057 - The Shadow Revisited

You pick up your Bible and wonder, is there more here than meets the is there something here for me. I mean it's just words printed on paper right it may look like just print on the page but it's more than eight. Join us for the next half hour, as we explore God's word together as we learn how to explore it on our own. As we ask God to meet us there in its pages welcome to more than Jim, yes, would you rather have a portrait with your always, much as I like pictures of you. I would rather have substance over that today. The reality instead of picture today on more than last week.

Oh my gosh. Last week we went headfirst and new covenant, and it's just it's a remarkable change. Mielke was one of those things you never get over right when you've discovered it changes everything. While it is so so radically new. Even the naming of old and New Testament is from that because testament is the Latin version of covenant so you could actually titled the Old Testament the old covenant in the system and the new covenant. However, that's slightly unfair because last week we read in Jeremiah 31 that the new covenant is written in Jeremiah in the old testament. This sort of wrongdoing is the promise you you but the entirety of the New Testament the entirety of the New Testament centers around the newness of the new covenant which comes to us in Christ and Christ, who is the subject of the new testament the high priest to makes it possible for us to join him in the nearness of God so it's not a bad distinction. So today is becoming the Hebrews 9 he sees that he's going to help us understand how new the new covenant is by just doing a little retro tour back into the temple of the service back in Israel. When the temple was there any existing in what goes on there and uses in the subsequent time to really help us contrast because remember what what they did in the temple in the Old Testament was a copy and a shadow of the larger reality and it was so much so that God said look Moses, when you build the stuff. When you build this tabernacle you put all the stuff inside it has to follow a particular plan. A particular design because Internet design. It actually shadows. The reality of the real thing.

So do it specifically like this because it's a teaching tool to let you know what that what the hidden but more substantial reality is, so you need to dust off your Old Testament today because were going back to the Old Testament pictures the temple of the tabernacle. Actually, the whole sacrificial system is that picture of this greater spiritual reality things God wants to teach doubt was real real people, real time real place really something that they did but it was all intended to tutor us to lead us to Christ. As Paul says in Galatians So you know I think sometimes we step into this trap of studying that picture as a roadmap to a ritual right. This is the way they did in the Old Testament, so we need to do that to hear under the new covenant God is saying. I want you to understand that I'm giving you this picture so you can study it for its meaning and now I'll tell you what it means yeah well I look at it like a little like an elementary right text and see what it is but it's pointing to the bigger reality what you can learn from it and it's very useful and God did it deliberately so that will understand more clearly, and partly what happened with the nation of Israel.

In those days was that they became so enamored with the ritual that the heart drained away. Well, we are subject to the same danger as I held her ball to do some requiring sacrifices your bright and contrite heart.

51. Create me a clean heart theories that longing for the reality of the new covenant.

So David understood. I think the time when they got it they really got the picture. It's a little more opaque to us, but they got the picture that really we all have deep, deep down, problems with sin and God's looking for contrite heart said to them clear back in Deuteronomy ways size your hearts, not about what you it's about who you are, in turn, plays out what you do.

Yeah, yeah, and by the time of Jesus. They had so enshrined in the ritual, the rituals that they miss the core. The hard thing will it by the time of Jesus it was, wearing out its welcome covenant is right about here is that now are in this new covenant so we just review for a second that these these things are really important that these primary contrast between the old covenant and the new. The old covenant was written on stone imposed externally. The new covenant is written on hearts internally implanted the old covenant was based on human well and human power.

Yup, you will do it. Where is the new covenant is based on God's power to transform us from willpower was flawed right is sufficient right and you know you can you can almost say that the law of the Old Testament law was given not so much to tell us how to make ourselves better, but to illustrate the fact that we well I think that's what Paul means when he says the law is your tutor should take you someplace else. Don't get stuck there might take you someplace will list do our retro view into the old covenant okay in chapter 9 of Hebrews. That's what he's doing talk about this earthly tent. You want me to to stand, but have your Old Testament ready because wearing a look at Exodus and Leviticus in numbers and maybe even Deuteronomy and I have a couple light exam passages written down so you know you need to jot these down and by the way, we know these cross-references not because were brilliant carries a column of your right, but that's why that's such a great Bible resource if you see those little references man go chase those down in order mention a mere can write a Maasai piece of paper to go or come on, just open up your Bible and look at the same place we looked the side column reference okay is make an argument here for just reading these Old Testament books people have never actually read Chang said as it is a ripping good students raise their whole big segments that are details of the laws and ordinances, but if you just focus on the unfolding of the story. It's a remarkable story of God bringing his people out giving them himself, and a way to live in his presence is remarkable to great story and it's it's a great metaphor for you, freeing us out of the captivity SN into a new place of life, which is what the whole celebration of Passover is about a boy who halftime story was a good story with a purpose.

That's for him in terms of our personal experience of your Old Testament.

Our retro tour into the old covenant, in which the writer of Hebrews is important to get the contrast of verse one chapter 9 now even the first covenant had regulations for worship in an earthly place of holiness for a tent was prepared.

That's the tabernacle is the portable temp movable to the temple they had in the desert for a tent was prepared. The first section in which were the lampstand, and the table and the bread of presence. It's it's called the holy place and then behind the second curtain.

This is inside the tent behind the second curtain was a second section called the most holy Place having the golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant covered on all sides with gold in which was a golden urn holding the manna and Aaron's staff that butted and the tablets of the covenant, and then above it above the ark were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat and of the things we we can't now speak in detail was just a little stop ourselves more time than the right details at inside inside the structure that tent. There is there's actually two rooms inside the front when you walk into an in the back when it has another separated by this curtain by this video we call it two different rooms javelin we say family think of something with being thin days with a substantial light blocking. It was straight there was a big fat was having yeah and you can read the description of it in Exodus is really quite something. You know, and when you come into the tabernacle of the tent. Being that first room you see on the opposite side of the room. The fact that this Big Ten's been cut in half by the substantial blues or cloth them is like no entry must put a no entry sign there because it's it's deliberately imagery woven into it and go to imagery of cherubim guard the holiness of God….Yeah that's been done yet.

So it was a very clear barrier. So in this first room.

He talks about is called the holy places introduces an in verse two and then there is the lampstand and the table in the bread presence delight in the bread the light in the bread.

Jesus said was plaintiff, I'm the bread of life on the line. The letter I am something great in the temple is easier. Write the glory of God is walking among you/it's again we could spend hours just here in reflecting on what this means, especially coming from the New Testament. What Jesus taught, but one incredible thing if you you are you know you're close to the presence of God because he's on the other side of the curtain. But even this close to him. There's something about the fact that being being in his proximity is light and bread or light which is a way of understanding how things really are. If you live in a dark place. I was at the reference going camping is a simile to Miami like my wife and I go camping. You know when you're camping on your walk outside your tent. You can't see anything you just desperately need like to see the way things are.

We live in a very dark place and to see the way things really are. We need light from an outside source. And that stuff comes from Dr. you are close to God, but not quite in his presence, yet provides you with light table seating which is a metaphor for the stuff that keeps you alive than necessary. The necessary sufficiency for life every day and so coming in the presence of God comes from that that so yeah yeah God gave the man in the desert so that they might know that man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from God so we can going to that forever may circle back to the symbolism as you come into that first room received this lampstand.

These lights on at United and the whole tent itself is his light sealed so that are lit by that little handling light stand in the and then there's that table and the table has the bread on it and it's all covered with goal every silly lamp light, it would glow.

Yeah that would be a radiance appearance yeah and and otherworldliness is undefined in a separate sense of having stepped into assessments like something very valuable, very precious, very holy, I mean everything glittered with goal. The lampstand itself was solid gold into one big chunk of gold and you hammer it out till it made the shape of this lampstand so and by the way, just as an aside, trivialize that lampstand has a different number of candles on it than the lampstand use that Hanukkah what you go check it out. We will talk about five it's pretty interesting, but it's his lampstand has these lights on it and done like the whole inside of things only get to the ark of the covenant well so the front room and you get to the curtain you get to the big fat ass as well and then back there, is symbolically the presence of God himself, and so inside that room inside that back room is the most holy place or the place a call is called to hold a holy holy holy holy holy, so now you're symbolically coming to the very presence of God and their room are two different things which are fascinating. Two different things. Yeah, because we have the we have Thompson is well okay ark, we have the altar of incense, which, on which the incense very specific incense was burned, which would produce a cloud which the Scripture says covers the mercy seat. That cloud of incense represents the prayers. I'm putting you know if you know instances think that was on the crisis at its ends is smoke that smells good, as opposed to smoke this cladding.

Our skies are not actual ark of the covenant, the container that held these massively important reminders of the deepest holy things and and this week I spent a lot of time talking about these and that's when the writer says of these things we can't now hear what was holding her holding the manna. Think about this at the time of the writing of Hebrews in the first century it had been a couple thousand years hundred years probably was put in there if it was still there, but that opens a whole another line of thought. Jeremy picked the man it would spoil after day right unless it was the Sabbath and then it would last to know what I'm referring to is the fact that the ark of the covenant was disappeared at the Jerusalem and wait on our lab to another inside the ark, I saw a movie. So we have the ark we have that golden urn of manna in Aaron's staff that bided that in the tablets of stone tablets on which are written that reduction of those 10 statements the word very things Moses brought down the mountain, written by the finger of God. So those are inside this golden box in the deepest, most holy Place inside the tabernacle right now where I can talk about those in detail as we just about there a copy and a shadow of the truth. Things that you listeners go back and read those accounts of those things you can find the account of Aaron staff biting in numbers 17. That's a great start and all above it all with a cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat. Take your concordance and look up who are the cherubim and where did they show up in the Scripture, and what are they doing, what seems to me there is little time today he fat little baby.

They are terrifying beings. They are an order of angels that we don't entirely understand, but we know that they are associated with the holiness of God and the statues of the men gold or polo posed in such a way as to show them as protecting and caring work and looking and focused on focused on the mercy seat mercy seat, the place where God, he says I will meet with you there mercy so so to be clear, the park is like a big cedar chest incense okay but it doesn't have top. The top is that is the mercy seat this thing. The thought that was all. But that's removal is like a lid right because they put these things in it. So in it and when you put the lid on top of the lid have these two statues of cherubim bow down covering the stuff inside actually innocent regarding the very person is actually looking at looking at the mercy sent and you can read that it that's all spelled out.

He'll tell you what all in Exodus 25, 26, like I might mention as well from an ancient kingdom perspective, the mercy seat was where the king sat in judgment of people. Greg came to him right so when it says CT really does mean seat.

It means actually symbolically with God all the physical present it's it's where you sit. That's where he sits rains from and this is where he runs everything from sewn away his seat sits on top of the tangible evidence of his promises.

It's kind interesting so we just don't like birds that we just don't have time to study it on your own and see what you find. But when you find that these are us a copy or a shadow that teaches something of larger realities. You can sit here and he gets in the ground. Look at the stuff all day in the school getting more out of the solid is a great visible teaching tool about being in the nearness and presence of God. Well let me just say here just probably one of the things we we can say for certain is that this holy of holies. This ark containing the word of God and the bread of God and the life of God and stem that sprung to life really represents the deepest place of our heart and so I'll just let that sit there right where we meet with God. According to his mercy, and so let let's just let that's to answer so much to learn here, by the way, although he has mentioned here as a leader you can't even get in the front entrance of the tent unless you get past the place where they make sacrifice right that's right so so this this all has I mean is, as you up as you go from the outside dirty world and you go into the front of this place. You have to get past the sacrifice for sin. You have to get in where you got the loaves and you got the light and then you will pass that curtain that big massive ailment into the hole. So, in the process of coming from us on the outside world to God as a whole bunch of really deliberate teaching tool is to tell us the space goes from large and open to semi private to profoundly separated and very intimate with God. So okay so that that's kind of this the pictures try to show us a picture of the old covenant, and any goes on in verse six okay so these preparations having that's been made, the priests go right early into the first section of performing the ritual duties but into the second talking about that holy of holies. Only the high priest goes and he but once a year and not without taking blood, which he offers for himself and for the unintentional samples of the people by this. The Holy Spirit indicates that the way into the holy places, not yet opened as long as the first section is still standing, which is symbolic of the present age. He has opened the secret here for us. According to this arrangement, gifts and sacrifices are offered that can not perfect the conscience of the worshiper but deal only with food and drink and various washings, regulations for the body imposed until the time of reformation. This is so important. This is big time because he's just saying all that stuff pertains to things that are temporary that are here and now.

Food and drink and washings right we get hungry we get thirsty we get dirty. Those all pertain to the here and now picture of something larger and eternal. Yeah, and different. We want to call her more profound to yell some more profound weakness. You find that completeness on this.

All of those arrangements and gifts and sacrifices everything could not complete could not be enough right to change the conscience. The internal heart worship and get you to the intentional going over God wants to bring yet they all point to the fact that we we will continually get hungry, we will continually be thirsty. We will continually get dirty and we need to deal with that thing that stuff all point to our continuing need yeah and interestingly enough, even in that first section we have the bread and you like both of those are our daily needs.

For yes daily needs for us, which are provided by God in the way into God's presence. God in the in the process was getting to his presence will provide for us, understanding and light and provide what we need on a daily basis.

Jesus said that in the sermon on the Mount he says your God, you know, seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, all other stuff will come, you'll be able to fill your belly talk about that some really interesting here when he says that all these things are just regulations for the body. At the very end of verse 10 imposed until the time of reformation. Yes, they all point to something that is going to happen that word reformation is such an interesting word. It only shows I'm here in anytime New Testament means until things are finally put right finally set straight up and he's bringing us back to new covenant. So again that's the fulfillment of God's promise. All those things are put to rest finally set straight in the sacrifice of Jesus which he's going to unpack for us in the coming chapters so so everything they used to do in the old the old tabernacle and temple. You know the gifts. The sacrifices are offered, but they just cannot perfect the conscience of the worshiper. So, were they do. Instead, will they remind us of our problem. They think had a great cook.

Hesitantly prick our conscience about our need, but they don't solve our conscience about our need, but he's implying that this new covenant is so radically new, maybe it will and it does make a finally put everything right everything right yeah yeah blot out our sins. That's what he's going to do through all the stuff so so the old covenant is very instructive to look at the temple is very instructive.

You know, I've always thought if I could if I could have a time machine.

I can go back somewhere. I'd like to go back to the temple, like maybe during Passover and just hang out there and watch what goes on and then draw all these symbolic teachings about the biggest reality. Remember, as I watch this and say you actually right there that's showing me about this and that. Show me about this and I'm seeing this with eyes are informed by the Holy Spirit of understanding what I'm seeing caches in it.

I dragged the fact that most Jews came to this whole thing and they didn't catch the big picture. Although this is trying to get then he didn't know exactly. And you see that the coming of Jesus people been waiting for you. They recognized him. Yeah they got it wasn't impossible. It wasn't a mystery that God did not intend to be solved got this still true. People with a heart after God really wanted know in the spirit grants them recognition when we encounter him.

People who are pursuing the ritual for the sake of their own righteousness missing that is still true. There's a blindness it's a willful, intentional blindness that this keeps you from being able to recognize do the training well enough I'll be pleasing to God and that was by the time of Jesus. That's how this lawless newcomer had just gotten twisted. It's like these just on things that are tutor to take you to Christ they thought this was actually the means by which I came to God by doing the things well enough you know in Jesus. Jesus came out as a Pharisees. Many times cut hitting with this very thought, you know, you think you look in the Scriptures you think in them. You find salvation by doing what they say you got it you got it wrong there important to do, but because their great teachers about the larger reality so don't completely disrespect them and disregard them. But they're not the means toward fixing your content. Okay, so God spoke to that definitively went during the life of Jesus.

The temple was still standing.

During the time that they book of Hebrews was being written that temple was still standing apparently by historically in 70 A.D. when the Romans finally said enough. They leveled the temple and took it down and it has never been rebuilt never been so God spoke and said that old system is obsolete and passed away because I've given you this new arrangement in Christ so you know we talked about a graphic demonstration. These things historically so I know there was that. I know 3540 years between the time Jesus died and was resurrected and the temple was destroyed when history was moving forward. And Jesus predicted it would happen, not a stone upon so you knew what was coming to an end and was gonna crash and burn. Even though those the time that conversation came up because people set are these great stones is press forward like totally out of time so just look at where were going next.

Verse 11 but when Christ appeared as a high priest of that have come when Christ appeared Christ hello Mike will starting to as as a high priest of the good. Every good covenant general covenant priest. I got you covered priest Jesus himself are high priest and our sacrifice rings us through the curtain through the veil very presence of God and were an important role that a lot the next couple weeks so Reidhead is just spying. So come back and join us on Jim and this is okay