The Tabernacle Today

A warm welcome to Dr. Paul Weaver as he preaches from the Gospel of John, reminding us of the uniqueness of Christianity as compared to all world religions and faiths. We serve a risen Savior!

Welcome to our Sunday Service! We pray that this is a blessing for you. Feel free to like, share, and comment on this post - how has the Lord been working in your life this week?

Here are Pastor Eddie's sermon notes. Feel free to follow along!

_____________________________

Don’t you wish everyone used it? - Genesis 35:1-12

Reroute to the beginning (v.1)

Rid yourself of idols (v.2a, 4)

Robe yourself anew (v.2b)

Reaffirm your commitment to the Lord (v.3,5-8)

Recall the Lord’s promises (v.9-12)

_____________________________

To learn more about The Tabernacle, check out our website and follow us on our social media platforms!

Visit our website: www.thetabernaclefamily.org

Connect with us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/thetabernaclefamily

Check out our YouTube channel at: www.youtube.com/@tabdanva

Christmas Means God Sent Salvation

When you put together the Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah the only person who could ever fulfill them all is Jesus Christ – out of trillions of beings who ever existed, only Jesus fulfills them all!

In the gospels we then find the breathtaking material about the first Christmas when “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us!” The eternal Creator (John 1:1-3) became part of His creation to redeem us.

One thing we don’t cover as much at Christmas time is what the Apostles’ letters tell us about Christmas in the decades after Jesus came. This morning we will look at Christmas according to the Apostle Paul.

Galatians 4:1-7

Verses 1-3 show our need as sinners. Israel was under the Law of Moses the way a child was under their guardian’s authority. The rest of us as Gentiles were under the moral law God put within us (Romans 1). Both laws convicted us all as guilty sinners before God who needed saving.

“And you were dead in your trespasses and sins.” -Ephesians 2:1

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. -Romans 6:23

Jesus came at just the right time!

One advantage to Jesus being born when He was is that the world was still under 1 billion people. As the world grew in population, the influence of the gospel grew with it.

Jesus came with just the right motivation!

Two of the sweetest words in the English language have to be “God sent!” The concept that God the Father sent God the Son to earth occur at least 47 times in the New Testament reminding us of the best Christmas gift!

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not SEND His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him. -John 3:16-17

For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By SENDING His own Son in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us. -Romans 8:3-4a

And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. -John 17:3

Jesus Christ came in just the right way!

Sin came into the world through the first woman and the first Adam. Now salvation came into the world through a young virgin woman and this “Second Adam.” Jesus was born without sin and never sinned so He could save us from our sins.

“I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.” -Genesis 3:15

Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory. -1 Tim. 3:16

Jesus came to buy the most expensive gift!

The Law of Moses let Israel know what God expected of them to bring Him the glory He deserves. It also revealed how Israel sinned and failed to bring Him that glory. According to Romans 1-3, the internal moral law does the same for Gentiles.

I am not okay, and you are not okay – we are blaspheming liars, worshipers of idols, filled with disrespect for authority, consumed with lust, theft, and coveting – and God would be right to send judgment – Instead He sent Jesus to save us!

Thanks be to God for His inexpressible gift! -2 Cor. 9:15

Those who receive Jesus receive more gifts as well!

When you receive Jesus you receive the gift of adoption into God’s family!

When you receive Jesus you receive the indwelling Holy Spirit.

When you receive Jesus, you now have relationship with God the Father.

When you receive Jesus, you have a heavenly inheritance coming!

Welcome to our Sunday Service! We pray that this is a blessing for you. Feel free to like, share, and comment on this post - how has the Lord been working in your life this week?

_____________________________

To learn more about The Tabernacle, check out our website and follow us on our social media platforms!
Visit our website:
www.thetabernaclefamily.org
Connect with us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/thetabernaclefamily
Check out our YouTube channel at:  www.youtube.com/@tabdanva  

Psalm 76 Worksheet

We come again to a question of whether or not Asaph or one of his descendants wrote this Psalm. The Greek Septuagint added the words “Regarding the Assyrian” to the title, suggesting this Psalm was written when Assyrian King Sennacherib was repelled from Jerusalem in the days of King _______________. (2 Kings 18:14-19:37; Isaiah 36-37).

The famous Prisms of Sennacherib confirm the siege of Jerusalem but avoid claiming the destruction of the city or surrender of its king. The mysterious death of the Assyrian king is alluded to in the Rassam Cylinder where Ashurbanipal tells how he punished the murderers of his grandfather Sennacherib. Eusebius concurs. -Bob Alden

Psalm 76 divides nicely into _______________ 3 verse stanzas; each begins with a note of praise and ends with notice of a deliverance.

The God of Jerusalem is _________________________! V. 1-3

What is another name for Salem of verse 2?

JeruSALEM means “city of __________________.”

Who was a Priest from Salem in the Old Testament?

Abraham met him in Genesis 14:18-24.

What is Asaph the Psalmist doing in verse 2?

The Psalmist is linking Israel’s right to have Jerusalem as its capitol with Abraham’s ancient meeting with _______________________. Hebrews 7:1-10 Psalm 110

Verse 3 could be a reference to a great victory like the one over Sennacherib, but it makes me think of David’s ___________________________ conquest of Jerusalem.

Who did David win Jerusalem from?

1 Chronicles 11:1-9

1 Chronicles 13-16 covers the saga of David bringing the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem and placing it in the Tabernacle. When he did, he got ________________ and others to lead out in perpetual praise there!

God is more _________________________ than His enemies V. 4-6

Mountains here are a euphemism for proud foreign rulers who _______________ themselves against Israel, like Pharaoh, like Jebus, like Sennacherib.

Israel’s just cause in exiting Egypt goes along with the just cause of making Jerusalem its capitol.

God is to be feared by His enemies but _______________________ the oppressed V. 7-9

The word for fear is the important Hebrew word yare, which occurs 308 times in the Old Testament. It can mean terror that evokes fear, and that’s how its intended for God’s enemies who refuse to repent. For those who honor God, it turns into reverence for our “__________________________” God.

Verse 9 would of course fit with a great deliverance like the one in Hezekiah’s day. But it also fits generally with the thought that God will have the ______________________ word in our lives – a comfort to the oppressed but a terror to the unrepentant.

God is the King who will have the final word. V. 10-12

Verse 10 is the best known verse in the Psalm. People run their mouth about God all the time, but when judgment is final all will acknowledge that they were wrong and God was ___________________.

At the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those in Heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. -Philippians 2:10-11

Who does verse 11 make us think of here at Christmas-time? Who brought gifts to God and worshipped Him?

Read Matthew 2:1-11

The last verse of Psalm 76 makes us think of pretend kings like King ____________________ who will wilt in the judgment. All wise rulers will turn to Jesus!

The Perplexed Prophet - Matthew 11:1-19

Today we will see Jesus explain His calling to John the Baptist; we will also see Jesus explain John the Baptist’s calling to the crowds; and finally Jesus’ call for everyone to walk in the wisdom of faith.

Matthew 11:1-19

Jesus sent out the first ones, and began training the next ones – just like we do to this day! The next ones probably included men like Justus and Matthias, who later would be the finalists to replace Judas Iscariot.

Jesus explains John the Baptist’s calling to the crowds - V. 7-15

JTB was more than a prophet because he served as the Messiah’s forerunner – His prophetic ministry stood at the end of the age of Mosaic Law and at the beginning of the offer of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare His ways, to give knowledge of salvation to His people in the forgiveness of sins. - Luke 1:76-77

And many came to Him (Jesus). And they said, “John did no sign, but everything that John said about this Man was true. And many believed in Him (Jesus) there. - John 10:41-42

In Old Covenant days believers went to the Temple; In these New Covenant days believers are each Temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 6:19). Thus every believer living in New Covenant days is ‘greater’ than the greatest saint living under Old Covenant days.

“You brood of vipers – who warned you to flee from the wrath to come. Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not think to say to yourselves, “We have Abraham as our Father.” - Matthew 3:7-9

Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. - 2 Tim. 3:12

JTB was the fulfilment of Malachi 4:5-6. John himself denied that he was Elijah (John 1:21), yet he came in the spirit and power of Elijah (Luke 1:17).

Jesus explains His calling to John the Baptist - V. 2-6

John was probably both perplexed and perturbed! Perplexed because he had spoken of the Christ as bringing judgment to evildoers and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire (Matt. 3:12). Perturbed because he was also related to Jesus (Luke 1:36), yet rotting in evil King Herod’s prison while ‘cousin’ Jesus was healing, not judging!

Jesus answered JTB by citing the miracles He was doing, all in fulfilment of prophecies (see for instance Isa. 29:18-19; 35:5-10; 61:1).

In his zeal for what we would call Christ’s Second Advent (Coming) as Conquering King to bring absolute righteousness to Israel and judgment of God’s enemies, JTB had minimized what we would call Christ’s First Advent (Coming) to deal with both Israel and the world’s bigger problem of spiritual lostness. No one will experience the physical external rule of the King who doesn’t first experience the spiritual internal reign of King Jesus.

What chokes every prayer and every hope is the memory of all the prayers H.and I offered and all the false hopes we had. Not hopes raised merely by our own wishful thinking, hopes encouraged, even forced upon us, by false diagnoses, by X-ray photographs, by strange remissions, by one temporary recovery that might have ranked as a miracle. Step by step we were ‘led up the garden path.’ Time after time, when He seemed most gracious He was really preparing the next torture. - C.S. Lewis, A Grief Observed, page 30

What are you going to do when your expectations of God’s work in your life don’t match up with the way He actually works?

Will you still worship and follow Jesus? Or will you choose to be offended at Him because of your unrealistic expectations.

Some of you may be perplexed and even perturbed at Jesus right now. I hope you will go to Him in prayer and get back to a place of surrender to God and His actual calling for you rather than your unmet expectations.

Jesus’ call for everyone to walk in the wisdom of faith - V. 16-19

Precious Gifts - Philippians 1:29-30

James 1:17 – “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.”

Never in a million years would we consider suffering to be a gift, yet this, among other things, is exactly what Paul states.

PHILIPPIANS 1:27-30

What has the Father of heavenly lights given us?

 Gifts (v.29) “been granted”

o The same root word from which we get “Grace”

Why did He give them?

 (v.29) “for the sake of Christ”

o By definition, He alone receives glory.

Remember: In the giving, God gets the glory; in our receiving, God gets the glory.

Three Precious Gifts that Bring God Glory

1. Gift of Salvation Brings God Glory (v.29)

o We did nothing to earn salvation

 Isaiah 64:6

 Romans 3; Ephesians 2:3

 Ephesians 2:8-9

o Salvation is to God’s glory and results in our joy!

 Romans 14:17

Don’t be distracted this Christmas by that which is here today and gone tomorrow!

God rest ye merry, gentlemen,

Let nothing you dismay,

For Jesus Christ our Savior

Was born upon this day,

To save us all from Satan’s power

When we were gone astray:

O tidings of comfort and joy,

Comfort and joy;

O tidings of comfort and joy.

2. Gift of Suffering Brings God Glory (v.29)

o 2 Corinthians 11; Hebrews 11

o Matthew 5:10-12

o Suffering does several things:

 Confirms our salvation

• John 16:33

• 2 Timothy 3:12

 Purifies us

• Romans 5; James 1; Job 13:15

3. Gift of Company Brings God Glory (v.30)

o Suffering Bonds the Saints Together

 Hebrews 13:3

Now to the Lord sing praises,

All you within this place,

And with true love and brotherhood

Each other now embrace;

This holy tide of Christmas

All others doth deface:

O tidings of comfort and joy,

Comfort and joy;

O tidings of comfort and joy.

o Suffering Permits Us to Share in the Suffering of Christ

 Philippians 3:10

• “know” = experientially

“If we were suffering for ourselves, it would be no privilege, but because we are suffering for and with Christ, it is a high and holy honor. After all, He suffered for us, and a willingness to suffer for Him is the very least we can do to show our love and gratitude.”

~Warren Wiersbe

 Application

o Romans 12:14

 Bless

• Luke 6:27-36

 Do not Curse

o Job 13:15

o Hebrews 11:1

Psalm 75 Worksheet

The Psalm/ song was to be set musically to the tune “Do not destroy.” That same tune was used in Psalms 57-59. It is a tad ironic since the Psalm ends with the knowledge that God will destroy the __________________________.

So many of the Psalms go back to the idea introduced in Psalm 1:6 –

For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish. -Psalm 1:6

Psalm 75 begins and end with thanksgiving and praise, making this a _________________ and praise Psalm.

When the Psalmist says “God’s name is near, it is the same thing as saying God’s _________________ is near.”

The Psalm shifts from the third person to the first person in verses 2-5 as God says what He will do. Verses 2-3 make such an huge point there is a Selah so that we stop and think about what God has said before we go on.

We don’t need to fret about whether God will judge the wicked and reward the righteous. God says He will at a time of His own ________________________! The God who gives and takes away (Job 1:21) can dissolve the earth as it is now, and set it back up on firm pillars.

Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. -Proverbs 16:18

God Himself _____________________ the boastful and wicked in verses 4-5.

The concept of lifting up the horn occurs ________ times in this short Psalm. Animals with horns use those to fight other animals. When applied to people and kingdoms, horns represent strength or _________________________.

So what is God saying when he warns the proud and boastful not to lift up their horns with a stiff neck?

God is warning the boastful and wicked person not to take Him on, and explains __________ in verses 6-7.

Israel was not to fear other countries, and those countries would not have the final word about God’s people – God would! He always has the _____________________ word!

Verse 7 makes me think about God’s word to Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 2.

The words of Psalm 75 are prophetically pointing forward to how God will judge _______________ sin, either at the Cross or at the Great White Throne Judgment.

The Prophets often spoke of God making the wicked drink a cup filled with ‘judgment’ on their sins, like a man drinking ____________________ that would make him die (Job 21:20; Isa. 51:17; Jer. 25:15; Hab. 2:16).

For thus says the LORD God of Israel to me: “Take this cup of fury from My hand, and cause all the nations, to whom I send you, to drink it.” -Jeremiah 25:15

But who else took up the cup of wrath for His people?

So Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword into the sheath. Shall I not drink the cup which My Father has given me?” -John 18:11

He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; but he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on Him. -John 3:16

We are all wicked sinners (Rom. 3:23; 6:23). Christ took the wrath due our sins on Himself (2 Cor. 5:21). For those who don’t receive Him, the wrath ________________ their sins will be pronounced at the Great White Throne Judgment and Lake of Fire.

Christ’s atoning death is sufficient to save all who have ever lived; but it is efficient to save only those who repent and believe.

Satisfied that the Judge of all the earth will do right, the Psalmist returns to ____________________.

This Thanksgiving we can rejoice because whatever we are facing, God will have the _______________ word in our lives!

Thankful for Our Win-Win Situation - 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Today’s message is a simple one: make sure this week you keep the THANKS in Thanksgiving, and remember WHO to give thanks to: the very God who created you and died to redeem you.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Notice how short these 3 verses are: verse 16 is just 2 words; verse 17 is just 3; verse 18 is just 17. All 3 are only 22 verses, (John 3:16 is 24). You could memorize these verses this week and quote them at Thanksgiving!

Notice also that we are told it is God’s WILL for believers to “rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and give thanks in all circumstances.” God WANTS, desires, and expects these things to characterize true believers.

The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law. - Deuteronomy 29:29

Notice that God’s word does not present 3 suggestions here, but 3 commands. Believers are commanded to “rejoice, pray and give thanks” no matter how they are feeling or what they are experiencing.

How many times did Paul command believers to “rejoice?” At least 7 times!

“Rejoice in the Lord always, again I say, rejoice!” - Philippians 4:4

Even if I am being poured out as a drink offering…I am glad and rejoice with you all. -Phil. 2:17

Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church. - Col. 1:24

A non-Christian would not respond well to a command to rejoice and give thanks, especially if their circumstances we’re bad. They would think you cruel for suggesting it.

Do you know who else has a hard time with the commands to rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and give thanks in all circumstances? Those we may call “carnal Christians.”

As for the one sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and pleasures of life choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. - Combine of Mt. 13:22 & Lk. 8:14

The faithful and fruitful follower of Jesus Christ can be commanded to rejoice whether circumstances are going our way or not, because God has given us an eternal perspective about wins and losses in life.

Bur rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when His glory is revealed. - 1 Pet. 4:13

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. - Phil. 4:6-7 (note how close to 4:4)

Christians can always rejoice and give thanks because we pray to the God who is always in control. What do we mean when we say that God is in control? That God will have the final word in our lives, not circumstances.

Genetics is important, but it can’t overcome environment;

Environment is important, but it can’t overcome circumstances;

Circumstances are important, but they can’t overcome our choices;

Our choices are important, but can’t overcome God’s choices.

The LORD your God is in your midst, a Mighty One who will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness; He will quiet you with His love; He will exult over you with loud singing. - Zephaniah 3:17

Psalm 74 Worksheet

The heading of Psalm 74 says that it is a “contemplation of Asaph.” Last time I made a big deal about how 12 Psalms are ascribed to Asaph. This does not necessarily mean he wrote them all – it could be that the “________________ of Asaph” wrote some of them just as the sons of Korah did. That would seem to fit the content of Psalm 74, which sure sounds like it is referring to the fall of Jerusalem to Babylon in 586 BC.

Psalm 74 is a _________________________ lament over destruction suffered at the hands of enemies, and a prayer for God to do something about it.

Taking our “___________________” Questions to God V. 1-11

Taking our questions to God helps us process what has happened and sets the stage for trusting Him and “________________________” our situations to Him. Talking to God helps us go forward even when “why” is not answered.

Often when the psalmists ask God to remember they are also helping themselves remember God’s ______________________. By faith they know that God will respond to the humble and repentant pleas of His people.

Deuteronomy 30:1-10

Or if your people Israel are defeated before an enemy because they have sinned against You, and return and confess Your name, and pray and make supplication before You in this Temple, then hear from Heaven and forgive the sin of Your people Israel, and bring them back to the land which You gave to them and their Fathers. -2 Chronicles 6:24-25

It is good and proper to take time to lament the enemies destruction of what was built up for God’s ________________________.

These verses certainly fit with Nebuchadnezzar’s destruction of the Temple in 586 B.C. The same thing happened again AD 70 under the Romans. Some of it relates to the desecration of the Temple in 167 B.C.

Verse 9 does make this Psalm a little harder to place in 586 B.C. – Many prophets were active before, during and after Jerusalem’s destruction. And Jeremiah was able to say the captivity would last 70 years (Jer. 29). Perhaps this does take us back to Asaph prophetically writing generically about future events. That would be a good _________________________ to Psalm 73 that told how much going to Temple helped give perspective. That would make these words helpful in not taking the Temple for granted.

No matter what circumstances we face we still ____________________ our God V. 12-17

In Revelation 4-5 we read of saints always praising God in Heaven for being the Creator and Redeemer – and we see that in these verses as well!

Leviathan is a reference to great and powerful sea monsters that can swallow people up. Here it is a reference to enemies of God. Even as God’s people face new Leviathan’s like Nebuchadnezzar and Antiochus Epiphanes, this Psalm reminds them of God taking care of past Leviathan’s like _____________.

Verses 16-17 are great reminder verses of the ____________________________ of God.

The Psalmist asks God to deal with the enemy V. 18-23

The Psalmist knew that God would ultimately judge those who _______________ God’s people.

For the day of the Lord upon all nations is near; As you have done, it shall be done to you. -Obadiah 1:15

Verse 20 is well worth meditating on – The dark places of the earth are full of the haunts of cruelty. But even there God can ____________________________, as He did in Nineveh after Jonah’s preaching.

The Psalm ends with the Psalmist pleading – “God, your _____________________ is at stake – judge your enemies and save Your people!”

Don’t miss that the Psalmist is not asking God to help him take vengeance on the enemy – He is asking God to act based on His own honor and glory. The Glory of God is the great ________________ of the Bible. God is glorified through the salvation of repentant sinners. But He will also be glorified through judging unrepentant sinners who act selfishly on earth.