The Journey Out Begins

I titled my sermon for this afternoon, the journey out begins. The journey out begins. This is the day of sort of that beginning of that journey. It actually began last night in ancient Israel. You know, when we look at the plan of God, I I've been contemplating this idea. You know, I've been contemplating this idea because I've been talking about this arc that that is this over it's the overarching plan of God as we see it unfold from the very beginning to the very end from Genesis chapter 1 all the way through Revelation chapter 22.

I look at how that arc of God's plan is folding out for us individually. Each of us has a story also. And there's an arc to the story of your journey. There's an arc to the story of my journey. It isn't the same. My journey isn't yours. How often have we found ourselves wondering where are we going next here? What what's what's coming up next? You're in the middle of something that's difficult and you might pause and think, I don't know what you're doing here, God. I I know you love me.

I know you care. It must be for my good. I have to remember that there's a destination that we're headed to. God knows that destination. If I if I step back far enough, I can see it. It is the kingdom. I can see that on that journey is a role for the first fruits and there's an arc for the path of the first fruits. we see the the overall arc, but each of us has our our own journey.

And and in part, that's somewhat a little bit of the message of the days of unleven bread, our individual journey. I didn't go to your home and remove leaven. You had to do that yourself. Each of us has our own journey. I've been thinking a lot about that. And I've been contemplating that God knows the path for each of us there.

We'll probably get to there at some point, but it's just on my mind by way of introductory comments. There's a there's a point in in Israel's journey coming out of Egypt in which the scripture simply says God did not lead them this way. He led them in a way that they did not understand and did not expect. You know, we're human beings.

I think most of us I think about the way that I drive someplace. I don't take the diversion route. I'm going directly there. You know, if there's a scenic route, no, like that's for a day when we just want to go driving. You do the scenic route on that day. But when I'm going somewhere, let's go. And potty stops, no.

What do we do that for that just stalls and delays the process? We got to get there. That's the way my mind works. And so, if I had to choose for myself how we'd get to the end, you know, I'd probably choose the straight route. But then of course I'll make mistakes and if I use that same driving analogy, I might have not topped the car up all the way on gas and now I have to I have to find a diversion to solve that problem.

Or maybe I forgot to bring a spare tire and I've got a weak one and I might have to deal with that problem. Or when was the last time I got an oil change and I hear some knocking happening there and I maybe I have to deal with that. See, we we create a lot of problems that God's there with us to help us solve.

So, our path isn't necessarily the straight and narrow path, but as I think about, you know, God is a God who plans. He had a plan for Israel in leaving Egypt. He knew what he wanted. He knew where he wanted to take them. It's interesting that he lays out this plan, this arc in as we've explored through books like going through Genesis and Exodus so far as we've done that God un he moves along that arc in what I have just called movements because to me it just kind of makes sense for my brain movements within the story. There's a

there's movements within this story of Israel leaving Egypt. And of course, there's movements within our journey coming out of sin, heading to our final destination. And of course, we saw we see in Exodus 12 that that movement began over in or in Israel begins in Exodus 12. So, I do probably want to start there.

I haven't looked forward in my notes, so maybe I'm going to the wrong place, but this is where God outlines essentially the components or the movements of his plan. He begins with Passover. Clear instructions about a lamb. Its blood has to be spilled. It has to be put onto the doorpost and over the lentil in order to spare the Israelites from the death angel, which is the final plague which is going to come upon Isra or Egypt.

If they don't do that, there's no salvation for them. It's death. We go from that. We we move further from that. we get to the the the day portion of the 14th. If you remember the way Genesis lays out a day, it is the evening in the morning. And so a day begins at sunset and it ends at sunset the next day. So we go through the night first, then we go through the day.

Passover begins on the 14th at evening, which is what we did on Tuesday night. The day portion of that, Israel was preparing to leave. We get to the night portion of the 15th and the last night and Israel is told it's time to go and they begin to leave at night. We'll we'll walk through these different elements as we walk through as you walk through Exodus 12.

You you see different things that God outlines that will be observed in the future. He'll make those clear and we're going to walk through those things as well today. So, for example, removing leaven from your home and then un having unleavened bread for seven days. All of those things are outlined also for us in Exodus 12 before Israel ever had to do any of that.

They're going to live out for us in real time things they have no idea about. God does not pause to tell the Israelites what every single thing means spiritually. They're going to go through it and we get to learn from it as it's been preserved for us in the pages of our Bibles. So God gives though through this chapter, he gives us steps in a sequence that lead somewhere.

And you're going to see that God the story of Israel fleeing Egypt is not Israel fleeing Egypt. That's a component of the story. But if the story ended there, it would be a fairly short story. God gets them out of Egypt and he lets them just go wherever they want to go. And cue the end credits. But that's not how the story ends.

It isn't that he's just taking them out of Egypt. He's also taking them to somewhere. This is the ark of our journeys as well. We're not just being called out of the world. There's a destination for us. that God's going to lead each and every one of us on. So, if we're going to follow that order carefully, we have to begin where God begins.

Passover is the first movement on this ark. Exodus 12 6 and 7, it says, "Now you shall keep it." speaking of the lamb. Verse 5 says, "Your lamb shall be without blemish, and this is the lamb that is set apart on the tenth." Then we get to verse six and it says, "Now you shall keep it, that is the lamb, until the 14th day of the same month.

Then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at twilight." It was a beautiful moment for us here in in Tacoma as we sat here looking outside right at the moment we were reading this scripture to see twilight. What it looked like for Israel is what it looked like for us as we kept Passover this year.

At the very moment we're reading the scripture at twilight. We were at twilight. And it says here, "And they shall take," in verse 7, "they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lentil of the houses where they eat it." Israel's journey out of Egypt started with a lamb being killed. It didn't begin with blood being put on the doorpost.

It began with the lamb being killed. Now, the blood mattered because it showed that a life had already been given. That lamb died before the blood could be put on the doorposts and on the lentil. That blood was placed there to show how protection began with the lamb sacrificed and a people obeying God's command. verses 12 through13.

We're still in chapter 12 where it says here in verse 12, "For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast, and against all the gods lower G of Egypt. I will execute judgment. I am the Lord." And it says in verse 13 here, it says, 'Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt. What I'd like for you to do with

me today as we walk through these passages is to be deliberate about calling forth in your mind the spiritual application of each of these things. Contemplate when he says these things about physical Israel. What does that mean for me spiritually? The blood is what he emphasizes. Now the death happened, the blood has meaning.

We know what that meaning was because we just partook of it during Passover. That shed blood is what spares our life and gives us salvation. It indicates the death that already happened of the lamb who paid the price for our sins. And I want you to notice here that they're still in Egypt when all of this happens.

They're still in the place where they had been slaves. This is going to come out and it should be somewhat dramatic for us to contemplate. Where is Israel right now when the lamb dies in Egypt in slavery trapped? Apply that mentally, briefly in your mind. Spiritually, where did God call us? Where were we? What had happened before that calling happened for us? The correlary is unmistakable.

Verses 21- 23. Verse 21. Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel and said to them, "Pick out and take lambs for yourselves according to your families and kill the Passover lamb. And you shall take a bunch of hissup, dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and strike the lintil on the doorpost.

" So first we had the command and now we have the obedience to the command. You're to take that blood and strike the lentil of the two doorposts and with the blood that is in the basin. None of you shall go out of the door of his house until morning. Verse 23. For the Lord will pass through to strike the Egyptians.

And when he sees the blood on the lentil and on the two doorposts, the Lord will pass over the door and not allow the destroyer to come into your houses to strike you. So this is the starting point for coming out of sin, isn't it? It began with this Passover lamb sacrificed and that obviously pointed forward 1 Corinthians chapter 5 and verse 7.

1 Corinthians chapter 5 and verse 7. It says, "Therefore, purge out the old leaven that you may be a new lump since you truly are unleavened." Period. For indeed, Christ our Passover was sacrificed for us. The lamb in Exodus 12 was sacrificed for ancient Israel. For each of those families, a lamb's life was required.

And for us, Christ is our Passover, sacrificed for our lives. Salvation to pay the penalty for our sins. So Paul makes this connection very plain. That Passover lamb pointed directly to Jesus Christ. And so just like Israel being spared because that lamb died first, our journey out of sin begins because Christ died first for us. That means the starting point is not our effort.

The ark of our story doesn't begin with us deciding where we're going. It begins with God sacrificing his son for us. Our obedience follows that. Romans chapter 5. Romans chapter 5:es 8 and 9. where it says, "But God demonstrates his own love toward us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

While Israel were still slaves in Egypt, a lamb died to save them. And while we were still sinners in this world, Christ died for us to save us. Much more then verse 9 says, "Having now been justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him." That phrase, "While we were still sinners," connects our calling back to the beginning of the ark.

As I said, Israel was still in Egypt when the lamb was killed. And in that same way, Christ died for us while we were still in sin. So God did not wait for us to get our lives in order, to figure out what we're supposed to be doing, and to live right on our own. He gave us the path out before we knew anything about it.

And of course, Hebrews chapter 9 reminds us that there is no remission of sins without blood. Hebrews 9:22. And according to the law, almost all things are purified with blood. And without shedding of blood, there is no remission. That's talking about us. Our sins are still our sins unless Christ's blood applies to them, his sacrifice.

So, so Passover comes first in the ark because the penalty had to be dealt with before the journey could begin for ancient Israel and for us. First came the sacrifice, then the blood, then God's protection, and only after that was Israel able to leave Egypt, but not yet. So God gives instructions. It's interesting to note that some of God's instructions were given because, not because they did them in real time.

Trying to imagine how Israel would have done this. I'm going to back to Exodus 12 trying to picture in my mind how would they have done this command in real time but it is the command exodus 12:1 15 days you will eat unleavened bread on the first day you shall remove leaven from your houses for whoever eats leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day that person shall be cut off from Israel You know what? Stop with me and think about this.

This is an instruction about what will happen during the days of unleavened bread later when they would keep these days. What are they doing on the very first time around? Are they deleing their homes? Did Israel pause and did they all go through their homes to get all the leving out of the homes they were leaving that night? This is about God us remembering if we look forward.

This is about us remembering what God did. But Israel, this is why this is important for us. Israel lived this in real time. We get to look back and see what they experienced and then put the math together that they never had an opportunity to do. They were just reacting in real time to what do we have to do right now? Get up. Get packed.

Get out. No time for you to prepare leavened bread. You're leaving. What did Pharaoh say when he woke up in the middle of the night and realized his his own son had died and all the firstborn of Egypt had died? Did he say, "You know what? This is going just fine." He called Moses and said, "Get out right now. Get out.

" We can easily try to apply that too soon. That was the command. Get out. Now there's a process. God doesn't say, "Okay, everybody, start leaving Egypt right now. Just whenever you feel like it." There's a process. Now I want you to notice here Leviticus chapter 23. Again, this all points forward.

Leviticus chapter 23:es 4-8 says, "These are the feasts of the Lord, holy convocations which you shall proclaim at their appointed times, and on the 14th day of the first month at twilight is the Lord's Passover." Israel had just kept that. The death angel comes at midnight. All the firstborn are killed except for those people, the Israelites, who had put the slain lamb's blood on their doorposts and on the lentil.

And it says here, "Then on the 15th day of the same month is the feast of unleaven bread to the Lord. Seven days you must eat unleavened bread." That's the same language we read in Exodus 12 earlier. And it says here verse 7, "And on the first day you shall have a holy convocation. You shall do no customary work on it.

" Verse 8, "But you shall offer an offering made 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 it's very clear that moving forward the first day of unleven bread is a holy convocation requiring no survile work to be done. Therefore let's think about this when was the leaven to be removed moving forward.

It says on the 15th day we read in Exodus on the first day you shall remove leaven. But we just read in Leviticus 23 that's a holy day. So do we remove levan on the holy day? Well, it says no survi work shall be done. So, we have to have that done before the holy day. Several Hebrew scholars actually argue that the phrase is better translated in Exodus as by or before the first day, not on the first day.

That's an important distinguish point to distinguish. We don't dele on the first day of unleavened bread. We are deleeded by or before that day arrives. But you know as well as I do that that is not a small process, is it? Deleavening itself isn't a small process. You're going to go through and you're going to look for all that leavenning and you're going to clean it all out.

And so it's that's not an easy process. Let's go back now and notice verse let's go let's just touch on this to see what I was talking about now about what it means here that this needs to be done by the first day. We're go back to Exodus 12 19. Exodus 12:1 19 says, "For seven days, no leaven shall be found in your houses. Since whoever eats what is leavenvened, that same person shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he is a stranger or a native of the land.

" That's how important that was, that it be done and be done correctly when God said by or before the first day. So, we've all done that, haven't we? It's done. I mean, that doesn't mean we've done it perfectly. You know as well as I do, you've had that experience where you found that weird sandwich.

You found that that strange meal left in the freezer. You had no idea. You missed it when you were deleing and there it is. It's like I can imagine finding like a shepherd's pie. Not a shepherd's What's the other one that I like Beck with the breading on the pot pies. Make a pot pie with that crust on there. It's one of my favorites.

You freeze the extra. It's in there. You're gonna find that some point, right? So, that's a or the worst is you're going to find the bag of um chicken nuggets, fish sticks. You had it. You thought you had it, right? And then you open it up and you're in the middle of the days of unleavened bread and it's staring at you, mocking you.

And right here, you missed me. We've all been there. I want I want our new family to know it's going to happen 100%. And you will repent and you will get it out and you will just live with it and you'll do the same thing as the rest of us. You'll just go, "Wow, lesson learned. Should have been more careful.

" All right. So the next this next step though of deleing is what we're seeing here that this is the step that happens after Passover. We have to delegate. What does levaven represent? Mr. Spy in our sermon at reminded us briefly, leaven correlates directly to sin. It is what the symbol represents. But when during the days of unleavened bread, I just want to be clear, leaven isn't evil, right? You don't you don't have to for for 51 weeks out of the year, you don't have to also get rid of it. It's not evil. It's just levan. But

during these days, the leavenan symbol symbolizes sin. And so for these days, it takes on that meaning and it permeates. And if you want a fun reminder of that, go listen to Mr. Gothol's sermon from last year where he talked about this and him and his brother and the whole thing that happened with the leving there and the thing that got away from him.

That's just it's a very entertaining story. And if you don't want to wait to go home and watch that, just ask him about it after services today. It's quite funny. All right. So, Deuteronomy. Now, let's go to Deuteronomy 16. Let's notice another detail here. So, I'm saying that God's arc here.

We're following this arc and it began with Passover and it moved from Passover into deleing. Now, ancient Israel didn't have to do that step because they were going to get out of dodge real soon. But as I said before, they were doing it in real time. Okay. So now Deuteronomy 16:es 3 and 4. It says, "You shall eat no leaven bread with it.

Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread with it." That is the bread of affliction. For you came out of the land of Egypt in haste, that you re may remember the day in which you came out of the land of Egypt all the days of your life. So, did we have uh unleavened bread last night? Well, we did where we were. I'm sure you did where you were.

We bring in the days of unleaven bread with unleavened bread. So, what's the point of eating unleaven bread? It's that nudge. It's that reminder that Christ is the unleavened bread. And our lives need to take that in every single day. If during the days of unleavened bread, you would eat bread, you eat unleavened bread.

And that is your symbol of what that that points to the reality of Jesus Christ. All right? Just wanted to make that very clear so that if you happen to be somebody who doesn't eat bread and you forgot to buy unleaven bread or you were guilting yourself over the fact that I really need to put bread into my diet all of a sudden, let's go with principle and evaluate the command and know that you're doing it. Okay.

Now here in Deuteronomy 16:es 3 and 4 where we read this command that no leaven shall be seen among you in all your territory for seven days. We realize that God first told us to get the leaven out. That's the first step. Christ dies. First thing you need to do, get the leaven out. Our Passover was slain the night before.

What do we do the day of? Get the leaven out. Think about that spiritually. What does that look like? What does that mean? You were called. Christ died for you. You wake up one day and you realize it. The first thing God expects for you is to recognize that your life previously was lived in opposition. Get the sin out right now. Look at your life.

Identify where the sins are and get them out. That's what the whole purpose of step two is in this arc that we're following. Now, we read already. You're going to get a good dose of this today because we're going to go back to 1 Corinthians 5. It's impossible not to to to consider what Paul's words are here. Mr.

Spy read verse 8. Earlier, I read verse 7. We'll read them together again. 1 Corinthians 5 because I want you to see the weight of what's being said. Five verses seven and 8 together. Purge out the old levan. Purge. The word purge means clean out completely. Robertson's word picture says that purge, this word purge, this that's used here comes from quote a tense of urgency.

Do it now and do it effectively. This is what Paul is telling the church at Corenth in the context of the days of unleven bread. This shows the application. Then after Passover, we begin to deal with sin in a direct way. We look at our lives. We identify what is not supposed to be there and we get it out. So what are we going to see if we really look at our lives? Well, we might be able to see habits right away.

Maybe we see attitudes. Maybe it's just behaviors. Whatever it is, it's at this moment that God says, "Now's the time to stop and take a look." First thing you need to do is identify what's wrong and stop doing it. So, this is how the process works spiritually for us. Christ died for us. The next thing we did was we started getting the sin out because that step builds directly on Passover. So this is the second step.

It's about recognizing and taking action about those sins sins which are contrary to God. This calling that we've been given. The third movement, the third step is that after Passover and after the leavenan is to be removed, the next step begins at sundown on the 15th, which we marked last night. The beginning of the journey out.

So, we had the end of their time in Egypt. Now, we have the beginning of the journey out. Exodus again, chapter 12. Let's uh let me see here. Verse I'm going to begin here in verse 40. It says, "Now the sojourn of the children of Israel who lived in Egypt was 430 years. And it came to pass at the end of the 430 years, on that very same day, it came to pass that all the armies of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt.

It is a night, verse 42, it is a night of solemn observance to the Lord for bringing them out of the land of Egypt. This is that night of the Lord, a solemn observance for all the children of Israel throughout their generations. So the focus of that night is first on what God did in leading them to the place where they could come out of Egypt.

He began to bring them out on this evening. Israel didn't leave on their own. They could not leave on their own. So it took God to act on their behalf. And this night was to be remembered because it marked the beginning of God's taking that action. It is the night of vigilance and watching. Deuteronomy again, let's go back to Deuteronomy 16.

Notice that their journey began at night. Verse one, Deuteronomy 16, it says, "Observe the month of Abib." And I may not be pronouncing that right. I don't I think it's Abib. could be Abib. When Mr. Spy said Abib earlier, I thought maybe I've been saying that wrong. Probably have. It says, "Observe the month of Abib and keep the Passover to the Lord your God.

For in the month of Abib, the Lord your God brought you out of Egypt by night." Now, we know the Passover was on the night of the 14th. Did they come out of Egypt that night? Well, they were specifically commanded not to leave their homes that night. So we know they did not leave that night. And so this is not talking about the 14th.

This is talking about the night of the 15th. The next night they had to prepare bread. And as we could have read, probably should have read here. Let's look over here in verse back at Exodus 12 where it says in verse 39, "And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough which they had brought out of Egypt, for it was not leaven because they were driven out of Egypt and could not wait for what? For it to puff up, nor had they prepared provisions for themselves." So they left in haste.

Get out. And they did. but not until they had plundered and done the things that they were commanded to do to prepare to leave first. Now, let's go over to Numbers 33:3. All right, Numbers 33, uh, beginning in verse, I'll start here in verse two. says, "Now Moses 33:2, now Moses wrote down the starting points of their journeys at the command of the Lord, and these are their journeys according to their starting points.

" Verse three, they departed from Ramsy's in the first month, on the 15th day of the first month. On the day after the Passover, the children of Israel went out with boldness in the sight of all the Egyptians. So, we know when they left, on the 15th. We read in Deuteronomy 33 that it began at night. We don't count the day's night portion after the day. We count it before.

And so they began on the night of the 15th, which was last night for us. So this confirms the order of things. Passover came first, then the day portion of the 14th when they were commanded to remove leaven, though for Israel, what leaven do you remove when you're leaving? But the command was given then about how unleavened bread would be kept moving forward.

And then it is confirmed to the Levites in Leviticus 23. This is how it will be observed. This is how we observe it. Then they left on the 15th. So this night stands as the turning point when Israel went from being slaves to being free. They're not free yet, but the journey now to being free is started. Exodus, we're still here in Exodus chapter 12.

Let's Oops, we're not still I'm going back. I'm going back. Exodus 12. Couple of things to note here. Verses uh 31-33. We notice I I mentioned this earlier, but we'll read it. It says, "Then he, that is Pharaoh, called for Moses and Aaron by night." Now, which night is this? Well, we know this is the 14th. Okay, this is still the night of the 14th.

And he says to them, "Rise and go out from among my people, both you and the children of Israel, and go serve the Lord as you have said." And it says, ' And take your flocks and your herds as you have said and be gone and bless me also. And the Egyptians urged the people that they might send them out of the land in haste. For they said, "We shall all be dead.

" So the Egyptians were anxious for the Israelites to leave as soon as possible, which meant the next night. We already read here, but if you want to, let's look here. We're in verse, we're still in chapter 12. Vers 34 says, "So the people took their dough before it was leavened, having their kneading bowls bound up in their clothes and on their shoulders, which indicates this urgency to leave, to get out right now.

" But it also shows they were ready to go because they'd kept the Passover. They had done what God had said, and when they were told to leave, they were they were ready to leave. And of course that's the meaning of the observance itself being ready. Think about the spiritual application for us. Christ died for us after we were called.

We recognize that. We realize that and we began to identify where sin is in our life. The leavenan that we remove, we begin to leave. We begin to become vigilant about that that night and prepared for what? for the journey that God has now called us to take. That's what last night pictures too, us being ready to take that journey spiritually.

Luke 12 gives us the same sense here of this kind of urgency we need to have about our calling. Luke chapter 12 verses 35 and 36. Christ says here, "Let your waist," verse 35, "let your waist be girded and your lamps burning, and you yourselves be like men who wait for their master when he will return from the wedding, that when he comes and knocks, they may open to him immediately.

" That's the sense of urgency that we need to have about our calling. We do wait for Jesus Christ to return, don't we? And when he returns, I want to be ready to answer the call as a first fruit. I don't want to be amongst those whose lamps are not trimmed with oil because I don't have any. I let mine burn out and I didn't refill it and I have no supply left.

Which is the lesson of the 10 virgins, isn't it? Again, that's a part of that same imagery of the urgency and the sense we need to have of being ready all the time, trimming our lamps, but having the extra oil that we need. The view we need to have then is that this is temporary. If I'm going to be prepared for what's coming next, then I have to have the view that I can walk away from this just like Israel did.

When God says it's time to go, it's time to go. We cannot be so attached to this life and this world that when that time comes, we look back like Lot's wife with longing to what we're supposed to leave behind. We go. This life to us should mean nothing. I don't mean the people. I mean the things what we did, how we lived every day.

Just eating and breathing and getting up and going to bed. That was what we were required to do. But what we should be looking forward to is where we're going. Christ coming and knocking at the door and us getting up ready to answer it. We are awake spiritually. That's what that's about. So now the fourth movement here, the fourth point is they left Egypt behind.

You notice the first night they didn't get out all the way of Egypt. They started here. We are on the day portion of the 15th and you know where Israel wakes up? still in Egypt. They'd moved but not all the way out. The the journey begins in earnest when we wake up on the day like right now today on the day portion of the 15th.

This is the first day of unleaven bread. It is the first day of our journey out of our former way of life. That's what this day pictures. We are now making those deliberate steps out. We're walking that journey. The night before, that's about urgency. Get up, move, get going. Today, it's about recognizing we have taken the first steps.

It's time to keep moving. We have a journey we've started on. We got to keep going. That's what this day is about. So, they truly did depart. Let's go back to Exodus 12. We read this earlier in verse 41. And it came to pass at the end of the 430 years. That very same day it came to pass. We read in Deuteronomy that that happened at night at the beginning of the 15th.

Came to pass that all the armies of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt. But they didn't get all the way out. They just started. That's what began the night of the 15th. But it was a real departure. And we read from Numbers 33:3 that they had departed from Ramsy's on the 15th day. We read from Deuteronomy that that began at night.

And then God tells them to remember the day because it marks when their choice became a reality. Their choice to obey. Same as us. For us, we remember we're looking at the spiritual application. So what does this mean for us? We've made a choice too to come out, to keep going. God has a destination for us. for us.

What does that look like? Romans chapter 6. Couple of points for you to consider here. Romans chapter 6. You know, if you think about it, did Israel's life look different when they left Egypt than when it was when they were in Egypt? Oh, yeah. You remember the complaining where they talked about how we had it so good in Egypt? No, it it it changed.

There's no question about it. But they're a stiff necked people. And so the lesson was slow to come around for them. But here we are in Romans chapter 6 and verse4. It says, "Therefore, we were buried with him through baptism unto death. Our old man died. that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

That's what this day for us pictures. We our journey out. It's we're going to a new life. Our old life, we're leaving that behind. A new life lies in front of us. And Paul uses this word walk because it implies this steady movement. It's not a sprint. It's not a run. It's a walk. Steady. Keep going. One step right after another.

And so this is what Israel began to do on this day. And Paul then explains to us over in chapter 12 of Romans what God's expectation is for us spiritually something that Israel just could not do as a physical people. Romans 12 the first two verses he says I beseech you therefore brethren by the mercies of God.

Verse one, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. Present your bodies means to choose how we live. You present your body. You choose. So, choose this is what he says. That's a deliberate decision to live differently. And Paul calls this our reasonable service.

That's a strange word. That that's a strange set of words in the English here. Reasonable service. Like if you were to try to just process that it's strange in this concept because if you understand what the Greek is saying, it's not it doesn't come out the same. It means it is the right and logical response according to God.

Reasonable service means rational decision according to God. Now step back with that and and then and then reread that. He says, "Present your bodies deliberate choice to present yourself to choose this way of life a living sacrifice." By the way, when in the Bible did a sacrifice live? Yeah. Answer is never. Sacrifices die.

But you're to be a living sacrifice. So your sacrifice isn't blood. It's change. Present yourself a living sacrifice which is holy and acceptable to God. How is it acceptable to God? Because he says it is your rational choice. After everything that I have done for you, this is what I expect to see from you.

It's the only rational thing you should do. Nothing else would make sense to God. Now verse two, he says, "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." Well, we know what it means to be conformed to something, which is to form oursel around it. Like a mold, if you have a mold and you pour something into it, it takes the shape of the mold.

Don't take on the shape of the world is the visual imagery here. Don't go back to Egypt. Don't try to mimic what Egypt did. And what did Israel do while Moses is up receiving the law on tablets of stone and then writing the book of the covenant? Israel is down doing what Egypt did, taking on the form, conforming to Egypt by creating a golden calf in the image of the false gods of Egypt.

He says, "Don't be conformed to this world." Means we stop following the same patterns that we've been called out of. We do not let the world around us set our direction, give us our purpose, drive our motivations. We leave that world behind. We have to think differently and make different choices. And so for us, this should be where the journey becomes real, making those different choices.

beginning our journey today making different choices. Some of us have been making those different choices for many decades. Some of us are at the front end of that making different choices. This is what this day pictures. Obviously, this does not mean that the journey is finished. Israel had left on this day.

They actually walk out of Egypt. They leave Egypt behind on the 15th, the day portion. It's interesting to think about that because that's not the point of why God brought them out of Egypt was to just get them out. I'm going to get you out and I'm taking you somewhere. That's that beautiful imagery to me of the journey we're on.

We're not just called out of sin. We're called to go someplace. Where are we going? where God has in mind for us to go to be in his family. The whole purpose of his calling of his creation of mankind that ark to dwell with his people and we get to do that when Christ returns as first fruits. So this day then adds something important to this ark.

The night to be observed marked the beginning of the journey, but the first day of unleven bread marks the first day when they fully walked out and left Egypt behind. That's what this day pictures for us. So, we're not just preparing to change. That was yesterday's work. By identifying the things that we needed to remove, today we begin the change.

That's what this is about. Which brings us to our last point. It's impossible to please God without his Holy Spirit, without the sacrifice of Christ and changing, taking him in. This was the point I was trying to make about unleaven bread. No, there's not a command to eat unleavened bread every single day of the seven days.

But there's the idea of what that means. When we eat that unleavened bread, when we would eat bread, this is what it's about. It's about completing the journey, continuing from here every single day for the rest of our lives until Jesus Christ returns. Staying with our commitment to change, to go where God has called us to go.

Interesting point, and this is what I want to tie in here as we begin to wrap up. You know, God had called Abraham out of this world. I'm going to go back to Exodus chapter 13. But before there, I'm just going to give you a reminder. God had called Abraham out of this world and made a covenant with him.

He passed that covenant down to his son Isaac and down to his son Jacob. From there, he formalized that covenant with Israel after he delivered them from Egypt. He found his people in slavery. He sacrificed a lamb for them, spared their lives, showed them the way out, helped them to leave. All corlaries to our spiritual journey.

All of that Israel knew because Moses had told them that they were going to the promised land. Do you think Israel understood that? not without not without dramatic reminders. And even then, I don't think they really understood what that meant. God had a place for them called the promised land. Israel never really understood it. And so God, one of the things God worried about with them because they were a stiff neck people was that they would turn back. Verse Exodus 13 and 18.

Exodus 13 17 and 18. It says, ' Then it came to pass when Pharaoh had let the people go that God did not lead them by the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near. For God said, "Lest perhaps the people change their minds when they see war and return to Egypt." So God led the people around by way of the wilderness of the Red Sea.

If Israel knew where they were going, you think they would have paused and asked Moses a question. So, I thought we were going to the promised land. Where are we going over here towards the Red Sea for? If they knew and understood where they were supposed to go, why didn't they question Moses? It's just something to contemplate.

They didn't really understand. But here's the thing. We've been called out of this world and there are going to be those same moments for us where God worries about where we're going to go and what's going to happen to us. And he may take us a different way for a while to make sure we don't turn back. You know, that's a beautiful thought to me.

A caring, loving God wants to make sure we get there. He wanted to make sure Israel got there. Rather than just turning them loose, hoping that they'd find their way. He led them. when he worried that you know what if I let this happen to them that could undo them that could really undo them. I'm not going to do that to them.

I'm going to lead them this way to avoid that. Think about that. Have you ever experienced where you're like, why am I in this place at this time? Why is this happening? This makes no sense to me. Maybe it's God saying, "Yeah, but if I let the other thing happen. It could undo you, and I don't want to see that happen. So, I'm going to take you this way.

" And it's not the way Ken Locks would drive to church, the straight direct route. Maybe it's we got to take some diversions because maybe you didn't check the oil. Maybe you got a floppy tire. Maybe you got some problems with the engine and maybe you don't have enough gas. Maybe there's some reason that I don't think you could make it.

So, I'm going to help you. That's the thought that I get from that. God isn't just abandoning us to the process. During these days, they eat unleavened bread. Well, they don't have anything else. It's what they brought with them. Remember, they didn't have time to create leavened dough. They had unleavened. They knew they had to leave.

They just didn't understand the wise of anything. They knew they were getting out of Egypt, but that's it. We have to take this further spiritually in our understanding and apply it to ourselves. The things that we read, contemplate what does they mean? Why does God record this for us? Let's go back over here to Deuteronomy 16:3 here.

I only have a few more things to touch on and we'll be done. Deuteronomy 16:3. We might have read this earlier. You shall eat no leavenavened bread with it. Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread with it. That is the bread of affliction. For you came out of the land of Egypt in haste, that you may remember the day in which you came out of the land of Egypt all the days of your life.

This was the reason they ate unleavened bread. They would have loved to have baked beautiful bread that's full of leaven and fluffy and light and wonderful. They had the bread of affliction to remember. So that's part of it, isn't it? To remember. We're going to eat unleaven bread.

I too would prefer to eat lovely puffed up bread, but for the next seven days, we're going to eat unleaven bread when we eat bread, the bread of affliction, to remember where we came from and where we're going. We read earlier, well I should say Mr. Spy read earlier for us from John chapter 6. I am the bread of life metaphor. Remember we walked through those.

This is a metaphor. Is Christ actually bread? No, it's a metaphor. He is the bread of life. He's unleavened bread, pure, perfect. In the context of the days of unleaven bread, no sin was found in him. John 6:51, I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever.

Why do we eat the unleavened bread when we eat bread during these days? Because I want to live forever with Jesus Christ. That's the only way that that will happen. We read 1 Corinthians 5:8 that we are to keep this feast not with the old leavenven of what? Malice and wickedness, sin, but with the unleavened bread which is Jesus Christ, which is what? Sincerity and truth.

That's the life we've been called to live. This is the way that we live that leads where God has for us to go. The return of his son, his kingdom when it comes to this earth, our place in it as first fruits. This is the way we live to get there. His way leads to life. Not just a better way.

Now we don't preach a gospel of health and wealth and perfectness and wonderfulness and your life never has any hiccups or any problems. If you think that's true, I want you to talk to some of our seniors. Find out how their life has gone. Nobody gets that free ride. Nobody has that perfect, wonderful, no problem life. And if you did, I'd worry for you.

Where's the durability in somebody who's never been tested, who's never been tried? God wants us to make it. But what's our future? What are we looking forward to? Let's look at that last thing. Hebrews chapter 4 is a nice way to conclude I think. Hebrews chapter 4 verses 9 and 9 through 11. There remains therefore a rest for the people of God.

For he who has entered his rest, that's Christ, has himself also ceased from his works as as God did from his. Verse 11. Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience. That's the rest that we look forward to. It's where the journey we're on leads to.

Israel was heading toward a physical land. We are being led towards something much greater. God has an end in view even when we cannot see it clearly. Israel couldn't see where they were going clearly either. But God knew all along where he was leading them. And he knows where he's leading us. This brings the lesson for us together.

Israel left Egypt, but they did not understand the full purpose of the journey. But God did. He was not just bringing them out of one place. He was leading them to another. We haven't been just called out of this world. We are headed somewhere. Where God is leading us is the kingdom. So this final step completes the picture. God opened the way.

Israel responded. They began to move. But they still had to follow day by day in the way he was teaching them. And so do we. every day. That's where we are responding, walking, following along where God leads us to his kingdom. That's where things begin today on this first day of unleven bread.