Bible Readings:
Leviticus 23:1-22, 1 Corinthians 15:20 – 28, Acts 2:1 -13.
Sermon Outline:
Leviticus 23:1–2 (NKJV)
1 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘The feasts of the Lord, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, these are My feasts.
I The Weekly Sabbath
Leviticus 23:3 (NKJV)
3 ‘Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation. You shall do no work on it; it is the Sabbath of the Lord in all your dwellings.
II Some general observations about the festivals
- Cessation from normal work.
- Celebration.
- Consecration.
III The NT counterparts to these spring festivals.
1. Passover – Good Friday
1 Corinthians 5:7 (NKJV)
7 Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us.
2. The feast of the firstfruits – Easter
1 Corinthians 15:22–23 (NKJV)
22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. 23 But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming.
3. Pentecost
Leviticus 23:15–16 (NKJV)
15 ‘And you shall count for yourselves from the day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering: seven Sabbaths shall be completed. 16 Count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath; then you shall offer a new grain offering to the Lord.