The Tabernacle -  Timeless Truths of The Laver.

The word saved means saved.

If a ship sinks a thousand miles from land there is no way that the people can swim to shore. They cannot make it to safety alone. But there is a ship nearby that comes to their rescue and picks them up out of the water. But we do not feel that it has saved the passengers if they are drowned before they arrive home safely.

We only consider them saved if the boat actually finishes bringing them to land. It is the same way with salvation. We are adrift on a sea of sin with no way to make it to safety on our own. Christ comes and picks us up. But it would not be salvation if He later on drops us back in the sea to perish. For Him to save us, He must take us all the way.

Phi 1:6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform [it] until the day of Jesus Christ:

You can be assured that when Christ picks you up and saves you that He will take you all the way to heaven. He will never drop you. Saved means Saved. You cannot loose your salvation.

You have been made a Son and that is permanent.

Salvation has already taken place at the Door and the Altar. And you cannot loose your salvation. So the Laver is not about salvation. All the other pieces of the tabernacle have a timeless truth to teach us. The timeless truth of the Laver is not salvation. So what is the timeless truth of the Laver?

God’s righteousness was a barrier keeping fellowship with God impossible. That was the fence. But God provided a way (and only one way) thru His Son whereby man’s sin debt could be paid for so that man could once again be brought into fellowship with a Holy God. That is the door and the Altar.

So now you are saved and cannot loose your salvation. You have now been admitted in. You are now a son. But you are a son that still has a sin nature. Who here has sinned this week?

But God is still Holy. God’s nature has not changed just because you got saved.

And even though you are saved from the eternal punishment of sin. You have not yet been delivered from the sin of your flesh. You still carry around with you your sin nature. And you will still fall into sin.

And God cannot fellowship with sin, but God wants you to be in close fellowship with Him in the tent. And as we will learn the tent is a place of service. So this posses a problem.

How can a Holy God be in close fellowship with a sinful man? How can a Holy God allow and bless a sinful man to do God’s work. Again I am not talking about salvation. That is done and finished. What we are looking at here is being qualified for service and acceptable worship.

Some will say once you are saved it does not matter what you do. They say we are under grace and you cannot loose your salvation AND I WHOLE HEARTLY AGREE. But then they say so it does not matter what I do today. That is the part that I disagree with. They say, I can drink all the booze I want and listen to all Devils music that I want to. It does not matter because all my sins were forgiven at the cross, they say.

And that is true as far as any condemnation. Even the sins that you have not committed yet were paid for on the cross. There will never be any punishment in hell for them, and no punishment in heaven either. Jesus said it is finished.

Can a person get saved, and then sin all he wants to and then still go to heaven? Absolutely YES.

So then does it matter how I live today? That is the question before us today.

You talk to people who believe in works salvation and they use this issue against salvation by grace. So it is important that we understand this issue and have an answer. So what does the Bible say about this?

Gal 6:7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

You are not going to mock God and not pay a price. Saved or not saved sinning willfully does have a price. You get drunk and run over someone in your car, saved or not you are going to pay a price. You will have to live with that the rest of your life. You will pay a price with our legal system. You are not going to pray to God, say that you are sorry, and God just fixes the car, and bring the person you killed back to life.

Being saved is not a free ticket to commit what ever sin I want to and not pay a price for it in this life.

The big mistake that people make is in not separating Salvation from a close fellowship with God. Being saved and walking close to God are two different things.

To walk close to God you first must be saved. You have to come thru the door and the altar.

But being saved does not guarantee a close walk with God in this life right now today.

A Christian cannot loose his salvation but he can loose his close fellowship with God.

Go to 1 John. 1 John is written to instruct saved people.

1Jo 1:4 And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.

Why did John write this? So you can be a Christian and not be full of joy.

1Jo 1:5 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

Is there any darkness in God?

1Jo 1:6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:

Obviously salvation and fellowship are two different things. It says if we walk in darkness and say we have fellowship with God that we are lying. You cannot walk in darkness and be in close fellowship with God.

1Jo 1:7 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.

Salvation is dependant on accepting Jesus by faith.

Close fellowship with God is dependant on walking in the light.

So when we slip into some sin, some darkness, and thus loose close fellowship with God, then what are we to do? The next verses tell us.

1Jo 1:8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

1Jo 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

The Laver is a picture of this principal laid out in 1 John.

We are to examine ourselves, confess our sins to God. He will then forgive our sins and cleanse us. Every one of us needs to do this.

1Jo 1:10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

If you say that you don’t have sin that needs confessed to God, then the Bible says that you are making God a liar.

Example of King David. After David’s sin with Bathsheeba he did not loose his salvation but he lost his close fellowship with God. You read Psalm 51 and you can almost hear the tears of David as he confessed his sin to God and asked for forgiveness. Salvation and close fellowship in this life today are two different things. With that principal laid down we can now look at the Laver.

Exo 38:8 And he made the laver [of] brass, and the foot of it [of] brass, of the lookingglasses of [the women] assembling, which assembled [at] the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.

Exo 30:18 Thou shalt also make a laver [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.

Exo 30:19 For Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet thereat:

Exo 30:20 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 offering made by fire unto the LORD:

Exo 30:21 So they shall wash their hands and their feet, that they die not: and it shall be a statute for ever to them, [even] to him and to his seed throughout their generations.

Did you catch the serious of the Laver? Twice they are told that they must do this so they die not. Before they served and fellowshipped with God in the Tent they had to wash or they would die. Before they served at the Altar they had to wash first or they would die. The dieing here is a strong picture of your service being unacceptable.

The laver contained water to wash the hands and the feet. Our Christian life is likened unto a walk.

We are to walk worthy of our vocation eph. 4:1 We walk with our feet. Thus to wash their feet symbolized cleansing our daily life from defilement of sin.

We are saved by the washing of regeneration Titus 3:5. This cleanses us from the guilt of sin once for all;

However, our cleansing from defilement from the world so our service is acceptable must come daily.

There was no floor in the Tabernacle. They had to walk on the bare earth while they were ministering. As they walked their feet would be stained with the earth. With the world.

It is the same with Christians. We are to minister in the world. You are not to get saved and then go hide in a monastery. We have to serve and minister in the world. And it is impossible to do that without needing cleansing.

They had to wash their hands and feet at the laver before going in to have close fellowship with God in the tent. If he passed up the laver he died (Ex. 30:19-20) a picture of close fellowship and service being rejected.

Purification before and during service in the tabernacle was mandatory for all priests who ministered before God.

They had to wash the defilement from their hands and feet before entering the Holy place to serve.

Their sins had been atoned for at the brazen altar. They now could approach the Holy place for worship, but not before washing defilement of the dusty court from them.

They could not enter into the presence of a Holy God in communion and fellowship.

Lev 11:44 For I [am] the LORD your God: ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I [am] holy:

The laver was made of the looking glasses of women. The looking glasses of women in those days were made of brass. Shinny brass that you can see yourself in. The Laver speaks of self-examination.

As a man came to the laver he could see the refection of his feet in the looking glass of the laver. He could see his own defilement. The Laver would show him his defilement. Then he could wash his feet in the water provided by the same laver that showed him is defilement.

As a Christian looks into the Scriptures, and respond appropriately.

Jam 1:23 For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:

Jam 1:24 For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.

Jam 1:25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth [therein], he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.

We have two types of men mentioned here in James. One hears the word and does not do. The other is not a forgetful hearer and does. It is the second man who examined himself and did, that is blessed in his deed.

The same word of God that reveals guilt in our life also provides the cleansing or the washing of water by the word Eph. 5:26

Eph 5:26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,

Eph 5:27 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.

The Word of God has a cleansing effect.

We need to look into the Bible and judge ourselves by it. Then we need to take what we see and apply it. You know the Laver did them no good unless they actually applied the water. Looking at it did nothing. Looking and saying I believe that the water in the Laver could cleanse me does not do anything. It must be applied. He could look in the Laver and see his dirty feet and just walk off and his service would not be accepted.

If we will thus judge ourselves at the laver, “we should not be judged.” But if we neglect the laver God will judge us.

1Co 11:31 For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.

1Co 11:32 But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.

1Co 11:28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of [that] bread, and drink of [that] cup.

Heb 12:6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.

Heb 12:7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?

Heb 12:8 But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.

It does to matter how we live after we are saved. We cannot loose our salvation but we can loose close fellowship with God. And God will bring chastisement.

Do you want to avoid chastisement? That is what the Laver is for. Examine yourself, Judge yourself by the Word of God, confess your sins to God. Keep short accounts with God as the old time preachers used to say.

This is one of the reasons why we have an invitation after every preaching service. It is to give people an opportunity to go to the Laver while the Holy Spirit is speaking to their hearts.

Water = cleansing

No diminutions

No quantity of water - Unlimited provision

Giving no measurements is symbolic of the limitless cleansing power of God. The power is there but it has to be applied. We must confess, ask for forgiveness. Cleansing must be applied.

It was used by the priests. We are believer priests.

1Pe 2:5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.

Aaron and his sons entered the priesthood thru birth.

We become believer priests thru the new birth.

You must be born again

It had to be applied to do any good.

Daily by them

Washed completely Hands and Feet

Hands are a symbol of service.  Feet are a symbol of walk

We have need of cleansing daily. We need self-judgment based on looking into the Word of God.

The altar was about Justification

The Laver is about Sanctification

3 types of Sanctification

Positional Sanctification happens when you get saved. (Altar)

Then comes progressive sanctification. We are to grow in the Lord. We are to be continually being set more apart for God. We are to become more and more like Christ.

We are to be going continually to the Laver and washing defilement away.

And after we die we will be Perfectly Sanctified.

But until then we need daily cleansing.

The lesson of the laver is the word of God when appropriated and applied keeps us in sweet fellowship with Him and prepares us for acceptable service and worship.

If the priest washed, then and only then could he served.

After justification and sanctification Now you can enter into the Holy place for close communion and service with a Holy God.

One of the big problems today is people want to serve without stopping at the Laver.

They want to be blessed and to have close fellowship with God without washing their defilement off.

They want to keep the darkness and defilement of sin in their life and walk into the Holy Place.

But it does not work that way. God did not accept them in the Holy Place if they did not stop at the Laver. You all know at the part of the Bible that says if you have something against a brother then leave your gift at the altar, go get right with your brother and then come back to the altar.

Christians doing away with self-examination and confession to God is one of the big reasons that we do not see more spiritual power in our churches. Christians refuse to get rid of sin and wonder why they don’t have a close walk with God. You cannot throw the Laver out and have a close walk with God. You can’t throw out the Laver and have power in prayer.

1Pe 1:13 Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;

1Pe 1:14 As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance:

1Pe 1:15 But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;

1Pe 1:16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.

We need to be prepared each and every day for Spiritual service for Him. That is the lesson of the Laver.