by Chris Cumming
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Intro: Will all of you, who are here today, on this Second Holy Day of the Days of Unleavened Bread, please raise your hand.
Hey, that’s outstanding. You have just acknowledged to God that …You made it.
You made it through the Salvation process…all the way to the end. This is what the second Holy Day in this week, which pictures the putting out of sin, is all about.
Remember the discussion we had within the last couple of the weeks? We were discussing the pattern and design of the Holy Days and concluded that the Days of Unleavened Bread are unique in that, while all of the other Holy Days show what God has done or is going to do, the DOB, show those things we have made a choice to do, namely, to:
Repent
Get baptized
Have hands laid on
Receive the Holy Spirit
Enter into the lifelong Salvation process
The fact that the Days of Unleavened Bread are a weeklong is to convey a passage of time, as in a lifetime. The week begins with a Holy Day and ends with a Holy Day.
The first Holy Day denotes your calling, so this day is fulfilled. Hence, it is a memorial of our calling, just as Passover/Lord's Supper is a memorial of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for our sins.
The second Holy Day, then, is a day of celebration. If we are there at the second day, then we will know that we made it.
My purpose today is twofold:
To celebrate this
second Holy Day.
To give you some tools to insure you make it all the way.
---Celebrate this day
---Make sure you make it all the way.
As stated, the first Holy Day is fulfilled. You have been called and you are an active member of God’s Work.
The second Holy Day is yet to be fulfilled. It is actually tied to the Day of Trumpets. Whether we die in this lifetime or are standing there as Christ descends from the sky, that is day we will fully know we MADE IT.
So first……CELEBRATE THE DAY
1 Corinthians 15:50-57
50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.
51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.
57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Psalm 21:1 --Psalm of David about answered prayer before going into battle but actually pointing to Christ
The king shall joy in thy strength, O LORD; and in thy salvation how greatly shall he rejoice!
Revelation 19:1-9
1 And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God:
2 For true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand.
3 And again they said, Alleluia. And her smoke rose up for ever and ever.
4 And the four and twenty elders and the four beasts fell down and worshipped God that sat on the throne, saying, Amen; Alleluia.
5 And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great.
6 And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.
7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.
8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.
9 And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.
So we can see that this is a day to celebrate and in which to rejoice. We celebrate our future and ultimate victory over sin and entrance into the Eternal Kingdom of God.
Now to insure this victory, I want to give you some important tools that will help you in your journey from this day to the day Christ returns.
First as a foundation to these specific tools, we will discuss are the four requirements of Salvation
They are Faith, Obedience, Repentance and Perseverance. I have one verse for each.
Faith:
1 John 5:4-5
4 For whatsoever is
born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that
overcometh the world, even our faith.
5 Who is he that overcometh the
world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?
Obedience:
2 Corinthians 10:5
Casting down
imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the
knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the
obedience of Christ;
Repentance:
Acts 2:38
Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost [Spirit].
Perseverance:
Matthew 24:10-13
10 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.
11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.
12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.
13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
SPECIFIC CONCEPTS (TOOLS)
Having an understanding of these concepts will keep you on track:
ONE: FOLLOWING A MAN
(Look back at Matthew 24:10)
In this end time, many will be offended. Even now there are many within the Body of Christ who are bitter, angry and highly critical of everything.
Several attack this idea of following a man. They point out the sins of ministers and elders. Some say we do not even need them.
Would anyone like to think of the churches in Galatia, Ephesus, Philippi and Colossae WITHOUT PAUL?
Notice what he said:
Philippians 3:17
Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample.
1 Corinthian 4:16
Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me.
2 Thessalonians 3:7
For yourselves know how ye ought to follow us: for we behaved not ourselves disorderly among you;
1 Corinthians 11:1
Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.
Notice the focus on the phrase, “even as I am of Christ.”
Okay, so just how do you know if this is taking place?
Do we judge this by looking at any sins the person may or may not have committed? Do we judge the elder by his personality or his looks or what he might do as a hobby or pastime? Do we determine if we are going to follow the elder based on whether we like him or not?
Actually, none of
these. We do have a key verse however, that helps us determine just who
we will follow. It is found in Matthew 7
Matthew 7:16-20---the direct words of Jesus Christ
16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
One commentary I read said:
People do not judge of a tree by its leaves, or bark or flowers, but by the fruit which it bears. The flowers may be beautiful and fragrant, the foliage thick and green; but these are merely ornamental. It is the “fruit” that is of chief service to man; and he forms his opinion of the nature and value of the tree by the fruit.
So what is this fruit? Notice another commentary:
Those who enter upon the narrow way must beware of false prophets, who claim to guide believers but really practice deception. Sheep's clothing is not to be regarded as prophets' garb, but is an evident contrast to vicious wolves. God's people in all ages have needed to beware of deceptive leaders (Deuteronomy 13:1; Acts 20:29; 1 John 4:1; Revelation 13:11-14). By their fruits. The doctrines produced by these false prophets, rather than the works they perform, since outward appearances may not cause suspicion. THE TEST OF THE PROPHET IS HIS CONFORMITY TO SCRIPTURE (1 Corinthians 14:37; Deuteronomy 13:1-5). Corrupt tree. One that is decayed, worthless, unusable. The worthlessness of such a tree calls for its swift removal from the orchard lest it infect the others .
These last two quoted verses help to make Matthew 7 clear:
1 Corinthians 14:37
If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord.
Deuteronomy 13:1-5
1 If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder,
2 And the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them;
3 Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the LORD your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.
4 Ye shall walk
after the LORD your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and
obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him.
5 And that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to
death; because he hath spoken to turn you away from the LORD your God,
which brought you out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed you out of the
house of bondage, to thrust thee out of the way which the LORD thy God
commanded thee to walk in. So shalt thou put the evil away from the
midst of thee.
This subject of the Good Tree and the Corrupt or Evil Tree is so important that I did a special study paper on Matthew 7:16-20 and made copies for everyone here. They will be available right after services.
So we see that the fruit of the elder we are judging is his conformity and adherence to the Word of God.
The Bereans were correct!! They listened to the preacher then went home to study the Word of God to confirm whether what was spoken was in the Word of God.
Once we know that this is true, we can follow the elder as He leads the church and the Work. Now this concept leads directly to the second. From where do we get truth?
TWO: TRUTH
Some, who do not know what you know about following a man and the fruit of the good tree will accuse you of getting your truth from men. Well, you just tell them this…
“Real Truth Comes from the Word of God”
Deuteronomy 8:3
And he humbled
thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou
knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know
that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth
out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.
Joshua 1:8
This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
Job 23:12
Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.
Psalm 12:6
The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.
Psalm 33:4
For the word of the LORD is right; and all his works are done in truth.
Psalm 43:3
O send out thy light and thy truth: let them lead me; let them bring me unto thy holy hill, and to thy tabernacles.
Psalm 119:24, 30, 105
24 Thy testimonies also are my delight and my counsellors.
30 I have chosen the way of truth: thy judgments have I laid before me.
105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
John 1:17
For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
John 6:63
It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
John 10:35
If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken;
John 17:17
Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
2 Thessalonians 2:15-17
15 Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle.
16 Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace,
17 Comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work.
John 8:31
Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;
So, we can easily and clearly see that all truth comes from God and we can see this truth flowing in and through our elders and servants in the ministry.
Now to another important concept which will impact us as we head toward the end of our march toward salvation:
THREE: RECOGNIZE IN OURSELVES ANGRY OR CRITICAL ATTITUDES.
Several in the Body of Christ have had, at times this thing we call a Critical Spirit or Angry Attitude.
This is something we must be looking for in our personal and private examination of ourselves as we go along.
Notice this from the Amplified Bible— beginning in Romans 14:10.
Romans 14:10-13
10 Why do you criticize and pass
judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you look down upon or despise
your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of God.
11 For it is written, As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to
Me, and every tongue shall confess to God [acknowledge Him to His
honor and to His praise].(1)
12 And so each of us shall give an account of himself [give an answer
in reference to judgment] to God.
13 Then let us no more criticize and blame and pass judgment on one
another, but rather decide and endeavor never to put a stumbling block
or an obstacle or a hindrance in the way of a brother.
The Merriam Webster Dictionary defines criticism as “an act of criticizing; to judge as a critic; to find fault; to blame or condemn.”
What Exactly Is A Critical Spirit?
A “critical spirit,” is an obsessive attitude of criticism and fault-finding, which seeks to tear others down — not the same thing as what is sometimes called “constructive criticism.” The only criticism that is ever constructive is that which is expressed in love to “build up,” not to tear down — it is always expressed face-to-face, never behind their back.
The person with a
critical spirit usually dwells on the negative, seeks for flaws rather
than good. They’re a complainer, usually always
upset, and generally have a problem or a complaint about something. They
often have little control over their tongue, their temper, and have
tendencies for gossip and slander, which Paul said were sins “worthy of
death” (Romans 1:29-32).
Quoted verse:
Romans 1:29-32
29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness,
covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit,
malignity; whisperers,
30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of
evil things, disobedient to parents,
31 Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection,
implacable, unmerciful:
32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things
are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them
that do them.
Overcome these attitudes of anger and criticism with those of love and encouragement.
1 Thessalonians 5:11
Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.
Hebrews 10:24-25
24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:
25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
John 13:35
By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.
And now something which has been a concept I have been talking quite a bit about lately.
FOUR; BOLDNESS
Just as we had to take the bread and wine with boldness, we must demonstrate this power of boldness throughout our Spiritual lives.
Proverbs 14:26
In the fear of the LORD is strong confidence: and his children shall have a place of refuge.
Proverbs 28:1
The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion.
Ephesians 3:12
In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.
Hebrews 4:16
Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
Hebrews 10:19
Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,
Hebrews 13:6
So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.
1 John 2:28
And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.
1 John 4:17
Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.
So now, I have shared with you some of the concept tools which will help you to be there on that real Last Day of Unleavened Bread when our Salvation will have been completed.
So let us all continue in that process of Salvation and when we get to the last day let us have already won.
Let us all shout together…WE MADE IT!!
CELEBRATE THE REST
OF THE DAY!!