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The Last Day of the Christian Feast of Unleavened Bread
April 15, 2020

Since last Thursday, we have been observing the Christian Feast of Unleavened Bread. When we review the Holy Days as listed in Leviticus 23:5-8, we know that the first day and the last day are Holy Days, and that makes today a Holy Day, the Last Day of the Christian Feast of Unleavened Bread. We also know from New Testament passages read on the First Day of the Christian Feast of Unleavened Bread that the early church observed the Feasts of God. Today is not a day of work. It is a day for us to once again reflect that it is through Jesus Christ we are led from the captivity that is sin, understanding that the captivity in Egypt is symbolic of captivity in sin. We can look at the Biblical account of the Israelites leaving the captivity of Egypt and use that for inspiration in our personal fight against sin in our own life. Egypt was the house of bondage, the place of captivity for the children of Israel, and sin is what keeps us captive today. Just like the children of Israel were led from their captivity in Egypt by the strength of God, today we are led from our sins by the strength of God through the gift of the Holy Spirit. For this feast when we have been eating unleavened bread, it is symbolic of choosing a life that is free from sin.

We can look at the Biblical account of the Israelites leaving the captivity of Egypt and use that for inspiration in our personal fight against sin in our own life. The children of Israel soon found out that even though they were assured of safe passage out of Egypt, Pharaoh soon changed his mind and began to pursue them. Similarly, just because God has called us and given us His Holy Spirit does not mean that sin will leave us alone. Sin originates with Satan the devil who rebelled against God and remains God’s and our adversary. Just like the Egyptians wanted to keep the children of Israel in captivity, Satan wants us to be enslaved to sin. We can look to the pursuit of the children of Israel by the Egyptian armies to find examples we can apply in our own life as well as a source of hope and strength. Just like God would fight for the children of Israel, God will fight for us. Just like God delivered them from the Egyptians, God will deliver us from sin in our life, even when absolute failure and death seems certain. The message for us is the same message given to the children of Israel and restated in many ways and at different times throughout the darkest hours of human history, “We will never give up. We will never surrender.” We need to look to God and Jesus Christ for our protection today, who will protect us just as God protected the children of Israel during the Exodus.

Exodus 14:8-31
And the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued after the children of Israel: and the children of Israel went out with an high hand. But the Egyptians pursued after them, all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, and his horsemen, and his army, and overtook them encamping by the sea, beside Pihahiroth, before Baalzephon. And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and, behold, the Egyptians marched after them; and they were sore afraid: and the children of Israel cried out unto the LORD. And they said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt? Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness. And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever. The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace. And the LORD said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward: But lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea. And I, behold, I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them: and I will get me honour upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen. And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I have gotten me honour upon Pharaoh, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen. And the angel of God, which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them; and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face, and stood behind them: And it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel; and it was a cloud and darkness to them, but it gave light by night to these: so that the one came not near the other all the night. And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left. And the Egyptians pursued, and went in after them to the midst of the sea, even all Pharaoh's horses, his chariots, and his horsemen. And it came to pass, that in the morning watch the LORD looked unto the host of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and of the cloud, and troubled the host of the Egyptians, And took off their chariot wheels, that they drave them heavily: so that the Egyptians said, Let us flee from the face of Israel; for the LORD fighteth for them against the Egyptians. And the LORD said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand over the sea, that the waters may come again upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen. And Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to his strength when the morning appeared; and the Egyptians fled against it; and the LORD overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. And the waters returned, and covered the chariots, and the horsemen, and all the host of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them; there remained not so much as one of them. But the children of Israel walked upon dry land in the midst of the sea; and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left. Thus the LORD saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the sea shore. And Israel saw that great work which the LORD did upon the Egyptians: and the people feared the LORD, and believed the LORD, and his servant Moses.

God had the back of the children of Israel and asked that they follow His lead. When we face trials and our own sins we must have great confidence, we must believe, we must have faith that God has our back as we move forward following the lead of God and Jesus Christ, and when we act in faith, we are blessed, we will be happy, because we are being led from the spiritual captivity of sin to the spiritual freedom that is possible through Jesus Christ. As we live our life moving forward having faith that God and Jesus Christ are leading us while having our back, we are not to move forward thinking we are super Jews, or super Pharisees, or super Sadducees. We are Christians who understand that the commandments and Holy Days are spiritually part of our life thanks to the death and sacrifice of Jesus Christ, and instead of reverting to the need for animal sacrifices and offerings, we know that Jesus died once for all. While living a life from the freedom of the penalty of sin knowing that we have the opportunity for eternal life, being a Christian means we have faith in Jesus Christ that through His death and sacrifice we have the opportunity for eternal life. It is not through our keeping of the commandments that we earn eternal life. Eternal life is a gift paid for with a high price.

Galatians 5:1-9
Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law. Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace. For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love. Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth? This persuasion cometh not of him that calleth you. A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.

It is through faith in Jesus Christ, and not obedience to the law in verse six we have access to eternal life, but notice verse nine that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump. Just because it is through faith in Jesus Christ and not obedience to the law that we have access to the law does not mean sin no longer exists. Remember from the first day of the Christian Feast of Unleavened Bread that Jesus said whoever would teach others not to keep the commandments would be called least in the Kingdom of God? The commandments and Holy Days still exist understanding that because Jesus died once for all there is no longer a need for sacrifice and offering. What changed with the death of Jesus Christ was that forgiveness of our sins and not anything we could do would give us eternal life. Some people think that because eternal life comes through the forgiveness of sins, that we can sin even more. Paul, in his letter to the Romans debunks this thought.

Romans 6:1-11
What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin. Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

During these last seven days, we have been observing the Christian Feast of Unleavened Bread. We know that as Christians as we allow our faith to grow and develop, we make our election and entrance into the Kingdom of God sure, and we do this by every day practicing what we are doing during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. We must remove the leavening of malice and wickedness from our lives. Because we have been called we cannot use that knowledge and relationship as a source of arrogant pride because we could inadvertently cause us to worship ourselves instead of God. Even the Pharisees and Sadducees were guilty of this though they saw themselves as righteous even when they oppressed. Instead of being hypocritical in our religious faith, we will act with sincerity and truth because through diligence, we will be allowing our faith to grow and mature, and in so doing, the Holy Spirit will lead us into the Kingdom of God. We will understand that salvation is not dependent upon anything we do. We know that our keeping the commandments and the Holy Days does not earn us salvation and we recognize that this never gives us an excuse to ignore the commandments and the Holy Days.

All verses are from the King James Version.
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