Sukkot and Celebrations: The Church Harvest Festival Jon Wright 8 th Oct 2006

Why Celebrate Sukkot? Lev 23: Celebrate this as a festival to the LORD for seven days each year. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come; celebrate it in the seventh month. 42 Live in booths for seven days: All native-born Israelites are to live in booths 41 每年七月間，要向耶和華守這節七日。這為 你們世世代代永遠的定例。 42 你們要住在棚 裡七日；凡以色列家的人都要住在棚裡，

History: God had just delivered the Israelites out of Egypt. At this time the Israelites were in the desert They were reliant and God for all their needs This included having drinking water: Exodus 15:22-25 Also food (manna from heaven): Exodus 16. The manna lasted one day only except the day before Sabbath when it lasted two.

God still provides today. 1 Cor 6: He provides our physical bodies Matt 6:11; John 6: He provides His Word which feeds us 1 Cor 12: He provides spiritual gifts for the body of the Church (Jew or Otherwise) Psalm 91: He provides Angels to guard over us Phil 4:19 - He provides the right the right the right place ‘My God will meet all your needs’ - Jehovah-Jireh cares.

What is an/this Oasis? An Oasis is a place of refreshing, people gather It is a place of strategic importance No potable water = Death In war an army will often defends an Oasis to deny it to others When moving on they would drink their fill and then poison the Oasis to deny it to others

God is Great - His Holy Spirit can purify an Oasis We need to be aware that the enemy will try to poison this Oasis (tear down/destroy/harm) We need watchmen on the towers to shout out that trouble is coming Prophets to tell is that ‘sin is in the camp’ We need intercessors and prayer warriors to pray for protection and cleansing We need people who will stand and say ‘For me and my household I will serve the Lord’ Joshua 24:15

What about us - the personal Oasis? 1 John 1:8-10? We too can contain poison (1 John 1:8) We can have poisonous attitudes to others We can contain hate not love in our hearts A simple start: ‘Lord please help me see him/her/them in the same way that you see them’ i.e. as God see his creations How can one love God if he can not love his brother? 1 John 4:19-21

How can I love others if I do not love myself? Many times we are told we are useless, rubbish, unlovable, never to marry, that our dreams and visions are flights of fancy - that is not from God We can not be saved without being transformed, our time of being changed can feel as if we are stuck in a booth when we’d rather be in a house One of the hardest parts of being transformed is relearning that Love is, that God loves us - that we can love ourselves even thou we have always been told we are a waste of resources - Rejection

Real change can take time Stop praying ‘God change my circumstances’ Need to pray ‘Lord here I am use me’ (Hebrews 10:5-9) Many things will try to stop you from changing And so we are transfigured much like the Messiah, our lives gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like him. 2 Cor 3:18 (The Message) God is more concerned about how strong we grow and not how fast we grow

The Life Cycle Of A Butterfly

Bird Food!

God is Real, the Bible is real History - the battle is real

Summary: Hold Onto Jer 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” 耶和華說：我知道我向你們所懷的意念 是賜平安的意念，不是降災禍的意念， 要叫你們末後有指望。