God With Us in Christ

This morning, as we come to the final chapter in the book of Exodus, we see that there is much that has been revealed in God's word to us.

And so as we look at the book of Exodus as a whole, what we see is that there is a way in which we can read through this book.

There is a way in which we can approach this book that misses the fullness of what

God truly has for us and what he has revealed to us.

We can approach the book of Exodus with the way of coming away from the book with the idea that the purpose of the book is to deal with a people that escaped slavery.

We can walk away from it with the idea that the chains were broken, that Pharaoh and the evil of Egypt was defeated that the

Red Sea was crossed and that ultimately the physical nation of Israel was formed.

And all of those things are true and all of those things are glorious and they are all of those things are absolutely necessary.

But in no way do we walk away with those things and find fully resolved for us that which

God purposes in the book of Exodus itself.

In fact, by reading the final chapter of the book of Exodus, the writing itself, the revelation of God itself demands and presses us further than just those bits of the story.

I grew up in Sunday school and I can remember the times that we spent and I can assure you that as you walk through in Sunday schools, you hit the big stories, right?

So you talk about the Red Sea crossing and you talk about the 10 plagues and you talk about the golden calf.

But very rarely do we take it and look at it in a comprehensive way where we see the ultimate fulfillment of what

God is moving towards. You see, his purpose was not merely to get

Israel out of the land of Egypt. God's purpose was to bring

Israel to himself. Redeeming the people, redeeming the nation was not the goal line.

That redemption was the doorway. It was the doorway to communion, communion between God and man.

In fact, if you'll recall, God himself gives us this truth from very early on in the book of Exodus.

As he converses with Moses from the burning bush, he tells

Moses that the purpose for bringing the people out is to bring them to himself.

That's why when we look at this, we cannot treat chapter 40 as just some footnote or just the finishing touches on an epic tale or the epilogue of a wonderful story.

What we need to see is that chapter 40 is the summit.

It's where we have been being taken through the entirety of the book of Exodus.

You recall that as the people made their way out of the land of Egypt and they arrived at Sinai, the very first thing that God did after giving his law was to begin to give

Moses the commands to build a dwelling place for the purpose of God dwelling in the midst of his people.

That that dwelling was the culmination of God's plan.

His ultimate plan here was to dwell among them. In fact, that's still the ultimate plan.

You see, the plan hasn't changed. His plan was to dwell with his people.

His plan is to still dwell with his people. This is the moment when the

Lord, the one who has spoken throughout the book of Exodus, the one who has commanded, the one who has redeemed, the one who has judged the nation of Israel, the one who has forgiven the people, the nation of Egypt, the one who has forgiven the people of Israel, the one who has covenanted together with them, now comes down to dwell in the midst.

And as the cloud covers the tabernacle and the glory of Yahweh fills it, we see the

God who thundered from atop Sinai taking residence among the center of his people.

What we have witnessed as we have worked through this book is the truth that God coming to dwell with the people he has redeemed in their midst, that as he does so, he also leads them by his very presence in all of their journeys.

And again, that hasn't changed. You see

God dwelling with his people now, he's still by his presence guides and directs and leads.

So many in the Christian world today, and I would put Christian in quotation marks because quite honestly,

I think if you define yourself in this manner, I'm not sure that you can truly be called a

Christian, but so many within the quote unquote Christian world would look at the book of Exodus and say, well, this is just, it's a great historical event, yet it holds no significance for my life today.

Brothers and sisters, hear me when

I say to you that this is the living word of the living

God. And as his word, it absolutely impacts you right now in every aspect of your life.

And so as we look at his word and as this study of his word results in knowledge, the knowledge of God, the knowledge of God that leads us unto salvation, but leads us not just to that point, but beyond that point in the way we live as a result of that salvation, we must begin to grapple with some things.

We must begin to ask ourself, what does this mean? What does it reveal to us about God?

How does it impact the life that we live? How does it teach us about our worship, our holiness, the guidance that we get from the book, the assurances that we have?

All of these things we need to ask and above them, we need to look at how

Exodus chapter 40 points us to Christ, Christ, the true tabernacle, the son who stepped out the word that became flesh and dwelt among us.

And so as we do so, we will notice that this particular chapter is broken into three major sections.

The first section that we will look at briefly contains the instructions for the assembly of the tabernacle.

Now, as we have spent much time working through each individual element, obviously we're not gonna sit here and go through each one of them again this morning, but there are some overarching principles that are contained within that first section that we're gonna look at.

Secondly, we will see in the second section of verses, the obedience of Moses as he responds to the commands of God in exacting obedience.

And then finally, the focal point, the real piece that we're going to spend the most time on this morning is where the text begins to press down on us in full force as God descends in glory and remains in the midst of his people.

And so if you will, if you have not already done so, I would invite you to take out your copy of God's word, make your way to the book of Exodus in the 40th chapter.

As we look at this final chapter of this amazing book and the roles that it should play in our lives as believers.

And so having found your place, I would ask that you please stand in reverence for the reading of God's holy, inerrant, infallible, sufficient, authoritative, complete, and certain word.

In Exodus chapter 40, beginning in the first verse and following, we read these words.

Then Yahweh spoke to Moses saying, on the first day of the first month, you shall set up the tabernacle of the tent of meeting.

You shall place the ark of the testimony there and you shall screen the ark with the veil.

You shall bring in the table and arrange what belongs on it. And you shall bring in the lamp stand and mount its lamps.

Moreover, you shall set up, you shall set the gold altar of incense before the ark of the testimony and set up the veil for the doorway to the tabernacle.

You shall set the altar of burnt offering in front of the doorway of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting. You shall set the lava between the tent of meeting and the altar and you shall put water in it.

You shall set up the court all around and hang up the screen for the gateway of the court.

And you shall take the anointing oil and anoint the tabernacle and all that is in it and set it apart as holy and all its furnishings and it shall be holy.

You shall anoint the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils and set the altar apart as holy and the altar shall be most holy.

You shall anoint the lava and its stand and set it apart as holy. Then you shall bring

Aaron and his sons to the doorway of the tent of meeting and wash them with water. You shall put the holy garments on Aaron and anoint him and set him apart as holy that he may minister as a priest to me.

You shall bring his sons and put tunics on them and you shall anoint them even as you have anointed their father that they may minister as priests to me and their anointing will be for them a perpetual priesthood throughout their generations.

Thus Moses did according to all that Yahweh had commanded him so he did.

Now it happened in the first month of the second year on the first day of the month, the tabernacle was erected.

Moses erected the tabernacle and laid its bases and set up its boards and inserted its bars and erected its pillars.

He spread the tent over the tabernacle and placed the covering of the tent on top of it just as Yahweh had commanded

Moses. Then he took the testimony and put it into the ark and attached the poles to the ark and put the mercy seat on top of the ark.

He brought the ark into the tabernacle and placed the veil of the screen and screened off the ark of the testimony just as Yahweh had commanded

Moses. Then he placed the lamp stand in the tent of meeting opposite the table on the south side of the tabernacle.

He lighted the lamps before Yahweh just as Yahweh had commanded Moses. Then he placed the gold altar in the tent of meeting in the front of the veil and he burned fragrant incense on it just as Yahweh had commanded

Moses. Then he placed the screen at the doorway of the tabernacle. He placed the altar of burnt offering before the doorway of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting and he offered on it the burnt offerings and the meal offering just as Yahweh had commanded

Moses. He placed the lava between the tent of meeting and the altar and put water in it for washing.

From it, Moses and Aaron and his sons washed their hands and their feet. When they entered the tent of meeting and when they approached the altar, they washed just as Yahweh had commanded

Moses. He erected the court all around the tabernacle and the altar and he put up the screen for the gateway of the court.

Thus, Moses finished the work.

Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting and the glory of Yahweh filled the tabernacle.

And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud had dwelt on it and the glory of Yahweh filled the tabernacle.

Now, throughout all their journeys, whenever the cloud was taken up from the tabernacle, the sons of Israel would set out.

But if the cloud was not taken up, they did not set out until the day when it was taken up.

For throughout all their journeys, the cloud of Yahweh was on the tabernacle by day and there was fire in it by night in the sight of all of the house of Israel.

Our most gracious heavenly father, Lord, you are creator and sustainer of all things.

You are the one who brought Israel out with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm.

Lord, our prayer is that you draw near to us and father, that you would draw us nearer to you.

Lord, we confess that we are prone to wonder, that we are quick to trust our own wisdom or that we are slow to tremble at your word.

And quite often we are content with the gifts of your hand while our hearts go dull towards your glory, in your presence.

Father, we pray that you forgive us for our cold worship, for our careless obedience, for hurried prayers and distracted hearts.

Lord, we give thanks and we praise you that you have not left your people without a dwelling place, that in the fullness of time you sent your son, our

Lord Jesus Christ, the true tabernacle to dwell among us full of grace and full of truth.

Father, we thank you. We praise you that you have now poured out your spirit upon your church, that we have been made living stones and a holy temple in which you now dwell.

Father, we ask for the light of your spirit to open your word to us, to give us eyes to behold wondrous things from your law, to give us hearts to receive

Christ by faith, to delight in him and to follow him with all of our hearts.

Lord, we ask now that you pause and just still our minds, that our affections are kindled or that you guard us from a mere formality with holy things.

Father, do not allow us to hear about your glory without desiring for it.

Do not allow us to speak about your presence while we're resisting the very holiness that welcomes it.

Father, it is our prayer that our repentance is honest, our faith is full and our obedience is glad.

Lead us to Christ through your word this morning. Make us a people governed by your presence, guided by your word, purified by your spirit and satisfied in your son.

Father, we ask all of these things in the name of Jesus Christ, our mediator and our high priest, amen.

May we say it. As this passage of scripture opens up, it begins very clearly.

Then Yahweh spoke to Moses saying, saying, it didn't open up with Moses had a bright idea.

It didn't open up with the committee got together and suggested a design.

It didn't open up with, hey, the craftsmen came together, Moses, and they have some improvements that they would like to make on that which you gave us.

No, it begins with God speaking.

With God commanding. You see the tabernacle is not a human construct that God later blessed.

The tabernacle is a divine dwelling that God commanded into existence.

You know, a lot of times in our zeal to make things happen, to do stuff, we forget that God is guiding the way that we do all things.

The way that we worship him is prescribed by him. The way we approach him is prescribed by him.

The fact that God dwells with his people. So often we think about and even potentially ask the question, what would you do if Jesus was here?

To ask that question actually denounces one of the very foundational teachings of scripture and that is the indwelling of the

Holy Spirit. Because you see, he is here.

He indwells you. Now, we have talked about from time to time the already not yet concept of the kingdom of God in which we say that the kingdom has been ushered in, that it is here, but that there is a fulfillment that is yet to come.

So the already in the sense of the Spirit indwelling the believers, but the not yet in the sense of what

Revelation teaches us where we will stand face to face with Almighty God. And we forget that because the

Spirit indwells us, the presence of God is with us continually.

But each of these truths, the fact that God prescribes and tells us the way in which we should worship, the way in which we should approach, the way in which we should live, these truths are matters of divine revelation.

Verse one, then Yahweh spoke to Moses saying, this is a divine revelation.

This is not human invention. The first thing you see after he speaks is that he begins to set the terms.

You see, he didn't say, Moses, whenever you get ready, you need to go ahead and get that tabernacle set up.

He didn't say, Moses, when the craftsmen are completed, set up the tabernacle.

I don't care when it is. I don't care what time, day or night. You just be paying attention.

And as soon as they're done, you set it up. He didn't say to Moses, hey,

Moses, why don't you pick what you think would be the best day to begin this process?

What he says is, on the first day of the first month, you shall.

He is specifically defining exactly when it is to occur.

But it's not just when it is to occur. It is also the sequence in which it is to occur.

The ark, the veil, the table, the lampstand, the altar of incense, the doorway, the altar of burnt offering, the laver, and then the court.

It's not random. It's not, well, this is my favorite piece, so I'm gonna do it first.

I don't really care what God said. It is, these are the ways in which you should move.

It is not left to Moses' preference. We've talked before that God is a

God of order and not a God of chaos. The God who saves is also the

God who orders all things, including all things in your life.

Listen, we live in a time where people treat worship as a canvas for self -expression.

They look at it as, well, I worship best when the style of music that I prefer is played.

When the lights are low and the fog machine is rolling, I worship best.

I worship best when I feel like worshiping and I don't feel like worshiping at 11 a .m.

on a Sunday morning, so I think all worship should occur at six o 'clock on Sunday afternoon. Now, don't misunderstand me.

God's word doesn't say gather together this specific date and this specific time, although he does tell us to gather on the

Lord's day, to treat the Lord's day, to give over the Lord's day. The question is not, though, what fits our taste.

The question is, what has God said? What has he commanded?

What has he revealed? If you go back and you study back through Exodus, beginning in chapter 20, you don't even have to go all the way back to the beginning.

Just start in chapter 20 and read through 40. You see very clearly that God prescribes the manners in which

Israel can come before him. And it's very clear.

And if you don't get it in Exodus 20 through 40, just keep reading. Because Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy also do the same thing.

Very clearly is it prescribed the manner in which Israel can come before God.

Brothers and sisters, that has not changed. This is just as true of the

New Testament church as it was of ancient Israel. This is not about us making a statement of preference of ours.

This is about worshiping the one true God as he commands.

Maybe you recall, but when we began working through the instructions regarding the tabernacle, we talked about how

God gives the tabernacle instructions to Moses in a specific order.

He begins at the center. And maybe you even remember what was at the center.

And if you don't, it was the Ark of the

Covenant, the Ark of the Testimony, the

Word of God. It was the first item that he commanded to be built in Exodus 25.

And here it is again. The fleshing out of the tabernacle begins with the

Ark. It's central. The Ark in the book of Exodus is at the theological center of what's happening, the center of understanding regarding God.

And if it is at the center of everything, yes, it is hidden behind the veil, but it is central to all things.

In fact, if you continue to study and you see how the camp itself is set up, ultimately what you realize is that it is not just at the center of the tabernacle, it is at the center of the entire encampment.

And because it is at the center, it represents and it defines the truth of God dwelling within the midst of his people.

And if they were to forget that, if they were to forget that foundational understanding, if they were to forget that it is at the very center of everything, then they begin to drift and they begin to lose meaning of other things.

Now for us today, it is not about the physical Ark of the covenant.

It is about Christ. Christ is the center of all things.

When you and I take our eyes off Christ, when other things begin to encroach into that central area of our lives and our gaze is pulled away, even momentarily, it is for us just like it was for Peter.

As his eyes strayed from Christ to the troubling waters that surrounded him as he stepped out of the boat.

And just as Peter began to sink, so too would we if we take our focus away from Christ.

And then as the tabernacle is brought together and instituted in just the way that God has commanded it to be done, we see then that these implements that were not holy must now be set apart.

And we see beginning in around verse nine, where he says, then you shall take the anointing oil and anoint the tabernacle and all that is in it and set it apart and all its furnishings and it shall be holy.

And in fact, even as it goes and continues to describe specific implements, it talks about each time you anoint something, it's being set apart, it's being deemed as holy.

There is a requirement here. It must be set apart.

It must not be common. It must not be ordinary. There's no magic in the oil.

There's no magic in the spices. It's not like some major transformation occurred, except for the acknowledgement that these things have now been placed aside for use of God.

Calvin wrote and pressed home that the oil is a sign. It's not magic.

It's not magic. It points to something else. This is the words he wrote.

This figure, therefore, clearly shows that nothing pleases God, that nothing is pure or holy in his sight except what has been purged and duly consecrated.

Now, if you recall, as we talked about types and shadows, walking through this, we talked about the anointing oil and how it is a type and a shadow of the

Holy Spirit. And so Calvin completes his thought with these words.

Except what has been purged and duly consecrated by the influence and grace of the

Holy Spirit. You see, it's not the substance that's sanctified.

It wasn't the oil. It certainly wasn't the cinnamon. It was

God. God is the one who sanctified.

God is the one who acted. And that which God sanctifies, he claims and identifies for himself.

You notice, again, what's anointed? Everything.

The tabernacle, the furnishings, the altar, the lava, the utensils, the priest. Listen, holiness is not for hidden places.

It's not just for when you come into this church. It's not just for when you interact with your

Christian friends. It's not just the show that you put on when you get up and get dressed on Sunday morning.

I gotta put my Sunday best on, and that includes my attitude and my behavior because I'm going to church, and you know if I go to church and I don't have my

Sunday best on, somebody's gonna say something. But the truth of the matter is this.

It's not just for those times. It's for all of our life. The closer things come to God, the closer we come to God, the more we must be set apart.

God gave the people of Israel a principle in the wilderness, a principle that still holds today. Be holy, for I am holy.

It's not a command to be like God in the sense of we're gonna attain his holiness.

It's a command to understand that if we're not holy, if we're not set apart, if we aren't living in this way, if we haven't been redeemed by the

Holy Spirit, we will never enter into his presence. And that as the

Spirit works in us and sets us apart, our lives then become transformed.

And then finally we see the close of that first section that God also provided the priesthood.

He commanded Moses, bring Aaron, his sons, wash them, set them apart, put the holy garments on them, that they may be priests.

Now, the priest in that day and time were a little different. You see, they provided the mediatorship that needed to occur.

They were the mediators between God and people. They were the ones who approached on our behalf or on the person's behalf, they would approach

God and they had to do it in a very specific manner as we studied before. It doesn't say come however you like.

They had to obey the steps precisely. And there's not a better example at all of scripture than the example of Aaron's two sons because they offered strange fire and paid for it with their lives.

The command is not to come as you would like to come, it is come as I have commanded you to come.

And as we see, the text is already moving us towards Christ.

Look at what happens again as the priests are instituted, washing, clothing, anointed.

These preach without us needing to say anything. This is what

Christ has done. He washes us, He clothes us in His righteousness.

We are anointed, we are set apart. Quite honestly, no one comes to God apart from the cleansing of Christ, apart from the righteousness of Christ, apart from being consecrated by Christ.

All of those things are found in but one place. They're found in the person and work of the

Lord Jesus Christ. He, He is the

Holy One. He is the anointed one. He is the great high priest.

He is the sacrifice. He is the mercy seat. He is the one and only way into the presence of God.

Maybe you recall as we worked through the tabernacle that over and over we talked about that there's only one doorway to each section.

There was one doorway to the courtyard. There was a one doorway into the holy place.

And there was one doorway into the holy of holies. And those doorways all represent the fact that Christ is the only way into the presence of Almighty God because apart from going through the doorway of Christ, we do not enter into His presence.

So these first 16 verses give us God's clear and concise ordering.

And that as we move from verse 16 or verse 15 into verse 16 and then on into verse 17, what we see highlighted for us in the 16th verse is thus did

Moses according to all that Yahweh had commanded him, so he did.

Now I want you to notice three times in that one verse, you're told that Moses did exactly what

God told him to do. Look, thus Moses did. That three word sentence actually completes the whole verse.

But then we get it again, according to all that Yahweh had commanded him. We wanted to be clear.

God wanted to make it understood. Moses didn't do just willy nilly. What he did was exactly what

God commanded him to do. Thus Moses did according to all that Yahweh had commanded him.

And then we get the repetition, so he did. There's an emphasis there on the obedience of Moses.

And if that emphasis isn't enough, in the next section of verses from 17 down through verse 33, we're told an additional seven times that Moses did just as God commanded, just as Yahweh commanded.

Verse after verse, action after action, and each action, just about each thing that Moses does is completed with the words, just as Yahweh commanded, pressing in on us that the

Spirit is teaching us something about ourselves. It's not just enough that we understand that this is what

Moses did. We also need to understand our own personage, our own nature, what we are prone to do.

And brothers and sisters, let me tell you what we're prone to do. We are prone to mix in a measure of our own invention.

Left to ourself, even with instructions, we will drift.

The first time you fix a recipe, you may follow the instructions exactly as they're written.

The next time, you may still follow it as exactly as it's written, but by the third time, you begin to modify it.

Well, last time I had this, it didn't have quite enough salt. I went by the recipe, I need to add a little more.

Last time I had this, I thought, you know, it would be better if I put this ingredient in it as well. The things of God are no different.

We read the Word of God, we see what God commanded, and we go, well, you know, if I just added this, it would make it so much better.

And then it translates into a whole shift in everything. Well, young people today aren't gonna come to church for church, they come for the light show, or they come for the music, or they come for this, or they come for the sports program, or they come for the softball team, or they come for the pickleball, or they come for the entertainment, or they come for the meals, or they come for this, but they're not coming for God.

And the reason is, is because we have made it about everything but God. Why? Because we thought we knew better.

We are always going to mix our invention with God's commands as though our ways could ever be wiser.

And then, of course, we get the response to that question. Well, you're talking about legalism. Let me be very clear.

Obedience to the details of Scripture is not legalism.

Obedience in the hope that it will gain you salvation, that's legalism.

Obedience to the details of Scripture because you are saved, that's reverence.

There's a big difference. Some hear that careful obedience, and they assume rigidity, they assume frozenness, they assume this approach to everything that's not warm, that's not inviting, that's not anything.

But let me tell you what Scripture calls that obedience. Let me tell you what

Scripture calls it when you're obedient to the commands of God. Scripture calls it faithful. And one of the first problems that we have to get ourselves beyond is the question that literally resonates in the minds of people.

And if you don't believe me, you can go out and ask them, why should I obey God? Well, because He's God.

Well, I don't like that answer. I didn't say you were. But the truth is, this is why we obey

God. God is worthy of this because God is

God alone. There is no other. And if you don't believe me, just flip over to the book of Isaiah.

Make your way to the 44th chapter. Begin reading in verse one. Read through chapter 46, verse nine.

Let me tell you what you'll run into. What you'll see is nine different times in that short passage where God proclaims this truth.

Isaiah 44, verse six, thus says Yahweh, the King of Israel and His Redeemer, Yahweh of hosts,

I am the first, I am the last, and there is no

God besides me. Verse eight of that same chapter, do not be in dread and do not be afraid.

Have I not long since caused it to be heard to you and declared it and you are my witnesses?

Is there any God besides me or is there any other rock?

I know of none. Verse seven, chapter 45, verse five,

I am Yahweh and there is no other. Besides me, there is no God.

Verse six, that they may know from the rising to the setting of the sun that there is no one besides me.

I am Yahweh and there is no other. Verse 14, thus says

Yahweh, the fruit of the labor of Egypt and the prophet of Ethiopia and the Sabians, men of stature, will come over to you and will be yours.

They will walk behind you. They will come over in chains and they will bow to you. They will make supplication to you and this is what they will say, surely

God is with you and there is none else, no other

God. Verse 21, declare and draw near with your case. Indeed, let them consult together who has made this heard from of old, who has long since declared it.

Is it not I, Yahweh, and there is no other God besides me, a righteous

God and a savior. There is none except me. Verse 22, turn to me and be saved.

All the ends of the earth for I am God and there is no other.

And then finally, Isaiah 46, verse nine, remember the former things long past for I am

God and there is no other. I am God and there is no one like and because God is

God and there is no other. When God commands, we do not negotiate.

We do not trim the edges. We obey. Jesus said, if you love me, you will keep my commandments.

People will say, well, but Jesus only gave two commandments. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, your mind, your soul, your strength and love your neighbor as yourself.

And then he finished that sentence by saying, in these is all of the law and the prophets.

In other words, if you can obey those two, you're gonna obey every other one that's there. We have to be honest with ourself though.

Our nature is not to do this.

I don't know if you've noticed, but children don't necessarily obey. I mean, maybe yours are perfect and you've not noticed that.

Maybe you have to think back to your childhood and oh, you were a perfect child too, right? The reality is, is we know we weren't.

We know our kids aren't. We wanna think that they are, right? But we know that they aren't. How do we know?

Because we understand their nature. Because we've been there, we've done that, we've seen it. We know what scripture teaches us that this is what will happen.

We don't just naturally seek obedience. We naturally seek to rebel.

In fact, we are drawn to what I would call selective obedience. Selective obedience is real popular in churches.

Let me prove that to you. We will obey where it costs us little. We will obey where it feels natural to us.

We will obey when it receives the applause of others. But mark this down.

Partial obedience is not obedience. Partial obedience is disguised disobedience.

It is me saying I know better and living as if I do regardless.

The fact that this repeated refrain that is found here in Exodus is a mirror that is to be held up to the church.

In everything we do, the question should be asked, do we live just as the

Lord commanded or as it seems right in our own eyes?

And we continue to evaluate because we are still prone to wonder.

We are still eligible to walk in the wrong direction. And this is why the word has to be central.

The truth needs to be the focus and center. And so that it keeps us and guards us.

Not only though, is there this obedience that occurs.

The obedience that occurs is not slothful obedience.

In other words, it's not obedience after a prolonged period of time where you spent denying doing what you have been commanded to do.

For example, in case you're not familiar with what I'm talking about, there was a young man at the age of 18 who was sitting in the back left section of his central section of pews at the church in which he grew up.

In the midst of a revival service, God placed a call on his life to be a minister of the gospel, to which he responded.

And after about 20 years, actually did.

That's delayed obedience. That's not what Moses is demonstrating. Notice as soon as he puts the implements into place, he puts them into use.

The altars are erected, the table is put up, the bread is placed on it.

The altars are erected, the lamps are placed, they're lit. The altars are erected, incense is burned.

The altar of burnt offering is erected before the doorway. The burnt offering and the meal offering are ready to go and to be done.

God has provided everything to be used. The laver, even put into place, hands and feet are washed.

God does not give gifts. God does not give holy things as ornaments. He gives them to be used.

He did not give us this beautiful book to be a beautiful book that sits on the shelf and is the center of some type of attention other than us opening the book and reading the book.

He did not give us churches to be observed as beautiful sanctuaries. He gave them to us to be utilized as places of worship.

It doesn't mean they can't be beautiful sanctuaries, but I can promise you within 100 mile radius of here,

I can take you to many beautiful sanctuaries in which people faithfully meet.

More than one time a week, but no worship happened.

The building is utilized, but it's become a area to gather for social events.

And the social events, by the way, are disguised as church. I'm not talking about buildings that have been transformed into something else.

I'm talking about churches that are meeting, but not really meeting. They're not worshiping.

They're not giving praise and honor. The word of God is meant to be heard.

It's meant to be believed. It's meant to be obeyed. Prayers are meant to rise like incense. The Lord's day is meant to be kept as holy.

The ordinances as we'll participate here in a few moments are meant to be received by faith.

Fellowship among believers is meant to strengthen. Discipline is meant to heal. Gifts are meant to be used in service.

And then we find this interesting phrase at the very end of verse 33. Thus, Moses completed the work.

The physical work was done. The tabernacle was put up.

The implements were put into place. The offerings that were to be made had been made.

The priesthood has now been instituted. The work has been completed. Only one thing remained, and that was for God to come.

There's a message here. The message is God didn't have to show up.

He did. Moses could have built the tabernacle, but Moses couldn't fill it with the glory of God.

Moses could be obedient in preparation, and we see he was obedient, but he could not manufacture the presence of Almighty God.

Israel could not summon God like a servant. In fact, if you reach this point in the book of Exodus, the one question you should be asking yourself is, why did

God come? Go back to the very beginning of the book.

The people cried out, save us, deliver us, help us.

God responds and delivers and helps, and from that point forward, and actually before the point of him saving them, even in the midst of the battle with the plagues, the people already are saying and questioning and wanting to know why are we doing it this way?

Wouldn't we be better off where we were? Wouldn't we have been better off just to have left it all alone? And so you have to ask yourself, after we've gone through everything we've gone through, we've seen the behavior of the people of Israel, in light of the fact of all of the things that God has done, we've seen that they still do, the question that should be on our minds is not, why didn't

God come sooner, but why did God come at all? Why does

God save at all? We are rebellious people. Scripture is clear about our nature.

There is none that is good. There is none that pursues God. There is none that desires after God.

There is none that lives perfect. All of our righteousness is filthy rags.

And the answer is grace. God comes by and because of grace.

God has demonstrated his grace on the people of Israel when they were not faithful to the covenant, by remaining faithful, by keeping his promises.

Even in the midst of a people who couldn't keep their promise. They couldn't even keep it for 40 days.

What's interesting I think here is, there's somewhat of a parallel. In John chapter three, everybody goes, oh, he's gonna say 316.

No, that's not the only verse in John chapter three. A lot of people think it is. I'm not sure what they think, what happened to one through 15, but anyway.

In John chapter three, verse three, Jesus says some words that get overlooked a lot.

When they are talked about, often they are talked about incorrectly. But in John chapter three,

Jesus tells Nicodemus that unless a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of heaven.

Now the problem here comes in when we get into a flesh mindset.

Because in a flesh mindset, the kingdom of heaven deals with one thing, heaven. So what this says is, hey, you'll not get into heaven unless you're born again, which is true.

But we forget that little three -letter word, see. See, behold, acknowledge, even be able to begin to comprehend unless one is born again.

You can't be saved unless God comes, which is only something

God can do. Something over which we have no power, no amount of effort, no amount of obedience, no amount of calling out.

All of those things are in vain unless he comes to us by grace alone. And as he comes, our obedience to his command is the only proper response.

You will not see the kingdom of heaven. And if Exodus had ended at verse 33, ask yourself how big of a letdown that would be.

Because it would have ended with the words, thus Moses finished the work.

And I don't know about you, but the fact that a long dead prophet finished something means little in the grand scheme of things because Moses couldn't save you.

Thanks be to God that he didn't end in verse 33. And the very next thing we see happen is in response to the finished work.

We see the divine response of God when God literally takes possession of his dwelling place among his people.

The cloud descends, the glory fills. And what's interesting to note here is the statement that begins verse 35.

And Moses was not able to enter.

You see the cloud that falls here is two -pronged.

It's mercy and it's mystery. It's hiding the glory of God.

It's merciful in the fact that God has descending that is a visible sign that there's no more wondering is

God among us, but is also mystery because it conceals.

We know that God is near because we can see him physically in the cloud that has descended.

But we also have acknowledgement because we cannot see him fully, that he is near, but he is not manageable.

He is present, but he is certainly not tame. We don't control him. We don't have authority over him.

And let me, to the modern thoughts that rage through our minds.

When we understand the truth of who God is, it should crush the impulse of a casual approach to God.

When we begin to understand that he is a mystery that we cannot understand, that we certainly cannot control that we cannot casually approach him.

It should eliminate the nearness without the holiness, the comfort without the reverence, the intimacy without the awe, the sky daddy philosophy should be destroyed because it exists as a failure to understand who

God is. Listen, this cloud demonstrates God's presence, not casual.

It is covenantal, it is holy. This is the same cloud that enshrouded the top of Sinai.

And now it has descended in the glory. The glory,

God's manifested greatness. We talked about this, his weightiness, all of his attributes, the splendor, the majesty.

He is publicly owning the work, accepting the worship, restoring fellowship, even after they have sinned.

Listen, for years, grace has been preached as a means to cancel the sin debt that we owe.

And that is a true and valid statement. But you see here, what happens is when we stop there, we don't talk about the rest of what grace does, we miss the bigger picture because it's not about just canceling the debt, it's about restoring communion.

It is about allowing us to enter into the presence. You remember in the book of Hebrews, it says now since we have this great high priest, let us boldly approach the throne of God.

The communion has been restored. It's not just about canceling your debt. It's not just your get out of hell free card.

It is communion restored with God so that you can enjoy him forever.

And glorify him with your entire life. And the fact that Moses could not enter demonstrates that Moses is not the full and forever mediator.

Moses is rejected. Not because Moses is not wanted,

God has called him to this role. But it is because God is too holy.

It is because the majesty is too weighty. The brightness is too great. The nearness is too much.

And the text here cries out for Christ.

Moses cannot enter, but the people need to draw near. There must be a mediator who can approach.

There must be a priest that is greater than Aaron, that is greater than Christ, that is greater than Moses, and that is the person of the

Lord Jesus Christ. The one who we are told in Hebrews enters the holy place not made with hands.

The one who eliminates the veil, removing the obstacle, redeeming the people.

John says the word became flesh, tabernacled among us, and we saw his glory in Christ.

God did not merely dwell in the camp. God dwelt in us.

God comes nearer than Israel could ever have imagined. You know, so often we hear people say, man, it would just be so wonderful to talk to the saints of old and sit down and talk to David and hear, you know, man,

David just had an amazing life, and Elijah, and Elisha, and Moses, and Abram, and all of these great names of the

Old Testament. We can go through Hebrews chapter 11, the hall of faith, and we can say, man, it would be wonderful to sit down and talk with these people, but you know what they would say to you, you idiot?

You have something that we could have only dreamed about, the very presence of Almighty God indwelling you, and you're looking for us instead of Him, and that presence, that presence demonstrated for us in the last couple of verses here.

The presence that not merely governs, but leads and directs.

Scripture says if the cloud lift, the people moved. If the cloud remained, the people stayed. The presence of God directed the life of His people.

They did not stay because they were afraid, they stayed because that was the command of God. Listen to me.

The life you live is full of unknowns. If you didn't know that, walk out of the door today, and you'll find out. Something will happen that you were not expecting.

In the midst of all of those things of life, one of the enemy's greatest words to you is that you're alone, that you're by yourself, but you're not.

The wilderness, the world is unknown, but the one who guides, the one who directs, the one who is here is present.

He governs, He's constant. Notice that it said is cloud by day to fire by night.

The guidance wasn't just in crisis, it was in every occurrence of their life.

In the little things, in the big things, in all things. And it was public.

Look at the very last line of verse 38. In the sight of all of the house of Israel, the cloud stands as a rebuke to unbelief and a comfort to those who are weak.

The presence went in the center so that people are held accountable and they're strengthened.

And it hasn't changed. God dwells within His people. He indwells us,

He is at the center of who we are. It's not an accident, it's a counterpart to what occurred.

God filled the tabernacle with His glory, now He fills His people with the Spirit. And on the final horizon,

Exodus ends with glory. Revelation ends with glory in a renewed creation.

And all of these things teach us that Christ, Christ is at the midst.

Christ is the true tabernacle. Christ is the final mediator. As He came to earth in the incarnation, as He accomplished the work that He was here to provide once for all a sacrifice so that we could be reconciled to God.

And that once we're reconciled, we are brought into the church. And that as we are members of the church, the

Holy Spirit makes the church God's dwelling place. This is our current situation.

Christ indwelling us in the form of the Holy Spirit, the person of the Holy Spirit. And as we begin to understand this, we see that it is pointing us forward to this truth.

A truth that not just shapes our understanding of Scripture, but it shapes our everyday life and our worship.

It transforms who we are because although we do not stand face to face with God as we ultimately will, we stand and dwelt by the

Spirit as people who have received a promise, gathering, knowing that God is in our midst.

Listen, so many people are seeking an experience.

And the reason they're seeking that experience is in an effort to prove to themselves that God's presence is with them.

They're seeking an experience to prove that God's presence is with them. This is no different than the people of Israel looking to the cloud and seeing the cloud and being comforted by the fact that they could visibly see a cloud and know that God was with them.

You and I, you and I should not be seeking experience.

Why? Because we know that God is with us.

We are assured that God is with us.

As we gather, we gather with the intention not of attaining something for ourselves, but to give glory and honor and praise to Him, to commune with Him through His word and prayer and praise.

As we gather, our posture is marked with holy fear and holy joy. We celebrate the truth.

Listen, Moses couldn't enter the tabernacle once the cloud descended because the glory was so great, but it didn't dissuade him.

Rather, what it did was create a sense of reverence and a sense of awe. This is the same approach that we should take.

We should understand the fact that if he did descend on this church in a cloud, we couldn't enter, but he has chosen to enter in the very lives of his people.

This is what drives us to gather with his people. This is why we don't forsake gathering together.

In fact, our preparation for Lord's Day worship begins when the Lord's Day ends. In other words, when the day ends, your preparation begins to gather next week and the next and the next.

That holy fear, that holy joy drives a desire to hear His word read and preached and sung coming to Him in prayer, not just in our time alone, but as His body.

We seek Him as our guide, not out of the bondage of sin, but through our entire life.

And our whole life is governed by the truth that we are called to obedience as a result of the salvation that we have been given.

And if we will be a people among whom God delights to dwell, we must be a people who love

His presence, who tremble at His word, who cling to Christ, and who walk by His spirit.

And as such, we have a question that sits before us. And the question is, is do you live each day with a settled awareness that the holy

God truly dwells within His people?

That as He indwells His people, He shapes our choices, He orders our lives and our loves, and He governs our steps?

Or does your life actually testify that His nearness has been neglected and His presence has been taken lightly?

Does His word call you now to repent and return? Those of you who walk in humble dependence upon Christ, these truths reassure you.

They should bolster your assurance. The God who has drawn near will not depend on you. For your part,

He will remain faithful to dwell with His people in the person of the

Holy Spirit indwelling each of His believers until that moment when we are face -to -face in eternity.

He does not merely offer us improved circumstances, He offers us Himself. He's not here to help us try to escape from Egypt or sin.

He's here to give us Himself, to commune with us.

He doesn't just come to forgive, He comes to dwell, come to Christ, trust

Christ, worship God as He has commanded, follow where He leads, rest when

He says rest, and set your hope on the day when that faith will give way to sight and the dwelling of God will be with man.

Most gracious Lord, our God. Father, we praise you that you are a covenant

God who draws near to dwell with your people. Lord, we confess to you that we have often lived as though your presence is an accessory rather than our very life.

As though the word that you have given us is merely an instruction manual rather than authoritative.

As though Christ were useful rather than precious. Father, we pray for those who are here today that are weary that they would be comforted.

For those anxious, there would be peace. For those still in rebellion, holy fear, true repentance.

Father, we pray that you would teach us to move when you lead and wait when you appoint and to hasten the day when our journey ends, when this life gives way to everlasting light, when our faith is made sight, when tears are wiped away, when the tabernacle of God is with man forever.

that day, we pray that you keep us through Christ Jesus, our Lord, in whose name we pray, amen.