Now let’s continue on in Romans, the third chapter. Let’s come down here to v 9: “What then? Are we of ourselves better? Not at all! For we have already charged both Jews and Gentiles—ALL—with being under sin…” And the whole purpose of Unleavened Bread is once we’ve repented and have had our sins forgiven that now what do we do? We change and grow and overcome. Now the reason that all of these things take place in the world, as described here in the rest of the next verses that follow, is to show the exceeding sinfulness of sin—and that men are finally going to be so filled with sin and wickedness that when Christ returns they’re going to be very willing to accept Him. Now, v 19: “Now then, we know that whatever the law says, it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.” And we are. That’s why we need a Savior; that’s why we need mercy; that’s why we need forgiveness; because everyone is doing the works of the flesh, as enumerated there in Gal. 5.

Now let’s see some of the solutions that we need to have. First of all, it begins with repentance. Let’s come to Acts, the third chapter. Now we know in Acts, the second chapter, it tells us “repent and be baptized everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” And there has to be repentance first. Nothing is going to bring you closer to God than repentance, and this is why—even in the daily prayer—what are we told to also include in our prayers? Forgive our sins as we forgive the sins of others toward us, as well. Because the whole purpose of the Feast of Unleavened Bread is this: Is for us to know and to realize that we have to be cooperating with God in what He’s creating in us. Because once we repent and are baptized and receive the Holy Spirit of God, then we have to become converted; and becoming converted is a continuous process of washing and cleaning and getting rid of the sin—which is internally. We’ll cover this in just a little bit.

Acts 3:19—where Peter was speaking to the crowd and he was telling them: “Therefore, repent and be converted in order that your sins may be blotted out, so that the times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord…” and so, that’s exactly what we need to do: be converted! So if you want a subtitle for this sermon, it would be Become Converted or Be Converted--change, grow, have the character of God. When you repent, you repent of all of your vanity, all of your sins, all of your deep-down, entrenched human nature. And this is why being converted us a process and requires the action of God’s Spirit within us, to help us to be cleansed within, so we can develop the character of God.

Now, here’s how we do it. Let’s come to Psalm 34. After we repent, what do we do then? We say, “Oh God, thank You that You don’t count any sin any longer against me, because I have been saved.” Well, you see, being saved is a process. Just like being converted is a process. It’s not done instantly all at once. It’s just like when a new life—human life—is conceived, that’s just the start. It has to grow. It has to develop. It has to all of these things until the time to be born. Same way with us. When we receive the begettal of the Holy Spirit, that is the beginning, that is the start. We are to grow, we are to mature, we are to overcome. So then at the resurrection, the final perfection of unleavenness, will be complete.

Now let’s come here to Psalm 34:4—here’s what we need to do with our repentance: “I sought the LORD… [Doesn’t Isaiah say, ‘Seek the Lord while He may be found’? Yes!] …and He answered me, and delivered me from all my fears…. [And we’ll see all of our sins as well.] …They looked to Him and were radiant; and their faces were not ashamed. This poor man cried, and the LORD heard, and saved him out of all his troubles…. [And you see, growing and changing and overcoming while living in this world is a difficult process.

• That’s why we need the Holy Spirit of God.

• That’s why we need to go to Him, daily.

• That’s why we need to seek Him and He will deliver us out of all of our fears.

And another blessing comes in addition to it.] …The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear Him and delivers them…. [Then here comes, as we will see in a minute, a New Testament doctrine that you can’t understand what that means completely or more fully until you have the New Testament and the teachings of Jesus.] (v 8): …O taste and see that the LORD is good… [Now, you’re not going to walk up as some people might say, ‘Well, why would he say that? How are you going to taste the Lord?’ Well, we’ll see in just a minute. That means to be living by every Word of God.] …and see that the LORD is good; and blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him” (vs 4-8). And we can add to that: to help you overcome; to grant you the strength and truth and righteousness through His Spirit; and as we will see in a little bit, the strength of His Holy Spirit to expose the sin that’s within. Because there’s no way that you can get rid of the sin that is within and develop the life of sincerity and truth, which is pictured by the Feast of Unleavened Bread, spiritually, unless you have the Holy Spirit of God to expose it. And you can liken that to the light of God shinning into the darkness of your mind to reveal these things to you.

“O fear the LORD, all you saints, for there is nothing lacking to those who fear Him” (v 9) Then come over here to v 14: “Depart from evil… [That’s what we need to do. Leave the evil! Flee to the good!] …and do good; seek peace and pursue it. The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous… [Now, we saw in Psalm 2 where the eyes of the Lord are also upon the wicked—He knows what they are doing. But His eyes are upon the righteous to bless them and help them in overcoming and changing.] …and His ears are open to their cry…. [He will hear you. That’s why prayer and daily study is so important. Prayer, you’re talking to God. You’re having a relationship, spiritually. God’s Spirit is with you, opening your mind, leading you in prayer, and helping you to see your own sins. So repentance then becomes a continual process day-by-day, in every situation that we are faced in overcoming sin.] …The face of the LORD is against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them from the earth. The righteous cry, and the LORD hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles…. [Now here’s the thing that happens when we draw close to God]: …The LORD is near to the broken-hearted and saves those who are of a contrite spirit” (vs 14-18).

Now you can have vanity at this level, and you can have a broken heart and contrite spirit at this level—and this is what delivers: the power of God! You have your part in repentance and overcoming and changing and putting down sin. He also says that with this—v 19: “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all.” And in many cases, not in a way that we may think. Not in a way that we suppose. But in the way that God is going to do it.

Now, let’s come to John, the sixth chapter, and let’s bring this all together. What does it mean to “taste the Lord”? Now Jesus told us that He is the bread of life. So let’s come to John, the sixth chapter—and as He was explaining to those people who were wanting Him to bring manna down from heaven so they wouldn’t have to go out and work anymore, He told them that they need to believe in the One Whom God has sent, and that the manna that was given to the children of Israel in the wilderness was only a temporary thing. Now that He’s come from heaven—that’s where Jesus was before He was God manifested in the flesh—now He comes from heaven and He gives the true bread. Now let’s see what that is.

John 6:32: “Then Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, truly I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven; but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is He Who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.’ Therefore, they said to Him, ‘Lord, give this bread to us always.’ Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life… [later He said, ‘I am the way, the truth and the life. He is the bread of life; we are to taste the Lord and see that He is good. And that is by studying His Word. That is by living His Word. You live it after you have studied it, because just like eating, you have to eat so you can have energy to do. So likewise, in order to have the spiritual energy and the spiritual power of God’s Spirit to do the overcoming, you need the words of God that have come from Christ.] (Now notice what He continues to say—here’s a promise): …the one who comes to Me shall never hunger; and the one who believes in Me shall never thirst at any time…. [Because you are fed daily on the Word of God; you receive the Spirit of God—and both of those things pictured by the bread and by the thirsting.] …But as I said to you, you also have seen Me, yet you do not believe’” (vs 32-36). And then they get into this long, protracted argument, and even some of the disciples, who purportedly believed in Jesus, left Him because they said, ‘This is a hard saying, who can understand this.’

But here is the key—let’s come down here to v 50—and He’s talking about Himself; and that no salvation comes any other way except through Christ. So He says: “[I am]This is the bread… [like it is the living Word, the living Holy Spirit, the power that God gives us to change and grow and overcome and build His character.] …which comes down from heaven so that anyone may eat of it and not die…. [the promise of eternal life, because as physical human beings being incomplete, and even when we become complete in the flesh, through receiving the Holy Spirit of God, we are still incomplete because we’re going to die, and we’re still flesh. But we need eternal life.] (v 51): …I am the living bread, which came down from heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he shall live forever; and the bread that I will give is even My flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.’”

So that’s why the Passover is so important and is immediately followed by the Feast of Unleavened Bread, so that we realize how powerful that His sacrifice was—to save us from sin and also to bring us the opening to receive the Holy Spirit of God and the granting of repentance that we may change.

So, they didn’t like this. Because of this the Jews were arguing with one another: “How’s He able to give us His flesh to eat.” See, when you look at just from a physical point of view and don’t realize the spiritual point of view, then you’re going to wonder, how’s that going to be possible? Verse 53: “Therefore, Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, truly I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink His blood, you do not have life in yourselves…. [And the key is this: Even the apostles did not fully understand this until after they had the Passover where Jesus took the bread and broke it and said, ‘Take eat, this is My body’; and He gave them the wine and said, ‘Drink of it, this is My blood of the New Covenant, which is shed for the remission of sins for you and for many.’

Now v 53—this is really something. Notice how He just repeats this and repeats it and repeats it, so that we all understand: “Therefore, Jesus said to them… [Because they didn’t believe] …‘Truly, truly I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink His blood, you do not have life in yourselves…. [Ok, let’s look at this for sure. No one, unless they take the Christian Passover and take it the way that Jesus said at the time that Jesus said, can possibly have eternal life and that eliminates how many? Nearly all professing Christians. Does it not? Now, because some think they’re doing good works, and some think that these things are not necessary from the Old Testament, they have deluded themselves into believing it. But unless you are in covenant with Jesus Christ, through the covenant symbols, you have no life in you. You do not have the Holy Spirit and you cannot save yourself.] (Now let’s go on, v 54): …The one who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up in the last day; For My flesh is truly food, and My blood is truly drink. The one who eats My flesh and drinks My blood is dwelling in Me, and I in him…. [So if you’re not doing as Jesus said, the way that Jesus said to do it, with the Passover and with growing and changing and overcoming and believing the Word of God, etc., you don’t have life in you. You’re not going to be resurrected in the last day. Now, here’s the thing that’s important: Jesus said that if you do you’re]: …dwelling in Me, and I in him…. [You have Christ in you, which is ‘the hope of glory.’] (now v 57 is the key—here is how we are to live): …As the living Father has sent Me, and I live by the Father… [so here’s the complete explanation of this] …so also the one who eats Me shall live by Me’” (vs 53-57).

So that is really something! So the covenant that we are in, as we have understood before the Passover, is a tremendous and fantastic covenant that God has put us in. Now then, once that is made; once Christ is in us; once we are in the mindset of having the change and grow and overcome, now then, the battle becomes in here {in the mind}—because that’s where the spiritual character is developed. And that’s where the old leaven of sin is lodged, to be put out. So let’s look at the spiritual application, let’s see what happens.

Let’s come to Romans, the twelfth chapter. Let’s see how the Apostle Paul put it. What does conversion do for us? And what are we to do? It is a cooperative creation. God is working within us, but we also have to work with God. God has His part to lead us, to guide us, to help us, to inspire us, and to give us the spiritual tools we need. We have our part to take the Spirit of God and the spiritual tools and use them—it’s called the washing of the water of the Word in Eph. 5—so that we can change and grow and overcome and let Him create in us what He desires.

Romans 12:1—here’s our dedication to God. Jesus gave His dedication to God and to us. Now we give our dedication to Jesus and to the Father this way: “I exhort you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy and well pleasing to God, which is your spiritual service. Do not conform yourselves to this world… [Yes, we have to live in the world, but we’re to come out of this world—and we come out of it; but not going into outer space or anything like that. As we know, we come out of it by not living the way that the world lives, acting the way that the world acts. That’s why we have, with the Spirit of God, the Sabbath, the Passover, the Holy Days, the Word of God—and the Word of God becomes what? It becomes the instruction book for eternal life.] …but be transformed… [So there is a transformation. That is conversion. Be converted] …by the renewing of your mind… [Now that takes place within, and the Holy Spirit of God is there to erase, to take away the sins, to take away the deep, imbedded problems and difficulties and vanity that we have as human nature:

• the lust, the hate,

• the jealousy,

• the greed,

• the wretchedness

Only God can solve that, but we have our part to do with it. We have to have our minds renewed.] …in order that you may prove what is well pleasing and good, and the perfect will of God” (vs 1-2). Now we do this by living.

Let’s come to 2-Corinthians, the tenth _[corrected] chapter, and let’s see the mental thing that takes place, and how God assists us in it—but we need to do our part. 2-Corinthians 10:3: “For although we walk in the flesh… [Now, we’re still human beings and we will be until the day of the resurrection.] …we do not war according to the flesh” You cannot take human improvement programs and develop the character of God. Now, you may be able—with these programs—to become a better human being in the world. Be more successful in the world. But you are partaking of the good from the tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil—not the good that comes from God. Most people don’t understand that. And there are many ministers who get up there and bring modern psychology right into their sermons. They’re bringing in humanism and Satanism, mixing the good from the tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and think that’s going to make their congregation better people. It’s not going to! Only Christ can! So we don’t “war according to the flesh.’

How do we war? It is a spiritual battle. And the conflict goes on in here {in the mind}—and maybe between other people that we come in contact with, because of whatever their status may be. Now here’s the key, here are the weapons. We have weapons—v 4: “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal… [Not rooted in humanism; not rooted in do-goodism] …but mighty through God to the overthrowing of strongholds… [the conversion of the mind! To create within us the mind of Christ and the character of God, that is the true meaning of being unleavened.] (Now notice): …Casting down vain imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought into the obedience of Christ…” (vs 4-5). That’s our part!

Now, I’m going to show you something that happens once you receive the Holy Spirit that didn’t happen in the same way before you were converted. And the Apostle Paul explains this battle. Now notice when we do this: “And having a readiness to avenge all disobedience… [sins to be repented of] …whenever your obedience has been fulfilled” (v 6).

Now, let’s come to Romans, the seventh chapter—and let’s see especially…now when you’re first baptized, I know I did, you probably did: you think well, everything’s going to be good. Man, that’s perfect, wonderful. I’ve been baptized, received the Holy Spirit of God and WOW! that’s really going to be something! Well, it is! But the battle has just begun. Same way with the Apostle Paul. He said, “For I was once alive without law; but after the commandment came, sin revived, and I died” (Romans 7:9). Now did the Apostle Paul literally drop dead? Was he resurrected back to life? No, that has to mean dead with the baptism of Christ—because we are buried into His death. A symbolic, covenant death. And we are demonstrating by that baptism, our death! That we will fulfill and keep God’s way or die. That’s a covenant we make with baptism. So when he says “I died…”

Then he when to say, “And the commandment, which was meant to result in life, was found to be unto death for me… [because what it did. When you receive the Spirit of God, the Spirit of God begins doing something within your mind that is to expose the sin within that you didn’t know was really living within.] (So he says, v 11): Because sin, having taken opportunity by the commandment… [In other words, once you understand the commandment of God, you realize what sin is, because sin is ‘the transgression of the law.’] …deceived me, and by it killed me. Therefore, the law is indeed holy… [nothing wrong with the law.] …and the commandment holy and righteous and good. Now then, did that which is good become death to me? MAY IT NEVER BE! But sin… [Here’s what the Holy Spirit does—and it gives the struggle within, the fighting, the warring, to bring every thought into captivity to Jesus Christ.] …But sin in order that it might truly be exposed as sin in me by that which is good… [The commandments and law of God and the Spirit of God] …was working out death… [to get rid of that sin] …so that, by means of the commandment, sin might become exceedingly sinful…. [And that’s what happens with the Holy Spirit of God and the commandments of God working together like a hand-in-glove. You cannot have the commandments of God and really understand them without the Spirit of God. And you cannot have the Spirit of God without having the understanding of the commandments of God. And these then work in our minds so that it exposes sin, and we realize the vanity and futility of human nature.

“For we know that the law is spiritual; but I am carnal, having been sold as a slave under sin; Because… [This is what happens to us] …what I am working out myself… [That is if you just do what you want to do, you really don’t understand what you’re doing.] …I do not know. For what I do not desire to do, this I do… [Has that happened to you? Of course!] …moreover, what I hate, this is what I do…. [So here’s this struggle between loving God, keeping His commandments, having the Spirit of God, overcoming carnal nature, the sin within and the fight to get rid of it, there is that conflict within going on. That is the struggle! That’s what the Feast of Unleavened Bread is all about—to purge out the old leaven. Which is the sin still remaining in our minds and hearts and it is a battle until the very last breath that we breathe.

Now, v 16: “But if I am doing what I do not desire to do, I agree with the law that it is good…. [Even though it exposes the sin.] … So then, I am no longer working it out myself; rather, it is sin that is dwelling within me… [because sin is part of our very nature. That’s why human beings are so vain.] …Because I fully understand that there is not dwelling within me… [that is of his ownself] …—that is, within my fleshly being—any good…. [Because when you understand the exceeding sinfulness of sin, you understand—and that’s within you—then you realize that even any good that you do is worthless!] …For the desire to do good is present within me… [And that’s the strange thing about it. God made us all with the desire to do good, but we don’t do it. That’s why we need the Spirit of God to change and grow and overcome.] …but how to work out that which is good, I do not find. For the good that I desire to do, I am not doing; but the evil that I do not desire to do, this I am doing. But if I do what I do not desire to do, I am no longer working it out myself, but sin that is dwelling within me. Consequently, I find this law in my members… [And there is a law, just like the law of gravity—and that’s call the law of sin.] …that when I desire to do good, evil is present with me” (vs 16-21)

Have you ever gone to do something really nice and good and you feel real good about it, and you get there and it all falls apart. Maybe you wanted to something good for your husband or your wife and it ended up in an argument and the whole day was ruined. It’s a good example of that, you see. So then, he says: “For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man; But I see another law within my own members, warring against the law of my mind, and leading me captive to the law of sin that is within my own members” (vs 22-23). So God is taking us and re-creating us. This is why it has to be done by grace. And for God to expose this in your mind and in your heart is not that you are a worse sinner now that you are baptized, but rather it is with the Spirit of God you begin to truly understand the sinfulness of sin. And God is saying, ‘Get rid of this.’ God is saying, ‘Repent of this.’ God is telling you, ‘Overcome this.’ So this is the law that is warring within us. So then what shall we say to that?

Now, let’s understand this—let’s come to Romans 8:1—this is the whole blessing of knowing about the Passover and Unleavened Bread. “Consequently, there is now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who are not walking according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit… [Because the Spirit of God is leading you to overcome these things.] (And furthermore, v 2): …Because the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus… [which is what God is creating in us.] …has delivered me from the law of sin and death…. [And this all comes right back to the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.] …For what was impossible for the law to do, in that it was weak through the flesh… [Because it never had the spiritual ability to overcome the sin within.] …God, having sent His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh; In order that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us… [showing a process] …who are not walking according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit…” (vs 1-4).

So that’s the struggle. That’s why we are, during the days of Unleavened Bread, to put out the leaven, make the unleavened bread, eat the unleavened bread. But the focus then is, since this is such a common thing—bread—that is to tell us how common sin is, and how much it is really a part of our lives, and how we have been conducting ourselves.

Ok, now let’s put this together with some Scriptures from the Old Testament. And let’s see how we can capitalize and realize all the things that God wants us to do to walk in the Spirit. Let’s come here to Psalm 119—now this is one of the most spiritual Psalms in the whole Bible—especially the Old Testament—showing the glories of the meaning and laws and commandments and statutes of God. Psalm 119:113—here’s how we are to do it: “I hate those who are double-minded [vain thoughts]… [What you have to do with that is learn how to recognize the thoughts of vanity, the thoughts of sin, the thoughts of lust. Repent of them right at the moment that you encounter them and begin to change the way that you think. This is why you need to study the laws of God.] …but Your law do I love.” That is what {is to} change our hearts and minds.

Now, just across the page and v 97: “O how love I Your law! It is my meditation all the day.” And then we come to the point that we know that everything, every law, every commandment, every thing of God is good, and righteous, and true—and God is working with us with His Spirit to change us, to mold us, to create us in His image.

Now, let’s come here to Ephesians, the second chapter, and this is really quite a fantastic part of Ephesians, the second chapter—showing that God’s is working His work to create in us, and we also have our part with it. Ephesians 2:8: “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this especially is not of your own selves… [it doesn’t come from within. It doesn’t come from human ways. But God’s way.] …it is the gift of God.”

• The gift of God is repentance.

• The gift of God is His Holy Spirit.

• The gift of God is His Word.

• The gift of God is creating in you the righteousness of Christ.

Now notice: “Not of works, so that no one may boast…. [Because nothing physical, without the Spirit of God, can create anything that is eternal. So it can’t be of any works of men. And poor Job really had to learn that lesson, didn’t he?] (v 10): …For we are His workmanship… [God is working within us—

• giving us the strength;

• giving us the power;

• giving us the means;

• giving us the understanding;

• giving us the resolve.]

For we are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto the good works… [the first part is: He’s working in us. He’s creating us in Christ] …unto the good works… [those are what we have to do] …that God ordained beforehand in order that we might walk in them” (vs 8-10).

Now, how does this work? Let’s come over here to Ephesians, the fifth chapter. And here’s one verse. Here’s what Christ is doing. Ephesians 5:26: “So that He might sanctify it… [that is, make it Holy. We are in the process of being made Holy through the workmanship of God creating in us the character of God.] …having cleansed it… [getting rid of all the sin. That’s why He exposes the sin, so we can repent.] …having cleansed it with the washing of water by the Word…” Now there’s a joint activity. The washing of the water is the Holy Spirit and the work of God and the creation that He is doing. By the Word that is through our studies and prayers so that we can develop the heart and mind and character of Christ. And this is what we develop. Here are the main things we are to grow in, in the character that God wants us to have and putting out the old leaven of sin, and putting in the unleavenness of sincerity and truth.

Let’s come to Galatians, the fifth chapter. This is what it’s to produce. It’s called fruit. But where do you buy fruit? You buy fruit at the produce market, because the market has what’s been produced in the field to bring to the market—the produce and the fruit—to sell. Now, the same way with God. He expects us to have fruit. He expects us to have good works. And here they are, motivated by the Spirit which are: “But the fruit of the Spirit is

• love

• joy

• peace

• longsuffering

• kindness

• goodness

• faith

• meekness

• self-control

against such things there is no law” (Galatians 5:22-23)

And what is going to happen with that? We will develop the mind of Jesus Christ. And Christ will dwell in our hearts by faith. We will change, we will grow, we will overcome, and every year when we come to the Feast of Unleavened Bread, we are given—you might say—a coming together so that

• we understand that the process is ongoing;

• that the process is continuing;

• that we have lot that we need to do yet.

• And God is with us;

• and God loves us,

• and cares for us.

• and has called us;

• and is cleansing us

• and purging us

• and helping us to grow and change and overcome that we might become like Jesus Christ.

That’s the meaning of being converted and the Feast of Unleavened Bread.

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Scripture references:

1. Exodus 12:11-17

2. Leviticus 23:4-8

3. 1 Corinthians 5:6-8

4. Psalm 8:1-6

5. Psalm 39:1-6

6. Psalm 2:1-12

7. Psalm 89:46-52

8. Romans 3:3-4, 9, 19

9. Acts 3:19

10. Psalm 34:4-9, 14-19

11. John 6:32-36, 50-57

12. Romans 12:1-2

13. 2 Corinthians 10:3-6

14. Romans 7:9-23

15. Romans 8:1-4

16. Psalm 1119:113, 97

17. Ephesians 2:8-10

18. Ephesians 5:26

19. Galatians 5:22-23

Scriptures referenced, not quoted:

• Numbers 28 & 29

• Genesis 1

• Romans 8

• Revelation 16

• Galatians 5

• Acts 2