God’s people have just enjoyed a great and wonderful Fall Feast
season! It began with “Trumpets” and ended with
the “Last Great Day”. It consisted of fantastic
Spiritual Meals, contained in inspiring sermonettes, sermons, singing
of hymns to our Creator God, special music presentations in our
services. Also included, were extracurricular activities, such as
picnics, “fun night”, “Karaoke” and
warm fellowship with our brethren. We’ve been
saturated, “fed to the full”, in a manner of speaking!
Ah, but herein lies a danger!
I imagine you have experienced the almost uncontrollable
drowsiness that can engulf our minds and bodies after a
full and sumptuous meal and maybe a little wine with it. It seems so
easy and enjoyable, just to drift off into “slumber-land”
and go to sleep, forgetting about that fine meal we’ve just had.
There is a parable in the Bible that describes just such a scenario.
Mathew 24:42 “Watch ye therefore: for ye know not what hour
your Lord doth come. (43) But know this, that if
the good man of the house had known in what watch the thief
would come, he would have watched (been vigilant), and
would not have suffered his house to be broken up. (44)
Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye
think not the Son of man cometh. (45) Who then is a
faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler
over his household, to give them meat in due season?
(46) Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall
find so doing. (47) Verily I say unto you, That he shall
make him ruler over all his goods. (48) But if that
evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth
his coming; (49) And shall begin to smite his fellow
servants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; (50)
The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he
looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware
of, (51) And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him
his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping
and gnashing of teeth.”
This seems to be a warning to God’s ministers, to hold
them accountable, that they may give a warning to the Church,
represented by the ten virgins, shown in the following
chapter. Notice some of the wording: “good
man (master or overseer) of the house (Church)”; “
would not have suffered his house (Church group)”“
a faithful and wise servant (minister), whom his lord
(Christ) hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat
in due season?” “begin to smite his fellow
servants, (fellow ministers)”; “ the
lord (Christ) of that servant (minister)”; shall cut him
asunder (cut him off, and cast him into Hell fire), “there
shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
This is an end-time prophesy, connecting to the events, Jesus
Christ spoke of, there in Matt. 24. So I have
a responsibility to give you a warning about getting lethargic,
going to sleep or letting down, in in your Christian conduct.
Now on to the parable in: Matthew 25
(1) “Then shall the kingdom of
heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their
lamps (The Word of God, Psalms 119:105), and went forth
to meet the bridegroom.(2) And five of them
were wise, and five were foolish. (3) They that were foolish took
their lamps, and took no oil (Holy Spirit) with them:
(4) But the wise took oil in their vessels with their
lamps. (5)While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered
and slept.”
Notice! Even those who were classified as the wise, went to sleep
,
momentarily, along with the foolish. It is part of my job,
to wake you up; to help you avoid some of the pitfalls that
Satan would devise, to lull you off to sleep and devour you as
a roaring lion!
I Peter 4:17 “ For the time is come
that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if
it first begin at us, what shall be the end of them that
obey not the gospel of God? (18) And if the righteous
(the wise) scarcely be saved, where
shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?”
continuing in chapter
5:8 “Be sober, be vigilant (alert); because your
adversary the devil, as a roaring
lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour”
What are some of Satan’s devices?
Satan knows
full well, that it is 6 months from the Fall Feasts, until the Spring Holy
Days arrive, beginning with Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread. I’ve
heard it said by other ministers, that this is one of the most dangerous periods
of time for God’s people. For one thing, we may feel like we’ve
heard enough sermons to last us for awhile. We may feel satiated by God’s
Word, “fed to the full“, as I said. As a result of that way
of thinking, we tend to let down, slack off, become complacent in our Spiritual
responsibilities. Our prayer schedule dwindles. Bible study declines. It
becomes easier to miss Sabbath service attendance and even observance.
And, during this period of time,
we are bombarded with Satan’s counterfeit,
pagan holidays that he has cleverly and deliberately devised
to
deceive people. Almost immediately, following God’s Feast of
Tabernacles, arrives Halloween or “Eve of All hallows”
“All Saint‘s Day”, among some of it’s
names. Close on it’s heels, comes one the major holidays of
Christendom, Xmas, where
people are caught up in the feverish excitement of “getting”.
Further on, in the Spring, the observance of “Ishtar”, Astarte
or as they call it, “Easter”, Satan’s corruption of Passover.
The proof of this is in Acts 12:
(4) “And when he had apprehended him,
he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions
of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter (
from the Gr. “Pascha”, meaning Passover.) to bring him forth to
the people.”
Another clever deception by Satan, through
his main church, the Roman Catholic Church, at the Nicaean Council, convened
by Emperor Constantine in 325 A.D.! Of course many other Gentile customs
were added, like rolling colored eggs and other outlandish things that have
nothing to do with true Christianity.
All of these Pagan days do nothing, but confuse and cloud
the true way of worship for God’s people!
We should avoid these customs completely!
What can we do to continue God’s Feast spirit?
I’ve got four points, I believe will help you through
this period of time.
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You may have to double or increase your Bible study
time. It will require some extra effort on your
part, because Satan knows human nature and the tendency for
us to let down.
II Timothy 2:15 “Study to shew yourself approved
unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed,
rightly dividing the word of God.”
I suggest that you review any notes you may have
taken during the Feast. If you can’t write down notes,
as I can’t because of a shaking hand, then the feast
sermons, which were recorded, will probably be available on
the Church Website: (www.cgwwm.org). But make a schedule for
your Bible studies and try to adhere to it. I know you may fail
to follow it every day, but don’t get discouraged. Just
do the best you can and God will help you.
James 4:7 “Submit yourselves therefore to God.
Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to
God. and He will draw nigh to you.----”
I Peter 5:9 “Whom resist steadfast in the faith,
knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in
your brethren that are in the world. (10) But the God
of all grace, who hath called us unto His eternal glory
by Christ Jesus, after that you have suffered for
awhile, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle
you.”
Yes, God will strengthen you through these long dark, and
sometimes dreary days of winter.
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Don’t ever forget the necessity
of continuing prayer.
I Thessalonians 5:17 “Pray without ceasing.
(18) In everything give thanks: for this is the will
of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”
Much or our prayers should be in thanksgiving.
In these harsh and troubled times of the end, we
certainly need to increase in our prayer time.
Luke 21:36 “Watch ye therefore, and pray always,
that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these
things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the
Son of man.”
James 5:16 “Confess your faults (problems,
illnesses, needs) one to another (with discretion of
course), and pray for one another, that ye may be healed.
The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth
much.”
As king David did, we need to start our day
with prayer.
Psalms 5:2 “Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God: for unto thee will I pray. 3. My voice shalt thou hear in the morning,
O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.” David prayed to God for forgiveness of his sins.
Psalms 32:5 “I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD;
and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah. 6. For this shall everyone
that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found: surely
in the floods of great waters they shall not come nigh unto him.” (Mk
1:35)
This is an extraordinary long subject, but in looking up
information on prayer, you will see where all the righteous
people of the Bible, used this tool in staying
close to God.
It was one of the things Jesus Christ stressed and taught.
He gave us an outline prayer to teach us how to
pray.
Matthew 6:5 “And when thou prayest,......(6) But thou, when thou prayest, enter thou into thy closet,...... (7) But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do:............”
Then He proceeds to give us guidelines to use in prayer:
Verses 9 through (13) Jesus knew the
absolute importance of regular and continuing prayer.
You may want to write down a prayer list, to keep
you reminded of those who are sick or troubled and need your
prayers. We are so forgetful as humans. Prayer lists can be
very helpful, when we get on our knees to pray and then
can’t remember what or whom to pray for.
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Continue the fellowship we had with our brothers and sisters at the Feast.
Try to stay in touch with God’s people, as much as is feasible or convenient. Remember those acquaintances and some of the activities you may have shared.
Malachi 3:16 “Then they that feared the LORD spake often one
to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book
of remembrance was written before Him for them that feared the LORD, and
that thought upon His name.And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts,
in that day when I make up My jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spares
his own son that serveth him.”
With all our modern communication devices: telephones, the Internet, mail systems, fax machines, etc., we can talk to one another occasionally. It’s good to encourage , to cheer up, to show kindness and appreciation to all of God’s people. We all enjoy getting a kind letter or card from our friends. The telephone is a very useful instrument and is simple to use. But, be careful that you don’t overuse it, calling too often or conversing too long. People do have certain things in their homes and lives that must be attended to and we could try their patience. Use balance.
Proverbs 25:17 “Withdraw thy foot from thy neighbor’s house:
lest he be weary of thee, and so hate thee.”
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Finally, Let’s all begin to exhibit that special
love toward each other that God expects and commands of
His people.
John 13:34 “A new commandment I give unto you, That
ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also
love one another. (35) By this shall all men know that ye
are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”
John 15:13 “Greater love hath no man than this,
that a man lay down his life for his friends.”
I John 2:5 “But whoso keepeth His word, in him is
the love of God perfected.” Verse (9) “He that
saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is
in darkness even until now.”
Chapter 3:10 “In this the children of God are
manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever
doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he
that loveth not his brother. (11) For this is the
message that ye heard from the beginning, that
we should love one another.”
Verse (16) “Hereby perceive we the love of God,
because He laid down His life for us: and we ought to lay
down our lives for the brethren. (17) But whoso hath this
world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and
shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how
dwelleth the love of God in him? (18) My little children,
let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed
and in truth.”
God promises that Love never fails!
I Corinthians 13:3 “And though I bestow all my
goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be
burned, and have not charity (love) it profiteth me
nothing.”
Verse 8 “Charity never faileth:..........”
Brethren, if we put these 4 points into action, we’ll get
through this winter successfully.
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