Why Church? Part 8—Golden Lampstand

This is the first of the last 3 parts of my sermon series from July and August (see prior blog posts for parts 1-7)

Inside the Holy Place, the lampstand was the only source of light.  It was made out of a talent of gold (75 pounds!) and was made out of a solid block of gold.  Today, this would be worth about $2 million.  Without light, the priests couldn’t do their job of interceding for the people and having fellowship with God.  People also donated fresh olive oil to keep it lit.

John 8:12 and 12:46 say that Jesus is the light.  We want to live our life in the light, so we can see where we’re going and how to get there.  It is never fun to stumble around in the dark and try to figure out how to get where you want to go safely.  Darkness also flees when a light is turned on.  Ephesians 5:8 says that we are NOW the light.  John 15:5 says we are no good apart from Jesus.  On the lampstand, there is a central branch and 6 other branches (for a total of 7).  Jesus is the center branch.  When we are connected to Jesus and to the church, we are extensions of Him.  This lampstand is a picture of the church, intertwined vines that intertwine together to form one piece.

Genesis 1:3 shows God’s creation of light as the first thing He created (the sun and stars are created later).  This light is truth, or enlightenment.  How often do we seek knowledge above true enlightenment?  Knowledge is about facts, but enlightenment from God’s Word is THE TRUTH.  When we allow ourselves to be ruled by facts, we are led back into the darkness. In 1 Kings 8, we see Solomon praying a prayer of dedication for the temple.   It focuses on what happens in the temple--receiving forgiveness, answers, and deliverance.  In 2 Peter we are called a royal priesthood.  Originally the only one allowed inside the Holy of Holies was the high priest.   His family served in the outer courts as ministers to the people.  Now we are in the family of Jesus, so we can serve in the house and minister to others outside of the house.  Where have you allowed yourselves to fall into man’s wisdom and be ruled by facts?

To listen to the entire sermon go to http://ahwatukeechurch.com/ and click on online media.  To learn more about Living Word Ahwatukee, visit http://ahwatukeechurch.com/.