Stay in the Tabernacle

Thank God for music. We have a great God who loves to hear praises and worship to Him. Don't we? There is no doubt God is good. And all the time. And He is good at music, too, isn't He? He is most definitely. And so, happy feast to everyone! Here we are on the eighth day, coming to an end of this beautiful setting.

I know I was reminded just by all the beautiful flags of the nations up here of a story I heard about a little boy who had gone with his parents to church. They were going to a brand new hall for the very first time. It was a little bit like a setting like this, except they just had two flags. One on one side and one on the other. Never been in this hall before. The little boy said to his mom, Mom, what does that flag mean? And mom said, well, you know, that's the American flag. We can customize this for Jamaica. That's the Jamaican flag. Well, what's that other white flag on the other side? And the mother said, well, that flag honors all who died in the service. Little boy thought about that for a minute and he said, was that morning services or afternoon services? All right, from what I understand, we haven't lost anyone yet. So we're doing pretty well this afternoon. Are you ready to go home? No. Well, the Feast of Tabernacles is over. The eighth day is coming to an end. So we're done, right? Well, hopefully not. As a reminder, there's something that the Bible mentions over and over again. And in fact, if you were to Google it and try to find out the answer, it's an interesting one of what the one single object most mentioned in Scripture is, more than any other. Do you know what object that is? It's the tabernacle. The tabernacle is the most mentioned single object. And of course, that tent of meeting, that tabernacle that God describes through a number of chapters in the book of Exodus, God gave very specific details about that specific tent because it was going to symbolize God dwelling with His people. And so that physical item had deep spiritual meaning, especially for us, as we consider the time that we live in, as we come to the end of the Feast of Tabernacles and this eighth day. I was reminded of a passage that's found over in Psalm 91. Psalm 91, at the very beginning of this psalm, it gives us a number of words that all relate to this concept of a tabernacle. Of course, the tabernacle was to be the house for the Ark of the Covenant. The Ark of the Covenant was supposed to represent God's throne. So God was going to be sitting on that throne symbolically right in the midst of Israel. And Psalm 91 gives us some key words that really bring those things to mind, especially for us. When we think about the spiritual implications of these words, let's notice Psalm 91, verse 1. It says, He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High, they shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

And then skipping down to verse 9, Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge, even the Most High your dwelling place, no evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling. Now, did you catch those various words that are pointing to that tabernacle? You see here in verse 1, He who dwells dwelling place. Then it says it's a secret place. That's an interesting Aramaic word that's used there.

And it can mean a covering, like a protection, a protection, a dwelling that's a protection. And as long as it says, like in verse 1, Abide with the Most High in His shadow. He is covering us and protecting us and watching over us, because He is our refuge, it says in verse 9, literally our shelter, and even God is our habitation, our dwelling place. And as a result, what does it tell us? No evil shall befall you, not even any plague that would come near your tent, your tabernacle, your dwelling.

And so over and over and over again, Psalm 91 points to this fact that we have a special place in God's eyes. And even though the Feast of Tabernacles is over, this last great day with the tremendous meaning that all mankind will have an opportunity to understand the true God and His plan and His purpose.

And it points past that time of the Great White Throne Judgment and even the new heavens and new earths. And so as we think about the implications of what Psalm 91 is talking about, should we leave? Maybe some have already checked out of their hotel room. Okay, we have to leave this place and head back home again.

But if we were to take this from a spiritual perspective, yes, of course, we look forward to that time when the saints will ultimately be with God, Christ will return and establish the Kingdom of God on earth. But this is also pointed to something that's not only future. It's not just something off in the far distance. When we consider the Tabernacles on the eighth day, it should help us to understand and experience the reality that we must abide with God now.

Now is the time. In a sense, we need to be living in the Kingdom of God today. There's not time to wait. There's not time to check out. Psalm 91 is telling us we must never leave the sheltering presence of God. Have you ever thought about it in that way? We're going to remain in the Tabernacle. We need to spiritually stay. We need to stay in His shelter. And when you consider a key message that's found throughout the Bible, it is that idea of dwelling and sheltering with God, literally tabernacling with Him.

And it's not just a figurative kind of thing. Spiritually speaking, we are to literally shelter with God. And it's not just an Old Testament tent of meeting kind of a thing. This same concept is something that Jesus Christ Himself emphasized over and over and over again.

If you turn with me over to John chapter 15, He's going to emphasize this very fact. In fact, as we read verses 4 through 10, we're going to see this concept mentioned time and time and time again. In fact, in these few little verses, He's going to bring this to mind 10 times. 10 times! He's going to focus our attention on this very concept. Let's notice it. John chapter 15, beginning in verse 4, this probably sounds familiar.

It says, Christ Himself, of course, speaking here, abide in me and I in you, as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine. We've already had an abiding twice, haven't we? Abiding! It says, neither can you unless you abide in me.

So three times in verse 4, He's already said, we've got to be together. We've got to dwell together. Verse 5, He says, I'm the vine. You are the branches. He who abides in me and I in him bears much fruit. Without me, you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me, he's cast out as the branches is withered.

It says, and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. Of course, we sense a future context for that as well. So should we choose to abide? Christ says, on the other hand, if you abide with me, my words abide in you. You'll ask what you desire. It shall be done for you. By this my father's glorified that you bear much fruit.

So you will be my disciples. As the father loved me, I have also loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love. Just as I have kept my father's commandments and abide in his love.

So as we look at this, we see this word abide mentioned over and over and over again. It's the Greek word meno, M-E-N-O, meno. And it means literally to stay or to dwell with. You remain. So here we are, leaving the Feast of Tabernacles in the eighth day. But wait a second, we're supposed to remain. Remain with God. Stay dwelling with him, abiding with him. Join to him, continuously in his presence. And so this idea of spiritually surviving, the only possibility we have to succeed in spiritually surviving is to remain and abide with him.

Our only hope is in Jesus Christ. We have no hope of our own. We have no means to attain the kingdom. There is no possibility we can earn the kingdom of God. We cannot earn a place in his family that only comes through our Savior Jesus Christ. So we must abide in him and he in us, because without him, nothing we can do. Not a thing. And of course, at this time of the year, sometimes we might feel maybe a little down.

Anybody feel? Maybe just, wow, this went way too fast. This is over so quickly and now I'm kind of out of air, kind of let down a little bit. Now I'm stressing, I've got to go back home and I've got to take care of all these things. And I'm a little anxious or I'm worried about what the world may hold and there's problems awaiting. Anybody felt like that? Yeah, sometimes it certainly can be that way. It's kind of like a man I heard about who was having a nightmare. Now I don't know if it was at the end of the feast or what, but it seemed as the end was approaching, he had this nightmare, night after night, and he decided to tell his friend about it.

And he said, you wouldn't believe this terrible dream I've been having. One night, I dream I'm a teepee. And then the very next night, I dream I'm a wigwong. And then the next night, it repeats, I dream I'm a teepee. And then the following night, you wouldn't believe this. I dream I'm a wigwong. He says, what can it possibly mean? Well, his friend thought about it and he said, you're just too tense.

We're not talking about those kind of tense. We're talking about sheltering with God in God's tabernacle under His covering. And even though tabernacles is over, yeah, sometimes we may be a little hesitant. We've got to go back out there. We're not to be of the world, but we have to live in the world. And if you've ever felt like, oh boy, I don't want to go into that spiritual slump.

I don't want to have those after-the-feast blues. Well, what can you do? Well, I think if you keep this concept in mind, it starts to tell us a very important point. To spiritually grow, we must stay in His shelter. If there's any hope of abiding in Christ and growing spiritually, we have to stay in His shelter.

Because God has given us awesome spiritual power. And it's available to all of us who trust in Him to turn to Him. A little glimpse of that is given to us over in Ephesians 1, verse 17. Here we see how it's possible to overcome the challenges that everyday life can be, and how we can grow by staying in His shelter.

Ephesians 1, verse 17 gets right to the heart of the matter. Here's the key. Jumping into the middle of the thought, as Paul writes to God's church in Ephesus, he writes, The Father of glory give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him.

The eyes of your understanding being enlightened, that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe. According to the working of His mighty power. You see, if we're going to grow, we absolutely need God's Holy Spirit. We need to dwell in His presence and stay in that shelter, and utilize that transformational power of God's Spirit. And by abiding in Christ and dwelling with Him, we have amazing power.

Have you ever thought of it this way? God has given us power over sin. Sin does not have to affect us. Sin does not have to take us down. And if we're tired of not progressing, if we feel like we just can't get the spiritual growth that we need, if we don't have the passion that we should, here we're told, stay in His shelter, and then you could begin to grow by dwelling with God and submitting to that Holy Spirit.

If you don't have God's Spirit, now's the time to rethink your life. You need God's Spirit. God's Spirit working with us is certainly a helpful thing. But if you really want to progress spiritually speaking, God's Spirit must be in you. In order to stay in the shelter of God, that's the key that's going to empower us to bear spiritual fruit. It's how we can experience the ultimate life that God really wants us to have. Remember, Christ came that we could have life and have it abundantly. An abundant spiritual life. And that's what the Apostle Paul is talking about here.

And that key of growth, spiritually speaking, is bearing fruit and abiding in Christ and staying under His shelter, staying within His beautiful arms constantly. And in fact, if you turn just a page or so to Ephesians 2, verse 19, we notice the impact of that spirit of wisdom, how that spirit of revelation, of revealing and understanding God's way, and how it empowers us to do His will, and where it leads us.

If you've noticed this before, Ephesians 2, 19, it says, you're therefore now no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God. Well, that makes sense, doesn't it?

If you're dwelling with God, you're remaining, abiding in Christ, you are under His shelter. Boy, that makes sense perfectly. We're in His house. We're a part of His family. And we are now members of that household. He says in verse 20, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together. Notice for what purpose? You're being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit. See, God is building His temple.

And if you've ever thought it only involves you and me, we're missing something. It not only involves you and me, it is you and me. He is building us into a holy temple in the Lord. When we have the Spirit of God, God dwells in us. We have to submit to that Spirit in order to grow spiritually. And it is an amazing fact, as brought out here in Ephesians 2, as members of His household, as being built together for a dwelling place, it zeroes in on the kind of dwelling place we're to be. Did you notice the words in verse 21? It grows into a holy temple in the Lord. That holy temple is a very special Greek word. That word is not just talking about the temple grounds. If you've ever studied the temple grounds, there's all kinds of things going on in the temple. They had walls around it. They had different buildings, different places that the priest would be. But it's not that kind of a word that's just referring to the general aspect of the temple, aspect of the grounds of the temple.

This word always refers to the sanctuary. It refers to, I think specifically, the Holy of Holies, God's dwelling place. That would have been where the Ark of the Covenant was. That was where the mercy seat was. That was where the pillar of cloud was. And when you consider that, well, to what does that point? Where does that take your thinking?

It should remind us. Where is our presence? Where do we abide? Where are we to live?

We're to live in the Holy of Holies. We're to be always in the presence of God. And as we submit to His Spirit, that is our key to growth, staying in His shelter, keeping close to Him no matter what. And because of the power of God's Spirit, and because we have submitted to that Spirit, it leads to bearing fruit. And so our key to growth is to stay continually and constantly in the presence of God.

Now that brings up another thought. I want to stay in His shelter. I want to be leaving the feast, and it's kind of sad, a little melancholy. We're leaving the feast. But don't let that lead your thinking that somehow we're leaving God. No, we need to stay in His shelter. How can I stay in His shelter? I want to grow. How can I stay there?

Obey.

A second key to staying in His shelter is to obey. There's a beautiful psalm, Psalm 15. In fact, it's one of the hymns that we often sing at services. It's our hymn 44, O Lord of Hosts, My King, My God. It's taken from Psalm 15. So if you turn over to Psalm 15, verse 1, it certainly spells out this amazing goal that God has set before us. That we have been called to stay in His shelter and grow spiritually. And a key to that growth is being submissive to His Spirit and obeying God. And Psalm 15 puts that goal right front and center between our eyes. Let's notice Psalm 15, verse 1.

It says, Lord, who may abide in Your tabernacle? Who may dwell in Your holy hill? No, there's those words again. Dwelling, tabernacling, abiding, staying, remaining. All of those concepts coming out here in Psalm 15. Well, who's going to be there? Who is under the shelter of God? Well, here's the goal. He who walks uprightly and works righteousness and speaks the truth in His heart. He who doesn't backbite with His tongue, nor does evil to His neighbor, nor does He take up reproach against His friend. And so Psalm 15 begins to outline, much the same, the way the Apostle Paul did throughout the book of Galatians, the difference between what the fruit of the Spirit looks like versus the works of the flesh. And it takes submitting to God and our obedience in order to abide, in order to dwell. And so by keeping His commandments, we abide in His love. By keeping His commandments, we are friends of God. And obedience becomes that key to staying in the shelter.

And so do we have that constant desire that, in a way, is almost an insatiable need. I need the presence of God. I need to stay in the presence of God. I want to be closer to God more and more. I need more of God. I want more of God. I have that yearning. I have a deep-seated thirst for God.

That's like what Psalm 42 reminds us of. In fact, for many, it's maybe their favorite hymn in our hymnal.

Do you know it? As the deer pants for the water, So my soul longs after you.

You alone are my heart's desire, And I long to worship you. You alone are my strength, my shield. To you alone may my spirit yield. You alone are my heart's desire, And I long to worship you. Those words are beautiful, aren't they? Do we have that deep-seated need, just like that deer needs that water to survive? My life is dependent on you, that desire to please and to love God, that desire to follow Him, that desire to trust Him even more, and that desire to be more like Christ. That's dwelling with God. That's what tabernacling is all about. That's ultimately what the new heaven and new earth is all about, where God will make His dwelling place literally with us, almost like what the Apostle John wrote about. 1 John 2, verse 3 speaks to that kind of desire that that deer had for the water, and we are to have for God. Look at this beautiful passage that John was inspired to write for us. And notice this connection to doing the will of God, to sheltering and staying in His shelter by obedience. 1 John 2, verse 3. Powerful statement made here. It says, Now by this we know that we know Him. How do we know we know God? It says, If we keep His commandments. He who says, I know Him and doesn't keep His commandments is a liar. The truth is not in Him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in Him. By this we know we are in Him. He who says, He abides in Him, ought to Himself also to walk, just as He walked. So pointing back to that beautiful example that Jesus Christ set. How did Christ live? Some translations actually say that. That we ought to live just as He lived. We pattern our life after Him. We have a desire to abide and remain and obey. Because ultimately we cannot stay in His shelter unless we abide. Unless, in fact we can't abide unless we obey. And so those things are dependent on each other. How do you stay in His shelter? You abide in Christ. How do you abide in Christ? You obey His commands. And it reminds us of our calling. And in fact it only means that we have to obey His commands. And what a calling it is that He's given us. It's described for us over in Hebrews chapter 10 verse 19. Hebrews chapter 10 verse 19 is certainly a reminder to have that big picture that God has called us to.

And as we leave the Feast of Tabernacles and this eighth day comes to a conclusion, it certainly reminds us of where we should place our life, where our confidence should be. Hebrews chapter 10 verse 19. It says, Yep, that's our only means. It's the only way we can be in the Holy of Holies. He says we can have boldness. How? Verse 20.

And so by giving us His Holy Spirit, we are called to, what kind of way does it describe? A new and living way. What's the key? Living. Living is the key here. It's application. It's putting it into practice. It's the doing. It's action. And so by living under the shelter of God, living in the Holy of Holies, in a sense, Tabernacles becomes a continual reality in our life. And we continue, then, to grow. We continue to become a new creation in Christ. We then become ministers of reconciliation, and we are joined to God continually. We're purging sin out of our lives and offering up spiritual sacrifices. In the Holy of Holies, with minds that are transformed. And it's all possible because we are right there. No wonder it says, we can boldly go before the throne of God. And we can do that at any time. Why? Because we're supposed to be there. That should be our dwelling place. We are in the Holy of Holies. We've made that our home. God's called us to that very thing. And so not only do we have access to the holiest of all, God wants our presence there. He wants us to have Him sheltering us all the time. Is that our reality? Do we have that perspective? Do we really see our calling to that deep sense? God doesn't want us to miss it. He wants us to be sheltered. And we might overlook it. We might not see the obvious. But God does not want us to miss it. In fact, it reminds me of a story I heard about Sherlock Holmes and Watson. You know the famous detective, right? Well, he went with his dear friend on a camping trip. After a good meal, the night was far spent. They laid down in their tent for the evening and they went to sleep. A few hours later, Sherlock nudges Watson and says, Watson, look up and tell me what you see. And Watson says, wow, I see millions and millions of stars. Sherlock says, well, what does that tell you? Well, Holmes ponders that for a minute. He says, there must be billions and billions of stars. Sherlock says, wait a second, you're missing something. You're missing something. Anything else? He says, well, by looking at the stars, I can tell it's about a quarter past three in the morning. Sherlock says, no, you're missing something. He says, well, I also see God has made an awesome creation and we are just small and seemingly insignificant in his sight. Sherlock says, you're missing something. You're not getting it. He says, well, looking at the sky, I can tell it's clear and beautiful. We are going to have a wonderful, beautiful day tomorrow. Sherlock says, no, you're missing it. You're missing it. Watson finally says, well, okay, I give up. I give up. What does it tell you, Sherlock?

Sherlock says, it tells me someone stole our tent.

I think sometimes we miss the obvious. We overlook the obvious. If we're to grow spiritually, we have to stay in the sheltering presence of God and the key to abiding in Christ, staying in God's ultimate shelter, is obedience. And when it comes to obedience, I think it leads us to a third key. The key to obedience, I believe, is love. Love. Christ emphasized this so many times in connection to his commandments.

That his commandments ultimately, they are love. His commandments are love. If you look back again at John 14, 15, he reminds us, if you love me, keep my commandments. I'll pray the Father, He'll give you another helper, that it may abide with you forever, the Spirit of truth. So God loves us, gives us the means to submit to Him and grow in grace and knowledge. In fact, if we look down to verse 23, He says, if anyone loves me, he will keep my word.

Keep my word, and my Father will love him, and will come to him and make our home with him. Wow, there's those words all over again. Do you see those words once again? Make our home, we'll come and make our home with him.

And we see this concept of love. And when we are dwelling and we are at home with God, He tells us we're keeping His word. And in a household, how critical is that? How important is that in your home? Talking with each other, communicating with each other, sharing with each other. This is talking about communication. And where there's communication? I know our teens can speak to this.

They got to know other teens here at the feast. Now you've formed relationships, and probably relationships that will continue to last far beyond this feast, right? So you think about that. Where there's communication, relationships grow. And so how is this love to grow? Well, think about how God communicates with us. Well, here He tells us, keep My word. Through His word. In fact, the only reliable source for God's word is right here.

Holy Scripture. The Bible is the word of God. It is truth. His word. His word is what we need to guide our lives by. And so it tells us to love God, and love people, and love ourselves, and love the word, and let it impact our life. And so when we consider this idea of a key to obedience being love, lots of different facets we could talk about. But here, as we look at John 14, it certainly zeroes in on that one aspect of the word of God.

God's word is something that we need to love. And we need to remain in that word, and love that word so much that it changes our life. It changes who we are. John 8, verse 31, records that fact of what Christ said to the Jews who believed. Those who became to trust in Him. He told them, if you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.

There's that dwelling. There's that remaining. There's that staying with it all over again. How do we shelter with God? Abide in My word. And so after the feast, we go home and we throw the Bible in the corner, and we don't read it again until next Sabbath, maybe. I might pull it out of the trunk and look at it. That's not abiding. That's not staying. That's not focusing on what Christ says. If you love Him, you will keep His word.

You have to know His word. You have to understand that word. You have to dwell in His word. And the more we come to His word, the more God speaks to us. And the more that word can come alive in us. And so the more day by day we dig into the Word of God, the more we are guided by Him as we stay in communication with God.

And so Christ, in a way, is telling us, reading the Bible, getting out this word that is so powerful is a catalyst to change. And it's a catalyst to help us stay in His shelter. And in a way, I think the Apostle John is reminding us that this catalyst can start a chain reaction in us that leads us to growing in the very character of Jesus Christ. Because we want to be more like Christ.

And we can utilize the Bible as inspiration to understand what was Christ like. How did He live His life? How do we abide in Him? How do I love my neighbor? How do I love myself? How do I love God? Keep my word, he said. And so we cannot abide in Christ without a day-to-day life reading His word. By reading His word, it helps us to know that word. It helps us to live that word. And it helps us to obey that word. And so as we consider these feast days that we've just come through, let it be a reminder that we have been given a responsibility to continue to tabernacle with God.

God hasn't called us to be stagnant. In fact, He tells us in His word, if we're not growing, if we're not becoming more Christ-like, we're going to be slipping backwards. You can't stay the same. It's impossible. And so He's reminding us with His holy days that we need to progress. And progress not from just merely being with God, not from just occasionally being with God. Not once in a while, you know, but okay now and then. You know, it might be just on occasion. Well, in the Sabbath maybe. Sometimes I'm hanging with God.

No, these amazing passages remind us to stay, to constantly be in His presence, to remain true to God and continue constantly with Him. He really wants us to have this amazing view that He gave us in Psalm 84.

Psalm 84, a familiar passage. In fact, one that might be your favorite hymn in the hymno. As you turn to Psalm 84, maybe you'll recognize it. We've sung it at the feast this year. This is hymn 45. Take a look at Psalm 84. We'll notice some of those same words all over again. Do you recognize the tune? Okay, the words might be just slightly different in our hymno. But this is, How lovely are thy dwellings, O eternal Lord of hosts! My soul is longing, fainting, for thee, O living God! You know it? Yea, the bird has found its home, built a nest to lay her young. O that I may find thine altars, my Lord, my King, my God! That's Psalm 84. Look at it. How lovely is your tabernacle? Because I'm living in it. You are the Lord of angelic armies. That's what the Lord of hosts is. The Lord of armies. My life, my very being, longs. It even faints for your courts, for your presence, for your shelter, for your tabernacle, for your dwelling place. My heart, my flesh, cry out. Boy, that is putting God first in your life, isn't it?

Yes, and it compares it to these birds. Yes, a bird has found a home, a swallow has found a nest. But what about our home? Where is our dwelling place? Where should we nest? Under God's shelter. Under God's shelter. Yes, even your altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God! Blessed, verse 4, are those who dwell in your house. They'll still be praising you.

And as we leave, that should be our perspective. Every day. Strive for that zeal. Strive for that passion, that desire to let God manifest Himself in our everyday life, in our character. And choose. Make that choice. God, I want to grow. I want to progress more and more. I want to abound and be more and more like Christ. I want not only to serve, but I want to be a servant. I want to be a servant like Jesus Christ. I want to persevere more. I want to be devoted even more. I want to draw even closer to you and strive to become like your Son, Jesus Christ.

And so as we look to the future, even beyond the return of Christ, beyond the Great White Throne Judgment, we can look to the new heavens and earth. And we can take that inspiration from the very end of the story. Revelation 21, verse 3, brings that point so powerfully home.

Revelation 21, verse 3, it says, What an amazing vision.

God is good all the time.

And that's telling us all the time, this needs to be our perspective.

Let's decide to make that our perspective and keep that vision every s... live it! Live it every day.

Because we can choose, through the power of God's Spirit, to abide in His shelter and remain in the Holy of Holies. And so let's commit ourselves to developing an even deeper relationship with God. Because now is the time to do just that, to choose to deeply dwell with God for the rest of our life. And determine with His help to grow and be a transformed people, a holy people to our God. And more completely put on that amazing spiritual character of Jesus Christ.

So as we leave, let's dedicate ourselves to never, ever wander from the presence of God. But let's set our minds to stay in His shelter.