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Jesus in the Feasts (Part One): Unleavened Bread

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Jesus Christ is presented as the central figure of both the Old and New Testaments, embodying the spiritual essence of the holy days, particularly the Feast of Unleavened Bread. In John 6, He declares Himself the Bread of Life, emphasizing that true sustenance comes from consuming Him spiritually. He teaches that just as physical food nourishes the body, taking in His character, teachings, and examples sustains, energizes, repairs, heals, and fosters spiritual growth. Without Him, there is no spiritual life, and He urges diligence in feeding on Him daily, paralleling the command to eat unleavened bread each day of the feast. This concept is reinforced through the metaphor of eating unleavened bread, which represents sincerity and truth—inner purity and outward righteousness. As described in I Corinthians 5:8, keeping the feast with sincerity and truth reflects the inward holiness and outward manifestation of genuine Christian character, modeled perfectly by Jesus Christ. He is the archetype of unleavened bread, the One who embodies flawless integrity and active righteousness. Furthermore, in John 6:44-45, it is shown that God draws individuals to Christ to be taught by Him, engaging in a rigorous life course of consuming the Bread of Life and practicing it in daily actions. This process of ingesting and imitating Him is essential for spiritual purification and growth, aligning with the purpose of the Feast of Unleavened Bread as a reminder to integrate Him into one's life continually. Christ's role as the Bread of Life underscores His agency in leading His followers toward holiness and righteousness, preparing them for the Kingdom of God through His teachings and example.

The Reason for Unleavened Bread

Sermonette by David C. Grabbe

The Feast of Unleavened Bread signifies far more than the avoidance of leavening. Our focus needs to be on God's management of the process of deliverance.

Was Jesus Christ's Body Broken? (Part Three)

CGG Weekly by David C. Grabbe

Jesus Christ, as the Bread of Life, presents a profound symbol of vitality and eternal existence. He declares in John 6 that He is the bread of life, the living bread that came down from heaven. He emphasizes that whoever comes to Him shall never hunger, and whoever eats of this bread will live forever. He states that the bread He gives is His flesh, offered for the life of the world, ensuring that those who partake in it will not face the second death but will be raised up at the last day. He further asserts that those who eat His flesh and drink His blood abide in Him, and He in them, establishing a living connection that grants eternal life. This bread, unlike the manna eaten by the ancestors who died, guarantees everlasting life to those who consume it. Thus, the bread, representing His flesh, consistently symbolizes living flesh and a living body, not death or a broken form, uniting all who partake in fellowship with Him in an unbroken body.

Was Jesus Christ's Body Broken?

Sermonette by David C. Grabbe

Was Jesus Christ's body actually broken? If so, it would have symbolized disqualification and a broken covenant. Only the bread of Passover was broken.

The Bread and Wine of Passover

Sermon by David C. Grabbe

Jesus Christ is presented as the Bread of Life, a profound symbol within the context of the Passover, which is a central ritual of the New Covenant. This symbolism emphasizes life rather than death, portraying His flesh as living bread that sustains and offers eternal life to those who partake of it. He declares Himself as the bread that endures to everlasting life, the bread of God, and the living bread, indicating that His body is a source of spiritual sustenance and satisfaction that physical bread cannot provide. When partaking of the Passover bread, we are symbolically joined to His sinless life, becoming one with the living Savior. This act represents an ongoing relationship with Him, where He abides in us and we in Him, fostering a connection that strengthens us spiritually. The bread, as a symbol of His body, stands for the abundant life He lived and offers, a life that refreshes and sustains beyond mere physical needs, aligning with the peace offering's theme of fellowship and gratitude. Furthermore, the bread of life signifies the divine life Christ imparts, teaching us how to live as He did. It is through this continual ingestion of Him that we are sustained, with the promise of everlasting life in the resurrection. The Passover bread, therefore, is not merely a reminder of His death but a proclamation of the life He gave through sinless, devoted service, a life we share in as we partake, looking forward to the fulfillment of these promises when He returns.

Our Bread of Life

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

The world is confused on the timing of Christ's death and resurrection. It becomes clear by a proper understanding of the holy days, preparation days, and Sabbaths.

Jesus and the Feast (Part One): Alignment With God

Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Only in John 7 do we find some evidence of Tabernacles and the Eighth Day, providing a gold mine to discover what was on Jesus's mind during this time.

The Feast of Tabernacles and Unleavened Bread

Sermonette by David C. Grabbe

Both Tabernacles and Unleavened Bread keep us off balance so that we remain humble, seek stability, and trust in God's providence for our ultimate destiny.

The Miracles of Jesus Christ: Feeding the Five Thousand (Part Two)

Bible Study by Martin G. Collins

The feeding of the 5,000 tells us far more than that Jesus was a miracle-worker. It also reveals Christ's compassion on those who hunger, plus His ability to teach.

The Model Prayer (Part Six): Our Daily Bread

Bible Study by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

While Matthew 6:11 asks God to supply physical food, the entreaty should not be limited to physical needs but extend to the gamut of God's providence.

The Unleavened Bread of Perfection

CGG Weekly by Clyde Finklea

Keeping the leaven out is very important in its own right. However, our primary focus should not be on the leavened bread but on the unleavened bread.

Deliverance and Unleavened Bread

CGG Weekly by John Reiss

The spring festivals memorialize the redemption and exodus of the children of Israel from Egyptian slavery, as well as our own spiritual redemption.

Filling the Void (2012)

Sermonette by David C. Grabbe

Try to satisfy a spiritual hunger through any other means than the Bread of Life, such as entertainment, technology, money, travel, etc. will leave us disillusioned.

James and Unleavened Bread (Part One)

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

The book of James applies to us after the sanctification process has begun. The most effective way of eliminating sin is to do righteousness.

Christ, the Chief Cornerstone

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

If a foundation is flawed, the building cannot stand. God built His spiritual temple on the prophets and the apostles, and Jesus Christ is the chief cornerstone.

Passover: An Extraordinary Peace Offering

Sermon by David C. Grabbe

The Passover sacrifice is basically unconnected with atonement, but represents the peace and security which attends fellowship with God because of His acceptance.

Everlasting Covenant of Blood

Sermonette by Ronny H. Graham

'Blood is thicker than water' indicates that ties to the family come before any other alliances. Yet the 'blood' could also refer to the sealing of a covenant.

Considered Rather Than Commanded - Choose Life

Sermon by Mark Schindler

As God calls His people, He enables them (through His Spirit) to make considered decisions concerning living His way of life by obeying His commandments.

Jesus Is God

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

Jesus Christ is the Word, by whom the world was created. He has always interfaced between mankind and the Father, having primacy as our Lord, Master, and Ruler.

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.

Four Views of Christ (Part 6)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

Christ provides a model of how to live a godly life in the flesh, living life the way God lives it. Using His light, we can navigate our way in this world.

Manna and the Preparation Day (Part One)

CGG Weekly by David C. Grabbe

God, in His providence, gave us the Preparation Day, which sets the stage so that we can properly receive the gift of the Sabbath—His holy time.

Have You Had Your Manna Today?

'Ready Answer' by Staff

God gave Israel manna to eat every day for forty years. Today, we have God's Word as our daily bread. Are we taking advantage of it, or are we allowing it to spoil?

Filling the Void

Sermonette by Austin Del Castillo

More important than putting out sin is the vital need to continually ingest unleavened bread, that is, the Bread of Life, namely the words of Jesus Christ.

Go Forward

Sermon by Mark Schindler

Are we ready to sacrifice as was Moses, realizing that our precious calling is far more than the imaginary quest of Don Quixote?

Remaining Unleavened

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Our carnal natures must be displaced by God's Holy Spirit, motivating us to refrain from causing offense, but freely forgiving others as God has forgiven us.

His Bones Were Not Broken

Sermon by Ted E. Bowling

Jesus is the fulfillment of the Passover Lamb whose bones were to be left intact. His piercing parallels the lamb being bled by splitting its throat.

John's Feeding of the 5,000

Sermon/Bible Study by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

The only miracle recorded in all four Gospels but given further significance and insights in the Gospel of John, is the feeding of the 5,000, a profound sign that Jesus Christ exclusively is the Bread of Life, the divine source of physical providence and spiritual salvation. This account, occurring just before Passover, foreshadows His metaphorical discourse in John 6 concerning eating His flesh and drinking His blood, thereby connecting this miracle to a deeper, more profound meaning of Passover and Christ's ultimate sacrifice. This miracle marks a turning point in Jesus' ministry, as His popularity peaks and then rapidly declines as His teachings become more challenging. In the feeding of the 5000, five key insights emerge: 1.) Jesus tests His disciples' faith, revealing Philip and Andrew's limited understanding and lack of trust in His unlimited divine power, focusing on cost and logistics, forgetting that Jesus is the source. 2.) Jesus provides abundantly, not just for the crowd (likely closer to 20,000 people when including women and children), but with 12 baskets left over, likely the wages for 12 disciples. 3.) This miracle is a sign authenticating Jesus as the Messiah (Deuteronomy 18:15), but the crowd dies not comprehending the spiritual meaning, craving more miracles than responding with belief. 4.) Jesus abruptly shifts the focus from physical to spiritual, declaring, "I am the Bread of Life" urging the crowd to believe. 5.) Jesus is not only the Giver of daily bread, but the source of eternal life, both of which God eagerly wishes to bestow if we trust Him. God's people must systematically develop deeper faith, not only in material providence, but for spiritual strength and grace needed for salvation, especially as we approach challenging and dangerous times.

Fully Accepting God's Sovereignty (Part Six, Conclusion)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

Our responsibility is to yield to God's sovereignty. Nevertheless, God has enabled us to freely sin, but holds us responsible for governing ourselves.

Manna and the Preparation Day (Part Two)

CGG Weekly by David C. Grabbe

The Preparation Day is a day of 'gathering' what relates to eternity so that we can properly ingest the spiritual manna on the holy day without distraction.

Ask and It Will Be Given

'Ready Answer' by Staff

Many people hit a plateau in their spiritual growth and go little further. Have we have overlooked the simple principle of 'ask and it will be given'?

John (Part Twelve)

Sermon/Bible Study by John W. Ritenbaugh

What we believe automatically determines what we do; it is impossible to separate faith and works. If Jesus is not our source of belief, our works will suffer.

Fully Accepting God's Sovereignty (Part Four)

'Personal' from John W. Ritenbaugh

Government may be the most important subject in the Bible because it touches on how Christians are to govern themselves under the sovereignty of God.

Maintaining Good Health (Part 8)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

A poor spiritual diet will bring about a weak spiritual condition. What the mind assimilates is exceedingly more important than what the stomach assimilates.

Freedom, Liberty, and Bondage

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

Grace places limits on our freedom, training us for the Kingdom of God. Our behavior must be clearly distinguishable from the non-believers in society.

Maintaining Good Health (Part 12)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

The church of God today resembles a patient languishing from a deadly disease, resulting from a diet of spiritual junk food and neglecting the bread of life.