WEBVTT 00:00:00.180 --> 00:00:02.710 Turn in your Bible, if you will please, to John chapter seven. 00:00:03.380 --> 00:00:10.660 Last week, pastor was in John chapter six and he sort of left us in John chapter six with this challenge, 00:00:11.020 --> 00:00:14.760 and he said, "Why are you following Jesus?" Why are you following Jesus? 00:00:15.000 --> 00:00:17.750 Are you following Jesus because it's easy and because it's convenient? 00:00:18.740 --> 00:00:25.160 Sort of like the group of people that were fed by the fish and the loaves and so they were following Jesus because they got something from him. 00:00:26.820 --> 00:00:30.540 It's a big challenge not to follow Jesus because we get something from him. 00:00:31.100 --> 00:00:38.220 The bigger challenge is to follow Jesus just because of who he is and just because of what he's done, that's where the big challenge comes in. 00:00:38.220 --> 00:00:46.020 It's kind of like Thomas said when they were up in the upper room and Jesus came and he was able to put his fingers in his hand 00:00:46.020 --> 00:00:48.580 and he was able to put his fist in his side. 00:00:49.000 --> 00:00:51.560 And Thomas said, my Lord and my God. 00:00:52.700 --> 00:00:56.340 That's why we follow Jesus because he's our Lord and our God. 00:00:56.340 --> 00:01:03.340 As a matter of fact, pastor mentioned this last week and it's just kind of bears repeating I think is that 00:01:03.720 --> 00:01:08.820 it's just getting tougher and tougher to stand up and say I belong to Jesus Christ in this world. 00:01:08.820 --> 00:01:09.000 Isn't it? 00:01:09.620 --> 00:01:11.040 I mean, it's getting really tough. 00:01:11.040 --> 00:01:13.200 And it's been tough all over for a long time. 00:01:13.780 --> 00:01:20.860 If you look at the news, if you pay any attention to the news, you'll see that there was a church leader in Egypt just this past 00:01:20.860 --> 00:01:21.180 week. 00:01:21.940 --> 00:01:29.320 And he was kidnapped about three months ago, tortured awfully, and then executed earlier this week, all by 00:01:29.320 --> 00:01:31.760 people trying to get him to deny Jesus Christ. 00:01:33.380 --> 00:01:40.700 Man, the strength and the courage that it takes to not deny our Lord in a situation like that 00:01:40.700 --> 00:01:47.860 can only come through following Jesus, because he's your Lord and he's your God, following Jesus because 00:01:47.860 --> 00:01:48.950 of who he is. 00:01:49.140 --> 00:01:51.060 So it's a really good challenge and a great challenge. 00:01:51.380 --> 00:01:56.320 And maybe a little bit of that'll come up as we now move into chapter seven. 00:01:56.940 --> 00:01:58.700 So let's look at chapter seven, verse one. 00:01:58.700 --> 00:02:01.340 And we're going to learn as we get into chapter seven that some things changed. 00:02:02.480 --> 00:02:05.620 A little bit changed, and the scene changed, and some things changed. 00:02:05.620 --> 00:02:06.940 But we'll get there in a minute. 00:02:06.980 --> 00:02:14.420 But chapter seven verse one says this, after these things, Jesus was walking in Galilee and he was unwilling to walk in Judea 00:02:14.420 --> 00:02:16.380 because the Jews were seeking to kill him. 00:02:17.740 --> 00:02:24.780 Now, that happened several times, but this particular time, back in chapter five, Jesus had healed a man that had been 00:02:24.780 --> 00:02:28.080 sick for 38 years by the pool of Bethesda. 00:02:28.360 --> 00:02:30.260 And he happened to do it on the Sabbath. 00:02:31.280 --> 00:02:33.920 And ever since he had done that the Jews were seeking to kill him. 00:02:34.860 --> 00:02:42.040 And so, Jesus, he decided that I'm going to stay out here in Galilee for a while and not go back to Jerusalem right 00:02:42.040 --> 00:02:43.460 now, not go back to Judea. 00:02:44.120 --> 00:02:51.440 And interestingly, he's going to remind the crowd that's gathered there in just a few verses down in chapter seven, 00:02:51.440 --> 00:02:52.920 he's going to remind them about that. 00:02:54.460 --> 00:02:58.270 They're telling him you have a demon, nobody's trying to kill you. 00:02:58.560 --> 00:03:05.880 And he's going to remind them, "Yeah, the Jews would like to kill me because I did that one deed, I did that one good deed." And so, eventually, 00:03:06.080 --> 00:03:08.620 he says I'm going to stay here in Galilee for now. 00:03:08.760 --> 00:03:10.280 That's the safest place for right now. 00:03:11.180 --> 00:03:12.100 And that's good for him. 00:03:12.100 --> 00:03:15.350 And now in verse two, here's something that's interesting. 00:03:15.680 --> 00:03:23.270 In verse two, it says, "Now the feast of the Jews, the Feast of Booths, was near." If you remember back in John chapter six, 00:03:23.680 --> 00:03:25.960 in verse four, it said something similar. 00:03:25.960 --> 00:03:33.000 It says, "Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was near." And so the events in 00:03:33.000 --> 00:03:38.660 chapter six, the events that John's recording for us in chapter six, happened just before the Passover. 00:03:39.080 --> 00:03:44.640 And now we're seeing that the events in chapter seven are going to happen just before the Feast of Booths or the Feast of Tabernacles. 00:03:46.140 --> 00:03:53.200 And so I thought, well, in order and understand the significance of that, maybe we need to look at the feasts that God set up for the nation 00:03:53.200 --> 00:04:00.220 of Israel and just briefly go through the annual feasts, because I think it helps us to understand, not just what's 00:04:00.220 --> 00:04:03.940 going on here in chapter seven, but understand some things about our Lord as well. 00:04:04.700 --> 00:04:07.580 And so, let's look at those for a little bit this morning. 00:04:07.620 --> 00:04:10.580 God initiated seven feasts for the Jews. 00:04:12.120 --> 00:04:15.520 Four of them happened in the springtime, three of them happened in the fall. 00:04:16.220 --> 00:04:21.680 And so, the ones that went on in the spring was Passover, Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits, and the Feast of Weeks. 00:04:22.280 --> 00:04:24.000 And we'll talk about each one of those in a minute. 00:04:24.500 --> 00:04:30.410 The ones that went on in the fall was a Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement and the Feast of Tabernacles. 00:04:30.560 --> 00:04:32.690 The last feast was the Feast of Tabernacles. 00:04:32.900 --> 00:04:37.020 So we're learning now already that in chapter seven the Feast of Tabernacles is coming up. 00:04:37.020 --> 00:04:44.060 So we're toward the end of the Jewish religious calendar year, kind of, is 00:04:44.080 --> 00:04:46.020 a good way to think of that. 00:04:46.860 --> 00:04:50.320 The word "feast" literally means appointed times. 00:04:51.120 --> 00:04:58.520 And what we learn and what's so unique about that is how carefully God planned and orchestrated the timing and the sequence of 00:04:58.520 --> 00:05:02.980 each one of these seven feasts to reveal some amazing things about Jesus. 00:05:03.320 --> 00:05:07.260 First, his redemptive work, and then, his coming again. 00:05:07.800 --> 00:05:09.800 And that's what we're going to see as we go through these. 00:05:12.180 --> 00:05:19.700 And this is worth mentioning as well, three of the feasts, Passover, Weeks and Tabernacles, the Jews 00:05:19.700 --> 00:05:26.520 living in Judea were required to make the pilgrimage to Jerusalem and participate in these feasts. 00:05:27.180 --> 00:05:34.340 So what you know, during the time of Passover, during the time of Weeks, during the time of Tabernacles, the city of Jerusalem is packed to the gills with 00:05:34.340 --> 00:05:36.620 people everywhere, all over. 00:05:37.240 --> 00:05:40.970 And that's significant as we get down here a little further and understand this. 00:05:43.780 --> 00:05:50.960 Paul explains, and this is pretty good, Paul explains a little bit about where we're going with these feasts when he's talking to the church at Colossae 00:05:50.960 --> 00:05:58.060 in Colossians two verses 16 and 17, he says this, "Therefore, no one is to act as 00:05:58.060 --> 00:06:05.140 your judge in regard to food or drink, or in respect of a festival..." In some translations that's "feast" right there. 00:06:05.140 --> 00:06:05.140 "... 00:06:05.260 --> 00:06:12.680 or a new moon or a Sabbath day, things which are a mere shadow of what's to come." And then he says this, "But the substance 00:06:12.700 --> 00:06:19.800 belongs to Christ." Other translations say "the reality is found in Christ." That really explains 00:06:19.800 --> 00:06:20.560 it a little better. 00:06:20.880 --> 00:06:25.020 The reality of the feasts is found in Christ is what he's basically saying. 00:06:25.940 --> 00:06:33.100 Paul's telling the church at Colossae that whatever you understood in those feasts, whatever you did in those feasts, really, and understood, 00:06:33.100 --> 00:06:38.140 those of you that were Jewish and practice them, the reality is really in Christ. 00:06:38.560 --> 00:06:40.560 And that's what we're going to see as we look for these. 00:06:40.560 --> 00:06:46.240 As a matter of fact, the first four feasts, the feast that went on in the spring, Jesus has already fulfilled. 00:06:46.560 --> 00:06:50.400 He has already been found as the reality in those feasts. 00:06:51.800 --> 00:06:54.980 And so let's look at them, let's get a little bit detail into some of these. 00:06:55.000 --> 00:06:57.140 And again, this is, hopefully, just to help us out. 00:06:57.720 --> 00:07:02.920 The first feast of the Jewish religious calendar year was the Feast of Passover. 00:07:03.660 --> 00:07:09.360 And Passover was usually on the 14th day of the first month, the first month of the Jewish calendar. 00:07:10.160 --> 00:07:13.880 And to this year, it was celebrated on March 27th. 00:07:14.860 --> 00:07:22.080 Now remember that the Jews, when they counted a day, it usually went from dusk one day to dusk the next day. 00:07:22.820 --> 00:07:29.860 So you have to remember that as we're talking about current calendar dates that it started on dusk on the 27th, 00:07:29.860 --> 00:07:34.780 but it didn't end until dusk on the 28th, for what we understand, of March. 00:07:34.880 --> 00:07:38.720 But for them, it was the 14th day of the first month. 00:07:39.720 --> 00:07:45.920 And obviously, the Feast of Passover is to remember that Jesus delivered Israel from bondage of Egypt. 00:07:45.920 --> 00:07:47.700 And he passed over the houses. 00:07:47.740 --> 00:07:48.040 You remember? 00:07:48.040 --> 00:07:52.250 They sacrificed a lamb and they took the blood of the lamb and painted it on their doorposts. 00:07:52.980 --> 00:07:57.740 And then God would protect, or God would pass over them when the death angel came. 00:07:58.320 --> 00:08:00.660 And the word "Passover" actually means to cover. 00:08:01.880 --> 00:08:05.100 God covered them up so the death angel could pass over them. 00:08:06.040 --> 00:08:12.300 And what we know about this, and this is fun to tie it back to Jesus, what we know is Jesus is the true lamb of God. 00:08:12.300 --> 00:08:12.440 Right? 00:08:13.100 --> 00:08:13.920 The Bible says that. 00:08:13.920 --> 00:08:14.960 We'll see that in just a minute. 00:08:15.240 --> 00:08:22.260 He is the final sacrifice and his blood didn't just cover the sin, his blood covers it completely and 00:08:22.260 --> 00:08:23.040 takes it away. 00:08:24.580 --> 00:08:27.640 Much different than the sacrifice that the Jews had to make every year. 00:08:27.640 --> 00:08:35.100 Jesus died on the cross the same day that the Passover lamb was slaughtered and they started their preparation, they started their Passover 00:08:35.100 --> 00:08:37.960 day, was the same day Jesus died on the cross. 00:08:40.179 --> 00:08:45.240 John chapter one in verse 29 says this, and this is, "The next day, he..." Talking about John, the Baptist. 00:08:45.300 --> 00:08:45.300 "... 00:08:45.300 --> 00:08:46.680 he saw Jesus coming to him. 00:08:47.080 --> 00:08:54.320 And he said, 'Behold, the lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world.'" The lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world. 00:08:54.320 --> 00:09:01.340 Very much equating him back to the lamb of God that the Jews sacrificed so that they could celebrate the Passover. 00:09:02.020 --> 00:09:05.240 And then first Corinthians five in verse seven, it says, "Clean out the old leaven... 00:09:05.260 --> 00:09:06.540 And we'll talk about leaven in a minute. 00:09:07.060 --> 00:09:14.620 "...clean out the old leaven so that you may be a new lump just as you are, in fact, unleaven, for Christ, our Passover, 00:09:15.160 --> 00:09:22.480 has been sacrificed." So Jesus, there, is even called our Passover and tying us very specifically back to this Passover 00:09:22.480 --> 00:09:23.160 celebration. 00:09:24.340 --> 00:09:31.420 So Jesus is the Passover lamb, fulfilled the Passover celebration by being sacrificed on the very day that 00:09:31.460 --> 00:09:32.360 they celebrate Passover. 00:09:34.080 --> 00:09:36.180 Now the next feast is a Feast of the Unleavened Bread. 00:09:37.060 --> 00:09:41.780 Feast of Unleavened Bread actually starts a day after Passover, and it runs for seven days. 00:09:41.820 --> 00:09:45.720 So it would run from the 15th through the 21st of the first month. 00:09:46.260 --> 00:09:54.340 And it's really oftentimes so much associated with Passover that they call the whole thing Passover, the whole eight days, Passover. 00:09:54.340 --> 00:09:58.420 But the Feast of Unleavened Bread is different and it's handled different. 00:09:58.540 --> 00:10:05.810 This year, it was celebrated on a March 28 through April 3rd, if you want to try to balance it and see where we're at with that. 00:10:06.360 --> 00:10:10.520 But leaven, the feast of Unleavened Bread is related to the leaven. 00:10:10.580 --> 00:10:15.880 Leaven, it symbolizes error or corruption, it's a picture of sin all through the Bible. 00:10:16.580 --> 00:10:19.880 So during this feast, no leaven could be found in the house of an Israelite. 00:10:21.180 --> 00:10:28.500 They would take, and they would sweep out their houses very carefully and make sure that they got any crumbs that could have been from old leaven bread and 00:10:28.500 --> 00:10:30.600 get it out of their house, and they take them outside and burn it. 00:10:31.340 --> 00:10:32.160 They had to get rid of it. 00:10:32.520 --> 00:10:33.700 And they'd take it out and burn it. 00:10:34.860 --> 00:10:38.960 And Christ was sacrificed or crucified on the Passover. 00:10:39.300 --> 00:10:44.850 And that's the same day that they would clean up their house, take out this leaven and burn it and get rid of it. 00:10:45.000 --> 00:10:46.600 And then his body was in the tomb. 00:10:47.040 --> 00:10:52.120 As they were starting this celebration of Unleavened Bread, Jesus' body was in the tomb. 00:10:52.980 --> 00:10:58.960 Remember they'd taken him down before they got into their official celebration of Passover. 00:10:59.060 --> 00:11:02.140 Before sundown, they'd taken him down and they'd put him in a tomb. 00:11:02.540 --> 00:11:05.260 And so, he was in the tomb as they were beginning this feast. 00:11:05.660 --> 00:11:08.080 But this is the cool thing, his body didn't see corruption. 00:11:09.160 --> 00:11:11.840 We know that, we know that Jesus' body didn't seek corruption. 00:11:12.000 --> 00:11:13.500 He wouldn't experience corruption. 00:11:15.090 --> 00:11:18.500 There's no leaven present in him because he's unleavened. 00:11:20.220 --> 00:11:20.480 Right? 00:11:20.880 --> 00:11:23.900 There's just nothing sinful found in him. 00:11:24.140 --> 00:11:27.000 So there's no error, no corruption in him. 00:11:27.120 --> 00:11:34.370 And we look at Acts chapter two in verse 27, it says, "Because you will not abandon my soul 00:11:35.780 --> 00:11:42.600 to Hades nor allow your holy one to undergo decay." And in a lot of translations that word "decay" is corruption. 00:11:44.200 --> 00:11:50.220 God had already said he wasn't going to allow Jesus to experience corruption because there's no corruption in him. 00:11:51.560 --> 00:11:54.600 And so, with the unleaven, we see a beautiful picture of Jesus. 00:11:55.540 --> 00:12:01.600 And so, he's in the tomb as they start the festival of the Unleavened Bread, the feast. 00:12:01.600 --> 00:12:04.350 And now, the next feast is the Feast of Firstfruits. 00:12:05.700 --> 00:12:10.680 The Feast of Firstfruits took place on the second day of the festival of Unleavened Bread. 00:12:11.300 --> 00:12:18.580 So it was in the middle, again, of what this other feast that's going on, this year, celebrated on March 29th. 00:12:19.580 --> 00:12:26.840 So what's going on in this is that the winter barley harvest is at hand, 00:12:27.000 --> 00:12:29.580 they're harvesting the barley. 00:12:29.600 --> 00:12:33.210 And so, the first of the harvest is being brought to God as the firstfruits. 00:12:34.140 --> 00:12:39.040 And so, that's what they're celebrating during this feast, what the nation of Israel is celebrating. 00:12:39.400 --> 00:12:42.980 But here's the unique thing, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day. 00:12:44.000 --> 00:12:45.360 Passover was the first day. 00:12:45.740 --> 00:12:48.120 The second day was the first day of the Unleavened Bread. 00:12:48.500 --> 00:12:51.640 The third day was the second day of the Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Firstfruits. 00:12:52.200 --> 00:12:54.200 Jesus is the Firstfruits. 00:12:54.680 --> 00:13:00.700 Jesus rose from the dead on the very day that the Feast of firstfruits was celebrated. 00:13:01.540 --> 00:13:08.980 Isn't that unique to see how God very specifically has taken care of each one of these feasts and how Jesus fulfilled 00:13:08.980 --> 00:13:09.220 it. 00:13:10.080 --> 00:13:17.220 In first Corinthians chapter 15, verses three and four, we read this, and these are very familiar verses to you, 00:13:17.220 --> 00:13:24.260 but it just helps us see it all, it says, "For I delivered to you as of the first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our 00:13:24.260 --> 00:13:31.540 sins according to the scriptures, that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day according to the scriptures." And then verse 20 00:13:31.540 --> 00:13:38.940 says this, "But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who are asleep." Jesus very 00:13:38.940 --> 00:13:45.320 clearly fulfills the Feast of Firstfruits by raising from the dead on the day of that very feast. 00:13:47.180 --> 00:13:52.780 And then the final feast of the spring time is the Feast of Weeks. 00:13:53.220 --> 00:14:00.220 The Feast of Weeks is called such because God had told Israel to count seven days from the Feast of Firstfruits, 00:14:00.560 --> 00:14:04.900 and then the next day you would start this Feast of Weeks. 00:14:05.000 --> 00:14:07.680 This was the day you would celebrate the Feast of Weeks. 00:14:08.140 --> 00:14:09.900 That means it was 50 days. 00:14:10.600 --> 00:14:13.710 Seven weeks is 49 days and then the next day it started. 00:14:13.760 --> 00:14:19.520 So 50 days from the Firstfruits, from the celebration of the Firstfruits. 00:14:19.920 --> 00:14:25.980 And this year, it will be celebrated on May 18th, those that still celebrate these feasts. 00:14:26.700 --> 00:14:33.720 And so, the Feast of Weeks was also called Pentecost, the Feast of Pentecost because of the 50, 00:14:34.340 --> 00:14:36.560 the 50 days from the Feast of Firstfruits. 00:14:36.700 --> 00:14:38.480 And we know that Pentecost means 50th. 00:14:39.100 --> 00:14:45.960 And so, sometimes you hear it called the Feast of Pentecost and the Israelites, again, brought their firstfruits of harvest. 00:14:46.220 --> 00:14:51.140 Now it's a regular grain harvest and they're bringing their firstfruits from this harvest. 00:14:51.500 --> 00:14:58.620 But think about this, after Jesus's resurrection, on the day of Firstfruits, then he came among his followers, 00:14:58.700 --> 00:15:01.040 among his disciples for 40 days. 00:15:01.100 --> 00:15:01.560 You remember? 00:15:02.000 --> 00:15:09.360 In acts chapter three in verse one, or excuse me, the other way around, chapter one, and verse three, it says, "To these, he also presented 00:15:09.360 --> 00:15:13.680 himself alive after his suffering by many convincing proofs. 00:15:14.400 --> 00:15:17.230 Appearing to them over a period of 40 days. 00:15:17.240 --> 00:15:25.120 And speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God." So very clearly, Jesus appeared for 40 days after 00:15:25.120 --> 00:15:26.060 his resurrection. 00:15:26.480 --> 00:15:28.050 And then he was taken up in the clouds. 00:15:28.340 --> 00:15:28.520 Right? 00:15:28.580 --> 00:15:29.580 You remember all that happen? 00:15:30.500 --> 00:15:34.040 But he promised before he was taken up, he says I'm going to send you a comforter. 00:15:34.900 --> 00:15:42.360 "In not many days, I'm going to send you a comforter." And you see in verses four and five, you see how he explains that, he says, "Gathering them together, 00:15:42.740 --> 00:15:49.840 he commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the father had promised, which, he said, 'You heard of 00:15:49.840 --> 00:15:50.480 from me. 00:15:50.880 --> 00:15:58.060 For John baptized you with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.'" So 00:15:58.060 --> 00:16:01.060 Jesus had appeared to them for 40 days. 00:16:01.060 --> 00:16:04.000 And then he said, not many days from now, the Holy Spirit's coming. 00:16:04.080 --> 00:16:08.020 And it actually was 10 days when the Holy Spirit came upon them. 00:16:08.440 --> 00:16:10.500 And when he did, what do we call it? 00:16:11.040 --> 00:16:11.970 We call it Pentecost. 00:16:12.660 --> 00:16:16.740 We call it Pentecost because it was 50 days from when Jesus was resurrected. 00:16:17.720 --> 00:16:25.020 And so, you see very clearly that Jesus has fulfilled each one of these feasts by coming 00:16:25.020 --> 00:16:29.510 to the earth as a lamb without blemish, and dying on the cross to pay for sins of the world. 00:16:29.780 --> 00:16:34.700 He rose again on the third day, and then to all who believe in him, he gives his indwelling Holy Spirit. 00:16:35.860 --> 00:16:39.280 And so, you see all of these things are fulfilled in Christ. 00:16:40.280 --> 00:16:43.770 By the way, Pentecost was the start of the church. 00:16:44.280 --> 00:16:46.640 That's a start of the church that we are a part of now. 00:16:47.100 --> 00:16:48.580 And so, that's kind of exciting. 00:16:50.240 --> 00:16:57.320 Well, since Jesus so clearly fulfilled the first four feasts to the very day, then 00:16:57.320 --> 00:17:02.940 we can expect that he's going to fulfill the other three, fulfill the three feasts of the fall time as well. 00:17:03.640 --> 00:17:08.420 The three feasts of the fall, remember, where the Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement and the Feast of Tabernacles. 00:17:09.420 --> 00:17:16.930 Now, they're celebrated in the fall so there's quite a break between when the spring feasts end and when the fall feasts start. 00:17:17.339 --> 00:17:24.520 But it's really generally understood and accepted that Jesus is going to fulfill these fall feasts 00:17:24.800 --> 00:17:31.880 by things that go on in the future, when he comes again for his church, and when he comes again to reign on earth and set 00:17:31.880 --> 00:17:33.790 up his kingdom for a thousand years. 00:17:34.040 --> 00:17:39.810 Those things that are yet to happen in the future are a part of him fulfilling these fall feasts. 00:17:40.480 --> 00:17:42.020 And so, let's look at some of those. 00:17:42.060 --> 00:17:43.440 The first one is a Feast of Trumpets. 00:17:43.920 --> 00:17:46.640 It was celebrated on the first day of the seventh month. 00:17:47.520 --> 00:17:54.580 We started in the first month of the Jewish religious calendar, and now this one is on the seventh month, the first 00:17:54.580 --> 00:17:55.700 day of the seventh month. 00:17:56.140 --> 00:18:03.140 It will be celebrated on September 7th this year, start on dusk on September 7th, finish at dusk 00:18:03.140 --> 00:18:04.580 on September 8th. 00:18:05.840 --> 00:18:11.180 And y'all have heard of it before, but you've probably heard of it as Rosh Hashanah. 00:18:12.380 --> 00:18:14.160 And so, that's the Jewish feast. 00:18:14.160 --> 00:18:21.200 And these are more commonly celebrated by the Jews now because they didn't have to have the temple there 00:18:21.360 --> 00:18:28.720 for it, or they don't have it anymore for the Day of Atonement and so they have to celebrate them all in a much different way than they 00:18:28.780 --> 00:18:30.020 did in Jesus' time. 00:18:31.240 --> 00:18:37.000 But the Feast of Trumpets, in the Old Testament, when they blew the trumpets, it was usually for two reasons. 00:18:37.600 --> 00:18:42.090 It was either to call a solemn assembly of the people, or it was to call them to war. 00:18:42.640 --> 00:18:44.520 That was the two times when they blew the trumpets. 00:18:45.300 --> 00:18:52.030 But for this feast, when it came time for this feast, they blew the trumpets as a call to introspection and repentance. 00:18:52.740 --> 00:18:59.840 It was a time that the nation of Israel was to think inwardly and realize and repent for the things 00:18:59.840 --> 00:19:03.900 that they had done and to realize all that God had done for them. 00:19:05.180 --> 00:19:12.440 Many believe that this feast is going to be filled by Christ when he comes for his church, when he comes for his bride, at the rapture, 00:19:12.640 --> 00:19:13.680 we call it. 00:19:13.880 --> 00:19:18.120 And first Thessalonians chapter four, verses 16 and 17, explain it. 00:19:18.140 --> 00:19:25.320 And it said, "For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the Archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ 00:19:25.320 --> 00:19:26.240 will rise first. 00:19:26.740 --> 00:19:32.200 And then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. 00:19:32.840 --> 00:19:37.160 So, we shall always be with the Lord." And I love verse 18. 00:19:37.180 --> 00:19:43.080 We didn't include it, but it says "comfort each other with this." What greater comfort is there than that. 00:19:43.560 --> 00:19:44.700 Jesus is coming again. 00:19:45.100 --> 00:19:46.560 He's coming to take his church home. 00:19:47.220 --> 00:19:53.420 And so, pretty exciting to think about the way that Jesus will fulfill the Feast of Trumpets. 00:19:53.980 --> 00:19:56.190 Now, the Day of Atonement it's pretty interesting. 00:19:56.980 --> 00:20:02.100 The Day of Atonement, just like Passover meant "cover", atonement means cover as well. 00:20:02.640 --> 00:20:09.840 So the Day of Atonement is when they would celebrate God covering, temporarily this time 00:20:09.840 --> 00:20:14.340 for the nation of Israel, God covering their sins temporarily. 00:20:14.840 --> 00:20:18.610 And so, it was celebrated on the 10th day of the seventh month. 00:20:18.820 --> 00:20:21.730 So on September 18th this year, it will be celebrated. 00:20:22.120 --> 00:20:23.440 And it's known as Yom Kippur. 00:20:24.080 --> 00:20:25.080 You've heard that as well. 00:20:25.820 --> 00:20:28.600 And so, part of this feast has already been filled by Christ. 00:20:28.640 --> 00:20:34.260 You can tell that because it's called the Day of Atonement and we know what Christ has done as far as that goes. 00:20:34.300 --> 00:20:36.770 But then, part of it still is yet to be fulfilled. 00:20:37.360 --> 00:20:44.520 So on the Day of Atonement, the high priest, and along with several other sacrifices, would take two goats, and 00:20:44.520 --> 00:20:47.050 they would present two goats before the Lord. 00:20:47.320 --> 00:20:54.650 And one of the goats would be sacrificed and the blood would be sprinkled in the Holy of Holies, on the mercy seat in the Holy of Holies. 00:20:54.940 --> 00:20:59.680 And the reason for that was to bring about reconciliation between God and the nation of Israel. 00:21:00.960 --> 00:21:03.280 And so, that's what happened with one of the goats. 00:21:03.300 --> 00:21:06.540 The other goat, the high priest would lay his hands on the other goat. 00:21:07.360 --> 00:21:10.720 And that was a symbol of the sins of Israel passing onto the goat. 00:21:11.120 --> 00:21:18.180 And then the goat would be taken out into the wilderness and it would never be seen anymore, more than likely, torn apart 00:21:18.180 --> 00:21:19.000 by wild animal. 00:21:21.060 --> 00:21:27.280 And so, the unique thing about all that is Jesus already made atonement for our sins on the cross. 00:21:27.280 --> 00:21:27.400 Right? 00:21:27.940 --> 00:21:29.920 Jesus has already done that. 00:21:30.080 --> 00:21:33.280 He already made atonement for the sins and he took our sins on himself. 00:21:36.080 --> 00:21:41.340 And Hebrews chapter nine, this is a little bit of a long passage, but explains it pretty well. 00:21:41.360 --> 00:21:48.680 He says, "But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, he entered through the greater 00:21:48.680 --> 00:21:52.260 and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands. 00:21:53.020 --> 00:21:55.260 That is to say, not of this creation. 00:21:55.780 --> 00:21:59.080 And not through the blood of goats and calves, but through his own blood. 00:21:59.960 --> 00:22:04.780 He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. 00:22:05.660 --> 00:22:12.840 For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled sanctify 00:22:12.840 --> 00:22:19.980 for the cleansing of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ who through the eternal spirit offered himself 00:22:19.980 --> 00:22:27.200 without blemish to God cleansing your conscience from dead works to serve the living God." 00:22:27.400 --> 00:22:34.500 The whole point of it is Jesus' atonement is far better and permanent, far better than what they could do 00:22:34.500 --> 00:22:41.520 once a year with these goats, we're trying to make atonement and with the sacrifices of the calves and the bulls and 00:22:41.520 --> 00:22:43.940 all the different sacrifices they did. 00:22:44.060 --> 00:22:51.380 Second Corinthians five in verse 21 says, "And he made him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf so that we might become the 00:22:51.380 --> 00:22:55.340 righteousness of God in him." He took on sin for us. 00:22:56.140 --> 00:23:03.240 And that's exactly what those goats were supposed to do, pay for sin, reconcile to God, and to take 00:23:03.240 --> 00:23:04.840 the sin of the people. 00:23:05.120 --> 00:23:06.440 Jesus did them both. 00:23:07.220 --> 00:23:10.100 So many believe that Jesus is going to fulfill this feast. 00:23:10.460 --> 00:23:14.150 In addition to what he's already done, he's going to fulfill it when he comes the second time. 00:23:14.660 --> 00:23:19.120 Now, when he comes the second time, the nation of Israel is going to recognize who he is. 00:23:19.980 --> 00:23:24.000 Israel didn't recognize our Messiah, in general, when he first came. 00:23:25.120 --> 00:23:32.340 And so, there's going to come a time when Israel is going to recognize Jesus as their Messiah, they're going to recognize that he's God, they're going to recognize 00:23:32.340 --> 00:23:36.940 what he did for them, that his atonement was for them as well. 00:23:37.280 --> 00:23:43.580 And when they recognize that, they're going to receive him and accept him as their Messiah, as their lord. 00:23:44.460 --> 00:23:47.840 Zachariah chapter 12 in verse 10 puts it this way and explains it. 00:23:47.840 --> 00:23:55.000 And he says, "I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and supplication, 00:23:55.520 --> 00:23:58.100 so that they will look to me whom they have pierced. 00:23:59.120 --> 00:24:02.820 And they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only son. 00:24:02.880 --> 00:24:11.280 And they will weep bitterly over him, like the bitter weeping over a firstborn." So 00:24:11.280 --> 00:24:19.000 Israel will one day understand and accept this atonement that Jesus made for them and 00:24:19.000 --> 00:24:20.320 accept him as their Messiah. 00:24:21.460 --> 00:24:28.560 And when that happens, when Jesus returns the second time, that's when they believe this Day 00:24:28.560 --> 00:24:30.420 of Atonement feast will be fulfilled. 00:24:31.360 --> 00:24:34.180 Now we finally get to the Feast of Tabernacles. 00:24:35.700 --> 00:24:40.800 The Feast of Tabernacles was on the 15th day of the seventh month and it ran for seven days. 00:24:40.840 --> 00:24:43.540 So this year it'll run for the 21st to the 27th of September. 00:24:44.220 --> 00:24:50.920 You see all these fall feasts take place within a few weeks, and then they're all done. 00:24:51.280 --> 00:24:55.960 But this feast was to celebrate God's provision in the wilderness for the nation of Israel. 00:24:57.260 --> 00:24:59.620 And so, they would build little huts. 00:24:59.620 --> 00:25:07.060 It was called the Feast of Tabernacles or the Feast of Booths because they'd build little huts and they'd live in them for a week as a reminder of 00:25:07.060 --> 00:25:14.640 everything that God did and the living situation and conditions that they were in during their 40 years of wandering in the wilderness. 00:25:15.380 --> 00:25:17.160 And so, they did that. 00:25:17.160 --> 00:25:22.120 And then during this feast, also, the temple was illuminated with four large candles. 00:25:22.380 --> 00:25:26.880 And that was a picture of the pillar of fire that God led Israel with in the desert. 00:25:28.260 --> 00:25:35.480 And then lastly, the priest would bring from the pool of Siloam, they would bring water and they would pour it over the altar. 00:25:36.120 --> 00:25:42.220 And that was a picture of God providing in the wilderness from the rock, providing water for the nation of Israel from the rock. 00:25:42.860 --> 00:25:48.940 And so, they did all these things during the Feast of Tabernacles as reminders of what God had done. 00:25:49.600 --> 00:25:56.700 But it's so interesting to see how Jesus fulfills so much of this feast and so much that he's already done and that 00:25:56.960 --> 00:25:58.430 he's pointing toward. 00:25:58.920 --> 00:26:06.180 Later on in John chapter seven in verses 37 and 38, on the last day of the feast, it says that Jesus cried 00:26:06.180 --> 00:26:07.040 out these words. 00:26:07.500 --> 00:26:10.710 He says, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. 00:26:10.780 --> 00:26:19.080 And he who believes in me, as the scripture says, from his innermost being will flow rivers of living water." Jesus 00:26:19.080 --> 00:26:21.640 says come to me because I'm the living water. 00:26:22.040 --> 00:26:28.080 You got the water from the pool of Siloam and it's going to dry up one day, it's temporary water. 00:26:28.320 --> 00:26:35.190 As a matter of fact, eventually it's going to be all destroyed when Jerusalem and the temple are destroyed in AD 70, the whole thing is going to be gone. 00:26:36.200 --> 00:26:40.460 But Jesus says the water that I offer is living water. 00:26:41.180 --> 00:26:41.950 It's going to be there forever. 00:26:44.000 --> 00:26:44.940 I'm living water. 00:26:45.040 --> 00:26:48.700 And anybody who thirsts, come to me because I am living water. 00:26:50.440 --> 00:26:55.440 And then shortly after the last day of the feast in John chapter eight in verse 12, Jesus says this. 00:26:55.460 --> 00:26:56.790 He says, "I am the light of the world. 00:26:57.040 --> 00:27:04.080 He who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." And so, God gave 00:27:04.080 --> 00:27:07.540 the nation of Israel this pillar of fire to lead them in the wilderness. 00:27:07.920 --> 00:27:10.700 But Jesus is saying, I'm the light of the world that lasts forever. 00:27:13.870 --> 00:27:17.780 When you see me, you see the light of the world. 00:27:17.820 --> 00:27:22.240 You don't need another cloud or a pillar of fire leading you and stuff. 00:27:22.240 --> 00:27:23.080 Now I'm that light. 00:27:24.780 --> 00:27:25.840 I'm the light of the world. 00:27:25.840 --> 00:27:28.950 And by the way, we're going to see his light again, that's a part of his coming again. 00:27:29.140 --> 00:27:31.020 We'll see his light again. 00:27:31.620 --> 00:27:38.880 And then just to make this point a little clear, later on in chapter nine now of John, starting in verse five, he says this, he 00:27:38.880 --> 00:27:42.360 says, "While I'm in the world, I'm the light of the world." So he repeats that. 00:27:43.160 --> 00:27:50.260 And then, "When he had said this, he spit on the ground and he made clay of spittle and applied the clay to this man's eyes who was 00:27:50.260 --> 00:27:50.860 blind. 00:27:51.440 --> 00:27:56.270 And he said to him, 'Go and wash in the pool of Siloam.'" You see, it's tying back to the pool of Siloam. 00:27:56.480 --> 00:27:56.480 "... 00:27:56.500 --> 00:27:57.480 which is translated 'sent'. 00:27:57.960 --> 00:28:04.980 And he went away and he washed, and he came back seeing." The light of the world have given the light of the world to this man that was blind 00:28:04.980 --> 00:28:12.220 just as a picture to be able to show that Jesus is the light of the world, Jesus is coming again as that light 00:28:12.220 --> 00:28:12.820 of the world. 00:28:14.100 --> 00:28:19.960 So Jesus has already, in a lot of ways, and is ultimately going to completely fulfill these three fall feasts. 00:28:20.780 --> 00:28:27.900 And it's so interesting to realize that each one of these things Jesus is 00:28:27.900 --> 00:28:30.640 reiterating what's going to happen with it. 00:28:31.320 --> 00:28:33.830 He's the light of the world and that light's going to shine again. 00:28:34.240 --> 00:28:36.520 And Israel received water in the wilderness. 00:28:37.200 --> 00:28:39.800 They receive water from a rock. 00:28:39.800 --> 00:28:39.920 Right? 00:28:40.200 --> 00:28:41.500 And he is the rock of salvation. 00:28:42.220 --> 00:28:43.190 He's called that. 00:28:43.530 --> 00:28:49.420 And then the water that they received was temporary, but Jesus is living water, just like we learned in chapter six, he's living bread. 00:28:49.880 --> 00:28:50.540 Right? 00:28:50.680 --> 00:28:56.920 So all of these things, and Jesus came here to live with us, to dwell with us, John one says. 00:28:57.160 --> 00:29:00.320 And one day he's going to come and dwell again. 00:29:00.380 --> 00:29:04.080 He's going to tabernacle again on this earth and he's going to reign for a thousand years. 00:29:05.740 --> 00:29:12.980 And that's when people believe that this final Feast of Tabernacles is going to be fulfilled when Christ returns 00:29:12.980 --> 00:29:16.080 to tabernacle again on the earth. 00:29:16.180 --> 00:29:22.890 And so, we went through all the feasts just to try to understand a little bit of what we're seeing here in John chapter seven. 00:29:23.700 --> 00:29:27.870 And remember in John six, it was just before the Passover. 00:29:28.420 --> 00:29:31.320 And now, in John seven, it's just before the Feast of Trumpets. 00:29:31.500 --> 00:29:38.540 And now that we understand the calendar a little bit, we realize that there was six months in between these two chapters in between John six 00:29:38.540 --> 00:29:41.840 and John seven, six months, basically, had passed. 00:29:42.020 --> 00:29:45.760 And so, that kind of explains why we see Jesus in a little bit different situation. 00:29:45.900 --> 00:29:46.920 And all of a sudden he's there with his family. 00:29:47.600 --> 00:29:50.620 He was there with all the people and having this discussion with all the people. 00:29:50.620 --> 00:29:55.960 And now he's in Galilee and he's with his family because his brothers are going to talk here in just a second. 00:29:57.260 --> 00:29:59.280 But we also know something that's kind of interesting. 00:29:59.340 --> 00:30:03.520 We know that Jesus came to fulfill all of God's plan for all people. 00:30:03.520 --> 00:30:03.660 Right? 00:30:04.000 --> 00:30:06.680 And we see that specifically in the feast. 00:30:06.760 --> 00:30:13.900 And by seeing how he has fulfilled the feast and how he is going to going to fulfill the feast, it really just helps 00:30:13.920 --> 00:30:21.240 us confirm in our minds things like his deity and his purpose for coming to the earth and his future plans for the 00:30:21.240 --> 00:30:22.920 earth and how things are going to end. 00:30:23.240 --> 00:30:25.440 It just helps us get all of that stuff. 00:30:26.320 --> 00:30:28.320 And it helps us to keep looking to him. 00:30:28.420 --> 00:30:33.440 You remember what Paul encouraged Titus in Titus chapter two in verse 13? 00:30:33.440 --> 00:30:40.620 He said, "Looking for that blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and savior Jesus Christ." Understanding all this helps 00:30:40.620 --> 00:30:42.760 us look for that blessed hope. 00:30:43.100 --> 00:30:46.420 It helps us keep our attention on that blessed hope. 00:30:47.780 --> 00:30:54.960 With many of them events of chapter seven taking place around the Feast of Tabernacles, now it helps us understand 00:30:54.960 --> 00:30:59.560 this little challenge that Jesus' brothers gave him in verses three and four. 00:31:00.580 --> 00:31:07.840 They said this to Jesus, they says, "Leave here and go into Judea so that your disciples also may see your works which 00:31:07.840 --> 00:31:08.500 you are doing. 00:31:09.000 --> 00:31:12.910 For no one does anything in secret when he himself seeks to be known publicly. 00:31:13.760 --> 00:31:20.800 If you do these things, show yourself to the world." Now, why would Jesus' brothers want 00:31:20.800 --> 00:31:24.560 him to go up to the feast in Jerusalem and show himself to the world? 00:31:26.100 --> 00:31:28.180 Part of the reason is in verse five. 00:31:28.880 --> 00:31:33.460 Verse five makes it pretty clear and it says, for not even as brothers were believing in him. 00:31:34.120 --> 00:31:40.630 So one of the reasons that they wanted him to stand up and show himself as they didn't believe him still, they didn't believe Jesus. 00:31:41.480 --> 00:31:44.560 But I feel like there's something else to it. 00:31:44.600 --> 00:31:46.060 I believe that there's something else to it. 00:31:46.400 --> 00:31:53.400 You remember, like many in Israel, his brothers probably were looking for a Messiah that 00:31:53.400 --> 00:31:57.490 would relieve them from the Roman rule? 00:31:57.620 --> 00:31:57.720 Right? 00:31:58.060 --> 00:32:00.750 I mean, so many in Israel wanted that at this time. 00:32:00.900 --> 00:32:02.220 They wanted to be out from under the Romans. 00:32:02.800 --> 00:32:05.290 They wanted somebody to come and establish a new kingdom. 00:32:05.820 --> 00:32:13.180 And his brothers are really saying this, "Jesus, if you're that Messiah, the 00:32:13.180 --> 00:32:15.380 Feast of Tabernacles is here. 00:32:15.380 --> 00:32:17.360 Jerusalem is full of people. 00:32:17.900 --> 00:32:20.560 This is the last feast of the year for another six months. 00:32:21.380 --> 00:32:28.180 If you're that Messiah, you got to go and you got to show yourself and you've got to make your plan known to the world. 00:32:29.460 --> 00:32:30.160 Now's the time. 00:32:30.300 --> 00:32:32.820 If there was ever a time, Jesus, now's the time. 00:32:34.680 --> 00:32:39.300 But not only didn't his brothers believe in him, they didn't understand what he was for. 00:32:39.380 --> 00:32:39.960 Did they? 00:32:40.040 --> 00:32:41.380 They didn't understand his purpose. 00:32:41.380 --> 00:32:42.660 They didn't understand his plan. 00:32:43.040 --> 00:32:45.620 They didn't get it with Jesus yet. 00:32:47.780 --> 00:32:54.980 So Jesus explains to them in verses six through eight, he says, "My time is not yet here, but your time is always 00:32:54.980 --> 00:32:55.600 opportune. 00:32:56.360 --> 00:33:02.880 The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify of it that its deeds are evil. 00:33:03.860 --> 00:33:05.180 Go up to the feast yourselves. 00:33:06.000 --> 00:33:13.220 I do not go up to this feast because my time has not yet fully come." So Jesus makes it clear, my time's 00:33:13.220 --> 00:33:13.720 not yet. 00:33:13.760 --> 00:33:21.140 But listen, your time, your kind of plan that wants to have a different kind of Messiah than I'm going 00:33:21.140 --> 00:33:25.580 to be, that kind of plan is available all the time, it's always ready. 00:33:26.260 --> 00:33:28.000 That kind of plan is always at hand. 00:33:28.640 --> 00:33:30.300 And it had been for a long time. 00:33:30.400 --> 00:33:33.480 That's what many of the Jewish nation was looking for. 00:33:34.060 --> 00:33:38.330 But Jesus says I'm not going to go up to the feast based on your plan. 00:33:39.020 --> 00:33:42.300 I'm not going to go up to the feast based on when you think the time is right. 00:33:42.580 --> 00:33:44.560 I'm going to wait until God's perfect timing. 00:33:45.380 --> 00:33:46.620 That's when I'm going to go to the feast. 00:33:46.720 --> 00:33:49.520 And then he says, besides, and he reminds them of this. 00:33:49.520 --> 00:33:57.110 The world can't hate you, but the world does already and will hate me because of my testimony against it. 00:33:58.020 --> 00:33:59.320 He says, so you go up to the feast. 00:33:59.760 --> 00:34:02.560 I'm not going to go up now because my time hasn't fully come. 00:34:03.160 --> 00:34:09.060 And Jesus stayed in Galilee, stayed there. 00:34:10.440 --> 00:34:17.500 So as we finish up these verses this morning, I want to make three points of application that I hope will be helpful to us here 00:34:17.500 --> 00:34:22.520 today and helps us kind of bring all this together and understand why we went through it all. 00:34:22.520 --> 00:34:25.860 But the first is that Jesus came to the earth to fulfill God's plan. 00:34:26.880 --> 00:34:29.340 I mean, very clearly, he came to fulfill God's plan. 00:34:29.400 --> 00:34:30.630 And listen, he's going to come again. 00:34:31.500 --> 00:34:34.840 And all as a part of God's future plans. 00:34:35.320 --> 00:34:37.120 Everything is a part of God's plan. 00:34:37.639 --> 00:34:43.440 And he's going to come and fulfill all of his plans for the people, for his people and for the whole world. 00:34:44.880 --> 00:34:45.909 That's going to happen. 00:34:46.020 --> 00:34:47.960 And that's so encouraging to us. 00:34:49.260 --> 00:34:57.240 That's encouraging because that helps us as we look for the hope that we have in him, as we look 00:34:57.240 --> 00:35:01.160 for and hope in and just wait for his glorious appearing. 00:35:01.220 --> 00:35:02.400 That's pretty exciting for us. 00:35:02.780 --> 00:35:06.680 It gives us reason to hope in his glorious appearance. 00:35:08.120 --> 00:35:11.000 Secondly, during his earthly ministry, Jesus' brother didn't believe in him. 00:35:11.060 --> 00:35:12.100 We just talked about that. 00:35:12.660 --> 00:35:14.800 Praise the Lord, in Acts chapter one, they eventually do. 00:35:14.800 --> 00:35:15.000 Right? 00:35:15.000 --> 00:35:15.760 They're in the upper room. 00:35:16.140 --> 00:35:17.420 They're with Mary, they're with their mother. 00:35:17.960 --> 00:35:24.960 And they're with all the disciples and apostles and everybody in the upper room waiting for the day of Pentecost, praying, and 00:35:24.960 --> 00:35:25.360 everything. 00:35:25.480 --> 00:35:28.460 So eventually, we know that they do believe in him. 00:35:28.820 --> 00:35:34.280 But we learned something really good about this and it's that we shouldn't be surprised when people reject Jesus. 00:35:35.280 --> 00:35:37.530 I mean, he was right there in front of his brothers for years. 00:35:38.720 --> 00:35:45.800 As a matter of fact, this particular time, the time that we're talking about, the Feast of Tabernacles, in about 00:35:45.800 --> 00:35:48.600 six months is the feast of Passover when Jesus will be crucified. 00:35:50.160 --> 00:35:53.540 So Jesus is probably 32, 33 years old. 00:35:53.600 --> 00:35:55.540 He's been around his brothers for a lot of years. 00:35:55.920 --> 00:35:57.540 They had to be effected. 00:35:57.560 --> 00:36:00.060 This is a sinless man walking on earth. 00:36:01.040 --> 00:36:03.040 They had to be effected by his life. 00:36:03.040 --> 00:36:04.300 And yet they didn't believe him yet. 00:36:05.080 --> 00:36:12.340 So it shouldn't surprise us when people reject Christ, even when he's standing there right in front of them, even when they see right, see 00:36:12.340 --> 00:36:13.820 everything about him right in front of them. 00:36:14.380 --> 00:36:21.200 But we can also realize from this because we know his brothers did eventually believe in him that we know there's always a chance. 00:36:22.060 --> 00:36:23.340 Don't ever give up on anybody. 00:36:24.100 --> 00:36:31.440 Keep praying, keep telling them about the Lord, keep being the example Christ wants us to be, because there's always hope for 00:36:31.440 --> 00:36:31.840 everybody. 00:36:33.220 --> 00:36:35.440 And the last thing I'd like to point out this morning is that... 00:36:36.740 --> 00:36:39.560 And this has been a real big challenge for our family this week. 00:36:40.120 --> 00:36:46.620 But we're going to see next week that Jesus eventually did go up to the feast, but he went up in God's timing. 00:36:47.340 --> 00:36:52.360 And it's so critical for us to understand that everything works off of God's timing. 00:36:52.500 --> 00:36:54.260 Everything takes place off of God's timing. 00:36:54.580 --> 00:37:02.020 We might think that we see and that we know and that we understand things and we want it really bad and just 00:37:02.020 --> 00:37:03.540 all of those things. 00:37:03.540 --> 00:37:05.620 But only God knows what's best for us. 00:37:06.280 --> 00:37:08.960 And only God knows the best time for it. 00:37:09.540 --> 00:37:11.500 It's so critical to catch that. 00:37:12.720 --> 00:37:17.700 It makes so many things in our lives and so many challenges in our lives a little bit easier to take. 00:37:18.860 --> 00:37:25.860 I saw a quote from Corrie ten Boom this week, and it says, "Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to 00:37:25.860 --> 00:37:32.880 a known God." And the value of that is that's what it looks like when you're waiting for God's timing 00:37:34.060 --> 00:37:37.940 is your trust in your unknown future, but you're trusting it to your known God. 00:37:39.300 --> 00:37:40.260 And that's pretty encouraging. 00:37:40.940 --> 00:37:45.620 So never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God. 00:37:46.280 --> 00:37:46.860 And I'll tell you. 00:37:46.900 --> 00:37:53.920 I can just tell you this, I'm so thankful to see the way that God intricately has woven all of these trues about Christ throughout the whole Bible 00:37:53.920 --> 00:38:01.320 and the way that Christ has already fulfilled so much and is going to continue to fulfill everything exactly 00:38:01.320 --> 00:38:02.700 as God has planned. 00:38:02.780 --> 00:38:05.740 That's just encouraging to me and I hope it's encouraging for you. 00:38:06.300 --> 00:38:14.040 So, as we look for our blessed hope and for the glorious appearing of our great God and savior, Jesus Christ, I pray that we'll 00:38:14.040 --> 00:38:16.920 continue to share the truth of who he is. 00:38:19.000 --> 00:38:25.750 Continue to show forth Christ's love and show forth who he is to whoever God brings us in contact with. 00:38:26.400 --> 00:38:33.560 And that we'd be found faithful waiting for him to fulfill his plan in each of our lives and to fulfill 00:38:33.620 --> 00:38:36.850 his plan in his perfect timing for us.