The Feast of Tabernacles
October 8, 2014 CFBC Chester, IL Dr. Mike Fogerson, Speaker
Introduction:
A The Jewish spiritual new year began 15 days ago with Rosh Hashana (Regathering) (Year 5775; Palindrone which means it reads the same backwards & forwards; ie., level, civic, radar, solos.)
1 5 days ago, Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement)
a Many Jewish families start preparing for the feast that begins tonight on the evening of Yom Kippur.
b They spend 5 days preparing for the Feast of Sukkot
aa Make a temporary booth (w/ at least three sides out of any kind of material they want) that stays up for 9 days.
bb Leviticus 23:33-44 (NASB) 33 Again the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 34 "Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, 'On the fifteenth of this seventh month is the Feast of Booths for seven days to the LORD. 35 ~'On the first day is a holy convocation; you shall do no laborious work of any kind. 36 ~'For seven days you shall present an offering by fire to the LORD. On the eighth day you shall have a holy convocation and present an offering by fire to the LORD; it is an assembly. You shall do no laborious work. 37 'These are the appointed times of the LORD which you shall proclaim as holy convocations, to present offerings by fire to the LORD—burnt offerings and grain offerings, sacrifices and drink offerings, each day's matter on its own day— 38 besides those of the sabbaths of the LORD, and besides your gifts and besides all your votive and freewill offerings, which you give to the LORD. 39 'On exactly the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the crops of the land, you shall celebrate the feast of the LORD for seven days, with a rest on the first day and a rest on the eighth day. 40 ~'Now on the first day you shall take for yourselves the foliage of beautiful trees, palm branches and boughs of leafy trees and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before the LORD your God for seven days. 41 ~'You shall thus celebrate it as a feast to the LORD for seven days in the year. It shall be a perpetual statute throughout your generations; you shall celebrate it in the seventh month. 42 ~'You shall live in booths for seven days; all the native-born in Israel shall live in booths, 43 so that your generations may know that I had the sons of Israel live in booths when I brought them out from the land of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.'" 44 So Moses declared to the sons of Israel the appointed times of the LORD.
cc The ancients would spend 7 days in the booth, today they are expected to eat at least a few meals in it.
dd The symbol is of “dwelling in the tent.)
c The most important part of tent/booth was the roof (branches) so they inhabitants can see the stars on a clear night. (Promise, Reminder of their help comes from)
2 Sukkot is a time of gathering all the harvest from the year together in order to give God thanks (Some scholars believe the Puritan pilgrims had their Thanksgiving in the fall to coincide with the Feast of Tabernacles.)
a Also to remind the Israelites of their wilderness experience, when God was co-inhabiting with them for 40 years.
aa The best word to describe booths is “habitation.”
bb Celebration God living among them while they were still in the wilderness between Sinai & the Promised Land.
b Part of the custom of Booths is the four-spices: lulav (palm branch), etrog (citron), Hadas (myrtle) and arava (willow) form the four-spices.
aa Symbolize the entirety of God’s creation, Omnipresence over this world.
bb They represent all of creation, gathering them all back.
c Booths (regathering) is symbolic of the nation regathering back to the land (Prophetic, timely)
aa Zechariah 14:16, 18-19 (NASB) 16 Then it will come about that any who are left of all the nations that went against Jerusalem will go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to celebrate the Feast of Booths. 18 If the family of Egypt does not go up or enter, then no rain will fall on them; it will be the plague with which the LORD smites the nations who do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Booths. 19 This will be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all the nations who do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Booths.
bb Part of this feast has the people holding the four-spices in the air changing “Ana Adonai Hoshiana!” Save us Lord!
cc God is dwelling with them & they cry out “Save Us Adonai!”
B Many things have been said about this year “5775.”
1 Represents “GRACE” (Unmerited favor, giving us what we don’t deserve, what we can’t get on our own.)
a I believe that what has started already is that what God promised, started in 2014 will come about in 2015.
aa It is especially true for those who have been dwelling diligently with Him.
bb We are about see blessing released/placed upon His people based upon their hearts.
b The next year, starting now, needs to be a time of serious assessment of our lives, church and how well we’ve been doing up until now.
2 Grace/deliverance in Hebrew is “Teshuah”
a Means help, salvation, and victory. RESCUE
aa Many see this idea as “Rapture.”
bb No one can say for sure, what we can be certain of is that in the next 12 months we’ll see warnings/indicators on the dash.
cc IL. Tornado siren, Tsunami warning
b This is the time before intense judgement.
aa We need to be prepared, growing spiritually because when judgement starts it will snowball quickly.
bb The church is being called backed to her Apostolic authority when the Kingdom was advancing like it did in the first century. (We’ll go out like we came in!!!)
C The gammeratron for 5 - 7 is “Hey” & “Zayin”
1 “Hey” (5) is a picture of man with raised hands.
a Picture of total surrender, worship.
aa Worship this year will be like a diving breath, a revelation and a light.
bb You will dream new dreams, creative with fresh infilling, inspiration.
b As YHWH comes to habitate with the church, some of the greatest ideas/concepts/breakthroughs will be through His body.
2 “Zayin” (7) represents the sword.
a The sword of truth will make itself known in matters of the Church.
aa What God has said, promised, revealed, prophesied will become a reality.
bb We must rest on the understanding of the truth of God’s Word that He will do what He said He would do.
b We are armed with His promises, especially right now, we are walking tall!!!
3 5-7-7-5 (Exponential power!!!)
a A time of overflow/double portion of the Lord upon our lives!
b He is bringing it this year, not by our power/strength, but by the power of His grace/glory (signs, miracles, wonders, manifestations)
aa The Lord Himself will open doors that could not be open before.
bb The church must be transformed to get in on what is going to do.
c We must be overflowing in His light, truth, creative, worship.
aa Sword? Battle!!!
bb There will battles in the church when this kind of shift occurs (Those who carry the spirit of rebellion, religion & offense will arise . . . refusing to be unified.)
d Today, more than ever, the church must be under the same roof/page.
aa Be prepared to deal with these spirits.
bb Some of you will be raised up by God to confront those spirits/some will be raised up to bring lost people into the Kingdom . . . both with do so with boldness!
4 5=Grace, 7=Perfection, 7=Perfection, 5=Grace
a God’s grace leads us to a process of perfection, and in the process of perfection, we always realize that we need more of God’s grace.
b In other words, 5 will always lead you to 7 and 7 will always lead you back to 5.
C Zech. 4.7 (AMP) 7 For who are you, O great mountain [of human obstacles]? Before Zerubbabel [who with Joshua had led the return of the exiles from Babylon and was undertaking the rebuilding of the temple, before him] you shall become a plain [a mere [a]molehill]! And he shall bring forth the finishing gable stone [of the new temple] with loud shoutings of the people, crying, Grace, grace to it!
1 This word was given to Zerubbabel when he was on a nothing piece of ground that God was going to make a Temple on.
a Prophesying over a place has tremendous power, implications.
aa When God reveals to us a promise, we act on it . . . obstacles get out of the way, mountains move, doors open.
bb Our shouts of “Grace, Grace” glorify God and engage heavenly gates to swing open.
b Without Him the work is going to go undone.
2 We’ve been given insight, must move forward like there is no opposition, trouble, the world belongs to us, take what the enemy has stolen, reclaim health, prosperity, blessing . . . peace!
a Luke 8:17 (NASB) 17 "For nothing is hidden that will not become evident, nor anything secret that will not be known and come to light.
b A Jewish scholar wrote that 5775 is the year that darkness ends!!!!
aa We will shall behold Him, Israel shall behold Him.
bb We’ll operate as the Sons of God, End Time Harvesters, Voice in the Wilderness, etc.
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My name is Mike Fogerson, and I pastor a Southern Baptist Church in Chester, Illinois. I have been a long-time user of Sermon Central and truly appreciate its content and contributors. Some of the best sermons I’ve ever preached have been reworked material from this website. As you use the material from my sermon bank, understand that it is work that has been done from not just myself, but from hundreds of other pastors as well. If you see part of your message, or a bunch of your message with my name on it and this upsets you, please email me and I will quickly respond and cite you as the main source. My intent is not to claim someone’s work as my own. I am disclaiming up front that I use the resources from Sermon Central and appreciate the tool. I simply want all those who use my work to know that some of these messages were inspired by the Holy Spirit working through other pastors. Because I do use the messages of other pastors I waive all claims of originality or origin of creativity for the messages posted under my messages. I pray God blesses your preaching ministry for the glory of His Kingdom.
Respectfully,
Mike Fogerson
