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Dr. Irwin "Rocky" Freeman
This is up on the mountain now. Paul says that believers can help together by prayer. 2nd Corinthians 1 11. 2nd Corinthians 1 11 which is what Aaron and her did you find in verse 12. But Moses hands were heavy and they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it and Aaron and her held up his hands the one on the one side and the other on the other side and his hands were steady until the going Down to the Sun and Joshua defeated.
Discomforted vanquished Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword. So Aaron and her they didn't sit back and say how come you can't hold your hands up. Moses you're tired. Well, I'm tired too. I'm not coming up here to help you.
I work as hard as you do. Now they said we'll help. Believers are supposed to work together. They're not supposed to criticize each other. If you see somebody that's burdened go help them with the burden.
Instead of sitting back sometimes we say well if they walk with God, they wouldn't have those problems. Who says they wouldn't. You and I walk with God perfectly. We don't do anything wrong, but we got problems.
Well, how come somebody else can't have a problem there? We're supposed to help and encourage one another and to pray for one another. And Moses had the rod of God in his hand. Which speaks of God's almighty power now.
It is important that God's people cooperate with God in gaining a victory over the flesh. Romans 6 Tells us to reckon To yield and to put to death the deeds of the body. Moses alone on that mountain could not have won the battle.
Joshua alone in the battlefield could not have won the battle. It required both of them. And how wonderful that we have the interceding Son of God who is for us in Romans 8 34 and the indwelling spirit of God Who is for us Romans 8 26 and the Word of God in our hand.
My friend you are not weaponless. You have all that you ever need. Now notice that Joshua did not completely Destroy the Amalekites. He discomfited them in verse 13 he vanquished them. But it doesn't say that he destroyed them totally and completely.
The flesh will never be completely destroyed or eradicated in this life. Christ will give us a new completely total nature dominated by the Spirit of God when he returns Philippians 3 21. Now the promise of complete destruction of the flesh is given in verse 14 and the Lord said unto Moses write this for a memorial in A book and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua.
For I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven. God says it's something he's going to do but it hadn't been done right at that moment. He was going to completely push it out and in 2nd Samuel chapter 1 Verses 6 through 10 it informs us That it was one of the Amalekites that Saul spared that killed him.
That got him killed. Now if you read 1st Samuel 15 You'll see that Saul sin Was refusing to deal finally with the Amalekites. He was supposed to deal with him utterly and finally but he didn't do it and it was an Amalekite that would use to bring about his death and If you don't put the death of flesh in your life every day.
It'll be that same flesh that will bring about your discomfort in the will of God and will cut off the blessings of Lord From your life. Now in this passage of Scripture You find the word Jehovah in Verse 15 and Moses built an altar and called the name of it Jehovah Nessie or Jehovah Nessie, and it means the Lord is my banner the Lord is my banner.
We have our victory through Christ alone and not through our own efforts all right now in The third section of this is chapter 18 wisdom from the world. Now Bible students disagree as to the application of this chapter it just depends on who you read.
That's what kind of idea you get. Whether or not Jethro who was his father-in-law when he came they disagree as to whether his advice To Moses was of the Lord or was of the flesh. You can find good men on either side some see this chapter as a picture of the future kingdom when the bride is joined to Christ and The Gentiles which is a picture of Jethro sharing the blessings of Israel.
Now we are going to reign with Christ and share his dominion just as the officers shared the rule with Moses. But it is my own personal conviction as I study this that Jethro's counsel or his advice was of the flesh.
It was of the flesh and not of the Lord for one thing in numbers 11. We find a similar situation in Numbers chapter 11 and God took of his spirit and distributed the power among the 70 officers. Now Jethro's interpretation of the problem was selfish.
He said why sit is thou thyself alone? That will surely wear away. This thing is too heavy for thee thou art not able. Now that sounds like Simon Peter in Matthew 16 verse 21 and following says pity thyself Lord.
Don't go to the cross Lord it'll hurt it'll be painful. You don't know what you're saying Lord. You don't understand what happens when you go to the cross and This is what Jethro was saying to him now God had already told Moses back in chapters 3 and 4 of Exodus.
That he alone would supply the needed grace to do the job. Now in numbers 11 which ties in with this Moses agreed with Jethro's his father-in-law's Interpretation and he complained to God. How many Christians do I know they go to a father-in-law who walks in the flesh?
And he gives his advice. Like it's the greatest and the most godly advice and gets that young boy into trouble in our will of God. Because that man was out of will of God for himself be very careful where you get your advice from and how you follow advice because this proved to be the wrong advice now in verse 11 and After he complained to God Jethro admits that Jehovah is Greater than all gods that Jethro now I know that the Lord is greater in verse 11 of chapter 18.
That all gods for in the thing when thou dealt proudly he was above them as we said the other evening Jethro worshipped other gods. He was a pagan. He was not a follower of the true God of Israel. He was not and so this is a far cry from a definite confession of faith in the true God but in verse 27 furthermore as we look at verse 27 and Moses Let his father-in-law depart and he went his way into his own land.
He seemed to acknowledge God and he seemed to come close to God. But we see him refusing to stay with Israel, but going back to his own people. Jethro Moses Had a good testimony with him then and Moses did straighten things out with him.
He did acknowledge that God was the main God of God was the true God, but he wasn't willing to follow that God and stay with the people of Israel so he left now our God is a God of order and there's nothing wrong with organization and This is one of the problems we come into this passage of Scripture.
But we wonder if this worldly wisdom of Jethro was pleasing to God for Jethro himself was not very sure about what he was advising Moses to do and this is what he was saying look at verse 23 if thou shalt do this thing and God command thee so Then thou shalt be able to endure and all this people shall also go to their place in the peace.
He's saying Spread out all these responsibilities to everybody else. Don't try to do this. God told you to do it, but you can't do it yourself and So he's trying to get him to relinquish the responsibility God had given and spread it out.
So he wouldn't have to do it himself. Now. He was willing to rejoice and all that the Lord had done in verse 9 and 10 and Jethro rejoiced for all the goodness which the Lord had done to Israel. When he had delivered out of the hands of the Egyptians Jethro said blessed be the Lord who's delivered you out of the hand of The Egyptians, but he was not willing to believe that God could help Moses with the everyday burdens of life.
And so he said you can't stand it. You'll wear away Moses. You can you can't stand those pressures. How many wise instead of saying we need to trust God? Turn around and say well, maybe you ought to just quit teaching Sunday school.
Maybe you ought to quit doing this maybe you ought to quit doing that because you see you can't do everything and So a man or a woman or a young man or young lady a mother or dad or parents will walk away from what God's laid On your heart because somebody else advises him in the flesh that you're whatever God calls you to do.
He'll equip you to do it. Whatever God lays on your heart to do he'll give you the strength and the wisdom to do it now Moses adopted Jethro's scheme and The people agreed to it, but we have no assurance that God approved the organization.
Now God's attitude in numbers 11 suggest just the opposite that he did that God. We don't have any evidence that that God approved this. But we know that Moses did adopt this scheme and the people agreed to it.
And you can find that more clearly in Deuteronomy chapter 1 verses 9 to 18. Deuteronomy 1 verses 9 to 18. Moses agreed to it the people agreed to it. But there's no evidence in the scripture that God decided to bless it.
Now there are the open and obvious attacks of the flesh and Amalek is a picture of that. But they're also the subtle ideas of the flesh they come very subtly these appeals to us that if you're not careful You won't recognize him and that's sort of a picture like Jethro the subtle advice that he gave.
Now Moses could have done whatever God called him to do for God's commandments are his enablements but it is easy for us to get wrapped up in pity and To feel that nobody else cares and that God has given us too great a burden.
But if you read Isaiah 40 verse 31 You'll find that God is the solution to the problem and so let me read you Isaiah 40. I Believe it is if it's not. But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength.
They shall mount up with wings like eagles. They shall run and not be weary and they shall walk and not faint if you're where God wants you. When God wants you to be there my friend God will give you the strength and sustain your life to be able to do what God wants you to do.
Well. That's through chapter 18, and I know we all right. We won't talk about God's law about God's law. Probably the no topic is more misunderstood when you come to the Bible than the law of Moses. And it's meaning you cannot go to the Old Testament and found Christianity.
You can't go to the Old Testament and use Old Testament concepts in the church Old Testament scriptures. We do not get our doctrine from the Old Testament. We get our doctrine from the writings of the Apostle Paul and yet many people are in total confusion.
Because they don't know how to correlate the Old Testament and the New Testament and they go back there. And they find something they think that's for us and all of this now. To confuse the covenants of God is to misinterpret the mind of God and miss the blessings of the Lord on the personal life.
It is wise that the believer examines the Word of God to determine the place and purpose of the whole mosaic system. The whole mosaic system, which is a law now beginning with basically and I will give it to you in generalities.
Basically with Exodus chapter 19 and going all the way through the cross of Christ the people run the law. That's basically the realm of the law from Exodus 19 all the way through the cross of Christ.
You might read Colossians 2 14 now people are under what we call the mosaic system and after the cross of Christ all the way through acts the seventh chapter the gospel is still staying with the Jews and Only in Acts 10 did the Gentiles get the gospel as a group of people.
Acts 7 is whenever God the Jews blasphemed the Holy Spirit in Acts 8 He moved to the Samaritans. Which was a cross between a Jew and a Gentile and only in Acts 10 The Gentiles did not get the gospel of Christ as a group of people all the way through Acts the 10th chapter.
So Matthew Mark Luke and John in the first nine chapters of the book of Acts God is dealing basically with Jewish people or the Samaritan people who was a cross between a Jew and a Gentile and so the Mosaic system.
It was a transitional period from the mosaic system to the System of the church or grace as we know it because the Apostle Paul got saved in Acts the ninth chapter now. This is called the law of Moses in the Bible it is just called the law.
It is called sometimes the law of God. These are words that are interchangeable. They're synonyms. They are synonymous one with the other now for the sake of convenience you and I and we did this the other evening.
We talked about the moral law and the ceremonial law. We break it into two parts and we refer basically we say the moral law to the Ten Commandments that's basically what we talk about and we'll look at the Ten Commandments in just a few moments and the civil law and the Ceremonial law rather refers to the types and the symbols.
Those things that were used in the ceremonies that they had and then we come up with the civil law. And that means the everyday laws and ordinances that were given to govern their lives day by day. That would be the civil law now actually, the Bible never makes a distinction like that.
The Bible never makes a distinction between moral and ceremonial law and It just doesn't it just talks about the law the law and the law and so we ought not to but we can to kind of. Help us study it.
For example, the fourth commandment. Which is about the Sabbath is found in the moral law. It is in the Ten Commandments and yet it is most importantly a part of the ceremonial system of the Jewish Holy Days.
And so we see that it was a part of both and you couldn't separate them. Now the purpose of the law was quite different than what a lot of people think that it was. God had already made an everlasting covenant with the people of Israel the Jews through their father Abraham in Genesis the 15th chapter.
He made a covenant that was everlasting. It could not be broken. You can find it reconfirmed in Psalm 89. Where God says if you can change the seasons if you can change the night and the day then you can break his covenant that He reconfirmed with his servant David.
He said I will not lie once I have sworn by my holiness. I will not lie to my servant David and God just reconfirmed to David what he had said to Abraham back in Genesis 15. So my point is it was an everlasting covenant.
It could not be broken or it could not be changed. Now the covenant that God gave to Abraham Had nothing to do with obedience or disobedience. It did not matter whether people were obedient or disobedient as far as that covenant was concerned.
It was an everlasting covenant and it just depended on God's grace. He promised them that his blessings would be there and he gave them ownership of the land of Canaan. He just gave it to him and said unto your seed I'll give it and it didn't make any difference what they said or did not say what they did or did not do.
God promised that land now. The law of the Mosaic system was added. Alongside it was added alongside God's previous covenant. You might read Romans 5 verse 20. But it was a temporary measure as we find in Galatians 3 19.
The law was temporary and it was only given to be temporary. Now it was given only to Israel. It was not given to the church. It was given to the Jews. It was given to them to mark them out as God's chosen people and his holy nation.
You write might read with me. Well, let me read it to you Psalm 147. It's very interesting. That most people confuse it but it will solve it for us in Psalm 147. I'll just read it and you can write it down and In Psalm 147 it says this verse 19 and 20.
He showeth his word unto Jacob and changed Jacob's name to Israel his statutes and his law unto Israel. He has not dealt so with any other nation and as for his ordinances. They have not known them. Praise ye the Lord.
He gave his law to Israel and he never gave it to anyone else and he gave it to them. To make out a chosen people or a chosen nation and to separate them now. He never gave the law to save anybody. He didn't give the law to Israel to save them.
It never has and it never will save any person and our Seventh-day Adventist friends are much amiss if they think you can keep the Law anybody tells you and you keep the law just doesn't know anything about human nature or God.
They either don't understand the holiness of God or they don't understand the far-reaching part of sin. They just don't understand sin or the wholeness of God if they believe they can keep the law. It is impossible to be saved by keeping the law.
Galatians 3 11 and Romans 3 20. All right, he gave six reasons. I'll give you six reasons as to why he gave Israel the law. Let me give them to you and give you a bunch of scripture. First of all to reveal his glory and holiness.
He gave the law to reveal to them his glory and his holiness. You might read Deuteronomy 5 you can just put DT Deuteronomy 5 verses 22 to 28. Deuteronomy 5 22 to 28. Second reason to reveal man's sinfulness.
To show his holiness and glory and to show man's sinfulness. Romans 7 7. Romans 7 7. Romans 7 13 first Timothy 1 9 and following first Timothy 1 9 and following James 1 22 to 25. Reveal man's sinfulness.
A third reason that he gave the law Was to mark Israel as his chosen people and to separate them from heathen Gentile nations. To separate them from pagan make sure you put pagan or heathen Gentile nations.
Because today God deals with three groups of people and in 1st Corinthians 10 32 he deals with the church which is basically Gentiles, but he has also unbelieving Gentiles and Then the Jews the three groups of people that he deals with all right read Psalm 147 as we just read 19 Psalm 147 19 and 20 Ephesians 2 11 through 17.
Ephesians 2 11 through 17 and Acts chapter 15. A Fourth reason as to why he gave them the law was to give them a standard for godly living that they might inherit the land and enjoy its blessings in peace.
A Standard for godly living. Deuteronomy 4 1 and following Deuteronomy 4 verse 1 and following Deuteronomy 5 29 and following Judges 2 19 to 21. Judges chapter 2 19 to 21. Tell us that he gave it to him for standard for godly living.
A fifth reason was to prepare Israel for the coming of Christ. To prepare Israel for the coming Messiah. Galatians 3 24 tells us that Galatians 3 24 tells us that God gave it to them as a schoolmaster.
Now a schoolmaster in a strict sense of the word was a trained slave. Whose task or job was to prepare a child for adult living and that's what a schoolmaster was. When the child matured and entered adulthood He received his inheritance and he no longer needed the schoolmaster.
Now Israel was in her spiritual childhood under the law. She was just beginning to grow as a nation. And so the law was her schoolmaster. But this prepared her for the coming Messiah. Galatians 3 verse 23 all the way through chapter 4 verse 7.
Galatians 3 23. Through Galatians 4 verse 7 the key verse in that is Galatians 3 24 all right, the sixth reason that God gave is to illustrate in type in picture form and Ceremony the person and work of Jesus Christ.
Hebrews 10 1. Hebrews 10 1. Those are the six basic reasons as to why God gave Israel the law. Now the law is compared to several things in Scripture and I want to give you what it's compared to. First of all the law is compared to a mirror.
A mirror a mirror. In James 1 22 to 25. James 1 22 to 25 because it reveals man's sin. The law is like a mirror it reveals man's sin. Secondly, it is compared to a yoke. A yoke Acts 15 10 Galatians 5 1 acts 15 10 Galatians 5 1 and Romans 8 31 and following 8 3.
I'm sorry. I said 31 8 3 8 3. The reason it is compared as a yoke because the law brings bondage and the flesh cannot obey the law therefore It becomes a yoke it comes heavy upon our shoulders. And it also is compared to a child trainer as we said a schoolmaster a child trainer because it prepared the way for the coming of Christ to Israel it trained them as a Youthful nation to become a mature nation.
And again those passages of Scripture Galatians 3 23 through Galatians 4 7. It is also compared to letters written on stones. Letters written on stones 2nd Corinthians the 3rd chapter in contrast to the law of love that is written on our hearts by the Holy Spirit.
Letters written on stones. A Fifth way that it is compared it is compared to it is called a shadow a shadow in contrast to the reality and fulfillment. It is a shadow a Semblance a partial in contrast to the reality and fulfillment that we have in Jesus Christ.
And we have Hebrews 10 1 in Colossians 2 14 to 17 now. It's important that we notice a few things the law cannot do. There are some things in Scripture that very explicitly things the law cannot do. Let me give you five things.
The law cannot do. First of all the law cannot make anything perfect. You're riding along pretty good. Okay, the law cannot make anything perfect. The Scriptures Hebrews 7 11 through 19 Hebrews 7 11 through 19 and Hebrews 10 1 and 2.
Hebrews 10 1 and 2. Hebrews 7 11 through 19. The law cannot make anything perfect. Secondly the law cannot justify from sin. The law cannot justify anyone from sin. Acts 13. Acts 13 verses 38 and 39. Acts 13 verses 30 39 in Romans 3.
Romans 3 verses 20 to 28. Romans 3 20 to 28. It cannot justify from sin. A third thing that the law cannot do it cannot give righteousness. It cannot give righteousness. Galatians 2 21. So what you're beginning to see is you don't have to worry about keeping the law.
Do you not. Really you don't. You don't make you miserable trying. All right, it cannot give righteousness. Fourthly. It cannot give peace to the heart. It cannot give peace to the heart. Hebrews 9 9.
It will never give peace to the heart. And fifthly it cannot give life. Galatians 3 21. It cannot give life. It just can't do it. So let's got a move a little bit and let's look at the relationship between Christ and the law.
What what's what's Jesus got to do with the law? Let's kind of look at that briefly. Fe all right. The law was given by Moses, but grace and truth come by Jesus Christ. John 1 17. Now there is obviously a contrast between the legalistic system of Moses for Israel and the gracious position of the Christian.
That he has in the church. Christ was made under the law. Galatians 4 verses 4 through 6. Galatians 4 4 through 6. He was made under the law Christ. We're looking at Christ in the law. Also, he fulfilled the law in every respect.
Matthew 5 17. His person and work are seen in the law. Luke 24 44 to 47. Luke 24 44 to 47. He is the end of the law and righteousness for every believer. Romans 10 1 through 13. Romans 10 1 through 13.
He paid the penalty of the law and Bore the curse of the law on the cross. Galatians 3 10 through 14. Galatians 3 10 through 14 and Colossians 2 13 and 14. Colossians 2 13 and 14 he bore the curse of the law on the cross.
Now the law no longer Separated Jew and Gentile for in Christ. We become one in the church. We become one in the church. Ephesians 2 verses 11 and 12. Ephesians 2 verses 11 and 12. That is why in John the 15th chapter Jesus said this isn't in my notes.
But I won't share it with you. Jesus said I have kept my father's commandments and abide in his love. If you keep my commandments you will abide in my love. Why. Because he is God. What commandments did he give us?
He only gave us two. To love the Lord thy God with all your heart mind soul and strength and that takes care of the first first part of the ten Commandments he said to love your neighbor like you love yourself.
That takes care of the rest of the ten commandments. He put them in a way that you can keep them. He put them in a way that we can we'll see that we get out of the ten commandments in a few moment that they are Put in the New Testament in such a way that they can be adhered to but as they are written.
You cannot you cannot basically keep all of them. Now. Let's look at the Christian then and the law. What's it got to do with you and me. The New Testament makes it very clear. First of all that the Christian is not under the law.
Romans 6 14. Romans 6 14 years put Christian not under the law Romans 6 14 in Galatians 5 18, but he lives in the sphere of grace grace. Secondly Christian the believer has died to the law. He is not under the law.
He has died to the law. That is Romans 7 1 through 4. Romans 7 1 through 4 my friends. If you don't get anything out of this you you ought to be getting some joy in your heart that you are dead to the law.
Don't have to worry about it. Does your peace come by what you do or don't do? Then you try to keep the law. You're trying to get back on the law. Thirdly, that's what we're talking about. You have been delivered from the law.
The Christian has been delivered from the law. Romans 7 5 through 6. Romans 7 5 and 6 delivered from the law. And. Fourthly the believer has been warned not to become entangled again in the bondage of the law.
Galatians 5 1 through 4. Galatians 5 1 through 4 not to become entangled again in the law. Which means falling out of the sphere of grace and be given living like a servant and not a son. You are a son of God a child of God and you're not a servant.
A Servant knows not what his master does and the Bible very clearly teaches that now. Does this mean then that the Christian is supposed to be lawless and ignore the holy demands of God? And of course the answer to that is an emphatic.
No. Of course not. That is the very accusation that Paul's enemies threw at him because he emphasized the believers glorious position in Jesus Christ. Romans 6 1. 2nd Corinthians 3 is an important passage of Scripture.
2nd Corinthians 3 the whole chapter Makes it very clear that the glory of the gospel of God's grace Far surpasses the temporary glory of the Old Testament law. That we Christians go from glory to glory and we grow in grace.
And verse 18 in chapter 3 of 2nd Corinthians is a good one to look at actually. The New Testament Christian is under a more demanding way of life Than the Old Testament believer was for the Old Testament law dealt only with outward acts the things you did.
The things people could see now you and I do that all the time. We fool one another all the time. Everybody looks at us and thinks we're the finest Christians in the church. We're constantly fooling one another but the Christian doesn't will that way because God doesn't deal with outward acts.
He looks at inward attitudes. He looks at what you're thinking right now. He looks at what you think in your heart about your husband your wife your children your parents and other people in the church.
And so this is extremely more difficult now. Being free from the law does not mean being free to sin. It does not mean change liberty to license. We have been called to liberty and we must use that liberty for the good of others and for the glory of God.
You might read Galatians the whole fifth chapter is a good one. We are under the higher law Of the love of Christ, which is the law of Christ. The law of Christ is the love of God. Galatians 6 verse 2.
Now we do not try to obey God in the energy of the flesh. Because that is impossible. Romans 7 14 the flesh is sinful. It is weak and it cannot submit to the law. But as we reckon ourselves dead to sin.
We count on rely on the fact that we are dead to sin in Romans 6 and we yield to the Holy Spirit. As has taught us in Romans 8 the spirit fulfills the law of love in us and through us. Romans 8 the first four verses.
So we got to reckon we're dead Romans 6 and we got to believe that we're alive under the Lord in the Spirit of God lives and in dwells in you and Romans 8 and that brings the fulfillment of it in your life and to go back to the law and.
To try to bring yourself back under the law again is to exchange reality for shadows and liberty for bondage. It is to forfeit the high calling that you have in grace. Law means that we must do something to please God.
Grace means that God works in us to fulfill his own perfect will and There's a big difference. Now. Let's look quickly there at the Ten Commandments. All of the Old Testament law is but an amplification and An application of the Ten Commandments the whole Old Testament legal system.
It's nothing but amplifying and applying the Ten Commandments. Nine of the Ten Commandments are Repeated in the New Testament for Christians. One of them is never repeated. Nine of them are all right.
Let me give them to you quickly number one. We go through the Ten Commandments. I'm not gonna read them all to you. I'll just give you the basic context of it. No other gods before me. Number one is no other gods.
Give me a bunch of scriptures. Acts 14 15. Acts 14 15. John 4 21 to 23. John 4 21 to 23. 1st Timothy 2 5. 1st Timothy 2 5. James 2 19. James 2 19. 1st Corinthians 8 6. 1st Corinthians 8 6. James 2 19.
1st Timothy 2 5. John 4 21 to 23. Acts 14 15. No other gods before me. That's where it teaches us that you can't have other gods before God. Number to make no idols or images as I said to you Early, it's very interesting that the Roman Catholic Church and the Lutheran Church does not have the second commandment in their catechism.
It is omitted. It's in their Bible, but it isn't in their catechism. They take the tenth one and split it into two. Why. Obviously the reason is because they do have images. They do use Icons. They do use these whatever rationalization you want to make out of it.
They do have them and the Bible forbids it. Act 17 29. Act 17 29. Romans 1 22 23 Romans 1 22 and 23. 1st John 5 21 1st John 5 21 1st Corinthians 10 7 and 14 1st Corinthians 10 7 and 14 1st John 5 21. Romans 1 22 and 23 and act 17 29.
Make no idols or images. Third. Do not take his name in vain James 5 12. His name in vain James 5 12. Matthew 5 33 to 37. Number 3. Do not take his name in vain James 5 12. Matthew 5 33 to 37 and Matthew 6 5 through 9.
Matthew 6 5 through 9. Alright the fourth commandment. Remember the Sabbath. This is not repeated anywhere in the New Testament. He just isn't in there. I'm sorry Sabbath. Well what about the Lord's Day.
And that's a Christian Sabbath. There is no such thing as a Christian Sabbath. We'll talk about it in a minute. No such thing as a Christian Sabbath. Not at all. All right. Fifth one. You remember the Sabbath number four.
It's put not repeated or put. I always put in a not applicable. That's what you put on your forms that you make out. You know they will know a number or your insurance number. Just put not. After all this doesn't apply to me.
All right. Number five. Honor father and mother. Ephesians 6 1 through 4. Ephesians 6 1 through 4. Children obey your parents. Which is well pleasing in the Lord that things may be well with you and that your days on earth may be long.
Young people die early because they disobey their parents. The Bible plainly teaches that a child can die early if they get into a rebellion. Against their parents. That's why I encourage parents to really come down on the children.
You need to teach them all right. Honor father and mother. Ephesians 6 1 through 4 are the 6 1. Do not kill. Do not kill. 1st John 3 15. 1st John 3 15 and of course Matthew 5 21 to 22. Matthew 5 21 to 22.
1st John 3 15. The seventh. Do not commit adultery. Matthew 5 27 to 28. 5 27 to 28. 1st Corinthians 5 1 through 13. 1st Corinthians 5 1 through 13. 1st Corinthians 6 9 through 20. 1st Corinthians 6 9 through 20.
I hope that you'll go back and read all of these verses at your leisure. 1st Corinthians 6 9 through 20 and in Hebrews 13 4. Hebrews 13 4. The bed is holy unto God. All right. Hebrews 13 4. All right 8.
Do not steal. Steal. Ephesians 4 28. Ephesians 4 28. 2nd Thessalonians. 2nd Thessalonians 3 10 through 12. Ephesians 4 28 and 2nd Thessalonians 3 10 through 12 and James 5 1 through 4. James 5 1 through 4.
All right, do not steal. The ninth. Do not bear false witness. Do not bear false witness. Don't falsely accuse. Colossians 3 9. Colossians 3 9 and Ephesians 4 25. Ephesians 4 25 and Colossians 3 9 and the last one.
Do not covet. Do not covet. Ephesians 5 3. Ephesians 5 3 and Luke 12 15 to 21. Luke chapter 12 verses 15 to 21 now. We make note mentally that these summaries of the law in the New Testament. Not a one of them ever mentions the Sabbath.
Let me give you about three or four places where the law is summarized. All right. Matthew 19. Excuse me, Matthew 19. Verses 16 to 20 verses 16 to 20 that mark 10. Matthew 19 16 to 20 and mark 10 17 to 20 mark chapter 10 17 to 20.
Luke 18. Luke 18 18 to 21. Luke 18 verses 18 to 21 and Romans 13. Romans chapter 13 verses 8 through 10. Now those are places where the law is summarized and the Sabbath is never mentioned in any of those now.
Of course the new commandment of love is the basic motivation for the Christian today. You might want to read John 13. John 13 34 and 35. John 13 34 and 35 and Romans 13 9 through 10. Romans 13 9 through 10.
The fulfilling of the law he says is love. Loving the Lord and loving one another is the fulfillment of the law. He plainly teaches all right, but this love is shed abroad from our hearts by the Spirit of God.
Romans 5 5. Romans 5 5 in the book of Romans. Romans 5 5 is the only place the Holy Spirit is mentioned. Until you get to chapter 8. It is not mentioned anywhere in the first eight chapters or the first seven chapters of the book of Romans except Romans 5 5.
And then in chapter 8 it comes out about 19 times. All right, so that we love God and we love all the people. Therefore we need no external law to control our lives. Now here's a note that I made the old nature knows no law.
The old nature knows no law. The new nature needs no law. The old nature knows not it does whatever it wants. No law can control it cannot submit the law. And the new nature doesn't need a law. Because it's filled with love.
It's filled with love. All right. Now, what about the Sabbath. The Sabbath was God's special day under the old covenant for the Jews. The Lord's Day is God's special day for the church under the new covenant.
The Sabbath symbolizes salvation by works and You make note of it that in Exodus chapter 31 verse 16 and 17. Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations for a perpetual Covenant it is a sign between me and the children of Israel forever.
For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth and on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed. The Sabbath has nothing to do with you as a Christian. It has nothing to do with the church whatsoever.
The Sabbath symbolizes salvation by works six days of labor and then you rested that the Lord's Day. Sunday is the day of the resurrection. It's a day of spiritual activity not rest rest from commerce.
But spiritual activity and Sunday is the first day of the week. So the Sabbath is you work six days in your rest. But in Christianity the Lord's Day symbolizes salvation by grace. First you rest in the Lord and then you go out and work.
It's just the opposite. It is just the opposite. All right. The work follows the rest you find in Christ now the Sabbath and the sacrifices the dietary laws. The priesthood and the tabernacle services and all of these things are done away in Jesus Christ.
Now there is nothing wrong with keeping some of the dietary law of the Old Testament. It's a good law. You'll be a lot healthier if you cut down on your pork intake. I don't know what you say. You know, you'll be a lot healthier and They're all but you are not obligated religiously to keep them.
Paul said in 1st Timothy 4 you can eat anything you want if you can do it. Honestly with prayer and thanksgiving because it is every creature of God is good and it is sanctified by the Word of God in prayer.
So here that tells you that you can't eat and it says in the last days there will be false prophets who will come and Will teach you not to marry and to abstain from eating meats and trying to get you back under the Old Testament law.
And that's exactly what's going on today. But now I think we ought to be wise and perceptive. We're not just starting to go up and gobble all the cakes and stuff and sweets that I see people that's killing you.
Cakes and sweets will kill you. You don't find them eating it back in those days and you don't find many people today living on those things but this generation does and Always a perversion. Satan perverts.
God gave grapes. To be enjoyed. Satan comes along as people make wine out of God gave flowers. So people come along and they sell them and then decided to grow them a little poppy. They decided to get some heroin.
They decided to get some other things. God let man find out through the old poppy that he could make morphine. Morphine can help. Pain and things of this nature. Somebody else found they get half morphine.
So they start selling that God gave food to eat and what we do is we turn around become gluttonous and make it sinful. Well, brother rocky, I just like to eat. I do too. I do too but you got to draw a line somewhere, don't you?
Well, it's quite interesting in it. All right let's move along and see what else we can find in these passages scripture lest I become meddlesome and Get on some treacherous ground here. Let's look at the tabernacle.
Basically an X is 24 to 27 now. We have two or three studies already on the tabernacle. And so we're not going to be able to go into the tabernacle in depth like we would like to. Because the Bible spends more chapter space on the tabernacle than it does any other subject some 45 chapters are Involved with the tabernacle and so we don't have that kind of time.
But just before I break let's at least get started into it. Exodus 24 to 27 to be in the basic passages of scripture that we will confer with now on five separate occasions on five separate occasions the scripture.
We find it written that God dwelt amongst men. You find five times in the scripture that God dwelt among men. Let me give them to you. First one is in the tabernacle. Exodus 25 or say God dwelling amongst men.
The tabernacle. Exodus 25 or say second in the temple. First kick. First Kings the eighth chapter. First Kings the eighth chapter. He dwelt in the tabernacle. He dwelt in the temple. The third one was in Jesus Christ.
God in Christ in him dwells the fullness of the Godhead bodily God in Christ reconciling the world unto himself. John 1 14 and Colossians 2 9. John 1 14 and Colossians 2 9. Now the fourth one is in the church the body of Christ.
Ephesians 2 verses 20 to 22. Ephesians 2 to 22. God is in this world in you and me because the Spirit of God lives within us and the Holy Spirit is the third person of The Trinity. Now the fourth one or rather the fifth one is the Holy City and that is future.
That is future. Revelation 21 3. Revelation 21 3 now notice with me the first three of these are connected with the past. The fourth one is connected with the present and the fifth one is connected with the future.
God has a plan in a way that he will always dwell amongst men. He really has it all worked out now. The first of these is the tabernacle and that sacred structure formed the center of the Jewish national life for a period of about 500 years.
About 500 years it was the focal point and as every bit of it has deep Spiritual significance and is a perfect picture of the Lord Jesus Christ. So let's just look at the human intention that I have written here for you.
On our outline the human intention and the divine request now as the children of Israel Stood on the wilderness side of the Red Sea and they were celebrating the triumph of their Redeemer. They've been released from Egypt.
They announced their intention to prepare for him a habitation and They just began to to talk about how they want to make something for God and they wanted to build him a place Whereby he could live and the desire which that intention enshrines was later on reciprocated by God himself.
He said I will they said I will prepare him a habitation now God said let them make me a Sanctuary that I may dwell amongst them. They made theirs in Exodus 15 to but in Exodus 25 8 It says and let them make me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them.
The people had the right attitude, but God turned around and confirmed it and said that's exactly what I want you to do. I want you to build what I tell you to build but you see if God had let him alone They would have built it the way they wanted to and it would not have been anything like you and I know today a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ now, but someone asked as Solomon did in first Kings 8 27 Solomon said will God indeed dwell on the earth?
Will God indeed dwell on the earth? Well Job said that we talked about that didn't when Job 19 25 26 He said I know that my Redeemer lives and the worms destroy this body that I shall see him in the last days.
I'll see him stand on the earth. I'll see my Redeemer stand on this earth. Now it was not because of the holiness of the people. For the very time that Moses was on the mountain getting the dimensions of the tabernacle.
What were the people doing? Yes, and making that cafe down there worshiping. So the tabernacle didn't have anything to do with what they were right or wrong did it? It was a place that God wanted me. Oh, you know helps me in the church.
This church is not here basically because everybody in it's perfect and because everybody it's doing the right thing. It is here to help us do the right thing. And that's why the all right the wholeness does not have anything to do with it.
It was not their moral excellence. But it's only in the sovereign grace of God. And if you never learn anything out of Exodus. You will learn that God is sovereign and God does as he pleases and he doesn't worry about where a man believes it or not God does what he wants.
You can't pray God into doing something. He doesn't want to do and you can't pray God and get God to change his mind about something that he already doesn't know. He's going to do nothing comes as a shock to God my friend prayer helps you and me.
It doesn't necessarily change God's mind. God's got a will and he's got a purpose for the universe and he's accomplishing them. Prayer Helps you and me. It's you and I that it encourages to know that we can talk to God and he wants us to do it.
But if you think that you can sit here on the planet Earth and change God's character about something God is immutable. He is unchanging. He cannot be changed in his character. God says if you'll do this, I'll bless you.
If you don't zap I'll get you and that's just the way it works. And if we do that, then he does and then look he did the same thing he said 40 days I'm gonna destroy them. They repented and God saw their repentance and God said I won't destroy but you think God didn't know what they were gonna do.
Sure, he did. That's why he said Jonah up there God knew what they were going to do. So what I'm saying to it is not a shock to God when things go on now. It is true that in the patriarchal days of Abraham Isaac Jacob and Joseph in the days of the great Patriarchs and in what we call primeval history of the times that God occasionally visited the earth.
We know that he walked in the cool of the garden ever how he did it in Genesis 3. We know that he visited Abraham in the plains of Mamre in Genesis 18, but God never made his dwelling place. Simply because he couldn't come down without redemption.
It had to be based on the blood of the ground of completed redemption for him to make a dwelling place. Amongst me and now this tabernacle and I've hesitated to get into it too much because they're just so much we're going to miss In it, but you might write me and I'll send you a printed page on the tabernacle about 38 pages on it.
And then we'll be releasing some new tapes and some new studies on the tabernacle in days to come. But first of all in chapter 25 1 through 9 You find a description of the materials employed in the building of it.
Now it's very interesting how it's gonna come out Sunday morning, you know what we're gonna close on. We're gonna close on a building the tabernacle and it gives us God's plan for building. And I'm gonna show you how you can take God's plan to build that tabernacle and you can build your church.
And you don't have to get in all our fret and worry and sweat and tears about it. If you follow God's program for building my friends. You don't have to send off to Nashville. And you don't send off to other places and ask these people to come in and tell you how you do this and how you Do this if you'll follow God's plan.
If we'd follow God's plan our armies We would have to worry about an army that God tells you how to get an army. If we follow God's plan and doing things we get done a lot easier. But we get all up in a tizzy because some banker who's not even a Christian sit and tells us how to run our business.
Especially the church and it ought not to be that way so you can get it in the Word of God now also in Exodus 25 verse 10 all the way to 27 29. Exodus 25 10 to 27 29 You find a detailed description and if you learn to see Christ in it it won't be subversive a Description the detail sizes and the measurements of all the vessels and the furniture it had to be to the very Minutest detail.
It had to be exactly the way God said it and no Variation whatsoever. Now the tabernacle was divided basically into two compartments. Wasn't it two compartments? The holy place and the high holy place or the most holy place and this was separated by a rather thick veil of curtain a very heavy curtain.
Now Exodus 26 verses 31 to 33 that veil was so heavy That it is told that an ordinary team of horses pulling on it from each end could not tear it in two. By taking horses and put it on it. It would not be able to tear it in two.
The total length of the tabernacle was about 45 feet. Approximately 45 feet and about 15 feet wide. Now it was enclosed. This is the holy place, but it was enclosed with a larger enclosure around it which was about a hundred and seventy five feet long about 175 feet long about 19 feet wide and about 8 feet high about 8 feet high and When the camp was at rest when the Israelites were not moving.
It was right in the middle and maybe I can get this on the blackboard for you. Maybe by tomorrow. I can get it to you. If not, we'll get it to you. Maybe at a later date or somehow of just how the tribes were situated.
But the tribes had to be in certain positions around the tabernacle and the tabernacle was there. And it always faced the rising Sun. It always faced the rising Sun and it was right in the middle of the tribes of Israel.
Now into the court the outer court came the common people. Into the holy place the place the priests could come and do their service. Into the holy of holies are the most holy only the high priests could come so it narrowed down and he only came once a year.
Once a year. All right, let's take us a real. We're going to look at number three. The willing hearted and the wise hearted now in Exodus 35, which we're not in right now. We're in 24 to 27, but in Exodus 35 4 through 19 You have the divine command now we have in here these passages scripture deal with the setting up of the tabernacle and The paraphernalia the instruments and and all of this and then it comes back and it also just you know.
Just continues right on but in Exodus 35 4 through 19 We have the divine command and then we pick up at verse 20 in that chapter. And you have the people's response all the way through 29 20 through 29 of Exodus 35.
You have this showing the people were willing hearted. They were willing to do what God said they were very wise hearted in in doing what God says do now. In verse 4 it says. And Moses spoke unto all the congregation of the children of Israel saying this is the thing which the Lord commanded.
Saying. And then he went ahead and told him what to do. In verse 20 It says. And all the congregation of the children of Israel departed from the presence of Moses and they came everyone whose heart stirred him up and everyone whom his spirit made willing and they brought the Lord's offering to the work of the tabernacle of the congregation for all of its service and for all the holy garments.
And they came both men and women and We'll talk about that a little later. How the the man gives. But the women came and and they were willing to give and so this just shows us that They were willing to give they were willing to do what God said.
Now let me make this point. Everyone if you'll study this passage. Everybody contributed. Men and women contributed. No one was excluded from the privilege of giving and I'm not gonna get on giving all out with you.
But where they were rich where they had a lot or where they were poor where they were the rulers or where they were the common people every single one of them had a part and Wanted to have a part because it says their hearts were willing and their spirit was stirred up by God.
Because they were wise hearted and they were willing hearted. They wanted to do the thing that God wanted to do. And as I said the other evening Jesus Accepted the widow's might and the Bible the old or the New Testament never excludes anybody from giving no matter where they are rich Or poor everybody can give something to God.
I Like what one pastor said? That he said dr. W a crystal pastor the first Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas. He encourages his men and women to take a little offering envelopes and pull a bit in and pin it to their children's diapers.
And put it on their little shirt or little blouses to help them understand and to teach them very early how to give because their personality is formed at five years of age their personality is set at five and My friends it's amazing what a child can learn at five years old five years of age.
Is it not you give them a book like this a white? Background and a bunch of black marks on it. And we teach them and say you've got to read that and understand it and amazingly so a five and six year old kid can Do it he can take a bunch of black marks on some white paper, and he'll come out with the English language.
They can learn it if you teach it to them if you teach it to him. And so we need to teach them this thing about giving. I believe this is in this for us. Not only to give us what happened. But as a lesson for our learning that no one is ever exempted and Jesus himself Very plainly never exempted any person from giving.
He paid taxes he paid his tribute. He paid his dues. He took his money into that to the temple. He worshipped God with his giving and he was faithful about it. And he never did. Now today God is building a spiritual temple the body of Christ.
It is a temple for which 19 centuries have been rising. Noiselessly this temple has been getting larger and larger. It is not made with human hands. It's made up of people in Stevenson, Alabama people in Fort Worth, Texas people in New York City people in Africa people in Asia.
It's made up of Christian people who have really and truly been born again now while it is in the course of construction. It's a beautiful verse of Scripture in first Kings 6 7 it says that not the sound of a hammer.
Nor an axe or any tool of iron is ever heard in the building of the tabernacle. And you don't hear it in the building of the temple of the Lord either. Uh-huh, they didn't use any of those things. To build this with it had to be as God said now the amount that you give as these people did it may be Very small, but if there's first the willing mind.
If your attitude is right, and I might add if your attitude isn't right. You might as well not give it the church will use it. But you will get no blessing and neither will I we never get a blessing for anything that we do for God with a grudging heart.
We need to give with a willing mind the right attitude and then with a love in our heart that Trusting that God will use it the way that he desires to use it now. Giving to God's work and workers is the privilege of every Christian.
And so we must have that if it's to be accepted according the Bible says. According to that a man hath and not according to that he hath not. So don't come saying to the Lord well, Lord. I'd give but I don't have.
That's not what it says. You give out of what you do have not what you don't. Lord if I had a million. I'd build that church Lord if I had it I was going in. I put the first Baptist Church of Stephens in Alabama.
I'd make it like the first Baptist Church of Dalton, Georgia. I'd put a multi-million dollar thing up here if it huh. God says you don't have to work that way. Don't give from what you don't have friend.
Just give from what you do have now read for yourself. 2nd Corinthians 8 12. 2nd Corinthians 8 12 every man according as he purposeth in his heart. So let him give not grudgingly or of necessity for God loveth a cheerful in the word.
There's delirious. God loveth a delirious giver that's 2nd Corinthians 9 7. 2nd Corinthians 8 12 is one you won't read for the other one and 2nd Corinthians 9 7. It's interesting that word we call it cheerful, but it's really the word which means delirious.
God likes a hilarious giver. Just break up over. I don't see many of those around and you're not looking one now either. Lord gotta give again Sunday. Oh Well, I see maybe I can spread that out a little bit.
Maybe I can put a little bit in this month's envelope and I put a little next and they'll think I'm giving twice. You know and all I know I've been right on through all that stuff. Well. It says we love what on ourselves we spend we have as treasure without end.
Whatever Lord to thee we lend who give us all. And then I wrote a statement that another man wrote. I like this. The givers in time are the millionaires in eternity. The givers in time are the millionaires in eternity.
My friends what you give now God will restore to you a hundredfold here. But the things that you have you're storing up riches in eternity now. Let's look at the fourth thing the way of approach chapters 25 to 27.
The way of approach. The way of the approach God's approach to man first of all Arabic one under the way of approach. God's approach to man. Chapters 25 to 27. I'm gonna give you a little analogy here chapters 25 through 27.
Set forth God's approach to man, and you will find this in the book of Romans. The book of Romans shows God's approach towards man. Now the first and most outstanding Vessel of the tabernacle that is mentioned in this section of Scripture Verses a chapter 25 through 27 the the one that stands out is the Ark of the Covenant the Ark of the Covenant which was in the holy place.
And in the Ark of the Covenant it had of course its blood-stained mercy seat. And in chapter 25 Verse 22 You find what God said. And there in verse 21 and thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the Ark and in the Ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee and There I will meet with thee and I will continue with thee from above the mercy seat from between the two cherubim Which are upon the Ark of the testimony of all things which I will give thee in Commandment unto the children Israel.
God said I will meet you there. That's where I'm going to be my presence that scintillating whirling flame that indicated the majestic Splendorous glorious presence of God was between the cherubim those two angelic creatures on the mercy seat that were stained with blood and only the High priest could go into that particular Location.
And we find that in the book of Romans Romans the third chapter specifically sets forth That truth and unfolds the antitype or the type that we see Signifying that expression of God's approach to man now.
Then we come to man's approach to God. Man's approach to God chapters 28 to 30 of Exodus 25 to 27 God's coming to man. God's coming to man in chapters 28 to 30 and you find this corresponding to the book of Hebrews the book of Hebrews now just as the Ark is The outstanding thing in the first section of God's approach to man.
Then the high priest is the most prominent figure in man's approach to God. Now in this tabernacle there were varying vessels, and we don't have time to go into them. I Maybe at some time we'll be able to give you some photos or some.
Some pictures let you see these items as the way they really were and we have these and we just not able to carry them. And would have any way to show them to you except in Written material maybe an overhead or something like this of these different instruments and vessels that they have.
But in the description of the vessels and the furniture are the tabernacle when you study the scripture it proceeds from within the tabernacle. To outside it starts with the Ark of the Covenant and the Holy of Holies.
And it goes back out is the way it does it so from the Ark of the Covenant. Which stood in the holiest of all all the way to the brazen altar which stood inside the gate of that great court. And that would be in Exodus 25 or all the way through 27 16 25 through 27 16 now as we draw near this you meet these vessels in reverse order.
Together with a gate in the door now. Let me just give you ten things are involved with it first of all there's the gate. There's the gate to that big large enclosure. Then there is the brazen altar the brazen brazen the brazen altar.
Then there is the laver the laver of cleansing the brazen laver of cleansing. Have to wash then there's the door and for those of you that have this study I have on the tabernacle a few of you do have it this Hebrew word and picture study.
You know that it has a white background. And it has the colors in it and each one of those colors Corresponds to one of the Gospels Matthew Mark Luke and John because it portrays something about the personality and the character of the Lord Jesus Christ and it's the door that you have to go through there's only one entrance in there.
That's why Jesus said I am the door then you have the table of showbread. Showbread in the Hebrew. It's actually called the bread of faces, but in the King James called the bread of the table of showbread and Then you have the golden candlestick this beautiful golden menorah.
Oh a huge thing of great value thousands of dollars in value and The Troy weighed on it very heavy, then you have the altar of incense the altar of incense and Then you have that veil that huge curtain that veil and then there's the Holy of Holies.
And then there's the Ark of the Covenant now. Strangely when you see these laid out, you know as I do already that when you see these things laid out. Any picture of the tabernacle you'll see the long enclosure.
And when you see this thing laid out you will find that it's in the perfect form of a cross it's in the perfect form of a cross when you see it laid out and. Also, there's no covering in there and also we'll see in a moment.
There's another piece of furniture that is strangely been left out. So let's move quickly Texas 28 to 31 and see what this furniture is. Now as I say it, I know there are a lot of things we are not saying about the tabernacle.
But for those of you that are staying in touch with us I can assure you that in days to come if God's willing and the God works this thing out as we've shared with you this week you'll be getting a whole.
You'll have a whole library full of materials on Christ in the tabernacle and and these things will be explained very beautifully. It's a very beautiful study to go through and see the Christian life on the tabernacle as willing seen Christ in the tabernacle.
There are two different things and one's about a 38 page study and the other is about an 87 page study. And so we'll be sharing those with you, but the priesthood is vitally involved. Excess 28 to 31.
So we have an introduction to the priesthood the high priest. Without the high priest going in once a year the people could not have forgiveness of sin now. As an introduction to the issue must first of all recognize the division of the nation of Israel.
The nation was divided. Even though it was together it had divisions within and there were threefold character three divisions within the nation of Israel. First of all Aaron. Aaron the brother Moses.
Aaron and his descendants were chosen as the priests. They were the priestly family. Exodus 28. Then the tribe of Levi a lot of people say well the Levi were priests. The Levites were to perform the service of the tabernacle.
Aaron and his were the priests and the Levites were to perform the service of the tabernacle. You might read numbers of third chapter and. The third was the remainder of the nation. Constituted what is called the hosts of Israel?
Hosts the hosts of Israel numbers 1 2 numbers chapter 1 2. Now there was thus a family of priests a tribe of workers and A nation of our men. Other words you had worshipers workers and warriors for two for three.
W's you had worshipers, and you had workers and Warriors in the nation of Israel now for almost 500 years from Moses to David. The tabernacle gave unity to the nation and it bore a witness to the presence of Jehovah in their midst.
You might read first Kings 6 1. First Kings 6 1 now with the coming of Solomon now when Solomon came on the scene and The building of the temple the erection of the temple the use and service of the tabernacle was over.
It was through it was ended. 2nd Chronicles 5 1 through 10. 2nd Chronicles 5 1 through 10. No more need for the tabernacle the temple was built. The forms of God's dwelling places on the earth very. But the fact of his presence with his faithful people always abides.
God always is with his faithful people. He may vary it in different ways as the way He did it the tabernacle the temple Christ himself and the church and then the future holy city all right now the second section begins.
Is in chapter 28 to 30 concerning the tabernacle. Chapter 28 to 30 breaks down and it describes the way. The way of man's approach to God and as we said it corresponds to the teaching of Hebrews. Now listen to me carefully.
You must read and study the book of Hebrews or you might as well forget Exodus 28 to 30. You cannot understand Exodus 28 through 30 precious friends unless you study the book of Hebrews. It will be meaningless to you as a Christian all you will have a bunch of historical facts.
But to get the real truths out of it. We must go to the book of Hebrews so read it carefully read it carefully now. Although at the time Hebrews was written the temple was still standing and its ordinances were still being carried on.
But it's amazing that the writer of Hebrews gets most of his information and makes most of his statements not Concerning the temple for which they had long been waiting for but he goes back to the tabernacle.
He refers back to the tabernacle in Exodus rather than the temple that was standing in the day in which the writer of Hebrews wrote now I think there's a very good reason for it. The history of Israel turned that during the time of the tabernacle.
The time that was in use was the history of a people who until they entered Canaan were pilgrims. They were pilgrims they were Wanderers, and I think I mentioned this to you when I was with you in a revival there.
They're in the scripture where it says that because of what they've done their children would be Wanderers in the wilderness that is a mistranslation of the Hebrew word it actually means shepherds. The word wanders there is actually the Hebrew word which means shepherds.
They will be shepherds in the wilderness. They'll be caretakers out in the wilderness now. They were pilgrims and after doing so they were warriors after they moved into Canaan. They became warriors because they had to fight against the Amalekites.
They had the dead Jebusites and the Hittites and all kinds the Perizzites and all kinds of ites. Over there that they had to deal with when they got in there so they became from pilgrims to warriors now when the Ark of the Covenant was transferred from the tabernacle to the temple which was the fixed structure the staves.
They used staves through rings on the side of the Ark of the Covenant to pick it up and carry it. You know they were carrying it you recall those two men. It started to fall. Jimmy said we'll get it and they put their hands on and God killed them both.
Why. Well God didn't need their help? God didn't need it so you can do something good. But if you do it out of place and get you in trouble even though it's good. Even though it's good. But they had staves that they carried that now well when it was set up in the temple the staves which were put in the rings.
By its side that they and you might read Exodus 25 13 to 15. Exodus 25 13 to 15 that tells you about them. They were drawn out second Chronicles 5 9 and the pilgrim days were over when the staves were taken out that minute was there to Stay they were removed no longer needed.
Now for you and me today who are strangers and pilgrims on the earth. 1st Peter 2. 1st Peter 2nd chapter. We have no continuing city, but we look for a city Hebrews team. And we know that this is not our final resting place.
You might read Micah 2 10. Micah 2 10. The teaching of this ancient structure is Full of instruction for you and me as Christians. And it brings great comfort to us because it helps us as we are pilgrims in this world.
It is a picture of the wilderness condition of the Church of God. It is a perfect picture of the church today as pilgrims in this old world. We are in the world. But we are not of the world and that's exactly the way the people of Israel were.
They had that Tabernacle as long as they had it they were wanderers. But once they got their temple they knew they were in the land that they were supposed to be in and that's why they're concerned about The temple today now.
Hebrews 7 8 9 and 10. Hebrews chapter 7 8 9 and 10 are Extremely important chapters, and I want to take four statements that are relevant to the priesthood. Out of those four chapters in Hebrew, and I think that we will notice them in contrast between the priesthood in Exodus and Leviticus and The Christian Church the Christian dispensation the Christian way of living there is a big difference.
And I want to give them to you quickly. First of all there's a difference in the priesthood. In the priesthood the scripture says. And They the sons of Aaron Truly were many priests because they were not suffered to continue by reason of death.
But this man the man Christ Jesus. Because he continues ever hath an unchangeable priesthood. That's Hebrews 7 23 and 24. Now twice in that epistle the Lord Jesus is said to be the unchanging one. Hebrews 1 12 and Hebrews 13 8.
Hebrews 1 12 and Hebrews 13 8. Jesus Christ ever lives To intercede for the Christian. And so the finished work of Christ upon the cross Finds its counterpart in his unfinished work upon the throne. You might read John 19 verse 30 and Hebrews 725 and put them together.
He who died to save us from the penalty of sin now lives to keep us from the power of sin. The priest in the Old Testament died. But ours never dies he ever lives. There's a difference in the priesthood.
There is a difference in the sacrifice. The sacrifice would be number two. Neither by the blood of goats and calves. But by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place having obtained to watch it.
Eternal redemption for us. Hebrews 9 12 that means once saved always say He purchased eternal redemption. And if you've been redeemed, it's eternally or you haven't been redeemed at all. And if it's eternal you can't ever lose it.
That doesn't mean you do what you want. You can't you ought not to want to. But if I do those things I want to do. God's got ways of dealing with that. God's got ways to deal with that. If you don't think so drive by the funeral home.
Just stop in for a visit and while you're there you might make a purchase. Or at least you might explore the possibility because God's got a lot of ways of dealing with us when we get out of hand. He doesn't desire to does he he desires to love and to bless and to God all right now.
There's a difference in the sacrifice. Hebrews 9 12. Not all the blood of beasts on Jewish altar slain could give the guilty conscience peace or wash away its stain but Christ the heavenly lamb takes all our guilt away.
A Sacrifice of nobler name and richer blood than they the ancient poet says there is a difference in the sacrifice. There's also a difference in the sanctuary. Difference in the sanctuary. The tabernacle was the pattern of things in the heavens.
Hebrews 9 23. Hebrews 9 23 and it was this fact that gave point to the divine command of Moses. Exodus 25 verse 40 is a good verse to compare exodus 25 verse 40, but now it says Christ is not entered into the holy place made with hands which are the figures of the true.
But into heaven itself now to appear in the presence of God and should be eternal Majesty for us. Hebrews 9 24. He doesn't go into place made by hands like the old tabernacle sanctuary. He goes into the very presence of God the Father himself.
For what. For himself, uh-huh for you and me. Now my friend just the very fact that he's there brings victory to your life. Brings joy to your life. Confidence and assurance. You got a problem tonight.
Have you got a need in your life? It needs to be met. You got financial difficulty. You got whatever difficulty you have in your life. He's there to meet it. He's there on your behalf. Can you imagine?
Somebody like you and me insignificant Four billion people in certain here we are. Stevenson, Alabama. And yet Christ is right there just as much for you and me as he is for the greatest potentate in the world who's a Christian from the smallest to the light.
It doesn't make a difference from the greatest to the least from the richest to the poor. It makes no difference. Christ is there on your and my behalf. That'll change your thinking if you really think about it in a lot of ways now.
This last name scripture Hebrews 9 24 reveals the answers to three questions and I want to give them to you. Where does he appear question one? Where does he appear the answer in heaven itself in the presence of the eternal Majesty?
When does he appear where in heaven itself? We in now? Tomorrow later not now for whom. For us read that every day write it down carry around we Just put down where you know in the presence of God, you know, we am now for whom for me.
That'll make a big difference when you get discouraged all right now it follows the end that there has to be a difference if there's a difference in the priesthood a difference in the sacrifice a difference in the sanctuary it follows there has to be a difference in the result a Difference in the result and here it is in the most holy place of the tabernacle.
There was no chair. The one thing that is strangely missing in the tabernacle is a chair. Though priests there they were in the Levites never but there was no chair. Why? Because the high priest could not sit down.
For the simple reason that his work was never finished once a year He had to go in there and every day they had to constantly from sunup to sundown offer sacrifices of bulls and goats. But here's what I like Hebrews 10 12, but this man Christ Jesus.
After he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever. Sat down on the right hand of the eternal majesty my friends. He's paid it once and for all and a mass is nothing but a bloodless sacrifice. And they are trying to re-crucify him over.
He only did it once and for all. And he's there forever and he sat down why his work is done. His work as priest is done as far as his sacrifice has been accomplished now. What is that that is to say this the sacrifice now?
What's the words? Play of words, but the sacrifice of Christ was one for all one for all and once for all one for everyone and Once and for all he only did it once and that is sufficient. That is sufficient and that's the way it is while therefore it had to be confessed.
That the Levitical all the Levitical economy the mosaic economy Could not make him that did the service perfect as pertaining to the conscience it is now emphatically affirmed that by one offering He hath perfected forever them that are sanctified.
Hebrews 9 9. Hebrews 10 14. Now I want to just get off just a second and I promise you it'll be just a second but I think it bears mentioning for me to run over very quickly to the book of Romans and I'm going to read you chapter 8 something.
You know well, but I want to read you just a couple of verses. And if you don't get anything else this week you're gonna know it if you're saved you're saved forever once and for all once saved. Always say you Baptists believe once saved always saved.
That's right. And the Bible teaches it if you're a Methodist you're saved you just is saved. If you say you may not think y 'all but you are All right, if you really been saved now I'll just read you what it says and Then I'll read you what I said there.
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God to them with a called according to his purpose. Whom he did foreknow he did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his son.
That he might be the firstborn among many brethren now watch it moreover whom he did predestinate them. He also called and whom he called them. He also justified and whom he justified them. He also glorified.
Now my friends you have been glorified and justified in the eyes of God. That means that you have to have been set aside by God for himself. Jesus said all that my father gives to me Comes to me and him that cometh to me out of him.
No wise cast out and he says that all that my father gives me no man can pluck him from my hand now. Let me read you what I said there again. It says here very quickly by one offering He has perfected forever.
Them that are sanctified and if you're a Christian you have been sanctified by the Lord that means you have been perfected forever in God's eyes. Now you're frail, and I'm frail and feeble down here, but your spiritual position is not here.
Where is Christ. He's in heaven in the air. He's a right hand the father. Where are you? We said what in the book of Colossians in the book of Ephesians for we have been made to be seated in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus in Christ Jesus.
Oh I wish we had time to go into some studies on the blood of Christ on the blood of Christ and the Christian. To understand some of these things in a little more depth but the conscience of the worshiper is the Reflection of a value of the sacrifice and his sacrifice is once and for all.
One for all and it is perfect and you can trust it. You can just trust him trust him. All right, let me make a few comments. I just put here verse 4 the fourth thing to make a few comments in Exodus 30 verse 7 in Exodus 30 verse 7 and I wanted to make these because sometimes these are troublesome to pick out.
It says and Aaron shall burn there on sweet incense every morning when he dresses the lamps. He shall burn incense upon it now the fire there. And then he mentioned some blood in tin and Aaron shall make an atonement upon the horns of it.
Once in a year with the blood of the sin offering of atonements once in the year shall he make atonement? Upon it throughout your generations. It is most holy unto the Lord. He's talking about that atonement that once a year the day of atonement Yon Kippur now the fire of Exodus 30 verse 7 and the blood of Exodus 30 verse 10.
Teach us that there can be no acceptable worship to God apart from atonement. Now you say why do you make that statement because only a saved person can worship? Now I'll go back to the statements that I read to you by this gentleman who supposedly got saved and he says well that everybody's Praying to the same God.
This scripture right here says no in our study. It says no, so I didn't get too far afield by reading it to you. This says that there has to be an atonement and only a saved person and Jesus said I am the way the truth and the life.
And no man can come to God but by me that means the Buddhist hasn't come the right way or either Jesus Christ is a deceiver. That means that only a saved person can worship God. All a lost person do he all he do is get saved.
He's got to come and we usually say what you say Lord be merciful to me a sinner. Whatever words he wants to use he's got to confess. He's a sinner. He's got to repent of those sins. And he's got to give himself to Jesus Christ as his personal Savior and ask.
Give an invitation for sins to be forgiven or they never will be. God want to explode and make it happen now. This is why this is important to us all right. Another comment that I make is that in Exodus 30 verse 15.
30 verse 15 I'll read that to you the rich shall not give more. Be careful now. See the rich shall not give more and the poor shall not give less. Than a half a shekel when they give an offering unto the Lord to make an atonement for your soul now.
Why is that in there you know why. That's in there because the price of redemption is the same for everybody. The price of redemption is the same. Isn't it sure it is. We all know that it just is that means that a rich man Should not give any more or try to do any more in his life to be saved than a poor person.
Well, we know that so because all we got to do is to say Lord I'm a sinner forgive me and the rich man the poor man comes together and There's no difference. We say at the cross, and that's true. But now that does not mean That in the workings of the Lord that a rich person is not supposed to give more to the Lord than a poor person.
He obviously will because he's got more and the more you have the more you're responsible for the Lord says. So naturally the little widow who gave what she had she couldn't give as much as some of the wealthy people.
But the heart determined the value of the gift. But you take a man who's a multimillionaire. And you take a person that has $20 and that person has $20 that he ties that $20 this multimillionaire. He gives $5 to.
Do you think God honors both of those. No way not if I understand the Bible he doesn't. No, no, no. We give it says what on the first day of week lay aside as God has prospered. As God has prospered some give more and some give less, but everybody gives.
Everybody is. I would never go without giving something. I'd be scared to Don't care if it's a penny dime nickel. Whatever is give something and don't be embarrassed about it. I'd be embarrassed to put a penny.
I have little children sometimes have given me envelopes. The penny nickel. I have a lady that sends me 700 pennies a year. She saves pennies all year long and sends us those pennies for an offer. Now I just share that with you not to evoke any emotive response from you or anything that but to let you know to let you know just.
About giving somehow or other. You have to give something. Everybody's. I must give something to my church. I must give something to the Lord's work and I have never been in a position. Although I've been why I didn't have a dime, but I've never been in a position where I couldn't give something.
Something I've been in church for me to have money. I had a man stand up one time and it says our church is trying to build a this or that. So I've got four houses. I don't need it. I won't dedicate one of those houses brother.
I was gonna dedicate one of those houses to the Lord just dedicate. We're to sell it and give it to the Lord. Now the guy did the car had a young girl stem says I don't have a thing but my wedding rings.
I have no money, but I want to give these to the Lord. She went back another man said young lady how much those rings cost and she told him he said I'll just take those back and redeem Those for you. I'll give the money for those rings and it just started working.
I'm sitting back there saying me people crazy, you know, I said we people a little fanatical, you know, they're a little out of it. No, it wasn't down camp Zion in Myrtle, Mississippi. If I think something has to go down there the Lord works here at Stevenson's like works down there.
The Lord's everywhere. I'm not opposed to him. I know most of them go down there and preach by better than most of it. I know I'm been around them all that and don't and I don't put down. It's a great place to go.
I'd ever been. I Never been. I just know half of people go home. Oh, I know I'll speak with no problems with most of it. But what I'm saying to you is this my friends give something don't ever let Satan fool you and see being taken that you can't give something to God because you can't you really can't and this is what I see in this passage of Scripture and even these particular things here as we go through them and we see what he's saying to us here.
All right now He has protect perfected forever Them that are sanctified and then we see that only a a saved person can really worship the Lord. Now, listen to me carefully. Working for salvation and working because of salvation are two different things.
Always keep that in your thinking you don't work to get saved. You work for the Lord because you are saved. You work because you love him you do things because you love him and if you do anything in this church or any other church if you do it for any other reason than the fact that you love the Lord and You want to do what God wants you to do you ought not to do it.
Because it's just worthless. It really doesn't accomplish anything. Oh the task might get done. But it won't get done like it would be if somebody was doing it who really had the right attitude in their heart.
He said well if I don't do it, I mean my well cause it'll get done. Oh. It'll get done. Don't you worry about it. God will get it done. He just wants to use me and you to do it but if we won't do it he'll get somebody else do it you and I'll sit around complain about it and talk about it and Tell everybody else how wonderful job we could have done.
We could have done it and done a better job than the one who did it. Maybe or maybe not but God's blessing is on it when it's done by the person he wants to do it. So just remember don't work to try to get saved or keep you salvation.
You work just a simple fact because you know the Lord all right, and then I just mentioned in Exodus 30 verse 21 our closing remark 3021. So they shall wash their hands and their feet that they die not and it shall be a statute forever to them.
Even to him and to a seed throughout their generations. Now a lot of people you don't go back to the Old Testament get New Testament doctrine. There is no New Testament doctrine for the washing of feet.
Jesus never gave it even though he did it. It was not anything new he was given. He was a Jew he was just observing Jewish custom. People say what Jesus did it. He didn't do anything new. They've been doing that for thousands of years you find it right back away back in Exodus.
Wasn't doing anything different. He was just following the custom as a courtesy that you wash the feet of those why they had sandals. They walked on dirty roads. They didn't have air-conditioned cars.
They didn't ride donkeys everywhere the winter camels. They walked most of a place they went. Their feet would come in and it was just a courtesy. It was a show of humility and love and devotion to someone when they came into your home.
That you would do that because you were honored at anybody who would come in your home. I wish we'd come back to that. Not about the washing the feet, but be willing to go to somebody's home no matter who they are.
No matter how menial that home might be. They might only have a wooden box for a table. They may only have a crate to sit on. But if they invite you in their home as a Christian brother and sister you ought To be more than willing to go.
What I mean more than willing to go, but I find and I know a lot of evangelists I know they don't they don't like. I'm confident in my field there. There are a lot of people who don't like to do that and it's hard for some time to condescend because of our spiritual attainment because of our intellectual achievements and because of all The service we give to the Lord not to want to go and fellowship with some lowly believer.
Well he that first gonna be last and he that's last gonna be first gonna be a lot of sweet people up there gonna be. First in line when a lot of us just hanging around the back out there hoping to get in.
Trying to walk through. No, that's not what's about. I just pray That somehow or other my friends that we would understand. That the daily washing really implies as far as Christianity is concerned a daily washing of the word.
The New Testament use that phrase done it by the washing of the water of the word to stay in the Word of God daily, and it will wash and purge and Its effectiveness will take place in your life if you just read the Bible daily.
It's hard to sin when you're reading the Bible. It's hard to keep on when you're reading about stay in the word and then I just said at our next session together we will Begin with verse our chapter 32 and we will go throughout and Continue unto the climax of the book of Exodus.
We will conclude with the last chapter so We pray that these will be a blessing to you, and we'll pick these up on the next tape.