Life after the Cross – 5

Life After the Cross

By Apostle Felix

16  So why would you allow anyone to judge you because of what you eat or drink, or insist that you keep the feasts, observe new moon celebrations, or the Sabbath? 

17  All of these were but a prophetic shadow and the evidence of what would be fulfilled, for the body is now Christ! 

Colossians 2: 16, 17

Life after the cross is a life of freedom. There is no freedom in observing the Jewish feasts and rituals. It has been observed in the church today that believers are still observing some Jewish feasts and rituals. Real freedom is found in Christ. Life after the cross has freed us from observing Jewish feast and rituals because all were fulfilled in Christ. The attempt to observe the feasts and rituals lead to unveiling the Christ. Why? Because the revelation of Christ was hidden in the feasts and rituals. Since Christ fulfilled the feasts and rituals in His death ad resurrection, then you and I are not supposed to observe them. Such tendencies undermines what Jesus accomplished for us. The feasts in the Old Testament were a prophetic shadow of the coming Jesus, the Messiah.

31  Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; 

32  And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. 

33  They answered him, We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free? 

John 8: 31 – 33

The Jewish people relied on the law for righteousness. When Jesus talked about freedom for their lives, Jews argued with Jesus on the premise that God had promised freedom to Abraham. In fact they lied when they said that they had never been in bondage before. They were slaves in Egypt and were also taken captive by Nebuchadnezzar. They were not true to themselves, because they were a self-righteous community. They took pride in observing the feasts and rituals. They did not understand fully the purpose of the feasts and it’s rituals. Christ was concealed in the feasts and rituals. But the Jewish settled with the letter and rejected the Messiah.

2Co 3:5  Yet we don’t see ourselves as capable enough to do anything in our own strength, for our true competence flows from God’s empowering presence. 

2Co 3:6  He alone makes us adequate ministers who are focused on an entirely new covenant. Our ministry is not based on the letter of the law but through the power of the Spirit. The letter of the law kills, but the Spirit pours out life. 

2 Corinthians 3: 5, 6

Let me just mention one Jewish feasts that the nation of Israel observed and the church leaders have imposed on the people of God. Let us look at first fruits. The first fruit has been monetized in many churches. Church members are mandated to bring their first salary of the new year to the man of God. And of course, people comply and give their money and then they turn to cash loans. The month of January is such a demanding month, economically. Children are starting a new grade, hence buying new school uniforms, stationery and driving kids to and from school.

20  But the truth is, Christ is risen from the dead, as the firstfruit of a great resurrection harvest of those who have died. 

1 Corinthians 15: 20

What is first fruit? The feast of first fruit was celebrated to thank God for the harvest and offer the first portion of the produce to God. The practice was a shadow of the coming Messiah. Jesus is referred to as the first fruit of those who have fallen asleep. Therefore, we can conclude that the first fruit was a type and shadow prophetically pointing to the coming Messiah. Jesus was the only man who died and rose from dead, and lives forever. His death signified the resurrection of the church, a nation of sons of God. The danger in monetizing the prophetic message of the Messiah is that, people will be veiled from seeing the Christ to seeing a profit. I sowed this much as my first fruit, therefore I will receive an harvest of money. It is a displacement of the revelation with mammon.

24  No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. 

Matthew 6: 24

The love of money can blind anyone from seeing the Lord. Instead of seeing Christ in the feast of first fruit, we tend to see money. The first fruit is not mentioned in the New Testament asking believers to give their first salary of the year. Jesus is our first fruit, the first born from the dead. God communicated to the Jewish people using elements. Christ was hidden in the types and shadows. That’s way the devil went ahead to instigate the death of Jesus. The message of redemption through Christ was wrapped up in feasts and rituals.

7  Instead, we continually speak of this wonderful wisdom that comes from God, hidden before now in a mystery. It is his secret plan, destined before the ages, to bring us into glory.
1Co 2:8  None of the rulers of this present world order understood it, for if they had, they never would have crucified the Lord of shining glory.

1 Corinthians 2: 7, 8

The feast of the  first fruit was a shadow which was practiced before the cross. But after the cross, we have the reality, the substance, who is Christ.

1  Throughout our history God has spoken to our ancestors by his prophets in many different ways. The revelation he gave them was only a fragment at a time, building one truth upon another. 

2  But to us living in these last days, God now speaks to us openly in the language of a Son, the appointed Heir of everything, for through him God created the panorama of all things and all time.

Hebrews 1: 1, 2