Seventh Day of Unleavened Bread—2008

Trusting in God

Fred R. Coulter—April 26, 2008

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Greetings, brethren, and welcome to the seventh day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. We've been observing the Feast for seven days—eating unleavened bread for seven days—and now we come to the seventh day, which is also a Holy Day.

Exo. 34—I would like to bring out something that is very important for us to understand concerning the value, or the high degree of the commandment of keeping the Holy Days in relationship to the commandments of God.

This is after the children of Israel had made the golden calf and worshipped it, and God intervened. But God didn't bring His judgment upon the children of Israel because of Moses' pleading with Him and God spared them, except for those directly involved in it. Remember that when Moses was up on the mountain receiving the Ten Commandments, the children of Israel were down there and they made the golden calf. The very last thing that God was telling Moses, while the children of Israel were following the Egyptian pagan feast, though they dedicated it to the Lord:

Exodus 31:12 "And the LORD spoke to Moses saying, 'Speak also to the children of Israel, saying, "Truly you shall keep My Sabbaths…"'" (vs 12-13)—plural—same way with 'My Sabbaths (Ezek. 20). The Sabbath and the annual Holy Day Sabbaths constitute the Sabbaths.

"…for it is a sign… [the keeping of the Sabbaths] …between Me and you throughout your generations to know that I am the LORD Who sanctifies you" (v 13).

There's no sanctification in any other way except through God the Father and Jesus Christ. That's why Jesus said, 'I am the Way and the Truth and the Life, and no one comes to the Father except through Me.' No other way! There aren't thousands of ways to God, and we're all on the same track of going to heaven. That is a satanic lie! This shows the importance of it.

Verse 17: "It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever… [we're spiritual Israel today, that's why He says forever] …for in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day He rested, and was refreshed."

Then He gave the tables of stone to Moses. Right at that very same time the children of Israel were committing idolatry.

Exo. 34—God really means what He says here, but let's understand where, in the scheme of importance also, that the Feast of Unleavened Bread fits in relationship to the other commandments of God.

Exodus 34:12: "Take heed to yourself, lest you make a covenant with the people of the land where you go, lest it be for a snare in the midst of you. But their altars you shall destroy, their images you shall break, and their groves you shall cut down, for you shall worship no other god… [so here we have the first commandment] …for the LORD, Whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God; lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they go whoring after their gods, and do sacrifice to their gods, and call you, and you eat of his sacrifice…" (vs 12-15).

Isn't that what has happened to Christianity? Isn't one of the hallmarks of the Catholic religion going into various heathen lands and adopting their way of doing things, but just change the name? Yes, it is! So, they're violating exactly what God said. You cannot worship God by worshipping other gods. You can't take part of their way of doing things and say, 'Well, that's nice, that's quaint, we'll do it.' I want you to understand the importance of the Holy Days, here.

Verse 17: "You shall make no molten gods for yourselves." We have the first and second commandments right here. Notice what comes right in the middle of that, because in order to worship the true God:

• you have to worship Him on His days
• and you have to do it His way
• and you have to do it according to His commandments

Not according to what we think is good; not according to opinions that we have!

Today, we are so steeped in opinions that it's like the final authority: 'I believe…' or 'my opinion...' Very few people say, 'Well, let's consult what God says.'

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

What did the Apostle Paul say, as we found out on the first day? 'Therefore, let us keep the Feast because Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. And let us keep it, not with the old leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and Truth.' Here in Exo. 34 we have the Feast of Unleavened Bread that you shall keep:

"…You shall eat unleavened bread seven days, as I commanded you, in the time of the month Abib, for in the month Abib you came out from Egypt. All that opens the womb is Mine; all firstlings of male livestock, of oxen or sheep. But the firstling of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb. And if you do not redeem it, then you shall break its neck. All the firstborn of your sons you shall redeem. And none shall appear before Me empty" (vs 18-20). This is all encompassed in the Feast of Unleavened Bread!

When we compare that to the fact that we are called the Church of the Firstborn, and that we are like firstborn of God. When we understand that Jesus Christ was the First of the firstborn, and His acceptance of ascending into heaven was pictured by the Wave Sheaf Offering Day. Then we can take these Scriptures, put them together with the New Testament, and understand what God wants us to do.

What's very important is this, too: As we keep the commandments of God, with God's Spirit, with God's Word, God teaches us! It's God Who is doing the teaching, because it's with His Spirit. If you don't have His Word and have His Spirit, all the teaching in the world, by anyone, is not going to do you any good, because you won't understand it. We find all of these elements here, but notice what immediately follows that:

Verse 21: "You shall work six days, but on the seventh day you shall rest. In plowing time and in harvest you shall rest. And you shall observe the Feast of Weeks…" (vs 21-22)—which will be coming up as the next Feast!

Leviticus 23:7: "On the first day you shall have a Holy convocation. You shall not do any servile work therein, but you shall offer a fire offering to the LORD seven days. In the seventh day is a Holy convocation. You shall do no servile work therein" (vs 7-8).

In Num. 28 it shows that they had offerings they were to bring on the seventh day. So, offerings were taken. God said, concerning the Feast of Unleavened Bread, concerning the Feast of Weeks and concerning the Feast of Tabernacles, that none of us should appear before God empty.

Let's claim the promise that God has given. We know that the whole world is going down the tubes economically, because they have broken the laws and economies that God has given. They don't understand about the land-sabbath, and they don't understand the cycle that you need a seventh year of release. That way people are not all encumbered with debt for 30, 40, 50 years. That makes for prosperity and that makes for abundance because of God's blessing. Look at what is happening around the world, financially. Look at all the difficulties that even all the nations are in, and they have been following the false way of Satan the devil in trying to become rich through debt.

You never become rich through debt! The only way you have an abundance or sufficiency is you love God first, you keep His commandments and you appear before Him with an offering.

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…"

Wherever God's people gather—two or three—that's the place that God has chosen. It's no longer in a temple in Jerusalem, because we have God's Spirit in us and we, with God's Spirit residing in us, wherever we assemble together, that's what God has chosen.

"…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, every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD your God, which He has given you" (vs 16-17).

So at this time we will pause and take up an offering, and we'll claim the promise that God has given in Mal. 3 and 2-Cor. 9, that God will give us sufficiency in all things.

(pause for offering)

Every Holy Day has a distinct meaning in the plan of God. The last day in the Feast of Unleavened Bread has a special meaning for us. Remember, God led the children of Israel out of Egypt. When it says they left Egypt that means they were departing from Egypt.

Some like to argue, 'How long did it take them to get out of Egypt?' Well, that depends where the boundary of Egypt was! But if God was leading them and God was watching over them, Egypt had no longer any jurisdiction over them, so they were leaving Egypt—or left Egypt—which ever one you want to take. When they did, God said, 'I'm not going to take them the easy way, by the road of the Mediterranean Sea of the Philistines, just going up around what we would call Gaza today and go into the Holy Land that way.

He said, 'Lest when the children of Israel see war, they get afraid,' because they didn't have any armament, any weapons. We'll see that the weapons that they had later were those they picked up when the Egyptians were drown in the Red Sea.

Please understand that the geography today of where the children of Israel crossed the Red Sea is different than what it was back then. Some people try and say that they came all the way across the Sinai Peninsula and then they went across from where Elath is and went over into Arabia and that's where Mt. Sinai is or was. They would have to travel seven and a half miles an hour to get from Goshen to there by the seventh day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. There's no way that they could cross directly as they did, as we find here.

So, God led them down by the way of the Red Sea and brought them into an area that was between the Red Sea and the mountains. You know what Pharaoh said, 'Look, what have we done, we let them go. Let's go get them and bring them back as slaves again.'

God has a purpose in that. God wanted to show the children of Israel that in times of trouble and distress, and in times of circumstances that look like it's hopeless, that look like God is not really knowing what He's doing, that God always knows what He does.

When Pharaoh and the Egyptians pursued they were entangled in the land, There's some tremendous lessons for us here and then we are going to see one of the major lessons that we need to learn for the last day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread today.

Exodus 14:9 "So, the Egyptians pursued them, all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, and his horsemen, and his army. And they overtook them camping by the sea, beside Pi Hahiroth, before Baal Zephon. And when Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes. And, behold, the Egyptians marched after them. And they were very afraid. And the children of Israel cried out to the LORD" (vs 9-10). 'Oh they're coming after us!'

Forgetting all the things that they should have remembered with all the power, with all the plagues, with all of the things that were done in Egypt, and the killing of the firstborn. Instead of trusting in God the way that they should have instead of 'Oh Moses, look, they're coming; you pray to God and ask God to intervene and fight for us.' Well, they didn't do that!

Verse 11: "And they said to Moses, 'Have you taken us away to die in the wilderness because there were no graves in Egypt? Why have you dealt this way with us to carry us forth out of Egypt?'"

Here's what people always do: when the going gets rough, they change their minds. They had no faith! They didn't understand what God was doing, and they didn't trust God. Here they were now, on the seventh day of the their trek out Egypt, and all of a sudden they're confronted with this tremendous obstacle that looks like that Pharaoh is going to come and take them back. Now if they went back their slavery would have been much more harsh. But notice what they said:

Verse 12: "Did we not tell you this word in Egypt, saying, 'Let us alone so that we may serve the Egyptians?'…. [that's not true; they cried out to God: 'O God, take us out of this mess'] …for it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness."

• Is that true?
• How much faith did they have in God?
• Cannot God provide for anyone anywhere at anytime under whatever the circumstances may be if they're trusting in God?

Verse 13: "And Moses said to the people, 'Fear not! Stand still and see the salvation of the LORD… [that's the key thing that is for this day] …which He will work for you today, for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you shall never see them again! The LORD shall fight for you, and you shall be still'" (vs 13-14).

Here's a great lesson for us, which is this: Regardless of the circumstances that you find yourself in, trust God!

• Does He know the circumstances you are in? Yes, indeed!
• Does He understand the difficulties you are going through? Yes!

Don't be afraid! You stand still and ask God for His salvation, which means don't run back to the Egyptians and surrender to them and say, 'Okay, if you be nice to me and take me back, I'll be good.' No, you trust in God! What did God do? Let's see what God told Moses:

Verse 15: "And the LORD said to Moses, 'Why do you cry to Me?…. [even Moses got caught up in it] …Speak to the children of Israel that they go forward.'"

How can they go forward, because on one hand was the Red Sea and they were all encamped alongside the Red Sea, and on the other hand, the Egyptians came down and were between them and the mountains. So you've got the mountains, you have Pharaoh and his armies, and then you have the children of Israel, and then you have the Red Sea. So, God said to Moses:

Verse 16: "And you—lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea, and divide it. And the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea. And behold, I am about to harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them. And I will get honor for Myself upon Pharaoh, and over all his army, over his chariots and over his horsemen. And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD…" (vs 16-18).

We've seen in the sermons leading up to the Feast of Unleavened Bread, how that there are actual historical recordings written that describe all the plagues that came upon Egypt. Here is the final plague that comes upon them, not just the killing of the firstborn, but now they're destroyed at the sea.

So Moses did that, and the wind blew all night, God caused the waters to go back and the children of Israel went across very early in the morning. You need to understand about how long it would take them to cross. If you've seen the movie The Ten Commandments, how they had a little, narrow channel to walk in to cross the Red Sea, 1.8 million people! It's going to take them hours and hours to cross to get to the other side if they went in a column.

The only way they could do it in the short time that they had was that they were encamped along the Red Sea in a flank manner. Then God opened the sea very wide, after all the earthquakes that took place leading up to it. We do not know what the Red Sea was like at that time. No one can go today and look back and say that this is where they crossed at the Red Sea. We only have a general description.

It has to be a place where they're alongside the Red Sea and there are mountains on the backside of them. Some have it that they go clear on down to the southeast end of the Sinai Peninsula and they go through a very narrow valley. If the Egyptians had come that way, it would have taken just a very small force to keep them from coming; because if you have the high ground, the enemy's not going to come through. So, they came down and they were right up close to the children of Israel.

Of course, all that night it was darkness to the Egyptians and light to the Israelites because God sent the cloud that was leading them and put it right between the children of Israel and the Egyptians. So, when God delivered them to the other side, the Egyptians came in and tried to follow, and God destroyed them in the sea.

This is a tremendous lesson for us. When we find ourselves in circumstances and difficulties, we need to draw close to God and trust God! Don't complain. Don't say, 'God, oh I wish this' or 'Oh, I wish that.' or 'Oh, I wish the other thing.' You say:

• God, Your will be done
• help me to understand
• bless me with Your deliverance
• bring Your salvation to me
• lift me out of my circumstances
• You are my Helper
• You are my God
• You are the One Who has fought against Satan for me
• You are the One Who has given Your Spirit to me that I am Yours
• help me
• lift me up
• guide me
• direct me in the way that You want me to be and the way that you want me to go

Now, let's see in 1-Cor. 10 that there are some lessons for us to learn that Paul referred to showing the last day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and the meaning that it brings to us; what it brought to them. There are many, many lessons that we can learn here, and let's apply it.

Then let's see how God wants us to live our lives entrusting Him. How do we trust in Him?

• we believe the Word of God
• we believe God
• we trust in Him
• we look to Him for everything
• for help
• for deliverance
• for life
• for understanding

When difficulties come along, don't let these things distract you like it did the children of Israel. 'Oh, let's go back to Egypt. It would have been better that we were there.' No! It says that if you trust in Egypt, you're going to die!

1-Corinthians 10:1—Paul said: "Now, I do not wish you to be ignorant of this, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea." (vs 1-2).

This is a very interesting statement: 'our fathers'… Paul is also associating the Gentiles with that, because IF the Gentiles repent and they are grafted into the olive tree—they being a wild olive tree as he says there in the Rom. 10—then they bear the fruit that comes of the natural olive tree, which is the olive tree of Israel. So, he says, 'our fathers,' and he applies it to Jews and Gentiles as well.

Verse 3: "And they all ate the same spiritual meat. And they all drank of the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them. And that Rock was Christ" (vs 3-4). So, we have two things there:

• the water came out of the physical rock
• that was pointing to Christ Who was the Lord God of the Old Testament, Who was a spiritual Rock

That's how they got the laws and commandments of God, by God speaking directly to them. Wonderful and tremendous, amazing thing!

Verse 5: "But with many of them God was not pleased…"

I think today, when we look at the state of the Church and the state of the ministry, and the state of the world, maybe there are a lot of brethren with whom God is not pleased! Now is the time to really take that to heart and begin doing the things that please God.

"…for their dead bodies were strewn in the wilderness. Now these things became examples for us…" (vs 5-6).

We are to learn from the Old Testament. Put the New Testament and Old Testament together and we have the unity of Scripture, which teaches us what we need to learn.

"…so that we might not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. Neither be idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, 'The people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play.' Neither should we commit sexual immorality, as some of them committed, and twenty-three thousand were destroyed in one day" (vs 6-8).

So we look at that and say, 'Hmmm, God really means business with His commandments! Think of what it means for us, and how God looks at us spiritually:

• He's entrusted us with His Spirit
• He's entrusted us with His Word
• He's given us the knowledge of His Holy Days, the meaning and understanding of it

So, God holds us tremendously responsible! Of course, we have physical fornication, and then we have spiritual fornication, which Paul touches on here a little bit later.

Verse 9: "Neither should we tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted Him, and were killed by serpents."

They didn't believe God. When God said, 'Don't do this,' they did it. God had to intervene and make an example for them.

Verse 10: "Neither should we complain against God, as some of them also complained, and were killed by the destroyer."

How many times did they say, 'O God, why did You bring us out here in the wilderness.' After God gave them manna, they said, 'All we have is this manna to eat. Wish we had some flesh to eat.' So, God sent them some flesh. He sent it on two occasions. On the second occasion they were so involved in their lust that they were choking on it and dying because they were eating it raw and it was punishment for their rebellion.

Verse 11: "Now all these things happened to them as examples, and were written for our admonition, on whom the ends of the ages are coming. Therefore, let the one who thinks he stands take heed, lest he fall" (vs 11-12).

We all need to learn that lesson! We can look back and see how many people have fallen, how many have stumbled, how many have gotten bitter or complained or left God because it didn't turn out the way that a man said it would turn out. The truth is this: we are not to trust in any man!

'God is true and every man is a liar.' That includes all of us. That's why the only thing we have to follow is:

• the Word of God
• only with the Spirit of Truth
• only with the Word of Truth
• only with the meaning of the Feast of Unleavened Bread

getting the sin from within out of us

• Will we be able to please God?
• Will we be able to do the things that God wants us to do?

Remember that regardless of your circumstances, regardless of the difficulty, regardless of the blessing, regardless of what has happened in your life:

Verse 13: "No temptation has come upon you except what is common to mankind. For God, Who is faithful, will not permit you to be tempted beyond what you are able to bear; but with the temptation, He will make a way of escape, so that you may be able to bear it." There's another promise of God!

Let's focus in on trusting God! Let's look at something important, because one of the things that will come upon you is that people will mock you. Let's see what happened when the children of Judah were confronted with the invasion from Sennacherib and the Assyrian army. Here's another case where it looked hopeless, and the Assyrians had conquered country after country coming right down from where Assyria is right down toward the Holy Land, and then they bypassed the Holy Land and went down to fight in Egypt. Then Sennacherib sent one of his commander-in-chiefs to go deliver a message to Hezekiah and the Jews.

Isaiah 36:1: "And it came to pass in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and took them."

These were the cities that were out there before you come to Jerusalem. So he came and conquered those.

Verse 2: "And the king of Assyria sent… [Rabshakeh] …chief field commander from Lachish to Jerusalem, to King Hezekiah with a great army. And he stood by the conduit of the upper pool in the highway of the Fuller's Field…. [then different ones came to see him] …Then Eliakim, Hilkiah's son, who was over the house, and Shebna the scribe, and Asaph's son Joah, the recorder, came out to him. And [Rabshakeh] the chief field commander said to them, 'Say now to Hezekiah, "Thus says the great king, the king of Assyria, 'What hope is this in which you trust?' I say, 'You claim to have counsel and mastery for war…[whatever you're saying are vain words] …but they are only words.'…."'" (vs 2-5).

"…Now, in whom do you trust, that you rebel against me? Lo, you trust in the staff of this broken reed, on Egypt; on which, if a man lean on it, it will go into his hand and pierce it. So, is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust in him…. [because they were down there defeating them] …But if you say to me, 'We trust in the LORD our God'; is it not He whose high places and altars Hezekiah has taken away, and said to Judah and Jerusalem, 'You shall worship before this altar'?'" (vs 5-7).

Yes, because Hezekiah took away all the false gods. Where they were there offering to the gods, but still saying, 'We're doing this to the Lord.' Then he shows how they had all these victories and all the things that they were doing, conquering all these lands and it really was quite a thing. Sometimes we're confronted with obstacles that look way beyond what we're capable of handling.

Let's see what happened, what God did against all odds. Just like the children of Israel by the Red Sea. Let's see what Hezekiah did, and let's see how he responded to God. This also gives us how we need to respond, because this gives us the lessons that we need to trust in God!

2-Kings 19:1: "Then it came to pass when King Hezekiah heard… [the words that were said] … he tore his clothes and covered himself with sackcloth. And he went into the house of the LORD. and he sent Eliakim who was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests, covered with sackcloth, to Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz. And they said to him, 'Thus says Hezekiah, "This is a day of trouble and of rebuke and contempt, for the children have come to the point of birth, and there is no strength to bring forth. It may be the LORD your God will hear all the words [Rabshakeh] of the chief field commander with which his master the king of Assyria has sent to reproach the living God, and will rebuke the words, which the LORD your God has heard…. [Will God reprove all the blasphemous things that this commander-in-chief said?] …And you shall lift up prayer for the rest who are left"'" (vs 1-4).

Verse 5: "And the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah. And Isaiah said to them, 'You shall say to your master, "Thus says the LORD,, 'Do not be afraid… [same message that God gave to the children of Israel at the Red Sea] …of the words which you have heard with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed Me. Behold, I will send a blast upon him, and he shall hear a rumor and shall return to his own land. And I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land'"'" (vs 5-7). So, they brought back the word to Hezekiah!

Let's see what Hezekiah did. This is a good example for us. When you have problems and troubles and difficulties, don't first try and figure out how you can get out of it, or how you can overcome it. Go to God first! Just like Hezekiah did here. And here's what he did: He said, 'Lord, it is true, he has conquered all these lands and here we are.'

Verse 14: "And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers and read it. And Hezekiah went up into the house of the LORD and spread it before the LORD. And Hezekiah prayed before the LORD and said, 'O LORD God of Israel Who dwells between the cherubim, You are God Himself, You alone of all the kingdoms of the earth; You have made the heavens and the earth'" (vs 14-15).

We have direct access to God the Father and Jesus Christ, and that's why prayer is so important. God does these things so that:

• we rely on Him
• that we trust in Him
• that we have confidence in Him
  • not in ourselves
  • not in our possessions
  • not in who we are
  • not in what we are
  • not in where we go

We have to trust God always! Look at how he trusted in God. Look at the circumstances that were completely against any hope, and look what God did!

Notice this prayer, v 16: "LORD, bow down Your ear and hear. O LORD, open Your eyes and see, and hear the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to reproach the living God. Truly, LORD….

We have to also confess the Truth. 'Yes, God, this is difficult. I don't know the way. I don't know how to handle it.' In the case of Hezekiah, he said:

I don't have men. I don't have the army. I don't have the troops. I don't have the spears and shields and the munitions available to go out and fight this. The defense cities he's taken all of them, we have nothing to rely upon.

Verse 17. "Truly, LORD, the kings of Assyria have destroyed the nations and their lands, and have thrown their gods into the fire; for they were no gods, but the work of men's hands, wood and stone, and they have destroyed them. And now, O, LORD our God, I beseech You, save us out of his hand, so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You are the LORD God, and You only'" (vs 17–19).

Here's a deliverance that is on the par of crossing the Red Sea. Here also is the army of the Assyrians coming against the Jews, just like the armies of Pharaoh were coming against the children of Israel. They had no place to go but out into the sea. That's a difficult thing. They all knew they couldn't walk on water. They all had to get across. They were defenseless, same way here.

So, the message comes back. God says, v 34: "For I will defend this city, to save it…" You do the same thing in your life when you have troubles! Ask God:

• to fight for you
• to defend you
• to lift you up
• to give you strength

Look how He intervened here. This is something! God took care of the army. Look at this:

Verse 35: "And it came to pass that night, the angel of the LORD went out and struck a hundred and eighty-five thousand…"

Not only were the armies there, but they were loaded down with the spoil and with the plunder having gone into Egypt and having fought at Lachish; having defeated the armies there. They had all the spoil and plunder that they were gathering on the way down for the final assault against Judah and Jerusalem. So, they were loaded with everything. This is why God told them that they were going to have spoil beyond belief.

"…in the camp of the Assyrians. Now when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead bodies" (v 35). How about that!

Sennacherib rose up, ready for his army to fight and they're all dead, stiff corpses. What did Sennacherib do? He got out of there in a big hurry.

Verse 36: "And Sennacherib king of Assyria departed. And he went and returned and lived at Nineveh. And it came to pass as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, Adrammelech and Sharezer, his sons, struck him down with the sword. And they escaped into the land of Ararat [Armenia]. And Esarhaddon his son reigned in his place" (vs 36-37).

Is God able to handle the impossible problems? Yes! That's why God brings us to circumstances that are impossible for us to handle so that we're going to trust in God. That we go to God first. Not try and do our own devices and then go to God afterward. You go to God first and you trust in God and you pour your heart out to Him. You lay all the facts and circumstances out and ask God to intervene and help you, and He will!

(go to the next track)

Now let's see how we are to trust God in all circumstances, regardless of how even futile or life-threatening it may be, even if people mock you; and even if people just say you're foolish to do this. We're going to face something like this when we come to the mark of the beast if we live into that time. To the world it would be foolish to reject the mark of the beast. But God says that's the way we are going to enter into the Kingdom of God, if we don't receive the mark of the beast!

Now let's see a prophecy of Jesus, so we can understand that Jesus was the forerunner for us in trusting in God, in giving His life as a sacrifice for the sins of the whole world, to be able to save us.

• He is able to help
• He is able to intervene
• He has the power
• He has the experience

He's gone through the worst thing that any human being could ever do through the crucifixion—and that is portrayed by the Passover.

Psalm 22:1: "My God, my God, why have You forsaken me…"

There will come times when you will feel that you have been forsaken by God. Christ had to experience this. Imagine the One Who used to be part of Elohim becoming a human being and now these thoughts were coming to Him. God did have to leave Him so that He could bear the sins of all the world! He did it by Himself (Heb. 1).

"…and why are You so far from helping Me, and from the words of My groaning?" (v 1).

Verse 6—here's how He felt: "But I am a worm…" Have you ever felt less than nothing? That's part of our experiencing the futility of human life so that we will desire the Kingdom of God and eternal life even all that much more!

"…and no man; a reproach of men and despised by the people" (v 6). This prophecy happened!

When they saw Him up on the cross, they said, 'If you be the Christ come down, we'll believe You.' Well, they had 3-1/2 years to believe Him. Miracles will not make people believe if they don't want to believe. That's why we have to choose and love God and believe God and trust in God.

Verse 7: "All who see Me mock Me; they shoot out the lip; they shake the head, saying, 'He trusted on the LORD; let Him deliver Him; let Him rescue Him, since He delights in Him!'" (vs 7-8).

Lots of times there's going to be a mocker. Lots of times there's going to be things where the whole world will think that you are an idiot for trusting in God! So, we need to understand: Christ went through that.

Now, let's see how we are to handle these things, and what God will do for us, every one of us. What I want you to do is, as we're going through this and trusting in the Lord, examine your life and examine the circumstances and just ask God to help you see things from His perspective! Let the Spirit of God lead you in understanding and joy in spite of the circumstances that you are in. Now here's some pretty dire circumstances:

Psalm 40:1: "I waited patiently for the LORD, and He inclined unto me and heard my cry. He brought me up also out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a Rock, and established my steps" (vs 1-2).

• notice what happens when God intervenes to deliver you
• notice the blessing and the exhilaration and the uplifting that comes from that

Verse 3: "And He has put a new song in my mouth, even praise to our God; many shall see and fear, and shall trust in the LORD…. [our example can be those things that will help people to trust in God] …Blessed is the man who makes the LORD his trust and does not respect the proud, nor those who turn aside to lies" (vs 3-4). Doesn't that remind you of the political campaigns that are going on?

Oh trust me. Let's make the change. Oh, it'll be a nice form of Communism that you will like. You see, we're going to tax the rich. We're going to take everything from them and give it to you. Won't that be nice? We will be just all self-centered and we are going to bring our troops out of Iraq and we're going to spend all this money on ourselves. We're going to let the rest of the world go to hell in a hand-basket. If Al Qaeda raises its head, well then we'll have to do something about it. But you know what's going to happen if it happens here.

Don't trust in vain men! As I've said many times, you cannot solve spiritual problems by political means!

Verse 4: "Blessed" [that's a blessing that comes from God] …is the man who makes the LORD his trust and does not respect the proud, nor those who turn aside to lies."

We're going to spend most of the rest of the sermon here in the book of Psalms because there are so many things here that teach us how to trust in God! What were the circumstances that David went through? Others went through? Because we're being judged by God now! Everything we do, every day we're being judged, for judgment is upon the house of God.

This is why, as I've mentioned so many times in the model prayer. We come to God, we ask forgiveness, we forgive those who have sinned against us. We ask God to deliver us from Satan the devil, which is also part of the meaning of this day, being delivered from Satan the devil, miraculously by God.

Psalm 26:1: "Judge me, O LORD, for I have walked in my integrity. I have trusted also in the LORD without wavering. Examine me, O LORD, and prove me; try my reins and my heart, for Your loving kindness is before my eyes; and I have walked in Your Truth" (vs 1-3) Notice how trusting! This is what trusting in God does. It means that:

• regardless of the circumstances that are around
• regardless of what people may think
• regardless of the mockings that they may bring upon you
• regardless of the disparagement that they may bring upon you

God is there and He loves you and He is going to lift you out of it and you can trust in Him completely!

You will see that each one of these Psalms gives us:

• a little bit more on how we trust in God
• a little bit more on how God is going to fight for us
• a little bit more of how our approach needs to be to God

depending upon our circumstances! We come all the way from the terrible circumstances—God leads us through it—into things that are not so terrible; and then all of a sudden, God lifts us up and the way becomes clear, and we can overcome.

Psalm 71:1: "In You, O LORD, have I taken refuge; let me never be put to shame"—or confusion! If you always rely on God you're not going to be put to confusion. You know you're trusting in Him.

Verse 2: "Deliver me in Your righteousness and cause me to escape… [tie in with 1-Cor. 10, that God will always provide a way of escape] …incline Your ear unto me, and save me. Be my strong Rock of refuge to which I may always go… [day after day, hour after hour, minute after minute] …You have commanded to save me; for You are my Rock and my Fortress.  [Deliver me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked, out of the hand of the unrighteous and ruthless man, for You are my hope, O Lord GOD, my trust from my youth" (vs 2-5).

God will bless us when we come to Him with that. God will be with us in everything that we do. Yes, He will; He will help us under all circumstances.

Psalm 62:1: "Only for God does my soul wait in silence… [you just really understand that; 'patiently wait for God'; God is going to work it out] …from Him comes my salvation…. [not through schemes of men or of self; but from God] …He only is my Rock and my salvation; He is my fortress; I shall not be greatly moved" (vs 1-2)—because you have built on that Rock! Isn't that what Jesus said? Let's see the promise that Jesus gave. This is how we are to:

• trust in God
• build our Christian life
• rely upon God
• His Word
• His power
• His Spirit
• His deliverance

—which can come directly from Him or through the angels who are ministering spirits!

But here's what we need to be doing so we can have the faith, the confidence and the trust that we need:

Matthew 7:24: "Therefore, everyone who hears these words of Mine and practices them…" We are to practice the Truth; live in the commandments of God a three step way:

• walk in faith
• believe in hope
• and live in love

"…hears these words of Mine… [and that includes the Old Testament, the New Testament] …and practices them, I will compare him to a wise man, who built his house upon the rock… [Christ is our Rock (1-Cor. 10)] …And the rain came down, and the floods came… [because it always does] …and the winds blew, and beat upon that house… [you can liken that to life-experiences that we go through] …but it did not fall, for it was founded upon the rock" (vs 24-25). Now then, look at the contrary to that:

Verse 26: "And everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not practice them shall be compared to a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand… [it's easy building, yes, indeed] … and the rain came down, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell, and great was the fall of it" (vs 26-27).

So, you see the two differences. That's what's going to happen to the world; they're going to fall. We're going to be resurrected and given eternal life!

Psalm 62:2: "…I shall not be greatly moved…. [because you're trusting in God, trusting in the Word of God] …How long will you imagine mischief against a man? You shall be slain, all of you; you shall be like a bowing wall and as a tottering fence" (vs 2-3). Why? The rains came, the wind blew and beat upon it and it fell!

Verse 4: "They only consult to cast him down from his great height; they delight in lies; they bless with their mouth, but inwardly they curse. Selah.…. [that's the way human nature is: sinful from within] …My soul, wait in silence for God alone; for from Him comes my hope. He only is my Rock…" (vs 4-6).

We're going to see this all the way through the Psalms. Many of the Psalms talk about the Rock. When you're anchored on that Rock, then you have the salvation of God!

Verse 6: He only is my Rock and my salvation; He is my strong tower; I shall not be moved. In God is my salvation and my glory, the Rock of my strength; my refuge is in God" (vs 6-7).

This is almost like the song that the children of Israel sang after God destroyed the armies of Pharaoh and their chariots and horses in the Red Sea. They said, 'God is a Man of war; God is my strength; God protected us; God saved us'—and He is! Look at how God intervenes in many different ways. Look back in your life—your Christian walk—and see how many times:

• God has delivered you
• God has spared you
• God has changed the circumstances so you could avoid disaster, problems and difficulties

Verse 8: "Trust in Him at all times, you people…" This is what it needs to be for us. Trusting in God for everything! Trusting in Him in:

• the good times
• the difficult times
• the trying times.

"…pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. Selah" (v 8). It can't get any better than that!

Remember that God is for you! God loves you! We need to understand that. It doesn't matter how inadequate you feel, because feeling inadequate means that you're going to rely more on God. So if you put that all together, that really is a tremendous thing for you to understand.

I tell you, if you want a good study, go through all the Psalms and read them. Just make a regular study in reading through it.

Psalm 112:1: "Praise the LORD! Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who delights greatly in His commandments."

That's our strength! We hear the words of Christ and we practice them. We delight in the commandments of God. We delight in the Word of God, and that becomes the whole focal point that draws us to God!

• He adds to us His Spirit
• He adds to us His love
• He adds to us His faith
• He adds to us confidence that He gives to us

That's why Jesus said in Mark 10 when the disciples wanted to know how they could have their prayers answered. 'Have the faith of God!' That faith which comes from God to you!

Verse 2: "His seed shall be mighty upon earth; the generation of the upright shall be blessed."

What I want you to do is think of this going on into the Kingdom of God. I want you to think beyond the trials of this world, and think into the Kingdom of God when we have completely overcome sin and self and Satan and have been resurrected, which is pictured by the next Holy Day, the Feast of Pentecost.

Verse 3: "Wealth and riches shall be in his house… [because you're going to dwell in the house of the Lord] …and his righteousness endures forever. To the upright there arises light in the darkness; he is gracious and full of compassion and righteousness" (vs 3-4). That's how we are to lead our lives, and God will bless us and hear us!

Verse 5: "It is well with the man who is gracious and lends freely; who conducts his affairs with justice…. [with wisdom and understanding] …Surely he shall not be moved forever; the righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance. He shall not be afraid of evil tidings; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD" (vs 5-7).

That's what the Sabbath and Holy Days do to us. God wants us to have all of these things fixed in our mind, in our heart and in our lives. They become a very part of how we think, how we live, how we look at everything. That's what this last day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread is all about, that we can completely overcome all of these things through Christ! It doesn't matter what the circumstances are. It doesn't matter what the odds are that appear impossible to do.

Verse 8: "His heart is established; he shall not be afraid until he sees his desire upon his enemies." So, that's quite a thing!

Now we will see how God does these things for us. What we are to do, and how it establishes our mind, our trust, our faith, and relying upon God in everything.

Psalm 118:1: "O, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good because His steadfast love… [mercy] …endures forever. Let Israel now say that His steadfast love endures forever. Let the house of Aaron now say that His steadfast love endures forever" (vs 1-3).

Go to Psalm 136 and every verse ends—32 verses—in 'His mercy endures forever.' Please understand, those are not vain repetitions, but praising God and honoring God, because God is interested in mercy and not sacrifice. So His mercy endures forever.

Verse 4: "Let those who fear the LORD now say that His steadfast love endures forever. I called upon the LORD in distress…" (vs 4-5). Just like Hezekiah. just like Moses. Just like all the saints, where God has delivered them!

Verse 6: "The LORD answered me, and set me in a large place. The LORD is on my side… [Why is the Lord on our side? Because we're on His side!] …I will not fear. What can man do to me?" As Jesus said, 'Don't fear men who can kill the body, but can't take your life.' Fear God!

Verse 7: "The LORD is for me as my Helper; therefore, I will look in triumph upon those who hate me." Isn't that something? Yes! God's going to take care of it.

Verse 8: "It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man." Men are always going to fail you! Men have their shortcomings, their weaknesses, their sins, their downfalls, and the only way that any of us can overcome any of that is:

• through the power of God
• through His Word
• through His Spirit
• through trusting in Him

Verse 9: "It is better to trust in the LORD than to trust in princes"—talking about a political situation!

How many people have had great confidence whenever a new President takes over? Don't look at how it starts out; you look at how it ends up! Almost every single President that has been elected with great hopes, great promises and great slogans, what happens? Well, after four years, or eight years, it all comes apart!

How many people were thrilled and excited when Jimmy Carter squeaked out a victory over Gerald Ford? Ooooo, after four years, couldn't stand it! How many people were excited when George Bush was elected? Look at where we are today! How many people are excited in 'Messiah Obama'? They're disappointed!

Let's carry this another step further. What's going to happen when the beast rises in power and everyone believes he's God manifested in the flesh, and he's going to save the world. I've got a new book. Delores keeps saying, 'Don't we have enough books?' I said, 'Yeah, but we need these.' This one is: A New Earth—Awakening Your Life's Purpose in Life by Eckhart Tolle—which is New Age Satan worship, sponsored by the friend of millions of women: Oprah!

Yes, "It is better to trust in the LORD than to trust in princes [man]."

Verse 14: "The LORD is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation. The voice of rejoicing and salvation is in the tabernacles of the righteous; the right hand of the LORD does mighty things. The right hand of the LORD is exalted; the right hand of the LORD does valiantly. I shall not die, but live and declare the works of the LORD. The LORD has sorely chastened me; but He has not given me over to death" (vs 14-18). Notice what's going to happen:

Verse 19: "Open to me the gates of righteousness; I will go through them … [at the resurrection] …and I will praise the LORD. This is the gate of the LORD; the righteous shall enter through it. I will praise You, for You have answered me and have become my salvation. The Stone, which the builders rejected, has become the Head Stone of the corner" (vs 19-22). That's a prophecy of Jesus Christ. Christ even quoted this! So did the apostles.

Verse 23: "This is the LORD'S doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day, which the LORD has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it…. [this Holy Day] …Save now, I beseech You, O LORD; O LORD, I beseech You, cause us to prosper now. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD; we have blessed You out of the house of the LORD. The LORD is God and He has made His light to shine upon us. Bind the festival sacrifice with cords even unto the horns of the altar. You are my God, and I will praise You; You are my God, I will exalt You. Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever" (vs 23-29).

Then it goes into Psalm 119. I tell you what, the Word of God is tremendous when you understand it, put it all together in what God is teaching us. These are the living words of God:

• to teach us
• to uplift us
• to encourage us
• to give us the desire to love God
• to trust in Him
• to walk in faith
• to believe in hope
• to live in love

It's all there for us!

Let's see the rejoicing when we know that God is for us. It doesn't matter what the circumstances are. There's even a song, wonderful song, that is made from this Psalm:

Psalm 27:1: "The LORD is my Light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?" We don't fear anyone! We don't become obnoxious and repugnant and lifted up in our own vanity. NO! We don't fear anyone! We don't fear any circumstances! We're to be wise and cautious and all that. We're not to be reckless and go around in stupidity. We're to run our lives with discretion. But we're not to fear any man. We're not to fear any circumstances.

"…The LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?….[No one!] …When the wicked, my enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell" (vs 1-2).

Just like what happened during the days of Hezekiah. They all died—185,000 in one night—and they were all stiff corpses the next morning. Sennacherib got up and said, 'All right, men, let's go,' and he looked out there and they were all dead! Because God promised it.

Verse 3: "Though an army should encamp against me, my heart shall not be afraid; though war should rise against me, even then I will be confident. One thing I have desired from the LORD… [notice the focus that David had on the purpose of life]: …that I will seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life… [that also means eternal life] …to behold the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in His temple, for in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion, in the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me upon a rock" (vs 3-5). God will do that!

Now, let's look at all of the circumstances—a lot of them—that Paul went through. Let's look at the circumstances here on how we are to face the trials and difficulties in life and trusting in God: in faith, in confidence, in hope and in love. These are words that we are to read on this last day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. To trust in God!

• it doesn't matter if the ocean is ahead of you
• it doesn't matter if the enemy is encompassing about you
• it doesn't matter if you are coming to the end of your life
• it doesn't matter what the circumstances can be in anything
• God is with you!
• God is for you!
• God has called you!

He will see you through, that's the promise of this day! Here's how: with this confidence and trust that we know:

Romans 8:28: "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." Let's understand that:

• loving God with all the heart, mind, soul and being
• loving our neighbors as ourselves
• loving the brethren
• even loving our enemies

God blesses us in that! That all comes from God. Doesn't come from something that we work up in ourselves. It comes from God!

Verse 29: "Because those whom He did foreknow… [if you have the Spirit of God, God foreknows you] …He also predestinated to be conformed to the image of His own Son…"

In God's plan, that He developed before the creation of the world, He predestined that those He has called are:

"…to be conformed to the image of His own Son, that He might be the Firstborn among many brethren. Now, whom He predestinated, these He also called; and whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified" (vs 29-30).

God is going to make us shine like the stars of heaven. That's where we have the strength and spiritual power that comes from God, to overcome.

Verse 31: "What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?" (v 3). Think of that now!

• you have God and Christ and the angels
• God has called you. God has predestinated you
• God has given you His Holy Spirit

NOTHING can be against you! NOTHING! Not even death! He's going to resurrect you. Won't that be something when the world sees all the saints resurrected?

Verse 32: "He Who did not spare even His own Son, but gave Him up for us all… [Think on that! God gave Christ up for every one of us!] …how shall He not also grant us all things together with Him?" (vs 31-32). All things!

He upholds the Universe by the Word of His power. We are joint heirs with Christ. He's going to grant us all things. Eternal life and living forever, and being in New Jerusalem is going to be so great and so marvelous down through the ages of eternity. That's why we need to ask God to help lift us up mentally and spiritually and think beyond what we are going through just as physical human beings and what God has promised us.

Verse 33: "Who shall bring an accusation against the elect of God? God is the One Who justifies. Who is the one that condemns? It is Christ Who died, but rather, Who is raised again, Who is even now at the right hand of God, and Who is also making intercession for us" (vs 33-34). Think about that in all circumstances. Christ is there:

• Interceding
• watching over
• dispatching angels
• helping
• comforting
• opening doors
• fighting the enemy.

Verse 35: "What shall separate us from the love of Christ?…." That's why we have to be, as we read back there in the Psalms, our hearts are fixed, and we place our trust and confidence in God.

"…Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?" (v 35).

We can look down the road and see, not too many years removed from us, this is going to be the way that it is. We need to ask God to strengthen us now, to fill us with His Spirit now and continue to do so when those days come upon us. We will be able to endure and survive.

Verse 36: "Accordingly, it is written, 'For Your sake we are killed all the day long; we are reckoned as sheep for the slaughter.'…. [that day will come] …But in all these things we are more than conquerors…" (vs 36-37)—overcomers! To the one who overcomes (Rev. 2 & 3)! This could also mean to the one who conquers!

"…we are more than conquerors through Him Who loved us" (v 37).

Here is the mindset that we need to learn from this last day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Here is the fixing of our mind and the trusting in God and walking in faith, and believing in hope, and living in love, that God will give us this strength and understanding so that we are going to be faithful and to attain to the Kingdom of God. Let God work in your life:

• to rescue you
• to lead you
• to help you
• to uplift you

Verse 38: "For I am persuaded… [this is where we need to come to] …that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (vs 38-39).

That's the meaning of the last day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Complete, absolute trust and confidence in God! To see us through any trial:

• no matter how great
• no matter how overwhelming
• no matter how the odds are stacked against us

• God loves us!
• God has called us!
• God is for us!
• He will see us through it!
• He will deliver us!

Scriptural References:

• Exodus 31:12-13, 17
• Exodus 34:12-15, 17-22
• Leviticus 23:7-8
• Deuteronomy 16:16-17

• Exodus 14:9-18
• 1 Corinthians 10:1-13
• Isaiah 36:1-7
• 2 Kings 19:1-7, 14-19, 34-37
• Psalm 22:1, 6-8
• Psalm 40:1-4
• Psalm 26:1-3
• Psalm 71:1-5
• Psalm 62:1-2
• Matthew 7:24-27
• Psalm 62:2-8
• Psalm 112:1-8
• Psalm 118:1-9, 14-29
• Psalm 27:1-5
• Romans 8:28-39

Scriptures referenced, not quoted:

• Ezekiel 20
• Numbers 28
• Malachi 3
• 2 Corinthians 9

• Romans 10
• Hebrews 1
• Mark 10
• Psalm 136; 119
• Revelation 2 & 3

Also referenced: Book: A New Earth—Awakening Your Life's Purpose in Life by Eckhart Tolle

FRC:bo
Transcribed: 3-12-08
Reformatted/Corrected: 12/2019