Embrace Your Love Feasts

Well, good afternoon, brethren. It’s good to see all of you once again on this Sabbath day.

Let’s begin in the Bible. Turn to the book of Jude. The book of Jude. It’s just before Revelation. It’s a short book. One of the shorter books of the Bible, just one chapter, powerful nonetheless. I guess there’s power in brevity, but we’re going to turn to the book of Jude, and we’ll start reading. Let’s start reading at verse nine. It still cuts in on the thought here, but it’ll be a good place to pick up. So we’ll start at Jude nine. “Yet Michael, the archangel, when contending with the devil, he disputed about the body of Moses. Does not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke you.”

So instead of you have a archangel here, and Michael, he’s contending with another archangel here, the devil. They were disputing about where Moses’ body was, and Michael said, “You know what? I’m not even going to condemn you. I’m going to allow God to do that. Speaks to speaking evil against dignities or against authorities. Even Michael said he wouldn’t do that. So we can all take note of that, but we’ll keep reading here.

Verse ten, “But these speak evil of those things which they know not. But when they know naturally as brute beasts in those things, they corrupt themselves. Woe unto them, for they have gone the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the heir of Balaam for a reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Korah.” Remember that from the Old Testament. Korah stepped up against Moses. Cain, obviously, his track record is plain, and you also have Balaam. So three individuals here who did not fare very well.

But verse twelve, “These,” those who we just spoke about, whether it’s the devil, Cain, Balaam, Korah, “...these are spots in your feasts of charity.” Your feasts of charity. We’ll keep reading the rest of the verse here. “When they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear, clouds they are without water, carried about of winds, trees whose fruit withers, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots.” Verse thirteen, “Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame, wandering stars to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.”

So you think about a water, water just foaming, probably seen it on the beach, or trees that don’t bear any fruit. They’re pretty much useless. But, brethren, we saw an important phrase there that I did emphasize, and we see it in the context of a lot of negativity. But we see this phrase, feasts of charity. Feast of charities. What does that mean? What does that phrase mean?

Now we all know what feasts are. The Bible talks about the feasts, God’s holy days. We all know what feasts are. And we know what charity is as well. Charity is what the Bible calls love. So charity there is ágape or agape. So, this is a particular kind of love. It’s not philia. Think about Philadelphia, that’s brotherly love. Charity is also here. Charity here is not eros. That is romantic love. The love between a husband and a wife. But charity here is agape or agape, that’s the love of God. So why does God choose to use this term, feasts of charity? Or as Strong’s calls it, and we often refer to it in the Church, love feasts.

Now it could seem like a feel-good, sort of poetic phrase, you know, our love feasts, our feasts of charity. But, brethren, this is a specific description that God is using. It becomes a lens or a context for us to see both love and feasts when you put the two of these together. God is tying His feasts to love. And by doing that, He’s actually telling us how we are to approach these feasts. And how we are to show godly love.

Now, brethren, we are entering the fall holy day season. We heard that in the sermonette. We are entering the fall holy day season. We will have multiple opportunities to participate in what God calls love feasts. A wonderful opportunity to do that. We have Trumpets coming, Atonement, the Feast of Tabernacles, the Last Great Day. Multiple opportunities to participate in God’s love feasts. So my goal here today is to help us not to just show up for these feasts, or to just count down the days until they’re over. You know, “Another fall holy day season, okay, let’s go through the motions.” My goal today is for us to take a different approach. I want us to learn how to embrace these love feasts.

Now, to fully embrace these feasts of charity, or love feasts, as I’ll probably use it interchangeably throughout the message, we have to really understand this idea of charity. I’ve talked a little bit about it. But we have to really understand, to get the most out of that phrase, love feasts, we have to understand what godly love really is. Now, the world, of course, we throw around the word love, and, you know, I’m guilty of it too. You know, I loved that movie, or I love chocolate cake, or, you know, you have love stories, and that word love gets thrown around quite a bit in the world. But very few people really know what it means, particularly the love of God.

Turn to First John chapter five. First John chapter five. As we’re going to see, love is far more than just a feeling. Far more than just a feeling that we have. First John chapter five. The Bible is very explicit when it talks about what love is, particularly agape. First John chapter five, we’ll pick it up at the beginning of the chapter. First John chapter five. “Whosoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone that loves Him, loves Him also that is begotten of Him.” So we’re talking about a love for God the Father, as well as a love for Jesus Christ, who’s also, of course, who’s God.

“By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God,” and do what? “...and keep His commandments.” That’s an interesting connection there. Verse three, “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments, and His commandments are not grievous.” Now, when the world thinks of love, even sometimes, brethren, when we think of love, if, you know, we’re not thinking in the context of Scripture, the love of God, “Oh, I love God,” well, the Scripture is saying, “Well, if you love Me,” this is God speaking, “If you love Me, keep My commandments. If you love Me, as the Father, if you love My Son, Jesus Christ, who is begotten, who’s God. If you love Us, keep My commandments.”

Brethren, love is not just a feeling. It’s not sentimental. Love is obedience. Love is obeying God. “If you love Me, if you want to show love toward Me,” God is saying, “obey Me. Do what I’m asking you to do. And guess what? What I’m asking you to do is not burdensome. It’s not hard.” Now, you may say, “Well, are you sure about that? Obeying God is not hard?” Well, it depends on your mindset. Sure, it’s hard if you’re fighting human nature and wanting to do the things that are not the things of God. We are all guilty of that to varying degrees. But God is saying, “My commandments are not grievous. They are good for you. And they are the way to show that you love Me.”

This one verse, brethren, just one verse, should already be starting to shape our view of these love feasts, feasts of charity, God’s holy days. The holy days in and of themselves are acts of love from God toward us. Let that sink in. The holy days, God’s feasts, are acts of love from God toward us as His people. And they’re not meant to be heavy. They’re not meant to be grievous. They’re not meant to feel burdensome. These love feasts, these feasts of charity.

Turn to Romans thirteen. Romans thirteen. Staying here in the New Testament, Romans thirteen, start at verse eight, Romans thirteen, verse eight. Romans thirteen, verse eight, it reads, “Owe no man any thing, but to love one another.” See that word love there again? “For he that loves another has,” done what? “...has fulfilled the law. We’re seeing that connection again.

“For this,” verse nine, “...for this, thou shalt not commit adultery, thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, thou shalt not bear false witness, thou shalt not covet.” What is this from that we’re reading? It’s the Ten Commandments. Okay, well, what is this law that God is referring to here when it says to fulfill the law by loving another? Well, it’s tied to the Ten Commandments. There’s no mystery.

Continuing, “...if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this, saying, namely, That you shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Verse ten, “Love works no ill to his neighbor, therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.” Paul is making the same point as John just made. Love doesn’t break the law. Love fulfills the law. Brethren, if we’re ever in a position where we’re doing something that is outside of what God commands, outside of what God expects, that is not love. That’s not the love of God.

But notice, notice, Paul added another element. We’ve been talking about love toward God. He added another element, other people. Loving other people. He tied in both. So to fulfill this law, we have to love God and we have to love other people. Love works no ill to his neighbor. This means thinking beyond ourselves, not being selfish when it comes to love. Sure, it’s good to love yourself, should love yourself. The opposite is hating yourself. No one would want to do that. Of course, you should love yourself. But we have to think outside of ourself. We have to think of others.

And this really perfectly sets up the other element of godly love. Matthew twenty-two. Matthew twenty-two. It sets up perfectly this other element of godly love. Remember, we’re tying together love and God’s feasts. Matthew twenty-two, verse thirty-seven. Matthew twenty-two, verse thirty-seven, it says, “Jesus said unto him, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.”

We are to pour ourselves, our whole selves, into loving God. “This is the first and great commandment. And the second…” the second commandment, we just read about the first, “…the second one is like it. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the law and prophets.” This book, that book on your lap, this book that’s here on the lectern and that I’m reading from is made up of the law and prophets. The Bible’s broken out into the law and prophets.

Christ is saying that this entire book, His plan, which contains God’s plan, God’s mind, how God thinks, our future, how people will be punished, how people will be rewarded, God’s entire plan hangs on those two commandments, love of God and love of neighbor. Two pillars, in fact. God calls them pillars. The entire structure of God’s plan is held up by these two pillars. Love for God, love for neighbor. The other important element of godly love is outgoing concern for others.

So there’s keeping God’s commandments, and there’s outgoing concern for others. That’s love. That’s godly love. And this outgoing concern, brethren, is not optional. It’s a commandment. We are commanded to have this outgoing concern. We should already be beginning to see this crucial tie-in, this crucial connection when we talk about feasts of charity, love feasts.

First Corinthians thirteen. First Corinthians thirteen. We’re already seeing that these feasts are about not only obedience, but also outgoing concern. First Corinthians thirteen. This is the love chapter. First Corinthians thirteen. And we’re going to read several things here, familiar verses, but I want you to see them through this context of the holy days, God’s feasts.

For instance, think about the Feast of Tabernacles. As we read this, I want you to think about the Feast of Tabernacles. Think about the services and attending services. Think about or picture the fellowship that we’re going to have. Picture those long conversations that go on into the evening, having this fellowship with people maybe we haven’t seen since the last feast. People from different parts of the country, different parts of the world. Picture that waiter messing up your order in the restaurant.

“Okay, I was all aboard this godly love thing until he burned my steak. I paid a lot of money for that steak.” Uh-oh, where’s the love of God? Think about long lines. As we’re going to read this, think about the long lines at the airport or that long stretch of traffic as you’re driving to your site. And as you picture all that, and as I get ready to read here, I want you to ask yourself, are you willing to bring the following kind of love to and during what I just gave you, an example of the Feast of Tabernacles?

First Corinthians thirteen, verse four. First Corinthians thirteen, verse four, “Charity or love suffers long.” And within that long suffering, it’s kind. “Charity envies not. Charity vaunts not itself. It’s not puffed up.” “I have a pocket full of second tithe. I’m spending my hard-earned money here. You’re supposed to serve me and do it just the way I asked you to do it.” Oh. Or, “This member offended me. They said something that I didn’t like, and I have an attitude about it.” That’s not the type of the love of God we’re reading about.

Verse five, “It does not,” referring to charity, “...does not behave itself unseemly, seeks not her own, is not easily provoked, thinks no evil.” Should I have that third shot of whiskey? God says to rejoice. Well, if you can’t handle that and that’s not your norm, brethren, we shouldn’t be drunk and misbehaving at any time, let alone at God’s feast, His feast of charity.

Verse six, “Love rejoices not in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things. It believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Charity never fails.” It’s always there. It never fails. Brethren, this is the love. This is the mindset, the conduct we must bring not only to the Feast of Tabernacles, but to all of God’s feasts, all the feasts that occur in a given year, beginning with the spring and, of course, wrapping up with the fall.

Notice verse eight, “Love never fails.” Love should always be there, no matter the circumstances. Obedience and outgoing concern should always be there, no matter the circumstances. May seem like a tall order, but, brethren, that’s godly love. It’s obedience and outgoing concern. And of course, because God is love, we know the verses, He will display love toward us as His children.

The feasts and their meaning are a prime example of this. The holy days themselves are built on the love of God. They are what God’s love looks like in practice. The feasts are what God’s love looks like in practice. Each feast pictures a different part of God’s plan. And God’s plan shows love toward His creation. Each feast are detailed examples of this love. The holy days, God’s feasts, are not just events on a calendar. They are expressions of this love that God has for us. It is love in action.

The feasts, brethren, as we know, and as we’re reminded of every year, and God commands us to rehearse and go through every year, all God’s feasts, they are a part of His plan to save the world, to reproduce Himself. They encapsulate what God is doing, step by step, and this love, this plan, drives God in His thinking, in the way that He treats us. It’s motivated... that plan is motivated entirely by outgoing concern for others.

Turn to Leviticus twenty-three. Leviticus twenty-three. We’re going to look at how the Bible shows God’s love through His holy days. Leviticus twenty-three. It’s the holy day chapter. It’s good to mark it, and it does a great job of summarizing the holy days, God’s feasts. Leviticus twenty-three. This is... brethren, we’re going to read... this is a master list. Use the term. A master list of God’s holy days, Leviticus twenty-three. Every annual feast, and as we’re going to see, weekly Sabbath, is laid out here as a feast, and they’re all laid out in order.

Let’s start at the beginning of the chapter, Leviticus twenty-three, verse one, “And the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them concerning the feasts of the Lord.” So there’s no mystery here, what we’re talking about. God is saying, “Moses, I want you to talk to My children,” “...talk to the children of Israel concerning the feasts of the Lord, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations to gather. My people are to gather on these days. Even these are,” what? “...my feasts.” Now, if you caught it, throughout the message, I’ve been saying God’s feasts, these are God’s feasts. Well, this is where I’m getting it from.

God is saying, “These are My feasts. They belong to Me.” These are not Jewish holidays. These are not optional traditions. These are God’s commanded feasts, specifically commanded assemblies, holy convocations where two come together on these days as God commands. And since, once again, because God is love and these are His feasts, the feasts themselves are going to be examples of love. Love feasts. God is love. “These are My feasts.” It’s all connected. It’s all connected. These feasts reflect God’s character, His plan, and His concern for mankind. That’s what the feasts are meant to do.

Verse three, “Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of rest, a holy convocation.” We are to come together on the Sabbath, brethren. “And you shall do no work therein. It is the Sabbath of the Lord in all your dwellings. These are the feasts of the Lord, even holy convocations, which you shall proclaim in their seasons.” Brethren, I know this. I know it because, you know, I’ve been in the church long enough and heard it said that the weekly Sabbath is a feast. But even sometimes I forget that.

You think about the feast, okay, yes, the feast, you got spring, Passover, or the Days of Unleavened Bread, you have Pentecost, I already mentioned, Trumpets, just going down the list, but sometimes we can forget that every Sabbath is a feast. Every six days, after six days pass, or every seven days, we come together for a feast. It pictures... God’s weekly Sabbath, a feast, pictures God’s eternal rest. It is a weekly opportunity to show love and outgoing concern toward God.

God gives us that love and outgoing concern by commanding us to rest from all of our work. We can rejuvenate. We can recharge our batteries. We can come together with other brethren. That is a gift from God. That is a form of outgoing concern from God on a weekly basis. But this is a chance for all of us, as His people, to come together and display this love that I’ve been speaking about, and it is commanded. The Sabbath is commanded. That’s tied to the love of God. And the Sabbath is an opportunity for us to show outgoing concern toward others. That’s also tied to the love of God.

Never forget that the weekly Sabbath is a feast. And if you do forget, just go back to Leviticus and read it. Leviticus four, “These are the feasts of the Lord, holy convocations, which you shall proclaim in their seasons. In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is the Lord’s Passover.” So we see here Passover is another feast, and Passover, you have Passover night, of course, and you have the days of unleavened bread. That’s all called Passover.

And what does Passover picture? It pictures Christ’s sacrifice and the putting away of sin. That is an act of love from God. Because we have a Savior in Jesus Christ, our sins can be forgiven, and we have an opportunity to connect with God our Father. Iniquity has separated us from the love... from God, but because of Christ’s sacrifice, because He shed His blood, it wiped the slate clean. We can now, once again, have contact with God.

When we sin, not if, when we sin, we have the opportunity to repent and ask God for forgiveness in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ. Once again, we can have connection with God. That’s all represented by the Passover. That’s Godly love. We take the symbols, which is commanded, we put out leaven from our dwellings, from our spaces, all commanded, and all an act of outgoing concern from God Himself.

Verse fifteen, still here in Leviticus twenty-three, verse fifteen, “And you shall count unto you the morrow after the sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering, seven sabbaths shall be complete, even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath, you shall number fifty days, and you shall offer a new meat offering unto the Lord.” Brethren, that’s Pentecost. Pentecost. Pentecost means count fifty. We just read there seven weeks and count fifty days after the morrow, the sabbath during the days of unleavened bread brings us to Pentecost.

Pentecost points to the first fruits of God’s plan. God’s plan unfolds in stages, and the first fruits represents the first stage of God reproducing Himself. Brethren, we are first fruits. We are first fruits. God is reproducing Himself. That is an act of godly love. And He’s reproducing Himself through His people to go on to help others. It’s the days of... that’s the day of Pentecost. Then there’s the fall holy days, which that’s the season that we’re entering.

Verse twenty-four, Leviticus twenty-three, “Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, the new moon, shall you have a sabbath, a memorial of the blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation.” Verse twenty-seven, what’s next after trumpets? “And on this tenth day of this seventh month, there shall be a day of atonement. It shall be a holy convocation.” Once again, we come together, “...and you shall afflict your souls and offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord. And you shall do no work in that day, in that same day, for it is a day of atonement, to make an atonement for you before the Lord your God.” So that’s Atonement.

Verse thirty-four. Leviticus twenty-three, thirty-four, “Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be a Feast of Tabernacles for seven days unto the Lord. On the first day,” verse thirty-five, “shall be a holy convocation. You shall do no servile work therein. Seven days, you shall offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord. On the eighth day shall be a holy convocation unto you, and you shall offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord. It is a solemn assembly, and you shall do no servile work therein.” We just read about the Feast of Tabernacles and the Last Great Day.

Brethren, these holy days that we read about, they don’t just exist. God is not just doing them for no reason, because He just needed something to do. These holy days are important. They teach us. They illustrate many things to us, as I said, in God’s plan. They are object lessons. People learn through examples. We all learn through analogies and examples, and things are tied together so we can truly understand. The holy days do that. They’re object lessons in how God is working out His plan for His creation.

Brethren, when we keep these feasts and we bring the love of God to these feasts, when we attend and prepare and serve and do all the things that God expects us, we are actually taking part in this plan. Yes, a lot of the things that are illustrated by the holy days are for the future, but many, many of them are for our time now. By participating in God’s feast, we are actually participating in His plan. It’s happening now. It’s not just something off in the future. It’s happening now. Brethren, we have to be in the moment.

When we keep these feasts and we bring godly love to them, we’re saying, “God, I agree with You. I agree with Your plan. I love what You love. I will obey what You command.” Brethren, don’t just attend God’s feasts, embrace them. You know what an embrace is? You hug and you embrace and you squeeze to show that affection, that godly affection when it comes to the holy days.

Think about going to a wedding. Someone’s getting married and maybe a family member or a friend. Being invited to the wedding and someone you care about, would you show up late? Would you just wear anything? Come in sloppy? Would you talk during the ceremony? Be disruptive? Of course not. Of course not. You’d come prepared. You’d be respectful. You’d be joyful. Because why? It’s a celebration of love. That’s what a wedding is. It’s a celebration of love. In this case, Eros, love, but it’s a celebration of love and God’s plan for the family.

But brethren, I use that analogy, that’s exactly how we should treat God’s holy days. Come for the fun. Come for the fellowship. Be joyful. The food. All of those things, but also don’t miss out on the spiritual purpose of those feasts. Don’t miss out on that spiritual purpose because they certainly have a purpose. These are God’s feasts. Feasts of charity. They’re not just another event.

Now, I spoke specifically, as we went through, about the spring holy days and how each one shows the love of God. You notice I just talked about Trumpets and I talked about Atonement and talked about the Feast of Tabernacles and the Last Great Day. I didn’t really get into the details of that, but I did that on purpose so I could spend some time on those. We’re coming into the fall holy days. It’s meet and do season, and I want us to appreciate the time we’re coming into. We’ve obviously talked a lot about the love of God and what it means, obedience and outgoing concern and a little about the feasts and the importance of them, but like I did for the spring, I want to really, really zoom in on the Fall Holy Days.

Now, as I read earlier for trumpets, it’s the new moon of Tishrei. We all know what new moons and we see those obviously in a different light now, but Trumpets is a new moon and it’s a new moon of the seventh month of Tishrei. It’s called a memorial of the blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation, as we read. A memorial of the blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation. We’re supposed to gather very soon here in a handful of days. We’re going to do just that. We’re going to gather on the new moon of Tishrei, otherwise known as Trumpets. Now, trumpets represent victory and overcoming.

Turn to Revelation chapter eleven. Revelation chapter eleven. Trumpets represents victory and overcoming. We’re talking about how the holy days, God’s feasts are displays of His love toward us as His people, and they’re a part of His plan working with mankind. Revelation eleven. Revelation eleven, verse fifteen. Revelation eleven, fifteen, “And the seventh angel or messenger sounded.” Now, if you were coming into this and having no context, so what does that mean? The seventh messenger or angel sounded. What does it mean, sounded?

Keep your hand there and go to Revelation eight. I’m sure we know this, but I think it’s good to read it. Revelation eight, we’ll pick it up at the beginning of the chapter. Revelation eight verse one, “And when He had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour. And I saw the seven messengers or angels which stood before God, and to them were given seven trumpets.” So each of these messengers has a trumpet. Verse six, drop down to verse six, “And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.” To blow the trumpet.

Now go back to where we were in Revelation eleven. Back to Revelation eleven, verse fifteen, “And the seventh angel blew his trumpet.” He sounded. “...and there were great voices in heaven saying...” so this trumpet being blown is signifying something. It says here, “...The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ.” So the Father and Christ are both being referred to here. “...The kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever.” Trumpets, pictures God claiming victory over all the kingdoms of this world and establishing His kingdom, the kingdom of God. God’s kingdom being established.

God’s victory will end war, it will end rebellion, and it will establish justice. God will overcome the God of this world and establish His government. That’s what trumpets is tied to. The feast of trumpets is a day of victory, a day of overcoming, a day of final deliverance. You might ask, “Okay, how does trumpets reveal the love of God?” We just read it. God does not leave the world in chaos forever.

We could sometimes wonder, “Father, when will You return? When will You come and fix this world? When will You claim victory? When will this verse that we just read about finally come to pass?” Well, brethren, it will come. God will intervene, and that is an ultimate act of outgoing concern and love. The Father in Christ’s return is the ultimate act of protection and hope for this world which is currently suffering, the people in it who are suffering.

What about the day of Atonement observed nine days later? How does Atonement fit into all of this? Well, technically, Atonement is not what we would call a feast day. I think that’s kind of rubbing it in. You know, we’ve been fasting. Atonement will be fasting. We’ll be very hungry. “Oh, this is a great feast day.” Well, not quite. Not quite. So Atonement is not what you would call “a feast day”.

Of course, it was still listed with God’s feast, but it’s not technically referred to as a feast day in terms of food and all of that. But it does say here, and as we saw in Leviticus twenty-seven, you’ll remember, it called it a day where we afflict our souls, which means to fast. So we go twenty-four hours without food and water, and we don’t... of course, we do not work. There’s no need to do any work, just because now we’re not preparing food as we would on a typical holy day.

So the day of Atonement wouldn’t technically be a feast day, but of course, it’s no less significant. Stay here in Revelation. Go to Revelation twenty. Revelation twenty. Yes, it’s not a feast day, but the day itself is no less significant. Revelation twenty, verse one, “And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the devil and Satan,” so we know who we’re talking about here.

“...and bound him a thousand years, and cast him into the bottomless pit,” which is death, “...and shut him up and set a seal upon him that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years should be fulfilled. And after that, he must be loosed a little season.” So Satan will be brought back, but he’ll be cast into the bottomless pit and no longer a problem for a thousand years.

Satan, the great deceiver, is removed for a thousand years. Atonement, brethren, Atonement is a great reset of the world. Think about a world where Satan is not there and, in the way, and impeding progress, tempting people, causing strife between governments, within families. Think about a time where Satan is no longer there in the way as an obstacle doing that. As a result of that, mankind can finally be at one. You think about Atonement, how it’s spelled. It could be... mankind can finally be at one with God.

How does Atonement reveal God’s love for His people? Well, He’s removing the god of this world. He’s removing Satan and all of that junk and the evil and wickedness that he brings. Satan is a liar. He is a killer. And it’s scriptures say he was a murderer from the beginning. And this lying killer, Satan, is too powerful for us to face on our own. Brethren, we cannot face this being and deal with this being, Satan the devil, on our own. We need God’s help.

And God does intervene on behalf of His people. He does protect us from the God of this world who wouldn’t want nothing more than to destroy God’s people and therefore destroy God’s plan. Brethren, who knows how many angels are around us? Who knows how many times God has intervened on behalf of His people, keeping us away from dangers that Satan would love for us to get involved in.

But what Atonement is saying, instead of God doing this on an ongoing basis for His people, He’s removing Satan off the scene for the entire world. That is an act of love. With Satan out of the way, mankind can finally worship God without Satan getting in the way. God does not want anyone to perish. So what does He do? He removes deception, religious deception, and other types of deception. He removes all that. Then the world finally has the opportunity to understand and ultimately repent. While Atonement is not a feast, it’s not a feast. What does it do? It sets up the great feast.

The next holy day we’re going to talk about. The longest feast of the season. That’s the Feast of Tabernacles. The Feast of Tabernacles. We saw in Leviticus, we talk about the feast and lay it out. We saw that Leviticus commands us to dwell in booths for seven days. So we are to travel and dwell in booths for seven days. As we begin to lay out this holy day and how it is an act of love from God, God is giving us time away from our normal lives to be taught, to be refreshed, and to be encouraged.

See the Feast of Tabernacles that way. Sometimes we’ll say it’s God’s vacation plan. And it is. It is. But notice I said God’s vacation. Yes, we may plan our own vacations, and we have the right to do that. If it’s our vacation, you can plan it, and I want to do this, I want to do that, I want to go here, I want to go there. I want to spend time over here and spend time over there. But the feast is God’s vacation. His plan, His vacation plan for His people. So, of course, He dictates the terms of what it looks like.

But back to this idea of a tabernacle, a booth is a tabernacle. That’s why it’s called the Feast of Tabernacles. It’s also referred to, this holy day, the seven days, is referred to as Feast of Booths. Feast of Booths. And no, we don’t stay in booths made out of branches. Over the decades, some have stayed in tents and other such things. But, brethren, we stay in hotel rooms. These are temporary dwellings.

Living in a temporary dwelling does a lot of things. First of all, it reminds us that we’re physical, that life is temporary. It’s temporary. And God ultimately wants us to have eternal life. So we go from a temporary physical existence to an eternal spiritual existence. God is training us in His feast, with this particular feast, He’s training us to think beyond today, to think beyond the things that are in front of us, to be future-focused, to be eternal-focused, to think about our permanent future in His kingdom, a kingdom that will last for all eternity.

That’s why we focus on the kingdom so much at the feast. You’ll notice the messages are about the kingdom of God, whether it’s how to get there, what it’ll look like, how the whole world will be able to experience what we get to experience today, the blessings that God pours out. God pulls us out of the world, out of our normal routines for seven days, and that in and of itself is an act of love. There’ll be many problems that we’ll be leaving behind when we go to the Feast of Tabernacles, and they’ll be there when we get back. But for those seven days, God is pulling us out of that, bringing us among His people, exposing us to many messages, exposing us to an amazing amount of fellowship.

Turn to Deuteronomy fourteen. Deuteronomy fourteen. God packs a whole, whole lot into the Feast of Tabernacles. Deuteronomy fourteen, verse twenty-two. Deuteronomy fourteen, verse twenty-two. Deuteronomy fourteen, verse twenty-two. It says, “You shall truly tithe all the increase of your seed, and the field brings forth year by year.” Now, we heard in the sermonette about the first tithe, but as we’re going to see, based on what this tithe is used for, this is clearly not first tithe. It’s second tithe.

Verse twenty-three, “And you shall eat before the Lord your God in the place which He shall choose,” so God’s feast sites all represent places that He chose. Well, how does that work? Well, God, through His government, led His government, the leaders in His government, to choose these various feast sites, all places where God has placed His name. Back to the verse.

“...in the place which He shall choose to place His name there, the tithe of your corn and of your wine and of your oil, and the firstling of your herds and of your flocks.” And here’s the key. “...that you may learn to fear the Lord your God always.” So a big, big important way that God shows His love toward us is to teaching us to learn how to fear Him. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Brethren, we must have a reverence and a fear, a reverence and a fear for God. Not phobeō, where we’re scared of God, but no, we fear Him, we revere Him, we are concerned when we disobey Him of the consequences.

Staying here at Deuteronomy, go to Deuteronomy thirty-one. Deuteronomy thirty-one, verse ten, Deuteronomy thirty-one, verse ten. “And Moses commanded them, saying, At the end of every seven years, in the solemnity of the year of release, in the Feast of Tabernacles,” read this verse... heard this verse recently in the series. “...when all Israel’s come to appear before the Lord your God in the place which He shall choose, you shall read this law before all Israel in their hearing.

Gather the people together, men and women and children and stranger,” so this is everybody, “...that is within your gates, that they may hear and that they may learn and fear the Lord your God and observe to do all the words of His law. And that their children, which have not known anything, may hear and learn to fear the Lord your God as long as they live, whether in the land, whether you go over the Jordan to possess it.”

Brethren, we’re seeing here that everyone is to learn to fear God. Everyone. The stranger, men, women, children, everyone is invited, everyone is included. God loves everyone. He’s working through His people, Israel, and He’s doing that to eventually help everyone. God loves everyone. These are all things, brethren, that get reinforced at the feast. When we’re out at the feast and we have ten percent of our income, that’s an opportunity for us to also show love toward everyone, the stranger, men, women, children, those outside of membership in God’s church. Our chance to show love toward all those folks. We have seven days to do that.

But what about the eighth day? What about the eighth day? The Last Great Day. We saw in Leviticus it was referred to as the eighth day. Seven days are the Feast of Tabernacles, but a separate feast is the Last Great Day. Now, one could argue that the Last Great Day, with perhaps the exception of Passover when God sacrificed His Son, one could argue that the greatest act of love from God is represented by the Last Great Day. Why do I say this? John seven. John chapter seven. Why do I say, arguably, the Last Great Day is the greatest example of the love of God? With, again, the exception of Passover, and it’s just a perspective, an opinion. The Bible doesn’t rank the holy days.

John seven. Why do I say that the Last Great Day is arguably the greatest act of love from God toward mankind? John seven, verse thirty-seven. John seven, thirty-seven. This is Christ speaking. “In the last day, that great day of the feast,” so referring to the Last Great Day, of course, “...Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto Me and drink.” I’m going to repeat it. “If any man thirst, let him come unto Me and drink.” God will make His Spirit available to all mankind, not just those that He’s calling in this age. Notice it says here, any man. If any man thirst. We all thirst. If we’re human, we all thirst.

God is saying, if any man thirst, which he will, now you have an opportunity to come and drink. This means that everyone, any man, our family members, our coworkers, our neighbors, our friends, our enemies, hopefully we don’t have too many of those, anyone, everyone will have an opportunity to experience the same thing, brethren, that we get to experience.

Verse thirty-eight, “He that believes on Me, as the scripture has said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. But this spoke He of the Spirit, which they that believe on Him should receive. For the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because that Jesus was not yet glorified.” That man who’s thirsty, God is not just going to give him a glass of water. Out of his belly shall flow rivers of water. That is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will be available to any man.

That’s why I say, arguably, with the exception of Passover, you had to have the forgiveness of sin for any of that to even be possible. We saw there Christ had to die. We saw there in the context. But any man having the opportunity to have access to the Spirit of God, it’s available, and it’s tied to the Last Great Day. Brother, that is a phenomenal, phenomenal thing. And it’s represented by the Last Great Day.

What else does the Last Great Day represent? It represents a mass resurrection. Go to Ezekiel thirty-seven. Let’s picture what this looks like. You know, you think about a resurrection, and the Bible talks about it in detail. We’ll talk about a resurrection, you know, as we’re thinking about scriptures or studying. But it’s interesting to just get an example of what it’ll look like. Ezekiel thirty-seven. What will this mass resurrection look like? Let’s read about the Valley of Dry Bones. Ezekiel thirty-seven.

Ezekiel chapter thirty-seven, we’ll pick it up at the beginning. “The hand of the Lord was upon me and He carried me out in the Spirit of the Lord and sent me down in the midst of the valley, which was full of dry bones.” So think about this valley. Sure, if there were dry bones, it was a dry valley. “...And He caused me to pass by them round about and behold, there were many in the open valley and, lo, there was very dry.” So we saw a dry valley. “And He said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live?”

So you think about a cemetery, a place full of bones, and you get this question, “Can these bones live?” Not, “Did these bones live?” No. Can they live? Can they live once again? It’s an amazing question. “And I answered, ‘O Lord, you know.’” So that’s a political answer, maybe. “You know.” “I don’t know. You know.” “And again, He said unto me, prophesy upon these bones.” Verse four. “And He said unto me, ‘O you dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.’ Thus says the Lord God unto these bones, ‘Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you and you shall live.’ So yes, you lived, you were born, you lived, you died, you became bones, but you’re going to live again.”

Verse six. “And I will lay sinews upon you, and I will bring flesh upon you and cover you with skin and breathe in you and you shall live and you shall know that I am the Lord.” Only God could do that. You bring a person back to life, that person comes back and realizes that they died and now they’re alive, you shall know that I am the Lord your God who did that. Verse seven. “So I prophesied as I was commanded, and as I prophesied, there was a noise and behold a shaking and the bones came together, bone to his bones.” So you got these scattered bones now all coming together, reconnecting.

“And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came upon them, and the skin covered them above, and there was no breath in them.” So now you have these bodies that were scattered bones, now have sinew and flesh and skin once again. You know, we think about a resurrection, a mass resurrection, but we don’t always necessarily think about what it’ll look like. We’re getting a description of what it’ll look like. We’re talking about the Last Great Day and how it shows the love of God.

“And He said unto me,” verse nine, “prophesy unto the wind...” So we have these, essentially, these cadavers, these bodies that are back. Verse nine, “He said, prophesy unto the wind, prophesy son of man and say to the wind, ‘Thus says the Lord God, come from the four winds, O breath and breathe upon these slain that they may live.’ So I prophesied as He commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived and stood up upon their feet and exceeding great army.” Wow, wow, wow. And lest it be a naked army, which I don’t think that was the case. God even had clothes on them, generated clothes on them.

“Then He said unto me, ‘Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Behold, they say our bones are dried and our hope is lost. We are cut off for our parts. Therefore, prophesy and say unto them, thus says the Lord God, behold, O my people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up out of your graves and bring you into the land of Israel. And you shall know that I am the Lord when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves, and shall put my spirit in you, and you shall live, and I shall place you in your own land. Then shall you know that I am the Lord, I the Lord have spoken it and performed it, says the Lord.’”

Brethren, a mass resurrection, just like God formed man in the Garden of Eden and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, God will connect all of these bones. We just had here about the house of Israel, but this is going to happen on a mass scale. God is going to collect all the bones of those who have ever lived, put flesh and skin back on them and breathe life into them, and give them His spirit. Along with all of those who are alive, as Christ said, any man will have access to, again, God’s spirit. This reveals God’s love. The Last Great Day clearly shows and clearly connects to God’s love. His outgoing concern for all mankind.

Billions who never knew who God was, who maybe worshiped false gods or maybe were atheists, who never understood, will finally, finally have an opportunity or a chance to know God with His spirit and without Satan impeding them. That’s love on a scale, brethren, that we can hardly imagine. It’s hard to imagine it because we know this world. Brethren, the holy days are not just days on a calendar. They are powerful pictures of God’s love toward us, His people. From victory to cleansing in the spring, victory over sin, cleaning sin out of our lives, to rejoicing at the feast, fearing God. The feasts show who God is and what He wants for us. But we need to ask, brethren, we need to ask, what does God want from us?

He’s showing His love toward us, but what about our love toward Him? Remember, we read about those two great commandments, those two pillars, to love God and to love neighbor. How does that tie into the feast? What is our part? What part do we have to play? Just like the feasts are great times, great opportunities for God to show His love toward us, it’s just as much an opportunity for us to show our love toward Him and others, the part we have to play. This is always the fun part of the sermon, the fun part of the message. What do we get to do?

We’re looking at all these wonderful things God has done for us. What do we get to do? Second Corinthians, thirteen, brethren, the best way to display love for God and others during the feast is to start ahead of time. It isn’t something you exclusively do at the feast or during these various feasts. You start ahead of time. Second Corinthians, thirteen. First Corinthians, thirteen, is the love chapter. Now we’re in Second Corinthians, thirteen. Second Corinthians, chapter thirteen, verse five. Second Corinthians, chapter thirteen, verse five.

“Examine yourselves, whether you be in the faith. Prove your own selves. Know you not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except you be reprobates.” It says there to examine yourselves, whether you be in the faith. Prove your own selves. We often think about examination before Passover, and that, of course, is a feast, and we should do that, but examination is not exclusive to the Passover feast. Any of God’s feasts, as any of God’s feasts approach, we should examine ourselves whether we be in the faith. Will we be at the feasts, at these various feasts? What is our mindset?

If we want to get the most out of these feasts, we have to think about it ahead of time. We have to look inward. We have to examine ourselves, as it says here, whether you be in the faith. Examine myself. “Am I just going to the feast because God said to be there, or am I just going to the feast because if I don’t go, the minister is going to ask me why I wasn’t there, and then now I can’t be a member in God’s church? So you know what? I’m just going to go to these various feasts,” or any of God’s feasts.

In other words, are we going out of obligation? Brethren, we should ask ourselves, “Well, why am I going to the feast? Why am I participating in Trumpets?” And we understand Atonement. “Why am I fasting on Atonement? Why am I going to the Feast of Tabernacles and remaining at the feast site through the Last Great Day, not leaving early? Why am I doing that? Am I spiritually ready for this? What do I need to change in myself before I participate in God’s love feasts?”

Brethren, when we approach the feasts, God’s feasts, that way, we get so much more out of them. I would call God’s feasts spiritual appointments. These are spiritual appointments, check-ins, if I could put it that way, spiritual check-ins. Just like we don’t go to a job interview unprepared, we should not walk into God’s feasts unprepared. For instance, every feast requires an offering. We have to prepare those offerings. We’re told, we’re reminded, whether it’s in the announcement bulletin or in messages, we’re reminded to put thought into these offerings, to prepare. We can’t come before God empty-handed, that is sin, so we have to bring that offering, the day of, that commitment, that financial commitment, but we have to put thought into it ahead of time.

Those offerings are our opportunity to show the love of God. First of all, they’re commanded, “If you love me, keep my commandments.” Those offerings also give us the opportunity to show love toward others. How? Well, those offerings fund the work and help preach the gospel or help provide a meal for someone at a feast, someone who can’t afford it, the poor among us. Saving second tithe all year long before the feast is another form of preparation. And saving second tithe is an act of love also. How so? How so? Well, first of all, keeping second tithe is obeying God, it is commanded. “If you love me, keep my commandments.”

So saving second tithe is an act of love because we’re obeying God. It takes obedience to save another percent of your income over and above first tithe. It takes obedience to do that. Now, you might think, “Oh, well, I’m getting it back. It’s the second tithe. I mean, I get to spend it on myself.” Brethren, it takes obedience to do that. I’ve personally heard, our ministers have heard, people come up with all sorts of creative ideas and ways to steal from God. All sorts of reasons to not keep second tithe properly or to dip into the second tithe. Steal from God. Keeping second tithe all year is an act of love.

Brethren, when we intentionally prepare prior to each of God’s feasts, it basically says to God, “You know what? I’m not just attending or just going to be there in body at your feast. I’m investing. I’m bringing my best to this feast. Whether it’s Passover, Pentecost, Trumpets, Atonement, the Feast of Tabernacles, the Last Great Day, I’m bringing my mind and my heart. I’m going to overcome any sin in my life so I can be as pure as possible when I come before you at your love feast. I’m going to remove the spiritual clutter out of my life. I’m going to strengthen my walk with you, God, because I know that if I go into your feast with that mindset, I’m going to get the most out of it.”

That’s all preparation and all things we should be saying prior to the feast. What about during the feast? Hebrews. Hebrews chapter ten. During these various feasts, often think of the Feast of Tabernacles, but of course, includes all God’s feasts. What about the Godly love during these feasts? Hebrews ten, verse twenty-four. Hebrews ten, verse twenty-four. “And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works.” So we see love there and good works tied together. “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as the manner of some is, but exhorting one another so much the more as you see the day approaching.” Is that just referring to the Sabbath?

It is referring to the Sabbath, the weekly Sabbath, but it’s not only referring to the weekly Sabbath. It’s also referring to the other of God’s feasts. Not forsaking ourselves together, assembling together, making sure we’re there. “For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remains no more sacrifice for sins.” This is serious. Brethren, this is serious. God does not just want us to attend these feasts. He wants us to be involved.

The feasts, when we come together for these convocations, brethren, that’s a time to provoke each other. Not provoking each other to anger or gossip, but provoking unto love and good works. Let’s be more specific. Love and good works. Back to the Feast of Tabernacles. It’s a great, great example of this, but of course, it applies to all of the times we come together. But specifically for the feast, it’s planning ahead, confirming where we’re going to stay, registering, paying for our meals, paying for the activities ahead of time when we’re asked, fixing our... making sure our transportation is together, and committing to being there.

Of course, we’ve already done that for this feast. Those deadlines have come and gone. But if you ever wonder, why does the church keep focusing on making sure that you register? We’re making sure that we commit to being at the feast and paying for activities. Why keep focusing on that? Why do we hear about that all the time? Well, brethren, it’s important. It’s an act of outgoing concern. Here at headquarters, we have to plan things. Church administration has to plan these things. All things have to be done decently and in order.

When we register, when we pay for the activities when we’re asked, and doing all the things that go into committing to... this is just the Feast of Tabernacles, but it could also be paying for lunches and other financial obligations. When we do that, it’s an act of obedience and outgoing concern. It’s an act of Godly love. It is important. But at the feast, remember, love and good works, provoking others to love and good works. Pray for those who you’ll be serving with in the various departments. Pray for the ushers and the setup team, and the music department. And pray for the children’s choir and the photography and videography departments. Pray for the business office.

If you’re on those departments, put your whole heart into it. Love and good works. Even outside the Feast of Tabernacles, any feast, offer rides to people. Help them make sure that they’re there at the feast. It could be Trumpets, it could be Atonement, it could be Pentecost, Days of Unleavened Bread. Back to the Feast of Tabernacles, I mean, I guess this would apply to help parents with young children. If you see a mom has her hands full and she’s trying to do her best to keep her children in order, help her. Don’t just stand there and gawk. Help. Not attack her but offer to help.

Offer to babysit and allow a couple to go out and enjoy one night at the feast. Many, I’ve seen it over the years, many do it, and it’s just a wonderful example. That’s why I bring it up, because I’ve seen it. But make sure we continue to do that. Be willing to take a less desirable seat or to move around if an usher asks you to do that. “This is my seat.” Well, the usher just needs you to move. It’ll be okay. You’ll still be able to hear the message. You’ll still be able to participate. Be encouraging. Thank the ministry. Thank the people who are serving. It means a lot. Thank those who are organizing the events.

After services, clean up after yourself. Help someone carry a bag or get around the hall, someone who may be infirm or need help. All sorts of just specific ways to show Godly love. Not just at the Feast of Tabernacles, but at all feasts, even at the weekly Sabbath. All those things apply. Moving chairs around, moving when an usher asks you to move, helping a mom who may be struggling with her children, her young children. That applies to all God’s feasts. That’s physical service. What about spiritual service? Psalm one hundred and thirty-three. Psalm one hundred and thirty-three.

A very memorable verse. We all know it. Psalm one hundred and thirty-three. I’ll read a few verses, actually. Psalm one hundred and thirty-three. “Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity.” What better illustration of this verse than during God’s love feast, during His Feast of Charity? Verse two. “It is like the precious ointment upon the head that ran down the beard, even Aaron’s beard, that went down to the skirts of his garments, as the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion. For there the Lord commanded the blessing, even life, forevermore.”

Brethren, when we’re at God’s feasts, participate with your whole heart and with your whole mind. Sing enthusiastically, not just passively. Pay attention during services. Make eye contact with the speaker. Take notes. Turn to the scriptures. Those are all ways to show love toward God and His word, and receiving the word of God that His servants, His ministry has put together. You can also show love toward your neighbor at God’s feasts. Greet a new person or someone sitting by themselves. Say hi to them.

It’s good to hang out with your familiar circle, but get out to meet others or invite other people into that circle and help them gain friendships as well. Come early to services. That allows time for more fellowship. Take time to listen when you’re amongst others, not just do all the talking, but also talk. Don’t all only listen. Speak those words of encouragement that I talked about to those who are in charge and the ministry, and the organizers, but also speak words of encouragement to each other. Invite someone to join you for a meal. Always to show outgoing concern. All acts of love rooted in obedience.

Brethren, be intentional about preserving unity. I’ve seen it so often at feasts over the years. It doesn’t happen a lot, but when it happens, it’s not good. But people not getting along with each other. Brethren, at the feasts and at the Feast of Tabernacles, we’re together for so many days. Let go of any petty preferences. Avoid clicks. That doesn’t represent God. Serve someone outside your normal circle. Speak graciously to each other, not harshly. Be positive. Don’t be critical. “Well, why’d they make us do this? Well, why do we have family day over here? Well, why is this? Why the menu? Why do they order that on the menu?”

Be positive, not critical. Hey, okay, maybe you don’t like deli sandwiches, but do the best you can with what you have, with what’s been provided for you. Be thankful for it. If something goes wrong, ask, “You know what, is this worth ruining my feast or ruining someone else’s feast over? Is it really that serious?” It’s not. It’s not. Things are going to go wrong, but love covers a multitude of sins. That’s what the verse says. Love covers a multitude of sins and ultimately leads to greater unity. When we can overlook something, that is an act of love, outgoing concern.

Brethren, as we start to conclude, it’s, as I said, the feasts are coming. They’re upon us, these feasts of charity, these love feasts. And, of course, we’ve seen that Godly love is not just sentiment or emotion, it’s obedience to God’s law, obeying His commandments, and having this outgoing concern for others. What I thought was really interesting about Jude, of course, it has the phrase there, love’s feasts, but I read as much as I did because it referred to spots, spots in these love feasts, blemishes, impurities.

Brethren, this is a warning from God. It is a warning from God. Those individuals that were named, whether it’s Korah or Balaam, Cain, they were spots. They were representative of spots in God’s feasts of charity. Brethren, if we bring selfishness, gossip, pride, laziness, a bad attitude, the opposite of all the things that we’ve covered today, if we do that, we become the spots. We threaten to become the spots into something God calls pure, something God deems as holy. Spots in His love feasts, spots in His feasts of charity. Brethren, we don’t want to do that. We don’t want to do that.

Don’t just attend these coming feasts. Don’t just sit through services and check off boxes, participate. Before you get there, examine yourself, plan to serve in ways that matter, and then, when you get there, follow through and serve. Brethren, attend each feast remembering its purpose and leaning into its purpose. Go ready to give, ready to obey, ready to serve. Embrace your love feasts.