Walk in the Light, the Way and the Path of the Lord

(Sabbath During UB)

Fred R. Coulter—April 27, 2024

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Greetings, everyone! Welcome to the Sabbath, the weekly Sabbath, during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Now, this year, as you know, the Feast of Unleavened Bread and all the Feasts of God are later in the year. That's because there is a leap year, which happens in seven Sabbaths during a 19-year time-cycle.

Now, the reason that is so is because the movement of the sun, the moon, and the earth do not follow exactly precisely at the same beginning and the ending in the year. So, a 19-year time-cycle according just to the cycle of the moon for 19 years and the solar 19-year time-cycle comes within a few hours every 19 years. Then the difference in a few hours are added on every 19-year time-cycle until there is a full day; then a full day is added. That keeps everything in sequence.

Now, likewise, with counting for Pentecost, let's look at the instructions that we are given in Lev. 23 concerning how to count Pentecost because it is to be on the day after the weekly Sabbath.

Leviticus 23:9: "And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 'Speak to the children of Israel and say to them, "When you have come into the land, which I give to you, and shall reap the harvest of it..."'" (vs 9-10).

Some people say that when the children of Israel came into the Holy Land that they did not have a Wave Sheaf Offering, because the harvest had been planted by the Canaanites. But when the seed is planted, the seed disintegrates and you have a new plant with new grain. Therefore, the planting of it, when the seed is used for the growth of the new plant, whatever may have been what someone would consider unclean because the Canaanites planted it, has been completely removed.

When the children of Israel came into the 'promised land' they inherited that planted field; that was theirs. But it says 'when you come into the land.' So, this is when they first crossed the Jordan River, came in and kept the Passover, and that Passover was kept on a weekly Sabbath. Now then, when you have it like this year, that Passover was on a Sunday night. Today is the weekly Sabbath during the Feast of Unleavened Bread! He says here concerning the premier sheaf,

"…then you shall bring the premier sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest to the priest…. [that means the very first] …And he shall wave the sheaf before the LORD to be accepted for you. On the next day after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it" (vs 10-11).

So, for this year, that is tomorrow. Now, in the year that Jesus was crucified, He was crucified on a Wednesday, Thursday was a Holy Day, Friday was a preparation day, and then the weekly Sabbath.

Then we find that Christ was already raised from the dead by time that Sabbath was finished, and that He ascended in the morning of the day after the Sabbath. Jesus was first seen by Mary Magdalene, and when she understood Who it was—at first she thought it was the gardener—then Jesus spoke to her and she understood it was Jesus. Jesus told her:

Do not touch me for I have not yet ascended to the Father, but you go to the disciples and tell them that I ascended to the Father, My God and your God.

That was on the first day of the week. Then you can read in the Gospels what happened the rest of the first day of the week. So, tomorrow is the first day in the count toward Pentecost.

Then the priest gives the offering that they would do and the drink offering, and he says:

Verse 14: "And you shall eat neither bread, nor parched grain, nor green ears until the same day, until you have brought an offering to your God. It shall be a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings. And you shall count to you beginning with the next day after the Sabbath, beginning with the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven Sabbaths shall be complete" (vs 14-15)—or a whole week ending in a Sabbath!

If there are seven weeks all ending in the Sabbath, then you have 49 days. Then He says this:

Verse 16: "Even unto the day after the seventh Sabbath you shall number fifty days…."

Now that's where we get the day Pentecost, because Pentecost in the Greek means 50th or 50! Then it shows what should be and we'll cover that when we come to the Feast of Pentecost.

But this is the beginning of it. What we have is—and keep this in mind—from the resurrection of Jesus Christ and then His ascension, there are seven weeks plus one day!

• there are seven Churches
• there are seven angels
• there are seven spirits

Then when you come to Pentecost, the 50th day, that pictures the resurrection of the saints. Now we'll talk about that more as we get to it, because this is the Sabbath during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. So, the message for today is: Walk in the Light, the Way, and the Path of the Lord!

Let's look and see what the world is today. Let's come here to Isa. 60, because this tells us exactly what it's going to be when Christ begins to intervene. It was typically that way when Christ first came. By the way, when you read and understand Luke 4:16, that Sabbath was the Day of Pentecost that he announced that He was the Messiah to those there in Nazareth.

Now let's see what it says about Christ coming and the condition of the world.

Isaiah 60:1: "Arise, shine; for your Light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you."

That's what's going to happen when Christ returns. Also, typically that happens to us for our calling, because the Father draws us, we come to Christ, we repent, and then we receive the Holy Spirit of God.

That is the Light or the Power of God with the begettal of the Holy Spirit that opens our eyes to understand the Truth of God. We are no longer blinded and walking in darkness, but it takes the Light of God!

Verse 2 shows the condition of the earth, complete deception of Satan the devil: "For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people"

They won't understand! They will be completely under the control of Satan the devil.

"…but the LORD shall arise upon you…" (v 2).

As we've seen with the 6th seal, the opening of the heavens like a scroll and the showing of the sign of the Son of Man!

That's when the Lord shall rise upon you. And then one year after that, on the next Pentecost—because this happens on a Pentecost—will be the resurrection.

"…but the LORD shall arise upon you, and His glory shall be seen upon you. And the Gentiles shall come to your light… [that's the preaching of the Gospel to the whole world] …and kings to the brightness of Your rising" (vs 2-3).

That's quite a thing! That's the state of the world! Now then, let's see what we are to do with the Light that rises upon us. That is the Light of God

• through His Holy Spirit
• through His Word
• through His Truth
• through loving God
• through keeping His commandments.

All of those things combined result in walking in the Light, in the Way, and in the Path of the Lord!

Let's see what Jesus said about Himself and how He fulfills Isa. 60, that He is the Light of the world. We will see that

• Christ is the Light
• He is the Way
• He is the Truth

and we put it all together!

John 8:12: "Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, 'I am the Light of the world…'"

Not just to some people, but to the whole world. However, the Light coming to the whole world will not be completely revealed until after Satan is defeated and put into the jail and shut up (Rev. 20).

"…'I am the Light of the world; the one…'" (v 12). It comes down to each one of us individually, and that's what the Feast of Unleavened Bread is all about:

• how we come out of sin
• how we get rid of sin
• how we overcome sin
• how we put in the unleavened bread of Christ

how that:

• we learn
• we grow
• we repent
• we change
• we develop the character of God

So, that comes because of God's Spirit, and that comes because God's Word is then enlightened to us with understanding.

Then He says, "…the one who follows Me shall never walk in darkness, but shall have the Light of Life" (v 12).

Now that's quite a thing! Think about that! Having the Holy Spirit of God is the Light of Life from God Himself through Jesus Christ!

We will see that He repeated this in John 9:5. This is the case where there was a man who had been born blind. Let's read that and then let's see Jesus' answer:

John 9:1: "Now, as Jesus was passing by, He saw a man who was blind from birth. And His disciples asked Him, saying, 'Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents that he was born blind?'"

That's really kind of not too good of a question, because how can an innocent baby in the womb sin so it loses sight? or What did his parents do?

Verse 3: "Jesus answered, 'Neither did this man sin, nor his parents; rather, this blindness came so that the works of God might be manifested in him.'"

You can read the rest of the account there. But this is a type of Israel and the rest of the world having the blindness removed from them, just like we read in Isa. 60, that the Light has risen!

Verse 4: "I must work the works of Him Who sent Me while it is still day. When the night comes… [darkness] …no one is able to work…. [when that happens] …As long as I am in the world, I am the Light of the world" (vs 4-5). That's so important, because God has called us:

• to know Him
• to know His love
• to know His mercy
• to know His forgiveness
• to know His grace
• to know the things that He has for us
• to know the purpose of our life
• to know why we were born
• to know where we are going

All of that is contained in the phrase: 'that we come to the Light.' If we do, we'll never walk in darkness!

John 12:35: "Then Jesus said to them, 'Yet, a little while the Light is with you. Walk while you have the Light…'" In other words:

• come to Christ
• walk in His Way
• walk in His Truth
• walk in His Path

So that the darkness will not overtake you!

This also shows that we need to use the Spirit of God so that we can not have Satan the devil come and bring us into darkness.

We have seen how that is, because men and women come along and they are selective in what they look at in the Bible. They say, 'Okay, the things that I agree with, I will follow.' But that's not taking the Light. The Light is:

• all of God's Word
• all of His Way

through Jesus Christ! That's why He said:

"…Walk while you have the Light, so that the darkness will not overtake you. For the one who walks in darkness does not know where he is going" (v 35).

That's true! They don't understand the Word of God, because they don't realize that in order to understand it, there are three things you need to do, and each one will bring you a progressive understanding of the Word of God.

• believe God
• obey God
• love God

Now the world has it all backwards. They say that the love of God is unconditional and they invite Jesus to come into their life. But it's the other way around. Jesus and God the Father invite us to come into:

• Their Life
• Their Way
• Their Truth
• Their Laws
• Their Commandments
• Their Righteousness

through repentance and baptism and receiving of the Holy Spirit!

• we're to walk in the Light
• we're to walk in the Way
• we're to walk in the Path

Verse36: "'While you have the Light, believe… [that's what we just covered]…in the Light, so that you may become the children of Light.' Jesus spoke these things and then departed from them and was in hiding. Although He had done so many miracles in their presence, they did not believe in Him, so that the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled who said, 'Lord, who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?' For this very reason they could not believe because again Isaiah said, 'He has blinded their eyes…'" (vs 36-40).

If you blind your eyes, you can't see the Light. You are in complete darkness.

"…and hardened their hearts so that they would not see with their eyes and understand with their hearts, and be converted, and I would heal them" (v 40).

Isn't that something? That shows the power of our independent free moral agency!

• that we come to the knowledge of sin and what sin is
• that we need to come to God and repent of our sins
• that we need to be baptized and receive His Holy Spirit

Then we begin a life of growing in grace and knowledge, which is another way of saying:

• walk in the Light of God
• walk in the Way of God
• walk in the Path of God

Verse 41: "Isaiah said these things when he saw His glory and spoke concerning Him. But even so, many among the rulers believed in Him…" (vs 41-42).

Notice, partial belief will never bring full results. Never happen. It's like this: Can you walk through an open door halfway? Now think on that! The door will be slammed shut in your face. So, even though they believe, but because of the Pharisees, they were respecter of persons. They didn't know what to do because then they wouldn't be accepted by the Pharisees.

Or today, people won't do it, because they won't be accepted by the establishment or by the society. Or by their friends or family or whatever it may be. So, whatever is out there that keeps people from coming to Christ all the way, brings blindness upon them.

"…but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, so that they wouldnot be put out of the synagogue… [Why?] …for they loved the glory of men more than the glory of God" (vs 42-43).

Think about that. The truth is this: we come to God His way, and:

• we're walking in the Light of God
• we're walking in the Way of God
• we're walking in the Path of God

He will lead us in Truth and all of the things we need to do.

Now we are seeing the world being closed in, almost like a great shroud of blackness and darkness. Every once in a while, there may be some improvement and it may look like it's receding for a while, but sooner or later it comes full force.

Just like Isa. 60 said: darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people!

Verse 44: "Then Jesus called out and said, 'The one who believes in Me does not believe in Me, but in Him Who sent Me."

You need to understand that. It is not that you just believe Jesus alone, but you must believe the Father!

Verse 45: "And the one who sees Me sees Him Who sent Me. I have come as a light into the world so that everyone who believes in Me may not remain in darkness" (vs 45-46). That's the true freedom in Christ!

• to understand the Truth
• to understand the Word of God
• to understand what we need to do
• to believe God
• to obey Him
• to love Him

Love comes down, as we know, to loving God with all our heart, mind, soul and being! That is how we get sin or leaven out of our lives. Quite an amazing thing when you understand it

Verse 47: "But if anyone hears My words and does not believe, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world. The one who rejects Me and does not receive My words has one who judges him; the Word, which I have spoken, that shall judge him in the last day" (vs 47-48).

Why is that? Now, hear this carefully as Jesus said in:

Verse 49: "For I have not spoken from Myself; but the Father, Who sent Me, gave Me commandment Himself, what I should say and what I should speak."

He did everything according to the Word of God.

Verse 50: "And I know that His commandment is eternal life. Therefore, whatever I speak, I speak exactly as the Father has told Me."

What was his answer when Satan tempted Him in the temptation? His first answer was, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.' Quite a tremendous thing indeed!

There's quite a bit to do with the Psalms, so we'll look at a number of them, then we'll see some other things.

Psalm 37:1[transcriber's correction]: "Do not fret yourself because of evildoers, and do not be envious against the workers of iniquity."

Now, remember this: Those who are totally controlled by Satan the devil; he gives them:

• benefits
• wealth
• favor in society

But we're not to envy them!

Verse 2: "For they shall soon be cut down like the grass; and wither as the green herb."

That's what's going to happen when Christ returns, and that happens in the cycle of every generation coming down through history.

Verse 3: "Trust in the LORD…"

If you're trusting in the LORD, that means you're:

• believing in Him
• believing in His Word
• trusting in His Word
• trusting what God said He would do

and He will do it because God never fails!

Verse 3: "Trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land and cherish faithfulness. Delight yourself in the LORD…" (vs 3-4).

• this is how we walk in the Light
• this is how we walk in the Way
• this is how we walk in the Path

Verse 4: "Delight yourself in the LORD, and He shall give you the desires of your heart."

Of course, the greatest desire  that we need to have in our heart is to be in the Kingdom of God as the son or daughter of God. That's what the Feast of Unleavened Bread is all about; that:

• we develop the mind of Christ
• we develop the trust and faith in God
• we grow in grace and knowledge
• we have greater conviction of the Truth
• we have greater receiving of the grace of God
• we have greater understanding of His Word
• we have greater understanding of God being with us

All of that is tied up in  the meaning of the Feast of Unleavened Bread.

Verse 5: "Commit your way unto the LORD…" How do you do that? You ask God:

• to help you
• to lead you
• to guide you
• to direct you in the way that He needs you to go
  • that you study His Word
  • you rightly divide it
  • you apply it to yourself

That's how we do it; commit our way to God! That's why prayer every day and study every day is so important.

Verse 6: "And He shall bring forth your righteousness like the Light."

That's talking about the ultimate end  of the Light is the resurrection! What did Jesus say about how we would look? He brought out what Daniel was inspired to write, 'That those who turn many to righteousness shall shine like the stars in heaven.'

Jesus said, 'Those who are His and attain to the resurrection shall 'shine like the sun.'

"…bring forth your righteousness like the Light, and your judgment like the noonday."

So, here's what we were to do in committing our lives to God in trusting Him.

Verse 7: "Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him; do not fret yourself because of him who prospers in his way, because of him who carries out wicked schemes. Cease from anger..." (vs 7-8).

• don't let carnality get a hold of you
• don't let selfish ways come in
• don't try and accomplish spiritual things by carnal means

Remember, you cannot take from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil—the good that is there—and apply it spiritually to develop spiritual character, because the good from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil

• always leads to death
• always leads to more sin

Haven't we seen that in our life and the life of the Church, and in the society around us everywhere we look? Yes, indeed!

Verse 8: "Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; do not fret yourself, it leads only to evil, for evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth " (vs 8-9).

Think about that! It's not what we have today. Whatever blessings we have today

• that's great
• that's wonderful
• that's fine

But what are those compared to inheriting the earth, and ruling and reigning as kings and priests with Christ?

Verse 10: "It is but a little while, and the wicked shall be no more; yea, you shall diligently consider his place, but he shall not be there. But the meek shall inherit the earth and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace. The wicked plots against the righteous and gnashes against him with his teeth. The LORD laughs at him, for He sees that his day is coming" (vs 10-13).

Psa. 25—let's see what else we are told here. This is quite a thing. I want you to notice how important all of this is and what this is, please understand this.

All the apostles, when they began preaching Christ, only had the Old Testament, which means that In the Old Testament we find a lot of New Testament teaching, especially in the Psalms.

(break@36:25)

Psa. 2:5 is a very instructive Psalm, having to do with

• walking in the way of God,
• walking in the light of God,
• walking in the path of God

Plus being taught!

In all of these things, God is teaching us spiritual lessons through everything that we go through. That's all based upon what I've said previously:

• believe God
• obey God
• love God

Those three all combined with everything else that God has provided for us.

This has to do with our prayer life every single day:

Psalm 25:1: "To You, O LORD, do I lift up my soul." Why do we pray?

• to glorify God
• to love God
• to ask God for help and guidance
• for those who need prayers
• for healing
• for understanding
• we ask God to guide us
• we ask God to keep us from the evil one

Verse 2: "O my God, I trust in You..."

It's like it says there in Prov. 3, 'Trust in the Lord with all your heart.' That's what we are to do!

"…do not let me be ashamed, let not my enemies triumph over me. Yea, let none who wait on You be ashamed...  [that's why we pray for all the brethren, as well] …let them be ashamed who deal treacherously without cause" (vs 2-3). Isn't that what happens? Yes!

How to come out of all of these difficulties, v 4: "Show me Your ways, O LORD; teach me Your paths."

• walking in the Way of the Lord
• walking in the Light of the Lord
• walking in the Paths of the Lord

Verse 5: "Lead me in Your Truth and teach me..."

Every day, everything is being led by God, being taught by God, so that we develop the character through the love and grace of God in our lives as we yield to Him and live His way.

"…for You are the God of my salvation; on You do I wait all the day long. Remember, O LORD, Your tender mercies and Your loving kindness, for they have been of old" (vs 5-6).

All through history, God has had that for those who love Him. This is why we are also to confess our sins every day, as Jesus said.

Verse 7: "Do not remember the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions; according to Your loving kindness remember me for Your goodness sake, O LORD. Good and upright is the LORD..." (vs 7-8).

When we repent, what does God do? He removes the sins as far away from us as the East is from the West!

Notice what else happens. See, this comes layer after layer.

Verse 8: "Good and upright is the LORD; therefore, He will teach sinners in the Way."

• the way of God
• the way of Truth
• the way of Light

Verse 9: "The meek He will guide in judgment; and the meek He will teach His Way."

What he's going to show you is because everything about the Word of God comes together in our lives as we pray, study and live according to God's Way.

Verse 8: "Good and upright is the LORD; therefore, He will teach sinners in the Way."

WHEN we repent of our sins, THEN we put in the Way of God, whatever that may be for whatever situation it is.

Verse 9: "The meek…"

• not the vain
• not the self-important ones
• not the self-centered ones

the meek! Jesus was the meekest. When Moses was alive, he was the meekest of all the Israelites. Imagine that!

Verse 9: "The meek He will guide in judgment; and the meek He will teach His Way. All the paths of the LORD are mercy and Truth…" (vs 9-10).

• we see the greatness of God
• we see the magnificence of His love
• we see the great creation that He has created and all that there is in that

That's going to be our inheritance after the new heavens and the new earth! Think about that!

So, God wants us to come in all the ways of the Lord, not just part of this, that and the other, but completely! That's called wholeheartedness! That means your whole heart, mind, soul and being is in it. That's wholeheartedness!

Verse 10: "All the paths of the LORD are mercy and Truth to those who keep His covenant and His testimonies."

Now the covenant are the promises of God. We're in the New Covenant through the blood and sacrifice of Jesus Christ. His testimonies are everything that He has said! That's why Jesus said, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word of God,' because those are His testimonies.

Verse 11: "For Your name's sake, O LORD, pardon my iniquity, for it is great."

Here's another thing that's important for us to understand. We come to understand how absolutely contrary to the way of God is sin. Sin begins with wrong thoughts, or with the little leaven that leavens the whole lump!

Now that's why we have the Feast of Unleavened Bread; so:

• we can learn
• we put these things out
• we put the spiritual things in
• we get rid of the way that we think normally

Then we begin to think with the Spirit and Word of God! See the difference?

That's why the Feast of Unleavened Bread, to put out the human nature and to put in the Way of God and God's nature in us!

Verse 12: "What man is he who fears the LORD? He shall teach him in the way that He shall choose."

Whatever is the Way of God, it's here. Everything about life:

• why we're here
• where we're going
• what God is
• Who God is
• what Christ is
• Who Christ is
• what His word is
• what His promises are
• what is His love
• what is His mercy
• what is His correction
• what is His anger against the wicked

so that we can stay out of the way of being caught up with them!

Verse 12: "What is man who fears the Lord? He shall teach him in the way that he shall choose. His soul shall dwell at ease and his seed shall inherit the earth" (12-13).

What we are talking about right now the world does not know. It is a secret of God that He reveals to us, but not to the world. But notice what it says in:

Verse 14: "The secret of the LORD is with those who fear Him, and He will show them His covenant."

Isn't that amazing? The Covenant of Eternal Life!

Psalm 26 is interesting, indeed! This shows repentance. This shows coming to God and understanding what God alone can do for us. God alone can forgive sin!

If someone sins against us and we forgive them, we also put it in God's hands so that they will come to God so that they also get the forgiveness of God.

Psalm 26:1: "Judge me, O LORD, for I have walked in my integrity…."

That integrity can only come from God, so He's walking in the Way of God.

"…I have trusted also in the LORD without wavering…. [resolute, thorough, complete, yielded to God] …Examine me, O LORD, and prove me; try my reins and my heart" (vs 1-2).

• Isn't that true?
• Isn't that what God does?

The reins are how God is able to understand the very thoughts that we have in our mind at any time He decides to do it. Exactly how that works and what that is described here, we don't really know, but God knows, and that's what's important.

Verse 3: "For Your loving kindness is before my eyes; and I have walked in Your Truth."

What is Truth? Jesus said in His prayer to God, 'Your Word is the Truth. 'Sanctify them!' That is all the saints, all that have the Spirit of God! Sanctify means make them Holy in preparation for the resurrection! 'Sanctify them in Your Truth.' Quite an amazing thing indeed!

Psa. 37—there are many things in here for us to learn, and how we can apply this in our lives.

All the way through here, this is something. He says four times in this Psalm that the righteous shall inherit the earth! We need to think on that! I want you to read the whole 37th Psalm.

Psalm 37:28: "For the LORD loves justice and does not forsake His saints..."

If you have a trial or a difficulty that you're going through, that doesn't mean that God has left you. That means that you have circumstances of a trial that will help you draw close to God. And when you come to God in a trial and ask God to help you and get out of this difficulty of the trial, to bring a resolution to the trial, then this trust is that which brings out our trust in God!  He won't forsake us!

"…they are preserved forever, but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off. The righteous shall inherit the earth and dwell in it forever" (vs 28-29).

Verse 30: "The mouth of the righteous speaks wisdom, and his tongue talks of justice."

That's quite a statement, isn't it? That shows it reflects our closeness to God and His Spirit within us.

Verse 31: "The Law of his God is in his heart…"

Is that not New Testament doctrine? Does that not agree with Heb. 10:16, that He's going to write them in our heart and inscribe them in our mind? Or the other way around, write them in our mind and inscribe them in our heart; written right there at everything that we do? Yes!

Verse 32: "The wicked watches the righteous and seeks to kill him. The LORD will not leave him in his hand, nor condemn him when he is judged. Wait on the LORD… [always stay with God] …and keep His way, and He shall exalt you to inherit the earth… [at the return of Jesus Christ] …when the wicked are cut off, you shall see it" (vs 32-34).

There we go! Now, let's come to the New Testament ans let's see some of the things that we are to do. Let's see how all of this ties in together, the whole Word of God. Now, that's quite a thing, the way that the Bible is put together, and the Word of God, and how God has made it, and has opened our minds and our hearts to understand it! All of that is part of:

• the Spirit of God
• the Plan of God
• the Word of God

1-Peter 2:5: "You also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house—a Holy priesthood… [that's what it will be in the Millennium] …—to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God through Jesus Christ."

Now, notice, everything comes through Christ Jesus, as He says in:

Verse 6: "For this reason it says in the Scripture, 'Behold, I place in Zion the Cornerstone, chosen and precious; and the one who believes in Him shall never be put to shame.'" Believe! Obey! Love!

Verse 7: "The preciousness is to you, therefore, who believe;but to those who disobey, the Stone that the builders rejected has become the Head of the corner, and a Stone of stumbling and a Rock of offense; especially to those who stumble at the Word, being disobedient, unto which unbelief they also were appointed. But you are a chosen stock…" (vs 7-9).

Now, remember that; don't get lifted up in vanity! And you don't go, 'Nya, nya, nya, nya, nya. God has chosen me, but not you.' That's not the way, you are:

"…a chosen stock, a royal priesthood, a Holy nation… [we will be that Holy nation when we are resurrected] …a people for a possession of God, that you might proclaim…" (v 9).

This is what we are to do now, and this is what we will do as the sons and daughters of God.

Verse 9: "But you are a chosen stock, a royal priesthood, a Holy nation, a people for a possession of God, that you might proclaim His excellent virtues, Who called you out of darkness into His marvelous Light."

Now, that brings us right back to where we started in Isa. 60,

Verse 10: "Who once were not a people…"

What are we?  I mean, really, what are we? Well, we're God's chosen, but what does that mean? That means we need to accept this with love, meekness and thanksgiving, and not be lifted up in carnal ways against others.

"…but now are the people of God; who had not received mercy, but now have received mercy" (v 10). Now, that's quite a thing for Peter to write this!

• What is the important thing in all of this?
• Why during the Feast of Unleavened Bread are we to put out the leaven, and we're to put in the unleavened?

Now, notice how John starts this, because we're dealing with something that is even created into the very universe itself!

John 1:1: "That which was from the beginning, that which we have heard, that which we have seen with our own eyes, that which we observed for ourselves and our own hands handled, concerning the Word of Life."

John just summarized his whole experience of being with Christ while He was in the flesh. An amazing thing:

• to watch all of the miracles
• to see all of the healing
• to see all of the things that Jesus did

Of course, the first thing they saw Jesus do—at the wedding in Cana—is change the water into wine. Then:

• all the miracles
• all the healings
• all of the preaching
• all of the teachings in the synagogues

Verse 2: "And the life was manifested, and we have seen, and are bearing witness, and are reporting to you the eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested to us." That is God manifested in the flesh!

As Paul writes in 1-Timothy 3.16: "And undeniably, great is the mystery of Godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, was justified in the Spirit, was seen by angels, was proclaimed among the Gentiles, was believed on in the world, was received up in glory."

1-John 1:"That which we have seen and have heard we are reporting to you…" Here's why:

• we have the Word of God
• we have the Passover
• we have the Feast of Unleavened Bread

and then all of the rest of the Feasts of God right here:

Verse 3: "That which we have seen and have heard we are reporting to you in order that you also may have fellowship with us… [the apostles and the saints] …for the fellowship…"—that's what it is in the Greek!

Here is the ultimate fellowship of it; that is the ultimate fellowship of walking in:

• the Way of God
• the Light of God
• the Path of God

"…for the fellowship—indeed, our fellowship—is with the Father and with His own Son Jesus Christ. These things we are also writing to you, so that your joy may be completely full" (vs 3-4)—and it will, as we come to understand the depth, meaning and promises of God for the purpose that He has:

• that brings us joy
• that brings us peace
• that brings us love to God

Verse 5: "And this is the message that we have heard from Him and are declaring to you: that God is Light, and there is no darkness at all in Him. If we proclaim that we have fellowship with Him, but we are walking in the darkness, we are lying to ourselves, and we are not practicing the Truth" (vs 5-6).

That one verse there, v 6, says it all with what is known as orthodox or establishment Christianity. They are walking in darkness while they're proclaiming that they are in Christ, and they're not!

They can have whatever good intentions that they may have, but unless they:

• believe God
• obey God
• love God

• they're believing in a false Jesus,
• they're believing in a false gospel
• they're practicing the wrong days by keeping Sunday and all the holidays

• Isn't that true?
• Isn't that lawlessness?
• Isn't that another Jesus?
• Isn't that another gospel?

Yes!

Verse 6: "If we proclaim that we have fellowship with Him, but we are walking in the darkness, we are lying to ourselves…"

There's nothing more difficult to get rid of than the internal lies that we have,

"…and we are not practicing the Truth" (v 6).

IF we walk in the Truth and walk in the Light, we're practicing the Truth! Is that not correct? Yes!

Verse 7: "However, if we walk in the Light, as He is in the Light, then we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ…"

As I wrote in my March/April letter, the blood of Jesus Christ and His sacrifice!

"…the blood of Jesus Christ, His own Son, cleanses us from all sin" (v 7). That's a great and wonderful thing!

We can never, as long as we are in the flesh, have perfect character. Perfection is accomplished at the resurrection!

• we grow
• we develop
• we overcome
• we get rid of sin

Verse 8: "If we say that we do not have sin, we are deceiving ourselves, and the Truth is not in us."

Now notice it's deceiving twice! So, here's the key:

Verse 9: "If we confess our own sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His Word is not in us" (vs 9-10).

Isn't that what the Protestants say? If you're under grace, you cannot sin! That is not true!

1-John 2:1: "My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And yet, if anyone does sin, we have an Advocate with the Father; Jesus Christ the Righteous."

Because it is through His sacrifice and His shed blood that we have forgiveness of sin.

Verse 2: "And He is the propitiation for our sins…"

In other words, because we have the law of sin and death and it's like we discussed on the first day, that needs to be overcome. And that law and sin and death will be with us until we are resurrected! That's why Paul said that if we are in Christ and we have the Spirit of Christ and are following Him, there is no condemnation. Why? Because He cleanses us from all unrighteousness!

Then he goes on to say that this is also going to be applied to the whole world.

Verse 3: "And by this standard we know that we know Him: if we keep His commandments." Conditional!

Verse 4: "The one who says, 'I know Him' and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the Truth is not in him…. [let's see how this builds up] …On the other hand, if anyone is keeping His Word… [all of it] …truly in this one the love of God is being perfected…. [a process.] …By this means we know that we are in Him. Anyone who claims to dwell in Him is obligating himself also to walk even as He Himself walked" (vs 4-6).

That's what it's to be, walk in the Way of God.

Now let's see what we are to do with that. Col. 3 tells us what we need to do. This is a very important chapter that summarizes the whole thing concerning the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Here we are on the Sabbath of the Feast of Unleavened Bread.

This is what Paul writes; notice how important this is:

Colossians 3:1: "Therefore, if you have been raised together with Christ… [raised out of the watery grave of baptism] …seek the things that are above, where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God. Set your affection on the things that are above, and not on the things that are on the earth. For you have died…" (vs 1-3).

That means in the watery grave of baptism! You pledged your death that you will be faithful to the end!

Verse 3: "For you have died, and your life has been hid together with Christ in God. When Christ, Who is our life, is manifested, then you also shall be manifested with Him in glory" (vs 3-4).

So, this is what we have to look forward to. We're getting away from all the flesh, all the sin, all the things of this world.

"…shall be manifested with Him in glory." How's that going to be? We won't know until the resurrection comes, so let's look forward to it.

Here's what we are to do. We are to take the things that are represented by leaven, that if we put out the leaven and bring in the unleaven, and this is what Paul is talking about here in all of Col. 3, and this is important. Every Feast of Unleavened Bread we go through this vital chapter, because it reminds us again and again what we need to do!

Verse 5: "Therefore, put to death your members, which are on earth… [What is that? The sin within!] …sexual immorality, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil desires, and covetousness, which is idolatry." That's just the way that it is!

Verse 6: "Because of these things, the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience."

We see how that's going to be in the book of Revelation. We see how that comes up in any society that rejects God, as we're seeing coming up in America in this society.

Verse 7: "Among whom you also once walked, when you were living in these things." You're:

• walking in the way of the world
• living in the way of the world
• doing the way of the world
• thinking the way of the world

Satan is the one who's behind all of that!

Because here we have it, this is what we need to put in, and this is what we need to put out!

Verse 8: "But now, you should also put off all these things… [refining the character even more] …wrath, indignation, malice, blasphemy, and foul language from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old man together with his deeds, and have put on… [you put off the old man] …the new man, who is being renewed… [in spirit, in Truth and in love] …in knowledge…" (vs 8-10)—just like we covered on the first day!

We're to be renewed in mind, transformed in mind and thought! In the Greek, that means a metamorphosis. That means a change over a period of time!

"…put on the new man, who is being… [present tense] …renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him Who created him" (v 10). What is happening in our mind and in our spirit is the most important thing!

• Are we developing the love of God?
• Are we developing the character of God?
• Are we living by the Truth of God?
• Are we being honest with ourselves?
• Are we overcoming sin?
• Are we trusting God?
• Are we walking in His Way?
• Are we walking in His Truth?
• Are we walking in His Light?

Yes!

Verse 11: "Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, barbarian nor Scythian, slave nor free; but Christ is all things, and in all."

Notice again that this is a lifelong thing that we are to do. This is emphasized during the Feast of Unleavened Bread so that we be renewed! Just like in taking the Passover is renewing the New Covenant.

Now keeping the Feast of Unleavened Bread is renewing our dedication and walk with Christ to carry out the things that he wants.

Verse 12: "Put on then… [develop these things] …as the elect of God, Holy and beloved, deep inner affections… [that means brotherly love for each other] …kindness, humility, meekness and long-suffering; forbearing one another, and forgiving one another if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so also you should forgive" (vs 12-13).

Isn't that true? If there's a problem that's between you and someone else in the Church, you go resolve it in love, in truth, in understanding, and God will bless you in it; God will strengthen the both of you.

Why should there be problems with brethren within the Church? There shouldn't! But in other Churches, they have so much control over the brethren that it creates strife and difficulties. That should not be with us!

Verse 14: "And above all these things put on… [or in] …love, which is the bond of perfection."

That bond of perfection leads to the perfection that will come at the resurrection! This is what the Feast of Unleavened Bread is to do for all of us:

Verse 15: "And let the peace of God rule in your hearts…"

In other words, let the Spirit of God motivate you, lead you and bring you the peace of God, which comes from knowing that:

• God loves you
• He has called you
• He cares for you
• He's working with you
• He's helping you overcome
• He's pulling you through all your difficulties and trials and things that you have

That's what it's all about!

 "…to which you were called into one body, and be thankful. Let the Word of Christ dwell in you…" (vs 15-16).

Now dwell means to live. That means that it comes by prayer and study; that comes by living.

Verse 16: "Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom…" That's what we're to grow in:

• grace
• knowledge
• wisdom
• truth
• righteous judgment
• service

"…teaching and admonishing one another in Psalms… [Didn't we just go over some Psalms? Yes!] …and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord" (v 16).

Let me tell you something that's true. If you have songs of praise that you sing and that you know and that you hear and you listen to, these also are recorded in your mind.

When you have that music in your mind, it helps you to overcome sin, because you're focusing on the words of the hymn and the words of God contained in that hymn; then you're not focusing on sin. It helps you overcome sin in everything!

Verse 17: "And in everything—whatever you do in word or in deed—do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him."

So this is the deep meaning of the Feast of Unleavened Bread:

• how to overcome human nature
• how to get rid of sin
• how to put out the leaven
• how to put in righteousness
• how to put in the unleavened bread

all of that is tied together in what God has for us!

So the Feast of Unleavened Bread is a great, momentous and tremendous things for us, and:

• it helps us every year to be renewed
• it helps us every year to come to God
• it helps us every year to redevelop our commitment to God

as never before, so that

• we can believe God
• we can obey God
• we can love God

So, that's the meaning of the Feast on the Sabbath during Unleavened Bread. Amen.

Scriptural References:

• Leviticus 23:9-11, 14-16
• Isaiah 60:11-13
• John 8:12
• John 9:1-5
• John 12:35-50
• Psalm 37:1-13
• Psalm 25:1-9. 8-14
• Psalm 26:1-3
• Psalm 37:28-34
• 1 Peter 2:5-10
• 1 John 1:1-2
• 1 Timothy 3:16
• 1 John 1:3-10
• 1 John 2:1-6
• Colossians 3:1-17

Scriptures referenced, not quoted:

• Luke 14:16
• Revelation 20
• Proverbs 3
• Hebrews 10:16

FRC:bo/po
Transcribed: 3/21/24

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