remember her in the course, you
got to find out what to do about it. I hope they're able to correct
it real soon. Dave McCoy died today and remember his family
in prayer. The others who requested for
also Carla Henson, girl I told you about from Danville, Kentucky. I got a thing from her yesterday
that she has a brain tumor and malignant cancer in her lungs.
So we don't, she's gonna have to have her brain operated on
first, and then they'll probably see if that's malignant, and
then they'll probably decide whether or not to go on with
surgery. Her son is Cody Henson, who's a gifted young man, gifted
preacher of the gospel. And that's a fine family, the
whole family's a sweet family. So remember them, that's Carla
Henson, in your prayers. And Loretta's going for her stomach
test here, what, middle of the month? Next week, okay. remember the others perisheal
logan beck brookshire has been found he has returned got him
back from florida so thankful for that y'all remember greg
brookshire as his son greg attended church here for a long time okay
let's begin our worship service with hymn number 126 rock of
ages cleft for me Rock of ages, cleft for me, let
me hide myself in thee. Let the water and the blood from
thy wounded side which flow, be of sin the double cure. Save from wrath and make me pure. Could my tears forever flow? Could my zeal no longer know? These no sin could not atone. Thou must save and Thou alone. In my hand no price I bring. Simply to Thy cross I cling. ? While I draw this fleeting
breath ? ? When my eyes shall close in day ? ? When I rise
to worlds unknown ? ? And behold beyond my throne ? ? Rock of
ages cleft for me ? ? Let me hide myself in thee ? Hymn number 236, Amazing Grace. ? Amazing grace how sweet the sound
? That saved a wretch like me ? I once was lost was blind, but now I see. T'was grace that taught my heart
to fear, and grace my fears relieved. How precious did that grace appear. I first believed. Through many dangers, toils,
and snares, I have already come. Tis grace hath brought me safe
thus far. When we've been there ten thousand
years, bright shining as the sun, we've no less days to sing
God's praise. J'la-na-ee-oo-ee-ji-ee-ga-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo You have your Bibles turned to
the 40th chapter of Exodus. We'll finish up our study on
Exodus tonight. Read verses 33 through 38. And he, that is Moses, reared
up the court round about the tabernacle. and the altar, and
set up the hanging of the court gate. So Moses finished the work. Then a cloud covered the tent
of the congregation, and the glory of the Lord filled the
tabernacle. Moses was not able to enter into the tent of the
congregation because of the cloud abode thereon, and the glory
of the Lord filled the tabernacle. When the cloud was taken up over
the tabernacle, the children of Israel went onward in their
journeys. But if the cloud were not taken, then they journeyed
not till the day that it was taken up. For the cloud of the
Lord was upon the turban and tabernacle by day, and fire was
on it by night in the sight of all the house of Israel throughout
all their journeys. Let us pray. Our Father in heaven, we bless you and thank you for the fact that you have not
left yourself without a witness. But you have given us your word,
which is our teacher, a word from heaven, a word from on high,
the very words of our great savior and creator, the Lord Jesus Christ. We, Father, are thankful that
in this day in which we live, We can find something that does
not change, that is eternal in its aspect and will endure forever. We are thankful that you have,
by your grace, given us faith to believe and to rest in the
finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ. We are thankful for the
indwelling of the Holy Spirit that takes the things of Christ
and reveals them unto us. we pray tonight father as we
look at your word we may worship you in spirit and in truth we
pray for those who are sick those who are going through trials
those who lost loved ones now know us to every case we pray
lord you'd be with them comfort them be present in their hearts
and minds and fix their hearts and minds upon Jesus Christ oh
father what joy will bring to us if we can see him in your
word we can reflect upon what he's done for us the glory and
majesty of his success in this world we praise you that you finish the work of salvation
and in time according to your good purpose on the day appointed
you revealed to us what you've done for us. Thank you. Now cause us in our hearts to
praise you. In Christ's name, Amen. Now in this chapter, the tabernacle
is finished and erected by Moses. That's what it says in verse
33. He reared up the court. This is the last part. All the
elements of the tabernacle have been put into the tabernacle.
the curtains and the veil has been hung, the table of showbread
is there, the table of incense or the altar of incense, the
lamp stand is set up, the golden, the brazen altar is there, and
also the brazen labor is there. Everything is there, and behind
the veil is the mercy seat, the Ark of the Covenant, there dwells
the Shekinah glory of God. Now Moses handled all of that
at this time. He handled all of that and put
it all together. Now on the outside exterior he's
hung the white linen curtains on rings of silver and the poles
are planted into the ground with silver stobs and those stobs
and the rings are silver. They represent the blood of the
Lord Jesus Christ. and it says he finished it. It's
done. It's done. Chapters 35 through 39, we looked
at 35 last time, 36 through 39 entail the actual manufacture
of the furniture, the silver rings, the things that go in
the ground, the sewing of the curtains, the sewing of the veil,
the garments for the priesthood and all those things. That's
the actual manufacture and making of those by the artisans. are
set forth in those chapters and you can read them at your own
convenience. We know from previous studies that every element employed
in making the tabernacle, every element employed had to do with,
in some way, it pointed to the work and the person of the Lord
Jesus Christ and the priesthood, which is his church. We know
that the church is called a holy priesthood, a royal priesthood
in the New Testament. now for the next 40 years this
is just the beginning of their journey for the next 40 years
covering the book of Numbers and the book of Deuteronomy they
will be in the wilderness they'll be in the wilderness they'll
travel throughout the wilderness and the Lord will guide them
and when he directs them to stop they will stop and when they
do stop the tabernacle is to be erected at that point the
stopping place will be designated by a cloud that covers them by
day and fire that lights them by night. Now they have had this
up to this point. Prior to the tabernacle being
put up, the cloud and fire were said to be pillars. Tubular and
upright, they stood. The cloud probably looked like
a tornado. The pillar of light probably
looked like a fiery tornado. But these lit them by night. But now it's not that way. Now
the cloud becomes a covering. It hovers over the people in
the tent of the tabernacle. The fire becomes the revelation
of God's glory. Though it is not stated in other
places, this context states that when the clouds stopped moving,
the tabernacle was immediately erected under it. It was given
that the cloud by day and the fire by night coincided with
the raising of the tabernacle. How long they stayed in one place
and how long they journeyed varied One thing was a constant. When
the cloud stopped, the tabernacle was set up, and the glory of
God was revealed. That is what it says in verse
34. Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and
the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. Moses was totally involved in
the initial setting up of the tabernacle. He handled and saw
to the placement of every piece of it, However, once it was finished,
he did not enter it again. He did not go into Tabernacle
again. He had acted as prophet and priest of his people up to
this point. But now, from here on out, the priesthood belonged
to Aaron and to his sons. Aaron represents the high priest,
who was the high priest, and represents the great high priest,
the Lord Jesus Christ, and his sons represent the priesthood,
which is the church. The tabernacle and the priesthood
pertain to Christ's sacrifice. All of it did. His blood, atonement,
his intercession. His blood was put on the mercy
seat on the Day of Atonement. His intercession was pictured
by the golden altar where the coals were taken off of the brazen
altar and put on there and incense put on and the smoke rose continually
and that represented the intercessory prayers, the intercession of
the Lord Jesus Christ. The lamp stand represented his light.
He's the light of the world. The outward arms of the lamps
were all pointed toward the center. He's the light of the world.
And all those representative on the sides were pictures of
the gospel preachers in this age. His pierced body was represented
by the showbread, which was pierced.
He's the bread of heaven, and he was pierced. says in the Bible,
they shall look on him whom they have pierced. His mercy and his
singular glory was united in that great place called the Holy
of Holies, and over the mercy seat between the cherubim, when
the blood of the atonement was made once a year, that shekinah
glory glowed. shown brightly in fact it was
too bright to see and that's why he took a censer the high
priest took a censer with coals from off the golden altar and
stuck it up under the curtain and shook it until that whole
place filled with smoke because no eye can see God at any time.
Salvation of the elect is for the praise of the glory of God.
Moses was the law. Moses was the law, he represented
the law throughout this book and throughout the New Testament
it's called the Law of Moses and we know it was God's law
but the law was given through Moses and the law plays no part in
the salvation of the elect. The salvation of the elect is
for the praise and glory of God's grace, not the praise and glory
of God's law. Praise and glory of His grace.
Moses would be called to the door of the tabernacle. He wouldn't
go inside anymore because he wasn't a priest. He wasn't part
of the royal priesthood. He was called to the door of
the tabernacle for further instruction. We see that in the very next
book, Leviticus chapter 1 and verse 1. It says, And the Lord
called unto Moses and spake unto him out of the tabernacle. He's
outside the tabernacle. The Lord is inside the tabernacle.
of the congregation, and in Leviticus, he gives him the further laws
of the book. We know Scripture says in John 1, 17, the law came
by Moses, but grace and truth came by the Lord Jesus Christ.
Now in verse 37 and 38, we see the principle that will guide
the children of Israel physically for the next 40 years. Look over
at Numbers, Chapter 9. verse 17 says, And when the cloud
was taken up from the tabernacle, then after that the children
of Israel journeyed. And the place where the cloud
abode, where the children of Israel pitched their tents, at
the commandment of the Lord the children of Israel journeyed,
and at the commandment of the Lord they pitched. As long as
the cloud abode in the tabernacle, they rested in their tents. And
when the cloud tarried long upon the tabernacle many days, then
the children of the Lord kept the charge of the Lord and journeyed
not. And so it was, when the cloud was a few days upon the
tabernacle, according to the commandment of the Lord, they
abode in their tents, according to the commandment of the Lord,
they journeyed. So this is how it worked. They
followed that cloud. That cloud, when it moved, that's
what happened. It was a picture of the children
of God, sinners all, saved by the grace of God. as they travel
in the wilderness of this world. Ezekiel, in talking about the
wheel within a wheel, set forth the same kind of language, metaphorically,
of this movement of the people of God. In Ezekiel chapter 1, verses 19 through 21, it says,
And when the living creatures went, the wheels went by them. and when the living creatures
were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up. Whithersoever
the spirit was to go, they went. There was their spirit to go.
And the wheels were lifted up over against them, for the spirit
of the living creature was in the wheels. Then when those went,
these went, and when those stood, these stood. And when those were
lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up over them,
for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels. Now,
that's all metaphorical language. I know some people say, well
that's talking about flying saucers. I don't know what it's talking
about. It's a wheel within a wheel within a wheel. But that creature
is important. Those creatures are important.
There's four of them. Four of them. They're seen in verse 10.
It says, for the likeness of their faces, the creature's faces,
they four had the face of a man, the face of a lion, the face
on the right side and they four had the face of an ox on the
left side and four also had the face of an eagle. So this was
the creatures that were there and each one of these things
represent Christ. One creature had the likeness of a lion or
likeness of a man. Jesus Christ was the son of man.
This speaks of his humanity when he came down here to earth and
resided among men. in the likeness of sinful flesh
but yet without sin. And then it says he had a face
of a lion. He's called the lion of the tribe
of Judah. He's the one that was able to
open this book and reveal what all the secrets therein are.
He's the key of knowledge. on the right side and therefore
on the left had the face of an ox. An ox is a beast of burden. Our Lord twice has said the sins
of his people are to put on him. That was the cup. that he talked
about in Gethsemane, let this cup pass from me, the sins will
be put on him. And twice in speaking of how
he handled it, he used the Greek word as aeroids. He lifted it
up as an ox lifts up a bird. So it's a beast of burden. That's
a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ. And therefore had the face of
an eagle. That's a regal creature who flies and goes where it wants. It has the singular perspective
that you and I don't have. We see everything horizontally.
The ego sees things as they are, sees things in a broad span.
That's a picture of Christ's omnipotence, His glory, and His
royalty. In Acts chapter 16, you remember
Paul was going to these places to preach the gospel, and twice
in Acts 16, verses 6 and 7, he was hindered by the Spirit of
God. He said, I've decided to go to this place, and the Spirit
of God wouldn't let me, prohibited me, and then I would decide to
go to another place, and the Spirit of God hindered me, wouldn't
allow me to go. Why? Because the cloud wasn't
moving that way. The cloud wasn't moving that
way. What happened? A man called in
a dream from Macedonia, and he went down to Macedonia, wasn't
a man, he made up it was a woman named Lydia, whose heart got
open. And there's where the Philippian
church started, the first church of Europe. First church in Europe. Philippian Jailer became a member
of that church and we heard the gospel because that church was
established. The believer moves when the Spirit
moves him. That's what this is teaching. And stays put when
the Spirit does not move him. I know people talk, well, the
Spirit moved me to do this. Well, I don't use that kind of
language. I never use it because I think it's kind of fake. it's
kind of a where's the spirit how do you know how do you know
how do I know when the spirit moves me I ask this question
where am I there I am there I am one man said sometime the only
reason we can give for having done anything is that it turned
out alright turned out alright we don't the spirit moves his
people where it moves them what are we supposed to do look to
the cloud there's no physical tabernacle today. Jesus Christ
is that tabernacle. It says in 1 John 1.14 the word
was made flesh and tabernacle among us. We beheld his glory
as the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. There
is no cloud hovering over the tent of testimony because there
is no tent of testimony today. No Ark of the Covenant. But we
are, our life is still governed by looking at the cloud. Or better,
what the cloud pictures. Looking at the cloud is synonymous
with what? Waiting on the Lord. Waiting
on the Lord. Probably one of the most trying
things that every child of God has to go through is to wait
on the Lord. Now, the fact is, we will wait. Hopefully, by God's grace, I'll
do it willingly, but you will wait on the Lord. when he moves
you'll move there's no doubt about that what we do and where we go and
when we go when we move we do so knowing that it is God who
cares for us always and his spirit will guide us according to John
14, 15 and 16 into all truth and show us Jesus Christ what
would give us such peace? What is the cloud? It is Christ
and His gospel. That's what the cloud is. Look
at Exodus 16 just for a moment. Exodus 16 and verse 10. came to pass as Aaron spake unto
the whole congregation of the children of Israel, that they
looked toward the wilderness, and behold, the glory of the
Lord appeared in the cloud." What is the Lord's glory? We know it's the salvation of
His people, but He tells you specifically what it is in 2
Corinthians chapter 4 and verse 7 when He said, God commanded
the light God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness
has made the light to shine in our hearts to reveal the glory
of the Lord in the face of the Lord Jesus Christ. It's His gospel,
His gospel. Look at a few passages of scripture
with me describing the effects and the things of a cloud. Proverbs chapter 16, well first
let's look at Job chapter 36. Job chapter 36 verse 26 says
behold God is great and we know him not neither can the number
of his years be searched out for he maketh small the drops
of water they pour down rain upon the vapor thereof which
the clouds do drop and distill upon man's bodies that's what
God does that's his greatness that's his greatness then in
Deuteronomy 32 God says that his doctrine acts in a certain
way. Deuteronomy 32. This revelation
was a prayer that was to be repeated over and over again by the people
of God when they were in trouble. And God says, my doctrine shall
drop as the rain, and my speech shall distill as the dew as the
small rain upon the tender urban as the showers upon the grass.
Because I will publish in the name of the Lord, ascribe greatness
to our God. He is our rock. His work is perfect for all His
ways of judgment, a God of truth and without iniquity. Where does
rain come from? It comes from the clouds. In
Joel, it talks about the former and the latter rain will come
in the last days and the day in which we live. The former
and latter rain are actually two words that have to do with
one thing. The first and former rain is righteousness. This will
teach righteousness. The latter rain is the teacher
of righteousness. So that's what's going to happen in this day.
This is the gospel of God's peace. It's the gospel of God's righteousness.
You see, Paul said, I'm not ashamed of the gospel. For therein is
the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith. For it is
written, the just shall live by faith. We know from Isaiah
55, 11, he said, Word shall distill as the dew upon the tender herb,
and bring forth the bread from the seed, and shall go where
I send it, and accomplish whatever I intend for it to accomplish."
It is His doctrine, His teaching, that is what His Word is in Proverbs
chapter 16. 16 and verse 15, it says this, in
the light of the king's countenance, his life, that's the truth, the
kingdom of kings looks upon you, its life, and his favor is as
a cloud of the latter rain, his grace is like a cloud of the
latter rain. Then in Psalm 57, In verse 10 it says this, For
thy mercy is great unto the heavens, and thy truth unto the clouds.
Mercy and truth, he says, in another place are met together.
Righteousness and peace have kissed each other. God's glory
resides where? In Jesus Christ. In Jesus Christ
and is revealed in the gospel of His sovereign grace. that
is the only thing that will cause you to rest and also motivate
you and move you. That one thing is the gospel.
One thing is the gospel. As a preacher, I could preach
about a lot of stuff. I could quote commandments, rules,
and regulations and try to get you to live a better life, but
that's not going to work. You're human beings and you're
sinners saved by grace. And the minute I give you the
law, you're going to rebel, because you have not known sin except
the law. But if I tell you the gospel over and over and over
again, that will cause you to rest in Jesus Christ, because
the gospel is Him. And also, if you're going to
be moved and motivated in this world, it's going to be by the
gospel. It's not me giving you a bunch
of things for you to do or not to do. Why? Because the gospel gives peace
that passeth knowledge and understanding. Peace with God. Peace of God. The knowledge that sins are put
away and righteousness imputed based upon God being just and
satisfied concerning His holiness and righteousness. Look at that
cloud. That's what the people did. Look
at that cloud. There's the glory of God there. lord god's revealed
in that class is the lord jesus christ chapter twenty-two says
i have blotted out as a thick uh... transgressions and as a
player That's where it's blotted out
in Jesus Christ. This is where we need to pitch
our tent, where the cloud is. It's over the tabernacle where
the glory of God is. Your sins are blotted out. You're all forgiven. You're accepted, blessed, and
loved. What are you to do? you see Christ rest. Relax. If he moves and moves you, you'll
do whatever he intends for you to do. I saw a young woman who
was an Olympic person. I think she was from Texas. I
can't remember exactly where she was from. She won a gold
medal. They wanted her to say something about a gold medal.
She said, this is ordained of God. I went, great day. he said
god is according to god's purpose I'm nothing he's everything I'm
saved by grace I thought that girl's heard something along
the way watch the cloud look to Jesus Christ don't look anywhere
else I can promise you this and if you're a child of God you
know it's true when you see him Spurgeon described it as like
a heavenly cordial a heavenly wine and when you imbibe that
and drink that, all your troubles go away when you see Christ. You will know what to do if you
look to Him. And when it's time, you'll do
it. You'll do it. Father, bless us
to understand and pray in Christ's name. Amen.