Jesus in The Old Testament 020: Jesus and the Levitical Sacrifices, Part 2

Jesus in the Old Testament 020:

Jesus and the Levitical Sacrifices, Pt 2

Thesis: Jesus is not only pictured in the Peace, Sin, and Guilt Offerings, but He is the “greater than” fulfillment of both.  The fact that these sacrifices were purposefully ineffective in meriting the forgiveness of intentional sin points to the need for a greater sacrifice.  David articulated the need for this after his sin with Bathsheba. Jesus expressed his identity as the greater sacrifice, and the author of Hebrews warns those who would seek to satisfy the payment for sin in the Old Covenant alone. 

1. Nutshell w/kids (<5 min)
1. The Peace offering:
1. When is God with you?
2. When you do think about God being with you?
3. The Jews were required to bring God a piece of every animal that they killed for food.  Some of that animal would be burned upon the altar for God.  Some would be given to the priests for their food, and some would go home with the family to eat.  In that sense, God and His priests were present at every family meal. 
4. Jesus wants to be a part of every moment of our lives, and His work allows us to live even more closely with God. The Holy Spirit lives INSIDE us!
2. There are sacrifices that God commanded for sin as well.
1. People had to bring Bulls, Goats, Sheep, or Birds, kill them, and sprinkle their blood on the altar.
2. God only allowed them to do this when they accidentally sinned. On purpose sins were not forgiven this way.
3. How is our faith different?
4. Jesus has done away with all of this for us.  He was the perfect sacrifice that forgives all of our sins. 

2. Deeper with Adults
1. Peace Offering (Ch 3)
1. The normal vehicle for slaughtering major food animals in Israel.  Normal allowance for providing food for the priests (7:28-36).
2. No allowance for the non-ritual slaughter of livestock in the Torah (17:1-9) except for wild game (17:13-14)
3. A portion of the animal is burned up as an offering to the Lord (blood and internal fatty organs, 3:3-5)
4. A portion of the animal is given to the priest as part of his pay an allowance from God (breast, right thigh)
5. The rest of the animal may be eaten by the worshipper (assumed?)
6. Picture sitting down to a meal with your family.  Any time you have meat on the table, you are sharing some of your meal with a priest and with the Father as well!
7. This has nothing to do with sin.  It is simply a celebration of one’s place in the community of God’s people.
8.  

Note that this class of offerings has nothing to do with sin; in fact, the Talmud states that in the age of the messiah (when there is no more sin), this will be the only class of offering that is brought to the Temple.  (Judaism 101, jewfaq.com)

2. Sin Offering (Ch 4:1-5:13)
1. First of two classes of sacrifices for atonement.  The distinction is ambiguous.  Perhaps these have to do with sins that make one unclean before the Lord.
2. Just as in other offerings, the actual slaughter is done by the penitent worshipper.  The handling of blood is done by the priest.
3. Some sacrifices are communal (4:1-21).  Some are individual (4:22-5:13).
4. Different sacrifices allowed based on the means of the offender:

a)    Bulls (4:1-21)

b)    Goats (4:22-31; 5:1-6)

c)    Pigeons or Turtledoves (5:7-10)

d)    Or even grain (5:11-13)

5. These sacrifices are usually supposed to be female members of the herd or flock.  Less costly?  Or more costly? Debate.
6. The worshipper does not eat any of this offering.  Some of the meat is burned upon the altar (blood and fat), and the rest is eaten by the Priest or his relatives (7:5-7). 
7. Perhaps “his sons” is meant to be gender-inclusive.  Lev 10:14 allows daughters explicitly.
2. Guilt Offering (Ch 5:14-6:7)
1. Guilt offerings are distinguished from sin offerings, but again, the division is hard to pinpoint.  Perhaps it has to do with sins that separate people from one another?
2. Another idea is that this deals with sins for which recompense can be made (5:16; 6:5). 120% repayment.
3. These are always a male ram without blemish.
4. Just as with the sin offerings, these are meant to feed the priests and their families.  Nothing is eaten by the penitent worshipper.
3. ”Unintentional Sins” vs. the “High Hand.”
1. None of these sacrifices “cover” sins committed intentionally (4:1, 13, 22, 27; 5:1-5, 14, 17-18; 6:1-5)
2. Some of these things on the list are hard to imagine being done intentionally, but the text allows that it may be possible.
3. It could be that some of these things are done out of weakness and deception and the “when he realizes his guilt” phrase is the moment when his conscience informs him that he really did violate the laws of the Lord.
4. The Day of Atonement covers all sins that are rightly repented.  Lev 16:20-22  
5. For those who commit an intentional, or “high-handed” sin, there is no sacrifice. Numbers 15:27-31 Terrifying.

a)    High-handed, fist raised in rebellion

b)    Unrepentant posture.

6. David’s example: Psalm 51

a)    David’s plea is to God’s mercy, not the sacrificial system.

b)    He knows that there is no sacrifice fitting his sin (vs 15-17)

c)    He acknowledges that if God were to cut him off for his sins, that God would be justified in doing so (vs 4-5).

d)    Several phrases are used in Hebraic parallelism to cast light on the loving power of God to forgive sin:

(1)  Blot out (vs 1)

(2)  Wash me thoroughly (vs 2)

(3)  Cleanse me (vs 2)

(4)  Purge me with hyssop (vs 7) is a reference to the plant’s use in cleansing ceremonies (Lev 14:6; Num 19:6).

(5)  Wash me (vs 7)

(6)  Hide your face from my sins (vs 9)

(7)  Blot out (vs 9)

(8)  Create in me a clean heart (vs 10)

(9)  Renew a right spirit (vs10)

(10)                Deliver me (vs 14)

e)    The Holy Spirit, who resided on David from his anointing as a young boy is mentioned in vs 11. 

(1)  David knows that he was taken from Saul, and he is afraid that this might happen to him.

(2)  Difference between old and new covenant relationship with the Holy Spirit.

f)     Jesus is here by name.

(1)  Vs 12: Restore to me the joy of your Yeshua, Jesus.

(2)  Vs 14: Deliver me from blood guiltiness, O God, O God my Yeshua, Jesus.

g)    After he asks for forgiveness, David praises God for his mercy, communicated through the prophet Nathan.

5. The unforgivable sin, blasphemy of the Holy Spirit
1. In Matthew 12:22-32

a)    A clear work of God to save is rejected by men and ascribed to some other source.

b)    Jesus tells them that to reject the work of God’s spirit and speak evil against Him is unforgivable.

(1)  It is Jesus who wins your salvation, but it is the Holy Spirit who draws you to that work, applies it to your life, and seals you for redemption.

(2)  If you reject the work of the Holy Spirit to save you, you cannot be saved by that work.

2. In Hebrews 10:26-39

a)    The law provides no sacrifice for those who sin willfully (Lev 4-6).

b)    The only recompense allowed is for that person to throw themselves on the mercy of God (Psalm 51).

c)    Jesus’ work is the avenue of mercy available to provide the forgiveness which the law cannot.  It was the mercy of God worked in Christ that the sinner clings to, in the OT or NT (Psalm 51).

d)    If Jesus’ work is seen as insufficient and is not trusted, then the Spirit who sanctifies (Heb 10:29) will not do His work, and the person is lost, with only the expectation of judgment.

e)    Does this mean you can lose your salvation?

(1)  No, it means that people are damned because they were never saved in the first place.

(2)  I, We, He, You Pronouns

(3)  “Receiving knowledge of the truth” does not mean it was embraced.

(4)  “By which he was sanctified” is in contrast to having rejected that work.  It would have happened, had the Spirit not been rejected.

(5)  This warning is addressed to those who are leaving the body of believers (vs 24-25) due to persecution.

(6)  Those who remain in the faith despite persecution demonstrate their authentic salvation by doing so (vs 32-39).

6. Application:
1. We can enjoy the constant fellowship of God through the sacrifice of Jesus!
2. Our sins are costly and separate us from God.
3. Jesus does for us what the Old covenant was impotent to do.
4. If we do not let Jesus do His work or the Holy Spirit apply it to our lives, we are without hope.

Discussion Questions:

1. Do we come to family meals with the expectation that God is dining with us?  What would look differently if we did?
2. Do we take our sin seriously, or do we treat the work of Jesus lightly?
3. How would you live differently if God only forgave your “mistakes,” not your “on purpose” sins?
4. Spend a few moments as a family unit thanking God that all your sins have been forgiven.

Jesus in the Old Testament 019:

Jesus and the Levitical Sacrifices, Pt 1

Lev 1-2

Thesis: People who love and are loved by God will do several things because of this love relationship.  Among these are gifts, thanksgiving, praise, and repentance.  In the Sinaitic covenant, these aspects of a relationship with God were all mediated by priests through sacrifice.  Christ is now the sole mediator for the people of God.  All Levitical sacrifices pointed to Him, and in him are all sacrifices fulfilled.   

1. Nutshell with Kids (<5min)
1. If you love someone, tell me some of the things you do to let them know? 
2. What about loving God?  What are some of the things that we do to let Him know that we love Him?
3. In the OT, right after the Israelites got the 10 commandments at Mt. Sinai, God told them the kinds of gifts he wanted to get from them in the form of 5 sacrifices.
1. When they wanted to worship God and give a gift out of love, they gave a burnt offering.
2. When they wanted to thank God for what he’d given them, they gave a grain offering.
3. When they wanted to celebrate the peaceful relationship they have with God (or take a step toward a more peaceful one), they gave a peace offering (or fellowship offering).
4. When they’d don something against God’s commands and had offended Him, they gave a sin offering.
5. When they’d done something against another person, they gave a guilt offering.
4. Do we give God animals as sacrifices today?  Why not, do you think?
1. Jesus has fulfilled all of these sacrifices for us. 
2. We don’t have to sacrifice animals anymore, but we should still be concerned about giving God gifts, thanking him, celebrating him, and repenting of our sins.

2. Deeper
1. Historical-Geographic setting: Israel is still camped at the base of Mt. Sinai.  From Exodus 19 to Numbers 10, there is no forward movement toward Canaan. They are camped there for a year.
2. Introduction to Leviticus:
1. All scripture is God-breathed, even Leviticus!
2. According to the Midrash, Jewish children in Rabbinical schools are taught out of Leviticus first, even before Genesis, so that the “purer hearts of children may be instructed in Holiness first and will remain pure.  These pure hearts can better be taught to draw near to a Holy God.”
3. The principal goal of Leviticus is an instruction in Holiness.  God is lifted up as infinitely Holy, and His people are repeatedly admonished to be Holy because God is Holy (Lev 11:44).

a)    It is a mistake to see Leviticus as only the civil or outmoded religious code of a different dispensation.

b)    We are not under this law because Christ has fulfilled it, not because it is no longer valid

(1)  Matt 5:17-20

(2)  Rom 8:3-4

4. There are six major kinds of sacrifices listed in the opening chapters of Leviticus.  One is only for the consecration of a priest.  The other five are to be employed by the people in the worship of God.

a)    Burnt offering: Supplication, repentance, devotion.

b)    Grain offering: an accompaniment offering that speaks to the constancy of God’s covenant and faithfulness toward His people.

c)    Peace offering (fellowship offering): speaks to the friendship and love between God, his priests, and His people.

d)    Sin offering: Seeking absolution for a sin against the Lord Himself (first 4 commandments). 

e)    Guilt offering: Seeking absolution for a sin against another person (last 6 commandments). There is a special subset for sins against priests or holy objects in the tabernacle.

5. All of these sacrifices point to Christ.  While He is no actually present here or specifically prophesied about in this passage, these are all types of Christ.
6. These sacrifices didn’t actually “do” what the people wanted.  The blood of bulls and goats does not actually remove the sin. These are only shadows of what Christ would do.

a)    Heb 10:1-4

b)    Rom 3:21-26

3. The setting of this revelation is the tent of meeting, the tabernacle which had just been described and built in the 25 preceding chapters.
1. The Moral law is given with smoke, fire, lightning, and a booming voice from the top of a mountain.
2. The remedial law is given in a still small voice in a tent.
3. Moses likely taking dictation in the Holy Place while God spoke from inside the Holy of Holies.
4. Should be read immediately after the end of Exodus, with the presence of God in the tabernacle.
4. Burnt Offerings (Lev 1)
1. An offering given by freewill of the supplicant. A joyful giving to God.
2. To happen daily in morning and evening Ex 29:38-42
3. Most costly offering.  All of it burned.  None of it goes to any person whatsoever.
4. Differing expenses allowed, dependent upon the ability of the worshipper: Bulls, Male Rams or Male Goats, or pigeons.

a)    Males without blemish (vs 3, 10)

(1)  Tamiym Used 91x in OT.  44x about sacrifices, as here.  “Without blemish.”

(2)  39x of people, “righteous,” “upright,” “blameless.”

(a)  Gen 6:9-- first usage.

(b)  Gen 17:1

b)    Gender not specified with the pigeons.

c)    Jesus, obviously male.

d)    Sinless:

(1)  I Pe 2:22

(2)  2 Cor 5:21

(3)  Heb 4:15

5. Participation of the worshipper:

a)    Two participants, “he,” the worshipper, and the priest.

b)    “He”:

(1)  Brings the offering (vs 3)

(a)  Jesus brought himself.  He was not forced into his death.

(b)  John 10:17-18

(c)  Luke 23:46

(d)  Psalm 31:5-8

(2)  Is accepted at the gate of the tabernacle (vs 3) and “North side of the Altar” (vs 11).

(a)  Jesus was condemned to death at Pilot’s Palace, (cf Lk 23)

(b)  Pilate’s palace was just outside the north gate of the temple complex.

(3)  Lays his hands on the sacrifice (vs 4) and kills it (vs 5)

(4)  Receives atonement (vs 4).

(5)  The one who lays his hands on it and kills it is atoned by the sacrifice.  Who “laid their hands on” Jesus?

(a)  Jesus’ own followers (Lk 22:47-48)

(b)  The Jewish leadership (Lk 22:66-23:5)

(c)  The Jewish people (Lk 23:18-23)

(d)  Gentile Governmental powers (Lk 23:24-25, 32-33)

(6)  Jesus was killed by representatives of every kind of person.  We all “laid our hands on him,” Consequently, we all share in the atonement provided.

c)    After the worshipper does his part, God, acting through the priest, does His.

(1)  Flaying the animal (vs 6)

(2)  Lighting the fire (vs 7)

(3)  Burning the animal (vs 8-9)

(4)  Cleaning up afterward (6:10-11)

(5)  God credits as righteousness the act of faith performed by the believer (As Abraham, Gen 15:6)

6. This is an act of total devotion that pleases the Lord (vs 9, 13, 17).

a)    Jesus’ death was prophesied to please the Lord!

(1)  Isa 1:11.  God does not find pleasure in offerings of animals since they can be done without a repentant heart.

(2)  God cannot derive pleasure from sinners.  In fact, he hates them.

(3)  God does not find pleasure in executing his judgment on sinners (Ezek 18:23, 33:11)

(4)  Yet, God can derive pleasure from His elect (Zeph 3:17).

(5)  How where does the pleasure come from?  Not from any action of the sinner (Romans 7:18; John 15:5)

(6)  The pleasure shows up in punishing Christ

(a)  Isa 53:10. Better translated “It pleased the Lord to crush Him.”

(b)  Only NIV and ESV “excuse God” by saying that it was merely His plan. 

                                                                                                    (i)        KJV: Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him

                                                                                                   (ii)        NKJV: Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him

                                                                                                  (iii)        NASB: But the LORD was pleased to crush Him

                                                                                                 (iv)        YLT: And Jehovah hath delighted to bruise him

(7)  Eph 5:2, direct reference.

5. Grain Offerings (lev 2)
1. Not about atoning for sin.  Purely for worship.
2. Probably meant to accompany other offerings (Numb 28:31). Completes the meal.
3. Some suggest it was the poorest person’s offering (5:11), although in this context, that is not present in the text.
4. Expensive as well.

a)    Fine flour, not the cheap stuff (vs 1)

b)    Hebrew word used specifies wheat flour. Twice the value per pound of barley flour.

c)    With Frankincense (vs 1, 2, 15, 16)

5. For the priest’s wage.  This is how he gets bread to eat while working.

a)    Only a small portion burned (memorial, vs 9-10)

b)    The rest is “most holy” to the Lord.  They need to eat it in the tabernacle (6:16).

6. It can be baked, fried, or given as raw ingredients (vs 4-7).
7. Ingredients constant:

a)    Fine flour, costly. Jesus is the highest version of mankind.

b)    Oil, symbolic of the Holy Spirit. The meal is “anointed” with oil. Zech 4, esp vs 6. Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit.

c)    Salt, not Leaven.

(1)  Leaven is scripture symbolizes sin and decay (yeast is a decomposer).

(a)  Pride 1 Cor 5:6

(b)  Puffs up, makes bread bigger than it is. 

(c)  Christ is sinless (above). No pride. Flattened out, Phil 2.

(2)  Why not honey? 

(a)  Honey can also cause bread to rise, as the naturally-occurring yeast in flour can feed on it when baking and bring some lift the bread. 

(b)  The same Hebrew word can also mean the sweet syrup of dates and figs. This explains why it’s okay during Firstfruits, when people are burning the first portion of their agriculture.  Fruit would be included.

(3)  Salt is a flavor enhancer, but also a preservative.

(a)  The offering testifies to preservation and longevity, not to decay.

(b)  Christ also taught about the preservative nature of salt and tied it to our witness (Matt 5:13).

(4)  Frankincense is a costly perfume and incense.  All of what is brought is thrown on the fire. 

(5)  Baking bread is a pleasing aroma, but burning bread is not.

(6)  Frankincense makes the whole thing pleasurable. 

(7)  Frankincense at Christ’s birth when he is in Bethlehem, the “house of bread.” When he is in the house of bread, Frankincense is given to accompany him.

8. Christ calls himself a bread sacrifice in Jn 6:51
5. Application
1. We don’t have to give God an animal sacrifice anymore, but there should be sacrificial acts of love to our God.  What can’t you do, that you would like to do, because you have given an offering to the Lord?
2. We aren’t called to give bread to the priests anymore to say “Thank you” to the Lord, but we ought to share what we have with others out of our supply, not just our abundance.
3. God is Holy and we are not.  Our relationship with God is freely provided by Christ, but that doesn’t mean that it is “cheap.”  Rather, it is so costly that there is no hope that we can pay the price ourselves.

Discussion Questions:

1. Why do you think that it is important that the worshipper burned the entire animal completely on the altar?
2. If the worshipper didn’t give the burnt sacrifice in order to get forgiveness of sin, what kinds of circumstances do you think would motivate someone to do this?
3. When someone brings a grain sacrifice, only some of it is burned.  The rest is given to the priest.  What can this teach us today?
4. Talk about what we can learn about Jesus from these sacrifices.

Discussion Questions:

1. Why do you think that it is important that the worshipper burned the entire animal completely on the altar?
2. If the worshipper didn’t give the burnt sacrifice in order to get forgiveness of sin, what kinds of circumstances do you think would motivate someone to do this?
3. When someone brings a grain sacrifice, only some of it is burned.  The rest is given to the priest.  What can this teach us today?
4. Talk about what we can learn about Jesus from these sacrifices.

Discussion Questions:

1. Why do you think that it is important that the worshipper burned the entire animal completely on the altar?
2. If the worshipper didn’t give the burnt sacrifice in order to get forgiveness of sin, what kinds of circumstances do you think would motivate someone to do this?
3. When someone brings a grain sacrifice, only some of it is burned.  The rest is given to the priest.  What can this teach us today?
4. Talk about what we can learn about Jesus from these sacrifices.

Discussion Questions:

5. Why do you think that it is important that the worshipper burned the entire animal completely on the altar?
6. If the worshipper didn’t give the burnt sacrifice in order to get forgiveness of sin, what kinds of circumstances do you think would motivate someone to do this?
7. When someone brings a grain sacrifice, only some of it is burned.  The rest is given to the priest.  What can this teach us today?
8. Talk about what we can learn about Jesus from these sacrifices.

Jesus in the Old Testament 018: The Tent and the Turban

Jesus in the OT 018:

The Tent and the Turban

Exodus 25-40

Thesis: The Tabernacle was meant to conceal a glory.  The Priest was meant to reveal it.  Both, in their own way, represent an aspect of Christ. 

1. Nutshell with Kids (<5min)
1. Has anyone here ever been to heaven? Of course not.  But God lives in heaven.  How, then, do we know anything about God?
1. Bible.
2. Jesus.
2. Jesus came to teach us about God and how to get to heaven, a place none of us have ever been.
3. Here’s a picture of the tabernacle that God told the Israelites to build in the wilderness.  It is where God met with Moses.  How do you think it helped people know about God?
4. This is a picture of what the High Priest looked like wearing the clothes that God told him to wear.
1. His clothes looked like the way that the inside of the tabernacle was decorated.
2. His job was to tell people about God and help the people sacrifice to God. 
3. Why do you think Jesus is like the High Priest?

2. Deeper with Adults
1. The Tabernacle
1. Ordinary on the outside, Glory within.

a)    Bronze & Silver used in the courtyard: valuable, but more common.

(1)  Ch 27:9-19

(2)  Curtains white.  Only the gateway colored.

b)    Altar & Laver in the courtyard

(1)  Altar, Sacrifices: 27:1-8

(2)  Laver, Washings: 30:17-21

c)     Tabernacle itself outer layers of Goat Skins, Ram skins, and Goat Hair.  Then twisted colored linen: 26:7-14

2. As you get closer in to the middle, the refinement of the appointments increases.

a)    Inner-most layer of the tabernacle is finely twisted red, blue, and purple linen: 26:1-6

b)    Everything inside is either covered in or made of pure gold 26:26-30

c)    Furniture for Worship, Presence:      

(1)  Show Bread Table: Wood overlaid with gold to hold the food offering to God 25:25-30

(2)  Altar of incense: Wood overlaid with gold: 30:1-10

(3)  Candelabra: Solid gold, presence of the Lord 30:1-10

3. Holy of Holies: Ark of Wood overlaid with Gold, Solid gold lid, Red, purple, and blue linen.

a)    Unapproachable but by 1 priest once a year.

b)    Ark of the covenant cannot be touched.

c)    The holiest and most ornate and decorative location in the Jewish world.

4. The tabernacle looked, on the outside, like a larger version of a normal Jewish tent.  Square frames draped in goatskins. 

a)    As you approach the tent from the outside, you must first deal with your sinfulness through sacrifice and washing.

b)    The tabernacle hides the glory of God from the eyes of the average person.  Only priests enter through the first veil.  Only the High Priest enters through the second.

5. Jesus looked, externally, like a normal man.

a)    Prophetic expectation: Isa 53:2-3

b)    Actual fulfillment: Matt 13:54-56

c)    He looked normal, but he provided for us the means by which to atone for our sins.  1Jn 1:7-9

d)    The glory that he had as the son of God he concealed from most

(1)  Statements not to tell: Mark 1:34; Matt 8:4; Matt 9:29-31

(2)  Taught in Parables because it concealed and revealed. Matt 13:10-15

e)    His glory was only shown to a select few on the Mt. of Transfiguration. Matt 17:1-9

2. The Priestly garments
1. The High Priest is a regular man. There is nothing special about him apart from the fact that he:

a)    Is a Jew (of the covenant, those whom God Chose, Gen 12:1-3),

b)    Of the tribe fo Levi (those who chose to stand with God, Ex 32:25-27), and

c)    Of the family of Aaron (Consecrated by God for this service, Ex 28:1).

2. On his own, this man would have no chance of standing in the presence of God.

a)    Washed (29:4)

b)    Dressed (29:5-6)

c)    Anointed (29:7)

d)    Atoned (29:10-25)

e)    Provided (29:26-34)

f)     Declared Holy (29:44)

g)    Used as a vehicle for relationship (29:45-46)

3. The priest looks, on the outside, like the tabernacle looks on the inside (28:2-5).

a)    Gold breastplate (28:15-30)

b)    Gold Crown (28:36-38)

c)    Ephod and robe of Blue, gold, red, and purple fine twisted linen (29:6-14,31-35)

d)    Robe and sash embroidered with needlework (29:39)

3. The High Priest goes where nobody else can and represents on his person what nobody else can see.  He is a picture of the hidden glory of the Holy of Holies.
4. Christ is also a picture of what we cannot see and a representation of the Glory that is unapproachable for fallen men (John 1:14-18; 14:9)
2. Application:
1. We are called to carry on the ministry of representing God to the world.
2. 2 Cor 4
1. Two problems being overcome:

a)    The wickedness of the outside, fallen, world (vs 1-2)

b)    The blindness of fallen man to the gospel (vs 4)

2. Paul is saying that God has worked in their lives to overcome the eternal, spiritual, effects of the sinful fallen world in their lives (vs 7-10)
3. Paul says that he (and we, by extension), are sustained by God so that he (we) can make known the glory of God to a fallen world (5-7, 12-15).
4. We are normal, fleshy people, but when we are washed, dressed, anointed, atoned, and spiritually provided for by God, we can be holy vessels that are used to extend a relationship with God to a broken world.
2. Ephesians 3
1. Paul has received a revelation of hidden mysteries (vs 1-6).

a)    The hidden truth in the past now made clear to the watching world (like the priest’s garments).

b)    The mystery is that those estranged are estranged no longer, a view into the unapproachable.

2. Jesus provided this access as high priest (vs 11-12).  We follow in this access and proclaim it to everyone else.
3. So we, the church are to display to the outside the glories of God which are available inside the kingdom. 

Discussion Questions:

1. What kinds of things could the Israelites know about God because of the tabernacle in the camp?
2. What did they know about God because of the priest?
3. How was Jesus like the tabernacle?  Like the priest?
4. Are you showing on the outside what is true inside the kingdom of God? 
5. Are you spending your time with God (inside the tabernacle) so that you have what it takes to show others what is inside?