The Holy Sanctuary
Notes
Transcript
Prayer of Thanks
Pastoral Prayer - Ray and Janet Schreiber
Prayer of Illumination
1 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Tell the sons of Israel to raise a contribution for Me; from every man whose heart moves him you shall raise My contribution. 3 “This is the contribution which you are to raise from them: gold, silver and bronze, 4 blue, purple and scarlet material, fine linen, goat hair, 5 rams’ skins dyed red, porpoise skins, acacia wood, 6 oil for lighting, spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense, 7 onyx stones and setting stones for the ephod and for the breastpiece. 8 “Let them construct a sanctuary for Me, that I may dwell among them. 9 “According to all that I am going to show you, as the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furniture, just so you shall construct it. 10 “They shall construct an ark of acacia wood two and a half cubits long, and one and a half cubits wide, and one and a half cubits high. 11 “You shall overlay it with pure gold, inside and out you shall overlay it, and you shall make a gold molding around it. 12 “You shall cast four gold rings for it and fasten them on its four feet, and two rings shall be on one side of it and two rings on the other side of it. 13 “You shall make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. 14 “You shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark, to carry the ark with them. 15 “The poles shall remain in the rings of the ark; they shall not be removed from it. 16 “You shall put into the ark the testimony which I shall give you. 17 “You shall make a mercy seat of pure gold, two and a half cubits long and one and a half cubits wide. 18 “You shall make two cherubim of gold, make them of hammered work at the two ends of the mercy seat. 19 “Make one cherub at one end and one cherub at the other end; you shall make the cherubim of one piece with the mercy seat at its two ends. 20 “The cherubim shall have their wings spread upward, covering the mercy seat with their wings and facing one another; the faces of the cherubim are to be turned toward the mercy seat. 21 “You shall put the mercy seat on top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the testimony which I will give to you. 22 “There I will meet with you; and from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are upon the ark of the testimony, I will speak to you about all that I will give you in commandment for the sons of Israel. 23 “You shall make a table of acacia wood, two cubits long and one cubit wide and one and a half cubits high. 24 “You shall overlay it with pure gold and make a gold border around it. 25 “You shall make for it a rim of a handbreadth around it; and you shall make a gold border for the rim around it. 26 “You shall make four gold rings for it and put rings on the four corners which are on its four feet. 27 “The rings shall be close to the rim as holders for the poles to carry the table. 28 “You shall make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold, so that with them the table may be carried. 29 “You shall make its dishes and its pans and its jars and its bowls with which to pour drink offerings; you shall make them of pure gold. 30 “You shall set the bread of the Presence on the table before Me at all times. 31 “Then you shall make a lampstand of pure gold. The lampstand and its base and its shaft are to be made of hammered work; its cups, its bulbs and its flowers shall be of one piece with it. 32 “Six branches shall go out from its sides; three branches of the lampstand from its one side and three branches of the lampstand from its other side. 33 “Three cups shall be shaped like almond blossoms in the one branch, a bulb and a flower, and three cups shaped like almond blossoms in the other branch, a bulb and a flower—so for six branches going out from the lampstand; 34 and in the lampstand four cups shaped like almond blossoms, its bulbs and its flowers. 35 “A bulb shall be under the first pair of branches coming out of it, and a bulb under the second pair of branches coming out of it, and a bulb under the third pair of branches coming out of it, for the six branches coming out of the lampstand. 36 “Their bulbs and their branches shall be of one piece with it; all of it shall be one piece of hammered work of pure gold. 37 “Then you shall make its lamps seven in number; and they shall mount its lamps so as to shed light on the space in front of it. 38 “Its snuffers and their trays shall be of pure gold. 39 “It shall be made from a talent of pure gold, with all these utensils. 40 “See that you make them after the pattern for them, which was shown to you on the mountain.
Introduction
A number of years ago I had the opportunity to go to Africa on a short trip to see some missionary friends, but on the way we had the chance to stop in London. Now depending on who you are you might take advantage of some of the different sights and sounds that London has to offer. There are those who put in a lot of time and effort to go to one particular event. Maybe they wait in line, pack into a stadium to watch a soccer game or a concert of some kind. For hours all the attention is on that one main event. The whole stadium is focused on that one performance or one competition.
If you’re like me you might make your way to the science museum. I’m that kind of person, I enjoy meandering a museum getting a taste of different featured displays and exhibits while trying to learn something along the way. Some might say I spent way too much time looking at antique watches and steam engines during my time in London, but I enjoy that kind of thing. I enjoy the feeling of stepping into a museum and there not being one main event. There’s a chance to explore a bit or learn something new from a tucked away exhibit that not everyone sees.
If you’re at all familiar with the tabernacle described in Exodus there’s a chance it feels a little like a museum. Each piece is truly a work of ornate craftsmanship that you might imagine in a display in the most prominent museums the world has to offer. I mean the mercy seat alone with these solid gold angels standing with wings outstretched would have been a sight to see. With that being said I’d like us to resist the urge to treat every piece of the tabernacle as its own exhibit. The tabernacle is more like a stadium with one main event than a museum with multiple featured displays. That one main event is God! The whole of the tabernacle should be understood through the lens of that simple phrase in verse 8. “Let them construct a sanctuary for Me, that I may dwell among them.” The whole of the tabernacle is about God dwelling with His people and as we go I’d like us to answer this simple question with that in mind. “What does this piece of the tabernacle teach us about God’s relationship with His people?” The whole of redemptive history is oriented around God restoring His relationship with humanity by means of His redemptive power. That’s no less true here. The tabernacle may be abstract, foreign in many ways, or perhaps fascinating, but at the end of the days it points us to God and His plan of redemption for broken sinners.
The ministry we have from God as His priests is given by God and directed by God that sinners may come and worship to the glory of God.
The ministry we have from God as His priests is given by God and directed by God that sinners may come and worship to the glory of God.
Ordained by God and for God
The Seat at the Center
The Table of Bread Before Him
The Lamp Lighting the Way
Let’s look again to verses 1 through 9 and see the origin of the tabernacle.
Ordained by God and for God (vs. 1-9)
Ordained by God and for God (vs. 1-9)
We can start very simply, “Then the LORD spoke...”
If all of creation was brought into existence by the words of God, it makes sense that the ministry and worship His creation will exercise for His glory would begin with His Word.
And in the same way His Word brought into existence a creation of order, beauty, and majesty intended for His glory, His Word does not leave it up to Israel to determine how they will worship Him.
The tabernacle isn’t a work of man’s creative self-expression. It’s an orderly, beautiful and majestic piece of workmanship ordained by God Himself bearing a similar purpose as Creation itself: To be a place where God can dwell amongst His people.
Right from the beginning we must recognize that approaching God in worship and service is not a matter of our own ambition or creativity.
There are many who think that God is simply interested in a good effort. It’s a respectable standard in most modern institutions. If you work hard and give it your best try then more often than not, your work will be acceptable.
There are still others who think that God is content to accept whatever our creative minds can come up with. Whatever is fashionable or attractive in the minds of men, surely that would be enough for God.
Don’t get me wrong there is a proper place for both hard work and creativity in our service of God, but they are not the substance of what God looks for. We’ll get to that more in a moment, but for now notice the detailed material list which is going to be necessary for this tabernacle which God is commissioning.
God asks for a free will contribution from the people in verse 2 including all kinds of luxurious and ornate materials.
Gold, silver, bronze, scarlet, fine linen, goat hair, dyed animal skins, porpoise skins, acacia wood, oils, spices, and precious stones.
You might think, where is Israel going to get all this gold? I don’t even know how one would begin to acquire porpoise skins. There in the middle of a desert, where is all this material going to come from?
Even in the material list we see how God has ordained how His people will worship Him from the very beginning.
If you recall all the way back in chapter 3 when God tells Moses of his plans to deliver His people, what was Egypt going to give Israel on their way out of the land?
21 “I will grant this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians; and it shall be that when you go, you will not go empty-handed. 22 “But every woman shall ask of her neighbor and the woman who lives in her house, articles of silver and articles of gold, and clothing; and you will put them on your sons and daughters. Thus you will plunder the Egyptians.”
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Before Israel had even crossed the Red Sea, God was giving them all they needed for the tabernacle which God was going to commission them to build. God is not looking at what they have on hand and simply saying, “I can work with that!” God knew what he was going to require of them and he ensured from the very beginning that they would have the material to meet those requirements. They wouldn’t even have to work for it, it was literally going to be handed to them as they hastily left Egypt.
There’s a simple lesson there! When God ordains a particular way in which we ought to approach Him and serve Him, He also provides the material necessary to approach Him. God is not the taskmaster that Pharaoh was requiring of the people what could not be found. Some may call God a taskmaster for not accepting what we have to offer, but that’s simply not the case.
God requires of us what is just! There is nothing which God requires of us that is not perfectly justified and consistent with His holy character.
A taskmaster is someone who requires of us what is unjust. When men treat their fellow men like something less than they are and demands of them what is unjust, that’s the work of taskmaster.
God simply treats us like the image bearers we are, a people created for the glory of God. And when we cannot meet His just demands, God is the one who provides us with the means to come before Him. God is the one who provides us the means to come into His presence and worship Him as we ought.
This sanctuary that is about to built is for God, but it is not from Israel. It is from God - ordained by God, commissioned by God, and provisioned by God. In truth it’s only then that Israel can hope to build this sanctuary and worship God for His glory. If it were not from Him it would not be for Him.
Isaiah gives us this humbling reminder:
6 For all of us have become like one who is unclean, And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; And all of us wither like a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.
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As we look at the remaining pieces within the tabernacle this morning and over the coming weeks, I hope we would see how God so graciously provides a way for sinners who have nothing but filthy rags to approach Him. In God’s provision and only in His provision can we approach Him well-pleasing in His eyes and truly honor and glorify Him as His redeemed children.
Let’s look to the Seat at the Center or the Ark of the Covenant.
The Seat at the Center (vs. 10-22)
The Seat at the Center (vs. 10-22)
Here we come to a portion of Scripture that might be difficult to follow. I’ve always enjoyed carpentry, so I find the details here pretty fascinating, but my goal this morning and for the rest of Exodus is not to have you walk away with a blueprint of every piece within the tabernacle. Now God did see fit to have the details written out in inspired Scripture and we shouldn’t ignore them as irrelevant, but my hope would be that we would see each pieces purpose in the details. How does this piece of the tabernacle function in accord with its features? How does it’s function teach the people about themselves and their relationship with God.
If I were to break it down, we’re looking for features, functions, and facts.
Features describe function and function conveys facts about God and His relationship with His people. We’re working toward the facts that inform us how Israel approaches God and ultimately how we approach God as His New Covenant church.
So, let’s take a look at the ark for a moment.
It’s about the size of medium size chest. If you’re wondering how big a cubit is it’s about the length of your forearm. Roughly a foot and a half. The base of the ark is a box that’s not even four feet long; It’s roughly 2 feet tall and two feet deep. Inside the ark is where the ten commandments are going to be kept, but the ark does have a covering. The lid is called the “Mercy seat” It’s made of solid gold with two angels affixed on both ends facing each other, facing the place where God Himself will be. They have their wings spread out covering the mercy seat, this place where God will sit and speak with the High Priest on matters pertaining to the law and the commandments.
It’s there toward the end (vs. 21 and 22) where we get a clear description of the ark’s function amidst all its features.
The ark of the covenant is a throne where the King of kings will sit. A throne which literally contains the terms of law and justice through which God will rule and relate with His people.
As incredible and fascinating as the ark may be - people have been fascinated with it for thousands of years. Where is it? Does it still exist? What happens if someone finds it? What happens if someone finds it and touches it or opens it? Are the ten commandments still in it? They even make movies about it. Amidst all this speculation and fascination, the ark of the covenant is but a chair for God Himself.
If Moses or one of the High priests were to walk into the Holy of Holies while the presence of God was there, do you think they would take the time to admire the angels, the dimensions, perhaps remove the lid and hold the tablets?
If you were to walk into your boss’s office one day while he’s seated at his desk, what would it look like if you totally ignored your boss and simply examined his desk. You just took the time to walk around his desk and admire the craftsmanship, the mahogany wood, the drawer faces, and the brass hardware. That would be a bit odd wouldn’t it?
Let’s not make the mistake the Pharisees made in years to come. The temple, the tabernacle, and all it’s features and elements aren’t the end in and of themselves. The temple and the tabernacle is about God.
Hophni and Phinehas in years to come thought it was a good idea to pick up the ark and take it in to battle thinking that power was found in the throne and not the King - God Himself.
A fascination with the features of the temple can make us miss the fact of the matter.
The most fascinating part of this description should be those simple words: (vs. 22)
“There I will meet with you...”
“I will speak to you...”
The fact is that God is meeting with sinners! God is speaking with sinners! God has established His dominion on a throne in fellowship with sinners!
That’s the extraordinary part!
For us as the church of Christ, we might ask ourselves, “Where do we go looking for the extraordinary?” I’m afraid there are those who think that magnificent sanctuaries is the goal. There’s a growing trend toward creating an experience for those who walk in the door.
The real questions we should be asking is, “Where is God?” The world has no shortage of extraordinary and fascinating things, but there is only one God.
Where is God?
Where is that place where the Word of God is preached, and taught, and discussed as the most extraordinary thing.
Where is that place where the Spirit of God has chosen to dwell among His redeemed saints?
God is very willing for His glory to shine in humble places! After all the tabernacle was no palace. It was a tent. Might we cherish those two simple yet extraordinary realities found in the Holy of Holies. The Word of God and the presence of God in us. When we cherish those simple yet extraordinary facts we can boldly go into the world and say, “Come and see and the Spirit of God among this congregation in the love we have for one another. Come and hear the Word of God which brings eternal life.”
In a world striving for the fascinating and extraordinary, let’s cling to what’s truly glorious in what God has given us His church. And when we cling to those simple things, the Word and the people of God, we will one day be welcomed into that glorious throne room where our faith will be made sight.
12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known.
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We know glory through a foggy window and only a partial understanding, but it is true everlasting glory. True glory dimly is better than a fake glory before our eyes. We will one day see our Savior Jesus with unveiled faces, let that be our hope, let that be what we cling to as we devote ourselves to the Word and those around us.
...
God will continue to work His way outward as he lays out the other pieces of the tabernacle. We move from the Holy of Holies to the Holy Place just outside the Holy of Holies where the Table of Showbread sits.
Let’s like at some of those features starting in verse 23.
The Table of Bread Before Him (vs. 23-30)
The Table of Bread Before Him (vs. 23-30)
If you look at the detail, this table is quite small. It’s actually not that different from the table our offering plate sits on. It’s a bit short than that table, but it’s about the same size. You can imagine that table covered in gold and we’re just about there. Just like the ark there are poles of wood covered in gold used to carry the table when the tabernacle is moved.
In addition to that though is a whole set of dishes, pans, jars, and bowls made of pure gold.
There’s more detail provided later on in the law, but this table would have held 12 loaves of bread and a drink offering replaced every week. This is a holy meal to be placed before God on this gold laden table.
So, does it just sit there? No. The priests are later instructed to eat of this meal that’s placed before God.
You might recall the priests on the mountain in chapter 24 as they saw God. They did not enter into the glorious presence of God like Moses did, but they did see God. They fellowshipped with Him. They ate and drank with Him.
God’s instituting an ongoing practice with the table in the Holy Place. It’s a reminder of their meeting with God on the mountain, but it’s function speaks to a greater fact.
As the priests come to worship, they are receiving from God! When the High Priest enters into the Holy of Holies he hears the Word of God. When the priests enter the Holy Place weekly they’re nourished with a meal that is both for God and for them.
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I’m sure I’m not the only one in the room, but every once in a while Rachel pulls a sheet of cookies out of the oven and I have to ask, “Are these for us or for someone else?” Sometimes they’re for us, and sometimes they’re for someone else, but even if they’re for someone else we’re usually going to dinner or an event. That means I’ll get to see the platter of cookies again!
That really is the best place to enjoy a platter of cookies, when you enjoy them together with friends or family.
That’s the idea here. The priests are making a meal that they know they’re going to eat themselves, but the purpose is again: fellowship with God. It’s a meal to be placed before God as holy and ultimately enjoyed with God.
There’s a timeless fact here amidst the features and functions of the of Showbread.
Real spiritual nourishment is found in God Himself. There’s no separating the table from the presence of God on the other side of the veil. There’s no separating the bread from the fundamental purpose statement here in the text.
“Let them construct a sanctuary for Me, that I may dwell among them.”
When Christ comes he joins the two explicitly. Where is the priesthood of the kingdom of Christ going to find their nourishment?
After He feeds the five thousand with tangible bread miraculously provided, what does he say?
“I am the bread of life; he who come to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst.”
We’ve already spoken about our world’s search for glory and the extraordinary, but whether they realize it or not they’re also looking for something to satisfy a very real spiritual hunger. We all are! We were never meant to be satisfied with anything less than God.
Perhaps you have a sense of that hunger? Very early in our lives we begin that search for satisfaction. If only I can get done with school, then I’ll be satisfied. When I finally get a real job, when I finally find that guy or girl, when I get that promotion, when I retire it goes on and on. All of sinful humanity is found in that simple expression of the people before Jesus.
“Lord, always give us this bread.” They’re not speaking about Jesus they’re speaking about the bread miraculously provided to them.
As if that was going to satisfy them… It didn’t satisfy Israel.
Until we see that Christ is the one who satisfies we will always be hungry.
Let’s get practical. How do we nourish one another? How do we work to be satisfied in Christ?
Two things:
Ensure the bread is holy.
Ensure the bread is accessible.
In the preparation of the bread the priests were to
consecrate it, make it holy before the Lord, and
Eat it. The priesthood ought to have access for their own nourishment.
Throughout Scripture we see both errors and they continue to this day and we do well to be aware of them.
We can look to 1 Corinthians 11 and see the church turn the bread and the wine of the Lord’s Supper - what is meant to be holy - into something very ordinary for their own enjoyment. They took something very tangible like the Lord’s Supper that was always meant to be tied to Christ and they used it for their own pleasure. They took what was holy and made it plain.
Simply put, whether we’re coming to the table on Sunday morning, preaching from this pulpit, or serving coffee before Institute. Let’s ensure every work of ministry is holy to the LORD, devoted to Christ and pointing people to Christ not ourselves. When we remove God from our ministry we try to feed one another with ourselves. In our service of our spouse, our children, our fellow church members, let’s make sure our service is devoted to the LORD. Only then can we hope to truly feed those we serve. John the Baptist understood, his service to Israel as a prophet was not ultimately a devotion to Israel, it was a service of devotion to God. It was a holy service. And when the bread of life arrives on the scene, he’s happy to see those he serves follow Him.
We make sure our ministry is holy and we make sure it’s accessible. The priests were instructed to eat of that consecrated bread.. every week. Jesus refers to the table of Showbread in this regard in His ministry when he rebukes the Pharisees for turning the Sabbath into a burden. He says,
3 And Jesus answering them said, “Have you not even read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him, 4 how he entered the house of God, and took and ate the consecrated bread which is not lawful for any to eat except the priests alone, and gave it to his companions?” 5 And He was saying to them, “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”
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Like we’ve recognized before, the law was never meant to keep us from loving those who are in need. It doesn’t keep us from helping a neighbors ox out of a ditch and it doesn’t keep us from feeding the starving. That’s precisely what the holy is meant for! The consecrated bread was always intended to nourish sinners with the sufficiency of God. If Christ Himself as Holy God comes as the bread of life to the adulterer, the tax collector, and the sinner saying, “Come and be satisfied!” Shouldn’t our ministry have the same character? We might not recognize it at first, but there may be people we’d rather serve and those we’d rather not. “I’d be glad to use my ministry for these over here, but for those over there??? I don’t know...” If we recognize that tendency, let’s bring that before the Lord. Pray for the heart of Christ! Pray for a godly ambition to see the whole church, everyone in the priesthood of Christ, fed with the ministry of the saints.
We keep the ministry of Christ holy.
We ensure the ministry of Christ is accessible.
It’s the only way sinners will ever be satisfied with sufficiency of Christ.
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One more piece in the holy place we’ll see this morning. One more piece welcoming sinners to come before God. The lampstand. Let’s look to verse 31.
The Lamp Lighting the Way (vs. 31-40)
The Lamp Lighting the Way (vs. 31-40)
We get just a few words in as you start to realize just how ornate this lampstand really is. It’s solid gold. It has seven lamps with seven branches. One in the middle with three on both sides. Each of these branches has bulbs and almond blossoms and flowers worked into them. All of it made out of one piece of solid gold. There in verse 39 you may notice it’s made of a talent of pure gold. For perspective that’s roughly 75 pounds of solid gold. It’s hard to make the comparison but that’s over 350,000 dollars of gold in today’s currency. This is no ordinary lamp. It’s an extraordinary piece of craftsmanship fit for an extraordinary purpose.
Amidst all these ornate features, what does the text say it’s function is?
37 “Then you shall make its lamps seven in number; and they shall mount its lamps so as to shed light on the space in front of it.
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We don’t quite see the big picture here, but the holy place and the holy of holies are going to be covered in layers of fabric and animal skins. It’s not like the material we have today for our tents where the sunlight still makes it through. It’s dark in the holy place. You’ll notice there were no lamps in the Holy of Holies. Just like how heaven is lit with the glory of God Himself, the Holy of Holies with the fire of the glory of God. The Holy Place is different however. There’s a veil between the Holy of Holies where the ark is and the Holy Place where the table of Showbread is. The Holy Place needs a lamp to light the way for the priests. As they come to present the bread the lamp lights the way. As the High priest comes presenting the blood of the atonement once a year, the lamp lights the way. As the priests come to present incense at the altar of incense which we’ll see later, the lamp lights the way.
I find it a wonderful picture of this life we live as the priesthood of Christ. We live in a dark world and we’re daily in need of the light of Christ if we are to go on doing the work of ministry.
If you were to jump all the way to the book of Revelation this picture is very explicit. John addresses seven churches with a vision he’s seen. A vision of 7 lampstands as the seven churches surrounding Christ shining in all His glory. From Exodus all the way to revelation there is one source of light and that is God Himself. God in the Holy of Holies needs no lamp. Christ in all His glory needs no lamp or sun to shine in His kingdom. What good does a lampstand do for God? A lampstand shines in dark places where His glory does not yet shine. A lampstand gives those who would approach God a means of navigation. Again, from Exodus to Revelation that light shining in the darkness is the stewardship of the priesthood of God, the church.
It’s interesting to look at the book of John and see an emphasis on who Jesus is. Throughout the book Jesus is telling the people who he is. I am the good shepherd. I am the bread of life. I am the door. Included in that list is one we might know. I am the light of the world!
Matthew, Mark, and Luke certainly tell us who Jesus is as well, without a doubt, but Matthew in particular has an emphasis on discipleship. What does it mean to be a disciple? In Jesus’ teaching he states very clearly,
14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden;
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So which is it? Well it’s both!
Jesus walked among us as the light of the world and now He sits at the right hand of the Father in all His glory.
Has light utterly left the world? Is the world left to a perpetual darkness? No. We are here. The priesthood of Christ bringing the light of Christ to those lost in darkness and those fellow saints who need the light of Christ everyday for as long as we’re here... Well what does that look like? It’s easy to say, it’s another thing to do.
If you’ve ever moved into a new house or a new apartment what’s the first thing you do before you even clean or move in the furniture? You turn on all the lights, and what do you see? It’s hard to miss the shadows and the dark corners isn’t it? You start to realize where a lamp used to be or a light bulb that’s missing. Maybe a fixture that needs to be updated to something brighter.
In some sense our work as the light of the world is similar. We can start by asking, where are the dark corners? And the only real way we can know where the dark corners are is by getting to know people. When you get to know someone you begin to realize, this person doesn’t know Jesus. They’re in darkness. When you get to know someone you may begin to realize this brother or sister does know Christ, but they’ve lost hope in this dark world. Perhaps they’re burdened or stumbling in the darkness of the world, the flesh and the devil. When we begin to recognize where the darkness is, we can start to bring the light of Christ to bear.
“Do you know that Christ has died for you that you can be free of the burden of sin?”
“Do you know that Christ is risen that we no longer need to fear death?”
“Do you know that Christ has defeated sin and the devil such that we have the strength to overcome?”
Open the door - get to know the people around you.
As you walk around the room and get to know them - take note of the dark corners. Ask what’s in the closet if there’s a trusting relationship there.
Don’t leave the darkness alone. - Bring the light of Christ to bear. Give them the good news of the gospel. Call them to repentance if need be that they can rest in the light of life. Give them the hope of heaven when darkness will be utterly overcome and the light of Christ will appear before our very eyes.
Let’s stop looking outward for a minute and look inward. Perhaps you recognize some dark corners in your own life. Perhaps it’s not pervasive, but maybe there’s a portion of the house that hasn’t seen the light in a while. Whether that’s sin, despair, or just doubt - don’t leave the darkness alone. The light shines for the very reason that sinners broken and weary can come. The light of this church and these people here stand ready to welcome you and show you the light of Christ. If you’d like to speak with one of the elders, I hope you wouldn’t hesitate to contact us!
In the end, the priesthood in Exodus, they were sinners too. As the priesthood of Christ we’re sinners too. We need the ministry of the saints the same as everyone else. There isn’t one of us here who doesn’t need the church so we can be fed. Myself included. There isn’t one of here who doesn’t need the church to help us overcome the darkness we face every day. But when we attend to that work together we will overcome. The light will prevail. The hungry will be fed, and Christ will ultimately welcome us home where we will dwell in His presence forever.
Let’s Pray.
Prayer of Devotion:
Prayer for local churches: Nathan Esposito - Continue to sustain him in his position of leadership. Put people in his life that he can be fed and nourished by the ministry of the church. The membership at Medway would be united and devoted to your glory in that gathering. In that devotion and service to you, let them be fed and nourished together.
Prayer for the international church: The church in Japan would be a light in a very dark place
