The Dwelling place

So always remember that the power and presence of God that sits on the mercy seat, it is above the law and God is there in that law to lead and guide us. The ark was also an everyday connection between God and where his people would be. This holy of holies was in the tabernacle in the the outside of the other side, let's say, of the the veil from the holy place. This was what God designed for his connection constantly with the people. And in so doing, God would show to them that he was leading and guiding and providing and so forth for them. His commandments in this arc of the testimony was for them to understand that he meant business.

uh when God gave to Moses the design, all of the the the directions, the how things would be done, what materials to use, all of those pieces of the entirety of the tabernacle of the congregation. This particular box, the ark of the covenant, was to also be the reminder that God was going to be their God. Now that that might seem in in our culture in 2025, it might seem like it it's really not necessary, but in that day, there were so many things happening in the world. There were so many tribes, so many ideas and concepts, if you will, that when God in the book of Exodus began to deal with um Moses and the children of Israel and and where they were and how they had come out of bondage and what they were now to do, going to the promised land, God wanted to make sure that they understood that they had to hold on to the provision and the promises of God.

It was going to be what would lead them day in and day out. God would allow them a way back into his blessings and into his provision. anytime they had sin in their life, they had transgressions or trespass, they they had broken one of the laws, they had disobeyed any of that, the tabernacle was the method and the means where the people could stay in right covenant at one with God through the atoning power of the blood of their sacrifice. So, first of all, tonight, what I am trying to get across is that there was a symbol of Israel's covenant with God. That's what this ark was.

God made a promise to them. Secondly, the ark was a symbol of God's divine presence because the ark, listen to this, bore his name. Number numbers, the book of numbers, chapter number 10:33 tells us that it is the ark of the Lord that gives it position. It gives it preference. It's the ark of the Lord. Not only was it a reminder of the covenant, but it's also the dwelling place for the Lord. This is how God's presence would be amongst the people. Now, again, I've made reference to this many times in this series, but between these angels above this mercy seat, we would see the power and presence of God actually be there.

the cloud that that would go up and the fire pillar that would go up that was represented here because God was saying I have put my name on this box. You made it and the things that are in it though I had a part of three examples we talked about in the last lesson. The ten commandments that God wrote with his own finger, they're there. The golden pot that the the builders made with the gold that was brought has the mana in it which came from the heavens. God gave that. And then the third thing, Aaron's rod that was like any other rod, God distinguished his way of dealing with it through the priesthood and stating that because this rod is able to bud and have blooms and blossoms and almonds on it, God made that happen.

So the importance of that is is God is saying it's not simply a cool thing, a toy, um a showpiece that you can demonstrate and put on a cart and take it around places. No, God's name was on the people. The ark of the Lord is always before the people and the land where they went. God said, "This is my folk." The beauty of the tabernacle in the in the congregation is that God said if you'll put this in the midst of the camp, we remember this in previous lessons over the last several months. You put this in the midst of the camp, everybody faces this.

I will show up there on this mercy seat when I accept the atoning sacrifice that you bring. And in so doing, God's saying, everybody that's outside of the camp will know, man, those people, they've got a God that falls with fire. They've got a God that's that accepts them a and and does for them and moves in their lives and has preeminence there and he provides for them and he protects them and and he's there when things make sense and he's there when things don't make sense. On and on. Why? Because when you put the Lord's name on something, you can rest assured that God is going to take care of his own.

Also, when the uh children of Israel, for an just an example, the children of Israel allowed the ark to be removed by the Philistines, uh the reference was that the glory of the Lord had departed from Israel because the name of the Lord had been removed because it went with the ark. Interestingly enough, the name of the Lord did not stay with the labor of water. Did not stay with the altar of incense. It didn't stay with the golden candlestick. It stayed with the ark, the covenant. It stayed with the mercy seat. It stayed with the presence of God. Also, there was a correlation that we see from the Old Testament, the ark of God, the ark of the Lord.

We see that it connects to the New Testament through Jesus. Jehovah has become salvation. Why? Because the connection is through the name. The name of the Lord, the ark of the Lord. And now we understand that the name matters for you and I in our generation in our society and where we live 2025. We understand that we belong to Jesus. His power and his presence rest on us. His spirit fills us. It's inside of us can be correlated with what was inside the ark, the box. So as we sit here tonight in this session, we understand as well as the children of Israel do did is that the name of Jesus is what gives us power.

The Lord's name on our lives gives us presence. It gives us strength. It encourages us. It opens doors for us. It provides for us. Much like the law did, we have the power of God. Much like the the reminder of the mana that fell from heaven, we know that Jesus provides. We we also know that through the budding rod of of Aaron that was in this is that we too have the presence of God alive and well within us. Third thing that the ark was was it was a symbol of God's reign. The ark referred is referred to as God's foottool. 1 Coronicles 28 calls the ark the foottool where God rests.

This is where God and all of the creation abides. The foottool. Listen to this. This is very interesting how Chronicles how it's written in here. He rests his feet there. He communes with those around him there. The foottool is the place under the power and presence of the almighty God. So when when the symbol of God's reign, it's referred to as a foottool, it again is a reminder to us even today that if God is in control and things are under his feet, then because of the name of Ge the Lord's name on our lives, then we too have power over the things of this world, over the things that try to overcome us.

The action that we see in this analogy that is written is that the fact that the position of the foottool is where the least of things resides, the feet. Now, the revelation declares that God's sovereign over all of heaven and earth and the sacred ark, the box if you will, is a point of reference for the ones who will follow the ways of God and know the path of Jesus Christ. Here at CAC, we spend a lot of time, we have this this year in particular, for an example, uh we're in the midst of of finishing up the tabernacle of God, the tabernacle of the congregation.

And all of the details, all the things that we've discovered point to something that to you and I today should be very exciting. And that simply is this. If God is in it, it's right. And what Jesus did for you in salvation when he he gave his life. He died was buried in a tomb and as he said the third day he rose from the grave. He overcame death. He overcame hell. He overcame the grave and what should have been your demise and your end. And in that the blood of Jesus applied to our lives gives us the hope for tomorrow for the future. I can only imagine what the children of Israel thought the day of atonement when they stood there on that particular day waiting on the high priest to go into the presence of God with with the sacrificial blood and with the incense and and when that high priest would make his way into the Holy of Holies in front of this ark and he did what the the ceremonial law required.

They stood in the door of their tent and they waited. They had to make sure as parents, as moms and dads, they had to make sure that the next generation saw the blessing of God as it descended and accepted them again for that year. The atoning, the being at one with God was so vitally important in all the hearts and minds of those who were part of the children of Israel. To you and I today, it should be equally as important. The blood of Jesus makes the difference. When you witness and testify to somebody on your job or in your family or in your neighborhood, you're going to tell them not about the ark.

You probably won't tell them about the labor of water. You may not go through the teaching with them on the golden candlestick. But what you will tell them probably is this. In our assembly, in our congregation, in our house of worship, it's not about the four walls. It's not about the sound system of the lights or the chairs. It's not about a screen. It's not about a microphone or an instrument. It's about the name of Jesus. Because that name in your life changes everything. So what we discover here in this lesson is that the ark was a powerful, meaningful, purposeful item that literally set all of the children of Israel in their place.

God gave Moses the instructions this how how that he was to put it together. He also made sure that Moses passed this information along to the generations that followed. For us New Testament believers, us who are are born in this generation, if you will, we have the scriptures to look back to. And what we do now is we follow Jesus Christ because of the similarities that we see in Old Testament writings. We can study the tabernacle. We can study the the ark of of the Lord. We can study this covenant connection relationship that God built with humanity. And for you and I, we can study that and say, you know, if God put all of that into position back then, if everything that was done then is written about with all details and importance, then surely for us today, when we look back at the the birth of Jesus Christ and we look back at how all the earth stood at attention when he was born, all the angels came and and they they declared his power and presence on earth.

the shepherds and that story and and how the the things happened in the manger and how that the community began to wonder what was going all of those things in the story of the birth of Jesus. It doesn't culminate there where it stops if you will in that moment is the the moment Jesus died on a cross. All of hope, all of opportunity, all of the things that anybody could point to appeared to be over. But for you and I, it was a simple starting point. Salvation came to us. The name of Jesus. We understood the power of that name. Right now, 2025, you can speak the name Jesus with all authority and understanding.

And the power of a cross of Jesus Christ begins to work in your life. You can declare to anybody that you know, anyone you come in contact with, that there's nothing like the power of Jesus Christ. and with authority. You can stand and say that because we understand through what we've learned in this box, the ark of the Lord, the ark of the covenant, we understand that with Jesus, we too have that relationship. We learn to to love and we learn to submit to him as our Lord and our Savior. He knows us and he wants to apply his name to your life. He wants for those folk that you come in contact with, you know what?

There's an answer and his name is Jesus. There's a solution to your mess, if you will. There's a there's an answer to what's going on in your life and the turmoil that you're you're facing. And that is Jesus. What we've learned is that the three things that are so important is the symbol of Israel's covenant with God, the ark of the testimony, the symbol of God's divine presence because the ark bore his name of it was the ark of the Lord. And it was a symbol of God's reign because it refers to this as the foottool because God was above this. The same way that we understand that the completion of the connection between heaven and earth comes to you and I today through that man Jesus Christ.

I know that there's a lot of information that we've talked about over the last several weeks and next week will be another lesson that will will bring this particular series to a close. But tonight, if I could through this study, I I want to admonish you to take time in yourself to truly understand why God wanted this to be present in the lives and in the families and in a generation to where all the other people in the world at that time would have known, you know what, they're people of God. And if that's the case, then bring yourself 2025, bring yourself today to say,"I want to be known as a as a person that serves the Lord God.

I I want to I want my family to be known and my family to experience salvation in the name of Jesus because that's where the presence of God is." I trust that through the study that we've done even this past year that somehow someway you've taken notes and you've you've made mention of things in your journal and and on your phone maybe or your device that that you're able to say you know God I have grown this year and and what I have come to understand it's all about this. It's about the ark what it contains. It's about mercy where it sits and it's about your presence.

I I believe that tonight can be a life change for someone. I believe that someone can can learn and understand the value of a savior that loves. I I believe that that we have been given the opportunity even in this day to know him as he really is. Can can you pray pray with me tonight? Lord, we're indebted to you and we're thankful for the power of the Holy Ghost that changes our lives. Thankful that the name of Jesus is applied to our lives. Thankful that the power of the cross still works. The the power of a savior that is present that's always with us.

We're thankful for that. I I believe, Lord, that you've got answers for us in all of life's dilemas and situations. I know God, you're leading us and I'm thankful that we have this example of this precious ark of the covenant, the ark of the Lord. I'm thankful God that you are helping us every day. Bless Lord this week. Let us walk in you and let us walk in faith. The spirit of God be present in our lives as we grow, as we mature, and as we stretch. We love you for it. We thank you and we praise you. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Enjoy your worship time here in just a moment.

So good to be with you all. I love you guys. Have a great rest of your week in the Lord. God bless you.