Preperation for the Days of Unleavened Bread

Well, thank you again, Tim. Once again, happy Sabbath, brethren. A special thanks to Ensemble.

It was worth the wait. Very beautifully done. Thank you for special music today. And again, thank you to Mr. Graham for reminding me we had special music that got hidden behind a paper that was in my folder. Well, tomorrow evening we will be observing the Passover this year, and it's closely followed the next day by something called the Night to be Observed. And following that, of course, as part of it, it begins the seven days of unleavened bread. Last Sabbath, we looked at how we can prepare for the Passover. Today, I would like to make some concluding remarks about the Passover and focus on the seven days of unleavened bread. And as I mentioned last week, like anything valuable and important in life, you have to physically and mentally prepare for it to get the most out of it. Because if you don't prepare for a big event in your life, all you're doing is you're going through the motions and you glean very little out of that. So for that reason, today, I'd like to review these very special days that I just mentioned from the Word of God in a few ways that we can prepare for them. If you'll turn with me, let's begin by going to Exodus chapter 12 in verse 11. And a few concluding remarks I wanted to make about the Passover today.

In Exodus 12, there seems to be contradictory remarks. At least, it implies a couple of different things in Leviticus chapter 12. For example, in verse 22, when it's talking about the Passover, it says, And you shall take the bunch of hyssop, dip it on the blood that is in the basin, and strike the door of the lintel on the doorpost with the blood that is in the basin. This is a command. And none of you shall go out of the door of his house until morning. You cannot go out of the door of your house until morning. Very clear Hebrew word, bokar, which means dawn, until you see light breaking on the dawn. That's a command. That's not a suggestion. That is an absolute command from Moses to the people. A little bit earlier, in verse 10, it says, You shall let none of it remain in the morning, speaking of the Passover, which remains of the Passover lamb, and what remains of it until morning, you shall burn with fire. So again, the reason you had to wait until morning is because you had been commanded, you were commanded, not to go out of the door of your house until morning. Yet when we drop down to verse 11, it's a very interesting visual that the brethren at this time, the Old Covenant, are told and instructed by Moses as he says, And thus shall you eat it, speaking of the Passover, with a belt on your waist, your sandals on your feet, your staff in your hand. So you shall eat it in haste, for it is the Lord's Passover. For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike all the first born of the land of Egypt, both man and beast, and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment. I am the Lord.

So you are to dress appropriately as if you're going on a trip, and you're going on it soon.

That's what Moses is telling them. From the translation in the New Century version, it says it this way. This is the way you must eat it. You must be fully dressed as if you're going on a trip. You must have your sandals on, and your walking stick in your hand, and you must eat it in a hurry. This is the Lord's Passover. Well, the original message was that they needed to be prepared to leave Egypt at any time, at a moment's notice. I want you to understand how difficult the logistics were of this happening. There are 600,000 males. That means by the time you added the number of females and children, you easily could have had two and a half million people. It takes us a few minutes. We end up getting Latris trying to get 50 people ready for services. In Sabbath services in this room, you can imagine what it's like to organize up to two million people to travel outside of a nation and to begin a long journey. So the original message was upon a moment's notice you need to be prepared to leave, and I mean now.

Get ready now and be prepared to walk out at a moment's notice. Have that in your head. That should be your attitude. That should be your perspective. But, brethren, there is a powerful spiritual message as well here, and that is when we accept Jesus Christ as our Passover.

We must begin and be prepared to immediately start on a long, challenging journey of discipleship.

We can be sure of the final destination. They knew they originally were going to end up in the Promised Land, but what they didn't know was the route that they were going to take to get there.

How long it was going to take them to get there. They had no idea. And, of course, you've all heard the old joke that if Moses would have listened to his wife's directions, they could have been there in two days instead of 40 years. But the point is that they had no idea how long it was going to be. They knew the destination, but they didn't know the route that it was going to take.

And my brothers and sisters in Christ is the same in our life. When you are in covenant with God, you have received His Holy Spirit through the laying on of hands, you have been baptized.

I can assure you of your destination. Your destination is the Kingdom of God, is to be a member of God's spiritual family. But you know what you don't know and what I don't know?

The route through life, the twists and turns that both God is going to put you through and that we are going to put ourselves through to get from here to the Promised Land. But one thing's for sure, and one thing that we need to realize as we take the Passover tomorrow night, is that we agree to get up and move forward. We agree from the fact and the understanding in the theology that we have to trust that God is leading our lives, that our lives have purpose.

The spiritual message is don't linger behind with some of your sins. Don't have one foot in Egypt and another foot in the Church of God. Don't look back. Don't stall. Just get ready to move forward. And as we renew that covenant tomorrow night, we need to understand that as Christians, we have to be Christians with a passion and with a sense of urgency. We have to watch and be prepared to walk to the Kingdom of God with endurance and commitment. And no, you don't know the route that you're going to take to get there. I certainly haven't figured out the route that I'm going to take to get there. Throughout my life, there have been all kinds of twists and turns, and I've been asked to do things I didn't want to do, and I have done other things that were stupid that I shouldn't have done in my life. But nonetheless, through the grace of God, you're here and I'm here, and we're all heading towards the same goal, and that is the Kingdom of God.

So that's an important understanding to realize that they were commanded on that original Passover night to be ready to go, to move forward. So let's continue now. The next evening following the Passover is a special night of remembrance called the Night to be Observed. If you'll turn to Exodus chapter 12, you're probably already there, verse 35. If you'll drop down to verse 35, we celebrate this evening together with brethren, either in small groups or large groups, because it is a community observance. And this is the night of the 15th of a bib, which starts the first day of Unleavened Bread. Let's read about it. Exodus chapter 12, verse 35, it says, Now the children of Israel had done according to the word of Moses, and they had asked from the Egyptians, articles of silver, articles of gold and clothing, and the Lord had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they granted them what they requested. And thus they plundered the Egyptians. Then the children of Israel journeyed from Ramses to Suckhoth, about 600,000 men on foot. That's what I mentioned a little earlier, that there was 600,000 men on foot, adding up all the wives and young daughters and small children.

Easily could have been two million to two and a half million people. So 600,000 men on foot besides children. Verse 38, A mixed multitude went with them also. The mixed multitude were hangers-on, opportunity seekers, people who half believed, people who were just looking for adventure, trying to learn something new, experienced something different. So along with those who were part of the covenant, a mixed multitude went up with them also. And flocks and herds and a great deal of livestock. And they baked unleavened cakes out of the dough, which they had brought out of Egypt. For it was not leavened because they were driven out of Egypt and could not wait, nor had they prepared provisions for themselves. So it did happen in a moment's notice.

That's why they had been encouraged to be dressed like you have to be ready to leave at any time.

Sure enough, they were driven out. They didn't even have time to put leavening in their cakes of dough.

Verse 40, Now the sojourn of the children of Israel who lived in Egypt was 430 years and 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. Verse 42. Here's what it says in the New King James Version.

It says, 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. Now the New King James Version translates a Hebrew word that's shmoor into the English word solemn. And I'm going to be solemn with you. This is a really poor translation. You don't find the word solemn used in the original King James. You don't find it in the New International Version, the New Century Version, God's word for today, the revised standard version, or virtually any other version I know. It is translated into the New King James solemn. And the problem with that is in English, solemn means to be sad. It means to be serious or grave like you're going to someone's funeral. You are solemn. But the Hebrew word conveys the meaning of being vigilant, of being watchful, not of being grave, not of being sad or serious, of being watchful. Here's how it's translated from God's word for today. Quote exactly 430 years after exactly 430 years all the Lord's people left Egypt and organized family groups.

That night the Lord kept watch to take them out of Egypt. All the Israelites and future generations must keep watch on this night since it is dedicated to the Lord. Again, that is from the translation God's word. The special observance that this evening commemorates took place at the beginning of the exodus out of Egypt. It must have been a night of anxiousness and apprehension. After living for generations inside the fertile Nile Delta, the Israelites were ready to move on and their lives would now be free and they would head towards a land that was promised to their fathers.

That's one hand. On the other hand, the exaltation of leaving slavery into freedom must have been deeply emotional to them. Would the Egyptians really let them go? They were watching.

They were vigilant. Would Pharaoh's army suddenly appear out of nowhere and destroy them and stop them? They were watching. They were vigilant. It was going to be okay. And the reason it was going to be okay is because God was watching over them. All of his promises and his protection are sure.

And from a spiritual perspective, being alert and vigilant certainly are vital characteristics for Christians today. We have to walk God's way of life. And as Frank so beautifully mentioned in our sermon today, we have to be careful that we don't become complacent. We have to be vigilant.

We have to be careful that we don't begin to take God for granted. That we don't begin to take God's way of life and just begin to ignore it, to compromise with it. That we appreciate our brethren. That we appreciate the blessings and the good things that God gives us. Let's go to 1 Peter chapter 5 and verse 6 and see how Peter put it.

1 Peter chapter 5 and verse 6, if you'll turn there with me. Again, the refrain from Exodus 12 chapter 41, the night the Lord kept watch to take them out of Egypt, all Israelites and future generations must keep watch on this night since it is dedicated to the Lord. Peter said in 1 Peter chapter 5 verse 6, therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God that he may exalt you in due time casting all your care upon him for he cares for you be sober meaning don't be inebriated be sober be vigilant because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour resist him steadfast in the faith knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world verse 10 but may the God of all grace who called us into his eternal glory by Christ Jesus after you have suffered a while perfect establish strengthen and settle you you see we still have to be vigilant today the meaning behind the night to be much observed is that we have to always be vigilant we have to always be watchful god is watching over us and that's a good thing because his promises are sure but there's a part that we play we also have to be watchful and vigilant realizing that there is an enemy out there who like a roaring lion would like to devour us if only he had a chance the night to be much observed reminds us that the mighty hand of god is behind us and we can walk in faith knowing that he loves us that he cares for us but we again we need to remember that an ancient enemy wants to devour us if we linger or if we turn back the night to be much remembered rather than being a solemn occasion is a joyous occasion that we celebrate in honor of the great god who gave us the freedom from slim from sin and spiritual slavery i've had some friends who spent some time in jail and they told me when they came out that what a stark contrast it was when they first walked out the doors of that jail where the air was stale and warm they said in the feeling of walking out of that jail into the pavement out of that building with the sun shining and going ah the air just smells so good it just feels so good out here it's because they just left a form of slavery and brethren we have to remember we should always remember that when god called us out of this world how did we feel when we came out of that baptismal tank remember that feeling that feeling of cleansing that feeling of a fresh new start in life that feeling of being a new creature in jesus christ and beginning all over again that sense of freedom that all of our sins were forgiven because of the blood of jesus christ that is freedom and we should never forget what that feeling is like we'll talk more about the evening of the night to be much observed when we gather together here in a few days let's now go to exodus back to exodus chapter 12 and verse 13 exodus chapter 12 and verse 13 i'd like to begin talking about the seven days of unleavened bread seven days of unleavening we'll begin by going to the original observance for what i want to emphasize for the rest of this sermon today is the new covenant observance of the days of unleavened not the old covenant observance but let's begin with the beginning exodus chapter 12 and verse 13 is this now the blood shall be a sign for you in 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 so this day shall be to you a memorial and you shall keep it as a feast of the lord throughout your generations you shall keep it as a feast by an everlasting ordinance who moves on to the days of unleavened bread seven days you shall eat unleavened bread on the first day you shall remove leaven from your houses for whoever eats unleavened bread from the first day until the seventh day that person shall be cut off from israel on the first day there shall be a holy convocation we will have a holy sacred convention right here on the first day of unleavened bread beginning at one o'clock and on the seventh day there shall be a holy convocation or a convention for you no manner of work shall be done on them take the day off as god's gift to you but that which everyone must eat only that may be prepared for you so you can take the time to if you need to make yourself a meal does something to eat that's okay verse 17 so you shall observe the feast of unleavened bread for on this same day i have brought your armies out of egypt therefore you shall observe this day throughout your generations as an everlasting ordinance so that was the instruction of the old covenant to observe the days of unleavened bread and today we continue to remove leaven from our dwellings because it's a powerful reminder for each and every one of us to get the works of the flesh out of our lives the leaven represents sin and it's a good and a reminder for us that we want to continue to be sanctified in jesus christ we want to continue to grow and mature in the faith we want to continue to develop the mind of christ the leaven represents sin and we want to get the works of the flesh which is sin out of our lives a very beautiful analogy a very beautiful picture let's now go to first chorentheans chapter five and verse four and as i have to remind us every year particularly for those who were taught or have been told that the holy days were done away at the death of jesus christ this statement that paul makes is 20 years after the resurrection of jesus christ paul is talking to a gentile congregation he's not talking to a group of jewish people 20 years after the death and resurrection of jesus christ here's what he's telling them he was dealing unfortunately with a problem of incest in the church and they weren't dealing with the individual who was committing incest and he says in first chorentheans chapter five we'll take a look here at verse six he says your glorying is not good they thought they were so tolerant and so righteous because they were tolerant your glorying is not good do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump therefore purge out the old leaven that you may be a new lump since you truly are unleavened so i want you again to notice paul's using the same analogy regarding leaven picturing sin his comment since you truly are unleavened refers to the fact that christ dwells among his people in his church he tells them to purge out the old leaven and the timing of this letter may also have been during the spring holy days which would have been a very beautiful analogy as well with the content of this letter let's take a look now at verse seven for indeed christ our passover was sacrificed for us let us keep the feast he doesn't say the feast is done away he doesn't say this feast is obsolete what's wrong with you people he says let us keep the feast not with old leaven not with an old covenant perspective with the leaven of malice and wickedness but here's the new additional twist with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth so in the similar way that we observe the new covenant passover with new meaning with a new perspective and a new understanding we also observe the new covenant days of unleavening and the major focus should not be on finding hidden leaven in our homes it should be finding hidden leaven in our hearts not the leaven that's hidden in our homes the purpose of these days are to shake us out of our daily routine most of us habitually eat bread products without thinking because it's part of our meal habits i like to have a toasted toasted bread in the morning for breakfast and routinely without thinking about it i pull a piece of bread out of there and i throw it in the toaster and i eat it well the purpose of these days are to shake us out of our habits at least for seven days why because sin can also become routine and habitual these days are an added reminder to get out of your routines but let me ask you a question because again i want to focus on the new covenant meaning of these days does it just work to recognize sin and attempt to get it out of your lives if you see something in your side inside of yourself does it work is it effective just to get rid of it just to notice it in yourself and get rid of it well i want to ask you this question if you notice something within you is selfish and you work on that and you try to remove selfishness does that mean that suddenly you become loving no it doesn't mean that at all you see brethren it doesn't work just to recognize sin and to get it out of our lives the additional meaning of the new covenant observance is sincerity and truth sincerity is truth is not something you remove it's something that you add it's something that you replace it with according to the philosopher aristotle he said that nature abhors a vacuum he placed his theory on the observation that nature requires every space to be filled with something even if that something is colorless odorless air so rather than in an effort to get rid of sin or bad habits out of our lives we have to replace that vacuum we have to replace that void with something positive or you know what it comes back or something very similar to it it kind of just morphs and a problem or a habit very similar to it just comes back and fills that void so it's not simply enough to remove sin from our lives we have to refill that vacuum with something beautiful and something new and the picture was there all along let's go back to exodus 12 verse 15 the symbolism the picture was there all along but obviously it was misunderstood in the old covenant the hebrews just looked at this as a mere physical observance thinking of leavening without understanding the spiritual principles to it exodus chapter 12 and verse 15 more instruction from moses he says seven days you shall eat unleavened bread on the first day you shall remove leaven from your houses for whoever eats leavened bread from the first until the seventh day that person shall be cut off from israel i want you to notice that he's discussing two different things one thing he's discussing is putting something in he says it's unleavened bread the other thing he mentions is removing getting something out and that is removing leavened from your houses let's drop down to verse 20 see where this is emphasized over again verse 20 you shall eat nothing leavened in all your dwellings you shall eat unleavened bread so again that's the second instruction and this is important symbolism here because as i said a little while ago nature abhors a vacuum the removal of leavening needs to be replaced with something else it needs to be replaced with something positive because there's still a vacuum there and if we do nothing that old sin bounces and comes right back in or something very similar to it a cousin of that sin just comes right back in and fills that void all over again let's go to john chapter 6 and verse 30 let's see what jesus christ said john chapter 6 and verse 30 very powerfully he's going to be talking about that he is the living bread the true bread pictured of course by the days of unleavened bread itself because all the holy days are about jesus christ and he's going to try to get a very important point across to them and that is that you need to have eternal life in the world and to have eternal life in the world and to have eternal life in the world and i think that's a very important point.

I think that's a very important point. But it's not good enough just to take something out it's not good enough just to remove something from your life john chapter 6 and verse 30 therefore they said to him what sign will you perform then that we may see it and believe you what work will you do if i can stop the previous day he had he had performed a miracle and he fed lots of people you've heard this expression there's no such thing as a free lunch he gave everyone a free lunch so they came back the next day and being deeply spiritual hebrews like they were they said hey isn't it mealtime isn't it mealtime all over again verse 31 they said our fathers ate manna in the desert as it is written he gave them bread from heaven to eat then jesus said to them most assuredly i say unto you moses did not give you the bread from heaven but my father gives you the true bread from heaven for the bread of god as he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world of course jesus christ is speaking of himself verse 34 then they said to him lord give us this bread always they're still thinking of something physical and jesus said to them i am the bread of life and he who comes to me shall never hunger and he who believes in me shall never thirst so brethren the unleavened son of god is our Passover we eat unleavened bread on the Passover itself to represent his body broken on our behalf as we eat it we symbolically are putting something in even on the Passover night we are putting the presence of jesus christ within us his body his broken body symbolically as we renew our baptismal covenant together verse 43 jesus therefore answered and said to them do not murmur among yourselves no one can come to me unless the father who sent me draws him and i will raise him up the last day it is written in the prophets and they shall be taught by god therefore everyone who is heard and learned from the father comes to me i want you to notice how jesus christ gives all the credit to the father he says the father starts this whole process before they come to me the father draws them and before they come to me it is the father in which they learn things and then they are directed to me to fulfill the rest of the father's plan verse 46 not that anyone has seen the father except he was from god he has seen the father most assuredly i say to you he who believes in me has everlasting life i am the bread of life so he makes that statement again and of course he's using one of the very powerful i am statements that god himself used in speaking to moses in the old testament when moses said who shall i tell the people sent me the very one who later would become jesus christ said tell them i am has sent you so jesus knew exactly what he's saying by these powerful phrases i am the bread of life your father's eighth of manna in the wilderness and are dead this is the bread which comes down from heaven that one may eat of it and not die i am the living bread that came down from heaven if anyone eats this bread he will live forever and the bread that i shall give is my flesh which i shall give for the life of the world the jews therefore quarreled among themselves saying how can this man give us his flesh to eat you see they're still thinking on a mere physical human level they're still thinking of a free lunch how how how can we get something to eat out of this whole thing verse 53 then jesus said to them most assuredly i said to you unless you eat the flesh of the son of man and drink his blood you have no life in you in other words you are not in a covenant relationship if you do not drink his blood and eat his flesh and that covenant relationship is pictured by the Passover that we will be observing tomorrow night verse 54 whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life and i will raise him up at the last day for my flesh is food indeed and my blood is drink indeed he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me and i in him as the father sent me and i live because of the father so he who feeds on me will live because of me this is the bread which came down from heaven not as your fathers ate the manna and are dead he who eats this bread will live forever so brother in christ living in us is our righteousness we eat unleavened bread because it represents us feeding on the words of jesus christ the word of god we're feeding on his life his teachings his example the meaning behind his death the meaning behind his resurrection he is our bread of life when we feed on him he lives his life in us so the days of unleavened bread are far more than just getting something out far more than just getting rid of something we have to fill that void with something else let's go to ephesians chapter 3 and verse 13 ephesians chapter 3 and verse 13 paul's letter here to the church at ephesus therefore i ask that you do not lose heart at my tribulations for you which is your glory for this reason i bow my knees to the father and our lord jesus christ from whom the whole family is the father of the Lord Jesus Christ and the Lord Jesus Christ from whom the whole family and heaven and earth is named because it's all about god and the conclusion to the whole matter is it's all about god building and expanding his family verse 16 that he would grant you according to the riches of his glory to be strengthened with the might with might through his spirit in the end of the world and the world and the world and the might with might through his spirit in the inner man notice he's saying i'm praying that you can be strengthened on the inside that you're putting something inside through his spirit in the inner man verse 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 length and depth and height to know the love of christ which passes knowledge that you may be filled with all the fullness of god so aside from just putting something out our sins our weaknesses our bad habits pictured by the days of unleavened bread aside from just putting something out paul mentions the importance of being filled with all the fullness of god that my brand my friends my brethren is putting something in to replace it verse 20 now to him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly 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 to all generations forever and ever amen so again i want to emphasize that it's more than simply getting something out it's putting the fullness of god within let's go to philippians chapter one and verse one philippians chapter one and verse one once again the same author is going to tell us that we need to put something on the inside we need to fill that vacuum fill that void with something beautiful and wonderful philippians chapter one and verse one paul and timothy bond servants of jesus christ to all the saints and christ jesus who are in philippi with the bishops and deacons grace to you and peace from god our father and the lord jesus christ paul's a general general greeting that he has in most of his epistles verse three i thank my god upon every remembrance of you always in every prayer of mine making request for you with all with joy for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now being confident of this very thing that he who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of jesus christ you see god continues to watch over you god continues to be diligent regarding your soul just like he was diligent on that night to be much observed when he watched over the people of israel verse seven just as it is right for me to think this of you all because i have you in my heart in as much as both in my chains this is a prison epistle he was in prison at this time both in my chains and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel you all are partakers with me of grace first say for god is my witness how greatly i long for you all with the affection of jesus christ and this i pray that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment that you may approve the things that are excellent and that you may be sincere without offense until the day of christ what did paul say to the korenthean congregation we need to keep the new covenant holy days the spring holy days in sincerity and in truth and he says that you may be sincere and without offense until the day of christ being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by jesus christ to the glory and praise of god so again the real meaning of the days of unleavened bread is not simply to get sin out but to get the fullness of god within to replace that vacuum and that void with the mind of christ to get the sin out and to get god inside of us that's the meaning of it i'm often asked so what can we do what's something that what's something that i can do this year to focus on the days of unleavened bread to get more out of these days of unleavened bread this year well i have a suggestion for you if you're thinking that if you want to do more than just go through the motions if you would like to get something additional to the day of christ if you would like to get something additional out of the days of unleavened bread this year i have a suggestion for you and here it is in galatians chapter 5 and verses 22 and 23 there are listed nine fruit of the holy spirit these are the fruits of righteousness by jesus christ they are the fruits of the father because he gives us the holy spirit they are the fruits of the son because the son gives us the power of the holy spirit so by the very fact that they are the fruit of the spirit means that they emanate from the love of god that they are the root of the core of who the father and the son really are and i'll just read what read them very quickly galatians chapter 5 verses 22 but the fruit of the spirit is love joy peace long suffering kindness goodness faithfulness gentleness and self-control so again paul said that these give god glory and they give him praise remember in philippians 1 he said being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by christ jesus to give glory and praise to god that's what he said about these fruits so here's what i encourage you to do beginning tomorrow and carrying on through all the spring holy days to the last day that's nine days focus on just one fruit every day for the next nine days beginning tomorrow write that fruit on a post-it note put it on your mirror as you're shaving on the dashboard of your car as you're driving if you have a whiteboard at home like we do write that fruit on the whiteboard focus on that fruit a different fruit every day meditate on that fruit that day search some scriptures and do a personal bible study about that fruit of the spirit do at least three things that day to demonstrate that fruit for example if it's love tell someone special that you love them that's one out of three give a gift to someone who's special to you that's two out of three show an act of a random act of kindness to a perfect stranger there's three out of three as you focus that day on love and each day write down another fruit meditate on it think about it a little personal bible study on the qualities of that fruit and again do three things that day to demonstrate that fruit in your life put the righteousness of god on the inside to replace the bad habits in the sin that we are in the process of putting out and getting out of our lives well in conclusion god's festivals are rapidly coming upon us these are annual feast and they're all about what jesus christ did for us and did for the world think about what jesus christ did for us as we ponder the Passover and the days of unleavened bread he died in our place and paid the total price for our sin that's pretty awesome he shed his blood so that we could be reconciled to god so a barrier would no longer exist and so that we could have a personal and an intimate relationship with god that too is pretty awesome he was resurrected to be our savior and he's our high priest right now he's our advocate in the heavens he's our intercessor for us in the heavens that's pretty awesome he lives in us through the power of the holy spirit inspiring us to continue a process of sanctification continuing to grow continuing the change continuing maybe slowly but surely to become more like god and to shed ourselves of that carnal human nature that we struggle with the works of the flesh that pull us down and that seek the holy spirit and that seek to hold us back and destroy us rather these are good and wonderful qualities all represented by the spring holy days that we're going to be enjoying so let's be joyful let's smile a lot let's be filled with gratitude and peace let's truly understand that these are festivals a festival is a time of joy it's a time to reflect the peace of god and the fulfillment of jesus christ in our lives and let's be at peace and may god's grace be upon us all let's prepare and enjoy the spring holy days this year