35. Tabernacle Service

SERMON 35.

TABERNACLE SERVICE

(Hebrews 9:1-6).

We have before us a diagram representing the worship of the Jews, from the giving of the law till Christ came and filled his mission on earth.

In Hebrews, eighth and ninth chapters, Paul describes the tabernacle and its service. In Exodus, twenty-fifth chapter, a full description of the tabernacle, with its dimensions and order of worship, is given.

The tabernacle and its worship gives us a perfect type of the church of Christ, when it was established on earth. The tabernacle is the type, and the church the antitype.

In order to understand the church in its true sense, It may be well to look at the type, which will show us plainly what the church was when it was ordained among the children of men.

Should we find in the Bible that the tabernacle was a true type of what the church should be, we can lay it down as a type, pattern, or standard, and examine all modern churches by it, and see if any come up to the divine standard of measurement. If the pattern fits none of them, we must then conclude there is no church of Christ on earth today. But if we find some churches that come up to the divine rule we know they are churches of Christ. As Jesus the Christ has promised salvation to none others than citizens of His kingdom—those who are members of His church—it is a matter worthy of examination for all seekers of truth to examine the church, and themselves also, by the divine standard, and see if they can claim to be members of Christ's church.

......We notice on the extreme east of the tabernacle, the altar upon which their sacrifices were made. This altar was located in front of the holy place, and was called the altar or sacrifice, because upon this altar only did they burn their animal sacrifices when they came up to worship God (Exodus 28:8).

After leaving the altar of sacrifices to enter the holy place, you will observe that the laver of water was located at the left of the door,, and used in the entire tabernacle services. When a man was to be made priest he was carried to this laver of water, and his entire body was washed with water. Then the priest's robes were put upon him. after which he was expected to do the work that God had ordained for the priest to do (Exodus 40:12-15).

Next we pass into the holy place, and on our left immediately after entering we find the golden candlesticks, with its seven lamps burning to give light to all the worshipers on the inside. It was the duty of the priest to snuff these lamps, replenish them with oil, and see that they burned all the time. As this was an age in which people worshiped God by sight, it was necessary that these lamps should continue to burn; for God had ordained them, and nothing else, to give light to the worshipers worshiping Him in the holy place (Leviticus 24:1-5).

To the right of the door was the table containing the twelve loaves of shew bread, and the pure frankincense which was always used with the. shew bread. These twelve loaves represented the twelve tribes Of Israel, and the priests must remove these twelve loaves and replenish them every Sabbath day. This they had to do before the Lord continually (Leviticus 24:5-10).

In the back part of the holy place was the altar of incense (not the altar of sacrifice) and on this altar we find the priests were commanded to burn incense every morning and evening, continually (Exodus 30:1-10).

This completes the tabernacle service for the outer court and the holy place. But above this we find the high priest once every year went into the most holy place with blood which he offered for himself and for the errors Of the people' Also, in the most holy place we find the law on two tables of stone, Aaron's rod that budded, and the pot of manna were kept ( Hebrews 9:1-10) .

......Thus we have briefly called attention to the tabernacle service as it was established among men. This order of worship continued for about fifteen hundred years, and is recognized as being a true type, or pattern of the church of Christ in its purity when it was organized.

Having the pattern before us, we can safely lay it down as our governing standard, and see if any church can be found like it today.

First of all, I call attention to the altar of sacrifices', placed in the outer court, where the Jews were commanded to offer the best things they had. This was truly a sacrifice. Convicted of sin, the Jew brought his lamb to the outer court, confessing and repenting of his sins. He laid his hands upon the head of the victim, killed it, and the priest presented the offering. So it is in the antitype. The sinner is convicted of sin in rejecting the Son of God, comes to Christ as his great sacrifice, and accepts him as his great sin offering. As the priest did not stop at the altar of sacrifice, neither must the sinner stop at the altar of faith, and claim that he is justified by faith only.

But after performing the altar service they started toward the holy place. So with us, after believing with all our heart that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, we are prepared to turn from, or forsake our sins. This is repentance. Before entering the holy place we learned that the priests had their bodies washed with water. So are we taught that "having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water, we are to draw near to God, in full assurance of faith (Hebrews 10:22). To this agree the words of the Son of God who taught: "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved" (Mark 16:16). Peter says, "Repent and be baptized .... for the remission of sins" (Acts 2:38). This being true, we are necessarily forced to conclude that all churches who place baptism on the inside of their church, instead of on the outside as the last act of entering the church, as taught in the word of God, cannot be churches of Christ. Neither will obedience to their rules make men and women Christians, nor add them to the church of God.

As we have passed into the holy place, which represents the church of God on earth, we now call attention to the worship there. We notice the lamp located on the left as the only means of giving light that was ordained by God. This properly represents the word of God, which is recognized as a lamp unto our feet, and a light unto our pathway (Psalms 119:105). As the lamp with the oil burning through it was used in the tabernacle service to give light to the worshipers, so is God's word, with the Spirit. cooperating, used to give us light in our worship of God. Moses was commanded to make all things according to the divine pattern shown him in the mount, and could not change any thing—not even did he have power to cut out holes around the tabernacle to admit more light to direct their worship, but they must use the light God had given. So it is in the Christian worship. No man can go beyond what is written to get up creeds end disciplines to direct the worship in the house of God, without bringing condemnation upon themselves.

We call attention to the table of shewbread, situated on the north side of the tabernacle, which is a type of the communion service placed in the church of the living God. They had twelve loaves, representing the twelve tribes Of Israel; we have one loaf, representing the one body of Christ. They were commanded to remove the bread every Sabbath day; we are taught that the disciples came together on the first day of the week, in apostolic times, to break bread (Acts 20:7 ).

Also we are commanded not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is (Hebrews 10:26). We find beyond the I amps, and beyond the table, the altar on which incense was burned every morning and evening. As to its meaning, John represents the incense as the prayers of the saints. In this you find the altar of incense located near the mercy seat, which shows that in prayer the child of God should ever be nearest Him.

This completes the symbol of the church to the tabernacle service in this life; but beyond all this you notice the most holy place, which represented heaven itself, where Jesus, our high priest, is gone, to make eternal redemption for us (Hebrews 9:24-28).

If we examine the record concerning the first church at Jerusalem, we will find all these things thus fulfilled. They continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking bread and in prayer (Acts 2:42) To continue in the apostles' doctrine is to continue to study and practice the word of God. To continue in the fellowship is to continue to contribute into the Lord's treasury on the first day of the week, as God has prospered us for the advancement of the Master's kingdom in this world. To continue to break bread and pray, is to continue to do what God has commanded.

Brethren, are you doing these things? Remember that just as long as the primitive church did these things, they were of the same mind, speaking the same things. But when their love for these things began to fail, then one innovation after another began to be introduced until, in many places the true church of Christ was hidden by these innovations of man.

But now as this fully represents the church as it stood in its primitive state, suppose I remove the table from the sanctuary, and place it between the laver and the altar, in the outer court, and strike a proof-sheet while in that place You say it is wrong, because it would invite the unbaptized to the Lord's table. So no church that places the communion table there can be the church of Christ. But suppose I place it a little farther east, even beyond the altar of sacrifice, it would be wrong again; for even unbelievers could eat at the Lord's table then. We see, then, it is best to leave the Lord's table in the Lord's house, where the Lord placed it.

Again, I might take the sacred altar of incense, and place it between the altar of sacrifice and the laver; then I would be calling upon the unbaptized, and teaching them that they could draw near to God by prayer, and have their sins forgiven without going to the places where God offers pardon. Or, I might place the altar of Incense beyond the altar of sacrifice, and this would only teach that a man could draw near to God by prayer, even if he were an unbeliever. But, in so doing, I would overthrow the church of God.

With as much consistency, I could move the laver inside the church, and baptize a man because he is a Christian. Or I could remove the laver beyond the altar of sacrifice, and baptize the unbeliever, or the infant, and call it scriptural baptism, as lawfully as I could move it into the holy place, and call that scriptural baptism. In either case I would disarrange the divine order, disannul His commandments, and make my obedience to them of none effect.

Brethren, it is unsafe and unwise to make any changes. Better let things stay where God has placed them. Obey as He has commanded, and peace and happiness will follow.

But what shall I say to those on the outside of the holy place?

Dear friends, the only way pointed out to reach the most holy place is through the holy place. And while you may object to the way many are doing in the holy place, (the church of Christ) your objections will never place you any nearer the home God has promised to those who love Him.

Then, will you not hear His call, accept His invitation, obey His commands, and come to Him and be saved? Why not come? Why not come to Him now?