Sermon Tone Analysis
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Last week we saw how Jesus, fully committed to doing the Will of the Father...
…and therefore being on His own timetable...
had waited to go up to the Feast of Tabernacles (Booths).
If you recall, Jesus’ own brothers didn’t truly believe in Him...
…and so they told Jesus to go up to the Feast of Tabernacles…in order to allow His disciples to see the miracles that He was performing...
here’s what they said...
Jesus replied to them by saying - My time has not yet come…therefore I will not go up to the feast...
“You go up to the feast” - Jesus told them...
So they did.
But after they did...
Jesus ends up going…not publicly, but privately...
And His intent was to go teach in the temple...
NOW - let’s learn more about this feast…before we get to our text today...
So something to remember is that this Feast occurs after the harvest is completed...
…and before the beginning of a new agricultural year...
And so part of the celebration included a reflection on how God provided for the Israelites in the wilderness...
After freeing them from Egypt...
Remember - they wandered in the wilderness for 40 years, and God PROVIDED for them!
And that’s why God COMMANDED them to leave their permanent residence...
And to live in the temporary BOOTHS for the duration of the Feast!
…One of the main points being - that God’s provision isn’t something that ended once the Promised Land was reached...
And so for US - Even today!…
We need to remind ourselves - especially in the good times...
…when things are flowing smoothly...
We MUST remember the TEMPORAL nature of this life...
..AND how must ultimately rely on God to provide for us!! AND NOT JUST PHYSICALLY!!!
During the Feast, every day of the feast...
…there were Sacrifices that were made - to temporarily atonement for the sin of the people...
And it REMINDED the people that God not ONLY provided physically....but Spiritually as well!!
So what was going on during this Feast:
Rest
Celebration of Freedom
Joy
Sacrifices - for sin
This Feast had all of these things...
But in addition to these things - the Feast also had 3 main RITES performed during it’s duration...
The first had to do with the RISING of the SUN...
Just before dawn each day, they proceeded to the east gate out of the Temple area.
As the sun appeared they turned away from it and faced to the west, toward the Temple.
Then they announced this:
“Our fathers when they were in this place turned their faces toward the east, and they worshipped the sun toward the east; but as for us, our eyes are turned toward the LORD.”
The 2nd Rite was performed at night:
The second rite was performed at night.
Four huge menorahs were set up to illuminate the entire Temple area.
In actuality they were so large that each of the stems formed a torch.
The wicks were made from the worn out linen garments of the priests.
As smaller torches were carried to light the procession, the people danced and played harps, lyres, cymbals and lutes.
The Levites chanted the Psalms of Ascent (120-134); one psalm on each of the fifteen steps leading from the court of the Israelites to the court of the women.
The 3rd Rite had to do with water libation (the pouring out of a liquid as an offering to a deity)
On the first morning of Sukkot a procession of priests went down to the pool of Siloam to bring up to the Temple a golden container of water sufficient to last throughout the seven days of the feast.
Now the pool of Siloam was spring fed, so it was full of LIVING water…rain water
The water was brought up with a great ceremony.
The shofar was blown and the pilgrims who had come to Jerusalem for the feast waved their lulavs as the priests carried the water around the altar.
Psalms (Psalms 113-118) were recited.
Then the priest on duty poured out the contents of two silver bowls: one held water and the other held wine.
This was an act of prayer and an expression of dependence upon God to pour out his blessing of rain upon the earth.
Now THIS occurred on the 1st morning of the Feast...
On the LAST or “Great” day of the Feast...
the water libation rite reached its climax.
The priests circled the altar seven times and then poured out the water with great pomp and ceremony.
This was called the Hoshana Rabbah, the great “HOSHIANA,” (which translated means - “save now”).
Now - HAVE this in your mind -
These rites taking place throughout this celebration....
The Hoshana Rabbah taking place on the “GREAT” last day...
The priest POURING out this water onto the altar...
On the one hand the people were joyous…God had provided in the Wilderness...
He had provided that prior agricultural year...
And YET - on the other hand PROBABLY NERVOUS...
Why?
Water would have been a hot commodity at the time...
The agricultural year had just ended - and now preparing for the next...
Water would have been coveted…and yet - the Priest, in the Great Last day ceremony...
is POURING out water onto the altar...
They would have prayed that God would now PROVIDE for them - more rain…more LIVING WATER...
…to help them SURVIVE!
And so - Understand the scene...
It’s the last Great day of the Feast...
This water ritual is very likely - taking place....and in that moment...
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’
Is this a coincidence?
Of course not!
This story parallels the story of the woman at the well!
She went to the WELL seeking water… (The people came to PRAY for WATER)
And while there - finds Jesus telling her that He would give her LIVING WATER if she believed...
Here we have the people of Israel at this Feast...
Watching this Water Ceremony play out...
They begin singing Isaiah 12:3
They’re PRAYING for more LIVING WATER (rain)....PRAYING for God to SUSTAIN them...
AND....
what do we see....
We see Jesus Christ as....
SLIDE:
Jesus Christ: The Greater Provision
Jesus Christ
And in looking at what Jesus said again, we see there’s 2 parts to this SALVATION...
So in this SALVATION…we see 2 RESULTS that come...
We see the ‘Believer’...
Being Blessed
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