The Message of the Tabernacle
A Sermon on the Tabernacle from Exodus 24:12
Originally preached Dec. 4, 1955
Scripture
12¶ And the LORD said unto Moses, Come up to me into the mount, and be there: and I will give thee tables of stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written; that thou mayest teach them.
Sermon Description
Christians often wonder why their prayers are not answered? In this sermon on the Tabernacle from Exodus 24:12 titled “The Message of the Tabernacle,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones proposes that perhaps prayers are not answered because the Christian does not approach God rightly. When they approach God, they cannot disregard the reason why they are able to approach Him. Rather than rushing to God with one’s needs, Christians should remember that God’s Son was given as a sacrifice for their sin that they might dwell in God’s presence. In this passage, Dr. Lloyd-Jones considers the significance of the tabernacle for the Israelites. The glorious message that comes with the tabernacle in the Old Testament is that God desires to dwell with His people. In the New Testament, Jesus’s death shows God’s desire to dwell with His people forever.
Sermon Breakdown
- The sermon begins by introducing the topic of the tabernacle and how God instructed Moses and the Israelites to build it so that He could dwell among them.
- The sermon then highlights how the tabernacle is a prophecy of Jesus Christ coming to dwell among men. The tabernacle represents Jesus Christ in the flesh.
- The first main point of the sermon is that God wants to come and dwell with men despite man's sin and failure. God did not abandon man after the fall but provided a way for fellowship through the tabernacle.
- The second main point is that the tabernacle shows how man can come into God's presence. Man cannot come to God in his own way but must come in the way God prescribes.
- God gave very specific details about how to build and furnish the tabernacle. This shows that God must be approached in the way He dictates. Man cannot modify or dismiss these details.
- The first way to approach God is through the altar of burnt offering which represents repentance of sin. Man must first realize he is a sinner under God's wrath before coming to Him.
- The next item in the tabernacle is the laver which represents the need for cleansing from sin. Man needs to be sanctified and purified to come before a holy God.
- The lamp in the tabernacle represents the Holy Spirit who provides light, life, strength, and power to come before God.
- The veil in front of the Holy of Holies shows that man cannot enter into God's presence by himself. Only the high priest could enter once a year with blood.
- The high priest entering the Holy of Holies represents Jesus as our high priest entering heaven with His own blood to make atonement for our sins. Jesus is the only mediator between God and man.
- The mercy seat where the high priest sprinkled blood represents how God's law and grace come together. The law is fulfilled in Christ, and God forgives through faith in Christ's sacrifice.
- Knowing God through faith in Christ's sacrifice leads to God's blessing, peace, joy, and comfort. This is the message of the tabernacle.
Sermon Q&A
What Does the Tabernacle Teach Us About God's Plan of Salvation?
Based on Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones' sermon transcript about the biblical tabernacle, here are key questions and answers about its significance for Christians today.
What was the primary purpose of the tabernacle according to Lloyd-Jones?
The tabernacle was God's way of showing that He wants to come and dwell among His people. As Lloyd-Jones explains: "In that holiest of all in the tabernacle, God's presence dwelt... There, in that holiest of all, into which the high priest alone was allowed to enter only once a year, not without Blood, was the shekinah glory, the glory of God dwelt between the cherubims on the mercy seat." The tabernacle represents God's desire for communion with humanity despite our rebellion and sin.
How does the tabernacle relate to Jesus Christ?
The tabernacle was a prophecy of Jesus Christ's coming. Lloyd-Jones states: "The tabernacle as a whole represents and is a prophecy of the Lord Jesus Christ." He references John 1, noting that when the Bible says "the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us," the Greek literally means "tabernacled among us." Every detail of the tabernacle pointed forward to Christ's incarnation, ministry, and saving work.
Why did God give such detailed instructions for building the tabernacle?
God provided meticulous details about the tabernacle to teach that He must be approached in His way only, not according to human preference. Lloyd-Jones emphasizes: "God is to be approached in his way only. He announces that he's going to come down to dwell with men. Where? In that holiest of all." The detailed instructions demonstrate that approaching God requires following His terms, not ours. As Lloyd-Jones says: "God is only to be known if we approach him in the way that he himself has indicated."
What does the brazen altar at the entrance of the tabernacle represent?
The brazen altar (altar of burnt offering) represents the necessity of confronting sin before approaching God. Lloyd-Jones explains: "It's just God's way of saying that if we really want to know him and to get into his presence, we must start by realizing that we are sinners, that sin is a terrible reality, and that that holy God cannot play fast and loose with sin." This altar teaches that repentance is the starting point for a relationship with God.
How does the tabernacle's mercy seat relate to Christian salvation?
The mercy seat in the tabernacle was where God's law and His grace met together. Lloyd-Jones describes it beautifully: "The mercy seat is the place where law and grace meet together. God is satisfied by the life, by the death, by the resurrection, by the blood of Christ." Christ functions as our mercy seat (propitiation), making it possible for sinful humans to be reconciled to a holy God while upholding God's righteous standards.
Why do many people find the Old Testament tabernacle passages uninteresting or irrelevant?
Many find these passages boring because they don't understand their significance in God's redemptive plan. Lloyd-Jones notes: "Have you ever read through the Book of Exodus? Have you ever read through the Book of Leviticus? Have you read these ancient books? And have you been puzzled as to what all this is about?" People miss the profound message because they don't see how these details foreshadow Christ and reveal God's plan of salvation.
What does Lloyd-Jones say is humanity's fundamental problem?
Lloyd-Jones identifies our fundamental problem as attempting to live without God: "The world now, and especially during this century, has been trying to live without God. It's turned its back upon him, it's ridiculed him, and all the teaching concerning him. Men were absolutely convinced. They're still trying to persuade themselves that they can live a happy life without God altogether." He insists that "man cannot be happy without God. He was made for God, and his heart is restless until it finds its rest in God."
Old Testament
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.