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We are spinning just a few weeks studying a particular topic together. And that is the tabernacle. And the reason is, is because what we are about as a church family is knowing God. Paul said in the book of Philippians that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being likeness in the likeness of Christ. So the goal of us as a church family, it isn’t about religion, it isn’t about a church building. Though we congregate together as a church family. It’s about Jesus and our relationship to him collectively together. We are his body. And so our desire is to know him. And the tabernacle becomes an important topic for us to investigate and study together, because Israel carried the same desire. They were brought out of the land of Egypt. It tells us in the book of Exodus, as slaves God had freed them, and their desire then became to connect with this God who had made himself revealed to the nation of Israel. And so God instructed them to build a tabernacle. Some of you may be wondering what the difference between a tabernacle and a temple is. Very simply, the difference between the tabernacle and the temple is nothing. The tabernacle was built as a makeshift building in which Israel could transport, as they left the land of Egypt into the Promised Land of Israel. Once they got to the Land of Israel, it became a permanent structure, and they referred to it as the temple.
It was the focal point of the nation’s worship. It’s where God revealed himself to the people this morning rather than worshiping there, we are worshiping in a church. Why? What’s the significance of the Tabernacle for us today as it relates to the nation of Israel? Will define it in just a little bit. But what’s important for us to recognize is this was the method in the Old Testament God choose to reveal himself to his people and to the surrounding nations. As a matter of fact, when you look at Exodus chapter 25, when God declared in verse one that he desired for this nation to gather their belongings to build this temple, he then says in verse eight why he desires for them to build the tabernacle which was built. At first it says, then have them make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them. Make this tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly like the pattern I will show you. It’s important for us to understand the biblical perception of what the Tabernacle is all about, and what the temple is all about in the Old Testament, because the New Testament writers were right out of the Old Testament. And as they record for us the accounts of New Testament revealings that God had come in the flesh and began to pronounce himself as Jesus. The Bible bleeds from beginning to end. Illustrations of the Tabernacle. And I’ll show you a few here later today.
God revealed himself to his people through this tabernacle. God says in verse nine that it was to be built exactly like the pattern that he showed to them, meaning the structure of the tabernacle itself had a specific way in which God desired for it to be built, and a particular conduct in which God desired for the nation of Israel to precisely follow in this tabernacle. And the reason was, is that God used this tabernacle as an illustration to the people of Israel what a relationship with him was all about. What we’re going to discover in this beginning section this morning. So I’m just going to walk us through what the tabernacle looked like according to what the scriptures declared for us. The Tabernacle love. Studying the tabernacle verses the temple, because the tabernacle is the most basic element as far as structure goes. The temple kept the same elements as the tabernacle. It just got more elaborate in its design work on the exterior. But the elements remain the same. Teaching Israel about their relationship with God. What was in this tabernacle that God desired for the nation of Israel to follow precisely and exactly as he shared to them? In this last week, we studied the dimensions of the Tabernacle and the way that God had it designed. And there was a courtyard that was 75ft wide by 150ft long. And when someone entered into the courtyard, the first things that they came across was the brazen altar.
In Greek, we could refer to it as the altar of Holocaust. It literally means the altar of burnt offerings. You wonder where they got the name for Holocaust for the Jewish victims of World War two? Well, it came from the idea of this brazen altar. The Jewish people laying their lives down for God and literally being sacrificed. And behind the altar, which you can’t see pictured because of the fire, there would have been also the basin, the altar, excuse me. The brazen altar and the basin were both to illustrate to Israel how to begin to connect in their relationship with God. If you think about these two objects as you walk into the courtyard of where the temple was located, think about connecting with God. The first thing that they would experience was the brazen altar. If you have a I’m not going to go through all the verses on where these are located this morning. If you have notes, you’ve got the verses listed where God declared for the nation of Israel to build these. But the first thing they would come to was the brazen altar. Literally, the object that they immediately saw as they walked in this courtyard was the sight and smell and the burning of flesh and death. Blood was pouring. This altar reminded them, as Hebrews 922 says, without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins in order to connect with God, the sins of which we possess in our lives have to be atoned for because he is a holy God.
Sin can’t come before his presence, and no matter how hard we try, it’s never good enough. So much so that God desired to illustrate this, that when Israel went to the altar to make a sacrifice, the animals in which they were to bring were yearling young animals of no defect at all. They were spotless or perfect. The only type of sacrifice that God would find acceptable, you would see this altar of sacrifice upon the altar. There were five different sacrifices that took place. There was the burnt offering or the total sacrifice towards God and a relationship with him. There was the grain offering, an offering of thanksgiving to what God had done in providing for you that year, for your food and for your family. There was the peace offering, an offering just reflected on the fellowship that you had with God. The sin offering, whether it was a sin of omission or commission, a sin that you deliberately had done against God, or a sin that you didn’t realize that you had conducted against the Lord, and And finally, the guilt offering. If you had denied God in your life, it was a sacrifice that you brought to connect once again with him. And behind this altar was the laver, the wash basin. It was for ceremonial cleansing. Its intentions were for Israel’s to remind them without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins.
But in addition to that, God cleanses us because of those sacrifices. As a matter of fact, we see both of those ideas of the brazen altar and the basin united in First John chapter one and verse nine. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins, as the altar would have done, and to cleanse us of all unrighteousness. As the basin represented, the Bible bleeds with the thoughts of what took place in the Tabernacle. The Bible goes on to share with us as we study these ceremonial artifacts. If if one were to continue on into the back of the tabernacle, there was a tent. The tent I shared with you last week was roughly, almost literally the size of this room. We extended the room back into the middle of the sound booth and stopped at this wall that comes out. That was the exact dimensions of the Holy Place they referred to it as, and the Holy Place was divided into two rooms. The first room was 15ft wide by 30ft long. The room in behind that you can’t see, the curtain is veiling it right now. There is a called the Holy of Holies in the Holy Place, and it’s a 15 by 15 square. When you walked into this tent, it’s important to remember that only the priests were allowed to go into this place. So you would come before for your family on behalf of the sins of your family, you would walk into the courtyard.
There would be sacrifices and cleansing that would take place there. But it’s like showing up to church and just worshiping in the parking lot. No one was allowed into the holy place except for the priest. Could you imagine? This morning we had all you guys outside in the cold in the wintertime. Could you imagine? What would our attendance be at church? 30 degrees outside. We got six people write snow on the ground. No thank you. Have church Monday when it warms up. But that’s how it was. Real worshiped. They gathered in the courtyard and they waited for the priest to enter in. They learned about connecting with God. But in the holy place it was about communing with God. But the recognition that were to take place in the minds of the common Israelites that weren’t priests was that even as they gathered to worship, there was still a disconnect in their relationship with the Lord. There was something that had to atone for their sins, to unite them together with God. And as God revealed himself to the nation, there were relationships with God that just remained hidden from the common people. The priest would enter the holy place. Once they entered the Holy Place, there were three other elements that stood there. The first was a lampstand. The lampstand had seven candles that went off from the sides. There was one that ran right up the middle and three branches on either side of the candle stand.
It was shaped like a vine, having branches and almonds, as if to replicate almonds that were coming off of this candle stand. I’ll tell you why that’s important in just a little while, but keep in mind this candle stand reflected that of a vine with branches. God lit this candle or this lamp stand and told the people that the light was to never go out. If you were to walk into the Holy place, the only thing that gave light to do ministry as the priests were directed was this lampstand. And without the light they couldn’t fulfill their duty. Reflecting to us of God as a light for us as people, without him shining into our lives, it’s impossible for us to go into this world and shine for him. Across from the candle stand, there was this table called the Table of Showbread. Displayed on this table every day was a fresh 12 loaves of bread. Each loaf represented a tribe of the nation of Israel, six loaves stacked on either side. The interesting thing about these loaves is these loaves as they were laid upon this table, were both striped and pierced. We think as an example of someone who has been striped in pierced reflecting to Israel. God was a place where they could commune that God was the bread of life. In every day he offered enough to sustain the nation of Israel.
Further back from both the table and the candle, you find the altar of incense. Altar literally the means lifted up, and the incense that was there was to represent the prayers of God’s people. To get into this temple, even as a priest would have been difficult to do. It’s believed that during the time of Jesus, to be asked to go in and do ministry was something that only happened once in a lifetime. You can imagine if you were a priest called upon to go into the altar of incense that day, knowing that once in a lifetime you would get a shot to pray before God as you offered the incense on behalf of the nation of Israel. How long you would spend just communing with God, knowing you’re before his very throne? Because the unique thing about the Altar of Incense is that it is the closest object to the Holy of Holies or Israel would state that God’s presence dwell where the Book of Acts has told us that the Shekinah glory of God hovered over the temple. This altar was literally before the throne of God, and the nation of Israel would go before the altar and they would pray. Revelation chapter eight and verse three and four give a picture of an angel of God coming before the throne of God in heaven, offering the altars. Excuse me, the altar of incense. The incense of the prayers of the people. If you were fortunate enough as a priest to get into this holy place, very few people got the opportunity to go into the final room.
This was called the Holy of Holies. No one really knows for sure with the Ark of the covenant. Looks like. We’re told the dimensions of the Ark. We’re told it’s overlaid in gold. The part that remains a mystery is exactly how the angels that were shaped on top of the ark would have looked. The top covering of the Ark of the covenant is called the Mercy Seat. It’s a place of authority where a king would reign. It’s a place where a king would pardon the guilt of people, says in Isaiah chapter six. Isaiah records his his vision of heaven as he comes before God’s throne. And in that recording of Isaiah chapter six, beginning in verse three, he notes, As God is sitting upon his throne, the seraphim that are surrounding his throne, literally seraphim means angels of fire. You can imagine if the Shekinah glory of God is dwelling over the temple at night, the fire of God is standing there, these angels radiating the beauty of God, reflecting this gold, reflecting to the nation of Israel. The mercy seat and the authority position of God. And the only one that could go into this temple, into the Holy of Holies, was the High Priest. And the only time that this High Priest was allowed into the Holy of Holies was just simply once a year. And before the priest could even think to go into the Holy of Holies, he had to conduct elaborate sacrifices for his own sins in order to get into that place, to represent the needs of the people on the Day of Atonement, this took place literally.
I believe it was at the beginning of this month, the Day of Atonement or Yom Kippur for the nation of Israel happens at the end of September, the beginning of October, depending on where it falls on their calendar. And they would sacrifice a goat. They would walk into the Holy of Holies and the Holy. The priest would walk in. The high priest would walk into this place, and he would apply the blood once a year to the mercy seat for the forgiveness of God’s people. The temple was an elaborate place of worship. Could you imagine, though, if you built a structure such as this and the most sacred place in all of your building, the most beautiful opportunity that’s there for worship and no one is allowed in symbolizing to the nation of Israel the sacredness and the holiness of God. The mercy seat reminding us as people that in Hebrews chapter nine and verse 27, it’s appointed unto man once to die, and after that immediately your judgment. All of us one day will meet our maker face to face. The priest offering the sacrifice of a perfect, spotless lamb for the people on behalf of the people reminding us as people, if that sacrifice that you’re bringing to God has sinned, it is not perfect.
When you get to that mercy seat, you will find no mercy. All of this elaborate worship being built in the temple. And this is what the Bible says. Hebrews chapter ten, day after day, every priest stands and performs his religious duties the table, the incense, the candle, the sacrifices. Again and again he offers the same sacrifices which can never take away sins. Israel made these sacrifices that did them no good. It was an illustration to them, an illustration of one who would come to be the sacrifice for these people for their sins, so that not only could they connect with God, but they could begin to commune with God and not just experience the high priest going into the Holy of Holies, but everyone walking into the throne room of God. Israel never found salvation in this temple. Their salvation was always to come through Messiah. And this is important for us to recognize because as I shared with us in the beginning, the Bible bleeds with illustrations of the temple from beginning to end. And to understand what took place in this building reflects to us a better understanding, especially of what the New Testament tries to communicate to us as believers. John, the author of John, is where I’m going to share just some verses for you this morning. We’re going to take a large picture of the temple as it’s being portrayed throughout the Gospel of John, and it’s going to relate to the rest of the Bible.
But the author of the Gospel of John wrote his book After the temple was destroyed. And you can imagine, as he’s sharing this Jewish message about this Messiah who would come to this world, the thoughts of the people would be, do we need to rebuild what was destroyed in Jerusalem so that we can worship God again? And on that backdrop, John illustrates the significance of Jesus. He starts off his book. When we saw last week, he says, in the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God. And the word became flesh and dwelt among us. And we saw his glory, glory as of the only begotten from the father, full of grace and truth. The word dwell in this passage, as we’ve seen before, means literally tabernacle. John is beginning to illustrate to us the significance of Jesus as it relates to the tabernacle by from the very beginning of chapter one, telling us this Jesus is the tabernacle. Tabernacle meaning dwelling place of God. This Jesus is God dwelling for you. Amen. John then carries on his story, and he shares to us how Jesus relates to these elements as it relates to the brazen altar. John says in chapter one and verse 29, Behold the Lamb of God, who, what takes away the sins of the world, tells us when it relates to the basin washing.
In John chapter three, Jesus at the Passover celebration with his disciples goes into the upper room with the 12. And what does he do? He washes their feet. The priest, when they would step to the brazen altar, would wash their hands and their feet. Bible tells us in John 1934, instead of one of you, excuse me? Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’s side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water. When you sacrifice an animal on top of the brazen altar, blood would flow. Forgiveness was given. You would go back to the wash basin and you would cleanse yourself. Jesus at his death. Both illustrated the blood of the sacrifice of the altar and the cleansing of the basin when he was speared in his side, and both blood and water flowed. The Bible goes on. If we were to enter into the Tabernacle, one of the first things that we would come to is the table of showbread. Jesus and John. Chapter six stands before the people and he says this. Jesus said to them, very truly, I tell you, it is not Moses who gives you the bread from heaven, who built the temple. Okay, who built the tabernacle? That’s a trick question. Moses. Moses both built the table of showbread, which displayed the bread of life and prayed for God to bring the manna. And Jesus reflects back to that. I tell you, it’s not Moses who was giving you the bread from heaven, but it is my father who gives you the true bread from heaven.
For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world. Sir, they said, always give us this bread. Israel knew that the bread and the temple was to represent the life that God brought. And so then Jesus said, I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never hunger. Just as Jesus relates his life to this table, he then relates his life to the lampstand. In John seven it says this. When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. In this passage comes in a beautiful section of Scripture. I couldn’t imagine sometimes we read over this text we don’t understand Jewish customs, and we we fail to recognize the boldness of the statement that Jesus is making. If you were to read the book of John, you will note that during this time that Jesus is about to share this statement, the Table of Booths or the Feast of Booths is taking place for the nation of Israel. It’s a week long celebration at a particular point of the Feast of Booths. The nation of Israel take the takes the light from the temple, and they walk out to the outskirts of the temple, and they surround the temple with lights to indicate to the world that God has made himself known to the in the temple.
And he’s recognizing to all nations that if they desire to know the light of God, they can come to this place and worship. This place, this temple is packed full of people as the celebration is going on. And you can imagine in those moments as this procession is taking place and the light is being carried out around the temple to declare to the people that God has made himself known to the nation of Israel. And Jesus stands up in the midst of this and says, I am the light of the world. I give you goosebumps. If you ever saw someone just declaring to this world, listen, it’s not about this building, it’s about me. It’s not about religion. It’s about a relationship with me. Amen. It’s in these moments. As Jesus recognized himself as the lampstand for the nation of Israel. He goes on and shares that he’s also the altar of incense. It says in John 16, in that day you will not question me about anything. Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask the father for anything in my name, he will give it to you. Until now, you have asked for nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive so that your that should be joy. J must be happy that he’s in there. But your joy may be made full. And the point to us you would take the altar of incense, and you would light the incense and offer up prayers.
And the incense were to illustrate a connection as it lifted to the heavens between us and God. Now, rather than offer the incense, Jesus now changes the way that we pray. You ever wonder when you pray, you always say at the end in Jesus name. Most of the time, in Jesus name, Amen. That’s Grayson’s favorite part of the prayer. When we are about to eat something, we ask him to pray last week and he just said, Amen. That was it. So where’s the Jesus name part? In Jesus name, Amen. What does that even mean? It means by the authority and power of the person’s position. When you pray in some someone’s name, it’s not like a voodoo statement that you’re making. It’s declaring the authority and power of the position of that person. As you lift up that prayer and the power and authority of Jesus, I’m asking this. Amen. Amen. And just as the incense would rise, God would recognize the connection that we have with Jesus and as we pray in his authority, would answer our prayers. And Jesus is illustrating to the nation of Israel that he is that altar of incense. Jesus went on and shared for us. As John illustrated throughout Jesus’s life, making quotes that Jesus fulfilled the work of the six elements within the tabernacle. Jesus even shared with us the significance of what he thought in our worship as it relates to the Tabernacle.
We saw a little bit of this last week, but Jesus comes before the woman at the well and it says, woman. Jesus replied, believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the father, neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem backdrop. You guys, some of you know this, but the woman in the well lived in an area called Samaria, and she was a half Jew, and so the Jews wouldn’t allow her to come to Jerusalem to worship. And being a half Jew, the Samaritans decided they would build their own place of worship and call that God’s sacred place. Meanwhile, the nation of Israel continued to worship in Jerusalem, and her concern is being a Samaritan, having grown up in that system of religion her whole life and the temple, she wants to know God. I really want to worship in the appropriate place. Where is that appropriate place for me to connect with you? And so he says in verse 22, You Samaritans worship what you do not know. We worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. And Jesus is saying literally, Samaritans. You got a little bit off. The Jews have it right. But then he goes on and says in verse 23, yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the father in the spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the father seeks.
God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship him in spirit and truth. What’s Jesus saying to this lady? Maybe if he elaborated, it would go something like this. Lady, do you know how when you show up to the temple, you can’t even get to the most sacred places and connect with God? Do you know how that goes in your life? Yes. Do you know that the best that we have to offer you right now is just to connect with God through the sacrifices and hopes of forgiveness of sin? Yes. Don’t you want more in your relationship with God? Just to commune with him and know that he’s hearing your prayers and just know he’s supplying your life with the bread, and that he’s shining his light into your life, and that you can come before his mercy seat at any time. Yeah. What time is coming where this building and that building won’t even matter. It’s the spirit moving within you And just as the Shekinah glory hovers over the Holy of Holies at the temple, this Shekinah glory will dwell within you and you will worship in spirit and in truth. Jesus shows his significance as the one who is to be praised, the one who we desire to connect with and worship. Jesus even said in John five and verse 46, Moses wrote all about me. Moses never said Jesus. What is Jesus talking about? When you read the first five books of the Bible, you find that 50% of the content is about the temple as it reflects the nature of the Messiah who would come.
I got to tell you this week, I love when I study things about the Bible. I’m studying so much about this temple and tabernacle. I wish I could fit it all in and and give it to us, but it’s so much I feel like we’ll just zone out and not get to grab half of it. But. But I love just the details of this. And I’m going to tell you, when I was studying this week, there’s something I just found for the first time that was new to me. Maybe. Maybe not new to you, but I came across this passage of which Jesus was standing before people. And, you know, I’ve always looked at this and I’ve applauded Jesus. Way to go. You have just showed everybody that you are the solution here, right? And he says in John 14 three, you’ll see it. You’ll want to applaud. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me, that you also may be where I am. Some of you just stopped there and started plotting, right? Yay! Heaven! Yeah. Yes. Yeah, right. You know the way to the place where I am going. Thomas, we like doubting Thomas said to him. Lord, we do not know where you’re going. So how can we know the way? Jesus answered, I am the way and the truth and the life, and no one comes to the father except through me.
I’ve always loved that right. I didn’t know how much I loved it until this week. Jesus pointed himself as the way and the truth and the life, right? He communicates all that to us. It’s glorious. I’ve shared it that way my whole life. And it’s not wrong. It’s true in what he’s saying. But you ever stop to ask the question, why did Jesus use these exact words to refer to himself? And why did he say it in that order? Why didn’t he just say, like, guys, I’m awesome. You know, if you don’t get listen to me, follow me. I’m awesome. You know, I’ll give you everything you could ever imagine. This heaven and and fill your soul. And. And why did he say that? Why did he say the way, the truth and life? Why did he say the life, the way and the truth? I mean, what’s up with the phrase that Jesus picked? Was the. Was there a reason for that? And there was. So when you walked into the tabernacle or the temple, the Jews had special names that they referred to as each individual entered the sacred places. When you gathered to worship all the people into the courtyard, it was called. The entrance was called The Way. When you went into the Holy place, it was called the truth. And into the Holy of Holies it was called the life.
Now when you think about what Jesus is saying, can you see those words rich with meaning? A time is coming, and now is when those who worship me will worship me in spirit and in truth. My spirit will connect with your life and you will have life in me. Amen. Amen. What is Jesus saying to this crowd? Could you imagine? You grew up your whole life looking at this system, and you think it’s so special and you hear this guy say this, I would immediately think offensive. Lop off his head, right? Right. This is sacred. This is a sacred place. You’re talking about Jesus. What are you trying to say to me? God, that no longer. I have to depend on someone else to go into this place and minister for me. But I have the opportunity to walk in the way and the truth and the life up to your very throne. Amen. Do you understand the privilege of that? If we were to ask people the Old Testament, what is the greatest time in which you could live? They would say, so we could stop worshiping in this parking lot. We’re tired of the cold. Get us in the tent. There’s some candles in there. Right? Amen. And I want to get before that throne. That’s right. Day after day, I watched these men walk in, and they offer these prayers before God and these incense. And I’m not even sure if he hears my prayers, but I want the opportunity to come before that throne and hear God you are.
You are forgiving me and God you are hearing me and God. I can connect with you and God. I’m giving getting life from you. The greatest time to live is now connected to the way and the truth and the life. Just to make sure John had illustrated his point to us how beautiful the Tabernacle was, but how important it has become for us that Jesus is now here. He then closes his book this way. When he had received the drink, Jesus said, it is finished. With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. Matthew elaborates, Matthew, Mark and Luke all elaborate to this. As soon as Jesus says it is finished, it tells us. In Matthew 2751, the veil was torn from top to bottom, literally from heaven to earth. Illustrating to us that the veil, the Holy of Holies, the place where God has dwelled for so long for the nation of Israel. He dwelled there no more. And God opened up himself to the world, and the veil was torn. Once a year, the nation of Israel, the high priest, would go into the Holy of Holies, and he would offer a sacrifice for the sins of the people, for the forgiveness of sins, to atone for their sins. That way they could be at one. That’s what atone means at one with God.
Jesus hangs on the cross in the very last words he speaks before his death is it is finished. Literally meaning to us. Paid in full. Thinking about all the separation that existed between us and God because of our sin. Thinking of how it required a perfect sacrifice to reconcile our relationship with God. To remove the sins that we had present. Jesus said he had paid it in full and the veil was torn. What does this mean to us? Jesus went on and prayed for you that you would be one with him, as he is one with the father. The conclusion is this. Last week we saw the importance of the tabernacle, you know, and I still think it’s significant for God’s people to gather together and worship because the Spirit of God is moving within us. But the important things that we reflect upon in our heart isn’t the building. Though. It’s important to have a place in our community to display God. The important thing is that we seek and desire to connect to Jesus together. The Bible says in Ephesians 317, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And again, Paul writing these words uses specifically the words dwell to recall in our minds tabernacle. The moment it tells us in this verse that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, the moment you place your faith in Jesus as that sacrifice to atone for your sins, the veil is ripped in your life and you have communion with God.
And Christ tabernacles within you. The altar of incense takes place every opportunity. You bow your knee before God and lift up your prayers in Jesus’s name. Every time you turn to the Bread of Life, seeking strength for your life, every time you turn to the light of this world, seeking light for your life. Every time you walk to the altar, asking for forgiveness and cleansing so that you can experience that relationship with him, Jesus is there. Jesus is ministering that in your heart and in your life. And so the Bible says this. First Corinthians 316. Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells within you? Once you place your faith in Jesus, you become that temple. Rather than going to a building to work, Jesus is doing his work inside of you as you surrender yourself to him. Do you notice every act that took place in the Tabernacle was about man surrendering their will to conduct what God had asked them to do, giving up a life for the sake of drawing near to God, giving up the throne room of what they were about, and anything they desired to do that day to allow God to minister to their hearts. Bible says it again in case first Corinthians got the chapter three and you were asleep. Get to chapter six and hopefully you’ve woken up and he says this flee immorality.
Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price. Therefore glorify God with your body. If you read this beginning in verse 15, you’ll note that when Paul is writing this to the church, he’s actually writing this collectively. So we read this you, it’s you collectively you all we would say in the South, y’all. This is about y’all. When we get together, y’all reflect the Spirit of God, Isn’t it beautiful to think about being created in God’s image? And all of us have different gifts and abilities, and when we gather together, we reflect the image of God’s Spirit in different ways to each other. God is saying in this passage of Scripture, you guys have significant worth that you guys are actually sacred to the Lord. That what you do with your life matters. Because not only is it representing Jesus to yourself, but your temple is representing Jesus to this world. You’ve become God’s dwelling place. You can worship at any time. You can fellowship at any time. You can commune at any time. You can find forgiveness at any time. You can go straight to the mercy seat at any time. It’s about experiencing him. The temple is a picture.
The tabernacle is a picture for us to understand what it’s like to experience him. And Jesus has come to illustrate to us that he’s giving us the opportunity to experience him. And by faith, if you place your trust in what Jesus has done, you become that temple to experience him. Beautiful. Amen. So here’s where I’m going to leave you with a cliffhanger today. We see God’s holiness in this temple. These priests that were able to go into the temple and do the worship, and the high priest that was only able to go once a year into the Holy of Holies. What’s up with that? What happened to these guys? Are they just gone now? These important people that did the worship right. You’ll know if you read the New Testament. The Bible not only calls you a priest, but it calls you a royal priest. I want to tell you why you want to come. If anyone’s going to call you a king or a queen, you want to hear about that, right? I all this time, I walk around thinking maybe. Maybe I was a priest, but now I’m royalty, right? We’re going to roll out the red carpet for you next week. What does that mean? God uses that word. A royal priesthood for his followers. Related to the tabernacle, as is expressed in the New Testament. It’s important for us because it teaches us about our connectedness to God and what he’s called us to do in this world.