SERIES: 10 Days of Repentance
The Festival of Trumpets
Leviticus 23:23-25
MESSAGE PREVIEW:
In the Old Testament, God commands His people to observe seven feasts or holidays: Passover, Unleavened Bread, First Fruits, Shavuot, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot. Each of these feasts or holidays has significant meaning and importance. In them, God is wanting to remind His people of something important and wants to use these seasons to speak into their life and faith.
This week began the Jewish New Year, or Rosh Hashanah. There are 10 days between Rosh Hashanah to Yom Kippur. They are called the 10 Days of Awe and are days of repentance.
Repentance is an important practice in the life of a Jesus follower. In this season of pandemic, political fragmentation, and civil calamity, it’s important to ask what God is wanting to teach us? What is he wanting us to learn? As Pastor Brian has been asking God this question, one message keeps ringing loud and clear. The Church of Jesus needs to humble itself and repent. For the next 10 days, we are inviting our church to do just that through our 10 Days of Repentance emphasis.
First, let’s understand the Festival of Trumpets.
UNDERSTANDING THE FESTIVAL OF TRUMPETS
- Two Primary Biblical Purposes The coronation of the King The call to prayer, self-examination, and repentance
- Three Ways We Prepare Tefillah – turning to God in prayer Teshuvah – turning to others we’ve harmed or offended Tzedakah – turning to those in need
- Four Aspects of Repentance Forsake the Sin Proverbs 28:13Regret the Breach in RelationshipPsalm 51:3-4Confess the Truth and Make Amends Matthew 5:23-24 // Proverbs 28:13 // 1 John 1:9 // James 5:16Accept Your ForgivenessPhilippians 3:13-14 // 1 John 1:9 // Isaiah 40:1
OUR RESPONSE:
The first and greatest act of repentance is to turn to Jesus for forgiveness. If you’ve never made that decision, today is the day!
As a church, we are going to spend time for the next 10 days in prayer, self-examination, and repentance. What will this look like? We invite you to get alone in a quiet place every day for 10 days. Grab a Bible, something to write on, and something to write with. Read the daily reading and work through the 4 Aspects of Repentance that we talked about today. Join us every day (except Sunday) at noon on our Bay Area FB live page for a short devotional on one of these aspects.
A Home Repentance Guide and Daily Reading Calendar can be found here: https://www.bayarea.church/readingplan
ICEBREAKER QUESTIONS
Begin your session with prayer and use the following questions/discussion to get the conversation started…
Holidays, celebrations, and festivals have always been an important part of culture. For many of us today, the holidays that we observe and the celebrations we are a part of hold a special place in our heart. Let’s get the conversation started today by talking through a few questions:
Q: What is your favorite holiday/celebration? Why?
Q: Are there certain traditions or ways of observing these moments that have become special to you and/or your family? What are they? When or how did these traditions start? Why are they so special?
Q: What significant memories, meaning, or lessons have you found to be impactful in your life through these holidays/celebrations?
Holidays and times of celebration often hold a significant and meaningful place in our hearts. It’s not always the holiday itself, but what that holiday represents, the traditions that have become a part of it, and the lasting memories and meaning that has impacted our lives.
In the Old Testament, God commands His people to observe seven feasts or holidays: Passover, Unleavened Bread, First Fruits, Shavuot, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot. Each of these feasts or holidays has significant meaning and importance. In them, God is wanting to remind His people of something important and wants to use these seasons to speak into their life and faith.
This week began the Jewish New Year, or Rosh Hashanah. There are 10 days between Rosh Hashanah to Yom Kippur. They are called the 10 Days of Awe and are days of repentance.
This week, Pastor Brian shared more about this Festival of Trumpets. Let’s spend some time talking more about what we learned.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: Read Leviticus 23:23-24. Ask and discuss the following questions.
Q: What were the two primary biblical purposes of the Feast of Trumpets?
Q: What is the significance and importance of “coronating the King”? How does keeping God on the throne of our lives help us rightly live for him? What are the dangers of not doing this?
Q: Why are self-examination, prayer, and repentance important practices for a follower of Jesus? Why are they sometimes difficult to observe? How have these practices made a difference in your life and relationship with Jesus?
Q: What were the three ways to prepare during this time? Why are these practices still important to our lives and faith today? How can we practically live these out in the context of our lives in 2020?
Q: Pastor Brian shared Four Aspects of Repentance in this week’s message. Can someone remind the group what these were?
Q: What does it mean for us to “forsake the sin”? What can this practically look like in our daily lives?
Q: How can present sin in the life of a follower of Jesus affect their relationship with God? How can an attitude that regrets sin help us to seek restoration with God?
Q: We’ve all seen how sin can harm not only us but others as well. What does Matthew 5:23-24 teach us about the importance of not only confessing our sin to God but also seeking the forgiveness of those we may have hurt as well? How have you seen this teaching and practice make a difference in your own life?
Q: While we, as Jesus followers, are forgiven by God for the sin in our life, we sometimes struggle to accept His forgiveness, fully embrace his love, and forgive ourselves. Why is this the case? Why does it sometimes seem harder to forgive ourselves than for God to forgive us? How have you worked through this in your own life?
Q: What is your personal “take-away” from this week’s message? What is one specific thing the Lord spoke to you this week?
Q: What is your “action step” this week? How are you planning to apply what God has spoken to you?
WRAP-UP:
As Pastor Brian shared, we are inviting our church to join in a 10 Days of Repentance emphasis beginning Monday, September 21st. What does this look like?
- Check out the Home Repentance Guide and Daily Bible Reading Calendar at this following linkwww.bayarea.church/readingplan or by going to www.bayarea.church/live and clicking on the “Reading Plan” button.
- Plan time each day for the next 10 days to get alone with a Bible, something to write on, and something to write with.
- Read the Daily Bible Reading and work through the 4 Aspects of Repentance.
- Join us at 12:00pm each day (except Sunday) on our Facebook page for a short devotion and prayer time.
Encourage your group to commit to these 10 Days of Repentance. Conclude your gathering by praying for them – that God would work in a very special and powerful way as they commit this time to Him.
SCRIPTURES FROM THIS WEEK’S MESSAGE:
- Leviticus 23:23-25, Proverbs 28:13, Psalm 51:3-4, Matthew 5:23-24, I John 1:9
NEXT WEEK’S MESSAGE: “10 Days of Repentance: Yom Kippur”