A. NEW YEARS RESOLUTION
1. Make your heart Christ’s home.
2. Determine to please Christ every day. Jesus didn’t come to sit on a throne in Jerusalem, but to sit on the throne of your heart. “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (Matt. 6:33).
3. Don’t let anything get between you and Christ. “Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin” (James 4:17).
B. NEW YEAR’S DAY IN THE WILDERNESS
“Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: ‘On the first day of the first month you shall set up the tabernacle of the tent of meeting’” (Ex. 40:1-2).
1. What was the first thing Israel did on the first day of the year? Placing God at the center of their life.
a. They were responsible; God didn’t do it for them.
b. They had to make it beautiful (Ex. 35:34).
c. They have to use their skill (Ex. 35:30ff).
d. They were responsible for everything on the inside (Ex. 36:1-5).
e. They had made it all come together.
2. God will live in what we offer Him, but:
a. Does it glorify Him?
b. Does it please Him?
c. Can God use it to reach out to others?
3. We are responsible for what we set up for God. “You shall set up the Tabernacle” (40:2).
4. We are responsible for the priority of the things we do. Note the sequences and meaning of God’s order. “Make the first thing, the first thing” -Curley
(1) The Ark of the Testimony (v. 3), the box where God sat. His presence.
(2) The veil (v. 3), separation and holiness.
(3) Table of show bread (v. 4), strength and satisfaction.
(4) The lampstand (v. 4), guidance and truth.
(5) Altar of incense (v. 5), prayer and help.
(6) Altar of burnt offering (v. 6), forgiveness and fellowship.
(7) The golden laver (v. 7), cleansing.
(8) Courtyard (v. 8). Privacy and reverence.
(9) Anoint everything (v. 9-11). Power for living and service.
(10) Anoint Aaron (v. 12-15) get an intercessor.
C. WHAT PRIORITIZING DOES FOR YOU
1. Make scripture both the core and first. “Moses . . . took the Ten Commandment’s testimony and put it in the ark” (v. 20).
a. Ground your conversion in the Bible. “He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil. 1:6).
b. Live by Bible principles. “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path” (Ps. 119:105).
c. Grow in the Bible to grow in Christ. “As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby” (1 Peter 2:2).
2. Be cleansed daily from sin by the blood. “He put the mercy seat on top of the Ark” (v. 20).
a. Try to live above sin. “But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).
b. Keep short accounts with God. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).
3. Be committed to separation from sin. “He . . . hung up the veil of the covering, and partitioned off the Ark” (v. 21). Note the sins that trip you up and determine not to go there again. “God . . . will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape” (1 Cor. 10:13).
4. Determine to get daily strength from Christ the Bread of Life. “He put the table of show bread (the bread of His presence) in the meeting room on the north side and set the bread in its place” (v. 22, ELT). Jesus said, “I am the Bread of Life, he who comes to Me shall never hunger” (John 6:32). Bread for:
a. Strength.
b. Growth.
c. Enjoyment.
d. All the necessities of life.
5. Follow the daily guidance of Jesus the light. “Moses . . . put the lampstand in the meeting room across from the table of show bread as the Lord commanded” (v. 24, ELT). “Jesus said, ‘I am the light of the world, he who follows Me shall not walk in darkness” (John 8:12). Will you walk close enough to the light to:
a. Not get side tracked by shadows.
b. Not lose your focus on the light.
c. Not get left behind.
6. Will you pray daily? “Moses . . . put the altar of incense in front of the veil and he burned sweet incense on it as the Lord commanded” (v. 27). “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thess. 5:17).
a. Have a daily prayer time.
b. Have a special prayer place.
7. Will you raise up a wall between you and temptation? “And he raised up the court all around the tabernacle and the altar, and hung up the screen of the court gate. So Moses finished the work” (Ex. 40:33).
a. A wall to refuse to see temptation.
b. A wall to keep temptation from getting to you.
c. A wall that separated you to God.
d. Will you go behind that wall?
D. WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE PREPARE?
“Then the cloud covered the tabernacle of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter the tabernacle of meeting, because the cloud rested above it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle” (Ex. 40:34-35).
1. You can walk daily with God. “Whenever the cloud was taken up from above the tabernacle, the children of Israel would go onward in all their journeys” (Ex. 40:36).
2. You can settle down and rest with God. “But if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not journey till the day that it was taken up” (Ex. 40:37).
3. You can have God’s presence with you. “For the cloud of the LORD was above the tabernacle by day, and fire was over it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys” (Ex. 40:38).
If you have never really accepted Jesus as your personal Savior, would you do it right now? Do not delay or put it off. If you would like to receive Christ by faith, pray this simple prayer in your heart:
Dear Lord, I acknowledge that I am a sinner. I believe Jesus died for my sins on the cross, and rose again the third day. I repent of my sins. By faith I receive the Lord Jesus as my Savior. You promised to save me, and I believe You, because You are God and cannot lie. I believe right now that the Lord Jesus is my personal Savior, and that all my sins are forgiven through His precious blood. I thank You, dear Lord, for saving me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
If you prayed that prayer, God heard you and saved you. I personally want to welcome you to the family of God and rejoice with you.
All PBC lessons are available online at trbc.org/pbc. Go to www.Hopenow.tv for the current program schedule.
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Dr. Towns' email is ELTowns@liberty.edu
Dr. Towns’ web address is www.elmertowns.com
