Why Are We Here?

It's just quite a deal to learn that music. They're really not together, brother, until this afternoon. And that's true of most of our feast sites. So it's just wonderful to have that kind of quality music right from the very beginning, when there's been not the ability to be together. And that's very rare. Usually when a choir is going to sing like that, they have many practices together. But as scattered as we are, we're all over the country. I mean, many of you have flown in hours to get here to Virginia Beach. This is a little bit different feast site because we are scattered across the country. Our children are in Hawaii right now. Our daughter called me just before I left. She says, Dad, we're out on the beach! I said, I am too, Jenny. But again, a lot of you have driven a long way. We had a 17-hour day yesterday coming in from Boise, Idaho, where we lived. It was a good flight, a couple of flights. Got through the D.C. traffic just fine at 5 miles an hour. So we were speeding, talked as much as we could. But just a privileged brother to be here at God's Feast of Chairman Ackles. Now, we call this brother not a convention. It's so interesting because people ask, well, where are you going? And you were beginning to discuss, well, God's Feast of Chairman Ackles. And how did you discuss the Feast? How did you describe it? People often will say, well, that must be a convention. Well, no, it's not a convention. How about a retreat? Well, no, not really. It's sort of like a retreat. How about vacation? I don't know about that. I don't think that's vacation. What about a business meeting? Well, again, people just don't know really how to describe what we're going to go through the next eight days. But God calls this His Feast. And a lot of folks are not acquainted with that word, that concept, that truth of a feast. I don't think I remember when I first heard the word feast or festival, but it was something alien to me. I did not grow up in God's way of life. And we had holidays. We didn't have Holy Days. And we didn't have the feast. So we can't describe this as a vacation or business meeting or family retreat or a camp. It is a feast. It is what describes this special eight-day time right now to be. And, brethren, you're all invited. You're here. You made the effort. It was, frankly, pretty challenging, wasn't it, to get here, unless you're just like ten minutes from here. I mean, you had to pack, you had to plan, you had to buy some things, you had to get an air ticket, you had some... I know one man who trained him. He's from out west. And a lot of you flew in and drove. And so it took effort to get here at God's feast. Brethren, one thing in common for each and every one of us tonight, and that's around the world, wherever God's people are at, keeping His feast of Tabernacles an eighth day or last great day is, we need this feast, don't we? We need this feast. We really do. It's interesting, a lot of us don't know each other. We're going to get acquainted the next eight days. We're going to certainly renew friendships if we do know each other. But no matter what part of the world you're from or the United States of America, brethren, God has called you to this feast, and we need it. God's timing is perfect.

Just seems like the other day we were in early June, and now it's in October. We've already had the Feast of Trumquets, we've had the Day of Atonement, and now we're into the Feast of Tabernacles, just about an hour and a half, two hours ago, according to our time zone here in the East. So God says, I want this feast for you. It's for you. It's ready-made for you. It's tailor-made, and God is going to give you a great feast, brethren.

All we have to do is cooperate with God. Sometimes that's the biggest challenge, is what does God have in mind to me? Well, okay, I do need to do my part, but God has made this feast ready for each and every one of us. It truly is a spiritual shock in the arm. And who doesn't need a flu shot?

Spiritually, that is. We all need a shock spiritually in the arm. God says, you know what? It's called tabernacling. Now, there's a strange word for you. I'm going to go tabernacling. Well, in fact, we are in temporary dwellings, and almost all of us. We were going to be here for a week plus one day.

And God says, you know, it's not enough to pull up stakes, not enough to pull up your tent. You've got to place your tent where God wants you to plant it. And this is where, in fact, He wants us to plant it. God does not want us to go tenting, but He wants us to go tabernacling. And this is all according to His will. Really, what He wants to deal with is what's inside our tent.

Not just where we plant it for eight days, but what goes on inside the tent or the tabernacle for not only these eight days, but, frankly, each and every day of our life. God is concerned with what goes on inside our tent. So, brother, we're going to focus. We're going to tune out distractions. We're actually going to force us to unplug. I've got a cell phone. I guess it's over here in this little office. We're going to turn off cell phones. We're going to unplug, aren't we? And we're going to plug into God's way of life.

You know, there's so many distractions out there. Who isn't distracted? We've got the cell phones. We've got computers. We've got TVs. We've got this and that and the other thing. And it's so wonderful. God says, you know what? Unplug. Focus. Zoom in into what I want you to learn and where I want you to be going.

So, I've got a really simple sermon tonight. I've got three main points of, Why are you here? Why am I here? We're going to answer that question and we're going to answer it together. Why have we come to this great feast? What are our goals during this feast? Do you have some goals? First of all, you have to answer the question of, Why are you here? And then, What are my goals during this feast? What are God's goals during this feast? So, that's where we're going tonight, brother, on this real basic foundational sermon, of, Why are we here?

Let's begin with our study with Leviticus 23, verse 39. Leviticus 23, verse 39, please. So, we're very familiar with the book of Leviticus. Frankly, all the five books of the law of Moses or the Torah. Leviticus 23, it is, verse 39. It's our very first scripture of the Feast of Tabernacles.

Leviticus 23, verse 39. And also, on the fifteenth day of the seventh month. When you have gathered in the fruit of the land, and you shall keep the Feast of the Lord for seven days. Of course, this is the fifteenth of that seventh month. A lot of folks would not understand that. They think today is October the twelfth.

Well, it is. The Roman calendar is. But rather than this is the fifteenth of the seventh month. That's really what this day is. It's not really October 12th. It's the fifteenth of the seventh month. And what does God say to do on that day? Well, He says in verse 40, You shall take of yourselves on the first day the fruit of the beautiful trees, the branches, the palm trees, the boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God for seven days.

Now, they did not have motels. As we like to say, they did not have a... Oh, I don't know. Like a Westin Inn or wherever you're staying. They had to make their temperate dwellings. It's really basic. God is not complicated in the sense of teaching His people. He says, look, I want you to get away. I want you to unplug. I want you to focus.

And I want you to get away from Dodge for a while. It's going to be good for you. I don't know about you, but I'm basically homebody. You know, brethren, if I could maintain my life, I would just stay at home a lot.

But I travel a lot. I've got four churches. I'm a feast guy and a camp guy. And I'm traveling a lot. My wife and I were down in Las Vegas. We put on 1,500 miles in three days over the atonement weekend and kept atonement. We're on the go, like a lot of you.

And you can't just stay home and do your thing. Now then God commands for the eight days. He says, look, this is a...well, the seven days, and then the eighth day because it follows. He says, you're going to go tabernacling. What's that? We're going to pull up your tent. You're going to place it in that location. And then God's concerned with what goes on inside that tent during those eight days. And for that matter, he says, I'm concerned what goes on inside your tent the rest of the time as well. So they had to make their dwellings. Aren't you glad you didn't have to make your dwelling? I don't think I could make a dwelling for my wife and me for eight days, quite frankly.

I mean, can I come live in your shelter maybe? That would work. I don't want to make a little... I mean, a Coleman tent, that's one thing. But just imagine making your temporary dwelling for eight days. Let me take a little skill. Thankfully, we can pay the folks that have very nice facilities and say, would you put me here for eight days? Are you serious? Yeah, I want you to be here. And we'll negotiate a better rate for you because we come in bunches.

Then in verse 41, you shall keep it as a feast to the Lord. Now, he says in verse 40, Brethren, one of the main jobs you and I are considered to have to do in our tent is to rejoice these next eight days. Boy, you talk about a God that really forces us to do things we don't want to do, right? He says to rejoice, to really appreciate, to enjoy, to fellowship, to mingle, and to get acquainted with His people, His family, and to do some things as a family and friends that really are so special.

Then in verse 41, you shall keep it to the Lord. He says, For seven days in a year it shall be a statue for every year generations, and you shall celebrate it in the seventh month. And you shall dwell in booze for seven days, and all who are native Israelites shall dwell in booze. That your generations may know that I, and here's the point, may the children of Israel dwell in booze when I brought them out of the land of Egypt. I and the Lord are gone. Well, God has made us, brethren, to come out of the world. It's called spiritual Egypt in the Bible, that analogy, and we are coming out all the time.

But He says for all to enjoy this and appreciate this time. So, brethren, my first point is simply from what we've just read here. Number one, we have come to worship our special God. That's why we pulled up stakes, and that's why we're here.

We've come to worship our special God. Now, within that, of course, we've made the point that we are not where we normally are during the rest of the year. Sometimes it's not easy coming to the feast. You know, Satan can do things to force us to want to stay home or any of that.

We're thankful again, brethren, we have put God first, and we're here. Notice in Leviticus 23, it's the same chapter but earlier, starting in verse 1. Same chapter, but just back to verse 1. Now, this is God speaking to Moses. So these are God's laws, His feasts, but Moses is the intercessory for God to the children of Israel. And I say to them, the feasts of the Lord.

Now, whose feasts are these? Well, they're not Jewish feasts, are they? They are God's feasts. Brethren, if we're going to worship God, this is one of those major landmarks of a true person, a person who is worshipping the true God. If God works with that person, He will open their minds to that understanding. These are His feasts, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations or commanded assemblies. These are My feasts. God begins with the weekly Sabbath.

And then in verse 4, these are the feasts of the Lord, holy convocations, in which you shall proclaim at their appointed times. So, brethren, we are commanded to proclaim these days. The ministry is commanded. You and I are commanded together to proclaim these days, to be here, to worship our special God. It's interesting, too, in the Hebrew, the word feast, mo'ed, means sacred sense, or set feast, or appointed sign, or appointed signal.

These are appointed signs or signals that God says, these are My days. These are Mine, not the world's. I have appointed these days. The word also in the Hebrew means meeting, or appointed time. You can't move holy time. It doesn't work. We don't have the authority to say, oh, these aren't holy. These are being known. No, no. God says they are holy. And they've been holy since God made them holy. Dropping down, though, further, let's go to verse 33. Same chapter again, down to verse 33.

Well, obviously you've got seven, and then the eighth day. That's the one immediately starting at sunset. That'd be this next week from tonight, Wednesday night, into Thursday, a week from now. 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. So God is very simple, very clear about that. Let's turn over to Deuteronomy 31, please, in verse 10. Deuteronomy 31, verse 10.

Verse 10 talks about Moses commanding them. He says at the end of every seven years. So in Deuteronomy 31, verse 10, this is the year of release at the end of seven years. At the appointed time, when was that? He says in the year of release at the Feast of Tabardacles. Now, this didn't happen, brethren, every year at the Feast of Tabardacles. I'm not saying it did. It happened every seven years. But the point is still the same for us. And I'd like us to zero in, then, beginning in verse 11. When all Israel comes to appear before Lord your God in the place which he chooses, you shall read His law before all Israel in their hearing. Now, we started in verse 12. Verse 12 is really fascinating. Let's dissect that like our English teacher used to tell us how to dissect the sentence. Do they do that anymore? Do they do that in English like you dissect the sentence? I don't know, but we're going to dissect verse 12. Okay, God says, here's what's going on. And again, the year of release, this was during the Feast of Tabardacles, gathered. Well, brethren, here we have gathered. God's people are gathered around the world. There's brethren of God in Africa, in Europe, in Southeast Asia, up and down through Central America, South America, up through Canada, all over the world. We're gathering. As that sun goes down on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, God's people do what? They gather. What's the purpose of that? Well, God says, first of all, you've got to gather. Then He says, men and women and little ones. So bring the family, bring the kids.

He says, and the stranger who is within your gate, somebody's a brand new, somebody who's maybe living with you. Family or friends. He says, go ahead, gather them. They're welcome. That they may hear. Now look at the consecutive building here, like a building block. You gather, then you hear, that they may learn. So you gather, you hear, and then you learn. Hearing precedes learning, God says. Then He says, you're learning to do what? To fear the Lord your God. So rather, we're here to worship our special God. And then you could subdivide that and say, all right, you're gathering, you're hearing, you're learning, and you're learning to fear God. In other words, respect Him.

Observe His ways. Follow Him. Love Him better. You're vibing of all of that. So to hear, and you may learn to fear the Lord your God, and carefully notice the last part of this, as we're dissecting verse 12, and that really the result of all that rather than is what? He says, observe all the words of this law. So if you're dissecting this, you kind of start with, first of all, God commands this.

And again, you're released, the seventh year, but it was at the Feast of Tabernacles. So I say, brother, you've got to apply this as a New Covenant Christian, every Feast of Tabernacles, right? And so then you're dissecting to gathering, to hearing, to learning, learning to fear God. And then you're observing all of that. What a wonderful eight days, brother, as we kind of cycle through every sermon and sermonette and our fellowship.

We're learning all about God's way of life. We're learning about Him. And we're observing that. It's just like our camp program. Brother, it is a truism of camp. It is God's way of life, an action of camp.

It's not artificial. We have wonderful teen camps, wonderful pre-teen camps, and we really bring the youth together so they can be taught the law as they gather together, as they learn about God, as they respect Him, and as they observe God's way of life for a whole week together. And it works. It works wonderfully. Our teens and pre-teens can't wait for the next year.

The biggest complaint of our program is the camps are not long enough. You know, I asked Mr. Styra, he's not winter camp in December. He's been a camp director for years. That's our number one complaint. Would you please make these camps longer? Mr. Sean Cordelue is a camp director as well. We get that input. Wouldn't it be great, brethren, if we could have the feast for a couple, two, three weeks? But what's going to happen? The money's going to run out.

We're probably going to get a little tired, right? So God says, you know, I'm going to keep this within reason. It's going to be eight days. It's not going to really over-tire you, but you're going to have a chance to really learn as a collective body wherever I'm gathering you. But the message is, you've got in the fellowship, you've got in your family.

You're going to really learn this in eight days. It's going to be a pattern, a habit that does, frankly, work. So I think verse 12 is really interesting if you put all that together. Then verse 13 follows up, and that their children who have not heard it may hear and fear to learn the Lord your God as long as you live in the land which you cross the Jordan to possess.

So God gathered them together and did all that according to His will. Turn with me to over to Zechariah 14 and verse 16. We're still under our first point to gather together to worship our special God, Zechariah 14 and verse 6, almost at the end of our Old Testament, the way it's put together for a lot of the Bibles, Zechariah 14 and verse 16.

I think it's very appropriate, brother, when we really reverse what's going to happen in the kingdom of God. We're going to hear a lot about the kingdom of God, this feast, brother, because, frankly, that is the theme. The theme of the Feast of Charbonacles is the kingdom of God on this earth and into the future. Because, of course, the kingdom of God is not going to be on this earth forever and ever. There's going to be new heavens and a new earth.

So it's the thousand-year reign of Jesus Christ plus the second resurrection period, and then third resurrection. But then, beyond that, Revelation 21 and 22, it says the Father gives this gift to His family. It's the new heavens, new earth, new Jerusalem. And then we just go on into eternity. God only knows what all that's about. We don't know much about that whole phase, that whole eternity that God has in mind.

Now, it's Zechariah 14, verse 16. So come to pass that everyone who has left... This is, of course, the tragic rebellion of mankind and Satan's rebellion at the very, very end of mankind and Satan's reign on this earth. We've gone through that and rehearsed it during the Feast of Trumpets and the Day of Atonement recently. But 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, not to fight Him. What a huge contrast! The Lord of hosts and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.

I mean, under Satan's plan, we don't want to gather together except to make war. Now, we'll do that. Or we'll gather together to have some kind of peace march. But we don't gather together to have Feast of Tabernacles. Isn't that interesting? It's like man has his way of gathering us for his purposes. But God says, you know, those of you who are during the war, if you survive, well, the next time you get to come to Jerusalem is what? I've opened your mind. It's to worship the King who's now reigning from Jerusalem. What a contrast! Because the prior Feast of Tabernacles was war, or during that time symbolically of the Feast of Trumpets. And then you have the Feast of Tabernacles to follow.

It shall be, verse 17, that whichever the families of the earth do not come up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, on them there shall be no rain. And if a family of Egypt will not come up to enter, they shall have no rain, and they shall receive the plagues with which the Lord strikes the nations who do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. Now, God is a very, very loving, totally loving God, brother, but he also has justice. God is just God. And he doesn't allow people or nations to continue to rebel forever because that's not good for them. There has to be some constraint and control for human nature to say, you know what? I'm not in charge here. God is. Oh yeah, okay, I can see that. Christ won't allow that kind of utter rejection of his law. And it's visa vie through a feast day. It's called the Feast of Tabernacles.

So people will not, brethren, learn the way of war, learn the way of disobedience. They'll learn the way of obedience, and they'll learn what we've just covered about fearing God and respecting him and loving him and appreciating what he has to say. Because his way, brethren, is a way of peace. It's not the way of conflict. It's not the way of disease and hurt. It's a way of peace.

There's one thing, brethren, that the feast days are known for in the Bible, particularly the Old Testament. The feast days are associated with renewals.

There are several renewals always in the Old Testament associated with renewals. Well, I'm going to cover one here tonight, if we can.

Now let's turn back to 2 Chronicles 29. And, brethren, I need that. Maybe you do too. I need a renewal. I need that shot.

Now, this is 2 Chronicles 29 and verse 1. Now, this is the time of Hezekiah as the king of Judah. And he came in, as verse 1 mentions, when he was 25 years of age.

And he reigned 29 years in Jerusalem. It's in another's name. Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah. And he did what was right in the sight of the Lord according to all that his father David had done. In the first year of his reign, in the first month, he opened the doors of the house of the Lord and repaired them.

Now, this is significant because the house of the Lord, a temple, was in disarray. They didn't care about worshipping God. Are you serious? We've got all these other days around here.

We've got this pagan day. We've got that pagan day. We've got a whole lot of pagan days. Why do we need these feast days? You know? We've got plenty of stuff going on. And so they abandoned God. They rejected them. And here this relatively young man, Hezekiah, comes in. He's crowned or anointed king when he was 25.

And this young man took the bull by the horns, brethren, and he changed their history for 29 years.

I mean, this was an influential person. He said, we're going to start all over. We're going to open up the temple. We're going to get the Levites back. We're going to clean up those instruments that God had made for us. We're going to do this right. We're going to keep the feasts. We're going to keep the Sabbath. And he did.

Notice in the next chapter, chapter 30 and verse 1, Hezekiah sent out messengers to all Israel and Judah and also wrote letters to Ephraim and Manasseh.

They should come out to the house of the Lord, Jerusalem, and to keep the Passover of the Lord, God of Israel.

This is how it should be, because He has discovered the law. He's discovered the truth. He's discovered the feast days.

The kings and the leaders and all the assembly in Jerusalem had agreed to keep the Passover in the second month.

Why did they do that? Verse 3 says, they could not keep it at the regular time because there wasn't sufficient number of priests.

They had not a sufficient number of priests to consecrate themselves, nor had the people gathered. Well, there weren't enough priests to consecrate, and then second, if there weren't enough priests to consecrate, then they could not have a sufficient number of priests to consecrate themselves.

The priests would not have a sufficient number to consecrate themselves, nor have the people gathered.

Well, you know, there weren't enough priests to consecrate, and then second, if there weren't enough priests to consecrate, and then second, if there weren't enough priests to consecrate, and then second.

In addition to breaking the phases that took place, they could not have a sufficient number of priests to consecrate, and then second, if there weren't enough priests to consecrate, 2. It took time for the people to gather and travel by ox, cart, and foot to Jerusalem. You just couldn't do that quickly. So they missed out on the first Passover. Well, you know, brethren, when you're a little bit late, how many of us were years late in keeping the feasts? I came in during the Feast of Pentecost. It was my first feast years ago. You maybe started with the Feast of Tambourine. I don't know. But you know, brethren, it's never too late. You know, if you come into the feast season, Tabernacles, Trumpets, Pentecost, doesn't matter. Because now's the time. Doesn't matter. Because now's the time. Doesn't matter.

Now's the time to keep the feasts, God has said. So they came in a little bit late. They had it the second month. And so God was pleased with their heart. And actually Numbers 9 talks about that.

If you can't make the first feast, you come to the Passover. You come to the second Passover. And so verse 6 talks about runners all throughout the whole land and letters from the king and the leaders. And they spoke and they said, we're going to have this wonderful feast and gather your clan. And he says in verse 8, don't be stiff-necked. We're repenting here. We're changing. So God does not have fierce anger.

And he says, we're going to love God and serve Him. And that's what they did. Let's drop down to verse... Let's go down to verse 18, please. For in multitude of the people, many from Ephraim and Esa, Issachar, Zebulun had not cleansed themselves, yet they ate the Passover contrary to what's written. But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, May the good Lord provide atonement for everybody.

But notice in verse 19, who prepares his heart to seek God and the Lord God of his fathers. Now, brother, I think this is a wonderful time. This is a revival of what we're talking about in ancient Israel. The Feast of Timor and Aclis, brethren, is a time of revival as well.

The Feast Days are known for revivals. He prepared his heart to seek God. He said, that's what they need to do. And that's us today. We're preparing to seek God, aren't we? That's what we can do every day during this Feast, and certainly every day in our lives. But a very important part of revival is the feasts and then preparing our heart, asking God to stir us up and to really cause us to grow.

Now, dropping down to verse 23, then the whole assembly agreed to keep the feast another seven days, and they kept it another seven days with gladness. I kid it earlier, well, what if we'd kept the feast another seven days? Well, I guess technically, brethren, we obviously have no injunction from God, but in this case, they did it. They had joy. They were just so happy to be back to what they had remembered, at least some of them, way back.

We're back to God. It's good to be here. It's good to be renewed and restored. The very next chapter, chapter 31, verse 20, then Hezekiah did throughout all Judah and did what was good and right and true before the Lord is God. And in every work that he began in the service of the house of God in the law and in the commandment to seek His God, He did it with all His heart, so He prospered. And again, there's a King of revival.

There's a King who stirred up His own spirit, and He stirred up the spirit of many others. So one person, brethren, who's stirred up can influence a lot of people. Well, He did. There were hundreds of thousands that were stirred up. And again, it says to seek God first, and then He did it with all His heart. God blessed them. God really said and ordered many of the things of the temple that God had instructed earlier.

Other kings had not done it, and He accomplished that. Now, the Feast of Tabernacles, brethren, pictures a time of renewal. Our world needs renewal. Why are we in bad shape? Just anywhere you look in our culture, our world, our country, just think, don't we need Christ the Father more than ever? I don't want to talk about world news, because this Feast is not about world news. It's about the future news of the Gospel of the Kingdom of God on this earth.

That's the good news. Now, I have here a genuine $20 bill with President—is it Andrews?—Emmy Jonah, right? $20 bill. Now, notice what I'm going to do. I could give you this $20 if you're really quick on your feet after the sermon or if service was today. But notice what I'm going to do. Now, that's a genuine $20 bill. Now, if I were to pick that $20 bill up, maybe I'll get it.

I'll get it. I'll get it. I'll get it. Well, that's a $20 bill. Isn't that awesome? As soon as you have it for 10 minutes and put it in a purse or put it in your wallet or put it in your pocket, it's used. And this one is now, I guess, a little bit more used, isn't it? Isn't that just interesting? Sometimes, we feel like somebody is just really quick and then hit us hard.

Now, we think, I feel pretty bad. Well, God doesn't think you're bad. You're a little worse with the wear. You're a little worse with the wear. But God is really worse with the wear. But God is really worse with the wear, but God is really worse with the wear. But God is It will still be by lunch, maybe even at dinner, during the Feast of the Chairmanacles. So brethren, just like us, God says His feast days are to restore us, to take the wrinkles out spiritually, to help us, to encourage us, and to get us on with life.

Well anyway, I want to talk about our special God, because that's number one why we're here. Let's move on and talk about our special God, because that's number one why we're here.

Let's move on and talk about our special God, because that's number one why we're here. Let's move on and talk about our special God, because that's number one why we're here because that's number one where we're here. Let's move on and talk about our special God, because that's number one why we're here. Let's move on and talk about our special God, because that's number one why we're here. Let's move on and talk about our special God, because that's number one why we're here. Let's move on and talk about our special God, because that's number one why we're here.

We have come to fellowship with God's special people. We have come to fellowship, first of all, with our special God, to worship Him. We've come, brethren, also to fellowship with God's special people. Look around you. Who do you see? Just take a second or two, brethren. Just kind of look around. Just take a second or two. Just look around. Who do you see?

Your family. Now, I see a bunch of strangers. No, they're really your family, aren't they? Now, many of us have not met. I've frankly not met most of you. You didn't ever see me before tonight and say, I don't want to see you again. Thank you. But, you know, we're family. It's just kind of like a long-lost family, like a family reunion. We haven't gone to that side of the family. I finally made a family reunion. Oh, wow, your family! Isn't that exciting in physical terms? To meet somebody you've never met, a reunion? Well, this is our annual reunion, and God is so happy. Notice with me in Deuteronomy 16, verse 13. Let's go back to the book of Deuteronomy, and this is going to be 16, verse 13.

Let's go back to the book of Deuteronomy, and this is going to be 16, verse 13.

Let's go back to the book of Deuteronomy, and this is going to be 16, verse 13. This is chapters 16 and verse 13.

Chapter 16 and verse 13. Chapter 16 and verse 13. Starting right there.

When you've gathered from your fresh sambarakl seven days, and when you've gathered from your fresh sambarakl seven days, and when you've gathered from your fresh sambarakl seven days, and when you've gathered from your threshing floor and from your winepress, you shall rejoice. Now, God says again, this is a wonderful time.

And, brethren, I hope we can do that. I hope we can leave our work behind and our homework behind. Well, okay, I'm in trouble now, parents. But, you know, you don't want to do homework a lot during the feast. You've got to do some, but you'd really want a chance to connect with friends and your family and God and rejoice. Appreciate the blessings and really make this a spiritual time.

He says, Rejoice in your feast, you and your son— Notice the family says, You and your son and your daughter and the mael graduates, you're the female servants and the Levite and the stranger and the fatherless and the widow that are within the gates. Seven days you shall keep a sacred feast to the Lord your God. He says, In the place which the Lord keep a sacred feast to the Lord your God. He says, In the place which the Lord keep a sacred feast to the Lord your God.

In the place which the Lord keep a sacred feast to the Lord your God.he says in the It says, Because the Lord your God will bless you, and says in the place which the Lord chooses. Because the Lord your God will bless you, and says in the place which the Lord chooses. Because the Lord your God will bless you, and says in the place which the Lord chooses.

Because the Lord your God will bless you, and says in the place which the Lord chooses. Because the Lord your God will bless you, and says in the place which the Lord chooses. Because the Lord your God will bless you, and says in the place which the Lord chooses. Because the Lord your God will bless you, and says in the place which the Lord chooses.

And he says, Of course, during the spring, early spring of the year. And he says, Of course, during the spring, early spring, the Feast of the Love of Brad. The late spring would be the Feast of Weeks or Pentecost, and the fall would be the fall Holy Days. And he says, as the highlight, the Feast of Tabernacles, because that one lasts seven days.

Well, brethren, here we are again, picturing the Millennial reign of Jesus Christ and beyond, and the Kingdom of God and beyond, all the way into eternity, which has no end, which has no beginning. God has no beginning. He can't end. He is eternal. He's all-powerful. So God is saying, Share. I want a family. God is giving us a chance to learn about God's family, and His sons and daughters that we have not yet met.

Now, God is a very sensible God. He says, You know, you're going to take some money. Notice in Deuteronomy 14. Let's go back to verse 22. It says in verse 22 of chapter 14, You shall truly tithe all the increase of your grain, and that the fill produces year by year. And you shall eat before the Lord your God.

Now, this is not what is called the first tithe, because you don't eat that tithe. He says, You shall eat it before the Lord your God, in a place where He chooses to make His name abode. And the tithe of your grain and the new wine and your oil, of the firstborn of your herds and your flocks, that you may learn to fear the Lord your God always.

Well, we read about fear earlier, didn't we? Now, if your journey is too long, verse 24, He says, So that you are not able to carry the tithe, 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. And take the money in your hand and go to the place which the Lord your God chooses, and spend that money, verse 26, on whatsoever your heart desires. Of course, oxen, sheep, wine, or similar drink.

I'm reading from the New King James, And whatsoever your heart desires, you shall eat that before the Lord your God, and you shall rejoice to you in your household. Now, it's fascinating, brethren. God is saying, fellowship with your family. You may have a physical family, make that a wonderful family feast.

Now, if you have family, wonderful. You join your family to somebody else's family, you make it a wonderful feast. You just make that work. God says to rejoice, to share the bounty.

You know, let the tithe go out to the kids, see them laugh and enjoy, and have fun, and be with their family, but have friends all together, mix around, share that. Why do you have feast stories?

This one, I think, is back in 1968, Squaw Valley. Anybody in Squaw Valley, here's a girl, some of you. Remember the floppy tap curtain in the back there?

We had some incredible places years ago, didn't we? And we don't have floppy tents anymore, but in some of those sites, it kind of had to grow, because when the wind came up and down that canyon, Squaw Valley, California, it was cold. It was noisy. So anyway, we were leaving. We were students at Ambassador at that time, a group of us, and we were meandering up the outside the arena, heading back to our dormitory rooms. And a man called out from behind me. He says, young man. And I turned around, and he looks at me and he says, are you going to eat tonight?

You know, I'm 19 years old, slender as a rail. Are you serious? I am going to eat tonight.

But it was a very wonderful little, are you going to eat tonight? And I said, yes, sir. I didn't know what was going on. He says, well, here, enjoy your dinner. Wow, $20. Oh, that reminds me. No, actually, I think it was a $10 bill. No, it was a $68. $10 was $20 then, if not $30. I looked at him. Thank you. Took the $10 bill. And he didn't say his name, he just left. I thought, wow, who are you? I don't know, but that was sharing. That was a great thing.

Now, whether you have a $10 or a $20, we can take others out, you can share some lodging, come over for some wine and cheese. And let's go meet at a restaurant. Let's go to this activity together. Share, we're going to say. Share the bounty, the wealth. That's God's way.

Turn with me over to Isaiah 25 and verse 6.

Chapter 25 and verse 6. God says in this section of Scripture and all over Isaiah and many Scriptures, He says, I'm sharing the wealth. Part of the view of the kingdom of God is, of course, sharing the wealth of God, the Father, and Jesus Christ to the children and what God is going to Every person to Isaac. Children and what God is going to do for each and every person as their Children and what God is going to do for each and every person to Isaac. Children and what God is going to do, for each and every person to Isaac. Children and what God is going to do, for each and every person for Isaac. Children and what God is going to do for each and every person twice at children and what God is going to do for each and every person to Isaac. To start, turn to Matthew 16.

To Isaiah children and what God is going to do for each and every person. Isaiah children and what God is going to do for each and every person. Of course, the analogy here is that this mountain of the Lord of Hosts will make for all people. And in this mountain, God is saying, yes, that's His kingdom. A feast of choice pieces, a feast of wines on the leaves, of fat things full of marrow. So God is not stingy. He says, no. He says of well-refined wines on the leaves, and He will destroy on this mountain the surface of the covering cast over the people and the veil that is spread over all nations. And He will swallow up and death forever. And Lord God will wipe away all tears from their faces and rebuke of His people, and He will take away from all the earth where the Lord has spoken. You know, Brethren, we're going to hear messages this face. We're going to review scriptures about God's blessing nations, all nations, all peoples will be richly blessed. And they will have nice places to live, decent jobs. They will have respect. They will know God. So God says to share. It's one of the first things Christ will do when He returns, and that's to help mankind to get back into a semblance of health and healing and to spread that wealth that He is going to deliver to the world.

So this feast, really, Brother, we've come as well to fellowship with God's special people, each other. You know, to be courteous to each other during the feast, hold the door open for others, mothers, those with needing help, look out for your brethren. Say, say hi. You know, smile. It'll make people wonder what you're up to. And, you know, again, those that we're staying with, the lodging facilities, thank the staff, tip. Tipping is certainly a way of showing love and courteousness. I've got to tell you another story about college, and this was a courtesy act.

Now, in those years, we had these little closets. They were called PC's by us. Not politically correct, but it was per closets, PC's. And they were like a phone booth. They were insulated without a phone. So you had a little stool there, and you kneeled down, and you prayed, and what we called a PC, battlefield down, and you prayed. And we- What we call a PC, Arch Reading Nursing- Battlefield down, and you prayed and what we call a PC. Battlefield down, and you prayed, and we- What we call a PC, Battlefield down, and you prayed, and what we call a PC. Battlefield down, and you prayed, and what we call a PC. Battlefield down, and you prayed, and what You can hear him down the hallway in the dormitory. You can hear him down the hallway in the dormitory. The fellas in the dorm got, oh no, we've got to say something to our friend here. God, no one loves me. No one loves me. So, one of the guys went up and wrapped on the door. He shouted, We love you! Now shut up! True story, but, you know, kind of woke him up. So anyway, I like telling that story, because it's a true one. So, you know, God's way again, brother, is sharing. Think courteous, helping each other out, and just, again, getting in the feast spirit. That's what God brings us here for. Number three, let's move on to our last point, and we'll start wrapping things up here. Brother, we have come to be inspired by God's very special future. We have come to be inspired by God's very special future. What a future it is! Christ sees His church as having made it. He doesn't see His church as, Well, I don't know about you. I'm not sure you're going to make it. You know, what Christ says in the New Testament, brethren, is that you have made it. Now, they're going to be overcoming. We need to work. We need to take it seriously. But He says, You know what? I see a wonderful future for my brothers and sisters in my church, in my family. Turn with me to Revelation 19, verse 5. We may have covered that in some of your local services during the Feast of Trumpets. Chapter 19, Revelation, please, in verse 5.

The Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready to be granted to be arrayed in the fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is a righteous axe to the saint. And then He blesses them and says, Right, blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of Lamb. And He said to me, These are the true sayings of God. Brother, going back to verse 7, it says, A wife has made herself ready. The church is getting ready to marry Jesus Christ. And He says, She has made herself ready. Well, that's what God's people are doing. They're getting ready for that future, that blessing and that future of being in the family of God forever and ever and ever. Turn with me to Matthew 25, verse 19. And in this analogy, or parable, Jesus Christ is saying again, I'm going to give you some talents, I'm going to give you abilities, I'm going to give you the time, the capacity to do some things. And it's going to work out in Matthew 25 and verse 19. It's going to work out if you, in fact, take it seriously. Matthew 25 and verse 19. After a long time, the Lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them. So He who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, Lord, you delivered to me five talents. Look, I have gained five more talents besides them. And as Lord said to him, Well done, good and faithful servant, you were faithful over a few things. I will make you ruler over many things. Enter, notice how God describes this, Jesus Christ, enter into the joy of your Lord. The bread of the kingdom is going to be a joyful time. There's virtually nothing negative about the kingdom of God. Nothing. It's a joyful existence. No, it's not heaven the way mankind pictures heaven at all. It's a time of work, of service, of love, of helping others to come into the family. That's what God is calling us to, to get ready now in our training period, in our program. And He says, enter in. It's a joyful kingdom. So that's part of the future that God has in store for everybody. And now the first fruits are being trained for that future service and that future service in the kingdom of God.

You know, Christ, rather than when He was alive on this earth, He had a very hands-on service. He did not pontificate in some isolated area and said, well, this is what I teach today, and then just make that a blessing and then leave.

And I'll have another blessing tomorrow. He was among the people. That's one thing that frustrated the Pharisees. He was loved, respected by the people, and they weren't. They were standoffish, selfish, judgmental. And Christ's brother was not standoffish. He was very hands-on. He went to eat in their homes. He passed through them. He went fishing with them, and they loved Him. His way of working with people was just the opposite of the Pharisaical way. So Christ is going to be a hands-on king in the kingdom of God.

Imagine if I were to pontificate from some mountaintop. No, He's going to live in Jerusalem. Now, again, as Spirit, we know Spirit, and Jesus did this on several occasions after His crucifixion and resurrection, He manifested Himself as flesh and blood. And so in the kingdom, He is going to live in Jerusalem, it states, in Ezekiel. And He's going to be a hands-on ruler right there.

In fact, what's the very last verse of Ezekiel? What does that say? Well, it says, the Lord is there. He's going to change the name of Jerusalem. He's going to change the name of Jerusalem. The Lord is there. Whatever language the new language will be, it's going to mean the Lord is there. That's where He reigns from. He lives there. He rulers from there. Mankind is going to have a hands-on king. He's going to serve them and love them. So this story illustrates the point. You know, a little four-year-old girl became frightened one night during the thunderstorm. And who hasn't been frightened at some point as a little kid in a thunderstorm?

I have. After one very loud clap of thunder, the little girl jumped from bed, shot down the hall into her parents' room. She jumped right in the middle of bed and into her parents' arms for comfort and reassurance. Her parents said, oh, don't worry, honey. God will protect you. The little girl snuggled closer to her father and said, I know that, Daddy, but right now I need somebody with skin on. So, you know, here Jesus Christ is reigning from Jerusalem. And He is going to have His family reigning, ruling, being there, manifesting themselves in a human form so that people can say, Oh, good.

I see you now. You know, you're going to be helping and serving and loving them. You know, very practical. And so right now, brother, we've got skin on, don't we? We're in that human realm, that physical realm. We're training for rulership. Turn with me as we start our conclusion into Isaiah chapter 40, please, in verse 1. Isaiah 40. She's not sure inspired Isaiah to write a lot about the kingdom of God, didn't he? Isaiah chapter 40, starting in verse 1. It starts in this section here of the Scripture.

Comfort, yes, comfort, my people, says your God. Now, if there's one thing that after the war is put down with and the rebellion by Satan in the world, and especially in the vions of Jerusalem before Christ returns, brother, it's comfort. Our world is going to be knocked down. We rehearsed that on peace trumpets. The horrible wars, the plagues, terrible consequences that Satan and man joined together. And here Christ comes to comfort the people. Speak, verse 2, speak comfort to Jerusalem and cry out to her that her warfare is ended and that her iniquity is pardoned and that she has received from the Lord's hand double for all of her sins.

Now, Christ had to do that, reluctantly, but he's put down the rebellion. Then in verse 3, the voice of the one crying the Lord in us, Prepare the way of the Lord, Make straight in the desert a highway of our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain shall be brought, or every hill, and mountain brought low. The crooked places shall be made straight, and the rough place is smooth, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed.

All flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it. Then we drop down to verse 9. O Zion, you who bring up good tidings, get up to the high mountain, O Jerusalem, you who bring good tidings, lift up your voice with strength, lift it up, be not afraid. Say to the cities of Judah, Behold your God. Well, they can say that because Christ reigns there, and he is the king over all nations. He's not going to be an isolated king. All nations will appreciate him, know him, all people.

So he's not a king of one nation or a regional king. He's the world king. There's one government, the kingdom of God. There's one king, Jesus Christ. Now, there's other kings, and there's priests, and that would be those in the First Resurrection. They are his assistants. They will also serve. Some at Jerusalem, all maybe. We don't know, but they'll all be in the family, the spirit family. We say, how are you going to serve Christ if we have a big world?

Well, the speed of thought, brethren, is the fastest way of getting anywhere that we know of. It's not the speed of light, it's the speed of thought. So as the spirit of being, you can just think it, and you're there. And I think, brethren, that's going to be slow, because God is who he is. He's everywhere anyway, isn't he? He's all over. He's omnipotent. He's omniscient. So God is everywhere at once. We can't picture that. Well, God is where he is, but he's also there. He's all over the universe.

He's all over the earth. So, you know, as the spirit of being, you'll serve. You'll have no trouble serving. You won't need to take coffee breaks. You know, there's no eight hours in bed. You'll be serving day and night, and you'll never feel it because you're spirit. You know, bring on more people. I want to help more. I want to teach more. So that's part of the future in the family of God. Well, let's wrap things up over here in Revelation 21. And then we'll have a final hymn for the evening.

Brethren, thank you again for coming in tonight, a lot of you from the beach area. And we'll see everybody tomorrow for afternoon services. So Revelation 21, please, in verse 3. Revelation 21, verse 3. God the Father and Jesus Christ, brethren, are excited about these feast days. Notice the future. This is even what we call beyond, brethren, the second resurrection, beyond the third resurrection. This is way past that now.

I saw a new heaven, a new earth. For the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and John writes, there was no more sea. And I, John, saw the holy city, a new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven, saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people.

God himself will be with them and be their God. Now, again, this is the future. This is in a different phase, because everyone now is in the family of God, as spirit means, or they have chosen to reject God entirely, completely, and they no longer are in existence. So, the future is so different than our world today. He says, now, that's when, brethren, God can wipe away every tear.

There shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, because, of course, those former things, the human existence is over. That phase has passed. It's been there to serve a purpose. Human life, brethren, is to learn to love God, to serve Him. It's not to say, I can live to be 200 years old and just go on and on with the physical form. That's not the point. It's to learn God, and then to have that change. Verse 5, then, He said, who sat on the throne, said, Behold, I make all things new.

He said to me, write, for these are the words that are true and faithful. And then He said to me, it is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to Him who thirsts. Well, brethren, that's just kind of the beginning of all eternity right there, isn't it? That's the beginning.

And we really know very little beyond these two chapters. But it's exciting. God has a plan, and we're part of that plan.

So why have you come to the feast? Well, of course, to worship our special God, number one. Second, we've come to fellowship with God's special people. And number three, we've come to be inspired by God's very special future.

Well, brethren, you're at the right time, you're at the right place, you're here for the right reason. To honor God, to rejoice, to learn to fear Him, to put it into practice, and we're so thankful we're all together. That, brethren, is why we are here at God's peace.