Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/Sermons/zz20120513.htm

THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION
Numbers: Lessons From Spiritual Casualties And Conquerors
Part XXXIX: Overcoming Unholiness Through Christ's Provisions Taught In Passover And Unleavened Bread
(Numbers 28:16-25 et al.)
    Introduction: (To show the need . . . )

    We live in a world of sin -- that's apparent in view of the fact that our sitting President this past week for political gain spoke out in favor of same sex marriages, the first sitting President of the United States to do so in line with the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah! (Jude 7)

    However, the biggest problem of sin we often face is that of sin within the individuals we MEET or PERSONALLY KNOW:

    (1) Before John Rowland was elected Governor of the State of Connecticut, a Gospel-preaching pastor invited me to go with him to a breakfast where Republican gubernatorial candidate John Rowland was to speak. The pastor assured me that Mr. Rowland was a staunch supporter of religious liberty, so I attended the breakfast gathering.

    I admit that I found John Rowland impressive at the meeting: after the breakfast when he had spoken about his background and laid out his political agenda were he to be elected governor, he opened the meeting up to questions, and candidly answered them, with a large number of those present being religious ministers concerned about religious liberties that Mr. Rowland stoutly affirmed he supported.

    However, after he became governor, you can imagine my dismay upon later hearing that he admitted illegally to getting $107,042 worth of vacations, having work done on a cottage, getting free flights, not reporting the gifts and gratuities on tax returns and not paying $35,459 federal taxes on them. ("Rowland to be pensioner," Republican-American, May 5, 2012, p. 1A)

    (2) However, we face this problem in even immediate Christian circles: in the last month, I have spoken with several believers who have expressed deep concern about wrongs either they themselves have committed, or that other Christians they know have done!

    (3) In another case, after I spoke with a believer, I realized his view on an issue was so unbiblical, it had actually pulled me into making a quick, errant statement myself in response to his statement, so I found myself wishing I had taken a lot more care to pay attention to Scripture truth in even speaking with him!



    Need: "In view of a flagrant spiritual failure in a party's life, what hope does he have of living a holy Christian life?!"

  1. The Numbers 28:16-25 feasts of Passover and of Unleavened Bread teach God's provision for holiness in salvation and holy living:
    1. Jesus died at Passover as the Lamb of God to take away our sin, John 1:29; H. Hoehner, Chron. Aspects of the Life of Christ, 1979, p. 89.
    2. The Feast of Unleavened Bread immediately followed Passover for seven days, and 1 Corinthians 5:7-8 reveals this teaches how God wants believers to live holy lives by a walk of faith in Christ.
  2. The TYPOLOGY of these FEASTS show HOW holiness is GAINED ESPECIALLY in the face of DISCOURAGING sinful FAILURE:
    1. Historically, both Passover and Unleavened Bread initially focused on GOD'S deliverance of a helpless Israel from Egyptian bondage:
      1. On that first Passover, God had told Israel to apply the blood of the Passover lamb to the two side and the upper door posts to keep the Lord from slaying the firstborn in the house, Exodus 12:7, 13.
      2. When Egypt's firstborn were slain, the Egyptians urged Israel to leave their land so hurriedly, Israel's people had to gather up their dough before it was leavened, the initial basis for the observance of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, Exodus 12:15-17, 34, 39.
      3. This great deliverance was entirely of GOD, for Israel had been HELPLESSLY in bondage in Egypt, Exodus 2:23-25.
    2. Thus, the Feast of Passover signifies GOD positionally delivers a helpless sinner from sin's bondage at faith in Christ at salvation:
      1. The only act that delivered even Israel's firstborn from death was not his Jewish lineage, not his ritual circumcision, not a good life, not belief in God's existence, etc., but the application of the blood of the Passover lamb to the house where he dwelt, Ex. 12:12-13.
      2. Likewise today, lineage, religious ritual, a good life, belief in God's existence, etc. can not save anyone from God's wrath, but only faith alone in Christ alone can save him, Ephesians 2:8-9!
    3. Similarly, the Feast of Unleavened Bread signifies GOD delivers a helplessly sinful BELIEVER from sin's experiential defeat in a life lived by faith as based upon Christ's atonement (as follows):
      1. Numbers 28:17-24 reveals each DAY of the Feast of Unleavened Bread that followed Passover included the abundant regular monthly New Moon sacrifices, Bible Know. Com., O. T., p. 249. As we before learned, these illustrate God's abundant GRACE to handle SIN as each New Moon called for two bulls, a ram, seven lambs, a grain offering mixed with olive oil and a drink offering besides the regular twice-daily lambs, showing God's vast spiritual resources available throughout the Christian life to equip one to live in holiness due to Christ's atonement (the twice-daily lambs)!
      2. Now, the first and the last days of the Feast of Unleavened Bread were Sabbath Days (Numbers 28:18, 25), days pagan man held to be evil, unlucky days, Bruce K. Waltke, Creation and Chaos, 1974, p. 65. This reveals that as believers view they most need Christ's grace to live holy lives, it is ABUNDANTLY available -- even on the sinful one's most "unlucky", evil, foreboding" days!
      3. However, as the correct ORIGIN of the Sabbath Day celebrated God's "rest" from His works (Genesis 2:1-3), victory in living a holy life is not found by self-help works, but by faith in God!
    4. The New Testament teaches how these truths apply in our experience:
      1. To be saved from sin, we must believe alone in Christ alone apart from human merit or work, Ephesians 2:8-9. Since the blood of the Passover lamb had to be applied to the door for even a Jewish firstborn to stay alive, all men are saved by faith alone in Christ!
      2. Then, to live a holy life, we believers must do as follows:
        1. First, we must mentally trust ("rest") in God's indwelling Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:9) for the power to live uprightly, Gal. 5:16-23.
        2. If we sin, we are to confess it to God for cleansing (1 John 1:9), for Jesus' death, typified each day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread's bountiful sacrifices to show Christ's ample atonement, teach His death keeps ON bountifully atoning, 1 John 2:2!
        3. If facing great sinful failure in life, as the Feast of Unleavened Bread included two Sabbaths, multiple "bad" days for pagans, God is abundantly able and willing to renew us even then, so may we apply the above-mentioned rich resources of His grace!
Application: (1) May we trust in Christ, "applying the Passover lamb's blood" to be saved, John 1:11-12. (2) May we then live holy lives by God's bountiful "Feast of Unleavened Bread" provisions!

Thus, we ask, "What hope is there for one to live a holy life in view of a gawking spiritual failure in his or her personal life?!"

Conclusion: (To illustrate the message . . . )

Last Sunday following our morning worship service, I talked with a believer who had shared with me in a card that celebrated our 30th anniversary of ministry at Nepaug Church that he had accepted Christ under our ministry.

I was surprised at this news, and when I told him as much last Sunday, he gave me the following testimony, one about God's grace:

Years ago, he had found himself one day sitting in a ritualistic Church, confused and asking, "God, why is the ritual being performed by the minister here any more effective than the ritual of a Native American Indian shaman?"

This question had led this man to start a personal pilgrimage for the truth, an explanation of what to believe, and why.

In time, he attended a Jehovah's Witness study group, but he realized that their teaching did not ring true on some key issues.

He went on to explain that a Gospel-preaching pastor later then asked him if he "had accepted Christ," and, since he had a ritualistic religious background in Christendom, he said, "Yes!" without knowing what the phrase meant. [There is a lesson here -- never assume that unsaved people understand evangelical, fundamentalist terminology!]

Then, while working on a job in the woods, he met one of our Church members, and they talked about spiritual things. The member invited him to our Church to have his questions answered, so he came!

That first Sunday he was here, when I stood up to begin to give the usual introduction, explaining the basics of what we believe and why, this man testified, "Don, one by one my questions were answered. It was if God had grabbed me by the lapels of my jacket, pulled me up to His face and had said, Here! This is what you wanted to know!'"

By God's grace and power, this man believed what was explained, and he was saved!

What I find remarkable about this testimony is the fact that God led this man AWAY from DEAD RITUALISM, AWAY from mere RELIGIOSITY to REAL FAITH in CHRIST and HIS GRACIOUS ATONEMENT! The GRACE of God as typologically revealed in the feasts of Passover and of Unleavened Bread had made all the difference!

May we be saved by grace, and may we live holy lives by grace that grow out of the infinite riches of God's grace in Christ!