Of Framework and Foundations

Regardless of what part of the world that you find yourself in or the type of structures that exist there, one constant that you will always find is that there must be some type of support structure in place.

Now, typically as we talk about these or refer to these support structures in our world, we are talking about the foundations or the framework, especially when we're talking about the homes in which we live or the buildings in which we construct to conduct our other activities.

The foundation and the framework come together to solidify and support the overall structure to give it strength, to allow it to withstand the test of time.

Now, most of us are introduced to this concept at a very young age in the story of the three little pigs.

Now, each of us most likely have had this recited to us at one point or another in the past and you remember the premise that each of the three little pigs was required to build a house and that they were sure would protect them from the huffings and puffings of the big bad wolf.

But at the end of the day, only the house with the solid construction was able to withstand the gale force winds that only a big bad wolf could muster.

Now, although this is a fairy tale or maybe more aptly described as a fable, the principle that it teaches regarding strong foundations is a truth that withstands the test of time.

Jesus himself, as he closes out his sermon on the mount in Matthew's Gospel in the seventh chapter from the 24th to the 29th verses, we read the following.

Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and does them may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock.

And the rain descended and the rivers came and the winds blew and fell against the house and yet it did not fall for it had been founded on the rock.

And everyone hearing these words of mine and not doing them may be compared to a foolish man who built his house on the sand.

And the rain descended and the rivers came and the winds blew and slammed against that house and it fell.

And great was its fall. This scripture records that says, now, it happened that when

Jesus finished these words, the crowds were astonished at his teaching for he was teaching them as one having authority and not as one of their scribes.

Now, obviously, the teaching here is much greater simply than the foundation or where we should place a house.

Verse 24 makes it clear that the foundational truth being taught in this passage is that we are to put our faith and trust in him and his words alone, not in the things of this world.

Now, over the last couple of weeks, we have begun to take a deep dive into the instructions for the tabernacle proper that God has given

Moses on Mount Sinai. Specifically, we have looked at the curtains which form the tabernacle, the tent over the tabernacle, and the coverings that go over that tent.

We looked at how the pure, fine, white linen of the curtain of the tabernacle represents the purity of Christ.

The cherubim's emblazoned on it, speaking of the judicial authority, and then the other colors that also come together with the white to paint us a picture of Christ.

Last week, we talked about the goat hair curtain, and then we talked about the ram's skin covering and the porpoise skins that were the final covering, and how the goat hair speaks to us of the propitiation for our sin,

Christ being that final sacrifice that pays for our sin.

And then the final two coverings speaking of how Christ was set apart as the head of God's chosen people.

And finally, the battle -tested visage of the Savior of which

Isaiah wrote that he was marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men.

This morning, however, we will turn our attention away from the curtains, at least for the time being.

Next week, we will look at the final curtains, but this week we will, as it were, take a look at the curtain and look at the very foundation and framework that is holding the tabernacle up, supporting it as it serves the people of Israel as the dwelling place of God in their midst.

Now, you may be reminded that this tabernacle stands the test of time as it is instituted here and would literally be used until Solomon builds the temple after they have traveled through the wilderness for 40 years, entered into the promised land, fought, battled, raised two kings, and finally

God allows Solomon to build the temple. So, our text for this morning comes from Exodus chapter 16, verses 15 through 30.

If you will, please stand with me out of respect for the reading of God's holy, inerrant, infallible, authoritative, and sufficient word.

The book of Exodus in the 26th chapter, beginning in the 15th verse and following, we find these words.

Then you shall make the boards for the tabernacle of acacia wood, standing upright. Ten cubits shall be the length of each board, and one and a half cubits the width of each board.

There shall be two tenons for each board, fitted to one another. Thus you shall do for all the boards of the tabernacle.

You shall make the boards for the tabernacle, twenty boards for the south side. You shall make forty bases of silver under the twenty boards, two bases under one board for its two tenons, and two bases under another board for its two tenons.

And for the second side of the tabernacle on the north side, twenty boards, and their forty bases of silver, two bases under one board, and two bases under another board.

For the rear of the tabernacle to the west, you shall make six boards. You shall make two boards for the corners of the tabernacle at the rear.

They shall be separated beneath, but together at their completion at its top, at the first ring.

Thus it shall be with both of them, they shall form the two corners. There shall be eight boards with their bases of silver, sixteen bases, two bases under one board, and two bases under another board.

Then you shall make the bars of acacia wood, five for the boards of one side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the boards of the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the boards of the side of the tabernacle for the rear side to the west.

The middle bar in the center of the boards shall pass through from end to end. You shall overlay the bars with gold and make their rings of gold as holders for the bars, and you shall overlay the bars with gold.

Then you shall erect the tabernacle according to its plan, which you have been shown in the mount, and let us pray.

Father, grant us through your spirit to rightly worship you, to forget the world, to enter into your presence, into the fullness of life that you give, that we be refreshed, comforted, and blessed.

Lord, grant us knowledge of your goodness.

Reveal for us through your word Christ, our mediator, our brother, our interpreter, our branch, our lamb, that we may be drawn near with brotherly love and boldness.

Remind us as we gather to worship that the veil has been torn, and that we can enter the holiest place where we can receive in rich abundance the blessings that this day, the

Lord's day, was designed to impart. May our hearts be guarded and protected against worldly thoughts or cares.

Our minds be filled with peace beyond comprehension. Our meditations on your word be sweet. Our acts of worship filled with life and joy, that we would drink from the streams that flow from your throne, our sustenance, your precious word, our defense, the shield of faith, and our hearts being drawn closer to our blessed

Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Father, we ask all of these things in that very blessed name.

Amen. You may be seated. As we proceed forward in God's instructions to Moses and through Moses to the people of Israel, we once again need to take note of the precision by which

God delivers these details, and the precision by which Moses and the people are held accountable to obeying

God's instructions. Now, in the case of the construction of the tabernacle, there is a standard unit of measure that is used throughout the construction.

That measure is a cubit. Now, if you use a little math and you understand that one cubit equals roughly 18 inches, and you do a little computation, then you will realize that with the number of panels and the size of the panels, it very quickly totals up to the exact dimensions that are given to us previously.

Each board is, or possibly frame, is given as having an overall dimension of 10 cubits, which equates to 15 feet, and one and a half cubit in width, or roughly 27 inches.

The width of the 20 boards of frame would be 540 inches, or 45 feet in total, which are, again, the exact dimensions that we have already been given regarding the size of the tabernacle.

Now, when we look at the precision of the measurements, and we couple that with a statement that we find in verse 30, what we see is a very clear, very fast, that the instructions that God gives are to be followed precisely as he gives them.

Note the command given in verse 30 to Moses, then you shall erect the tabernacle according to its plan, which you have been shown in the mountain.

Now, this is a statement that is repeated. If you go back up to the end of chapter 25, you'll see the exact same statement made in verse 40, and see that you make them after the pattern for them which was shown to you on the mountain.

Now, as we have previously stated, the specific instructions that God gives Moses regarding the construction of the tabernacle is not for us to obey in the sense of going out and building our own tabernacle to these specific instructions, but rather to be obedient to the principles that are taught here, namely, in this specific circumstance, to be obedient to the commands of God.

Not just obedient, but to be precisely obedient.

Now, it is typically at this point in the conversation where someone will offer a time -honored, classic excuse of our inability to be obedient to the commands of God, which

I absolutely, 100 % wholeheartedly agree with, if we are still unregenerate.

In other words, if we are lost, if we are not born again, if we are still in our natural state, then you're absolutely right.

We have an excuse, and that is our inability to obey, even though we have the responsibility to obey.

Now, I want to be clear, because this is one of those points that starts getting you emails or comments, places like Facebook.

Once you have been regenerated, once you as an individual have been regenerated by the act and work of the

Holy Spirit alone, a process that only

God can do, once he has done this work, brought about your rebirth, you are no longer the old creature.

You are now a new creature. Your nature is changed, and you are empowered to be obedient to the commands of God.

Now, understand, just because you are empowered to be obedient, just because you now have the ability and desire, you still have that nagging little thing called that remaining flesh to contend with.

Paul deals with this subject in depth in Romans 7 as he describes the war that is waged in his person between the regenerate person and the remaining corruption or flesh that he inhabits.

So what does this mean? What it means for us is that unlike our natural state, as believers, we have now been given the ability to resist sin, to flee from temptation, to perfectly obey the commands of God through the power of the

Holy Spirit. Now, that is the key to the entire process.

Because apart from the power of the Holy Spirit, if we attempt this obedience, trusting in our own ability, our own power, our own strength, then we will utterly fail daily.

Daily, we should remind ourselves of the shortcomings of our power, of our strength, of our ability.

There's a little book that I find very helpful in my prayer line.

It's called The Valley of Vision, and it's literally a book of collected prayers.

And in that book, this prayer is recorded. Eternal Father, thou art good beyond all thought, but I am vile, wretched, miserable, blind.

My lips are ready to confess, but my heart is slow to feel, and my ways reluctant to amend.

I bring my soul to thee. Break it, wound it, bend it, mold it.

Unmask to me sin's deformity that I may hate it, abhor it, flee from it.

My faculties have been a weapon of revolt against thee. As a rebel,

I have misused my strength and served the foul adversary of thy kingdom. Give me grace to bewail my insensate folly.

Grant me to know that the way of transgressors is hard, that evil paths are wretched paths, that to depart from thee is to lose all good.

I have seen the purity and beauty of thy perfect law, the happiness of those in whose heart it reigns, the calm dignity of the walk to which it calls.

Yet daily I violate and contemn its precepts. My loving spirit strives within me, brings me scripture warnings, speaks in startling providences, allures by secret whispers, yet I choose devices and desires to my own hurt, impiously resent, grieve, and provoke him to abandon me.

All these sins I mourn, lament, and for them cry pardon. Work in me more profound than abiding repentance.

Give me the fullness of godly grief that trembles and fears, yet ever thrusts and loves, which is ever powerful and ever confident.

Grant that through the tears of repentance, I may see more clearly the brightness and glories of the saving cross.

As clear as the call is in this passage in Exodus and in other passages in Scripture, it does not call us to any random obedience, but rather it calls us to a very specific standard, his standard.

I don't know how many of you noticed this morning as we read Psalm 119 in those few short verses, no less than ten times did

God refer to his word. Daniel has told us before that as we read that passages we need to be paying attention to the words, precepts, judgments, word.

All of these things, commands, all of these things are talking about the same truth, and that is the word of the living

God. It is there that we must understand and see the foundational truths that are the framework and the foundation of our very lives.

It is this foundation and framework that shapes and molds the lens through which we view everything.

And so as we look at this particular passage where it gives this set of instructions, it contains some very precise and technical language.

Now, the reality of it containing precise and technical language has created some issues regarding exactly what the construction looked like.

For example, the word that is translated board can also mean frame or a deck plank from a ship or the mast of a ship or even the cabin.

And while I believe it would be great to comprehend exactly what the tabernacle looked like and exactly what these words to Moses meant in the sense of the structure itself, what

I think is far more important, what I believe is far greater for us today, is that we understand not how to construct it, but that we understand the purpose and the pictures that the materials bring to us.

Now, as we talked about before, the wood itself would have been roughly 27 inches wide, 15 feet long per board or per frame.

The wood specified is acacia wood. Again, this is a situation where very common material is being used in construction, and some commentators point to the fact that it was common as the only reason that it's used.

But this particular type of wood resists rod. In fact, the early translations, the

Greek translation of the Old Testament, literally translates this as incorruptible wood, meaning wood that cannot be damaged, cannot be changed, cannot be degraded.

Each of these two frames or boards is to have two tenons, or literally the word here is hands, that would form the joinery between the board itself and the base upon which it stood.

Now, these bases, we get very little information, except for the fact that there are two bases per board, and that they serve as the foundation of the entire structure, and that they would be constructed out of silver.

Now, the boards and the bases here that are described form two sides and the rear of the structure.

The front side will be described next week as we talk about the veil that separates both the curtain from the exterior and the veil between the holy place and the holy of holies.

Once the boards that we are talking about this morning would have been erected, we would have had the rectangular shape over which the curtains of the tabernacle would have been draped, then the curtain of the tent, and then the final two coverings would have been placed over to complete the structure.

There are bars that are mentioned here. Again, we have very limited information, except that these were to have five bars for each side, and that the center bar was to pass from one end to the other.

So, it would be a solid bar from one end of the tabernacle to the other. Again, we don't understand exactly what this looks like.

This creates disagreement between theologians on exactly how this was constructed.

And again, I think we get into a place where we worry about things that aren't really meant for us to understand.

If God wanted us to go build a tabernacle, he would have given us specific instructions that would have been able to be followed at any point in any time in all of history.

What he is plainly teaching us is that through the materials used in the construction, the wood that forms the base, the gold that is laid on the outer points towards a greater truth.

Now, the fact that gold is the choice metal here should come as no surprise even to the casual reader reading through this, understanding that the closer you got to the presence of God, the more pure the material would have been used.

This is also not the first time that we have seen the combination of wood and this precious metal used.

Both the Ark of the Covenant and the Table of the Bread of Presence were fabricated in the same way as being constructed of this wood overlaid with gold.

And as we went through those discussions, we briefly mentioned that it was a picture of the two -fold nature of Christ and the union therein.

Now, it is absolutely representational of that truth, but you need to follow me for a few minutes this morning.

Our conversation is going to get a little technical, but the reality is this is a truth that is presented for us in Scripture that must be dealt with.

It must be understood to the greatest of our ability. And in order to do so, we must approach the topic.

And so before we even jump into the topic, before we even jump into this dual nature,

I want to set some groundwork. And some of you are going to hear the groundwork and you're going to go, again?

But the reality is this groundwork, this foundation, these truths that are necessary for us to continue to repeat are absolutely critical.

First of all, we need to be reminded, and it is a sad commentary on not just the times of the world, but the times within the church where we even have to make this statement, but we need to understand and we need to be reminded that the

Bible is the Word of God.

That from Genesis through Revelation, it is the inspired, inerrant, infallible, authoritative, sufficient

Word given to us by God. All 66 books of the canon were inspired through the

Holy Spirit. Now I know that at times we run the risk of sounding repetitive or beating the proverbial dead horse.

This is a more and more, it is a common place where we run into a lack of understanding and a lack of acknowledgement among Christians.

Excuse me, Christians. These so -called professing believers who deny that the

Word of God is the Word of God. Just a couple of days ago,

I was witness to a situation where there was a strict refute of anything in Scripture beyond the words in red, that those are the only words of Christ.

The problem is that if you only take the words in red, you deny the truth of the remainder of Scripture, which in effect means you deny the truth of the words in red.

So it's imperative and it's important that we continue to remind ourselves that even when we know and we acknowledge and we see this, it is often that we are confronted with truths in the

Word of God that are so profound, so deep, so hard for us that we don't want to acknowledge that this is what

God says. And so we must continue to keep this in front of it.

Secondly, not only must we recognize that the

Bible is the Word of God, but that it is the authoritative

Word of God, not just in our religious life, not just in our spiritual life, but in every single aspect of our lives.

Everything that we do should be in submission to the

Word of God. It should be according to, surrendered to, under His authority.

It should be done by the standard given in His Word.

Thirdly, there are truths within the

Word of God that can be difficult to understand and comprehend.

There are also truths contained within the Word of God that we simply cannot and will not fully or ever comprehend because of the limited capacity of our human minds.

However, with that being said, the

Word of God does and can and is always sufficient to teach us the things that lead us to a deeper knowledge of Him, that open our eyes to the truth of who

He is. And quite frankly, in those areas where we refuse to even make an effort or an attempt, we are simply using it as an excuse to not study the

Word. It's much easier, right? Much less effort.

Our brain hurts much less. But it is absolutely necessary that we review these fundamental things.

And these fundamental things, this isn't going to be the last time you hear them. We will proclaim them over and over and over.

And the reason we will proclaim them over and over and over is because it is at these levels where things begin to go off course.

For example, take the tabernacle. God continues to give

Moses explicit instruction. God continues to give Moses not only verbal instructions but visual instructions.

Exodus 30, Then you shall erect the tabernacle according to its plan, not just the plan that I have given you verbally, but the plan which you have been shown on the mountain.

So what happened if during the construction of the tabernacle, the boards on one side were off by a quarter of an inch?

Just ten of them. Quarter of an inch is very small, right?

Over the course of time, over the course of half of the boards being this way, you end up with two and a half inches shorter on one side of the tabernacle than you do on the other.

And you say, well, two and a half inches is not bad. A good framing carpenter, a good final carpenter, finished carpenter can make that look pretty real easy.

The problem is that once the foundation is off, everything else that follows is also off.

The curtains no longer fit correctly. The tent no longer covers correctly.

The commands of God are no longer being obeyed correctly. And at the end of the day, the entire structure is no longer built to the exact specifications.

Even though repeatedly God says, take care to build this exactly how you see it.

And so the same is true when we study the foundational truths of Scripture and of God.

And so if we do not keep these foundational truths there, if we do not look at truths that are here such as the mixture of material that form the framework and the foundation and what they foreshadow, the incorruptible wood representing for us the divine nature, excuse me, the human nature of Christ, while the gold represents for us the divine nature.

And when you bring them together, they represent what is known as, and here's a big word for you for this morning, the hypostatic union.

Now, although it sounds like a big word, it's not. It simply means that this is the joining of the two natures within one person, but that each one of these two natures exists in its fullest form but remains separate and distinct, never mingled.

Maybe you recall as we read through the London Baptist Confession of Faith, the eighth chapter,

Christ the mediator, the second paragraph reads in this way, the Son of God, the second person of the

Holy Trinity, is truly and eternally God. He is the brightness of the

Father's glory, the same in substance and equal with Him. He made the world and sustains and governs everything

He has made. When the fullness of time came, He took upon Himself human nature with all the essential properties and common weaknesses of it, but without sin.

He was conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mary. The Holy Spirit came down upon her and the power of the

Most High overshadowed her. Thus, He was born of a woman from the tribe of Judah, a descendant of Abraham and David in fulfillment of the

Scriptures. Two whole, perfect, and distinct natures were inseparably joined together in one person without converting one into the other or mixing them together to produce a different or blended nature.

This person is truly God and truly man, yet one

Christ, the only mediator between God and humanity.

The beauty that is contained within this statement and the representation of this truth within the foundation of the framework of the

Gospel speaks to just how central this is to the message of the

Gospel. So for the remaining time that we have this morning, we are going to look at the two natures and why our understanding of this union within the person of Christ is essential.

So as we begin the conversation, we first look at the word that is used to describe it, hypostatic union.

Broken down again, it simply means the joining of the two natures. Now as we look at history, both church history and our personal history and the history of the world, what we see is that there are those who have, those who do, and likely those who will continue to deny the reality of this scriptural truth.

Some of these will accept that there are two natures of Christ. But what they teach is versus them joining together in one body, it is something along the lines of when

Christ took off his divine nature when he left heaven, like one would take off a coat, hung it up in the closet while he was on earth.

He put on a human nature, and then once he left earth and ascended, he took the human nature off, hung it up in its closet, and then took the coat of divine nature out of the closet when he got back to heaven and put it back on.

However, we have a problem when we look at that understanding compared to the work of Christ.

It is absolutely essential that we understand the two natures worked together so that the work of Christ could be completed.

The first of those natures, the human nature. The fact that God remained truly human, truly man at all times.

A .W. Pink is helpful in opening up this conversation when he writes,

The virgin birth and the immaculate nature of the Savior lie at the very foundation of the gospel message.

Without them, there would be and could be no announcement of good news for poor sinners.

The writer of Hebrews emphasizes the importance of Christ being truly man in Hebrews 2 .14.

He says, Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death he might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil.

And in Hebrews 2 .17, he says, Therefore, he had to be made like his brothers in all things, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God to make a propitiation for the sins of the people.

John literally tells us in John 1 verse 14, And the word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory as the only begotten from the

Father, full of grace and truth. Paul, speaking of Christ in 1 Timothy 2 .5,

says, For there is one God and one mediator also between God and men, the man

Christ Jesus. It wasn't, however, enough that he became human in his flesh, that he became truly human, but that in his humanity he retained his perfection.

Scripture says in 1 Peter 2 .22, Who did no sin, nor was any deceit found in his mouth.

2 Corinthians 5 .21, He made him who knew no sin to become sin for us, so that we might be the righteousness of God.

1 John 3 .5, and you know that he was manifested in order to take away sins, and in him there was no sin.

One writer summed up the denial of Christ's perfection in this way, Either Christ can be declared unequivocally unable to sin because of his divine nature, or he risks falling into temptation with the cunning manipulation of the devil.

Thus, a tempted Christ, able to succumb to trickery and commit transgression against God, cannot be

God. This removes the ability for believers to hold certain faith in his divine perfection as the unblemished lamb.

Think of John 1 .36, and he says, And he looked at Jesus as he walked and said, Behold, the

Lamb of God. Compare that to Exodus 12 .5, Your lamb shall be a male without blemish, a year old.

It could not have been offered for a sacrifice to redeem the sins of believers.

If Christ's humanity cannot resist temptation and disobedience to God, or if Christ's divinity could actually sin, then his death upon the cross would be ineffectual because of his impure state.

A little while ago we sang the words to the hymn,

In Christ Alone. And as we sang through that hymn, this is the reality that we should be recalled to.

That only through the work of Christ, only through his perfect life, only through the sinner's death, the price that he paid for our sins, could we stand.

The very last line loses all of the hope that it contains, apart from the truth regarding the dual nature, the perfect humanity, the perfect divinity of God.

Listen, it says, no guilt in life, no fear in death. This is the power of Christ in me.

From life's first cry to final breath, Jesus commands my destiny.

No power of hell, no scheme of man can ever pluck me from his hand till he returns or calls me home.

Here in the power of Christ, I'll stand.

If we deny the truly human nature of Christ, or the truly divine nature of Christ, that falls apart.

So just as Christ was truly man, and just as the wood represented his human nature, so the gold represents his divine nature.

Through the years, there have been different ways to speak of this nature, be it truly

God, be it holy God, be it very God of very God. But scripture reminds us of this truth in Luke 2 verse 11.

For today in the city of David, there has been born for you a savior, who is

Christ the Lord. John, in hands down the best prologue to the gospel, in John chapter 1 verses 1 through 14,

John explores this very truth. In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God.

He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and apart from him, nothing came into being that has come into being.

In him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overtake it.

There was a man named John who came. He was sent from God. He came as a witness to bear witness about the light, so that all might believe through him.

He was not the light, but he came to bear witness about the light, the true light, which coming into the world enlightens everyone.

He was in the world, and the world was made through him, and the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, and those who were his own did not receive him.

But as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in his name, who were born not of blood, or of the will of the flesh, or of the will of man, but of God.

And the word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, glory as the only begotten from the

Father, full of grace and truth. As John writes this prologue, the word that he uses, that we translate the word word, the word logos, in the

Greek world meant the center of everything. It's the foundation of the word in which we find the word logic.

But for them, this was the answer to all things.

John, as he writes his gospel, uses this word to tie and help us to understand that he is the creator

God, that he is the one true God, that he alone took on flesh, dwelt among us, but that he always retained the reality of his defined nature.

There are many other places in Scripture where it defines and speaks of the deity of Christ.

But as our time runs down, we need to speak quickly of the pitfalls of denying the truth of this dual nature.

First, if we deny the truth of Christ being truly God and truly man, we take away the certainty of the revelation of God to mankind.

There is no guarantee that what he revealed, what he teaches, has any authority or is filled with any truth.

That's what happens when we begin to deny this reality, this picture that is painted for us right here in the tabernacle, in the very foundation, in the framework.

We also find out that it alters the inerrant word. We could go through, and trust me, this would be a whole sermon series, to go through this hypostatic union in detail and look at Scripture after Scripture after Scripture.

And then to deny that denies the very truth of Scripture and says that what we have in front of us is not an inerrant word, but one that is entirely in error and entirely fallible, and we know that these things are not true.

Along with these things, it also denies that his sacrifice would have been acceptable to God.

It would have been inferior because he would have been able to gain it by trickery.

He would no longer be the high priest. He would no longer be the first to rise. The Spirit of Christ would no longer indwell the believer.

The Trinity falls apart. Satan becomes unstoppable. Christ would not have been exalted.

And there could have been no reconciliation between God and man.

One commentator rightly states, the boards and the bars have the same relation to the tabernacle itself as the truth contained in the first two chapters of the epistle to the

Hebrews has to the rest of the epistle. In the first two chapters, the great foundations of the faith are laid.

The Lord Jesus Christ is presented to us as the sun, the brightness of God's glory, and the express image of his person,

God the creator, the sustainer of all things. He is also presented to us as the son of man, partaker of flesh and blood in order to die, the firstborn from the dead, all things put under him, anointed above his fellows, not ashamed to call them brethren.

On these great truths respecting Christ depend all the other great verities connected with the value of his sacrifice, the glory and power of his priesthood, the eternal salvation, the eternal redemption, and the internal inheritance which are obtained for us by his blood.

If you remove the bars and the boards, the tabernacle collapses.

If you remove the foundations of who Christ is as displayed for us in this combination of gold and wood, his incorruptible human nature and his divine nature existing, then the gospel collapses.

Very briefly, the bases that are mentioned are fabricated of silver and they are just as essential to the foundation as the boards and bars.

Now we will actually come back to them when we reach Exodus chapter 30, but pink is again helpful in at least beginning for us to think about these bases.

The 96 silver sockets formed at the foundation and upon them rested the whole fabric of the tabernacle.

This tells us in language too plain to be misunderstood that redemption is the basis on which

Christ has become the meeting place between the ineffably holy God and his inherently sinful people.

It was only through redemption that the perfect humanity and divine glory of Christ could avail us.

The bases that were made would have been fabricated from the silver that was given, specifically designated as an offering of atonement.

This is why the conclusion can be made that this foundation is just as the foundation of the redemption that is offered rests on Christ.

As we have studied the tabernacle, we have seen that God does not leave the structure of his dwelling place to chance.

Every detail, the precise measurements, the specific materials, the overlays of gold, the bases made of silver, all point to a foundational truth.

God alone establishes the framework by which we approach him.

It is not constructed of man, it is not constructed of our imagination, it is of God alone.

This extends well beyond the physical tabernacle into the spiritual reality of who we are.

Just as the boards and the bases upheld the sanctuary of God among the Israelites, so Christ, the true tabernacle, is the foundation upon which our faith is built.

The two natures, truly God, truly man, inseparably joined, making him the only acceptable mediator between God and man.

Any deviation, any deviation from this foundational truth undermines the entire structure of our faith.

We started off talking about this principle of foundations found in the story of the three little pigs, but illustrated most beautifully by Jesus in Matthew 7, 24 -29, where the wise man built his house upon the rock, anchoring his life in Christ and his words and his work, and the foolish man building his house on the sand, on his own wisdom, his own works, his own folly, his own worldly security.

And then the storms came, and he watched it crumble.

The importance of the foundation, the importance of the foundation speaks to the question that is actually before us.

It's not if, but when the storm will come.

When the trials of life, when the assaults of the enemy, when the judgment of God will test the very foundation of our lives.

And the question at that point, the question that will be before you, the question that is before you this morning is what foundation is your life built upon?

Have you placed your faith in the firm foundation of Christ? Or are you clinging to the shifting sands of self -reliance and worldly confidence?

Have you embraced the truth of Christ's person and his work? Or are you building on a compromised foundation, the silver bases of the tabernacle, symbolic of redemption, remind us that our only hope rests in Christ's atoning work.

His sinless humanity, his divine perfection provide the only secure ground for our salvation.

The gospel is clear. A foundation built upon Christ will stand, a life that is not built upon him will fall.

The amazing thing is that the grace of God has provided everything that is necessary. The foundation has been given.

The framework has been built. The sacrifice has been made.

The call has gone out. Will you build your life upon the rock?

Will you build your life upon his word, the truth of who he is?

The storms will come. Only that which is in Christ will endure.

Let us pray. Father God, as we come before you humbled by the truth of your word and the wisdom that is revealed for us in the foundation and framework of the tabernacle,

Lord, you are a God of perfect design. A God who leaves nothing to chance.

A God that has given us the true and greater tabernacle, Christ. Lord, as we have studied your word, we see your call to obedience.

We see your call to obey your commands, to build our life upon them.

Lord, we confess in our own strength we are incapable, but through the power of your spirit, the rebirth you have given us, the ability, empowered us to walk in obedience.

Lord, keep us from the folly of trusting in our own works, in our own wisdom.

Lord, we ask that you anchor us firmly in Christ, that we should not be moved, that our faith remain steadfast in the face of everything.

Lord, strengthen our hearts. Strengthen our hearts with the truth of your redemption.

Lord, that we may walk in confidence that we may know Christ's finished work is our only hope.

Lord, we ask that you search us. See if there be anything within us that is built on a foundation that needs to be removed, tear it down, rebuilt upon the solid rock.

Lord, don't let us be contempt with superficial faith. Give us a desire to stand firmly on your word.

We thank you for the foundation of our salvation, for the redemption purchased by the blood of Christ, for the hope that does not fail.

Lord, may we leave here today not as just hearers of the word, but as doers walking in the power of your spirit, standing firm in the faith and glorifying you in everything that we do.

Lord, we praise you. We thank you. We give you the honor. We give you all of the glory. And Lord, we ask all of these things in your most holy and heavenly name.