Sermon Tone Analysis

*Place: Biddulph AOG.

Date: Thursday, pm 11th September 2008.*

*Text: John 1:17.

Theme: The Tabernacle, Part 4.*

*Introduction:                          Reading:* *John 1:17 *

*          “For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”

*

 

The Laver (*Exodus 30:17-21*)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Laver was a large bronze basin containing water.

This laver for washing was one of the very first vessels of the Tabernacle as you entered the outer court.

Both the altar and the lever are repeated to be at the door, *Exodus 29:4** “**And Aaron and his sons you shall bring to the door of the tabernacle of meeting, and you shall wash them with water.”*

The door (Christ), the altar (Calvary) and the laver (Water Baptism) is still the only way to God*! *

1.

The door speaks of JESUS:* **“**Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.

No one comes to the Father except through Me” John 14:6.*

2.     The altar speaks of CALVARY: You must come by the way of sacrifice for your sins; you must trust in the blood of Christ who alone can cleanse you from sin.

3.     The laver speaks of BAPTISM: *“Except a man is born of water and the Spirit he cannot (see or) enter the kingdom of God” John 3:5.*

The water of the laver, as well as the blood of the altar was of the utmost importance; both were at the door of the Tabernacle and it was death to the priest who entered without attending both!

There is no water and soap on earth that can make us clean from our sin, only by the washing of the blood of Christ.

Just before you proceed to the Door of the Sanctuary, pause to consider all you have seen so far.

Before we can enter the inner court we must be right with God.

The Bible does not record the size or dimensions of the laver.

What is important in the laver is the water it contained, and the use to be made of that water.

Having entered through the Door into the Tabernacle's Outer Court, the priests had to wash their hands and feet at the Laver before they could either enter into the Sanctuary Building or make any offering to the Lord at the Burnt Offering Altar.

God warned Moses that if the priests did not wash they would die, *Exodus 30:20-21** “**When they go into the tabernacle of meeting, or when they come near the altar to minister, to burn an offering made by fire to the Lord, they shall wash with water, lest they die.

So they shall wash their hands and their feet, lest they die.

And it shall be a statute forever to them--to him and his descendants throughout their generations.”*

It is therefore a serious requirement that we “wash” as we come to handle any of the things of the Lord, because those who believe in the Lord Jesus are considered priests in the New Testament sense - see *I Peter 2:9** “**But you /are/ a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvellous light.”

*

*Revelation 1:6 “A**nd has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him /be/ glory and dominion forever and ever.

Amen.” *

*          *First by a new birth, when Christ alone washed us with His own blood, and daily coming to Christ in faith for a daily cleansing.

The New Testament speaks of washing in two ways:

1.     Baptism, *Acts 22:16 “**And now why are you waiting?

Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.”

*Once only soon after we believe (*Acts 16:31-33*).

2.     The washing of the water in the Word, *Ephesians 5:26 “T**hat He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word.”

*According to the pattern in *Exodus 29:39* at least twice daily (in the morning and evening).

After having believed in the Lord Jesus and experienced that He is the Door through which we enter into God's kingdom, we should come to Him every day in a simple and sincere way.

And we need to confess our sins to God, because He is faithful and righteous to forgive and cleanse us *I John 1:7-9* “*But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us /our/ sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”*

As we read His Word, the Lord shines into our hearts and speaks to us, mostly in our conscience.

According to God's enlightening, we will need to confess and ask His forgiveness and cleansing.

Only then are we qualified to approach the Sanctuary Building.

We are washed at the Laver and set apart to God (sanctified) as a result; we are justified at the Burnt Offering Altar by faith in Jesus' death on the cross as *“the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” John 1:29.*

Read* Exodus 38:8 “**He 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.”

*This was a special kind of brass; it carried a high degree of polish and brightness.

This brass acted like a mirror to the ladies of Israel in the past.

Now has you look into the altar, you see your sin being dealt with.

Once we could not look back on our sins without shame upon our faces, but now through the washing away of our sins, we can look into the face of the Lord.

From shame to glory.

ALWAYS REMEMBER WE SERVE A HOLY GOD!