~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GOOD NEWS FROM THE REDEEMER
NOVEMBER 18, 2000 RADIO MESSAGE #346
Christ in Exodus #41
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The observance of the Passover (vv.1-14) commenced the Feast of Unleavened Bread (vv.15-20). The relationship between these two events typifies the Christian experience. Passover typifies the Christian's salvation, both in all that is said concerning the lamb and as the night Christ delivered Israel from Egypt (vv.17, 31ff). The Feast of Unleavened Bread portrays the Christian's sanctification. As the observance of this feast commenced with the Passover, so does the Christian's sanctification of himself commence with his salvation (1 Corinthians 5:7f): "For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. Therefore let us keep the feast."
I. "Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread." These seven days commenced with the observance of the Passover Feast on the evening of the fourteenth day of the month Abib (v.6). (Remember that the Israelites' day commenced at sundown.) The number seven in Scripture often represents completion (as in the seven days of creation [Genesis 2:1f]).
The Christian is to "eat unleavened bread" throughout his entire life. >From the day the blood of Christ the Passover is applied to his heart, which also is the day in which he is delivered from the slavery of sin, he is to "keep the feast" without a lapse.
II. "On the first day you shall remove leaven from your houses." On the day the feast commenced, a diligent search was to be made of all premises and possessions for any leaven, and to remove all that was found. On the first day of the Christian's new life, he is to remove all leaven from it. (And he is to do so for the rest of his life.) Leaven in Scripture is often an emblem of insidious corruptible conduct and doctrine (as in Matthew 16:11f). It is corruptible because it will ruin the Christian's life, even as physical leaven will eventually spoil the bread in which it is found. It is insidious because "a little leaven leavens the whole lump" (1 Corinthians 5:6), for which reason the Christian is commanded to "purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you are truly unleavened" (1 Corinthians 5:7).
The various types of leaven the Christian is to remove from his life include ...
1. The "old leaven" (1 Corinthians 5:8). This leaven is that of our Adamic nature. It is identified with sexual immorality (vv.1-7a), and with the "leaven of malice and wickedness" in contrast to "the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth."
2. The "leaven of the Pharisees" (Matthew 16:6). This leaven is characterized by self-righteousness (Matthew 5:20; Romans 10:3); hypocrisy (Luke 12:1; Matthew 23:28); that traditionalism which esteems the fathers' teachings greater than God's Word (Mark 7:1-9); and that externalism which esteems outward show more than inward holiness (Matthew 6:1f, 5, 16); 3. The "leaven of the Sadducees" (Matthew 16:6). This leaven is characterized by that skepticism and materialism which denies the supernatural, the resurrection, and spirits (Matthew 22:23ff; Acts 23:8). 4. The "leaven of the Herodians" - of Herod and his followers (Mark 8:15). This leaven is that of compromise, sacrificing the truth for worldly gain (Mark 6:17-28; Matthew 22:16-21).
III. "For whoever eats leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel." He who willfully disobeyed this precept from Christ was to be excommunicated from the congregation.
The New Covenant church, like that of the Old Covenant, is to excommunicate any member who willfully disobeys the precept from Christ to remove all leaven from his life. This is His express requirement to His churches in the context of the command to "keep the feast" of unleavened bread. "In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when you are gathered together, ... with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. ... Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump?" Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened" (1 Corinthians 5:4-7).