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Now as you can see, I’m doing these by survey. Because in order to
understand this, you must get an overview by a survey to understand.
Verse 37, “These are the feasts of the LORD, which ye shall
proclaim to be holy convocations,...” So if you take this
statement, which is true, and it is, and you go back and you apply it in
verse 1, “...the feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim
to be holy convocations, even these are My feasts,” and it starts
out with the Sabbath: “Six days shalt work be done: but the seventh day
is
the sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein:
it is the Sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings.” Now then, you’re
stuck, aren’t you? Why do you not proclaim those other days according to
God’s calendar the way that they should be? Are you missing something by
not doing it? Are you incorrectly dividing the Word of God because you
are misapplying Scripture?
Let’s go to Numbers 28, and let’s go to the heart and core of the
whole thing here. We’ll see it. Now you’re also going to be stuck with
another problem if you say that, “Because they had ritual sacrifices on
these days, and the sacrifices have been done away with because Christ’s
sacrifice superseded all the animal sacrifices…” OK, we’re all together
so far, right? Then what are you going to do with Numbers 28, especially
the first part? Verse 1, “And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Command
the children of Israel, and say unto them, My offering, and My
bread for My sacrifices made by fire [because there was the tabernacle,
and later the temple], for a sweet savor unto Me, shall ye
observe to offer unto Me in their due season. And thou shalt say unto
them, This is the offering made by fire which ye shall offer unto
the LORD; two lambs of the first year without spot day by day, for
a continual burnt offering.” This is the daily burnt offering. Now,
because animal sacrifices were done away, have days been done away with?
No. One in the morning, one in the evening.
Now let’s come down here to verse 9. “And on the Sabbath day two
lambs of the first year without spot, and two tenths deals of flour
for a meat [meal] offering, and mingled with oil, and the drink
offering thereof: this is the burnt offering of every Sabbath,
beside the continual burnt offering, and his drink offering” (Nu.
28:1-3, 9-10). Now then, if you take your reasoning, which so many do to
get rid of the holy days, by saying that, “The ritual sacrifices were
offered on the holy days and the sacrifices were done away with;
therefore we don’t have to keep the holy days,” now what are you going
to do about the Sabbath? Because if you take the reasoning of one, you
must also take the reasoning of the other, correct? Were there
sacrifices on the Sabbath day? Yes. Were those sacrifices done away with
and fulfilled in Christ? Yes. Then if you take the assumption that
because those were true, therefore we conclude that we don’t have to
keep the Sabbath because the sacrifices were done away. Now you see,
you’re stuck in your own logic. Because if you keep the Sabbath, because
God commanded it, and you don’t keep the holy days because the
sacrifices were done away with, then your logic traps you into your own
corner, where then you must not keep the Sabbath by the same logic.
Now I’ve gone over with - this is with Church of God, Seventh Day
people, until I’m blue in the face. But you see, when you are dead and
when your mind is set, and when you are not willing to let the truth of
God enter into it, then you can come to that conclusion. But how else
are you going to conclude it? If you take the reasoning that the holy
days do not need to be kept because there were ritual sacrifices on
those, and those ritual sacrifices are all done away with in Christ, so
was Sabbath ritual sacrifice done away in Christ. So therefore, you’re
stuck in your own logic because you’re not honest in handling the Word
of God, and you misapply the Word of God so that you may keep the
Sabbath and do away with the holy days. Now you’ve got to understand
that. That’s where you begin. Maybe other people couldn’t convince you,
but maybe the Word of God can convince you.
Now then, let’s come to the book of Ezekiel, Ezekiel 20. Now you can
go through and apply this to all the holy days here in the rest of
Numbers 28 and 29. Because every one of the days had sacrifices. So you
can’t use that logic. That logic is a misnomer. That logic is not
correct. Now if you run on to Galatians 3 and misapply that, then you’re
also going to get yourself in trouble. Now if you need some
understanding concerning the book of Galatians, we have at least seven
or eight tapes on that which go through it and explain it. I’ll see if I
can cover maybe one or two of those verses a little later on.
Now then, I call your attention to, as we’re here in Ezekiel 20, I
call your attention to reference back to Exodus 31, where the sabbaths
God said you were to keep. Now notice when we are reading here, God does
not make any differentiation between which Sabbath is which. All of the
holy days - please understand - are annual Sabbaths. So when we read
this - let’s begin here in verse 10. God says, “Wherefore I caused them
to go forth out of the land of Egypt, and brought them into the
wilderness. And I gave them My statutes, and shewed them My judgments,
which if a man do, he shall even live in them. Moreover also I
gave them My Sabbaths,...” Plural. That is not “the Sabbath,” but “My
Sabbaths,” plural. Because you see, the fourth commandment in the Ten
Commandments says, “Remember the sabbath day to keep it holy.” But He
gave them more than the weekly Sabbath. He gave them His annual
Sabbaths, “...to be a sign between Me and them, that they might know
that I am the LORD that sanctify them.”
Now, question: if you don’t keep the holy days, is there something
that you don’t know about the Lord? Is there something in your
understanding that is missing because you’re not sanctified by those
days? Verse 13, “But the house of Israel rebelled against Me in the
wilderness:...” Question: are you rebelling against God if you reject
His holy days? “...They walked not in My statutes, and they despised My
judgments, which if a man do, he shall even live in them; and My
sabbaths [plural] they greatly polluted:...” Verse 16, “…Because they
despised My judgments, and walked not in My statutes, but polluted My
sabbaths: for their heart went after their idols.” Because when you take
God’s time and make it yours, or you declare God’s holy time not holy,
it becomes an idol in your mind. So then, He told them not to do it.
Verse 19, He said, “I am the LORD your God; walk in My statutes,
and keep My judgments, and do them; and hallow My sabbaths; and they
shall be a sign between Me and you, that ye may know that I am
the LORD your God. Notwithstanding the children rebelled...” (Ezek.
20:10-13, 16, 19-21).
Now I want to ask a question here. If you think that the weekly
Sabbath is good and right and fine, tell me why the annual Sabbaths are
not also good and right and fine. And if you don’t keep them, then you
are saying that God’s Word is not worthy of your observance. I mean, you
need to keep things on a clear, factual basis. Don’t get your feelings
involved in on it, because you’re going to get yourself in deep trouble.
Now I’m not going to handle a technical scripture at this point.
Let’s come to the New Testament. Let’s come to Matthew 22, and let’s see
what we are to do in the New Testament. And then we will see, did they
in the New Testament, under the New Covenant, keep these days? Let’s
come to Matthew 22:37. Because you see, you’re also stuck with another
problem. If you say you love God, and you try and love God this way,
then you have to ask yourself a question: why do I reject the holy days
of God? “Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all
thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the
first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou
shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all
the law and the prophets” (Matt. 22:37-40). And whereby Jesus said, “One
jot or one tittle shall no wise pass from the law until all be
fulfilled.” The only thing that we have seen in the Scriptures which has
been fulfilled has been the animal sacrifices and the temple ritual,
which have been replaced and superseded by a higher sacrifice of Jesus
Christ in a greater temple in heaven above. All of the rest is still
hanging on the love of God, correct? Do you love God? Do you love God in
truth? Or do you want to love God your way and tell God what to do?
Let’s come to John 4. Let’s ask some other questions. How does God
want us to worship Him today? Verse 23, “But the hour cometh [that is,
when you wouldn’t worship any longer in Jerusalem, the temple would be
gone, and so forth] and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship
the Father in spirit and in truth:...” Now we know the commandments of
God are truth; we know the laws of God are truth; we know that all of
God’s ways are true, and His commandments are true; so therefore, if
you’re going to worship God in spirit and in truth, you’re going to be
keeping His commandments from the heart spiritually, loving God. “...For
the Father seeketh such to worship Him. God is a Spirit: and they
that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth” (John
4:23-24). Now the word “must” there in the Greek has the force of
“obligatory.” You are obligated before God to worship Him in spirit and
in truth. And since all the words of God are true, and since the holy
days are part of the true Word of God, you must worship Him on those
days, as well as the weekly Sabbath.
Now let’s come to Psalm 119. And I know here recently I brought this
up concerning other topics, but it is true. Let’s do a little attitude
check for everybody here now, whether you agree with what I have said or
not up to this point, or maybe some of the things you agree with, and
some of the things you don’t agree with. But you have to ask yourself
the question is: do I agree with God? Not whether you agree with me, or
agree with another man. Because if I don’t teach you the Word of God,
and if I don’t preach the Word of God, then it really doesn’t matter
what I say, even though I may misuse the Word of God and sound
religious. Now here, Psalm 119:127. And this is profound. And this is
the whole attitude we’ve got to come to concerning the will of God,
concerning the commandments of God, concerning all the things of God.
“Therefore I love Thy commandments above gold; yea, above fine gold.”
Now hold your place here because we’re going to come back, and I want
you to go to 2 Thessalonians for just a minute. Because with the
deception that is coming upon the whole world there is going to be a
reason why it’s coming. And you may be part of that deception, or caught
up in that deception if you do what they do in the world. Now Satan is
going to come. 2 Thessalonians 2:9, “ ...whose coming [this is the great
beast power that is coming] is after the working of Satan with all power
and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of
unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love
of the truth,...” Now we just read where David wrote, “I love your
commandments.” But if you don’t love the truth, which then is all the
word of God, what are you subject to? You’re subject to death, because
you can’t be saved. And another thing takes place.
“And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they
should believe a lie: that they all might be damned who believe not the
truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness” (2 Thes. 2:9-12). So if you
don’t believe the truth of God’s word, are you having pleasure and
unrighteousness by rejecting them? Because if those are Sabbaths (which
they are), and if they are commandments (which they are), and if they’re
to be kept (which they should), and if you are transgressing that, then
you are sinning, and you are unrighteous, correct? And if you don’t keep
them then you have pleasure in unrighteousness. Is that not true? Are
you not then going to blind yourself to other things further down the
road? And always remember, when God gives a witness out of His Word,
once is sufficient. Please understand that.
Now let’s come back here to Psalm 119:127. “Therefore I love Thy
commandments above gold; yea, above fine gold.” And how many people do
you know work on the Sabbath so they can make money because they reject
the Sabbath commandment? Well, apply the same thing to the holy days.
Verse 128, here’s where we need to come. “Therefore I esteem all Thy
precepts concerning all things to be
right;...” Do you believe that of the will of God? Do you believe that
every precept of God is right, every command of God is right, every law
of God is good and right? Notice, “...and I hate every false way.” Are
you willing to hate the sin that you have been committing in not keeping
the holy days? Or are you going to come up with other arguments to
justify your own idol? That’s what it gets down to. Because those are
self-justifications for your own way. There’ll be no doubt about it. Do
you consider all the precepts of God concerning all things to be right?
If you do then you will hate every false way.
Now let’s come to the New Testament, and we’re going to spend the
rest of the time in the New Testament, showing that, yes, the holy days
were kept by those in the New Testament; and in fact, by a very command
of God. Let’s come to Mark 2, please. And this is one, for those of you
who are Sabbath-keepers, turn to, to show that we need to keep the
Sabbath in the New Testament. Well let’s read it here, because this
becomes very profound. Verse 27, “And He said unto them, The sabbath was
made for man,...” No question about it. God really expects all mankind
to keep the Sabbath. “...And not man for the Sabbath: therefore the Son
of man is Lord also of the sabbath” (Mark 2:27-28). Question: since the
holy days are Sabbath, is he also Lord of those? Is He Lord of the
Passover? Is He Lord of the first day of Unleavened Bread, the last day
of Unleavened Bread, Pentecost, Trumpets, Atonement, Tabernacles, and
the Last Great Day? The answer is yes. Now those other days and commands
were made for the people of God. The Sabbath was made for mankind in
general. So if you only keep the Sabbath, you’re only doing what God
requires of all people everywhere. The holy days have special meaning
for the people of God. Now maybe you’ve never thought of it that way.
Well, you need to think of it that way.
Let’s come to Luke 2, and let’s see what Jesus did. And let’s
understand that Jesus was not under the Old Covenant; He was under a
special covenant with God the Father, which was even greater than the
New Covenant, when you really come to understand it. Because with the
covenant that God the Father and Jesus Christ had, Jesus could not sin
once. Now I’m going to give a sermon on that here. I’m working on it:
what was the covenant between God the Father and Jesus Christ? It was a
greater covenant that we are under. Obviously, it had to be. Because He
was God before He became a human being. But let’s notice what He did
here. Luke 2:40, “And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled
with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon Him. And His parents went to
Jerusalem every year at the feast of the passover. And when He was
twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem after the custom of the
feast.” And then you know what He was doing.
Did Jesus keep the feast? Yes. Did He keep it only because His
parents kept it? No. Why did His parents keep it? Because it was a law
of God. But why did Jesus keep it? Because it was the law of His Father.
And what was He doing there at the feast? Verse 46, “And it came to
pass, that after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the
midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions. And
all that heard Him were astonished at His understanding and His
answers.” Because as I point out in the series, the prophecies of Jesus,
Jesus was taught every morning of God the Father. So there He was on the
holy days, and afterwards, doing the Father’s business. “And when they
saw Him, they were amazed: and His mother said unto Him, Son, why hast
Thou thus dealt with us? behold, Thy father and I have sought Thee
sorrowing. And He said unto them, How is it that ye sought Me? wist ye
not that I must be about My Father’s business?” (Luke 2:40-42,46-49),
showing that Joseph was not His father. That’s what He was clearly
saying here. Was it the Father’s business to send Christ? Yes. When did
Christ die? On the Passover day. Was that the Father’s business? Yes, it
was.
Now let’s see how He carried out the Father’s business in His
ministry. Let’s come to John 2. We’re going to survey some things here
in the book of John for just a minute. Keep in mind this, that Jesus
Christ set us an example, in Whose footsteps we should follow. Now if
Jesus did no sin…now you see, some people come to the point of saying
that if you keep the Sabbath and holy days you are sinning. Well, we
know that if you keep the Sabbath you are not sinning. But are you
sinning if you don’t keep the holy days? You are. Here, if it was sin to
keep them, then Jesus sinned, correct? Now let’s read it. Verse 13, “And
the Jews’ passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem...” Now
the reason why John says “the Jews’ Passover” is because he is showing
that Jesus was correcting them for their wrong worship of Passover, and
Tabernacles, and other days. The days of the holy days are God’s days.
So what did He do? He went into the temple, “…and found in the temple
those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money
sitting: and when He had made a scourge of small cords, He drove them
all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the
changers’ money, and overthrew the tables; and said unto them that sold
doves, Take these things hence; make not My Father’s house an house of
merchandise.” So He got rid of them, the sin there, didn’t He? Plus, He
was also showing another thing, which He later on said to the Pharisee
who wanted to know, which was the great commandment? He answered
correctly, and Jesus said, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.”
Then He said, “Now go and learn what this means: I desire mercy and not
sacrifice.” So that’s what He was teaching here. He desired mercy and
not sacrifice.
Now notice verse 23, “Now when He was in Jerusalem at the passover,
in the feast day, many believed in His name, when they saw the
miracles which He did” (John 2:13-16, 23). So He was healing, and He was
teaching on the feast day of Unleavened Bread, right there at the
temple.
Now let’s come over here to John 5:1. Now, it doesn’t tell us what
feast this is. But according to the chronology as we go through the book
of John, we find that it is Passover, fall festival season, Passover,
fall festival season, and Passover. So by chronology, this had to be one
of the feast days, either Trumpets or the first day of the Feast of
Tabernacles, or the last of the Feast of Tabernacles, one of the three.
It was not Atonement, because they were carrying burdens and so forth.
“After this there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to
Jerusalem.” Was He there keeping it? Yes. Did He correct them for their
wrong use of the day? Yes, He did. He told the man whom He healed to
pick up his bed and walk, and he walked. And so then He gave the
spiritual lesson here that God is working spiritually.
Let’s come over here to John 6:4. “And the passover, the feast of the
Jews, was nigh.” And then Jesus explained about the bread and the wine,
that it symbolized His body and His blood; and made it absolutely
mandatory that you keep the Passover, otherwise you don’t have any life
in you. Let’s read that right here in John 6:53. “Then Jesus said unto
them, Verily, verily [or that is, truly, truly], I say unto you, Except
ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink His blood, ye have no life
in you.” So unless you keep the Passover properly you don’t have life in
you. And I just might mention here too, those who use grape juice are
not keeping it properly, because it is not wine. You need to understand
that.
Let’s go on. John 7:1, “After these things Jesus walked in Galilee:
for He could not walk in Jewry [Judea, as it should read] because the
Jews sought to kill Him. Now the Jews’ feast of tabernacles was at
hand.” His brethren - I’ll just summarize it - said, “Why don’t You go
up and show Yourself?” And He said, “No, you go up. My time is not yet.”
Verse 8, so they went up to the feast. Now verse 10, “But when His
brethren were gone up, then went He also up unto the feast, not openly,
but as it were [secretly] in secret.” So here, in spite of the public
pressure that was put against Him and all those seeking to kill Him, He
still went and kept the feast, didn’t He? He observed the Feast of
Tabernacles, didn’t He? Yes, He did.
Now notice. Here’s something very important concerning the will of
God and understanding. Now verse 14, “Now about the midst of the feast
Jesus went up into the temple, and taught. And the Jews marvelled,
saying, How knoweth this Man letters, having never learned? Jesus
answered them, and said, My doctrine is not Mine, but His that sent Me.
If any man will do His will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it
be of God, or whether I speak of Myself.” And Jesus was there during the
Feast of Tabernacles. And there is great meaning to the Feast of
Tabernacles. If you would like some tapes on those, we have almost
hundreds of tapes on the Feast of Tabernacles – well over a hundred
anyway - covering the feast going way back. So if you want to know about
the meaning of it, you can write in for it.
Let’s come over here to verse 37. “In the last day, that great day
of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him
come unto Me, and drink. He that believeth on Me, as the scripture hath
said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this
spake He of the Spirit, which they that believe on Him should receive:
for the Holy [Spirit] Ghost was not yet
given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)” (John 7:1-2,
10, 14-17, 37-39). So Jesus taught on the Last Great Day, didn’t He? So
we find him teaching during the Feast of Unleavened Bread; we find Him
teaching during the Feast of Tabernacles; we find Him teaching at the
Passover time, taught His disciples during the Feast of Unleavened
Bread, and so forth. Jesus did all of those things.
Now let’s come to the book of Acts, and we’ll do a little survey with
the book of Acts. Please understand, we’re into New Covenant teachings.
And if the holy days were to be done away, if they were no longer to be
kept, then you would hear Jesus say this statement: “You have heard it
said of old time, ‘You shall remember to keep the Sabbath day holy, and
the holy days holy.’ But I say unto you, you shall keep Sunday holy, and
Christmas, and Easter, and New Year’s.” He didn’t say any of that, did
He? No, He did not. Now here, Acts 2 on the day of Pentecost. Acts 2:1,
by the command of Christ, right? He said, “Remain in Jerusalem until you
be imbued from power from on high.” So His command was to be there and
keep the day of Pentecost. If Jesus commanded His apostles to keep it,
and gave the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, which was the same day
that the Ten Commandments were given, should you not keep the day of
Pentecost?
Verse 1, “And when the day of Pentecost was fully come,...” Which
really should be translated, “And when the day of Pentecost was being
fulfilled,...” or, “During the accomplishing of the day of Pentecost...”
“ ...They were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came
a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the
house where they were sitting” (Acts 2:1-2). Then you know the rest of
the story, in preaching on the day of Pentecost. And that’s when God
started the church. So He formalized the church in the wilderness on the
day of Pentecost by giving the Ten Commandments. He started the New
Covenant Church on the day of Pentecost right there at the temple of
God.
Let’s continue on here. Let’s come to Acts 12:1. “Now about that time
Herod the king stretched forth
his hand to vex certain of the church. And he killed James the
brother of John with the sword. And because he saw it please the Jews,
he proceeded further to take Peter also. (Then were the days of
unleavened bread.)” Now the reason that is mentioned is because they
were keeping the days of Unleavened Bread. “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 [which should read ‘Passover’] to bring
him forth to the people” (Acts 12:1-4).
Let’s come to chapter 16. Now I know all of the arguments that people
will give. Acts 16:13; let’s understand this. This is a time when Paul
went into Macedonia and preached to them. “And on the sabbath we went
out of the city by a river side, where prayer was wont known to be
made;...” Now the Sabbath here in the Greek actually should read “...and
on the day of the weeks,...” which is Pentecost. Hold your place here,
and go back to Luke 4. And we will see that on that very day in one of
the synagogues in Galilee Jesus Christ stood up for to read, and began
His ministry in Nazareth on that day. Luke 4:16, “And He came to
Nazareth, where He had been brought up: and, as His custom was, He went
into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.” And
that is on “the day of the weeks,” if you look at the Greek. So Jesus
taught on Pentecost, Paul taught on Pentecost, the Holy Spirit was given
on Pentecost, the day of the weeks.
Now let’s come back here to the book of Acts, chapter 18 and verse
18. “And Paul after this
tarried there yet a good while, and then took his leave of the
brethren, and sailed thence into Syria, and with him Priscilla and
Aquila; having shorn his head in Cenchrea: for he had a vow. And
he came to Ephesus, and left them there: but he himself entered into the
synagogue, and reasoned with the Jews. When they desired him to
tarry longer time with them, he consented not; but bade them farewell,
saying, I must by all means keep this feast that cometh in
Jerusalem:...” (Acts 18:18-21). Now the only feast, chronologically
speaking, that it could be here is the Feast of Tabernacles. So he went
to Jerusalem to keep it. So Paul said, “I must by all means keep the
Feast.” Now you can’t say that he was keeping it under the obligation of
circumcision, because he preached against circumcision.
Now let’s come to chapter 20 and verse 5. “These going before tarried
for us at Troas. And we sailed away from Philippi after the days of
unleavened bread,...” Now why mention going after the days of Unleavened
Bread? Well, it’s very simple: they kept the days of Unleavened Bread
and wouldn’t leave until the Feast of Unleavened Bread was over. In
other words, they observed the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and then left
after that. “...And came unto them to Troas in five days; where we abode
seven days.” So they got there on a Sunday, stayed there seven days.
“And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came
together to break bread,...” (Acts 20:5-7). And that was then after
sundown after the Sabbath ended, getting on into the first day of the
week and so forth. So they kept the Feast of Unleavened Bread. That’s
the important thing to understand.
Now let’s come here to chapter 24 and verse 14. “But this I confess
unto thee, that after the way which they [the Jews] call heresy, so
worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written
in the law and in the prophets:...” And Paul himself was the one who
wrote to show that the only thing that had been fulfilled and superseded
by the sacrifice of Christ was the animal sacrifice and the temple
ritual. And we read that earlier. He believed everything else.
Let’s come here to chapter 27 and verse 9. “Now when much time was
spent, and when sailing was now dangerous, because the fast was now
already passed,...” Now you may have in your reference there going back
to Leviticus 23:27, referring to the Day of Atonement. So here Paul,
even when he was sailing, and it was dangerous, he was still keeping the
Day of Atonement on that ship. And the fast had ended. So Paul kept it.
Now let’s come over here to 1 Corinthians 16:7. “For I will not see
you now by the way [or that is, in my travel this time]; but I trust to
tarry a while with you, if the Lord permit. But I will tarry [or that
is, remain] at Ephesus until Pentecost.” So how were they measuring
time? By Christmas? No. By Easter? No. By New Year’s? No. By Sunday? No,
but by Sabbath and the holy days, all the way through. Here’s Pentecost.
Now let’s come to 1 Corinthians 5, since we are here. And here is the
command. And you need to understand this, as here is a principle: you
can’t have one commandment without the other. You must have all of them.
And did not the apostle James say that if you keep the whole law yet
offended one point, you’re guilty of all the law? Correct? So if you
keep the Sabbath but don’t keep the holy days, then you are guilty of
transgressing the holy days, and stand before God as a sinner.
Especially when we have here in 1 Corinthians 5 an absolute, dogmatic
command by the apostle Paul to keep the feast, and the Feast of
Unleavened Bread. Now let’s pick it up here in verse 7. “Purge out
therefore the old leaven,...” Because during the Days of Unleavened
Bread, leaven is a type of sin. “...That ye may be a new lump, as ye are
unleavened.” Having put it out of their houses, and they are unleavened
in Christ. “For even Christ our passover is [was] sacrificed for us [as
it should read]: therefore let us keep the feast,...” Which feast? Of
Unleavened Bread, “...not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of
malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity
and truth” (1 Cor. 5:7-8). So he is virtually saying here in this
command to keep the feast, “If you don’t keep the feast, you’re not
keeping the truth.” There is a great command.
Now then, we need to understand another principle, which is this:
People say, “Well, if it’s not repeated in the New Testament, I don’t
have to do it.” The reason a lot of these things are not repeated in the
New Testament is because it would become redundant. And God didn’t want
to have a book of fifty volumes. He wanted one book. So that’s why you
have to believe the whole Word of God. Let’s come to Hebrews 4. Now if
you want a more in-depth study on Hebrews 4, you can write in for it, we
have it. I just want to focus in on one verse, verse 9, and to summarize
the part up to it, because God’s plan is not yet complete. “There
remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.” Now that is an
improper translation. And it should read this way: “There remains
therefore Sabbath keeping to the people of God.” Now that becomes very
important, because Sabbath-keeping, then, means more than just keeping
the Sabbath. Sabbath-keeping includes all of the holy days, and the
people of God include the Gentiles (1 Peter 1), not just the Hebrews.
So for people to say, “I am not convinced that we ought to keep the
holy days,” then what you need to do is get in and really study your
Bible more, and ask yourself the question, “Do I really believe in the
Word of God, and the will of God, am I willing to understand it the way
God says? Or am I going to keep this in the way of personal opinion and
become like all other religious people?” and end up rejecting the Word
of God.
Should We Keep The Holy Days? - August 7, 1999
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Scriptural References
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1) |
2 Corinthians 4:1-4 |
20) |
Psalm 119:127-128 |
| 2) |
Jeremiah 17:9 |
21) |
2 Thessalonians 2:9-12 |
| 3) |
Matthew 7:21-23 |
22) |
Mark 2:27-28 |
| 4) |
Psalm 143:10 |
23) |
Luke 2:40-42, 46-49 |
| 5) |
Romans 12:1-2 |
24) |
John 2:13-16, 23 |
| 6) |
Luke 16:13-17 |
25) |
John 5:1 |
| 7) |
Matthew 5:17-18 |
26) |
John 6:4, 53 |
| 8) |
Hebrews 9:11-12, 28 |
27) |
John 7:1-2, 10, 14-17, 37-39 |
| 9) |
Hebrews 10:1-12, 14-23 |
28) |
Acts 2:1-2 |
| 10) |
Genesis 2:1-3 |
29) |
Acts 12:1-4 |
| 11) |
Genesis 1:14 |
30) |
Acts 16:13 |
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12) |
Genesis 15:4-6 |
31) |
Luke 4:16 |
| 13) |
Exodus 12:5-6, 11, 13-17 |
32) |
Acts 18:18-21 |
| 14) |
Exodus 20 |
33) |
Acts 20:5-7 |
| 15) |
Leviticus 23:1-8, 21, 24-25, 27-28, 32, 34-37 |
34) |
Acts 24:14 |
| 16) |
Numbers 28:1-3, 9-10 |
35) |
Acts 27:9
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| 17) |
Ezekiel 20:10-13, 16, 19-21 |
36) |
1 Corinthians 5:7-8 |
| 18) |
Matthew 22:37-40 |
37) |
Hebrews 4:9
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| 19) |
John 4:23-24 |
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