Sanctification: Stop the leaven in your house

We have just gone through the Passover/Unleavened Bread week here in Israel, culminating in the First Fruits/Resurrection celebratory mo’ed/appointed time yesterday on Sonday. There is much confusion and division over anything and everything that is of God, so it is sad, but not surprising, that it includes anything and everything. Living in Israel among my people, there is no need to contrive observance of Jewish culture — some of it from God; other portions of it a distortion or contradiction. We are challenged to bring the truth of the gospel and the new covenant which brings together both Jewish and Gentile believers, especially born-again. Through it all our mission is to proclaim the truth of Messiah being Yeshua/Jesus, the Son of God, so that all who repent and believe might be saved from their sins. In Jer 15:19, YHVH speaks: “If you return/repent, then I will bring you back; you shall stand before Me. If you take out the precious from the vile, you shall be as My mouth….”

“If you return/repent, then I will bring you back; you shall stand before Me. If you take out the precious from the vile, you shall be as My mouth….” This is often our challenge as believers when dealing with controversial theological issues or practice: take out and hold on to what is good and honoring to our Father and our Savior; and leave behind what is vile and defiled that does not belong in His Kingdom. Even here, what I have just written, is rather ambiguous, and everyone will do with it what he/she thinks. Why should I think otherwise, if it happens to Paul’s writings, and to the Word of God generally? At least, they are always right! 🙂

For us living by faith in the truths of the new covenant for now, true revival — which always bring us back to the cross/the Passover — will show fruits of repentance and righteous, good, and holy fruit for our God. It’s not so much to eat matza/unleavened bread, but inwardly be hypocrites, believing false doctrines, ungodly pride, murderers, adulterers, hateful, unforgiving, unloving — but are satisfied to have not eaten anything with leaven (symbolic normally of sin) during Passover/Unleavened Bread week. Our holy and righteous Father wants us to burn the leaven out of ourselves, living without leaven — being holy, for He is holy. (Only the resurrection will bring full-fillment of that commandment and promise.) The Kingdom of God is not food and drink, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. 

The Greek word for unleavened chosen by the Holy Spirit for 1Cor 5:6-8 for Paul’s encouragement to both Jewish and Gentile believers — one new man; a new creation — to keep the everlasting feast of Passover is not the same word for unleavened bread. There is a word for “matza“, but Paul by inspiration to us all is speaking about our inner man, and not something external.  So while we may, or may not, concern ourselves with food, let us be certainly concerned for the inner reality of our beings, and not let the leaven grow and puff up in us.  In Ex 12:15 YHVH tells Moses and Aaron for all Israel that on the observance of our first day of our deliverance and salvation, we are to cause to cease all leaven from our houses. Well, in the New Testament we learn that our bodies are our ‘houses’, and not ours only, but God’s!  Stop the leaven, and its growth, immediately after our salvation, sanctifying ourselves from within us outwardly. (1Cor 6:19-20) The seven days covers all history for this Creation, forever in fulfilling all that is written in Moses and the Prophets. When we are born-again by the Holy Spirit from Above, we already become a new creation, in vital union with the risen Lord and Messiah! Is not Yeshua’s/Jesus’ resurrection — the First Fruits from the dead — something to remember and to celebrate, and to live out? 

With all that is in the world, and even in my own body of death (as Paul refers to it), what a hope we have in the resurrection, when all that is contrary to God’s perfection will forever be separated out, gone! Knowing that, it would be awful to be left as we are forever, even though forgiven and in His presence. No, He has prepared something far better for us, and for the entirety of His new creation, that will be NEW and PERFECT! (“Very good” isn’t “good enough” for YHVH God’s eternal purpose.)