Seeing The New Covenant Christ in the Old Testament Tabernacle
Hebrews chapter 8:1-7
(Children's Sheet for Sermon Interaction is at bottom. Notes for young children to answer are throughout sermon)Pastor Kerry Kinchen, Bridgeway Bible Church
This morning we are celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ. As we do, I am wanting to preach something a little differently than the typical resurrection Sunday sermon. Hebrews chapter 8:1-7 will be our primary text. As we go to that text, let’s think about an amazing event in history. About 3500 years ago God delivered His elect people, the genetic Israelites, from slavery to the Egyptians. As they traveled through the desert, God manifested His grace and provision in supernatural ways. He sent them food from heaven. He gave them water flowing from a rock. God protected them. God did miraculous things. God also gave those people a Covenant of Law. We know it as the Old Covenant Law of Moses. They were to keep this Law in obedience to God. Along with the Law, God gave the Israelites instructions to build a structure called a "Tabernacle." This structure was meant for establishing a system of sacrifice to the Lord. It was also for ordaining a priesthood. After Moses received the Law-covenant with the instructions for the Tabernacle and priesthood, he built an altar. The he sacrificed animals to God. He took the blood of the sacrifices and splashed it on the altar. Then after reading the Law to the Israelites, he threw some of the blood toward them. He also sprinkled blood on the Book of the Covenant containing the law statutes. Later, after the Tabernacle was built, Moses sprinkled blood over it too. He also sprinkled blood on the priests that ministered in it, (Hebrews 9:18-22 and Exodus 24:8). This is how God established and sealed the Mosaic Law covenant with His people. God did it according to His prescribed sacrifice through the spilling of blood. We read in Colossians 2:17, and Hebrews 10:1 that God set up this system as the one way to approach Him. The facts are important, because the Spirit indicates that the Tabernacle and the sacrifice system prophetically pointed to the true everlasting Tabernacle. It pointed to the ultimate atoning blood sacrifice. It pointed to the great High Priest that was to come 1500 years later which was Christ Jesus. It pointed to the one Way to approach Him. When Christ came as the fulfillment of all of those prophetic symbols of Him, He did away with bringing animals to a structure to be sacrificed by a priest. Why? Because Christ is both the ultimate sacrifice, and the ultimate High priest. In fact, all whom He saves, become priests in Him according to 1 Peter 2:5 and Revelation 1:6. All of His people exist now as His living temples, 1 Corinthians 3:17, 6:19. Further, God's laws are written on the hearts of His elect in salvation, Hebrews 8:10. The point is that God's desert Tabernacle was a tangible reflection of what exists in the heavenly realm. It was also a prophetic symbol of Christ and His eternal work in and for those whom He spiritually saves. With these things in mind, let’s read Hebrews 8:1-7,
“... we have such a high priest, who has taken His seat at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, 2 a minister in the sanctuary and in the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, not man. 3 For every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices; so it is necessary that this high priest also have something to offer. 4 Now if He were on earth, He would not be a priest at all, since there are those who offer the gifts according to the [Mosaic] Law; 5 who serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things, just as Moses was warned by God when he was about to build the tabernacle; for, ‘see’ He says, ‘that you make all things according to the pattern which was shown you on the mountain.’ 6 But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, by as much as He is also the mediator of a better covenant, which has been enacted on better promises. 7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion sought for a second.” Hebrews 8:1-7
Please prepare your heart to learn along with me in this special Resurrection Sunday Sermon
Seeing The New Covenant Christ in the Old Testament Tabernacle
[prayer]
When the writer of Hebrews proclaimed that Christ Jesus is the minister in the true tabernacle, he went on to explain that the earthly served as a copy and a shadow of the heavenly. All of this was according to the pattern which was shown to Moses on Mt. Sinai. God gave detailed instructions to Moses on how He wanted the Tabernacle built. God said,
“Let them construct a sanctuary for Me, that I may dwell among them. According to all that I am going to show you, as the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furniture, so you shall make it.” Exodus 25:8-9
The details needed to be accurate to prophetically reflect the heavenly. In Hebrews 9:23 we read that all the Tabernacle’s elements were the copies of the things in the heavens. The earthly blueprint had an outer court. In the middle was a tent (or tabernacle). Inside the Tabernacle was a room called the "Holy Place." There was another room at the back called the "Holy of Holies." In each of these rooms, there were certain items that God wanted to be there. This morning, I want us to transport ourselves back in time in our mind’s eye, so to speak. Imagine yourself being among the place and people of the desert regions around Egypt. In our imaginations, we join the Israelites, as they have been delivered from slave labor bondage to the idol worshipping Egyptians. Think about witnessing the sea being miraculously parted so that everyone could pass through. You would have seen the sea close up the Egyptian armies that were pursuing. So consider yourself there among God's people according to the Abrahamic, and Israelite, covenants of promises. It is an exciting and wondrous time. There were thousands of Israelites roaming across the wilderness. But you would be witnessing something else--multitudes of the people rebelled against God. It was the same selfish and seemingly unexplainable sin that has plagued mankind since our great-great grandparents, Adam and Eve first sinned against God in the garden. Imagine being at Mount Sinai. It is where God gave Moses the blueprint for the Tabernacle. God said He was going to dwell in it. We are in awe of this, and we should be. It was the place where the people were promised to receive forgiveness for their sins. It is the place that they would connect with Yahweh in a close and tangible way. It is where they would have the privilege to come near to God’s manifested presence. So think about being there in the midst of all these nomadic people. And in the midst of everyone, was God’s Tabernacle. You would notice everyone in the nation bringing sacrifices for sin to the Tabernacle. God required everyone to make sacrifices for sin, yet God did not allow anyone to make sacrifices anywhere else but there. Everyone had to do it according to God's prescribed method. Everyone had to learn how important it was to abide by the method. The only way anyone approached God is through His method. One thing we realize is that the Tabernacle was always available to the people. It was always there. Whenever everyone pulled up their tent stakes, the tabernacle was packed up. It was brought along with the whole nation of Israel. As the 12 Israelite tribes traveled through the desert, they set up camp around the tabernacle. They did it according to God's prescribed plan. There were hundreds of thousands of people. God told Moses and Aaron that the Tabernacle would be in the middle of the encampment. He told them that each of the 12 tribes of Israel would fly a flag. God had a special place for each tribe to set up in the camp. Looking around the vast encampment, you would see the tribe of Judah on the Eastern side. Judah's flag was a gold lion on a red background. On the West was Ephraim. Their flag was a black ox on a gold background. At the South was Rueben. Their flag was a man on a gold background. On the North side, we would see Dan. Their flag was a golden eagle on a blue background. Looking forward now into the future, we see these four symbols referenced in Ezekial 1:10, and Revelation 4:7. Symbolically, the lion represents the sovereign reigning King. The lion, as gold, strongly points to Christ's glory and deity. The Ox is the symbol of the humble servant. He is strong yet submissive. The man points to the one earthly being created in God's image. He is the central focus of God's plan of redemption where God came in bodily form as Messiah. The eagle points to the heavenly being. The flags of each tribe point prophetically to the true banner of God, which is Christ Jesus as He is portrayed in the four gospels. It's in the four gospels that we see the four representations of Christ's character where Jesus is portrayed as the King of the Jews as the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. He is also presented as the humble suffering servant; the ox. He is also shown to be the Son of Man. Additionally, He is shown to be the majestic eagle--the heavenly being.
Looking down on the Tabernacle from a hill in the distance, we would notice that it is located inside a large courtyard that is about as wide and long as half a football field. The wall around the courtyard is made of tapestry that is about 8 feet high. Anyone could go into the courtyard, but God wanted a wall to surround the courtyard and the Tabernacle. God wanted his people to enter by only one way. God always prescribes just one way of access to Him. Any other way is false religion. Though another way seems like it is right, it is not God's prescribed method, so it is wrong. God's way is the way He has ordained. God makes His way clear to all whom He elects. To approach God from the outside camp, everyone had to go through the one gate for that purpose. So, they went to the entrance which was always on the East side. As they approached the East gate, they were required to bring an acceptable sacrifice. Why? Because all people are born in sin. We all manifest sinfulness as our very existence. This sinfulness separates us from God. So, they had to go in by God's prescribed method in repentance by acknowledging that they are sinners in need of God's forgiveness through His mercy. Since God’s people wanted to get in there to be right with God, because they knew that they needed to get in because they knew they needed to be right with God, they took the acceptable sacrifice with them. It was the sacrificial animal that God prescribed to bring according to the stipulations in His Covenant Law. Outside this gate was encamped the tribe of Judah, with the banner that had the golden lion which represents supreme rule and reign. The fact that He is gold represents the deity and glory of Christ, yet He is surrounded by a background of red like blood. We read in Revelation 5:5, that Jesus,
"is the Lion of the tribe of Judah." Revelation 5:5
The Eastern gate demonstrated that there is no other way to come to the Father. The only way is through Jesus Christ as both the majestic authority, and the chosen sacrifice in spilling His blood for sinners. Jesus said in John 14:6,
"I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me." John 14:6
@1 _____ ________ comes to the Father God but through Christ Jesus the only begotten Son. John 14:6
Today, as then, God says that we are all sinners. As such we are separated from God. We are in desperate need of God's grace according to His prescribed method. God's gate is His entrance into the living relationship with Him forever, and there is only one way. It is according to His Christ-covenant. The way to God is not through Buddha. The way to God is not through Mohammed. The way to God is not through Krishna, or Ganesh, or some kind of nature worship. It is not through self either. The only prescribed way to the One true God is through the God-Man Christ Jesus according to His rules. But think again about going to the East gate of the Old Covenant tabernacle. When God’s people walked through that gate, they immediatly saw a huge altar. It was about seven and a half feet square and four feet high. It was made of wood covered with metal. The Hebrew word nekh-o-sheth for the metal, originally meant copper. The word was later used for brass, or bronze. The point is that there is a big metal altar. That is the place where each one offered up their sacrifice. They could not be pardoned from sin and blessed by the prescribed priest unless they came and made their sacrifice on that altar. God said in Leviticus 17:11,
“For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood by reason of the life that makes atonement.” Leviticus 17:11
This sacrifice is what represented people. It represented their sin. It represented the consequence for their sin, which is death. So, whenever someone offered up their sacrifice on the altar, the sacrifice was, in a sense, taking their place. When they got to the alter each person did what all Israelites did when bringing the sacrifice to the altar. They laid their hands on the head of the animal, then they killed it. Then the priest that was standing there, poured out the blood of the animal at the foot of the altar. In all of this, something amazing happened. The people had just approached God by grace through faith that their sins and the penalty for their sins were being transmitted to the sacrifice. They realized that the sacrifice had made full satisfaction to God for their sins. The blood, in a sense, covered their sins before Holy God. Now in the future, we understand that the New Covenant altar is the cross of Christ. This is where the everlasting Covenant was established in Christ's blood. Jesus's blood was poured out on the cross.
"Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma." Ephesians 5:2.
This is why Jesus cried out,
"It is finished" John 20:20
These were His last words before He died on the cross. But it is important to understand that Jesus is the one who offered Himself up as the sacrifice, Hebrews 9:14
"how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?" Hebrews 9:14
@2 The sinless Christ Jesus offered ________________ up to God as the ultimate sacrifice. Hebrews 9:14
In His full work, we see the completeness of what Christ did for us in 2 Corinthians 5:21,
“God made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we would become the righteousness of God.” 2 Corinthians 5:21
@3 God made the sinless Christ to be sin for us on the cross, so that we would become the righteousness of __________ . 2 Corinthians 5:21
By grace through faith in Jesus Christ's work for you, God knows you as His very own righteousness. The sacrifice for this was done once. The old sacrifices simply covered man's sin according to man's own obedience in providing and making sacrifices over and over again. But in Christ, the God-man takes away sin forever according to His own obedience in delivering up Himself as the final sacrifice. In Him we become the very righteousness of God; and the righteousness that we are never goes away.
Again let’s consider ourselves to be back at the Old Covenant altar. When we look behind the altar, we see a polished wash-basin filled with water. It is called the brazen, or bronze, or brass laver. The metal is so polished that people can see their reflections in it. There were two purposes for this basin. The brass laver is meant for cleansing. But through the reflection, it also reveals the uncleanness. When God set aside Aaron and his sons to be the priests, they washed their whole bodies in the laver. They were also required to wash their hands and feet in the laver before entering the Tabernacle and before ministering at the altar. Everyone that the priest had just ministered to at the altar had already been declared cleansed in atonement; so this washing is not for everyone. In other words, there was no baptism-cleansing-rite that the people of the camp went through to somehow make themselves cleaner than the sacrifice made them. The 12 tribes were never directed to sacrifice their animals and then supposedly make the sacrifice effectual through some sort of water baptism rite. The laver was for the baptizing of the priests. The priests cleansed their hands and feet at the laver before entering the Tabernacle and sacrificing. But there is more. Throughout the day, priests would get dirty, so they would occasionally go over to the laver and wash. Every time a priest looked into the basin, he would see himself in the polished brass and be able to detect how dirty he was. So the dual purpose of the brass-laver was shown in a beautiful way. It was an exposer of dirtiness, yet at the same time, it provided the water for being cleansed. No priest could enter into the Tabernacle without first having a blood sacrifice, and then being cleansed with water at the laver. Looking again to the New Covenant future, we recognize that we are all cleansed priests through our high priest which is Christ in His royal priesthood, as Peter says in 1 Peter 2:9, we are "an elect race, a royal priesthood.” Now we can enter into the Tabernacle and the presence of God as we read in Hebrews 10:19-22
"Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience [like priests who have had sacrificial blood sprinkled inside our bodies on our hearts in atonement] and our bodies washed with pure water [like atoned for priests who had scrubbed at the laver outside the Tabernacle]." Hebrews 10:19-22
The prophetic picture of the laver also points to the fact that we see our sin made evident through the word of God by the Holy Spirit. By the word, through God's Spirit, we are convicted of our sins. We recognize our desperate need for God's mercy and cleansing. And then through the same word, we are washed by the Spirit as we live in His revelation. Paul says in Ephesians 5:25,
"... Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, 26 so that He might set her apart, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word," Ephesians 5:25-26
The English word here for washing is translated from the Greek word for laver. The laver is a type of the water of the word of God. The word of God is used by the Spirit to set us apart. It is the good news of God that shows us who we truly are. Through its truth we are cleansed. We read Paul's instruction to Timothy in 2 Timothy 3:15-17,
"15 ... from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; 17 so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work." 2 Timothy 3:15-17
@4 Salvation only comes through _______________ in Christ Jesus. Hebrews 9:14
So, we go to the word of God as priests, having been cleansed,as Paul says, with the water washing with the word. But consider that we are looking back in time so to speak, and we are outside the Old Tabernacle (tent) in our imaginative tourist experience. While standing in the courtyard, we would notice a rather mundane looking covering on the tabernacle itself. Actually, there are four coverings prescribed for the Tabernacle. The outer one was made out of badger's skin. Due to the esoteric nature of the Hebrew word, some scholars wonder whether it could have been dolphin or porpoise skin. The main point is that this covering was somewhat plain and leathery looking. Underneath it, and out of sight, was another covering. This one was made out of ram's skin that was dyed red. These covers were what covered the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies. Pointing to the future, we recognize that Jesus was God manifested in the flesh according to John 1:1. John continues in verse 14 to say that Jesus as the Living Word (as God) tabernacled among us in the flesh,
"1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ... 14 And the Word became flesh, and tabernacled among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth." John in 1:1, 14
In Colossians 2:9, we read,
“For in Him [Christ Jesus] all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form,” Colossians 2:9
Like the badger’s skin veil that veiled God’s glory in the earthly Tabernacle, God’s glory was also veiled in Jesus as He walked among us. We read in Philippians that Jesus,
“6... existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. 8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” Philippians 2:6-8
There was nothing spectacular about Jesus’ appearance. Yet Jesus is the Lord of glory existing as God, come in a body prepared for sacrifice at the right time, made in the likeness of men which was prefigured in the ram’s skin dyed red. Jesus had a plain physical body in which flowed blood--the same blood shed on the cross. In Hebrews 10:5 we read,
“... when Christ came into the world, he said, ‘Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body you have prepared for me;’” Hebrews 10:5
Jesus is 100 percent God and 100 percent man. In Jesus’ humanity, as the sacrificial Lamb, we see the full expression of the ram’s skin dyed red. The blood was the life of Christ’s physical body that flowed underneath the outer veil of his skin. It became the substitutionary blood that was spilled for sinners. In salvation, the miracle working blood transforms us into individual Tabernacles. We are not 100 percent God. God is 100 percent God. But God is 100 percent God in us as His living temples that He chooses to dwell in according to His prescribed method. Yes, each person in the body of Christ is individually a temple of the Holy Spirit. Paul asks in 1 Corinthians 6,
“19 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? 20 For you have been bought with a price:” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
The Lord of glory lives. He lives and tabernacles in each of us in salvation. Now considering that we are only visiting the ancient Israelites in our mind's eye, and we are not really priests of that age, yet we, who are in Christ now, would be able enter the door of the Tabernacle because we are in Christ the High Priest, even though it was a place that only the Old Covenant priests were allowed to enter. Nevertheless, the first thing we would notice is a veil made out of linen. It is a mixture of blue, purple and red colors. After going inside, we would realize we are in a candle lit golden room. Looking across the room to the back, we would notice that there is another veil. It divides the inside of the Tabernacle into two rooms. The room we would be in now, is the Holy Place. The other one behind that inner veil wall is the Holy of Holies. What is really awe inspiring is that in that Holy of Holies room, one entered directly into the manifest presence of God. Only the high priest was allowed to go in there. He only went in once a year.
Standing in the Holy place room outside the Holy of Holies, we would notice that there are three furnishings. There was a gold candlestick. There was a table called the table of shewbread, and there was an incense altar in front of the veil of the Holy of Holies. Using your imagination, be considering that there was not much light. There was only the light coming from seven candles on the golden candlestick. But you would notice that the room is well lit. Why? Because it is made out of wooden boards that are covered with gold. The light from the candle lamps hit the walls and would illumine the whole room around you. You would also notice that there is a rich odor permeating the room. It is the smell of the mixed scent from the candle, olive oil, baked bread, fire from burning coals, incense, and a strong perfume called frankincense. This pungent fragrance-blend was thick. Looking to the left, after entering the Holy Place, you would see the gold candlestick through the balmy golden atmosphere. It was called the Menorah. It was large. It weighed about 170 pounds. It was made out of pure gold. The light from the candle lamp flames glistened off of seven ornate branches. We would notice that the branches come out of a main trunk. They curved upward with the lamps at the top of each branch. The middle trunk was filled with olive oil that continuously fed out to the other branches. The lamps on these branches were tended by priests in both the morning and the evening to keep the light going continuously. This was the only light allowed in the Holy Place. As tangible expressions of the future radiance, the continuous light of the candle was a prophetic demonstration of the Light of God through Christ that shines in and from those whom He saves. God the Father is light, 1 John 1:5. Jesus the Son is light, John 9:5, Isaiah 42:6. The Holy Spirit is described in terms of tongues of fire in Acts 2. God in all His triune being is described as Light. As His children, we are described as children of light, being in the Lord, Ephesians 5:8,
"for you were formerly darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of Light" Ephesians 5:8
As living temples of the Spirit, we are the ones who are God’s holy place. We continuously shine forth the light of the Holy Place by manifesting the Light of God in our salvation. By the Holy Spirit, represented by pure olive oil and tongues of fire, our own existence can be prophetically seen in the ancient candlestick. Concerning our security in Christ, we know our flame will never go out because God's flame of the Holy Place is never allowed to go out.
In the Holy Place, directly to the right and straight across from the Gold candlestick, we would notice something that looks like a golden coffee table. It was the table of Show bread, which literally means, the table of "face bread" or "faces bread." It is also called the "presence bread." The table was about three feet long. It was about one and a half feet wide. It stood about two and a half feet high. On the table were twelve loaves of unleavened bread that represented each of the twelve tribes of Israel. They were in two piles with six loaves in each pile. The loaves were covered with frankincense. Next to the loaves were some trays and vessels filled with wine. According to Leviticus 10:9, God commanded the priests to never drink in the Tabernacle. So the priests never drank this wine. But the priests ate the bread. Every Sabbath, the 12 loaves representing Israel were removed and eaten by the priests. The wine was poured out as a kind of sacrifice called a libation (Numbers 4:7). Then 12 more freshly baked loaves were put back on the table. The table of show bread, with the accompanying wine, represented the blood covenant made in the night of God's deliverance from Egypt. The event was where God commanded that the sacrificial blood of spotless lambs was to be put on the doorposts to insure salvation. The priests in the Tabernacle ate the unleavened bread which represented the bread and lamb that God commanded to be eaten in that night of deliverance in Egypt. Then the priests poured out the wine as the offering that represented the blood of the lambs, sprinkled in covenant obedience on the doorposts. Concurrently, the bread and wine represented the blood covenant of the sacrifices that the people of the 12 tribes made at the brass altar that was directly in front of the gate right outside the tabernacle. Remember, it was there that the priest poured out the blood of the animal at the foot of the brass altar. It is inside the Holy Place that the priest ate the bread and poured out the wine as a mediator for the 12 tribes who are not allowed to enter the Holy Place. The priest did this every Sabbath in symbolically representing the covenant with God that is renewed every Sabbath in respect to the salvation of the members of the 12 tribes. Symbolically, in the New Covenant future which exists now, we recognize that this points to Christ who is the fulfillment of the sacrificial Lamb for all who are joined together in Him, creating the body of Christ. Paul says concerning the New Covenant in Christ, Who is the "Bread of Life," Ephesians 2:11-16,
"... remember that formerly you, the [non-Jewish nations] in the flesh, who are called 'Uncircumcision' by the so-called 'Circumcision,' which is performed in the flesh by human hands--12 remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, 15 by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two [Both Jews and Gentiles] into one new man, [no longer just 12 tribes] thus establishing peace, 16 and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity." Ephesians 2:11-16
In the blood covenant of Christ, there is neither Jew or Gentile. Rather, there is the One New man of the body of Christ. There are not 12 breads, but one bread in Christ, 1 Corinthians 10:17
"Since there is one bread, we who are many are one body; for we all partake of the one bread." 1 Corinthians 10:17
As God's church under His New Covenant, we are the body of Christ. In 1 Corinthians 12:27, we read,
"Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it." 1 Corinthians 12:27
In Ephesians 5:23, we read that,
“... Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior.” Ephesians 5:23
In Colossians 1, we read that Jesus Christ is,
"18 ... also head of the body, the church; ... 21 And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, 22 yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach ...
@5 Christ Jesus reconciled those whom He saves in His body to present them before God holy and _________________. Colossians 1:21-22
24 ... I do my share on behalf of His body, which is the church, ... 25 Of this church I was made a minister according to the stewardship from God bestowed on me for your benefit ... 27 to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Colossians 1:18-27
What a wonderful identification we have today through God's perfect plan. Christ who is our high priest, takes us into Himself in rebirth forever and ever. In Him, we are even now seated at the right hand of the Father, Ephesians 2:6.
Back in the Tabernacle survey, the thing we would see directly ahead of us in front of the second veil, is the Altar of Incense. It was three feet high; one and a half feet square. It was covered with gold inlay. Something was burning on top of it. Every morning and every evening the priest put burning coals on this altar. Then he sprinkled incense over the coals. As soon as the incense touched the coals the room was filled with a white cloud of smoke. Once a year on the day of atonement, the high priest would sprinkle blood from the sin offering on the horns of this particular altar. Then he would enter the Holy of Holies with incense billowing up in front of Him. Throughout the scriptures, we find that incense is the symbol of prayer. We read in Psalm 141:2, where David understood the symbolic meaning of the incense,
"May my prayer be counted as incense before You; The lifting up of my hands as the evening offering." Psalm 141:2
Prophetically, we know that Jesus interceded in prayer for His disciples as the great High priest before going on to be sacrificed. Later on, He raised up again to sit on the mercy seat in the most Holy of all Holy places at the right hand of the Father. In John 17:9, right before he went on to fulfill His painful mission of self death for His people, He prayed,
"I ask on their behalf ..." John 17:9
Now, up in the heavenly realm, in resurrected glory, Jesus continues to intercede for us. We read in Romans 8:34
"who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us." Romans 8:34
Now, it is through Christ Who is the eternal and most High Priest that we approach the Father in our prayers. We read in Revelation,
"When He had taken the book, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each one holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the separated ones [the saints]." Revelation 5:8
Our prayer is like incense that perpetually burns forth from the flame of the Person of the Holy Spirit. This leads us to consider that second veil which separates the Holy of Holies from the Holy Place. We would see it there behind the altar of incense. The veil of the Holy of Holies was so dense that two pairs of oxen attached to either side and pulling in opposite directions were not able to rip it apart. It was behind this veil that we would find the earthly throne room of God. Remember, the only man who could enter there is the high priest, and He could only enter on the day of atonement. Symbolically and prophetically, we recognize that Christ's glory was veiled while in the flesh. It was later, after the crucifixion, that His glory was manifested in His resurrection. Additionally, we see that the literal veil of the temple was split down the middle at the sacrifice of Christ, thus clearing the way for all who are saved in Him to approach God unrestrained to commune with Him in His presence, Matthew 27:51. The writer of Hebrews declares,
"Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh," Hebrews 10:19-20
And Hebrews 9:24,
"For Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us;" Hebrews 9:24
Inside the Holy of Holies was where the ark of the covenant sat. It was a chest with gold overlay that was about 3 1/4 feet long, 2 1/4 feet wide, and 2 1/4 feet high. On top of the ark was a lid called The Mercy Seat. The Hebrew word and Greek word for this seat was translated into English as propitiation. Propitiation is a word that means to make complete satisfaction for sin and therefore turn away God's wrath. It is like wrath absorption. The mercy seat is where the shed blood of the sacrifice had to be applied. The application of the blood was called atonement. To "atone" means to cover. On top of the lid, there was a replica of a Cherubim on each end. Cherubim are angelic creatures. The wings of each Cherubim were pointing toward each other and touched each other at the middle of the lid. In the very center of the two cherubim, in the space between their wings, was a blinding light. It was the presence of God's glory. It was called God's Shekinah glory. This was where God was manifesting His presence in the midst of His people. Inside of the ark underneath the Mercy Seat, was Aaron's rod that had budded with almonds. There was also a pot of manna which was the miraculous food that God provided in the desert. It was the same manna that the ungrateful Israelites complained about. Along with these, there were the two stone tablets containing the Ten Commandments Covenant. The rod was the reminder that the Hebrews had earlier rejected God's sovereign rule through Aaron. The pot of manna was the reminder that the Hebrews rejected God's provision. The ten Commandments were a reminder that people were in covenant with God and are told what to do and what not to do and yet fall short of God's holiness and glory. All those things represent man's rebellion against God, of which God requires punishment. So on the day of atonement, the High Priest came into the veiled area into the Holy of Holies with the shed blood of innocence from the sacrifice. As incense filled the room, the High priest sprinkled the sacrificial blood on the Mercy Seat. This application covered the sins, and covenant, of God’s elect people which were represented underneath the seat inside the ark. God would shine down His glory on the blood that is the evidence that life had been given to pay the penalty for sin. The blood-covered mercy seat transformed God's throne of judgment, into one of grace. Through God's system, justice had been administered, and God's wrath had been vindicated. Prophetically, we now see that Christ Jesus sits on the mercy seat, where He is revealed in His glory as the Mercy of God. He is shining down upon our sinful selves which have been atoned for (covered) and purchased with His own blood, Revelation 5:6-9. Jesus is the everlasting propitiation for our sins through faith, Romans 3:20-25. Jesus is the manna in the jar, John 6:47-50. Jesus is the rejuvenated branch--once dead, but now alive. Christ the covenant is the fulfillment of the Old Covenant Law that is contained in the ark, Matthew 5:17, Romans 10:4. So now as Christ reigns on the judgment seat, which is the everlasting mercy seat for all God's children through Him, we see that the Law-covenant contained in the Ark has been replaced with a better covenant enacted upon better promises, 2 Corinthians 3; Galatians 3, and Hebrews 7 and 8.
We have been looking at how God has preserved the record for us of the copy of the heavenlies in the Old Covenant Tabernacle. What we have seen is the New Covenant Christ in the Old Testament Tabernacle. Maybe you are here this morning, and you think that all of this was interesting but you don’t quite know why it is significant. This is significant because throughout history, the world has been full of people. You are one of those people. You were created, but God is the Creator with no beginning or end. The first people that God created, rebelled against Him. They wanted to be like Him. They wanted to worship their own selves and their own desires apart from worshipping the One true God. They said,
“I want to be my own boss.”
“I don’t want the Creator to be my boss.”
In doing so they missed the mark of God’s standard of righteousness. To miss God’s standard of righteousness is called “sin.” We are all born in sin. We all inherit our sin nature from our ancestors, the first humans--Adam and Eve. So in one sense, we exist as sin. Not only do we inherit a sin nature, we also manifest sin out of our own hearts as active sinners. Deception is sin. Lusting after someone other than one’s spouse is sin. Taking something that is not ours is sin. Disobedience to parents is sin. Hatred of people is sin. Selfishness is sin. Pride is sin. Everyone sins and so everyone falls short of the glory of God, Romans 3:23. All sin has consequences. Sin is the taint that results in "Eternal Separation from God." The reason is because God is pure perfection. Everyone is separated from God and His purity because of sin. Everyone is conceived, born, and headed for the edge of the horrible cliff of damnation where they will perish in their sins forever. In sin we all deserve this fate. The only way to be saved from this doom is for God to save us by transferring us over to Himself and the kingdom of His Son in reconciliation. All who are on the God side are those He has reconciled to Himself. They will not perish. Our works don't get us there because works are merely manmade religious ways to try to cross the chasm that separates us from God. No matter how good your works are, they are covered by your sin. They may look good to you. They may appear to be good to others. But God is not impressed. He sees the sin that is underneath. He knows about the sin that is in you--in your heart. Consequently, there is no way for you to cross the chasm by doing anything. False religion will not do it, because false religions are deceptions that are born out of sin. Every false religion is really a path to the pit. Even though you might want to believe it is a path to the other side, false religion in the form of relying upon good works for God to accept you, or doing something like talking to a god in prayer, yet it is not the living God of the Bible, won’t do it. There is only one way to be saved. God is the one who does it through His sacrificial work alone. God saves sinners through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross, and resurrection three days later like He prophesied would happen. This is what all of us saved people are celebrating this morning. Through grace through faith in Christ as the sacrifice for sins, God makes people into the righteousness of Himself in Christ Jesus. Christ is the promised covenant of light prophesied in Isaiah 42:6, 49:6-8, 55:3-4 Who was prophesied to come 700 years before Christ was sent from heaven. He is the sinless High Priest and the Sinless Sacrificial Lamb that the Tabernacle prefigured.
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son so that those who believe in Him will not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16
All who believe in Him, and receive Christ's work on the cross as Lord and Savior, will have their sins forgiven forever.
“Of Him all the prophets bear witness that through His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins." Acts 10:43,
“If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.” Romans 10:10
This is what God has done to make salvation sure. This is what we are celebrating in the Resurrection Sunday. All who receive Christ as Sacrifice, Savior, and resurrected Lord, in their confession of belief for salvation from their sins, will be saved. Believe in Him, and He will change you into a new creation "in" Christ, Galatians 2:20. God will make the old things of the other side, pass away. God will do a true miracle in your life. All things will become brand new in Christ, 2 Corinthians 5. But you must quit playing games with God. You must get real. You must humble yourself before Him and submit to His Spirit’s call. If you want to receive Christ Jesus as your Lord and Savior then confess your sins to God, and have faith in the resurrected Christ for His salvation. Turn from (repent from) the cursed life of sin that you are in now. Through Christ, you will be saved. You will become a child of God in Christ Jesus. You will be a true child because He will put His Holy Spirit in you. He will give you a blameless life of forgiveness in a right relationship with your Father in Heaven. He will cleanse you, and hold you, and forgive you, and comfort you as He walks hand in hand with you for the rest of your life. This is the miracle that God does for everyone who believes in Jesus as Lord and Savior. If you want this--If you want to be saved this morning, then raise your hand. Everyone who has raised your hand, come up to the front. I want to pray with you.
@1 _____ ________ comes to the Father God but through Christ Jesus the only begotten Son. John 14:6
@2 The sinless Christ Jesus offered ________________ up to God as the ultimate sacrifice. Hebrews 9:14
@3 God made the sinless Christ to be sin for us on the cross, so that we would become the righteousness of __________ . 2 Corinthians 5:21
@4 Salvation only comes through _______________ in Christ Jesus. Hebrews 9:14
@5 Christ Jesus reconciled those whom He saves in His body to present them before God holy and _________________. Colossians 1:21-22
