Keeping the Feast

Well, the Feast of Tabernacles does begin tomorrow night at sunset. Are you excited yet? Yes! Okay, that's great. Try not to jump up too much. Okay. And yes, it is. Tomorrow night, begin at sunset, and then for the following eight days, including the eighth day, we will not be doing what we do normally, doing the rest during the rest of the year. For example, come tomorrow night, we will not be doing our normal Sunday night routine like we usually do. The Holy Day begins at sunset, so you'll not be watching your football game or Masterpiece Theater, if that's more your vibe. You'll not be doing your laundry or studying for exams. Yay! And no video games. And no...this is really nice. No wishing we didn't have to go back to work on Monday morning, either. It's all very nice. This is part of the Holy Day, the first day of the Feast beginning tomorrow evening. Now, why is that? Why will we not be doing our normal Sunday night routine? Well, to put it simply, it's because we worship God. And we've been preparing and planning ever since last year to keep this year's feast. If you keep a tithe, which we know we should, that's your preparation for the next feast. We've been preparing all year. And all around the earth, God's people will be meeting together to worship God at the Feast of Tabernacles. It's really special if you can think about that. And, of course, some will be holding the very first service tomorrow evening. We will be doing that in Steamboat Springs tomorrow night. And others will be doing it on Monday. I know here in East Texas, your first service will be Monday afternoon. Now, some of us will arrive at the feast site with backs a bit sore from traveling too long. Others will be feeling maybe a little woozy because of a higher elevation. That can happen. Some will have left our employers scratching their heads wondering why are they taking vacation in the middle of October. That's odd. Some will have just taken children out of classes just as school is finally starting to get a role. And some of us will be college students missing their exams and not so conveniently trying to keep up with their coursework. And they're done that. You can do it.

And some parents will have the joy of quieting their children at the very first service after all the excitement of traveling all day. These are things we do by the first opening night, the first day of the feast. Now, I say that because I just want to remind you, it does take sacrifice. It takes sacrifice to keep God's feast where He has placed His name. Yet, we gladly step away from these regular routines. It's a sacrifice, but we gladly do it. And we're looking forward to seeing old friends and making new friends. We're going to enjoy some great food, do some fun things.

We're going to build great memories while at the feast. But first and foremost, first and foremost, we are there at the feast because we worship God. So it's good, then, isn't it, that we put aside other things we normally do because we are commanded to worship God. We're commanded to worship God only. Let's look here.

Back at Exodus 34.14, the Scripture is very clear. God's Word is very clear on this. Exodus 34.14, we read, For you shall worship no other God. For the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God. God is jealous. He is jealous, but not in a carnal, greedy, human sort of way, in a covetous way, but in the sense that He expects us to have an exclusive relationship with Him. I think sometime in our modern world the word exclusive doesn't mean as much as it used to be.

Exclusive means only God. It's our worship time. Only God. Now, Jesus Christ made that same point, or made it very clear. You don't have to turn there, but you can jot down Matthew 4.10 when Satan failed to tempt Jesus into worshiping Him. Jesus rebuked Satan, saying, You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve.

Very clear. Only God is to be worshipped, not fallen angels, not false religion, not riches, not power, and certainly not the person you see in the mirror. That's yourself, by the way. Yes, not yourself. Worship is a term that is often misunderstood.

Some limit worship to mean only what one does in a religious service, and especially the singing part. Some limit worship to simply a feeling of extravagant love and extreme submission. That's Webster's Miriam.com dictionary. Now, those can be aspects of worship, truly. They can be aspects of worship. But the Bible reveals true worship to be more than that. When we do a word study, the various Hebrew and Greek words translated as worship, we can distill their similar meanings down to three vital actions. There's three actions related to worship. We worship God when we obey Him.

That's the first action. When we obey Him or bow down, you might say, before Him, we worship God when we revere Him. Number two, when we hold Him in highest respect. Isn't that interesting? Obey Him, you bow down, revere Him, you're looking up.

And then thirdly, we worship God when we serve Him. We sacrifice the self for God. And keeping the Feast of Tabernacles is evidence of our worship of God in these three ways, as we shall see. Let's turn over to John 4, verses 23-24. John 4, 23. And here Jesus declared that God is seeking true worshipers. We want to worship God, and God is looking for true worshipers. I think we can have something happen here.

John 4, 23. But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth. Well, since we know that worship means to obey and revere and serve God, what must we do to be true worshipers of God, meaning genuine, faithful, and real?

And what does Jesus mean those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth? Let's review that a little bit. We worship God in truth when we choose to practice God's way of life, and then you've got to do the second thing after you choose. You have to do it. You just can't make the choice and leave the doing undone. We worship God in truth, and we choose to practice God's way of life and then actually do it.

This requires understanding God's Holy Scripture and having the help of God's Holy Spirit. We need both. Jesus declared in Matthew 4.4 that man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. And so we must study and live according to the Bible, according to God's Scripture. For as Jesus said in His prayer to His Father, John 17.17, these are very well-known Scriptures, John 17.17, Jesus said to His Father, sanctify them by Your truth, Your truth, Your Word is truth.

Sanctify them by Your truth, Your Word is truth. God's Word is truth. That's our guide. And in John 6.63, Jesus also said, The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. And Dr. Ward has spoken to many, many sermons through the years on these Scriptures, very important ones. To be true worshippers of God, we must study His Word, and we must learn to discern what is false and contrary to God's law and way of life.

We have to study the Word and use His Word as a light, a spiritual light, to shine in our lives to find out where the darkness is and get rid of it. And so it means we will repent of sin because we revere God as our Creator, He's our sustainer. And as we heard in the prayer request, He is also our healer, He is our Savior, and so much more.

And we'll learn to stop serving ourselves and our desires and to sacrifice ourselves when we serve God. Now, case in point, as I said earlier, we will go to considerable effort to keep God's feast this week.

We will not be there, wherever home may be, in doing our normal routine. Even if you are happy to stay at your home this week, understand it, some of us are staying very locally, but you're not going to be at home like you normally would. You're going to be doing all sorts of things, having company, traveling here every day, and doing lots of wonderful things and keeping the feast here locally. You're not going to be doing your normal thing this week.

And that's because we choose to keep God's feast instead. Our worship of God is shown in how we live our daily lives. Partaking of church services during the feast is just a part of our worship of God, for which we have dedicated our lives. We've dedicated our way of thinking, our way of living, and our way of being. True worshipers also have God's Holy Spirit living within them. From the moment we were first called by the Father, until we die or Christ returns, we are in the process of inward transformation called conversion. Through His Spirit, God begins to open our minds.

We don't open our minds ourselves. We understand this. God has to call us. God gives us that ability to have the first true inkling of God's love, of His power, and of His mercy, that His Holy Days, all of them together and individually, show us that He is and has. When we welcome and embrace God's calling, we turn more and more to God.

When convicted of sins, we humbly repent before God with our contrite hearts, and we seek His forgiveness through Christ's sacrifice, all these things we've reviewed through this past year. We freely submit our will to God's will and choose to love Him. Baptism means we have committed our lives to obeying, and revering, and serving God, the same three actions related to worship.

With the laying on of hands by God's ministry, we receive the begettle of God's Holy Spirit. We then, forevermore, endeavor to walk in faith, to always believe and obey God, to always grow in the grace and knowledge of God until Christ returns, when we will receive those new, glorious, immortal spirit bodies. We receive salvation. And then we serve God forever, ever and ever. You know, Dr. Ward mentioned the full moon we're going to see tomorrow night. Have you ever thought that you're going to live longer than the moon?

Exist? Do you ever think of that? That hurts my head. That hurts. But it's going to be gone one day, but we will still be there, as immortal spirit beings in God's family. Isn't that something? So we have been called to be true worshippers of God. We worship God because we recognize and accept the things He has revealed to us through His Spirit and His Word.

And these are things not yet known by the billions of humanity that are out there or have existed. Our keeping the Feast of Tabernacles is evidence that we have chosen to bow down to God and worship Him and to love Him. So I hope that kind of helps give us a little bit of perspective of what we're doing, or will be doing, as the Feast begins tomorrow night. And so we're to keep the Feast. We have willingly complied.

We're on our way. We will be doing that. Now, God didn't make us do it, but we chose to do it. So when we leave our normality behind us during this upcoming week, we'll experience various degrees of disruption, won't we? Various degrees of disruption to our comfort zone loving selves. We're traveling. We're staying in different places. We're doing different routines. But we do it to worship God together at His Feast. Now, when we read and consider God's instruction about keeping the Feast, we're reminded why God is worthy of worship, why God is worthy of our grateful praise.

Let's turn to Leviticus 23, verses 33-36. And here God gives us instruction about keeping the Feast or Tabernacles and the 8th day. Leviticus 23, verse 33. Here we read Leviticus 23, verse 33. Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, so this comes directly from God, Speak to the children of Israel, saying, the fifteenth day of the seventh month shall be the Feast of Tabernacles for seven days to the Lord.

On the first day there shall be a holy convocation. You shall do no customary work on it. For seven days you shall offer an offering made by fire to the Lord. And on the eighth day you shall have a holy convocation, and you shall offer an offering made by fire to the Lord.

It is a sacred assembly, and you shall do no customary work on it. God established these eight days, as well as the weekly Sabbath and the other feasts and holy days listed in Leviticus 23, as a time for His people to assemble before Him. On the holy days, God requires us to gather in a holy convocation and do no customary work.

And so we should treat these days with great deference towards God, who created and established them, and who created us. We gather in sacred assembly before Him to be instructed from His word. And instead of offerings of animal sacrifices, we give monetary offerings, as God has blessed us during the year.

But of course, we remember the very best offering to give God. The very best offering is our humble and contrite hearts and our willing worship. Now, we could choose to ignore God's instructions and stay home and keep on doing our own everyday routines, but we don't because we choose to worship God.

We are convicted and convinced that God is our potter and we are clay, the work of His hands, as Isaiah 64.8 tells us. We know that He has power over life and death. He tells us to choose life in Deuteronomy 30.19. And so we have and we do. We worship Him. And God wants all people to choose life, and He has made true and eternal life available to all humanity through the sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus Christ, His Son. Let's hold our place here and let's turn to Colossians 1, verse 13 through 17. Colossians 1, verses 13 through 17. Colossians 1, verse 13. We're reminded here of God's inipidence and His love and of His astounding power of salvation, His promise salvation and power. Here we read, He, referring to the Father, has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.

And so like all humanity, this puts things in perspective. We were condemned to die because of our sins. But Jesus Christ so loves the Father and every human being that He willingly paid the price for our sins so that we and all people might put on immortality and live in His kingdom. God is most worthy of our worship, isn't He?

That puts things in perspective. We are to worship Him and only Him. Let's turn back to Leviticus 23. It's during the feast that God reminds us of our mortal and temporary existence as well. He does that with His instruction to live in booths. Not booze, booths. Temporary dwellings. I always have to watch my enunciation.

Leviticus 23, verse 40-42. Here we read, Today, for many of us, the hotel rooms we often temporarily dwell in are quite a step up from now.

I appreciate that. I think we all do. Yet, we are not going to be able to do that. We are going to be able to do that. Today, for many of us, the hotel rooms we often temporarily dwell in are quite a step up from living in tree branches. I appreciate that. I think we all do.

Yet, even if we stay in a hotel room, or a camper trailer, or tents, or stay in somebody else's house, or whatever it might be, wherever we live, we recognize that home we are in is temporary. That home is not going to be there. That place is not going to be there forever. Our short stay reminds us of our brief and mortal existence.

Actually, we know that we are really citizens of God's kingdom. That's what we are looking forward to. If God's Holy Spirit dwells in us, when Christ returns, the Father will resurrect us to eternal life, and we will put on immortality. 1 Corinthians 15, 54. Until that time, we have grown, don't we? 2 Corinthians 5, verses 1-2.

Maybe as years go on, we have grown a little bit more in our temporary dwellings. Paul tells us, 2 Corinthians 5, verses 1-2, He tells us that we have grown even now in our fleshly temporary housing, referring to these physical bodies we have. 2 Corinthians 5, verses 1-2. For we know that if our earthly house's tent is destroyed, temporary dwelling, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we have grown earnestly, desiring to be clothed with our habitation, which is from heaven. So we are waiting until Christ returns. When He does, we will be resurrected at that last trump and meet Jesus Christ in the air. Then we will worship God in mortally, forever, in our new spirit bodies. That is part of what we look forward to. Let's turn back to Deuteronomy 14. Learn a little bit more about Feast of Tabernacles and the worship we will be doing. In Deuteronomy 14, we should consider how God purposely set the timing of His feast to coincide with the third and final harvest season.

This third and final harvest season was primarily that of figs, apparently, looking back, as scholars tell us, is primarily that of figs and pomegranates and grapes and olives. In fact, the Feast of Tabernacles is also called the Feast of In-Gathering. You can jot down Exodus 23.16. This final harvest of the year foreshadows God's great harvest of humanity, the great harvest of mankind. I don't know how many of you grew up on a farm or maybe in a rural area. Harvest season is a very exciting time. It's what you've been waiting for all year. Where I grew up, there's primarily one harvest season, and it's towards late summer and on into the fall. They had several harvest seasons in the ancient Middle East, and still to this day. But in these ancient times referred to here, if you were a farmer in his family who had labored in those hot, dusty fields over many long and exhausting days, think about it. That final harvest was truly special and very much something worth celebrating in a very big way. It meant another year's harvest of food was secured, and it meant that God had blessed them, that God had given him sufficient food, he had taken care of them as their sustainer, and they had great reason to rejoice before God and to worship Him, to praise Him as both creator and sustainer. So God commanded His people to bring their families along with their tithes of the produce from their earlier harvest and to travel to rejoice before Him at His feast. Deuteronomy 14.22. Let's read here. Deuteronomy 14.22. And you shall truly tithe all the increase of your grain that the field produces year by year. And you shall eat before the Lord 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, revere, the Lord your God always.

But if the journey is too long for you so that you're not able to carry the tithe, all that physical animals and grain and everything, or if the place where the Lord your God chooses to put His name is too far from you, when the Lord your God has blessed you, then you shall exchange it for money, take the money in your hand and go to the place where the Lord your God chooses.

And you shall spend that money for whatever your heart desires, for oxen or sheep, for wine or a similar drink, for whatever your heart desires. And you shall eat there before the Lord your God, and you shall rejoice, you and your household. Isn't it wonderful? We're commanded to rejoice? Oh, we can do that. We can do that.

So coming for God at the end of the harvest with their tithes ready to spend, the people would have readily recognized. They could see it for themselves just how much God had blessed them that past year, and just how much they had reason to praise God with great thanksgiving. That's part of what we're doing to this day. And so we do bring our tithe to spend at the place He chooses, both we and our families.

But yet it's also important to recognize that God instructs us not to rejoice only with our families, not just with our families. Let's look at Deuteronomy 16, verses 14 through 15. Very important. Deuteronomy 16 through 14. Continuing more instruction here.

Now, isn't it interesting that at this feast, said during the very last harvest of the year, God specifically instructs that no one be overlooked. No one be overlooked. Every person is to have cause for praising God and rejoicing before Him. And so the Feast of Tabernacles in the eighth day, picture that future time when God completes the in-gathering or harvest of humanity, which Jesus Christ will undertake, when He tries to get everybody to repent and come to Him, some won't, some will refuse. We believe the vast majority of all humanity, all mankind, will choose to repent and become part of that harvest. God wants no one neglected, no one overlooked. That great in-gathering, all humankind, to God should really excite us because as true worshippers of God, we will reign as kings and priests under Christ. Let's look at Revelation 1, verse 5 through 6. We're going to be hearing this during the next week or so.

And we've heard it. We review these things. And each time we hear these things, we should ask God to help us grasp more of that significance, to grasp more of that meaning, to help us do more in these present lives, to grow, to understand His Word, to be ready. Revelation 1, verses 5 through 6, breaking into the thought. And from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, the ruler over the kings of the earth, to Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever.

And so as we prepare to worship God at the feast, we need to remember that our role will be as God's spirit-born sons and daughters in the kingdom, our role is kings and priests. That means we'll be responsible to help teach, to help instruct people. We're going to be helping the people that live on in the kingdom about God.

And why is that so important? It's everything, isn't it? We want them to learn about God so then they too can make the choice to worship Him in spirit and truth. In essence, we want them to be sitting where we are now. We want them to be having their opportunity to learn about God.

Let's turn to Isaiah 11, verses 9-10. Isaiah 9-10. God's kingdom will be a time of true peace, and this is very exciting.

As I mentioned in the sermon on atonement, to make us painfully aware of what our society is like now, I get excited reading these prophecies about the future, about peace and harmony and unity. God's kingdom will be a time of true peace, justice and righteousness. Isaiah makes it clear that God's end-gathering will include all people.

Both of the children of Israel and those not of Israel, the Gentiles. Isaiah 11, verse 9. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, referring to God's government, His kingdom, His reign. For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea. That's pretty deep.

And in that day, verse 10, there shall be a root of Jesse. He shall stand as a banner to the people. For the Gentiles shall seek him, and his resting place shall be glorious. Reference to Jesus Christ. Verse 12. And he will set up a banner for the nations, and will assemble all the outcasts of Israel. This will be the remnant that survives the day of the Lord.

And he will assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth. And as verse 11 there, I didn't read that, but refers to an second Exodus that's going to occur. Draw all the remnant of children of Israel to where Christ is reigning there in the Holy Land at Jerusalem.

Let's look at Micah 4, verses 1-2.

These are things we're reminded of as we gather to worship God.

Reasons why we have chosen to obey him, to revere him, and to serve him.

Micah, it comes right after the book of Jonah. It seems like Jonah's easier to find than Micah is, I don't know. In the book of Micah, chapter 4, verses 1-2, it reminds us of how different it's going to be in the kingdom. This is what's going to get us excited this next week. We're going to be reminded that during the millennium people will seek God. They're going to be seeking God. They're going to want to know more about God and his instruction. And they will turn to Jerusalem to learn God's ways. Micah 4, verse 1, now it shall come to pass. This is certain.

It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established on top of the mountains, on top of all the other human governments. Gods will be supreme. And it shall be exalted above the hills, and peoples shall flow to it. Many nations shall come and say, Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, and we shall walk in his paths. They will do it. For out of Zion the law shall go forth, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

And in Zechariah 14, verses 16 through 17, a few pages. Keep going forward in your Bible. Zechariah 14, verses 16 through 17.

We learn, Zechariah 14, 16, we learn that these people will actually keep God's feasts and holy days. And specifically here, they'll keep the Feast of Tabernacles.

They'll be doing what we're doing now. And it shall come to pass that everyone who has left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King. The Lord of Hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. And it shall be that whichever the families of the earth do not come up to Jerusalem, see, they get to choose. Whoever does not come to come up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of Hosts, on them there will be no rain.

He's not going to allow this laissez-faire approach. I'll just do what you want. That's not going to work anymore. God's going to expect that He only will be worshipped.

And so imagine the millennium.

People the world over will want to be keeping the Feast.

They'll be wanting to learn about God and salvation.

And it will be our task as those future kings and priests to help instruct them in how to be true worshippers of God.

It will be your task and my task to teach them how to obey, how to revere, and how to serve God in spirit and truth. Now, to help us focus and prepare for our future task in the kingdom, let me ask us a question. I like questions.

What would we teach people living in the millennium to do in order for them to have the best feast ever? We hear that all the time, right?

Oh, I had the best feast ever! I'm really excited each year that you have the best feast ever. It just keeps getting better and better.

What would we teach people living in the millennium to do in order for them to have the best feast ever?

All right. I heard one answer.

I'm not asking for answers. I know we just can't help it.

We would probably start by warning them not to let all the excitement about being at the feast in their new surroundings and all the fellowshipping and the new friends and the eating and the fun stuff.

Don't let all the excitement cause them to neglect the personal relationship with God during the feast.

Only by staying close to God, we'd tell them, will they be able to have that spiritually uplifting experience that God wants them to have. I think that's a fair place to start.

What would we teach people living in the millennium?

We would remind them to pray every day, would we not?

Because prayer is absolutely vital in keeping a close relationship with God. Certainly wouldn't want to let down during the feast.

We'll need to advise them not to skip their prayers at the feast just because they're away from home and they're out of their routine.

Certainly not because they're too embarrassed to tell others that they need a little private time in the room to pray to God.

What would we tell them? We'd tell them, just go talk to them. Tell them to get out so you can go pray. Nicely, nicely, nicely.

But we shouldn't let it. We would tell them, don't let anything keep you from praying to God.

We'd urge them to read their Bible every day, and that would go beyond what they'd read during the daily service, of course. They need to keep up their own personal Bible study. We might even encourage them to read some Psalms of praise during the feast.

We might encourage them to read Psalm 145 about the majesty of God.

Oh, we'd tell them to jot that down, right?

And we'd also tell them to read Psalm 146 about the joy of those who trust God.

We'd also encourage them to meditate on God and on His love towards us ever before time began.

That's a long time to love.

That's what God is. We might suggest that they reflect on the horrible history of mankind's disobedience and how much better life is when people love God and keep His laws and truly love one another.

And although it is a feast, yeah, we would also urge them to fast at the feast.

Well, that might shock them a little bit. I might surprise them. Fast at the feast? Of course, we wouldn't be shocked by that, would we?

We'd have to explain that we don't mean that they fast from the good food and drink at the feast, but that they abstain from those needless things that distract them from focusing on God. Those things that distract them from enjoying His feast.

I don't know if they'll have social media then, but maybe that would be something we'd tell them. You might put that aside so you can just really focus on what's going on here at the feast.

In those four good habits, we'd explain to them what God's people should do to stay close to God. All the time and especially during the feast.

They help to keep one humble, in a right attitude, spiritually strong, and super keen to worship God.

But we also know that something more is needed to have a best-ever feast. Something more is needed. Worship requires that we obey, revere, and serve in spirit and truth. So we would also instruct the people in the millennium on how to conduct themselves as followers of Jesus Christ.

We'd give a little instruction to them on how to conduct themselves as followers of Jesus Christ.

We'd urge them to attend every service, wouldn't we?

We'll need to remind them that at services they are coming before the throne of God.

So we'll encourage them to do their best to keep their appointment with God and to be on time, too.

And we might whisper in their ear, especially if you want rain back home.

We'd encourage them to imitate the king's example of love and kindness towards all.

We might relate to them how at the feast, before the kingdom came, we helped the elderly and families with small children, too.

We'll encourage them to sing their praises to God with gusto, to stay focused, and to take notes and review them later.

Then we'd likely would exhort them to practice good fellowship, wouldn't we?

We'd tell them to be welcoming, be friendly, invite others to dinner or on outings.

Remember, we're not supposed to leave anybody out. Everyone's supposed to be part of the feast.

We'd encourage them to spend time with those who really just can't move around so well.

Sometimes we go to the feast sites, even now, you might see people sitting on the side.

We'd encourage folks in the future to make sure you spend time talking with them, too.

We'd prod them to go beyond chit-chat, and though some won't need much prodding to do that, we might suggest that they talk about how God has helped them this past year, maybe about unexpected blessings He's given them, and that they encourage one another in God's way.

And we remind them of how God absolutely loves to hear them talk about Him, and how Malachi 3.16 says that God records their names in a book of remembrance.

I think we'd tell them that.

We would also teach them to serve and share.

After all, giving thanks to God, along with doing good works and sharing, are sacrifices that greatly please God.

Giving thanks, doing good works, and sharing are sacrifices that greatly please God.

You can jot down Hebrews 13, verses 15-16. Hebrews 13, 15, 16.

So we would teach them to serve and share.

Perhaps we'll inspire them with our own stories of how we served at the feast back before the kingdom came.

How did you serve the Alaskans?

And we'll tell them of all the humble glories of ushering, of mother's room, of sound booth, of choir, and so much more.

We'll tell them how we took some widows to lunch, how we babysat other people's children.

How we sent cards of cheer to shut in back home, or held someone's hand and prayed with them.

Or perhaps we'll recount how as kids, we tried harder to make our parents smile.

Or how as parents, we actually did the really cool stuff our kids really wanted to do, but that we really didn't want to do.

And then we would need to tell them to have fun and try new things. Wouldn't we?

We'd remind them that God commands us to rejoice before Him at the feast.

And that idea means to have fun, like dancing and kicking up your heels.

That Hebrew word is related to dancing and great joy.

So we might suggest that they take a helicopter ride, maybe go skating, maybe go horseback riding.

Or better yet, maybe they can go bareback riding on a lion, or sledding with penguins.

I don't know!

Remember, things are going to be quite different in the kingdom.

That's what the Bible says.

And they'll need to try some new cuisine. They'll need to step out of their comfort zones, we'll tell them.

They'll need to show the kids and the grandkids and the great grandkids that they still got it.

And simply put, we'll tell them to build great memories, build some great long-lasting relationships, and please, please, please, rejoice before God. That's what we teach them.

These are things we'd likely teach all those people and their families in the millennium about keeping God's Feast of Tabernacles.

Now, they're not keeping it yet. Someday they will.

But we'll be keeping it starting tomorrow night. Again, another Feast of Tabernacles.

We'll keep the Feast of Tabernacles because we worship God, and we're striving to worship God better and better all the time as He commands us to.

And as we worship God, we'll keep learning more about His way of life.

We'll keep putting God's way into action in our lives, and God will help us to perfect ourselves.

So we'll be ready to reign and teach in the Kingdom, ready to do our part in helping God complete His great harvest.

We have many great opportunities, brethren, beginning tomorrow night and over the days ahead to learn and grow.

So let's keep the Feast and become more like our Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, as we obey, revere, and serve Him.

Happy Feast!