Gtcotr/ss030622
You may have heard it rightly said that the Bible contains only one story. The Old Testament is the New Testament concealed, while the New Testament is the Old Testament revealed. With this truth in mind, turn with me in your Bibles to our text for today in:
Numbers 8
1 ¶ And the LORD spoke to
Moses, saying:
2 “Speak to Aaron, and say to him, ‘When you arrange the lamps, the seven lamps …’”
Let’s pause for a moment to discuss these seven lamps on one lampstand which were to be positioned in a very strategic place in the Tabernacle.
The Tabernacle of Moses was built according to the pattern of the Tabernacle of God in heaven. God intended for the Tabernacle to reveal spiritual realities. The Tabernacle consisted of 3 courts.
·
An Outer Court
o Brazen Altar where
sacrifice is accepted, and sins are forgiven.
o Everyone is welcome in
the Outer Court.
·
An Inner Court – Also
called The Holy Place
o Only those called to
the priesthood enter this place.
o The Inner Court
contains (Exodus 30:27)
§ The Golden Lampstand –
The Holy Spirit
§ The Table of Shewbread
– The Word of God
§ The Altar of Incense –
Worship and Prayer
·
The Most Holy Place
o The Ark of God’s Presence,
Power, and Glory
o The Mercy Seat of God
We should note that the Inner Court is situated between God and the World in need of forgiveness. This is where the Lampstand was strategically placed by the order of God.
Exodus
30:8 tells us that Aaron, the High Priest, was to light the lamp at evening
time.
·
Aaron
represents Jesus, our Great High Priest.
· Jesus brought light in the evening of time, just like He was told to do.
Exodus
27:20-21 gave Aaron and his sons the responsibility to ensure the Lamps continued
burning from evening until morning on behalf of the people.
·
The
sons of Aaron in the Old Testament represent each and every Born-Again Believer
in the New Testament.
·
The
lampstand itself is Jesus – it is His Body – the Church in the earth.
· It was fashioned from one single piece of pure hammered gold, (Exodus 25:31).
Let me say once again that the Lampstand with the seven golden lamps is the Church of Jesus Christ. The Church is intended to be filled with the Holy Spirit and burning bright in the earth today.
This is confirmed in the book of Revelation. Jesus Himself told John:
Revelation 1:20 “The mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands which you saw are the seven churches.”
Now back to our text in Numbers 8
Numbers 8 NLT
1 ¶ The LORD said to Moses,
2 “Give Aaron the following instructions:
When you set up the seven lamps in the lampstand, place them so their light
shines forward in front of the lampstand.”
3 So Aaron did this. He set up the seven lamps so they reflected their light forward, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.
This morning I want to call our attention on the mission and the focus of the Church. It is evident the world is in a definite period of darkness between the evening and the dawn which shall come in God’s predestined time.
The Body of Christ continues to be strategically positioned between almighty God and lost humanity who sit in darkness. The focus of the Church is clearly directed to be a forward-facing reflection of God’s will.
We
must shine the light of the Holy Spirit:
·
Not
on the sins of the people
·
Not
on the problems of the past
·
not
on the darkness of this world
·
But
rather on the saving grace of the
o Prayer
o Worship
o The Word
You who have been born-again, have been birthed into the priesthood and called with a holy calling to serve God as one body, hammered from one single piece of pure gold into a lampstand positioned to shine your light forward and show others the way.
How can you do this? What practical steps can you take to accomplish this holy spiritual calling. I’ll offer Two Biblical Admonitions from the Word today.
1.
Join yourself to a Body of Believers.
a. I am talking about a
Church
b. This always has been
and continues to be the will of God.
c. You are but one
flicker in a dark world when you are alone.
d. Join your light to
make the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ a bright light to the lost who are
being swallowed by the darkness of this world.
e. Make Church attendance
and participation a priority.
f. Join in heart, in
strength, in support, and in labor.
g. Make the Church
brighter, stronger, and more productive because you are here.
2.
Face Forward
a. Choose to reflect the
will of our soon coming King.
b. Refuse to focus all of
your energy on the problems, allow the Holy Spirit to use your life and your Church
to reflect the answer.
c. You have been given
the responsibilities as sons and daughters of Aaron to position yourself and
shine the light of Christ on:
i. The Word of God
ii. Worship
iii. Prayer
d. How can you do this?
i. Participate in Church
services …
1. Open your bible
2. Sing praises to God
a. The New Testament
calls this your sacrifice.
3. Personally join
yourself to each prayer offered
a. This is the incense
you of your life before God
ii. Repeat these same reflections during the week at work, school, and in your neighborhood.
We are called to be a forward-facing reflection of Christ. The way forward is
and always has been:
·
Holy
Spirit empowered Prayer
·
Holy
Spirit inspired Worship
· Holy Spirit revealed Word of God
Have you been born again?
Where are you facing?
Are you reflecting the answer or rehearsing the problem?
Light
your lamp and Shine for Jesus! You are His Body …
