The Nature of Jesus Christ

Fred R. Coulter

- PDF Transcript | Audio | [Up]

Track 1 or Download
Track 2 or Download

What we understand with the Passover is that with the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, we have our sins removed and taken away from us. Let’s see where we begin with the Lamb of God. Then we will see what that has to do with what Jesus did for us, and how God has really loved the world. 

This is after the occasion took place where the Pharisees and scribes from Jerusalem came down and asked John the Baptist who he was. He said, ‘I’m not the Christ; I’m not the Prophet, but I’m one that Prophet Isaiah said was one crying in the wilderness to prepare the way of the Lord.’

After this was done, John 1:29: “On the next day, John sees Jesus coming to him, and he says, ‘Behold the Lamb of God, Who takes away the sin of the world.’” It’s interesting, it says “…the sin of the world.” 

• How is it that God can take away the sin the of the world? 
• How is it that God takes away our sins? 
• How is it that, through the sacrifice of Christ, we are able to have forgiveness and redemption and contact with God? 
• What does this have to do with the Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread? 

Let’s see what the blood of Jesus Christ does for us. I want us to understand something concerning the meaning of having our sins forgiven, and the meaning of the Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread in such a way that we will realize that the Days of Unleavened Bread and the Passover really put us into a separate and special relationship with God. 

1-John 1:5: “And this is the message that we have heard from Him and are declaring to you: that God is Light…” 

We know that Jesus said that He was ‘the Light of the world’ and that He came to ‘bring the Light and was the Light.’ The darkness or the evil and the powers of Satan cannot overcome the Light. 

and there is no darkness at all in Him…. [in God, in Jesus Christ] …If we proclaim that we have fellowship with Him, but we are walking in the darkness…” (vs 5-6)—walk in sin, live in sin! The whole theme of the Feast of Unleavened Bread is to get the leaven out; to put it away. 

We know that leaven is a type of sin, and during the Days of Unleavened Bread we have to learn and understand the operation that God does to get rid of that sin; not only for us, but to take the sins of the whole world. That’s a tremendous and big task to do. 

“…we are lying to ourselves, and we are not practicing the Truth” (v 6). That’s a very interesting expression in the Greek. If you are not practicing and living by the Truth—go back to the basic: what is Truth? 

• Your Word is Truth 
• Your Law is Truth 
• Your commandments are Truth 
• All Your precepts are right from the beginning 

We have to be doing/practicing the Truth!

Verse 7 is very important for us: “However, if we walk in the Light…” 

1-John 1 follows along with the same theme as John 3:19: “And this is the judgment: that the Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness rather than the Light because their works were evil.” 

That’s just the way it is with human nature. That’s why even in the world it talks about the dark side of an individual; the sinful side of an individual. 

We all know that there is sin. The whole purpose of the Passover and Days of Unleavened Bread is to do something about sin. To do something in our lives that we need to do, and the things that God has done and is doing. 

Verse 20: “For everyone who practices evil hates the Light… “ The sense of the Greek is that it’s an ongoing thing!

So, if you’re practicing evil you’re hating the Light. That’s why there’s so much resistance to criminals when they are arrested. They are practicing evil; they don’t like the Light of the Law coming into them. 

It’s the same thing with religion and people in their lives and their sins. When they are living in sin and justifying that sin, they don’t like the Light of God shining right in there to say ‘this is sin; this is leaven! You need to repent of that!’ How do you repent of it? We’ll see!

“…everyone who practices evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light… [but is walking further into darkness, going away from the Light] …so that his works may not be exposed; but the one who practices the Truth…” (vs  20-21). That’s just what ties in with 1-John 1, that if you are practicing the Truth you are walking in the Light. 

Verse 21: “But the one who practices the Truthcomes to the Light…” 

• you are walking toward Christ 
• you continually come to God 
• you continually go forward 

That’s why we have the Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread every year! 

What would our lives be like if we didn’t have the Sabbath, the Passover, the Holy Days and Feasts that we have? Well, in a few years we would be all the way away from Christ, because then we would be walking away from the Light! We would not be practicing the Truth!

The reason that we are coming to the Light is “…so that his works may be manifested, that they have been accomplished by the power of God” (v 21). Because 

• you love God 
• you’re serving God 
• you’re obeying God 
• you’re doing the things as Jesus said: ‘I always do the things that please Him’ 

That would be nice if that applied to us all the time, if we always did the things that pleased God. The whole purpose of the Feast of Unleavened Bread is so that we realize that we need to be doing that. Let’s see something that the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread does for us: 

1-John 1:7: “However, if we walk in the Light… [coming to the Light and doing the Truth] …as He [Jesus] is in the light, then we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ, His own Son, cleanses… [is cleansing, cleansing process] …us from all sin.” 

The truth of the matter is, there is another element of clean and unclean. Not in the way of just foods, but those who are sinners—if they are not purged or washed from their sins—are unclean!

How do we receive this cleanness, or cleansing that comes from God? The Greek for cleansing is from the verb ‘katharos.’ It is a catharsis, a cleaning, a scrubbing, a polishing “…from all sin.” This is the thing that plagues a lot of Christians: ‘I have sinned so much that I don’t know if God can forgive me.’ 

That’s why God called the Apostle Paul! When he was Saul, what was he doing? Carting Christians off to jail, murdering them, arresting them, beating them, denying Christ, and that’s when Paul was walking in darkness and had no fellowship with Christ. 

Then what happened when Paul was called? BANG! He was knocked off his horse on the way to Damascus with orders from the chief priest to arrest Christians in Damascus. He was knocked off the horse and a great light shined on him and he went blind immediately! You know the rest of the story. 

It’s the same thing with us. “…the blood of Jesus Christ… [that’s what the Passover is all about] …His own Son, cleanses us from all sin” (v 7)—from every sin! 

I’ve had people say, ‘O boy! When I repented I didn’t know about this sin and I just wonder if God really forgave me, because I couldn’t remember this sin.’ We’re going to see that it’s not just a sin that you repent of. It is the whole nature of your being that you repent of, because it is sinful! 

• What did God do for the nature of your being so that you could have your sins forgiven? 
• How are you going to be cleansed? 
• How are you going to be cleansed or unleavened through the cleansing of Christ? 

Verse 8: “If we say that we do not have sin, we are deceiving ourselves, and the Truth is not in us. If we confess our own sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (vs 8-9). Tremendous process that God has us go through!.

That’s why that during the Days of Unleavened Bread God asks us to put leaven out of our homes, which is a small thing. He asks us to eat unleavened bread, because bread is the very staple of life. Sin creeps into our lives so easily by: 

• attitudes 
• thoughts 
• action 
• deed 

We need to be cleansed of all of these! 

It’s so simple, it’s just like bread! That’s why God has the Feast of Unleavened Bread. He doesn’t have some other kind of Feast because it would not really encompass how absolutely incredible that it is that leaven can get into your lives. 

I remember that one time I had a person say, ‘How can you ever really have the Feast of Unleavened Bread when we know scientifically that in the air there are yeast spores; that if they land on a lump of dough and is allowed to be there on that lump of dough, pretty soon it’s going to leaven itself?’ That’s the whole process of sour dough; that’s how you get sour dough bread started. 

If that’s the case, if we put the bread out of our homes and we eat unleavened bread, how can we really get rid of sin? That’s really an analogy as to what Satan is and what Satan does. The whole theme of the Feast of Unleavened Bread is to walk in God’s way and to get away from Satan the devil! To go God’s way in Truth and righteousness, and resist and fight Satan the devil. Here is something so absolutely important concerning sin. Yes, there is, in reality, leaven in the air. 

• Who is the author of sin? 
• Who is the prince of the power of the air? 
• What does he do? 

This is why it’s important that we understand what we need to do in our relationship with Who Jesus Christ really is. 

Ephesians 2:2: “In which you walked in times past according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now working within the children of disobedience; among whom also we all once had our conduct in the lusts of our flesh, doing the things willed by the flesh and by the mind, and were by nature the children of wrath, even as the rest of the world” (vs 2-3). 

What is God going to do about this? In a sense we’re all helpless here walking in this evil darkened world. 

Verse 4: “But God, Who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, has made us alive together with Christ. (For you have been saved by grace.)” (vs 4-5). God is the One Who has to do this through His grace. There is something about our nature, something about our very being that: 

• constantly needs to be cleansed 
• constantly needs to be brought to God 
• constantly needs to be walking in the Light 

1-John 1:9: “If we confess our own sins…” How is that you confess your sins? Just like Peter: ‘Ah, Lord, I am a sinful man!’ Your whole nature, your whole being; not just an act of sin you did here or there, but the very nature of your being that makes you sin. 

“…He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His Word is not in us” (vs 9-10). 

1-John 2:1: “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And yet, if anyone does sin, we have an Advocate…” 

What do you do as a Christian when you find yourself sinning. He was writing to Christians: 

• you confess your sins 
• you let the blood of Jesus Christ cover your sins 
• you understand the sacrifice of Jesus Christ 

That He has made it for you to be constantly being cleansed! That’s why we have: 

• the Passover 
• the Feast of Unleavened Bread every year 
• all the Holy Days 
• Sabbath services 
• prayer 
• study 
• walking in God’s Word 

All of those come together. “…we have an Advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ the Righteous—and He is the propitiation for our sins; and not for our sins only, but also for the sins of the whole world” (vs 1-2). God is eventually going to solve the sin problems of the whole world: 

• in His way
• in His time
• according to His plan

as revealed and understood in the Holy Days! 

But what is it that Jesus specifically did? We find something else concerning this cleansing. It’s through the Passover that we partake of. When there’s the Passover and you have two or more people, then we have—and we follow the example—what we find concerning the foot-washing. Let’s notice what the foot-washing does! Let’s notice what Jesus says concerning the foot-washing and then later the whole meaning of the Passover and by the things that Jesus told us. 

John 13:4—Jesus: “rose from supper and laid aside His garments; and after taking a towel, He secured it around Himself. Next, He poured water into a washing basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel which He had secured. Then He came to Simon Peter; and he said to Him, ‘Lord, are You going to wash my feet?’” (vs 4-6). 

A little bit of self-righteousness here. Of course, Peter was not wanting to see Jesus doing the humblest, lowest, menial servant task and washing Peter’s feet. So, Peter—in his own way—was not really self-righteous in that sense, but what he didn’t want to have Jesus—the Messiah, the Christ—to begin washing his feet. 

Verse 7: “Jesus answered and said to him, ‘What I am doing you do not understand now… [at this minute] …but you shall know after these things.’…. [that is when He was finished: ‘I’ll explain it to you what it means.’] …Peter said to Him, ‘You shall not wash my feet, not ever.’ Jesus answered him, ‘If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me’” (vs 7-8). 

How is it then that most Christians when they partake of what they call the Lord’s Supper that they don’t even have foot-washing? Jesus says that if you don’t have foot-washing then you have no part with Him. 

Verse 9: “Simon Peter said to Him, ‘Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head.’ Jesus said to him, ‘The one who has been washed does not need to wash anything other than the feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all.’ For He knew the one who was betraying Him; this was the reason He said, ‘Not all of you are clean.’” (vs 9-11). We know that was talking about Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son who would betray Jesus! 

Why was he unclean? Because of his sin; because of his betrayal! Later on when Jesus gave the sop to him, Satan entered into him and he betrayed the Son of man! 

Verse 12: “Therefore, when He had washed their feet, and had taken His garments, and had sat down again, He said to them, ‘Do you know what I have done to you? You call Me the Teacher and the Lord, and you speak rightly, because I am. Therefore, if I, the Lord and the Teacher, have washed your feet, you also are duty-bound to wash one another’s feet; for I have given you an example, to show that you also should do exactly as I have done to you. Truly, truly I tell you, a servant is not greater than his lord, nor a messenger greater than he who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them” (vs 12-17). 

So, the whole point in the operation of cleaning you from sin begins with the task of foot-washing. As Jesus said, ‘You are clean.’ What else cleanses us? The blood of Jesus Christ! That is the whole sacrifice of Jesus Christ. What else cleanses us? 

John 15:1: “I am the true vine, and My Father is the husbandman. He takes away every branch in Me that does not bear fruit; but He cleanses each one that bears fruit, in order that it may bear more fruit” (vs 1-2). 

This is telling us that the Christian life is not going to be a ‘bed of roses.’ OR, literally, we could say, the Christian life is going to be a ‘bed of roses’ because there are going to be some trials, thorns, snares and thistles along the way that we have to get out of our lives—called sin—suffering, just living in the world. 

Verse 3: “You are already clean through the wordthat I have spoken to you.” That’s not only just the word, but the whole message. This becomes so important, that we be cleansed. That during this Feast of Unleavened Bread we set our goal to: 

• walk in the light and go forward 
• to let Christ cleanse us from all unrighteousness 

How is it that God is going to do that? Let’s see what it is that Jesus did to make that possible. 

I was talking with a man who said, ‘Jesus was different in His very nature than we are, because He was the Son of God.’ In that, that is true statement. Now that we’ve seen what Jesus did in the flesh in preparing us for the Passover, let’s see what Jesus did; what God did. That has meaning for us with the Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread. 

We have covered showing what Jesus was, Who He was, that He was very God, that He was sustained in the very same substance and the effulgence of God’s glory. Just picture in our own minds, if we can, how God would look in His great glory as pictured in Rev. 1 His face shinning as the sun in full strength, and His whole body being light, power, righteousness and greatness. 

• How is this God going to be able to understand us? 
• How is this God going to be able to understand what you and I go through? 

      when we are tempted with our sins? 

      when we are battling our carnal minds? 

      when we are trying to resist the devil? 

      when we are trying to maintain our righteousness in this evil world that we live in? 

• How can God understand that? 

         God is great! 

         God has never sinned! 

         God has never done anything wrong in His entire eternal existence! 

Yet, here we are as puny human beings on this earth!

We find in Hebrews 2 what God has done. The greatest and most fantastic thing that could ever be. 

• this is why Jesus Christ is our Savior 
• this is why the sacrifice of Jesus Christ pays for our sins 

God didn’t do something kind of by remote control. Jesus did not come here as sort of a ‘nearly’ God, but only in the flesh. Let’s see what this great and fantastic God has done. We know from Philip. 2 it says that Jesus, existing and living in the form of God, emptied Himself, devoided Himself from being God and took upon Him the form of a servant, being found in the likeness of men—‘homoiomati.’ 

Hebrews 2:6: “But in a certain place one fully testified, saying, ‘What is man, that You are mindful of him…’” What are we as human beings on this earth? 

God says in Isa. 42 that He ‘sits on the circle of the earth and all the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers.’ All the nations are just a ‘drop in the bucket’ to Him. And behold ‘all nations are vanity and a human being at his very best state is altogether vanity’ and nothing! 

“…‘What is man that You are mindful of him, or the son of man, that You visit him?’” (v 6). 

What is it that God has done? This is talking about when Jesus came to the earth, the earth that He made and the world didn’t know Him and He came to His own, and His own received Him not. This means His sojourn on earth in the fulfillment of this prophecy. 

Verse 7: “You did make him a little lower than the angels… [human beings have been made in the category of life a little lower than the angels] …You did crown him with glory and honor, and You did set him over the works of Your hands.” 

Isn’t it truly magnificent that God has given us the whole world?

It’s an interesting thing that they’ve been able to do with some of the satellites that they send out into space and take a picture of the earth. When there’s an entire cloud cover that part of the earth, the clouds when viewed from outer space are brilliant white. The earth, in relationship to all the other planets in what we call our solar system, is the brightest. That’s fantastic when you understand that God has given us this earth. 

We’re destroying it rapidly with sin and war and all of those things, along with Satan the devil. That’s why Jesus Christ has to return, to solve the problem and take care of it. But before Christ returns He has to solve the problem of us and our sins, and His calling of us, so that we know what God is doing for us. 

Verse 8: “‘You did put all things in subjection under his feet.’….” The capacity and ability of human beings is absolutely incredible. God did not limit us! Our potential is not limited! 

• we’re limited to the earth 
• we’re limited because we’re physical 
• we’re limited because we only have a certain space of time to live and exist in this life 

But that’s only part of the plan of God! 

“…For in subjecting all things to him, He left nothing that was not subjected to him. But now we do not yet see all things subjected to him” (v 8)—that is mankind! God’s plan is not fulfilled. 

You have to go through the book of Revelation and follow through with all the rest of the Holy Days to understand how God is going to do that. We’re going to narrow down—with the Passover and the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, and the Days of Unleavened Bread—what that does to bring us out of sin. 

Verse 9: “But we see Jesus…” Who was God; Who was there at the beginning with God, and was God, and was made flesh. That becomes important. He didn’t take on a nature different than flesh. We’re going to find out what kind of flesh that He had. 

• Did He have a flesh that was different than ours? 
• Did He have different blood coursing through His veins? 

or

• Did He have the same flesh? 

When you understand what it means that God devoided, emptied Himself, voluntarily gave up Himself. Jesus said, ‘I have commandment from the Father to lay down My life and take it up again.’ What was it that God did to share humanity with mankind? 

Verse 9: “But we see Jesus, Who was made a little lower than the angels…” God—bypassing even the angels—to become a man!

This becomes vitally important in overcoming Satan the devil. God could overcome Satan the devil being God, at any time! But how about if God put Himself in a weaker position, as a fleshly human being, and still overcame Satan the devil? 

Would not that be a greater judgment against Satan the devil, because then God did not use His power of strength as God, but He used the righteousness and the Holy Spirit of God while He was in the flesh; and still overcame Satan the devil. That is what, in fact, has happened! 

Verse 9: “But we see Jesus, Who was made a little lower than the angels… [for what purposed?] …crowned with glory and honor on account of suffering the death…” Why did He have to be made lower than the angels? 

1. God cannot die! 
2. God lives forever! 

For God—Yahweh—means the Eternal Self-existing One!

How is the Eternal Self-existing One going to die when God cannot die? He has to be made human; subject to death! That’s why Jesus was made in the image of man—who is in the image of God—for the purpose of suffering death! That’s the only way that God could die! 

God cannot die as God, but because God created everything that there is, and Satan rebelled and mankind sinned, followed Satan and the demons, and rejected God. 

• What is God going to do about that? 
• Weren’t Adam and Eve very helpless to have Satan turned loose on them? In a way, yes, they were!
• What is God going to do about that? 

Colossian 1:14: “In Whom we have redemption through His own blood, even the remission of sins.” The very theme and portrayal of the Passover and Days of Unleavened Bread! 

Verse 15: “Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation…. [As we saw previous, the Firstborn from among the dead.] …because by Him were all things created, the things in heaven and the things on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether they be thrones, or lordships, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him and for Him” (vs 15-16). 

We’re not just talking about a substitutionary gap, another human being for us. God’s death in the form a human being was much greater than that. 

Verse 17: “And He is before all, and by Him all things subsist. And He is the Head of the body, the Church; Who is the beginning, the firstborn from among the dead, so that in all things He Himself might hold the preeminence” (vs 17-18). 

That’s tremendous to understand. It wasn’t that it was nothing by a snap of the finger for Him to do, and VOILA! we’ve got everything solved with the sin of mankind. NO!

Verse 19: “For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell; and, having made peace through the blood of His cross, by Him to reconcile all things to Himself…” (vs 19-20). 

In other words, if God did all of this—made all of this, created all of this, made all of these thrones, principalities and powers—if something goes wrong, who has to pay? God does! Those who commit the act, do they not have to pay? Yes! The ‘wages of sin is death! The gift of God is eternal life’ through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Was there a price that God had to pay to reconcile everything? Yes! But God, as God, could not pay the price, because this was brought upon us, humankind, and we’re less than God! That’s why it says in Heb. 2, ‘what is man?’ 

• What am I? 
• What are you? 
• What is every human being in the world compared to God? 

Who is 

• great 
• powerful 
• light 
• lives forever 

We’re nothing! This is why He took upon Himself the form of the servant! 

Verse 20: “And, having made peace… [reconciling the conflict] …through the blood of His cross, by Him to reconcile all things to Himself; by Him, whether the things on the earth, or the things in heaven.” 

Yes, He had to overcome Satan the devil, so that Satan would not be there to pollute the earth and have access to the throne of God and Satan actually be put away on the Day of Atonement. 

Verse 21: “For you… [Paul is talking to us; put your name there] …were once alienated and enemies in your minds…” 

This is the same Greek word for enmity, ‘the carnal mind is enmity, against the Law of God and is not subject to the Law of God, and neither indeed can be!’ We were enemies in our minds. 

“…by wicked works; but now He has reconciled you in the body of His flesh… [we’re going to understand what kind of flesh that was] …through death, to present you Holy and unblamable and unimpeachable before Him [God the Father]” (vs 21-22). 

After God having done all of this, sending His own Son ‘in the likeness of sinful flesh.’ 

Hebrews 2:9: “But we see Jesus, Who was made a little lower than the angels, crowned with glory and honor on account of suffering the death…” 

As a human , though He had fully the Spirit of God from conception, if He has a full human personality and the same flesh and blood as we have, He could die! That’s the only way that God could die. Yet, because of the Spirit of God in Him, it was the flesh that died. He said, ‘Father, into Your hands I commend My spirit’ and He died. 

Then we see, “…crowned with glory and honor…in order that by the grace of God He Himself might taste death for everyone” (v 9). 

• How much is it then that God really loves the world? 
• What is it that Jesus had to do? 

You can see this Scripture—John 3:16—at football games, basketball games; you can hear it quoted almost every Sunday on a religious program; it is one that is absolutely true and profound. This verse is very important for us to know, understand and realize, because, in fact, this is the whole theme of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which is the heart and core as to Who Jesus is. 

John 3:16: “For God so loved the world…” You could say that God loved the world so much, because God is love, and He loves His creation, and He loves those who are made in His image though they are sinners. God has to provide a way out of that sin, and He does it with His love. 

“…that He gave His only begotten Son…”—the One Who was with God; the One Who was God was made flesh! God gave His only begotten Son for the purpose of suffering death as a living sacrifice to forgive the sins of all mankind!

“…so that everyone who believes in Him may not perish, but may have everlasting life” (v 16). That is so profound! Unfortunately so many people take this so lightly. 

We’re going to see what Jesus really went through. 

(go to the next track) 

Now we’re going to see what it meant and what it means that Jesus—Who was God—was made flesh. 

John 1:1—again we will reiterate: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and not even one thing that was created came into being without Him” (vs 1-3). 

Verse 14: “And the Word became flesh, and tabernacled among us…” Lived among us! 

What kind of flesh was it that the Word—the Logos, the One Who was God—had? As we learned previously, if the Word was God and was with God, and the Word was made flesh, then God was made flesh! What kind of flesh did God have? We know that He was begotten of the Father, so He was called the Son of God. We know that He has the nature of God, as well as the nature of man. But in the nature of man: 

• What kind of nature did Jesus have? 

Outside of being filled with the Holy Spirit of God from conception, which Jesus was: 

• Did Jesus have an advantage over us? 
• Did Jesus have something better than what we have? 

He was made exactly the same when He was made flesh! That’s a profound statement because He did not just manifest Himself to appear as flesh, but He was made flesh!

Let’s carry this a little further so we understand, Hebrews 2:9 “…by the grace of God He Himself might taste death for everyone; because it was fitting for Him… [it was necessary] …for Whom all things were created, and by Whom all things exist, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the Author of their salvation perfect through sufferings” (vs 9-10). 

• God had to suffer! 
• God had to die! 
• God had to pay the price for sin! 

Then He, in turn, uses that sacrifice and the very righteousness of Christ—because He never sinned—to justify us and bring us to God!

Verse 11: “For both He Who is sanctifying and those who are sanctified are all of one; for which cause He is not ashamed to call them brethren, saying, ‘I will declare Your name to My brethren; in themidst of the Church I will sing praise to You.’ And again, ‘I will be trusting in Him.’ And again, ‘Behold, I and the children whom God has given Me.’ Therefore, since the children… [us] …are partakers of flesh and blood… [that’s what we’re made of] …in like manner He also took part in the same…” (vs 11-14)—‘homoiomati’—the exact same identical nature and flesh and blood. That’s what He took upon Him. Where did He get this from? From His mother Mary!

• Is anyone denying that Mary was human? 
• Is there anyone denying that Mary had a different nature than other people? 

         No! She had the same nature as every human being! 

Therefore, He received His human nature, His personality, His flesh and His blood from Mary!

“…in order that through death He might annul him who has the power of death—that is, the devil” (v 14). It was necessary that Jesus die!

• At whose hand did Jesus die? 
• What killed Jesus? 
• Who killed Jesus? 

We know that our sins killed Jesus! 

• Who was the instrumentality inspiring what was done at the crucifixion? 
• Who entered into Judas Iscariot to betray Jesus? 

Satan the devil! 

• Who was there to stir up the priests and the mob to release Barabbas and crucify Jesus? 

Satan the devil!

That’s why Jesus had to die so that He could destroy the devil! The One Who has the power and the authority of death! You talk about justice, not only human beings, but also for the angels of God, because Satan took a third of the angels with him when he rebelled (Rev. 12). 

Then Jesus allowed Himself to be killed by the one who is the author of evil and death, Satan the devil! But Jesus’ death could not hold Him because He was righteous and never sinned. That, brethren, becomes profound. That’s what we need to think of during the Days of Unleavened Bread. 

How much did Jesus unleaven Himself as God? or Deflate? There’s no sin in God, so we can’t really use the term ‘leaven.’ But in the sense of deflate, give up, devoid Himself, so that He could be killed at the hands of Satan the devil, God had to give up an awful lot. No human being is ever going to say: 

• God, You don’t know what it’s like to be killed by Satan! 
• You don’t know what it’s like to tempted by Satan! 
• You don’t know what it’s like to have human nature! 
• You don’t know what it’s like to die! 

He’s going to say, ‘Yes, I know what it’s like to save you, and all the world, I subjected Myself to that and never sinned!’ There’s even more to it. 

Verse 15: “And that He might deliver those who were subject to bondage…” of sin!

Romans 6:11: “In the same way also, you should indeed reckon yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God through Christ Jesus our Lord. Therefore, do not let sin rule… [in the bondage] …in your mortal body by obeying it in the lusts thereof” (vs 11-12). 

Verse 16: “Don’t you realize that to whom you yield yourselves as servants to obey, you are servants of the one you obey, whether it is of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?” They were subject to bondage! Subject to that enslavement of fear and of death. 

Hebrews 2:16: “For surely, He is not taking upon Himself to help the angels; but He is taking upon Himself to help the seed of Abraham. For this reason, it was obligatory for Him to be made like Hisbrethren…” (vs 16-17)—made like us!

God humbled Himself so much that He did not differentiate His own Son—with the exception of the Holy Spirit—from any ordinary human flesh. He didn’t make Him tall and handsome, powerful and alluring. No, because Jesus said that ‘the flesh profits nothing.’ Jesus had no confidence in the flesh whatsoever. He had confidence in God!

“…in everything that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, in order to make propitiation for the sins of the people” (v 17). 

He is the ongoing atoning Advocate, so that we can come to God and know that there is understanding, and know that there is no temptation that we have gone through that Jesus Himself was not in the same way tempted. 

Verse 18: “For because He Himself has suffered, having been tempted in like manner, He is able to help those who are being tempted.” 

Heb. 4:14 talks about Jesus as our High Priest. The high priest in the old system was an ordinary human being who also had to make sacrifices for his own sins before he could make the sacrifices for the sins of the people. Now we have a High Priest, the Son of God, Who went through every temptation like we are and are subject to continuously. 

Hebrews 4:14: “Having therefore a great High Priest… [how great He was that He did that for us] …Who has passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, we should hold fast the confession of our faith. For we do not have a high priest who cannot empathize with our weaknesses, but one Who was tempted in all things… [in every point, all points] …according to the likeness of our own temptations; yet, He was without sin” (vs 14-15). 

Hebrews 5:7: “Who, in the days of His flesh, offered up both prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears to Him Who was able to save Him from death…” 

Jesus had to be saved by God the Father though He lived a perfect life and never sinned. If God the Father were not there to raise Him, Jesus Christ would not be raised from the dead. 

In that sense not only to save Him, but to save the whole world, “…and was heard because He feared God. Although He was a Son, yet, He learned obedience from the things that He suffered; and having been perfected, He became the Author of eternal salvation to all those who obey Him” (vs 7-9). 

• How is it that Jesus could be a sin-bearer Who knew no sin? 
• How is that Jesus bore in His body our sins? 

In His body He bore our sins! 

• Was it just some sort of figurative thing that at the last minute for about ten seconds God heaped all the sins of the world on Him? 

No, it was much greater than that! It was much more profound than that! 

1-Peter 2:21: “For to this you were called because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow in His footsteps, Who committed no sin… [He practice no sin! He did not sin! He committed no sin!] …neither was guile found in His mouth; Who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when suffering, He threatened not, but committed Himself to Him Who judges righteously; Who Himself bore our sins within His own body…” (vs 21-24). 

It wasn’t just draping them over Jesus while He was on the cross. He bore them in His body! What does that mean? We found that He had: 

• the same likeness of flesh and blood 
• the very same nature as the brethren, the seed of Abraham 
• He committed no sin 

• How is that He bore in His body our sins? 
• How is that God took the sins of the whole world and put that within Jesus (1-John 2)? 
• Is that what God did? 
• How did God do that? 

Yet, without sin!

“…on the tree, so that we, being dead to sins, may live unto righteousness; by Whose stripes you were healed” (v 24). 

Now let’s see what it means to bear in His own body—His very own: 

• not out of His body 
• not somewhere just hung on Him 

It was in His body!

2-Cor. 5 shows the operation of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and what it does for us, what it does for God, and what it does for the world. 

2-Corinthians 5:19: “Which is, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself… [because God so loved the world] …not imputing their trespasses to them…” We can be thankful that God is merciful and sends the rain on the just and the unjust!

When we get all in our self-righteousness, like here in California with the drought. Oh yes, we know why there’s a drought; it’s because of sin, because of sexual immorality and we can prove it out of the Bible. Then when we start running out of water we think, ‘Oh, God, we would like some water.’ But God sends the rain here in California on the just and the unjust. God is not imputing our sins to us. We’d all have to be exterminated instantly, on the spot, if God said, ‘I’m holding you accountable for your sin.’ BAM! ‘The wages of sin is death and you’re dead!’ He’s not imputing our sins to us. 

“…and He has entrusted to us this message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ; and God, as it were, is exhorting you through us. We beseech you on behalf of Christ, ‘Be reconciled to God.’ For He [God the Father] made Him [Jesus Christ] Who knew no sin to be sin for us…” (vs 20-21). 

How is it that God could put the sins of the world in Christ, make Him sin for us “…Who knew no sin…” that He Himself never sinned, never experienced sin. But how is that He could be made sin for us: 

“…Who knew no sin to be sin for us so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (21). 

Let’s see one other thing concerning the flesh that He had. We will see just exactly what kind of nature that He had. 

Galatians 4:4: “But when the time for the fulfillment came…” In other words in accordance with God’s plan! 

There’s a time for the fulfillment of every one of these things. And the fulfillment of the Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread was when Christ was on the earth. His sacrifice is the fulfillment of the Passover. The Days of Unleavened Bread pictures the continuous cleansing, purging, removing of sin and reconciliation that God is doing with His people down through time and history to bring us to the Kingdom of God. 

“…when the time for the fulfillment came, God sent forth His own Son, born of a woman, born under law” (v 4)—subject to the Law, meaning that if you sin you are subject to death! Jesus we know never sinned; Who knew no sin; Who did no sin. 

• What kind of human nature did Jesus have that He had to fight? 
• How could it be that He was tempted in every way that we are?
• Because He had a nature just like us!

You can’t be tempted unless there is something to tempt you. In Rom. 7 we’re told the fight that we have with our human nature. When we want to do good, we can’t. When we do good, sin is there. Paul says that ‘I find a law, that in my members there is the law of sin.’ It’s part of your very nature. That’s what you get from your mom and dad and it goes all the way back to Adam. Part of the thing that God has to reconcile, because He put the law of sin and death in human beings, because of is Adam’s sin. Remember what he was told? In the day that ‘you eat thereof, you shall surely die.’ And the wages of sin is death!

Then the curse was put upon all mankind, that they, by nature, are sinners. We will see what is called the law of sin and death within them. With this struggle Paul said: 

Romans 7:21: “Consequently, I find this law in my members, that when I desire to do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the Law of God according to the inward man; but I see another law within my own members, warring against the law of my mind, and leading me captive to the law of sin that is within my own members” (vs 21-23)—the very part my whole being! 

In order to be saved, God has to understand what that is like. He has to carry, or bear, in His own body, in His own flesh and blood, our sins! Yet, He didn’t practice sin; He never did one sin; He was without sin, but He was made sin for us to take away our sins!

Verse 24: “O what a wretched man I am! Who shall save me from the body of this death? I thank God for His salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of this, on the one hand, I myself serve the law of God with my mind; but on the other hand, with the flesh, I serve the law of sin” (vs 24-25). 

That doesn’t mean that He goes out and sins. That means that because he is serving God, any sin he has is ‘not me, from my mind, but it is because sin is with me. I sin by nature.’ 

We have all of our sins forgiven and cleansed through the blood of Jesus Christ when we confess them. What did Paul say of himself? I am the chief sinner and that’s why God has called me!

Here is the good news, and here is what God did for us in the person, body, flesh and blood and death of Jesus Christ: 

Romans 8:1: “Consequently, there is now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus…” 

God is not condemning you because you have the law of sin and death in you, because He put it in there. But He’s provided the means through Jesus Christ by which you can overcome the law of sin and death: 

• through repentance 
• through God’s Holy Spirit 
• through the process of overcoming 
• through living God’s way 
• through being brought into the Kingdom of God at the resurrection 

It’s a whole process! 

“…to those who are in Christ Jesus, who are not walking according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit; because the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has delivered me from the law of sin and death” (vs 1-2). 

That’s what all human beings have in them, the law of sin and death! That’s why a person can die at any time from conception until old age. That is why when you leaven nice, sweet little children to play by themselves what happens immediately? The law of sin takes hold, lust is activated, take this BAM! BAM! Fight!

You wonder, what did I do? You didn’t do anything! They have human nature and it’s the law of sin in your children that’s part of them by inheritance. It’s good that children understand that, so that they know that they have to overcome, so that they have to change, so that they have to control their lives, as well. 

Verse 3: “For what was impossible for the law to do, in that it was weak through the flesh…” 

Why was the flesh weak? The law gave a standard here, but the flesh with sin and death in us cannot meet the demands of the law, because we are not spiritual—we are fleshly; we are not Holy—we are human. Therefore, we have a weakness in the law. The law can’t do certain things. The law cannot change sin and death within you. God has to solve that problem. He has to have something to solve that problem. 

Let’s see what He did, “…God, having sent His own Son in the likeness… [‘homoiomati’—the same exact likeness] …of sinful flesh…” (v 3). 

What is this telling us directly? Since Jesus was made subject to death, since He took on flesh and blood as we have flesh and blood, and He took not on the nature of angels but of the seed of Abraham, God sent His own Son, God was made flesh! The Word was made flesh! What kind of flesh? Sinful flesh!

You talk about having a life that is powerful to live; God in the form of a human being carrying within Him the law of sin and death! That’s why Jesus says, ‘The flesh profits nothing!’ That’s why Jesus didn’t glory in the flesh! That’s why when the young man came to Him and said, ‘Good Master, what should I do to inherit eternal life?’ Jesus said, ‘There is none good but one, and that is God!’ Because even though He had been God, being human there was no goodness in Him, in His flesh. 

He was only good because of the power of God; and He was only righteous because of the power of God and He was subject—made unto the law of sin—so if Jesus would have sinned, He would have died for His own sins. But He didn’t practice sin; He didn’t do sin; He knew no sin! But He bore within Himself our sins, because He carried within His flesh the law of sin and death, and was made in the likeness of sinful flesh, “…and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh” (v 3). 

Brethren, that is powerful when you understand that. For God to pay for the sins of the whole world, took this upon Himself: that He could be a faithful High Priest; that He could experience what it was to be a human being, to be tempted in every area, every point like as we are, but without sin! 

It would have been a snap for Jesus to overcome if He did not have sinful flesh. It would have been easy because the greatest problems that we have are because we have the law of sin and death in us. Just think of how easy it would be if we didn’t have the law of sin and death. 

Therefore, Jesus was made in the same likeness of sinful flesh, and then lived a perfect life. Go back and read the Gospels from that point of view. Go back and read the temptation that Jesus had with Satan the devil, and realize that after fasting for 40 days and 40 nights and being completely, absolutely weak in the flesh, but strong in the Spirit! He was able to totally resist and overcome Satan the devil by the power of God’s Holy Spirit. That is a key also for us! 

• we need the Holy Spirit of God in greater measure 
• we need to grow in grace and knowledge and understanding of our Lord Jesus Christ 

How do we do that?

This is very, very important for us and that’s why the Days of Unleavened Bread are profound, and why we need to examine ourselves and see how we need to live our lives. How we can come to Christ; how we can know and understand that He is the One Who is going to save us. We know from the Passover that this is what Jesus said and how we are to live. Jesus is talking about Himself saying, ‘I am the Bread of Life.’ 

John 6:50: “This is the Bread which comes down from heaven so that anyone may eat of it and not die. I AM the living Bread, which came down from heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he shall live forever…” (vs 50-51). He didn’t sin; He was the perfect sacrifice!

“‘…and the bread that I will give is even My flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.’ Because of this, the Jews were arguing with one another, saying, ‘How is He able to give us His flesh to eat?’  Therefore, Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, truly I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink His blood, you do not have life in yourselves” (vs 51-53). 

That’s what we just did at the Passover with the unleavened bread symbolizing His body, where He said, ‘Take eat this is My body; this do in remembrance of Me.’ And likewise the cup, He said, ‘This is the blood of the New Covenant, drink this in remembrance of Me.’ 

Verse 53: “‘Truly, truly I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink His blood, you do not have life in yourselves. The one who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up in the last day; for My flesh is truly food, and My blood is truly drink” (vs 53-55). 

This was really grating on some of those Jews. They were standing there almost shaking; livid. They couldn’t stand this! It said later that this was ‘a hard saying, who can hear it?’ They then turned around and walked off from Christ. This is spiritually understood. He gives us the reason why He is saying this: 

Verse 56: “The one who eats My flesh and drinks My blood is dwelling in Me, and I in him.” Here is the whole key of the Feast of Unleavened Bread and the dedication of our lives so that we know that this is possible through the life and sacrifice of Jesus Christ. 

Verse 57: “As the living Father has sent Me, and I live by the Father; so also the one who eats Me shall live by Me.” 

That is everything to do with the whole life of Christ, everything to do with what Jesus had given us to do. Understanding and appreciating and fully comprehending what God has done for us. To come down here and become flesh; to take upon Him the law of sin and death within His members, taking on sinful flesh. That is something! That is tremendous! We can go to God and He will, and can, and does forgive our sins! 

I-Cor. 5 is very appropriate that we cover this at this particular time, so that we understand exactly what it is that Jesus has done for us; exactly what it is that we may know concerning the Feast of Unleavened Bread and our lives before God. 

They had the problem with the one who was committing fornication and they were all sort of twittering around and saying ‘that’s not so bad.’ So, they were told to take this one a put him out of the Church; 

1-Corinthians 5:5: “To deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the Day of the Lord Jesus. Your glorying is not good….” (vs 5-6). 

In other words, there are Christians around saying, ‘We’re loving, we’re kind, we’re good, we’re wonderful people.’ You’ve got the law of sin and death dwelling in you, and any glorying that way is not good. 

“…Don’t you know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump?” (v 6). 

We have seen this just in this past year, how that those who let the leaven of doctrine and false prophets come into their lives and congregations. 

• they are leaving the true Passover of God 
• they are leaving the true unleavened bread of God 
• they are leaving the instructions of God because a 

“…little leaven leavens the whole lump.” 

Verse 7: “Therefore, purge out the old leaven, so that you may become a new lump, even as you are unleavened….” 

That’s why we put the leaven out of our homes. It’s no big deal, but we have to become unleavened in Christ. Why? 

“…For Christ our Passover was sacrificed for us.”…. [and all the brethren that God will call] …For this reason, let us keep the Feast, not with old leaven…” (vs 7-8). 

Not with the old way; not with the sins of the past year; not with the sins that we have. Go to God and have them cleansed. 

“…nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and Truth” (v 8). Now you understand about the sacrifice of Jesus Christ even more!

Why are we to remember His death?

1-Corinthians 11:23: “For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread.” 

That’s when we are to take the Passover, the same time that Jesus did with the bread and the wine and the foot-washing. 

Verse 24: “And after giving thanks, He broke it and said, ‘Take, eat; this is My body, which is being broken for you. This do in the remembrance of Me.’ In like manner, He also took the cup after He had supped, saying, ‘This is the cup of the New Covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in the remembrance of Me’” (vs 24-25). 

This doesn’t mean as often as you want to, but in the frequency of once a year with the Passover, as often as that occurs repetitiously until He returns. 

Verse 26: “For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you solemnly proclaim the death of the Lord until He comes.” 

Why are we to remember the death of Jesus Christ? Because God: 

• Who rules the whole universe 
• Who created everything that there is 
• the Logos
• Who is God 
• Who was God
• was made flesh 

so that God could die!

That’s the price that God has paid for the forgiveness of the sins of the whole world! 

Now you know how much God really loves you, that He died for you! 

John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, so that everyone who believes in Him may not perish, but may have everlasting life.” Then you likewise shall be Holy, without sin, without any leaven whatsoever!

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

Scriptural References:

• John 1:29
• 1 John 1:5-7
• John 3:19-21
• 1 John 1:7-9
• Ephesians 2:2-5
• 1 John 1:9-10
• 1 John 2:1-2
• John 13:4-17
• John 15:1-3
• Hebrews 2:6-9
• Colossians 1:14-22
• Hebrews 2:9
• John 3:16
• John 1:1-3, 14
• Hebrews 2:9-15
• Romans 6:11-12, 16
• Hebrews 2:16-18
• Hebrews 4:14-15
• Hebrews 5:7-9
• 1 Peter 2:21-24
• 2 Corinthians 5:19-21
• Galatians 4:4
• Romans 7:22-25
• Romans 8:1-3
• John 6:50-57
• 1 Corinthians 5:5-8
• 1 Corinthians 11:23-26
• John 3:16

Scriptures referenced, not quoted:

• Revelation 1
• Philippians 2
• Isaiah 42
• Revelation 12

FRC:bo
Transcribed: 8-27-13
Reformatted/Corrected: 2/2020