Gtcotr/ss092621
Waiting is perhaps one of the most difficult demands we face in life. It seems that most people could use a bit more patience … the only problem is, they need it now. Waiting doesn’t seem to be near as hard as long as we believe something is really going to happen. But at times, waiting can begin to tax your faith.
When people hear “not now” they often imagine “never” … but that’s not always the case. There is a big difference between a mother telling her children that they can’t have a cookie right now and the kids believing that mom means never. For the child however, and sad to say for many adults as well, “Not now,” feels like “never!”
Reading through the Bible you will come across several “Not now” realities. Instead of saying “not now,” the New King James Version of the Bible says, “Not yet.” I have come to realize that Jesus has a “not yet” answer for several concerns. Out of the 39 times that phrase is used in the Bible; 10 times it is used in just the Gospel of John and 4 of those times in only 1 Chapter. That’s right; more than 10% of the “Not Yets” in the whole Bible are said by Jesus in only 1 Chapter. Let’s take a look at that chapter and see how it applies to us right now.
John 7
1 After these things Jesus
walked in Galilee; for He did not want to walk in Judea, because the Jews
sought to kill Him.
2 Now the Jews’ Feast of Tabernacles was at hand.
Note:
Expound on the Feast of Tabernacles
·
Feast
of Sukkoth – Feast of Booths – Feast of Ingathering
·
The
last and greatest of 3 major feasts each year (Deuteronomy 16:16) – Even though
it is actually celebrated at the New Year time of the Year on God’s calendar.
·
God
does not think like we think:
o The day begins at
sunset, not sunrise
o The year begins at
harvest time not in the spring
o Man’s first day of
life was God’s day of rest
·
The
Feast of Tabernacles is celebrated after the harvest
·
Commemorates
the protection and provision of God for the Children of Israel for the 40 years
they were in the wilderness
·
This
Feast is to be celebrated with much joy and rejoicing, with family, friends,
and neighbors, a lot of food and fellowship.
·
Solomon
dedicated the Temple in Jerusalem on this day (2Ch 7)
·
Ezra
resumed sacrifice after the return from Babylonian captivity
·
The
Ark of the Covenant was placed in the Temple by King Solomon on this day, and
the glory of God was so powerful the priests could not even stand to minister.
(1Ki 8)
·
God
commanded the Children of Israel to make booths, tabernacles, tents, temporary
shelters outside their homes and celebrate the feasts in these booths,
tabernacles, for 7 days of joy and rejoicing.
·
The
8th day is the “Great Day” of the feast in which a special gift is
to be presented to the Lord. (Exo 23; Deut 31)
·
The
book of Leviticus 23:33-44 describes how the celebration is to be observed.
·
Many
believe, as do I, that Jesus was born at the time of the Feast of Tabernacles.
(John 1:1&14 – dwelt = tabernacle)
·
The
Feast is a forerunner of the great harvest of the earth unto Christ - both the
7 years of joy, rejoicing and feasting in the heavens, as well as the 1000-year
reign of Christ on the earth when, according to Zechariah 14 and Revelation 20,
all nations which survive the great tribulation will come and worship the Lamb
in Jerusalem.
·
And
even after the 1000-year reign, on the 8th day, the Feast of
Tabernacles points to a new heaven and a new earth wherein we will tabernacle
(dwell) with God forever
· By the way … your body is the current Tabernacle of God in the earth
Revelation 21:3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
·
On
top of all of this … Tomorrow, Monday, September 27, 2021, is the is the last
day of the Feast of Tabernacles this year.
· Then at sundown tomorrow begins what is known as the 8th day, or the “Great Day” in which a special gift is to be presented to the Lord.
Well anyway, as John continues to give His inspired account in verse 2:
2 Now the Jews’ Feast of
Tabernacles was at hand.
3 His brothers therefore said
to Him, "Depart from here and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may
see the works that You are doing.
4 "For no one does
anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly. If You do these
things, show Yourself to the world."
5 For even His brothers did
not believe in Him.
6 Then Jesus said to them,
"My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready.
7 "The world cannot hate
you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil.
8 "You go up to this
feast. I am not yet going up to this feast, for My time has not yet fully
come."
John 7: 14 Now about the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and taught.
See … not yet does not mean never …
Remember I told you that the feast lasted 7 days and the 8th day was a “Great Day” in which a special gift was presented to the Lord? Well, let’s follow John’s anointed account a little further -
John 7
37 On the last day, that great
day of the feast, Jesus stood
and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.
38 "He who believes in
Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living
water."
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.
I believe, just like He said 2000 years ago, Jesus has something special planned for us. Tomorrow marks the beginning of the historic “Great Day” of the Feast in which we present our best gifts to the Lord. What would a special gift look like? What does God want? Of course, God wants you to trust Him. It’s really the only gift a person can offer to God.
Faith in God … trusting Him, is the only thing a person has to give the Eternal Creator of the universe. Your trust in Jesus is the only gift you can give God that He can get nowhere else. He gave us His Son as a special gift to you, now it’s your turn to give Him the one thing He cannot manufacture Himself … will you trust Him?
That’s all God wanted from the Children of Israel and that’s no doubt one of the biggest reasons why He wants them to celebrate what He did for them in all the years they lived in tents in the wilderness depending on His daily provision and nightly protection. He wants us all to remember that no matter what it looked like, He never failed, and He never once forgot about their needs.
Jesus told His brothers who did not believe in Him … "My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready.”
Perhaps
you are waiting on Jesus for something only He can do.
·
In
your personal life
·
For
your family
· Concerning your nation
Don’t
imagine that His “not yet” answer means never. Perhaps God’s answer is simply
“not yet”. However, it is always your time to trust Him.
·
Trust
God for your personal needs.
·
Have
faith in God for your family.
· Believe that God has a plan for your nation, and trust that His plan is the best.
We are closer to the end than ever before. This is a unique time in the history of the world, and we were born for such a time. Give God the only thing He cannot get without you … give Him your trust.
Have
faith in God … it is not even possible that He will let things continue as they
are forever … it’s just that His time is not yet come. If it was time … this
would be over … and soon, I believe, it will be … but for now … I’ll trust Him.
This is my special gift to God … How about you?
