Episode Transcript
Speaker 0 00:00:01 <inaudible> two
Speaker 1 00:00:07 Sermon Q and a pastor Michael, here with you in the studio with pastor Craig, pastor Alex, August 29th gentlemen, we finished the book of Exodus. He also finished the tabernacle series. And so pastor Craig, the question is for you today. So why does God withhold information when I desperately need it? And what we saw with the tabernacle is that there are things God allows or Danes or permits, and he doesn't actually tell us the ultimate purpose of it. And I think that some of this information could be really helpful. And so what do you say to somebody who they're like, God, it would be really helpful for me to know what you're up to. Why would he withhold? What feels like really essential?
Speaker 2 00:00:46 Yeah. And the context of this is, uh, that Hebrews keeps referring to all of the items in the tabernacle, the shadows, right? These are shadows of a reality to come. And now that we're on the other side of Jesus, we understand all of the things pointed, Jesus, you know, he's the light of the world, the light and the tabernacle. He's a water that brings life. The lavender has the basin of water. And of course he's the lamb of God slain from the foundation there. So that's what the altruist for, but they didn't know. So 3000 years they're doing, uh, this ongoing annual performances in order to demonstrate, to be basically to, to God that they're still faithful to him, but God never gives him the real picture. He only gives them shadows and then Moses even sets up the tabernacle and each one of those items in the tabernacle, some of the ones I've already mentioned that the, you know, the veil and all those things, those are representation of a shadow of what Moses saw in the heavenly realms.
Speaker 2 00:01:42 We, we learned that from Hebrew as well. So everything in the old Testament points to Jesus, everything in the new Testament explains Jesus. And then Jesus has like the culmination of, of it all. So in regards to tabernacle, it's, it's a really interesting point that we can glean from that where they had to be faithful to all only the information that they were given for 3000 years and their obedience translated into faith. The same thing applies for us today, right? We're obedient. And that translates into faith. Jesus said, if you love me, you'll keep my commandments. Right? So we are not given all the information about the details of life, but God requires faithfulness. And that's the challenge. The challenge is we would love to know more information, just like I'm sure the old Testament Jews would like to know why are we pulling the liver
Speaker 1 00:02:30 Out? Like, why are we spraying blood everywhere?
Speaker 2 00:02:33 Why, why, you know, why, why is it time to camp, get everything up and move again. But sometimes, well, actually most of the time, God doesn't give us the details. He simply asks us to be faithful with the information that we have. And that's really the definition of a believer and an unbeliever. A non-believer does not fear God. And so he doesn't care what the information that God gives. It really means, but the believer is interested what God wants me to do today. And so we have a tendency to kind of go to Romans eight when we go through the, the tough times of life. And, and we ask the question like, God, why are you withholding information from me about this thing? Then why is this happening in life? Even for the things that are happening today in our day, right now, Afghan people falling off military planes and, and uh, this Ida that just went through last night, uh, the hurricane that just went through and we ask ourselves, why did
Speaker 3 00:03:29 These things happen? I don't understand. We don't
Speaker 2 00:03:31 Have the information and that's challenging for us, but God requires us to simply be faithful. And so one of the verses that we typically go to is Romans 8 28, which is great. We know that all things work together for good. So we kind of park on that and trust God, he's got a greater picture. If you knew everything, God, you say this all the time, right? If you knew, if you knew everything, God knows you do what God does every time. But Romans 8 28, if, uh, we know that all things work together for good to those who are called according to his purpose, we have a tendency they'll leave the last part off. Yeah. All things work together for good. But do you understand those for those who love God and who are interested
Speaker 1 00:04:10 In, doesn't say for everybody, right. And who are interested in his
Speaker 2 00:04:13 Purpose? Yeah. This is not, my life is not about my purpose. It's about his purpose. And that's the challenge. I'm not given all the information, just like the Jews weren't given all the information. My job is to remain faithful today with the information. Yes.
Speaker 3 00:04:27 What's interesting though, is that like, God is so he's even so gracious though that we almost always stand on the other side of something faithful that he's done. So like we stand on the other side of what, 1500 years of sacrifice, temple tabernacle. And then we see Jesus and we see God's faithfulness to take and bring all of these things together and then show us Jesus.
Speaker 2 00:04:51 Right? I love that because we often say, just take a leap of faith. You know, God never asked us to take a leap of faith, blindly behave. Because everything that he asks us to do is based on what he has already proven himself to be. Right? So we never walked by blind faith. That's not true. We can look back. We get the whole Bible for goodness sake to show us about the faithfulness of God. And what we don't understand is, uh, Romans 8 28. If, if you go down to verse 31, it says, what shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? If he didn't spare his own son, but gave him up for us, how will he not also give us all things? What that means is if God's got this great picture plan, working out, you got to trust him. You're, you're invited into that plan, but it's his plan. It's his purpose. And trust him that if he's, if he's given us everything, including a son and been faithful in the past, and also not just in scripture, but in your own life, you've seen God's faithfulness. Why would you doubt him now?
Speaker 3 00:05:52 Okay. Yeah. Or you may not understand what's happening right now, but you know that God is the one who has you right now. Yeah.
Speaker 1 00:05:58 I think as parents, we know this, we don't tell our kids everything. We withhold information. Yeah. They're our family secrets. They know we have money. They don't know how much they know we have for some people, like they know there's a problem, but they don't know really what, they don't know what happens in the bedroom. They don't know what happens. Like when mom and dad go out at night, they don't know why they, you make them go to this school or that school. They, they get glimpses and pieces. But like we intuitively understand, there are some things that are, that they don't need to know. They shouldn't know. It's actually not right for them to know. Right. As they get older and they become parents or they become adults, then you say, Hey, here's what was you pull back the curtain, you know? And, and intuitively you just know this as parents and, and it frustrates kids. Why, why, why? Because I said, so, and then what happens over time? If you have a decent mom and dad, right. Is that, is that the kid calls and says, I'm sorry, your track record.
Speaker 3 00:06:46 And then they see what you were actually doing.
Speaker 1 00:06:48 Yeah. And then when they have kids, they're like, oh, wow. Wow. It's interesting.
Speaker 2 00:06:52 When we did the tabernacle yesterday and we were going through the different things and how they were shadows that pointed toward the image, casting the shadow, which was Jesus. And I would say, and here's what the ladder pointed toward. And here's what the candlesticks, and here's what the table of showbread pointed to where it was like everybody just went, oh, oh yeah.
Speaker 1 00:07:10 It makes sense though. You know, what's funny is I feel like if that was the priest, we had to go in every single morning and light the incense, you know, I would be, I would want to be so much more inspired if I hear the why. And if every, you know, Sabbath, I went in and ate all the showbread and brought a new showbread in, you know, and I I've actually wondered, did the, to the priest, to women to eat the showbread, did he eat all 12 loaves of bread? The questions? I don't know the answer to, I said that Moses probably
Speaker 2 00:07:37 Annually had a contest, the top 10 weird things about tabernacle. You don't understand, and that he's handing
Speaker 1 00:07:42 Out prizes. Yup. I've wondered too. Like, you know, are there a whole bunch of high priests that get together? And
Speaker 4 00:07:47 They're like, what was the, what was the holy of Holies? Like for you
Speaker 1 00:07:51 Like the God, what did he say? How did he threaten you? You know, so guys, thank you. That was fun. We got plenty more to come on. Sermon Q and a sure. Joining us.
