Tonight we move on to Exodus
chapter 30, but I want you to first turn with me to a passage
in Ezekiel chapter 33, if you would. Ezekiel chapter 33, I
want you to look at verse 13. Let me say while you're turning
there that the Bible was very clear. God says in no uncertain
terms that in our flesh there dwells no good thing, Romans
7, 18. The Lord says, all our righteousnesses are as filthy
rags, Isaiah 64 verse six. And I know that many in this
world would disagree with me on that, but it's not disagreeing
with me, it's disagreeing with God. It's disagreeing with God's
word. This is what God says about every
man and woman born of Adam and every, every single thing And
this offends some folks, but it don't offend a believer. But
everything a believer thinks and does is sin. Everything that
we think, do, say, is mixed with sin. Even what we think to be
our righteousnesses. Did you notice that word is plural? Righteousnesses. Speaking of
the many things that we think that we do that are good. Things
that we think that God will accept. But those righteousnesses are
nothing but filthy and wretched works in the eyes of God, and
God won't accept them. It has to be perfect to be accepted,
and we can do nothing perfect to be accepted. You hear me say
that all the time. It's true. I ran across this
scripture here in Ezekiel 33, verse 13, that I think very well
explains what I'm trying to show you. God says this, he says,
when I shall say to the righteous that he shall surely live, if
he trust his own righteousness and commit iniquity, all his
righteousnesses, again, plural, meaning his own personal works,
his own personal morality, they shall not be remembered. for
his iniquity that he hath committed, he shall die for it. Now the
Lord here in this verse is talking about two different classes of
people. I don't know how to say it any
different than that. Two classes of people under the same category
of sinners. We're all under one category
really, and that's sinners. But here the Lord tells us about
two types of sinners. He's first talking about those
who are made righteous in Christ alone. He who knew no sin was
made to be sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness
of God in Him. That's who that's talking about.
Those who are made righteous in Christ alone by substitution. That man or woman, Ezekiel says,
shall surely live. This is the believer who trusts
not in his or her own righteousnesses, but looks to the righteousness
of Christ and lives by faith in His perfect righteousness
done in their room instead. But in the second group here,
there are sinners found trusting in their own personal righteousnesses,
again, plural, their own personal works, their own personal morality. And when that happens, their
righteousnesses become iniquity and all their so-called good
works, God says, shall not be remembered. Anything that we
think to be a righteous work that God will accept is actually
sin. Filthy rags in the eyes of God.
And that's exactly what our Lord said to those who professed all
the things that they thought to be righteous works. Remember
what they said? Haven't we done this? And haven't
we done that? We've done many wonderful works,
many wonderful righteousnesses in your name. And what did God
say? He said, depart from me, ye that
work iniquity. Any personal righteousness that
we trust in is, in God's eyes, iniquity. And I've heard it said,
and I totally agree, that it's not your sin that will prevent
you from being redeemed, but it's your righteousnesses that
will, certainly will. Those that are well have no need
of a physician, and those that are righteous in their own eyes,
by their own works, have no need of Christ. The only way a sinner
can be saved by God's grace and can be accepted by God and enter
into God's presence is through knowing that they need a substitute. And knowing that they need a
substitute, they trust in God's great high priest, the Lord Jesus
Christ, the one who ever lives to make intercession for them.
And that's what we have pictured before us tonight and the golden
altar of incense. If you remember, this is the
only piece of furnishing in the tabernacle that we didn't cover
in our past studies. You can go ahead and turn with
me to Exodus 30, if you will. It seems as the Holy Spirit waited
until here in chapter 30 to deal with this particular furnishing.
And I believe it was so that we could understand something
more of the office of the high priest and the priest who burned
this sweet incense for God's people. This was a different
altar from the one that we saw before. The first altar was made
of brass. You remember that? It's called
the brazen altar. This altar was made of gold.
That brazen altar was for the sacrifices. The golden altar
was for burning incense, two different altars. That brazen
altar was outside in the courtyard before you ever entered into
the holy place. The golden altar here was in
the holy place before entering into the holiest of holies. The
brazen altar typified Christ, our Redeemer's sacrifice, by
whose blood we enter into the holy place. But the golden altar
of incense typifies Christ, our glorious high priest, by whose
intercession, by whose mediation, we enter into God's presence
into the holiest of holies, which is the very throne of God. And
we are enabled to enter in because we are accepted in the Lord Jesus
Christ, who is our great high priest. Now you've heard all
that before. Fresh to me tonight as it was
the first time I heard it. It's the only hope that I have
of being reconciled to God. Now look at verse one with me.
And thou shalt make an altar to burn incense upon. That's
what this golden altar is. And let me just tell you right
from the start, Christ is that altar and Christ is that incense. Matter of fact, Christ is everything
that we see in the tabernacle and in its furnishings. Haven't
we seen that so clearly? He's everything. This is all
about Him. The incense pictures Christ's
intercession together with the prayers of God's people, rising
up into God's presence to the holiest of holies before the
throne of God. Let me show you that from scripture.
Put your marker here in Exodus 30 and turn with me to Revelation
chapter eight. I want you to see this. Revelation
chapter eight, verse two. Revelation chapter eight, verse
two. And I saw the seven angels which
stood before God, and to them were given seven trumpets. And
another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden
censer, and there was given unto him much incense, that he should
offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar
which was before the throne. and the smoke of the incense
which came with the prayers of the saints ascended up before
God out of the angel's hand." Why do we pray in the name of
our Lord Jesus Christ? Our prayers are offered unto
God in the name of Christ because that's the only way, the only
way that they will ever be accepted by Him. Christ takes our prayers
and He offers them to God for us and God accepts them. God
accepts our prayers only in, by, and through the merits of
Christ. Now, our Lord in Malachi chapter
one, verse 11 said this, you don't have to turn there. It
says, for from the rising of the sun, even into the going
down of the same, my name shall be great among the Gentiles.
That's Christ speaking. "'And in every place incense
shall be offered unto my name, "'and a pure offering for my
name shall be great "'among the heathens, saith the Lord of hosts.'"
Now back here in Exodus chapter 30, we read again verse one,
"'And thou shalt make an altar to burn incense upon. "'Of Shittim
wood shalt thou make it. A cubit shall be the length thereof,
and a cubit the breadth thereof, four square shall it be, and
two cubits shall be the height thereof, and the horns thereof
shall be of the same. And thou shalt overlay it with
pure gold, the top thereof and the sides thereof round about,
and the horns thereof, and thou shalt make unto it a crown of
gold round about. So we see that the altar of incense
here was to be made of Shittem wood. We're familiar with that.
Now we know from prior studies that Shittem wood represented
our Lord's humanity. God became a man, friends. That's
important to know. He had to in order for us to
be redeemed. Shittem wood was considered to
be an incorruptible wood. We've talked about that. Everything
pretty much in the tabernacle was made of Shittem wood. Now
in our Lord's humanity, we know that he was holy and without
sin. He was the only man ever born of woman with no sin. Why? Because God was his father. It
was the seed of God that was implanted in a virgin and brought
forth the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, he himself was without
corruption, without sin. Jesus Christ was a perfect man. Scripture says he knew no sin,
much less did he ever commit sin. And then we have gold here,
and that represents our Lord's divinity. Jesus Christ is God. He's holy. He's righteous. He's
eternal. He's omnipotent. He's God. Everything
God is, Christ is in a bodily form. As a man, Christ was made
under the law. Why? To redeem them that were
under the curse of the law. To redeem you and I. As a man
without sin, he could willingly obey the law. He could willingly
take and bear the sins of his people. Our Lord Jesus could
willingly shed his precious blood and die in the place of God's
elect. You see, not just any man could
do that. Not just any man could do those
things. It had to be a perfect man. It had to be a man without
sin. He had to be a man who was incorruptible. That's what the Shittim would
picture. Christ was a man who was, the scripture says, was
touched with the feelings of our infirmities, yet without
sin. That's why he's able to comfort
us in all our trials and in all our tribulations and in all the
things that we face in the flesh and in this life. Cast all your
care upon him for he careth for you. And Jesus Christ was God
in the flesh. He was God who became a man and
as both God and man, Christ is our one mediator. Between God
and man, there's only one mediator, the man Christ Jesus. Jesus Christ
is the only one. There is no one else. Why do
we look elsewhere? Why do we look within? There's
only one way we can be saved. He's the only one who can lay
hold of God and at the same time, lay hold of God's elect and bring
them both together. That's what a mediator is. Hebrews
4 verses 15 and 16, for we have not a high priest, which cannot
be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but was in all
points tempted like as we are yet without sin. That's the difference. We're tempted day in and day
out and we sin every time. Let us therefore come boldly
into the throne of grace because of what we've done? No, no sir. Let us come boldly into the throne
of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time
of need. For every high priest taken from
among men is ordained for men and things pertaining to God
that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins. who
can have compassion on the ignorant and on them that are out of the
way for that he himself is also compassed with infirmity. You
see a natural man can't do these things for a sinner. Who is he
that condemneth? It's Christ that died. Yea, rather
that has risen again, who's even at the right hand of God, who
also maketh intercession for us. Now there's your mediator.
and he's sitting at the right hand of God. In all power and
in all authority, take your care and your troubles to him. I don't
believe that there's any doubt here in these verses that the
horns and the crown on this golden altar of incense pictured Christ's
power seen in the horns and his kingship as our resurrected Lord. Just like the glorified Shittim
would, Christ is our glorified King, sits at God's right hand
as the God-man and us being found in Him, our once fallen nature
is now made anew. That's what it means to be born
again. That's what it means to be a
new creature in Christ. Old things have passed away.
All things have become new for God's people. And we've been
made a new creation in Christ and we're glorified in Him. Look
at verse four, in two golden rings shalt thou make to it under
the crown of it by the two corners thereof, upon the two sides of
it shalt thou make it. And they shall be for places
for the staves to bear it with them. And thou shalt make the
staves of shittle wood and overlay them with gold. Let's never forget
that Israel had to move this tabernacle and all its furnishings
every time they picked up and moved. The thing I want you to
see here is that the altar of incense along with these other
furnishings was always with them wherever they went. Every part,
every part of the tabernacle was. What a blessed thought that
is. So it is with every believer.
So it is with every child of God. Christ is always, always
present with us to intercede for us with God in the holiest
of holies. He's seated at the right hand
of God. Don't ever lose sight of what
a mediator is. And don't ever, ever lose sight
who your mediator is. Jesus Christ is the one mediator. How many? Just one. He's the
one mediator between God and me. And Christ is that one. If you lose sight of that, you've
lost life itself. The only way that we can be accepted
is in Christ. The only way that God will ever
hear you is if Christ, your intercessor, goes to God in your room instead. God only hears those who have
Christ as a high priest. He only hears those who have
Christ as their advocate and Christ as their go-between. You
leave Christ out of your religion, you've got a false religion.
You leave Christ out of your gospel, you have no gospel. You
leave Christ out of your preaching, you're a false preacher and you
have believed a lie. That's just a fact. You leave
Christ out of your salvation, you have no salvation. Christ
is salvation. Salvation's in a person and Christ
is that person. I'll tell you what you do have
if you leave Christ out. You have a false hope. You have
a hopeless assurance. You have an uncertain surety. Christ is a surety. He's a certain
thing. Salvation is certain in Him.
Without Christ, you have nothing and you can do nothing and nothing
means nothing. It means not one thing. What
would make any sinner honestly think that they could do anything
that God would accept when God only accepts perfection? What
would make any child of wrath think that he could in any way
keep the law of God perfectly? What makes us think that we could
do such a thing? How can we satisfy God's holy
law fully when sin is all we are? God shows, reveals, and
convinces men and women that they are in and of themselves
nothing but wounds, bruises, and putrefying sores. And that
offends a lot of folks, but it don't offend the child of God.
You know why? Because they know that's what they are. God enables
them to see that they are nothing, they have nothing, and they can
do nothing. Friends, there's nothing about
us that would cause us to have favor in God's sight, except
it be for Christ's sake. That's why, that's the only reason.
The very second that any of us get in our minds that we're special
to God, apart from Christ, our carnality, our fleshly carnal
minds, and you know what the word means, it means hostility,
hostility toward God. That's what a carnal mind is.
Our mind and hearts toward God is exposed whenever we think
that we ourselves can do something to merit God's favor. It's hostile
thought against God to think that Christ needs our assistance
to produce a perfect work in order to save us. God will not
share his glory with another. His glory is found in what his
son did. And I might add all that Christ
did, he did willingly. He did voluntarily. He did because
he wanted to. Christ justly justified all God's
elect. Christ kept God's law. He kept it all and he kept it
all perfectly and he fulfilled God's justice. And this made
God a just God and a savior. Now look at verse six. And thou shalt put it before
the veil. Speaking of the Ark of Incense,
Thou shalt put it before the veil that is by the ark of the
testimony before the mercy seat, that it is over the testimony
where I will meet with thee." Now here our picture of Christ
becomes even clearer, I think. This is where we see the picture
of the Lord Jesus as our intercessor. The golden altar was placed in
the holy place before the veil. Behind the veil was the holiest
of holies, and the priest had to come to this altar of incense
found in that holy place and offer it there. And as we know,
the holiest of holies was separated from the holy place by the veil.
And behind that veil is pictured the very presence of God where
God met with the high priest. In our past studies, we saw how
God's people who are made priest unto God are sanctified and consecrated
so that they might have communion with God. We look in detail to
the sin offering, which typified Christ who laid down his life
for us, putting away all our sin by the sacrifice of himself. Then we saw the burnt offering,
which typified Christ's obedience on our behalf. And it came up
to God as a sweet smelling savor, making his people accepted in
the Lord Jesus. Then there was the ram of consecration,
that ram-typified Christ's blood applied to us by the Holy Spirit
and sanctifying us and bringing us again into fellowship with
God, holy communion with God. Then there was the peace offering,
that offering-typified Christ our peace, which enables us to
come boldly into God's throne of grace to find help and mercy
and grace and instruction in time of need. Yet all these offerings
were done outside of the holy place. Those offerings were made
on the brazen altar outside of the holy place in the courtyard.
But this altar of incense, it was made inside the holy place
before the veil. And beyond the veil was the holiest
of holies where God accepted or rejected the offering and
the sacrifice. Let me tell you something, and
I'll tell you the end before I tell you the story. He always
accepts Christ, our offering and sacrifice. That's what we
better offer. We better offer him. I can't
offer him my heart. It's wicked and deceitful above
all things. God don't want our hearts. We
offer Christ. That's all we have to offer.
The altar of incense was inside the holy place. All those who
have been made priests by Christ's blood have been brought into
the holy place and they've been brought to Christ who is the
sanctuary. Therefore, they're now sanctified. They're made holy. That's what
that means. In order to be reconciled to
God, I've got to be as holy as he is. Now, how am I going to
do that? Only one way, made holy and accepted in Christ. It's
the only way. Well, we have a very singular
gospel. It's in by and through Christ's
blood that every believer is now without sin in the holy place. But God is pictured here as being
beyond the veil and the holiest of holies. In this we see that
though we are holy in Christ, God is yet in heaven with Christ
at his right hand. And by Christ being our high
priest, we now have welcome access to come into God's presence in
heaven. You got a problem, you take it
to him. You've got welcome access to Christ, to God through Christ. The altar of incense simply pictures
how the Christ makes intercession for us, bringing our prayers
perfect before God. I've never prayed anywhere near
a perfect prayer. Sin's mixed with everything that
I've ever prayed. But when Christ takes it before
God the Father, it's perfect. Perfect. Perfect before God with
Him as our mediator and our intercessor. God accepts the chosen sinner
and He meets with us in Christ who is our mercy seat. It's all
about Christ, isn't it? Have you seen that yet? It's
all about Christ. And there's a great deal of these
things that I don't understand, but there is one thing that I
do understand, and that is that Christ is everything. I don't
suppose I've learned that or seen that any clearer than in
these Old Testament studies. Everything points to Him. Everything
pictures Him. All these things typify the Lord
Jesus Christ. So again, The altar of incense
in the holy place before the veil pictures the intercession
of Christ that gives us access into God's presence when we pray
in his name and for his sake. And that's why the veil in the
temple was rent in two, was torn from the top to the bottom when
Christ cried, it's finished. Do you remember that? Our Lord
Jesus, our great high priest, not only prays for us friends,
but he takes our prayers and he presents them with the incense
of his infinite merit before the Father's throne, causing
our prayers to come up to God, perfect and accepted. Sweet smell
of life on the line. And that's when the veil was
torn in two, giving us continual access into God's throne of grace. Now look at verse seven, and
Aaron shall burn there on sweet incense every morning. When he
dresseth the lamps, he shall burn incense upon it. Notice
here that it's Aaron, the high priest that burns the incense.
Verse eight, and when Aaron lighted the lamps at evening, or in the
evening, he shall burn incense upon it, a perpetual, you see
that word? You know what perpetual is, never
ending. as a perpetual incense before
the Lord throughout your generation. Aaron the high priest and every
high priest after him was to keep this sweet incense burning
every morning and every evening perpetually, continually before
the Lord throughout their time as priests. No matter where the
true child of God is, Christ is always present with us. Isn't
that amazing? No matter what our condition
is, no matter what our circumstances are, Christ ever lives to make
intercession for us. Now, I find that to be good news.
You think about the implications of that. At no time will a chosen,
redeemed child of God be turned away from the throne of grace.
Why? Because Christ ever lives. to make intercession for us.
Christ is our high priest perpetually and continually gives off that
sweet smelling incense that God accepts on our behalf. We have
continual, perpetual, eternal access and acceptance in God's
presence. And I'm telling you, if we can
spiritually with the heart of faith, get a hold of that, we
got a hold of something. We do, I'm telling you, we do.
You've got a hold of the only thing that will ever keep peace
and assurance in your heart and mind. That's the only thing.
We lose it when we look within, but if we keep looking to Christ,
my, my. It's here that you know that
Christ did something for you that you could not do for yourself.
We use that definition quite often for salvation, but that's
exactly what it is. God doing for me what I could
never do for myself. Verse nine, you shall offer no
strange incense thereon, nor burnt sacrifice, nor meat offering,
neither shall you pour drink offering thereon. "'And Aaron
shall make an atonement upon the horns of it "'once in a year
with the blood of the sin offering "'of atonements, once in the
year shall he make atonement "'upon it throughout your generations. "'It is most holy unto the Lord.'"
Now, this is what God prohibited. He said here, no strange fire
could be used. The fire for this burning of
the incense had to come from the brazen altar where the sin
offering was consumed. And you can read about that in
Leviticus 16. But it's here that Nadab and
Abihu, the sons of Aaron, departed from the plain word of God. By
doing so, they were saying they could worship God, that they
could offer a sacrifice unto God another way except the prescribed
way of Christ and Him crucified. Now, let me tell you something,
that's a serious, serious thing. We don't dare offer anything
to God that's not by the prescribed way of Christ. No strange incense
could be used, only the incense God required, no strange fire. And it's that incense alone that
declares Christ is our high priest and intercessor, and his intercession
alone is what's accepted of God. There is no other way. Anyone
who attempts to worship God in any way except in and by and
through Christ, certain death awaits. There's only one way. Christ is the way. No man, no
woman, nobody comes to the Father, but by Him. Now this incense,
the high priest burned on this altar was to be used for nothing
else. I'm gonna skip a few verses here
and have you look down at verse 34 with me. In verse 34 and in
the following verses, I think through the end of the chapter,
there are at least three things that we see about this incense
that was to be burned unto the Lord God. And it's these three
characteristics of the spices that were used to make up this
incense. And again, I'll tell you upfront
that they all picture Christ. They all show us something of
Christ. Look at verse 34. And the Lord said unto Moses,
take unto thee sweet spices, stack and anika and galbenum,
these sweet spices with pure frankincense of each shall there
be a like weight and thou shall make it a perfume, a confection
after the art of apothecary tempered together pure and holy. and thou shalt beat some of it
very small and put of it before the testimony in the tabernacle
of the congregation where I will meet with thee, it shall be unto
you most holy. And as for the perfume which
thou shalt make, you shall not make to yourselves according
to the composition thereof, it shall be unto thee holy for the
Lord. Whosoever shall make light unto
that, to smell thereof shall be cut off from his people."
Now, the first thing that's mentioned here about the incense, it's
said to be sweet. Christ, our sweet saver will
be just that to you if the Lord saves you. To the child of God,
Jesus Christ becomes sweet. Oh, he's sweet, isn't he? I don't
know how sweet the smell was to those who were outside of
the tabernacle, but to those priests that were inside the
tabernacle, that incense was sweet. And most importantly,
the smell was sweet to God Almighty. How sweet must the intercession
of Christ be to the beloved father who is well-pleased with his
son? How sweet the incense of Christ is to the believer who
rests their soul completely upon Christ's acceptance. I have hope
that I'm accepted being in Christ because Christ is accepted of
God. Only those in the tabernacle
saw how sweet it was, as only those who are in Christ do. Secondly,
the incense was said to be pure. The word pure here in the Hebrew
means perfect and clear. It means freedom. There's no
freedom apart from a pure and clear conscience. Only one who
is free of sin can be accepted of God. Christ certainly fits
that view. Our righteousness, perfection,
and purity is in Him, isn't it? And then thirdly, in verse 35,
this incense is said to be holy. And if you use this incense for
anything other than what God designated it to be used as,
you'd be cut off from the people. Now that term to be cut off in
the scripture usually refers to either excommunication or
most of the time it meant death. This is a serious, serious matter. And it was right here, written
in the law of God, just how much of each of these spices were
to be used. And for them to be used for any
other purpose than God's purpose, meant death. Well, what does
that picture? Well, that picture's men endeavoring
to do the work that only Christ can do. It's the same as a man
saying, I'm the one who intercedes, or I am the one that God hears,
or I am the one that God accepts. No, sir, you're not. That's why
Paul wrote this. He said, to the praise of the
glory of his Christ grace, wherein he, Christ, had made us accepted
in the beloved. It's not our works that God accepts. It's not our prayers that are
offering for sin. It's not even our thankfulness
that makes us acceptable. It's Christ that makes us so. Well, in closing, turn with me
to Hebrews chapter 10. Let me read you a verse or two
here. Hebrews chapter 10, verse 19. The Lord Jesus Christ is our
everything. He's our acceptance with God.
Hebrews chapter 10, look at verse 19. Having therefore brethren
boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus. How? Well, by new and living way,
which he hath consecrated for us through the veil, that is
to say his flesh. And having a high priest over
the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart and full
assurance of faith. Having our hearts sprinkled from
an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water." Friends,
Aaron offered incense only for the children of Israel. So it
is with the Lord Jesus. Did he not say, I pray not for
the world, but for them that thou has given me out of the
world. Christ intercedes only for his own, only for his people,
only for God's elect. That's why Paul wrote in Romans
8, who is he that condemneth? It's Christ that died, yea, rather
that's risen again. Listen, who is even at the right
hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. There it
is. That's that sweet smelling incense in the nostrils of God. May God be pleased to enable
us to see that Christ is our altar of incense, and he is the
only sweet-smelling savor that God will accept.