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189 The Tabernacle thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me" (John 17:20, 21) • Each of the seven lamps of the candlestick gave an in- dividual light; yet all were united to the central bran~h, which was literally "in the midst." Likewise, we are m- dividual members of the one body, the church, of which Christ is the Head. Each of us has to know Him as a per- sonal Saviour and Lord; yet we are one in Him, and He is "in the midst" of His own. He promised as much, saying, "Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them" (Matt. 18:20). And John saw the risen Lord, in the Patmos vision, "in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks," which "are the seven churches" (Rev. 1: 13, 20). Of this we shall have more to say later on in this lesson, but just here let us bear in mind that our Lord Jesus never leaves His own! The central branch of the golden candlestick was chiefest of them all. Likewise, as the Head of His church, Christ must "in all t hin gs . . . h . " · ave t h e preemmence (Col. I: 18). He is "the chiefest among ten thousand ... yea, he is altogether lovely" (Song o.f S?l. 5:_I?, 16). Because the six branches were not artificially JOmed to the central branch, they could not be severed from it. As they were beaten out of one talent of pure gold-all of one piece----even so we are eternally secure in our Lord. 0 man is able to pluck us out of the Father's hand; noth- ing can "separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (John 10:29; Rom. 8:38, 39) ! The almond-shaped bowl, with a knop and a flower of gold suggest to us the resurrection. "The almond tree is the first to show its bud in the spring." Because Christ is
The Tabernocle when, "with strong crying and tears," He faced the ac- cursed tree; when He "sweat as it were great drops of blood," so that "there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him"; when He prayed for His Father's will, even though the fulfillment of that holy will meant separation from the hitherto unbroken fellow- ship His sinless soul had shared with His Father from all eternity. His forsaken cry from the cross bore witness to the fact that He suffered for us-alone! As our Sin- Bearer, He bec:ime a curse for us! What a price to pay! And we, having received the new birth, are "a new creation" in Christ Jesus (II Cor. 5:17, R. V.), bought with the price of His own blood. Moreover, in Him we are precious to the Father-as gold-"accepted in the beloved" Son! 3. A Candlestick. of One Piece. As the six branches which sprang from the central shaft were one candlestick, even so God sees us identified with His Son-in His death burial, resurrection, and ascension into "heavenly places." The church is forever united to Christ by the new birth. From Him she springs, and by Him she is supported, even as the out-spreading branches of the golden candlestick were upheld by its central shaft. The church is united to Him and sustained by Him. To His disciples our Lord said, in His farewell message, just prior to the cross, "I am the vine, ye are the branches" (John 15: 5). And in His intercessory prayer, uttered shortly after- wards, He spoke those remarkable and reassuring words, "Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; that they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in
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