Touring the Tabernacle (2)

TEXT: Exodus 25:8

TOPIC: Touring the Tabernacle

Bible Survivor Series, First Baptist Church – Icard, Message 8

Pastor Bobby Earls, October 28 2001

Exodus 25.8, "And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them."

SLIDE 1

I've got some wonderful news today: God wants to dwell with you! He wants to join in your activities! He wants you to enter into His presence! He wants you to experience His power! He wants you to enjoy His provision!

That's what the Old Testament Tabernacle is all about! God instructed Moses in Exodus 25.8, "And let them(Israel) make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them."

So God spent 40 days on top of a mountain with Moses giving him the directions and dimensions for constructing the tabernacle. God wanted that tabernacle constructed a certain way because that tabernacle was a shadow of things to come!

This week our church has been taking people on tours. People have been touring their final destination through our Judgement House.

But today I want to take you on a tour. I want us to take a tour of the tabernacle God told Moses to construct.

SLIDE 2

Before we begin our tour, let me tell you a few things about the tabernacle you’re going to see.

First of all, notice that this tabernacle (which means tent) was portable in it's purpose.

In other words .. it was a portable worship center! Everywhere the children of Israel went ... God went with them! God wanted to take every step they took as they wandered through the wilderness!

I'm talking to some people here today and like the children of Israel ... you're in the wilderness! Cheer up! God is with you!

But not only was it portable in it's purpose .. .it was permanent as a portrait.

Everything associated with the tabernacle points to the person or work of the Lord Jesus Christ! Everything from the altar to the ark was a permanent portrait that shows us the conditions for knowing God! It's God's House of Symbols!

If you had a picture of the Tabernacle you would notice that the tabernacle only has one place of entrance. There was only one gate that led into the presence of God! If the presence of God was to be experienced ... they had to go through the gate! And that gate is a picture of Jesus Christ who said, "I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved."

So I want to tell you there's only one gate to God and that gate is the Lord Jesus Christ! Now as we walk through the gate we are confronted with the Brazen Altar.

SLIDE 3

(1) THAT ALTAR SPEAKS OF SALVATION.

There on the Brazen Altar innocent animals would be sacrificed! It was the shedding of the blood on that altar that made it possible to move into the presence of God. And that blood was a shadow of the blood that would be shed on another altar for the Bible says, "for it is the blood that makes atonement for the souls" (Lev 17.11) and "without the shedding of blood there is no remission" (Heb 9.22).

Those innocent animals that were sacrificed by guilty human sacrificers were a picture of Jesus Christ the lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world.

Directly West of the Brazen Altar was the Laver.

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(2) THAT LAVER SPEAKS OF SANCTIFICATION.

That's where the Priests would wash their hands and feet before entering the Holy Place! Before they could experience genuine worship .. they had to get cleaned up!

Let me tell you something: Dirty Saints cannot experience genuine worship! You cannot sow wild oats 6 days a week and come into this place on Sunday and pray for crop failure!

Before real worship comes real washing! 1 John 1.9, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

Now the Holy Place contained 3 pieces of furniture: the golden candlestick .. table of showbread ... and altar of incense.

SLIDE 5

(3) THAT CANDLESTICK SPEAKS OF ILLUMINATION.

The Candlestick provided the only source of light in the Tabernacle. God told Moses that there should never be a time when all 7 lamps were out! Exodus 27.20b, "to cause the lamp to burn continually."

Practically speaking ... the Priests needed the light in there to do their work. Spiritually Speaking ... that Candlestick and it's illumination was a shadow of another light that would come and that light was the Lord Jesus Christ: the light of the world!

Now beside that candlestick was the table of Show bread.

SLIDE 6

(4) THAT SHOWBREAD SPEAKS OF SATISFACTION.

Exodus 25.30, "And you shall set the showbread on the table before Me always."

Those twelve loaves of bread represented the 12 tribes of Israel. And those 12 loaves were an offering of thanks to God from every tribe for His grace and goodness upon them!

But that Showbread was more than an offering of thanks. That Showbread pointed to an even greater provision! They pointed to the Lord Jesus Christ who is the bread of life!

Listen friend .. Jesus not only leads us ... He feeds us! He feeds us through His Word and He leads us through His Will!

Now .. that brings us to the last piece of furniture in the Holy Place: The Altar of Incense.

SLIDE 7

(5) THAT ALTAR SPEAKS OF INTERCESSION.

Exodus 30.1-10 ... Now the altar of incense is different from the brazen altar.

SLIDE 8

They are different in their position in the tabernacle! The Brazen Altar was in the Outer Court and the Altar of Incense was in the Holy Place.

But not only were they different in their position in the tabernacle .. they were different in their purpose! Upon that Brazen Altar burned a sacrifice! Upon the Golden Altar burned incense! The Brazen Altar spoke of Salvation! The Golden Altar spoke of Intercession!

Psalm 141.2, "Let my prayer be set before You as incense ..."

Revelation 8.3, "Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. And he was given much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne."

Luke 1.9-10, "according to the custom of the priesthood, his lot fell to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord. And the whole multitude of the people was praying outside at the hour of incense."

The incense speaks of our prayers and it's continual burning reminds us of the necessity of constant prayer. But that golden altar of incense has a deeper meaning. Let me show it to you.

Take your Bible and turn please to Romans 8.34, "Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us."

Hebrews 7.25, "Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He ever lives to make intercession for them."

Hebrews 9.24, "For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us."

Oh ... listen friend! That incense points us to Jesus Christ ... our Intercessor! Jesus is our intercessor! The way to God is through Jesus! We cannot even come to God in prayer without coming through Jesus! That’s why when we pray to God, we offer our prayers in the name of Jesus. As saints, we pray to Jesus and Jesus prays for us.

Now having toured the Outer Court with it's Brazen Altar (Salvation & Sacrifice) and the Laver (Sanctification). And having toured the Holy Place with its Golden Candlestick (Illumination) and Table of Showbread (Satisfaction) and Altar of Incense (Intercession) .. we now humbly enter the Holy of Holies where we find two pieces of furniture: the mercy seat and the ark of the covenant.

SLIDE 9

(6) THAT MERCY SEAT SPEAKS OF RECONCILIATION.

Exodus 25.17-22 ... The Mercy Seat was the covering for the ark of the covenant. The word translated "mercy seat" means "cover." It comes from the same word that means "to cover the sins, to reconcile, to pardon, to cancel."

It's translated "atonement" nearly 70 times in the Old Testament. That Mercy Seat points to Jesus Christ who reconciles us to God ....that pardons our sin!

With his blood He writes the words "Paid in full" across our sins!

Jesus is the Mercy Seat! He's the Minister of Reconciliation! That's why Jesus came! To be the Mercy Seat for our sins!

Romans 3.25, "whom God set forth to be a propitiation (Greek equivalent for the Hebrew Mercy Seat) by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed."

Jesus came to be a propitiation ... a mercy seat ... a covering to reconcile us to God!

No wonder the Psalmist says in Psalm 89.1, "I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever."

Psalm 118.1, "Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! Because His mercy endures forever."

Now that brings us to the end of our Tour of the Tabernacle and the last piece of furniture: the ark of the covenant.

SLIDE 10

(7) THAT ARK SPEAKS OF PRESERVATION.

Exodus 25.10-11,16, 21 ... that Ark was God's testimony ... God's witness! Every time you find an ark in the Bible ... God's preserving something!

In Genesis 7.7 God used an ark to preserve Noah and his family from the flood which was the judgment of God!

In Exodus 2.3 God used another ark to preserve baby Moses from Pharaoh's murderers.

And now in Exodus 25 God used another ark to preserve His witness!

You see .. that ark is a witness to God's Plan.

The ark was a wooden box covered. On the outside was gold. On the inside was gold! And that ark was,

· a witness to God's Plan!

Wood in the Bible speaks of humanity. Gold speaks of deity. And that ark pointed to God's Plan regarding His Son: the Lord Jesus Christ! That ark pointed to His humanity and His deity! Jesus Christ was fully man and fully God! He is the God-Man! He is as much man as though He wasn't God and as much God as though He was not a man! He is the God-Man!

So .. that ark is a witness to God's Plan.

· a witness to God's Perfection.

Hebrews 9 tells us the contents of the ark. In it were the tablets of the covenant. The Law and the law speaks of God's perfection! Those tablets of the Covenant point to savior who fulfilled the law at all points and fulfilled the prophecies written about Him.

· a witness to God's Power.

That of course is the second item in the ark: Aaron's rod that budded. That account if found in Numbers 16-17. And that rod of Aaron's that budded points us to the Son of God who arose from the grave on the third day!

· a witness to God's Provision.

God's provision is seen in the last item in the ark: the golden pot of manna which speaks of God's provision! That manna points to Jesus who is the bread of life!

Everything associated with the tabernacle points us to the conditions for knowing God! Friend .. to enter the presence of God .. to experience the power of God ... to enjoy the provision of God ... you must go through the gate and that gate is Jesus Christ.

There at the brazen altar the sacrifice was made! Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness! From there you wash up at the Laver for daily cleansing!

Then as you walk into the Holy Place .. the golden lamp stand reminds us that Jesus is the light of the world. The Table of Showbread provides satisfaction and nourishment! And that bread points to Jesus who is the bread of life!

We see at the altar of incense the prayers of the saints and the savior as He prays for us. And then as we enter the Holy of Holies we see the mercy seat! Jesus is our mercy seat whose sprinkled blood covers and cancels our sin.

And then finally .. the ark of the covenant points us to a savior who was fully God and fully Man: the God-Man!

That tabernacle not only tells us that God wants to dwell with us and set us free from bondage ... but it shows us what makes it possible.

Take your diagram. I want you to see a miracle in the desert! If you take your pen and outline the furniture found in the tabernacle .. you will find it's in the form of a cross! That tabernacle was a cross in the desert!

God dwelt with them on the basis of the cross! When He looked at them .. He didn't see their good works; He didn't see their offerings! It wasn't even their obedience that He saw! He saw a cross! That's why He could dwell among them and set them free!

The way out of bondage and the way into freedom is still found at the cross!

SLIDE 11

FBI SERMON NOTES

TEXT: Exodus 25:8

TOPIC: Touring the Tabernacle

Bible Survivor Series, First Baptist Church – Icard, Message 8

Pastor Bobby Earls, October 28 2001

Exodus 25.8, "And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them."

Facts about the Tabernacle:

It was portable in it's purpose. (God is with us!)

It was permanent as a portrait. (Everything is a picture of Jesus!)

(1) THAT ALTAR SPEAKS OF _____________________

"for it is the blood that makes atonement for the souls" (Lev 17.11) and "without the shedding of blood there is no remission" (Heb 9.22).

(2) THAT LAVER SPEAKS OF _____________________

"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9

(3) THAT CANDLESTICK SPEAKS OF ________________

Exodus 27.20b, "to cause the lamp to burn continually."

(4) THAT SHOWBREAD SPEAKS OF _______________________

Exodus 25.30, "And you shall set the showbread on the table before Me always."

(5) THAT ALTAR SPEAKS OF _________________________

Exodus 30:1-10 ... The altar of incense is different from the brazen altar.

· Different in their Position

· Different in their Purpose

The Brazen Altar spoke of Salvation!

The Golden Altar spoke of Intercession!

(6) THAT MERCY SEAT SPEAKS OF ____________________________

Exodus 25.17-22, “17 “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. 18 And you shall make two cherubim of gold; of hammered work shall you make them, on the two ends of the mercy seat. 19 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. 20 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. 21 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. 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.”

Romans 3.25, "whom God set forth to be a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed."

(7) THAT ARK SPEAKS OF __________________________

Exodus 25.10-11,16

· a witness to God's _________________

· a witness to God's _________________

· a witness to God's _________________

· a witness to God's _________________

BIBLE SURVIVORS READING SCHEDULE FOR NEXT WEEK: EXODUS 31-40