All right. If you're not here and you're listening online, my wife made cookies, just saying. If you'd been here, you could have had some gourmet cookies made by one of Barton's greatest chefs. I love cookies. She does a good job. She used to make cookies, I don't know how she did it, in Uganda, because there's not a lot of material available to make that kind of stuff in Uganda. Yeah. No, in Uganda, they would make what they called cookies, and you take a bite into it, and it's like cardboard with, it's not even chocolate chips, I don't even know what you. Well, the rice krispie trees tasted really good. They just, it was just like concrete mix. All right, let's read. Let's go to Exodus 25. Exodus 25, and let's read verses one through nine to get started. And then we'll have to hurry through this lesson to make sure we cover everything. Verse one, and the Lord speak unto Moses saying, speak unto the children of Israel that they bring me an offering of every man that giveth it willingly, willingly with his what? With his, willingly with his heart. Ye shall make my offering. And this is the offering which you shall take of them gold and silver and brass and blue and purple and scarlet and fine linen and goat's hair. I'm sure I have some goat's hair laying around somewhere. After they needed feathers, we probably got plenty of those. Verse five, and ram skins dyed red, and badger skins and chitim wood, oil for the light, spices for anointing oil and for sweet incense, onyx stones and stones to be set in the ephod and in the breastplate, and let them make me a sanctuary. Here we go. That I may dwell among them, according to all that I show thee, after the pattern." See that? He didn't say, you know, just make something up. Whatever's in your heart, whatever makes you feel good. No, I'm going to give you directions. I want you to collect these things, and then I'm going to give you a pattern to follow. after the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall you make it." He said, even the instruments, I'm gonna tell you how to make them, what shape to make them in, what to make them out of, all that is gonna be done in accord with my word. You can't just make up your approach to God. You've got to approach him the way he says. All right, let's pray and we'll get into these notes. Father, thank you again. It sure is a blessing to be here. Pray you bless this church. Pray you build it. We sure have been encouraged by the people that have been coming here recently. And pray, Lord, that you'd help us to minister to them. Pray that you'd put in their hearts this is where they, the place you'd have them to be, that they'd be faithful to be here. And we'll sure thank you. In Christ's name I pray, amen. All right. Lesson two is God's dwelling place through history. God's dwelling place through history. God's purpose in creating man was not necessarily to populate the earth. That's part of it, but that's not the foundation necessarily. But to establish intimate fellowship with his creatures. Revelation says that we are made for His pleasure. So if you're not pleasing Him, you're not doing what you were made for. As Proverbs 8 31 reveals, Before creation existed, wisdom declared, My delights were with the sons of men. This longing to dwell among His people forms the thread connecting Eden to New Jerusalem. That's one end of the Bible to the other. There's a focus on fellowship, but fellowship has to be... God's not going to forsake or compromise on the requirements and the need for fellowship in order to have that fellowship. He went down to see Adam and Eve, and what'd they do? They hid from Him. Where are you? Just hiding. Well, why? Well, we're naked. Who told you you were naked? And the more God asked questions, the more it revealed they had disobeyed God. And God said, now that you're in disobedience, you cannot be here. Get out. And they have to spend the rest of their lives trying to restore that fellowship in accord with God's word. The tabernacle represents a crucial phase in this unfolding plan, God's provision for dwelling among a redeemed people during their wilderness pilgrimage. The materials specified in Exodus 25 were not arbitrarily chosen, but carefully selected to reveal the person and work of Jesus Christ. At least we're going to try and demonstrate that throughout the course of this study. Each element speaks of perfection requiring a free will offering. I love that it says that. It says, of every man that giveth it willingly with his heart. So if you're not giving and you're not giving willingly, what's the problem? Your heart. You might blame something else, you might point at something else, but ultimately, fundamentally, it's your heart. God said, where your heart is, there will your treasure be also. And so if your heart is not, if your giving is not to God, that means your heart is not being given to God. It's just a fundamental reality according to the Bible. And I know that that's hard to receive sometimes because we don't look at it that way. We look at it from a practical perspective and think if I just make some maneuvers over here that requires me to give less to God, we don't realize what we demonstrate in that is a lack of heart for the Lord. I know, all these preachers talk about is giving. That's not all we talk about. If you came here, you'd know that we talk about it very rarely. But it's amazing to me when I consider, and I don't say this to boast because we could always do more, we can always do better, but we give a lot. Sometimes I look back and I wonder how on earth are we able to keep up with the translators in Uganda and the needs of the church and all the things that go on here. How in the world have we been able to do this and take care of my family and have a home and have vehicles and be able to go out and do all the things that we get to do? God's been very good to us and I'm thankful for it. And so understanding that, you know, If when you hear preaching on giving, your heart immediately says, all y'all talk about is money. Well, that's a heart issue. That's a heart matter. Because you don't get mad at Walmart. When they say, you know, we go to the restaurant and the prices went up, you don't, you might note it momentarily. So I guess your prices went up. Yeah. Did you want to leave? Well, no. You're going to stay and pay the prices. But then when it comes to giving to God or giving to the entanglements you've enshrined yourself in in this world, you're happy to give to the entanglements, you just cut God off. And I'm telling you that is putting the cart before the horse and it's going to cause you to stumble. There was a church that we know, the man that handled the money at that church, he would go to the pastor and say, so-and-so is going to leave within six months. How do you know? Because before they leave, they quit giving. It's very hard to stay in a church when you are fundamentally invested. financially, with your time, with your energy, with your labor. When you're giving there, then you want to be there and have an expectation of its success. When you're not giving, you don't care. You'll hit the road in a heartbeat. Who cares? I haven't invested anything there. Now, understanding this historical progression reveals how every detail points toward the ultimate reality. God dwelling permanently with his people through Jesus Christ. Ultimately, the tabernacle is a picture of that. Praise the Lord for it. Now, there are seven stages of God's dwelling with man. Are you seeing a theme here? Number one, Eden, the original fellowship. Look at Genesis 3, and let's read verse 8. Genesis 3, verse 8. And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day. Now, I didn't know, I have been very sheltered in, for the most part, in where I have learned the Bible. I have been very privileged to learn the Bible from some of the greatest Bible teachers of our generation, and it ruins you when you go outside of that and listen to Bible preaching elsewhere. I did not know that people teach in verse 8 that, and they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden. You would not believe what men teach about that. It's insane. They can't just believe that that was God walking in the garden and that they heard His voice. They just start doing all sorts of odd, weird gymnastics to explain away the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden. It really isn't that difficult. Well, you would think that would be common sense, but... Yeah, yeah. And so they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden. Now, this has Isaiah 53 written all over it. Every man going his own way. Adam, where are you? Just going my own way, taking Eve with me. Why are you going your own way? I gave you one command, one set of instructions. Did you violate that one thing I asked you not to do? I cannot tell. And so here was the garden planted by His hand for the enjoyment and employment of man, The curse was not work. The curse was that work was made difficult. Before the curse, work was just an enjoyment. Adam had plenty of things to do. But the garden was planted by his hand for the enjoyment and employment of man and the Creator coming down into this place to enjoy such fellowship with him as was possible until they ruined it. Yet Eden was not the place of eternal righteousness. It contained the possibility of sin, which means man had a choice, and man made his choice. Actually, it was her, but he followed. God said, because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of the woman, just saying. No amens? Okay. Now when Satan, who himself could not endure the presence of a holy God, successfully tempted Adam and Eve, sin entered and mankind fled from God's presence. They ran and hid because it is a shameful thing to stand before a holy and a righteous God having violated His Word. How do you feel when you've done the exact opposite of what someone you love or who had authority over you told you to do? You want to hide. You just want to crumble under the shame, right? Well, imagine that intensified by about 10 billion. You're standing before God having violated his word, and that'd be terrible. I'm glad I'm washed in the blood of Jesus Christ. I can stand before God now, not because I'm so wonderful, but because Jesus Christ saved my soul. And when I stand before God, He chooses to see the blood of Jesus Christ rather than who I actually and what I really am. Praise the Lord. Eden provides the template for God's desire but demonstrates the necessity for redemption for restored fellowship. They didn't make it long at all and man's already in trouble and then the first two boys born into the world, we don't even get to that generation and one kills the other. Number two, Abraham's tent. Sound familiar? Somebody might have wrote a book about this. Look at Genesis 18. I guess we didn't talk about Abraham's tent in the book. We talked about Abraham sacrificing, almost sacrificing Isaac. But Genesis 18 verses 1 through 8, verse 1, And the LORD appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre, and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day. And he lift up his eyes, and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him. And when he saw them, He ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground, and said, My Lord, if now I have found favor in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant. Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree." Now this next part is great. And I, I, who's talking? Abraham. And I will fetch a morsel of bread, and comfort ye your hearts. After that ye shall pass on, for therefore are ye come to your servant. And they said, so do, as thou hast said. And Abraham hastened unto the tent unto Sarah. I told these men out here I'd bring them some bread. Can you make it? Now, my wife, with a great attitude, would just go in and make it. It's a blessing. It's a blessing to have someone. I can go out and I can tell complete strangers, yeah, we'll bless you. No problem. Kristen, I told them we'd bless them. Would you go make some food? And she'd just happily go do it. She would not look at me and say, well, you told them you were going to give them food. How come you don't make it? What do you want me to do it for? We don't do things like that. We don't live that way. And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah and said, make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it and make cakes upon the hearth. Like Sarah didn't know how to make bread. Now that might be where my wife says, really, you're gonna tell me how to? Like, I'll be happy to make, yeah, just go hang out with your friends, I'll make the food. And anyways, verse seven, and Abraham ran into the herd And fetch a calf, so he was Southern, he's from the South, he's fetching. Fetch a calf, tender and good, and gave it unto a young man, and he hastened to dress it. And he took butter and milk and the calf, which he had dressed, and set it before them, and he stood by them under the tree, and they did eat. The next picture emerges in Genesis 18 where God appears as one of three strangers visiting Abraham's tent. This picture shows the faithful patriarch offering hospitality to the living God. Now imagine that. Somebody shows up to your house in need and you're like, man, get out of here. Who might that be? The Bible does say we potentially entertain angels unawares. Wouldn't that be interesting if somebody showed up with a need and you were like, man, hit the road. I ain't got time for you, get out of here. And it was an angel. Interesting to think about. But God, the living God, accepts the hospitality offered and becomes a guest in the tent of Abraham. You don't need much to offer God. Just give Him what you've got. Be willing to give Him what you've got. God will come and sit in a hot, dusty tent and eat meat covered in flies. And it was just a very simple but kind meal. The unleavened cakes and calf presented typified the bread of God, Christ's sinless person and his sacrificial work. This meal reveals the only basis upon which a righteous and holy God could at all have communion with a fallen creature. Faith ever recognizes this from Abel onward. you're only gonna have fellowship with God if you approach Him properly. Now, number three. Actually, one more point under number two. In contrast to Sodom, where Lot sacrificed both his pilgrim and priestly character for earthly gain, Abraham's tent provided a place where God could fellowship with his people. Isn't that amazing? You think Lot had a far better, far nicer home in Sodom than Abraham had in his tent out in the wilderness where he was? Of course he did. He's in the big city of Sodom. He probably had a really nice house. And yet God went and fellowshiped with Abraham with the one who was the friend of God rather than going to the nice big house on the hill in Sodom. Number three, the tabernacle, God's wilderness abode. This is Exodus chapters 25 through 40. For obvious reasons, we will not be reading all those, but you feel free to do so when you have the time. The tabernacle marks the transition from transient visits to a more permanent dwelling among God's people. It's still transient, but there's something physical now. Unlike the brief encounter at Abraham's tent, this represents an abiding with his people through the wilderness and onward. They had that tabernacle for a long time. 40 years in the wilderness, and then they go all the way to David before they start collecting the material to build the temple. Here, God would manifest his presence through glory, directing Israel's journeys, and establishing his worship among them. They had to approach God very carefully, very meticulously, through worship in the tabernacle. This portable sanctuary, constructed according to the heavenly pattern, demonstrates that everything was but a type, and still waited till the full glory of God should be entrusted to one who perfectly, absolutely, and permanently, in heart, life, and nature, was the exhibition of God. Every detail speaks of Christ preparing Israel to recognize their Messiah when He appeared. Number four, Solomon's Temple, a permanent dwelling place in the land, in the promised land. This is 1 Kings chapters 6 through 8. When Israel entered the land, the tabernacle gave way to Solomon's temple. All right, now this is long after being there. They go from the judges to Saul, and then from Saul to David, and then from David to Solomon before they finally build the temple. But as long as disobedience did not disrupt that permanence, they got to dwell with God in a permanent place on earth in Jerusalem. While following the tabernacle's general plan, all speaks of permanency, its stones speak of stability, its carvings and gold of glory. This was an incredible building. In fact, it was so incredible that in the book of Ezra, when Judah came back from Babylon, so Babylon took them captive, they spend 70 years in Babylon, Persia takes Babylon, thereby assuming control of Judah, who's now under the the domination of Cyrus. Cyrus sends them back to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple. They lay the foundation and the young men shouted for joy and the aged men wept. They looked at that foundation and said, this does not compare to what we had, but that's what sin does. Sin, you can always be restored. You can always come back. But it will never be the same. It will not be what it was. So if you abandon God and chase after sin and then later decide, I shouldn't have done this. I need to go back and make things right. Well, praise the Lord. That door is always open. but you will not be the same. God may not be able to use you the way he had intended initially. And so you want to be very careful about that and keep sin out of your life. Keep a short list. Now this represented the crowning splendor of Solomon's glorious reign. Solomon's reign was just Unbelievable. He was rich. He was powerful. He had great wisdom. That temple was just magnificent. It's incredible. Yet even this magnificent structure remained only a figure. Stephen declared that Solomon built him a house only to remind his hearers that the Most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands. This is all going somewhere, if you haven't noticed. That's Acts 7, verses 47 through 50. Significantly, Solomon's prayer of dedication still echoed about the hills of Jerusalem when Solomon fell into shameful sin and idolatry, demonstrating that even the temple awaited a greater fulfillment. Now, God told Solomon, if you'll obey me, your kingdom will last forever. If you don't, I will rip this kingdom out of your hands and split it." And that's exactly what happened. Solomon disobeyed God and God took the kingdom from him, his sons took over, they ripped the kingdom apart, and so the nation of Israel became two separate kingdoms. Israel, the name The Northern Kingdom took the name Israel. The Southern Kingdom took the name Judah. The Northern Kingdom was made up of 10 tribes. The Southern Kingdom was made up of two, Judah and Benjamin. Now, number five, Christ incarnate, the word tabernacled among us. Look at John 1.14, which everybody here probably has memorized, but let's pretend like we don't. and go read it. John 1. John 1 verse 14, and the word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory. The glory is of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. Christ incarnate, the word tabernacled among us. Now, the ultimate dwelling place appeared when God Himself came in a body of flesh. Malachi's prophecy found fulfillment. The Lord whom ye seek shall suddenly come to his temple, Malachi 3.1. I'd say Job had to be looking at this like, I mean, I thought I was just talking. I didn't know. He said, I know my Redeemer liveth and He shall stand on the earth And there he is, Jesus Christ. Yet he came not to the Jerusalem temple, but to Bethlehem's manger. So again, he could have gone to Sodom, and yet he went to Abraham's tent. He could have been born in the temple. I mean, wouldn't that have been a grand entrance? And yet he was born in a manger. Pretty incredible. He's born in a manger where we see the temple of God, the shrine, where his glory has found its home and abiding place. And we read Hebrews 10. We actually read Hebrews 10. I have in my notes here Hebrews 10, one through 10, and we read most of that already, but it talks about a body being prepared for God to be made manifest in the flesh. But go back to Hebrews. I want to read another verse in Hebrews, Hebrews 2. I have to find it real quick. I'm pretty sure it's chapter two. Yeah, Hebrews 2, look at verse 14. We'll read Hebrews 2, 14 and 15, no, 14 through 16. Verse 14, for as much then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood. All right, that's important. All right, now if we're gonna have a kinsman redeemer, What does he have to be? Flesh and blood. For as much as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same, that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil. Now why did Jesus Christ come? To destroy the power of the devil, to set you free from your sin and destroy the power of the devil. Verse 15, and deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage for verily he took not on him the nature of angels. Couldn't he have done that? Absolutely. He could have done whatever he wanted. God in His wisdom understood that in order for Jesus Christ to redeem the souls of men, this had to be done in a very specific and particular manner for all things to be right. And so coming in the form of an angel would not have sufficed. Instead, He took on him the seed of Abraham. That's right back to Romans 9 where we've been studying that seed of Abraham that carried on the promise. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Israel. That's where it all comes from. John 1.14 declares the Word was made flesh. and he came and lived among us. Here was perfect humanity housing perfect deity. At last God had found a suited habitation with man. Now it's pretty hard to mess it up when it's God himself in that body. Nobody else in there, just God. And so when Christ cleansed the temple and called his body this temple, John 2, 19, he revealed himself as the true dwelling place of God. He went in there and turned those tables over and flipped that place upside down. And he said, you know, tear down this temple and I'll raise it up again. They said, how are you going to rebuild this temple? It took 40 years to build this temple. But he spoke of the temple of his body. Man's rejection of this perfect temple led to Calvary, yet God's purposes of grace are not to be thwarted by man's sin. Now, we look at Calvary, and you look at it through the eyes of man, you say, what a tragedy. But if you look at it spiritually, you say, what a victory. Jesus said he was going to accomplish his death. Typically, death is not an accomplishment. But it is for, I mean, imagine the sinless Son of God who had never committed a single sin whatsoever, taking on a body of flesh, and then taking our sin into His body so that He could die on the cross and be buried and rise again the third day. I'd say that's a pretty big accomplishment. The victory there is that by doing that, I say, why would He do that? In order for you to have the option to be set free. Now through Christ's death, the avenue for God's love to flow forth in abundant grace for the vilest and neediest of sinners was busted wide open. You just gotta receive it now. Number six, the church, current spiritual dwelling. Look at Ephesians 2. Now when we say the church, we're not talking about this building. We're not even talking about a local assembly. We're talking about born-again believers, and born-again believers compose, make up the body of Christ. Ephesians 2, verse 22, current spiritual dwelling. Let's look at, let's go back to verse 20. We'll read 20, Ephesians 2. We'll read verses 20-22, "...and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone." Right? Verse 21, "...in whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord, in whom ye also are builded together for inhabitation of God through the Spirit. That's the body of Christ. That's the church. He's telling you and He's telling me, you are the building. The building is not the building. The building is where people who make up the building meet. The local church is where people who belong to Jesus Christ meet together. The local church is not the church. We call it a church, and the local church is where members of the body of Christ carry out the labors of the church, but the church is composed of everybody who has put their faith and their trust in the death, the burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Following Christ's ascension, the Spirit of God has been sent forth from a glorified Christ and the Father, and now we have a habitation of God formed by the Spirit. Every believer becomes a living stone in this spiritual house, which groweth unto a holy temple in the Lord. You have to play your part in that. So when you don't show up and you're not faithful and you don't do what you're supposed to do, the building suffers. Now, I used to use this illustration all the time. We're sitting in a building right now, right? Praise the Lord. God says he uses a building as a picture of the church, right? Jesus Christ is the chief cornerstone. We are those stones that, you know, tightly fit together to create this building. So if we're in a building right now, would you be okay with somebody just taking out a wall while we're sitting here? Why not? So then how is it okay for part of the spiritual building to just disappear when it doesn't want to show up and do its part. Just as detrimental as it would be for somebody to come and rip out a wall while we're sitting here, it's just as destructive for you not to show up and do your part in the body of Christ. Everybody is important. Everybody is needed. Now, this demonstrates the wonder of God's grace in the very world where Christ was crucified. A habitation is being formed from such material as that. Imagine that. Now, for that tabernacle, God said, oh, I want onyx stones, sapphire, chitum wood. I mean, I want all the good stuff. And yet to build the spiritual building, it's me and you. He certainly lowered his standards, hadn't he? I'm thankful for that. Men who recognize their lost condition and accept the infinite grace and love of God become the quarried stones for this eternal habitation of God. Isn't that amazing? You are one of those stones, and I don't think I have it in my notes. Let me find something real fast. Hopefully I can find it real fast. Whenever I need to find something real fast, I usually don't find it. Yeah, look at 1 Peter 2. 1 Peter 2 and verse 1. Wherefore, laying aside all malice, uh-oh, and all guile, uh-oh, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil, never mind, let's go to something else that's not. And all evil speakings, as newborn babes desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may, what? grow. So you're not supposed to be a baby, a spiritual baby your entire life. You're born again, you're made a newborn babe in Christ, then you desire the sincere milk of the Word that you may grow, verse 3, if so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious. To whom coming as unto a what? Living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God and precious. Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a..." what? Not a physical house. It's not a physical building. The church is not a physical building. Now, members of the church, praise the Lord, in our day, meet in a physical building. You know how rare this has been throughout world history? For a church to have a physical building dedicated to nothing but worshiping Jesus Christ? This is a tremendous privilege that the majority of the Christian world has never had access to. And so you also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house and holy priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. So you've got to approach God in a way that he finds acceptable. Verse six, wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, behold, I lay in Sion a chief cornerstone, elect, precious. Now who is the chief cornerstone? So then who is the elect? Let's read it again. Well, let's read it again. Behold, I lay in Sion a chief cornerstone, Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ, elect precious, and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. Unto you, therefore, which believe, he is what? Precious. But unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, and a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient, whereunto also they were appointed. But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people, that you should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light, which in time past were not a people," that'd be the Gentiles, but are now the people of God, which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lust. Now that you know that you're a component in this wonderful building that's being built, act like it. Quit being disobedient, put away all these terrible things named at the beginning of the chapter, and put away all the terrible things named at the end of the chapter. Grow up. Take the milk, move to meat. Amen? Alright. Where did I leave off here? This demonstrates the wonder of God's grace in the very world. I think we read that. Men who recognize their lost condition. We read that. Like Solomon's temple construction, this spiritual building grows without great show, without the sound of a hammer until completion. Number seven, the eternal state. The tabernacle of God is with men. Now that gives me chills. That means the veil is taken away. It's no longer, you know, the Bible is so honest about how you're not with the Lord. You're not present with the Lord. You haven't seen him and yet you trust him. In this day, It's not going to be this spiritual indwelling, reciprocal indwelling, where He dwells in you and you dwell in Him. He is going to tabernacle among us. We get to see God in His glory. Revelation 21, verse 3, the final consummation appears. Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them. Here is the full and eternal display of himself in Christ and through him in the church, in Israel, in the nations, and in the whole universe. It's finally all gonna be put on display. This eternal dwelling surpasses all previous manifestations. No longer are God's people fleeing from His presence as in Eden, nor is He paying temporary visits as with Abraham. This exceeds even the spiritual habitation of the church. God at last rests in His creation. Remember, He can't rest in His creation as long as sin is present. God at last rest in his creation dwelling in the midst of his people a redeemed race where God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes. Praise the Lord. Now, the materials and their spiritual significance. We'll go through this very quickly. We got five minutes before I'm over time and I don't want to have to blame Miss Pat. The medals reveal the perfection of Christ. Number one is gold. Gold represents the divine nature and glory of Christ. It's used extensively throughout the tabernacle, covering the ark, the boards, and furniture. Gold testifies of deity and incorruption. From within the tabernacle, one could see almost nothing but gold. Imagine that! In a tent! Imagine walking into a tent in a dusty wilderness and you see just pure gold all over the place. This signified the divine nature with the divine life of Christ, which is God Himself. Gold, by its incorruptible nature, became the ideal symbol of God Himself. Next is silver. formed the foundation of the structure. Imagine the foundation of your home being made of silver. Yeah, I imagine your house would get ripped apart one day when you left. Silver formed the foundation of the structure with each board resting on silver sockets. This gave solidity and firmness to the whole structure and represents redemption, the price paid to secure God's people as His own possession. Silver points to the precious blood of Christ that purchased the church. Next is brass. Brass was used in the outer court, forming sockets for the pillars at the entering of the tabernacle and covering the altar of burnt offering. This strong, unyielding material represents judgment satisfied through Christ's sacrifice, enabling God's righteous approach to sinful man. Next, the colors display the character of Christ. The tabernacle curtains displayed four primary colors which revealed aspects of Christ's person. First is blue, symbolizes the Lord's heavenly character and divine nature. The color of the sky reminds us of heaven and the God of heaven pointing to Christ's divine origin and celestial glory. Purple represents Christ's royal character and kingly nature. This expensive die signifies royalty and wealth, though men still should not wear it. and underscores the majesty of God, pointing to Christ as King of Kings. I had a shirt, I used to give guys a hard time all the time about wearing purple. And they would say, I'm securing my manhood. And it's like, well, I'm securing my manhood, so I don't wear purple. And then I used to give them a hard time all the time. And I had this shirt that was like a, not quite maroon, but a reddish color. And over time it faded. Oh, man, I wore it to church one day, and they wore me. It wasn't purple, but it was close enough that they were just going to let me have it. And they did. Yeah. Oh, yeah. It was just fun to give people a hard time. But if you're going to give people a hard time, you better be ready to receive it. All right, next is Scarlet. speaks of Christ's earthly sacrificial character. A vivid red color is emblematic of sacrifice and atonement and represents the blood of sacrifice which were necessary for the atonement of sins. Fine white linen represents Christ's perfect righteousness and holiness. This symbolizes purity and righteousness and speaks of the spotless character required for fellowship with God. Next, the wood and other materials. Acacia wood, often called in the Bible, shittum wood, represents Christ's perfect, incorruptible humanity. Growing in desert conditions, it typifies Christ as a root out of dry ground. Who knows where that's from? What chapter? Isaiah 53, yeah. Its resistance to decay portrays Christ's sinless nature. There was neither sin in Him, nor was there even the possibility of His ever being tempted to commit sin. Now, was He tempted? He was tempted in all points, such as we are, and yet without sin." The wood provided the foundation for gold overlay, showing how Christ's perfect humanity supports and displays His divine glory. Next is oil. which represents the Holy Spirit's work in anointing and illumination. Now, oil does not always point to the Holy Spirit in the Bible, but it often does. You just gotta be careful and let the context tell you when it's being used that way. But it's used for the lampstand's fuel and the anointing oil. It speaks of the Spirit's ministry in revealing Christ and empowering service. And then finally, spices. added to the anointing oil and incense speak of the Spirit's work in making Christ person and work fragrant to God. They represent the various graces of Christ that delight the Father's heart." Now, implications for today. This historical survey reveals God's unchanging purpose to dwell among His people through Christ. Now, we studied the Lamb of God all the way through the Bible, and we just looked at a survey of God's desire to dwell with men all the way through the Bible. Went all the way back to Eden and took us all the way to the book of Revelation. Very similar idea. Samuel Rideout said in his book, as we dwell upon the tabernacle, we are anticipating if we grasp its spiritual truths, that which God desired from the beginning and for which he has been laboring and which his adorable son, our Lord, has made possible through his atoning death. Praise the Lord. The materials require our willing participation. That's what it means to be a servant of Jesus Christ. You know, that's the definition of the word. That's why to have a modern Bible is so detrimental. Romans 1, the modern Bibles change the word servant to bond slave or slave of some form. And the reason that's so detrimental is a slave doesn't have an option. You're made a slave. But what's so amazing is that the word servant means voluntary subjection to a master. And so it's up to you. The materials require our willing participation, your service, your dedication, your giving. Not material offerings now, but hearts stirred up be made willing to enter into what Christ, our Lord, is. It's up to you. We move beyond intellectual understanding to embrace Christ as our heart's delight, bringing Him, as it were, before our gracious God for His use and acceptance. Isn't that amazing how that works? You trust in Jesus, He puts you in Himself, and makes you usable to himself. It's pretty incredible. And then reward you for it like you did something. It's amazing. So praise the Lord for it.