Enter His Presence Through the Tabernacle: God’s Blueprint of Encountering His Presence

Exodus 29:42-46 Significance of the Tabernacle:

A. So GOD will ____________ amongst the Israelites.

B. So the Israelites will __________ that the LORD is GOD.

C. So the Israelites will worship the ___________ as their GOD.

1. _________ were created to ________________ GOD.

_________________with GOD is a spiritual exercise.

Man is made of ________________, Soul, _________________

Romans 8:16 “The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.”

2. You can worship GOD __________ on His Terms.

Layout of the Tabernacle:

The Outer Court: Brazen __________, Brazen _____________

The Holy Place: Table of ____________________, Golden

__________________; Altar of __________________________

The Most Holy Place: Ark of ______________________;

3. GOD has provided the ___________ for you to worship HIM.

For Cell Discussion and Devotional

Icebreaker: Share your earliest experience as a child when you enter a place of worship. What thoughts went through your mind? How does it differ today when you enter a church worship service?

1. Read Psalm 51 and select 2-4 verses that speaks to your heart about the preparation of the heart when you enter into God’s presence. How should a believer prepare their hearts prior to coming to a worship service?

2. How does the layout of the Tabernacle help you understand about what God wants from us in regards to our response to worship? Select one of the symbols and share what it means to you.

3. In the story of the Samaritan woman at the well, Jesus proclaimed in v 24 “God is spirit, and his worshippers must worship in spirit and in truth”. What did Jesus mean by this? Read John 4:4-26. How

do we worship God in spirit and in truth?

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Enter His Presence thro’ the Tabernacle

God’s Blueprint of Encountering His Presence

Text: Exodus 29:42-46

! “For the generations to come this burnt offering is to be made regularly at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting before the Lord. There I will meet you and speak to you; there also I will meet with the Israelites, and the place will be consecrated by my glory.

! So I will consecrate the Tent of Meeting and the altar and will consecrate Aaron and his sons to serve me as priests. 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. I am the Lord their God.”

What’s So Special About Tabernacle? ! Moses used to meet God in a “tent of meeting” before the Tabernacle was built. ! “Now Moses used to take a tent & pitch it outside the camp

some distance away, calling it the ‘tent of meeting.’ Anyone inquiring of the Lord would go to the tent of meeting outside the camp.

! And whenever Moses went out to the tent, all the people rose & stood at the entrances to their tents, watching Moses until he entered the tent. As Moses went into the tent, the pillar of cloud would come down & stay at the entrance, while the Lord spoke with Moses. Whenever the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance to the tent, they all stood & worshiped, each at the entrance to his tent.” – Ex 33:7-10

Glory of

God

Significance of the Tabernacle

! God commanded Moses to build the Tabernacle: ! “For the generations to come this burnt offering is to be

made regularly at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting before the Lord. There I will meet you and speak to you; there also I will meet with the Israelites, and the place will be consecrated by my glory. So I will consecrate the Tent of Meeting and the altar and will consecrate Aaron and his sons to serve me as priests. 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. I am the Lord their God.”

! Significance of the Tabernacle: ! So God will dwell amongst the Israelites. ! So Israelites will know that the Lord is God. ! So Israelites will worship the Lord as their God.

What God is Saying About Our Worship thro’ the Tabernacle

3 Truths:

1. You were Created to Worship God.

2. You can Worship God ONLY on His Terms.

3. God has provided the Way for You to Worship Him (to Enter His Presence).

1.  You were Created to Worship God ! God created Adam to Fellowship with God.

! Fellowship = Communion with God

! Man Sinned & was driven out of God’s Presence.

! God desires our return to Him, & He sets out a blueprint for Man to Enter His Presence.

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Fellowship with God is A Spiritual Exercise

! We cannot enter God’s Presence with a ‘soulish’ personality.

! We are made of 3 parts. ! Body – Appetite of Our Drives ! Soul – Mind, Emotions & Will ! Spirit – ‘The Real You’ that connects to God

! God reveals Himself to our spirit man – not to our soulish man. ! “The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that

come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, & he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.” – 1 Cor 2:14

We Can Only Enter God’s Presence thro’ Our spirit Man

! Our soul takes from what our spirit receives from the Spirit of God, then grows in the abundant life. ! “The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's

children.” – Rom 8:16

! Why Some are not able to enter His Presence. ! Have not had a born-again relationship with

Jesus. ! Have not learn to enter God’s Presence thro’

their spirit Man. ! Have been taught by the world to rely on their

intellect & moods, & therefore struggle to operate in faith.

Safeguards for our ‘spirit’ to Spirit Connection

! How do I know that I am really connecting my spirit with His Spirit? ! Must be a born-again Believer ! Hear from God thro’ the Scriptures. ! Affirmations from mature believers.

! God desires us to worship Him in Spirit & in Truth. ! “Yet a time is coming & has now come when the true

worshipers will worship the Father in spirit & truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, & his worshipers must worship in spirit & in truth.” – John 4:23-24

Experiencing God thro’ the Tabernacle

! O.T. – Mentioned in 50 chapters

! N.T. – Mentioned in Book of Hebrews

! An earthly representation of God’s plan for Man to enter His Presence.

! Moses commanded to built the tabernacle EXACTLY to God’s specs. ! “See to it that you make everything according to the pattern

shown you on the mountain.” – Heb 8:5

The Tabernacle is God’s Blueprint to Gain Access & Experience His Presence

Enter His Presence thro’ the Tabernacle

God’s Blueprint of Encountering His Presence

Encountering God with our spirit

Not just body & soul

2.  You can Worship God ONLY on His Terms

! Now the first covenant had regulations for worship & also an earthly sanctuary. A tabernacle was set up. In its first room were the lampstand, the table & the consecrated bread; this was called the Holy Place. Behind the second curtain was a room called the Most Holy Place, which had the golden altar of incense & the gold-covered ark of the covenant. This ark contained the gold jar of manna, Aaron's staff that had budded, & the stone tablets of the covenant. Above the ark were the cherubim of the Glory, overshadowing the atonement cover. But we cannot discuss these things in detail now.

! When everything had been arranged like this, the priests entered regularly into the outer room to carry on their ministry. But only the high priest entered the inner room, & that only once a year, & never without blood, which he offered for himself & for the sins the people had committed in ignorance. The Holy Spirit was showing by this that the way into the Most Holy Place had not yet been disclosed as long as the first tabernacle was still standing. This is an illustration for the present time, indicating that the gifts and sacrifices being offered were not able to clear the conscience of the worshipper. – Heb 9:1-8

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Layout of Tabernacle

East

Layout of Tabernacle & the Furniture

The Outer Court ! Brazen Altar ! Brazen Laver

The Holy Place ! Table of Showbread ! Golden Lamp-stand ! Altar of Incense

The Most Holy Place

! Ark of Covenant ! Gold Jar of Manna ! Aaron’s Rod ! 10 Commandments

Veil

Veil

God’s Protocol of Walking into The Most Holy Place

The Outer Court ! Brazen Altar ! Brazen Laver

Our Body ! Sacrifice ! Cleansing

Thank Him for what He has done ! Cross of Christ ! Word of God

The Holy Place ! Table of Showbread ! Golden Lampstand ! Altar of Incense

Our Soul ! Will ! Intellect ! Emotions

Praise Him for who He is ! Submit your whole

being

Most Holy Place ! Ark of Covenant

Our Spirit ! His Presence

Worship Him ! in Spirit & Truth

The Tabernacle Shows How We are to Approach God on His Terms

! The Tabernacle is a Roadmap to enter into His Holiness. ! Tabernacle has 3 compartments, & we are made of 3

parts. ! The OT priests entered into His Presence thro’ the

Tabernacle. ! We, the Royal Priesthood, are to enter into His Presence.

! It is His Protocol to find His Presence (& His Favor). ! Protocol = The Rules & Acceptable Behavior to come

before God

3.  God has provided the Way for You to Worship Him (to Enter His Presence).

! Worship is directly related to the Holiness of God.

! Worship is the result of the sovereign invitation of the Holy Spirit to come inside the veil & to be where God is.

! God wants you to enter into His Holy Presence – to worship in His Presence. Here is where & when your spirit awakens to God.