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Exodus 25

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The book of Hebrews calls the tabernacle "a copy and shadow of the heavenly things" (Hebrews 8:5). As we look carefully at each article included in the tabernacle and consider the detail of God's instruction, we discover a beautiful picture of Christ.

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6/15/2011
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Exodus 25
Exodus 25
Skip Heitzig
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The book of Hebrews calls the tabernacle "a copy and shadow of the heavenly things" (Hebrews 8:5). As we look carefully at each article included in the tabernacle and consider the detail of God's instruction, we discover a beautiful picture of Christ.
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02 Exodus - 2011

02 Exodus - 2011

Beginning in the brickyards of Egypt and ending in the tabernacle filled with God's presence, the book of Exodus chronicles the deliverance of God's people from Egypt and records the end of their oppression under Pharaoh. It also provides an account of the beginning of a prophecy fulfilled: God promised Abraham descendants beyond number, and on the pages of Exodus we see Israel become a great nation.

In this verse-by-verse study, Pastor Skip Heitzig presents an in-depth look at Moses, the ten plagues, the ten commandments, the desert wanderings, the construction of the tabernacle, and more. As we study, we'll see the grace of God, witness the glory of the Lord, and a catch a glimpse of Israel's coming Savior.

Visit expoundabq.org for more information on this series.

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Detailed Notes

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  1. Introduction - God wants to be with His people
    1. The tabernacle: tent of meeting
      1. Pattern included in Exodus 25-26
      2. God said, "I will meet with you there" (v.22)
    2. Later the temple will replace the tabernacle
    3. Jesus is the ultimate fulfillment of the temple
      1. "Jesus answered and said to them, 'Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.'" (John 2:19)
      2. "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us," (John 1:14)
        1. Tabernacles among us
        2. He pitched His tent among us
        3. God in human flesh, dwelling with His people
    4. God now dwells in His people; we are the temple of the Holy spirit
    5. During the Millennium, God's glory will dwell in an earthly temple (See Ezekiel 40-46)
    6. In the New Heaven, New Earth, New Jerusalem :
      1. "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God." (Revelation 21:3)
      2. "They shall see His face," (Revelation 22:4)
  2. Offerings for the Sanctuary
    1. First time in the Bible God takes an offering
    2. The attitude must be right
      1. Willing heart
      2. Not grudgingly
      3. "So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver." (2 Corinthians 9:7) (Cheerful literally means hilarious)
      4. Ways people give
        1. Like a flint:  hammer it and get chips and sparks
        2. Like a sponge: the more you squeeze the more you get
        3. Like a honeycomb: overflows with sweetness
    3. Materials for the offering
      1. Threads
        1. Blue - dyed from a shellfish of the Mediterranean Sea
        2. Purple - blue dye added with chemical
        3. Red - dye extracted from a worm
      2. Fourteen materials listed: from precious metals and  stones to yarns
        1. Precious metals
        2. Precious stones
        3. Threads
      3. New Testament principle: building up the body of Christ
        1. Using gifts and talents to build up the church
        2. Having the right attitude with your gifts
        3. " Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw," (1 Corinthians 3:12)
          1. Some give their best
          2. Some don't
  3. Overview of Articles for the Temple
    1. Everything they built was portable
      1. They were on the move from Egypt to the Promised Land
      2. God would go with them
    2. The approach
      1. 7' fence
      2. One way in
      3. Had to have a sacrifice
    3. The courtyard
      1. 150' x 75'
      2. Brass Altar to the east
      3. Basin for washing
      4. Tent
        1. 15' x 30'
        2. Two Rooms inside
          1. Holy Place
          2. Holy of Holies
    4. Holy Place
      1. Table of Showbread on the right
      2. Altar of Incense in front of the veil
      3. Menorah or Lampstand
    5. Holy of Holies
      1. Separated by the veil
      2. The ark of the covenant
        1. Most important piece of furniture in the tabernacle
        2. God was said to dwell between the cherubim
        3. Tablets of the 10 Commandments inside
        4. A jar of manna added later
        5. Aaron's rod that budded added later
  4. The Ark of the Covenant
    1. Construction
      1. 45" x 27" x 27"
      2. Acacia wood
        1. Plentiful in the Sinai Desert
        2. Harder, denser than oak
        3. Simple, humble, but enduring
      3. Overlaid with gold
      4. Rings at the corners with poles for carrying
        1. Transported by priests
        2. Carried on their shoulders
    2. The testimony (10 commandments) contained within
    3. The Mercy Seat
      1. Pure gold
      2. 45" x 27"
      3. Cherubim on top
        1. Angelic creatures who worship God
        2. Represent the presence of God
        3. Looking down on the Mercy Seat
          1. Within the ark was the law which the people failed to keep
            1. The people promised to keep all the Lord commanded (See Exodus 19:8; Exodus 24:3)
            2. When Moses comes down the mountain, he will find them worshiping a golden calf. Moses broke the tablets of the 10 Commandments, ground the golden calf to powder, put it in water, and made the people drink it (see Exodus 32). Moses will go up the mountain again and carve new tablets himself (see Exodus 34).
          2. The priest would go in once a year and sprinkle blood on top of the Mercy Seat; the blood covered their failure to keep the Law
          3. God acts for His people in spite of what they have done; He is merciful
          4. God looks at us through the blood of His Son
    4. A symbol of God's presence
      1. When they cross the Jordan River, the ark will cross first (see Joshua 3)
      2. Ark stolen by the Philistines (see 1 Samuel 4)
        1. Eli heard and fell backwards and died
        2. Eli's daughter-in-law went into premature labor, named his son "Ichabod," which means the glory has departed (see 1 Samuel 5)
        3. Placed in Dagon's Temple, falls down twice and is broken
        4. It is returned to Israel (see 1 Samuel 6)
        5. Kept in the house of Abinadab at Kirjath Jearim (see 1 Samuel 7:1)
        6. Later, David brings it back to Jerusalem
    5. The Mercy Seat
      1. The lid of the ark
      2. In the Greek Bible, the Septuagint: ilasterion - mercy seat;
        1. New Testament , four times the word propitiation: a sin offering, covering
        2. "And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world." (1 John 2:2)
        3. Same Greek word: (Also used in Romans 3:25; Hebrews 2:17; 1 John 4:10)
        4. Jesus Christ is the only place where God and man come together:
          1. "The way, the truth, and the life" (John 14:6)
          2. He is the Mercy Seat
          3. "So I saw in my dream, that just as Christian came up with the cross, his burden loosed from off his shoulders, and fell from off his back, and began to tumble, and so continued to do till it came to the mouth of the sepulchre, where it fell in, and I saw it no more." (The Pilgrim's Progress, by John Bunyan)
  5. The Table of Showbread
    1. Construction of the table
      1. 36" x 18"x22"
      2. Acacia wood covered with gold
    2. Tribes of Israel represented before God 3 ways
      1. Names on the stones set in the ephod of the High Priest;
        1. 6 on each shoulder
        2. He bore them on his shoulders, representing them before God
      2. 12 stones on the breastplate
      3. 12 loaves of bread
        1. Changed every Sabbath by the priests
        2. Represented God's provision on their journey
        3. Bread taken and eaten by the priests and their families
    3. Represents Jesus Christ
      1. Simple acacia wood - humanity
      2. Overlaid with gold - deity
      3. Jesus said, "I am the bread of life" (John 6:35)
      4. Bread made from ground grain (See Leviticus 24:5)
        1. "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain." (John 12:24)
        2. Jesus was ground in the Garden of Gethsemane
        3. Jesus died, and rose from the dead
    4. Additional history
      1. When Jerusalem conquered in 70 AD, the Table of showbread was brought into view
      2. According to Josephus said it was like a riot "they conquered the gods of Israel"
      3. Depicted in the Arch of Titus
  6. The Golden Lampstand
    1. One source of light; Rabbis called the temple "The light of the world"
    2. One solid piece of gold
    3. A central shaft with three branches on each side
    4. Temple Institute
      1. Collected 400 pages regarding the making of the Lampstand
      2. Duplicated it to scale
      3. Group committed to the rebuilding of the Jewish Temple
  7. Consider this:
    1. The Tabernacle and it's furnishings have more biblical area than any other topic in the Bible: 50 chapters
    2. What heaven was like: "Who serve the copy and shadow of the heavenly things, as Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to make the tabernacle." (Hebrews 8:5)
      1. Gives us an idea what heaven will be like
      2. John's vision of heaven in Revelation was similar. The sea was hardened because we no longer need cleansing.
    3. 1 door into the Tabernacle: Jesus said, "I am the door" (John 10:9)
    4. To enter the Tabernacle, you had to pass through the tribe of Judah: Jesus is from the tribe of Judah
    5. The outside of the temple was plain: Jesus "has no form or comeliness; And when we see Him, There is no beauty that we should desire" (Isaiah 53:2)
    6. Inside the tabernacle beautiful: Jesus is pure, divine nature
    7. Menorah: Jesus said, "I am the light of the world." (John 8:12)
    8. Showbread: Jesus said "I am the bread of life." (John 6:35)
    9. Altar of Incense, representing the prayers of the saints: Jesus "is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us." (Romans 8:34)
    10. Veil limited access to the Holy of Holies, only the High Priest allowed on the Day of Atonement: "Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, "(Matthew 27:51). All who were shut out may now go in.
    11. "For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me." (John 5:46)
      1. "The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear," (Deuteronomy 18:15)
      2. The tabernacle
    12. Jesus is our great High Priest (See Hebrews 4:14)

Publications Referenced: The Pilgrim's Progress, by John Bunyan;
Greek Terms: ilasterion - mercy seat, propitiation
Cross References: Exodus 19:8; Exodus 24:3; Exodus 32; Exodus 34; Leviticus 24:5; Deuteronomy 18:15; Joshua 3; 1 Samuel 4; 1 Samuel 5; 1 Samuel 6; 1 Samuel 7:1; Isaiah 53:2; Ezekiel 40-46; Matthew 27:51; John 1:14; John 2:19; John 5:46; John 6:35; John 8:12; John 10:9; John 12:24; John 14:6; Romans 3:25; Romans 8:34; 1 Corinthians 3:12; 2 Corinthians 9:7; Hebrews 2:17; Hebrews 4:14; Hebrews 8:5; 1 John 2:2; 1 John 4:10; Revelation 21:3

Transcript

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It's great to be outside but the bottom line is, this is still worship and a bible study.  So, I hope you brought your bibles.  Did you?  Good, good thinking.  Turn in your bibles to the Book of Exodus, the 25th Chapter, Exodus Chapter 25.  We continue in Exodus, expound through the bible, this is expound exposed.  We're exposed to the elements.  And I think you know it's actually good that we're out here doing this because we're getting a little bit of the flavor of what it was like 3500 years ago for the children of Israel to be outside in the Sinai exposed to the elements for 40 years.

Now we're here for an evening, imagine being in the Sinai and let me just tell you the weather there is a lot more like Phoenix.  So, you could be out in tents when it's like a 115 degrees plus and that's where they live.  That's how they worshiped.  And I tell you, as I was smelling and still smell some of the smoke wafting over here from the barbeque, I thought this is what is was like because you have to imagine there was an altar of sacrifice where animals were killed and then placed and roasted on an altar.  So to be around the tabernacle and later on the temple smelled an awful lot like Ian barbequing those burgers.  So, we're getting a little bit of that flavor, that taste.

The tabernacle is what we want to talk a little bit about tonight.  That's what this chapter highlights.  The Tabernacle where God met with mankind.  It was called The Tent of Meeting, The Tent of Meeting.  God was camping out with these people in the tabernacle.  Now we get a little pattern of that in Chapters 25, 26 and 27 of the Book of Exodus.  That's what it's about.  And here's the bottom line with the tabernacle, God wants to be with his people.  He wants to be with these people.  He said that I will meet with you there.  It would be the place where I can meet, not that God lived in the tabernacle as much as God met with his people there in the tabernacle, it's The Tent of Meeting.

Later on in Israel's history, there will be no tabernacle.  They will build a permanent structure.  It would be the temple.  Then we get to the New Testament and even though there is a temple, Jesus Christ is the ultimate fulfillment.  He spoke of his own body when he said, "Destroy this temple and I will raise it up in three days."  And the bible says in the Gospel of John and the word became flesh and dwelt among us literally tabernacled among us.  Literally, he pitched his tent among us, God in human flesh dwelling with his people.

Now today, there is no temple and where does God live today?  In us, we're the temple of the Holy Spirit the bible says.  So we go from tabernacle, to temple, to Christ walking, God in human flesh, tabernacling among us, to now the Holy Spirit living within us.  Fast forward to Ezekiel, you don't have to turn there.  But Ezekiel Chapters 40 through 46 and we have a millennial temple where God is dwelling in glory on planet earth over in Jerusalem.  Then fast forward, past the thousand years of Christ reigning on the earth where we get a new heaven and a new earth and a New Jerusalem.  And the bible, in Revelation 21 says, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men and he will dwell with them and they will be his people and God himself will be their God."  And then in the next chapter it says, "And then they shall see his face."

So we want to look at this dwelling place, this tabernacle.  It begins the chapter opens with God not only giving Moses instructions for the building of it but tells the people of Israel to collect an offering for it.  So in Verse 1, then the Lord spoke to Moses saying speak to the children of Israel that they bring me an offering from everyone who gives it willingly with his heart, you shall take my offering."

So this is the first time in the bible God takes an offering and you'll notice that it's to be a very special kind of offering.  It's for the tabernacle and the attitude has to be right.  They have to have a willing heart.  God doesn't want anybody going, "I don't want to give to that thing.  I'm not into building one of those things out here."  God wants them to do it with the willing heart.  Only those people who had a willing heart were told to gift.  And that's a New Testament principle.  The bible says, we're to give as every person purposes in his heart not grudgingly nor of necessity for God loves a cheerful giver.  By the way the word "Cheerful" means literally hilarious giver.  That's not where you look at the check and go, "I don't want to give to that tabernacle.  That's where you give it and you ha, ha, ha."  That's hilarious.  God loves a cheerful giver.

There are three ways that people can give.  You know some people are like a flint.  A flint you have to hit it hard with the hammer and the only thing you get is chips and sparks.  Then there's people that are like a sponge, the more you squeeze them, the more water you get out of them.  But then there's honeycomb, it's just naturally pours of its own substance, this beautiful sweetness and that's the way God wanted his people to give.  So only those they have a willing heart.

Then in Verse 3, "And this is offering which you will take from them, gold, silver, and bronze or in some translation say brass or cooper."  You will get blue, purple and scarlet red."  Now that that doesn't sound like much but back then, they get blue thread were you had to have a way to dye that thread and the blue dye came from a special shellfish that was found in the Mediterranean Sea and that's where they able to extract the blue dye to put into the thread.  To get purple thread, you would use the blue dye from the shellfish and add a certain chemical to get the purple.  Then to get the red, you have to had special kind of a worm that had red dye inside of it, you would extract that from the worm and put that into the white thread to get red.  Fine linen and goat's hair, ram skins dyed red, badger skins and acacia wood, oil for the light and spices for the anointing oil for the sweet incense.  Onyx stones and stones to be set in the ephod and in the breast plate.  And let them make me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them.  According to all that I show you, that is the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all of its furnishings just so you shall make it.

There are 14 different kinds of materials that are listed, from precious medals like gold and silver to precious stones like onyx to different colors of threads, 14 different kinds of materials.

Now, we just read the description of those materials.  Let me give you a familiar New Testament Verse, Paul the Apostle speaks about building up the church and he doesn't mean actually putting stones and glass on a building.  But building up the body of Christ and using the gifts that all of us have and the talents that all of us have and having the right attitude with those gifts and so listen to the picture that he paints.

Some build with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay and stubble.  There's different ways to build the body of Christ.  Some give it there best, some just don't, they just hang out.  And so he uses the analogy of those precious stones of the tabernacle offering to speak about us seeing our gifts as precious as we contributed to the body of Christ.

Now, everything they built will see the night.  Everything they build for this tabernacle was portable and for a good reason, they were on the move.  They were going from Egypt to the promise land.  God would go with them but they had that special GPS system, you remember that pillar of fire at night and that cloud that covered them and kept some of heat away by day.  And whenever that cloud moved, they moved.  And when that cloud stopped, they stop.  So everything they had to be able to take it down, packed it up, and get on the move, a few million people doing this in the wilderness.

Now, we're going to read this one chapter and that's all.  We're going to take communion.  But let's go on a tour of the tabernacle in our mind's eye.  As you would approach this tabernacle structure, you would come up to a fence that's seven feet high and had one gate.  There was only one entrance.  One gate, one way in and you had to have a sacrifice with you.  You couldn't just go, "I want to hang out with God.  It's my turn to see him now."  You had to bring a sacrifice, it had to be viewed by the priest and accept it.  You would go to the door of the tabernacle, he would take the animal, inspect it.  He would bring it inside the tent enclosure.  He would kill it on one of the benches that was by the altar and then he would sacrifice it after having washed it upon the altar of sacrifice.

So you would approach the tabernacle and you'd see the seven foot fence with the door.  Once you got into the courtyard of the tabernacle, the courtyard itself was 150 feet deep or long by 75 feet wide.  And it was just white cloth that formed this perimeter fence.  There was that big altar, bronze, brass altar of sacrifice that was toward the east side and then closer still toward the holy place was a basin or a lavar for washing.

Then what featured the most in this tabernacle was a tent that was in the middle of the courtyard, more toward the west side.  Now this tent was 45 feet long by 15 feet wide and it was divided into two rooms.  You couldn't see it from the outside what was inside and you couldn't go inside unless you were a priest.  If you are a priest and you could go into that tent that was 45 feet by 15 feet, you would see that that big tent was divided actually into two rooms.  The first room was 30 feet deep.  The second room was 15 feet.  So, it was a cube.

Inside that first room, that was called the holy place.  And in the holy place were articles of furniture and we have replica's to scale by the way of those things that were on the tabernacle.  For instance, as you would walk in and you would look toward the right or toward the north, you would see this Table of Shewbread.  And it'll be here afterwards for those who can't see it because of the speakers.  So here's the Table of Shewbread, I'll explain what that is, the text will.  In front of a veil that separated those two rooms was this, an altar of incense and we actually had incense that was lit a while ago and it was -- all the hippies were really getting excited about that.

And then on the other side of the holy place was a much larger one of these called the Menorah or the lampstand.  So, the tabernacle had one door, one source of light, a table with bread on it.  And just keep those in mind because we'll tie it all together toward the end.  And then there was a veil that separated those two rooms, the holy place from the Holy of Holies.  And in the Holy of Holies, there was only one article of furniture and that was the Ark of the Covenant.  And again this is to scale, at least the boxes, the angels were just guessing on.  That's the most important piece of furniture in the tabernacle, it was the Ark of the Covenant because God was said in the Old Testament to dwell between those cherubim. There he would meet with his people and I'll explain as we go.  Now inside this box, inside the Ark of the Covenant and I know Indiana Jones wanted to find out what was in it.

What was in it was a copy of the Ten Commandments.  The stone tablets of the law that were given.  The testimony was placed inside that, later on in their history, something else was placed inside of it.  Not here but later on, they're going to put a little jar; a little clay jar with manna, that bread that fell from heaven.  That daily sustenance by which they ate and God gave them nourishment for 40 years, they'll put a jar of that to remember how God took care of them.  Then they'll also put within the Ark of the Covenant the rod of Aaron that budded forth and flowered.  And they'll put rod of Aaron inside the ark to remind them of authority in the house of Aaron.

Verse 10 tells us about the Ark of the Covenant.  "And they shall make an ark of acacia wood, two and a half cubits shall be its length, a cubit and a half its width, a cubit and a half its height.

So, 45 inches long, 27 inches wide, and 27 inches tall, that's the Ark of the Covenant.  It was made out of acacia wood, this is just plywood.  Acacia wood is the wood that was found in the Sinai desert, it still is, it's plentiful in that area.  It's those desert scrub brushes that grow into some pretty massive trees.  The wood of the trunk is so strong, it's denser, it's harder than oak.

So, it's simple wood but it's rough.  It's tough.  It'll last.  It will endure.  Very simple humble wood but something that was hard and would endure.  "And you shall overlay it with pure gold.  And you shall overlay it and shall make on it a molding of gold all around."  We've tried.  "You shall cast four rings of gold for it and put them in the four corners.  Two rings shall be on one side and two rings shall be on the other side.  And you shall make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold.  You shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark that the ark may be carried by them.  The poles shall be in the rings of the ark and they shall not be taken from it."  And you'll see, if you can't now you'll see how this is exactly made like that, where there's rings and these really are just broom handles but you get the idea that you could transport it.  You can have four priests to carry this ark and that's how it would be transported, you place it on the shoulders.

Verse 16, "And you shall put into the ark the testimony which I shall give you."  That's the Ten Commandments written in stone.  "You shall make a mercy seat of pure gold.  Two and a half cubits shall be its length, a cubit and a half its width."  So 45 inches by 27 inches.  "And you shall make two cherubim or angels of gold of hammered work and you shall make them at the two ends of the mercy seat."  So these are depictions of what our artist Jane McLaughlin years ago made as the cherubim, these angelic beings probably because in heaven, surrounding God's throne are heavenly creatures that give him worship.  They're cherubim.  Isaiah sees Seraphim, another classification of angelic being.  So, these angels were hovering over the mercy seat.  This is the place where God said he would dwell.  This is the place where sin would be atoned.  This is the place where God would meet with his people.  So there were looking down upon this lid and that lid was solid gold.  The Ark of the Covenant, that mercy seat was solid gold so it was the most valuable part.

"And you shall make two cherubim," I read that, Verse 19.  "Make one cherubim on one end, one of the other end.  You shall make cherubim at the two ends of one piece with the mercy seat."  So, all solid gold.  "And the cherubim shall stretch out their wings above, covering the mercy seat with their wings and they shall face one another.  The faces of the cherubim shall be toward the mercy seat."  So what does that mean?  It means that these creatures, these cherubim, these that represent the presence of God were looking upon a box, a lid.  And in that box was the law that the people of Israel failed to keep, right?  That was God's standard that they would swore they would keep but they failed to keep it.

Now, do you remember in our study in the book of Exodus twice?  God's people said to Moses, "All that the Lord would tell you, we will do."  That was their promise.  As soon as Moses comes down from Mount Sinai, we'll get to it in Chapter 32 with the law of God in his hands.  What does he find the people doing?  Worshipping a golden calf, these are the guys that said "Everything that God says, we'll do it."  They couldn't even wait for Moses to get down with the law they said they would keep and they're already into idolatry, worshipping a golden calf.  Well, Moses had a temper and he took the stone tablets, the commandments of God.  That God, the bible says had written in his own finger, not that Moses wrote or transcribed.  God wrote on the stone.

And he was so mad that he broke those tablets at the foot of the mountain and got down on these guys, climbed all over their case, took the golden calf grounded up into powder, put it in water and made the children of Israel drink it.  So, he was tort.  So, because the first copy of the commandments have been destroyed, God calls him backup to the mountain, gives it to him a second time.  This time Moses with his own labor, with his own chisel, with his own hand writes those 10 words, The Decalogue and that's the copy that will be placed inside the ark.  So the law, the angels were looking down at box that contained the law that was a testimony against them.  They didn't keep the law and the angels are looking down.  It was a reminder of the standard they failed to keep.

When I read this, I thought of my upbringing.  I had a temper as a young boy and when I was a teenager, I got really angry at my brother and angry at my mom and angry at my dad and I went into the hallway of my room and I karate chopped the door of my bedroom with my foot.  I thought I was really cool, kung fu, like kung fued the door and I put a huge hole into the bedroom door that my parents never repaired for years.  I would come home and visit from college and that door was there with a hole in it.

I said, "You got to do something with that door."  They said, "We didn't put a hole in it."  So they just covered over the little white piece of cardboard.  Every time I went home and turn to left and I look down the hallway, it was a reminder of my anger.  The law inside the box was a reminder of their failure, but the priest would go inside the room, the Holy of Holies once a year and he would take blood and he would sprinkle the blood on the top of the mercy seat.

So now, the angels are looking down at the blood that would cover their failure to keep God's law.  That's what they would see and that's why it was called the mercy seat.  God will act for his people not based upon what they have done but inspite of what they have done God will show the mercy and not give them what they deserve.  That's where God will meet with them.  God is merciful.  "I want to meet with you.  I know you can't keep my standard.  I know you failed and my blood will cover your failure."  So, that's what heaven would look down and see, the blood that covered their failure.

Aren't you glad that God looks at you through the blood of his son and not at you through the lens of your own failure but through the lens of the blood of his son because we begin our day with high hopes.  "Lord, I'm going to serve you today.  I really want to draw close to you today.  I want to walk with you and continue to walk with you."  But by about 12 noon, things can happen and by the end of the day, "We'll try it all over again tomorrow.  Maybe tomorrow I'll get better luck."  Like one person who said, "Dear Lord, so far today, I've done all right, I haven't gossiped.  I haven't lost my temper.  I haven't been greedy.  I haven't been grumpy, nasty, selfish or over indulgent.  I am thankful for that.  But in a few moments God, I'm going to get out of bed and from then on, I'm going to need a lot more help.  Amen."  And we can relate to that.

And so, I'm so glad for the mercy seat.  I'll fast forward a little into Israel's history.  When the children of Israel will cross over the Jordan River in Joshua Chapter 3, what's the first thing that will go across the Jordan?  The ark.  Four priests will bear the Ark of the Covenant and they will take 3,000 feet of space and go 3,000 feet ahead of any of the crowd that will cross the Jordan.  They would go up to the water first and put their feet in the water and then the water opened up so it was that symbol that led them that went first into the Promise Land, that Ark of the Covenant.  Fast forward a few more years, Israel has settled in the land but a group of people called the Philistines.  You know who the Philistines are?  Don't say my uncle is a Philistine or my son is a Philistine.

The Philistines were a group of people, ancient peoples who warred against Israel.  And so, they were fighting the Israelites in 1 Samuel.  And what happened is the people of Israel, the Ark of the Covenant at this time was up and Shiloh in the central part of Israel.  They went to Shiloh, got the Ark of the Covenant and said, "We've got to bring the Ark into the camp.  If the ark is in the camp, we'll win the battle against the Philistines."

As soon as the Ark of the Covenant was brought into the camp of Israel, the Israelites shouted the bible says so loud that the earth shook.  And the Philistines said, "What is that noise?"  And somebody else, another Philistine said, "God has come into the camp of the Israelites and we're in trouble.  But because the children of Israel were using the ark sort of as a magic charm, as an amulet, God did not give them the victory.  The Philistines won that day and they captured the Ark of the Covenant, and now it's in Philistine territory.

Now, do you remember the priest name Eli?  Have you heard that name Eli the priest in the book of 1 Samuel?  Eli was 98 years old when the ark was captured by the Philistines.  They come back up to Shiloh and they say, "Eli, there's been a horrible battle that has taken place and we want you to know that your two sons, Hophni and Phineas are dead.  They died in the battle and the ark of God has been captured."  The bible says that when he heard that his two sons had died, he was shaken but not as shaken as when he heard that they captured the ark.  It says, when he heard that they captured the ark of God, he fell backwards.  He was 98 years old and he had gained a lot of weight and he fell off of where he was seated and he broke his neck and he died.

His daughter-in-law was pregnant at the exact same day.  When she heard that her husband had died and that her father-in-law had died, she gave birth prematurely to a child and called the child by the name Ichabod which means the glory has departed saying the glory of Israel has departed because they have captured the Ark of the Covenant.  So now the ark is in Philistine territory, it's not in the tabernacle.  The Philistines have it and they placed it in the temple of their God, the fish god, Dagon.  They placed it in the temple.

The next morning when they go in the temple, they find that their stone idle Dagon is on its face as if worshiping the ark.  So they said, "Well, we don't know what happened last night, maybe an earthquake but let's pick our God back up and give it some help and put it where it belongs."  They did and the next day, they came into the same temple of Dagon and this time they head had fallen over again.  The head was broken off and the hands were broken off.  It was irreparable and they said, "Get rid of that box.  Get rid of the ark.  It's nothing but trouble."  So they sent it back to the children of Israel and for 20 years, it stayed in the house of a guy named Abinadab and a town called Kiriath Jearim until David would bring it into Jerusalem some years later.

So that's sort of a synopsis of the ark.  In Verse 21, "You shall put the mercy seat on the top of the ark.  And in the ark you shall put the testimony that I will give you and there I will meet with you.  And I will speak with you from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are on the top of the ark of the testimony of all things which I will give you in commandment to the children of Israel.

Now, I need your attention for just a moment because I want to tie two ends together.  The mercy seat, that's this lid right here that I'm lifting up and if this was the real Ark of the Covenant, I probably be dead now doing this.  So this was the mercy seat.  The mercy seat is we were reading a Greek Bible and we were reading the Old Testament in the Greek Bible called the Septuagint version, some of you have heard of that.  When we get to the word mercy seat, the Greek word used would be hilasterion.  Hilasterion is the Greek word for mercy seat.  That's what we would read and God said, "Put on the ark the hilasterion, the mercy seat."

When we get to the New Testament, the New Testament was written in Greek.  There's a word we find four times in the New Testament, the word is "propitiation."  Show of hands, how many of you have ever read the word "propitiation"?  That means you're reading your bible.

It says in 1 John, "Jesus Christ is our propitiation" or the atoning sacrifice, some translation say, for our sin.  The Greek word is the word "hilasterion."  John and the author of Hebrews as well as Paul and Romans specifically used the word, "Jesus Christ is our Mercy Seat."  And here's the message, "The only place that God will meet with mankind is in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ.  If you want to have fellowship with God, Jesus is the only way, the truth and the life.  He's the Mercy Seat.  He's the place, he will commune with mankind because Jesus shed his blood for our sins.

If you've never read the book "Pilgrim's Progress", please buy the book.  My son and I made it a habit when he was younger of reading it, like every couple years we read it together.  We love the book, Pilgrim's Progress.  And my favorite scene is when the star of the book named Christian, who has this tremendous burden on his back, this backpack that he can't take off, it's the burden of his sin.  He finally comes to the hill of Calvary.

And John Bunyan, the author of the book said, "And I saw in my dream as Christian walked up to the cross that the burden that was on his back loosed from his shoulders; fell off his back and began to tumble and continued until it came to the opening of the sepulcher where it fell in.  And I saw it no more."  It was a picture of coming to grace, coming to faith in Christ, Jesus our Mercy Seat and the burden of sin being released at the cross and the open tomb and it's forever gone.  God met with him and changed his life.

Verse 23 and we'll finish the chapter up, there's not much left.  This is now the Table of Shewbread, so we now shift our focus from this piece of furniture to this piece of furniture.  And we even have token tortillas or shewbread, actually pita bread on the top of the -- sort of realistic, the Table of Shewbread.  This is one of the articles in the holy place.

So, if you are a priest and you walked into the holy place, on the right hand side you would see this table.  You shall make also a table of acacia wood, two cubits shall be its length, a cubit its width, a cubit and a half its height.  So it would be 36 inches long, as it is here, 18 inches wide and 22 inches high and that's made to scale.  And you shall overlay it with pure gold and make a molding of gold all around.  You shall make for it a frame of a handbreadth all around.  You shall make a gold molding for the frame all around.  And you shall make for it four rings of gold and put the rings in the four corners that are its four legs.

The rings shall be close to the frame as holders for the poles to bear the table.  And you shall make the poles of acacia wood, overlay them with gold as the table may be carried with him.  You shall make its dishes, its pans, its pitchers, its bowls for pouring.  You shall make them of pure gold.  And, you shall set the shewbread on the table before me always.

The children of Israel were to be represented before God three different ways.  Number one, on the high priest's shoulders were two stones that were inserted in the cloth ephod.  The two stones on one side, six names or six tribes of the children of Israel were inscribed and on the other, six other names were inscribed.  So, he would be bearing on his shoulders the names of the children of Israel.  He'd represent them before God.

Then, over his ephod was a breast plate of gold that had 12 stones.  And each of the stones represented one of the tribes of Israel.  That's the second way they were represented.  And the third way was daily, in the holy place, 12 loaves of bread on this table, one for each of the tribes of Israel to represent that God would sustain them and give them the bread that they would need to survive the wilderness journey.  And that represented them, it's called the bread of presence.  The children of Israel represented in the presence of God.

Every Sabbath day, the bread was changed out.  Everyday, oil -- sorry we have candles in this menorah, but oil would be added to keep the candlestick burning.  Once a week, the bread would be changed.  The bread that was left there would be taken and eaten by the priest and the families and the new bread would be put in its place.

Now, the Table of Shewbread, like the Mercy Seat is a picture of Jesus Christ.  It's made out of acacia wood covered with gold.  Acacia wood is simple.  It's common.  It's humble.  Jesus Christ was a human being, a man but also he was God overlaid with gold, God in human flesh.  It's a beautiful picture of Christ mingling the two elements together, the gold and the wood.  And then the bread, which was the sustenance of life, Jesus said, "I am the bread of life."

Also, according to Leviticus chapter 24, the grain for the bread, you would harvest the grain so it would be dead, it would be ground up in a millstone and then it would be baked.  Jesus said, "Unless a grain of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abides alone.  But if it dies, it bears much fruit."  He was speaking about his resurrection.  Jesus was ground, you might say, in the grinding stone of the Garden of Gethsemane where he agreed before the father to take upon him the sin of the world.  And then Jesus rose from the dead in glory, giving us new life and feeding anyone who would come to him.

Now, The Table of Shewbread, in 70 A.D., you know what happened in 70 A.D.?  That's when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem.  A general by the name of Titus who was the son of the Emperor Vespasian, conquered the city of Jerusalem.  When they came into the temple and took the articles, it doesn't say they found the Ark but it does say they found the Table of Shewbread and they brought it out to the people and they brought it into the city of Rome and it caused such excitement, Flavius Josephus said it was almost like a riot.  People were so excited that they conquered the gods of Israel, that's what they said and the proof was that they got the Table of Shewbread.

If you're ever in Rome and you get to The Colosseum, you'll see two arches and one of them is the Arch of Titus, the general who conquered Jerusalem.  And in the inside of the arch, you see a motif.  It is still present today, it shows Titus taking Jewish slaves after destroying the temple in 70 A.D. and one of the things they're parading is the Table of Shewbread.  It's still in stone to this day.  And Josephus said that it was placed into that arch.

Verse 31 is the Golden Lampstand, this Menorah I have a copy of here to my right.  "You shall also make a lampstand of pure gold.  The lampstand shall be of hammered work, its shaft, its branches, its bowls, its ornamental knobs and flowers shall be of one piece."  In the Tabernacle, only one source of light, and guess what the Jewish rabbis called the Tabernacle and later on referred to the temple as because of the Menorah.  They called the temple "the light of the world".

The temple they said is the light of the world.  Six branches shall come out of its side, three branches of the lampstand out of one side, three branches of the lampstand out of the other side, three bowls shall be made like almond blossoms on one branch with an ornamental knob and flower.  Three bowls shall be made like almond blossoms on the other side of the branch with an ornamental knob and flower, and so for the six branches that come out of the lampstand, so one solid piece of gold, a central shaft with three branches on either side.

On the lampstand itself, four bowls shall be made like almond blossoms, each with its ornamental knob and flower.  And there shall be a knob under the first two branches of the same, a knob under the second two branches of the same, a knob under the third two branches of the same according to the six branches that extend from the lampstand.  Their knobs, their branches shall be of one piece, all of it shall be one hammered piece of pure gold.

If you ever make it to Israel on a trip, I encourage you to visit what is called the Temple Institute in the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem.  The Temple Institute has done the best job of finding all of the historical documents relating to the temple and its articles of worship.  And so, they have so they have collected 400 pages, 400 pages that are written from history just about the making of the lampstand.  And they have researched it and have duplicated it out of gold to scale.  It is huge and it is kept under surveillance and under glass but it's outside, you could see it.  You can walk by it, walk up to it, it's in the city of Jerusalem.

Now the Temple Institute is a group of people that are committed to the rebuilding of the Jewish Temple.  They want to do it as soon as they're allowed to do it.  And they're making divestments for the priest.  They're making the articles.  They're got the Table of Shewbread, the Altar of Incense.  They've got the -- I know they have the Menorah.  They haven't said anything about the ark yet.  But they've made these to the scale of what was in the temple and they're ready to unveil them.  You shall make, Verse 37, seven lamps for it and they shall arrange its lamp so that they give light in front of it.  And its wick trimmers and their trays shall be of pure gold.  It shall be made of a talent of pure gold with all of its utensils.  And see to it that you make them according to the pattern which was shown you on the mountain.

So, God gives to Moses a blueprint for a temporary moveable cloth tent structure with these articles in it.  And God says, "There I will meet with you especially at this mercy seat."  Now what does makes the tabernacle interesting?  And I got to say, it is interesting and it should interest you, here's why.  The tabernacle and all of its furnishings are given more biblical real estate than any other single topic in the bible.  Fifty chapters in the bible are devoted to the tabernacle.  Two chapters in the bible are devoted to the creation of the universe.  Now why is that?  Well I don't know exactly but here's one possibility.  According to the book of Hebrews, what the children of Israel had in the tabernacle was in a small primitive humble scale what heaven was like.  Listen to the writer of the Book of Hebrews in Hebrews 8.  "The priests serve at a sanctuary that is a copy and a shadow of what is in heaven."  This is why Moses was warned while he was about to build the tabernacle, "See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain."

Perhaps it was given so much detail because that is what it's going to be like to experience heaven.  So it's interesting when we find John raptured up into heaven in Revelation Chapter 5, "The scenery, there's some resemblance to the articles that are in that courtyard and toward that tent dwelling, the Holy of Holies and the holy place itself."  There was even a lavar for washing that they had, like they have that basin for washing in the tabernacle.  John sees a sea but it's clear as crystal glass, it's hardened now because well you don't need to wash anymore, the cleansing has been taken care of, past tense, by Jesus.

But the writer of the Book of Hebrews tell us that it's a pattern of things going on in heaven.  So, we close with this, consider this.  One door into the tabernacle, not two, not 10, one door, one way of entrance.  And you could only approach God through that one door with a sacrifice, blood had to be shed and there was only one way to approach God.  Even as today, there's only one way a person can approach God and that is through the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Number two, if you wanted to move toward the tabernacle, you'd go to the east side, that's where the door was.  If this were the tabernacle, I would say that'll be the door to the tabernacle as I'm looking toward the mountain, it'd be on the east side.  Camped on the east side, around the tabernacle was the tribe of Judah.

So, you would have to go through the tribe of Judah to even approach the tabernacle.

Jesus was from the tribe of Judah, exactly.  When you are looking at the tabernacle from the outside, it looked pretty ugly.  You had cloth, you had goat's hair, you had badger skins, you had ram skins.  Nothing really "wow", nothing really spectacular.  But from the inside of the tabernacle, pure white lining, exquisite embroidery and gold.  It was beautiful on the inside, plain and ugly on the outside.  The bible says in the book of Isaiah concerning Jesus Christ, Isaiah 53, "He has no form or comeliness.  There is no beauty that we should desire him.

So look at Jesus Christ from the outside, I don't think he was striking or handsome where people said, "Look at that guy, see the halo around him?"  Nothing impressive, nothing attractive, but on the inside, that was the gold, that was the glory, the compassion, the love and He was deity.  He was God walking in a human body.  Inside, there was one source of light, the Menorah.  Jesus said, "I am the light of the world."  Inside, there was bread that symbolized the sustenance of God's people.  Jesus said, "I am the bread of life."  Inside, there was this altar of incense, incense represented the prayers of the saints going up to God.  That's the present ministry of Jesus Christ today.  The bible says, He's at the right hand of God making intercession for us.

Now one thing we didn't cover yet and that is between the holy place where these articles were and this lampstand was.  Between that room and the room that housed this, the Ark of the Covenant was a curtain, a veil.  Even the priest couldn't go into that veil.  The priest couldn't go into the Holy of Holies.  Only the high priest could into the Holy of Holies one day a year, on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.  He had a robe, sewn on the bottom of the robe were pomegranates.  In between the pomegranates hung little golden bells.  You could hear them tinkling as the high priest would walk in.

And as he would walk in, tradition tells us that the other guys would be listening on the outside.  As long as those bells were moving, everything was good.  If the bell stopped moving, not good.  Something happened, he killed over, he died.  His heart must not have been right before God or he didn't follow all the ritual washings.  And so, there was a rope tied to his ankle, when those bell stopped, if they ever did, they would pull him out.  Better get a new high priest, he's gone.

The veil separated everyone from God and the only representation was one day a year by the high priest, very trepidatiously, he had blood in his hands and he would sprinkle the mercy seat.  When Jesus died on the cross, the veil of the temple was torn from top to bottom.  God was saying, "All of you who have been shut out can now come in."  There is intimacy.  There is access.  We can meet together over the mercy seat, the Hilasterion of my son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Now, all of this that we've talked about, Christ in the tabernacle shouldn't surprise us because Jesus said to the leaders of Israel, "How come you don't believe in me, for Moses wrote about me?"  Really?  When and where did Moses write about Jesus?  Well, Moses said another prophet is coming like me, him you should receive.  But also, the way the tabernacle was described and the way Jesus said, "I am the light of the world.  I am the bread of life, etcetera, etcetera."  I am the door, should've given it away.  He is the fulfillment.

Today, we don't' have a tabernacle but today we do have a mercy seat and it's not found in an institution.  It's not found in Jerusalem.  It's found in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ that lives in your heart.  I hope He lives in your heart.

If you know Jesus, the bible says you have a great high priest.  When I was a boy, I said, "Mom?  I really blew it this week.  I need to go see the priest."  She knew what I meant.  I had to go to confession.  I got to see the priest.  The bible says we have a great high priest who is touched with the feelings our infirmities, was in all points tempted like we are yet without sin.  You can come directly to God through the Lord Jesus Christ and the tabernacle shows us the difference graphically between the Old Testament and the New Testament.

So, here's the deal.  We're going to pass out the elements of the bread and the juice, the wine, the fruit of the vine.  We're going to pass these elements out.  We're going to take communion.  As we take the bread and as we drink the cup, we're reminded that all of these sacrifices especially the Passover sacrifice was fulfilled in Jesus, when on Passover night he took these elements and he said, "Take and eat, this is my body broken for you.  Drink, this is the blood of the covenant, my blood that was shed for you."

And so, we don't have to stand at the outside and bring our little animal and hope it's perfect that the priest will accept it and shed that animal's blood for us.  We don't have to send in a high priest and hope that the bells as still heard when he goes in.  We can come, the bible says boldly into the thrown of God and receive grace to help in time of need boldly.  Even the high priest couldn't come boldly, you can, I can, we can, we should.

Have you failed God?  Have you lived some way that isn't perfect?  Well, join the group.  Welcome to the crowd.  You're in the right place.  We've all sinned and come short of the glory of God.  This is the mercy seat, Jesus Christ, the one who dispenses mercy.  It could be also that some here tonight don't have a personal relationship with the Lord.  I encourage you in the next few moments, yeah, it can happen right now that you invite Jesus in.  As I pray the worship, Ben is going to come.  We're going to pass out these elements, it'll just take a few moments.  Let's just take a quiet moment and evaluate our own hearts as they come.

Let's pray, Father in heaven we have the time as these elements are being passed out to think about who we are in relationship to who you are.  The law that was in this box 3500 years ago was the law of testimony.  It testified that God's standard had not been kept and blood was required to be shed to cover the broken law, to cover the failure.  It became a place of mercy and there in mercy, you would meet with your people.  You would forgive their sins.  You said in your word in the New Testament, if we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  As we examine, as we confess our sins to you Lord, heal us, forgive us, establish us, and help us to walk in obedience to you.  For anyone who's here tonight Lord who doesn't know you personally, who hasn't made that commitment to Christ and receive the Covenant Lamb of God into their lives, I pray that right here, right now somewhat.  If you're seated with us tonight and you've never really given Jesus a chance, you've never invited him in as your savior, as your master then I want to give you the opportunity to do that.  Right where you're seated, you could say these words and mean them from your heart.

Lord, I know that I'm a sinner, forgive me.  I believe that Jesus paid for my sins on a cross, that he shed his blood for me.  I believed that he died, that he rose again from the dead.  I turn from my sin.  I repent of sin and I turn to you as my savior.

I want to follow you as my master.  Fill me with your holy spirit and give me your help to do that in Jesus' name.  Amen.

Additional Messages in this Series

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Date Title   Watch Listen Notes Share Save Buy
1/12/2011
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Exodus 1
Exodus 1
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Message Summary
The Lord has the pages of history and the plans for our lives in His sovereign control. Through blessings and hardships, His Word is true and His promises sure. Join us as we launch the interactive expound Bible study, with a look at Exodus chapter one, where we'll examine the people, their prosperity, and the pharaoh's problem.
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1/19/2011
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Exodus 2
Exodus 2
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What legacy will you leave when you pass into eternity? How will your faith influence those who come after you? As we consider the life of Moses from his birth to his banishment, we witness the providential hand of God and the impact of his parents' wholehearted faith.
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1/26/2011
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Exodus 3-4
Exodus 3-4
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When God calls you, how do you respond? Do you make excuses--running in the opposite direction? In this study from the book of Exodus, we see the Lord present Moses' calling on a silver platter. As we examine his encounter at the burning bush, let's explore five common excuses for disobeying God's will.
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2/2/2011
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Exodus 5-6
Exodus 5-6
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After presenting his list of excuses before the Lord, Moses finally asks Pharaoh to let Israel go. But when Moses submits himself to the Lord things get harder for Israel. We'll learn some important principles about spiritual warfare and the sovereignty of God as we dive into Exodus 5-6, where "The Great Confrontation" between Moses and Pharaoh begins.
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2/9/2011
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Exodus 7
Exodus 7
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After 400 years in bondage, the LORD is about to deliver His people out of Egypt. In dramatic fashion, He targets the false gods of Egypt and reveals Who is boss. As we examine the first plague, we'll see the water of the Nile turned into blood: a sign of judgment to the Egyptians--a sign of deliverance to Israel.
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2/16/2011
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Exodus 8
Exodus 8
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Frogs, lice, and flies--Egypt endures further hardship as Pharaoh refuses to heed the Lord's command to let His people go. We'll discover how each of these plagues brings a false Egyptian deity into the scope of God's judgment, and examine the condition of our own hearts to God's Word.
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2/23/2011
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Exodus 9
Exodus 9
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Through a series of ten plagues, the LORD reveals to Egypt both His person and His power. As we examine the plagues of diseased livestock, boils, and hail, we see the LORD specifically target the lifestyle of Egypt as He again takes aim at the gods in their pantheon. Join us in our study of Exodus 9, where God hardens Pharaoh's heart for the first time--and we weigh the conditions of our own hearts as well.
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3/2/2011
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Exodus 10-11
Exodus 10-11
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As we study the ten plagues on Egypt, we see not only a preview of future judgment in the tribulation, but also a picture of the believer's standing before God. Let's examine the plagues of locusts and darkness and hear God's warning of the ultimate plague--the death of the firstborn. We'll learn how the Lord targets the false worship systems of this world, and sets His children apart from condemnation.
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3/9/2011
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Exodus 12
Exodus 12
Skip Heitzig
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After nine previous plagues, the LORD ensured the deliverance of His people in the plague of the death of the firstborn. Before the Angel of the LORD visited Egypt, God provided a way of escape for His people, and the Passover was instituted. Let's take a careful look at this commemoration of Israel's deliverance and learn how Passover predicted our own deliverance as well.
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3/16/2011
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Exodus 13-14
Exodus 13-14
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Emancipation -- to free from bondage, oppression or restraint; to liberate. In Exodus 13-14, a portrait of deliverance is painted; as God's people were set free from bondage in Egypt, so we are redeemed in Jesus Christ. Let's look closely to gain a greater understanding of our freedom from sin and our new life in Him.
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3/23/2011
completed
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Exodus 15
Exodus 15
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When the children of Israel were delivered from bondage in Egypt and their enemies were destroyed, they responded with songs of praise. As we review Exodus 15, we'll consider the songs of Moses and Miriam and learn some important characteristics of true worship.
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4/6/2011
completed
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Exodus 16
Exodus 16
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At first, the children of Israel celebrated their deliverance--but then they looked back to Egypt. In the midst of their grumbling, the Lord showered them with grace and rained manna from heaven. As we examine Exodus 16, we learn more about God's faithfulness and discover some interesting parallels between that bread from heaven and the true Bread from heaven: Jesus Christ.
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4/13/2011
completed
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Exodus 17-18
Exodus 17-18
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The children of Israel were on a 40-year road trip, but in spite of God's gracious provision and protection, they were never satisfied! In Exodus 17-18, they encounter two road hazards: confrontation and disorganization. As we travel life's path, bumps in the road are inevitable; this passage reminds us that when there is no way, God can make a way.
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4/27/2011
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Exodus 19:1-20:7
Exodus 19:1-20:7
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In Exodus 19-20, the children of Israel prepared themselves for a new conditional relationship with God and the Mosaic covenant was introduced. When we examine their preparations, we gain a greater understanding of the purpose of the Law and the function of the Ten Commandments in the lives of Christians.
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5/4/2011
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Exodus 20:8-21:36
Exodus 20:8-21:36
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In this study from Exodus 20, we take a look at the Ten Commandments and the precepts of the Law. We'll learn to apply these teachings to our daily living and gain a greater understanding of its role in pointing us to salvation through Jesus Christ.
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5/11/2011
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Will the Real Exodus Pharaoh Please Stand Up?
Dr. Steven Collins
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In this message, Dr. Collins explains that the Bible is trustworthy, even in matters of history. Using logic, historical analysis, and a firm belief in the historical reliability of the biblical narrative, he demonstrates why he believes Tuthmosis IV was the Pharaoh at the time of Israel's deliverance from bondage in Egypt.
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5/18/2011
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A Legal Defense of the Biblical Gospel in an Age of Secularism
Craig Parton
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In this message from Craig Parton, we consider the topic of apologetics. We'll explore the history and value of lawyers' defense of Christianity, dealing with objections to the faith, what apologetics is and is not, and why and how all believers are called to defend the faith.
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5/25/2011
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Exodus 21
Exodus 21
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As we turn our attention to the precepts of God's Law, we remember that it serves as a tutor leading us to Christ. Let's consider how God's Law applies to our lives, remembering we cannot have a relationship with the Lord based upon the Law--only upon redemption through Jesus Christ.
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6/1/2011
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Exodus 22:1-23:14
Exodus 22:1-23:14
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While God's Law can never make us righteous, it does reveal God's standard, providing a gauge of just how bad we are and pointing us to the Savior. Let's take a look at more particulars of the Law in this study of Exodus 22-23. We'll consider both God's great care for us and the choice He provides: to obey or to disobey.
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6/8/2011
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Exodus 23:14-24:18
Exodus 23:14-24:18
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In this study from Exodus 23-24, we discover some interesting parallels between Israel and the church. We'll consider three Jewish feasts, the Promised Land, and the covenant relationship between God and his people through a mediator.
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6/22/2011
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Exodus 26-27
Exodus 26-27
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Jesus is our great High Priest, who makes a way for those who follow Him to have fellowship with the Father. As we examine the details of the tabernacle recorded in Exodus 26-27, we'll see shadows of heaven and of Christ Himself, and come to appreciate Jesus even more.
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6/29/2011
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Exodus 28-29
Exodus 28-29
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In Exodus 28-29, we learn about the calling, ordination, and consecration of the Old Testament priests. As we study the preparations and details, we consider our calling as a royal priesthood, and remember our freedom in the Lord must be balanced with submission to Him.
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7/6/2011
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Exodus 30-31
Exodus 30-31
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It is easier for us to grasp and remember what we see and experience. For example, if you watch a chef on television prepare a cake, or better yet if you actually get out the ingredients, bake it yourself, and eat it, you have a greater appreciation for the food than if you just read a recipe. The tabernacle is God's picture of Christ, His ministry, and our home in heaven. Let's continue our careful study of Exodus, beginning in chapter 30, and uncover the significant truths revealed in the furnishings of the tabernacle.
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7/13/2011
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Exodus 32:1-29
Exodus 32:1-29
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The Lord revealed His tender care and awesome power to the children of Israel--yet in just forty days they became disconnected from Him. As Moses communed intimately with God on the mountaintop at Sinai, the people attempted to worship Him in the wrong manner on the valley floor. As we examine Exodus 32, let's consider their sin and how it was dealt with.
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7/20/2011
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Exodus 32:30-33:23
Exodus 32:30-33:23
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As Moses stood on Mt. Sinai receiving a revelation from God, the people in the valley engaged in revelry and pagan worship. In the aftermath of their sin, we peek into Moses' prayer life: his intercession for the people and his hunger for the Lord.
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7/27/2011
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Exodus 34
Exodus 34
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In Exodus 34, God's covenant with Israel is reestablished. Moses returned to the top of Mount Sinai, again received the Ten Commandments, and God's choice, presence, greatness, and power are confirmed.
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8/3/2011
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Exodus 35-37
Exodus 35-37
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In these chapters, we see God's people walking in obedience to what the Lord had commanded them--the people used their resources and talents to honor Him. A free will offering is collected, the construction of the Tabernacle begins, and the vessels, oil, and incense are made. Let's learn from their example how we too can be joyful givers and obedient followers.
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8/10/2011
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Exodus 38-40
Exodus 38-40
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In Exodus 38-40, the construction of the tabernacle is completed by the craftsmen, presented to Moses, set up, and dedicated to the LORD. Israel had been delivered from bondage in Egypt, and God had become the center of their lives.
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There are 28 additional messages in this series.
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