When the Children of Israel left Egypt, they thought they understood where they were going. Yet forty years later, they still had not entered the “promised land.” Of those adults who departed from Egypt on that “night to be much observed,” only two actually entered into the land. This should provide food for thought for God’s people today, as Satan continues to attack the Church of God.

This sermon discusses the lives of two brothers — Esau and Jacob, sons of Isaac and Rebekah. They were twins. They impacted humanity — in fact, today’s problems in the Middle East and in the Western world can only be fully understood when we appreciate what happened in the lives of these two brothers thousands of years ago. Jacob had been preordained to be called by God and to receive the birthright. His wrong choices, however, and his refusal to respond to God’s calling earlier in his life caused many problems for him and others. At the same time, Esau’s conduct serves as a perpetual warning for us not to take our calling lightly.

Seven days of unleavened bread picture coming totally out of sin – out of the evil ways of this world, which ways have been inspired by Satan the devil. In disobeying God’s command to “not look behind you” Lot’s wife did “look back,” thus becoming a perpetual example of one not willing to come out of this world’s evil ways.

Asking the question, “How are we doing in our exodus from sin?”–this sermon addresses the lessons of the seventh day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. As commanded, this day is kept as a holy convocation as God commanded, and the parallels are made for Christians to complete their departure from sin just as the Israelites of old finally completed their journey by entering the promised land.

Pinpointing some of the big-picture themes of God’s master plan, this sermon covers three major teachings by Jesus from the 17th chapter of John: (1.) Jesus teaches about the world; (2.) Jesus teaches about unity; and, (3.) Jesus teaches about His work. The underlying theme is that of what both the Father and the Son are doing to make possible eternal life for mankind.

The Days of Unleavened Bread remind us that we must come out of sin on a continuous basis. Sometimes, this is very difficult, because we may not always realize that we are still living deceptive. Sometimes, we may not even know that we are sinning, or if we do, we may think that it is not a big deal to God. Hebrews 12:1 tells us that sin easily ensnares us, and David prayed that God would cleanse him from his secret sins. This sermon shows from many Biblical examples how sin easily ensnares us. But as long as we let God lead and rule our lives, we will win our fight against sin. Many of those whom this sermon discusses will be in God’s Kingdom, even though they sinned — sometimes severely. But they repented of their sins, and they pressed forward toward their goal of eternal life. We must do likewise. And with God’s help, we can and will succeed.

We noted in our sermon of 3/08/03 that prophecy can be found in Books of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation and that over one full third of the Bible is devoted to this subject of prophecy. In this sermon we will go into seven of the basic keys leading to the understanding of this significant part of God’s Word.

The war with Iraq will prove to be one of the essential events necessary to bring about Biblical prophecy that will culminate in the return of Jesus Christ. The Bible clearly reveals what lies ahead for the near and imminent future. Focusing on the book of Isaiah, we need to understand who modern Israel’s future foes will be, and why. Why will God allow modern Israel and Judah to be defeated in the near future by their enemies? Could pagan worship services, the keeping of Sunday and other pagan festivals, the rejection of the observance of God’s holy days, and pride and trust in the military, have anything to do with it?

God established the Ministry for the purpose of teaching His Law and His Way of Life. Yet, in Ezekiel 34, God shows He is angry with the Ministry. Why is God angry, and what must the Ministry do to correct this breach?

The Bible describes those who are called, chosen and faithful (Rev. 17:14). This sermon reviews the selection, among others, of Moses, David and Paul, and how they were selected for serving God during their lifetimes and in the future. It is pointed out that Christians have also been called to serve God both now and as kings and priests in the future Kingdom of God.