Joy in God (1 Chronicles 16:1-3)

WEBVTT 1 00:00:01.879 --> 00:00:06.599 If you're able to remain standing, please do and let's give our attention now 2 00:00:06.719 --> 00:00:17.309 to God's word in First Chronicles, Chapter Sixteen. First Chronicle Sixteen, verses 3 00:00:17.429 --> 00:00:25.940 one through three. And they brought in the Ark of God and set it 4 00:00:26.100 --> 00:00:30.980 inside the tent that David had pitched for it, and they offered burnt offerings 5 00:00:31.539 --> 00:00:37.049 and peace offerings before God. And when David had finished offering the burnt offerings 6 00:00:37.130 --> 00:00:41.369 and the peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of Jehovah and 7 00:00:41.570 --> 00:00:47.049 distributed to all Israel, both men and women, to each a loaf of 8 00:00:47.170 --> 00:00:55.039 bread, a portion of meat and a cake of raisins. He may be 9 00:00:55.119 --> 00:01:19.180 seated. All over the last several chapters we've been watching this journey of the 10 00:01:19.219 --> 00:01:26.780 Ark. I'm coming from outside of Jerusalem into Jerusalem, brought in. We've 11 00:01:26.780 --> 00:01:34.250 seen mistakes along the way, and now I'm praises and good cheer and other 12 00:01:34.329 --> 00:01:40.530 things happening as the ARC is brought in. As we've been doing this all 13 00:01:40.569 --> 00:01:45.370 along, we've been considering this very important point of the way, the way 14 00:01:45.409 --> 00:01:49.920 in which the arc symbolizes God's presence among his people, the way that David 15 00:01:51.000 --> 00:01:57.239 is rightfully ongoing and seeking after God, seeking his presence, seeking to know 16 00:01:57.519 --> 00:02:01.469 his ways, to lead under his authority as a good king. We thought 17 00:02:01.510 --> 00:02:05.829 about that, as God is presented to it, presented it to us, 18 00:02:06.349 --> 00:02:10.389 in contrast with Saul, who did not do those things and suffered the consequences 19 00:02:10.469 --> 00:02:16.659 both him and the people. But as we see the ARC coming and now 20 00:02:16.860 --> 00:02:23.699 on being established not only in Jerusalem generally, but specifically in the Tabernacle, 21 00:02:23.020 --> 00:02:30.210 this place of worship where God will meet with his people and dwell among them. 22 00:02:30.370 --> 00:02:37.330 In there, in Jerusalem, we see three things happening here on which 23 00:02:37.449 --> 00:02:43.009 tell us and teach us more about the presence of God. The first is 24 00:02:43.050 --> 00:02:47.360 the offerings that are given on the second is the blessing that is given, 25 00:02:49.080 --> 00:02:54.199 and then the third is the food that is given. Are Offerings and then 26 00:02:54.400 --> 00:03:00.349 a blessing and food, and in each of these in their own way, 27 00:03:00.710 --> 00:03:07.310 demonstrate and symbolize something very important about God's presence. And each of them, 28 00:03:07.389 --> 00:03:13.099 in their own specific and important ways, I'm teach us what it means for 29 00:03:13.099 --> 00:03:16.819 us to belong to Jesus, because, you remember, all of this time 30 00:03:17.060 --> 00:03:23.979 David is serving as this type of Jesus to come, his son, a 31 00:03:23.139 --> 00:03:29.930 greater king, who God would who God promised to David and promise to us 32 00:03:30.169 --> 00:03:35.770 in David's actions. Then we have this earthly foretaste of what God will do 33 00:03:35.930 --> 00:03:40.560 for us in Christ. So focusing on these three, these three things help 34 00:03:40.639 --> 00:03:46.400 us, helps us to understand who we are as Israel, who we are 35 00:03:46.439 --> 00:03:52.240 as God's people. So let's look at at each of them and see what 36 00:03:52.360 --> 00:03:58.270 God has for us. I'm the first is there are offerings that are offered, 37 00:03:58.349 --> 00:04:03.349 in particular burnt offerings and peace offerings. You remember that there were different 38 00:04:03.389 --> 00:04:10.219 kinds of sacrifices or offerings in the Bible, ones that are commanded by God 39 00:04:10.500 --> 00:04:17.339 and prescribed the various duties and obligations of them in various places, particularly leviticus 40 00:04:17.420 --> 00:04:23.100 one through seven. Here, two of those are men and the burnt offerings 41 00:04:24.100 --> 00:04:29.050 or sacrifices, and the peace offerings or sacrifices. Sometimes those words are used 42 00:04:29.050 --> 00:04:35.449 interchangeably. So why offerings? What would be significant? Why would David think 43 00:04:35.610 --> 00:04:41.240 to do this here at this moment? Well, we remember two things. 44 00:04:41.439 --> 00:04:46.519 First of all, there is no presence and communion with God without sacrifice, 45 00:04:47.240 --> 00:04:53.990 because there's always between us and God the problem of sin, and that's ultimately 46 00:04:54.149 --> 00:04:59.949 what the sacrifices were for they were to atone for our sin. This is 47 00:05:00.430 --> 00:05:06.259 particularly true for the burnt offering. The burnt offering was an offering of complete 48 00:05:06.500 --> 00:05:13.660 and entire dedication. The whole thing was burnt. Sometimes it's called the whole 49 00:05:13.899 --> 00:05:18.300 burnt offering. The offerers would offer it to God, placing their hands on 50 00:05:18.459 --> 00:05:24.009 it as a way of identifying with it and saying this is me, I 51 00:05:24.129 --> 00:05:29.370 am offering myself to you through this animal that God had given to them as 52 00:05:29.449 --> 00:05:35.879 that for the sacrifice, and the entire thing was burnt and consumed. There 53 00:05:36.120 --> 00:05:41.639 was that. Sometimes the smell of the offering was described. Is described in 54 00:05:41.759 --> 00:05:47.800 scripture. It's described as a pleasing aroma. As you smell the smell of 55 00:05:47.920 --> 00:05:54.310 the oxen, for example, being burnt, you would be reminded it would 56 00:05:54.350 --> 00:06:00.389 that smell itself would be a memorial, a testimony that God was pleased and 57 00:06:00.629 --> 00:06:06.339 had would have favor with you. The peace offering was a little bit different. 58 00:06:06.459 --> 00:06:12.500 It also was a sacrifice that was given, but instead of the whole 59 00:06:12.740 --> 00:06:18.490 thing being consumed, only partially and then it was in a sense kind of 60 00:06:18.930 --> 00:06:26.290 cooked and then shared among the people. Now, some of the offerings in 61 00:06:26.410 --> 00:06:30.810 Israel were given directly to the priests. It belonged to them. It was 62 00:06:30.970 --> 00:06:33.920 God's food, essentially, which he would then give to his servants as their 63 00:06:34.360 --> 00:06:40.360 provision. The peace offering was a little bit different, though. As the 64 00:06:40.800 --> 00:06:45.720 one who would bring this sacrifice, you would end up sharing it with the 65 00:06:45.879 --> 00:06:48.470 priests. You wouldn't simply give it to them and they would eat it, 66 00:06:48.550 --> 00:06:54.389 but it was a thing that would be had together, often with other sacrifices 67 00:06:54.470 --> 00:07:00.269 of bread and wine. Essentially, you're having a meal together with the peace 68 00:07:00.430 --> 00:07:06.699 offering in that the peace offering fell symbolized a communion, a fellowship. It 69 00:07:06.819 --> 00:07:15.300 emphasized eating together with the priest. It emphasized communion and reconciliation with the Lord. 70 00:07:15.569 --> 00:07:23.329 So there is this kind of in God's presence, eating God's food together. 71 00:07:25.850 --> 00:07:29.410 These are the things that were symbolized by the burnt offering in the peace 72 00:07:29.529 --> 00:07:34.279 offering and therefore very appropriate to come and offer these to God and to participate 73 00:07:34.399 --> 00:07:40.480 in those ceremonies, as the arc is taking a central place in the tent 74 00:07:41.199 --> 00:07:46.149 and in Jerusalem, because there's no connection to God without sacrifice. There's no 75 00:07:46.350 --> 00:07:53.990 connection to God without us being given to him and him receiving this. But 76 00:07:54.310 --> 00:08:00.019 as the Old Testament symbolizes. For us, that requires death, it requires 77 00:08:00.100 --> 00:08:05.139 the sacrifice, it requires atonement for sin. You can't simply walk into God's 78 00:08:05.180 --> 00:08:11.819 presence without the sin being dealt with. You can't have fellowship with one another 79 00:08:11.060 --> 00:08:16.730 around a table in the name of God without sin being taken care of. 80 00:08:18.730 --> 00:08:26.490 There's no peace without atonement. So that's the first thing that's offered, is 81 00:08:26.810 --> 00:08:33.399 the the these offerings, these sacrifices. The second thing that's offered or given 82 00:08:33.559 --> 00:08:39.600 is a blessing, and we read in verse two that after David finished offering 83 00:08:41.159 --> 00:08:45.870 the burnt offerings in the peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name 84 00:08:45.909 --> 00:08:54.110 of the Lord particularly we read. So they're right. So we read that 85 00:08:54.149 --> 00:09:00.620 David blesses the people. Now what is a blessing? I'm perhaps you've thought 86 00:09:00.659 --> 00:09:03.899 about this before. Perhaps you've wondered before, what is it that we really 87 00:09:03.940 --> 00:09:07.019 mean? What is the God means, more importantly, when he blesses? 88 00:09:09.779 --> 00:09:13.129 Well, blessing in a most general sense is a kind of wish that something 89 00:09:13.250 --> 00:09:20.250 would happen. You see this in the opposite as well, with curses. 90 00:09:20.730 --> 00:09:24.919 If somebody calls a curse upon your house, they're wishing that something bad would 91 00:09:24.919 --> 00:09:31.120 happen. But if they're using that language of blessing and cursing, they're probably 92 00:09:31.440 --> 00:09:39.549 elevating that beyond a wish. They're calling to calling to power, a some 93 00:09:39.830 --> 00:09:46.789 kind of spiritual force that can have the desired effect. I remember one time 94 00:09:46.629 --> 00:09:52.179 meeting a man who said he was a witch. He said he that's what 95 00:09:52.419 --> 00:09:56.059 he did, that was his job was. People would pay him to go 96 00:09:58.019 --> 00:10:01.820 bless or curse people. He would go to someone's house and, for a 97 00:10:01.899 --> 00:10:07.370 certain amount of money, cast a spell or bring some kind of evil or 98 00:10:07.529 --> 00:10:16.570 good, a power upon a person. and well, it's one thing when 99 00:10:16.809 --> 00:10:22.840 you are I bless or curse one another. It's another thing when God blesses 100 00:10:22.000 --> 00:10:28.399 or curses because, as we know, when God speaks it's never merely a 101 00:10:28.559 --> 00:10:35.629 wish. God desires to bless. You get blessing, God desires curse, 102 00:10:37.990 --> 00:10:45.029 there's cursing. Well, this kind of very firm. These blessings and cursings 103 00:10:46.309 --> 00:10:50.500 are right to understand in terms of good and evil. Results. Are Good 104 00:10:50.539 --> 00:10:54.659 and bad results, but even more essentially, they have to do with being 105 00:10:54.779 --> 00:11:00.899 in right relationship with God. If you are blessed, in other words, 106 00:11:00.940 --> 00:11:03.850 you are one who is in right relationship with God. You are one who 107 00:11:03.850 --> 00:11:09.210 is enjoying that. That's what it means to be blessed. This is the 108 00:11:09.250 --> 00:11:13.169 way the Bible talks about it. There's no blessing, no real blessing, 109 00:11:13.210 --> 00:11:18.399 apart from being in God. Likewise, cursing is being under a curse, 110 00:11:18.480 --> 00:11:24.200 or being cursed is defined essentially as being separated from God. Now, that 111 00:11:24.360 --> 00:11:31.080 might happen. There might be an earthlier material consequences of that, but essentially 112 00:11:31.200 --> 00:11:37.230 that's what's going on. One very prominent place you see this is in Deuteronomy. 113 00:11:37.269 --> 00:11:41.389 At the end of Deuteronomy you have a series of blessings and curses. 114 00:11:41.990 --> 00:11:45.429 God says to the people, if you obey me, if you live with 115 00:11:45.590 --> 00:11:48.779 me, if you dwell in my presence and with the obedience that I require, 116 00:11:50.659 --> 00:11:54.980 that I will bless you. Living in the presence of God, living 117 00:11:54.019 --> 00:12:01.529 in obedience and service to God, means enjoying God and all the good things 118 00:12:01.649 --> 00:12:09.409 of life, but coming into disobedience means being cast away from God and it 119 00:12:09.529 --> 00:12:22.600 means experiencing things like death and destruction and dissolution and and division. So when 120 00:12:22.679 --> 00:12:28.200 God blesses his people, like he does at the beginning and ends of our 121 00:12:28.679 --> 00:12:35.389 worship services. It's not merely the pastor sort of wishing that something might happen, 122 00:12:35.269 --> 00:12:39.549 wishing that good things might happen to you. It is a pronouncement that 123 00:12:39.750 --> 00:12:46.379 those who are in Christ, those who belong and are connected with God through 124 00:12:46.419 --> 00:12:52.259 union with Christ, will be blessed. It's God's pronouncement of his will toward 125 00:12:52.460 --> 00:12:58.649 you. Grace and peace be to you from God, our father and the 126 00:12:58.730 --> 00:13:05.809 Lord Jesus Christ. This is God's speaking. It's one reason we give God, 127 00:13:05.009 --> 00:13:09.649 so to speak, the last word in the worship service. We leave 128 00:13:09.850 --> 00:13:15.519 with his blessing, we begin with his blessing. It's this great pronouncement of 129 00:13:15.679 --> 00:13:18.919 what it means to belong in his presence. But more than just a doctrinal 130 00:13:20.039 --> 00:13:24.559 statement, it is one of the ways in which God brings about those kinds 131 00:13:24.039 --> 00:13:31.149 of promises. He blesses us, and that's what David does here. As 132 00:13:31.190 --> 00:13:35.470 the ARC is brought into Jerusalem, as it's brought into this tent, and 133 00:13:35.629 --> 00:13:41.620 the people of God are surrounding, surrounding and worshiping, what happens? What 134 00:13:41.820 --> 00:13:48.259 happens when you're in the presence of God? You're blessed. You're blessed, 135 00:13:48.740 --> 00:13:52.980 and that's why David blesses them, not in his name, not in the 136 00:13:54.019 --> 00:13:56.529 name of David the king. I bless you and I provide these things for 137 00:13:56.649 --> 00:14:00.570 you and I'm going to be a great king. But as David a sends 138 00:14:00.649 --> 00:14:03.129 to power, what does he do? He points to the Lord and he 139 00:14:03.210 --> 00:14:09.049 says, blessings be to you from God, and not just God in particular, 140 00:14:09.210 --> 00:14:13.279 but Jehovah or Yahweh. He blesses people in the name of the Lord 141 00:14:15.159 --> 00:14:18.320 and the name of their covenantal God, the name of the God who has 142 00:14:18.399 --> 00:14:22.879 made them promises, who's promised them to be their God and that they would 143 00:14:22.879 --> 00:14:30.990 be as people. So David blesses them. God gives them this blessing through 144 00:14:31.070 --> 00:14:33.789 his servant. And then, finally, in verse three, we read that 145 00:14:33.950 --> 00:14:41.179 is disturbed. There's something distributed, food distributed to all Israel and the distribution 146 00:14:41.379 --> 00:14:45.100 is great, both men and women to each a loaf of bread, a 147 00:14:45.259 --> 00:14:50.940 portion of meat and a cake of raisins. That second thing a portion of 148 00:14:52.019 --> 00:14:58.730 meat. We're not entirely sure what's being said there. That's the most likely 149 00:14:58.809 --> 00:15:01.809 what's being said, but whatever it is, it has this feeling of a 150 00:15:01.970 --> 00:15:11.480 meal. Everyone is being given a meal, a men and women. It's 151 00:15:11.519 --> 00:15:16.879 difficult to know the exactly the populations at this time, but it was a 152 00:15:18.000 --> 00:15:26.269 lot. No doubt we have a city of people being provided for. Now 153 00:15:26.309 --> 00:15:31.549 it's very interesting and important to consider how food connects with the presence of God. 154 00:15:33.870 --> 00:15:35.980 You remember, if you go back to the beginning. I'm considering the 155 00:15:37.100 --> 00:15:39.779 FOO, food and presence go back to the beginning of Adam and Eve. 156 00:15:39.899 --> 00:15:43.500 What did he give to them in the garden? He gave them food. 157 00:15:45.259 --> 00:15:50.210 He gave them trees that they could eat and enjoy. We read various verses 158 00:15:50.330 --> 00:15:56.049 that connect us with the Lord and our food, like Psalm one, O, 159 00:15:56.210 --> 00:16:00.009 four, twenty seven and twenty eight. First we are read a various 160 00:16:00.090 --> 00:16:06.519 a creatures, and then God says these all look to you to give them 161 00:16:06.600 --> 00:16:11.279 their food in duceason. When you give it to them, they gather it 162 00:16:11.320 --> 00:16:14.519 up. When you open your hand, they are filled with good things. 163 00:16:15.639 --> 00:16:18.909 We ask God to give us our daily bread. Why? Because it is 164 00:16:19.190 --> 00:16:23.669 God who gives us our daily bread. He is the one who provides for 165 00:16:23.710 --> 00:16:29.070 us. The presence of God is very much connected with our very life, 166 00:16:30.070 --> 00:16:34.220 our food, the ways in which we are sustained. But it's not just 167 00:16:34.419 --> 00:16:41.100 provision that we have in food, but it's also pleasure. These trees that 168 00:16:41.220 --> 00:16:45.940 God gave to Adam and Eve were called good. You remember Jesus, at 169 00:16:45.940 --> 00:16:49.850 the wedding of a wedding of Canaan provide A. Cana provided wine at that 170 00:16:51.009 --> 00:16:55.490 meal. It was for they're not only for their provision, they had water, 171 00:16:56.049 --> 00:17:03.480 but for their pleasure. The psalms say that wine is given to gladden 172 00:17:03.600 --> 00:17:08.559 the hearts of Man. In first Timothy Seventeen, there's a warning, but 173 00:17:08.680 --> 00:17:14.559 in the context of the warning we hear about the pleasure of food. Timothy 174 00:17:14.680 --> 00:17:21.190 is to remind those who are rich not to set their hopes on the uncertainty 175 00:17:21.230 --> 00:17:25.269 of riches, but to set their hopes on God, who richly provides us 176 00:17:25.309 --> 00:17:32.819 with everything to enjoy. Way Is that interesting? God Not only provides us 177 00:17:32.940 --> 00:17:36.700 with things, he not only provides us with everything, but he would provides 178 00:17:36.700 --> 00:17:41.019 us with everything to enjoy. And notice who the rich are. To set 179 00:17:41.059 --> 00:17:45.170 their hopes are what or who? There's just set their hopes on, not 180 00:17:45.410 --> 00:17:51.690 on the things itself, but on God. Nor to set their hopes on 181 00:17:51.769 --> 00:17:56.569 the uncertainty of riches, but on God who richly provides us with everything to 182 00:17:56.769 --> 00:18:03.200 enjoy. So you see how the Bible connects the provision, our provision of 183 00:18:03.279 --> 00:18:07.480 food with the presence of God, but not only the provision of food, 184 00:18:07.599 --> 00:18:11.359 but the pleasures of food. We can add one more to it, and 185 00:18:11.440 --> 00:18:18.029 that's companionship. Already in the peace offering we've seen how food brings people together. 186 00:18:18.869 --> 00:18:23.829 There's a unity that is expressed on when people gather around a table, 187 00:18:25.509 --> 00:18:27.660 as I mentioned this morning. That's one reason we refer to the refer to 188 00:18:27.700 --> 00:18:36.380 the Lord's supper as communion, eating together, joining together. We this is 189 00:18:36.460 --> 00:18:41.650 something that food food, that food and companionship go together, is clear in 190 00:18:41.690 --> 00:18:48.410 the peace offering. It's Cilier and other covenantal feasts that are made. It's 191 00:18:48.490 --> 00:18:52.450 something that Daniel probably understood and why he didn't want to eat of the king's 192 00:18:52.569 --> 00:18:56.960 food. He wanted a distance himself in that instance. He knew the kinds 193 00:18:57.000 --> 00:19:04.160 of things that would it would it might make people conclude and he wanted to 194 00:19:04.519 --> 00:19:11.309 a separate himself. Food has this way of bringing together, of providing communion, 195 00:19:11.670 --> 00:19:15.309 and that's exactly what we have here, as the people are given these 196 00:19:15.390 --> 00:19:21.589 things, as all Israel together in the presence of the Lord, is provided 197 00:19:21.789 --> 00:19:33.180 this pleasurable thing. Excuse me, so, as we go back to first 198 00:19:33.180 --> 00:19:38.970 chronicles and we consider what's going on here. We have offerings that are given, 199 00:19:40.009 --> 00:19:44.289 blessings that are given, food that's given, all in connection with the 200 00:19:44.410 --> 00:19:48.049 presence of God. And, as I said at the beginning, David in 201 00:19:48.329 --> 00:19:52.960 any ways his actions here are giving us an earthly foretaste of what it is 202 00:19:53.480 --> 00:20:00.319 we have in Christ and on each of these points we can see what it 203 00:20:00.440 --> 00:20:04.200 means to be in the presence of God. What does it mean that we 204 00:20:04.880 --> 00:20:11.990 that the to be along and to be in God's presence requires offering and sacrifice. 205 00:20:12.950 --> 00:20:17.430 Well, the Bible tells us that ultimately these things, these burnt offerings, 206 00:20:17.470 --> 00:20:21.940 these peace offerings, would not suffice, they wouldn't do the job, 207 00:20:22.339 --> 00:20:26.900 finally and ultimately, but these things symbolized something that would become real, of 208 00:20:27.059 --> 00:20:34.380 course, Jesus, who gives his entire self so that we can have communion 209 00:20:34.500 --> 00:20:40.250 with God, so that we can join with him and with one another in 210 00:20:40.450 --> 00:20:48.009 and around around a table, eating and drinking good things. These sacrifice that 211 00:20:48.089 --> 00:20:55.240 Jesus gives reminds us all so that we have blessings in him. Paul says 212 00:20:55.240 --> 00:21:02.240 in Ephesians one three that we have every spiritual blessing in Jesus. We are 213 00:21:02.279 --> 00:21:06.430 not only blessed in his name, but we are blessed in him. This 214 00:21:06.470 --> 00:21:10.789 is how we come into blessing, isn't it? It's how we enjoy blessing, 215 00:21:10.829 --> 00:21:14.789 it's how we have any kind of life at all. It's in and 216 00:21:15.069 --> 00:21:21.859 through Jesus, and the same is true with food. Food, in many 217 00:21:21.900 --> 00:21:27.099 ways provides a great metaphor for all of it together. You remember what Jesus 218 00:21:27.180 --> 00:21:33.329 says and Luke Twenty three, that life is more than food, that there's 219 00:21:33.369 --> 00:21:37.690 a spiritual aspect. It's not just eating and drinking that we need, but 220 00:21:37.769 --> 00:21:45.369 it's our souls that ultimately need sustenance, that need providing for. Jesus points 221 00:21:45.490 --> 00:21:49.839 this out as well, and in John Chapter six, remember where he says 222 00:21:49.880 --> 00:21:55.319 he is the bread of life. Listen to how Jesus connects these things in 223 00:21:55.759 --> 00:22:00.200 in verse twenty seven. Do Not Labor for food that perishes, but for 224 00:22:00.279 --> 00:22:04.309 the food that endures to eternal life, which the son of man gives to 225 00:22:04.470 --> 00:22:11.029 you. That's what King Jesus gives. David gives every man and woman who 226 00:22:11.109 --> 00:22:18.940 is there a portion of meat and a cake of raisins and bread. What 227 00:22:18.019 --> 00:22:26.220 does Jesus give, as he distributes his gift, the food that endures to 228 00:22:26.380 --> 00:22:33.970 eternal life. Talk about provision, and of course this is Jesus himself. 229 00:22:34.049 --> 00:22:38.529 As we read in Verse Thirty Five, Jesus says to them, I am 230 00:22:38.769 --> 00:22:45.240 the bread of life. Whoever comes to me shall not hunger, whoever believes 231 00:22:45.359 --> 00:22:48.759 in me shall not thirst. Do you see the connection between food and the 232 00:22:48.839 --> 00:22:55.559 presence of God? Whoever comes to Jesus, whoever comes and enjoys the rich 233 00:22:55.759 --> 00:23:02.910 blessings of God, shall never hunger and never thirst. And that's true, 234 00:23:03.029 --> 00:23:07.069 brothers and sisters, not only spiritually but physically as well. There will come 235 00:23:07.109 --> 00:23:11.670 a day when the Lord will return, where we won't suffer any more, 236 00:23:11.390 --> 00:23:15.339 with a great provision of God that's given in the garden will come into a 237 00:23:15.460 --> 00:23:21.740 consummated form. The curse that was placed on Adam and Eve because of sin, 238 00:23:22.099 --> 00:23:25.660 that toiling in the ground, that trying to make the food system work 239 00:23:25.980 --> 00:23:29.769 and it not working and it not working and getting hungry all again and again, 240 00:23:30.369 --> 00:23:36.849 gone. We simply enjoy the provision of God without any curse attached to 241 00:23:36.930 --> 00:23:45.039 it. All blessing. And what about pleasure? What about pleasure? These 242 00:23:45.160 --> 00:23:48.440 words and John reminds us of Isaiah's words and Isaiah fifty five, one and 243 00:23:48.559 --> 00:23:55.079 two. Come everyone who thirsts, come to the waters, and he who 244 00:23:55.119 --> 00:23:59.430 has no money, come by and eat. Come by wine and milk, 245 00:23:59.549 --> 00:24:03.390 without money and without price. Why do you spend your money for that which 246 00:24:03.470 --> 00:24:07.589 is not bread? Why do you labor for that which does not satisfy? 247 00:24:10.180 --> 00:24:15.339 Listen Diligent andly, listen diligently to me, and eat what is good and 248 00:24:15.660 --> 00:24:23.690 delight yourselves. Delight yourselves in rich food. You know what boring food is 249 00:24:23.849 --> 00:24:30.809 like. I think job says something like this. I'm paraphrasing off the top 250 00:24:30.849 --> 00:24:33.089 of my head, but something like what? What taste is there in the 251 00:24:33.289 --> 00:24:41.240 white of an egg? We all know what sort of boring, bland food 252 00:24:41.400 --> 00:24:45.880 tastes like. This reminds me again, off the top of my head, 253 00:24:45.119 --> 00:24:52.630 that these sacrifices were always salted. We salt our eggs, we make them 254 00:24:52.670 --> 00:24:59.589 taste good. There is this way in which, when God makes this sacrifice 255 00:24:59.670 --> 00:25:03.549 in Jesus Christ, he not only gives us this provision, but he makes 256 00:25:03.589 --> 00:25:11.660 it pleasurable. He gives us something good, something rich, something to delight 257 00:25:11.700 --> 00:25:15.779 him. When Jesus says, I'm going to provide for you food that endures 258 00:25:15.819 --> 00:25:22.089 them to eternal life. It's rich food, Isaiah says, food to be 259 00:25:22.369 --> 00:25:30.490 satisfied in, to delight in. And of course, it's not only provision 260 00:25:30.529 --> 00:25:38.079 and pleasure that we find, but also companionship, communion fellowship. Listen to 261 00:25:38.640 --> 00:25:42.759 First Corinthians ten, versus, sixteen and Seventeen, about the Lord Supper, 262 00:25:45.119 --> 00:25:49.000 the Cup of blessing that we bless. Is it not a participation in the 263 00:25:49.029 --> 00:25:53.309 blood of Christ, the bread that we break? Is it not a participation 264 00:25:53.430 --> 00:25:59.349 in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread? We, who 265 00:25:59.349 --> 00:26:03.619 are many, are one body, for we all partake of the One bread 266 00:26:07.140 --> 00:26:11.140 in Christ. In feeding upon him, who is the dread of life, 267 00:26:11.980 --> 00:26:21.569 we find union with one another, companionship, fellowship, Friendship. We are 268 00:26:21.650 --> 00:26:27.329 as even a body, one bread. So, going back to the main 269 00:26:27.450 --> 00:26:32.569 point, when David provides these things, some raisins, some meet, some 270 00:26:32.730 --> 00:26:38.480 bread, when Jesus provides these things, when Jesus blesses us, when Jesus 271 00:26:38.519 --> 00:26:42.480 gives himself as a sacrifice, when he gives himself as our bread, we 272 00:26:42.759 --> 00:26:48.710 have everything we could ever need. That is what it means to be in 273 00:26:48.750 --> 00:26:53.470 the presence of God. That is what it means to be in fellowship with 274 00:26:53.589 --> 00:27:00.500 him, in union with him. Jesus is our offering, our sacrifice. 275 00:27:00.500 --> 00:27:10.019 Jesus is our blessing. Jesus is our food and its provision and it's pleasure 276 00:27:10.099 --> 00:27:22.890 and its companionship. This picture that's given here in first chronicles nineteen is fulfilled 277 00:27:22.970 --> 00:27:30.319 in Jesus. And then in revelation chapter nineteen versus seven through nine, we 278 00:27:30.519 --> 00:27:36.960 read of how all of this will come to complete fulfillment when the Lord returns 279 00:27:37.960 --> 00:27:45.950 and we enter into glory. Consider these two things. Consider the this, 280 00:27:45.230 --> 00:27:49.910 this, consider what happens in the presence of God in First Chronicles Sixteen, 281 00:27:51.750 --> 00:27:56.549 and consider what's promised for you at the end of the ages and in the 282 00:27:56.710 --> 00:28:02.779 next revelation, seventeen, seven through nine. We finished with this. Let 283 00:28:02.859 --> 00:28:07.779 us rejoice and Exalt and give him the glory, for the marriage of the 284 00:28:07.819 --> 00:28:12.730 lamb has come and the bride has made herself ready. It was granted her 285 00:28:12.890 --> 00:28:18.769 to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure, for the fine linen 286 00:28:18.930 --> 00:28:22.450 is the righteous deeds of the saints. And the Angel said to me write 287 00:28:22.569 --> 00:28:29.079 this. Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the lamb. 288 00:28:29.920 --> 00:28:37.599 And he said to me these are the true words of God. These 289 00:28:37.640 --> 00:28:41.470 are the true words of God. If you belong to Jesus Christ, if 290 00:28:41.509 --> 00:28:48.509 you have been given his righteousness, you know the presence of God, and 291 00:28:48.589 --> 00:28:56.579 all of that means in companionship and pleasure, in provision, in blessing, 292 00:28:56.700 --> 00:29:03.180 all through the great sacrifice of our Savior. Let's thank God, let us 293 00:29:03.180 --> pray