What Is Your "Lot" in Life?

Well, a few short hours from now, this evening, we will be concluding the seven days of Unleavened Bread this year, and it is my prayer that it was a productive and fulfilling season for you and your family. What lesson can we learn from these days if we did indeed examine ourselves and observe these days with sincerity and truth? The best way that I can answer this question for you today is to look at a unique relationship in the Old Testament, the relationship between two individuals. It actually can tell us a lot about ourselves and a lot about the Spring Holy Day season. The individuals that I'm talking about is the relationship between Abraham and Lot.

You may not realize it, but their relationship can tell us a lot about ourselves and a lot about the meaning behind the days of Unleavened Bread. We all know, of course, that God called Abraham out of a pagan environment, and he wanted him to start a new life with his wife and his possessions.

He wanted him to be in a new environment, and he gave him some wonderful promises regarding national blessings and then another blessing regarding the ultimate birth of Jesus Christ, who would be born as one of his descendants, who himself would bless all the families of the earth.

But within the relationship of Abraham and Lot is a little subplot that tells us a lot about the meaning behind the days of Unleavened Bread. And that's what I would like to explore with you this afternoon. Let's begin by going to Genesis 12, beginning in verse 1. Genesis 12, beginning in verse 1, God gave Abraham a command similar to what we received spiritually. We were asked to come out of this world. We were asked to come out of the ways of Satan, come out of the ways of the environment of this world, to become new creatures in Christ, to become new beings, to live a new life. Physically, Abram was asked to do this. Genesis 12, beginning in verse 1.

Abram departed as the Lord had spoken to him, and Lot went with him. And Abram was 75 years old when he departed from Haran. So we see here that God calls Abram out of the land of Haran, and he tells him to go to a new land, a new environment, that God is promising to give him. And each like you and I were called when the light finally went on in our heads, and we said, I need to change my life. I need to respond to this offer, this invitation I have to live differently and to be part of something beautiful and bigger than I am. That is a group of people who are working hard to preach the gospel and usher in the kingdom of God. Now let's go to verse 5. Same chapter, Genesis 12. Then Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his brother's son, and all their possessions they had gathered, and the people whom they had acquired Haran. And they departed to go to the land of Canaan, so they came to the land of Canaan. That was quick. That didn't take long, did it? Verse 6, Abram passed through the land to the place of Shechem as far as the Terribenth tree of Morah, and the Canaanites were then in the land. Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said to your descendants, I'll give this land. And he built an altar to the Lord who had appeared to him. And he moved from there to the mountain east of Bethel, and he pitched his tent with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. And he built an altar to the Lord, and he called on the name of the Lord. And all that's good. He's already there. He's already in the Promised Land. Neat! But we often miss the next couple of verses. So Abram journeyed, going on still toward the south. Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt. What does Egypt represent? What did we learn through the days of Unleavened Bread that Egypt represents because of the Exodus? It represents a land of confusion, of sin. It was a pagan nation, a great and powerful pagan nation that represented spiritual evil in sin.

And Abram went down to Egypt to dwell there, for the famine was severe in the land. So Abram goes to the Promised Land. He's there. He arrives. But he doesn't stay long. God promises to give this land to his descendants, but the land appears to be being cursed, and the promise appears to be delayed.

A famine is occurring, and it is so severe, he feels a need to leave the Promised Land, and of all things, go to Egypt. Now, do we sometimes feel that we've taken two steps forward and one step backward in our own lives? Have we headed towards the Kingdom of God? Have we headed to get out of this world and then sometimes felt like we stutter-stepped and actually went backward? That we aren't making the kind of progress that we desire to make? There was actually already a lack of resources in this land due to a famine. But the presence of Lot, his nephew with him, and his caravan only made a bad situation worse. So leaving Haran and traveling to the land promised, Abram now went out of his way, left that good land, and went south to Egypt, because there was a famine, the earth, even the land itself appeared to be cursed. And of course, we know that the Egyptian culture was symbolic of sin. And again, I want to emphasize that sometimes when God calls us out of the world, we face so many trials and problems and challenges that we step back, that we literally start going backward. We have to be very careful. It is hard to follow God's way of life. So Abraham went to Egypt, but he got himself in trouble because he told a half-truth about his very beautiful wife. He told his wife that when the Egyptian nobles would ask about her relationship, to say that she's my sister, because he was afraid that they would kill him, and since she would be a widow if he were dead, that they could acquire her for their own wives as one of their own wives. When Pharaoh found out about this and backfired, Pharaoh became angry, and he told Abram to leave in no uncertain terms. Let's now go to chapter 13 and verse 1 and pick up the story.

Now back in the Promised Land, he's where he started. He arrived in the Promised Land. He put his tent in this spot. He became distracted. He became sidetracked. He went back to Egypt, wasted time and opportunity in his life, only to end up where he had been earlier in the Promised Land. Again, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning between Bethel and Ai, to the place of the altar which he had made there at first, and there Abram called on the name of the Lord. Verse 5, Lot also, who went with Abram, had flocks and herds and tents. Now the land was not able to support them that they might dwell together, for the possessions were so great that they could not dwell together. And there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram's livestock and the herdsmen of Lot's livestock. The Canaanites and the Perezites then dwelt in the land. So Abram said to Lot, please let there be no strife between you and me, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen. For we are brethren. It's not the whole land before you. It's as if Abram is beginning to see a pattern here with Lot being around him. He's beginning to sense something. Wherever there is Lot, there seems to be a trial. There seems to be a problem. There seems to be a challenge. There seems to be a difficulty. He says, please separate from me.

If you take the left, then I'll go to the right. If you take the right, then I'll go to the left. And Lot lifted his eyes and saw all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere before the Lord destroyed Son and Gomorrah. Laid the garden of the Lord like the land of Egypt, you shall go toward Zor. Then Lot chose for himself all the plain of Jordan, and Lot journeyed east, and they separated from each other. So we see here that the tension between Lot and his possessions, and Abraham and his possessions, these two environments weren't compatible. It was affecting the relationship between Abraham and Lot, uncle and nephew, together, this kind of disharmony. And Abraham desired to separate from Lot. He now is beginning to understand and see that maybe they're not compatible.

But how long do you think this happens? How long do you think they're separated from one another? Chapter 13, verse 18, And Abram moved his tent, and went and dwelt by the terebinth trees of Mamre, which are in Hebron, and built an altar there to the Lord. So Abram thinks things will be better now. He and Lot are separated, and they're supposedly independent, one of another. However, behind the scenes, God is teaching Abram a valuable lesson that again ties in with what you and I can learn from these days of Unleavened Bread.

Let's pick it up in chapter 14, verse 8. And the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admah, the king of Zeboiam, the king of Bela, that is, Zor, went out and joined together in battle in the valley of Shidom against Kedlomer, king of Elam, Tidal, king of nations, and Amraphal, king of Shinar, and Ariach, king of Elisar, four kings against five. Verse 10. Now the valley of Shidom was full of asphalt pits, and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled. Some fell there, and the remainder fled to the mountains.

So the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah lost a battle. They left their cities open, unprotected, and vulnerable. And verse 12 says, speaking of the kings who won this battle, they also took Lot, Abram's brother's son, who dwelt in Sodom and his goods, and departed. Then one who had escaped came and told Abram the Hebrew, for he dwelt by the Terribence trees of Mamre, the Amorite, the brother of Eshkal, and the brother of Aenar. And they were allies with Abram.

Now when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his 318 trained servants who were born in his own house, and they went and pursued as far as Dan. He divided his forces against them by night, and he and his servants attacked them and pursued them as far as Hobah, which is north of Damascus.

So they waited until night. He wisely separated his forces and had a surprise attack at night time on these kings. And it says in verse 16, so he brought back all the goods, and also brought back his brother Lot and all his goods, and all the women and the people. So we see here, brethren, that even in unexpected ways, Lot kept pulling Abram back into contact with him again, back into his environment. Abram felt obligated to rescue Lot, and he risked his own life and his own possessions to do it. And what does Lot do?

He goes back to the city that the Scriptures say in chapter 13, verse 13, a city that was exceedingly wicked and sinful against the Lord. So is Lot finally separated from Abram? Does it occur to you that Lot is a reoccurring problem for Abram? Does it appear to you that his presence itself seems to cause problems and issues for Abram?

Let's continue, chapter 18, verse 17. God decided to visit Abram. He gave him exciting news about the birth of the Son, and the conversation continues here in verse 17. Genesis, chapter 18, verse 17, the Lord had appeared to him with angels, and it says, and the Lord said, Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing, since Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? For I have known him in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the Lord, and do righteousness and justice, that the Lord may bring Abraham what he has spoken to him.

And the Lord said, Because the outcry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grave, I will go down now to see whether they have done altogether, according to the outcry that is against them, that has come to me, and if not, I will know. I want you to notice verse 22. Then the men turned away from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham stood there before the Lord.

Abraham is in shock. Abraham is almost speechless, and Abraham came near to God, and he said, Would you also destroy the righteous with the wicked? We often fail to realize here, brethren, an unspoken fact, and that is the first thing that came to Abraham's mind when God said he was going to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah was the welfare of his nephew Lot and Lot's family. Remember, Abraham had rescued them earlier, and he knew they lived in Sodom, and it was this inner anguish that prompted Abraham to barter with God about saving the righteous inhabitants. That's what prompted Abraham to be so passionate to talk to God about saving, even if it were just a few from the destruction of the city.

So what we've seen here, brethren, is a pattern. Ever since God called Abraham out of the land of Haran and told him to go to the Promised Land, Lot has been the center of Abraham's problems. He's been the center of his worries, the center of his anxieties, of his trials, of his challenges.

Why? Well, let's go back and read once again God's original instruction to Abraham, because again, it tells us a lot about ourselves. Genesis 12, beginning in verse 1. Let's look at this more closely than we did the first time. Now the Lord said to Abram, Get out of your country from your family and from your father's house to a land that I will show you. What is often overlooked in Scripture is that Abraham obeyed God, but not completely.

He was told to leave his home country. He was told to leave his family, to leave his relatives. And he left his family who were in Haran, but he didn't totally leave or separate from his family. He allowed a family member to remain with him, and that person was his nephew Lot. Abraham was obedient, but he didn't fully obey God. I'm sure he had good reasons for this small compromise. Lot was his brother's son.

He was an orphan. I'm sure Abraham felt strongly attached to Lot, and he obviously loved him. And the message of this story is not that we should abandon or leave our unconverted family members. This was a specific command given to Abraham in this situation. So I am not suggesting that we do that. What I am saying is that Abraham was obedient, but not completely obedient. What we've seen here is a common story. One small compromise that Abraham made to allow Lot to stay with him ended up costing Lot a lot of problems and troubles and personal stress.

What does this story have to do with the Days of Unleavened Bread? Well, this historical event is an analogy about our calling, my calling, your calling, and our conversion. Lot here is a symbol to us of the things that we didn't completely leave or abandon when God called us. He is symbolic of the little compromises that we made when we came into the Church of God, when we received God's Holy Spirit. Abraham was called out of an old life into the land of a new life. In a similar way, when we were baptized, we were called out of an old life and we were to leave the old man behind to become new creatures in Jesus Christ.

Abraham obeyed God when he left his old land in his old life, but not completely. He did a little compromising. He didn't totally obey what God had said. And it came back to haunt him over and over again. Lot's presence. Lot there when there was a famine and there wasn't enough resources. Lot there when he's kidnapped and Abraham feels obligated to risk his own life and his own possessions and family and travel all the way up to near Damascus in order to save Lot. Worrying about Lot again when he finds out from God that Sodom and Gomorrah are going to be destroyed and now he has to go to God himself and intervene for Lot because of his anguish and his worry about Lot.

But in spite of the fact that Abraham obeyed but he didn't obey completely, God still loved him and he worked with him. Just like he loves us and he works with us with our imperfections and with our little compromises and with the things that maybe we've discovered during these days of unleavened bread that we need to work on in our lives. Abraham took something with him when he left Haran that held him back and caused a lot of grief in his life. You know, we too, brethren, mostly obeyed God when we were converted but if we're honest with ourselves, we also took some things with us some attitudes, some mindsets, some habits, some qualities that we should not have.

Each of us took our own personal Lot along with us when we were called.

We took some of our remaining sins or our faults or our personal weaknesses with us into our calling. Or perhaps when God called us, we found out quickly that living according to God's word is hard. And maybe, like Abraham, we started out in the right direction but we stepped back into Egypt a little bit. We made some compromises. We gave up on the struggle for a while and we backed off and came back into spiritual Egypt, into this world. In spite of this, we need to know that God still loves us and he's working with us because we are his chosen. We are his children. Here are some of the personal Lots that we may have in our lives. Some of the brethren suffer from various addictions. Drinking is a serious addiction when it leads to alcoholism. Drugs, either prescription or non-prescription drugs, can be something that's an addiction that can take control of our lives. A pornography habit can be an addiction, particularly in our Internet age where there's such easy access to it. Gambling, I've known brethren that virtually gambled away all of their personal wealth and treasure because of gambling addictions. Television can become a horrendous addiction. The Internet, spending hours and hours and hours each day surfing the web on the Internet, can be an addiction. Our personal Lot may be a moral weakness. We may tell too many white lies. We may be stealing from our employers. We may have a particular love of money. Money may be so important to us that it's really the first God in our lives. It may be lust. It may be hypocrisy, pretending to live one way but living another. It may be insincerity. Our Lot may be an attitude. It may be anger. It may be bitterness that we've held within our hearts and minds for many, many years. It may be having the attitude of a know-it-all or being critical or arrogant or calloused. Our personal Lot may be a personal flaw. Maybe we're untrustworthy. Someone asks us to do something. We say, Okay, I'll do it. And then we drop the ball and don't even care. It may be that we're lazy. Some of us may be fault-finders. We may be harshly judgmental. We might be constantly late to things. We may be undisciplined. You see, a personal Lot we have may be a bad habit. It may be poor grooming. It may be something as simple as interrupting others when they're trying to say something, cutting them off all the time. It may be facial expressions, rolling our eyes when somebody says something that we don't like or we don't want to hear. Our Lot may be anything from a serious personal sin to something as simple as a negative character trait that stunts our growth and prevents us from becoming all that God wants us to be. It may be holding us back from promotions, from love, from opportunities, and from greater personal fulfillment. That's what our personal Lot may be in our lives.

You know, the land that was promised to Abram was not able to support both Abraham and Lot when they arrived together. They were incompatible. And in the same way, brethren, righteousness cannot dwell peacefully with unrighteousness. When we came into the faith, if we made small compromises with sin, if we continue to make those compromises with sin, the end result will always be tension and frustration in our lives.

Abraham compromised by taking Lot with him, and it forced him to leave the promised land and go back to Egypt. A famine appeared to be cursing the very land that he had been promised. And brethren, in a similar way, our compromises may be causing delayed blessings in our life. Those little Lots that we are still clinging to, that we still have a relationship with, may be causing us to have delayed blessings in our life that God wants to give us.

If we get too sidetracked and lose valuable opportunities dealing with problems and issues that we should have separated from years ago, we will be ultimately an unhappy and unfulfilled people. Compromising with sin has a boomerang effect. Abraham tried to separate from Lot, but events kept pulling him back into Lot's environment. Lot was kidnapped, Abraham was emotionally pulled back in. When Abraham was told Sodom would be destroyed, Abraham was emotionally pulled back in.

We've seen that there are lingering consequences long after they had separated one from another. And the same is true of us today. Along with the problems and issues we have carried into our converted lives.

If we don't make that effort to remove those, we will continue to be pulled back over and over again into those same sin, into the same flaws, into the same weaknesses. The Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread remind us that God wants us to grow, that He loves us, and He wants each and every one of us in this room to reach our potential.

We should be encouraged to know that God forgives us. That was the message of the Passover. He wants us to depart from the negative and the destructive things that we might still be holding on to. It's time to make a serious effort to separate from the Lot in our life. Once again, we have gone through the Spring Holy Days to do a self-examination and to remind ourselves that it is time to take action now. So to conclude the Days of Unleavened Bread, I would like to give five brief steps to get the Lot out of our lives.

Five brief steps to get the Lot out of our lives and to make the real progress that we have always desired. To get rid of that leaven, to get rid of that sin, or if it's not a sin, a personal weakness or a flaw, something we inherited from our parents by just observing them, something that we picked up from growing up at home, something we may have acquired by the high school friends that we had.

Whatever it is, we are reminded once again that we can change and that we can have real progress in our lives, the kind of progress we've always desired. Here's step number one. The first and most important step is to recognize and acknowledge that we have a lot to work on.

I know that's a play on words. But to recognize and acknowledge that we have a lot to work on. Very few people ever even get to this step. If you don't get to step one, you most certainly won't get to two, three, four, and five. And two, three, four, and five won't work or be effective if we don't understand step one. Because we have human nature. We tend to live in denial about my sins and you about your sins. Even though we live in such denial that the people who live with us know every flaw and fault we have, and we think we're doing just such a great job covering it up.

But the truth is, brethren, as people who know us and love us, they understand our faults and our sins and weaknesses. They can see them as clear as day. But we tend to live in denial. We justify in our minds why we can compromise sin rather than overcome it. Let's go to Psalm 51 and verse 3.

Psalm 51 and verse 3. Again, this is regarding point number one, to recognize and acknowledge that we have a lot to work on.

Psalm 51 and verse 3. This scripture has been read during the Passover season.

David writing, he said, Now, in his case, that's particularly true because 3,000 years later, we can open up a book and read about his sins very clearly. So they kind of last forever, don't they? They're very prominent, very obvious. But notice what he says here, I acknowledge my transgression and my sin is always before me. For David, this wasn't just words. This wasn't just sounding humble or pious. He was confronting himself with the fact of who and what he was. In his case, he was an adulterer, a murderer, a deceiver, and a liar. And he could only make progress. He could only get right with God if he saw himself for who and what he really was. That would open the door to progress. Verse 6, he says, So David knew that only acknowledging his core weaknesses and examining his heart would result in complete change. Again, I have to be honest with you and tell you that most people don't overcome their serious weaknesses or sins because they never even get past step one. And as a diversion, they spend their lives pointing out other people's sins. It's tough. It's hard. But the days of unleavened bread, God tells us, if not now, when? This is the time to confront those issues, those weaknesses, those sins that we have in our lives. Step two. Confidentially confess your sin or weakness to someone you can trust. Step two. Confidentially confess your sin or weakness to someone you can trust. It may be a minister, a doctor, a spouse, or a close friend. And this person will encourage you, should encourage you to overcome, to remain strong, and also should hold us accountable. It should be a person who says, well, how are you doing with this? It's been a couple of weeks. It's been a week since we talked or met. How are you doing with this issue? Are you making progress? It should be someone who holds us accountable, because we need that. James 5 and verse 16. Let's take a look at Scripture. James 5 and verse 16. James says, Confess your trespasses to one another. Pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. So whether it's physical health, in which it's good to go to someone, perhaps the elders themselves and be anointed, and ask them to pray for us, or a friend, and if it's a personal issue that we're dealing with, we need to confess that trespass to someone whom we know, we can trust someone whom we love, and ask them to pray for us and to hold us accountable to help us. That's so very important. Again, step number two, confidentially confess your sin or weakness to someone you can trust. You don't have to do it alone. There's no need to do it alone. And I realize that we have to get beyond pride to get to that point to talk to someone and confess our faults. I understand that. Overcoming sin isn't easy.

Point number three is to seek professional help and counseling. Seek professional help and counseling.

Brothers and ministers are trained to be spiritual advisors. Our role is to comfort and to encourage and to teach you God's Word. We can offer spiritual wisdom and counseling from years of experience. But, brethren, we're not medical doctors, and we should never pretend to be unless we have a medical degree. We're not psychologists. Ministers aren't financial advisors. We aren't professionally trained to help with many serious addictions. Along with ministerial and spiritual support, go to a professional and get the help you finally need to deal with a serious problem or an addiction. There are professionals who specialize in specific problems, and they'll help you. And they will teach you how to displace dysfunctional attitudes or actions with positive ones.

I'll give you an example. As a pastor of the Cleveland congregation, if you're a member of the Cleveland congregation and you're smoking, come to me and tell me that you're smoking. I won't jump up and down. I won't try to shame you or make you feel guilty. As a matter of fact, I will pay for you to go to a smoking cessation program. Why? Because we love you. Because your family loves you. Because we want you to be healthy and be around for a long time. Smoking destroys the temple of God's Holy Spirit. It is a terrible and a foul habit. And if you're struggling with that habit, come and talk to someone. I will help you, and I will send you to a professional organization that will help you overcome that terrible and difficult addiction. I've had family members who had the addiction of smoking, so I know it is hard. I will also hold you accountable in a loving and kind way. I'll ask you how you're doing. I'll check up on you, and I will give you all the encouragement that I possibly can. Because you are important. You're important to God. You're important to your brethren, your spiritual family, and you're important to your physical family. Proverbs 12 and 15. Again, seek professional help and counseling. Proverbs 12 and 15.

The Proverb says, The way of a fool is right in his own eyes. You see, a fool doesn't need professional counseling. A fool convinces himself or herself that I can figure this out all by myself. But he who heeds counsel is wise. A fool's wrath is known at once, but a prudent man covers shame. He who speaks truth declares righteousness, but a false witness deceit. Verse 18. There is one who speaks like the piercings of a sword, but the tongue of the wise promotes health. He who is the role of a professional, a ministerial professional, a healthcare professional, to promote healthiness, wholesomeness, abundance. That is our primary task. Step number four. Step number four is to draw upon the awesome power of God's Holy Spirit for strength. We should never underestimate the power of God's Holy Spirit. But remember that God is waiting for us to do our part, and then he will do his part. He's waiting for us to take action, for us to do all that we can, and then he'll do the rest. He'll do the supernatural in our lives. The same power that created all matter and every living thing by the word of Jesus Christ dwells in us. Is there anything really more powerful than the Holy Spirit that we have the privilege to tap into for help when we need it? I think it was Mr. Deamer who mentioned a beautiful example of Christ breathing on the disciples. He was breathing, he's saying, what I have within me that resurrected the dead and healed the sick and fed thousands with a few fishes and a few loaves, what I have in me, I'm breathing into you. You have the same thing that I have, the most awesome, tremendous power in the universe to help you through life, to coach you, to mentor you, to encourage you, to strengthen you, to help you to achieve unbelievable things that you never thought were even possible. John 14, verse 22. We shouldn't forget, brethren, that Christ is our wave-sheaf offering, and we don't have to wait to Pentecost to realize we need God's Holy Spirit.

We're His called and converted now. We have access to His Holy Spirit this very second, today, tomorrow. John 14, verse 22. Jesus talking about the awesome power of God's Holy Spirit for strength. Judas, not as scary as said to him, Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us and not to the world? How will you make us different from people in the world? How will you make yourself known to us and the people in the world will be blinded and clueless as to who and what you are? In verse 23, Jesus answered and said to them, if anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.

You know, it's been 40 years since I first read that Scripture, and it still sends tingles up and down my spine. The most awesome power of the universe is inside of you, and it's inside of me, and it's just waiting for us to tap into it, to do great and wonderful things. Just waiting. The potential is there. The power is there. Step number five. Step number five, after these other steps have been taken, is to tackle your problem with faith and a positive expectation of growth. Tackle your problem with faith and a positive expectation of growth. Of course, when we draw upon the awesome power of God's Holy Spirit, that will mean, and that will include prayer and meditation and fasting, as we struggle for strength to overcome an addiction, to overcome a problem. But then we have to have the right attitude, mindset, and perception with God's Spirit in us, to give us that final push to be able to overcome a sin, a fault, or a weakness. 1 Corinthians chapter 15 and verse 57. What did Paul think about the Christian life that we have? What did he think about the potential that you and I had? Did he think we were failures? Did he think we just can't make it? Or we're just barely hanging on? Here's what he said. He said, But thanks be to God who gives us the victory through Jesus Christ, our Lord, our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. You are part of the work of the Lord. You are the people He is preparing. We should always be abounding in the work of the Lord. Brethren, the spring holy days remind us that it's time for us to be abounding in the work of the Lord. That work includes helping us to separate from finally saying goodbye to the lot in our lives. God gives us His Spirit to help us. He gives us, brethren, to encourage us. Let's not put it off any longer. I implore you to seek professional help if you have a serious problem. If you know that you're struggling, it doesn't have to be in vain. You don't have to live that way anymore. And even like the example of Abram, even when we do separate from it, it's going to be hard for a while. There are going to be struggles and trials and temptations, and that'll occur for a while until things begin to settle down and pass. But, brethren, it's time to leave and abandon our problems and replace them with positive fruits of God's Holy Spirit. Our final scripture today in Romans 8, verse 31, putting these five steps together to finally confront that serious, maybe that hidden sin or flaw that we've been carrying with us for many years, that perhaps has made us guilty, that it perhaps has made us shameful, that has held us back, that has kept us down, that has forced us from not being all that we could be. The time to separate that now, brethren, from that is now. And here are the encouraging words from Paul in Romans 8, verse 31.

He says, What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but delivered him up for us all. How shall he not with him also freely give us all things, including the strength to overcome the most horrendous addiction or problem that we have? Verse 33, Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who condemns? It is Christ who died and furthermore has also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. So we struggle with these problems, we struggle with these sins, and in the process of overcoming them, we have an advocate in the heavens. We have a high priest, an intermediary, who intercedes in our behalf so that we can receive more of God's Spirit. Who fills the void where we lack, whose righteousness himself continues to make us righteous in spite of our flaws. Verse 35, Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or sword, as it is written, For your sake we are killed all day long, we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Have you had days like that? I have recently. I've had days that were so tiring, so frustrating, so discouraging that I believe this scripture, For your sake we are killed all day long. I've had some days that felt like a slow death, that were very discouraging. Bad news after bad news after bad news piled on more bad news. Yes, there are times when we feel like we are sheep for the slaughter. But Paul says in verse 37, in spite of that, Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. So, brethren, the rich meaning of these days, I pray, will sink deep into our hearts. We have a Savior. We are forgiven. We are loved. Please take the necessary steps to transform your life to another level of growth and development. God wants us to bear abundant fruits. He wants to give us incredible new opportunities and blessings so that we can serve Him and the world in greater ways. What may be holding us back is a serious sin or a personal weakness.

And we have discussed what that is today. We may be still clinging or compromising to things that we should have left behind long ago. But I encourage you, as we close this Holy Day, to allow the meaning of the days of Unleavened Bread to stir your heart, to stir your mind to action, to take that big step for many of us with something that we've been struggling with for many years, to take that big step, that big plunge, and to truly, finally overcome that through the power of God's Spirit. If not now, when will we take the necessary actions to overcome the lot in our lives?

I'd like to conclude the sermon today with the words of Moses. As he stood on the edge of the Red Sea and it was parting and Pharaoh's army was behind the Israelites, everyone was terrified. And he looked up and he told God's people, The Lord will fight for you. Tell the children of Israel to go forward.

And brethren, in our lives, the days of Unleavened Bread remind us to finally tackle that issue in our lives that we've been putting off, because that's the only way that we can truly go forward. Let's appreciate, understand, and take action regarding the days of Unleavened Bread.