God Called Us to An Unleavened Way of Life

The world has been troubled ever since Adam and Eve. Certainly that's always been the case, but mankind has been troubled at every level. We've been emotionally troubled, we've been mentally troubled, we've been physically and spiritually troubled. It's always been this way. But now that we have got a plague that has gone around the world, is continuing to go around the world, is affecting people, people have been dying, that has heightened the troubles that people seem to feel they have.

It's escalated people's anxieties to a different level. Add to that, the masses do not know the Great God. They don't know the true God. They don't know what He has to offer mankind. They do not know His plan of salvation.

They do not understand the good news that you and I have been called to proclaim. They don't know that our God does have a plan that offers not only life, but eternal life. They don't know that our God has a destiny for us. That mankind has a potential beyond anything that you and I could even dream about. But we've come to know since you and I have been called. But the rest of the world doesn't know that we've got a God who is loving and compassionate. They don't know that they have a tremendous future to look forward to. That our God is a God of grace, our God is a God of mercy, and that there will come a time when they will have an opportunity to know the things that we know by God's grace.

But because God is a God of grace and mercy, and because God has opened your mind and your heart to understand these days that we're now living in, these days of unleavened bread, we can celebrate the truth of God. We can understand the beauty that each one of God's festivals and holy days have a very specific, a very great message with deep spiritual insights for each and every one of us.

The world is cowering in fear, but you and I don't need to cower in fear. God has given us tremendous tools. In your notes, you might want to jot down 2 Timothy chapter 1 and verse 7. Where it says, For God has not given us the spirit of fear, but God has given us the spirit of power and of love and of a sound mind. Notice, we don't need to fear. God doesn't want us to fear.

He has given us the power, the power of love. He's given us the power of a sound mind to be able to think about things and understand things from God's point of view. That's one of the tools He's given us to comfort us, to encourage us, to strengthen us. Another tool that says in Romans chapter 5, Romans chapter 15 and verse 4, Romans chapter 15 and verse 4, where it says that we have comfort through the Scriptures.

Comfort through the Scriptures and that those same Scriptures give us hope. That's Romans chapter 15 and verse 4. So these are tremendous tools, spiritual tools, that comfort and strengthen us.

The tool of God's Holy Spirit, the tool of the Scriptures. But also, we have the knowledge of God's plan, and that God's plan does encourage us. In your notes, you might want to jot down Jeremiah chapter 29 and verse 11. Jeremiah chapter 29 and verse 11. Let me read that for you. For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and to give you a hope. To give you a future and to give you a hope.

Isn't that amazing? It's wonderful to realize that God has given us that tremendous opportunity to have this knowledge. So today, on this last day of unleavened bread, I want to discuss with you an issue that, or a thought that I've been having as I've been going through these days, and something I want to cover with you today. My theme for this sermon is very simple, and it's this. God has called us to an unleavened way of life. God has called us to an unleavened way of life.

Now, let's get our spiritual bearings. Let's take a look at Leviticus 23, where all of God's holy days, including the weekly Sabbath, are documented there for us. We want to take a look specifically at these days of unleavened bread. Leviticus 23, verses 6-8. Leviticus 23, verses 6-8.

Verse 6. On the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread to the Lord. Seven days you must eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall have a holy convocation. You shall do no customary work on it. You shall offer an offering by fire to the Lord for seven days. The seventh day shall be a holy convocation. You shall do no customary work on it. So here we see not a directive of men. During this crisis around the world, there have been various governmental directives. Companies have had their directives and so forth. Families have had their own directives. A lot of directives going on by men. But this is not a directive of men. This is a commandment from God. And notice some points here. Notice it says here in verse 6, It is to the Lord. It is not to just the nation of Israel. It's not just to the Jews. It's not to men. It's oriented toward God. We are to keep this feast to the Lord. And it's repeated again in verse 8, To the Lord. So there's an orientation here that we need to appreciate. And also notice in verse 7 and in verse 8, it is a holy convocation. Now you understand what the word holy means. Set apart for God's use. These days, the first day and the seventh day are set apart for God's use. It's holy. It's also not only holy, but it's a holy convocation. A convocation is an official summons to worship. So these days have been set apart by God Himself. For us to worship Him up. These days have deep meaning. And of course, we've got two days of unleavened bread. God is giving His, not only a stamp of approval, these are His days, but He's showing an emphasis here on these days. We appreciate the fact that on the Passover, we have the forgiveness of sin. Our sins are blotted out. They are cast behind God's back, as Isaiah wrote about. But after our sins have been dealt with, we have got to go on living. And there's a certain way that God wants us to live. He wants us to live an unleavened way of life. But how do we do that? Well, these days show us that we must be getting the leaven out of our lives. That's one aspect. But another very important aspect is we need to be bringing in the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. It's not just good enough to get rid of sin. We've got to replace that with God's righteousness. So these days of unleavened bread picture a way of life that lead us to the kind of existence that God has always wanted for mankind. God has always wanted that, this type of a life. The last part of John 10, verse 10, reveals that type of life. John 10, verse 10, I have come that they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly.

The abundant life is the unleavened life that we see, the unleavened life. Now, lest people think, well, that's an Old Testament, Old Covenant thing. We don't need to be bothered with that as New Covenant, New Testament Christians. Let's take a look at 1 Corinthians chapter 5. 1 Corinthians chapter 5, verses 6 through 8. 1 Corinthians chapter 5, verses 6 through 8.

Your glorying is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Therefore, purge out the old leaven that you may be a new lump. You truly are unleavened. Now, how are we unleavened? The rest of the verse says, For indeed Christ our Passover was sacrificed for us. Our sins have been forgiven by Christ's sacrifice for us. We saw that on Passover evening. But notice verse 8, Therefore, let us keep the feast. Again, not a directive of men, a command of God. Let us keep the feast, not with the old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. The unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. What is truth? Well, John 17, 17 says, God's Word is truth. Christ said, we are to live by every word of God. We are to live by the truth. We are to live by the truth of the Scriptures.

And as we live by the words of the Scriptures, that is an unleavened way of life. And you know what you might want to jot down John 4, verse 24, where it talks about in John 4, 24, how we are to worship God in spirit and in truth. In spirit and in truth. The brethren, God has called us to an unleavened way of life. Let's take a moment and look at how Jesus Christ approached this in His teachings. Let's go to John 14, verse 6. John 14, verse 6.

John 14, verse 6.

We read, Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

This is a very powerful and very descriptive view of the life we are to live. Christ is the way, the truth, and the life. In other words, Christ's way of living, Christ's life, was based on truth, that was based on His own word that He inspired. We are to embrace all that is Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ was an unleavened being. He never, ever sinned. Not in all eternity. Never sinned. He is the way. He is the truth. He is the life. Let us turn our attention to a scripture we read every year at Passover. That's 1 Peter 2, verses 21 through 24.

1 Peter 2, verses 21 through 24.

Verse 21. For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered us, leaving us an example that we should follow His steps. Now, explicitly, as I have mentioned a number of times in the past, this section of scripture is talking about following the steps of Jesus Christ, following His life's example, even in the worst of times. Even in the worst of times. We know that Jesus Christ is our example in all things, not just the worst of times, but in the best of times, at all times. But notice He says we are to follow His steps. Verse 22. Who committed no sin.

There was no leaven there. Nor was the seed found in His mouth. Who when He was reviled did not revile in return. When He suffered, He did not threaten. But committed Himself to Him. To who? To God. He committed Himself to Him who judges righteously. Who Himself or our sins and His own body in a tree that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness. So Jesus Christ was committed to God. He was committed to living an unleavened way of life. And we are to follow His example. Notice something else we see here in Matthew 7, verses 13 and 14.

Matthew 7, verses 13 and 14.

This way of life, an unlavened way of life, in Satan's world, is not an easy thing to do. It's not an easy thing to accomplish. Notice what it says here in Matthew 7, verse 13. Enter by the narrow gate. For wide is the gate, and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. So we want the narrow gate. Because narrow is the gate, and difficult is, notice, the way which leads to life.

Difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. So we're seeing over and over in the Scriptures the discussion about a way of life. Isaiah prophesied about it. I'll read to you Isaiah 40, verse 3. Isaiah 40, verse 3. The voice of one crying woman is prepared the way of the Lord. The way of the Lord makes straight in the desert a highway for our God. So Isaiah prophesied about the way of the Lord. John the Baptist's entire ministry took this as his own.

He was preparing the way for Jesus Christ. By not only preparing the way, but by preaching the way and living the way. Now, how do New Testament Christians, how do New Covenant Christians think about themselves? We know that in Acts chapter 11 and verse 26, I'm not going to turn there, but in Acts chapter 11 and verse 26, we see that Christians were first called by that name, an Antioch. But how did they view themselves?

How did their enemies view them? How did their enemies describe Christians, those who followed Christ? Let's take a look at a number of scriptures here in the book of Acts that tell us just how Christians viewed themselves, even how their enemies viewed them.

Acts chapter 9, verses 1 and 2. Acts chapter 9, verses 1 and 2. Acts chapter 9, verse 1, and 2. So, in discussing Saul as he was persecuting a church, Christianity is referred to as the way. Acts chapter 19, let's turn there. Acts chapter 19, verse 9. Acts chapter 19, verse 9. He was a great commotion about the way. He did not believe but spoke evil of the way. Evil of the way before the multitude. He departed from them and withdrew the disciples, reasoning daily in the school of Tyramus. And about that time there was a great commotion about the way.

That's in verse 23. Let's read that again. Acts chapter 22, verse 4. Acts chapter 22, verse 4. I persecuted this way to the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women. Paul is talking about this way. He knew it was a way of life. It wasn't something people did occasionally. It was a way of life. A way of living an unleavened life. And lastly, let's look at Acts chapter 24, verse 14. Acts chapter 24, verse 14. But this I confess to you that according to the way which they call a sect, so I worship the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets.

According to the way. Now, same chapter, Acts 24, verse 22. But when Felix heard these things, having more accurate knowledge of the way, he adjourned, the proceedings said, when Lys asks, the commander comes in, I will make a decision on your case. And he says, I will make a decision on your case.

Having a more accurate knowledge of the way. Now, why was it the Christians referred to their faith as the way? Now, there's probably a number of things that I could cover with you today, but I'm going to just narrow it down to three things. One is that the Christians were not able to believe as to why the Christians viewed their life as a way of life.

And let's letter these. Letter A, it was the way of righteousness. The way of righteousness. In your Bibles, let's turn to 2 Peter 2, verse 21. 2 Peter 2, 21. For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness than having known it, the term from the Holy Commandment delivered to them. Notice Peter here says it was a way of righteousness. What's righteousness? What is that? Let me give you a definition, and this comes from the Nelson Illustrated Bible Dictionary.

Under the title, righteousness. I quote, Holy and upright living in accordance with God's standard. The word righteous comes from the root word, which means straight. Straightness. It refers to a state that conforms to an authoritative standard. So, righteousness is God's standard. It is the straight way. It is the narrow way, as Christ said. It's an authoritative standard that comes from God Himself.

Let's see that in Deuteronomy chapter 32. If you turn there, please. Deuteronomy chapter 32, verses 3 and 4. Deuteronomy chapter 32, verses 3 and 4. For I proclaim the name of the Lord, ascribe greatness to our God, He is the rock. His work is perfect. All of His ways are justice. A God of truth and without injustice, righteous and upright is He. So, the source of righteousness is our unleavened God. He is the source of righteousness. Notice, it says He's perfect.

All of His ways are justice. He is a God of truth and without injustice. We see some wonderful things there about the way of righteousness. Let's take a look at Psalm 119, verse 172. It says, all your commandments are righteousness. So, what are the commandments? The 10 commandments. Each and every one is righteous. Each and every commandment is unleavened. We see that in Romans chapter 7 and verse 12. Let's take a look there. Romans chapter 7 and verse 12. Here we see, we're talking about what righteousness is.

It's an authoritative standard. We see that God is righteous and from God precedes His standards. His commandments are righteous, it says in Psalm 119, 172. Let's look at Romans chapter 7, verse 12. Romans chapter 7 and verse 12. Therefore, the law is holy and the commandment holy, just, and good. Verse 14, we know that the law is spiritual.

So, here we see tremendous information here given to us. Where our God is unleavened, righteous, and upright is He. We see where His standards, the commandments are righteous, each and every one. Where His law is holy, it's separated for Godly use. It shows us how to live properly. The commandments are holy, just, and good, and the law is spiritual.

So, one of the reasons why Christians celebrated their faith by calling it the way is because it was a way of righteousness. It was a way of righteousness. Letter B. Another reason why I believe that Christians refer to their faith as the way is because it was the way of truth. The way of truth. Let's go back to 2 Peter 2. This time in verse 2. 2 Peter 2 and in verse 2.

2 Peter 2 and verse 2. And it says that many will follow their destructive ways because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. The way of truth. It's an unleavened way of living. But it's truth. Christ said He was the truth. God's way. God is truth. And we're going to see that in just a moment. God is truth. He's the God of truth.

As a matter of fact, let's turn over to Isaiah chapter 65. Isaiah chapter 65. Isaiah chapter 65. And in verse 16. Isaiah 65 and verse 16. So that he who blesses himself in the earth, shall bless himself in the God of truth. And he who swears in the earth, shall swear by the God of truth. Because the former troubles are forgotten and because they are hidden from my eyes. So God here is an unleavened source of truth.

He shows us His way to live. It's an unleavened way of life. Proceeding from God. Let's remember what Christ said in John chapter 14 and verse 6. Let me re-read that for you. John chapter 14 and verse 6. However, in Jesus' verse 6 of John, Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. Christ said He is the way, the truth, and the life. So Christ is also an unleavened source.

For our understanding. For teaching us how we ought to walk an unleavened way of living. Let's look at John chapter 16 and verse 13. John chapter 16 and verse 13. However, when He the Spirit of Truth has come, He will guide you into all truth. So here we're building principle upon principle or idea upon idea. God is an unleavened being. God is an unleavened source of information and command for us. Same thing is true for Jesus Christ. Same thing is true for God's power, His Holy Spirit. God's Holy Spirit is a power guiding us to live an unleavened way of life.

Following the commands of God the Father and Jesus Christ, their elder brother. Let's look at Psalm 119 verse 142. Psalm 119 verse 142. Where it says, your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness and your law is truth. Brethren, we're looking at one item after another where we see truth is so very, very important. We see God as a source of truth. Christ as a source of truth. God's Holy Spirit guiding us to truth, guiding us to the Father, guiding us to our elder brother. We see where God's law is a source of truth. We saw that a little bit earlier in the sermon. We're seeing it now again. God's commandments are righteous.

God's commandments are righteous. Each one of them is truth. We're seeing how this is building one thing upon another. Let's turn to Psalm 119. Psalm 119 verse 160. Psalm 119 verse 150. So not only the Ten Commandments, but each and every word of God. God, the Father, Jesus Christ, put together what we now call the Bible. Every word is there because God wants it there. Every word in the original tongues.

Every word in the inspired. There's one section in 1 John as you're well aware that some overzealous, copyist, put some things in there that aren't inspired. Let's take a look at the word of God as inspired by God. Old Testament, New Testament. The entirety of the word of God is truth. Each and every word. So, Psalm 119 verse 160. The entirety of your word is truth. And every one of your righteous judgments endures forever. So, brethren, to this point, we've taken a look at how the disciples viewed themselves as living a unleavened way of life. How they referred to their way of life as the way.

That's how they referred to their faith. The way. It's the way because it's a way of righteousness. It's the way because it's a way of truth. And the last thing I want to point out to you today is the way of peace. This faith of ours is a way of peace. The world does not know peace. The world does not have peace. Right now, the world is in a state of great anxiety because of what's taking place around the world.

The world's always been a hard place, a difficult place, a deadly place. But now people almost seem to be in their homes and contract this virus. It seems. That may not actually be the case, but it just seems that way. People seem to just get this and they get sick and some die. And so it's very unnerving for people. It takes away their peace. Let's take a look at Judges 6 for a moment.

Judges 6. Here in Judges 6, we see a man by the name of Gideon. Gideon was asked by God or commanded by God, authorized by God to be a deliverer for the Israelites. But when God was commissioning him to be a deliverer, this was a big thing. This was an awesome responsibility that this man was being given by the great God. And he wanted, probably like we would want, we want to be assured. We want assurance that we're doing the right thing, that we're doing the real thing, that this is really from God.

And so, you know, there were a number of things that take place in this section of Scripture where God gives him reassurance that he's the man for the job that God wants him to do. And once Gideon sees that, once he is assured, we know the story, how he goes forth and does what God asked him to do. But let's take a look now at what he did in terms of worshiping the true God. Judges 6, verse 24. Judges 6, verse 24.

So Gideon built an altar there to the Lord and called it, the Lord is peace. One of God's very names, Jehovah Shalom, means the Lord is peace. He is righteousness, he is truth, he is peace. And he wants us to embrace who he is, what he is, what he does. Our Father in Heaven, our elder brother Jesus Christ, want us to live an unleavened way of life that is righteous, that is a way of truth, that does produce peace.

I mentioned earlier in the sermon today that God has a vision for us, a tremendous potential for us, a potential that, you know, people you see in articles in the paper and various media, on radio, on television, people are looking for the meaning of life. And, brethren, you and I have been so blessed that God has revealed to us the meaning of life. God has been working with central mankind to help us to understand that there is a relationship that he wants with us. Take a look now at Numbers 6. Numbers 6, verses 24-26. Numbers 6, verses 24-26. A beautiful blessing that God wants to give to each and every one of us. Numbers 6, verses 24. The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord up of his continents upon you and give you peace. Give you peace. This is something that God has always wanted for mankind. It's mankind who has turned their back on God. It's mankind who hid from God in the garden and has been really hiding from God ever since. Mankind wants to say, well, if there really was a God of love and mercy, why do we live in such a horrible world? Well, this is not God's world. This is Satan's world. And Satan's world, because he turned his back on God. And mankind has done the same thing. When people come, it's interesting to me when people say, well, why doesn't God do this or that for me? Well, have those same people actually bothered to live by God's law? Have they forsaken their sins? Of course not. Let's take a look at John 14 for a moment. John 14. This is a part of what scholars would call the farewell discourse of Jesus Christ. It goes from John 13 through John 17. You know that on Passover evening, the very last thing we do is we read portions of those chapters. John 13, 14, 15, 16, and 17. Why do we do that? We do that because those chapters show us what Christ was saying to those closest to Him. To His men, to His disciples, people who are going to carry out the work. And just as we try very hard by going through the Scriptures and duplicating to the best of our knowledge, by looking at the Scriptures, how to keep the Passover properly, we see that Jesus Christ said these things. And so therefore, we want to think about what He thought of, what was on His mind. Now notice what, again, we realize that Christ is now only hours away from His crucifixion. Now, we know, you know, Mr. Duran gave a series of two Bible studies, and we talked on Passover evening, you know, Isaiah 53. If, you know, when we think about what we read what Mr. Duran went through and what I covered on Passover, horrible things that Christ went through, more than any man who's ever lived. And notice what Jesus Christ says at that time, just hours before His crucifixion. John 14, verse 27. So Christ here, hours before the most horrible circumstances anyone would ever go through, is talking about peace, His peace. And this is the peace He wants to give to each and every one of us. Peace is the fruit of an unleavened way of living.

Let's notice now Isaiah chapter 26, verse 3. Isaiah chapter 26, verse 3. I read this many times in sermons that I give at funerals. Isaiah chapter 26, verse 3. When people are grieving, when their hearts are broken, when they realize there's always going to be that empty chair at the dinner table, when they realize there's a hole in their life that no one else is going to be able to fill. People desire peace. Isaiah chapter 26, verse 3.

Notice, you will keep Him in perfect peace. Perfect peace is Strong's number 7965. It is a variation of the word shalom. So long as we maintain a right relationship with God, as long as we maintain an unleavened relationship with the Lord, we will have this peace. Notice what it says there in Isaiah 26, verse 3 again. You will keep Him in perfect peace. How? Notice the rest of the verse. We will keep Him in perfect peace. We will keep Him in perfect peace. Notice the rest of the verse, whose mind has stayed on you because He trusts in you. Our mind is embracing God. Our mind is embracing Jesus Christ. Our mind is embracing our unleavened father and older brother. Our mind is embracing an unleavened way of life. It doesn't mean we don't go through trials and tribulations. We certainly do. I'm going to talk more about that that's coming Sabbath. But just as Christ had peace before His crucifixion, we can have peace as we go through our trials as well. So today, brethren, we've taken a look at our living an unleavened way of life. We've documented how the New Testament Christians viewed their faith as a way of life. We've taken a look at just three areas. The way of life is a way of righteousness. The unleavened way of life is a way of truth, and it's a way of peace. I would like to conclude today with this one scripture, which we've already read, but I'd like to read it again. And then after I'm done with this scripture, we'll have Mr. Duran come back for our closing hymn, and then I'll do the prayer. Numbers 6, verses 24 through 26. I think this is something that we can all just really appreciate during these times we're living in. Numbers 6, verse 24. The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord lift up His continents upon you and give you peace.