God’s Tabernacle: Prayer

Exodus 25:8–9 KJV 1900

8 And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them. 9 According to all that I shew thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it.

Title: God’s Tabernacle: Prayer

As we have said, two chapters were used to describe all of creation and 42 chapters on the Tabernacle.

Movable tent that was the center of Israeli life for 600 years.

It could be torn down and on the move and set back up in hours.

It would be set up in:

Gilgal in Joshua’s time

Then Shiloh for for 369 years during the time of the Judges

Gibeon

Finally in Nob and Kiriath-jearim in Saul’s riegn

and then Jerusalem in David’s riegn

The Ark of the Covenant would spend about 7 months in Philistia

Returned when God troubled them.

Everything about Saul and David’s riegn is summed up nicely in 1 Chron 13.3…

1 Chronicles 13:3 “3 And let us bring again the ark of our God to us: for we inquired not at it in the days of Saul.”

David would spend a life time getting wealth and then pour it into the temple his son would build.

Solomon would have 70,000 porters, 80,000 stone cutters, 3,600 overseers, 30,000 laborers working for 7 years to build the temple!

At the dedication:

Solomon would pray from a brass platform after sacrificing 22,000 oxen, 120,000 sheep and a week long feast

Glory would fill the temple so strong that the priests could not continue to minister!

Fire came down and they were overwhelmed by God

2 Chronicles 7:1–3 “1 Now when Solomon had made an end of praying, the fire came down from heaven, and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the Lord filled the house. 2 And the priests could not enter into the house of the Lord, because the glory of the Lord had filled the Lord’s house. 3 And when all the children of Israel saw how the fire came down, and the glory of the Lord upon the house, they bowed themselves with their faces to the ground upon the pavement, and worshipped, and praised the Lord, saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever.”

After Solomon - civil war and two kingdoms - slow downward spiral into captivity and slavery.

Less than 500 years later, temple is destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar in 586 BC

Jew are in captivity for 70 years.

Cyrus give permission to return and build another temple.

Takes them 20 years

It is a poor shadow of what Solomon had built.

Ezra 3:12 “12 But many of the priests and Levites and chief of the fathers, who were ancient men, that had seen the first house, when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, wept with a loud voice; and many shouted aloud for joy:”

Never settle!

Never be content with less!

In Herod the Greats day (There are 6 Herod’s in the Gospels and Acts).

He decided to build the temple.

Builds retaining walls around the summit of Mt. Moriah creating the large flat spot and builds the temple on the mount.

Being of a family who converted Judaism - he new the pattern - the pattern that God had given Moses 1500 years before!

It took 46 years to build!

It was so beautiful that they said of it, “You have not seen a beautiful building unless you have seen Herod’s temple!”.

It was this temple that:

Jesus’ was circumcised

Celebrated feast days

Confounded the wise

Holy Ghost would be poured out in it’s shadow

Stephen would be stoned near by

Paul arrested from in Acts 21

70 AD Roman General Titus would destroy this temple with a fire so hot that the gold would melt and run into the cracks of the stones and he would command each stone be broken apart for the gold.

Mark 13:2 “2 And Jesus answering said unto him, Seest thou these great buildings? there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.”

NOW the Jew’s have been without a temple for 2,000 years BUT GOD has NOT!

1 Corinthians 3:16 “16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?”

Jesus said in Luke 19:46 “46 Saying unto them, It is written, My house is the house of prayer: but ye have made it a den of thieves.”

So if we are the temple of God and Jesus said that his house should be a House of Prayer then we should be PEOPLE OF PRAYER!

But we face the same issue today as the Jews faced all those years ago…

If not careful, we allow thieves to steal what should be sacred in the House of God!

If we discipline ourselves to go to work every day…

If we discipline ourselves to walk and exercise every day…

If we discipline ourselves to come to church every week…

WE MUST DISCIPLINE OURSELVES TO BE PEOPLE OF PRAYER!

Just as the cross was foreshadowed in Moses’ Tabernacle and the Temple

The shadow of the cross has got to be in our lives!

Luke 9:23 “23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.”

We must deny our selves, submit, deal with carnal flesh - AND BUILD A RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD!

We find that pattern of how to do that in the Tabernacle.

We all know the importance of prayer - but few seem to truly discipline ourselves to pray.

Prayer is communication with God - listen to yourself pray…

If you was to talk to your spouse like you talk to God, how productive a conversation would it be?

“Oh Reta, Reta, Reta, Reta… I love you, love you, love you!”

“Thank you for being who you are!”

“You cook and you clean… you feed the kids and you work hard…!”

If you set an alarm to talk to you spouse for one hour and it goes off and you jump up when the alarm sounds?

I think there is a better way! Let’s look at the pattern!

Three doors and six pieces of furniture…

Imagine yourself walking though those doors and standing before each piece of furniture.

You can spend as much time as wanted or needed, moving to the next.

GOAL: get into the presence of God!

Exodus 33:9–10 “9 And it came to pass, as Moses entered into the tabernacle, the cloudy pillar descended, and stood at the door of the tabernacle, and the Lord talked with Moses. 10 And all the people saw the cloudy pillar stand at the tabernacle door: and all the people rose up and worshipped, every man in his tent door.”

Cloud moved from the Ark to the door with moses and the ppl saw and joined in!

Three Doors and Six pieces of Furniture

Entry Gate - Jesus is the way, truth and life, He is the Door

Psalm 100:4 “4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, And into his courts with praise: Be thankful unto him, and bless his name.”

This is where we begin!

acknowledge him

praise him

DON’T BE RUDE AND BARGE IN!

DON’T BE RUDE AND ONLY TALK TO HIM WHEN YOU NEED SOMETHING!

Begin with praise!

Brazen Alter - largest piece of furniture

All other pieces could fit into the Brazen Alter

Sacrifice was tied to the horns of the alter where it was killed, blood collected, body burned

God started the fire but it was up to the priest to maintain the fire and never allow it to go out

Repentance - should be a time of private repentance

Everyone wants the Ark of the Covenant BUT the Brazen Alter was 13 times larger than the Ark!

your alter will alway be larger than your ark!

Repentance has become lost of the average saint… time to rekindle the fires of repentance!

Brazen Laver- Made of brass - mirror, reflection seen in both the brass and the water

No dimensions given… Moses decided how big this would be in the lives of the people

Two fold picture here

Baptism

Word of God

Ephesians 5:26 “26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,”

The Word of God is a reflective surface that allows us to see what is in our spirits!

Word of God reveals self

Word of God directs and guides

World of God corrects

Things that take place as you stand before the Brazen Laver:

Pray the Word of God

passages that are significant to you and where you are in life

Person tabs in my bible

Devotion, reading plans

Let the Word of God speak to you

Holy Place: another gate, five pillars and a curtain

Bishop GA Mangun tied these to Isaiah 9:6 “6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: And the government shall be upon his shoulder: And his name shall be called Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”

Golden Candlestick - seven branches, olive oil - priests maintained, trimmed and kept burning.

No dimensions on this either.

Parallels of revelation, fresh oil and fire are obvious.

We must not only pray for light BUT also to be a light!

NOTE that the farther you go into relationship with God the less it becomes about you!

Starts with you (repentance and cleansing), then it’s about you and others (horizontal relationships), then it’s about God and his will!

Ephesians 5:8 “8 For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:”

Table of Showbread - Hebrew literal meaning: Table of the Presence!

Twelve loaves = twelve tribes of Israel

Fresh!

Elder Mangun: Not just about the bread but also the table that supports the bread.

Those that labor in the Word.

Also those that Hunger for the Word.

Two words used for word in the bible.

Logos: whole council, complete word, reason or plan

Rhema: spoken, word comes alive, often spoken with a prophetic word from God

Alter of Incense - incense is crushed, broken, bruised then burned…

This is a place of intercession.

Prayer is not just about you…

Intercession is a part of prayer but not all prayer is intercession!

Intercession = standing in the gap, making the difference

It is here, standing before the Alter of Incense that God begins to speak to you about ppl and situations.

Three times in Revelations our prayer is compared to incense!

Most Holy Place - only the high priest - many never get here in prayer.

This is where your mind is replaced by His!

We have to get where God lives!

This is living under the covering of his blood!

In the Ark was three things:

Law - righteousness of God

Pot of manna - just as God perserved the manna, he perserves us

Rod of Aaron - not just direction but authority1

Conclusion:

Quality of Relationship!

We have to get into His presence every day!

When we pray through the Tabernacle:

Praise

Repentance

Look into the mirror of the Word

Fresh oil, fire

Bread and the table

Intercessors

Mind of God