Exodus 25:17-22   "And  thou shalt make a mercy seat  of pure gold:  two cubits  and  a half shall be the length thereof,  and  a cubit and a half  the breadth thereof.  

And  thou shalt make two cherubims of gold,  of beaten work  shalt thou make them,  in the two ends of the mercy seat.   

And make one cherub on the one end,  and  the other cherub on the other end:  even of the mercy seat  shall ye make the cherubims  on the two ends thereof.  

And  the cherubims shall stretch forth their wings on high,  covering the mercy seat  with their wings,  and  their faces  shall look one to another;   toward the mercy seat  shall the faces of the cherubims be.  

And  thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark;  and  in the ark  thou shalt put the testimony  that  I  shall give thee.  

And there I will meet with thee,  and  I  will commune with thee  from above the mercy seat,  from between the two cherubims  which are upon the ark of the testimony,  of all things  which  I  will  give thee  in commandment  unto the children  of Israel." 

MERCY SEAT

The ark  and  the  mercy seat  above it,  was the place  where God  would meet   the  children of Israel.  

It was the place for them  to approach  their God.  

The ark  was in the Holy of Holies  where God's presence  dwelt. 

The  mercy seat  formed a lid   for the ark.  

It was considered a separate piece of furniture. 

The cherubim  looked down  upon the mercy seat. 

The ark  was a  chest  and  it was covered on the inside  and  the outside with gold.  

It was made with shittim wood,  which is much like red wood  -  a very indestructible wood.  

It was a perfect symbol   of  the Lord Jesus Christ in His deity  and  His  humanity. 

Jesus Christ is the God-man.  

His deity was represented by the gold, 

and  His humanity  was represented by the  wood.  

The ark  required both  gold  and  wood  to maintain  the symbolism  pointing to Christ.  

It describes very beautifully,  God  and  man, in  one  body.  

Truly  God chooses  the simple things  to confound the wise.  

That simple box  tells the whole  story,  as much as man can take in,   of  the un-searchable mystery  of the Person  of the Lord Jesus Christ.  

That ark  was covered  with  gold   both inside and out. In 

Colossians 2:9   "For  in Him  dwelleth all the fullness  of the  Godhead  bodily."  

THE LORD JESUS CHRIST  IS  GOD  AND  HE  WAS  FULLY  MAN.

The Lord Jesus  could sit down by the well in Samaria  and  rest.  

He slept.  He ate.  He drank.  He laughed.  He wept,  and  beyond all that,  He suffered  and  bled  and  died.  

These  are all the human characteristics of the Lord Jesus. 

The  gold  and  the  wood  in  the ark  were  both required,  yet  neither  was mingled  with the other.  Nor was the identity of one  lost  in the other.  

CHRIST   WAS   BOTH GOD  AND  MAN  BUT  THE TWO NATURES  WERE  NEVER  MERGED.

He  never  functioned  at the same time  as  both God  and  man.  What He did  was either perfectly divine  or  perfectly human.  

THE MERCY SEAT RESTED ON TOP OF THE ARK.

It served  as a lid  for the ark  but  it  was a  separate  piece of furniture.  It  was made with pure gold  and  with cherubim on each end  with their wings spread out  and  looking down on the lid. 

It  was here  that  the high priest  sprinkled  the  blood  of the sacrifice.  

IT WAS THE BLOOD THAT MADE IT THE MERCY SEAT.

This is also symbolic  of  Christ as He presented His own blood in heaven after His death on the cross. 

The blood of the Lord Jesus is very precious and it is the most valuable thing in heaven today.

The apostle Paul, speaking of Christ, wrote, 

"Whom God set forth as a propitiation [mercy seat]." 

Christ on the cross served as our mercy seat. 

We know that as He hung on the cross, blood was running down His face from that thorny crown, blood was coming from the nails in His hands and in His feet. 

It is John the apostle who mentions the propitiation. 

He and Paul are the only two writers who do that. 

John tells us at the time of the crucifixion:

John 19:34–35   "One of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out. And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you may believe." 

We know that this made a tremendous impression on John because, when he wrote his first epistle, he made this statement again.   

1 John 5:6   "This is He who came by water and blood,  even Jesus Christ; not only by water , but by water and blood.  And it is the Spirit  who bears witness,  because the Spirit is truth."

1 John 5:8   "And there are three that bear witness on earth: the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree as one."

John was present at the crucifixion. Remember it was there at the cross that the Lord said to him, "Behold your mother!" 

In other words, "You take care of My mother."  

John saw the Lord Jesus hanging on the cross.

He was closer to Jesus at the crucifixion than anyone else. 

He said in effect, "While I was watching, blood was coming from His head, blood was coming from His hands and His feet. Finally, this soldier came up to make sure He was dead, and he ran a spear into His side." 

The apostle John said, 

"Out of that side there came water and blood."

 The apostle John is going to tell us that the  Lord Jesus was the propitiatory sacrifice for our sins. 

The apostle Paul says,

It was Christ,  

"whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith." 

Jesus Christ on the cross shed His blood. I think that every drop of blood went out of His body and that His whole body was covered with His blood. 

That,  is  the mercy seat for you and me. 

Because Christ shed His precious blood,  taking our place, holy God is now able to extend mercy to us. 

And that is the meaning of propitiation. 

It means simply that Christ is our mercy seat.

1 John 2:2  "And He Himself [Jesus Christ] is the propitiation for our sins:  And not for our's only,  but also for the sins of the whole world."

The apostle John said  that he saw the soldier put the spear in the Lord Jesus side, and that blood and water came out of the Lord Jesus' side.  And he adds, 

These three bear witness in earth, the Spirit,  and the water,  and  the blood:

There is a mercy seat today for every person topside of this earth. 

And people are not lost because of the fact they are so bad and cannot do enough to gain God’s forgiveness. 

That’s not the reason. 

They are lost because they will not go to the mercy seat. 

There’s mercy for every person. 

God is merciful today. 

And the reason  He is merciful  is not  because He is kindhearted and sentimental. 

No. 

God is Holy and Righteous. 

And God loves. 

God loved long before He did anything about it  -  but God is not only love,  God is holy. 

And though He might love a sinner,  He cannot take sin into heaven. 

But then Christ died and was covered with blood.

 So He is the mercy seat.

A holy God now can extend mercy because Christ paid the ultimate penalty for our sin.

1 John 4:10   "Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation [to be the mercy seat] for our sins."

Today a holy God is prepared to extend mercy to the lost.

Hebrews 8:12   "For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more."

God says, 

"I will be merciful to their unrighteousness." 

How can a holy God do that? 

Because Christ died on the cross, covered with blood, His precious blood was poured out, and there is a mercy seat for us today. 

The throne of God, where a holy God would judge us  -  that very throne, at this moment, extends mercy to us.

Dear reader, God is not a policeman just waiting around the corner to find fault with your conduct. 

God is not demanding anything from you. 

He says to you,  even right now,  that  His arms  are outstretched toward you,  and  He is prepared to extend mercy to you because Christ died in your place and mine on the cross of Calvary. 

There is a mercy seat for you.

Luke 18:13   And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, "God, be merciful to me a sinner!" 

THE PRECIOUS BLOOD OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST MAKES GOD'S THRONE A MERCY SEAT.

Today  we can come before God  on the basis  of  His  blood  which was  shed  for us  on Calvary.  

The Lord Jesus  is  our Great  High Priest because  He  offered  His own precious blood  for your sins  and  mine.  

Hebrews 4 :14-16    "Seeing then  that we have a great high priest,  that  is past into the heavens,  Jesus  the Son of God,  let us  hold fast our profession.  

For  we have not a high priest  that  cannot be touched  with the feeling of our infirmities;  but  was in all points tempted  like as we are,  yet  without sin.  

Let us  come boldly  to the throne of grace,  that  we may obtain mercy  and  find  grace  to help in time of  need."  

You  and  I  can  approach God  through  our  Great High Priest  in  heaven.

TODAY   HE  IS THE  LIVING CHRIST  AND  HE  IS  SEATED  AT GOD'S  RIGHT  HAND  AND  THROUGH HIM  WE FIND  MERCY.   

THE LORD JESUS  SHED HIS BLOOD  SO THAT   YOU  AND  I  CAN  COME TO HIM  RIGHT NOW,   JUST WHERE  WE ARE   AND ACCEPT  HIS OFFER  OF  MERCY.   

HE  IS  ABLE  AND  VERY  WILLING  TO  SAVE  ALL WHO RECEIVE HIM AS SAVIOUR.  

Dear reader,  God  is rich  in  mercy  and  He  longs to bless us  abundantly.  I  myself   love  to  ask for mercy  and  I  can truly testify that the Lord Jesus has poured out His mercy  on  me  since  the day  that  I was born.  He  has  lifted me to heights that I never dreamt were possible.   

He has  filled my life with goodness  and  mercy.   

Oh  such  goodness  and  mercy  that  it  would take forever  to  tell  of  all the good things that God has done for me  in  my life  and  I  know  that  the  same  goodness  and  mercy awaits you  because  I  know  that God  loves you  as much as He loves me.  

He  longs  for you  to  acknowledge Him  for who He is  and  He  longs  to make you  one  of  His  very  own  dear  children.  Listen to His prayer in 

John 17:9-11    "I pray not for the world,  but  for them whom Thou hast given me;  for  they are Thine.  And  all mine  are thine,  and Thine are mine,  and  I  am glorified  in  them.  

And  now  I  am no more  in the world,  but  these are in the world,  and  I  come to Thee.  

Holy Father,  keep  through Thine own name  those  whom Thou hast given me,  that  they may be one,  as we are."  

Dear reader, God loves you. He really, really loves you.  

Those who are  called out  -  called out to belong to Him -  HE is keeping them Himself, till He calls them home  or  comes for them at the Rapture.  

The Lord Jesus did not pray for the world.

He prayed for His own in the world.  

The Lord Jesus died for the sins of the world.  

What more could He do for the world? 

He has sent His Holy Spirit into the world to convict the world of sin, righteousness and judgement.  

Today,  the Lord Jesus Christ,  prays for His own  that are in the world.   

Do you belong to Christ?  

Do you know that He is keeping you?  

Have you been sealed by the Holy Spirit?  

Is the Lord Jesus Christ praying for you right now?  

The Lord Jesus  is making intercession for all those who belong to Him  right now. 

Are you one of His own?

Here  we need  to be very careful,  and  listen  to  His prayer  very carefully.  

The Lord Jesus  is  not praying  for  an  ecumenical movement  or   that  we all  join  the same denomination.

THE LORD JESUS PRAYED  TO  THE FATHER,  THAT  HIS OWN,  MIGHT BE  ONE.  

Notice that the Lord Jesus was not  praying   to us  or  to  some  church authority  -  He  was praying to the Father  and  He says to the Father that we should be one,  "as we are,"  that is,   AS THE FATHER AND SON ARE ONE.  

The Father has answered every prayer of the Lord Jesus,  and  He  has  answered  this one  as well.  

THERE  IS AN ORGANIC UNITY  WHICH  GOD  HAS MADE. 

The Holy Spirit  takes  every new believer  and  He  baptizes that  new believer  into the body of Christ.  

There is only  ONE BODY  which  is  THE CHURCH  and  that   body   or  church     is  unified   because 

CHRIST JESUS  HAS  ALREADY PRAYED  THAT THEY  ARE  ONE.

HYMN.    Let us break bread together.   

Songs of  Fellowship  330.

Verse 1.

Let us break  bread  together,  we are one,

Let us break  bread  together,  we are one,

We are one  as we stand  with  our face  to the risen  Son.

O   Lord,  have  mercy  on us.    

Verse 2.

Let us drink  wine  together,  we are one,

Let us drink  wine  together,  we are one,

We are one  as we stand  with  our face  to the risen  Son.

O   Lord  have  mercy   on us.

Verse 3.

Let us praise  God  together,  we are one,

Let us praise  God  together,  we are one,

We are one  as we stand  with our face  to the risen  Son.

O  Lord,  have  mercy  on us.

AMEN.

PRAYERFULLY MEDITATE ON:

1 Corinthians 11:26   "For  as often  as ye eat  this bread,  and  drink this cup,   ye  do shew   the Lord's death  till  He  come."  

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THIS PAGE UPDATED:  16-4-2007.