Exodus 40:34-38

good morning good morning welcome to coffee and of oceans you know what I realize I think I found my favorite mug I was thinking about this how do you know something is your favorite maybe it's got something to do with like subliminally how frequently you use the thing or something I don't know but that's how I feel I've just noticed that this is I like the way it feels I like the way it holds the heat I like the way that it looks I think Deborah got me my favorite mug but anyways uh this is where every day you and I we get into God's word we grow in our love for the Lord together in this year 2023 Lord willing we're gonna make it from Genesis through Leviticus I'm so glad to be with you today we finish up the book of Exodus today I'm so glad that we've gotten to this point it's an awesome passage to finish the book of exos it's not some coffee we'll pray and we'll get into God's word let's pray by the way thank you so much for this day what a joy it is to get to read your word we pray that you would please help us to understand it in Jesus name amen some of you might be wondering where are the kids hopefully tomorrow they'll join back in so we'll see how that works out scheduling always is determining there but I think we're I think we'll be okay so uh they'll be back they'll be back I promise okay here we go uh end of access chapter 40 beginning at verse 34. and then the cloud covered the Tabernacle of meeting and the glory of the Lord filled the dabernacle and Moses was not able to enter the Tabernacle Tabernacle of meeting because the cloud rested above it and the glory of Jehovah filled the Tabernacle whenever the cloud was taken up from above the Tabernacle the children of Israel would go onward in all their Journeys but if the cloud is not taken up then they did not Journey till the day that it was taken up for the cloud of Jehovah 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 well we need to ask ourselves a this is about B was the best verse to summarize this and see what are we called to do well what is this passage about it commanded them way back in the beginning a portion of the book of Exodus the pattern for all these things how they were going to be made what they were going to look like stuff like that then we got to that passage of Covenant disobedience and then some more regulations on God revealing himself as a god of mercy and compassion the people start giving of their free will all these things and then bazal and a holy ebb start assembling their team and making everything according to the pattern of the Lord and over the last couple weeks we've been going through and they've made it they did exactly as the Lord commanded Moses and now something happens last time we got together they actually erected the Tabernacle and now something amazing happens Moses isn't a liar God is with his people the Covenant King that they heard from his voice in Exodus chapter 20 bills the Tabernacle that's what this is about this is about God filling the Tabernacle God's visible presence being with his people now of course God is an um uh omnipresent God he's everywhere at all time right but he's not confined to the Tabernacle Solomon will say at the dedication of the Temple that the heavens of the heavens cannot contain you and yet here he is choosing to dwell in the midst of his people because he's our covenant King because he's their sovereign because he's the one who is going to watch over them protect them rule them and love them I'm not sure the relationship always goes both ways as we'll find out but what we find here is God blessing them it's not just Moses who blesses them at the very end of all this right verse the last verse of chapter 39 said in Moses bless all the people when he saw it but now God blesses them with his sense that's the best verse to summarize this well in my Bible you don't probably underline verse 34 and 35 it also tells us that if the clouds stay there it's they stayed there if the cloud went up it moved they went right he was the one leading his people but what are we called to do you know I gotta say sometimes when I read these passages I think man how cool would that be to actually see the Tabernacle to see this this pillar of cloud coming to fill the Tabernacle so much so that Moses can't even go in there how cool would that be to see these things but then I have to remind myself something better has happened similar to John chapter 14 when Jesus tells his disciples I'm going to my father and where I'm going you can't come you're going to come eventually but it's better for me to go than to stay with you because when I go I'm going to send Holy Spirit Cloud filling the Tabernacle is a picture of his Spirit dwelling in the midst of his people but what they trusted and in signs and in patterns you have today that same Holy Spirit if you are in Jesus Christ is in you you if you are one of Jesus's people if he has called you out of the world poured out his Spirit into your heart the one that has adopted you to cry out Abba Father and that is no less remarkable I love this about being a pastor I love people coming to love the Lord and to have their eyes filled with his glory and to realize how magnificent he is and when they stumble and when they fail to see their hearts turn to new obedience I love it I mean it's it's it's the joy of my life I love it when I see my kids do it I love it when I see people in the church do it it's because the holy spirit is still working in the midst of his people because our covenant King Jesus Christ sits on his throne in the holy of holies and ministers today do you believe that this is Grace fill your heart this is presence lead you and guide you still where he goes do you go when he stays do you stay I hope you do let's pray father we thank you so much that you have poured out your Holy Spirit into our hearts that you have given us a hope of dwelling with you forever Lord we long to join those Myriad of angels and that chorus of your people to cry out worthy as a lamb was slain father we pray that you would please let us love you and let us know of your presence here in our hearts and in our lives and teach us to walk in that same type of obedience that we found in these last few chapters that it might be said of them though they stumbled and they failed and sometimes they messed up they repented and did just as the Lord had commanded loving you and loving their neighbor in Jesus name amen may God bless you may you be comforted knowing that his holy spirit is with you if you are in him and I'll see you next time bye [Music] thanks for listening to this week's message from God's word for you a Ministry of Sharon RP Church in rural Southeast Iowa we pray that the message would be used by God to transform your faith in your life this week if you'd like to get more information about us feel free to go to the website Sharon rpc.org we'd love to invite you to worship with us our worship time is 10 a.m every Sunday at 25204 160th Avenue Morning Sun Iowa 52640 may God richly bless you this week thank you [Music]