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John 1:1-5 (ESV)-- 4 In him was life,[a] and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
In the Old Testament, the concept of light was very important to the Jewish people. The word “light” appears more than 177 times in the Old Testament (KJV) and 95 times in the New Testament (KJV). That is 272 times. That’s more than the words “wisdom”, “faith”, “joy”, or “praise”. So why do the Jewish people care so much about light? Well, the Jews are obsessed with light because, all throughout the Old Testament, there is a strong connection between LIGHT and GOD (YAHWEH). God is shown to be the creator of physical light back in Genesis when He creates the sun, moon, and stars. In Exodus 10:21-23 God withdraws that light from the land of Egypt. It says… Exodus 10:21-23 (NIV) The Plague of Darkness-- 21 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward the sky so that darkness spreads over Egypt—darkness that can be felt.” 22 So Moses stretched out his hand toward the sky, and total darkness covered all Egypt for three days. 23 No one could see anyone else or move about for three days. Yet all the Israelites had light in the places where they lived. The darkness does not touch the Israelites. Why? Because God (the source of light) is with them. And after this, God also uses light to guide his people in and through a pillar of fire in the wilderness; also, God is described in the Old Testament as being the source of spiritual light for His people, through whom all things; all wisdom can be made known. His light illumines the world so that you can see it as it really is. But it says that those who are in sin are lost in the dark (as the Egyptians were) because they do not have the light of God that can reveal to them wisdom, truth, and the most meaningful path for their lives. Those who follow God are in the light and those who reject Him and His wisdom are described as foolish persons who stumble around in the darkness. So the Israelites were in the light as long as they followed God. And throughout their history, those times that they were strongest were when they were living in obedience under God. And times of darkness and confusion always came during times of disobedience to God and His Word. This is why the writers of scripture (in their praises to God) so often include this concept of light. I mean, just look at a handful of verses from the Old Testament: David writes in 2 Samuel 22:29, in His song of praise (NIV)— 29 You, LORD, are my lamp; the LORD turns my darkness into light. Psalm 18:28 (NIV)-- 28 You, LORD, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light. Psalm 19:8 (NIV)-- 8 The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes. Psalm 27:1 (NIV)-- 1 The LORD is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear?... Psalm 36:9 (NIV)-- 9 For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light. Psalm 56:13 (NIV)-- 13 For you have delivered me from death and my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before God in the light of life. Psalm 89:15 (NIV)-- 15 Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in the light of your presence, LORD. Isaiah 9:2 (NIV)-- 2 The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned. (And here of course we move into a description of the person of Jesus.) Isaiah 42:6 (NIV)-- 6 “I, the LORD, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, And what is amazing is that this concept of God being connected with light shines all the way through the New Testament as well. (PAUSE) NOW can you see why the Pharisees might have gotten a little upset when Jesus called Himself The Light of The World? I mean Yahweh is the light for His people, which was represented by that lampstand in the Tabernacle. And here is this carpenter’s son, from Nazareth, the nowheres-ville of Israel who is claiming to be The Light of The World. Wow!!! Now what does Jesus mean by calling himself The Light of the World? He means that it is only though him that you can make sense of your life; it is only through him that you can see the world as it really is, past all of the lies and deceptions; it is only His presence in your life that can guide you into becoming the person He created you to be. He is the only foundation upon which a life can stand. If you reject Him, you embrace falsehood, darkness, and death. But if you cling to Him, you will be embracing truth and light and life. C.S. Lewis made a marvelous statement that I think summarizes what Jesus is saying in calling himself the Light of the World. He says, “I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen, not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else." And that is what Jesus is getting at, and what God has been trying to communicate to His people all throughout the Old Testament. Christ is the only lens through which we can see the world as it really is and interact with our world as He originally designed us to. Only through Him can our lives finally make sense and He be allowed to do the healing in our hearts necessary to restore us into the people He created us to be. You know, I often think about the difficult task that Christian Psychologists in secular environments often have with the people they try to counsel. Not being allowed to mention Jesus, I wonder how they can ever hope to bring lasting change in a person’s life. Because you can’t openly point out what is often the problem: sin. So how can you apply the antidote if you are not even able to label the disease? We know that sin is darkness; it produces a darkened life; a life of chaos. And no drug can cure it; no therapy can undo it, though both have their place. The only way to expel darkness is to bring into your life the One of whom it says… John 1:4 (ESV)-- 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. When we bring into our lives the one who is life itself; the one who is the Light of the world, it is then that we can have victory over every temptation and every addiction. It is more than a hope. It is a promise. Because you know the amazing thing about light? Darkness cannot overcome it. When you walk into a dark room and flip on the switch, there is no battle the light has to fight in order to defeat the darkness. No; merely by virtue of the light shining, the darkness is immediately expelled. The darkness can’t do anything but disappear. This is why John says in verse 5… John 1:5 (ESV)-- 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. John wants us to understand that the power of the Gospel is that when you bring Christ into your life, you bring into your life the very presence and power of God. And it is His presence in your life that can give you victory over darkness. But you cannot have victory; lasting victory without Jesus. Therefore we must come to Him. And more than that, we need to point others to Him so that they might find light and life. We have to be witnesses of the light. There is a story of a mining explosion in West Virginia {involving a number of men}. The explosion plunged the trapped men into total darkness. When the rescue team managed to get a light through to them, one of the young men finally said, “Well, why don’t they turn on the light?” They all looked at him in amazement, and then they realized that the explosion had blinded him. In the darkness, he did not know that he was blind. The light revealed to him and to them that he was blind.” Well, in the same way, the light of God’s Law reveals our blindness and need of redemption. [God designed the law as a means to demonstrate the unrighteousness of man in order to show the need for a Savior, Jesus Christ (Rom. 3:19-20; Gal. 3:10-14, 21-26).] And Jesus’ role is to reconnect us to the Father. This is why John says in… John 1:18 (ESV)-- 18 No one has ever seen God; the only God {(meaning Jesus)},[b] who is at the Father's side,[c] he has made him known. Christ’s ultimate mission was to (in Himself) reveal the Father to us and then (through His death on the cross) make payment for our sin and open the way for us to return to and be reconciled with the Father. And so Jesus and the cross are central to all of this. And yet it says that many did not receive Jesus. John writes… John 1:12-13 (ESV)-- 12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. John, in all of His writing it seems, wants to point us to the amazing glory of God and that invitation by that same God into His family. And that is really the central thrust of John’s entire Gospel; to bring us into belief in Jesus so that we might become children of God. The purpose statement for the Gospel of John is found in… John 20:31 (ESV)-- 31 but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. Do you have the fullness of Christ’s life moving in and through you today? John opens his Gospel here by pointing us to the marvelous reality that the God of the Cosmos; the Creator of the Universe; the One who is Holy; the One who is Transcendent; cares about each and every one of us and seeks to make us His adopted children. Have you accepted that invitation this morning? I know the Word has been made flesh; but has He been made flesh in your life? Is He in you and have you allowed His light to consume all your darkness? If not, invite Him to do so. And then you will experience the life-giving light of His presence.
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The Altar-- As we continue our discussion on the Tabernacle of God and now begin to move into the Tabernacle, the first thing we face as we enter that courtyard is of course the altar. And the altar is a place where Israel could experience forgiveness from God for their sin. And therefore the altar was a place of freedom and liberation. But (as we will see) it is also a place of death. In order for freedom to be experienced, something must be placed upon that altar, be killed, and offered up to God. The cost of freedom is high.
Avoiding Bloodshed-- Now in our day and age we don’t like to talk about bloodshed. And even in our Churches, we have tapered back a lot on talking about the shedding of the blood of Christ. We emphasize the life He brings and maybe His resurrection. But linger too long on the blood of Christ, and people often times get uncomfortable. Even some of the hymns my Church (Renton Park Chapel) sings would (in some Churches) seem a little out of date. One of my personal favorites is There Is A Fountain. But if you listen to the words, it gets pretty graphic. “There is a fountain filled with blood, drawn from Emmanuel’s veins. And sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains.” Or think of the hymn Are You Washed In The Blood. Washed in His blood? Why so much emphasis on the blood of Jesus? Well it all ties back to the Biblical understanding of our need of a sacrifice and our need for atonement, which is a fancy word which really means at-one-ment in that it prepares the way for us to become one again with God. But atonement always comes through sacrifice. A Visual Reminder-- And God integrated the practice of sacrifice into Israelite life and culture in such a powerful and visual way (particularly in the the practices revolving around the Tabernacle and later the Temple). When you think of how much sacrifice was a part of Israelite life; how normal it was to see animals laid on the altar and put to death, it can be quite unnerving. But it was a visual reminder to the Israelites of the cost of sin. Now though those sacrifices did not in themselves pay for their sins, they were a temporary act of obedience that served as a visual way for the Israelites to accept and receive a salvation being offered to them through a future Messiah. And so they would sprinkle the blood on the altar. It would flow. The animal gave its blood. And that blood of those sacrificial animals that were slain pointed people towards One who would come to pay for all sins past present and future. Christ’s Bleeding-- And I find it interesting that modern scholarship and medicine has determined that what Jesus ultimately died from on the cross was loss of blood; through the beatings, the scourgings, the piercings, He had lost so much blood that (although His heart was pumping) there was no more blood left to pump and therefore He began to go into cardiac arrest. And what Jesus was doing was He was picturing and fulfilling every sacrifice that had ever been offered; every lamb that had ever been offered whose blood had been poured out. In His sacrifice that blood became the means by which atonement was made between us and God. That is why the veil in the temple tore at his crucifixion; because it was a divine sign that at-one-ment had been made between God and man. And it was made in and through the blood of Jesus Christ. So why must good Christian theology always be soaked in blood? Robert Lowry sums it up best in his famous hymn: NOTHING BUT THE BLOOD OF JESUS by Robert Lowry (1826-1899) What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus; What can make me whole again?Nothing but the blood of Jesus. Oh! precious is the flow That makes me white as snow; No other fount I know, Nothing but the blood of Jesus. For my cleansing this I see— Nothing but the blood of Jesus! For my pardon this my plea— Nothing but the blood of Jesus! Nothing can my sin erase; Nothing but the blood of Jesus! Naught of works, ’tis all of grace— Nothing but the blood of Jesus! This is all my hope and peace— Nothing but the blood of Jesus! This is all my righteousness— Nothing but the blood of Jesus! If you want freedom, you must have blood; you must have sacrifice. And when you think about it, this principle seems to be true everywhere. In order for us to have any kind of freedom, blood has to be shed. Even in our own nation’s history, we have found this to be the case. The Signers of The Declaration of Independence-- You know, it’s interesting. I read something not long ago that said this: Fifty-six men signed the Declaration of Independence. Their conviction resulted in untold sufferings for themselves and their families. Of the 56 men, five were captured by the British and tortured before they died. Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned. Two lost their sons in the Revolutionary Army. Another had two sons captured. Nine of the fifty-six fought and died from wounds or hardships of the war. Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader, saw his ships sunk by the British navy. He sold his home and properties to pay his debts and died in poverty. At the battle of Yorktown, the British General Cornwallis had taken over Thomas Nelson's home for his headquarters. Nelson quietly ordered General George Washington to open fire on the Nelson home. The home was destroyed and Nelson died bankrupt. John Hart was driven from his wife's bedside as she was dying. Their thirteen children fled for their lives. His fields and mill were destroyed. For over a year, he lived in forests and caves, returning home only to find his wife dead and his children vanished. A few weeks later, he died from exhaustion. Freedom is Sacred-- These were men who fought and died for freedom. And in a very deep and profound way, they shed their blood not only for themselves and their own freedom, but for us and our freedom. And that is why we have to remember that this gift of freedom that we have been given is sacred; it is more than mere license to do what we want (because that makes it about us); rather it is about something bigger than us. It is about aligning ourselves with a higher principle and power. And our founding fathers understood that principle to be Jesus Christ and Him alone. Noah Webster-- Noah Webster; Revolutionary Soldier; Judge; Legislator; Educator; “Schoolmaster to America” said this: The religion which has introduced civil liberty is the religion of Christ and His apostles… This is genuine Christianity and to this we owe our free constitutions of government. The moral principles and precepts found in the Scriptures ought to form the basis of all our civil constitutions and laws. All the… evils which men suffer from vice, crime, ambition, injustice, oppression, slavery and war, proceed from their despising or neglecting the precepts contained in the Bible. Dr. Benjamin Rush-- Dr. Benjamin Rush, a signer of the Declaration of Independence and Surgeon General of the Continental Army said, “I do not believe that the Constitution was the offspring of inspiration, but I am as satisfied that it is as much the work of a Divine Providence as any of the miracles recorded in the Old and New Testament." Intimately Tied-- That is how closely and intimately our founding fathers saw the principle of American Freedom being tied to Christ and His sacrifice. You cannot have one without the other. And if you wish to experience freedom in your own life (true freedom from sinful habits that destroy; from bad patterns of thought that lead you astray; from the darkness that might creep into the corners of your life (if it doesn’t outright rule it), you must be washed in the blood of Jesus Christ. You must receive His free gift of forgiveness. And receiving that gift is not complicated. Houdini’s Unpickable Lock— Those of you who know me will know that I am a bit of an illusionist. It is a skill I started developing very early in life and now use to share the Gospel. And so having that in my background, I find some of the stories that circulate about famous magicians very fascinating. And in one of these stories Harry Houdini, the famed escape artist issued a challenge wherever he went. He could be locked in any jail cell in the country, he claimed, and set himself free quickly and easily. Always he kept his promise, but one time something went wrong. Houdini entered the jail in his street clothes; the heavy, metal doors clanged shut behind him. He took from his belt a concealed piece of metal, strong and flexible. He set to work immediately, but something seemed to be unusual about this lock. For 30 minutes he worked and got nowhere. An hour passed, and still he had not opened the door. By now he was bathed in sweat and panting in exasperation, but he still could not pick the lock. Finally, after laboring for 2 hours, Harry Houdini collapsed in frustration and failure against the door he could not unlock. But when he fell against the door, it swung open! It had never been locked at all! But in his mind it was locked and that was all it took to keep him from opening the door and walking out of the jail cell. Striving in Works-- Many times we view the doors of heaven the same way. In Jesus’ time there were many people who were trying to get into heaven through false means. They thought they could do it by their own works; if they were good enough. But they ended up being shamed by the righteousness of Christ. He set the standard of righteousness in his own life; and that standard was impossible for them to reach. Nobody can get into heaven by works. It is only by the Grace of God in and through Jesus Christ. We can try to pick the door to heaven all we want; yet we will be unsuccessful. But all we have to do is knock and the door will be opened. Jesus says in… Matthew 7:7 (KJV)— 7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: The Door— And that door is Jesus Christ. Have you gone through that open door? Have you received that free gift of forgiveness from Him? If not, invite Him today to do so. And He will not only forgive you; He will fill you with His life and transform you into become all you were meant to be. Receive that from Him today. Amen.
Mark 4:35-41 (ESV)— 35 On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” 36 And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. 37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. 38 But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” 39 And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 40 He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” 41 And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?” The Tabernacle & Jesus-- Last week we began our discussion of the Tabernacle (the tent that was the dwelling place of God) as God moved with His people on their journey through the wilderness. In this tent God met His people in an amazing way; and in this tent were several pictures to help us understand the nature of the Holy One and how we are to come into His presence. And we will be discussing each of these in the weeks to come. But before we do, I want to connect for you the abiding presence of God in the Tabernacle with the abiding presence of God in the person of Jesus Christ. Because when we move from the Old Testament into the New Testament the apostle John makes a remarkable statement in the opening of his Gospel. In talking about Jesus, he says… John 1:14a (ESV)-- 14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, Dwelt— That word dwelt (in the original Greek) comes from the word σκηνόω, which means “I dwell as in a tent, encamp, have my tabernacle.” So what John is saying is that the very presence of God tabernacled with us in the flesh of Jesus Christ. In Jesus, the abiding presence of God has been revealed. Who then is this...?-- This is what makes this passage so important as the disciples begin to try to understand the identity of this rabbi from Nazareth that they have begun to follow. They ask in verse 41: Who then is this…? (PAUSE) And that is the question every person (including you and I) must come to answer. Who is Jesus? And of course in and through numerous signs like the one in our passage this morning Jesus demonstrates to us that He is nothing less than the Lord of Heaven and earth; the Creator of the universe; the very Holy God who performed wonders in and delivered His people from Egypt, who walked with them in a pillar of cloud and fire to guide them, who parted the Red Sea; who fed them with manna in the wilderness; who quenched their thirst with water He miraculously produced from a rock. This very God (John is saying) he met in the flesh in the person of Jesus Christ. And in the sign Jesus performs in our passage today, He is giving us a remarkable demonstration not only of who He is, but how our own lives can be forever different when we place our faith and trust in Him. Go ahead and look with me at verse 1… Mark 4:35-36 (ESV)— 35 On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” 36 And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. Jesus Exhausted-- And Jesus is exhausted. Many preachers will tell you that after they preach, they are completely drained emotionally and physically. I often feel bad for the people who try to talk with me on any given Sunday because honestly I feel like the Walking Dead; a show I haven’t seen, but I know it’s about zombies. And maybe that’s all zombies really are; really tired preachers. I’m not sure. But Jesus has not just been preaching and teaching; He has been healing the sick and driving out demons. And he’s tired. And he’s so tired, he doesn’t even come close to waking up when the storm hits. I don’t think he’s sleeping through it to test His disciples’ faith. I honestly think He’s just really tired. I don’t know if there is any other story in the Gospel that gives us a better picture of the humanity of Jesus. Before the disciples see the most phenomenal display of His deity, they are first given a very moving picture of His humanity. Jesus (the God of the Universe) allowed Himself to become so much like us that He even allowed Himself to get tired. And so He is sleeping when, out of nowhere a storm hits. Now the disciples were not irresponsible or anything like that, sailing in bad conditions against sound judgment. The storm really did come out of nowhere. A Storm Comes-- You see, the Sea of Galilee is actually situated in a basin surrounded by mountains. And it actually sits more than 690 ft. below sea level. You have Mount Hermon in the North, which rises 9,200 ft, and so you have obviously cool air, combined with the cool air from the Mediterranean that is drawn through the mountain passes and from May to October strong winds will sweep through the gorges and hit the hot, humid air lying on the Sea of Galilee and produce sudden, violent storms. And they are unpredictable. And this is exactly what happens. It says in… Mark 4:37 (ESV)-- 37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. An Unusual Storm-- Now the disciples were used to dealing with windstorms. But this storm was something much more powerful. The word translated windstorm can also mean “whirlwind.” It was a storm that had the properties of a hurricane. This was a storm that (to these experienced fishermen) was so above and beyond anything they had experienced before, they thought they were going to drown. J. Vernon McGee, in his commentary, suggests that this was not a natural storm at all, but was a demonic attempt of Satan to destroy Jesus. Satan had left him in the wilderness until an opportune time, and here again raises his ugly head. And McGee may be right. Mark 4:38-39a (ESV)-- 38 But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” 39 And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” No Coffee-- Now be honest, how many of you are at your best in the morning? I was remarking to my wife Tanya the other day about how it seems like there are so many jokes about how people are useless before they have their coffee, to the point now where I don’t even find these jokes funny anymore. But then I think, you know it’s interesting how useless I am right after I wake up. But what I love about Jesus is when He wakes up from (not just a nap but) a very deep sleep; honestly, he’s not even at His best. He is probably (like anybody would be) a bit groggy. He probably looks a little disheveled; His hair may be a bit of a mess. Mark says he was sleeping on a cushion. He’s being tossed around on a boat. Let’s just face it; Jesus is not at His best. He’s at His weakest. And that’s usually when satanic attacks come. And yet Jesus doesn’t need a moment to gather Himself or get His coffee or anything like that. In fact, while we often have this image of Jesus standing up and (like a powerful wizard from a movie) lifting his hands and calling out “Peace, Be still” did you know that there is actually no indication in the text that Jesus ever even got up? Now it may say he rose in some of our translations, but I looked up the Greek words in all of the three Gospels that bear witness to this story and what I found is that (from what I understand) those words can mean that he just woke up; that He simply re-gained consciousness. And when you consider that the common windstorm on the Sea of Galilee could produce waves as high as 20 feet and that this was a much worse storm, I’m telling you, nobody is standing up in this boat. The protocol for a windstorm during that time was to take down the sail so that it would not be damaged and so you could more easily control the boat without having to fight the wind beating against your sail and to then move the boat in whatever direction you wanted it to go by oaring. And everybody on board would be doing this; everyone except for Jesus. Barely Conscious-- So there is nothing in the text to suggest any dramatic bodily movement by Jesus. In fact, I think it was just the opposite. What picture do we have of Jesus here? I may be wrong, but I think it’s akin to what often happens in my house on a Saturday morning. The kids rush in bright and early and you kind of turn over and say, “Be quiet; I’m trying to sleep.” Jesus barely gains consciousness before He utters a rebuke to the storm that (to the disciples) seems absolutely insurmountable. And what we come to find out is that even at His weakest, most coffee-less moment, Jesus has as much authority over the wind and the waves as a parent over a child. Muzzle-- Do you want to know the nature of the word behind Jesus’ rebuke? The phrase Be Still in the Greek is actually be muzzled. Jesus shut the mouth of the storm and muzzled it like a dog. And this actually I think supports J. Vernon McGee’s theory because if the storm was demonic in nature, he shuts this demon’s mouth just as he shuts the mouths of the other demons who are seeking to thwart His ministry. He also tells them to be quiet; to hush. And they (without fail) obey immediately. And this storm does the same. It says… Mark 4:39b (ESV)-- And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. Great, Great, Great-- Now storms usually subside gradually. Not the case here. Here Jesus speak a word and the storm ceases instantly. I asked my son last night as I read this story to him why the wind and the waves obeyed Jesus and he said that it was because Jesus was the Great, Great Great…. And that’s exactly right. He is the Great Great Great. He is God. And because He’s God, whatever storm you might be facing, I guarantee you that problem is not too big for God either. And while we never have to wake Jesus up, we do have to recognize His presence with us and invite Him into those situations we are facing. And when we do, He will move. So let us therefore be a people who recognize His presence and give every storm over to Him so that we might experience that same peace; that same stillness in our lives as well. Amen.
[Christ in You & You in Christ-- A pastor was walking with his son along the beach. His son questioned his father's sermon from Sunday. "Dad, I can't understand how Christ can live in us and we can live in him at the same time." The father noticed an empty bottle laying on the beach with a cork in it. He picked up the bottle, put some water in it, stuck the cork back in, and threw it into the ocean.
As they watched the bottle bob up and down in the ocean, he said, "Son, the sea is in the bottle and the bottle is in the sea. That's a picture of Christ being in you, and you being in Him.”] What an amazing thing that God dwells in us and we can in turn enter into the fullness of His presence. Tabernacle Instructions— Some time ago I began going through the Bible from beginning to end. And I remember coming to God’s instructions to Moses (in Exodus) as to how the Tabernacle was to be built. And that can be a more difficult section of scripture to read because it can at times seem very long and tedious, I remember recently before a Sunday morning service I was greeted as I came into my office with a model of the Tabernacle on my desk; not put together as I had expected. I thought that out of the box it would be all ready to go and I could have it as kind of a nice visual illustration. And it was not and so I began to look through the instructions and how to put it together; and I became a little bit overwhelmed. And in a way that is kind of a picture of how we feel whenever we come to this passage. “What in the world does this have to do with me? Why do I care about what color the Tabernacle curtains are or what the tables are made of, or why and who wears what.” And if you are like me you kind of hold your breath until you get through chapters 25-30; and then after some more brief instruction in chapter 31; and then you come to the golden calf episode. And although it is a frustrating story, at least its a story! And, though we may be embarrassed to say it, it almost comes as a relief because at least its narrative rather than a long list of (what can seem like) tedious instruction. And then you have some more narrative for a while (with some instruction) until you hit chapters 36-39 where the details of the construction of the Tabernacle are given again as it is described in detail how each part was completed. There’s no “see previous chapters for how they did it”. No, the details of its construction are given again. It’s like God is intentional about this being in our Bibles twice; it’s like God repeats Himself. Now anytime in scripture God says something, you know it’s important; anytime He repeats Himself, you know whatever He’s saying must be very important; and anywhere you see God repeating Himself within such a narrow time frame, you know that not only is it important; not only is it really important; but that thing is absolutely central to the heart and mind/will; of God and you had better pay attention. This thing God calls the Tabernacle is important because it is the place in which His presence is going to abide. God was going to dwell with His people. God was going to pitch His tent right there among them. The Feast of Tabernacles-- Now some of us may know a little bit about the Feast of Tabernacles; more from the New Testament because Jesus went to the Feast of Tabernacles, which is still celebrated even to this day. But The Feast of Tabernacles is a time of looking back and remembering when the Israelites (during this time) lived in smaller tabernacles (tents) in the desert; of when they had been tent-dwellers. And so they had their tents; but then in the midst of all their tents you had another much bigger tent; God’s tent; the Tabernacle (also called the Tent of Meeting). Now we focus on God’s tent; and rightly so. But I also wonder about the guy next door to God’s tent. “Who’s your neighbor?” “God.” “Get outta here! No, really; who’s your neighbor?” “God.” Dwell In Them-- I mean can you imagine? That is how real the presence of God was to the Israelites. But as close as that was, it wasn’t close enough. God didn’t want to only dwell with them; He wanted to dwell in them. He wanted to pitch His tent within the very confines of the human heart. Moses' desire— Now Moses needed help; so he is commanded by God to go out and grab 70 men of the elders of the people to serve as aids to him; and he’s to place them around the Tabernacle (we see this in Numbers 11). So he does so; and God comes down and takes some of the Spirit that was on Moses and puts it on the seventy elders. And they start prophesying, but soon stop. But two guys who had remained back in the camp, Eldad and Medad, also experienced this blessing as the Holy Spirit rested on them. And they too begin prophesying. But the Bible says… Numbers 11:28-29 (ESV)-- 28 And Joshua the son of Nun, the assistant of Moses from his youth, said, “My lord Moses, stop them.” 29 But Moses said to him, “Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the Lord's people were prophets, that the Lord would put his Spirit on them!” Dreams for Our Church-- If you could have one of your dreams for our Church come true, what would it be? Are you praying for that dream to become a reality? Moses’ Dream-- Moses had a dream; and that dream (which was also God’s dream), was to see a people; a community that had the Spirit of God resting on them so fully, that they could be used as His instruments to reach a lost and broken world. You see Moses saw the power of what was happening here. And His heart began crying out for that reality. And then comes this prophecy from Joel that Peter mentions in his sermon in Acts 2… Joel 2:28-29 (ESV) The Lord Will Pour Out His Spirit— 28 [a] “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. 29 Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit. Joel’s Prophecy Fulfilled at Pentecost-- One of the most important events of all time in human history (and the one Christ’s death and resurrection made ready for) was Pentecost. And the reason why the event was so critical was because it was a fulfillment of this prophecy in Joel. This marvelous event that marked the birth of the Church (Pentecost) was when the Holy Spirit of God fell upon His people and they were empowered to fulfill His mission in the world. They no longer needed to go to a temple (or Tabernacle) to enter into God’s presence, but had God’s presence in them; they themselves were His temples. And as the Holy Spirit dwelt in them, so also He cleansed and sanctified them; He made them Holy, so that His dream (of having a people to Himself) might be made a reality. The New Covenant— And so the new covenant has begun; as Hebrews 8 declares, a better covenant; a covenant that doesn’t set rules for us to follow in order for God’s presence to dwell with us, but a covenant that allows our very hearts (the source of all our actions) to be purified so that God might not only dwell near His people in a temple, but in His people. The new covenant brings us that much closer to God; He indwells us. That is what Christ’s death on the cross did; because He paid for our sins and covered those sins with His blood so that God could move into us; so that we ourselves might become His temples. What I wanted-- Do we want that? Now for many years of my life I thought I wanted that, when in reality what I wanted was eternal security. I wanted to know that if I died, I would go to heaven; and that I would not go to hell. For many years, that was the central focal point of my religion. I didn’t care as much as I thought I did about having God’s presence abiding in my life; I wanted to know I wasn’t going to roast for eternity. But what I didn’t realize is that that security is only found as we dwell in His presence and allow Him to dwell in us. It is in relationship with Christ that we discover the love of God; a God who is seeking to bless us; not harm us. Freedom From Fear-- What is His presence all about? It’s about freedom; freedom from fear, freedom from the prison bars of sin we have constructed; its about freedom from bondage to ourselves; its about freedom from our money and all the temporal things that just don’t matter. When the Holy Spirit abides in us as individuals and even more so as a community, we let go of everything in order to embrace Christ; and in embracing Christ we discover that we have embraced everything worth embracing. As a Church we must seek that anointing. Because when it comes, our entire Church will change; when it becomes marked by the presence of God. Now in Acts 2 Peter preached a long sermon, longer than is recorded. And after the part of his sermon that was recorded, it says… Acts 2:40-41 (ESV)— 40 And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” 41 So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. Early Christian Practice-- Now, immediately after these early Christians were baptized and received the Holy Spirit) they entered into community with one another; a community marked by the indwelling presence of the Spirit of God. Acts 2:42 (ESV)-- 42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. Imagine those first Bible Studies— Now the first thing mentioned is of course the teaching of the apostles. And this struck me in a new way as I studied this passage because I began to imagine what it must have been like to attend these first Bible studies, led by the very guys who not only would soon write much of scripture, but who had personally walked and talked with Jesus. And one of the key things the apostles were doing, and we see this particularly in Peter's sermon is they are taking the people through many of the key passages in the Old Testament and showing them how Jesus fulfills those prophecies; how He is revealed in the Old Testament. To those Christians who say we only need the New Testament I would like to say the primary way those early Christians were taught about Jesus was from the Old Testament; and the personal experience of the apostles. Now that's a powerful combination. Because imagine hearing an apostle teaching you from Psalms or the messianic prophecies in Isaiah and then they stop and say; hey guys, I just want to let you know. This Messiah David is talking about; this Redeemer Isaiah is talking about; He's The Lord of Heaven and earth. And guess what; I saw Him, I heard Him; I even touched Him. But more importantly, He touched me; He washed my feet; then He washed me with his blood on the cross so that I might know Him even more intimately; so that I might be His temple. And when He came to dwell in me, I knew Him more fully; in a more real way than when I saw, heard, and touched Him. And guess what, you can know Him just as fully as I know Him. Now that's a Bible study. God being made real; not in heaven; not in a Tabernacle or Temple; but in the very confines of our human hearts. OUR CHALLENGE— Today Christ wants to fill the tent of our hearts with His presence. Will you let Him? Will you let Him pitch His tent in you ? If you do, it will require surrender; but it will be a surrender that will bring into your life all of the fullness of God. Let’s surrender to Him today. Amen. |
Rev. Cameron Ury graduated from Asbury University in 2007 with a B.A. in Bible and Theology. From there he continued his studies at Wesley Biblical Seminary in Jackson, MS. It was there that he met his wife Tanya, who graduated from WBS with her M.A. and M.Div. degrees. Cameron and Tanya got married in 2009. Cameron then graduated with his M.Div. degree with a pastoral concentration in 2011.
After shepherding churches in both Mississippi and Ohio, they joined the ministry team at Renton Park Chapel in January of 2018, where Cameron serves as Senior Pastor and Teacher. Cameron is also the founder and host of Lechem Panim, a weekly radio show that airs on KGNW 820AM "The Word Seattle". The ministry of Lechem Panim is centered around leading people into the life-giving presence of God in and through Bible study, prayer, and active discipleship with the aim of ministering to a world that is in desperate need of the healing touch of Jesus Christ. Archives
March 2020
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