Missions Paul

Do you remember ever wearing your first uniform? I have photographs of myself when I looked about eight years old, wearing a Salvation Army red jumper, tie, and black shorts. I was so cute! My parents also wore uniforms, which actually cost a lot of money they didn’t have. Then, as I progressed into my teens, I wore the school uniform. I wonder how many normal clothes I had, as my life seemed to be spent in a uniform!

I’m pondering that this morning as I read these next few verses.

“Have Aaron your brother brought to you from among the Israelites, along with his sons Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, so they may serve me as priests. 2 Make sacred garments for your brother Aaron to give him dignity and honour. 3 Tell all the skilled workers to whom I have given wisdom in such matters that they are to make garments for Aaron, for his consecration, so he may serve me as priest. 4 These are the garments they are to make: a breastpiece, an ephod, a robe, a woven tunic, a turban and a sash. They are to make these sacred garments for your brother Aaron and his sons, so they may serve me as priests. 5 Have them use gold, and blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and fine linen.” (Exodus 28 v 1-5)

A few years ago I was in Lahore, Pakistan. I was amazed that, compared to the town where I lived at the time, Dewsbury, hardly any of the women wore traditional religious garments like the Jilbab, the hijab, or the Niqab. I asked a shopkeeper why this was the case in my town in the UK, but in Lahore, women wore more Western clothing. I will never forget his answer. “The clothes are a message to the world. The message of Islam does not need to be proclaimed here in Lahore. But you need to hear it in the UK.” I am sure many Imams in Lahore would be disturbed by the shopkeeper’s response and work tirelessly for women’s public covering, but his response has stayed with me.

All around the world, communities are surrounded by religious clothing. Whether that be the Jewish Kippah (the skullcap worn as a sign of humility), the Sikh’s Dastaar (the headwear managing their long hair, representing honour), the Hindu’s Sari (the wrapped garments symbolising purity), or a Nun’s Habit (a head covering symbolising devotion), religious uniform is all around us in some form.

Clothes say something. Not only for those looking but for those wearing them.

“Make sacred garments for your brother Aaron to give him dignity and honour.”

Aaron had nothing within himself to demonstrate dignity and honour before God. It wouldn’t be long before he demonstrated this by shaping a golden calf for the people to worship. But for now, whatever honour he carried into the holy place, to stand before the altar and the ark of God’s presence, God had to put on him first.

The materials matched the Tabernacle curtains: gold, blue, purple, scarlet, and fine linen. The priest is dressed to match the house of God. He belongs there.

Now go forward to another priest and another set of garments.

Where Aaron wore a turban marked “Holy to the Lord,” Jesus wore a crown of thorns. Aaron was clothed to receive dignity and honour. Christ was stripped of his.

That is the exchange at the centre of the gospel.

Jesus was stripped of his clothes and laid bare on the cross so that we could be clothed. When Jesus went to the cross, He laid His coat of righteousness over our unrighteousness so that we are now clothed in Christ. God accepts us because His clothes of righteousness are on us.

We don’t come before God in what we have woven together ourselves.

If we try, our efforts will fray at the edges, and none of our attempts at honour will ever fit us.

However, we remind ourselves of the gospel. A garment is made for us, cut to measure and paid for in full.

We are dressed, and perhaps the world doesn’t see the fullness of that all the time, for we are sinners saved by grace, but in Christ, God sees that we are dressed for His glory.

“Command the Israelites to bring you clear oil of pressed olives for the light so that the lamps may be kept burning. ²¹ In the tent of meeting, outside the curtain that shields the ark of the covenant law, Aaron and his sons are to keep the lamps burning before the Lord from evening till morning. This is to be a lasting ordinance among the Israelites for the generations to come.” (Exodus 27 v 20-21)

Some will wake this morning to a life full of light, a flame burning in them for the world to see!

It shows on their faces and in the words they will speak.

People are attracted to this flame. In a time of such darkness, there is light, vision, a future. How is this possible?

This morning, some will wake to a different scenario, a flicker of light for their world to see. With no idea what to do and with a bleak future, the thought is: shall I blow this pathetic flicker out? Shall I give up? The answer is always No.

To move from a flicker to a flame, apply fresh oil.

Take oil from pressed, crushed, beaten olives, put it in the lamp, and it will burn with light. This concept is hidden in Scripture for God’s people.

When a person submits to being hard-pressed, crushed, and beaten in life, something flows: the ingredient for the flame.

It is the oil.

No one can see the oil. Not even the hard-pressed person can see the oil. Everyone can see the crushing. Everyone can see the flame. But no one can see the oil. It is even hard to describe the oil. Words do not give it justice. They fall short. But the oil has to do with God’s power and God’s presence and God’s purity.

Embrace your sufferings. Count it all joy. If you don’t have any and life is too easy, then fast, repent, break up the ground of your life, set yourself apart for God.

A flame of light only comes from the oil of suffering.

When you see a lamp burning, realise there was a price.

Today, decide to pay the cost and see the flicker become a flame.

Nobody likes being under pressure, though people often experience it. We may pray for it to ease when, in fact, God’s hand is bringing about something beautiful that could only happen under pressure.

If you feel pressed today, maybe even crushed, these verses remind you that this will be for God’s glory.

“Command the Israelites to bring you clear oil of pressed olives for the light so that the lamps may be kept burning. 21 In the tent of meeting, outside the curtain that shields the ark of the covenant law, Aaron and his sons are to keep the lamps burning before the Lord from evening till morning. This is to be a lasting ordinance among the Israelites for the generations to come.” (Exodus 27 v 20-21)

With just a curtain separating the ark and the lampstand, the instruction is simple: keep the lamps lit.

How? Through clear oil of pressed olives.

Slow that down a moment. Do you see it?

• The light in the house of God came about because ordinary people of God brought the oil from their own groves and presses; pressure was applied first.
• Aaron and his sons, the priests, trimmed the wicks and refilled the lamps in order to keep the light burning.
• The light was not for the daytime but from evening till morning; it was meant for the darkness.

Now think of Jesus.

He went to a garden called Gethsemane; it means ‘oil press’.

Now think of you.

Jesus, who said, “I am the light of the world,” also told His followers, “You are the light of the world.”

Becoming light comes from our own pressing, perhaps from sorrow, pain, disappointment, or simply a hard season of life. The crushing brings the oil that keeps the flame of His presence alive.

So what does that mean for you?

• Our pain doesn’t always make sense to us, but nothing is wasted with God.
• We have a Great High Priest, Jesus, who makes sure that the flame within us never burns out.
• The lamp burned when it was dark. Others benefited from the light. The faith you have learned under pressure may be the very light that helps them find their way in the dark chapter of their own lives.
• More oil was needed every evening for generations, and it still is. We keep coming to Him day by day to be filled afresh with His Spirit.

Don’t resent the press. It is where the oil comes from, and it’s what keeps the light burning through the night.

Have you ever felt like an outsider? Today, 130 Church leaders will gather for the regional conference, and I hope every single one of them feels they belong in the room.

Belonging matters to all of us, especially when we wonder whether God thinks we belong. Life hurls so many curveballs at us, and we can easily wonder whether there is a way back after all we have been through.

The good news is that God has always made a way in. The walls of the tabernacle were not simply for demarcation; rather, they held together to form an entrance wide enough for everyone to enter. All matter and all are invited.

“Make a courtyard for the tabernacle. The south side shall be a hundred cubits long and is to have curtains of finely twisted linen, ¹⁰ with twenty posts and twenty bronze bases and with silver hooks and bands on the posts. ¹¹ The north side shall also be a hundred cubits long and is to have curtains, with twenty posts and twenty bronze bases and with silver hooks and bands on the posts. ¹² “The west end of the courtyard shall be fifty cubits wide and have curtains, with ten posts and ten bases. ¹³ On the east end, toward the sunrise, the courtyard shall also be fifty cubits wide. ¹⁴ Curtains fifteen cubits long are to be on one side of the entrance, with three posts and three bases, ¹⁵ and curtains fifteen cubits long are to be on the other side, with three posts and three bases. ¹⁶ “For the entrance to the courtyard, provide a curtain twenty cubits long, of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely twisted linen—the work of an embroiderer—with four posts and four bases. ¹⁷ All the posts around the courtyard are to have silver bands and hooks, and bronze bases. ¹⁸ The courtyard shall be a hundred cubits long and fifty cubits wide, with curtains of finely twisted linen five cubits high, and with bronze bases. ¹⁹ All the other articles used in the service of the tabernacle, whatever their function, including all the tent pegs for it and those for the courtyard, are to be of bronze.” (Exodus 27 v 9-19)

We could focus on the curtains that marked out the place where God dwelt. They reminded them, and us, that God is holy.

But it also had an entrance, and that’s what I’m focusing on this morning.

• The entrance faced east, “toward the sunrise”. No matter how dark your night has been, God’s message is that a new day is always coming.
• There was only one entrance, but it was huge and wide enough for all. You may wonder whether there is room for you with all your baggage. There is room for you. Jesus, remember, is the entrance!

One final thought. The tent pegs were made of bronze. Those of us who have camped know how crucial tent pegs are on a stormy night! This tabernacle had strong tent pegs to hold it firm in desert winds. God has got you and is holding you in this difficult season. You don’t have to stay on the outside looking in. The gate is open, the sun is rising, and the God who designed the way in is waiting to welcome you home.

https://amzn.eu/d/0gKETGZz

Guilt is a weight that is hard to live with and even harder to sleep with. It keeps you awake at night, replaying old memories and reminding you of every failure. It is deceitful too. Just as you begin to pray, it whispers that God couldn’t possibly want you near Him, let alone use you again.

But the first thing anyone met in the tabernacle courtyard was the altar, because anyone had to deal with guilt before drawing near to God. That wasn’t man’s idea. It was God’s.

“Build an altar of acacia wood, three cubits high; it is to be square, five cubits long and five cubits wide. 2 Make a horn at each of the four corners, so that the horns and the altar are of one piece, and overlay the altar with bronze. 3 Make all its utensils of bronze—its pots to remove the ashes, and its shovels, sprinkling bowls, meat forks and firepans. 4 Make a grating for it, a bronze network, and make a bronze ring at each of the four corners of the network. 5 Put it under the ledge of the altar so that it is halfway up the altar. 6 Make poles of acacia wood for the altar and overlay them with bronze. 7 The poles are to be inserted into the rings so they will be on two sides of the altar when it is carried. 8 Make the altar hollow, out of boards. It is to be made just as you were shown on the mountain.” (Exodus 27 v 1-8)

You didn’t come to the lampstand first, or even to the ark itself. You came to the altar. God arranged it that way so He could deal with your guilt before you stood in His presence.

• In time, the horns of the altar became a place of refuge, and people in danger would run and take hold of them. When guilt chases you, you have somewhere to run. (v2)
• The altar had pots to carry away the ashes, removing the evidence of what had happened there. God doesn’t keep a pile of your past to show you later. (v3)
• The poles meant the altar travelled with God’s people through the wilderness. Wherever you are today, forgiveness isn’t far away. (v6-7)

There was no way into God’s presence that didn’t pass the altar, and there still isn’t. Thank God, the ultimate altar is the cross of Christ, where Jesus carried your guilt.

So how would you describe yourself today? Failing, grieving, exhausted? Run to the cross, take hold of it, and don’t let go. Lay your guilt down there, because God has already made provision for it.

Do you feel far from God today? Sometimes this isn’t because it is your fault, but because the enemy is simply trying to distract you from a curtain that has been opened.

Here it is.

“Set up the tabernacle according to the plan shown you on the mountain. ³¹ “Make a curtain of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely twisted linen, with cherubim woven into it by a skilled worker. ³² Hang it with gold hooks on four posts of acacia wood overlaid with gold and standing on four silver bases. ³³ Hang the curtain from the clasps and place the ark of the covenant law behind the curtain. The curtain will separate the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place. ³⁴ Put the atonement cover on the ark of the covenant law in the Most Holy Place. ³⁵ Place the table outside the curtain on the north side of the tabernacle and put the lampstand opposite it on the south side. ³⁶ “For the entrance to the tent make a curtain of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely twisted linen—the work of an embroiderer. ³⁷ Make gold hooks for this curtain and five posts of acacia wood overlaid with gold. And cast five bronze bases for them.” (Exodus 26 v 30-37)

Through Jesus, that curtain has now been opened. If you’re struggling and feel shut out, these verses are for you.

• Moses was to build everything “according to the plan shown you on the mountain”. God has a plan for your life even when it doesn’t make sense. (v30) Moses didn’t know the whole plan, but God did.
• The curtain would keep people out of the Most Holy Place, but when Jesus died, it was torn from top to bottom. Now you don’t need to do anything but just come as you are, in the state that you are in. (v31-33)
• We come as we are? “But what about our sins and our humanity before a perfect God?” The answer has always been the mercy seat. Condemnation is not the heart of God. (v34)
• The table of bread and the lampstand stood opposite each other. In your darkest days, God still provides for you and lights your path. (v35)

Jesus came, and the curtain was torn. Amen!

Whatever you’re facing today, God is waiting for you with His merciful presence.

So come close and find in Him the rest your heart has longed for.

This passage today doesn’t read like a devotion at first. It is more like a plan a builder was to follow, and indeed it was. However, these verses describe what kept God’s Tabernacle upright in the desert, so hold that thought for a moment.

“Make upright frames of acacia wood for the tabernacle. ¹⁶ Each frame is to be ten cubits long and a cubit and a half wide,¹⁷ with two projections set parallel to each other. Make all the frames of the tabernacle in this way. ¹⁸ Make twenty frames for the south side of the tabernacle ¹⁹ and make forty silver bases to go under them—two bases for each frame, one under each projection. ²⁰ For the other side, the north side of the tabernacle, make twenty frames ²¹ and forty silver bases—two under each frame. ²² Make six frames for the far end, that is, the west end of the tabernacle, ²³ and make two frames for the corners at the far end. ²⁴ At these two corners they must be double from the bottom all the way to the top and fitted into a single ring; both shall be like that. ²⁵ So there will be eight frames and sixteen silver bases—two under each frame. ²⁶ “Also make crossbars of acacia wood: five for the frames on one side of the tabernacle, ²⁷ five for those on the other side, and five for the frames on the west, at the far end of the tabernacle. ²⁸ The centre crossbar is to extend from end to end at the middle of the frames. ²⁹ Overlay the frames with gold and make gold rings to hold the crossbars. Also overlay the crossbars with gold.” (Exodus 26 v 15-29)

Today, do you feel insecure? Or shaken up in some way? You have just read how God built His Tabernacle to stand firm. He has been building your life to do the same, and He is still doing so. You have a sure foundation, and where you feel weakest, God strengthens you. If you feel like you are falling apart and struggling to stand, these verses are for you.

• Acacia was a tough desert wood that could survive harsh conditions. God is growing that kind of strength in you. (v15)
• The crossbars bound the frames together, and the centre bar ran from end to end. God is holding everything together when you can’t. (v26-28)
• Plain wood was overlaid with gold. God takes ordinary, weary lives like ours and covers them with His glory. (v29)

The tabernacle was built in the wilderness, and against all the elements, it stood because God designed it to.

The same is true for you. The storm may be real, but God has built you, and He’s holding you together. You’re held by the One who never lets go.

I don’t know how many times I have skipped past these passages. Yet slowing down reveals real comfort for those facing a difficult season when life feels like it is falling apart. When we read these passages, we could easily think that God has an attention to detail for haberdashery. In fact, if you are going through a tough season, knowing God holds you together is a huge comfort.

“Make the tabernacle with ten curtains of finely twisted linen and blue, purple and scarlet yarn, with cherubim woven into them by a skilled worker. ² All the curtains are to be the same size—twenty-eight cubits long and four cubits wide. ³ Join five of the curtains together, and do the same with the other five. ⁴ Make loops of blue material along the edge of the end curtain in one set, and do the same with the end curtain in the other set. ⁵ Make fifty loops on one curtain and fifty loops on the end curtain of the other set, with the loops opposite each other. ⁶ Then make fifty gold clasps and use them to fasten the curtains together so that the tabernacle is a unit. ⁷ “Make curtains of goat hair for the tent over the tabernacle—eleven altogether. ⁸ All eleven curtains are to be the same size—thirty cubits long and four cubits wide. ⁹ Join five of the curtains together into one set and the other six into another set. Fold the sixth curtain double at the front of the tent. ¹⁰ Make fifty loops along the edge of the end curtain in one set and also along the edge of the end curtain in the other set. ¹¹ Then make fifty bronze clasps and put them in the loops to fasten the tent together as a unit. ¹² As for the additional length of the tent curtains, the half curtain that is left over is to hang down at the rear of the tabernacle. ¹³ The tent curtains will be a cubit longer on both sides; what is left will hang over the sides of the tabernacle so as to cover it. ¹⁴ Make for the tent a covering of ram skins dyed red, and over that a covering of the other durable leather.” (Exodus 26 v 1-14)

• When life feels like it’s unravelling, remember that God knows how to join the torn pieces back together. (v1, 3 and 6)
• All the curtains were used; not one was forgotten or discarded, and neither are you, even when you feel overlooked. (v2 and 8)
• The fifty clasps held everything steady, and when you can’t hold things together in your life, God is faithful, and He has got hold of you, steadying your life. (v6 and 11)
• In the desert, the goat hair, skins, and leather shielded them from the fierceness of the desert, and in your storm God covers you. (V7-14)
• The ram skins dyed red are an obvious picture of Christ’s blood; it reveals that no matter how difficult this season is, there is one who shelters you and will keep you in that shelter. (v14)

Exodus 25, which we have been reading over the last few days, isn’t about furniture; it’s about our hearts. Ultimately about the fact that God wants to be with His people, with you.

“The Lord said to Moses, “Tell the Israelites to bring me an offering. You are to receive the offering for me from everyone whose heart prompts them to give… gold, silver and bronze; blue, purple and scarlet yarn… olive oil for the light; spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense…

“Then have them make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them. Make this tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly like the pattern I will show you…

“Have them make an ark of acacia wood… Overlay it with pure gold… Then put in the ark the tablets of the covenant law, which I will give you. Make an atonement cover of pure gold… There, above the cover between the two cherubim… I will meet with you…

“Make a table of acacia wood… Put the bread of the Presence on this table to be before me at all times.

“Make a lampstand of pure gold. Hammer out its base and shaft… Then make its seven lamps and set them up on it so that they light the space in front of it… See that you make them according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.”

Exodus 25:2–3, 6, 8–11, 16–17, 22–23, 30–31, 37, 40 (NIV)

(A letter from the Father based on this amazing chapter, hope it encourages someone).

Dear child,

I want the best for you.

Gone are the days of greyness.

I want your life to be colourful and full of light, carrying the fragrance of my Son wherever you go. Let this be the pattern of your life. I want you set apart for me, because I long to be with you.

Gone are the days of emptiness.

I want to be enthroned at the very centre of your life, and I bring my word with me. My Presence and my covenant, at the heart of you. My law is there, but it rests beneath the mercy of my Son. His death is the covering that removes the barrier your sin raised against my holiness.

Gone are the days of staleness.

I want what we share to be as fresh as new bread, always before me.

Gone are the days of purposeless living.

I want to shape you, even painfully hammer you, into the person I created you to be. And as I shape you, my light and my glory will shine through you to everyone around you.

This is what I want.

This is my invitation to you.

I will not force it. It must come from a willing heart.

Will you say yes?

Can we begin today, right now?

With love,
Your God

I’m sure we all know what it is like to be beaten or even beaten up. The result can be the same. Sometimes it’s one blow after another or the slow grind of carrying too much for too long. We come out of those seasons battered, yet something beautiful may emerge.

God’s answer is written into the furniture of His house.

“Make a lampstand of pure gold. Hammer out its base and shaft, and make its flowerlike cups, buds and blossoms of one piece with them. ³² Six branches are to extend from the sides of the lampstand—three on one side and three on the other. ³³ Three cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms are to be on one branch, three on the next branch, and the same for all six branches extending from the lampstand. ³⁴ And on the lampstand there are to be four cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms. ³⁵ One bud shall be under the first pair of branches extending from the lampstand, a second bud under the second pair, and a third bud under the third pair—six branches in all. ³⁶ The buds and branches shall all be of one piece with the lampstand, hammered out of pure gold. ³⁷ “Then make its seven lamps and set them up on it so that they light the space in front of it. ³⁸ Its wick trimmers and trays are to be of pure gold. ³⁹ A talent of pure gold is to be used for the lampstand and all these accessories. ⁴⁰ See that you make them according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.” (Exodus 25 v 31-40)

The Holy Place was wrapped in layers of curtains and skins. Once the priest stepped inside, the daylight was shut out.

The only light came from a pure gold lampstand.

The light of God’s house came from something struck again and again, hammering the mould and beating it into the right shape.  The One who said “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12) did not shine for us without first being beaten. Our light comes from His wounds.

Centuries later, at the Feast of Tabernacles, when lamps were lit in the temple courts, Jesus stood up and spoke:

‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’” (John 8:12)

In 1940, Britain faced what is often called its darkest hour, a time of fear and uncertainty about the future. It can feel as though the Church is in its darkest hour today. Or is it?

Today can feel like it is your darkest hour. Or is it?

This isn’t the first time John uses the image of light (John 1:4-9), and it was already deeply rooted in the Jewish mind. Israel was called to be “a light for the Gentiles” (Isaiah 42:6; 49:6). So imagine the offense when Jesus took a calling given to Israel and claimed it for Himself.

Many lights come into the world, and we ourselves are called to shine brightly. But the brightest and truest light is Jesus. He shines today in the darkest places around the world. His light leads the way and exposes the darkness.

Israel was meant to be the light, but its light grew dim, and the people walked in darkness. Jesus came as the true light. Where Israel failed, He succeeded. He exposed their darkness, and the leaders didn’t like it. That began the fight between the darkness and the light, and we know the Light won.

The Church faces significant challenges today. We need Jesus more than ever, and we need His light so that we don’t become dark ourselves.

Let’s stay in the light. Beaten gold gives the brightest light.