We who have resolved to live godly lives must have a thorough knowledge of how to do it if we want to succeed. This warrants every one of us to know the exact beginning point. Remember, the sole aim of living this life is to become what God purposed when He created us in these physical bodies; and what is it? To, first, be made like Him, after which, we be given dominion over the earth, and the entire universe as well- Gen.1:26; Heb.2:8. Where do we begin then? It’s important that we mark this very vital fact; that we are all coming out of a civilization whose knowledge of how it does things is based on a lie. For this reason, the general life which we are used to, and which is our way of thinking, feeling, talking and doing things, is all in pretense. Strange! Why would one want to pretend? Not willing to accept that one is deceived, we try to act, in an effort to make that lie a truth, and because it is not, we flatter with our mouths, and lie with our tongues, while our hearts are not true to our talks- Psalm.78:36-37; Luke.6:46. So, the civilization plays good, but puts not a single effort to do it. You will agree with me that, every single leader on this earth, beginning with family heads to United nations’ generals, is talking of working towards a better life; cultivating for peace, pushing for environmental security, like, working towards zero pollution, zero waste-dumping, and many more of the kind. But practically, every one’s single act is adding to those things they talk against. All this because, the knowledge of how to effect what they say, is not in their minds-Isa.59:8-9. Brethren, the knowledge of how to truly unleaven our lives is no exceptional. What? “You mean all those years I have observed the Passover and the feast of unleavened bread, I have been doing it ignorantly, only pretending?” To a great extent, yes. Do you want proof? If yes, be open-minded, open to reason, and devoid yourself of any prejudice and then, read this message to the end please.
THE BEGINNING POINT
We know that, a leaven is an acquired knowledge which forms our lives-Mat.16:12. So, because we are talking about our lives and not bread, then, what is it that we need to remove from our hearts which is wrong? Evil thoughts, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, slander, and the like. This is what defiles (leavens) a man-Mat.15:19-20; Gal.5:19-21; Rom.1:29-31(read the verses please). All of us who partook of the Passover, after which we observed the first day of unleavened bread, were showing and telling God who can’t be lied to, that, in the same way you our Lord never lived( never practiced) these things, but died to them, we also are not living them and are dead( or dying) to them-Rom.6: 5,10-11. Think deeply please my brethren. Is this what we did; is it what we are pursuing in our hearts as I speak right now? If you are those who are blinded by this habit of pretending, you will say yes, without hesitation. But if you are one who wants to be cocksure, you will first peruse the pages of your heart to see what desires you are harbouring now, which you are striving to fulfill, and then, you will be able to answer a truthful yes or no. How do we go about it (our message, “living above offenses”, has details)? We must begin by understanding what causes these attitudes, and what moves us to make them our lives. So now (and am talking about you, not that person), when do you, and why would you, get angry with, hate, envy, have jealousy, malign, slander, and ill-talk (gossip) about somebody? Look at it squarely, and you will agree with me that, it is when one disapproves what you do-John.7:7; does what should be done, better than you; one finds more favour either before God or men than you-John.11:47-48; Ezra.4:1-2, 4; Dan.6:5-7. But why should you become negative towards one’s good-doing, and he/she doesn’t prevent you from doing the same? The reason is because we accepted a lie about ourselves (what we are), and what we should be in this life, and what to aim at as our life-goal- Gen.3:4-6. It is the acceptance of this lie, and the effort to live it that makes us turn on each other because in it, the approval is not by God but by fellowmen. The godly person must change from standing before men to, standing before God. This is where we should begin if we will successfully unleaven our lives, and be truly dead with Christ. Is this where you and I are standing? We may rashly say yes, but fail to wonder why our hearts are still heavily in those bad attitudes while our talks are about the good ones; or, are we not hearing the voice of Christ wondering, saying, why do you call me Lord, Lord, and do not do the things I command you-Luke.6:46? Watch out brethren, for the pretense is right here, very ready to blind us; for we say, how have we not obeyed? We kept the Passover, and observed the feast of unleavened bread, removing all leaven from our houses. Be sincere please? What fills your heart and mind right now? Is it God and His laws- Mat.22:37-38; Deut.6:4-9, which will determine your success in real dying and unleavening, or, it is people and things- Rom.8:5-6, which will prove you to be a pretender and disqualify you on what you claim to pursue?
BEGIN IN YOUR HEART
Let’s not forget that the leaven is that destructive spirit in our hearts whose fruits are the bad attitudes we have enlisted. Confirming this, our Lord asks; from where does wars and fighting come among you? Is it not from your hearts- James.4:1-3? Having this truth revealed, let’s continue with our knowledge-acquisition by which, we prove whether we are truly unleavening, or, we are perpetrating our former worldly pretense. Since the heart of man, from where the issues of life come-Prov.4:23, must acquire knowledge from without, on which knowledge, one’s life stands, then, it is true that this pretentious wrong life began with acquiring the wrong spirit-Job.9:24; Eph.2:2 whose fruits are the habits (leaven) we must remove to be truthfully observing the feast. At this point, all of you will agree with me that, it is extremely difficulty, yes, impossible to drive the heart to reject these habits and accommodate the good unleavened ones on our own. Our Passover commander and Lord says it, that, without Him, we can do nothing-John.15:5. How do we go about it then? It necessitates, a change of the heart-occupying spirit, which will bring about a change of the knowledge we apply, and so, it automatically begins to change our attitudes. This calls for the accepting of what Christ says we are (dust, clay in the hands of a potter), which the present civilization doesn’t agree with, and for which it hates anyone who accepts it-John.15:8-9; 1 pet.4:4. Brethren, this is the very first thing to die for, and to strive to remove (unleaven) from our lives. What? The thinking that we are gods, and are a people to reckon with. Once we do that, we will remain vacant, without a goal-yes, without a course to pursue, and so, it gives us a fresh beginning like a newly-born child-Mat.18:2. This is possible, only to those who, after hearing Christ’s teachings about man, and the life God had ordained for him, their eyes were opened-Acts.26:18, and they realized that they were deceived, and so, they accepted the teachings-John.17:8, 14. It is to them that God fulfills His promise to put a new spirit in them-Ezek.36:26, which replaces the former spirit because the two cant co-habit- Gal.5:17.
A NEW LIFE, WITH A NEW GOAL
At this point, the true unleavening begins. It begins in a very small way, so small such that, it’s like nothing has begun because at baptism, we receive a mustard-seed-size kind of Holy Spirit. Remember, it is after one has resolved to obey, that God gives the spirit-Acts.5:32. So, like a mustard seed, this spirit begins to grow in us, but it must be in obedience, for, the Holy Spirit flourishes only in the word-John.16:13. Practice makes perfect. Therefore, for those who restrict themselves to this new life, as empowered by this new spirit, a change of direction takes place. Our hearts begins to be developed into, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, self-control-Gal.5:22-23, such that, we don’t struggle to do so, simply because it is commanded but, because it becomes the very nature that occupies the heart. Yes, it becomes our pleasure to live that way, for, the fruits of light are in all goodness-Eph.5:9. Is this what we see in ourselves? Let’s be true to our heart’s desires as we answer this question please. For those who want to truly unleaven, this is where the secret of pretense lies. Many of us, after baptism, and after receiving this initial spirit which enables us to fulfil the just requirements of the law-Rom.8:4, stops at that. Getting choked by the cares of this life, they fail to use that given power, to strive in taking the body captive in obedience to Christ- 2 cor.10:3-5; Luke.13:24. This has made most of us not to grow in grace and in our Lord’s knowledge-2 pet.3:18, and so, we have suppressed the spirit in some corner of our hearts so much such that, it is not active (we hid our talent instead of trading with it), thus continuing with the old attitudes. But because, like the world, we want men to approve us, we fake a change, only succeeding to pose an outward display( pretend).
WORKS OF THE LAW
So, because the good fruits can only come from the good spirit filling our hearts, and we have choked it, we remain only with the knowledge of what is good while we continue to desire what is bad. Since we are used to that worldly habit of wanting to look good without doing it, because good can only be done by the good spirit which we have suppressed, then all we do as a show of a changed people, is to try and act the knowledge outwardly while our hearts burn with every desire to do evil. Yes, the church of God right now stands exactly where the Pharisees stood, doing their deeds to be seen by men, cleaning the outside while the inside is dirty, physically observing the holidays, paying tithes, keeping the Sabbath, helping the poor-Mat.23:5, 25-6, 23, but with hearts that are packed with all manner of this world evil attitudes. Look at yourself openly please. If this be your case, then know and understand that you are observing the Passover and keeping God’s law generally in an unworthy manner. This is what Christ calls, works of the law by which, no man will be justified before God. Why are we failing? As we saw, it takes a certain spirit driving the heart into some knowledge and the desire to do it. Now, because we have choked the spirit which after filling the heart can give us, first, to will, then, to do-Phil.2:13, then, we remain 99.9 % carnal, but for the sake of fitting in the club, we act physically to be approved by fellow members. Brethren, agree with me that, with this kind of behaviour, we are not unleavening. We are not allowing Christ to develop our hearts into becoming good, and because we can’t do it ourselves, we remain with this outward show, which is a vain worship-mark.7:8. This is why our Lord is telling us that, our assemblies are an abomination to him; commanding us to first purify our hearts before coming to his presence. Dear beloved of God, why not wake up to this realization and let this year’s observances be from our hearts! We all know that the unleavening is from these attitudes which defile a man, to the good ones which are fruits of the holy spirit, and which can’t be got from anywhere else. We are not creating ourselves, and therefore, it is impossible to work our hearts into becoming unleavened, for, it is God who works in every one, both to will and to do-Phil.2:13. If therefore we will sincerely unleaven our lives, lets strive to grow that spirit-2 Tim.1:6 which we have from God, by living in the word, prayer and meditation, and we will begin to become good from the heart, in which case, we will be celebrating the feast, not with the evil attitudes coated with the word from outside, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth-1 Cor.5:7, speaking the truth from the heart-psalm.15:2, and we will surely dwell in the holy mountain of God and rejoice in the unleavened life forever. It’s Christ in His great love with which he loves us, which drove him even to the cross to die for us, pleading with us through His servant,
THE ENDTIME CHURCH OF GOD