Worship That Wins

COME TO THE TABLE

We have been examining Gods house – The tabernacle.

In our last few messages we have examined authentic worship God’s style by stepping through the gates of the Tabernacle and slowly making our way through Gods showroom of special designed furniture for his house of worship.

As we browse around the outer courtyard, We bowed at the altar of sacrifice and the brazen laver.

Now see yourself as a priest in the days of Moses. You have been ordained by God Himself and you have come to worship in the Tabernacle.

• You have entered into the only gate you can go through representing Jesus being the one and only way.

• So far, you have made sacrifices at the altar of sacrifice for the sins of the people –which is a foreshadow of Jesus shed blood or the worlds behalf

• You have washed at the Laver and ministered the Word of God and reflected upon your relationship with

God.

And as a priest we are keenly aware of the fact that our people are learning to sacrifice and they are learning submission to God. We are learning obedience and to honor the Lordship of God Almighty.

However we realize as priest –there is his separation of the out-court from the Holy place.

As priest in Moses day -- we know that spending time at the alter of sacrifice and washing out hands at the Laver is preparing us to enter into a deeper presence of our blessed Lord.

Now, we come to the Tabernacle itself. It’s a tent-like structure divided into two rooms. The first of those 2 rooms measures about 15 by 30 feet and it’s called the Holy Place.

As a priest you have now entered through the curtain into the first room of the Tabernacle. As we enter into the Holy Place we see 3 pieces of furniture.

• All three pieces of furniture has a significant sacred purpose. Each has been made according to the pattern

that Moses received on the mountain.

• There was the table of presence or shew bead, the lamp-stand and the altar of incense.

How would a priest in the day of Noah, ponder the significance of this table of show-bread as he worshiped his holy God?

CONSIDER THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE TABLE:

EXODUS 25:23 -28 Then make a table of acacia wood 3 feet long, 1½ feet wide, and 2¼ feet high. 24 Overlay it with pure gold, and run a rib of gold around it. 25 Put a molding four inches wide around the edge of the top, and a gold ridge along the molding, all around. 26-27 Make four gold rings and put the rings at the outside corner of the four legs, close to the top; these are rings for the poles that will be used to carry the table. 28 Make the poles from acacia wood overlaid with gold.

As a priest you note that the Table, the lamp stand and the Altar of incense is all layered with Gold. Unlike the Outer-courts where the Laver and the Alter of sacrifice was layered in bronze.

• You are cognizant that so for all the furniture is made of acacia, the incorruptible wood, more durable than

oak. but not susceptible to the earth.

• You now understand how this is representative of Jesus and his humanity He had an earthly body but it

never saw corruption, for He never knew sin.

Now as we enter the HOLY PLACE we see the furniture is now garnished with layers of gold. The gold speaks of Jesus deity.

The bronze represents his judgment against sin and the need for sacrifice

The acacia wood represents Christ Humanity

The gold represents he is fully deity--God

PREPARINNG THE TABLE!

On the Sabbath day the priests would enter and place bread made specifically for the table.

• There were 12 fresh loaves placed on the plates of the table– symbolic of the tribes of Israel. They would

pour the sweet fragrance of frankincense upon that bread. They would eat that bread.

Here we learn about the fellowship and satisfaction found in knowing Jesus. It’s the place of sustenance, provision, and intimacy. It’s about salvation, security, and satisfaction in communing with our Lord. It is being in the presence of our God!

WHAT SPIRIUTAL MESSAGE DOES THE TABLE REPRESENT?

I see three real possibilities. In fact I believe the table of showbread could represent a combination of two or three realities.

I. TABLE REPRESENTS THE WORD OF GOD:

Matt 4:4 Jesus answered, "It is written: `Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'"

JOHN 6:48 "I am the bread of life.

JOHN 6:51 "I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world."