The Feast of Tabernacles (10/15/2000)

Amen Turn with me to John chapter 7 Well, there have been times in Jerusalem where there were where there was laughter and There will be times again

Can you visualize? That moment when all the Gentile powers are about to destroy that little city and And the

Lord Jesus Christ comes back at that moment and destroys them with fire from his own mouth and Then sets foot

To set up his kingdom. Do you think there might be some laughter and joy? in that place

And that really is what this feast that we're going to talk about this morning pictures And we're gonna we've talked about the feast of the trumpets

Time before last and about the day of atonement a little bit last time and today we want to talk about the feast of tabernacles

Which we believe at least part of what it's all about is picturing the coming of the

Millennial Kingdom Let's have a word of prayer and we'll begin Father we thank you for Your son

Jesus We thank you for That cross that we heard sung about a few moments ago

We thank you that You're coming again for us And it may be very soon maybe at any moment

We know that you're moving the world into the right place the leaders of the world into the right place the people of the world in the right place to set up your coming and Father we do pray for our children who are growing up in a day and in a nation.

That is pagan a Nation where the most popular things have to do with relearning old

Ideas about sorcery and witchcraft and all of that So big in this nation among the young people in the 20 year olds nowadays

And our children are growing up here. And so father we ask you to equip them and make them strong that they might be able to fulfill your purposes until you come back and As far as our lives make us strong in the word as well that we might be the proper teachers and examples for this little generation coming up for they will truly be a

Small remnant in this evil world in the last days, but they will be powerful because of your word

We thank you for that So father bless us with a

Glimpse of the face of Jesus by faith today and we ask it in his name. Amen Let me give you a little background before we get into this passage in John We just finished studying the the blowing of the trumpets and If you remember

There Were three books that They're taught about in Rabbinical Judaism today and they believe that this idea came from the 3rd century rabbi

Yochanan Who taught that there were three books? Can anybody remember what the three books were somebody give me one of them?

No, no, no, no, no, I'm talking about three books of I guess you might call them three books of life we

Talked about it last Sunday and Sunday before last a little bit three kind of books your name's gonna go in one of them

This is what they believe now young people. This is not the truth. But this is what the rabbis are teaching

Do you remember what one book is? Okay, I you might say there is a book for the righteous for those who are absolutely righteous

There's one in the middle and it's who's it for Everybody really?

Yeah, but it's for people who are righteous but also bad Okay, and what's the third book

The one for the wicked that are just doomed Okay. Now you might know that they taught that most of the people are in that middle book.

And so the time period between The feast of the trumpets and Yom Kippur which was the day of atonement which is seen as a day of judgment but also a day of redemption for those who repent is

Called the ten terrible days and during that time the Jews lay aside sinful things

Do you know any other group that has a season where they do that? The Catholics do that don't they don't they call it

Lent and And They'll they'll lay aside I want you bubblegum all week

And you laugh, but some of them do things just that silly whatever their little favorite thing I'll just give up dipping snuff all week miss

Debra and And they'll do that and and thereby they think that they

Are propitiating God I suppose and I guess the Catholics got it from the rabbis

And so that's what they do during these ten days. They try to do everything they can think of to make sure they get

From that middle book into the first book Which is the book of the righteous because if they're not there by this day than this day pictures their judgment their eternal damnation

Otherwise it pictures the day of redemption isn't it sad that their plan of salvation is twisted and dark a salvation by works

Did you know that biblical Christianity is the only religion in the world? That is not a system of salvation by works all other religions and systems and denominations

And everything else other than biblical Christianity. They all think you have to build a way to God with your own efforts

And you know why they call the gospel the good news Because the good news is that ain't true

Because you could never do it you could never think of enough to do You could never lose your guilt feelings

Towards God you could never now There are a lot of Christians that I believe are saved today that that have inappropriate feelings like that because they're not in the word

They're not taught and they don't understand what the Lord has done. They don't understand the finished work of Christ They don't understand his continuing work right now with the father as our advocate

They don't understand those things because they don't study and therefore they have unfounded fears in their heart

But I think maybe it's appropriate that they have those it may drive them to study but We had

Yom Kippur which then is the day of judgment or day of redemption it and some believe it pictures the second coming and today we will talk about the third of the great of the three greatest of the feast because it's the feast of tabernacles, but the

Passover Along with the day of atonement and along with the feast of the tabernacles or perhaps the three most important and This is the last of the ones we'll be studying for a while.

Let me read to you a quote by Alfred Eidersheim and he says this about this feast on the day before the feast of tabernacles

The festive pilgrims had all arrived in Jerusalem The booths on the roofs in the courtyards in the streets and squares they built little booths mostly had leafy Roofs on them and Little tabernacles that they stay in outside during this feast outdoors

Now Russ tells me even today when they have this time in Israel That the

Orthodox will not even go into a store to shop so all of Israel the stores will build booths outside with these same leafy roofs on them and They'll either bring the goods out to them or they'll have people there that can go in the store and get what they need and Bring it out.

They will not go indoors. They live in these booths and So they're on the roofs.

They're on the courtyards They're in the streets and squares as well as roads and gardens and it must give the city quite an interesting appearance

The preparation for all that was needed Occupied their time and when the early autumn evening set in the blast of the priests trumpets on the

Temple Mount announced to Israel the advent of the feast in Leviticus chapter 23 in verse 34.

We see this feast spoken of in the Bible And it says speak unto the children of Israel saying the 15th day of this seventh month

Which is usually our month of October shall be the feast of tabernacles for seven days unto the

Lord Ye shall dwell in booths for seven days All that are

Israelites born shall dwell in booths That your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths

When I brought them out of the land of Egypt I am the Lord your God and Moses declared unto the children of Israel the feasts of the

Lord Now this particular feast the feast of tabernacles was sometimes just called the feast of the

Lord. So you see its importance it comes five days after Yom Kippur and The whole cycle of the autumn holidays is concluded with this feast

It is one of the three times that that all of the men of Israel were required to come to the temple in Jerusalem Passover The Feast of Weeks, which is

Pentecost and the Feast of Tabernacles This being the Feast of Tabernacles.

I want to read to you another quote by Victor Bukes Boson that's a good name, isn't it and He is a

Jewish believer who wrote a book the gospel in the Feast of Israel a very Fascinating little book if you ever want to pick that up the gospel and the

Feast of Israel. Don't forget that name Bukes Boson And he says this in the end of September Early October it is the feast of in gathering our

Israel's Thanksgiving festival Quote the feast is what is called in John chapter 7 verse 37 a time of rejoicing

Now remember that because this begins to define this feast It is a above all things a time of rejoicing in fact rabbis say even today

He who has not seen Jerusalem during the Feast of Tabernacles Does not know what rejoicing means

So that's a major portion of what this is all about They bring tithes and freewill offerings and the temple coffers are filled again for the needy throughout the land

It commemorates the 40 years in the wilderness wandering when they dwelt in tents

They have the lulav which are branches of palms myrtles and willows all

Fastened with a golden thread which they wave at certain portions of the service in the temple and they have the ethrog

Which is citrus fruit symbolic of the fruit of the promised land the first day of the feast 13 bullocks are offered and then the next day 12 and then the next day 11, etc

Ending with 7 on the seventh day and that totals 70 The rabbis explained that this is on behalf of the 70 nations of the world.

Now. Can you see how? They may not have seen this but we can see how this pictures the

Millennial Kingdom But even they are saying that there is shelter in the tabernacle of God for the

Jew first but also the Gentile nations and this is one of the feasts that caused them to think about the

Possibility of a Gentile being saved they didn't like to think about that a lot, but they did believe that this 70 represented the 70 nations of the world

Looking toward their conversion to God to the God of Israel and their gathering to the

Shekinah glory another man named Mitch Glasser wrote a book called the Fall Feast of Israel and In this book, he said these things he said first of all that the feast of the tabernacles

Deals with predominantly three ideas. First of all the faithfulness of God during the 40 years of wilderness wandering

Secondly man's need to depend upon God Now, isn't it interesting that these things to Israel were physical things to depend upon God for physical things such as shelter food?

Clothing and so forth. Remember their shoes never wore out and some interesting things like that happened they had manna from heaven and So forth, but we today should think of the fact that man must depend upon God for the spiritual things as well

How many of you in this room could have saved yourself? How many of you could have gone from a state of being dead and trespasses and sins from being blind from being deaf?

from being the enemy of God To a place where all of a sudden you accepted Jesus on your own

Totally impossible. So it is a time to think about our dependence upon God for all things including our salvation especially the spiritual things

Especially any insight that you have into the Word of God any spiritual truths you've learned

Praise God for those things because we depend totally upon him for that totally upon him for that And in the third thing it pictures is the humble origin of the nation of Israel coming out from the desert

Doesn't that picture some spiritual things for us brother Otis? Always steals my sermon during the

Sunday school lesson, but he Actually, I just take notes and then I preach that during the message is what happens but He was mentioned.

He asked the question when you come to Christ. What do you bring? And The proper answer was nothing we come without anything and Then he gives us gifts and this picture is the fact that the nation of Israel even at the height of their

Empire under King Solomon They had to understand that what their roots were.

They came from a desert having nothing Everything that they had was because God had brought them from that place

And so these are the things that this feast pictured in in broad terms the feast occurs during harvest time and You have to understand that their economy was agrarian.

So if they didn't get the rain, they didn't have any food and So when they had the harvest and they had this particular feast at the harvest time

They were thinking very heavily about how they depend on God for everything Exodus 23 16 says and the feast of harvest.

So sometimes this is called the feast of harvest the first fruits of the holidays, which thou has sown in the field and The feast of in gathering that's another name for this feast

Which is in the end of the year when thou has gathered in thy labors out of the field

Sometimes this same feast is called the season of joy Because they have food sometimes it's called literally the feast of the

Lord or you might emphasize the word the the feast of the Lord and I'll explain why you can call it the feast of the

Lord in a moment I believe I'll tell you at least what why the rabbis think that and then Sometimes it's just called the feast out of all of the feasts of Israel This one's called the feast or the great feast.

We'll see that a little bit later in the New Testament Now another interesting thing the word feast in the

Hebrew is usually from a Hebrew word called call gag Which means to move in a circle?

but with regard to three feasts in particular the Passover and Pentecost and Tabernacle the three feasts where there the men were required to come to the temple in Jerusalem Tabernacle the one we're studying today was one of these great three

The word for feast is hog which simply means to dance or be joyous and so this

Particular feast has much to do with the joy of the Lord.

Remember Rosh Hashanah The feast of the trumpets pictures repentance yom kippur pictures judgment and or redemption

And this feast pictures rejoicing in God's forgiveness Isaiah chapter 4 verse 6 says and there shall be a tabernacle for a shadow in the daytime

From the heat and for a place of refuge and for a cover from storm and from rain

Guess who that tabernacle is It's interesting about this feast in Deuteronomy 16 verse 13

It is one of the feasts if not The only feast where God gave a certain commandment about this feast and the commandment was which

I think is an interesting thing He commanded them to rejoice You know, that's like a father telling his children.

I command you to smile and have fun today Or a pastor telling the church

It is absolutely necessary that you be joyous All right, remember that that's what

I want you to do but God tells his people during this feast thou shalt rejoice

Deuteronomy 16 13 says thou shalt observe the feast of tabernacles Seven days after that thou hast gathered in thy corn and thy wine and thou shalt rejoice

Rejoice in thy feast thy son and thy daughter thy maidservant and thy

Manservant and the Levite and the stranger and the fatherless and the widow that are within thy gates thou shalt

Rejoice what a commandment Well, it's interesting to to look at the offerings that are given during this feast

No matter how you group them the offerings are always divisible by seven in Numbers 29 verses 12 through 38.

It describes the offerings. You won't have time to look them up this morning, but they offered 70 bullocks 14 rams 98 lambs that equals 182 which is seven 26 times 26 sevens and then they had 336 tenths of ephahs of flour for the meal offerings and that is 48 sevens this particular feast has twice as many lambs and rams offered as during the feast of the unleavened bread and Five times as many bulls as the feast of Passover and Passover They do 14 and this one.

It's 5 times 14 It's also a feast of seven days in the height of the seventh month so we see that the number seven has been divinely imprinted into this feast of all feasts and it equals

God's perfect satisfaction and forgiveness and Points to the one who finished that work on the cross

Nehemiah 8 17 says and all the congregation of them that were come again out of the captivity made booths and Sat under the booths for since the days of Joshua the son of nun and to that day had not the children of Israel done

So they had disobeyed God and stopped doing this feast As soon as they began to do it again, it says and there was very great gladness

So this feast pictures gladness and rejoicing and it is the proper fall festival festival for God's people

Every worshiper Prayed this and you will find part of what they prayed in Isaiah 12 3

Therefore with joy shall you draw water out of the wells of salvation?

May God send his Holy Spirit upon us now Was the prayer that was on their lips?

Rabbinical authorities believe this now listen to this. This is fascinating to me rabbinical authorities believe joy

To be the sign of the presence of God's Spirit Isn't that amazing in the life of the individual as well as in the life of?

the church Or in the life of God's people Why is it that Baptists have moved so far from joy?

To a place where basically we just sit in the pew Nowadays, I don't think it was that way at the turn of the century

I still believe with all my heart every Pentecostal and charismatic that ever lived jumped right out of the

Baptist Church around 1900 And they were all shouting

Baptists back in those days. We saw last week how they got from the Bible They said amen and amen and that's what they were supposed to be doing well

The priests Circled the altar for six days and then on the seventh day they circled it seven times crying

Hoshiana, which means save now and they quoted Psalm 11825 which says save now

I beseech thee. Oh Lord. Oh Lord. I beseech thee and Send now prosperity

Save now they would cry out save now as they walked around the altar save now

Think about what the second coming of Jesus is going to mean to the Jewish nation Let alone to the whole world

Save now they said There are two important parts To this celebration that we will discuss only one of them this morning but the two are this it's called the pouring of the water and the lighting of the temple and We will not have time to discuss the lighting of the temple today

But we will discuss the pouring of the water The pouring of the water in the temple was from the pool of Siloam and they took a golden pitcher of water

Which was poured into a basin at the foot of the altar and another pit pitcher of wine

Was poured into the same basin This mingled together and flowed through special pipes back into the brook of Kidron Do you know any man who

Had water and blood pour from his side Well, this

Brings new meaning to that and our little Gentile eyes as we know a little bit more about this

Jewish festival We see a little bit more about the significance of that Because they mixed wine with the water

The wine picturing, of course joy but also picturing the blood of Jesus Christ the atoning blood of the

Savior the water picturing life the life of God the life of the

Holy Spirit that springs up unto Everlasting life

This lasted for six days climaxing on the seventh day Which concluded the feast of the tabernacles now

We're talking about this pouring of the water and the mixing with the wine Each day this was done the pouring of the water and the blasting of the trumpets these things right over here

You call them trumpets, but this is what we're talking about the singing of sacred music by the

Levites while the people waved their palm branches and chanted from Psalm 113 all the way through Psalm 118 called the

Hallel Part of which says Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the

Lord Save now I beseech thee O Lord Save now

From that expression comes the word Hoshanna Which comes the eye of the word

Hosanna to the Son of David? Now turn with me to Matthew 21 6 and you'll see where this is used

But you have to remember that this had been done year after year after year All of the days at least when

Israel was obedient to the Lord year after year They circled the altar they poured this water.

They mixed it with the wine Picturing the blood of Jesus and they cried out Hosanna to the

Son of David meaning save us save us Son of David and then in Matthew 21 6

The disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them and brought the ass and the colt and put on them their clothes and they sat him

There on and a very great multitude spread their garments in the way others cut down branches from the trees and strewed them in the way and The multitudes that went before and that followed cried saying

Hosanna to the Son of David Save us save us to the

Son of David blessed is. He that cometh in the name of the Lord Hosanna to the highest and When he was coming to Jerusalem all the city was moved saying who is this and the multitude said this is

Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee It was while all this was going on the pouring of the water

That Jesus stood and cried in the temple now, we're going to go into John chapter 7 in just a moment

I want to let this author Glasser introduced this story.

Let me read this. I think a beautiful introduction to this passage in John 7 The city of Jerusalem was filled to capacity

The myriad of pilgrims who came from throughout the diaspora pressed against one another

Once again, the priest went to the pool of Siloam With his entourage of fellow worshipers and liturgical flutists

He filled the sacred vessels and returned to the altar amidst the music of the flutes the chants of the

Levitical choir the haunting blasts of the shofar, which is this horn right over here and in the presence of thousands of worshipers a

Young itinerant rabbi from Nazareth proclaimed the message that would quench the thirst of the most thirsty soul

Now turn with me for a moment to John 4 we're gonna end up here in 7, but I want you to look at the progression

First of all this young itinerant rabbi named

Jesus Who came into this place during this feasts of feasts this festival of festivals

He preached this message privately Before to a woman at the well that he's about to preach publicly in John 4 13

He said Jesus answered and said unto her whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again

But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst But the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life and then after that he faced the unbelief of his own disciples and then his own family turn over to John chapter 6 and First of all, we see the unbelief of his own disciples starting with verse 65

John 6 65 I want you to notice that the theme of his message when the unbelief showed up was the sovereignty of God John 6 65 said and he said therefore said

I unto you that no man can come unto me except it were given unto him of my father and From that time many of his disciples went back and walked no more with him then said

Jesus unto the twelve Will you leave also and then Simon Peter answered him

Lord to whom shall we go for thou? hast the words of eternal life

And we believe and are sure that thou art the Christ son of the Living God Jesus answered them have not

I chosen you twelve and want to use a devil and he spake of Judas Iscariot Now we see that many of his own disciples walked away from him at this point

Now as we go down into the very next chapter chapter 7 as it begins we see his own family express unbelief

That he is who he claims to be now put yourself there imagine being Jesus imagine being

Jesus the man Who knew who he was and his own family mother brothers and sisters don't believe who he is

After these things Jesus walked in Galilee for he would not walk in Jewry because the

Jews sought to kill him now You have to understand as we start chapter 7 it is at the time of this very feast that we're studying this morning

Now the Jews feast of tabernacles was at hand, how did I know that I read verse 2 His brethren therefore said unto him depart hence and go into Judea that thy disciples also may see the works that thou doest for there is no man that doeth anything in secret and He himself seeketh to be known openly if thou do these things show thyself to the world

For neither did his brethren believe in him Isn't that amazing? They were mocking him.

They were saying well, you need to go down to to the feast where everybody's there and just reveal yourself to them

And he acted as if he would not do it in verse 6 Then Jesus said to them my time is not yet come but your time is always ready

And then a little bit later on we'll see that he does go to the feast if you go to verse 10, we see that he secretly came into the city and Then once again, he faced unbelief look at verse 10

Chapter 7 but when his brethren were gone up Then when he also up into the feast not openly but as it were in secret

I don't think his brothers even knew that he went Then the Jews sought him at the feast and said where is he and There was much murmuring among the people concerning him for some said he is a good man

Others said nay, but he was he deceiveth the people so he finds unbelief again

Even in the city rumors going around about him being a deceiver How be it no man spake openly of him for fear of the

Jews And when you drop down to verse 14 all of a sudden you see that he came into the temple and he teach he taught

And he faced unbelief again verse 14 now about the midst of the feast

Jesus went up into the temple and taught and The Jews marveled saying how knoweth this man letters having never learned and Jesus answered them and said my doctrine is not mine

But his that sent me If any man will do his will he shall know of the doctrine whether it be of God or whether I speak of myself

Now all of these things are happening here we see these things happening in chapter 7 leading up to This great day of this festival

Perhaps it was at the climax of the pouring of the water where the priest

Circled the altar seven times and cried out save now save now son of David Perhaps it was at this time while the priests were crying out unto the

Lord Reading Psalm 118 25 save now I beseech thee. Oh Lord.

Oh Lord. I beseech thee sin now prosperity Perhaps it was right at that moment when

Jesus stood in the crowd and cried out look at verse 37

In the last day That great day of the feast Jesus stood and cried saying if any man thirst

Let him come unto me and drink Now picture this happening right after all the people had seen this pouring of the water that's always done during this feast

It's been done for thousands of years the pouring of the water where they mixed the wine in the water and They cried out save now save now and Jesus stands in the midst of the crowd at that very moment moment and he says if any man thirst

Let him come unto me and drink He that believeth on me as the scriptures hath said out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water

But this spake he of the spirit Which they that believe on him should receive for the

Holy Ghost was not yet given by the way of indwelling Because that Jesus was not yet glorified

Now, isn't this amazing to picture the context of him making this statement? Believe on me and you will receive rivers

Flowing rivers of living water What do you think the thoughts of those

Jews were? It's as if Jesus stood and said the answer to your prayers for thousands of years is standing before you

Now let's stop for a minute before we before we finish and and I want you to understand three things that we see from the

Old Testament And I want you to put yourself here and imagine the Jews hearing him say this they've got to react to it

They can't ride the fence when a statement like that is made there has to be a decision made

Jesus many times would demand a decision in Ezekiel 36 24

We see what this pouring of the water pictures It says for I will take you from among the heathen and Gather you out of all countries and will bring you into your own land.

Do you see how that pictures the Millennial Kingdom? And yet this was written by the Prophet Ezekiel Then will

I sprinkle clean water upon you? This is what the pouring of the water pictured and you shall be clean from all your filthiness and from all your idols will

I cleanse you a New heart also will I give you and a new spirit will I put within you and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh and I will give you a heart of Flesh a real heart he says and I will put my spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes and ye shall keep my judgments and do them and this is all pictured in this beautiful feast of Tabernacles and they had this picture for thousands of years

Pictured seven things Separation from the world. He said I'll bring you in from all the nations and I'll make you separate

Do you know we've lost that doctrine in the church today? You know, we've lost it in our homes. Most parents don't know to teach that to their young people.

I Had an interesting thing happen in my family life yesterday that reminded me of this But you know what you should teach your children.

I Statement because he's raised a batch of them at least one batch and he said, you know children, yeah teenagers, especially have

Don't remember how you worded it and said they have Affinity for the people they grow up with that.

Sometimes we don't understand you worded it better than that, but I think that gives the idea and we as parents don't always understand that and So they have kind of a loyalty

To the ones their own age that sometimes we don't understand But we need to teach our children again and reteach them again and again that the

Lord said in the New Testament in many other places be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers and He says for what fellowship hath

Christ with Belial If you have Christ in your heart, what fellowship do you have with someone who is

Satan seed and The implication is none Doesn't matter if you grew up with them

But that's hard for us especially hard for teenagers, but it has to be taught

But I don't believe it's taught much anymore because we don't understand this doctrine of separation We don't understand the strength and power of it and the necessity of it and so we we kind of try to look the other way and When our children want to mingle with inappropriate people we say well, you know

We don't want to be so stern that we just put them in this little Greenhouse, do we? Well, we wouldn't want to put them in a greenhouse they might grow huge and strong And we have to always remind ourselves how important it is who our children play with And who our children spend their time with doesn't matter if it's a cousin doesn't matter if it's a friend down the street

Find out is that the right appropriate fellowship this doctrine of separation is pictured here

The idea of victory is pictured by bringing them not the taking out from the world is the separation

But bringing them into the promised land pictures victory and peace and then he says I'll cleanse you with water the water of the word the cleansing of God's people and Then he says you will not have idols.

I'll remove your idols that pictures focus of affection for the one true

God and then he gives them a new heart and a new spirit and you know what that results in and You walk

He says I'll cause you to walk in my statutes Not because I make you but because your heart wants to because I've put a heart in there that wants to All of that was pictured in this passage in Ezekiel that all this has to do with this pouring of the water

That was done at this feast every year this pouring of the water pictured all of this now we go into Joel Chapter 2 verse 23 it pictures another time period the same festival the same things that pictures

But it says be glad then you children of Zion and rejoice in the Lord your God For he has given you the former rain moderately and he will cause to come down for you the latter rain

The former and the latter rain in the first month and this pictures the presence of Jesus Christ the former rain pictures the first advent the first coming

This the latter rain pictures the second coming and we see the water that water is used as a type of the coming of Jesus Christ and then thirdly and lastly

I wanted to give you this in Zechariah 13 verse 1 and then again in 14 8

This same festival is pictured in the pouring of the water is pictured but the time changes again

It goes on out further into the future to the Millennial Kingdom in that day

There shall be a fountain opened to the house of David You see this little thing they did it pictured this this little pouring of the water it

Pictured this occasion you can read about this in the book of Revelation as well by the way But in Zechariah 3 1 it says in that day

That's when Jesus Christ sets foot on the earth in Jerusalem at the second coming in that day there shall be a fountain open to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness to wash away the sin and the uncleanness and Zechariah 14 8 says and it shall be in that day that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem Half of them toward the former sea and half of them toward the hinder see in summer and in winter shall it be

Jesus Christ the water of life The Bible teaches as we look back in John chapter 7

He stood when the pouring of the water and The prayer was prayed

Save Save us son of David Jesus stood at that very moment and said

I am the water. I am that water. I Am the water Come to me and you will have life that lasts

Forever and they had to make a decision Would they stick with their traditions would they stick with what was politically expedient

And do you do you realize that Jesus was not a real political person

Look with me in John chapter 7 in this very passage right after this event took place Look what happened in verse 40 many of the people therefore when they heard this said

Of a truth this is the prophet if you want to know who the prophet is look in Deuteronomy 18 15 through 19

The Lord Moses said the Lord thy God Will raise up to thee a prophet from the midst of thee of thy brethren

Likened to me and to him you shall hearken it goes on to say if you don't hearken to him You're not gonna make it

He told the Jews that Moses told them that and these people said this is that prophet that Moses spoke up and then others said

Well, no, this is the Christ which of course they were confused because really that's the same person This shop and then they said but shall

Christ come out of Galilee can anything good come out of Nazareth Hath not the scripture said that Christ cometh of the seed of David and out of the town of Bethlehem They didn't even know but Jesus was born in Bethlehem.

They didn't ask him So there was a division among the people because of him he was not the most political person

They had to make a decision. What did he mean when he said believe in me and you'll have the water of life So there were divisions among the people because of him and some of them would have taken him

But no man laid hands on him Then came the officers to the chief priest of the

Pharisees and they said to them Why have you not brought him and the officers said a remarkable statement?

They said never man spake like this man That's why we didn't arrest him because we listened to him too long and then we couldn't arrest him

Then answered the Pharisees Sarcastically, are you also deceived and look what they said in verse 48?

Have any other rulers or the Pharisees believed on him? Is he politically acceptable?

Of course not It's kind of interesting down here in a moment One of these rulers does make a comment, but this people who knoweth not the law they are cursed these people that are following him

They're ignorant. They're just ignorant people They don't know the Word of God's what they were saying and those very people were there at that very moment making a decision

Nicodemus said to them he that came to Jesus by night being one of them said doth our law judge any man before it hear

Him, can you see the Holy Spirit working in this man's life? This man was about to make a decision

They answered and said unto him art thou also of Galilee sarcasm Sarcasm well, you're gonna say a good point towards him.

Are you also are you are you one of his brothers? Search and look for out of Galilee ariseth.

No prophet and look at verse 53. Here's the decision that they made They listened to those who were in political power.

They listened to the men of God as they told them how ignorant they were they cowered the people down and caused them to think of themselves that way and Convinced them and so in verse 53 every man went unto his own house

Now the story is not over because next week we're going to talk about the lighting of the temple which is a very important part of this, but that ends this chapter and The fact is

I believe with all my heart that Jesus presented him to the nation on this day And he said

I am that water I'm the water you've been looking at at this feast for thousands of years.

I am he and your prayers are answered Do something about it and the decision they made was to reject him

What if they had accepted him as a nation on that day? Then this very feast which pictures the millennial kingdom that kingdom would have been set up and it would have begun at that moment

Because the king was there But God and his sovereignty had ordained different ending had he not

He had ordained the cross From the foundation of the world This man was to die

But these people didn't know that they made the wrong decision They did what they wanted to do.

They rejected their own Messiah He stood before them and said I'm what that water pictures.

I'm here today for you first for the Jew first and They all just bowed their heads after listening to these

Pharisees and every man went to his own house Didn't that sad at the great joyous festival the festival of all festivals that pictures the joy of the

Lord He stood before them with the Spirit of God in fullness

Probably with joy glowing off of his face and he said I am he And they said we don't know about that Well Might there be anyone in the room today who's facing that same decision?

I Don't know brother Mitchell, we're all set That he that liveth and believeth on me Shall never die

Believe us now this he is the water and when you receive him as your personal

Lord and Savior You drank the same water that the what the lady at the well drank that day

She said given to me. She said I thirst given to me that water If that's what's on your heart today

Then receive that water and you'll have everlasting life and then for the first time in your life, you'll know what true joy is and you'll know what this

Feast pictures the joy of the Lord and for those of us who know we're saved Think about the water of life that you have and don't take it for granted

It is what gives us it's all we have to be joyful about and it's all we need And all the cares the world can't take that water away and you don't have to die to have everlasting life

You're already living it right now. This is part of your everlasting life today. What we're doing today is part of it

In that marvelous, let's stand If if you're here today and you don't think you've ever had that water you've had religion, but you never tasted the water and You've done that today.

You may want to come and let us know about that Whatever your desire is whatever your need is you may come today as you hear the piano play