Go ahead and be seated.
Would you turn with me to Exodus chapter 25?
That's page 65 in the Pew Bible.
Exodus chapter 25.
As we've been journeying through the book of Exodus this year,
we've seen that it roughly falls into three sections, if you'll remember.
First, in the opening chapters, we've seen that God is a God who saves.
In Exodus, God powerfully rescues His people from slavery in Egypt.
Those are all the famous bits in the beginning of the book.
Second, we've seen that God is a God who speaks.
At Mount Sinai, after the Exodus from Egypt,
God reveals Himself to His people in words,
making a covenant relationship with them,
instructing them in His ways and His laws.
God speaks.
And today, we come to the third and the last section of the book.
In chapters 25 through to the end, chapter 40,
we see that God is a God who not only saves and speaks,
but who dwells in the midst of His people.
And of the remaining 16 chapters in the book,
13 of them are taken up with descriptions of the place,
of the structure where God will do just that.
And that structure is what we call the tabernacle.
So let's pick up the story in chapter 25, verse 1,
and we're going to read through verse 9 to get us started this morning.
Chapter 25, verses 1 through 9.
Let me read this for us.
The Lord said to Moses,
Speak to the people of Israel,
that they take from me a contribution.
From every man whose heart moves him,
you shall receive the contribution from me.
And this is the contribution that you shall receive from them,
gold, silver, and bronze,
blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen,
goat's hair,
tanned ram skins, goat skins,
acacia wood,
oil for the lamps,
spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense,
onyx stones and stones for setting,
for the ephod and for the breastpiece.
And let them make me a sanctuary,
that I may dwell in their midst.
Exactly as I show you concerning the pattern of the tabernacle
and of all its furniture,
so you shall make it.
And for the next seven chapters,
seven chapters,
God shows Moses the plans for how to build this tabernacle,
which is literally just the word for tent in Hebrew.
This tent where God will dwell in the midst of his people.
If you look in your bulletin,
there's an illustration of what the plans might have looked like.
Now I say might have looked like,
because we're not exactly sure of all the sort of finer details
of how the sort of little pieces might have gone together.
How exactly did they hang those curtains
or spread the goat skins over top of the tent?
We don't know exactly for sure,
but this is a pretty good sketch of the main details that we can tell.
If you're interested in a more detailed representation,
we have some of these handouts in the back
that kind of fold out.
You know things are getting serious in your Bible study
when you've got a chart this big, right?
Look at that.
There they are.
Go get them.
Also, you know,
if you have a good study Bible,
like the ESV study Bible or the NIV study Bible,
it will also have some really good illustrations
of what the tabernacle might have looked like.
We have some ESV study Bibles downstairs on the bookstall.
If you're interested in picking one of those up,
I would highly recommend it.
But now, okay,
with that overall picture in your mind,
there you see it there,
that sort of portable worship site
that was the tabernacle that God told them to build.
With that overall picture in mind,
come back to the text of Exodus.
And I want to just skim really quickly
through chapters 21 through 30,
25 through 31,
skim really quickly through those chapters with me,
looking at the ESV section headings in bold.
And what you'll notice is that the plans
that God gives to Moses move roughly from the inside out.
It starts with the ark in the innermost part of the tabernacle,
the most holy place,
the holy of holies.
And then we come to the table for bread
and the golden lamp stand,
which would be not in the most holy place,
but in what's called the holy place,
in that first room of the tent or tabernacle proper.
Then you'll see that there's a description of the tabernacle,
the tent itself,
and how to put it all together.
Then in chapter 27,
we're out into the courtyard at the bronze altar.
Then there comes the court wall
that hangs around the perimeter of the whole area.
And with that set up,
in chapters 28 and 29,
there's a description of the priests,
what their clothes should look like as they ministered,
and the ceremonies for consecrating them to the priesthood.
Pastor Matt will actually cover those two chapters
on the priesthood next week.
And then in chapters 30 and 31,
the plans are concluded.
The altar of incense is described there.
Now, even though that would be located in the holy place,
the first room of the tabernacle,
it's described right after the priest
because one of the priest's main jobs
was to keep the incense burning on that altar.
Then we have some more details
about the collection of the tabernacle,
the bronze basin where the priest would wash,
the special oil and incense that they used.
And finally, God tells them
that he's actually gonna raise some people up
to perform the skilled work
for building such an elaborate structure.
So there are sort of the plans that God lays out.
Now, rather than go into minute detail for each component
and preach like a 13-part series on the tabernacle,
speculating what exactly those seven lights
really meant on the lampstand,
I wanna do something else this morning.
I wanna try to take us on an overview tour
of the tabernacle and try to get the big picture.
God gives Moses these detailed plans
for how it's supposed to be built.
He actually charges Moses multiple times in this section
to build it exactly as he's been shown.
But what do we learn as we study these plans?
Clearly, it's important.
The book of Exodus gives a lot of space to describing it,
but what are we to make of it?
What's the significance?
And what I wanna do on this overview tour,
I wanna take this overview tour
in roughly the order that it's presented to us
here in Exodus, starting in the very center,
starting in the inner room of the tabernacle,
the Holy of Holies, and then moving out from there.
And when we do that, here's what we're gonna see.
We're gonna see that the tabernacle
is more than just a portable worship center
for nomadic people.
The tabernacle was actually a sign,
a physical, material illustration
of God's redemption.
In fact, if we can get the big idea of the tabernacle,
we'll really see the story,
the whole story of the Bible.
And therefore, we'll see the true story of the world
and the most important story for our lives.
So we're gonna take this tour in three steps
according to the three sections of the tabernacle
as they're roughly laid out for us
in Exodus 25 through 31.
We'll begin in the most holy place,
move out,
and then out to the courtyard in the third step.
So first, step inside with me.
Come into the most holy place.
And there, in a room where the dimensions
were a perfect cube,
when you read the description,
as wide and long and the same height,
you'll see what's called the Ark of the Covenant
or the Ark of the Testimony.
And it's essentially a rectangular box
covered in gold.
And it's called the Ark of the Testimony
or Ark of the Covenant
because inside were going to be kept
the two copies of the law
that God himself would write out
with his own finger
on tablets of stone.
And on top of the Ark
is a cover called the Mercy Seat
with two cherubim,
two awesome heavenly beings
sculpted on top
with their wings extended out
and their faces down in reverence.
And they're facing down in reverence
because this is the place,
this is the very spot
where the Creator,
the Lord Almighty,
will show up
in the midst of his people.
Look at verse 22 of chapter 25
at the end of the description of the Ark.
Verse 22 says,
There I will meet with you.
And from above the Mercy Seat,
from between the two cherubim
that are in the Ark of the Testimony,
I will speak with you
about all that I will give you
in commandment for the people of Israel.
So you see,
the most holy place,
this inner part of the tabernacle,
is meant to represent
the very throne room
of God the King.
In chapter 26,
we learn that
stitched into the curtains
that make the walls
would be more representations
of cherubim,
of mighty angelic beings,
as if to say
that here
is heaven,
the dwelling of God,
touching down on earth.
Now God himself,
of course,
could not be represented
by an image.
There was no statue
in there of God,
of the Lord.
But we're told
that his presence
would fill that place.
And the Ark
would be like his footstool
with the law at his feet
and the angels
bowing in worship
beneath him.
Friends,
imagine a point
on earth
where the infinite
touches down
to the finite.
Where God,
at long last,
shows up on earth
and right in the midst
of his people
in order to be known
and in order to be worshipped
and adored as king
so that creatures
might at long last
know their creator.
Did you know
that that's how
Jesus described
eternal life?
In John 17,
3,
Jesus says,
and this is eternal life,
to know you,
the only true God
and Jesus Christ
whom you have sent.
and can't you feel
the awe
of this most holy place?
The reverence
of standing
in God's presence,
the wonder of it,
the way it was constructed,
some of the scholars
speculate
that if you were
to step in,
it would have just been
blazing with gold.
I think many people
outside the church
are hungry
for awe
and for wonder
and for reverence,
for something bigger
and more substantial
than ourselves,
for something transcendent.
And unfortunately,
we're looking for that
in mere substitutes
for the real thing.
We're trying to find awe,
we're trying to find wonder
in created things
when really it's our creator
that we were made for.
We were made
to be in awe of God
and we put so much weight
onto created things,
weight that they cannot bear
and then when they break,
we wonder why we're
so disappointed.
We wonder why we become
so jaded
and so cynical.
But the tabernacle
was the place
where God came down
to reclaim his creation,
to set up his throne,
and to be known
and loved
in awe
by his people again.
But our tour continues.
From the Ark of the Covenant
and the inner room,
the most holy place,
we move out
into the sort of next room,
the outer room
of the tabernacle
called
just the holy place.
And here in this first room
where the priests
would come regularly,
you see three pieces
of golden furniture.
On the south side
of the room,
there's a lamp stand
with seven arms
and seven lights.
And on the north side
of the room,
there's a table set
with twelve loaves of bread
and two stacks.
And then in front of the veil
that divides that holy place
from the most holy place
facing west,
smoke is rising
from the altar
of incense,
filling the room
with a sweet,
rich smell.
Now notice
the basic symbolism
of these three pieces.
It's pretty straightforward,
actually.
In the lamp stand,
we have God's light
shining forth onto us.
And at the altar of incense,
we have represented
the prayers of the people
going up to God.
Again and again in Scripture,
incense is sort of
a representation of prayer,
of our communion up with God.
And at the table of bread,
of course,
we have a meal of fellowship.
So in this room,
we have what?
We have the communion,
the intimacy
of God with his people.
Have you ever come home
after someone has
baked bread in the oven?
Unless you're severely
gluten intolerant,
that's like really good news,
right?
That sweet smell
hits your nose,
that kind of yeasty,
sweet smell,
and there's a warmth
about it.
Or maybe you've come home
and there's a candle burning.
Hopefully it was your roommate
or your spouse
or something who lit it
and it wasn't you
who sort of left it burning
all day while you were at work.
But it's giving off
that deep,
rich fragrance
that sort of hits you
when you walk in.
And maybe those scents
and those experiences
remind you
of home
and of fellowship
and of relationship
and of love.
And you see,
that's what's happening
in the holy place
of the tabernacle.
The bread is laid out
and the incense is burning
and the lights are on.
And all of it speaks
of fellowship,
of communion,
of intimacy
with God.
Look with me
at Exodus chapter 29,
verse 45.
A couple chapters ahead,
this verse is actually found
at the end of the description
of the priest's ordination,
but it's sort of
a summary verse
of this tabernacle section
in many ways.
You know,
if you want to ask the question,
why did God redeem
his people from Egypt?
Why did he display
his power
and part the Red Sea
and free his people?
At the end of Exodus 29,
God gives one answer to that.
He's describing
what will happen
at the tabernacle
in verse 45.
He says,
I will dwell
among the people of Israel
and will be their God
and they shall know
that I am the Lord
their God
who brought them
out of the land of Egypt
that I might dwell
among them.
I am the Lord
their God.
In other words,
God says,
I brought them
out of the land
of Egypt
so that I might dwell
among them.
what a stunning truth.
One of the great ends
of redemption
is God dwelling
in our midst.
God desires to be known
by his people
and not just known,
God desires to live
right in the middle of them,
to be identified with them
and to be their God.
You know,
if we are a culture
that's hungry for awe,
I think we're a people
that are starved
for real intimacy,
to be known
and to be loved.
And here,
the creator
of all things
seen and unseen
is saying
to his people,
I'll set a table
for you.
Let's sit and eat
and my light
will go forth
and your prayers
will come up
and I'll be with you.
Amen.
Can you imagine
what your life
would be like
if you really had
that sort of intimacy
with God?
That sort of communion
with God?
Wouldn't your disappointments
in this life
be a lot less devastating?
You know,
because even if
some good thing
kept slipping
out of your grasp,
the career
or the family
or the reputation
that you long for,
even if those things
kept on being
a perpetual disappointment
for you,
you could still
have confidence
that the greatest
good,
God himself,
was yours
now
and forever.
And not having
or getting
or accomplishing
those things,
whatever they are,
that could never
crush you
because you
have something better
by far,
intimacy,
fellowship
with God.
And on the flip side,
wouldn't your triumphs
and your successes
in this life
be so much less prone
to make you proud?
Isn't it easy
when things are going
our way in life
to sort of elevate
ourselves,
to compare ourselves
to others?
I've got it together
so much more
than that schmuck
over there.
And yet,
if God
were your greatest good,
if you walked
in a rich communion
with him,
wouldn't that
keep you
from puffing
yourself up
in those prideful
ways?
Because then you
know that what
really matters
isn't who's winning
or losing
according to some
worldly standard.
What really matters
is knowing God.
It's really only
intimacy with him,
a rich fellowship
with God,
walking in his ways,
pleasing him,
bringing others along
to do the same.
That's what matters.
Man,
if you really
knew the kind
of intimacy
with God
that the tabernacle
is talking about,
that's the only thing
that will protect you
spiritually
from your disappointments
and your achievements.
It will keep you
from an overly
devastated self
on the one hand
and an overly
elevated self
on the other.
And the holy place
of the tabernacle,
the bread on the table,
the light on the lampstand,
the altar burning.
Speaking of just that,
of intimacy with God.
But there's one more place
we have to visit
on our tour.
There's one more section
that we have to see.
God's plans
for the tabernacle
include not just
the tabernacle proper
with those two rooms,
the most holy place
and the holy place.
there's also
the courtyard.
Now imagine
stepping out
through that curtain door
out of the tent,
out of the holy place
into the courtyard.
The sun
hits your eyes,
the dust
is rising up
from the ground
and the first thing
you probably see
is this large
bronze basin
of water
on a stand
and there are
a bunch of men
standing around it
washing their hands
in the water
and as you get closer
you realize
that they're
washing off
not just the dirt
and sand
of living
in the desert wilderness
but they're washing
off blood
and the water
is starting to turn
a pale red
and then beyond
the bronze basin
you lift up your eyes
and you see
what really is
the main feature
of the courtyard
right in the center
the bronze altar
and heat
is rising up
from the altar
as the fire
is stoked beneath
and you know how
when heat rises up
in the summertime
it sort of
makes your vision
sort of shimmer
a little bit
so you can see
the sort of blurry
rise above it
and the smoke
is going up
but this time
the smell
is not of that
sweet incense
of the altar
inside the tent
the smell
is of animal sacrifice
which smells
of blood
and of roasted meat
and of course
that would all be
a bit disorienting
at first
wouldn't it
stepping out
from that sort of
pristine calm
of the holy place
out into this
flurry of activity
in the courtyard
as the priests
are handling
the sacrifices
and tending
to their tasks
and always returning
to wash their hands
and sometimes
even their feet
in that basin
and you think
where have I come
how is this part
of the worship
of God
but then standing
there in the courtyard
you kind of turn around
and you notice
something you haven't
yet noticed
on our little tour
that as the smoke
of the sacrifices
go up
you turn back
to the tent
and you look
and now you see
for the first time
the tent
and what you see
now
are the barriers
first
there's that
curtain door
that you just
walk through
that's separating
the courtyard
from the holy place
and then you remember
now beyond that
there's a thick veil
separating the holy place
from the most holy place
and then you begin
to realize
that the promise
of the tabernacle
the promise
of God dwelling
in our midst
the promise
of having such
nearness to God
and awe
and intimacy
the promise
of the tabernacle
is matched
by the problem
of the tabernacle
yes God is near
that's the promise
but the problem is
you can't go in
the way is blocked
the curtains are drawn
and the veil is closed
and friends
isn't that a lot
like our experience
sometimes
that the thing
we long for
the thing
we reach out for
is awe
and intimacy
with God
and it always
seems to elude
our grasp
and as you stand
there staring
at those barriers
you start
to realize
something
you start
to put the pieces
together
that inside
those curtains
God is on the throne
inside those curtains
God is king
and in there
with him
there exists
a relationship
of awe
and intimacy
and that reminds
you of something
it reminds you
of how this story
began
that there once
was a place
where God was king
and where God
dwelled in the midst
of his people
and where those
first humans
had fellowship
with God
and awe
and intimacy
but in that
garden
place
in that garden
sanctuary
our first parents
rejected God
as king
and as a result
they were driven
from God's presence
and symbolically
at the gate
to the garden
of Eden
do you remember
what God put there
God placed
the cherubim
those mighty
angelic beings
and a flaming sword
to guard the entrance
and then things
start to click
because there
hanging on every
curtain
of the tabernacle
are those same
cherubim
embroidered
telling the same
story
that our fellowship
with God
has been lost
and the only way
in
is under the sword
of judgment
you see friends
the tabernacle
isn't just a portable
worship site
it's not like
an inflatable stadium
for a mega church
that you can just
take with you
on tour
the tabernacle
is a theater
and it's retelling
the most important
story
that we could
ever learn
and that we
always forget
and in that theater
in that drama
is the promise
that God
is going to
come down
and reclaim
his creation
and that the project
that God began
in creation
that God began
in Eden
in the garden
would not be
wrecked forever
that heaven
would come to earth
that God
will be king
and that his people
will know him again
in awe and intimacy
and that the advance
of God's glory
and creation
will continue
and yet the tabernacle
also shows us
that the ultimate
provision
for this renewal
has not yet come
because the barriers
remain
and the path
from the garden
to glory
is still
obscure
but there you stand
in the courtyard
and though the way
is obscure
the clues are there
aren't they
there at the altar
at that thing
that immediately
seems so strange
to our sensibilities
there at the bronze altar
are the sacrifices
and God is showing
his people
that he will
provide a way
and even in the most
holy place itself
even deep
in the center
of the heart
of the all-filled
middle of the tabernacle
there's another sign
on the ark itself
there rests
what the ESV calls
the mercy seat
or the cover
that between
the holy God
enthroned above
the cherubim
and the law
of the covenant
underneath his feet
that exposes
our sin
that between
the holy God
and his holy law
there stands
a covering
that once a year
will be sprinkled
by the high priest
with the blood
of sacrifice
on what would be called
the day of atonement
a promise
that when God
comes down
to dwell
with his people
the first thing
he would see
is not his law
which we had broken
but the first thing
he would see
is the saving blood
of an atoning sacrifice
that pays the penalty
we deserve
and turns away
the wrath
that we had incurred
there it is
a picture
of the way forward
and that picture
grinds on
the drama
and the theater
continues
day after day
and week
after week
and month
after month
and year
after year
for literally
over a thousand
years
imagine
being part
of a theater group
where you played
the same show
every morning
and every night
for fifteen
hundred
years
friends
this is how much
God cares
to communicate
to us
the profound
message
of the tabernacle
but it never
stopped
and when
would it stop
and what's
the answer
what's the thing
that's going
to get us in
because we keep
sprinkling this
blood
and yet
the barriers
still remain
in the opening
of John's
gospel
John begins
with creation
and he says
in the beginning
was the word
and the word
was with God
and the word
was God
very reminiscent
of the opening
chapters of
Genesis 1
isn't it
that God
creates all
things
and who is
there at
creation
but the Lord
Jesus
the Son of God
the second
person of the
Trinity
and then
wonder of wonders
in the opening
of John's
gospel
he says
that same
eternal
word
came down
became flesh
and dwelt
among us
and that word
dwelt
doesn't just
mean that
Jesus
came
and lived
in our
midst
that word
dwelt
that John
uses
is the same
word for
tabernacle
the word
became flesh
and tabernacled
among us
and John
is saying
that the promise
of Exodus
the promise
of the tabernacle
that God
would live
in our midst
and that God
would make
a way
has finally
come
that what
the tabernacle
merely anticipated
Jesus
has accomplished
in him
God truly
dwelt
in the midst
of his people
and through
his death
on the cross
a sacrifice
was made
that atones
for all
of our sin
once and for all
a sacrifice
so complete
so sufficient
that when he
died
the veil
of the temple
was torn
in two
opening
the way
to the most
holy place
and what
was accomplished
once and for all
in Christ
we see in the rest
of the New Testament
is now
being applied
by the Holy Spirit
you see
all in intimacy
with God
is made possible
finally
through Jesus Christ
when we
confess
that we are
separated from God
by our sin
and we trust
that Jesus
has made the
sacrifice
for our sins
when he died
on the cross
and when we
trust in Jesus
God gives us
new spiritual
life
he indwells us
by his Holy Spirit
earlier in the service
Matt prayed
just this prayer
reminding us
that all those
who are in Christ
Jesus
are now
the walking
temples
and tabernacles
of the living God
the dwelling place
of God
is no longer
in a physical
structure
somewhere
in the Middle East
but it's the people
of God
the church
indwelt
by the Holy Spirit
Paul says
to the church
in Ephesians 2.22
that in Christ
you're being
built together
into a dwelling
place for God
by the Spirit
the tabernacle
points ahead
to Christ
Christ
has poured
out his Spirit
but there's
one more chapter
actually
in this story
and it's
the chapter
yet to come
when one day
the dwelling place
of God
will be with
his people
in fullness
when Christ
returns
and brings
about a new
heavens
and a new
earth
when the
redemption
that he
accomplished
and that the
Spirit applies
that when that
redemption
is finally
consummated
and brought
to bear
and the glory
of God
covers the earth
like the waters
cover the sea
and then on
that day
there'll be
no temple
and no tabernacle
because we'll
see God
face to face
and we will
dwell
and we will
reign with
him forever
in a world
where there is
no sin
and no guilt
and no shame
and that project
that God began
in the Garden
of Eden
of his glory
subsuming
all of creation
finally reaches
its fulfillment
because Jesus
our King
has taken us
there
so where does
this tour
leave us
we've traveled
from inside
out
and then in
Christ
from outside
back in again
through the veil
but how should
we apply
these things
two ways
I think
at least
first a word
about awe
and intimacy
friends
if the people
of Israel
were meant
to have a
relationship
with God
fueled by
awe
and intimacy
with him
because
of the
tabernacle
and because
of the provision
of the
sacrificial system
how much
more
ought we
today
have
that awe
and intimacy
who live
in light
of Christ's
coming
and Christ's
sacrifice
and Christ's
resurrection
often our
devotional life
will grow
cold
for a season
often our
prayers
will hit
a time
when they
become forced
our worship
will be cold
our Bible
reading
and our
spiritual
conversation
with friends
will feel
rote
and we
can start
to wonder
in those
moments
what's the
way back
how do I
recapture
that awe
and intimacy
with God
again
and what the
biblical story
of the
tabernacle
is saying
to us
is that
the root
in
the way
to draw
near
is not
through
more works
that you
provide
but through
the path
that Jesus
has blazed
so the
path
to awe
and intimacy
the way
to draw
near
is by
turning from
those sins
and those
attitudes
that may
have been
drawing us
away
yes
but ultimately
by placing
our confidence
in him
and his
finished work
on the cross
again
real
awe
and intimacy
with God
come only
through a
renewed
taking hold
of Christ
by faith
and it's
the ministry
of the Holy
Spirit
to show us
the beauty
of the cross
and the beauty
of Christ
in fresh ways
as we engage
with one another
in his word
so that it flows
forth in that
kind of reverence
and nearness
to God
second a word
about mission
the tabernacle
stood at the
center of the
Israelite camp
and you know
their main job
in many ways
as a people
was to worship
God in the way
he told them to
and in that way
to be a light
to the nations
around them
but friends
what we know
now living
in light
of Christ's
coming
is that
what was
localized
in the
Old Testament
at the
tabernacle
and then
in the
temple
has now
been
globalized
by Christ
and the
Holy Spirit
the covenant
presence
of God
friends
is now
no longer
located in
one spot
in the
tabernacle
or the
temple
now
the covenant
presence
of God
the reign
of God
is present
wherever the
church
meets
in the
name
of Jesus
God
still
desires
to dwell
in the
midst
of his
people
God
is still
the
God
who
saves
who
speaks
who
dwells
in our
midst
but the
walls
have been
broken
down
and the
presence
of God
has gone
viral
if you
will
now
it's
everywhere
and the
church
is at
the
forefront
of God's
kingdom
advance
in the
world
that now
we don't
need to
travel to
a place
somewhere far
away to get
near to God
now we need to
find the people
of God
gathered around
the word of God
where the spirit
of God dwells
in places
as far
flung
as New Haven
Connecticut
at the
corner of
State and
Grove
in this
old building
that keeps
costing us
money
here
the
presence
of God
delights
to dwell
such that
when we
gather
on Sunday
we don't
have to
ask God
to come
down
we don't
have to
beg
God
to show
up
God's
already
here
friends
beckoning
us
calling
us
to come
and meet
with him
and not
just between
these four
walls
but wherever
Christians
gather
in his
name
and believer
wherever you
go
in the name
of Christ
because the
Holy Spirit
dwells in
you
and as
you go
out
into your
work
or into
your
family
or into
your
neighborhood
the
presence
of God
is going
with you
sort of
like a
seed
sort of
like
leaven
that gets
mixed
in
someone
very wise
once used
that
illustration
it was
Jesus
he said
this is
what the
kingdom
of God
is like
it's
seed
it's
leaven
and it
goes
so you
see friends
our tour
of the
tabernacle
as we've
sort of
gone out
and gone
in
it's
got to
go back
out
again
we have
to leave
even the
courtyard
in this
tour
and we've
got to
go out
into the
camp
and then
we've
got to
go out
into the
wilderness
and then
we have
to go
out
to the
ends
of the
earth
because
of what
Jesus
has done
and the
news
that we
have
to bring
brothers
and
sisters
the news
that we
have to
bring
the
presence
that we
bring
friends
and our
neighbors
and our
colleagues
it's
good
news
that a
relationship
with God
can be
had
that because
of the
grace of
Christ
he's opened
the veil
separating
us
from our
deepest
longing
from God
himself
that death
has been
conquered
that our
sins
have been
forgiven
and that
we will
dwell
with God
forever
starting
right now
right here
and that
the way
is open
for anyone
and for
all who
believe
so come
on in
come
in
where God
dwells in the
midst of his
people
let's pray
father our
prayer this
morning
is that by
your spirit
you would
give us
the faith
to believe
help us
to see
in Christ
that the
way
into an
intimate
relationship
with you
full of
all
and full
of nearness
has been
opened
and help
us to go
forth
this morning
and this
week
in the
joy
of that
nearness
taking
with us
by your
holy spirit
the news
that the
way has
been opened
and we
humans
might dwell
with God
again
because he
has come
to dwell
with us
in Jesus
Christ our
Lord we
pray
amen