Clean Transcript

Where To Meet God

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• Okay, Exodus chapter 25, verses 10 through 22. The title of the message is, "Where to Meet God." Where to meet God. Exodus chapter 25, beginning there with verse 10: "And they shall make an ark of shittim wood, two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof. And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, within and without shalt thou overlay it. And thou shalt make upon it a crown of gold round about. And thou shalt cast four rings of gold for it, and put them in the four corners thereof. And two rings shall be in the one side of it, and two rings in the other side of it. And thou shalt make staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold. And thou shalt put the staves into the rings of the sides of the ark, that the ark may be borne with them. The staves shall be in the rings of the ark.

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• They shall not be taken from it. And thou shalt put into the ark the testimony which I shall give thee. And thou shalt make a mercy seat of pure gold. Two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof. And thou shalt make two cherubims of gold; of beaten work shalt thou make them, in the two ends of the mercy seat. And make one cherub on the one end and the other cherub on the other end; even of the mercy seat shall ye make the cherubims on the two ends thereof. And the cherubim shall stretch forth their wings on high, covering the mercy seat with their wings. And their faces shall look one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubims be. And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark, and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee. And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, and between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel."

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• But I want you to note if you would particularly, and we're going to come back to verse 22, and he said, "And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee." One of the best known retorts for someone having been saved, having been converted, when the question is asked, "What happened to you?" the retort comes back, "Well, I met the Lord." Or someone says simply, "I met the Lord."

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• We use that phrase constantly and frequently. I suppose probably the greatest example of this would be Saul of Tarsus. I want you to hold Exodus chapter 25, but I want you to turn over very quickly to the book of Acts chapter 8, and look if you would please at verse 1 to begin with. I'll show you several passages in Acts 8 and 9, but in Acts chapter 8 and verse 1, the scripture says this: "And Saul was consenting unto his death"—that is the death of Stephen—"and at that time there was a great persecution against the church which is at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout all the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles." So here Saul is the one who held the garments while Stephen was slain, and he was consenting to his death. Now look in verse 3 to show you how desperate Saul was: "And as for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering into every house and haling men and women, committed them to prison." So Saul then is leading the persecution.

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• Now if you would turn to Acts chapter 9, and look there at verse 1: "And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest, and desired of him letters to Damascus, to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem. And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus, and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven. And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus, whom thou persecutest.

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• It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do. And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man. And Saul arose from the earth, and when his eyes were opened, he saw no man, but they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus.

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• And he was there three days without sight, neither did eat nor drink. And there was a certain disciple at Damascus named Ananias. And to him said the Lord in a vision, Ananias. And he said, Behold, I am here, Lord. And the Lord said unto him, Arise and go into the street which is called Straight, and inquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus, for behold, he prayeth. And he had seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hand on him, that he might receive his sight. Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many of this man how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem.

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• And here we have authority from the chief priest to bind all that call upon thy name. But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way, for he is a chosen vessel unto me to bear my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. For I will show him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake. And Ananias went his way, and entering into the house, and putting his hands on him, said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me that thou mightest receive thy sight and be filled with the Holy Ghost."

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• So I want you to note here was a man who was a known persecutor and a blasphemer. And God has changed him by the simple fact that he met the Lord. And when Ananias said, "Lord, I've heard of this man," you know, the Lord said, "Don't worry about this, I've got him tamed. Behold, he prayeth." He's now a changed man. And if you look in your Bibles to the book of Galatians chapter 1, I want you to see what the Apostle Paul said concerning himself. Galatians chapter 1, verses 22 through 24. Galatians chapter 1, verse 22, and the Apostle Paul now says, "And I was unknown by face unto the churches of Judea which were in Christ. But they had heard only that he which persecuted us in times past now preached the faith which he once destroyed, and they glorified God in me." So what was true with Saul of Tarsus is equally true with everyone who has genuinely met the Lord. That is, we've been changed by His grace and mercy.

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• So I could go further and ask you several questions. First of all, have you met the Lord? Since you're going to answer yes, my next question would be, where did you meet him? And upon what grounds did you meet him? If you have met him once for salvation, then obviously you want to continue to meet him for fellowship, communion, and worship. But I could ask, do you meet him daily? I could also ask, do you meet him each Lord's Day in corporate and public worship as well? So let me try to explain the rationale behind these questions. In order to understand these questions, you have to understand the context of Exodus chapter 25, but you also must clearly understand the pictures that are being presented in the text. Now, if you'll go back to Exodus chapter 25, I want to point out that God is instructing Moses in this passage on the building of the tabernacle. In fact, he was admonished by God on several occasions that he was to make everything according to the pattern which was shown him.

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• So if you look in Exodus chapter 25 and let's see, I think verse 9, He says, "According to all that I show thee after the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall you make it." Now skip down to verse 40 in the same chapter: "And look thou that thou make them after their pattern, which was shown thee in the mount."

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• Now I do want you to turn over to the book of Hebrews chapter 8. And I want you to mark this passage because we're going to be coming back to Hebrews chapter 8 and 9 just shortly. But I want you to look in Hebrews chapter 8 and verse 5. Hebrews 8 and verse 5. And notice if you would what God says again. Hebrews 8 and verse 5.

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• "Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things. As Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle, for see, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern showed to thee in the mount." So obviously God has given Moses an absolute pattern, not only for the tabernacle, but for every instrument in that tabernacle as well.

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• Now, when you look at Hebrews 8 in verse 5, the word "pattern" there in the Greek is the word tupos. It is where we get our English word "type." So literally everything in the tabernacle as well as the tabernacle itself, all of its furniture, everything about the tabernacle was a type. So everything in the tabernacle represented something or someone. So everything that we read about in the tabernacle, later in the temple, is a picture, a representation of an absolute truth. I want you to go back to Hebrews chapter 8 and let's begin reading there with verse 1 and read through verse 5 and let me show you what I'm talking about. Hebrews chapter 8 verse 1.

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• "Now the things which we have spoken, this is the sum: We have such a high priest who is set on the right hand of the throne of the majesty in the heavens."

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• Now look what it says about Christ: "A minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which the Lord pitched, and not man. For every high priest is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices. Wherefore it is a necessity that this man have somewhat also to offer. For if he were on earth, he should not be a priest, seeing that there are priests that offer gifts according to the law, who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things. As Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle, for see, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern"—or the type—"showed to thee in the mount."

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• Now, I want you to understand that according to Hebrews chapter 8, the tabernacle and all of its furniture, later the temple and all of its furniture, was not reality. It was just merely a shadow. It was a picture. It was a representation. It's just like, here's the real tree, and the tree casts a shadow. If you're standing in the shadow, you're not standing in the tree. The shadow is just a picture or symbol of the tree. So, the true tabernacle, the Bible tells us, was pitched by God, and everything here on earth was just simply a shadow or a type. Now, look in Hebrews chapter 9, and let's read the first 10 verses there, so I can continue this. Watch carefully.

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• "Then verily, the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service and a worldly sanctuary. For there was a tabernacle made, the first wherein was the candlestick and the table and the showbread, which is called the sanctuary. And after the second veil, the tabernacle, which is called the holiest of all, which had the golden censer and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna and Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant, and over it the cherubims of glory, shadowing the mercy seat, of which we cannot now speak particularly."

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• "Now when these things were thus ordained, the priests went always into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the service of God, but into the second went the high priest alone, once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself and for the errors of the people. The Holy Ghost thus signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest while as the first tabernacle was yet standing."

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• Now watch verse 9: "Which was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices that could not make him that did the service perfect as pertaining to the conscience, which stood only in meats and drinks and divers washings and carnal ordinances imposed upon them until the time of reformation."

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• Now, neither the tabernacle nor the temple could have been reality. Why could they not have been reality? Because first of all, they were not pitched by God, they were pitched by man. Secondly, neither the tabernacle nor the temple could bring you and everyone into the presence of God. Moreover, they could not really truly forgive sin because every sacrifice had to be repeated continually. It was a covering for sin, but it was not a real dealing with sin.

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• Now an interesting thing in verse 9, when the Bible says concerning the tabernacle, "which was a figure for the time then present." The word "figure" here is the Greek word parabolae, where we get our English word "parable" from. And the word actually means this: a placing of something side by side of another thing that there may be a comparison. So it deals in with a likeness or with a similitude.

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• So what God is telling us is you can take the Old Testament shadows and you can place them side by side with the reality and you can compare them and you can see which is real and which is a shadow. Now, I want to call your attention back to Exodus chapter 25 in verses 21 and 22. I want you to watch there because look what God says: "And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark, and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee. And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I've given thee in commandment unto the children of Israel." Notice what God said: "And there will I meet with thee." Now, I want you to understand that the ark was nothing more than a box or a chest or a coffer. Yes, it was a special box, but it was still just a box.

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• It was divinely ordained. It was made with divinely ordained materials, and it was built according to a divine plan. On top of that box was the mercy seat. On top of the mercy seat were the two cherubim that faced each other and their wings touched and they're overlooking there the mercy seat.

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• Now, we need to comprehend the contents of the ark. First of all, the ark contained the law of God. God said you're going to put in it the testimony that I give thee. Now the tables of law are referred to as the testimony because in the tables of the law, God did testify concerning His will. He gave His law to His people as a favor unto them and their acceptance of that law indicated their subjection to God and their obedience to Him. So, the tables of law then are called the tables of testimony because the law then was a testimony to direct to us our duty, our responsibilities, and it would also be a testimony against us if we transgressed that law. So the ark itself is called the ark of the testimony in Exodus 30 in verse 6, and the tabernacle itself is called the tabernacle of witness in Numbers 10 verse 11 and also in Acts chapter 7 in verse 44. So the very first thing you had in that ark was the tables of the law.

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• The second thing you had in that ark was Aaron's rod that budded. You remember the rebellion of Korah in Numbers chapter 16, where Korah and then the sons of Reuben wanted to become priests themselves. And so God told Moses, "You get me a rod of every tribe and you take Aaron's rod and you put them up before me and I'll show you who I choose." And when Moses went in to get the rods, Aaron's rod had blossomed and bloomed and bore almonds. The rest of the rods were absolutely barren. So what God is saying, "Look, I am sovereign in choosing who serves me and who approaches me." In fact, in Numbers chapter 17, verse 10, let me just read this: "And the Lord said unto Moses, Bring Aaron's rod again before the testimony to be kept for a token against the rebels; and thou shalt quite take away their murmurings from me, that they die not." So that rod then was also put in the ark. In fact, we just read it in Hebrews chapter 9 in verse 4 where the Bible says the ark then contained the golden censer, the ark of the covenant, the golden pot with manna, and it also contained Aaron's rod that budded.

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• You have to ask this: what about the golden pot filled with manna? This was the manna that God provided for the children of Israel while they were in the wilderness. I'm going to talk about that in just a moment. So just stop and ask yourself some questions. What is the significance of the ark? What is the significance of the mercy seat? What is the significance of the cherubim upon the mercy seat? What is the significance of the contents of the ark?

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• You have to remember that everything that you read concerning the tabernacle and later on the temple are pictures. You know, you've heard the old expression, "A picture's worth a thousand words." Well, God is drawing a picture. He's giving us a picture so that we can understand. Have you ever asked, why did God choose cherubim to set upon the ark? There are seraphim, and then there are angels. Why did He not just choose an angel? Or why did He not just choose seraphim? It seems as if the cherubim not only represent God's rulership and power, but also His justice. Do you remember when Adam and Eve sinned against God? That God drove them from the garden?

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• And in Genesis 3 and verse 24, the Bible says this: "So He drove out the man and He placed at the east of the garden of Eden cherubims and a flaming sword which turned every way to keep the way of the tree of life." So the cherubims then have to do with God's justice and God's power. Seraphim, if you remember, in Isaiah chapter 6, are different creatures altogether. They have to do with God's holiness. You remember when Isaiah saw the Lord, he said the seraphim had six wings: with twain they cover their faces, with twain they cover their feet, and with twain they do fly, and they cease not saying, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty." So the seraphim then basically have to do with God's holiness. There is none as holy as the Lord.

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• But let me point something out. In the Bible, God is known as He that dwelleth between the cherubims. He's not known as He that dwelleth around the seraphim or around the angels, but He that dwelleth among the cherubim. Let me just read this to you. Let me read some scriptures. Here's 1 Samuel 4 and verse 4: "So the people sent to Shiloh that they might bring from thence the ark of the covenant of the Lord of hosts, which dwelleth between the cherubims. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God." Listen to 2 Samuel 6:2: "And David arose and went with all the people that were with him from Baale of Judah, to bring up from thence the ark of God, whose name is called by the name of the Lord of hosts, that dwelleth between the cherubims." 2 Kings 19 verse 15: "And Hezekiah prayed before the LORD, and said, O LORD God of Israel, which dwelleth between the cherubims, thou art God, even thou alone, of all the kings of the earth; thou hast made heaven and earth."

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• Psalm 80 verse 1: "Give ear, O shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock, thou that dwellest between the cherubims, shine forth." Psalm 99 verse 1: "The Lord reigneth, let the people tremble. He sitteth between the cherubims, let the earth be moved." In Isaiah 37 in verse 16: "O Lord God of hosts of Israel, that dwelleth between the cherubims, thou art God, even thou alone." Notice in every one of these passages, God is referred to as He that dwelleth between the cherubims. So the cherubims then have special significance, especially in relationship to the justice and the power of God.

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• Secondly, you've got to consider the tables of the law. I've already told you that the law was a revelation of God's will for His people. It is that law that will either bless us or curse us. The tables of the law were carefully preserved inside the ark to teach us that we're to make much of the Word of God and we're to hide it in our hearts and our innermost thoughts, as the ark then was placed in the Holy of Holies. The ark was the chief token of God's presence, which teaches us that the first and greatest assurance and evidence of God's favor to us is writing His law in our hearts.

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• Listen to Hebrews 8 verses 10 through 13: "For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord. I will put my laws in their mind, and write them in their hearts, and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people, and they shall not teach every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord, for all shall know me, from the

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• least to the greatest, and I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more." So one of the greatest blessings of the new covenant is God writes that law in our hearts.

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• Thirdly, you have to consider the mercy seat. The mercy seat was the cover over the ark. The mercy seat was where the visible cloud of God's presence abode. That mercy seat with the cloud upon it was a symbol of God's presence. It was that same mercy seat that the high priest went into once a year on the day of atonement and sprinkled the blood seven times upon the mercy seat.

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• Leviticus 16 verse 14 teaches us that: "And he shall take the blood of the bullock and sprinkle it with his finger upon the mercy seat eastward, and before the mercy seat he shall sprinkle the blood with his finger seven times." So here's the mercy seat and the blood is sprinkled upon it.

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• Fourthly, there was the manna—the golden pot that had manna in it, which the Israelites tried to preserve in their own houses, contrary to God's law. And when they tried to do it, it putrefied and stank. But when God said, "You take a sample, and you put it in the ark of the covenant," it was always pure and sweet, and there's a reason for that. Fifthly, I've already mentioned Aaron's rod that budded. This was the rod with which Aaron had done all those miracles in the land of Egypt. It was the only one of those rods that budded and blossomed and brought forth fruit.

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• Now, here's what I want you to see today. I want you to see that each of these pictures that God gives us in the Old Testament will teach us the reality of what it means to meet with God. It will also teach us the reality of the only place that we may meet with God. Because each one of these things pictures Jesus Christ. The only way that we can ever meet with God is through the mediator, the Lord Jesus Christ and Him alone.

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• Now I've already pointed out that God is a God of justice. Those cherubim represented God's justice. God will not sacrifice His truth. He will not sacrifice His power. He will not sacrifice His law. God will not save anyone contrary to His law. God is absolutely just. And the cherubims were over the mercy seat to picture the absolute power and justice of God.

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• Now, I want to quote a scripture to you. A little bit later we're going to look at this passage. But in Romans 3 and verse 26, the Bible says, "To declare, I say at this time His righteousness"—that is God's righteousness—"that He might be just and the justifier of him that believeth in Jesus." You have to ask yourself this question, because this question came up: How could God be absolutely just in forgiving a sinner? I mean, if His justice demands satisfaction, and if His justice demands death, how can God be just and true to His law, and He forgives sinners? Now, the mercy seat, you remember, was placed on top of that ark that contained the law of God. You must remember that since we have not kept the law of God perfectly, we have all violated that law. Which means then the curse of God's law is upon every sinner. The death sentence is upon every sinner. The just penalties of that violated law hover over the head of every sinner. The Bible says in Galatians 3 in verse 10, "For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse, for it is written, Cursed is everyone that continueth not in those things which are written in the book of the law to do them."

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• So I want you to note this. The mercy seat was over the ark that contained the law. What did Aaron do once a year? He went in and sprinkled the blood seven times on that mercy seat on the day of atonement, because of the satisfaction, mercy rejoiced against wrath. Okay? Hang on, because I'm going to try to tie all this together for you. The manna in the ark also spoke of Christ. The manna, you will remember, was fed miraculously to the children of Israel while they were in the desert. And I've told you this before, I don't know if you remember. You know what the word "manna" actually means? "What is it?" They didn't know. So they called it manna. And it literally means, "What is it?" They described it, you know, being small and white as a coriander seed and small as a hoarfrost and all of this, but they didn't know what it was, so they just simply called it manna.

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• And our Lord wanted that pot of manna to be in that ark to signify that we should never forget the signal favor that He shows His people, not only in the past, but in the present and in the time to come. You know, we may be looking at difficult times ahead. Everybody is talking about the economy crashing, food being scarce. But you know what David said? He said, "I've been young, and now I'm old. And yet I've not seen the people of God forsaken, nor His seed begging bread." So, that golden pot of manna signifies God's miraculous provision for His own. Moreover, it pictures Jesus Christ who is the true bread of life. Therefore, that pot of manna in the ark was always pure and fresh, because Jesus Christ is always the nourishment and the sustenance of His people.

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• I want you to look in your Bibles, hold Exodus 25, but go to the book of John chapter 6. John chapter 6. And I want you to notice what our Lord says, beginning there with verse 48. John chapter 6 and verse 48. John chapter 6 verse 48. Notice our Lord's words. John 6 verse 48. Our Lord said, "I am the bread of life. Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness and are dead. This is the bread which cometh down from heaven that a man may eat thereof and not die." Watch. "I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If any man eateth this bread, he shall live forever. And the bread that I shall give, or will give, is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world." And the Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?" Then Jesus said unto them, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except you eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink his blood, you have no life in you.

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• Whosoever eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life. And I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood dwelleth in me, and I in him. As the living Father hath sent me, and as I live by the Father, so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.

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• This is that bread which came down from heaven. Not as your fathers did eat manna and are dead, but he that eateth this bread shall live forever." What is our Lord doing? He's drawing a picture. He's saying, "Here is the manna which your fathers ate, which was a symbol, it was a picture, it was a type, it was an emblem, but they're dead. But I'm the true bread. I'm the living bread. You live of me."

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• You get your nourishment, your sustenance, you will never ever die. Everything in the ark, everything about the tabernacle, pictures Jesus Christ. Well, what about Aaron's rod that budded? If you would turn in your Bibles to the book of Zechariah, which is right before the book of Malachi, next to the last book in the Old Testament, Zechariah chapter 6, and I could multiply passages, but I want you to see this one. Zechariah chapter 6 and let's begin reading there with verse 12, and I want you to see what the Bible says concerning Christ. Zechariah chapter 6 verse 12, the Bible says: "And speak of him saying, Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is the Branch"—that's Christ, the rod, the branch—"and he shall grow up out of his place,

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• and he shall build the temple of the Lord. Even he shall build the temple of the Lord, and he shall bear the glory, and he shall sit and rule upon his throne, and he shall be a priest upon his throne, and the counsel of his peace shall be between them both." So here the branch is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ himself. You remember also he's called the rod and the stem that grew out of Jesse. And especially the very fact that Aaron's rod not only budded and blossomed and brought forth fruit, it also speaks concerning the resurrection of Jesus Christ. So Jesus Christ, very obviously then, is the branch as well.

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• I want to try to tie everything together for you. I've got a lot still that I want to share with you. But let's think about it like this. Christ is the ark. Christ is the mercy seat. Christ is the manna. Christ is the rod or the branch. Christ is the propitiation.

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• Now let me tell you something interesting. In the Old Testament, when you read concerning the seat above the ark, it is always called the mercy seat. You remember it was that mercy seat where Aaron went in once a year and sprinkled the blood of atonement. So therefore it became a propitiatory seat or a seat where propitiation was made. So here was the seat where God was divinely seated, symbolically. And when that blood was sprinkled upon that mercy seat, it was showing the means whereby God would be merciful unto sinners. God would only be merciful through the application of the blood. So here, obviously, the scripture says in Hebrews 9, without the shedding of blood, there's no remission.

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• So we have to understand that everything here pictures Christ. Now, in the Septuagint, and you will remember, the Septuagint is the Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament. It's often symbolized just as LXX, 70. The Septuagint. The Septuagint was not only quoted by Christ, but by the Apostles as well. So the Septuagint was around when Christ and the Apostles were upon earth. The interesting thing is this: when you read the Septuagint and you come to the mercy seat, you will always find the Greek word hilasterion, which is the word propitiation. Because the mercy seat was where the propitiation was actually made.

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• Now, I do want you to turn to Romans chapter 3. I told you I was going to come back to this passage. Look in Romans chapter 3, and let's begin reading there with verse 25. Watch carefully. Romans chapter 3, verse 25: "Whom God"—we're talking about Christ—let's go back to verse 24: "Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God has set forth to be a propitiation through faith in His blood, to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins that are passed through the forbearance of God; to declare, I say at this time, His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus." But I want you to notice the Bible says that God hath set forth Jesus Christ to be a propitiation. Remember I told you in times past that the word "propitiation" actually means to placate, to satisfy, to appease.

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• So when the blood of atonement was sprinkled on that mercy seat, the wrath and the anger of God was appeased and satisfied temporarily because they had to keep doing that every year. But when Jesus Christ, the true Lamb of God, the true sacrifice came, He made one sacrifice for sin and He, in His perfect obedience, in His sacrificial death, perfectly appeased and placated and satisfied the wrath and the anger and the absolute justice of God. So Christ here is set forth as our propitiation.

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• You know what the Bible says in 1 John 4 and verse 10? Listen to this: "Herein is love. Not that we love God, but that He loved us and sent forth His Son to be a propitiation for our sins." So Jesus Christ is the propitiation.

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• Now, I want you to turn right over to Hebrews chapter 9. Hebrews chapter 9. And let's look at verses 11 and 12. Hebrews 9, verses 11 and 12. Watch carefully. "But Christ, being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not in this building, neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by His own blood, He entered once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us."

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• Now notice what the scripture says: "by a greater and more perfect tabernacle," one not made with hands, one not like that old tabernacle or that old temple, "neither by the blood of bulls and goats, but by his own blood enter into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us." So let me try to spell this out. Christ is the true tabernacle. Christ is the perfect tabernacle, the one made without hands. Christ is also the covering for his people, for his righteousness clothes us and we're covered from our sins by his righteousness.

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• He is secured for us freedom from the curse and condemnation of the law and wrath to come. He has made reconciliation for us and now God is propitiated toward us. Jesus Christ, therefore, is our mercy seat. He is the grounds upon which God will have mercy to sinners. He is the grounds whereby God will meet with sinners. He is the grounds, He is the foundations whereby God will now commune with sinners. Jesus Christ is our propitiation. It is Jesus Christ now who encourages us to come to God the Father. It is Jesus Christ who gives us and promises us enjoyment and fellowship and communion with God the Father through Himself. It is Jesus Christ who has made peace for us. It is Jesus Christ who makes us draw nigh.

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• Let me show you something else, and I'm going to ask that you follow me in the scripture on this, because I have just made the statement that Christ is our tabernacle. And I know that you can see this spiritually, but I want you to see it from the scripture. The word "tabernacle" is used not only literally in the scripture, it is also used metaphorically. Let me show you. I want you to turn in your Bibles first of all to 2nd Corinthians chapter 5 and then we're going to 2nd Peter. We'll go to 2nd Corinthians chapter 5 and then we'll go to 2nd Peter just a few books over from Hebrews. But I want you to look in 2nd Corinthians chapter 5 and verse 1 at what the Apostle Paul says. He says, "For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens." Now, what is Paul talking about when he talks about "our earthly house of this tabernacle"?

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• What's he referring to? Our bodies. Skip down if you would please to verse 4: "For we that are in this tabernacle do groan being burdened. Not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon that mortality might be swallowed up of life." So when he talks about "we that are in this tabernacle," what's he talking about? Our bodies. The Greek word is skene.

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• Now, I want you to turn to 2 Peter chapter 1 and look at verse 13. 2 Peter 1 and verse 13. Watch carefully. 2 Peter 1 verse 13. Peter writes and he says this: "Yea, I think it meet, as long as I'm in this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting you in remembrance." So what tabernacle is Peter talking about? His body while he's alive. Now, look down to verse 14.

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• If you don't understand it, here it is. He says, "Knowing that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ has showed me." What's he saying? I'm going to die. I'm going to put this body off. I want you to turn in your Bibles to John chapter 1. John chapter 1.

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• Now I've told you that the word "tabernacle" is the Greek word skene. It can be used literally, it can be used metaphorically. Okay? Watch. John 1 verse 14, referring to Jesus Christ: "And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us. And we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth."

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• Now, I want you to listen very carefully. Here it is. Look in verse 14 again: "And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us." Would you like to know what the little word "dwelt" is in the Greek? "And the Word was made flesh, and He tabernacled among us." Are you listening? Do you remember in John 2 and verse 19, Jesus Christ said, "Destroy this temple, and I'll raise it up in three days." Even His enemies in Mark 14 in verse 58 said this: "We heard Him say, I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and within three days I will raise up another made without hands." Yeah? He is the tabernacle. He is the temple made without hands. Jesus Christ is our all in all. Now I want you to listen carefully. He is the tabernacle on account of the body in which He dwelt.

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• He is the table, because He is the bread of life. He is the ark, which the law of God enclose within, because He is the living word of the Father. He is the candlestick, because He is our spiritual light. He is the altar of incense, because of the sweet smelling savor of sanctification. He is also the altar of our burnt offering, because of His sacrifice on the cross He became an offering for the sins of His people. He also is our Passover, for He is the Lamb of God. He is also our Great High Priest, for His ministry never ceases. He is also the Lord Jesus Christ, the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, the God of Gods, the Great I Am, the Prince of Peace, the Counselor, the Everlasting God.

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• He's the fulfillment of every type, every emblem, every shadow, every picture in the Old Testament. So therefore, if you wish to meet with God, if you wish to have communion with God the Father, you must do so through His Son Jesus Christ. Our Lord said it like this, John 14:6: "I am the way, the truth, and the life, and no man cometh unto the Father but by Me." In Ephesians 2 and verse 18, He says, "For through Him"—that is through Jesus Christ—"we have access in one Spirit unto the Father."

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• And I do want you to turn to Hebrews chapter 10, and let me show you this passage in relation to what I'm showing you. Hebrews 10, and look if you would please beginning there with verse 19. Hebrews 10, verse 19. Watch carefully. Hebrews 10, verse 19: "Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He hath consecrated for us through the veil, that is His flesh, and having a high priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart and full assurance of

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• faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water, and let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering, for He is faithful that promised." Now, what in the world are we talking about? That high priest went into the holiest of all only once a year.

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• Now the Bible tells us, through Jesus Christ, through a new and living way, we may come boldly to the throne of grace at any time. The picture has become a reality. So here are just two simple applications. The first one is this: have you met the Father? If so, did you meet Him through Jesus Christ? Because Christ is the only meeting place. He is the ark. He is the mercy seat. He is the propitiation. He is the Passover. The second application of this: if we continue fellowship with God the Father, we must do so through Jesus Christ. Have you ever stopped to think that through Jesus Christ, we may have uninterrupted fellowship with God the Father? When he told Moses about that ark, and the mercy seat, and the cherubim, and the law, and Aaron's rod that budded, and the pot of manna, he said, "There, there will I meet with thee." No other place. If you want to meet with me, he said, you've got to meet with me right there. And the only place that anyone can meet with God the Father today is through Jesus Christ, who is the fulfillment of every type and emblem and symbol and picture in the Old Testament.

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• So if you want to meet with the Father, you have to come through Jesus Christ. Let's pray. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to Thee this day. We thank You. We acknowledge Your greatness, Your love, Your mercy, Your kindness. And Lord, I pray that You would indeed help us today, not only in observing the Lord's table, but in baptism, in fellowship. And Lord, help us to appreciate the great work of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. In Thy name we pray, Amen.

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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T15:51:25Z