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(Last Day UB--LIVE)
Fred R. Coulter—April 12, 2023
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We will see that we are to take up an offering. The Protestants like to bring up Mal. 3. that's very interesting, because it says, 'Will you rob God?' But if they say that the Old Testament is done away with, how can you rob God if you're not to tithe? They really mean, 'Don't rob us' from that point of view.
- What did Jesus say about how we are to live? By every Word of God!
- What else did Jesus say? Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets! I have come to fulfill,' which means to make complete!
Then He also said, so you can take this little test, which is pretty easy to do: Till heaven and earth pass—it's still here, you're still on it, you take your foot and stomp on it or look up and see the sky—it's still here. If it's still here, what does that mean with the laws and commandments of God? They are still in effect!
So, if there's any change, Who alone can change the Word of God? God!
Deuteronomy 16:16: "Three times in a year shall all your males appear before the LORD your God in the place which He shall choose: in the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and in the Feast of Weeks, and in the Feast of Tabernacles. And they shall not appear before the LORD empty."
Why? Because God gives us everything! He gives us breath, food, water, air, and as Paul says in Acts 17: every human being on earth lives, moves and has their being because of God.
As we saw in the message by Tom Fannin—Why We Keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread—God can take away any life at any time that He desires. He chose the firstborn on the Passover night.
I think it's interesting that on NatGeo they're digging up all of these Egyptians tombs trying to find additional things about what Egypt was like. If they would read the Bible they would find out more what it was like and why God did what He did.
We need to look ahead to the Kingdom of God through all the things that come from God.
Verse 17: "Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD your God, which He has given you."
So, you look to God for all blessing and so forth!
(pause for the offering)
We will pick up where Tom left off in Exo.14. They had just left Egypt, traveled down to the Red Sea and were on the west side of the Red Sea, and right behind them were mountains and they couldn't go that way. The Egyptians came and camped there at the base of the mountain, and God put a spiritual wall between the Egyptians and the children of Israel. It was darkness to the Egyptians. Isn't that interesting, the power of darkness? Darkness with the Egyptians on the mountain side and it was light on the side of the children of Israel.
Then the sun went down and a great wind started, and the Red Sea split in two. As we know they were in a long column on the west bank of the Red Sea, so their crossing of the Red Sea had to open wide for probably four or five miles to get them across. They took a flanking movement, not a column movement to get to the other side.
Just before dawn it was all dry and they went across to the other side. God wanted them to know that with this miracle why He did it, so we can trust in Him!
Remember when they first saw the Egyptians, they were afraid. They didn't want to go back, however, some did want to go back and said, 'Why did you bring us out here in the wilderness, there were plenty of graves in Egypt?' Well, God says that He had something better for them, and that's why He took them across the Red Sea. But before they got across they had to learn this lesson!
Exodus 14:11: "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?'"
This is a good lesson for us! Don't have any regrets!
Verse 12: "Did we not tell you this word in Egypt, saying, 'Let us alone so that we may serve the Egyptians?'…."
God said that you're not going to do that. What do we do? How do we do that? Here's the whole lesson of the Red Sea:
Verse 13: "And Moses said to the people, 'Fear not!….'"—don't be afraid!
We're living in times where there are a lot of terrible things taking place. If you count up all the mass shootings by these transgender people… You know that if you go that far against God in doing what they're doing, you're enter the realm of mental insanity!
That's what's happening to them, plus whatever medications and drugs they have to try and change their sex. But that won't work.
"'…Stand still and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will work for you today… [and He did] …for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you shall never see them again! The LORD shall fight for you… [whatever your personal battle or difficult is] …and you shall be still'" (vs 13-14)—meaning don't complain!
Verse 15: "And the LORD said to Moses, 'Why do you cry to Me? Speak to the children of Israel that they go forward."
That's what we're to do in everything that we do! God doesn't need a lot of weapons. What was the weapon that Moses had? A wooden staff! With God doing the work, Moses held his staff over the sea and it split, opened up for them and they escaped!
Let's look at some things that we need to do. Whenever you get down and discouraged, which you will. You can't always be on a high and happy, happy, happy! Things come along and problems overtake you. Sometimes you're surrounded by them. What do you do? You turn to God and ask for His help!
Psalm 57:1—this is what we need: "Be gracious unto me, O God, be gracious unto me; for my soul trusts in You…"
Sometimes it doesn't look like God is going to do anything! But you keep trusting in God. Remember that the ultimate trust is the first resurrection! So, it really doesn't matter what people do to you, in the final analyst.
We may go through uncomfortable times, we may go through difficult times, that's true.
"…yea, in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge until these great troubles pass by" (v 1).
God will help you and work it out. A shadow you can see its effect on the ground. But if you're standing and there's a tree and a shadow, if you look straight ahead: can you see the shadow? No, you see it on the ground! That's much like the angels of God. You can't see them, but they're there to protect us and they will intervene to help you.
Verse 2: "I will cry to God Most High, to God Who fulfills His purpose for me."
God has a purpose for each and every one of us. That's important; it's eternal life! It doesn't come easy.
There's an ad on television: Are you going to go to heaven or not? If you want to go to heaven call this number and everything will work out just fine.
We look to God! Why? Here's how He's going to work it out:
Verse 3: "He shall send from heaven and save me; He rebukes him who would swallow me up. Selah… [stop, think, meditate] …God shall send forth His mercy and His Truth."
That's how God is going to do it. That's why we need to study the Word of God and know and understand it.
Proverbs is one of the best books in the Bible for people to get used to understanding the Word of God. It puts it in a way that is simple and easy to understand:
- right/wrong
- good/evil
- God vs sin
- human nature vs trusting in God
- commandments of God vs the tragedy of not keeping the commandments of God
Proverbs 3:1: "My son, do not forget My Law…" There are things we're to remember:
- the Law of God
- the Sabbath
- that Christ has paid for our sins through His death, shed blood and resurrection to be at the right hand of God
We know that we need law and grace! There's no fight or tension between them, they go hand-in-hand.
"…but let your [#1]heart keep My commandments" (v 1).
Heb. 10 says that the purpose of conversion is to write His Laws in our mind and inscribe them on our heart. What is this in Prov. 3? New Testament doctrine! Why? The Word of God is true in both the Old and New Testaments!
Verse 2: "For they shall add length of days, and long life, and peace, to you." That's what God has promised!
- What is the ultimate of why we are here? We read the purpose of God!
- What is the end purpose of what we're doing here in the flesh? Eternal life! The resurrection!
That's why the next Holy Day—Pentecost—pictures the resurrection! That's why the First of the firstfruits, the Wave Sheaf Offering, pictures Christ ascending to the Father after being raised from the dead. He is the First of the firstfruits. The Church is called the Firstfruits of God. There is a first resurrection. That is a harvest! Pentecost is a Harvest Feast! We will see all of that. But it's fitting!
Remember that the Wave Sheaf Offering must be waved during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. There are a some people who celebrate it a week later. That's after the Feast of Unleavened Bread is over. The whole epitome of Christ is sinlessness!
Verse 3: "Do not let mercy and Truth forsake you…" What is Truth?
- God's Word is Truth
- His commandments are Truth
- His laws are Truth
- His precepts are Truth
- everything that God does is Truth
God cannot lie!
"…bind them around your neck; write them upon the tablet of your [#2]heart" (v 3). Twice it says on your heart!
Verse 4: "And so you shall find favor and good understanding in the sight of God and man."
Isn't this what everyone wants? A good life? The only way to get it is through God!
Verse 5: "Trust in the LORD with all your [#3]heart and lean not to your own understanding."
Why? Because if you lean to your own understanding you're going to make a mistake! That's what happens to all the establishment Christianity today. They lean to their own understanding!
I got an e-mail from someone who said, 'I'm not a Catholic. I'm a Southern Baptist.' And then she reiterated everything she said with a Southern Baptist.
I wrote her back and said 'Since you keep Sunday, and Sunday comes only from the Catholic Church, you're just another brand of Catholicism called Protestantism.'
- Do the Catholics keep Sunday? Yes!
- Do they keep Easter? Yes!
- Do the Protestants? Yes!
- Do they keep Christmas? Yes!
- How can they not be Catholic? They say they don't believe in the pope!
if you don't believe in the pope:
- Why do you keep the days that the pope stands behind?
I didn't write that! I told her nicely that I'm sending her an Appendix from The Holy Bible in Its Original Order, A Faithful Version: Understanding Paul's Difficult Scriptures Concerning the Law and the Commandments of God
Verse 6: "In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths."
I'm sure you've all experienced that from time-to-time. God will! To show you how God will help you, you will go through an experience that you wonder why you're going through it. But when you come out the other side and look back, you know that God helped you!
Verse 7: "Do not be wise in your own eyes…"
- Isn't this the sin of the world today?
- Every single one doing what's right in their own eyes?
they don't know:
- what's right and wrong
- what's truth and error
That's why you can never fail by following the Truth of God!
- What if you go halfway with God?
- Is there a halfway house somewhere along the way?
- What does it say here?
- Trust God part of the time, only when you're in trouble? NO! It says trust in the Lord with all your heart!
"…fear the LORD and depart from evil" (v 7).
- What's evil? Sin! Stop sinning!
- What is sin? The transgression of the Law!
- Why do we keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread? To remind us that:
- human nature wants to sin
- God wants to convert us
- we have to stop sinning
It's easy to find out what sin is: read the Word of God and compare your behavior! Where it is not in accord with the Word of God, you're sinning!
- it doesn't matter how good you may feel
- it doesn't matter how right you may think it is
It's sin!
Remember that nothing is impossible for God! This last day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread pictures for us how we need to trust in God. Let's see how God will intervene for us regardless of what the circumstances may look like at any one time.
We're going to look at a good number of Psalms as we go through and see how these apply to us and can be used so we can stay close to God! Now, this looks like it is today:
Psalm 3:1: "O LORD, how my foes have increased!.… [look at how awful it is today wherever you go] …Many are the ones who rise up against me."
Who are they coming after now? Anyone who believes any form of Christianity! The press does not tell you what all of these crazy transgenders who are going around committing these crimes have been doing.
Verse 2: "Many are saying of my soul, 'There is no deliverance for him in God.' Selah.… [stop, think and meditate] …But You, O LORD…"
We just read trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not to your own understanding!
"…are a shield about me, my glory, and the One Who lifts up my head" (v 2).
So, when you get down and discouraged, you go to God and He will lift you up with His Word and with His Spirit.
Verse 4: "I cried to the LORD with my voice, and He answered me out of His Holy mountain. Selah." God does answer prayer! He will!
Psa. 12 talk a lot about how it is today. You will see that the Word of God is so great that it applies at anytime to anyone, whatever the circumstances are.
- that's why we have it
- that's why it's the Word of God
- that's why no writing of men can replace the Word of God
Psalm 12:1: "Help… [God is the One Who is going to help us] …O LORD, for the Godly man ceases…"
- Who is Godly?
- What is Godliness? Godliness is walking in the way of God!
In the world there are fewer and fewer!
"…for the faithful disappear from among the children of men. They speak falsehood each one with his neighbor; with flattering lips and a double heart they speak" (vs 1-2).
The sure tells us what the world is like today! Double speak! One of the favorite things they do is turn the perpetrator into the victim.
Verse 3[transcriber's correction]: "The LORD shall cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue that speaks proud things, Who have said, 'With our tongue we shall prevail; our lips are our own; who is lord over us?'" (vs 3-4).
That's quite a statement, especially these transgender people. Ten years ago I gave a message on it, that transgenderism is 'a religion.' That's exactly what it is. That's why they think they have the right to kill people that disagree with them, and that's what they're doing! They're trying to do something that's impossible to do: change their sex!
There it is doublespeak and no lord over us! Why do they come after Christians? Because God says don't do those things!
Verse 5: "'For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, I will now arise,' says the LORD. 'I will set him in safety from him who puffs at him.' The words of the LORD are pure words, like silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times" (vs 5-6). That's how reliable that the Word of God is!
Verse 7: "You shall keep them…"—keep all the words of God!
All the promises of God, everything He has said He's going to keep! That's why it's called the living Word of God!
"…O LORD; You shall preserve them from this generation forever. The wicked walk on every side… [this is a perfect description of what's happening in the world today] …when vileness is exalted… " (vs 7-8).
There's nothing more vile than trying to change one's sex. Those who do it go insane! That's what happens to them! Even newscasters are saying that they are 'possessed.' Think about that!
"…when vileness is exalted among the sons of men" (v 8). That's a perfect description of what we have to face today!
We're going to spend some time in the Psalms so we can get some strength of mind and trust in God the way that we need! Here's what's important:
Psalm 18:1: "I love You, O LORD, my strength."
This is what establishment Christianity completely misses: loving God back! They all want the love of God to themselves, but do you think they would love God back by keeping His commandments? That's what the love of God is!
- Is it not loving and trusting in Him? Yes!
- How are we to love God? With all our heart, mind, soul and being!
- Did God love us with all of His heart, mind, soul and being by having Jesus Christ come and be the sacrifice for our sins?
Since He was the Creator of all mankind, His death covers the sins of all mankind when each and every one repents. Think about how great that is!
Verse 2: "The LORD is my Rock…"—tie in Matt. 7! Build your house on the Rock!
Remember this, never forget this: the 12 apostles didn't have the New Testament when the Church started! They preached from the Old Testament. That's why when you really study the Old Testament what are you going to see? New Testament doctrine, as well!
"…and my Fortress, and my Deliverer; my God, my Rock in Whom I take refuge; He is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower. I will call on the LORD, Who is worthy to be praised, so shall I be saved from my enemies" (vs 2-3). That's how you're saved from your enemies!
Notice how bad it was, how close David was! I don't know how many times he must have gotten close to death, but some of these Psalms are really very revealing that he did.
Verse 4: "The cords of death hemmed me in, and the floods of ungodliness assailed me. The cords of the grave surrounded me; the snares of death confronted me. In my distress…" (vs 4-6).
If you get anxiety and get distressed, what should you do? You go to God!
Verse 6: "In my distress I called on the LORD, and I cried to my God; He heard my voice out of His temple, and my cry came before Him into His ears."
Then God intervened and won the battle for him! This is why we focus in on these things during the Feast of Unleavened Bread so we can have:
- the strength
- the Truth
- the courage to do so
Sometimes it feels like Psa. 4; that's why there is so much feeling in the Psalms, because all of these are related to the heart, trusting in God, and faith!
Psalm 4:1: "Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness.… [God gives us His righteousness; it is through the Spirit of God] …You gave me relief when I was in distress… [there's a way to get relief; God will give it] …be gracious to me, and hear my prayer." That one verse tells us a lot!
All of these Psalms have to do with:
- God intervening to help us
- the theme of the day
- standing still and seeing the salvation of the Lord
- nothing is impossible for God
Psa. 37 is the quite a Psalm and I want you to go through the whole thing at a later time. This is based on when you see the wicked prosper and you're not. How does that work? Read the whole Psalm. As it says, 'there is pleasure in sin for a season'! Just like a lot of these drugs. There is pleasure in taking them until you run out!
Psalm 37:1: "[#1]Do not fret yourself because of evildoers…"
Too many people do that! They have it, but I don't have it!
"…and do not be envious against the workers of iniquity, for they shall soon be cut down like the grass; and wither as the green herb. Trust in the LORD… [that's part of what it means for today] …and do good; dwell in the land and cherish faithfulness" (vs 1-3).
Everything you do, be faithful with the Word of God!
Verse 4: "Delight yourself in the LORD, and He shall give you the desires of your heart."
When is that going to come? May not even come in this lifetime! That's why we need to always look forward to the resurrection. Everything in this world, as we will see leading up to Pentecost.
You read in Rev. 16 that the day is coming that every city on earth is going to collapse! All their big, tall buildings and skyscrapers and mighty things that they have done! Their day will come! Always keep that in mind! We may not live to see it, but after the resurrection we'll see just what I said. We'll all be on that Sea of Glass and we can look down on the earth and see what's going on. Think about what that's going to be like.
Verse 4: "Delight yourself in the LORD, and He shall give you the desires of your heart."
Notice what you're to do all the way through here:
- v 3—we're to trust
- v 4—we're to delight
- v 5—commit your way unto the LORD
Verse 5: Commit your way unto the LORD…"
When you pray every day and say, 'LORD, I commit myself to You today'—that's what you're doing!
"…trust also in Him, and He will bring it to pass. And He shall bring forth your righteousness like the light, and your judgment like the noonday. Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him… [don't get frustrated, God will take care of it] [#2]…do not fret yourself because of him who prospers in his way, because of him who carries out wicked schemes. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; [#3]do not fret yourself, it leads only to evil" (vs 5-8).
Don't fret yourself, trust in the Lord! All of these things you put together. All of this is:
- trusting in God
- believing in His Word
- living by His Truth
- letting our heart and mind be focused on His Way
Psalm 35:1: "Contend, O LORD, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me."
Put the battle in God's hands; He can take care of it! He can work out the circumstances. Look back and see—if you've been in the Church for quite a while—how God has intervened:
- to help you
- to rescue you
- to give you things that only He can give
It's right there!
Verse 2: "Take hold of shield and buckler, and stand up for my help." In other words, God comes and fights for you!
Here's how we are to approach God, and this is why: when we are talking about the Feast of Unleavened Bread, to put out the leaven, to put in the unleavened. That means to:
- put out the way that we do things and put in the way that God wants us to do those things
- put out our thoughts and put in the thoughts of God
- let His Word in our mind, by His Spirit, guide us in what we do
Psalm 30:1: "I will praise You, O LORD, for You have lifted me up and have not allowed my foes to rejoice over me. O LORD my God, I cried to You, and You have healed me" (vs 1-2).
We need to talk about healing a bit here. You need to trust in God! You need to take care of yourself, because you are a temple of God! (1-Cor. 3).
We are to trust God when we're sick, when we are down, when we need God to intervene to heal. He will!
So, we find it right here: When we cry out to God He will intervene and help! There comes a time, and lot of us are approaching that, that we come to an end in this physical life.
Remember that no man or woman has escaped that, yet! But how does God look at it when we die? Like we're asleep! Have you ever been in a real deep sleep and you wake up and you don't even know where you are. Well, that's what it's going to be like at the resurrection! God is going to resurrect us and it will be like: Oh, look at this!
Psalm 30:1: "I will praise You, O LORD, for You have lifted me up and have not allowed my foes to rejoice over me. O LORD my God, I cried to You, and You have healed me. O LORD, You have brought up my soul from the grave; You have kept me alive, so that I should not go down to the pit. Sing praises to the LORD, O you saints of His, and give thanks to His Holy name, for His anger is only for a moment; His favor is for a lifetime.…" (vs 1-5).
This is how we are to act toward God in these times and difficulties!
Psa. 54—another short Psalm. Sometimes that which is the least contains the most. In this case, this is a very short Psalm but it contains a lot for us for the day that nothing is impossible for God. He will fight for us! We are to stand still and see the salvation of God!
Psalm 54:1: "Save me, O God, by Your name, and vindicate me by Your might." You can ask God that way!
O God, this battle is too much for me, please intervene. Give me help and strength so I see and know what I need to do. You intervene and cause things to work the way the You desire! Help me to see that and follow that.
Verse 2: "Hear my prayer, O God; give ear to the words of my mouth, for strangers have risen up against me, and violent men seek after my soul; they have not set God before them. Selah" (vs 2-3).
This is probably like some of the words of Christ.
- those people who should have accepted Him
- those who knew the Law
- those who were in charge of the temple
- those who were in charge of the sacrifices
Right there in Jerusalem! They're the ones who should have recognized Him! They had the Word of God and all the prophecies of God, but what did they do? They wanted to kill Him from the first miracle that He did! Why? Because He didn't go through them! It came from the Father!
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" (vs 4-5).
We're going to see that's what God is going to do. Think about it! How many enemies has God destroyed and kept from us.
We're few and scattered. We have the live streaming and every Sabbath we serve well over a thousand people. So, when we congregate around this is the way of congregating, yet, being safe from the world because we're scattered.
They look at us and they think we're just a small, little group. Well, that's the way God wants it today, because there's violence running wild, and because we're going to speak the Truth regardless of how it is. But they will think we're so small that it doesn't make any difference. Just wait till the resurrection and you shall see!!
Verse 7: "For He has delivered me out of all trouble… [ALL troubles! God will, you have to take them to God!] …and my eye has seen its desire upon my enemies."
Isn't that a lot in that one little, short Psalm? Yes, indeed!
You might look up every place in the Bible where God says, where it's written: help, helper. This is what we're going to focus on now.
Isaiah 43:1: "But now, thus says the LORD Who created you, O Jacob… [put your name there] …and He Who formed you, O Israel…"
Whoever you are, you were formed in your mother's womb! This crazy world today they're trying to have baby factories, artificial wombs where they can grow babies! I don't know how that's going to work, but one of the most important things is your being formed in the womb and then born. Here we are.
I was watching a little bit about Adolf Hitler. He was not born with fangs. They showed a picture of him when he was very young, a baby. All babies are sweet and loving when they're born. Always remember, that's just the start! How they finish is the rest of the story.
Look what happened. Sometimes you go along and wonder how did this person become this way, or why did they do this or that? They forgot that God formed them!
"…'Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine" (v 1).
Think about that in relationship to your calling and having the Spirit of God, and how true that is. You belong to God! Isn't that what Jesus said? My sheep hear My voice! We have the Word of God that is the voice of God!
Verse 11: "I, even I, am the LORD; and besides Me there is no savior.".
Another proof that the Lord God of the Old Testament was the One Who became Jesus Christ!
Verse 12: "I have declared, and have saved, and I have shown, when there was no strange god among you; therefore, you are My witnesses,' says the LORD, 'that I am God." That's applies to us today:
- in what we do
- in what we teach
- in the things we're able to help people with
Verse 13: "Yea, before the day was, I am He; and no one delivers out of My hand; I will work, and who can reverse it?" That's quite a statement! No man!
Verse 14: "Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, 'For your sake I have sent to Babylon, and have brought down all of them as fugitives, and the Chaldeans, who rejoice in their ships. I am the LORD, your Holy One, the Creator of Israel, your King'" (vs 14-15).
Of course, the Church today is spiritual Israel!
Verse 16: "Thus says the LORD, 'Who makes a way in the sea and a path in the mighty waters; Who brings out the chariot and horse, the army and the power; they shall lie down together, they shall not rise; they are extinguished, they are snuffed out like a wick'" (vs 16-17).
Take that verse and apply that to what you see in Revelation, what's going to happen to all of those armies that come to fight against God!
I want you to remember what Jesus says in Heb. 13 so that you will always be able come to God and know that He's going to help you. You have His absolute testimony.
This is something in the Greek, very emphatic. In this one verse there are five not, no, not ever. There are five exclamations by God that He will never leave us!
Hebrews 13:5: "Do not allow the love of money to influence your behavior, but be satisfied with what you have; for He has said, 'In no way will I ever leave you; no, I will never forsake you in any way.'"
That's quite a verse. If you're really down and out and really terrible and hard to hang on, and you don't know what to do, turn to your Bible when you pray and get on your knees and open it up to this place and claim this promise! You can tell God:
God, I'm completely at my wits end, don't know what to do or where to go, don't know how to handle it. But you are there and you have said that in no way five times, ever, You will not leave us! Please intervene and help me!
God will hear and answer that prayer! He guarantees it because He is God! That's quite a thing. Notice what follows with that:
Verse 6: "So then, let us boldly say, 'The Lord is my Helper… [you can't get any greater help than that] …and I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?'"
Can't do anything to you! This is why! Let's come to Rom. 8 and see some other promises here in this chapter. Rom. 8 really tells us a lot and when you read this you need to understand what the Apostle Paul went through (2-Cor. 11).
What did he go through? You think you have troubles, read all of 2-Cor. 11, all that Paul when through. One I never forget, he said, 'A day and a night in the deep!' Somewhere he was shipwrecked! The only thing he had to cling to was some kind of piece of wood and be out there a day and a night not knowing what's going to happen.
God had someone coming, and eventually got him. But think of the thoughts he must have had when he was hanging onto that piece of wood.
God, is this the end? Are there sharks around here? Am I destined to be eaten by them? Please help me!
Then along came a ship and helped him! So, Paul went through a lot of things that he just mentions very briefly. But you stop and think about what he went through; that was quite an experience.
Romans 8:28—never forget this verse: "And we know… [this is what we have to be convicted of] …that all things… [each and every thing that comes along] …work together for good…"
How can you going through difficult times work together for good?
- it teaches you to trust in God
- it helps you to learn a lesson from what you're going through
- you will see the salvation of God to help you
How can you trust in God with all your heart and don't lean to your own understanding if you don't come up against circumstances that are impossible for you? That's the whole lesson of crossing the Red Sea!
"…to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose" (v 28).
Didn't we read about that earlier, about the purpose! He will fulfill His purpose for us! God's purpose for us is to enter into the Kingdom of God at the resurrection as spirit beings!
Verse 29: "Because those whom He did foreknow… [He foreknows us when we receive the Holy Spirit] …He also predestinated…."
That's when you receive the Holy Spirit; you destiny is to enter into the Kingdom of God!
"…to be conformed to the image of His own Son…" (v 29).
How does He look? His face shines like the sun! Our face is going to shine like the sun! He's going to conform our bodies to His glorious body! All of that is there.
When we get into difficult and troubling times, claim the promises of God! He's going to help you!
"…that He might be the Firstborn among many brethren. Now, whom He predestinated, these He also called… [we are the called, the faithful and the chosen] …and whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified" (vs 29-30).
We're not full glory, yet. How are we glorified? By having the Spirit of God begotten in our mind!
Verse 31: "What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?"
- Can anybody?
- Can anything?
- Regardless of what they do?
NO!
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? Who shall bring an accusation against the elect of God?.…" (vs 32-33).
Who is going to bring accusations against us day and night? Satan the devil!
"…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).
Look at Who is on your side, because you're on God's side!
Verse 35: "What shall separate us from the love of Christ?… [this is what God wants us to have; this kind of love and frame of mind] …Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? Accordingly, it is written… [it's happened in the past and it's going to happen in the future] …'For Your sake we are killed all the day long; we are reckoned as sheep for the slaughter.' But in all these things… [even if it comes to that] …we are more than conquerors through Him Who loved us.… [God the Father and Jesus Christ] …For I am persuaded…" (vs 35-38).
This is the persuasion that we need to have, keep, come back to, and remember. When you understand what Paul went through, this is quite a statement here:
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).
That's the whole meaning of the Feast of Unleavened Bread:
- we love God
- we trust Him
- we follow Him
- we bring everything to Him
- He guides us
- He leads us
- He has a purpose for us
God is delighted that we come together and serve Him in theses ways!
I hope you had a good Feast of Unleavened Bread and now we will look forward to Pentecost!
Scriptural References:
- Deuteronomy 16:16-17
- Exodus 14:11-15
- Psalm 57:1-3
- Proverbs 3:1-7
- Psalm 3:1-4
- Psalm 12:1-8
- Psalm 18:1-6
- Psalm 4:1
- Psalm 37:1-8
- Psalm 35:1-2
- Psalm 30:1-5
- Psalm 54:1-5, 7
- Isaiah 43:1. 11-17
- Hebrews 13:5-6
- Romans 8:28-39
Scriptures referenced, not quoted:
- Malachi 3
- Acts 17
- Matthew 7
- Revelation 16
- 1 Corinthians 3
- 2 Corinthians 11
Also referenced:
Message: Why We Keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread by Tom Fannin
Appendix Z: The Holy Bible in Its Original Order, A Faithful Version: Understanding Paul's Difficult Scriptures Concerning the Law and the Commandments of God
FRC:bo
Transcribed: 4/18/23
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