Good morning, my friends. It's a great joy to be gathered
with you again for worship today.
I hope you've been uplifted and you have been encouraged and
you've learned a lot from our Friday and our Saturday evening
Services during our meeting this week.
But I want to remind you that today is different right now is
different because the purpose of our worship this morning is to
remember the death and the burial and the resurrection of
our Lord Jesus Christ. This is no ordinary day.
This is the Lord's day. And as the Apostle, John wrote,
I was in the spirit on the Lord's day.
And I hope that you find yourself in the same spirit
Spirit of recognition that we're here for this special purpose.
For our study to to introduce our study this morning.
I want to read from Hebrews chapter 9, verses 1, through 10
if you have your Bible in the Pew, or on the on your phone, or
whatever, the case is, I'd invite you to turn along and to
read with me from Hebrews chapter 9, Verses 1 through 10.
I've also got it up on the screen here.
The Bible says then indeed, even the first Covenant had
ordinances of divine service and the Earthly Sanctuary for a
tabernacle was prepared. The first part in which was the
lampstand, the table, and the showbread, which is called the
sanctuary and behind the second Veil, the part of the Tabernacle
which is called the holiest of all, which had the golden Sensor
in the Ark of the Covenant over Lane on all sides with gold in
which where the golden pot that had the Manna Aaron's Rod that
budded and the tablets of the Covenant and above it all.
Were the cherubim of Glory overshadowing, The Mercy Seat of
these things, we cannot now speak in detail.
Now, when these things had been thus prepared, the priests
always went first, always went into the first part of the tab.
Michael performing the services but into the second part.
The high priest went alone once a year, not without blood, which
he offered for himself and for the people's sins committed in
ignorance, the Holy Spirit, indicating this, that the way
into the holiest of all, was not yet made manifest.
While the first Tabernacle was still standing, it was symbolic
for the present time in which both, Gifts and sacrifices are
offered, which cannot make him who performed the service,
perfect in regard to the conscience concerned only with
foods and drinks various Washings and fleshly ordinances
imposed until the time of reformation.
Now friends, some of what I just read may have made no sense to
you whatsoever. I may as well.
Have been speaking a foreign language And don't feel bad if
that's the case. Because what is being talked
about here in Hebrews chapter 9 is an ancient religious system
which really has not been practiced in over 2000 years.
You've never seen in person. What the writer of Hebrews is
talking about right now. And so today, we're going to
kind of have to go to spiritual kindergarten, so to speak to
understand these things. But as we read the Old
Testament, and as we examine the connections between the old
Covenant system and the Christian system that we are
under today, you're going to see an incredible picture being
painted and incredible tapestry being woven together here.
Of the Gospel of Jesus Christ as we study some truths from the
Tabernacle. I have to admit that this sermon
which I'm going to preach did not originate with me.
In fact it's actually one of the oldest in the Christian faith
just a few years ago, some archaeologists Unearthed and
Egyptian burial mask that was made out of paper.
And when they took it apart to analyze, What it was constructed
out of they found some 2nd Century Bible manuscripts one of
which was sermon notes from the first century on Hebrews, 9 10
and 11. So this is a sermon that's been
preached for a very, very long time.
And the reason it's survived is because it makes plain some very
difficult things. It takes Some very challenging
and hard questions and explains them by drawing, a simple
picture. Now, first of all, what exactly
is the Tabernacle? I think a lot of people may not
be familiar with this word. If you aren't familiar with it,
don't feel bad because it's sort of an archaic word, but maybe
you've been to one of the Gospel meetings such as sulfur.
Alma, or Chapel Grove Tennessee where they have the meeting
under a tabernacle. If that's the case, you
understand what a tabernacle is in its most basic form?
A tabernacle is a structure or a shelter or a tent, but I want
you to know that the Tabernacle of the Old Testament was no
ordinary 10th. In fact, it was something
utterly unique in history. When the Israelites were set
free from Egyptian slavery and they passed through the midst of
the Red Sea. God brought them out into the
Wilderness to Mount Sinai and when they arrived the Lord came
down from heaven and he settled on that mountain in a terrible
in an awe-inspiring display of fire and smoke.
And then speaking in a voice like the Roar of Mighty oceans.
He communicated The Ten Commandments his Covenant.
He was going to have with this people.
The children of Israel. Will, you know, the presence of
God was so Dreadful the children of Israel actually ran away and
they asked Moses to go up on their behalf and to meet with
God, to receive the Covenant and this was acceptable.
So Moses climbed and atop the mountain and he spent 40 days
with God, receiving the various laws and ordinances of the old
Covenant system. But actually the majority of the
time he spent there with God, was dedicated to receiving the
plans, for this tent, how it would be furnished, how worship
would be conducted, how the priesthood would be set up and
so forth? Now, throughout the Bible, this
tent has had many different names.
It's been called The Sanctuary, the holy, the Tabernacle of the
congregation the Tabernacle of witness and testimony, the house
of God and the prophet Samuel, even called it, the Palace of
God and all these names. Help communicate to us the Deep
spiritual and religious significance.
That this tent had for the ancient people of God and as we
study the Tabernacle, you're going to learn a fundamental
truth about all matters of religious and spiritual
significance and that is when God has a plan for something and
he wants mankind to be involved in his plan, he tells people
exactly what to do and how to do it.
He gives Very meticulous plans with no liberty or room for
improvisation. He's very specific and
meticulous with his instructions.
And that's because these are important to God and the
Tabernacle was no different, the Tabernacle was going to be his
house on earth. The place where God would accept
worship from men and where he would deliver instruction.
Actions to them. And so three times during this
40-day period, God said this to Moses.
According to all that I show you, that is the pattern of the
Tabernacle and the pattern of all its Furnishings.
Just so you shall make it. God said there's a pattern
there's a blueprint, there are instructions to follow and you
know, God has always worked this way throughout history.
When God told. Noah to build an ark.
He gave the exact dimensions and specifications for that vessel
when Moses are, when God told Moses and the Jews to build this
Tabernacle, he gave them a blueprint to follow and when God
sent the apostles into the world to establish Churches of Christ,
he gave them a pattern to preach and to teach to every disciple
Now in First Corinthians 11 verse 20 Paul.
When he wrote to Corinth he said now I Praise You Brethren that
you remember me in all things and keep the Traditions, just as
I delivered them to you and then concerning the ordinance of
communion. He said in verse 23 for I
received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you.
And so this is why we need to listen to the apostles and what
they have to say because They've got their teaching from the Lord
and their purpose was to then communicate that pattern to us
when it comes to religious matters.
God, always tells us what he wants us to do, and how he
expects us to do it. Now, let's keep that in mind, as
we continue our study. Now, as we talk about the
Tabernacle, we look at the different elements.
Of the building itself, you're going to notice some very
interesting groups of three that create some natural divisions in
the Tabernacle. Now, first of all, there were
three different areas starting with the outer Court.
The outer Court wasn't really part of the building itself, but
it was this yard on the outside. It was fenced in by a 150 by 75,
Cubit wall. And for clarity we're just going
to A feet instead of qubits because we understand what feet
are a little better. This wall was made of a fine
linen, curtain suspended by bronze pillars set in bronze
sockets and there was only one entrance and it always faced to
the east now within the court was the tabernacle proper and it
was 45 feet long by 15 feet wide and the foundation was 100
blocks. Acts of silver which each
weighed about 114 pounds. So you're talking about a
foundation made up of eleven thousand four hundred pounds of
silver. The structure of the building
was a Boards of acacia wood. That were coated in gold and
they were 15 feet long and two feet, three inches wide.
Now, like we mentioned earlier, God was very specific about even
the Actions of the boards of wood going into his house, he
was very particular about his instructions.
As you can see in the picture here, there were 50 boards.
Total 20 on each side, 6 on the back end and two at Each corner
and on the bottom of each board, where a couple of pegs which set
into sockets in the silver foundation, on top of each
board, there was a gold ring. And through this ring, they
would run a cord which was tightened to hold the boards
taught and secure. So you can see this was quite a
sturdy structure when it was all set up.
Now, the outer Court was open air but the Tabernacle itself
had four rooves. The first roof was ten curtains
of fine linen, in alternating colors of blue and Scarlet, and
purple and decorated all Were with pictures of angelic beings
called cherubim. And these curtains were fastened
together with clasps to create what was called the first Veil.
You can see there it made up the door of the Tabernacle.
The second covering was 11, curtains of goat hair.
The third was Ram skin dyed red and as for the fourth covering,
Well, Scholars are a little divided, the words a little
ambiguous. It might either be Dolphins skin
or Badger skin. Now, the first option is
certainly more interesting, but the latter is probably more
likely. The Tabernacle building contains
the two other areas. Now, in our reading, they were
called the first part and the second part, but you probably
know them as the holy place and the most.
Holy Place the holy place was this first section.
It was 30 feet long and dividing.
The two of these was the second Veil and then the most holy
place which was 15 feet square. The second veil, was again, a
very heavy and substantial piece of fabric also colorful and
covered with Angelic figures. This was a truly magnificent and
Beautiful building. In fact, people have estimated
it would take five hundred and fifty million dollars to
reconstruct this building according to all the proper
specifications. So we have our three areas, the
outer Court, the holy place, and the most holy place and in these
different areas you would find three different classes of
people in the outer court that was open to everyone.
Anyone could come and go and see the worship taking place but not
just, anybody could go into the holy Place, only priests could
go in there and that's what the writer of Hebrews said.
In our reading, the priest went always into the first part of
the Tabernacle. Now, in the ancient days of
religion, a priest was somebody who offered prayers and
sacrifices on your behalf. And when God selected the
Israelites as his chosen people, he specified that the sons of
Aaron from the tribe of Levi would be priests for everyone
else, the whole nation. And they were the only people
who were allowed to go into the holy place of the Tabernacle.
There's one more person here and that's the high priest.
There's a little picture of him down in the corner.
And as we read before the prayer, once a year on the day
of atonement Yom, Kippur the high priest would pass through
the veil into the most. Holy place with the blood of
atonement for his sins and for the sins of the people.
So we have three areas and three classes of people.
There were also three sources of light that outer Courtyard
didn't have a roof, so it was illuminated By the Sun but the
sun light didn't reach into the holy place on account of all
those curtains Andrews it was shut out.
The only light in the Holy place came from the golden
Candlestick. Now this golden Candlestick was
made of solid beaten gold and weighed about 114 pounds and it
was crafted to look like a budding almond tree.
It's quite beautiful. All of the utensils for
maintaining this lamp were also made of gold.
This light from the lamp stand. Illuminated the holy place but
it did not reach into the most holy place because of that
second Veil separating the two areas.
The only light in the most holy place came from the presence of
God. God would appear there in a
shining Cloud of Glory that the Hebrews called the Shekinah.
And that's what a Illuminated the most holy place.
So we have three areas, and three classes of people, and
three sources of light. There's also, three groups of
furniture starting out in the courtyard.
We have the Brazen altar, it was called that because it was made
of wood, but it was coded and overlaying with brass and the
brass was thick enough to protect it from the sacrifices
and the offerings that were constantly being Burned on top
of it. It had four horns one on each
Corner, which represented the power of God.
And there were fire, fire, pans, and grates, and shovels, and
hooks all made of bronze as well.
Now, as we mentioned earlier, only, the sons of Aaron could
become priests, but you weren't born as a priest.
You had to be consecrated as a priest and consecration began.
Han here at this altar. The man, who would become a
priest, he would come to the Altar and an animal will would
be killed as a substitute for his sins, and then it's body
would be burned on the altar. Now after this, the man would go
to the next piece of furniture called, the Laver in.
The Laver was a large bronze Basin, full of water.
And during his consecration, the man would get In the Laver and
he would wash. Now it's very interesting when
the New Testament talks about this washing.
It describes it as baptism uses the same word, baptism, he was
baptized in the Laver and that's confirmed by ancient Jewish
writings. They said the priest would have
to be completely immersed in order to purify his body and to
prepare him for his priest. Lee duties.
Now, whence he came up out of that water, he would put on the
clean, white garments of his office and he would pass through
the first Veil into the sanctuary and begin his Priestly
service. He had several duties to attend
to one of them was to trim that golden Candlestick and to keep
it burning constantly. He also tended to the table of
showbread, this table was also would overlay.
With gold and on the table were 12 cakes of unleavened bread.
Just like we're going to partake of in the Lord's Supper later
except there were 12 of them instead of just one one loaf for
each tribe of Israel and every Sabbath day.
The priests would eat these cakes.
Now in front of that Veil, there was also the altar of incense
again made of acacia wood coated in Gold this Under stood about
three feet high and like the Brazen altar, it had four horns
on the corners, but you didn't burn animals on this altar, you
burned incense. Now, when you read the Old
Testament, it's very clear that this altar was in the Holy
place, but when you read Hebrews, the writer describes
this altar as if it's in the most holy place.
And that's because while the altar itself was in the Holy
Place, its function reached into the most holy place, you see the
priest would stand at this Altar and he would offer prayers to
God, but he couldn't see God on account of that thick curtain.
The second Veil, which separated him from the most holy place.
But when he prayed, he would burn incense.
And this incense would fill the room and the cloud of smoke
would drift beyond the curtain into the presence of God.
And so the function of this altar bridged, The Divide
between the holy place and the most holy place on the other
side of that curtain we have the Ark of the Covenant that great
golden box inside which were three symbols odds of Israel sin
and a over the top of those symbols of sin, was a great
golden lid, called The Mercy Seat.
And The Mercy Seat is where the high priest would smear the
blood of atonement. So that God could come down and
have fellowship with his people. There's much more we could say
about that. But what you need to know is
this right here is where God would manifest his presence to
his people. So we've got these three areas,
three classes of people, three sources of light, and finally,
three groups of furniture. And this gives you a pretty
clear picture of the Tabernacle and how it function.
But I want to explain what all this means for us.
Because friends, this isn't just a history lesson.
This has actual application to your life today as we read in
our reading. The Bible says that the
Tabernacle has symbolic meaning for the present time Hebrews.
9:24 the writer says that this Tabernacle was a figure of the
true in Hebrews 9 verses 9 and 10.
It says, there was a problem. L'm with the Earthly Tabernacle.
And that was that the functions of the Earthly Tabernacle, never
fully eased, the consciences of God's people back then, it was
inadequate. The things going on here, were
pointing forward to something more.
True and more real. What we have here is a lesson in
type and anti-type in Shadow and substance these Elements of the
Tabernacle are picturing, something in the New Testament.
And in fact, we can take the gospel in the New Testament and
we can overlay it with this picture from the Old Testament
and it matches up perfectly. The key to unlocking, the
symbolism here is to figure out what the holy place is supposed
to be a picture of. Now we know the most holy place.
Is heaven because the Bible tells us that and Hebrews 9
verse 12, and verse 24. So what is the holy Place?
Well, friends, I submit to you, the holy place is a picture of
the Church of Jesus Christ, and I want to give you some evidence
to support that. In Hebrews 8 verse 2, the writer
says that this room was a picture of the true Tabernacle,
which the Lord directed, And not man.
Now what did Jesus build when he was here on the earth?
I'm not aware of anything that Jesus Built except for his
church as Mac. Matthew 16 Verse 18 says, I
don't know of anything else that he built except the church.
Hebrews 9 verse 11 says but Christ came as high priest of
the good things to come with the greater and more perfect
Tabernacle Burn akal not made with hands that is not of this
creation. You know that phrase not made
with hands reminds me of Daniel 2:44 where the kingdom of Christ
was pictured, as a stone cut out of the side of a mountain not
with hands. It was something God, created
and not mad. Later on, we read in 1st
Timothy. 3:15, the Apostle Paul says that today, the house of
God is the Church of the Living God.
And that's what the Tabernacle was, it was the house of God.
And so it was a symbol or a picture, an illustration.
Of the church. Now, if the holy place is the
church, then the courtyard must represent the place that we
leave to come into the church and that's the world.
Remember in John 15 verse 19. Jesus said, if you were of the
world, the world would love its own yet because you are not of
the world but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world.
Hates you. Jesus created a church from
those who come out of the world. So, we've got the world, we've
got the church and we've got Heaven.
God's saving life-giving presence is inside but the
people are on the outside separated from him by their
sins. So, how do you get inside?
How do you Come into the church from the world, you do it the
same way that the priest would come from the court into the
holy Place. Remember not just anyone could
go into the sanctuary, you had to be a priest.
Now, what was a priest? A picture or a symbol of?
We're friends. The Bible says that priests were
symbolic of Christians, all Christians. 1st Peter 2 verse 5
and verse 9 says, you also as living stones are being built up
a spiritual house, a holy priesthood to offer up spiritual
sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ, but you
are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, his
own special people that you may proclaim the Praises of him who
called you out of Darkness into his Alice light, what a
wonderful picture. Did you ever think about that
you as a Christian are a priest? You're the embodiment.
You are the true fulfillment of that priesthood of old, in fact,
Romans 12 verse 1 says, I beseech, you therefore Brethren
by the mercies of God, that you present, your bodies, a Living
Sacrifice. Now, who offered sacrifices that
was the priesthood and we, as priests Present, our bodies, a
Living Sacrifice, holy acceptable to God, which is our
reasonable service friends. Do you ever have trouble acting
as you should acting righteously is a Christian.
Maybe it will help to think of yourself as a priest consecrated
in God's service that can help motivate you to live
righteously. Here's one more verse
Revelation, 1 verses five and six.
It says to him who loved us and washed us from our sins in his
own blood and has made us Kings and Priests to his God, and
Father to him, be glory and Dominion forever and ever, amen.
Now this passage gives us a clue as to how you become a priest,
because remember, you don't become a priest because of who
you were born, as who your father was.
There's a part of That old symbolic priesthood part of that
old priesthood, which was symbolic of how we become
priests remember. In order for an Israelite to
become a priest, you had to be consecrated by a sin offering at
the altar and that's true of you.
And I as well, we cannot become priests unless a sin offering is
made for us. But I've got some fantastic news
friends. It's already been Taken care of
because Jesus Christ is the Fulfillment of the altar, the
sacrifice, and the high priest who made the sacrifice, because
Jesus sacrificed himself. Listen to Hebrews 7 verses 26
and 27. It says for such a high priest
was fitting for us. Who is Holy harmless?
Undefiled separate from Sinners. And as I'm higher than the
heavens, who does not need daily.
As those High priests to offer up sacrifices first for his own
sins. And then for the peoples for
this, he did once for all when he offered up himself, thank
God. Jesus Christ came and offered
himself as the perfect sin sacrifice for our behalf, Jesus
sanctifies us as priests With his own blood.
Now remember the writer said that that old system was lacking
partially because it provided fleshly Purity, it rolled the
sins back every year, but it couldn't cleanse the conscience.
People couldn't see how offering animal sacrifices, absolved them
of sin. Jesus is the Fulfillment because
his sacrifice is so Superior. Not only does it really cleanse
us ceremonially, it makes us pure but it can present us with
clean conscience, has before God.
Now, just as the levite could only come into the sanctuary by
the blood of a sin offering on the altar, we can only come into
the church, the house of God, Today by the blood of Jesus
offered on the cross. Now, the Levites accepted that
sacrifice physically in front of the altar, but we accept the
sacrifice of Jesus through faith.
As the Bible, says in Romans 3, verses 24 and 25 being
justified, freely by his grace through the Redemption that is
in Christ. Jesus whom God set forth as a
propitiation by his blood. Bud through faith friends.
That's a beautiful picture, but I want you to see something
here. The process is not complete at
the altar leaving the world and entering the church isn't
finished with the sacrifice of Jesus, or even with faith,
that's because there was another step.
Wasn't there. That Laver were a man would come
and be purified. Through immersion in water.
And he came up out of that water clean and then he was ready to
be a priest. Now friends, is there anything
that looks like that in the gospel?
Is there anything that looks like immersion in water for
purification for the remission of sins friends?
How about baptism? That's exactly what the Bible
says about baptism. Jesus said he who believes?
And is baptized will be saved. Mark 16:16, our friends.
I want you to look at this picture.
I told you it would fit. So simply and so perfectly.
The Brazen altar is a picture of faith in Jesus Christ.
The Laver is a picture of baptism and the holy place is a
picture of the church, he that believes and is baptized will be
saved. It's so simple, it's so easy to
see when you look at the picture, God has painted on the
pages of history. And in fact, surely the Hebrew
writer? Had this in mind when he wrote
in Hebrews 10, 19 through 22. Therefore Brethren having
boldness to enter the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a New and
Living Way, which he consecrated for us through the veil, that is
his flesh. And having a high priest over
the house of God, let us draw near with a True Heart in full
Assurance of Faith having our hearts sprinkled from an evil
conscience. In our bodies washed with pure
water friends, you can only have a body cleansed pure in a in a
conscience. Sprinkled clean through baptism
that's the assurance that you have that you have been washed
and purified and Sanctified before God in Titus 3:5, the
Apostle Paul, the Apostle Paul called baptism the washing of
regeneration And and the word washing there.
That's the same Greek word for Laver.
It's no wonder that Paul had this in mind because when the
gospel was preached to him and Acts 22:16 the preacher said and
now why are you waiting arise and be baptized and wash away?
Your sins? Calling on the name of the Lord
just as those priests would put on the clean.
White robes? The Bible says that when we are
Sized we put on Christ, Galatians 120, Galatians 3:27,
that old lifestyle of sinful living is traded for a new life
of Holiness. And righteousness, we put it on
as if putting on clean white garments.
When the Levites put on his white robes he was ready to
leave the courtyard and to go into the holy place and when we
put on Christ through baptism the Bible says We are translated
out of the kingdom of darkness and into the kingdom of God's
love. Now, once we're in the church,
we have some wonderful blessings and we also have some important
responsibilities to in the church.
We have one source of light that golden Candlestick.
That was pictured. So long ago is a symbol of the
word of God. The word of God is our light.
That's why the psalmist wrote. Your word is a lamp to my feet
and a light to my path. Psalm 119 verse 105.
There's only one source of truth and light and that's the word of
God. The Bible, the inspired
scriptures, we don't need councils, we don't need Pope's.
We don't need Creed's, we don't need any additional Revelation
or instruction. We've got it right here.
In the Bible, we have all that we need now.
There was also that table of showbread where the priests
would eat. The 12 cakes symbolizing, the 12
tribes and surely that is a picture of the communion of the
Saints. And what a marvelous parallel
there is between that table, and this table right here on the
table of the lord, we have not twelve loaves, but one picturing
Jesus and his sacrifice If ice Paul said that though, there are
many of us. We are one body because we all
share of that one loaf. First Corinthians, 10, 17?
We don't partake every Sabbath day, but we do it on the first
day of the week, the day of Jesus.
Resurrection Acts 20 verse 7. Finally, there's the altar of
incense, the Bible tells us in Revelation 5:8 and 83 that the
altar was a humble of the prayers of God's people.
Now, when we pray, we're just like that priests, aren't we?
We are speaking and crying out to a god that we cannot see
because we're separated by The Veil, The Veil of Flesh.
Sometimes that can make it hard to pray canton's but take
comfort in God's picture because when you pray your prayers like
the smoke from that altar drift up and passed the veil
separating you into the very presence of God, your prayers
bridge, the gap between Earth and Heaven in prayer.
You get as close to the Heavenly realm that you can in your
present, state of humanity. Is it any wonder that Jesus?
So often took time to pray while he was here on the earth?
That's as close as you can get to the father in this body.
What an awesome privilege it is to pray.
Friends. Don't ever take prayer for
granted There's the type and the anti-type, the Shadow, and the
substance, the picture and the reality.
Now, I want to tie everything together for you.
As I told you, I want to show you how you can take this
picture, and you can give simple answers to some of the most
difficult and challenging questions facing Believers
today. Issues that have divided
Believers for centuries. Could be put to rest, If we
would just look at the picture, God has Illustrated and let it
lead us to the simple truth. One of the great questions of
History has been. Should we baptize infants?
And, you know, there are many large and prominent religious
groups that practice infant baptism, but I want you to look
at the picture right here in this picture, we have faith
before baptism. Now, you can't have that with
infant baptism because an infant can't have faith.
So to baptized as an infant, you have to take the Laver and you
have to move it over in front of the altar friends.
You've got a rearrange God's Furniture.
Now, you can't do that. That's the ultimate sign of
disrespect if you invited me into your house and I decided to
begin rearranging your furniture.
Throwing out chairs and bring in tables and couches.
As I desired, I would be welcome in your house for very long.
It's your house. You get to choose how you
arrange it friends. It's the same way with God's
house. You can't rearrange.
God's Furniture infant baptism. Does not fit the plan.
It doesn't fit the picture. Here's another question.
Should we baptize Sinners or Christians?
Should we baptize lost people who want to be saved?
Or should we baptize saved people to show that they're
already saved? Does it even make a difference?
Well, let's take a look. The outer court is the world
where Lost Sinner's are and the holy place is the church now.
Where did God put, baptism, friends, did he put Get in here
with the saved. No.
It's out here with the lost and that's because baptism, is for
Lost Sinner's so that they can become clean and purified and
therefore eligible to enter in to God's house to have baptism
for saved people. You have to rearrange, God's
Furniture. You have to move the lever into
the holy place and friends, that won't do as popular of a
Doctrine. Is that is today It doesn't fit
the picture that God painted in the gospel.
How about another one? Can you pray your way into
salvation and bypass baptism all together?
You hear a lot about that today and the form of the sinner's
prayer. But we've got a problem because
the altar of incense is a picture of prayer and it's not
out here with the world. It's in the church.
It's a privilege for the saved. It's a right that is given to
those who are in the Kingdom in God's house not the lost.
The sinner's prayer does not fit the picture friends.
One more. Do you have to be in the church
to go to heaven? That's a difficult question,
isn't it? Let's look at the picture.
The outer court is the world. That's where people are when
they sin, and they break God's law the most.
Holy place is heaven where God is and the holy place is the
church friends, we've established all of that through
God's word. How do you get from here in the
courtyard to their the holiest, the presence of God.
You've got to go through there, there's no other way, there's no
other entrance, the picture that God Drew on the canvas of
History to illustrate and to make plain and simple, the
gospel shows. There's no other way to get from
the world to Heaven. Except through the Church of
Jesus Christ and friends. That's why we take it.
So seriously, that's why the church.
H is such a vital part of the Gospel.
That's why we're trying to tell everybody.
They need to get in the church because that's the only way
we've got to do everything we can to tell people about it.
You can see how this picture takes so many difficult things,
and it makes them so simple, friends.
There's also some profound symbolism here to think about
this Tabernacle was Actually replaced with the temple but
they shared the same design and you might remember that when
Jesus died on the cross, the Bible says that he died at about
3 p.m. in the afternoon. And as this happened, the veil
separating the holy place from the most holy Place ripped in
two from top to bottom. Now, that's significant because
at 3 p.m. in the afternoon, there would have been a priest
standing right there offering the evening prayers in front of
that Veil now, can you imagine the shock that that man
experienced when this Veil that, separated him from The Forbidden
chamber? If he went inside, he would be
struck dead by God. All of a sudden is torn open.
And for the first time he can look Look in there and he can
see into the throne room of God. And the Bible says that this
event symbolized how Jesus opened the way to heaven through
his death on the cross friends, that would have been an amazing
thing to be in the shoes of that priest and to stand where he
stood and to see that Veil ripped open.
But you know, the Bible says that someday Jesus is going to
return and when he does, he's going to rip open The Veil The
Veil of time and space, which is separating us from God and will
be able to look up and see into the throne room of God and not
only that but go up there and be with him in his Presence
forever. But only if we're like that old
priest only if we are found serving in the Holy place the
church only then can we pass through the veil into the
presence of our creator friend? If Jesus came back right now,
would you be found serving in the house of God?
And I'm not saying what he finds you at church this morning.
Not when he finds you at worship Services.
Would he find you serving? In the church in the house of
God, would he find you as one of those priests would he look at
your life? And find it clean and white and
spotless. Would he find it a Living?
Sacrifice As Romans described friends.
The only way to Don those Priestly garments to be found
serving is, as we talked about, it's to be Sanctified and to be
purified through belief and baptism as Jesus said in Mark
16:16 if you believe and are Just, you will be saved and
friends. If you have not been, if you
have not become a Christian, we want to invite you right now.
We are ready to hear your confession of your belief in
Christ and your Readiness to repent of your life of sin.
And we are ready to help you be baptized for the remission of
those sins. You can come up out of that
water. As the Bible says and new
creature, a new creation. You can begin your Priestly
service and have the assurance that either if you die.
Or if Jesus comes back, you'll have been found to be Faithfully
serving in the house of God friends we can help you obey the
gospel and baptism. Um, this morning, or if you have
another spiritual need come forward right now.
We thank you for listening to our podcast, put on by the
Church of Christ at 22:15 plans. Road in Bakersfield, if you
would like any additional information or you would like to
receive a free Bible correspondence, course by mail.
Please email us at info at True Church of Christ.
Bakersfield.com. Our service times are on Sundays
at 10:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. and Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m. please,
make plans to join us. We would love for you to be our
honored guest