GOD is With Us - Sunday Morning @ 11:00am September 27, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: Seven Days of Unbroken Praise

The Feast of Tabernacles demands a week-long posture of joy, replacing complaints with gratitude. Leviticus 23:40 commands Israel to gather palm branches, willows, and rejoice seven days before the Lord. This celebration mirrors Jesus’ triumphal entry, where crowds waved palm branches, declaring Him King. For believers, this week is an invitation to fix attention on God’s faithfulness, silencing grumbling with intentional praise. Every sunrise becomes a reminder to choose thanksgiving over frustration, trusting God’s presence outweighs life’s pressures. [08:07]

“On the first day you shall take the fruit of splendid trees, branches of palm trees and boughs of leafy trees and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God seven days.”
(Leviticus 23:40, ESV)

Reflection: What specific frustration or worry have you carried this week that could be surrendered through intentional praise? How might shifting your focus to God’s past faithfulness alter your perspective today?

Day 2: Wilderness Tents and Divine Provision

The Israelites’ temporary shelters in the desert symbolized total dependence on God. With no permanent resources, they relied on daily manna, water from rocks, and guidance by fire. Tabernacles invites believers to recall seasons where God alone sustained them—times when paychecks, plans, or people fell short. Just as desert stars reminded Israel of their Provider, creation still testifies to His care. Gratitude flourishes when we trace His provision through barren seasons. [13:11]

“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
(Psalm 23:6, ESV)

Reflection: When has God provided unexpectedly for you in a “wilderness” season? What current uncertainty could you entrust to Him today, remembering His past faithfulness?

Day 3: The Greater One Within

Jesus promised the Holy Spirit would not merely accompany believers but dwell within them. Unlike Old Testament saints who met God in temples, believers now carry His presence internally. This indwelling Comforter empowers discernment, courage, and authority over darkness. The Feast of Tabernacles shifts from celebrating God’s temporary presence in a tent to His permanent residence in human hearts. Every challenge faced is met by the Spirit’s strength, not human effort. [24:53]

“Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.”
(1 John 4:4, ESV)

Reflection: Where have you felt outmatched or overwhelmed recently? How might leaning into the Spirit’s indwelling power change your approach to that struggle?

Day 4: Nations Streaming to the King

Zechariah prophesies a day when all surviving nations will pilgrimage to Jerusalem annually to worship Christ during Tabernacles. This global gathering fulfills God’s promise to Abraham to bless all peoples. Ethnic divisions dissolve as every tribe brings offerings to the King. Today’s tensions—political, racial, or cultural—are temporary; the feast foreshadows eternal unity under Christ’s reign. Our worship now rehearses that coming day of reconciliation. [33:46]

“Then everyone who survives of all the nations that have come against Jerusalem shall go up year after year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Booths.”
(Zechariah 14:16, ESV)

Reflection: What relational division or cultural conflict weighs on you? How does the vision of nations united in worship reshape your prayers for reconciliation?

Day 5: Tears Wiped Away Under New Skies

The ultimate fulfillment of Tabernacles is Revelation’s new Jerusalem, where God dwells directly with humanity. Gone are death, grief, and pain—replaced by unbroken fellowship. Every earthly trial finds its resolution here; every tear God collects is finally wiped away. This hope anchors believers during loss, injustice, or suffering. Our present celebrations are dress rehearsals for an eternal feast where joy has no shadow. [40:07]

“He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
(Revelation 21:4, ESV)

Reflection: What sorrow or injustice feels unresolved in your life? How might the promise of God’s final restoration bring comfort or patience today?

Sermon Summary

The Feast of Tabernacles comes as a week long celebration of the Lord, a sharp contrast to the solemnity of Yom Kippur. Leviticus 23 calls these the feasts of Yahweh, His appointed times, His holy convocations, and not merely feasts belonging to one people. The Feast of Tabernacles calls God’s people to rejoice before the Lord for seven days because the King is among them.

Tabernacles remembers Israel’s wilderness journey, when tents, open skies, manna, water from the rock, and quail all testified that God was their source. Israel had no supply but God, and the feast calls every generation to remember that resources may fail, but the Source never does. God’s canopy over the believer becomes a place to slow down, look up, and remember the trail of goodness and mercy that has followed through every season.

God’s names bring comfort to that remembrance. Jehovah Shammah declares that the Lord is there, even when father, mother, friends, or familiar support seem absent. El Roi declares that God sees the hurt, the unfair treatment, the words spoken behind closed doors, and the burdens that cannot be explained to another person. Hebrews 13 calls for contentment because the Lord has said, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”

Jesus takes Tabernacles deeper than God merely being with His people. John 14 promises the Comforter, the Spirit of truth, who would not only dwell with believers but be in them. First John 4 declares that greater is He that is in them than he that is in the world. The God-inside mindset gives believers confidence to discern truth from error, stand against the pressures of the world, and occupy, possess, and advance until Jesus returns.

Tabernacles also gathers the nations before the King. Israel served as a caretaker of God’s covenant purposes, but God’s house was always meant to be a house of prayer for all nations. Zechariah points ahead to the millennial reign, when the nations will go up year after year to worship the King and keep the Feast of Tabernacles. Revelation carries the picture all the way to the end, when the new Jerusalem comes down and the tabernacle of God is with men forever.

God’s final dwelling with His people brings the end of death, sorrow, crying, and pain. Christ offers the water of life freely to the thirsty, while the final warning remains plain for those who reject Him. Praise becomes the right response now: not something received from God, but something given to Him, from the rising of the sun until its going down.

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Key Takeaways

1. God remains the only true source Israel’s wilderness season proved that provision did not depend on natural resources being available. God brought manna, water, and protection where no ordinary supply existed. The same God remains the source when familiar systems fail or life enters an unfamiliar wilderness. [12:20]
2. Remembering mercy changes the conversation Psalm 23 becomes personal when a believer looks back and sees goodness and mercy all along the trail. God’s faithfulness does not erase hard moments, but it exposes how often mercy stepped in before destruction, judgment, or despair had the final word. Gratitude grows when comparison loses its grip and remembrance takes its place. [14:50]
3. The Comforter lives on the inside Jesus promised more than a God who walks beside His people. The Holy Spirit abides in believers, making the presence of God an inward reality in every place they go. The greater One within gives strength to discern lies, resist deception, and remain steady in a troubled world. [23:08]
4. All nations will worship the King Tabernacles points beyond one nation to God’s purpose of gathering people from every nation before Himself. Jesus is not merely a suffering Messiah from the past but the conquering King who will rule the earth. Every ethnic background and every people group is called to honor His kingship. [27:11]
5. Praise gives God what belongs to Him Praise is not a transaction for getting something from God. Praise is an offering, a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and a public confession that the Lord has been faithful. The righteous answer God’s benefits by blessing His name from this time forth and forevermore.

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Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[02:10] - Celebrating the Feast of Tabernacles
[03:37] - The Feasts of Yahweh
[06:02] - Seven Days of Rejoicing
[10:31] - God Tabernacling With His People
[11:09] - God Is the Source in the Wilderness
[16:37] - Jehovah Shammah and El Roi
[22:13] - The God-Inside Mindset
[27:11] - Tabernacles and All Nations
[30:17] - Worshiping the King in the Millennium
[37:32] - The New Jerusalem and God With Men
[46:14] - Establishing Perpetual Praise

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Leviticus 23:39-43
“On the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the produce of the land, you shall celebrate the feast of the LORD seven days. On the first day shall be a solemn rest, and on the eighth day shall be a solemn rest. And you shall take on the first day the fruit of splendid trees, branches of palm trees and boughs of leafy trees and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before the LORD your God seven days. You shall celebrate it as a feast to the LORD for seven days in the year. It is a statute forever throughout your generations; you shall celebrate it in the seventh month. You shall dwell in booths for seven days. All native Israelites shall dwell in booths, 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 the LORD your God.” [03:37]

Revelation 21:1-4
“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 'Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” [37:32]

John 14:15-17
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.” [22:13]

Observation questions

What instructions does Leviticus 23 give for the Feast of Tabernacles, and what response is God’s people commanded to have before the Lord? [06:45]
What parts of Israel’s wilderness experience are connected with God’s provision and protection during their time in tents? [12:41]
In John 14:15-17, what does Jesus say about the Comforter’s relationship to believers? [23:13]
What future picture of God dwelling with His people is described in Revelation 21:1-4? [39:48]

Interpretation questions

Why does the Feast of Tabernacles connect rejoicing with remembering a wilderness season, when the wilderness was also a place of need and uncertainty? [13:07]
What does it mean for a believer to see God as the Source rather than only focusing on the resources that may be available or failing around them? [12:26]
Jesus promises that the Spirit of truth will be in believers. How should this shape a believer’s ability to recognize truth, resist deception, and remain steady in a troubled world? [25:21]
Revelation 21 describes God making all things new and removing death, sorrow, crying, and pain. How does this future hope give meaning and strength to believers in present hardship? [41:43]

Application questions

Where has life felt like a wilderness lately—perhaps in finances, health, family, work, or an uncertain decision? What would it look like to trust God as the Source in that specific place? [13:20]
Take a moment to look back over your life. What is one clear example of God’s goodness or mercy that could help shift a present complaint into gratitude? [14:50]
Is there a hurt, unfair situation, or burden that has been difficult to explain to others? How does knowing that God sees it affect the way it can be carried this week? [18:31]
What comparison or desire for “more” most often steals contentment? What specific gifts from God can be thanked Him for instead? [20:11]
Since the Holy Spirit lives in believers, what is one situation this week where greater confidence, discernment, or obedience is needed? [25:40]
Praise is an offering given to God, not a transaction for getting something from Him. What simple practice could help make praise a more regular part of daily life this week? [47:19]

Sermon Clips

28s

“And it it was and so when they celebrated tabernacles, it was a reminder that we were in this place. And as we went from place to place, we had no resources. We had no supply but God. And it's a reminder to all of us that regardless of what it looks like out there, regardless of of of what resources fail in our lives, God is always our source.”

34s

“And the greater one lives on the inside of us. And as Jesus communicated this, and then John repeats this over in first John. The greater one lives on the inside, greater than he that is in the world, which means that all of the stuff that we deal with out there, all of the the people, okay, the enemy that works through people, Greater is the one that is on the inside of us. This is the comforter that Jesus spoke of in John chapter 14 that is not only with us, but is in us.”

32s

“This account took place when Hagar was out in the wilderness and she felt abandoned. And during this time, she recognized that God was the one who saw her in the midst of her hurt, in the midst of her pain, in the midst of her sorrow, and he provided comfort, and he provided guidance to her. Okay? So God is the one who sees. He sees you right where you are and the things that you're dealing with.”

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