Web Resource for further study

I have found the link below to be of great value in making the connection between the Tabernacle and Christ. Please note that the link will take you away from the Summit Church blog to a completely separate website for which I cannot vouch for everything that it contains.

http://www.domini.org/tabern/tabhome.htm

The Tabernacle Experience: Spirit

THE GREATEST THING IN THE WORLD is to find your STRENGTH in God. You all face challenges – and God wants you to find your strength in Him, not in some-churchy artificial way, but in authenticity and pragmatic ways.

Paul wrote in Ephesians 3:16
“I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being,” Ephesians 3:16

‘glorious riches’ – God does not lack what you need!
‘strengthen you’ – Why? Because we are all weak and in need of strength!
‘with power’ – What does power represent? FREEDOM to do what is needed!
‘through His Spirit’ – Power comes from one true source: The Holy Spirit!
‘in your inner being…’ – The power of God that meets my need is found within the deepest
parts of me!

We are looking – last week and this – at how to use the Tabernacle of God as a tool that points us to the deeper realities of Christ – in order that we might move forward to experience the Presence of God and to receive revelation from Him.

Here’s my assumption: I am in the midst of a people who hunger for revelation and relationship with God. PRAYER OF HUNGER

LAST WEEK we looked how the Tabernacle was a picture, a symbol or a prophetic building that pointed to the GREATER THINGS God was going to do in Christ.

The Tabernacle consists of three major areas:
• The Courtyard = The physical body
• The Holy Place = The soul (will, mind and emotions)
• The Holy of Holies = The spirit

God created the tabernacle to point us to something greater – and that something greater is Christ – using the specifics of the tabernacle, we can break through the blockages in order to experience Christ more fully!

Let’s walk into the OUTER COURTYARD of the Tabernacle.
THE OUTER COURTYARD – PHYSICAL BODY.

1. BRAZEN ALTAR – THE CROSS OF CHRIST: Am I a LIVING SACRIFICE?
2. LAVER – THE WORD OF GOD: Have I APPLIED THE WORD OF GOD?

Then you move into the HOLY PLACE…
THE HOLY PLACE – THE SOUL (will, mind and emotion)

3. THE TABLE OF SHEWBREAD - THE WILL: Is my will GROUND FINE before God?
4. SEVEN BRANCHED LAMPSTAND - THE MIND: Am I allowing God TO ILLUMINATE MY MIND AND GRANT ME REVELATION?
5. ALTAR OF INCENSE – BALANCED EMOTIONS: AM I OFFERING A CONTINUAL SACRIFICE OF PRAISE, WORSHIP AND THANKSGIVING BEFORE THE LORD?

And, then – as we move into the Presence of God, the curtain between the Holy Place and the very Holy of Holies opens and we are welcomed in.
HOLY OF HOLIES – SPIRIT OF MAN

The High Priest of Israel was fully responsible for the Tabernacle. Only he could enter into the Holy of Holies – and that was only once a year on the day of atonement. He entered to present sacrifices to the Lord. The average Jew wouldn’t even dream of entering the Holy of Holies, no more than you would dream of sitting down at the President’s desk in the Oval Office of the White House. This was strictly forbidden – because by entering the Holy of Holies, you were entering into direct access to God Himself.

The Veil Of Separation – Exodus 26:31 (Romans 3:23, 1 Peter 2:24, Isaiah 53:6, Matthew 27:46, Matthew 26:50, John 19:30)

There is a VEIL – A CURTAIN - separating the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies.

Exodus 26 describes that veil:
“Make a curtain of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely twisted linen, with cherubim worked into it by a skilled craftsman.” Exodus 26:31

The Veil reminds us that we are excluded because "we all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). However, just as the Passover lamb was slain for the redemption of the children of Israel in Egypt, and the goat was slain so that its blood could obtain God's forgiveness for the Israelites on the Day of Atonement, so Jesus "bore our sins in His own body on the tree" (I Peter 2:24). As Jesus was hanging there on the cross, God "laid on Him the iniquities (the wrongdoings) of us all" (Isaiah 53:6). The final pangs of death came as Jesus cried out "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46). Seconds later "He cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up His spirit" (Matthew 26:50). He cried "It is finished!" (John 19:30). And then He died.

The effect of the death of Jesus was dramatic: the earth quaked, rocks were split "and the Veil in the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom" (Matthew 27:51). "From top to bottom" indicates that God tore it, because the Veil in the Temple was some 80 feet high.

• When the Veil was torn – top to bottom – this was God declaring something extremely powerful: The separation between God and man is no longer!
• We can be reunited with our Creator!
• We can have direct access to the One who made us, loves us, knows us, can lead us home!
• We don’t need a human priest! We don’t need a Pope! We don’t need a Confession booth!
• We don’t need a blood sacrifice!
• WE CAN HAVE HIM!

Dear friends: YOU can have EVERYTHING that God has to offer – He has removed the divider! He has prepared the way, truth and life that leads you to Him! He brings your SPIRIT to life!
Hebrews says:
“Therefore he is able, once and forever, to save everyone who comes to God through him. He lives forever to plead with God on their behalf. He is the kind of high priest we need because he is holy and blameless, unstained by sin. He has now been set apart from sinners, and he has been given the highest place of honor in heaven.” Hebrews 7:25-26 NLT

Christ is speaking to the Father on your behalf right now – and do you know what He is praying for? He is praying for you to have your spirit filled with His Holy Spirit!

Light Source For Life!
In the Holy of Holies there was NO LIGHT – except the light of the Glory of God! In our world, with many things competing with each other to ‘enlighten us’, the only true light we need is the glory of God!

Jesus said in John 8: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”” John 8:12

He enlightens us by reconnecting our innermost spirit with Him. This is life! We come alive when the touch of God is upon us! Our human spirit is like a light bulb – it has all the capacity and capability for light, except it desperately needs electricity to flow in order to shine!

In the Holy of Holies there is but one item of furnishing:
The Ark Of Covenant: The Symbol of God’s Presence
(You’ve all seen RAIDER’S OF THE LOST ARK)

It is A GOLD CHEST containing three items: Hebrew 9:4 lists them—
“This ark contained the gold jar of manna, Aaron’s staff that had budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant.” Hebrews 9:4

• A Jar of Manna – Representing the Supernatural Provision of God. (Exodus 16:15 - John 6:51) As the people of God traveled in the wilderness, God met their need every day! Supernaturally! As we move into the presence of God, He gives us supernatural life and strength, we are able to conquer the unconquerable! We are able to have victory over certain defeat! We are empowered to do the impossible – for all things are possible with God! This supernatural provision only happens as we are moving in the Presence of Almighty God!

• Aaron’s Staff that Grew a Bud – Representing the Authority of God granted to His followers. (Numbers 17:8 – Romans 1:2-4) When we get face-to-face with Him, His Spirit speaks to our spirit, we then speak what He has said and our words have authority!

• The 10 Commandments – these are the Law of God. (Deuteronomy 10:4-5 - Matthew 5:17) The Standard of Holiness needed to meet with Him. If you are going to meet face-to-face with God you are going to do so on His terms. And His terms are this: Perfection! And faced with this impossibility we rejoice because Christ has become the fulfillment of the Law! He is the Perfect and He grants us His Righteousness!

The cover of the Ark was the “Mercy Seat” where Moses and Aaron would kneel and where God would speak to them. Aren’t you glad that the MERCY SEAT sits above the LAW?! God’s Mercy is greater than our sin! And because of His mercy – we are both able and welcome to enter into His Presence and enjoy Him!

CONCLUSION:
As we move – by faith – into the very presence of God, He speaks revelation to our spirits. We begin to increasingly have ‘ah-ha’ moments where He becomes real and personal like never before! Supernatural life begins to flow deep within us – like the ‘streams of living water’ Christ promised, providing us with strength to face victoriously the trials of life, providing us with courage to face the fearful moments of life, providing us with wisdom to face the confusion.

Paul wrote: “And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19

Whatever your need – Christ can and will meet it.

In the Courtyard of the Tabernacle we see that the Lord can speak to our natural senses through the clear commands of Scripture.

In the Holy Place of the Tabernacle the Holy Spirit can illumine our minds and thoughts, giving us supernatural wisdom and insight.

And in the Holy of Holies, our spirits come alive in the Presence of God as He speaks directly to our spirits.

All kinds of revelation is available to believers. When the Holy Spirit speaks to our hearts – in whatever way He chooses – it says nothing about how ‘spiritual’ we are, rather it is another demonstration of how much God loves us.

This Tabernacle experience is meant as yet another way for us as believers to interact in the realm of the Holy Spirit in order to move into deeper intimacy with our God and to receive needed revelation.

Are you having trouble receiving revelation from the Lord? Than present yourself to God through the Tabernacle:

TABERNACLE PRAYER:
• Altar: Am I a living sacrifice?
• Laver: Am I applying the Word?
• Shewbread: Am I submitting my will to His will?
• Lampstand: Am I allowing God to illuminate my mind?
• Incense: Am I worshipping?
• Ark: Am I standing in His immediate Presence?


FOR FURTHER STUDY: www.domini.org/tabern/tabhome.htm

Tabernacle Experience: Body & Soul

We’ve talked a great deal about hearing the voice of God this year. And your growth as God’s people has been truly astounding – Praise God!

But sometimes, even with the most focused efforts, we experience spiritual blockages where we just can’t seem to get through.

Today, and next week, I want to take you through a process of presenting yourself before God in a way that will enable you to remove the blockages and experience Him more intimately and personally.

We know that the Bible tells us that… “…your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? 1 Corinthians 6:19

In other words – through faith in Christ, not only have your been eternally forgiven, but you have also been eternally connected to God! God lives in you! You are His Temple.

We know that a TEMPLE is a holy place – where God and man intersect. The JEWS had a Temple in Jerusalem. It was an elaborate incredible structure designed by God as a place for man to meet with Him. They needed a building – a temple – because the problem of sin had not been dealt with yet and God being completely Holy could not live within a sinful man.

Prior to the Temple in Jerusalem, God had the people of Israel construct a ‘traveling temple’ – the Tabernacle. The Temple was modeled after the Tabernacle.

The Tabernacle is described in elaborate detail in over 50 chapters of the Bible – beginning in Exodus 25. Hebrews 8:5 tells us that the tabernacle is a ‘shadow’ of what is to come – in other words, the details of the tabernacle point to the specifics of what Christ was bringing to the world!

The Tabernacle consisted of a rectangular courtyard framed by cloth walls approximately 150 feet long by 75 feet wide.

The Tabernacle consists of three major areas: The Courtyard, The Holy Place and the Holy of Holies.

• The Courtyard = The physical body
• The Holy Place = The soul (will, mind and emotions)
• The Holy of Holies = The spirit

Inside the courtyard there we are number of items – which we are going to go over in detail – but, before we do this – here’s the point: God created the tabernacle to point us to something greater – and that something greater is Christ – using the specifics of the tabernacle, we can break through the blockages in order to experience Christ more fully!

Let’s walk into the OUTER COURTYARD of the Tabernacle.
THE OUTER COURTYARD – Remember – this is a picture of the PHYSICAL BODY.
The outer courtyard is open air. It is illumined by natural light of the sun and moon. Just as we experience the light of the sun and moon, God uses our physical senses – sight, hearing, taste, touch and smell – in order for us to experience Him!

The first thing you’ll see as you enter – in fact – you cannot avoid this first item… is the
BRAZEN ALTAR – the Altar of Sacrifice is the place where the fires of sacrificed burned 24/7 to God. There was never to be a time when the people of God were not making sacrifices for sin to the Lord!

THE BRAZEN ALTAR REPRESENTS THE CROSS OF CHRIST
The Brazen Altar is a shadow of the Cross of Christ where His one time sacrifice is sufficient! Paul writes:
“For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.” Romans 8:3, 4

There is no need for sacrifices of the tabernacle – because Christ is the ultimate sacrifice. By His death – we are saved.

And so, He calls us…
“…in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship.” Romans 12:1

Paul also writes:
“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20

Here’s the first truly spiritual question we must ask if we are having trouble hearing from God:
Am I a LIVING SACRIFICE?
Have I died to the things of the flesh and am I living in this body for the sake of Christ? Christ calls you and I do die, in order that we may truly live!

Then, as we pass the BRAZEN ALTAR, we come to the
LAVER – The bowl of washing where the priests would wash up and purify themselves after making sacrifices on the brazen altar.

The Laver was made of highly polished bronze – polished so brightly that it acted as a mirror. This way, the priests could be certain that they had washed thoroughly and that no blood remained upon them.

THE LAVER REPRESENTS THE WORD OF GOD.

Paul writes of how…
“…Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.” Ephesians 5:25-27

You see – when you are stand before the Word of God, the Word of God reveals the things that are defiling us. It shows us our shortcomings, but it also shows us the way to purity! As we obey what God says, we become pure – just as the priests washed in the mirror shine of the laver, they became pure! When God speaks through His Word to us, it is for our good and for our improvement.

So, if you are struggling hearing the voice of God – go the LAVER – and ask the second truly spiritual question:
HAVE I WASHED MYSELF BY APPLYING THE WORD OF GOD?
Am I doing what God says? Am I living in increased obedience to His Word? If not – repent, confess and do what He has said.

As we move past the LAVER, we approach a tent-like structure. The total of which is about 15 feet wide by 45 feet deep. This tent is divided into two sections – the first being the Holy Place and the second being the Holy of Holies. The Holy Place is about 15 feet wide by 30 feet deep. The tent is made of several layers of weavings:

The inner layer – blue, purple and scarlet
The middle layer – goat’s hair
The outer layer – red dyed ram and porpoise skin

The point is: No natural light shines in the holy place, or the holy of holies.

THE HOLY PLACE – REPRESENTS THE SOUL (will, mind and emotion)
In the holy place there are three pieces of furniture each corresponding to a different aspect of your soul.

THE TABLE OF SHEWBREAD is on the right as you enter.
• It is 2 1/2 feet tall and overlaid with gold
• On the table are 12 loafs of unleavened bread and utensils of pure gold
• THE TABLE OF SHEWBREAD REPRESENTS THE WILL of man being submitted to Christ. Just as the flour had to be finely ground before it could be useful for baking, our self-will must be ground in order to be useful for God’s Kingdom!
• One of the tools for will-grinding that God uses is the Body of Christ – the Bible tells us that….

“As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” Proverbs 27:17

We need each other to be used of God to help us get free from our stubborn self-will. We need each other to challenge each other to allow the will of God to be made real in our lives!

“But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.” Hebrews 3:13

Are you having a hard time hearing God speak? Are you connected to God’s Body?

So the third spiritual question that we can ask is:
IS MY WILL GROUND FINE BEFORE GOD?

So long as I am soulishly demanding my will, I will not hear the voice of God. God speaks to those who are willing to do His will.

And now we move across the Holy Place to the…
SEVEN BRANCHED LAMPSTAND which stands on the left side of the Holy Place.

• Constructed of beaten gold and fueled by oil.
• REPRESENTS OUR MIND – which is to be fueled by the Holy Spirit as we study His Word.
• Just as the gold is beaten to take its proper form, so our thoughts are to be formed by the Holy Spirit!

God illuminates His Word by His Holy Spirit. By ‘illuminates’ I mean that all of a sudden, seemingly out of nowhere, you are reading or hearing God’s Word and a light bulb goes on – you have an “A-Ha! Moment!” where you can see the meaning and application of that text crystal clear! You may have read that verse a hundred times, but this time it’s different! That’s the work of the Holy Spirit in your life!

As we submit our minds to Christ, the oil of the Holy Spirit illumines our thoughts. And we begin to have within us…
“…the mind of Christ.” 1 Corinthians 16:2

How does this happen?
Paul wrote in Romans 12:2 that we need to…
“…be transformed by the renewing of your mind…” Romans 12:2

This takes place as we come to Christ and we ask Him to illuminate our minds and to reveal His way of seeing life!

If you are struggling hearing the voice of God, then ask this fourth question:
AM I ALLOWING GOD TO ILLUMINATE MY MIND AND GRANT ME REVELATION?

Frankly, we all need to let God reshape our ways of thinking.

And now we come to the third piece of furniture in the Holy Place. He has dealt with our will and our mind, now we must ask Him to balance our emotions.

We come to the
ALTAR OF INCENSE – which stands directly in front of the door to the Holy of Holies.

• The altar is square in shape – 18” by 18” and is made of overlaid gold.
• On each corner are horns that rise to the same height as the furniture in the Holy of holies.
• The purpose of the altar is to burn incense to the Lord – twice daily.
• The four-sided symmetry of the ALTAR OF INCENSE REPRESENTS GOD BALANCING OUR EMOTIONS.
• When we are having a hard time hearing the voice of the Lord, one of the reasons could be that we are allowing our emotions to control us.
• Christ wants to give you a balanced set of emotions as you submit to His Lordship.
• How? By moving into relationship with God through praise, worship and thanksgiving.

The Bible tells us that we…
“Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.” Psalms 100:4

And that we are to…
“give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18

And even as difficult as it is to be thankful in tough times, we realize that it honors God because we declare our faith in Christ and…
“therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise--the fruit of lips that confess his name.” Hebrews 13:15

When you begin to praise and worship the Lord, giving Him thanks regardless of your circumstances – that is genuine evidence of your faith!

The Altar of Incense had a horn on each corner that was the same height as the furniture in the Holy of holies – a representation of how worship lifts up our spirit to be joined together with God!

We are only ready to meet with God face to face when we have become a genuine worshipper!

So, if you are struggling hearing the voice of God, the tabernacle raises the next question for you:
AM I OFFERING A CONTINUAL SACRIFICE OF PRAISE, WORSHIP AND THANKSGIVING BEFORE THE LORD?

Do you see how the Tabernacle is a picture – a foretelling – of the deeper things that God wants to do in our lives through the power of the Holy Spirit? Next week, we’ll move into the HOLY OF HOLIES – where we will address issues of our spirit – but for now – what is the Lord saying to you? What needs to change so that you can hear Him?

You are the temple of God’s Spirit – let’s move in and enjoy!