Tabernacle
Exodus 26:1~14 Make the tabernacle with ten curtains of finely twisted linen and blue, purple and scarlet yarn, with cherubim worked into them by a skilled craftsman. (1)
♬ Hymn for scheduled worship: Korean/English #348 Up, and Fight Against the Devil (#388 in previous version)
Why did Israel have to live as slaves in Egypt for 400 years? Why did they have to spend 40 years in the wilderness? If we do not correctly understand this, we have no choice but to experience the same things. Through the Scripture reading, we must be able to hear the voice of God.
1. Make the tabernacle that does not lose hold of the Gospel!
From time to time, the Israelites lost hold of the Gospel. Each time this happened, they had to face unending battles with the Philistines and had to become captives to Assyria and Babylon. They become colonized by Rome, and the reason their descendents faced suffering was because they lost hold of the Gospel. That is why God wants us to build a tabernacle today. He is telling us to make a tabernacle that can gather together the evidences of God given thus far and that can keep us from losing hold of the Gospel. Even if we possess everything, the life that loses hold of the Gospel will fail. We must build the tabernacle in our lives that has the taste of God’s presence.
2. Live fully enjoying the Gospel while you are in the wilderness
The path of the wilderness is not an easy or happy path. It is an anxious and dangerous path. At this time, God tells us to build a tabernacle. This is speaking about having a holy ambition that can connect with God, even though we are in the midst of hardships. Having a tabernacle that connects with God inside our fields of today is the greatest happiness. Furthermore, the devotion we must give also lies here. We are gathering our strength and building a tabernacle to save this age for the sake of our children. In Europe, there are enough great churches that attract throngs of sightseers. However, they are devoid of the Gospel and only the buildings remain. One precious form of devotion is building the RUTC that can display the Gospel and raise the future children through the Gospel.
3. Think of our lives as a one-time opportunity and challenge!
The challenge of staking one’s life in the wilderness was entering Canaan, the land of promise from which the Messiah would come. We must obtain Christ in the land of promise, and challenge towards world evangelization. We need to resolve to explain Christ through our lives. Although yesterday has passed, all we need to do again today is think about the covenant and challenge. The Gospel we grab hold of today gets connected to tomorrow, and we end up sitting in the seat of answers, the seat of conquest, and the seat of success. Do not relax, but instead, challenge in the studies and fields that are necessary for you. God who is with us will absolutely answer us.
● Forum Topic - In our fields today, let us make a tabernacle that signifies that God is with us.
Immanuel Church Sunday Worship 1st Service / 2009.12.20