THE FEASTS OF ISRAEL POINT TO JESUS (AND REVEAL GODS ORDER OF EVANGELISM) Posted by Pastor Robert Morris Jesus in the Feasts This year Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, begins on September 5th. Then Yom Kippur, also known as the Feast of Atonement begins at sundown on September 13th. Just a few days later, on September 18, the Feast of Tabernacles (or Sukkot) begins. Each one of these feasts and celebrations, along with those that occur at other times of the year such as Passover and Pentecost—were instituted directly by God through Moses roughly 3500 years ago. Jewish people have been keeping these festivals and the traditions that surround them down through all those centuries. But what many never understood is that each observance was filled with foreshadowings and symbols pointing to Jesus—the promised Messiah. Only now, looking back in the light of all Jesus is and all the He did is it clear. He was there all along! Of course, some sincere believers wonder why it should matter to us now . . . now that Jesus has come. They wonder, “What difference does it make?” Here’s my answer: It’s important because when you see how every little detail of these Old Testament festivals—from what the priests wore, to the arrangement of the furnishings in the tabernacle, to what was eaten and when—all points to Jesus, it builds your faith and inspires a healthy awe of God in your life. Think about it. If God can orchestrate, plan and carry out all of that across all those centuries, how much more able is He to accomplish His plans and purposes in your life right now? Of course, God put all of that in place for one reason. The whole elaborate plan of salvation ... that “scarlet thread of redemption that runs through all the Jewish feasts and the whole of the Old Testament ... was about restoring you, me and the rest of mankind to relationship with a loving Father God. ... for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” (Luke 19:10) “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” (John 3:17) “For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.” (1 John 3:8) This is the good news. This is the “gospel.” God Has an Order of I Can Do All Things Through Christ Who Strengthens Me There is another important lesson in all the meticulous details God prescribed for observing the Jewish feasts. It tells us that God has a specific order for things. And He wants that order followed! The High Priest couldn’t just wear anything he wanted when entering the Holy of Holies once-per-year on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur). God specified every last detail of what he was to wear—right down to and including his underwear: Linen turbans shall be on their heads and linen undergarments shall be on their loins; they shall not gird themselves with anything which makes them sweat. (Ezekiel 44:18 NASB) Why was the High Priest not supposed to sweat when ministering in the Holy of Holies on the Day of Atonement? Because sweat was a key part of the curse that came upon mankind when Adam and Eve fell. Remember? Before the curse came, the earth produced abundantly and easily for Adam. But after The Fall the ground became cursed. God delivered the sad news to Adam that from that point on, the earth would only produce food, “By the sweat of your brow ...” (Genesis 3:18-19 NIV) God’s gave explicit instructions for every aspect of the design and construction of the Tabernacle. And His design for the Holy Holies was to re-introduce a little bit of the pre-Fall Garden of Eden to mankind on earth. Before the Fall, we enjoyed face-to-face intimacy with God. We could enjoy sweet fellowship with Him in His life-giving presence. The Holy of Holies was a little zone that represented a down payment on what Jesus would one day restore to everyone willing to receive God’s gift—intimacy and fellowship with God like we had in the Garden! And in the Garden we didn’t have to sweat to make a living. Therefore, no sweating allowed in the Holy of Holies. And therefore only linen underwear could be worn! My point is, God establishes and ordains order for a reason. We may not always know or understand the reason, but we can be sure that it is always about advancing he redemptive plans and purposes in the earth. If God says something should be done in a certain order, He means for us to respect and follow that order. God’s Order of Evangelism Did you know God established an order for the sharing of the good news about salvation in Jesus Christ? He did! Jesus pointed to it when, right before He ascended into heaven, He gave His disciples their final marching orders: “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1:8 NKJV) There is a specific order to the geography Jesus mentions here. He first mentions Jerusalem, King David’s capital and the heart of global Judaism. Then He moves outward from there in concentric rings. The clear implication is that the disciples are to begin their mission of carry the good news to the world with the Jewish people. The Apostle Paul made this abundantly clear in Romans 1:16 when he wrote: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek [Gentile].” (NKJV) Why? Because God used the Jewish people, beginning with Abraham, to be the vehicle through which He would bring the Savior of all mankind into the world. But isn’t enough that God simply said so? That’s enough for me. That why we have always endeavored to respect this God-ordained order of evangelism as a church and as a ministry. We have always given the first of our revenue to God in the form of offerings to other ministries and outreaches. And the first-of-our-first has always gone toward Jewish evangelism. I’m convinced this is a major and under-appreciated key to why we have been so blessed. When you do things in God’s established order, blessing and favor are an unavoidable byproduct. It’s not widely reported but precious Jewish souls are coming to Jesus by the thousands every week. The Holy Spirit is drawing them and opening their eyes to the reality that Jesus was, and IS, the promised Messiah. It’s so fun to be a part of that! Let’s Go We’re never more in tune with the heart and will of God than when we’re helping others meet Jesus. And it’s doubly powerful when we do it in accordance with God’s prescribed order. Jesus said, “Go...” (Matthew 28:19), and we’re going! It is important to me that you know this: Every gift you share with The Blessed Life is used prudently and prayerfully to bring others the good news and balanced, biblical teaching. And the “first of the first” of everything we receive is designated for introducing Jewish people to their Messiah—Jesus. And it’s working!
Posted on: Sat, 01 Feb 2014 14:52:02 +0000
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