Presents….
Pentecost
A Celebration of Giving
Pentecost 2015/5775
May 23-24
Shavu’ot
Feast of Weeks
Feast of Harvest
Exodus 23:14-17
14 “Three
times a year you shall celebrate a feast to
Me. 15 You shall observe the Feast of Unleavened
Bread (Passover); for seven days you are to eat
unleavened bread, as I commanded you, at the
appointed time in the month Abib, for in it you came
out of Egypt. And none shall appear before Me
empty-handed.
16 Also you shall observe the Feast of the Harvest
(Pentecost) of the first fruits of your
labors from what you sow in the field;
also the Feast of the Ingathering (Tabernacles) at the
end of the year when you gather in the fruit of your
labors from the field.
17 Three times a year all your males shall appear
before the Lord GOD.
Spring Feasts
Fall Feasts
Nissan 1st month
Summer
Tishri 7th month
Sivan 3rd
month
Passover
Firstfruits
Unleavened
Bread
Jesus’ 1st Coming
Ministry of Redemption
Trumpets
Tabernacles
Atonement
Pentecost
Birth of
Israel, the
Church
God’s Appointed Times
Jesus’ 2nd Coming
Dwelling in His Glory
You shall also count
for yourselves from
the day after the
sabbath, from the
day when you
brought in the sheaf
of the wave
offering; there shall
be seven complete
sabbaths. You shall
count fifty days to
the day after the
seventh sabbath;
then you shall
present a new grain
offering to the LORD.
Lev 23:15-16
•
God’s instruction was to count seven
sabbaths, or 49 days. The eve of May 23, or
5 Sivan, marks the fiftieth day when
Pentecost, the second firstfruits offering of
the wheat harvest begins
•
This 49 day period is a time of expectancy,
a time of cleansing and repentance.
•
The omer is the unit of measurement that
the Israelites used to gather their manna
each day.
•
The “omer” was the equivalent of one day.
Leviticus 23:17-21
You shall bring in from your dwelling places two loaves of bread for
a wave offering, made of two-tenths of an ephah; they shall be of a
fine flour, baked with leaven as first fruits to the LORD. Along with
the bread you shall present seven one year old male lambs without
defect, and a bull of the herd and two rams; they are to be a burnt
offering to the LORD, with their grain offering and their drink
offerings, an offering by fire of a soothing aroma to the LORD. You
shall also offer one male goat for a sin offering and two male lambs
one year old for a sacrifice of peace offerings. The priest shall then
wave them with the bread of the first fruits for a wave offering with
two lambs before the LORD; they are to be holy to the LORD for the
priest. On this same day you shall make a proclamation as well;
you are to have a holy convocation. You shall do no laborious work.
It is to be a perpetual statute in all your dwelling places throughout
your generations.
Two Leavened Loaves
•
At Firstfruits, they were to offer a sheaf of their barley harvest for a first
fruits offering.
•
At Pentecost, they harvested the
wheat crop which was known as
“good food.”
•
They crushed the grain to make flour
and baked large loaves. The amount
of flour that God told them to use was
enough to make two loaves that were
21” x 12” x 3”!
•
Why leavened?
Offerings
Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘When you enter the land
which I am going to give to you and reap its harvest, then you shall
bring in the sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest to the priest.
Lev 23:10
re'shiyth – meaning first, beginning, best, chief, first of its kind
Jesus is the First Firstfruits
You shall bring in from your dwelling places two loaves of bread for a wave
offering, made of two-tenths of an ephah; they shall be of a fine flour,
baked with leaven as first fruits to the LORD. Lev 23:17
Bikkuwr – meaning the first of the crops and fruit that ripened, was
gathered, and offered to God
We are the second firstfruits
The Significance of Sinai
God chose the place He
wanted to speak to His
people
He gave them His
instructions, or Law, for
how they were to live in the
Promised Land.
He was raising up His nation
and giving the Hebrews a
new identity.
A New Identity
And the Lord said to Moses, “When you go back to Egypt, see that you do
before Pharaoh all the miracles that I have put in your power. But I will
harden his heart, so that he will not let the people go. Then you shall say
to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the Lord, Israel is my firstborn son, and I say to
you, “Let my son go that he may serve me.” If you refuse to let him go,
behold, I will kill your firstborn son. “
Exodus 4:21-23
•
God called Himself the Father
•
He called the community of Israel His
Firstborn
•
The Firstborn had a special place of authority,
rights and privileges
•
He called them Family
Levites are God’s Firstborn
Before the 2nd Passover, the
Lord declared the Levites would
be His firstborn. He reminded
them of what happened in
Egypt.
And the Lord spoke to Moses,
saying, “Behold, I have taken the Levites
from among the people of Israel instead of
every firstborn who opens the womb among
the people of Israel. The Levites shall be
mine, for all the firstborn are mine. On the day
that I struck down all the firstborn in the land
of Egypt, I consecrated for my own all the
firstborn in Israel, both of man and of beast.
They shall be mine: I am the Lord.”
Numbers 3:5-13
Responsibility of the Firstborn
God substituted the firstborn of Israel for the Levites. Quite
often we see God set aside the natural firstborn for His chosen
spiritual firstborn.
God is the inheritance of the sons of Zadok
Their responsibilities were to:
• Keep charge of the sanctuary
• Minister to the Lord – intimacy
• Obey Him – honor and revere Him
• Teach the people with discernment
• Know the difference between holy/profane, clean/unclean
• Judge disputes in righteousness, with God’s heart (Solomon)
(Ezekiel 44)
Shavu’ot
Shavu’ot is the Hebrew word for weeks . This is what the Israelites called this
holiday because they had counted off 7 weeks till the second harvest.
Later, this annual festival became known as the Feast of the Giving of the
Torah
TRADITIONS
• Women and girls light holiday candles on both evenings of
the holiday
• It is customary to stay up all night reading the Torah on the
first night of Shavuot.
• Everyone goes to the synagogue on the first day of Shavuot
to hear the reading of the Ten Commandments
• As with other holiday, special meals are eaten, and no
“work” may be performed. It is customary to eat dairy foods
on Shavuot to be reminded that God called their Promised
Land, “a land flowing with milk and honey.”
The Book of Ruth
The Book of Ruth was studied on the
night of Shavu’ot because
1. That night is the anniversary of
David’s passing and Ruth was his
grandmother.
2. It is a story of harvest
3. Ruth was a devoted convert to
Judaism. All Jews that received
Torah were in effect, converts to
God’s family.
For this reason, giving to the poor has always been a key part of
the Shavu’ot celebration.
Pentecost
When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one
place. And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent
rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were
sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing
themselves, and they rested on each one of them. And they were
all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with
other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance. Acts 2:1-4
Significance of Jerusalem
God chose the place – “Do not leave
Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father
promised…” Acts 1:4
He gave them His new Law,
“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit
in you; I will remove from you your heart of
stone and give you a heart of flesh.” Ez 36:26
He was raising up His family
and giving them a new identity –
“We are His workmanship, created in Christ
Jesus for good works, which God prepared
beforehand so that we would walk in them “
Eph 2:10
Similarities between
Sinai and Jerusalem
Sinai
• Mountain covered in
smoke
• Lord descended in fire
• The mountain quaked
• Sound of a trumpet grew
louder and louder
• Thunder
• 3000 died
Jerusalem
• Violent rushing wind
• Tongues of fire
• Each one began to speak
in other tongues
• The place was shaken
• 3000 added
A New Identity
“And now, brethren, I know that you acted in ignorance, just as your rulers did
also. But the things which God announced beforehand by the mouth of all the
prophets, that His Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled. Therefore repent and
return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may
come from the presence of the Lord; and that He may send Jesus, the Christ
appointed for you, whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all
things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient
time. Acts 3:17-21
•
God put His family under the Headship of
His Son Jesus
•
This promise was for ALL who would
come to Him as Lord and Savior
•
The Holy Spirit was a deposit
guaranteeing our inheritance
•
We are receiving a fresh baptism that
prepares us for our assignment
We are the Firstfruits
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.
Col 1:15
For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to
the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many
brethren; Romans 8:29
In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we
would be a kind of first fruits among His creatures.
James 1:18
Abraham meets Melchizedek
17 Then
after his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer
and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went
out to meet him … 18 And Melchizedek king of Salem
brought out bread and wine; now he was a priest of God
Most High. 19 He blessed him and said, “Blessed be Abram
of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth;
20 And blessed be God Most High, Who has delivered your
enemies into your hand.” He gave him a tenth of all.
Gen 14:17-21
 Had communion with Abraham
 Abraham gave a tenth of his spoils
 No priesthood had yet been given
 He blessed Abraham
Melchizedek Priesthood
For when the priesthood is changed, of necessity there takes place a change of law
also. For the one concerning whom these things are spoken belongs to another tribe, from
which no one has officiated at the altar. For it is evident that our Lord was descended
from Judah, a tribe with reference to which Moses spoke nothing concerning priests. And
this is clearer still, if another priest arises according to the likeness of Melchizedek, who
has become such not on the basis of a law of physical requirement, but according to the
power of an indestructible life. For it is attested of Him, “YOU ARE A PRIEST FOREVER
ACCORDING TO THE ORDER OF MELCHIZEDEK.”
Heb 7:12-17
 King of Righteousness, King of Peace
 No geneology, no end
 New Priesthood, change of law
 Jesus was the first Firstfruits offering
 Now we offer ourselves as a firstfruits to Him, Our
King of Righteousness and Peace
Responsibilities of the Priesthood
Like the sons of Zadok, the Firstborn Sons and Daughters, take
their place before the Lord, close to His heart.
o The Lord is their portion, their inheritance
o They have been purified by fire and set apart as holy
o They have offered themselves as a sacrifice to the Lord
o They are entrusted with the Lord’s secrets because they know
His heart
o They carry out His will on earth through intercession and
worship
But unlike the sons of Zadok, they are filled with the Holy Spirit
o They are indestrucible and eternal
o They walk in righteousness, peace and resurrection power
o They are kings and priests in the order of Melchizedek
Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a
living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of
worship. Romans 12:1
Pentecost 5775/2015
This year the Lord establishing us in our new identity. We are multi-faceted
beings, just as Jesus is.
There are many ways that we can look at ourselves, just as there are
many ways we can know Jesus.
Bridegroom, King and Judge
Prophet, Priest and King
All of these are important so that we can fully KNOW Jesus!
Who is this coming up from the
Wilderness?
To rule and reign with Christ
is to know His heart,
then execute His strategies and
enforce His victory.
There is coming a fresh baptism of the Spirit that will enable us
to do these things in the most terrible and glorious days that
are ahead. No other generation has faced what we will face, so
we need special anointing! The early disciples needed special
anointing for their day.
The Father’s perfect Love is casting out all fear!
We are Firstborns, kings and priests, Sons and Daughters of the
Most High!
One New Man
This outpouring of the Spirit will also unleash the greatest harvest
ever seen. The firstborns will rise and bless the rest of the Body.
They will provide worship, intercession, leadership, teaching,
wisdom, and discernment.
The Love of the Father will be poured out through the firstborn Sons
and Daughters. People will be drawn out of darkness and into His
marvelous Light. Jew and Gentile will come home.
One New Man is coming forth!
Picture of the Harvests
Spring /Summer Feasts
Fall Feasts
Passover, Unleavened
Bread, Firstfruits,
Shavu’ot
Tabernacles
First 3 months of the
Hebrew Calendar
In the 7th month
Harvest of grain,
making bread
Harvest of fruit
Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground
and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. He who
loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it
for eternal life. If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am,
there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will
honor. John 12:24-26
Jesus laid down His life for us, for you and me.
This Pentecost we have the opportunity to go to new heights in the Spirit and
enter in to our destiny in a new way. The choice is ours….
.
Many are Called …
But few are chosen
What freewill offering are you willing to give?
Happy Pentecost!
Spirit Break Out!