tonight to Exodus chapter number 30, Exodus chapter number 30. And we've already looked at the first few verses of this passage, down to verse number 10, as we look concerning the altar of incense. Now God Moses is on the mountain there at Sinai. He's receiving this instruction from the Lord in regards to what God demands of the children of Israel and how they are to worship him. He's giving him specific instructions. about the building of the tabernacle and all the elements in regards to the tabernacle. The last piece of furniture that we looked at was the altar of incense that was put there in the holy place just before the veil that entered into the Holy of Holies. And that altar of incense, there would be that incense burning upon it continually. And it even gives us here in this passage the recipe for the incense itself that was to be burning there on. The last piece of furniture that we will see is also found here in chapter 30, and it is the brazen labor that's spoken of there in verse number 17 down through verse number 21. And that is the final piece of furniture that is in regards to the tabernacle and the courtyard of the tabernacle itself that was used in the worship of the Lord. Now, I don't know if I can get through all of it tonight or not. I'm going to try. We're going to start verse number 11, but I'm going to hold you too long and try to get through verse 38. But there's a lot in here, so I don't want to rush it, but at the same time, I don't want to labor it too long either. I love, I don't know if you got a Schofield Bible or not, but I love how Schofield has this divided up in asking the question, who may worship? And he's got it divided up into three categories here. The first was beginning here in verse number 11, the redeemed may worship. Then in verse 17, the cleansed may worship, those who are cleansed. Verse number 22, the anointed may worship. So you have the description here of who can worship, those who are redeemed, those who are cleansed, and those who are anointed. All of these things are done to us in the new birth. In that salvation that is given us in Christ Jesus, we are redeemed under the Father, we are cleansed by His blood, and we are anointed to His service, to do His will, to follow after Him as His servants unto Him. And so these are all things that our Lord does for us. These things here, He's giving instruction for the priest to do these things physically. And so they are redeemed, and they're gonna show that forth physically here in verse 11 down through verse number 16. They're gonna show that cleansing from verse 17 down through verse number 21. And they're gonna show that anointing from verse 22 down through verse number 33. They're gonna physically do these things to show these things in them, typifying that in Christ Jesus, We are redeemed, we are cleansed, and we are anointed by the Spirit of God to do His work and His will. And so these things are given, these things are shown here physically so that we, again, pointing to Christ Jesus our Lord and what we have in Him. in the salvation that is a part of Him. Now, we read here in verse 11, it says, The Lord spake unto Moses, saying, When thou takest the sum of the children of Israel after their number, then shall they give every man a ransom for his soul unto the Lord. When thou numberest them, that there be no plague among them when thou numberest them. This they shall give everyone that passeth among them that are numbered, half a shekel after the shekel of the sanctuary, a shekel is 20 geras, and half a shekel shall be the offering of the Lord. Everyone that passeth among them that are numbered from 20 years old and above shall give an offering unto the Lord." So they're to give a half shekel weight as an offering unto the Lord when they number them. When they number the people, they're going to number the tribes, they're going to divide the tribes, they're going to give them... In fact, God's going to give them position around the tabernacle. Once the tabernacle is built and set up in place, they are actually going to be given position where they are to be encamped around the facility of the tabernacle, around the courtyard of the tabernacle. And so this numbering that he's talking about here, when they number the people, when they divide the tribes there, when that numbering is done, they are to bring this hash shekel offering unto the Lord. It builds that treasury of the Lord up for the purpose of this worship that is to be done. Everyone 20 years old and above is to give that offering unto the Lord. Verse 15, he says, the rich shall not give more, the poor shall not give less than half a shekel. Then, or when rather, they give an offering unto the Lord to make an atonement for your It's to pay for the necessary items to carry out this worship and to carry out these sacrifices for the people. And so here he speaks about this atonement. Those who are atoned for, those who are redeemed are who is being numbered here that is giving this offering unto the Lord. These folks may worship, you see. those that are redeemed, those that are atoned for. And the Lord describes here this offering that is to be made and given for this purpose that allows for this atonement to be made. Verse 17, he goes on and describes this cleansing here. And here's where he will introduce this final piece of furniture, the brazen labor here. It tells us verse 17, the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, thou shalt also make a labor of brass, and his foot also of brass, to wash withal, and thou shalt put it between the tabernacle of the congregation and the altar, and thou shalt put water therein, for Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet thereat. When they go into the tabernacle of the congregation, they shall wash with water that they die not, or when they come near to the altar to minister, to burn offerings made by fire unto the Lord, so shall they wash their hands and their feet that they die not, and it shall be a statute forever to them, even to him and to his seed throughout their generations. And so the priest coming from the altar, spattered in the blood of the sacrifice of the dust of the outer court, upon him he comes to the laver. for the time of cleansing before he goes into the tabernacle, he had to be cleansed. Before he would offer the sacrifices, he had to be cleansed. He had to be washed to do that. This was a daily process that was done to show forth this cleansing, to show forth that purification before the Lord. It was mandatory before they could minister before the Lord. The labor was only used by the priest. Now, nobody else of Israel were allowed in the courtyard. It was only the priests that were in the courtyard. It was only the high priest that was in the tabernacle itself. And so they alone, only the priests that were operating in the tabernacle, the ones that participated in this cleansing and washing in the labor there. And it was used for their consecration as priests. And they were washed thoroughly in that process to consecrate them to the service. We read already in chapter 29, in verse number four, when it says, and Aaron and his sons, thou shalt bring under the door of the tabernacle, the congregation, and shalt wash them with water. So they're their consecration. When they were consecrated to the service of the Lord, this event that took place here in chapter 29, they literally bathed them. They washed all of them. I remember when Jesus was washing his disciples' feet and he came to Peter and Peter said, nah, you're not gonna wash my feet. You're too high and too great to be bending down and washing my feet. You ain't gonna wash mine. Jesus said, if I don't wash you, then you have no part with me. And what's Peter's answer? Well, don't wash all of me then. Wash all of them. My head and my hands and my feet. Wash all of me then, he says. And so this is what takes place in the consecration. They washed all of them in this seven-day consecration. When they're making them priests here before the Lord, they bathe there at the brazen labor. But the regular cleansing, When they would come into the tabernacle to do this work, into the core of the tabernacle to do this work every day, all they were to wash were their hands and their feet. for that service. So they would come in, they would wash their hands at the labor, they would wash their feet at the labor, and then they would go about to do the work of the Lord. Symbolizing, again, the cleansing that we have in the Lord Jesus. In the washing of water by the word, the scripture describes it for us in the New Testament. That's descriptive or symbolic of what we have in the Lord Jesus, that cleansing that we have in him. Now, we notice the labor itself is put here before the door of the tabernacle. It is between the altar itself, where the sacrifices are done, and the door of the tabernacle. That brazen labor is placed there between the two. The priest had to be spiritually and physically clean for the service in the presence of the Lord. And so before they could enter into the tabernacle, before they went in to do the work there each and every day, they had to wash there at the laver and wash their hands and their feet to enter in to the presence of the Lord in the tabernacle to do that work before they could have fellowship and communion with the Lord, they had to be cleansed, you see. They had to be cleansed. Therefore, it was no accident that it is the second piece of furniture there in the courtyard as you're coming to the tabernacle. It's the one right before you go into the tabernacle. You come into the courtyard, the first thing you see is the altar. Beyond the altar is the brazen lavery there, that wash pot. and then the door of the tabernacle. And so it was in that order for that reason. Before they could enter into the tabernacle, they had to wash. Before they could offer the offering, they had to wash. They had to be cleansed there before the Lord. Now this was a continual cleansing being shown here. The sacrifice made it possible for them to come into God's presence, but they had to be washed also. They could not come into his presence dirt. They had to be washed. Now this, this labor, as it's called here, had two parts. It was the bowl that they would wash in. And then the foot of the pot. We're given no dimensions here in the scripture concerning this. There's no real description of it here that's given to us, just the bowl and the foot. There's some, people's got their imagination of what it may have looked like, and you can see drawings of those. I've got, well, I don't, didn't bring it with me tonight. I normally have a drawing of it with me, but I don't have it with me tonight. But there's these, there's often artists' renderings of what it possibly could look like, but in reality, I don't know. There's no dimensions given of what it looks like. All I know is it was a bowl of some sort that they would wash from. Probably a large one, since all the priests had to be washed and would go through that washing process each day. It was polished, the scriptures tell us here, it was polished to a mirror finish to remind them of who they are. When they would come in to wash, that to remind them they're not glorified yet, that they have to be cleaned before the Lord. Again, the labor itself had no measurements, and probably to point to that limitless cleaning power that we have in the Lord Jesus Christ, that it is always, always cleansing, that there is There's never a time when that power of the cleansing blood of Christ is diminished in any way. It continually, continually cleanses. The labor was only used by the priest, just as Aaron and his sons were born into the position. of priests, so is our priesthood. Peter reminds us that the priesthood the believer has comes by the new birth. When he says there in 1 Peter chapter 2 and verse number 9, he says, but ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, and a holy nation, a peculiar people. that you should show forth the praises of him who had called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. And so that position we have as the priests of the Lord comes by that new birth that we have in Christ Jesus, who we are made in him. And in it, we see in this, the labor and what is given here, we see in it our sanctification. The water, of course, again, typifies our cleansing. The cleansing in the blood of Christ Jesus, or again, as the scripture declares to us, the washing of water by the word, that cleansing that we have in Him. Our sanctification, and that simply means to be set apart to the service of the Lord, sanctification. To be sanctified, We are set apart from sin, spiritually, physically. That's what it's representing there. We are set apart for service, to do the work of the Lord, to serve Him as He's called us to serve. And there are three sanctifications. that I want us to look here just a moment at that apply to us. First of all, we are positionally sanctified. We are positionally sanctified. It's how we stand before God. In Hebrews chapter 10, Hebrews chapter number 10 and verse number 10, Hebrews 10 and verse 10, Paul says here, by the witch will, we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And then he says in verse 14, for by one offering, he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified. For by one offering he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified. Then he says in chapter 13 and verse number 14, chapter 13, verse, I'm sorry, 13, verse 12, 13, verse 12. Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate. And so we are positionally sanctified. It is how we stand before God. And that is given us, that position of sanctification is given us by the blood of Christ. That's how we are cleansed. That's how we are set apart. That blood being shed for us. And so we are positionally sanctified. We are progressively sanctified. Guess what? It's still going on in us. Every single day, we are being sanctified. We are being made more and more into the image of the Lord Jesus Christ. That's what he tells us we are predestinated for in Romans chapter number eight and verse number 29, that he is conforming us to the image of his dear son. And so daily, we are cleansed as we walk in obedience to the Lord, separating ourselves from sin, allowing the Spirit to cleanse us each and every day, we are progressively or ever being sanctified to His service. In 2 Timothy, chapter number two, He says in verse number 19, down through verse number 21, he says, nevertheless, 2 Timothy chapter two, verse 19, down through verse 21. Nevertheless, the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, the Lord know of them that are his, and let everyone that name of the name of Christ depart from iniquity. But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth, and some to honor and some to dishonor. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honor, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work." And so that requires in us that daily cleansing, that progressive sanctification that is being done in us each and every day. That requires us to align ourselves, to align our hearts, to align our thinking each and every day as we draw closer to the Lord, as we seek His face, as we begin our day. We need to have the right mindset and the right heart each and every day that we might be able to be used of our Lord in this way. 2 Peter 3, verse 18, he says, but grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, to him be glory both now and forever. Amen. Grow in grace, he says there. And so we are to every day be cleansed to the working of the Lord to be found right before Him. The third sanctification is perfection in sanctification. Perfection in sanctification. This will only happen when we have received our glorified bodies. Now, in the eyes of the Lord, it's already done. He's already finished it. It's complete. But we are yet in the flesh. and being yet in the flesh, we can't see it. We're still struggling with this outward presence. We're still struggling with this flesh each and every day, and we're constantly battling against it. But there is a day coming when we will at last receive those glorified bodies in the presence of our Lord, that we will be completely, we will be perfectly sanctified before Him, made completely holy in His presence. We will then be complete and perfected. Ephesians chapter 5, Paul says there in verse number 27, Ephesians 5 and verse 27, Ephesians 5 verse 27 there. He says that he might present it to himself His church, as he describes their husbands, love your wives, verse 25, even as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it, that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that he might present it to himself, a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish. That's the cleansing we have in the Lord Jesus. That's marvelous. That's absolutely wonderful. Because you know what we've done continually in our lives? We've sinned against Him. You know what we've done each and every day? Do you know what we've done? We've failed Him. We've come short. Every day we come short. Every day we sin against Him. Every day we are unworthy. It is displayed, our unworthiness of the blessings that we have in Christ Jesus our Lord. And yet because of who we are in Christ, not because of who we are in me, or not because of who you are in you, but because of who we are in Christ Jesus, He makes us perfect before Him. Makes us perfect before Him. As if we've never sinned. as if there's never been any wickedness in us. He makes us completely sanctified in His presence. Without spot, He says, without wrinkle, there's nothing that's going to be seen in us in His presence. It's all washed away. In fact, when He said, on the cross, it is finished, He'd already done it. He'd already accomplished it, you see. This is only going to be realized in us when we at last have glorified bodies in His presence. But He's already done it. As far as the Lord's concerned, it's finished. It's done, you see. And that's what's so marvelous about the salvation we have in the Lord Jesus Christ. It's finished. It's complete. in His eyes. And so there is that perfection that we have in Christ Jesus that will be made known to us, will be seen in us at last, when at last we are rid of this sinful flesh and be given glorified bodies in His presence. Our conforming unto Him, as Paul speaks of there in Romans 8 and verse 29, our conforming unto Him will at last be done. He says there in verse 29, for whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate. So those whom he has called to himself, those whom he has elected, those whom he has given salvation to, those whom he has foreknown, he also predestinated us to be conformed to the image of his son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. And so he has chosen us unto himself and he is the one that performs this completion of this sanctification in us, you see. And so this will be completely done in that glorified body that we are given in the presence of our Lord. Now, we see also in this work of the labor, the servant's purification. As we already mentioned, Jesus washing his disciples' feet. He washed their feet there. Peter said, no, no, no, you're not gonna wash me. And he said, well, if I don't wash you, you have no part with me. And Peter then says, wash all of me. Bathe me completely, is that word there, luo in the Greek. And he says, bathe me completely. Now, this extra cleaning needs to take place daily as we walk with the Lord. We were looking just last week there in 1 John chapter number one, when he tells us here in this passage, verse number seven, I'm sorry, verse number eight rather, Verse seven as well. He says, but if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another and the blood of Jesus Christ his son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. The blood of Christ Jesus is continually cleansing you and I. It is a continual cleansing that takes place. And so as the priest washed in the labor with that big brass mirror there standing before them with this water in it, representing the word of God and it reflects our image back to us. Just I should say, as the word of God does the same to us, reflects our image back to us to help us see who we are. Likewise, it is the water that cleanses us. As we've already said, the washing of water by the Word. The brass speaks also of the judgment of God and also our own self-judgment as we look and we see the dirt in ourselves as the Spirit opens the Word of force just as they were looking there in that brazen labor. The Spirit opens the Word of God before us and shows us our dirt, shows us our filth, shows us what needs to be cleansed from us. And so as He opens that up before us, we are to judge ourselves and know what I need to be cleansed. I need to be cleansed before my Lord. And we receive that cleansing from Him, and it is only by Him. that we are cleaned and made fit for him. And now being justified and being sanctified, we are able to offer worship and service to our Lord. Because of this, we are given direct access to his throne. We talk about there in Hebrews chapter 10. The priest being cleansed, we're prepared to enter into the holy place for communion with God. Being cleansed by the blood, washed by the word, we are given direct access direct access to the throne of God, to come in, he says, even boldly into his presence. That which the priest did not have. Again, there was no boldness in them when they entered into the tabernacle. There was no boldness in them when they entered into the Holy of Holies, because if they had one thing, one thing out of kilter, one thing wrong, God would strike them dead. He held them accountable that that picture be upheld right. Aaron's sons would bring strange fire. to offer before the Lord. What did he do to them? He struck them dead. God took this seriously, this picture that is being shown of Christ Jesus, our Lord. And so he demanded it to be done right. There was no boldness in them when they brought those sacrifices, when they come into the presence of the Lord. We, however, can come in boldly because Christ Jesus has gone before us. He's opened the way. He intercedes on our behalf so that when we don't have everything right, when we have things out of order, when there is sin in our life, he's there making intercession for us, preparing the way that we still have that access to the very throne of God that he has provided for us. That is a great, and precious privilege that only the child of God has in the presence of God. Lastly, is the atonement. Or I'm sorry, not the atonement, the anointing, right? The atonement is the first part. Last part is this anointing. And we read there verse 22. He says, moreover, the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Take thou also unto thee principal spices of pure myrrh, 500 shekels, and of sweet cinnamon, half so much, even 250 shekels, and of sweet calamus, 250 shekels, and of cassia, 500 shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary, and of oil, olive, and hen, and thou shalt make it an oil of holy ointment, an ointment compound after the art of the apothecary. It shall be an holy anointing oil. And thou shalt anoint the tabernacle of the congregation therewith, and the ark of the testimony, and the table, and all his vessels, and the candlestick, and his vessels, and the altar of incense, and the altar of burnt offering, with all his vessels, and the labor of his foot, and his foot. And thou shalt sanctify them, that they may be most holy. Whatsoever toucheth them shall be holy." So they make this anointing oil, and he gives them specific instruction. of what to mix it with and how much. They are to use myrrh, sweet cinnamon, sweet calamus, cassia, and olive oil. They're to mix that together. No doubt that stuff smelled heavenly. It smelled heavenly and they are to sprinkle it upon everything, anointing it with this anointing oil, this holy anointing oil for the sanctification, the separation of these things unto the Lord. And it was according, he said, unto the art of the apothecary. That was the medical arts. Those folks that would mix those oils and mix those ointments for that purpose, and it was used for this holy anointing oil. Now, he goes on to say there that verse 32, upon man's flesh shall it not be poured. Now, it was poured upon the priest. They were to be anointed with it, but nobody else was to have it poured on them. As wonderful as it smelled, God, gave direction here that this was not to be used for anything else. You weren't supposed to bottle this up and keep some in your house. This was not for you to spray around such smell real pretty. This wasn't your Febreze, or it wasn't your perfume. You were not permitted to make this. The children of Israel were not permitted to have this in their homes or make it themselves. It was only for the purpose of the priest in anointing the instruments, anointing the tabernacle and the furniture and the priest to do this work. So upon man's flesh shall it not be poured. Neither shall you make any other like it after the composition of it. It is holy and it shall be holy unto you. It was only for that purpose. He says, whosoever compounded any like it or whosoever put any of it upon a stranger shall even be cut off from his people. The Lord took this serious. This was to be an oil of anointing here, a holy anointing oil. It represents the Holy Spirit and how he fits us for the service of God. We don't need this holy anointing oil anymore. The Spirit of God does it. You see, he does that work now. He is what shines out from us. In their day, in the time of the priests, you could smell it on them, you see. Oh, okay. These guys are set apart for the service. Not only could you see it in their outfit and what they were wearing outwardly, but you could smell it on them. They had the anointing oil upon them. They were separated out for the service. That's what the spirit of God does to us. Isn't it remarkable how he works that too? He comes in unto us in salvation. The Spirit of God comes and takes abode in us. And in Him coming and taking abode in us and residing in us and fitting us to do the service of the Lord, how you can come in contact with God's people and that presence of the Spirit of God in the two of you, how that's recognizable among God's people. sometimes even between strangers. And that's wondrous, how the Lord works that. What is anointed us is the spirit of God and it's what shines out, you see. It's what's seen in us. And we can get so burdened with the world and cumbered down by the things around us that it doesn't shine very brightly sometimes. It doesn't shine like it ought to out from us. But it doesn't usually take too long when we get in the right frame of mind and our hearts right before the Lord that it'll shine out again so that we can see it between one another. And that's part of what that fellowship is that we were talking about Sunday, that fellowship that we have with the father and with his son, Jesus Christ, that fellowship now, because we are fellowshiped around them, that that likeness there is shining through each of us. But that scene between us, as we meet together, as we fellowship together, that love, that power, that grace that's given us is shined forth through us. So this anointing, it represents the work of the Holy Spirit in us, with his anointing us for worship. Then he goes on to tell us there, verse, 34, he describes, and we've already read this when we were looking at the altar of incense. Here he describes the incense that's to be burned. And the Lord said unto Moses, take into these sweet spices, stacked and on a I guess that's how you pronounce that. And galbanum, I guess that's how you pronounce that. I'm not sure. These sweet spices with pure frankincense. So they mix these three with the frankincense. Of each shall there be a like weight, and thou shalt make it a perfume, a confection. after the art of the apothecary, tempered together, pure and holy. Thou shalt beat some of it, very small, and put of it before the testimony, the tabernacle, the congregation, where I will meet with thee. It shall be unto you most holy." So it'll be, it's put. on the altar of incense inside the tabernacle. Now notice what the Lord says of it. As for the perfume, verse 37, which thou shalt make, ye shall not make to yourselves according to the composition thereof, it shall be unto thee holy for the Lord. Whosoever shall make like unto that to smell thereto shall even be cut off from his people. It said, look, this incense which represents The excellence and the beauty of the Lord Jesus Christ. That sweet smelling savor going up into the presence of the Lord to shine forth the beauty and the holiness and the wonder of our Lord. And then the blood being sprinkled on the mercy seat showing the sacrifice of our Lord for us. Both of those have to be together. That smell goes up in the presence of the Lord with the prayers of the saints. It's described over there in the book of the Revelation for us. So it's also representing the prayers that are being brought before the presence of the Lord coming through Christ Jesus. as it comes to the presence of the Father there. And so this anointing oil, that's for the purpose of anointing God's servants to do this work. This oil for the incense to be burnt there upon the altar of incense, both these things, he said, was not to be made for anything else. It was only to be made for the use, for the worship of. The Lord, it wasn't for us. It wasn't for us, it's for the Lord. It's a sweet smelling savor unto Him. Now does it smell good to us? Oh yeah, no doubt. No doubt the priest went around, man, smell that. No doubt they could smell it. No doubt it was there. No doubt it was reminding them of what it was supposed to remind them of, of the wonder and the blessing and the love and the joy that they have in the Lord, the holiness of the Lord. No doubt it reminded them. It brought to their minds that beauty of the Lord. But it was not to be used for them in any way. for their flesh. It wasn't about them smelling pretty. It wasn't about the incense smelling real pretty. It was rather about the worship of the Lord. How many people, how many people in our nation, especially today, gauge their worship of the Lord on how it makes them feel? when it's all about me, that I gotta be comfortable, and I gotta have everything just right, and they gotta sing the right songs, and they gotta do this, and they gotta do, it's all about how it makes me feel. My worship has nothing to do with how it makes me feel, or it shouldn't. It should be all about my offering to the glory of the Lord. Every last bit of it, everything that we do is not about for us to look good, for us to smell good. It's all about the glory of the Lord. That's what our worship is to be about. It's not to be set apart for me. It's not to be set apart for you. It's to be set apart for the Lord. It's all about Him. He is the one we worship. He is the one we lift up. He is the one we praise. He is the one we adore. He is the one that we are to look at as beautiful. He is the one that we are to praise and honor and glorify. It's about Him. It's not about us. It's about the worship of Him. And so as beautiful, as wonderful, no doubt, as these things smell, It wasn't about the smelling, but it was about the worship of the Lord. It was about lifting Him up. It was about praising His name. It was about glorifying Him. And that is what our worship is to be about. The glorifying of our Lord, lifting up His name. It's not about me, it's not about you. It's not even about how we feel. It's about what we are lifting before the Lord to glorify him, to honor and praise his name in our worship, that we might adore him, that we might praise him as he deserves in his house. Let's all stand and we'll be dismissed.