#326 RSVP Series# 2, Party Crashing 101

#326 RSVP Series# 2, Party Crashing 101
By Guest Speaker: Zach Sloane 

Exodus 5:1 “Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness.”

Feast :– {khaw-gag‘}  to hold a festival, to reel, to be giddy, celebrate, dance, stagger 

Bondage, affliction and sorrow for 400 years

God told Abraham, “Then He said to Abraham, know certainly that you descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years.” Genesis 15:13

“I have surely seen the oppression of my people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows.” Exodus 3:7

Lost the knowledge of their God. Moses had to ask, “so when the Israelites ask me who sent me to deliver them, who is it that I say you are?” And that’s when God tells him to tell them, “I AM that IAM.  Tell them I AM has sent me to you.” God then says, tell them I am the God of their fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob – its like that generation didn’t have their own revelation of God.

Moses tells them the Good News but in Exodus 6:9 we read “…but they did not heed Moses, because of anguish of spirit and cruel bondage.”

Their experience of bondage, their anguish and sorrow, not to mention four hundred years of slavery had cut them off from the true knowledge and worship of Yahweh, and they had no idea what he was like, not even Moses. Suspicious… thinks God wants to kill them. In Exodus 5:3 he is telling Pharaoh, “look, you better let us go because this God is gonna kill us if we don’t.” God didn’t say that … Moses did, they just didn’t know what God was like.

1st thing God wants them to know about Him and do with Him is party. And And party is what they did, see Exodus 15. Its understated but …“Moses and the children of Israel sang this song to the Lord… and “then Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took the timbrel in her hand, and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances.” (Exodus 15:1, 20)

OT shows us a pattern, come to Jesus, be delivered from bondage, and know that Jesus is a good time.  Why do people say I am not becoming a Christian, I don’t want to give up fun!”

Are they really having fun? Probably not – but they are looking for it! And probably rightly assessing that the religion that they have seen is a fun killer. Good thing God’s not religious. He is a good time, and an eternally satisfying good time.

Jesus didn’t condemn people for having a good time. Met them there and validated that pursuit by His presence. Having a good time is spiritual. Watch a funny movie, hang out with friends. You, made in the image of God, were made to party. And Jesus validates that – sometimes I think he went to parties to hang out with people who knew that having fun was godly… its what human’s who are made in God’s image do… he just helps us do it an an eternally satisfying, and not self destructive way.

So to look at an example of Jesus doing just this, actually even crashing a party he initially didn’t think he should go to, we are looking at John 7.

How do you crash a party? Wiki How helps. Step-by-step instructions.

#1 Take Necessary Precautions

#2 Actually Getting to or into the party

#3 Blend In

#4 Return the Favour

#1 Take Necessary Precautions  – Do some research – find out what type of party you are trying to crash.

John 7:2 tells us that it was the Feast of Tabernacles was at hand, and his brothers, who didn’t believe in Him were trying to convince Jesus to go.

Leviticus 23:33-44 (NKJV)
and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God for seven days. 41 You shall keep it as a feast to the Lord for seven days in the year.

Deuteronomy 16:13-16b (NKJV)
The Feast of Tabernacles Reviewed

… And you shall rejoice in your feast, you and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your female servant and the Levite, the stranger and the fatherless and the widow, who are within your gates…

2 Chronicles 5:3 & 2 Chronicles 7:8-11 tells us that it was at the completion of the last day of this festival that God’s glory filled the temple that Solomon built for God in Jerusalem. And as we know from Ezekiel chapter 10, the glory of God departed this same temple.

Added ceremonies and meaning. Holy Spirit in Israelite belief came to be seen as associated with water, and we can see this in places like Isaiah 44:3 which reads :For I will pour water on him who is thirsty, and floods on the dry ground; I will pour My Spirit on your descendants, and My blessing on your offspring.”

Trend continues. Later in Israelite history we see recorded in Ezekiel’s vision of the new temple in Ezekiel 47:1-12,  you see water that starts to flow out of the new restored temple, water that gets deeper and deeper, that starts from the temple and gets out to the sea. And it was said of this water that “every living thing, wherever the rivers go, will live…everything will live wherever the river goes. Ezekiel 47:10.

Ezekiel 47 it says again of this water that emerges from the temple, “along the bank of this river, on this side and on that, will grow all kinds of trees used for food: their leaves will not whither, and their fruit will not fail. They will bear fruit every month, because their water flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be food and their leaves for medicine.”  

Zechariah, speaking of the coming day of the messiah says “and in that day it shall be that living waters shall flow from Jerusalem… Zechariah 14:8.

One source I came across had this to say about it;

One reason the water libation ritual was so popular in Second Temple days was the accompanying ceremony of the water drawing, which took place at night when water was drawn from Siloam for the next morning’s water libation. Each day for seven consecutive days a priest would walk up a ramp leading to the bronze altar located in the Temple Court and pour a jug full of water into a bowl that drained into the altar.

The ceremony of the water drawing was a jubilant occasion. The Mishna states, “He that has never seen the joy of the [ceremony of the water drawing] has never in his life seen joy.” (Sukkah 51a) As the ceremony took place, Levite’s played lyres, trumpets, harps, cymbals, and other instruments, while other Levite’s sang. In the Temple area, three golden candlesticks nearly 75 feet high were lit by young boys climbing tall ladders, and the light from these candlesticks could be seen throughout all Jerusalem. Respected men of faith danced and sang in front of these candlesticks while carrying burning torches. As the ceremony progressed through the night, the priest blew the shofar three times. In the manner of the text of Isaiah 12:3, “Therefore, with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation,” the evening was characterized by exuberant joy. It was a wonderful occasion that no one wanted to miss.
Sometimes Rabbis would perform acrobats and juggle flaming touches as part of the festivities.
Some interpreted the passage in Deuteronomy 14:26 to mean it was good to spend one’s tithe money on food or liquor or whatever delicacies one might desire for the purpose of eating and rejoicing in the presence of the Lord.

So you put all this together and you get a massive party with an intensively significant meaning.

Jesus did his research.

#2 Actually Getting to the party 

• Getting there
• Look for a Less Obvious Entrance
• Watch your timing, you want to arrive when the party is in full swing
• Project Confidence and Act Like You Belong

Getting there:  John 7:1 Not easy … people wanted to kill Him.

Look for a less obvious entrance:

“when his brothers had gone up, then He also went to the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret.” Jesus found the kitchen entrance, he found the back door in to the party… and his timing was just right…

Watch Your timing, you want to arrive when the party is in full swing” 

John 7:14 it says “now about the middle of the feast Jesus went up to the temple and taught.” He waited till it was in full swing – so far so good, he’s following all the party-crashing guidelines.

Project confidence, and act like you belong…

Think about this for projecting confidence:

In verse 28-29 it says “Then Jesus cried out as he taught in the temple, saying, “You both know me and you know where I am from; and I have not come of myself, but he who sent me is true, whom you do not know. (then he says, get this), But I know Him, for I am from Him, and He sent Me.”

I know Him. What confidence!  “…I suffer these things, nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know Him whom I have believed and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed to Him until that day. 1 Tim. 1:12

Jesus said, For I am from Him. He had confidence in who he was. He wasn’t at a party trying to impress people, being all needy and trying to get validation from the cool kids. He knew who He was and He knew His God.

He knew He was sent. When you know you’ve been sent you go confidently  and with boldness. He left an impression.

#3 Blend In

• use good manners at all times
• Make friends – don’t be obnoxious, go talk to the interesting people.
• Don’t get caught – if you do, confess your true identity.
  use good manners

I’ll leave that up to you to decide, …calling out fellow party goers for being law breaking hypocrites…accusing fellow partiers of plotting to murder you… talking about religion in the first place.. crying out twice as he does in verses 28 and 37…Jesus may have some work to do on this element of blending in.

Make friends …

John 7:12 “there was much complaining amongst the people concerning him. Some said he is good, and others said no, on the contrary he deceives the people.”  Verse 30 it says that “they sought to take him”…verse 43 “there was division among the people because of him.”

Polarizing impact but not a polarizing person. Think of the kindness and patience of God. Think of his brothers, didn’t believe then James becomes an apostle. Rich Young Ruler maybe amongst the disciples who sold stuff and put at apostles’ feet. People who got saved at Pentecost. Who knows?

Jesus let people make decisions in their own time and space.

Polarizing impact because He was so different, authentic, vibrant whole, People never saw that beauty and wholeness of life before… not polarizing because he alienated and forced decisions.

So far not blending in so what now?

If you get caught – Confess your true identity.

Remember the Water Pouring ceremony, about how the water was linked to the Holy Spirit  and became a symbol of Holy Spirit coming out of the rock that followed the Israelites in their wanderings in the wilderness

Remember the glory that fell in Solomon’s temple during this feast.

Remember the promise in Isaiah 44:3 For I will pour water on him who is thirsty, and floods on the dry ground; I will pour My Spirit on your descendants, and My blessing on your offspring.”

Remember the water flowing from Ezekiel’s Messianic temple, the water flowing from the altar in the temple, growing, flooding, filling the earth, and bringing life to all that it touches.

Remember the promise in Zecheriah that in that day, in the day of God’s messiah and his salvation water, living water will flow from Jerusalem.

Remember all these when you imagine and picture Jesus as it says in John 7:38-39 who “on the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood up and cried out saying, ‘If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”

Jesus, obviously after consulting this webpage for party crashing, Jesus tell us after failing to blend in, what is His true identity.

He tabernacled temporarily with us John 1:14.

He is the Rock the water came from 1 Corinthians 10:4 … they all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.”

He was saying that he was the glory of God that filled the temple – The glory left in Ezekiel’s day but returned when Jesus walked in.

He was saying that He is the temple of God. Colossians 2:9 “For in Him dwells all the fullness of the godhead bodily.”

We are built into a holy temple as Ephesians 2:21 tells us, but it is in Him. In Him, in the one in whom the fullness of the Godhead dwells.. in the temple we are being fitted into a temple IN  Him. “In Him” being the operative phrase repeated 4x in two shorts sentences there in Ephesians.

He was saying that He was the dispenser of that living water, the source from which it flows. He is the dispenser of the Holy Spirit. He is the Messiah in whose days living water would flow from the city of God. Look again at Revelation 22, and see there is a River of Life, clear as crystal, flowing, proceeding from the throne God and the lamb. Jesus is saying my identity is the Messiah, the source of that living water – I am the giver, originator and source of life. I am the Messianic hope of the Spirit being poured out and your deepest hungers and thirsts being quenched.

#4 Throw your own party.

Does Jesus offer to throw his own party? he said this about the Spirit, whom those believing Him would receive; for the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. It says Jesus was talking about the Spirit they would receive at a later date… at a future party… why because its was not yet His time. He had to yet been glorified.

He’s desperate to be with the people he loves.. but then when he gets there… it’s not yet his time.. he has to say it… living water will flow.. I am the One… I qualify to give the Holy Spirit… but it will happen.. at a later date, RSVP.  you’re invited to a soon coming party.

Peters says happened after Jesus was glorified… he says “This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses. Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, having received from the Father, the promise of the Holy Spirit, HE POURED OUT THAT WHICH YOU NOW SEE AND HEAR. Acts 2:32-33.

And what was it that they all saw and heard…? Remember in Acts 2… there came a sound from heaven, as of rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. A house party? “then there appeared on them divided tongues as of fire… and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues… and then people mocked them saying … they are full of new wine. Peter had to say to them, “nope, its only 9AM, these aren’t drunk as you suppose.”

I have been around some drunk people in my time and I don’t know of anyone of them ever, as a characteristic of drunkenness, declaring the wonderful works of God in an intelligible foreign language – that is not a typical feature of drunkenness… they looked like they were partying and having a great time.

Jesus did throw his own party, he did invite people to it. He read the website.

He continues to throw this party now…  he continues to offer living water that brings life to all it touches.

You are invited to Jesus’ party.

RSVP Series# 2, Party Crashing 101, PowerPoint Slides

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