Sermon Tone Analysis

*The Coverings.*

Last time I brought some Lego along, I thought today I’d bring another of Hannah’s toys.

You all know them: Russian dolls, one inside another.

Think you’ve seen it and there is another, there is more – layer upon layer.

It is like that with Jesus.

The deeper you look the more there is.

It is my desire for us that we will be going deeper, finding more of who Jesus is.

Most people know of Jesus – but what you know of Him depends on how deep you look.

Those who diligently seek are the ones that find Him.

Today I want us to peel of the layers and look deeper into Jesus [pray].

We have been looking at the tabernacle, which I have said pictures Jesus.

Last time we looked at the structure of the tabernacle *[P]*, the tent where יְהוָה dwelt among His people.

We looked at the boards – which pictured us *[P]*, the temple where Jesus dwells by His Spirit.

The wooden boards were covered in gold *[P]*, the Divine nature and stood in sockets of silver *[P]*, redeemed by Christ’s blood, bound together in the bonds of love *[P]*, the unity of the Holy Spirit.

Now this framework of boards was covered with the tent, the tabernacle.

We are not seen, but Jesus.

Let’s look at the coverings that went over the boards *[P]*.

[*Exodus 26:1-14* /“Moreover you shall make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine twisted linen and blue and purple and scarlet material; you shall make them with cherubim, the work of a skillful workman.

“The length of each curtain shall be twenty-eight cubits, and the width of each curtain four cubits; all the curtains shall have the same measurements.

“Five curtains shall be joined to one another, and the other five curtains shall be joined to one another.

“You shall make loops of blue on the edge of the outermost curtain in the first set, and likewise you shall make them on the edge of the curtain that is outermost in the second set.

“You shall make fifty loops in the one curtain, and you shall make fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that is in the second set; the loops shall be opposite each other.

“You shall make fifty clasps of gold, and join the curtains to one another with the clasps so that the tabernacle will be a unit.

“Then you shall make curtains of goats’ hair for a tent over the tabernacle; you shall make eleven curtains in all.

“The length of each curtain shall be thirty cubits, and the width of each curtain four cubits; the eleven curtains shall have the same measurements.

“You shall join five curtains by themselves and the other six curtains by themselves, and you shall double over the sixth curtain at the front of the tent.

“You shall make fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that is outermost in the first set, and fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that is outermost in the second set.

“You shall make fifty clasps of bronze, and you shall put the clasps into the loops and join the tent together so that it will be a unit.

“The overlapping part that is left over in the curtains of the tent, the half curtain that is left over, shall lap over the back of the tabernacle.

“The cubit on one side and the cubit on the other, of what is left over in the length of the curtains of the tent, shall lap over the sides of the tabernacle on one side and on the other, to cover it.

“You shall make a covering for the tent of rams’ skins dyed red and a covering of porpoise skins above/.] 5 x 4 cubits = 20 cubits + 5 x 4 cubits = 20 cubits a total of 40 cubits.

Now the tabernacle was made or 20 boards @ 1.5 cubits wide = 30 cubits, they were 10 cubits high, making a total of 40 cubits.

Curtain went up the end (10 cubits) over the top of the holy of holies (10 cubits) the join of gold clasps sat right on top of the pillars holding up the veil separating the holy place from the holy of holies.

The rest of curtain (20 cubits) ran over the rest of the holy place.

The curtains were 28 cubits long – the tabernacle was 10 cubits high and 10 cubits wide leaving one cubit from the ground on either side – the curtain never touched the ground – it was of heaven, above, not of this world.

The goats hair curtains were 30 cubits long – reaching right to the ground.

There were eleven of them, a group of five joined together, connected to a group of six by bronze clasps *[P]* – the extra curtain was folded double lapped over the back of the tabernacle so that the innermost curtain did not touch the ground.

These were the two curtains, above them were two coverings, one of ram’s skins dyed red, and the other of porpoise skin.

So there were 2 sets of curtains, and 2 sets of coverings.

Now I have a confession to make – I have been going contrary to Scripture!

If anyone has done any background reading of the passages concerning the tabernacle they will be aware that I have been going opposite to what the Bible describes.

The Bible describes from God’s perspective, going from the inside outwards.

I, on the contrary, have started on the outside and we are going further in, nearer to God.

We are looking from man’s perspective, from the outside in; from man toward God.

We look from earth: gate, altar, laver, tabernacle.

God looks from above – he sees a tent.

Tabernacle means tent – coverings.

Remember last time – boards = us.

But these boards are not seen from outside – they are covered.

We need to be covered.

Jesus is our covering – not the word for “atonement covering” here, but that of protection.

Jesus protects us, like a hen covers her chicks.

The boards we described last time are not seen from the outside, they are completely covered.

Nothing of man must be seen in יְהוָה’s temple – how much flesh, that which is of man, is seen in the church [*John 3:30* “/He must increase, but I must decrease/.”].

Let’s look at this covering, at Jesus, in reverse order from the outside inwards, deeper into Jesus.

*Porpoise skins:* If you saw the tabernacle in the wilderness *[P]*, it stood out – the tent part of it was 5 meters tall, every other tent would be less than 2 meters.

But it was not a particularly attractive tent.

Its outer covering was made of leather – probably from some marine creature *[P]*.

It provided good protection from weather – wind blown sand, rain but unattractive – there was no beauty that we should desire Him [*Isaiah 53:1-2* /Who has believed our message?

And to whom has the arm of יְהוָה been revealed?

For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of parched ground; He has no stately form or majesty that we should look upon Him, nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him./] *[P]*.

This is our first view of Christ; there is no appeal to natural man.

Bore the harshness of the world – wrath that was our due fell on Him.

Despised and rejected of men.

The world sees nothing in Jesus.

Need to look deeper.

“The old rugged cross so despised by the world a wondrous beauty I see”.

Many look merely at the porpoise skins – see the ordinary exterior – just a man.

Many made this mistake in Jesus day – they didn’t see Jesus for who He really is., even His own family.

John the Baptist suddenly had revelation as to who Jesus really is [*John 1:29-34* /The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

“This is He on behalf of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.’

“I did not recognize Him,/ (Jesus was his relative)/ but so that He might be manifested to Israel, I came baptizing in water.”

John testified saying, “I have seen the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven, and He remained upon Him.

“I did not recognize Him, /(then he had revelation)/ but He who sent me to baptize in water said to me, ‘He upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining upon Him, this is the One who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.’

“I myself have seen, and have testified that this is the Son of God.”/].

Prior to this John didn't recognize Him.

Isn't that the way with all of us?

We think He is just a man, a cousin, Joseph's son.

[*Luke 4:22* /And all were speaking well of Him, and// wondering// at the gracious words which were falling from His lips; and they were saying, “Is this not Joseph’s son?”/]Just an ordinary man, they knew his dad.

[*Matthew 13:55-56*/ “Is not this the carpenter’s son?

Is not His mother called Mary, and His brothers, James and Joseph and Simon and Judas?/ “/And His sisters, are they not all with us?

Where then did this man get all these things?”/

*Mark 6:3* says /“And they took offense at Him”./ *John 6:42* /They were saying, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know?

How does He now say, ‘I have come down out of heaven’?”/].

They didn’t get it because they were looking at the surface, with natural eyes, with unbelief and scepticism.

You will never see who Jesus is with that kind of vision.

We are in the dark until the truth is revealed, until we see Jesus for who He is.

[*John 1:10-14* /He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.

He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him.

But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth./]

We need to go deeper, see with the eye of faith, with spiritual eyes, receive revelation.

We all start out looking at Jesus from the fleshly point of view – from the human point of view, from self-interest [*2 Corinthians 5:16* /we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him in this way no longer/.]

We need to penetrate beneath the porpoise skins.

*Rams skins dyed red*: Under the covering of porpoise skins was another covering: ram’s skins dyed red *[P]*.

The ram is the animal of substitution – remember the sacrifice of Isaac?

Abraham was told to offer up his only son who he loved on mount Moriah [*Genesis 22:2* /“Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you.”/].

There he was about to bring the knife down on Isaac when what did he see?

– ram caught in a thicket [*Genesis 22:11-13* /The angel of יְהוָה called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!”

And he said, “Here I am.”