The Feast of Trumpets

It is a joy to be here on the high days and to be able to share the Word of God with each and every one of you. The biblical festivals are given to members of Christ's body to guide and to remind us of God's great and consistent desire, shared throughout the Scriptures to His covenant people. Be it in the Old Testament, be it under the Old Covenant, or be it in the New Testament, under the New Covenant, that God is consistent.

He's always had something that He's wanted to share with each and every one of us. And the great thing that underlines all of Scripture is simply this. I will be your God, and you will be my people. As a Christian, as a believer, when you consider this, that our great God wants this for us, wants this for Him, when we stop and really think about it, it's almost overwhelming to consider the reality of what is being said here.

Perhaps it's framed best by going to the New Testament for a second. Join me, if you would, on this Feast of Trumpets 2017. And let's notice how the Apostle John described it at the end of his life. He never ceased to be overwhelmed as to what God the Father and Jesus Christ are doing for Him and for all of those that He ministered to.

And the words that He would share with human beings now down the line for 2,000 years. In verse 1, Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us that we should be called the children of God. And therefore the world does not know us because it did not know Him. And, beloved, we are now, God looks at things in the present tense, we are now the children of God, and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.

When you go to the top of this phrase where it says, Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us, when you get into the sense of the Greek, it literally means that this love that is being spoken about here, this love does not come from around here. It is not human. It is not natural. It is otherworldly. It's different. It's not from around here.

And that's what these festivals remind us about each time we come before our God on these high days, to remind us of these very basic facts, brethren, that God wants to be our God. And He desires with all of that spiritual heart of His that we might be His people. You might say, and we use this sometimes in common jargon, well, now that is something to shout about. But what happens so often because of the world, of the quarrel, of the world that goes around us, that is constantly coming at us, the challenges of life, the storms of life, just life itself, it doesn't sometimes allow us to stop and to contemplate the love of God Almighty.

And God knew that. And that's why He gives us the weekly Sabbath. And that's why He gives us these holy days, these high days, to stop, to consider, to slow down, and to be anchored in the reality of His great love. Join me, if you would, in Psalm 46. In Psalm 46. And let's consider the thought of God here. Not only for you, not only for me, because the holy days, while they're personal, are not personal alone. The holy days speak to humanity. They were not just for the Israelites. They were not just and are not just for the Church of God today. Ultimately, the holy days are going to be celebrated in the future, when Jesus Christ is back here.

And it says in Psalm 46, in verse 10, Be still. Be still. Stop. Stop. Stop your worry. Stop your doubt. Stop all the information that is coming our way. Stop the fake news that somehow God has forgotten who you are in your name, in your heart, in your existence. That's fake news. Stop the ifs, the ands, and the buts that so often we carry in the luggage of our life.

And take with us. Be still. And know that I am God. And I will be exalted. Among the nations. And I will notice be exalted in all of the earth. That's what this feast represents. So why are we here today? Are we here simply to go through the motions? Return to a few scriptures? Or are we here for the time being to place our hearts on the operation table of God's grace and God's involvement and have him mold us and have him shape us and go to work on our hearts?

I think that's what we're here for, brethren. Join me if you would in Psalm 51. In Psalm 51, the prayer of David, that famous prayer of repentance that he offered up.

In Psalm 51 and verse 12, let's notice what it says here. It says simply this, Restore to me the joy of your salvation and uphold me by your generous spirit. Then will I teach transgressors your ways and the sinners shall be converted to you.

Brethren, God brings us to these holy days where we are still. Where we look to God and know that he is our God, that he wants to be your personal God, that he wants us to be his personal—do I dare use this word—possession, loved one. Some of us, brethren, as we go through a day, as we've gone through a week, as we've gone through a year, as we've gone through this way of life, sometimes for 20 or 30 or 40 years or maybe just three months or three years, we need to be restored.

We need to come back into alignment with the greatness of God's love and what he's doing for humanity. That's why we're here on the high day, to be restored, to be revived. The high days are a revival in that sense. To pull us out of all of that that's going on out there, revive us, and restore us. And to be revived and to be restored, sometimes it also means it's a time of to be aware of who we are and what yet God wants us to be, and that can also involve repentance.

Why do I mention this to you? Thank you for asking that question. I believe it's time that we ask our God, then, some very, very basic considerations and understand why you have been called and why I have been called. I've been called to serve a God that has chosen to interrupt our lives by design. I worship and I serve a God who chooses and elects to interrupt human history. I worship and I serve a God that, at any time, may choose by His grace, by His providence, by His knowing what is best for me as a human being, yet to interrupt my life once again. And He knows when to interrupt. I have a basic question for you today, friends, and it's simply this.

Are you ready to be interrupted by God today through this message and through His Word and through the festivals that we are going to be experiencing in the days and the weeks to come? Or is it just simply smooth sailing? Been there, done that. Heard this for 30 years or 40 years.

I suggest to you that we have a God of interruptions. None of us like to be interrupted. Do you like to be interrupted? No, you sit down for dinner and guess what? The phone rings. You sit down to lay back on your lazy chair and just ease out. And guess what? Somebody's knocking at the door and you say, What's that? Who's that?

But curiosity gets the cat, you look through the little peephole and you're kind of looking, Who is that anyway? Now that I'm interrupted. But we have a God that interrupts. We have a God that may... Are you with me? He made time and space. He's outside of time and space. He's uncreated. But He chooses when to come into time and space and interrupts it. He chooses to come into human history and interrupt it. He comes into our lives a year ago, three years ago, 30 years ago, and says, You're no longer going to be a salmon. Excuse me, no longer be a trout going downstream. I'm going to tap you on the gill and you're going to become a salmon. You're going to go upstream. You're going to go up against the current of the world. And He interrupts us. But sometimes we think the interruptions are over and they're not. Just ask Mr. Stafford.

God interrupted his life, and yet that man, having lost all of his daughters... Hmm, we have three daughters. He lost four.

His life was interrupted, and yet he said, It is well with your soul. When we think what our great God is doing for us, brethren, I would just simply suggest this. It's a time to give a shout. And if you're taking notes, that's the title of my message. Trumpets. Trumpets. A time to shout. Join me if you would over in Leviticus 23, going right to the source of this high day and its defynement. In Leviticus 23 verse 23, let's notice what it says. Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, Speak to the children of Israel, saying, in the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall have a Sabbath rest. And it will be a memorial, the blowing of trumpets, and it'll be a holy convocation. And you shall do no customary work on it, and you shall offer an offering made by fire to the Lord.

Hmm. That's it. About two and a half verses or so of trumpets. It's repeated again over in the book of Numbers. If you want to jot it down, Numbers 29, 1 through 6. What's interesting about this high day, it doesn't link back to Israel's departure from Egypt, like the Passover, like the days of Unleavened Bread, like the Feast of Tabernacles with the Succoth. I find that interesting, very interesting. But rather, it's somewhat in the moment. It's in the present. And we're going to find out in a moment that it's very personal in nature, demanding a response, just like the offering that we just took up a few moments ago. To respond to what? As to what we understand about God now in our lives, and what He's in the process of accomplishing, that only, only, only, only only He can do.

The wording is very expressive here that does not quite creep out of the New King James English. It's very interesting that in the Cal D version of the scriptures, it's called a memorial of Shaoting, which the commentary says the truest sense of the original Hebrew, in which trumpets are not mentioned in that translation. In other words, stay with me for a second. It's celebratory to the creative and also saving works of God. Now, you think about that just for a second. It's interesting. You have to understand that initially these people were in the Middle East, and to recognize that, you know, we come in and we're kind of in our western civilization here in America state, and all dressed up, and pews, and everything is in order. But when this was going on, we think, yes, there were trumpets that were being blown. There was this so far, and we'll talk about that later. But the people were also, and we're not going to do this today, by the way. Don't worry about it. But they were shouting. They were excited. They were overwhelmed that they were following the God that brought them out of Egypt, and had chosen to interrupt.

Interrupt the greatest empire that had ever been to that time. Now, we don't kind of get that in our stayed civil calm. No.

When this was going on back in the wilderness, there were people that were praising God. There were people that were shouting. They were excited. They were using every aspect of their their mind, their heart, their hands, their voice, and praising God. They were excited because they knew that God Himself was excited about what He was doing with them.

It's kind of interesting. Now, when we look at this, let me take it a step further. We said what the words mean, but let me take you a step further. While it's in the seventh month of the biblical year, Tishri, it's regarded as the first month of the Jewish fiscal year. That's what they have appropriated. That's what they have accorded.

There are some reasons behind that that I want to share for a moment. Why is that? Because traditionally, it's thought that that is when the world came into being was in the autumn. I do say traditionally, thus, thus, stay with me. It is a commemoration. You might want to jot down these two words if you're staying with me.

It's a commemoration of God's interruptions, His starts. It's a time of beginnings. In fact, the Jewish community calls this Rosh Hashanah. You're familiar with that term. That literally means beginnings. It means beginnings. And the biblical name for this holiday is Yom Teruah, which means literally a day. Are you with me again? A day of shouting and blasting. It was participatory in nature. It wasn't worrying about yourself. It was praising God and recognizing what He's doing. It was, in a sense, and I've often used that phrase over the years, and some of you know that. I'll talk about feeling the joy.

That's not Patsy Talk. That's not Wimp Talk. That's talking about you know what you're about, you know who you serve, and you are filled with your subject. Years ago, when I used to be over in the auditorium, I'd often be the one that was behind the curtain to send somebody out on stage. Some of you are here, and remember that. Even some of our singers. I'm looking at one right now. I will not give you her initials or her name. But sometimes they were looking over their music, or they were the men. Some that had spoken around the world, they were kind of looking at their notes all nervous about speaking.

And all of a sudden, I just look at them and say, feel the joy. Know that you are God's man, or if you're singing, you are God's woman for the moment, that you're there for a purpose. It's not about you. It's not what's written on your notes. But let your heart sing his praises. Let your tongue glorify him, and understand, and be still, and know that he is God. And these notes will come, and they will go.

They almost came this morning, or went. But we've got to recognize that on this Feast of Trumpets, brethren, with some of the things that we're facing, we've got to remember the story of Paganini, the great violinist one time he was on stage at a concert, and all of a sudden he was up there performing, and one of his strings snapped.

And he looked at it, and the audience went, boy, this is going to be a short concert! Paganini stopped. He looked at the violin. He looked at the audience. He looked at the violin, and he said, I will show them that the music is not in the instrument, but it's in me. That's why we're here today, brethren, on the Feast of Trumpets. To, in a sense, spiritually shout. To spiritually, if I can use a phrase out of the 60s, to be turned on to what our Heavenly Father is doing with us. To recognize the revelation that we have.

To recognize that there are many people that are around this world that believe in, or should I say around our nation, believe in the aspect of the Bible that there is a first cause. Many people do that, but those same people that believe in a first cause, that somebody had to wind up this earth like a top and get it to spinning, do not necessarily consider the Second Coming.

The Second Coming, brethren, is more than what is in the Sistine Chapel and roam up on the ceiling.

It is our life. It is our hope. When you see what's been happening around the world in our nation, when you see the devastation that's been happening down in Mexico, when you see the societal upheaval over in Myanmar, when you think of one of our commonwealths, Puerto Rico, basically sent back into the 19th century, 18th century, in just a couple of days because of hurricanes.

When you see where human nature is taking us, brethren, where you see the secularation of this society, a society that was built on the confidence of God, that in God we trust. Well, you and I are here today, brethren, because we trust that our Maker is coming back, that He didn't just start it, but He did finish it. And I suggest to you that is something to shout about. Trumpet is a springboard. It's a welcome mat to the other festivals that are going to be coming. A little bit like Mr. Opichka mentioned, there is both a festive and a sobering aspect of these days. It's interesting, and I really appreciate it, Dr. Hoover. You might have be warmed up, Dr. Hoover. You might do the shofar again. Not right now. I'll let you rest. But what happened is, if you went to a Jewish high day on the Rosh Hashanah, it's very interesting that they actually blow the trumpet 100 times in the course of a ceremony. 100 times! You might say that is a wake-up call. I don't think anybody goes to sleep. If I see any heads nodding out here, Doc, we'll let you know. But I presume that you're only going to be nodding in agreement. But that's what happened. It was blown 100 times. It's a wake-up call to be still, to sacrifice, to know that God is God, to recognize that while we are here today, we are portraying a projection, a projectory that these holy days represent of Jesus Christ coming back of the day of atonement. And between these times, between the Feast of Trumpets and the Day of Atonement, it's called the Day of All, the 10 Days of All. A time to recognize that, yes, we are going to meet our Maker. Yes, His promises are true. Yes, we need to be restored in Christ so that we can be about our Father's business. Yes, we at times need revival in our lives and in our hearts. Sometimes, rather than we—and I'm just saying this, being a child of the church, you know, I've—this is now my 52nd or 53rd Feast—and sometimes, oh, I'm going to go to Leviticus 23, and we're going to go to Revelation 19 about Christ coming. Go to Matthew 24. Go to Daniel 2. Brethren, every time I open up God's Word, it's electrifying. I put my finger on a Scripture. It is electrifying.

Some of us, brethren, on this, the high day of trumpets, need restoration. We need an interruption by God in our hearts that moves beyond simply knowledge, moves simply beyond inspiration, but moves to transformation. As I said earlier, the Jews, they look back and they see, in that sense, the fall as being a beginning. They have the tradition that, especially with the shouting, which is very interesting. Join me if you would in Job 38 for a moment. In Job 38, oldest literature in the Bible.

In Job 38—all goes back to this, about the shouting.

Job 38—open Psalms. Pardon me. You're there, I'm not. Job 38.

In Job 38 and verse 7, let's take a look at it. And when the morning stars sign together and all the sons of God notice, they shout it for joy. Here the angels are described as the sons of God. They are the spiritually created sons of God at this point and at this juncture.

And just when God was starting, there was such joy that the angels were—are you with me?—shouting!

Christianity is not to be whispered. The truths of God are not to be whispered.

What God is doing in our life is vibrant. It's dynamic. It's sensational.

It's an interruption of all that humanity knows because of what God wants to do with this special creation. Again, we look at this as far as the shouting. The Jews thought that, in that sense, that Adam was created in the autumn, which is the beginning of the making of man in God's image, the beginning of dust to spirit. We also understand that when you think about it, that we think of Jesus being born in Bethlehem during this very time of the year, which makes sense that the King came to the earth at his birth at this time. He's going to return at this time in the future. He was born in the fall. God on the ground, God on the flesh, the beginning of the return to God for humanity and the destruction of Satan's works. We heard a little bit about that in his first message. In 1 John 3 and verse 8, you can jot it down that Jesus was sent to destroy the works of the devil. It began, and there was an interruption. When God began his creation, created time and space, there was an interruption that he chose being uncreated.

When he created Adam, there was an interruption into the clay and into the mud of Eden to take that which was nothing and make it something for God. We go on a little bit further than we recognize that. Again, our own baptism. Think about it for a moment. Our own baptism was an interruption. Many of us were headed this way, and God said, wait a minute.

I want you to follow me, and that was an interruption. Well, you say, well, how was an interruption? Join me if you would in 2 Corinthians 5 verse 17.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.

Old things have passed away, and behold, all things have become new. You see, brethren, when we were baptized, the God of heaven chose and called you and me, and we responded, and there became an interruption. The Feast of Trumpets is all about interruption in time and space, in human history, in our calling. And stay with me, because before we're done with us, in the days and the years ahead, God is going to still choose to interrupt our lives in his time and in his way. Hmm. And not only what is convenient for you and me, but we'll get to there in a little bit longer.

This Feast of Trumpets portrays a time when Jesus Christ is going to come back. Join me if you would in 1 Thessalonians 4 to share another interruption. These interruptions just kind of build, and they kind of crescendo throughout the Bible. Verse 13, I don't want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. It doesn't mean that we don't sorrow, but we do, we do, brethren, have hope beyond the grave.

For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, if we do believe we have that believing faith, even so God will bring with him those who sleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means proceed those who are asleep. I was talking to Mr. Garnett the other night, and he said, you know what, guess who gets to come up first? Guess who gets to be interrupted first? We'll find out.

For the Lord himself, notice, and maybe you've never seen this before, for the Lord himself will descend from heaven. Notice, with a shout, with a shout, the commentaries give the sense and the credibility that is not the archangel that does the shouting, the shouting. And this is, in a sense, a feast of shouting, of excitement, of seeing new starts, of seeing interruption, seeing new beginnings, seeing God at work. It says here, notice, for the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout. See, the heavenly signs, the sixth seal, that's kind of God's, I'm coming, and he rings the doorbell. Get ready to meet your maker. But then here it says that he shouts. Now, when you go into the Greek, there are different commentaries that this is a two-way shout. Number one, we recognize that, as was mentioned by Ward, that Jesus Christ is coming back to judge the earth. And so, in one sense, that shout can also be a war cry. But here, it is also dual in nature because it is the shout that wakes up the dead. That's where the phrase comes from.

So loud that it could wake up the dead. But that's going to be the voice of Jesus Christ.

He had a practice run. Did you know that? Remember with Lazarus? And he came to the where the grave was, and he did it with a loud voice so that everybody could hear.

Well, that was just scene one. This is going to be scene two. And with a loud voice that is going to shatter the heavens, our King, and my Lord and your Lord is going to shake the heavens and shake the graves, and the dead are going to rise.

Do I dare say that's some form of interruption, the way history has been laid out up to this time?

What a glorious and what a wonderful time that's going to be.

And you and I, brethren, are going to be privileged to be there, to be able to see that.

We've seen some of the interruptions of God in history, but now I want to bring it down to a personal level again. For us to move through this Feast of Trumpets and only look at what God is going to do with the world in the future. Misses the point of the Feast of Trumpets.

The Feast of Trumpets is personal. The Feast of Trumpets is now.

The Jews have a phrase. We're not Jewish, we're a Christian body, but we can at least pull a little bit from that and recognize that these 10 days of awe, to use that phraseology, are to give us pause. In other words, to set, to be still, appreciate what you and I know, and be able to move forward. Brethren, I just speak for you. Isn't that harder than ever these days, with all of the noise that's out there, all of the traffic? I know there was no traffic on the 210, the 134 today, right? That just kind of... No? No, there was traffic. Gave everybody time to get on their cell phones and smartphones, on the freeway. All this information, all of this buzz, all of this whirl and twirl. And, brethren, I sincerely believe, and I keep on hammering at this home, I think when you look at society today, and when you look at media, and we look at the instrumentation we have, it is a blessing and it's a curse. To recognize that we get our minds so full, so full of what everybody else is doing. Busy, busy, busy, busy. Busy is good for bees, but it's not good for Christians. It's the exact opposite of what the Scripture tells us. Be still. Be still. Appreciate what God is doing as He's interrupted our life, and understand that. These days are important, brethren. They're important to the Jewish community because they go around saying, may your name be written in the book of life.

And it is only by God's grace that we enter His kingdom, but we have a partnership of it by repenting, by reconciling, by knowing what our life is about. The Feast of Trumpets, as with all of the holy days, have a tension between the past, the present, and the future. Are you with me? Like a verb. Past, present, future. And there is a present tense and there is a future tense. So often we look at the future tense, that Jesus Christ is going to come back. It mentions about Messiah and Zachariah 14 landing on the Mount of Olives. Houston, we have a touchdown, and I do believe that His feet are going to land on the Mount of Olives. And we can look at that future sense in wonderment and praying, Thy kingdom come. But brethren, for the body of Christ, for the body of Christ, you and me today, and I know that this is the day of my calling. This is the time when judgment is upon me and it says that judgment is upon the household of God. To recognize that what we look forward to, we are experiencing today, in a sense, the Feast of Trumpets, and its future meaning has come into our lives. What do I mean by that?

You and I have been called now. You and I are aware of the kingdom of God now.

You and I have had opened up to us by the Father's grace of Jesus Christ now being the Lord of our life. Join me if you would for a moment in Philippians 2.

In Philippians 2, it's interesting that Paul mentions this in Philippians.

It seems to have been a fundamental understanding and way of expressing what a truth seeker, what a pilgrim, and what a Christian was all about.

In Philippians 2, verse 11, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.

Most of, much of humanity is not aware of Jesus Christ.

Many have never had a Bible in front of them. And yet it is here that we understand what is going to come in total fulfillment in the wonderful world tomorrow. But you and I have that privilege now. Let's just look at those words for a moment.

That every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

Jesus, back in the Old Testament, would have been Yeshua or Joshua. It speaks to salvation.

Christ Messiah speaks to the one that God the Father sent to this earth to be our personal lifeguard and watch over us in this lifetime.

And notice in that He is Lord. He is sovereign. He is the ruler of our life. He is the ruler of our heart.

That's what we said at baptism. That's what we said when we went underneath the water, that we unconditionally surrender. See, when Jesus Christ comes back, and then you have the Seventh Seal, and you have the woes, and you have the judgment of God. Remember that when you go through prophecy, you have the first four seals, and you have the fifth seal. The fifth seal is the time of Satan's wrath. And then the sixth seal is the time of the heavenly signs. That's the the doorbell shaking the heavens. I'm coming. And then the seventh seal in which Jesus Christ returns. And that's the day of the Lord. And that is the beginning, the interruption that God is going to have in world history. And people are going to, not all at once, as we will learn during the Feast of Tabernacles, but they will begin to come into alignment with this verse. But you and I are in alignment to it now, brethren. Judgment is upon us. There's going to be a judgment upon this world in the future. But judgment is upon us as to how we handle what God has given us.

Some of you that are younger, and myself, because I was born during the Korean War.

But before that, there were wars that were fought. And during World War II, both the Third Reich and the Japanese Empire, unconditionally surrendered, unconditionally surrendered. We have not seen that over 70 years. Nobody any longer ever surrenders, and no forces ever apply to make somebody completely surrender. And sometimes we lose that in our consciousness as history becomes ancient history, even like World War II, that there was a time why America could do what it did after 1945 and bring the world together, at least at that time. It's because those empires had been crushed and decimated. And they unconditionally surrender. They laid down all their arms and said, we give up. We're done.

That's going to happen to the world in the future.

That'll be a good time, and a good day when it does come.

A lot of sorrow along the way, and a lot of death to get there, unfortunately.

But that's what you and I said at baptism. We said that, Father, Father, I surrender. I unconditionally surrender. I see myself, and I'm not going anywhere. I do not have the Midas touch. I do not have the gold. Only you have that Pearl of Great Price. Only you have that field of great treasure. And I lay down my life, and I surrender. And I ask you, Father, to send your spirit and allow Jesus Christ literally to land on my heart and in my heart and guard my heart, and that he will be my Lord now. Now, in 2017.

And it's not going to be my way. It's going to be by what your holy word, from Genesis to Revelation, teaches me. This will be my Constitution.

And I will try to strive as best as I can to abide by it. You see, brethren, as we look forward to the kingdom of God coming, are you with me? The kingdom of God is not just a destination, but it's a way of traveling now as our citizenship is in heaven. But I want to share one more thing here, and that is simply this. And it fits very, very well. And Dr. Hoover, thank you. And may I say to the choir, you were just beautiful today in singing that. It was so moving.

But in the lives of believers, it's not just a one-time interruption. And God will continue to interrupt. And I want to share this story with you about this. And it comes to the aspect of recognizing the story of Abraham. Join me if you would. Do not understand the story of Abraham, is not to understand the Feast of Trumpets. In Genesis 22, here we have the father of the faithful.

And he had heeded the call. We know that famous story in Genesis 12. Abraham, get up, get out, get going. Get up, get out, get going. And you will leave the land of your fathers and go, and I will be your compass. And you just simply follow me.

You would have thought that would have been enough. That was the initial call to Abraham.

But after many, many years, God decided again to interrupt his life in a way that, possibly, was somewhat confusing. Like, God, I've done it all for you. I've given up so much.

I have tried to be your servant. But then we come to Genesis 22, verse 2, where it says, Now take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering, on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you. So Abraham, no longer a brom, this is Abraham, this is later on in his spiritual life. So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and he split the wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. Then on the third day Abraham lifted his eyes and saw the place afar off. And Abraham said to his young men, You stay here, and I and the lad will go yonder and worship. And then went to the great pronouns of Scripture, notice, and we, we, and you already know the story, or most of it, we will come back to you. Hmm, hmm. So Abraham took the wood, took the fire in his hand, and they went together. But Isaac spoke to Dad and said, Dad? He said, Yes, because Isaac was kind of, like most young people, inquisitive. Here I am, my son. And then he said, Look, the fire in the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? And Abraham said, My son, God, notice, God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering. So the two went together. They went to the place. He bound up his son in verse 9. And then in verse 10, it says, with this sacrifice, and Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, Abraham, Abraham. And so he said, Here I am. And he said, Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him. For now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son from me. And then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son. Verse 14, significant, significant, and Abraham called the name of the place the Lord will provide.

There's a reason why down through the ages the Israelites and the Jews use, are you with me, a ram's horn? It takes them back to Mount Moriah.

A shofar is simply a hallowed out ram's horn that is blowing. And when it is blowing, it takes those that hear it to go back long ago and far away, to a time where there were just two individuals on top of a hill.

The father of the faithful and the son of promise.

And God had interrupted this elderly man with his son from his wife Sarah, the one that was to go on, the one that was to inherit the land, the one that was going to carry on this way of life. He was the son of promise. He was a miracle!

And yet God interrupted his life.

The reason I mentioned this to you, brethren, all of us on this day, we look to God interrupting human history in the future. We look forward to that time when Thy kingdom has come.

We look at Him interrupting human history, but also we need to recognize during this time that we shout, that we reverberate with joy, that we have a knowing that runs so deep in our hearts that neither man nor events nor what we will yet experience will tear away that relationship with God that He set from the beginning, that I am your God and you will be my people. Doc, are you ready to blow? See, there's a reason there's a shofar. It's an instrument that calls the faithful and takes us back to a time long ago when a man was interrupted in his life by God's grace, by God's design, for God's purpose, and for yet a greater event to occur. Go ahead, Doc. That's why the Jews and that's why the Israelites blow the horn. And that's why we look forward to that trumpet in the future when God is going to have the trumpets blow, when He's going to have the angels shout, when Jesus Christ is going to come back with a loud voice. But in this time, brethren, and in our day, it will not always be a trumpet. It will not always be a shofar.

It will not be in the wind. It will not be in the earthquake. But a still small voice that will prompt us. It will prompt us, perhaps, to remove ourselves from evil. Likewise, the Holy Spirit provokes us to do that which is righteous. It will be a Holy Spirit that moves us and directs us through the love of the Father and the example of Jesus Christ to move beyond that which is seemingly unbearable, just like Mr. Stafford. Things that we cannot necessarily explain in the here and now, but the mystery and the revelation will be God's to share with us another day.

I don't just speak this to speak it. I know God is yet going to interrupt the life of Robin Weber and Susan Weber in a way and in a manner and in a time that humanly we will not be prepared for.

But I pray to God above that I can remember that it will be well with my soul.

Because these words, brethren, are not just simply words in black and white. These are words of faith to move us, to help us to recognize as we approach these fall festivals, as we move through what the Jews call these days of all. Let's grab a hold of that for a moment and recognizing what we are approaching and moving towards. The coming of the King to all of this world, but to recognize that He's coming to our lives now. And He will choose like He did with Abraham and like He did with Isaac to interrupt in a way that we will not understand at the moment.

We will not understand. There was one other interruption that occurred in 31 A.D.

It's the rest of the story.

That God interrupted because God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on Him should not perish but have life. And He sent that Son of the world not to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

And when Jesus Christ died on Golgotha and that blood ran from Him, and that sacrifice was perfect for you and for me and for all of humanity, that was the greatest interruption that has ever been known.

That interruption took away the blockade to Eden, allowed us to once again be able to go back to our Father and the Word, now Jesus Christ, and experience Him, and to know that He is our God and that we can be His people.

So what have you gotten out of this message, brethren, as I conclude? We worship a God, not by what we know, but who we are.

And that, hopefully, brethren, by our examples, not that we're going to hoop and holler and shout, please understand that, but that our life's example should be a shout.

It should be vibrant. It should be dynamic. For you and I, we worship a God that is vibrant and cannot rest. That's why I have the second Bible here today. Would you finish with me, please? Let's go to Zachariah.

In Zachariah, let's pick up the thought in chapter 2, in verse 10.

And as you turn there, I'm going to be reading from the NIV, so please stay with me. But I think the NIV actually says it better.

Remember that the name of this message was, It's a Time to Shout. Brethren, Christians are always, always leaning forward.

They are optimists, even in life's darkest moments, they're optimists.

That king of the wonderful world tomorrow and the Lord of our life today left a tomb which is empty with a stone that is not too heavy, that it cannot be rolled back.

And the light that He is moved beyond the light that came into that tomb and lives for you and for me today to help us through the interruptions and understand them, and to recognize that we are clay in God Almighty's hands.

So it says in verse 10, Shout and be glad, O daughter of Zion, for I am coming, and I will live among you. I will be your God.

And by the way, you will be my people.

Many nations will be joined with the Lord in that day, not today, but that day.

It's not just about us. Yes, personal salvation is a part of it, but it's what God is doing for all humanity and will become my people.

And notice, and I will live among you, and you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent me to you.

The Lord will inherit Judah as His portion of the Holy Land and will again choose Jerusalem.

Thus, brethren of Los Angeles and those that are listening on webcast, be still before the Lord, all mankind, because He has roused Himself.

Our God is a living God.

Your Lord and your Master, Jesus Christ, is no longer dead but resurrected and at the right hand of our Father.

So be still before the Lord, all mankind, because He has roused Himself from His holy dwelling, and will come and abide with us. He will interrupt one more time, and, oh, He cannot wait, because He truly wants to be our God and He wants to be our people and wants to dwell amongst us.