Date: 7 May 2023

Speaker: Johan Esterhuizen

Four Feast – in spring (already fulfilled)

Pesach – Passover:
(Jesus was our Passover lamb)
Unleavened
Bread:(Jesus was our sinless Messiah)
First fruits:
(Jesus was the first to be raised from the dead)
Shavuot – Pentecost: (The Holy Spirit descended)

Three Feasts – In the Fall (Still To Be Fulfilled)

Rosh Hoshanah – Yom Teruah, ‘The Blowing of the Shofar'(Will Announce Jesus’ Return)
Yom Kippur – Day of Repentance
(Judgment Day)
Sukkot – Feast of Tabernacles (Feast of Tabernacles).
(The Kingdom Banquet)

I’ve recently been convinced of how the church neglected the important events in the life of Christ. 

• What I’m referring to is the Christian Holidays to include The Feasts of Isreal (or more aptly Fests of God) like the Ascension which used to be a public holiday and has now been thrown out.
• Sunday attendance at church is also a victim. 
• There is an attack on Christmas, we know the date of Christ’s birth was not the 25th of December, and much paganism is practiced at Christmas, but it is a time that we celebrate the Incarnation.
• We can celebrate the birth of Christ without the pagan tradition but let’s keep Christmas.

“Easter” is not what we celebrate, but Passover, “Easter” comes from Eastre goddess of the east and her cymbal is a rabbit, which makes one think the cymbal for a playboy is a rabbit.

I think one of the main reasons Christmas and Easter still exist is because of the commercial value they have, but there is a move to remove the religious connection of these feast days…

I don’t think it’s a coincidence, that there’s a deliberate attack of the enemy. – What follows now is the removal of God’s commandments and laws. Which has already been done in government.

Leviticus 23 is sometimes referred to as “God’s calendar of redemptive grace,” or the “calendar of divine salvation.” These 44 verses tell of God’s redemptive plan for the world He created. The three main lessons of the seven festivals are:

God’s Protection
God’s provision
God’s Promise

Colossians 2:16-17 tells us these holy days were a shadow of things to come.

Passover depicts the death of Jesus, the perfect sacrifice. He died on Passover.

Unleavened Bread depicts the sinless Jesus, “the Bread from heaven.”

The First Fruits foretell His resurrection on the third day.

Pentecost (Shavuot) predicts the coming of the Holy Spirit 50 days after the resurrection.   

Now, why don’t we hold the festival or celebrate the events in the life of Christ related to God’s protection, provision, and promise?

We know that these festivals of Israel were linked to harvest time, the early rains, and the late rains. 

• The early spring rains were followed by the Harvest of Barley the first fruit.
• The Last rains and summer rains followed the harvesting of wheat.

Biblical events that happened on the first day of the week: (Which we now call; “The day of the Lord” Rev 1:10).

• God’s Revelation of the Law at Mount Sinai

• The manna that God formed stopped when they crossed the Jordan River.
• Queen Esther risked her life to intervene for the nation.
• Jesus rose from the dead on the third day.
• The temple is destroyed, and no more sacrifice is offered.
• Pentecost the outpouring of the Holy Spirit 
• Only two of the fests were celebrated on Sunday. The day of the morrow.

The Feast of Pentecost or Shavuot has many names in the Bible: The  Feast of  Weeks,  the Feast of the Harvest, and the latter First Fruits. 

• In celebrating this festival, the Jews regard this as one of the greatest events in history, God’s revelation of the Law at Mount Sinai.
• But Pentecost doesn’t just portray the giving of the law; it also shows — a great miracle that occurred on the first Pentecost in the early Church — the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

The Gift of Pentecost: The Holy Spirit

God chose the first Pentecost after Jesus Christ’s resurrection to pour out His Holy Spirit on 120 believers. The birth of the church.

  “And when the Day of Pentecost fully came, they were all in one place in unison. And suddenly a sound came from heaven, as of a mighty whirlwind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then their divided tongues appeared, as of fire, and one sat down on each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance” (Acts 2:1-4).

• At first, the inhabitants of Jerusalem who witnessed this miraculous phenomenon were astonished, with some attributing this too drunkenness (Acts 2:12-13). 
• The Apostle Peter, now filled with the Holy Spirit, boldly explained the event to the crowds as a fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy: “And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, that I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh” (Acts 2:17; Joel 2:28).

Peter explained how his listeners could also receive this Spirit: “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you, and to your children, and to all who are afar off, all who will call our God” (Acts 2:38-39).

• The Day or Feast of Pentecost is an annual reminder that God poured out His Spirit to establish His Church, the group of believers led by His Spirit.

The Holy Spirit at Work

• The coming of the Holy Spirit dramatically changed the lives of these early Christians. 
• The book of Acts is filled with accounts of the early Church’s remarkable spiritual impact on the surrounding society. 
• This explosive growth continued to occur:
• Acts 2:47 God added those who were saved to the church.
• Acts 4:4 the number of the men was 5,000.
• Acts 4:14 Multitudes were saved.
• Acts 5:14 An increasing number was added to multitudes of men and women.
• Acts 6:1 The number of disciples was multiplied.
• Acts 6:7 The number increased greatly in Jerusalem.
• Acts 9:31 The churches multiplied.
• Acts 9:42 Many believed in the Lord.
• Acts 11:21 In Antioch a great number turned to the Lord.
• Acts 13:49 In Antioch and Syria the Word of the lord was preached in all the region.
• Acts 14:1 Large numbers of both Jews and Greeks believed.
• A transformation was so evident that unbelievers accused the Christians of “turning the world upside down” (Acts 17:6). 
• In fact, so great was the early church’s growth that it transformed the Roman Empire.  

Why We Need God’s Spirit

Humanly speaking, no matter how tried not to do so, we still sin (1 Kings 8:46; Romans 3:23). 

Here God explains that mankind has a heart problem.   Academic knowledge of the law does not enable us to think like God. To become God-fearing in our thoughts, attitudes, and actions is beyond the comprehension and ability of men and women without an additional ingredient – God’s Spirit.

Like Elisha, the disciples of Jesus would face that spirit of defeat and great depression after He would be crucified. 

• In John 12 and 13, Jesus reveals to His disciples that He is about to be betrayed and killed. To comfort them. 
• He teaches them about the Holy Spirit in John 14 and 16.

The key to understanding and experiencing the ministry of the Holy Spirit in your life lies in Chapter 15

Notice what Jesus said the Holy Spirit will do in our lives, in the time of crisis and challenge: 14:26; 16: 13-14

1. He will guide you into all truth.
2. He will tell you about things to come.
3. He will honor the name of Jesus.

Allow me to show you something further that is said in the book of Revelation of the Holy Spirit.1:4; 4:5; 5:6 and in Isa 11:1-2

Revelation 1:4; 4:5; 5:6
7 Lamps	Illuminate
7 Horings	Ruling Power
7 Eyes	All Seeing
Isaiah 11:1-2	7 things about the Spirit of the Lord mentioned that will rest on the Messiah
The Spirit of the Lord
The Spirit of Wisdom	Illumination
The Spirit to Understand	(lit.)
The Spirit of Counsel
The Spirit of Power	Ruling Power
The Spirit of Knowledge
The Spirit of the Fear of the Lord	All Siende (all seeing)

I could go on with the List and add the gifts and the fruit of the Spirit, The candle in the Tabernacle, and so on.

The conclusion is that we need Holy Spirit in our lives.