Alright, brethren, let's turn
to Exodus 25. Let's begin reading in verse
31. and thou shalt make a candlestick
of pure gold. Of beaten work shall the candlestick
be made, his shaft and his branches, his bowls, the bowls were shaped
like almonds, they held oil for the lamp. He says the shaft,
the branches, the bowls, his knops, that was an ornament shaped
like a ball, And as flowers, on each knop there were these
flowers. He said, all of these shall be
of the same. They shall be gold. And six branches shall come out
of the sides of it. Three branches of the candle
stick out of the one side, and three branches of the candle
stick out of the other side. Three bowls made like unto almonds,
with a knop and a flower in one branch. And three bowls made
like almonds in the other branch, with a knop and a flower. So
in the six branches that come out of the candlestick. And in
the candlestick should be four bowls made like under almonds,
with their knops and their flowers. And there should be a knop under
two branches of the same, and a knop under two branches of
the same, and a knop under two branches of the same, according
to the six branches that proceed out of the candlestick. Their
knops and their branches shall be of the same. All it shall
be one beaten work of pure gold. And thou shalt make the seven
lamps thereof, and they shall light the lamps thereof, that
they may give light over against it. And the tongs thereof and
the snuff dishes thereof shall be of pure gold. Of a talent
of pure gold shall he make it with all these vessels, and look
that thou make them after their pattern which was showed thee
in the mount." Now if you want to turn with me to Leviticus
24, I want you to see a word concerning this lamp and lighting
it and what have you. Verse 1 of Leviticus 24, And
the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Command the children of Israel
that they bring unto thee pure oil olive, beaten for the light,
to cause the lamps to burn continually. Without the veil of the testimony
in the tabernacle of the congregation shall Aaron order it from the
evening unto the morning before the Lord continually. It shall
be a statute forever in your generations. He shall order the
lamps upon the pure candlestick before the Lord continually. Now, we're told in Hebrews 9.23
that all the furniture in the tabernacle, including this candlestick,
were patterns of things in the heavens. That's what we're told,
patterns of things in the heavens. In our text, God told Moses there
in verse 40, He said, Look that thou make them after their pattern
which was showed thee in the mount. It was important to make
these things after the exact pattern because these things
were, as Hebrews 10.1 says, they were a shadow of good things
to come. All this was picturing Christ
Jesus the Lord. Everything he was doing was picturing
Christ and the redemption he accomplished and the salvation
of his church. That's what we see here first
of all. This lamp typifies Christ. Then spake Jesus again, saying,
I am the light of the world. He that followeth me shall not
walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. Christ is
the light. That's what's pictured in this
candlestick, this lamp stand. And it typifies Christ's union
with the church. You know in Revelation 1.20,
the seven golden candlesticks are the seven churches. And Christ
walks amongst the seven golden candlesticks. He walks amongst
His churches. And that's what we have here.
He said to the church, to you and me who believe on Him, He
said, you are the light of the world. A city that's set on a
hill cannot be hid, neither do men light a candle and put it
under a bushel but on a candlestick, and it giveth light unto all
that are in the house." That's our purpose here, is to preach
Christ so that we might give light to other sinners who are
in gross darkness like we were. That's our whole purpose. So
the lampstand typifies Christ in union with His church, who
is given light. The church is given light from
Christ through the Holy Spirit and that's what's pictured here
in the oil and this lamp. So, I want to show you Christ
in the lamp stand. First of all, you notice here
the branches came out of the center shaft and they were one
with that center shaft. He actually calls that center
piece the lamp stand. These other parts that came out
of it He calls branches. But that centerpiece He calls
the lampstand. That was the shaft. Christ and
His church, that centerpiece pictures Christ. But those branches
being connected to it, coming out of it, pictures how Christ
and His church are one. You remember in His high priestly
prayer in John 17, Christ said, I in them Speaking to the Father,
He said, I in them and thou in Me, that they may be perfect
in one, and that the world, His elect scattered throughout the
world, may know that thou hast sent Me and hast loved them as
thou hast loved Me. That's how one we are with Christ,
that as God the Father loves Christ, that's the same way and
the same magnitude with which He loves His people. That's amazing. That's amazing. That shows you
that He loves us in Christ, because there's no way He could love
us like that in ourselves, as sinners. When we see these branches,
though, coming out of the shaft of this lampstand, it reminds
us of those branches coming out of the vine. You remember Christ
talked about the vine. He said, I am the vine, you are
the branches. He that abideth in me and I in
him, the same bringeth forth much fruit, for without me you
can do nothing. That's how we, the only way we
bring forth fruit is by Christ abiding in us and making us to
abide in Him. But we're one with Christ. We
were one with Christ when He chose us, when the Father chose
us in Christ before the world was made. We were one with Christ
When He walked this earth and went to the cross and laid down
His life as our substitute, we were one with Christ all the
days of our rebellion while we were in darkness and lost and
without any hope. And we're one with Christ now
who were born of God. One with Him. There were seven
branches to these seven candles. And that number 7 suggests the
fullness and the completion of the church. Because we were in
Christ, everybody that He redeemed is complete. There's nothing
to add to what Christ did. We are complete in Christ. He
accomplished fulfilling the law in totality for His people. You can't add anything to what
He did. And I can't either. And we can't
take anything from what He did. We can't subtract from what He
did or detract from what He did because what He did is eternal. It can't be tampered with. And
so we're complete in Christ. That's just the end of the story. Nothing else to be added. And
the Holy Spirit indwells in His church, in each individual believer,
in each local assembly, so that Christ sustains us in this world. He upholds us in this world.
We're a habitation of God through the Spirit. That's amazing, isn't
it? If you're a child of God, if
you believe God, God has taken up habitation in you. He's come into you and He lives
in you just like you live in your homes. And Christ not only dwells in
His church by the Spirit, He not only upholds it, He walks
in the midst of these seven golden candlesticks. He knows what we
need. He's always protecting us. Sometimes when I'm preparing
a message, it's amazing to me how, you know, I don't know what
the message is going to be when I start, but you'll work on a
message and work on it and work on it and work on it and it just
won't come. And then you switch over and
look at something else and you can't write fast enough. And
all I can say to that is the Lord, He knew what His people
needed. And whatever that first text
was you were looking at, they didn't need that. And He led
you to what they needed. So our oneness in Christ is inseparable. Now here's what, here's the application
Apostle Paul gave to this. In Ephesians 4, you want to look
there. Ephesians 4 verse 1. He said, I therefore, the prisoner
of the Lord, beseech you that you walk worthy of the vocation
wherewith you are called, with all lowliness and meekness, with
longsuffering, forbearing one another in love, endeavoring
to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. It's taken
a lot of priceless, precious blood to give us that unity of
the Spirit. And if that means anything to
us, we're going to endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit
in the bond of peace. Why? Why does He say do this?
Because there is one body, one spirit, even as you call in one
hope of your calling, one God and Father of all who is above
all and through all and in you all. That's how, that's why,
that's the reason. Now secondly in our text, go
back to Exodus 25, The one who continually lit the
lamps was Aaron the priest. That's who continually lit these
lamps, and his sons, the general priests. He said in verse 37, And thou
shalt make the seven lamps thereof, and they shall light the lamps
thereof, that they may give light over against it. We saw in Leviticus
24, The children of Israel were to come to the priest with pure
olive oil that had been beaten out of the olive and Aaron took
that oil and he lit the lamps before the Lord continually. And he kept it going continually. Now what is that picture? Our
Lord Jesus Christ is our great High Priest. And He sends the
Holy Spirit, called in Scripture the oil. And we're made to come
to Christ, our High Priest. And He gives us light. He gives
us light. No sinner can regenerate himself. and make Himself come to Christ
our priest. That can't be done by us. I recall a book that a famous
preacher wrote titled, How to be Born Again. Foolishness. There is no how-to when it comes
to being regenerated. The work is all of Christ through
the Holy Spirit. There's no way that you and I
can do something to be born again. That would be like a child trying
to make himself be conceived in his mother's womb. You have
nothing to do with it. In fact, if you turn, I want
you to turn here, Zechariah 4. This is the whole message of
the lampstand. Right here. And look at this. We don't even have to guess what
God is teaching us with this lampstand. Here it is. Zechariah
4.1, the angel that talked with me came again and waked me as
a man that's wakened out of his sleep. I'll tell you what, that
happens to me often. That happens to me often. And
you can't sleep. When He wakes you, you're awake.
And He said unto me, What seest thou? And I said, I have looked,
and behold, a candlestick, all of gold, with a bowl upon the
top of it, and seven lamps thereon, and seven pipes to the seven
lamps which are upon the top thereof, and two olive trees
by it, one upon the right side of the bowl, the other upon the
left side thereof. So I answered, and I spake to
the angel that talked with me, saying, What are these, my Lord?
Then the angel that talked with me answered and said unto me,
Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my Lord. Then he answered and spake unto
me, saying, This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel. Zerubbabel was the governor.
He's a picture of Christ Jesus, the Son of God. This is the word
of the Lord to Christ, right here. Listen. Not by might, nor
by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts. That's the
message of this lampstand. Listen. Who art thou, O great
mountain? That's you and me, thinks we're
a great mountain. Who are we? We ought to think
ourselves some great immovable mountain. Listen to this. Before
Zerubbabel, thou shalt become a plain. And he shall bring forth
the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace, unto it. Moreover the word of the Lord
came unto me, saying, The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation
of this house. His hands shall also finish it. And thou shalt know that the
Lord of hosts hath sent me unto you. Now we know who that angel
is, don't we? He said, you're going to know
the Lord of hosts has sent me to you. That's Christ speaking. But that's the message. Not by
might, nor by power, but by God's Spirit. He said Christ is going
to bring forth the headstone. He's going to bring forth the
last elect child of God, just like He brought the first one.
And just like He's brought the rest of them. He's going to bring
the last one. He's not going to lose one. And
what's He crying to it? Grace, grace. It's all of grace. No merit on our part. It's all
of grace. He's laid the foundation of this
building, shedding His precious blood and redeeming His people,
calling out His apostles and making them the foundation and
sending the gospel into the world. And He'll finish it. He laid
the foundation, He is the foundation, and He'll finish it. And you
and me who He saves, we're going to know that the Lord sent Him
to us. That's the message of the lampstand.
What did Paul say in 2 Corinthians 4, 6? He said, God, God, not
me and you, God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness,
hath shined in our hearts to give the light. of the knowledge
of the glory of God in the face of Christ Jesus. We have this
treasure in earthen vessels that the power may be of God and not
of us. John said, we're born not of
the will of the flesh, not of blood, not of the will of the
flesh, but of God. And just as this lamp was kept
burning continually by the high priest, we're not only given
light by God, we're kept burning continually by our Lord Jesus. He keeps us in the light. He
said, whoever follows me shall not walk in darkness. He keeps
us lit. Now listen to Ephesians 5. Go
there. Here's the application to that. Verse 1, Be ye therefore followers
of God as dear children, and walk in love, as Christ also
hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and
a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savour. But fornication, and
all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among
you as becometh saints. neither filthiness, nor foolish
talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient, but rather giving
of thanks. For this you know, that no whoremonger,
nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath
any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. That no
man deceive you with vain words, for because of these things cometh
the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. But be not ye
therefore partakers with them, for you were sometimes darkness,
but now are ye light in the Lord. Walk as children of light. That's what he's declaring too.
Walk as children of light. Now thirdly, back in our text,
There's an important picture. Now we could, you know brethren,
we could be here for a week talking about this text. There's a lot
more in it than what I'm giving you. I'm just giving you three
simple things here. But thirdly, there's an important
picture here, an important lesson here in what this lamp stand
shined upon. A very important lesson. The
only thing that was in that first room within the curtain, that
first room was the holy place. After that was another curtain,
that was the holiest of holies. Now in the first room, there
was the altar where the incense was burned. Christ is our altar. There was the table of shewbread.
Christ is our bread from heaven. And then there was the lampstand
so that the lamp shined on the altar and on the showbread. Now
there's an important lesson in that. You and I are the lamps. Christ has lit us. We're the
lamp. We only have light by His light. And Christ told us, therefore,
let your light so shine before men that they may see your good
works. and glorify your Father which
is in heaven. Now the world teaches you, you
go around trying to make people see Christ in you and eventually
some are going to see Christ in you and they'll come to Christ.
No they won't. No they won't. The only way we can to bring
an unregenerate sinner to be regenerated so that he sees the
work we did and comes to Christ is by preaching Christ. That's
it. That's how you let your light
shine. Preaching Christ. And through that message, God
makes His people, He regenerates His people and He makes us to
see that Those who preach the gospel to us did a work that
nobody else ever did. They preached the truth to us. He makes you come to Christ.
Listen, and as we do this, Paul said, we do nothing to draw attention
to ourselves. He said, Be blameless and harmless,
the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and
perverse nation, among whom you shine as lights in the world. How? Holding forth the word of
life. That's how. Christ said, don't
do your works to be seen of men. And then he tells us to be aware
that you're going to be seen of men, but don't do anything
to be seen of men. Don't do your alms to be seen
of men. Don't pray to be seen of men. Don't do anything to be seen
of men. He's teaching us, brethren, don't
do anything else to attract sinners to join the church except preach
Christ's name crucified. We don't want people to join
with us because of some other reason. We want it to be Christ
only. So, if that's going to be the
case, we preach Christ only. Now, we have to remember where
our light comes from. I have to remember that. I love,
I've told you this often, I love how God works things in His providence
to give you a message. I started out this week and I
didn't know what the message was going to be, but I wrote
two bulletin articles. And the way I do my bulletins,
when I finish the sermon notes, I write them out, make them in
a readable format, the ones I send to you all, and then I put them
in the bulletin But I won't get to that sermon for another two
or three years probably, because I'm that far behind, you know.
Because I preach three messages a week, so I'm moving ahead faster
than I'm writing bulletin articles. But I just went to a message
from 2015, prepared those two articles in the bulletin, and
both of them are about Christ the light and about His charge
to us as the church to shine forth the light. And then I turned
to Exodus 25 and my text, my next text was the lampstand. You think that was by accident?
No. Now listen, listen to this. Isaiah 60 and verse 1. As we're shining forth, remember
this, the light we have is not our own. It didn't come from
us. It came from Christ. And it is all of Christ. If He
takes that light away, we'll be nothing but darkness. Listen
to this. Arise, shine, for thy light is
come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon you. There's our
light. For behold, the darkness shall
cover the earth, and gross darkness the people, But the Lord shall
arise upon thee, and His glory shall be seen upon thee. And
the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness
of thy rising. But you see that text, it says
Christ is our light. He's our light. The application
or the illustration I gave in the Bulletin article is if you're
standing in a field and you're in darkness and people can't
see you because of the darkness, But if somebody shines a spotlight
on you, now they can see you. But the light's not from you.
The light's from the spotlight. And that's what arise and shine
means. It's in the margin. It means
be illuminated. It's passive. And Christ is the
one who shines the light upon us. Makes us preach Christ only. Now, here's the application.
And I hope the Lord make us hear this. Turn to John 3. I hope
He make us hear this and make us do as He says right here. For every sinner that hasn't
come to the light, here's His application. Now listen to this.
This is Christ speaking. John 3, 19. This is the condemnation. That light is coming to the world. And men loved darkness rather
than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone that
doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light lest
his deeds should be reproved. Why when we were young, why did
we do the things mom and daddy said not to do under cover of
darkness? So we couldn't be seen. Why did
we lock our bedroom door? So we couldn't be seen. Well,
listen to this. For everyone that doeth evil,
hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds
should be reproved. Now if we come to Christ the
light, our deeds are going to be reproved. We are going to
be brought down. We are going to be made to see
that we have never done anything to please God and we won't ever
do anything in ourselves, of ourselves to please God. And
all the works we ever did were vanity. We are going to be made
to see that if we come to Christ. Now listen, but he that doeth
truth Here is what I pray for everybody I preach to. He that
doeth truth cometh to the light. He comes to Christ the light.
That his deeds may be made manifest. He wants his deeds to be out
in the open. He wants everybody to see his
deeds. That they are wrought in and
by God. Not by him. They are wrought
by God and in God. And that's what we want people
to know, that's what we want people to see. We don't have
anything of us to impress anybody with. All our light is Christ
and He's the one that's given us the light. He drew us to Himself. He made us to want our deeds
to be reproved and He made us to want our deeds to be made
manifest. He made us to confess to Him
be the glory alone because He is the one that worked every
deed on our behalf. So I pray Lord today make you
come to the light. Amen. Let's stand together. Heavenly Father, we thank You
for these words. We pray, Lord, that You would
bring us to submit to the fact that You used these figures and
these pictures to show us Christ and that You'd make us hear Christ
speak in these things and draw us to Him alone. And Lord, we
need you to continually keep us. We need you to keep us lit. We need you to sustain us. We have no strength in ourselves. We can't do anything of ourselves. And Lord, we pray you bring each
of your chosen people, your redeemed people, home with you to glory. We know You've promised it. We
know You will. But You said You'll be inquired
for it. And we ask You, Lord, bring us
to glory. We pray for our sick brethren. We pray for those that are in
trials, trouble, whatever it may be. We ask You,
Lord, to point them to Christ Make Him to do everything from
the constraint of His love. We ask you to bless the message
now. Bless the second hour. We pray these things in Christ's
name. Amen.