Israelites Lesson for Putting Leaven Out of Our Lives

I'm sure our homes have been cleaned out, and we've removed everything we could think of along the way. But are we spiritually 11? Some of us have kept this feast for 5, 25, 45, 65, and more years. And I'm sure as you reflect back over the years, some of God's people enter the feast differently. Some enter it with zeal and excitement, and others don't. For them, these days, Sabbath, different parts of what we're asked to do become routine.

And that's a big danger for all of us. To start with, please turn to Revelation 3 and verse 3. Revelation 3 and verse 3. This verse in Revelation comes to mind when we start a Holy Day, when we reflect back on all the things that have happened over time on this day.

What this verse teaches us is to learn from the past and to be watchful. Revelation 3 and verse 3. Remember, therefore, how you have received and heard. Hold fast and repent. Therefore, if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you. During our recent Passover service, we renewed our commitment to God.

And throughout the ceremony, we remembered Jesus' supreme sacrifice. The Passover, it's an annual ceremony, but Christ's sacrifice is something that we all should be thinking about in our mind every day. And I'm sure we try to, but humans tend to forget. We either forget because we don't like something or we take it for granted. It's human nature. And that's one of the reasons God so often repeats his instructions in the Bible. Turn to Romans 15 and verse 4. Romans 15 and verse 4. See, our forefathers had the same tendency. They had the same nature.

Their struggles were captured in the Bible in very, very clear detail. It's embarrassing, actually. Why? Why was this done? Their struggles were retained to help us avoid the same mistakes. Romans 15 verse 4. For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we, through the patience and comfort of the Scripture, might have hope. My objective for today's sermon is for us to learn lessons from the Israelite Exodus.

For those who like titles, the title of today's sermon is Israelite Lessons for Putting Love-in Out of Our Lives. Israelite Lessons for Putting Love-in Out of Our Lives. See, the story of Israel started back when Joseph translated Pharaoh's dream that led to seven years of plenty that helped prepare for seven years of famine. And God used Joseph in an amazing way. He helped save the lives for millions and millions of Egyptians and those in the nations around. And no doubt, at that time and shortly after, Joseph and his family were heroes.

But it didn't take long for Egypt to forget, and they gradually turned into slaves. Friends, do you have problems in your life? Of course. Of course you do. We all do. We all face tests. We all face trials. Now, we can be a little bit lighthearted at a time and look what each other's challenges are and say, you know what?

That wouldn't qualify as a test to me. And there's truth to that because trials are personal. But the key is that Satan knows exactly how to test each of us. What do you do when you have problems in your life? Do you go to God for help? I'm sure you do. A beautiful thing about God is that he always looks out for us and is waiting to help.

Turn next to Exodus 2 verses 23 through 25. The key question is what happens after God has come to our rescue? What happens after? Sadly, we can forget him and his intentions over time. And that's what our forefathers did as well. Exodus 2, starting in verse 23. Now, it happened in the process of time that the king of Egypt died. Then the children of Israel groaned because of the bondage, and they cried out, and their cry came up to God because of the bondage.

So God heard their groaning. God remembered his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God acknowledged them. Heard, remembered, looked upon, acknowledged. The children of Israel have been suffering for a long, long time, and God ultimately heard their pleadings, and they remembered to plead to him and intervened by performing 10 amazing, fantastic, mind-blowing miracles. These miracles proved God's power to Pharaoh, the most powerful ruler at that time. And they convinced this mighty nation to free, as we heard yesterday, millions of slaves that kept their country in power.

It's an amazing story. The miracles were also intended to show all of the children of Israel, us, how determined God was and remained to take us out of Egypt, to deliver us, because there's no way just like the random chance would make the miracles that happened in Egypt. The same is true with the stories of our lives. So what happened after this amazing, supernatural assistance from God? Did Israel obey forevermore and submit to God after they left Egypt? Were the 10 miracles enough to remove all doubt?

Not hardly. It's almost as if the children of Israel took their eyes away from God as soon as they crossed the Red Sea. Or even as soon as Egypt and the army of Pharaoh was out of their sight. Once they lost sight of Pharaoh in the Egyptian army, they felt safe. Their biggest mistake was losing sight of their real enemy in Satan. He quickly began to challenge their confidence in God. Move forward now to Exodus 14 verses 10 through 12. Exodus 14 10 through 12.

The Israelites quickly felt scared again, and their reaction was to want to go back to Egypt. Exodus 14 verse 10. And when Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel lifted their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians marched after them. So they were very afraid, and the children of Israel cried out to the Lord. Then they said to Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness?

Why have you so dealt with us to bring us out of Egypt? Is this not the word that we told you in Egypt, saying, Let us alone that we may serve the Egyptians? Their perceptions were always quite fascinating how they look backwards. For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians that we should die in the wilderness. So despite the fact that children of Israel were abused slaves just days before, they wanted to go back to their abusive masters.

The key concept is to them what was left behind seemed better than their perceptions of what lay ahead. God's miracles and promises had lost their value. Does that happen to us? So what does this have to do with us? As you know, Egypt portrays sin, just like Lebanon does. And God told the Israelites, Come out of Egypt. The same is told to us. You and I are to come out of the world. How are we doing with this? When faced with tests, the people of Israel wanted to go back to Egypt. They wanted to go back to sin. And ironically, the children of Israel never actually left Egypt.

Oh, sure, they left the geographic confines, but they took Egypt along with them. When they left, it was always deep in their heart. And that longing isn't something that we can look in the Bible and say, that's unique to the children of Israel. Their future descendants, all the way up to you and me, face that same test, that same challenge. Turn to 2 Corinthians 6, verse 16 through 18. 2 Corinthians 6, verse 16 to 18.

God, through his prophets, has consistently repeated the same warning to any human that would listen. Come out of Egypt. Leave behind your sinful ways. You find the warning in Jeremiah, in Isaiah, in the prophets, and even in the New Testament. We'll look at a New Testament example. 2 Corinthians 6, verse 16. And what agreement has the temple of God with idols?

For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said, I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Therefore, come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you. I will be a father to you, and you shall be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.

Even in the final book of the Bible, John's inspiration, Revelation, you see the same warning. Turn to Revelation 18, verse 4. Revelation 18, verse 4. See, God felt this message important enough that he wanted to emphasize it from the beginning to the end of the Bible. The same plea. Romans 18, verse 4. And I heard another voice from heaven saying, Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, unless you receive of her place. So what makes leaving sin and learning from the past so difficult? Why do we so easily forget? Our human nature. From this start, God created Adam and Eve with the freedom to choose. And Satan has played on our baser instinct ever since.

Turn to 1 John 2, verse 15 to 17. 1 John 2, 15 to 17. Adam and Eve, their children, the children of Israel. And you and I struggle with this very same thing. We read this verse yesterday, but it's an important one because it frames everything. We struggle with pride, with vanity, with the love of the world. 1 John 2, verse 15. Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it. But he who does the will of God abides forever. It's the most pointed words in the Bible, starting with an absolute command. Do not. Do not love the world or the lusts that are part of it. Why we're given the Feast of Unleavened Bread to remind us.

Why we remove physical loving to remind us we have to remind spiritual. Sure, our houses are unloving. Whether it's about leaving Egypt, as the Israelites did, or you and I staying away from the sins of this world, we have to keep spiritual loving out.

Turn now to 1 Corinthians 5 verses 7 and 8. 1 Corinthians 5 verses 7 and 8.

This is the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. And we spent the last weeks physically preparing. Today our homes are in loving, but how about our hearts? That's what this day is to make sure we've thought deeply on. That's what the Passover also has us thinking on. And that's the question that Paul asked the Corinthians in his next verse, which we reviewed at the Passover. 1 Corinthians 5, starting in verse 7. Therefore, purge out the old loving that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ our Passover was sacrificed for us. Therefore, let us keep the feast not with old loving, nor with the loving of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

For the rest of today's sermon, we will study what happened when Israel left Egypt. And along the way, I hope we can find some important and some relevant lessons that apply to you and me. Putting sin out isn't always an easy job. It's a lifelong struggle.

Oftentimes, we don't even realize we're sinning, because we let ourselves be deceived by our own reasoning along the way. The first sin that Israel showed which we should learn from is taking things for granted.

Taking things for granted. Did you do that? I know I can do that. In hindsight, it's really hard to believe it was possible for Israel since leaving Egypt took some of the most amazing miracles imaginable. Can you imagine? The 10 amazing miracles happening around us and then being taken for granted. No way, right? That is because we weren't there. Let me rephrase that question in a way that may make you rethink it. What miracles has God done in your life which you now take for granted? What miracles has God done in your life that you now take for granted?

What do you have today that you desperately prayed for? Maybe it's a wife, a child, a home, peeling from an illness, a job, some special possession, old age. Do you take any of those for granted? See, once we attain our biggest desires, it doesn't take long for us to take them for granted. Israel did it. They deeply wanted freedom from being slaves in Egypt. The Israelites quickly learned, though, the real challenge was letting Egypt go from their heart. That was different than a physical geography that they could be in or having an oppressor. That sinful desire lingers within us. Why did we do this? Please turn to Exodus 13 verses 21 and 22. Exodus 13. See, what I see personally is it's very easy to look past the story of what we have and then become consumed by what we want next. Anyone join me with that? It's this fascinating struggle. We can feel I'm grateful for being blessed. And I'm very thankful for the things that happened in the past, sure. But I really, really want that next blessing, and I'd like it now, God. When what we want doesn't come when and how we want it, what do we do? We question God.

Exodus 13 starts by showing us that the presence of God wasn't hard for the Israelites to see. It was very evident. Exodus 13 starting in verse 21.

And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so as to go by day and night. He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day or the pillar of fire by night from before the people. Sometimes when the going is tough, we think God has abandoned us. We doubt. Even when there are signs that God is around us, a pillar of fire, we lose faith. And the problem is because we're more focused on our fears.

Our fears cause us to doubt, and then we start to suppose things, the human nature things that starts coming in. And when that starts, then we can be overtaken. We can be victimized by evil thoughts about God or about others. How the mind starts to spin. And we think this way because we want to justify why our way should happen or isn't happening. God, you don't get it.

You've been there.

The human battle that we all face. The lesson from the Exodus is we can't take for granted what God gave us in the past or what He will in the future. Our ways aren't God's ways. We know that that's said multiple times. God promises protection. He promised Israel protection, and He made very clear that He would provide it in a very visible sign in front of them. Go ahead, turn toward one chapter, chapter 14, verse 14, and we'll reflect on this lesson that they saw along their way and how they still continue to forget over and over. Verse 14, chapter 14. So it shall be when your sons ask you in the time to come, saying, what is this that you shall say to them? In other words, we know you're going to forget. Lessons get lost, but here's what you need to remember. By strength of hand, the Lord brought us out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Where do you look when you're scared? The Lord.

What do you rely on to bring you out of your Egypt? Or the bondage Satan has surrounded you? What do we look to? Today, we see a world that's in turmoil. Nations spend their time, spend their money stockpiling arms, and counting on their strength to intimidate others so that they can protect themselves. Man does not know the way to peace. It is very, very clear. And as Christians, it's our responsibility to let God fight our battles. But please understand, this doesn't mean that we throw our hands up in the air and do nothing.

On the contrary, we do everything in our power to overcome Satan's influence and then let God do for us what we can't do for ourselves. Because we can't do it for ourselves. Turn next to 2 Timothy 1, verses 6-7. 2 Timothy 1, verses 6-7. Our forefathers, they didn't have God's Spirit, but they were guided by Christ, who manifested His presence in a pillar of fire, a pillar of cloud, of light. Today, we have the same pillar, but it's within us. We have God's Spirit much better, as we see in this verse. 2 Timothy 1, verse 6. Therefore, I remind you to stir up the gift of God, which is in you, through the laying on of my hand. For God has not given us the Spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. God will fight for us, and there's that big two-letter word, if we do our part. He will lead us through His Spirit if we surrender to Him. But we must let the Spirit work through us. And we often, unwillingly, underestimate God's power.

We underestimate what He can do for us. God can accomplish amazing things through us if we don't take Him for granted. But Israelites did it, and we can struggle with that. Jesus came to reconcile us with the Father. He showed us that God is willing to even sacrifice His Son for us. Turn to Ephesians 3, verse 17-21. Ephesians 3, 17-21. I think Paul does a beautiful job here, capturing this concept for us.

Do we take God's blessings and His promises for granted? Ephesians 3, 17.

That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and the length and the depth and the height to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him, be glory in the Church by Christ Jesus for all generations forever and ever. Amen. Just like our forefathers, some of us don't quite believe God's promises enough. Do our actions show we deeply trust what He says He can do through us?

Not our thoughts. Intellectually, we can get this stuff. Do our actions. Are we willing to put God to the test? Because God wants us to try Him. If our God is willing to produce lice, bloody water, and frogs to free Israel, He'll help you in me. Turn next to John 14 verses 12 through 14. John 14, 12 through 14. And Jesus here made this amazing promise. God performed some amazing miracles to save Israel. Jesus performed some mind-boggling miracles while He was alive on earth. He brought the dead back to life. Now look at what he says in John 14 verse 12. Most assuredly I say to you, he who believes in me, the works that I do, he will do also, and greater works than these he will do, because I go to my Father. And whatever you ask in my name that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in my name, I will do it. Does that verse seem unbelievable to you? It does to me.

We're told we can do greater works than what Jesus does.

Jesus also promised that he will do what we ask in his name if we believe and trust in his will.

Just mind-blowing. But the problem is when we doubt and when we take God for granted.

The problem is when we think our will is more important than God's. Don't do it.

That's when we have our problem. Do we trust God? During the Passover, we read Christ's words in several places in John. And one of the biggest lessons that he was trying to show is we have to have humility. Humility is critical because you can't take things for granted when you're filled with humility. And when we're struggling with it, something has gotten mixed up because we're thinking more on ourselves and vanity starts kicking in. And that's why Jesus taught by washing his disciples feet. If we trust God and do what he tells us, understanding will follow. So catch that.

What has to come first is obedience. It has to come first. Our forefathers failed to obey God, and they quumbled, and they complained, and they took God for granted, and they said, God doesn't understand why would he do something that silly?

Rather than being thankful to him and trusting him, they complained about what they didn't have. They showed a lack of gratitude. And that's the second major sin that we all need to learn from Israel. A lack of gratitude.

This is another leaven that we're supposed to put out of ourselves during this time of year. Turn to Numbers 14 verses 1 through 3. Numbers 14 verses 1 through 3.

See, this lack of gratitude is something that goes very natural with taking God for granted. Complaining and grumbling show a lack of gratitude. They're linked.

One follows the next. Numbers 14 verse 1.

So all the congregation lifted up their voices and cried, and the people wept that night, and all the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron, and the whole congregation said to them, if only we had died in the land of Egypt. You can kind of hear a little five-year-old, ah! If only we had died in the wilderness. 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 have been better for us to return to Egypt? When the children of Israel faced growing pains, it most often showed up as grumbling pains. It's this unique thing that you see throughout the Bible. Do we do this?

Do we focus most on what we have or what we don't have?

Do we think most of our blessings are the things that don't seem fair? How much do you and I grumble?

Most people grumble because they think that something isn't fair or something isn't desirable.

He said life is fair. It's all about perspective. One thing my dad was mentioned, and he brought that up all the time. Positive mindset, perspective. He loved that word. I've heard so many times in my life I guess something has resonated, but it's true. In reality, our lives are very, very blessed.

Turn to Mark 3 verses 32-35. The Israelites were God's people, God's chosen nation. We are God's people. We are spiritual Israel, representing different races and nationalities.

We are God's family in the making. No matter what our health is, no matter what our challenges that we're going through are, that's what Jesus was trying to help people understand. And that's what he points out in this next verse. Mark 3 verse 32. Then a multitude was sitting around him, and they said to him, look, your mother and your brother are outside seeking you. But he answered them, saying, who is my brother or my brother? And he looked around in a circle at those who sat around him and said, here are my mother and my brother. For whoever does the will of God is my brother and my sister and my mother. Did Jesus Christ sees us as his family? Those aren't just words. He believes it. He believed it enough to create the universe for that purpose.

He believed it enough to give his life so that forgiveness could become possible.

Gratitude is about perspective. Gratitude is always about what we're comparing to.

During the Passover, we read a lot of verses where Jesus intentionally comforted his disciples, with love and with hope. God called the disciples and us out of sin, out of our own personal Egypt.

That's what we're supposed to reflect on when we feel that grumbling urge start bubbling up within us. That's perspective. And while Jesus Christ showed these amazing examples of love to all those he came in contact with, he also said that obedience was required.

Love and law go hand in hand. I think that's just something gets lost so much, where people misuse this concept of love. Godly love is governed by the law of God.

Turn to Matthew 13, verse 44. The feast days not only reveal God's plan to us, but His love for all mankind. It's not about us. We must also remember the reason that Christ gave His life for us is this beautiful gift of bringing many sons to glory, not us, bringing many sons and daughters to glory. That is what must prompt anything that we want to grumble about for what's going on in our life each day. Matthew 13, verse 44. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field which a man found and hid, and for joy over it, He goes and so all that He has and buys that field. What is God's kingdom worth to us?

What is God's kingdom worth to us? The Israelites were amazingly glad to be released from Egypt in slavery. That is until they were thirsty and they were hungry and they were scared.

They lost sight of the prize and they grumbled. I read something by a person named Wallace Waddles, and he wisely wrote, The value of gratitude does not consist solely in getting you more blessings in the future. Without gratitude, you cannot long keep from dissatisfied thoughts regarding things as they are. I'll read the last part. Without gratitude, you cannot long keep from dissatisfied thoughts regarding things as they are. Why wasn't that true for Israel? It was so true for what they went through. They were given the impossible. Millions of slaves freed from the hands of the most powerful nation in the world. And it didn't take long, though, for them to become dissatisfied because of their new reality. How about us? Do we do that?

Such a common nature that we have. What's God's calling worth to us? And our answer to that question will impact how we face what life throws at us. It's about perspective. Let me share another quote that I read by a person named William Arthur Ward. He said, Gratitude can transform common days into Thanksgiving. Turn routine jobs into joy and change ordinary opportunities into blessings. Again, so much of life comes down to how we look at it, our perspective. The Israelites were so obsessed by the next challenge, they completely missed the fact that they were living through one of the greatest string of miracles in history.

Whatever has happened in your life, be grateful or you're thinking about the next scary thing in front of you. And we all struggle with that. Turn to 1 Thessalonians 5 verses 17 to 18.

1 Thessalonians 5 verses 17 to 18. We're about to read one of the shortest verses in the Bible.

And thankfulness doesn't show up until the second sentence, but the first sentence is linked and can only happen if you have a grateful mind. 1 Thessalonians 5, 17. Pray without ceasing.

And everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

See, when we pray, we should thank God for what He is and what He does. And that means if we give thanks in everything, we're giving thanks even in the toughest times that we face in life.

Even when things aren't how we want them to be, we're being told to give thanks.

Because God's promises are still sure. And thanking God is something the Israelites didn't do and something we are supposed to learn. That's why we're here during this holiday. Remember, the objective of today's sermon is for us to learn lessons from the Israelites' exodus and to learn about us removing loving from within our lives.

In each experience we've read, there's a lesson. That's why it's put in the Bible.

Turn next to 1 Corinthians 10 and verse 13. 1 Corinthians 10 and verse 13. And that's why I started by saying we all share this human desire to grumble We share the desire to complain. We share the nature of wanting something more in addition.

We all have times when we struggle with what stands in front of us in life.

The thing we need to remember is that God won't let us be tempted beyond our strength.

No matter how scary that thing is in front of us, God promises.

1 Corinthians 10 and verse 13. No temptation has overtaken you except such as common to man. But God is faithful who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able. But with the temptation will also make the way of escape that you may be able to bear it.

No doubt, during this upcoming week of 11 bread, we'll be very careful.

When you go to the store, you're going to look at the label and you're going to say, is that word yeast in any of its forms in there? That's good.

But we must give that same attention to what we say and to what we think.

That's the tricky level. That's the difficult level.

Think back to past feasts. When you find that loving you forgot about, it's always a sillier jacket pocket. Oh, that's right. Two months ago, I put a cracker in my pocket at the restaurant because it looked good. Or, you know, some kind of a chair that something slid behind and now we had a party and that's right. It slipped out of a pocket. Love and often appears in places that we suspect the least.

And similarly, we can succumb to sin without ever realizing we're dealing with it.

That's why we're to learn about taking things for granted or a lack of gratitude.

Now, both of these sins point to the next lesson, which is we must trust God.

We must trust God. Let me give you an interesting irony to kind of position this one.

All of us have ultimately opened a new puzzle, right? You get that box with all the puzzle pieces. We do not open that doubting that will ultimately fit at the end, right?

Why? Why is it that we have more faith in a puzzle fitting together made by some unknown company in Taiwan than we have that the pieces of our life presented by God will fit together in the right way? I mean, you put contrasts and it's all silly, but it's because Christianity is not a mind game. Intellectually, we can get stuff. It's real hard to live stuff. That's the challenge. God is the master puzzle maker. Go back to the puzzle analogy. Even when you put your first couple pieces together, you look at them and they seem to have little to do with the main image of what you're trying to make. You just match two colors because they kind of fit together. But you don't get the big picture of how it all fits together.

I guarantee you the path that God shows wasn't the one the Israelites would have selected.

And it's oftentimes only in completion that we can appreciate the journey that, along the way, seems unusual and just seems random in life. Do you and I let God work with us that long?

Israelites didn't. And it's a challenge. Some people wait for a miracle from God in order to trust Him. All right, God, put the dog. I'll be good to you. You can give me a little something. Actually, all of God's work are miracles. But sometimes, for us to believe, we want God's role in our life to happen on our terms and in our way. Don't we? Turn to Luke 16 verses 27 through 31.

Luke 16, 27 through 31. What we're going to step into is the conclusion of the parable of Lazarus and the rich man. Remember, the rich man had died and was being tormented in Hades.

Meanwhile, the beggar Lazarus was resurrected and blessed. Now notice the ending part. Luke 16 verse 27. Then he, the rich man, said, I beg you therefore, Father, that you would send him, speaking of Lazarus, to my father's house. For I have five brothers that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment. Abraham said to him, They have Moses and the prophets. Let them hear them. And he said, No, Father Abraham, but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent. But he said to them, If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rise from the dead. Isn't that amazing? Even if someone was raised from the dead to give a warning message on the news tonight, the people he sought would still doubt God and not trust him.

It's crazy, but if you reflect back to Israel, to the Exodus, you know the point is true. Israel had the greatest miracles ever done for them, and they doubted God. What about us?

See, the story of Lazarus and the rich man shows that we need to prioritize the value of God's kingdom now, while we have life, while we have opportunity. Receiving human recognition, physical success, worldly power, that's great. But it earns us no right to treasures in the kingdom. We can't trust an earthly riches. God looks to our heart. He looks to our fruits.

Turn next to Exodus 14, verses 13-14. Exodus 14, 13-14. So, as we're going back to the story of the Exodus, I'd like you to reflect on what Moses told the Israelites and what he encouraged them when they were scared, like we get scared. They had the most terrifying army in the world at that time approaching them. And look at how he reassured them, because that's for all of us.

Exodus 14, verse 13. And Moses said to the people, Do not be afraid. Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians, whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace. Remember, the lesson is our need to trust in God. Trusting isn't only needed when we have an army with weapons trying to kill us. I can't remember that ever happening in my life. Moses was saying Israel shouldn't only rely on God when crossing the Red Sea, though, but in every other challenge that they would face in life. And that's what we have to keep in mind, too. So oftentimes, the little challenge is that the heat is up. The calm water where the mind starts taking things for granted. So what do we do to learn from these lessons? Do we rely on all of our problems in all of our trials? Or do we too often lack faith, like our family members all those many, many years ago? Ultimately, it's about where we look for our strength. Turn to Matthew 11 verses 28-30. Matthew 11, 28-30.

The next verse kind of builds on what Moses said. And it's this beautiful promise that Jesus will take the burden from us. That's a big word again, if we trust in him. If Matthew 11 verse 28, Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your soul, for my yoke is easy and my burden is light. Very comforting, especially at those times when we feel weight on us, when we feel heavy laden, right? Beautiful words. We can comprehend this in our head. We can understand. Understanding takes time. And it goes back to that word I said before, understanding comes with obedience. Only obedience helps us understand God's way of thinking. Otherwise, it's intellectual knowledge. And the Bible is just a book.

God has his own unique perspective on the world and everything that happens around us. Just like Isaiah taught us, it's that God's thoughts are not our thoughts and his ways are not our ways. Again, intellectually, we get that, right? Theoretically, we buy in. But when trials come and they face us and we see God leading us in a direction that everything within us screams and says, No! Do we trust? God has his own unique way of teaching us. We may not get it, but we have to trust it. We may not get it, but we have to trust it. Have you ever had the urge to paint blood on your doorposts? Again, the key thing to keep in mind is God's way is always better than ours.

God's wisdom always surpasses our own. And oftentimes, we dictate our will to God. God can make me better and then I'll do this. Rather than letting him do things his way, and letting God do things his way is the true meaning of faith. Another way of defining faith.

Turn to Romans 4, verse 18-22. We're jumping into an example of Abraham here. We're looking into his faith. What made Abraham the father of the faithful? I would argue it's because he let God do things his way. Romans 4, starting in verse 18. Who contrary to hope, in hope, believe. So that he became the father of many nations according to what was spoken, so shall your descendants be. And not being weak in the faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead since he was about 100 years old. And the deadness of Sarah's womb, he did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God and being fully convinced that what he had promised he was able to perform. And therefore, it was accounted to him for righteousness. Abraham didn't argue with God's wisdom, and he had plenty of chances. He could have said, hold on, God, I'm the righteous one. Why am I letting a lot pick which part of this land to live in? He could have said, I waited 100 years for this kid, and now you want me to kill him?

You know, human reasoning. One of the main lessons that we can learn from the Feast of Unleavened Bread is precisely this. We must obey God without questioning his motives.

Obey God without questioning his motives. And the reason that we can obey without question is because we know that God is a gape, and it's understanding what all that means.

The godly a gape involves a way of thinking that involves proper motives. Unlike our motives, a gape involves self-sacrifice and is always expressed in action. That's where we can look around, and we can see that God has shown us his love for us in every way imaginable, and when we were sinners, before we ever reached out and any human did anything for him, he had already set up a way of showing his love for us. And that's why we can obey God without questioning his motives.

Let's look at some examples of this with the Israelites. Turn next to Exodus 15, verse 22-26. Exodus 15, 22-26. Again, God's motives are always based on love. The Israelites didn't understand this, so they constantly complained. They always found fault, because they thought, this doesn't make sense, God, you don't get it. You're coming up the wrong path. Exodus 15, verse 22.

So Moses brought Israel from the Red Sea, then they went out in the wilderness of shore, and they went three days in the wilderness and found no water. Now when they came to Mara, they could not drink the water of Mara, for they were bitter. Therefore the name of it was called Mara, and the people complained against Moses, saying, what shall we drink? So he cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree, and when he cast it into the waters, the waters were made sweet. There he made a statute in their ordinance for them, and there he tested it, and said, there's a word again, if, if you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God, and do what is right in his sight, give ear to his commandments, and keep all of his statues, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord who heals.

Despite all of their complaining and their murmuring, God produced drinkable water through a miracle. Turn forward to chapter Exodus 16, starting in verse 1. And they journeyed from Elam, and all the congregations of the children of Israel came to the wilderness of sin, which is between Elam and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month, after they departed from the land of Egypt. Then the whole congregation of the children of Israel complained against Moses, and they were explaining again. And the children of Israel said to them, O, that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat, now listen to this memory, by the pots of meat, and when we ate bread to the full, and you're talking about what others call it, glasses. Boy, that's the best slavery I've ever heard of, but that's the way they were living. But you have brought us out of this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger. It seems no matter how great of a miracle God provided, the children of Israel lacked confidence in. Do we do that? Now you see why Jesus said in the parable of Lazarus that even if the dead were raised to warn, it would make no difference. And he raised from the dead, and he was raised from the dead, and approved it out again. Next to the 16, we then find some foundational teachings that start happening. He points out the Sabbath, something that they'd lost from all the years in slavery. And again, taught them through those. He revealed that he would bless his people if we do his will. God blesses us as long as our ways are pleasing to him. That's the attitude he's looking for. Now let's start in verse 16. This is the thing which the Lord has commanded. Let every man gather it according, speaking of manna, to each one's needs. One omer for each person according to the number of persons let each man take from those who are in it or for those who are in his tent. Then go to verse 19. And Moses said, let no one leave any of it the next morning, notwithstanding. They did not heed Moses. They did not trust God. But some of them left part of it until the morning and it bred worms and stank. And Moses was angry with them. So they gathered it every morning, every man according to his needs. And when the sun became warm, he was able to take it and when the sun became hot, it melted. The Bible is our instruction book.

It's this brilliant collection of lessons. And the many examples are given to us to avoid the same mistake. But it's hard. I mean, all of us who praise kids know that too. You could point something out and say, don't, don't, I did this, don't. Okay. Did that hurt? Yeah. Do we use the Bible for this purpose? If not, it's just another novel.

And that reminds me of a story my dad was mentioned earlier, a story that he had brought up in the past. And he talked about that once when he's traveling around the world, a lady come up to him and said that she didn't want to let her children read the Bible, because it was full of stories of crime and adultery and so forth. Now realize her children were older. They were plenty old enough to read with understanding. Is that a proper perspective?

She pointed them to 2 Timothy 3, or he pointed the lady to 2 Timothy 3 verse 16 through 17. So go ahead and turn this 2 Timothy 3 16 to 17. This is what he used. And it goes back to the question, should we shelter our family from the Bible or should we learn from it? 2 Timothy 3 verse 16. All scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction, and righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. All scripture is inspired for our learning. The question is if we're willing to learn from it. Unfortunately, it's much harder to apply what we've learned than to simply read about it. That's why life is a journey. That's why it takes so long.

Throughout their history, the Israelites distrusted God. Time and again, that was revealed.

Read the book of Samuel, the king, chronicles, read the warning of the prophet. You don't need to turn there, but it's a sad aspect of our character. Reflect back on when Saul was told in 1 Samuel 15 to wipe out the Amalekites. But he didn't. He kept the king, and he kept the best of the flocks along the way. And then he made it even worse when Samuel hadn't come that he decided to offer a sacrifice to God himself. Saul tried to help him get that, or Samuel did. When Saul finally got it, do you remember what he said? He said, I feared the people and obeyed their voice. In other words, I trusted them more than God. We must obey God without questioning his motives. Hard. To get perspective, compare Saul's attitude to Abraham's, and their stark difference along the way. Abraham trusted God fully without understanding. Why am I going to go kill my kids?

Whereas Saul let himself become convinced by his own false reasoning. And this world is getting more and more corrupt every day, and we're hearing more and more voices telling us and urging us to do things that we shouldn't. It really doesn't matter where we look. The thing everyone alive needs to keep in mind is the importance of God's law. We have to be obedient to God, even if we don't get what he is doing. Turn back to the first book of the Bible. It goes all the way back to then.

Genesis 3 in verse 6. Israel wanted to be free. The problem is that they wanted to be free based on their own rules. Saul wanted the freedom to conquer the countries around him in the way he saw best. The struggle goes all the way back to Adam and Eve. It's human nature. Is it too difficult to understand that God's laws are best path to freedom? Or do we always think that we know a better way? When we want our way, we are choosing to become slaves to a carnal. And that's the lesson that goes back to Israel. But it even goes back to Genesis. Genesis 3 in verse 6. So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eye, and desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.

See, whether we feel the urge to take things for granted or to be ungrateful, the core lesson of the Exodus is we have to trust God.

The core lesson. And you see the changes in morality that's all around us in the world.

You see the wars, you see the tension. We're living in difficult times, and if we believe the Bible, it will only get more challenging. The point of the Exodus and the Feast of Unleavened Bread is to help us become closer to God than before, and in every situation striving to trust God more.

That's easier said than done. I'm sitting here speaking to myself. Israel didn't think about God's will, and as a result, they never saw the promised land. The majority of them. We need to search for God's will and submit to it at all times.

Turn to 1 Corinthians 6, verse 19-20. 1 Corinthians 6, verses 19-20.

A key lesson that was missed by the Israelites is we don't belong to ourselves. This is another verse that was read at the past of them. Important verse.

No sacrifice of ours can ever equal what Christ did for us.

And so as a result, if we're truly converted, we are to surrender to God because we're no longer our own. 1 Corinthians 6, verse 19. Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own, for you were bought at a price. Therefore, glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.

We were bought at a price. We are not our own. Do you think the Israelites understood them? I certainly don't.

After all, you can tell because they didn't glorify God in their body and in their spirit.

What it says.

Sure, God still blessed them, but it wasn't because of anything they did. God blessed them because of who they were. They were his chosen nature, because of who he was, Agape, and because of his plan bringing many sons to glory. I'd like to finish this thought by having you turn to Matthew 7, verses 21-23.

Matthew 7, 21-23.

Sometimes we use words rather than actions to show our belief in God.

And it takes more than just keeping God's feasts to truly be Christian.

Remember what Christ warned you. Matthew 7, verse 21.

Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father in heaven. Many will say, and look what they'll say, things that I can't say, will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name, cast out demons in your name, and done many wonders in your name?

And then I will declare to them, I never knew you, depart from me, you who practice lawlessness.

In closing, I'd like to briefly examine a parable of Christ.

And it pertains to the kingdom of God. Change the kingdom of God. So if you will turn a few chapters forward to Matthew 20, starting in verse 1. Matthew 20, starting in verse 1. See, the Israelites were promised a new land.

They were promised a land filled with milk and honey. What in the world does that mean? It means a land filled with abundance.

The opportunity to experience many, many blessings. You and I are promised something even more amazing.

Because of their unbelief, their constant lack of conviction, their lack of gratitude, and the fact they doubted God, they never entered their promised land.

We have in front of us an even more special land. And if we obey, we are able to inherit eternity.

Let's learn from this parable here. Matthew 20, verse 1. For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyards. Now, when he had agreed with a laborer for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyards.

Now, you know the parable, and he continues with this pattern. He can select people the third hour, the sixth hour, the ninth hour, the eleventh hour. Continue in verse 8.

So, when evening had come, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, call the laborers and give them their wages, beginning with the last to the first.

And when those who came who were hired about the eleventh hour, they each received a denarius. But when the first came, they supposed, remember the danger of supposing, that they would receive more, and they likewise received each a denarius. And when they had received it, they complained against the landowner, saying, these last men have worked only one hour, and you made them equal to us who have borne the burden in the heat of the day. But he answered one of them and said, friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what is yours and go your way.

I wish to give to this last man the same as to you. Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things? Or is your eye evil because I am good? So the last will be first in the first last, for many are called to put a few chosen. We get this concept that salvation is a free gift from God. Right? We get that. It's up to God to give it to whomever he pleases, in whatever manner or condition he pleases, and whatever time he pleases. Each of us can learn that in different ways in our life. Each of us, even if you look at this in the time period of compare it with Paul. Paul would have those Paul's time, the Gentiles would have looked at this and they would have said, ah yes, we are the ones who are coming later. The Jews were the first ones hired. And that would be true because the Gentiles came after the Israelites for the calling. Christ never said this to Gentiles. We can apply this in our minds and say, yes, in the last time there will be those of us who spend a lifetime and there will be others called during the tribulation.

No matter how it's personalized, the lesson is that God can divvy up the blessings of the kingdom as he sees fit. The most important thing for us to remember is God wants us to succeed.

We can get bent out of shape over silly things. What do we bicker about in this congregation? I don't know. I don't want to know. But it's just, what do we bicker about?

The most important thing is to keep in mind that God wants us to succeed and he wants us all to succeed. He gives us all the help we need, but we must do our part. Our part is to put sin out of our life. And with the help of God's Holy Spirit, we can succeed at this. But our part is also to trust God and not complain and not murmur. Are we happy with God's denouries?

Or do you want something else to be happy? As we close the sermon, I ask you, how much have you come out of Egypt for sin? That's ethereal. Let's make it a little more direct. How much have you grown spiritually since last passage? Are you closer to God? And if not, why? What are the reasons or the circumstances? Conclusion. Turn to Matthew 5 verses 43 through 48. Matthew 5, 43 to 48.

Israel's journey started with God performing 10 mind-blowing miracles, pillar of fire leading them along the way as they left Egypt. They physically left, but they continued to return mentally to Egypt. Our journey starts with us learning to obey the letter and keeping the meaning, the technical requirements of the law. But over time, we see the complexity of living the spirit and the depth of the law. Do our actions rise above what we find from Israel? Matthew 5 verse 43. You have heard that it was said, You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemy, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. For he makes his Son rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? Therefore, you shall be perfect or become mature or complete, just as your Father in heaven is perfect. Over the course of this feast of Unleavened Bread, I hope we all are able to grow even closer to the standard that God sets.