WEBVTT 00:00:00.360 --> 00:00:04.850 We are spinning just a few weeks studying a particular topic together. 00:00:04.900 --> 00:00:05.690 And that is the tabernacle. 00:00:07.920 --> 00:00:12.740 And the reason is because what we are about as a church family is knowing God. 00:00:13.920 --> 00:00:21.420 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 00:00:21.420 --> 00:00:23.140 likeness in the likeness of Christ. 00:00:24.560 --> 00:00:30.560 So the goal of us as a church family, it isn't about religion, it isn't about a church building. 00:00:30.600 --> 00:00:32.320 Though we congregate together as a church family. 00:00:32.340 --> 00:00:36.500 It's about Jesus and our relationship to him collectively together. 00:00:37.380 --> 00:00:38.060 We are his body. 00:00:39.620 --> 00:00:41.080 And so our desire is to know him. 00:00:42.500 --> 00:00:49.500 And the tabernacle becomes an important topic for us to investigate and study together, because Israel carried the same desire. 00:00:50.520 --> 00:00:52.600 They were brought out of the land of Egypt. 00:00:52.600 --> 00:00:59.960 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 00:00:59.960 --> 00:01:03.240 had made himself revealed to the nation of Israel. 00:01:05.040 --> 00:01:08.020 And so God instructed them to build a tabernacle. 00:01:09.680 --> 00:01:13.340 Some of you may be wondering what the difference between a tabernacle and a temple is. 00:01:14.460 --> 00:01:17.080 Very simply, the difference between the tabernacle and the temple is nothing. 00:01:18.820 --> 00:01:26.150 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. 00:01:26.680 --> 00:01:31.060 Once they got to the Land of Israel, it became a permanent structure, and they referred to it as the temple. 00:01:32.840 --> 00:01:34.820 It was the focal point of the nation's worship. 00:01:35.060 --> 00:01:42.060 It's where God revealed himself to the people this morning rather than worshiping there, 00:01:42.060 --> 00:01:43.660 we are worshiping in a church. 00:01:43.660 --> 00:01:43.980 Why? 00:01:45.820 --> 00:01:49.760 What's the significance of the Tabernacle for us today as it relates to the nation of Israel? 00:01:49.760 --> 00:01:51.400 Will define it in just a little bit. 00:01:51.400 --> 00:01:58.420 But what's important for us to recognize is this was the method in the Old Testament God choose to reveal himself to 00:01:58.420 --> 00:02:01.290 his people and to the surrounding nations. 00:02:02.840 --> 00:02:10.139 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 00:02:10.160 --> 00:02:16.420 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. 00:02:16.520 --> 00:02:23.140 At first it says, then have them make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them. 00:02:24.460 --> 00:02:30.080 Make this tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly like the pattern I will show you. 00:02:31.640 --> 00:02:38.900 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 00:02:38.920 --> 00:02:41.570 writers were right out of the Old Testament. 00:02:42.480 --> 00:02:49.250 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. 00:02:49.540 --> 00:02:52.000 The Bible bleeds from beginning to end. 00:02:52.060 --> 00:02:54.300 Illustrations of the Tabernacle. 00:02:54.320 --> 00:02:55.520 And I'll show you a few here later today. 00:02:57.620 --> 00:03:01.860 God revealed himself to his people through this tabernacle. 00:03:04.080 --> 00:03:11.620 God says in verse nine that it was to be built exactly like the pattern that he showed to them, meaning 00:03:11.620 --> 00:03:19.220 the structure of the tabernacle itself had a specific way in which God desired for it to be built, and a particular conduct 00:03:19.220 --> 00:03:24.160 in which God desired for the nation of Israel to precisely follow in this tabernacle. 00:03:25.900 --> 00:03:33.080 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. 00:03:34.920 --> 00:03:37.830 What we're going to discover in this beginning section this morning. 00:03:38.320 --> 00:03:44.240 So I'm just going to walk us through what the tabernacle looked like according to what the scriptures declared for us. 00:03:45.120 --> 00:03:46.280 The Tabernacle love. 00:03:46.300 --> 00:03:52.300 Studying the tabernacle verses the temple, because the tabernacle is the most basic element as far as structure goes. 00:03:52.360 --> 00:03:55.330 The temple kept the same elements as the tabernacle. 00:03:55.700 --> 00:03:58.450 It just got more elaborate in its design work on the exterior. 00:03:59.620 --> 00:04:00.660 But the elements remain the same. 00:04:02.640 --> 00:04:04.780 Teaching Israel about their relationship with God. 00:04:04.920 --> 00:04:12.460 What was in this tabernacle that God desired for the nation of Israel to follow precisely and exactly 00:04:12.460 --> 00:04:14.350 as he shared to them? 00:04:14.740 --> 00:04:20.589 In this last week, we studied the dimensions of the Tabernacle and the way that God had it designed. 00:04:21.040 --> 00:04:25.420 And there was a courtyard that was 75ft wide by 150ft long. 00:04:25.660 --> 00:04:32.020 And when someone entered into the courtyard, the first things that they came across was the brazen altar. 00:04:33.780 --> 00:04:36.650 In Greek, we could refer to it as the altar of Holocaust. 00:04:37.040 --> 00:04:39.300 It literally means the altar of burnt offerings. 00:04:40.940 --> 00:04:44.980 You wonder where they got the name for Holocaust for the Jewish victims of World War two? 00:04:44.980 --> 00:04:46.820 Well, it came from the idea of this brazen altar. 00:04:46.820 --> 00:04:49.940 The Jewish people laying their lives down for God and literally being sacrificed. 00:04:52.100 --> 00:04:59.480 And behind the altar, which you can't see pictured because of the fire, there would have been also the basin, the altar, excuse 00:04:59.480 --> 00:04:59.740 me. 00:04:59.980 --> 00:05:06.500 The brazen altar and the basin were both to illustrate to Israel how to begin to connect in their relationship with God. 00:05:06.520 --> 00:05:13.920 If you think about these two objects as you walk into the courtyard of where the temple was located, think about connecting with 00:05:13.920 --> 00:05:14.280 God. 00:05:15.820 --> 00:05:18.360 The first thing that they would experience was the brazen altar. 00:05:18.360 --> 00:05:21.460 If you have a I'm not going to go through all the verses on where these are located this morning. 00:05:21.680 --> 00:05:25.920 If you have notes, you've got the verses listed where God declared for the nation of Israel to build these. 00:05:27.120 --> 00:05:29.370 But the first thing they would come to was the brazen altar. 00:05:29.800 --> 00:05:36.640 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. 00:05:38.940 --> 00:05:39.800 Blood was pouring. 00:05:41.880 --> 00:05:49.340 This altar reminded them, as Hebrews 922 says, without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins in order to connect with 00:05:49.340 --> 00:05:55.140 God, the sins of which we possess in our lives have to be atoned for because he is a holy God. 00:05:56.940 --> 00:06:03.940 Sin can't come before his presence, and no matter how hard we try, it's never good enough. 00:06:04.380 --> 00:06:12.040 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 00:06:12.040 --> 00:06:14.780 young animals of no defect at all. 00:06:14.980 --> 00:06:16.320 They were spotless or perfect. 00:06:17.980 --> 00:06:25.020 The only type of sacrifice that God would find acceptable, you would see this altar of sacrifice upon the altar. 00:06:25.020 --> 00:06:27.160 There were five different sacrifices that took place. 00:06:28.140 --> 00:06:32.660 There was the burnt offering or the total sacrifice towards God and a relationship with him. 00:06:33.320 --> 00:06:39.880 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. 00:06:40.720 --> 00:06:44.520 There was the peace offering, an offering just reflected on the fellowship that you had with God. 00:06:45.480 --> 00:06:52.500 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 00:06:52.500 --> 00:06:55.720 had conducted against the Lord, and finally, the guilt offering. 00:06:57.280 --> 00:07:03.900 If you had denied God in your life, it was a sacrifice that you brought to connect once again with him. 00:07:06.080 --> 00:07:10.820 And behind this altar was the laver, the wash basin. 00:07:13.020 --> 00:07:14.410 It was for ceremonial cleansing. 00:07:16.620 --> 00:07:22.220 Its intentions were for Israel's to remind them without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins. 00:07:23.500 --> 00:07:27.800 But in addition to that, God cleanses us because of those sacrifices. 00:07:29.820 --> 00:07:36.800 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. 00:07:37.680 --> 00:07:45.360 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 00:07:45.360 --> 00:07:46.410 all unrighteousness. 00:07:46.940 --> 00:07:53.660 As the basin represented, the Bible bleeds with the thoughts of what took place in the Tabernacle. 00:07:56.960 --> 00:08:01.780 The Bible goes on to share with us as we study these ceremonial artifacts. 00:08:02.080 --> 00:08:07.320 If one were to continue on into the back of the tabernacle, there was a tent. 00:08:08.500 --> 00:08:12.440 The tent I shared with you last week was roughly, almost literally the size of this room. 00:08:13.300 --> 00:08:17.340 We extended the room back into the middle of the sound booth and stopped at this wall that comes out. 00:08:17.860 --> 00:08:24.640 That was the exact dimensions of the Holy Place they referred to it as, and the Holy Place was divided into two rooms. 00:08:25.660 --> 00:08:28.640 The first room was 15ft wide by 30ft long. 00:08:30.040 --> 00:08:33.380 The room in behind that you can't see, the curtain is veiling it right now. 00:08:33.720 --> 00:08:38.960 There is a called the Holy of Holies in the Holy Place, and it's a 15 by 15 square. 00:08:40.240 --> 00:08:45.780 When you walked into this tent, it's important to remember that only the priests were allowed to go into this place. 00:08:47.140 --> 00:08:51.920 So you would come before for your family on behalf of the sins of your family, you would walk into the courtyard. 00:08:52.260 --> 00:08:55.640 There would be sacrifices and cleansing that would take place there. 00:08:55.940 --> 00:08:59.220 But it's like showing up to church and just worshiping in the parking lot. 00:09:01.640 --> 00:09:04.680 No one was allowed into the holy place except for the priest. 00:09:04.800 --> 00:09:05.220 Could you imagine? 00:09:05.420 --> 00:09:07.960 This morning we had all you guys outside in the cold in the wintertime. 00:09:08.020 --> 00:09:08.530 Could you imagine? 00:09:08.760 --> 00:09:10.320 What would our attendance be at church? 00:09:10.740 --> 00:09:11.480 30 degrees outside. 00:09:11.480 --> 00:09:14.240 We got six people write snow on the ground. 00:09:14.240 --> 00:09:14.900 No thank you. 00:09:15.100 --> 00:09:16.280 Have church Monday when it warms up. 00:09:17.760 --> 00:09:18.340 But that's how it was. 00:09:18.380 --> 00:09:18.760 Real worshiped. 00:09:20.540 --> 00:09:23.160 They gathered in the courtyard and they waited for the priest to enter in. 00:09:24.900 --> 00:09:27.000 They learned about connecting with God. 00:09:28.700 --> 00:09:32.720 But in the holy place it was about communing with God. 00:09:35.040 --> 00:09:42.320 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 00:09:42.320 --> 00:09:45.460 a disconnect in their relationship with the Lord. 00:09:46.900 --> 00:09:51.780 There was something that had to atone for their sins, to unite them together with God. 00:09:53.740 --> 00:10:00.950 And as God revealed himself to the nation, there were relationships with God that just remained hidden from the common people. 00:10:02.100 --> 00:10:03.580 The priest would enter the holy place. 00:10:05.220 --> 00:10:09.060 Once they entered the Holy Place, there were three other elements that stood there. 00:10:10.400 --> 00:10:11.740 The first was a lampstand. 00:10:13.300 --> 00:10:17.260 The lampstand had seven candles that went off from the sides. 00:10:17.520 --> 00:10:21.180 There was one that ran right up the middle and three branches on either side of the candle stand. 00:10:22.880 --> 00:10:30.060 It was shaped like a vine, having branches and almonds, as if to replicate almonds that were coming off of this candle stand. 00:10:30.080 --> 00:10:35.780 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. 00:10:37.080 --> 00:10:44.020 God lit this candle or this lamp stand and told the people that the light was to never go out. 00:10:45.320 --> 00:10:52.940 If you were to walk into the Holy place, the only thing that gave light to do ministry as the priests were directed was 00:10:52.940 --> 00:10:53.300 this lampstand. 00:10:55.280 --> 00:10:58.780 And without the light they couldn't fulfill their duty. 00:11:00.400 --> 00:11:07.400 Reflecting to us of God as a light for us as people, without him shining into our lives, it's 00:11:07.660 --> 00:11:10.760 impossible for us to go into this world and shine for him. 00:11:12.500 --> 00:11:16.360 Across from the candle stand, there was this table called the Table of Showbread. 00:11:18.000 --> 00:11:22.400 Displayed on this table every day was a fresh 12 loaves of bread. 00:11:23.340 --> 00:11:29.080 Each loaf represented a tribe of the nation of Israel, six loaves stacked on either side. 00:11:30.900 --> 00:11:38.180 The interesting thing about these loaves is these loaves as they were laid upon this table, were both striped 00:11:38.180 --> 00:11:39.860 and pierced. 00:11:40.880 --> 00:11:47.740 We think as an example of someone who has been striped in pierced reflecting to Israel. 00:11:49.720 --> 00:11:54.900 God was a place where they could commune that God was the bread of life. 00:11:55.080 --> 00:12:00.160 In every day he offered enough to sustain the nation of Israel. 00:12:02.300 --> 00:12:07.860 Further back from both the table and the candle, you find the altar of incense. 00:12:09.040 --> 00:12:16.400 Altar literally the means lifted up, and the incense that was there was to represent the prayers of 00:12:16.420 --> 00:12:16.960 God's people. 00:12:18.620 --> 00:12:22.220 To get into this temple, even as a priest would have been difficult to do. 00:12:22.260 --> 00:12:28.500 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. 00:12:31.240 --> 00:12:38.320 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 00:12:38.320 --> 00:12:42.720 to pray before God as you offered the incense on behalf of the nation of Israel. 00:12:43.840 --> 00:12:47.520 How long you would spend just communing with God, knowing you're before his very throne? 00:12:49.580 --> 00:12:56.900 Because the unique thing about the Altar of Incense is that it is the closest object to the Holy of Holies or 00:12:56.900 --> 00:13:04.080 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 00:13:04.080 --> 00:13:04.600 temple. 00:13:04.700 --> 00:13:11.820 This altar was literally before the throne of God, and the nation of Israel would go before the 00:13:12.000 --> 00:13:14.050 altar and they would pray. 00:13:15.800 --> 00:13:23.160 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 00:13:23.160 --> 00:13:24.200 the altars. 00:13:24.760 --> 00:13:25.760 Excuse me, the altar of incense. 00:13:26.400 --> 00:13:28.200 The incense of the prayers of the people. 00:13:31.220 --> 00:13:38.300 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. 00:13:40.740 --> 00:13:42.060 This was called the Holy of Holies. 00:13:43.480 --> 00:13:45.970 No one really knows for sure with the Ark of the covenant. 00:13:46.200 --> 00:13:46.580 Looks like. 00:13:48.000 --> 00:13:49.460 We're told the dimensions of the Ark. 00:13:49.460 --> 00:13:51.070 We're told it's overlaid in gold. 00:13:51.360 --> 00:13:56.620 The part that remains a mystery is exactly how the angels that were shaped on top of the ark would have looked. 00:13:58.220 --> 00:14:01.690 The top covering of the Ark of the covenant is called the Mercy Seat. 00:14:02.520 --> 00:14:04.500 It's a place of authority where a king would reign. 00:14:05.700 --> 00:14:11.480 It's a place where a king would pardon the guilt of people, says in Isaiah chapter six. 00:14:12.420 --> 00:14:16.520 Isaiah records his vision of heaven as he comes before God's throne. 00:14:16.520 --> 00:14:23.680 And in that recording of Isaiah chapter six, beginning in verse three, he notes, As God is sitting upon his throne, the seraphim 00:14:23.680 --> 00:14:27.840 that are surrounding his throne, literally seraphim means angels of fire. 00:14:29.580 --> 00:14:36.620 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 00:14:36.620 --> 00:14:40.960 the beauty of God, reflecting this gold, reflecting to the nation of Israel. 00:14:41.000 --> 00:14:43.760 The mercy seat and the authority position of God. 00:14:46.340 --> 00:14:52.520 And the only one that could go into this temple, into the Holy of Holies, was the High Priest. 00:14:54.060 --> 00:14:58.940 And the only time that this High Priest was allowed into the Holy of Holies was just simply once a year. 00:14:59.820 --> 00:15:06.860 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, 00:15:07.060 --> 00:15:11.420 to represent the needs of the people on the Day of Atonement, this took place literally. 00:15:14.080 --> 00:15:21.200 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 00:15:21.200 --> 00:15:24.060 October, depending on where it falls on their calendar. 00:15:25.520 --> 00:15:27.240 And they would sacrifice a goat. 00:15:28.220 --> 00:15:30.830 They would walk into the Holy of Holies and the Holy. 00:15:30.960 --> 00:15:32.160 The priest would walk in. 00:15:32.160 --> 00:15:39.360 The high priest would walk into this place, and he would apply the blood once a year to the mercy seat for the forgiveness 00:15:39.360 --> 00:15:41.380 of God's people. 00:15:43.440 --> 00:15:47.100 The temple was an elaborate place of worship. 00:15:49.360 --> 00:15:56.720 Could you imagine, though, if you built a structure such as this and the most sacred place in all 00:15:56.720 --> 00:16:05.640 of your building, the most beautiful opportunity that's there for worship and no one is allowed in symbolizing 00:16:05.640 --> 00:16:09.740 to the nation of Israel the sacredness and the holiness of God. 00:16:11.200 --> 00:16:18.600 The mercy seat reminding us as people that in Hebrews chapter nine and verse 27, it's appointed unto man once to die, 00:16:18.760 --> 00:16:21.140 and after that immediately your judgment. 00:16:22.200 --> 00:16:25.850 All of us one day will meet our maker face to face. 00:16:27.160 --> 00:16:34.240 The priest offering the sacrifice of a perfect, spotless lamb for the people on behalf of the people 00:16:34.300 --> 00:16:40.910 reminding us as people, if that sacrifice that you're bringing to God has sinned, it is not perfect. 00:16:41.320 --> 00:16:44.320 When you get to that mercy seat, you will find no mercy. 00:16:47.360 --> 00:16:50.810 All of this elaborate worship being built in the temple. 00:16:51.760 --> 00:16:52.740 And this is what the Bible says. 00:16:54.440 --> 00:17:01.800 Hebrews chapter ten, day after day, every priest stands and performs his 00:17:01.860 --> 00:17:06.400 religious duties the table, the incense, the candle, the sacrifices. 00:17:06.640 --> 00:17:13.020 Again and again he offers the same sacrifices which can never take away sins. 00:17:16.880 --> 00:17:20.400 Israel made these sacrifices that did them no good. 00:17:22.339 --> 00:17:29.780 It was an illustration to them, an illustration of one who would come to be the sacrifice for these people 00:17:29.980 --> 00:17:37.040 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 00:17:37.040 --> 00:17:41.560 going into the Holy of Holies, but everyone walking into the throne room of God. 00:17:44.180 --> 00:17:46.640 Israel never found salvation in this temple. 00:17:48.300 --> 00:17:52.280 Their salvation was always to come through Messiah. 00:17:54.740 --> 00:18:01.980 And this is important for us to recognize because as I shared with us in the beginning, the 00:18:02.040 --> 00:18:08.170 Bible bleeds with illustrations of the temple from beginning to end. 00:18:09.440 --> 00:18:16.460 And to understand what took place in this building reflects to us a better understanding, especially of what the New Testament tries 00:18:16.460 --> 00:18:18.360 to communicate to us as believers. 00:18:20.840 --> 00:18:24.900 John, the author of John, is where I'm going to share just some verses for you this morning. 00:18:24.940 --> 00:18:32.180 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 00:18:32.180 --> 00:18:32.600 the Bible. 00:18:33.080 --> 00:18:38.520 But the author of the Gospel of John wrote his book After the temple was destroyed. 00:18:39.820 --> 00:18:47.000 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 00:18:47.000 --> 00:18:51.280 rebuild what was destroyed in Jerusalem so that we can worship God again? 00:18:52.920 --> 00:18:59.960 And on that backdrop, John illustrates the significance of Jesus. 00:19:01.820 --> 00:19:02.940 He starts off his book. 00:19:02.940 --> 00:19:07.860 When we saw last week, he says, in the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God. 00:19:08.160 --> 00:19:11.340 And the word became flesh and dwelt among us. 00:19:12.260 --> 00:19:16.680 And we saw his glory, glory as of the only begotten from the father, full of grace and truth. 00:19:18.560 --> 00:19:22.860 The word dwell in this passage, as we've seen before, means literally tabernacle. 00:19:25.340 --> 00:19:32.580 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 00:19:32.580 --> 00:19:34.540 Jesus is the tabernacle. 00:19:34.760 --> 00:19:36.960 Tabernacle meaning dwelling place of God. 00:19:38.040 --> 00:19:40.780 This Jesus is God dwelling for you. 00:19:41.400 --> 00:19:42.900 Amen. 00:19:43.600 --> 00:19:50.460 John then carries on his story, and he shares to us how Jesus relates to these elements as it relates to the brazen altar. 00:19:50.580 --> 00:19:57.600 John says in chapter one and verse 29, Behold the Lamb of God, who, what takes away the sins of the 00:19:57.600 --> 00:20:02.900 world, tells us when it relates to the basin washing. 00:20:05.340 --> 00:20:12.360 In John chapter three, Jesus at the Passover celebration with his disciples goes into the upper room with 00:20:12.360 --> 00:20:13.020 the 12. 00:20:13.040 --> 00:20:13.820 And what does he do? 00:20:14.360 --> 00:20:15.120 He washes their feet. 00:20:18.620 --> 00:20:22.580 The priest, when they would step to the brazen altar, would wash their hands and their feet. 00:20:25.640 --> 00:20:32.660 Bible tells us in John 1934, instead of one of you, excuse me? 00:20:32.680 --> 00:20:40.440 Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus's side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and 00:20:40.440 --> 00:20:40.760 water. 00:20:42.580 --> 00:20:47.650 When you sacrifice an animal on top of the brazen altar, blood would flow. 00:20:49.460 --> 00:20:50.690 Forgiveness was given. 00:20:51.720 --> 00:20:55.640 You would go back to the wash basin and you would cleanse yourself. 00:20:57.440 --> 00:20:59.040 Jesus at his death. 00:20:59.140 --> 00:21:06.740 Both illustrated the blood of the sacrifice of the altar and the cleansing of the basin when 00:21:06.740 --> 00:21:10.140 he was speared in his side, and both blood and water flowed. 00:21:11.920 --> 00:21:12.620 The Bible goes on. 00:21:12.640 --> 00:21:16.750 If we were to enter into the Tabernacle, one of the first things that we would come to is the table of showbread. 00:21:18.520 --> 00:21:19.880 Jesus and John. 00:21:19.880 --> 00:21:23.000 Chapter six stands before the people and he says this. 00:21:24.020 --> 00:21:30.040 Jesus said to them, very truly, I tell you, it is not Moses who gives you the bread from heaven, who built the temple. 00:21:33.490 --> 00:21:34.570 Okay, who built the tabernacle? 00:21:34.960 --> 00:21:35.470 That's a trick question. 00:21:36.600 --> 00:21:36.880 Moses. 00:21:38.900 --> 00:21:44.120 Moses both built the table of showbread, which displayed the bread of life and prayed for God to bring the manna. 00:21:45.280 --> 00:21:46.820 And Jesus reflects back to that. 00:21:46.840 --> 00:21:52.220 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. 00:21:52.920 --> 00:21:56.900 For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world. 00:21:57.420 --> 00:22:00.160 Sir, they said, always give us this bread. 00:22:01.300 --> 00:22:04.600 Israel knew that the bread and the temple was to represent the life that God brought. 00:22:05.740 --> 00:22:08.640 And so then Jesus said, I am the bread of life. 00:22:09.840 --> 00:22:12.780 Whoever comes to me will never hunger. 00:22:15.240 --> 00:22:22.340 Just as Jesus relates his life to this table, he then relates his life to 00:22:22.340 --> 00:22:22.660 the lampstand. 00:22:25.180 --> 00:22:26.440 In John seven it says this. 00:22:27.980 --> 00:22:31.960 When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, I am the light of the world. 00:22:33.280 --> 00:22:37.560 Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. 00:22:39.780 --> 00:22:42.800 In this passage comes in a beautiful section of Scripture. 00:22:43.720 --> 00:22:50.740 I couldn't imagine sometimes we read over this text we don't understand Jewish customs, and we fail to recognize the boldness of the statement that Jesus is making. 00:22:52.180 --> 00:22:59.200 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 00:22:59.200 --> 00:22:59.980 for the nation of Israel. 00:23:00.480 --> 00:23:05.300 It's a week long celebration at a particular point of the Feast of Booths. 00:23:05.360 --> 00:23:12.460 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 00:23:12.460 --> 00:23:18.040 the temple with lights to indicate to the world that God has made himself known to the in the temple. 00:23:18.340 --> 00:23:24.180 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. 00:23:25.940 --> 00:23:30.880 This place, this temple is packed full of people as the celebration is going on. 00:23:32.100 --> 00:23:39.140 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 00:23:39.140 --> 00:23:41.190 himself known to the nation of Israel. 00:23:41.280 --> 00:23:46.520 And Jesus stands up in the midst of this and says, I am the light of the world. 00:23:48.860 --> 00:23:49.240 I give you goosebumps. 00:23:52.920 --> 00:23:59.320 If you ever saw someone just declaring to this world, listen, it's not about this building, it's about me. 00:24:00.500 --> 00:24:01.780 It's not about religion. 00:24:01.780 --> 00:24:03.980 It's about a relationship with me. 00:24:04.520 --> 00:24:06.020 Amen. 00:24:06.140 --> 00:24:06.880 It's in these moments. 00:24:10.240 --> 00:24:15.620 As Jesus recognized himself as the lampstand for the nation of Israel. 00:24:18.640 --> 00:24:23.260 He goes on and shares that he's also the altar of incense. 00:24:25.320 --> 00:24:30.780 It says in John 16, in that day you will not question me about anything. 00:24:32.000 --> 00:24:37.320 Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask the father for anything in my name, he will give it to you. 00:24:37.820 --> 00:24:39.580 Until now, you have asked for nothing in my name. 00:24:39.680 --> 00:24:42.590 Ask, and you will receive so that your that should be joy. 00:24:43.240 --> 00:24:44.400 J must be happy that he's in there. 00:24:44.740 --> 00:24:46.760 But your joy may be made full. 00:24:48.400 --> 00:24:55.060 And the point to us you would take the altar of incense, and you would light the incense and offer up prayers. 00:24:55.640 --> 00:25:00.540 And the incense were to illustrate a connection as it lifted to the heavens between us and God. 00:25:02.440 --> 00:25:05.500 Now, rather than offer the incense, Jesus now changes the way that we pray. 00:25:06.980 --> 00:25:10.680 You ever wonder when you pray, you always say at the end in Jesus name. 00:25:10.840 --> 00:25:12.960 Most of the time, in Jesus name, Amen. 00:25:13.620 --> 00:25:14.960 That's Grayson's favorite part of the prayer. 00:25:15.000 --> 00:25:18.860 When we are about to eat something, we ask him to pray last week and he just said, Amen. 00:25:18.860 --> 00:25:19.300 That was it. 00:25:20.020 --> 00:25:21.280 So where's the Jesus name part? 00:25:21.600 --> 00:25:25.780 In Jesus name, Amen. 00:25:27.160 --> 00:25:27.990 What does that even mean? 00:25:29.740 --> 00:25:32.980 It means by the authority and power of the person's position. 00:25:34.640 --> 00:25:38.080 When you pray in some someone's name, it's not like a voodoo statement that you're making. 00:25:38.420 --> 00:25:41.980 It's declaring the authority and power of the position of that person. 00:25:41.980 --> 00:25:48.940 As you lift up that prayer and the power and authority of Jesus, I'm asking this. 00:25:49.580 --> 00:25:49.860 Amen. 00:25:50.800 --> 00:25:51.460 Amen. 00:25:51.740 --> 00:25:59.280 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 00:25:59.460 --> 00:26:00.040 answer our prayers. 00:26:01.500 --> 00:26:08.500 And Jesus is illustrating to the nation of Israel that he is that altar of incense. 00:26:10.680 --> 00:26:11.940 Jesus went on and shared for us. 00:26:13.600 --> 00:26:20.340 As John illustrated throughout Jesus's life, making quotes that Jesus fulfilled the work of the six elements within the tabernacle. 00:26:22.280 --> 00:26:27.660 Jesus even shared with us the significance of what he thought in our worship as it relates to the Tabernacle. 00:26:29.560 --> 00:26:36.140 We saw a little bit of this last week, but Jesus comes before the woman at the well and it says, woman. 00:26:36.180 --> 00:26:43.760 Jesus replied, believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the father, neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem backdrop. 00:26:44.020 --> 00:26:51.200 You guys, some of you know this, but the woman in the well lived in an area called Samaria, and she was a half 00:26:51.200 --> 00:26:54.200 Jew, and so the Jews wouldn't allow her to come to Jerusalem to worship. 00:26:55.680 --> 00:27:01.380 And being a half Jew, the Samaritans decided they would build their own place of worship and call that God's sacred place. 00:27:02.020 --> 00:27:09.200 Meanwhile, the nation of Israel continued to worship in Jerusalem, and her concern is being a Samaritan, having grown up in that system 00:27:09.200 --> 00:27:12.280 of religion her whole life and the temple, she wants to know God. 00:27:12.300 --> 00:27:14.920 I really want to worship in the appropriate place. 00:27:14.920 --> 00:27:17.600 Where is that appropriate place for me to connect with you? 00:27:19.200 --> 00:27:23.340 And so he says in verse 22, You Samaritans worship what you do not know. 00:27:23.340 --> 00:27:26.080 We worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. 00:27:26.180 --> 00:27:28.260 And Jesus is saying literally, Samaritans. 00:27:28.260 --> 00:27:29.000 You got a little bit off. 00:27:29.140 --> 00:27:29.880 The Jews have it right. 00:27:31.040 --> 00:27:38.540 But then he goes on and says in verse 23, yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will 00:27:38.540 --> 00:27:44.760 worship the father in the spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the father seeks. 00:27:45.920 --> 00:27:51.220 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship him in spirit and truth. 00:27:53.080 --> 00:27:55.020 What's Jesus saying to this lady? 00:27:56.280 --> 00:27:59.190 Maybe if he elaborated, it would go something like this. 00:27:59.820 --> 00:28:04.300 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? 00:28:04.400 --> 00:28:05.360 Do you know how that goes in your life? 00:28:06.440 --> 00:28:06.740 Yes. 00:28:07.120 --> 00:28:12.740 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? 00:28:12.740 --> 00:28:12.840 Yes. 00:28:13.820 --> 00:28:16.810 Don't you want more in your relationship with God? 00:28:16.860 --> 00:28:23.920 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 00:28:23.920 --> 00:28:25.890 can come before his mercy seat at any time. 00:28:26.300 --> 00:28:26.400 Yeah. 00:28:27.740 --> 00:28:32.500 What time is coming where this building and that building won't even matter. 00:28:34.640 --> 00:28:41.680 It's the spirit moving within you And just as the Shekinah glory hovers over the Holy of Holies at 00:28:41.680 --> 00:28:48.940 the temple, this Shekinah glory will dwell within you and you will worship in spirit and 00:28:48.940 --> 00:28:49.290 in truth. 00:28:54.300 --> 00:29:01.380 Jesus shows his significance as the one who is to be praised, 00:29:02.920 --> 00:29:06.140 the one who we desire to connect with and worship. 00:29:08.700 --> 00:29:13.240 Jesus even said in John five and verse 46, Moses wrote all about me. 00:29:15.460 --> 00:29:16.660 Moses never said Jesus. 00:29:17.900 --> 00:29:19.300 What is Jesus talking about? 00:29:21.200 --> 00:29:28.390 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. 00:29:30.640 --> 00:29:33.920 I got to tell you this week, I love when I study things about the Bible. 00:29:33.920 --> 00:29:36.200 I'm studying so much about this temple and tabernacle. 00:29:36.400 --> 00:29:42.760 I wish I could fit it all in 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. 00:29:42.920 --> 00:29:42.920 But. 00:29:43.280 --> 00:29:44.660 But I love just the details of this. 00:29:44.700 --> 00:29:49.460 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. 00:29:49.540 --> 00:29:49.680 Maybe. 00:29:49.860 --> 00:29:55.800 Maybe not new to you, but I came across this passage of which Jesus was standing before people. 00:29:56.040 --> 00:29:58.500 And, I've always looked at this and I've applauded Jesus. 00:29:59.200 --> 00:29:59.860 Way to go. 00:30:00.240 --> 00:30:03.120 You have just showed everybody that you are the solution here, right? 00:30:04.300 --> 00:30:06.640 And he says in John 14 three, you'll see it. 00:30:06.700 --> 00:30:07.210 You'll want to applaud. 00:30:07.780 --> 00:30:14.340 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. 00:30:14.340 --> 00:30:16.400 Some of you just stopped there and started plotting, right? 00:30:16.400 --> 00:30:16.720 Yay! 00:30:16.840 --> 00:30:17.380 Heaven! 00:30:17.380 --> 00:30:18.660 Yeah. 00:30:18.700 --> 00:30:19.060 Yes. 00:30:19.540 --> 00:30:19.900 Yeah, right. 00:30:20.700 --> 00:30:23.320 You know the way to the place where I am going. 00:30:24.580 --> 00:30:27.580 Thomas, we like doubting Thomas said to him. 00:30:27.580 --> 00:30:30.380 Lord, we do not know where you're going. 00:30:31.100 --> 00:30:32.730 So how can we know the way? 00:30:34.020 --> 00:30:41.020 Jesus answered, I am the way and the truth and the life, and no one 00:30:41.020 --> 00:30:44.150 comes to the father except through me. 00:30:45.680 --> 00:30:47.090 I've always loved that right. 00:30:48.460 --> 00:30:50.430 I didn't know how much I loved it until this week. 00:30:51.600 --> 00:30:55.260 Jesus pointed himself as the way and the truth and the life, right? 00:30:55.700 --> 00:30:57.160 He communicates all that to us. 00:30:57.340 --> 00:30:58.080 It's glorious. 00:30:58.220 --> 00:30:59.280 I've shared it that way my whole life. 00:30:59.620 --> 00:31:00.680 And it's not wrong. 00:31:00.740 --> 00:31:02.100 It's true in what he's saying. 00:31:02.420 --> 00:31:08.520 But you ever stop to ask the question, why did Jesus use these exact words to refer to himself? 00:31:09.240 --> 00:31:11.360 And why did he say it in that order? 00:31:12.120 --> 00:31:13.320 Why didn't he just say, like, guys, I'm awesome. 00:31:14.740 --> 00:31:17.340 You know, if you don't get listen to me, follow me. 00:31:17.340 --> 00:31:18.060 I'm awesome. 00:31:18.060 --> 00:31:20.440 You know, I'll give you everything you could ever imagine. 00:31:20.440 --> 00:31:22.780 This heaven and fill your soul. 00:31:23.000 --> 00:31:23.200 And. 00:31:23.200 --> 00:31:24.120 And why did he say that? 00:31:24.860 --> 00:31:26.460 Why did he say the way, the truth and life? 00:31:26.500 --> 00:31:28.460 Why did he say the life, the way and the truth? 00:31:29.180 --> 00:31:31.530 I mean, what's up with the phrase that Jesus picked? 00:31:31.660 --> 00:31:31.800 Was the. 00:31:32.000 --> 00:31:33.280 Was there a reason for that? 00:31:34.580 --> 00:31:35.020 And there was. 00:31:37.620 --> 00:31:44.740 So when you walked into the tabernacle or the temple, the Jews had special names that they referred to as each individual entered 00:31:44.740 --> 00:31:45.760 the sacred places. 00:31:47.600 --> 00:31:50.950 When you gathered to worship all the people into the courtyard, it was called. 00:31:51.060 --> 00:31:52.360 The entrance was called The Way. 00:31:54.800 --> 00:31:57.440 When you went into the Holy place, it was called the truth. 00:31:58.800 --> 00:32:01.920 And into the Holy of Holies it was called the life. 00:32:04.220 --> 00:32:10.800 Now when you think about what Jesus is saying, can you see those words rich with meaning? 00:32:12.080 --> 00:32:18.680 A time is coming, and now is when those who worship me will worship me in spirit and in truth. 00:32:18.680 --> 00:32:23.260 My spirit will connect with your life and you will have life in me. 00:32:23.720 --> 00:32:24.340 Amen. 00:32:24.340 --> 00:32:24.840 Amen. 00:32:25.520 --> 00:32:27.560 What is Jesus saying to this crowd? 00:32:27.600 --> 00:32:28.160 Could you imagine? 00:32:29.120 --> 00:32:35.890 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. 00:32:35.960 --> 00:32:37.820 Lop off his head, right? 00:32:38.000 --> 00:32:39.760 Right. 00:32:40.200 --> 00:32:41.110 This is sacred. 00:32:42.220 --> 00:32:43.460 This is a sacred place. 00:32:43.760 --> 00:32:44.920 You're talking about Jesus. 00:32:46.800 --> 00:32:48.260 What are you trying to say to me? 00:32:49.500 --> 00:32:51.060 God, that no longer. 00:32:51.060 --> 00:32:54.840 I have to depend on someone else to go into this place and minister for me. 00:32:55.120 --> 00:33:00.740 But I have the opportunity to walk in the way and the truth and the life up to your very throne. 00:33:01.880 --> 00:33:03.020 Amen. 00:33:03.260 --> 00:33:04.640 Do you understand the privilege of that? 00:33:06.100 --> 00:33:10.780 If we were to ask people the Old Testament, what is the greatest time in which you could live? 00:33:11.600 --> 00:33:14.120 They would say, so we could stop worshiping in this parking lot. 00:33:16.000 --> 00:33:17.120 We're tired of the cold. 00:33:17.300 --> 00:33:17.930 Get us in the tent. 00:33:18.020 --> 00:33:19.380 There's some candles in there. 00:33:19.400 --> 00:33:19.520 Right? 00:33:20.380 --> 00:33:21.180 Amen. 00:33:21.300 --> 00:33:22.720 And I want to get before that throne. 00:33:23.520 --> 00:33:24.180 That's right. 00:33:24.360 --> 00:33:29.250 Day after day, I watched these men walk in, and they offer these prayers before God and these incense. 00:33:29.300 --> 00:33:35.280 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. 00:33:35.680 --> 00:33:39.060 You are forgiving me and God you are hearing me and God. 00:33:39.120 --> 00:33:40.940 I can connect with you and God. 00:33:40.940 --> 00:33:42.900 I'm giving getting life from you. 00:33:44.400 --> 00:33:51.540 The greatest time to live is now connected to the way 00:33:52.540 --> 00:33:54.640 and the truth and the life. 00:33:57.440 --> 00:34:04.520 Just to make sure John had illustrated his point to us how beautiful the Tabernacle was, but how important 00:34:04.520 --> 00:34:06.700 it has become for us that Jesus is now here. 00:34:08.120 --> 00:34:09.340 He then closes his book this way. 00:34:12.300 --> 00:34:17.969 When he had received the drink, Jesus said, it is finished. 00:34:19.440 --> 00:34:22.520 With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. 00:34:24.199 --> 00:34:27.199 Matthew elaborates, Matthew, Mark and Luke all elaborate to this. 00:34:28.260 --> 00:34:30.860 As soon as Jesus says it is finished, it tells us. 00:34:30.860 --> 00:34:37.880 In Matthew 2751, the veil was torn from top to bottom, literally from heaven to 00:34:37.880 --> 00:34:38.179 earth. 00:34:40.100 --> 00:34:47.100 Illustrating to us that the veil, the Holy of Holies, the place where God has dwelled for so long 00:34:47.179 --> 00:34:48.219 for the nation of Israel. 00:34:48.920 --> 00:34:49.860 He dwelled there no more. 00:34:51.860 --> 00:34:56.040 And God opened up himself to the world, and the veil was torn. 00:34:57.820 --> 00:35:05.000 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, 00:35:06.140 --> 00:35:09.060 for the forgiveness of sins, to atone for their sins. 00:35:09.100 --> 00:35:10.470 That way they could be at one. 00:35:10.880 --> 00:35:13.340 That's what atone means at one with God. 00:35:14.960 --> 00:35:20.200 Jesus hangs on the cross in the very last words he speaks before his death is it is finished. 00:35:21.560 --> 00:35:22.680 Literally meaning to us. 00:35:24.180 --> 00:35:24.560 Paid in full. 00:35:27.480 --> 00:35:32.000 Thinking about all the separation that existed between us and God because of our sin. 00:35:33.340 --> 00:35:37.900 Thinking of how it required a perfect sacrifice to reconcile our relationship with God. 00:35:37.980 --> 00:35:40.180 To remove the sins that we had present. 00:35:41.000 --> 00:35:46.730 Jesus said he had paid it in full and the veil was torn. 00:35:48.980 --> 00:35:50.300 What does this mean to us? 00:35:52.960 --> 00:35:58.780 Jesus went on and prayed for you that you would be one with him, as he is one with the father. 00:36:01.600 --> 00:36:02.560 The conclusion is this. 00:36:06.440 --> 00:36:13.680 Last week we saw the importance of the tabernacle, and I still think it's significant for God's people to gather together and 00:36:13.680 --> 00:36:16.100 worship because the Spirit of God is moving within us. 00:36:17.960 --> 00:36:20.920 But the important things that we reflect upon in our heart isn't the building. 00:36:21.460 --> 00:36:21.580 Though. 00:36:21.660 --> 00:36:24.680 It's important to have a place in our community to display God. 00:36:26.320 --> 00:36:30.160 The important thing is that we seek and desire to connect to Jesus together. 00:36:33.040 --> 00:36:39.130 The Bible says in Ephesians 317, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. 00:36:40.120 --> 00:36:47.560 And again, Paul writing these words uses specifically the words dwell to recall in our minds tabernacle. 00:36:49.860 --> 00:36:57.360 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 00:36:57.360 --> 00:37:02.220 atone for your sins, the veil is ripped in your life and you have communion with God. 00:37:05.100 --> 00:37:08.880 And Christ tabernacles within you. 00:37:11.440 --> 00:37:15.020 The altar of incense takes place every opportunity. 00:37:15.020 --> 00:37:19.310 You bow your knee before God and lift up your prayers in Jesus's name. 00:37:20.140 --> 00:37:27.460 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 00:37:27.460 --> 00:37:28.160 for your life. 00:37:28.260 --> 00:37:35.420 Every time you walk to the altar, asking for forgiveness and cleansing so that you can experience that relationship with him, Jesus 00:37:35.420 --> 00:37:36.460 is there. 00:37:36.680 --> 00:37:39.820 Jesus is ministering that in your heart and in your life. 00:37:41.900 --> 00:37:42.800 And so the Bible says this. 00:37:45.040 --> 00:37:46.420 First Corinthians 316. 00:37:47.780 --> 00:37:54.860 Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells within you? 00:37:57.140 --> 00:38:02.200 Once you place your faith in Jesus, you become that temple. 00:38:02.820 --> 00:38:10.040 Rather than going to a building to work, Jesus is doing his work inside of you as you surrender yourself to 00:38:10.040 --> 00:38:10.220 him. 00:38:12.240 --> 00:38:19.500 Do you notice every act that took place in the Tabernacle was about man surrendering their will to 00:38:19.560 --> 00:38:27.340 conduct what God had asked them to do, giving up a life for the sake of drawing near to God, giving 00:38:27.340 --> 00:38:33.370 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. 00:38:35.960 --> 00:38:39.740 Bible says it again in case first Corinthians got the chapter three and you were asleep. 00:38:41.880 --> 00:38:45.750 Get to chapter six and hopefully you've woken up and he says this flee immorality. 00:38:47.100 --> 00:38:52.400 Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body. 00:38:53.460 --> 00:38:59.980 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? 00:39:00.000 --> 00:39:01.520 For you have been bought with a price. 00:39:02.220 --> 00:39:06.060 Therefore glorify God with your body. 00:39:08.000 --> 00:39:14.420 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. 00:39:15.360 --> 00:39:19.680 So we read this you, it's you collectively you all we would say in the South, y'all. 00:39:21.220 --> 00:39:21.820 This is about y'all. 00:39:23.200 --> 00:39:30.220 When we get together, y'all reflect the Spirit of God, Isn't it beautiful to think about being 00:39:30.220 --> 00:39:31.560 created in God's image? 00:39:31.560 --> 00:39:38.300 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. 00:39:42.000 --> 00:39:49.560 God is saying in this passage of Scripture, you guys have significant worth that 00:39:49.560 --> 00:39:53.440 you guys are actually sacred to the Lord. 00:39:55.640 --> 00:39:58.540 That what you do with your life matters. 00:39:58.660 --> 00:40:03.980 Because not only is it representing Jesus to yourself, but your temple is representing Jesus to this world. 00:40:07.380 --> 00:40:08.560 You've become God's dwelling place. 00:40:10.540 --> 00:40:12.010 You can worship at any time. 00:40:12.020 --> 00:40:13.880 You can fellowship at any time. 00:40:13.880 --> 00:40:15.660 You can commune at any time. 00:40:15.680 --> 00:40:18.840 You can find forgiveness at any time. 00:40:18.860 --> 00:40:22.860 You can go straight to the mercy seat at any time. 00:40:22.980 --> 00:40:25.680 It's about experiencing him. 00:40:26.860 --> 00:40:28.060 The temple is a picture. 00:40:28.920 --> 00:40:33.880 The tabernacle is a picture for us to understand what it's like to experience him. 00:40:34.140 --> 00:40:39.480 And Jesus has come to illustrate to us that he's giving us the opportunity to experience him. 00:40:39.480 --> 00:40:45.820 And by faith, if you place your trust in what Jesus has done, you become that temple to experience him. 00:40:47.020 --> 00:40:47.120 Beautiful. 00:40:47.640 --> 00:40:48.540 Amen. 00:40:48.780 --> 00:40:50.320 So here's where I'm going to leave you with a cliffhanger today. 00:40:52.600 --> 00:40:55.880 We see God's holiness in this temple. 00:40:57.020 --> 00:41:04.020 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 00:41:04.020 --> 00:41:04.280 of Holies. 00:41:04.820 --> 00:41:05.500 What's up with that? 00:41:06.380 --> 00:41:07.300 What happened to these guys? 00:41:07.640 --> 00:41:08.490 Are they just gone now? 00:41:09.240 --> 00:41:10.660 These important people that did the worship right. 00:41:12.640 --> 00:41:13.990 You'll know if you read the New Testament. 00:41:14.320 --> 00:41:19.200 The Bible not only calls you a priest, but it calls you a royal priest. 00:41:20.280 --> 00:41:21.180 I want to tell you why you want to come. 00:41:21.680 --> 00:41:25.920 If anyone's going to call you a king or a queen, you want to hear about that, right? 00:41:26.080 --> 00:41:28.610 I all this time, I walk around thinking maybe. 00:41:28.700 --> 00:41:31.740 Maybe I was a priest, but now I'm royalty, right? 00:41:32.060 --> 00:41:34.260 We're going to roll out the red carpet for you next week. 00:41:35.300 --> 00:41:36.160 What does that mean? 00:41:36.680 --> 00:41:37.840 God uses that word. 00:41:39.160 --> 00:41:43.000 A royal priesthood for his followers. 00:41:43.660 --> 00:41:46.580 Related to the tabernacle, as is expressed in the New Testament. 00:41:47.140 --> 00:41:53.650 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.