Unlocking the Bible - Lesson Six | Student Pastor Zach Hammond

God we bless your name while we exhaust your name in this house I know you have your handouts we'll quickly go to the word of the Lord Exodus chapter 19 and verse number five is where we'll start I look forward to ministering to you tonight it's always an honor to stand before you it's good to see all of our high school and middle school students in here our - students are up with brother and sister Erickson getting some training on how to function with each other a little better and we're praying that the Lord moves up there tonight in a mighty way man all the parents said amen we're gonna continue in unlocking the Bible and tonight's outline really focuses on one word and we won't really go the direction that maybe that triggers in your mind when we say this word but we're gonna talk about the word holy a ton tonight a holy nation holy people holy presence a holy power the holy law Holy Land the holy Savior and and I believe that looking at the scripture tonight I was reminded today in reading of I don't know who said it and since I don't remember remember who said it and I can remember it let's just say that I said it maybe tonight and maybe you could tell me who said it but when I was about 15 years old I heard somebody say this and it stuck with me my entire life that the Bible is like looking at a gym and when you hold that gym up you can turn in a different way and just based upon the light that's shining that day you're gonna see something totally different and today going through and just reiterating what I have studied this Tabernacle plan I feel like so many times in fact I interned right out of high school and this is where I lived for about four months or so and I studied this over and over again and even just reading through it there was so many new things that the Lord spoke to me so I believe that God will speak to us tonight and I'm gonna make my way through Scripture but picking up where we were the Israelites been delivered from Egypt and we're walking through the wilderness on their way to Mount Sinai and the Promised Land and Moses has led them to their first destination of Mount Sinai where God gives Moses and Israel the law and we find ourselves here in Exodus chapter 19 and verse number five will pick up of lesson number six and unlocking the Bible scripture says now therefore if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant then you shall be a special treasure to me above all people for all the earth is mine and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation these are the words which you speak to the children of Israel a holy nation Israel is the beginning of God's holy people God's holy people less than 6 why don't you lay your Bible down lay your pamphlet down let's lift our hands to heaven I feel the presence of the Lord in this place let's just ask him to speak to us God I asked you would speak to your people tonight God remind us God rearranged us God mold of shape us whatever you want to do in this place this evening God would come with expectation believe in God God you will do god what you said you would do and that's when we come together that you'll meet us here that you'll speak to us God we see that your word and we open it up God there will be a lamp and a light God it would show us where we're at and where we need to go God we ask that you would do that this evening and we ask it all in the wonderful powerful matchless name of Jesus and everyone say Amen amen in Jesus name you could be seated God wanted to reveal his holiness to the world through his chosen covenant nation Israel the religion of the nations that were passing through the land of Canaan in that day we're notoriously immoral they had multiple gods they had false ways of worship they had temple prostitutions both male and female if you study out the history Leviticus 18 and verse number 3 according to the doings of the land of Egypt where you dwelt you shall not do and according to the doings of the land of Canaan where I am bringing you you shall not do nor shall you walk in their ordinances ordinances in other words don't look around at the culture to learn how to live don't look at where you've come from don't look at where you're at but go by the law that I've given you and we can put it in in our maybe New Testament terms in it but not of it we are sitting simply just passing through it's similar to God's desire for his people today the New Testament church and the dispensation of grace for us to be a holy people set apart right we cannot look around and expect to derive any kind of moral compass from what we are living in amen we can't even look at the laws of our lands nowaday and find comfort and knowing that it is what the Word of God says we are in it but we are not of it and first Peter chapter 2 and verse 9 you're a chosen generation a royal priesthood a holy nation his own special people that you may proclaim the praises unto him who has called you out from that world out from that culture and into this marvelous light amen I believe that the Lord has a strong desire from the very onset of scripture from the very onset of creation that he wants the holy people because he is a holy God holy God holy bible holy city holy ghost' there's one song in heaven and it will be holy holy holy if you don't like the word holy you're not going to like heaven it's just holy holy holy if you really around church nowadays this is a word that doesn't frequently come up in a wide variety of churches today because they have just associate it with something that it really don't even really mean but that word holy is the song of heaven the word holy is who our God is and the word holy is ultimately what describes us as being Christians holy he wants the holy people he desires the holy people because he desires us to be like him but today in our modern American Christianity we seem to be scared of this word this heavenly God called sinner of who we are as Christians God wants us to be holy contrary to what you may hear today in some sermon sermons or popular Christian songs on the radio the emphasis of the Bible is the holiness of God not the love of God God's love is a holy love for the Bible states that God is light as well as God is love love without holiness betrays the wrong perspective of God and that's what we have in a lot of churches today in fact for the children of Israel the presence of the cloud of glory and the pillar of fire reminded Israel that Jehovah was a holy God and a consuming fire to face God's holiness is to encounter his power God desires his people to be holy if we could push on one thing this evening this is because he wants to dwell among us and he cannot dwell in Egypt he quit cannot dwell in Canaan he cannot dwell in our society today he cannot dress dwell on Wall Street he has to have a holy dwelling place we need to be holy in order to have a relationship with God a holy God wants the holy people and he must have a holy dwelling place we typically get untypical II understand holiness to be moral purity or righteous behavior however the Hebrew word holy simply used by Moses and Leviticus means set apart set apart holiness is as much about I'm not as what it is that I am see that with me it's as much about what I am NOT as much as it is about what I am I am not single tonight because I'm married yes you can see that with me yes I don't go on dates because I'm married other than with my wife yeah that makes sense that seems pretty simple however a lot of people desire who God is but they don't want who he is not alright he's not Egypt therefore you can't have God and have Egypt he's not Canaan therefore you can't have God and have Canaan that's what holiness is you don't like what he's not you like what he is you want his love and His mercy and his tender good you want the mercy seat but you still want Egypt you still want Canaan it's it's more about when he says he could he's a consuming fire we love to think of that consuming fire as hey you heard that don't you we can use that to accuse somebody hey he's a consuming fire you better watch what you say brother you better watch how you're acting sister you better watch how you're hanging out whether the God is a consuming fire that's true he's a consuming fire at the officer that takes care of your sins that removes them as far as the Easter season he's the fire of the altar of incense he's the he's the fire of the can he's a he is a consuming fire we better be thankful that he consumes those things right but we so often get into what what we can't do and I can't do this and I can't go here but we must understand that holiness for the Lord your God walks in the midst of your camp to deliver you and give your enemies over to you therefore your camp shall be holy and he he may see no unclean thing among you and turn away from you you have to have a holy temp if you're going to be in a relationship with a holy God we must dwell in a holy place the holy presence of God the holy power of God God gave him a holy law he plans to build him a holy place he appoints them a holy priest to serve Him and he's leading them to a holy land so we must see the word holy through the right lens and and I fear this evening and this is that may be a demonstration of we could look at it we see it in the sense of that that everybody out there or everybody not serving God or everybody not living by the statutes all this freedom young people it's portrayed to you maybe not right now because you go to apostolic Christian Academy but eventually in a college classroom you're gonna be betrayed maybe even on your job hey why do you do that why do you go you're going to church again right they make you feel like that that you they want to focus on the things that you have to do or the things that that you are not that you separate yourself you you come out of Egypt and you come out of Canaan they don't want to focus on the fact that I can have hope that I can live and freedom that I can sleep at night right that I can have a marriage that's lasted for more than a few months or a few years that I can have got a kids that serve God I can't have a purpose and I can't a kid feel fulfilled agree that the gratitude and then and the fulfilled us of life and most of all I can go to heaven right right because you're not gonna go to heaven in Egypt you know in fact this is a terrible demonstration but this is sometimes and thank God for this perfect glass scenario here but there's times where we view our relationship with God can y'all hear me out there yeah we view our relationship with God like this like I'm just in here serving God the best I can and the world's living out there and look at all that space and all the things they can do they could go wherever they want where they have ins they can do whatever they want to do they they want to say what they want to say they want to leave their kids they want to leave their life they want to do whatever there's no holy compass they just they're out there just living in freedom and we get this perception where we're we're looking through at the world we're looking at Egypt we're looking at Canaan and we constantly feel like that we're running into this wall because we focused so much on what we cannot do but I wish that you could see the perception of what God is trying to do through the book of Exodus is give God a perception that yeah there are some guidelines and there are some rules and that's part of the relationship with God but it's more like you're living in this room it's the max amount of freedom that you're going to obtain here on this earth because ultimately whether you realize or not those people may look free on the outside but there bound by sin they're the ones in there and you're the one out here and just because the devil put one tree in the garden think about it he's painted the picture for you for you from Genesis chapter 1 all the way to the Book of Revelations there's one tree that you can't have and for some reason we have the perception that they've got this big area no you've got the big area you've got the Garden of Eden they're the ones in there and for and for some reason the devil just likes to put inside of this nice little shiny glass case the one thing that you like right now and eventually people get wore out with playing the drums you know if they get wore out with the tree over here they get wore out with this thing they get wore out with that marriage they get wore out with that relationship but they get tired of doing this to get tired of doing that and eventually they decide to come back to God so holding it I wish you could shift your lens lens to see today that it's not it's not as much about who who I am and accompany with what I am NOT those two things go together I am NOT because I know the I am all my affinity all my deficiencies I all the things that that I I mean I can do he can do all the things that I don't get to do trust me there's a whole lot more positives over here than there are negatives I can't go here but I can go to heaven I can't dress that way but I sure am thankful that I Know Who I am that I I'm a man woman that I I would much rather go with the more accomplished that's the best-selling book of all time that got my grandparents and generations the generations and generations to where we're at today rather than to go and fly from one locked up cage to the next right it's all about your perception but God's been pursuing a holy people because he's a holy God and the nice thing about a holy God when he gets in the presence of a holy camp is there comes holy presence and holy power for here o Israel Deuteronomy 6 and 4 you know it the Lord our God is one you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart all your soul with all your might or with all your all your strength but these words which I've commanded you shall be in your heart they're gonna be in your heart so in other words if you've got a holy heart you can pump out the love you can pump out the joy you can pump out the peace you can pump out the fruit of the Spirit but if we don't start with holiness because his oneness is key to us understanding his holiness so God reveals his holiness to Israel by revealing himself to be the one and true and living God if we don't think he's the only one we'll never see him worthy to do the things he's asked us to do if we if we and and I know today that it seems like such a foreign thing to talk about the pocket gods of a land and getting down on two knees and worshipping this graven image wherever we have those things that are readily available some of them are about three by four here and they go well in our pockets but it's one of those things where we we must identify the idols and make sure that here o Israel the Lord our God is one Lord that we still see that versus hey I'm serving him today I wake up and yes I'm going to make sure that I don't say this and I don't say that but most of all I've got to get a holy heart and in order to do so there's some things that I'm not going to have access to I'm not gonna live like the Egyptians I'm not gonna live the Canaanites I'm not gonna do what they're doing on social media I'm not gonna download every app young person that everybody else is downloading I'm not gonna date them i'm not gonna because he needs holy people god's holy law God's law reflected his desire for Israel Deuteronomy 7 just a few pages over for you are a holy people to the Lord your God the Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for himself above all the people on the face of this earth he shows you to be a holy people God's statutes his ordinances govern the daily life of the people in the Old Testament he told them what was right what was wrong he told them what was clean what was unclean he shows how God blesses obedience and punishes disobedience the laws of God govern the country like a constitution holy people require a holy law you'll have no other gods before me you shall not make for yourself a carved image scripture says we're in Exodus chapter 20 you shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain remember the Sabbath day keep it make it holy honor your father and your mother and your days will be long on the earth you shall not murder you shall not commit adultery you shall not steal you shall not bear false witness against your neighbor you shall not covet the law reveals sin and brings us to Christ the law reveals Who I am and who I am not the law reveals how to be a Christian or in our terms according to the scripture to be holy I want to be holy Galatians 3:24 therefore the law was a tutor to bring them to Christ that we might be justified by faith the holy law shows us our need for the Holy Ghost because it's impossible to do what gods asked us to do without his spirit so this law then immediately points us to the holy law points us to what the need for a holy Savior because if we try to do what they try to do in the Old Testament we eventually move into and we're gonna get there in the next couple weeks of just this cycle of law breaking disaster is it's just it's constant they try judges they try kings they try all kind of different things in and we've got we've got holy people we've got the holy law we've got a holy place that God gives us in the tabernacle but we were working our way to the Holy Ghost that we're pointing to and many of you have in this room in the New Testament but God takes us we moved to the second part I think believe it's the second chart that we get to that God gives Moses now the plans to build a tabernacle we're working ourselves through the scripture here in Exodus chapter 25 and verse number 9 according to all that I show you that is the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furnishings just so you shall make it in other words do it exactly like I told I tell you to do it Hebrews eight and five who served the copy and the shadow and the heavenly things as Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to make the tabernacle for he said see that you make all things according to the pattern that I showed you on the mountain we studied the tabernacle and understand stand that the Lord has made steps and a plan and a blueprint of our relationship with him and we see here that there's 929 chapters in the Old Testament and he spends 50 chapters everybody say 50 to LA of scriptures on this detailed instruction this important layout and this blueprint of the tabernacle plan he's got 13 chapters in Exodus 13 chapters in numbers 18 chapters in Leviticus two chapters in Deuteronomy four chapters in Hebrews just telling us a blueprint of how to have a relationship with a holy God and the second year after they left Egypt the tabernacle was fully constructed and completed so it was pretty quick that God puts this into motion the tabernacle was fully portable so the Israel could always journey with the presence of God in the wilderness the Jewish people had the priests and we I'm sure you've heard this before but I just want to make sure that we understand here that priests were holy men they were set apart for the service of God and and and the things that God asked him to oversee and to care for the furnishings of the tabernacle and this this blueprint of a relationship with God that they're responsible to guard God's sanctuary in and to make sure that things are done properly and in order and the Old Testament only selected individuals were able to approach God as priests we see quickly in the New Testament that every true believer through Jesus Christ is a priest of God so we must remember that when we're referring back to the Old Testament that we men are now priests of our homes that we we are priests in and God has torn the veil and made it available to each and every one of a sort it says priest is not just talking about pastor or somebody who gets behind the pulpit and ministers however we'll see that here in a minute because that is very much important but you have to apply these things to your heart and not expect that now a man of God goes and covers your sins for you so see see this with his first Peter chapter 2 and 9 we see again he says a holy nation you're the royal priesthood now you're the chosen generation you have ability to go before the throne of God God's tells us in numbers chapter 2 and verse number 2 and this is in the message and this is just straight from their notes nothing against the message Bible I wouldn't normally pull from that but it says here that the people of Israel are to set up camp circling the tent of meeting and facing it in other words the tent of meeting this tabernacle plans in the dead center you could see this with me there's a lot of different things you can study throughout the tabernacle plan but if you could see that there's this the the tabernacle plan which I'll give you the full blueprint and details here in just a moment it's surrounded by the camps on all four sides so you've got north south east and west you divide those twelve tribes by by four and you get three on each side so you got three three three three if you're here in the middle you're here and in fact there's so many far-fetched things that you can get into studying there's some things that just in the past that I thought are kind of interesting and you can completely write this off and I don't really know why I'm we've been talking about this but the there there was there was a a an astronomer I believe would be the right word that said that that the 12 galaxies are constellations I guess would be the correct term of stars were laid out and and you could almost see the blueprint brother Jacob it's it's kind of an interesting study in fact that's where they get the 12 signs of the zodiac and I'm not gonna get into a horoscope or anything like that but there are actually historians and ancient writers and the Jewish that believed that a horoscope was originally a positive thing and I'm not going there but I'm just telling you there's a lot of things here that have pointed from the heavens to earth saying that it is a blueprint from heaven a holy God down to the hole and it makes some sense I mean we see what's happened with the rainbow today which is supposed to be a sign from God it's being used for something in the negative it would make sense that something being negative and used in the false of the spiritual realm and different things but we see here that there's all kinds of things throughout even even history that tell us that it is signs from the heavens where God dwells that is telling us it is it's a place of his dwelling it's nothing that's normal it's nothing that happens in the ordinary it's God coming down in fact Exodus 40 as we move into this God's presence abides in the tabernacle and anywhere his presence is there's going to be an evidence so whenever the cloud was taken up from above the tabernacle the children of Israel would go onward in their journey but if the cloud was not taken up they did not journey till the day that it was taken away for the cloud of the Lord was upon the tabernacle by day the fire was over it by night in the sight of all the house of Israel through owl of all of their journeys because it was in the center everybody was facing the tent of meeting and it's the the pillar fired's well there or the pillar of cloud dwelled there when it moved they moved so will we see when God moves we move it and we could we could see that in our lives today many of us get impatient and him any of us see things that that we're tired of but it's when God's presence moves and then many times it that's the way it operates it here right some of us didn't really come in feeling like worship but all of a sudden somebody starts worshipping in God spirit begins to move and before you know it your situation just got real small because all of a sudden you start worshipping because when God starts moving it's time for us to move amen Numbers chapter 9 and verse number 21 so it was when the cloud remained only from evening until morning when the cloud was taken up in the morning they would journey whether by day or by night whenever the cloud was taken up they would move whenever God tells us to move we must move the New Testament reveals the necessity of following the spirit for as many are led by the spirit these are the sons of God we could see that in Romans chapter 8 if you're making notes tonight but we see that God's Spirit led them holy people holy law holy presence because God is desiring to have a relationship with men if you look at Hebrews chapter 9 for the sake of time that's 9 verses there if you would make notes to read that we see that the tabernacle contains the blueprint of how we approach God how we get into his presence Exodus chapter 26 and verse number 30 we'll talk a few about the briefly about each element in the tabernacle but is it says an you shall raise up the tabernacle according to the pattern which I showed you on the mountain he says someone give you specific things it reminds me of Noah's Ark he's gonna be very specific I'm gonna give you down to the exact dimension the elements of which you will make them with it is this is how you're going to in the presence of God there's only one way you can't cut corners here or there there's not an option for us to take the Word of God and decide what we think we can remove and we want to build it a little bit smaller a little bit larger it's not up to us he's telling us this is the blueprints of coming to God you can't sidestep it you can't add numbers you can't take away things but he says I want you to start at the brazen altar the brazen officers made of brass it's a harsh metal he says in Exodus 27 and verse number 1 he shall make an altar of acacia wood five cubits long five cubits wide the altar shall be squared and it's hiked she'll be three cubits two you shall make the its horns and its four corners and its horn shall be of one piece with it and you shall overlay it with bronze or with brass so we see here that God would dwell amongst the Israel people we needed a solution for their sins so he gives them away to make sacrifice they would bring an animal for sacrifice and it would require blood death the animal to make atonement for their sin in the sins of the people Leviticus 17:11 for the life of the flesh is in the blood and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls for it is the blood that makes atonement for the Soul so repentance sacrifice laying ourselves down is the first way it's the only way it's the first step to get into God's presence it's pointing to Jesus because we see in John 1 and first Peter 1 we see that knowing that he's the redeemed that he is the one that has behold the lamb of god and takes away the sin of the world we see that we see this contrast to all of these things are pointing to Jesus we go to the next piece of furniture the brazen Laver this is a place of washing a place of cleansing in that day but the Lord spoke to Moses saying you shall also make a layer of bran again of brass which is the base also a bronze for washing you shall put in between the tabernacle of meeting and the altar so that you shall put water in it and an Aaron and his son shall wash their hands and their feet and the water from it Exodus chapter 30 goes on from 20 and 21 giving us some details about the labor the labor was was it was made as a looking glass if you look through the water it was reflective it had a almost a mirror image down here we see here that this is the only piece of furniture brother Jacob inside the entire six pieces here down to the sockets down to the posts down to the color of the skins on the outside and every single dimensions given except for the labor just like the door on the ark and there's no dimensions for the door because we see it's the place of his name and there will be no dimensions of his name when it comes to the water when you go down in the name of Jesus he says he removes it as far as the East is from the West and to this day I've not found anybody that can tell me how far it is from the east to the West there is no dimensions because all power is in that name and that's why I have no problem being called people of the name when I speak the name things happen when we begin to sing in Jesus name his presence comes in anything can happen in his name there's no bypassing the water it's the place of his name it's a place where we change our identity we look down and see no more ourselves but we see and take on the name of Jesus we see that that alter and that labor were both made of brass there they're there they're not pure metals they but from the moment we step into the holy place we see no more of brass bronze all of a sudden everything is made of gold holy place the outer court of the holy place we see the golden candlesticks in exodus chapter 25 the candlestick only the only light in the holy place that was to never extinguish it signified a type of Jesus who is the true light of the world remember he you're a holy priesthood because he brought you out of darkness into the holy place and we see that that from this in this outer court there's another piece called the table of shewbread and we see again in exodus 25 12 Veloz of shewbread were placed upon the table in the holy place one for each tribe the shewbread was to replenish every Sabbath that was to be given food for the high priest and his sons the bread was a type of Jesus who we see in Scripture that he is the bread of life so we see two pieces and now we come to the third piece inside this outer court of the holy place called the altar of incense in Exodus chapter 30 the altar of incense represents that place of daily communication with God it was a a daily burning the incense is the type of our daily prayer and we've seen the power of that just in the past month of us gathering in here and what a demonstration like last Sunday night and what a demonstration like seven and eight nine souls being baptized because we see the power of prayer continually burning it shows the necessity for our continual prayer and praise so we see the altar of incense was the last piece placed right before the veil which separated the holy place from the Holy of Holies where the Ark of the Covenant dwelled the prayer was gives us direct access to God in Exodus chapter 30 and you shall put it before the veil that is before the Ark of the testimony before the mercy season is over the testimony where I will meet with you yeah she's gonna go from a holy place into the Holy of Holies now see it is very important that we understand that this is the blueprints that cannot be changed they cannot we can't we can't uncross the tea or under there's nothing we can change we go from from the altar to the labor into these three elements that are prior to give into the presence of God and these three things are very important because the word is God talking to me the candlestick is a witness which means it's me talking to others and then prayer is me talking to God so there's some things that you've got to begin to communicate God speaks to me I speak to him I speak to others it's ultimately the Great Commission it's ultimately who we are if we could grasp just these few things it's really just five things because when I step into the Holy of Holies it's all about what he's doing but if I can build an altar and I can change my identity and I can pray not my will but thy will your kingdom not my kingdom if I can get a face change if I can take upon his name and step in and start sharing this thing and start praying with fervency there's no wonder the scripture says the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much because that man's praying where he's already had an altar and he's already had a pride change and he's already had things that's been shaken up I'm not saying that God don't hear the prayer of the wicked he hears the prayer of the wicked back here at repentance but if we're going to be who God's called us to be as holy people we've got to be willing to call on his name we've got to be willing to pick up the word of God if you're not picking up the Word of God and sharing the Word of God you're still back here at the altar that's that's what it says because I can't take my selfishness I can't take this mentality brother Bruce then die brother I've seen you in and I wouldn't dare say that as if you were - you're one of the friendliest guys I've ever met but it's one of those things where we can't walk around as if the presence of God in this holy God desires me and don't desire the person that's checking me out at the grocery store we've got to be in reality that we're living in the outer court we haven't got past the brass yet we haven't got past the sin situation some of us are okay a lot of churches are okay with living out here washing it off a little bit praying a little bit prayer meetings consist of nothing but a misuse of the mercy of God you got to identify are you praying to communicate with God so you could communicate with somebody else this is why I cannot be convinced that I could stand before God and not have somebody with me and expect to walk into the kingdom of God it's not going to happen you are fooling yourself you're praying at an altar I'm sorry to be so confrontational but I feel the presence of the Lord speaking to you right now and it was my intention to just teach a little bit but when you've got to identify where you're at tonight because you're not getting into the holy place you're not getting into the holy city of Jerusalem by just praying a prayer at the altar you've never shared what God's done for you back there with anybody that's where you are is back there we've got to be honest with ourselves this is the blueprint this is as it was in the days of Noah repentance washing cleansing and getting and being who God wants us to be we can't just read his word we can't just pray a little bit I've got to share it with somebody there's three dimensions here and we're not careful we we've been drawn to God through the oneness of who he is and he is great and we call our people the people of his name we believe in oneness and and we deny the doctrine of the Trinity who divides him into three persons but we better be careful that we've not compartmentalized our life and divided up those three elements in the holy place that never get us into the Holy of Holies we may not be Trinity and doctrine but we become Trinity in action because we won't share it with anybody we've divided God up so he's my god on Sunday but he's not my God on Monday we've compartmentalizing he's my God when I'm in front of my family but he's not when I'm at work please see this today this I understand it's Old Testament I understand we're not putting on a big priestly garment in this is the blueprints of God speaking to us working with us communicating with us three aspects God talking to me and me talking to God and talking to others holy of Holy's I can't imagine what it would have been like pastor the day I begin to think of what it would have been like to be that priest and to be so on edge if I just did any one thing wrong if I didn't do this right I didn't all be all the fire you got to think about what this guy's going through all the fire that gets into that inner court or that that in that holy part well there's these three elements that have to have fire the altar of incense the candlesticks that there there's a requirement of fire and it has to be the fire from God that lights the altar all of its kind of coming there so we got to got it he's doing all kinds of things he's making sure the fire is transferred he's making sure he's cleansed and washed and there's nothing impure in his life to all of a sudden he's table of shewbread he's officer of incense he's he sees make sure that the oil is this is full and that the candle sticks and then he walks finally into the presence of God I can't help but to think that that's what it's gonna be well done thou good and faithful to step into the place to step beyond the veil this thick curtain that separates this holy God from this flesh beyond the veil the choirs the brazen officer acquires the outer court but to be so thankful that we could step into his presence that we could step into his power I know we experienced such a powerful move of God's presence but I don't know about you but I just can't imagine what its gonna be like to walk in to heaven to get to that holy city to get to that holy place the Ark of the Covenant contained three elements and I believe I believe that if we can look at these three elements that we can see why the power of God meets us here so greatly week in and week out and I'm hurrying the pot of manna is there inside the Ark reminding Israel of their murmuring and unbelief so that pot of manna represents a lack of faith Aaron's rod that budded reminds them of their rebellion and pride against the priests of God coral witches reminds us of a lack of submission a lack of faith a lack of submission third there is the tablets of stone the Ten Commandments reminded them of their worship to the false God and their rebellion against God so false worship we see it reminds them of their lack of faith their lack of submission and their false worship if you put those three things together it sounds like a good church service to me faith a man of God and worship faith a man of God and worship inside that where the mercy seat just this sits right above all those things that reminded them that there's there's three elements you've got to have if you're gonna have the presence of God moved faith submission to a man of God and you got a worship when I get in the Holy of Holies I didn't do something right if it doesn't revoke me to worship in a way what what have I done all week if I come in here and sit down whatever I've done all week if I come in here and I'm uncomfortable when I step in to the Holy of Holies and I don't even know how to contain myself or explain what I feel but I've done all these things so now my faith in God I see the purpose of my man of God I see that I cannot be stopped silent that I have to give a response unto God then when the words preach that it's just it's just more of what I've already been doing to get into the presence of God that's the whole point isn't it that's why we're here right young people we're not here to fellowship I love you and I'm gonna fellowship with you after service but while service is going on I'm gonna be texting you while service is going on I'm gonna be talking to you because I got to get in the presence of God I got to get that's why we're here right we see that we get into we get into the presence of God and there's that mercy seat there's so many things there that we can see that points to Jesus and in his resurrection they said that even when they looked up in the tomb that he was laid there in those two angels at the end we see the Ark of the Covenant show back up everywhere it's like you could see a picture of the Ark sitting inside the tomb but they were actually playing out in a live play so to say that you you could see the the presence of God has followed by this this blueprint of God's relationship throughout the entire Bible holy people holy law holy plan taking us to a holy land oh holy God wants his holy people to live in a holy land the holy land is commonly known as the promised land which God promised to Moses and he would he would call them from that burning bush Hebrews 11 and 13 and we're getting we're coming to a close I promise you I'm hurrying these all died in faith not having received the promises but having seen them afar off were assured of them embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth but now they desire a better that is heavenly country therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God for he has prepared for them a city I don't know about you but as you standing your feet this evening I need a holy Savior there's two paths it's man to God and God to men we go from that courting gate to the brazen altar to the labor to the Ark of the Covenant the Holy of Holies that's man's path of faith towards God but God chose to come from a holy place and come down through a pillar of fire of cloud the Old Testament meet them at their sacrifice guide then through he came in Matthew Mark Luke and John and tells us we'll talk about it later but he comes God came in flesh so that we could approach him and faith he made away when there was no way it's another picture that God just paints and we see if there's one thing that we can take from this evening there's a fire on the altar there's fire that's fueled by the olive oil on the candlesticks it took fire to make that bread of fine flour it took fire in the incense it requires fire from an altar of repentance the fire from God from that pillar of fire lit that altar of repentance and that altar of repentance lit everything else if we're not committed to bowing a knee every day and making up in our mind that we're going to be a holy people will never obtain a holy place it requires fire reminded of Main Avenue by who Aaron's sons who brought in the scripture says some strange fire and I want to warn you young people all ages everybody's on Facebook it seems like every Church you see is not altar fire everybody you come in contact with that has a word for you or wants to discuss the scripture the blueprint of God's relationship with you it's not always altar fire there's an eighth Avenue by hew where smoke was killed by the Lord because if it don't come from God we must be careful to see what God is trying to do in our lives because I don't know about you I feel led and I felt led since being asked to teach this lesson that we end this service thinking of what it will be like I know many of you have repented of your sins and have you've been baptized in the name of Jesus you've been filled with the Holy Ghost but I just can't help but think when we studying this and walking through it what its gonna be like sister Glosson to hear him say well done because ultimately this is the path that's the plan of salvation you can't argue with it it's throughout the entire Old Testament everything from Genesis points to acts and everything from Revelation points to acts repent and be baptized in Jesus name be filled with a gift of the Holy Ghost by the evidence of speaking in other tongues it's right there there's no arguing with that but all of that is a daily Brut blueprint that I could walk on streets of gold that just like the veil was rent and the veil was torn that there's coming a day he's going to split the clouds and we are going to be able to walk into his presence and I love the power that we feel and then and when it comes down in this place on Sunday mornings and Sunday evenings and Wednesday nights but I can't help but think what it would be like to stand before him and could we close this wonderful Wednesday night with this wonderful crowd this great group of people just thinking because ultimately that's why I do what I do that's why I repent that's why I cleanse and wash myself that's why I need the gift of the Holy Ghost to remind me of the power and the presence of a holy God god I want to be holy God I want to be pure because I want to go to a holy city Oh God God I want to go to a holy city come on no more sickness no more pain where the Angels cry holy holy holy come on could we praise him come on can we praise him before were dismissed this evening come on church can we lift our voice and give Him praise hallelujah holy God