Tenth Plague: Death of Firstborn – Warning Part 3 (Feast of Unleavened Bread)

 

Tenth Plague: Death of Firstborn – Warning Part 3 (Feast of Unleavened Bread)

Exodus 12: ¹⁴ ‘So this day shall be to you a memorial; and you shall keep it as a feast to the Lord throughout your generations. You shall keep it as a feast by an everlasting ordinance. ¹⁵ Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall remove leaven from your houses. For whoever eats leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall 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. ¹⁷ So you shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for on this same day I will have brought your armies out of the land of Egypt. Therefore you shall observe this day throughout your generations as an everlasting ordinance. ¹⁸ In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at evening, you shall eat unleavened bread, until the twenty-first day of the month at evening. ¹⁹ 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.’ ”

 

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GOD continues with HIS instructions to Moses to give to the children of Israel. HE gives precise instructions regarding the Passover Feast of Unleavened Bread.

 

My Observations:

• GOD instituted the Feast of Unleavened Bread for the Israelites to follow until sin is abolished.
• GOD wanted the people to celebrate the start and finish of this week.
• GOD seems to equate leaven or yeast with false doctrine and the poisonous mindset of religious leaders who wanted followers versus making followers of GOD.

 

Ever since the garden of Edan, GOD was fighting a mindset that there is no need for HIM or no need to place faith in HIM. Even before religious leaders were established, GOD put together an annual feast that would help the leaders recognize that GOD needs to be followed, not man. Unfortunately, religious leaders focused people on activity versus heartfelt belief, causing people to think they could earn GOD.

 

JESUS would later say, “Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees.” Their doctrine did not point to JESUS as the Messiah; rather, they were focused on building selfish kingdoms, misusing HIS name. For seven days, GOD wanted purity and to focus on HIM with no manipulation from human mindsets.

 

Challenge

• Why does GOD remind Moses about HIS institution of the Feast of Unleavened Bread?
• Have you wanted something so badly, that you believed you could manipulate GOD by following a religious leader?
• Can you focus your mindset on GOD as your leader versus your favorite religious or political leader?

Confident About You

Confident About You

Galatians 5: ⁷ You were doing so well! Who made you stop obeying the truth? How did he persuade you? ⁸ It was not done by God, who calls you. ⁹ “It takes only a little yeast to make the whole batch of dough rise,” as they say. ¹⁰ But I still feel confident about you. Our life in union with the Lord makes me confident that you will not take a different view and that whoever is upsetting you will be punished by God.

 

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After running over some glass, my car developed a slow leak in one of the tires. I could still drive as I pleased, but I was not confident I could go on a trip that was too far from a place to refill the tire. This little pinhole changed my trips for a while until I saved up to get it fixed.

 

• Something tiny changed my thinking.
• One little thing made a big difference in my life.
• A tiny problem added to my sorrow.

 

Paul questions everyone about how easily they could be persuaded to stop believing in JESUS as the truth. One person may have preached a message that countered the truth about JESUS being the one and only Savior. He may have even gone so far as to raise questions about the need to be saved. But Paul remained confident for a reason.

 

My Observations

• Little sins can cause me to feel unconfident in GOD’s power for me.
• My sins cannot stop GOD’s love for me.
• My confidence comes from being in union with CHRIST.

 

“But I still feel confident about you” are true words of surrender to GOD’s power. I mean, when I see someone struggling in life due to a lack of a relationship with JESUS, I want to jump in and convince him or her to choose HIS power. It does not always work that way, so I feel helpless.

 

GOD wants me to be confident in HIM that HE will draw everyone who belongs to JESUS back to HIM because of their belief. HE chose us before the foundations of the world and is in complete control. I am glad I can let go of situations and remain confident in the leading of the HOLY SPIRIT in my life and many others.

 

Challenge

• What is the concern being raised from the writer?
• Has there ever been a time when you received conflicting information regarding salvation?
• Will you remain confident that JESUS saved you for all eternity and is not mad at you rather is quite pleased with you today?

Kitchen Inventory

Kitchen Inventory

1 Corinthians 5: ⁶ It is not right for you to be proud! You know the saying, “A little bit of yeast makes the whole batch of dough rise.” ⁷ You must remove the old yeast of sin so that you will be entirely pure. Then you will be like a new batch of dough without any yeast, as indeed I know you actually are. For our Passover Festival is ready, now that Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. ⁸ Let us celebrate our Passover, then, not with bread having the old yeast of sin and wickedness, but with the bread that has no yeast, the bread of purity and truth.

 

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After making s delicious recipe, I stored the seldom used ingredients for another use. Everyone enjoyed the food and I felt a sense of delight that it came out as planned. Months later, I tried to recreate the recipe only to fail miserably. The ingredients had expired and the meal was just not the same.

 

• There have been many times when I gained a strength as an ingredient.
• There have been many times when I was “proud” of the strength and thought I had arrived.
• There have been many times when the strength turned into a weakness because pride caused it to expire.

 

Paul addresses not only sexual sin, but just plain old sin. He tried to explain that no one should ever become “proud” of their own accomplishments relating sin. Just a little sin can ruin the entire body.

 

• GOD wants me to take an inventory daily of my sin.
• GOD wants me to know JESUS forgave all my sin.
• GOD wants me to recognize I can still fall into sin even though I believe in JESUS.

 

“I will never do that again” has been said many times by me. I mean, when I am foolishly bargaining with GOD, I may quickly throw that statement out to “change GOD’s mind” and stop the trial. BUT GOD does not change, I do.

 

HE wants me to recognize when I am on a destructive path and get off the path. Old habits need to change and be replaced with new. But even that has danger as I may become proud of getting rid of an old habit. HE wants me to take an inventory daily and thank HIM for HIS forgiveness. I am glad HIS grace is sufficient.

 

• Have you rid yourself of a certain sin and are proud of it?
• Do you think you have arrived?
• Will you take inventory of your sins daily and allow GOD’s forgiveness to rule so you can point to the true forgiver and release yourself of trying to be perfect today?

Filled Up

Luke 13: ²⁰ And again He said, “To what shall I liken the kingdom of God? ²¹ It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened.”

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In a hurry, I placed the gas container in the back seat of my car. Unfortunately the rubber gasket was missing which left the top loose and a little spilled out as I turned the corner sharply. Those few drops made the entire car smell.

• Sometimes a little can be a lot.
• Sometimes it only takes a little of something to take over everything.
• Sometimes just a tiny amount matters.

JESUS says a rather confusing analogy about the kingdom of GOD. HE compares it to leaven or yeast, that a woman baking bread, places in the mixture. Only three measures were used to permeate the entire batch. What does HIS analogy have to do with me and my problems?

• GOD says to me “The kingdom of heaven grows because of ME.”
• GOD says to me “Once MY presence enters you, I will fill you up.”
• GOD says to me “I AM the great I AM who is made of the FATHER, the SON and the HOLY SPIRIT, three in one.”

Such few words describe so much. GOD’s kingdom is growing exponentially in spite of any force trying to stop it. HIS kingdom cannot be yielded in any way. HIS presence inside of me saves me eternally. That cannot be changed. When I ask for more of HIS kingdom, HE give it to me generously.

• Are you seeking the world’s kingdom or GOD’s kingdom?
• What is permeating your thoughts and actions?
• Are you bearing fruit for GOD or does your mind get torn apart with the today’s problems?
• Can you allow a little of GOD to permeate your entire life by letting go of your worries today?

Only a Pinch is Necessary

Matthew 13: ³³ He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds of flour until it worked all through the dough.”

³⁴ Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable. ³⁵ So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet:

“I will open my mouth in parables,

    I will utter things hidden since the creation of the world.”

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Study hard, stay away from sin and live in church was my thought of “success” in GOD. I mean that sounds about right doesn’t it? Well maybe…

• There have been times I put too many rules in front of GOD.
• There have been times I worshiped the structure of GOD rather than worshiping HIM.
• There have been times I felt I could earn GOD’s favor by being “righteous.”

The kingdom of Heaven requires a little, not a lot. What I mean is GOD saw “no” righteousness in me, yet HE saved me. HE gave me a tiny bit of faith and watched it grow in me.

• GOD says to me “I only need a little of your faith and I will do the rest.”
• GOD says to me “If you would have a tiny bit of faith, I will grow it in you like a mustard seed.”
• GOD says to me “I provide infectious faith that grows you and others around you.”

Faith does not come from me. I cannot manufacture it or think I have it when I don’t. Faith comes only from GOD. HE has to provide me with a tiny kernel of faith to believe in HIS guidance. It is up to me to ask for faith and to believe in it when HE provides it.

GOD does not mind providing faith. I have to recognize when HE gives me chances to use it.

• Do you want faith or more of it?
• Are you tired of being scared and worried?
• Can you ask GOD for a tiny kernel of faith today?

Spiritual Yeast Infection

Galatians 5: ⁹ “A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough.”

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Lies were not easy to tell around my house because it seemed like my parents were always on top of things so I moved my “lying” operation to my classmates.  It was easy to lie and make up stories that would make me look good. I got better and better at my lies.  Once I was in the middle of a lie and asked myself “what will I gain from this lie?”

• If I start lying then my lies grow bigger and I get better at it.
• If I take a paperclip from work then I will justify taking more and more.
• If I use one person then I will seek more to use.
• If I scam someone then I can scam my way to get what I want right? Wrong!

Yeast is sin and it only takes a little to ruin me or even worse ruin a group of people.  Once my morals have been breached then it is only a matter of time in which I am dragging others down in the gutter with me.  How can I get rid of this “yeast infection?”

• When I see others as GOD sees them then I remove my “yeast infection.”
• When I crave to be mature in CHRIST then I remove my “yeast infection.”
• When I do what GOD wants me to do instead of doing what I want to do then I remove my “yeast infection.”

A little sin does ruin the entire person and takes down entire groups of people. It blinds people to the truth making them think they are well when they really aren’t.  I should know, I think I’m fine every day. BUT GOD knows my “sin” illness very well and the more I turn to HIM the more HE works through me.

HE is the only one who can eradicate my sin and declare me innocent of my guilt. All I have to do is “admit” my guilt to HIM and HE will do the rest.

• What path are you on?
• Do you believe you are healthy by your own actions?
• When is the last time you have admitted your wrong actions to GOD?
• Since CHRIST paid the price for your sin, does that give you a license to continue to sin without admission?
• Won’t you make some effort in giving up some of your sin by asking for help from GOD?