RABBI SCHNEIDER>>>(Music) Beloved, this is my final episode on the Fall Holy Days. We're continuing today with the Feast of Tabernacles, Part 2. You're gonna learn today that even as the Israelites were changed in the wilderness, you're being changed for the trials that you go through in your life. (Music) (Shofar Blowing) ANNOUNCER>>Rabbi Schneider is a voice crying out in our lost world, pointing mankind to Jesus today. CYNTHIA SCHNEIDER>> (Music) Shalom, I'm Cynthia, Rabbi's wife. Beloved, we are so thankful for what God is doing in people's lives through this ministry all around the world. I pray right now that whatever you need in your life, God will minister to you as Rabbi teaches and preaches God's Word. RABBI SCHNEIDER>>God bless you, and Shalom, beloved one. My name's Rabbi Schneider. Welcome today to this edition of Discovering the Jewish Jesus, where we're in a series called the Fall Holy Days. In fact, I'd encourage you to get this entire teaching dealing with the Feast of Trumpets, Yom Kippur, and today we're continuing our message on the Feast of Tabernacles, the last of the fall holy days. Beloved, the Feast of Tabernacles, called in Hebrew, Sukkot, is a feast of great celebration. It kind of like, as we move into the Feast of Trumpets, we begin to look at our hearts, because we realize that we're all gonna stand before God. Then on Yom Kippur, we ask for forgiveness for all the sin, and for cleansing from all defilement in our life. But by the time we get to the Feast of Tabernacles, the concept is that the work of repentance and confessing has already been done and now it's time to celebrate. And so the Feast of Tabernacles is a feast of celebration. And so we read about it in Leviticus, 23. And in Leviticus, 23, we saw last week that the Lord actually instructed the children of Israel, listen now, to rejoice before him for seven days. They were actually commanded to rejoice. In fact, I pointed out on last week's broadcast that in the Book of Deuteronomy, chapter number 28, the Lord actually had to discipline the children of Israel because they weren't leading lives of joyfulness and thanksgiving. And so there's a great lesson here that the Lord wants you and I to lead lives, beloved, of rejoicing today as a common lifestyle. Paul said, rejoice, again I say, he said, rejoice. We looked at that last week. And then last week we also looked about how they gathered in choice species in the native land of Israel to thank the Lord and to recognize that every good gift that had come into their life had come into their life from above. We talked about those two points. Now we're gonna pick up where we left off last week. We're talking about living in booths. The Lord commands the children of Israel, the native born, even to this day during the Feast of Tabernacles to live in a booth or a tabernacle for seven days. We read about it in the Book of Leviticus, chapter number 23, verse number 42. Hear the Word of God. He says: You shall live in booths for seven days; all the native-born in Israel shall live in booths, so that your generations may know that I had the sons of Israel live in booths when I brought them out from the land of Egypt. I am Yahweh, your God. And so to this day still, native-born Israelites will build a booth and live in that Sukkah for seven days during the Feast of Tabernacles. Now you see a picture of a Sukkah on your screen. Notice that it's constructed of natural wood, etc. because the children of Israel had to build their temporary structures out of natural products from the environment. And notice also that you can see through the roof, because the concept is, is that when we go into the Sukkah each year during these days to spend time in the Sukkah, we remember that when the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they had nothing but God. And when we're sitting in the Sukkah, beloved one, when we're sitting in the temporary booth and we look up and we can see through the roof because, there's only branches on top of it, but it's not like a full, you know, dry-walled roof that you can't see through. You're supposed to be able to see through it so you can see up into the sky and into the infinite where God is. You see, what we remember is that the children of Israel, when they were in the wilderness, as we look up through the roof, they had nothing but God. As they look into the stars and as we look into the stars today during the Feast of Tabernacles, we remember that even as the children of Israel had nothing to rely on but God, yet God was enough. So too, beloved child of God, there may be times in our life today where we feel we have nothing but God. But you know what? During those times when you feel you may have no friends that can support you, no family that can support you, no doctors can help you, during those times you know what? You still have God and he's gonna be for you what he was for the children of Israel. I want you to know he will be enough Paul said, in him, you have been made complete. It's important for you to know and for me to know, get this, that even if we lost everything we would still be okay 'cause we'd still have Jesus. And the love of the Father, beloved, would still be our portion. We would have enough. Father God will continue to bless us and re-built our lives. I want you to know, you're okay, and you're gonna be okay. Over a hundred times the Lord tells us, do not be afraid. Beloved, all you need is God. He will be enough for you. And not only will he be enough for you, he'll be more than enough because Jesus said he had come to give life and give it abundantly. I love this teaching on the Feast of Tabernacles because once a year I'm reminded that you know what, at the end of the day, if I lost everything I'd be okay 'cause I'd still have God. Even as Israel only had God in the wilderness, and yet God provided for their needs, he provided for their food, he provided for their water. The Bible says that when they came out of Israel, when they came out of Egypt, rather, after those forty years, their clothes had not worn out, their shoes had not worn out, and their wasn't even a feeble one in their midst; that God alone, beloved, was their portion and he was more than enough. He'll be the same for you and I as we depend on him. Now hear this. Do you know that when the Israelites were in the wilderness for forty years with nothing, again no insurance policies, no doctors, nothing, do you know what, during those forty years when they had nothing, they literally experienced the presence of God every day and every night because in the center of the camp where they were camping, there was a pillar of fire that visibly was manifest in the night and a glory cloud that remained over the tabernacle, the center of where they were all camping at, in the day time. In other words, in the very center was the Ark of the Covenant, and over the Ark of the Covenant, the tabernacle. I'm talking not, not the individual tabernacles, but I'm talking about now the tabernacle that the Lord called Moses to make. So don't get confused on this. But in the center of the camp, they could see the pillar of fire by night and the glory cloud by day for forty years. And the point is, is that when you and I go through seasons of life where we're stripped, because when the children of Israel were in the wilderness for forty years, they were stripped of everything. I'm gonna take you to Deuteronomy, chapter 8, in a second and you're gonna see there how the Lord said to Israel, I led you through the great and terrible wilderness these forty years, he said, to humble you, to strip you of relying on anything but me, that you'd learn, the Lord said to them, to depend on the Word of God. He said, that you would learn how to depend on the Word of God alone. God stripped them in order that they would become completely dependent on him. And you know what, beloved one, here's the point, that during those seasons in our life when the Lord strips us of other things, we have nothing else to rely on, he is gonna make himself felt by us in an unusual way just like he allowed the children of Israel to see that glory cloud over the tabernacle by day and the fire by night when they were stripped of everything else. When I think about the times in my life that I have felt closest to the Lord, often times it's been times, beloved, of stripping. Now hear me when I say to you, the point of this teaching today is to recognize that the information that we're bringing forth that happened to Israel historically is applicable today to you and I because the principles (Music) are the same. (Music) RABBI SCHNEIDER>>(Music) The Torah, beloved, in the Book of Leviticus and the Book of Exodus, also described the Feast of Tabernacles as the Feast of Ingathering. It was the time of year that the Israelites would gather in all their produce and give thanks to the Father. You know what, right now, Jesus has sent us into the field to bring in an ingathering, to bring us a harvest for him. We've been given the task of evangelizing the world. Jesus's last words were preach the Gospel to all creation and make disciples of all nations. Beloved ones, as you partner with us financially at Discovering the Jewish Jesus, you're participating in a prophetic Feast of Ingathering because we're going into the harvest fields all over the earth, through television, radio, and on the ground missions' crusades to bring in a great ingathering and a harvest for the Father. You and I are gonna stand before King Jesus very soon. And when we do, beloved, we're gonna have joy for having played a part in the ingathering of a great harvest unto God the Father and glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. Let's be about the Father's business, beloved. If you can't go, send me and together we're gonna reap a reward together. God bless you, beloved, and Chag Sameach, Happy Holiday to you, Happy Feast of Tabernacles. ANNOUNCER>>Now back to today's program. RABBI SCHNEIDER>>I want you if you have your Bible with me now to join me as we go to Deuteronomy, chapter number 8. I want to point out some key Scriptures here today having to do with the Feast of Tabernacles. Remember in Leviticus, 23, I just read for you that the Lord told the children of Israel in Leviticus, 23, verse 43, that they were to live in booths, that they would remember that they lived in the wilderness in booths for forty years. Now as they remember that, what did they remember? They remembered what it was like to live in a booth in the wilderness. So let's read Deuteronomy, chapter 8. It will help us to kind of conceive what it was that they remembered. Hear the Word of God. Verse number 2, Deuteronomy,8, the Lord said: You shall remember, there's that same word, remember, you shall remember all the way which the Lord your God has led you in the wilderness these forty years. So once again during Tabernacles, the Lord tells the children of Israel to live in booths, to remember that they lived in these booths for forty years. Now in Deuteronomy, 8, the Lord is giving us more specific information about what it was that they would have been remembering. Let's listen again: You shall remember all the way which the Lord your God has led you in the wilderness these forty years, that he might humble you. So in other words, why did the Lord lead them in the wilderness for forty years? We find out right here; that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart. So it was a stripping process. The Lord was humbling them, okay, that they would learn how to depend on every word that proceeded out of the mouth of God; that God would become their only sufficiency. Now when the Lord says here that he was testing them to know what was in their heart, I want you to understand, God already has the information. He knows past, present future, okay. It's not like he needs to find out. He already knows what's in their heart. But in the Biblical concept, testing often refers to the Lord bringing us through a test in order to bring us up to the next level. In other words, he's not testing us just so he can find out, you know, what we know. He's testing us so that we would know what we need to learn and that we would then be brought up to the next level. It's to call us up. So let's continue on in verse number 3: He humbled you and let you be hungry, and fed you with manna, which you did not know. So they experienced a new dimension of God. By making them dependent on him, Father God did miracles in their life that they never experienced before. He humbled you and let you be hungry, and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, get it now, that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord. And so they became dependent on God alone for their life. And beloved ones, when you and I get to the place where we're depending on the Word of God alone, when we're depending on Jesus alone, when we're depending on the promises of God alone, when we're depending on the presence of the Father's love in our life alone, when we stop relying on other things, when we stop putting our identity in misplaced idols, you know what's gonna happen? We're gonna get strong. And when you get strong, you're gonna be happy. The Lord was humbling them by taking away all their crutches in order to make them strong. Let's continue on. Verse number 5: Thus you are to know in your heart that the Lord your God was disciplining you just as a man disciplines his son. And so discipline is not punishment in the sense of someone taking out their anger, but discipline by a loving parent is designed for the child's good to bring the child, the son or the daughter, up to the next level. And that's what the God of Israel tells us he was doing here for his children by bringing them into the wilderness for forty years. Now let me ask you a question, beloved child of God. If God did this for Israel, he brought them into a great trial in order to strip them of false crutches in life, so that they could come, become completely dependent on him, I want to ask you, do you think it's possible that the Father's plan is the same for you, that he is gonna bring you and I through trials that will strip us, that will humble us, in order to teach us and train us how to live by him alone? You know what? It's gonna happen if it hasn't happened yet. It happens to all of us. The Bible says in the Book of Hebrews, that Father God, get it now, he disciplines every son that he receives. Today, not just 3500 years ago in Israel, but today in the New Testament, the author of Hebrews tells us that Father God disciplines every son and daughter that he receives. And the Scripture continues in Hebrews, and this discipline, it doesn't feel good when we're going through it, but the purpose of it, the author tells us, is to partake in the Father's holiness that we be, get separated unto him and the end result of it, the author tells us, is that it, get it now, the peaceful fruit of righteousness; that when we come through this testing, when we come through this disciplinary process we come out separated unto God, holy and pure in our walk with him. And not only that, but we're enjoying the peace that comes from living in harmony with God and with his divine nature. We read, for example, these words in the Book of James, chapter number 1. Hear the Word of James, chapter number 1, speaking of this same concept. Hear, beloved, the Word of God as I begin there in verse number 1: James, a bond-servant of God and of our Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes who are dispersed abroad; Greetings. Listen to the next verse: Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. 2 Corinthians, 1, verse 8-9, Paul says: For we do not want you to be unaware, brethren, of our affliction which came to us in Asia, that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life. Indeed, we had the death sentence, and he says, and death was working within ourselves. But here's why, so that we would not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead. So what Paul was saying here, beloved ones, is that Father had put him in a, in a trial that was so big that it was so heavy, that he had nothing, no earthly strength to be able to deal with it. And his only place to go was to find refuge and strength in God. And so Paul said that this sentence of death that was working against us, it was, it felt terrible, he said, but this is happening to me that I would learn to trust in God that raises the dead. You see, Paul said in our weakness his strength is perfected. So every year, getting back to the Feast of Tabernacles, we read in Leviticus, 23, the Lord has the children of Israel living in these booths to remind them that he's always gonna bring us through a wilderness and through a trial before he brings us into the Promised Land. He can't bring us right into the Promised Land because we'd get spoiled. First he has to break us like they do in the Marines, and then build us back up. So let's continue on in Leviticus, 23, and we're gonna read about this. Leviticus, 23, we're continuing on with this same concept because this is absolute, direct spiritual application in your life and in my life today. The Lord says there, rather, I'm gonna go to Deuteronomy, chapter 8. The Lord says this, that: When you have eaten, he says, I'm bringing you through the hard times. He says so that when you have eaten and are satisfied, you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land which He has given you. In verse 16: In the wilderness He fed you manna which your fathers did not know that He might humble you, that He might test you, get it now, to do good for you in the end. Otherwise, you may say in your heart, My power and the strength of my hand made me this wealth. So in other words, Father God was saying here, beloved one, that I need to break you and get you completely dependent on me. And after you've become completely dependent on me and have developed an attitude of appreciation and gratitude for everything that I do in your life, he said, then I can bless you more. But if I bless you now with all the good that I have planned for you before I've humbled you first and made you dependent on me, what's gonna happen is I'm gonna bless you with all these good things and rather than celebrate me, you'll be spoiled and you'll think that maybe it was your, your intelligence or your might that brought all these good things in your life. So the point that we learn here, beloved, is that every single one of us mass, must pass through trials and a wilderness period in our life where we're stripped, and become completely dependent on Father and his Word. And the reason the Lord does this is to align us with himself and with truth so that he can bring us into the good land, into the abundance of the Spirit in Jesus that he has planned for us. There's so many truths, beloved, from the Feast of Tabernacles. I wish I had more time to share with you. I want to encourage you during this season of the year, practice an attitude of gratitude. Give to the Lord a special offering to show your honor and appreciation of everything that he's done for you. Spend time recognizing that even if you lost everything, you'd still be okay 'cause the Father loves you so much, beloved, he's gonna take care of all your real needs for all your days. You'll never be without. Father, we just want to thank you today that we have a God that we can trust; Father, that you are faithful. Father, we want to thank you for everything that you've already done for us. And Father, we want to thank you for all the good that you're going to do. Beloved, the last key I want to share with you is this, that in the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles, as I was sharing earlier, the priests would take water and they would pour this water that came from the Pool of Siloam on an altar at the temple. And when the water was poured on the temple, the people would begin to shout and praise, and we actually have writings from Rabbis that the praise became so ecstatic that, that people were doing somersaults on their head praising God. Why were the people shouting and praising during this last act of the Feast of Tabernacles, beloved? Because it was a prophetic act that as that water was poured upon the altar, that God's blessings would continually be poured out on their lives and the same is true today. The goodness of God will continue to be poured out on your life. Father will continue to bless you in his Son, Messiah Jesus. I love you and Happy Holiday to you. (Music) RABBI SCHNEIDER>>(Music) Beloved, I never want to take what's sacred and twist it for my own purposes, nor do I want to manipulate Father's Word. I just want to make you aware. This is a time of year that Israel presented a special offering to their God. And I have found over the years that many of God's people want to participate in doing the same thing. I just want you to know, if you feel moved by his Spirit to present a special offering to him this year, and feel inclined to do so through Discovering the Jewish Jesus, I would be very thankful for your support. It costs me thousands of dollars every week, beloved ones, to spread the Gospel around the earth through television, radio, and on the ground mission crusades. And I need you, beloved, to send me. And with your support, beloved, we can make a huge difference. Thank you for your love and your generosity in Jesus's name. I love you and Shalom. MICHAEL HARDY>> Here's how you can partner with us. Send your special Holy Day offering to Discovering the Jewish Jesus, PO Box 777, Blissfield, Michigan, 49228. To make a credit card donation, call 1-800-777-7835, 1-800-777-7835. To donate securely online, go to discoveringthejewishjesus.com. To show our appreciation, we'll send you an audio CD of Rabbi Schneider's message of the month. As well as our most recent news letter. To learn more about this ministry, and for more information about Rabbi Schneider's rich spiritual resources or Messianic music by Joshua James, go to discoveringthejewishjesus.com. CYNTHIA SCHNEIDER>>(Music) If you have a testimony of how the Lord has used Discovering the Jewish Jesus to change your life, we invite you to share it with us. Visit us at DiscoveringTheJewishJesus.com and click on the Testimonies link. "Every week since January of 2014, I have submitted a prayer request for healing from Lupus for my friend, Britney, to your prayer team. This past Wednesday, she went to the doctor and he proclaimed, 'All your blood work and tests are normal. I cannot find anything wrong or out of the ordinary. I will begin taking you off your medications over the next month.' Praise God. Thank you Jesus. Thank you Discovering the Jewish Jesus prayer team. Thank you, Rabbi. We serve an awesome God who never fails nor forsakes us. Amen, Amen." Shawn of Texas. We're glad you joined us today and we want to pray for you. Send us your prayer requests by mail or by visiting us at DiscoveringTheJewishJesus.com. We also want to thank you for your prayer support and for your financial support to us. In supporting Discovering the Jewish Jesus, you become a partner with God in building his kingdom. Thank you and may the Lord pour back into your life as you partner together with us. (Music) ♪ I'm gonna live my life, ♪ ♪ I'm gonna live my life ♪ ♪ for Yeshua ♪ ♪ I'm gonna live my life, ♪ ♪ I'm gonna live my life ♪ ♪ for Yeshua ♪ ♪ As the deer ♪ ♪ longs for the water, ♪ ♪ so my soul ♪ ♪ longs for you. ♪ ♪ As the deer ♪ RABBI SCHNEIDER>>Beloved one, as we close the broadcast today, I want to release Father's blessing on your life. In Numbers, chapter 6, verse 24-26, the Lord told Moses that when these words are spoken over his people that he would place his name on them and bless them. (Singing in Hebrew) (Singing in Hebrew) (Singing in Hebrew) (Singing in Hebrew) The Lord will bless you and keep you. The Lord will make his face shine on you and be gracious to you. The Lord will lift you up with his countenance. And the Lord will give you his peace. Maybe you've watched the broadcast today and Jesus is knocking at the door of your heart, and you've never invited him into your life before, and you'd like to do that right now. Just repeat after me. Just say, Lord Jesus, I believe that you came and died for my sins, and I receive you into my life right now. Thank you for dying for my sins and taking my place on the cross. Come inside and live in me now. Jesus, I give my life to you. If you just prayed that prayer for the first time, let us know. God bless you, beloved ones. I love you and Shalom. RABBI SCHNEIDER>> (Music) Beloved ones, we are the children of God. Today I've concluded my five-part teaching series on The Fall Holy Days. I want to encourage you to get this series. You know what? It's not only informational, but it's transformational. I'm confident that when you listen to it, you'll be blessed. ANNOUNCER>> Rabbi Schneider has great faith-building resources available for you 24-7. Visit our website to send us your prayer requests. Watch full episodes; download Rabbi's teaching notes and so much more, all at DiscoveringTheJewishJesus.com.
