These are notes from day 2 of our Sanctuary series. This sermon is entitled “Jesus, the only way,” and was preached on October 17, 2011. We pray it is a blessing to you!
Exodus 27: 16-17 ““For the entrance to the courtyard, make a curtain that is 30 feet long.[e] Make it from finely woven linen, and decorate it with beautiful embroidery in blue, purple, and scarlet thread. Support it with four posts, each securely set in its own base. 17 All the posts around the courtyard must have silver rings and hooks and bronze bases.
Example #1: He began by stating that one of his favorite show is aired on Animal Planet. The name of the show is “I shouldn’t be alive.” Pastor Kelly feels that most of the things the people on the show get into, they can avoid. (*smile*). He shared that a couple decided to go hiking in the Amazon. Prior, an apartment complex was build in the Amazon where tourists and hikers could say for weeks at a time. While hiking there, there are some signs that point you toward the path you are supposed to take. However, the guy on this show, wanted to go a different route. Things were going fine however, it began to get dark. The couple began heading back. They were walking and walking, and walking. Instead of getting closer, they were getting further and further away. They discovered that they were lost and they spend 8 days out there lost in the Amazon. They were eventually rescued and said “what was most frustrating and difficult was not that we were heading in the wrong direction, it was heading in the wrong direction thinking it was actually the right one.” Pastor explained that if they had known they were going to be lost, they would have drank their water differently, would have preserved their energy a while longer. So many things would have been done differently.
- Ever since Sin came into the picture, man has been on a journey away from the presence of God. The real success of the devil is to get us going in the wrong direction but somehow convince us we are actually going the right way. When you THINK you are going the right way, don’t you act a bit different? You are not open to some things, you think differently. Well, the devil’s trick is to be going the wrong way but to think it’s the right way.
- God wants to get us back on a path where we will be in the presence of God until eternity.
- The first thing is: Before God can fix any character trait, or habit, what he must first do is to get you heading in the right direction. The thing with us is that we try to change folks directions immediately.
- Pastor Kelly talked about the parable of the loss coin and the fact that it was lost in the place where it was to be the safest.
- God outlines what the journey to God looks like, through the Sanctuary.
The Sanctuary is broken down into three categories:
- Outer Court: The altar, the laver are located here. Everyday people could step into the outer court.
- The Holy Place: (Located inside the tent, which we saw on the screen). In there, there are three articles: the menorah, the altar of incense, and the table of showbread. There was also a veil that separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place.
- The Most Holy Place: inside the most holy place is the arc of covenant. The priest was allowed to go into the Most Holy place but only once a year.
We focused on the gate this evening:
- The Gate: It is made up of three colors…Blue, scarlet and purple. Pastor suggested a book by one of his professors called “Altar call” (a book on the sanctuary). The author says: “The Bible simply does not assign, distinct spiritual meaning to all the details needed by practical necessity to make the portable tabernacle stand up. If the bible doesn’t give these meanings, what right do I have to give them.” Therefore, don’t assign meaning to places in the sanctuary that the bible doesn’t assign meaning to. Just because a hammer was needed, doesn’t mean the hammer has meaning. Also, ‘being focused on that, distracts us from what is important.’ (paraphrased from Dr. Gaines’ book).
Type VS. Anti-type:
Type is something that points to something else. So whenever we use the word type, it means that this type is pointing to something else. It is never going to be a sign to a person, necessarily. The sanctuary rituals are types, pointing to the anti-type that is the real thing that the type was trying to show us about. We can look at the story of Isaac, he was a type of Christ, but Isaac was pointing to someone else, which was Jesus Christ. When we look at the sanctuary service, we see a lot of types that are pointing towards the anti types that are soon to come. Becomes important because when we look at different sayings from Paul, he is not trying to get us to say that it doesn’t matter what you eat or drink but what he is saying is “all those things you are judging people by are the types, and why are you judging folks when the anti-type has already gone?! When you don’t understand the Sanctuary you allow the type to take the place of the anti-type. All of these things we are going through, it pointing to something that is to come… however, once it has already come, what is the purpose? Reason why the veil just rips when Christ dies… there wasn’t a need for it anymore. Christ had already done it.
Ok… Back to the Gate:
- The Gate: There was only one way that you could get into the tabernacle. There wasn’t a back door or anything, there was ONE way and it was through the gate. I wonder why it is that God sets up that imagery? Let’s look at John 10: 7-9 “so he explained it to them: “I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who came before mewere thieves and robbers. But the true sheep did not listen to them. 9Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved.They will come and go freely and will find good pastures.”
- Therefore, there is only one way that you will be able to see me again, and it’s through my son Jesus. Everything we do ought to flow through Christ… there is no other way we can get in or out, except through Jesus Christ. Every decision ought to be centered around Christ. Why do we spend so much time lifting up everything else but Jesus?! If you could get inside the grave, it was considered a place of refuge. If you have a problem and you are running from someone, you could go up to the city, and ask them to let you in, it was up to the gatekeeper to listen and determine if you can go inside. If they let you in, whatever issue you had, it now becomes their issue. Christ makes it clear that once we enter into relationship with Him, all of our problems and issues are His. He is now under obligation to take care of for us. That’s why he says “Come as you are!” don’t fix up your stuff before you come to me…. Come in! whatever issues you bring with you, I will handle! We have people going to Christ-less graves and we have to focus on silly things!!! Keep the main thing, the main thing. If we can’t see how something can draw us closer to Christ, it probably has no need in your life. Ask yourself “how will me doing this, changing this, rearranging this, how does it connect me in lifting up your savior?!
Four Pillars around the gate: (Why were they there to remind Israel of?)
- The pillars: Exodus 24: 1-4 “Then the Lord instructed Moses: “Come up here to me, and bring along Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and seventy of Israel’s elders. All of you must worship from a distance. 2 Only Moses is allowed to come near to the Lord. The others must not come near, and none of the other people are allowed to climb up the mountain with him.” 3 Then Moses went down to the people and repeated all the instructions and regulations the Lord had given him. All the people answered with one voice, “We will do everything the Lord has commanded.” 4 Then Moses carefully wrote down all the Lord’s instructions. Early the next morning Moses got up and built an altar at the foot of the mountain. He also set up twelve pillars, one for each of the twelve tribes of Israel.
- The pillars were a reminder of the covenant that God had made with Israel. As they walk in, through the gate which represent Jesus Christ, into a place of safety, as they look at the pillars they are reminded of the covenant which says if God says he will take care of you, he will… just stay in covenant. Regardless of what you do, God always wants to be in covenant with you. God NEVER breaks the covenant, we do! It is not broken because of action, but because of the mentality that comes form a series of actions that affect our hearts. When you break it you say I no longer want the benefits of what’s happening inside the gates.
- Exodus 27:16 says: For the entrance to the courtyard, make a curtain that is 30 feet long. Make it from finely woven linen, and decorate it with beautiful embroidery in blue, purple, and scarlet thread. Support it with four posts, each securely set in its own base.
- Scarlet represents suffering and sacrifice (Rev 18:19).
- Purple represents Royalty. We went to Number 15:37 to see what blue represents. Blue represents obedience. When you step into the gates, there are three things that will happen in your life. Royalty only comes through obedience and suffering. When you enter into a relationship with Christ, there will be some things you will have to go through, because the devil hates Him. For the Christians, suffering is a part of being inside of Christ. Sometimes when we suffer the most is because we are closer to God.
- Blue speaks to obedience: when you step through the gate, you ought to be completely obedient. When He asks us to do something, would we do it? You step into the gate as a result of relationship. God will call us to things and you won’t always see the result of what He called you to do. Sometimes we are obedient because of the result obedience brings. Every now and then, God just wants to know ‘will you do it just because I asked you to do it?!’ If He ever told us why we were doing what we are doing, we probably wouldn’t end up doing it. Sometimes what he is calling us to, is so deep, you wouldn’t understand it, even if He told you. The more you are connected, the easier it is to be obedient.
- Have you been so in love with someone that it becomes easy to love them? It becomes second nature how to love them and meet their needs. They can ask you to do anything because they know you are so in love and connected that you will do whatever is asked of you, without asking/hesitating.
When you enter into the gates, you are walking into a relationship where you will experience suffering. As a result of this relationship, he does expect obedience. When you are in that with Him, and you experience suffering for His sake, then we will be able to experience Royalty. Royalty only comes through obedience and suffering through Jesus Christ. How do we know? Well, tt was only when Christ was obedient unto death and suffered that He got this robe of righteousness and was able to rightfully once again call us His children and to be our King! So our first step on the way to being in the presence of God, is walking through the gate, which is our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. There will be obedience and suffering waiting for you but God will have a special way to deal with that.
CLOSING Prayer Some of us have been in the gate, but went out because what was inside was a bit more difficult. Some say ‘I thought I could get to the crown without the cross’ You’ve been doing your own thing, going your own direction, but today you want to change directions through Jesus, make that decision in your heart!
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Be blessed, and a blessing,
Xoxo,
Views From the Pews
