sins. The Law of Moses was never able to do that. It only justified them to the temple. So, they never really had complete forgiveness, as we now have before the Throne of God in heaven above.

Now let's see how that works. We are to believe, and that belief comes with God's Spirit. We also have our belief that we add to it. We are to believe and then we are granted belief through God's Holy Spirit. God is the One Who calls. God the Father is the One Who initiates the action in our lives so that we are brought to repentance and come to understand and are called and chosen for eternal life.

Romans 3:23: "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; but are being justified freely…" (vs 23-24)—by belief! There is nothing you can use to buy. There is nothing that you can use to force God to bring this kind of forgiveness upon you. This is the free gift of God by grace! Grace, as we will see, establishes Law! Because with a converted heart and mind, with the leaven of sin out of you, and walking in the way of the Lord—in the paths that God has ordained for us to walk in—then this establishes Law.

But we are "…justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus; Whom God has openly manifested to be a propitiation through faith in His blood, in order to demonstrate His righteousness, in respect to the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God…" (vs 24-26).

This is important to understand. God never forgives future sin because there is no such thing as a future sin, because time has not arrived then you have not yet done it. That's why indulgences that are sold by the Catholic Church are blasphemous before God because that is perverted grace giving license to sin, and claiming forgiveness ahead of time. Every sin that is committed, as soon as it is committed it is a past sin. Therefore, it needs to be repented of and you will be freely forgiven. But He does not give carte blanche so you can go through life and sin, and say, 'Aha, I have the grace of God, therefore it's okay.' No way!

Verse 31: "Are we, then, abolishing the Law through faith? MAY IT NEVER BE! Rather, we are establishing the Law."

Let's put that together with what we read in Exo. 13 that we are to keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread so that the Laws of God will be in our mind and in our right hand.

Now let's see the spiritual fulfillment of that in Heb. 10. This becomes very profound for us to really grasp and understand. This is the work that God is creating in you:

• His Holy righteous character
• His love
• His faith
• His Truth
• His righteousness
• His Holy Days
• His Sabbath

Those are the means by which we constantly walk in God's way so He can do that. Then He has another operation that He performs for us. This is so profound for us to understand, and this is how we:

• come to have the mind of Christ
• come to understand the will of God
• come to have the love and desire to do God's way

Hebrews 10:15: "And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after He had previously said, '"This is the covenant that I will establish with them after those days," says the Lord, "I will give My Laws into their hearts, and I will inscribe them in their minds…"'" (vs 15-16). That's how you are unleavened!

That's how you get rid of the sin that is in your mind. You bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Jesus Christ and cast it down. That is your work:

• of walking in God's way
• in keeping His laws and commandments
• in overcoming sin.

When you do that, when you're constantly in an attitude of repentance and drawing close to God, asking Him to help you to overcome, to overcome the law of sin and death that is in your members. That's what makes you sin. That's what makes you do the things that you don't want to do. But notice, upon repentance and yielding to God, and coming to God to be strengthened that you may overcome, that you may keep His commandments, that you may love His way.

Verse 17: "'And their sins and lawlessness I will not remember ever again.'…. [they are gone] …Now, where remission of these is, it is no longer necessary to offer sacrifices for sin…. [animal sacrifice offering] …Therefore, brethren, having confidence to enter into the true Holiest by the blood of Jesus" (vs 17-19).

We have direct access to God the Father in heaven above, and that is the greatest unleavened operation in the world, that you come before God.

Yes, we are weak, and yes, we've all gone our way; like sheep we've all gone astray. Yes, we have sinned that we have to overcome, yet. As long as we are in the flesh there will always be the pull of the law of sin and death so that we need to always yield to God and change and grow and overcome and ask Him for help and strength, and the mind of Christ to do so.

Here's how we do it; Hebrews 4:14: "Having, therefore, a great High Priest…" We have a great way to walk in that we can come before God the Father and Jesus Christ at His right hand and

• know that we have contact with Them
• know that they love us
• know that Jesus died for our sins
• know He's the perfect sacrifice for the forgiveness of our sins
• knowing that He was sinless, tempted in every way that we have been tempted

He is our High Priest that He can:

• help us
• be with us
• lead us
• guide us
• give us the strength to overcome

"…Who has passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, we should hold fast the confession of our faith" (v 14).

• let's not waver
• let's not doubt
• let's not impute evil things to God because they are difficulties or trials or problems

We'll always have those things. Jesus said that we have to take the Kingdom by force. Paul said that those who enter into the Kingdom of God will have much tribulation, and that's because we're living in this world. But remember this, "…hold fast the confession of our faith."

• we have a High Priest Who knows
• we have a High Priest Who understands
• we have a High Priest Who has experienced the pull of all of these things and has overcome sin, Satan and death

What a fantastic High Priest. What a great and marvelous way of grace that God has given us to live in.

Verse 15: "For we do not have a High Priest Who cannot empathize with our weaknesses, but One Who was tempted in all things according to the likeness of our own temptations; yet, He was without sin."

Here's what we are to do. Many times when we sin and the sin easily besets us, as Paul wrote (Heb. 12).

Verse 16: "Therefore, we should come with boldness to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." This is what God wants us to do!

Hebrews 12:1. "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great throng of witnesses…" That is everything that's in the Old Testament, and we can say now everything that's in the New Testament for us:

• our current experience in the Church of God
• everything that we have gone through
• all the trials
• all the tests
• all the correction that the Church of God has been put through

"…let us lay aside every weight… [put all those things upon Christ for He cares for us; or put out every leaven] …and the sin that so easily entraps us; and let us run the race set before us with endurance" (v 1).

Here is how you can be in unleavened condition, v 2: "Having our minds fixed on Jesus, the Beginner and Finisher of our faith; Who for the joy that lay ahead of Him endured the cross, although He despised the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God…. [to be our High Priest so that we can come to Him in time of need] …Now meditate deeply on Him… [think about what Christ went through lest you get discouraged] …Who endured such great hostility of sinners against Himself so that you do not become weary and faint in your minds" (vs. 2-3). No! The Feast of Unleavened Bread is that we are to be renewed in our minds.

Verse 4: "You have not yet resisted to the point of losing blood in your struggle against sin."

Romans 12:2: "Do not conform yourselves to this world…" One man put it very well. He said, 'People have just enough religion that they figure they're close enough to God so if trouble comes they can hurry and scoot over to God. And they have just enough religion that they are close enough to the world and can get along with it.' When the day of trouble comes they're going to be surprised, see, because we're not to be conformed to this world but be transformed. That's why we have the Feast of Unleavened Bread:

• to put the leaven out
• to get rid of the sins in our lives
• to put them under the blood of Jesus Christ

"…but be transformed by the renewing of your mind in order that you may prove what is well-pleasing and good, and the perfect will of God" (v 2)—by doing it; walking in the way of the Lord! That's how it is. There it is right there.

This is the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and we find the whole operation explained to us about how we are to put out the leaven and the spiritual reasons for it. We had as situation where a man was actually committing incest with his stepmother, and the whole church was glorifying in it as if this were some wonderful new doctrine from God.

1-Corinthians 5:4—Paul says: "In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when you are gathered together, and my spirit, together with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ to deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh…" (vs 4-5).

That's putting sin out of the congregation, just like we are to put sin out of our lives. And we have to take boldness, and we have to take action, and we have to be resolute about it. Here's the reason why that was done.

"…that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus…. [hopefully that he would repent] …Your glorying is not good…." (vs 5-6). There been a lot of that, that has gone on in the Church of God! About all the self-willedness of men trying to come along and create new doctrines and do things that are just almost incredible. They glory in it, and they glory in one another.

Verse 6: "Your glorying is not good. Don't you know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump?" Whether it is in the congregation, or whether it is in your life, God has given you His Spirit. When God's Spirit is working to let you know that what you're doing is sin, you respond to God and you get rid of it. Because if you don't, it's going to leaven the whole lump. That's how people are going to lose out on salvation because they choose not to purge the leaven out of their lives. They choose not to purge the sin out of their lives.

Verse 7. "Therefore, purge out the old leaven… [that's the action we are to take] …so that you may become a new lump… [the new creature in Christ] …even as you are unleavened…. [because they have unleavened their houses] …For Christ our Passover was sacrificed for us."

That's why we keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread. There are some churches that keep the Sabbath and the Passover but not the Feast of Unleavened Bread. They miss the whole point of it, and they don't understand the truth of God. That's why we do it, because Christ is our Passover!

Verse 8 is a direct command. Remember this for the New Testament, a direct command to keep the Feast of God in the New Testament right here.

• How many commands do you need?
• How many times does God need to say it to someone?
• Once is sufficient!

If you have one Feast that means you have them all. Go back and see how the life of Jesus Christ is centered around the Passover, the fall festival season: the Feast of Tabernacles and the Last Great Day. He kept those days and we are to walk in His footsteps, are we not? Yes, indeed, no doubt about it!

Verse 8: "For this reason, let us keep the Feast, not with old leaven… [not with our old ways, not with our old sins, not with the things that we have done in the past] …nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness…"—among ourselves and toward each other, because not only are we to have our sins forgiven but we are also to forgive the sins of others. That is all part of the whole program that God has given us.

"…but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and Truth" (v 8). That's what God wants in us.

This is very important. This is the same teaching as the Old Testament where God said:

• don't do the way of the heathen
• learn not the way of the heathen
• don't go and find out how they worship their gods

Ephesians 4:17: "So then, I declare and testify this in the Lord that you are no longer to walk even as the rest of the Gentiles are walking… [in their way, their religions, their holidays: Sunday, Easter, Christmas, New Year, etc.] …in the vanity of their minds… [that's what it is] …having their understanding darkened…" (vs 17-18).

Isn't that what happens to people who do that? They don't understand the Word of God!

"…being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their hearts…" (v 18). Just like the prophecy in Isa. 29! They have the Bible right there but they say they can't understand it. The reason they can't understand it is because they won't obey it; simple truth. The way you understand the Bible is:

• what you see you need to do and are commanded of God to do, you do
• start with the simple things and understand those

Verse 19: "They have cast off all feelings, and have given themselves up to licentiousness, to work every uncleanness with insatiable desire. But you have not so learned Christ… [you don't learn Christ by learning the way of the heathen] …if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him… [by Christ teaching you] …according to the Truth in Jesus" (vs 19-21).

Here's what we are to do, which is the whole theme of putting out the leaven and then put in the unleavened bread of sincerity of Truth. The reason we eat the bread is because not only does it picture the body of Christ, but it pictures the righteous way of God without sin.

• we are to eat the Lord
• we are to live by His way

That's what it symbolizes. That's what it means! Jesus said, 'The one who eats My flesh and drinks My blood even he shall live by Me.' That's what this pictures.

Verse 22: "That concerning your former conduct, you put off the old man, which is corrupt according to deceitful lusts… [you put out that leaven] …and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind" (vs 22-23).

• what renewal that brings when there is repentance
• what renewal that brings when you seek the way of God
• what renewal that brings when you ask God:
• to teach you
• to lead you
• to guide you
• to help you

Verse 24: "And that you put on the new man … [let Christ be created in you, walk in the ways that God has foreordained] …which according to God is created in righteousness and Holiness of the Truth."

The fact that we have been saved and are being saved, and the ultimate salvation comes at the resurrection when salvation will be complete. But in-between having been saved from our sins and Satan the devil and the resurrection is that we are being created in righteousness and true Holiness. That's what God wants. It is a battle! It is a struggle! But that's why God has chosen the Feast of Unleavened Bread because leaven is so common. It's everywhere!

Verse 25: "Therefore, let each one put away lies and speak the truth with his neighbor because we are members of one another." This is what we are to do: Live God's way in every word that we say and do!

Verse 26: "When you become angry, do not sin.… [you can be righteously angry, but don't let it go to sin] …Do not let the sun go down on your anger." That develops into bitterness, and it gives a place, an entrance, a space for the evil one!

Verse 27: "Neither give place to the devil." When:

• you don't forgive
• you carry those things of wrath, hatred and bitterness in your life
• you let it go beyond sundown
• you don't repent of it and ask for a clean heart and a loving mind that Christ can give you

then you give place to the devil! Then you cannot be delivered from the wicked one!

Verse 28: "Let the one who stole, steal no more; rather, let him labor with his hands, working at what is good, so that he may impart something to the one who has need. Do not let any corrupt communication come out of your mouth…" (vs 28-29).

In this day and age that is a challenge! Especially when you have to work where there are a lot of carnal people around and all they do is swear and curse and it sort of bombards your mind with all of these words. You need to go to God and ask God to help clean up your mind. But instead of corrupt communication

"…but that which is good and needful for edification that it may give grace to those who hear" (vs 28-29)—so that they can grow and can understand the love of God!

Verse 30: "And do not vex the Holy Spirit of God…"

How do you grieve [vex] the Holy Spirit of God? By going your own way and just stiff-neckedly continue in sin! Listen and understand: Christ is dwelling in you so don't grieve the Holy Spirit of God!

"…by which you have been sealed for the day of redemption" (v 30). Here's all the clutter and leaven to get out!

Verse 31: "Let all bitterness, and indignation, and wrath, and clamor, and evil speaking be removed from you, together with all malice; and be kind and tenderhearted toward one another, forgiving one another, even as God has also in Christ forgiven you" (vs 31-32). That's how you get your forgiveness through Christ, because of:

• what He did
• how great He is
• how marvelousHe is

Here is the way that we are to walk in. We are to grow in this every year as we come to the Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread, and:

• grow in grace and knowledge
• grow in wisdom and understanding

The more that we do it, the more that God's Spirit reveals to us the sinfulness of human nature. And that's why we are to put these things out and overcome. But we are to replace it with these things. Now notice we have the same operation here:

Paul said in 1 Corinthians 12:31: "But earnestly desire the more edifying gifts… [the best gift is the love of God; faith, hope, and love] …and yet, I show you a way far surpassing all these." The way of the love of God and keeping His commandments is a more excellent way! Not to be compared to anything in this world.

1-Corinthians 13:1—Paul says: "If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a sounding brass or a clanging cymbal"—that's what he becomes, just a hollow physical piece of noise!

Verse 2: "If I have the gift of prophecy… [everyone wants prophecy; they want to understand it] …and understand all mysteries… [all the deep things of God] …and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing."

What Paul is doing is saying to put these things out. Get rid of the vanity of the self by putting in the love of God. You can't get rid of anything out of you and have it remain permanently out or make progress in growing and overcome unless you are constantly putting in. This is what we are to put out and this is what we are to put in.

Verse 3: "And if I give away all my goods, and if I deliver up my body that I may be burned, but do not have love, I have gained nothing." Just think how many people there are out in the world who are doing things that profit them absolutely nothing.

Now, since we are to have the love of God, it says, v 4: "Love is patient and is kind; love envies not, does not brag about itself, is not puffed up." It is not looking for itself or it's glory, but it's looking on the things of others to help them, to serve them!

Verse 5: "Love does not behave disgracefully, does not seek its own things, is not easily provoked, thinks no evil, does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the Truth" (vs 5-6).

And you know I think a lot of these things if we just sit down and just examine…let's just take the one thing of television. When we sit down and we revel in all of that stuff coming in over the TV, which is everything that is listed here. All the sin, destruction, hatred, murder, kidnapping, fornication, adultery, lying, cheating and stealing; just sit there and absorb it and let it come in our minds. No wonder we become carnal. That's why we have to let God's Spirit work with us and put those things out of our minds. We need to ask the question: should we spend all that time watching television, or should we not spend more of it studying the Word of God and growing in grace and knowledge?

Verse 7: "Love bears all things, believes all things… [the Truth and the Scriptures] …hopes all things, endures all things"—regardless of the problem, as long as there is life there is hope! It's never over till it's over! So, you endure all things, because you will never know what the blessing will be at the end when you can look back and see what you have gone through, until you have gone through it.

Verse 8: "Love never fails.… [the formula for absolute success] …But whether there be prophecies… [of men] …they shall cease; whether there be languages, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away." Because we're going to have the full knowledge of God and know Him as He knows us!

Verse 9: "For we know in part, and we prophesy in part; but when that which is Perfect has come…" (vs 9-10). That's the ultimate result of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the perfection of us spiritually so that we will be ready for the resurrection!

"…then that which is in part shall be set aside. When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I reasoned as a child; but when I became a man, I set aside the things of a child" (vs 10-11).

We need to grow up in Christ and put away a lot of these childish things, and immature spiritual things that we have been going through.

Verse 12: "For now we see through a glass darkly, but then we shall see face-to-face…" That will be the supreme moment of complete unleavenedness! That we will be spiritual beings and will see God face-to-face.

"…now I know in part, but then I shall know exactly as I have been known…. [here is the more excellent way]: …And now, these three remain: faith, hope and love; but the greatest of these is love" (vs 12-13).

You can be guaranteed this: IF you put on love and put in Christ you will be truly unleavened in Jesus Christ and learn from the Feast of Unleavened Bread!

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

Scriptural References:

• Leviticus 23:4-8
• Exodus 23:17
• Deuteronomy 16:16-17
• Exodus 25:1-2

• Ephesians 2:1-5, 8-10
• 1 Corinthians 1:18
• 1 Corinthians 15:1-2
• Revelation 2:2, 4-5, 9, 13, 19, 26
• Deuteronomy 10:12-19
• Exodus 13:3-4, 8-10
• Exodus 23:14-16
• Exodus 31:12-13
• Exodus 32:1-4
• Exodus 34:17-18
• Psalm 49:6-10, 13
• Psalm 25:1-11
• Proverbs 12:28
• Psalm 91:11
• Acts 19:8-10
• Acts 13:38-39
• Romans 3:23-26, 31
• Hebrews 10:15-19
• Hebrews 4:14-16
• Hebrews 12:1-4
• Romans 12:2
• 1 Corinthians 5:4-8
• Ephesians 4:17-32
• 1 Corinthians 12:31
• 1 Corinthians 13:1-13

Scriptures referenced, not quoted:

• 1 Corinthians 3

• Exodus 30
• Ezekiel 20
• Ephesians 2:10

Also referenced:
Book: The Christian Passover by Fred R. Coulter
Sermon Series:

• Refuting Sunday-Keeping
• Scripturalism vs Judaism
• Why God Hates Religion

FRC:bo
Transcribed: 12-22-18