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The Tabernacle… Path to Perfection
From
a Sermon given A week ago I walked into a Sunday school class where an image of the Tabernacle of God was being projected on the wall. As I sat down and looked at the image, the Spirit of God burst forth within me, and I experienced what can only be termed an explosion of revelation and understanding. I sat there in awe as my mind and soul was enveloped by the Spirit of Revelation and I was shown many things. I saw, for example, the pattern of three found in our Scriptures (as the Tabernacle is divided into three sections). And I saw how it was like unto the Three Glories, and in the image of the God-Head, and like unto Three Witnesses, and many other things I saw. And as the Spirit of God continued to present these things to me, I was shown how the Tabernacle was like a roadmap for God’s people, leading us to perfection and ultimately into the very presence of the Father. Whenever I am on a journey and I consult a map, the very first thing I need to know is: “What is our current position on the map?” This is so I can determine where to go from there. If the Tabernacle of God is like a roadmap for God’s people, then there was one obvious question that came to mind: “Where are we as a people?” I wasn’t asking this of individuals, but we as a people. The Holy Spirit immediately, and without any pause, answered me. I heard Him so clearly, and I knew it was His voice without any doubt. But the answer left me perplexed. He showed me that we were in the Court. This answer provoked even more questions. And the Holy Spirit answered those questions throughout that week as I asked. I will share with you some of those questions and the answers I received. But let’s begin by taking a tour of the Tabernacle.
Many books have been written on how the Tabernacle represented Christ. And Jesus represents Salvation. Therefore, the Tabernacle teaches us about Salvation. The Tabernacle is a representation of the everlasting covenant with God. It is the path to perfection. Beginning at the bottom of this illustration, we find the gate. Jesus said he was the gate. [John 10:9] The gate is not the end of the journey, but the beginning. Jesus commanded us: “Be ye perfect, even as your Father in Heaven is perfect.” [Matthew 5:50] Some think this is impossible. But Nephi said: “I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.” [1 Nephi 1:65] Jesus also said: “I am the way the truth and the life.” [John 14:6] This too is found in the pattern of the Tabernacle. The “Court” represents “The Way.” We enter the Court through the Gate, and we are immediately confronted with the “Sacrificial Altar.” This is the cross. Jesus is our sacrifice - the atonement made for our sins. And by the blood of the Lamb our sins are forgiven. But if we are truly His people, it is not enough just to be saved. Having been saved, there is a work to do and there is a straight and narrow path to follow. The Tabernacle represents a path to perfection. Only those who follow this path will be equipped to do the work God calls us to. The next place we come to in the Court is the “Laver” which is a large basin of water. The laver represents the Word of God. Now – I was perplexed by what the Holy Spirit had revealed to me concerning where we were as a people (spiritually speaking) because the Court also represented Telestial Glory. And so I thought: “How can this be?” In answer to this question, I was directed by the Spirit to a couple of scriptures. “And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat; for hitherto ye were not able to receive it, neither yet now are ye able. For ye are yet carnal; for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men? For while one saith, I am of Paul, and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?” [1 Corinthians 3:1-4] The Spirit simply asked me if we did not yet have
strife and divisions in the church. I had to confess that it was true.
When Paul writes that one says: “I
am of Paul” and another says: “I
am of Apollos” what that translates into today is differing opinions
and teachings, where some hear what this man has to say, and others hear
what this other man has to say, and there is a division between opinions.
But beyond even this, are we not all So – having had to admit that Paul’s words to the Corinthians could certainly describe some of the troubles we have as a people, I was then directed to Doctrine and Covenants Section 76, the revelation on the Glories. “And the glory of the telestial is one, even as the glory of the stars is one, for as one star differs from another star in glory, even so differs one from another in glory in the telestial world; for these are they who are of Paul, and of Apollos, and of Cephas; these are they who say they are some of one and some of another, some of Christ, and some of John, and some of Moses, and some of Elias; and some of Esais, and some of Isaiah, and some of Enoch, but received not the gospel, neither the testimony of Jesus, neither the prophets; neither the everlasting covenant;” [Sec 76:7 l-m] Again, I questioned this for it says these received not the gospel of Jesus, nor the prophets or the everlasting covenant. But the Spirit showed how it also says that some in this category said they were of “Christ” and that is because through they confess him with their mouth, and think they know Him, they haven’t truly understood Him or His gospel yet, nor have they come into subjection to His words or the words of the prophets, and that we do not yet understand the significance of the everlasting covenant as a people. The proof seemed to be in the pudding. I don’t mind saying that this deeply troubled me. Yet, I felt absolutely no condemnation from the Holy Spirit as these things were revealed to me. It’s like getting bad news from the Doctor. No one wants to find out they have high blood pressure. But if you have high blood pressure, not knowing about it doesn’t make it any less true or dangerous. When a doctor tells you something like that, they aren’t much interested in a pity party or denial, but they do have your best interest in mind. They aren’t punishing you, it is simply their job to help you, so while you’re still in a bit of shock over the diagnoses, they are already getting down to business. They will immediately begin to prescribe medication and perhaps some life-style changes. Like a good doctor, God isn’t interested in condemning us. He wants us to take our medicine. And at least the medicine He is offering has no bad side effects. Looking at the Sacrificial Altar, I recognized that this is the place we can all congregate around without much division. Jesus came and died on the cross. He was the lamb without blemish, and by His sacrifice and atoning blood we can be forgiven. This is also the place we can fellowship with almost any Christian denomination. It feels good to fellowship here, partly because we’re in so much unity about it. And it is a very important place. But it isn’t the goal. It is a necessary step in our journey. From here we must move forward. Many are reluctant to, some even resist any effort on the part of Priesthood members to lead the flock onward, fearing we may leave this Altar behind, and forget it somehow. But this should not be so. Paul says it best. “Therefore not leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God. Of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, and of the resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. And we will go on unto perfection if God permit.” [Hebrews 6:1-3] When Paul speaks about the foundation of faith, repentance, baptism, is this not the sincere milk of the gospel? These things are good. They are a necessary part of every Christian walk… and you cannot go up any other way. We must all start here. But having laid that foundation in your life, Paul says… let us not keep laying it again, but instead, after laying this firm foundation, we must “go on to perfection,” or in other words, we then build something upon it. A foundation alone is not a complete house. Again, Paul speaks of the sincere milk of the gospel when writing to the Hebrews. “For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. For everyone that useth milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness; for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.” [Hebrews 5:10-14] God gave me this verse almost a year ago when I had inquired as to our spiritual condition as a Church. I do not say these things to bring you down, or make you feel bad. I must speak the truth to you, for this is what the Lord has placed upon my heart to tell you, that we might begin to see more clearly, and make a choice - for a choice is being set before us today. The Lord is sending us an invitation to higher ground. But to do so, we must be realistic about where we are, and begin to trust and obey in a greater way. So, if we are being beckoned to go on to perfection, we must not stop here at the altar, but we must go on. And it is the next piece in the Tabernacle that the Spirit moved upon me to talk to you about. The rest I can only speak of in very general terms, because we must first learn the lesson of the Laver, which we have not yet learned as a people. The priests atoned for their sins through a
sacrifice at the brazen altar, but they cleansed themselves at the laver
before entering and serving in the I was completely surprised, even shocked, to discover that we are not completely cleansed by the sacrifice (or the blood) of Jesus alone. But in order to be able to enter into the presence of the Father, we must also be washed in the water of His word. I was shown these and other scriptures as support. ”Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.” [Hebrews 10:22] “Husbands, love your wives, 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” [Ephesians 5:25-26] “Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.” [John 15:3] Again, our sins are forgiven through the atonement of
Christ, but we are washed and made pure by the water of His word. To be
washed in the water of His word is to be immersed in it, to come to
understanding through it, and to become obedient to it. A year ago we were
told, by revelation, that we stood at the banks of the It is this Laver, the word of God, that we have not yet truly washed ourselves in as a people. And too often we are found either resisting, or our right fighting against it. “But behold, there are many that harden their hearts against the Holy Spirit, that it hath no place in them; wherefore, they cast many things away which are written, and esteem them as things of nought.” [2 Nephi 15:2] I know it seems hard to imagine this verse could
describe us in any way, but we esteem the word of God as things of nought
when we are not obedient to those things that are written, or any time we
seek to diminish the three standard books. I will tell you that the Spirit
of God revealed to me that the Laver does represent our books of
scripture, because the next stop in the Tabernacle, the But take heart. It is time now for us to lay down our
opinions, the theories of man, the contentions and wash ourselves in the
word. When we do, we shall truly find that peace that passes all
understanding. Only those who do this can enter into the When we were at the altar, it was mostly about what God could do for you. Once we wash in the laver, our relationship with God begins to mature, and then it becomes also about what we can do for our God. And God willing, we will go on to perfection. And so
the next stop in our journey is the “ But even this is not our ultimate goal, for the
mission of the Son was always to point the way to the Father and bring us
back into the very presence of the Father, which is Celestial glory. So as
the Terrestrial Glory are those “who
receive of the presence of the Son, but not of the fullness of the Father.”
[Sec 76:6f] we must seek the Let’s have a quick review and then a final word.
In God’s army, there is a time to camp, and a time to march. We have been camped here in the Court a good while now. The four conditions that caused God to call his people Zion (one heart, one mind, dwell in righteousness, no poor among them) can also be seen as four steps to Zion. We have been at one heart a long time now, and it has been good. But, if we are ever to become what God has called us to be, we must also seek to become one mind. I can’t make you have the same mind as me…nor do I wish to try, and you can’t get me to have the same mind as you. But if we seek the mind of God together, which He has given us in His scriptures (The Laver) and understand them with the help of the Holy Spirit, and wash ourselves in it by becoming obedient to them, we CAN become of the same mind as our God, and in so doing, become of the same mind with each other. This will be a process. But it can be done, because God has prepared a way for us to accomplish all that He commands us. Let us set aside our theories, opinions, and speculations. Let us humble ourselves, and begin exercising wisdom and admitting when we don’t really know something. Let us learn to control our tongues. And be careful not to spread more darkness and unbelief by making statements about things we don’t really understand. In other words, let our utterances be governed by the Holy Spirit. Have faith that God can and reveal these things to those who seek His ways, and surely it shall be come to pass, even as He has promised us. Amen.
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