Coming out of Egypt America

Last Day of Unleavened Bread

(Sermon Notes) By Warren Zehrung 4/22/2022

Today represents the miraculous opening of the Red Sea and the Israelites’ escape from Egyptian slavery into freedom that took place on the Last Day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. 

Israel’s plight was so grievous that ‘Egypt’ has become a synonym for sin.  Come out of sin, is synonymous with come out of Egypt.

On this annual Holy Sabbath, there was great rejoicing in celebration of their complete delivery from bondage in Egypt.  Today is the 21st day of the first month – The Last Day of Unleavened Bread. 

That great rejoicing in celebration of their complete delivery from bondage was very short-lived. [“- livd”]  British pronunciation.  Soon, Israel murmured.  Notice the timing God dives us:

Exodus 16:1 …On the fifteenth day of the second month after their departing out of the land of Egypt. 

Exodus 16:2  And the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness: 

In fact, they were murmuring against the LORD who had just delivered them out of Egypt!   Today, this day, pictures that deliverance!

Only 24 days after their deliverance from Egyptian bondage —they were wishing that they were back in Egypt!  Since today is the 21st day of the first month—that leaves only 9 days in this first month.  That means that only 24 days (9+15) after their deliverance from Egyptian bondage — they were wishing that they were back in Egypt!

“We had it so good in Egypt,” they cried!  Just that fast they forgot the great miracles God worked in order to deliver them:  The slaying of all the first-born of Egypt.  The miraculous parting of the Red Sea.

“We had it so good in Egypt,” they cried!  We say we have it so good in America, but as a nation, we too have forgotten our God who brought us here.  We will see in just a moment that all of Israel was crying out to God to be delivered from Egypt!

Egypt had been to them a land of great distress… Israel was in slavery and bondage there for hundreds of years.  The children of Israel said unto Moses and Aaron, continuing in:

Exodus 16:3  And the children of Israel said unto them, Would to God we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots, and when we did eat bread to the full;

Brethren, that was a lot of hype!  Let’s turn back to Exodus 2 and see the reality of the matter.  Flesh pots and bread to the full?  Is that the way it was back in Egypt?

Brethren, that is not the way that it was in Egypt—that is revisionist history — that was wishful thinking.  We will see in just a moment that all Israel was crying out to God to be delivered from Egypt!  God knew what His people were enduring.

Exodus 2:23  And it came to pass in process of time, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel [moaned and] sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried [out], [a petition to Almighty God] and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage.  [they were in distress and anguish]  

Exodus 3:7  And the LORD said [unto Moses], I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt, and [I] have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for [God says,] I know their sorrows; 

Brethren, for those of us in God’s Church – this last Day of Unleavened Bread – pictures so much more!  We know now that Jesus Christ is the Unleavened Bread of sincerity and truth. 

1Corinthians 5:8  Therefore let us keep the Feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. 

Jesus Christ is the one who has delivered each of us from the sinful leaven of malice and wickedness.  This Last Day of Unleavened Bread pictures Jesus Christ as our deliverer — that is what “Savior” means — deliverer.

Just as God saved the Israelites from Egyptian slavery and anguish – leading them through the Red Sea – God through the Power of His Holy Spirit saves and delivers us – His People, today, from Slavery to Sin and the difficult problems we face – even the supposedly insurmountable obstacles that we think stand in the way of our Christian lives.

We are delivered and saved by Jesus Christ.

The seven days of the Feast of Unleavened Bread picture the putting away of sin from our lives, and our obedience to God’s Law.

This Feast of Unleavened Bread pictures for God’s people, the life and work of the resurrected Jesus Christ, who ascended to the throne of God, where He is now actively working on our behalf as our High Priest, helping us put the leaven of sin out of our lives.

Understanding this vital aspect of the Feast is crucial to our developing the character of God and being born into His Family at Jesus’ Second Coming.  Notice the meaning of TODAY – Our LORD continues:

Exodus 3:8  And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey — the Promised Land.

This Last Day of Unleavened Bread pictures Jesus Christ as our deliverer — that is what “Savior” means — deliverer. 

We are delivered and saved by Jesus Christ. 

Brethren, those are prophetic verses in Exodus 3:7 & 8, picturing how Jesus Christ also hears today when his people cry out to Him.  My personal prediction is that America will not be saved – just as Egypt was not delivered.  Notice the end-time prophecy that America and Britain will forget their God and become sinful nations – returning to Egypt – as prophecy has it:

Hosea 9:3  They shall not dwell in the LORD’S land; but Ephraim shall return to Egypt, and they shall eat unclean things in Assyria. 

**America and Britain are fast becoming totally God-less nations, just like Egypt at the time of the Exodus.  In Egypt, the citizens were miserable and without recourse to law.  When the Israelites came short of King Pharaoh’s quota of bricks with straw, – they were beaten!  There is an analogy here: 

Today’s leaders, without rhyme or reason, use other means to abuse the people – like inflicting an inflation so high that the people cannot afford gas to get to work, or food to put on the table.  God tells why in Proverbs 29:

Proverbs 29:2  When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked bear rule, the people mourn. 

Christ foretold that our modern society of this end-time generation would be much like the days of the Flood, and Sodom.

Genesis 6:5  And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 

Luke 17:26  And as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. [That is when Jesus will return in great power.]

Luke 17:27  They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. 

Luke 17:28  Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; 

Luke 17:29  But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. 

Luke 17:30  Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed. 

Genesis 9:11  And I will establish my covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there anymore be a flood to destroy the earth. 

America and Britain are fast becoming totally God-less, just like Egypt at the time of the Exodus.  It sounds to me, since God says that He is not going to send another flood, that fire and brimstone from heaven, will destroyed them all.  That is the same way it was for Israel under King Pharaoh. 

The Israelites were commanded to produce their quota of bricks even though Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, withheld the straw required in brick-making.  (Read all of Exodus 5).  Without straw, when the Israelites came short of King Pharaoh’s quota of bricks – they were beaten! 

Do we realize the very imminent danger we are in today?  Our nations of America and Britain are willingly returning to “Egypt” from whence we were once delivered.  Those Israelites, delivered from Egypt and King Pharaoh on this Last Day of Unleavened Bread, are very likely our ancestors.  Let’s admit that we have many of the same proclivities, tendencies, inclinations, as the Israelites of old, had.  They rejected God and His rulership over them. 

We are tempted just as our forefathers were tempted!  Israel wanted to go back into Egypt—not accepting the LORD’s deliverance.  America and Britain are fast becoming just like Egypt — totally God-less.  We have lost the rule of law and our hard-found freedoms:

The Department of Justice, and our Attorney General have sold their souls.

The FBI – Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the IRS, the Internal Revenue Service have sold their souls. 

All U.S. Government Agencies and Bureaus have sold their souls. 

The President of the United States and his administration have little use for the Constitution.  Yes, it is really bad now, and it is only going to get much worse.  Jesus prophesied it and encouraged us to “hang in there.” 

Brethren, we live in a dangerous time and place.  I’m not speaking about shootings, burnings and criminals on the street because the Justice Department wants to open the jails and put convicted felons, murders and drug-runners on our streets.

We live in a dangerous place because spiritually and morally, our country has become an immoral quagmire—not a fit place to raise our children in a Godly manner.

Brethren, if you have not done so already, it is time to cry out to God for deliverance!  In His mercy and compassion, God hears and answers our cries unto Him.

Psalm 18:6  In my distress I called upon the LORD, and I cried unto my God: He heard my voice out of His temple, and my cry came before Him, even into His ears.

God knows that to overcome sin and obey Him we need His Spiritual help – therefore – He wants us to know that He is there for us in times of need.

But, Jesus warns the Church that America’s lawlessness can lead to our undoing.  Speaking of Godly love, Jesus said:

Matthew 24:12  And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. 

It is only the Church brethren who have Godly love – so, this is a warning to us.  The agape, Godly love of many shall wax cold.  The breakdown of law and order can cause good Christians to fall away!

Does iniquity abound in America as it did in ancient Egypt?  Let’s consider America’s state of affairs:

  • America does not know God’s Sabbath, and bows to every strange god;
  • The God-ordained family is under attack and greatly disregarded;
  • Parental rights have been supplanted by a Socialist/Marxist agenda;
  • Children are taught lies and chemically castrated without parental consent;
  • Godly Marriage between a man and a woman, between a male and a female, is held in contempt and derision;
  • Same sex marriages, and perversions of Biblical proportion are celebrated;
  • Washington DC, our seat of government, is rotten to the core, bought and paid for with insider-trading, corruption, non-accountability, and thievery – lining their own pockets;

Our government leaders are not our moral leaders:  It is almost like Peter was reading today’s newspapers and watching the evening news:

  • 2Peter 2:19  While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.
  • Governmental leaders steal millions and millions of dollars, while street gangs mimic them in their smash-and-grab larceny; A wave of “smash-and-grab” crimes is plaguing upscale stores in major US cities, with mobs of thieves making off with expensive goods, jewelry, in brazen raids. [While local officials look the other way.]
  • Our boarder is in disrepair, and unsavory strangers are welcomed, weakening the nation;
  • Law enforcement is defunded, encouraging the moral breakdown of America;
  • Government sponsored abortion robs our nation of its birthright heritage;
  • The expectation of Law and Justice is being lost.

Just like Egypt, America has become synonymous with SIN.  God warns us that living in an immoral society will bring about a toxic result.

1Corinthians 15:33   Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good morals.” 

America is not a safe place to live anymore because it corrupts good morals.  Today’s America is not the nation I grew up in – not at all.  It has become unrecognizable!

Nehemiah 9:34  Neither have our kings, our princes, our priests, nor our fathers, kept thy law, nor hearkened unto thy commandments and thy testimonies, wherewith thou didst testify against them.

It is the same for us:  Our leaders are not keeping God’s Law – not a one of them even knows that today is the Last Day of Unleavened Bread.

Nehemiah 9:35  For they have not served thee in their kingdom, and in thy great goodness that thou gave them, and in the large and fat land which thou gave before them, neither turned they from their wicked works.  [it is the same today – our nation will not turn from its wicked works.]

Nehemiah 9:36  Behold, we are servants this day, and for the land that thou gave unto our fathers to eat the fruit thereof and the good thereof, behold, we are servants in it:

After the captivity, the land of Israel continued to produce much fruit.

Nehemiah 9:37  And it yielded much increase unto the kings whom thou hast set over us because of our sins: also they have dominion over our bodies, and over our cattle, at their pleasure, and we are in great distress.

There is an example in Judges of Israel not looking to the True God:

Judges 10:14  Go and cry unto the gods which you have chosen; let them [the false gods] deliver you in the time of your tribulation.

Will Wall Street save America?  Will Hollywood set us free?  Will Congress. The Supreme Court, or the President save America?  God says, “Try to make it without the Ten Commandments in your schools and courts.”  “Let’s see how that will work out for you!” 

Our Country today has rejected God, His laws and His counsel.  God says:

Proverbs 1:25  But ye have set at naught all My counsel, and would none of my reproof:

Proverbs 1:26  I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh;

Proverbs 1:32  For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them.

It is not too late; we can still cry out to God and be heard at this time.

Proverbs 1:33  But whoso hearkens unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.

You and I know that there are many in the heartland of America who have not bowed their knee to Baal.  So God continues to give our nation more time to repent.  Ask yourself whether or not America is a Godly nation? 

2Corinthians 6:17  Wherefore come out from among [this corrupt people], and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, 

2Corinthians 6:18  And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. 

Brethren, make no mistake about it, corruption is all around us, infecting us through familiarity, culture, entertainment and education.  Our children are being taught lies, corruption, critical race theory—that denies that it is God who has blessed this nation richly.

God’s people are at risk of being drawn back into that “Egypt” from which they were once delivered.  In this present distress we must cry out to God as our forefathers once did.  God will hear us!

Exodus 3:7 [again]  The LORD said, I have assuredly seen the suffering of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their oppressors; for I know their pain and suffering.

We must be crying out to God for deliverance.  We are living in a corrupt world which will only become more corrupt.  We are to model our lives after Jesus Christ.

Hosea 9:9 They have sunk deep into corruption, as in the days of Gibeah. God will remember their wickedness and punish them for their sins.

America and Great Britain have forsaken the LORD

Isaiah 1:4 Woe to the sinful nation, a people whose guilt is great, a brood of evildoers, children given to corruption! They have forsaken the LORD; they have spurned the Holy One of Israel and turned their backs on him.

2Timothy 3:1  This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. 

Brethren, if we are not there yet, we are getting there fast.  I would have never believed that our nation would have fallen so low – so fast!

2Timothy 3:2  For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 

2Timothy 3:3  Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, 

2Timothy 3:4  Traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; 

2Timothy 3:5  Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. 

James, the brother of Jesus, prophesied of our day.

Friendship with the most recent lowly American culture and entertainment business is spiritual adultery.

James 4:4  Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. 

Let’s look at the warning Peter gave us for our day:

2Peter 2:20  For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. 

2Peter 2:21  For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. 

Brethren, America has gone off the deep end!  Never think for a moment that we are missing out on anything in the world:

Proverbs 4:23  Above everything else guard your heart, because from it flow the springs of life.

A stern warning is given by Peter to the Church brethren:

2Peter 2:2  Many will follow their evil teaching and shameful immorality.  And because of these teachers, the way of truth will be slandered.

Brethren, we get to thinking that we are safe because we are in the Church.

And yet, we are warned to be extremely careful and vigilant about this evil world.  There is a very bad attitude—an evil spirit—that is sweeping across our nation.  Paul tells us that the spirit of anti-christ is so very subtle:

2Corinthians 11:3  But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so [in the same way] your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. 

2Corinthians 11:4  For if he that cometh preaches another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel.

Brethren, do not wink at the corruption that corrupts Washington DC and our entire nation.

Proverbs 29:4 A just ruler gives stability to his nation, but one who demands bribes [from the Ukrainians, Russians and Chinese], destroys it.

Let’s look at this day in history – this Last Day of Unleavened Bread – and we will see that our forefathers never wanted to leave Egypt in the first place!

Exodus 14:11  And they said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt? 

Exodus 14:12  Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness.

Brethren, do we realize the very potential danger we are in?  We inherently have the proclivity — the wish to hold on to the ways of this world.  We have to be cognizant of that tendency to be drawn back into the world.  This world pulls on us.

The theme of this last Day of Unleavened Bread is this:  “See the salvation of the LORD. ‘

Exodus 14:13  And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you today: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen today, ye shall see them again no more forever. 

Exodus 14:14  The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace. 

Do not take on the world – you will lose.

Exodus 14:31  And Israel saw that great work which the LORD did upon the Egyptians: and the people feared [and revered] the LORD, and believed the LORD, and his servant Moses. 

The people did not fear the LORD for very long.  In fact, their sins caused all the adult Israelites to die in the wilderness – without ever reaching the Promised Land.  In the same way that it was humanly impossible for the Israelites to escape from Pharaoh, so it is humanly impossible for Christians to overcome Satan’s influence.  But with God, all things are possible (Matthew 19:26).  We must ask.

Psalm 102:1  A Prayer of the afflicted, when he is overwhelmed, and pours out his complaint before the LORD. Hear my prayer, O LORD, and let my cry come unto thee.

Just as God made it possible for Israel to escape from Pharaoh’s army through His miraculous power, God, through His Holy Spirit, makes His children’s spiritual obedience, overcoming and growth possible.  But that is getting ahead of the story of Pentecost and the sending of God’s Holy Spirit.

In closing, let me pose the questions:

What greater necessity is there than that we be delivered from the bondage of sin?

What greater necessity is there than that we come completely out of sin?  Let’s close with:

Psalm 57:2  I will cry unto God most high; unto God that performs all things for me.

 

End:  Coming out of Egypt  America