Tabernacle Worship: The Lamp Stand

Welcome Graham fam! We are so glad you could watch Sunday morning online with us. If you would like to watch our past services, you can do so here: https://www.gcwesleyan.org/teaching/ Tabernacle Worship – 2 – The Lamp Stand Last week we began our series on tabernacle worship which will probably sound weird if you missed the first one. If so, go back and catch up. You need that to understand where we are today and how these applications from the OT can help us worship and understand worship better in NT days. Last week, we talked about the set up of the tabernacle, how special it was, and how you had to purposefully enter with a heart of worship. You couldn’t accidentally stumble in and you shouldn’t go in with a light heart. You had to bring you sacrifice as you entered the gate and Jesus is the gate. The first thing you saw was the brazen altar upon which your sacrifice was given to the Lord. Jesus was also the ultimate sacrifice and granted us forgiveness and access to God. Then the priest would go and wash in the bronze basin (or the laver) in order to prepare them to enter the actual structure. Once the priest did their duties and moved through the courtyard fulfilling their duties then they entered into the structure of the tent that was called the Holy Place and the Most Holy place. A regular Israelite was never allowed to go in there. Just like in the garden of Eden, The people of Israel were forever cut off from the actual presence of God and they were completely dependent on the priests to do their jobs. This is why it is so important that Jesus is our high priest, and he grants us access to boldly approach the throne of God! But if we are going to step into the presence of God and boldly approach his throne, it is important to understand what the proper order was intended to be and how God wants us to approach him. Everything that we read in the NT about accepting Christ as Lord, becoming a Christian, and worshiping God parallels directly with the concepts that God gave for people to worship in the OT. So, once the priests entered the there were two things that were present that the priests had to attend to regularly. Today we are going to talk about the golden lamp stand (or the Menorah). Scripture: Exodus 25:31-40 Points:1. These lamps must be constantly tended to!– Exodus 24:1-4– Romans 6:19-20– 1 Peter 2:52. Fire gives light!– Acts 2:2-4– John 8:12 Ending: See Tabernacle Diagram Jesus did not come to abolish the Law. Jesus came to fulfill the Law. The temple system was never wrong. What God gives is always perfect and good. We might mess it up, but it was perfect from the beginning. If you want the HS in your life, if you want light, if you want direction and life. You must tend to the Spirit of God. You can’t ignore him all week long and just expect him to be there when you come knocking once a week. You are a priest now. You have a duty to the Lord. You must serve him and tend to him and in that wonderful privilege you will dwell in the presence of God the way he always intended it to be. Exodus 19:5-6 5 Now if you will obey me and keep my covenant, you will be my own special treasure from among all the peoples on earth; for all the earth belongs to me. 6 And you will be my kingdom of priests, my holy nation.’ This is the message you must give to the people of Israel.” It was always God’s intention for his followers to be priests and to serve him. Will you accept the terms of the covenant or are you just trying to get in...