Just before Exodus 13 are the 10 plagues - the frogs and locusts and Moses and Pharaoh going head to head - and after 430 years of captivity - God has set Israel free from bondage in Egypt.

Exodus 13:3 is part of a teaching by Moses that comes right this. The teaching concerns the Feast of Unleavened bread - which was to be observed every year by the nation of Israel. The Feast of Unleavened bread was an object lesson. The whole feast was symbolic. Through the sacrifices - the ritual - and the eating of unleavened bread - it was a way that parents would remind themselves and their children about how God had saved them from Egypt - and that they were to be a consecrated people - totally dedicated - completely devoted to God.

So Moses speaks to the people of Israel - Exodus 13:3: And Moses said to the people, “Remember this day, in which you came out from Egypt, out of the house of bondage, for by strength of hand the Lord brought you out from this place; no leavened bread shall be eaten.”

Underline this phrase: “no leavened bread shall be eaten.” In the Bible - leaven is often symbolic of sin. The point here is to remind ourselves of God’s salvation and the importance of living without sin in our lives.

The second verse I’d like to share is 1 Corinthians 5:6. The Apostle Paul writes: “Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough?” As we talk this morning - keep this phrase in your mind, “A little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough.” Say that with me, “A little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough.”

Now church - hear this: Sin - little sins - sins we compromise on - sins we think really don’t amount to much - little sins are the foundation for major spiritual disaster in our lives.

That’s what we’re seeing in America today - as our nation slides into disaster. That’s what’s undermining the Church in America today. And that’s what has sidelined so many believers who are living weak lives when they should be living lives of victory.

Little compromised sins that are undermining the foundations of our lives and leading us into spiritual disaster.

When Israel entered the promised land - God gave specific commands to His people to drive out the inhabitants and to destroy their idols and pagan places of worship - to 100% purify the land of sinful people and their sinful ways. Otherwise, God said, these people would cause great pain and trouble for Israel. (Numbers 33:51-56)

When Israel entered the promised land they didn’t completely obey God. At first they compromised just a little and didn’t completely drive off the people God had told them to drive off. Over time they intermarried with the people they should have driven off. Over time they adopted the pagan gods and worship.

The consequence of their seemingly little sin of compromise was spiritual and national disaster - the eventual desolation of the land - exile and slavery - the nation perished in foreign lands - away from the promises of God. “A little leaven - a little sin - leavens the whole lump of dough.”

The same is true of America today.

Today we are celebrating the 223rd Anniversary of the United States’ Declaration of Independence. This country was founded by those who were leaving the bondage of Europe - religious persecution - oppression. The United States was founded as a Christian nation that believed in the principle of religious freedom.

52 of 55 of the founding fathers were evangelical Christians. When the founding fathers wrote and quoted other sources - 94% of the time they were quoting from the Bible or based their quotes on the Bible. John Quincy Adams - our 6th President said, “The highest glory of the American Revolution was this, that it connected in one indissoluble bond the principles of civil government with the principles of Christianity.”

In 1892 - in a court case entitled, “The Church of the Holy Trinity vs. The United States.” The Supreme Court issued a ruling which was based on 87 precedents from United States history, quotes from the Founding Fathers, the Congressional Record, and previous Supreme Court rulings. This what they said, “Our laws and our institutions must necessarily be based upon and embody the teachings of the Redeemer of mankind. It is impossible that it should be otherwise, and in this sense and to this extent our civilization and our institutions are emphatically Christian.”

Can you imagine the Supreme Court saying that today? The reality is that while this country was founded as a Christian nation - it is now a post-Christian society. And we have to ask ourselves, how did this happen?

I want to share just one basic - crucial - example of how this has happened.

Today, 67% of the American people believe that the words, “separation of Church and State” appear in the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. The reality is that these words are not in the First Amendment. In fact, the First Amendment was written not to separate Church and State - but to protect the Church, and the press, and the people, from interference by the State.

President Thomas Jefferson was the one who coined the phrase “separation between Church and State” when he was writing to a group of Baptists - in an effort to reassure them that the government could not interfere in their beliefs and practice as a Church.

William James - who lived in the late 1800’s - and was a well respected psychologist and a strong advocate of the “separation” doctrine once said this, “There is nothing so absurd but if you repeat it often enough people will believe it.”

The doctrine of the separation of Church and State is absurd - but its been repeated so often and for so long that people actually believe it as fact. Historical revisionists and those in opposition to God have been working slowly - almost unnoticeably at first - but steadily - without ceasing to remove God and His Gospel and His people from American society.

Today, the phrase, “separation of Church and State” - and the purposeful misinterpretation of the First Amendment - has come to mean that the state is to be protected from the church. Its the rallying cry of those who have worked to remove prayer from our schools - removed Bible reading from our schools - the 10 Commandments from our schools - even poetry that might cause a student to think about God.

And even thought it can be statistically shown that there is a direct correlation between the violence, immorality, illiteracy, and general lack of education in our schools and the removal of God from our classrooms and society - today our society refuses to even consider a return to the God of the Bible.

A little leaven - a little sin - leavens the whole lump of dough. And America is on the path to destruction.

Practically - as it is with nations so it is with our lives as individuals. We should look critically at our own lives and think about this truth: “a little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough.”

In the 1968 Olympics - down in Mexico City - Stephen Akhwari ran for Tanzania in the Marathon. During the race he injured his right leg and fell way behind the rest of the runners. When he finally made it to the finish line - inside the stadium - his leg was bandaged in two places and he was in pain with every step he took. Even though the race had finished over an hour before the several thousand spectators that had stayed roared and clapped as Akhwari limped and stumbled across the finish line.

Later Akhwari was asked, “Why did you do this? You were in such pain, and you couldn’t win.”

Akhwari said, “My country did not send me 5,000 miles to start the race. They sent me 5,000 miles to finish it.”

God does not save us so that we can start the race - start living a Christian life - and be confident in our salvation - and then do whatever we feel like doing - compromising on when and how we will obey God. God saves us to live in 100% sacrifice and obedience to Him - to keep running 100% committed to the goal of reaching the finish line.

The little sins - the one’s we don’t think are that important - are the foundation for spiritual disaster. Over time they undermine our lives and our commitment to God - rather than living finishing victoriously we may never finish at all.

What little sins are there in our lives? Where do we compromise? Where are we not completely consecrated to God? Where do we say, “So, what’s the big deal?” And go right on sinning?

The good news is that its never too late to turn from sin.

After Solomon completed the Temple in Jerusalem the Lord appeared to Him at night. Listen to what God said to Solomon - 2 Chronicles 7:14,15 - this promise of God: “If My people who are called by My name humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

God says, come to Me in humility. That’s without compromise - without holding anything back - fully aware and honest about our sin.

The Apostle Paul was on the road to Damascus - running after Christians to persecute them and drag them into prison - on the road he encountered Jesus. Paul realized his sin - in humility he freely admitted that he was living in disobedience to God - and He turned his life 180 degrees around - left his former life and began to serve the Lord and the church that he had been persecuting. That’s a dramatic change of life direction - its no compromise - nothing held back.

When we come to salvation in Jesus Christ - we need to change. We don’t just turn 45 degrees or 90 degrees - that’s tolerating leaven in our lives. If we want to live for Jesus - with His power and His victory in our lives - we need to turn 180 degrees.

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Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright© 1960,1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation.  Used by permission.