Latest / Calvary Church with Ed Taylor Podcast / #10234 - God's Mercy Invites You In - Exodus 26:14-37

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#10234 - God's Mercy Invites You In - Exodus 26:14-37 · Calvary Church with Ed Taylor Podcast

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Welcome to the study of God's Word with pastor and author Ed
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Taylor, recorded live at Calvary Church in Aurora, Co.
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To learn more about the many resources available through
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Abounding Grace Media or to tune into our live stream services,
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visit us online at Calvary Co dot Church or download our free
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Calvary Church app. Now.
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Here's Pastor Ed to take us into our study.
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Open your Bibles, Exodus chapter 26.
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We'll finish the chapter today. Exodus chapter 26.
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The title of our Bible study is God's Mercy Invites you in.
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God's mercy invites us in as we follow the children of Israel.
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Remember, they're leaving Egypt. They've been delivered, set
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free, LED out by God himself. And along the way they are
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learning. They're let out by God
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themselves. They have been crying out for a
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deliverer. And what does God do?
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In the perfect timing? He provides A deliverer.
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And as they follow Moses now, they not only have a God that
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hears and a God that acts on their behalf, but God has also
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put a man in their life to lead them and to help them.
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And He's answered the call. He had that reluctant servant,
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and he wasn't so excited about it in the beginning, but God
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convinced him and he was convinced that God's way was
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better than his way. And as the children of Israel
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are leaving Egypt, they're learning.
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But in order to learn, number one, they need to unlearn a few
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things. There's been generations living
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in bondage of slavery. They have the mind of a slave
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that they, they can't help that to us it would be reflect our
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old person, our old man. We're learning that as we study
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through Galatians. You, if you, especially if you
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were saved later in life, you have a mind filled with bad
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habits, bad sinful habits. And as the children of Israel,
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then us now we need to learn, but we also need to unlearn our
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lives #2 they're also learning to live freely, which is very
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hard to live as free men and women families.
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They're not being, they're not being ruled by taskmasters
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anymore, but rather they're learning to live in relationship
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with their creator #3 they're also learning how to follow the
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leader. They haven't had this before.
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And any leaders in their life have been cruel and harsh.
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So now they're learning to follow by faith.
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They're learning to trust God and trust the people that God
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has put in their life. They're learning how to follow
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their leader. They're also learning #4 how to
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live in a new covenant relationship.
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Now, this isn't the new covenant of the New Testament, but
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rather, remember, they made a covenant with God.
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God made a covenant with them. And this becomes their
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relationship, God's definition of relationship.
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And it's a very glorious time, very wonderful.
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They're very excited. But as we know, they don't know
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this yet, but we know they're also going to be filled with ups
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and downs and some big failures, some faithless failures that
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they're going to pay the price for. 40 years of wilderness
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wandering. They don't know that yet, but
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it's up ahead. Even so, Jesus, as we are
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pausing here and just thinking about their, their whole life,
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just like you and me, right? You and you and I, we're in a
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process of learning. We haven't, we don't know
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everything we need to know. We will never know everything we
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need to know until we see Jesus face to face.
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Then we will know. The Bible says even as we are
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known. So we're also all learning.
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The problem of course with learning is, is the older you
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get and the more experience you have, the less you think you
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need to learn. You know, so I need, I've got
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this, I already understand. I've been here before, I've done
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that before. No, no, no, no.
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Proverbs chapter 3, verses 5 and six.
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Trust in the Lord with all your heart.
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Lean not on your own understanding.
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Acknowledge Him in all your ways and He'll direct your paths.
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Truly, that's what we want. We want to be directed.
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And in order to be directed, we have to take the position of
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learning. It's really what a disciple is.
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That's the definition of a disciple.
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A disciple is a learner, someone who sat at the rabbi's feet to
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learn. Jesus would say this later on in
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Matthew Chapter 11 and verse 27. We often skip over this little
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phrase as we quote this verse, but I want to read it to you,
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verse 27, Matthew 11. All things have been delivered
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to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father,
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nor does anyone know the Father except the Son and the one to
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whom the Son wills to reveal him.
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And then the familiar passage, come to me, all you who labor
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and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
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And even as I was thinking of this myself, this is often when
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I quote this verse from memory is where I stop.
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And I might jump ahead and say rest for your soul and emphasize
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that. But there's a part just after
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this that's super important. And what I need to do is quote
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it from memory, including this part of the verse.
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He says, I will give you rest, take my yoke upon you and learn
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from me. Jesus instruction.
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We're going to come to him. We're going to cast our cares
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upon him. We're going to take his yoke.
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We're going to we're going to exchange.
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We're going to trust him. We're going to enjoy his rest.
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But he says, I want you to learn from me.
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That's our whole life. Everything about life is to
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learn. And he says I'm gentle and
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lonely in heart, lowly in heart, and you'll find rest for your
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souls. My yoke is easy and my burden is
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light. In Exodus 26.
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With that in mind, we are in the middle of the Tabernacle and the
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instructions being given to build this Tabernacle, this
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portable tent of worship that will end up being used for 40
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years of their wilderness wandering.
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This is what's up in front of them, but God is preparing for
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today. And as we study the Tabernacle,
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so much of it points as a picture of Messiah of Jesus.
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We learn in John 114 that the Word became flesh and dwelt or
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tabernacled among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as
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of the only begotten of the Father.
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So review. We've learned a few of the
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pieces of furniture so far. First, we learned about the
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mercy seat, the place of the presence of God, there on the
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ark of the of the covenant, the ark of the testimony.
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And on top of it was the lid, the mercy seat, the place of the
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presence of God the Father. Secondly, we learned about the
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table of showbread, Speaking of Jesus, the bread of life.
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The third was the menorah filled with oil lit up, Speaking of the
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Holy Spirit. Inside were to be those linen
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curtains made of five, each held together with 50 clasps of gold.
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Four colors you remember to be used, white, blue, purple, and
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scarlet. Blue Speaking of the color of
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heaven, purple of royalty, scarlet Speaking of sacrifice
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and blood, as well as white linen Speaking of humanity.
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This is what the priest would see as they would walk in.
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This is what they would be surrounded with.
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Then the layers of goat goats hair with the bronze clasp and
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the ram skins dyed red symbolizing the sacrificial
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blood. Now, verse 14, we pick up the
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covering, he says of Rams skins dyed red for the tent and a
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covering of badger skins above that.
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Now the badger skins aren't the prettiest sight.
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This would be the outer layer, the outside protective layer of
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the Tabernacle. It was the covering that kept
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the Tabernacle safe from the elements of the world, from the
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weather, from the wilderness, from the scorching sun, the
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torrential rains, the wind blasting sands, and even the
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wild animals. This covering of leather would
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was symbolic of a protective separation from the world,
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speaking to us of Jesus as our protector and our guard in
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Isaiah 4110. Fear not, for I am with you.
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Be not dismayed, for I am your God.
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I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you and uphold you
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with my righteous right hand. This outside badger skins would
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be what the Moabites saw when they came by, what the
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Canaanites saw, what the otherites, they would see it and
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think. Just such a common little tent,
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nothing very special about it. It would be like today.
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The best way you can think of it is like if you saw a mansion
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today, but it's all decrepit and covered in Moss and never clean.
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Like on the outside it wouldn't look very attractive except for
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the sake that it's a mansion. But on the inside was where the
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beauty was. Again, speaking to us of Jesus
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in Isaiah 53 verse two. He shall grow up as a tender
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plant and as a root out of dry ground.
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He has no form or comeliness Speaking of Jesus.
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And when we see Him, there's no beauty that we should desire
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Him. Now pick up in verse 15.
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And then for the Tabernacle you should make the boards of Acacia
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wood standing upright. 10 cubits shall be the length of the
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board, and a cubit and a half shall be the width of each board
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to 10. On shall be in each board.
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For binding 1 to another, mark that binding 1 to another.
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Thus you shall make all the boards off of the Tabernacle.
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And verse 18 you shall make the boards for the Tabernacle, 20 of
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them. On the South side you shall make
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40 sockets of silver under the 20 boards, two sockets under one
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board for its two tenons, and two sockets under another board
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for its two tenons. And then the second side of the
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Tabernacle, the north side, there shall be 20 boards, and
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for their 40 sockets of silver, 2 sockets under one board, 2
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sockets on another. For the far side, verse 22 of
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the Tabernacle westward you shall make six boards.
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You shall also make two boards for the 2 back corners of the
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Tabernacle. They shall be coupled together
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at the bottom, and they shall be coupled together at the top by 1
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ring. Thus it shall be for both of
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them. They shall be for the two
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corners. So there shall be 8 boards with
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their sockets of silver, 16 sockets, 2 sockets under one
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board, 2 sockets under another board, And you shall make bars
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of Acacia wood. 5 for the boards on one side of the Tabernacle, 5
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bars for the boards on the other side of the Tabernacle, 5 bar
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bars for the boards on the side of the Tabernacle.
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For those far side westward, the middle bar shall pass through
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the midst of the boards from end to end.
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You shall overlay the boards with gold, make their rings of
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gold as holders for the bars. Overlay the bars with gold, and
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you shall raise up the Tabernacle according to its
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pattern which you were shown on the mountain.
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Which is interesting to me as the instructions were given,
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Moses was already given the view of this Tabernacle.
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It's almost like God downloaded everything into Moses mind.
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So he had the framework in his mind.
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As he was receiving these instructions, he was able
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supernaturally to understand the instructions and give them
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directly to those who were given the instructions.
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They were to receive them and follow them.
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And it was given to him this pattern that was shown to him on
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the mountain. So you got all these boards of
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Acacia wood, 20 on the N, 20 on the South, 6 on the West,
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leaving the east open. And why would he leave the east
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open? Well, when Jesus Christ returns
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again, which direction is he coming from?
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The east? He's coming into the east.
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He's which gate is he going to enter?
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We take you there when you come to Israel with us and we will
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point the actual Eastgate is far underground right now, but the
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one that's showing on the wall with the Muslim cemetery in
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front of it, because they thought if they put a Muslim
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cemetery, no good Jewish Messiah would come as if he's going to
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look at the cemetery. Oh, it can't go through there,
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but the real gate is far below that God Messiah will come back
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and enter in through the east gate.
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And there is a, a gate there. It's not the original, but it's
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there on the wall. It's built years later that you
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can point to and we'll be able to see.
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And I always like to draw that out when we're standing there
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looking at the east gate from the Mount of Olives.
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It's fascinating. But notice back to the Acacia
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wood. The Acacia woods mentioned
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again, and it speaks to us. We already learned that the
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wood, the Acacia wood speaks of humanity.
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It's just an ugly Bush type tree that grows in the desert.
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And like any tree, it has to be cut down and it has to be cut up
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in order to be used as a place where God can dwell and come and
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reside. That's the instruction you need
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to take the Acacia wood. But it doesn't start as boards.
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It starts as a Bush like tree. Here the wood speaks of our life
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in relationship to Messiah, our lives, our lives.
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We needed to be cut down and cut up and worked on.
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I'll give you one example. You go, Ed.
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What do you mean? Let me.
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I'm not following. OK, let me give you one example.
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When you and I were saved young age, later on in age, one of the
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things that God needed to cut down in our lives is our pride.
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Can I get an Amen on that? He's still kind of shaving that,
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isn't he still kind of fashioning and forming us as the
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boards like we're not perfectly fashioned.
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There needs to be a cutting away of the pride and the arrogance
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that there needs to be some, some different work that needs
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to be done in your life, that needs to be done in my life,
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that needs to be done in your life and your life as God is
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fashioning and molding us. It all begins with being born
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again, newness of life to be washed.
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The Bible would say in First Corinthians 6 to be washed and
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cleaned up, to be sanctified, to be justified.
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And you'll notice that all the boards were of the same height
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for this Tabernacle. That makes sense.
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That way it would be symmetrical and it would look even as the
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Tabernacle was built. But there's also significance
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with us. Why?
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Why would we all be the same height?
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Well, I can, I can. I can recall that the cross puts
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us all on equal ground. You know, there isn't anyone in
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here that's more important than anyone else.
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Whatever you may have that you lean on, that perhaps put you a
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little bit ahead in society, or maybe put you a little head in
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your family, or put you a little head of someone not, not with
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the Lord at the cross, we're all equal.
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And so whether you have that sense of accomplishments that
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might put you a little head or you have that sense of failure
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that might put you a little below, no, no, no, we're all
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equal. It's all it's important that we
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recognize that in God's sight we're all on equal ground.
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Then he talks about these sockets of silver.
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Silver in the Bible is a medal of redemption, redemption.
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The silver was all there where the poles would be there and the
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boards could be fastened into those poles and the foundation
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of the Tabernacle front would be a foundation of silver or
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redemption all around these boards, Speaking of humanity, of
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equality, held together by redemption, by silver.
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We were once lost, but now we're found.
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These boards no longer stuck or planted in the world like they
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were as a Bush, but now used greatly by the grace of the
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power of Jesus Christ. You can think of your life right
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now. I couldn't help but think as I
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was meditating upon one of the commentators view of the
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Tabernacle. I was meditating.
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I'm just thinking about my own life of what God saved me from,
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that God has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound
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the wise. He's taking something that's
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very ordinary and continues to be ordinary until he or she is
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in the Master's hands. I mean, the boards, they would
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just be laid down there just like any other boards.
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But when they were set up for the Tabernacle, they were
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sanctified and set apart for the use of God.
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They weren't like any other boards.
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They were special and yet they were equal.
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And doesn't that sound like the church there?
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There isn't anything that makes us any better than anyone else,
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that we are ordinary but in the Master's hands for the Master's
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use. We're special because we are
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there to glorify God, to welcome men and women into a place of
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worship. Not only that they had to all be
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the same height, but they could only stand upright.
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If they were linked together. They needed to be built together
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exactly as God prescribes. They wouldn't be able to be
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standing strong unless the instructions were followed.
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Notice again, verse 24, real quick notice they shall be
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coupled together. Did you see that?
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Coupled together at the bottom, coupled together at the top by 1
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ring. And we saw earlier as the boards
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would be building, verse 17, one to another, they would be
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together and they would be fastened together.
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Listen, each of the boards together, each of the boards was
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a cubit and a half, but together they made three cubits. 3A
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number in scriptures of godliness, like the perfection
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of the Godhead, the Trinity, by yourself and by myself.
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I'm very unbalanced. I'm very shaky and vulnerable.
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Just like a piece of wood that can't stand on its own without
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help from a socket, without help from a holder, without help
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being coupled together but linked together.
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We're strong. I mean, we're always stronger
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together, Church, you know that, right?
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We're always in our strongest position when we're in unity.
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That the Bible says if you're going to fight for anything, I'm
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paraphrasing Ephesians, but if you're going to fight for
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anything, you need to fight to maintain the unity of the spirit
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and the bond of peace. Anyone that is participating or
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being used to participate in division is not being used by
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the Lord unless you're being divided from the world by the
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badger skins. I mean that's being like it's
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divided from sin. But within the body of Christ.
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Division kills churches and kills friendships and kills so
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much progress that the church could be making if we would just
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coupled together in the Lord, the way the Lord prescribes,
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allowing God to work in us. We have to be linked together,
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church standing strong alongside of each other, bearing one
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another's burdens, helping one another along the way.
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I believe it's very vital for every believer to be hooked
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together with another believer. It is not enough to just
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consume, be a Bible consumer because that's what our world
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has created. The church is filled with
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consumers. So what do you mean by that?
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Well, your attitude, you can think of it this way, if you
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approach your relationship with God in this mindset, and whether
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it's toward God, toward a church, toward another brother,
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toward a ministry, whatever, and your thought is this, you walk
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in, let's just say you walk into church tonight and this was your
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heart. What does this church have for
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me? What does this church have for
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me? Well, you're just a consumer.
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What do you mean? What do we have for you?
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What do you want? Well, you know, I'll take a hot
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dog and some peanuts and you know, a nice up front seats and
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you know, I want to be escorted. Like what do you mean?
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What do we have for you? What do you think you're going
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to get from a church? A Bible study, maybe a good one,
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maybe not, but you're going to get one.
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We're going to sing to you. What do you mean what do we have
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for you? Well, you can see you've just
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become a consumer and God doesn't disciple.
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You know that consumer mindset didn't come from the Lord.
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In Mark chapter 10 verse 45, we see just the opposite.
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Jesus came not to be served, but to serve and to give His life a
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ransom for many. Jesus is the epitome of a giver.
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He is the picture of generosity. You see, God is not discipling
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and developing consumers. What do you have for me?
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But rather He's discipling and developing communers.
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When you're worshipping God, you think of not what you have for
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me, but you walk into a church service like this, you walk into
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a prayer meeting you, you come together and go, what do I have
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for you, brother? Are you OK?
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Sister? You don't seem so strong.
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You don't seem so straight. You don't, you know, I haven't
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seen you in a while. Where you been because you used
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to be so strong coupled together, you used to be so
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strong, but the enemy's just dividing and wanting to take
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away. And a lot of it is this sense
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of, you know, I just need my needs met.
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I just want my needs met. Just meet my needs.
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And I'm telling you, Jesus Christ on the cross through the
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blood that was shed in relationship has met all our
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needs. All that we need is found in
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him. The Bible says Peter tells us
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we've been given all things pertaining to life and
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godliness. He's your comfort, He's your
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strength. Remember not too long ago, we
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looked at all the names of God, how he's revealed himself to us.
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I mean, today if you need healing, he's Jehovah Rapha, the
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God who heals. It's his name.
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It's who. Yes, you should pick that study
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up online or on our app and just be encouraged.
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Again, as God says his name, he says it's who I am.
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I am who you need me to be. God says I am.
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I'm the great I am. Please, church, this might be
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just for you. It might be.
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It might be, you know, someone online.
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I know I have a lot of pastor friends and I still meet people
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that say, yeah, people are still aren't back from COVID.
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And what I mean by that is not any heavy condemnation, but the
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fear got in or the habit got in or the concern got in and now
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they're a weak, bored all alone. They're weak, they're in a
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weakened condition because of a real episode in their life.
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And so now it's just, hey, it's easier online and it's easier
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now. I recognize too, I just want to
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speak to everyone because through the radio and online
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right now, I know that all of you are sick and you're not able
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to be here or you're in a hospital room.
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That's not what I'm talking about.
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I'm talking about those that believe that consuming Bible
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studies and consuming services is going to be enough.
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But you're like that Acacia board, you need to be coupled
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together in Acts chapter 2, verse 42.
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This is the kind of Christian that God says this would.
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This is what I bless is how churches grow.
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This is how families grow. This is how believers grow.
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They continued steadfastly. They turned there.
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We haven't turned. Let's go over there because I
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want to go a little bit farther than Acts 2.
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So go with me. Acts chapter 2 and pick up in
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verse 42. It wasn't too long ago God was
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exhorting us. I mean, it was a few years, but
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that's not too long ago that we were studying, seeing Acts
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chapter 2, learning at the early, the power of the early
24:16
church in these early stages. And this is it.
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This is it. It wasn't the programs, it
24:23
wasn't the methodologies, it wasn't the seminars, it wasn't
24:26
the consuming of all that's available.
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This is what made the church strong then and this is what
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makes the church strong now by making strong believers.
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Verse 42. They continued steadfastly in
24:39
the apostles doctrine and in fellowship, in the breaking of
24:44
bread and in prayers. And fear, it says, came upon
24:47
every soul. Many wonders and signs were done
24:50
through the apostles and all who believed.
24:53
Do you see that were together? What is that a phrase describing
24:58
unity. Unity, you see it all comes
25:02
together. The Bible is 1 message.
25:05
It's one message. If you're in Exodus, it's
25:08
pointing you to Messiah. If you're in Leviticus, it's
25:12
pointing you to Messiah. If you pick up in the Psalms,
25:17
you're learning about Messiah. It's all one message and the
25:21
value that God has in unity. What made the church strong?
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They were unified. They were unified.
25:27
They had all things in common. They were so unified, they went
25:30
over to the top and they said, you know what, we don't want to
25:33
keep any of our stuff. We're going to pull it all
25:35
together and give. And we know later on that that
25:37
wasn't an effective strategy for the early church.
25:40
It wasn't directed by God. But you know, it's OK to step
25:44
out in faith when you think the Lord is impressing upon
25:46
something upon your heart and just go for it.
25:49
Again, if you're wrong, you're wrong, but at least you were
25:51
wrong seeking the Lord. It's like, oh, you know, I don't
25:54
need this and let's just, let's all get together and let's just,
25:57
you know, let's never leave. No, you have to leave, actually.
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But Peter had that on the Mount of Transfiguration.
26:04
That wasn't unusual. This is so good.
26:06
I don't want to leave. I was like, no, you got to
26:09
leave. You can't live on the
26:10
mountaintop. You don't live on the
26:13
mountaintop of experience, although you get a few
26:15
mountaintops here and there. You know where we live.
26:18
We live in the Valley of reality.
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We live in the Valley of warfare.
26:24
We live in the valley of challenges and ups and downs and
26:27
victories. Notice they sold all their
26:29
possessions, but verse 46, continuing daily with one accord
26:34
in the temple, breaking bread from house to house.
26:37
They ate their food with gladness, simplicity of heart,
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praising God and having favor with all the people.
26:43
And the Lord added to the church those who were being saved.
26:47
And he added, it says daily the Lord doing that daily work as
26:52
the church were daily seeking him together in the Lord so
26:58
beautiful. It's essential to be together,
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every believer to be connected together with another believer,
27:06
men with men, women with women. It's essential for
27:10
accountability, for answerability.
27:14
There's so much protection and being connected with one
27:17
another, so much protection and being transparent and vulnerable
27:22
with our lives. So much protection.
27:25
When you have given a brother or a sister in your life, brothers
27:29
with brothers, sisters with sisters, that you give them
27:32
permission and look you in the eye and ask you anything.
27:35
And even if you don't give them permission, it's like praise God
27:38
for the brothers that will just come up and ask you, are you all
27:40
right, brother? Where you been?
27:43
Are you into that? I remember years ago we were
27:45
praying in that small group and you had confessed that sin.
27:48
How's that going? Or I got to talk and meet to a
27:51
meet a brother today. He's such a great testimony.
27:53
It's so good. And we're just talking about his
27:55
sobriety and how the and this is so cool.
27:58
I was going to share it with Micah later, but since he's
28:00
here, I'll share it with all of us.
28:02
But he's this brother. He's going to the 711 across the
28:05
street just to do some business with the lottery ticket.
28:08
He said that's it, So if I didn't ask him if it was
28:10
$1,000,000 ticket, I should have asked that.
28:12
But he's across the street, 711. He comes on and what does he
28:15
see? That big bright sign that we
28:19
just put up on the corner and it is bright.
28:21
Have you noticed? Easy to see.
28:24
It can only hit one side of people driving, but it also
28:27
hits. I wouldn't have thought.
28:28
I didn't even think about it, truly.
28:31
It hits a guy walking out of 711 and what does he see?
28:35
One of the slides that spoke, I don't know what the words were,
28:38
but it it was that slide about, do you need help with your
28:40
addiction? And he saw it and he said, yeah,
28:44
man, I've been backslidden in his own heart.
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He's speaking to himself a backslidden for all this time.
28:49
And I do you know, the Holy Spirit was using that sign on
28:51
the corner. But at the same time he's
28:54
processing as me. I don't want to go there.
28:56
I'm not going to do it. But then he's like, no, I'll do
28:58
it because I, you know, if I don't like it, I don't have to
29:00
go back. I thought it was so great.
29:03
And so guess what, he came been sober 90 days, 90 days.
29:10
I always like to hear the number.
29:12
He said the number before I did. But I said, you need, did you
29:15
tell Micah that story because he's the one that takes care of
29:17
the slides. And just a little sign.
29:20
It's just a little sign that the Lord was saying, brother, you
29:24
need to be with other believers. That's all I was saying.
29:27
Whatever the words were, the Holy Spirit said, brother,
29:30
you've been gone too long. And perhaps, sister, it's you've
29:33
been gone too long, you haven't been connected.
29:38
And I would say this as well, because I know in a large
29:40
churches, sometimes you get the feedback.
29:42
Well, I've been in a church all this time and I haven't made any
29:44
friends. That surprises me, by the way,
29:47
that surprises me. But perhaps, you know, there's
29:50
some reasons for that. But I would just give you this
29:52
word. You ready?
29:54
In any church, large or small, if you want to make friends, is
29:56
what the Bible says, you ready? If you want to have friends, you
29:59
must first be friendly. And so I'll tell you, if you
30:05
become the friend you want to be, you will see people
30:09
attracted to you. Don't give up so quickly on
30:13
being built together with believers.
30:16
Or you say today I've been burned by believers.
30:18
Well, join the crowd. If I left this church every time
30:22
somebody burned me in 25 years, I would have left just about
30:28
every service. Like, I mean, I've had some big
30:30
burns too. But like, like if I, if I left
30:32
every time I was offended or every time something happened or
30:36
somebody said some or posted something about me or whatever,
30:39
what church could I find that I could get away from humanity and
30:43
the wrestling of humanity and the reality?
30:46
But I remember what Hebrew says. Hebrews reminds me that I have
30:50
not yet resisted to bloodshed yet striving against sin.
30:54
So like Paul would tell Jesus in light of the church, I've made a
30:59
commitment to, you know, the in light of the application of what
31:02
Paul said to Jesus is where am I going to go?
31:06
You alone have the words of eternal life and I'm just going
31:10
to persevere it. And maybe they'll be
31:11
reconciliation. Maybe they'll be, you know, I
31:14
just stay in the same address and people that leave angry
31:17
might be back in 20 years. Well, hopefully I'll still be
31:19
here. We haven't changed the address.
31:21
We're still here, we still got the same phone number.
31:25
We got to, you know, it's a little different than a long
31:27
time ago, but we'll always be in a place where reconciliation,
31:30
forgiveness can all take place. And you have to understand that
31:34
in your own life. I know it's hard to hear being
31:37
connected with other believers because you might be carrying
31:39
hurt or difficulty. But listen, that hurt was not
31:41
from the Lord. It's just from other believers.
31:44
And I have to say, in our hurt that we carry, we have
31:47
convenient memories because we conveniently forget the people
31:52
we've hurt or the mistakes that we've made or the dumb things
31:56
we've said or some joke that was ill timed.
31:59
I mean, has anybody, I mean, has anybody had a joke that was ill
32:03
timed and it just hit the wrong way?
32:05
You didn't mean it that way. You didn't mean it that way, but
32:08
it doesn't matter how you meant it, it still hurt.
32:11
And then you get upset and easily offended and then you
32:14
don't ask for forgiveness. And you, like the enemy, loves
32:18
that. I had to say this already.
32:19
The enemy loves to divide and don't think it's for someone
32:24
else. He wants to divide you from the
32:27
person you're sitting with. He wants to divide your
32:29
marriage. He wants to divide you from your
32:31
kids. He wants to divide you from your
32:33
pastor. He wants to divide you from
32:35
anyone that could possibly help you in your walk with the Lord.
32:40
So remember, these boards here come back to Exodus.
32:44
They needed to be together. They couldn't stand alone.
32:46
And there's so much protection as we are clasped together in
32:52
the Lord. Verse 31 now.
32:55
And you shall make a veil woven of blue and purple and scarlet
32:58
yarn and fine linen thread. It shall be woven with an
33:02
artistic design of cherubim. You shall hang it upon the four
33:06
pillars of Acacia wood overlaid with gold.
33:10
Their hook shall be of gold. Upon the four sockets of silver.
33:14
You shall hang the veil from the clasps.
33:17
Then you shall bring the Ark of the Testimony in there behind
33:19
the veil. The veil shall be a divider for
33:22
you between the Holy Place and the Most Holy.
33:24
You shall put the Mercy seat upon the Ark of the Testimony
33:27
and the Most Holy. You shall set the table outside
33:31
the veil and the lamp. Stand across from the table on
33:33
the side of the Tabernacle toward the South, and you shall
33:37
put the table on the north side. You shall make a screen, verse
33:41
36 for the door of the Tabernacle woven of blue,
33:44
purple, and scarlet yarn, fine linen thread made by a Weaver.
33:49
You shall make for the screen 5 pillars of Acacia wood, overlay
33:53
them with gold. Their hooks shall be of gold.
33:55
You shall cast 5 sockets of bronze for them.
33:59
This veil, the first veil, separates the holies from the
34:03
Holy place. The priest could only go in once
34:06
a year to sprinkle blood on the mercy streets, on the mercy
34:10
seat, making for the proper sacrifice.
34:12
The veil points to God's holiness and majestic present.
34:17
It's separated the mercy seat from everything else.
34:21
The table of showbread. We're going to be on the north.
34:24
The lampstand stood opposite the table on the South.
34:27
And it's important that we just pause here and consider for a
34:30
moment why the separation? Why the separation?
34:34
It was important that men knew that his sin separated him from
34:39
God. He needed to know this even as
34:42
we do daily. God is God in His supreme
34:46
holiness, and we are not. We are sinful men and women,
34:53
boys and girls. Man has no access to God apart
34:59
from God's mercy and grace. Later on in the temple, when
35:04
Jesus died, a similar but much thicker veil in the temple was
35:08
torn in two from the top to the bottom, thus opening the way
35:14
through the blood of Christ. Now in the New Covenant, that
35:19
separation has been broken. Oh, not your identity, you know.
35:23
You don't become God in any way. But because you and I now have a
35:28
mediator who stands in the middle, who has fulfilled the
35:32
law in its entirety, we have one mediator between God and man,
35:37
the man Christ Jesus. Now that the torn, the veil has
35:40
been torn, you and I can go directly to God.
35:44
You don't need to go through a pastor.
35:45
You don't need to go through a priest or confession or any type
35:49
of religious activity by just simply choosing through the
35:53
blood of Christ to come to Him. The doorway is open for you.
35:58
It is completely available. Don't settle for religion and
36:02
religious expression with all of these activities that have been
36:05
dictated to you that are unbiblical when you can have a
36:09
deep abiding relationship through the blood of Jesus
36:11
Christ today. You don't settle for even though
36:15
you were taught that way or you were raised in a home like that
36:18
way. What happens when you read your
36:20
Bible and pray every day, especially if you grew up in a
36:22
very religious home or a very man centered religious home or
36:25
even a false religious home. When you start reading the
36:28
Bible, you go oh wow, oh wow, oh wow, that's in the Bible.
36:33
Nobody ever told me that was in the Bible.
36:35
Nobody ever told me that I could come anytime.
36:37
I was always told that I had to make an appointment and that I
36:40
had to meet with that man and I had to sit in a box and I had to
36:43
confess out loud and I had to do what he told me to do.
36:46
And then maybe, maybe, maybe God might hear me and I can
36:49
experience forgiveness, just maybe.
36:51
And God says, no, no, no, there's no maybes with me.
36:53
It is finished. And you can come directly to the
36:57
Father through me at any time. But you see, you can have that
37:00
in any area of your life where the enemy wants to take a
37:04
foothold or you've become, we don't have time to develop this,
37:08
but it needs to be said. You've been delivered from
37:11
slavery, just like the children of Israel.
37:13
You've been taken out. You don't live to the taskmaster
37:16
of sin anymore. You're a new creation in Christ.
37:19
You're not defined by your sin. You're not remembered by your
37:22
sin. You're a new creation.
37:24
You're a daughter of the king, a son of the king.
37:27
And yet when you present yourself to sin, you know what
37:29
the Bible says, you become a slave again.
37:35
The problem with a life of slavery is that it you developed
37:39
your life around it and it's comfortable.
37:43
The life of faith isn't always so comfortable, you know,
37:47
because it's unpredictable. You're unsure.
37:53
We have a radio program every day, one hour a day, where
37:58
there's a lot of unsurety, a lot of uncertainty in matters of
38:01
life. And that's always a good
38:03
indication that there's they're living a life of faith because
38:07
if they were living a life of rules, they'd have no questions.
38:10
Like, I already know I got a problem today.
38:11
I have rule number six to tell me I feel guilty, right?
38:14
I already been told I can just go to the church, make an
38:17
appointment, knock on the door, you know, confess my sins and
38:20
the man behind the box will tell me what to do.
38:22
But the life of faith's not like that.
38:25
You don't know what a day will bring.
38:27
You don't know which way to go. You want to present yourself,
38:29
not a slave to sin again, but you want to present yourself to
38:33
righteousness so that you can walk in the freedom that God
38:36
gives you and enjoy it. So this inner veil was
38:41
separation, but the veil was torn, the death of Jesus Christ.
38:45
Then the outer curtain, it says as we close was like a screen
38:49
like structure. The inner curtain symbolized the
38:52
door into God's presence, dividing the holy place from the
38:55
courtyard. It was an entrance to the temple
39:00
of great beauty and craftsmanship, similar to the
39:03
inner curtain without the cherubim.
39:06
Gold hooks, 5 posts overlay with gold, the bronze bases, sockets
39:10
for the post Remember bronze? We'll get to the bronze labor
39:13
next time. Speaking of judgment so that you
39:17
recognize that the Tabernacle is no ordinary tent, but it's a
39:24
message. The door, the outward curtain
39:27
also reminds us of a very important teaching of Jesus.
39:31
Remember when Jesus spoke of himself as a as a shepherd.
39:34
He described himself in John 10/9.
39:36
I am the door. I'm the door.
39:41
He says enter. Anyone enters by me.
39:43
He'll be saved and we'll go in and out and find pasture.
39:49
Let's turn over to close today in Hebrews chapter 10, would
39:52
you? Hebrews chapter 10 all the way
39:54
to the back. We're almost done.
39:59
Such an encouragement as we think of the tent structure
40:03
being completed. Now the instructions of it,
40:06
verse 19. This is the instruction to us.
40:10
Hebrews 10/19 Therefore, brethren, having boldness to
40:14
enter the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living
40:18
way, which he consecrated for us through the veil that is his
40:22
flesh. Having a high priest over the
40:25
House of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full
40:29
assurance of faith. Having our hearts sprinkled from
40:33
an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water,
40:38
let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering.
40:41
For he who promised is faithful. And let us consider one another
40:45
in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the
40:49
assembling of ourselves together as is the manner of some, but
40:54
exhorting one another so much more as you see the day
40:58
approaching. Doesn't that sound like a
41:00
summary of the Bible study today?
41:02
All the points that were made in the building of the Tabernacle
41:05
are now repeated with the door wide open.
41:11
Don't let anyone, as you seek to worship Jesus in your freedom,
41:15
try to take you back to the law and hold you in bondage.
41:20
You and I, we have freedom. God wants to live among his
41:24
people today in the new Covenant.
41:25
He lives in his people and the Tabernacle here.
41:30
Remember, God is declaring that He wanted to live and establish
41:35
a personal connection with His delivered children.
41:39
That's the whole point. I want to dwell with you.
41:43
No more taskmasters. God could be saying I'm not a
41:49
taskmaster to you, I have your best interests at heart.
41:53
Some of you are on the other end of resisting temptation right
41:56
now. You've been resisting, you've
41:57
been resisting. But it's getting really
41:59
frustrating for you because you think God is being hard on you,
42:04
but He's not. He has your best interests at
42:06
heart. He wants you to thrive.
42:10
He wants me to grow. He wants me to enjoy life to its
42:13
fullest. I know He promises me eternal
42:16
life, age, abiding life, but He also wants me to enjoy life now.
42:21
He doesn't want me living like a like a, you know, I'm lost as a
42:23
Sinner all the way. And then when I get to heaven, I
42:26
get to enjoy eternal life. Eternal life began the moment
42:29
you were born again, the fullness of life.
42:33
So that when he says no, son, he means that for your best, for
42:36
your good and his glory. When he says no premarital sex,
42:41
he means that. When he says don't be drunk with
42:44
wine, which is an excess, he means that.
42:47
When he says don't forsake the gathering of believers together,
42:51
he means that. Why?
42:53
Well, because he wants what's best for you.
42:56
He wants us to live with the like the least amount of
42:59
consequences in our lives. And So what does he do?
43:04
He meets us where we are no longer on the ark of the
43:09
testimony. The mercy seat is no longer the
43:11
lid. But we learn, haven't we, that
43:14
Jesus is our mercy seat? We learned that big word.
43:17
Do you remember it? He's our propitiation, our
43:20
atoning sacrifice. It's his blood that saves us and
43:26
changes us. And we learn in this section as
43:31
we're studying the Tabernacle, at least three things if you're
43:34
jotting him down, three things that I think are super helpful.
43:37
Number one, God loved His people and wanted to be with them.
43:43
That's why you were invited to church.
43:44
That's why somebody told you to listen to the radio.
43:46
That's why somebody forwarded this YouTube video to you.
43:49
Because God wants you to know He loves you and He wants to be
43:53
with you in relationship #2 God is also saying that He's to be
43:59
approached the right way. You couldn't just make up your
44:03
own religion to worship the one true God.
44:06
If you make up your own religion, that is a false
44:09
religion. God prescribes how to approach
44:13
him. God prescribes how to be
44:16
worshipped. And then thirdly, God is saying
44:19
these things through the Tabernacle that he would reveal
44:21
himself and give the exact details on how you could enjoy
44:26
it. And you know, the new covenant
44:29
is just a beautiful picture of the old.
44:32
It's a completion, a new covenant rendering the old no
44:36
longer necessary. We'll learn this in Galatians.
44:38
The law had a purpose, but it wasn't to save you.
44:42
It was to show you you need to be saved because nobody could
44:45
keep it. Nobody could keep the law.
44:49
Nobody. Even today, if you go on the
44:51
Internet password, I've been a believer for a while and I can,
44:53
I've kept the law. You just lied, whether
44:58
intentionally or not. And even there's provision for
45:00
intentional sins and unintentional sins still sin.
45:06
So the law drives us to the cross where Jesus Christ
45:10
completely kept it. And when we place our faith in
45:15
Him, there's a great exchange, His righteousness for our
45:18
unrighteousness, His sinlessness for our sin, His eternal life
45:24
for our eternal death in an instance.
45:29
And that's the work that God wants to do and has done in so
45:32
many of us. Amen.
45:34
Lord God, thank you for the hope of the gospel of that of Jesus
45:37
Christ that literally changes lives and has changed so many
45:42
lives, not just in a moment, but through a lifetime.
45:46
Drawing us to yourself, revealing to us the areas where
45:53
we have leaned upon our flesh to bring satisfaction, where we
45:57
have not drawn from your resources of grace and mercy and
46:02
have been content with you that that have been satisfied with
46:07
you. It's the the joy wore off or the
46:12
unity disappeared or there's so many offenses that our hearts
46:18
got hard. And so I just pray over your
46:21
church today, God, that there would be a reigning flood of
46:24
forgiveness, mercy and grace that we as boards which stands
46:31
strong together in unity in the right place.
46:36
I mean that whole illustration, God could just be so many
46:38
different things that we could use.
46:41
We need to be at the right place, fastened to the right
46:43
board. We needed to be where you put
46:46
us. Just like you said in
46:47
Corinthians, we have all the different parts of the body, the
46:50
foot, the ear, the mouth. We all need to be the right
46:53
place what you called us to do. And so God just pour out your
46:58
spirit upon us as we head into the rest of our week, not really
47:02
knowing what we're going to face, but knowing that whatever
47:06
we face, we're going to be facing it in you and with you,
47:10
empowered by you. And I would just say, if there's
47:14
anyone here today that has never received the Lord Jesus Christ
47:17
for your salvation, would you just stand to your feet?
47:19
I want to pray with you. Today's the day you say I want
47:22
to be born again. Well, I want you also to be a
47:25
born again, but God even more is inviting you to follow Him,
47:30
inviting you to admit your sinfulness before Him and ask
47:35
for His forgiveness. Does anyone here need to ask for
47:38
the forgiveness of God? Just stand to your feet.
47:41
I want to pray with you. The Bible says if you confess
47:44
with your mouth the Lord Jesus and you believe in your heart,
47:47
God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
47:51
And so I know you're in a Bible study and you're like tent and
47:54
boards and badger skins and things.
47:56
And I like it's, it's kind of gone all over your head until I
47:59
started talking about the blood of Jesus.
48:01
Then your heart started to burn because God was revealing this
48:06
is your way out. This is your only way out.
48:10
This is your only way of having that conscience relieved.
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The only way of you coming clean is to come clean before God.
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And Jesus said unless a man is born again, he will not see the
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Kingdom of heaven. Is there anyone here that needs
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to be born again or wants to be, wants to become a Christian, a
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follower of Christ? We want to give you a chance to
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do that before we sing this final song.
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God bless you in the back. Anyone else that today would be,
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God bless you over here today. This is the moment, the love of
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God just so overwhelming in your heart.
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God bless you, brother. Just today is the day.
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And so you're going to have someone come alongside you.
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Don't be nervous about that. These are pastors and leaders.
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This is our way to follow up with you so you don't get fall
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through the cracks. You know, we don't want you to
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fall through the cracks. We want you to know that you're
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cared for immediately in the very moment in this church.
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You already got a board standing right next to you.
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Such a glorious truth. And so today you can ask God to
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forgive you. You could say God forgive me of
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my sins. I believe you sent Jesus to die
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for me and that his blood forgives me of all of my sins.
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You just pray that to God. Just confess your sins to him.
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Tell God I want to be saved. I need to be saved.
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I believe you died for me and rose again and I need help
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turning away from my sinful past.
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I choose to follow you with my whole life.
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Father. I know anyone near and far.
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I pray for those that prayed on the radio right now on the
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online. You hear them, you see them even
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if we don't. The precious souls in the room
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today continually bringing men and women to you, God, because
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you love them, you care for them, You have their best
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sensors at heart. I pray for the prodigal among us
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tonight, Lord. I pray for those that have been
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wandering. Like the friend that shared his
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story with me today. He knew he's been wandering and
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yet you kept knocking, you kept knocking, you kept knocking.
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And then the sign. So encouraging and so those that
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you've been knocking, knocking, knocking, Lord, bring them back.
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Let them come to their senses and step into their divine
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destiny that you have for their lives.
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Bless those that called upon you today in Jesus name, Amen.
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We pray that you've been encouraged by this Bible study,
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delivered live from the sanctuary of Calvary Church.
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For prayer, call us at 87730 Grace that's 877-304-7223.
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To listen to this message in its integrity or to join us for our
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live stream services, visit us online at Calvary Co dot Church
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or download our free Calvary Church app.
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Be blessed as you worship Jesus this week.