THE LIVING WAY

Slavery can almost erase your identity: who you are, what you believe, and where you came from. For 400 years, God's people were surrounded by idol worship. Their hard life of slavery and constant exposure to Egypt's gods led them to forget their own. How could they learn to trust God again? The Lord held the answer. He put together a perfect object lesson that would help His people to truly know who He was.

What did God use to show His people what He is like?
"Let them make me a _____ that I may dwell among them" (Exodus 25:8).

Jesus knew that if His people would ever trust Him again, they'd need to come closer. So, on their way to the Promised Land, He actually came to live with them in a place called the sanctuary.

Why should we study about the sanctuary today?
"Your _____, O God, is in the sanctuary" (Psalm 77:13).

Everything found in the sanctuary is the LIVING WAY to Jesus. Here we'll find the plan of salvation and how to experience its power. By studying the sanctuary, we'll understand the many ways God is working for us, to help us in our journey of faith and be ready for His soon return.

How did Moses know how to build a sanctuary for God?
"Who serve the copy and shadow of the heavenly things, as Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to make the tabernacle. For He said, "See that you make all things according to the _____ shown you on the mount" (Hebrews 8:5).
"We have such a High Priest, who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty of the heavens, a Minister of the sanctuary and of the _____ tabernacle which the Lord erected and not man" (Hebrews 8:1,2).

God's pattern was a miniature copy of the sanctuary in heaven, "which the Lord pitched and not man" (Hebrews 8:2). It was like a tiny church that included a courtyard and a special tent where God met with His people. This tent was divided into 2 rooms--the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place. Each room contained golden furniture that was use in God's worship throughout the year. The three areas of the sanctuary represent the 3 ways Christ is working for us in the heavenly sanctuary and how we can experience a growing relationship with Him.

How many doors led into the sanctuary?
"The screen for the _____ of the court was woven of blue, purple and scarlet thread, and of fine woven linen" (Exodus 33:18).

There was only one gate into the courtyard. As you walked into the sanctuary, you were reminded that Christ is the only way to find peace with God. "For there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). The gate was the LIVING WAY to find Jesus.

ALTAR OF BURNT OFFERING - THE SACRIFICE IS SLAIN

What can we see as we go through the gate?
"And you shall burn the whole ram on the _____. It is a burnt offering to the Lord; it is a sweet aroma, an offering made by fire to the Lord" (Exodus 29:18).
"You shall also make an _____ of bronze, with its base also of bronze, for washing" (Exodus 30:18).

The altar represented Calvary's cross where Jesus, the spotless Lamb of God, would die for our sins (1 Peter 1:18,19). The laver was a large brass fountain where the priests washed before serving in the Lord's holy sanctuary. Nothing could enter that was polluted by sin. The same is true of our relationship with God. When we come to Jesus, He will forgive our sins and "cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9). We begin our walk in the courtyard and our relationship with Christ by receiving forgiveness and deliverance. Here is where we receive a new heart and become a new creation--a child of God!

What 2 rooms were found in the tabernacle of the sanctuary?
"For a tabernacle was prepared: the first part, in which was the lampstand, the table, and the showbread which is called the _____ place; and behind the second veil, the part of the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all" (Hebrews 9:2,3).

The two rooms of the tabernacle were separated by a thick curtain or veil. The first room was the Holy Place, containing a golden 7-branched lampstand, a golden altar of incense, and a golden table for the showbread. The Most Holy Place contained the golden Ark of the Covenant, which held  the 10 commandments. 

In the earthly sanctuary, the priests held a 'daily service' within the Holy Place. There they applied the blood from the burnt offering to the horns on the altar of incense, where they daily confessed the sins of the people. Morning and evening, the priests kept the lampstand lit and burning. Every day they ate the loaves provided on the golden altar. Within the Holy Place, we see Christ as the Light of the World (John 8:12) through the lampstand. We see Christ as the Living Bread (John 6:51) through the showbread. And we see Christ as the sweet fragrance from the altar of incense (2 Corinthians 2:14). 

The Holy Place also teaches us how to grow as Christians. Each piece of furniture stands for a vital part of the Christian's walk. Just as the priest ate the showbread every day, we eat daily from God's Word. Reading and studying the Scriptures provides strength to know God and live for Him. It imparts life to walk as Jesus walked. 
     
At the altar of incense, the priest would offer the prayers of God's people as he burnt the sweet-smelling incense. Every day, the fragrance of our prayers ascend to God, mingled with the blood of Christ, who makes them arise like sweet perfume. Prayer is our lifeline to heaven; it brings us right into God's presence and keeps us connected to Him. 
    
In the Holy Place, the lampstand was always burning, always shedding its light in the golden room. Jesus tells us to let our own light shine, for we are God's witness. When Jesus fills your life, you will reflect His love to others, by the words you say and the things you do. You will share what God  has done in your life and spread the gospel everywhere you go.

What did the 'daily service' reveal about Christ's work for us in the heavenly sanctuary?
"Therefore, He is able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He _____ lives to make _____ for them" (Hebrews 7:25).

"When at any minute of the day or night, a soul was in need of forgiveness, the blood of the Lamb was there to provide it. Should he require cleansing, the fountain of the water of life was sweetly flowing. If his pathway was dark, the Light of the world was shining on the right road for him to take. When he was famished in the 'desert,' the Bread of Life was there to give him heavenly nourishment. And wherever he might go, the air was laden with the sweet incense to tell him his Intercessor ever lived to make mention of his name before the Father" (Leslie Hardinge, With Jesus in the Sanctuary, pg. 141).

What  happens to the sins that Christ forgives in the heavenly sanctuary?
"And he shall lay his _____ on the head of the sin offering, and kill the sin offering at the place of the burnt offering" (Leviticus 4:29).
"And the priest shall put some of the blood on the _____ of the altar of sweet incense before the Lord" (Leviticus 4:7).

Back in the days of ancient Israel, if you had committed any kind of sin, you brought a spotless lamb to the altar of burnt offering. You laid your hands on the head of the innocent animal. Then you confessed your sins and slit the lamb's throat. This horrid act showed that our sins caused the death of Jesus, the innocent Lamb of God (Romans 5:8,9). It also transferred our guilt to Christ. He bore the sin and He bore the penalty that our sins deserved. "He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastise-ment [punishment] for our peace was upon Him, and with His stripes we are healed" (Isaiah 53:5).

The priest collected some of the lamb's blood into a bowl. This blood was then  applied to the altar in the Holy Place, where it mingled with the fragrance of the sweet incense. Because of Christ's perfect life and atoning sacrifice, God accepts our prayers of confession. We are forgiven and "justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus" (Romans 3:24).  Jesus has opened to us the door to heaven by His saving blood.

"Then the priest shall dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle it seven times before the Lord, in front of the _____" (Leviticus 4:17).

Some of the lamb's blood was sprinkled before the veil that separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place. This created a record of the sins that were confessed and forgiven. The sins were now transferred from the sinner to God's holy sanctuary.

Does God keep a record of our sins today?
"And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the _____" (Revelation 20:12).

In the earthly sanctuary, the blood sprinkled before the veil was a record of the sins confessed by Israel. Once a year, this record was wiped clean. It pointed forward to a day of judgment when God would investigate the records of His people and determine who is ready for heaven. In Israel, this special day was called the Day of Atonement. Israel's sins would be wiped away because the heavenly record matched the experience of God's people. They were one with God, forgiven and cleansed by His blood. One day in the future, God will blot out the sins of His people who have won the victory over self and sin and the devil. Their record will be clean and provide a strong witness that they belong to the Lord. They will "stand without blemish in the presence of His glory with rejoicing" (Jude 24, New Revised Standard version), cleansed by the blood of Jesus and the power of His Word.

Why is the work of the sanctuary so important?
"For on that day, the priest shall make atonement for you, to _____ you, that you may be clean from all your sins before the Lord" (Leviticus 16:30).

The Day of Atonement was a solemn feast in ancient Israel. It happened only once a year. On this day, two goats were chosen: one was slain and offered for the sins of the people (Leviticus 16:19). It's blood, representing Christ, was sprinkled before the mercy seat and accepted by God. (The mercy seat was a part of the Ark in the Most Holy Place where God revealed His presence. His glory would appear between 2 golden angels that knelt on the top of the Ark of the Covenant.) Thus, the sins of all were transferred from the sanctuary to the High Priest. He, in turn, placed them on the second goat that was driven into the wilderness (Leviticus 16:16, 20-22). This 2nd goat stands for the devil, who is ultimately responsible for the sins of the world. He will one day be punished for his part in the great controversy between good and evil and for leading mankind into sin. When this happens, the sanctuary will be cleansed from every stain of sin. 

How will Jesus do the same in our lives today?
"Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you _____ before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy" (Jude 24).

Jesus stands as your High Priest in the heavenly sanctuary (Hebrews 4:14), ready to apply the merits of His saving blood to your life and mine. He intercedes when we fall. He washes away our sins and empowers us to be a victorious Christian. Jesus has all power to subdue sin, not only in the world, but in our lives today. The beauty of the gospel and the LIVING WAY is we can say no to sin and live as Jesus did, "by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God" (Matthew 4:4). He is able to do this for you and me, when we give ourselves completely Jesus! Wonderful Savior! His grace frees us, saves us, and changes us day by day!

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