The Destructive Leaven of Compromise

Well, again, welcome to the first day of Unleavened Bread. Today we begin to celebrate seven days of unleavening. In Scriptures we see a continuous thread of the importance of this festival, from the Old Testament into the New Testament. We know that, anciently, Israel left the slavery of Egypt in haste, and their bread did not have enough time to rise. Therefore, it was unleavened bread, hence the name of this festival. Later, we know that Jesus Christ referred to himself as the bread of life. And sure enough, we will, each day of this feast, eat a piece of unleavened bread, and it will picture Jesus Christ, our righteousness, as the bread of life. And we will eat that every day with just a powerful symbolism there. Three decades after Jesus ascended into heaven, the Apostle Paul wrote the Gentile Corinthian congregation these words that most of you were familiar with. And I'll read from 1 Corinthians chapter 5 verses 6 through 8. He said, your glorying is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? So, something very small, miniscule, can eventually spread to something much larger. He said in verse 7, therefore purge out the old leaven that you may be a new lump since you truly are unleavened. Jesus Christ has made us unleavened in the eyes of the Father because He is in us. He dwells in us through the gift of the Holy Spirit. For indeed Christ our Passover was sacrificed for us. Therefore, let us keep the feast. Again, notice what he's saying to the Gentile Corinthian congregation 30 years after the ascension of Jesus Christ. Let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, not with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. And of course, Mr. Housen did an excellent job discussing the importance of truth in the sermon at this morning. So, brethren, a little leaven is synonymous with a little bit of compromise. And a little bit of compromise in our lives can have devastating effects, not just short-term, but long-term. You might say to yourself, come on, Mr. Thomas, does a little bit of leaven, does a little bit of compromise really make that much of a difference? And I hope you'll come to understand today is that it makes a tremendous difference. The purpose of these days is for us to focus on getting the righteousness of Jesus Christ inside of us. And, brethren, the most effective way to do that is to allow His righteousness to replace something else so there isn't a void. And that something else are the little compromises that we have accepted in our lives that we've just grown comfortable with. So, let's explore the concept of compromise and see the effects that it can have on our lives. We'll begin by going to Genesis 12, beginning in verse 1. If you'll turn there with me, Genesis 12, beginning in verse 1, and we'll see the example of Abraham and Lot. Genesis 12, verse 1.

At this point, His name is not yet Abraham. It's Abram. It says, And the Lord said to Abram, Get out of your country from your family and from your Father's house, who landed I will show you, I will make you a great nation. I will bless you and make your name great. You will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you. And in you, all the families of the earth shall be blessed. And ultimately, that was mostly fulfilled by Jesus Christ, who came from the lineage of Abraham. And indeed, because of the salvation that He offers, all the families of the earth will ultimately be blessed.

Verse 4. So Abraham departed as the Lord had spoken to him, and Lot went with him. And Abraham was 75 years old when he departed from Haran. So God calls Abram out of the land of Haran, tells him to go to a new land that God promises to give him. And much like when we were called, God sent him on a journey of discovery. He's going places he never knew he would go before. He's going places that are going to be sometimes surprising. And isn't that what our Christian journey is like? If I had only known at age 17 the things that I would have gone through, some of them incredibly exciting, and some of them very discouraging. If I'd only known, but God in His great mercy, He didn't reveal that to me, because my life and your life has been a journey of discovery. Discovery about ourselves, and a discovery about God, hasn't it? But this is what God sent him on. He was to leave His family, to leave His Father's house, to leave that city, just like we are to leave the world. What is often overlooked in this scripture is that Abraham obeyed God. But not completely. He was told to leave His home country and His family. It says in verse 1, get out of your country from your family. Separate from your family. That's what he was told. Technically, he only left his family who lived in the city of Haran, but he allowed one of his family members to remain with him, didn't he? And that family member's name was his nephew, Lot. Abraham was obedient, but he didn't fully obey God.

I'm sure he had a lot of good reasons for what ended up for Abraham being a small compromise from what God told him. Lot was his brother's son, so he had a deep affection for his own nephew and Abraham. And also, Lot, by the way, was an orphan. So Abraham felt strongly attached to Lot, and he obviously loved him. So, to this little compromise—you've got to read the Scripture closely. You won't even pick it up. Just a little compromise. Did it have serious repercussions? Let's drop down now to chapter 13, beginning in verse 1. What happened to Abraham because he compromised with God's rather simple command? Genesis 13, verse 1, Then Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife, and all that he had, and Lot with him to the south.

Abram was very rich in livestock and silver and in gold, and he went on his journey from the south as far as Bethel to the place where his tent had been at the beginning between Bethel and A.I., to the place where the alder which he had made there at first. And there Abram called on the name of the Lord. Lot also, who went with Abram, had flocks and herds. Verse 6, Now the land was not able to support them, that they might dwell together. Their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together, and there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram's livestock and the herdsmen of Lot's livestock. So Abram said to Lot, Please let there be no strife between you and me and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen, for we are brethren. So what is the end result of this little compromise? Would this have happened if Lot had not been with him? This problem would never have happened if he would have left his nephew back in the land of Haran.

To avoid future conflict, they had to separate from one another by a long distance. Isn't that what God asked in the first place? One would go and head in this direction, and the other would go and head in the opposite direction. It's kind of interesting, isn't it? Again, would this conflict have happened if Abraham had fully obeyed God? Oh, but as they say in late night television, that's not all. Lot goes ahead and he gets himself caught in the crosshairs of a war, and then he's kidnapped. Let's read about that in Genesis 14. Go ahead, Genesis 14, beginning in verse 8. I always like this scripture because I get to pronounce all of these names that I can't pronounce. And the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admon, the king of Zeboiam, and the king of Bela, that is, Zor, went out together and joined in battle in the valley of Shidom against Chloeliam, or king of Elam, titled king of nations, Amrefell, king of Shinar, Aria, king of El-Asar, four kings against five. Now the valley of Shidom was full of asphalt pits, and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled. Some fell there, and the remainder fled to the mountains. Verse 11, Then they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their provisions, and went their way. They also took Lot, Abram's brother's son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed. So they kidnapped Lot and his family, and they head off. They're gone.

Verse 13, Then one who had escaped came and told Abram the Hebrew, for he dwelt by the tibereth trees of Mamre, the Amorite, the brother of Eshkal, and the brother of Aenor. And they were allies with Abram. Now when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his 318 trained servants who were born in his own house, and went in pursuit as far as Dan. He divided his forces against them by night. He and his servants attacked them and pursued them as far as Hoboth, which is north of Damascus. So he brought back all the goods and also brought back his brother Lot, of course, meaning his nephew's brother's son Lot, and his goods, as well as the women and the people. So from this simple command God gave him, leave your family and go to the land that I promise you. Is this coming back to haunt Abraham now? In unexpected ways, Lot keeps pulling Abram back into conflict, bringing them together again. Abram felt obligated to rescue Lot, and he risked his own life and the life of 318 servants in order to rescue his nephew. And what does Lot do? Lot goes right back into a city that the Scriptures say in chapter 13 verse 3 was, quote, exceedingly wicked and sinful against the Lord. He goes right back into Sodom. That's what Lot does. Later on, Abraham has to beg God to spare Lot and his family. That's in chapter 18, which we won't cover today. To spare Lot and his family from the coming destruction on Sodom. Does it occur to you that Lot is a reoccurring problem for Abraham?

You know, when we make those little compromises in our own lives, what we create for ourselves are reoccurring problems that come back and haunt us at unexpected times. And sometimes we just can't seem to get rid of that habit. We can't seem to get rid of that behavior that's so deeply embedded in us because we have found a way to live with it, to compromise with it, to accept it.

Does it appear to you that the presence of Lot itself caused challenges and issues for Abraham?

Absolutely. Just like any little compromises we have in our own lives caused challenges and issues for us. Look at all the trouble and grief that that little compromise caused Abram.

You know, if you look closely at the scriptures, you will see that when finally Lot is out of the picture the last time we hear from him is his escape from Sodom, God's mercy upon him, and then he's gone from history, he's gone from the picture. And it is after that that finally God gives him a great blessing like an heir, the birth of Isaac in chapter 21. But all of that has to be dealt with before God can give him a new level of blessings, new opportunities that little compromise first had to be dealt with. Lot could no longer be there to influence him, and then that great blessing of a son that he had waited for so long finally occurred in chapter 21. How about us, brethren? In what little ways are we holding out or holding back from fully obeying God? Let's take a look at another example. Father Abraham, Genesis chapter 12. We'll go back a few chapters and see another little compromise, another little sin that he had that was actually part of a family trait because he passed this on to his son and equality on to his grandson. And how did they learn these traits? By watching dad, by watching their own family culture, what was acceptable, the compromises that were being made, what was being allowed, problems that were not being dealt with in the family. Chapter 12 verse 11. And it came to pass when he was close to entering Egypt that he said to Sarai his wife, Indeed, I know that you are a woman of beautiful countenance.

In other words, you're easy on the eyes, honey. And this concerns me. Verse 12, he says, Therefore it will happen that when the Egyptians see you, they will say, This is his wife, and they will kill me, but they will let you live. So he was afraid that they would say, Oh, she's married, but if we kill her husband, then she's eligible to become part of someone else's harem, someone else's family. That's what he's worried about. Please say that you were my sister, that it may be well with me for your sake, and that I may live because of you. So it was when Abram came to Egypt that the Egyptians saw the woman, that she was very beautiful. The princes of Pharaoh also saw her and commended her to Pharaoh. So they told Pharaoh about this beautiful Hebrew woman that's around town. And the woman was taken to Pharaoh's house. He treated Abram well for her sake. He had sheep, oxen, male donkeys, male and female servants, female donkeys, and camels. All of these things Pharaoh just gives as Abram is a gift because he has such a beautiful sister, but she's not really a sister. She's his wife. Verse 17, But the Lord plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram's wife. And Pharaoh called Abram and said, What is this that you have done to me? So he takes in Sarai to be his wife. And we have to understand that this really isn't about sex. Have you ever heard the term in our modern society, trophy wives? Well, if you were Pharaoh, if you were any king, you wanted a large harem. It wasn't necessarily about sex. It was about having all of these trophies. Having this harem of all of these, the most beautiful women of the land, you owned them. They were your possession. They were like trophy pieces. She was just another trophy piece into his harem. And suddenly everything starts going wrong. Ever since he put her into his harem, plagues start affecting his household. Now, it doesn't go into detail and say what it was, but they're dramatic enough that they say, all these bad things are happening. When did this start? I know it started when we took Sarai and put her into the harem. So he calls Abraham. He says, why did you say she's my sister? I might have taken her as my wife. In other words, I might have, you know, now therefore here is your wife.

Take her and go your way. So Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him, and they sent him his way and his wife and all that he had. So Pharaoh says, I'm going to give you two orders. Get out and stay out. Those are the two orders that I have for you today. What's the problem with this? Well, this was a half-truth, and thus, because it was a half-truth, it was a lie. You see, Sarai was Abraham's half-sister. So it was a half-truth. The important thing is that Abraham or Abram purposely intended to deceive Pharaoh. It's deceit. It's a lie. He purposely intended to deceive Pharaoh about Sarai being his wife because he didn't have faith enough yet in his life that God would protect him from Pharaoh.

And because of that, Pharaoh and all of his households suffered needlessly because they were told a lie, because they were deceived. You know, Abraham commits this sin later on in chapter 20. Does the same thing all over again. We don't have time to turn there today, but he tells the same lie to Abimelech the king of Girar. This was a family trait that was repeated by Isaac when he told Abimelech in chapter 26, the same lie, Rebecca is my sister, and she wasn't. She was his wife.

And how about the grandkids? Ever hear of Jacob, the deceiver, the supplanter? Jacob deceived to secure the birthright. He deceived people. Deception was part of the family culture because no one was willing to deal with it. Brethren, don't ever forget that change is a process, but there has to be someone who boldly stands up in your generation that says, yes, maybe my grandpa did this, maybe my dad did this, maybe I'm doing this, or I have proclivities to do this, but it's going to stop here and it's going to stop now with me.

That's what we need to do. Don't ever forget that change is a process. Before he became father of the faithful, at this part in his life, he was father of the faithless. Abraham was. But he grew and he matured and he changed. And that's what these days represent.

Abraham's lies caused ordinary people to suffer plagues for no fault of their own in Pharaoh's household. How about us, brethren? Who are we hurting in our families? Which of our loved ones are we hurting because of our personal sins, our white lies, our deceits, our attempt at manipulation of family members or other people that we know or love, or our own personal compromises? Whom are we hurting through no fault of their own because we haven't dealt with these little compromises, with these little sins, with these little issues?

Take a look at another example. Exodus chapter 12 will look at the mixed multitude that left ancient Egypt with the Israelites. Exodus chapter 12 and verse 30. This was read right here in our hall last night by one of our youth as a scripture for the evening. Exodus chapter 12 and verse 30, So Pharaoh rose in the night, he and all his servants, and all the Egyptians, and there was a great cry in Egypt, and it was not a house where there was not one dead.

Verse 31, Then he called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, Rise, go out from among my people, both you and the children of Israel, and go and serve the Lord as you have said. In other words, get out and stay out, kind of the same thing that Abraham had been told. Also take your flocks and your herds, as you have said, and be gone, and bless me also.

And the Egyptians urged the people that they might send them out of the land in haste, for they said, We shall all be dead. So the people took their dough before it was leavened, having their kneading bowls bound up in their clothes, on their shoulders. Now the children of Israel had done according to the word of Moses, and they asked the Egyptians for articles of silver, articles of gold and clothing.

And the Lord had given people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they granted them what they requested. Thus they plundered the Egyptians. Verse 37, Then the children of Israel journeyed from Ramesses to Sukkoth about 600,000 men on foot besides children. And now verse 38, A mixed multitude went up with them also, and flocks and herds, a great deal of livestock, and they baked unleavened cakes out of the dough which they had brought out of Egypt, for it was not leavened.

Because they were driven out of Egypt, it could not wait, nor had they prepared provisions for themselves. I want to focus on this just very short statement of these people here in verse 38, who were called a mixed multitude. This comes from a Hebrew word, Ereb, which means, the root of it means transversed threads of cloth, cloth that is transversed or mingled together. That's the original Hebrew word. According to the reary Bible notes, it says, the mixed multitude included other Semites, who were not of the directed descendants of Abraham, but other Semites, who had settled in the Nile Delta region and some Egyptians.

They later became a source of trouble to Moses, end of quote, and we'll see that in a minute. This mixed multitude was a collection, a hodgepodge of opportunity seekers, thrill seekers, some who wanted to leave a devastated Egypt. This nation's been ruined. There's no reason to hang around here anymore.

This nation's history. There were other Semites who were afraid to stay behind because the Hebrews were Semites, and if the Egyptians had vengeance inside their own country, they would wipe out other Semitic peoples, so they were included. There were some Egyptians who obviously were spies, fed in there by Pharaoh, the leadership of Egypt. And there were some who may have generally, in all honesty, been following Moses or wanted to follow their God, Yahweh. There may have been some who were sincere in doing that.

But it's an important phrase when you consider the context of what this scripture is talking about regarding leaven. Just a little bit of leaven starter is mixed into dough that caused the entire loaf to be leaven, is it not? And here is a small group of people, we don't know how many, who were referred to as a mixed multitude. Let's see what kind of influence they have in Numbers 11 and verse 1. If you'll turn there with me, 11 verse 1 of the book of Numbers.

The first few verses we read together in the sermon last week, in which we talked about the right forms of motivation. And this was an example of fear motivation. The first few verses, if you remember that sermon, Numbers 11, verse 1. Now when the people complained and displeased to the Lord, for the Lord heard it, and his anger was aroused, so the fire of the Lord burned among them and consumed some in the outskirts of the camp.

Then the people cried out to Moses, and when Moses prayed to the Lord, the fire was quenched, so he called the name of the place Tabarab, because the fire of the Lord burned among them. So that was fearful. People complained. Fire came and burned them. People were terrified. They were fearful. They cried out to Moses. Moses intervened on their behalf, and God stopped the punishment. So how long do you think that lasts, fear motivation? Think it was good for a week, month, year, maybe? Well, the next verse says, Now the mixed multitude who were among them yielded to intense craving, so the children of Israel also wept again.

Didn't last very long, did it? And said, who will give us meat to eat? We remember the fish which we ate freely in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic. And now our whole being is dried up, and there is nothing at all except this manna before our eyes. So they are not happy. Slight hyperbole here. Is their whole being really dried up? Come on!

It wasn't that good in Egypt. You were a slave. You were beat with whips. You were told to eat when you were allowed to eat. You didn't get the best leeks and melons. You got the leftovers that the Egyptians didn't want. You got the scraps. So slight hyperbole here, but that's when we get on our pity pot. When we start complaining, when we get all worked up over those kind of things, that is what happens to reasoning. I want you to notice who the instigators of this pity party are.

It's the mixed multitude. They are mentioned in the very next verse after the Lord burned some people for complaining. Isn't that interesting? In verse 4, the mixed multitude starts a new round of whining all over again after the fire and the prayer of Moses had settled things down a little bit. Do you see how this compromise of allowing these people to travel with the Hebrews, leaving Egypt, see how they caused problems? This was a compromise. God did not give Moses the message to bring everyone out of Egypt who wanted to come. He told Moses to bring out my people, the descendants, the Hebrews, those who are the descendants of Abraham, to bring out my people.

And this mixed multitude came along with them. First, can. Then Moses heard the people weeping, starts out with the mixed multitude. And what's the next thing you know? It's virtually everybody. Now it's the people. So we've gone from a mixed multitude to a little leaven, leavening the whole nation from just a few people to the people, weeping throughout their families, everyone at the door of his tent. And the anger of the Lord was greatly aroused. Moses also was displeased. So again, I want you to notice how this incident started out with the mixed multitude complaining, and like leaven, it spread to the people, meaning virtually everyone. Exodus 32, verse 1.

So what happens when the whole lump gets leavened? If a little leaven leavens the whole lump and it begins to change the environment, what happens? You know, it's the same reason in all honesty and frankness why pastors are so concerned with the church environment. Because we're a little community here. And also in this little community, a little leaven can leaven the whole lump. People who turn bitter, people who are self-righteous, people who are angry, have their own agenda. If they're allowed just to walk around the congregation and do their own thing, they can they can literally tear apart a congregation. They can split a church. Ever hear of that happening?

They can split churches. They can split congregations. That's what leaven does. And that's why we have to be on the lookout for it in our own lives. Exodus chapter 32, verse 1, after the Ten Commandments are given to Moses. Now when the people saw that Moses was coming up from the mountain, the people gathered together to Aaron and said to him, Come and make us gods that shall go before us. For as for this Moses, the man who brought us out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him. And Aaron said to them, Break off the golden earrings which are in the ears of your wives, your sons and your daughters, and bring them to me. So all the people broke off the golden earrings which were in their ears and brought them to Aaron. Now you have to understand this from their point of view. You see, this really isn't idolatry. No, not from their point of view. This is just a little compromise. This is just their way of representing Yahweh. This is just their way of picturing the true God who brought them out of the land of Egypt. Plus, you look at their words closely, verse 4, and they received the gold from their hand, and he fashioned it with an engraving tool, made a molded calf, and they said, This is your God, O Israel! This is Yahweh! We just choose to represent Him through a calf. This isn't a different God. No, no, no! This is the true God. We're just choosing to have Him represented by this golden calf. This is your God, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt. It's the same one. So when Aaron saw it, he built the altar before it, and Aaron made a proclamation and said, Tomorrow is a feast to the Lord. Lord, in all capital letters, it's a feast to Yahweh tomorrow. See, not a pagan God, not some other God. This is a feast to the one God whom we worship, who Moses taught us about, who brought us out of Egypt. We're just worshiping Him the way that we want to. You know, that's still done today in many segments of modern Christianity. Have you ever heard of Christmas? Have you ever heard of Easter? People decide that they're going to worship God the way they want to worship Him, how they want to worship Him, when they want to worship Him, instead of saying and looking into this book, how does God say He desires to be worshiped?

What are the holy days that God says, These are my feasts? So, what happened here?

Isn't unusual. It still occurs in our world today. Verse 6, Then they rose up early the next day, offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings, and the people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play. I won't go into more detail there. I'll just say that they weren't breaking out the dice and playing Monopoly. Okay? Just leave it at that. Verse 7, And the Lord said to Moses, Go get down for... I love this. God has such a great sense of humor. Go get down for your people, Moses, whom you brought out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves. God says, I disowned them. I want nothing to do with these people. I've known parents who said that about their young children. I'm just going to pretend that maybe no one will even notice I'm their parent.

They've corrupted themselves. They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I had commanded them. They've made themselves a molded calf and worshipped it and sacrificed to it, and said, This is your God, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt. Particularly offensive to God, because the calf was one of the gods of ancient Egypt. So they specifically made a symbol of an ancient Egyptian god and said, This represents the true God. And that was very, very offensive. I'm going to read verse 7 from the New International Version. Then the Lord said to Moses, Go down, because your people whom you brought out of Egypt have become corrupt. You see, by the time of the subtle influence of the mixed multitude who were there all the time with them, eventually it corrupted the entire nation, the people. So you see, indeed, a little leaven, leavens, the whole lump, a little compromise, a little reinterpreting what God says to make it convenient, make it easier to digest, is that little leaven that leavens the whole lump.

Take a look at another example, the Canaanites, Deuteronomy chapter 20 and verse 16. If you'll turn there with me, Deuteronomy chapter 20 and verse 16.

This is an instruction that God gave to the Israelites as they went into the promised land, and they would take over cities that God had given to them as their inheritance. He says, But of the cities of these people which the Lord your God gives you as an inheritance, you shall let nothing that breathes remain alive. And I know that sounds harsh by our modern standards, but you need to understand and appreciate that their religion included sacrificing children. Their religious services, their religious beliefs included acts of sexual perversion so bad that it would probably be approved by the United States Supreme Court. And God said, don't put up with that. And don't deal with any people who will sacrifice their very own child for their pagan God. I want you to wipe out everything that breathes in those cities. Verse 17, you shall utterly destroy them, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite. Just as the Lord your God has commanded you, why? Verse 18, lest they teach you to do according to all of their abominations, which they have done for their gods, and you sin against the Lord your God. And you know what?

They never did this. Yes, they eliminated some of the peoples, but as soon as the tribes all got their own land, got comfortable, and start planting crops and living life, they lost all interest in doing exactly what God told them to do. The compromise with God's instruction came back to destroy both the nations of Israel and the nations of Judah. Indeed, the influence of paganism and perversion and false worship plagued ancient Israel throughout their history right up until the day they were taken captive. Continuously, this little compromise came back, haunted them forever until they were gone. Even some of the better kings, what we might say the greater kings of Judah like Solomon, compromised, allowing pagan worship to exist during his time. As a matter of fact, in his own life, as he got older, he began worshiping the pagan gods of his foreign wives because most of the kings wouldn't even do what God asked them to do. So, brethren, as we begin the days of Unleavened Bread this year, what are some of the compromises that we're making in our own lives? You know, it all starts with our thoughts, and then our thoughts lead to our behaviors. If you want to make a change in your life, it all has to happen first in your mind. It has to happen there first before any change is going to take place. And that deals with our attitudes. It deals with our mindset. Everything is first created in the mind. Did you know that everything is created twice? You may not have thought of it that way, but everything is created twice. First, it's created in the mind, and then it is literally created. I'm going to give you an example. Look at this room we're in. Do you think that this was created when they poured the concrete on the floor and they started building the mason blocks and they put the dry wall on the wall and they smeared the stucco on? Do you think that that's when this building was created? If you do, you're wrong. The first time this building was created was in the mind of an architect who took this building in two dimensions and designed it on a piece of paper that came out of his mind. We have those blueprints! I can prove it! And then, secondly, it came to be it was physically created. The behavior happened. So if we want to change something in our lives, brethren, the first thing we have to do is change our thinking, alter our attitudes, our mindset, how we look at life, how we look at ourselves and our own purpose, and sometimes even how we look at the church and the role of the church of God. So let me mention just a few thoughts that maybe are compromises. Maybe for some of us it's that little bit of leaven that's leavening the whole lump and affecting us in more ways than we care to admit. Look at some thoughts. The first one is selfishness.

Selfishness is thinking primarily of ourselves, sometimes thinking only of ourselves. This can include being vain. It can include being greedy, having a sense of superiority, or having a sense of entitlement. I'm entitled to this because I'm better than everyone else. James said in chapter 3 verse 14, this is from the New American Standard Bible, but if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth. He says as we're selfish, we are lying against the truth. The truth is that we're supposed to be putting on the mind of Christ. We are supposed to be shining lights and examples to our community, to our families, everywhere we go. We're supposed to be servants, to love people, to care for them.

That's a thought. Another one is negativity, being negative. This is looking at other people, or most situations, as something bad. Looking at everybody and everything is something's always lacking. Something is always half empty. And this, of course, includes and usually results in being judgmental, being self-righteous of people who don't meet our expectations.

In the book of Philippians chapter 4 and verse 8, here's what Paul said, the kind of mindset we should have. And tell me, please, if you sense ernie negativity here, he says, finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are noble, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are a good report, if there's any virtue, if there is anything praiseworthy, meditate on these things. I want to focus a little phrase here. He says, if there is any virtue, in other words, look for the virtue. Don't look for the weaknesses. Don't dwell on the negative. Don't dwell on the condemnation. If there is any virtue, find it. That's what we should be thinking about. He says, continuing, if there is anything praiseworthy, if there's anything in that situation that you can praise God or encourage someone for doing something right, that is what we should be meditating on, not pointing out everyone's flaws and errors and personal weaknesses. And we understand that, brethren. It's a mindset. It literally will change your life when you start thinking through the lens of the fruit of the Spirit instead of the works of the flesh. Another thought. Wrong desires. These are yearning to have something that someone else possesses and usually something we shouldn't have. It can include someone else's wealth, their position or their title. It might include their spouse, their talents, whatever talents or abilities they have. In Colossians, Paul said in Colossians chapter 3 and verse 5, and I'll read this from the new century version, put all these things out of your life. Sexual sinning, doing evil, letting evil thoughts control you. Are we thinking about the kinds of things we shouldn't be thinking about? Are we dwelling on them instead of cutting them off, instead of cutting them off with the past and changing our thoughts into something that's positive and productive? Or are we dwelling on wrong desires? Brother, the key to a fulfilling life is to develop and make the best of what you've been given in life. We've all been given different amounts of talents. We know from the biblical parables some have one talent, some have five, some have ten. Don't look at someone else and say, boy, I sure wish I had his money. I wish I had her husband. I wish I had his looks. I wish I had that title or position or whatever. No, whatever hand you've been dealt with, do the best that you can with a hand that you've been dealt with in life and don't worry about what someone else has because that only leads to covetousness and wrong desires.

Let's talk about some behaviors because ultimately those thoughts, those little compromises, those things that we're dwelling on and thinking about and allowing to roll over in our heads through our self-talk are ultimately going to lead to behaviors because it all starts in the mind first. So here are some behaviors that may be little compromises that some of us are dealing with. Maybe that little leaven that's leavening all of our lives. Lacking integrity. This is one, obviously, that Abram, before he became more deeply converted and became Abraham, was struggling with himself. That it was a family weakness. His son struggled with this. His grandson struggled with this. Jacob lacking integrity. This includes being deceitful, lying, attempting to manipulate people or situations to achieve your own will, which you want done. This includes breaking promises. It includes citing a list to do something or to be someplace you never show up. That's an integrity issue. It means avoiding responsibility. You have a responsibility and you neglect it or you avoid it. These are the kind of behaviors that are the result of wrong thinking. 1 Corinthians chapter 5 and verse 8. We're familiar with this because it's so much a part of our feast. Paul said, let us keep this feast not with old leaven nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity, integrity, honesty, character, with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. Another behavior that may be a little leaven, a little compromise that's ultimately going to hurt us in big ways, is self-destructive behaviors. This includes ingesting substances that are destroying your life. It includes neglecting yourself. It can be smoking. It can be drinking too much. It can be a poor diet eating sludge all day. And then wondering why you're not feeling well. It may be avoiding exercising, having no exercise except jumping to conclusions. It might be ignoring bodily warning signs if we're hurting or if something's going wrong in the inside. Usually our body, ahead of time, is trying to tell us. The point is that, as Paul said in 1 Corinthians chapter 6, we're going to be talking about what we're going to be talking about. And Paul said in 1 Corinthians chapter 6 verse 19, do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit in you whom you have from God? This body we have, though it's aging, and every time I look at the mirror, I'm reminded how quickly it's aging. It's a gift from God. It's all I've got. It's all you've got. But it's a trust. Your physical body is a trust, and he says, take care of it. Make sure that you don't inhale and swallow junk that's going to destroy your lungs or destroy your life. Make sure you're eating a balanced meal. Make sure you're getting some exercise in. Take care of that precious gift that I have given you. Continuing, verse 20, he says, you were bought with a price, therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's. Do the best with what it is, whatever you have left in your life with your body, whatever stage of life you may begin. Another behavior, and one that I see often that concerns me, is being a control freak. This includes an unbalanced need to control everything and everyone around you. Very common, by the way, among religious people. It is the need to speak over people, to constantly express your opinions, to dominate others with your own agenda. It includes focusing on the commandments of men rather than genuine doctrines. As Paul said in 1 Corinthians 13, verse 4, regarding the topic of what love is, he says, love is patient, love is kind. Love is not envious or boastful or arrogant. Love is not rude. It does not insist on its own way. It is not irritable. It is not resentful.

So, in our own relationships with our spouses and with our families and with our church members, are we demonstrating balance or, frankly, do we have a little bit of a control freak issue? Because if you do, you're going to ultimately harm your marriage relationship. You are absolutely going to harm your relationship with your own children. And you're going to bring back some very serious consequences from compromising on understanding what real love is.

The last behavior that I would like to discuss is being a Seventh-day Christian.

Oh, you've probably heard of the Seventh-day Sabbath, but did you know that it's possible to be a Seventh-day Christian? I've known many of them, thousands of them, in my lifetime.

These are folks who ignore all week, Sunday through Friday, they ignore their relationship with God, never pray, never study their Bible, rarely call a church member, but suddenly on the Sabbath day a dramatic transformation takes place.

Ta-da! They're a Seventh-day Christian. And they go through all the motions, and they're nice and kind and so on, maybe the entire day.

But Jesus said in Matthew 6, verse 11, give us this day our daily bread. You see, we need to go back and tap into the righteousness of Christ, that spiritual bounty each and every day.

We cannot be Seventh-day Christians. We have to be Christians 24-7. It has to be a lifestyle. It has to be a mindset. It has to be a way of life.

I'd permeate everything that we do in our lives.

Let's go to 1 Peter, chapter 1 and verse 12. This is our final scripture today, 1 Peter.

Chapter 1 and verse 12.

Verse 12 itself is a little bit complicated, as Paul was wont to do. It is a very long sentence, so I'll read it and then I'll give you the paraphrased version of it.

He says to them, in context, he's talking about the prophets earlier. To them, it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to us, they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the things that have been reported to you.

The Bible says, to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things which the angels desire to look into. Wow! Is that a long one?

So what's he basically saying here? He's saying the prophets saw things that were meant for you to understand.

You heard that message through the preaching of the gospel, and it's so unique, it's so beautiful, because it was given to you through the Holy Spirit. Even the angels are interested in hearing that message. That's how blessed you are.

Now we'll go into verse 13. Therefore, gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ, as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to former lusts, as in your ignorance, as before that you were called and understood any better. But as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, Be holy for I am holy.

So he's saying, don't slack off, don't give up. Continue to grow and change. Continue to make those changes in your life.

His phrase gird up the loins of your mind. He's using a figure of speech.

Eastern garments were very long garments. And if you were going to get down the business, if you were going to do hard work, you would gather up those garments and you would fasten them together so that when you started doing hard work, when you get down the business, those garments would not interfere and flop around.

So you would gather them together, you would fasten them up so they'd be tight and secure. And Paul is saying, buy that metaphor. That's what we need to do, be doing in our lives.

We need to get down to business. We need to fasten up our lives with some self-discipline and grow and change.

And remember, as he says there at the end of verse 15, he says, but as he who called you to be holy, you also be holy in all your conduct.

And that includes eliminating some of those little compromises, some of those little thoughts, some of those actions, some of those behaviors that are not holy conduct.

I'm going to read this from the New International Version.

Therefore, prepare your minds for action. That's what the New International Version says.

Prepare your minds for action. Be self-controlled.

Set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.

As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance.

But just as he who called you as holy, so be holy in all that you do, for it is written, be holy because I am holy.

Again, that's from the New International Version.

So, brethren, in conclusion, for the next seven days, we have the opportunity to allow the Holy Spirit, our helper that Jesus promised and that we were given when we were converted and had hands laid on us, to allow that helper to prod us to grow to new additional levels in our spiritual life.

But it's going to require us to closely listen to what God tells us on the inside.

And when that little voice says, you shouldn't say that, take it seriously. Don't just fluff it away. Don't just bury it. Don't just ignore it.

You should have sent that card. You should make that apology. You should get prayer in today. You should study your Bible.

You should go to church even though you don't feel like it. You know, you can feel just as miserable being at church as you can feel miserable sitting at home.

You're miserable either way, so you might as well be miserable with people who love you. Right?

It's going to require us to listen closely to what God tells us to confront some of our attitudes and the compromises that we've grown comfortable with, that we've just accepted in our lives.

So, brethren, are we up to the challenge? Can this spring Holy Day season be a defining point in our spiritual lives where that issue or those issues we need to address can finally do the right kind of motivation because we want to overcome and eliminate those compromises.

That little bit of leaven that is influencing the rest of our lives and our families and maybe sometimes even our church environment can get rid of that little bit of leaven that's leavening the whole lump.

Are we open to receiving help and guidance from the same spirit that resides in the Father and in Jesus Christ, that same spirit that's been given to us? I believe that we can. It's up to us. Have a wonderful festival. Have a wonderful first day of Unleavened Bread.