2011 Feast Of Tabernacles, Day 3
The Restoration Of All Things

By Harold Lee
October 15, 2011

Well, good morning, everyone! I hope everyone's Feast is going as well as ours. I'd like to say "Hello" to all of our scattered Brethren behind the camera who are either watching now or will be watching later, those that are listening in. Please know that we don't know all of you, but we know a lot of you and you are in our prayers.

I don't know about you but I don't know what to do. We're on the third day of the Feast and I'm already in my day eight size clothes! (Laughter from audience.) You sort of have too much Feast at the end of the belt.

Well, I do hope everyone is having a wonderful spiritual as well as a physically rewarding Feast. I don't know how many of these we have left, but I sure hope that we can treasure our time that God has allowed us to be together and also the tremendous invitation that God extended to each one of us that allows us to be here and to build closer bonds with Him and with Jesus Christ as we focus on ahead and also with one another.

I'd like to start today's sermon at the same place that Steve started his Atonement Sermon. Turn over to Acts chapter 3.

Also, as you're turning, today is a very unique day in the Feast and not like any of the others and I will…. You'll just have to stay awake to hear it. I'll tell you about that later, but there is something that makes this day very unique.

As was pointed out in the Atonement Sermon—and I trust that most of you have heard that. If you have not, it would be worth your time to get a copy of it. But you know the New Testament Church started about ten days after Christ ascended to heaven. And the account of that and the giving of the holy spirit are recorded in Acts chapter 2.

What we're going to read in Acts 3 is an account that happened—and we don't know, but I believe it was very shortly after that, in the ensuing days and perhaps weeks. But this was at the ninth hour, at 3 o'clock in the afternoon, when the traditional prayer was offered. Peter had just healed a man that had been lame since birth. And the crowd had gathered around because they knew this man begging at the gate and they marveled at this. We'll pick this up in Acts 3 verse 1. It says:

Acts 3:1. Now Peter and John went up together to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. (NKJ)

And skip down to verse 11.

Acts 3:11. Now as the lame man who was healed held on to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them in the porch which is called Solomon's, greatly amazed.
12) So when Peter saw it, he responded to the people: "Men of Israel, why do you marvel at this? Or why look so intently at us, as though by our own power or godliness we made this man walk? (NKJ)

He was saying, "Look, don't look at us! We're men." And he goes on. He wanted to turn the focus way from him, concerning the miracle that was performed, from men to God where it belonged.

There is—I don't care who you are—as long as we're humans, we want to look up to men. We have this thing. I think that's one of the issues that we deal with today. But even ancient Israel did; "We want a king! We want someone we can see and someone that's like the other nations." Even in the Bible, this Book that we're reading, it's called the Acts of the Apostles. And I think, "No. It's The Acts of God that He Performed through the Apostles." The Revelation of Saint John—no. It was The Revelation of Jesus Christ that He Gave to Saint John. Again, we kind of want to insert men into this, when, in fact, God is just using them. God gets the glory.

Continuing on in verse 13, notice what he says.

Acts 3:13. "The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified His Servant Jesus, whom you delivered up and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let Him go.
14) "But you denied the Holy One and the Just, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, (NKJ)

It sounds like there are two Beings. The Revised Standard says:

Acts 3:14. But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, (RSV)

It's talking about Jesus Christ.

Acts 3:14b. … and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, (RSV)

Acts 3:15. "and killed the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses. (NKJ)

And then, he says very plainly:

Acts 3:16. "And His name, through faith in His name, has made this man strong, whom you see and know. Yes, the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all. (NKJ)

Notice there is no me. There is no us. It's God and the focus is on what He has done.

What is interesting is less than two months before this remember? Peter denied Christ three times. "I don't know this man." And now, after he witnessed Christ's resurrection, walked with Him for forty days, and we can even read of some of their very intimate and even heart-wrenching accounts as Christ talked to him about it, and he (Peter) received God's spirit, he's a completely different person. He is bold and he's focused on God. And the calling and the job that he was given, he's intent on that.

Verse 17:

Acts 3:17. "Yet now, brethren, I know that you did it in ignorance, as did also your rulers.
18) "But those things which God foretold by the mouth of all His prophets, that the Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled.
19) "Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, (NKJ)

If you want the whole Plan of God in one verse, this is it. Verse 19 is really the whole story.

Acts 3:19. "Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times… (NKJ)

And notice that times is plural.

Acts 3:19b. … times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, (NKJ)

And, as Steve pointed out, that's Strong's #403, anapsuxis (an-aps'-ook-sis), which means a recovery of breath.

There are two ways to consider that.

1. Get a breath of fresh air, which is an allegorical pronouncement when this is going to come to pass. And all of what man has experienced is going to be gone. It's just going to be fresh and it's going to be uplifting. And it's going to be nourishing just like a breath of fresh air.

2. But it can also be literal. Keep in mind when God created man. When He created Adam, He created him and then it said, "He made him a living being by giving him the 'breath of life.'"

He (Peter) is talking about a second breath being given by God. Something that is life-giving.

The great majority of mankind, if you consider those that have drawn breath, are in their graves. And we know even when Christ returns it's going to be even fewer. Most people will be dead in their graves.

Don't turn there. On the Last Great Day, possibly Ezekiel 37:5 will be read, but let me just quote it to you.

Ezekiel 37:5. 'Thus says the Lord God to these bones: "Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live. (NKJ)

And, again, that one Scripture, it tells it all. It's "Repent; be converted; and you're going to live. You're going to experience these times of refreshing."

And then, he (Peter) gives them the good news, which is what is ahead for all of mankind including them. And that, verse 20:

Acts 3:20. "He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before,
21) "whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began. (NKJ)

Just hold your finger there and turn over to Jeremiah 4. We know and we rehearse that the state of the world when Christ returns is going to just be in utter ruin. I just want to read one prophecy that describes the earth at the time of the return of Christ. Jeremiah 4 and we'll start in verse 23. It says:

Jeremiah 4:23. I beheld the earth, and indeed it was without form, and void; (NKJ)

The very same state that Genesis 1:1 talks about—the same words were used! It was in complete utter ruin.

Jeremiah 4:23b. … and the heavens, they had no light.
24) I beheld the mountains, and indeed they trembled, and all the hills moved back and forth.
25) I beheld, and indeed there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens had fled.
26) I beheld, and indeed the fruitful land was a wilderness, and all its cities were broken down at the presence of the Lord, by His fierce anger.
27) for thus says the Lord: "The whole land shall be desolate; yet I will not make a full end.
28) For this shall the earth mourn, and the heavens above be black, because I have spoken. I have purposed and will not relent, nor will I turn back from it. (NKJ)

The entire earth is going to be just completely ruined! And we know by reading both the Old Testament and the New Testament prophecies that the earth at that point will be incapable of sustaining life. Let's just pause for a moment and reflect on that. And I'm just going to give sort of a simplified view of our traditional teaching.

At the end-time, life is going to be going along very well and, then, a powerful Beast will rise up. And all of the nations will give sovereignty to him. Then, he will take over and set out to destroy the Church of God through tribulation.

We've thought about the tribulation in the Day of the Lord and considered that the state of the ruined earth is primarily as a result of warfare against Christ's fierce anger as we've read. I don’t want you to misunderstand—that is it! Christ is going to literally intervene and He is going to demolish mans' armies and mans' governments, mans' systems. Whether they are business, religious, or civil, they're going to be done away with.

But I want you to consider something. Let's think outside the box for a second. I'd like for you to consider that man has already destroyed the earth. Everything that God gave us to prosper, to have good health, an environment for a relationship with Him and each other, by the time that Christ returns, all of that has already been destroyed. And His return is to put down the rebellion in order to save mankind.

Today we see many that are alarmed by the way business is conducted, the way governments are operating. And they want to try to change it. Thinking, "If somehow we can expose this—I don't know—conspiracy or expose this business"…. Let me just stop here and say, this is not a tree-hugger, a global-warming sermon. I don't mean that at all. But what I'm trying to point out is the problem is much larger than that. Underneath all of this, at the bottom of this thing are things that affect every man, woman and child alive regardless of nationality, country, race, religion, wealth. There are three basic things that every one of us needs just to sustain life. We need food; we need water; and we need air. I don't care how rich you are you need food, water and air—or how poor, or how whatever.

At some point in man's history, our different systems have reached what has been referred to as a tipping point. It's a…. If you're into aviation, when you're flying across the ocean, there is a very well-marked point called The Point of No Return. And when you are flying and you get to that point, regardless of what happens, you have to go on. You can't turn back because it's longer to go back than it is to go forward. And, again, it has many names, but The Point of No Return or a tipping point, where these systems couldn't recover even if the abuse of that particular system ceased at that point.

If you look at our land today, all of the earth's agriculture—and I'll say this and, then explain it—all of the earth's agriculture is petroleum based. And that is a little puzzling, but, Brethren, we are literally sustained today food wise with a petrochemical world. We think of oil. We think of cars and transportation and heating.

The Industrial Revolution, of course, they call it the Eve of the Industrial Revolution from the mid-1500s to the mid-1700s. That was the Age of Thought when a lot of those that we look back on, kind of the fathers (Galileo, Copernicus, and all of those), started to put forth their theories. Then in the mid-1700s, I think it was 1760 is what they say is the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. But that placed massive demands for materials out of the earth.

In 1908, geologists from around the world, in one of their consortiums when they got together, talked about…. They got together and said, "The erosion of the topsoil is imminent and it's happening and it's being ruined."—1908! The world, remember, needed coal. It needed steel. It needed wood in huge amounts to fuel the Industrial Revolution.

In 1924 the Secretary of Agriculture of the United States went before Congress and said, "Our soil is depleted. It's ruined. There are no nutrients in it. It really is incapable of continuing what's happening." And remember they were doing monoculture at that point because it was starting to move into businesses. Ten years later, 1934, the Dust Bowl and it blew all of the breadbasket of America, all of the topsoil into the Atlantic Ocean. That was eighty years ago.

So, the question is, "How did we recover from it?" Today, we seem to be doing okay. Remember topsoil takes hundreds of years to rebuild. It takes many winter/summer, freeze/thaw, photosynthesis cycles for all of the nutrients to be broken down and to be reintroduced into the soil. How did we recover? Brethren, we didn't!

Since the Dust Bowl, agriculture in this country and the world has fundamentally changed to a petrochemical based system. We plant and we use petroleum based fertilizers to force the crops to grow. Then we put on petroleum based herbicides to kill the weeds and spray petroleum based pesticides to kill the insects. Then, spray petroleum based fungicides to prevent the molds and the rusts that are very prevalent to due to these agriculture methods.

Here's the point:

Once mankind started down that road, we can't stop.

If mankind today reverted back to the traditional farming methods, we would starve to death while trying to build up our soil. Now, I'm not saying I couldn't take some money and go and find ten acres up in Idaho somewhere and I would be okay. There is still a little of…. But I'm saying, the world. I'm saying mankind. We cannot [go back] because the soil, it would just simply take too long to rebuild.

Those of you that have been around, I remember in the sixties and seventies farmers in the Church going bankrupt trying to farm according to what they felt were God's Laws. And the Land Sabbath, I remember one, who was a friend of mine, who simply lost everything. It just couldn’t work. I remember some and even my friend that became angry and left the Church because he tried to observe the Land Sabbath and they lost their farms.

Once this country, and by the way the entire world, is on a petroleum based agriculture, you can't stop! You're on the bus and you're moving forward. Unlike the natural soil that obtains the nutrients from the environment, the seasons and all of that—and that binds with the soil; that binds in. The petroleum and chemical products just lay on top. Part of it is absorbed by the plant or absorbed by the weeds, but they don't become part of the soil. They have to go somewhere.

Our water is loaded with deadly petrochemicals and pharmaceuticals. But, Brethren, we can't stop! Mankind cannot stop.

In the oceans, the coral reefs are gone. They are disappearing. Look at the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. It's disappearing at an alarming rate. What they call continental shelf fishing and that's fishing in the continental shelves, the shallow water fishing, that industry is all but dead.

Did you realize that when you go to McDonald's or Long John Silver's or most of the chain restaurants and you eat fish, what you are eating are what they call deep water fish—Blue Hake, Blue Grenadier, Hoki Whiptail. And, of course, they have their marketing names that make them sound a lot better. But those fish that you're eating are twenty to fifty-years-old.

Now, most of them are clean. They are fish that do have fins and scales, but unlike continental shelf fish that migrate to breed and to produce offspring and to get their food (And their cycle is two, three, four or five years.), deep water fish are like humans. Deep water fish do not even sexually mature until at least twenty years old and they produce very few offspring during their life cycle. They're disappearing.

All of you know about the air we breathe. The two sources—plankton and the rain forests—well, I don't even have to say much about that. What do we do?

Many scientists teach and talk as I do. And you do have to sort of sort through a lot of noise when you start going out there, but they agree that we've already gone beyond the tipping point. It's past. We can't go back. We've started down a road and we have painted ourselves into a corner. And the only way to do it is to keep doing what we're going to do.

Let me tell you any of man's efforts to legislate, conserve, tax or work ourselves out of this mess—it's like going into war with a water pistol, a super soaker.

I remember a very pathetic, even heart-breaking picture—and I'm sure a lot of you have seen it—when there were wildfires in California and Arizona. There was man out in his backyard with a water hose. And ahead of him from one corner of the picture to the other and as high as you could see was this wall of fire coming. And you just look and it just broke your heart to see.

But whatever we try to do, no matter what we try to do, it's like going to war with a water pistol. And it's not going to work.

What a downer! Boy, it's quiet. "Harold, this is the Feast. We're supposed to be rejoicing!"

Let's go back to chapter 3 and let's reread Acts 3:20.

Acts 3:20. "that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before,
21) "whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began. (NKJ)

If you want a title for the sermon, it is: The Restoration of All Things.

We are rejoicing because, while mankind is in a hopeless situation (And again, we've painted ourselves into a corner.), God has made promises to all of mankind. What we're observing and foreshadowing today is the beginning of that saving of mankind. What is interesting is that we all know when Christ returns, He's going to act very quickly (or have to) because the critical components of food, water and air are going to be completely incapable of supporting life. Those are issues that have to be addressed first! Let's make no mistake about that.

But let's ponder a question. If that's all God did—came back and restored it back to the way it was at creation, just completely recreated the ecosystems and everything—would that fix the problem? Or let me put it another way. If that's all God did, how long would it be before man would be right back in the same situation?

Brethren, there is a more fundamental issue that has to be addressed that is of great importance. And I'd like to spend the remainder of the sermon focusing on that.

Mankind ruined this beautiful creation and made it uninhabitable. What caused that and why is God going to remedy that issue? Or what is He going to do?

Let's go back to the beginning. Look in Genesis 2 and verse 15.

Genesis 2:15. Then the [Eternal] God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it.
16) And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat;
17) "but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die."
18) And the Lord God said, "It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him."
19) Out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam… (NKJ)

Let me stop there.

Here is the Great God that just created out of dust this man. And He breathed into His nostrils. And He loves man. And He's a friend to the point He wants him involved in the creation process. Brethren, this is a love that is very difficult for us to understand, but why wouldn't God just say, "Okay, Adam. Call him… that's a lion. That's tiger. That's a rhinoceros."? No. He took them to Adam and said, "What do you want to call this one?" And not only was He involved in it, they were friends and they were able to work together.

Genesis 2:21. And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place.
22) Then the rib which the Lord God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man.
23) And Adam said: "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man."
24) Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall [be] one flesh. (NKJ)

God created the family structure. And that family structure was to serve as the crucible for the expansion and development of future children that would ultimately be in God's Family. There was a purpose to it. It wasn't just for them.

Here we see we have a setting. It's a perfect setting with all of the things that were needed—the family structure that was to provide that training and to be passing things on. It was a perfect environment. And God Himself had a relationship with man and everything man needed was there.

You know the story. The first thing that Satan did was he tried and he succeeded in severing that relationship between man and God. Satan knew once that was broken, once he took care of that, that was sort of the cornerstone in the arch and the rest of it would just fall like dominoes. All he needed to do was to pull out the cornerstone and the cornerstone was that relationship of man to God.

Skip forward to Genesis chapter 4 and verse 1.

Genesis 4:1. Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, and said, "I have acquired a man from the Lord."
2) Then she bore again, this time his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.
3) And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the Lord.
4) Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the Lord respected Abel and his offering,
5) but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.
6) So the Lord said to Cain, "Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen?
7) "If you do well, will you not be accepted? (NKJ)

He said, "Look, you can change. You can repent. This isn't forever—My rejection of you. But you have something to do."

Genesis 4:7b. [But] if you [don't] do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it." (NKJ)

"You've got to overcome. You've got to work on it."

Genesis 4:8. Now Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him. (NKJ)

At this point, that crucible of the family was disrupted and there was turmoil within the very first family. The safe haven that was to be a close nurturing environment had been breached. And the result was coveting and jealousy and anger and murder—all of those things that we deal with today. The first family that was on this earth was torn apart by sin. And that's been at the root of man's problems since.

Now, keep in mind, as we look around us today, we can see the end result and even we can be deceived. We can become distracted and think our problems lie in men. "Well, they've just got the wrong political party in office." Or it's the big powerful businessmen and we've got all over this United States right now are these sit-ins. "Well, we've got to get those guys. The one percent of the country has got all the wealth and everything and their taking my job and their doing this. They bribe the corrupt politicians." "There are these secret families that are trying to control everything. There are conspiracies that everyone is out to get us."

But do you know what, Brethren? That's not the problem. Now, some of these might be manifestations of deeper problems, but to try to fix a problem at that level is just treating the effect. It's not treating the cause. Brethren, we in God's Church, we in this nation, we in this world have relationship problems. And that is the root of the problem. Until those are fixed, everything else is just a Band-Aid. It's just a temporary fix. In fact, for us to try to fix it, I maintain is a misuse of our time.

Look over in Ephesians 6. Our problems in the Church, our nation, the world, are first and foremost spiritual. And those need to be fixed. When we look at when they were first broken we saw that it was a spiritual issue. Ephesians 6:12.

Ephesians 6:12. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, (NKJ)

We don't wrestle against the Democrats or the Republicans. We don't wrestle against Wall Street. It says:

Ephesians 6:12b. … but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. (NKJ)

Look at God's Church over the last twenty-five years. Does anyone doubt that we have trouble getting along? Do we have relationship problems? Here we are and we should be setting the example. Do we have relationship problems in the Church? Just look at…. Let's go out to a congregation level. Look at the number of splits and divisions. And, Brethren, they are relationship problems.

Ask any minister what he spends the majority of his counseling time with. And it is relationship problems—job problems, marriage problems, family problems. We want to fix a world, a country or a government? And we can't even fix ourselves!

By the way, Satan has deceived us to think that we should be trying to spend our time fixing those and spending our energies on them instead of focusing on [our relationships with God and each other]. We can spend our lives working on the problem and not the source.

I want to be very clear in something. God has called us to submit to Him and to fix ourselves now so that in the future with Jesus Christ we can fix mankind—but not now. It's a timing issue. Everybody agrees that it is something that needs to be fixed. But do you know what? We have to fix ourselves. We have to fix our relationship with God before we can even think about that.

Leviticus 23. Hold that thought as my friend John would say. It's going to look like I'm going to do a little segue here, but we're going to tie it back. Leviticus 23:1, it says:

Leviticus 23:1. And the Lord [spoke] to Moses, saying,
2) Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them, Concerning the feasts of the Lord, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are My feasts.
3) Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is [the] Sabbath of rest, a holy convocation; [you] shall do no work on it: it is the Sabbath of the Lord in all your dwellings. (KJV)

Now, hold your place there. People get on me about "Hold your finger there!" And go over to Exodus 20, just back here a few pages. Exodus 20, it says in verse 8:

Exodus 20:8. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
9) Six days you shall labor, and do all your work:
10) But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God: in it [you] shall do no work, [you], nor [your] son, nor [your] daughter, nor [your] male servant, nor [your] female servant, nor [your] cattle, nor [your] stranger who is within [your] gates.
11) For in six days the Lord made the heavens and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it. (KJV)

Brethren, today is the weekly Sabbath. One of the things that we know from keeping God's Holy Days and His Plan for Mankind, the seven-day weekly cycle. It teaches us that God has a seven-thousand year plan and He's given man six-thousand years to do his work [mans' work]. But the Sabbath teaches us that after that period it will be followed by a thousand years where mans' work is going to cease. God will have a Millennium where His work will be done—a time that we know will bring peace and happiness and prosperity to mankind. So, here we are today on the weekly Sabbath celebrating the Millennium.

Now, hold that thought. Go back to Leviticus 23 verse 4. It says:

Leviticus 23:4. 'These are the feasts of the Lord, even holy convocations, which [you] shall proclaim in their seasons. (KJV)

Then skip down to verse 33.

Leviticus 23:33. Then the Lord [spoke] to Moses, saying,
34) Speak to the children of Israel, saying, The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the Feast of Tabernacles for seven days to the [Eternal].
35) On the first day there shall be a holy convocation: [you] shall do no servile work therein.
36) Seven days [you] shall offer an offering made by fire to the [Eternal: on the eighth day shall be a holy convocation unto you, and [you] shall offer an offering made by fire to the [Eternal]: it is a solemn assembly; and you shall do no servile work therein
37) These are the feasts of the Lord, which [you] shall proclaim to be holy convocations, to offer an offering made by fire to the Lord, a burnt offering, and a meat offering, a sacrifice, and drink offerings, every thing upon its day— (KJV)

We're here at the Feast. And what are we foreshadowing? The Millennium. The seventh thousand year Millennium when Christ will return first and take Satan off the scene so he will not be able to influence and deceive man and also to establish His government. Consider that this Sabbath during the Feast is a double-pointer to what is ahead. We are keeping the Sabbath looking forward to the Millennium, and we're keeping the Feast looking forward to the Millennium.

When God wants us to look at something and He accentuates it twice, we had better listen! And both of those picture the Seventh Day, the thousand year reign. So, let's double focus on it as well.

Just keep in mind that these instructions were given to the Israelites through Moses while they were still in the wilderness. God also gave them some additional instruction when they reached the Promised Land. In other words, looking forward to that and to being settled into their homes and resume their agricultural pursuits. Look in verse 39:

Leviticus 23:39. Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when [you] have gathered in the fruit of the land, (KJV)

So, again, this was after they were settled, because, as they were wandering, they didn’t have any fruit of the land to gather in.

Leviticus 23:39b. … [you] shall keep a feast unto the Lord seven days: on the first day shall be a [Sabbath], and on the eighth day shall be a [Sabbath]. (KJV)

And I'll just skip the first part of verse 40. It says:

Leviticus 23:40. And [you] shall take you on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and [you] shall rejoice before the [Eternal] your God seven days.
41) And [you] shall keep it a feast unto the Lord seven days in the year. It shall be a statute for ever in your generations: [you] shall celebrate it in the seventh month.
42) [You] shall dwell in booths seven days; (KJV)

Now, remember when they were in the wilderness, they were already dwelling in booths. It would not have made sense to have their tent and go outside and set up a tent next to their tent. This was looking forward to when they were settled into the Promised Land.

"That your generations," and notice this. It says:

Leviticus 23:42. [You] shall dwell in booths seven days; (KJV)

Like, Brethren, we are today.

Leviticus 23:42b. … all that are Israelites born [And we are spiritual Israel] shall dwell in booths: (KJV)

Why?

Leviticus 23:43. 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 [Eternal] your God. (KJV)

Now set a mark there because we're going to come back to this Scripture and glean something else out of it.

But look over to Hebrews 11. Some of these Scriptures might be a little familiar to you. Maybe someone else has perhaps read them or will read them again during the Feast. Hebrews 11 and I want to pick it up in verse 13. It said:

Hebrews 11:13. These all died… (NKJ)

It gave the list of those.

Hebrews 11:13. These all died …, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them… (NKJ)

In other words, they held them near; they held them dear—those promises.

Hebrews 11:13b. … and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
14) For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland.
15) And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. (NKJ)

In other words, if they started thinking about it, if they didn't hang onto those promises that God made and knew that they were sure and went through what they experienced, they would have said, "You know what? I'm going back. This is just too much."

When they started facing trials and hardships and the trip was longer than they anticipated (the Children of Israel), God didn't get them where they thought they should be. It didn't end when they thought He should end it.

Brethren, is it possible for us to recall the… I'm going to say, the "Halcyon Days" of the country and want to try to get involved and fix it? "Oh, I remember when a man's handshake was his word. That's all you needed." Yeah. "I remember when you could get this. I remember when you could do that." Should we try to fix that? Or is our goal and the thing that consumes our time what is ahead? Are we just passing through? On a journey living in booths and we're just passing through?

Verse 16:

Hebrews 11:16. But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.

Brethren, what goes on around us—if I could use the expression—"We don't have a dog in this hunt!" If we're not careful, we can become distracted with what's around us and take our eyes off the goal. And if we do, we'll become lost in the wilderness.

I'm going to give you some advice. And, again, that's all it is. You can choose to take it or not.

This is Satan's world. He is the god of this world. And no one is going to get a fair shake in this world. NO ONE!

Just like many of you, and I look and those that are still lucky enough to have hair, it's gray and thin and maybe non-existent. But I'm on a fixed income just like many of you. I'm on Medicare just like many of you. But, Brethren, what I have, as I see it, doesn't come from a government. It comes from the Great Sovereign God who has promised that He'll never fail us or forsake us.

Look over in Luke 12.

Brethren, it doesn't make any difference whether Obama is President, whether Mint Romney or Rick Perry is going to be the Republican candidate, whether they try to take away my social security or not, I need to be focusing on my relationship with my God and my brothers.

God said He would take care of the rest. Look over in Luke 12 and verse 22.

Luke 12:22. Then He said to His disciples, "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on.
23) "Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing.
24) "Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds?
25) "And which of you by worrying… (NKJ)

And here is the key point!

Luke 12:25. "And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? (NKJ)

Yes, I am at the mercy of them (this world's governments, etc.), but I can't do anything about it. So, why do I worry? Why would I spend all of my energies and all of my emotional worrying and trying to do things I can't control?

Brethren, what I can control is here (pointing to head). And that's my responsibility and God gave me His spirit to do that. And shame on me, if I don't spend my time working on that and be ready then when then I can reach out to them and say, "There's a better way. Let me help you. Let me show you. I've been there."

Luke 12:26. "If you then are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest?
27) "Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
28) "If then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith?
29) "And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind.
30) "For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things. (NKJ)

What am I supposed to spend my time on?

Luke 12:31. "But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you. (NKJ)

Those things God has promised to me.

Now I want to mitigate that because it doesn't mean we shouldn't prepare and educate and plan and do our part. God has given us responsibilities to make a living and to provide for ourselves. God expects that of us.

But these things are out of our control just like the conspiracy or who is president. And, Brethren, if we give it a minute of our time, that is taking a minute away from the real important things and it distracts us from the real issue. And the real issue is:

Our relationship with God and our relationship with each other.

I said earlier at the heart of all of our problems were spiritual issues. And first and foremost it is our relationship with God. And second, we don't have the proper relationship with our families and we don't have the proper relationship with one another.

Leviticus 23.

Let's please not exclude ourselves from this. It's not a "them." It's not those guys over there that have these issues. It's not so-and-so. Again, you're worried about something you can't control.

What a blessing God has given us! The things that He holds us responsible for is us. I've got to tell you that is a fulltime job! I don't know about you. Maybe you've already arrived. But Harold sure hasn't! All you need is to see me back there in a moment when the computer goes down and you'll know that. Did I say that?

Brethren, "It's not them. It's the world, but we're okay." It doesn't work that way.

I was telling somebody before. In the Church, we would never consider making fun of a blind person or a person that can't walk. We would never consider that, but why would we think nothing of making fun of, criticizing, accusing the spiritually blind, spiritually lame that can't walk in God's ways. And that's the same thing! It's the same issue.

We're here not because we figured God out. We're here because of a special one-on-one invitation from God. And that's the only thing that makes us different. Otherwise, we would be out there in the middle of the fray elbowing and kicking and clawing and trying to figure out how to solve it because that's all the hope we have. And that is not our hope.

Brethren, we are just passing through. We all have relationship issues. What tools has God given us? And I'm just going to go over one because this is the Sabbath and it is the Feast. I'm going to give one that at least it focuses on the relationships and something that we are thinking about now. Leviticus 23 verse 1, it says:

Leviticus 23:1. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
2) "Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: 'The feasts of the Lord, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, these are My feasts.
3) 'Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation. You shall do no work on it; it is the Sabbath of the Lord in all your dwellings.
4) 'These are the feasts of the Lord, holy convocations which you shall proclaim at their appointed times. (NKJ)

Verse 33:

Leviticus 23:33. And the Lord [spoke] unto Moses, saying,
34) Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the feast of tabernacles for seven days unto the Lord.
35) On the first day shall be a holy convocation: [you] shall do no servile work therein. (KJV)

And take note of that word—servile.

Leviticus 23:36. Seven days [you] shall offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord: on the eighth day shall be a holy convocation unto you; and [you] shall offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord: it is a solemn assembly; and [you] shall do no servile work therein. (KJV)

When you look at that word servile that is translated servile and I think in the New King James it's translated customary. It is Strong's #5656. And I'm going to try to pronounce it—abodah (ab-o-daw'). Well, at least that's the pronunciation from a Texas' accent. Again, it's from Strong's #5647 and it means bondage, bondservant, labor, service, tillage, and work.

Look over in Exodus chapter 1. What is interesting is this word—because it also means bondage, tillage and wrought—it implies both labor and being in bondage to someone or something. Exodus 1 verse 14, I'm just going to read this one to make the point. This word actually occurs three times and the root word occurs once in this root sentence.

Exodus 1:14. And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage [#5656] in mortar, in brick, and in all manner of service [#5656] in the field. All their service [#5656] in which they made them [to] serve [#5647, which is the root] was with rigor. (NKJ)

You see it's talking about bondage. On the Sabbath, we remind ourselves that we're not in bondage.

Now, I can immediately think of three reasons to do this, and I'm sure there are more, but I would like to examine these since they directly relate to what I've covering. And, again, there are many more. That is, broken relations that we have first with God and then with each other.

The first point, turn over to Deuteronomy chapter 4.

Most of you know I'm around my grandchildren quite a bit, especially this last year, but I'm blessed to have all six of my grandkids where I can almost throw rocks to their houses. If I did, they would probably throw them back! I wouldn’t, but I'm around them. And my observation is it seems one of the first words a child uses to someone is—it's the first word they learn –"WHY?" If you tell them to do something, the first thing out of their mouth is, "Why?"

Now, in itself that's probably a fair question because we all know that curiosity is a good thing and we don't want to snuff out curiosity because that [curiosity] can cause someone to think deeper and explore. Remember it was curiosity when Moses said, "Well, look at that bush that's on fire and it's not consumed. I think I'll go up there." So, curiosity is not bad.

But to a child—and you can take this to the bank—"Why?" is a way of putting off doing it and putting the onus back on you. And it really means, "I'm not going to do what you say until I fully understand and agree with what you're telling me."

Now, as a parent, you have two choices. I think you see that you only have one real [choice] because you can enter into a philosophical conversation with your two-year-old (laughter). And if I could use a saying, it's like my daughter says, "Trying to reason with a two-year-old is like mud-wresting with a pig. You both get dirty and the pig enjoys it." (Laughter.) But you can do that, which, by the way, you'll never win because usually, it ends up with after you say it, they go, "Why?" Or you can just say, "Because I said so!" And you have to get a deep voice and you furrow your brow and let your voice crackle. And if it's the tenth time it's been said, you might even add, 'Because you're going to live longer because I'm not going to wring your neck! That's why (laughter)."

Do you know what? That's fair. God does that to us! Look at Deuteronomy 4 verse 39.

Deuteronomy 4:39. "Therefore know this day, and consider it in your heart, that the Lord Himself is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is no other.
40) "You shall therefore keep His statutes and His commandments which I command you today, that it may go well with you and with your children after you, and that you may prolong your days in the land… (NKJ)

God says, "I'll let you live. That's why!"

Deuteronomy 4:40b. … which the Lord your God is giving you for all time." (NKJ)

Just skip forward two chapters. Again, God sometimes says things more than once just to accentuate it. Deuteronomy 6 verse 1, it says:

Deuteronomy 6:1. "Now this is the commandment, and these are the statutes and judgments which the [Eternal] your God has commanded to teach you, that you may observe them in the land which you are crossing over to possess,
2) "that you may fear the [Eternal] your God, to keep all His statutes and His commandments which I command you, you and your son and your grandson, all the days of your life, (NKJ)

Why?

Deuteronomy 6:2b. … that your days may be prolonged. (NKJ)

The first and foremost reason that we do it is because the Great Sovereign God that created us from dust, put the breath of life in us, gave us His holy spirit, desired to have a relationship with us has commanded us to do it. We don't have to go any further than that.

That is the first step in our relationship with Him:

1. To do what He tells us.

And do you know what? As we develop that relationship with Him, we come to realize that His commands to us are not because He wants to see us just snap to; He wants to see us stand up straight, "Yes, Sir;" click our heels. Brethren, God loves us more than we love ourselves. And He wants the very best for us. And we can take that to the bank.

Look over in 1 John chapter 5. I don't know if you have thought about it. Keeping God's Commandments not only expresses our love to God, it also expresses our love for one another. 1 John 5 verse 2, notice this.

I John 5:2. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.
3) For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. (KJV)

Keeping God's commandments expresses our love for one another as well as to God.

The second reason to come together on His Sabbath is:

2. To think, to have that time out of bondage, out of the pressures of the world.

Look over in Isaiah 59. From the beginning God desired to have a very close intimate contact with us and to be our Companion, our Teacher, our Provider, our Protector, Our Friend and have many other aspects of a relationship. Brethren, sadly, we have pushed God away. Isaiah 59 verse 1, it says:

Isaiah 59:1. Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; nor His ear heavy, that it cannot hear.
2) But your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear. (NKJ)

God not only desires that we appear before Him, but He commands us to. Deuteronomy chapter 14 and verse 22, it says:

Deuteronomy 14:22. "You shall truly tithe all the increase of your grain that the field produces year by year.
23) "And you shall eat before the [Eternal] your God, in the place where He chooses to make His name abide, the tithe of your grain and your new wine and your oil, of the firstborn of your herds and your flocks, that you may learn to fear… (NKJ)

And the Tanakh and the NIV "revere."

Deuteronomy 14:23b. … that you may learn to [revere] the [Eternal] your God always. (NKJ)

By doing what we're doing, we learn to fear God. We learn to respect Him. We learn the proper relationship of us to God. And that's a start to heal that relationship and that relationship issue.

The third reason is:

3. It allows us to be together and form strong family bonds.

By direct example, the six days that God gave us to do our work, He gave us tasks on the sixth day in order to prepare for the Sabbath. Look over in Exodus 16. From early times, the day before the Holy Day or a weekly Sabbath was called A Preparation Day. And it was a day to plan ahead for the Sabbath. It was a day that much of the heavy work could be done ahead of time so there would not have to be the bondage work on the Sabbath. Exodus 16 and verse 22 and breaking into it:

Exodus 16:22. And so it was, on the sixth day, that they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for each one. And all the rulers of the congregation came and told Moses.
23) Then he said to them, "This is what the Lord has said: 'Tomorrow is a Sabbath rest, a holy Sabbath to the Lord. Bake what you will bake today, and boil what you will boil; and lay up for yourselves all that remains, to be kept until morning.'"
24) So they laid it up till morning, as Moses commanded; and it did not stink, nor were there any worms in it. (NKJ)

God supernaturally was involved and intervened in it that it would do that.

Exodus 16:25. Then Moses said, "Eat that today, for today is a Sabbath to the Lord; today you will not find it in the field.
26) "Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day, which is the Sabbath, there will be none." (NKJ)

In this day of prepackaged food and gas and electric ranges and ovens and microwaves, some of the meaning of this can become a little bit obscured because of the environment that we're in. In the houses we have today, we have bedrooms and bathrooms and dining rooms and kitchens. We have a mudroom and on and on and on. If we're cold, we turn on the heater, and if we're hot, we turn on the AC. Life is good. It just kind of rocks on.

But houses were not always that comfortable. Even up until fifty years ago, a lot of houses didn't have bathrooms indoors. I hope I don't embarrass my wife, Freda. She didn't have an indoor bathroom until she was fifteen, I believe.

And the bath at that time was, I think, a shower out on the front porch. But baths in the winter were in hot tubs that you heated the water up on. You dumped the water in from the wood stove. The baths were from the oldest to the youngest. The poor youngest! That's where the term "Baby out with the bath, not to throw it out" because the water was so black you couldn't see the baby (laughter)! And in the summer, they were outdoors. They cooked out. I mean they bathed outdoors—a spring or a creek. I'll tell you just try to get soaked to lather in 50°F water. The only thing is you have so many goose bumps it kind of rubs the soap off on your arm!