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Unleavened Bread Basics

Sermon by David C. Grabbe

The Feast of Unleavened Bread is highly disruptive, not only due to the effort of deleavening but also because it alters our diets, drawing our attention as God intends. This feast, first named in Exodus 12, serves as a memorial of God's deliverance, with the fundamental reason being to remember how He brought His people out of Egypt. Eating unleavened bread and avoiding leaven are responses to this core purpose of commemorating His act of liberation. Rejoicing is implied in this feast, despite the unusual food, as it is an appointed time to recall God's deliverance, which should inspire joy. In Exodus 13, God emphasizes that eating unleavened bread and avoiding leaven serves to have His law in our mouths, indicating that unleavened bread is a symbolic teaching tool for deeper spiritual truths. Repeated references in Scripture tie the observance of this feast to God's deliverance, underscoring that it is a feast to Him, focusing on what He has done rather than on our actions. The unleavened bread, also called the bread of affliction, reminds us of the oppression and slavery under a hostile ruler, recalling our state before God's intervention. In the New Testament, I Corinthians 5 contrasts leaven, symbolizing corruption such as malice and wickedness, with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. Sincerity reflects purity, and truth implies a genuine, lived reality. Jesus Christ embodies this unleavened bread of sincerity and truth, being the bread of life without any corruption. We cannot produce this sincerity and truth on our own; it must come from Him living in us. Paul states that we are truly unleavened because Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us, establishing a covenantal relationship that goes beyond mere forgiveness to a sustained fellowship with God. This feast is a memorial of God's deliverance from the world and its ruler, reminding us to remain free by feasting on Christ, the unleavened bread. Avoiding spiritual leaven depends on taking in His life and words, ensuring they are in our mouths. By filling ourselves with His unleavened state, the allure of the world diminishes, and spiritual strength for overcoming develops from this feast, not from within ourselves. The Feast of Unleavened Bread is ultimately about Him, and embracing this truth leads us to submit to making His unleavened nature a reality in our lives.

Jesus in the Feasts (Part One): The Bread of Life

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

The Feast of Unleavened Bread, a commanded holy day on God's sacred calendar, carries a profound spiritual significance centered on Jesus Christ. In I Corinthians 5:8, the apostle Paul instructs us to keep the feast with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth, highlighting its deeper meaning. Sincerity represents an inward quality of tested purity, suggesting a spotless mind and heart, flawless integrity, transparency, honesty, and unalloyed virtue. Truth, on the other hand, stands for the outward manifestation of genuine Christian character, encompassing active right doing and the living out of that pure heart, reflecting God's righteousness. Paul's reference to unleavened bread as sincerity and truth points directly to Jesus Christ as the model of inward purity and outward goodness. In John 6, Christ declares Himself the bread of life, emphasizing that consuming Him—through His character, teachings, and examples—nourishes us spiritually, just as physical food sustains the body. This act of ingesting Christ daily through diligent study helps us develop sincerity and truth, fostering inner holiness and outward righteousness, ultimately growing us into His image and developing the mind of Christ within us. The Feast of Unleavened Bread serves as an annual reminder of this ongoing practice. God commands in Exodus 12, Exodus 23, and Leviticus 23 to eat unleavened bread every day of the feast, underscoring its central importance. This physical act parallels the spiritual ingestion of Christ, ensuring we do not skip days and fall into neglectful habits. God provides this feast as a training mechanism, combining spiritual study, contemplation, and physical practice through good works, with Christ as the perfect Model to guide us. In I John 2:3-6, the apostle John reinforces this concept, urging us to know Christ by feeding on Him and walking as He walked, manifesting His life in our outward actions. This process of purification involves casting out leavened bread and consistently consuming the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. Through John 6:44-45, we understand that God draws us to Christ to be taught by Him, engaging us in a rigorous life course of eating the bread of life and practicing it in reality, which equates to keeping the feast with sincerity and truth. Thus, the focus of the Feast of Unleavened Bread is on Christ, the bread of life, who leads us in our walk of faith and righteousness. His agency, mercy, love, blessings, and providence make everything possible for us, emphasizing that He is the central figure of this feast, guiding us toward holiness and the Kingdom of God.

Days of Truth

Sermonette by David C. Grabbe

We must be diligence to keep ourselves free of leavening, ingesting God's truth by means of reading the Scriptures, inculcating it deeply into our character.

Sincerity and Truth (Part One)

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

On this first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, we are reminded to cherish the invaluable gift of God's Word, which is the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth that we must consume during these seven days and throughout all the days of our lives. This annual ritual serves as a constant reminder of the ongoing need to ingest God's Word, vital for our growth and transformation into the image of God. As emphasized in I Corinthians 5:6-8, we are charged to use this Feast to set ourselves on the right path, purging the old leaven of past sins and avoiding the leaven of malice and wickedness, which are contrary to the way Christ desires us to live. Instead, we are to live by the words of sincerity and truth, reflecting the life Christ embodies and instructs us to follow. This unleavened bread symbolizes our daily dependence on God's Word, nourishing and sustaining us in the constant fight against the deceptions of this world and satan the devil, ensuring we endure to the end by adhering to the truth that sets us apart.

Unleavened Bread and Hope

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

In the context of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the lesson is clear: our hope must be vivid and desirable enough to motivate us to transform that hope into reality. Paul, in I Corinthians 5:6-8, addresses the presence of sin within the church, warning that a little leaven leavens the whole lump. He urges the purging of this old leaven, representing malice and wickedness, and emphasizes that we are unleavened through Christ's sacrifice. Yet, merely removing sin is not sufficient. Paul introduces the concept of replacing this corruption with what he terms the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth, an anti-leaven that embodies purity and goodness. This replacement is vital, as an empty mind or heart, once cleansed of sin, must be filled with godly attributes to prevent the return of corruption. Sincerity reflects pure attitudes and a righteous outlook, while truth signifies filling the void with God's true knowledge. Without this active replacement, we risk falling back into sin, as natural tendencies, like yeast spores in the air, can reintroduce corruption if we remain idle. Thus, the Feast of Unleavened Bread teaches us not only to purge sin but to actively pursue and embody sincerity and truth, ensuring our spiritual growth and alignment with God's goals.

Sincerity and Truth (Part Two)

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

In times when the Babylonian system reaches its climax of corruption, we need something real and true to hold on to. God has graciously provided a stable, never-disappointing, always-true anchor in His Son, who holds us in stability through His Word. This Word is symbolized by unleavened bread, and the Feast of Unleavened Bread instructs us to eat unleavened bread for seven days. Paul calls it the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth, emphasizing its importance during this holy day period as a time to recall, remember, and reinvigorate our dedication to ingesting God's Word. The command to eat unleavened bread for seven days stands out as forceful and unambiguous in the summary of the feast. After Christ's sacrifice, memorialized in the Passover, the path to the Kingdom begins with eating unleavened bread, representing the ingestion of God's way of life. Paul urges us to keep this feast not with corruption, but with sincerity and truth, having rid ourselves of malice and wickedness. These terms are contrasted as antonyms, with sincerity and malice tied to inward qualities, and truth and wickedness linked to outward manifestations. Sincerity, derived from a Greek word meaning tested purity, suggests a mind and heart that are completely pure, spotless, and transparent, reflecting an attitude of integrity toward God and others. It represents a high standard of unalloyed virtue and genuine Christian character, an inner quality of living life from a pure motive. Truth, meaning unconcealed or not hidden, points to what is real and enduring, such as God's way of life and His Kingdom. It encompasses active righteousness, shown in deeds, and reflects a refusal to accept a sham or deceptive way of life. Paul's exhortation is to actualize the lesson of the Feast of Unleavened Bread by living out the truth in a fully unadulterated and genuine way. We are to keep the feast with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth, taking what God has taught us through His Word and living it out in a manner commensurate with its purity. This mirrors the way Jesus Christ lived, always in purity and truth, without any old leaven to purge out. In essence, we are to be and do the Word of God—being sincere in our inner character and doing truth in our outward actions. This feast re-orients us each spring, reminding us that the only way to true satisfaction and real life is through eating and making a part of us the Word of God, the truth of God. We are to take this reminder and put it into practice throughout the year and throughout our lives, focusing on what is real and enduring rather than wasting time on what is worthless.

Unleavened Bread and Pentecost

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

The Days of Unleavened Bread and the eating of unleavened bread serve as a profound reminder of what God has done to bring us out of bondage. The primary context for eating unleavened bread is not merely about coming out of sin, but about commemorating God's act of deliverance. It is a memorial of His work, emphasizing that He did virtually everything to free us, as seen in the Exodus account where Israel was thrust out by His power. Unleavened bread symbolizes following God's lead, which translates to obedience and righteousness. When Israel followed the pillar of fire and the cloud, they were obeying Him, and this act of following represents doing what is right. The emphasis in eating unleavened bread is on pursuing righteousness rather than simply avoiding sin. God commands that unleavened bread be eaten for seven days during the feast, underscoring that we are always to walk in the way of righteousness, without the option to depart from His path. Furthermore, unleavened bread represents sincerity, wholeheartedness, and pureness, akin to the pure Word of God. It signifies an unblemished commitment to His truth. God's command to eat unleavened bread reflects His expectation that we consistently follow His way, as it is in the best interest of His purpose and our spiritual journey. The Days of Unleavened Bread picture both God's overwhelming role in our deliverance and our response, which is to follow Him in righteousness, separating us from the world and leading us toward sanctification.

Freedom and Unleavened Bread

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

The Days of Unleavened Bread carry profound significance in the journey of spiritual freedom, emphasizing the necessity of imbibing the pure and unadulterated word of God. This period symbolizes a complete and continuous commitment to consuming this spiritual sustenance, as represented by eating unleavened bread for seven days, the number of perfect completion. From the moment one accepts the blood of Christ and receives the grace of God, there must never be a time in life when one fasts from God's word. It is an essential nourishment that must be taken in completely and totally to align one's thinking with God's. Leavening, as a type of sin, illustrates how corruption spreads, ferments, and changes one's nature. In contrast, the unleavened bread represents the word of God, pure and free from contamination, which strengthens the mind and fosters spiritual growth. This purity is vital for protection against the bondage and sin that seek to re-enslave. The scriptures are clear in their command to eat unleavened bread for seven days, symbolizing the ongoing intake of God's word as a shield against worldly influences. In the context of sincerity and truth, the unleavened bread reflects a life transformed by God's word. Sincerity, meaning pure or clear, denotes behavior uncontaminated by worldly desires, while truth signifies conduct derived from a holy God, contrasting with the malice and wickedness of the flesh. As physical vitality follows proper nourishment, so does the vitality of the mind grow through the word of God, enabling one to think within new parameters that always account for God's purpose. The focus during the Days of Unleavened Bread is on this pure word, which, alongside God's help and Spirit, keeps one free and in the liberty granted by Him. God's word, always true and reliable, protects against falling back into spiritual bondage. Unlike the word of men, limited by human experience and prejudice, God's unleavened bread of sincerity and truth empowers through an educational process, guiding towards the ultimate goal of the Kingdom of God.

James and Unleavened Bread (Part One)

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

The Days of Unleavened Bread, spanning seven days, symbolize our journey out of sin and the world to follow God, a process that extends over a lifetime of cooperation with Him to build the character necessary for eternal life. This festival reminds us annually of our responsibilities on our Christian pilgrimage, offering hope, confidence, and encouragement that we can succeed in becoming unleavened. During this time, God emphasizes the importance of not only removing leaven, which represents sin, but also consuming unleavened bread, which stands for sincerity and truth. This unleavened bread, as described by Paul in I Corinthians 5, relates to sincerity and truth, countering the leavening of sin that can spread like a disease. It is further defined as the Word of God, encompassing every word that proceeds from His mouth, imbued with grace, faith, purity, and spirit. Christ, as the embodiment of God's Word, exemplifies this unleavened bread, and we are called to ingest Him by putting on the new man, striving to become like Him through studying, digesting, and living the written Word. Consuming this unleavened bread is not merely a passive act; it compels action, as seen in Christ's life, where learning and living God's Word drove Him to do God's will and complete His work. It is not enough to avoid sin; we must actively do good, filling our lives with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth to prevent the return of leaven. This active engagement with God's Word transforms us, making us acceptable and holy before Him as we replace sin with righteousness through our deeds.

James and Unleavened Bread (Part Three)

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

The Days of Unleavened Bread, lasting seven days, symbolize our journey out of sin and away from this world to follow God. This period reminds us annually of our responsibilities on our Christian pilgrimage, offering hope, confidence, and encouragement to persevere. God emphasizes the importance of eating unleavened bread during these days, instructing us repeatedly to consume it, as it represents a focus on purity over merely avoiding leaven. If we are busy eating unleavened bread, we are too full to partake of the leavened kind. In a spiritual sense, this unleavened bread is described as the bread of sincerity and truth, pure, unalloyed, and undefiled. It connects to the Word of God, which we must ingest and live by to achieve completeness and wholeness. Jesus Christ, as the embodiment of God's Word, is the unleavened bread we must consume, not just through rituals like the Passover, but by studying and living the written Word. This bread energized Him to do God's will, compelling Him along the path of a Christian life, and we are called to follow this example by allowing it to drive our actions. Eating unleavened bread means not only avoiding sin but actively doing good. If we fill our lives with doing what is right, sin finds no place, making avoidance of wrongdoing easier. Our personal commission is two-pronged: to do good and to avoid sin, maintaining a proper relationship with God by balancing both. The emphasis on eating unleavened bread, filling ourselves with God's Word and living it, appears to be the more crucial aspect of this spiritual journey.

Sincerity and Truth (Part Three)

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Jesus Christ's teaching on worship emphasizes a profound shift from physical constraints to a spiritual relationship with the Father and the Son. In this context, the concept of worshipping in spirit and truth aligns closely with the idea of sincerity and truth, as expressed by Paul in I Corinthians 5:8. Here, the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth is contrasted with the leavened bread of malice and wickedness. Sincerity, akin to spirit, pertains to the internal aspects of attitude and character, while truth relates to the external actions and daily walk with God. Jesus conveys that worshipping in spirit involves having a sincere mind and a true heart, reflecting an internal alignment with God's own character and attitude. This means being on the same wavelength as God, where hearts and minds mirror His. Similarly, worshipping in truth requires that our outward lives—our actions, speech, and interactions—align with His standards. This dual focus ensures a complete relationship with the Father and the Son, maintained through the sanctification process and the ongoing spiritual connection facilitated by Christ's sacrifice. This worship is not bound by specific times, places, or ceremonies, as God is always present through His Spirit. Whether on a Tuesday or the Sabbath, in any location or attire, worship is continuous, encompassing every response to life's situations. It includes not only prayer and study but also daily faithfulness, obedience, overcoming sin, and producing fruit. Thus, the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth represents a holistic worship, both inward and outward, mirroring the life and example of Jesus Christ.

The Way, The Truth, and the Life

Sermonette by Clyde Finklea

The Feast of Unleavened Bread is a remembrance of the release from bondage. We eat unleavened bread as a sign that the Lord's law may be in our mouths.

The Unleavened Vanguard with Christ

Sermon by Mark Schindler

Christ's warnings to His disciples in Luke 12 may have been given during the Unleavened Bread season, giving us additional forms of leaven to guard against.

Re-education (Part 1)

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

God mandates that we unlearn carnal processes (purging the leaven) and totally adopt new spiritual processes- eating unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

A Subtle Yet Devastating Curse

'Prophecy Watch' by David C. Grabbe

Amos 8:11 speaks of 'a famine...of hearing the words of the LORD.' Such a famine is occurring today: The words of God are available, but few can hear.

Leavening: The Types

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

The holy days are reliable teaching tools, emphasizing spaced repetition to reinforce our faulty memories and drive the lesson deep into our thinking.

Corporate Sin

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

We are obligated to purge our thoughts, deeds, and words, cleaning out individual and corporate sins and replacing them with sincerity, truth, and holiness.

Magic Doesn't Work (Part Three)

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Magic is always used as some kind of weapon, but not to build or develop moral strength or character. God chooses a life-long process of sanctification.

Letters to Seven Churches (Part Seven): Repentance

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

As High Priest, Christ is putting His people through the paces, tailoring the trials and experiences needed for sanctification and ultimate glorification.