God's Character Is Revealed by His Festivals: Passover and Unleavened Bread

Brethren, do we understand the character of God? I think we have a pretty good idea, but I think it's important to now and again to just meditate a little bit more about it, to maybe get a slightly deeper understanding about God's character. You and I know God created man, and by that I mean mankind, and he's got a plan. He's got a great plan. And through this plan and how he's executing it, it actually shows his character.

And so, today I want to talk about how God's festivals, specifically the Spring Festivals of Passover and the Red, reveal God's character to us. You and I can start reading about God's plan, writing the first chapter of Genesis in chapter one.

So let's turn there to Genesis chapter one, verse 26 and 27, and it says, then God said, let us make man in our image. According to our likeness, and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and all the animals, etc, etc. And in verse 27, so God created man in his own image and an image of God. He created male, male, and female. You and I know that this creation process is actually much more than just creating physical man.

Creating physical man is only, let's call it, phase one. Because there's phase two, which is actually what is going on, which is creating sons of God. And that is an amazing plan. So this physical life, I'll just call it like a boot camp. You know, it's just a training camp. Just an opportunity for us to kind of learn a few lessons so that then he actually can give us that glory and power of being sons of God.

Because that glory and power is so awesome, he doesn't want it in some people that have not, do not know how to apply it. You know, I remember when I went to the Air Force in South Africa, I went to the Air Force for one year. I did that so that I would avoid the war. Sounds funny. But it was because I was in another country in Mozambique, and out of Portugal they had a six-year force, or not force, but compulsory training camp. And if I became South African, and because I was born in Africa, I could, and I lived there for a year, I could have been naturalized South African, and I didn't have to go to war.

So that's the reason I naturalized South African. That's the reason I went to the Air Force, and I said, get it over with that before this comes. Yeah, and he did. But one thing I learned by going to a military camp, now there's many things you learn. One of them is discipline. Do you learn discipline? I actually think that some sort of training for young men, like, unfortunately, is training in the wrong direction and sense, but training with the discipline that is taught in the military, it's actually a good thing.

Teaching young men discipline. Nonetheless, one of the things I learned is that you actually receive more kindness from the major than from the corporal. You know, the corporal is really tough on you. If you go to the major, or to the captain, or to to even some sergeants, they're a lot more lenient on you.

And the lesson is to be our thought. You give a little bit of power, and it goes to people's head, if they're not prepared to handle it. And God is going to give us a lot of power as the Son of God.

And therefore, He wants us to go through this boot camp to learn how to handle it before He gives us that. Because all He wants to do is give us. That's what the grace of God is. It's the kindness, the desire that you are parents, you are dads and moms. What do you want for your children?

You want to give them everything that's possible you can, provided not too much, so it'll make them bad. But in the long way, you want to give them all the blessings. And God is no different. And so, He's got a plan. So if you turn with me to Hebrews chapter 2, we're going to read verse 6 first.

Initially, Hebrews 2 verse 6. And it says, but one testified in a certain place, saying, what is man that you're mindful of him?

What is our purpose? Why? Why is God, indeed, so concerned about us all? As all? Even including maybe somebody that you may have seen on the middle of the road as a tramp, God is concerned about that person. God wants that person in the kingdom of God, ultimately.

So God's got a plan for all of us. So why? What is man that you are mindful of him? Or the Son of man that you take care of? What is the purpose?

And we read, then, in verse 7 and 8, He says, you've made him a little lower than angels. We are now a little lower than the angels. Yes, it's duality. It's talking about Christ, but it's talking about us as well. And He says, you've crowned him with glory and honor. That's Christ. He's been crowned with glory and honor. And setting over the works of your hands. You have put all things in subjection under his feet. That's Christ. But it's prophetic. It's for us as well. It's for us. God wants us to be brothers of Christ. God wants us to be glorified with Christ. God wants us to be coheirs with him. Look at verse 10. For it was fitting for him for whom all things and by whom are all things. It was fitting for him God the Father for whom are all things and by whom are all things. Of course, he made all things through Christ, but he delegated the execution through Christ, but it was under the instruction of God the Father. And he says in bringing many sons to glory.

So it was fitting for God the Father by whom are all things and for whom are all things. It was fitting for him to bring many sons to glory. That's you and I. And it was the right thing to make the captain of their salvation. It was of our salvation, which is Christ, perfect through suffering. As we heard in the sermon, very good sermon, I appreciate that by the way. But we we all have to go through some degree of something. We all have some more, some less, some this way, some that way, but we all have to go through some testing, some purifying. Why? Because God is bringing many sons to glory. Look at Romans 8. Romans 8. It's a beautiful Scripture. Romans 8. And we're just going to read from verse 14 through 17. I think this is a beautiful Scripture. And I think many of you will agree and will say it. And it says here, For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, if you and I are led by God's Holy Spirit, now, brethren, God's Holy Spirit has many characteristics and many attributes as we read in the sermon. There is fighting. It's a gift, also a gift from God's Holy Spirit. There's love, there is kindness, there's gentleness. There's many gifts that come from the Holy Spirit, but there are a few rather that to me stick out quite important. And one of them is that God's Holy Spirit leads us. God's Holy Spirit leads us. Now, there's a big difference between leading and dominating and controlling.

A big difference. You see, Satan and the demons they possess people, they become controlled by those demons. God, who is power, who is essence, who is Spirit, he never controls. He needs us. He guides. He shows us the way and he says, George, go this way. He says, put your name there. Whatever your name is. You don't want to embarrass anybody. Start putting your name. A man or woman. That's how God, we Spirit, leads us. He says, go this way. Then it's up to you and I to follow that lead and to say, okay, I'm going to do that.

I'm going to follow that lead. I'm going to do it. I'm going to go.

If we are following that lead, we are the sons of God. We are on that path to be true sons of God.

And it goes on. For you did not receive the Spirit of bondage. And here is the second, probably most prominent point about God's Holy Spirit. I mentioned it's got many characteristics, love, joy, peace, goodness, kindness, faithfulness, etc. But there is one, a few that stick out. Like I said, God's Holy Spirit leads. There's another important characteristic of God's Holy Spirit that it gets us. And now it's an old word. Some people don't like to use it. Often the word beget is translated in the New Testament, in the number of Bibles as born. But literally the word is beget is ganau, beget is conceived. Think about it. It's conceived. Once you as a dad, through the seed that proceeds from you, have conceived a baby in your spouse. That child is your child. Is your son or your daughter. That's it. You know there are cases that some man, for instance, they conceived a child and then they gotta go to Iraq or whatever it is because they're in the war for months. And the baby is born of them being away. The father does not technically need to be with that mother after he's conceived. Technically speaking, of course, there is a need, an emotional need, a lot of things that a father and a husband needs to do. I'm not saying that, but just purely from a physical point of view. After conception, the child is yours. God's Holy Spirit proceeds from the father. It's the divine seed from the father and begets us, conceives us. This is a thing a lot of people don't understand. And that's why Christ was talking to the Apostles after the Passover ceremony ran about John 15, I think, or I think it's about John 15 or John 16, that he says, it's good for me to go because I'll send you the Holy Spirit because the Holy Spirit is with you now, but it will be in you.

And God's Holy Spirit can be with us and can be in us. So it's got many characteristics. It's not mutually exclusive. So you see, I see people that God's Holy Spirit is working with them. They're not baptized yet, but they're starting to understand the truth. And they start asking, and I do Bible studies with them. And you can see, hey, they get it! That is a miracle from God to the power of God's Holy Spirit.

But when they're baptized and through the subsequent prayer and laying on our vans, and when they receive God's Holy Spirit, that means they are born of the Spirit, but not yet born again. In other words, the correct word would be begotten of the Holy Spirit.

They are begotten. They conceive. In other words, God's Spirit is a seed that joins the Spirit of man in man, and the two merge and now becomes a new man, a new person to grow as a baby in a mother's womb, which is the church.

So continue to read here in verse 15, for you do not receive the Spirit of bondage again to fear, but you receive the Spirit of sunshine. The Greek word is piofisia, which means placed as a sun. It was the Spirit of sunshine, not adoption. Now, do I have anything against adoptions? No. No. And I compliment and I admire those that adopt children that need to be adopted in this very serious situation.

Could've stood there, as I say, and it was well done. Nothing wrong with that.

But you know, taking the analogy in a slightly different way, if you adopt, and you know some people love animals, right? You know, some people that love dogs a lot, that love cats a lot, and they say, this is my child I've adopted in. But you know what? That little dog or little cat will never become a human being.

You see, you and I are at a different time. You see, there's different times. There's the there's the vegetable world there's a vegetable kingdom there's a vegetable environment world there's a vegetable king then there's the animal kingdom then there's the human kingdom and then there is the angel kingdom and then there's the god kingdom when you adopt an animal, that animal does not move from the animal kingdom to the human kingdom. And if God was just adopting us, we would not move from the human kingdom to the God kingdom. But God is begetting us as true children. So it's not just the spirit of adoption, but it's the spirit of sanction. You see, indeed, the Greek word hiaothesia means placed as a sun, or put in as a sun. Hiao is Greek for sun, similar to Portuguese, eu, eu, eu. And thesia, you know, like theses, it's placed in a place. So it's placed as a sun. So you, the translator in good faith, could have translated this place as a sun, so it's adopted, which is fine. But with our understanding, a deeper understanding that God has given us, a better translation for us is the spirit of sanction. And by whom we cry, have a father. Because of that, we can cry, Daddy, your children call you Daddy, or Mommy. That represents a very close intimate relationship between your child and you. So therefore, Yahweh see God's character. God's character is one of love that wants to make Hia's children, real children. But how is it possible? How is it possible? Because He created a mankind, you and I, with three moral agents. Very good. Why? Because for us to be able to be like Him, we have to have the capability of choosing freely what to do and of making our own choice. But He wants us to learn to make the right choices.

And that's why He gives us principles that are basically like rivers of love, or guidelines of how to exhibit or practice love for other people. What are those? Those are the Ten Commandments. You know, love is really not stealing. If you steal from somebody, you're not loving them. If you lie to somebody, you're not loving them. So God has given us very specific rivers or puffs of putting love into practice. And as it says, when He says He gave the law to His people, and you read that in Deuteronomy 5, and He says He gave those laws, and how He wishes they would keep them all the time for their own good. You see, again, it shows God's character. He wants us to be well, to prosper. You read in the Bible, it says, God above all wishes that you may prosper in good health. That's what God wants from us. He wants everything good from us. But how is it possible? Because if you and I have free moral agency, there's bound sooner or later that we're going to do something wrong. Now, you know, you have children. And you know, your children sooner or later are going to do something wrong. I know they're little angels, but you know that sooner or later they're going to do something wrong. Now, it's fine if they do something wrong, because they may be there. They put the gloss of water there, and they bump it, and it bumps and breaks the gloss. Okay, fine. But if they do something wrong, which is a sin, the wages of sin is dead.

That's the way God has got it. The wages of sin is dead. So, if you make human beings with free moral agency, why? Because we have to learn of our own free choice to make the right choices. Simple. But there's a risk. The risk is that we're going to make the wrong choice. Sometimes innocently, sometimes in ignorance. Sometimes maybe knowing, but just just messing it up. And that means the wages of sin is dead, and that means his plan is gone. For you, or for that child. Gone. His plan is useless, quote unquote, because we've sinned. So, what's the alternative? Make us robots? Well, he doesn't want robots. So, he's going to have free moral agents. But he's going to allow them to sin. He was permit allowed. But sin is the... the wages of sin is dead. So, it's like a checkmate, right? What is the option? The option is to buy us back. Once we did, to buy us back.

Yeah, so that person died. I've got to buy that person back. Okay, fine. I brought it back. So, what it is? I gave my life for him, and so, he's not living.

Okay. But how is it possible? Life for life. So, one life can only pay for one person. So, how can Christ pay for all of humanity?

How can Christ's life pay for all of humanity? Because it's life for life. One for one. One life, you know. But how can Christ's life pay for all of humanity? Because Christ's life is far more worthy than all of humanity. Why? Because he created humanity.

And he can recreate us again if needed be. He's got that power. But obviously, what he's going to do therefore, is that he has to give his life for us. And that's why the Father created everything through Jesus Christ. Because Jesus Christ was the actual literal one that the creation, so that his life, Christ's life, is worthy more than all our lives. And so, what we have here is Jesus Christ had to die. And that was decided before the beginning of the world. That was decided before the beginning of the world. And so, what we read is in Philippians chapter 2, starting from verse 5, that it says we should have the same attitude, the same spirit. Philippians chapter 2 verse 5, let this mind be in you, which was in Christ Jesus. In other words, what is the character of God? What is the character of God? The character of God is simplified in Christ because he's the image of the Father. He's character is like the Father is. What is it? Really, verse 6. Who, being in the form of God, Christ was of the God-kind, of the form of God, do not consider that robbery to be equal of God, do not consider it to be identity theft, to be called God, because he is God. He was of the God-kingdom. He is of the God-kingdom, he is of the God-kind. Why?

But, verse 7, made himself. He was not forced to do it. He voluntarily humbled himself and became a human being, voluntarily. No, and the Father, God the Father, is now God the Father, and God the Son, is now God the Son. When they talked about this and they decided, they had this relationship of two beings in the kingdom of God, in that intimate relationship that they had as like a family. They decided they wanted to have more children. They wanted to bring more children to glory. How are they going to do it? Well, the only way to do it is to have them of free moral agency. But, that means they're going to sin, but that means that we've got to buy them back. That means one of us is going to do it, and Christ says, I'll do it. It just shows the love of God for us, and the mercy of God, and the forgiveness of God, and the graciousness of God towards us. And so, continuing there, He said, therefore, verse 7, Christ made Himself of no reputation. What does that mean? Well, when He came to earth, He did not come in a way that everybody could see and know that He was the Son of God. In an example, imagine that you have the head of the military, one of the military legs of the defense, right? For instance, right beside the head of the Air Force. And that head of the Air Force, when it appears, what is He? He's got a uniform, He's got a special, He's got different metals, and He's got different things on His shoulders, and everybody knows He is the head of, and everybody says, yes, sir, yes, sir. Right? But imagine that you see that person on the street, when you go down to the beach, and he's walking around in a swimming costume, in flip-flops, and you wouldn't know Him from a bottle of soap, right? You wouldn't know Him from a bottle of soap. Would you treat Him the same way? Probably not. And if you maybe are a bit of a selfish person of mankind, you could walk across Him and maybe bump Him out of the way, and say, ah, get out of the way. You know, when Christ came, He had that capability of coming in His quote-unquote uniform, right? Who He is. But He came with no reputation. In other words, He came in civies, in civilian clothes that nobody would know. Now, the demons knew who He was, and they said, oh, I know who you are! You're the Son of God! And what Christ says, shut up! Don't tell anybody. Right? Maybe the word shut up is a little bit too rough, so I apologize. But anyway, just keep quiet! Don't say it! He came. He made Himself of no reputation, and He took the form of a bondservant and came in the likeness of man. He came like a human being, and they didn't know who He was, and therefore they killed Him! By coming as a quote with no reputation, that people would not know who they were killing, they killed Him! If they knew who He was, they would have not killed Him! And then you and I would not ever save Him! Now, again, He shows you the love of God towards us. So what do we have? We have festivals that defeat us, but He's just Passover. In Passover, what do we have? We have a lamb. A lamb that was sacrificed and gave His blood for us. Look in John, Chapter 1, verse 29. John, Chapter 1, verse 29. John, Chapter 1, verse 29.

And the next day, John the Baptist saw Jesus coming towards him and said, Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. John the Baptist knew very well that Jesus Christ was the one that was going to fulfill that role of the Lamb of God. And the role of the Lamb of God is the role of the Passover. Do you remember when the Israelites had to leave Egypt? They had to kill the Lamb. They had to put the blood on the doorposts and on the top of the door. And then in the houses which had the blood, the Lord will Passover. It would not kill the firstborn.

There was just a lesson to bring us to the point that's what Christ did for us. That is symbolic of the blood of Christ. And God passes over our sons because his buying is bad. During the sermon we had returned to 1 Corinthians 11. So let's go back to 1 Corinthians 11 because Paul is saying in 1 Corinthians 11, a couple of interesting things. He says, when you get together, it's not to eat the Lord's supper. And a lot of people say, oh well, we're getting together for the Lord's supper. No, it's not the Lord's supper. That's what he says. And if you want to ask questions about that, welcome to ask me later. But anyway, and then he says, and in the same night that what you once betrayed. And what do people do today? Well, a lot of people don't do it on the same night. Do it another time. It's got to be on the same night.

And then he says, you do this, too, in remembrance of me. Because when you do this, you proclaim me the Lord's death.

And so we have that ceremony. We are only a couple of, well, more than a couple, but maybe a month and a bit away from, which is the pasava, which is got the symbolism of the bread and wine, which represents the suffering and the death. The bread represents the suffering and the wine represents the death. And you can go into Isaiah 53, which is a prophecy. And you can do a little bit of Bible study about that, about Isaiah 53. But it is a prophecy about that sacrifice. And from about verse 3 to verse 5, it talks about the suffering, the bread.

Now, obviously, why is there suffering? Because of sin. But the symbolism of the bread is that we have to suffer, and Christ suffered, for our healing. And not just physical healing, but for our healing, when we suffer for other people. Why? For us to learn to forgive and let things go and to be compassionate, to heal bad relationships. When relationships go bad, sometimes we have to suffer, to learn to practice a little bit of healing and forgiving, to heal those problems, those cause in relationships. And then there's the line which represents the blood, the blood, which buys us back.

And so we have the Passover, and what does the Passover represent me for? The Passover demonstrates God's love, mercy, and forgiveness towards us. There is nothing else than God's character. And that's what we have to learn to have towards others as well. If we're going to be like him, we are to learn to put that into practice.

Look at 1 Timothy chapter 1. 1 Timothy chapter 1. 1 Timothy chapter 1.

Verse 15 through 17. 1 Timothy chapter 1 verse 15 through 17. It says, This is a faithful sign, and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners of whom I am chief.

What do you mean?

You see, Paul. Paul. Paul, before he was Paul, he was Saul, as you know. He was, amongst those, saying, Zap them out, kill those Christians. And you know, when Stephen was killed, they brought his things and put it at his feet, at Saul's feet. So, we know that, yes, Saul was a very dedicated man, but he was dedicated with a little bit of a, let's put it in the wrong direction. And he needed a little bit of a re-tuning, re-synchronizing. Right? And it says, for this reason, says in verse 16, I obtain mercy. Why? Because Paul is saying, if I can get mercy, so can you!

Because I did something worse than what you all have done.

And that again shows the character of God.

Because it says, that in me, first Jesus Christ might show all long suffering as a pattern, as a pattern, as an example, to those who are going to believe on him, forever lost in life.

So, now to the King, eternal, immortal, invisible, to God, who alone is wise, be honored and gloried, forever and ever.

Now, God could have done this in a lot easier way. Maybe. But for us to be sons of God, complete, glorified, sons of God, it needed us to be tested to the end of degree. So that when he gives us that power, we'll never abuse it. We will never abuse it.

So, his character is one of love, mercy and forgiveness, exemplified by the fossil.

And what we learned from that? That we've got to do the same thing.

We've got to do the same thing. You know, we were talking about in the sermon, well, don't take the possible in a worthy manner. Why? One additional way of doing it, making sure is that we need to understand that we are a love operator.

Because he says, you read that section in 1 Corinthians 11, he says, we've got to discern the body. And you know, the body of Christ is the Church. The body of Christ is the Church. And we've got to discern our fellow brethren. And if we shall laugh towards them, then we would not have the problems that many times we have, and the sufferings that we do. Indeed, that's why we've got to suffer. And that's why it says, that's why many of you are sick and some of you are even dead. Why? Because we have not discerned the body.

And physically keeping the possible in a worthy manner was symbolic of a spiritual, even deeper problem of keeping the possible in a worthy manner, and not understanding that we are going to become like Christ. And that's why we read, for instance, sections like Matthew 18, when it says, you've got something against your brother? Go and tell all the other brethren in the Church. Of course not. I mean, cynical. You know that very well. That's why I said that, because it's kind of shocked, you know? Because you know, we've got to go to your brother.

And even there it says, how many times shall we forgive? Seven times? He says, no, seventy times seven!

Now, imagine your brother really gets you up and makes you upset every Sabbath. Do you know how many seventy times seven, how many Sabbaths that is? That's four hundred ninety Sabbaths. That is about, I don't know, about five years of every Sabbath your brother gets you. And obviously it's not meaning that you're going to keep account. Well, after five years, there's one more! There's four hundred and... what is it called? Four hundred and eighty-nine, or whatever it is. Whatever the number is. You know, there's one more. Now, obviously it's a principle we've got to forgive all the time. But I remember once, I did, or I said something. This was in South Africa, so don't think about who it was, because you won't know. So don't put it, try and work out any name to it, because you won't know.

But this one person, this was long ago, this was, ah, I mean, it was this early seventies, so that was a while ago, right? He worked it out for fifty years ago. But anyway, this person, the Adriene, says, George, I've got to come and tell you something.

And the Bible tells me I've got to tell you, because it says, go to your brother. And you've done this, and you are wrong.

And I hope being young in the church, I say, wow, is that what it is? But subsequently, I learned from another scripture, and it's a good one to keep in mind when you read about Matthew 18. Do you know what it is? It's 2 Timothy 2, verse 24 and 25. 2 Timothy 2, verse 24 and 25. And he says, And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel, but be gentle to all, able to teach patient in humility correcting those who are in opposition. He's got revenge, perhaps, who grant him repentance, so that they may know the truth, and that they may come to their senses and be scared to snare over the devil, having been taken away, captivated by him to do his work. So, if somebody's sinning, and you don't have a beam in your eye, because it's easy, you have a beam in your eye, and you see the speck of the other one, and he says, you've got to speck, yeah! So, be careful. First check that you don't have a beam in your eye. But anyway, you don't have a beam, and you know, then go to him in a gentle way. Go to him in humility. Not taking Matthew 18 in a way that says, you have this wrong! You see, because what we want, we want to have God's character. And God's character for the Passover is not, you have this wrong, and look at what I've done, I had to give up eternity to come down and be a human being for you so bad I'd repent now or else! God doesn't talk to us like that, so God's festivals show us, reveal to us, his loving character.

And then, the other festival that follows that is 11 bread. And how does that show God's character? Because it shows that God hates sin. God abores sin. Look at Psalm 97. Psalm 97. Psalm 97. And look at the sting. Psalm 97. We're sting.

You who love the Lord, hate evil.

If we really love God, we need to learn to hate evil. Because God hates evil. God wants, beyond the world tomorrow, beyond the Great White Throne Judgment, in the New Heavens and the New Earth, it says, Wherein righteousness dwells. Wow! Wherein righteousness dwells. It's a wonderful statement. Because there will be no more tears, no more pain. Why? Because there is righteousness throughout. So, you who love the Lord, hate evil. He preserves the souls of his saints. He delivers them out of the hand of the wicked. Again, it was mentioned in the sermon, the sermonette, very good, but I want to reinforce that God says, He delivers them. Yes, there were some, there were more. But God has strong promises of protecting his church, provided we are praying and watching the count of the wicked.

Don't ever let anybody put doubts on you that God is not able to protect his church. He protected Noah. He protected Lot. You know, it wasn't a lost hour, it was a lost minute, but he did. How? Oh, he sent you an email. No, he didn't. He didn't send you an email. He didn't send a fax. Well, now he didn't send a fax anymore, so, right? But God sent an angel. Why can't God do the same? Is he limited?

And he's got billions of angels out there, so, he's not running short.

Don't, don't be discouraged. Yes, we're going to go through difficult times. We are going to go through very difficult times. The beginning of sorrows is young, but our children will be protected.

Provided you and I are counting the word. Provided you and I are doing the right things. We don't have to doubt it. That's a solid promise. Fear not. Because God isn't delivered. And he's got a history of delivering people. Many have been delivered. Just look through how many people have been delivered in the past. Don't deliver it again.

And if he wasn't going to deliver, how could those promises be so full? Because here you read, you read Revelation 3 verse 10. Because you kept the perseverance, the fightfulness of persevering, I will keep him from the hour of trial that will come upon the whole world. I'm not talking about America.

I'm not talking about England. I'm not talking about South Africa. I'm talking about the whole world. With this hour of trial, it will come upon the whole world, all nations.

So, the promises, I won't deliver. I won't deliver. But God hates sin. God aboses. And that's why, once you and I immediately understand God's character of love and mercy and kindness, we've got to then love also his character of keeping God's laws, of having outgoing love and concern for one another, and put that in practice in our lives. Therefore, God's festivals clearly reveal God's character.

We are not talking about God's power. We are not talking about God's power. We are talking about God's power.