Gracious, I encourage you to turn with me in God's word to Exodus chapter 39. Exodus chapter 39. And to begin reading at verse 32 and then until the end of chapter 40. This will also be our text for our sermon this afternoon. It's the last book and a half of, or last chapter and a half of the book of Exodus. We have a conclusion here. And there's much that we can learn from it. Exodus chapter 39, beginning at verse 32. So the first part of this chapter is describing different parts of the tabernacle, especially the priest's clothing, the garments for Abraham that were put together. Beginning at verse 32, we read, thus was all the work of the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation finished. And the children of Israel did according to all that the Lord commanded Moses, so did they. And they brought the tabernacle unto Moses, the tent, and all his furniture, his tashes, his boards, his bars, and his pillars, and his sockets, and the covering of ram skins dyed red, and the covering of badger skins, and the veil of the covering, the ark of the testimony, and the staves thereof, and the mercy seat, the table and all the vessels thereof, and the showbread, the pure candlestick with the lamps thereof, even with the lamps to be set in order, and all the vessels thereof, and the oil for light, and the golden altar, and the anointing oil, and the sweet incense, and the hanging for the tabernacle door, the brazen altar and its grate of brass, his staves and all his vessels, the laver and his foot, the hangings of the courts, his pillars, and his sockets, the hangings of the court gates, his courts, cords, and his pins, and all the vessels of the service of the tabernacle for the tent of the congregation, the cloths of service to do service in the holy place, and the holy garments for Aaron the priest and his son's garments to minister in the priest's office. According to all that Lord commanded Moses, so the children of Israel made all the work. And Moses did look upon all the work, and behold, they had done it as the Lord had commanded. Even so had they done it, and Moses blessed them. And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, On the first day of the first month shalt thou set up the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation, and thou shalt put therein the ark of the testimony, and cover the ark with the veil. And thou shalt bring in the table, and set in order the things that are to be set in order upon it. And thou shalt bring in the candlestick, and light the lamps thereof. And thou shalt set the altar of gold for the incense before the ark of the testimony, and put the hanging of the door to the tabernacle. And thou shalt set the altar of the burnt offering before the door of the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation. And thou shalt set the laver between the tent of the congregation and the altar, and shalt put water therein. And thou shalt set up the court roundabouts, and hang up the hangings at the court gate. And thou shalt take the anointing oil and anoint the tabernacle and all that is therein, and shalt hallow it and all the vessels thereof, and it shall be holy. And thou shalt anoint the altar of the burnt offering and all his vessels and sanctify the altar. And there shall be an altar most holy. And thou shalt anoint the laver and his foot, and sanctify it. And thou shalt bring Aaron and his sons unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and wash them with water. And thou shalt put upon Aaron the holy garments, and anoint him, and sanctify him, that he may minister unto me in the priest's office. And thou shalt bring his sons, and clothe them with coats. And thou shalt anoint them as thou didst anoint their father, that they may minister unto me in the priest's office. for their anointing shall surely be an everlasting priesthood throughout their generations. Thus did Moses, according to all that the Lord commanded him. So did he. And it came to pass in the first month and the second year, on the first day of the month, that the tabernacle was reared up. And Moses reared up the tabernacle and fastened his sockets and set up the boards thereof and put in the bars thereof and reared up his pillars. And he spread abroad the tent over the tabernacle and put the covering of the tent above it, above upon it, as the Lord commanded Moses. And he took and put the testimony into the ark, and set the staves on the ark, and put the mercy seat above upon the ark. And he brought the ark into the tabernacle, and set up the veil of the covering, and covered the ark of the testimony, as the Lord commanded Moses. And he put the table in the tent of the congregation, upon the side of the tabernacle northward, without the veil. And he set the bread in order upon it before the Lord, as the Lord had commanded Moses. And he put the candlestick in the tent of the congregation over against the table on the side of the tabernacle southward. And he lighted the lamps before the Lord, as the Lord commanded Moses. And he put the golden altar in the tent of the congregation before the veil, and he burned sweet incense thereon, as the Lord commanded Moses. And he set up the hanging at the door of the tabernacle, and he put the altar of burnt offering by the door of the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation. and offered upon it the burnt offering and the meat offering, as the Lord commanded Moses. And he set up the laver between the tent of the congregation and the altar, and put water there to wash withal. And Moses and Aaron and the sons washed their hands and their feet thereat. When they went into the tent of the congregation, and when they came near unto the altar, they washed, as the Lord commanded Moses. And he 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. And Moses was not able to enter into the tent of the congregation, because the cloud abode there, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. And when the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the children of Israel went onward in all their journeys. But if the cloud was not taken up, then they journeyed not till the day that it was taken up. For the cloud of the Lord was upon the tabernacle by day, and the fire was on it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel throughout all their journeyings." So far, the reading of God's Word. Let's now make confession of faith using the Apostles' Creed. And the Heterocatechism, right before it gives us the Apostles' Creed, it asks us what things are necessary for us to believe in order that we might be saved. And it's a more expansive answer than simply believing in Jesus Christ. It's certain that's at the heart of it. The Catechism says we need to believe everything that is taught in the Apostles' Creed, which is a summary of all of God's Word. In the Apostles' Creed, we confess, I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried. He descended into hell. The third day, He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence he shall come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost. I believe a holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen. Let's respond now by singing from Psalter 115. This is from Psalm 42. And it's good to confess God as a congregation, but is there also a longing and love for God? And that's what we sing of in this Psalter, Psalter 15. ♪ Spread so high ♪ ♪ For streams of living water ♪ ♪ So longs my soul, O living God, for Thee ♪ ♪ I rest for Thee ♪ ♪ For Thee, my God, do rest ♪ When shall I come, thy gracious face to see? Come, O my God, all rounded in affliction, Be I, live my soul. He calls to me when storms and trouble hover. Father, I am going to thee. ♪ My servant's consolation ♪ ♪ My loving kindness ♪ ♪ And shall hear my name ♪ ♪ And in the night my song shall be heard ♪ Why, oh my soul, art thou cast out within me? Why art thou troubled when thou rest with me? O loving God, Let's go to the Lord in prayer and ask for His blessing and help as we worship Him. Our great, glorious, and ever faithful Father in Heaven, Lord, we once again have the privilege and the opportunity to gather together for worship. Lord, as we are here, we praise your name. We praise you, Lord, for you truly are an amazing and astounding God. Even more amazing it is that you would have dealings with us. Not just that you would deal with us as we deserve, Lord, that you'd come to us. You'd invite us to have to believe in Jesus Christ and through Him to become your sons and daughters. For how amazing it is that in Christ we can be truly and fully your children, and that we may look forward to an eternity with you in heaven, that though now we may see through a glass dimly, that then we may see face to face. And Lord, as we think about these things, we ask that you would stir up our hearts Help us, O Lord, to rejoice in that reality if we do believe. And Lord, if we are still without Christ, draw us, convert us, open our eyes that we would also see wonderful things from out of Your Word. We were just saying together from Psalm 42, this song which is such an expression of longing after You. And the picture of a deer that is panting, that is parched, that is eagerly, urgently looking for water to quench its thirst. And Lord, we confess that so often as those who confess faith in You, that we can have so little thirst, that we can be so content with lukewarmness and the things of this world. And Lord, we ask that you'd warm our hearts. Help us, Lord, that our greatest desire may be not just in this life, but also the life to come, that we would be satisfied through communion with you, that we would desire more than anything else to experience your presence, your nearness, that we would turn with excitement to your word, that we would study it, We would say with Samuel, speak Lord, for your servant is listening. Lord, as we have opportunities to pray even now, that we would come with reverence and awe before your throne. You may come and speak, even as to a father. Lord, we do not deserve any of these things. And far too often we think too little about these things. Lord, even now we pray, help us to be amazed. Help us to be humbled. Help us, Lord, to worship you with love and delight and thankfulness. Thank you again this afternoon for the many blessings that we enjoy. As it's bitterly cold outside, we can go home and sit in warmth and comfort. Even the cars we drive keep us warm back and forth from church and other places. You've given us so many luxuries, warm clothes, an abundance of food, clean water. Lord, how richly you have blessed us. As we think about the upcoming mission trip to Mexico and the goal there to provide a home for a family. And yet, Lord, how much more we have than so many around us. And again, Lord, we confess, so often we take these material blessings for granted. And yet, Lord, we are no better than others around us who suffer. Others in other countries who are experiencing such war and destruction. Those who are going through times of famine and who have so little. And all that we have is a gift from you that we receive by your providence and as you bless us in the different gifts that you've given to us. Lord, again, help us to be thankful. Help us also to give back to you of the abundance you've given to us. As we recognize that all that we have is from you, Lord, help us again to be moved with thankfulness and generosity and that we would joyfully, willingly share with those who have less and to support the work of the church. We pray that you'd be with those who are traveling to Mexico, keep them safe, keep them also from sin and evil, from harm and danger. And at this time, as they do this work, not just physical work, but also as they seek to be a witness for Christ, we pray that you'd richly bless them, that they would grow as individuals in the knowledge and love of Jesus Christ, and that they may be a great blessing to the community there. We pray not just for this mission trip, but for all the work done by missions around this world. That as different groups go out and seek to share the good news of the gospel through word and deed, we pray for your blessing on that. Be with missionaries and mission workers. Be with their families and all who are involved. Help them as they may be discouraged, be it by a lack of fruit or by opposition. Lord, you teach us to pray that your kingdom will come. And you have commanded your church to go out and to spread the gospel to the ends of the earth. And Lord, you promised that you would bless this work. So we pray that you would, again, keep your promises, that you would advance the church, and that you would bring multitudes, millions, even billions of people to a true and saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. We pray that not only in the far-off countries around this world, but also here in this town, and for the various towns around in which we live. Lord, here also there are many who do not know You. Many who are unprepared to stand before You. So Lord, bless this congregation. Bless the witness as we worship here Sunday after Sunday and as we go out into the communities, as we do our work. Lord, we ask, give us a boldness to speak, give us love in our hearts, a burden for those who are without Christ, and that you'd bring in many through these doors, not just from other churches, but also from those who have never gone to church, and that we would rejoice with the angels in heaven to see sinners being saved. We also pray for our denomination, pray for the vacant churches, Again, we can be so thankful here in Western Canada that every church has its own pastor. We pray for those who don't, that you would provide for them. You'd also raise up more men to serve in gospel ministry. We pray for our own pastor, Pastor Ep, Lord, be with him as he's preaching in Bethel today. Lord, bless him, strengthen him, equip him week after week to do your work. And that's as you fill him with your Spirit, and as you teach him from your Word, that you would enable him and bless him as he brings your Word to us. So pray for the elders and deacons. Lord, you have called these men to serve this church. And we pray that you would give them strength, give them wisdom. Also we pray, Lord, that you'd keep them especially from compromise, from sin. As we can hear from time to time how office bearers have fallen so terribly into sin and the dishonor that it brings to your name and to your cause. Lord, we pray that you would sustain us and keep them and keep all of us from sin and temptation. Lord, as we continue to worship you, we again confess our need that you would come and bless your word. Lord, apart from the work of the Holy Spirit, there is no hope. We will never turn to you and never continue to walk in your ways. So Lord, come with your spirit. Pour it out again upon us as You poured out Your Spirit at Pentecost. Lord, increasingly fill us by Your Spirit that we would live for You. So Lord, bless us as we worship You. And Lord, we ask all these things for Christ's sake alone. Amen. Creation, again we have an opportunity to give your gifts to the Lord. After that, we'll sing as we prepare to hear God's Word from Psalter 321. This is from Psalm 119. And the title of this psalter is, The Blessedness of Obedience. We see that also in our sermon with, in our text with the wonderful obedience of Israel and Moses. Psalter 321, after the collection. Okay. Amen. ♪ God our Savior, King of glory, ♪ ♪ Word from the Son, King of glory, ♪ ♪ Who holding fast the prayer of day ♪ ♪ Singing with unbeguiled heart ♪ ♪ Here they are made from glass of steel ♪ ♪ To walk in God's appointed way ♪ ♪ Thy precepts thou hast given us ♪ ♪ That we should live for Thee only ♪ ♪ My way with my heart is now resolved ♪ ♪ I know this world is used to fulfill ♪ ♪ No more shall I be brought to shame ♪ ♪ Shall I be burned by holy will ♪ ♪ During thy pristine sin shall rise ♪ ♪ Pray, I, that righteous as the sun ♪ Well, dear congregation, every book of the Bible is unique. Each one is inspired and preserved by God for a particular reason. Some of our books are more historical, others are full of poetry like the Psalms, and others are prophetic, and some are a combination of all three. Now we read this afternoon from the last chapters of the book of Exodus. As you read the book of Exodus, some parts are very exciting. Think of the ten plagues in Israel being delivered, brought through the Red Sea, and Pharaoh's army being destroyed. Other parts of the book are more difficult to read, maybe less interesting. Think of the list of laws after the Ten Commandments were given, or all the details of the tabernacle and all the repetition there as instructions are given, and then piece by piece the instructions are carried out. Yes, if you say this book, you'll also see quickly that it is full of the gospel. As you read through the book of Exodus, a number of things should happen. Reading this book should lead us to a greater hatred and sorrow over sin. Reading this book should increasingly press upon us the need and application of the great Passover lamb, the ultimate sacrifice through which we find life and forgiveness and refuge. Reading this book should lead us to the greater Moses, who truly delivers his people, who brings them from death, who leads them to worship God, and ultimately brings them to the promised land of eternal life. I was actually going to focus simply on the last chapter and a bit of the book of Exodus, and the theme is the conclusion of Exodus from groaning to glory. The first point, we want to spend some time reflecting just on how far the Israelites have come. The second point is titled Remarkable Obedience, and we see that at the end of chapter 39 and the first part of chapter 40. And lastly, Moses ends this book by describing the overwhelming glory when God comes down and He fills the tabernacle. So the conclusion of an exodus, from groaning to glory. First point, look how far we have come. The second point, remarkable obedience. And the third point, overwhelming glory. Let's begin then by seeing how far we have come. I invite you, I encourage you to turn with me to Exodus chapter one, first of all. I want to very quickly go through some of the main highlights in this book. And as you see the progressions, it's really, it's beautiful how God has been working. So in Exodus chapter 1, how does God begin this book? How does Moses begin to write under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit? In the opening verses, we see a list of the 12 sons of Jacob. And we are told that Jacob leaves Israel, leaves the promised land of Canaan, comes to Egypt with 70 people. And then soon after that, the sons of Jacob die. But then in the next couple of verses, we read how that the children of Israel grew rapidly. What do we see here? We see the blessing of God. We had Abraham and Sarah. They had several children, but one, especially Isaac, that was the next patriarch. And Isaac has Jacob and Esau. Again, one of them leaves, one of them stays. Then we go from 1-1 to 12, and then from this 12 to 70, and then from this 70 we have this huge nation, and the promises of God are being fulfilled as we see the children of Israel multiplying and growing into a great nation. But then we see very quickly in verse 6, or after that, there's a sudden change. In verse 6 we read that Joseph died and all his brethren and generations. And then there's a new king, a new pharaoh in Egypt who did not know Joseph. And this king becomes quite anxious as he sees this nation multiplying. He sees how strong they're becoming. And instead of giving thanks to God for this blessing, this king seeks to weaken, to destroy this nation. He begins to oppress them brutally. He forces them to work as slaves. That doesn't bring about his desired effect. He goes and he takes the sons of Israel and he begins to kill them. Imagine living in Egypt at this time, being an Israelite, forced to work as slaves, and all the little boys taken away and killed. How horrible that must have been. What a difficult time for the nation. Next is 2, we read then how Moses in his own strength intervenes. He's now 40 years old. He saw an Israelite being beaten by an Egyptian. He kills the Egyptian. He buries him in the sand and he hopes that no one else noticed. Well, the secret is soon no longer a secret, and he has to flee for his life. He spends 40 years in exile in Midian, and during those 40 years, Israel continues to suffer. They're in this bondage, in this oppression. At the end of Exodus 2, there's a wonderful statement which marks the beginning of their deliverance. And also, like I said, in the book of Romans, you see misery, deliverance, and gratitude. We see the same thing in Exodus. Chapter 1 and 2, misery. In chapter 3, at the end of chapter 2, we see the deliverance coming. Chapter 2, verses 23 to 25, you read there, And it came to pass in the process of time that the king of Egypt died. And the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried. And that cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage. And God heard their groaning. And God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. And God looked upon the children of Israel. And God had respect unto them. In chapter 3, God appears and He reveals Himself to Moses in the burning bush. And He calls Moses and He's going to send him to deliver His people. God is not just telling him to deliver them, to bring them out of slavery. In chapter 4, verses 22 and 23, God tells Moses to say this to Pharaoh, Thus says the Lord, Israel is my son, even my firstborn. And I say unto thee, let my son go, that he may serve me. And if thou refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay thy son, even thy firstborn. It's already there. We're getting a picture. God is not just going to bring them out to be His people in a land. God is redeeming them to be His children. And He has such strong language. This is His firstborn, and He desires their worship. In chapters seven through 10, we have the first nine plagues. And God repeatedly shows that he is God, and the false idols of the Egyptians are just gods of their imaginations. Each plague connects to one of their false gods, and it's a total humiliation of the gods of the Egyptians. And in plagues four through nine, God is setting his people apart. God protects them. The Egyptians are now suffering while his people are spared. The 10th flag, we have the Passover. Every firstborn is under the threat of death. And yet God points them to a substitute. God says, go find a ram or a lamb in the prime of its life, and you take him, you kill him. You take that blood and you paint it on your doorframe, and then you hide behind it. And there inside your homes, behind the blood of that substitute, you'll be safe. And that's what we see there. Every Israelite who was behind the blood, whether they were fast asleep or were awake and anxious all night, whether their faith was small or their faith was great, they're hidden behind the blood. They were safe. And then they left Egypt. Not as broke, bankrupt slaves. But God brought them out, and before they came out, they plundered the Egyptians. They left as a triumphant people with the wealth of Egypt. And there they go, out into the desert, being led by God. Land by the Red Sea, Pharaoh and his army are chasing after them. God miraculously delivers them. And then God comes and he destroys the Egyptians. He wipes out the army. And what a picture of this amazing deliverance that God has provided. And in a desert in his early weeks, God begins to test them. There's no water, there's bitter water, there's no food. And yet, even though they complain and murmur, what does God do? God provides for them. You have two plus million people in the desert, and God sends them enough food and gives them enough water to provide for them. How great is our God? That's the section of deliverance. Then we get to the section of gratitude. This is the section also that we find our text in. But as you think of this, it really begins around chapter, I believe chapter 17 or 18. And from there till the end of the book of Exodus, we see how God is leading His redeemed people. And there's two main parts to this, how God leads them as a redeemed people. First of all, God gives them His law. At Mount Sinai, God gave them the Ten Commandments, the moral law that applies to all people in all places. But God did not give them the law that through the law they would free themselves. God did not give the law in Egypt and say, when you keep my commandments, then I will deliver you. No. God brought them out. God saved them. And then God gave them the law and said, as my redeemed people, this is how you live in obedience. This is how you show your thankfulness to me by walking in my ways. So that was the first part. God gave them His law. But the second main thing in this section of gratitude is the worship of God. Up to this point, there was no tabernacle, there was no temple, but God said, I have redeemed you as my people, and now you're gonna build this tent that's gonna be in the middle of the congregation, and I will come and dwell among you. You are my people, I saved you so that you would worship me, Now build this beautiful tent so I can be in the middle of you. In some ways you can say this was a restoration of what was lost in paradise. A picture of heaven coming down to earth. God dwelling with his people. So if you think of the first, or most of the book, Exodus 1 through 39. by God's grace, by God's mercy, by God's intervention, by God's patience and faithfulness. He has brought His people out of bondage. He has delivered them. And now He's bringing them to this point where, as this great nation, they are to obey God and worship Him. As we think about all these things, do we not have to say, surely God has brought his people a long ways. What a change from chapter one to chapter 39. Here too, it's good to pause and to ask ourselves, has God been leading us? Has God delivered us from misery, from bondage, from brokenness? Now, the way we experience that can vary. Perhaps some of us were saved at a very young age. And from the time you were a little child, you hated sin. And from the time you were a little child, you needed and you loved Jesus. And you're trusting in Him. And you can never look back at your life and see this dramatic change in your life. I've met people before and they say, I don't remember a time when I didn't hate sin and I didn't love Christ. And that's beautiful. That's wonderful. But for others of us, maybe we experienced more of what the Israelites went through. That we were living in sin. Even as a world, that we were in bondage to sin. That sin enslaved us. We, maybe at times, even felt that we could never break free. We can relate to these Israelites in Egypt, serving under a harsh taskmaster. Maybe circumstances changed a little bit, and you think, now it's gonna get better, and maybe it didn't. And so finally God broke through. God changed our hearts. God opened our eyes. God delivered us. Even if God has given us a new heart, it hasn't been all smooth sailing, has it? I have yet to meet a believer who can look back at the life of faith and say it's easy. I haven't failed any tests. I haven't grumbled or complained. I haven't gone the wrong way. Seeing the Israelites there in the early months is a picture of, in many ways, the Christian life. God delivers His people, and yet we complain, we lose hearts, we grumble, we doubt God. And yet, you know, also to testify that so often, despite our grumbling and complaining, God has come through in amazing ways, that God has answered our prayers. God has blessed us in ways far beyond what we deserve. In many ways, this picture of Israel's physical deliverance is a helpful picture of a spiritual deliverance that we find in Jesus Christ. Let's go on now on our second point and focus on the first part of a text that we read and consider the remarkable obedience in our passage. I'll read again just three verses. Chapter 39, verse 32, and then verses 42 and 43. Notice the repetition in their text here of all, and according to, just as. Chapter 39, verse 32, we read, thus all the work of the tabernacle, the tent of the congregation was finished. And the children of Israel did according to all that the Lord commanded Moses, so did they. And in verse 42, we read, according to all that the Lord commanded Moses, so the children of Israel made all the work. And Moses did look upon all the work, and behold, they had done it as the Lord had commanded, even so they had done it, and Moses blessed them. As you read these verses, you may wonder how many different ways can Moses say that they had obeyed God? Why is all of this repetition and this repetition required here? And yet, as we think of the people of Israel, isn't this repetition encouraging? So often we read that they forgot God, they turned away from God. But here we read, everything God told them, they did it just as He told them, so they did it. What a beautiful picture of this remarkable obedience. In some ways, if you look at this moment in history, so it's the high point of the Israelites. And for many years after this, it's all downhill and turning away from God and grumbling and complaining. As we think about this remarkable obedience, why was it that they obeyed God so perfectly? It cannot be because of their spiritual maturity. As we'll see shortly, that wasn't the case. Well, there are three texts earlier in Exodus that show us the real reason for disobedience. In chapter 28, verse 3, God says to Moses, this is in the context of giving instructions for the building. He says, and thou shalt speak unto all that are wisehearted, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom. And then it goes on to give some details. Chapter 31, verse three, we have Basilel, one of the chief overseers. And there God says of him, and I have filled them with the spirit of God and wisdom and an understanding and in knowledge and in all manner of workmanship. Chapter 35, verse 21, we have this collection for the materials for the tabernacle. And we read, and they came, everyone whose heart stirred him up, And everyone whom His Spirit made willing, and they brought the Lord's offerings to the work of the tabernacle, the congregation." So why was there disobedience? It was because God intervened. Because God, through His Holy Spirit, made these people willing and equipped them and led them to do this work. And the reason for that is, not just so that they, at this point, would have a tabernacle, but for hundreds of years after this, the Israelites had that tabernacle they went to to worship. So God, in His providence, through the leading of His Spirit, is making sure that they follow the instructions to the dots, so that His people would have this witness. and would be taught this beautiful, redemptive revelation of the worship of God. That for the generations to come, they would have the daily sacrifices and even the tabernacle itself revealing God to them. As you think about this remarkable obedience of the Israelites, it is remarkable how short this obedience lasted. We read in our text that the tabernacle was finished on the first day of the first month of the second year. In Numbers 10 verse 11, we learned that they left six weeks later. After it was done, they leave this place. But before the second year is over, so between eight and 11 months, the 12 spies have come back. And all those people who had so wonderfully obeyed God in the building of the tabernacle, only two people of this generation did not turn against God. That's sobering, isn't it? We see here this amazing obedience as they're led by God, helped by God, and yet so soon within months of this obedience, they turn their backs on God. They question God's ability to finish what He has started. Where are all those workers called by God, filled with the Spirit of God? Now a few of them may have died, but it's highly unlikely that everyone who was involved is no longer living. And what a warning that is to us. Don't think that because we have been faithful for a short time, that we cannot rebel against God. Don't assume just because we have done something maybe even amazing for God's service and in His kingdom, that that would now keep us from rebelling against Him, from giving in to horrible sin. and also what we see around us in the broader Christian world. Prominent pastors, others who are well known in Christian circles, some who have completely rejected God, denies existence. Others we find out later they were living a double life and living in sin. What a warning for us. Don't assume because we do something, we serve in some office, we volunteer, that we are immune to serious sin. Paul puts it well when he says, let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. Also having zeal and service for God is not absolutely evidence of being born again. Serving God does not prove you are a Christian. We can outwardly go through actions, and yet inwardly, the heart may not be right. We'll come back to that a little bit later, seeing the essential of what true religion is. Well, the Israelites obeyed in wonderful ways, and chapter 39 ends with these words, and Moses blessed them. It's the first time in the book of Exodus that the Israelites, as a nation, are blessed. It's not so much about Moses as a man of God pronouncing his blessing, but really what we have here is God, through Moses, pronouncing his blessing on the people. And again, this was promised repeatedly, at least several times in chapters 20 to 32. Three times, God gives instructions, and he says, if you obey, I will bless you. And again, we see God keeps his promises. They had obeyed, and here comes the blessing of God. And again, a lesson for us. We can depend on God's Word. If things go wrong, we can never blame God. Because of our sin, our rebellion that we suffer, God blesses His people as they obey Him. Now, not only do we see the people obeying, we also see how Moses obeys. You know, at times, after you're looking at all the details in chapter 40, a quick overview of verses 1 through 15, where God gives particular instructions with the setting up the tabernacle. Moses was to anoint it with oil and dedicate them to the service of God. And verses 16 to 33, Moses is doing exactly that. And verse 16, we have a summary statement. Thus Moses did according to all that the Lord had commanded him, so did he. Maybe you noticed as we were reading this chapter, how many times do we read in here that Moses, it says in here, as the Lord commanded Moses. Right, seven times in this passage, God gave instructions, Moses did it as the Lord commanded Moses. But here also, we need to remember that Moses was a picture of the Lord Jesus. Moses was called, set apart by God to lead his people, to deliver them. And here God gave him a particular responsibility, and you might say he followed it perfectly. Yet for the rest of the life of Moses, we know he was not a perfect man. He was even unable to enter the Promised Land because of his sin. You might describe Moses as a savior with a small s, a picture of Christ, and yet not the savior. You know, showing again what Christ would do, and yet not the ultimate one who would bring about a perfect and complete salvation. Well, as you read this chapter, as you think about disobedience, disobedience that we see here, or obedience to God is also an important theme in the New Testament. Sometimes you might hear that we are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. And that is absolutely true. We are saved by faith in Jesus Christ. We're not saved by obedience. Yet the New Testament makes it very clear that the children of God, those whom God has saved, will also respond in obedience to Him. Not to add to what God has done, but out of thankfulness for what God has done. For example, in the New Testament, we have in Matthew 7, Jesus there at the end of the Sermon on the Mount, he says in verse 27, For James 1, verse 22 and 25, James writes, "...but be ye doers of the word, not hearers only deceiving your own selves. But whoso looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues therein, he being not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed indeed." 1 John 2, verses 3 and 4. And hereby, we do know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He that says, I know Him, and keeps not His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him." As you think about these verses, yes, we are saved by faith. But evidence of true faith is obedience in God. Now again, we know that even the most Godly believer is not perfect. So the mark is never going to be perfection. If we need to be perfect, if we need to have perfect obedience to know that we are saved, none of us could have assurance of salvation. And yet, we have these verses. And don't they show us the importance of obedience in the life of faith? So these verses describe us. Do we strive to obey God out of love, thankfulness, gratitude for what Christ has done? Can you say this afternoon that you have a sincere sorrow of heart because you provoke God by your sin and that you more and more hate and flee from sin? Can you say this afternoon that you have a sincere joy of heart in God through Christ, and that with love and delight you live according to the will of God in all good works? That's a description of a believer, someone who is dying to self, dying to sin, and growing in life and in love for God. As we examine ourselves, Don't we have to confess this afternoon that there are many inconsistencies? There are so many areas in which we have such room for growth, that there are so many sins, that when we seem to do well, what happens? We become proud. We look back at our success and we take the credit for it. And when things go wrong, what do we so often do? We make excuses. We play or blame others. In all these things, is there a love for God and His law? Is there a striving that as we feel, as we sin, again and again, we turn away from sin, we confess our sins to God, and we plead, Lord, help me. Help me to obey. Help me to walk in your ways. Our second point, we saw a remarkable obedience. Let's go on now and see in our third point. Overwhelming glory. What we see is that in the final verses in Exodus, God comes to dwell among His people. Now, there are other times in the book of Exodus when we see the glory of the Lord. In chapter 16, Israelites are complaining about no food in the wilderness of sin. In verse 10 there, the glory of the Lord appeared in a cloud which was toward the wilderness. At the Mount Sinai, after the giving of the law, the glory of the Lord appeared above Mount Sinai, resting on Mount Sinai. But now the glory of the Lord is not out there in the wilderness or high above them in a mountain. The glory of the Lord comes down, and it's there above this tent in the midst of the camp, just as God said that He would dwell among them. What a beautiful confirmation for them. The Israelites, God had told them, I'm going to be among you. And now God himself appears or shows himself in this glory there in their midst. And none of these examples tell us what the glory of the Lord looked like. If it was really important, God would have told us, wouldn't he? Yet if I had to guess, I would think this glory of the Lord appears a great light. So often God uses this picture of light as an expression of His greatness and His glory. Something that would be visible from the top of a mountain, visible through the smoke and through the cloud that are around the mountain. I remember when Moses was returning after being with God a second time, asking to see the glory of God, his face was shining. There's something about God that radiates this brightness. or whatever it was, the glory of God was there among His people. It came down. You read that at the end of chapter 40. Chapter 40, verse 34. The glory of the Lord covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. And because the glory of the Lord was there, something remarkable happens. Here we have Moses. He spoke to God face to face. Twice he spent 40 days on a mountain with God. God even showed him something of His glory. But now Moses, this man of God, he was unable to enter the tabernacle. The glory of God was so overwhelming, so intense, that even Moses couldn't come near. He had to stay at a distance. And I expect that he and the people who were there, that they, like in other times, fell down and worshipped God. But God only comes to dwell among His people. God also continues to lead His people. See that in verses 36 to 38. Up to this point, the Israelites have been led by that pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire. But now we're told that this cloud, more so than the cloud was before, there's something different about it now. The glory of the Lord had attached himself to it, as it were. Now as this cloud was hovering over the tabernacle, it was assigned to them to stay where they were. And when then God, as it were, lifted himself up and went before them, the Israelites had to follow him. Verse 38 we read, for the cloud of the Lord is above the tabernacle by day and the fire is over it by night in the sight of the house of Israel throughout all their journeyings. And for the next 38 years, these Israelites, they have this symbol of the presence of God leading them, guiding them step by step. What comfort this must have been to them in those long years in the wilderness. waiting for that older generation, that rebellious generation to die. And yet, every time they look at the tabernacle, they see the cloud, they know God is still with us. God hasn't left us. God hasn't left us without a guide. God is here. God has promised to bring us to the promised land. And here He is going before us and in His way at His time. Now, all of this points us to Christ. God dwelling among His people was ultimately fulfilled in Jesus. If you think of His name, Emmanuel, it means God with us. They had that in a certain sense in this glory cloud, but there when Jesus came, we had God incarnate, God who left heaven and who was born of the Virgin Mary, who humbled Himself and was there among His people. So we have in Jesus, God with us. There's something else you think about Jesus. All right, verse 33 ends with, so Moses finished the work, and the result is the glory of God comes down and is revealed to the people. I know I'm sure you think of another time in the Bible when someone special finished his work. Who was that? It was the Lord Jesus, wasn't it? In Matthew chapter 27, Verses 45 to 50, record for us the death of Christ. At 3 p.m., the three hours of darkness are over. Matthew tells us that Jesus cried out with a loud voice. Luke tells us that Jesus said, it is finished. And Matthew goes on then and he says that Jesus, he yielded up his spirits. And at that moment, Matthew writes, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. So Jesus finished His work. He says, it is finished. When we look at Jesus, what do we see there? We don't see something really glorious, do we? We see a man who was stripped, a man who was beaten, a man who was laughed at, spit at, a man who was crucified, a man who had laid down his life. And yet it's through His suffering, through His death, that not only, not that the glory of God came down on a tabernacle, but it was through his death that we now have access into not just the holy place, but the most holy place. Jesus Christ died, he shed his blood. Through his blood, our sins can be forgiven. And through his death, we have access to God. We can count as though we're boldly into the most holy place, into the very throne room of God. We can come there and we can have fellowship with God. We can plead with our heavenly Father. Because of what Jesus has done, God not only comes to dwell among us, as astonishing as that is, he comes to dwell in us. That's true corporately as a church, right? The church is the bride of Christ. Also true individually of believers. Believers are the temple of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit comes, as it were, takes up residence in us. Again, how astounding that reality is. The glory of God came down in the desert. And God was dwelling among His people. God was leading His people. God was showing them the way. And the same thing is true now to a much greater extent in the New Testament. God has come down to dwell among us, to dwell in us. God has sent His Holy Spirit, the Comforter, the Teacher, to guide us, to go, to guide us step by step. and read of Jesus, that Christ has gone before us to prepare a place for us, that Jesus lives to make intercession for us, that Jesus has promised He will never leave us nor forsake us. Congregation, I trust you see now I have picked a theme from groaning to glory. Exodus 1, there's groaning, there's darkness, there's hopelessness. At the end of the book, we have this glory. A great redeemed people there, worshiping God, seeing the glory of God come down, and they're among them. What a drastic change. Now for us today, if you may confess that God has delivered you, I want to encourage you this afternoon. If your hope is in Christ, then He has purchased you. You're one of His children. He lives in you. He's given you all these beautiful promises in the Bible that He not only will save you, but He will ultimately bring you to glory. So remember that in your struggles. Remember that when you get discouraged. Remember that when you get tempted by sin, that you are not going through your struggles alone. You may be physically alone. You may be alone at home or at school or in your car. But you're not truly alone. If you are a believer, God is with you. And if you look to Him, He will lead you. He will guide you. He will strengthen you. He will help you step by step throughout all of this life. If you're not a believer, I want to point you again to God, the way He saved these Israelites. It's amazing, right? All those miracles we see in Egypt as God brings them out. But those miracles are so small compared to the miracle of Jesus Christ, the Son of God coming into this world. The miracle of Jesus Christ laying down His life for sinners. the miracle of Him being raised from the dead and ascending into heaven. All these things are so much greater than the deliverance we have in Egypt. So look to Him. He calls, He commands you to come to Him, to take hold of Him, to trust in Him, to flee to Him for refuge. If you find yourself this afternoon, As a guilty sinner, stuck in bondage, in the dark, cry out to God. And keep crying out to Him. We read that in chapter 2. They cried out to God. God heard them. God remembered His covenant. And God delivered them. The same is true spiritually. Cry out to God. Go to Him with the promises. And God says, as you heard this morning, He will hear, He will save. And keep on praying and pleading, pointing to the promises until you can sing with Moses. Exodus 15, verse 2. The Lord is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise Him. My Father's God, and I will exalt Him. Amen. Let's pray. Our Father who is in heaven, our glorious God, we come before you again. And Lord, in this book that you've given to us, we can see your power, your glory. We can see how you have delivered your people, how you bring them to worship you and you come to dwell among them. Lord, we know that You continue to do that today. You have not stopped this work of redemption. But still today, You bring sinners out of darkness and bring them to Yourself and dwell among them. Lord, we pray that if by Your grace we have come to You in faith, as we consider this book, that we would be encouraged, that we would remember that you continue to do today what you did then to an even greater extent, that we can see your glory even more clearly through Jesus Christ. So we're gonna help all of us to flee to you for deliverance. Help all of us to respond to your deliverance with obedience and worship. Lord, forgive us for so often disobeying you, for so often being so cold in our worship and even at times forgetting you. We pray that you would stir us up by your Spirit and that you would make us bright, shining lights in this world in which we live. Lord, help us in this week. Help us in whatever relationships we have as fathers or mothers, as children or grandchildren, as friends, as co-workers, as employees, where you have called us in many different ways to live for you. And Lord, help us in all these relationships to be faithful and to be increasingly Christ-like in our homes, at school, and at work. And Lord, we pray that you'd protect us May you bring us back together next week. We ask all these things for Christ's sake alone. Amen. Let's respond to God's Word by singing now Psalter 287. This is from Psalm 104. In this psalter, in stanza one, the third line, we sing, to God ascribe glory and wisdom and might. I'm thinking of the temple, the tabernacle being filled with God's glory. The second half of stanzas two and three is full of worshiping and praising God.