Leaving Sin Behind - Israel Leaving Egypt

 The 7 day Festival of Unleavened Bread was given to Israel so they would remember their deliverance from the clutches of Egypt. That same festival is now given to the Church of God under Jesus Christ so that we will remember our own deliverance from the clutches of sin and futility.

Just as Israel was commanded by God to come out of Egypt.. you were told [and today are being reminded] to come out of a way of thinking and acting that has no positive future… because sin separates you from God and cuts you off from eating of the tree of life.

Lets take a few minutes to review some scriptures on coming out of Egypt:

Hebrews 11:24-28 leaving behind temporary pleasures for a reward… a reward with a positive future.

Revelation 11:8 the idea of a humanly devised society, built up as an alternative to God’s society, endures and persists until the day of Christ’s return. The scriptures here speak of the God hating society of the end which is of the same spirit as Egypt… and Sodom.

His command to come out of a sinful society is as real in our time as it was in the past. And so we can draw lessons, and warnings from the biblical record we have… given those commanded to come out of Egypt and Sodom.

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Our understanding of Israel’s experience in Egypt includes the element of slavery… being trapped.

John 8:34 the word translated slavery here is a Greek word doulos. The word can mean one who is in bondage as a slave against their will but in Jesus’ time it was often used to describe one who consciously offered themselves up to serve another as a slave or bond-servant.

All of us have in some form chosen to give ourselves over to serve lust, greed, anger and the like. These may feel good initially but they prove a hard master. Not only do they enslave… they punish… bringing sorrow, regret, anguish, loneliness, physical injury, sickness, anxiety, frustration and hopelessness.

 We escape that servitude by choosing to give ourselves over to serve a different master… righteousness. The righteousness of God which we learn about through living in His word.

Galatians 5:1 turning away from these things to obedience to God through the faith of Christ makes you free… AND You Must Never Turn Back!

We Must Do Our Part

God had to tell Israel… rise up and leave this place {Egypt]. He did not whisk them away on a cloud… they had to walk out on their own two feet. In like manner we too must make up our mind, we must decide to walk out the door.

Through Christ, God makes it possible… but He expects us to do our part.

The Feast of Unleavened Bread pictures the part we must fulfill in God’s plan of salvation. We must rise up and of our own free will walk through the door [the door which is Christ]… and leave behind the sin that so easily ensnares us!

AND We Must Never Turn Back!

Exodus 12:15, 19 anyone who refused to put the leaven out, or who ate leavened bread instead of unleavened was kicked out… they would not be part of God’s chosen people and holy nation Israel.

1 Corinthians 6:9-10 God will not allow anyone who does not repent an forsake sin any part in the Kingdom of God. You have been washed, sanctified, and you must make every effort to stay that way.

Sin Wants You Back

Just as Egypt is a picture of sin, Pharaoh is a picture of Satan. He wants you to serve Him Exodus 14:5-8.

Baptized Christian will almost always be pursued by Satan just as Pharaoh chased after Israel.

ATT mailing – we are so sorry to see you go… we want you back. To help you make up your mind we want to make you a special offer: Now this YHWH and his Son Jesus, everything they offer you is “someday”, or “in the future”, or “when I come back”… what good is that? I can offer you pleasure right now… I can have your dopamine receptors firing like little maniacs. If you just come back through that door… I’ll throw in 6 bottles of SEX, DRUGS, SELF Satisfaction, and INDULGENCE. Your gonna love it.

Say yes TODAY and walk back through that door!

Caution: effects are temporary. Side effects include: loneliness, regret, fear, and permanent death.

Turn back and you will have given up something lasting and eternal, for something that only lasts a few short years.

The Cautionary Tale That is Israel

Numbers 11:4-5, 20b Israel started to look back longingly at the pleasure part of living in Egypt and seemed to forget the hardness of their bondage even to the point of saying lets’ go back!

Numbers 14:1-4 for this they were punished. 40 years of wandering in the desert.

You Are Warned Not To Look Back

Luke 17:28-33

Genesis 19:1-3 clue: this is probably happening during the Feast of Unleavened Bread

Genesis 19:12-13 they were warned to leave [Sodom is a type and picture of sin just like Egypt]

Genesis 19:14 some did not heed the warning… they were destroyed

Genesis 19:15-17 DON’T LOOK BACK

Genesis 19:26 whoever wants to go back, whoever longs to hold on to the pleasures of sin will perish.

Lets end this Feast of Unleavened Bread 2018… resolved to leave and utterly forsake sin, Sodom, Egypt, Babylon… AND NEVER LOOK BACK!

2 Peter 2:20-22

Luke 9:62 what if God gave you eternal life… and then you began to look back fondly… longingly at the ways of this world… perhaps even wanting to revive some of the “pleasures”. God cannot, will not allow that in His Kingdom. If you do not develop the spiritual character now… to leave it all behind… then you will not be fit for the Kingdom of God.

Titus 2:11-15