The Gift of Grace and Righteousness

Greetings, brethren. Here we are for the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. We've had the Passover, we've had the night to be remembered, and now here is the day portion of the first Holy Day, 15th day of the 1st month.

If you had an opportunity last night to go out and look at the full moon, you would see that at the beginning of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and the beginning of the Feast of Tabernacles that there is always a full moon, and that God's calendar is correct. The Calculated Hebrew Calendar is the one that God uses! All of the other devices of men to substitute for it, they just do not understand, nor do they have the authority. Who gave them the right to go ahead and change what God gave to Israel?

Every Holy Day we always begin by going to Lev. 23, which tells us the plan of God that He has for us going through all of our lives. I want you to understand something very important, which is absolutely primary, that we have opportunities to know and understand the Word of God as no other people in the history of the world. I want you to think on that! I want you to understand how precious and how great and how marvelous that the Sabbath of God, and the Holy Days are! These things unfold to us knowledge and understanding. God gives us His blessing and fellowships with us spiritually on the Sabbath and on the Holy Days!

Leviticus 23:4. "These are the appointed Feasts of the LORD… [they belong to Him] … Holy convocations…"—appointed times!

God has set the appointed time and we come to Him at His time. We don't go to God on our time and tell Him what we will make Holy, because obviously we can't as human beings. We have no ability to make anything Holy; only God can make something Holy. We can keep it Holy by obeying God, and serving Him and doing His will.

"…Which ye shall proclaim in their appointed seasons" (v 4).

Note message: Which Came First: Ritual or The Day? (truthofGod.org)

• God created the days
• God created the Sabbath

God gave the Passover and the 1st day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread to Abraham, and to the children of Israel before there were any rituals or daily sacrifices, or sacrifices for any Holy Days! God intended that we keep these days!

Verse 5: "In the fourteenth day of the first month, between the two evenings, is the LORD'S Passover"

We have a full thick book which explains the whole thing—The Christian Passover. I just had a man write me and start out by saying that Strong's Concordance and Young's Concordance says…

I wrote him back saying I was sending the 2nd ed. of The Christian Passover book, and Everett Fox's: The Schocken Bible Vol. 1: The Five Books of Moses to study it You will see that the truth is that the Passover is on the 14th, and 'evening or even' is between the two evenings, meaning from sunset until dark.

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

These are God's days! These are not the Jews' days, though the Jews did keep them in their own way, after they left the way that God showed that they should be kept.

"…You must eat unleavened bread seven days" (v 6).

I think the last few years I have not had anyone ask me, 'Must I eat unleavened bread during the Days of Unleavened Bread?' God says, yes, you must!

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…" (vs 7-8).

That's because they also ate the meals of them as well as give the offering. Today, since we don't have the sacrifices, we take up an offering of the things that we have. During Jesus' time, they lived in a merchandising and monetary society, and we live in a merchandising and monetary society, so we give of the increase of what we produce, that we are paid for. God intended that!

We always collect an offering on the Holy Day. Let's examine the command. We all know this. We know it by heart. We've been here many, many times before.

Deuteronomy 16:16: "Three times in a year shall all your males appear before the LORD your God in the place which He shall choose: in the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and in the Feast of Weeks, and in the Feast of Tabernacles. And they shall not appear before the LORD empty."

Many people do that; they consider God last and they do not prepare their offerings, they just bring, and if they just happen to have a few dollars in their pocket, well they go ahead and put that in. Well, God says:

Verse 17: "Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD your God, which He has given you.

Whatever you give in an offering, you give from the heart, and you give:

• because you love God
• because of God's blessings

Living in the days that we live in now, you think about all the blessings that God has given to us in many, many different ways:

• consider your life
• consider the lives of those that we're able to help
• consider the offering that you should give

It's between you and God to do so!

(pause for the offering)

Let's begin to understand the meaning of this day, the first day of the Feast of Unleavened bread. We've covered all the things previous leading up to the time that the children of Israel kept the Passover, and they started on their exodus out of Egypt. We will also see that this applies to us, but there's a special thing that God brings out during the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which is most important for us to realize.

Exodus 13:1: "Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 'Sanctify all the firstborn to Me…" (vs 1-2).

We're going to see that that is a very important and profound thing for us. Remember that God spared the firstborn of the children of Israel in Egypt. The firstborn of everything that opens the matrix:

"…whatever opens the womb among the children of Israel, of man and of beast. It is Mine" (v 2).

There's a special claim that God has. We're going to see how that applies to us in the New Testament. God has a special claim on each one of us. God has that claim because of what He has done. Let's see Moses' message to the children of Israel:

Verse 3: "And Moses said to the people, 'Remember this day 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."

After we take the Passover and keep the Night to be Remembered, then we are also to remember:

• this day
• the day that we came out of sin
• the day that we were baptized
• the day that we came out of this world

God calls us out of this world! His calling today is a spiritual calling!

It's a little different than it was with the children of Israel, but in Rev. 18 God says to those who are in Babylon, which we are, we are in Babylon the Great, 'Come out of her My people and do not be partaker of her sins.'

That's the whole purpose of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, that we learn to live a Godly way, that we learn not to live in sin. That's why since Christ is the Bread of Life, and we eat the Bread of Life, and we drink the true drink, and we renewed the New Covenant on the Passover night. Therefore, we have an obligation to do. God has something that He is obligated Himself to do for us, and we to God. God did bring us out by the strength of His hand! God did deliver us! We're going to see.

Verse 5: "And it shall be when the LORD shall bring you into the land of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, which He swore to your fathers to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey, that you shall keep this service in this month." We might also say, on this day, the 15th day of the 1st month:

Verse 6: "You shall eat unleavened bread seven days, and in the seventh day there shall be a Feast to the LORD…. [the last day is a Holy Day]: …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).

Back then they had a much more, how shall we say, a greater work to do to get out leaven because not only did they have to unleaven their homes individually, they had to unleaven the whole country. That's why the Passover Day in the New Testament is called the first of the unleaveneds, because they got rid of all the leaven on the Passover Day. There's a lesson here we are to teach our children, and this applies to the children of Israel then, and also applies to us!

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.'"

We need to tell our children today, that we do this because:

• God has called us out of this world
• He has brought us out of Babylon the Great
• He has led us to the understanding of His Truth
• He has given us the perfect sacrifice through Jesus Christ.
• He has given us the perfect justification

So that we can stand before God pure and clean and unleavened in Christ!

That's why we keep the Feast! As Paul told the Corinthians, because Christ has been sacrificed for us, therefore, let us keep the Feast! That is New Testament doctrine (1-Cor. 5:7-8). So, if anyone says that you don't need to keep them in the New Testament, please understand, one command in the New Testament is quite sufficient!

Verse 9: "And it shall be a sign to you upon your hand…"

We know that the Sabbath is a sign, but also as we have seen going through the In-Depth Study on the book of Hebrews—Epistle of Paul to the Hebrews—it is the Sabbaths, the plural (Heb. 4). The Sabbaths are a sign that begins to give us contact and understanding with God, after God calls us. Also we have the other things that we enumerated, which are also important.

"…and for a memorial between your eyes…" (v 9)—right up here in your mind so that you'll never forget!

The New Covenant is that God is going to write and inscribe His laws and His commandments in our heart and in our mind, so that we live God's way because that's how we think. That's why it's so important. That's why we eat unleavened bread. We are eating the way, the sinless way of God, because during the Feast of Unleavened Bread leaven is a type of sin.

Paul said in 1-Cor. and in Gal.: 'Don't you know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump?' That's why we need Christ.

"…that the LORD'S Law may be in your mouth, 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).

That follows right along with the instructions that Paul gave the Corinthians concerning the Passover, that they were to take the Passover, year-by-year. As often as they did it, year-by-year, until the Lord come we show His death. We show His death, because that's the greatest thing that God could do, to come and be a human being and die for the sins of His creation!

Verse 11: "And it shall be, when the LORD brings you into the land of the Canaanites, as He swore to you and to your fathers, and shall give it to you, you shall set apart to the LORD all that opens the womb, and every firstborn that comes of any animal, which you have; the males shall be the LORD'S" (vs 11-12). The females would then be for the festival time!

Verse 13: "And every firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb. And if you will not redeem it, then you shall break its neck…."

How important is this to God? So important that if you don't do it, you don't get the animal!. Let's look at that concerning ourselves, too.

"…And all the firstborn of man among your sons you shall redeem" (v 13).

• we are redeemed by the blood of Christ
• we are redeemed through the sacrifice that He has given

All of these things apply to us!

Let's understand something, which is very profound, because you see we fall into the category of the Church of the Firstborn.

• there is a special blessing
• there is a special intervention
• there is a special work that God is doing in us

That work is so great and fantastic!

It is the greatest thing that can be done, because God is recreating Himself in us so that at the resurrection we can be born into the Kingdom of God. But we can't be born into the Kingdom of God with sin. We cannot live our lives in a state of sin, or a state of lawlessness and then expect God to give us eternal life.

Let's understand something very important. God has set us aside through Christ, and Christ was the firstborn, and He's the Firstborn among many brethren, and we are the Church of the Firstborn. We need to understand that, because God said during the Feast of Unleavened Bread, 'All the firstborn are Mine.' Why was it done? Because in the spring all the animals were born! That's why it comes during the Feast of Unleavened Bread.

Hebrews 12:22: "But you have come to Mount Sion… [to God's Throne in heaven above] …and to the city of the living God, heavenly Jerusalem; and to an innumerable company of angels; to the joyous festival gathering… [we'll see how that is amplified when we come to Pentecost] …and to the Church of the Firstborn… [that's what we are; whose names have been]: …registered in the Book of Life in heaven…" (vs 22-23).

You need to understand how great and marvelous that that is, to have your name written in the Book of Life!

Let's see what Jesus said. Let's see what He told His disciples after He sent them out to heal the sick, to raise the dead, to cast out demons. They came back and they were all happy and excited, and they were elated that Christ worked with them and in the name of Christ they could do these things. How important is that in relationship to the calling that God has given you?

Luke 10:17: "Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, 'Lord, even the demons are subject to us through Your name.' And He said to them, 'I was watching when Satan fell from heaven like lightning. Behold, I give you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and upon all the power of the enemy…'" (vs 17-19).

Let's just stop right here for just a minute, because I'm going to bring this out on the last Holy Day. But I'm going to mention it here. We have total power over Satan the devil, and his demons! They can have no hold upon us!

They may come and try and bother us, and IF we get lukewarm and start going back into the world and dabbling into the things of the world, and IF we start letting a little leaven of the world leaven us, THEN

• yes there can be an entrance for Satan
• yes, he can get a hold!
• yes, he can influence

But understand that Christ has given authority "…and upon all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall injure you in any way" (v 19). Nothing!

Even if you die, it's not going to hurt you because God is going to resurrect you. That's why Christ has said that if you believe in Him, you have passed from death unto life!

Verse 20: "Yet, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you; but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.'

What God did to do that and to call you… That's why the Apostle Paul said of those who left Christ, he says with tears, weeping!

That's why if there's anything you can do to help those who have temporarily left Christ, remember that as long as there is life there is hope! As long as there is hope there is repentance!

If you can help restore such a one back to Christ then God is going to bless you tremendously. That is an obligation that we have. That's why we do the things that we do here, so we can supply and provide for the brethren all of these things. When they come and they need to have some—as the parable of the ten virgins—oil for their lamps, we send them the care packages, we send them the literature, we send them the messages freely so they can recover themselves out of the snare of the devil.

"'…but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.' In the same hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit, and said, 'I praise You, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You did hide these things from the wise and intelligent, and did reveal them to babes. Yes, Father, for it was well pleasing in Your sight to do so.'" (vs 20-21).

Isn't it that something that you understand what the wise, the prudent, the intelligent, the experts in this world do not understand and cannot understand? These things are to you in the Word spiritually revealed, and spiritually given of God, and by the power of the Holy Spirit!

Verse 22: "Then He turned to the disciples and said, 'All things were delivered to Me by My Father; and no one knows Who the Son is, except the Father; and Who the Father is, except the Son, and the one to whom the Son personally chooses to reveal Him'"

That's why it's a tremendous thing that God reached down in your life and one day began to deal with you and me. One day began to deal with people wherever they are in the world. We know and understand that we are not the only ones that God is dealing with. God will do what He's going to do. If we can help and serve and do the things that will encourage and help the brethren in that way, then fine, we will do all that we can do in that way.

Let's understand our calling. Let's understand what God has given to us and why we keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread; We are the Church of the Firstborn, which God said during the Feast of Unleavened Bread they are to be set aside unto Him!

• we have been set aside unto God
• we have been called
• we have been chosen
• we have been selected

by God the Father and Jesus Christ! I want you to think on that, and realize how profound that is.

For God to say that He wants you in His Kingdom, that He's called you for a great purpose and for you during the Days of Unleavened Bread to put sin out of your life, and put righteousness into your life through the power of the Holy Spirit of God, that is a tremendous thing indeed. I want you to understand:

• how great this is
• what God has done
• what Christ has done
• how important that this is

We sit with the greatest knowledge and understanding of the Word of God that has ever been in the history of the world!

No other time, no other age, not even the prophets of old understood. Remember, Daniel asked, 'When will these things be?' God told Daniel, 'Close up the book and seal it till the time of the end. You go your way, Daniel, and at the end of the days you will stand in your lot.' So, here we are in the end of the days, and God has given all this knowledge to us!

Ephesians 1:1: "Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints who are in Ephesus and to the faithful in Christ Jesus."

You've been called, brethren, by the will of God. God has set you aside as part of His firstborn for a special blessing.

Verse 2. "Grace and peace be to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ."

I want you to understand, here is a special blessing of grace that comes directly from God the Father, and from Jesus Christ to you for the greatest blessing that could possibly be. That's why Christ wants us to be sinless before Him. That's why God the Father has provided the sacrifice of Christ for us:

• to help us
• to save us
• to deliver us
• to lead us
• to guide us
• to give us His grace and His blessings

Verse 3: "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly things with Christ."

Sometimes we just get focused on the physical things. Sometimes we just get focused on our own physical problems, and the difficulties that we are going through. All those things are real and we live through them. That is true. But look, let's understand something here: God has given you all the spiritual blessings in heavenly things! That's greater than anything in the whole world. Christ said, 'What would it profit a man if he gain the whole world and loose his life?' Nothing!

Now granted, we're all going to get old, and as time goes on we're all going to get older. I visited a woman yesterday who was 87-years-old, and she fell and broke her leg, and she came right to the point of dying. I went up to where she is rehabilitating and she's going to be fine. But you know, she understands that one day the end is going to come. She is so thankful and grateful for the knowledge of the Truth and the things that she's been able to do, and being in the Church of God now for about 35 to 40 years.

God is going to make sure that she is safely tucked in the grave for the resurrection, as well as all of those who die in the faith. That is the greatest spiritual blessing. That is one of the greatest spiritual things that can happen to you, that you die in the faith and be raised from the dead!

Verse 4: "According as He has personally chosen us for Himself before the foundation of the world in order that we might be Holy and blameless before Him in love."

This means that before the foundation of the world God had His plan all worked out that those that He called, because it says that we're chosen, and we're chosen by God the Father, notice what He's predestinated us to be. That we should be Holy and without blame before Him in love, which means that we will be without sin. Do you understand that? That's why we keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread, so we can be Holy. That's why we eat unleavened bread, a type of the sinlessness of Christ.

• that is before Him in love
• that's why love is the greatest thing
• that's why God has called us unto these things
• that's why God is leading us in these things
• that's why we do what we do

The Word of God will just grow in understanding, and your ability to comprehend it as you give thanks to God and realize how great and precious these promises are!

Verse 5: "Having predestinated us for sonship to Himself through Jesus Christ…"

To Himself personally! We are going to be the children of God the Father. We will constitute that great congregation of the Church of the Firstborn.

"…according to the good pleasure of His own will…" (v 5). Now, that's really something!

That God has pleasure in His will. That's why we need to have pleasure in God's will. Now sometimes, if we go through a trial and we will see how God will deliver us, that is true. But we need to understand that everyone of these trials is for our own good in the long run. When we're in the middle of it, it's hard to see it. But afterwards when it's all done we have perfect 20/20 vision and we can see why. Sometimes that 20/20 vision doesn't come for quite a few years after you've gone through a trial, especially if it is a major one. But it's for the good pleasure of the will of God.

Verse 6: "To the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He has made us objects of His grace in the Beloved Son."

That's why we have the Passover, the night to be remembered, and the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread to let us know we are accepted in Christ. We are accepted in that sacrifice. We are accepted because God has called us and loved us, and has given us His Spirit, and we have died the spiritual death, as it were, in the watery grave of baptism.

Verse 7: "In Whom we have redemption through His blood, even the remission of sins, according to the riches of His grace."

• to be Holy and blameless before Him
• to stand in grace
• to have our sins forgiven
• to know that God looks upon us
  • with His love
  • with His kindness
  • with His mercy
  • with His understanding

and, yes

• with His correction

Because God loves us, that's why He corrects us, so we can have these things taken out of our conscience.

One of the reasons why we eat the unleavened bread and eat the way of God, and why Christ is the Bread of Life is so that we can develop the Christian character in us. But also in that there is another process that takes place. Just like in order to put in the unleaven, we have to put out the leaven. So once we get these things into us then there is also a process of overcoming:

• that gets rid of the waste
• that gets rid of the sin
• that gets rid of the carnal nature and the habits

that we have as human beings!

Now let's see something that's very important, very profound in this. Today there are a lot of people who think, 'Well, we're all going to the same place.' That's not true! There are some going to the Kingdom of God, there are some who are not going to the Kingdom of God. All religions do not all come to the same focal point in the end-run. That is a lie of Satan the devil, which he is foisting off on this world, because now we are living in Babylon the Great! Here's something that's profound and important: Salvation cannot come because of any other thing but Jesus Christ!

Acts 4:5: "Now, it came to pass in the morning that their rulers and elders and scribes were assembled together in Jerusalem… [this was after they had arrested Peter and John for healing the man at the Gate Beautiful] …and Annas, the high priest, and Caiaphas and John and Alexander…" (vs 5-6).

All of these men condemned Jesus Christ. All of these men stood there and whipped up the crowd, 'Crucify Him! Crucify Him! Crucify Him!' So, we need to understand who they are talking to here.

"…and as many as were of the high priest's lineage. And after placing them in the midst…" (vs 6-7).

Just picture this big august Sanhedrin, and they put the apostles right in the middle to examine them. They asked them:

"…they inquired, 'By what power or in what name did you do this?' Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, 'Rulers of the people and elders of Israel, if we are examined this day as to a good work done to the infirm man, by what power he has been cured, be it known to you all, and to all the people of Israel…" (vs 7-10).

That's why it's written down in the Scriptures because not all the people of Israel were privy to this going on at the Sanhedrin. So, as it goes out in the written work preserved by God, then it goes to all the people of Israel.

"…that in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarean, Whom you crucified…." (v 10).

I'm sure they didn't like to hear that, because they thought that when they crucified Christ, they got rid of the problem. But the truth is the problem only began. It multiplied in such a way that it ended up in the destruction of the temple. Very profound times in which they lived.

"…but Whom God has raised from the dead, by Him this man stands before you whole. This is the Stone that was set at naught by you, the builders, which has become the Head of the corner. And there is no salvation in any other…" (vs 10-12).

They thought they would be saved through Moses. They thought they would be saved through the works of law. But no:

"…for neither is there another name under heaven which has been given among men, by which we must be saved" (v 12). The Feast of Unleavened Bread is a Feast of salvation!

After they saw this they said, 'Hey, these men are unlearned.' They were amazed and said, 'Here's the man standing there whole, and everybody knows about this. Now we can't deny it.' So, they all decided they would try the next best thing. We are going to command them:

"…not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus" (v 18). That was foolish! That backfired on them!

We have the same thing today; we have spiritual salvation, which is only through Christ, by God the Father, to bring us out of this world. We are saved by His grace because God loves us!

Eph. 2 is one of those basic foundational parts of the Bible for us to understand the Word of God and what God is doing for us. For us to realize the great thing that God has done to call us, and:

• to bring us the knowledge of His Word
• to grant us His Holy Spirit
• to give us forgiveness through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ

how that God had to reach down in our lives and

• call us out of this world
• call us out from the power of Satan the devil

Ephesians 2:1: "Now, you were dead in trespasses and sins… [if you live in the world you are as good as dead; you are dead in sins and trespasses] …in which you walked in times past according to the course of this world, 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…" (vs 1-3).

We were out there. Now maybe we weren't out there whipping it up, whooping, hollering, rioting and things like that. But even the most righteous has a sinful nature. Remember, the Pharisee who prayed with himself and thanked God that he was better than other people. That is a greater sin and harder to overcome than someone who has sinned like the publican who said, 'God be merciful to me, a sinner.'

Verse 3: "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. But God, Who is rich in mercy because of His great love…" (vs 3-4).

God has called you because He loves you. That's why you need to respond back in love to Him.

"…with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses… [because Christ died way before we even came into existence] …has made us alive together with Christ. (For you have been saved by grace). (vs 4-5). We are going to see how, by this grace, we are saved:

Verse 8: "For by grace you have been saved through faith… [not of any works] …and this especially is not of your own selves…"

It's not something you can do. No man can come to God and say, 'God, give me eternal life.' God won't do it. He didn't even do it for Job did He? No, He didn't!

"…it is the gift of God… [grace] …not of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, being created in Christ Jesus…" (vs 9-10).

That's what the eating of the unleavened bread pictures:

• putting in the Word of God
• living by the Word of God
• being created:
  • internally
  • mentally
  • spiritually
  • emotionally

to qualify us for the Kingdom of God

• this takes work
• this takes getting rid of human nature
• this takes the power of the Holy Spirit

to bring down those strongholds of the mind wherein sin has great hold upon us!

Remember as we saw, the enemy has no power against us. If we're being created in Christ Jesus, and we are His workmanship, when God has beforehand given us good works ordained that we are to walk in them, and part of those good works are keeping the Feasts of God.

We need to understand how important this calling is, and what God has done for us. We can go back in many of the Psalms, which I have many written down here. We could go back and we could see, yes, God can save us. God delivers us. God heard David. God heard the children of Israel and intervened for them.

Well, God hears us! Remember, God delights in the prayers of the saints, and your coming to Him for:

• His power
• His strength
• His Spirit
• His grace

Let's see how is it that we are dead in our sins and trespasses. How did that happen? Well, it goes right back to the beginning of the creation of Adam and Eve! Let's see how Paul explains this so that we understand the whole process, so that we realize what we need to do.

Romans 5:12: "Therefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and by means of sin came death; and in this way death passed into all mankind; and it is for this reason that all have sinned."

We sin because we have an imperfect nature with the law of sin and death within us. Now then, we were born this way. This is why there has to be redemption through Christ. Since we are this way, and it came because of the sin of Adam; therefore:

• God is the One Who must provide the salvation
• God is the One Who must provide the way of forgiveness
• God is the One Who must provide the way back for Him

This is why God reaches down and calls us today, because too many people say no to God. 'This far God, and no further.' Or, they don't want God at all, or they want to do things their way. They want to figure out how they can get right with God. Well, there's no way you can get right with God unless you accept God's way of doing it! Here's the way that God does it.

Romans 3:20: "Therefore, by works of law there shall no flesh be justified before Him…"

In other words anything that you can do in the way of keeping a law in any religion, in any function, in anything that you can do, can justify you to God. Because law is not the operation, or the works of law, is not the operation of the thing that brings you justification.

"…for through the Law is the knowledge of sin" (v 20).

That's the most that the Law can tell us. That's the most that the Law can do for us. IF you obey the Law, THEN you are righteous. But the Law cannot forgive. Because we have the nature of death and sin within us, we sin automatically. There has to be a way that God has devised to reinstate us to Him. He's done it through Christ.

Verse 21: "But now the righteousness of God…"—the ability to be put in right standing through justification to God that is separate from Law. Law has one function. Grace has another function.

"…that is separate from law has been revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets; even the righteousness of God that is through the faith of Jesus Christ, toward all and upon all those who believe; for there is no difference" (vs 21-22).

This is something of faith! This is something of the heart! It is a greater thing to believe God than to do a work of law, whether it be of Judaism, Hinduism, Catholicism, Islam, whatever. They all have their works of law. They all have things that they do. Muslims supposedly pray five times a day to Mecca.

• Does that give them love?
• Does that give them forgiveness before God? No, it doesn't!

First of all, they have to have the right God, which they don't have. So, all that they are doing cannot bring them back to God. There's only one way, through the redemption that is in Christ.

Verse 23: "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; but are being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus" (vs 23-24).

That's why every year we keep the Passover and renew the New Covenant and understand and realize that forgiveness of sin only comes through Christ! Forgiveness of sin is an ongoing process so that we

• grow and overcome
• repent of our sins
• let Christ be formed in us

All of these things are all a part of it!

Verse 25: "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."

Let's understand something, though there are sins which will occur in the future, you do not ask God to forgive you for something you're going to do tomorrow because that's premeditated evil. God will not forgive you for that because that time hasn't come. Whenever you sin, the sin is in the present tense, and when it occurs it is immediately in the past. So therefore, all sin is in the past! That's why it says, "…remission of sins that are past."

Let's understand something here. By the operation of the grace of God to do this, Paul asked the question:

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

Why? Because when you have the forgiveness of sin, and the Holy Spirit of God to lead you:

• you desire to keep the commandments of God
• you desire to love God
• you desire to overcome

This is all a part of getting rid of the sinfulness of human nature, which we have inherited from Adam and Eve. This is why Christ came and did what He did.

Romans 5:13: "For before the Law… [given to Israel] …sin was in the world. However, sin is not imputed when law does not exist."

Meaning that from the time of Adam clear on down to the time of the giving of the Law there were the Laws of God. Abraham kept them, Job kept them, the patriarchs kept them, and so forth.

Verse 14: "Nevertheless, death reigned from Adam until Moses, even upon those who had not sinned in the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the One Who was to come."

Adam's sin was a particular sin because, first of all, he was created by God, he knew God, he talked to God. God told him specifically what to do, told Eve specifically what to do, and they went against God! That is a greater sin than for those of us who are born afterwards and we come into a world that is already there, and we have the law of sin and death in us, and we have our carnal nature, and our human way of doing things, and we don't know any better. Adam knew better!

Verse 15: "But should not the free gift be even as the offense was?"

God is going to bring the opposite. Instead of giving sin to everyone, now we have the free gift of grace!

"…For if by the transgression of the one man many died, how much more did the grace of God…" (v 15).

That gift of grace is a tremendous and wonderful thing which this whole Feast of Unleavened Bread pictures. God has given you the gift of grace!

"…how much more did the grace of God, and the gift of grace, which is by the One Man, Jesus Christ, abound unto many? And should not the free gift be like that which came by the one who had sinned? For on the one hand, judgment was by one unto condemnation; but on the other hand, the free gift is by one to the justification of many offenses…. [to have your sins forgiven, and put in right standing with God] …For if by the offense of the one man death reigned by the one, how much more shall those who receive the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness reign in life by the One Jesus Christ" (vs  15-17).

Let's understand something that's very important. When you repent and are baptized and receive the Holy Spirit, God imputes to you the righteousness of Christ! That is the gift of righteousness that God gives you. When you walk in the grace and you live in the grace, you are under the grace of God! That is constantly there. But we are also going to see something else that is very important and very profound. This does not mean that you now are incapable of sin. This means you have had your sins forgiven, and you are justified!

Verse 19: "For even as by the disobedience of the one man many were made sinners, in the same way also, by the obedience of the one Man shall many be made righteous."

That is not only by His perfect obedience, which He did. Christ does not keep the Law for you; Christ does not keep the commandments for you. Rather, what happens is that you receive the Holy Spirit and Christ is in you, and you have right standing with God so now you can grow in grace and knowledge, and be made righteous. It is a process!

Verse 20: "Moreover, the law entered, so that transgression might abound… [so we can see how bad sin really is] …but where sin abounded, the grace of God did super abound; so that even as sin has reigned unto death, so also might the grace of God reign through righteousness unto eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (vs 20-21).

Now then again we come to another statement that Paul makes.

• How are we to live?
• How are we to overcome?

Now that we've been justified with Christ through His sacrifice. Now the One Who was perfect was made sin for us so that we can be the righteousness of God

• How are we to live?
• Are we to proclaim

as the lawless grace of Protestantism claims

• that now we can decide what we want to do?
• that now we can decide anything we choose to do?

because we've had our sins forgiven, and we have grace given to us that through this grace

• that we can do anything we want to do?

NO!

Romans 6:1: "What then shall we say? Shall we continue in sin so that grace may abound?"

That's the whole proposition of Protestantism. They continue:

• breaking the Sabbath
• breaking the laws of clean and unclean meats
• observing their holidays instead of the Holy Days of God
• to live in the world
• to take the name of Christ and attach it to their lawless grace and say, 'We are delivered to do that.'

That's not the proposition that God gave! Living in the grace of God has nothing to do with that kind of behavior whatsoever at all.

The King James says in v 2, 'God forbid.' But here it is in the Greek 'me genoito'—meaning MAY IT NEVER BE! Don't even let this thought even enter into your mind.

Verse 2: "MAY IT NEVER BE! We who died to sin, how shall we live any longer therein?" That's why!

Protestants never died to sin because most of them aren't baptized. They just accept Christ and now they're converted. That is a false conversion! They never died to sin. When you are buried in the watery grave of baptism, you have died to sin! "…We who have died to sin, how shall we live any longer therein?"

Verse 3: "Or are you ignorant that we, as many as were baptized into Christ Jesus, were baptized into His death?"

Let's understand something very profound concerning the operation of baptism. Christ died for our sins. He died for the sins of the world. He also means that He died for each one individually, which means also that your sins killed Christ. In order for your sins to be forgiven, the sacrifice of Christ, all of it, had to be applied to you and me individually. To each one that God calls! That's why when we're baptized, we're put under the water. It is a watery grave. We are baptized into His death.

Verse 4: "Therefore, we were buried with Him through the baptism into the death; so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, in the same way, we also should walk in newness of life."

We're not to go back and live in the oldness of sin. We are to not go back into the world, back into Babylon, back into Egypt. That's the whole lesson of the children of Israel coming out of Egypt to the 'promised land.'

• they wanted to go back
• they didn't believe God
• they complained
• they murmured
• they rebelled against God
• rebelled against Moses

What a terrible thing! Read the whole book of Numbers and what the children of Israel did. They didn't believe God. They wanted their way! But we have died in Christ!

"…so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, in the same way, we also should walk in newness of life."

That newness of life is the things that God has ordained that we should walk in them:

• His commandments
• His laws
• His way
• His truth
• His grace

This is something great to really understand:

Verse 5: "For if we have been conjoined together in the likeness of His death…"

That's what the Greek means: You have been conjoined with Christ! In other words when you are baptized you yourself were crucified. The old self was crucified.

"…in order that the body of sin might be destroyed… [not destroyed all at once; it's a process, and we have to overcome] …so that we might no longer be enslaved to sin…" (v 6).

Just like the children of Israel were enslaved to the Egyptians and God had to bring them out with a mighty hand through miracles and power to do so. So likewise, God has reached out in your life to call you out of this world

• to bring you forgiveness
• to bring you to Christ
• to bring you to the understanding of God the Father

So that we should no longer be enslaved to sin! No longer be in bondage to it!

Verse 7: "Because the one who has died to sin… [through the operation of baptism] …has been justified from sin."

You've been made in right standing with God. You stand before Him pure and clean. You have the righteousness of Christ imputed to you through the grace of God. That is a tremendous gift. That is the gift of righteousness!

Verse 8: "Now, if we died together with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more; death no longer has any dominion over Him. For when He died, He died unto sin once for all; but in that He lives, He lives unto God. In the same way also, you should indeed reckon yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God through Christ Jesus our Lord. Therefore, do not let sin rule in your mortal body by obeying it in the lusts thereof" (vs 8-12).

It says, don't let sin rule. It doesn't say that there is now a complete absence of sin. Rather we are to yield ourselves as instruments of righteousness unto Christ. But we do have sin that we need to overcome. Once you receive the Spirit of God there is a phenomenon that takes place, and you might call that the exposing of the internal sin, because sin begins in the mind!

Let's understand something about this nature. Once we receive the begettal of the Holy Spirit we don't automatically get rid of human nature. Just like for the Feast of Unleavened Bread, we are to put out the leaven, and we are to put in the unleaven. Likewise there is a process and there is a battle that goes on that no other people in the world have, because they don't have the Holy Spirit, and they are not able to understand what I am about ready to tell you here.

Mark 7:21—Jesus says: "For from within, out of the hearts of men go forth evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickednesses, guile, licentiousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness; all these evils go forth from within, and these defile a man" (vs 21-23).

That's human nature. Once you've been baptized and receive the Holy Spirit of God, a battle takes place within you that you did not have until God began dealing with you to show you what sin really is!

Let's see what this battle is. This battle is very profound. A lot of people think that once they have been converted and receive the Holy Spirit of God, that everything is perfect and they can no longer sin. That is not the case! We have to overcome. The first proposition is, is that if you are converted and you can no longer sin:

• Where's the overcoming?
• What are you going to overcome?
• How is it that you have to overcome?
• What is it that you have to overcome?

You have to overcome the human nature that we just read of here in Mark 7!

Here's the struggle that we all go through. This is an ongoing process. That's why with the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread we commit our lives again to God with the renewal of the New Covenant on the Passover night.

• we commit ourselves to God to continue walking in the way of Truth
• we commit ourselves to God to overcome
• we commit ourselves to God to grow in grace and knowledge
• we commit ourselves to the power of the Holy Spirit to cast down all of these strongholds
• we commit ourselves to get rid of the way of sin that is in us

Romans 7:7: "What then shall we say? Is the Law sin?"

A lot of people think the Law is sin, but it's not! Sin is defined by the Law, but the Law itself is not sin.

"…MAY IT NEVER BE! But I had not known sin except through the Law. Furthermore, I would not have been conscious of lust, except that the Law said, 'You shall not covet.' But sin, having grasped an opportunity by the commandment, worked out within me every kind of lust because apart from Law, sin was dead" (vs 7-8).

That's when God begins to deal with you so that you understand how sinful that you really are. How sinful that I really am. It's only through the grace of God and the forgiveness of Christ that we have remission of sins, remember.

Verse 9: "For I was once alive without law; but after the commandment came, sin revived, and I died."

How did he die? If he died a physical death, he wouldn't be able to write this! This means the death of baptism (Rom. 6).

Verse 10: "And the commandment, which was meant to result in life, was found to be unto death for me; because sin, having taken opportunity by the commandment, deceived me, and by it killed me" (vs 10-11).

That's why we are dead in our sins and trespasses automatically through the nature that we receive from Adam and Eve. It killed them. We look at the Law in an entirely different way. The Law did not cause the problem. Sin, or the transgression of the Law caused the problem.

Verse 12: "Therefore, the Law is indeed Holy, and the commandment Holy and righteous and good. Now then, did that which is good become death to me? MAY IT NEVER BE! But sin…" (vs 12-13).

God wants you to understand the depths of how bad sin is. That's why, after you are converted, you find that you have this great battle within your mind to overcome sin. Now remember, you never had that before you were called and converted. Now you have that. Why do you have that? So that:

• you can overcome
• you can desire the righteousness of God
• you can desire the nature of God
• you can desire more the grace of God to help you grow, change and overcome

That's why! It doesn't happen to people out in the world!

• they don't know
• they are blinded
• they have no understanding at all whatsoever

Notice what happens:

"…But sin, in order that it might truly be exposed as sin in me by that which is good, was working out death; so that by means of the commandment, sin might become exceedingly sinful" (v 13).

Jesus said, 'You've heard it said in the past, you shall not commit adultery. I say to you, whosoever looks upon a woman to lust after her in his heart has committed adultery already.'

Exceedingly sinful! It is the Spirit of God that is revealing that to you so that:

• you can repent
• you can abhor it
• you can get it out of your system
• you can get it out of your heart and your mind through Christ

We'll see, that's what Paul says here.

Verse 14: "For we know that the Law is spiritual… [which it is] … but I am carnal, having been sold as a slave under sin; because what I am working out myself, I do not know.…" (vs 14-15)—or understand!

Isn't it true? How many times have you sinned and done something and you say, 'Well, I didn't know that.' That's right. 'For what I desire to do…'—everyone intends to do good!

"…For what I desire not to do, this I do… [you don't want to do it because you intend to do good, but it doesn't happen] …moreover, what I hate, this is what I do" (v 15).

Remember that Paul, who had been an apostle for some 15-20 years at this point, was saying he had this battle. We need to understand that if he had the battle being an apostle, we have the same battle. This is why we go through what we go through. Remember there's 'the prince of the power of the air,' as we read earlier, that is out there trying to put these thoughts and things into your mind. That's why when we come out of the world we have to come out of the world and not let the world affect us. We have to get away from those things that bring us back into this kind of bondage.

Verse 16: "But if I am doing what I do not desire to do, I agree with the Law that it is good."

There's nothing wrong with the Law. The Law is good because the Law is saying this is sin.

Verse 17: "So then, I am no longer working it out myself; rather, it is sin that is dwelling within me."

Every human being has sin dwelling within them. He calls it the law of sin and death. That's what we have to overcome. That's why we go through the Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread every year.

Verse 18: "Because I fully understand that there is not dwelling within me—… [Do you understand that yourself?] … that is, within my fleshly being—any good."

Now remember when the young man came to Christ and said, 'Good Master, what good thing should I do to have eternal life?' Jesus said, 'Why do you call Me good? There's only One good, and that is God.'

While Christ was on the earth God the Father was in heaven above. He had human nature within Him. He could not be called good, because He had not yet completely overcome human nature. He had not yet gone through the whole ordeal of the crucifixion and died the death for all sin so that He could be resurrected and again proclaimed good. Not many people really understand that.

"…For the desire to do good is present within me; but how to work out that which is good, I do not find…. [Isn't that the way it is with human nature?] …For the good that I desire to do, I am not doing; but the evil that I do not desire to do, this I am doing. But if I do what I do not desire to do, I am no longer working it out myself, but sin that is dwelling within me. Consequently, I find this law in my members, that when I desire to do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the Law of God according to the inward man" (vs 18-22). Oh yes, we can say:

• God is right
• God is good
• God is true
• the laws, commandments are good

Yes, we delight in that; that's fine!

Verse 23: "But I see another law within my own members, warring against the law of my mind, and leading me captive to the law of sin that is within my own members."

Every one of us have this. That's why it's such a great and a marvelous thing, brethren, so when we come to God:

• we have our sins forgiven
• we are justified before Christ
• we receive the grace of God
• we always are in an attitude of repentance

as the Apostle Paul is describing here in Rom. 7!

• always in an attitude of overcoming sin
• always in an attitude of growing and changing.

Therefore, the grace of God covers us, and we stand before God pure as Christ! That is truly the complete state of being unleavened in Christ. There's that war.

"…leading me captive to the law of sin that is within my own members. O what a wretched man I am! Who shall save me from the body of this death?" (vs 23-24). This is the dilemma:

• only if you understand the Truth of God's Word
• only if you have the Holy Spirit of God
• only if you are keeping the commandments of God

do you understand that!

Verse 25: "I thank God for His salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of this, on the one hand, I myself serve the Law of God with my mind; but on the other hand, with the flesh, I serve the law of sin."

Here's this great struggle going on. And that's why we have the Feast of Unleavened Bread, so we can realize

• the more of Christ we put in, the more power we have to overcome
• the more of Christ that we put in, the more that we are delivered from this

There's another blessing that goes with this, which you need to understand. It's very profound. This is why you need to go before God in great confidence and in great thanksgiving, and in great joy for the things that He has done. Look at this, in spite of all of going through this, in spite of going through these things which come against us, notice what Paul says:

Romans 8:1: "Consequently, there is now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who are not walking according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit…"

If you're walking according to the Spirit, by seeing the sin from within and overcoming, and repenting, and asking God to take it away from you, you're walking in the Spirit!

Verse 2: "The Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus has delivered me from the law of sin and death."

It hasn't been taken out of you, but you have been delivered from it as long as you stand in the grace of God, and as long as you yield to God, and as long as you are overcoming.

Verse 3: "For what was impossible for the Law to do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God having sent His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin condemned sin in the flesh."

That's a profound statement! That covers a whole chapter in The Christian Passover book. Marvelous thing that God did. God has condemned sin in the flesh.

Verse 4: "In order that the righteousness of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who are not walking according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit."

How does God view you? He doesn't condemn you because you're overcoming! We are not in the flesh but in the Spirit. How is that? That's because we are minding things of the Spirit by growing and changing and overcoming! That's how we're in the Spirit.

Verse 9: "However, you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if the Spirit of God is indeed dwelling within you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him…. [he's none of His] …But if Christ be within you, the body is indeed dead because of sin… [because it was buried in baptism] …however, the Spirit is life because of righteousness" (vs 9-10).

That He has given these things that ordained for to good works that we are to walk in, the righteousness of Christ!

Verse 11: "Now, if the Spirit of Him Who raised Jesus from the dead is dwelling within you… [which it is] … He Who raised Christ from the dead will also quicken… [make alive] …your mortal bodies because of His Spirit that dwells within you. So then, brethren, we are not debtors to the flesh, to live according to the flesh; because if you are living according to the flesh, you shall die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you shall live" (vs 11-13). There's the whole process of overcoming!

Let's see the process of how Paul explained it here in Col. 1, because this shows the whole working and the operation of what God has done. Now in this it takes effort. In this:

• it takes the Spirit of God
• it takes endurance
• it takes perseverance
• it takes overcoming.

As we go along we're going to have some failures. God understands that. Paul had failures. He said he did the things that he hated.

• Did he overcome? Yes, he did!
• How did he overcome? He overcame through Christ Jesus!

Colossians 1:9: "For this cause we also, from the day that we heard of it, do not cease to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding."

That's what God wants to happen during the Feast of Unleavened Bread for you. But not just during the Feast of Unleavened Bread alone, but so that the Feast of Unleavened Bread becomes that which carries us on in to the future, to continue to live that way. To live it spiritually.

Verse 10: "That you may walk worthily of the Lord, unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work and growing in the knowledge of God… [that's what God wants] …being strengthened with all power according to the might of His glory, unto all endurance and long-suffering with joy" (vs 10-11).

Christ is there to strengthen you. That's why we have the Feast of Unleavened Bread. That's why it symbolizes when we eat the bread of Christ we live by Christ.

Verse 12: "Giving thanks to the Father, Who has made us qualified for the share of the inheritance of the saints in the Light; Who has personally rescued us from the power of darkness and has transferred us unto the Kingdom of the Son of His love" (vs 12-13).

You have been redeemed from the world. We have to live in the world, but we're not of the world.

Verse 14: "In Whom we have redemption through His own blood, even the remission of sins." That's quite a thing!

• How is it that we are to live our lives?
• How do we count the things that happen to us when we find that we sin?
• How do we count the things when we find that even the things that we are doing are not right?
• we repent
• we change
• we ask God to help us to overcome
• we grow in grace and knowledge

This is the attitude that Paul had. that we need to have:

Philippians 3:7: "Yet, the things that were gain to me, these things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ."

We died the death in baptism, and every thing that we have in this world no longer counts!

Verse 8: "But then truly, I count all things to be loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord; for Whom I have suffered the loss of all things…"

Paul really went through it. If you think you've really gone through it, read through and study 2-Cor. and all the things that he went through, all the things that he suffered. Yet, God used him mightily because he counted all those things but loss!

"…and count them as dung…" (v 8).

• Is that the way you view the world?
• As a big heap of manure out there?
• That's what it ought to be!

"…that I may gain Christ and may be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is derived from law, but that righteousness, which is by the faith of Christ, the righteousness of God that is based on faith…" (vs 8-9).

That we have that imputed to us and it becomes part of our very being. That's why God gives it to us.

Verse 10: "That I may know Him… [we will know Him at the resurrection] …and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; if by any means I may attain unto the resurrection of the dead" (vs 10-11).

• that is the goal
• that's why we go through what we go through
• that's why we have to examine our lives continually before Christ
• that's why we need:
  • the Spirit of God
  • the love of God
  • the faith of God

To know to attain to the resurrection of the dead!

Verse 11: "If by any means I may attain…"

Every year that we come to the Feast of Unleavened Bread we realized we haven't already attained, neither are we perfect. We have a long ways to go!  Notice what Paul did:

"…but I am striving… [he never gives up] …so that I may also lay hold on that for which I also was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not count myself as having attained; but this one thing I do…" (vs 12-13).

This is the one goal of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. This is the one thing that we need to constantly be doing.

"…forgetting the things that are behind, and reaching forth to the things that are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus" (vs 13-14).

That's what we need to be doing! Let's take this Feast of Unleavened Bread

• to make it a rededication to God
• to live His way
• to keep His commandments
• to grow in grace and knowledge
• to have the righteousness of Christ imputed to us

and put forth our own effort and let God bless us with His spiritual power and grace and might to accomplish what He desires to do in us!.

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

Scriptural References:

• Leviticus 23:4-8
• Deuteronomy 16:16-17

• Exodus 13:1-3, 5-13
• Hebrews 12:22-23
• Luke 10:17-20
• Ephesians 1:1-7
• Acts 4:5-12, 18
• Ephesians 2:1-5, 8-10
• Romans 5:12
• Romans 3:20-25, 31
• Romans 5:13-17, 19-21
• Romans 6:1-12
• Mark 7:21-23
• Romans 7:7-25
• Romans 8:1-13
• Colossians 1:9-14
• Philippians 3:7-14

Scriptures referenced, not quoted:

• Revelation 18
• 1 Corinthians 5:7-8
• Hebrews 4

Also referenced:

Message: Which Came First, Ritual or The Day?

Books:

• The Schocken Bible, Vol. 1: the Five Books of Moses by Everett Fox
• The Christian Passover by Fred R. Coulter

In-Depth Study: Epistle of Paul to the Hebrews

FRC:bo
original transcription date unknown:
Reformatted: bo—1/2022