The Remedy For What Ails Us

I have a question. I always ask questions. That's okay. That's the way I was trained.

Do you find yourself becoming more discouraged and heavy-hearted lately? Yeah, I've still lost shaking heads, saying yes. Yes. Many have been. I've felt it, too. I think much of it is related to what's happening in our society, in the broader world. So much that was once unthinkable has become acceptable. And it's also awful and disturbing for those like us who have come to love God and His ways of righteousness who are striving so hard to believe what God says and do it and live it and share it.

Here's just a few examples of what we're witnessing today. I trend my list now. One of the things we see is a lot of irresponsible spending, especially by our government. The national debt now is almost 31 trillion dollars. I can't remember when it was, but it seems like it was too many years ago. There's a big freakout because there's going to be 1 trillion, and now we're approaching 31 trillion, and I don't hear much about it. You should know, though, that means each one of you has an extra debt of $92,371 and includes your babies, every human being in the United States, they say. Gender roles are considered a choice now, does America biology says. Biological man was named one of 12 women of the year by USA Today some months ago.

Abortion until the moment of birth is being openly advocated in the U.S. A candidate running for a senate in one of the eastern states came out with that statement just yesterday. Abortion in the moment of birth being allowed. According to CDC, in the United States, the percent of all births to unmarried women is now 40.5 percent. 40.5 percent of all births are to unmarried women, and that's too bad. Those children, those women, could really use family, a husband, a father. Supreme Court nominee, not suddenly many months ago, said she was unable to define what a woman is. She is now on the Supreme Court. We're all witnessing this creeping censorship. This creeping censorship is silencing voices that uphold a biblical worldview. Many of those are traditional views held for centuries, millennium. They're not wanted now. A 2022 Gallup poll shows acceptance of LGBTQ plus lifestyles is now at 62 percent. 62 percent Americans say they're accepting of that. It's okay. They didn't ask me.

More crime and murder in our cities, and yet less justice and enforcement of the laws. We see that. That discourages us. Politically and socially correct, false Christianity is increasingly taking hold. Some have called it the Church of Nice.

And then I did something I was trying to catch up in my reading, the Beyond Today magazine. I get behind. I had three issues to try to get through. And I tended to read more of the news articles, news-related ones, and I have to say I was getting depressed. It's very discouraging. Of course, you know, at the end of each article there's a hopeful message and there's other hopeful messages, but just the sheer weight of it got to me. There's some letters to the editor in the latest one. Perhaps you, in this one, it was in response to the previous one about the new sexual revolution. And the letters to the editor in the most recent Beyond Today, one reader in Texas writes, Remove me from your mailings. It's hateful garbage that I do not want to have to even recycle. I disavow it. You make me sick. From the internet, another former subscriber said, Your magazine spread hate. I'm not here to throw rocks at you. I just hope you all realize that you're not following God if you're making up and spreading hate against groups of law-abiding and God-respecting citizens based on their gender identities. Shame on you.

And so, do you find yourselves finding discouraged and heavy-hearted at times? Yeah, I think we all do. We are all human. We all, even though we have faith in God and Jesus Christ, and we know what has been revealed to us in Scripture, it gets to us. Now, such immoral behavior, whether it's spending too much money or doing these other things, it's upsetting. And it's increasing acceptance and popularity make us yearn—I'm sure it makes us all yearn—for a better place and time for ourselves, for our families, for children, grandchildren, for everybody we know, actually. The weight of lawlessness and morality and wickedness and suffering. It could make us lose hope and despair, lose hope for change and true righteousness. But the truth of God's plan of salvation is good tonic, very good tonic, for weary hearts and minds. God established His annual feasts so we would be reminded of His plan of salvation, of our hope for eternal life. So we do not need to despair. It's not going to be a sad message so much as we're going to talk about joy. Is that it? Am I just fanning myself? This okay? Joy. Joy. Exuberant joy. We did not compare notes, but it's amazing how that sermon is going to tie into what I have to share with you today. God established His annual feasts so we would be reminded of His plan of salvation and hope for eternal life. God's plan is revealed. Part of His plan, of course, is revealed in the fall Holy Days. As you can tell with our decorations, we're getting geared up. God's fall feast is just the remedy for what ails us and what's ailing our heavy hearts. The title of today's sermon is The Remedy for What Ails Us.

The Remedy for What Ails Us.

Well, what exactly ails us? Don't answer that out loud. That might take it personally. What's ailing us? What troubles and distresses are getting to us? Well, besides what I just read, we can talk about a little more personal individual level, perhaps. There are many things that can ail us, such as excessive debt. We may be finding ourselves in a tight spot. Unexpected expenses suddenly and inflation's hitting and frankly, recession, I believe. I may be wrong. But that's causing us trouble. Unexpected trials. Concerns for spouse and family members. That can ail us, distress us. Poor health, state of the world, chronic illness. Sometimes that overall sense of we're really not in control of our own lives anymore. Life has gotten away from us. Discouragement, that ails us. Loneliness, fear. Sometimes apathy, our own apathy, gets to us. We have to stir ourselves up, stir up the Holy Spirit. We struggle with sinful temptations, loss of hope, grieving, and much more. There's a lot that ails us. But over all these things that distress us, we also have in Ephesians 6, verses 11 through 12, we also have, as Paul mentions, in Ephesians 6, verses 11 through 12, that spiritual adversary to his stand, don't we? So I'm going to read here a little bit in Ephesians. Ephesians 6, verses 11 through 12, Paul wrote, put on the whole armor of God, not just part of it, but the whole armor, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. It's real. It's real. Verse 12, for we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. And so much what we see going on today, the immorality, the lawlessness, the hypocrisy, where would we go to other flesh and blood people to try to wrestle with those things? You can't. This is a spiritual issue behind it, spiritual influence behind it. Let's look also in Ephesians 2, verses 1 through 3. Paul tells us a little bit more about the source of wickedness in the world. Yes, this is a world we live in, but we're not to be a part of. Ephesians 2, verse 1, Paul wrote, Paul's words certainly still ring true today. Wickedness once held as taboo in our culture is now being embraced, exalted, and celebrated. Any complaints about something being indecent or immoral? Well, they're scorned. They're laughed at. In fact, sort of what we saw what I read to you in the letters to the editor. We're called hateful. We say something's immoral now. It's you're talking hate. You're full of hate. You need to be nice and just accept all the ways we want to be. You see, that's what nice Christians do.

The words of Isaiah chapter 5, verse 20, if you haven't thought on this verse for a while, I recommend it. Isaiah 5, verse 20, the words of Isaiah 5, 20 hold true today. I think you'll see. Isaiah wrote, Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light, and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter. It's all turned upside down. Upside down for what God defines. God defines what's good. God defines what's sweet. He defines what's evil, good, all of that. But humanity has decided that they're going to decide for themselves what is light. So what ails us? Does that give you a good idea? We could broadly identify what ails us under the broad label of Satan, society, and self. Self meaning we have our own struggles with sin and temptation. Sometimes we cause our own problems. Or we could also identify what ails us as the problems related to sin and death. But God has called us, and He is working with us and in us through His Holy Spirit and with His holy Scriptures. With faith in Jesus Christ, we do battle, and we do overcome sin. Christ helps us to do that. He shows us how. He said for us the perfect living example. With faith in Jesus Christ, we can overcome the sinful world. We can live in it, but not let it get to us. Even though this world under Satan's influence, it does sorely vex us in weariness.

But we must not lose hope, you see. God does not want us to lose hope. He knows what we would be facing. He knew it. He knows it. Christ experienced it. He is our high priest. We can go to Him with our troubles and complaints, and He will hear us and help us. We must not give in to despair. We must trust in God, whose Scriptures over and over again reveal His everlasting love for all humanity.

Scripture reveals that through the willing sacrifice of Jesus Christ, God has made salvation possible for all people. They all don't know it yet. One day they will. We also have great hope of faith, knowing that God our Father will send Jesus Christ at just the right time to establish the kingdom of God on earth, and that the first fruits of God's spiritual harvest of humanity will be resurrected at Christ's return, and that all people will one day receive the opportunity, a full and fair opportunity to know God and to choose His way, which leads to eternal life.

And so, although discouraged by the world around us, we must hold fast to God's plan of salvation, a plan of salvation that He reveals through His feast. Our understanding of God's feast, our keeping of God's feast, will boost us up. It will give us a real necessary charge of enthusiasm and joy and true hope that we all need. Let's look at Leviticus 23, verses 1 through 4. If you would, please, Leviticus 23, verse 1 through 4. And here we read that God Himself is one of the scriptures of the day. I do that on purpose, yes. Leviticus 23, verses 1 through 4, here we find that God Himself established His feasts and holy days.

God set certain times as holy convocations. We could also call those appointments. It's a commanded appearance, you might say. He wants His people, all who are able, to gather together in worship of Him and to receive instruction. It's a command. Verse 1, And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 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. They do not belong to me or to you. They do not belong to any people. They belong to God. He ordained them. He says, verse 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. One of the first feasts God mentions is the one we get to keep every week in the seventh day, sunset to sunset.

It's a feast. It's a commanded convocation. If we're able to attend, we need to attend. Verse 4, These are the feasts of the Lord, holy convocations which you shall proclaim at the appointed times. To proclaim means you declare them. You let people know so that everybody can be there and ready on time. These are things we do. Now, what follows along in the remainder of Leviticus 23 is a list in description of God's feast.

All of them, beginning with Passover, days of Unleavened Bread, Pentecost, feasts of trumpets, which we'll be observing on September 26. Then it follows by the Day of Atonement, October 5th, followed by the Feast of Tabernacles, starting on October 9th, the evening of October 9th, and the 8th day. The 8th day. October 17th. I almost said 16th to 17th. Yeah. Okay, we've got an argument.

We'll get it settled out here before we go today. I don't have my calendar right in front of me. So every weekly Sabbath and annually from Passover through the 8th day, God's people are to proclaim God's holy convocations and to observe them as God instructs. God makes rules, and we need to do the best we can with our understanding to please God to submit to Him. God's annual feast presents an outline of His plan of salvation for all humanity. Our great hope of salvation, you see, is revealed in God's feast days. And that's why we really need to be excited about these these feast days in the fall now that are upon us.

Now before going on, I'd like for us to pause and to consider...

I want us to pause and consider when is it that God created His plan of salvation?

When did He create His plan to give you and me and humanity, eternal life as members of His divine family? When did that happen? You know. A lot of you know. God reveals the answer in 1 Peter 1, 17-21. There are some other places, but let's look at 1 Peter chapter 1, verse 17-12.

It's in this section of verse, these particular verses, that Peter was inspired to address Jesus Christ's role in God's plan of salvation. 1 Peter 1, verse 17-21.

Peter wrote, And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear. Our stay where? Our existence, our life here on this earth. Each day we need to make the best of it. Redeem the time. Verse 18. Why conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear, meaning reverence, take it seriously? Because knowing that you are not redeemed with corruptible things like silver or gold from your aimless conduct, such as what Paul was talking about earlier in Ephesians, from your aimless conduct received by traditions from your from tradition from your fathers, we are redeemed with the precious blood of Christ, as if a lamb without blemish and without spot. Here comes the answer. Verse 20. Indeed, he indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world. The word for world there, the Greek word is cosmos, k-o-s-m-o-s, cosmos, and it means universe. It means all things. He was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you who through him believe in God and who raised him from the dead and gave him glory so that your faith and hope are in God, not in ourselves. Our faith and hope certainly cannot be in the world either. And so what these verses, what Peter is saying, that our salvation was planned out before God created the universe. They're taking some great snapshots of that lately, aren't they, the James Webb telescope. One I saw said, oh, we're looking back 13.8 billion years ago.

That's what they say. I certainly can't argue with them. I'm not a scientist. But imagine God's plan of salvation is far older than that. It's far older than that. Jesus Christ, the Word, was with God and was God, through whom God created the universe. He has always been central to our salvation. Our salvation has been God's plan since before time. You know, I don't know about you, but I've been trying to watch as much as I have time for of the Queen's funeral. I got a Pluto app, and so you can get Sky News free, and it's there all the time. It's amazing how much reverence and respect people are showing the Queen. When I first watched, I felt like my grandmother had died again.

So you see reverence for the 96-year-old Queen, which is fine. That's fine. And they talk with reverence about Westminster Abbey. I think I got that right.

Built, I believe, around 1100, something like that. And we talk about having reverence for our national park systems and mountains and all these things.

How about having reverence for God's plan of salvation? How about having reverence for God's plan of salvation? For the only true hope we have. Reverence for God's Holy Days that provide us those glimpses that outline to help us understand, as our brains can, our minds can, just what God is in store for us and why it's so important that we endure to the end and we continue to submit to God. And so Jesus Christ, again, has always been central to God's plan of salvation. And so it's no surprise, then, that Jesus Christ is also central to each of God's feasts, even as God's scriptures reveal to us. Christ is with God and planning out our salvation from before the very beginning, before time. And He's still with everyone whom God calls now. Imagine that. He's with everyone God calls and is working with. He's with you. He's personally involved with you. He and the Father both want you and me, ultimately all people, to be a part of this wonderful plan of salvation. And Christ and the Father are working with us to ensure that we endure with Him and to the end and receive God's precious gift of eternal life. Now I ask you, among everything that's ailing us, doesn't that sound like good news to you? Isn't that just what we need to hear right now?

Now let's turn to Hebrews 2, verses 6-8. Hebrews 2, verses 6-8. Note the response to King David's question. King David, back in Psalm 8, in his song and prayer to God, he asked, he asked God, why do you like humanity so much? What is it about humanity that you keep, you give us all this attention, all these blessings, all this concern?

The writer of Hebrews quotes that part of the Psalm in Psalm 8, and then we get the response. So here's King David's question about humanity's importance to God. Reading beginning verse 6, reading beginning verse 6, God created the universe, remember. You have put all things in subjection under his feet. Now the word all things, that's a different Greek word, it's pos, p-a-s, p-a-s, and it means everything. What does everything mean? Oh, you think about it. Everything means everything. You have put all things in subjection under him. And now that's where David's words, the quote from Psalm 8, end, and what follows now is the inspired response the writer gives, the writer inspired of God. For in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him, under man. But now we do not yet see all things put under him. So that's what's going to happen. It hasn't happened yet.

The phrase all things means universe, and we understand, our understanding of these verses is that humanity's ultimate destiny is to serve under God and Christ in ruling the universe for the remainder of eternity. It's part of God's plan, his plan of salvation. God wants us to understand this magnificent plan. As God's feasts and holy days come and go, in their ordained order, year after year, every year, we can and must draw from them the hope, we can and must draw from them the encouragement God designed for us to receive from observing these days. He knew we would need hope and encouragement. He designed these days so that we would receive it if we're willing to receive it. These holy convocations of God, the Seventh-day Sabbath in all, the annual Sabbaths, holy days, feasts, they are a vital lifeline, you see, that keeps us firmly fixed, firmly connected, and anchored in God, God, the source of all blessings in our hope of eternal life. They help to give us light amidst this darkened world. They are light, and they come just at the right time of the year, it seems, don't they? Now, God's fall feasts are soon upon us. We've had a number of messages talking about the Feast of Tabernacles. Fall feasts are soon upon us, and it seems in a very appropriate time to review what these fall feasts picture in the breath of God's plan of salvation. You see, these fall feasts, they are what we need for what ails us. They really are what we need for what ails us. The Feast of Trumpets teaches us that Jesus Christ will visibly return to the earth at the end of this age. Let's look at Matthew 24, a few scriptures. Matthew 24, verse 21 through 22.

Christ foretold His own coming, His own returning. Matthew 24, I went too far.

Matthew 24, verse 21. Christ is going to return at a prophesied time, a most terrible time, the Great Tribulation, a time of war and mass devastation, when humanity under Satan's influence is just about ready to annihilate itself. Humanity is about... Christ didn't come back at the right time, and humanity is going to annihilate itself, poof, out of existence. Verse 21. For then there will be a Great Tribulation, such has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved, but for the elect's sake those days will be shortened. And let's look at verse 29. Verse 29 tells us more specifically here about that moment when Christ returns. There's this time when when Christ returns the saints are going to be resurrected. Those who are no longer living, and those who are still alive will be instantly changed into immortal spirit beings. Verse 29. Immediately after tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light. The stars will fall from heaven and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see. They're going to see this. They'll know. They'll understand then. And they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. Jesus Christ, when he returns, he will fight. He will destroy those who will be waging war against him at his return. They'll be attacking him from what we'll read. We'll learn more about this, I'm sure, on the services on the Feast of Trumpets. But he's going to have to destroy those who are an open, willful rebellion, who are unrepentant, who would dare to attack him at his return. There's so many scriptures in the Old Testament and New that talk about God is going to overthrow pride. He's going to cast down pride and lift up the poor, those who sit in the dust, those who sit in the ashes. This is definitely one of those times. He will overthrow human arrogance and pride, and he will reign on earth with total authority.

At that time, he will resurrect the saints. Look at verse 31. And he will send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. What a joyous time that's going to be with God's firstfruits, including us, when in twinkling of an eye, as Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15, verse 52, he said, The dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

And so this feast commemorates the blowing of trumpets that will precede Christ's return. Christ will return with the blowing of the seventh trumpet. Now, the Feast of Trumpets stirs up both fear and alarm and also great jubilation. It's a mixture of both. Trumpets can sound either sort of sound with meaning.

We should express profound reverence for Heavenly Father because Jesus Christ is, absolutely is, returning.

It's not a movie idea. It's not fiction. It's not myth. It's not legend. If you still struggle with that, you need to ask God to help you make it very real to you, and He will help.

Christ will establish the Kingdom of God on earth, and all who are Christ will be resurrected to eternal life and serve in His Kingdom as kings and priests. The good news of Christ returning, it certainly is what we need to hear right now. We need to hear that right now. On that feast day, we'll be able to focus on the hope of God's salvation rather than worry about work and focusing on school and keeping appointments, all the other distractions of this world. We can encourage and encourage others on the Feast of Trumpets as we spend that holy day with our family and others in our larger spiritual family, with our brethren together in worship, as we learn more about God's Feast of Trumpets and that plan of salvation. Again, truly, the Feast of Trumpets is just what we need for what ails us.

Nine days later, we observe the Day of Atonement. This day pictures our High Priest, Jesus Christ, making atonement for the sins of all mankind. You can turn with me to Hebrews 10, verse 19 through 20 now. Ephes 10, 19 through 20. The Atonement pictures Jesus Christ making atonement for the sins of all mankind. His atoning sacrifice allows us to be reconciled to God and to enter the holiest of all and enter into God's very presence. Verse 19, Hebrews 10, 19, therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the holiest by the blood of Jesus Christ through his sacrifice in our place by a new and living way which he consecrated for us through the veil that is his flesh.

On this day, we're reminded that Christ is essential as our High Priest and as our eternal sacrifice for sin. Let's also look at Hebrews chapter 4, verse 14 through 16. Hebrews 4, 14 through 16. Because Jesus Christ is our High Priest, we can go to our Heavenly Father in sincere repentance and with full confidence in Christ's sacrifice, ask forgiveness, and we know he will forgive us. He will forgive us. Verse 14, Hebrews 4, 14. Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. Don't let go of it. Our commitment to God, our faith, our belief. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points, all points, tempted as we are, yet without sin. He was tempted, but he never gave in. That's where we struggle. We're tempted, and sometimes we give in. That's why we need to repent and faith in Christ, go to our Father, and ask forgiveness so that can be taken away so we can maintain that right relationship with God. Verse 16, let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. We have that need all the time. What this tells us is we don't need to fret worrying about whether God would... you know what? I'm trying to repent. I think I'm being sincere. Am I sure God's forgiving me? The answer would be yes, he has forgiven you. Quit beating yourself up with guilt. We do that as human beings. We think if we beat ourselves up enough, sometimes finally God will forgive us. No, just mean it and turn around and try never again to do that sin. If you happen to, well, what do we do then? We do the process again. God is patient. He is very faithful.

So we don't need a fret worrying if God is truly forgiveness, if our repentance, desire, forgiveness, through Christ is sincere. We don't have to worry about that. That's just what we need to hear and believe right now.

Now, the Day of Atonement also points at the time when Satan will be bound for a thousand years. You see a reference to that, Revelation 20, verse 1 through 2. This is all going to be elaborated on more, I'm sure, during the messages we'll hear on the Holy Days, the Day of Atonement. And of course, we have many booklets, articles, Beyond Today videos, things available online that you can delve more deeply into this yourself. And of course, there's plenty more to be said from Scripture about these things, too. Absolutely. In Revelation 20, verse 1 through 2, Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who was the devil in Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. The father of lies, the great murderer, the king of pride, is going to be cast down, put aside a thousand years. He'll have to be released for a while. That's part of God's plan, and ultimately he's going to be put in the lake of fire. You never have to worry about him again.

That's just what we need to hear and believe. If all the wickedness in the world right now, that's the hope we need to hear and to believe. Now, of course, God also commands that we afflict ourselves on the day of atonement. That means to fast. No, nothing to drink, nothing to eat, no cheating, try not to cheat. It's all very important. It helps us to get our minds settled. It's a way to help us draw closer to God and to picture just how badly and how wonderful his reconciliation is and how he's going to reconciliation mankind to him. Now, we know the day of atonement is coming, so we have plenty of time to prepare ourselves physically for that fast, and also time to prepare ourselves spiritually to be reconciled to God. So it is a time for reflection. It is a time for evaluation. We just don't do these things that pass over in days of unleavened bread. These are things we do continually all the time. In the holy days, we tend to get a little more focused on that. It is a time to evaluate, have we gotten a little apathetic? Have we gotten too laid back about sin? Have I been struggling with temptation? We need to get rid of it. Whatever it is that might be in your mind, you need to be working on that.

Fast being weaker reminds us that being more humble helps us to go to God, helps us to recognize just how much we need God, how utterly dependent we are on God. And what a blessing! I didn't always used to think this way. I admit it. Atonement can be a hard time, especially if you're young and a teenager, to go all day without eating can be rough. But really, the Day of Atonement is a great blessing for us. We have all that extra time for prayer and Bible study and godly fellowship for grateful reflection upon God's mercy and for a world to come without Satan's influence. I have even noticed that our fellowship back here after surfaces goes on for hours and we don't have water or coffee or tea or cookies or anything. We just have that extra time just to sit and enjoy each other's company and encourage each other. And that truly is a beautiful thing.

So the Day of Atonement, all that it holds, all that looks forward to God's plan of salvation, it surely is what we need for what ails us. Now the Feast of Tabernacles comes after that. The Feast teaches us that when Christ returns, a new society will be established with Christ as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Christ, assisted by the resurrected saints, will set up his government on earth for a thousand years. And ultimately, that gets stretched out into forever.

I will read today Isaiah 2, verse 3 through 4. Now I understand that Mr. Walter Crane talked about the Feast of Tabernacles last Sabbath.

That's okay.

You may not know it, but I'm pretty sure that's one of his favorite feast times. Isaiah 2, verse 3 through 4. Here we find a vision of what life is going to be like during that thousand-year reign of Christ on earth. Many people will come and say, come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord. Imagine what would happen if people doing what they're doing now suddenly change and begin to look for God. Wouldn't that be wonderful? Let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the seat of His authority, His government, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us His ways, and we who shall walk in His pass. For out of Zion shall go forth the law and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem, the capital. He shall judge between the nations and rebuke many people, and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore. Never before in human history has this happened. It's going to happen. Imagine nations are going to seek the ways of God. They're actually going to want to stop battling, stop war. What's going on right now in Ukraine and other places in the world, it's going to end. All that suffering we witness is going to end. So much brutality, war threats of war right now in our world. This is just what we need to hear. Deuteronomy 16, I'm pretty sure...yes, Mr. Nausl referred to this. And this is one of the commands God has for us in keeping the feast or tabernacles as he referred, mentioned, quoted, the same scripture I'm going to use. Deuteronomy 16, verses 14 through 15, God commands us to rejoice at this feast, and we love to do that.

Deuteronomy 16, 14, you shall rejoice in your feast. God wants us to enjoy it, take ownership, make it ours, share, give, share your blessings. God has blessed you. You be a blessing to others. That's the way of God. That's how we live. You and your son, your daughter, your male servant, your female servant, the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, the widow, who on your gates, everybody, everybody needs to be partaking of this, enjoying them to have a feast time with you. Seven days you'll keep a sacred feast the Lord your God in the place of the Lord chooses because the Lord your God will bless you in all your produce in all the work of your hands so that you surely rejoice. This is not going to be a fake rejoice. It's not going to be, okay, we got to rejoice. Let's act like we're happy. No. You get what it says. God is so richly blessing us even now, if we're willing to look deeply and see the blessings God has given us. Sometimes they're not always material. I've learned that, haven't you? But consider the blessings God has given you, the knowledge of the salvation, the hope for the future, knowledge of a better way of life, not like what we see going on around us in the world. And He's going to make it so we want to rejoice and we will rejoice. However, it may be, we can do that. And yes, Deuteronomy 1426 does state that to be able to rejoice, God wants us to be ready. He wants us to be prepared. So He gives us instruction for putting aside a tenth of our increase from the whole year prior to the days of Tabernacles, feast Tabernacles. Deuteronomy 1426 again, and you shall spend that money for whatever your heart desires. I think we should understand that these are godly desires, not the desires of the flesh and all these other things we should not be imbibing in. But especially for food, oxen and sheep, I want a steak. I don't want to have a fresh oxen standing in front of me. I'll take a steak, but you get the idea. Lamb chops.

For oxen or sheep, for wine or similar drink, for whatever your heart desires, you shall eat there before the Lord your God, and you shall rejoice. You and your house will not be by yourself, your little selfish self with your little plate of food. Sometimes that happens. Sometimes we're not able to go, and there may be times that happens. Even if you find that you're unable to attend a feast site this year because of circumstances, then it happens. Find a way to make each day different, special. If it means having your favorite snack that you don't normally get during the year because they're a little pricey, do it. Do something each day of the feast that helps you to remember this is the Feast of Tabernacles. This is how I can and I will rejoice this day. We can do that. We love rejoicing before God, fellowshiping with our brethren. Just think, we could have set aside our usual task and cares for seven days. That means we have more time for daily fellowship with God every day. Don't forget, we have extra time for fellowship with God every day of the feast. We have the joy of spending time with new family and friends every day of the feast. Make it a point to do that. Being able to share generously our time and blessings, fellowship with others, that gives us that boost of joy, that boost of joy and that sense of fulfillment that we really could use right now when we're feeling a little heavy-hearted. Could anything be better, no matter a situation, than a week of worshiping God together with others of like mind, like faith, like spirit, like purpose, and anticipating Christ's reign on earth? I don't think so. Nothing better. That's the time God has set aside for us to do that. We dearly need this joyful refreshing of God's feast of tabernacles.

It's what we need for what ails us right now. Immediately after tabernacles comes the last of God's fall feasts that last and great day, the eighth day. The eighth day teaches us that Jesus Christ will complete his harvest of humanity by raising from the dead and extending salvation to all human beings who have died in the past and have never been given a full opportunity for salvation. Our God is so righteous, so just, so merciful. Let's look at Ezekiel 37. We find a reference to that time here. Ezekiel 37 prophecy the vision of dry bones. I used to read this many, many, many years ago and it used to be kind of creepy. And now it makes me excited. It makes me want to laugh a bit and think, what is that going to be like? I definitely want to see this. Ezekiel 37 verse 1. It's 14 verses long. You can read it perhaps later this evening. Ezekiel 37 verse 1, The hand of the Lord came upon me, Ezekiel said, and brought me out in the spirit of the Lord and set me down in the midst of the valley, and it was full of bones, human bones. And again he God said to me, prophesy to these bones and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord God to these bones, surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live. I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live. Then you shall know that I am the Lord, the Eternal.

Does that make you tingly? It's kind of so exciting. All who have lived will learn the truth about God. They'll begin to know. They're going to have that time period to begin to know these things. Revelation 20, again, we need to read a little bit more here about this time, represented by the eighth day. Revelation 20, verses 11-13.

Revelation 20, verses 11-13.

Then I saw a great white throne in him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. Verse 12, and I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. God's justice will finally and ultimately be fulfilled, and I find it the most beautiful irony of sorts. Death itself, it says here, death will die. Isn't that something? Death will die.

We've all been grieved by the death of loved ones and people we know even this past year. Won't it be wonderful for every human being to live without the misery of this present sin-sick world to finally have that full and fair chance to know God in his way? How uplifting to know that those who have never been given that full opportunity know God will finally be able to choose salvation, will finally be able to become members of God's divine family with us? That's our hope. That's God's promise. What an important day that is, the holy day, for eighth day for remembering loved ones and for anticipating that joy to come. The joy and hope of God's bountiful love, which the eighth day reveals, is more of what we need for what ails us.

And so, God's feast and holy days reveals God's plan of salvation for all humanity.

These days give us great hope and joyful anticipation for eternal life, for ourselves, and for others in the age to come after Christ's return. God's plan is to save humanity from sin and death. That plan is just the remedy we need to hear and to believe for what's ailing us and ailing all humanity. We have such profound reasons and cause for worshiping God with praise and thanksgiving, gratitude, every Sabbath, and every festival season, every holy day. God has established these things for the benefit of His people. He wants us to be joyful and not to be overwhelmed by the sinful world we live in. Each feast reminds us of God's promise and our hope of salvation through Jesus Christ. So let's keep the feast of God, all the feasts of God. They are the perfect remedy. They are the perfect remedy for what ails us.

Thank you, Dr. Willard. Well, it's time to bring services to our close and to do our part in praising God and worshiping Him. If you'll stand and sing with me, we will sing number 16, My Shepherd Will Supply My Need. My Shepherd Will Supply My Need. Oh, I have two reminders real quick. One, don't forget the concerned corner over here under the mirrored window. Sign the cards for those who have needs and would love to hear from you. And we'll have the brief meeting down here at the front of the stage for those attending here for the feast in East Texas. All right, for our close...