YOU CAN MOVE FORWARD

A Feast of Tabernacles / Last Great Day Sermon

Romans 8:1, 31–39; Philippians 3:13–14; John 7:37–38

Behavioral Objective:
After hearing this message, the believer will be able to recognize how guilt over the past and fear of present circumstances can keep us spiritually wandering, trust the finished work of Christ for forgiveness and strength, and move forward with confidence toward the Kingdom and the permanent dwelling God has prepared for His people.

 

INTRODUCTION — WE WERE NEVER MEANT TO LIVE IN THE BOOTH FOREVER

For these days of the Feast of Tabernacles, we have remembered something God commanded Israel never to forget.

God said:

“Ye shall dwell in booths seven days…”

Why?

So that generation after generation would remember that when God brought Israel out of Egypt, they lived in temporary dwellings.

They were travelers.

They were pilgrims.

They were moving through the wilderness toward somewhere else.

The booth was never supposed to be their permanent home.

The wilderness was never supposed to be their final destination.

God had brought them out of Egypt because He intended to bring them into something better.

And here we are now at the conclusion of this Feast.

Soon the booths come down.

The celebration ends.

We return to our ordinary routines.

But before we leave this Feast, perhaps there is a question God wants us to ask:

Is there something else we need to leave behind?

Because you can leave the Feast and still carry a wilderness around inside you.

You can leave the temporary dwelling—

but still live mentally in yesterday.

You can celebrate God's deliverance—

and still be held captive by guilt.

You can rejoice in God's promises—

and still be paralyzed by fear over your circumstances.

And some of us know exactly what that feels like.

There are things behind us that we regret.

And there are things ahead of us that we fear.

The past says:

“Look what you did.”

The circumstances say:

“Look what might happen.”

And between guilt about yesterday and fear about tomorrow, we can become afraid to move today.

But the message of the Feast is:

Keep moving.

You have not reached your permanent home yet.

The wilderness is not the destination.

The booth is not the destination.

The trouble is not the destination.

The failure is not the destination.

The fear is not the destination.

God is taking His people somewhere.

And because of the work of Yeshua the Messiah—

we can move forward.

 

MOVEMENT ONE — THE FEAST REMINDS US THAT GOD BROUGHT US OUT

Every booth told a story.

Every temporary shelter said:

“God brought us out.”

Israel had been slaves in Egypt.

They had lived under Pharaoh.

They had known oppression.

Bondage.

Fear.

But God delivered them.

And every year when Israel observed the Feast, they were reminded:

“We are not where we used to be.”

And child of God, that is where the gospel begins.

You are not where you used to be.

Christ has brought us out.

Paul says in Romans 8:1:

“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus.”

That is deliverance.

Because guilt has a way of trying to drag us back into Egypt.

God has set us free—

but guilt says:

“Go back.”

Grace says:

“You have been forgiven.”

Guilt says:

“But remember what you did.”

Grace says:

“You belong to Christ now.”

Guilt says:

“You ought to keep punishing yourself.”

But Christ says:

“It is finished.”

There are some things we have done that we cannot undo.

Some words we cannot take back.

Some decisions we cannot remake.

Some moments we wish we could live again differently.

And guilt says:

“Since you cannot change yesterday, you should remain chained to yesterday.”

But the cross says:

“The price has already been paid.”

Yeshua did not die so that you could be forgiven by God and then spend the rest of your life condemning yourself.

He bore our sins.

He carried our guilt.

He paid our debt.

And when He cried:

“It is finished,”

He meant the work necessary for our redemption was accomplished.

 

BIBLICAL ILLUSTRATION #1 — PETER: YOU CANNOT LIVE FOREVER IN THE COURTYARD

Peter knew something about guilt.

Peter said:

“Lord, I will never leave You.”

But before the night was over, Peter denied Yeshua three times.

And Luke tells us that after the third denial, the Lord turned and looked at Peter.

Peter remembered.

And he went out and wept bitterly.

Peter could not undo it.

He could not return to the courtyard and change his answer.

He could not make the rooster uncrow.

He could not erase the memory.

And perhaps Peter thought:

“My journey is over.”

But after Yeshua rose from the grave, He went looking for Peter.

John 21 tells us that the risen Messiah asked Peter:

“Lovest thou me?”

And when Peter answered, Yeshua said:

“Feed my sheep.”

Do you see it?

Peter was looking backward at the courtyard.

Yeshua was pointing him forward toward his calling.

Peter was thinking about what he had done.

Yeshua was talking about what Peter could still do.

Peter saw failure.

Christ saw ministry.

Peter saw the past.

Christ saw Pentecost.

And there are times when we must hear Christ saying to us:

“You cannot live forever in the courtyard.”

You failed there.

You cried there.

You learned something there.

But you cannot build your permanent dwelling there.

The courtyard is a temporary place.

Keep moving.

That is the message of the Feast.

You don't pitch your booth in the wilderness and say:

“This is where I will stay forever.”

No!

God has somewhere else for you to go.

And some of us need to stop living in the place where we failed.

God has forgiven you.

Learn from it.

Repent where repentance is needed.

Make right what can be made right.

But then hear the words of Christ:

“Feed My sheep.”

In other words:

There is still something ahead of you.

 

MOVEMENT TWO — GOD BROUGHT ISRAEL OUT, BUT THEY STILL HAD TO WALK THROUGH THE WILDERNESS

Now here is where the Feast becomes very practical.

God delivered Israel from Egypt—

but He did not immediately place them in the Promised Land.

Between deliverance and promise there was a wilderness.

And that is where many of us live.

We know God has forgiven us.

We know Christ has saved us.

But our circumstances have not yet become what we hoped they would become.

And wilderness circumstances can create fear.

“What are we going to eat?”

“Where are we going to find water?”

“What happens if the enemy attacks?”

“Can we really make it?”

God had already delivered them from Pharaoh—

but now they were afraid of the journey.

Isn't that like us?

We can believe God saved us from our sins—

and still wonder whether He can handle Tuesday.

We trust Him with eternity—

but become frightened by next month.

We believe He raised Yeshua from the grave—

but then look at our situation and say:

“I don't know how this can work out.”

That is fear of circumstances.

And fear has a way of making temporary circumstances look permanent.

 

BIBLICAL ILLUSTRATION #2 — THE DISCIPLES IN THE STORM

The disciples learned that lesson on the Sea of Galilee.

Yeshua said:

“Let us pass over unto the other side.”

Notice that.

He had already told them where they were going.

The other side.

But during the journey, a storm arose.

The wind began blowing.

The waves beat against the boat.

Water came into the vessel.

And suddenly the circumstances seemed more powerful than the word Christ had spoken.

Christ said:

“The other side.”

The storm said:

“You're not going to make it.”

Christ said:

“We're crossing.”

The waves said:

“You're going under.”

And the disciples woke Yeshua saying:

“Master, carest thou not that we perish?”

Fear does that.

Fear looks at the circumstances and begins questioning God's character.

“Lord, do You care?”

“Lord, where are You?”

“Lord, why haven't You changed this?”

But Yeshua stood and said:

“Peace, be still.”

And the wind ceased.

Then He asked them:

“Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?”

Their mistake was not noticing the storm.

The storm was real.

Their mistake was allowing the storm to become more authoritative than the word of Christ.

And somebody at this Feast needs to remember:

Your storm may be real, but it is not Lord.

Your problem may be real, but it is not Lord.

Your uncertainty may be real, but it is not Lord.

Your circumstances may be real—

but Yeshua is Lord.

And if Christ is in the boat, the storm does not get to determine your destination.

 

MOVEMENT THREE — THE RESURRECTION TELLS US CIRCUMSTANCES NEVER GET THE FINAL WORD

And this is why we must never separate the cross from the empty tomb.

The cross answers guilt.

But the resurrection answers fear.

Because on Friday, every circumstance said:

“It is over.”

Yeshua was dead.

His body was placed in a tomb.

A stone was rolled across the entrance.

The tomb was sealed.

Guards were stationed outside.

If you judged only by the visible circumstances—

hope was gone.

But early Sunday morning God demonstrated something that every believer needs to remember:

Circumstances do not get the final word when God is involved.

The stone moved.

The tomb opened.

Death surrendered.

And Christ arose.

Therefore, when circumstances tell you:

“There is no way forward,”

the resurrection says:

“God is not limited by what you can see.”

When circumstances say:

“This situation is dead,”

the resurrection says:

“God specializes in life.”

When fear says:

“This stone is too heavy,”

the resurrection says:

“God can move stones.”

When fear says:

“It's over,”

the resurrection says:

“God may not be finished yet.”

Now that does not mean every circumstance will turn out exactly as we want.

Faith is not telling God how the story must end.

Faith is knowing that however the story unfolds—

nothing can separate us from the love and presence of Christ.

 

MOVEMENT FOUR — ROMANS 8: NO CONDEMNATION BEHIND ME, NO SEPARATION AHEAD OF ME

This is why Romans 8 is such a beautiful Feast chapter.

It begins:

“There is therefore now no condemnation…”

And it ends:

“Neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come… shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Look at what God has done.

Behind me—

no condemnation.

Ahead of me—

no separation.

What does that leave?

A road on which I can walk with God.

My past cannot condemn me because Christ paid for it.

My future cannot separate me because Christ holds me.

Paul asks:

“If God be for us, who can be against us?”

And then Paul names circumstances:

Tribulation.

Distress.

Persecution.

Famine.

Nakedness.

Peril.

Sword.

Those are wilderness words.

But Paul says:

“In all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.”

Not after all these things.

Not when we escape all these things.

In all these things.

Sometimes God removes the storm.

Sometimes God carries us through the storm.

Sometimes He opens the Red Sea.

Sometimes He gives us strength to walk through the wilderness.

But either way—

God remains God.

 

MOVEMENT FIVE — THE TABERNACLE IS TEMPORARY, BUT GOD HAS PREPARED SOMETHING PERMANENT

The Feast reminds us that we are still pilgrims.

These bodies are temporary.

Our circumstances are temporary.

Our possessions are temporary.

Even the troubles that look permanent are temporary when viewed against eternity.

Paul said in 2 Corinthians 5:

“For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God…”

Isn't that Feast language?

This earthly tabernacle—

temporary.

But God has prepared something permanent.

Hebrews 11 tells us that Abraham lived in tents because:

“He looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.”

That is where the Feast points us.

We do not merely look backward at Israel's wilderness.

We look forward.

Toward the Kingdom.

Toward the resurrection.

Toward the day when God dwells with His people.

Revelation 21 says:

“Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them…”

One day—

no temporary booth.

No wilderness.

No death.

No sorrow.

No crying.

No pain.

No fear.

No guilt.

Because the former things will have passed away.

And God says:

“Behold, I make all things new.”

That is where we are headed.

 

MOVEMENT SIX — ON THE LAST GREAT DAY, YESHUA STOOD UP

And there is something especially beautiful about preaching this message at the conclusion of the Feast.

John 7 tells us:

“In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried…”

Can you see Him?

Jerusalem crowded with worshippers.

The Feast reaching its climax.

And Yeshua stands up and cries:

“If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.”

What a word to people traveling through a wilderness world.

Come to Me.

Because we get thirsty on this journey.

Guilt makes us thirsty.

Fear makes us thirsty.

Heartache makes us thirsty.

Uncertainty makes us thirsty.

Trying to control tomorrow will wear you out.

Trying to repair yesterday by punishing yourself will wear you out.

And Yeshua says:

“Come unto Me.”

Not:

“Figure everything out.”

Not:

“Fix your past.”

Not:

“Guarantee your future.”

He says:

“Come unto Me and drink.”

Then John explains that He was speaking of the Spirit.

And that means we are not being asked to walk forward in our own strength.

The Spirit of God goes with us.

God does not merely point toward the future and say:

“Good luck.”

He puts His Spirit within us and says:

“Walk with Me.”

 

MOVEMENT SEVEN — DON'T TAKE THE WILDERNESS HOME WITH YOU

So as this Feast comes to its conclusion, here is the challenge.

When you take down your temporary dwelling—

take something else down with it.

Take down the guilt that says:

“I can never get beyond what I did.”

Take down the fear that says:

“I cannot move until everything is certain.”

Take down the anxiety that says:

“My circumstances determine my future.”

Take down the old belief that says:

“If I cannot see the way, there must not be a way.”

And when you leave the Feast—

don't take the wilderness home with you.

Take the lesson.

Take the gratitude.

Take the memory of God's provision.

Take the hope of the Kingdom.

Take the promise of Christ.

But leave the bondage behind.

 

CELEBRATION — WE'RE GOING SOMEWHERE!

Israel came out of Egypt—

because God was taking them somewhere.

Abraham lived in tents—

because he was looking for a city.

Peter got up from his failure—

because Christ still had work for him.

The disciples survived the storm—

because Jesus had already said:

“Let's go to the other side.”

And saints of God—

we are going somewhere!

This world is not our permanent home.

This trouble is not our permanent home.

This body is not our permanent home.

This fear is not our permanent home.

This guilt is not our permanent home.

We are pilgrims.

We are travelers.

We are people on the way.

So when guilt says:

“Go back!”

Point to the cross and say:

“It is finished!”

When fear says:

“Don't move!”

Point to the empty tomb and say:

“He is risen!”

When circumstances say:

“You won't make it!”

Remember Yeshua in the boat.

When the wilderness says:

“Settle down here!”

Remember—

this is only a booth!

I've got somewhere else to go!

I'm looking for a city whose builder and maker is God.

I'm looking for a Kingdom that cannot be moved.

I'm looking for the day when the tabernacle of God will be with men.

I'm looking for the day when He will wipe every tear from our eyes.

So I'm moving forward.

I may not know every turn in the road—

but I'm moving forward.

There may still be giants in the land—

but I'm moving forward.

There may be storms on the sea—

but I'm moving forward.

I may have made mistakes behind me—

but I'm moving forward.

I may not know exactly what waits ahead—

but I'm moving forward.

Because there is—

no condemnation behind me.

There is—

no separation ahead of me.

There is—

a risen Christ beside me.

There is—

the Holy Spirit within me.

And there is—

a Kingdom before me.

So forgetting those things which are behind,

reaching forth unto those things which are before,

I press.

I press beyond my guilt.

I press beyond my fear.

I press beyond my circumstances.

I press beyond the wilderness.

I press toward the mark.

Because the cross says:

“You are forgiven.”

The empty tomb says:

“You have hope.”

The Spirit says:

“You have strength.”

And the Feast says:

“You are not home yet.”

So don't stop in the wilderness.

Don't settle in the booth.

Don't build your identity around a temporary circumstance.

Keep walking.

Keep trusting.

Keep pressing.

Because our King is coming.

His Kingdom is coming.

And one day the temporary will give way to the eternal—

and the tabernacle of God will be with His people forever.

Until then—

WE CAN MOVE FORWARD!

Amen.