My notes (in between tweets) from the 179th Semi-Annual General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

Saturday Morning Session

President Henry B. Eyring conducted the Saturday morning session, with President Thomas S. Monson providing general commentary followed by talks from Elder Scott, Sister Matsumori, Elder Clayton, Brother Osguthorpe, Elder Bednar, and President Uchtdorf.  Here are the key points made by each speaker (with direct quotes noted as such):

President Thomas S. Monson:

• 83% of members live within 200 miles of a temple
• There are 130 operating temples
• 16 have been announced or are under construction
• 5 new temples announced
  
  • Brigham City, Utah
  • Concepción, Chile
  • Fortaleza, Brazil
  • Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
  • Sapporo, Japan

Mormon Tabernacle Choir sang “Choose the Right”

Elder Richard G. Scott of the Twelve:

• Inspiration to know what to do | being guided by the spirit
• Power, to be able to do it
• Sometimes truth is revealed when you are not actively seeking it
• Pornography is one of the most damning influences on earth, and is overpoweringly addictive
• Commit to overcome it now
• If you pray with all your heart, you can learn to be consistent with the guidance of the Holy Spirit
• Parable: a humble priesthood leader in Mexico teaching a lesson inspired Elder Scott, while a well-educated Sunday School teacher in the States, using obscure examples, did not edify or inspire because it came from a desire to impress (pride).

Sister Vicki F. Matsumori, Second Counselor in the Primary General Presidency:

• Being touched by the Spirit is like being wrapped in a blanket.
• Help others understand
• The Spirit will not dwell in unholy temples
• We should find ways to feel the Spirit every day and weekly at Church
• “Be still and know that I am God”

Elder L. Whitney Clayton of the Presidency of the Seventy:

• Generally burdens come from 3 sources
  1. Natural product of the conditions of the world
  2. Imposed on us by the misconduct of others
  3. Imposed on us by our own mistakes and shortcomings
• Burdens provide opportunities to practice virtues — blessings in disguise
• “People struggle everyday under burdens that tax their souls.”

The choir sang “We Thank Thee, O God, for a Prophet”

Russell T. Osguthorpe, General President of the Sunday School:

• “We are all teaching future leaders of the Church.”
• A good teacher can help save lives
• Teaching involves sharing the key doctrine, an invitation to action, and then the promised blessings
• “Learning and teaching are not optional activities in the Kingdom of God.”
• Teachers can inspire their students to change, to do better, to set sights higher

Elder David A. Bednar of the Twelve:

• “More diligent and concerned at home”
• Express love and show it. When was the last time you told your spouse, your child, your parents you love them?
• Testimonies that express love might be appropriate, but the public statement shouldn’t be the only time they hear it
• Feeling the constancy of love is a rich blessing
• Bear testimony and live it. When was the last time you bore your testimony to your spouse, your children, or your parents
• We need to bear it, we need to mean it, and most importantly, we need to live it
• Be consistent. Results don’t come each time
• The consistency of our intent and work is the great lesson
• A single paint brush stroke is not critical, but all of the strokes together create a beautiful painting

The choir sang “My Heavenly Father Loves Me”

The choir sang “Oh, May My Soul Commune with Thee”

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, on showing love as a disciple of Christ and the unconditional love of God for us:

• Of all the things we are known for, are there things we should seek to be known for?
• How do we become true disciples of Jesus Christ? Love God. If ye love me, keep my commandments.  Love should be the center of our life in:
  1. family
  2. callings
  3. livelihood
• “Love should be our walk and our talk.”
• Keep trying. Try to believe, learn of God, study the scriptures, follow the prophets, listen to the Father, do the things He asks of us
  • How can we hear the Father’s voice?
  • Why is love the great commandment?

The choir sang “Come, Come, Ye Saints”

Saturday Afternoon Session

President Eyring conducted the Saturday afternoon session, featuring talks by Elder Oaks, Elder Hales, Elder Zeballos, Elder Callister, Elder Watson, Elder Anderson, and President Packer. Direct quotations (based on my notes) are given in quotes; phrases without quotes are my summary of the remarks given.

The choir sang “Let Zion in Her Beauty Rise”.

The choir sang “Know This, That Every Soul Is Free”

Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Twelve, on God’s love and law:

• God’s love and God’s commandments
• The love of God does not supersede his commandments.  His commandments do not diminish the love of God
• Despite mortal confusion over the relationship between love and law, love does not supercede or render inapplicable law or God’s commandments. Mercy cannot rob justice.
• Counsels a balanced response — every parent knows you can love a child and be angry and disappointed
• The love of God is so universal, even those who are rebellious benefit
• Where do parents draw the line with children that are not following the commandments? Don’t go to extremes.
• Real love does not support self-destructive behavior

Elder Robert D. Hales of the Twelve, against secularism and atheism:

• We live in a time where secularism is deepening.  “Atheism … is spreading across the world.”
• We declare We believe in God the Eternal Father, and in his son Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost
• Why is belief in God so important?“Without God, … our mortal experiences would have no purpose.”
• Cultivate a diligent desire to know God lives. He does.

Elder Jorge F. Zeballos of the Seventy, on the Atonement:

• The command to become perfect may seem impossible, but it encourages us to achieve the best of ourselves
• “God will not require more than the best that we can give.”
• Let us with enthusiasm do all that is within our reach
• It is possible to achieve the impossible. We can receive eternal life. We can be happy now.

The choir sang “Come, Ye Children of the Lord”

Elder Tad R. Callister of the Seventy, on the Restoration:

• Joseph was the Lord’s anointed servant. He restored knowledge of four fundamental truths not recognized by contemporary Christianity:
  1. God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ are two separate, distinct beings
  2. The Father and Son have glorified bodies of flesh and bones
  3. God still speaks to man today; the heavens are not closed
     Does God love us as much today as before?
     Does God have the same power today as then?
     Do we need him as much today as then?
  4. The full and complete Church of Jesus Christ was not on the earth
• Were there not angels before? Mary, Joseph, Peter, James, John, Cornelius, Paul, Stephen all saw angels
• Some people get sidetracked and lose their faith over minor issues: “There will always be some intellectual crisis looming on the horizon.” At some point, one must trust in God.

Elder Kent D. Watson of the Seventy, on temperance:

• Temperance = avoiding anger and pride.
• Peace of mind and security and happiness does not come from buying things we can’t afford. It comes through self-control and faith in Jesus Christ.
• Happiness comes from being diligent in keeping covenants
• Like tempered glass or tempered steel, a tempered soul is one that has gained increased spiritual strength.

Elder Neil L. Anderson of the Twelve, on repentance:

• Testifies of the Savior’s overpowering love for a repentant soul.  Spiritual arms of mercy, safety, love
• We rejoice in repenting and the joy of forgiveness
• Apart from the rare unforgiveable sin against the Holy Ghost, “there is no sin that cannot be forgiven.
• “Will ye not now return unto me… that I may heal you?”
• Repentance is more of a journey than an event
• “You can’t feel what I have felt”  One who does understand. He does. He has felt your pain.
• I promise you, relief will come
• Do not procrastinate the day of your repentance

President Boyd K. Packer of the Twelve, on hearing the guidance of the Spirit:

• “We are given our agency; we must use it wisely.”
• We must use our agency wisely
• Pure intelligence can be spoken into the mind  — the Spirit can protect you
• Keep your mind clean and free from the clutter of the world
• “One of the adversary’s sharpest tools is convincing us that we are no longer worthy to pray.” No matter who you are and what you may have done, you can always pray
• Learn to pray. Pray often. Pray in your mind, in your heart. Pray on your knees.
• Prayer is your personal key to heaven and the lock is on your side of the veil.
• “Thy will be done”

The choir sang “I Know That My Redeemer Lives”.

From Helen Goatley (The Tabernacle www.all4him.org)

This morning as I sat with the Lord, this scripture was highlighted to me along with your faces Jono & Erin, & Northern Connections Church. I sensed the Lord say to me, “Prophecise.” So I submit this to you & the leadership for your discernment & His leading of you. I would be interested in how this resonates with your spirits. All my love. Cheering for you. Helen Goatley

“… the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
The garment of praise instead of a faint spirit;
That they may be called oaks of righteousness,
The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.” Isa 61:3b

“Beloved ones.
You are entering a new stage in my preparations of you, individually & corporately.
This new stage will be completely different to past ones.
You are a prophetic people, to go ahead & experience, know & live the way yet to be.
You are heralding my return as you do this.

You exist to bring glory to ME,
Not yourselves.
You must understand this as we enter this new stage.
I am doing a new thing again,
Right around the world, amongst my people.

I am restoring the Tabernacle of David in the midst of my people.
They are My people
& it is My glory that will be exalted in the earth. My majesty. (Psalm
Such is the anointing upon you.
To restore a garment of praise to Me
To help my people enter My courts, not the courts of men. (Isa 61:3b, Psalm 100:4)

You are an apostolic people. A people on a journey.
Sojourners.
Yours & your generation is not to built great monuments to men, but to Me.
How & what your monuments to Me will look like, will be radically different to your forefathers.
For we are entering a period in history not witnessed before.
As such, you from the ends of the earth, herald this new time.
You are not last, but in fact, first in time. Such as you are on the world clock, such you are on my clock.
From the ends of the earth, is coming a new sound, a new time in the Spirit.
This, I am preparing you for.

I have set those amongst you & around you, both near & far
Who will be asked to rise up now & bring my counsel & my voice to your midst.
But as this takes place, you will move from knowing, hearing & understanding this in the way of a child,
To the way of the mature as you embrace & know, in your hearts & spirits, your sonship. (1 Cor 13:11)
My chosen ones, my sons & daughters who wear the spirit of adoption in the land of the orphan. (Rom 8:14-16)
You are changing your nation’s history as you breathe.

You will come to a new level of maturity in ME
& in knowing My ways.
But you will only know this by remaining in your anointing to raise up a garment of praise to ME.
I have planted you to be OAKS, strong trees, of righteousness. (Isa 61:3b)
You have been planted by Me
Not by man. By ME. (Isa 61:3b)
For one reason & one reason only, that I may be glorified, not you.
Do not fear my beloved. You are not diminished as you bring glory to me.
But I do ask of you to walk a different way to your ancestors, to previous generations. (Isa 43:18)
You will & must do it differently, for this a different time.
My son’s return is close at hand.
These are different days. I have built within you as a generation, a knowing of this.
Keep your gaze on me. I keep my gaze on you. (Hebrew 12:2)
I am proud of you.
I am jealous over you.
Keep your praise for Me. For this is a whole new level we walk together now. (Isa 61:2)
I am with you. Emmanuel.
I love you.”

Helen Goatley
www.all4him.org

One of my live highlights of the year, it’s been great to see the success and profile of The Low Anthem grow over the past 6 months. The year began with tiny shows (I first caught them at Brighton’s Ocean Rooms basement at The Great Escape, playing to around 100 people), moving on to sold out shows at the Union Chapel, and now the Tabernacle, along with many festival performances. Next Feb they’re playing at Shepherd’s Bush Empire, a well deserved step up, but will it lose the intimacy that has made their other shows so enjoyable?

This was a one off show for London, to coincide with their appearance on ‘Later with Jools Holland’, which I believe was their first TV performance. You can catch the performance of ‘To Ohio’ here (available until next Fri evening) – I’ve saved you the hassle of having to skip past David Gray, however you might want to check out The Decemberists’ peformance on the show too!

The main focus of the set was most recent album ‘Oh My God, Charlie Darwin’, with many of the albums high points being present. Lead singer Ben Knox Miller displayed his beautifully soft falsetto on tracks ‘Cage The Songbird’ and title track ‘Charlie Darwin’, but also got to show a more rough and bluesy side on ‘Home I’ll Never Be’. Of the other louder tracks from the album, ‘Champion Angel’ was sadly left out, and ‘The Horizon Is A Beltway’ was present, but in a more stripped back new arrangement. My set highlight is the fantastic ‘Don’t Let Nobody Turn You Around’, which opens with a fantastic double bass solo by Jeff Prystowsky, with Ben belting out vocals and drums, and Jocie Adams on guitar & vocals. This song in particular allows each member to demonstrate their some of their strongest performances. I would normally have a preference for Jeff on drums (where he makes it look so effortless and cool), but in this track his double bass playing is used to great effect.

The rest of the set featured a few oldies (‘Senorita’ and ‘This God Damn House’ from previous album ‘What The Crow Brings’), and some new tracks and maybe covers that I was less familiar with. The core three members – and multi-instrumentalists – Ben, Jeff and Jocie, are often joined by friends and guests for the odd song. This performance featured a guest musician throughout the whole show (who’s name I can’t remember sorry) a possible permanent new member Matt (thanks Anthony!), playing amongst other things organ, and providing backing vocals.

So how did it compare with previous performances? It could have done with a few more livelier numbers, and didn’t quite match the intimate brilliance of their recent Hoxton Hall show, but it was a fine performance and the crowd seemed very appreciative. I’m already looking forward to Shepherd’s Bush and the recently confirmed slot at End Of The Road 2010!

The goal for this week was to cover two chapters, but we only made it through chapter 8. I suppose it was a little ambitious to try and cover chapters 8 and 9, but 9 will just have to wait until next week.

In verse 1, the author is again referencing Psalm 110, a Messianic Psalm which the author has referenced repeatedly throughout the book of Hebrews. And he or she says:

Now the main point in what has been said is this: we have such a high priest who has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, a minister in the sanctuary and in the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, not man. Hebrews 8:1-2 (NASB)

The high priest, who is also the Messiah, has taken his place in Heaven and in the true tabernacle. This is the end of the need for sacrifices. The high priest has now entered the heavenly sanctuary and is now the mediator of a better covenant, the old now being obsolete.

So that it is clear, this is not a reference to the Abrahamic land grant covenant, but to the Mosaic covenant. Until the high priest became the mediator of the new covenant, the law was written in stone. Now the laws are in the hearts and minds of the believers.

This principle actually led to the liveliest discussion of the evening in our effort to determine when and how this imprinting upon the hearts and minds takes place. Does it occur upon becoming a believer, at baptism, during the baptism of the Holy Spirit? Without reaching definite conclusions, I think the general consensus was that (1) the Holy Spirit is the mechanism, and (2) it happens when the Holy Spirit becomes activated by faith in Jesus (which we also believed was distinct from the baptism in the Holy Spirit – which could happen simultaneously, but doesn’t always, or even usually).

We again were landed with a ministry opportunity which consumed a fair amount of the time, but the tradeoff was well worth it.

These are my study notes for Hebrews Chapter 8. I don’t know if they will make much sense to anyone else, but if they are helpful to anyone feel free to use them.

The scripture references and discussion notes should have aligned with the appropriate scriptures, but I lost that somehow when I loaded the table into my blog. On the left is, obviously, the Bible text, the center column contains the scriptures I referenced or wanted to reference, and the right-hand column has discussion topics.

• Building the tabernacle- Exodus 28:1,3; 31:1-11;35:21,25,34;39:42-43
• Work together to get God’s work done.

I was in a gifted and talented program when in elementary school.

It was a special class they had for kids who were over-achievers. I had a decent experience, but as I reflect on it now as an adult, I hate the name of it.

Giving a class for over-achievers a name like “gifted” perpetuates the myth that to be gifted means to be smart (or pretty or musical). What about the kids who weren’t in that class? Did they not have gifts or talents?

Often, our understanding of what it means to be gifted is far too small.

It is clear in the Bible that God created each of us with distinct characteristics- spiritual gifts, temperaments, passions, strengths, and abilities. As he created, he put those things together to make us unique, and enable us to fulfill a distinct role in his kingdom.

When God was dispensing gifts, he didn’t leave anyone out.

Some of us have up-front gifts, others have behind-the-scenes gifts. Some of us have speaking gifts, others of us have gifts of craftsmanship. Some of us have people skills gifts, and others of us have book skills gifts. There is an intentional inter-dependence in the way we were crafted.

The story of the Israelites building the tabernacle is a beautiful depiction of how our gifts were made to work together. We are meant to recognize and bring out the beauty in one another, so we can work together to reveal the beautiful work of God.

Inspired by Train playing the Tabernacle Tuesday night…Radio Free Lunch will be band names that are forms of transportation.  Thanks to Beth Mann who came up with the idea!!

Also, listen for your chance to win tickets to the Train show, I’ll have lots to giveaway in the noon hour.

Update:  Today’s Playlist

Wild Night, Van Morrison

Soul Meets Body, Death Cab For Cutie

Shake It Up, The Cars

No One’s Gonna Love You, Band Of Horses

Drops Of Jupiter, Train

Hey Hey What Can I Do, Led Zeppelin

McDonald’s Daily Cheese

Nothings Gonna Stop Us Now, Starship

Are You Gonna Be My Girl, Jet

But Anyway, Blues Traveler

Stuck In A Moment, U2

More Than This, Roxy Music (Brian Ferry)

We’ve been singing this at the Baptist Tabernacle a lot. I like it.

Architect Adam Hermanson shares these design images of the sacramental furnishings.

Main Altar:

Altar of Repose:

Ambo:

Baptismal Font:

See also:

• GIRM: The Altar and Its Appointments

I don’t know about you, but I get really excited about worshiping God on Sunday mornings. Granted, sometimes I may not “show it” (Brother Jimmy is always getting on me for the fact that our brass players don’t move around much when we’re playing… but it’s hard to lift up holy hands without dropping the horn!), but the hour or so we spend worshiping together with the congregation is the highlight of my week. And though “worship” is not a one-time event but a lifetime event, there is something extra special about the time when the Holy Spirit is ministering to and through each of us as we participate in the ongoing worship celebration of Heaven while singing together with our brothers and sisters in Christ.

This week, though, I’m a little extra excited, thanks to a couple of the songs on the schedule. One of the primary roles of corporate worship is to teach and admonish one another through the songs that we sing (Col. 3:16), and this week’s music gives us a great opportunity to dig deep into the theology contained in the lyrics.

Here’s a performance by the Prestonwood Baptist Church youth choir:

The Mercy Seat, composed by Steve Richardson, Mark Carouthers and Jeff Harpole, and first popularized by Vicki Yohe, speaks of Jesus Christ’s atoning sacrifice as a replacement for the Old Testament sacrificial system. We learn about this in Hebrews 9, one of the most profound passages in the entire Bible. If we imagine someone who has lived their entire life in the Jewish sacrificial system who is hearing this passage for the first time, the shocking message would likely produce a response similar to what we find in the first verse.

In the darkness, where everything is unknown
I face the power of sin on my own
I did not know of a place I could go
Where I could find a way to heal my wounded soul.

He said that I could come into His presence without fear
Into the holy place where His mercy hovers near

Do we realize how amazing this Truth is? The Most High God allows us into His holy presence, even telling us we can approach without fear? Under the Levitical Law of the Old Covenant, God’s people were required to observe a complex sacrificial system in order to receive atonement for their sins. They understood that their God was Holy, and would not tolerate the presence of sin. They understood that, apart from God’s mercy, they would be held accountable for each of their sins, and that a Righteous Judge required a payment for sin that they could not possibly make.

Because of His love for His people, though, God made a way for their sins to be covered. He made a covenant with Israel that, though the penalty for sin is death, He would mercifully allow for the death of an innocent animal to temporarily atone for their sin. In Exodus 25, God tells Moses how to build the Ark of the Covenant, upon which was found the “Mercy Seat”. It was from this mercy seat that God would meet with the High Priest to communicate with His people. Below the seat — inside the Ark — were the tablets containing the Ten Commandments, which God would see and remember His promise to offer forgiveness for sins.

This mercy did not come easy or without cost. Most of the book of Exodus after chapter 25 (see also Lev. 16) details how the people of Israel were to transport and store the Ark, and the process by which the priests could make sacrifices on behalf of the people. The author of Hebrews summarized this in the first half of chapter 9. The Ark was held inside the tabernacle, which was a portable tent that the nomadic Jews carried with them wherever they went. The tabernacle had two rooms: the “Holy Place”, which contained the golden lampstand, the table for the bread of the Presence, and the alter of incense; and the “Most Holy Place”, which contained the Ark of the Covenant. These  rooms were separated by a veil. The basic design and elements of the tabernacle were re-created in the Jewish temple in Jerusalem which was still in operation during Jesus’ earthly ministry.

Levitical priests entered the Holy Place daily to perform their rituals, burning incense and making the daily sacrifices. Once per year, on the Day of Atonement, the High Priest was permitted to enter the presence of God in the Most Holy Place, in order to make a sacrifice for the sins of the Israelites. Even then, the High Priest could enter only after having made a sacrifice for his own purification. This was done with much fear, as God had said (and demonstrated) that if the priests varied in any way from the prescribed method, they would be killed instantly.

With this background in mind, can we imagine being told that suddenly God had opened the door so that everyone could enter into His very presence, at any time, without fear? Yet this is exactly what the second half of Hebrews 9 is saying! We are told that the tabernacle and all that was within it were earthly things which were but a foretaste of the Heavenly things to come. The Jewish priests were imperfect, but Jesus Christ is the perfect High Priest (Heb. 4:14-16). The tabernacle and the temple which were made by human hands were imperfect, but Jesus Christ has built a perfect temple in Heaven (Mk. 14:58). The old sacrifices were imperfect and their blood insufficient. They had to be repeated over and over. Jesus Christ’s sacrifice was perfect, and once for all atoned for sins with his own blood (Heb. 9:25-26). Through the mediation of the Jewish priests, God’s people had access to His presence once a year. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, God’s people now have access to His presence at all times (1 Tim. 2:5)!

Hebrews 9:16-20 tells us that every covenant required a death in order to take effect. God’s first covenant with his people was inaugurated by the sacrifices Moses made on behalf of the Israelites. Likewise, God’s new covenant was inaugurated by the sacrifice of Christ on the cross. Upon his death, the veil in the Jewish temple was torn in two — a sign to us that the old ways have been abolished and made unnecessary. No longer must anything stand between God’s presence and His people, save for Christ alone!

The Greek word which in the New Testament is translated several times as “propitiation” (Rom. 3:25; Heb. 2:17; 1 Jn. 2:2; 1 Jn. 4:10) comes from the Hebrew word that is translated “mercy seat”. Jesus Christ, the propitiation for our sins, is literally our mercy seat! It is His grace that covers us. It is His blood that washes over our sins. It is He who takes our concerns before His Father, and it is He who will be our defender on the day of judgment. It is He who calls us, and it is to Him that we run! This is the Good News!

I’m running, I’m running, I’m running to the mercy seat
Where Jesus is calling; He said His grace would cover me
His blood will flow freely; it will provide the healing
I’m running to the mercy seat
I’m running to the mercy seat.

A recent blog post looked at another hymn we’ll be doing this Sunday which draws on  many of the same themes. Check it out here: Hymnology – Before the Throne of God Above

Lenny Kravitz hanging with Nelly & Cee Lo, backstage at the Tabernacle in Atlanta last week. photo: @candytman

The Tabernacle – Pt 4

The Dwelling Place

Introduction

• We have seen over the past few weeks that everything in the Old Testament tabernacle was representative of a New Testament reality.  The tabernacle was an extended picture and symbol of what was to come later on in God’s plan.
• The New Testament will pick up the pictures in the tabernacle and bring them to full light in the person and work of Jesus Christ.  The tabernacle was a parable of who Jesus is and what he came to accomplish here on the earth.
• This week we will look at the Holy of Holies – the most sacred place in all of Judaism.  It was within this Most Holy Place that the ark of the covenant sat.  There God rested and dwelt among his covenant people.  It was essentially his throne room upon the earth.  There Moses met with him face to face and received instruction concerning the people.  It was there that the priests would make atonement for the sins of the people.
• The mercy seat atop the ark was the barrier between God’s presence and the law of the covenant.  The blood of the offerings was sprinkled there to provide atonement of the sins of the people.  Literally, the blood separated God from the laws the people had broken in their disobedience.

The Veil

• Read Exodus 26.31-35
  • Where was the veil in the tabernacle located?
  • What was its purpose?
  • What does this veil tell us about approaching God?

The Ark of the Covenant

• Read Exodus 25.10-22
  • The rings on the ark were to hold poles by which the priests would transport the Ark of the Covenant.  When were the poles to be in the rings?
  • Why were there to be rings on the ark in the first place?
• Was the ark to be empty?
  • Was it filled with all manner of spirits as in Indiana Jones?
• Where was the ark to be placed?
• What was the Mercy Seat?

The Day of Atonement

• Read Leviticus 16
  • The High Priest (HP) washed at the laver in the courtyard and dressed in the tabernacle (4)
  • The HP offered the bull as a sin offering for himself and his family
  • The HP entered the Holy of Holies (HH) with the bull’s blood, incense, and burning coals from the alter of burnt offering.
  • The HP sprinkled the bull’s blood on the mercy seat seven times
  • The HP went back to the courtyard and cast lots for the two goats
  • The HP sacrificed one goat as a sin offering for the people
  • The HP reentered the HH to sprinkle blood on the mercy seat and also the Holy Place.
  • The HP returned to the alter of burnt offering and cleansed it with the blood of the bull and the goat
  • The scapegoat was dispatched to the wilderness
  • Afterward, the goatkeeper cleansed himself
  • The HP removed his special Day of Atonement clothing, rewashed, and put on the regular HP clothing
  • The HP offered two rams as burnt offerings for himself and the people
  • The fat of the sin offering was burned.
  • The bull and goat sin offerings were carried outside the camp to be burned
  • The one who burned the sin offering cleansed himself again
• Hebrews 9.1-10
  • The incompleteness of the old covenant and old tabernacle

The New Temple

• Study in Hebrews
• How is Jesus a priest on our behalf?
  • Hebrews 2.14-18
    • Made like his brothers
    • To be tempted
    • To die in order to defeat death and the devil
  • Hebrews 4.14-16
    • Sympathizes with our every weakness
    • Tempted in every way but never sinned
• How is Jesus greater than the Old?
  • Hebrews 7.23-25
    • Jesus never dies, he lives forever
  • Hebrews 7.26-28
    • He is perfect and has no need to offer sins for himself
  • Hebrews 8.6-7
    • Mediator of a new and better covenant
  • Hebrews 9.11-14
    • Makes himself to be the eternal sacrifice
  • Hebrews 9.23-26
    • Enters the heavenly temple to offer himself once for all
  • Hebrews 10.11-14
    • His work is completed and he sits down at God’s right hand
• Based on the above passages, what benefits do we have now?
  • A priest who understands our needs and weaknesses
  • A sure and steadfast hope
  • One who intercedes for us forever
  • A sacrifice that eliminates the need for any other
  • He is in the throne room of God even now
  • He has defeated death for us
  • He has provided a new and living way
• What are we to do in light of this?
  • Hebrews 4.14-16
    • Draw near in confidence
    • Find help and grace in the time of need
  • Hebrews 10.19-25
    • Hold fast to our faith
    • Encourage one another daily
    • Meet together in fellowship to bring us to the throne

[2] John McArthur.  The McArthur Study Bible Notes.

MY TESTIMONY

By:  Jason W. Elder

My name is Jason Elder and on October 29^th 1980 I was born right here in Gaffney South Carolina.  I know many people who blame their shortcomings on their parents but I can’t do that.  I have some of the best parents in the world.  My dad was a Highway Patrolman for 14 years and then the Chief of Police in Blacksburg for several more.  My mom worked at Hamrick’s for a number of years and currently runs her own business.

My mom brought me to church a lot when I was younger.  I went forward after service once and talked to the pastor about getting “baptized.”  We prayed a prayer and I was baptized not long afterwards.  I’m sure he did everything he could to point me in the right direction but looking back, I just didn’t get it.

Yes, in the beginning I had an interest in church like never before, but it just didn’t last.  The whole experience reminds me of the parable Jesus told about the seed that fell on stony ground.  It was so quick to spring up but when the Sun was risen it withered away just as quickly because it had no root.[1]

I’ve always been an introvert and shy by nature but that was okay with me.  I didn’t really care what other people thought about me anyhow.  In fact, I didn’t even start combing my hair until seventh grade.  But as a teenager I became more and more concerned with what people thought of me.

Truth be known, that’s probably the biggest appeal drugs and alcohol had for me: they took away my inhibitions.

The first time I ever smoked marijuana was in the 10th grade.  And while I liked getting high, I didn’t like the smell of it.  If any of you ever been around someone smoking pot (and some of you look like you have) it has a very strong odor and knowing I had to come home to a house full of cops that always made me a little bit paranoid.  Just by walking through the door I was subjecting myself to a sobriety test.  I guess that’s why started messing around with pills: Xanax, Lortab, methadone etc. I even started selling a few here and there.  It started out being just for fun but pretty soon I was addicted not just to the pills but to the lifestyle of a drug dealer.

I kinda liked it when people would notice that my beeper was blowing up.  I was hanging out with some of the most popular kids in school.  I knew they really didn’t care a thing about me, but hey, everybody likes to feel needed.

Around my senior year in high school a young man brought me a sample of something his dad had cooked up at home called meth.

I didn’t know it at the time, but he’d just introduced me to something 10 times worse than all the pills I’d ever taken.  By the end of that summer I was using every day: smoking, snorting, and even shooting it up.  After I got in good with the cook I started selling it but unlike the pills I sold just for the heck of it, I was selling meth to support my own habit.  I can’t tell you how many hundreds of dollars worth of powder I went through but I gave Johnson & Johnson a run for their money.  That’s just what I used, God only knows how much I sold.

But all that “fun” took me to the same place most junkies find themselves…jail!  I was facing Federal and local charges and my life was in a mess.  Sometime during this process I picked up a Bible and read through it in less than 8 weeks.  I couldn’t believe it was actually interesting!  When I was released, I was placed on house arrest.  The Federal Government thought so much of me they gave me a cute little ankle bracelet to wear!  For six months I was allowed to go to church only once on Sunday morning.  I could go to all the Narcotics Anonymous meetings I wanted to, but Church only once a week.

The church my family was going to at the time was a cold, dead, liberal, Southern Baptist Church (as the picture represents).  The pastor was a Calvinist and it showed in his preaching.  I thought if this is all Church has to offer I’d be better off not going.

But then, one of my friends overdosed on painkillers.  Michael Williams laid in a coma for about week and died just after Christmas.  Still on the ankle monitor I went to the funeral home where they were receiving friends. Among the mourners I spotted a familiar older gentleman in the crowd, it was Pastor Lewis Batchelor from Open Door Baptist Church.

Several years prior, I had dated a girl that attended his church.  As two lost young teenagers, one day, we were sitting on the second pew from the front.  We were holding hands and passing little notes to each other.  We didn’t have a care in the world.  But all that would soon end!  Before I could get my thoughts together, in front of God and everybody, that old gray-haired man came out from behind the pulpit, jumped off the platform, straddled the pew in front of us, looked me dead in the eyes, and said, “Are you saved son?”  Before I could get the lump out of my throat, he looked down and saw we were holding hands.  He physically separated our hands that day and after scolding us both for being too close for his liking, he briefly lectured the young lady why she should never date anyone that’s lost.  I didn’t have enough hide left to close my eyes!  But even as a lost teenager I appreciated someone that had enough guts to tell me what was right!

Anyway, at the funeral, I talked to Pastor Batchelor briefly then spoke with Michael’s dad and step-mom.  I was doing a good job at keeping back the tears, but I couldn’t do it much longer.  I left off talking with his parents and headed for the door.  But somebody stopped me before I left!

It was Preacher Batchelor!  When I broke down weeping he hugged me and tried to comfort me.  I don’t remember what he said to me, I just remember he was there when I needed him.  When Sunday rolled around, I started thinking about that little old church on the other side of town.  I remembered the friendly people and the plain preaching.   I literally begged my mom and dad to take me to Open Door Baptist Church.  I don’t remember whether mom or dad went with me.  All I remember is how happy everyone was that I came.

For six months I went to Church every Sunday morning but one.  I was saved, born again, on a Wednesday night in March 2001.  Not long after that, my dad got saved!  We were both baptized on Easter Sunday!    I was so overwhelmed by the grace of God that brought me salvation that I took all my ambitions, my plans, and my life and with joy placed them at the Master’s disposal.

Much has transpired since that day.  The Lord has been so good that I cannot possibly list all the blessings He has sent my way.  I only wish to encourage you not to give up hope on a loved one or friend who may be struggling with the same things I did.  There’s a God in heaven Who specializes in lost causes.  If He can save me He can save anybody.

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” (2Cor 5:17)

Jason W. Elder

Assistant Pastor

Tabernacle Baptist Church

Gaffney SC

The Tabernacle – Pt 3

The Smell of Worship

Introduction

• The tabernacle was a very sensory place.  It was designed to incorporate all five senses into worship of the Lord.  The people were to lay their hands on the goats and lambs that were to be slaughtered for their sins.  The priests used their hands to prepare the sacrifices.  Subsequently, they washed their hands in the bronze laver before ministering in the Tent of Meeting.
• Portions of the sacrifices were given to the priests and their families for food and drink.  They tasted the animals and the grain that were brought to God in order to bear the iniquity of Israel before the presence of God.  They were also to eat the bread of the presence that was placed on the table in the Holy Place.
• Imagine the sounds of the tabernacle:  The bleating of sheep, the cries of oxen, the prayers of the priests, the songs and rejoicing before the alter of God, the silence that accompanied the Day of Atonement.  The Tabernacle was a very busy place with a myriad of sounds that reminded the people of worship and of the God in whose presence they stood.
• It was the light of the lampstand that gave light to the entire Tabernacle.  The light shone so the priests could continue to minister in the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies.  Being the only light, it was the source of all sight.  Also, the image of the cloud of God’s presence hovered over the tabernacle reminding the people of God’s intimacy with them.
• The last sense that the Tabernacle appealed to was the sense of smell.  Imagine the aroma (or odor) of the daily sacrifices.  Dozens, if not hundreds, of goats, lambs, bulls, and birds were sacrificed on the alter daily.  The fragrance of death and sacrifice wafted throughout the camp reminding the people of their sin and the provision that God had given to them.  The other source of aroma in the Tabernacle came from the Alter of Incense in the Holy Place.  It is there we now turn.

The Alter of Incense

• Read Exodus 30.1-10
• Within the ancient Jewish temple, the alter was positioned before the Most Holy Place, where God dwelt among His people.  What was the purpose of this alter?
  • The purpose of this alter was to offer incense before the Lord.  It sat in front of the curtain that separated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies.
  • On the alter, Aaron was to make atonement once a year.  He was to sprinkle the blood of the sin offering over top of the alter before he entered the Holy Place.  On that day, he was also to take some coals from the alter with him into the Holy Place while he burned incense upon it so that it filled the Holy Place, protecting him from the presence of God.  See Leviticus 16 for more description.
• How do you think the incense smelled?  How long was it to be burned?
  • The incense was a sweet fragrance to the priests who ministered before God.  It was to be burned perpetually – night and day.
• What do you think is meant by strange or forbidden fire?
  • While this statement is not fully clarified in the text, it can be assumed that it is any incense that is not specifically prescribed by God.  It would be a presumptuous offering, one that was out of line with God’s command.  We have a very specific instance of this strange fire in Leviticus 10.  The sons of Aaron offered strange fire from their censors on the alter, and were immediately killed for their actions.  From the context, it would also appear that they were also drunk.  Suffice it to say, that strange fire would ignite God’s wrath and punishment.

The Smell of the Sacrifices

• In Leviticus 1-9, all of the sacrifices were laid out and explained to Moses and to Israel.  Numerous times, the phrase “an aroma pleasing to the Lord” appears.
• These sacrifices were pleasing to God when they were offered with obedience and faith.  The smell of worship wafted up to God so that he could see and smell the obedient actions of his people.

The Sacrificial Smells of the New Testament

• Ephesians 5:1-2 / 1 Peter 2:5 / Romans 12:1
  • Ephesians 5 tells us that Christ was also a sacrifice to God.  How was He a sacrifice and how was it “fragrant” or “sweet-smelling” before Him?
  • Peter tells us that we are now priests in God’s house, rather than the Old Testament priests at the temple.  What types of sacrifices are we to offer in place of the bulls, goats, and birds?
  • How are we to offer these sacrifices to God in everyday life?  Give specific illustrations.
  • How are they a “fragrant offering” before the Lord?

• Psalm 141:2 / Revelation 5:8, 8:3-4 / 1 Thessalonians 5:17
  • According to these passages, what is the incense we ‘burn’ today?
  • In Heaven, where are the bowls of incense located?  What does this indicate about our incense today?
  • If the incense in the temple was to be burned continuously, what does this say of our prayers?  How can we accomplish this in everyday life?  Give specific illustrations.
  • How is that a “fragrant offering” before the Lord?

• Obedience – Not to mitigate our actions, but how we act is also a pleasant aroma to our God.  We obey Christ because He is worthy of all we are.  We please and glorify Christ by giving to Him ourselves and our all.  Our lives are pleasing to Christ when we are obedient to Him, when we are sacrificing ourselves to prove His glory to the world.
• Actions and Attitudes – We give of ourselves, of our desires, our well-being, or perhaps our physical life for the cause of Christ.  We offer our body, our money, and our resources as an offering to God.  It is well pleasing to God when our actions are overwhelmed by an attitude of worship.  It is not necessarily what we do, but how we go about doing it that is pleasing to the Lord.  We can go burn bulls and not feel repentance.  We can build houses for the poor out of guilt; we can give money out of “duty” or compulsion.  Only if our heart is right, can we be well-pleasing.

The Aroma of our Lives

• 2 Corinthians 2.14-17
  • The passage bears the image of the Roman Triumph where a conquering Roman general would lead those whom he had conquered in battle through the streets of Rome in a triumphal procession.  He would parade before the emperor who was in his full, regal splendor.  The general would be in a chariot leading his captives to the arena where they would soon be put to death.  Along the entire parade route, there would be censors of incense burning throughout the city.  The fragrance would permeate the city reminding the people of the overwhelming victory that had been won.
  • Paul picks up this imagery as he pictures himself being led by Christ before the Throne of God.  The incense of Paul’s life rises up before the King and the rest of the people attesting to the reality that he has been conquered by Christ.  Christ is leading him to death, yet it is a death that ends in life.  Paul also pictures himself as being part of the triumphing army.

• Before we were Christians, what did our lives smell like?  What characterized us before we had a relationship with Christ?   (cf. Isaiah 64:6)
• Now that we are new creations in Christ, how then do we smell before God?  Why do we not smell like ‘new-Bob’ or ‘new-Judy’?  Why do our lives smell of Christ? (cf. 2 Corinthians 5:21)
• Why do we smell like death to some and life to others?

• We are impacted by the world around us.  If we stay in a smoke-filled room, we will emerge smelling of smoke.  My first job when I was fifteen was a busboy in a small restaurant.  Every Saturday, I would go wash dishes, clean tables, scrub pots, clear trash, and mop floors.  After six hours or so of working in the kitchen, I would reek.  Anything from grits to dishwashing detergent, I would bring home with me the smell on my hands, on my clothes, and even in my hair.  As soon as I got back home, I would have to soak in the shower for quite a while to allow the soothing, hot water to soak over me as the soap and shampoo cleaned and cleared the stench of grease and potatoes and burnt biscuits out of my skin.  Before I could do anything else, I had to marinate myself in soap and body wash because nobody wants to sit next to a pile of human gravy and leftover fried eggs.  I couldn’t just run home and spray a dash of Old Spice on me and expect cologne to cover the rank smell of decaying chicken fingers that was ever so pungent about me.

We as people once reeked of sin and death before we met Christ and trusted in Him for new life and salvation.  We were like the leftover grits: hardened, stale, and stinking.  Spending all our time in the filth and stench of sin, our lives became associated with sin, bondage, and death.  Our lives began to reek of sin and death much like the possum I saw lying in the road on my way to church tonight.  As sinners, we had been run over by the freight train of sin and decay, left to die on the highway of life without any sense of hope or future.  We were in need of some major help, but we just didn’t need help, we needed to be made alive.

God in His holiness cannot even get a whiff of sin (Habakkuk 1:13).  His very nature prevents Him from allowing any sin near Him.  We as sinners cannot approach the throne of God without being clean from sin, without the smell of sin washed from our body.  Before we came to know Christ, we thought we could peel ourselves off the asphalt, drag our sorry carcass over to the shoulder, and clean ourselves up, make ourselves smell better—to smell of life—in order to approach God.  Yet how can dead people make themselves alive?  How can a muddy child clean himself off if he continues to sit in the mud pit?  The prophet Isaiah commented on our estate when he spoke, “We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment.  We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.” (Isaiah 64:6).  Nothing in our own power can made us clean and smelling wholesome, nor can anyone else with sin clean us up.  Two kids playing in the mud cannot clean one another off:  they must have someone who is clean to wash the mud and filth off of them.

Now Christ, by His death and resurrection, has made us alive if we trust in Him and put our faith in what He has done.  Because He bore our punishment and sins, He became the sacrifice for our sins, bearing the wrath of God in His own body on the tree in order to bring many sons to glory and everlasting life.  We no longer have to smell of sin, nor do we have to be controlled by it.  Knowing we can do nothing in our own power to wash ourselves, we believe in Jesus Christ alone for our salvation.

Those of us who are now Christians and believers in Jesus’ work have been redeemed from the torments of this life of sin.  We no longer smell like yesterday’s garbage in the presence of God.  For Jesus’ blood washed over us and took away our guilt, condemnation, and stain of sin that once dominated our lives.  We are now able to enter the presence of the Most High because we have been overcome by the “fragrant offering and sacrifice” of Jesus Christ in our place (Ephesians 5:2).  Therefore, because we are now redeemed and saved from the life of sin, we cannot go back to living and smelling like the rest of the world.  We must be holy for our Father is holy (1 Peter 1:16).  Because we are Christians, we are to smell wholesome, soothing, life-giving and long-lasting because we have been bathed in Christ.  We can’t keep living in the filth of this world and think we can just Febreze our lives once or twice a week in order to ‘refresh’ ourselves.  We are characterized by how we smell.  Our fragrance will tell people what we live for: either the stale beer from last Friday’s party, or the life-giving smell of Christ.

Let me try to illustrate this thought with a quick example.  Last year, I moved into a new apartment.  The former tenant had vacated (actually, the landlady had to kick him out) the apartment a few weeks prior to my arrival.  He had loaded up his truck and taken off with all his possessions, but his presence still lingered in the apartment.  Being a smoker, and a rather dirty person, he left his stain on the floors, the carpets, and in the walls.  The old tenant left the apartment smelling rather disgusting.  Before I moved in, the landlady installed new carpet, touched up some paint, and cleaned house in preparation of me, the new tenant.  As I moved in, it smelled Clorox clean.  However, after a short time, the old tenant’s effect on the apartment began to show up:  the cigarette smoke that was imbedded within the walls and floors began to show their presence and some of the quick fixes the maintenance man preformed started to fall apart again.  The old tenant that had vacated the apartment still had a major effect on my life as the new tenant.  To add to the old tenant’s influence on the smell of my new apartment life, the neighbors around me contribute to fouling the air inside.  The fellow above me enjoys his cigarettes too and sits on his balcony four to five times a night which allows the trailing smoke to enter into my open windows.  The lady below me is originally from India and enjoys the indigenous food of that country which produces an absolutely horrid odor somewhat akin to burnt hairspray and rubber.  Not to say that those folks are completely responsible for the air quality in my apartment, as I continue to learn how to cook, I will occasionally burn something, or let a pot burn over onto the stove top.  This in turn sets off the smoke alarm, and fills the kitchen with the pleasant odor of charred hamburger.  As you can see, my apartment life is heavily influenced by fragrances from past tenants, neighbors, and poor culinary skills.

My apartment life is exactly like our Christian life.  The old tenant is sin.  When it lived within our lives, it held complete control and reigned free doing whatever it wished.  Everything it did resulted in destruction, decay, and death.  But that tenant was evicted with the coming of Christ:  when Christ came, He began to cleanse our lives out, ridding us of that sin that reigned in our lives.  He changed the carpet out, painted the walls, and cleaned us out through His blood on Calvary.  Sin and Satan were thrown to the street, never to reside within us again.  However, when Christ moved in, sin had left its effect upon our lives:  the stench of sin continues to linger in our lives.  Its consequences still continue to haunt us like the broken ice machine in my freezer.  No matter how much the smell of the old tenant permeates back to the apartment, he does not live there, another has taken his place.  Sin does not have reign over our lives anymore and we are not characterized by it any longer.  When Christ comes into our lives to save us from that resident sin and ultimate death, he does not take us out of the world, but He leaves us here.  Just as my apartment continues to sit within the complex surrounded by other neighbors, our Christian lives are affected by the people and sin living in this world.  Despite our life within this world, we cannot allow it to influence us any longer.  We must close our windows and doors to bar sin from entering our life and affecting the quality of our new life.   As Christ moves into our lives, we are also not totally rid of new sin:  we will continue to sin while in this body in the same way I may continue to burn my dinner on occasion.  Our lives, however, are not characterized by that burnt spaghetti; it is to be characterized by the warming fragrance of the future marriage supper of the lamb.

In order to combat the influences of these three smells, I must in my apartment be always cleaning and running an air purifier.  If I leave for the weekend, I can still perceive the smell of the old tenant and neighbors, albeit faintly, upon my return.  Their effects are still around; therefore, I must be constantly in the habit of cleaning and burning candles and running the air purifier.  Our lives as Christians must be conducted in the same way: We must continually fight the smells and influences of our old life and the life of the world around us.  The effects of sin, both past and present, as well as the world continue to wage war on our mind and our will.  We must be immersed in Jesus and His Word.  We cannot allow ourselves to become slack in Bible study, devotional time, prayer, and fellowship with other believers.  For if we become lax in seeking to cleanse our lives, sin will begin to creep in and characterize our lives again:  the presence of Christ will be overshadowed by sin and this world if we do not fight their influence.

We want others to see and savor Jesus Christ just as we have.  Therefore, what we smell like will show people around us what we stand for and what we believe to be worth living for.  As Christians, believers in the soon-coming King, we are to stand for and live for the only One of eternal, all-sufficient glory and worth.  If we hang out in the world, we smell like the world.  If we hang out in the Word, we will smell like the Word.  As we hang out in the Word and marinate in its goodness, we will begin to reflect the life-giving fragrance of the Eternal King of Glory.  Before us is a choice:  to smell like death and decay, or to smell of life.

If you have seen the recent Old Spice commercials, it tells that smell is the sense closest tied to memory.  Now this gives us a rather fitting example.  If people walk by and smell your life, what will they smell and thereby remember?  Will folks remember Christ, or last night out on the town?  Will they be intrigued by you because you smell different, or will they take one whiff of you and realize you are just ‘one of the guys’ at the bar?  There is a proverbial line in the sand in this passage:  to smell like the world and its soon-coming death, or to smell like Christ and eternal life.

To disperse the fragrance of Christ to this world, we must be immersed in Christ himself.  We must be clean because we have showered in the life-giving river of Jesus Christ.  Remember when I came out of the restaurant, I could not just spray a quick blast of cologne and then go out to the mall.  Too many folks today think they can go to church once or twice a week to get their hit of spiritual, Christ perfume.  Perfume and cologne fade quickly, and the true fragrance of our body odor will permeate through our lives.  We must become clean through the blood, and continually bathe in the Word of Christ in order to be completely characterized by His resurrection life.  The more concentrated we are in His word, the more His fragrance will disperse through our lives.

Notice that the fragrance of our lives reaches both the nostrils of God and of other men.  Is our life pleasing to God?  Does He still smell sin on us, or the blood of His Son?  If we are redeemed, do our lives disperse an aroma of obedience, prayer, and sacrifice?  Do people around us at church, school, work, and at home smell Christ in us?  Nobody wants to smell you as you really are, just go to a sixth grade classroom or nearby locker room.  We as people stink, there is just no getting around that.  Just as we must bathe ourselves daily to wash the dirt and stench away of normal life, we must bathe ourselves daily in the Word and work of Christ to broadcast His Name to the world.  If we are soaking in His Word and in His presence continuously, we will not be able to contain the fragrance of Christ that will flow from our lives to this generation.  Because we have been with Christ, people will notice, and remember.  Like the Old Spice guy at the party, we will catch the attention of all those around us; for we do not smell like everybody else, because we have been made clean by the blood of the Son of God, Jesus Christ.

Summer ignites itself
Methodist style. Japanese 

paper lanterns Noguchi might have made
for Martha Graham’s last dance 

alight the campgrounds, set the island aglow
in pinks, oranges, yellows, fire-engine 

red awash. A crowd gathers to mingle, a child
may wander tonight 

in wonder the way gingerbread
cottages welcome her to their wooden railed porches, dare her 

to touch the gossamer skin
on their handmade firefly swarm, cracking paint on their rainbow eaves, beckon 

an unconscious desire to trace a piece
of island history with fingertips. Her grip on home

rice paper thin, she wants to believe
her step across these wooden planks will never end.  But 

as she witnesses this blaze of an island blasting its last August
shouts before a decrescendo toward an autumn whisper 

few hear, fewer comprehend, she knows she must relinquish
the island to return it to those who find 

illumination into night without
a lantern, without a tabernacle song.

Becoming Like Jesus the “Way”

In our quest to become more like Jesus the Good Shepherd, we must also become the Good Shepherd to whom we are entrusted. We must take an ownership position by guiding them toward the green pastures of God. We must pray for them. We must always remember that the Good Shepherds’ love for His sheep is so great that He protected them with His own life.

Jesus the Good Shepherd

In a previous posting we were introduced to the Altar of Burnt Offerings (look at the index found in the right hand column of this page.)

The Fire Burning in the Brazen Laver of the Tabernacle

What we uncovered there is that this altar is prophetic of Jesus in several ways. We found that the Altar represented the cross of Jesus. We found that the blood of the slaughtered lamb was sprinkled on the Altar for the forgiveness of sins. This of course is prophetic of the shed blood of Jesus on the cross. Finally, the animals’ carcass would be burned on the Altar as a perfect sacrifice to God, and this of course is prophetic of Jesus’ passion that led to His death on the cross. In this way the Brazen Altar of the Tabernacle is perfectly prophetic of Jesus and His purpose of dying on the cross.

Jesus on the Cross

The sacrifice of Jesus gives us much to contemplate. If we are to follow in His footsteps then we must come to the understanding that sacrifices are required to help people. This often means giving up our own aspirations to ensure that others are loved, protected and looked after. In loving others we loose ourselves as we are no longer internally focused. In this regard we die to ourselves, but with the knowledge that we will gain a better life with God forever in the resurrection (as Jesus was also resurrected.) After all, this is exactly what Jesus did:

For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father’s, and of the holy angels. (Luke 9:24-26)

Jesus is the Good Shepherd because He chose to save us rather than saving Himself. Jesus did not run from death at our expense but rather gave up His life for us. His life was not taken from Him but rather He gave it freely. He did not defend Himself even though He was innocent of all transgression. The following passages support this position.

Jesus Knew His Fate

Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, that He said to His disciples, “You know that after two days is the Passover, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.” (Matthew 26:1-2)

Jesus Shed His Blood

Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who was crucified with Him. But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out. (John 19:32-34)

Jesus Sheds His Blood on the Cross

Jesus Did Not Run

Then Judas, having received a detachment of troops, and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees, came there with lanterns, torches, and weapons. Jesus therefore, knowing all things that would come upon Him, went forward and said to them, “Whom are you seeking?” They answered Him, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus said to them, “I am He.” And Judas, who betrayed Him, also stood with them. Now when He said to them, “I am He,” they drew back and fell to the ground. Then He asked them again, “Whom are you seeking?” And they said, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus answered, “I have told you that I am He. Therefore, if you seek Me, let these go their way,” that the saying might be fulfilled which He spoke, “Of those whom You gave Me I have lost none.” (John 18:3-9)

Jesus Did Not Defend Himself

Immediately, in the morning, the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council; and they bound Jesus, led Him away, and delivered Him to Pilate. Then Pilate asked Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?” He answered and said to him, “It is as you say.” And the chief priests accused Him of many things, but He answered nothing. Then Pilate asked Him again, saying, “Do You answer nothing? See how many things they testify against You!” But Jesus still answered nothing, so that Pilate marveled. (Mark 15:1-5)

In patterning our own lives after the life of Jesus, we find that there are many lessons to be gained by becoming like Jesus, “The Way.” First of all, Jesus was obedient to The Father in going to the cross. So, the sacrificing of our own way in obedience to the Father is something we should strive to achieve.

Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works.” (Matthew 16:24-27)

Second, we must strive to support the welfare and betterment of others.

For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in My name, because you belong to Christ, assuredly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward. (Mark 9:41)

Third, we must be ready to resist the status quo that will seek to derail our quest to do the good work that God has shown us to do.

Then many of the Jews who had come to Mary, and had seen the things Jesus did, believed in Him. But some of them went away to the Pharisees and told them the things Jesus did. Then the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered a council and said, “What shall we do? For this Man works many signs. If we let Him alone like this, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and nation.” And one of them, Caiaphas, being high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all, nor do you consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish.” Now this he did not say on his own authority; but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, and not for that nation only, but also that He would gather together in one the children of God who were scattered abroad. Then, from that day on, they plotted to put Him to death. (John 11:45-53)

I have begun reading a book entitled “Engaging With God: A Biblical Theology of Worship” by David Peterson for one of the courses I am taking this semester at seminary.  I have been challenged and uplifted by this book in just the first few chapters.  I love the way that Peterson thinks and articulates his thoughts.  On page 100 he writes, “New-covenant worship is essentially the engagement with God that he has made possible through the revelation of himself in Jesus Christ and the life he has made available through the Holy Spirit.”  I love that thought.  So often we think about what we, as humans, can bring to the table in worship.  However, in all truthfulness worship does not even originate within us.  We worship because God allows us to do so.  We have nothing to offer on our own, and the only way that we ever have anything to offer back to God is because he gave it to us to begin with.  When we come into worship we have nothing of our own to offer back to God, but rather we give back out of the overflow of what God has filled us with.  On page 101 Peterson writes, “God’s presence and God’s glory…are fully and finally experienced in Jesus Christ.”  The Old Testament understanding that the presence and glory of God dwelt only in the tabernacle or temple was done away with in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.  As Jesus is revealed to us, the very glory of God is revealed to us as well.  Think, then, of the implications of knowing Christ ever more intimately.  We begin to understand the glory of God more intimately as well.

Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life

Jesus made a number of statements about His own identity in scripture. However, the foundation of them all is the statement in which He correlates Himself to the Tabernacle built by Moses.

Jesus, Moses Discuss the Fulfilment of Tabernacle Prophesy

The statement is presented here:

Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:5-6)

This statement is compelling in that Jesus is talking about being the only passageway to the God the Father. However, the terms that Jesus uses, (the Way, the Truth and the Life,) may not be clear to us today. What we will uncover in subsequent posts is that these names are corollaries for the passageways (the gate, the door and the veil) through which the chambers of the Tabernacle are entered. The following diagram is presented to show the structure of the Tabernacle and the position of its passage ways.

The Chanbers of the Tabernacle

Interestingly, we will learn that each successive passageway leads to a deeper, more intimate relationship with God. Let us now present a scripture that confirms that Jesus viewed His body as a temple, like that of the Tabernacle:

So the Jews answered and said to Him, “What sign do You show to us, since You do these things?” Jesus answered and said to them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” Then the Jews said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?” But He was speaking of the temple of His body. (John 2:18-21)

In this statement Jesus is claiming to be the living Tabernacle and therefore the divine fulfillment of all prophesies regarding it. In subsequent posts we will validate this proposition by embarking on a detailed investigation of the Tabernacle. It will guide us to a complete understanding of the nature and attributes of Jesus.

More details can be found on this subject by looking at one of our prior postings entitled, The-Tabernacle-is-Prophetic-of-Jesus.

Until then, if you have any questions please drop us a line. We will be glad to hear from you and discuss this topic with you.

In the wilderness temple or the temple that Moses built, the brazen laver was for washing and sanctification. My question: was the water used for washing blessed or was it plain water?

The Brazen Laver

In Exodus 30:18 The Lord told Moses, “Make a bronze basin, with it bronze stand, for washing. Place it between the Tent of Meeting and the altar, and put water in it.“

The priests were to wash themselves with water whenever they approached the altar (see Exodus 30:21 and many other passages).

I could find no reference to this being anything other than plain water.

Numbers 19 describes the “water of purification” and its use by the people for personal purification. This water was mixed with the ashes of a red heifer, slaughtered and burned outside the camp. This is not the same as the water in the laver or basin by the altar. I have, only half jokingly, referred to it as being similar to the lye soap my grandmother used to make from ashes with which she washed her clothes. These ashes mixed with water were for ritual purification, for example when someone should touch a dead body or anything else that would make one ritually “unclean”.

EXODUS 38:18 (KJV)  - And the hanging for the gate of the court was needlework, of Blue, and Purple, and Scarlet, and Fine Twined Linen: and twenty cubits was the length, and the height in the breadth was five cubits, answerable to the hangings of the court.

Each of the COLOURS AT THE DOOR (GATE) significance:

BLUE  indicates HEAVENLY and Godly: “Behold your God” (Isaiah 40:9), pointing to John’s Gospel, where doubting Thomas eventually says to Jesus “My Lord and my God” (John 20:28).

PURPLE signifies KING: “Behold your King” (Zechariah 9:9), pointing to Matthew’s Gospel, where Jesus, the Descendant of King David (Matthew 1:1), declares after rising from the dead: “All authority in Heaven and on Earth is given to Me” (Matthew 28:18).

RED signifies BLOOD: “Behold My servant” (Isaiah 52:13 & 53:5), pointing to Mark’s Gospel, where Jesus says He “came to Serve and to give His life as a Ransom for many” (Mark 10:45).

WHITE signifies PURITY and a right Humanity: “Behold the man” (Zechariah 6:12), pointing to Luke’s Gospel, where Pilate says of Jesus “Behold, I have found not one fault in this man” (Luke 23:4, 14).

These FOUR COLOURS are Woven together to become the Complete DOOR, just as the FOUR GOSPELS combine to give a COMPLETE PICTUIRE OF JESUS!

The Word ‘GOSPEL’ means GOOD NEWS!

Jesus says of Himself: “I am the DOOR. If anyone enters through ME, he will be SAVED.” (John 10:9)

The work of the Liturgy Committee to date, including consultation with parishioners, has resulted in the development of a renovation concept. This concept includes a number of matters we would like considered in plans for a renovated church. One consideration for our renovation plans is:

The establishment of a Blessed Sacrament Chapel

Those who have contributed to the conversation so far believe this is important because:

The Blessed Sacrament Chapel at the Cathedral by Zeetz Jones

The place for the reservation of the eucharist should be truly preeminent. It is highly recommended that the place be suitable also for private adoration and prayer so that the faithful may easily, fruitfully, and constantly honour the Lord, present in the sacrament, through personal worship. This will be achieved more easily if the chapel is separate from the body of the church, especially in churches where marriages and funerals are celebrated frequently and churches which are much visited by pilgrims or because of their artistic and historical treasures. (Holy Communion and Worship of the Eucharist Outside Mass, 9)

The tabernacle for eucharistic reservation is a reminder of Christ’s presence that comes about in the sacrifice of the Mass. But it is also a reminder of the brothers and sisters we must cherish in charity, since it was in fulfilment of the sacramental ministry received from Christ that the Church first began to reserve the eucharist for the sake of the sick and the dying.

In our churches adoration has always been offered to the reserved sacrament, the bread which came down from heaven. (Book of Blessings, 1192)

What are the ‘heavenly things’ of Hebrews 9.23, of which the earthly sanctuary and vessels of worship are merely copies? What are these things that must be purified by a ‘better sacrifice’ (that is the blood of Jesus, the High Priest, himself, not the ineffectual blood of goats and bulls, 10.4)?

On the Day of Atonement, which is being referenced here, the High Priest offered a bull as a sin offering for himself and his household (Lev 16.6,11). He then offered two goats, with one being sacrificed and the other sent away bearing the sins of the people (the ’scapegoat’).

The first goat is offered to the Lord “as a sin offering” (Lev 16.9) for the people (Lev 16.15) and its blood is sprinkled on and in front of the mercy seat (LXX, ‘hilasterion’, c.f. Rom 3.25). Interestingly, this sacrifice is to make atonement for three specific things: the holy place (16.16), the tent of meeting (16.16) and the altar (16.18). See also the summary in verse 20. The necessity of this atonement is explained in verse 16: “He shall make atonement for the holy place, because of the impurities of the sons of Israel and because of their transgressions in regard to all their sins; and thus he shall do for the tent of meeting which abides with them in the midst of their impurities.“

Thus, this goat is offered up to make atonement not for the people directly, but for the sanctuary (and its parts), that is, to reconcile it in some way to God. Clearly, it is this sacrifice, offered year after year, which makes it possible for the sanctuary to be kept holy and acceptable to God. But the question remains, what are the heavenly (‘true’) equivalents requiring purification in Hebrews 9? We know that Christ has entered the “greater and more perfect tabernacle… [that is] not of this creation” (9.11), and it is this tabernacle which he purifies with his blood.

So, where is this perfect tabernacle, this true sanctuary? Can this be God’s heavenly dwelling place – or his future dwelling place with his people? Heb 9.24 says that Christ did not enter a holy place made of hands (a mere copy of the true one) but entered heaven itself. So what does it mean for the heavenly temple itself to be cleansed (9.23) by the blood of Jesus?

It is worth noting that according to Heb 10.19 it is not God who required the blood of Jesus in order to find a way into this ‘greater’ sanctuary, but the people of God (cf. Eph 2.13-18). Both the heavenly things and our own consciences are mentioned as being cleansed by his blood (9.23, 10.22. See also 1 Peter 1.2). Can this mean that the heavenly tabernacle in view is the people of God themselves, the living temple of Eph 2.21 (“a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit”)?

Or is it simply that a way has been made for us into that sanctuary, now cleansed by the blood of Jesus, where, as Paul says, we are able to offer our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to God (Rom 12.1)?

Comments and ideas welcome!

The Prophesy of Christ is found in the Tabernacle

In our previous posting we laid out a plan that will help us to identify the nature of Jesus. The purpose of this is to get a better understanding of Jesus because we are called to do the works that He did, and even greater. The plan we presented identified one major task as being an adequate understanding of the proclamations that Jesus made about Himself. This then would be followed by presenting a case that God the Father supported these proclamations of Jesus with unmistakable miracles, and that they in fact, directly prove the truth of Jesus’ words.

Jesus "The Life," Raises Lazarus from the Grave

Today we are going to extend this plan quite a bit as we plan to also present a considerable information pertaining to the Tabernacle of Moses. The reasons for this are present below, but for now let’s just say that the Tabernacle is prophetic of Jesus in every way.

Jesus, Moses Discuss the Fulfilment of Tabernacle Prophesy

By learning about it we will find that there are surprising revelations about the nature of Jesus. In addition, these revelations will help us in understanding the gospels about Jesus in more thoroughly. We will also gain a better understanding our own potential in Jesus.

From this point on we will present the reasons for our focus on the Tabernacle as a method for truly understanding Jesus.

To start with, God told Moses to build a Tabernacle so that He (God) could dwell on earth with men:

And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them. (Exodus 25:8)

To this end, God provided Moses with the specifications for this Tabernacle:

According to all that I show you, that is, the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furnishings, just so you shall make it. (Exodus 25:9)

In addition, every detail of this specification can be found in scripture. In examining the artifacts produced from these specifications we will find that the Tabernacle and all of its components are prophetic of Jesus, who also came to earth to dwell with us. In essence, the Tabernacle is a model or a blueprint of the Christ who would come in human form thousands of years later:

But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. (Hebrews 9:11 – 12)

Jesus Sheds His Blood on the Cross

The scripture above is only a single reference to the correlation between the Tabernacle and Jesus. As we progress we will uncover that there is a direct correlation in every instance between them. We will find that the nature, attributes, functions and purpose of the Tabernacle precisely predicts the nature, attributes functions and purpose of Jesus the Christ.