The Spirit in the Temple
Part 5 The Holy Spirit series
JCC 09.05.10 pm
Read 1 Cor 3:16-17
The temple
Here Paul’s emphasis is on the church as a whole
Later in 1 Cor 6:19-20 Paul speak about individual Christians being temples
This is not a metaphor that Paul is using
We are actual temples
The illustration this morning on the body, soul and spirit show how God lives in our spirit
He is Spirit
Those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth
PP 2
The word used for temple (naos) refers to the actual sanctuary, the place where deity lives
The contrast to this is the broader word hieron, which was the temple area in general
There was an outer area and an inner area PP 3
Tabernacle means “tent,” “place of dwelling” or “sanctuary.”
It was a sacred place where God chose to meet His people, the Israelites, during the 40 years they wandered in the desert under Moses’ leadership
It was the place where the leaders and people came together to worship and offer sacrifices
“…make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them.” (Exodus 25:8)
“Then I will dwell among the Israelites and be their God. They will know that I am the Lord their God, who brought them out of Egypt so that I might dwell among them.” (Exodus 29:45-46)
The Church at Corinth understood what Paul meant by Temple
They knew there was an inner sanctuary where only God could fill
In the New Testament, John writes: “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” (John 1:14)
This word “dwelling” is the same word for “tabernacle” in the Old Testament
In other words, God came in living flesh to dwell or to tabernacle among His people
As He walked upon the earth and lived among the people, Jesus Christ Himself fulfilled the picture of the Old Testament tabernacle
When Jesus died on the cross it tells us that the veil was torn in two from top to bottom
Now we can enter the holy of holies
Now the way is available to all people whether Jew or Gentile
“And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.’” (Rev. 21:3)
PP 4 this is a plan of the tabernacle and the measurements
Notice there is only one entrance; through the gate
The gate was 30 feet wide
It was directly in the centre of the outer court on the east side
The gate was covered by a curtain made of finely twisted linen in blue, purple and scarlet
This one and only gate is a representation of Jesus being the only way in which one could have fellowship with God and worship Him
Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)
and
“I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.” (John 10:9)
He also said:
“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” (Matthew 7:13-14)
When you enter through the gate, the first thing you approach is the Brazen Alter
PP 5
The place of death
The place of slaughter
Symbolic of the atoning sacrifice of Christ of the cross
The Lamb of God slain before the foundation of the world
Also when we enter through Christ, we must lay down our lives on the alter
We must leave sin at the altar and take it no further
The altar was made of wood from the acacia tree overlaid with bronze (usually symbolic of judgment on sin)
It showed the Israelites that the first step for sinful man to approach a holy God was to be cleansed by the blood
“He is to lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it will be accepted on his behalf to make atonement for him.” (Leviticus 1:4)
By laying the hand upon the head of the offering, the person was identifying with the sacrifice
His sin and guilt was removed from himself to the animal
Jesus himself bore our sins on the cross
“For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one's life.” (Leviticus 17:11)
“The law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” (Hebrews 9:22)
Isaiah prophesied, the Christ would be like a lamb that is led to slaughter and pierced for our transgressions Is 53
“This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many.” (Mark 14:24)
“For you know that … you were redeemed … with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.” (1 Peter 1:18-19)
“The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!” (Hebrews 9:13-14)
“We have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. …By one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy. …And where these have been forgiven, there is no longer any sacrifice for sin.” (Hebrews 10:10, 14, 18)
God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21)
From here we go to the Brazen Laver
PP 6
The Laver was made entirely of bronze
The priests were to wash their hands and their feet in it before entering the Holy Place
The laver was placed in a convenient place for washing and stood as a reminder that people need cleansing before approaching God
The priests atoned for their sins through a sacrifice at the brazen altar, but they cleansed themselves at the laver before serving in the Holy Place
The application for believers today is that we are forgiven through Christ’s work on the cross, but we are washed through His Word
We need to be washed daily in His Word to cleanse ourselves, so that we can serve and minister
“…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)
“Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled [with blood] to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.” (Hebrews 10:22)
The Laver was shiny bronze so that the image of the man was seen as he looked in
We need to take a good look at ourselves sometimes
We must recognise that we need to be cleaned each day
Only the word of God can do this
You wouldn’t dream of going out without a daily wash
Yet we go before God without the word and really we are not clean
The word reflects our heart, our attitude and our motives
It is shaper than a two-edged sword piercing through to the heart and soul
It was only after this washing that the priests could enter the next stage of the tabernacle
The holy place
This was the first room in the tent of the tabernacle
There were three pieces of furniture in the Holy Place:
The menorah, the table of showbread and the golden altar of incense
PP 7
The menorah, is also called the “golden lampstand” or “candlestick,”
It stood at the left side of the Holy Place
It was hammered out of one piece of pure gold
The lampstand had a central branch from which three branches extended from each side, forming a total of seven branches
Seven lamps holding olive oil and wicks stood on top of the branches
Each branch looked like an almond tree, containing buds, blossoms and flowers
The priests were instructed to keep the lamps burning continuously.
“The Lord said to Moses, ‘Command the Israelites to bring you clear oil of pressed olives for the light so that the lamps may be kept burning continually. Outside the curtain of the Testimony in the Tent of Meeting, Aaron is to tend the lamps before the Lord from evening till morning, continually.’” (Leviticus 24:1-3)
The lampstand was the only source of light in the Holy Place
The lampstand was placed in there so that the priests could approach God
Jesus, the “true light that gives light to every man” (John 1:9) came into the world so that man could see God and not live in spiritual darkness anymore
Jesus said: “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)
“I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.” (John 9:46)
The main branch of the lampstand is Jesus, and we are represented by the six branches that extend from original branch
Having believed, we are now living as “children of light” (Ephesians 5:8)
We draw our source of light from Jesus, the true light
Jesus calls us “light of the world” and commands us to “let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5: 14, 16)
The branches serve as a picture of Jesus’ description of our relationship with him: “I am the vine, you are the branches … apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).
Note it was made of pure gold (not gold plated) and had seven branches
Pure gold is a representation of deity and perfection
Jesus Christ is our perfection
Seven is the number of completeness in the Bible
The believer is made complete by the perfection of Christ
The table of showbread was a small table made of acacia wood and overlaid with pure gold
It measured 3 feet by 1.5 feet and was 2 feet, 3 inches high
It stood on the right side of the Holy Place across from the lampstand and held 12 loaves of bread, which represented the 12 tribes of Israel
The priests would bake the bread with fine flour and it would remained on the table for a week
Every Sabbath the priests would remove it and eat it in the Holy Place, then put fresh bread on the table
Only the priests could eat the bread, and it could only be eaten in the Holy Place, because it was holy
“Showbread” also was called “bread of the presence” because it was to be always in the Lord’s presence
The table and the bread were a picture of God’s willingness to have fellowship and communion with us
It was like an invitation to share a meal, an extension of friendship
Eating together often is an act of fellowship
God was willing for us to enter into His presence to fellowship with Him
This invitation today is through the communion
“While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, ‘Take and eat; this is my body.’” (Matthew 26:26)
Jesus’ broken body is our only access to fellowship with God
Today, we celebrate the Lord’s Supper, or communion, to remember this important truth
And today, as in the day of Moses’ tabernacle, God still desires to have fellowship and sit down for a feast with His people
The golden altar of incense was in front of the curtain that separated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies PP 8
This altar was smaller than the brazen altar
It was a square with each side measuring 1.5 feet and was 3 feet high
It was made of acacia wood and overlaid with pure gold
Four horns protruded from the four corners of the altar
God commanded the priests to burn incense on the golden altar every morning and evening, the same time that the daily burnt offerings were made
The incense was to be left burning continually throughout the day and night as a pleasing aroma to the Lord
It was made of an equal part of four precious spices (stacte, onycha, galbanum and frankincense) and it was holy
God commanded the Israelites not to use the same formula outside the tabernacle to make perfume for their own use otherwise, they were to be cut off (Exodus 30:34-38).
The incense was a symbol of the prayers and intercession of the people going up to God as a sweet fragrance
God wanted His dwelling to be a place where people could approach Him and pray to Him
“…for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.” (Isaiah 56:7)
The picture of prayers wafting up to heaven like incense is captured in David’s psalm and also in John’s vision in Revelations:
“May my prayer be set before you like incense; may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice.” (Psalm 141:2)
“Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all the saints, on the golden altar before the throne. The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of the saints, went up before God from the angel’s hand.” (Revelations 8:3-4)
The horns of the golden altar were sprinkled with blood from the animal sacrifice to cleanse and purify it from the sins of the Israelites (Leviticus 4:7, 16:18)
Just as the horns on the brazen altar represent the power of Christ’s blood to forgive sins, the horns on the golden altar signify the power of His blood in prayer as we confess our sins and ask for His forgiveness
Horns represent authority
From here we go into the inner place itself
The holy of holies
The place where God’s presence lived
Just like us, he lives in the inner place of our life
Nothing of God is compatible with the body and soul of a person
He only lives in our spirit
The Holy of Holies was a perfect cube — its length, width and height were all equal to 15 feet.
A thick curtain separated the Holy of Holies from the Holy Place
This curtain, known as the “veil,” was made of fine linen; blue, purple and scarlet
There were figures of cherubim (angels) embroidered onto it
Cherubim, spirits who serve God, were in the presence of God to demonstrate His almighty power and majesty
They also guarded the throne of God
These cherubim were also on the innermost layer of covering of the tent
If the priests looked upward, they would have seen the cherubim figures
The word “veil” in Hebrew means a screen, divider or separator that hides
What was this curtain hiding?
It was shielding a holy God from sinful man
Whoever entered into the Holy of Holies was entering the very presence of God
In fact, anyone except the high priest who entered the Holy of Holies would die
Even the high priest, God’s chosen mediator with His people, could only pass through the veil and enter this sacred place once a year, on the Day of Atonement
The picture of the veil was a barrier between man and God
God’s eyes are too pure to look on evil and He won’t tolerate sin (Habakkuk 1:13)
The veil was a barrier to make sure that man could not carelessly and irreverently enter into God’s awesome presence
Even as the high priest entered the Holy of Holies on the Day of Atonement, he had to make preparations
He had to wash himself, put on special clothes, bring burning incense to let the smoke cover his eyes from a direct view of God, and bring blood with him to make atonement for sins
“But only the high priest entered the inner room, and that only once a year, and never without blood, which he offered for himself and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance.” (Hebrews 9:7)
The last thing we see is the Ark of the Covenant PP 9
It was one piece of furniture comprising of two parts
the Ark of the Covenant and the atonement cover (or “mercy seat”) on top of it
The ark was a chest made of acacia wood, overlaid with pure gold inside and out
It was 3 feet, 9 inches long and 2 feet, 3 inches wide and high
God commanded Moses to put in the ark three items:
a golden pot of manna, Aaron’s staff that had budded, and the two stone tablets on which the Ten Commandments were written
On top of it stood two cherubim (angels) at the two ends, facing each other
The cherubim, symbols of God’s divine presence and power, were facing downward toward the ark with outstretched wings that covered the mercy seat
The whole structure was beaten out of one piece of pure gold
The mercy seat was God’s dwelling place in the tabernacle, His throne
Why did God want these three items in His ark?
They represented God’s dealing with Israel
The manna from heaven
Aaron’s rod
The Ten Commandments
And finally, the mercy seat itself
God’s throne
The blood was sprinkled on it
Just has the temple was to be kept holy them, so it is with us now
God wants a holy church
A holy individual
God cannot and will not live in a carnal state
He will not live in a carnal church
The Spirit of God, needs spiritual contact
Let us approach him boldly, not because there is good in us, but because there was good in Jesus Christ
You are the temple, don’t defile it!
Then you will begin to have more of the presence of God
This church will then have more of the glory of his presence
