The way I start a new lesson: first a thought comes to me, but I just ignore it, thinking maybe it is just my own thought. But then, again and again, the thought keeps coming, and when at last it strongly presses in my mind and heart three times, I decide that perhaps the Lord wants us to study it. In the same way, last time I said we would look at the marvelous seven feasts of the Lord in Leviticus 23, which are beautiful paintings of God’s redemptive history. However, I have decided to skip that and move to Leviticus 24. Why, Pastor? I have decided to use the seven feasts as a communion series. Why? As I started preparing for that, I felt a strong sense that this should be a communion message.
Although I ignored the first thought and planned to start preaching it—and last time we saw the Sabbath, but couldn’t get to the first festival—we then completed our study on the unchanging love of Christ. While thinking of what to preach next, again and again I got a strong feeling that the seven feasts would make a good communion series until I could no longer resist. So I am going to skip it for now; when we do the communion lessons, you will see what a blessing it will be to study the seven feasts, because communion is truly a New Testament festival, and this lesson will give us a sense of that. We can probably include those sermons as part of our Leviticus series.
So today, we skip chapter 23 and come to Leviticus chapter 24. Chapters 1 through 9 of Leviticus talk about the tabernacle of God. We have been seeing on one side how sinners can come and have communion with Him through sacrifices and the ministry of the High Priest. On the other side, man was created in God’s image to enjoy and glorify God, which is man’s greatest need. Yet man has damaged his soul and body in the fall, and this book shows what God has done to meet our needs and make the damaged soul and body of man whole. We saw that holiness is actually wholeness—everything in our soul and body being whole and working as it should. What will a man made whole look like?
The Old Testament tabernacle is another beautiful model that reflects the original design of a whole man, a man who is fully holy. The Book of Hebrews tells us that the tabernacle was heaven’s design of the house of God where God dwells, and it says that we, as saved Christians, are the fulfillment of that tabernacle. We are the tabernacle and temple of God as the body of Christ. The Old Testament tabernacle was designed to show what a saved and glorified believer will be like. All the functions and items of the three parts of the tabernacle—the outer court, the holy place, and the most holy place—are designed to show the functions of man: the outer court represents the body, while the holy and most holy places represent the soul and spirit. That is why there is such tremendous emphasis upon the tabernacle and the temple throughout the Bible; it is to teach man the truth about himself and the glory for which God created him. The tabernacle was built according to the pattern of man.
The pattern for the tabernacle was part of the great revelation God gave Moses upon the mountain top when he was with Him for forty days and forty nights as all Israel waited at the foot of the mountain. Therefore, it is an extremely important revelation, on a par with the Ten Commandments. God meticulously and carefully laid out for Moses the exact plan for constructing this building and for carrying on the functions within it. Moses was very obedient and fulfilled precisely what God had said. This building was reproduced later in the temple.
We can think of the outer court of the temple as the body, and the inner holy place as the deepest soul and spirit part. The inner part is more important, encompassing all inner life activities of the soul such as meditation, thinking, emotions, our conscience, and memory. Interestingly, this chapter does not talk about all the parts of the temple, but only the holy place and two important pieces of furniture within it: the lampstand and the showbread. Primarily, this concerns the soul life of a man. Interestingly, it does not talk about the altar of incense, which is the third item. We will see why.
The Golden Lampstand
Verses 1 to 9 can be divided into two headings:
- Verses 1–4: The golden lampstand.
- Verses 5–9: The table of showbread.
Today we will look at the golden lampstand in verses 1–4, covering a very important piece of furniture under three headings: its description, its Old Testament importance, and its New Testament fulfillment.
1. Description of the Lampstand
We are told by the first four verses that the lampstand is made of pure gold. It is not made of inexpensive tin or bronze, but rather of gold, showing its invaluable worth. The lampstand is the Jewish menorah. A more detailed explanation and description is found in Exodus 25: it is the seven-stemmed candlestick. You have seen it: the post comes right up in the middle as the central stem, and coming out from that central stem are one, two, and three branches on the right, and one, two, and three branches on the left, topped with round cups for lamp oil and cotton tips, constituting seven flames at the tip of each stem and branch. Each stem of the lampstand is ornamented with three almond blossoms—flower-like figures crafted by a very skilled craftsman.
We find that in the tent of the Lord, this lampstand is located in a very prestigious place. It is not in the outer court; rather, it is in the holy place, just before the veil leading to the most holy place. There are two other articles found in the holy place: the table of showbread and the altar of incense. That sacred compartment, the holy place, with its curtains on both sides, would have been very dark. The priests could not see anything and might stumble about in that sacred holy place without a light shining. It was the lampstand of God that gave light to the entire holy place, illuminating it with its seven prongs.
Notice verse 3:
“Outside the veil of the Testimony, in the tabernacle of meeting, Aaron shall be in charge of it from evening until morning before the Lord continually; it shall be a statute forever in your generations.” ஆசரிப்புக் கூடாரத்தில் சாட்சிசந்நிதியின் திரைக்கு வெளிப்புறமாக ஆரோன் அதை எப்பொழுதும் சாயங்காலம் தொடங்கி விடியற்காலம்மட்டும் கர்த்தருடைய சந்நிதியில் எரியும்படி ஏற்றக்கடவன்; இது உங்கள் தலைமுறைதோறும் செல்லவேண்டிய நித்திய கட்டளை.
It was the great duty and ministry of the High Priest to regularly take care of and maintain this lampstand—to see if enough oil was there and ensure the light was properly burning. An important part of his ministry was that when Aaron eventually died, that great responsibility to keep the lamp burning was to be handed down to successive generations of High Priests.
We also see that it is not only the High Priest who has a role in maintaining the lamp in the holy place, but common Israelites also had a part in that responsibility. Normal people of God had a role as well. Verse 2 says:
“Command the children of Israel that they bring to you pure oil of pressed olives for the light, to make the lamps burn continually.” குத்துவிளக்கு எப்பொழுதும் எரிந்துகொண்டிருக்கும்படி அதற்காக இடித்துப்பிழிந்த தெளிவான ஒலிவ எண்ணெயை இஸ்ரவேல் புத்திரர் உன்னிடத்தில் கொண்டுவரும்படி அவர்களுக்குக் கட்டளையிடு.
The oil for the lamp was to be brought by common Israelites, and they had to bring it from the fruit of their labors to provide the fuel for the burning of the flame. They were not just to bring any fuel; it was to be clear olive oil (தெளிவான ஒலிவ எண்ணெய்). Typically in those days, without modern machines, all olives would be crushed together, which could make the oil impure through the crushing and discoloring of the skins, as well as contamination by twigs, leaves, and dust.
However, here it says the oil is not to be crushed by the regular method, but beaten: idithu pizhaintha (இடித்துப்பிழிந்த தெளிவான ஒலிவ எண்ணெய்). This was a difficult process of extracting oil: olives were beaten and then hung so that the fluid would slowly drip down, yielding the finest quality of oil. God even specifies the process of making the oil—beaten, not crushed—because the beating of the olive brings forth a very pure fluid. Mixed crushed oil would be cheap, but this purest of oil was the most expensive of fuels and produced the purest of flames. We find that the holy place was thus ever to be illuminated with the light of this lampstand running on the purest oil.
So bringing the purest oil was the responsibility of the people, and keeping the lamp always burning brightly was a great priority for the High Priest to ensure it continued to shine. That covers the description of the golden lampstand.
2. Old Covenant Significance
Let us look at the second dimension: its Old Testament significance. What is the importance of this lampstand in the Old Testament? In the prophetic book of Zechariah, when the people of Israel were in captivity and preparing to return, Zerubbabel was fearful, wondering whether they would survive. Notice what Zechariah sees in his vision in chapter 4, beginning at verse 2:
“And he said to me, ‘What do you see?’ So I said, ‘I am looking, and there is a lampstand of solid gold with a bowl on top of it, and on the stand seven lamps with seven pipes to the seven lamps. Also, two olive trees are by it, one at the right of the bowl and the other at its left.'”
Then in verse 11, we see the two olive trees on the right and left of the lampstand filling the bowl of oil under the lampstand, continually providing fuel.
“So I answered and spoke to the angel who talked with me, saying, ‘What are these, my lord?’ Then the angel who talked with me answered and said to me, ‘Do you not know what these are?’ And I said, ‘No, my lord.’ So he answered and said to me: ‘This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,” says the Lord of hosts.'”
So God was showing in the vision that the Old Covenant people were protected even in exile, continuing to shine brightly not because of their prophets, kings, or priests—though these were His instruments—but because it is He who sustains them spiritually by His Spirit. It is God who provides continual oil so they continue to burn brightly. The success of the people of Israel was not in themselves, their leaders, or their military might, but “not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord.”
As we see in the vision, what is the meaning of the lamp? It represents the Old Covenant people of Israel, God’s people at that time. What is the oil? That is the Spirit of the Lord who continues to fuel her. And who is the lighter and keeper of that lamp? “I will ever supply you with light, life, truth, and direction,” says Jehovah Himself. Jehovah says, “I Myself am the caretaker of your spiritual life.”
3. New Covenant Fulfillment
We have seen the physical description of the golden lampstand and its Old Testament significance. Now come with me to the third heading: its New Covenant fulfillment.
We know that all of these elements of the tabernacle are shadows to be fulfilled in the New Testament. People sometimes blame us, saying we teach replacement theology by removing Israel and replacing them with the church; no, we preach fulfillment theology. The church is the fulfillment of Old Testament Israel.
- Galatians 3:29: “And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed.”
- Galatians 6:16: “And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.”
- Philippians 3:3: “For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus…”
- 1 Peter 2:9: “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation…”
Not understanding this, and being affected by the false teachings of dispensationalism and Zionism, whole nations today get unnecessarily entangled in conflicts and trouble the world. The New Testament church, consisting of both Jews and Gentiles together, fulfills the Old Testament nation of Israel.
We saw that Israel was the lampstand in the Old Covenant, but what is the lampstand in the New Testament? The Old Testament was a shadow; what is the ultimate fulfillment in the New Covenant? The New Testament clearly shows that the lampstand points not to a physical object, but to the church of the living God, which includes both Jews and Gentiles.
Where do we see this? Revelation 1 so clearly shows this fulfillment. John, seeing the vision, says in verse 12:
“I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me, and having turned I saw seven golden lampstands.”
John actually turns to see the one speaking—who is the glorified Lord—but first he sees the lampstand, and in the middle of the lampstands was one like a Son of Man, clothed in a robe reaching to His feet, and girded across His chest with a golden sash. We see a detailed figurative description of Christ’s heavenly ministry: wearing the robe of a High Priest, King, and Prophet, He does everything needed to keep the lamps burning for the lampstands.
What is the lampstand today? Is it physical Israel? No. What is the New Testament fulfillment of the lampstand? Verse 20 gives the answer:
“The mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands which you saw are the seven churches.” என் வலதுகரத்தில் நீ கண்ட ஏழுநட்சத்திரங்களின் இரகசியத்தையும், ஏழுபொன் குத்துவிளக்குகளின் இரகசியத்தையும் எழுது; அந்த ஏழு நட்சத்திரங்களும் ஏழு சபைகளின் தூதர்களாம்; நீ கண்ட ஏழு குத்துவிளக்குகளும் ஏழு சபைகளாம்.
The whole book of Revelation was written to the churches. What the lampstand in the tent of God foreshadowed in the Old Covenant is the church of God in the New Covenant. Brethren, we are a lampstand of the living God right here in this place in the New Covenant.
Today, if we are standing and if there is any light in us, it is because of the One who said in John 8:12, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” How does He keep our light burning even though He is in heaven? He promised, “I shall give you the Holy Spirit who shall guide you; His light shall guide you into all truth.” As promised, He sent the Holy Spirit, declaring, “Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, I will build My kingdom.”
Our Lord Jesus Christ has ascended to the right hand of the Majesty on high. But His role is not a sedentary one where He merely sits in inactivity; His role is deeply active. Where does He actively work today? In this passage, He walks among the lampstands of His people. He walks among the universal church, indicated by the seven churches in Asia Minor, which typify the church of the Lord Jesus Christ throughout the entire earth. And what is He doing as He walks among the lampstands? He is wearing the robe of a High Priest; He is doing the work of a High Priest, trimming the lights and the flames so that they will continue to burn brightly.
The political world, the religious world, the world of money, and the world of lust have been trying to quench the light of this lampstand for two thousand years. But He promised in Matthew 16 that the gates of hell shall never prevail against the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. We could say the winds of hell shall never blow out the lamp of the church of the Lord Jesus Christ.
And from where does our security come? Our security is rooted in the fact that our great High Priest, the Lord Jesus Christ, is ensuring that the lamps continually burn. Our guardian, our High Priest—one greater than Aaron—patrols among us, and the Holy Spirit of God continues to supply us with the necessary fuel.
Our Active Responsibility
Now, since the High Priest will trim and take care of the lamp, does that mean I, as a pastor, can sit lazily and do nothing, expecting the church to grow on its own? Or can you, as members, sit lazily and continue in your sins because you have a High Priest? No!
We see even in the Old Testament type that we have a responsibility. Though it was the High Priest’s responsibility to keep the lamp burning, the common people of God also had a vital responsibility: they were commanded to bring the pure olive fuel produced through the beating of their olives. And so too in the New Covenant, we do not just sit back and do nothing while expecting the flame here to endure and burn brightly. Rather, we too, as the people of God, are called to active participation with God’s grace working in us, bringing the finest olive oil to the lampstand.
We have to bring our best praise, our best offerings, offer ourselves to Him, and give all our best love, efforts, and energy to Him. Our best is nothing compared to Him—much like the five loaves and two fish offered for five thousand people—yet He expects it, and by His grace, He will use it and multiply it.
We see how He reacts when we fail to do this. When the Lord comes to the church in Ephesus and sees that the church is beginning to burn very dimly—burning low with a cold sense of orthodoxy—does He automatically, without any of their participation, simply come and blow on the flame? No! He calls upon the members of that church to bring in the fuel of repentance, the fuel of belief, and the fuel of their first love.
Look at what He says in trimming the lamp there in Ephesus. writing to the church in Ephesus, Chap 2:1 -3 எபேசு சபையின் தூதனுக்கு நீ எழுதவேண்டியது என்னவெனில்: ஏழு நட்சத்திரங்களைத் தம்முடைய வலதுகரத்தில் ஏந்திக்கொண்டு, ஏழு பொன் குத்துவிளக்குகளின் மத்தியிலே உலாவிக்கொண்டிருக்கிறவர் சொல்லுகிறதாவது;
உன் கிரியைகளையும், உன் பிரயாசத்தையும், உன் பொறுமையையும், நீ பொல்லாதவர்களைச் சகிக்கக்கூடாமலிருக்கிறதையும், அப்போஸ்தலரல்லாதவர்கள் தங்களை அப்போஸ்தலரென்று சொல்லுகிறதை நீ சோதித்து அவர்களைப் பொய்யரென்று கண்டறிந்ததையும்;
The one who holds the seven stars, as He is verse 1 of chapter 2, the one who walks among the seven golden lampstands says this, I know your deeds and your toil and your perseverance, that you cannot endure evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles and they are not, and you have found them to be false, and you have perseverance and have endured for My name’s sake, and have not grown weary, but, here’s the dimness He sees, but I have this against you, that you have left your first love.
Vs 4 ஆனாலும், நீ ஆதியில் கொண்டிருந்த அன்பை விட்டாய் என்று உன்பேரில் எனக்குக் குறை உண்டு. Therefore, sit back and relax, because I am going to rekindle that first love. Is that what the text says? No, He calls upon active participation on the part of the church.
ஆகையால், நீ இன்ன நிலைமையிலிருந்து விழுந்தாயென்பதை நினைத்து, மனந்திரும்பி, ஆதியில் செய்த கிரியைகளைச் செய்வாயாக; இல்லாவிட்டால் நான் சீக்கிரமாய் உன்னிடத்தில் வந்து, நீ மனந்திரும்பாதபட்சத்தில், உன் விளக்குத்தண்டை அதனிடத்தினின்று நீக்கிவிடுவேன்.
You’ve lost your first love. Now notice, Remember therefore from where you have fallen and repent, and do the deeds you did at first or else, I am coming to you, and will remove your lampstand out of its place, unless you repent. He’s calling him to sweat.
He’s calling him to go out and beat olives, and bring your active participation to this lampstick, so it might burn brightly. He calls him to repentance. You even think of how to the church of the Lord Jesus Christ, He calls us to be lights to the world. The light is to be held up by the golden candlestick, shining in the darkness of the world’s night. All this is a marvelous picture of how believers are to function in the world.
Not only as corporate church, but each of us temple of Christ. Just as inner Holy place is indicate our inner soul activity, there should be light always in our soul.
How will our soul always burn with light of God so we are lights in the world. It is when we are heart filled with Holy Spirit and our mind filled with truth of word of God. No light without oil and we cannot be light without HS.
You cannot separate HS and scripture truth, because is the HS who gave us the scripture, and HS works through the scripture. Truth produced and made known by the Holy Spirit; Both are truth and spirit needed for light. Oil and lamp. We must worship God with truth and spirit.
Darkness stands for ignorance, Light is knowledge. Light comes when HS takes God’s word and illuminates our mind by the Spirit. Not just head Bible knowledge, but with prayer. More we fill our mind with truth and our heart with HS by prayer, we will be light. Truth produced and made known by the Holy Spirit;
To be light; We are to start with the mind taught by God to see life as God sees it, and we need meditate God’s word till HS illuminates our mind. . Most of the problems which come into our lives originate because we don’t do this. Sunday is that we all tend to come and sit and listen to truth from the Word of God which explains what life is like, how people are to live, what we are to do, and how we are to react to the situations which confront us, and we all pay attention and are helped and stirred and nod our heads in agreement, but on Monday morning we go back to our work, our shop, our kitchen, our homes and family relationships — the ordinary circumstances of life — and we forget all about it! We revert to natural worldly thinking and start acting again like everybody else around us. We believe all lies of devil and the illusions which those who do not know God; and we start acting and reacting the same way they do, and then we wonder why we have problems! But the whole purpose of these meetings is that we might be governed not by natural worldly thinking but by a mind illuminated by the truth which God reveals about life — which is the way it really is.
This is the problem highlighted by that little story in the Gospels about the time when Jesus came into the home of Mary an Martha. They had been to the synagogue together and evidently Jesus had taught there. They must have had an exciting morning when Jesus began to open the Scriptures; I have often wished that I could have been there when Jesus began to teach. But when Mary and Martha came home with him for dinner, Martha went into the kitchen and forgot all about what she had learned. She began to stew and fret about how to get dinner ready. She bustled around, and couldn’t find things, and spilled the milks, coffee, and scorched the potatoes, and burned her fingers. She got all upset, and distracted, and then finally came bursting into the living room and blamed the whole mess on Jesus: “Lord, why didn’t you tell my sister to come out and help me? It’s all your fault!” (Luke 10:40). Remember how Jesus replied. “Martha, Martha, you are full of care. You’ve gotten everything out of perspective. Life is out of focus for you, and you’ve let these insignificant little trivialities mount up to a tremendous problem. But only one thing is necessary,” (Luke 10:41-42). What is that? What is the one fundamental thing which is necessary? Why, it is to see things the way they are!
It is to face reality and to deal with things realistically through glass of truth. If that is not the basis of your operations in your business world or in your family life or anywhere else, then you are wrong to start with. Of course everything is going to go awry! “Mary has chosen that good portion. She has taken the time to sit and listen and get her perspectives straight, to put things back into focus, and I’m not going to take it away from her,” Jesus said, (Luke 10:42).
I don’t know of anything more desperately necessary for Christians today than that we personally and individually expose our minds and thoughts to the revelation of God’s truth and consistently meditate what we heard and practice looking at life as he tells us it is, not as the world or our feelings say it is — and that we take his teaching seriously. To fail to do so is what gets us all confounded and confused.
Two applications
One: Behold the caretaker of the church’s flame. Did you see it when we looked at the golden lampstand? Behold the caretaker of the church’s flame. And we think of the corporate lamps of the churches of God or the individual candles which are the individual saints in that church.
Who is it who is the caretaker of us and our souls? It is the great high priest. He’s assigned to every flame in His church. It is He, the great high priest, the Lord Jesus Christ, who walks among the churches.
He is the one who has kindled the flame in the heart of each saint. He is the one who is committed to seeing that that flame burns continually. He is the one who has pledged each flame will never be snuffed out. That is His special duty.
This is beautifully depicted in Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress in interpreter’s house, interpreter took Christian by the hand and led him into a place where there was a fire burning against a wall. And one standing by it always casting much water upon the fire to quench it. And yet, the fire burned higher and hotter. And the Christian said, What does this mean? And the interpreter answered, This fire is the work of grace that is wrought in the heart.
He that casts water upon it to extinguish it and put it out, that is the devil. But if thou seest the fire notwithstanding burn higher and hotter, thou shalt also see the reason of that. And so he took Christian about to the back side of that wall where he saw a man with a vessel of oil in his hand, of which he did also continually cast that oil, but secretly into the fire.
And then said Christian, What does this mean? And the interpreter answered, This is Christ. This is Christ who continually with the oil of His grace maintains the work already begun in the heart of a Christian by the means of which notwithstanding what the devil can do, the souls of His people prove gracious still. And in that thou sawest that man stood behind the wall to maintain the fire, this is to teach thee that it is hard for the tempted to see how this work of grace is maintained in their soul.
Lord, how do I continue on? Why is it that I was kindled 30 years ago and now I continue to burn rightly? Who is it who is keeping me? …….10001 things could have quenched my fire.. .gone cold many years ago…. It is the One who walks among the lampsticks and the flames of God’s people. It is the Lord Jesus Christ. Look at what He did.
We see Him in action there in Revelation 2 and Revelation 3, walking among the seven churches. We see there severing seven flames that are dangerously flickering. And the Lord Jesus with His own words sends sermonic epistles to each church, trimming each church according to the struggle of each.
He comes to Ephesus. And He sees Ephesus. Their problem is they’re being strangled and choked by a cold orthodoxy. They’ve lost their first love. And how does He trim them and make sure the flame begins to burn more brightly? He warns threatens them. He says, repent. Get back to your first love or I will remove the lampstick from you.
He comes to Smyrna. You’re weak and discouraged. He encourages them by saying, look, don’t quit because what is ahead for you? It is the crown of life. And then He comes to Pergamum. False teachers. Sexual immorality among them. And He says, repent or I shall come against you with the sword that comes from My mouth. But if you do repent, I shall give you a new name.
He comes then to the church at Thyatira. Their deeds are flagging. And He says, if you overcome, I’ll give you the morning star. Thyatira is in sleepy formalism. And the Lord Jesus says, wake up, because I’m going to come like a thief. You better be ready.
You see how He kindles the flame and He continues it to burn in each church as He comes to the church in Laodicea and says, look, you’re lukewarm. Hear me! You’re lukewarm. And if you continue on this way, I’m going to spit you out of My mouth. Rattles their cage. Straightens them up. And so too.
People ask me, your messages are so diverse… one so comforting, so terrible warning.. because Lord of the church who came to 7 churches, keeps coming to GRBC in different situations; You think that the sermons that are selected here, you think the applications that are touched and won home to your heart merely come from this little man? Don’t you believe the sovereign Lord Jesus Christ walks among His churches? We may not have direct revelation from heaven, but we have more surer revelation of his wrriten word, which is truly his word from heaven speaking to us according to our situation. It is very wrong to think only comforting encouraging good sermons are coming from the Lord.. some are like that very selective with God’s word… they like nice comforting passages, doctrines, and sermon.. .. if they enjoy… laughing… makes feel something.. good sermon.. otherwise… difficult makes us go and think deeper… oh nothing… …. it is like saying to Lord of church, you should always talk to me as I like…. No we should accept all the Lord. So if there is a shaft of reproof that comes home to your heart and it is the Lord Jesus Christ, if there is an encouragement and fanning into a flame that very little ember in your soul and you rejoice in it, it is not me. It is the Lord Jesus Christ.
If in preaching and teaching and fellowship and prayer at the table, somehow, brethren, God has worked upon your soul, don’t see it as merely the endeavors of men. Rather, you have encountered the lamp-trimming hand of the ascended Lord Jesus Christ upon your soul. And sometimes that’s a painful thing.
Sometimes you’ve got to cut a wick. And sometimes the Lord Jesus Christ cuts your conscience and He calls upon you to cut off an offending right hand. And that you must do.
So he uses all methods to trip and make light burn in us. But it is the hand of the Lord Jesus Christ nevertheless. And you’ve experienced, haven’t you? You’ve experienced this hand. You sufferings ones: a few weeks ago.. You felt the lights going out in your soul? So discouraged… ayo paa visavasam, heaven.. I tired… throw away all godliness… not read Bible and pray for 1 week.. even missed church… Remember that? And now, you sit here tonight and you’ve recovered your piety? And you’re burning brightly again? Why? Because the ascended Lord Jesus Christ especially touched your soul and trimmed the lamp of your heart.
That’s why you’re still burning here today. There’s no other explanation for it. You’d have been snuffed off. You’d have apostatized a few weeks ago.
Or, you young person, remember recently? You’ve overcome with so much fear? Remember how discouraged you were? Remember just a few months ago how depressed and how downhearted you were? And here you come tonight! And that is past! And your soul burns brightly with love and confidence before the living God. Why? Because a number of weeks ago, the blessed Savior rounded His lips and He blew upon you. But how it speaks of Him? The smoldering wick He will not snuff out? It says of our Savior? That’s what He did to you? That’s why you’re still sustained?
Or maybe that you, Christian man? It wasn’t too long ago, was it, that you had fallen down on your face again into that sin? And you laid shattered on the floor like a lamp that had been broken down and you thought because of the sin you were doomed to be extinguished. But the fingertips of your great high priest came to you and picked you up again and set you up and trimmed your flame so that here you are still burning brightly with love to the living God and faith in the Son of God. Behold, brethren, behold the caretaker of the church’s flame.
Oh may we learn to behold and regularly praise the HP who keeps the lampstand burning.
Second application:
Behold the fuel of the church’s flame. Behold the fuel of the church’s flame.
I’ve given you comfort and I’ve said, look, brethren, it’s the Lord Jesus Christ who keeps you burning. It is your great high priest who continues to trim the flame of your soul that your faith continues to burn. He keeps you in hours of temptation.
Does that mean that we can sit back and have no responsibility? Oh, no, brethren. God’s grace and our working both are needed and emphasized in scripture. Lord’s working should encourage our working….. You remember we studied, we studied Phil work because God works; Philippians 2, we work out, we beat out our salvation with fear and trembling. We do everything within us. We repent of our sins. We come to the Word of God. We take care of our souls. We examine scour our consciences. Work out your salvation with fear and trembling, yes. Why it is God who works in us to will and to act according to His good pleasure.
We must be out there. We must be beating the olives as it were to bring what is necessary for the fuel for our souls. Ministers, I’ve got to diligently squeeze a Scripture so that I can bring fuel for your souls and you too. You must take truth meditate them, and practice them, and then off beating your souls and beating your bodies like Paul says that you not become a castaway or we could say that you not be snuffed out. We have to regularly using means of grace of scripture meditation, prayer, church, and killing sin and striving towards holiness… so we bring pure oil… We should be like those 5 wise virgins gather and grow in grace have enough oil… so we are ready and prepared at his coming, and not foolish virgins whose oil got over.
So may we learn this lessons from the OT lampstand.