Keep The Festival

You are the bride of Christ, made clean by His blood and committed by the new covenant. Do not commit adultery against Christ. Keep the festival alive by living faithfully as one who is loved by God and loves God.

“Hezekiah sent word to all...inviting them to come to the temple of the LORD in Jerusalem and celebrate the Passover to the LORD. They had not been able to celebrate it at the regular time because not enough priests had consecrated themselves and the people had not assembled in Jerusalem. At the king’s command, couriers went...People of Israel, return to the LORD...Do not be stiff-necked, as your ancestors were; submit to the LORD. Come to his sanctuary, which he has consecrated forever. Serve the LORD your God...If you return to the LORD, then your fellow Israelites and your children will be shown compassion...the LORD your God is gracious and compassionate...people scorned and ridiculed them. Nevertheless, some from Asher, Manasseh and Zebulun humbled themselves and went...Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, “May the LORD, who is good, pardon everyone who sets their heart on seeking God—the LORD, the God of their ancestors—even if they are not clean according to the rules of the sanctuary.” And the LORD heard Hezekiah and healed the people. The Israelites who were present in Jerusalem celebrated the Festival of Unleavened Bread for seven days with great rejoicing. The whole assembly then agreed to celebrate the festival seven more days; so for another seven days they celebrated joyfully.””‭‭2 Chronicles‬ ‭30‬:‭1‬-23

What is the most fun celebration you have ever attended? What made it special? Did you ever go to a birthday party when you were a child? A good kid's birthday party is full of sheer joy and abundant energy from enthusiastic friends and classmates who gather to celebrate. Or perhaps you have been to a wedding where you could see that the bride and groom were perfect for each other, and the love filled the room. What comes to mind for you? Are you someone who loves to celebrate, or would you just as soon skip the celebration? Why?

Hezekiah called the people to come and celebrate the Passover. The people had gotten out of the pattern of gathering and celebrating God, so Hezekiah called for rededication to God. The Passover was a time that should never have been forgotten. It was the night that people were protected from death by the blood of the lamb. It was the last sign of God's faithfulness that led to the people being released from 400 years of captivity as slaves in a foreign land where they did not belong. If ever there was a reason to celebrate, it was the Passover.

The king called, but only some people came. Many scoffed and skipped the invitation. The ones who did come were far from perfect. They had neither purified nor consecrated themselves, but they had a heart to pursue and praise God. Hezekiah prayed for them. God heard and brought healing. As they were healed and felt the power of heaven, there was great rejoicing. The party just would not stop. It could not stop. God was too worthy of celebration. It kept going for days.

How does this story apply to you? Perhaps today is a day to reconsider a few things and see all the reasons you have to celebrate. You too have been set free by the blood of the lamb. You too have had a Passover moment when, instead of getting the death you deserved for your deeds, you were greeted with the loving arms of grace. Consider for a moment what it means to be in a covenant relationship with Jesus Christ. Consider what it means to be His bride. Consider what it means to have your sins made white as snow, the power of the gift of the Holy Spirit today, and the hope of your future in heaven secure. Are these not reasons to celebrate? Do others see joy and gladness when they see you?

“The LORD reigns, let the earth be glad; let the distant shores rejoice. The heavens proclaim his righteousness, and all peoples see his glory. All who worship images are put to shame, those who boast in idols— worship him, all you gods! For you, LORD, are the Most High over all the earth; you are exalted far above all gods. Let those who love the LORD hate evil, for he guards the lives of his faithful ones and delivers them from the hand of the wicked. Light shines on the righteous and joy on the upright in heart. Rejoice in the LORD, you who are righteous, and praise his holy name.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭97‬:‭1‬-12

Do you want a reason to celebrate? Start with the first line of this song. The Lord reigns. Jesus reigns. He holds the keys to victory over death, and He has all authority in heaven and on earth. Do we believe this to be true? You may or you may not. There are times when you may wonder what the literal hell is going on on earth. Doubt can creep in as to where God is in the midst of suffering or sorrow. Neither the hardships we experience nor the unholiness in our world can change the reality that the Lord reigns. He has the final word, and when we learn to live every day according to the truth that He reigns, we can experience a gladness that overcomes grief.

Truth tells us that we should be glad. We should celebrate. We should begin each day by proclaiming that this is the day that the Lord has made. The psalmist, possibly David, sang that light shines on the righteous and joy on the upright in heart. Is this not a bit of a funny statement? If the sun is shining, does it not shine on both the righteous and the wicked? There seems to be a connection that the psalmist is making between awareness of how God is sending light and the joy that is produced by a heart grounded in sincerity. Sincerity is a word we might use but not deeply understand. It means to be genuine and have purity of intention. It is about alignment of heart, mind, and soul. A person can do a good action but not have a sincere heart if their motivations are not pure.

How does having a sincere heart help us have more joy and, in turn, improve our ability to celebrate? Sincerity frees us. It is like the Passover lamb. Think about the difference between celebrating because you want to and celebrating because you have to. Do you love singing Happy Birthday, or do you feel an obligation to sing it? When a heart is sincere, you are not manufacturing joy; you are experiencing it. Sincerity moves our hearts from celebrating God because of what we have gotten from Him to celebrating Him for who He is and how much we are loved by Him.

“All share a common destiny—the righteous and the wicked...The same destiny overtakes all. The hearts of people, moreover, are full of evil and there is madness in their hearts while they live, and afterward they join the dead. For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing; they have no further reward, and even their name is forgotten. Their love, their hate and their jealousy have long since vanished...Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a joyful heart, for God has already approved what you do. Always be clothed in white, and always anoint your head with oil. Enjoy life with your wife, whom you love...Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might...Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one sinner destroys much good.” ‭‭Ecclesiastes‬ ‭9‬:‭2‬-‭18

Destiny and destination. These words have different meanings for the people who love Jesus and those who do not know Him. The distinction between destiny and destination is important. Solomon is speaking the truth that every one of us shares the common destiny of a physical death on earth. Your strength will fade, and one day you will breathe your last breath. Death will overtake your body.

Yet those who are born again, made alive in Christ, have a further reward. Death is not the end. It is not the final destination. Heaven is our home and where the path of everlasting life leads. The destination is the wedding banquet with Christ as the bridegroom. Marriage to Christ lights up each day as we eat and drink with gladness, clothe ourselves in white, and smell the fragrance of forgiveness from the anointing oil already placed on our heads. This is so radically different from going through life afraid, ashamed, and feeling alone. Everything changes when you marry the King. How could a follower of Christ ever fail to celebrate?

There is a famous movie called Dead Man Walking starring Sean Penn. It is the story of Sister Helen Prejean, who ministered to a man on death row. He knew he had a date with death, but she shared that no one's sins are too red to be made white. No sin is stronger than grace. Want a reason to celebrate? Recognize that God's mercies are new each day and that you are never too far gone. The enemy wants people to live their lives like dead people walking, but truth tells us that God reigns and gives new life to all whose hearts pursue Him, regardless of their past.

“Son of man, there were two women, daughters of the same mother. The older was named Oholah, and her sister was Oholibah. They were mine and gave birth to sons and daughters. Oholah is Samaria, and Oholibah is Jerusalem. Oholah engaged in prostitution while she was still mine; and she lusted after her lovers...all of them handsome young men, and mounted horsemen. Her sister Oholibah saw this, yet in her lust and prostitution she was more depraved than her sister...Your lewdness and promiscuity have brought this on you, because you lusted after the nations and defiled yourself with their idols. You will drink your sister’s cup, a cup large and deep; it will bring scorn and derision, for it holds so much. You will be filled with drunkenness and sorrow, the cup of ruin and desolation." ‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭23‬:‭2‬-49

Do you want to know what can ruin a relationship? Lust, lewdness, adultery, immorality, unfaithfulness, and selling your soul. What does it mean to you to be a faithful bride of Christ? How does it change our decision-making and what we do? Wisdom tells us that our relationship should daily be the source of our joy, but it can cause us to drink the cup of sorrow if we are unfaithful.

God sees and knows. He called out the ancient people for lusting after pretty people and power. He said the very people who were made to be in relationship with Him were ruining their lives and harming the relationship by how they celebrated sin. He said they defiled themselves with idols. The truth is, sin hurts us. It causes us pain. It is hard to feel like celebrating when you are drinking the cup of scorn, derision, drunkenness, sorrow, ruin, and desolation. Think of how many relationships have ended and lives have been affected because of lust.

God calls us to be faithful in our relationship with Him. He wants us to live a life of love, not lust. There is a contrast. Love builds up others and operates out of a place of sincerity. Christ-like love is self-sacrificial, serves, and celebrates what is right. We live in a world with many temptations centered on satisfying the desires of the flesh, and this can lead to deep patterns of lust. God tells us we cannot have both a faithful relationship with Christ and a heart that lusts after what the world offers.

“Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old bread leavened with malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people. What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked person from among you.” ‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭5‬:‭1‬, ‭5‬-‭13

Keep the festival. The connections in the Bible are so amazing. The passages began with Hezekiah calling all the people back to celebrate the Passover and Festival of Unleavened Bread. They celebrated so joyfully that they continued for another seven days. David sang of the life of joy of the upright who celebrate God. Solomon described the celebration life of the redeemed who live with gladness, freedom, and love. Ezekiel warned of what happens when we forget our wedding vows. Then Paul brings it all together. Christ, our Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed, so we have new life to celebrate. Because of His work, we can live with the gladness Solomon described and keep the festival with the unleavened bread of sincerity. Do you have any stale bread or other yeast affecting your ability to enjoy life? Get rid of it, and Paul says not to gather with people who say they love God but live for their lust.

We have every reason to celebrate. Never forget the simple truth that the Lord reigns! Is it possible to live every day with the confidence that, as the bride of Christ, you are loved and God will watch over you as His beloved? What would change if you carried that awareness of His love into your home, your work, and your relationships? A sincere heart remembers who Jesus is and responds by living with continual joy from a grateful heart. Faithfulness is how we celebrate what He has done for us. Paul and Ezekiel said to let go of lust and unfaithful ways. Let go of the yeast of the past, the things you learned from a world full of lust and not sincere love.

Today is a day to celebrate God. Slow down and enjoy each meal. Spend time with your loved ones. Encourage a friend and find meaning in your work by fulfilling your vow to do your best. Sing. The best celebrations are full of songs of joy sung out of opportunity, not obligation. If you have wandered, come back to the One whose arms are wide open. Hezekiah said to come, celebrate, share, and serve. Jesus said the same thing. There is no reason for the party to ever end when you are heading to the eternal destination in heaven. Keep the festival alive by living as one who is deeply loved, for the light of Christ will shine on the righteous.