Personal Views on the Scriptures and Other Things: August 2016

Friday, August 26, 2016

Celebrate Pentecost June 11, 2016

We are going to celebrate Pentecost tomorrow and what comes to your mind about Pentecost?

There are many different things comes to mind and it is all good.

We are celebrating a birthday, the birthday of the Church which is the Feast of Pentecost, also known as Feast of Shavuot, or Feast of Harvest or Feast of Weeks.

The Holy Spirit Descends

Acts 2:1-4 When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. (2) And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. (3) Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. (4) And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

Notice they were in a house at when the Day of Pentecost had fully come when the Holy Spirit was given.

The Holy Spirit was given to New Testament saints and this symbolized the end of the Old Testament system of worship and the beginning of the Church of our Lord Jesus. It also pointed to the fact that God’s greatest provision for a Christian’s daily living is the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Church is born.

Colossians 1:18 And He (Jesus) is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.

1 Corinthians 12:13 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.

On Feast of Pentecost

Before the Day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit was with men and women and gave great skills for them to serve God. (for example, the constructing of the Tabernacle) But He did not permanently indwell all believers.

Psalms 51:11 Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.

In the Upper Room, Jesus had told the disciples that He would send the Holy Spirit to be with them forever. He added, “You know Him because He abides with you and will be in you”

John 14:16-17 And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— (17) the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.

Thus on the Day of Pentecost, the disciples were baptized with the Holy Spirit, in fulfillment of Jesus’ promise.

Acts 1:5 for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now."

The Prophecy of Joel

Act 2:16 But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:

Peter covers this in his sermon.

Joel 2:28-32 "And it shall come to pass afterward That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions. (29) And also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days. (30) "And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth: Blood and fire and pillars of smoke. (31) The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD. (32) And it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the name of the LORD Shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance, As the LORD has said, Among the remnant whom the LORD calls.

Pour my Spirit” - Happened (began) at Pentecost, and is yet to happen to Israel. There is no ending: Peter indicates that it has begun, and it will be characteristic of the end times. We can see it happening today. China, Africa, and other places but not really in the United States.

Isaiah 44:3 For I will pour water on him who is thirsty, And floods on the dry ground; I will pour My Spirit on your descendants, And My blessing on your offspring;

The word pour is an interesting word, means to pour out.

This is what Joel meant in his prophecy—there is a day coming when God will pour out His Spirit on all ﬂesh, not just some. The Spirit was poured out upon very few on the Day of Pentecost. All Peter said on that day was, “Don’t ridicule us and say we are drunk. This is like what Joel said is going to happen in the last days.” The Spirit has come upon a few, and today God is calling out a people for His name.

But notice that Peter does not say, “Joel’s prophecy is fulﬁlled.” Rather, he says, “This is that which was spoken (16) .” In other words, “This is that same Holy Spirit that Joel spoke about.”

The full prophecy of Joel, with its dramatic signs in the heavens, will not be fulﬁlled until the last days. What happened at Pentecost was but the beginning of God’s blessing on His Body and Israel.

Joel is telling us that during the last days of Israel’s history, during the Tribulation period, the Spirit of God will work in mighty power in the saving of both Jews and Gentiles, and there will be mighty wonders and signs in the heavens. We read about those in the Book of Revelation.

Pentecost was a fulﬁllment in miniature: Joel saw the end point of the whole process; Peter focused on the beginning of the Church age. This is a guarantee that He would complete the entirety; an inauguration; ﬁrstfruits.

The Holy Spirit was not free to indwell the Believers until after Jesus was gloriﬁed. The arrival of the Holy Spirit was the proof.

John 7:39 But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

The Holy Spirit did not come until the Day of Pentecost. The coming of the Holy Spirit on that day assures us that Jesus had arrived back at the Father’s throne.

John 14:20 At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.

“in you”: We covered the Holy Spirit was here on earth before Pentecost, but on the Day of Pentecost He came to indwell believers. This is a unique fact of this age in which we are living. That was the thing which was new.

“...you in me, and I in you”: The most profound statement in the Gospel of John or in the whole Bible. They are easy words so that a little child can understand them. They were meant for us, His Body, His Church.

Last Day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread April 30, 2016

Why are we here today, because this day is a Holy Day on which God's people are to rest and assemble for worship?

Exodus 12:16 On the first day there shall be a holy convocation, and on the seventh day there shall be a holy convocation for you. No manner of work shall be done on them; but that which everyone must eat—that only may be prepared by you.

How did it go this last week? Did anyone find leaven in their homes this week or happen to eat something they should not?

Exodus 12:15 Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall remove leaven from your houses. For whoever eats leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel.

Our Lord Jesus tells us to eat unleavened bread. Did we remove all leaven and leavened food from our homes and property that what we would eat, and not bring it in during the seven days of the Feast.

Exodus 12:19-20 For seven days no leaven shall be found in your houses, since whoever eats what is leavened, that same person shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he is a stranger or a native of the land. (20) You shall eat nothing leavened; in all your dwellings you shall eat unleavened bread.' "

Remembering that leaven symbolize only the putting away of sin and we are commanded to eat unleavened bread which symbolizes righteousness--active obedience to God. Not our righteousness, but God’s righteousness in our lives. Understanding this is crucial to our developing the character of God and being changed into our Lord Jesus Family at His Second Coming.

Did Lord Jesus observed this festival as a child

Luke 2:41-43 His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. (42) And when He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast. (43) When they had finished the days, as they returned, the Boy Jesus lingered behind in Jerusalem. And Joseph and His mother did not know it;

Did Lord Jesus observed this festival as an adult.

Matthew 26:17 Now on the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying to Him, "Where do You want us to prepare for You to eat the Passover?"

This week was a time of personal reflection. It is a time to med-i-tate or thinks about our attitudes and conduct. We should ask God in prayer to help us recognize and overcome our shortcomings. Remember, the Holy Spirit will lead us in all things.

Life is a continue battle with sin until our end of days. These 7 days is a time set aside for us to really think about what we are doing in life. We should be doing this year around, but we probably do not. Life happens.

Hebrews 12:1 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,

We have our own part to play in struggling to overcome sin. Yet we must realize our crucial need for Jesus’ help in overcoming our weaknesses.

Philippians 2:12-13 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; (13) for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.

Something we have to do physically.

Our Lord Jesus explains what does the unleavened bread represent? Remember, Jesus Himself had no sin. A complete, Sinless life.

John 6:27 Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him."

John 6:32-33 Then Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. (33) For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."

John 6:35 And Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.

John 6:41 The Jews then complained about Him, because He said, "I am the bread which came down from heaven."

John 6:48-51 I am the bread of life. (49) Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead. (50) This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die. (51) I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world."

Yes, physical bread is essential for our physical life. But more important, our Lord Jesus is our Bread of life and is essential for our spiritual and eternal life. Without Him we do not have and cannot have eternal life.

Passover Service

The spiritual lesson of God’s command to eat unleavened bread during this feast is that if we want to rid our lives of the leaven of sin and wickedness, we have to fill our lives with the unleavened bread of life, Jesus Christ. We have to take Him into our lives.

Our Lord Jesus put away sin through the sacrifice of himself.

Hebrews 9:26-28 He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. (27) And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, (28) so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.

Because of His sacrifice, our Lord Jesus is the bread of life.

Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

And He continues to help us put sin out of our lives by dwelling in us through the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is leading us to regular repentance and to live in obedience to God.

1 Corinthians 3:16-17 Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? (17) If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.

1 Corinthians 6:19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?

2 Corinthians 6:16-18 And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I WILL DWELL IN THEM AND WALK AMONG THEM. I WILL BE THEIR GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE." (17) Therefore "COME OUT FROM AMONG THEM AND BE SEPARATE, SAYS THE LORD. DO NOT TOUCH WHAT IS UNCLEAN, AND I WILL RECEIVE YOU." (18) "I WILL BE A FATHER TO YOU, AND YOU SHALL BE MY SONS AND DAUGHTERS, SAYS THE LORD ALMIGHTY."

If our actions and the way we live are in the Way of Death (which are the works of the flesh), then we will be blaspheming the name of God. If our actions are in the Way of Life that Jesus taught, lived and instructed, then the way we live our Lives shows the fruit of the Spirit.

Jeremiah 21:8 "Now you shall say to this people, 'Thus says the LORD: "Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death.

What are some of the Spiritual lessons we can learn by observing these spring feast days.

1 Corinthians 5:6-8 Your glorying is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? (7) Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. (8) Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

Romans 12:1-2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. (2) And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

This verse was written more than 20 years after Jesus had been crucified and resurrected. The Apostles were observing the Feast of Unleavened Bread.

Acts 20:6 But we sailed away from Philippi after the Days of Unleavened Bread, and in five days joined them at Troas, where we stayed seven days.

Like leaven, sin easily grows, spreads and can take over and direct our lives. Putting out leavening from our homes is symbolic of putting both the visible and hidden sins out of our lives. Christians come to realize that we can't do this on our own. We need to examine ourselves and repent and strive to change, but it is Jesus Christ's help, as we submit to Him living in us, that produce true spiritual progress.

Jesus gives us a direct statement to live our lives in a certain Way.

John 14:6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

John 14:15 "If you love Me, keep My commandments.

John 14:21 He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him."

John 14:23-24 Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. (24) He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father's who sent Me.

Remember, the lessons we learned during these feast days. If we do not learn and act on the lessons, then it is a wasted lesson and our Lord will allow another lesson to come upon each of us.

So we are to study His words, to grow in grace and knowledge and to learn the Way of Life that Jesus instructed us to learn. This is what we should be doing as we go forward to the next feast and High Day, Day of Pentecost.

Ecclesiastes 12:13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man's all.