My Times are in your Hands
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Handout
Scripture Reading
Scripture Reading
When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Acts 2
Lev 23:15
‘And you shall count for yourselves from the day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering: seven Sabbaths shall be completed. Count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath; then you shall offer a new grain offering to the Lord. You shall bring from your dwellings two wave loaves of two-tenths of an ephah. They shall be of fine flour; they shall be baked with leaven. They are the firstfruits to the Lord. And you shall offer with the bread seven lambs of the first year, without blemish, one young bull, and two rams. They shall be as a burnt offering to the Lord, with their grain offering and their drink offerings, an offering made by fire for a sweet aroma to the Lord. Then you shall sacrifice one kid of the goats as a sin offering, and two male lambs of the first year as a sacrifice of a peace offering. The priest shall wave them with the bread of the firstfruits as a wave offering before the Lord, with the two lambs. They shall be holy to the Lord for the priest. And you shall proclaim on the same day that it is a holy convocation to you. You shall do no customary work on it. It shall be a statute forever in all your dwellings throughout your generations.
Lev
‘And you shall count for yourselves from the day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering: seven Sabbaths shall be completed. Count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath; then you shall offer a new grain offering to the Lord. You shall bring from your dwellings two wave loaves of two-tenths of an ephah. They shall be of fine flour; they shall be baked with leaven. They are the firstfruits to the Lord.
Jesus said to them, “Have you understood all these things?” They said to Him, “Yes, Lord.” Then He said to them, “Therefore every scribe instructed concerning the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old.”
Introduction
Introduction
We will take a break from the Parables of Jesus
Parables
Parables
Today we are celebrating Harvest Festival.
So we will take a break from the Parables of Jesus
Look at Feasts in Lev 23
And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘The feasts of the Lord, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, these are My feasts. ‘Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation. You shall do no work on it; it is the Sabbath of the Lord in all your dwellings. ‘These are the feasts of the Lord, holy convocations which you shall proclaim at their appointed times. On the fourteenth day of the first month at twilight is the Lord’s Passover. And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the Lord; seven days you must eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall have a holy convocation; you shall do no customary work on it. But you shall offer an offering made by fire to the Lord for seven days. The seventh day shall be a holy convocation; you shall do no customary work on it.’ ” And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘When you come into the land which I give to you, and reap its harvest, then you shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest to the priest. He shall wave the sheaf before the Lord, to be accepted on your behalf; on the day after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it. And you shall offer on that day, when you wave the sheaf, a male lamb of the first year, without blemish, as a burnt offering to the Lord. Its grain offering shall be two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil, an offering made by fire to the Lord, for a sweet aroma; and its drink offering shall be of wine, one-fourth of a hin. You shall eat neither bread nor parched grain nor fresh grain until the same day that you have brought an offering to your God; it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings. ‘And you shall count for yourselves from the day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering: seven Sabbaths shall be completed. Count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath; then you shall offer a new grain offering to the Lord. You shall bring from your dwellings two wave loaves of two-tenths of an ephah. They shall be of fine flour; they shall be baked with leaven. They are the firstfruits to the Lord. And you shall offer with the bread seven lambs of the first year, without blemish, one young bull, and two rams. They shall be as a burnt offering to the Lord, with their grain offering and their drink offerings, an offering made by fire for a sweet aroma to the Lord. Then you shall sacrifice one kid of the goats as a sin offering, and two male lambs of the first year as a sacrifice of a peace offering. The priest shall wave them with the bread of the firstfruits as a wave offering before the Lord, with the two lambs. They shall be holy to the Lord for the priest. And you shall proclaim on the same day that it is a holy convocation to you. You shall do no customary work on it. It shall be a statute forever in all your dwellings throughout your generations. ‘When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not wholly reap the corners of your field when you reap, nor shall you gather any gleaning from your harvest. You shall leave them for the poor and for the stranger: I am the Lord your God.’ ” Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall have a sabbath-rest, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation. You shall do no customary work on it; and you shall offer an offering made by fire to the Lord.’ ” And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: “Also the tenth day of this seventh month shall be the Day of Atonement. It shall be a holy convocation for you; you shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire to the Lord. And you shall do no work on that same day, for it is the Day of Atonement, to make atonement for you before the Lord your God. For any person who is not afflicted in soul on that same day shall be cut off from his people. And any person who does any work on that same day, that person I will destroy from among his people. You shall do no manner of work; it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings. It shall be to you a sabbath of solemn rest, and you shall afflict your souls; on the ninth day of the month at evening, from evening to evening, you shall celebrate your sabbath.” Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the Feast of Tabernacles for seven days to the Lord. On the first day there shall be a holy convocation. You shall do no customary work on it. For seven days you shall offer an offering made by fire to the Lord. On the eighth day you shall have a holy convocation, and you shall offer an offering made by fire to the Lord. It is a sacred assembly, and you shall do no customary work on it. ‘These are the feasts of the Lord which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, to offer an offering made by fire to the Lord, a burnt offering and a grain offering, a sacrifice and drink offerings, everything on its day—besides the Sabbaths of the Lord, besides your gifts, besides all your vows, and besides all your freewill offerings which you give to the Lord. ‘Also on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the fruit of the land, you shall keep the feast of the Lord for seven days; on the first day there shall be a sabbath-rest, and on the eighth day a sabbath-rest. And you shall take for yourselves on the first day the fruit of beautiful trees, branches of palm trees, the boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook; and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God for seven days. You shall keep it as a feast to the Lord for seven days in the year. It shall be a statute forever in your generations. You shall celebrate it in the seventh month. You shall dwell in booths for seven days. All who are native Israelites shall dwell in booths, that your generations may know that I made the children of Israel dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.’ ” So Moses declared to the children of Israel the feasts of the Lord.
Parables
Parables
Parables
The Soils
The Wheat and Tares
The Mustard Seed
The Leaven
The Hidden Treasure
The Pearl of Great Price
The Dragnet
The Householder
The reoccurring phrase used by Jesus in each parable is “the Kingdom of Heaven”
He answered and said to them, “Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.
Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field;
:11Matt 13:24Matt 13:31Matt 13:33Matt 13:44Matt 13:45Matt 13:47
Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field,
Matt 13:24Matt 13:31Matt 13:33Matt 13:44Matt 13:45Matt 13:47
Another parable He spoke to them: “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened.”
Matt 13:33Matt 13:44Matt 13:45Matt 13:47
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
“the Kingdom of Heaven”
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls,
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered some of every kind,
This is set against and in clear conflict with the Kingdom of this world and the Kingdom of Self.
The Parable of the Householder
The Parable of the Householder
Jesus opens with a question,
“Have you understood all these things?
Response to
And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?”
and ?
Then Jesus sent the multitude away and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field.”
They said “yes Lord”.
I am not convinced they did. They understood better.
Jesus then uses an “old” term, scribes for his disciples.
And illustrates the very point of this Parable.
Jesus probably means that as his disciples teach God’s will, they will be drawing out the meaning of the Hebrew Scriptures (“things old”), while showing how they are fulfilled and apply in the kingdom age (“things new”)
God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds;
.
God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds;
Jesus probably means that as his disciples teach God’s will, they will be drawing out the meaning of the Hebrew Scriptures (“things old”), while showing how they are fulfilled and apply in the kingdom age (“things new”)
By the “old,” Christ refers to all the will of God as revealed “in time past unto the fathers by the prophets” (Heb. 1:1; see on Deut. 31:9; Prov. 3:1). By the “new,” He refers to His own teachings (see Heb. 1:2; see on Mark 2:22; 7:1–13).
By the “old,” Christ refers to all the will of God as revealed “in time past unto the fathers by the prophets”
Jesus probably means that as his disciples teach God’s will, they will be drawing out the meaning of the Hebrew Scriptures (“things old”), while showing how they are fulfilled and apply in the kingdom age (“things new”)
By the “new,” He refers to His own teachings (see )
Harvest Festival
Harvest Festival
So with that said and in that context, it is good for us to think about Harvest Festival.
Today we celebrate Harvest Festival.
It is when we can acknowledge the provision of the Lord
“A celebration of the annual harvest, especially (in Britain) one held in schools and as a service in Christian churches, to which gifts of food are brought for the poor.”
Can you remember celebrating this in school?
Do they now?
We have before us gifts of food representing the Harvest.
And we will distribute them to a charity.
Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving
As you know this is our second year back in the UK after many years abroad in California.
I cannot recall ever celebrating Harvest Festival during our time in the States.
Maybe some churches do. I am not sure.
But, We did celebrate Thanksgiving.
It has a different tradition, a different history.
But it is a special time where Families gather together.
Special church services are held around Thanksgiving.
We always had a special Thanksgiving Service at the church on that Sabbath.
The morning of Thanksgiving, always a Thursday, is the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade
The Turkey is eaten or the Tofu-Turkey
And the day is full of American Football Matches, normally 3 of them, back to back.
I would say Thanksgiving for families is in many ways bigger than Christmas in the States.
I loved Thanksgiving.
I loved the family all coming together.
The Festivals of Old
The Festivals of Old
So when thinking about Harvest Festival, it seems useful to spend some time looking at the Festivals that Israel celebrated.
To bring out treasure from old
To bring out treasures old, but always in the light of treasures new, Christ.
Pentecost and Feast of Weeks
Pentecost and Feast of Weeks
πεντηκοστή pentēkostēs, from the adjective, pentēkonta meaning fifty, and from the root pentē, meaning five.
pentēkostēs, root pente, meaning five.
Andrews Study Bible Notes Chapter 2
Pentecost (Greek for “fiftieth”) was a name for the Feast of Weeks (Lev. 23:15–21), which celebrated the spring harvest. It took place 50 days after the presentation of the sheaf of firstfruits at Passover
Evening and Morning >
Passover > +1 Day > Feast of Unleavened Bread > +1 Day > Presentation of First-fruits > +49 Days “Week of Weeks”> Feast of Weeks (Spring Harvest)
50 days inclusive. Day 1 is a Sunday, then Week of Weeks, then day 50 is a Sunday
The Resurrection was on a Sunday. As the First-fruit.
Pentecost was on a Sunday. The poring out of the Holy Spirit. The leaven that goes through the whole dough.
Passover bread no Leaven vs Pentecost Bread with Leaven.
Leaven is not always a symbol of sin in the bible. It can be, but it can also symbolise the spreading of God’s kingdom in a person and in many persons, that compose the true church.
This does not signify any change of Sabbath to Sunday. We find no justification for that in the NT.
We find no justification for that in the NT.
Acts is the fulfilment of this festival.
has same language and author.
When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
Fully come. Sense is of fulfilment.
has same language and author.
Now it came to pass, when the time had come for Him to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem,
So What?
So What?
That from the beginning of time, God had the plan of Salvation worked out in every detail.
That is the OT festivals, God gave a graphic picture and demonstration year after year of the plan of Salvation.
That is why we can trust him with our lives!
We need a bigger perspective about the Lord, who he is, His plans, His Kingdom and His calling on our lives.
We need to look at the Forrest and the Trees.
Seeing the bigger picture
Seeing the bigger picture
Plane view gives you persepctive
Bible gives you perspective
Conclusion
Conclusion
To realise the value of 1 year, ask a student who failed a grade
To realise the value of 1 month, ask the mother of a premature baby
To realise the value of 1 week, ask the editor of a weekly newspaper
To realise the value of 1 day, ask a daily wage earner who has to feed a family
To realise the value of 1 hour, ask two people in love waiting to meet again
To realise the value of 1 minute, ask a person who missed the train
To realise the value of 1 second, ask the person who just avoided a car collision
To realise the value of 1 millisecond, ask a person who just won the silver medal
To realise the value of Lifetime, ask a person on the last and final great day of Judgement!
Lord, My Times are in your Hands
And we would have it no other way!