Sukkot and Celebrations: The Church Harvest Festival

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Sukkot and CelebrationsThe Church Harvest
Festival

• Jon Wright
• 16th Oct 2005

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Why Celebrate Sukkot?Lev 2341-42

• 41 Celebrate this as a festival to the LORD for
  seven days each year. This is to be a lasting
  ordinance for the generations to come celebrate
  it in the seventh month. 42 Live in booths for
  seven days All native-born Israelites are to
  live in booths
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History God had just delivered the Israelites
out of Egypt.

• At this time the Israelites were in the desert
• They were reliant and God for all their needs
• This included having drinking water Exodus
  1522-25
• Also food (manna from heaven) Exodus 16. The
  manna lasted one day only except the day before
  Sabbath when it lasted two.

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God still provides today.

• 1 Cor 619-20 - He provides our physical bodies
• Matt 611 John 633-35 - He provides His Word
  which feeds us
• 1 Cor 127-11 - He provides spiritual gifts for
  the body of the Church (Jew or Otherwise)
• Psalm 9111-12 - He provides Angels to guard over
  us
• Phil 419 - He provides the right thing _at_ the
  right time _at_ the right place My God will meet
  all your needs - Jehovah-Jireh cares.

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Sukkot is a harvest festival.

• The manna was a type of harvest
• God provided all the food the Israelites needed
  in the desert - The Lord Is Our Provider
• However it was enough only for today - there was
  no storing for tomorrow unless it was the Sabbath
• The festival is about thanking God for His
  provision not for the provision itself!
• We need to celebrate our harvest with the Lord -
  this can be our income, our gifting, our time,
  gifts

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Give God The Glory

• Give God the glory (x3)
• And He will give you, and He will give you
• And He will give you, the victory
• Satan the blood of Jesus is against you (x3)
• So let us give God, so let us give God,
• So let us give God, all of his praise

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The Israelites wandered for 40 years in the
wilderness

• The trip from Egypt to the promised land should
  only have taken a few months
• Spies were sent into the promised land,
• 10 spies said they could not take it - the
  current inhabitants were too big/strong,
• Only 2 spies said LETS GO! (Num 13)
• The Israelites complained and said theyd be
  better off with the Egyptians (Num 14)

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God is the God of 2nd chances

• The Israelites lacked faith that God would
  deliver them the promised land, even tho they had
  seen miracles (parting of red sea, food/water
  etc)
• God wanted to wipe them out for their contempt
  (Num 1410-12)
• Moses interceded for them (Num 1413-19)
• God forgave them let them live - but refused
  them entry into the promised land (Num 206-12)
  but allowed their descendents to occupy the land
  the two positive spies.

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We can get stuck in our own version of 40yrs of
wilderness

• God left the Israelites in the wilderness for
  40yrs so that a new generation would take the
  promised land
• For some foreigners Taiwan is like their
  wilderness
• We can not be saved without being transformed,
  our time of being changed can feel like we are
  stuck in a small booth when wed rather be in a
  house

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Real change can take time

• No good praying God change my circumstances
• Need to pray Lord here I am use me (Hebrews
  105-9)
• Many things will try to stop you from changing
• And so we are transfigured much like the Messiah,
  our lives gradually becoming brighter and more
  beautiful as God enters our lives and we become
  like him. 2 Cor 318 (The Message)
• God is more concerned about how strong we grow
  and not how fast we grow

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The Life Cycle Of A Butterfly
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Bird Food!
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Summary Harvest Festival Remembering 40ys of
wilderness

• A time to give thanks to God for all His
  provision,
• A time to remember that God let the Israelites
  stay 40yrs die in the wilderness so the next
  believing generation could enter the promised
  land
• God wants our availability not our ability
• Our personal time of change may feel like we are
  in the wilderness
• Change is needed otherwise we may end up bird
  food!

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Summary Hold Onto Jer 2911

• "For I know the plans I have for you," declares
  the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm
  you, plans to give you hope and a future.
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