First Day if Unleavened Bread

Last night, as I mentioned, we celebrated the night to be much observed. It is a very important night for God, and it should be for all of us. Here's the scripture in this regard, Exodus 12, verses 37 through 42. Exodus 12, verses 37 through 42. I'm going to read it from another version that is a bit more modern, but it's still good and quite accurate. Some of these modern ones you have to be careful because they stray from the original meaning, but in this case, the New Living Translation does a good job talking about the leaving of the Israelites on the night.

That they left, it says, that night the people of Israel left Ramesses and started for Sukkot.

There were about 600,000 men, plus all the women and children. A rabble of non-Israelites went with them. The New King James says a mixed multitude, but actually a rabble because they were troublemakers, many of them. They went with them. Along with great flocks and herds of livestock, for bread they baked flat cakes from the dough without yeast they had brought from Egypt. It was made without yeast because the people were driven out of Egypt in such a hurry that they had no time to prepare the bread or other food. The people of Israel had lived in Egypt for 430 years. In fact, it was on that last day of the 430th year that all of the Lord's forces or people left the land. On this night, the Lord kept His promise to bring His people out of the land of Egypt. So this night belongs to Him, time of celebration. And it must be commemorated every year by all Israelites from generation to generation. And we know we're spiritual Israelites. We have been grafted into that olive tree. And this is part of what we do now to celebrate one of God's great interventions and great acts in history.

We also can read exactly when that happened. The Jews don't have the right events in the place. They actually take the Passover on the beginning of the 15th, which is another symbol of the first day of 11 bread. That's when they left. But they didn't leave that night. That's why on the beginning of the 14th, they took the Passover. God said, you would strike them down, that angel. If you left the protection of your home that had the blood on the dintels, if you left that, you were going to be struck dead. And so nobody left. And then when morning arrived, then it said that you were to take of the remains of the lamb and everything, and you would burn it. And then they started preparing. All the Egyptians were lamenting and crying out because all through the land they had lost the firstborn of every family and of the cattle and animals as well. So it wasn't just the human beings. And so they started burying the dead, and the Israelites gathered together. They're at ramesses. It took time to get things together. They were supposed to be able to leave quickly, but still you're talking about hundreds of thousands of people with children and wives. You think the wives could leave in an hour or two? I doubt it. It takes us longer for the Feast of Tabernacles. I'll tell you, it takes about almost a full day before we're all packed and ready. It goes on to say in Numbers 33 verse 3, it says, they departed from ramesses in the first month on the fifteenth day of the first month. On the day after the Passover, the Passover is a day. This is the day after the Passover. The children of Israel went out with boldness in the sight of all the Egyptians. It's interesting that the Spanish translation is even more accurate than the English. Here's the translation from Spanish. It says, they left ramesses in the first month on the fifteenth day of the first month, on the second day of the Passover. The children of Israel came out with a mighty hand in the sight of the Egyptians. What was the first day of the Passover? Well, that was when they kept the Passover. But this was the second day of the Passover week. We're dealing with the eight days. This was the second day. So they began celebrating these momentous eight days, the Passover and the seven days of unleavened bread, which we are doing as well.

They left Egypt and set out for the promised land. Now, as you know, brethren, there's a very important parallel with us leaving spiritual Egypt.

We do that at baptism in Colossians chapter 2. This is when we make the commitment with God to follow Him, a life of testing and trials, to be able to enter not the promised land, but the kingdom of God. That's what we are looking forward to. That is our goal. That is our prize. Colossians chapter 2 verse 11 through 12.

It says, talking about Christ, In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ. So there's a difference between the physical circumcision and the circumcision of Christ, which is, as it says the following verse, buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God who raised Him from the dead.

So our leaving spiritual Egypt is symbolized by baptism and the laying on of hands and receiving God's Spirit. And this leads to a life of overcoming trials and sins. It's a life of overcoming trials and sins because great is the reward. The greatest reward any human being can ever be offered. In 1 Peter chapter 1, in verse 13, 1 Peter 1 verse 13 through 21, it tells us about that departure from spiritual Egypt. Notice verse 13, it says, That's the grace that is going to be fully realized when Christ returns.

And if you call on the Father who without partiality judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay. If you notice here in my margin, it has the term sojourning, dwelling as resident aliens. Other translations have your pilgrimage because it is a spiritual pilgrimage going through life toward that kingdom of God. He says, verse 18, With the precious blood of Christ as of a lamb without blemish and without spot, he never sinned. He was perfect. He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world. So this was all prepared. The plan of salvation with Christ having to come as he symbolizes with the Passover. We've been covering all of that, but today is a different meaning. The first day of Unleavened Bread.

It says, Our faith is not on human beings, but on God himself.

And we see the spiritual parallels between the time that the Israelites left Egypt and the time we left spiritual Egypt. They were headed for the Promised Land, and we are headed for the kingdom of God. Notice in 1 Corinthians chapter 10. Starting in verse 1, here the Apostle Paul gives these parallels between physical Egypt, where Israel had to leave, and spiritual Egypt, which we have to leave. Verse 1, it says, This was all God's protection. All were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea.

All ate the same spiritual food, which was manna. It all drank the same spiritual drink, which they received water from the rock many times. For they drank of that spiritual rock that followed them, and that rock was Christ. He was the one that was providing the food, the water for them, just like a shepherd. But with most of them, God was not well pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.

So that first generation perished, because they never obeyed God. They still had their hearts in Egypt. It says, Now these things became our examples to the intent that we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted, and do not become idolaters, as some of them. As it is written, the people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play. That was when they created that golden calf. Nor let us commit sexual immorality, as some of them did.

And in one day, 23,000 fell. That was when they went into the area of Moab. Balaam was the one that tempted them with his counsel, and they fell away at that time. Verse 9, Nor let us tempt Christ. Notice who was the one that was there. It was Christ, the one that the God that they knew as the Word. As some of them also tempted and were destroyed by serpents, nor complained, the murmurings, as some of them also complained and were destroyed by the destroyer.

Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition. They didn't learn the lesson. We have to, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. Therefore, let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall, not become cocky, overconfident. And then he says, No temptation is overtaken, you accept such as is common to man.

But God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted or tested, as the Word should be, beyond what you are able, but with the testing, as it should say, will also make the way of escape, that you may also be able to bear it. And so, this is the main theme of the message today, to see the parallels between the trials that these Israelites went through in our trials, once we entered the church.

Notice God's patience with them in Numbers 14, verse 20. Numbers 14, verse 20. It says, Then the Lord said, I have pardoned according to your word, but truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord. Because all these men, these were the ten spies that discouraged the people.

They made them lose faith about entering the promised land, who have seen my glory and the signs which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have put me to the test now, these ten times, and have not heeded my voice. They certainly shall not see the land of which I swore to their fathers, nor shall any of those who rejected me see it.

My servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit or attitude in him, and has followed me fully. I will bring into the land where he went, and his descendants shall inherit it. And so that first generation basically was all lost. Now it's interesting, when it talks about these ten times, you would think, well that was after several years. But actually, if you read the account, it was only like a year and a half into their journey. They left at the time of the first day of Unleavened Bread in the springtime, and then they went into the wilderness area.

They murmured a couple times. They tested God, and basically they spent that year. They went to Sinai. God gave them his laws. But it was only like a year and a half when God had the spies go and check out the Promised Land. And so because of just going through temptation and testing and all of these complaints, God said, you're going to spend 40 years. You spend a year and a half. You're going to spend another 38 and a half years because of your rebellion, lack of faith, and all of this. Now, why did God test them? Notice what it says in Deuteronomy chapter 8 verse 1. Deuteronomy chapter 8 gives us a reason. God took them through the desert area. It wasn't a very long trip from Egypt into the Promised Land, but he had a reason to take them into the wilderness area. Deuteronomy 8 verse 1 says, every commandment which I command you today, you must be careful to observe that you may live and multiply and go in and possess the land of which the Lord swore to your father. This is Moses speaking. And you shall remember that the Lord your God led you all the way these 40 years in the wilderness. So now we're at that period of time at the end of those 40 years. And what was the reason? To humble you and test you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not. So he humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know that he might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone, that man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord. So he tested him for 40 years, and God, when he puts us in his church, we say yes. We're willing to be tested. We're willing to start preparing our lives, to head toward that kingdom, preparing for the kingdom of God, leaving that spiritual Egypt behind.

And what was the main reason that Israel failed those 40 years in the wilderness? Stephen in the New Testament summarizes in Acts chapter 7 verses 38 and 39.

He's recounting those 40 years in the wilderness, and he's talking about Moses. He says, this is he who was in the congregation in the wilderness with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai. This would have been the word, the angel of the Lord. And with our fathers, the one who received the living oracles to give to us, whom our fathers would not obey, but rejected, and in their hearts they turned back to Egypt. Even while they were heading toward the Promised Land, they were actually wanting to go back to Egypt.

What an insult to God! All he had done for them.

So what were the categories of the tests they went through? Surprisingly, they did it physically, but there's a parallel spiritually. These tests are very similar.

What is the... I see two main categories of the tests. The first one is wanting to go back to Egypt, to the old way of life. They get tired, they get weary. They see the world out there. There are a lot of nice people. There are a lot of nice actions. There's a lot that can be attractive. Now, God's people are not high and mighty. They've got all kinds of problems. They have child-rearing problems and dysfunctions that they're trying to overcome and complexes. Some people don't have those. They get an advantage over a person. They're nice from the start, but it's who God is calling. We don't get to choose who God calls. The Israelites, they weren't choosing to go. God chose them.

Many of them wanted to go back to Egypt, to the old way of life, to the old values that are so much more convenient, easier to keep, to go back to the attractions of the world, the pride of life, the pulls of the flesh, all of these things, where they can focus first on self, money, physical things, just getting ahead in this rat race.

As Stephen had said, they could physically leave Egypt, but spiritually, they couldn't take Egypt out of their hearts. In their attitudes, they longed to go back. They idealized it, and they thought about going back. Notice in Numbers 14, where God told them that they had tempted him these 10 times, but here Numbers 14 in verse 3, it says, after the spies came, and they told them how big all of these Canaanites were, and all the fortified cities, and people just got very scared and started thinking, well, let's go back to Egypt. Let's become slaves again. And in verse 3, it says, why has the Lord brought us to this land to fall by the sword that our wives and children should become victims? Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt? So they said to one another, let us select a leader and return to Egypt. When Moses and Aaron heard that, they knew immediately, boy, they're in trouble with God, and they fell on their faces praying to God before all the assembly of the congregation of the children of Israel. And then in verse 10, after Joshua and Caleb tried to encourage the people, what did the people say? Verse 10, and all the congregations said to stone them with stones.

Now the glory of the Lord appeared in the tabernacle of meeting before all the children of Israel. He had to intervene at that time. But it can happen to us. There are the attractions of the world, and we still have that carnal lower nature that can gain control over us if we are careless. It's like the parable of the sower that Christ spoke about in Matthew 13, verse 22.

It says, now he who receives seed among the thorns is he who hears the word. He's called. He starts developing spiritually. Spiritually. But the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. He starts looking at that world, the cares.

In Mark and Luke, where it brings up, it talks about the love of money, all of these things that really can absorb a person and get their minds off of the kingdom of God to the kingdom of man.

We also see one of the trials they went through, which again, it showed when they got into a worldly mindset. Here, they lost the view of preparing for that promised land. And when Balaam appeared at that time, in Numbers 31, verse 16, it says, Look, these women caused the children of Israel through the counsel of Balaam to trespass against the Lord in the incident of Peor, and there was a plague among the congregation of the Lord. So Balaam said, the only way that Israel is weakened, the way you can defeat Israel, is to make them worldly. Make them break God's laws to become sinful. In that incident, there in Numbers 22 and onward, it talks about that the Moabites, they got the beautiful young girls to come and attract the men, and pretty soon, they invited them into their tents and invited them to have a nice party and let's all swing and go and drink and be merry. And, of course, Israel forgot. They have a holy God. And you cannot just start fornicating or committing adultery and not paying a very dear price for it. And so, in a sense, they went back to the world.

And over the 50 years that I've been in the church, I've seen many brethren that have departed from the faith, many going back to what we can call a spiritual Egypt. They gave up the Sabbath, the holy days, biblical food laws, tithing, etc., because it was more convenient not to do them. So, what protects us from spiritually going back to Egypt has to do with doctrine, biblical truths that we receive. And people gave up those biblical truths for false teachings. They were easier, more accommodating. Let's accommodate ourselves to the rest of the world and the Christian world and let's start keeping Christmas and Easter as this time of the year. This is a false holiday that they have to take the spiritual Israelites' eyes off of the Passover and the days of Unleavened Bread and have all of this with Easter and how you dress up and have Easter eggs and all of these pagan things. There's always going to be a substitute if you want to. So, when we are called, we have to face keeping the Sabbath day.

That's one of the first tests that God, when He's calling us, will that person keep the Sabbath holy or not? Many times it has to do with the job that you have. Many people work on the Sabbath day. They're required to. I know that was the case when I got called and I had to get that day off and risk losing my job. I didn't because they gave me the Sabbath off Friday nights and all the way Saturday. I started working on Saturday night at a hospital where my dad worked as a doctor. I know many have similar stories, but sometimes it means loss of income because you lose your job.

Is that going to be the test where you go back into a spiritual Egypt? Because, after all, you need money, you need food, you need to put food on the table.

Adding holy time to your life is not always convenient. Many times it's a sacrifice that a person has to make. Also, the testing of what kind of food are we going to eat and which food are we going to stain from eating. That's a test. Some people say, well, I don't have a problem with the Sabbath, but I love my pork shops, or I love my shrimp casserole or whatever.

I had a favorite dish growing up as a Cuban. We ate pigs feet.

My mom cooked it real good. I never had any once I came into the church. Boy, we had some real battles in the house because it was almost insulting for my mother. She said, you love this! I can't eat it now! I'd go into my room, close my doors, and try to weather the storm. And then, also, learning that God is the ultimate owner of everything. And what it is to pay tithes and offerings? It's not easy to part with money, but it isn't meant to be easy because God is testing us. Are we going to put Him first? Our duties to Him first. Do we truly reverently fear God or not? People can talk about it, but boy, when you have to separate your money at a certain time, especially when it's tight, when it's difficult, in the good times and the bad, are we going to be faithful or not? God says He's looking at our hearts, our attitudes, what's inside of us because He has a great reward awaiting.

Notice the classical description of going back to a spiritual Egypt, going back to the world. 2 Peter 2, verse 18.

2 Peter 2, verse 18, talking about people that come in and they're worldly and they act like they're part of us, but they really don't have their heart in it. And this was a problem that they were having in the churches in the first century. Peter says in verse 18, for when they speak great swelling words of emptiness, oh yes, a lot of eloquence, a lot of syrupy, religious terms, everything that has a certain tone and sounds very spiritualistic.

He says, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through lewdness, the ones who have actually escaped from those who live in error. This is in the church. While they promise them liberty, oh, you're going to have freedom. You can keep now, every day of the week, as you wish. You don't have to be sacrificing Sabbaths in holy days. They themselves are slaves of corruption. Their lives do not reflect that holiness. They take off their masks and they are wolves in sheep's clothing. For by whom a person is overcome, by him also, he is brought into bondage. So if you get back into the world, the world will eventually be your master. For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning. For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness than having known it to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them, God's holy law. But it has happened to them according to the true proverb, a dog returns to his own vomit and a sow having washed to her wallowing in the mire. That was a true nature that was hidden inside of that person. You couldn't see it right away. Now I'd like to go to the second category of these tests during those 40 years that the Israelites had. This was a test of governance. Governance.

And it's so difficult to find the balance. We can't even govern ourselves very well, much less place ourselves under someone else.

It's hard to have a humble, yielding, but not fawning attitude.

The Israelites were stubborn by nature. They were quite independent-minded and fickle. They could turn their attitudes on a dime against their leaders.

When the Israelites felt slighted, something that happened, that they felt offended, it was easy to develop disrespect and even rebellion. And then added to that was the test was the tests of the leaders themselves. There was infighting. You see that throughout the 40 years. Corruption. Lording over. And we've seen it in the church past 50 years. Remember, one thing over everything else, God's ways are perfect, but not those who follow them. Don't confuse one thing with the other. God's ways are perfect, but not the people who are following those ways.

Sometimes we have been victims of our own success. We had tremendous growth, but eventually the corruption rose in the top of the organization and divided it up.

And so in the church, we have seen both extremes. A lack of proper respect for God's anointed ones and on the other extreme, to be fawning, as obsequious, flattery, what the Bible calls men pleasers. We don't want that as well. Notice number 16, one of the classic examples of rebellion against government.

Number 16, verse 1.

I won't be able to cover the whole thing for lack of time, but you can read the whole chapter, number 16.

It's called, Cora's Rebellion.

It's very ironic that these were the leaders in the congregation at the time, and they rose up against Moses and Aaron. It says, verse 1, now Cora, the son of Ishar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi with Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and on the son of Pelath, sons of Rupin took men, and they rose up before Moses with some of the children of Israel. 250 leaders of the congregation, representatives of the congregation, men of renown, they had received position, they had influence. They were supposed to be working with Moses and Aaron, but they started grumbling. Some of them wanted to be in charge, like Cora. And they gathered together against Moses and Aaron, and said to them, You take too much upon yourselves, for all the congregation is holy. Every one of them, and the Lord is among them. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the Lord? So here's a common gimmick or trick they use. They say, well, everybody has got spirit. Why can't I anoint the sick? You know, why can't I preach? Why can't I be in charge? So that's a typical problem, the test of governance, of fitting into your position that you have and doing the most with it. God will take care. He positions the people according to His will. And when Moses heard that wrong attitude, he fell on his face and he spoke to Cora, and all his company, saying, tomorrow morning the Lord will show who is His and who is holy, and will cause Him to come near Him, that one whom He chooses He will cause to come near to Him. Do this. And then He tells them to take these censors out tomorrow morning. And then He says in verse 8 to Cora, here now you sons of Levi. Here, these were the... This was the holy tribe. They were priests. They were Levites. Sons of Levi. Is it a small thing to you that the God of Israel has separated you from the congregation of Israel? To bring you near to Himself, to do the work of the tabernacle of the Lord, and to stand before the congregation has served them. That was a privilege, but they took it for granted. They wanted the job of Moses and Aaron, and that He has brought you near to Himself, you and all your brethren, the sons of Levi, with you. And are you seeking the priesthood also? Now you want to be part of the Aaronic order? Not good enough? And we have people that have talent, they have ability, but all of a sudden, oh, I want to be uplifted. I want to be exalted. I want to have these chief positions. And of course, in verse 24, God spoke to Moses, saying, speak to the congregation, saying, Get away from the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. Then Moses rose and went to Dathan and Abiram, and the elders of Israel followed him. And He spoke to the congregation, saying, Depart now from the tents of these wicked men. Touch nothing of theirs, lest you be consumed in all their sins. So they got away from around the tents. And then in verse 28, and Moses said, By this you shall know that the Lord has sent me to do all these works, for I have not done them of my own will. That is the key. Moses was not lifting himself up. It was God who placed him there. Was he perfect? Of course not. Were there things that He made mistakes? Yes, but He was the one that God put there in charge. And He wanted people to learn to respect and to look at the position more than the person.

And it says here, in verse 31, Now He came to pass, as He finished speaking to all these words, that the ground split apart under them. And the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up with their households, and all the men with korah, with all their goods. So they and all those who rose with them went down alive into the pit. The earth closed over them, and they perished from among the assembly. And then afterwards, it says, verse 35, And a fire came out from the Lord and consumed the two hundred and fifty men who were offering incense. All of these leaders.

And I've seen that in the church. You know, the biggest blows that the body of Christ has received has been either doctrine or governance. We had the issue of doctrine back in 1994, when church leaders, not all, but top men introduced the idea that we didn't have to keep the Sabbath holy anymore, and the holy days, and that we could eat whatever food we wanted to. And that was a rebellion against God. That was heresy, spiritual venom coming into the body of Christ. And yet, I would say maybe 60-70 percent just went along with it. It was a few that stood up and said, no, we are going to continue to obey God's laws. But it was heresy. It was bringing us back to spiritual Egypt. Yeah, let's do what the rest of Christianity, pagan system does, and everything else. So, and the second was governance, because we've had one gentleman, even in our church, who was president, who decided he needed to be over the Council of Elders. He didn't want anybody to supervise him. And so he left and took a good group of people and ministers, and he's still in charge from all I know. I haven't heard anything different. He's still in charge, doesn't have a council over him, and it just diminished and diminished to the point where it hardly exists anymore today. And then, 10 years ago, we had another rebellion this time about governance. And again, the ministry did not want the council to take measures, and it split the group up again. Why? Because of governance. And I saw it with my own eyes, men that I respected, and all of a sudden they defied their position and those above them, and they said, we're not going to obey what is the person above us. And it didn't have to do with doctrine or something introduced. It was because they could not accept being corrected and admit, and it caused a lot of damage, just like it did in the time of Moses. And so we are being tested at this time. We need to be working together as a church, fulfilling our assigned responsibilities. Because not everybody can be the head leader. Let God determine that. Do your job the best way possible. In the days of Unleavened Bread is a time to reflect of leaving spiritual Egypt behind. But we're not talking about a place. We're talking about a mentality, an attitude, a lifetime. In the church, the greatest trial so far have been over doctrine, of avoiding heresy, and over governance. How will we be governed? What kind of a team player are we? Are we the murmuring type, grumbling when something goes wrong? Or are we those that instead encourage and help find the solution? In these seven days, where we are not eating leavening, we are to show our commitment, staying away from that spiritual Egypt. Not letting the world get into our lives, and not letting that satanic spirit of rebellion get in our way as well. Staying away from wrong attitudes, and instead putting on righteousness in our lives. Holding up the arms of those God has chosen to lead the way. One final scripture, 1 John chapter 3 verse 1. I know it's a little over, but we're still pretty early on here. 1 John chapter 3 verse 1 through 3. I think this summarizes the message very well. It says, Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God. Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are the children of God, and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. That's the reward. And everyone who has this hope, that vision of the future in Him, purifies Himself just as He is pure. And so that's what we're doing. We're purifying ourselves for these seven days of Unleavened Bread.