I'm sure it's a real pleasure to be
here in the name of the Lord Jesus
and for the privilege of bringing out his
precious word for the blessing, the edification and
even the salvation of our souls.
Now will you turn in your bible with
me to the book of Leviticus please.
I'd like to read a section in chapter
23.
For it is our purpose in the will
of God to touch each day morning and
evening as we speak on the seven feasts
of Jehovah that are recorded in the 23rd
chapter of the book of Leviticus.
We do trust perhaps by tonight we may
be able to have before you an illustrated
chart which will be greatly helpful to understand
many things relating to these seven feasts.
We would like to read from verse 1
through verse 5 this morning.
And the Lord spake unto Moses saying speak
unto the children of Israel and say unto
them concerning the feasts of the Lord which
ye shall proclaim to the holy convocation even
these are mine set or appointed feasts.
Six days shall work be done but the
seventh day is the sabbath of rest and
holy convocation.
Ye shall do no work therein it is
the sabbath of the Lord in all your
dwelling.
These are the feasts of the Lord or
the feasts of Jehovah even holy convocations which
ye shall proclaim in their season.
In the 14th day of the first month
and even is the Lord's Passover.
May God bless the reading and hearing of
his word.
May I first of all give to you
very briefly the outline of the great book
of Leviticus as it falls into four great
important sections.
For it is important to find the outline
of this great book with its message to
the people of God long ago and its
spiritual application to our heart even today.
For it is a joy to know that
these things that were written long ago were
written for our admonition and for our learning
upon whom the ends of the ages have
come.
For all scripture has been given by inspiration
of God and it's profitable.
For doctrine for reproof for correction for instruction
in righteousness that the man of God may
be complete truly furnished unto all good works.
We thank God for the Old Testament scriptures.
The book of Leviticus falls into four main
sections.
The first seven chapters you have the great
way of approach to God as pictured and
illustrated by the offerings.
The five offerings that are mentioned in chapters
1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 together with
the law of the offerings recorded in chapters
6 and 7.
Following that great presentation of the only way
to approach God through the sacrificial death of
the Lord Jesus as typically set forth.
We have the priesthood brought into demonstration as
well as brought in institution in the days
of Moses.
And the priesthood was one of the most
remarkable as well as the most important functions
amongst the people of God long ago.
And beginning at chapter 8 and continuing you
have the priesthood.
That great priesthood represented the priesthood of Christ.
For when you look at that great book
you find in the opening of it the
sinner needs a sacrifice.
And what a joy to know that in
the five offerings of Leviticus we see the
perfection of the sacrifice of Christ meeting the
need for every sinner.
And may I add for the sake of
any who may not know the Lord Jesus,
the sacrificial death of Christ has met your
need for your soul's salvation upon the cross.
But then after the sinner finds the sacrifice
the saint finds he needs and she needs
a priest.
And we have the great priesthood beginning in
chapter 8 and continuing.
Many things are mentioned in relation to the
institution of that priesthood.
Our Lord Jesus, thank God, is the priest
for his people.
As the sacrifice he brings us in right
relationship to God.
As the priest he maintains us in that
relationship.
Blessed be his name.
And then may I add as you study
the great priesthood, thank God you have also
exemplified that every believer is a priest.
To share in a priestly ministry with the
great high priest above in heaven, their own
functions as such.
Aaron was the high priest of God's earthly
people in the book of Leviticus, but his
son shared that priesthood with him.
And what a joy, and may I say
to my fellow believers, don't forget that every
one of us are priests.
To enter into the presence of God, to
worship, to intercede, and to thus pray in
his presence and to enjoy in his presence
the ministry of a priesthood that is entrusted
to us.
Then you come to the chapter before us
in chapter 23 where we have the seven
great feasts of Jehovah.
They were seven annual feasts that were to
be kept by the people of Israel, annually.
Each of them to be kept every year.
And then following the presentation of these seven
great feasts, the last section of the book,
beginning in chapter 24 to the end, set
before us the responsibility of God's people to
obey him.
Setting before their hearts and minds that if
they obey him they will be richly and
greatly blessed.
If they disobey him they will be judged
and visited by his own chastening hand.
And oh beloved how true it is that
when we find the blessings that God has
brought to us in Christ, through Christ, and
see the position and relationship that is ours
as believers to the Lord Jesus, we must
not forget our responsibility.
To be obedient will bring great blessing.
To be disobedient will bring chastening.
And it is quite interesting, and I point
it out in passing only, if you'll read
the last chapter in the book of Leviticus,
you will find that every Israelite, man and
woman, boy and girl, had the privilege of
being valued for the divine testimony of God
in that day.
And it was their privilege to vow themselves
in devotion to the Lord, and that they
belong to him and their possessions they could
lay at his feet.
And I think you and I can certainly
add that in the redemption that is ours
in Christ Jesus as believers today, we have
the responsibility and privilege, as recorded in the
words of Paul, and let me quote them,
Romans 12, 1 and 2, I beseech you
therefore brethren by the mercy of God that
ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy
and acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable
service.
And be not conformed to this world, but
be ye transformed by the renewing of your
mind, that ye may prove what is that
good and acceptable and holy, perfect will of
God.
What a joy, and may I say, whether
old or young, whether a month old, or
whether over 60 years old, as recorded in
the last chapter, every Israelite had the privilege
to voluntarily give himself or herself as a
vow of devotion to the God of Israel,
in appreciation for what he had done.
My beloved Christian, may I ask, are you
and I devoting our lives to the glory
of our Lord Jesus who has done so
much for us?
And now to look at Leviticus chapter 23
in detail, and follow these seven annual feasts
that we study.
It's C.
H.
Macintosh that has certainly written well, saying this
chapter is one of the most profound and
comprehensive chapters in the word of God, in
the inspired volume, and it claims our prayerful
study.
Now what were the feasts of Jehovah?
For if you notice verse 2, and you
have it at the opening of verse 4,
concerning the feasts of the Lord, or the
feasts of Jehovah, as well as in verse
4, these are the feasts of the Lord.
Now what were the feasts of Jehovah?
Well first of all, they were divinely appointed
seasons, or occasions, to bring God's people together,
for his own pleasure.
And will you not note, as you have
it in verse 2, and you have it
in verse 3, and you have it again
in verse 4, they were to be holy
convocations, and holy convocations, even holy convocations.
And then if you note particularly at the
end of verse 2, and I quote from
the original or any corrected translation, at the
end of verse 2 God says, these are
my set or appointed feasts.
They were set or appointed feasts, provided by
God and ordained of God, to unify his
people, to unify them not only outwardly, but
morally together.
And they were fixed occasions, when they were
to come near to God, where they could
rejoice before him.
And may I again emphasize, they were not
voluntary gatherings.
They were divinely appointed feasts.
Appointed by God, as he says, my set
feasts.
Every one of them a divine appointment.
Now may I translate that truth into a
present day practical fact?
You and I who are the people of
God, we are the people of God, should
ever remember, every opportunity when saints can gather
together in this present age, such an opportunity
is to be recognized as a divine appointment.
Not merely a voluntary gathering.
Can I quote the words of dear apostle
Paul, as I believe he wrote the epistle
to the Hebrews?
Chapter 10 verse 25, Forsaking not the assembling
of ourselves together, as the manner of some
is, but the more so as ye see
the day approaching.
My beloved Christian, may I suggest to your
heart and conscience as well as mine, the
meetings of God's people are divine appointments.
Knowing they are divine appointments, lifts the character
of the gathering to a divine character, to
know that we are meeting with him and
around the blessed Lord Jesus who is the
center of our gathering.
They were not only divine appointments according to
his will, but there was a purpose for
those gatherings.
And the purpose was for the worship of
Jehovah.
For the worship of Jehovah.
Now may I suggest as the title suggests,
they were not to be unpleasant experiences, they
were feasts.
And they were called feasts of Jehovah.
And they were to be occasions which far
from being melancholy, were for God's redeemed people
to have times of rejoicing before him.
You know there's no better time of joy,
no greater time of experience of gladness when
you enjoy God.
You remember the dear apostle in Romans 5
speaks about, we glory in tribulation and so
on.
And as he goes down the chapter, he
climaxes it with this statement, but we joy
in God through whom we have received the
reconciliation.
I tell you you can't find any greater
source of joy than in God.
And these occasions were to be experiences of
joy, not in melancholy, but joyous holy occasions
when they enjoyed their Jehovah and their Jehovah
could enjoy them.
For me I think, as we perhaps, many
of us if not all of us may
know, to the sad fact that those feasts
degenerated.
They degenerated from their true character as God
requires it to be.
And in their degeneration they became instead of
feasts of Jehovah, as you read your New
Testament in the Gospel of John, you'll find
John never calls them the feasts of Jehovah.
Whenever he refers to them he calls them
the feast of the Jews.
And there's an obvious lesson in that.
Oh my beloved Christian I plead with you
as well as with mine own heart, that
we who are his people may recognize that
every privilege that he has given to us
to meet together is an occasion of holy
joy and an experience where God himself desires
to enjoy his own and Christ the beloved
Savior in our midst would indeed make himself
manifested in a blessed way and we rejoice
before him and with him in his presence.
May we not confess sadly that even the
gatherings of Christians have degenerated.
I think of a hymn that we once
sang years ago and how true it has
to be confessed as being oftentimes our experience.
Where is the joy that once I had
when first I knew the Lord.
Beloved Christian may I say as you and
I who know the Lord go on with
him, surely that joy should increase.
But the feasts of Jehovah degenerated in the
days of Israel and they became the feasts
of the Jews.
And may I suggest don't call the gathering
your own gathering.
Try to keep it in character and conduct,
his meeting, the testimony of the Lord.
Now may I give you these thoughts concerning
the seven feasts.
We're going to use three applications concerning the
feasts.
First the primary application.
For the primary application as already suggested was
in relation to Israel.
They were in the wilderness when God gave
them these feasts to be kept.
Those feasts were to be kept also when
in the land of Canaan and all through
their history.
And in their primary application these seven feasts
as you find them in number.
The feast of Passover first, the feast of
unleavened bread second, the feast of first fruit
third, the feast of weeks or the feast
of Pentecost came fourth and then the feast
of trumpet fifth.
Then the great national day of atonement was
sixth.
And last of all the greatest consummation of
all those seven feasts, the annual feast of
tabernacle.
Which was celebrated by Israel long ago as
the greatest occasion of joy that has ever
been known of any people upon the earth
amongst the nations according to many Jewish writers.
And these seven feasts were to be annually
kept by Israel.
There's another application and we shall see it
more clearly when we have the chart before
us.
These seven feasts also cover the redemptive history
of Israel from the beginning to the end.
The first feast as we have it in
our chapter was the feast of Passover which
we shall consider in detail God willing later.
The feast of the Passover was the first
feast.
It was first kept in Egypt as you
well know from the book of Exodus chapter
12.
And it was commemorated continually as the remembrance
of their deliverance out of the bondage of
Egypt from the tyranny of Pharaoh and to
be brought out of that bondage to Jehovah
himself and planted as a nation.
That was the foundation of Israel and redeemed
by the blood of the passion lamb.
They came out of Egypt and God brought
them into the land of Israel.
And yet feast after feast as it progresses
shows the history of Israel until at last
they will reach their ultimate glory which is
illustrated by the feast of Tabernacle.
For the feast of Tabernacle the great millennial
reign of the Messiah when he shall come
and God grant and upon the earth.
And Israel will have the fulfillment of all
this typology the feast suggests when under the
reign of the Messiah the joy of the
earth will be manifested under the reign of
the great.
And these feasts beautifully suggest the redemptive history
of Israel from the beginning to the end
when they shall reach their crowning glory as
God promises.
But then there's a third application which means
much for you and for me.
These feasts also suggest God's redemptive purposes for
the whole world.
Beautifully typifying the redemptive purposes of God for
the whole world founded upon the redemptive work
of his dear son the Lord Jesus.
And consummating ultimately in the eternal glory when
God will have his redeemed of all ages
with himself.
And we shall see every feast typifying the
very present age in which you and I
live to show that God's redemptive purposes from
beginning to the end are marching forward to
eternal fruition as we see them beautifully set
forth in these seven feasts of Jehovah.
Now I would like you to notice first
of all an important fact.
Let me read the first three verses again
of our chapter because it is important to
realize that every feast began with a day
of rest.
A Sabbath.
I read these verses one two and three.
The Lord speak unto Moses saying speak unto
the children of Israel and say unto them
concerning the feasts of the Lord which he
shall proclaim to the holy convocation even these
are my feasts.
Now note the three.
Six days shall work be done but the
seventh day is the Sabbath of rest and
holy convocation.
Ye shall do no work therein.
It is the Sabbath of the Lord in
all your dwelling.
Now this was the preparation day for the
feast.
This was not the feast but it was
the preparation day before the feast.
I wonder if you've ever noticed in the
gospel of John that John makes mention that
when the Lord Jesus was on trial it
was the preparation day for the feast of
the Passover.
And every feast had a preparation day which
was called a Sabbath or a day of
rest.
Most unusual when you come to the end
of the feast.
The last feast of tabernacles.
The only feast that is added to it
another day of rest.
And at the end of the feast of
tabernacles there was to be a day of
rest also as well as preceding the feast.
The eighth day.
That great day of the feast.
And how significant it is as we realize
it pictures the final end of the purposes
of God is to bring his dear children
into an age an eternal day of rest.
And I want to give you three thoughts
this morning that are important.
Before the feast of Jehovah could be enjoyed
rest was required.
And what a lesson.
Before there can be any holy convocation and
the enjoyment of God with his people and
his people with God every the Sabbath must
precede the feast which was a day of
rest.
We know that when God created the heavens
of the earth he set a memorial day
of rest which was his rest from creation.
But I want to give you this thought.
When it comes to all that these feasts
teach us based upon the redemption that is
in Christ Jesus none of us can enjoy
God unless we know something about rest.
Rest.
Now may I quote the words of the
Lord Jesus in Matthew chapter 11 verse 28
I'm sure that we know them.
But it's precious to realize that the Lord
Jesus said come unto me all ye that
labor and are heavy laden and I will
give you rest.
Every one of us need redemption rest.
First every man and woman boy and girl
we need redemption rest.
And how significant This redemption rest can only
be given to us by the Lord.
Let me quote his words again.
Come unto me all ye that labor and
are heavy laden I will give you rest.
We remember the words of the old hymn
I heard the voice of Jesus say come
unto me and rest.
Lay down thou weary one lay down thy
head upon my breast.
I came to Jesus as I was weary
worn and sad.
I found in him a resting place and
he has made me glad.
Dear good beloved before we can indeed enjoy
what God has for his redeemed people we
must have rest of conscience.
Rest of conscience.
Do you have a troubled conscience?
A troubled conscience can never rest in the
presence of God.
A conscience that is troubled by sin.
A conscience that is burdened by sin.
I'm sure many of us if not most
of us could testify to the remembrance of
those days before we found the Lord Jesus
as our savior.
We were troubled we were burdened the conscience
had no rest.
The condemnation of the spirit of God's work.
The conviction of his power bringing to our
souls that we needed salvation and we're in
danger of convicted us we had no rest
we had no rest no rest and we
found it not until we came just as
we were with all the burden and guilt
of our sin and we came to him
who said I will give you rest.
Now beloved may I point out to you
that rest is a gift you cannot buy
it.
All the rest of conscience can never be
purchased by any human means or effort.
That rest of conscience is God's divine gift
to a sinner who will but come with
his and her burdened soul casting himself and
herself at the blessed feet of the Lord
Jesus.
And in the language of the poet singing
in those memorable words just as I am
without one plea but that thy blood was
shed for me and that thy and that
thou bid me come to thee O Lamb
of God I come.
Now listen carefully I quote the words of
Hebrews 9 14 as the apostle Paul writes
of the fact how that blessed savior by
the eternal spirit offered himself without spot to
God how much more shall the blood of
Christ purge cleanse your conscience from dead work
to serve the living God.
Beloved is your conscience burdened because of your
sin here is one who says I will
give you rest.
The blood of Christ is the only power
that can cleanse the guilty conscience.
Let me repeat that we sing it what
can take a what can wash away my
stain nothing but the blood of Jesus.
What can make me whole again nothing but
the blood of Jesus.
Oh precious is the flow that makes me
white as snow no other found I know
nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Oh my beloved what God has for you
and me in the redemptive purposes of his
heart we can never enjoy until the conscience
is rest.
Could I ask again make sure first of
all your sins are forgiven you.
The blood of Jesus Christ his son cleanses
us from all sin and what joy to
enter into such rest.
I came to Jesus as I was weary
worn inside I found in him a resting
place and he has made me glad.
But didn't I point out for you and
me believers you and I need to realize
that believers there's another rest too.
For you and I to enjoy the things
which be of God there's not only the
need for rest of conscience but ah there's
the need for the rest of the mind
and the heart.
Let me quote the words of the Lord
Jesus again as you have them in Matthew
11 29 and 30 going on when he
said come unto me and I will give
you rest he added take my yoke upon
you and learn of me for I am
meek and lowly in heart and you shall
find rest for your soul.
Did you notice the difference in Matthew 11
28 he gives that rest in Matthew 11
29 and 30 you find that rest.
Was it one of the Wesley's that called
it the second rest and who how necessary
it is as the Hebrew writer says in
chapter four that we should enter into that
rest which he has provided for us tell
a believer may I point out to you
very frankly there's not only rest of conscience
in Christ but for the believer there's rest
of heart and mind praise his name thou
keepest him in perfect peace whose mind is
stayed on thee because he trusted in thee.
Let me quote the words of the Lord
Jesus John 14 27 peace I leave with
you my peace give I unto you let
not your heart be not as the world
giveth give I unto you let not your
heart be troubled neither let it be afraid.
Now will you do that verse very much
like Matthew 11 there's two mentions of peace
and they're different peace I leave with you
and he's left that peace for the whole
world if they will take it but then
he added my peace give I unto you
not your peace he said my peace give
I unto you now what was his peace
what was his peace may I suggest on
that occasion when the Lord was surrounded by
his enemies and all Jerusalem was buzzing with
the plotting and scheming of his death and
the ruse and the elders were gathered together
and judas had gone out to betray his
blessed Lord the Lord Jesus in the midst
of all those circumstances as he faced the
trial the judgment hall Gethsemane and the cross
he had peace peace within my peace give
I unto you not as the world giveth
give I unto you let not your heart
be troubled neither let it be afraid.
Another believer look we not only need rest
of conscience but we do need rest of
heart and mind and we live in a
day when we need the enjoyment of his
peace within let me quote the words of
Paul in Philippians 4 6 and 7 be
anxious for nothing but in everything by prayer
and supplication with thanksgiving let to request be
made known unto God and the peace of
God which passeth all understanding shall keep your
hearts and mind through Christ Jesus.
Oh beloved that peace which the world can
never give but which you and I find
where in Christ what rest no matter the
circumstances name every circumstance that may be around
me name every difficulty that may face me
there in the center of his peace I
can be resting peace perfect peace in this
dark world of sin and what a joy
to realize there is such a rest for
the people of God but then thank God
there's something better still than even all that
as Hebrews 4 9 declares there remaineth a
rest for the people of God and someday
there is an eternal rest now I want
you to know from on in our faith
and we'll see it clearer on the chart
God willing the feast began with a day
of rest and at the end of the
tabernacle feast they consummated with a day of
rest and there you have pictures the whole
program of divine redemption from the beginning to
the end God coming out of a past
eternity out of the status of an eternal
rest in eternity past and moving upon the
scene of time when sin ruined this earth
and by his redemptive purposes in Christ through
Christ he marches on and on and on
and on until those purposes are consummated as
they will be typified by the feast of
tabernacles when the last manifestation of his glory
and power in relation to the earth and
the last great death great judgment will take
place to usher in what an eternal day
of rest an eternal Sabbath the day of
God hope you love it you know what
I'm glad I found rest in my Lord
Jesus Christ I'm glad I can find rest
even in the midst of a world of
trouble for my soul and I'm happy as
still to know I'm going to be an
eternal day that will be forever a Sabbath
of eternal rest in that blessed glory had
a dear friend many years ago I never
could understand why this dear brother very talented
and a very efficient instructor in mathematics like
one of the greatest universities of the country
to come south after the world war two
and when I saw him in a home
assembly where I live I said Fred I
said what are you doing down here oh
he said teaching I said where we didn't
even have but one college in that city
of any consequence at that time oh he
said at Burton Institute a small institute of
learning on the third floor of a very
dilapidated building downtown I said Fred why did
you ever come down here well he said
the war was ended and he said I
saw all the GIs coming back from the
war and he said I felt like the
old colored preacher said I was looking for
work and I was afraid I might find
it and he said I got out of
there and one day at the close of
a bible reading when we were studying he
said to me he said brother Bramhall when
I get to heaven if I can't rest
for the first 5,000 years I'm going
to be disappointed I looked at him and
said Fred before that comes the Lord's going
to have you pushing stars around and doing
something for him but his whole thought was
this rest rest you hardly believe it he
did die with a heart attack believe him
not but look look at the truth God
has his purposes he had them for Israel
to reveal himself in these feasts for their
enjoyment and for his enjoyment with his people
and every feast was preceded by a day
of rest the beginning was preceded by a
day of rest and then the confirmation followed
with a day of rest but I would
like to ask this question my fellow listener
do you have that rest that God wants
you to have do you know that rest
that comes only through the precious blood of
Jesus cleansing your conscience and speaking the forgiveness
of sins to give you rest of soul
God grants you do my fellow believer you
and I we're in a world of trouble
please there is rest sweet rest under the
shadow of his wings in our Lord Jesus
Christ for you and for me to enjoy
you know as I know we do not
enjoy the things of God as we ought
unless we have rest of heart and mind
God help us to happen and then best
and last of all my fellow friend will
you be in that eternal day of rest
one of the greatest privileges I have in
looking at the book of revelation to see
my place is in chapter four when I
look at those glory crowned elders the first
thing that is stated of those elders that
represent the glorified saints they are sitting clothed
in white raiment with crowns of gold upon
their head but they are at rest and
as we often sing when all my labors
and trials are o'er and I'm safe
on that beautiful shore just to be near
the dear Lord I adore will through the
ages be glory for me bless your heart
I just can't wait to get seated down
in heaven around my Lord I hope that
will be your portion too shall we pray
and blessed God and father oh the greatness
of thy loving heart all the wisdom of
thine eternal mind that even long ago in
relation to thine earthly people and their responsibilities
and privileges with thee they could not enjoy
them without rest and a day of rest
preceded these annual feasts now father we are
looking forward to have a real feast of
spiritual good things this week but we do
pray we shall enter into the enjoyment of
them with rest of conscience with rest of
heart and mind and with keen anticipation that
someday we shall be resting in the eternal
ages of God forever and now if anyone
knows not the Lord Jesus we pray now
may the spirit of God convict them may
he convert them and bring them to him
who said I will give you rest may
they receive it from him today for we
ask him