The Feast of Unleavened Bread (05/07/2000)

We're studying through the feasts of Israel and we're seeing why it's so sad that Satan has been able to remove the feasts both from the Jews and from the Gentile church. And really some of the only people in the world still even looking at the feasts and thinking about the memorial or looking back at the Lord Jesus Christ are the messianic Jews.

And so I think they've got something we're missing and that's what we're trying to look at these few weeks is to see what it is we miss when we allow the feast to be taken out. Now it is evident that these things are going to be reinstated during the kingdom period.

You can read this in several of the Old Testament prophets and you might ask the question well why would there be sacrifices in the millennial kingdom when Jesus has already come and died for the sins of his own people?

Can anyone give a thought on why they might be reinstituted? What would be the purpose of having the feasts and sacrifices on the other side of the cross? Well everything is to glorify the Lord that's a good answer.

Brother Dan remember they are remembrances or we could call them memorials looking back to the cross and seeing. I'll tell you what happens when you if all you did was the Church of Christ thing and you just studied the New Testament alone you would see the fulfillment of all the types in the Old Testament but you wouldn't see the specifics and the colors of everything that was going on without going back and re-examining everything that was done a four time for our example for those of us who live in these last days and the people who refuse to go back and study the Old Testament miss all of the beautiful details of the doctrinal truths that we find in the New Testament.

So that's why God gave it to us in one book called the Bible and we're supposed to realize that everything that was done in the Old Testament was for those of us who live in these last days as examples in the Greek language it means as a type which has what we call the antitype in the New Testament the fulfillment of it in the Lord Jesus Christ.

So as you go through the feast you see Jesus in all his different aspects and the things that he has done and who he is and so we have listed in the scriptures seven yearly feasts but really we have eight feasts because the Sabbath is one of the feasts it's interesting to study the word feast you might think from the English that that means a time to get together and eat something.

That's what we would think is Baptist didn't have to be fried chicken involved I'm sure but the word in the Hebrew language really means a gathering a gathering unto the Lord and so we have these feasts listed you can find it in the book of Exodus also in the book of Leviticus where it talks about these feasts let me just name them for you because we're gonna kind of be going through them and looking for Jesus Christ in the feast of Israel the first yearly feast is the Lord's Passover which we've studied already and it pictures the salvation of God's people by the death of the perfect lamb.

The second is or actually included in that feast or you might consider it to be its separate feast but it starts at the Passover and goes for that week is called the feast of unleavened bread and that's what we're going to discuss this morning.

And then the fourth one would be the sheaf of the first fruits and that pictures the resurrection. And the interesting thing is it was a feast that was done on the day after the Sabbath which is what day Sunday we call it Sunday today the Jews just called it the day after the Sabbath.

They didn't use the Roman days of the week that typify pagan gods like Sunday Monday Tuesday and so forth but they just call it the first day after the Sabbath which is our Sunday and that pictures the resurrection which we know occurred on Sunday.

And then in the summer feast we have the feast of weeks or we could call that Pentecost when we get to that it's very interesting because the religion of Judaism was born on that day and so was the church.

And so there are a lot of things we can see in these feasts. In the fall feast we have the blowing of the trumpets and then we have the day of atonement Yom Kippur and then the feast of tabernacles and so we'll be taking a look at those as we go.

Christ Washing the Disciples’ Feet and the Meaning of Being Clean Every Wit

Well I want you to start this morning in John chapter 13 verse 1 and I want us to look at this from our point of view looking back we're gonna start from our point of view this side of the cross. We're gonna read a portion of Scripture that occurred just shortly before the cross.

But Jesus in this passage was looking to a time after the cross and teaching us some things to think about and to understand on the other side of the cross really on our side of the cross now and yet laced within this passage it goes all the way back beyond the cross into the Old Testament times into the feasts and we'll see the colors and the truths and the meanings behind what the Lord Jesus Christ has done for us.

So let's look at John chapter 13 verse 1. I was talking to Charlotte about this and in the car on the way it's just it's just an awesomely beautiful verse just this one verse. Read it to yourselves with me now before the feast of the Passover when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father having loved his own which were in the world he loved them unto the end.

Isn't that beautiful. Love them to the end. Until he gave up the ghost on the cross and supper being ended. The devil having now put into the heart of Jesus Judas Iscariot Simon's son to betray him. Now what supper was this that just ended the Passover.

Right. The Lord kept the Passover with his apostles. And this all occurred on that evening. Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands and that he was come from God and went to God.

He riseth from supper laid aside his garments and took a towel and girded himself. After that he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples feet and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded.

Peter saith unto him thou shalt never wash my feet. I just skip to verse 8. And Jesus answered him if I wash thee not thou has no part with me. You can have no fellowship with me. Simon Peter saith unto him Lord not my feet only but also my hands and my head.

He says if if if I'm gonna be in a place where I can't have fellowship with you then just wash all of me. And Jesus answer is very interesting and very important because he says in verse 10 Jesus saith to him he that is washed need this needeth not save to wash his feet.

In other words he that is cleansed already does not need to be cleansed completely and washed completely again. Just his feet need to be washed. But he is clean every wit now. That is a fascinating saying of our Lord.

What do you suppose he's referring to when he says you don't need to have the whole bath because you are clean completely clean every wit. What does that refer to. I mean I'm gonna preach in a minute but I'm letting you have a chance first.

Yes salvation. All right. Broaden that a little bit. What does it mean specifically. You are completely clean all right. Brother Otis washed in the word someone back Charlie your sins are paid for and blood of Christ has done.

What with those sins. They are gone. They're not just atoned for. Remember in the Old Testament the sacrificial animals. The blood from those animals atoned for sin. The word atonement means a covering.

When Jesus came he didn't just cover. He removed them. And that's an amazing thought. But it's absolutely true. Satan the accuser would come to you and say that it's not true. When you sin he'll come to you and say you're so filthy you can't come before the Lord anymore.

Don't pray whatever you do. Just going off and stay away from church. Stay away from God's people. Don't study the Bible anymore. Don't pray anymore. You've blown it. Isn't that what he'll say. Isn't that why sometimes when we're so low we don't want to come to church.

Because we don't want to be around God's people. We'll go off and be by ourselves. And Satan teaches us that that's exactly what we ought to do. Even though he knows better he lies to us. But Jesus says that you are clean every wit.

If you've been washed by the blood of Jesus one time it's a matter of fact. The Bible teaches that you were in him yours. Your old man was in him when he died on the cross and was crucified in Christ.

And guess what else it says when he raised from the grave. Guess what. You were resurrected in Christ. So that teaches us some marvelous doctrine that we understand. We understand certainly one thing.

The great thing the Baptists have is they definitely understand that when you're saved you're flat saved. Right. We don't worry about that one. But what does this part mean. When he wanted to wash Peter's feet.

Peter said no I'll wash your feet. And he said if I don't wash your feet you'll have no part with me. What could it mean that we don't have to be cleansed again. But our feet need to be washed. We're walking in a sinful world.

This is where we meet this thing called time. We are still in time. Are we not. Isn't it true in Romans chapter 8 that the Lord says those who he called he justified those who he justified he glorified in its past tense as if you're already glorified.

That's obviously from God's point of view. Isn't it. God is outside of time and to him you're already there. It's a done deal. That's why you can't lose your salvation. If you're in Christ you cannot lose your salvation.

You're already glorified in God's mind. But we're in time. We're marching down a sequential step at a time life that God has placed us in. And in this life we live in a place called the world which has at least three different meanings in the Bible.

And you have to go by the context to tell what the Lord means when he talks about the world. But we're talking about the world in the negative sense right now in the fact that it is one of our three enemies the world the flesh and the devil.

The world is one of our enemies the world system over which Satan has been granted a temporary lordship that world we're walking through it. And sometimes even though we are not sinners because our nature has been changed and we no longer have a nature to sin we still can be tempted.

Especially when we get out of the spirit. We walk in the flesh. We could do any sin that any lost person could do. Could we not. And we're walking in a world system that would tempt us on every side. And you know what as we walk through that we get our feet dirty.

Don't we. And so that's what Jesus meant. And what a beautiful teaching. Well I want us to look and remember now the the scene of this teaching is the Passover supper. This is when he taught this to these men and to the Jew which we might not pick it up but to the Jew they knew that this was the first day also of the feast of the unleavened bread.

And I will promise you when he started talking about washing their feet they started considering what this feast of the unleavened bread picture. And that's really what we're going to talk about this morning.

But let's review just a little bit of the Passover because it all really happens together. It's it's it's kind of difficult to separate the two feasts but they really are considered as two feasts. The interesting thing about the feast of the unleavened bread is that it it has a Sabbath on either end of it.

And I meant to get with you before church brother Russ because I left my little a little book at home called the feast the gospel. And the feast is really very well done and I read it and then I forgot it is that the only feast that has a Sabbath on either end of it is there another.

They don't all though do they. Okay. Well let me tell you there's gonna be a significance probably in both but I hadn't gone that far yet. But in this one there is a definite significance to the fact that it starts with a Sabbath and then you have the feast of unleavened bread and it ends with the Sabbath and we'll get to that as we go along.

But just be thinking of the fact that it starts with the Passover. And let's go into Exodus chapter 12 in verse 10. Well let's go to let's go to verse 1. Exodus chapter 12. Verse 1. Let's read the first four verses.

This is where God instituted these feasts. Exodus 12 one says. And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt saying this month shall be unto you the beginning of months it shall be the first month of the year to you.

Speak ye into all the congregation of Israel saying in the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb according to the house of their fathers a lamb for an house. And if the household be too little for the lamb let him also his neighbor next unto him unto his house take it according to the number of their souls.

Every man according to his eating eating shall make your count for the lamb. Now we noted when we studied this that the little lamb was kept in the household for four days. And the significance of this is that certainly the children got to know the little lamb and got to think of him as really part of the family as a pet almost.

And don't think for a minute ladies that that doesn't happen to the ladies and men it even happens to the men. And because this lamb or the young goat just pictures innocence it it is innocent and it's pure.

And this particular one has to be without splotless. I did that last time splot that way I only have to say it once that's a spot and a blemish all in one. And that picture is the fact that he has no sin.

And so first we see that he stays in the little in the house with the people. Now the second thing we see is that it has no blemish and it is a male. And the third thing that we see is that the men kill the little lamb.

And there were some things they realize as this took place first of all they pictured that it was their hand that was killing the lamb. And as they saw the blood come forth I'm sure that they thought about the fact in those days.

And certainly we see it more clearly than they could. As we look back to the cross we see that it is our sinful hands that placed the sins in his body when he was on the tree. The Bible says that the father made him to be sin who knew no sin.

That doesn't mean that he made Jesus to be a sinner that Jesus had any sin. What it means is he took our sins our individual sins every sin that you and I would commit our entire life on this planet. And for every man woman boy and girl that ever lived on this planet that are his children that are his people that he knew before the foundation of the world.

And he took those sins and placed them in Christ and made him to be sin. He became the interesting word in the Hebrew. The word for sin and the word for sin offering are the same word. So he became the sin offering for us.

He became this lamb this Passover lamb and he is our Passover. And so this pictured that our sins were in him. And then as they watched the blood pour from his veins and they saw the life of this little lamb leave slowly but surely it certainly pictures John 1931.

Jesus therefore had received the vinegar. He said it is finished and he bowed his head and gave up the ghost. And then they noticed that the lamb did not resist death but lay still and quietly bled and died.

And in first Peter chapter 2 verse 23 it says. Who when he was reviled reviled not again when he suffered he threatened not but committed himself to him. That judges righteously. So we see all these things.

They would capture the blood in a bowl and take that take the hyssop weed which pictures our faith and dip that in the blood and apply it to the door post and lentil. And then we know that as the death angel came he would pass over that family.

It's interesting what happened to the lamb. It the Lord gave clear instruction that any that was left that evening was to be totally burned and consumed so that nothing would be left the next morning.

That pictures the fact that Jesus Christ was wholly consumed for us as we studied in Matthew 1346 where it talks about the pearl of great price it says he went and sold all that he had and bought that pearl.

That pearl pictures the church and the parable right before it talks about the treasure that pictures Israel that the Old Testament saved people. He gave all that he had and bought us. And then it told God told him I want you to eat this Passover with your shoes on and your staff in your hand ready to go.

And that picture is so clearly that we as Christians are sojourning through this wilderness and hopefully into the promised land of victorious Christian living. But the Christian life is a life of movement and growth not stagnation and complacency.

And then we see that all who would not come under the blood were destroyed. And in this passage in Exodus if you go down to chapter 20 I mean verse 21 it says. Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel and said to them draw out and take you a lamb according to your families and kill the Passover.

Dip the hyssop weed in verse 22 and dip it in the blood that is in the basin and strike the lentil and the two side posts with the blood that is in the basin. And none of you shall go out at that door of the house until morning.

You do not go out from under that house that has the blood on it. That protection for the Lord will pass through to smite the Egyptians which pictures the world the people of the world. And when he seeth the blood upon the lentil and on the two side post the Lord will pass over the door and will not suffer will not allow the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you brother Otis is always teaching us to not only learn from what the Bible says but also what it doesn't say.

If it says that he's not going to come and smite you. If you're in the home that has the blood applied what does that say is going to happen to all those families that did not have the blood applied. They're gonna lose the firstborn in that picture so clearly that only if we come under the blood of Jesus Christ only if that blood is applied to our personal life by faith will we be saved.

And then the Lord calls this a memorial forever. He instructed his people to keep the Passover as a memorial forever. Don't you find it interesting that even in the Old Testament it was called a memorial.

And certainly now looking back it would be a memorial. And now turn with me to first Corinthians chapter 5. And this brings us into the next feast which is the feast of unleavened bread. And really where the one leaves off it's hard to see where the other starts.

But I think what you're gonna see is you'll see this beautifully pictured at the Last Supper that we read in John earlier where first he talked about being clean every wit. And then he said but if I don't wash your feet you have nothing with me.

You're gonna see both come into play here first Corinthians 5 7. Now we're obviously on our side of the cross and we're talking about the early church the Apostle Paul some of the things that were going on and he says purge out therefore the old leaven that you may be a new lump as you are unleavened for even Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us.

And he shows so very clearly that that Passover lamb through all those years pictured the Lord Jesus Christ and that he is in fact the real Passover. All of the others were just a type a symbol and a picture of the true Passover who is Jesus Christ.

But look at the next verse verse 8 kind of interesting it says therefore let us keep the feast that implies or it doesn't apply. It specifically says that the early Christians were still keeping these feasts they were doing it as a memorial.

But he says when we do come together and keep the feasts let us not do it with old leaven neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. Now when you go into the book of Exodus chapter 12 verses 17 through 20 it talks about this also in Leviticus 23 verses 4 through 7 I'm gonna read a little bit of that so we can set the scene for this feast.

Leviticus 23 4 says these are the feasts of the Lord even holy convocations which ye shall proclaim in their season. A holy convocation is virtually identical to the to a Sabbath which the word Sabbath means a rest but the difference is the convocation did allow for the preparation of the meal which a normal Sabbath does not allow even that but the convocation is a Sabbath with the one exception that they were allowed to prepare the meal which was in fact the Passover lamb in the 14th day of the first month in the evening is the Lord's Passover.

Notice who this feast was for. Was it our Passover. Was it the Jews Passover. It was God's Passover. And on the 15th day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto the Lord. So this is his feast as well and it begins as a part of the Passover and a continuation of it and goes on out to the next Sabbath.

And it says seven days you must eat unleavened bread in the first day you shall have an holy convocation that's the Sabbath on the front end of it and you shall do no servile work therein. But they were allowed to prepare the Passover meal.

But you shall offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord. Seven days in the seventh day is a holy convocation. So there we see the Sabbath on the end of this feast you shall do no servile work therein.

Matthew 16 11 says. How is it that you do not understand that I spake it not to you concerning bread that you should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees. Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and the Sadducees.

It's interesting. But Jesus is going to come and define for us what this leaven pictures. But before we get into that let's see what's going on here even today in the Jewish families those who recognize the feast still and they don't do them right.

Do they brother Russ they they their feasts have been paganized but they do allow. Would it be the youngest child who gets to go and look for the for the leaven. The father would go about on the on the day of the Passover and he was.

He would hide a little bit of leaven somewhere in the house. Now for a week or maybe more than a week before this great feast of the Passover the women in Israel would do their spring housecleaning. I mean they would clean everything.

They would take every pot and pan in the kitchen and boil it to destroy any trace of leaven that might be there from some bread they had prepared earlier so that every bit of leaven was removed from that house.

Now we're gonna see some specific things that leaven pictures but we're just gonna say this for now pictures sin it pictures sin. And they would remove this from their home. Except for this one thing the father would take a little bit of leaven and go and hide it and have the youngest child to go and find it.

And when that youngest child found it he would help the father sweep it up and remove it and take it outside the house. And that place something that that child never forgot in that child's mind he pictured the removal of sin from the home.

Don't you think it's sad that Satan's been able to remove these feasts from us where we never even think about him. Really I mean Jesus taught in parables nearly everything God teaches. He teaches with an object lesson because we'll never forget it.

And when the little children find that little last bit of leaven oh there's a little bit of hidden leaven. Here we see let's get it out. Also it made a lasting impression on their mind. And so now once that was done then as we've described in earlier messages they prepared the Passover and they ate the meal together.

And then anything that was left was totally burned and nothing left the next morning totally burned. And then the feast of the unleavened bread begins. Well if you notice what's really fascinating about this we might tend to focus on the leaven.

In fact a good part of my notes have to do with what the leaven typifies that Jesus speaks of leaven what does he say it is. And we do need to know those things. But it's interesting that as at at at the time that the little child and the father removed that leaven from the home the focus was no longer on the leaven.

It was on the fact that they ate only unleavened bread. For that entire week the focus was on the unleavened bread. Now the leaven pictures many things and we're running short on time. I can't go into all the things Jesus said it pictures false teachers who are pointing the wrong way to heaven and so forth.

And he talked about the hypocrisy of the Pharisees. He says it is malice. He says that this unleavened bread pictures all manner of sin. And he says beware of the leaven. But I want us to go a little bit beyond this leaven and think for a moment about the unleavened bread and what it pictures.

The leaven pictures malice. It pictures railing against brothers and sisters. It's not the what we would today call the biggies and sin necessarily it's the it's the sins of the heart against the other brother or sister things like that the hidden little sins kind of like what the child pictures when he goes and gets that last little bit of leaven out of the house.

Maybe a little bitterness of the heart maybe something deep in there. That's been there a while and we've even forgotten about it. All of that comes out and that's what this little first part pictures.

The Lord's Supper, Self-Examination, and the Hope of Christ’s Return

Now turn with me to 1st Corinthians 11 23. Let's go forward in time to the to our side of the cross now and see what the Apostle Paul instructs us some of the things we were supposed to gain from this last Passover supper that Jesus had some things we're supposed to see in it.

Some things were supposed to learn. If you had the Jewish mindset you would understand it even better. But we're starting to learn these things. Look at 1st Corinthians 11 23. For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you that the Lord Jesus the same night.

Now this is talking about the Passover night in which he was betrayed. He took bread and when he had given thanks he break it and said take eat. This is my body which is broken for you. This do in remembrance or as a memorial to me.

After the same manner he also took the cup. And there are four times when they take the cup during the Passover meal. And this is one of those times this cup is the New Testament in my blood. This do as oft as you drink it in remembrance of me.

For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup you do show the Lord's death till he come. Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread and drink this cup of the Lord unworthily shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.

But let a man examine himself and so let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup. Isn't it interesting that Jesus went about to wash their feet. Paul says we ought to examine ourselves anytime we come together.

If we keep what we call the Lord's supper which is really a little picture of the Passover supper that we should examine ourselves. Verse 29. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily. In other words with unconfessed sin with unwashed feet.

So to speak eateth and drinketh damnation. That does not mean damnation. It means condemnation to himself not discerning the Lord's body. Because of this or for this cause many are weak and sickly among you and many have died because they kept the Lord's supper.

Which picture the Passover with an unclean heart. For if we would judge ourselves we should not be judged. But when we are judged we are chastened of the Lord. That we should not be condemned while we're in this world.

Now picture this Passover feast. The first thing that happens is that the Lamb is slain and that blood is applied. Once that blood is applied Jesus says that you're clean every wit. But he said I still need to wash your feet while you're in this world.

And for the next days of this feast that goes from this Sabbath to the next Sabbath. Now the Sabbaths picture arrest. They picture resting in the Lord from this Sabbath which do you remember how you felt the day you first got saved.

Did you feel arrest from the burden of sin. You may not have felt quite like that since but there's gonna be another rest like that when you meet the Lord Jesus. Because when you see him you'll be as he is.

You'll be like him. And that old sin nature will be completely gone and even the body will be rebuilt into a an eternal body that no longer fights against everything God wants to do and what you want to do for the Lord.

So you have these rests on either end of this week. And yet throughout that week they were walking in the world. And I believe that's what it pictures. It pictures our walk. And throughout that week you know what they had to focus on.

Now this is what a legalist would do. A legalist would focus on the leaven. But you know what they focused on. Making sure that they ate unleavened bread. Think about that for a minute making sure that they ate the unleavened bread.

Go to first John chapter 3 in verse 3 with me matter of fact go to verse 1. Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us that we should be called the sons of God. Therefore the world knoweth us not because it knew him not beloved.

Now are we the sons of God. And it doth not yet appear what we shall be. But we know that when he shall appear we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is. That's what that Sabbath at the end of this feast pictures.

But look at verse 3 and every man that hath this hope now listen if it's a hope it means you're still looking forward to it. While they were walking in in the days of the feast of the unleavened bread they were still looking forward to the Sabbath at the end of it.

But while they were making that walk they had a hope that that Sabbath was coming now. Remember in the Bible hope doesn't mean I think it may happen but it probably won't. That's what it means to us today.

In English language hope in the Bible means joyful expectation of an event that is sure to take place. It's a completely different word. The Bible word for hope means joyful anticipation of an event that is about to come.

And they had hope of this great Sabbath at the end of this week. And yet as they walk toward that Sabbath they had to focus on eating nothing but unleavened bread. Verse 3 says in every man that hath this hope in him purifies himself even as he is pure.

Our hope is the hope of the rapture at the point where we will see him as he is. And at that moment we will have rest from this old flesh this old nature that sometimes tries to revive itself and to take us down with it.

We'll have total rest from it. But until that time we had better focus on eating the unleavened bread. The unleavened bread pictures the Lord Jesus Christ. Obviously he is. He is not only our Passover but he is our unleavened bread.

He said I am the bread of life that when a man is he shall never die. Turn with me to Romans chapter 13. I cannot believe brother Otis just was right in this passage today I mean this is we've already.

If you were in Sunday school you can go on to have chicken now because we had this. But the close of my message was in Sunday school. Romans chapter 13 and verse 12 you may be able to picture a little more now when you think about what the family's gone through.

They hid the last little bit of leaven. They went and found it. That little secret sin that we think is so little and unimportant. And they totally removed it from the house. They killed the Passover lamb.

They applied the blood. They then had the feast with the Lord and they partook of that lamb and they partook of the wine which pictured his blood. And now they are looking forward with hope to the end of this feast the Sabbath of rest which pictures the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

And every day they make a point to eat the unleavened bread. And I'll tell you this in our lives if some leaven comes in we ought to understand that what first John 1 9 is all about is taking care of that and having the feet washed again and continuing the march towards that great Sabbath.

But in Romans chapter 13 in verse 12 it says. The night is far spent the day is at hand. Let us therefore cast off the works of darkness. Let us remove every trace of leaven from our lives and from our homes from our children from our church.