The feast of trumpets (Rosh Hashanah)

I. Rosh Hashanah trumpets spiritual preparation

A. Pesach, the Feast of Passover, points to our redemption from sin!

B. Matza, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, is about our sanctification to holiness!

C. Bikkurim, the Feast of First Fruits, impels us to make God first in all of life!

D. Shavuot, the Feast of Weeks, began the harvest of new souls in God's Church!

E. Rosh Hashanah, the Feast of Trumpets, commences the gathering to worship!

II. Rosh Hashanah is the only new moon festival

  1. Now in the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall also have a holy convocation; you shall do no laborious work. It will be to you a day for blowing trumpets . . . besides the burnt offering of the new moon (Numbers 29:1, 6a).
  2. Blow the trumpet at the new moon, at the full moon, on our feast day (Psalm 81:3).
  3. "Bring your worthless offerings no longer, incense is an abomination to Me. New moon and sabbath, the calling of assemblie - I cannot endure iniquity and the solemn assembly. I hate your new moon festivals and your appointed feasts, they have become a burden to Me; I am weary of bearing them" (Isaiah 1:13, 14).

III. Rosh Hashanah prepares us for the second coming

  1. See Zephaniah 1:14-16 and Joel 2:1, 2, 10-13.
  2. Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed (1 Corinthians 15:51, 52).
  3. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord (1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17).
  4. "But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. And He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other" (Matthew 24:29-31).

Sermon by Pastor Rod Akins, August 4th, 2024

Life group flow and discussion questions

"The feast of trumpets (Rosh Hashanah)"

An important Guideline of Life Groups:? Spiritual readiness and authenticity are essential to Christian living; how is your Life Group encouraging one another to be real in their walk and ready for Christ's return?

Getting Started:

  1. How did Jesus fulfill the first four Feasts specifically? Do you think He will return on the Feast of Trumpets too?
  2. Why is the "New Moon" a mystery in which we don't know "the day or the hour" in which the moon will appear (Matthew 24:36)?

Discussing Truths:

  1. What is required to be ready for Christ's return (Matthew 24:42-51)?
  2. Have you ever found yourself just "going through the motions" of religious ceremonies? How do you evaluate is you have a pure heart?
  3. Why do many people blame God for the evil and injustice they see and experience in this fallen world instead of attributing it to Satan and sin?
  4. How does the Jewish practice of Rosh Hashanah where they are challenged for 10 days to repent and escape judgment to be recorded in the Book of Life, paint a spiritual picture of humble faith in preparing for Christ's second coming?
  5. The Hebrew greeting during Rosh Hashanah is "L'Shanah Tovah Tik-e-tay-voo Va-tik-a-tay-moo" means "May your name be inscribed and sealed for a good year". How does this works theology compare to the gospel of grace (Ephesians 2:8, 9)?
  6. When do you think the "Rapture" will occur? What scriptural support can you give for your persuasion?
  7. Why do many Jewish people not understand the gospel of grace (Romans 10:1-4)?

Now What? Application:

  1. How will you finish well the race that is laid before you (1 Corinthians 9:24-27)?
  2. Though the time of the Rapture is debated, the return of Christ is not; are you ready?