Participants: Pr. John Lomacang, Pr. John Stanton
Series Code: HCL
Program Code: HCL130014
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00:01 Hello friends, grab you Bible and a friend
00:02 and sit back as we explore Gods word together 00:05 on this edition of "House Calls". 00:22 Welcome to another "House Calls" program, 00:24 John and John are in the saddle. Well, actually the seat. 00:29 But we thank you for tuning in because we are always excited 00:32 when you get together and join us 00:34 for good thoughtful hour in Bible study. 00:39 John, it's always good to have you with me. 00:40 It's great to be here again. 00:42 Looking forward to another eventful hour. 00:44 That's right, yeah. We have a really great topic. 00:46 Today we are going to talk about the sanctuary. 00:48 And that's something that a lot of people have heard about 00:51 but not a lot of people are keenly aware 00:55 of its application today. Right. 00:58 And what Christ is involved in as it relates to the ministry 01:02 that He continues to carry on even though 01:04 He is not here in the earth. 01:06 But invite your families to sit down with you, 01:10 maybe church members but even if you are by yourself, 01:13 you are part of a worldwide family, the 3ABN family 01:16 and thank you for being a part of that. 01:18 But before we go into our questions and anything else, 01:21 we always have prayer. John. 01:23 Dear Father in heaven, 01:24 we invite Your presence to be with us here today. 01:27 Lord, we pray that You would bless our hearts, 01:30 warm our hearts. 01:32 Invite us into Your presence as well and speak to us 01:34 as we go through Your word on a topic very important to You. 01:38 Something You are trying to teach us through Your word 01:40 in regard to the work of Jesus for us today. 01:44 In Christ name we pray, amen. Amen. 01:46 By the way, thank you 01:48 for continuing to send your questions 01:50 and your comments to us here. 01:52 At House Calls we do appreciate whenever you send us questions 01:57 and some of you send comments but if you have any question 02:00 that are going on your mind today 02:02 or something you are thinking about right now 02:03 that you like to send, 02:05 send those to housecalls@3abn.org. 02:08 That's housecalls@3abn.org 02:11 and we will do our best to respond to you 02:14 from the Word of God. 02:15 Sometimes we include our opinion 02:17 but we try to stay in line with God's word. 02:21 And John, I've been giving you the first bat, 02:23 so what do you have for us today? 02:25 We have a question from Michael and the question that I am sure 02:28 many parents can identify with. 02:31 It's quite a long question and he--in fact he wrote back 02:34 and he said, feel free to paraphrase 02:36 my question if you want to. That's good. 02:37 Anyway, essentially what he's saying 02:39 is his heart is torn for his kids. 02:43 His kids aren't part of the church, 02:44 his kids don't know the Lord 02:46 and he is just anxious about what to do. 02:51 In fact I am looking here it says, 02:53 the email from Michael but it says, in Christ, Karen. 02:57 So I guess this is mom. 02:59 Anyway I am really as a pastor I feel for you, 03:03 I've had many conversations like this with parents 03:07 and have had to council them 03:09 in almost out of it, almost anxietic, anxiety state 03:15 because they are so torn up about their kids 03:17 and lifestyle that they are living. 03:19 And so just a few pieces of what Karen writes here. 03:22 She quotes a text, she says from Isaiah 49:25, it says, 03:26 "Thus saith the Lord, even the captives of the mighty 03:29 shall be taken away, 03:30 and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered. 03:35 For I will contend with him that contendeth with thee, 03:39 and I will save thy children." 03:42 And so she says here, "I've taken it to mean 03:44 that God would fight Satan on their behalf 03:46 and that He would save my children if I remain faithful." 03:52 And goes on little further down here and she says, you know, 03:56 related to this, "How does intercessory prayer work 03:59 on behalf of another person 04:00 since I know God will never force someone to make Him 04:04 the most important thing in their life? 04:06 Please help me understand this. 04:07 I want nothing more in this life 04:09 than the eternal life of my children." Okay. 04:14 It is heart wrenching to see not only your children 04:18 but friends, loved ones, anyone 04:20 who doesn't know the Lord 04:22 specially in an age that we live 04:23 where we know things are rapidly 04:27 concluding in this world and Jesus is about to come. 04:31 And all I can--it's really tough because all I can say is 04:34 God loves them more than you love them. 04:38 His heart aches to win them even more than your's does 04:43 because of His great love. 04:45 The big thing here to remember is that number one, 04:49 I think you said it, God is a free will. 04:52 He will not over step His boundaries. 04:55 Thant's right. To their desires. 04:57 But He can create situations, circumstances in their lives 05:01 that cause them to sense a need of Him. 05:04 I've seen entire situations created, established, altered, 05:09 adjusted all in God's providence and plan 05:12 because people have been praying for individuals. 05:15 But we've had individuals come up to me say 05:19 and I know it's happened to you too, 05:20 you've been praying for me 05:21 or I know my parents are praying for me 05:23 or I am here a personage as a testimony, 05:26 I am here because my dad prayed for me. 05:28 So I know that prayer does this, 05:30 understanding how exactly that works, 05:32 we don't know all the signs of prayer 05:34 but we can say this. 05:35 Something about prayer, intercessory prayer 05:38 moves the heart of God. 05:40 Not to be more loving or more active towards an individual 05:44 but it almost-- it gives a permissibility, 05:46 an allowance for God to intervene in a way 05:50 that He could not or would not if prayers weren't been offered. 05:54 And you can almost see where this great battle 05:57 that's occurring beyond what our eyes can see, 05:59 Christ versus Satan. 06:00 Satan trying to destroy life, Satan would say, 06:04 "You have no permission, he is mine, 06:06 he resides in my kingdom" and God responding saying, 06:09 "I do have permission because his parents are inviting me 06:12 to come and intervene in this. 06:15 I am here to do and answer their prayer." 06:17 So I think of that picture when I think of intercessory prayer 06:21 that God does do certain things 06:23 and is allowed to do certain things 06:25 because we pray in behalf of others. Right. 06:28 And there's something that I think we need to do more of, 06:31 it's a very selfish thing to just pray for yourself 06:34 and have your own prayer list for blessings of your own. 06:38 And I am included in this, I need to pray more for others. 06:41 I know some of you are very good that 06:43 but I encourage you Karen, 06:45 keep praying for your kids 06:46 because that's the one thing you can do. 06:48 There's something in your email 06:49 that does cause me to be a little concern 06:54 and that is that you mentioned 06:55 that every time they come around, 06:56 you try to encourage them in the Lord 06:58 and kind of push them in that direction. 07:01 I would be very careful on that 07:02 because sometimes by our intensity, 07:07 they can perceive it as obnoxious 07:10 or something that they can even be more resistant 07:13 if you push at a time that you should not push. 07:16 And so I would be very careful when they come around your home, 07:20 when you are there, when they are there love them, 07:23 care for them, show your concern for them as a parent 07:27 but be very careful to venture onto the religious ground 07:31 if they are not open to receiving that 07:33 because you can just push them away a little further. 07:35 I've seen some parents even raising their kids 07:38 actually push them away from the Lord 07:41 by their intensity and their rigorous planning 07:47 and how they raise their kids 07:49 and we have to be careful about that as parents as well. 07:52 Sometimes we-- and I am so glad you mentioned about your dad. 07:56 And I remember that story very well, you know, 07:58 while you are partying and your dad is upstairs praying for you 08:02 and in your frivolous youth. 08:05 He is praying for you to be saved 08:07 and the Lord did come into your life in a powerful way 08:09 and look at you today. 08:11 And then I also have the privilege of writing 08:13 a song called Momma's Prayer 08:15 because I know that after my mother died 08:18 that is the lady who raised me, 08:20 I went out into the world and I remember distinctly 08:23 my sister said, "Before momma passed away, 08:26 she wanted to let you know she prayed for you." 08:29 And I could see that surely God has made a covenant 08:33 and covenant is a beautiful thing because the covenant-- 08:36 when there's a covenant made, 08:38 God commits Himself to keeping that covenant. 08:41 You know, Bible says in Timothy, 08:46 "I know in whom I have believed 08:49 and I know that he is also able to keep that 08:52 which I have committed to him against that day." 08:55 So sometimes parent say, 08:57 "Lord, I am committing my children to you." 08:59 And there's a beautiful story in the Book of Hosea, 09:01 if you ever want to find encouragement, 09:03 read the Book of Hosea about a relationship between a man 09:07 name Hosea and a wife name Gomer. 09:10 And the Lord knew even before they got married that Gomer 09:14 would be unfaithful over and over and over again 09:17 until the relationship got to the point 09:19 where it disintegrated and Gomer left. 09:22 And God said in His word, He said, 09:23 "I will bar a purvey 09:26 that she will not be able to over take her lovers. 09:28 She will pursue them but she will never overtake them." 09:31 In another words, sometimes we have children 09:33 that leave the church, leave the family, 09:35 go out into the world 09:37 and they are so-- I use this phrase, 09:40 they are so determined to just grab on to everything 09:44 the world has to offer 09:46 that they are pursuing it, pursuing it over family. 09:50 In California that, was members of our church 09:53 and one day we got a call from the wife and she said, 09:55 "My husband was raised 09:56 all his life in the Adventist church, 09:58 he went through all the Adventist schools, 10:00 he went through all the-- 10:01 his mom and dad were Adventist Christians 10:04 and one day he just said to me 10:06 after our children were born and some of them, 10:09 they were in elementary school. 10:11 He just came home one day and made the announcement, 10:12 'I am leaving you, I am leaving the family, 10:15 I am leaving the church. 10:16 You haven't done anything wrong. 10:17 I just feel that all my life I've missed 10:19 what the world has to offer and I want to enjoy it. 10:21 I want to find out what the world has to offer.'" 10:23 And to this day, this has been, 10:26 you know, maybe 15 years ago, 10:28 to this day he is not back yet. 10:29 And when you think about situations like that, 10:32 you think, man, how is that going to be reversed. 10:36 But God in the Book of Hosea, 10:38 one of the most beautiful stories, 10:40 I did a sermon entitled "Remembering how it was." 10:43 And when you look at that story, 10:44 it reversed to the point where Hosea, 10:47 where Gomer said after she went out 10:49 and saw that everything she pursued was of no value 10:52 and it didn't bring any lasting joy. 10:55 She said, "I will go and return to my husband 10:59 for it was better with me then, than it is with me now." 11:03 And I know people that have left the church, 11:05 I was growing up with a lot of friends who left the church 11:07 and they went out into the world 11:08 and got involved in all kinds of things, 11:11 some of the women became very permissive 11:13 and God involved in their life 11:14 and the guys got involved in drugs and crime and all that. 11:17 And some of them were fortunate enough by God's protection 11:20 to survive that and come back in the church and are re-anchored. 11:24 And God is just that kind of God. 11:27 But this is the text that I like to share with you 11:30 in the Book of Exodus 14. 11:34 It is amazing that sometimes we feel that it's better for us 11:41 to live the way we want to live 11:44 and but God gives a message in these two verses, 11:46 these-- actually and we see, these three verses. 11:51 Okay, I will give you four verses, all right. 11:53 We just go ahead, do I hear, do I hear five? 11:56 Four verses here in Exodus 14, starting with verse 12. 12:00 Now, what I want to get the context here 12:03 is the Lord has led His children out of Egypt. 12:07 They are no longer under the bondage of pharaoh and his army. 12:10 They are no longer slaves in Egypt. 12:12 Let me put that in context. 12:14 As the Christian they are no longer-- 12:15 they are not in the world, 12:17 they are no longer under the power of the world 12:19 but look at what happens. 12:20 In their Christian journey, 12:22 in the journey towards the Promised Land, 12:23 look at that they said in verse 12, 12:26 "Is this not the word that we told you in Egypt, 12:31 saying, let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians?" 12:34 In another words, we like that, 12:36 I mean we want to do that. 12:38 And then he said, 12:39 "For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians, 12:42 than that we should die in the wilderness." 12:45 And they thought that God had brought them 12:46 to the wilderness experience for their detriment 12:50 rather than for their salvation 12:52 but I like what the response was. 12:54 And sometimes we have to remember 12:57 that God is fighting these battles. 12:59 Verse 13, "And Moses said to the people, do not be afraid." 13:03 And sometimes parents, you have to do this. 13:05 "Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, 13:08 which he will accomplish for you today, 13:11 for the Egyptians whom you see today, 13:14 you shall see again no more for ever." 13:16 And this is the thing you have to remember. 13:18 "The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace. 13:22 And the Lord said to Moses, 'Why do you cry to me? 13:24 Tell the children of Israel to go forward.'" 13:28 So when your children realize that Lord is fighting for them, 13:31 you got to say to them, 13:33 the only responsibility you have is to go forward. 13:36 Keep going forward in Lord 13:38 and but sometimes we just have to be intermediary 13:41 in our approach to fighting these battles 13:44 that sometimes our children are completely unaware of, 13:48 of what their lives really all about. 13:51 The lady that raised me 13:52 she died before I went out into the world. 13:57 I went out there and so to speak as we say, 13:59 did my own thing which in fact was the devil's thing. 14:01 We know how that goes. 14:04 But I am back now and how wonderful it's gong to be 14:08 to see that all of her prayers that she prayed did pay off. 14:11 God does honor those who make a covenant with Him. 14:15 And that covenant is a covenant by sacrifice. 14:17 Father, I am going to keep my children before You, 14:19 You just save them for me. 14:21 So don't lose heart. 14:23 God will do it in His way and in His time. 14:26 We have to be patient with His way. Yeah. 14:28 And His time. And that is key. 14:30 He does it in His way, in His time. 14:32 I got a little letter from a guy name Gary. 14:34 He said my mother died three years ago, 14:36 once in a while I see her in my bedroom, 14:39 it makes me scare but I talk to her. 14:42 How do I know it is her 14:44 and what should I do when I see her again? 14:47 Why am I scared? 14:50 Amazing question. 14:52 Well, okay, first of all once in a while, 14:55 hmm-- I see my-- I see her. 14:58 Let's go through a couple of passages in Bible. 15:01 Let's go to the Book of Ecclesiastes first. 15:05 Gary, let me encourage you, 15:06 it is not your mom, that's why you are scared. 15:11 I could say that clearly, it is not your mom 15:15 because when your mom was alive you weren't scared 15:18 because you had an open communication with her 15:21 and there was nothing preventing you from speaking to her and-- 15:27 but there's a reason why you are fearful. 15:29 There's an eighth sense that there's something wrong here 15:33 and this is the reason why. 15:36 Ecclesiastes 9:5-6. 15:44 It says, "For the living knows that they will die 15:49 but the dead know nothing, 15:53 and they have no more reward for the memory of them is forgotten. 15:57 Also their love," Verse 6, "their hatred, 16:01 and their envy have now perished. 16:04 Nevermore will they have a share in anything done under the sun." 16:08 Now you can jump down to verse 10, 16:11 "Whatever your hand finds to do, 16:14 do it with your might for there is no work 16:17 or device or knowledge or wisdom 16:20 in the grave where you are going." 16:23 So what you see here is it cannot be your mother 16:26 because the dead don't know anything. 16:28 And even further more than that it says she can't love, 16:32 she can't hate, she can't envy 16:35 because once she died everything died along with her. 16:38 Emotions died, feelings died, the love died. 16:42 In another words what you are seeing is-- 16:45 and I want to just be very candid with you, 16:49 what you are seeing is satanic apparitions 16:52 that are trying to communicate with you 16:55 and create some kind of open dialogue 16:57 between you and an entity that is not your mom. 17:00 So I would recommend that you pray, 17:03 if that happens again pray and you pray in the name of Jesus. 17:07 Say, Lord, I know this is not my mother. 17:09 I am praying for you to remove whatever this is from my room 17:13 and never allow it to come here again. 17:15 And the Bible says, 17:16 when you pray and ask for the Lord to help, 17:17 He will, He will remove, He will step forward in your behalf. 17:22 John, a lot of times we have these-- 17:24 you and I talked about this yesterday as a matter of fact 17:26 how movies are becoming more and more and more demonic. 17:32 It's like there's a thirst 17:34 and many of them have to do with the after life 17:37 and encounters and people seeing nothing 17:39 but while they are laying in their bed their feet are pulled 17:41 or doors are slamming or they are being elevated, 17:44 I mean, levitated from their beds. 17:46 I mean, what do you make of all this? 17:48 Well, I tell you, it's conditioning our mind 17:51 to think more and more along these terms 17:54 and this is how the devil works 17:56 but in fact with this example, what is the man's name, Gary? 18:01 Gary, yeah. 18:02 In Gary's situation the devil works quite differently. 18:05 He comes as a family member. 18:08 And this is the way that he works. 18:10 In fact from a very old, long, long ago 18:14 we see in the scriptures that he work in this way 18:17 where Saul who was king of Israel went to see a witch, 18:22 a medium at Endor and when he went to see her he said, 18:27 "Will you call up Samuel for me?" 18:30 And this witch calls up what appeared to be Samuel. 18:34 So this demonic spirit comes up as Samuel, 18:38 looks like Samuel, sounds like Samuel. 18:41 It's not Samuel, I mean the witch is the one calling him up, 18:44 not God bringing him down. 18:45 He is coming up from the ground 18:47 and so this is clearly a demonic spirit 18:50 but he looks and sounds and the senses say that it is Samuel. 18:55 This is the way the devil works 18:56 and he does this throughout scripture. 18:59 And it's a great deception for not only him 19:02 but it's a tactic that he uses to open our minds, 19:05 our hearts to messages that are from his kingdom 19:09 rather than the messages that come from God. 19:11 Which is why God gave strict rules, 19:13 never consult mediums, spiritist, 19:17 anyone that contacts the dead 19:19 because the dead know nothing 19:21 and who you are actually coming in contact with 19:24 is not a family member but is in fact demonic spirits. 19:27 Matter of fact, there's a new terminology 19:31 and I want to share a couple of passages 19:32 with you in the Book of Job, 19:34 Job said so much about what happens when a person dies. 19:37 You know why, because he felt he was facing death. 19:40 And you know, Job 7, Job 14, Job 19, Job 17. 19:46 I want to share a few passages here 19:48 and then make a couple of comments. 19:50 Job 7:9-10. Job 7:9-10. 19:57 In verse 9, he says, "As the cloud disappears 20:00 and vanishes away, so he who goes down 20:04 to the grave does not come up. 20:09 He shall never return to his house, 20:12 nor shall his place know him any more." 20:14 So it's not your mom coming back to your house, 20:17 it's something all together different. 20:18 John was making it very, very clear here 20:20 that that's not your mom. 20:22 The devil is trying to make an inroads 20:25 and this is how people are innocently drawn 20:28 into something a word called spiritualism 20:32 because there's a spirit there. 20:34 The Bible also talks about familiar spirits 20:37 from which we get the word family. 20:39 And so how much more welcoming would a person be. 20:43 I remember a story of a family that talked about a little girl 20:47 who had died and this is really sad but, 20:50 and the mother so missed that girl, 20:53 she lamented and cried and after about a few months 20:57 after this girl died, she started 21:00 seeing apparitions of this girl in the home. 21:04 And then it got-- it went from apparition 21:05 to something actually manifesting itself 21:08 and the mother would reach out and pick her up 21:10 and put her on her lap and have conversations with her. 21:14 And after a few months of this kind of activity 21:16 she finally decided to reveal it to her husband 21:19 who was a Christian. 21:20 This family was a Christian. 21:21 But the mother had so lamented 21:23 over the loss of their daughter, 21:24 the little daughter of 5, 6 years old. 21:27 She finally revealed it to her husband 21:29 and her husband-- 21:31 and I am using the phrase here not physically 21:32 but shook her back into reality saying, 21:34 "Honey, that's not our daughter. 21:36 That's a demon in our home." 21:38 And they got together and they besiege the Lord, 21:40 they prayed, they prayed and it never happened again. 21:44 And his-- remember it distinctly 21:45 the wife communicating into story, 21:47 she said, her husband told her when this happens again 21:50 because what happened the way she described 21:52 it was the thing would manifest itself and say, 21:55 "Mommy, mommy" and in a crying type of tone 21:59 and the mother would break down 22:00 over the loss of their daughter 22:01 and put her arms out and embrace her 22:03 and the next thing you know 22:04 she's having these conversations with her. 22:06 And the husband said, this what you need to do 22:08 when it happens again, in the name of Jesus 22:10 you know be gone or he gave some specific words to say 22:16 and how to pray and it ceased to happen. 22:19 And I've had people at my church, 22:21 one of the churches I pastor in California. 22:23 They would be sitting down having dinner. 22:26 And they say, "Oh, we have this friendly ghost. 22:27 She's a female ghost and she shows up 22:29 around dinner time. 22:31 She's really funny, she always cracks jokes." 22:33 And all the family members are seeing this. 22:38 And I am saying, "That is not funny." 22:41 That's how Satan is seeking to find a way in by this. 22:44 And they said, "Oh, she is so funny." 22:45 And we had one of the family members, 22:49 I won't mention his name but he said, 22:52 "I don't laugh because I know it's satanic. 22:54 I know it's demonic." 22:55 But the father, the mother, 22:56 the daughter, they laughed about it. 23:00 They all says, "It always crack jokes, makes us laugh." 23:03 And I said, "Where does this thing show up?" 23:05 By the refrigerator in the kitchen 23:08 while we are sitting there having dinner. 23:10 And I said, I told the father, said, 23:12 "You know what, that's an evil spirit trying to find-- 23:16 Well, has found a way in your home 23:18 and you are entertaining it because you are laughing at it." 23:21 And I said, "Here's what you need to do." 23:22 And the brother, that's, oh, it's not even a threat 23:25 and the son said, "I will do it next time it happens." 23:28 And he did it and it never happened again. 23:31 And it's really amazing. Now-- 23:33 Good for the son stepping up. 23:34 It's really amazing, the devil manifest himself 23:37 in certain ways all he's wanting to do 23:38 is find a way in, that's the reality. 23:41 A couple of more text here in Job 17 23:44 and there's a phrase that's been used 23:46 nowadays in a lot of funerals. 23:48 I've heard this on television, I've heard it 23:51 when I've gone to funerals of denominations 23:54 that where the pastor obviously 23:56 don't believe that the dead know nothing. 23:59 They use this phrase, 24:01 "We're having a home going service." 24:04 Like they are going home, you know, heaven is my home. 24:08 They use this home going service. 24:10 And they are using these terminologies 24:12 to somehow plant seeds in people's minds that, 24:17 Oh, they are home with the Lord. 24:20 And they fail to realize that in 1 Thessalonians 24:22 and I will have you read that in just a minute, 24:24 they fail to realize that they are not home in heaven. 24:27 They are in the grave. 24:29 So I said, it is a home going service 24:31 and here's the text that I added to it. 24:33 It is a home going service but to what home? 24:35 Here's Job 17, listen to this. 24:40 He says in verse 13, "If I wait for the grave 24:43 as my house, If I make my bed in the darkness, 24:50 If I say to corruption, 'You are my father,' 24:53 And to the worms, 'You are my mother and my sisters.' 24:57 Where then is my hope? 24:59 As for my hopes, who can see it? 25:02 Will they go down to the gates of Sheol, 25:05 that is to the grave. 25:07 Shall we have rest together in the dust?" 25:12 The dust is his house, the grave is his house. 25:14 That's where he will go. 25:15 Yes, so if you are having a home going service, 25:17 you are going home. Home to the grave. 25:19 You are not going home to heaven 25:20 until Jesus comes back and that's the promise 25:23 He made to His disciples in John 14. 25:26 Here's another one, Job 14, 25:29 replete with passages about what happens. 25:32 It also shows you in this chapter, 25:34 Job 14 that men are not coming back. 25:40 when they go to the grave, 25:41 they are not coming back to have any interaction. 25:43 Here is Job 14:7, it says, "For there is hope for a tree. 25:50 If it is cut down, that it will sprout again, 25:53 and that its tender shoots will not cease. 25:56 Though its roots may grow old in the earth 25:59 and its stump may die in the ground, 26:01 yet at the scent of water it will bud 26:04 and bring forth branches like a plant. 26:06 But--" Verse 10, you have it there? 26:09 No, I went to 1 Thessalonians. 26:11 Okay. But it says in verse 10, 26:13 "But man dies and is laid away. 26:16 Indeed he breathes his last and where is he. 26:20 As water disappears from the sea 26:22 and a river becomes parched and dry up. 26:25 So man lies down and does not rise 26:28 till the heavens are no more. 26:30 They will not awake nor be roused from their sleep. 26:33 All that you would hide me in the grave 26:35 that you would conceal me until your wrath has passed." 26:39 And then he says in verse 10--verse 21, 26:42 "His sons come to honored and he does not know it. 26:45 They are brought low and he does not perceive it." 26:48 So all these things that are happening after a person dies. 26:53 The dead don't know what's going on 26:55 because they are waiting for the coming of the Lord. 26:57 In 1 Thessalonians, I think it's Chapter 4:13-18, 27:02 pulls it all together. 27:03 Well, it talks about here, those who are sleeping in Jesus. 27:07 Right. And the resurrection. 27:08 In fact everything points to the resurrection 27:11 as the next time that those who have died will live again. 27:16 It says, "For if we believe--" 27:17 and this is verse 14, "that Jesus died and rose again. 27:21 Even so God will bring with Him those who asleep in Jesus. 27:26 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, 27:29 that those who are alive and remain 27:30 until the coming of the Lord, 27:31 will by no means precede those who are asleep. 27:35 For the Lord Himself will descend 27:36 from heaven with a shout, with the voice 27:38 of the archangel and the trumpet of God, 27:40 and the dead in Christ will rise first. 27:43 Then we who are alive and remain 27:44 shall be caught up together with them in the clouds 27:47 to meet the Lord in the air, and thus, in another words, 27:49 from then on we shall always be with the Lord." 27:53 Not before that. That's right. 27:55 All both of those who sleep in Jesus 27:57 and those who are alive in Jesus, 28:00 will meet Him in the air and be with the Lord 28:02 from that point on, not before. That's right. 28:06 So there's nothing in the Bible that indicate this. 28:08 Now I know that you are thinking here, 28:11 especially some of you who have been raised in churches 28:13 that have taught that when you die 28:16 you immediately go to heaven but there are few verses 28:18 that are brought out that seem to, 28:20 they say suggest that in fact 28:23 they are in heaven. 28:24 What they actually do is they ignore 28:26 the multitude of verses that says 28:28 that they could not be in heaven. 28:30 And so in effect what they have done is 28:33 they made the Bible to contradict itself 28:37 by teaching that those who have died are in heaven, 28:40 they are actually causing the Word of God 28:42 to contradict itself. 28:44 Because of the clear statement elsewhere, 28:46 more numerous than those they suggest advocate 28:49 they go to heaven right away. 28:52 They ignore those and I believe do 28:55 a great disservice to this teaching. 28:56 And look what Satan has done, John. 28:58 Let's think of the practical aspect. 29:00 The end time grows, grows very, very close to us now. 29:05 And all these people are seeing this movies about, 29:08 you know, the afterlife and we are becoming 29:10 conditioned as a society to believe 29:13 if there's life after death 29:14 and spirits beyond that you can communicate with. 29:16 And all of a sudden Satan starts to ramp up, 29:19 here is the attack at the very end of time 29:22 and what he does is he starts appearing 29:25 not only to the secular mind and the secular hearts 29:27 and minimize, in fact remove atheism as a whole. 29:32 Right. But he appeals to who? 29:33 Christians who have believed that their loved ones 29:37 are in heaven already and have come back 29:40 to speak a message to them. 29:42 And they will follow that message 29:43 if they are open to that deception. 29:46 And the text that you were referring to, John, 29:48 I am glad you alluded to that 29:49 because there are certain passages in the Bible 29:51 that if you don't read the whole context of it, 29:54 the one that is a very, very familiar one, 29:56 I've heard preacher say that, they are absent from the body, 29:59 therefore they are present with the Lord. 30:01 If you read that passage, you read absolutely nothing 30:04 in that passage that even remotely suggest 30:08 or even mentions the word death. 30:12 And so you ask yourself, 30:14 what is Paul actually talking about? 30:17 One day we will be absent from this body. 30:20 Paul talked about how he groaned, 30:26 while in this life we have trials 30:27 and tribulations and difficulties and-- 30:32 but while we are at home in this body, 30:34 we are absent from the Lord. 30:35 And so he said, to be absent 30:37 from the body is to be present with the Lord. 30:39 And then he also talks about how that's going to happen? 30:42 How one day immortality will be swallowed up by life? 30:47 So what he means by that is that the same thing 30:49 he says in 1 Thessalonians 4 and he also reiterates 30:53 that In 1 Corinthians 15, 30:55 how this mortal will put on immortality. 30:58 It's not possible to be mortal 31:00 and in the presence of an immortal God. 31:02 God is a consuming fire, we will cease to exist. 31:05 So when you read-- 31:08 When you read 2 Corinthians 5:1-8, 31:15 it's talking about how our walk is by faith 31:18 and not by sight because we are looking forward 31:20 one day to be in the presence of the Lord 31:23 but we are not in the presence of Lord, 31:25 so it's a faith walk, not a sight walk. 31:27 That's where that we walk by faith 31:29 and not by sight comes in. 31:30 And so when you look at this whole earthy temple, 31:34 the house that we are in, 31:36 the building that we are in that we are hoping 31:38 that we will one day it is destroyed, 31:40 it is going to be destroyed 31:41 when this mortal puts on immortality. 31:45 The same Paul that talks about 31:46 ascending to meet the Lord in the air, 31:48 notice, to meet Him is the same one. 31:51 In fact, read verse 10 of 2 Corinthians 5. 31:54 It tells you when all this happen. 31:55 Exactly, "For we must all appear 31:57 before the judgment seat of Christ, 32:00 that each one may receive the things done 32:02 in the body according to what He has done, 32:04 whether good or bad." And so that's right. 32:08 That is the chapter there 32:09 where old things are passed away, 32:11 behold, all things are become new. 32:13 But he's simply talking about the difficulties in this life, 32:15 how there are many of you watching the program 32:17 that are having trials and tribulations and we, 32:20 I've said, "Man, can't wait till Jesus comes. 32:24 All these trials and difficulties will be over." 32:27 And that's why Paul says here, 32:29 we know that in our earthly house, this tent. 32:33 We know that if our earthly house, 32:35 this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, 32:38 a house, " verse 1, "not made with hands, 32:41 eternal in the heavens. 32:43 For in this-- that is in this tent we groan, 32:47 earnestly desiring to be closed with our habitation 32:50 which is from heaven. 32:52 If indeed, having been clothed, we shall not be found naked. 32:56 For we who are in this tent, 32:58 that is this body being burdened, 33:01 not because we want to be unclothed, 33:03 but rather clothed, 33:05 that mortality may be swallowed up by life." 33:09 And in your Bible you could see the reference there, 33:11 1 Corinthians 15:53, 33:14 that's when immortality is going to replace mortality. 33:17 Then he says, now verse 5, 33:20 "He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, 33:24 who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. 33:28 Therefore we are always confident, 33:30 knowing that while we are at home in the body 33:34 we are absent from the Lord." 33:36 And then he says, 33:37 "We walk by faith and not by sight. 33:40 We are confident, yes, well pleased rather," 33:43 this what he would rather had to-- 33:45 "rather to be absent from the body 33:46 and to be present with the Lord." 33:48 What body? This mortal corrupt body. 33:51 He said, that's what I would rather have. 33:54 But right now in this tent we groan. 33:56 And so one day we are going to be unclothed 33:59 from this mortal body but we are going to be 34:01 clothed with an immortal body. 34:02 Do yourself a favor 34:03 and do a study in 1 Corinthians 15. 34:05 Here it shows the earthly body, the heavenly body 34:08 and it will show you exactly 34:09 when the transition is going to take place, 34:11 not at death but when the Lord comes. 34:13 That's right. 34:14 Anyway, I think we need to go to our topic-- 34:16 Yeah, we will do. 34:17 We have really taken some time 34:18 but thank you for your questions and comments. 34:22 And I know that we talk about things here 34:23 that sometimes jar thought in your mind. 34:26 If you have any question you like to send to us, 34:28 you can send those questions to the email address 34:31 that will be found on the screen. 34:32 That email address is housecalls@3abn.org. 34:35 That's housecalls@3abn.org. 34:39 And we surely do appreciate 34:40 everything you do here for 3ABN, 34:43 your prayers and your financial support. 34:46 Now John, take us into our topic today. 34:49 We are going to be talking about 34:50 something that continues to bless our hearts 34:53 as it relates to the plan of the God. 34:57 And what we are talking about today? 34:58 Well, we are talking about the sanctuary. 35:00 And just to provide us some clarity 35:02 as to what that is, just a brief picture here 35:05 if you read the book of Hebrews at all, 35:07 it's in the New Testament. 35:09 You will find the writer of Hebrews spends extensive time 35:12 from about Chapter 8 onward connecting 35:17 Christ's ministry as our high priest 35:22 with the ministry of the Law of Moses, 35:25 the ceremonial aspect to that of the sanctuary 35:29 that was on earth. 35:31 And what he does is he speaks in language 35:33 that helps us understand that there is this 35:37 connectivity between Old Testament process 35:42 and ceremonies and sacrifices and things 35:45 they did with what Jesus is doing today. 35:49 That's right. 35:50 And we can't miss that connection. 35:53 The issue today is that many Christians 35:56 have so removed the Old Testament 35:58 from their Christian experience 36:01 that they don't dive into the Old Testament to find out 36:04 what those things mean 36:05 in regard to Christ ministry today. 36:08 So what we are going to do is 36:09 we are going to talk about the sanctuary 36:12 and we are really talking about two sanctuaries, 36:15 the primary one which exists in heaven 36:18 and a secondary one which was the pattern, 36:20 the copy of that heavenly sanctuary 36:22 that existed on the earth during the time of Israel. 36:25 And so we are going to find some things, 36:28 I believe in this sanctuary on earth 36:30 that we can learn about the things 36:31 that are going on in heaven right now 36:33 with Jesus as our high priest. 36:35 That's right. And the sanctuary is, 36:37 I think one of the first things 36:38 we have to establish because people will say, 36:41 "Well, why was there any need for an earthly sanctuary?" 36:45 And I think you've mentioned, 36:46 you made some comparisons here 36:48 but I think it will be good for us 36:49 just to go to Exodus 25. 36:51 And, John, if you can read verse 8 and 9, 36:54 you will see that there was a purpose 36:56 behind the sanctuary that supports the reason 37:02 why God gave Moses all the information 37:05 and all the knowledge that was needed 37:07 in order to build this. 37:09 He says in Exodus 25:8-9 and these talks about 37:12 a great desire the Lord has. 37:14 Actually in this passage to provide 37:15 some context here, John. 37:18 This is when Moses went up on the mountain 37:20 and was there for 40 days. 37:23 And he first receives the Ten Commandments, okay. 37:25 That's right. 37:26 On the Tablets of Stone and then during these 40 days, 37:31 God is speaking to him about something very special. 37:34 And so in this context we read these words 37:37 and I am reading from, as you said in Exodus 25:8-9, 37:41 "And let them make me," that is them, His people, 37:44 "make me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them. 37:47 According to all that I show you, 37:49 that is the pattern of the tabernacle, 37:51 and the pattern of all its furnishings, 37:54 just so you shall make it." Powerful. 37:57 He is asking Moses to have them make Him a sanctuary 38:01 so that He might dwell with them 38:02 and he has a specific pattern of all the sanctuary 38:06 and its furnishings to give to Moses during these 40 days 38:09 while he's up there with Him. 38:10 Okay. Which shows us that God is specific 38:13 because He has a pattern. 38:16 You see, we all know what a pattern is, 38:19 it's a blueprint in essence to-- 38:22 So He didn't say to Moses, "Hey, make me a sanctuary, 38:26 you figure it out" but he says, 38:28 "I am going to give you the pattern 38:30 and according to what I've shown you in the mount." 38:33 And that's when Moses, as you said was in the mountain 38:37 for 40 days and 40 nights. So the sanctuary 38:40 that He gives him-it's the other thing I like to make is. 38:44 He said, "Let them make it that I may dwell among them." 38:48 Now I want to just give a little bit of support 38:52 to the dwelling part. 38:54 You see the temple or the sanctuary, 38:56 the earthly sanctuary that they built. 38:59 The glory of God was knows as the Shekinah Glory. 39:05 And the people who knew that His presence, 39:08 the God's presence had descended in the most holy place 39:13 of the tabernacle because they saw the glory of the God, 39:16 they saw the light of God there. 39:18 But they could not go in to the most holy place 39:22 because the glory of God was so great. 39:24 It will consume any mortal. 39:27 So this desire for God to dwell among His people. 39:30 He says, I could do that but there needs to be a context 39:33 where although they know I am there, 39:35 there need to be a barrier between immortality that is God 39:39 and mortality which is in fact a man. 39:43 Had to be-- had to be a barrier 39:44 because they would cease to exist. 39:46 And so God asked them to make the sanctuary 39:48 and He says after a pattern. 39:50 And I want to just jump over really quick to Hebrews 8, 39:53 just to kind of wrap together this pattern 39:55 because this is what we were saying where we started. 39:57 The writer of Hebrews is picking up 40:00 a very important aspect of the Old Testament 40:03 that applies to Jesus. 40:05 And he says here in 8:1, 40:07 "Now this is the main point of the things we are saying." 40:10 Now, what if someone says that to you, John? 40:12 It's the main point. 40:13 It means, this isn't important point. 40:15 This is the main thrust of everything I've got to tell you. 40:18 That's right. And he goes on. 40:19 "We have such a High Priest capitalize there, 40:22 who is seeded at the right hand of the throne 40:25 of the Majesty in the heavens. 40:27 A minister of the sanctuary--" 40:29 There is the word again. 40:30 "And of the true tabernacle--tabernacle, 40:33 which the Lord erected, and not man. 40:37 That is Jesus is seated at the right hand of God. 40:41 He is the minister of the sanctuary. 40:44 But this sanctuary is not one that man has erected, 40:47 but one that God has erected." That's right. 40:50 Powerful. "For every High Priest--" 40:53 Which Jesus is the High Priest of all high priests. 40:56 "Is appointed to offerable gifts and sacrifices, 40:59 therefore it is necessary that this one--" Capital one Jesus. 41:03 "Also have something to offer." 41:06 Jesus, after the crucifixion 41:08 has something still to offer. That's right. 41:12 "For if he were on earth, he would not be a priest, 41:15 since there are priests who offer gifts 41:16 according to the law, who serve a copy 41:19 and the shadow of the heavenly things." 41:22 So if the tabernacle on the sanctuary 41:24 and all the things happening, 41:25 there is a copy and shadow of the heavenly things 41:28 which is the real sanctuary, John. 41:30 The one that is in heaven. 41:31 The one in heaven? That's right. 41:33 "As Moses was divinely instructed 41:35 when he was about to make the tabernacle. 41:38 For He said, 'See that you make all things 41:40 according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.'" 41:45 And so the issue here is God is meeting with Moses 41:48 on the mountain to give him clear instructions 41:50 and the pattern He shows Moses is the view 41:53 into the heavenly realm of the real tabernacle, 41:56 the real sanctuary that lives there. 41:58 And there's so many object lessons in the sanctuary, 42:05 the building of it, the purpose of it. 42:07 First of all, we mentioned that the ministry of the sanctuary 42:12 is based on each of the components 42:14 of the articles of furniture 42:15 as John was just talking about here. 42:17 And we'll get to talking about those and describing those, 42:19 but I want you to see a particular text. 42:22 I'm gonna show you two of them actually. 42:23 John, go to Psalms 77 and after I read my verse, 42:30 I want to read-- I'm gonna have you read yours. 42:32 I'm gonna read first-- I'm gonna read John 14:6. 42:37 John 14:6 and the Bible said, 42:40 "Jesus said to him, I am the way, 42:44 the truth, and the life, 42:46 no one comes to the Father, except through me." 42:50 That's sanctuary language. 42:53 Because in the sanctuary the only one that had the right 42:57 to be in the Most Holy Place was the high priest. 43:01 And that's where the Father descended the Shekinah Glory. 43:06 The only one that had the right to be 43:07 in the work of the sanctuary was the high priest. 43:12 He was the minister in that tabernacle. 43:14 And then later on, you'll find in Hebrews. 43:16 Jesus has become the minister of the true tabernacle. 43:19 So I want you to-- we're gonna make-- 43:21 we're gonna make some emphasis 43:22 or we're gonna emphasize the phrase, the way. 43:25 Now, Psalms 77:13, John. 43:29 Remember this fact to your head. 43:30 "I am the way." That's what Jesus said. 43:32 Now read verse 13. 43:34 "Your way, O God, is in the sanctuary, 43:38 who is so great a God as our God?" 43:41 So it says, I am the way and then David the Psalmist says, 43:45 "Your way is in the sanctuary." 43:47 Who is the one ministering in the sanctuary? 43:49 Christ. That's right. 43:50 All the work carried on was through the man 43:55 that represented the High Priest. 43:57 And Jesus has become our High Priest 43:59 of the true tabernacle, 44:01 a building not made with man's hands. 44:04 You see, so when you begin to look at some of these phrases 44:07 in the Old Testament, it would jump out at you 44:09 very, very carefully when you understand the sanctuary 44:13 and its import and its purpose, then all of a sudden 44:17 the work of Christ just starts to blossom, 44:21 as a flower that's unfolding right before our eyes. 44:25 So now we are looking at the fact that the Lord's way 44:29 is in the sanctuary, but Hebrews 8:1, 2. 44:34 Did you just read that? 44:35 Yes, that's what I just read. 44:36 Okay. And what that did is that begins to show us 44:39 the furniture and the purpose of each of the pieces 44:43 of the furniture, but -- 44:45 Before we jump into that, maybe we're gonna talk 44:46 about how the sanctuary was laid out here. Okay. 44:50 Because we've mentioned the high priest several times 44:52 and the high priest was the only one 44:54 that can go into the Most Holy Place. That's right. 44:57 The place where God's Shekinah Glory resided 45:00 in the middle of the cherubim 45:02 that was over the Ark of the Covenant. 45:05 In that Ark of the Covenant 45:06 and we'll talk about this in a bit 45:08 is the Law of God. That's right. 45:10 Now the high priest only was allowed to go there. 45:12 Now it's interesting Jesus says, 45:14 "I came to save my people from their sins." That's right. 45:18 Jesus is the only one that can deal with the sin issue 45:23 because He is the sacrifice. 45:25 But also He is our high priest 45:27 in that when He enters Most Holy Place 45:31 that is the time period where all the sins of Israel 45:34 combined are dealt with. That's right. 45:37 So in that respect, 45:38 Jesus isn't just our sacrifice on the cross, 45:41 He is the only one that can take that sacrifice 45:43 and eliminate, eradicate the sins of His people. 45:49 So it brings new meaning understanding the sanctuary 45:52 and then reading the Old Testament 45:53 what the high priest did, it brings new meaning 45:56 to what Jesus is doing still today. 45:58 That's right. Powerful, powerful. 46:00 Anyway, so let's talk about the various 46:02 the layout of the sanctuary. Okay. 46:04 You have the tabernacle itself which is divided into two parts. 46:08 The first department is the Holy Place. 46:12 The second part is the Most Holy Place or the holiest of all. 46:16 In the first department, you have three pieces of furniture. 46:21 You have the candlestick. 46:23 You have the table of showbread 46:25 and then you have the altar of incense. Right. 46:29 In the Most Holy Place, you have the Ark of the Covenant 46:31 where the Ten Commandments are. 46:33 Now before you get there 46:35 though you have the outer courtyard. That's right. 46:37 Tell us what's in the outer courtyard? 46:39 Well, you have there the laver. 46:41 You have the altar of burnt offerings. 46:44 And the laver, it is so amazing 46:47 how each of these pieces-- Matter of fact, 46:49 go with us to Exodus 30. 46:54 We want to see each of these pieces of furniture. 46:56 Exodus 30, and as John ask me to-- 46:59 and we're gonna talk about this in another upcoming program 47:01 because there's too much to cover in just one program, 47:04 but the laver was filled with water 47:07 and the altar of burnt offerings was 47:09 where the sacrifice was laid 47:12 and burnt on the altar 47:16 after the blood of the sacrifice was shed. 47:21 So all these are lessons prefiguring the work of Christ. 47:26 Now, the water that was in the laver. 47:31 Let's go to Exodus 30, 47:34 and we're going to look together at verse 17. Are you there? 47:42 Exodus 30 and we're gonna look together 47:46 at verse 17. Okay. 47:50 And it says, "Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 47:54 'You shall also make a laver of bronze, 47:58 with its base also of bronze, for washing. 48:03 You shall put it 48:04 between the tabernacle of meeting and the altar. 48:08 And you shall put water in it, 48:11 as for Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands 48:15 and their feet in water from it. 48:18 When they go into the tabernacle of meeting, 48:21 or when they come near the altar to minister, 48:26 to burn an offering made by fire to the Lord, 48:29 they shall wash with water, lest they die. 48:34 So they shall wash their hands and their feet, lest they die. 48:40 And it shall be a statute forever to me-- 48:43 to him and his descendants throughout their generations.'" 48:48 And so you find right away this laver had water in it. 48:51 Now, when Jesus met the woman at the well, 48:58 and she looked at Christ and she says, 49:01 'I see you're at the well, but you don't have anything 49:04 from which to draw water. 49:07 And he said to her woman, 49:09 if you knew who he was speaking to, 49:13 you wouldn't say, I have nothing to draw water, 49:18 but you'll say, give me some of that water 49:21 that I may not thirst again. 49:23 And then Jesus revealed Himself to her. 49:25 What she didn't know? 49:26 Well, she was about the reason why she left her water pot 49:30 is because she met the water of life. 49:33 So here the water of life and then we also find 49:36 the terminology that Peter uses. 49:38 "We are cleansed by the washing of the word." 49:41 Who is the word? Christ is the word. 49:44 So this terminology that's used here in the sanctuary, 49:47 the laver represented the washing 49:50 when the water represents Jesus, the water of life, 49:53 the one through whom we are cleansed 49:55 and cleansed from the sin 49:58 that's why the priest said to wash themselves. 50:01 Those of us who are not washed, 50:02 another symbol of the laver is baptism. 50:05 Those of us who are not washed from our sins will die. 50:09 That's why He said there, will die. 50:11 Baptism, washing away person's sin. 50:15 John, any comments? 50:17 Yeah, I mean, one of the big things that 50:20 that we need to remember with all these pieces of furniture 50:23 and the things, there's so much symbolism. 50:25 It's just replete with symbolism. 50:28 And in fact, after right around Exodus 25 50:30 which we began with, right on through the next 40 days, 50:36 keep in mind 40 days Moses is on the mountain with God. 50:39 God is revealing all the details of the sanctuary, 50:42 even the priest and his clothes, 50:45 we were in the outer courtyard talking about what's there 50:48 and we mentioned the laver is there, 50:49 but also the altar of burnt offerings, 50:52 that is there as well. 50:54 And here's the amazing part talking about symbolism. 50:59 As you lay this out, you begin by coming in 51:02 if someone had committed the sin, 51:05 they would bring their offering to the courtyard first 51:10 because they would come through that outer gate, 51:12 into the courtyard and they would first see a priest 51:15 who met them there and then you'd have the burnt offering 51:19 that was there right next to you, 51:21 which you were bringing that offerings, 51:22 say it was a lamb, you brought the offering to be sacrificed, 51:26 that lamb would have its blood shed 51:28 because they would cut his throat, 51:30 the blood will be then taken by the priest 51:32 and applied eventually in the tabernacle of meeting. 51:36 But the offering itself, the lamb was then put 51:39 on the altar of burnt offering. 51:41 Who would that represent possibly? Christ. 51:45 Jesus? Okay, where is the verse? 51:48 Remember, John, when he proclaim, 51:49 when Jesus was coming down to be baptized? John 1:29. 51:53 Behold the Lamb of God, John says, 51:56 who takes away the sin of the world. That's right. 52:00 So even John, the baptized, the baptizer says, 52:06 this man Jesus is the one that is prefigured 52:09 by the lamb that was burnt 52:11 on the altar of burnt offering in the sanctuary system. 52:16 So the offering and the laver are together out there 52:20 in the courtyard and they are for specific purposes 52:23 because the priest must also wash to be clean themselves. 52:27 And who alone could wash them? 52:29 Jesus, He is the water of life as well. 52:32 So these things are all-- 52:33 there are all kinds of symbolism there. 52:35 You know, what's wonderful 52:36 about when we talk about the high priest. 52:38 Jesus has become a High Priest of a more perfect tabernacle. 52:44 When you find this language, go to Hebrews. 52:47 I want to just go there very quickly. 52:48 I was gonna read one before I went to Hebrews. 52:50 Actually in Titus Chapter 3 and I was going to read verse 5. 52:57 Once again, showing another function of the laver 53:00 that is the water there. 53:01 It says, or verse 4, "But when the kindness 53:05 and the love of God our Savior. 53:07 But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior 53:11 toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness 53:15 which we have done, but according to His mercy, 53:19 He saved us, how, through the washing of regeneration 53:24 and renewing of the Holy Spirit, 53:28 whom He poured out on us abundantly 53:32 through Jesus Christ our Savior." 53:35 So once again, the washing. How did he do that? 53:39 Through Christ to is in fact the water. 53:42 And He also did that through the work of the Holy Spirit. 53:45 But now I said go to the Book of Hebrews. Yeah. 53:49 Go to Book of Hebrews. 53:50 Hebrews is kind of like a second-- 53:54 it's a compilation to me of the writings of Pentateuch, 53:58 the first five books of Moses. 54:01 Now, let's look at the-- Oh, man, I tell you. 54:07 Well, one of the points before you read that 54:08 as you're gathering your thoughts, 54:10 one of the points I would make here 54:11 as we get into Book of Hebrews 54:13 is notice from where we read before. 54:15 Hebrews 8:1-5 talking about the real sanctuary in heaven 54:21 and the copy on earth. That's right. 54:23 Right from there, the language and the discussion 54:26 that the author moves on into 54:29 is the New Covenant. That's right. 54:31 The New Covenant is all about Jesus, 54:34 our High Priest in the heavenly sanctuary. Right. 54:37 The Old Covenant is about 54:39 the old system of the high priest 54:40 who were symbols of a future High Priest Jesus. 54:44 But were a system based on the blood of bulls and goats, 54:49 not the blood of Christ. That's right. 54:51 So this is also a difference between 54:53 Old and New Covenant language. 54:56 So when you say, I'm a New Covenant Christian, 54:58 you cannot divorce the fact that Jesus is the High Priest 55:02 in the heavenly sanctuary. 55:03 You can't say that the sanctuary is not important 55:07 to your walk with Jesus. 55:09 And so that should drive you as a New Covenant Christian 55:13 to the Old Testament to learn what the High Priest 55:16 did under the old system 55:18 because it points to Jesus. No one else. 55:21 So this is why we have an issue when someone teaches that 55:24 the Old Covenant or the Old Testament doesn't matter. 55:27 It gives us so many details as to what Jesus 55:30 is doing today. Why hasn't He come back? 55:32 what is He doing up there? 55:34 We're providing you with some answers here today. 55:36 That's right, I'm glad you point it out 55:38 because the shadow all the articles of furniture 55:42 were therefore the ceremonial services. 55:46 But what I want you to see in Hebrews 9. There we go. 55:52 Hebrews 9 and it goes with the tabernacle 55:54 again from verse 1 down to verse 8, 55:57 but then in verse 9, listen what it says. 56:00 "It was symbolic for the present time 56:03 in which both gifts and sacrifices are offered 56:07 which cannot make him who performed 56:09 the service perfect in regard to conscience, 56:12 concerning only with foods and drinks, various washings, 56:18 and fleshly ordinances imposed until the time of reformation." 56:23 I want to make a very point here, 56:24 very important point here, drinks. 56:27 These were ceremonies. 56:28 These were feasts that were occurring also in proportion 56:32 to the ceremonial services. 56:34 But they were imposed for a certain period of time 56:37 until the reformation. 56:38 And verse 11, "But Christ came as High Priest 56:41 of the good things to come, 56:43 with the greater and more perfect tabernacle 56:46 not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. 56:50 Amen, you know, one of the things 56:51 that jumps out at me to here is that 56:54 these foods and drinks and washings and stuff, 56:56 the ordinances-- That's right. 56:58 Are what were eliminated at the cross. That's right. 57:01 And so when Paul uses that language in Colossians, 57:03 this is what he's talking about. 57:04 The old system giving way to the new system under Christ. 57:09 And I praise God that we have a High Priest 57:12 still today in the heavenly sanctuary. 57:14 And that's why we're gonna continue our march 57:16 through the Book of Hebrews because Hebrews pulls together 57:19 the Old Testament symbolism that is covered 57:20 in about five books, but here's the point, my friends. 57:23 The Lord has made a house call on the lives of Israel, 57:26 He is gonna make a house call on your life, 57:29 and if you respond to that call, 57:30 you will have a great walk with Christ. 57:32 So begin your walk with Him today. |
Revised 2014-12-17