The Court and the Gate – Salvation’s Entrance
INTRODUCTION: According to the New Testament, the most costly building, for its size, ever erected, was the Tabernacle in the Wilderness. Though only 45 feet long, and 15 feet wide, and having only two rooms, one the size of an ordinary living room, and the other the size of a bedroom, its cost is estimated to have exceeded in today’s economy $120,000,000 million dollars. All of its framework and its furniture was overlaid with pure gold. All of this extravagance points, of course, to the precious and infinite value and worth of the Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the tabernacle was a FIGURE and a SHADOW.
Everyone was excluded from this tabernacle except those who came by way of the GATE to the tabernacle. The structure itself stood within an enclosure the size of a city lot, and was bounded by a white linen fence 7 1/2 feet high, suspended on 60 pillars of bronze, resting upon sockets of bronze. The enclosure called the COURT OF THE TABERNACLE was 150 feet long by 75 feet wide.
In our study of the Tabernacle we come to the courtyard and the gate. Please follow me as I read several passages from Exodus 26 and 27.
Concerning the INNER VEIL between the Holy of Holies and the Holy Place notice Exodus 26:31-35, “And thou shalt make a veil of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen of cunning work: with cherubims shall it be made: (32) And thou shalt hang it upon four pillars of shittim wood overlaid with gold: their hooks shall be of gold, upon the four sockets of silver. (33) And thou shalt hang up the veil under the taches, that thou mayest bring in thither within the veil the ark of the testimony: and the veil shall divide unto you between the holy place and the most holy. (34) And thou shalt put the mercy seat upon the ark of the testimony in the most holy place. (35) And thou shalt set the table without the veil, and the candlestick over against the table on the side of the tabernacle toward the south: and thou shalt put the table on the north side.”
Concerning the DOOR ENTRANCE notice Exodus 26:36-37, “And thou shalt make an hanging for the door of the tent, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, wrought with needlework. (37) And thou shalt make for the hanging five pillars of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold, and their hooks shall be of gold: and thou shalt cast five sockets of brass for them.”
Concerning the COURTYARD notice Exodus 27:9-15, “And thou shalt make the court of the tabernacle: for the south side southward there shall be hangings for the court of fine twined linen of an hundred cubits long for one side: (10) And the twenty pillars thereof and their twenty sockets shall be of brass; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets shall be of silver. (11) And likewise for the north side in length there shall be hangings of an hundred cubits long, and his twenty pillars and their twenty sockets of brass; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets of silver. (12) And for the breadth of the court on the west side shall be hangings of fifty cubits: their pillars ten, and their sockets ten. (13) And the breadth of the court on the east side eastward shall be fifty cubits. (14) The hangings of one side of the gate shall be fifteen cubits: their pillars three, and their sockets three. (15) And on the other side shall be hangings fifteen cubits: their pillars three, and their sockets three.”
Concerning the GATE ENTRANCE notice Exodus 27:16-18, “And for the gate of the court shall be an hanging of twenty cubits, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, wrought with needlework: and their pillars shall be four, and their sockets four. (17) All the pillars round about the court shall be filleted with silver; their hooks shall be of silver, and their sockets of brass. (18) The length of the court shall be an hundred cubits, and the breadth fifty everywhere, and the height five cubits of fine twined linen, and their sockets of brass.”
I. Let’s focus on the Comparison of the THREE ENTRANCES. Please observe some similarities and differences between these three entrances.
A. The GATE to the Courtyard, Exodus 7:16-18. The GATE is the entrance into the outer court. Its width is of an inviting size, a full 20 cubic (30 feet in length). The Lord Jesus Christ stands before us, so to speak, with outstretched arms and with encouraging, alluring words
From Matthew 11:28 He says to us, "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
From John 14:6, He says to us, "I am the WAY, the TRUTH, and the LIFE; no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me."
The GATE hung on FOUR pillars in the center of the east side of the courtyard. Its colors were BLUE, PURPLE, SCARLET, AND FINE TWINED LINEN.
B. The DOOR to the Tabernacle, Exodus 27:36-37. The DOOR is the entrance to the tabernacle structure. You will notice that the pattern of colors is the same as the GATE - BLUE, PURPLE, SCARLET, AND FINE TWINED LINEN. However the DOOR is upheld upon FIVE pillars, whereas the GATE is upon FOUR pillars. The number 5 speaks of the grace of God. You will also notice that the DOOR pillars are GOLD whereas the pillars of the courtyard are BRASS or BRONZE.
C. The VEIL, Exodus 26:31-32. The VEIL is the curtain which shut off the holiest of all from everyone except the High Priest on the Day of Atonement, according to Leviticus 16. Like the hangings of the GATE and the DOOR, the color patterns were the same - BLUE, PURPLE, SCARLET, AND FINE TWINED LINEN. The only difference with the VEIL was the CHERUBIMS on the Linen. TRADITION SAYS THAT IT WAS AS THICK AS A HAND'S BREATH approximately 5-6 inches in thickness. You will also notice that just like the GATE, the VEIL hung upon FOUR pillars.
Perhaps you will recall when Jesus hung on the cross, he uttered SEVEN profound sayings. THANK GOD, that when Jesus cried, "It is Finished!" a VEIL similar to this one which was hanging in Herod’s temple was rent from top to bottom. The record tells us in Matthew 27:51, "Behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom." Now, as believers, we can enter the holiest of all as we read in Hebrews 10-19-22, "Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, By a new and living way, which He hath consecrated for us, through the VEIL, that is to say His flesh ... Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith,…"
II. Let’s focus on the HANGINGS in the COURTYARD: The courtyard as we read in Exodus 27:18 was 150 feet long by 75 feet wide. The curtain hung upon 60 pillars of brass, capped by silver.
A. The CURTAIN of the Courtyard:
1. The MATERIAL: In Exodus 27:9 we read, "the hangings for the court is of Fine Twined Linen." The linen for the courtyard represents Jesus Christ in all His purity and absolute righteousness.
In Revelation 19:8 we read, "fine linen is the righteousness of saints."
In I Corinthians 1:30 we read, "Christ Jesus ... is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption."
By comparison with God's perfect righteousness, all of man's good works, righteousness, and morality is "like filthy rags" as Isaiah 64:6 tells us.
That is why we read in II Corinthians 5:21, "For He (God) hath made Him, who knew no sin, to be made sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him (that is in-Christ)."
Philippians 3:9 says we should be "Found in Him, not having our own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith."
2. The HEIGHT: In Exodus 27:18 we find that the height of the wall was 5 cubits or in our measurements 7 1/2 feet high. The wall being higher than the average man, SHUTS MAN OUT from seeing all that transpires within the courtyard. The wall was too high to see over.
That's why the Lord said to Nicodemus in John 3:6 "except a man be Born Again he cannot SEE the Kingdom of God."
That is why Paul said in I Corinthians 2:14 “the natural man does not see the things or UNDERSTAND the things of God.” He cannot see over the wall.
That is why in Romans 3:23 we read, "For all have sinned and COME SHORT....” God's righteousness shuts out the unbeliever at the same time His righteousness shuts in the believer.
B. The SUPPORTS for the Wall:
1. The SIXTY PILLARS and BASES of Brass: Again in Exodus 27:10 we read the Pillars are made of Acacia wood over laid with brass. Remember,
The ACACIA wood speaks of the HUMANITY of our Lord.
The BRASS is a picture of JUDGMENT.
The Pillars of ACACIA WOOD speak of the Lord Jesus as the Perfect Man. The Pillars being over laid with brass, speak of perfect endurance in the fires of judgment.
In Revelation I: 15 we read of Christ that, "His feet were like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace."
That is why the writer in Hebrew 12:2 tells us Jesus, "endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God."
REMEMBER THIS, "God's righteousness, the fine twined linen, rests upon the pillars of judgment."
In Exodus 27:19 the pins of the court were also made of brass. The pins are pegs that extend beneath the ground as a symbol of the death of Christ, while the part above the ground is a symbol of His resurrection. How wonderful to know according to Romans 6:5 "if we have been planted together in the likeness of His death, we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection."
2. The Silver RODS and HOOKS: In Exodus 27:17 we read of the silver "Fillets and silver hooks." The fillets were the caps on top of the brass posts. All silver used in the building of the tabernacle was melted down from the redemption money. This was the half-shekel that every man over 20 had to pay for the ransom of his soul, according to Exodus 30:12-16. During the days of Israelite’s bondage, slaves were bought with silver.
You remember how Joseph was sold for silver.
You remember that our Lord was sold for 30 pieces of silver.
You and I were bought with a price that is represented by silver - the blood of Jesus Christ.
Thus silver speaks ever and always of redemption.
The silver caps were on top of the brass posts. The silver rods connected the tops of the pillars, linking them together, and the curtain hung on the silver rods.
Someone said this, "Although God's righteousness (the White Fine Twined Linen) is based on the judgment of the cross (seen in the brass). It is displayed by the result of the cross -redemption (the silver on top of the post)."
Again I point out to you that the CURTAIN around the courtyard is a wonderful picture of righteousness. How the white linen of that courtyard must have stood out in contrast to all the hundreds of black tents pitched on every side of it. SURELY IT'S A PICTURE OF CHRIST'S RIGHTEOUSNESS IN THE MIDST OF A CROOKED AND PERVERSE GENERATION. I believe the best summary of the courtyard hangings was given by C. W. Slemming. Listen to this,
The court is a wonderful picture of the "WORD OF GOD," for the WORD reveals how sin has been judged and put underfoot (brass sockets). It holds up as its head (silver chapiters) the redemptive work of Christ and, at the same time, displays on every hand the righteousness of God. The theme of redemption, running through the whole Bible, is sometimes called "the scarlet thread of redemption - the hall mark of safety." Here it is seen as the silver fillet of redemption, extending to the full measurements of the court. From whatever direction man seeks to approach God, the law of God demands holiness, and exhibits holiness. Man is not holy, and cannot meet its demands, and so the curtains say: "NOT THIS WAY."
Does that drive a man away as a hopeless, helpless creature? Not at all! Paul says, "the law was a schoolmaster to lead us to Christ." And so the curtains lead the sinner around until he comes to an entrance of BLUE, PURPLE, and SCARLET, on a background of righteousness. That entrance is Christ, the only One who satisfied the claims of the law. The One who said in John 14:6, "I am the Way, the TRUTH, and the LIFE: no man cometh unto the Father but by Me." IN HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS I FIND MY APPROACH. What a picture! What a Truth! and What a Saviour!
III.Let’s focus on The BEAUTIFUL GATE in the WALL: There was only ONE GATE. Whereas the linen fence said, "STAY OUT" the 30 foot wide gate at the Eastern end that gave entrance said, "COME ON IN."
A. There is only ONE GATE: This was the only opening in the linen fence, and the only approach to the tabernacle. In other words the vast camp of Israel had but ONE WAY TO GOD. The gate points to the Lord Jesus Christ as the only approach to God.
In John 10:9 we read, THAT CHRIST IS THE DOOR - "I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved."
In John 14:6 we read, THAT CHRIST IS THE WAY - "…the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the father, but by me."
In Acts 4:12 Peter sums it up for us, "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved."
B. The GATE hung upon FOUR PILLARS. Again in Exodus 27:16-18 we read, "And for the gate of the court shall be an hanging of twenty cubits, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, wrought with needlework: and their pillars shall be four, and their sockets four. (17) All the pillars round about the court shall be filleted with silver; their hooks shall be of silver, and their sockets of brass. (18) The length of the court shall be an hundred cubits, and the breadth fifty every wit ere, and the height five cubits of fine twined linen, and their sockets of brass. "
The ONE GATE upheld by FOUR PILLARS represents the ONE CHRIST presented to the world in the FOUR GOSPELS. These four pillars constitute the gospel of the grace of God. After all, there is only one Gospel, the good news concerning the death, burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus for poor sinners. There is but ONE GOSPEL presented by four different authors.
To these four groups, JEWS, ROMANS, GREEKS and BELIEVERS, the four Gospels of the gate of the tabernacle are addressed.
Matthew is addressed to the JEWS.
Mark is addressed to the ROMANS.
Luke is addressed to the GREEKS.
John is addressed to the BELIEVERS.
C. The GATE was an attractive hanging of FOUR COLORS: Again these were the four prominent colors of the tabernacle and each points to some particular aspect of the nature and character of the person of our Saviour.
The Blue is the color of Heaven, Christ as the HEAVENLY One - CHRIST IS GOD.
The Purple is the color of royalty, Christ as the ROYAL One - CHRIST IS KING.
The Scarlet as the sign of blood speaks of sacrifice, Christ as the SUFFERING One - CHRIST IS SAVIOUR .
The White is the color of righteousness, Christ as the HOLY One - CHRIST IS HOLY.
Taking these four colors and the four Gospels together to represent Christ, we see the:
Gospel of MATTHEW is written to the JEWS concerning the King of the Jews. Remember the wise man asked in Matthew 2:2, "Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews ...? " Then in Matthew 27:37 over His cross they wrote, "This is Jesus the King of the Jews." Thus Matthew is the PURPLE Gospel that tells us Christ was the KING.
Gospel of MARK is written to the ROMANS concerning Jesus the suffering Servant. Thus MARK is the SCARLET Gospel that tells us of Christ as the Son of God obedient unto death, the suffering Saviour.
Gospel of LUKE is written to the GREEKS and represents Christ as the perfect sinless Son of God. Thus Luke is the WHITE Gospel representing the righteousness of Christ.
Gospel of JOHN is written to the BELIEVERS showing Christ as the HEAVENLY ONE
represented by the color of BLUE.
Without Blue He is not from Heaven.
Without Purple He is not Messiah the King.
Without Scarlet He is not the Saviour.
Without White He is not Holy.
The GATE to the tabernacle into the presence of God is WIDE enough for all to come. Its invitation is universal and its appeal is all-inclusive. Again, it all points to Jesus who said,
In Matthew 11:28, "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
This then is the message of the fence and the gate of the tabernacle:
The FENCE of the law says, "Stay Out."
The DOOR of the grace of God says, "Come in, whosoever will."
There is no other way to God than by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
Again let me say, there is only one way to God - it is through our Lord Jesus Christ. That's one of the least popular aspects of Christianity in our pluralistic society.
But Jesus said in John 14:6, "I am the way ... No one comes to the Father except through Me"
Peter added this in Acts 4:12, "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved."
These two verses are pretty dogmatic and very clear.
That said, there are many roads to Jesus. We don't all approach Him under the same circumstances. Consider the characters in the Gospels.
Peter found Jesus by the seashore.
Nicodemus came under cloak of darkness.
The demon-possessed man was naked and frantic when Jesus saved him.
Matthew was in his tax booth.
Zacchaeus was up in a sycamore tree.
Think of the variety of ways in which people came to Christ in the book of Acts.
Three thousand were saved through Peter's sermon on the Day of Pentecost.
Saul of Tarsus was saved after being blinded and knocked to the ground.
The Ethiopian in Acts 8 was saved when Philip showed up in the desert just as he was puzzled over Isaiah 53.
The Philippian jailer was saved during an earthquake.
Who or what led you to Christ? We all come to Him through one message (the Gospel), by one means (by grace through faith), but God draws us all differently. God devises ways of bringing us to himself, and sometimes His ways are ... well, unusual.
God uses Circumstances to Bring Us to Christ. Years ago in a prayer letter to a missionary’s supporters, a story was told of a mother in an African nation who came to Christ and grew strong in her commitment and devotion to the Lord.
As so often happens, however, this alienated her from her husband; and over the years, he grew to despise and hate her fidelity to Christ. His anger and bitterness reached a climax when he decided to kill his wife, their two children, and himself, unable to live in such self-inflicted misery. But he needed a motive.
He decided he would accuse her of stealing his precious keys - the keys were to the bank, the house, and the car. Early one afternoon, he left his bank and headed for the tavern. His route took him across a foot-bridge extended over the headwaters of the Nile River. He paused above the river and dropped the keys. He spent all afternoon drinking and carousing.
Later that afternoon, his wife went to the fish market to buy the evening meal. She purchased a large Nile perch. As she was gutting the fish, to her astonishment, in its belly were her husband's keys. How had they gotten there? What were the circumstances? She did not know; but she cleaned them up and hung them on the hook.
Sufficiently drunk, the young banker came home that night and pounded open the front door shouting, "Woman, where are my keys?" Already in bed, she got up, picked them off the hook in the bedroom, and handed them to her husband. When he saw the keys, by his own testimony he immediately became sober and instantly He fell on his knees sobbing, asked for forgiveness, and confessed Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior!
God uses People to Bring Us to Christ: Not every story is that unusual, but most testimonies involve another person. The Lord's favorite method of evangelism is the tell-a-person method. In my case God used Dr. Percy Crawford in His preaching to lead my mother to Christ. She in turn led me to Christ. In turn I led my daughter Ruth to Christ who lead her sister Rebecca as well as her children to Christ.
God uses Literature to Bring Us to Christ: Many have been saved by reading a sermon in the newspaper, a tract left in a restroom, or even a verse of Scripture scribbled on a poster at a ball game. My father was led to the Lord by reading a gospel tract.
God uses many other ways, circumstances and people to bring us to Christ. Remember this, God devises ways of bringing us to himself, and it's all by GRACE. Don't think everyone has to come to Christ exactly as you did, in the same way at the same stage of life, and with the same emotions. There's only ONE way to God; but the journey to Christ takes different routes.
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If God has spoken to your heart after reading the sermon, “The Court and the Gate – Salvation’s Entrance” then right now talk to God about what He has spoken to you.
Do you have the assurance that one day you will go to heaven? If you have no assurance that you know Jesus Christ, then I trust you will decide to accept Him as your personal Savior. The Bible tells us in
Acts 16:31, “...Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved...”
Romans 10:13, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
This prayer is here for those who need to ask Jesus to be their personal Savior: “I do want to go to Heaven. I know I am a sinner, and I do believe Jesus Christ died for me. I realize I cannot buy this great salvation, nor can I earn it. Knowing Jesus died on the cross and arose from the grave to pay my sin debt and to purchase my salvation, I do now trust Him as my Savior, and from this moment on I am completely depending on Him for my salvation.”
If you made the decision to accept Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, would you let me know? Please send an e-mail to, pdmikBBM@aol.com and I will send you some literature that will help you in your Christian life.
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