May 20

NUMBERS 29
A study of the feasts and holidays of the law are both fascinating and confusing to me. I get lost in all the dates and sacrifices that are prescribed. But these things I know:

1. The four spring celebrations speak of and are fulfilled in the first coming of the Lord Jesus.
2. Passover speaks of the Jesus’ death to pay the penalty of sin in my place.
3. Unleavened bread speaks of Jesus’ burial to carry or remove my sin from me.
4. First Fruits speaks of His resurrection to secure my victory over death.
5. Pentecost speaks of His sending the Holy Spirit to live in us individually and corporately so that we would have the power to live the law and walk in newness of life.

If the Spring feasts fulfill, what Jesus did in His first coming, then does it stand to reason that the fall feasts speak to what He will do in His second coming? Consider these possibilities for what is seen in Numbers 29:

1. Feasts of Trumpets—7th month, 1st day 29:1-6—perhaps speaks of the rapture of the church as declared in these verses:
• 1 Corinthians 15:52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
• 1 Thessalonians 4:16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.
2. Day of Atonement—7th month, 10th day 29:7-11—perhaps speaks of the second coming of Lord Jesus when He will, “make an end of sins,” at the end of Daniel’s 70th week. (His first coming came at the end of the first 69 weeks {Messiah shall be cut off}. His second coming will be at the end of the 70th week. We are currently in an interlude between the 69th & 70th week.)
3. Feast of Tabernacles—7th month, 15th day through 22nd day 29:12-38—perhaps speaks of His Millennial reign. Zechariah 14:16-17 indicates that this is what Peter, James and John had in mind on the Mount of Transfiguration (Matthew 16:28-17:8; 2 Peter 1:16-21).

Today I came across this thought provoking website: http://waitingforjesus.com/jewishfeastsprophecy.html
Is it not incredible that He outlines his plan for us before He does it? It is all found there in His word. We just don’t look hard enough. Is it not wonderful that He does what He plans? Now what He does is glorious! Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

PSALM 139
She looked kind of frumpy. At forty-seven-years-old, she certainly was not the kind of woman that you would expect to see on the cover of any beauty magazine. She was 50-75 pounds overweight. She wore no visible make-up and did not shape her eyebrows; they were rather thick. Her hair was kind of Medusa looking. Her dress was plain. Britain’s Got Talent host asked her what she hoped to accomplish by coming on the program. She replied, “I have hopes of becoming a professional singer.” Immediately, snickers appeared on the face of each panelist. Her name was Susan Boyles, and she sang I Dreamed a Dream from Les Miserables. After the first line, the camera angle switched to the panelists. The astonishment was clear upon their faces. Boyles gave a flawless performance, turned and began to march off the stage. The crowd and two of the panelists rose to their feet in a standing ovation. Clearly they had misjudged Ms. Boyles.
We all long to have someone of significance know everything there is to know about us and still desire us and think that we are wonderful. Our great God and Savior is that person. He knows all there is about us. He has studied us completely. Nothing is hidden from His sight. He is knows our thoughts and our words before we know them. His Spirit is ever with us, and like Jonah we cannot get away from Him. He knows even the agony of the inhabitants of those in hell. He knows where dark things sleep in the depths of the sea and in the sordid depths of our minds and souls. He knit us together in our mother’s womb. In light of all this knowledge, David asks the Lord to search him and reveal any wicked way. Indeed God does have this kind of knowledge about our lives. For those of us who are born again, not only does He know everything that there is to know about us, but He also is delighted with us. Like the panelists with Susan Boyles, He jumps to his feet in feeling His pleasure in us. There is a difference with us though. Ms. Boyles walked away from the stage still looking frumpy, nothing had changed about who she was before or after her encounter with Britain’s Got Talent. We step back from our encounter with the Creator forever changed for the better. We become new creatures when we meet Him. He purifies us of the things He doesn’t like and gives us the things He does like. He gives a flawless performance in changing us and then stands back and applauds us, His work. Such knowledge for us is difficult to attain, but it should motivate us to step back and return the applause to the One who changed us. That is His glory! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

ISAIAH 50
A couple of decades ago, I had made some stupid financial decisions. Consequently I had a financial shortfall in paying my creditors. Bills were due and I didn’t have the money. I was only about $40 dollars away. I still had my High school class ring. My finger was too fat to wear it anymore anyway. I took it to the Pawn shop. The gold was enough to get what I needed to pay my rent. I sold my ring to pay for my stupid decisions. You know we all make sinful decisions, stupid decisions. We’ve danced with the Devil and then it comes time to “pay the piper”. Sometimes we realize our sinfulness and cry out for mercy. Sometimes we are intent on paying the bill ourselves. Unfortunately the only way for paying the bill ourselves is with ourselves. For our iniquities we sell ourselves.
All the while the Lord is waiting for us to call out to Him that He might come and rescue us from ourselves. We don’t call out. What is it? Do we not really believe that His hand is able to deliver us? Isaiah then moves into a description of the Lord Jesus, the Servant, which describes His trial and approach to the crucifixion. He came to deliver us when we have sold ourselves for our iniquity. As a man, the Lord Jesus listened morning by morning to what the Father was doing to buy us back, and He joined Him in doing it. When it was time to die, He set His face like a flint to go to Jerusalem to present Himself as the sacrificial Lamb. He, who created the world, presented His back to be beaten. They plucked out His beard. They publicly shamed Him. They spit upon Him and reviled Him. He presented His own life as a substitute payment for my sin. In dying He paid.
Some are intent on paying the bill themselves as if they could light a fire that would burn away their own iniquities. The heat of such a flame must surely be intense. But all they can produce are sparks. A spark here, a spark there, in the midst of deep darkness it might seem bright for a moment, but in the long run, it is still darkness. Seeking to walk in the light of their own darkness they never see the enormity of the debt they owe. Only someone greater can afford to pay it for them. This is what the Lord has done for us. As the light of the world, He stepped down into our darkness. His blazing glory is there. It can be blinding at times. Depending on the condition of our will, we may not even be aware of His presence. When that happens, we just keep making sparks in the darkness. All the while His blazing light is available. Oh by the way, the Lord was gracious and I was able to buy back my class ring. I think I’ll go bask in His light. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

JOHN 6:45-71
I love fresh bread. When Laura bakes rolls or fresh bread, the aroma begins to float through the house. I begin to salivate. It makes me soooooo hungry. Hot out of the oven with some butter placed in it, the butter melts almost instantly, and as soon as it is cool enough to put in my mouth, it is gone. One problem, as I have grown older, is that I seem to have developed a little intolerance of bread. If I eat more than one or two rolls or slices, I get terrible heartburn. But it tastes so good! I don't know how many evenings through which I have suffered because I just couldn't eat just one roll.
Our Lord says, "I am the Bread of Life." No He does not mean He is a loaf of bread. We take the Word literally, unless there is clear reason in the context to understand it as a figure of speech. This is a figure of speech called a metaphor. He is comparing Himself to something physical. Bread was the common staple in their diet. Meat for the common person was not necessarily an everyday part of the meal. Fresh fruit could only be eaten in season. Dried fruit, such as figs and raisins, would be available to some. But bread was something that most everybody could afford anytime of the year. It was necessary to the preservation of life. It was like rice in oriental culture or beans or corn in other cultures. Without it, life was unsustainable.
Without Him, life is unsustainable. Is He suggesting cannibalism here? That is certainly how the crowd took it. Now that is disgusting! Talk about heartburn! Their hearts burned so badly that they all got up and left. Is that what He meant? Almost! Without Him our lives are unsustainable. Our need for Him in order to live is so great that it is as if we have to ingest Him in order to survive. It is a metaphor folks but a very strong one. He came from heaven as the bread of life, so that He could die our death. If we ingest Him, our death is taken care of because He already died it. He came from heaven as the bread of life so that He could be raised to newness of life! If we ingest Him, our resurrection is taken care of because He is already risen! He came from heaven as the bread of life so that He could ascend into glory! If we ingest Him, our glory is taken care of because He is ascended into glory!
Now, I appreciate metaphors but making the jump from the metaphors to literal life is hard to do. While in college, I once was sharing the Gospel with a man. I asked him if he had ever received Jesus as his personal Lord and Savior. He said, "Oh certainly." To which I replied, "Tell me about it. I'd like to hear." His quick honest response, which was consistent with his Catholic theology, was, "Oh, I receive Jesus every time I go to Mass and receive communion."
Now that was a new wrinkle in my protestant mindset. It was the first time I was ever forced to think through the implications of the doctrine of transubstantiation. For those of you who are not Catholic, transubstantiation teaches that when the priest pronounces the blessing upon the communion elements, they in substance become the body and blood of Jesus, though not in appearance. This doctrine came to its present form at the Council of Trent (1545-1563), which was held in response to Luther and other protestant groups. Certainly, if that doctrine is true, then every time one receives communion, one is receiving Christ and literally eating the body and blood of our Lord.
Obviously, since I am not a Catholic, I reject the doctrine of transubstantiation. But I also recognize that there is something more than just metaphor going on here. What is it that Jesus is communicating? Clearly that Jesus calls us to share in Him. He calls us to share in His life, death, burial, resurrection and ascension. We do it by submitting ourselves to Him, recognizing our utter poverty without Him, flinging open the door to our lives for His Lordship and His power rather than depending upon our own sovereignty and power.
Such an encounter begins when we are born again, but it renewed moment by moment. Once He first enters our lives, He never leaves us nor forsakes us, but we still need His life flow moment by moment. The fresh bread I ate when I was 8 years old is no longer fresh today. The fresh bread I enjoyed last week is no longer fresh today. I received Jesus when I was 8 years old, but that experience on that day will not suffice for today. I spoke with Jesus a week ago, but that conversation will not suffice for today. I need Him now. Let's eat some Bread!
Why would I yield my sovereignty and power to Him? Because without Him, I will die. I might linger for 40-80 days without food. But know full well; I will die. Most Christians are content to snack on Jesus, maybe once a week at church or every once in a while in the Bible. They don't even realize they are spiritually malnourished. They are close to death. Yet all the while they could be feasting on His magnificent glory. Sometimes when we do, we get spiritual heartburn. It might be a warm glow such as the disciples on the road to Emmaus experienced. Or, it might be discomfort because the presence of His glory reveals some sin with which we need to deal, but that is part of it. Enjoying His glory demands that we yield. Let's eat some Bread! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John