God's Holy Dwelling Place
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
It is a joy and privilege to see all of you, probably wondering what kind of sermon I will come up with from goat's hair, ram's skin, acacia wood, and fine twined linen. I must admit I am looking forward to this exciting text...It’s not often that you get to preach about gold and goats hair in the same sermon. Brazilian hair and gold necklaces maybe...
Prayer
One of the biggest dreams among adults in Uganda is to build a house, hopefully a dream house if one can afford it. Recently, social media was awash with talk about a certain pastor’s house that has an elevator from her kitchen to her bedroom, or something like that. It got people talking and even more dreaming.
Many of you desire to build, are about to start, or have already started building one. In Uganda, most people typically do not buy houses. They build their own.
The process can be quite engaging, cumbersome, and sometimes frustrating. From dealing with architects (many use cheaper engineers who have no design cells in their bodies) to planning authorities asking for bribes to foremen stealing your materials, one has to be tough to handle it all.
There are so many intricate details that go into building a house. How many rooms, types of switches and sockets, types of lights, doors, tiles, toilets, bathrooms, finishes, paint colour, types of tiles, etc. It can be overwhelming. Building a house is not a small feat. No wonder some people opt to buy. You save yourself the stress. The only drawback is that the house lacks your character.
Because of all the details one has to go through when building a house, it usually takes on the character of its owner. One can proudly say—assuming the architecture is good—that “this is my house,” because every detail of it was their choice and decision.
In Exodus 26, we come to perhaps one of the more difficult sections of the book. It can be both hard to understand and to read because of all the details associated with the items mentioned in these chapters. It is probably because we do not have a concept and have never seen this type of construction. And, frankly, unless it’s your house, we tend not to have very little interest in the details pertaining to a house.
But regardless, no matter how much detail goes into building a house, no matter the detail we see in Exodus 26, just like houses are built for people to live in, the tent or tabernacle in Exodus 26 was not built as a wonderful decoration for the people of Israel to carry around through the wilderness, but for God to dwell in.
And today, in Exodus 26, we come to God’s Holy Dwelling Place.
Two weeks ago, Pastor Denis helped us see that God desired to dwell in the midst of His people.
And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst.
Throughout the book of Exodus, we have seen that God’s purpose in saving His people was for them to serve (or worship) Him. Exodus 8:1 “Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Let my people go, that they may serve me.”
On Mount Sinai, God brings His people to Himself and instructs them to build Him a sanctuary where He can dwell with them. And we shall see two points about this tabernacle today.
It is God’s House
It is God’s House
Just as we do when building our own houses, God gives intricate instructions not only about how the house will be constructed but also about the materials to be used. He is the architect, the engineer, the quantity surveyor, the electrical engineer, the structural engineer, and anyone of significance on this building project. Moses is simply the foreman, and the builders are the people selected to craft the materials.
The chapter is filled with detailed explanations of the materials to be used and how they will be fabricated. It is easy to get bogged down by all the finer details and completely miss the point of the tabernacle as God’s dwelling place.
In Exodus 19:4, God says to them, “‘You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself.” God’s desire was to dwell with His people, and He instructed them to build a sanctuary, a tabernacle, where He would dwell.
This does not mean that God wasn’t in the world, or that when He was in the tabernacle, He wasn’t anywhere else. God is omnipresent or all-present everywhere at all times. The tabernacle was the vehicle through which God manifested His presence among Israel. It was a tangible and visible presence of God among His people. It was a visible reminder to them throughout of God’s special presence with them.
Then you shall erect the tabernacle according to the plan for it that you were shown on the mountain.
This wasn't Moses’s idea, nor was it his design. These instructions were not haphazard, off-the-whim instructions to him, but detailed instructions based on a pattern that he was shown on the mountain.
Hebrews 8:5 “They serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things. For when Moses was about to erect the tent, he was instructed by God, saying, “See that you make everything according to the pattern that was shown you on the mountain.””
What we see in Exodus 26 was an exact copy of what was in heaven, God’s dwelling place. This tabernacle was a copy of a heavenly tabernacle.
It’s not just God’s house but a house of worship
It’s not just God’s house but a house of worship
There are too many details in each section, and if one isn't too careful, one may miss some important ones.
“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.
This curtain was the first layer and it was what the priests would see when they entered the tabernacle to change the bread and light the menorah. Cherubims above and all around, since the linen curtain was the inner covering of the tent. This was a shadow of what we see in Isaiah 6:2: “Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.”
The cherubim in the curtains represent the angels above God’s throne, worshipping Him day and night.
In our call to worship, Psalm 84:4 says, “Blessed are those who dwell in your house, ever singing your praise! Selah.” Those who dwell in God’s house are ever singing his praise, and the psalmist desires to dwell in the courts of his house forever.
Revelation 7:11–12 “And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshipped God, saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honour and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.””
There is constant worship of God in heaven, and this was to be done among his covenant people. The point of the sacrificial system was worship. The tabernacle was to remind the people of God’s presence with them so that they would serve Him.
Exodus 8:1 “Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Let my people go, that they may serve me.” God’s covenant people were to serve and worship God here on earth as it is in heaven.
It is why we start the service on the Lord’s day with a call to worship. It is why we sang Psalm 150 (Praise the Lord) as our recessional song, not just to praise the Lord but to remind ourselves of our duty as God’s chosen people.
Praise the Lord, Praise the Lord, Sing His greatness all creation, Praise the Lord, raise your voice, you heights and all you depths, from the furthest east to west, you distant burning stars, all creatures near and far, from sky to sea to shore, sing forevermore, let everything that has breath praise the Lord.
The call is for all creation, but more so for God’s redeemed people.
It’s a house that reflects his character
It’s a house that reflects his character
It wasn’t just a house of worship. Just like the houses we build are a reflection of our character, God’s house is also a reflection of His character.
Now, some of you have a boastful character and you want that revealed in the houses you build. Swimming pools that you never use, two living areas with TV that are hardly watched because everyone prefers one to the other, jacuzzi’s that have dirt, etc. All these serve one purpose, social media content so that people may talk about your house and how you have a lift in your kitchen.
But God’s dwelling place was not so. Everything in it was intentional because it reflected who God is and HIs purposes among His people.
The linen and gold used reflected God’s purity. He is unstained by sin.
The gold also reflected God’s beauty
The curtains also reflected the sacrificial system, revealing God as the one who consecrates and atones for the sins of His people.
“You shall also make curtains of goats’ hair for a tent over the tabernacle; eleven curtains shall you make.
And you shall make for the tent a covering of tanned rams’ skins and a covering of goatskins on top.
I know many of you were wondering what goatskin and goat hair are doing there. They served both practical and spiritual purposes in the tabernacle. They provided cover for the tent and the things that were inside it. The goatskin (or badger skin) was the outer layer that protected everything. Yet, they had spiritual implications, revealing God as the one who consecrated and atones for the sins of His people. As we shall later see, the goats were used in the sin offerings while the ram was used in the consecration of the priests, Aaron and his sons.
Yet, all these details, the specific measurements, the coupling mechanisms, the materials, demonstrate that God’s design employed only willing participation and excluded human invention. It is not our house but God’s house. He determined the worship in it and how the priests were to conduct themselves in it.
Jesus as the Tabernacle
Jesus as the Tabernacle
Hebrews 8:5 said it was a copy and shadow of heavenly things. We have seen that it was a copy of a heavenly tabernacle. But it was also a shadow of something greater.
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.
The word translated as ‘dwelt’ is actually tabernacled among us. Last week, we saw how the table of presence and the Menorah all point to Christ. The tabernacle also points to Christ, Colossians 2:9 “For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily.”
Beyond the veil itself, the tabernacle’s coverings—both inner curtains and outer protective layers—collectively communicate truths about Christ’s person and redemptive work. Each covering layer carries a distinct meaning. Some scholars believe that the top covering, the badger skins or goat skins, as our version says, speak of Christ’s separation from sin, as it provided an impervious or impenetrable protection for the tabernacle.
The rams’ skins point to His consecration as the High Priest who offers a sacrifice for the atonement of His people. The ram is associated with sacrifice, especially in Exodus 29, where it is linked to the priest's devotion to God's service, as indicated by his consecration.
The goats’ hair points to His atoning work as the goat was usually offered as a sin offering, and the fine linen of His exaltation.
The tabernacle was a representation of God coming to dwell with His people, and Jesus Christ is the God who dwelt with His people, offering an unblemished sacrifice for their atonement. The tabernacle in Exodus 26 was a shadow of Jesus Christ and His atoning work.
On the outside, the Tabernacle was not beautiful. Its coverings were not made of gold but goat (or badger) skin and goat hair.
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.
Like the tabernacle, Jesus had no beauty that we should desire him. He was simple, poor, and not majestic. Yet his earthly tabernacle covered unimaginable beauty and glory. And so we sing
Come, behold the wondrous mystery
In the dawning of the king
He the theme of Heaven's praises
Robed in frail humanity
What a wonder! What a wonder, indeed, that the theme and object of heaven’s praises was robbed in frail humanity, and in such a manner that we should not desire Him. What a wonder!
The Church
The Church
Our NT text, Ephesians 2:19-22 says
So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.
Just like the tabernacle was God’s dwelling place, the Church is the household of God. The church does not belong to anyone else but God. It does not belong to any pastors, prophets, or so-called apostles but God.
The Fount Church is not ours. You are not our people. You belong to God and we are simply under-shepherds.
Just like God determined every item and the design of the tabernacle, He does the same with the Church, sovereignly choosing who will be saved. Ephesians 1:4–5 “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 to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,”
In Jesus Christ, we are being built, together, into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.
First, we see that the work of building the Church is the work of the Triune God. In the Son, we are being built into a dwelling place for God, by the Spirit
Second, the Church is God’s dwelling place. Not yours or mine, not a prophet's or apostle's, but God’s dwelling place.
And just like he determined everything in the tabernacle and how it was to be placed and made, he determines every piece of the body of Christ and how they ought to behave
We do not have the right to choose who is invited.
We do not choose what to obey and what not to obey. It is not our house. We are the house.
It is Holy
It is Holy
Secondly, God’s dwelling place was holy.
“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.
Some of you live (or hope to live) in houses with 5 bedrooms, 6-7 bathrooms, 2 living rooms, a kitchen with a pantry, a store, and a garage. Some hope to have an elevator from their bedroom to their kitchen, as Sandra Baingana does.
Yet, even with all those rooms, one’s bedroom is ‘sacred.’ Special attention is given to it, and even visitors are not usually welcome.
Unlike our houses, God’s tabernacle was holy, separated from everything. It had two sections: the holy and most holy, separated by a veil.
The most common understanding of the word ‘holy’ is personal righteousness and purity. This is its most common use.
Yet, its primary meaning in Scripture is ‘to be separate.’ That which is different from something else. When this word is used in reference to God, it refers to his transcendence, magnificence, to that sense in which God is higher, superior, and separate from anything that there is in all creation. That which is holy is that which is different (and separate).
The tabernacle wasn’t just any place. It wasn’t like our churches, where one can walk in at any time. The priests (sons of Aaron) went in only to perform specific functions, such as trimming the lampstand and ensuring it remained lit, burning incense on the altar every morning and evening, and placing fresh bread on the table of presence every sabbath.
Only the High Priest (not even other priests) went into the most holy place, and only once a year on the day of atonement, and that after offering blood sacrifices for themselves and for the people. The whole tabernacle was off limits to the ordinary people. Going inside meant death, because they were unclean.
The High Priest and priests had to perform cleansing rituals before going into the tabernacle. That’s because the tabernacle represented heaven, God’s dwelling place, where there is no sin or blemish.
The most holy place represented God’s throne room. It also represented communion with God. In Genesis 1-2, Adam and Eve enjoyed sweet communion with God in the Garden of Eden. But in Genesis 3, when they sinned, they were cast out of the garden.
He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.
We see this depicted in the veil that separates the holy place from the most holy place.
“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.
The way was not open, with the cherubim guarding the way to the tree of life. The whole congregation of God’s chosen people, including the High Priest, was not holy enough to have constant sweet communion with God without sacrifices.
Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ
But there is one who entered the most holy place, once for all, by means of his blood because he was holy.
But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.
All the sacrifices without blemish point to the one who is without blemish. He is our High Priest who entered the most holy place by His blood.
Last week, Pastor Denis showed us that the showbread and lampstand represented Jesus Christ. Hebrews 10 tells us that He is also the curtain through which or through whom we enter the Most Holy place.
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,
The veil separating the Holy Place from the Most Holy (Holy of Holies) represents Christ as the gateway to God’s presence.
He is the theme of heaven’s praises, and together, we join them in singing
Who else commands all the host of heaven
Who else could make every king bow down
Who else can whisper and darkness trembles,
Only a holy God.
And again
Holy holy holy! Lord God Almighty! Early in the morning our song shall rise to Thee.
Holy holy holy! merciful and mighty! God in three persons, blessed Trinity!
The Church
The Church
Likewise, the Church, as God’s dwelling place, as Ephesians 22 says, is holy and must be holy. It is holy because it has been separated by God unto Himself.
If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.
The Church is not of this world. It has been separated from the world, even though it is in the world. We are ambassadors of Christ, sojourners in this world, citizens of heaven, looking forward to the day when we shall be joined with our God and King in glory, for eternity.
Are you looking forward to that day like Paul, who desired to depart and be with Christ? Or are you busy pursuing the world that will pass away?
The Church must also be holy: righteousness and purity. Christians cannot claim to be separated unto God and live the same way that unbelievers do? If you are holy, then you must live holy lives.
The Church is not a place to seek your passions. Jesus is not the veil to the desires of your heart; the ones you had before you were saved.
There are many who choose what to obey based on what suits them. We have daily reminders of how sinful we are, yet rather than repent, many of us justify not only the sinful actions of others but also our own.
The story of Mary Ashley Ainomugisha is a case in point. It doesn’t matter what God’s word says; we are not willing to give up our ‘freedom’ for the sake of Christ. We are only willing to carry the cross as long as it suits our passions.
We are willing to carry it to the hill of Calvary, but we are not willing to die on it. That’s too radical and not loving. After all, God wants us to be happy, so we have been deceived.
We want Christianity and the world. Let’s be real, we are in the world. It doesn’t matter to us that the apostle John says in 1 John 2:15–17, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.”
Romans 12:1-2 tells us that, to paraphrase, if you have been separated unto God, then your mind must be renewed to live holy.
Titus 2:11–12 tells us the same thing “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age,”
You were not chosen to pursue your desires. Just like everything in the tabernacle was chosen by God to be His dwelling place, you, too, have been chosen to collectively be God’s dwelling place.
It is not your house, where you can choose the furniture. It’s God’s house, and you are a brick that builds that dwelling place.
The psalmist in Psalm 84, our call to worship, depicts what ought to be the daily attitude of God’s people, the Church, His dwelling place.
Verse 1. How lovely is your dwelling place, O’Lord? Do you feel that way?
My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the Lord. My heart and flesh sing for the joy to the living God.
Verse 4. Blessed are those who dwell in your house, ever singing your praise!
verse 10. For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere.I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness.
Yet many of us find pleasure in the tents (tabernacles) of the wicked. And what’s worse, we go crying to God in prayer, begging him to give us the things that unbelievers, those who are living in rebellion against him, are enjoying.
You make known to me the path of life;
in your presence there is fullness of joy;
at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
But God has graciously granted to us endless joy in his presence. We have untold and limitless joy in our God. We may not have it here fully, and we may have misery at some points, but with Him we shall eternally be fulfilled with joy and pleasure.
Do you find fullness of joy in His presence? Have you been assured in your heart that at his right hand are pleasures evermore? Do you hold onto that truth, looking forward to when it will be an eternal reality, not just a momentary one in this world, in His eternal kingdom, or are you pursuing worldly pleasures, seeking to live your best life now?
All this points to a consummation, when God’s people will dwell with Him.
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
God’s people will ultimately dwell with Him. There will be no temple in heaven, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb will be the Temple.
As Paul wrote to the Church in Corinth, I now say to you
Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!
If you are not in the faith, if you do not know Jesus Christ, you are not in sweet communion with the Triune God. All you have left to look forward to is the wrath of God that will be poured out on all sinners. You are not his dwelling place, and neither have you entered the holy place through the veil that is Christ’s flesh.
Yet, as long as you are still alive, the invitation to come is still yours to heed. As we shall shortly sing,
Come unto Jesus, all you who are weary
Come to the mercy seat, fervently kneel
Here bring your wounded heart, broken and needy
Come unto Jesus, mighty to heal
Joy of the comfortless, light for the straying
Hope of the penitent, peace in our strife
Here speaks the Comforter, tenderly saying
"My yoke is easy, My burden is light"
Come unto Jesus...Come unto Jesus.
Exodus 26 sermons
The search results don’t directly address sermon resources on Exodus 26. However, I can point you toward the theological frameworks that would shape effective preaching on this passage.
The tabernacle itself functions as a typological portrait of Jesus, with the veil separating the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies representing Christ as the gateway to God’s presence.1 This interpretive lens opens rich preaching possibilities. The veil’s materials—blue, purple, scarlet, and fine linen—carry symbolic weight, representing Christ’s sonship, kingship, sacrificial blood, and purity respectively.1
Beyond the veil itself, the tabernacle’s coverings—both inner curtains and outer protective layers—collectively communicate truths about Christ’s person and redemptive work.2 Each covering layer carries distinct meaning: the badger skins speak of Christ’s separation from sin, the rams’ skins of His consecration, the goats’ hair of His atoning work, and the fine linen of His exaltation.2
For sermon development, consider how the cherubim skillfully worked into the innermost curtains (Exod 26:1–37) invite reflection on heavenly worship and God’s presence. The architectural precision throughout Exodus 26—the specific measurements, the coupling mechanisms, the materials—demonstrates that God’s design employed only willing participation and excluded human invention.3
A strong sermon approach would move from the structural details of the tabernacle toward their theological significance, helping listeners see how the physical construction points beyond itself to Christ’s mediation between God and humanity. The progression from outer coverings to inner sanctuary mirrors the spiritual journey toward God’s presence.
1Adrian Rogers, “Study of the Tabernacle #8,” in Adrian Rogers Sermon Archive (Signal Hill, CA: Rogers Family Trust, 2017). [See here, here, here.]
2Stephen F. Olford, Institutes of Biblical Preaching, Volume Three (Memphis, TN: Olford Ministries International, 1982). [See here, here.]
3D. L. Moody, Notes from My Bible: From Genesis to Revelation (Chicago; New York; Toronto: Fleming H. Revell, 1895), 34.
