THE ARK
Now that we have entered the holy of holies, we see that this room contains a single piece of furniture: the Ark of the Covenant. The ark is filled with three items (Hebrews 9:4), all of which point to our Messiah, and reflect man's rebellion against God.
Interestingly enough, the rebellion is covered by a Mercy Seat -- This Mercy Seat is called a kapporeth. This word has as its root the word kaphar, which means covering, atoning (i.e. Yom Kippur - Day of Atonement).
The first thing we examine is the pot of manna. During Israel's sojourn in the wilderness, the Lord provided manna to sustain the nation (Exodus 16). How does this represent rebellion -- well, if you read the entire event of the manna then you will find that the people finally tired of God's provision of manna (Numbers 11) and demanded Moses produce meat; which God did until it came out of their noses!
However, God had mercy, and made provision with the quail and manna for the entire forty year sojourn in the wilderness. We can take from this an example of how God provides for His people; sad to say, we are often quite like the Israelites in our complaints of His provision. We often grumble because things are not going exactly the way we think they should, completely forgetting the wonderful provision found in Christ alone.
We, like the Israelites in the wilderness, are not from here, we are aliens and foreigners, and as we wander through this wilderness that is called the world, we need to feed on something that will sustain us spiritually during our journey. This we find in the Messiah! It is interesting that the Lord fed Israel on manna until the day they entered the Promised Land (Joshua 5:12), much like our lives; we will be sustained by the Bread of Life until we enter into the Promised Land, and then we will be with Him forever! John 6:30–35 -- So they said to him, "Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform? Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'"Jesus then said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." They said to him, "Sir, give us this bread always." Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.
It is important that we NEVER forget that the Bread of Life, that which we partake of, is the sustenance that we need. The Lord is what we need in our lives, the physical food and physical needs will be meaningless without the Bread of Life to sustain us. Just as the Israelites would have never made it through the wilderness without the manna that the Lord provided, we too would never make it through the wilderness of the world without the DAILY portion of the Bread of Life that we need. Sometimes I begin to feel faint in this world, it begins to wear me down, and so often I find it is because I have not feasted on the Word of Life on a daily basis. We should be as dependent on the Lord as the people of Israel were on manna. The Lord had them put that pot of manna in the Ark to remind them forever of His provision. We too are reminded of His provision when we think of the Bread from heaven!
The next thing we find in the ark is the Tablets of the Law. This signifies our rebellion against God's Holy and Perfect Law. What did the Messiah say about the Law? In Matthew 5:17 He states that He did not come to destroy the Law or the prophets, but to fulfill. He also states in Luke 24 that everything written in the Law and the Prophets were to be fulfilled. We see Messiah as the fulfillment of the Law, NOT the abrogation of the Law! In Him we find the Law in its perfected form. In John 1 we find that Messiah is the Word, and therefore, He is the EMBODIMENT of the law. The law is also kept in the ark to remind the people not only of the requirements of God, but our inability to keep these laws. The law is covered by the Mercy Seat, which is sprinkled with blood! And without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin. Therefore, we have in the law the reminder of our inability and God’s ability!
And finally we find the budded rod of Aaron. This represents our rebellion against God-given leadership. Now, you may wonder how this can represent the Messiah? Well, first we find in this a very clear picture of resurrection. The rod that Aaron carried was a dead branch, used as a walking stick and as a weapon and many other things. Yet, in Numbers 16, 17 we read that the people challenged God and His selection of Aaron and Moses. So, God had the leaders of the twelve tribes bring rods to the Tabernacle, and when they were checked the next day, Aaron’s rod had not only budded, but had produced RIPE almonds. What a vivid picture of the Messiah. He was slain on a tree, dead, and buried, but in three days He arose! Life from death! That is the good news of the gospel! John 5:24, 25 -- "Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life. Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live."
The Messiah was killed and buried; yet the grave could not hold Him! Like Aaron’s rod, He arose from the dead, and not only that, but like the rod that produced RIPE almonds, our Messiah also produces fruit.
James 1:16–18 -- Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
We see in the budded rod the truth of the Messiah’s resurrection, and with the production of fruit we also see the truth of the Church, the fruit of the Messiah.
THE MERCY SEAT
Finally we come to the Mercy Seat. That which covered all of the things we have previously mentioned. It is obvious that the Messiah is represented here. The Mercy Seat, which was covered with the blood of the sacrifice, covered the Law, and the manna and the budded rod. The blood of the lamb, is able to make atonement for all things. The seat is made of pure gold, representing the absolute divinity of the Messiah! There was nothing mixed with the gold to make it less pure, just as our Savior is through and through pure and undefiled.
Much like the angels who appeared at the tomb after the resurrection of Christ, the two cherubim covered the Mercy Seat with their wings. Can you imagine the incredible scene of the blood-covered seat covered by the wings of the cherubim! We see throughout the Bible that the angels are constantly ministering to the Lord, and here in the Mercy Seat we find them covering the seat with their wings, watching over the blood of the sacrifice! What an incredible scene!
It is at this seat, the seat of mercy that we find the blood of the Lamb covering our sins, just as the blood of the bullock and goat covered the sins of Israel long ago in the wilderness. Hebrews 4:14–16 -- Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
We can come to the throne of grace through the blood of Messiah!
Romans 3:21–26 -- But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it -- the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
We all have fallen short, yet our sins, like the sins of Israel, are covered by a Mercy Seat, covered in blood! We too have rebelled against God's leadership, provision and law -- we too need a High Priest who can properly make atonement for us before a Just and Holy God. And in Messiah we find the answer for all these things!
Israel, once a year, had the High Priest come in and make atonement for them, covering the Mercy Seat in the blood of an innocent. How much more should we, as believers in Messiah, be full of joy, knowing that our Great High Priest made the perfect sacrifice of Himself, once forever, never to be repeated (Hebrews 7)!
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
Holy of Holies
Exodus 25:10-22 -- "They shall make an ark of acacia wood. Two cubits and a half shall be its length, a cubit and a half its breadth, and a cubit and a half its height. You shall overlay it with pure gold, inside and outside shall you overlay it, and you shall make on it a molding of gold around it. You shall cast four rings of gold for it and put them on its four feet, two rings on the one side of it, and two rings on the other side of it. You shall make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. And you shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark to carry the ark by them. The poles shall remain in the rings of the ark; they shall not be taken from it. And you shall put into the ark the testimony that I shall give you. "You shall make a mercy seat of pure gold. Two cubits and a half shall be its length, and a cubit and a half its breadth. And you shall make two cherubim of gold; of hammered work shall you make them, on the two ends of the mercy seat. Make one cherub on the one end, and one cherub on the other end. Of one piece with the mercy seat shall you make the cherubim on its two ends. The cherubim shall spread out their wings above, overshadowing the mercy seat with their wings, their faces one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubim be. And you shall put the mercy seat on the top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the testimony that I shall give you. There I will meet with you, and from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim that are on the ark of the testimony, I will speak with you about all that I will give you in commandment for the people of Israel.
Our long path to the Holy of Holies has come to fruition, we now enter into that most sacred of places! We have come by way of the outer court and Holy Place and now we draw back the curtain that separates us from God!
What a time of expectation for the High Priest in the days of the Tabernacle! He only entered this place once a year on the Day of Atonement. This is the place where the Lord dwells!
Exodus 25:22 -- "There I will meet with you, and from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim that are on the ark of the testimony, I will speak with you about all that I will give you in commandment for the people of Israel..."
What a staggering thought, that the Lord of the Universe, the God who created everything would deign to come and dwell in the midst of His people in the middle of the wilderness, above a golden ark!
I think it is important as we stand in this, the Holiest Place, that we remember that HE chose to meet with Israel, it was nothing they did that caused this. Deuteronomy 7:7, 8 -- It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the LORD set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but it is because the LORD loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the LORD has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.
What a thought -- God chose this people, and delivered them from bondage, and then chose to 'dwell' with them! Is there any question as to why Paul breaks out in doxological joy as he reflects on God's goodness?
Yet, in the days of the Priesthood, God's people were still separated rom Him, and required the mediation of a High Priest, today we have something that the Priests in the days of the Tabernacle did not have; we have the ability to go into the Holiest Place, by the blood of the Lamb! What an incredible blessing!
The Priest could only enter into the Holy of Holies once a year, bearing with him a basin of blood to sprinkle the Mercy Seat, hoping that He had properly prepared for this service, so that the Lord would accept the sacrifice. We are able to draw near to the Throne of Grace through the sacrifice of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. What an awesome privilege; the ability to enter into the Holiest Place at any time!
THE ROOM
The Holiest Place is a representation of Heaven! We see this in all the details, from the perfect cube to the light that illuminated the room! The Holy of Holies was a perfect cube, 15’ X 15’ X 15’, and we find this to be a model of the Heavenly Jerusalem -- Revelation 21:12–16 -- It had a great, high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and on the gates the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed -- on the east three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, and on the west three gates. And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. And the one who spoke with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city and its gates and walls. The city lies foursquare; its length the same as its width. And he measured the city with his rod, 12,000 stadia. Its length and width and height are equal.
The Menorah illuminated the Holy Place, but within the Holy of Holies we are separated from the Holy Place by a thick veil. How did the Priest see to minister in this place? In Moses day, the presence of the Lord illuminated the Holiest Place, and again we return to The Revelation to see what the Tabernacle was modeled on -- Revelation 21:22, 23 -- And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb.
We have moved from the outside world, through a linen barrier into the outer court, which was the place of the atoning sacrifice, to the Holy Place, a place much like the church in which we eat from the table of shewbread which is Christ’s body, and we are illuminated by Him, And our prayers go up together to heaven, and now, we are standing within the final place, the Holy of Holies, the place where we will spend our eternity in the presence of the Lord!
In the wilderness there was a small model of Heaven right within the midst of the people! Oh, what a day when we will stand before our Lord and Savior in the Holy of Holies, the new heaven, and His light will be shed abroard on His people!
Our long path to the Holy of Holies has come to fruition, we now enter into that most sacred of places! We have come by way of the outer court and Holy Place and now we draw back the curtain that separates us from God!
What a time of expectation for the High Priest in the days of the Tabernacle! He only entered this place once a year on the Day of Atonement. This is the place where the Lord dwells!
Exodus 25:22 -- "There I will meet with you, and from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim that are on the ark of the testimony, I will speak with you about all that I will give you in commandment for the people of Israel..."
What a staggering thought, that the Lord of the Universe, the God who created everything would deign to come and dwell in the midst of His people in the middle of the wilderness, above a golden ark!
I think it is important as we stand in this, the Holiest Place, that we remember that HE chose to meet with Israel, it was nothing they did that caused this. Deuteronomy 7:7, 8 -- It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the LORD set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but it is because the LORD loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the LORD has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.
What a thought -- God chose this people, and delivered them from bondage, and then chose to 'dwell' with them! Is there any question as to why Paul breaks out in doxological joy as he reflects on God's goodness?
Yet, in the days of the Priesthood, God's people were still separated rom Him, and required the mediation of a High Priest, today we have something that the Priests in the days of the Tabernacle did not have; we have the ability to go into the Holiest Place, by the blood of the Lamb! What an incredible blessing!
The Priest could only enter into the Holy of Holies once a year, bearing with him a basin of blood to sprinkle the Mercy Seat, hoping that He had properly prepared for this service, so that the Lord would accept the sacrifice. We are able to draw near to the Throne of Grace through the sacrifice of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. What an awesome privilege; the ability to enter into the Holiest Place at any time!
THE ROOM
The Holiest Place is a representation of Heaven! We see this in all the details, from the perfect cube to the light that illuminated the room! The Holy of Holies was a perfect cube, 15’ X 15’ X 15’, and we find this to be a model of the Heavenly Jerusalem -- Revelation 21:12–16 -- It had a great, high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and on the gates the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed -- on the east three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, and on the west three gates. And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. And the one who spoke with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city and its gates and walls. The city lies foursquare; its length the same as its width. And he measured the city with his rod, 12,000 stadia. Its length and width and height are equal.
The Menorah illuminated the Holy Place, but within the Holy of Holies we are separated from the Holy Place by a thick veil. How did the Priest see to minister in this place? In Moses day, the presence of the Lord illuminated the Holiest Place, and again we return to The Revelation to see what the Tabernacle was modeled on -- Revelation 21:22, 23 -- And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb.
We have moved from the outside world, through a linen barrier into the outer court, which was the place of the atoning sacrifice, to the Holy Place, a place much like the church in which we eat from the table of shewbread which is Christ’s body, and we are illuminated by Him, And our prayers go up together to heaven, and now, we are standing within the final place, the Holy of Holies, the place where we will spend our eternity in the presence of the Lord!
In the wilderness there was a small model of Heaven right within the midst of the people! Oh, what a day when we will stand before our Lord and Savior in the Holy of Holies, the new heaven, and His light will be shed abroard on His people!
Monday, September 25, 2006
The Torn Veil
Exodus 26:31–33 -- "And you shall make a veil of blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen. It shall be made with cherubim skillfully worked into it. And you shall hang it on four pillars of acacia overlaid with gold, with hooks of gold, on four bases of silver. And you shall hang the veil from the clasps, and bring the ark of the testimony in there within the veil. And the veil shall separate for you the Holy Place from the Most Holy."
THE INTERCESSOR AND THE VEIL
In the days of the High Priest, we know that the Priests were separated from the presence of God by a curtain. This had to strike awe into the priests; imagine if you will, you stand before a curtain, and you know that behind this curtain is manifested the Shekinah glory of God. the Shekinah was so intense, the Israelites could actually see it rising high above the Tabernacle. Only a single curtain between the Priest and Yahweh's Glory!
Then, when the Messiah died, we read about something happening; it is so important that the three synoptic gospels all record it. I will quote out of Matthew 27:46–51 -- And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?" that is, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" And some of the bystanders, hearing it, said, "This man is calling Elijah." And one of them at once ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine, and put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink. But the others said, "Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him." And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit. And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split.
To understand the magnitude of this event, one should understand that the veil was not a curtain you would pick up from J. C. Penney’s. Because the Priests in Herod’s Temple didn’t know if the veil was to be hung inside the doorframe of the Holy of Holies or outside the doorframe, they hung two veils. Each veil was about 60 feet long, and 30 feet wide, and four inches thick. It took three hundred priests to hang these curtains. So, these are the veils that were tore from top to bottom. These curtains were made of 72 squares of material. I am providing detail on all of this so that one may understand that these curtains did not simply rip because a breeze wafted through the Temple!
With the death of the Messiah, there was no longer the necessity of having a separation (veil) between God and man, the Messiah had crossed that chasm on Calvary! The Lamb without blemish had died, and provided righteouesness for those who were called by the Master Shepherd's voice. The Father tore the veil to illustrate that the entrance to the Holy of Holies was now found through the Messiah!
Hebrews 10:19–22 -- Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
Because of our Messiah we can now enter into God's Throneroom!
THE INTERCESSOR AND THE VEIL
In the days of the High Priest, we know that the Priests were separated from the presence of God by a curtain. This had to strike awe into the priests; imagine if you will, you stand before a curtain, and you know that behind this curtain is manifested the Shekinah glory of God. the Shekinah was so intense, the Israelites could actually see it rising high above the Tabernacle. Only a single curtain between the Priest and Yahweh's Glory!
Then, when the Messiah died, we read about something happening; it is so important that the three synoptic gospels all record it. I will quote out of Matthew 27:46–51 -- And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?" that is, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" And some of the bystanders, hearing it, said, "This man is calling Elijah." And one of them at once ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine, and put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink. But the others said, "Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him." And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit. And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split.
To understand the magnitude of this event, one should understand that the veil was not a curtain you would pick up from J. C. Penney’s. Because the Priests in Herod’s Temple didn’t know if the veil was to be hung inside the doorframe of the Holy of Holies or outside the doorframe, they hung two veils. Each veil was about 60 feet long, and 30 feet wide, and four inches thick. It took three hundred priests to hang these curtains. So, these are the veils that were tore from top to bottom. These curtains were made of 72 squares of material. I am providing detail on all of this so that one may understand that these curtains did not simply rip because a breeze wafted through the Temple!
With the death of the Messiah, there was no longer the necessity of having a separation (veil) between God and man, the Messiah had crossed that chasm on Calvary! The Lamb without blemish had died, and provided righteouesness for those who were called by the Master Shepherd's voice. The Father tore the veil to illustrate that the entrance to the Holy of Holies was now found through the Messiah!
Hebrews 10:19–22 -- Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
Because of our Messiah we can now enter into God's Throneroom!
Thursday, September 21, 2006
Altar Of Incense, Christ and Prayer
Exodus 30:1–10; 34-38 -- "You shall make an altar on which to burn incense; you shall make it of acacia wood. A cubit shall be its length, and a cubit its breadth. It shall be square, and two cubits shall be its height. Its horns shall be of one piece with it. You shall overlay it with pure gold, its top and around its sides and its horns. And you shall make a molding of gold around it. And you shall make two golden rings for it. Under its molding on two opposite sides of it you shall make them, and they shall be holders for poles with which to carry it. You shall make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. And you shall put it in front of the veil that is above the ark of the testimony, in front of the mercy seat that is above the testimony, where I will meet with you. And Aaron shall burn fragrant incense on it. Every morning when he dresses the lamps he shall burn it, and when Aaron sets up the lamps at twilight, he shall burn it, a regular incense offering before the LORD throughout your generations. You shall not offer unauthorized incense on it, or a burnt offering, or a grain offering, and you shall not pour a drink offering on it. Aaron shall make atonement on its horns once a year. With the blood of the sin offering of atonement he shall make atonement for it once in the year throughout your generations. It is most holy to the LORD."...The LORD said to Moses, "Take sweet spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum, sweet spices with pure frankincense (of each shall there be an equal part), and make an incense blended as by the perfumer, seasoned with salt, pure and holy. You shall beat some of it very small, and put part of it before the testimony in the tent of meeting where I shall meet with you. It shall be most holy for you. And the incense that you shall make according to its composition, you shall not make for yourselves. It shall be for you holy to the LORD. Whoever makes any like it to use as perfume shall be cut off from his people."
MESSIAH
We now find ourselves standing before the last piece of furniture in the Holy Place, the one implement before the curtain of the Holy of Holies. We have come into this place of awe and respect, and now we stand just before the curtain, behind which the Presence of the Lord, the Shekinah, awaits. What an awesome place to be! The Altar of Incense!
This altar, while being different from the brazen altar outside of the Tabernacle, is similar in some respects; again we find the Messiah.
Exodus 30:1–3 -- "You shall make an altar on which to burn incense; you shall make it of acacia wood. A cubit shall be its length, and a cubit its breadth. It shall be square, and two cubits shall be its height. Its horns shall be of one piece with it. You shall overlay it with pure gold, its top and around its sides and its horns. And you shall make a molding of gold around it.
Notice that this altar also has horns, and these horns are to be covered in the blood as well; Exodus 30:10 -- "...Aaron shall make atonement on its horns once a year. With the blood of the sin offering of atonement he shall make atonement for it once in the year throughout your generations. It is most holy to the LORD."
We see in this altar a clear image of the Messiah, like we do in the brazen altar. However, in this one, we see gold covered wood. This image shows the nature of the Messiah; fully God, fully man, no longer is He upon the brazen altar, the place of judgment, but now He has ascended to the throne of the Father. The gold of this altar shows His divinity! While He was once reviled and spit upon and nailed to a tree for us, He now reigns in heaven above!
The blood upon the horns of this golden altar illustrate that the approach to the Father is mediated by the Messiah's blood. The ability to speak to the Father is provided by the blood of the Lamb of God; prayer is directly linked to our belief in the one whom God has sent! Many in the world, (and more and more, in the church), would have us believe that prayer is prayer, there is no difference between praying to Allah and praying to God through Christ, or any other 'deity', but God’s Word clearly tells us that without the atonement of the Messiah, we pray in vain!
John 16:23–28 -- In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full. "I have said these things to you in figures of speech. The hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures of speech but will tell you plainly about the Father. In that day you will ask in my name, and I do not say to you that I will ask the Father on your behalf; for the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God. I came from the Father and have come into the world, and now I am leaving the world and going to the Father."
We find in 2nd Corinthians 2:14–16 this statement -- But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life.
The incense only releases its fragrance when it was finely beaten. The Messiah was beaten, and sacrificed -- His fragrance is one of life to those who are being saved, but one of death to those who are not.
THE SAINT AND SACRIFICE
I will periodically burn frankincense, and I have found that it only burns properly and evenly if it is crushed very fine. We too, like incense must be submitted to the mortar and pestle of God’s will. Too often we want to be incense, but we do not want to be broken and crushed into a powder, we want to do it in our strength. What happens when you burn incense like that is that it doesn’t burn long, and creates nasty black goo that is useless for incense.
Like Peter, we often are eager, and willing, but we have not allowed the Lord to work in our lives. We are still chunks of incense, not ready for burning in the altar of incense. Matthew 16:25, 26 -- "For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life? Or what shall a man give in return for his life?
Many may preach that once you receive Christ as Savior and Lord, then it is easy street from here on out, but that is simply not biblical. The Messiah states in very clear terms that the walk of a disciple is one of sacrifice, and through our sacrifice, the world will be blessed with the fragrance of Christ.
I am reminded of those in the Persecuted Church who suffer for the Lord; truly this world is not worthy of them. They allow themselves to be beaten into the fine incense that permeates their society and people are exposed to the reality and fragrance of Christ through their sufferings..
THE SAINT AND PRAYER
Finally we come to the fact that the incense represents our prayers.
Revelation 5:8 --And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.
Revelation 8:3 – 5 -- And another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer, and he was given much incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar before the throne, and the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel. Then the angel took the censer and filled it with fire from the altar and threw it on the earth, and there were peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.
I love the imagery of lightening and rumblings happening when the incense and prayers are cast down! Why does a Sovereign God use our prayers as a means to work in His Will? I don't know -- but I know that our prayers, as James says, are effective. There are several postings right now in the blogsphere regarding prayer --I am hoping that this is because prayer is central on the hearts of the Christian blogging community. Prayer is a powerful tool/weapon which the Lord has graciously placed at our disposal -- sadly, it is also one of the more neglected of the Christian disciplines.
Prayer is not to be approached casually, or flippantly. Yet, so often the last thing we do is pray. Church prayer services are poorly attended, while the aerobics class if full. We do not spend near enough time in prayer. If we did, our church would look different, as would all churches.
Nadab and Abihu found that strange incense and profane fire is not to be submitted to the Lord. (Read Leviticus 10). What kind of prayer may be considered strange incense to the Lord? Well, prayer offered when you are out of fellowship with a brother or sister, Matthew 5:23, 24 -- "So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift." Or maybe it is self-centered prayer (a current epidemic in the church), James 4:3 -- You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.
When we are in a proper relationship with God, then we find our prayers to be effective. And notice in Exodus 30:8 that the incense burned continuously; we find this same instruction regarding prayer. Paul in 1st Thessalonians 5:17 says that we are to pray without ceasing.
Is that reflective of your prayer life? Unfortunately, I too often find that I panic, or get angry, or overreact and prayer is not what I am doing. What we will find is that if we pray and maintain that contact with the Lord, we are much better prepared to face the things that this world throws at us. The Messiah told the disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane that they should watch and pray, lest they enter into temptation. Too often we are knocked of track because we have simply stopped praying.
Let me close this post with a song that may be familiar to some of you; Sweet Hour of Prayer. This was written by a blind preacher who never looked upon the outward beauty of God’s creation, but spent a lot of time in the inward beauty of the Holy Place in prayer:
Sweet hour of prayer, sweet hour of prayer,
That calls me from a world of care,
And bids me at my Father’s throne,
Make all my wants and wishes known.
In seasons of distress and grief,
My soul has often found relief,
And oft escaped the tempters snare,
By thy return, sweet hour of prayer.
MESSIAH
We now find ourselves standing before the last piece of furniture in the Holy Place, the one implement before the curtain of the Holy of Holies. We have come into this place of awe and respect, and now we stand just before the curtain, behind which the Presence of the Lord, the Shekinah, awaits. What an awesome place to be! The Altar of Incense!
This altar, while being different from the brazen altar outside of the Tabernacle, is similar in some respects; again we find the Messiah.
Exodus 30:1–3 -- "You shall make an altar on which to burn incense; you shall make it of acacia wood. A cubit shall be its length, and a cubit its breadth. It shall be square, and two cubits shall be its height. Its horns shall be of one piece with it. You shall overlay it with pure gold, its top and around its sides and its horns. And you shall make a molding of gold around it.
Notice that this altar also has horns, and these horns are to be covered in the blood as well; Exodus 30:10 -- "...Aaron shall make atonement on its horns once a year. With the blood of the sin offering of atonement he shall make atonement for it once in the year throughout your generations. It is most holy to the LORD."
We see in this altar a clear image of the Messiah, like we do in the brazen altar. However, in this one, we see gold covered wood. This image shows the nature of the Messiah; fully God, fully man, no longer is He upon the brazen altar, the place of judgment, but now He has ascended to the throne of the Father. The gold of this altar shows His divinity! While He was once reviled and spit upon and nailed to a tree for us, He now reigns in heaven above!
The blood upon the horns of this golden altar illustrate that the approach to the Father is mediated by the Messiah's blood. The ability to speak to the Father is provided by the blood of the Lamb of God; prayer is directly linked to our belief in the one whom God has sent! Many in the world, (and more and more, in the church), would have us believe that prayer is prayer, there is no difference between praying to Allah and praying to God through Christ, or any other 'deity', but God’s Word clearly tells us that without the atonement of the Messiah, we pray in vain!
John 16:23–28 -- In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full. "I have said these things to you in figures of speech. The hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures of speech but will tell you plainly about the Father. In that day you will ask in my name, and I do not say to you that I will ask the Father on your behalf; for the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God. I came from the Father and have come into the world, and now I am leaving the world and going to the Father."
We find in 2nd Corinthians 2:14–16 this statement -- But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life.
The incense only releases its fragrance when it was finely beaten. The Messiah was beaten, and sacrificed -- His fragrance is one of life to those who are being saved, but one of death to those who are not.
THE SAINT AND SACRIFICE
I will periodically burn frankincense, and I have found that it only burns properly and evenly if it is crushed very fine. We too, like incense must be submitted to the mortar and pestle of God’s will. Too often we want to be incense, but we do not want to be broken and crushed into a powder, we want to do it in our strength. What happens when you burn incense like that is that it doesn’t burn long, and creates nasty black goo that is useless for incense.
Like Peter, we often are eager, and willing, but we have not allowed the Lord to work in our lives. We are still chunks of incense, not ready for burning in the altar of incense. Matthew 16:25, 26 -- "For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life? Or what shall a man give in return for his life?
Many may preach that once you receive Christ as Savior and Lord, then it is easy street from here on out, but that is simply not biblical. The Messiah states in very clear terms that the walk of a disciple is one of sacrifice, and through our sacrifice, the world will be blessed with the fragrance of Christ.
I am reminded of those in the Persecuted Church who suffer for the Lord; truly this world is not worthy of them. They allow themselves to be beaten into the fine incense that permeates their society and people are exposed to the reality and fragrance of Christ through their sufferings..
THE SAINT AND PRAYER
Finally we come to the fact that the incense represents our prayers.
Revelation 5:8 --And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.
Revelation 8:3 – 5 -- And another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer, and he was given much incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar before the throne, and the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel. Then the angel took the censer and filled it with fire from the altar and threw it on the earth, and there were peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.
I love the imagery of lightening and rumblings happening when the incense and prayers are cast down! Why does a Sovereign God use our prayers as a means to work in His Will? I don't know -- but I know that our prayers, as James says, are effective. There are several postings right now in the blogsphere regarding prayer --I am hoping that this is because prayer is central on the hearts of the Christian blogging community. Prayer is a powerful tool/weapon which the Lord has graciously placed at our disposal -- sadly, it is also one of the more neglected of the Christian disciplines.
Prayer is not to be approached casually, or flippantly. Yet, so often the last thing we do is pray. Church prayer services are poorly attended, while the aerobics class if full. We do not spend near enough time in prayer. If we did, our church would look different, as would all churches.
Nadab and Abihu found that strange incense and profane fire is not to be submitted to the Lord. (Read Leviticus 10). What kind of prayer may be considered strange incense to the Lord? Well, prayer offered when you are out of fellowship with a brother or sister, Matthew 5:23, 24 -- "So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift." Or maybe it is self-centered prayer (a current epidemic in the church), James 4:3 -- You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.
When we are in a proper relationship with God, then we find our prayers to be effective. And notice in Exodus 30:8 that the incense burned continuously; we find this same instruction regarding prayer. Paul in 1st Thessalonians 5:17 says that we are to pray without ceasing.
Is that reflective of your prayer life? Unfortunately, I too often find that I panic, or get angry, or overreact and prayer is not what I am doing. What we will find is that if we pray and maintain that contact with the Lord, we are much better prepared to face the things that this world throws at us. The Messiah told the disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane that they should watch and pray, lest they enter into temptation. Too often we are knocked of track because we have simply stopped praying.
Let me close this post with a song that may be familiar to some of you; Sweet Hour of Prayer. This was written by a blind preacher who never looked upon the outward beauty of God’s creation, but spent a lot of time in the inward beauty of the Holy Place in prayer:
Sweet hour of prayer, sweet hour of prayer,
That calls me from a world of care,
And bids me at my Father’s throne,
Make all my wants and wishes known.
In seasons of distress and grief,
My soul has often found relief,
And oft escaped the tempters snare,
By thy return, sweet hour of prayer.
Monday, September 18, 2006
California Cell Phones
Finally, another state realizes the danger of driving and cell phone usage.
This motorcyclist is pleased, and awaiting a Texas law that does the same thing.
Of course the dumbest part is that it does not go into effect into July 2008 to give them time to 'educate' the public. What in the world does that mean? It actually takes two years to teach people not to use their cell phones while driving? Why don't they do that with other laws? I don't remember a two year grace period for seat belts, and helmet laws are instantaneous (before anyone says something, I wear all the gear)
All of you blog readers out there -- pick yourself up a hands-free, ear bud, or headset -- save the life of a motorcyclist!
This motorcyclist is pleased, and awaiting a Texas law that does the same thing.
Of course the dumbest part is that it does not go into effect into July 2008 to give them time to 'educate' the public. What in the world does that mean? It actually takes two years to teach people not to use their cell phones while driving? Why don't they do that with other laws? I don't remember a two year grace period for seat belts, and helmet laws are instantaneous (before anyone says something, I wear all the gear)
All of you blog readers out there -- pick yourself up a hands-free, ear bud, or headset -- save the life of a motorcyclist!
Checkin' In
I have not fallen off the face of the earth -- I am overwhelmed between work and church, and personal items.
I am working on my next post -- Altar of Incense, and hope to have it up this week... Too many things, too few hours... We are having a prayer night this Friday as well!
I am working on my next post -- Altar of Incense, and hope to have it up this week... Too many things, too few hours... We are having a prayer night this Friday as well!
Thursday, September 07, 2006
The Light of the World
Exodus 25:31-40 -- "You shall make a lampstand of pure gold. The lampstand shall be made of hammered work: its base, its stem, its cups, its calyxes, and its flowers shall be of one piece with it. And there shall be six branches going out of its sides, three branches of the lampstand out of one side of it and three branches of the lampstand out of the other side of it; three cups made like almond blossoms, each with calyx and flower, on one branch, and three cups made like almond blossoms, each with calyx and flower, on the other branch--so for the six branches going out of the lampstand. And on the lampstand itself there shall be four cups made like almond blossoms, with their calyxes and flowers, and a calyx of one piece with it under each pair of the six branches going out from the lampstand. Their calyxes and their branches shall be of one piece with it, the whole of it a single piece of hammered work of pure gold. You shall make seven lamps for it. And the lamps shall be set up so as to give light on the space in front of it. Its tongs and their trays shall be of pure gold. It shall be made, with all these utensils, out of a talent of pure gold. And see that you make them after the pattern for them, which is being shown you on the mountain.
Again, we find ourselves in the Holy Place, and again, I want to set the stage; we would have just walked in from the wind and dust and dirt of the outside court, with its smell of burning flesh and smoke. It was have been a place of frenetic activity and noise, and we would have had our eyes focused on getting into the Tabernacle proper. So, we pull back the curtain and enter in… And what do our senses tell us? Well, first they tell us that we have entered into a place totally different than the outside world from which we had just come. Second, the heavy outside curtain would block the wind and noise out, so we would notice a stillness, a peace. John 14:27 - "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid…”
What is the next thing we notice? There is a smell that is vastly different than the outside world, the wonderful aroma of the incense burning inside the Holy Place. We will talk more about that in a later post, but needless to say, the incense creates a very special part of the environment, and we will look at how the incense of our prayers also creates this environment. But then as our eyes adjust, you notice that there is but ONE light source in an otherwise sealed tent. It would have been pitch-black in the Tabernacle without the light of the Menorah. There were several coverings that kept out all outside light, and required that the light of the Menorah be used. This light was burning continually.
As we draw closer to the Messiah, the light of this world dims, and He becomes our sole source of light. Many Christians try to balance the light of this world and the light of Messiah. They are constantly holding the Bible up to scrutiny using methods and tools of men. We see this in groups, such as the Jesus Seminar, who ‘judged’ the LIGHT of the Messiah by the light of man’s wisdom! This is like checking the light of the sun by using a 60-watt bulb.
We stand before the lamp stand, not only admiring its beauty, but also recognizing it as the light that God has provided for His priests. This light, which we will explore in greater detail, shines from one source, and that is the Messiah Himself!
As we examine the lampstand, we find that it is made entirely out of gold. This shows the divinity of the Messiah, the inestimable worth of His Person. In Paul’s introduction of himself in Ephesians 3:8 we find this -- To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ... And again in Philippians 4:19 -- And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
THE LIGHT
The Menorah was THE light in the Tabernacle. John 1:1–13 -- In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
During the Messiah’s discussion with Nicodemus in John 3, we hear Him speak some well-known words, but let us put them in context today; John 3:16–21 -- "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his deeds have been carried out in God."
We see this very clearly in today’s world; the world opts for the darkness then is confused as to why it struggles. Even some in the church choose darkness, allowing for the ‘natural light’ of this world to illuminate their view. When walking into many churches today, one notices a lack of true light, and instead an overabundance of 'artifical'light. If you removed the light in the tabernacle you were in complete darkness, and we find those today who claim to want to be in the Tabernacle, but insist that they be able to bring in their own light!
Ephesians 5:1–13 -- Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not associate with them; for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light.
I must admit that I am guilty of bringing in my own light at times, and I am often convicted of things in my own life that need the light of Messiah to shine on them. Just as you rid a home of mold and musty smells, in the same way our lives should be exposed to combination of light (Messiah) and fresh air (Holy Spirit) to draw the musty smell out of our lives. Do you have musty closets in your heart that could use some light and a good airing out!
THE CHURCH
The lampstand is also indicative of the church. We find the Messiah in the midst of seven churches in Revelation 1:12, 13. We observed the great worth of Messiah, but what of the bride? Ephesians 5:25–27 -- Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.
If you read how the Menorah, or lampstand was constructed, this is what you find; the word translated ‘stem’ in Exodus 25:31 is yarek. This word means loins, and is used elsewhere in the Scriptures to describe descendents, i.e. Genesis 46:26 -- All the persons who went with Jacob to Egypt, who came from his body [yarek], besides Jacob's sons' wives, were sixty-six persons in all.
So there is a central yarek, and off of that six other branches shoot. Interestingly, six is the number of man, and seven the number of God. Here we see that with Messiah we number seven, and without Him as the central part of our life, we number six. So, not only is the lampstand symbolic of the Messiah, but also of those who live IN the Messiah as well.
1st John 1:5–7 -- This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.
Again in 1st John 2:8–11 -- At the same time, it is a new commandment that I am writing to you, which is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining. Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness. Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling. But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.
We are not only to be in His light, but be reflectors of it as well. The lost and dying world is so desperate for a glimpse of the light of God, and yet sometimes we are guilty of hiding the light [Matthew 5:14–16]. Let us not only bask in the light of our Messiah, but also reflect it through our lives and actions!
Again, we find ourselves in the Holy Place, and again, I want to set the stage; we would have just walked in from the wind and dust and dirt of the outside court, with its smell of burning flesh and smoke. It was have been a place of frenetic activity and noise, and we would have had our eyes focused on getting into the Tabernacle proper. So, we pull back the curtain and enter in… And what do our senses tell us? Well, first they tell us that we have entered into a place totally different than the outside world from which we had just come. Second, the heavy outside curtain would block the wind and noise out, so we would notice a stillness, a peace. John 14:27 - "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid…”
What is the next thing we notice? There is a smell that is vastly different than the outside world, the wonderful aroma of the incense burning inside the Holy Place. We will talk more about that in a later post, but needless to say, the incense creates a very special part of the environment, and we will look at how the incense of our prayers also creates this environment. But then as our eyes adjust, you notice that there is but ONE light source in an otherwise sealed tent. It would have been pitch-black in the Tabernacle without the light of the Menorah. There were several coverings that kept out all outside light, and required that the light of the Menorah be used. This light was burning continually.
As we draw closer to the Messiah, the light of this world dims, and He becomes our sole source of light. Many Christians try to balance the light of this world and the light of Messiah. They are constantly holding the Bible up to scrutiny using methods and tools of men. We see this in groups, such as the Jesus Seminar, who ‘judged’ the LIGHT of the Messiah by the light of man’s wisdom! This is like checking the light of the sun by using a 60-watt bulb.
We stand before the lamp stand, not only admiring its beauty, but also recognizing it as the light that God has provided for His priests. This light, which we will explore in greater detail, shines from one source, and that is the Messiah Himself!
As we examine the lampstand, we find that it is made entirely out of gold. This shows the divinity of the Messiah, the inestimable worth of His Person. In Paul’s introduction of himself in Ephesians 3:8 we find this -- To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ... And again in Philippians 4:19 -- And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
THE LIGHT
The Menorah was THE light in the Tabernacle. John 1:1–13 -- In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
During the Messiah’s discussion with Nicodemus in John 3, we hear Him speak some well-known words, but let us put them in context today; John 3:16–21 -- "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his deeds have been carried out in God."
We see this very clearly in today’s world; the world opts for the darkness then is confused as to why it struggles. Even some in the church choose darkness, allowing for the ‘natural light’ of this world to illuminate their view. When walking into many churches today, one notices a lack of true light, and instead an overabundance of 'artifical'light. If you removed the light in the tabernacle you were in complete darkness, and we find those today who claim to want to be in the Tabernacle, but insist that they be able to bring in their own light!
Ephesians 5:1–13 -- Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not associate with them; for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light.
I must admit that I am guilty of bringing in my own light at times, and I am often convicted of things in my own life that need the light of Messiah to shine on them. Just as you rid a home of mold and musty smells, in the same way our lives should be exposed to combination of light (Messiah) and fresh air (Holy Spirit) to draw the musty smell out of our lives. Do you have musty closets in your heart that could use some light and a good airing out!
THE CHURCH
The lampstand is also indicative of the church. We find the Messiah in the midst of seven churches in Revelation 1:12, 13. We observed the great worth of Messiah, but what of the bride? Ephesians 5:25–27 -- Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.
If you read how the Menorah, or lampstand was constructed, this is what you find; the word translated ‘stem’ in Exodus 25:31 is yarek. This word means loins, and is used elsewhere in the Scriptures to describe descendents, i.e. Genesis 46:26 -- All the persons who went with Jacob to Egypt, who came from his body [yarek], besides Jacob's sons' wives, were sixty-six persons in all.
So there is a central yarek, and off of that six other branches shoot. Interestingly, six is the number of man, and seven the number of God. Here we see that with Messiah we number seven, and without Him as the central part of our life, we number six. So, not only is the lampstand symbolic of the Messiah, but also of those who live IN the Messiah as well.
1st John 1:5–7 -- This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.
Again in 1st John 2:8–11 -- At the same time, it is a new commandment that I am writing to you, which is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining. Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness. Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling. But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.
We are not only to be in His light, but be reflectors of it as well. The lost and dying world is so desperate for a glimpse of the light of God, and yet sometimes we are guilty of hiding the light [Matthew 5:14–16]. Let us not only bask in the light of our Messiah, but also reflect it through our lives and actions!
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Now for something completely different
Two statements that have nothing to do with one another, or for that matter, with anything else.
1. I want to apologize to my readership (if I have one) for the length of some of my recent posts -- as is readily evident, I tend to go too long on posts -- I have not quite gotten the blog etiquette down yet. I will try to break my streams of thought into readable and succinct posts going forward (maybe).
2. OK, so how do I know I am getting older? David Lee Roth has a BLUEGRASS (yes, that is what I said, Bluegrass) album out, and I (gulp) kind of like it... (face reddening now). I found myself waxing nostalgic as I watched David perform some of the songs on CMT.
1. I want to apologize to my readership (if I have one) for the length of some of my recent posts -- as is readily evident, I tend to go too long on posts -- I have not quite gotten the blog etiquette down yet. I will try to break my streams of thought into readable and succinct posts going forward (maybe).
2. OK, so how do I know I am getting older? David Lee Roth has a BLUEGRASS (yes, that is what I said, Bluegrass) album out, and I (gulp) kind of like it... (face reddening now). I found myself waxing nostalgic as I watched David perform some of the songs on CMT.
Sunday, August 27, 2006
Our Provision
Exodus 25:23–30 - “You shall make a table of acacia wood. Two cubits shall be its length, a cubit its breadth, and a cubit and a half its height. You shall overlay it with pure gold and make a molding of gold around it. And you shall make a rim around it a handbreadth wide, and a molding of gold around the rim. And you shall make for it four rings of gold, and fasten the rings to the four corners at its four legs. Close to the frame the rings shall lie, as holders for the poles to carry the table. You shall make the poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold, and the table shall be carried with these. And you shall make its plates and dishes for incense, and its flagons and bowls with which to pour drink offerings; you shall make them of pure gold. And you shall set the bread of the Presence on the table before me regularly.
Leviticus 24:5-9 - “You shall take fine flour and bake twelve loaves from it; two tenths of an ephah shall be in each loaf. And you shall set them in two piles, six in a pile, on the table of pure gold before the Lord. And you shall put pure frankincense on each pile, that it may go with the bread as a memorial portion as a food offering to the Lord. Every Sabbath day Aaron shall arrange it before the Lord regularly; it is from the people of Israel as a covenant forever. And it shall be for Aaron and his sons, and they shall eat it in a holy place, since it is for him a most holy portion out of the Lord's food offerings, a perpetual due.”
We are now in the Tabernacle, we have come in from the stench and heat of the outer court, as as the last post discussed -- we are able to begin to take in the beauty of the Holy Place. And now we stand before the Table of the Bread of the Presence. This has been a progressive journey, from outside the gate to inside the Tabernacle... This is the walk of the believer. in this post we will look at God’s provision, and the fellowship of the believers. We will see how in the Table of the Bread of Presence, our Messiah is perfectly represented to us.
THE BREAD OF THE PRESENCE
This bread is most interesting… It is called Lechem Paniym in Hebrew. That means the bread that is before the face of God, or before the presence of God. These loaves sat on the table all week, representing the tribes of Israel in the presence of the Lord. Isn’t that interesting? In the showbread we see the shadow of Messiah. As we read in Romans 8:33-39 - Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died — more than that, who was raised — who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. And again in Hebrews 7:24, 25 - but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.
This bread was before the Lord continually... His face looked upon this bread, which represented the Chosen People of God. Is this any different than the ministry of the Messiah for us? Does He not stand before the Father representing us? Psalm 32:1, 2 - Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.
This bread was an offering before the Lord, covered in Frankincense. Leviticus 24:5–7 - "And you shall take fine flour and bake twelve cakes with it. Two-tenths of an ephah shall be in each cake. "You shall set them in two rows, six in a row, on the pure gold table before the LORD. "And you shall put pure frankincense on each row, that it may be on the bread for a memorial, an offering made by fire to the LORD. Isn’t it interesting that when the wise men came to the house to honor the Lord, that they brought frankincense? I find these small things to be so interesting, I mean, even in the smallest things we find the Lord at work.
Our Messiah stands before the Father, making intercession for us. He represents each believer, who has been covered in his blood, just like the showbread represented the twelve tribes. That is such an incredible and awesome thought to me that He would do that, that He HAS done that and He will continue to do that. What a God we serve! In Numbers 4:5–8 - "When the camp prepares to journey, Aaron and his sons shall come, and they shall take down the covering veil and cover the ark of the Testimony with it. "Then they shall put on it a covering of badger skins, and spread over that a cloth entirely of blue; and they shall insert its poles. "On the table of showbread they shall spread a blue cloth, and put on it the dishes, the pans, the bowls, and the pitchers for pouring; and the showbread shall be on it. "They shall spread over them a scarlet cloth, and cover the same with a covering of badger skins; and they shall insert its poles…” They did not remove the bread when transporting the table!
The BREAD OF PROVISION
This bread also represented that God was to be the people’s provision. As a matter of fact, as they wandered in the wilderness, we find that He is the one that kept Israel alive by providing manna (Exodus 16). these loaves were representative of our daily provision from the Lord, as the priests partook of these loaves in representing the tribes.
John 6:31-40 - "Our fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written, 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'" Then Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. "For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." Then they said to Him, "Lord, give us this bread always." And Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. "But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe. "All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out. "For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. "This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. "And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day."
Micah 5:2-4 contains a prophecy about Messiah. It is most interesting. Many are familiar with Micah 5:2, but the rest of the verses are interesting. In verse 3 it prophesies regarding the diaspora and the return of the remnant and then in verse 4 we see what the rule of Messiah will be like. Micah 5:2–4 - "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, From everlasting." Therefore He shall give them up, Until the time that she who is in labor has given birth; Then the remnant of His brethren Shall return to the children of Israel. And He shall stand and feed His flock In the strength of the LORD, In the majesty of the name of the LORD His God; And they shall abide, For now He shall be great To the ends of the earth…” Truly we have provision in the Lord!
To finish up with John 6, we go to the final verses, John 6:53-58 - Then Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. "Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. "For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. "He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. "As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me. "This is the bread which came down from heaven; not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever."
THE BREAD OF THE PRIESTS
Finally we see that the bread was to be consumed by the priests. Leviticus 24:5–9 - "And you shall take fine flour and bake twelve cakes with it. Two-tenths of an ephah shall be in each cake. "You shall set them in two rows, six in a row, on the pure gold table before the LORD. "And you shall put pure frankincense on each row, that it may be on the bread for a memorial, an offering made by fire to the LORD. "Every Sabbath he shall set it in order before the LORD continually, being taken from the children of Israel by an everlasting covenant. "And it shall be for Aaron and his sons, and they shall eat it in a holy place; for it is most holy to him from the offerings of the LORD made by fire, by a perpetual statute."
Exodus 19:6 the Lord says this to His Chosen People - 'And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.' These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel." And in 1st Peter 2:4, 5 - Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
Finally in John’s introduction to the book of the Revelation we find this: Revelation 1:4–6 - John, to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
The priests ate the bread of the presence in the Holy Place. Much like our time of communion, when we are in the Holy Place, the place where the priests meet their God. We too are to partake of the Lord together as priests in this place. The priests were the ones who ministered in the Holy Place, and their fellowship was with one another. This does not mean that they did not interact with the other peoples, but it means that when they were in the Holy Place ministering and breaking bread, it was a time of fellowship with them and God. Can you imagine, standing (as there are no chairs) in the Tabernacle, no one else was allowed to come in, and you are sharing bread with your fellow priests? Imagine the awesome feeling of being in the presence of God. We should think about that as we partake of communion on Sunday. Communion is so much more than we realize.
Notice that the bread was MOST HOLY to the Lord. As it represented the Messiah, it was to be treated with great respect and honor due it. Not in the way that some people have taken the bread and raised it to the level of veneration itself. It is what the bread symbolizes that makes it Holy, not the physical bread itself.
May we all enjoy a time of feeding upon the Messiah this Lord's day!
Leviticus 24:5-9 - “You shall take fine flour and bake twelve loaves from it; two tenths of an ephah shall be in each loaf. And you shall set them in two piles, six in a pile, on the table of pure gold before the Lord. And you shall put pure frankincense on each pile, that it may go with the bread as a memorial portion as a food offering to the Lord. Every Sabbath day Aaron shall arrange it before the Lord regularly; it is from the people of Israel as a covenant forever. And it shall be for Aaron and his sons, and they shall eat it in a holy place, since it is for him a most holy portion out of the Lord's food offerings, a perpetual due.”
We are now in the Tabernacle, we have come in from the stench and heat of the outer court, as as the last post discussed -- we are able to begin to take in the beauty of the Holy Place. And now we stand before the Table of the Bread of the Presence. This has been a progressive journey, from outside the gate to inside the Tabernacle... This is the walk of the believer. in this post we will look at God’s provision, and the fellowship of the believers. We will see how in the Table of the Bread of Presence, our Messiah is perfectly represented to us.
THE BREAD OF THE PRESENCE
This bread is most interesting… It is called Lechem Paniym in Hebrew. That means the bread that is before the face of God, or before the presence of God. These loaves sat on the table all week, representing the tribes of Israel in the presence of the Lord. Isn’t that interesting? In the showbread we see the shadow of Messiah. As we read in Romans 8:33-39 - Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died — more than that, who was raised — who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. And again in Hebrews 7:24, 25 - but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.
This bread was before the Lord continually... His face looked upon this bread, which represented the Chosen People of God. Is this any different than the ministry of the Messiah for us? Does He not stand before the Father representing us? Psalm 32:1, 2 - Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.
This bread was an offering before the Lord, covered in Frankincense. Leviticus 24:5–7 - "And you shall take fine flour and bake twelve cakes with it. Two-tenths of an ephah shall be in each cake. "You shall set them in two rows, six in a row, on the pure gold table before the LORD. "And you shall put pure frankincense on each row, that it may be on the bread for a memorial, an offering made by fire to the LORD. Isn’t it interesting that when the wise men came to the house to honor the Lord, that they brought frankincense? I find these small things to be so interesting, I mean, even in the smallest things we find the Lord at work.
Our Messiah stands before the Father, making intercession for us. He represents each believer, who has been covered in his blood, just like the showbread represented the twelve tribes. That is such an incredible and awesome thought to me that He would do that, that He HAS done that and He will continue to do that. What a God we serve! In Numbers 4:5–8 - "When the camp prepares to journey, Aaron and his sons shall come, and they shall take down the covering veil and cover the ark of the Testimony with it. "Then they shall put on it a covering of badger skins, and spread over that a cloth entirely of blue; and they shall insert its poles. "On the table of showbread they shall spread a blue cloth, and put on it the dishes, the pans, the bowls, and the pitchers for pouring; and the showbread shall be on it. "They shall spread over them a scarlet cloth, and cover the same with a covering of badger skins; and they shall insert its poles…” They did not remove the bread when transporting the table!
The BREAD OF PROVISION
This bread also represented that God was to be the people’s provision. As a matter of fact, as they wandered in the wilderness, we find that He is the one that kept Israel alive by providing manna (Exodus 16). these loaves were representative of our daily provision from the Lord, as the priests partook of these loaves in representing the tribes.
John 6:31-40 - "Our fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written, 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'" Then Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. "For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." Then they said to Him, "Lord, give us this bread always." And Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. "But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe. "All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out. "For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. "This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. "And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day."
Micah 5:2-4 contains a prophecy about Messiah. It is most interesting. Many are familiar with Micah 5:2, but the rest of the verses are interesting. In verse 3 it prophesies regarding the diaspora and the return of the remnant and then in verse 4 we see what the rule of Messiah will be like. Micah 5:2–4 - "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, From everlasting." Therefore He shall give them up, Until the time that she who is in labor has given birth; Then the remnant of His brethren Shall return to the children of Israel. And He shall stand and feed His flock In the strength of the LORD, In the majesty of the name of the LORD His God; And they shall abide, For now He shall be great To the ends of the earth…” Truly we have provision in the Lord!
To finish up with John 6, we go to the final verses, John 6:53-58 - Then Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. "Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. "For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. "He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. "As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me. "This is the bread which came down from heaven; not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever."
THE BREAD OF THE PRIESTS
Finally we see that the bread was to be consumed by the priests. Leviticus 24:5–9 - "And you shall take fine flour and bake twelve cakes with it. Two-tenths of an ephah shall be in each cake. "You shall set them in two rows, six in a row, on the pure gold table before the LORD. "And you shall put pure frankincense on each row, that it may be on the bread for a memorial, an offering made by fire to the LORD. "Every Sabbath he shall set it in order before the LORD continually, being taken from the children of Israel by an everlasting covenant. "And it shall be for Aaron and his sons, and they shall eat it in a holy place; for it is most holy to him from the offerings of the LORD made by fire, by a perpetual statute."
Exodus 19:6 the Lord says this to His Chosen People - 'And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.' These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel." And in 1st Peter 2:4, 5 - Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
Finally in John’s introduction to the book of the Revelation we find this: Revelation 1:4–6 - John, to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
The priests ate the bread of the presence in the Holy Place. Much like our time of communion, when we are in the Holy Place, the place where the priests meet their God. We too are to partake of the Lord together as priests in this place. The priests were the ones who ministered in the Holy Place, and their fellowship was with one another. This does not mean that they did not interact with the other peoples, but it means that when they were in the Holy Place ministering and breaking bread, it was a time of fellowship with them and God. Can you imagine, standing (as there are no chairs) in the Tabernacle, no one else was allowed to come in, and you are sharing bread with your fellow priests? Imagine the awesome feeling of being in the presence of God. We should think about that as we partake of communion on Sunday. Communion is so much more than we realize.
Notice that the bread was MOST HOLY to the Lord. As it represented the Messiah, it was to be treated with great respect and honor due it. Not in the way that some people have taken the bread and raised it to the level of veneration itself. It is what the bread symbolizes that makes it Holy, not the physical bread itself.
May we all enjoy a time of feeding upon the Messiah this Lord's day!
Thursday, August 24, 2006
O Sacred Head, Now Wounded
What a hymn! Written by Bernard of Clairvaux
O sacred Head, now wounded, with grief and shame weighed down,
Now scornfully surrounded with thorns, Thine only crown;
How pale Thou art with anguish, with sore abuse and scorn! How does that visage languish, which once was bright as morn!
What Thou, my Lord, hast suffered, was all for sinners’ gain;
Mine, mine was the transgression, but Thine the deadly pain. Lo, here I fall, my Savior! ’Tis I deserve Thy place;
Look on me with Thy favor, vouchsafe to me Thy grace.
Men mock and taunt and jeer Thee, Thou noble countenance,
Though mighty worlds shall fear Thee and flee before Thy glance.
How art thou pale with anguish, with sore abuse and scorn! How doth Thy visage languish that once was bright as morn!
Now from Thy cheeks has vanished their color once so fair;
From Thy red lips is banished the splendor that was there.
Grim death, with cruel rigor, hath robbed Thee of Thy life; Thus Thou hast lost Thy vigor, Thy strength in this sad strife.
My burden in Thy Passion, Lord, Thou hast borne for me,
For it was my transgression which brought this woe on Thee. I cast me down before Thee, wrath were my rightful lot;
Have mercy, I implore Thee; Redeemer, spurn me not!
What language shall I borrow to thank Thee, dearest friend,
For this Thy dying sorrow, Thy pity without end?
O make me Thine forever, and should I fainting be,
Lord, let me never, never outlive my love to Thee.
My shepherd, now receive me; my guardian, own me Thine. Great blessings Thou didst give me, O source of gifts divine.
Thy lips have often fed me with words of truth and love;
Thy Spirit oft hath led me to heavenly joys above.
Here I will stand beside Thee, from Thee I will not part;
O Savior, do not chide me! When breaks Thy loving heart, When soul and body languish in death’s cold, cruel grasp, Then, in Thy deepest anguish, Thee in mine arms I’ll clasp.
The joy can never be spoken, above all joys beside,
When in Thy body broken I thus with safety hide.
O Lord of Life, desiring Thy glory now to see,
Beside Thy cross expiring, I’d breathe my soul to Thee.
My Savior, be Thou near me when death is at my door;
Then let Thy presence cheer me, forsake me nevermore!
When soul and body languish, oh, leave me not alone,
But take away mine anguish by virtue of Thine own!
O sacred Head, now wounded, with grief and shame weighed down,
Now scornfully surrounded with thorns, Thine only crown;
How pale Thou art with anguish, with sore abuse and scorn! How does that visage languish, which once was bright as morn!
What Thou, my Lord, hast suffered, was all for sinners’ gain;
Mine, mine was the transgression, but Thine the deadly pain. Lo, here I fall, my Savior! ’Tis I deserve Thy place;
Look on me with Thy favor, vouchsafe to me Thy grace.
Men mock and taunt and jeer Thee, Thou noble countenance,
Though mighty worlds shall fear Thee and flee before Thy glance.
How art thou pale with anguish, with sore abuse and scorn! How doth Thy visage languish that once was bright as morn!
Now from Thy cheeks has vanished their color once so fair;
From Thy red lips is banished the splendor that was there.
Grim death, with cruel rigor, hath robbed Thee of Thy life; Thus Thou hast lost Thy vigor, Thy strength in this sad strife.
My burden in Thy Passion, Lord, Thou hast borne for me,
For it was my transgression which brought this woe on Thee. I cast me down before Thee, wrath were my rightful lot;
Have mercy, I implore Thee; Redeemer, spurn me not!
What language shall I borrow to thank Thee, dearest friend,
For this Thy dying sorrow, Thy pity without end?
O make me Thine forever, and should I fainting be,
Lord, let me never, never outlive my love to Thee.
My shepherd, now receive me; my guardian, own me Thine. Great blessings Thou didst give me, O source of gifts divine.
Thy lips have often fed me with words of truth and love;
Thy Spirit oft hath led me to heavenly joys above.
Here I will stand beside Thee, from Thee I will not part;
O Savior, do not chide me! When breaks Thy loving heart, When soul and body languish in death’s cold, cruel grasp, Then, in Thy deepest anguish, Thee in mine arms I’ll clasp.
The joy can never be spoken, above all joys beside,
When in Thy body broken I thus with safety hide.
O Lord of Life, desiring Thy glory now to see,
Beside Thy cross expiring, I’d breathe my soul to Thee.
My Savior, be Thou near me when death is at my door;
Then let Thy presence cheer me, forsake me nevermore!
When soul and body languish, oh, leave me not alone,
But take away mine anguish by virtue of Thine own!
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
The Beauty of the Lord
Scripture: Exodus 26:1-14 -- “Moreover, you shall make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine twined linen and blue and purple and scarlet yarns; you shall make them with cherubim skillfully worked into them. The length of each curtain shall be twenty-eight cubits, and the breadth of each curtain four cubits; all the curtains shall be the same size. Five curtains shall be coupled to one another, and the other five curtains shall be coupled to one another. And you shall make loops of blue on the edge of the outermost curtain in the first set. Likewise you shall make loops on the edge of the outermost curtain in the second set. Fifty loops you shall make on the one curtain, and fifty loops you shall make on the edge of the curtain that is in the second set; the loops shall be opposite one another. And you shall make fifty clasps of gold, and couple the curtains one to the other with the clasps, so that the tabernacle may be a single whole. “You shall also make curtains of goats' hair for a tent over the tabernacle; eleven curtains shall you make. The length of each curtain shall be thirty cubits, and the breadth of each curtain four cubits. The eleven curtains shall be the same size. You shall couple five curtains by themselves, and six curtains by themselves, and the sixth curtain you shall double over at the front of the tent. You shall make fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that is outermost in one set, and fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that is outermost in the second set. “You shall make fifty clasps of bronze, and put the clasps into the loops, and couple the tent together that it may be a single whole. And the part that remains of the curtains of the tent, the half curtain that remains, shall hang over the back of the tabernacle. And the extra that remains in the length of the curtains, the cubit on the one side, and the cubit on the other side, shall hang over the sides of the tabernacle, on this side and that side, to cover it. And you shall make for the tent a covering of tanned rams' skins and a covering of goatskins on top.
APPEARANCES
As we have looked at the Tabernacle, we saw the linen curtain that surrounded the court of the Tabernacle, separating it from the ‘world’. We saw that there was one gate, that being the Messiah, and that, as we entered the courtyard, we are caused to pass the bronze altar. This altar represents the atonement of Messiah. Once passed this we come to the bronze laver, the place of sanctification. And now, we actually enter the main building, the Tabernacle itself. We will find that the outside of the Tabernacle belies the beauty hidden inside.
Again, in this we see the ministry of the Messiah. We see that the outside curtains we made of a leather animal skin. Under this are the ram’s skins, and under that are the goat’s hair curtains. And then finally we come to the woven curtain of purple, blue and red with cherubim worked into it.
Isaiah 53:2 -- For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him.
There is a tendency for people to have a picture of Messiah in their heads, or on their walls that show a perfect face that beams light; nowadays, you get downright blasphemous pictures of Him -- yet the Word says that He was common in appearance. I remember a few years back, an artist released a portrait of what Messiah MAY have looked like. It was a common Middle-Eastern face. Well, you would not believe the uproar that was caused over this drawing! You would have thought that the artist had done something incredibly awful.
How does all of this relate to the Tabernacle? The outer coverings of the tabernacle were animal skins, something that would not turn the head of the common tent dweller in that day. Much like Messiah when He walked the earth. He was not exceptionally handsome; He was like us in appearance. Remember, the Israelites had picked on physical handsomeness before, remember Saul, who was a head taller than any other Israelite? What about the strong man, Sampson?
Unfortunately, in our culture we are obsessed with physical appearance. I believe that is why so many people were offended by that artist’s portrait. We have preconceived notions as to what Messiah looked like, when in reality it was who He was that set Him apart, not what He looked like. We are still obsessed with looks; I remember hearing a preacher once say that he needed a $1000.00 suit and $800.00 shoes in order to have people believe what he was saying about the Lord. In other words, people don’t listen to a person unless they ‘look’ the part, whatever that means! The Lord draws people to Him; the preacher can be wearing a camel hair coat and eat locusts and it won’t matter, the Lord will draw those to Him that He will. There is a broken theology in our culture that believes that we have to dress or look a certain way in order to draw the lost to the Lord. That makes it sound as though the Lord somehow needs our help in drawing the lost. The Messiah said clearly in John 6:44 -- No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. So, no matter what a preacher is wearing, unless one is drawn, they cannot come.
Like the Tabernacle, the beauty of Messiah was hidden in humanity and many had a problem with that. Here was the Lord of the world, the one whose very words created all things, born to a common family. For that matter He was born in a manger, and laid in a feed trough to sleep. Not very glamorous surroundings for the king of the world! He lived as an itinerate preacher, and died as a common criminal, alone and forsaken by all. Yet, in that common skin dwelt the Lord of all, who came to the earth to save His creatures. Pretty incredible, isn’t it? If you haven’t thought about the gospel in a while, I suggest that you go reread a gospel to see how the Glory of God was hidden in the flesh of humanity.
In the Tabernacle we see that the animal skins covered not only a beautiful woven curtain, but that also the golden planks were covered as well. From the outside, the Tabernacle looked like a large rectangular tent. But from the inside! In John 1:10–14 we read this -- He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own [Tabernacled], and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
REALITY
The outside of the Tabernacle looked like a skin-covered tent, and the Messiah looked like a common man. Could you imagine walking into the Tabernacle? As the Priest, you had been standing in the dusty, hot, smoky courtyard and suddenly you transition into a hushed and Menorah-illuminated room that is totally different from the outside world. As you look around you see gleaming golden planks along the walls, the golden utensils of the Tabernacle and the curtain woven with cherubim. You have entered a completely different realm, one smoky with the wonderful scent of the incense. Imagine the quiet as well; the stillness as you stood in the Holy Place looking around about you.
The Messiah is very much like that. I remember accepting the sacrifice of Messiah, the winds and the smells of the world were all around me. But I also remember stepping into the Holy Place the first time it was breathtaking to me. I remember the incredible stillness in my spirit, as if for the first time in my life my spirit had found quiet! I still remember that first time, and it still moves me! And what beauty confronted me!! So, as we look at this beautiful hidden place, we find so much of the Lord there.
David understood this beauty, he writes in Psalm 27:4, 5 -- One thing I have desired of the LORD, That will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the LORD All the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the LORD, And to inquire in His temple. For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; In the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock.
What is this beauty? Is it gold, and jewels? No, the beauty of the Lord is beyond our imagination; the Tabernacle was simply a symbol of this beauty. We are commanded to worship Him in the beauty of holiness. As the priests would come into a beautiful room and be overwhelmed by its sheer beauty, so we too should be overcome by the beauty of the Lord. Psalm 96:8, 9 -- Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; bring an offering, and come into his courts! Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness; tremble before him, all the earth!
We often come into the Tabernacle to see what the Lord can do for us, when in reality, the priests NEVER entered into the Holy Place with that thought, rather they were there to serve the Lord, not BE served! We should worship the Lord in the beauty of HIS Holiness!
We see a moment when the Lord actually lifts the veil of the Tabernacle a bit and Peter, James and John get a brief look. Matthew 17:1, 2 -- And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light.
Just as the beauty of the Tabernacle was clothed in animal skins, so too our Messiah was clothed in human skin, yet Peter and the Zebedee brothers caught a glimpse of His beauty!
APPEARANCES
As we have looked at the Tabernacle, we saw the linen curtain that surrounded the court of the Tabernacle, separating it from the ‘world’. We saw that there was one gate, that being the Messiah, and that, as we entered the courtyard, we are caused to pass the bronze altar. This altar represents the atonement of Messiah. Once passed this we come to the bronze laver, the place of sanctification. And now, we actually enter the main building, the Tabernacle itself. We will find that the outside of the Tabernacle belies the beauty hidden inside.
Again, in this we see the ministry of the Messiah. We see that the outside curtains we made of a leather animal skin. Under this are the ram’s skins, and under that are the goat’s hair curtains. And then finally we come to the woven curtain of purple, blue and red with cherubim worked into it.
Isaiah 53:2 -- For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him.
There is a tendency for people to have a picture of Messiah in their heads, or on their walls that show a perfect face that beams light; nowadays, you get downright blasphemous pictures of Him -- yet the Word says that He was common in appearance. I remember a few years back, an artist released a portrait of what Messiah MAY have looked like. It was a common Middle-Eastern face. Well, you would not believe the uproar that was caused over this drawing! You would have thought that the artist had done something incredibly awful.
How does all of this relate to the Tabernacle? The outer coverings of the tabernacle were animal skins, something that would not turn the head of the common tent dweller in that day. Much like Messiah when He walked the earth. He was not exceptionally handsome; He was like us in appearance. Remember, the Israelites had picked on physical handsomeness before, remember Saul, who was a head taller than any other Israelite? What about the strong man, Sampson?
Unfortunately, in our culture we are obsessed with physical appearance. I believe that is why so many people were offended by that artist’s portrait. We have preconceived notions as to what Messiah looked like, when in reality it was who He was that set Him apart, not what He looked like. We are still obsessed with looks; I remember hearing a preacher once say that he needed a $1000.00 suit and $800.00 shoes in order to have people believe what he was saying about the Lord. In other words, people don’t listen to a person unless they ‘look’ the part, whatever that means! The Lord draws people to Him; the preacher can be wearing a camel hair coat and eat locusts and it won’t matter, the Lord will draw those to Him that He will. There is a broken theology in our culture that believes that we have to dress or look a certain way in order to draw the lost to the Lord. That makes it sound as though the Lord somehow needs our help in drawing the lost. The Messiah said clearly in John 6:44 -- No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. So, no matter what a preacher is wearing, unless one is drawn, they cannot come.
Like the Tabernacle, the beauty of Messiah was hidden in humanity and many had a problem with that. Here was the Lord of the world, the one whose very words created all things, born to a common family. For that matter He was born in a manger, and laid in a feed trough to sleep. Not very glamorous surroundings for the king of the world! He lived as an itinerate preacher, and died as a common criminal, alone and forsaken by all. Yet, in that common skin dwelt the Lord of all, who came to the earth to save His creatures. Pretty incredible, isn’t it? If you haven’t thought about the gospel in a while, I suggest that you go reread a gospel to see how the Glory of God was hidden in the flesh of humanity.
In the Tabernacle we see that the animal skins covered not only a beautiful woven curtain, but that also the golden planks were covered as well. From the outside, the Tabernacle looked like a large rectangular tent. But from the inside! In John 1:10–14 we read this -- He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own [Tabernacled], and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
REALITY
The outside of the Tabernacle looked like a skin-covered tent, and the Messiah looked like a common man. Could you imagine walking into the Tabernacle? As the Priest, you had been standing in the dusty, hot, smoky courtyard and suddenly you transition into a hushed and Menorah-illuminated room that is totally different from the outside world. As you look around you see gleaming golden planks along the walls, the golden utensils of the Tabernacle and the curtain woven with cherubim. You have entered a completely different realm, one smoky with the wonderful scent of the incense. Imagine the quiet as well; the stillness as you stood in the Holy Place looking around about you.
The Messiah is very much like that. I remember accepting the sacrifice of Messiah, the winds and the smells of the world were all around me. But I also remember stepping into the Holy Place the first time it was breathtaking to me. I remember the incredible stillness in my spirit, as if for the first time in my life my spirit had found quiet! I still remember that first time, and it still moves me! And what beauty confronted me!! So, as we look at this beautiful hidden place, we find so much of the Lord there.
David understood this beauty, he writes in Psalm 27:4, 5 -- One thing I have desired of the LORD, That will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the LORD All the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the LORD, And to inquire in His temple. For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; In the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock.
What is this beauty? Is it gold, and jewels? No, the beauty of the Lord is beyond our imagination; the Tabernacle was simply a symbol of this beauty. We are commanded to worship Him in the beauty of holiness. As the priests would come into a beautiful room and be overwhelmed by its sheer beauty, so we too should be overcome by the beauty of the Lord. Psalm 96:8, 9 -- Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; bring an offering, and come into his courts! Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness; tremble before him, all the earth!
We often come into the Tabernacle to see what the Lord can do for us, when in reality, the priests NEVER entered into the Holy Place with that thought, rather they were there to serve the Lord, not BE served! We should worship the Lord in the beauty of HIS Holiness!
We see a moment when the Lord actually lifts the veil of the Tabernacle a bit and Peter, James and John get a brief look. Matthew 17:1, 2 -- And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light.
Just as the beauty of the Tabernacle was clothed in animal skins, so too our Messiah was clothed in human skin, yet Peter and the Zebedee brothers caught a glimpse of His beauty!
Saturday, August 12, 2006
A Hymn for The Lord's Day
As I prepared the final notes for my sermon tomorrow, this hymn kept going through my mind, I found myself singing it as I prepared my text (Genesis 42)...
Pass me not, O gentle Savior,
Hear my humble cry;
While on others Thou art calling,
Do not pass me by.
Refrain
Savior, Savior,
Hear my humble cry;
While on others Thou art calling,
Do not pass me by.
Let me at Thy throne of mercy
Find a sweet relief,
Kneeling there in deep contrition;
Help my unbelief.
Refrain
Trusting only in Thy merit,
Would I seek Thy face;
Heal my wounded, broken spirit,
Save me by Thy grace.
Refrain
Thou the Spring of all my comfort,
More than life to me,
Whom have I on earth beside Thee?
Whom in heav’n but Thee?
Refrain
TEXT: Fanny Crosby
MUSIC: William H. Doane
Pass me not, O gentle Savior,
Hear my humble cry;
While on others Thou art calling,
Do not pass me by.
Refrain
Savior, Savior,
Hear my humble cry;
While on others Thou art calling,
Do not pass me by.
Let me at Thy throne of mercy
Find a sweet relief,
Kneeling there in deep contrition;
Help my unbelief.
Refrain
Trusting only in Thy merit,
Would I seek Thy face;
Heal my wounded, broken spirit,
Save me by Thy grace.
Refrain
Thou the Spring of all my comfort,
More than life to me,
Whom have I on earth beside Thee?
Whom in heav’n but Thee?
Refrain
TEXT: Fanny Crosby
MUSIC: William H. Doane
Thursday, August 10, 2006
The Bronze Laver
Exodus 30:18-21 - “You shall also make a basin of bronze, with its stand of bronze, for washing. You shall put it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and you shall put water in it, with which Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet. When they go into the tent of meeting, or when they come near the altar to minister, to burn a food offering to the Lord, they shall wash with water, so that they may not die. They shall wash their hands and their feet, so that they may not die. It shall be a statute forever to them, even to him and to his offspring throughout their generations.”
We have examined the outer court, silver foundation, and the wall surrounding the Tabernacle; we have entered, had the sacrifice of the Messiah imputed to us, and we now stand before the bronze laver, or washbasin. This washbasin has a very deep significance in a believer’s life.
REFLECTION
The bronze laver was fashioned out of the mirrors of the women of the nation – Exodus 38:8 - He [Moses] made the basin of bronze and its stand of bronze, from the mirrors of the ministering women who ministered in the entrance of the tent of meeting.
Mirrors were a valuable item in those days, you didn’t just stop by Wal-Mart and pick up a mirror. We don’t often contemplate the value of mirrors in that day; today every home has a multitude of mirrors. However, in the ANE, mirrors were not everywhere and these women probably gave up their only mirror for the Tabernacle.
[sidebar comment] It really is amazing to think that the people gave a freewill gift to build the Tabernacle out of their BEST, not their leftovers. [/sidebar comment]
So the laver would have retained the reflective quality of the mirrors, and every time the Priests went to the laver to wash, they saw their reflection. Likewise, the Word of God will ‘highlight’ our reflection as we study and reflect upon it. The reflection in the laver enabled the Priests to ensure that they looked proper for service inside the Holy of Holies, likewise, we should examine ourselves through God’s Word as we enter endeavor to walk 'Coram Deo'.
Ephesians 5:25-27 - Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.
THE OUTER COURT
The Priests were inside the Tabernacle courtyard already; they had entered Holy Ground already. Just as a person who comes through the door, which is Messiah, and enters into a relationship, there, they are faced with the altar for the sacrifice. They appropriate the sacrifice made by Messiah, then they can come to the laver.
So, we see the unfolding of the gospel right in this portion of the outer court.
1. - The door -- John 10:7–9 - So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.
2. - The Altar of Sacrifice -- Galatians 2:20 - "I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."
There are many who never get any further than this. Many say, “I feel no difference in my life, can’t really tell that I know Jesus Christ as Savior.” They had their 'ticket punched' but are not living lives for Christ. They have been taught that they have 'made their decision', and that's it! However, we are to walk Coram Deo, and the Lord continues to refine us. This refinement requires a sober, and honest look at ourselves in the mirror of His Word, and we don’t like what we see in the reflection.
We need to examine the process of sanctification, and then maybe we will understand the bronze laver better. First, we understand that Christ's finished work justified the elect; i.e. made them 'right before God', but also sanctified the elect -- John 17:15-19 -- I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth. There are many passages that highlight that santification is the work of the Savior -- we are definitively sanctified through Christ's work.
In Romans 6:1-4 Paul writes -- What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. And in this passage Paul is speaking in the indicative -- stating that we are walking in a newness of life.
Later in Romans 6, Paul begins to speak in an imperative tone -- Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal bodies, to make you obey their passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. But even in becoming progressively sanctified, it is only through the fact that we are alive in Christ taht we are able to do this.
This is the life of a Christian -- to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ. I liken it to the passage in the Upper Room -- John 13:6-10a -- He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, do you wash my feet?” Jesus answered him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.” Peter said to him, “You shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.” Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!” Jesus said to him, “The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean.
We are completely clean in the finished work of our Savior -- but there is the matter of the feet -- these instruments can cause problems, the flesh is at emnity with the Spirit -- even then, it is not our work, but the work of the Spirit indwelling us, that enables us to continue to become more and more like Him.
We see that our progressive sanctification continues throughout our life. Going back to Romans 6, verse 19 states that at one time we presented ourselves more and more to a sinful life, and now Paul tells us to present ourselves more and more, to holiness; I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness. And again in 2nd Corinthians 3:18 -- But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.
Now that we have looked at sanctification, we can see how the bronze laver fit into the picture with the Priests. They had come through the door, they had burned the sacrifice on the altar and now they were about to enter the Holy of Holies. However, the Lord instructed that those who came before Him were to be cleansed! I fear in our consumerist society that have left out this aspect in so much of our teaching. In our headlong rush to fill seats, and give the unbeliever a 'good experience', we have left out a vital part of the truth -- that is, that Christ's work on the Cross not only justified the sinner, but sanctified him, and now, by the power of the Spirit, he is able to walk in a newness of life. What kind of good news is it that Jesus died for you, but left you in the deathgrip of sin, still a prisoner? How can we be hupernikeo if we are still slaves to sin?
I exclaim with Paul -- "Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!"
We have examined the outer court, silver foundation, and the wall surrounding the Tabernacle; we have entered, had the sacrifice of the Messiah imputed to us, and we now stand before the bronze laver, or washbasin. This washbasin has a very deep significance in a believer’s life.
REFLECTION
The bronze laver was fashioned out of the mirrors of the women of the nation – Exodus 38:8 - He [Moses] made the basin of bronze and its stand of bronze, from the mirrors of the ministering women who ministered in the entrance of the tent of meeting.
Mirrors were a valuable item in those days, you didn’t just stop by Wal-Mart and pick up a mirror. We don’t often contemplate the value of mirrors in that day; today every home has a multitude of mirrors. However, in the ANE, mirrors were not everywhere and these women probably gave up their only mirror for the Tabernacle.
[sidebar comment] It really is amazing to think that the people gave a freewill gift to build the Tabernacle out of their BEST, not their leftovers. [/sidebar comment]
So the laver would have retained the reflective quality of the mirrors, and every time the Priests went to the laver to wash, they saw their reflection. Likewise, the Word of God will ‘highlight’ our reflection as we study and reflect upon it. The reflection in the laver enabled the Priests to ensure that they looked proper for service inside the Holy of Holies, likewise, we should examine ourselves through God’s Word as we enter endeavor to walk 'Coram Deo'.
Ephesians 5:25-27 - Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.
THE OUTER COURT
The Priests were inside the Tabernacle courtyard already; they had entered Holy Ground already. Just as a person who comes through the door, which is Messiah, and enters into a relationship, there, they are faced with the altar for the sacrifice. They appropriate the sacrifice made by Messiah, then they can come to the laver.
So, we see the unfolding of the gospel right in this portion of the outer court.
1. - The door -- John 10:7–9 - So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.
2. - The Altar of Sacrifice -- Galatians 2:20 - "I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."
There are many who never get any further than this. Many say, “I feel no difference in my life, can’t really tell that I know Jesus Christ as Savior.” They had their 'ticket punched' but are not living lives for Christ. They have been taught that they have 'made their decision', and that's it! However, we are to walk Coram Deo, and the Lord continues to refine us. This refinement requires a sober, and honest look at ourselves in the mirror of His Word, and we don’t like what we see in the reflection.
We need to examine the process of sanctification, and then maybe we will understand the bronze laver better. First, we understand that Christ's finished work justified the elect; i.e. made them 'right before God', but also sanctified the elect -- John 17:15-19 -- I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth. There are many passages that highlight that santification is the work of the Savior -- we are definitively sanctified through Christ's work.
In Romans 6:1-4 Paul writes -- What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. And in this passage Paul is speaking in the indicative -- stating that we are walking in a newness of life.
Later in Romans 6, Paul begins to speak in an imperative tone -- Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal bodies, to make you obey their passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. But even in becoming progressively sanctified, it is only through the fact that we are alive in Christ taht we are able to do this.
This is the life of a Christian -- to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ. I liken it to the passage in the Upper Room -- John 13:6-10a -- He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, do you wash my feet?” Jesus answered him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.” Peter said to him, “You shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.” Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!” Jesus said to him, “The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean.
We are completely clean in the finished work of our Savior -- but there is the matter of the feet -- these instruments can cause problems, the flesh is at emnity with the Spirit -- even then, it is not our work, but the work of the Spirit indwelling us, that enables us to continue to become more and more like Him.
We see that our progressive sanctification continues throughout our life. Going back to Romans 6, verse 19 states that at one time we presented ourselves more and more to a sinful life, and now Paul tells us to present ourselves more and more, to holiness; I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness. And again in 2nd Corinthians 3:18 -- But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.
Now that we have looked at sanctification, we can see how the bronze laver fit into the picture with the Priests. They had come through the door, they had burned the sacrifice on the altar and now they were about to enter the Holy of Holies. However, the Lord instructed that those who came before Him were to be cleansed! I fear in our consumerist society that have left out this aspect in so much of our teaching. In our headlong rush to fill seats, and give the unbeliever a 'good experience', we have left out a vital part of the truth -- that is, that Christ's work on the Cross not only justified the sinner, but sanctified him, and now, by the power of the Spirit, he is able to walk in a newness of life. What kind of good news is it that Jesus died for you, but left you in the deathgrip of sin, still a prisoner? How can we be hupernikeo if we are still slaves to sin?
I exclaim with Paul -- "Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!"
Monday, July 31, 2006
Bronze Altar
Exodus 27:1-8 - "You shall make the altar of acacia wood, five cubits long and five cubits broad. The altar shall be square, and its height shall be three cubits. And you shall make horns for it on its four corners; its horns shall be of one piece with it, and you shall overlay it with bronze. You shall make pots for it to receive its ashes, and shovels and basins and forks and fire pans. You shall make all its utensils of bronze. You shall also make for it a grating, a network of bronze, and on the net you shall make four bronze rings at its four corners. And you shall set it under the ledge of the altar so that the net extends halfway down the altar. And you shall make poles for the altar, poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with bronze. And the poles shall be put through the rings, so that the poles are on the two sides of the altar when it is carried. You shall make it hollow, with boards. As it has been shown you on the mountain, so shall it be made."
After you enter the doorway into the outer courtyard -- the first thing you are faced with is a bloody, smoking, bronze altar. What a sight it must have been; gruesome, and staggering! To really get an insight into the sacrifices which were offered on this altar, I highly suggest that you read
"Shadows... Jesus Christ in Leviticus" by my friend Bugs.
This altar would have stood directly between the Israelite and the entrance to the Holy Place, and ultimately to the Holy of Holies. It was a plain, unadorned box, full of smoke, and blood, and the fat of animals. Not a pleasant picture, is it? But, it was necessary in order for the sins of the nation to be atoned for. When one got a good look at this monstrosity, they would be faced with the consequences of their sin, and the reality that an innocent would die for their sin.
The altar has not changed; it is still a brutal picture -- one which is bloody and horrific! The altar is the Cross of Christ. The word altar comes from the Latin altāre, meaning lifted up, or elevated. Jesus speaks of this in His discussion with Nicodemus in John 3:14, 15 - And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.
I fear that modern Christianity has left the centrality of the Cross. We are much too spiritually 'squeamish', or refined or worse yet, 'seeker-sensitive' to bring up the incredible sacrifice that was paid for our sins. The truth is that Jesus Christ died on a rough wooden beam, in a horrific and bloody manner, taking upon Himself the sins of His people. Likewise, He gave to us, His righteousnesss!
Just as the Israelite could not go past the brazen altar to enter into the Holy Place, so too, we cannot skirt the Cross and enter into a relationship with God. Just as it took a substitutionary death to atone for the Priests and the nation in the Tabernacle, it takes the atoning death of our Messiah and Great High Priest, for us to enter into the Holy Place.
Hebrews 10:4-22 - For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, "Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body have you prepared for me; in burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure. Then I said, 'Behold, I have come to do your will, O God, as it is written of me in the scroll of the book.'" When he said above, "You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings" (these are offered according to the law), then he added, "Behold, I have come to do your will." He abolishes the first in order to establish the second. And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying, "This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws on their hearts, and write them on their minds," then he adds, "I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more." Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin. Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
There is so much more that I could post about Christ and the Cross, but I am trying to keep these brief (for me), and to the point of Christ in the Tabernacle. The atonement is so staggering that anything I write about it seems so inadequate -- I can only say with Paul "Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!"
After you enter the doorway into the outer courtyard -- the first thing you are faced with is a bloody, smoking, bronze altar. What a sight it must have been; gruesome, and staggering! To really get an insight into the sacrifices which were offered on this altar, I highly suggest that you read
"Shadows... Jesus Christ in Leviticus" by my friend Bugs.
This altar would have stood directly between the Israelite and the entrance to the Holy Place, and ultimately to the Holy of Holies. It was a plain, unadorned box, full of smoke, and blood, and the fat of animals. Not a pleasant picture, is it? But, it was necessary in order for the sins of the nation to be atoned for. When one got a good look at this monstrosity, they would be faced with the consequences of their sin, and the reality that an innocent would die for their sin.
The altar has not changed; it is still a brutal picture -- one which is bloody and horrific! The altar is the Cross of Christ. The word altar comes from the Latin altāre, meaning lifted up, or elevated. Jesus speaks of this in His discussion with Nicodemus in John 3:14, 15 - And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.
I fear that modern Christianity has left the centrality of the Cross. We are much too spiritually 'squeamish', or refined or worse yet, 'seeker-sensitive' to bring up the incredible sacrifice that was paid for our sins. The truth is that Jesus Christ died on a rough wooden beam, in a horrific and bloody manner, taking upon Himself the sins of His people. Likewise, He gave to us, His righteousnesss!
Just as the Israelite could not go past the brazen altar to enter into the Holy Place, so too, we cannot skirt the Cross and enter into a relationship with God. Just as it took a substitutionary death to atone for the Priests and the nation in the Tabernacle, it takes the atoning death of our Messiah and Great High Priest, for us to enter into the Holy Place.
Hebrews 10:4-22 - For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, "Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body have you prepared for me; in burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure. Then I said, 'Behold, I have come to do your will, O God, as it is written of me in the scroll of the book.'" When he said above, "You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings" (these are offered according to the law), then he added, "Behold, I have come to do your will." He abolishes the first in order to establish the second. And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying, "This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws on their hearts, and write them on their minds," then he adds, "I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more." Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin. Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
There is so much more that I could post about Christ and the Cross, but I am trying to keep these brief (for me), and to the point of Christ in the Tabernacle. The atonement is so staggering that anything I write about it seems so inadequate -- I can only say with Paul "Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!"
Friday, July 14, 2006
The Courtyard - One Way
Exodus 27:9-18 - “You shall make the court of the tabernacle. On the south side the court shall have hangings of fine twined linen a hundred cubits long for one side. Its twenty pillars and their twenty bases shall be of bronze, but the hooks of the pillars and their fillets shall be of silver. And likewise for its length on the north side there shall be hangings a hundred cubits long, its pillars twenty and their bases twenty, of bronze, but the hooks of the pillars and their fillets shall be of silver. And for the breadth of the court on the west side there shall be hangings for fifty cubits, with ten pillars and ten bases. The breadth of the court on the front to the east shall be fifty cubits. The hangings for the one side of the gate shall be fifteen cubits, with their three pillars and three bases. On the other side the hangings shall be fifteen cubits, with their three pillars and three bases. For the gate of the court there shall be a screen twenty cubits long, of blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen, embroidered with needlework. It shall have four pillars and with them four bases. All the pillars around the court shall be filleted with silver. Their hooks shall be of silver, and their bases of bronze. The length of the court shall be a hundred cubits, the breadth fifty, and the height five cubits, with hangings of fine twined linen and bases of bronze.
THE COURTYARD
The white linen hangings were 5 cubits tall, or about 7.5 feet. Considering that the average height in those days was around 5’6” or less, you can see that these hangings were fairly formidable walls to the average Israelite. In other words, one couldn’t ‘peek’ into the courtyard easily! This physically delineated the sacred and the profane in the life of the Israelite… To those outside the courtyard, it was impossible to see what took place within. These hangings illustrated, tangibly, the reality that God is holy and separate. The linens being white, also symbolize purity and righteousness; God was ‘fenced’ off from the Israelites by their unrighteousness.
As I thought about the courtyard this week, I began to envision the fence from the outside. It is all well and good to talk of the wondrous things inside the courtyard, but how many are outside, trying to climb over the fence using their own works, or knowledge? Ephesians 2:8,9 -- For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.
Bronze pillars supported the courtyard hangings. Bronze speaks of God’s judgment, and these bronze pillars are set into bronze sockets. The righteousness of God requires judgment for sin. Yet, God in His wisdom capped the pillars with silver, allowing those outside the wall to glimpse the beauty that lie within. This reminds me of the reality that the Lord has revealed His redemptive plan via His Word, this allows even the unbeliever to get a glimpse of His salvation offering. The blood (silver) caps the judgment, what a beautiful picture! 2nd Corinthians 5:21 -- For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
THE GATE
So the wall prevents anyone from coming in; however God has placed a single door in the midst of the hangings. Only one door, not many doors, there was only one approach to the Lord, and this door led straight to the brazen altar. This door pointed directly to the sacrifice that was required.
This gate, or door, was made of beautiful colors, scarlet, blue, purple, and linen. It is a beautiful picture of our Messiah. The red obviously speaks of the blood He shed for us -- Romans 5:8,9 -- But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. Blue speaks of the heavenly realm that He left to come to earth and die for us; John 6:38 -- "For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me…” The purple speaks of His kingship; 1st Timothy 6:13–16 -- I urge you in the sight of God who gives life to all things, and before Christ Jesus who witnessed the good confession before Pontius Pilate, that you keep this commandment without spot, blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ's appearing, which He will manifest in His own time, He who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honor and everlasting power. Amen. And of course the white linen speaks of His righteousness; 1st Peter 1:17–19 -- And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; 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.
I can see my own redemption in this picture. I walked around this white wall, seeking to enter in through my own works; I pursued knowledge, ‘spiritualism’ and good acts, but none of these allowed me entrance into the place where God dwelt. Until the Holy Spirit regenerated me, I was unaware of the door that was there, when my eyes were opened to this door, it was every bit as beautiful as the gate in the Tabernacle. The Lord had spoken these words several millennia before I arrived at the door; John 10:9 – 11 -- "I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. "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. "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep…”
I wonder how many people are sitting in churches today that have never heard these words? I mean really heard them? Churches are as infected with the salvation by works syndrome as anybody in the world. We bring people in, and we get them involved in ‘things’ in the church, maybe it is Sunday School teacher, or maybe it is parking car attendant, but we have never ensured that they know who the door is. People will often tell me they have gone to church for years but never heard a clear presentation of the Gospel! May we never be so self-absorbed, that we rush people into ‘helping’ before they have come through that door. As long as people are outside the wall, we have a job to do!
May we never stop telling people this one truth: John 14:5,6 -- Thomas said to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?" Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me..."
Many people are OK with Jesus saying that He is the Way, the truth and the Life, they rank Him with all of the other great sages of history, but the minute that we make the claim that no one comes to the Father except through Him, then we have stepped over the line. Sadly, many churches, for the sake of political correctness and a misguided concept of tolerance, have stopped proclaiming this great truth.
Just as the Tabernacle had but one door, which led directly to the altar of sacrifice, so too, there is but one way to the Father, and that is through the Messiah -- and this way leads directly to an altar of sacrifice!
FINALLY A CHALLENGE
So, my Christian friends, have we been sitting on our collective duffs smugly, and safely, ensconced in our C'Christian ghetto', while outside the doors of our churches live millions who are looking at the outside wall of God’s righteousness! You know the way to the door, are you sharing that information? We are not a secret organization, yet we sometimes act as though we are.
Have we been guilty of forgetting the beauty of the Gate? Have we taken our salvation lightly, have we forgotten what it was like outside the walls of the Tabernacle? God forbid that we ever become so callous as to watch the lost head to destruction without it breaking our heart! We know that there is but one way in, and yet, how often do we avoid discussing it? Is this knowledge really something we should keep to ourselves?
My friends let us listen anew to the words of Paul in Romans 10:13–15 -- For "whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved." How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!"
THE COURTYARD
The white linen hangings were 5 cubits tall, or about 7.5 feet. Considering that the average height in those days was around 5’6” or less, you can see that these hangings were fairly formidable walls to the average Israelite. In other words, one couldn’t ‘peek’ into the courtyard easily! This physically delineated the sacred and the profane in the life of the Israelite… To those outside the courtyard, it was impossible to see what took place within. These hangings illustrated, tangibly, the reality that God is holy and separate. The linens being white, also symbolize purity and righteousness; God was ‘fenced’ off from the Israelites by their unrighteousness.
As I thought about the courtyard this week, I began to envision the fence from the outside. It is all well and good to talk of the wondrous things inside the courtyard, but how many are outside, trying to climb over the fence using their own works, or knowledge? Ephesians 2:8,9 -- For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.
Bronze pillars supported the courtyard hangings. Bronze speaks of God’s judgment, and these bronze pillars are set into bronze sockets. The righteousness of God requires judgment for sin. Yet, God in His wisdom capped the pillars with silver, allowing those outside the wall to glimpse the beauty that lie within. This reminds me of the reality that the Lord has revealed His redemptive plan via His Word, this allows even the unbeliever to get a glimpse of His salvation offering. The blood (silver) caps the judgment, what a beautiful picture! 2nd Corinthians 5:21 -- For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
THE GATE
So the wall prevents anyone from coming in; however God has placed a single door in the midst of the hangings. Only one door, not many doors, there was only one approach to the Lord, and this door led straight to the brazen altar. This door pointed directly to the sacrifice that was required.
This gate, or door, was made of beautiful colors, scarlet, blue, purple, and linen. It is a beautiful picture of our Messiah. The red obviously speaks of the blood He shed for us -- Romans 5:8,9 -- But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. Blue speaks of the heavenly realm that He left to come to earth and die for us; John 6:38 -- "For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me…” The purple speaks of His kingship; 1st Timothy 6:13–16 -- I urge you in the sight of God who gives life to all things, and before Christ Jesus who witnessed the good confession before Pontius Pilate, that you keep this commandment without spot, blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ's appearing, which He will manifest in His own time, He who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honor and everlasting power. Amen. And of course the white linen speaks of His righteousness; 1st Peter 1:17–19 -- And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; 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.
I can see my own redemption in this picture. I walked around this white wall, seeking to enter in through my own works; I pursued knowledge, ‘spiritualism’ and good acts, but none of these allowed me entrance into the place where God dwelt. Until the Holy Spirit regenerated me, I was unaware of the door that was there, when my eyes were opened to this door, it was every bit as beautiful as the gate in the Tabernacle. The Lord had spoken these words several millennia before I arrived at the door; John 10:9 – 11 -- "I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. "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. "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep…”
I wonder how many people are sitting in churches today that have never heard these words? I mean really heard them? Churches are as infected with the salvation by works syndrome as anybody in the world. We bring people in, and we get them involved in ‘things’ in the church, maybe it is Sunday School teacher, or maybe it is parking car attendant, but we have never ensured that they know who the door is. People will often tell me they have gone to church for years but never heard a clear presentation of the Gospel! May we never be so self-absorbed, that we rush people into ‘helping’ before they have come through that door. As long as people are outside the wall, we have a job to do!
May we never stop telling people this one truth: John 14:5,6 -- Thomas said to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?" Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me..."
Many people are OK with Jesus saying that He is the Way, the truth and the Life, they rank Him with all of the other great sages of history, but the minute that we make the claim that no one comes to the Father except through Him, then we have stepped over the line. Sadly, many churches, for the sake of political correctness and a misguided concept of tolerance, have stopped proclaiming this great truth.
Just as the Tabernacle had but one door, which led directly to the altar of sacrifice, so too, there is but one way to the Father, and that is through the Messiah -- and this way leads directly to an altar of sacrifice!
FINALLY A CHALLENGE
So, my Christian friends, have we been sitting on our collective duffs smugly, and safely, ensconced in our C'Christian ghetto', while outside the doors of our churches live millions who are looking at the outside wall of God’s righteousness! You know the way to the door, are you sharing that information? We are not a secret organization, yet we sometimes act as though we are.
Have we been guilty of forgetting the beauty of the Gate? Have we taken our salvation lightly, have we forgotten what it was like outside the walls of the Tabernacle? God forbid that we ever become so callous as to watch the lost head to destruction without it breaking our heart! We know that there is but one way in, and yet, how often do we avoid discussing it? Is this knowledge really something we should keep to ourselves?
My friends let us listen anew to the words of Paul in Romans 10:13–15 -- For "whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved." How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!"
Thursday, July 13, 2006
Tuesday, July 04, 2006
SIlver Sockets - Part 2
My last post examined the fact that the silver sockets, used for the foundation of the Tabernacle, were cast out of the material used to redeem the Israelites. The foundation of our faith is the same -- it is based upon redemption; Christ's finished work at the cross.
In this post I will look at the incredible cost of this foundation.
RICHES
The Tabernacle was 45 feet by 15 feet. The size of a 675 square foot room! Yet, its foundation was 100 sockets of silver, each one weighing a talent. Exodus 38:27 -- The hundred talents of silver were for casting the bases of the sanctuary and the bases of the veil; a hundred bases for the hundred talents, a talent a base.
Each talent weighed 93.25 lbs! So, the base of this small room was worth (in today’s currency) ~$600,000 USD. Think about that: a small building ~600 square feet, whose foundation stones were going cost ~$600,000.00! The foundation gives a small indication of the worth of the foundation of our faith.
1st Peter 1:17 – 19 And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one's deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.
What is the worth of the foundation upon which our faith is grounded? You see how Paul compares the ‘perishable’ things, such as gold and silver, to the PRECIOUS blood of Christ!
Oh brothers and sisters, we spend far too much of our lives in pursuit of the perishable things! Let us cling to the precious blood of Christ -- this will never fail us!
Ephesians 1:1-10 -- Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Spiritual Blessings in Christ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.
I pray that I will always be more conscious of the worth of salvation than I am of the things of this world! To the world, our salvation looks as silly as a half million-dollar foundation on a backyard shed.
1st Corinthians 1:18–25 -- For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.” Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
Again in Ephesians we find this; Ephesians 2:4–9 -- But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ — by grace you have been saved — and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
I am guilty of taking for granted the incredible price paid for my salvation. Our temple, (our lives), is built upon a precious and priceless foundation; the blood of the Messiah!
We could never ‘buy’ this, and we could never earn it! Only through the free gift of the Father can we receive this. When we understand the price that was paid, it is easy for us to join Paul in Romans 12:1, 2, when he states -- I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
EQUAL
In Exodus 30:15, we read this -- The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less, than the half shekel, when you give the Lord's offering to make atonement for your lives.
When it came to the atonement money, everyone paid the same price. Romans 10:11-13 -- For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Romans 3:22b–26 -- For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
The Lord says there is no difference, but you will find men who will say that a certain color, or a certain nation is worthier of God’s blessing, and here we find that it is all nonsense. God made sure that His people understood that there was ONE PRICE for atonement, and it mattered not whether you were rich or poor.
In Acts 10:34, 35 we find Peter preaching to Cornelius and his family; mind you, these were those dirty, nasty Gentiles! -- So Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.
In Galatians 3:26–28 we find this statement -- for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
Our foundation is precious beyond our understanding, and efficacious to save those who are called by His name!
In this post I will look at the incredible cost of this foundation.
RICHES
The Tabernacle was 45 feet by 15 feet. The size of a 675 square foot room! Yet, its foundation was 100 sockets of silver, each one weighing a talent. Exodus 38:27 -- The hundred talents of silver were for casting the bases of the sanctuary and the bases of the veil; a hundred bases for the hundred talents, a talent a base.
Each talent weighed 93.25 lbs! So, the base of this small room was worth (in today’s currency) ~$600,000 USD. Think about that: a small building ~600 square feet, whose foundation stones were going cost ~$600,000.00! The foundation gives a small indication of the worth of the foundation of our faith.
1st Peter 1:17 – 19 And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one's deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.
What is the worth of the foundation upon which our faith is grounded? You see how Paul compares the ‘perishable’ things, such as gold and silver, to the PRECIOUS blood of Christ!
Oh brothers and sisters, we spend far too much of our lives in pursuit of the perishable things! Let us cling to the precious blood of Christ -- this will never fail us!
Ephesians 1:1-10 -- Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Spiritual Blessings in Christ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.
I pray that I will always be more conscious of the worth of salvation than I am of the things of this world! To the world, our salvation looks as silly as a half million-dollar foundation on a backyard shed.
1st Corinthians 1:18–25 -- For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.” Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
Again in Ephesians we find this; Ephesians 2:4–9 -- But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ — by grace you have been saved — and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
I am guilty of taking for granted the incredible price paid for my salvation. Our temple, (our lives), is built upon a precious and priceless foundation; the blood of the Messiah!
We could never ‘buy’ this, and we could never earn it! Only through the free gift of the Father can we receive this. When we understand the price that was paid, it is easy for us to join Paul in Romans 12:1, 2, when he states -- I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
EQUAL
In Exodus 30:15, we read this -- The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less, than the half shekel, when you give the Lord's offering to make atonement for your lives.
When it came to the atonement money, everyone paid the same price. Romans 10:11-13 -- For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Romans 3:22b–26 -- For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
The Lord says there is no difference, but you will find men who will say that a certain color, or a certain nation is worthier of God’s blessing, and here we find that it is all nonsense. God made sure that His people understood that there was ONE PRICE for atonement, and it mattered not whether you were rich or poor.
In Acts 10:34, 35 we find Peter preaching to Cornelius and his family; mind you, these were those dirty, nasty Gentiles! -- So Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.
In Galatians 3:26–28 we find this statement -- for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
Our foundation is precious beyond our understanding, and efficacious to save those who are called by His name!
Silver Sockets - The Foundation Part 1
Exodus 26:1-25 -- “Moreover, you shall make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine twined linen and blue and purple and scarlet yarns; you shall make them with cherubim skillfully worked into them. The length of each curtain shall be twenty-eight cubits, and the breadth of each curtain four cubits; all the curtains shall be the same size. Five curtains shall be coupled to one another, and the other five curtains shall be coupled to one another. And you shall make loops of blue on the edge of the outermost curtain in the first set. Likewise you shall make loops on the edge of the outermost curtain in the second set. Fifty loops you shall make on the one curtain, and fifty loops you shall make on the edge of the curtain that is in the second set; the loops shall be opposite one another. And you shall make fifty clasps of gold, and couple the curtains one to the other with the clasps, so that the tabernacle may be a single whole. “You shall also make curtains of goats' hair for a tent over the tabernacle; eleven curtains shall you make. The length of each curtain shall be thirty cubits, and the breadth of each curtain four cubits. The eleven curtains shall be the same size. You shall couple five curtains by themselves, and six curtains by themselves, and the sixth curtain you shall double over at the front of the tent. You shall make fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that is outermost in one set, and fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that is outermost in the second set. “You shall make fifty clasps of bronze, and put the clasps into the loops, and couple the tent together that it may be a single whole. And the part that remains of the curtains of the tent, the half curtain that remains, shall hang over the back of the tabernacle. And the extra that remains in the length of the curtains, the cubit on the one side, and the cubit on the other side, shall hang over the sides of the tabernacle, on this side and that side, to cover it. And you shall make for the tent a covering of tanned rams' skins and a covering of goatskins on top. “You shall make upright frames for the tabernacle of acacia wood. Ten cubits shall be the length of a frame, and a cubit and a half the breadth of each frame. There shall be two tenons in each frame, for fitting together. So shall you do for all the frames of the tabernacle. You shall make the frames for the tabernacle: twenty frames for the south side; and forty bases of silver you shall make under the twenty frames, two bases under one frame for its two tenons, and two bases under the next frame for its two tenons; and for the second side of the tabernacle, on the north side twenty frames, and their forty bases of silver, two bases under one frame, and two bases under the next frame. And for the rear of the tabernacle westward you shall make six frames. And you shall make two frames for corners of the tabernacle in the rear; they shall be separate beneath, but joined at the top, at the first ring. Thus shall it be with both of them; they shall form the two corners. And there shall be eight frames, with their bases of silver, sixteen bases; two bases under one frame, and two bases under another frame.
Exodus 30:11-16 -- The Lord said to Moses, “When you take the census of the people of Israel, then each shall give a ransom for his life to the Lord when you number them, that there be no plague among them when you number them. Each one who is numbered in the census shall give this: half a shekel [2] according to the shekel of the sanctuary (the shekel is twenty gerahs), [3] half a shekel as an offering to the Lord. Everyone who is numbered in the census, from twenty years old and upward, shall give the Lord's offering. 15 The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less, than the half shekel, when you give the Lord's offering to make atonement for your lives. You shall take the atonement money from the people of Israel and shall give it for the service of the tent of meeting, that it may bring the people of Israel to remembrance before the Lord, so as to make atonement for your lives.”
I realize this is going to be a long post, and a lot of Scripture, but I really want to get as much context as possible into this series. I know this violates all of the rules of blogging, but here goes!
RANSOM
We will get to the outer court foundations, (which are bronze), in another installment of this series -- I wanted to start with the foundation of the Tabernacle itself.
Notice where the silver for the foundation came from: all the other materials for the construction of the tabernacle were free-will offerings from the people, however the silver was derived from the ransom (atonement) money paid by the Israelites. This symbolizes something very wonderful about the foundation of our faith. As we examine the ‘silver sockets’ today, I pray that we will see the beauty and incredible ways of our Lord and Sovereign.
Silver is Levitically recognized to symbolize blood; it was used to redeem one’s life, and both Joseph (Genesis 37) and the Messiah were sold for silver. The Israelites are told in the Exodus passage above that they are to give a ransom for their lives. This is the silver used for the foundation of the Tabernacle. The ransom money had to be paid by all of the Israelite men who were 20 years and above if they were to be a part of the people of God. It is so serious that the Lord warns of a plague if the ransom is not collected.
The foundation was cast out of a metal representing both blood and redemption/ransom! This so beautifully illustrates the reality of our foundation! The Messiah did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many. The foundation of our faith is the blood of Christ, which redeems us! All other aspects of our faith rest upon this solid foundation!
The Hebrews were erecting the Tabernacle in places where solid ground would be difficult to find; they needed a foundation that would support the structure of the Tabernacle, against all the wind and weather that it would face in the wilderness. We, too, need something that will give us a solid foundation in all the conditinos this life throws at us! Where do we find our foundation? Only in Messiah!
1st Corinthians 3:11–17 -- For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw — each one's work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire. Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple.
You are the Temple, and what is your foundation? It is the Messiah, perfectly reflected in the blood money that created the foundation for the Tabernacle!
Next post I will look at the value of this foundation.
Exodus 30:11-16 -- The Lord said to Moses, “When you take the census of the people of Israel, then each shall give a ransom for his life to the Lord when you number them, that there be no plague among them when you number them. Each one who is numbered in the census shall give this: half a shekel [2] according to the shekel of the sanctuary (the shekel is twenty gerahs), [3] half a shekel as an offering to the Lord. Everyone who is numbered in the census, from twenty years old and upward, shall give the Lord's offering. 15 The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less, than the half shekel, when you give the Lord's offering to make atonement for your lives. You shall take the atonement money from the people of Israel and shall give it for the service of the tent of meeting, that it may bring the people of Israel to remembrance before the Lord, so as to make atonement for your lives.”
I realize this is going to be a long post, and a lot of Scripture, but I really want to get as much context as possible into this series. I know this violates all of the rules of blogging, but here goes!
RANSOM
We will get to the outer court foundations, (which are bronze), in another installment of this series -- I wanted to start with the foundation of the Tabernacle itself.
Notice where the silver for the foundation came from: all the other materials for the construction of the tabernacle were free-will offerings from the people, however the silver was derived from the ransom (atonement) money paid by the Israelites. This symbolizes something very wonderful about the foundation of our faith. As we examine the ‘silver sockets’ today, I pray that we will see the beauty and incredible ways of our Lord and Sovereign.
Silver is Levitically recognized to symbolize blood; it was used to redeem one’s life, and both Joseph (Genesis 37) and the Messiah were sold for silver. The Israelites are told in the Exodus passage above that they are to give a ransom for their lives. This is the silver used for the foundation of the Tabernacle. The ransom money had to be paid by all of the Israelite men who were 20 years and above if they were to be a part of the people of God. It is so serious that the Lord warns of a plague if the ransom is not collected.
The foundation was cast out of a metal representing both blood and redemption/ransom! This so beautifully illustrates the reality of our foundation! The Messiah did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many. The foundation of our faith is the blood of Christ, which redeems us! All other aspects of our faith rest upon this solid foundation!
The Hebrews were erecting the Tabernacle in places where solid ground would be difficult to find; they needed a foundation that would support the structure of the Tabernacle, against all the wind and weather that it would face in the wilderness. We, too, need something that will give us a solid foundation in all the conditinos this life throws at us! Where do we find our foundation? Only in Messiah!
1st Corinthians 3:11–17 -- For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw — each one's work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire. Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple.
You are the Temple, and what is your foundation? It is the Messiah, perfectly reflected in the blood money that created the foundation for the Tabernacle!
Next post I will look at the value of this foundation.
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