Episode Transcript
Speaker 0 00:00:00 Well, please be seated. Good morning again. Uh, I'm excited to be able to follow that song. That is an awesome song. Uh, Helen, you did a great job on that. Thank you for leading us on that. Love that a Spanish twing twing you put to it. It adds so much to the song. So I have a question for you this morning, and that is how do you feel about shadows now, when I say shadows, uh, maybe you come up with some things in your mind, like, um, like every horror movie you've ever seen, right? Like in the night when the moon is bright and you see shadows on the wall and you're thinking to yourself, what in the world is that thing being cast on my wall, I was recently in Arizona and, and, uh, we were there as the sun went down and we saw the shadows of the mountains, breathtaking beauty
Speaker 1 00:00:54 In Arizona, uh,
Speaker 0 00:00:57 Shadows, uh, sometimes, uh, get our minds to wonder, we wonder what in the world are those sayings. And we, we, we, we, our imagination runs wild. Sometimes shadows actually are nothing new. Uh, we actually have had shadows around for a while. Uh, this actually is a, uh, picture of a shadow theater. How many of you ever heard of shadow theater before? Yeah. Shadow theater actually is a it's it's kinda coming back. Uh, the shadow theater began way back in China, 200 years before Jesus Christ. Uh, they were doing, because you can do all kinds of stuff with shadows. Like you can with animation that you can't do in real life. And so they had these shadows and they would tell pictures with shadows on the wall, using oil lamps, or candles or whatever. And so this has been all the way through history. Now, if you think it has kind of lost its place, I was watching America's got talent.
Speaker 0 00:01:50 And so I, one of the most amazing things I've ever seen using shadows, uh, it was, it was an incredible depiction of the life of a little girl until she got old and they just walked you through her whole life. And if you've not seen it, this I'd put a picture up there of it. Um, what's that guy's name? The guy that everybody doesn't like on, uh, yeah, Simon. Yeah. Simon was blown away by this one. So if you're interested in, in seeing how far shadow theater has come along, it actually was a pretty big hit recently on America's got talent. As we finish up our study of the tabernacle today, as we get into Exodus chapter 40, the last chapter of Exodus, we come into this theme of shadows. We're finishing up our, our talking our talk today on what the tabernacle meant. And I have to tell you this, the tabernacle was God's great shadow production.
Speaker 0 00:02:52 Now let that sink in for a while because we're going to be talking about this theme all the way through excellence. 40, as we, as we finish up the story, the tabernacle was God's great shadow theater production, a production that shined a light on a greater truth to come a picture that shined a light on an image that had not yet been revealed. The tabernacle was shadows. In fact, by the time we get to the new Testament, Hebrews explains this theme to us in the old Testament, as they were going to tabernacle. And as they were doing the sacrifices and as they were doing the festivals, all of all of which they did faithfully, they didn't realize that this was only a shadow of things to come. But now for us, on the other side, for us looking back over these 5,000 years of history, we come across this message in Hebrews eight and verse five that tells us these things served as a copy of the shadow of the heavenly things for when Moses was about to erect the tent ring a bell.
Speaker 0 00:04:02 That's the tabernacle. When Moses was about to erect a tent, he was instructed by God saying, see that you make everything according to the pattern that was shown to you on the mountain. This tabernacle was a copy and a shadow of heavenly things. At the time, Moses was given some sort of a glimpse into heaven. God explained what the tabernacle should look like. And somehow it was a replica of a heavenly place. The throne room of God that existed on the earth. There's a shadow of a real place, whether or not he actually saw inside the windows of the throat room of heaven is debatable, but whatever he saw, whatever was explained to him, he was able to construct through the holy spirit, through the, through the revelation of God, a place on this, this planet that looked like what heaven would look like. The key is the tabernacle was important to us because it is the symbol of God with us. God said, when he built the tabernacle, he said, I want you to build everything exactly. According to the dimensions that I am instructing you to build. I want you to build a house for me, where I will dwell, where you can live in, in, in the tribes of Israel and peel back the curtain, the tent flap from your tent. And you can see over the horizon
Speaker 1 00:05:25 Where I am, my dwelling place, the tabernacle.
Speaker 0 00:05:30 It was important because it was a sensory infusion to the people. When they, when they walk there, when they got close, they could hear the bleeding of the lambs. And, and, and I went to a farm recently and I have to tell you, the closer I got to the farm, the more I realized I was getting close to a farm. There was a smell that filled the air. There was noises like, like the bleeding of a goat. And I tried to mock this goat by making a, uh, and I did really poorly. So the goats started mocking me by bleeding back to me, and I could hear the cows in the distance and the horses were running. And, and it was, it was, it was an infusion for these people that when they got close to the tabernacle, they were coming close to a, a, a moment with God and an impacted their senses. They could smell it. They could hear it. They could see it as they got closer to this place. The tabernacle was important because it was the place where God dwelt. It was different from any other place on the planet. And God chose to put his house right there. Middle of his people. The reality it was though that this tabernacle represented something greater. This tabernacle was not the thing. The temple was a shadow of something greater, something
Speaker 1 00:06:54 Real. And so
Speaker 0 00:06:56 God gives Moses directions as to how this place should look. And so I want to start by kind of backing up and helping us walk through all of the shadows of, of, of everything on the earth that represented something real where God was. And, and so God builds this house down here and he, and his dwelling places full of these things, we can read about it. It's a recap in Exodus, chapter 40, almost like telling us now, I want you to remember, it's like Moses is finishing up Exodus. And he's saying, I want you to remember what this place looks like, because it's not going to be with you forever. So I want you to remember what you saw. I want you to remember what you hear. I want you to remember what you felt. I want you to remember what you smelled.
Speaker 0 00:07:46 And as a recap, Exodus chapter 40 last year, chapter of Exodus, we have a walk through the tabernacle. The Lord spoke and Moses sang on the first day of the first month. You shall erect the tabernacle of the tent of the meeting. The picture of the tabernacle is, is, is, is where this place would be is where God's dwelling place will be. I don't know. Did I put a picture of the tabernacle up there? I don't remember if I put that up there, but every time that people saw this tabernacle, this is where they would remember God was versary. She'll put in the Ark of the testimony. Where was the Ark of the testimony? Church was behind the holy of Holies in the tabernacle. She'll put in the Ark of the testimony and you shall screen the arc with veil, with a veil. So the arc of the, of the testimony, this is the Ark of the covenant. Remember what Indiana Jones went for that was put into the holy of Holies. And it was screened off by a veil. And then backing up from that. You shall bring in the table. When you put up the tabernacle, bring in the table, arrange it. You shall bring the lampstand and set up all the lamps. This is where we get the, from. This is like, this is like the seven candlesticks seven wick candlestick.
Speaker 1 00:09:02 And then you
Speaker 0 00:09:02 Shall put in the golden altar for incense before the Ark of the testimony. And you shall set up the screen for the door of the tabernacle. And so you move further back and then you have the alter, uh, the, uh, the golden alter incense, the altar for incense, and then you back up and you have the screen for the door of the tabernacle. And then you back up picture, uh, further, and you see more of a picture you'll. So shell set the altar of the burnt offering before the door of the tabernacle at the tent of the meeting. So you back up a little further, and there's the, there's this burnt offering where thousands and thousands of animals were bled out and killed. And then you back up further and you put a base in between the tent of the meeting and the altar, and you see this base and full of water water.
Speaker 0 00:09:46 This is where you cleansed yourself, where the priests would wash themselves off. And then you move back from there in verse eight says, then you shall set up a court all around it and hang up the screen for the gate of the court. You can see the screen in front of the gates of the courts, all of these curtains around separated the arc or the arc inside, and then the presence of God and his house among the people, everything in the tabernacle had a purpose. The Ark of the covenant had the mercy seat on top of it. This was a, a throne really that had nothing on it. The glory of the Lord was there in some form,
Speaker 1 00:10:26 The Ark of the covenant
Speaker 0 00:10:27 And the mercy seat. On top of that, this is where the blood was poured out. Once a year. On the day of atonement, you had the veil separating the holy of Holies, a table of showbread, the golden altar. For instance, you had the menorah that's was the lampstand, the seven week lampstand. You had the altar for burnt offering a basin for water and a screen around the courtyard. All of these were pictures, shadows of something greater.
Speaker 1 00:10:52 You see the problem
Speaker 0 00:10:53 Is Jesus Christ had not been revealed yet. Each part of this tabernacle representing something about God. And more specifically, each part of this tabernacle represented something about Jesus Christ, These things, these alters, these temp, these, these, uh, these, uh, uh, uh, candlesticks, the table of showbread all had a, a, a light shining, a shadow through an image. And we know that image today, as Jesus Christ,
Speaker 1 00:11:27 Everything
Speaker 0 00:11:27 Was a shadow pointing to something greater and the meaning, and all of these items came out of that real
Speaker 1 00:11:35 Source.
Speaker 0 00:11:37 When Jesus Christ was revealed his birth this 3000 year old curtain fell, and it's like, like we're watching a shadow show and the curtain falls, and we see the real image, casting, a shadow, the real image that gives the table of showbread meeting the real image that gives the menorah meaning the real image that gives the veil, meaning the real image that gives the mercy seat, meaning we see what was casting, all these shadows. And once Jesus appeared, our eyes were clear. We saw the real image and we realize it belongs to Jesus Christ.
Speaker 1 00:12:18 Moses
Speaker 0 00:12:18 Got somehow a picture of this image, and he somehow got, got insight as to what this tabernacle should look like, but he didn't know it was Jesus
Speaker 1 00:12:29 Christ. Only. We
Speaker 0 00:12:31 Can see that from the other side, looking back, whatever he is, I experienced it as to what this temple or the tabernacle would look like. It somehow was a representation of what he experienced with God on the mountain. How many of you know the story of Plato's cave? Do you know this story? Anybody like a, you like philosophy, Plato, Plato, Aristotle, Socrates. You remember all these guys, Plato was a mind, a great mind that loved philosophy way back actually, before Christ in Greece, Plato came up with an outline category of the cave and play. I don't believe there was like a real whatever, somewhere that we kind of got an image of on the earth. For instance, if I showed you 12 tables, you would say, they're all tables, but they could look tremendously different. Some could have legs, some didn't have legs. I have a Wicker, something or other on my deck at home.
Speaker 0 00:13:35 And I refer to it as a table. And yet I also refer to that little thing, holding the, the projector up there as a table, but they look nothing similar. We refer to all of these different things as tables. So Plato said there is a very real table, somewhere in the, in the great ether of the universe, so that we recognize that's a table and that's a table. And that there are all different tables, but they come from the great table that exists somewhere else. This was one of Plato's philosophies. And to explain this, he came up with an answer gory of the cave. He said, I said, we all, we're all like this individual who lives inside a cave. He's in there, his whole life. And in the background, there's a fire. And the fire is casting shadows on the wall. And he lives his whole life in this cave. Believing the shadows are real until one day he rises up out of his cave and walks outside past the fire. Realizing the fire is only casting shadows on the wall. He walks past the fire. He walks to the outside of the cave and he finally sees reality. This is what life really
Speaker 1 00:14:48 Holds. I
Speaker 0 00:14:51 Don't know if you like that, but it's one of Plato's most memorable, uh, um, uh, teachings that he had. It was called the allegory of the cave. In some ways, this is what the tabernacle was. It was a place where we saw shadows of something real, but we never knew what it was. The Israelites did not know what it was not until the appearance of Jesus Christ. When we see Jesus, we realize all the other things are foreshadows of him. The Sabbath was given meaning because of Jesus. The holy days were given meaning because of Jesus festivals or because of Jesus, everything on the Seder table that the Jews still celebrate today. Everything points to Jesus. If you go to a Passover, a puss shot feast today. If you go to a Seder feast today, you will eat and experience things on that table that all represents something about the exit is something about old Testament truths, but everything that you experienced points toward Jesus Christ.
Speaker 0 00:15:58 At one point, let me just tell you one of my favorite things on the Seder meal that you'll experience and every child experiences this, they have three Matsa pieces. They wrap them up in this cloth and they put them in the middle of the table at the beginning of the meal, one on the top, one in the middle, and one on the bottom wrapped in this cloth placed on the table. At some point in the meal, they will take the middle piece out of the cloth and they will hide it in the house. And then at some point in the meal, they will tell the children, go find the piece and bring it back and they bring the piece back. And then they have prizes for the kid that found the actual Matsa that was hidden in the house. Does that, does that point to Jesus in any way for you? Let me clear up the shadows. God, the father, God, the son
Speaker 1 00:16:52 And God, the holy spirit always
Speaker 0 00:16:55 Inseparable until one point of history. When one of those pieces was taken out and hidden for three days, which piece was it? The middle piece, not the top, not the bottom, the middle piece taken out hidden, and then replaced. When Jesus died on the cross, he said, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? And, and then he died in three days later, he, God raised
Speaker 1 00:17:24 Him from the dead,
Speaker 0 00:17:26 Everything. Do you know, they don't break any bones of the meal that they eat intentionally
Speaker 1 00:17:34 On Pashat do you know why?
Speaker 0 00:17:37 Because in scripture, no bone of Jesus was broken. He was beaten within an inch of his life twice. He was crucified on a cross. And when they finally came to the cross, they found two thieves that were still alive, but Jesus has already died and they needed to make sure they died by sunset because Passover was coming. And so they did what to the two thieves. They, they broke their legs so that they would hang there. And as fixate, they would suffocate to death, but they didn't break Jesus' bones because he was already dead. The prophecy of the old Testament is not a bone of his will be broken. And when that's, when the Jews celebrate their Passover, even to this day, they do not break any bones, listen, everything in the old Testament, celebrations of feasts festivals and the tabernacle pointed toward the person of Jesus Christ. Everything was fulfilled in him. He is the image that the light shined on, and those were the shadows given in the old Testament.
Speaker 1 00:18:42 When we experienced Jesus, we kind of
Speaker 2 00:18:43 Go, oh, that's what that meant.
Speaker 0 00:18:49 Jesus started pulling the curtain back and he did that actually with his own disciples. First, we celebrate this at, uh, at, at communion, even in our own church. When we celebrate a communion, that is an experience of the Lord's supper. The last supper Jesus has with his disciples. You remember this right before on the night that Jesus was betrayed, he took bread. Do you remember these words? We say them, every time we do communion and he broke it and he gave it to them saying, this is my body, which has given for you. Remember that this was Passover. They were celebrating. He was changing the meaning of the Matsa. This is not Matsa. This is my body. I'm pulling back the curtain and explaining it to you. This is my body, which is for you do this in remembrance of me in the same way. Also, he took the cup after supper saying this cup is a new covenant in my blood. Do this. As often as you drink it in remembrance of me, this cup did not represent Jesus Christ for 3000 years. And all of a sudden on the night Jesus was betrayed. He pulls back the curtain and he says, this is the shadow you've been celebrating. Let me tell you the meaning behind it. This
Speaker 1 00:20:05 Is my blood.
Speaker 0 00:20:10 Do this. As often as you drink it in remembrance of me, Jesus is the image that shine the shadows throughout the tabernacle, their feasts and their festivals. The entire new Testament is about the curtain being pulled back. If you don't love God's word, you've got to read it in this context, because you will read the new Testament in a brand new way. Realizing the old Testament talks about Jesus to come. The new Testament explains the Jesus that did come and the gospels are about the Jesus who was here. The entire Bible is about Jesus. He is the image
Speaker 1 00:20:48 Who shadows
Speaker 0 00:20:49 We read about in the old Testament. We now know Jesus cast the shadows. First, John five 20 says this. And we know that the son of God has come and has given us understanding so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him, who is true in his son, Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. Little children keep yourselves from idols. In other words, Jesus has come so that we could understand the shadows. He has come to pull down the curtain and reveal the truth. Do you know why first John ends with little children, keep yourself from idols. What it's saying is don't worship the sh shadows any longer. Don't give meaning to the shadows. Don't give meaning to the table of showbread to the menorah. Don't give meaning to the, to the lavender that CA that contained the water outside. Don't give meaning to the blood of bulls and goats give meaning to the real thing. Jesus Christ. Because if you give meaning to stuff that is not Jesus Christ, you have found an idol.
Speaker 1 00:22:00 That's why
Speaker 0 00:22:01 He says, keep yourselves from idol. It's like, it's like in Plato's version of the cave, it's like the guy walks outside, sees what's real and says, ah, I prefer the shadows and walks back into the cave. This is what it was like. This is why Paul, the apostle was so upset with Jews that came to know the Lord that were, that were converted to Christianity, but still observed the old Testament shadows. Because Paul was saying, don't you get it? All of this is fulfilled in Jesus Christ. You don't have to follow the shadows anymore. Don't go back into the cave. You've experienced the real thing.
Speaker 0 00:22:42 People around them were saying that you weren't really Jewish. If you follow Jesus, you've got to, you've got to do all of these devotions to these festivals in these feasts, you've got to start. You can't stop eating kosher food, get back there and eat the kosher food. But people, when they saw Jesus, they were gone. Wait a second. All that stuff was just shadows. Jesus is the real thing. We're not, we don't have to do the shadow stuff anymore. Let's do what Jesus wants us to do. People in the old tests or in the new Testament were judging these people that followed Jesus as heretics. So you can see this in Colossians two in verse 16, it says Paul, the apostle writes to the church at call us and he says, let no one pass judgment on you regarding questions of food and drink, or with regard to festivals or new moons or a Sabbath. These are a shy. One of the things to come read the church with me. I love verse 17. Would you read it with me? This is kind of the climax of it. Here we go. Ready. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs Christ. Why would you go back there cave and give any credence to the shadows? When you know the real thing,
Speaker 1 00:23:54 The substance belongs to Christ Christ
Speaker 0 00:23:58 Is the image, the cast, the shadow. And, and, and we look, we look at all those things down. We say, okay, how, how did he, how was the lampstand a shadow of Jesus church? How is the lampstand, the shadow of Jesus? Can I give you one phrase that Jesus said over and over, I am the light of the world.
Speaker 1 00:24:18 How has, how has the table of showbread
Speaker 0 00:24:21 A shadow of Jesus? Nobody could eat from the showbread. It was, it was a holy food and he had to get it off there before it got moldy and replace it. It was like a sacrifice that sat out on a table. How was a table that held bread, a shadow of Jesus? Did Jesus not only also say I am the bread of life, how was a basin of water? Like Jesus, Jesus. On the day that that basin was filled, I was trying to remember what, and I, and I should've looked this up, but, um, I think it was the feasts of, of, um, uh, well, first fruits, I think it was a feast of first fruits. And what they would do is they would take this big, big jar and they would go down and they would, they would fill it up in a pool and they would walk it up to Jerusalem and people could walk up behind them and stay with singing. And they were dancing and they got up there and they would pour this water out at the basin and they would celebrate. This was a celebration of the basin of water. And that day Jesus stands in the temple. And you know what he does. If you read it in the Hebrew, he actually goes, and everybody turns to see who's this guy making all this attention. And he says, if anyone thirsts, let him come to me. And I will give him water. That is everlasting.
Speaker 0 00:25:47 Jesus is our high priest. He tore the veil from top
Speaker 1 00:25:52 To bottom. And what greater picture do we have
Speaker 0 00:25:56 Of the altar, where all of those lambs were killed, then the picture of Jesus, the very lamb of God slain before the foundation of the world. You see every picture in that tabernacle pointed to the person of Jesus Christ. Listen, this is why Jesus thought the whole Bible was about him. If you love Jesus, but you're not a follower of Jesus. You think Jesus is cool. You're kind of on board with him. Maybe he was a good teacher, a good example, whatever you need to understand. Jesus was under the impression that everything in the Bible was about him. Now that is either delusional or narcissistic
Speaker 3 00:26:37 Or true.
Speaker 0 00:26:41 Jesus taught that the entire, when Jesus taught, he said, you've heard this verse. Well, let me tell you what it really means. Nobody ever taught like that. Every rabbi would teach, well, this is what rabbi Jim Watson. This is what rabbi Jerry would say. And this is what rabbi Harry would say, picking these names. So that's how they would quote rabbi after rabbi. Jesus did not teach like that. You know how Jesus taught? You've heard it said, I say to you, why? Because he's constantly giving the truth. Jesus is teaching from a base where he thinks the entire Bible is about
Speaker 1 00:27:13 Him. One of my
Speaker 0 00:27:16 Greatest examples of this that I love is a two guys on the road to a mass. Do you know this story? When Jesus rises from the dead on the day, he rose from the dead two guys, very depressed. Individuals were traveling from Jerusalem
Speaker 1 00:27:31 To a mess. They're traveling
Speaker 0 00:27:33 This road, they're going home. They thought Jesus was a Messiah. Other people, well come before Jesus. They said they were in the Messiah. Some different people came along and they were shown to be false, but Jesus was never shown to be false. Instead he was killed. So everybody that followed Jesus was like, oh, another fraud. These guys were left. Jerusalem. Jesus had been killed and put into a tomb. And they're walking home three, three days later, I guess it was three days later. Not the very day, three days later, they're walking home and they're talking and they're depressed. And you know, who shows up and starts walking with them? Jesus does. They don't see him. They don't see him for who he is. They don't recognize him. How he, he hides himself from, from them. I don't know how, but they didn't. Hey guys, it was Jesus.
Speaker 0 00:28:29 So Jesus comes up, starts walking. I love the story. Jesus had a second humor. He's walking out. He walks alongside and he goes, Hey, what are you guys talking about? And they go, have you been in Jerusalem? Like, have you been living under a rock? You don't know what's going on. We thought Jesus was the guy. Everybody thought Jesus was the guy. And they killed him. One of my favorite verses is out of that story. And here's where it goes. Here's how it goes. Jesus starts walking with them and explains to them in Luke 24, 27, listen to this and beginning with Moses and the prophets, Jesus interpreted to them in all the scriptures, the things concerning who church, he started with Moses and explained to them. That was me. That was me. That was me. Oh, and that's me. And that's me. And that's me.
Speaker 0 00:29:25 Can you imagine walking on the road to Jerusalem and going, I didn't know. That's all those things are what in the world? And so they have this great theological lesson. Is it ever a wonder? When they, I got home, they asked him to have lunch with them, stick around. We've really enjoyed this conversation. We'd like for you to, and then Jesus, it says breaks bread with them at lunch and their eyes were open. I often wonder what that was like. Like, do you think it's like he broke the bread and passed it to them. And then they saw the whole it's in his hand.
Speaker 1 00:29:55 I don't know. But somehow
Speaker 0 00:29:58 They realized they had just been talking with Jesus. Listen, Jesus was under the impression the entire Bible was about him. Everything from Moses before and forward, all things concerning himself. Verse 24 back in Exodus for Christ entered, not in, uh, sorry. This is, uh, back in Hebrews for Christ has entered not into the holy places, made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself now to appear, uh, in the presence of God, on our behalf, that's a wrong first there. Uh, that's in Hebrews, these old Testament, things are copies of the true things. Jesus is the real light, the real land, the real water of life slain as the real lamb of God for the sins of the entire earth, no ma'am animals were needed any longer, no lampstand was needed to remind us there's light in a dark world, no bread getting moldy that needs to be replaced to remind us, we need deeper food from heaven, no elected high priest needed to go behind curtains because we would never have access.
Speaker 0 00:31:07 All of these pictures were fulfilled when Jesus showed up the blood of bulls and goats worked as a shadow for the image to be revealed. But now Jesus walks on the day. He's crucified his blood leading through this temple, through this tabernacle giving meaning to everything. As we walk through and see the lover of water and the altar of incense and the table of showbread and the menorah that gives light, he has become our mediator so that we can have a path to God. And it's he who has broken that division between our sin and God's holiness so that we can walk to God through his blood and have a relationship with the father. So we come to the last few verses of Exodus, Exodus, 40 starting skipping down to verse 34. These verses are to remind us that there is a glory coming that will be revealed verse 34.
Speaker 0 00:32:07 Then the cloud covered the tent of the meeting and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter the tent of the meeting because the cloud settled on it. And the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. When God wanted them to move, the glory of the Lord would move. When God wanted them to stay, the glory of the Lord would stay. Their only job was to follow what God wanted them to do, go where God wanted them to go do what God asked them to do. Verse 36 throughout all their journeys. Whenever the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the people of Israel would walk out. But if the cloud was not taken, they didn't set out on that day until it was taken up for the cloud of the Lord was on the tabernacle by day, the fire was on it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, through all their journeys, God was with them, wherever they went and his glory could be seen to anyone that would peel back their tendency.
Speaker 0 00:32:58 It, God never abandoned them. He went with them where they went, all the Israelites could see his glory. They could see his presence. His be reminded that God is with them. The story of Exodus ends with a great description of the shadow. This cloud meant God was with them. I don't want it. I tell you, this is exactly the way the gospels begin in the book of Ezekiel. You may not know this, but in the book of Ezekiel, the cloud goes up from the temple and it's not seen again, 400 years of silence occurs after that that's during the time of Anthony and Cleopatra, you know, all those stories of Rome rises to power. Pharisees, Sadducees appear out of nowhere. And all of a sudden the Herod's got a temple built. All of this happens during the 400 years, and then the gospel start and we open to the book of Matthew. And the first thing we read is you will call his name,
Speaker 1 00:33:58 Emmanuel God with us.
Speaker 0 00:34:06 See in the old Testament, God had left the tabernacle, but the new Testament opens with the phrase.
Speaker 1 00:34:14 God is back
Speaker 0 00:34:16 God with us. And by the time you get to John one chapter, John chapter one, verse nine, you said John is writing. And he says the true light, which gives light to everyone was coming into the world. In verse 14, it says the word became flesh and dwelt among us. We have seen his white church. We have seen his glory, that glory of the tabernacle, the, the shadow of the real thing. We have seen his glory glory as the one, only from the father full of it. Grace and truth. The glory of God, this image that cast the shadows is now being revealed. God's glory has come to earth. And when we see Jesus, when the disciples saw Jesus, when the Pharisees mocked Jesus, when the, when those temple guards, uh, stripped and, and, and whipped Jesus, it was God that they were seeing. It was God that they were feeling. It was God, they were smelling. It was God that they were breaking.
Speaker 0 00:35:19 It was a shadow reveal. There's a real thing. That's why John writes another letter, not in the gospel, but a letter in first John one, he says that, which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have listened to this. We have heard him that, which we have seen our eyes, that, which we have looked upon and have touched with our hands concerning the word of life. The life was made manifest. You know what that word manifest means. It means revealed cause to be seen that life was manifested and we have seen it and testify to it and proclaim to you eternal life, which was with the father and was made manifest to us. You know what he's saying? In first, John, he's saying he's screaming to us. The shadow is gone. The real thing has come. We've seen him. We've heard him.
Speaker 0 00:36:05 We've touched him. Can you imagine touching? Jesus can imagine breastfeeding Jesus. I know that's crazy, right? Breastfeeding. God, can you imagine changing God's diapers? Can you imagine feeding God your soup? This Jesus was raised by two human adults that got to touch God in a very real, in fact, when Jesus rose from the dead, he came back to his disciples. Thomas said, unless I see, I see them. I'm not going to believe that you remember this because we are such creatures of census. Right? I got to see it. I got to taste it. I got to touch. I don't believe it's real until I act. So Thomas says, unless I see them, I'm not going to believe it. Jesus shows up. And he says, Thomas, not only can you see me, but put your hand in here and feel this hole right here. Thrust your hand in the hall. And no, because your senses do not deceive. You, you are touching the risen Christ.
Speaker 0 00:37:07 Thomas says, listen, Jesus, just show us the father. And that's enough. Do you know what Jesus said to Thomas? At that point, he said, Thomas, have I been with you so long? And you say, see the father, if you're seeing me, you've seen God, God, with us, the image that cast the shadow, exact imprint of God, the perfect imprint that casts all of these imperfect shadows revealed to us in the person of Jesus Christ. That's why the old Testament talks about Jesus to come. That's why Jesus is revealed in the new Testament. As God with us. God's glory revealed to us. And that's why in the new Testament, everything explains Jesus because the entire Bible is about Jesus. And the entire tabernacle is about Jesus and the entire earth. Your life is really about Jesus. It's his story. We talk about history. You have to understand history is his story.
Speaker 0 00:38:14 And you were invited to be a part of it. Hebrews says this in Hebrews one in verse one. This is how Hebrews starts in the new Testament long ago in many times. And in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets. But in these last days, church, would you say this to me, with me? He has spoken to us by his son whom he has appointed heir of all things. And through also he created the world, verse three, read it with me. Here we go. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature. And he upholds the universe by the word of his power church. If you've seen Jesus, you've seen God. If you've gone to tabernacle in Exodus, you've learned about Jesus. If you've listened to the prophets of old, you've heard about Jesus. You didn't know it. You didn't understand that they were just shadows. But when Jesus shows up in Matthew one and the angel said, you shall call his name Emmanuel for, he will be God with us. You're going, oh right. That's what that means. That's the image that casts the old Testament shadows. He is the very impact
Speaker 1 00:39:29 Of God. So what
Speaker 0 00:39:33 Number one, church, trust God. I know I finished everyone with this, right? Trust God. What does that have to do with old Testament stuff? Simply this God has a habit of not sharing his details with anybody else. So if you're going through a rough patch in your life and you're thinking of yourself of God, we're just right in the sky, whatever he's doing, I'd be okay with this. You have to understand the people. The old Testament went to tabernacle and temple for 3000 years and didn't know it was about Jesus. All they did was exactly what God told them to do. When the cloud went, they pack up and they would go when the clouds stayed, they'd make camp and they would stay. And nothing has changed for us today. Church, when God tells you to move you move, when God tells you to stay your stay. And when God tells you, this is what I'm doing, you go, I believe it. And when God says, this is what I'm going to do, you say, I believe that too. But when God says, I'm not going to tell you what I'm doing right here you go. That's good.
Speaker 0 00:40:40 You must know something that I don't. And here's the deal. If you knew what God knows you do, what God does every time, the process and the tabernacle was simply this, would they obey with the information they had?
Speaker 1 00:40:56 And the question
Speaker 0 00:40:57 To us is the same. Will you obey God with the information that God has given to you? He's given to you his whole word he's given to you. The revelation of Jesus Christ. He's given to us quite a bit, but the question is, will you obey God with the information you have now? Or will you demand more? Will you demand control? Will you argue with God? See, God's only interested as if you'll take that relationship seriously. And I have to tell you in the nation of Israel, there were lots of people that did not obey God. They did not love God. In fact, they were waiting for the first moment they could to rebel against God. You know this, they were constantly nipping at Moses heels. There were all kinds of rebels in that group. And they looked like they belonged. You'd say that's an Israel, but it was an Israelite who was not faithful in church. All God asked from us is simply genuine faithfulness.
Speaker 1 00:41:52 Nothing changes
Speaker 0 00:41:53 For us today. God hardly ever tells us what he's doing today. I have lots of questions for God. I'm sure that you do too, but you know what? You can bring all those questions to God in prayer. God may not give you a writing in the sky and tell you what he's doing in your life or in the world around you. But he simply says, this is what I'm going to give you for now, will you be faithful? And God gives us in the process of prayer, the ability to have a strength that we never knew we had. In fact, prayer, God says has the power to move mountains.
Speaker 1 00:42:27 If prayers
Speaker 0 00:42:28 Are greatest avenue to God, shouldn't we be doing it more? In fact, Paul, the apostle said, pray without stopping. I think that's good for us. It will grow our faith. The question is, will I obey God? Not when times are easy, but will I obey God in all things, we will never know the complete plan of God. I can imagine. Like Moses had to think at some point, forgive me. I just got to walk down this path for one second with you. Moses had to think at one point you want a candlestick with seven wicks, like one wick should be just fine. Let's get seven single candles. Why get one big, massive candle that is top heavy. That's going to fall over and burn this sucker to the ground. Why are we seven wick, candle sick. I mean, he had to come across some of this stuff and think to himself like, okay, we got to burn this animal on the altar, but take out the liver and cut off a piece of the liver that has the lobe in it.
Speaker 0 00:43:30 Like, what is that about? I have to imagine Moses. Well, he had a game going with some of the Israelites, like the top 10 weird things about tabernacle and, and he had to have prizes. Like what's the weirdest thing we do that you don't understand, but they had to do it. They didn't understand that it was a shadow that pointed to Jesus. They just had to be faithful. And so they were, the Bible says to Moses back then, and to us today, one day you will understand, simply remain faithful by the way, church. This is what separates the believer from the non-believer. This is the very thing.
Speaker 1 00:44:12 The person
Speaker 0 00:44:12 That doesn't believe God has no fear of God. And so they don't believe, and there's no consequences. They believe for their lives. But the person that follows God believes that there is a God and that he loves us and has given us a greater purpose. And we follow and trust him because he helps us be faithful.
Speaker 1 00:44:34 Even in the tough times,
Speaker 0 00:44:36 This is the thing that separates believers from non believers. And the second thing I would tell you is just a recap. Jesus is the full revelation of God to humankind a revelation of all the detailed shadows of the old Testament can be understood when you come to Jesus Christ. The gospel is literally called the gospel because it is the good news of Jesus Christ. Every shadow can be understood when you come to Jesus, this is why Jesus said, I am the way the truth and the life, no one comes to the father, except through me. I'm telling you the truth and you've got to believe it. Jesus is a truth that clears up dark eyes. And listen, let me just finish with this. If you're thinking to yourself, I've got friends in my life and they just, they think in a weird way, they just have weird thoughts.
Speaker 0 00:45:28 They believe anything that they're told. They think weird things about a lot of different things. And I can't believe the way they think sometimes. Do you have friends in your life that are like that? I do. And I look at them and go, how can you think like that? That makes no sense. But to them it makes perfect sense. And I think to myself, how is that even possible? Listen, Jesus is the truth that clears up dark eyes. Let me give you a passage of scripture so that you can see this even better. Second Corinthians three 12 for to this day, when they read the old covenant, that veil remains unlifted people can re read the old Testament. People can be followers of the Jewish law and never see Jesus Christ. When you think of yourself, everything points to Jesus. How can you not? Can you not see this? That veil remains unlifted because only read this with me church only through Christ. Is it taken away? Only when you come to Jesus, that veil is removed and you go, oh, that's what? That was.
Speaker 0 00:46:38 Verse 15. Yes. To this day, whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts. But when one turns to the Lord, the veil church is removed follower of Christ, or you're thinking yourself. I can't believe other people think there's weird ways. Anybody could see the reality of this going on. You need to understand you probably are something because the veil has been lifted off your eyes, but their eyes remain covered. Verse 18, talking to us, the church, this is great. And we all with unveiled face beholding the glory of the Lord. That's Jesus Christ. Jesus is the image that shined all of those shadows of the old Testament. Jesus is a very glory of God. Jesus says to Thomas, if you've seen me, you've seen the father Jack, you got to get on board. I am the image, casting all these shadows. I am the, that has come to earth.
Speaker 0 00:47:30 And when John writes about it, we have seen his glory that the glory of the one and only verse 18 says in second Corinthians, we all with unveiled face beholding the glory of the Lord. That's Jesus are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is spirit? Do you know what that means? It means if the veil has been lifted, if you see Jesus, you need to understand, God has put you in a process where you would not only see Jesus, but look like Jesus on a daily basis so that you look like the image.
Speaker 1 00:48:07 The very image of God,
Speaker 0 00:48:10 When you see Jesus, you're like Coca Cola. You've seen the real thing. That is, is the image casting, the shadows. That is who our minds are conformed to think like that is why we don't conform to the world, but we are transformed by the renewing of our minds that we may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. We don't get transformed by the shadows. We get transformed into the image, casting the shadows God's tabernacle was all about God with us. And you remember the last thing that Jesus said to his disciples go into all the world and preach the gospel. Baptizing, make disciples, baptizing them in the name of the father and the son and the holy spirit, teaching them to observe all things, whatever I've commanded you. And don't forget. I am remember.
Speaker 2 00:49:01 And lo I am
Speaker 0 00:49:03 With you even to the end of the world, church, God is with us. God has never left us. And because we have the holy spirit of her followers of Jesus Christ, God is with us, wherever we go.
Speaker 1 00:49:18 And that great. The glory
Speaker 0 00:49:20 Of the Lord doesn't live in a tabernacle. That was just a shadow. Jesus has come to show us a real image. And if you follow Jesus Christ, you're filled with the holy spirit. He makes his residence in you. And first Corinthians six says, don't, you know that your body is not your own. You are bought with a price. You know, the price, the blood that float on that cross, therefore glorify God in your bodies,
Speaker 1 00:49:47 Church, you are the tabernacle of the living. God.
Speaker 0 00:49:53 How does that change your aspect, your, your view of life? How does that change when God, when Jesus says you are the light of the world, does that kind of light it up for you a little bit more? Now you are the light of the world. Yeah. You bring light to the dark in the way that you live in the way that you obey in the way that you're faithful to the God who is faithful to you, let's pray. So father God, we come to the end of X and we're reminded that your great desire be with us. There's a love there that we cannot explain and it's more than we deserve, but it's from a benevolent being that chose to give us every shadow for 3000 years, that pointed toward Jesus, who was revealed to us as your very image. So that for 2000 more years, we would look back and understand and
Speaker 1 00:50:55 Who you are and who we are.
Speaker 0 00:50:58 Thank you for giving our lives. Meaning thank you that we can trust you. Thank you that you are with us no matter what happens. Thank you. That Jesus has been revealed. And we get to look back on history and understand it from that vantage point. May we never go back to worshiping shame? I mean, we never go back to thinking the shadows are the real thing. We worship the true and living image of the one. And only God had that as Jesus Christ. I pray in Jesus name. Amen. We finished our services with communion. We do so because we want to make sure that the gospel is clearly presented. I think that it has been this morning. And for some reason, the Lord has put a movie into my mind to share with you. I wasn't planning on this. So if it goes south, it's his fault. All right. I even forget the name of the movie, but where's the, what is the name of the movie where, uh, um,
Speaker 1 00:51:58 Uh, where Jesus shows up and
Speaker 0 00:52:03 Tells him to build an arc Jim Carrey to build, is it Jim Carrey? But, um, yeah, I dunno. Is it Evan almighty? Uh, yeah, the dude shows up. You remember the what's his name? No, it wasn't Steve corral. It was, uh, the, uh, no, it was Ron movie anyway. Um, anyway, it was, it was one of those movies, Evan almighty, or the other one that I think I'm thinking of, what is it, Bruce almighty? Maybe that was the, I don't know whatever it was, but there's a moment of time where God shows up and starts talking to whichever the star was, whether it was Steve Carol or, or, uh, or, uh, Jim care. But whatever it was, uh, God shows up and gives him revelation. Maybe it was a flood one. It was the flood one, whatever that one was, Evan almighty. So he shows up and he starts telling this hero, whatever it is to build an arc, he has no idea why he's building Archies is building an arc and we're watching the movie. And I still got to remember, I can't remember any much about the movie, but I can remember the conversation I had with my kids afterwards, because the conversation was that can't be Jesus, that can't be got showing up and talking to Jim Carrey or whoever it was having all my dear, Steve Carell, whatever it was that can't be him. And I said, why not? And they said, because the only image that God ever shows up in is the person of Jesus Christ. He is the only visible
Speaker 1 00:53:34 Image of the invisible God. I think about that,
Speaker 0 00:53:41 That erases just about 95% of all false religions on the planet, because Jesus is the only real image of the Godhead. You don't see God, the father, you don't see God, the holy spirit, you cannot see them. They are spirit. The only image of God is Jesus. Because when we see him, we see the image, casting all the shadows. That's why the cross is so important. Only Jesus died on the cross. Only his blood
Speaker 1 00:54:15 Was God blood.
Speaker 0 00:54:18 And when you eat and you drink for communion, be reminded that this is Jesus. We're remembering not some esoteric bridge that gets us to God. This is Jesus. He is the one who came, died on the cross, gave us his body and shed his blood so that we could have a relationship
Speaker 1 00:54:40 With God.
Speaker 0 00:54:43 It was his hand that handed the disciples, these items and said, this is my body given for you. This is my blood shed. And there was before his crucifixion, Jesus is saying, this is what you're going
Speaker 1 00:54:57 To do to remember me. The entire Bible is about Jesus Christ. Hope that rocks your world. When we do this,
Speaker 0 00:55:11 I don't know how the Lord has visited you today. What realities he's reminded you of or revealed to you in a new way, but whatever he has, we're going to give you a moment before we take communion. Just to thank him for that. Thank him for visiting with you today. Thank him for whatever he has revealed to you today. Thank you for whatever he is reminded. This is your moment to spend with God. And then the band is going to play. And if you would come up and you can in house, you can get this little cup and the bread and the top of it, take it back. Don't don't eat yet. Just hang onto it. I'm going to do the same thing. And then I'm going to come up and I'm going to eat and drink with you. Why? Because we're all in this together.
Speaker 0 00:55:49 We're all sinners in need of saving grace from Jesus Christ. So just hang on, I'll come up. I'll read a passage of scripture. We'll eat and drink together at home. If you're new with us, we want you to join us too. The reason that we do this is because there's no magical. Molecul molecular S weirdness mysticism that takes place to make this cracker anything more than a cracker of the juice. Anything more than, than stuff that came from grapes or whatever it was manufactured from. This is just a reminder. And so we'd encourage you at home. Get some crackers, get, get some something you can eat and grab, grab a little juice or something from the fridge, participate with us because we do this together in remembrance of him. That's the meaning of communion, not the fact that any molecular weirdness takes place. We do this in remembrance of him. We do this to remind ourselves as gospel, that saves yesterday, today and forever. So I'm going to give you a moment to do that. Um, spend some time with the Lord. I'm going to pray after that and then come on up and get, get your items. We're going to sing. I'm going to read a passage, scripture. We're going to eat and drink together, and then I'll finish up the service. Let me give you a few moments to spend with the Lord.
