GET RID OF THE LEAVEN
TEXT: Exodus 12:15-20; l Corinthians 5:7-8
Exodus 12:15 20 -- “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.” “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.” “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 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.” “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.” “Ye shall eat nothing leavened; in all your habitations shall ye eat unleavened bread.”
1 Corinthians 5:7 8 -- “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.”
l. INTRODUCTION -- THE PASSOVER
-The holy days of the Old Testament are very important for us to understand the concepts of salvation and lifestyle in a New Testament age.
-One of Israel’s major feasts was that of the Passover. Actually the Passover comprised three separate holy days.
1. The Feast of the Passover
2. The Feast of Unleavened Bread
3. The Feast Day of the Sheaf of Firstfruits
-But it is the way that Israel came to honor that feast that I want to preach about.
ll. THE NIGHT THAT NOBODY SLEPT
-It was the night that nobody in the land of Goshen was supposed to sleep. The children of Israel had watched the power of God expressed in the previous six plagues, but now the horror of the seventh and final plague was to free them from the land of Egypt.
-Four hundred and thirty years is a long time. More than ten generations, as a generation biblically is thirty-five to forty years long. During this period of time, a pharaoh had gained the throne of Egypt who did not know Joseph. Through his great ambitions and desire to build his kingdom, he had placed the children of Israel under severe hardship.
-They built the pyramids, the sphinxes, and other great wonders in the land of Egypt. They were an afflicted people.
-Now it was time to leave the land of slavery and hardship. Moses had boldly walked into the courts of Pharaoh and demanded that the people be set free. Having to endure plagues and hardships of comfort and ruin, the Pharaoh still refused them their freedom. But God had a plan to set his people free.
-However, as with God’s plans there are always some stipulations. Obedience to God is imperative and it must be followed exactly as God lays it out.
-Exodus 12 covers the Passover and the Exodus. One would expect that after 430 years of struggle and hardship, that a long portion of Scripture would be dedicated to informing us of the details of organizing and mobilizing two-million Jews.
A. The Passover Preparations
-Moses instructed that the heads of each household were to take a lamb of the first year and on the tenth day, that lamb was to be set aside until the fourteenth day of that first month. On the evening of the fourteenth day, the lamb was to be slain.
-Once the animal was slain, the blood was to be sprinkled on the door posts. The household was to eat the lamb roasted with fire and bitter herbs along with unleavened bread. It was to be ate quickly. The Israelites were to be dressed and ready to leave.
-When the cry came at midnight, they were not to be fumbling around trying to gather up belongings and articles of clothing. At midnight when the death angel came, if the token of blood was not on the door posts, judgement came.
-Whether one looks in the Old Testament or in the New Testament, man has a responsibility to do something to prepare his heart for the presence of God.
lll. THE FEAST OF UNLEAVENED BREAD
-With the coming of the Passover, the head of the house must cleanse his house of all leaven. For seven days no leaven was to be seen in his house. All in the house must eat of unleavened bread from the first day until the seventh day. Anyone found with leavened food in their houses was to be cut off from the congregation of Israel.
A. The Importance of Unleavened Bread in Israel
-The importance of unleavened bread in Israel may be seen in various occasions when the Lord commanded it to be used. The spiritual truth becomes more evident as the settings of these Scriptures are noted.
1. Unleavened bread was used in the consecration of the priests to their office and ministry (Lev. 8:2; 8:26; Ex. 29:2; 29:23)
2. Unleavened bread was used in the vow of separation of the Nazarite unto the Lord (Num. 6:1-12).
3. Unleavened bread was also used in the food of the priests, especially in the Meal offering, as well as the peace offering (Lev. 2:4-5; 6:14-18; 7:11-13).
4. Unleavened bread was used when the Angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon in his call to service (Judges 6:11-24).
5. Unleavened bread was to be used in the Passover as Israel was about to be separated from Egypt’s life of slavery and bondage (Ex. 12:117; 12:31-34).
-Therefore, one notes that there are symbolic truths in unleavened bread are “consecration” and “separation” unto the Lord. These speak of the doctrine of sanctification where the believer is separated from all that would corrupt, and consecrated to the service of the Lord.
B. Get Rid of the Leaven
-Every house must put away all leaven. It was a time of great cleansing, of separation from leavening influences.
-Leaven is yeast. When yeast is placed in a batch of dough it has the action of fermentation. Yeast puffs up. It works silently, secretly, and gradually, until the whole batch is affected. All of the dough is affected by the mysterious operation and fermentation. It causes the dough to rise. Its influence permeates the whole until all is leavened, until all becomes like itself.
-The principle of leaven is used in Scripture to symbolize that which is evil, either in doctrine or in practice. In the Old Testament the literal leaven was a type for us. In the New Testament, one notes that the literal leaven of the Old Testament points to a spiritual leaven in the New Testament.
C. Jesus On Leaven
-Three distinct types of leaven were mentioned in the earthly ministry of Jesus. When Jesus spoke of it, there was no doubt about it pointing to sinful practices, human weaknesses, and false doctrine.
Matthew 16:6 12 -- “Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.” “And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have taken no bread.” “Which when Jesus perceived, he said unto them, O ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves, because ye have brought no bread?” “Do ye not yet understand, neither remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets ye took up?” “Neither the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many baskets ye took up?” “How is it that ye do not understand that I spake it not to you concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of 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 of the Sadducees.”
1. The Leaven of the Sadducees
-Jesus warned His disciples to beware of the leaven of the Sadducees. There was no mistaking what the leaven of the Sadducees was. It was their false doctrine.
-The Sadducees did not believe in the supernatural, in the spirit, in angels, or in a bodily resurrection (Matt. 3:7; Mark 12:18; Acts 5:17; 23:6-8).
-The doctrine of the Sadducees works like leaven.
-A recent survey of seminary graduates proved out that over 50% of these men do not believe the Bible is infallible. These men are filling the pulpits all across our nation and over the course of time any hope of spiritual renewal as a whole is diminishing.
-Our convictions must be formed and then we must stand strongly convinced of the truth. A man who has strong convictions has three characteristics:
A commitment to Scripture as the final authority.
A construction of beliefs built on that Word.
A courageous spirit to act on those convictions.
I recently was looking at some articles written by a professor at one of the most prestigious denominal seminaries in America and I was literally taken aback at some of his inclinations. There were entire portions of Scripture that were entirely dismissed as being cultural and irrelevant to men. There were implications that much of Scripture contradicts itself.
-If I am all alone, I have to preach what is in the Book. The doctrines of the early church may be old, but they are and will never be outdated. The plan of salvation stands as it is in John 3 and is experienced all throughout the book of Acts, particularly in chapters 2, 8, 10, and 19.
-There are those who have close associations with a portion of “Christianity” who wants a crossless Christ, an easy path, and an easier way. If you are not careful, it will create a liability to you that one day you will wake up entirely embracing a whole new set of doctrinal ideas and beliefs that are false.
2. The Leaven of the Pharisees
-Jesus warned His disciples to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees. There was no mistake about what Jesus was alluding to. He was talking about hypocrisy.
-The Pharisees had the look. They had the talk but they did not have the walk. Everything about them looked holy from the outside. . . . . . but there was something that prevailed on the inside.
Matthew 23:25 28 -- “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.” “Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.” “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness.” “Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.”
-The outside looked great but the inside was writhing in evil.
-I am fearful that some may have had a limited work of the Spirit in their lives. They look just good enough to keep the preacher off of them. They look just good enough to keep people from wondering about their spiritual status. They have just enough knowledge of the Word of God to keep God at a safe distance. But on the inside. . . . . a deceitful heart.
-The heart is a caldron of emotions.
3. The Leaven of Herod
Mark 8:15 -- “And he charged them, saying, Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and of the leaven of Herod.”
-Jesus warned His disciples to beware of the leaven of the Herod. Jesus was alluding to the fact that Herod had killed John the Baptist because John had condemned his worldly lifestyle. Living in obvious immorality.
-Herod was a very sinful man. He feared the Word of God in John’s mouth but was not prepared to repent. He was sly as a fox, sensual, proud, and murderous. He was controlled by a spirit of the world.
-The spirit of the world will tell you to destroy the voice of the preacher and live as you want. When worldliness gets into the church and into the pulpit it has massive destruction not only on this generation but the one to follow.
-If you have ever made that consecration and now your are backing up on it, you are losing your consecration and your anointing.
-Look for all the loopholes that you want to look for. One may ask, what is the penalty if I don’t? Ask Achan. One mistake cost him his life. . . . . .But not only his life, but all of his entire family.
lV. CONCLUSION -- THE ESSENCE OF SEPARATION
-Because God is holy, everything associated with Him is also holy or sanctified. The first use of the word “holy” in Scripture occurs when Moses met God at the burning bush.
Exodus 3:5 -- “And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.”
-What was it that made the ground different where the burning bush was compared to the ground that was fifty yards away? It had all to do with the very presence of God.
-When one looks at Scripture there are numerous things that we note the uses of the word “holy” for many inanimate objects. These things were marked off as related to God and because of this they were holy.
Holy Convocation -- Ex. 12:16
Holy Habitation -- Ex. 15:13
Holy Sabbath -- Ex. 16:23
Holy Nation -- Ex. 19:6
Holy Place -- Ex. 26:34
Holy Garments -- Ex. 28:4
Holy Gifts -- Ex. 28:38
Holy Crown -- Ex. 29:6
Holy Altar -- 29:37
Holy Oil -- Ex. 30:25
Holy Day -- Ex. 35:2
Holy Sanctuary -- Lev. 16:33
-What made these things holy? The presence of God. What God comes into contact with becomes holy. Therefore, when we are filled with the Spirit, we are filled with His holiness. They were common things and yet they had been set aside for an uncommon purpose.
-We have an obligation to protect that which is holy from becoming profane and wicked. If you ever see holiness as something besides a conduct code. If you would look at the anointing of the Spirit as a reason to be set aside, something that God has separated, you would long to be set apart by God.
-To become a holy vessel is something that is to be desired more than anything in this world. To be used of God, something that has become common and made uncommon.
-The second use of the word “holy” points to Scripture’s prominent use of “holy” in connection with God’s people.
Exodus 19:6 -- “And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.”
-Frequently God reminds His people that they are to be holy because they belong to Him who is holy (See also: Lev. 19:2; 11:44; 20:26; l Peter 1:16).
Leviticus 20:7 -- “Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the LORD your God.”
-Go back to Creation. What was one of the desires of God in Creation? That is answered in Genesis 1:26-27.
Genesis 1:26 27 -- “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.” “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.”
-God wanted to make a man in His image. If God is holy, one would have to come to the conclusion that He desired a man to be holy. Something common that has been set aside for an uncommon purpose.
2 Corinthians 7:1 -- “Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.”
-There are people in this room who have allowed your life to get far too common. The holiness that God instilled within you has over the course of time evaporated. It has not happened over night, it has been a gradual occurrence. . . . . . . and more than anything else you need to find a place to repent.
Philip Harrelson
