Sermon Notes & Videos
2024-10-25 | Leviticus 23:36-39 | Wedding Day | The Marriage Supper of the Lamb
It was a betrothal and today we have all but lost the dense significance of such customs. Once the image was diluted it did not take long before the tradition was replaced by something much less meaningful. Marriage today is most often preceded by engagement, an offer of marriage and loose promise between two people, if accepted, to get married one day. And why would that event be anything significant when all the benefits of marriage are readily available outside of marriage and shared already—including sexual intimacy and cohabitation. Gone are the binding commitments and isn’t that most obvious by how often marriages end, as if they are disposable inconveniences that have run their useful course. Why own when you can rent? Why buy when you can use someone else’s property, for a while, and just walk away when something breaks or upkeep becomes too much work?
Betrothal is different, but in order to even begin to grasp why, you must learn to see marriage differently. Marriage was the one institution, the only institution, designed by God to indicate mankind was created in His image. Adam was created and even before Eve was pulled from his bones, Adam already had within him everything that represented God—man, woman, and child. But we could not see the woman and child, so God extracted the woman and presented her to Adam, really to all of us. That is when we recognized the family that was inside of him all along—God’s image. And then came marriage. God instructed, “Let Me assure you that even though I took her from you, she is still one with you.” Marriage is simply, but profoundly, God’s way of telling us, we are one with Him, created in His image, forevermore.
When you consider this idea, does it not make so much more sense now when we read in the Scriptures that marriage is about Christ’s oneness with His bride, the church? Yes, His bride but yet to have arrived at the altar of marriage. His bride, but presently His betrothed, bound in a covenant as strong as marriage, but quite not married. All the permanence minus two things, sexual intimacy and cohabitation. Think back when Joseph thought that Mary had been unfaithful, having been found with child. Did he not consider divorce, even though they were yet only betrothed? That is the binding nature of betrothal. Do you see how much more powerful this is than the idea of engagement? And do you see how harmful it is to engage in the things reserved ONLY for marriage, OUTSIDE of marriage? It cheapens marriage, weakens it. It has diluted the meaning of marriage so badly that we’ve arrived at a cultural crossroads; marriage is unnecessary. Marriage is an outdated institution, and by extension, so is the family. In other words, seeing the human family as the expressed image of God has become obsolete; it’s a relic best designated to the museum reserved for all things archaic.
And all of this is to bring us to this one point. The Eighth Day of the Feast of Tabernacles, the Last Great Day, has been the rehearsal dinner for the marriage supper of the Lamb for thousands of years. The bride, that’s you, must make herself ready by putting on her pure white wedding garment because the wedding day is approaching and the Groom is on His way—don’t be found without your garment! It will be a holy convocation, a sacred assembly. It’s a day designated “The Joy of the Law.” Maybe that’s because when the Groom arrives and after He takes care of some much needed business, we will be legally transitioned from His betrothed to His wife. Could there be anything more joyful than that?
2024-10-18 | Leviticus 23:33-44 | It’s Temporary | Tabernacles 2024
The Word became flesh and pitched a tent among us. He tabernacled with us and we beheld His glory. Yet He was here for what seemed like just a vapor of time and that is because He was never meant to stay. “I am in this world but not of this world,” He would say. Y’shua’s life bears the striking symbolism of God’s people after their exodus from Egypt, as they ventured into freedom and tabernacled in the wilderness. Pitch a tent, but be sure it’s built as a temporary structure because you won’t be staying very long. This is not your land; you are just sojourners passing through and your permanent home is elsewhere.
It was true for the Israelites in the wilderness; it was true for Y’shua when He was born into this world; and it is true even for you. This is not your permanent home and the body in which you live is not your permanent body. In this world you will have trials, but He has overcome this world. In your permanent body and in your permanent home there will be no more trials, no more tears, no more pain. There will be only righteousness, peace and joy.
The imagery in the Feast of Tabernacles is striking. But that should come as no surprise because that is what all the Feasts of the Lord offer. The stories are real and knowing about the historical events and their prophetic significance is both important and profitable. God makes promises and we should never settle for less than what He has guaranteed. Had Israel settled in the wilderness, built permanent housing and walled cities, they would have never inherited the fullness of God’s covenant; they would have fallen short of God’s destination. Do you do that? The implications for such are staggering, both personally and prophetically.
What does it look like personally? “This world is all there is and the things of this world are what I am after to satisfy my soul.” Yet, it is after those very things the Gentiles seek; don’t! For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—are not of the Father. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God will tabernacle forever. And that is precisely the prophetic implication, to tabernacle forever. This is not your land; you are just sojourners passing through; your permanent home is elsewhere. Your ultimate citizenship is in heaven; here on earth you have no permanent city, so you must seek the one to come. You are heading for a permanent place to dwell in permanent glorified dwellings! Knowing this is to your great advantage!
2024-10-11 | Leviticus 16 | Become the Righteousness of God | Yom Kippur 2024
“Once and for all means once and for all,” doesn’t it? If there is one Feast of Yahweh, more than any other, that Christians believe no longer has any relevance for them, it has to be Yom Kippur. “The blood of Christ has paid for our sins past, present, and future, so why do I need to pay attention to a holiday that foreshadowed the sacrifice needed to cover the sins of the world?”
It’s a worthy question and one worth exploring, especially in light of these difficult to explain scriptures written decades AFTER the death, burial and resurrection of Christ.
• “The Feasts of the Lord are shadows of things to come.”
• “Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come.”
• “The Law, having a shadow of the good things to come.”
The Feasts, the High Priest, and the Law, all shadows of things yet to come, even decades after Christ. These are mysteries worth unlocking; secrets with discoveries relevant to every Christian serious about the future of their faith.
2024-10-04 | Leviticus 23:23-25 | Eyes that See and Ears that Hear | Feast of Trumpets 2024
“Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years.” It’s easy to miss. The cycles of the sun and the moon are given for seasons, and for days and years. But, what are the signs? Y’shua rebuked religious leaders for not knowing. “Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times.” Can you discern the signs of the times? Paul assumed you could; “But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night… We are not of the night nor of darkness.
Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober and watching.” For what signs should you be watching? The yearly cycle of Biblical Feasts is precisely to which Yahweh, Y’shua, and Paul are referring. The Feasts are God’s prophetic calendar for mankind’s history and future. However, if you don’t prioritize their prophetic significance, tragically, you won’t be able to tell what time it is; you won’t be capable of recognizing the signs of the times. Worse yet, you won’t even know what signs to watch for. In the coming weeks we will look at the Fall Biblical Feast cycle by starting with the Feast of Trumpets. Synchronize your calendar and you will know perfectly well what time it is!
2024-09-20 | Romans 16:1-27 | Spirit and Truth
Weekly Scriptures | Sermon Notes | Sermon Video
The banner is Spirit and Truth. The Spirit testifies; by the Spirit the grace of God changed your heart and made it pliable and receptive to the Gospel of Salvation. Then, also by the Spirit God’s grace is available to you, at your disposal, to animate your every choice from that day forward. Might we call those decisions Spirit matters or matters of the Spirit. The Spirit testifies; it moves people and people are what matter most. Relationships matter most. The Spirit testifies to the love of God. May we prefer and love one another and be grateful for one another; may we honor and acknowledge one another. And may we all be open to the truth.
The truth verifies; truth is reality and there is a prophetic reality for which God’s people are responsible. As people matter so does truth matter. They go hand-in-hand as the truth protects God’s people; it is critical for all, but especially for those who are still in the humble beginnings of their faith. They are young and simple, not mature enough to defend themselves against bad doctrine. And doctrine matters because good doctrine is truth and truth verifies the testimony. The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. Bad teaching and bad prophecy promote dangerous deceptive doctrines, and the most susceptible among us must be protected.
May this be the banner of Spirit and Truth over your life: in reality there are two overarching gospel messages; one cost Christ everything and cost you nothing; that’s the Gospel of Salvation. The Gospel of Salvation establishes your favorable permanent position with God for eternity. The other is not free; it’s the Gospel of the Kingdom and it will cost you everything, because that is the gospel of becoming like Christ. The Gospel of the Kingdom establishes your prophetic calling and ability to uncover the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven and to bring that message to the world. We are commanded to do so! Truth matters because truth is reality. You should know the truth, because it’s the truth that sets you free.
2024-09-13 | Romans 15:22-33 | Rome or Bust
Weekly Scriptures | Sermon Notes | Sermon Video
Have you ever felt so compelled about a vision from the Lord that it seemed like a memory? It appeared as real to you as the past, but it really had not happened yet! What if you were so convinced about the outcome of that vision that nothing could shake you from pressing towards the destination? And even if you knew the journey would be fraught with persecution, difficulties, roadblocks, and unimaginable complications, would you stay the course—knowing the destination was a guarantee?
If we trace Paul’s journey the entire way, from when he first appeared as Saul at Stephen’s execution to his arrival in Rome, that is precisely what we will discover. We will review every trial and persecution, hear about each false accusation, and expose every false witness against him. We will explore how Paul defended himself and the outcome of each legal battle, and then he will arrive in Rome. And along the way, he had such compelling visions, and they drove him forward—powerful visions plus his unquenchable desire to please the Lord.
Prior to his first encounter with Y’shua on the Road to Damascus, Paul was the Church’s most evil nemesis. And spanning from shortly after that encounter, to his arrival in Rome, Paul understood from prophecy that he would now be the one to face tribulations and persecution. “For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake.” Paul was not privy to the magnitude of the coming trials, nor the messy complicated details, but it did not take long for his persecution to begin. Shortly after his conversion, he finds himself on the other side of the “gavel.” The ups and downs are extreme. Maybe it’s happened to you before, the experience of both applause and retribution, celebration and suffering. Can you imagine the successive occurrence of these polar opposite encounters? One moment you are being extolled, the next you are literally being stoned to within an inch of your life. When you examine these events closely, it’s easy to understand why, in those who are willing to endure perseverance in the midst of persecution, it is such an admirable quality.
Nevertheless Paul pressed on. Even when his best friends tried to protect him, to hold him back, he was clear about his destination and nothing was going to dissuade him. “Now I go bound in the spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing the specific things that will happen to me there. What I do know is that the Holy Spirit has shown me that in every city chains and tribulations await. But, knowing these things in advance does not even tempt me to change course; I do not consider my life dear to myself. In my mind, I already died with Christ on that cross and I’ve already been resurrected as a new man, and no threat of suffering even comes close in comparison to the appreciation and gratitude I have for that experience. So, if persecution or even torture and death are the cost, I am thrilled God would count me worthy of such things. I am going to finish this race with joy, the ministry which I’ve been assigned from the Lord Y’shua, to testify to the gospel of God’s grace.”
The Lord informed Paul that the persecution he had and will face is all by grand design. The ultimate destination is for him to bring his testimony to Rome! “Be of good cheer, Paul; for as you have testified for Me in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness at Rome.” Paul is going to Rome; it’s his destiny no matter what level of persecution it takes along the way and no matter what horrible persecution awaits. To Rome or Bust! “Or bust” means you will do or say anything to get where you are going or to achieve what you are called to achieve. Do you have the same convictions for where the Lord is leading you?