Feast of Unleavened Bread, 2019, First Day - April 20. 2019
Feast of Unleavened Bread, 2019, First Day April 20. 2019
Replacing Sin With the Bread of Life
The Days of Unleavened Bread remind us that with God’s help we must remove and avoid all types of sin in all areas of our life.
We must replace our human weaknesses and sinful tendencies with something far better. And we learn this from God’s instruction to eat unleavened bread throughout this spring feast.
This High Day, that comes after the Passover, represents the next step in the fulfillment of God’s master plan. After God has forgiven us of our sins through Christ’s sacrifice, renewing our pledge with the Father each year with the Passover, how do we continue to avoid sin, since we must go on living in this life?
How do we live as God’s redeemed people?
Ephesians 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace
We find the answer in the remarkable symbolism of the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
When God freed Israel from Egypt, He told His people:
Exodus 12:15, 16 For seven days you are to eat bread made without yeast. On the first day remove the yeast from your houses, for whoever eats anything with yeast in it from the first day through the seventh must be cut off from Israel. (16) On the first day there shall be a holy convocation, and on the seventh day there shall be a holy convocation for you. No manner of work shall be done on them; but that which everyone must eat—that only may be prepared by you.
Exodus 12:19-20 For seven days no leaven shall be found in your houses, since whoever eats what is leavened, that same person shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he is a stranger or a native of the land. (20) You shall eat nothing leavened; in all your dwellings you shall eat unleavened bread.‘ “
Remembering that leaven symbolize only the putting away of sin and we are commanded to eat unleavened bread which symbolizes righteousness–active obedience to God. Not our righteousness, but God’s righteousness in our lives. We understand this is crucial to our developing the character of God and being changed into our Lord Jesus Family at His Second Coming
*1 John 2:29 If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of him.
*1 John 3:7 Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. The one who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous.
And what happen to the Israelites
Exodus 12:39 With the dough the Israelites had brought from Egypt, they baked loaves of unleavened bread. The dough was without yeast because they had been driven out of Egypt and did not have time to prepare food for themselves.
Leavening is an agent such as yeast, baking powder that causes bread dough to rise. And the leavening process takes time. The Israelites had no time to spare when they left Egypt, so they baked and ate flat bread. What started out as a necessity, continued for a week. God named this time the Feast of Unleavened Bread
Leviticus 23:6 On the fifteenth day of that month the LORD’s Festival of Unleavened Bread begins; for seven days you must eat bread made without yeast.
Did Lord Jesus observed this festival as an adult Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the Passover.
Matthew 26:17 On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Where do you want us to make preparations for you to eat the Passover?”
The early Church, following Christ in His religious practices, observed it as well.
Paul used the symbols of this Feast to give correction to the Corinthian Church.
1 Corinthians 5:6-8 Your boasting is not good. Don’t you know that a little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough? (7) Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed. (8) Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old bread leavened with malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
Paul knew the Corinthian Church was observing the Feast of Unleavened Bread to remove leaven from their homes and to encourage them to celebrate this feast with proper understanding of its spiritual intent.
Luke wrote this more than 20 years after Jesus had been crucified and resurrected. The Paul was observing the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
Acts 20:6 But we sailed away from Philippi after the Days of Unleavened Bread, and in five days joined them at Troas, where we stayed seven days.
When we remove leaven from our homes for seven days, it reminds us that we, too, through prayer and God’s help and understanding, must recognize, expel and avoid sin in our lives.
This week is a time of personal reflection and a time to meditate or thinks about our attitudes and conduct, and asks God to help us recognize and overcome our shortcomings.
Philippians 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if anything is excellent or praiseworthy–meditate on these things.
We know the Holy Spirit will lead us in all things.
John 16:13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.
Paul makes an outstanding statement
Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Our observance of the Days of Unleavened Bread helps us realize our crucial need for Jesus’ help in overcoming our weaknesses, sin in our life.
And this is reflected in the second aspect of how God commands that this feast be observed—by eating unleavened bread throughout the seven days.
What is the significance of the unleavened bread we are commanded to eat? Jesus is this bread and is the Bread of Life.
John 6:27 Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him.”
John 6:32-33 Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. (33) For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
John 6:35 And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.
John 6:41 The Jews then complained about Him, because He said, “I am the bread which came down from heaven.”
John 6:48-51 I am the bread of life. (49) Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead. (50) This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die. (51) I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.”
John 6:52 Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”
John 6:53-57 Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. (54) Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. {Important Verse} (55) For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. (56) Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them. (57) Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me.
John 6:58 This is the bread which came down from heaven–not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever.“
John 6:59-61 He said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum. (60) On hearing it, many of his disciples said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?” (61) Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, “Does this offend you?
John 6:62-66 What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before? (63) It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.
{Notice, Jesus words in this instruction, it is about Spirit, not mere flesh. Those who has the Holy Spirit living in them, will understand}
(64) But there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would betray Him. (65) And He said, “Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father.” (66) From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more. {this is a hard saying}
Yes, physical bread is essential for our physical life. But more important, our Lord Jesus is our Bread of life and is essential for our spiritual and eternal life. Without Him we do not have and cannot have eternal life.
This bread, represents Jesus body, we received at the Passover Service.
Luke 22:19 And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”
Notice the different terms Jesus applied to Himself
- the true bread from heaven
- the bread of God
- the bread of life
- the living bread which came down from heaven
So what is Jesus Christ’s point in calling Himself “the true bread from heaven,” “the bread of God” and “the bread of life”?
He’s saying that just as physical bread was essential for physical life, He as the Bread of God and the Bread from heaven and the Bread of life is essential for our spiritual and eternal life! Without Him we do not have and cannot have eternal life!
- That means we accept Him as the final authority in our lives.
- It means we hunger for Him as we hunger for physical food.
- It means we desire to learn about Him so we can become like Him in every aspect of our lives.
- It means we study His teachings and example so we can better follow Him as a disciple.
- It means we make His priorities our priorities. It means taking in and living by the whole of God’s Word.
So what have we learn today, remove leaven from our homes is an example for us to remove sin from our lives and we are to eat unleavened bread which represents Jesus body.
- This feast is certainly a time for rejoicing because He freely gives us the help we need to leave a life of sin and to lead a new life.
- Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, was sacrificed for the forgiveness of our sins, thus enabling us to be unleavened, cleansed of sin.
- And He continues to help us put sin out of our lives by dwelling in us through the Holy Spirit, thereby leading us to regular repentance and empowering us to live in obedience to God
Luke tells us:
Luke 11:28 But He said, “More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”
Luke 4:4 But Jesus answered him, saying, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by Bread Alone, but by every Word of God.’ “
These verses are taken from:
Deuteronomy 8:3 So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the LORD.
Remember, what the Apostle Paul told us:
1 Corinthians 5:8 Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old bread leavened with malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
On Passover night, we took the bread and wine, remember this throughout this Feast of Unleavened Bread:
1 Corinthians 10:16 Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ?
On Passover night, we took the bread and wine, remember this throughout the year what the Paul wrote:
This is what we are doing during this Feast of Unleavened Bread, enjoy the Feast, eating unleavened bread every day, it is a blessing that we, you and I, have been given this knowledge at this time in our life.
Exodus 12:42 It is a night of solemn observance to the LORD for bringing them out of the land of Egypt. This is that night of the LORD, a solemn observance for all the children of Israel throughout their generations.
