The Tabernacle in the Wilderness: God’s Pattern for the Church

That building is the mingling of man with God. Satan came in and tricked man, and God had to start over again. Then He started to accomplish what he wanted to do with the line of the new man, that he might have a corporate man built up together, a corporate man built up together as one. Then this fallen race had to deal with certain things, and we have to deal with these, brothers and sisters. After there was the faith city, God had a building. Then, after God dealt with the people in their relationship to Egypt, what did God bring them out for? He brought them out to build. He brought them out so that they might build. The first thing He did with them after they got out of there was to say, ‘Now build.’ And God began his building.

Now, brothers, this end in the scripture is the material in Genesis 1 and 2, the gold, the pearl, the precious stone. And at the end is the building built itself, and we are in the middle. We are the stone being made stone, and we are the city being built. I should say, we are the tabernacle, the house, the tabernacle, the temple being built.

Alright, they came out of the city of Egypt, the treasure city. They went through the Red Sea, and then Moses went up into a mountain to be with God. God showed Noah something after he had seen Enosh. God showed Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob something after they had left Babylon, and now God showed Moses something; it’s the same thing: it’s the building. God showed Noah an ark; God showed Abraham a tent and a future city; and then God showed Moses the tabernacle after he had come out of, after he had left the treasured city, then God showed man the pattern. Brothers, when we come out of these three cities, then God will always show His people the pattern. I mean that. I mean that. In all ages, God has always shown the city when men have gotten out of religion, sin, and the world. But he cannot until we’ve gone to those three.

Now Moses went up into the mountain, and he dwelt there in the presence of God. If you’re not clear, if you’re not clear, go up and dwell with the Lord in His presence. And I insist; I trust the Lord so much in this matter. You just go up. I trust the Lord. I am in fear about God’s building. I am in fear about the church. If you will just come before the Lord, into His presence, and stay there, the Lord will show you what His pattern really is. The city you will see will not look like any other city on earth. The tabernacle was the oddest thing in the whole universe. You think something is odd…that tabernacle is odd.

Alright, Moses came down out of the presence of God with the pattern. And then he called forth…I believe that one of the scriptures said this. In Exodus 25, in passage 1-9, he said to them, “Make an offering. Make an offering so that we might build.’ Make an offering. Now, brothers, you begin by making an offering. We just got to talking about this; you have to offer up not only the negative things, but, brother, you’re going to have to offer up the positive things. A minute ago, one of the sisters here sat down to the side and said, ‘Now be careful, don’t put them under law.’ That sister is my daughter. Praise the Lord for that sister. And I asked Brother Lance a minute ago, which is better: to be in the world or under the law? I honestly don’t know. I don’t want you in either one of them. It’s not my desire, nor the Lord’s desire, for us to be in either one of them. Please don’t put anybody else under your regulations. The only thing you must do is come before the Lord in the matter of these cities of the building of men. I can say positively that you have to make an offer to the Lord. He said, ‘Come and make an offering to me.’ And so, the people came, and they began to offer, first, gold and silver. They must have had an awful lot, two million people, they really did have a lot there. And pearl and brass and fine linen. They offered it to the Lord for building.

Now, it was not just negative things that God deals with. God deals with positive things.

Here is the brother who is bad, so God deals with him. Brother, do you realize that God also deals with a brother because he’s good? As far as that goes, a good brother needs more dealing than a bad brother. Look here, here are these two brothers. I just love them. I really love these two brothers. Here is a brother who has a high temper. The other brother is calm. He never gets perturbed. One is always up in the air. Which one does the Lord have to deal with? The Lord says that we should be patient. Here is the more patient brother in the church. Which one will the Lord deal with? He will deal with both brothers. If one brother is patient, he won’t have any patience with the impatient. There are times, brother, when you have got to get impatient.  There are times when the Lord is not patient. Patience is a natural thing that has to be broken. Patience has to be broken, just as surely as impatience has to be broken. They’re both from the same source. All the Lord wants us to do is live in the Spirit, and out of the Spirit will flow love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, meekness, and patience. Human patience has to be broken. He said, ‘Offer up to me….”

What did he say to them to offer up? Offer up your old, worn-out goods that you were just about to give to the Salvation Army? He said, ‘Offer up your best to me for the building.’ Brothers, do you realize that God wants what you want? When you come to make your offering to build, God wants what you want.

I have, let me show you what I mean. I have a Rambler, a 1960 Rambler. It’s got over 80,000 miles on it. There’s nothing in the world that’s good about it.  And there’s nothing on it that works. The only car on earth I own, the little red one, isn’t mine. I don’t even own it. It’s just something I’m using now at this time. It belongs to my mother. I have a Rambler. Now that Rambler is probably worth $200, $300, $400. I don’t know. I’m afraid to ask. Maybe $300, okay. It’s the most expensive thing on this earth I own. And look at it. I say, oh Lord. I just offer up to you, my Rambler. The Lord doesn’t want my Rambler. I assure you, the Lord doesn’t want my Rambler. Do you know why He doesn’t want it? Because I don’t want it either. If I offered it up to him, it would be a shame because I would just love to get rid of it.

Do you know what I have to offer up to the Lord? The thing that I want…that’s what the Lord wants. Because that’s what I want. See? Actually, I’m at peace about it; I’ll drive it probably for a year. But do you understand what I’m saying? The Lord wants the thing you enjoy and want and like the most. It’s not even worldly, but it is something the Lord will need for His building. It may be just something that takes your time, something that keeps you busy, something you really enjoy, something good, but the Lord says, ‘Give it.’ ‘Give it.’ And what you give brother, in some way, he gives back to you in the building.  When you really enjoy something, you give it to the Lord. I assure you, in another way, you’ll get it back…in the building. If it’s something that takes up your time, then your time will be free for the church. You’ll find that you enjoy the church far, far more. You’ll get the gold and the silver and the pearl and the brass and the linen all back when you give it to the Lord. When it is the good thing you give to the Lord, you’ll always get it back in the church. The children of Israel gave it to God, but God gave it back to them in the form of the temple. Brothers, even the good things, the things we want, the things we really like. That’s what God also wants.

Alright, now, real quickly. God took the things of the people, and he began to build with them. I’m not going to refer to any more scripture. First of all, let us look at the building God gave. Finally, brethren, we’re coming to a little bit of a picture. Tonight, a little, just right now, an introduction. God now takes the offering, and He begins to build a tabernacle, and what does he do? How do we get into it? Genesis 1 and 2 are the building materials, and then God goes on through the cities.  Then comes the pattern. Now to the offering. He is ready for the beginning of His building, which is visible and seeable.