Verse 12. I want to begin reading
in verse 14 of Exodus chapter 12. And this day, speaking of the
Passover, shall be unto you for a memorial. And you shall keep
it a feast to the Lord throughout your generations. You shall keep
it a feast by an ordinance forever. Seven days shall ye eat unleavened
bread. Even the first day you shall
put away leaven out of your houses. For whosoever eateth leavened
bread From the first day into the seventh day, that soul shall
be cut off from Israel. And in the first day there shall
be a holy convocation, and in the seventh day there shall be
an holy convocation to you. No manner of work shall be done
in them, save that which every man must eat. That only may be
done of you. And you shall observe the feast
of unleavened bread. For in this selfsame day have
I brought your armies out of the land of Egypt. Therefore
shall you observe this day in your generation by an ordinance
forever. In the first month, on the fourteenth
day of the month, at even, you shall eat unleavened bread until
the one twentieth day of the month at even. Seven days shall
there be no leaven found in your houses. For whosoever eateth
that which is leavened Even that soul shall be cut off from the
congregation of Israel, whether he be a stranger or born in the
land. Ye shall eat nothing leavened. In all your habitations shall
ye eat unleavened bread. I want to attempt to speak upon
this subject, the danger of leaven. Unleavened bread was to be eaten
along with the paschal lamb. And when the feast was established, they were
to eat unleavened bread for seven days. And they were actually
called upon to purge out all leaven out of their house. They
were to get rid of it all and eat nothing but unleavened bread. Now, leaven is yeast. That's
all it is. It's a fungus which causes fermentation.
It's through the process of fermentation that alcohol is made. It is also
how bread rises and puffs up. We all know what yeast is. Now,
there's nothing sinful in yeast in and of itself, but it has
a metaphorical meaning. It means throughout the scripture,
the way the Bible uses this word. And I introduced this message
with that warning, a little leaven, just a little, leavens the whole
lump. Leaven in the scripture means
to taint, to corrupt, to infect, to imbue. It is any influence
working silently and strongly that causes change in things
or opinions. That's what leaven represents. Anything working silently, imperceptibly,
it's not something you see at first, it's just small, but it
works change in things and opinions. Now, this word leaven is taken
from the word that means a swelling or a rising, puffed up, you know,
like bread, bread's puffed up. So we can see because of what
leaven represents, why it was to be purged from the houses
where the Passover meal was eaten. Yeast, as I said, is not a sinful
thing in and of itself, but what it represents is against Christ. So they were to purge it from
their homes and anybody that even had leaven in their homes,
yeast in their homes. The scripture says that soul
was to be cut off. Now, that's very severe, isn't
it? The soul was to be cut off from the people. Now, you and
I. Ought to be scared to death of
living. You know, ever since I prepared
this message, it's just scared me thinking about this, I don't
feel like my. The prayer of my heart is Lord,
keep me. Lord, preserve me. I'm afraid
of living. Individuals go bad. And churches
go bad. Because of leaven, something
brought in that puffs up with pride, which corrupts, that changes. And this is a very, very solemn
thing to think about. But there are religious assemblies
that started out true gospel churches. They started out believing
the gospel. But the leaven of false doctrine
got in and corrupted it. And God has removed the candlestick. That has happened. Many churches
have began with the truth, began preaching the gospel. And the
example I use, where's the church at Ephesus now? Where's the church
at Laodicea now? They started out with the gospel.
The church at Pergamos now, all these churches that began with
the truth, with the gospel, with the presence of the Lord Jesus
Christ. He was there. And then he wrote Ichabod over
the door. He left. And it's just a religious
institution going through the motions without the Spirit of
God. And what scares me so much is
I know if the Lord doesn't come back, it'll happen to this place
one day. Happens every time. No local church ever continues. Now, one of my prayers to the
Lord is that I'll be dead before it happens. I hope you all are
too. I really do. I hope you all are
too. But it's such a sobering, solemn thing to think of the
introduction of leaven. How many people have you known?
How many people have seemed to believe, seemed to love Christ? It's appeared that they did.
But leaven is introduced. Where are they now? How many
people have we seen come and go here? A whole lot. A whole lot. But there's a little leaven that
leavens the whole lump. Now, there are individuals, there
are churches who seem to start out well, but they fell away. Now, I realize, I understand
this. I've got this confidence. I know all of God's elect are
going to be saved. Don't have to worry about any of the elect
not being saved. Every one of God's chosen people
will be saved. Everybody that Christ died for
will be saved. But there's still concerns. No
ifs, ands, buts. That's just the truth. You know
that. You know that so. But the thought of leaven being
introduced. A very small amount of yeast
placed in the dough will work itself through the whole batch. A little leaven leavens the whole
lump. Turn to Matthew chapter 16, I want to look at several
scriptures that give us some idea of what leaven represents. Beginning in verse six. Then said Jesus unto them, take
heed and beware of the leaven. of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees. And they reasoned among themselves,
saying, Is it because we've taken no bread? Which when Jesus perceived,
he said unto them, O ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves,
because ye have brought no bread? Do you not understand, neither
remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets
you took up, neither the seven loaves of the four thousand,
and how many baskets you took up? How is it that you don't
understand that I spake it not to you concerning bread that
you should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees. Then understood they, how that
he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine
of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees. False doctrine works as leaven. And let me say, First, that false
doctrine always has a sinister, evil motive behind it. It's never
simply mistaken notions. It's sinful. It's evil. It is
opposed to the Lord Jesus Christ. It's not just people going in
the same direction, one believing one thing, another believing
another, but they're all going the same. No, false doctrine
is opposed to Jesus Christ. And when it's introduced, it
works as leaven. working its way through the whole
batch of dough. It begins almost imperceptibly.
It's very subtle. Let me show you that from the
Scripture. Turn to 2 Corinthians chapter 11. I want to show you a couple of Scriptures. Verse 13. For such are false apostles,
They appear to be apostles, they say they are, but they're false. Now, does a false apostle preach
the gospel? Answer that question. Does a
false apostle? Obviously not. Now, look what's said about it
next. They're deceitful workers. Transforming themselves into
the apostles of Christ. They appear to be the apostles
of Christ. And this is no marvel for Satan
himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore, it's
no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers
of what? Righteousness. That's a big word. Whose end shall be according
to their works. Turn to Ephesians chapter 4. Verse 14, that we henceforth be no more
children. Paul is looking for maturity
that we be henceforth no more children tossed to and fro and
carried about with every wind of doctrine by the slight of
men, slyness and cunning craftiness whereby they lie in wait to deceive. Now, you know, in every epistle,
with the exception of one, there's a warning regarding false prophets. Every single one of them. What's
the first thing the Lord said after he said strive to enter
into the straight gate? Does anybody know? First thing he
said after he told his people to strive to enter into the straight
gate, the first thing he said is beware of false prophets. which come to you in sheep's
clothing. They look like sheep. They talk
like sheep. They use that language. But within,
they're wolves looking to devour you. Now, quite often, And this is what is so scary. And we have to ask the Lord to
help us. Ask the Lord to preserve us. Ask the Lord to give us grace
to not be deceived. Quite often a false prophet is
most clearly identified. It's not about what he says.
It's not even positive error. Sometimes everything he says
is true. It's what he omits. It's what he leaves out. The
Lord put it this way. When he was speaking to the scribes
and Pharisees, he said, here's what you fellows have done. You
pay tithe and a mint of mint and anise and cumin. You pay
your tithe, but you've omitted, you've left out the weightier
matters of the law, that which really matters. You just passed
that by. Now, the example I thought of.
Was that lady in Acts chapter 16, remember the lady that was
possessed with a spirit of, Scripture says, divination? And what was
she saying? She was saying concerning Paul
and Silas, these be the servants of the Most High God, which show
unto us the way of salvation. Tell me what was wrong with what
she said. Find any error there? Anything wrong with that? I mean,
everything she said was true. But yet, Paul cast her out as
being demon possessed. It wasn't what she was saying,
it's what she didn't say. Now, the way I respond to something
like that is, Lord, have mercy on me. Keep me. Preserve me. Teach me. Don't
let me be tricked by this subtle, deceitful, cunning, craftiness. The Lord said, take heed and
beware of false prophets, the doctrine of the Pharisees and
the Sadducees. False prophets, false doctrine
will come with the same words as true doctrine. They'll use
words like grace and blood and faith and all those words. Change
the meaning though. Change the meaning of the word.
May God deliver us from this. Turn to Luke 12. You see how
false doctrine is leavened that can corrupt the church. It's
happened to how many thousands of churches over the years. I
know the Lord's in control of this, and I really don't believe
it's the Lord's will for any local church to continue on and on
and on. But it's going to happen. It's going to happen. You can
just count on it. Lord, preserve me and keep me.
Luke 12, verse 1. In the meantime, when they were
gathered together, an innumerable multitude of people, insomuch
that they trod upon one another, he began, first of all, to say
to his disciples, first of all, beware ye of the leaven of the
Pharisees, which is hypocrisy, hypocrisy. Now, this is this
is what leaven represents. It represents false doctrine.
It represents hypocrisy. Now, what is hypocrisy? It's
acting. It's insincerity. It's pretending
to be what you're not. It's claiming to be what you're
not. It's insincere. It's an act. As a matter of fact,
the Greeks at that time, the movie stars, were called hypocrites.
That's what they did. They were actors. They were hypocrites. That's all the word means. Hypocrisy is the opposite of
honesty. I love that passage of Scripture
in Psalm 32, where it says, Blessed is he whose transgression is
forgiven. whose sin is covered, blessed
is the man to whom the Lord will not impute iniquity, and in whose
spirit there is no guile." What kind of spirit is that? That's
the new spirit. That's the new nature. That's the holy nature,
and in that nature there is no guile. It is honest. Now, does a believer Need to
be warned about this thing of being a hypocrite. I mean, we
are believers. Does a believer need to? I mean, is it is this
a need for warning to me? Well, I can tell you where it
was a need for warning to an apostle. Turn with me to Galatians chapter
two. Galatians chapter two. Verse 13. And the other Jews dissembled
and that word is. Active, the hypocrite is the
word hypocrisy and the other Jews acted the hypocrite likewise
with him in so much that Barnabas also was carried away with their
dissimulation or their hypocrisy. Now, Barnabas. And Peter, at
this time, Paul says, you're playing the part of a hypocrite. You're being an actor. You're
not being real. This was said to an apostle.
Now, what what took place? We see how Levin began to work
and people were carried away from it by it. Now, what what
took place? Well, look up in verse 13. I'm
sorry, verse 11. And when Peter was come to Antioch,
Paul says, I withstood him to the face Because he was to be
blamed. Now, can you imagine how difficult
that must have been for Paul to publicly reprimand Peter before
all these people? I mean, I don't want to reprimand
somebody publicly. I don't want to embarrass anybody.
I don't want anybody to be humiliated. I don't want to nail anybody
to the wall. I mean, I want to speak to him
privately if I've got a problem. And that's the way it generally
ought to be done, isn't it? But Paul, under the inspiration
of the Holy Spirit, deals with this publicly in a very public
manner. And what happened, verse 4, for
before the serpent came from James, he did eat with the Gentiles. Peter was having a good time
with the Gentiles, fellowshiping with the Gentiles. He wasn't
practicing Jewish custom and diet and so on. And he was just
having a good time talking, fellowshipping. But when they were come, these
fellows from James who were Jews, he withdrew and separated himself
fearing them which are of the circumcision. Now all he did
is he got up, he didn't say anything, he got up and he moved tables
and he sat back down and started talking to the Jews. You see
he was saying by that action, Gentiles are saved and Jews are
saved, but Jews are a little bit more pleasing to God. Just
a little bit more. They've got a little bit of,
they're all saved, don't get me wrong, they're all saved,
but Jews are a little bit more pleasing. Now how does Paul respond
to that? Let's look in verse 13. And the
other Jews dissembled likewise with him, insomuch that Barnabas
also was carried away with their dissimulation. Do you see how
leaven starts spreading throughout the whole lump? You see what
happens with Barnabas. But when I saw that they walked,
verse 14, not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I
said unto Peter before them all, if you, being a Jew, live after
the manner of the Gentiles and not as do the Jews, why are you
turning things around and compelling the Gentiles to live as do the
Jews by this action of yours? We who are Jews by nature, not
sinners of the Gentiles, knowing that a man is not justified by
the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even
we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by
the faith of Christ and not by the works of the law. For by
the works of the law there shall no flesh be justified." Now notice
verse 14. He said, when I saw that they
walked not uprightly. What's that next phrase? According to
the truth of the gospel. Now what is the truth of the
gospel? The truth of the gospel is that
everybody Christ died for is saved. Everybody who believes
on him is saved. And you can't get any more saved
than you are right now by what Christ did. That's the truth
of the gospel. The truth of the gospel is that
Jesus Christ is all in salvation. There's not Jew, there's not
Gentile. We're all one in Christ Jesus, and we're all accepted
in the beloved. There's not one that's more pleasing
to God than another. You know I'm glad about that,
aren't you? I'm thankful it's that way. I know if I thought
that there were ways that I could be more pleasing to God than
you, I'd be stepping on you trying to get up. I know myself, I'd
be like that, and you'd be doing that to me too. That's the way
men are by nature. But thank God we don't have to
worry about it. That's settled. Every believer
is simply accepted in Christ. You can't get any more saved
than you are right now. You can't get any more love than you are
right now. And Paul rebuked Peter. Now, what if Paul would have
kept his mouth shut? What if Paul would have just said, I'm
not going to deal with this publicly? Well, let's stay here in Galatians
chapter 2, verse 3. But neither Titus, who was with
me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised. And that because
of false brethren, unawares brought in, who came in privately to
spy out our liberty, which we have in Christ Jesus, that they
might bring us into bondage. They wanted Titus to be circumcised. He can't preach if he's not circumcised.
Paul said, to whom we gave place by subjection, no, not for an
hour, that the truth of the gospel might continue with you. Now,
Paul is saying, if I back off here, the truth of the gospel
won't continue. The introduction of leaven has
come in and it's going to leaven its way through the whole lump.
And that's why Paul dealt so sternly with this. And while
we're in Galatians, look in Galatians 5. I read this at the beginning
of the message, Galatians chapter 5, verse 9. Verse 7, you did run well. You were doing fine. You seemed
to believe the gospel. I was so encouraged with you.
Who did hinder you that you should not obey the truth? This persuasion,
this belief that you have, cometh not of him that calleth you.
A little leaven leavens the whole lump. Now, what's he talking
about here? Well, back up to verse one. Stand
fast, therefore, in the liberty, in the freedom wherewith Christ
hath made us free. and be not entangled again with
the yoke of bondage. Behold, I, Paul, say unto you
that if you be circumcised, you can forget Christ. Christ shall
profit you nothing. If you put one work in salvation,
you can forget Christ. For I testify again to every
man that circumcised that he is a debtor to do the whole law.
Christ is become of no effect unto you. Whosoever of you are
justified by the law, you have fallen from grace. For we through
the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. For
in Jesus Christ neither circumcision avails anything nor uncircumcision,
but faith which worketh by love. Now you did run well. Who did
hinder you that you should not obey the truth? Now if you make,
if I make salvation dependent upon works in any way, I make
the whole thing by works. A little leaven, just a little. leavens its way throughout the
whole month. Now let me try to illustrate
this. There is essentially no difference
between believing that salvation comes by obedience, by your own
personal obedience to the Ten Commandments, and believing that
God loves everybody, Christ died for everybody, wants to save
everybody, but it's up to an act of your free will as to whether
or not you'll be saved. In both instances, your salvation
is dependent upon what you do. No difference. You see, you put
any work anywhere in salvation, I don't care if it's at the beginning,
where your salvation is dependent upon something for you to do,
or it won't happen, or if it's in the middle, You've got to
keep yourself, or if it's in the end, where you've got to
do something that will give you a higher reward in heaven by
what you do. You put a work in there anywhere, you make the
whole thing by works. A little leaven, just a little,
it leavens the whole lump. Turn to 1 Corinthians 5. Verse six. Your glory. Is not good, and
that word glory is your boasting what you have confidence in,
it's the same word that Paul used when he said, God forbid
that I should glory saving the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. It's the same word where it's,
as it's written, he that gloryeth, let him glory in the Lord. Now,
he says your glory, your confidence, what you're resting in, what
you're boasting in, is not good. Then he says, know ye not that
a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Look back up in verse one. Let's
see why he said this. It is reported commonly that
there is fornication among you and such fornication as is not
so much as named among the Gentiles that one should have his father's
wife. So you see, it was a scandalous,
evil, unclean thing going on. And look what he says now in
verse two. He says, and you are puffed up. and had not rather
mourned that he that had done this deed might be taken away
from you. Now, here's what he rebukes him
about. He says, you're puffed up. You're you're you're proud. You don't think it's that big
a deal. You think you won't be infected by it. You think, well,
you know, everybody's human. I mean, he he was going in that
direction. What are we going to do about
it? You know, I mean, just just overlook it. Overlook it. That's
what that's talking about. Overlooking it. And that's why
he rebukes them. He says, your toleration of this
is going to have far-reaching consequences if you don't get
rid of it. Look what he says. He says, you'd
rather mourn that you that have done this deed might be taken
away from among you. And what's he talking about being
taken away? Well, in that passage of scripture, he talks about
getting rid of that person. Look down in verse 7. Well, he
says purge out that. He's talking about purging out
that. Well, let's go on reading. For I barely is absent in the body,
but present in the spirit. Verse three, have judged already
as though I were present concerning him that hath so done this deed
in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. When you're gathered
together and my spirit with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ
to deliver such a one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh,
that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.
Now, I have no idea what all that means. It's scary. You read something like that.
Paul had apostolic authority. Aren't you glad I don't have
power like that, where I could deliver you to Satan? Oh, my,
I bet nobody, I bet this place would empty out quick, you know,
and I understand that. But Paul had it. But he was talking
about delivering this one who was participating in this. For the destruction of the the
flesh. And here's what he's saying to these people. You don't fear
that this leaven is going to affect you. Now, what this is,
is toleration. Toleration. Now, I realize in
many ways we have to tolerate each other, don't we? We're to
forbear one another in love, the scripture says. Forbear one
another. Put up with one another. I'm going to hurt your feelings.
Forgive me. I'm going to do things that offend
you. Please forgive me. And you're going to do the same
thing. And by the grace of God, I'm going to forgive you and
I'm going to forget it. It's over it. There's a lot of toleration
that needs to go on with God's people putting up with one another.
I mean, people are so different, aren't they? And people have
to. Y'all have such weird ideas. It's a wonder I can I can put
up with any of you. You take that wrong with it, but. But toleration. is 11. There's toleration. If there's
some things, if I tolerate it, you know what I'm doing? I'm
approving of it. That's what I'm doing. And that's what he
is rebuking them about at this time. You're acting like this
is no big deal. Now, look what he says. No, you're
not. Verse 6. No, you're not. The little leaven leavens the
whole lump. Purge out, therefore, the old leaven, that you may
be a new lump, as you are unleavened. For even Christ, our Passover,
is sacrificed for us. Therefore, let us keep the feast,
not with the old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and
wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. Now, we're to get rid of the
old leaven of malice and wickedness and what was going on here. And
I love what he says when he says the unleavened bread is the unleavened
bread of sincerity. It's the opposite of hypocrisy. Sincerity. It's the opposite
of acting. Sincerity now. Our culprit turns
second Corinthians one. I think this will give us some
idea of what it means. Verse 12. For I rejoicing is
this. The testimony of our conscience. That in simplicity and godly
sincerity. Not with fleshly wisdom, but
by the grace of God, we have had our conversation in this
world and more abundantly to you in simplicity. It's not convoluted,
it's not hard to understand, it's not technical. Christ is
all. That's simple, isn't it? You're
complete in Him. Simplicity. and godly sincerity. The opposite of hypocrisy. Sincerity. I can begin right here. I sincerely believe I'm a sinner.
I'm not just using the language. I really believe. I'm sincere.
I need the Lord Jesus Christ. I need his mercy. Sincerely. Sincerely. I need your friendship. Sincerely. I need you. Sincerely. I mean, I could go
on. It's not Put on! It's real! Sincerity and truth. That's talking about truth objectively,
the truth of the gospel, and it's talking about truth subjectively,
a truthful person, an honest person, one who can be trusted. That's the unleavened bread of
sincerity and truth, as opposed to False doctrine as opposed
to hypocrisy, as opposed to salvation by works, as opposed to an unclean
spirit of toleration. Now, every day, you listen to
me real carefully. Every day we're called upon to
purge out the old leaven. There's not a day that goes by
when we're not called upon to do that. We've got plenty of
it, don't we? Purge out the old leaven. It's a lifelong process. You
wake up in the morning and start it over again. Same thing. That's all right.
That's the way the Lord does it. That's OK. But I'm called
upon to purge out the old leaven that I might be a new lump. And it's the new lump that believes
Christ our Passover, which is sacrificed for us. So this this
thing of leaven, It's not meaningless. I mean, you were to perjure out
all the leaven seven days. And if you had that leaven in
your home, your soul was cut off. Can you see the danger of
leaven with regard to you? Let's forget this church body. Let's just talk about you as
an individual. Can you see the danger of leaven where it can
begin to work in you? Imperceptible. And it's just
going to gradually work its way through the whole lump. Now,
here's my response to that. This is the only thing I know
what to say about this. This makes me cry out to the
Lord for mercy. Grace to keep me and to preserve
me and to teach me. Because I know that if that leaven
gets in me, it'll work its way through the whole batch of dough.
And so I ask the Lord, Lord, preserve me, deliver me from
being leavenized. I don't know what else to say. I hope that we will all pray
that the Lord will deliver us from this leaven as individuals
and as a church and for all the Lord's churches. Let's pray together. Lord, we ask in Christ's name
that you will enable us to purge out the leaven of false doctrine,
the leaven of hypocrisy, the leaven of salvation by works
and the leaven of toleration of sin. Lord, this is so infinitely above our
ability. Lord, we ask that you would do
this for us and enable us to purge out this leaven. Lord,
that can only be done through thy strength and through thy
grace. And Lord, we trust you to do
that. Lord, we ask for your mercy upon
this assembly. We pray that you would be pleased
to cause your gospel to continue to go out from this place. And
we pray that our children might be brought to a saving knowledge
of thy dear son. We pray that we might see many
sinners brought to a knowledge of thy dear son in this place.
Lord, save people for Christ's sake. Bless this message for
Christ's sake. In his name we pray. Amen.