My beloved friends and family, God’s Grace and Love be with each of you.

With the snow cancellations hopefully behind us, and the Lenten service plans completed, we

can now be back on track with the weekly message. Last Sunday we continued our exploration

of Exodus 27:1-8 and the meaning of the tabernacle.

The tabernacle is a way to meet God, a place where we are together. Upon entering through the

tabernacle door, the first thing you see is the altar of burnt offering. To meet God in the Holy of

Holies, you must forsake your sins and be cleansed at the altar of burnt offering. Those who

believe in Jesus Christ but do not forsake their sins wander between the tabernacle door and

the altar of burnt offering.

Nowadays, we can rely on the blood of Jesus Christ to repent, but in the Old Testament,

forgiveness of sins was achieved by bringing a blameless animal, laying hands on it,

transferring our sins, sprinkling its blood on the altar of burnt offering, and burning it. The altar of

burnt offering is made of acacia wood and is built with brass. In the Bible, brass symbolizes

strength, victory, and a curse.

There are many buildings in this world, but only the church with the cross can forgive people's

sins and grant salvation. No matter how diligently you scrub your face in the bathroom, you

cannot cleanse yourself of sin. No matter how diligently you study at school or how well you

perform surgery at a hospital, you cannot escape sin. Material things cannot solve sin; only the

church can solve it.

The altar of burnt offering has three characteristics, and these characteristics should be the

defining characteristics of the church and its members.

1) The first characteristic of the altar of burnt offering is blood. The root of the church is the altar

of burnt offering, and the blood of the sacrifices slaughtered nearby is sprinkled on all sides of

the altar. Hebrews 9:22 says, "And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood,

and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness." The blood of Jesus Christ’s love on the

cross is the sacrificial blood of the altar of burnt offering. The church is a place where we

experience the love of the cross and are sanctified and saved through the love of the cross.

2) The second characteristic is fire. The place where we meet God changed from the stone altar

to the tabernacle, from the tabernacle to the temple, and from the temple to the church. On that

stone altar, God's fire appeared. When Abraham built the stone altar and placed an offering

there, fire descended and passed by. When Moses built the tabernacle, God gave fire to the

altar of burnt offering. When Solomon built the temple and offered his first offering to God, fire

descended from heaven (2 Chronicles 7:1-2).

Even at the beginning of the church, the Holy Spirit descended like fire in Acts 2:1-4. The

beginning of the stone altar, the beginning of the tabernacle, the beginning of the temple, and

the beginning of the church were all marked by fire. The essence of the church is the moment

when sinners are justified, like a fiery flame, when the offering is consumed by fire.

While lighting the fire is important, managing it is even more crucial. Leviticus 6:8-13 commands

that the fire on the altar of burnt offering not be extinguished. The fire on the altar and the

golden lampstand must always be kept burning and lighting.

The principles imparted to pastors of Korean churches state, first, that the pastor must be on fire

for the congregation to watch the fire; second, that the congregation must be on fire for non-

believers to watch; and third, that Peter wrote Acts 1-8, and the Apostle Paul wrote Acts 9-28, so

we should write from Acts 29 onward.

3) The third characteristic of the altar of burnt offering is its horns. The altar has four horns at the

top corners, symbolizing the horns of life and victory. Regardless of sin, if a sinner runs to the

horns of the altar of burnt offering, they will find life. These horns represent Jesus Christ and the

city of refuge. Psalm 18:2 says, "The Lord is the horn of my salvation."

The gospel is the power of salvation given to all believers, and the church is a place that saves

lives. More than anything else, it is a place where we share the Lord's love and the gospel,

giving each other positive energy and courage to help us triumph and overcome the world.

The courtyard of the tabernacle was surrounded by a curtain of fine linen, and there was a

single door leading into the tabernacle (v. 14-16). The entrance to the tabernacle was

remarkably wide compared to the size of the entire tabernacle. It was a whopping 10 yards

wide. This shows that even though the tabernacle was enclosed by a curtain, the people could

enter the tabernacle through this wide door if they so desired.

The door to salvation is always wide open to everyone. The door to salvation is always wide

open to anyone who truly repents and comes to God.

I believe that you have already come to the church's altar of burnt offering, sprinkled the blood

of repentance, and taken hold of the horns of the altar of burnt offering, becoming disciples of

salvation and victory.

I pray that you will now become disciples of Jesus Christ who help people around the world

come to the church, repent, and live lives of salvation and victory. I hope that you will reflect on

your calling and become disciples of the Lord who lead the world by receiving the holy fire from

heaven.

Your pastor,

Oon Don