Exodus 30 :1- 38 Altar of Incense & Brass Laver

Intro: This portion of God’s instruction on the Tab & the Priesthood brings us back to 2 remaining pieces of Tab. Worship

A)The Altar of Incense & the Brass Laver

B) Question why are they placed here in the narrative & not w/ the other pieces.( Why after the Priest’s Ordination)

  1. The answer is they are Uniquely connected to the Priestly ministry & They typify the High Priestly ministry of JC

C) Lets Consider tonight – READ V.1-10

In the Word of God INCENSE is a TYPE or a PICTURE of PRAYER

Psa 141 :2 Let my prayer be set before you like incense;

may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice.

Rev.5 7 He came and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne. 8And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints

Rev. 8 Another angel came and stood at the altar, holding a golden censer; and much incense was given to him, so that he might add it to the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar which was before the throne.

As you study through the WORD, keep that in mind, and you will see passages of Scripture take on new meaning

A)One of the most beautiful things in the world is when somebody comes to me and in all sincerity says:

Rob I want you to know that I am praying for you."

B) There are few things more precious than to know that there is a friend standing BY you and WITH you in prayer

C) Christian here tonight : YOU that name the name of Jesus have a friend who is consistently praying for you

1) The name of that friend is Jesus of Nazareth

D) John 15:15 No longer call servants … Friends

1) WOW - Jesus calls YOU FRIEND- Abe Friend of God – Us too!!!

CHECK THIS OUT

A)You friend Jesus NOT ONLY died for you & rose from the dead for you

But TODAY He LIVES for you to make intercession for you

B)Hebr. 7:25 High Priest that – LIVES TO INTERCEEDE

C) Right this moment Jesus Christ is praying for ME and interceding for ME before the Father

1) What a comfort to know that as I speak to you He is praying for me so that YOU will be blessed)

D) The ALTAR of Incense is a picture of Jesus- Ministry of Intercession

  1. He is praying for YOU and for ME right now

E) Tough Day ? How much worse – Jesus not Praying

 

This is one of the most Precious truths in the scripture – The High Priestly ministry of Jesus –

A)Writer of Hebrews Deeper things – Christ is doing now as our High Priest

One aspect of that is He is praying for You !!!!! Oh how we need it

B) Because you have an ADVERSARY that would like to devour you

1) Lk.22:31 – 31"Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. 32But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers."

C) So glad that Jesus is praying for me

But also see that There are PRINCIPLES for us in this passage that relate to our own prayer life

A)VERSE 1- Called – the ALtar of Incense

The ALTAR tells us that prayer is a SACRIFICE

B) It is NOT easy to pray- why - It is a LABOR of the soul

    1. In times of prayer we find that the enemy desires to hinder our

prayer life

C) He attacks the weakness of our flesh- Wandering thoughts

Physical fatigue

    1. There is a reason for this- Prayer is where the power is

D) Disciples asked – Teach us TO PRAY !!!!!! – Power in Prayer

Which brings us to our next point

VERSE 3 - This ALTAR had HORNS upon it

A)Horns in the Scripture speak of POWER

B) The Lord is showing us here that in prayer there is POWER

1) THAT is why Satan will do everything that he can do to HINDER the prayers of the INDIVIDUAL believer and the prayers of a FELLOWSHIP

C)NOTE: We can do MORE than prayer- But we CAN NOT do anything UNTIL you first pray

John 15:5 "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

D) So easy to forget this- We try to do things without coming to Jesus in prayer

1) Mark of Dependency will be seen in our Prayer life

3rd This altar had BLOOD upon it-

VERSE 10 - And Aaron shall make an atonement upon the horns of it once in a year with the blood of the sin offering of atonements

A)Even our prayers need to have the Blood of Jesus placed upon them

Even our prayer life misses the mark

B) We can pray CARNALLY and SELFISHLY

James 4:3 3When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

C)We should PLEAD the blood of Jesus Christ upon our prayer life

 

4.) It’s location is important

Exod. 30:6 And you shall put it before the veil that is before the ark of the Testimony, before the mercy seat that is over the Testimony, where I will meet with you.

A) It was the FINAL place that you would come to BEFORE you entered into the Holy of Holies

B)NOTE: If you feel as if you are not moving into the Holy of Holies in your life.....

C) If you are not experiencing His Shekinah Glory in your life....

THEN you must ask yourself- Have I spent time at the Altar of Incense?

D)BECAUSE that was the FINAL piece of furniture before the priest entered through t the veil and saw the tangible presence of God

 

VERSES 11-16

This passage has confused many believers

A)It SEEMS to imply that atonement can be bought with silver

B)There have been those who have taught that this passage teaches that you can purchase your salvation

C)In history the Roman Catholic came up with the concept of BUYING indulgences to earn your way out of purgatory

WHAT is being taught here?

A) It is NOT that we CAN purchase our salvation- but It is that our salvation HAS been purchased

1Pet. 1:18-19 knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, 19but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.

B) Salvation can NOT be bought by us- BUT - it was purchased FOR us by the Lord

C)NOTE: Neat picture - Exodus 38:25-27 tells us that this silver collected in Chapter 30 was to be used to make the sockets that would hold up the boards of the Tabernacle

D) REMEMBER - These boards speak of us- Wood speak of humanity

1) The Lord had to take us and cut us down and cut us up, plane us and then join us together

E) They were joined together because they were unbalanced in themselves.... but joined together they had a balanced dimension

1) We saw the importance of fellowship and being bound together as believers

 

How are you doing on that?

A)Is there someone who knows you... weaknesses and strengths? Accountable to / Knows your

B) But NOTE: The ONLY way that we can stand is in the socket of silver

Silver speaks of redemption

1) I need to be rooted and grounded in the redeeming work of Jesus Christ

C) If I had to stand on the basis of MY goodness and MY holiness and MY

devotion then I would fall- I would have NO chance

1) You and I stand in the redemptive work of Jesus

VERSES 17-21

Here we have the brass laver ....or the bronze washing basin

A)When you walked thru the gate into the Court yard of the Tabernacle, the first thing you see is the BRASS ALTAR where sacrifices were made for sin

B) The next thing you would see directly behind that is the bronze washing basin

    1. This is where the priest would wash AFTER they sacrificed and

would prepare themselves to go into the Tab

This speaks of a couple things

1.) It speaks of Jesus Christ, the One who cleanses us

A)After you realize that Jesus is your BRASS ALTAR, He then begins to wash and cleanse you with the washing of water by the Word

Eph. 5:25-27 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

John 13:10 He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you."

2.) It speaks of the Word of God as the cleansing agent

A)John 17:17 Sanctify them through your truth: your word is truth.

John 15:3 Now you are clean through the word which I have spoken to you.

Ps. 119:9 How shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed according to thy word.

B) HOW then are we cleansed and prepared to enter in to the Holy Place and to minister TO the Lord and FOR the Lord?

1) By spending time with Jesus and allowing Him to WASH us with the cleansing agent of the Word of God

 

INTERESTING: In CHAPTER 38 we are told of WHERE the brass for this basin came from

Exod. 38: 8He made the laver of bronze and its base of bronze, from the bronze mirrors of the serving women who assembled at the door of the tabernacle of meeting.

A) We remember that the Israelites left Egypt with spoils

1) One of the most valuable possessions of those women would have been these mirrors that were made of fine brass

B) It tells us that these women were more concerned about SPIRITUAL beauty than PHYSICAL appearances

  1. These sisters of Israel took what was a valuable possessions and they gave it to the cause of the Tabernacle

C)in order that those who ministered to the Lord might be spiritually beautified and thus be able to tend to them even better

NOTICE ALSO:1st There are NO dimensions given in the text for this laver

A)We know from tradition that it was large..... But there are no dimensions given here- WHY?

B) Because there is no limit to the word of God

1) It’s riches have NO limit- It is UNSEARCHABLE

It CAN NOT be measured

C) It is affect upon a Life is far reaching / lowest depths of sins to the highest highs

1) Paul not ashamed of the Gospel

2nd There was no covering placed upon it- WHY?

A)Because the Word is ALWAYS accessible

B) It is NOT a book closed to all but a few... It is OPEN and WAITING for us to come and wash and drink and feed

1) Problem of the Pharisees – complicated it – only the well learned

C) Missed the Key – Jesus is the key

  1. Teacher take note

 

VERSES 22-33- The anointing oil

A)Oil is symbolic of the Holy Spirit

B) This passage gives us GREAT UNDERSTANDING about the ANOINTING of the Spirit upon our lives

C) There are THREE things about this anointing oil for us to consider IF you desire to move in the power of the Spirit

 

 

1st It was made of SWEET smelling spices- ALL of the spices used were of a sweet fragrance... appealing/attractive

A) Fruit of the Spirit is Love – there is a sweetness to the Ministry of the Spirit

B) Jesus ministered in the fullness of the Spirit – Full of Grace & Truth

1) People Marveled at the Gracious words ……..

C)I REJECT the idea that the anointing of the Spirit causes people to act BIZARRE and REPULSIVE

1) Spirit of Prophets is subject / tongues no interpreter – Hold back

D)The moving of the Spirit should be like a sweet fragrance

  1. MUCH of what is being done under the so-called anointing of the

Spirit really STINKS- Reeks of self attention & the Flesh

2nd It was NOT to be IMITATED (VERSES 32-33)

A)The idea is that the anointing of the Spirit is a matter of INSPIRATION and not IMITATION

B) Do NOT fall into the error of trying to IMITATE the work of the Spirit

1.) You can NOT learn to prophecy/heal

C) Teachers - Do NOT try to imitate someone else’s anointing

1) God wants to do a UNIQUE and fresh work through you- Raul Ries #2

 

3.) It was NOT to be poured upon mans flesh (VERSE 32)

A) The Holy Spirit is NOT going to anoint your life if you are going to use the things of God to exalt your flesh

B)EXAMPLE: Simon Acts 8 wanted to buy the trick – Peter rebuked him

C) So - Three important things to know about the anointing of the Spirit as seen in this anointing oil

VERSES 34-38

A)V.35 This INCENSE is to have SALT and be PURE AND SACRED

What a perfect blending of elements

B) Paul relates SALT to SPEECH

Col. 4:6 Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt

C)IF you are GRACIOUS but not living a PURE life, then people will look at your graciousness as a way of covering up your carnality

  1. But IF you are living a life of PURITY and are NOT gracious, you will

be a Pharisee

D)There is to be a perfect blending of SALT and PURITY and GRACE

That is Jesus!! He had all of these things in His life

He was SINLESS and yet He would sit with prostitutes and tax collectors

A)They enjoyed Him yet He NEVER compromised His purity

B) What a FRAGRANCE- May the Lord help us to have these elements in our lives- Gracious yet Pure