Discover the Book - Aug. 20, 2013

Seeing the Bible as Whole in Christ

Please open to John 5:39 and 46  Always remember to really grasp God's Word we must see that all of it speaks of Christ.

Now turn with me to Exodus 24:16  the revelation of the Tabernacle was so sacred, so powerful, so vital to God that He made Moses stand for 6 days and didn't speak until the 7^th day to him.

Look at Exodus 25:9 where God showed Moses a pattern in the Heavenly Tabernacle, and then starts with the furniture. Most people fit furniture into the house; God built the tent around the furniture! Note from Ark outward is how God thinks of the Tabernacle.

In Exodus 27:1 the Brazen Altar that speaks of Christ's Cross is the tallest piece of furniture in the Tabernacle. "For God forbid that I should glory" Paul said, "in anything but Christ's Cross."

The Tabernacle is God's photo journal documenting salvation. It is not an after thought, it is His premeditated explanation of what Jesus would do perfectly on the Cross. The Tabernacle is the clearest portrait of Christ and His redemption to be found in any part of the Old Testament. While God only uses one verse to record Creation (Genesis 1:1), and two chapters (Genesis 1-2) to explain it, He takes 15 chapters (Exodus 25-40) to explain the construction of the Tabernacle and 27 more to describe it in action (Leviticus). This task was so important that God did not depend on the ingenuity of craftsmen to follow a blueprint, He actually came into them through His Spirit (Exodus 31:1-6) and guided each step of their work.

Before God sent a Person named Jesus Christ, He sent a picture called the Tabernacle. The Tabernacle is a photo album of the most detailed explanation of salvation in the Old Testament. The Tabernacle is the ABCs of Christian Doctrine, it is a systematic Theology that Paul actually uses in Romans to explain salvation. In the Old Testament the Tabernacle is the dwelling place of God. In the New Testament the Church becomes the dwelling place of God.

Before the Cross, before Christ came, God established ceremonies to typify, shadow, and explain the Cross. The observant would clearly see that sin must be dealt with before God could be approached. Fellowship with God was only possible when the sin problem was settled. That was the message of sacrifice and the meeting place called the Tabernacle.

Now on this side of the Cross, the meaning of the death of Christ to God, and the effects of Christ's death upon us who believe is most clearly taught in the Tabernacle. Even the New Testament has to revert to the Tabernacle to explain Christ's work (Romans 3; Hebrews 8-9).

The Tabernacle is God's Portrait of Christ. In it we see the key doctrines of Salvation.

1. The Altar of Brass: The Doctrine of Satisfaction

2.      The Laver of Brass: The Doctrine of Sanctification

1. The Three Entrances: The Doctrine of Worship
2. The Table of Showbread: The Doctrine of Worship
3. The Lamp stand of Gold: The Doctrine of Worship
4. The Altar of Gold: The Doctrine of Worship

7. The Veil Which Was Rent: The Doctrine of Incarnation

1. The Ark of Gold & Wood: The Doctrine of Christology
2. The Mercy-Seat of Gold: The Doctrine of Propitiation