Seventh Day of Unleavened Bread - 2009

As we covered the first part of the Feast, Paul instructed the Corinthians—who were Gentiles—that they were to keep the Feast because Jesus Christ our Passover was sacrificed for us!

One of the great problems that is found in Christendom today is that they feel that the Old Testament is no longer applicable. That's why in the Bible, and also in A Harmony of the Gospels, we have a long section in there: How Did Jesus Fulfill the Law and the Prophets?

What was it that He did? When you understand that there has to be a unity of Scripture—Old Testament and New Testament—because even the Apostle Paul wrote to Timothy that Timothy had 'known the Holy Writings,' which is the Old Testament (as it is called today), which may be an unfortunate name when you compare; because you think the New is the better.

Well, the New Testament is better, but that doesn't mean that what is contained in the Old Testament is of no value; because you would not understand about the prophecies concerning Jesus Christ; you would not understand the book of Revelation without the book of Daniel; and all of those things show that there's a unity of Scriptures and we need the whole Bible.

That's why Paul said, 'Let us keep the Feast; not with the leaven of malice, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.'

We're told in Lev. 23 that the first day is a Holy Day; the last day is a Holy Day; and of course, with the sequence of the Passover being in the middle of the week, the weekly Sabbath then is also then a Holy Day during the Feast of Unleavened Bread as is every Sabbath being a Feast and a Holy Day.

One man was challenged and said—I think it was a Seventh Day Adventist—'Well, the reason we don't keep the Feast days and we keep the Sabbath, is because the Sabbath is not called a Feast.' Hello! Let's read it; we've covered this how many times?

Leviticus 23:1: "And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 'Speak to the children of Israel and say to them, "Concerning the appointed Feasts of the LORD, which you shall proclaim to be Holy convocations, even these are My appointed Feasts. Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of rest, a Holy convocation…. [an appointed Feast of God every single week] …You shall not do any work. It is a Sabbath to the LORD in all your dwellings"'" (vs 1-3). So, there you have it:

• an appointed Feast
• a Holy convocation
• a Sabbath

All right, nothing could be clearer. Same way with all the Holy Days, they are called Sabbaths, and we are to keep them:

• the apostles kept them
• Jesus kept them
• the Apostle Paul taught the Gentiles to keep them

So, any of the arguments that: 'Oh well, we don't have to do any of those things in the Old Testament because they have all been fulfilled.' No, they haven't all been fulfilled!

We know that we are told on the seventh Holy Day, v 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…. [these were the official offerings that were to be given] …In the seventh day is a Holy convocation. You shall do no servile work therein."

• How quickly do people forget?
• How many people that you know of have quit keeping the Sabbath and have lost the knowledge of God?

Probably more than you would like to consider, because one of the keys in keeping the Sabbath is to have the knowledge of God, that is Creator; that's what it says in the fourth commandment.

• you know that you didn't come from slime and mud
• you know that God made you

Now then, the Holy Days are to be kept because not only does the Sabbath tell us Who God is and what He is, and we understand that, but the Holy Days tell us what God is doing! That's why we have the two books: The Occult Holidays or God's Holy Days—Which? and God's Plan for Mankind Revealed by His Sabbath and Holy Days.

This is why we are to review these things. As Jesus said, we preach things 'some that are old; some that are new.' These things are to be repeated and given to us, because as human beings, being carnal, spiritual knowledge does not remain in the mind unless it is renewed.

Deuteronomy 16:16: "Three times in a year shall all your males appear before the LORD, your God…"

That doesn't mean that the rest of the family cannot come; because what happened when Joseph and Mary and the family went up to Jerusalem for the Feast of Unleavened Bread? They were all there! But it's required that all males be there. What's the simple answer for that? Women may not be able to come to the temple, under the temple laws, because they may be ready to give birth; they may have just given birth; they may be in the 40-day cleansing period, etc. To require them to come, as it is the males, would not be right. So that's why God did not require the women to be there. But under all other circumstances, they should.

"…in the place which He shall choose…" (v 16).

Today, how do we know the place that God chooses? Since we are mini temples of God, where two or three are gathered together in His name, that's where Jesus is! Since God has chosen us personally, called us personally, put His Spirit in us personally, whenever we gather together to observe His Sabbath and Holy Days—or separately alone because we have no one to gather with—Christ is there with us, and that is His appointed place for that particular time.

"…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."

In addition to the required sacrifices we find in Num. 28 & 29 for all the Holy Days—which the priests and the Levites were to offer—the people were also to offer, as we saw concerning, especially, preparing for the Night to be Much Observed in the first part of Deut. 16. They were to bring their dedicated redemption offerings for the firstborn of their sons, the firstborn of their unclean animals and to bring the male of all of the firstborn to be dedicated to God, and the female of the firstborn to be used for their enjoyment at the Feast for the food that they would eat and the offerings that they would give, etc.

Verse 17: "Every man shall give as he is able… [this has to be some kind of monetary offering in addition to the animal sacrifices that they had] …according to the blessing of the LORD, your God, which He has given you."

That's what we do today. We claim the promises of God, that He will bless us in all circumstances:

• wherever we are
• whatever our condition is
• rich or poor
• in need or in fullness

God will provide and give and make it possible—and we show God our sincerity by the physical things that we give back to Him. Also, the appreciation of receiving the Holy Spirit upon which there is no monetary value that you can put.

All of these things are something that need to be covered and need to be considered when we take up an offering for the Holy Days.

(pause for offering)

The meaning of the seventh day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread is found in Exo. 14; and there are some great lessons for us and we're going to learn them. Let's understand just exactly how human nature works.

I want you to go back and consider everything in the book of Exodus up to this point. What God had done to begin to release the children of Israel:

• sending Moses and Aaron to do so
• to send all the plagues
• to send all of the signs and wonders
• to kill the firstborn

Let's think of this in relationship to how much of an impact did this have on the minds of the children of Israel. What it does, it will show you this lesson: When physical circumstances get to be trying, you forget all that God has done for you! Then you begin complaining to God. That's what happened. God did not take them the easy way—and that ties in exactly with what Jesus said, 'Don't enter into the broad gate, because many go in at that gate, and that's destruction.' He said, 'You enter in through the narrow gate, which is difficult.' But it leads to life!

So likewise, the same principle applies. He didn't take the children of Israel up to the promised land the easy way; going up along the Mediterranean Sea coast into what is now Gaza and into the Holy Land. NO! He took them from Rameses and they went down south to the Red Sea and they encamped along the Red Sea, and it was a wide area that they were encamped upon, because they came in their columns and they stopped and they camped there. God deliberately took them there because of what He was going to do with Pharaoh; He wasn't done with Pharaoh, yet. Of course, the children of Israel didn't understand that.

Pharaoh said to all of those and all of who were left, he said, 'What have we done? We let the children of Israel go. Who's going to wait on us? Who's going to serve us? Oh, let's run off and get them.' So, they got six hundred chariots and footmen and soldiers and horses and they went on down after the children of Israel. They found them encamped along the Red Sea. Now, what happened when the children of Israel began to see this?

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 Hi 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).

They forgot everything that God had already done for them the previous six days, leading them by the pillar of clouds by day and the pillar of fire by night. Instead of saying, 'O God, here come the Egyptians. Hey, everybody, let's stand back and watch and see what God does to these Egyptians. Remember what He did back there in Egypt before we left?' NO! That's not what they did!

Here's what they said to Moses; actually they were accusing God:

Verse 11: "'Have you taken us away to die in the wilderness because there were no graves in Egypt?…. [in other words, there was plenty of room to bury all the people who may die] …Why have you dealt this way with us to carry us forth out of Egypt?'"

I want you to think about your own circumstances. Wherever something doesn't go the way that you think it may go, do you immediately begin to lose faith, begin to accuse God and begin to say, 'O God, why this?' Well, we're going to see a great principle here.

Rom. 8—here is a great principle we need to understand whenever the times get going tough. And they're going to get tough in the future, so you might as well buck up; you might as well strengthen—as the Bible says: 'the loins of your mind' and be ready and be prepared. Because remember, God is doing His work and we are a part of it, but we also have to go through it.

Romans 8:28—never forget this: "And we know… [this is what the children of Israel did not know, but we are to know]: …that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose."

Just like I covered on the first Holy Day: the greatest way to overcome is with love, the love of God. If you love God with all your heart, mind, soul and being, the physical circumstances around you do not matter!

Now, let me just relate a story that happened to a woman who is legally blind. She was making a special trip to see her relatives in Florida, and the plane ended up not going so they had to put her on another airline; and that was United Airline. When she got on the plane they took her to Denver and she was to change planes. Now here she is, she can't see, she doesn't know where she is, and they wheel her in a wheel chair because she has difficulty walking as well. They wheeled her up here to the gate where she was to catch a plane from Denver to go on to Florida. What happened was, there was a change of gate and all the attendants and everybody who were there to check her in all got up and ran off to the other gate and left her sitting there alone.

You think, oh, what a horrible circumstance. Needless to say, they were. She missed the plane that went to Florida. So, guess what they had to do? They had to put her up in a hotel. Guess what worked out for the best? She also had a son and a granddaughter who lived in Denver that she would not have been able to see unless that terrible thing happened to her. She was able to see them, visit with them, before she went on down to see her family in Florida.

"All things work together for good, to those who love God and are called according to His purpose."

Do you believe that? When you believe that, in spite of all the circumstances that you may be facing… None of us have faced the kind of circumstances that they have here; that the only thing they had was whatever water they had with them, and the only thing they had to eat was unleavened bread because they could not take any vittles with them. So, after six days of marching, dusty, hot, dirty, sweaty, eating unleavened bread, they come to this place alongside the Red Sea and all of a sudden here the worst thing that you could think would ever happen, here comes Pharaoh with his armies; and 'oh, we're going to be taken back or we should never have left. They're going to kill us.' Not so!

Remember, don't look to the circumstances alone, look beyond the circumstances and see what God is working out. I will guarantee you that almost a hundred percent of the time it will work for good! I have seen that over and over again in our own lives, in the lives of the brethren and in circumstances that have happened. Likewise here; they accused God.

Exodus 14:11: "…'Why have you dealt this way with us to carry us forth out of Egypt? Did we not tell you this word in Egypt, saying, "Let us alone so that we may serve the Egyptians?"….'" (vs 11-12).

No! They were crying and moaning and groaning, complaining to God: 'O God, this slavery, get us out of this.' So, God sent Moses and Aaron to do it. Just because Pharaoh didn't up and say at the snap of a finger, when Moses and Aaron appeared and said, 'Let My people go'; what did Pharaoh say: 'Who is the Lord? I don't know Him. And who are you?' Well you add up all the plagues and things that came along, pretty soon they knew who God was.

God doesn't come dressed in all of the elegance that men would like to see. I imagine that Moses and Aaron were pretty scruffy-looking men when they came in, compared to all of the layout of the palace of the Pharaoh. But you see what carnal nature does. Carnal nature only looks to the physical things that will satisfy them, rather than the power behind what God is doing!

Verse 13: "And Moses said to the people, 'Fear not!….'"

I'm going to stop right there for just a minute and tell you something very important that you need to understand. You need to have this attitude that God has commanded to "…Fear not!…."

That is a spiritual and mental preparation that we all need to do for the things that are coming on this world, because we are living in the end-times, when all of these troubles in the world are going to unfold. Now, at the same time, we need to be 'wise as serpents and harmless as doves,' that is true. But nevertheless, we need to have:

• an attitude of courage
• an attitude of faith
• an attitude of belief
• and a spiritual strength and stamina to realize that regardless of the circumstances:
• God has called us
• God loves us
• God wants us in His Kingdom
• He wants us as His resurrected sons and daughters in His Kingdom and His Family forever and ever and ever

That's the attitude that we need to have! We're not going to the 'promised land,' we are going to the Kingdom of God, which is greater than the 'promised land.' We are not going to a city of Jerusalem on the earth, we are going to the New Jerusalem, which is coming down to the new earth from God the Father.

"...'Fear not! Stand still and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will work for you today, for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you shall never see them again!'" (v 13).

That's why we have to put everything in God's hands. When we come up with circumstances we don't understand, we go to God and say:

O God, I don't understand these circumstances. What are they? Help me to realize it! Give me understanding. Help me to see what I need to do. Open the doors. Change the situation. Provide a way of escape

As He has promised in 1-Cor. 10!

Here they are locked in by the Red Sea, locked in by the mountains behind. So, what does God do?

Verse 14: "'The LORD shall fight for you, and you shall be still'…. [stop your complaining] …And the LORD said to Moses, 'Why do you cry to Me?… [we have our part to do] …Speak to the children of Israel that they go forward. And you—lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea, and divide it…. [all by the power of God; so Moses lifted up his rod and guess what]: …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…." (vs 14-17).

God works with other people's minds who may be against you, to change the circumstances so it becomes a blessing for you. But it is also a trial of faith. So, IF you have faith and belief in God, it's going to work out for the good, without a doubt!

"…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 when I will be glorified through Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen" (vs 17-18).

Remember what it says in Rom. 9 that 'I raised Pharaoh up for this purpose so that My name will be declared throughout all the earth.' And it is! Every time someone has the Bible of it, it is declared throughout all the earth. Whenever it is preached upon, it is declared wherever it is preached on the earth. Notice what God did: God can change the circumstances; God can work out a way of escape.

Verse 19: "And the angel of God, who went before the camp of Israel, moved. He went to the rear of them. The pillar of the cloud went from in front of them and it stood behind them. It came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel. It was a cloud of darkness to one, but gave light by night to the other, so that the two did not come near one another all night And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea. And the LORD drove the sea back with a strong east wind all that night…" (vs 19-21).

It wasn't a little narrow column like you see in the movie The Ten Commandments; because the children of Israel were all encamped along the shore there where the Red Sea was, and it was a very narrow space. So, they were strung out for quite a few miles, maybe as much as ten miles. When He opened up the Red Sea, it wasn't just a little channel where everyone could go through single-footed or double or triple or four or five; because they would not have been able to get across the Red Sea in time, because they all got across that night or actually, very early in the morning. By time sunrise was, they were already on the other side.

"…and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground. And the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. And the Egyptians pursued and went in after them to the middle of the sea, all Pharaoh's horses, his chariots, and his horsemen. And in the morning watch it came to pass that the LORD looked down upon the army of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and of the cloud… [right before sunrise] …and the army of the Egyptians was thrown into confusion. And He loosened their chariot wheels…" (vs 21-25).

God said, 'All right, now all the wheels come off the chariots!' WOW! If you're riding along a chariot at full speed, and the horses are galloping… This had to be a wide part of the Red Sea, not just some little, narrow thing.

There's one man—John Wyatt—who says it was clear over by the Gulf of Aqaba and there's a higher ridge where it's very shallow there, and they all walked across there. Nonsense! That didn't happen that way. All the wheels came off! And then the video he shows of chariots under the water, they have their wheels on them. Hello! Maybe that was another event that they got down there.

"…and made them go heavily…" (v 25). I imagine the water started oozing down and it was getting muddy! So ,here the Egyptians stuck in there said, 'We've got to get out of here.'

"…so that the Egyptians said, 'Let us flee from the face of Israel, for the LORD fights for them against the Egyptians.' And the LORD said to Moses, 'Stretch out your hand over the sea, so that the waters may come back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen'" (vs 25-26).

It came back; probably a roaring sound from the water rushing in like a great wave from north to south, and came in and crushed them and destroyed them, and broke up their chariots and they drowned in the sea.

Then everybody was happy! They said, 'O, the Lord, He's a warrior, He's fought for us.' All the women were happy and danced with their timbrels and Miriam sang and the women sang and the men shouted for joy; went down and picked up anything that floated up to the surface of the water and came up on the shore, and then they all rejoiced.

They were happy for a little while, because three days later they all were complaining again because they didn't have any water. So, God provided another miracle for them, by having Moses cast a tree into the brackish waters to make them sweet and drinkable.

Think of all the miracles that they experienced going through their wanderings in the wilderness for 40-years. Did they really learn anything at the end of it? Well, no they didn't. So the lesson here is: God will fight for you!

Now let's look at some Psalms that are very important to understand, and in the Psalms we find a lot of them were David is trusting God to fight the enemy; trusting God to intervene on his behalf; and this is what we need to do, brethren.

You know, we live in an age of Laodiceans, and we all have a capital 'L' before our names because that's what we are. So, we better be about the business of God of repenting and being zealous and doing what we need to do and establishing a close daily relationship with God through prayer and study, and not this ho-hum approach to things. As I mentioned in a sermon recently, if you're Laodicean you're cool; because that's the difference between lukewarm and cold, you're cool.

Notice what this is. You may have people against you. You may have circumstances against you. You may have things that are overwhelming for you and you don't know what to do. All right, go to some of these Psalms. Open them up. Get on your knees. Lay the Bible out before you. Use these words for your own prayer, and pour your heart and soul out to God. He will hear! He will answer! He will intervene! Don't be complaining, because it's not going the way that you think.

Psalm 140:1: "Deliver me, O LORD… [that's a good place to start] …from the evil man; keep me from the violent man."

We're going to need that in the future coming down the road, because I'm going to tell you something. Maybe you didn't hear this on television, but one thing you need to know is: half of those who are in prison today in the United States will be out next year, because their sentences are coming to an end. The over-crowding is making it necessary for them to come out. Let's hope that that half of the population has reformed. But what if they didn't? Think of all the things that are happening down in Mexico and spilling over into the United States. Will we be fighting in Mexico in a year or two or three? Will there be gangs roaming through the streets? You need to think about that.

Verse 2: "Those who devise evil things in their hearts; together they always stir up wars…. [this sounds like a gang] …They have sharpened their tongues like a serpent; the poison of a viper is under their lips. Selah…. [stop and think and meditate on this] …O LORD, keep me from the hands of the wicked; preserve me from the violent man who purposed to overthrow my steps. The proud have hidden a snare and a trap for me; they have spread a net by the wayside; they have set traps for me. Selah…. [Think on that! Can God deliver you from that? Yes, indeed!] …I said to the LORD, 'You are my God; O LORD, hear the voice of my supplications'" (vs 2-6). So, you praise God and thank Him and remind Him:

• He's savior
• He's redeemer
• He's our warrior
• He's our fighter
• He's our protector
• He's our champion
• He loves us
• He cares for us
• He knows the circumstances that we are in

Verse 7: "'O Lord GOD, the strength of my salvation, You have covered my head in the day of battle…. [we need that; duck down and the battle goes away] …O LORD, do not grant the desires of the wicked; do not further their wicked plots, lest they exalt themselves. Selah" (vs 7-8).

Notice that all the way through this is really quite a prayer. What does it cover? It covers many of the different circumstances and trials that you may be going through.

Verse 9: "As for the head of those who surround me, let the evil of their own lips cover them." That's also how you can pray for your enemies! You can pray for your enemies in several ways:

God, they're in Your hands to do what You see fit with them, even to destroy them if that is what You desire.' and 'God, if it is Your desire to cause them to repent and be converted—like the Apostle Paul—well then, You're capable of doing that also. So, regardless of what it is that You want to do, help me to understand Your will and rescue me from all of this.

Verse 10: "'Let burning coals fall upon them; let them be cast into the fire, into deep pits, so that they do not rise up again. Let not a slanderer be established in the earth; let calamity hunt down the violent man with thrust upon thrust.' I know that the LORD will maintain the cause of the afflicted and the right of the poor. Surely the righteous shall give thanks unto Your name; the upright shall dwell in Your presence" (vs 10-13).

Notice how this whole Psalm goes. It goes through enunciating every one of the problems, the emotions, the feelings, the consternations that David is going through, but what does it always end up doing? Praising God; thanking God; knowing that God will deliver!

Some of these Psalms are so fantastic and great it's just marvelous to understand. Psa. 31—here's what our attitude needs to be, and this is why we have the last day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread: so that God will:

• fight for us
• deliver us
• defend us
• watch over us
• protect us

Regardless of the circumstances that we are in!

Psalm 31:1. "In You, O LORD, have I taken refuge…" You claim that promise! You can say, 'God, you called me. You know the circumstances. You know what's happening to me, today, right now.'

"…let me never be ashamed; deliver me in Your righteousness…. [because God will] …Bow down Your ear to me; deliver me quickly; be my strong Rock, a fortress of defense to save me; for You are my Rock and my fortress; therefore for Your name's sake lead me and guide me…" (vs 1-3).

Romans 8:14: "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God." Let God lead you! Let God watch over you!

Psalm 140:4: "Pull me up out of the net that they have hidden for me, for You are my strength."

I want you to go through the whole Psalm here, because there are many, many things that you will find in finding relief and things like that. Let's see another promise. Sometimes we go through great difficulties because of:

• sickness
• disease
• disability
• old age

or whatever it may be!

• you may have lost your husband
• you may have lost your wife
• you may have lost some of your children through accidents or whatever cause

But let none of those things distress you and disturb you and take you down because they are in God's hands! Remember that!

Yes, there's going to be an emotional void, no doubt about it! Remember the good times and look forward to the resurrection, because all you're going to do, if you sit around and mope and grope and cry and whine and say, 'O God, why?' You'll find out at the resurrection if you don't understand and if God doesn't show you between now and then. You will know then. So look forward. That's why Moses said, 'Go forward!'

1-Corinthians 10:1: "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." That's what we just read of; the seventh day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread!

Verse 2: "And all were baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea. 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 2-4). Just like we read of in the Psalms:

• God is our Rock
• God is our Fortress
• God is our High Tower

Verse 5: "But with many of them God was not pleased…" Here's a lesson for us!

Let's look at this. You look at the experience that we've all gone through, through the Churches of God. Remember the lesson, but forget the hurt! Get rid of the anger. Get rid of the bitternesses as I've already brought out to you; because you cannot have a good relationship with God if you carry around all that mental and spiritual baggage with you all the time!

You can learn the lesson, just like Paul does here. He tells us the lesson; rehearses it for us for the sake of the lesson—but he does not dwell upon it and say:

O God, why did You do this? O God, it was so good before all these things came upon us. O I wish it was like it was when everything was there: the college and the churches and everything like that.

That's sounds like going back to Egypt! That's why God destroyed it! So we need to learn the lesson.

Verse 5: "But with many of them God was not pleased, for their dead bodies were strewn in the wilderness."

You don't want to obey God. You don't want to believe Him. You don't want to go in and take the land when God says to take it. All right, 38-1/2 more years in the wilderness and all of those over twenty are going to die; because 'you said and accuse Me,' God says, 'of taking your children out here to kill them.' No! 'They will go in but you will die.'

Verse 6: "Now these things became examples for us, so that we might not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. Neither be idolaters…" (vs 6-7).

You don't have to have an idol to be an idolater. If you follow a man whom you think is a great apostle of God, and you follow the 18-things that he outlined, and if you don't do any more than what he taught, you are an idolater because that man was not God. Do you understand that? He may have had many good things. He may have done well. But he also did bad. He also did very ugly. And his judgment is in God's hands. So we learned the lesson from it.

Verse 7: "Neither be idolaters… [covetousness is also idolatry] …as were some of them; as it is written, 'The people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play.'"

That's exactly what they did. Right when Moses was receiving the commandment from God concerning the Sabbaths of God, what did they persuade Aaron to do? To make the golden calf; and had a great sex orgy; and worshiping the golden calf, because they didn't believe God, and they didn't believe Moses! When he didn't come back for forty days, they figured, 'Whoopee! We better have some fun here.' Aaron, in his ignorance and his stupidity, made a golden calf for them to worship and have a feast unto the Lord.

(go to the next track)

1-Corinthians 10:9: "Neither should we tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted Him, and were killed by serpents. Neither should we complain against God, as some of them also complained, and were killed by the destroyer" (vs 9-10).

Now here's the lesson: Yes, it's miserable; it's bloody; it is terrible that all these things took place; but remember: they were not called for salvation. These are lessons for us!

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." Prophetic statement for us, because the 'ends of the earth are coming'!

Verse 12: "Therefore, let the one who thinks he stands take heed, lest he fall…. [now a promise]: …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" (vs 12-13).

Let's come back and see some of the Psalms that gives us the strength to be able to bear it. We need to be strong spiritually. Just like the Proverb says that 'if you faint in the day of adversity, you have little strength.' These days and trials that are coming upon us, we need to understand and realize how we have the strength of God.

Here's what we need to do: always look to God! We can see and analyze the circumstances, but we are asking God to intervene to change those circumstances for good, regardless of what they are; regardless of how heartrending it may be to go through some of these experiences.

Psalm 46:1 "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." God is always there! Remember this: all of those of us who have the Holy Spirit of God, we are the ones that God is especially concerned for and watching over! Everything that we go through is to develop the spiritual character and strength of God.

Verse 2: "Therefore we will not fear… [and that's the whole theme of where we started in Exo. 14—do not be afraid] …though the earth be removed and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains shake with the swelling of it. Selah" (vs 2-3). Think and meditate on that!

Have you ever been in such circumstances such as this? I doubt if any of us have! But notice, it doesn't matter how extreme the circumstances may have been, God is there to help us! God is there to fight for us!

We're going to go through several Psalms so that we understand and know what we need to be doing in loving and serving God. God said He would fight for us, regardless of the circumstances that we just read of here. In other circumstances, not only do we need the protection of God, but God will fight for us!

Psalm 35:1: "Contend, O LORD, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me."

That's exactly what Jesus did when He was going through the whole ordeal leading up to the crucifixion. Pilate said, 'Are you a king?' He said, 'As you say.' Did God fight against all of those who were contending with Jesus? Yes! Though He died, though He went through everything that He did, He was resurrected and overcame death. Do we have those same promises given to us? Of course! So, let God fight for you! You have to do your part.

Verse 2: "Take hold of shield and buckler, and stand up for my help. Also draw out the spear and the lance against those who pursue me; say to my soul, 'I am your salvation.' Let them be ashamed and brought to confusion, those who seek after my soul; let them be turned back and humiliated, those who devise evil against me" (vs 2-4).

God will do that. He has the power. God can change any circumstance that you find yourself in, anywhere at anytime.

Verse 5: "Let them be as chaff before the wind; and let the angel of the LORD drive them away. Let their way be dark and slippery; and let the angel of the LORD pursue them; for without cause they have hidden their net for me; without cause they have dug a pit for my soul. Let destruction come upon him in a time he will not know… [and that's going to happen; we are going to see that happen in our lifetime] …and let his net, which he has concealed catch him, let him fall into destruction" (vs 5-8).

That's the way that God always does it! He lets the wicked prosper and think they're going make it and then He closes the net around them. And everything that they have devised will come back upon them. Everything that they have planned will come to naught.

Verse 9: "And my soul shall be joyful in the LORD; it shall rejoice in His salvation." That's how we need to look to God to help us, to intervene for us!

In each one of these Psalms that I'm reading, I want you to take the time to go back and read the entire Psalm of all of those that I have covered.

• this is how we have strength in the Lord
• this is how we have strength in the day of adversity

so that we

• don't faint
• we don't become fearful
• we don't collapse when the pressure gets strong when the emotions and everything get out of hand

Psalm 27:1: "The LORD is my Light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?" If God is for you, nothing can be against you! This is the meaning of this day so that we can:

• trust God
• work for us
• change circumstances
• fight the battles for us
• go forward under all circumstances at all times

because He will provide the way!

Verse 2: "When the wicked, my enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell."

Sound a little bit like the Red Sea and Pharaoh and his armies? Yes, indeed!

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." Why? Because you have your mind on the goal and the purpose of why we're here!

Verse 4: "One thing I have desired from the LORD, that I will seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in His temple." Couple that with the resurrection and New Jerusalem, and you have a greater fulfillment of it!

Verse 5: "For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion, in the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me…"

Psa. 91 talks about the wings of an eagle and the protection—the unseen protection—that the wicked cannot understand.

"…He shall set me upon a Rock. And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies round about me; therefore, I will offer sacrifices with shouts of joy in His tabernacle. I will sing; yea, I will sing praises unto the LORD" (vs 5-6). Fantastic! This is the kind of confidence that we need, absolutely what we need!

Let's see the attitude that we need to take; because this is showing totally reliance on God. This is not arrogance, or this is not lifting ourselves up thinking that we are great. This is asking God to fight for us, just like He promised. The Lord will fight for you! Remember that, whatever the circumstances!

I remember a woman who asked me to pray for her, at the Feast of Tabernacles last year, because she was losing her job. When she got back she got a better job. She was all worried and I counseled with her about the same thing: Don't worry! Every trouble, every trial, is a stepping stone to a blessing! Always remember that. Sometimes the blessings will come immediately. Sometimes they will come afterward. But nevertheless, they are all blessings.

Psalm 54:1: "Save me, O God, by Your name, and judge me by Your might…. [here's how we are to cry out to God]: …Hear my prayer, O God; give ear to the words of my mouth" (vs 1-2). That's how we are to cry out to God! Now notice the circumstances that he was in:

Verse 3: "For strangers have risen up against me, and cruel men seek after my soul; they have not set God before them. Selah." This could also be a prophecy of some of the words of Christ when He was going through His ordeal before the crucifixion.

Verse 4: "Behold, God is my helper; the LORD is with those who uphold my soul. He shall reward evil to my enemies. Destroy them in Your faithfulness. I will freely sacrifice to You; I will praise Your name, O LORD, for it is good, for He has delivered me out of all trouble, and my eye has seen its desire upon my enemies" (vs 4-7). That's something! God promises He will deliver us out of all of our troubles!

Psalm 34:1: "I will bless the LORD at all times…"—whether they're good or whether they're not good!

You don't bless God just because you receive blessings. Remember that every trial brings a blessing so you can say, even every trial—as difficult as it maybe—is a blessing in disguise; because 'all things work together for good to those who love God; to those who are called according to His purpose'—and we are and have been.

Verse 2: "My soul shall make its boast in the LORD; the humble shall hear and be glad. O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt His name together…. [God is there to help; David says, 'the Lord is my helper.'] …I sought the LORD, and He answered me, and delivered me from all my fears" (vs 2-4).

Only God can do that for us! We have to have that kind of attitude and understanding mentally and spiritually. Otherwise we are going to devour ourselves in sorrow, self-pity, lack of faith and carnality.

Verse 5: "They looked to Him and were radiant; and their faces were not ashamed. This poor man cried, and the LORD heard, and saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear Him and delivers them" (vs 5-7).

All of these experiences tie right in with the Feast of Unleavened Bread!

Verse 8:"O taste and see… [the experiences that you go through—the good, bad, ugly, tragic] …that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him…. [you've got to go to Him and He will come to you] …O fear the LORD, all you saints, for there is nothing lacking to those who fear Him" (vs 8-9). That's something!

Now let's look at some other things here in the New Testament. Who is the great enemy? Satan the devil and His demons, and in a type, is what was pictured by Pharaoh and his armies, and the demons that were behind the whole nation of Egypt vs God and His angels and His people.

Let's see the whole mission of the Apostle Paul, the whole very purpose as to why God called him, and how he was going to deal with the Gentiles and how God dealt with him. He's talking about as he was walking up to Damascus…Here he was a high-ranking, notable person in Judaism—probably number three (the priest Hillel and then Saul). God had other designs on Saul, and he didn't know it, and here he was marching with confidence and he had a 'bill of arrest' from the priest to arrest all those who believed in Jesus Christ.

Acts 26:13: "When I saw on the road at midday, O king, a light from heaven, surpassing the brightness of the sun, shine around me andthose who were traveling with me. Then all of us fell to the ground; and I heard a voice speak to me, saying in the Hebrew language, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?….'" (vs 13-14).

Remember this: Whatever persecution you are suffering, they are persecuting Christ, because Christ is in you and all of those who suffer persecution.

"'…It is hard for you to kick against the pricks.' And I said, 'Who are You, Lord?' And He said, 'I am Jesus, Whom you are persecuting. Now arise, and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose: to appoint you as a minister and a witness both of what you have seen and what I shall reveal to you. I am personally selecting you from among the people and the Gentiles, to whom I now send you'" (vs 14-17).

Here is His mission statement, v 18: "'To open their eyes, that they may turn from darkness to light, and from the authority of Satan to God, so that they may receive remission of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified through faith in Me'"

Just like everything else, God gives you overview, then all the details are filled in. And he also said in the account there in Acts 9[transcriber's correction], when God was instructing Ananias that he was to go lay hands on Saul so he would receive sight, and baptize him, because he was blinded for three days because of this experience. He told him that he was going to show him what he must do and how he must suffer for Christ and the things that he would be doing; and Paul did.

Now, let's see how God deals with us; because the most important thing is not our little troubles or the things that are around. The most important thing is that Satan is there, as we will see, whom we have been rescued from, but he wants to come back at us again just like with Jesus. Remember, He was tempted for 40 days and 40 nights. Then it says, 'and Satan left Him for a season.'

Likewise with us. The ones that God wants to protect and watch over; the ones who have the Spirit of God, they are the ones that Satan is after; because we are going to depose him—actually, God is—but replace him and all of his demons, and we are going to rule in the Kingdom of God.

Colossians 1:9—Paul is writing to them: "For this cause we also, from the day that we heard of it…"

Their conversion and how they were believing in Christ. Remember, these are Gentiles—a wholly Gentile church. God told Saul, before he was converted, that He was going to send him to the Gentiles:

• to turn them from darkness
• to turn them to light
• to turn them from Satan and turn them to God

"…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" (v 9).

Not only was that prayer for Paul then there too, but since it's written for us, it's a prophecy for us so that we can:

"…be filled with the knowledge of His will and all knowledge of spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthily of the Lord, unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work and growing in the knowledge of God" (vs 9-10).

Here's what needs to be for us, brethren: We need to stop all complaining, all namby-pambiness, all fearfulness, and have faith and strength in God.

Verse 11: "Being strengthened with all power according to the might of His glory, unto all endurance and long-suffering with joy; giving thanks to the Father, Who has made us qualified… [God has called us; God 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 11-13). That's something!

You are no longer under the authority of Satan the devil in this world! We have to live in it, that's true. We have to put up with it, that's true. But your authority comes from God, and you allegiance goes to God, and your, as it were, politics belongs to the Kingdom of God, because He's rescued us from Satan the devil. Notice that: 'has personally rescued us from the power of darkness.'

In the daily prayer that Jesus gave, we ask God daily to rescue us from the evil one. Why? Because he is there like a 'roaring lion seeking whom he may devour.' Because just like Satan left Jesus after the 40-day temptation, he was still after Him and right up to the end. And you understand that Satan was behind everything which instigated the crucifixion and everything associated with that. We have been delivered from that!

Let's see how Satan is there constantly. And in the world that we live in, you're going to have to make some choices as to what you let into your mind and in your heart with all the things that are out there that you see. We have television, media, ads, and you can't let Satan have an entrance where those things grab hold of us and keep us away from God.

1-Peter 5:6—talking to the elders: "Be humbled therefore under the mighty hand of God so that He may exalt you in due time; casting all your cares upon Him, because He cares for you" (vs 6-7).

• God loves you
• God cares for you
• God has given His Spirit to be in your mind, to be with you

You are a walking, talking, living, breathing mini-temple of God, with Christ dwelling in you!

Verse 8: "Be sober!… [spiritually] …Be vigilant! For your adversary the devil is prowling about as a roaring lion, seeking anyone he may devour."

• Have some of those who were ministers think that they were exempt from this been devoured? Yes!
• Are there those whom we thought were brethren and faithful, been devoured? Yes!

They didn't do what was said here to be sober and to be vigilant, and to understand that Satan wants to get everyone that has the Spirit of God so that he can try and entice them to commit the unpardonable sin so they will never receive eternal life.

When you understand that's the goal of Satan the devil; and he has many devices to do it. That's why you are not act like the Israelites. That's why we're not to complain. We are not to gripe. We are not to look to the physical circumstances. But always look to God because He can change any of the physical circumstances at any time!

Now here's how we resist him—v 9: "Whom resist, steadfast [unmovable, unshakeable] in the faith… [of Christ in us] …knowing that the same afflictions are being fulfilled among your brethren who are in the world…. [here's a promise we can rely on]: …Now may the God of all grace, Who has called us unto His eternal glory in Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a little while, Himself perfect you, establish, strengthen, and settle you" (vs 9-10).

This tells us that not only will he keep us from having a temptation that is too great for us, but He will see us safely through every trial! We also have to have the attitude that Jesus told the apostles when He sent them out on their evangelistic campaign: 'Do not fear those who can kill the body, but cannot kill your life.' We don't have to be afraid of anything. We have our part that we need to do.

Let's see how the Apostle Paul lived and handled all the things that he had done before he was converted; and how he moved forward, because we are told to go forward!

Philippians 3:7: "Yet the things that were gain to me…" Don't look back and see what you had to give up, 'Oh, God required too much from me.' No! Take the attitude of the Apostle Paul.

"…these things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 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, and count them as dung… [Greek: 'skubalon' a pile of manure] …that I may gain Christ… [so we have our part that we need to do.] …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; that I may know Him…" (vs 7-10).

Notice: every time we come to how do we get out of problems and troubles, it is focusing and being single-minded and single-purposed on the goal and the end result of why we have been called. That's what Paul was doing here.

"…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; not as though I have already received, or have already been perfected; but I am striving…" (vs 10-12). This is the attitude we need to have, and he said in another place that he doesn't 'beat the air'!

"…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…" (vs 12-13)—because:

• we're still in the world
• we're still in the flesh
• Satan is still there
• the world is still there
• win that so easily besets us is still there

"…but this one thing I do—forgetting the things that are behind… [you have got to put everything behind you] …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).

So, he's doing like Moses said, he's going forward. He's not looking to the circumstances behind. You look and you read in the book of Acts everything that the Apostle Paul had to go through. Forgetting all of those things! Put it out of your mind. That's why IF:

• you're a worry-wart ask God to help you get over it
• you're fearful come out of your shell and ask God to give you strength
• you don't know what to do, search the Scriptures and find out
• you're not confident, have confidence in Christ

Now, let's see what else the Apostle Paul wrote here. This is very instructive for us. We need to spiritually come to the very point of having the Spirit of God in us so that we realize that the stakes are high! Eternal life is worth it. All the physical circumstances around us, and the trials that we go through are merely points of testing, trying and developing us to have the very character of Jesus Christ!

Romans 8:28: "And we know… [now we even know a little more after going through all that we did] …that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose… [now here's a promise]: …because those whom He did foreknow… [because He had to begin calling you and you had to answer] …He also predestinated to be conformed to the image of His own Son… [that's your destiny; that's what God has for you] …that He might be the firstborn among many brethren…. [and having been predestinated for that]: …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 28-30). That is also present tense:

• having the Holy Spirit of God, we have a small bit of glory
• having the knowledge of God, that's more of the glory of God
• having the understanding of salvation, that's part of the glory of God

But the fullness of glory comes when the resurrection takes place; and that's what we are looking to.

Verse 31: "What then shall we say to these things?…. [What are you going to say to all the troubles and difficulties that you go through?] …If God is for us, who can be against us?"

• No one!
• Nothing!
• Not Satan the devil!
• Not the demons!
• Not people on earth!
• Not rulers!
• Not principalities!
• Nothing can be against us!

We need to have this kind of mental courage and attitude so we can face the difficulties that are going to come as just waves of the sea; rolling in one after the other. Why?

Verse 32: "He Who did not spare even His own Son, but gave Him up for us all, how shall He not also grant us all things together with Him?" At the resurrection, grant all things:

• eternal life
• eternal peace
• eternal joy

Verse 33: "Who shall bring an accusation against the elect of God?…."

Satan tries every day, but if we are under the protection of God and repenting of our sins and coming before the throne of God, God tells Satan: 'Well, you know, there's nothing here against him, or against her.'

"…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). Never forget that!

• God loves you
• God has called you
• God is for you
• Christ is your Savior
• He is making intercession for you right now

So, you can have total confidence. This is the confidence that we have. Notice what we can withstand with that spiritual attitude, so we can go forward. Because where we are going forward to is just not a better place on earth, but into the Kingdom of God and the resurrection, and then we come to the earth to rule and reign with Christ, to bring peace and joy to the whole world and mankind.

You need to have this attitude, v 35: "What shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?" Nothing! Nothing can separate us from that!

Verse 36: "Accordingly, it is written, "For Your sake we are killed all the day long… [that day is coming] …we are reckoned as sheep for the slaughter. But in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him Who loved us" (vs 36-37).

This is where our persuasion needs to be absolutely, spiritually ironclad, unmovable, steadfast and never fearful, never going backward.

Verse 38: "For I am persuaded 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).

So there's the whole lesson of the last day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Speak to the children of Israel that they go forward and be not afraid!

Brethren, let's use this day as a tremendous point for us to learn and grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ; and to have the spiritual strength and spiritual fortitude to be able to have the same attitude that is written here in Rom. 8: that God is our Helper and He will fight our battles for us!

Scriptural References:

• Leviticus 23:1-3, 7
• Deuteronomy 16:16-17
• Exodus 14:9-11
• Romans 8:28
• Exodus 14:11-26
• Psalm 140:1-3
• Romans 8:14
• Psalm 140:4-13
• Psalm 31:1-4
• 1-Corinthians 10:1-7, 9-13
• Psalm 46:1-3
• Psalm 35:1-9
• Psalm 27:1-6
• Psalm 54:1-7
• Psalm 34:1-9
• Acts 26:13-18
• Colossians 1:9-13
• 1-Peter 5:6-10
• Philippians 3:7-14
• Romans 8:28-39

Scriptures referenced, not quoted:

• Numbers 28; 29
• Psalm 91
• Acts 19

Also referenced: Books:

• A Harmony of the Gospels by Fred R. Coulter
• The Occult Holidays or God's Holy Days—Which? by Fred R. Coulter
• God's Plan for Mankind Revealed by His Sabbath and Holy Days by Fred. R. Coulter

FRC:bo
Transcribed: 3-11-09
Reformatted/Corrected: 3/2020