What Next?

You know the feeling. You've just come home from the Feast of Tabernacles and the Eighth Day. You spent a concentrated week of worship surrounded by people who get it, celebrating God's plan right alongside your family and close friends, meeting new friends. The spiritual energy is high. The fellowship is real. And then it's over. The feast ends. You go home. And you realize, I won't see another of God's annual festivals for six months, not until the Memorial of Passover.

Well, what do we do with that? How do we maintain what we just experienced when we return to daily life? Is there a way? Well, of course, the answer is yes, there is a way. And it involves the understanding of what God's festivals and the Memorial of Passover actually taught us through the year in the first place. We know the general protocols. We could talk about getting daily through prayer, study, meditation, fasting. But is there something foundational available, something applicable every day, that we gain by understanding what God's Passover and annual festivals actually taught us? And I believe there is.

So let me back up and recap what we've been keeping all year. Each annual festival along with the Passover Memorial carries a lesson about God's redemptive plan. Bear with me, let's go through it quickly.

Passover. In Exodus 12, God told Israel to take an unblemished lamb, sacrifice it, and mark their doorposts with its blood. The destroyer would pass over their homes. It was a picture of what Christ would do for all of us. The blood of the Lamb of God would cover our sins, delivering us from death itself. The offer of redemption is therefore provided.

The Days of Unleavened Bread. Israel left Egypt quickly. You've probably heard it said in the Bible, in haste. It was very quick. Deuteronomy 16:3, just referencing here, calls it the bread of affliction. They were delivered. We keep this festival to remember how God's power freed them from slavery, and how that same power to deliver frees us from the slavery of sin.

Pentecost. Fifty days after Jesus ascends to the Father, God established His church at Jerusalem. Acts 2 tells the story we're very familiar with. The Spirit came upon the believers like a rushing wind. Three thousand people repented and believed in one day. Pentecost marks the gift of the Holy Spirit to the church, the mind of God made available to us.

The Feast of Trumpets. Numbers 29, verse 1, calls it a day of blowing of trumpets. Jesus Himself will descend with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and the trumpet of God, as shared in 1 Thessalonians 4, verses 16 and 17. The Feast of Trumpets points to the return of Christ and the resurrection of the saints. Of course, God does that too. He resurrects us.

Atonement. Leviticus 16 describes the high priest entering the Holy of Holies with the blood of the sacrifice to make atonement for all the sins of Israel. But Atonement points forward. It pictures the day when Satan, the source of deception, the father of lies, will be bound and removed from influencing mankind. Again, something God ordains to happen.

The Feast of Tabernacles. Seven days of rejoicing. It celebrates the completion of the whole harvest. But prophecy shows us something larger. Revelation 20, verses 4 through 6, shows us the Millennium, a thousand-year reign of Christ Jesus. Satan is bound. God's government operates without any kind of opposition. You could say that in ancient Israel, even His own people opposed Him. So, no opposition by anybody.

The Eighth Day. It stands alone as the capstone of God's plan. After the thousand-year reign of Christ, after Satan is finally out of the way for good, there comes the Great White Throne Judgment. We could consider Revelation 20, verses 11 through 13. All the dead, every person who has ever lived, will stand before God. And then eternity, to summarize it all the way to the end. Revelation 21 and 22 show us the new heavens and new earth. Tears wiped away, no more death, no more pain. And you're probably remembering that really well today, since it's just a week after we experienced the Eighth Day.

When we keep these days, we're rehearsing God's complete plan for saving humanity. And when we count it all up, the annual festivals, and we'll go ahead and include the weekly Sabbaths here because they are holy days, so we're counting every holy day and every festival day, all of the Days of Unleavened Bread, all of the Feast of Tabernacles, that only comes out to around 18 or 19 percent of our year. That's it. What about the other 81 or 82 percent?

Well, the Sabbath helps us as part of the smaller percentage, but six days pass between each Sabbath, and six months pass between the fall festivals and Passover. What carries us through? What keeps the understanding alive? We can take what all of the festivals taught us and make it our daily foundation. A clear reminder of God's plan and His power to save. Encapsulate it. Consolidate it into something we carry with us every single day. It's sort of like a lens, a framework, a reminder of who God is and what He's actually doing and what He's capable of doing. Our daily banner of strength for endurance.

Oh, I said a banner? Well, what about something like this? Seven pictures. Please don't judge me if you don't like one of those pictures. They're just for the sake of helping recall some quality of the festivals. And I count Passover as a memorial part of the festivals. There are seven holy days, but there are seven festivals and memorials, right? And so here is a banner. And no, I'm not trying to get you to go home and make a banner. This is to get your attention. And all of this can be in your head. It's a picture, a memory. It doesn't have to be a picture. It can be a word. It can be a phrase. It can be a sentence. Something you can carry with you every day. It was much easier to fold up than not in front of people.

All right, so here's what I mean about keeping our understanding alive. Jesus taught the parable of the sower in Matthew 13. He explains it this way. If you will, turn with me to Matthew chapter 13, and we'll start reading in verse 18. This is where He explains the parable He's already given.

Matthew 13, verse 18. Therefore, hear the parable of the sower: When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside. But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles.

Verse 22. Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. Now let's listen closely here. But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.

So the difference isn't the seed. It was all the same kind of seed. The difference is understanding, real, deep understanding, or we could say, starting out, a growing understanding.

The seed that falls on hard ground, that's the person who hears but doesn't grasp the meaning. Satan snatches it away before it takes root. The seed on shallow, rocky ground, that's enthusiasm without foundation. But when hardship comes, when the cost becomes clear, the plant withers. The seed among thorns, this is where I have felt tested many times. That's when other things choke out the word. The cares of this world, the desire for wealth, pleasure, status. I don't have it in here, but it could be a negative. The world could be picking on you, pressuring you, demanding of you, and you're afraid. And that would do the same thing.

But the seed on good ground, that's understanding. Real comprehension. Not just knowing the rules, like "thou shalt not murder" or "remember the Sabbath," because anybody actually could reason, okay, that makes sense. I can see why I shouldn't murder somebody. But understanding why the rules exist, understanding God's purpose for you and me, understanding His plan. When you understand God's complete plan for salvation and His power to accomplish it, when you believe it, when you can see it clearly, the value of obedience grows exponentially. Why? Because it has a concrete reason. It connects to something very real. God has made us promises, and He says He's going to do it. And if you really believe that, it makes you stronger. Now, He gives us a spirit. That is our strength, but we don't have to use it. We need to use it.

Consider what obedience actually means in light of God's festivals.

Redemption. Christ Himself paid the penalty for our sin. We are bought with a price. Obedience is a response to that gracious act of God.

Deliverance. God's power is real. He has freed us from bondage. Sin no longer has dominion over us. Think about the strongest nation in the world: it was Egypt. They were sticks. There was nothing for God to just take His people out.

The Holy Spirit. God's mind is now available to us. We have access to wisdom that surpasses understanding because God gave it to us.

The Trumpet. Our faithfulness does matter. We will be raised by God. We won't raise ourselves. We will be transformed by God. We don't transform ourselves. We just submit to transformation. Our endurance will be rewarded with eternity in God's kingdom.

Reconciliation. One day, Satan will no longer deceive. Mankind will live without that constant spiritual warfare. And we ourselves will be with Christ because God made it so. Peace is coming.

The Millennium. God's government will rule. We, if we're faithful, will help lead that world by God's own authority.

And then there is Eternity. After all this, after the judgment, after the resurrection of all mankind, those who have given their lives to God will live forever in His presence. That's not me, just me. That's not you, just you. That's not us, just us. Everybody who gives their life to God. No more pain, no more tears, no more death, by the ability of God to fulfill His plan.

That's what the seed on good ground understands, all relating to what God is doing for mankind to bring us to salvation. When you understand this, all of the other things that help us grow and stay connected with our God, our Father, with prayer, with any of those qualities of self-instruction and being instructed by elders and teachers, instructing one another, supporting one another, being good and there for one another, all of that can be better if we truly remember the plan. And God, every single year, lays it out for us. We can focus on parts of that plan when we're in those days. But we can also bring it together, beginning to end, and add it to our daily thoughts. Prepare for the day with those thoughts.

Now, here's a potential difficulty: maintaining that understanding when we're facing real life. The writer of Hebrews addresses this directly. We could turn to Hebrews chapter 12, verse 1.

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. I kind of think that's interesting. He's the one who died for us. He's the one who rules in the Millennium and does the judgment. Who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

So here we have, you could say, the initial remembrance of what God is doing. We're reminded in Hebrews how to endure. Jesus endured. He looked to the joy set before Him, our redemption, our salvation, the fulfillment of God's plan.

Paul writes to Timothy in 2 Timothy chapter 2, in verse 3. You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier. Generally, it helps the soldier to know why he's fighting, right? Soldiers will do better if they know why they're there fighting. Well, the kingdom, the plan of God, is a really good reminder to us every day of why we're fighting. Hardship is part of the Christian life. It's not a sign of failure. It's part of growing.

And then there's Romans chapter 5. We'll read verses 3 and 4. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. So tribulation produces perseverance, perseverance produces character, character produces hope, and that's the progression.

But how do we actually do this? How do we endure when we're tired, when we're discouraged, or when we're tempted? Well, here's one consideration. We remember God's annual festivals and work to appreciate more deeply the weekly Sabbath, which could be in danger of being treated as standard operating procedure. You get used to it. You get into your habits. But this is an incredible day for us to reflect on what God has done. Remember, none of the plan happens unless God creates the stuff in the first place. And what did He do? In six days, He created all that we know of, right? And then He rested, and He reflected on that creation. And at that time, it was good. It has fallen now, but it's designed to stay good, become good, to end up good, because God does good things. So because God's Sabbaths and festivals have shown us year after year that God can redeem and mold what He created, and that His plan works, and that He is able, we can use that on the Sabbath, but I suggest even every day.

But we have to ask ourselves honestly, am I distracted? Do the lusts of the flesh, the lusts of the eyes, or the pride of life have more power over me than Christ? Surely sometimes it does. 1 John chapter 2, verses 15 through 17 warn us: Do not love the world or the things in the world. Now remember, keep these things in mind when you're thinking about, "Oh, what's the kingdom of God? Oh, I like the kingdom of God. Look what's going to happen to the kingdom of God." That's not the world, okay? If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.

We know that all the physical will be burned up someday, and God will make a new heaven and new earth, right? It won't be this old world. It'll be a spiritual, wonderful world where the Father dwells with us. The world offers pleasure, possession, status. It delivers destruction.

But when we have a clear vision of God's complete purpose for mankind, and listen, I've had this instruction my whole life, but much of my life I did not categorize what God was doing over time in His whole plan. You know, someone could say, "Well, I'll just be happy to be with God, be with the Lord." That's a nice thought. I'll be happy too. But does that give you anything to really grasp onto to fight and to overcome? So when we have a clear vision of God's complete purpose for mankind, when we understand that God is redeeming all of mankind at some point, that Christ will return, that Satan will be bound, that the Millennium will come, and that eternity awaits, that helps reduce what is a temptation to an insult. Think, if the kingdom of God is powerfully in our minds, the thought of all the way from being redeemed to being all in all, if that's in your mind, what's a temptation going to do? I don't need no temptations. I've got the kingdom of God. When I'm not thinking about that, temptations can be kind of interesting, but I forget they don't deliver. So we can face anything and be thankful in all things.

So here's a challenge for the next six months. Let the summary of God's plan, what the festivals taught us, we just finished another cycle, become our daily anchor. Don't wait till Passover to think about the redemptive power of Christ's sacrifice, right? Make sure you're taking of His blood and His body daily. Our daily strength comes from this. Remind yourself of God's full plan, what it means, how He executes it, where it's heading. Because all of that part's not in your hands. What's in your hands and my hands is, I want to be with Him and do what He does and be like Him and overcome. We've got a job to do, but the power of everything else I just brought up is from God. He did it.

Pray daily. Study Scripture. Meditate on what God is doing. Fast when we feel led, not to punish ourselves, but to remind ourselves of our dependence on God as our sustainer. Our Father is our provider. He's the God of providence.

See how we feel when Passover arrives next spring. See if there's a difference from past years where we may not have tried this detail. See if the journey from fall to spring is different when we've carried God's plan with us every day. You know, we always intend to do that, right? I'm just trying to provide something that, like I said, seven picture images. It doesn't take all morning or all day. It just takes moments. Our brains work pretty fast. And if you have that in mind starting out, you can talk to God about it or, I don't know, study something, or some things might feel like they need more emphasis that day because you went through the process, or you're looking at me. You went through the process, okay, and you can take advantage of that every day.

If we experience an improved experience, well, then keep going. Do it every day of the rest of your life. Make it part of our daily life going forward. That's how we maintain the hope and peace these festivals give to us. We don't wait for the next festival, even though it'll be wonderful and we'll learn so much. We might learn something new which helps us remember it better or understand it better. So we make that process our foundation. Daily.