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Sermon onGod's Way in the SanctuaryBy Brian Pepper
In the village of Oberammagu some 45 minutes from Munich in a fast train; every 10 years the great Passion play is enacted. 700 actors take part and these actors spend the years in between practicing and rehearsing so that their performance may be perfect. Yes, they practice for 10 years to give that one play which lasts one hour.
Greatest Passion Play of all time Did you know that for hundreds of years the people of Israel practiced the greatest Passion play of all time. Right from the time that Adam and Eve disobeyed God and were cast out of the Garden of Eden, God designed that man should understand what the Cross meant and what it involved. In Psalm 77:13 we read this statement, "Thy way, O God, is in the sanctuary: who is so great a God as our God." Since God’s Way is in the Sanctuary then the Sanctuary is very important to each one of us.
No Remision of Sin without Shedding of Blood Hebrews 9:22 says, "And almost all things are by the law purged with blood: and without shedding of blood is no remission." Since sin came into the world and death by sin the only way man can be saved from death is by the shedding of blood. Life must be sacrificed and the only blood that could be acceptable to redeem from death must be the blood of One of equal authority to the Law Giver. It was this sacrifice that was typified by the blood of the sacrificial animals in the service of the Sanctuary.
Sacrificial Offerings of Cain and Abel Even before the construction of the tabernacle the penalty of sin was made known to our first parents, and they explained it to their children. Cain’s offering consisted of fruit, not being an offering of faith, and since there was no blood to typify the sacrifice of Christ his offering was unacceptable to God.
In Cain’s offering there was no blood, hence no atonement for his sin. He must bear it himself. Abel’s faith in the atoning blood transferred the guilt to his Redeemer. And thus Abel was forgiven and his sin was borne by another. These sacrifices continued down through the centuries, for we have Noah offering his sacrifice after deliverance from the flood; Abraham ready to offer his own son to the will of God. And now we came to the Sanctuary in the wilderness.
Sanctuary in the Wilderness Exodus 25:8 says, "And let them make me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them." God told Moses to build a tabernacle in order that he might be near His people. In verse 40 we read, "And look that thou make them after their pattern, which was shewed thee in the mount." God gave Moses a glimpse of the heavenly sanctuary and told him to make the earthly one strictly to the same pattern.
Court Wall made of White Linen Firstly, there is the court wall made of white linen. White signifies the Righteousness of Christ. Revelation 19:8 says, “…and to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.” There is only one gate or entrance into the Sanctuary and that door represented Christ; for we must remember that the Sanctuary itself and its services were for the purpose of revealing Christ the coming Redeemer.
The Brazen Altar Jesus says in John 10:9, "I am the door.” Just inside the gate or door we find the Brazen Altar. Upon this Brazen Altar were offered the sacrifices of the people. The Burnt offering showed a whole hearted consecration toward God. When a burnt offering was made, the one who made the offering placed himself symbolically on the altar, his life being wholly devoted to God. Every offering pointed forward to the great Sacrifice upon Calvary as the only deliverance from sin.
The Holy Place The Sanctuary itself was about 15ft x 45ft and had two apartments called the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place. In the Holy Place first of all we notice the Table of Shewbread. Hebrews 9:2 says, "For there was a tabernacle made; the first, wherein was the candlestick and the table, and the shewbread; which is called the sanctuary.” Margin reads “Holy place.”
Table of Shewbread The Table of Shewbread was a continual reminder to the people of Israel of the fact that it was Christ who supplied not only the physical requirements but also the Spiritual. In John 6:48 we read "I am that bread of life. Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness and are dead. This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof and not die." Israel in the Wilderness were fed from heaven for forty years with manna but Jesus says “they died”; died not only to this world but to life ever after because they did not eat of the spiritual bread as well.
Golden Candlestick Next we come to the Golden Candlestick made of beaten gold. In this, the source of illumination of the Holy Place is a picture of the Great Light that came into the world. John 8:12 says, "Then spake Jesus again unto them saying, I am the light of the world; he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of Life."
Altar of Incense The Altar of Incense was placed directly in front of the priest on entering the tabernacle. The incense filled the building with fragrance. This Altar of Incense constantly burning; typified the prayers of God’s children constantly ascending to heaven. (Revelation 5:8)
Most Holy Place And now we enter the Most Holy Place. In the Most Holy place only one piece of furniture is found: the Ark of the Covenant. Hebrew 9:3, 4 says, "And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all; Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant." It was in this apartment that only the High Priest ministered and that just once a year; the 10th day of the 7th month the Day of Atonement. The cover of the ark was called the mercy seat, and was guarded by the two cherubim one on either end; with wings forming an arch over the mercy seat. Deuteronomy 10:4, 5 says, "And He wrote on the tables according to the first writing, the ten commandments, which the LORD spake unto you in the mount out of the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly: and the LORD gave them unto me. And I turned myself and came down from the mount, and put the tables in the ark which I had made; and there they be, as the LORD commanded me."
The Mercy Seat There is great consolation in the fact the LORD Himself covered the broken law with a Mercy Seat; and that He, the merciful God, took His position upon that seat, so that every sinner who comes confessing his sins, may receive mercy and pardon. The Mercy Seat with the cloud of glory, the visible representation of God’s presence and its covering cherubim, is a figure or "shadow" of the throne of the great God, who proclaims His name as "merciful and gracious, long suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth." How reverently then should men regard the Ten Commandments of God? To do away with the Commandments is to dethrone God and take away the Mercy Seat. It is far better to have the Law mingled with mercy than to have no Law and no mercy.
Ministry in the Sanctuary And now the Ministry in the Sanctuary St Paul deals with these services very full in the Book of Hebrews. Hebrews 9:6 says, "Now when these things were thus ordained, the priests went always into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the service of God." The priests ministered in the First Apartment daily. They carried out their daily duties in the Courtyard, and morning and evening they went into the Holy Place to offer incense. Hebrews 9:7 says, "But into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of his people." The Second Apartment was entered only once a year and then only by the High Priest. Into this apartment he entered with blood which he offered for himself and for the errors of his people. All these services were carried on because of Sin. Leviticus 4:27, 28 says, "And if any one of the common people sin through ignorance, while he doeth somewhat against any of the commandments of the LORD concerning things which ought not to be done and be guilty: Or if his sin, which he bath sinned come to his knowledge: then he shall bring his offering, a kid of the goats, a female without blemish, for his sin which he hath sinned. And he shall lay his hand upon the head of the sin offering, and slay the sin offering in the place of the burnt offering."
The Sinner's Offering The first step for the Sinner was confession. The sinner placed his hands upon the Lamb while he confessed his sin. Then with his own hand he took the life of the Lamb. The priest then took the blood and placed some of it on the horns of the Brazen Altar. The substitute was thus slain. When the sinner made his offering he realized that it was his sin that brought about the death of an innocent victim. The wages of sin is death.
Intentional Sins Now the offerings provided only for unintentional sins. But this man has committed other and more serious sins; he has been led astray by his heathen neighbours; he has attended one of their festivals and participated in their Baal worship; he has profaned the Sabbath; he has coveted his neighbour’s wife; he has taken God’s name in vain. These sins come to his mind and weigh him down. What can he do? Then he remembers David’s utterance. Psalm 51:17. "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, 0 God, thou wilt not despise." He bows his heart before God, confesses his sin, and is forgiven. David’s experience shows conclusively that men in the Old Testament understood the limited value of sacrifices. Psalm 51:16 says, “Thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering." He knew that a broken heart and a contrite spirit counted with God.
How to Obtain Real Forgiveness You see Israel was taught in the sacrificial system; that even small errors counted and that without shedding of blood there could be no forgiveness of sin. They also understood that the sacrifices could never make perfect them that brought them. Real forgiveness could be obtained only through confession and humbling of soul, as with a broken heart and contrite spirit they came before God.
Day of Atonement As the offerings were made day by day and the sins of the people were transferred to the sanctuary; and there they accumulated throughout the year. At the close of the year these sins in type were taken from the Sanctuary and disposed of. This service was performed on the Day of Atonement. It meant that everything was cancelled for the year, and each and every person would begin all over again. It was the day of At-one-ment. Man and Man, and God and Man were reconciled. A clean page was turned to keep the New Year’s record. Leviticus 17:29, 30 says, “And this shall be a statute for ever unto you: that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, ye shall afflict your souls and do no work at all, whether it be one of your own country, or a stranger that sojourneth among you: For on that day shall the priest make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that ye may be clean from all your sins before the Lord."
The Two Goats You see reconciliation was made. Sin was completely blotted out. The services of the Day of Atonement were very solemn; it meant much to every person in Israel. Two goats were selected. Lots were cast on the goats. One was the LORD’s goat. The blood of this goat was taken into the Most Holy Place of the Sanctuary, where it was sprinkled before the mercy seat on the Ark. The blood, typical of the shed blood of Jesus, appeased the demands of the broken Law of God, in the Ark. And thus the people were released from its demanded penalty - death. Leviticus 16:15 says, "Then shall he kill the goat of the sin offering, that is for the people, and bring his blood within the vail, and do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat, and before the mercy seat. In this service the priest, representing Jesus, bears the sin of the people before God and reconciliation is made for them. Leviticus 16:16 says, "And he shall make an atonement for the holy place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions in all their sins: and so shall he do for the tabernacle of the congregation, that remaineth among them in the midst of their uncleanness." In making this reconciliation for the people, the priest in type, transferred the sins that had accumulated during the year from the Sanctuary and places them in type on the head of the Scapegoat.
The Scapegoat You will remember that there were two goats. One was slain as a blood offering. The other was sent out of the congregation to perish, bearing the sins of Israel. The Scapegoat represents Satan. Satan being the cause of sin must bear its penalty. Only the sins that had been confessed had been transferred to the scapegoat or Satan. All unconfessed sin is borne by the one who committed the sin, and naturally he suffers the penalty for the one who committed the sin. Thus Satan pays the penalty only for the sins of God’s people who have parted with them. I want you to be very clear about this. Satan does not make atonement for these sins; he suffers the penalty for them. The Priest, Jesus Christ, made the Atonement, when He came in before God with His own blood and offered it for them. Hebrews 9:12 says, "Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood He entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us." The Scapegoat carries the years’ accumulation of sins into the wilderness where he is lost. Leviticus 16:20, 21 says, "And when he bath made an end of reconciling the holy place, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar, he shall bring the live goat; And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness. And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness.”
Fate of Satan This is exactly what befalls Satan; the land of forgetfulness is to be his fate. Ezekiel 28:18, 19 says, "Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffic; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all then that behold thee. All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more.” Satan once and for all disappears with the accumulated sins of the centuries and dies with them.
Have You any Unconfessed Sin? With what solemn atmosphere the service of the Day of Atonement were carried forward. What solemnity is the hour in which we are living? Eternity is in the balance. In Israel, those who had not confessed and forsaken their sins were cut off from His people. That was the type. Today the same will be done in anti-type. If you have sin in your heart, if you are breaking God’s law, now is the time to have Atonement made. Don’t let anything stand in the way. When we remember that God’s Way is in the Sanctuary, that the earthly services in sanctuary were typical of the Heavenly, we begin to see the importance of what is happening in heaven at this moment. Hebrews 9:9, 24 says, "Which was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience. For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us." As the services were going on in the Sanctuary we see Jesus the innocent victim dying on the cross. Jesus was the Lamb that was slain for the sins of the world. It required the life blood of Jesus to save guilty man. Now in heaven Jesus is pleading for you and for me. Have you confessed your sins that they might be blotted out? Remember if sin is not confessed the sinner will have to bear his own sin and the penalty. Friends, the question that comes to you and to me is this: have we allowed the Lamb of God to take away our sins? If not, do it now before it is too late. |
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