Joyful Anticipation

Intro

Good morning and welcome all online and in person here at Iglesia Bautista Horeb’s English service. We thank you all for joining. This week we are conituing in our Jesus feasts series. That’s not what we’re actually calling it, but it was floating in my head. We are continuing to reflect on the 7 major feasdts that God instituted with his people that find their ultimate fulfillment in Jesus. One of the things lead us in this direction is the theological though of Jesus’ fulfillment of OT Law and what that means for us. If you notice, we don’t necessarily celebrate passover the way it’s outlined in the OT. And that’s because who is our Passover? Jesus. And the list of messiahnic fulfillment goes on.

What is it?

Leviticus 23:23–25 ESV

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall observe a day of solemn rest, a memorial proclaimed with blast of trumpets, a holy convocation. You shall not do any ordinary work, and you shall present a food offering to the Lord.”

How many of you remember advent? All through that time we await with joyful expectation for the birth of christ looking forward to his return, at least that is the sense we try to give through every sermon series we build for advent, Celebrate the incarnation of the Son of God and wait with joyful expectation for his return. When Israel heard the trumpet blasts the very same sentiment was brought up in their hearts. Excitement and preparation. New year and almost a new me.

The Feast of Trumpets, or Rosh Hashanah, is a sacred time in the Jewish calendar, marking the beginning of the civil year.It is celebrated with the blowing of the shofar, a ram's horn, symbolizing repentance, awakening, and the call to return to God. Rosh Hashanah also carries themes of judgment and redemption, as it initiates a period of reflection and preparation for the coming Day of Atonement. Which is why I said, almost new me. More on that next week.

The significance of the Feast of Trumpets was to call attention to the seventh month, a month that will bring about two very important events in the life of ancient Israel. Those events are the Day of Atonement and the Feast of Tabernacles.

It wasn’t just any trumpet btw. There were two different types of trumpets that were designated for use. A set of silver trumpets

Numbers 10:1–4 ESV

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Make two silver trumpets. Of hammered work you shall make them, and you shall use them for summoning the congregation and for breaking camp. And when both are blown, all the congregation shall gather themselves to you at the entrance of the tent of meeting. But if they blow only one, then the chiefs, the heads of the tribes of Israel, shall gather themselves to you.

The list of use goes on to include its use by priests, Signaling the Departure and Assemblies, Calling for Worship and Sacrifices and Used in Times of War.

The second type of trumpet used was different. It was called a shofar and it was made from a Ram’s horn instead of silver.

The shofar was blown at Sinai, Jericho, to assemble Israel for war, at the start of the Year of Jubilee, during the accession of a new king to the throne and as a reminder that the Lord ascends to His heavenly abode (Exod. 19:19; Josh. 6:20; 2 Sam. 20:1; Lev. 25:9; 1 Kings 14:29; Ps. 47:5 [4]).

Priscilla was setting up her bible study last week and asked me if there was an intention to the words used in a certain portion of scripture and I reminded her that everything in God’s word has a purpose and has been carefully selected for his purposes. Just like hwat we see here in this feast and use of the shofar. To have trumpet blasts in general was a special thing and the intentionality of the trumpet is increased when the type of instrument or what it’s made of is changed.

The shofar carries deep spiritual symbolism in Jewish tradition. It is associated with themes of repentance, awakening, and the call to return to God. Blowing the shofar on Rosh Hashanah serves as a wake-up call to spiritual introspection and renewal, as well as a reminder of God's sovereignty and kingship. The shofar is also linked to the biblical account of Abraham's near-sacrifice of his son Isaac (Genesis 22:13).

I liken this similar to how I feel when I hear certain songs, even that reel that make the rounds that says, “you can’t summon an entire generation just by one sound…” and they proceed by playing 1 second clips of songs from a certain time period but from different genres. Kind of like this year’s super bowl half time. There are some sounds that we here and are immediately able to associate to times in our lives or information. Likewise this moment invokes the stories they’ve heard, the repentance they’re called to the celbration of the new year and the anticipation of the atonement.

So what’s in it for us?

Fulfillment

It should remind us of our risen saviour.

The Feast of Trumpets anticipates the fulfillment of God's promises of redemption and restoration. The blowing of the trumpets during this feast symbolized the proclamation of God's kingship, the call to repentance, and the anticipation of divine intervention and salvation. In Christ, these promises find their ultimate fulfillment.

2 Corinthians 1:20 ESV

For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.

Throughout the Old Testament, God made numerous promises to His people regarding redemption, restoration, and the establishment of His kingdom. These promises included the restoration of Israel, the coming of a Messiah, and the establishment of a kingdom of righteousness and peace (e.g., Isaiah 11:1-10, Jeremiah 31:31-34, Ezekiel 36:22-32).

Jesus fulffills this initially by bringing the kingdom of righteousness and peace through grace to give us the chance and opportunity to repent and believe.

John 3:16–18 ESV

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 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. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

In the New Testament, Jesus is revealed as the fulfillment of God's promises. He is the long-awaited Messiah, the Son of God who came to inaugurate the kingdom of God on earth. Through His life, death, and resurrection, Jesus accomplished redemption for humanity and initiated the process of restoration and reconciliation (Romans 5:6-11, Colossians 1:19-20).

The establishment of God's kingdom through Jesus brings about restoration, reconciliation, and renewal in various dimensions:

Spiritual Restoration: Through faith in Christ, believers are reconciled to God and experience forgiveness, adoption into God's family, and new life in the Spirit (2 Corinthians 5:17-21, Ephesians 2:4-9).

Social Restoration: The kingdom of God is characterized by justice, compassion, and community. Believers are called to love one another, care for the marginalized, and work for the well-being of society (Micah 6:8, Matthew 25:31-46).

Cosmic Renewal: The ultimate fulfillment of God's promises includes the renewal of all creation. In the future, God will make all things new, restoring harmony, beauty, and wholeness to the world (Revelation 21:1-5).

This ties us to my earlier thought of Celebration and anticipation.

Anticipation

As believers in Christ, we participate in the ongoing fulfillment of God's promises, living in anticipation of the day when His kingdom will be fully realized. We do not live in a passive anticipation. As kid you exist in that excitement and express it in wiggling around and gigling and laughing, not knowing how else to get this energy out! As believers we know how. We’re instructed on how!!

As the body of Christ, the Church plays a central role in the fulfillment of God's promises. Through the Church, God's kingdom is proclaimed, and His love is demonstrated to the world (Matthew 16:18, Ephesians 3:10). The Church is called to be a community of faith, hope, and love, reflecting the values of God's kingdom and participating in His mission of reconciliation and restoration (2 Corinthians 5:18-20).

Instead of wiggling around we serve those around us, spreading God’s love and proclaiming the truth! And maybe some wiggling.

Ultimately this is done in a restful mindset. You might say, “Miguel, how can we possibly rest and serve and clebrate and love and proclaim and rest at the same time? Isn’t that a contrdiction?” It is no more a contradiction than

1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 ESV

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

or the hypostatic union, that Jesus is fully God and Fully man. Did JEsus stop being God because he took on flesh? no. Do we stop having a prayerful mindset because we can’t be on our knees while we’re at work or chasing our kids or doing homework or in class? It’s something I’m gonna call paradoxical living. It’s a paradox of the already not yet. Meaning that as we live in joyful anticipation for the return of the Christ and serve and love and all the things I mentioned earlier, we do it from a restful place. Not out of performance but grateful obedience.

In these feasts God’s people didn’t justsit around and eat, but presented sacrifices and were obedient in their worship recognizing the grace on their lives. So too us.

In response to Christ's fulfillment of the Feast of Trumpets and all God's promises, we live lives of gratitude and worship. We recognize the magnitude of God's grace and mercy toward us and respond with hearts overflowing with thanksgiving and praise (Colossians 3:16-17, Hebrews 12:28-29).

Resting in Christ's finished work and living in light of His fulfillment entails trusting in His grace for salvation, finding peace and assurance in His redemption, and responding with lives of gratitude, obedience, and service. As we abide in Christ and proclaim His gospel, may our lives reflect His love and mercy to a world in need, bringing glory to His name and advancing His kingdom on earth.

Blow ye the trumpet, blow charles wesley

1 Blow ye the trumpet, blow! The gladly solemn sound let all the nations know, to earth's remotest bound:

Refrain: The year of jubilee is come; return, ye ransomed sinners, home; return, ye ransomed sinners, home.

2 Jesus, our great High Priest, has full atonement made; ye weary spirits, rest; ye mournful souls, be glad: [Refrain]