The Gospel Heart
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Introduction
Introduction
Amazing week
Thankful for what we were able to raise for Elvis.
Today we are going to look at one of my favorite subjects in the Old Testament. Something called the Tabernacle.
Have you ever heard of the Tabernacle before?
The Tabernacle is the precursor to the Temple.
In Exodus 25 God gave instructions on the building of the tabernacle. The purpose of the tabernacle is described in
8 And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them.
The word sanctuary is translated from a Hebrew word meaning “A consecrated thing or place”
And for those that are like me that want full clarification on what it means for something to be consecrated, it means to designate something as sacred.
So the tabernacle was to be a sacred place where God would dwell among His people. It’s where His presence would reside with the nation of Israel as they lived nomadic lives through the desert and up until Solomon built the temple in Israel.
Multiple chapters are dedicated to the details that went into everything that would be apart of the tabernacle. Exact measurements of the various tools and decorations, specific colors, every detail was given over to Moses and then executed by the various artisans who were capable of doing these things.
God desired for everything to be done a certain way.
He took great interest in the place that would house His spirit on earth. He was greatly concerned about it.
Fast Forward 4 thousand years. Where does God’s spirit reside today?
In us. The verses we read in just a moment will prove that.
Remember what we said last week “God doesn’t change.”
He still has great care and concern for where His Spirit resides today.
And as you will see today that He gives instructions for the details but the details aren’t the most important part of His tabernacle. The details that are adhered to, or the obedience of the people to the details are a result of their hearts for God.
Have you given God your heart today? I don’t mean have you trusted Jesus as your savior, yes you absolutely should do that. I mean even as a Christian, have you given your heart to God? Not the physical blood pumping organ I mean you heart, the essence of your being, your psyche, who you are as a person…have you given that to God to let Him shape it by the truths of the Gospel?
Follow along as I read out of
19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.
PRAY
let’s talk first about how
I. God Cares about the details
I. God Cares about the details
Notice the detail in just these few verses
10 And they shall make an ark of shittim wood: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof.
11 And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, within and without shalt thou overlay it, and shalt make upon it a crown of gold round about.
12 And thou shalt cast four rings of gold for it, and put them in the four corners thereof; and two rings shall be in the one side of it, and two rings in the other side of it.
13 And thou shalt make staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold.
14 And thou shalt put the staves into the rings by the sides of the ark, that the ark may be borne with them.
15 The staves shall be in the rings of the ark: they shall not be taken from it.
In 5 verses he gave exact details about this one object.
It took Exodus 25-31 and Exodus 35-40 to give every detail that went into the tabernacle.
That’s 11 chapters of a 40 chapter book. That’s over 20% of this book dedicated to the dwelling place of God.
God cares about the details.
He cared about the height of the white fence that was around the tabernacle, how many pillars on each side, the measurements of the brazen altar (sacrifices) and the bronze laver (washing of hands).
He gave detailed instruction about the holy place and all that would be inside of it. The golden lamp stand to illuminate the table of show bread (God’s Word) and the altar of incense (Prayer).
He was specific in his measurements and the material of the great veil that would separate the holy place from the holy of holies where the ark of the covenant would reside. Inside of the ark were pieces of manna, the stone tablets Moses brought down from mt. Sinai, and the rod of Aaron that was used to show him as the priest.
On top of the ark rested the Mercy Seat with two angels resting on top of it with the wings pointing toward one another. This is the place the whole tabernacle was made for. Above the Mercy Seat rested the presence of God.
This was the reason the tabernacle was built. This was the reason that the all the instruction was given. So that God would have a place to rest among His people.
God cared about the details. But the details were never the most important part.
Yes, He cared about how the people lived their lives for Him and worshipped Him.
There is a total of 613 commandments to the people of Israel found in the Old Testament.
God cared about the details of the lives of His people.
God cares about the lives of believers today as well.
I’ll be honest, I didn’t take the time to review every one but I skimmed a document I found that claimed the New Testament had 1,050 commands in it. As I reviewed them I found that the ones I looked at were accurate.
It was from a source I would trust in identifying these so let’s go forward with that number in mind.
These are not commands like the Israelites had in the Old testament. Ones of wearing mixed garments, ones about what to eat or what not to eat, PTL on that one. I like Shrimp and sausage.
In the New Testament, we find that these commands deal not just with the external matters they were concerned with but the heart.
Why?
Because it is in the heart that God works.
God cares about the details in your life. He cares about you obeying His commands because He loves you.
and
II. God cares more about your heart
II. God cares more about your heart
You see, the details are important but keeping the details isn’t what God is truly concerned about. Now bear with me as I explain that statement.
Look at
19 But if ye turn away, and forsake my statutes and my commandments, which I have set before you, and shall go and serve other gods, and worship them;
20 Then will I pluck them up by the roots out of my land which I have given them; and this house, which I have sanctified for my name, will I cast out of my sight, and will make it to be a proverb and a byword among all nations.
God was willing to cast away the tabernacle. He was wiling to get rid of all of the ornate structures, beautiful tapestries, and all that made up this wonderful sanctuary…because a detail was off? nope.
He would throw it all away because the people’s hearts had turned from Him.
I believe that’s communicated in this passage in 2 Chronicles through God saying if you stop obeying me and worship something else..
You want to know if you have given God your heart? God has your whole heart without reservations when you hear from His Word one of those commandments and you think “I’m not doing that”
That’s when you have a hardened heart.
It’s in your heart God works and then from the heart you are transformed into the image of Christ.
David wrote in
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; And renew a right spirit within me.
In Ezekiel God said
26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.
He didn’ say I’ll change your behavior. He didn’ say I’ll change what you wear. He didn’t say I’ll change how you think.
He changes your heart…which results in all of those other things being affected.
God is trying to make us “conform” out of obligation.
He is seeking to a work in you that will result in a new man being evidenced in your life.
17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
Those old things don’t go away immediately all the time.
It’s been said that justification happens in a moment and sanctification happens over a lifetime.
The Gospel works in your heart. The knowledge of Jesus’ death burial and resurrection isn’t enough to be saved and have a relationship with God.
The Devil knows Jesus died on the cross for the salvation of the world. But he doesn’t accept that as a sacrifice that covers his sins.
It’s in your heart, in your inner most being you beleive that Jesus is the Son of God that died for your sins.
It’s when you being to accept Jesus in this way, that you will find yourself truly dieing daily to self and living for Christ.
20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
When you are crucified with Christ, You consider what you wear as represenative of Christ. You consider what you say as represenative of Christ. You consider your thoughts in relation to glorifying God rather than whatever you want.
God cares about the details of your life because the details of your life glorify Him.
Paul wrote to the Christians in Rome that they should present their bodies a living sacrifice acceptable to God.
1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
How do we get to the place where we are able to give our lives as a living sacrifice? How do we get to where we are willing to see our lives completely transformed by the gospel?
We open our hearts to God.
Because
III. You have to give your heart to God, He won’t take it
III. You have to give your heart to God, He won’t take it
I’m afraid we misunderstand the soveriengty of God to the point it hurts our growth.
We are expecting God to force us to transform. I do not believe we are pawns in God’s game of life.
Look at Job
God was sovereign in what happened to Job, He was omniscient in knowing what would happen to Job, He was omnipotent by allowing it to happen and restricting Satans actions, and He was omnipresent by being with job throughout his difficulties.
He did not force Job’s response though. He didn’t make Job worship Him as his crops died, children died, animals died, and his life fell apart.
Your heart and what comes out of it is determine by what you allow to be in it.
Your faithfulness to the Lord, your obedience to His commands, are not things I believe God will force into your life. They are choices you will make that will result in you seeing the details changed as your heart his changed.
God told the Israelites, as He does throughout the Bible, if you do, I will.
If you build this, I will reside with you. If you seek after me and don’t seek after other Gods, I will bless you.
If you as a NT believer trust in Jesus as your Savior then I will save you.
If you love me, you will keep my commandments. If your heart is truly mine, you will live by faith and allow me to live through you.
The sooner you get to the place where you can say what Samuel did when God called in 1 Samuel 3
10 And the Lord came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth.
Then when you hear be like Isaiah
8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.
What details of your life has God called you care for?
Do you find yourself trusting Jesus as your Savior but not allowing Him to work in the details of your life?
What you say? What you post?
6 Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.
What you watch?
3 I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me.
What you wear?
9 In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array;
A quick comment here: Modesty may be defined differently by you and me. That’s ok. What’s important is that you, men and women, decide that if you put something on you are not wearing it to draw attention to yourself, your wearing it wont’ cause another to stumble, your wearing it can be said it is to the glory of God.
have you went to God and asked Him about these details?
You see, God cares about the details. But your willingness and desire to see the details of your life cared for so that you may glorify God is a by product of your heart and it’s submission to God.
God cares more about your heart than these details. These details were given as a means for you to show the condition of your heart to those around you.
7 But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.
The Lord sees your heart and no one can judge that. However, your outward appearance and conduct is seen by man and is the only thing they have to judge how your heart is.
So don’t tell me your heart is in full submission to God but you are willfully living in sin.
17 Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.
The Israelites could not say “We love God we want Him to be apart of our lives” and then negelct the building of the tabernacle.
The nation of Israel couldn’t say we love God and then worship others God.
New Testament Christians can’t say “I love Jesus. I’m a Christian” living as though a check in the box on Sunday is how we glorify God.
Jesus called us to be disciples, to be committed followers His Word. That all starts, in your heart.
Hows your heart?
You will have to give your heart to God because He won’t take it.
It’s your choice to trust in Jesus as your Savior and live for Him
10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
Living an abundant life doesn’t mean living a materially wealthy life, it means living a life finding your fulfillment in Christ because you have given your heart to him.
Have you given Him your whole heart?
Time of Response
Time of Response
Believer, have you given your whole heart God?
Most of us have an area of our lives we haven’t submitted to God. Whats the one you could submit to Him this week?
Will you?
Are you here this morning or listening online and not sure if you have a relationship with God? What I’ve said today doesn’t make sense to you. Maybe you don’t know if your saved and on your way to heaven.
The Bible says that when we believe by faith in Jesus, we are saved.
John 3:16
KJV 190016 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
God does love you. Loves you so much He sent Jesus to die for you.
Now you are faced with a decision…will you continue finding salvation in your own works or in the finished work of Christ?
Ephesians 2:8–9
KJV 19008 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Your first have to admit your sinner
Romans 3:23
KJV 190023 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
I’m sure each of us could do that.Next you believe
Romans 10:9
KJV 19009 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
Then confess. Confess Jesus as your Savior and call out to Him
Romans 10:13
KJV 190013 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
IF you’d like to do that today I’d like to help.
“Dear Jesus, I know I’m a sinner, I believe you came to die on the cross and rose from the dead. I put my faith right now in you and ask you to come into my life and change me from the inside out. Amen.”
Let’s pray