WHAT IS THE POINT OF MY LIFE?
(Quote by: Sleeping Beauty)
“These are the feasts of the Lord, holy convocations which you shall proclaim at their appointed times.” Leviticus 23:4
- The feasts are a promo video of prophecy.
- (A promo makes you want to see the movie – gives you just a taster of the whole story…)
- That’s what God did with the feasts: He’s given us a taster of the WHOLE story.
- Through the lenses of the feasts, we see God’s great plan of redemption played out.
- The feasts of the Lord are a SHADOW. Christ is the SUBSTANCE.
- As we celebrate them, our focus must be on our Messiah – not on the traditions of men.
“Let no one judge you by what you eat or drink, or regarding a festival, a New Moon or a Sabbath – which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ.” (Colossians 2:16-17)
PASSOVER – Exodus.
SUBSTANCE – The Groom would tell the Bride, “You are now consecrated to me, by the Law of Moses and I shall not drink from the fruit of the vine, until I drink it with you, in my Father’s house.” Exactly what Jesus said to His disciples in Mathew 26:28
The couple would break bread together – the groom symbolically saying that he has broken himself in 2… so that what is in YOU is also in ME. We are no longer two, but ONE body now.
UN-LEAVENED BREAD – Exodus
SUBSTANCE – “… the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” (Revelation13:8)
WHY?
Because He loves us so much and WANTS to be with us. It was the only way to rescue us from everlasting deadness – which is what sin/virus would do to us.
“And he said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfilment in the kingdom of God.” (Luke 22:15-16)
FIRST FRUITS – A sheaf waved in thanksgiving for the harvest.
SUBSTANCE- “But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first-fruits of those who have fallen asleep.” (1 Corinthians15:20)
“… WE will all be changed— in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.” (1 Corinthians 15:51-52)
PENTECOST – The giving of the Torah/Law at Sinai.
SUBSTANCE -The giving of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2)
Why did He want to give us His Spirit?
LOVE. A gift – a deposit before He went away to prepare the rooms for us. To reassure us He IS coming back for us.
“But you know him, (the Spirit) for he lives with you and will be in you. I (Jesus) will not leave you as orphans; I (Jesus) will come to you. (John 14:15-19)
“And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession – to the praise of his glory.” (Ephesians 1:13-14)
TRUMPETS – used not just at the feast days, but to get people ready – ready to move, ready to fight, or ready for something or someone special to come.
SUBSTANCE- We believe that we are already in the season of the feast of Trumpets.
The very nature of the church is to BE an alarm cry to the world – calling them to repentance. (Acts 1:8, Isaiah 43:10)
FUTURE SUBSTANCE – the rapture.
“…For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.
Therefore, encourage one another with these words.” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18)
(See also 1 Cor 15:50-52, Psalm 27:5, Isaiah 26:20-21, Malachi 3:16-17, Revelation 3:10, 2 Peter 2:9-10, Hebrews 9:28)
ATONEMENT – It was on this day that 2 goats were brought to the temple.
The first goat’s blood atoned for Israel’s sin.
The second was the scape goat. All sins were symbolically placed on its head and it was released into the wilderness to die. Only blood could stay Yahweh’s hand of judgement on a people. It was on this day – only once a year – the high priest could enter the Holy of Holies before Yahweh to seek forgiveness for the sins of Israel.
SUBSTANCE – Jesus has atoned for US through His blood.
“… we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart …” (Hebrews 10:19-22)
FUTURE SUBSTANCE – But what about sin in general? The sin of the nation of Israel?
This will still happen through the Tribulation and finally at the ‘White throne’ judgement – Rev 20:11-15
TABERNACLES – Jesus tabernacled WITH Israel in the desert.
SUBSTANCE – Christ tabernacles IN us through the Holy Spirit.
FUTURE SUBSTANCE – Jesus will tabernacle WITH/AMONGST us during the Millennial kingdom and eventually for eternity in The NEW heaven and NEW earth. (Ezekiel 43:6-7, Zechariah 2:11, Revelation 21)
Why should we celebrate the feasts?
“These are the feasts of the Lord, holy convocations which you shall proclaim at their appointed times.” Leviticus 23:4
- Firstly, these are the feasts of THE LORD. Not Jewish feasts.
- Secondly, the word feasts or moadim (Strong’s H4150) means ‘appointments or specific meeting times.’
It comes from the root word, ya’ad and means ‘to summon, betroth, (to become engaged) fix upon (a date or time.)’
It’s the same word used in Genesis 1:14, “Then God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them serve as signs to mark the seasons (moadim – the appointments, special meeting times) and for days and years…”
From creation, God set up ways to remind us of these divine meeting times.
He WILL show up at these appointments – Will we?
- Thirdly, the word ‘convocations’ is miqra (Strong’s H4744) and means an ‘assembly, a calling’ but also ‘a rehearsal.’
The feasts are rehearsals – Passover, Unleavened bread, first fruits and Pentecost were rehearsals for Jesus’ first coming.
The last 3 feasts – Trumpets, Atonement and Tabernacles will be fulfilled at His second coming.
They ALL point to His eternal plan for mankind and remind us of what he has done – and will still do – for us through His son.
7 times in the year – through His feasts – we have an opportunity to focus on a specific facet of the precious gemstone that is Yahweh.
What is the point of your life – sleeping beauty?
Wake up sleeper… your bridegroom is coming soon.
But it’s not really my culture… so do the feasts apply to me?
YES. In Ephesians 2:12-13, Paul tells the Gentile believers that they are no longer strangers to the covenants and promises that Yahweh gave to the Israelites. The covenant He made at Sinai cannot EVER be revoked and the feasts are part of that covenant.
- God’s Word doesn’t have an expiry date. (Matthew 24:35)
- God’s Word doesn’t change. (Hebrews 13:8)
When we were saved, our citizenship changed. We are now part of the house of Israel, Yahweh’s children and heirs to His kingdom.
(Ephesians 2:19-20 “Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.”)
Romans 11 – We are grafted in to God’s people.
We are saved through FAITH alone in CHRIST alone.
- Romans 5:1-2
- Ephesians 2:8-9
- Hebrews 4:3