THE TENT’S MESSAGE
Below are notes to a sermon preached Sunday evening, Feb. 21, 1999, at Gospel Light Baptist Church, Albany, Georgia:
THE TENT’S MESSAGE
By Michael D. O’Neal……Pastor, Gospel Light Baptist Church……Albany, Georgia
Scripture Reading: 1 Chronicles 15:1-3
Text: 1 Chronicles 15:1
1 Chronicles 15:1 And David made him houses in the city of David, and prepared a place for the ark of God, and pitched for it a tent.
Introduction: One of the main purposes of the tabernacle was to house the ark of the covenant. When an Israelite thought of the ark, he thought of God. He thought of God speaking to man. He thought of God’s commandments. Notice how the tabernacle was connected with the testimony written in the tablets of stone:
Exodus 38:21 This is the sum of the tabernacle, even of the tabernacle of testimony, as it was counted, according to the commandment of Moses, for the service of the Levites, by the hand of Ithamar, son to Aaron the priest.
Numbers 1:50 But thou shalt appoint the Levites over the tabernacle of testimony, and over all the vessels thereof, and over all things that belong to it: they shall bear the tabernacle, and all the vessels thereof; and they shall minister unto it, and shall encamp round about the tabernacle.
Numbers 1:53 But the Levites shall pitch round about the tabernacle of testimony, that there be no wrath upon the congregation of the children of Israel: and the Levites shall keep the charge of the tabernacle of testimony.
Numbers 9:15 And on the day that the tabernacle was reared up the cloud covered the tabernacle, namely, the tent of the testimony: and at even there was upon the tabernacle as it were the appearance of fire, until the morning.
Numbers 10:11 And it came to pass on the twentieth day of the second month, in the second year, that the cloud was taken up from off the tabernacle of the testimony.
Remembering that the apostle Paul, the greatest church planter of all time, was a tent maker, I want to continue to compare the tent of the Old Testament to our local church and learn a lesson tonight about THE TENT’S MESSAGE.
I. THE MESSAGE WAS PROMINENT
2 Samuel 6:17 And they brought in the ark of the LORD, and set it in his place, in the midst of the tabernacle that David had pitched for it: and David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD.
A. The message was special
* The Bible message that we have as a church is a SPECIAL message: the BIBLE! We want it to be prominent in our church.
B. The message was seen
* The ark was placed in the midst of the tabernacle.
* The Bible should be opened at our church within five minutes of our assembly’s open.
C. The message was spoken
* The church should have the Bible heralded from the time it assembles until the time it disperses.
* This includes testimonies, sword drills, quizzes, reading, preaching and teaching which are saturated with the spoken word of God.
II. THE MESSAGE WAS PREEMINENT
Psalms 138:2 I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.
A practical response to the principle of Ps. 138:2 is considered heresy and bibliolatry to the average conservative, not to mention the liberals. Surely the name of Jesus is above every name (Phil. 2:5-11), but magnified even more than that wonderful name is WHAT GOD SAID.
The Bible should be preeminent in the local church because
A. It is the Book of the LORD
B. It is the Book of the LAW
C. It is the Book of LIFE
III. THE MESSAGE WAS PURE
Psalms 12:6 The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.
Proverbs 30:5 Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.
A. It is clean – Ps. 19:9
B. It is cleansing – Jn. 15:3; Eph. 5:26
C. It is correct – Ps. 119:128
IV. THE MESSAGE WAS PECULIAR
Deuteronomy 4:8 And what nation is there so great, that hath statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law, which I set before you this day?
A. In its authority
* Religionists today hate the authority of the King James Bible. That’s why they want to call it the KJV; they don’t believe it is the BIBLE; just a translation.
* They also don’t like the term, “AUTHORIZED Version.”
* God’s word was the LAW.
* God gave the ten COMMANDMENTS, not the ten SUGGESTIONS!
B. In its availability
* It was only given in certain languages. It wasn’t available in every language.
* The word of God is available today in perfect form in English in the King James Bible. There is nothing that mandates it must be available today in every language for God to be God. Of course, it is a noble cause to get the word of God to people in their own language.
C. It is ability
* Heb. 4:12
* This Book is peculiar above all others in its power
+ a. to save
+ b. to sanctify
+ c. to steer
+ d. to school
+ e. to soothe
+ f. to shine
+ g. to stick, sever, and show the heart
The tent was the tent of the testimony (Num. 9:15). I want the Lord Jesus Christ to be exalted above all others in our church. However, let Gospel Light Baptist Church also be known as a church of THE BOOK, the word of God!!!