Raiders of the Lost Ark [Part 1]

Pastor Arthur and Bible teacher Alan Wright. It seems as though God is genuinely surprised how good God knows all things are omniscient being the surprise when they can't be. But what we want to see here is that in a sense, he was faster. Alan another message of good view that will help you see your life in old I'm Daniel Britton excited for you to hear the teaching today. In the series remade as presented at an old church in North Carolina that I will stay with us throughout the entire program today. Mr. will make sure you know how to get our special resource right now.

It can be yours for your donation this month to Alan Wright so as you listen to the page message go deeper as we send you today's special contact is a pastor at.org that's Pastor Alan.R. G or call 877-5448 60 really be more on all this later in the program but right now let's dig in and get started with today's teaching here is Alan Wright this.

We are small in number but mighty and we can have a better response and that. Are you ready for some good everything that the ark of the covenant represents. That was so precious to Israel to the people of God has been fulfilled in Jesus Christ, so that's why we are not craving to be around the ark. Just as Jeremiah prophesied, I want to show you how important ark of the covenant was so you can see how magnificent Jesus is. We are in a new series on Jeremiah I've call it remade because with God. Restoration doesn't just mean that you can go back to the way something was be restored in that sense God does something better than that is like a potter was working on clay in the notice is an impediment in the clay and instead of throwing it away. He lumps it again removes impediment and spends the wheel once more in order to make the vessel to what he had in mind in the first place. That's what God's and I just think that we can look forward to. As we think about what does the world look like after pandemic. I think we can look forward to restoration from God, not in the sense of let's just get things back to the way they were, let's get things back to something that's better than what we ever imagined. According to the design and handiwork of our power. So in a series on Jeremiah and today we come to chapter 3, I want to read it.

Verse 15 Jeremiah 315. I'll give you shepherds after my own heart. Lord says Jeremiah, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding and when you have multiplied and been fruitful in the land in those days to cancel or they shall no more say ark of the covenant of the Lord shall not come to mind or be remembered or missed shall not be made again at that time Jerusalem shall be called the throne of the Lord in all nations gathered to it to the presence of the Lord in Jerusalem and they shall no more stubbornly follow their own evil heart. In those days the house of judicial joy in the house of Israel and together they shall come from the land of the north to the land that I gave your fathers for heritage. I said how I would set you among my sons give you a pleasant land, a heritage most beautiful of all nations. I thought you would call me.

My father and would not turn from following me surely is a treacherous wife leaves her husband, so you've been treacherous to me, O house of Israel, declares the Lord of voice on the bear Heights is heard weeping and pleading of Israel sons because they have perverted their way. They forgotten their Lord their God return, O faithless sons. I will heal your faithful faithlessness. I will heal your faithless behold come to you for you are the Lord our God, the 1981 adventure film directed by Stephen Spielberg or Raiders of the lost Ark, and starring Harrison Ford and archaeologist who is heroic in his quest to outdo and outrace the Nazis in said in the 1930s. In order to find the mysterious ancient lost Ark of the covenant that was purported to have such great powers that if an army could attain it.

They would become invincible and it became the highest grossing film of 1981, and is now considered one of the greatest films of all time. Three more movies were made in the franchise of Indiana Jones and found it interesting as I was looking at that the original working title of the movie was the adventures of an Indiana Smith when I was a great change in a title and that Indiana Smith. I just went and guess who they originally targeted for the role of Indiana Jones but he could not fulfill the invitation because of a contract he had for a series he was doing was CBS they originally targeted Tom Selleck but he was doing Magnum PI I don't know Selleck might've been okay Indiana Jones and the most important thing you need to know about the Raiders lost Ark is a joke and our house because I suppose it is of the swashbuckling type of adventure films and favorite movie and so every time that we think about going to watch something I say. What would you like to say have a Raiders lost Ark is always seen that 15 times and I just became a joke. Over the years there what you saying is I want something not to glory a little bit playful but adventurous and swashbuckling with a real hero and real evil and real good, a good wind and that's what she saying it symbolizes to ask.

Interestingly, the movie, if you really kinda think about deeper meaning behind it. The movie in 1981 of your less than 40 years from the time that the Nazis were exterminating millions of Jews and is kinda good to have a movie where good wins and the power of God was on the right side and all that might be underlying it Raiders of the lost Ark and if it were not for the Raiders of the lost Ark movie then no bite be talking about the ark of the confidence just as Jeremiah prophesied chapters 3 and four. Like much of Jeremiah contain a lot of judgment articles people God had been unfaithful to God been they become idolatrous and so the exile that they are going to experience when Nebuchadnezzar comes with his army in 587 sacks Jerusalem, and many of them will be deported to Babylon where they will spend years, 50 years in exile and so there's a lot of judgment and discipline and and and warnings in Jeremiah and we walked spend. Obviously a lot of time in those texts that really don't apply to us in Christ all but what we learn from them is something about the nature of the heart of God and the truth of God, and I wanted to show you this because in the context of this astonishing prophecy about how one day, though no longer remember the article talk about it. The context of this is God's own broken heart at the faithlessness and idolatry of his people look at look at a few verses to help describe this image that God uses verse one Jeremiah 3. If a man divorces his wife, and she goes from him and becomes another man's wife, will he return to her with that land be greatly would not Atlanta greatly polluted strong language or you've played the horror. This is an image that is using with many lovers would you return to me, declares the Lord. So what you see here is the heart of God because I think that people greatly miss understand the concepts of the judgment of God and the jealousy of God in the, the, the wrath of God.

He is describing himself as one who is like a husband who has a wife who was repeatedly unfaithful and went after many other men and he wants us to think of the emotions that that husband feels because if you're a married man your wife is running around with every kind of man going out of Nied going to random bars, picking up a man at the bar going home with him and then want to come home and also be your wife if that husband isn't jealous about that. That husband is upset about that doesn't bother him that doesn't break his heart, then you would question whether the husband loves that wife at all because it is the nature of covenantal marital love that it is exclusive it is the nature of the design of marriage is the design of our lives and so covenantal unfaithfulness when you just throw away the promises of the covenant just run after whatever seems to please you. At that time because it feels a little bit better a little bit more exciting. Whatever it might be is breaks the heart of God. That's what's that's what he saying sin is like so it's it's a heart of God. This broken listeners in verse seven, and I thought I'd says this I thought after she's done all this you return to me. She did not return in her treacherous sister Judah, the southern kingdom saw in her treacherous sister Judah did not fear, but she too went and played there's a number of text in Jeremiah in several places in the Bible where it doesn't even make sense to say this but it it seems as though God is genuinely surprised, but how could God who knows all things ocular omniscient being be surprised what he can't be. But what we want to see here is that in a sense, he was surprised because he thought that is so long-suffering and he thought that Shirley wouldn't continue is like a husband who's seen his wife be unfaithful, and he thinks, but I think she would come back and and yet she does that just keeps on with her unfaithfulness was what he saying sin is like and then in verse 12. Listen to this. This is the beauty of God return. This is one of God's most prominent themes that he speaks through Jeremiah this word in Hebrew, Schubert, Schubert return turn turn turn over and over and over and over in these chapters, and all throughout Jeremiah return return faithless Israel, declares the Lord. I will not look on you in anger fry merciful, declares the Lord. I will not be angry forever only acknowledge your guilt but you rebelled against the Lord your God, and that is not obeyed my voice to see the heart of God even when he is the one who has suffered the unrighteous adultery of its people, but one who has been been put into agonizing pain of the idolatry of those who have broken the covenant over and over and over and over again. He is saying to them, listen to him pleading retirement, faithless Israel.

I I am angry about this because because I love you and and I cannot allow you to be shared with other gods, but I will not stay angry. I am merciful by nature talent right will have more teaching moment from today's important series.

Many Christians in America today. You're starting a nation's culture has turned away from God values in our country have changed. Suddenly, most people don't go to church or had a difficult one to make you feel like an alien in your own culture is not to learn from Danielle when he was exiled to the pay command through our special effort is not. You can learn to live under the favor of God in Aryan culture the way Daniel Ted gave before the end in mind senior Pastor Alan's idea series, Daniel favored for you may feel like a stranger in this world that is God should favor to Daniel and his four man race is a timeless plan ordination will not only help you navigate through these troubling times.

It will also help someone else links for your partnership with our night ministry. We missed you as I don't call us at 877-544-4860 877-544-4861 come to our website pastor.like these teaching now continues you once again is Helen writing is hard to love and forgiveness turn back come home and it's not just that he will forgive when they return.

It is, he will then help them. Verse 15 I will give you shepherds after my own heart who will feed you. You been said the wrong stuff you've had wicked leaders you've had bad teachers but I'm going to put some people into your life.

I will ultimately put a shepherd in your life who will feed you only what is true and nourishing helpful to you. Return that is the context of what's happening in the life of the people of God in the sixth century BC and then comes this promise. That's what I wanted to see today is just how shocking a statement. It is how astonishing it is that he says in verse 16 when you've multiplied and been fruitful in the land in those days. Speaking of a future time, declares the Lord. They shall no more say ark of the covenant of the Lord, it shall not come to mind will be remembered or missed shall not be made again the ark of the covenant well let's put this image and just leave him a job as I read the description of the mercy seat. The first thing to say. This ark is that it is made of acacia wood, and it is overlaid with gold on the inside and the outside. The long poles are made of acacia wood overlaid with gold, but that cover that that lid of it which is known as the mercy seat that the ark of the covenant slip is solid gold and the cherubim are solid gold.

Here's a description just leave him a job as I read it. Exodus 2517 you shall make a mercy seat of pure gold. Two cubits and 1/2 shall be its length, and a cubit and 1/2 its breadth shall make two cherubim of gold of hammered work. You shall make them on the two ends of the mercy seat make one cherub on the one and one cherub on the other in of one piece with the mercy seat shall make the cherubim on two ends, the cherubim shall spread out their wings above, overshadowing the mercy seat with their wings.

Their faces one to another, toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubim be you shall put the mercy seat on the top of the ark and in the ark you shall put the testimony that I shall give you, and there I will meet with you and from above the mercy seat from between the two cherubim there on the ark of the testimony, I will speak to you so this this centerpiece of anything that's ever been crafted in Israel is completely set apart by God himself for this very very holy holy purpose, which is cited inside of this ark inside the chest is Aaron's rod that miraculously blew drivetime look that story but in a time of the rebellion of the people they were rebelling against Aaron's leadership.

He had those would-be contenders for leadership essentially placed there rod put their staff to stick just a dead stick out and he said one of them going to bloom in the morning they woke up and Aaron's rod was full of flowers that's in there that's in the ark and a bowl container of some of the manna was somehow preserved from that frosty white substance that God rained down in the desert and tablets of the law, the 10 Commandments were in their and this this this ark in the first place therefore represented to the people the most holy thing they had. It was a picture of the absolute purity of God and had to be carried on long poles because it was too holy to touch one instant, Rosa touched it died. It is overlaid with gold to symbolize its purity and there some fascinating stories about when unholy people got around like the Philistines captured the ark and they took it to their idolatrous God Dagon, but when they took it there before their idle because the plague in their land because you cannot mix the holy with the unholy you you try to mix that holy with the unholy and the unholy cannot stand it in the presence of the holy can't stand. And so the plague broke out and then this is almost comical in first Samuel five verse two then the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it into the house of Dagon and set it up beside Dagon and when the people of Ashdod rose early the next day, behold, Dagon had fallen face downward on the ground before the ark of the Lord. I just love that story to go into their with their God is fallen, face down, like his prostrate worshiping, worshiping the Lord at the ark and so they took Dagon and put them back in this place is funny is funny but when they rose early on. The next morning ball. Dagon had fallen face downward on the ground before the ark of the Lord again but this time they headed Dagon and both his hands were lying cut off all the threshold and only the trunk of Dagon was left to him if you try to keep your unholiness in the presence of this most holy thing in Israel, evidently it would decapitate you so holy that only one day a year. The priest could enter behind the veil and minister on behalf of the people and be in the presence of the ark and sprinkle blood on it was the holiest place of Helen writing today's message Raiders of the lost and are bringing it from our series remade and stick with this pastor Alan is back here in the studio shearing aborting good news thought for the day for you in just a moment. Many Christians in America today your standby have a nation's culture has turned away from God values in our country have changed. Suddenly, most people don't go to church or had a difficult one to make you feel like an alien in your own culture.

There's a lot to learn from Danielle when he was exiled to the page Amanda I. Through our special effort is not you can learn to live under the favor of God in Aryan culture the way Daniel dead give before the end in mind. The senior pastor Alan Zaidi series Daniel favored for you may feel like a stranger in this world that is not shared favor to Daniel and his four man God's grace is upon you as well. Nation will not only help you navigate through these troubling times. It will also help someone else links for your partnership with our night ministry. We missed you as I don't call us at 877-544-4860 877-544-4861 come to our website pastor out.org accurate pastor and sporting good news thought for the day in the studio in a pastor, Alan. There's a better moment worries and is you have to go back and get a good deep into history are the details of was teaching here to really understand the point and I appreciated that.

With this in the ark of the covenant wall is just an astounding thing. I just can't get across.

What a staggering shocking statement.

It would be for Jeremiah to prophesy in Jeremiah chapter 3 that they shall no more say the ark of the covenant of the Lord, it shall not come to mind or be remembered or missed, it shall not be made to get because the ark of the covenant was understood to be the symbol of the very presence of God. It was the place in the holy of holies on that mercy seat where God's glory. His Shekinah came in all of its weighty power. It was there that the high priest would meet with God. It was the ark of the covenant was understood to be a picture of the power of got so for Jeremiah to say you know I'm gonna talk about the ark of the company more is so incredible, so in the new covenant we don't have an art. We don't have a meeting place with God because God the Holy Spirit is inside every believer. We got more learn about that tomorrow, but for now let's say thank you God that your presence is not any way limited to an artifact like the ark, but instead you come taken up residence in mid-May. We know the presence of the Lord every day of our lives. If you only caught part of today's teaching. Not only can you listen again online also get a daily email devotional that matches today's teaching delivered right to your email inbox three. Find out more about these and other resources@pastor.org that's pastor at.org. Today's good news message is a listener supported production Alan Wright Ministries