Staying In God’s Presence

TAPE # 3

NR3-18   TAB-03

981004PM

“STAYING IN GOD’S PRESENCE”

EXODUS 19-40

The 1st Book of God’s Word is Genesis. Within its pages, God tells of our creation after God made all the rest of the Cosmos through Christ. Humans were the crown of creation, made in the Creator’s image.

Then man embraced sin instead of obedience, and the long line of ravaged, ruined, and buried bodies testified to sin’s destroying power. But all along the way are clues on how God wanted His creatures to be restored in fellowship with Him. Returning to God required the shedding of animal blood to demonstrate a substitutionary atonement.

• ? That is why God killed animals to clothe Adam and Eve.
• ? The altar of sacrifice was offered to both Cain and Abel.
• ? The grace at the Flood for Noah and his family.
• ? God’s Calling Abram from the idolatry of Ur.
• ? The many altars of meeting in the pages of Genesis all speak of God’s desire to restore His own to fellowship.

Then the offering of an only son on an altar of sacrifice culminates the story. Isaac is saved by the substitution of a Lamb provided by God! And the story is complete. God’s plan is substitutionary atonement, bloody sacrifice, and heart-prompted obedience.That was Genesis.

The 2nd Book of God’s Word is our study tonight. The Book of Exodus continues the incredible story of God’s desires for us, His creations. Please turn there with me as we uncover within these pages the wonders of Jesus Christ. He is all we need.

Then, the Sacred Tent (chapters 25-40) was erected and the priesthood given to offer a prominent and powerful image of Christ, their only hope. As always, it was not the covenant that saved, nor the sacrifices, nor the ceremonies.

Not even significant events were able to save them, like the Passover, the Red Sea event, or Sinai. It was only by personal faith mixed with obedience (as most clearly shown in the brazen serpent incident). As the atonement was sufficient for all (they all came out of Egypt) it was only efficient or effective for those whose personally took the truth by faith (seemingly a precious few)!

Transcript

If you want to start turning in your Bibles to Hebrews chapter 9. On the way there, let me share with you that this is the final and perhaps most important part of our study. As we have looked through the life of Moses, as he demonstrates better than perhaps anybody else in the Bible, how to cultivate a life of intimacy, of experiencing God. The whole book of Exodus is a launching pad into the presence of God. We saw a long time ago in the first 18 chapters, Exodus shows us God’s way of salvation. The middle part of Exodus shows God’s way of sanctification, holiness. And then finally, what we’re considering and concluding tonight, Exodus 24 to 40, shows God’s way to be worshiped and how we can enter the presence of God and how we can continue staying in the presence of God.

On your little note sheet, I’m going to go through that with you. We’re going to look at some of the fore view of that, and then we’ll conclude tonight with those nine steps into God’s intimate presence. But the first book of God’s Word is, of course, Genesis, and within its pages, God tells us of our creation after His creation of all the rest of the cosmos through our Lord Jesus Christ. Humans, we are the crown of God’s creation; we’re made in his image. But then man and mankind through Adam embraced sin instead of obedience to God. And thus, we have the long line of ravaged, ruined, and buried bodies that testify to sins destroying power.

But all along the way, there are clues on how God wants his creatures to be restored in fellowship with him. Coming back to God, had to involve the shed blood of animals to show, as we saw this morning, that substitutionary atonement. That’s why God killed the animals to clothe Adam and Eve. That’s why God presented an altar of sacrifice to both Cain and Abel, of which only Abel got the idea. That’s why there was grace at the flood for Noah and his family. That’s why God called Abraham, or Abram, out of idolatrous Er. And all the many altars of meetings in the pages of Genesis, each speaks of God’s desire to restore His own creations back to fellowship with Him. Then the offering of an only son and an altar of sacrifice culminates the story. Isaac is saved by the substitution of a lamb provided by God Himself, and the story is complete. God’s plan of substitutionary atonement, of bloody sacrifice, and of heart-prompted obedience. That would be Genesis in one paragraph.

The second book of God’s Word is our study tonight, the book of Exodus. The book of Exodus continues the incredible story of God’s desire for us as creatures. In Exodus, we’ll go there in just a moment. After we do Hebrews, we will uncover within these pages the wonders of Jesus Christ. And He is presented as perfectly all we need. Then the sacred tent was erected and the priesthood was given to offer an incredibly clear and powerful image of Christ as their, and I might add our, only hope.

As always, it was not the covenant that saved, nor the sacrifices, nor the ceremonies. Not even big events were able to save them, like the Passover, the Red Sea Event, or Sinai. It was only by personal faith mixed with obedience. And you remember that from the brazen serpent incident, where they had to obey and look up and believe as they looked at that serpent in Numbers 22:21-22, and God saved them. As the atonement was sufficient for all, they all came out of Egypt; it was only efficient or effective for those who personally took the truth by faith. And in Hebrews, it says there were precious few who trusted God.

Let’s look tonight at staying in the presence of God. How did God instruct His people to stay in touch with him? He had them construct that long, black, unattractive tent of badger skins. But when we come inside, we find ourselves surrounded by shining gold, and we see the wings of cherubim above us. And just like we saw this morning, that’s the same with Christ. And tonight, before as natural people, we beheld him and saw no beauty. But tonight, to us who know the Lord Jesus Christ, His beauty satisfies our souls.

Once a year, into that tent walked the high priest. The annual time was prescribed by God for him to pass behind the veil. He was wearing those bells, as I mentioned this morning, because sometimes when they went in unworthily or with sin, God killed them. And he stayed there only as long as necessary before hurrying from the presence of God. How differently we come. God welcomes us, and we linger long before Him. But lest we miss the beauty of staying in the presence of the Lord, we need to understand His picture, the Tabernacle. Every detail was given by God, and every detail of the Tabernacle was a great shadow lesson about Jesus. Every person had to come God’s way, for He showed them there was only one entrance into His presence, and there was only one entrance into the Tabernacle as a portrait of that. It didn’t have many doors. It had one gate to go through, just as Jesus said He was the door. That entrance was 30 feet wide, and it showed the wideness of God’s mercy, but every detail shouted that He was holy.

What we need to consider tonight is whether we have experienced the nine steps into God’s intimate presence? Let’s turn to Hebrews chapter 9 and let me read to you about how critical this is. You stand with me and I’ll read Hebrews 9:1-5, 10:1-10, and then let’s ask the Lord of the Book to open His Book to our hearts. Hebrews 9. Then indeed, even the first covenant had ordinances of divine service, and the earthly sanctuary for a Tabernacle was prepared. The first part in which was the lampstand, the table, and the showbread, is called the sanctuary. And behind the second veil, the part of the Tabernacle, which is called the holiest of all, which had the golden censer and the Ark of the Covenant overlaid on all sides with gold, in which were the golden pot that had the manna, Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tablets of the covenant. And above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the Mercy Seat. Of these things, we cannot now speak in detail.

Now, over to chapter 10, and I’m going to read the first 10 verses there. For the law, having a shadow of good things to come. Now, that’s Jesus, by the way. He’s not only reflected in the Tabernacle, but if we were going to study it, He’s reflected in all the laws, too. He was, chapter 10, verse 1, Jesus is the shadow of good things to come and not the very image of the things that can never, with these same sacrifices which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered for the worshipers, once purified, would’ve had no more consciousness of sin. But in those sacrifices, there is a reminder of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats could take away sins. Wherefore, when He came into the world, He said, sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you have prepared for Me. In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin, You had no pleasure. Then I said, behold, I have come. In the volume of the book, it is written of Me to do Your will, oh God. Previously, saying sacrifice and offering, burnt offering and offerings for sin, You did not desire, nor had pleasure in them, which are offered according to the law. Then He said, behold, I have come to do your will, oh God. He takes away the first that He may establish the second. By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. What a wonderful portion of Scripture.

Let’s bow together before the Lord. I thank you, oh Father, that in the volume of this book, you did write about our Lord Jesus Christ. And that He had a body prepared for Him, a sinless, perfect sacrificial body to invade humanity to become our sacrifice for sin. We thank You that He came to do Your will and that we, when we follow our Lord Jesus, also want to obey You and do Your will. I pray that tonight we would learn the wonderful truths about staying in Your presence. And that we would see from this portion of Your Word, looking at the Tabernacle, what steps we must take to enter in and stay in Your presence. Bless us to that end as we study Your Word tonight. In Jesus’ precious name we pray, Amen.

As you’re seated, we’re going to be going back to Hebrews 9:21 on our way back to Exodus. So, you can just turn there to 9:21 because when we talk about the nine steps into God’s presence, and I’ll read them to you again, they’re on your sheet there, and that’s what we’re going to go over and over tonight. The first step, the Tabernacle, was God wanting us to live in His presence. The second step, the brazen altar, was for God to want us to approach His holiness. The laver of brass is God, wanting to cleanse our sins. The golden lampstand, God wants us to walk ever in His light. The showbread table, God wants us to be nourished by our Savior, who is the Bread of Life, and His Word is more than our necessary food, as Jeremiah said. The altar of incense, God wants us to pray in the Spirit. The veil, which was rent, God wants us to enter His presence with boldness. The Ark of the Covenant, God wants us to trust His promises. And the Mercy Seat, God wants us resting in His sacrifice.

If you want to look for just a moment in Hebrews 9:21, this whole section is very much about helping us to understand what God was doing in the Old Testament. This is what it says in 9:21-24. Then likewise, he sprinkled with blood, both the Tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry. And according to the law, almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission. Verse 23, therefore, it was necessary that the copies of the things in the heavens should be purified with these.

Now, for just a second, what are we talking about here? You remember when Moses was instructed to build the Tabernacle, God took him up into the mountain and there showed him exactly what he was going to build. He showed him the heavenly sanctuary. Now, we want to get all crazy on this because that’s what the Seventh Day Adventists have done, and they talk about how Jesus has already returned to Earth and now He’s doing some kind of purifying thing. The Bible doesn’t talk about that. All we know is that God had a model of the Tabernacle that He showed him that came down from Heaven, and Moses saw that.

Now, whether God made it just for him or whether the actual Tabernacle we just saw in Revelation, or that temple up there, is modeled exactly like these words, we’re reading it. It doesn’t fill in the pieces for us, but all we know is what this says, that the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. That’s the end of verse 23. Verse 24, for Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into Heaven itself. Now, to appear in the presence of God for us. That’s what the Tabernacle talks about. I guess we could stop right there and just sing some more hymns. That’s the message that Jesus has become our sacrifice, and He’s entered into the presence of God for us.

When you look at the Tabernacle, think of this: first of all, a sinner is outside. When you’re standing in front of the Tabernacle, it’s a picture of a sinner being outside the Tabernacle, and there’s only one door to enter through. So, that’s the first significant step that you have to come through, the one and only door. Then, once you come into that Tabernacle area, you are separated from the world. Those high curtain walls keep you separated from the world, and you come to be cleansed at the laver. Then, after you’re cleansed, you enter into the fellowship at the table of showbread. You learn to walk in the daily light. Then, and only then, comes the power of prayer at the incense altar. And then we are prepared to enter the holiest of all into personal communion with God. Thus, the place of rest and peace through the blood-washed Mercy Seat. So, the holy place is a picture of worship and fellowship, of feeding at the table, of walking in the light, of the communion of the Holy of Holies with the fellowship of God. A deep and personal communion with God as we are hidden under the blood.

Now, turn back to Romans chapter 3 on our way to Exodus, and I want to show you something there. Romans chapter 3 and verse 25. And it’s just a marvelous expression of us being hidden under the blood. It says this, it says who God is, this is talking about Jesus has set forth as a propitiation by His blood. So, Jesus’ blood poured out for us through faith to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance, God passed over the sins that were previously committed. See, that’s what God has done for us. He’s passed over our sins. He let the blood of Jesus take them away.

I just want to share this with you because what we’re getting into is pretty heavy doctrine. Let me just distill down our belief in our salvation into just five sentences. Okay. Number one, justification in Romans 5:1 tells us that we as sinners stand before God accused, and God, not because of anything we’ve done, but because of what Jesus did, declares us righteous by imputing Christ’s righteousness to us. That’s what justification’s all about. Justification, we all know, just as if I’d never sinned, but how did that happen? We stand before God, like before the judge, and we look up and we’re accused. So, God says there’s nothing you’ve ever done, ever could do, and so I’m just going to pour out Jesus Christ’s righteousness on you. That’s justification.

Redemption, Ephesians 1:7, is when we stand before God as slaves. We come with our shackles of sin, and we come there and we’re granted freedom from our sins by Christ’s ransom. Now, one of my relatives in Colorado was a sheriff, and I remember when I was a little boy, we went out there to whatever town that was, I can’t even remember. He locked us all in jail, and it was fun for a while. We had second thoughts about whether our parents were going to leave us there, but we were ransomed out. But Jesus, what He does is we come bound in the slave market of sin. We come, and He buys us out of there. He looses our bonds. And you know what? He opens the jail door, and so many Christians continue to live in the jail bound by their sin when they’ve been set free. We’re redeemed. We should not live in the old life. We should go out in the newness of life.

Thirdly, forgiveness, Revelation 1:5. As sinners, we stand before God as debtors, and God forgives and forgets all of our debts. He pays for them. He says they’re done.

Fourthly, reconciliation. Ephesians 2:13 says we’re sinners. We’re standing before God as His enemy, and we are made a friend by His peace. And all these are what are portrayed in the sacrifices of the Old Testament and are completed by the sacrifice of Christ.

Finally, adoption. Ephesians 1:5 tells us that we as sinners stood before God, strange to Him, and He makes us His own sons and daughters because He chose us. So, it’s just beautiful pictures.

But let’s go back now to the book of Exodus, and we’ll start in chapter 25. We’re just going to plow through this and try and glean as much as we can in such a short time. There is so much more written about the Old Testament worship than is written about creation, the flood, and a whole host of other great topics we spend a long time on. There is just chapter after chapter of detail. And of course, every Word of God is pure and all Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and it’s all profitable.

But let’s just tour the tent for just a moment tonight. The physical dimensions of the Tabernacle are 172 by 86. That’s 14,792 square feet. That would be about the size of the first floor of our education wing out back. The innermost room of this Tabernacle was the Holy of Holies. It was just 15 feet square, and it was the holiest spot on Earth. Outside of that little room was a larger place that, attached to it, was called the Holy Place. That was 30 by 15. So, the very holy place, the Holy of Holies and Holy Place together were only 675 square feet. That’s about the size of a medium, one-bedroom apartment, and much larger than our first apartment that I remember having in California.

The building materials were made of precious metals. There were 2,500 pounds or $16 million worth of gold at current prices. Silver, there were four and a half tons, about one and a half million dollars. And there were about three tons of bronze.

Every material used in the Tabernacle was symbolic. The wood spoke of Christ’s humanity, the silver, and I was sharing with someone in the Discovery class this morning, when they asked the question that when the firstborn were redeemed, they gave the redemption money to the Lord, to the Tabernacle. Out of the redemption money were fashioned these sockets. And a socket was, it was actually a little device that had a place to set a board on it. And then it would hook to kind of like a foundational post. So, it would sit there and have a little cup on it where you could put a board. When they would set up the Tabernacle in the wilderness, the Kohathites and the Amorites and the whole gang would walk in, and the Gershonites, and they’d walk in with all this stuff. And they would put it down, and they’d clear the area, and the first thing they’d do is they’d lay down the foundational wood beams and then put these little sockets on there and lay the floor. What it says is that the whole Tabernacle was built upon redemption. The silver, of course, speaks of redemption money.

The gold speaks of royalty as Christ is king. There are also parts of this tent that are made from fabric and skins. The linen fence was just like the law. It kept people out. The colors of this tent were white, which speaks of perfection, blue, which speaks of Heaven, scarlet speaks of sacrifice, and purple of royalty. There were skins, these animal skins that were abundant in this area, which, by the way, were very valuable for shoe leather. But the people gave them up for the building of the Tabernacle, and I think that’s one of the many reasons why God made their clothes not wear out and their shoes not wear out.

Just for a second, think about it. I was told all my life that if you give to God first, He’ll take care of your needs. You know what? I was so young I didn’t know there was anything else, so I have always done that. And what’s amazing is I meet people and they say, when I get out of debt, I’ll start giving to the Lord, when I get out of financial trouble, when I get out of this. You know what? It was disobedience that even got them into those problems. And you don’t get rid of disobedience by further disobedience. So, there’s something to think about when these people sacrificed to God their next pair of shoes; He made their shoes not wear out. An interesting thought to think about there.

There were also articles placed in special locations. The courtyard had a cleansing place called the laver. It had this altar of burnt offering. The holy place had the incense, the table, the showbread, the candelabra, and then, of course, in the holiest of all, the Ark and the veil. Now, Exodus 25:8, and you turn to that, and I’m going to share New Testament verses. And if you’re a note taker, you might want to jot some of these down. There were deep spiritual meanings revealed in the Tabernacle, deep. In fact, a generation or five generations ago, they used to preach about the Tabernacle for weeks on end when they had camp meetings. People would come, and they’d bring their lunch, and they’d just spend the day there, and they’d just be day-long services on the Tabernacle. I’m old enough. I’m not five generations old, but I remember the old-time white-haired preachers preaching endlessly on all the different details of the Tabernacle. Most people know so little about this tent today.

But the Tabernacle, first of all, was God’s dwelling place by the power of the Spirit. So, God dwelt there, and if you know anything about it, the Shekinah was that glowing cloud that showed God’s presence and that would hover over the tent to show that God was there. And also, there was this big pillar of cloud, and it was a pillar of fire by night. Basically, the children of Israel in the desert had this pillar of fire, which most likely radiated a lot of heat, and it kept the desert from getting so cold for them at night. During the day, it was a huge pillar of cloud, which kind of gave them this mobile umbrella out there in the Sinai, where it gets up to 127 degrees, and they just went under this big floating umbrella that just covered 81 square miles, but it wasn’t stormy. It just protected them, and that was God showing He would take care of them.

But look at verse 8 of chapter 25. Let them make Me a sanctuary, we looked at this verse this morning, that I may dwell among them. Now, here’s the New Testament fulfillment. Listen to Ephesians 2 starting in verse 19. Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints. You are members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Himself, being the chief cornerstone in whom the whole building, joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. Verse 22, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit. Every day or every time they moved, these people watched as the different crews of the Levites, the Kohathites, Amorites, and the Gershonites got their pieces together and built this Tabernacle. And look what it says in Ephesians 2. You are also being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit. When we come together collectively, the body of Christ is present.

That’s why when people forsake the assembling of themselves together with the church, they’re harming the church. Why is that? Because God gifts each one of us individually in different ways. And when we come together, the gifted members of the body are present, and they’re able to minister. But when they withhold themselves from the fellowship, then their particular giftedness is kept back. And that’s why, just as if the Amorites were coming and one of them didn’t show up with the sockets, the floor wouldn’t hold up. And if someone else didn’t come with the pinions to put the posts in, they couldn’t put the fence up. And if someone else didn’t come with the brackets that went on top, they couldn’t put the top of the Tanton. And so, all of them had to come with their pieces, and that’s what it’s like when we come together. 2 Corinthians 6 says this, 2 Corinthians 6:16, what agreement has a temple of God with idols? For you’re the temple of the Living God. As God has said, I will dwell in them and walk among them, and I’ll be their God and they’ll be My people. So, the Tabernacle was God’s dwelling place by the power of the Spirit. And now in Christ’s Church, He dwells in us.

Secondly, the Tabernacle was a pattern of the heavenly things. For just a moment, don’t lose Exodus, but go back to chapter 9 of Hebrews where we started. And to really understand the Old Testament, you have to keep flipping to the New because the Old Testament is truth concealed. It’s hidden in all these sacrifices and pictures and all that. In the New Testament, it’s revealed, it’s exposed. Look at Hebrews 9:23. The Tabernacle was also a pattern of heavenly things. I just touched on this, but I want you to know it’s not just speculating what kind of a building God has up in Heaven. That isn’t what matters. What matters is the heavenly things it portrays for us in our spiritual lives.

Look at 23, the copies of the things in Heaven needed to be purified. Verse 24, for Christ has not entered the holy place made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into Heaven. Now, to appear in the presence of God for us. Now, what we’re looking at tonight is how we experience staying in the presence of God. A big part of that is that it says in Hebrews that our anchor is cast within the veil. Our anchor is cast with Christ in Heaven, and that anchor is an anchor of our souls, and it tugs us heavenward. That’s because the Tabernacle was a pattern of heavenly things, and the heavenly things draw us to Christ.

Okay, let me just summarize all this. All of these symbolic articles point to Jesus. Let me just detail them for you. The gate reminds us that Jesus is the door. The linen that the curtains were made of reminds us of Jesus’s righteousness. The brass reminds us of the judgment that He bore for us. The gold reminds us that He is divine. The silver reminds us of His blood. Remember the redemption money? The sockets were made of redemption money. We are redeemed by the blood of Christ. The wood reminds us of His humanity, that He is one of us, that He is human. The altar reminds us that Jesus is the sacrifice for us on the cross. The laver reminds us that Jesus is the cleansing one. The showbread on the table means to us that Jesus is our bread of life. And the candelabra, Jesus is the light of the world.

By the way, when Jesus was at the Temple in Jerusalem, in chapter 7 of John’s Gospel, it’s very interesting. Once a year, they would remind themselves of when God provided the water in the wilderness. Remember, everybody was dying of thirst, and Moses hit the rock and the water came out. So, they would go down, or they went down, they would get this big ornamental urn, and they’d fill it up with water. And this priest would walk up onto this high place right underneath the candelabra in the Temple, and it got very quiet.

In fact, you ought to look at that. It’s so exciting. Look at chapter 7 of John’s Gospel. Why tell you about it when you can read it? John chapter 7. Now, I probably won’t be able to find it. There we go. Chapter 7, verse 37. On the last day, John 7:37, that great day of the feast. Now, that’s why we have to get back to this. He’s right underneath this candelabra. This priest came up, and all eyes were just focused on him because it was such a big deal. And he’d pour the water out, like the water came out of the rock. So, Jesus just walked through the crowd and got over there by the candelabra. He was really always in control of the situation. He got there, and just by His moving there, everybody was looking at Him already, but nobody was noticing. They were watching the guy above Him with this water pitcher.

I can just see this event; this fella is getting ready to pour out the water. Now, look at verse 37, on the last day, the great day of the feast, I mean, it had been building for this point. Jesus stood, and the word is krazo. He screamed out just as this water’s going. And what are they reminding themselves of? That they were thirsty in the wilderness, and that they almost died of thirst, and that the Lord provided water out of the rock. There are so many pictures there. Jesus, just as the water’s coming out and everyone’s just breathless to watch that water come out of this big golden vase or whatever it was, Jesus said, if anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. Who is He? And they looked, and there He is standing under the candelabra, yelling. And then look at verse 38. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers.

That’s where we get the little hymn I thirsted in the barren land of sin and strife, and nothing satisfying there I found until we came to Christ, and from us what? Verse 38, He spoke concerning the Spirit whom those believing in Him would receive, for the Holy Spirit was not yet given because Jesus was not yet glorified. Springs of living water would come out of us. The Holy Spirit welling up within us and flowing out. Well, Jesus is the one who was the bread of life, the light of the world, standing in that candelabra, the one who gives us satisfaction from our thirst. The incense and the incense altar in the Tabernacle remind us that Jesus is our great high priest. And the Ark of the Covenant reminds us that Jesus is faithful to keep His promises.

Let’s go to John chapter 10, as long as you’re in John, and we might as well study the Tabernacle in the New Testament. It’s a lot prettier there and a lot clearer. The court was entered by the gate, and I remind you that Jesus is the door to God. Look at John 10 in verse 9. Now, remember, if you were in the Tabernacle or the Temple, there was a gate coming in, just one way in. It was a very guarded, restricted way, and you had to come through that 30-foot-wide gate. It was wide enough for everybody to come through, but only one way to come through. And that’s significant. I am the door, John 10:9. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.

This door was a curtain, and a curtain is the easiest means of entrance. It was not like a wooden door, which you have to knock on. It was a curtain that you could lift silently. And at the time, no one needed to know the transaction that takes place silently between the soul and its Savior. It may be that we come like Nicodemus coming by night, but when the curtain is dropped behind the one who enters into the courtyard of the Tabernacle, you are completely inside. You’re not half in and half out as in the doorway, but you’re completely shut off by the sharp dividing line. God chose all this for a purpose. You can actually with a door; you have to knock, and then you pull it open. So, there’s a little self-effort there, and then you can stand with one foot in and one foot out. But not so when there’s a curtain because you lift it up and it falls back behind you and you’re in. Which is a real sign of our security.

Have we entered by the gate? Have we accepted the sacrifice? Do we know that we are cleansed? Only the priest could enter the Tabernacle itself. If we have proved the power of the cross. Christ has called us to be priests. He sets us aside for His service. We can enter in even further. The holy place is entered by this door. This again is Christ Himself. Christ is a means of entrance into every fresh position of blessing. Every spiritual blessing comes with a fresh view of Jesus and what He wants to be to us. He is the door. He is the entrance. He is the gate. He is the one who said that this gate is wide enough to encompass the breadth of all when he said whosoever will let him come.

Inside the gate, you’re surrounded by spotless white curtains of the court. The Tabernacle was protected by a cord of pure white linen held up by 60 pillars, entered by a curtain of colored material called the gate. The walls of the Tabernacle were made of boards of this wood that were overlaid with gold. It rested on massive silver sockets, sunk deep into the sand. These sockets were made from the redemption money paid by every Israelite, and thus the whole fabric of this Tabernacle rested upon the foundation of redemption.

Now, turn from John back to 1 Peter, and that’s just before Revelation. It goes Hebrews, you were there, James, 1 Peter, 2 Peter, 1, 2, 3, John, Jude, Revelation. So, go back six books from Revelation or go past Hebrews to, past James, to 1 Peter. I want to share with you what the Lord says in 1 Peter 1:18-19. And it says, knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things like silver and gold. From your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ as of a lamb, without blemish, without spot. So, Christ is our redemption, and so we are built upon the foundation of His redemption.

Back from Peter, go to Hebrews chapter 10, verse 12 with me because we want to look at the second element of these nine. The second one, part of this Tabernacle, is the brazen altar, and that is the first thing that confronts you immediately as you go through this gate. And what it tells us is that just as the gate itself told us that Jesus is the door to God, the brazen altar tells us Jesus became a sin sacrifice for us. Look at Hebrews 10 in verse 12. But this man, Hebrews 10:12, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever. Now, if there’s one verse that cuts through all the talk about what the true Church of Jesus Christ is, it’s this verse right here. Those who believe that Jesus made one sacrifice for sin forever are the redeemed. They’re trusting in that one sacrifice He made forever.

Look at verse 12. He sat down at the right hand of God. Now, remember, in all my discussions with you about the Tabernacle, we don’t see any chairs. There are no benches. Why? As I was sharing the Discovery class or with someone else this morning in the first service, there was no end to what you’re doing. You were going over here and you’re dumping oil in the lamp, and then you had to trim the wicks, and then you went over there, you had to put more incense on the burning altar. Oh, and now the bread’s getting stale, we have got to take that out. Oh, we’ve got to go wash our hands. We’ve got to kill an animal. They were just running around like spring cleaning in your house. It’s just very exciting in there. But look at verse 12. But this man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sin forever, sat down at the right hand of God. Wonderful.

Verse 14. For by one offering he has perfected forever those who are being sanctified. Isn’t that a wonderful verse? A once and for all nature of the sacrifice, but the progressive sanctification in our lives. Wonderful truth right here.

Let’s hasten on to the laver. Let’s go back to chapter 9 of Hebrews, verse 14. The third element is the laver of brass, and that is God wants us to cleanse our sins. That’s the doctrine of sanctification, and that’s wonderful. If you ever want to read about this, Jay Vernon McGee has a little sermon called the Three Entrances. I wrote that down for you. You ought to read, oh, McGee! What a preacher he was, still is. He’s on the radio still. I think that’s great that they’re letting his ministry go on.

But look at chapter 9, verse 14, because this talks about Christ, the eternal cleansing Word. He is the door to God. Jesus is the sin sacrifice for us, and He is the eternal cleansing Word. Hebrews 9:14. How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit, offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God. Jesus is the eternal cleansing Word, Hebrews 9:14.

You don’t have to turn there, but let me read to you Zechariah 13, the first verse of that Old Testament prophet. On that day, a fountain will be open for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness. There’s a day coming when God’s going to restore the Jews, the remnant, and in that day there’s going to be a fountain of cleansing. You know how we sing there is a fountain filled with blood? It’s going to avail for those who look to Christ in their desperate hour, as we’ll see at Armageddon when we get to our prophecy conference.

Okay, the fourth element on your list is the holy Place, which has several items in it. You see there that it has the golden lampstand, the table of showbread, and the altar of incense. In the holy place, there were two great gifts: food and light. Jesus told us that I am the bread of life. And I am the light of the world. And I think it’s very interesting that in the holy place, these truths are revealed about Christ. And basically, they’re this: Jesus is the lamp, the light of the world.

As long as you’re in the New Testament, let’s go back to chapter eight of John’s Gospel, verse 12, John 8:12. And if you can’t keep up with this, write them down and look them up, and underline them. Jesus spoke to them again, saying, I am the light of the world. Now, there were golden menorahs, seven-armed candelabras, that were so huge in the Temple area that Josephus tells us in the Temple of Jerusalem in Jesus’ day, it was as bright as daytime in the court of the Temple. Because remember, it was a 24-hour deal going on there. They were coming and going and just carrying on all the rituals. And Jesus, there in that area of the Temple, as perhaps He was looking across at the brightness of the glow of those menorahs that just flamed and burned and illumined the Temple mount area, He said, I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness but will have the light of life. So, Jesus Christ, the light of the world, and Jesus Christ, the bread of life.

Back to chapter 7 of Hebrews. We’re going to go to the next element, which is number six on your list there. God wants us to be nourished. Jesus is the bread of life. That’s John 6. But let’s look at the altar of incense real quick. Hebrews chapter 7. And this is an important verse. If you’ve been resting for a minute, you ought to try and find this one. This is bright yellow in my Bible. It’s very important to have this one marked because the sixth element, the sixth step to God, is the altar of incense, and that tells us that Christ is the constantly interceding high priest. Look at verse 24 of Hebrews 7. But He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. Now, chapter 5 says, the human priests were failures because they were failures, because they were sinners. But Jesus is the perfect priest. He’s unchanging. Verse 25, therefore, he can save to the uttermost. We’re covering a lot of assurance verses.

I don’t know what kind of background you’re from, but a lot of people come from backgrounds where they think that they get their salvation, they lose their salvation, they get their salvation, they lose their salvation. The Scriptures don’t present that thought. That’s manufactured. And it’s also a great tool to help people keep the straight and narrow if you scare them to death. But it doesn’t present this saved and unsaved and lost and found and all that stuff. This is what it presents, verse 25 at the end. He always lives to make intercession for them. So, verse 25, at the beginning, He’s able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him. If you’ve made the right connection to God through Christ, you’re saved to the uttermost. That means that in the end, no matter what, through it all, saved if you have the right connection.

Now, keep reading. Verse 26, for such a high priest was fitting for us who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens. That’s Jesus that it’s talking about. What a wonderful verse, higher than the heavens. Verse 27, who does not need daily, as those high priests offer up sacrifices first for His own sin and then for the people. For this, He did once for all when He offered up Himself. Christ’s continual intercession, by which alone our prayers can ascend to God.

Now, I think it’s just very interesting, and I don’t want you to get lost, but let me tell you about what the high priest was like. It’s just a beautiful picture, and all of these things are worthy of a lifetime of study. But in Aaron and what he wore, the priestly garments, we have a picture of Jesus as our great high priest. All of Aaron’s garments, and if you ever want to study this, it’s just so fascinating.

In fact, that’s the one thing that I said at Grace Community Church. I only said one thing in California that would scare them. The whole place was just packed. It was a beautiful Sunday night, and I paused, and I looked at them. I said, did you know that everybody who was regularly in God’s presence dressed modestly? People were falling out of their pews. People were offended. Someone came up afterwards and said, that’s an area of Christian liberty. You have no right to tell us; our bodies are ours. We can do whatever we want. And I said, no, they’re not. For you were bought with a price. Glorify God with that body. But you know what? These high priests garments were typical garments. They were typical of reverence, holiness, modesty, and purity.

Now, listen. There were three ornaments on the high priest’s outfit, which were engraved with a signet. They had special writing on them. There were onyx stones on his shoulder, and there was a breastplate over his heart, and it was engraved with the names of the children of Israel, both on these onyx stones and on the breastplate, so that he might bear them before the Lord and have them over his heart at all times. Isn’t that a great picture? That means Jesus always has us on His heart. He’s always holding us up. Isn’t that great? That high priest, everyone thinks, boy, that’s boring to read about all that stuff. Oh no, it’s not. Jesus is bearing us up. It says the government will be upon His shoulder singular, Isaiah 9:6. What’s on the other one? Us. He’s running the universe with this one. He’s holding us up with this one. Great stuff. Over his heart were the names of the children of Israel, that He might bear them before the Lord continually.

And then on a plate on his forehead was engraved holiness to the Lord. That’s what Aaron wore, and he bore the iniquity of their holy things that they might be accepted before the Lord. So, Aaron had this holiness of the Lord, and he wore that around all the time because he was bringing the people before God. On his shoulders, on his forehead, on his heart, what do we see here but the perfect strength, the perfect wisdom, the perfect love of our high priest put forth on our behalf. Our good shepherd lays the lost sheep on His shoulder. Christ is our wisdom, and greater love hath no man than this, than he lay down his life.

Well, Aaron fell short. He was sinful, but Jesus is perfect. As a man, He was tempted in all points just like we are, yet He never sinned. He can sympathize. He can come alongside us because He was perfect. He can meet our needs to the uttermost because he’s God. He can bear the whole world’s sin in His atonement on the cross because He is God, and He can bear the whole world’s need as He intercedes before the throne. What a blessing.

We’ve got a lot of ground to cover. Look at number seven there. Let’s just back up, the showbread, Jesus, our bread of life. The altar of incense, Christ is constantly interceding for us. The lamp, Christ is the light of the world. The laver, Christ, is the eternal cleansing Word. The brazen altar, Jesus became a sin sacrifice. The court of the Tabernacle, Jesus is our door to God.

Now, the Ark of the Covenant, and that’ll be number eight. Then, I’ll do the veil and the Ark together. Let’s go to chapter 6 of Hebrews. It’s hard not to park on these because they’re so rich. Look at Hebrews 6:1,9 and then we’ll go from that into Hebrews 9:5. But 6:19, the whole idea of the veil is that Jesus was crucified to open the way for us, and the Ark is that He is the one who is supremely the authority of our salvation. So, as the veil was rent, the Ark was seen. And as the veil was rent through the sacrifice of Christ, it ratified the new covenant, which is our salvation.

Chapter 6, verse 19 of Hebrews. And I quoted this earlier, but I want to share with you now, this hope we have as an anchor of the soul, sure, and steadfast, and which enters the presence behind the veil. Ooh. You know what that means? All of us have an anchor tied around us and it’s tied real tight, the rope is. The heavy anchor part has already been thrown in Heaven, and that means that we can never be washed overboard and be lost because our anchor isn’t going to pull us down. If you and I start falling, our anchor pulls us what? Up. It’s a great anchor, isn’t it? And it says, look at verse 19, this is our hope. That’s why the Apostle Paul says, now abideth these three faith, hope, and love. What is the hope? It’s the anchor of the soul. This hope we have as an anchor of our souls. It’s sure. It’s steadfast. It enters the presence behind the veil. Do you know what that means? Do you know who’s holding onto the other end? Do you know what the anchor is? The Lord Jesus.

I remember in my foolish days, I used to do stuff like clean chimneys on these four-story southern mansions. Boy, 10 bucks an hour. I never thought about how far it was down there, and I used to let a fellow college student hold my rope, and he’d be down there, and he’d be drinking his soda and everything. I was hoping he was holding on. It’s not like that with Christ. He’s up there holding our rope, and He’s watching us the whole time. When something’s happening that’s too much for us, He goes, whoop, pulls us right up out of the way, and He lets us back down. Whoop, out of the way, puts us right back down. He did that. Peter got wiped out by a servant girl around the fire. Remember in Caiaphas’ court? Jesus said, Peter, I’m not going to let Satan get at you. You wouldn’t make it. That’s an interesting thought for those who don’t believe in the foreknowledge of God. Jesus knew that Peter was not strong enough to make it through, so He kept him from that hour. He pulled him out, and that’s what He does. He pulls us up by a rope.

Look at verse 20. Where the forerunner has entered for us. Even Jesus, who became a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. The veil, Jesus, was crucified to open the way for us. The Ark of the Covenant, that’s chapter 9, verse 5.

Look at that, Hebrews 9:5. It says, and above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the Mercy Seat. Remember, I told you that their wings were outstretched and they were always looking down at the blood. And that blood was that which made the atonement and the sacrifice for our souls. And the Ark of the Covenant always spoke, as the hymn writer says, that blood, which strongly pleads for me. Forgive him, oh, forgive, it cries, nor let that ransomed sinner die.

The Ark of the Covenant tells us of Christ’s supreme authority. His work is finished, He said in John 19:30, it is finished. Hebrews 1 and verse 3. You might as well turn back there. That’s another great verse. This book is great. Look at Hebrews 1:3. It says, who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, upholding all things by the Word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, He sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high. Why? Because Jesus is a covering for our sin. He’s a supreme authority who declared the work of God finished.

Let’s just apply all this. Why don’t we go to Psalm 32, and I want to close there in Psalm 32 because this is perhaps one of the most beautiful testimonies of what happens when you understand the work of the Tabernacle, the Temple, the sacrifice of Christ. They all blend together. Psalm 32, let me just read it to you. Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Verse 2, blessed is the one to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity. You know what David’s writing about? He’s writing about what happened to him in his adultery, his murder, his lying, his wickedness with Bathsheba, with Uriah, with the nation. And what he said is that his sins needed, number 1, to be forgiven. And what that means is that our sins need to be pulled off us. Forgiven means literally to have our sins lifted off. Like in Pilgrim of Pilgrim’s Progress, as he came up and as he looked down at that open tomb, his burden of sin rolled off and tumbled down and went into that tomb.

I think of the hymn writer, my sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought, my sin not in part, but the whole. We, before Christ, were being crushed by all the sins that had piled up on us. It suffocated us. It smothered us. It would squash us. It would take the very life out of our souls. But there is a redeemer who can set us free, and He lifts off our sin. That’s what it says. The work of Christ is that He forgives. He lifts up. The Hebrew word means to lift away our sin.

Secondly, blessed is the one whose sin is covered, verse 1 at the end. Our guilt needed to be shielded. We needed to be shielded from God’s wrath because of our guilt. And this word at the end of verse 1 of Psalm 32 means our guilt covered us, and God said, I will cover you with the atoning blood of Christ. And beneath the lid of the Ark that was inside the holy place where the blood was poured on top, underneath it, what was covered up by that blood was the law of God, which condemned sin. So, He covered over our guilt with His blood. In essence, the blood stands between a holy God and the sinners who broke His law. The blood averts God’s wrath, and that’s why David was so happy. The first part of Psalm 32 is, oh, how blessed to know my sins are gone and no one can bring them up against me.

Finally, the last thing He says in verse 2 is blessed is the one whom the Lord does not impute iniquity. Our debt had to be cleared out. Our sins had to be pulled up. Our guilt had to cause us to be shielded from God’s wrath, and our debt had to be canceled or cleared out. It couldn’t be counted against us. This word blessed a man whom the Lord does not impute. That word impute or not counted means that our debts are no longer going to be held on record against us. We had become utterly bankrupt by our sins. Our bills were piling up with God. They were flooding us. They were drowning us. Our desire, our deceit, our cruel deceptions, our cunning craftiness, all of our shameless sins were heavy debts to our souls. And now David says, for all of us, oh, the sheer delight when all the mountain of the impossible, dead of my sin, is just erased by God, just erased. God cleansed our sin that smothered away our joy. God cleansed our sins that soiled our souls. God cleansed our sin that had stolen our fellowship. Oh, how wonderful.

That dusty tent glows through the ages with a matchless portrait of Christ. For those who don’t know Christ, have you ever stood beneath the shadow of the blood so that God’s wrath will pass over you? It’s only by trusting in His finished work that we can have hope. And us Christians, those who know Christ, the way is open, the veil is rent. Not only a salvation for our souls, but to a communion of our spirit. We need to come to the laver daily. We need to be reminded that the brazen altar was the price of Calvary. We need to walk under the glow of the candlestick of the light of lights. We need to watch the ceaseless rising of the smoke, of the sweet scent from the incense. We need to let our spirit rise in powerful communion as the Ark of God’s commitment to us as chosen ones majestically stands as His promise that He will keep His Word, that He will perfect His saints. From floor to ceiling, from door to door, this portrait is divine and it’s ours to live out in Christ our tabernacle.

Let’s bow before our Lord revealed in this book and thank Him for who He is and what He has done. I thank you, Lord Jesus, that You’re the gate by which we enter into God. And that You’re the white linen because You’re so righteous. And You’re the brass because You took our judgment. And You are the one who is like the silver sockets, You have redeemed us with Your blood. And You are like the wood because You are so human. And You’re like the altar because You gave Yourself for us. You cleanse us, You feed us, You light us, You intercede for us, and You faithfully keep Your Word to us. I pray that we would grow in our understanding, our comprehension, and in our communion with You. In Your precious name we pray, Amen.

The 1st Book of God’s Word is Genesis. Within it’s pages God tells of our creation after God made all the rest of the Cosmos through Christ. Humans were the crown of creation, made in the Creator’s image. Then man embraced sin instead of obedience and the long line of ravaged, ruined and buried bodies testified to sin’s destroying power.
But all along the way are clues on how God wanted His creatures to be restored in fellowship with Him. Coming back to God had to involve the shed blood of animals to show a substitutionary atonement.
 That is why God killed animals to clothe Adam and Eve.

 The altar of sacrifice was offered to both Cain and Abel.

 The grace at the Flood for Noah and his family.

 God’s Calling Abram from the idolatry of Ur.

 The many altars of meeting in the pages of Genesis all speak of God’s desire for restoring His own to fellowship.

Then the offering of an only son on an altar of sacrifice culminates the story. Isaac is saved by the substitution of a Lamb provided by God! And the story is complete. God’s plan is substitutionary atonement, bloody sacrifice and heart prompted obedience.
That was Genesis. The 2nd Book of God’s Word is our study tonight. The Book of Exodus continues the incredible story of God’s desires for us His creations. Please turn there with me as we uncover within these pages the wonders of Jesus Christ. He is perfectly all we need.
Then, the Sacred Tent (chapters 25-40) was erected and the priesthood given, to offer an incredibly clear and powerful image of Christ their only hope. As always, it was not the covenant that saved, nor the sacrifices, nor the ceremonies. Not even big events were able to save them like the Passover, Red Sea event or Sinai. It was only by personal faith mixed with obedience (as most clearly shown in the brazen serpent incident). As the atonement was sufficient for all (they all came out of Egypt) it was only efficient or effective for those whose personally took the truth by faith (seemingly a precious few)!

STAYING IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD
So how did God instruct His people to stay in touch with Him? He had them construct a long, black, unattractive tent of badgers’ skins. But when we come inside, we find ourselves surrounded by shining gold: looking up to the curtained roof, we see the wings of the cherubim woven in; blue and purple and scarlet and fine twined linen. The light of the golden candlestick reveals all the beauty within. So it is with Christ Himself. The natural man, beholding Him, sees no beauty that he should desire Him. But to those who know the Lord Jesus Christ, His beauty satisfieth their souls.
Once a year into that Tent walked the High Priest. The annual time was prescribed by God for him to pass behind that veil. He was wearing bells on the hem of his garment to let the other priests know he was still alive as he was inside; garbed carefully in the God directed robes and priestly garments. With trembling hands cradling a basin of blood, veiled by a cloud of smoking incense burning in a pot he carried – the High Priest would enter. And stay only as long as necessary before hurrying from the presence of God.
How differently we come. God welcomes us. We linger long before Him. But lest we miss the beauty of staying in the presence of the Lord, we need to understand the Tabernacle. Every detail was given by God. Every detail was a great shadow lesson about Jesus. Every person had to come God’s way, for He showed the only way into His presence. The entrance was 30 feet wide, showing the wideness of God’s mercy. But every detail shouted He was HOLY!

HAVE YOU EXPERIENCED THE 9 STEPS INTO GOD’S INTIMATE PRESENCE
 The Tabernacle: God wants us LIVING IN His Presence.

 The Brazen Altar: God wants us APPROACHING HIS HOLINESS (The Doctrine of Satisfaction)

 The Laver of Brass: God wants us CLEANSING OUR SINS (The Doctrine of Sanctification) The Three Entrances (McGee)

 The Golden Lampstand: God wants us WALKING IN HIS LIGHT

 The Table of Showbread: God wants us NOURISHED BY OUR SAVIOR

 The Altar Of Incense (30:1-10, 34-38) : God wants us PRAYING IN THE SPIRIT

 The Veil Which Was Rent: God wants us ENTERING HIS PRESENCE WITH BOLDNESS

 The Ark of the Covenant: TRUSTING HIS PROMISES  The Mercy Seat: RESTING IN HIS SACRIFICE

PLEASE STAND AS WE READ OF THE LORD JESUS IN HIS TABERNACLED GLORY.

HEBREWS 9:1-5; 10:1-10

THE SYMBOLIC LAYOUT OF THE TABERNACLE EXPLAINS OUR PARTAKING OF JESUS
Hebrews 9:21-24 Then likewise he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry.22 And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission. 23 Therefore it was necessary that the copies of the things in the heavens should be purified with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.24 For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us;

 Sinner outside must come through one and only door

 Separated from world and cleansed at laver

 Enters into fellowship at the table

 Learning to walk in the light daily (I John 1:7)

 Then, and only then, comes power of prayer at the incense alta

r  Prepared to enter the Holiest of all personal communion with God

 Thus the place of rest and peace through the blood washed mercy seat.

 

1. Holy Place worship and fellowship – soul

2. Feeding at table

3. Walking in the light

4. Inner Holy of Holiness

5. Communion with God, deep and personal

6. Hidden under blood, Romans 3:25, Hebrews 9:5

7. Only one place of worship

 

LET’S TOUR THE TENT
The Physical dimensions of the Tabernacle are: its Size – 172 feet X 86 feet or 14,792 square feet which is what the first floor of our new education wing measures. The innermost room of this Tent was the Holy of Holies – 15 feet square the “Holiest spot on earth”. Outside was the Holy Place – 30 feet long X 15 feet wide. So the Holy meeting place of God was 675 square feet. About the size of a medium one bedroom apartment.
The building Materials were made up of Precious metals: Gold – 2,500 pounds or 16 million dollars at $400 per ounce. Silver – 9,000 pounds or 1.4 million dollars at $9 per ounce. And Bronze – 6,000 pounds

THESE WERE ALSO SYMBOLIC MATERIALS:

 WOOD – HUMANITY OF CHRIST

 Silver – Redemption money

 Gold – Royalty of Christ

THERE WERE ALSO PARTS MADE OF FABRIC AND SKINS
 Linen fence like the law kept men out

 Colors: White – perfection; Blue – heavenly; Scarlet – sacrifice; Purple – royalty

 skins: Badger – lit. “porpoise” abundant in the Nile area, Valuable for shoe leather in rocky area, but sacrificed for God’s house.

THERE WERE ARTICLES PLACED IN SPECIAL LOCATIONS BY GOD IN HIS TABERNACLE:

 In the Courtyard – laver, altar burnt offering

 IN THE HOLY PLACE – INCENSE, TABLE, SHOWERED, CANDELABRA

 In the Holiest of All – Ark, veil THERE WERE DEEP SPIRITUAL MEANINGS REVEALED IN THE TABERNACLE

 THE TABERNACLE WAS GOD’S DWELLING PLACE BY THE POWER OF THE SPIRIT AS NOW IN CHRIST’S CHURCH. Exodus 25:8 “And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them.- Ephesians 2:19-22 Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone,21 in whom the whole building, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord,22 in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit; II Corinthians 6:16 – The Tabernacle is also typical of the believer 2 Corinthians 6:16 And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will dwell in them And walk among them. I will be their God, And they shall be My people.” NKJV

 THE TABERNACLE WAS ALSO THE PATTERN OF THE HEAVENLY THINGS. Hebrews 9:23-24 Therefore it was necessary that the copies of the things in the heavens should be purified with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.24 For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; NKJV

 

THE SYMBOLIC ARTICLES ARE ALL POINTING TO JESUS
1. The gate means Jesus is the Door

2. The linen reminds us Jesus is Righteous

3. The Brass reminds us of Judgment borne

4. The Gold reminds us of the Deity of Jesus

5. The Silver reminds us of the Blood of Jesus (redemption money)

6. The Wood reminds us of the Humanity of Jesus

7. The Altar means Jesus is the Sacrifice on the Cross

8. The Laver means Jesus is the cleansing One

9. The Showbread means Jesus is the bread of Life

10. The Candelabra means Jesus is the light of the World

11. The Incense means Jesus is the Great high Priest

12. The Ark reminds us that Jesus is Faithful to keep His promise

 

THE COURT WAS ENTERED BY THE GATE. SO JESUS IS THE DOOR TO GOD
John 10:9 “I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.” NKJV). This was a curtain. A curtain is the very easiest means of entrance; it is not like a wooden door, at which you have to knock, you can lift it silently. At the time no one need know of the transaction which takes place silently between the soul and its Savior. It may be like Nicodemus, coming by night. But when the curtain is dropped again you are completely inside, not half in and half out as in a doorway-but completely shut off by a sharp dividing line.

Have we entered by the Gate, and accepted the Sacrifice, and known the Cleansing. Only the Priests might enter the Tabernacle itself. If we have proved the power of the Cross, Christ calls us to be priests, set apart for His Service. We may enter still farther. The Holy Place is entered by the Door. This again is Christ Himself. He is the means of entrance into every fresh position of blessing. Every spiritual blessing comes with a fresh view of Christ and what He can be to us. He is the one entrance as well for the first step as for the last. The Gate, the Door, the Veil they were all of the same materials and colors, and the same number of square cubits (20 by 5 or 10 by 10) though the Gate was stretched out wide as if to encompass the breadth of the universal proclamation, ” Whosoever will may come.”
Inside that Gate you are completely surrounded by the spotless white curtains of the Court. The Tabernacle was protected by a court of pure white linen, held up by sixty pillars, and entered by a curtain of colored material, called the Gate. The walls of the Tabernacle were made of boards of shittim wood overlaid with gold, resting in massive silver sockets sunk into the sand. These sockets were made from the redemption money, paid by every Israelite, thus the whole fabric rested upon a foundation of redemption. (I Peter 1:18-19 “knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.” NKJV). The entrance was protected by a curtain called the Door and the Two parts of the Tabernacle itself, the Holy Place and the most Holy, were divided by another curtain – the Veil. Spread over the solid framework of the Tabernacle were four sets of curtains, which formed its only roof, and hung down over the sides, covering it completely.

 Here THE BRAZEN ALTAR of Burnt Offering immediately confronts you. JESUS BECAME A SIN SACRIFICE FOR US. Hebrews 10:12 But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, NKJV

 LAVER- CHRIST THE ETERNAL CLEANSING WORD Cleansing as the result of Atonement Zechariah 13:1 “In that day a fountain shall be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for uncleanness. NKJV; Hebrews 9:14 how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal

Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? NKJV

 In the HOLY PLACE were two great gifts: Food and Light. JESUS HAS TOLD US “I AM THE BREAD OF LIFE “; “I AM THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD.’

 LAMP – CHRIST, THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD John 8:12 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” NKJV

THE ALTAR INCENSE CHRIST THE CONSTANTLY INTERCEDING HIGH PRIEST
Hebrews 7:24-27 But He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood.25 Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.26 For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens;27 who does not need daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the people’s, for this He did once for all when He offered up Himself. NKJV. Christ’s continual Intercession by which alone our prayers can ascend to God.
THE GREAT HIGH PRIEST. In Aaron1 we have a picture of our Great High Priest. His garments were all typical. The three ornaments of his dress, which were engraved with a signet, teach a very precious lesson.

 The onyx stones on his shoulder and

 the breastplate on his heart were engraved with the names of the children of Israel, that he might bear them before the Lord continually.

 The plate of the mitre on his forehead was engraved with “holiness to the Lord” to bear the iniquity of their holy things “that they might be accepted before the Lord.”

On his shoulders, on his forehead, and on his heart. What do we see here but the perfect strength and perfect wisdom and perfect love of our High Priest put forth on our behalf I The Good Shepherd lays the lost sheep “on His shoulder.” Christ is “made unto us Wisdom.” “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”
Many of us see the uselessness of an outward priesthood, of any man to come between God and us. But are we equally clear in valuing the inner Reality? Do we feel our utter need of the Lord Jesus as our Great High Priest, and recognize that we cannot draw nigh to God except through His one availing sacrifice?
Aaron, the type, fell short, for he was a sinful man. Jesus Christ is a perfect High Priest. As man He was tempted in all points like as we are, yet without sin. He is able to sympathize and to succor because He has been through it all. He is able to understand our need to the uttermost because He was perfect man. He is able to meet our need to the uttermost because He is perfect God. . He was able to bear the whole world’s sin in His Atonement on the Cross. He is able to bear the whole world’s need in intercession upon the Throne.

TABLE OF SHOWBREAD JESUS OUR BREAD OF LIFE
This was a reminder of our offering to God a perpetual thank offering. Each offering was the same size regardless of tribal size equal representation. Each loaf pointed to bread of life. So far, and no farther, the Priests might enter. Into the HOLY OF HOLIES only one man, only one day in the year, might enter, and that not without blood. ” But Christ being come an High Priest of good things to come . . . by His own blood . . . has entered into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us,” as we read in Hebrews 9, and also has opened up for us a way of access by His blood into the Holiest, into the very, presence of God here and now, as we read in Hebrews 10, THE VEIL CHRIST JESUS WHO WAS CRUCIFIED TO OPEN THE WAY FOR ALL

Hebrews 6:19-20 This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil,20 where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. NKJV Hebrews 10:20, “Through the veil, that is to say His flesh.” The veil was rent in twain from the top to the bottom at the moment of His death (Matthew 27:51). “From the top to the bottom,” the way of access opened by God Himself.

THE ARK OF THE COVENANT JESUS OUR SUPREME AUTHORITY
Kingly position of Christ; Finished work of Christ John 19:30 So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit. NKJV Hebrews 1:3 who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, NKJV. THE ARK, containing the unbroken Law. Here again we see Christ, who alone kept it completely. The Ark was covered by the Mercy Seat, or, as it should be translated, the Propitiatory Covering. The word in Hebrews 9:5 and Rom. 3:24-25 is the same. The Propitiation is Christ. This is the meeting place between God and man (Exodus 35:22). Above it rested the Shekinah-glory, the symbol of God’s presence. It arose from the mercy seat, a pillar of fire by night and cloud by day, spreading out over the whole camp as a protection, and guiding the children of Israel on their march.

MERCY SEAT JESUS OUR SACRIFICE FOR SINS.
This holiest spot on earth at that time, depicts divine mercy. We see now that Christ accomplished all our salvation of the cross. He completed the fullness of our needed forgiveness. Remember Three Hebrew words for Forgiveness in Psalm 32? Our sins needed to:

1. Our sins needed to be PULLED OFF: “Forgiven” means literally to have our sin lifted off. As Pilgrim it rolls off and into Christ’s tomb. “My sin oh the bliss. . .”. We are being crushed by any sins we keep around. They suffocate, smother and squash the very life of our soul. But there is a Redeemer who can set us free. And to his only hope, David fled.

2. Our guilt needed us to be SHEILDED FROM God’s wrath: “Covered” speaks of the strong imagery in the events of the day of atonement. On that day the High priest took the blood of an animal and sprinkled it onto the mercy seat. Above the mercy seat was the presence of God portrayed by the outstretched arms of the cherubim. Beneath the lid of the ark was the tablets portraying God’s divine law. In essence, the blood stood between a holy God and the sinners who broke His law, averting His wrath. David cried for joy when the wrath of God was turned away from him. So our sins are covered away by the blood of Jesus shed for us!

3. Our debt had to be CLEARED OUT: “Not Counted” speaks of a list of debts no longer held against us. David had become utterly bankrupted by his sin. The bills were piling up, mounting like a flood and drowning him. Desire, deceit, cruel deception, cunning craftiness and shameless murder all charged heavy debts to his soul. And now in sheer delight all the mountain of impossible debt is cleared from the ledger. “My sins are gone, and shall not be remembered, God in mercy tenderly forgives.”

4. GOD CLEANSED DAVID’S SIN THAT HAD SMOTHERED HIS JOY: now they were forgiven “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven”

5. GOD CLEANSED DAVID’S SIN THAT HAD SOILED HIS SOUL: now they were covered by the cleansing blood. “Whose sin is covered”

6. GOD CLEANSED DAVID’S SIN THAT HAD STOLEN HIS FELLOWSHIP: now they were not imputed to his account as debts. “2 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity”

7. GOD CLEANSED DAVID’S SIN THAT SLIMED HIS SPIRIT: now there was no guile. “And in whose spirit there is no deceit.”

FOUR HEAVENLY COLORS: 1. White – perfection: Parallel Luke’s Gospel to Greeks Perfect man 2. Blue – Heaven Perfect God Parallel to John’s Gospel of the Deity of Christ 3. Scarlet – Sacrifice Sacrificing/suffering servant Parallel to Mark’s Gospel Christ the Perfect Servant. 4. Purple = Royalty, parallel to Matthew’s Gospel of Christ the perfect King.

CHERUBIM FACES: FOUR PICTURES OF JESUS 1. Face of man – humanity – Luke 2. Face of ox – sacrificial – Mark 3. Face of lion – king and power – Matthew 4. Face of eagle – God/Omniscient – John

CONCLUSION:
So that dusty tent glows through the ages with its matchless portrait of Christ. Lost one, have you yet to stand neath the shadow of the blood to have God’s wrath to pass over you? It’s only by trusting His finished work that even gives you hope. Christian, do you see the way made open, the rent veil is not only to a salvation of soul, but also, a communion of spirit…Come to the Laver daily; ever be reminded at that brazen altar of the price on Calvary; walk in the glow of the candlesticks of the light of lights and watch the ceaseless rise of the smoke of sweet scent from the incense and let your spirit rise in powerful communion as the ark of God’s commitment to His chosen ones majestically stands as His promise to keep His word and perfect His saints. From floor to ceiling, door to door, this portrait divine is ours to live in Christ our Tabernacle.
JESUS IS FAITHFUL (TEMPLE) Revelation 15:5-7 After these things I looked, and behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony2 in heaven was opened.6 And out of the temple came the seven angels having the seven plagues, clothed in pure bright linen, and having their chests girded with golden bands.7 Then one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God who lives forever and ever.
What does the Tabernacle signify? The Old Testament states seven elements of the Tabernacle:

1. THE WAY TO THE PRESENCE OF GOD as seen in the shekinah glory Shekinah Glory (100x Rev.) is God’s sign of His Glorious Presence from Eden onward. JESUS IS OUR EMMANUEL, GOD WITH US! Matthew 1:23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”

2. THE WAY OF ACCESS TO GOD Exodus 33:7 Moses took his tent and pitched it outside the camp, far from the camp, and called it the tabernacle of meeting. And it came to pass that everyone who sought the Lord went out to the tabernacle of meeting which was outside the camp. Jesus is the image of the invisible God John 1:18 No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.

3. THE WAY OF FORGIVENESS WITH GOD Leviticus 5:5 ‘And it shall be, when he is guilty in any of these matters, that he shall confess that he has sinned in that thing; Jesus is our cleansing 1 John 1:7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

4. THE WAY OF GUIDANCE BY GOD Exodus 40:34-38 Then the cloud covered the tabernacle of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.35 And Moses was not able to enter the tabernacle of meeting, because the cloud rested above it, and the glory of the Lord filled 2 Numbers 1:50 “but you shall appoint the Levites over the tabernacle of the Testimony, over all its furnishings, and over all things that belong to it; they shall carry the tabernacle and all its furnishings; they shall attend to it and camp around the tabernacle. 36 Whenever the cloud was taken up from above the tabernacle, the children of Israel would go onward in all their journeys.37 But if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not journey till the day that it was taken up.38 For the cloud of the Lord was above the tabernacle by day, and fire was over it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys. Jesus said follow Him John 8:12 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”

5. THE WAY OF PROTECTION FROM GOD 1 Samuel 5:1-4 Then the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod.2 When the Philistines took the ark of God, they brought it into the temple of Dagon and set it by Dagon.3 And when the people of Ashdod arose early in the morning, there was Dagon, fallen on its face to the earth before the ark of the Lord. So they took Dagon and set it in its place again.4 And when they arose early the next morning, there was Dagon, fallen on its face to the ground before the ark of the Lord. The head of Dagon and both the palms of its hands were broken off on the threshold; only Dagon’s torso was left of it. Jesus promised us His care John 10:28 “And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.

6. THE WAY OF CLEANSING WITH GOD Leviticus 19:21-22 ‘And he shall bring his trespass offering to the Lord, to the door of the tabernacle of meeting, a ram as a trespass offering.22 ‘The priest shall make atonement for him with the ram of the trespass offering before the Lord for his sin which he has committed. And the sin which he has committed shall be forgiven him. Jesus has opened the way for us Hebrews 10:22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

7. THE WAY OF BLESSINGS FROM GOD Isaiah 58:14 Then you shall delight yourself in the Lord; And I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth, And feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father. The mouth of the Lord has spoken.” Jesus alone offers the overflowing life John 10:10 “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
1. ENTRANCE: Psalm 100 in unison • “I Will Enter His Gates with Thanksgiving in my Heart” • II Chronicles 5:11-14 • I Chronicles 16:4, 8-17 ,23-36 • “O Worship the King” #10 • “O God our Help” #52 • “Bless the Lord” #13

2. ALTAR OF BURNT OFFERING: Hebrews 10:4-14 [Terry Devitt] • “Worthy is the Lamb” #180 • “Jesus paid it all” # 210 • “When I survey” #185 • Exodus 27:1-8

3. LAVER: Hebrews 10:19-25{Royce Wright ] • “Nothing but the Blood” #195 • “Jesus I come” # 336 • “Cleanse Me” #438/9 • “Whiter than snow” #436 • Leviticus 17:11 • Ex 30:18

4. HOLY PLACE: Hebrews 4:12-16 [Steve Weir ] • “Holy, Holy, Holy” #262 • “Sweet Hour of Prayer” # 433 • “Teach me Thy Way” # 395 • “Jesus the very Thought of Thee” #79 • “Channels only” [not in book]

5. LAMPSTAND: • “Spirit of the Living God” #247 • Leviticus 24:1-4 • Ephesians 1:17-18

6. TABLE of the BREAD of the PRESENCE: Hebrews 2:14-18 [Bob Henderson] • “Joyful, Joyful we adore Thee” # 1 • Exodus 25:23-30

7. ALTAR OF INCENSE: • “Sweet Hour of Prayer” #433 • Exodus 30:1-10 • I Thessalonians 5:17-18

8. ARK OF THE COVENANT: Hebrews 13:8, 15-16, 20-21 • “Open our eyes, Lord” # 383 • “Jesus led me all the way” [not in book] • “Near to the heart of God” # 497 • “A Mighty Fortress is Our God” #26 • Hebrews 9:1-9, 11-15 • Exodus 25:10-22

9. CONCLUSION: Hebrews 13:20-21 “Standing on Holy Ground” [Royce Wright ]

 

1 A.M. Hodgkins, CHRIST IN ALL THE SCRIPTURES, p. 20-23.