Sukkot: The Feast of Tabernacles & Living Water

Sukkot: The Feast of Tabernacles and Living Water

 

Introduction

This year we’ve been looking at the three Pilgrimage Feasts that God commanded to be celebrated every year by the people of Israel – Passover, Pentecost, and the Feast of Tabernacles.

For the sake of time, we are not going to spend a lot of time recapping the first two Feasts – Passover and Pentecost (sometimes called the Feast of Weeks). You can go back in the recordings on the web page or Facebook or YouTube and look at those again. We even have a Podcast now!

What I WILL say is that we saw that Passover had three components. First, what it meant historically (what God wanted them to remember during the feast). Second, it had what it meant in the “Now” (what difference did it make in the life of the people of God). Third, it had the “Not Yet” component (what is still left that will happen in the future).

Pentecost, sometimes called the Feast of Weeks, has three components – the Historical, the “Now,” and the “Not Yet.”

These first two Pilgrimage feasts that God ordained (hundreds of years earlier) to be celebrated for all time – became the two biggest days in the life of the Church.

It only makes sense that the third Pilgrimage Feast would be the next great day in the life of the church. And if the pattern continues there will be three components to the Feast of Tabernacles – The Historical component, the “Now” component, and the “Not Yet” component.

So, the more we know about the historical component of the Feast of Tabernacles, and how and why the Jews celebrate this third feast, the more likely we will be able to recognize the third great day in the life of the church when it occurs.

 

The Historical Component of the Feast of Tabernacles

 

The Feast of Tabernacles is sometimes called the Feast of Ingathering. Observant Jews call it Sukkot which means huts, or shelters, or tabernacles. As we talk about it today, we’ll use the term Feast of Tabernacles. It is the third in a series of Pilgrimage feasts that were designed to help people remember what God had done.

 

The Feast of Tabernacles is a time to remember God’s protection and provision during Israel’s 40 years of wandering in the desert between Mt. Sinai and the Promised Land. It is also a celebration of the final harvest of the agricultural year.

 

The Feast of Tabernacles is celebrated for eight days. Traditionally, Jewish families make shelters (or huts) and spend as much time as possible living in these shelters during the feast. They party, celebrate family, read torah, and remember. It’s a feast – so there’s eating, drinking, spending time with family, and remembering the provision and protection of God. This is the historical component of the Feast of Tabernacles. This is what they were supposed to remember.

 

Passover and Pentecost correlate to the two greatest days in the life of the church. But this third Feast, the Feast of Tabernacles, hasn’t yet had a corelating event in the life of the church. So, we’re going to have to make some educated guesses about the “Not Yet” part of the Feast of Tabernacles.

 

Since the Feast of Tabernacles is celebrated after the final harvest of the year, the “Not Yet” component will be celebrated after the final harvest of souls. Since it was celebrated after Israel entered the Promised Land, we will celebrate it after the Day of Judgement when we have entered into the Promised New Heaven and New Earth. And since it is a celebration of God’s Protection and Provision during Israel’s wandering in the desert, it will be the greatest feast in the life of the church celebrating God’s protection and provision during our earthly lives. Some would say that this is the prophesied “Marriage Supper of the Lamb” found in Revelation 19:6-9.

 

It hasn’t happened yet, but I think the typology and parallels are so aligned that this is clearly the “Not Yet” component of the Feast of Tabernacles.

 

The third great day in the life of the church will be after the final harvest of souls, and after the Day of Judgment, when we enter the Promised New Heaven and New Earth (The Kingdom of God). It will be the greatest celebration in the life of the church.

 

So, we know the Historical component of the Feast of Tabernacles. And we’re pretty sure we know the “Not Yet” component of The Feast of Tabernacles. But what about the “Now” component? Passover had all three: the historical, “Now,” and “Not Yet.” Pentecost had the historical, “Now,” and “Not Yet.” The Feast of Tabernacles should have an historical, a “Now,” and a “Not Yet.”

 

As we look at scripture, we see how and when The Feast of Tabernacles was celebrated, and a theme appears that highlights the “Now” portion of The Feast of Tabernacles.

 

Where does Scripture talk about the Feast of Tabernacles?

 

There are four places where we see God’s command to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles and they all say pretty much the same thing (Exodus 23:14-17; Exodus 34:18-24; Deuteronomy 16:13-17; Leviticus 23:39-43). Let’s look at Leviticus 23.

 

Leviticus 23:39-43

“On the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the produce of the land, you shall celebrate the feast of the LORD seven days. On the first day shall be a solemn rest, and on the eighth day shall be a solemn rest. And you shall take on the first day the fruit of splendid trees, branches of palm trees and boughs of leafy trees and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before the LORD your God seven days. You shall celebrate it as a feast to the LORD for seven days in the year. It is a statute forever throughout your generations; you shall celebrate it in the seventh month. You shall dwell in booths for seven days. All native Israelites shall dwell in booths, that your generations may know that I made the people of Israel dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.”

 

But there are other places in Scripture that also talk about the Feast of Tabernacles that are kind of interesting.

 

Let’s look at when Solomon built the first temple. You can find the story in 1 Kings 8 and 2 Chronicles 5-7.

 

These Scriptural accounts talk about how King Solomon finished building the Temple (the first Temple) and how he placed inside the Temple all of the furnishings that David had prepared in advance for Temple worship. We see all the families of Israel gathering in the seventh month and the priests bringing the Ark of the Covenant into the Temple. Then Solomon prays a prayer of dedication.
 
As soon as Solomon finished his prayer [of dedication], fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the LORD filled the temple. And the priests could not enter the house of the LORD, because the glory of the LORD filled the LORD’s house.” (2 Chronicles 7:1-2)

 

Then Solomon sacrifices thousands of oxen and sheep to God. The musicians sing songs of worship accompanied by all kinds of instruments. There were so many sacrifices that they had to consecrate a large part of the middle court of the Temple because the normal altar was too small to contain them.

 

2 Chronicles 7:8-10

At that time Solomon held the feast for seven days, and all Israel with him, a very great assembly, from Lebo-hamath to the Brook of Egypt [from the North to the South.] And on the eighth day they held a solemn assembly, for they had kept the dedication of the altar seven days and the feast [of Tabernacles] seven days. On the twenty-third day of the seventh month he sent the people away to their homes, joyful and glad of heart for the prosperity that the LORD had granted to David and to Solomon and to Israel his people.

 

In this story we see that Solomon built the temple, and inside it he placed the Ark of the Covenant and all the utensils for worship. Then the Glory of the Presence of the Lord filled the temple and was so intense that the priests physically could not enter the temple. They spent seven days celebrating and dedicating the altar to God, and then spent another eight days celebrating the Feast of Tabernacles.

 

They dedicate the altar, the Spirit of God shows up, and then they celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles.

 

Fast forward to after the Kingdom is divided – North and South; the northern ten tribes of Israel are sent into exile by Assyria and about 125 years later the southern two tribes of Judah are sent into exile by Babylon. Near the end of the 70-year exile to Babylon we see that the Israelites were given permission to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the altar of the Lord that had been destroyed. They begin offering sacrifices to God again.

 

Ezra 3:1-6 –

When the seventh month came, … they built the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings on it, as it is written in the Law of Moses the man of God. They set the altar in its place, for fear was on them because of the peoples of the lands, and they offered burnt offerings on it to the LORD, burnt offerings morning and evening. And they kept the Feast of Booths, as it is written, and offered the daily burnt offerings by number according to the rule, as each day required, … From the first day of the seventh month they began to offer burnt offerings to the LORD. But the foundation of the temple of the LORD was not yet laid.

 

So, this was after the altar had been rebuilt, but before the Temple was rebuilt. At the end of exile, once they restored the worship of God, they immediately celebrated the Feast of Tabernacles. In Nehemiah we see that after they rebuilt the Temple the same thing happens.

 

Nehemiah 8:13-18 –

On the second day the heads of fathers’ houses of all the people, with the priests and the Levites, came together to Ezra the scribe in order to study the words of the Law. And they found it written in the Law that the LORD had commanded by Moses that the people of Israel should dwell in booths during the feast of the seventh month, and that they should proclaim it and publish it in all their towns and in Jerusalem, “Go out to the hills and bring branches of olive, wild olive, myrtle, palm, and other leafy trees to make booths, as it is written.” So the people went out and brought them and made booths for themselves, each on his roof, and in their courts and in the courts of the house of God, and in the square at the Water Gate and in the square at the Gate of Ephraim. And all the assembly of those who had returned from the captivity made booths and lived in the booths, for from the days of Jeshua the son of Nun to that day the people of Israel had not done so. And there was very great rejoicing. 18 And day by day, from the first day to the last day, he read from the Book of the Law of God. They kept the feast seven days, and on the eighth day there was a solemn assembly, according to the rule.

 

Can you see the pattern? Solomon builds and dedicates the Temple, the Presence of God fills the Temple, and they celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. In Ezra we see that as the exile is ending, they rebuild the altar, reestablish the worship of God, and they celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. After the Temple was rebuilt, the people of God gather for the celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles.

 

In all three instances, after the place of worship is built, true worship is reestablished, and the celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles is observed.

 

In John 7, Jesus extends and enhances this pattern during the Feast of Tabernacles.

 

What Did Jesus Mean?

 

John 7:37-39

On the last day of the feast, the great day (the eighth day), Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

 

On its face this statement by Jesus seems weird. They’ve been partying for seven days. It is now the eighth day of eating and drinking and Jesus says, “Hey, if anyone is thirsty, come and drink this living water.” Who’s thirsty after seven days of partying?

 

Now John knows that Jesus’ invitation didn’t make sense – not because it was wrong, but because Jesus had packed a lot of information into one question. Jesus had just connected several dots that would only make sense after his death, and after Pentecost. So, later as John was writing his gospel account, he added this parenthetical statement in verse 39: “Now this [Jesus] said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given.”

 

So, if Jesus was talking about the Spirit of God (like John says) what happened when the Spirit was finally given to the church?

 

What do we know about the Spirit of God?

 

We know that buildings cannot contain the Presence of God (like Solomon said back in 2 Chronicles 2:5-6), but there was a sense that the physical Presence of God hovered over the Ark of the Covenant when it was inside the Tabernacle, and again when it was inside the Holy of Holies in the Temple.

 

But in the NT, Paul and Peter declare (at least five times) that the people of God have become the temple of God (1 Corinthians 3:16-17; 6:19-20; 2 Corinthians 6:14-18; Ephesians 2:19-22; 1 Peter 2:4-5). They become temples of God in Acts 2 where we see tongues of fire and the sound of a rushing wind representing the Presence of God come to rest on his people.

 

Before we go further, we need to understand that in the Jewish mind, the words temple and tabernacle were almost interchangeable. Before the temple was built, the tabernacle was the place where the Spirit of God resided. When the temple was built, the tabernacle was moved into the temple and the temple was the place where the Spirit of God resided. Because the words temple and tabernacle were interchangeable, we’re going to proceed with the understanding that, after Pentecost, Paul and Peter understood the people of God to be the tabernacle of God – the place where the Spirit of God resided.

 

But what does the Presence of the Spirit of God have to do with Living Water, and the Feast of Tabernacles?

 

I think the whole book of Ezekiel explains it. Ezekiel has a series of prophetic visions about the Glory of the Presence of the Spirit of God leaving the temple – really leaving the entire city of Jerusalem. And then, after returning, a new vision declares what happens when the Spirit of God returns. We don’t have time to read the entire book of Ezekiel this morning, but I would encourage you to take time and read through it on your own. But for today, let me condense it.

 

In the first eight chapters of Ezekiel we read about several unique moments where Ezekiel encounters the “likeness of the Glory of the Lord” and “the Spirit enters into” him.

 

In chapters 9 and 10, Ezekiel sees the physical “Glory of the God of Israel” move from its place above the Ark of the Covenant inside the Holy of Holies to the doorway of the Temple.

 

In chapter 11 Ezekiel “sees the Glory of the God of Israel” move from the threshold of the temple. It then leaves the city and rests on the mountain that is east of Jerusalem – the Mount of Olives. In Ezekiel’s vision the Glory of the Spirit of God left, not only the temple but, the entire city of Jerusalem.

 

In the following chapters, Ezekiel hears God pronounce several prophecies of judgment and destruction. He hears God declare the destruction of Judah, Jerusalem, and its leaders as well as Israel’s enemies and the destruction of the Temple itself.

 

Then there’s a pivot point, where God says in Ezekiel 36:27: “I will put my Spirit within you, [kind of sounds like Acts 2] and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.” And God promises to restore Israel and that he will, “Pour out [His] Spirit upon the house of Israel” (Ezekiel 39:29).

 

Finally, God shows Ezekiel that his Spirit will return to the Temple in Ezekiel 43.

 

And after giving further instructions for the operation of the Temple, in chapter 45, God commands a celebration of the Passover, but he also promises a Prince who will provide a sacrifice for the people of God during Passover. And God promises that this Prince will also make provision for the celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles. I wonder who that Prince might be? Then we see what happens now that the Presence of the Lord has returned to the Temple.

 

Ezekiel 47:1–12

Then he brought me back to the door of the temple, and behold, water was issuing from below the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east). The water was flowing down from below the south end of the threshold of the temple, south of the altar. Then he brought me out by way of the north gate and led me around on the outside to the outer gate that faces toward the east; and behold, the water was trickling out on the south side.

Going on eastward with a measuring line in his hand, the man measured a thousand cubits, and then led me through the water, and it was ankle-deep. Again he measured a thousand, and led me through the water, and it was knee-deep. Again he measured a thousand, and led me through the water, and it was waist-deep. Again he measured a thousand, and it was a river that I could not pass through, for the water had risen. It was deep enough to swim in, a river that could not be passed through. And he said to me, “Son of man, have you seen this?”

Then he led me back to the bank of the river. As I went back, I saw on the bank of the river very many trees on the one side and on the other. And he said to me, “This water flows toward the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah [a desert wasteland], and enters the [Dead] sea; when the water flows into the sea, the water will become fresh. And wherever the river goes, every living creature that swarms will live, and there will be very many fish. For this water goes there, that the waters of the sea may become fresh; so everything will live where the river goes. Fishermen will stand beside the sea. From Engedi to Eneglaim [the western shore of the Dead Sea] it will be a place for the spreading of nets. Its fish will be of very many kinds, like the fish of the Great Sea [the Mediterranean]. But its swamps and marshes will not become fresh; they are to be left for salt. And on the banks, on both sides of the river, there will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither, nor their fruit fail, but they will bear fresh fruit every month, because the water for them flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for healing.”

 

Where have we heard this language before? About a river of life flowing and the trees on its banks producing fruit year-round?

 

This same river of Living Water is talked about in Revelation 22:1-2:

Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

 

Over and over in Scripture we see that the Presence of the Spirit of God is associated with living water (Isaiah 43:16-21; Zechariah 14; and Revelation 22).

 

Story Problem: Living Water and the Tree of Life

Now, for years I had a faulty story running around in my head about Living Water, and also about the Tree of Life that we find in the Garden in Eden.

I used to think that the Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil were infused with some kind of “magical power.” One bite from the poisonous apple and you are doomed. I used to believe, one bite from the Tree of Life and you will become immortal. I used to think that the springs of Living Water are flowing from Jesus in order to give us eternal life.

We get these images from fables like Snow White, and Ponce de León’s Fountain of Youth, and from misreading scripture.

Death was decreed in the Garden, not because the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil contained fatal magic, but because Adam and Eve disobeyed God. Instead, they obeyed a created being – someone they were designed and commissioned to have dominion over.

The Tree of Life did not contain a “one-and-done” gift of eternal life. Just like any other fruit tree, as long as it bears fruit, and as long as you keep eating the fruit, you get the benefits of the taste and enjoyment of the fruit. When mankind was expelled from the Garden, we lost access to the Tree of Life, and could no longer enjoy the benefits of its fruit – which is Life.

This concept is what Jesus was talking about in John 15:4-6 when he said,
“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.”
 
If you are not connected to Christ you will shrivel up and die, because he is life.

 

And the rivers of Living Water that Jesus was talking about in John 7 are not just flowing from Jesus for our benefit – they are flowing from Jesus, THROUGH US, for the benefit of the world around us!

 

Every farmer or explorer knows that where there is a spring of water there will be life, and growth, and fruitfulness. If you are ever in a plane sit by a window seat and look for the clumps or row of trees on the ground beneath you. You know that everywhere you see that kind of growth, there is a source of living water.

 

The same is true of every child of God in whom dwells the Presence of the Spirit of God. Your very presence should bring life and fruitfulness to everyone you meet, every place you go, and every situation you encounter. Living Water will always flow from the Presence of the Holy Spirit.

 

This is the “Now” component of the Feast of Tabernacles.

This is the “Now” component of the Feast of Tabernacles. The people of God have become the new “tabernacles” of God. The Spirit of God lives inside us. And streams of Living Water flow from these new tabernacles.

As we celebrate God’s Protection and Provision over the Israelites during their 40-year wandering – as we celebrate God providing for and protecting us in our day-to-day life – we need to acknowledge the natural outworking of the Presence of the Spirit of God in our lives.

We are the portable tabernacles of the Presence of God. We are designed to have springs of Living Water flowing from our lives to the world around us. And you say, “Curt, what does that look like?

Where in your life do you see chaos? What situations do you see that are dry, and barren, and dying? Is there any darkness in your life or in the lives of the people around you? What can you do, through the power of the Holy Spirit, to bring order to the chaos? What can you do to bring nourishment, and fruitfulness, and life? Where can you shine the light of God’s love for his creation? That’s what Living Water looks like!
 

Scripture tells us that, “everything will live where this river goes. … On the banks, on both sides of the river, there will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither, and their fruit will not fail. They will continually bear fresh fruit because the water for them flows from these tabernacles. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for healing.”

That is what Jesus was excited about in John 7. These new tabernacles of God – his Post-Pentecost people – would become sources of Living Water. During our wandering in the world before the final harvest of souls and the day of Judgment, the people of God should be transforming lives with the Living Water of the Spirit of God.

We exist to transform dry, barren, and dying stories through the gospel of Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. We desire to see communities thriving and full of life, and fruitfulness, and nourishment, and healing to the glory of God.

Everywhere the Living Water flows, the Spirit of God will bring life, and fruitfulness, and nourishment, and healing. That’s the “Now” of the Feast of Tabernacles.

 

The Reason for the “Now” of the Feast of Tabernacles

 

And the reason for the “Now” of the Feast of Tabernacles is because the “Not Yet” of the Feast of Tabernacles is coming soon. A Final Harvest of Souls is coming. After that, there will be a Day of Judgment. Then there will be a celebration like the world has never seen.

 

For the child of God, being passive in the face of the Second Coming of Christ is not an option. We need to be proactive sources of Living Water bringing life, and healing, and nourishment, and restoration, and fruitfulness everywhere we place our feet.

 

You and I are God’s stewards. His grace should extend through us to those who are still wandering. Our hope and expectation is that they too will join us in the great feast after the Second Coming of Christ. We can provide the life-giving waters that bless, and nourish, and heal them until they make a decision to follow Christ and become new sources of Living Water to those in their lives.

 

There’s work to be done! You and I are tabernacles of the Presence of the Spirit of God. Look around you. Where are the dry, barren, fruitless places in our community and in our families. How can you, through the power of the Holy Spirit, transform those stories into life-giving, fruitful places of healing by allowing the Living Water to flow through your life? What could that look like in your life? Imagine the possibilities!

 

The Seventh Year

Before we close, I want to share one more thought with you. This is for those who have not yet accepted Christ. This year the Feast of Tabernacles starts when the sun goes down tonight. I found out a couple of weeks ago that this year’s Feast of Tabernacles is special.

Once every seven years, one of God’s commands was to observe a year of release, a sabbath year. During the sabbath or seventh year, you were to allow the land to rest – no planting or harvesting – and the harvest of the sixth year would provide all that you needed for the seventh year. Also, during this year of release, if Jews had sold themselves into slavery to fellow Jews in order to pay off a debt, they were to be released from that slavery. Everyone started with a clean slate.
 

This year 2021-2022 is a sabbath year, a year of release.

So, in the sabbath year, the year of release, as the people of God were celebrating the fact that God had provided for them for the forty years they wandered in the desert, they were experiencing the blessing of the harvest in the sixth year. That harvest was so large that it provided for their needs during the seventh year. As they were celebrating this provision, they were preparing for the forgiveness of their debts and delivery from slavery. At the end of the Feast of Tabernacles they would be starting over. Fresh. Free. Forgiven.

 

The Appeal

Today you can have your debts forgiven. You can be delivered from whatever enslaves you. You can start over with a clean slate. Whether you recognize it or not, you’ve been living on the abundant provision of God. You’ve been beneficiaries of the Living Water as you’ve wandered.

You have a standing invitation to the Wedding Supper of the Lamb of God. You can accept that invitation today. Don’t miss the next big day in the life of the church – the Feast of Tabernacles after the final harvest of souls when the Kingdom of God is fully realized.
 

Christian, you are a source of the Living Water provided by the Holy Spirit. That Living Water will provide nourishment, healing, and life to the people you encounter every day – but it must be shared. Let the Living Water flow!

 

If you don’t know Christ, you have an opportunity today to have your debts forgiven. You can be released from slavery and return to a place full of promise that you can only imagine. You can become a conduit for Living Water to those around you. You can become a portable tabernacle for the Presence of the Glory of God.
 
Celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles this year as you look forward to the final harvest and the greatest day of celebration the church has ever known.
 

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Pentecost Sunday

Fishers of Men and the Feast of Weeks

 

Eight weeks ago, we talked about the Battle Drill for Jewish Pilgrimage Festivals. There are three of them: Passover, Pentecost, and Sukkot. I believe these ancient times of celebration foreshadowed the three greatest days in the life of the church AND that they are the greatest evidence the Bible is the Word of God, and Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the Living God.

 

On Palm Sunday we talked about Jesus and his parents going to Jerusalem for Passover, Mary and Joseph losing Jesus, and then finding him in the temple. We said the battle drill for Pilgrimage Festivals is to “Listen and Ask Questions.”

 

Today we’re looking at the next feast – Pentecost, the Feast of Weeks, or Shavuot – and the question for this festival is, “Why did the disciples, eventually including Paul, get so excited about the events that occurred on the Pentecost following the Resurrection?” What did they understand about Pentecost that a modern-day Christian is clueless about? And how does that understanding shape who you are as a Christian?

 

Much of what we’re going to talk about today may be new information and that’s okay. I’m still learning new things, and I’ll share something that I never saw before in Scripture until about three weeks ago. I’m listening, and learning, and asking questions and I want to encourage you to do the same.

 

The church should be the safest place to ask hard questions. Never stop asking questions! I want to encourage you to think about what you find in Scripture, to ask questions, and be comfortable when the answers don’t come quickly. I want to encourage you to read Scripture, and to read large chunks of Scripture at a time. Don’t read just one or two verses. Read whole chapters or whole books in the Bible. Many people gave their lives to provide the versions and translations we often take for granted. Today we’re going to look at several Scriptures including two large chunks of Scripture.

 

If you think you don’t have time to read, most of the Bible apps on smartphones will read the Bible to you. I’m pretty sure Alexa will read Scripture to you! Listen to the Bible instead of the news, or the talking heads, or the same four songs you’ve heard 20,000 times. If you have the YouVersion Bible, go the Events section and look for First Baptist Church in New Castle. You can follow along there today with the Scripture references, and you can take notes if you want to.

 

Today we need to do a quick 30,000 ft. review of Scripture so that we can get into the heads of Jesus, the disciples, Paul, and nearly everyone else you read about in this 66-book collection we call the Bible. I want us to live inside the head of an ancient Israelite and think his or her thoughts; to see the world through the eyes of a God-fearing Jew around 30 A.D.

 

We are going to spend most of this morning in Exodus chapter 32 and Acts chapter 2, but before we get there let’s pray and then get an overview of the stories they knew inside and out. As we go along today, I want you to pay special attention to key words I will emphasize. Hopefully, by the end of the next few minutes you will see the hyperlinks between these two large chunks of Scripture.

 

PRAY

 

Let’s hop on our Scripture plane and go all the way back to the first chapter of the Bible – Genesis 1 – and look at verses 26-28. This is the very first commission that God gave to humanity, and I believe it is the underlying commission for every other commission we find in Scripture.

 

Genesis 1:26-28 (ESV)

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

 

That was the first commission – the prime directive for every human being – be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, subdue it, and rule.  In the first eleven chapters of Genesis, we see several stories about men and women who failed at accomplishing that mission. In Genesis 3, we see what we call the Fall of Mankind; it’s the story a rebellion of a spiritual being, and the failure of humans to obey God’s word. In Genesis 6, we see the depravity of man and another spiritual and human rebellion that precipitates (literally) the Flood and the story of Noah. And in Genesis chapter 11, we see another human rebellion in the story we call the tower of Babel and I want to camp here for just a moment.

 

Gen 11:1-9 (NET)

The whole earth had a common language and a common vocabulary. 11:2 When the people moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there. 11:3 Then they said to one another, “Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” (They had brick instead of stone and tar instead of mortar.) 11:4 Then they said, “Come, let’s build ourselves a city and a tower (a ziggurat) with its top in the heavens so that we may make a name for ourselves. Otherwise we will be scattered across the face of the entire earth.”

 

(Now, when you think of a tower, don’t think skyscraper. Almost every ancient culture built ziggurats (stair stepped, pyramid-like structures) and at the top of the ziggurat they would usually build a temple to their favorite deity. In 2008, I was in Indonesia and climbed an ancient ziggurat called Borobudur with a temple built to honor Buddha. Pictures The temple they were going to build in Genesis 11 was for their own name. They were preparing to put themselves in God’s place.)

 

11:6 And the LORD said, “If as one people all sharing a common language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be beyond them. 11:7 Come, let’s go down and confuse their language so they won’t be able to understand each other.”

11:8 So the LORD scattered them from there across the face of the entire earth, and they stopped building the city. 11:9 That is why its name was called Babel—because there the LORD confused the language of the entire world, and from there the LORD scattered them across the face of the entire earth.

 

Eventually Babel was called Babylon, but for now all the humans in the world are divided into “the Nations.” Deuteronomy 32:8-9 tells us that God disowned the Nations and gave them over to other gods. But he didn’t abandon them without a plan for restoration. Immediately after separating the Nations, in Genesis 12, God selects an infertile couple, Abram and Sarai, out from the Nations and supernaturally creates a family that will eventually become the nation of Israel. God is going to bless and redeem the Nations through Israel and reclaim them as his own. This is, and has always been, God’s Plan A – God’s Rescue Plan.

 

The descendants of Abraham and Sarah become slaves in Egypt. God says, “I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God. (Ex 6:7a ESV) He delivers them through an event called the Passover (what we celebrated eight weeks ago) and then God brings this enlarged family to the foot of Mt. Sanai.

 

There’s a lot of text in Exodus that leads up to chapter 32. In chapter 19 (vs. 16-20) we see that at the top of Mt. Sanai there was thunder, and lightning, and a sound of a loud trumpet, and thick clouds, and earthquakes, and the trumpet grew louder and louder! And then in Exodus 24 (vs. 15-18) Moses goes halfway up the mountain. The cloud covered the mountain. The glory of God (the Presence of God) was on the mountain covered by the cloud for six days. Then Moses was called into the cloud on the seventh day. He walked into what looked like a devouring fire in view of the people and was there 40 days and 40 nights.

 

 

The Presence of Yahweh God was resting on Mt. Sanai, in fire, and smoke, and lightning, and the loud sound of a trumpet, earthquakes, and thunder. It was the original sound and light show! And you remember that the presence of God was represented earlier in Scripture as a consuming fire in the burning bush, and also in the pillar of fire and smoke as God was leading them out of Egypt and through the Sea. Fire and loud sounds accompanied God wherever he revealed himself. And this image, this motif, is repeated again and again in Scripture.

 

We’re about ready to descend from our 30,000 ft. view and land our Scripture plane.

 

After walking into the devouring fire, while Moses is on the mountaintop for 40 days, God gives instructions to construct a lot of the furniture in the Tabernacle, and to build the Tabernacle itself.

 

Now we land our Scripture plane on the last verse in Exodus 31, verse 18.

 

Let’s walk through Exodus 31:18-32:35 (ESV) and get these details in our minds because these events are what Jews remember and celebrate during The Feast of Weeks (Pentecost, Shavuot) every year as one of the three pilgrimage feasts.

 

31:18 And [God] gave to Moses, when he had finished speaking with him (for forty days on the mountain) on Mount Sinai, the two tablets of the testimony, tablets of stone, (what we call the Law) written with the finger of God.

 

(In chapter 32 we come to the story of the Golden Calf scene at the foot of the mountain. And after that, the scene changes back to the top of the mountain, where God knows what’s going on down below. God says that he wants to wipe out all of the people of Israel and start over again with Moses. Moses pleads with God to change his mind and God agrees. Then it’s Moses’ turn to see what is really going on in the camp)

 

15 Then Moses turned and went down from the mountain with the two tablets of the testimony (the Law) in his hand, tablets that were written on both sides; on the front and on the back they were written. 16 The tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, engraved on the tablets.

 

(Covenants in the Ancient Near East were usually written on two identical documents. Each party to the covenant, would take one copy with them and place it in their “holy place,” next to their god who was charged with witnessing the covenant and executing justice when a covenant was broken. In this case, each of these two tablets contained all ten commandments (Law) (written on the front and back), and because God was going to dwell with his people, BOTH copies were to be stored inside the Ark of the Covenant (the Ark containing the Covenant). And that was the place on which the presence of God would rest inside the Tabernacle.

 

17 When Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said to Moses, “There is a noise of war in the camp.” 18 But [Moses] said, “It is not the sound of shouting for victory, or the sound of the cry of defeat, but the sound of singing that I hear.” 19 And as soon as he came near the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, Moses’ anger burned hot, and he threw the tablets (of the Law) out of his hands and broke them at the foot of the mountain.

 

(Then Moses starts to execute judgement, because the covenant (the LAW) between God and Israel had been broken, almost before it ever became effective. He confronts Aaron and says that he’s the reason the Israelites are sinning. Aaron should have kept his mouth shut but he didn’t.)

 

Verse 24: “So I said to them, ‘Let any who have gold take it off.’ So they gave it to me, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf.”

 

(A pretty lame excuse if you ask me. Aaron must have lacked experience in lying because this is a poor example of a lie. Anyway, the people were being very hedonistic in their worship of the Golden Calf.)

 

25 And when Moses saw that the people had broken loose (for Aaron had let them break loose, to the derision of their enemies), 26 then Moses stood in the gate of the camp and said, “Who is on the LORD’s side? Come to me.” And all the sons of Levi gathered around him. 27 And he said to them, “Thus says the LORD God of Israel, ‘Put your sword on your side, each of you, and go to and fro from gate to gate throughout the camp, and each of you kill his brother and his companion and his neighbor.’” 28 And the sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses. And that day about three thousand men of the people fell.”

 

This is passage is shocking to our minds, but it is a natural response in the Israelite mind. When you “cut a covenant”, you usually cut several sacrificial animals in half, lay the two halves opposite each other (making a path of blood in between), and each party would walk that path symbolizing, “If I or any of my people break this covenant, this is what is to be done to the ones violating the covenant.” And that’s the only way to stay in a covenant. Someone must die to restore the broken relationship.

 

Then Moses does something that a priest would do, what all priests are called to do, what Aaron should have done but did not do – he interceded for the people in front of God.

 

30 The next day Moses said to the people, “You have sinned a great sin. And now I will go up to the LORD; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.” 31 So Moses returned to the LORD and said, “Alas, this people has sinned a great sin. They have made for themselves gods of gold. 32 But now, if you will forgive their sin—but if not, please blot me out of your book that you have written.”

 

Moses offers himself as a sacrifice to God. This is an Old Testament image of what the Messiah would do; what the Passover Lamb would do.

 

The people are punished, and God sends them away from Mt. Sanai to the Promised Land. And by giving them the Law, Israel became a Nation – and not simply an enlarged family.

 

This is what Jews remember on Pentecost. God was present on the Mountain, he sent his Law down from his presence, 3000 people died as a result of their sin, and the Nation of Israel was born. Remember that they celebrate this every year at Pentecost; one of the three Pilgrimage Feasts where they gather in Jerusalem. In this annual feast they remembered the Presence of God, the Giving of the Law, the Birth of the Nation, and the death of 3000 who were disobedient. They did this every year on the same day (fifty days after Passover) for at least 1200 years (maybe as many as 1400 years!).

 

So now it’s time to travel to our next big chunk of Scripture. Let’s get on Scripture plane and do another long-range scan along the way. What happens over time is that God promises to establish a Kingdom that would last forever and would be ruled by David’s descendants, and David’s Kingdom IS established. But his grandsons split the kingdom in two, the northern ten tribes are sent into exile by the Assyrians (2 Kings 18:11-12), the southern two tribes are sent into exile by the Babylonians (Jeremiah 52:10-30).

 

We know that the Assyrians were ruthless in their conquering of the northern kingdom. The ten tribes are removed from the Promised Land and sent into the various Nations (the Gentiles). They were forced to intermarry with other conquered nations. And the northern kingdom was dissolved, never to return to the Promised Land.

 

Even though there was a remnant who still tried worshiping Yahweh, their ethnic identity had been mixed with the Nations (the Gentiles). Their ethnic identity as the ten tribes of the northern kingdom was erased.

 

The southern two tribes after being exiled to Babylon, eventually returned to the Promised Land, but things were never really the same as before.

 

However, even in the dark times of exile, God was still speaking through his prophets. Throughout Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Micah, Daniel, and others, God gave promises. One is found in Joel 2:28-29 (NET) Promise:

 

“… I will pour out my Spirit on all kinds of people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your elderly will have revelatory dreams; your young men will see prophetic visions. Even on male and female servants I will pour out my Spirit in those days.”

 

God also promised that he would gather his people out of the Nations where they were scattered and restore the kingdom. Jeremiah 16:14-16 reads this way:

 

By the way, do you remember when Pastor Jerry talked two weeks ago about being fishers of men? When God called Peter, Andrew, James, and John to be disciples, and told them that he would make them fishers of men? We think that Jesus was just saying, “I know you guys all fish for a living. Well, I’m going to modify your occupation. You’ll still fish, but this time you’ll fish for men.”

 

A few days before Jerry included that reminder in his message, God had led me to this passage in Jeremiah 16:14-16 (ESV) and I realized that Jesus was signaling something incredible when he called the four fishermen! I believe Jesus was referring to what God says through this passage in Jeremiah:

 

14 “Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when it shall no longer be said, ‘As the LORD lives who brought up the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt,’ 15 but ‘As the LORD lives who brought up the people of Israel out of the north country and out of all the countries (Nations) where he had driven them.’ For I will bring them back to their own land that I gave to their fathers.

16 “Behold, I am sending for many fishers, declares the LORD, and they shall catch them. And afterward I will send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them from every mountain and every hill, and out of the clefts of the rocks.”

 

God is saying, “One day you’re not going to be talking about how I brought you out of Egypt. Soon you will be talking about how I brought you out of all the countries (Nations) where I’ve driven you! I’m going to send fishers to cast nets and drag you home. And then I’m going to send hunters to hunt you down and bring you home!”

 

When Jesus said, “I’m going to make you fishers of men.” Peter, Andrew, James, and John knew what he meant. This was probably one of their favorite verses of Scripture!

 

You know how, when you buy a new white Ford pickup truck, then you start seeing all of these other white Ford pickup trucks on the road? You’ve been sensitized because now you identify with the white Ford pickup trucks.

 

I’m convinced that every time one of these four guys (four guys who eventually became the leaders of the disciples), I’m sure every time they heard Jeremiah read in synagogue or Temple and these verses were read their ears perked up. They knew that fishers and hunters were going to be sent to reclaim the lost tribes of Israel. They knew that the kingdom would be restored when that happened. “Fishers of men” was like a dog whistle to these four disciples signaling that the kingdom is at hand and God is going to reclaim what was lost.

 

When God prompted Pastor Jerry to use that image two weeks ago, it became clear to me. God is speaking urgently to his church in these days. Are we listening?

 

Well, let’s land the plane in Acts and get a close look at what happened on that first Pentecost after Passover. You are about to hear many of the words and phrases that we talked about at Mt. Sinai. Listen for those.

 

By the way, the word Pentecost means “fiftieth.” In the Jewish calendar they would count 50 days (or seven weeks – seven sevens, plus one) from Passover and that is the day they would celebrate Pentecost. The Feast of Weeks (seven sevens, plus one) or Pentecost (fifty) was fifty days after Passover. And we see at the beginning of Acts chapter one that Jesus appeared to the disciples for forty days after the Resurrection, talking to them about the Kingdom of God, and he then ascended into heaven, into a cloud – a moment that many Christians celebrate as the Ascension. Ten days later it was going to be Pentecost.

 

Before his ascension into the cloud, Jesus tells them to stay in Jerusalem and wait for the promise of the Father (remember what the prophecies promised).

 

Acts 1:5-6 (NET) – “[And Jesus said,] For John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” So when they had gathered together, [the disciples] began to ask him, “Lord, is this the time when you are restoring the kingdom to Israel?””

 

Do you see what happened there? The disciples were tracking on the restoration of the Kingdom of God.

 

He told them, “You are not permitted to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the farthest parts of the earth (Nations).” (Acts 1:7-8 NET)

 

The rest of the chapter talks about the ascension of Jesus and the disciples’ time waiting in Jerusalem in the “upper room.” About 120 of them were waiting, so this was a big room. And this brings us to Acts 2.

 

Acts 2 (NET)

Now when the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. 2:2 Suddenly a sound like a violent wind blowing came from heaven and filled the entire house where they were sitting. 2:3 And tongues spreading out like a fire appeared to them and came to rest on each one of them. 2:4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit, and they began to speak in other languages as the Spirit enabled them.

2:5 Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven residing in Jerusalem. 2:6 When this sound occurred, a crowd gathered and was in confusion, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. 2:7 Completely baffled, they said, “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? 2:8 And how is it that each one of us hears them in our own native language?

And then Luke gives us a list of all the Nations that are represented in Jerusalem on Pentecost. Interestingly, it also describes geographically where all of the nations were scattered after Babel. You can find THAT list in Genesis 10. Here’s the list from Acts 2:

 

2:9 Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and the province of Asia, 2:10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, 2:11 both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs—we hear them speaking in our own languages about the great deeds God has done!” 2:12 All were astounded and greatly confused, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” 2:13 But others jeered at the speakers, saying, “They are drunk on new wine!”

2:14 But Peter stood up with the eleven, raised his voice, and addressed them: “You men of Judea and all you who live in Jerusalem, know this and listen carefully to what I say. 2:15 In spite of what you think, these men are not drunk, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning. 2:16 But this is what was spoken about through the prophet Joel (Promise):

    2:17 ‘And in the last days it will be,’ God says, ‘that I will pour out my Spirit on all people, and your sons and your daughters will prophesy, and your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.

    2:19 And I will perform wonders in the sky above and miraculous signs on the earth below, blood and fire and clouds of smoke. (Jump down to verse 25) 2:25 For David says about him, ‘I saw the Lord always in front of me, for he is at my right hand so that I will not be shaken. 2:26 Therefore my heart was glad and my tongue rejoiced; my body also will live in hope, 2:27 because you will not leave my soul in Hades, nor permit your Holy One to experience decay. 2:28 You have made known to me the paths of life; you will make me full of joy with your presence.’ (Quoting Ps 16:8-11)

 

(Now jump to verse 34) 2:34 For David did not ascend into heaven, but he himself says, ‘The Lord said to my lord, “Sit at my right hand 2:35 until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”’

 

2:36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know beyond a doubt that God has made this Jesus whom you crucified both Lord and Christ.” (Both Lord [or King], and Christ which means Anointed One or Messiah)

 

Peter finishes his sermon, calling everyone to repent and then we read in verse 41:

 

“So those who accepted his message were baptized, and that day about three thousand people were added.”

 

On that Pentecost after the Resurrection, on the same day that they’ve been celebrating for 1200 to 1400 years, the Presence of God was tangible, the Holy Spirit was sent down from Heaven, 3000 people were saved, and the Church was born. During the feast when they were remembering the Presence of God on the mountain, the Law coming down from the Mountain, the Birth of the Nation of Israel, and the death of 3000 who were disobedient – God brought about a reversal.

 

But not only that. On this Pentecost after the Resurrection, God also reversed the scattering of the northern ten tribes – remember?  “Devout Jews from every nation under heaven” were in Jerusalem. The remnant of the northern kingdom that God had scattered to the surrounding nations through the Assyrians; The ten tribes of Israel were being restored! The kingdom was being restored!

 

AND not only that, but God also reversed what had happened at the tower of Babel, when languages were confused, and the Nations were scattered. This meant the Nations (the Gentiles) could be reconciled with God and restored back into his family! What happened at Pentecost made it possible for you and me (Gentiles – a people without God and without hope in the world [Eph 2:12]) to become children of God and “heirs according to the promise.” (Gal 3:29)

 

When Paul learned about the events of Pentecost, it drove him on his three missionary journeys. Paul went where he went precisely because those places are where the ten northern tribes had been scattered, AND it’s where he could find Gentiles (representatives of the Nations) that he could rescue!

 

And finally, the Presence of God, in the person of the Holy Spirit, in the lives of every believer, makes it possible for us to live out the original commission given to us before we were created in Genesis 1. To “be fruitful and multiply! To fill the earth and subdue it! To the Glory of God our creator.”

 

And not only THAT commission but ALL the other commissions God has issued in Scripture including the Great Commission (Matt 28:18-20 ESV). We have been commissioned by the One who has ALL authority – In heaven AND on earth. And through this commission he grants us the authority and responsibility to accomplish that commission.

 

“And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always (Presence), to the end of the age.”

 

As we close, let me read what Paul wrote to the church in Corinth in 2 Corinthians 3:1-8 (NET). I am convinced he was thinking about the great reversal that happened on Pentecost.

“Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? We don’t need letters of recommendation to you or from you as some other people do, do we? 3:2 You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everyone, 3:3 revealing that you are a letter of Christ, delivered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on stone tablets (Law) but on tablets of human hearts.

3:4 Now we have such confidence in God through Christ. 3:5 Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as if it were coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God, 3:6 who made us adequate to be servants of a new covenant not based on the letter (Law) but on the Spirit, for the letter (Law) kills, but the Spirit gives life.

3:7 But if the ministry that produced death (3000)—carved in letters on stone tablets (Law)—came with glory, so that the Israelites could not keep their eyes fixed on the face of Moses because of the glory of his face (a glory which was made ineffective), 3:8 how much more glorious will the ministry of the Spirit be?”

 

What happened on that first Pentecost after the Resurrection changed everything! The tangible Presence of God is living among us! The Holy Spirit was sent from heaven to empower us and to live within us. 3000 people were saved from certain spiritual death, and the Lord continues to add to that number every day, including today! And the Church was born, the bride and body of Christ, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it! The Kingdom of God is advancing and WILL be victorious!

 

The Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is that God has reconciled us to himself through the blood of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit. That is, IF you accept his free gift. No one is excluded! If you are without God and without hope in the world; If you feel lost and erased, and that no one can bring you back; If you are weighed down by the burden of a legalistic law that is carved in stone. The Good News today is that God has sent fishers and hunters to search you out, and find you, and bring you home!

 

And if any of that describes you, you can accept that free gift today – before you leave. Feel free to talk to me or others you’ll find down front here in just a minute.

 

Jesus Christ has done what we are powerless to do, so that we can do what he has commissioned us to do. The question for every one of us today is, will you receive and embrace his commission on your life? And if you do, “how much more glorious will the ministry of the Spirit be” in your life than the events that happened in Moses’ life?

 

Church, you and I have work to do. We’ve got a Rescue Plan to continue. We’ve been commissioned by the King of kings and the Lord of lords. The Kingdom of God is at hand! What do you say? Let’s Charlie Mike! Let’s Continue the Mission! Let’s get to work!
 
 

You can listen to the message here:

 

You can watch the message by clicking HERE.

 

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Train to Live on Mission – Week 10

Train to Live on Mission Today

Battle Drill for the Festivals: Listen and Ask Questions

Pilgrimage Feasts – Passover – Luke 2:41–52

Palm Sunday, Battle Drill #10

Luke 2:41-52 (NLT)

Every year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the Passover festival. When Jesus was twelve years old, they attended the festival as usual.

After the celebration was over, they started home to Nazareth, but Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents didn’t miss him at first, because they assumed he was among the other travelers. But when he didn’t show up that evening, they started looking for him among their relatives and friends.

When they couldn’t find him, they went back to Jerusalem to search for him there. Three days later they finally discovered him in the Temple, sitting among the religious teachers, listening to them and asking questions. All who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers.

His parents didn’t know what to think. “Son,” his mother said to him, “why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been frantic, searching for you everywhere.”

“But why did you need to search?” he asked. “Didn’t you know that I must be in my Father’s house?” But they didn’t understand what he meant.

Then he returned to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. And his mother stored all these things in her heart.

Jesus grew in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and all the people.

 

Intro

Today, we are going to walk through the four action steps of a soldier’s training routine to learn a different kind of battle drill – a battle drill for the festivals.

Pastor Jerry has invited me to share three times this year about the three Pilgrimage Feasts or festivals that gave structure to the Jewish calendar year. I have a passion for studying these three festivals because they foreshadow the three biggest events in the life of the Church.

Another reason I love to study these three feasts is because I believe they are the best proof we have that the bible is God’s word; that God’s Word is inspired and accurate in its original autographs; and that Christ is the second person of the Trinity, the Son of God the Father, and the Head of the Church.

The reason I can make these statements is that over one thousand years before Christ was born, the events we celebrate during the Passover happened in such a way that they would act as a pattern, a type, a template for the death of Christ. And Christ’s death occurred on the exact day, and at the exact hour that the Jews were remembering the Exodus from Egypt.
 

Action Step #1) Know the Field Manual

Not only did Jesus and his family know the field manual, but they also rehearsed it repeatedly, over and over. It was built into their routine daily (their prayers, Shema, waking up, before meals, etc.), weekly (Shabbat), and annually (feasts and festivals).

Every day, most Jews would recite the Shema (and many still do). Shema is the first Hebrew word in the prayer. It’s usually translated as “Hear” (O Israel) or “Listen.” But Shema means more than that. It means to “listen and obey”; to “hear and put it into action.”

Here’s my translation of the Shema:

Listen and obey, Israel: Yahweh is our God, Yahweh is unique, one of a kind! You must love Yahweh your God with your whole mind, your whole being, and all your strength. (Dt 6:4–5 NET – Modified)

This is the basic prayer, but the full prayer is much longer. What would happen if, every day – after we woke up in the morning, and before we went to sleep at night – we recited this passage?

Jews observed Sabbath on the seventh day of every week. Saturday was a Holy Day, or holiday, and was a day where you didn’t have to work. A day when you trusted God to take care of your business while you rest in him. Saturday is still the Holy Day that Jews observe instead of Sunday.

And every year, the Jews celebrated three extended feasts that commemorated three events: God’s delivering Israel from slavery in Egypt, God transforming Israel into a nation, and God providing for them while they wandered in the desert between Mt. Sinai and the Promised Land.

The passage Nora read describes one of those yearly Passover celebrations.

Luke 2:41 ESV

Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover.

Passover was a Memorial Day.

Exodus 12:14 (ESV) says,

“This day shall be for you a memorial day, and you shall keep it as a feast to the Lord; throughout your generations, as a statute forever, you shall keep it as a feast.”

And the evening of Passover was a night of watching.

Exodus 12:42 (ESV) says,

It was a night of watching by the Lord, to bring them out of the land of Egypt; so this same night is a night of watching kept to the Lord by all the people of Israel throughout their generations.

 

Just as God watched over Israel that night in order to bring them out of slavery, the children of Israel would spend the night of Passover as a watch night – remembering what God did on that first Passover night. We did some of that last year.

Last year on Palm Sunday, we talked about the events that led up to the Passover. We talked about how Moses ran away from Egypt after his anger and his sense of justice flared up prompting him to kill an Egyptian. How Yahweh God called Moses from the flaming bush that never burnt up. How God sent Moses back to Egypt where he had been a wanted man.

We talked about the signs and wonders God performed through Moses, and how each of the ten plagues was a direct attack on one of the gods of Egypt. These ten plagues revealed that the power of the Egyptian gods was nothing compared to the strength of Yahweh.

And we talked about how, on the night before God led them out of Egypt, he established an annual time of remembrance – a Memorial Day.

 

Mary, Joseph, and Jesus (and the others celebrating Passover) remembered that a lamb had to be sacrificed – slaughtered for their freedom. They remembered the blood from the lamb that they smeared on the doorframes of their homes. They remembered the flat unleavened bread that they ate. They remembered how they were to eat the Passover meal with their travel clothes on. And they remembered the wailing and crying throughout Egypt at every home that was not covered by the blood of the lamb. In each of these homes the firstborn in those households died because they were not protected by the blood of the lamb.

They remembered that their ancestors left Egypt with a new identity. What they had known for 400 years, a lifetime of slavery for a family that had grown into an ethnic group, was over. They would eventually become a nation with a God who was completely devoted to them. But the morning after Passover they were in an in-between time – they weren’t slaves anymore, but they weren’t a nation yet either. The Passover celebration was about remembering that in-between time. Are you in an in-between time?

For Jesus, Mary, Joseph, and the rest of the remnant of Jews in Palestine, they were in a different kind of in-between time. The Northern Kingdom (composed of ten of the twelve tribes of Israel) had been taken into exile by the Assyrians and forcibly relocated into the surrounding nations. These ten tribes were dissolved, gone, and never came back.

The Southern Kingdom (composed of the other two tribes) had been taken into exile by the Babylonians, who destroyed the Temple that Solomon built – the place where they met with God – the place where God had placed his name. Over time, a few survivors from the two tribes had returned to the Promised Land. The Temple was rebuilt by a Gentile, but the Jews were still being ruled by foreign powers.

As the mass of pilgrims swarmed into Jerusalem, they were longing for the Promised Messiah to restore the Kingdom. So, they studied Torah, they retold the story, they listened, and they asked questions.

This is what Jesus, and his parents were doing by going to Jerusalem for Passover. They were remembering the deliverance story. They were asking questions of the rabbis and seeking answers from the Torah. They were looking to a future where a promised Messiah would one day write a new deliverance story.

 

Are you looking for a new deliverance story to be written in your life? When was the last time you asked questions about scripture? When was the last time you TOOK time to remember all of things God has done for you? Thanksgiving Bible Study.

 

This year, Jesus was 12 years old. He was still considered a child and Luke makes that point very clear in this passage – multiple times. Next year he would be 13, he would be considered a man, but this year Jesus was a 12-year-old.

In this passage, Luke says that Jesus was still learning. This shouldn’t surprise us.

Paul quotes from an early Christian hymn in his letter to the Philippian church that Christ Jesus, “who was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.” (Php 2:5–7 ESV) And like every man and woman, boy and girl, he had to learn.

This might stretch your theology about Jesus, but in the passage that Nora read today, in verses 40 and 52, Luke writes very clearly that Jesus was growing – in wisdom, and in stature, and in favor with God and his friends, family, and neighbors. Jesus was learning. And Luke highlights that again in the center of this story in verses 46 & 47.

Luke 2:46–47 (ESV)

After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers.

 

During Passover, we know that some of the Jewish teachers would go to the temple courts to teach anyone who wanted to learn, and to let them ask questions.[i]

It’s possible that Jesus was asking questions of the founders of the two schools of thought in Judaism – Hillel and Shammai. Maybe you’ve been watching the series The Chosen (and I strongly encourage you to do so) where these two rabbis were mentioned in the second season. Hillel was a humble, loving teacher, but Shammai was known for his violent temper and rigid interpretation of the Law.[ii]

I’m sure Jesus focused on listening and asking questions about the sacrifice of the Lamb. In twenty-one short years, another lamb would be making that journey to Jerusalem. But this lamb would be the Lamb of Lambs, as well as the King of Kings.

Jesus was learning the field manual because one day he would have to make use of it in the most important battle of all times.
 

Action Step #2) Train together as one unit.

The Jewish Pilgrimage Feasts were designed by God to be celebrated in community, not individually. At Passover (as well as at Pentecost and Sukkot) Jewish communities trained together as one unit.

 

Luke 2:41–42 ESV

Now [Jesus’] parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. And when he was twelve years old, they went up according to custom.

When Jesus was a boy, they didn’t load the family up in the minivan and drive to Jerusalem. Typically, people traveled to the feasts in caravans; the women and children would be up front, and the men, young and old, would follow behind. Entire villages and extended family units would frequently travel together for protection and company.[iii]

In America, we do fewer and fewer things in groups. We pride ourselves on individualism. Everything is personalized. Less than a generation ago, there was maybe two or three radio stations that had a signal strong enough to listen to. One or two of them might be a music station. Eventually, our selection grew to five or six styles of music stations. Now you create your own mix on Apple Music, or Spotify. You usually don’t go to the movies anymore; you stream it to your family room or watch it by yourself on your phone. Almost nobody has a group experience anymore. We each have it “my way” … by our lonesome.

We need corporate experiences. We need to worship together – in the same room. We need to worship with multiple generations – in the same room. We need to worship with new Christians and witness their passion and joy. We need to worship with those who have walked with God for decades and can testify to God’s faithfulness. That’s what happened at every Passover. They worshipped and remembered together. They retold the story of deliverance. They asked questions and they listened.

Come to the Passover Seder meal. It’s a time where you listen and ask questions. It even features a time where the kids ask questions. If you can’t come Thursday night, I understand. Life is busy.

But you need to intentionally meet with other Christians on a regular basis. What have you done together? Meet for prayer on Wednesday night. Meet for Sunday School on Sunday morning. Meet for bible study during the week. Serve your community in groups of other believers.

Hebrews 10:24-25 is about more than just Sunday mornings.

“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”

Get together with other Christians and stir each other up to love and good works. That’s what Jesus and his relatives were doing. They were training together as one unit.
 

Action Step #3) Seek the Commander’s approval.

We’re not told exactly how it happened, but when the days of Passover were complete Jesus got separated from his parents.

 

And Luke 2:44–45 (ESV) reads that,

“Supposing [Jesus] to be in the group [Mary and Joseph] went a day’s journey [away from Jerusalem], but then they began to search for him among their relatives and acquaintances, and when they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem, searching for him.”

And what was Jesus doing when Mary and Joseph found him at the Temple? He was seeking the Commander’s approval. Spending time in the Temple would please his Father. Listening and asking questions about God’s Word would please his Father.

 

Luke 2:49 ESV

And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”

 

In other words, pre-teen Jesus said, “Where else would I be? I’m here in my Father’s house. I’m learning the field manual. We’re training together as one unit. I’m seeking my Father’s approval.”

By the way, I remember the anxiety I felt when we lost one of our daughters at Walmart, or the mall. It didn’t happen often, but when it did … the PANIC was real! You turn your head one minute and their gone! I can imagine a little bit how Mary felt! It’s like, “Mary, you had one job! How hard can it be to keep track of the Son of God!” … Maybe that’s a question we should ask of ourselves?

But Jesus was listening and asking questions. Jesus was learning that, to seek the Commander’s approval would require great sacrifice.

When was the last time you talked with God about what you think he’s called you to do? Do you know if he is pleased with your actions? Is he pleased with your plans? Have you talked to him about your goals?
 

Action Step #4) Live on mission.

Luke 2:48 ESV

And when his parents saw him, they were astonished. And his mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been searching for you in great distress.”

If you use your imagination (and you don’t need a big one to imagine this) I think Mary ran to Jesus and gave him one of those smothering, squeeze-the-air-out-of-you, hugs that only moms can give. Then maybe she grabbed him by his shoulders and pushed him to arm’s length so she could stare at him eye to eye.

“Son, why have you done this to us? Your dad and I have been frantic! We searched for you everywhere!”

Actually, Mary didn’t call him “son”. She used another word. The word Mary used meant “little one” or “child.” Mary still saw Jesus as a child … everyone did!

What happens when you call a 12-year-old “little one?”

I remember that age. I remember when I wasn’t a child anymore, but no one saw me as a man. That in-between stage is frustrating! I didn’t want adults to consider me a child, I was adult-ish. Do you remember a time when you weren’t what you used to be, but you weren’t quite what you wanted to be? Transitions are hard. Anthropologists call that place a liminal space – an in-between place.

Jesus was in a liminal space – an in-between place. He wasn’t really a child anymore, but he wasn’t what society considered an adult. Jesus was in a place where he was listening and asking questions and he was transitioning between being a child and an adult.

Jesus explained to his parents what he was doing. He was seeking the Commander’s approval.

But Luke 2:50 (ESV) reads,

They did not understand the saying that he spoke to them.

 

Sometimes others will not understand what God has called you to do. But you still need to Charlie Mike – Continue the Mission.

 

God has asked me to do some odd things at times. Several years ago, when we were just friends, God told me to ask Cheryl a question. He said, “Cheryl has a deal with me. Ask her what her deal with me is.”

I’m thinking, “What if she doesn’t have a deal with God? I would look stupid, or weird, or both!” I felt silly, but I asked her anyway. She told me that she asked God to tell her when the “right man” came along – the one she would marry. Let me tell you, I’m glad I Charlie Miked!

 

Sometimes others will not understand what God has called you to do. But you still need to Charlie Mike – Continue the Mission.

 

Jesus was in a liminal space – an “in-between” place. The Jews of his day were in an “in-between” place. Maybe you are in an “in-between” place – a liminal space. Continue the mission; Charlie Mike. Jesus stayed on mission, but he did it the right way. He sought the Commander’s approval by talking with God frequently. He trained together by living in community. He asked questions and listened. And He learned the field manual by obeying the Torah – especially the part about honoring his father and mother.

 

Luke 2:51-52 ESV

[But Jesus] went down with them and came to Nazareth and was submissive to them. And his mother treasured up all these things in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.

 

I wonder what the setting was the first time Jesus told his parents that he would be the Passover Lamb? Mary was told just days after Jesus’ birth that “a sword would pierce her heart too.” Did she fully understand what that prophecy would mean? Did she understand that her son would one day assume the role of the new Passover Lamb – the Lamb of God? I think Mary was living in an “in-between” place for most of her life.

In her book “Bearing God’s Name: Why Sinai Still Matters,” Carmen Imes shared about the importance of not rushing through these dislocated places – the in-between” places – the liminal spaces.

 

“God has lessons to teach us that can only be learned in a state of dislocation. Lessons about who we are. About who he is. And how he’s calling us to be in the world. Wrapped in liminality are gifts such as perseverance, perspective, rest, creativity, empathy, gratitude, and most of all, faithfulness. Rushing on to the next thing may prevent us from becoming who he wants us to be when we get there. In this place of upheaval and instability, we must let him shape us. We serve a God whose primary purpose is not to make us comfortable or successful in the eyes of the world, but to transform us. Liminality—that unsettled and unsettling place that reveals our deepest fears and longings—is his workshop.”[1]

 

As her pastor said, “Jesus finished all the work God gave him to do, but he did not finish all the work.” Just as [Jesus] was sent to do the Father’s will, so he sends his disciples into the world. They are commissioned to carry out his mission.[2]

You and I … WE are commissioned to carry out his mission.

Make this battle drill of listening and asking questions a reflexive, instinctive, and habitual part of your Christian life so that you can CM – Continue the Mission! Live on mission today and train the battle drill of the week for the glory of God. Let us pray.

 

You can listen to the message here:

You can watch the message by clicking HERE.

 
 
 
 
 

FOOTNOTES:

 

[1] Carmen Joy Imes and Christopher J. H. Wright, Bearing God’s Name: Why Sinai Still Matters, Logos (Downers Grove, Illinois: IVP Academic, 2019), 159–60.

[2] Imes and Wright, 155.

[i] Freeman and Chadvick, The New Manners and Customs of the Bible p.502-503

2:46 Jesus Questioning the Teachers After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. There were several places within the Temple area where teachers of the law met their disciples. One of these places was in the cloisters described in Matthew 24:1 Herod’s Temple. Another was in the synagogue that was in the Temple enclosure. After services, the teachers admitted any who wished to converse with them on matters pertaining to the law. There is no reason to suppose that Jesus’ conversation with the teachers was in any way controversial. He simply followed the custom of the time, which allowed anyone who chose to question the teachers on any points they desired. Although our text-verse is often twisted by some to say that the child Jesus was teaching these learned men, that is not what the verse says. He was asking them questions and learning from them. They were, however, amazed at His understanding and answers to questions that they asked Him—asking questions of students was a rabbinical method of teaching.

 

Wenham et al., The New Bible Commentary p.985

The age of twelve was normal for instructing a boy for entry to the religious community of Judaism, and therefore for a meaningful visit to Jerusalem. Jewish men were required by the law to keep the three annual festivals in Jerusalem, but only the Passover was strictly observed. Whole families would go up to Jerusalem, with an estimated 60,000–100,000 visitors packing themselves into a town whose normal population may have been no more than 25,000. People travelled in large groups for companionship and security on the way, and it is not surprising that Mary and Joseph did not worry unduly about Jesus on the first day’s journey home. After a day spent in returning to Jerusalem they found him in the temple, which was a set of courtyards and buildings used not only for offering sacrifices but also for religious teaching and discussions (cf. Acts 5:25). His intelligent discussion with the teachers was an indication of the wisdom that he would show later. The story does not mean that Jesus was trying to instruct them, but rather that they were impressed by his unusual promise as a pupil.

 

[ii] Keener, IVPBBCNT New Testament (Second Edition) p.187

Some Jewish teachers in this period reportedly conducted their classes in the temple courts; the famous *Hillel and *Shammai may have been two such teachers. Asking questions was used both in teaching and in learning, but it was important for learners to ask intelligent questions, as Jesus does. Teachers could answer questions with questions, and Jesus’ answers are also intelligent. Students might begin advanced training in their mid-teens; the teachers recognize Jesus as a prodigy.

 

Zuck, Basic Bible Interpretation: A Practical Guide to Discovering Biblical Truth p.28

Rabbi Hillel (70 B.C.?–A.D. 10?) was a prominent leader among the Jews of Palestine. He was born in Babylonia and established a school, which was named for him, in Jerusalem. He was known for his humility and love. He arranged under six topics the many rules p 29 that had developed among the Jews pertaining to the 613 commands in the Mosaic Law.

 

Zuck, Basic Bible Interpretation: A Practical Guide to Discovering Biblical Truth p.29

Shammai, a contemporary of Hillel, differed from Hillel in both personality and hermeneutics. A man with a violent temper, he interpreted the Law rigidly. The teachings of these two rabbis often directly conflicted with each other. After the fall of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 the School of Hillel became prominent, and the School of Shammai receded in significance and influence.

 

[iii] Wiersbe, THE BIBLE EXPOSITION COMMENTARY An Exposition of the New Testament Comprising the Entire “BE” Series p.179 – People traveled to the feasts in caravans, the women and children leading the way and setting the pace, and the men and young men following behind. Relatives and whole villages often traveled together and kept an eye on each other’s children. At the age of twelve, Jesus could easily have gone from one group to another and not been missed. Joseph would think Jesus was with Mary and the other children, while Mary would suppose He was with Joseph and the men, or perhaps with one of their relatives.


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Live Like a Champion – Week 13

The Promise of Passover – A Reason to Party!

Exodus 6:7a

 

Nearly three years ago a popular evangelical pastor told his church that people were turning away from God because of the Old Testament. He said, “The church needed to unhitch from the Old Testament.”[1]

 

Fourteen years ago, another group of Christians began a movement called “Red-Letter Christianity” – where they focus only on the red letters (the words of Jesus) and pay very little attention to the black letters (the rest of scripture). On the web page for www.redletterchristians.org, one of their stated values says that “Jesus is the lens through which we understand the Bible …”[2]

 

I disagree with both of these positions. I believe that people are turning away from Christianity, not because they understand and reject the difficult portions of the Old Testament, but because they have failed to understand it in the first place. I believe that the Word of God, including both the Old and New Testaments, is the only lens through which we can truly understand Jesus and his mission. It’s the only lens through which we can understand the character of God.

 

Saying that we are only going to focus on the actual words of Jesus, is like saying, “The only part of my house I like is the second floor. The first floor is okay, I hardly spend any time in the basement, and I’ve never even seen the foundation and footers. … I think I’m going to detach the second floor and remove the first floor, basement, and foundation.” Any builder or architect knows that even if you could accomplish that feat, your second floor would lose its structural integrity and eventually collapse. And the church has tried this before.

 

In the early 1900’s, many in the German church decided to remove the “Hebrew Scriptures” from the Bible and the result helped create the environment that nurtured Nazism and culminated in the horrors of WWI and WWII.[3]

 

Now, I get it. Some stuff in the Bible is hard to understand. Given what most people think they know about the Old Testament, the God of the Old Testament seems angry and punitive. The Old Testament is difficult to understand in places. There are portions of the Old Testament that seem unloving, cruel, and many times just bizarre. My theology professor says, “In the Bible, if it’s weird it’s important.”

 

We don’t need to jettison the Old Testament and all of its strangeness from the church. What I hope to show you today, is that instead of avoiding the Old Testament, we need to spend more time studying it. We need to dig in and when we do, we’ll discover unexpected gems hiding in the pages of the first 39 books of scripture. I think you’ll be surprised by what we find!

 

Even if you simply scratch the surface of the Old Testament, one of the things you’ll discover is that our God is a God who likes to party! This morning, I want to show you that God planned three blow-out parties (the three most significant annual feasts in the Old Testament) and these parties were intended to foreshadow the three most important events in the life of the church. These three parties are called the pilgrimage feasts.

 

Three times a year, the people of Israel were to travel, from wherever they were, to Jerusalem to have a party! (Deuteronomy 16:1-17; Exodus 23:14-17; Exodus 34:18-24; Leviticus 23:4-44)

 

The first party is Passover/Pesach – Feast of Unleavened Bread – It is a time to remember the Exodus – It also foreshadowed what was going to happen on the day we call Good Friday. Today we’re going to look at Passover and the leadup to the Exodus.

 

The second party (50 days after Passover) is Pentecost/Shavuot – Feast of Weeks – Pentecost is a Greek word that means fifty days. Shavuot is the Hebrew word that means “weeks” (7 Sevens plus One = 50 days). It’s a time to remember when the law descended from Mt. Sanai and the Nation of Israel was born. It is also the culmination of the First Fruits harvest. Pentecost foreshadowed the second significant event in the life of the church – the day that the Holy Spirit descended on all believers and the church was born.

 

The third party is the Feast of Booths (Tabernacles)/Sukkot – Feast of Ingathering – This is a time to remember how God protected and provided for the children of Israel during the wilderness wanderings before they entered the promised land and is also the celebration of the final agricultural harvest. I believe this will be the next significant spiritual event in the life of the church. It will be the celebration after the second coming of Christ when we celebrate how God provided for us during our time on THIS earth before we enter his promised rest, and also a celebration of the final spiritual harvest.

 

Unfortunately, we don’t have time today to talk about all three of these parties, so we’ll focus on the first one – the Passover/Pesach – Feast of Unleavened Bread.

 

Today, we’re going to discover The Promise of Passover – A Reason to Party!
 
 
 

 

A 30,000 Ft. Review:

 

To understand Passover/Pesach, we need to know how the Israelites came into existence and how they ended up in slavery in Egypt. And we need to know how dark these days were – so fair warning, we are going to touch on the darkness of slavery and what the Egyptians did to the infants and toddlers of the Israelites.

 

But to get there, we’re going to take the next few minutes in a quick 30,000 ft review of scripture.

 

This review is going to go fast, so we can get to the Passover/Exodus story, but we need to do this review so that we can understand the truths we will find in the Passover. We are going to see how the Passover story, foreshadows Jesus’ ultimate mission, and we are going to discover one of the core characteristics of God that’s true in both Old AND New Testaments.

 

Here’s a quick recap of Genesis 1 through Exodus 1:
The book of Genesis details the creation, the rebellion and “fall” in the Garden of Eden, the rebellion that led to the Flood, the rebellion that led to the Tower of Babel, and God’s selection of Abram from out of the “nations” to become, through God’s intervention, a new nation that would bless the rest of the nations by bringing the Messiah who would reverse those rebellions, and restore humans to a right relationship with God.

 

Abram, who was renamed Abraham, fathered Isaac, who fathered Jacob, and God had face-to-face interaction with each of them. God promised each of them that he would bless their offspring and through them he would bless the world. Jacob was renamed Israel and had twelve sons. Joseph was one of those sons, and ten of his brothers, who were jealous of Joseph and contemplating murder, decided to sell Joseph into slavery. Pastor Jerry talked about his story last week. Joseph ended up in Egypt, and through a series of events, orchestrated by God, became the second most powerful person in Egypt. God warned Pharaoh through Joseph that a seven-year-famine was coming, and Egypt, under Joseph’s leadership stored up grain during the next seven fertile years.

 

When the famine came, Egypt survived by using the grain they had stored up. The family of Israel also survived the famine by moving to Egypt.

 

Living In Egypt and Moses

Fast forward 400 years. Israel had been “fruitful and multiplied” greatly (the command given to both Adam and Eve and to Noah) – the land of Egypt became full of Israelites. The new Pharaoh did not remember what Joseph had done. Ethnic and racial divisions were elevated. The Egyptians were afraid of the Israelites and eventually forced them to become slaves. But Israel continued to multiply.

 

Pharaoh then asked the Israelite midwifes to cause the Hebrew women to kill their male babies as they were being born. (Let’s not whitewash this – it was infanticide and there is some indication in the text that it was a command to abort the babies before they were born).

 

The midwives, fearing God, told Pharaoh that by the time they got to the women, the babies had already been born. Israel continued to multiply, so Pharaoh ordered the people of Egypt to throw every male Israelite baby into the Nile River to be killed – a genocide of a whole generation. (This was intentional. Israelite babies and toddlers either drowned or eaten by alligators.)

 

Now, during this time, a young Hebrew baby boy was born, but instead of being killed in the Nile, he was rescued by the daughter of Pharaoh. Though Moses grew up in Pharaoh’s household, he could not escape the ethnic and racial tensions in the culture. Moses, being immature but passionate about justice, killed an Egyptian who was beating an Israelite – and tried to cover up the murder.

 

Moses soon discovered the demand for justice works both ways, and Moses had to flee into the land of Midian. While Moses was in Midian, the Pharaoh whose house Moses grew up in died, and a son took his place and became the new Pharaoh.

Egypt’s Gods

In Egypt these transitions between Pharaohs were serious events. The Pharaoh was considered to be the son or Re (the Sun God) and also the incarnation of Horus (another Egyptian God). As the son of Re, Pharaoh’s job was to maintain the natural order – He was considered the source of all life. When one Pharaoh died, these supernatural duties were transferred to the next in line.

 

Egypt had several other gods as well and they each were supposedly responsible for geographic areas, or specific functions. The control of the Nile River was the job of the god Hapi. Hekhet, the goddess of fertility (she had the head of a frog) was married to Khnum the god who they believed shaped the bodies of humans inside the womb. Hekhet also protected the crocodiles who would control the multiplication of frogs. The god Khepre controlled the flying insects. Apis was one of the sacred bull gods whose job was to provide protection and fertility to the livestock. The goddess Sekhmet was responsible for epidemics, and was thought to be able to heal from plagues. Nut, Shu, and Tefnut were three heavenly deities thought to control the sky and the moisture in the atmosphere. Senehem was the god who was responsible for protection from ravaging pests like locust, and grasshoppers. And these were just a few of the pantheon of Egyptian deities.

 

The Israelites lived in the midst of this culture that worshiped, served, and sacrificed to these gods and goddesses. You need to remember that the stories of how a God in Canaan met with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob were the only connection the Israelites had to a deity of any kind. This was before the covenant at Mt. Sanai. This was before the Ten Commandments. It was before the Levitical priesthood – Israel had no lineage of priests – and there was no sacrificial system established to serve Yahweh.

Like I said, the idea that most people had was that gods and goddesses where either geographically bound (the god of the mountains, the god of the valleys, the god of the sea) or they were bound by their function (the god of thunder and storms, the god of fertility, the god of healing from diseases).

 

This was the culture within which Israel had spent 400 years. This was a culture that despised the Israelites. This was the culture that kept them captive and treated them cruelly. This is the culture that slaughtered their children, and yet the Egyptians could still sleep well at night.

 

The Cry

In Exodus 2:23-25 (NET) we read,
“During that long period of time [while Moses was in Midian] the king of Egypt died, and the Israelites groaned because of the slave labor. They cried out, and their desperate cry – because of their slave labor – went up to God. God heard their groaning, God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob, God saw the Israelites, and God understood.…”

 

Notice that the text says they cried out, but it doesn’t say they cried out to God. It says that God heard their cry. No one had any thought that a Canaanite god would travel to Egypt, let alone have power to DO anything in Egypt once he got there. The Israelites weren’t thinking that way, and neither were the Egyptians. And IF a god could do that, why would he? Pharaoh even said,
“Who is Yahweh, that I should obey his voice and let Israel go? I do not know Yahweh, and moreover, I will not let Israel go.” (Exodus 5:2)

 

Just because the Israelites were the great-great-great-great-grandchildren of three men that Yahweh had talked with in Canaan more than 400 years earlier, doesn’t mean that he would or could intervene, … does it?

 

But God … the God of Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob had made a promise – a covenant – with each of the forefathers. And that promise had something to do with these great-great-great-great-grandchildren.

 

God’s Reply

So, God got Moses’ attention by appearing in a bush that was on fire but wasn’t being consumed. God told Moses to go back to Egypt. God said, “I have heard the cry of my people, and I have seen what the Egyptians are doing to them.” Then God says, “Moses, I’m going to send you to Pharaoh, and you are going to bring my people out of Egypt.”

 

Well, Moses isn’t thrilled about going back to Egypt, and he even has to ask what God’s name was, but eventually Moses agrees after God sends Aaron, his older brother, with him.

Aaron and Moses talk with Pharaoh in Exodus chapter 5 (The Passover events are found in Exodus chapters 5 thru 12.). They ask Pharaoh to let the Israelites go on a three-day journey so that they can worship Yahweh God. Pharaoh objects and tells Moses and Aaron to stop taking the people away from their work. Then Pharaoh orders the people back to work but tells them they have to collect their own straw to make bricks – it would no longer be provided.

 

The people get mad and take it out on Moses and Aaron. Then Moses complains to God and says basically, “I told you that you shouldn’t send me! Look at what’s happened to the people now!”

 

Moving on to Exodus 6 we read where God responded, and this is where we find our memory verse – our weekly promise. This is the Promise of Passover. This is the reason to party!

 

Exodus 6:1-9 (ESV) –
But the LORD said to Moses, “Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh; for with a strong hand he will send them out, and with a strong hand he will drive them out of his land.” [This is actually a play on one of Pharaoh’s other names which means ‘strong arm’]

2 God spoke to Moses and said to him, “I am the LORD. 3 I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, … 4 I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, the land in which they lived as sojourners. 5 Moreover, I have heard the groaning of the people of Israel whom the Egyptians hold as slaves, and I have remembered my covenant. 6 Say therefore to the people of Israel, ‘I am [Yahweh], and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from slavery to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment. 7 I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am [Yahweh] your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. 8 I will bring you into the land that I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. I will give it to you for a possession. I am [Yahweh].’” 9 Moses spoke thus to the people of Israel, but they did not listen to Moses, because of their broken spirit and harsh slavery.

 

This was GREAT NEWS but the children of Israel didn’t listen – because of their broken spirit and harsh slavery. Did you know that sometimes the bondage and brokenness in our lives, make it hard to believe that God WANTS to deliver us? He DOES! Did you know that God WANTS to keep his promise to you, even when you reject him? HE DOES! And Christians: don’t get mad at people who reject God – that’s the time to love them more. The last part of Romans 2:4b reminds us that it is “… God’s kindness [that] leads [us] to repentance.” Broken and enslaved people have a hard time believing God wants to deliver them – but he DOES!

And he won’t give up. He continues to be faithful to his promise – “I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God” – That’s part of his character – it’s who he is. And this is your play of the week! It’s the thirteenth message and the eighth promise as we walk through a year of promises.

 

And here is where Yahweh God begins to go directly at the little-“g” god’s of Egypt using the Plagues. He does this, not only because He wants to deliver Israel from Egyptian enslavement, but He also wants to show that He is not geographically bound, and He wants to dispel this idea that there are other gods who rival Him. He has no rivals; he has no equals. Now and forever, HE is the God who reigns.

 

The Plagues

In the first plague, Yahweh goes after Hapi (the god of the Nile). God tells Moses to strike the water of the Nile and it turns to blood. Hapi is supposed to control the health of the Nile but is revealed as powerless. The Nile turning to blood recalls the lives of the innocent babies and toddlers that were sacrificed in the same river to this Egyptian god.

 

Now the hartumim were there – that’s their Hebrew title. Most translations call them Pharaoh’s magicians, but they were really “chief lector priests.” Lector priests recited spells and rites in temple ceremonies and funerals. Egyptian literature portrays them as wise men who can foresee the future, and who can perform miraculous feats, and possess secret knowledge. They also performed something called the “Opening of the Mouth ceremony” on household idols.

 

(The people in the Ancient Near East who worshiped idols and used household idols understood that the idols themselves were merely wood, or stone, or metal images. But they believed that a god or goddess would only establish a “presence” in the idol once a priest performed an “Opening of the Mouth” ceremony. Until that ceremony was performed, it was just a piece of wood, or stone, or metal.)

 

So, the hartumim, these Egyptian priests of Egyptian gods, were there and they could actually replicate what Moses did to the water (they could turn the water into blood too), but that was a problem. They weren’t reversing what Yahweh did through Moses, they were simply making it worse by echoing what Yahweh did!

 

Anyway, Pharaoh’s heart wasn’t moved and seven days later Yahweh sent the plague of frogs. Frogs were everywhere! In the Nile, on the land, in the cupboards, in the ovens, in the food. This was a direct attack on the deities Hekhet and Khnum. Again, the hartumim were also able to make frogs come out of the Nile but they weren’t reversing what Yahweh did through Moses, they were simply making it worse! And Pharaoh wasn’t moved.

Then God sent the third plague – Gnats. The hartumim – the Egyptian priests – tried to replicate what God did through Moses, but they could not. At this, they told Pharaoh, “The finger of a God is in this!” But Pharaoh wouldn’t listen.

 

After that the fourth plague came – the Flies. But here God began to differentiate. The flies would swarm only the Egyptian houses, and avoid the Israelite houses.

 

Have you ever tried to keep flies out of your house, car, or tent (or your face)? These flies were directed by Yahweh and only impacted the lives of the Egyptians, not the Israelites.

 

These third and fourth plagues were a direct attack on the Egyptian god in charge of flying insects – Khepre. Now, we usually miss that something else happened in these two plagues that caused the hartumim major problems. Because they couldn’t keep the gnats and flies away, these lector priests became ritually unclean. When you are ritually unclean, you cannot perform your duties in the temples or at events like funerals. The worship of all the Egyptian gods came to a standstill, and when people died, the funeral rituals couldn’t be performed.

 

But still, after each plague, Pharaoh would not budge.

 

The fifth plague was an attack on the Egyptian god Apis – it caused the Egyptian livestock to die. Think of that. There is a sudden shortage on hamburger! No bacon! No eggs! But the Israelites lost none of their livestock.

 

The sixth plague – the plague of boils was a direct attack on Sekhmet the Egyptian god thought to control pandemics and healing. At this point the hartumim (these priests of other gods) became totally incapacitated – scripture tells us they could not even stand before Moses. Yet Pharaoh remained defiant.

 

So, Yahweh sent hail like had never been seen before in Egypt. And he warned even the Egyptians, if you value your lives, take your remaining livestock, and any person you care about and find shelter. Any living thing left in the fields will die. Now, some of the Egyptians were becoming believers in the power of Yahweh. Those that did what God suggested saved all that they protected. Those that didn’t believe God lost everything.

 

After this seventh plague, that was a direct attack on belief in the sky deities of Egypt – Nut, Shu, and Tefnut, some people today start to feel sorry for the Egyptians. But remember, these were the people that were holding the Israelites in bondage. These were the slave holders. These were the people who gladly killed Israelite infants and toddlers, and yet God warned them ahead of time to seek shelter.

 

Even when you do horrible things, God doesn’t want you to suffer – he wants to protect you.

The eighth plague targeted Senehem. Massive swarms of locusts were sent to eat every remaining plant and tree that remained in Egypt. There were so many locusts they totally covered the ground and blotted out the sun. But Pharaoh remained defiant.

 

The ninth plague targeted Pharaoh himself, the supposed Son of Re – the Sun God – the greatest god in the Egyptian pantheon of gods. For three days darkness covered Egypt. It was a darkness that could be felt.

 

(By the way, remember the August 2017 solar eclipse? People wore those funny glasses, and used other contraptions to try to get a glimpse of the eclipse. You could actually feel the temperature drop! It got slightly darker, but you could still see the people around you. In April 2024 we will experience another solar eclipse in Indiana.) Let’s get back to Egypt and the ninth plague.

 

For three days darkness covered Egypt. It was a darkness that could be felt. It was so dark that the Bible says they couldn’t see each other. Nobody left their house. Re, the sun god, was not only defeated – nobody was sure that he was ever coming back. Would the Sun God ever mount his chariot and ride from east to west again? This was frightening! But not every place in Egypt was dark. The places where the Israelites lived experienced no darkness.

 

Still Pharaoh refused to release the Israelites, so Yahweh sent one final plague.

 

Now it’s important to see what happens here, especially in this year of promises. In Exodus 11:1-3 (ESV) we read,
“The LORD said to Moses, “Yet one plague more I will bring upon Pharaoh and upon Egypt. Afterward he will let you go from here. When he lets you go, he will drive you away completely. 2 Speak now in the hearing of the people, that they ask, every man of his neighbor and every woman of her neighbor, for silver and gold jewelry.” 3 And the LORD gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover, the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh’s servants and in the sight of the people.”
 
They were commanded to act like champions before the promise was fulfilled!

 

Before they ever fought the last battle, before the last plague even started, Yahweh told the Israelites to take the spoils of victory. Long before midnight, before the cries of mourning were heard throughout Egypt, before the Passover Lamb was slain, God told the Israelites to ask their neighbors for gold and silver jewelry. Before darkness fell on the firstborn in Egypt, Yahweh gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. Moses was no longer the outcast, the troubler. He was now “very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh’s servants AND in the sight of the people.”

The Israelites were acting like Super Bowl champs before time ran out in the fourth quarter. They were standing on God’s promise – I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God. What the people didn’t realize is that God was already providing for them the resources they would need for building the tabernacle – a place where heaven meets earth, a place where God could dwell with his people. This was God’s desire from the beginning of creation.

 

The Passover

God gave them instructions on how to celebrate the Passover Meal. This would become an annual time of remembrance. A teaching tool for every generation to come. Thursday night we will experience a Passover Seder (online) to remember Jesus’ last supper on that first Holy Week. Jews all over the world celebrated Passover at sundown last night.

 

Each family household was to take a one-year-old male lamb (or goat), without blemish, and at twilight they were to kill the lamb. They were to put some of the blood of the lamb on a hyssop plant, and “paint” it on the two doorposts on either side of the door, as well as over the top of the door. The blood of the Passover lamb would protect them.

 

God said in Exodus 12:12-13 (ESV),
“For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am Yahweh the LORD. 13 The blood shall be a sign for you, on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt.”

 

They were to roast the lamb on the fire and eat it all that night. They were to eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. If you couldn’t eat it all, you were to burn what you couldn’t eat before morning.

 

You were to eat the meal with your belt fastened, sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. In other words, be ready to move. Here’s a truth – When God delivers you from bondage – you need to be ready to leave. Don’t hang around that thing that enslaves you – get up and go – embrace your freedom!

 

No one was to go outside until morning. They were told that the Lord was passing through to strike the Egyptians, and when he sees the blood on the two doorposts and over the door Yahweh would protect them and not allow the destroyer to enter the house.

 

Exodus 12:29-32 (ESV) –
“At midnight the LORD struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of the livestock. 30 And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he and all his servants and all the Egyptians. And there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was not a house where someone was not dead. 31 Then he summoned Moses and Aaron by night and said, “Up, go out from among my people, both you and the people of Israel; and go, serve the LORD, as you have said. 32 Take your flocks and your herds, as you have said, and be gone, and bless me also!””
 
 

There’s More to Come

This is how the Exodus began. Ahead of them would lie the wonder of the pillars of fire and cloud. The miracle at the Red Sea. The bitter waters of Marah. The mana and the quail. The water from the rock.

 

They would fight their first battle before they ever got to Mt. Sanai. They would soon experience the thick cloud and the thunder and lightning on top of the mountain. Moses will climb the mountain and return with the Ten Commandments (the Ten Sayings). The Sanai Covenant with Israel will be established. The Nation of Israel will be born from the Children of Israel.

 

But during the Exodus, Yahweh proved faithful to his promise – “I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God” before any of that had happened. God delivered them BEFORE they had a covenant relationship with him.

 

A Loving God Sends The Passover Lamb

And it foreshadowed how God would reveal himself in the New Testament. Jesus Christ would be sacrificed on Passover revealing that he was the true Passover Lamb. His sacrifice is what delivers each of us from the sin that enslaves us. The promise that drove Yahweh to deliver the people of Israel, is the same promise that motivates him to pursue us.

 

You see, the God of the Old Testament is the same God of the New Testament. The promises he made to Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob still hold true for us today. The God who used ten plagues to deliver the great-great-great-great-grandchildren of Israel, is the same loving and compassionate God that wept at Lazarus’s tomb before he raised him from the dead.

 

The New Testament reveals God’s character in the 5th chapter of Romans, starting at verse 6 (ESV):
“For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

 

God took the great-great-great-great-grandchildren of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and said, “I’m going to keep the promise I made to your ancestors.”

 

Before they knew how to worship him properly, before they understood what would be required to make them fit to represent God, before they understood their role as a Kingdom of Priests who were commissioned to restore this whole broken world to a right relationship with its Creator, while they were still in bondage, before they did anything to reach out to him, when they simply cried out because their suffering was too great to bear any longer, this God – Yahweh God said, “I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God. And through you, I’m going to bless the whole world – even the people who would hold you captive and abuse you.

 

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” – John 3:16-17 (ESV)

 

Our Response

Are you in bondage to something or someone? God wants to deliver you, today. You don’t need to get cleaned up to make that decision. You don’t need to know about the covenant or the commands of God. If you have rejected him your whole life, or if you’ve never even heard of him, he can still deliver you today.

 

He’s already done the hard part. God sent his son, to be the Passover Lamb, whose blood will protect you and deliver you. 2 Peter 3:9 (ESV) reads, “The Lord is not slow concerning his promise, as some regard slowness, but is being patient toward you, because he does not wish for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.”

 

Do you want to be delivered? You can do that today! Are you tired of pain and despair? He’s inviting you to the party! Are you ready to place the blood of the Passover Lamb, Jesus Christ, over the door of your life? He offers it free to you – He’s already paid the price. Place yourself on that first Passover night; how will you respond?

 

 

 

After the Response

The God who likes to party, is inviting you to the party. And the more we understand the parties He planned in the Old Testament (like Passover, Pentecost, and Sukkot), the more we’ll understand His unchanging character. There are gems in the Old Testament just waiting to be explored! So don’t unhitch. Dive in!

 

A Party Within A Party

As I close, I want to tell you of one other aspect of the weeklong Passover Celebration that God planned even before the Exodus. The date of Passover is determined by the moon cycles and covers seven consecutive days, but it can start on any day of the week. During the seven days of celebrating the Passover there will always be a Sabbath (a weekly day of celebration). Now, the Sabbath is always on the seventh day of a normal week – Saturday.

 

In Leviticus 23:9-14 we read that something special (a party within a party) was supposed to happen one day after the Sabbath that occurred during Passover. The day after the Saturday Sabbath during Passover – on the first day of the week – they were supposed to begin celebrating the Feast of First Fruits. The celebration of First Fruits marked the first harvest of the year.

 

The Feast of First Fruits would culminate (over the next fifty days) in the next Pilgrimage Feast on the calendar called Pentecost – but that’s a story for another time. But during the seven days of Passover, they were supposed to begin celebrating the First Fruits on the day after the Sabbath day – on the first day of the week.

 

Do you remember what remarkable event happened on the day after the Sabbath during that first holy week? We’ll celebrate that event next Sunday. If you want a hint read 1 Corinthians 15:20.

 
 
 
 

You can listen to the message here:

 

You can watch the message by clicking HERE.

 
 

FOOTNOTES:

 

[1] CBN News, dated May 11, 2018, downloaded on March 8, 2021. “’Christians Need to Unhitch the Old Testament from Their Faith’: Andy Stanley’s Sermon Draws Backlash” https://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/us/2018/may/christians-need-to-unhitch-the-old-testament-from-their-faith-andy-stanleys-sermon-draws-social-media-backlash

[2] https://www.redletterchristians.org/mission-values/ downloaded on March 9, 2021. Under the “About Us” tab.

[3] Bill T. Arnold and David B. Weisberg, “Babel und Bibel und Bias. How anti-Semitism distorted Friedrich Delitzsch’s scholarship” from the Bible Review, February 2002 Volume 18, Issue 1, Source URL (modified on 2015-11-05 20:45): https://www.baslibrary.org/bible-review/18/1/5

 

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Responding to the Presence of Jesus – Week 7

The Unavoidable Consequence of the Presence of God

I love science – creation is so COOL! And the universe that God created contains some very strange and wonderful surprises. One of those surprises is holography.

 

Any Star Wars fans here? Remember the scene from the first (or fourth) movie – A New Hope? “Help me, Obi Wan Kenobi! You’re my only hope.” That was a holographic movie, which exists in the science fiction world of Hollywood, but not quite yet in real life – however, they’re getting closer. What we do have today is holograms – holographic still images.

 

A photograph is a two-dimensional representation of real life, and a hologram is a three-dimensional representation of real life. The photograph looks the same no matter what angle you look at it. The image in a hologram actually appears to rotate three-dimensionally as you change the angle that you look at it.

 

When a photograph is cut in half you only see half of the picture. The cool thing is that when you cut a hologram in half, the whole scene can still be seen in each piece – you just see less of it at one time.

 

In a similar way, the Word of God is like a hologram. The Bible as a whole presents an overarching storyline from Genesis to Revelation. When you look at scripture in smaller chunks, and explore it from different angles, you get a glimpse of the whole story. And whether you know it or not, we’ve been doing that for the last six weeks as we talked about “Responding to the Presence of Jesus!”

 

Let’s do a quick recap …

 

Responding to the Presence of Jesus Series

 
Week 1. The Manifest Presence of God – Matthew 18:20
Matthew 18:15, 20 – “If your brother sins, goI am there with you.”

Exodus 33:12, 14 – “You say to me, ‘Bring up this people!’ But you yourself have not let me know whom you will send with me … ‘My presence will go with you.’”

Isaiah 6:1, 8 – “I saw the Lord … and the train of his robe filled the temple … and the Lord said, ‘Who shall I send?’”

 

Week 2. Truly Follow – Faithfully Obeying the Lord by Loving Others Well – If/Then – Philippians 2:1-5

John 13:34-35 – “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

 

Week 3. The Rule of God’s Peace – Colossians 3:15-17; Philippians 4:7-9

Philippians 4:8-9 – “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9 What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.”

 

Week 4. A Temple of God’s Presence – Living Stones – Royal Priesthood, Chosen Race, Holy Nation, Precious Possession – 1 Peter 2:4-12; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

1 Peter 2:9 – “you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”

 

Week 5. Love is the Source, the Way, and the Motive – 1 Corinthians 12:31

1 John 4:9-12 – “In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.”

 

Week 6. Dressed for God’s Glory – Holiness – Colossians 3:12-17

1 Peter 2:9-10 – “you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”

 

As we look back, we see that every week, when we talked about the presence of God from different perspectives, it always resulted in God sending people to do or say something. Why was that? What is it about the presence of God that results in people going somewhere and doing something?

 

We‘ve touched on one image several times – that God calls us to be a royal priesthood – people who represent God in the world and intercede on the world’s behalf. What might surprise you is that this image – people who represent God in the world – is a thread that runs throughout scripture.

 

Pastor Jerry mentioned last week about the rebellion in Genesis 11 at the Tower of Babel. God divided the nations (Deuteronomy 32:8-9), but He didn’t give up on them (Acts 17:26-27). He immediately chose Abram (Abraham) and supernaturally created a nation of God’s own possession (Genesis 12).

 

Genesis 12:1-3 – Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

 

God promises Abraham that all the nations, the nations He had just divided, will be blessed because of his family. God was going to bless the rest of humanity through Abraham and his descendants. Fast forward to the Exodus, and how God delivered Abraham’s descendants (now called Israel) from Egypt. Three months after God parted the sea and defeated the armies of Egypt they were now at the foot of Mt. Sinai.

 

Exodus 19:3-6 – … The LORD called to [Moses] out of the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the people of Israel: 4 ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. 5 Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; 6 and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel.”

 

God recommissions Israel to go into the chaos and emptiness of the rest of the fallen world and be His representatives to the nations – a kingdom of priests – to bring order and fullness.

 

Unfortunately, this effort (to be a kingdom of priests) stumbles along in fits and starts and, eventually, ends with Israel (now a divided nation) in exile. Now fast-forward to the New Testament. Jesus is beginning his ministry and in Luke chapter 4 we see Jesus standing in the synagogue reading from the book of Isaiah, chapter 61:
 

 

Isaiah 61:1-6 (Luke 4:16-22- Also quoting from Isaiah 42:7; 49:(6) 8, 58:6) –

The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me,

because the LORD has anointed me

to bring good news to the poor;

he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,

to proclaim liberty to the captives,

and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;

2 to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor,

 

 

(But if you read further down in v.6 what do we see?)

 

6 but you shall be called the priests of the LORD;

they shall speak of you as the ministers of our God;

 

Here at the beginning of His ministry, Jesus signals that by the end of His ministry on Earth, there will be a group of people who will be called priests of the Lord – Ministers of our God – accomplishing the will of God “on Earth as it is in Heaven.”

 

Then at his ascension into Heaven three years later he says …Matthew 28:18-20
 
“…All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

 

You might remember in Week 1, Pastor Jerry used this verse to highlight that we “gather to scatter.” Jesus recommissions His people, now identified as the church, to go into the chaos and emptiness of the rest of the fallen world and be His representatives to the nations – a Kingdom of Priests.

 

And ten days later, on the day of Pentecost, Peter quotes from the book of Joel to explain what’s going on.

 

Joel 2:28-29 (Acts 2:17-22) –
 
“And it shall come to pass afterward,

that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh;

your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,

your old men shall dream dreams,

and your young men shall see visions.

29 Even on the male and female servants

in those days I will pour out my Spirit.

 

The Holy Spirit now empowers the people of God so that they can truly be a Kingdom of Priests – representing God in the world – bringing wholeness where there is chaos and fruitfulness where there is barrenness. Look at Paul’s letter to the Galatians:

 

Galatians 3:23-29 – Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. 24 So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. 25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, 26 for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.

 

We are heirs of Abraham according to the promise. What was the promise? That all of the nations of the world would be blessed through his descendants. God wants to bless the world through us! And this thread goes all the way through the rest of scripture into Revelation.

 

Revelation 1:4-6 – John to the seven churches that are in Asia:

Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth.

To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood 6 and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

 

Revelation 5:8-10 – And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9 And they sang a new song, saying,

“Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals,

for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God

from every tribe and language and people and nation,

10 and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God,

and they shall reign on the earth.

 

But we still have a question. Why is this such a big deal to God? Why Is having a Kingdom of Priests so important to God? Let’s go back to the beginning … like “In the beginning …” Genesis chapter 1

 

God’s Original Commission and Creation

v.2 The Earth was, in Hebrew, “tohu wa vohu” – Without Form and Void – wild and waste – unformed and uninhabited – Dark Waters – chaos and emptiness.

 

  1. Day 1 – Light and darkness – Order
  2. Day 2 – Sky – Waters above from Waters below – Order
  3. Day 3 – Land – Waters from Dry Land – Order
  4. Day 4 – Sun, Moon, Stars – Filling
  5. Day 5 – Birds, Fish – Filling
  6. Day 6 – Land Animals – Humans – Filling
  7. Day 7 – Rest – Sabbath

 

The Spirit of God hovers over the chaos of a wild and waste world and brings order and fullness.

 

The Commission

Gen 1:26-28
26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.

27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.

 

God commissions humans to go into the rest of the world and have dominion. This is a word that I’ve struggled with as a Christian, but recently I discovered my struggle was with how I defined dominion. Dominion is a Biblical word that means to bring order and fullness to a world of chaos and emptiness – to be God’s representatives and continue to do what He had done in creation.

 

But there was the fall – a rebellion. But notice, the commission for humanity never changed.

 

There was actually a second rebellion at the beginning of Genesis 6 that we don’t have time to get into this morning, but that brought about the flood. And after the flood …

Gen 9:1, 7And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.

7 And you, be fruitful and multiply, increase greatly on the earth and multiply in it.”

 

God recommissions humans (Noah and his family) to go into the chaos and emptiness of this “newly washed” world and have dominion – bring order and fullness. To be His representatives and continue to do what He had done in creation.

 

It is in God’s response to these two rebellion accounts that we see the Passion of God. What does He want?

 

He Wants To Partner With Us In Accomplishing His Will On Earth

 

When God thought about creating humans, His plan, His perfect will, was to create us to be Stewards of God’s Creation, Bringing Order and Fullness, and Accomplishing God’s Will “On Earth As It Is In Heaven”

 

Even after Sin, even after Rebellion (both in Heaven and on Earth) God’s plan never changed. But to accomplish His initial plan, He now needed a rescue plan.

 

How was God going to accomplish this rescue plan? Here again we can see it in fractals all throughout scripture, but I think it is best seen in this passionate response that God gives in Ezekiel 34:11-12 –

“For thus says the Lord GOD: Behold (LOOK!), I …, I MYSELF will search for my sheep and will seek them out. 12 As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness.”

 

The Rescue Mission of God is to search for His lost sheep – To seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10).

 

And this is where we discover the Two Calls of God that he issues to every individual:

Call #1 – Come & Repent – Why? So that He can Reconcile Us To Himself and Restore Us to the Family – Reconciled and Restored by Grace alone!

 

Call #2 – Go & Represent – Why? So that we can fulfill God’s initial plan, to bring order where there is chaos, and to bring fullness where there is barrenness, AND to partner with God to accomplish His rescue plan, by Recognizing and Living Out Our Identity.

And What Is Our Identity? – Priests in the Kingdom of God Representing Him to the World

 

1 Peter 2:9-10 – “you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”

 

We have seen all throughout this series that The Presence of God in our lives will ALWAYS propel us to be on Mission for God. Why? Because that is His passion.

 

The Holy Spirit was not given to the church just so we could feel good. The Holy Spirit was given to the church to equip us to function as priests in the Kingdom of God Representing Him to the World.

 

Jesus didn’t die to save us so that we could simply sit around and wait to go to Heaven. That was never in the mind or heart of God. That’s a false, self-centered image.

 

Jesus died to save us so that we could join Him in the rescue mission for lost image bearers. Jesus died to save us so that we could partner with Him in bringing order to the chaos we find in the world. Jesus died so that we could partner with Him in bringing fullness where there is barrenness in the world.

 

Remember the quote from C.S. Lewis’ the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe? Mr. Beaver whispers to the children, “They say Aslan is on the move – perhaps has already landed.” Scripture is clear, we serve a God who is continually on the move.

 

Unavoidable Consequence of the Presence of God

 

The Unavoidable Consequence of the Presence of God is that when you attach yourself to God, you attach yourself to someone on the move.

 

The Presence of God is not static . The Presence of God does not just stand still and wait for us to find Him. The God of the universe is in pursuit of you and me and when we finally see that, and embrace Him, we also embrace His ongoing mission.

 

A Christian who does not see themselves as a priest in the Kingdom of God, who is not fully committed to the Passion and Mission of God, is a Christian with spiritual Alzheimer’s. That person has forgotten who she, and who God created her to be. And God is moving on – with or without us – His Passion will not allow Him to stay and coddle us. There are more image bearers that need rescued! The AMAZING thing is that God’s passion is to partner with us in that mission!

The call on your life and my life is the same now as it has always been.

 

Come & Repent, AND then Go & Represent.

 

Our difficulty is that we’ve focused so much on the first part of the call – Come & Repent – that we’ve either forgotten the call to Go & Represent or we were never taught how to do it – And THAT’s a discipleship problem.

 

So, what does Go & Represent look like?
 
Let’s go back to the beginning …

 

A world without the rule of God is “tohu wa vohu” – wild and waste – without form and void – chaos and emptiness. God wants us to see it, and then work to accomplish God’s will “on Earth as it is in Heaven.”

 

Look at your family. Is there wild and waste – chaos and emptiness? What can you do to bring the rule of Christ to your family? What can you do to reduce the chaos and fill the emptiness? Not in a heavy-handed way, but with the Spirit of Christ, operating out of His loving-kindness.

 

Look at your neighborhood. Is it “tohu wa vohu”? You are the temple of the Holy Spirit – where Heaven meets Earth. What can you do to make your neighborhood more like Heaven and less like the chaos we find in the world?

 

In your work responsibilities, have you allowed God to help you establish your priorities in how you accomplish your work? Can you imitate what God did in creation and make a difference, in your workplace or in your coworkers, and step back and say, “This is good!”?

 

Can you look at your world, and find ways to make disciples, teaching them to live and act the way Christ taught us to live and act? Isn’t that the Great Commission?

 

There is a lot wrong with the world – and you are NOT responsible for fixing EVERYTHING. But what are the things you ARE responsible for? Where do YOU have authority? What have YOU been given to steward?

 

If you have already responded to the “Come & Repent call” then you represent God in the world. What does God see when He looks through your eyes? What would God do if He could work through your hands? Where would God go if He could walk in your shoes? How would Jesus pray if He heard what you heard?

 

You are image bearers of the Creator King. You carry the only name that can rescue people from darkness and bring them into His glorious light. You are the temple of God. The Holy Spirit dwells inside you. The Unavoidable Consequence of the Presence of God is that He is on the move. His passion has not changed or diminished from the beginning of creation. God so loved the world that He sent His Son to deliver us from the chaos and emptiness that imprisons us.

 

And the Presence of God in us impels us to Go. To do anything else is to tarnish His image and to bring shame to His name. To refuse to Go, is to desecrate His temple and to quench the Holy Spirit.

 

Come & Repent. Go & Represent. This is the passion and mission of God.

 

If you have not responded to that FIRST call on your life, now is the time to do it – Come & Repent. Be reconciled to God. Be grafted back into the Family. God’s passion is for you to be restored to the position that He designed you to hold – as a priest in the Kingdom of God.

 

If you have responded to the first call, have you heard and responded to the SECOND call? Go & Represent. You are a priest in the Kingdom of God. God’s passion, from the beginning of creation, is to partner with you in transforming the world. He’s given you His Holy Spirit. He has gifted you with Spiritual Gifts. You are the Temple of the Holy Spirit and every place you set your foot is a place where Heaven meets Earth.

 

God is on the move, and He has called you to be part of that adventure! Answer His call this morning.

 

 
 
 

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