[SPEAKER_00]: So today's message title for those of you taking notes is a dwelling place for God, or we could call Tabernacle and I'll explain more of this later, but there's a lot of little gems in here, and I'm gonna try and kind of sort through a lot of them.
[SPEAKER_00]: But today we're continuing our study in Exodus.
[SPEAKER_00]: We've titled the series The Story of Our Lives, and if you've been here for a while and looking at Exodus, yes, it's an ancient story of what God has done in the past.
[SPEAKER_00]: But isn't it true that it's a pretty accurate story of what happens in our life?
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, we're not in ancient Egypt, but God has saved us.
[SPEAKER_00]: He's redeeming us.
[SPEAKER_00]: He's bought us out of sin, and He's calling us into new abundant life in Him.
[SPEAKER_00]: And so the story of Exodus is very much the story of our lives.
[SPEAKER_00]: And God delivers His people, leads His people, shapes His people.
[SPEAKER_00]: And what we see today is a special invitation of God inviting his people to join in on what he is doing.
[SPEAKER_00]: We've seen God save Israel right in many different ways, a lot of miracles.
[SPEAKER_00]: There we've seen God speak to Israel.
[SPEAKER_00]: When I say Israel, I mean the people of Israel, you understand the Israelites, the Hebrew people.
[SPEAKER_00]: He's spoken to them in last week.
[SPEAKER_00]: We saw that God established a covenant with them.
[SPEAKER_00]: and that they agreed to this covenant and the covenant was sealed in blood.
[SPEAKER_00]: Now today we're going to see an Exodus 25, 26, 27, and it actually will go to the end of Exodus, the chapter 40 is that it covers the tabernacle and the things that would go in and how it would work.
[SPEAKER_00]: But we're going to get introduced to the tabernacle.
[SPEAKER_00]: This would be something new for the Israelites.
[SPEAKER_00]: Now, these chapters, there's a lot of details in there.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I'm not trying to say that they don't matter, but we're not going to cover a lot of the details today, because this was written to a people long time ago.
[SPEAKER_00]: with very specific instructions, God was very clear of what He wanted them to build, how He wanted them to live, and what the tabernacle should be.
[SPEAKER_00]: But what I want us to see and not miss is that we're gonna see the heart of God in a new way, at least for the Israelites here.
[SPEAKER_00]: And here's what God's heart is.
[SPEAKER_00]: This is that God desires to dwell with His people.
[SPEAKER_00]: If you take notes, I'd write that down.
[SPEAKER_00]: God desires to dwell with his people.
[SPEAKER_00]: God desires to dwell with you.
[SPEAKER_00]: If you can believe that or not.
[SPEAKER_00]: Some of you are like, I've done too much.
[SPEAKER_00]: God, I don't love me.
[SPEAKER_00]: He can't accept me.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm just a mess up.
[SPEAKER_00]: But God desires to have a relationship with you.
[SPEAKER_00]: He desires to dwell with his people.
[SPEAKER_00]: God wants to be near to his people.
[SPEAKER_00]: He wants a relationship.
[SPEAKER_00]: He wants his presence to be known among his people.
[SPEAKER_00]: And what's even more incredible in this is God doesn't just say that and not do anything but God
[SPEAKER_00]: He gives them what we need, they need to make this possible, and he invites his people to be a part of his presence being known.
[SPEAKER_00]: The overarching theme again today is that God invites us to to a relationship with him to dwell with us, but also that God invites us to participate in the work that he is doing.
[SPEAKER_00]: In the work that he's doing, building a place where his presence is known, his glory is seen, and his light would shine in a dark world.
[SPEAKER_00]: And so we're going to read Exodus 25 verse 1 through 9, get a little intro into this and it says, the Lord said to Moses, speak to the people of Israel that they take for me a contribution.
[SPEAKER_00]: From every man whose heart moves him, you shall receive the contribution for me.
[SPEAKER_00]: And this is the contribution that you shall receive from them.
[SPEAKER_00]: Gold, silver, and bronze, blue and purple, and scarlet yarns, and fine twine linen, goats hair, tan ram skins, goat skins, a cashew wood, oil for the lamps, spices for the anointing oil.
[SPEAKER_00]: and for the fragrant incense on extones and stones for setting for the ephod and for the breast piece.
[SPEAKER_00]: And let them make a sanctuary that I may dwell in their midst.
[SPEAKER_00]: Exactly as I show you concerning the pattern of the tabernacle in all of its furniture, so
[SPEAKER_00]: you shall make it.
[SPEAKER_00]: This is the word of the Lord.
[SPEAKER_00]: This is kind of our intro into the tabernacle and the very first instructions that God gives them here isn't about the arc which he will get to.
[SPEAKER_00]: And if you know it, if you've read ahead or you've studied this before, we know the arc of the covenant, something that they make and we'll see that shortly.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's not about the table that they're going to make for the bread or the lamp stand necessarily.
[SPEAKER_00]: His first instruction deals with the heart of his people.
[SPEAKER_00]: He says in verse 2, speak to the people of Israel that they take for me a contribution.
[SPEAKER_00]: From every man who's heart moves
[SPEAKER_00]: you shall receive the contribution from Him.
[SPEAKER_00]: God doesn't say, right?
[SPEAKER_00]: He doesn't say, take from everyone from those who feel guilty or pressure them into it Moses and make them feel like they have to or those who feel ashamed into giving no excess from those who's heart moves them.
[SPEAKER_00]: God invites his people, the Israelites here, to participate in the work that he's doing, but do you understand what he's asking here is for them to give unto the house that would be built?
[SPEAKER_00]: There's not a tabernacle yet.
[SPEAKER_00]: There's no church building, right?
[SPEAKER_00]: This is ancient Israel before they even have a home.
[SPEAKER_00]: And what God's calling them to do, the tabernacle would, in a sense, be this tent of worship.
[SPEAKER_00]: It'd basically be this big tent, or you could say, a portable church in a way that they would take wherever they go.
[SPEAKER_00]: And that's where God's glory would dwell.
[SPEAKER_00]: But it's not built yet, right?
[SPEAKER_00]: But God desires to dwell with His people.
[SPEAKER_00]: But what's required is for His people to participate in the work.
[SPEAKER_00]: Now, God doesn't need his people to do anything.
[SPEAKER_00]: We know God can do all things.
[SPEAKER_00]: He doesn't need you to give or meet a do anything to preach and teach, but God wants to use us.
[SPEAKER_00]: You understand?
[SPEAKER_00]: And so it gives them this invitation.
[SPEAKER_00]: Moses tell them, ask them, anyone who's willing to give to give so that we can build this tabernacle, this place where I can dwell with you and the people of place where my glory would be seen, felt.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's a pretty incredible work.
[SPEAKER_00]: And so God invites them into this work, and He also invites you and I into the work that He's doing.
[SPEAKER_00]: As I said, God doesn't need what we have, but He invites us to participate.
[SPEAKER_00]: and what he's doing.
[SPEAKER_00]: And when we give, when we participate, I mean, honestly, it's shapes and molds us in a new way.
[SPEAKER_00]: Right, giving of any kind forms you into someone who's open-handed, right, you're trusting God, you're showing that God, I trust you.
[SPEAKER_00]: If you've ever tied, they're giving an offering, right?
[SPEAKER_00]: It might be scary.
[SPEAKER_00]: Maybe some of you never have because it's scary.
[SPEAKER_00]: You're like, well, how am I built going to get paid?
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't know, I don't make enough money.
[SPEAKER_00]: And we make,
[SPEAKER_00]: excuses of these sorts, but really it's like when we say I'm going to give anyways it's saying God, I trust you.
[SPEAKER_00]: I honor you, you know how many times me and my wife, my wife's the one who led us in worship today, Amber, like we've been in places where I'm like, I don't know how we can like tie this month.
[SPEAKER_00]: But we do it anyways, and God has always come through.
[SPEAKER_00]: We haven't missed a meal, we haven't missed a payment, right?
[SPEAKER_00]: There's been times like, it's been very tight.
[SPEAKER_00]: We don't have any extra, but man, God is good.
[SPEAKER_00]: When you put God first, God will take care of the rest, and God's again inviting us to join in on what He's doing.
[SPEAKER_00]: Giving forms us.
[SPEAKER_00]: And into a new person, we get to see God work in us and through us.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I think that's one of the, I'd say one of the dangers and not either giving of whatever it may be, your time, your resources is that you miss out sometimes on what God could do through you, but you don't see him do anything.
[SPEAKER_00]: And then you get discouraged, because like, well, where's God?
[SPEAKER_00]: I was supposed to do this.
[SPEAKER_00]: And he's like, well, he's inviting you to be a part of it, but you haven't engaged in that.
[SPEAKER_00]: One of my goals, my desires as a pastor, and this is something I've been thinking feeling lately, but I just, I don't want to disciple consumers in the church, but I want to disciple contributors to the church.
[SPEAKER_00]: And now let me just explain, it's like, our world today, especially America, we're just built on, it's a consumer,
[SPEAKER_00]: culture.
[SPEAKER_00]: Would you agree?
[SPEAKER_00]: Everything's built on, you know, just fast, quick, convenient, right?
[SPEAKER_00]: If you can make something more convenient, then you're probably going to be the business model that will edge out the other people and whatnot like that.
[SPEAKER_00]: So we're built on this consumerism.
[SPEAKER_00]: And oftentimes, that happens in church.
[SPEAKER_00]: And you see people that go church shopping.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I understand that when you move to a new place, and you're trying to find a place to call your church home.
[SPEAKER_00]: But oftentimes, they have these things.
[SPEAKER_00]: And it's a consumer mindset.
[SPEAKER_00]: And then it's like, well, did you like this church?
[SPEAKER_00]: Like, well, I like the worship a little bit, but I didn't like the lights or some churches have smoke, great fog machines.
[SPEAKER_00]: I didn't like that.
[SPEAKER_00]: Or maybe you really liked that.
[SPEAKER_00]: And you're like, they didn't have a fog machine.
[SPEAKER_00]: And where it's all built off of consumer mindset.
[SPEAKER_00]: this consumer preference, but God is calling us to be contributors to be a part of the church, not a consumer from the church.
[SPEAKER_00]: And what my goal for you and I is it might not be today that something big changes, but that you'd be eventually you'd be a contributor to what God is doing here.
[SPEAKER_00]: If you call this servant church your church home, that you'd be a contributor to be in a
[SPEAKER_00]: Now, if we're honest, right, today, if God was to give us the same instructions verbatim as He's giving the Israelites, I think today, most people wouldn't join in.
[SPEAKER_00]: Right?
[SPEAKER_00]: They wouldn't give much, if anything, not because we don't have anything.
[SPEAKER_00]: But because I mean our hearts are elsewhere, Jesus says that where your treasure is, there, your heart is also.
[SPEAKER_00]: Right, it's like, and it's been said by many pastors, right, it's like, if you show me your checkbook, I'll show you what you worship.
[SPEAKER_00]: Right, it's like, it's like you say that you worship God, but have you, and I know this is probably uncomfortable for some of you, like, oh my goodness, what?
[SPEAKER_00]: This is my first day at Ferment Church.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I promise you, this is just the text that we're in, right?
[SPEAKER_00]: And many of you who have been here forever, like we usually talk about giving for 10 seconds.
[SPEAKER_00]: If you want to give your ties and offerings, you can do so here or there, let's pray, right?
[SPEAKER_00]: That's always say usually.
[SPEAKER_00]: Today we're in this text that very clearly talks about this.
[SPEAKER_00]: But in our day, right, if God were to say, well, ask the people to bring these things that we can build this tabernacle, many of us, we wouldn't give anything, because we think that, well, what are we going to do?
[SPEAKER_00]: And our hearts are elsewhere, we say things.
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't have anything to give, but the truth of the matter, I think, if we were honest, like, we do, we just give it to other things.
[SPEAKER_00]: We give it to other things.
[SPEAKER_00]: And so God calls the Israelites here to give.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I love that He says, anyone who is willing, it's not a mandate, it's not a guilt trip.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's just like if you want to worship me, and one of the things is, if you're one of the Israelites and you've come out of Egypt, you've seen the miracles that He's done, the provision, the mana from heaven.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's just your reasonable response.
[SPEAKER_00]: All right, doesn't Paul say that in Romans?
[SPEAKER_00]: He's like, this is my reasonable act of service where he says that I'm just gonna lay my life down for Jesus because it just makes sense.
[SPEAKER_00]: When you know that all that God has done for you, provided for you, it's like, well, for me to just give back anything or to live for him, well, that's just, that's reasonable.
[SPEAKER_00]: It makes sense.
[SPEAKER_00]: But God calls us invites us to participate.
[SPEAKER_00]: He doesn't demand it, but there's a few other Old Testament warnings when he talks about inviting people in.
[SPEAKER_00]: The book of Haggai, it's one you could jot down for homework.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's a short read, actually.
[SPEAKER_00]: But you can go read it.
[SPEAKER_00]: But God, essentially, in this book of Haggai speaks to the prophet, Haggai, to go talk to the people.
[SPEAKER_00]: Right?
[SPEAKER_00]: And the whole problem here is that they've come back into the land because they were exiled from from their promise land because they didn't obey God, they didn't worship God and they had other false gods before them.
[SPEAKER_00]: And so God got them out of there.
[SPEAKER_00]: Right?
[SPEAKER_00]: He's a good father.
[SPEAKER_00]: He disciplines his kids.
[SPEAKER_00]: And so then they come back, though.
[SPEAKER_00]: they come back into the land right and they're starting to rebuild right they got to build their homes and all this right and this would and it makes sense you know they got to rebuild things and that would wouldn't be weird but the thing that they forgot about or neglected was God's house.
[SPEAKER_00]: All right, the temple was in ruins.
[SPEAKER_00]: And essentially God rebukes Israel in that moment through Haggis as you guys are busy building your nice homes and taking care of that and putting new roofs on your house is making them all nice and beautiful, but you forgot the house of the Lord and my house, God says lies in ruins.
[SPEAKER_00]: While your house is being all lifted up.
[SPEAKER_00]: Another instance of giving and God calling us into being a part of what He wants us to do with us is Malachi, another one, Malachi chapter three, can go read this one for homework as well, but God says that you've robbed me.
[SPEAKER_00]: And they say, well, how have we robbed you, Lord?
[SPEAKER_00]: Like, we haven't stolen anything from you.
[SPEAKER_00]: Right?
[SPEAKER_00]: And he says, well, you've robbed me of your ties and offerings.
[SPEAKER_00]: In other words, you haven't been giving what is required, and it says, not required, I guess that's the wrong word.
[SPEAKER_00]: But you haven't been giving to me.
[SPEAKER_00]: I haven't been participating in the work that I'm calling you to be a part of.
[SPEAKER_00]: And God, here in Exodus 25, again, he's calling them to be a part of his work.
[SPEAKER_00]: If you remember the story, you might think, well, what do they have?
[SPEAKER_00]: God's asking for gold, silver, all these expensive things.
[SPEAKER_00]: If you remember when Israel left Egypt, what do they do to the Egyptians?
[SPEAKER_00]: They took everything, they plundered them.
[SPEAKER_00]: God's words says, they plundered the Egyptians because the Egyptians were like, get out of here and then God told them, like, hey, make sure you ask them for their goal and silver on these things.
[SPEAKER_00]: And you're gonna be blown away because they're gonna do it, right?
[SPEAKER_00]: They're so like, I don't want anything to do with you because the death of the first born of every household had just happened and they're like, well, hey, can I have some of that gold on your way out?
[SPEAKER_00]: And they're like, take whatever you want and just get out of here.
[SPEAKER_00]: We don't want you here anymore, right?
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, that's maybe this my own.
[SPEAKER_00]: in my mind, version of it, but they took silver and gold.
[SPEAKER_00]: So God has provided already what He's asking from them.
[SPEAKER_00]: He's not asking from them anything that He hasn't already provided and understand that.
[SPEAKER_00]: God's not going to ask you for something that you don't have or that He won't give to you.
[SPEAKER_00]: He's just asking you, hey, just give back some of what you already have of what I've already supplied for you.
[SPEAKER_00]: So God's saying, let them bring the silver, the gold,
[SPEAKER_00]: and participate in the work that he's doing.
[SPEAKER_00]: And he's not asking for all of it.
[SPEAKER_00]: He doesn't even say here a percentage of it.
[SPEAKER_00]: He's just saying anyone who's willing that they would give some of this.
[SPEAKER_00]: Their willingness, I think, would affect their relationship and their experience with God.
[SPEAKER_00]: How much they participated in it?
[SPEAKER_00]: I think would relate to how much they would see God move.
[SPEAKER_00]: how much of his presence they would experience is also contingent a bit on how much they would participate.
[SPEAKER_00]: You understand?
[SPEAKER_00]: It's like if they didn't give to build the Tabernacle, there wouldn't have been a Tabernacle, but understand God would have his glory and there might have been some other way that he would show this.
[SPEAKER_00]: But if they didn't give, they wouldn't experience this, what will end up being a pretty miraculous thing.
[SPEAKER_00]: Moving on a little bit, we'll ask the question, well, why does God ask for this offering or these contributions?
[SPEAKER_00]: Verse 28, or no, verse 8, sorry, of 25.
[SPEAKER_00]: X is 25, verse 8.
[SPEAKER_00]: Sorry, it says, and let them make me a sanctuary.
[SPEAKER_00]: that I may dwell in their midst.
[SPEAKER_00]: And this is again the heart of it all.
[SPEAKER_00]: Why is he asking for contributions in an offering and for their participation?
[SPEAKER_00]: He says that I may dwell.
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, we're dwellin' mean tabernacle.
[SPEAKER_00]: We'll explain more in a bit.
[SPEAKER_00]: But that might dwell in their midst.
[SPEAKER_00]: This is the heart of God.
[SPEAKER_00]: This is the heart of God throughout Scripture.
[SPEAKER_00]: This isn't something new.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's an engenesis.
[SPEAKER_00]: God wants to dwell with his people.
[SPEAKER_00]: We see engenesis chapter three.
[SPEAKER_00]: God's walking with them.
[SPEAKER_00]: But then they, of course, go on and sin and do what God said not to do, which becomes a separation between God and man.
[SPEAKER_00]: God can't dwell with sinful people.
[SPEAKER_00]: But God desires the dwell, Exodus 25, God wants to dwell with His people in the form of the tabernacle that would be filled.
[SPEAKER_00]: John chapter 1 verse 14 tells us that Jesus, who is the word, who is God, he became flesh, became a man, to dwell with us, or to tabernacle dwell among us.
[SPEAKER_00]: And what's to come, Revelation 21, 3, what we have to look forward to is that where God says behold the dwelling place of God is with man.
[SPEAKER_00]: God desires to dwell with His people.
[SPEAKER_00]: So much is all throughout Scripture.
[SPEAKER_00]: This isn't something new.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's not weird, right?
[SPEAKER_00]: God's always moving towards his people inviting us to participate, be a part of what he's doing, not just to consumer minds that what can I get from God, but what can I give to God to help move his mission forward?
[SPEAKER_00]: God's calling them into this and he's asking them to build this tabernacle.
[SPEAKER_00]: Now a few things and let's look at verse 10.
[SPEAKER_00]: We're just going to highlight a few things.
[SPEAKER_00]: And verse 10, this is the first piece of what he calls them to build.
[SPEAKER_00]: He says, they shall make an arc of a case you would.
[SPEAKER_00]: says two qubits in a half shall be its length, the qubit in a half its breath and the qubit in a half its height.
[SPEAKER_00]: He says, you shall overlay it with pure gold inside and outside you shall overlay it and you shall make on it a molding of gold around it.
[SPEAKER_00]: You shall cast four rings of gold for it and put them on its four feet.
[SPEAKER_00]: Two rings on the one side of it, two rings on the other side of it.
[SPEAKER_00]: You shall make poles of a casherwood and overlay them with gold.
[SPEAKER_00]: And you shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the arc to carry the arc by them.
[SPEAKER_00]: The poles shall remain in the rings of the arc.
[SPEAKER_00]: They shall not be taken from it, and you shall put into the arc the testimony that I shall give you.
[SPEAKER_00]: All right, we're not going to read through every detail of every piece, but just so you know, this is the format and how kind of flows each piece has specific instructions, specific requirements.
[SPEAKER_00]: You take this a case you would, you overlay it with gold,
[SPEAKER_00]: et cetera, et cetera, but before we see any of the other things, the first piece that God tells him to make is the arc of the covenant.
[SPEAKER_00]: This would be super important, I guess, that's probably not even does it justice.
[SPEAKER_00]: But in that day and age, this was everything.
[SPEAKER_00]: This is the presence of God.
[SPEAKER_00]: This represents the throne of God.
[SPEAKER_00]: And God's sound embilled this arc of the covenant.
[SPEAKER_00]: It starts with the arc.
[SPEAKER_00]: This is the center of everything.
[SPEAKER_00]: What does the arc mean?
[SPEAKER_00]: Right, where all those, the arc was a wooden box, essentially, overlaid with gold.
[SPEAKER_00]: About 45 inches long, 27 inches wide, 27 inches high.
[SPEAKER_00]: This is rough estimates.
[SPEAKER_00]: We're not sure on the exact measurement of a qubit.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's carried on poles.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's not supposed to be touched by man.
[SPEAKER_00]: After they make it, they've overlaid it with gold.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's perfect.
[SPEAKER_00]: Don't touch it.
[SPEAKER_00]: The only way to move it is with the poles.
[SPEAKER_00]: So you can just imagine you've got to have like four people or so or maybe more carrying it wherever they may go.
[SPEAKER_00]: Inside of the arc, we'll
[SPEAKER_00]: Hebrews 9, 4 tells us, but there's the tablets of the covenant.
[SPEAKER_00]: God's word, 10 commandments, or God's covenant with the people that he writes there, would be in the ark.
[SPEAKER_00]: Aaron's rod later on, this is what will happen, but Aaron's rod buds at one point writes, I will whoever's rod, like it's a dead stick, but if it buds and brings life like a flower blooms from it, like that's someone I'm calling it, that happens.
[SPEAKER_00]: And so that's part of what's in the ark.
[SPEAKER_00]: And then there's a golden pot of mana to remind them of God's provision.
[SPEAKER_00]: These are the three things that would be in the arc of the covenant.
[SPEAKER_00]: The arc would be the most sacred object in Israel's worship.
[SPEAKER_00]: Again, a symbol of visual representation of God's throne on earth.
[SPEAKER_00]: On top of it, you could read about this in Exodus 25 or 17 through 21.
[SPEAKER_00]: There's the mercy seat.
[SPEAKER_00]: And this one, this is pretty incredible.
[SPEAKER_00]: On top of it, you can think of it as the lid.
[SPEAKER_00]: You got this arc, it's a box.
[SPEAKER_00]: You got your things in there.
[SPEAKER_00]: The Mercy Seed is the lid that would go on top of the box.
[SPEAKER_00]: Made of pure gold, right?
[SPEAKER_00]: There'd be two cherubin' faced one another.
[SPEAKER_00]: And you can see even up here, as we've had over the weeks.
[SPEAKER_00]: Some of you're like, well, what's up with the gold angels?
[SPEAKER_00]: Like, we got the two cherubin' facing each other.
[SPEAKER_00]: This is a representation of what the Mercy Seed might have looked like.
[SPEAKER_00]: Their wings covering the place of God's presence, right?
[SPEAKER_00]: The mercy seat and the idea here is the mercy seat is where atonement was made between man and God.
[SPEAKER_00]: And there'd be the mediator, the high priest, who would come in, and they would sprinkle blood on the mercy seat.
[SPEAKER_00]: Because blood is required to make us clean, to be forgiven atone for.
[SPEAKER_00]: Right?
[SPEAKER_00]: The idea is sinful people we can't approach God without a sacrifice, without a substitution and without mercy.
[SPEAKER_00]: So the mercy seat of God would be, I mean, this is a big deal.
[SPEAKER_00]: And so it's sitting on top of the law, which I think is important to note.
[SPEAKER_00]: And God says this verse 22 of Exodus 25, He says, there on the mercy seat.
[SPEAKER_00]: He says, there I will meet you.
[SPEAKER_00]: All right, I will meet with you.
[SPEAKER_00]: Now think about it if you didn't say there, you will try to reach me.
[SPEAKER_00]: There you're going to earn my favor or my attention.
[SPEAKER_00]: There you're going to climb up to me, because there I will meet with you at the mercy seat of God.
[SPEAKER_00]: All right, God's the one who initiates this meeting.
[SPEAKER_00]: God's the one who makes a way of this relationship for each and every one of us.
[SPEAKER_00]: God is the one who covers our sin so that we can draw in here.
[SPEAKER_00]: All right, this is the idea going on here in Exodus.
[SPEAKER_00]: A holy God.
[SPEAKER_00]: Making it way to dwell with his people through mercy.
[SPEAKER_00]: Could show them mercy, which we, you and I, we need mercy.
[SPEAKER_00]: Like some of us, we say, no, I want justice.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I've said this many times before, but justice is getting what you deserve.
[SPEAKER_00]: And you know what we deserve, according to the Bible is, we all deserve death.
[SPEAKER_00]: the wages of sin is death.
[SPEAKER_00]: There is no one right, just no not one.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'll have sin and fallen short of the glory of God.
[SPEAKER_00]: And if you're like, well, I want justice with God is a just God.
[SPEAKER_00]: But thank you, God, that you're also a merciful God.
[SPEAKER_00]: It doesn't give us what we deserve.
[SPEAKER_00]: And it's that the mercy seat of God that we experienced the mercy of Him.
[SPEAKER_00]: And for us, you're like, well, we don't have the Ark of the Covenant and the Cherubim and all that, but you know what we have and all that was a picture of, give you a chance, right, wild guess.
[SPEAKER_00]: Picture of Jesus, a picture of Jesus in the mercy seat of God, the New Testament Paul uses this word.
[SPEAKER_00]: He says in Romans 325, it's a fancy biblical word for some of you, but it says God presented Christ as a propitiation.
[SPEAKER_00]: by his blood.
[SPEAKER_00]: Now, propitiation, you're like, that's a weird fancy, deep word never heard of it before, but what it literally means is the mercy seat.
[SPEAKER_00]: If you look at the Grig, it's, I don't even know how to say the Grig, but high, last Stereon, it's probably not high, say it, but we'll just go with that.
[SPEAKER_00]: If you look at that and you look at the word that, for the mercy seat, the Greek translation of the Hebrew, it's the same word.
[SPEAKER_00]: The Jesus is the propitiation.
[SPEAKER_00]: In other words, Jesus is the mercy seat of God.
[SPEAKER_00]: which is good news, I know I'm getting super pumped up and you guys are like, hmmm, okay, I'm tracking maybe.
[SPEAKER_00]: Right, I'm just like, this is it though, man.
[SPEAKER_00]: Like, this is everything Jesus is our mercy seat.
[SPEAKER_00]: His blood covers our sin.
[SPEAKER_00]: His sacrifice removes our guilt.
[SPEAKER_00]: So that they're at the mercy seat of God of Jesus that you and I, God will meet with us.
[SPEAKER_00]: God will dwell with his people.
[SPEAKER_00]: Not only that, God will dwell in his people.
[SPEAKER_00]: Hebrews 10, 19 says that we enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus.
[SPEAKER_00]: Not by our works, not by our righteousness, not by our performance, by the blood.
[SPEAKER_00]: So the ark teaches us a lot here and again, this is a fly through, but it tells us God is holy, God is present, God wants to meet with us, and He makes a way for us to have a relationship with Him through His mercy at the mercy seat of God.
[SPEAKER_00]: And so we go on, other ones that note will just kind of mark these, this verse 23, talks about, you shall make a table of a case of wood.
[SPEAKER_00]: So it'd be the table, and the bread would be there, and speaks of God's presence at God's communion, communion with God, it'd be an important piece.
[SPEAKER_00]: Verse 31 there's the golden lamp stance says that you shall make a lamp stand of pure gold and again the verses that you're like well you skipped over lots the same format of the arc you're going to take these things you're going to make all this very detailed in a sense.
[SPEAKER_00]: But I also think if this is all that God gave you and me, like, could we replicate?
[SPEAKER_00]: I feel like there's a lot of freedom in it.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's like, okay, we know how wide, tall it should be, but like, all you said was take some vacation would overlay it with gold.
[SPEAKER_00]: Like, there's some freedom in how it could be made.
[SPEAKER_00]: There's obviously a standard in what she calls them to make it.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's not a blueprint, exactly.
[SPEAKER_00]: But he says, verse 31, you shall make a lamp stand of pure gold, and so what, and he goes on.
[SPEAKER_00]: We're going to talk about the lamp stand at the end more.
[SPEAKER_00]: Verse 26, says you shall make a tabernacle.
[SPEAKER_00]: to be this tent and talks about you're going to take 10 curtains of fine twine linen.
[SPEAKER_00]: Again, all the things that are required for this, they would already have, God's already provided everything that they need to worship him, to give to him.
[SPEAKER_00]: But they have to contribute and participate in this.
[SPEAKER_00]: He says, you're going to make the tabernacle.
[SPEAKER_00]: You're going to make the curtains versus seven of goats hair for a tent over the tabernacle versus 15.
[SPEAKER_00]: He says, you shall make upright frames for the tabernacle out of a case you would.
[SPEAKER_00]: Verse 26 he says, you shall make bars of a case you would five for the frames of the side of one side of the tabernacle.
[SPEAKER_00]: Verse 31, he says, and you shall make a veil of blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine-twein linen.
[SPEAKER_00]: This would be the veil that would go and separate between just like the temple and the holy of holys where the presence of God would be.
[SPEAKER_00]: And later on, if you know, as they build a temple, like this is the portable version of the temple beforehand.
[SPEAKER_00]: Eventually, they'll make the temple when they get to the promised land, and there would be the holy of Holies.
[SPEAKER_00]: We're only the high priest could go once a year to make a torment for a sin.
[SPEAKER_00]: They'd sprinkle blood onto the mercy seat for the sins of the people that God would forget.
[SPEAKER_00]: And while there's the veil, and then when Jesus was hung on a cross, when He died, He says it is finished, and He says that He breathes His last, or what happens?
[SPEAKER_00]: The veil's torn.
[SPEAKER_00]: All right, and do you think that's just like, oh, that was a weird coincidence?
[SPEAKER_00]: Like, you know what I mean?
[SPEAKER_00]: Like, get your house as a curtain ever torn in your house from top to bottom?
[SPEAKER_00]: That doesn't even make sense.
[SPEAKER_00]: And the, but the curtain, the veil separation was torn because Jesus has completed it.
[SPEAKER_00]: It is finished.
[SPEAKER_00]: The atonement, the mercy seat of God, the, it has been satisfied in Jesus.
[SPEAKER_00]: And so that's what the veil would represent.
[SPEAKER_00]: Verse 36 of chapter 26, he says, you shall make a screen for the entrance of the tent.
[SPEAKER_00]: And then verse 27, he says, you shall make the altar, you know, making altar here because there needs to be sacrifice happening.
[SPEAKER_00]: The bronze altar would be the first thing you'd see when you're entering the tabernacle.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I think that's important where why does he lay it out how he does?
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, the altar is there because you can't enter God's presence without sacrifice.
[SPEAKER_00]: Because we are unclean.
[SPEAKER_00]: We're sinful men.
[SPEAKER_00]: Sinful women.
[SPEAKER_00]: And we have to have a sacrifice so that we can have the mercy of God so that we can enter His presence.
[SPEAKER_00]: And so there's the altar which would point to Jesus, of course.
[SPEAKER_00]: The ultimate sacrifice given for us, Hebrews 10, verse 10 says, and by that, we will, by that, will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus once for all.
[SPEAKER_00]: Speak some Jesus.
[SPEAKER_00]: The next few verses verse 9 through 19, talks of the courtyard.
[SPEAKER_00]: There's a set apart space, a holy place,
[SPEAKER_00]: And then the last part he talks about is the oil, which would speak of ongoing worship of God, ongoing presence of God, you know, tell us worship isn't just a one time thing said and done and be a continual daily thing.
[SPEAKER_00]: And what we'll see, and I'm gonna explain more in a minute, that the oil of the lamp it requires ongoing faithfulness.
[SPEAKER_00]: All right, I'm going faithfulness and we're going to look at verse 20 and 21 of chapter 27.
[SPEAKER_00]: I know something like, how do we get to hear all ready?
[SPEAKER_00]: This is crazy.
[SPEAKER_00]: Verse 20, it says, you shall command the people of Israel that they bring to you pure beaten olive oil for the light, that a lamp may regularly be set up to burn.
[SPEAKER_00]: In the tent of meeting outside of the veil, that is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall tend it from evening to morning before the Lord.
[SPEAKER_00]: It shall be a statute forever to be observed throughout your generations by the people of Israel.
[SPEAKER_00]: So if you remember, there's the lamp stand, again, we just went over very fast, but there's the golden lamp stand, there's a lamp and that would require oil.
[SPEAKER_00]: Right back, I mean, you've even seen it.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm sure you've gone to a restaurant, there's a little candles, and it's just one of those little oil candles that you know, I'm talking about, and that's just how it would burn.
[SPEAKER_00]: And now when it's empty, what do you think happens?
[SPEAKER_00]: Fire goes out, the light goes out, it's dark.
[SPEAKER_00]: Now that the,
[SPEAKER_00]: The lamp stand, this lamp here would be the only source of light in the temple.
[SPEAKER_00]: There's no skylights in the temple and windows and let's get some natural light in here.
[SPEAKER_00]: Right, this thing is covered and of course there's no electricity.
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, let's just plug in a light.
[SPEAKER_00]: get some batteries and just put some new batteries and it's no this required something of the people and required it continually and the lampstand again would be the only source of light there in the tabernacle if the lampstand were to go out the entire tabernacle the place of God's presence would be dark.
[SPEAKER_00]: The lamp would symbolize God's presence, shining in a dark world, the fire being lit, right?
[SPEAKER_00]: Jesus tells us, he says, you are the light of the world.
[SPEAKER_00]: But understands, Jesus is the one who gives us the light, right?
[SPEAKER_00]: But we bring the oil, if you will.
[SPEAKER_00]: He brings the flame.
[SPEAKER_00]: when we bring the oils like he's going to keep the light shining bright his presence in the tabernacle would be seen there'd be a glow to the tabernacle when the oil would be there but if it happened that they forgot or they just like well I don't have enough today they didn't prioritize it didn't give the oil to the temple to be used well then it would go out.
[SPEAKER_00]: Jesus says in John chapter 8 verse 12, He says, Jesus spoke to them.
[SPEAKER_00]: He said, I am the light of the world.
[SPEAKER_00]: Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but we'll have the light of life.
[SPEAKER_00]: Psalm 369, Psalmist right, it says, for with you, this is with God, is the fountain of light, life.
[SPEAKER_00]: In your light, do we see light?
[SPEAKER_00]: And this is a big concept to try to pack into a full sermon, a lot of verses.
[SPEAKER_00]: But this is a big thing to understand.
[SPEAKER_00]: God gave the design for the tabernacle, how to do this, what it should look like, what's required, gave the structure, gave instructions.
[SPEAKER_00]: We'll see next week as he talks about the priestly garments, and he gives the priest,
[SPEAKER_00]: The one thing God doesn't seem to give the people beforehand is the oil.
[SPEAKER_00]: So to require some manual labor, pure beaten olive oil.
[SPEAKER_00]: You gotta go out and you gotta make this stuff.
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, you gotta have this and God's calling the people to bring this unto him.
[SPEAKER_00]: God supplies everything else and then he has this simple requirement if you would bring
[SPEAKER_00]: this.
[SPEAKER_00]: Verse 20 again, He says, You shall command the people of Israel, that they bring to you pure being olive oil for the light, that a lamp may be may regularly be set up to burn.
[SPEAKER_00]: All right, the light, God's presence required the participation of God's people.
[SPEAKER_00]: Now again, God doesn't need you, doesn't need me to make him glorious and amazing.
[SPEAKER_00]: He already is.
[SPEAKER_00]: that he calls us to be a part of this work.
[SPEAKER_00]: All right, God provides the flame.
[SPEAKER_00]: He invites the people to provide the oil.
[SPEAKER_00]: The flame would be a picture of God's presence, a gift to man that God again wants to dwell with us.
[SPEAKER_00]: But the visibility of God's work and their life through the tabernacle and our life through God dwelling within us is tied to our faithfulness.
[SPEAKER_00]: Our devotion, our worship, our obedience, even our generosity unto God.
[SPEAKER_00]: If we want the world to see Jesus, we have to be the light of the world.
[SPEAKER_00]: There is no oil or there be no flame.
[SPEAKER_00]: There's no flame, there's no witness to the world.
[SPEAKER_00]: And if there's no witness to the world, then it's just a dark world.
[SPEAKER_00]: The lamp stand, this is a, give you some more homework, read Revelation chapter 1, chapter 2 and chapter 3.
[SPEAKER_00]: The lamp stand would be a picture of the church.
[SPEAKER_00]: Revelation chapter one says that John John one of the disciples he's getting this vision Revelation of Jesus.
[SPEAKER_00]: That's what the book of Revelation is about.
[SPEAKER_00]: Some people think it's Revelations like plural notes.
[SPEAKER_00]: A singular revelation of a singular person Jesus Christ God Almighty.
[SPEAKER_00]: Of course there's a lot of wrapped in there.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's very complicated book but John for today's purposes.
[SPEAKER_00]: He sees seven golden lamp stands.
[SPEAKER_00]: Right, in Revelation chapter 1 verse 20 that tells us that the seven lampstands represent the seven what churches are there seven different churches now the church you got to understand is God's design to be a light in this world, right God calls us to be the church the church is not the building although like buildings are cool nice and whatever the church is you and me.
[SPEAKER_00]: And that, in Jesus says Matthew chapter 5 verse 14 says you, speaking to his disciples or you, you and me, followers of him, you are the light of the world.
[SPEAKER_00]: In Revelation chapter 1, we see this vision that John has and Jesus is visiting the churches, the seven churches which are represented by seven golden lamp stands.
[SPEAKER_00]: And it seems as if he kind of inspects them, you know, and he gives them some feedback, much of them, most of them, he gives a review.
[SPEAKER_00]: One of them in particular, he says, I know the works that you do.
[SPEAKER_00]: You got to like, you got a great reputation.
[SPEAKER_00]: People think you're awesome and you're fruitful in all this places, but I know that's your heart.
[SPEAKER_00]: You've left your first love.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's like you're so concerned about what other people think about you, that you've forgotten about me.
[SPEAKER_00]: And when we forget about Jesus, well, we end up being disconnected from the source of light, the source of life.
[SPEAKER_00]: So again, Jesus, you're the light of the world.
[SPEAKER_00]: And so Jesus walks among the lampstands.
[SPEAKER_00]: He evaluates them.
[SPEAKER_00]: He strengthens them.
[SPEAKER_00]: He gives them warnings.
[SPEAKER_00]: He even says, if you don't do this, though, he's like, hey, which means they have a chance to correct it, which is the mercy of God.
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, it's graciousness of God.
[SPEAKER_00]: Because if you don't do this, I'm going to come and I will remove your lampstand.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm going to put your fire out.
[SPEAKER_00]: So he warns them, and he calls them back to obedience, back to faithfulness.
[SPEAKER_00]: And one of the things we can see there, and one of the churches, the church at Ephesus, says, if you don't repent, I will come and I will remove your lampstand from its place.
[SPEAKER_00]: could lose its light.
[SPEAKER_00]: We could forget our purpose.
[SPEAKER_00]: We could forget what we're here for.
[SPEAKER_00]: We're here for the worship of God that he wants to dwell with us in us and work through us.
[SPEAKER_00]: The only forget about those things, the importance of the gospel of Jesus.
[SPEAKER_00]: Who he is, what he's done for us?
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, then we can forget everything, really.
[SPEAKER_00]: A church can have awesome worship lights and all that, but we could lack the presence of God.
[SPEAKER_00]: You could have someone preaching teaching, but there's no power in it, because there's no Holy Spirit going through and working in the heart of people.
[SPEAKER_00]: A church could exist, but have no witness to the world around them.
[SPEAKER_00]: And it's probably obvious, but warning for us is, we don't want, I don't want Jesus to remove our lamps, Dan.
[SPEAKER_00]: I've seen you fervent church.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I know what you've done and what people say have you, but I have this against you.
[SPEAKER_00]: All right.
[SPEAKER_00]: I want to be a church that shines bright.
[SPEAKER_00]: I want to be obedient unto God.
[SPEAKER_00]: I want to participate in the work he's doing in our community and the world.
[SPEAKER_00]: Whatever he wants is ever said that to God, whatever you want.
[SPEAKER_00]: I know that probably is terrifying to some of you.
[SPEAKER_00]: But after all, everything that you have, he's given to you.
[SPEAKER_00]: He's given you life, he's made you for this life, and so at the end of the day, again, that's just the reason of all response.
[SPEAKER_00]: When you know what God has done for you, and you're like, whatever you want, my life is yours.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's no longer I who live, but you who live in me.
[SPEAKER_00]: God, whatever you want, I just wanna shine bright.
[SPEAKER_00]: Just don't take the light away from me.
[SPEAKER_00]: very much so the church today is a picture of or maybe it's the fulfillment in a way of the tabernacle back then, right?
[SPEAKER_00]: The tabernacle God dwelling with us and the New Testament first Corinthians 3, 16 Paul writes that you are the temple of God.
[SPEAKER_00]: God's spirit dwells in you.
[SPEAKER_00]: That's probably for some of you as like super excited and you get it and some of you're like,
[SPEAKER_00]: He's made the propitiation, a torment for you and I, so that we can have fellowship with God.
[SPEAKER_00]: Not only is fellowship with God, but that his Holy Spirit could dwell in us.
[SPEAKER_00]: Second Corinthians 16, Paul says that God makes his dwelling among us.
[SPEAKER_00]: So some things that this means, importance of it right, it means that we are a place where God desires to dwell, where God's presence dwells in us.
[SPEAKER_00]: We are the light in this dark world that God's presence would be shown through us.
[SPEAKER_00]: How might that work?
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, I mean, it's being spirit-led.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's like you're being generous, you're giving to people in need, you're asking how our people doing, can I pray for you?
[SPEAKER_00]: Just whatever it is, however God would lead you.
[SPEAKER_00]: Again, being contributors to the light being shown in this dark world, not just the consumer of what I can get, but how can I participate and be a part of what you want to do, Lord, in this world?
[SPEAKER_00]: And so, let's see.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm gonna wrap this up here.
[SPEAKER_00]: So obviously I've talked about a lot.
[SPEAKER_00]: A lot of it briefly, but I hope this is stirred your heart, your mind, got your curiosity, going of what it is God is doing with the Israelites, but also what does He want to do in your life?
[SPEAKER_00]: So to kind of sum it up, what do we do with all of this, the tabernacle and the arc and the golden lamp stand?
[SPEAKER_00]: Some things I wrote down is number one, God invites you to participate in what he's doing.
[SPEAKER_00]: I think it's pretty cool of God, I guess.
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't know, I feel like, again, I feel unworthy of it.
[SPEAKER_00]: But at the same time, I'm overwhelmed with joy that God, you would allow me to be a part of the work that's your building, that's your doing.
[SPEAKER_00]: He's inviting you and I to participate in what he's doing in our church through our church in your life so that he can dwell in you, shine through you.
[SPEAKER_00]: A second point, it's a jot down that I wrote down is bring your oil, whatever that looks like.
[SPEAKER_00]: Your devotion, your worship.
[SPEAKER_00]: Your generosity, your faithfulness.
[SPEAKER_00]: Again, God asked them, you've got to bring this daily continually or else the lights are going to go out.
[SPEAKER_00]: Aaron and his sons, they would become the priesthood who would be in charge of making sure the light doesn't go out, but it required giving contributing.
[SPEAKER_00]: Number three, keep the flame burning bright.
[SPEAKER_00]: Paul writes to who is a Timothy.
[SPEAKER_00]: He says, the fan, the flame, right?
[SPEAKER_00]: Timothy would be a, in a sense, a younger pastor that Paul's discipling him, Paul says, made times at Timothy my son, right?
[SPEAKER_00]: He's the older, wiser guy talking to this younger pastor, getting into the ministry.
[SPEAKER_00]: He says, you need to fan the flame, fan the flame of the gift of God.
[SPEAKER_00]: He's given you, he gives us this idea like we gotta keep it burning.
[SPEAKER_00]: If you've ever tended to fire, you understand that reference, right?
[SPEAKER_00]: Like fan in the flame, anyone ever, anyone never lit a fire, tended to fire.
[SPEAKER_00]: as a kid I mean a fire is like you know like ooh like let me see the poker stick I want to put the log on next and how big can we get this last night's Sam's house I was like are we gonna light this big huge like there's a whole Firebell like this is happening tonight and they're like no, there's a burn band I was like well, that would have been exciting, but
[SPEAKER_00]: But anyways, you've got a fan in to flame.
[SPEAKER_00]: Some of this, like, you've got to fan the flame at times.
[SPEAKER_00]: And there's going to be times where it feels like your light, if you will, is dimming or your flames dying down.
[SPEAKER_00]: But it's like, it's up to you.
[SPEAKER_00]: Your participation with God to come back to God.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm sorry.
[SPEAKER_00]: I've forgotten about you.
[SPEAKER_00]: My priorities have changed.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I've been more busy and concerned with worldly things.
[SPEAKER_00]: Maybe necessary things, but I've forgotten about you to take care of the light that he's given you.
[SPEAKER_00]: Fan the flame.
[SPEAKER_00]: And understanding that when we participate in all of this, when it's all said and done, everything that we have is God's already, and again, I just think if we could think about that.
[SPEAKER_00]: He's called us into
[SPEAKER_00]: relationship with us.
[SPEAKER_00]: He desires to do well with us.
[SPEAKER_00]: He wants to work in us and through us.
[SPEAKER_00]: But he's just asking for our worship.
[SPEAKER_00]: So with that said, I'm going to pray, we'll close and worship with communion.
[SPEAKER_00]: So Father, we thank you for your word that you've preserved.
[SPEAKER_00]: For us to read, to learn from to study, I pray, Lord, that there's been things that you've spoken to each and every one of us, either encouraging us, Lord, either rebuking us or strengthening us, God, I just pray that your work would be done, and I pray for each and every one of us that we would desire deeply, Lord, just to be used by you, that we would be a light.
[SPEAKER_00]: in this dark world, Lord, that we wouldn't be afraid to shine bright in the darkness, that we wouldn't be ashamed to carry your light into the world, Lord, but that we would go out there unashamed, bold, Lord, preaching your name, being compassionate, Lord, contributing to the work that you're doing in us, in our church, in our community, in our world.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I pray that you've just changed our hearts, Lord, to be like yours, or you're so generous to us, I pray that we would just be
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't know.
[SPEAKER_00]: Faithful stewards of what you've given us when you invite us to participate in something I pray that we would be overwhelmed with joy to willingly give as the Israelites willingly gave of their resources to build the tabernacle.
[SPEAKER_00]: So that's your presence could be seen.
[SPEAKER_00]: I just pray that we would respond a similar way.
[SPEAKER_00]: So as we close in worship, Lord, I pray you meet with us that your spirit would dwell within us if there's any of us here today who've never received you or we haven't repented of our sins.
[SPEAKER_00]: I pray today would be that day.
[SPEAKER_00]: That today would be the first day that your spirit would dwell in us.
[SPEAKER_00]: That you would tabernacle with us.
[SPEAKER_00]: That your light would shine through us.
[SPEAKER_00]: So, we thank you for this and we pray these things in Jesus' name.
[SPEAKER_00]: Amen.
[SPEAKER_00]: Now, I'm just going to ask that we keep our heads bowed, eyes closed just for a minute.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I do want to give an opportunity for anyone here and even those online, but just an opportunity to respond to God's call.
[SPEAKER_00]: Maybe you're hearing some of this today or maybe you've been fighting it for a while, but you know that God's calling you into a relationship with him.
[SPEAKER_00]: You recognize and realize that God has done everything we're acquired yet still.
[SPEAKER_00]: There's something keeping you from going all in for Jesus.
[SPEAKER_00]: And if that's you today, but you're like, hey, I'm done with living for myself.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm done with this world.
[SPEAKER_00]: I just want to surrender to Jesus that that's you today.
[SPEAKER_00]: Would you just raise your hand that we could pray for you?
[SPEAKER_00]: God bless you.
[SPEAKER_00]: God bless you in the back.
[SPEAKER_00]: And if there's anyone online, we'd love to know and pray for you as well.
[SPEAKER_00]: But I also want to extend that invitation.
[SPEAKER_00]: There's some of you here today.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's like, well, you're like, I've given my life to Jesus.
[SPEAKER_00]: I've raised my hand before I prayed the prayer, but you've taken a lot of your life back and you've forgotten about God.
[SPEAKER_00]: Maybe it's like the church at Ephesus.
[SPEAKER_00]: You've forgotten your first love.
[SPEAKER_00]: And in the day today, you just want to come back and say, God, here I am.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm done.
[SPEAKER_00]: Forgetting about you and I want to make you the priority.
[SPEAKER_00]: Maybe today you just want to renew that commitment.
[SPEAKER_00]: If that's you, would you raise your hand that we can pray for you as well?
[SPEAKER_00]: God bless you.
[SPEAKER_00]: So I just want to pray, Father, for the hands that have gone up and even maybe some who it didn't raise their hand physically, but you know they're heart that they're responding and surrendering to you.
[SPEAKER_00]: But I pray for the three hands that I've seen today that you would pour out your spirit upon them, Lord, as they turn from their ways, whether it's sinfulness or just maybe they've
[SPEAKER_00]: Just forgotten whatever's going on you know, Lord, and I pray that you draw them in Lord, your word says, as we draw close to you, you draw close to us, and I pray that you do that for them right now, or that you'd feel them with your Holy Spirit Lord from the inside out, that you'd change their desires from themselves and from self-seeking to serving in ministering to others.
[SPEAKER_00]: Pray, Lord, that you'd forgive them, and all of us of our sins, that you'd cleanse us of our unrighteousness,
[SPEAKER_00]: Did you feel each and every one of us a fresh with your spirit Lord that you'd fan the flame that we would shine bright in this dark world that we wouldn't be ashamed?
[SPEAKER_00]: But we would carry that flame that light boldly.
[SPEAKER_00]: So thank you Lord for the hands that have gone up.
[SPEAKER_00]: I pray that you protect them, that you keep them close.
[SPEAKER_00]: I pray that you give them a hunger and thirst for righteousness that they grow more and more everyday or as they learn more of who you are, how great you are, gracious, merciful and awesome you are.
[SPEAKER_00]: And so thank you for this in Jesus name.
[SPEAKER_00]: We pray, amen.
[SPEAKER_00]: And so for those of you who raised your hand we welcome to the family of God for one.
[SPEAKER_00]: So if, or welcome back, maybe,
[SPEAKER_00]: But if you got questions, need prayer.
[SPEAKER_00]: We'd love to pray with you guys.
[SPEAKER_00]: And we also got Bibles.
[SPEAKER_00]: You can take with you on your way out if you don't have a Bible.
[SPEAKER_00]: But now we're going to close with Communion and Worship Communions a time for us, the believer, the church, to remember the sacrifice Jesus has made that.
[SPEAKER_00]: Again, his blood was spilled on the mercy seat of God, the propitiation, the mercy seat.
[SPEAKER_00]: has had the precious blood of Jesus spilled upon it.
[SPEAKER_00]: And that's what the juice is a symbol of.
[SPEAKER_00]: His blood that's spilled.
[SPEAKER_00]: Now we can have a relationship with God through his mercy through his sacrifice.
[SPEAKER_00]: And then the bread of course resembling his body that he came here to dwell among us.
[SPEAKER_00]: He tabernackled with us.
[SPEAKER_00]: and He gave Himself for us.
[SPEAKER_00]: And so for all of us, we'll take communion, take a moment with God.
[SPEAKER_00]: You're welcome to kneel down, sit down, stand up as we respond to God.
[SPEAKER_00]: And then we just ask that we'd all stand at the end and serve His lifting Jesus name on high.