The Feast of the Unleavened Bread

TRANSCRIPT

Our text for tonight's message is taken from Exodus 12:14-28. Do you realize that as we follow Christ, we need to relearn the same lessons again and again because we keep forgetting them? Take, for example, when we first became believers. We confessed that we could not save ourselves; only Jesus could save us and only by His cross. However, as we follow God, sometimes we try to serve Him in our own strength, and we have this mindset that it is all our own doing, forgetting that it is only by God's grace that we can do anything good. The moment we forget, we fail, and then by His mercy, God reminds us that it is not by our own strength but rather it is through Christ who strengthens us.

So, the Christian life, the sermons we hear, the Bible verses we read, they are like a combination of learning and re-learning what we have already learned previously because we always forget. It is because we are so forgetful that God has to constantly remind us to remember; ‘remember thy Creator in the days of thy youth’, ‘remember I am the Lord thy God, and there is no other God’ and ‘remember Jesus Christ who died for you and was raised from the dead.’ We are always called to remember. It was the same thing with the Israelites. God had delivered the children of Israel in a most amazing way. He sent plague after plague against Egypt, culminating in the death of all the firstborn, until finally, Pharaoh agreed to let the people go. But soon, the Israelites would forget.

That was why throughout the Old Testament, God repeatedly reminded the Israelites. For example, in Deuteronomy 5:15, Moses told the Israelites, "And remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and that the LORD thy God brought thee out thence through a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm”. To make sure that His people would never forget their salvation, God commanded them to keep the Passover and the Feast of the Unleavened Bread as an annual celebration. In this passage, three times, God told Moses that He wanted the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread to become a permanent celebration in Israel's calendar (you can read about that in verse 14, 17, and 21). It was for the purpose of reminding the Israelites.

Look at verse 14, "And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the LORD throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever." The Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread were celebrated together; they were not separated. It was a one-week long celebration. After the Passover, the people would keep the Feast of the Unleavened Bread for one week. Throughout the Old Testament, this celebration was sometimes called the Passover; sometimes, it was also called the Feast of the Unleavened Bread. Either term could be used to refer to the entire celebration.

The Passover reminded the Israelites that they had been delivered from death by a perfect substitute, the unblemished lamb. The Feast of the Unleavened Bread was symbolic of their departure from Egypt. They left so quickly that they did not even have time to wait for the dough to rise. Remember verse 11 tells us that they were to eat in a haste. Dear friends, likewise, each time we come before the Lord's table to partake of the Holy Communion, it is a reminder of what our Lord Jesus had done for us on the cross of Calvary. One of the reasons why we do that frequently is that we always forget God's goodness, His grace, and mercy toward each and every one of us.

If you look at this passage from verses 15 to 20, God gave specific commands regarding the Feast of the Unleavened Bread. From verses 21 to 23, He again repeated the command regarding the Passover. And from verses 24 to 28, God said to the people that they must keep this celebration forever. Even when they enter the Promised Land, they must still keep this celebration. And when their children ask them, ‘What is the meaning of this service?’, they must explain the significance of this ordinance. Just like today, as parents, our children may ask us, ‘Why do we have to eat of the bread and drink of the cup?’ We explain to the children how our Lord Jesus, the perfect, ultimate Lamb of God, He died on the cross, shedding His precious blood for the remission of our sins. So, we do this in remembrance of Him.

In our previous message, we have considered the significance of the Passover. Today we will only focus on the Feast of Unleavened Bread, found in verses 15 to 20. We want to learn how it can be applied to us. Let us begin with verse 15: "Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread; even the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses: for whosoever eateth leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel." So, they must put away leaven and must not eat leaven from the first day to the seventh day. Verse 16: "And in the first day there shall be an holy convocation, and in the seventh day there shall be an holy convocation to you; no manner of work shall be done in them, save that which every man must eat, that only may be done of you." On the first day and the seventh day, they must gather together as a congregation. No work was to be done except the work of necessity, like eating.

Verse 17: "And ye shall observe the feast of unleavened bread; for in this selfsame day have I brought your armies out of the land of Egypt: therefore shall ye observe this day in your generations by an ordinance for ever." In other words, this was how they should observe the Feast of the Unleavened Bread, and again, God repeated that they must observe this feast permanently, forever. Verse 18: "In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at even, ye shall eat unleavened bread, until the one and twentieth day of the month at even." Remember, the Passover lamb was kept in the house for four days, from the tenth day to the fourteenth day. On the fourteenth day, it would be killed. The Feast of the Unleavened Bread would be celebrated from the fourteenth day to the twenty-first day, which means seven days. So, it was a one-week long celebration.

Verse 19: "Seven days shall there be no leaven found in your houses: for whosoever eateth that which is leavened, even that soul shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he be a stranger, or born in the land." Everyone in the land, including strangers and foreigners who had joined the Jewish community, had to keep this feast. And if leavened bread was found in that person's house, he would be cut off. And finally, verse 20: "Ye shall eat nothing leavened; in all your habitations shall ye eat unleavened bread." Notice in this passage, there's a repetition of the words “leavened” or “unleavened”. Why is it so important that the Israelites must not eat anything that is leavened or have leaven found in their houses during this period?

I. The leaven represents the influence of sin

You see, leaven is something that grows and spreads, and it was an appropriate symbol for sin. Therefore, the unleavened bread symbolizes holiness. So when the Israelites ate the unleavened bread, they were reminded to keep themselves pure from sin, especially from the evils of Egypt. To help us better understand the significance of why it is so important for the Israelites to have nothing to do with leaven, please turn with me to 1 Corinthians chapter 5, verse 6 to 9. Okay, 1 Corinthians chapter 5, verse 6 to 9. Let me read for you, Paul said, "Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators:”

A little leaven is often used to make the bread to rise. But in those days, leaven, or sometimes called yeast, was not as available as it is today. Today, you can go to the supermarket and easily purchase yeast. But in those days, it was not as available. What they would do is that when they were about to bake the bread, they would remove a little portion, a small piece of dough, and set it aside. It would be left to ferment, and later on, some days later, when they were about to bake the next batch of fresh dough, they would mix this little piece of fermented sourdough with the new fresh dough to make the bread to rise. It acts as a leaven or yeast.

Leaven is used as an illustration to represent influence. Most of the time, it refers to the influence of sin. Though, on one occasion in Matthew 13:33, it was used to represent the good influence of the Kingdom of Heaven. But here in Exodus 12 and in 1 Corinthians chapter 5, it was used to refer to the influence of sin. A little leaven, just like one sin, could affect the whole lump or the whole church. Leaven, if it was left alone, would ferment, corrupt, and then spread. Just like sin, if given the opportunity, it will corrupt and spread, and very soon, it will spread to the whole lump, the whole church. It is extremely contagious. That was the reason why Paul said to the Corinthians, ‘Your glory, your spiritual pride, was not good’, because though it was just one sin, but soon it would spread to the whole church.

What can we learn from here? As an individual, you and I must understand the devastating influence of sin. When we allow sin to creep into our lives, even though it may be just one, and our mentality is, ‘Well, it's just one sin', whether it be the sin of pride, jealousy, and anger, soon it will spread. And before we know it, we will be corrupted with all kinds of sins. As a church, when we allow sin to creep in, let's say the sin of gossiping, do you think it will stop with gossiping? Most certainly not. From gossiping, it will lead to unhappiness, bitterness, and then fights and quarrels. And soon, before we know it, the church will be divided. That's why Paul said, ‘Do you not know that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?’ So we must be careful. Sin has this most devastating influence. Just one sin, one evil thought, one evil intention that we refuse to deal with, soon it will spread. And before we know it, it will spread to the whole body, even the church. The whole lump could be affected.

II. The leaven represents something bad from the past being brought over into the present

Another significance of the leavened is that it represents something bad from the past being brought over into the present. Allow me to explain. The Israelites were commanded to bake bread, but they were not allowed to add leaven. Obviously, they did not have time to wait for the dough to rise because they had to leave in a hurry. But more importantly, bread represents life. The new fresh bread, the unleavened bread, represents the new life out of Egypt and later on into the Promised Land. The leavened bread represents the old life in Egypt or the way of the world, which had to be left behind. So as the Israelites ate the unleavened bread, they were reminded that their old life of sin, old life in Egypt, had to be left behind. It must not be brought into their new life in the Promised Land.

Well, can we apply this lesson to our lives? Notice Paul said in verse 7, "Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us". As Christians, we have been delivered from our sins by Christ, our Passover. Therefore, we have to be separated from our old life. We must not bring our old life of sin into our new life with Christ. We are now a new man in Christ. We are a new lump, a new dough. So we must purge out, which means completely cleanse out everything from our sinful old life. You and I must be totally separated from our old sinful way of thinking, our own sinful habits, our old sinful attitudes. All that Paul said had to be purged out.

Dear friends, when we focus on the cross of Jesus Christ, we not only are reminded that it was because of sin that Jesus died on the cross, but we are also called to separate ourselves from sin, to stay away from sin that caused the death of our Saviour. We cannot focus on the cross and at the same time be living in sin, as in habitual sins. It is not possible. It is not possible to be devoted to the Lord Jesus Christ, to say we love Him, we serve Him, and at the same time be loving our sins. We must purge out our old sinful way of living.

Look at verse 8, "Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth." The leaven of malice and wickedness speaks of sin, and the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth speaks of purity. The Israelites celebrated the Old Testament Passover and the Feast of the Unleavened Bread only once a year to be reminded of the great deliverance from Egypt. We Christians are to celebrate the Feast of Christ our Passover continuously, every day of our lives, at every moment. We must remember this great deliverance, how we were saved and transported out of darkness into God's marvellous light, not with sin, but with purity. We do that by living a life devoted to purity. We have to let every thought, every plan, every decision, every intention be under the control of Jesus Christ. God wants every one of us to be pure.

And when every one of us endeavours to be pure, as a body of believers, the church would then be a pure, chaste bride of Christ. That is what we want our church to be, that every believer would endeavour to live a life devoted to purity. And it is very important that we must deal with sin very strongly, especially when it affects the church. So Paul went on to say in verse 9, look at verse 9, "I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators". Although here, Paul only mentioned fornicators, but as you read on in verse 11, he included all the other sins as well. He said, if a brother be “a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat."

III. The leaven represents the need to practice biblical separation

This brings us to our final point: the leaven represents the need to practice biblical separation. To have no company is not to keep a close relationship with someone. Believers are not to keep close company with any fellow believers who persistently practice serious sins. If the sinning believers will not listen to the counsel and warning of two or three believers, and not even the church, they have to be put out of the fellowship. In other words, be excommunicated. They should not be allowed to participate in the activities of the church, whether it be Sunday School or Bible studies or fellowship meetings. And obviously, they should not take up leadership roles. They should be cut off from both individual and corporate fellowship with other believers.

That is what excommunication means. There should be no exception, even if the person is a close friend or a family member. He or she still must be put out. If that person is a true believer, he will not lose his salvation because of the sin. Hopefully by losing Christian fellowship, the pain of isolation will drive him to repentance. We do that because we want the person to repent of his sins, not to continue in his sins. It is out of love, not out of anger. Remember, the reason why we do that is because the Bible says, "A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump." It is like a person who has cancer and yet refuses to go to the doctor. Maybe he stubbornly refuses to face the problem or to receive any kind of treatment. If he waits too long, the disease will spread to the whole body, and then it will be too late to receive any kind of treatment. The same goes with the church. A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump. The whole church will be affected. That is what sin will do to the church. No church is too healthy to be contaminated with sin.

Dear friends, no believer, no matter how spiritual that person is, no matter how many years he has been a Christian, is exempted from being contaminated with sin. That is why we must protect ourselves. Some people think, ‘You mean if I associate with this brother who is living an adulterous life, unrepentant, I will be affected? That I will become an adulterer? Or if I associate, myself with an alcoholic or a drug addict, I will become an alcoholic or a drug addict? Surely, I'm better than that. You watch and see, I will not fall into those sins.’ Yes, maybe you will not.

The person who keeps a close relationship with unrepentant believers living in sin may not fall into the same sin, but he will be affected in so many other ways. He will be affected by the way he thinks. He will be influenced to think negatively, and then he will be having a bitter spirit, or he will become angry and unhappy with the church, or he will even be like the proud Corinthians who thought of themselves as more loving than the others. ‘Well, look at the rest. They refused to associate with this person who is living in unrepentant sins. But I'm willing. I'm loving. I'm willing to accept. I'm more loving than all the rest.’ The devil is very subtle, and he knows how to spread the germ of sin throughout the whole church. Be very careful.

But even if you are strong enough to resist being contaminated with sin, what about your family? What about your children? Do you not care if your children will be affected? You are setting a precedent that is contrary to what the Bible teaches, and your children will grow up thinking that, ‘It is all right to associate myself with sin. It is all right to keep a close relationship with someone living in unrepentant sin, it is the right thing to do.’ The Bible teaches without uncertain terms, do not keep company with such people. You must exercise biblical separation. Separate yourself; a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.

Finally, I'd like to say this: do you realize that sin always looks out for an accomplice? Someone who is living in unrepentant sin will look out for someone to join him. Have you ever heard someone say, ‘But I'm not the only one. So-and-so also does the same thing.’ If they cannot find an accomplice, the next best thing is to look for someone to understand them, to accept them, and here you are accommodating their sinful lifestyles. Dear friends, you do not need to say anything to become an accomplice. All you need to do is to keep a close relationship with someone living in unrepentant sins. Accept the person, be accommodating, and you have become an accomplice. The Bible says, "A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump." Before you know it, you will be affected, your family will be affected, and the church will be affected.

Three things we learn about leaven: Leaven represents the influence of sin; Leaven represents something bad from the past being brought over into the present; Leaven represents the need to practice biblical separation. Purge out all these sins that we know of in our lives, in our church. So as we consider how strict God's command was to the Israelites not to have anything to do with leaven, we apply this message into our lives that we will not bring what is in our past or lifestyles into our new life with Jesus Christ. We understand the influence of sin, and we are careful. We will not allow even one sin to creep in. If we know of one, we ask the Lord to help us deal with it, purge out that particular sin, completely cleanse out. And by God's grace and mercy, we will be able to do it. So let us pray that God will also give us the strength to practice biblical separation.

Let us pray, Father in heaven, we thank Thee for this opportunity for us to consider this portion of scriptures in Exodus chapter 12, verse 15 to 20, that we may be able to apply these biblical lessons into our lives, the significance of why it is so important for the Israelites not to have anything to do with leaven. We pray that we will remember these lessons that we have learned and help us not only to learn them for head knowledge’s sake, but most importantly, to put into rightful application whatever we have learned. We pray all this in Jesus' name. Amen.

SERMON OUTLINE

• I. The leaven represents the influence of sin
• II. The leaven represents something bad from the past being brought over into the present
• III. The leaven represents the need to practice biblical separation

THE BOOK OF EXODUS

God’s Prophecy and Promise Had Come To Pass

God’s Prophecy and Promise Had Come To Pass

Exodus 1:1-7

From Prosperity to Persecution

From Prosperity to Persecution

Exodus 1:8-14

God’s Protection in the Midst of Adversities

God’s Protection in the Midst of Adversities

Exodus 1:15-21

The Faith of Jochebed

The Faith of Jochebed

Exodus 1:22-2:10

Moses in Egypt

Moses in Egypt

Exodus 2:11-15

Moses in the Desert of Midian

Moses in the Desert of Midian

Exodus 2:16-25

Moses and the Burning Bush

Moses and the Burning Bush

Exodus 3:1-9

Who Are You?

Who Are You?

Exodus 3:10-15

Who Am I?

Who Am I?

Exodus 3:10-15

God’s Message to Israel and Egypt

God’s Message to Israel and Egypt

Exodus 3:16-22

What If They Still Don’t Believe?

What If They Still Don’t Believe?

Exodus 4:1-9

Send Someone Else

Send Someone Else

Exodus 4:10-17

Moses’ Return to Egypt

Moses’ Return to Egypt

Exodus 4:18-20

When Things Seemed to Get Better, They Got Worse

When Things Seemed to Get Better, They Got Worse

Exodus 5:10-21

When We Have Done Everything Right, and Yet Trouble Comes

When We Have Done Everything Right, and Yet Trouble Comes

Exodus 5:22-6:5

Having to Learn the Same Lesson Twice

Having to Learn the Same Lesson Twice

Exodus 6:6-12

Faithful or Unfaithful

Faithful or Unfaithful

Exodus 6:13-27

What God Wants Is Our Faithfulness and Obedience

What God Wants Is Our Faithfulness and Obedience

Exodus 6:28-7:7

The First Plague - The River of Blood

The First Plague - The River of Blood

Exodus 7:14-25

The Second Plague - The Frogs

The Second Plague - The Frogs

Exodus 8:1-15

The Third Plague

The Third Plague

Exodus 8:16-19

The Fourth Plague

The Fourth Plague

Exodus 8:20-32

The Fifth Plague

The Fifth Plague

Exodus 9:1-7

The Sixth Plague

The Sixth Plague

Exodus 9:8-12

The Seventh Plague

The Seventh Plague

Exodus 9:13-35

The Eighth Plague

The Eighth Plague

Exodus 10:1-20

The Tenth Plague

The Tenth Plague

Exodus 11:1-10

The First Passover

The First Passover

Exodus 12:1-13

The Feast of the Unleavened Bread

The Feast of the Unleavened Bread

Exodus 12:14-28

Departure From Egypt

Departure From Egypt

Exodus 12:29-42

This Do In Remembrance of Me

This Do In Remembrance of Me

Exodus 12:43-51; 1 Corinthians 11:23-32

Message 2: What is Church to you? My Covenantal Family!

Message 2: What is Church to you? My Covenantal Family!

Exodus 12:48-49, Colossians 2:11-12

Redemption and Consecration

Redemption and Consecration

Exodus 13:1-2, 11-16

Precious Lord, Take My Hand

Precious Lord, Take My Hand

Exodus 13:17-22

Between the Desert and the Red Sea

Between the Desert and the Red Sea

Exodus 14:1-14

Crossing the Red Sea

Crossing the Red Sea

Exodus 14:15-31

The Song of Praise

The Song of Praise

Exodus 15:1-21

Will You Obey Or Not?

Will You Obey Or Not?

Exodus 15:22-27

The Danger of a Complaining Spirit

The Danger of a Complaining Spirit

Exodus 16:1-3

God’s Response to Israel’s Complaints

God’s Response to Israel’s Complaints

Exodus 16:1-10

The Test of Faith

The Test of Faith

Exodus 16:11-20

Lessons About the Sabbath

Lessons About the Sabbath

Exodus 16:21-36

Do Not Test God

Do Not Test God

Exodus 17:1-17

Lift Up Your Hands

Lift Up Your Hands

Exodus 17:8-16

The Blessedness of Reunion

The Blessedness of Reunion

Exodus 18:1-12

Why Do We Have Leaders?

Why Do We Have Leaders?

Exodus 18:13-27

I Will Carry You On Eagles’ Wings

I Will Carry You On Eagles’ Wings

Exodus 19:1-6

Approach God Fearlessly or Fearfully

Approach God Fearlessly or Fearfully

Exodus 19:7-15

God Reached Out And Spoke

God Reached Out And Spoke

Exodus 19:16-25

Thou Shalt Have No Other Gods

Thou Shalt Have No Other Gods

Exodus 20:1-3

Thou Shalt Not Make Graven Images

Thou Shalt Not Make Graven Images

Exodus 20:4-6

Thou Shalt Not Dishonour God’s Name

Thou Shalt Not Dishonour God’s Name

Exodus 20:7

Thou Shalt Keep The Sabbath Day

Thou Shalt Keep The Sabbath Day

Exodus 20:8-11

Honour Thy Father And Thy Mother

Honour Thy Father And Thy Mother

Exodus 20:12

Thou Shalt Not Kill

Thou Shalt Not Kill

Exodus 20:13

Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery

Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery

Exodus 20:14

Thou Shalt Not Steal

Thou Shalt Not Steal

Exodus 20:15

Thou Shalt Not Lie

Thou Shalt Not Lie

Exodus 20:16

Thou Shalt Not Covet

Thou Shalt Not Covet

Exodus 20:17

The Response To The Ten Commandments

The Response To The Ten Commandments

Exodus 20:18-21

How God Wants Us To Worship Him

How God Wants Us To Worship Him

Exodus 20:22-26

Why Would God Allow Slavery?

Why Would God Allow Slavery?

Exodus 21:1-11

The Punishment Fits The Crime — a life for a life

The Punishment Fits The Crime — a life for a life

Exodus 21:12-17

The Punishment Fits The Crime — an eye for an eye

The Punishment Fits The Crime — an eye for an eye

Exodus 21:18-36

The Punishment Deters The Crime — property laws

The Punishment Deters The Crime — property laws

Exodus 22:1-15

The Character Of God

The Character Of God

Exodus 22:16-20

Reaching Out To The Down-And-Out

Reaching Out To The Down-And-Out

Exodus 22:21-24

The Compassion, Authority & Holiness Of God

The Compassion, Authority & Holiness Of God

Exodus 22:25-31

Truth Cannot Be Subjected To Anything But Truth

Truth Cannot Be Subjected To Anything But Truth

Exodus 23:1-9

Remember Who God Is

Remember Who God Is

Exodus 23:10-19

What Must We Do To Have Victory

What Must We Do To Have Victory

Exodus 23:20-33

How We Ought To Worship God

How We Ought To Worship God

Exodus 24:1-4, 7

On What Basis Can We Approach His Majesty?

On What Basis Can We Approach His Majesty?

Exodus 24:4-8

Responding To God’s Invitation

Responding To God’s Invitation

Exodus 24:9-18

The Right Attitude Of Giving

The Right Attitude Of Giving

Exodus 25:1-8

There I Will Meet You

There I Will Meet You

Exodus 25:9-22

Physical Or Spiritual Bread, Which Is More Important?

Physical Or Spiritual Bread, Which Is More Important?

Exodus 25:23-30

Let Your Light So Shine Before Men

Let Your Light So Shine Before Men

Exodus 25:31-40

If Thy Presence Go Not with Me, Carry Us Not Up Hence

If Thy Presence Go Not with Me, Carry Us Not Up Hence

Exodus 33:12-23