John 7 - The Feast of Tabernacles
Come and enjoy a time of joyous celebrations, live spiritual music, exuberant corporate worship, and family-friendly nightlife! Come and hear world-renowned preachers. Enjoy a week of fellowship with other believers. Sing together, pray together, eat together, and share stories of God’s faithfulness in your life! Bring your kids, there’s plenty for them to do too!
Does that sound appealing to you?
Well don’t forget your palm and myrtle branches. Don’t leave your citron at home. Lodging is not provided. You’ll have to build your own!
Does that sound less exciting? This was the reality for every Jewish family during the Feast of Booths, a joyous celebration anticipated by every household
In introducing an account where Jesus visits Jerusalem, John 7:12 says:
John 7:2-13 2 Now the Jews' Feast of Booths was at hand.
The Feast of Booths was one of three Jewish pilgrim festivals. Passover, Pentecost and the Feast of Booths saw Jewish men travelling from far and wide to Jerusalem to participate in their observance. Although each only required the participation of males, the Feast of Booths in particular, would have been a favourite among entire families.
It’s name is drawn from the fact that God commanded the Jews to build temporary booths or tents and to dwell in them for the duration of the seven day feast. Whole families would work together to build their booths from willow and myrtle, and decorate them with fruits, flowers and palms branches.
God commanded Israel through Moses in Leviticus 23:
Leviticus 23:42-43 You shall dwell in booths for seven days. All native Israelites shall dwell in booths, 43 that your generations may know that I made the people of Israel dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am Yahweh your God.”
The temporary shelters were meant to remind Israel that Yahweh their God had delivered them from Egypt and then sustained them in the wilderness.
As a consequence of the Exodus, the Israelites lost the relative security of Egypt and ended up living in tents. We can sort of understand why they were often tempted to look back to Egypt with longing. As difficult as it was in Egypt, they had consistent food, and secure housing. After the Exodus, they lived in tents. Their homes were temporary and fragile, and they were sometimes unsure of their next meal.
What they needed to understand however was that despite the appearance of insecurity, God was in their midst. He was teaching them that true security, and provision was to be found in him, not in Egypt, or in any other earthly source.
To communicate this, God commissioned the building of the Tabernacle. Essentially just another big tent. He required them to dwell in tents and so he dwelled in a tent as well. This was an act of condescension and identification with his people which pointed forward to an even greater reality to come.
God would fill the Tabernacle with his presence, pictured through a pillar of smoke in the day, and fire by night. Israel was meant to learn that he was their ever-present help, provider, protector, and guide. As long as he was with them, they would be cared for.
So the Feast of Booths was meant to remind Israel that God redeemed them from slavery, sustained them in the wilderness, guided them as they traveled, and dwelt in their midst.
The Feast would be observed generation after generation so that every Jewish family would know that their God is provider, protector, saviour and guide.
THE ATMOSPHERE OF THE FEAST
You can imagine the lasting memories formed in the minds of children as they approached the Holy City and had their senses overwhelmed with unique sights, sounds and smells.
As they approached the city, it’s likely that they sung the Psalms of Ascent. Psalms like Psalm 132 which was a prayer that God would dwell in the midst of his people, that he would usher in the reign of the Son of David in the messianic age, and that God would continue to bless and provide for his people.
As families neared the city, they would have seen thousands of families busily working together to complete their temporary shelters. People would be walking to and fro with palm, and myrtle branches for construction.
It would be easy to spot the early arrivers as smoke would already be wafting from their booths as they were already preparing a meal for their family, and any visitors who might venture over to their booth.
In the air would have been the mixed aromas of fresh-cut wood, greenery, citron fruit, incense, freshly baked bread, cooked fish and lamb, and some simmering stews. Happy conversations of reuniting friends could be heard along with the laughs of playing children, the rhythm of distant live music, and the sounds of sacrificial bulls, rams, goats and lambs.
Once the festival was underway and families were settled in, they would visit each other’s booths. They would break bread, share meals, drink wine, recount stories from the Torah, sing psalms, and pray together.
If this sounds like a joyous occasion, it’s because that’s exactly what God designed it to be.
Deuteronomy 16:13-15 “You shall keep the Feast of Booths seven days, when you have gathered in the produce from your threshing floor and your winepress. 14 You shall rejoice in your feast, you and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your female servant, the Levite, the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow who are within your towns. 15 For seven days you shall keep the feast to Yahweh your God at the place that Yahweh will choose, because Yahweh your God will bless you in all your produce and in all the work of your hands, so that you will be altogether joyful.
From that passage we see that the Feast took place after the harvest of grain and grapes. In this way, it was a feast of thanksgiving to God for the harvest, a memorial of his past provisions during their ancestor’s wilderness wandering, and a prayer for his continued provision through future harvests.
So, every aspect of the feast was meant to evoke joyful thanksgiving to God for his provision, and care. Every sight, sound and smell was meant to remind them that he is provider, protecter, saviour and guide. The communal nature of the Feast was meant to help forge their identity as a covenant community wholly dependent upon Him and united to one another.
THE WATER LIBATION CEREMONY
One of the most joyous aspects of the Feast of Booths in Jesus’ day was a ceremony not prescribed by God in the Torah but which became one of the most anticipated elements of the feast: the Water Libation ceremony.
Each morning, a procession of priests would leave the Temple Mount and walk to the Pool of Siloam with great fanfare. Levites would play instruments while crowds of worshippers sang Psalms. Upon arriving at the Pool of Siloam, a specially chosen priest would draw water from the pool into a golden pitcher.
The festive atmosphere would continue and intensify as the priests walked back to the Temple, entering through the Water Gate. Once inside the Temple proper, the priests, along with other worshippers, would circle the altar before the chosen priest ascended it.
The priest would then pour out the water upon the altar with great ceremony. This climactic moment was met with shouts of joyful thanksgiving from the crowd. Some would wave palm branches, others would sing, dance, or clap. Whole families participated in the water libation, considering it a daily highlight of the seven-day feast.
As joyous as this daily ceremony was, it was elevated even more on the final day of the feast. On the last day of the feast, a massive crowd would gather for the Water Libation ceremony, marked by intensified prayer, worship, joy, and celebration. It was seen as the culmination of all the feast’s ceremonies.
So, what did the water ceremony represent? A few things.
It recalled God’s miraculous provision of water for his people when Moses struck the rock at Meribah and water freely flowed from within it (Exodus 17; Numbers 20).
It was an offering of thanksgiving for God’s provision of water for the grain and grape harvest and a prayer for God’s continued provision of rain in the upcoming rainy season.
Besides these, there was even deeper significance.
Because the prophet Zechariah in Zechariah 14 connects the observance of the Feast of Booths with the coming messianic kingdom, much of the feast anticipated the messiah and the salvation he would bring. The day of this coming salvation was often associated with the pouring out of the Spirit, like flowing water.
Isaiah 44:3 For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour my Spirit upon your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants.
Zechariah 14:8 ¶ On that day living waters shall flow out from Jerusalem, half of them to the eastern sea and half of them to the western sea. It shall continue in summer as in winter.
Isaiah 12:1-3 ¶ You will say in that day: “I will give thanks to you, O Yahweh, for though you were angry with me, your anger turned away, that you might comfort me. 2 “Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for Yahweh GOD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.” 3 With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.
So, the heightened celebration, prayerfulness and worship surrounding the water libation ceremony was warranted. It anticipated the miraculous deliverance from sin which God would provide through the Messiah when he came to bring the free-flowing waters of salvation through the pouring out of the Holy Spirit.
It again emphasized that God was their provider, protector, saviour and guide.
There was another extremely popular aspect of the Feast of Tabernacles which was not prescribed in scripture but would have been enjoyed by observants in Jesus’ day. It was The Illumination of the Temple.
THE ILLUMINATION OF THE TEMPLE
During the ceremony of the illumination of the temple, four enormous menorahs were lit in the Court of Women. The light from these menorahs was so bright, it was said to lighten all of Jerusalem.
It was by the light of these menorahs that a parade of nighttime festivities would take place.
Levites would play musical instruments including lyres, harps, cymbals and trumpets, and sing Psalms. Even well-known Rabbis - the most pious men, would dance before the people and sing songs of praise and thanksgiving to God. Some would dance with flaming torches, even juggling them. Crowds would gather around renowned rabbis who would offer sermons and teaching as an evening staple. In many ways, the nights were as lively as the days.
So, what symbolism was intended by the lighting of the menorahs and the activities performed with fire?
Remember that the whole feast was meant to commemorate the provision, protection, salvation and guidance which God provided for his people in the wilderness. Do you remember how God led his people?
Exodus 13:21 And Yahweh went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night.
Exodus 40:38 For the cloud of Yahweh was on the tabernacle by day, and fire was in it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel throughout all their journeys.
As Israel camped around the Tabernacle, God’s presence in their midst was symbolized by the presence of a cloud by day, and fire by night. The fire lit up the Tabernacle and cast light upon the whole camp.
When the Jews lit the menorahs in the Court of Women during the Feast of Booths they were symbolizing the presence of God in the temple, and celebrating his protection and guidance through the pillar of fire during the wilderness wanderings.
Further, just like the water libation ceremony anticipated the coming messianic kingdom, so too did the illumination of the temple. Often in the Old Testament the coming of the messiah is likened to light dawning in darkness.
Isaiah 9:2 The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone.
In Isaiah 42 we find Yahweh speaking to the Messiah, called here the “Servant of the Lord:”
Isaiah 42:6-7 “I am Yahweh; I have called you in righteousness; I will take you by the hand and keep you; I will give you as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations, 7 to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness.
And again in Isaiah 60:
Isaiah 60:1-3 ¶ Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of Yahweh has risen upon you. 2 For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but Yahweh will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you. 3 And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.
When the Messiah comes, he will lead his people out of darkness and into light. Just as Yahweh led his people out of the slavery of Egypt by the light of a pillar of fire and through their wilderness wanderings into the Promised Land, so too will the deliverance brought by the Messiah be like leading a people out of the darkness of slavery into the light of salvation.
So, here’s a question. Was it right for the Jews to add the Water Libation Ceremony and the Temple Illumination Ceremony to the feast of booths? Were these appropriate additions?
I think so. The point of the feast was the commemorate God’s provision, and protection and guidance throughout the wilderness wanderings and the Old Testament often focused on the light from the pillar of fire and the water from the rock in its historical retrospectives. Here are some examples:
Psalm 78:12-16 In the sight of their fathers he performed wonders in the land of Egypt, in the fields of Zoan. 13 He divided the sea and let them pass through it, and made the waters stand like a heap. 14 In the daytime he led them with a cloud, and all the night with a fiery light. 15 He split rocks in the wilderness and gave them drink abundantly as from the deep. 16 He made streams come out of the rock and caused waters to flow down like rivers.
Psalm 105:37-42 Then he brought out Israel with silver and gold, and there was none among his tribes who stumbled. 38 Egypt was glad when they departed, for dread of them had fallen upon it. 39 He spread a cloud for a covering, and fire to give light by night. 40 They asked, and he brought quail, and gave them bread from heaven in abundance. 41 He opened the rock, and water gushed out; it flowed through the desert like a river. 42 For he remembered his holy promise, and Abraham, his servant.
Nehemiah 9:11-15 And you divided the sea before them, so that they went through the midst of the sea on dry land, and you cast their pursuers into the depths, as a stone into mighty waters. 12 By a pillar of cloud you led them in the day, and by a pillar of fire in the night to light for them the way in which they should go. 13 You came down on Mount Sinai and spoke with them from heaven and gave them right rules and true laws, good statutes and commandments, 14 and you made known to them your holy Sabbath and commanded them commandments and statutes and a law by Moses your servant. 15 You gave them bread from heaven for their hunger and brought water for them out of the rock for their thirst, and you told them to go in to possess the land that you had sworn to give them.
It seems that to commemorate God’s faithfulness to Israel, such historical retrospectives always included reference to God’s presence, provision, guidance and deliverance through water and light. It was entirely appropriate for these things to be featured and celebrated at the Feast of Booths.
So, this is the context of John 7 when Jesus enters Jerusalem. The Feast of Booths is underway, and the people are primed to be thinking about God’s protection, provision, deliverance, and guidance. In addition, Psalms, sermons, conversations, and prayers surrounding God’s promises of a coming Messiah would have on the lips of all the people. After all, the Messiah would be God’s provision of ultimate protection, provision, guidance, and salvation.
Let’s continue reading in our text:
John 7:2 Now the Jews' Feast of Booths was at hand. 3 So his brothers said to him, “Leave here and go to Judea, that your disciples also may see the works you are doing. 4 For no one works in secret if he seeks to be known openly. If you do these things, show yourself to the world.” 5 For not even his brothers believed in him. 6 Jesus said to them, “My time has not yet come, but your time is always here. 7 The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify about it that its works are evil. 8 You go up to the feast. I am not going up to this feast, for my time has not yet fully come.” 9 After saying this, he remained in Galilee. 10 But after his brothers had gone up to the feast, then he also went up, not publicly but in private. 11 The Jews were looking for him at the feast, and saying, “Where is he?” 12 And there was much muttering about him among the people. While some said, “He is a good man,” others said, “No, he is leading the people astray.” 13 Yet for fear of the Jews no one spoke openly of him.
CONFUSION OVER JESUS’ IDENTITY
As the Jews observed the Feast of Booths, they remembered God’s deliverance of their fathers from slavery. They also recalled His protection and guidance by the light of the pillar of fire during their wilderness wanderings and His miraculous provision of water from the rock. Additionally, they looked forward to the coming messianic age when the Spirit would be poured out upon all. Amidst these reflections, another subtext was brewing: everyone was debating the identity of the man named Jesus.
It’s in this setting that we read in verse 14:
14 ¶ About the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and began teaching. 15 The Jews therefore marveled, saying, “How is it that this man has learning, when he has never studied?”
There were some renowned Rabbis in Jerusalem for the feast, who would have taught by the light of the menorahs into the evenings, but Jesus wasn’t one of them. He sounded like them, but he didn’t have any such training. Who is he? The debate continues.
25 Some of the people of Jerusalem therefore said, “Is not this the man whom they seek to kill? 26 And here he is, speaking openly, and they say nothing to him! Can it be that the authorities really know that this is the Christ? 27 But we know where this man comes from, and when the Christ appears, no one will know where he comes from.”
Tradition said that when the Messiah came he would appear suddenly. No one would know where he came from or how he appeared. At least that’s how some people interpreted it. So they continue to debate his identity. Jesus responds:
28 So Jesus proclaimed, as he taught in the temple, “You know me, and you know where I come from. But I have not come of my own accord. He who sent me is true, and him you do not know. 29 I know him, for I come from him, and he sent me.”
Here Jesus makes a stunning claim. Although they know his family, and know where he was brought up, he has also come from God. This is the mystery of the incarnation. Born to a woman they knew, raised in the family they were aware of, yet also sent by God. They would be making a drastic mistake if they rejected him on the basis of their tradition, or their misinterpretation of it.
Look at other indications of the utter confusion of his identity among the crowds.
Verse 12 - Some said, “he is a good man”
Verse 12 - Others said, “No, he is leading the people astray”
Verse 13 – How is it that this man has learning, when he has never studied?”
Verse 25-26– Some of the people of Jerusalem said, “is not this the man whom they seek to kill?... Can it be that the authorities really know that this is the Christ?
Verse 31 – Many of the people believed and said, “When the Christ appears, will he do more signs than this man has done?”
Verse 41 – “This is the Christ”
Verse 41 – “Is the Christ to come from Galilee?”
Verse 42 - Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the offspring of David, and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David was?”
And then we find an understatement in verse 43:
43 So there was a division among the people over him.
Then came the final day of the feast according to verse 37. We’ve already noted some of the significance of the final day of the feast, but there’s more to consider.
The final day of the Feast of Booths was when all the themes we’ve already looked at come to a culmination.
It is a day of heightened prayer and supplication.
The Water Libation Ceremony on the final day was also climactic.
Instead of circling the alter one time before pouring out the water, the priest and the people would circle it seven times.
The crowds observing the procession would be the largest of any throughout the feast.
The prayers for salvation, rain, and blessings were especially fervent.
The focus on messianic hope would be at its height.
Of special focus on the final day of the feast would be the Hallel Psalms, the final of which is Psalm 118. This Psalm of praise would have been sung by the people with a special sense of praise, thankfulness and anticipation of God’s future blessings through the Messiah. Here’s a portion:
Psalm 118:19-29 ¶ Open to me the gates of righteousness, that I may enter through them and give thanks to Yahweh. 20 This is the gate of Yahweh; the righteous shall enter through it. 21 I thank you that you have answered me and have become my salvation. 22 The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. 23 This is Yahweh's doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. 24 This is the day that Yahweh has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. 25 Save us, we pray, O Yahweh! O Yahweh, we pray, give us success! 26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of Yahweh! We bless you from the house of Yahweh. 27 Yahweh is God, and he has made his light to shine upon us. Bind the festal sacrifice with cords, up to the horns of the altar! 28 You are my God, and I will give thanks to you; you are my God; I will extol you. 29 Oh give thanks to Yahweh, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!
On the last day of the feast, the people would plead with God for salvation. “Save us, we pray, O Yahweh!” Then they would pronounce a blessing upon the promised Messiah who would come in the name of the Lord, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of Yahweh!”
This is the Messiah who would bring salvation. A salvation accomplished by the Holy Spirit whom he would pour out like water, as we’ve already seen.
Then, by reciting Psalm 118, they would liken the coming of the Messiah and his bringing of salvation to the dawning of light, “Yahweh is God, and he has made his light to shine upon us.” They would close with a word of thanksgiving for God’s covenant faithfulness, “Oh give thanks to Yahweh, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!”
JESUS GIVES LIVING WATER
It was at the climactic end of the feast when these themes were in the greatest focus in the minds and on the hearts of the Jews that Jesus stood up in the temple and taught once more. Look at verse 37:
37 ¶ On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” 39 Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
On the day of the greatest celebration at the Water Libation Ceremony when the Jews considered God’s miraculous provision of water from the rock, and looked forward to the messianic age when God would fulfill his promise in Isaiah 12:3, “With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation,” and of Isaiah 44:3, “For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour my Spirit upon your Offspring, and my blessing on your descendants,” and Zechariah 14:8, “On that day living waters shall flow out from Jerusalem…” Jesus stands up in the temple in Jerusalem and proclaims, “Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”
Of course he’s not talking about literal water. He’s talking life wrought by the Holy Spirit. Jesus said to the woman at the well in John 4:
John 4:14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
This is the promise of Jesus to you this morning. Whoever believes in him will receive eternal life through his Holy Spirit. Do you believe in him? He is God’s perfect provision for your salvation. He is God’s perfect protection from judgment and wrath. He is God’s perfect guide out of darkness and into light. He is the perfect saviour from the slavery of sin for all who believe. He is what all of Jewish history, including the Feast of Booths pointed towards.
JESUS IS THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD
Now, fast-forward to John 8:12, where Jesus teaches in the Temple once more, shortly after the feast when the crowds are still present. It says:
John 8:12 ¶ Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
Again, on the final day of the feast when the Temple Illumination Ceremony the night before would have been it’s most celebrated, he says “I am the light of the world.” Although God in the Old Testament led his people out of the darkness of slavery in Egypt and into the light of his presence, Jesus would provide an even greater deliverance. He would lead anyone who believed in him out of the darkness of sin and into the light of life.
He is the Servant of the Lord, the Messiah, to whom Yahweh spoke in Isaiah 42:6-7 “I am Yahweh; I have called you in righteousness; I will take you by the hand and keep you; I will give you as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations, 7 to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness.”
What incredible irony. Jerusalem was struck with utter confusion over the identity of Jesus, at a time when they were celebrating a feast, every aspect of which, pointed to him.
Every aspect of God’s provision for their fathers, and his presence among them, which they were to be reflecting upon and celebrating at the feast actually pointed to Jesus.
God provided manna in the wilderness to sustain the lives of their fathers? Through Jesus, God has provided true bread from heaven for spiritual life, to all who believe in him.
Water from a rock? Through Jesus, God has provided living water, through the Spirit, bringing salvation to all who believe in him.
God’s deliverance from the darkness of slavery and leading to a new life in the light of his presence? Through Jesus he brings light into the world so that eternal life might come to all who believe in him.
God’s glorious presence in the tabernacle? According to John 1:14, Jesus became flesh and “tabernacled” among us, so that all could see his glory.
Every ceremony they observed and every Psalm they sung at the feast pointed to Jesus. The salvation they were pleading for while they recited Psalm 118, had come. The light they celebrated every evening, had dawned. The Spirit they prayed would be poured out was now coming.
All the joy with which they celebrated the Feast of Booths had found its true object. If they had ears to hear and eyes to see.
CONCLUSION
As I studied the Feast of Booths, I was struck by the atmosphere of communal joy, praise, hospitality, spectacle, prayer, and worship. Every sight, sound, and smell would have vividly evoked God's faithfulness and the special nature of His joyous covenant community. Imagining participating in this festival, I realized that as amazing as it would have been, there is something far more satisfying—knowing Jesus, who is the perfect fulfillment of every aspect of the feast.
Whereas the feast reminded Israel that God redeemed them from slavery in Egypt, Jesus redeems us from the slavery of sin.
Whereas the feast spoke of God's sustaining of His people as they wandered, anticipating a promised land, Jesus sustains all who follow Him as they anticipate the new creation.
Whereas the feast commemorated God's dwelling in the midst of His people in the Tabernacle, Jesus tabernacled among us so that He, through the Spirit, might dwell within us.
Whereas the feast featured a water ceremony reminding Israel that God miraculously sustained them with water from a rock, Jesus came to bring "living water" to all who believe in Him.
Whereas the festival included the lighting of menorahs around the temple, symbolizing God's guidance of Israel by the pillar of fire, Jesus is the light of the world who brings the light of life to all who follow Him.
Whereas the festival featured prayer and ceremony seeking God's provision into the new year, Jesus guarantees that God will give all good things to those who believe in Him.
Whereas the festival was a joyous celebration with music, singing, and dance, Jesus has come so that all who believe in Him might have continual fullness of joy in their hearts.
Whereas the festival saw communal meals and happy hospitality among the pilgrims, Jesus has forged a loving covenant community that regularly celebrates their shared participation in Christ through the meal of the Lord's Table.
And on and on...
As appealing as participating in the Feast of Booths may be, as Christians, our celebration of redemption from sin, the indwelling of God's Spirit, the ongoing spiritual sustenance found in Christ, the fellowship among the people of God, and the promise of a new heavens and a new earth should outshine it all.
All that being said, we can learn something very valuable from the Jewish practice of observing the Feast of Booths. You and I would do well to continually remind ourselves of how God has been faithful to us through Jesus. It would do our souls well to recount how He has provided for us, protected us, and guided us. We would be well-served to check ourselves to see where we are relying too much on this world, our own resources, our own might, or our own wisdom. It would lead to incredible joy if we spent time reflecting on all the ways that He has been good to us.
This morning, if you are not yet a Christian, you've heard the promise. If you believe in Jesus as God's only provision for salvation, you will be saved. You will no longer walk in darkness but will be brought into the light. Whoever believes in Him will receive His Holy Spirit and be given eternal life.
