Removing sin

Exodus 12:15-20; 4/26/2026; BCBC/IOUC; Rev. Paul Wang

Introduction

As we unroll the scroll of this stage of history, we see that beginning in chapter 12, God has been preparing for the striking down of the firstborn in Egypt.  He changed the calendar of the Israelites, established the requirement to sacrifice a lamb, and commanded them to apply the blood to the door frames.  Today, God is instituting the regulations for the Feast of Unleavened Bread.  To remove leaven is to remove sin.  If sin is not removed, it is difficult to draw near to God.  Now, let us look at the first point:

 

Removing the leaven

Yes—why did God require the Israelites to remove leaven?  And why for seven consecutive days? What is the meaning behind this?  First, eat unleavened bread.  What is unleavened bread?  It is bread made from newly harvested grain, without any leaven added.  Then what is leaven?  Here, leaven refers to a portion taken from previously fermented dough and kept as a starter.  Later, when making dough, this starter would be mixed with flour and water to produce various kinds of baked goods.   The Israelites were like freshly harvested dough in God’s hands, while the leaven represents the customs of Egypt—especially its idolatrous practices.  The Passover falls on the fourteenth day of the first month, and the Feast of Unleavened Bread begins the next day and continues for seven days.  The command in Scripture to “eat unleavened bread for seven days”  is precisely the institution of this feast.  In the New Testament, Jesus identifies the hypocrisy of the Pharisees as leaven—that is, as sin, and the spreading and permeating nature of sin.

Second, seven days in a row.  In Scripture, God’s command for His people to eat unleavened bread is, in essence, a call to holiness for all who belong to Him.  Because people are forgetful, God ordained that this reminder continue for seven days—and it comes only once a year, not often at all.  If the Passover is the proclamation of holiness,  then the seven days that follow are meant for God’s people to reflect on what holiness truly means.  The way God made Israel holy was by calling them to separate themselves from the leaven of Egypt.  This also becomes the principle for how we conduct ourselves in the church and in our spiritual lives.  We cannot simply act on impulse for the sake of momentary relief—saying whatever we feel must be said—without considering whether our words bring glory to God.  The old self and the flesh often make a person feel they are being “real,” authentic and unfiltered—but what is real is not necessarily true, nor aligned with the truth.

Finally, cut off from the people.  After the seven days of the Feast of Unleavened Bread had passed, some might still long for the delicacies of Egypt—the seafood of the Nile, and the comfort of its warm, pleasant climate.  It’s easy to go from simplicity to luxury, but hard to go from luxury back to simplicity—isn’t that true?  Although the Israelites were slaves in Egypt—subject to mistreatment, abuse, increased labor, and reduced provisions—human habit is like a sharp blade shaped by the years, cutting deep into the bone and soul.  People have little strength to resist it.  Over time, whether it is propaganda that reshapes the mind or prevailing cultural narratives that define what is “acceptable,” most people will be affected.  And when you add emotional ties and national interests into the mix, who can avoid being drawn in?  But when the appointed time is fulfilled, God will say: “I do not know you.”  Now, let us move on to the second point:

 

Observe the Lord’s Day

From the Passover to the Feast of Unleavened Bread, there were seven days in total, yet two sacred assemblies were appointed.  First: a sacred assembly.  At the beginning and at the end of the seven days, there were two gatherings, and both are called holy convocations by God.  Is gathering together really that important?  The author of Hebrews says,“not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching” (Hebrews 10:25).  Clearly, God values our assembling together far more than we often realize. Scripture uses direct commands to express His expectation that we participate in fellowship, prayer, supplication, thanksgiving, and worship.  And there is a reason: “For on this very day I brought your armies out of the land of Egypt.”  What day is this?  It is the day after Passover—the beginning of the Feast of Unleavened Bread—the first day of the seven days, the Lord’s Day, and a holy convocation.

 

Second, an everlasting ordinance.  All who belong to God will remember the day appointed by the Lord.  They will know gratitude, give thanks, and sing songs of praise.   Why?  Because what is within cannot be held back—the cup overflows with blessing.  To not sing, not worship, not pray, not read the Word, not listen to and live out the truth—such a life would not truly be life.  How can this be?  It is not strange, because those who belong to God hear His command: “You shall observe this day throughout your generations as an everlasting ordinance.”  But those who have departed from the kingdom of God, who have become accustomed to neglecting the gathering, or who find ways to avoid it altogether, are like “Jewish Egyptians”—they have become disconnected, indifferent, and unrelated to God’s covenant and His ordinances.  They are physically in the church, but their hearts are in the world.  For them, every gathering becomes a kind of suffering—something endured with groaning and inner struggle.

 

Finally, the eating of unleavened bread.  From the so-called “evolution” or progress of dietary culture, eating unleavened bread may seem like a step backward, isn’t it?  Without leaven, you cannot even make steamed buns or bread.  For forty years in the wilderness, God led the Israelites to eat manna—food that was almost tasteless and plain.  In essence, it was also an extension of the concept of unleavened bread.  In truth, the principle is very simple.  Scripture says, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8).  What a person feeds on will ultimately shape what he becomes.  Reading the Bible and praying do not seem to align with today’s cultural trends, nor do they produce immediate, visible, or tangible results.  But if we are faithful to feed on God’s Word daily, then God Himself will take responsibility for the growth of our spiritual life.  The question is: are you truly willing to eat unleavened bread?  Now, let us move on to the third point:

 

Maintain holiness

From this Lord’s Day to the next Lord’s Day, how then should we live a godly life?  If this question is not addressed, we can easily become “Sunday Christians,” can’t we?  First, from the fourteenth to the twenty-first day of the first month.  It is described as seven days, but in practice it spans eight days including both ends.  But that is not the main point.  The key is this: between the two sacred assemblies, the principle of fellowship among God’s people is the eating of unleavened bread.  Unleavened bread represents a heart that looks to the kingdom of heaven, depends on Christ, and lives a simple life.  For man does not live by bread alone, nor should he be consumed by the pursuit of fine food or excessive desires; rather, his needs are limited and can be simple.  From this Lord’s Day gathering to the next, we also have these eight days.  Between the two gatherings, what are we eating and drinking?  Is it unleavened bread? Do we have unleavened bread in our daily lives?  Are we living a simple life?  Is there room for fasting and prayer?  Could there even be a day when we choose not to eat at all—could that be possible?

 

Second, no leaven is to be found in your houses.  If the church is one large family, then each of our homes is a smaller family.  We must never despise these small households, for God also has something to say to each of them: “For seven days no leaven is to be found in your houses.”  If on the Lord’s Day we gather and “eat together” in the church, then from Monday to Saturday in our homes, there must likewise be no leaven—that is, we must not conform to this world.  Instead, we are to be transformed by the renewing of our mind, so that we may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.  Once the leaven of the Pharisees enters a person’s life, it will drive him to build towers of Babel in the world—exalting himself to great heights,  giving rise to the lies of Hitler, the distortions of extreme ideologies, and the indoctrination systems of authoritarian regimes.” The end times are drawing near; we can almost hear the footsteps of the Lord approaching.

 

Finally, in all your dwellings you shall eat unleavened bread.  Where do people go besides the church and their homes?  There is work, business trips, gatherings with classmates and friends—every part of daily life.  In short, Scripture says, “in all your dwellings.”  Why?  Because our God is omnipresent.  That means we are to eat unleavened bread everywhere, and not partake of anything leavened in any place.  Some brothers and sisters have shared that when they return to China to visit relatives,  it becomes difficult to maintain a life of prayer and devotion.  Every day there are invitations to “Egyptian meals,” especially the seafood of the Nile, which easily stirs up old memories of slavery.  Yet as long as the food is good, even slavery can seem tolerable.  But God’s omnipresence means that there is no blind spot in our spiritual life. There is no place where holiness does not apply.

Conclusion

To remove sin is to show that we are willing to walk with God and work together with Him, for the removal of sin always comes at a cost.  When God deals with our sins—the scales of the old self, the hardened calluses of our nature—it will surely hurt. One habit, two assumptions, three traditions, four human relationships, five kinds of ignorance, six forms of stubbornness, seven cravings, eight kinds of carelessness, nine layers of resistance, ten categories of sin—what shall we do with all of these?  God’s prescription is simple: “You shall not eat anything leavened; in all your dwellings you shall eat unleavened bread.”

 

Let us pray together……

 

¹⁵ Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall remove leaven out of your houses, for if anyone eats what is leavened, from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel.

¹⁶ On the first day you shall hold a holy assembly, and on the seventh day a holy assembly. No work shall be done on those days. But what everyone needs to eat, that alone may be prepared by you.

¹⁷ And you shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for on this very day I brought your hosts out of the land of Egypt. Therefore you shall observe this day, throughout your generations, as a statute forever.

¹⁸ In the first month, from the fourteenth day of the month at evening, you shall eat unleavened bread until the twenty-first day of the month at evening.

¹⁹ For seven days no leaven is to be found in your houses. If anyone eats what is leavened, that person will be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he is a sojourner or a native of the land.

²⁰ You shall eat nothing leavened; in all your dwelling places you shall eat unleavened bread.”