We are now starting Section II of Building Your Spiritual House. This section is called “Created Unto Good Works” and this section will help you develop a deeper relationship with the heart of the Father. As we looked at Lesson 2: What Is Man? of this school of discipleship, I taught you that in the book of Genesis we see the seeds of understanding the king-priest ministry that eventually found it’s fulfillment in Jesus Christ and his body the church.
God told man in Genesis chapter 2 to cultivate and keep the garden. The Hebrew word for cultivate is abad, and the Hebrew word for keep is shamar. These same Hebrew words are used to describe how the priest cared for the tabernacle of Moses. The tabernacle was a precursor to the temple of Solomon. The priests were to cultivate and keep the tabernacle. In addition, we are told that God walked in the garden during the cool of the day. God also walked in the midst of the temple. The meaning is clear. The garden was a temple for God. Like the temple, the garden was the joining together of God’s space and man’s space - the intersection of the heavenly realm and the earthly realm.
Adam was a priest who walked with God, bore his image, was clothed in his glory and demonstrated servant leadership in the garden. Adam was also a king created to rule, which means man was to be God’s representative in the earth and through man God was to exercise his rule and authority in the earth. God is seeking a people who will not only be redeemed from their sins, but who will become His very dwelling place, His body, His priests. It has always been God’s desire from Genesis to the tabernacle in the wilderness, to the Temple of Solomon. However, the ultimate dwelling place is the heart of man.
In the book of I Peter 2:5 it shows us that we are: Living stones, being BUILT UP INTO A SPIRITUAL HOUSE, a HOLY PRIESTHOOD, to offer up SPIRITUAL SACRIFICES acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. It is God’s desire to take us beyond the point of just knowing about Him. He is at work in our hearts and His desire is to LIVE IN US and WORK THROUGH OUR LIVES. Philippians 3:13 says, “for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.” Then we see in Ephesians 2: 10 that, “We are God’s masterpiece. He has CREATED US ANEW IN CHRIST Jesus, SO THAT WE CAN DO the good things He planned for us long ago”.
The switch from the Old Covenant to the New Covenant established through Christ blood, water and Spirit is that everyone who receives him has entered into this priesthood. It’s no longer according to the genealogy of man, but the new birth of the Spirit.
I’ve taught you in previous lessons that God is Spirit and through the resurrection of Christ we have been given the very same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead. It is the down payment and guarantee that just as Christ was physically raised from the dead and given a new body in like manner we will too. However, right now we are called to be representatives of Christ displaying his nature of love, forgiveness and impart blessings to others because that’s what being a priest is all about.
The priesthood of the believer is about the Holy Spirit working through our lives to perform works of service and the Spirit giving us wisdom to implement the will of God.
It’s a very simple focus upon the grace of God connecting us to the throne of the lamb in holistic worship dedicating our whole lives to Christ living through us. It’s the only way we can fulfill the original mandate given to man and fulfill our individual calling. It’s about being a part of the representative priesthood of Christ upon this earth. As a part of the priesthood of Christ we are earthen vessels made of the dust of the ground, but through Christ resurrection and our identification with Him through the cross we have been given His power.
The cruciform life is to be no longer us living, but us living our lives by faith working through love. In this school of discipleship, we have been covering in the last section the foundational doctrines of our faith as laid out in Hebrews 6:1-2 and the cruciform life of following Christ by identifying with his death, burial and resurrection. This section is designed to help you discover a New Testament pattern for worship and good works.
Worship has to do with our personal devotion and spiritual relationship with God, while good works are the practical outworking of this relationship with Him.
This is not a calling for just a few elite people in the body of Christ, but it is the call of each believer. Each person in the body of Christ is a ‘living stone’ who is being built together with the other members into a spiritual house or dwelling place for God’s Spirit. At the same time, we are each also called to be ‘priests’ who offer up ‘spiritual sacrifices’. The Spirit of God is calling each member of the body of Christ to become His very dwelling place, His body, His priests. God has created man for fellowship and His ultimate goal is to have His dwelling place among men. To be the very place where God dwells is the ultimate calling of each of our lives. To be His dwelling place should be the purpose for which we strive for in this life.
In this section I want to begin by using the Tabernacle of Moses as a blueprint to teach spiritual truth from the Bible. A blueprint is a pattern that we can look to and learn how to do something. What we want to learn from the Tabernacle of Moses is a pattern for worship, which results in good works.
In the book of Exodus, we see God bringing the children of Israel out of Egypt with mighty signs and wonders. After this mighty display of power, they soon found themselves in a wilderness. It was here in the wilderness where Moses was commanded to build a Tabernacle for the Lord according to the pattern shown Him on Mt. Sinai where he received the Old Covenant Law (Exodus 19 through 30). Since the time of man in the Garden worshipping God as a priest, the Tabernacle of Moses demonstrates the next step in establishing a dwelling place for God among men.
The Tabernacle of Moses was movable, or transient. This speaks of the fact that the Old Covenant, by which came the Tabernacle of Moses, was temporary. The Law was not meant to be established as permanent, but to lead us to Christ, to be a teacher of the good things to come under the covenant of the Spirit, which would be eternal (Look at Section I Lesson 5: Why the Law?). It was never God’s desire to dwell in something that man made, but in man himself. After the resurrection of Christ Stephen quotes from Isaiah saying: “The Most High does not dwell in houses made by human hands as the prophet says: ‘Heaven is My Throne, And Earth is The Footstool of My Feet, What Kind of House Will You Build Me?’ says the Lord.” (Acts 7:48-49).
The Tabernacle of Moses where God dwelt temporarily was simply a blueprint pointing to the time of Christ and the ministry of the Spirit that would follow his crucifixion, resurrection and ascension pouring out His Spirit on all flesh. God finally took up His permanent dwelling place in ‘the man Christ Jesus’ so that He could transform man’s heart into His dwelling place (Ephesians 1:13-14, I Corinthians 6:19).
The book of Hebrews is all about the contrast between the Torah Law given by Moses and the covenant of the Spirit given through the broken body and blood of Christ.
The Tabernacle of Moses was basically a tent and a courtyard with certain furnishings, designed by God and constructed by Moses as a dwelling place for the manifest presence of the Lord, that He might dwell among His people whom He had called out of captivity in Egypt. Since we are under a New Covenant, why is the Tabernacle of Moses important today? The reason it’s important is because by looking at the “Copy and Shadow” of the Tabernacle of Moses we can learn about the heavenly things of Christ. Hebrews 8:8-5 says, The law was to teach us and lead us to Christ. The “first tabernacle was the focal point of the Law of Moses, with its sacrifices, rituals, feasts, priests, etc.” It was simply a blueprint for heavenly realities to be found in Christ under the New Covenant of his blood, water and Spirit.
The reason we want to look at the Tabernacle of Moses is because it can show us how as believers in Christ, we are to be the dwelling place of God and a holy priesthood who offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to Him.
The Law, Psalms and Prophets all pointed to Christ, who took upon Himself human flesh and dwelt among us. In John Chapter 2:13-22, when Jesus was cleansing the temple in Jerusalem and the Jews were arguing with Him, He declared to them that He was the new temple. God tabernacled or dwelt among us in the man Jesus Christ. In Christ dwelt the fullness of the Godhead bodily (Colossians 1:19, 2:9).
Jesus is the cornerstone of the church, the new temple and we as living stones have been laid on Him and are being built together with Him to be a dwelling place for the Living God. The writers of the New Covenant continually refer to the Lord Jesus in the terminology of the Tabernacle, (High Priest, Lamb of God, etc.). Countless references are made to the Tabernacle to expound upon and explain the ministry of Jesus.”
It would have been interesting to hear exactly how Jesus taught the disciples on the road to Emmaus as he, “beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures”.
As New Covenant Christians we cannot forget the heritage of the Old Covenant Law. The Law, including every letter and stroke, was a prophecy that would be fulfilled. Jesus is the fulfillment of all that the Law, Psalms and Prophets taught (Luke 24:25-27). To get a full grasp of what the Bible teaches we need to see how the Old and New Covenants work together.
Paul the apostle showed us in I Corinthians 10:11 that all that happened to Israel was for our example and learning. There is a popular saying that goes, The Old Covenant is the New concealed or hidden and the New Covenant is the Old revealed or made manifest. Our journey has much resemblance to the journey of the children of Israel. Just as they were brought out of Egypt by the blood of the lamb, we have been delivered from this present evil age through the blood of Jesus, however that’s not the end of our journey. After the crossing of the Red Sea which is symbolic of our baptism into water and the destruction of Pharaoh's army, the children of Israel found themselves in a wilderness.
It was here in the wilderness that they were commanded to build the Tabernacle of Moses and learn how to worship God. As believers we soon discover that following Jesus many times leads us into a wilderness of persecution, temptation and difficulties. In this place we must learn how to worship God. We can only overcome by worshipping God with our whole heart, obeying His word and allowing His Spirit to dwell within us.
As we grow in the understanding that we are the dwelling place of God’s Spirit, then we will be empowered to fulfill His purposes for our lives.
The central person in the Old Covenant worship was the High Priest. He was the most important person in the entire nation because he represented Israel before God in offering sacrifices in the Tabernacle of Moses where God dwelt among His people. God chose Aaron and his sons to serve Him as priests. The Old Covenant priesthood was to be exclusively theirs. No one else was allowed to function in the priestly office and the priestly office could only be entered by family birthright (Exodus 28:1, 29:9, Numbers 4:3, Hebrews 5:4). Here is a picture of the Aaronic High Priest however in all the beauty and glory of the Old Covenant High Priest he was still just a blueprint, which pointed towards the Messiah yet to come in human flesh.
The book of Hebrews is all about the contrast between the Old and New Covenants. This book shows the superiority of the New Covenant established by the death, burial, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ to the right hand of the Father. Hebrews 5:10 says that Jesus Christ was “designated by God as a High Priest according to the order of Melchizedec.
Melchizedec is one of those mysterious characters in the Bible and is first mentioned in Genesis 14 in connection with Abraham. The Hebrew word for Melchizedec means: KING ROYAL, TO REIGN, TO ASCEND THE THRONE, TO INDUCT INTO ROYALTY. IT ALSO MEANS TO RIGHT, EQUITY, PROSPERITY, JUSTICE, RIGHTEOUSNESS, CLEANSE AND JUSTIFY. ’ This word is found in Psalms 110:1-4, Hebrews 5:6,10, 6:20, 7:1, 10, 11, 15, 17, 21. Thus the word is found two times in the Old Covenant and nine times in the New Covenant for a total of eleven times. The book of Hebrews provides the primary Scriptural basis for the study of Melchizedec.
On the basis of these scriptures, we can see that Jesus is a High Priest after the order of Melchizedec. So, let’s take a look at the differences between the New Covenant High Priest Jesus after the order of Melchizedek and the Old Covenant High Priest Aaron under the Mosaic or Torah Law.
The Aaronic priests were born by natural means, so they had a father and a mother born of the tribe of Levi. Jesus came from the tribe of Judah as far as genealogy. However, we know that he was not born of the seed of man, but begotten by the power of the Holy Spirit born through the virgin birth according to Luke 1:35. The book of Hebrews chapter 1 vs 3 thru 4 starts out by talking about the prophetic scriptures and how they found their ultimate fulfillment in Christ who, “is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the power of his word. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high”. Then Hebrews 2:17 says: “Thou Art My Son, Today I Have Begotten Thee”...“Therefore, it was necessary for Jesus to be in every respect like us, His brothers and sisters, so that He could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God...” (N.L.T. EMPHASIS MINE).
Now a priest is someone designated by God to stand between Himself, a Holy God, and a sinful people offering up sacrifices for the sins of the people.
The Aaronic priests were ordained to offer up the sacrifices prescribed by the Law of Moses. “For every High Priest is taken from among men is APPOINTED ON BEHALF OF MEN IN THINGS PERTAINING TO GOD, in order to offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins...according to the Law” HEBREWS 5:1, 8:4. The Aaronic priests under the law of Moses or Torah offered up to God the blood of goats and calves (Hebrews 9:12). However, there was a problem with the priest and the sacrifices under the Old Covenant.
First of all, the Aaronic priests were only men who were marred with sin and needing to offer up sacrifices for themselves as well as for others. Second of all, they were under a temporary sacrifice system until the fullness of times when the Messiah would come (Galatians 4:4). Yes, the Aaronic high priest was set apart for a holy service, but he, like other men, needed daily to offer up sacrifices, first for their own sins, and then for the sins of the people. Hebrews 7:27-28 says For the Law appoints men as High Priests who are weak.
So, we see that the Aaronic priests were mere men and they were under a temporary system. The Law had a glory, but it was fading in comparison to the coming time of the Messiah (Hebrews 9:10).
The book of Hebrews is all about showing us that Jesus fulfilled, consumed and was the ultimate intent of the Torah law. The Torah law with its temple, sacrifices and rituals all pointed to the time when God would take upon Himself human flesh joining himself to humanity through his own sacrifice and becoming the new temple through his resurrection. In chapter 10 verses 1 thru 4 of Hebrews it shows us the weakness of the ‘sacrifice system’ under the Old Covenant. The New Living Translation says it this way: “The old system in the law of Moses was only a shadow of the things to come, not the reality of the good things Christ has done for us. The sacrifices under the old system were repeated again and again, year after year, but they were never able to provide perfect cleansing or the sacrifices would have stopped, for the worshippers would have been purified once for all time, and their feelings of guilt would have disappeared. But just the opposite happened. Those yearly sacrifices reminded them of their sins year after year. For it is not possible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.”
The Law could only give a “knowledge of sin” according to Romans 3:20 and through the sacrifices of the Old Covenant, man could approach a Holy God by faith in the blood that was shed through an innocent sacrifice, but this all simply pointed to the future Messiah (For more details refer to Section I, Lesson 5: Why the Law?). This provided a temporary atonement or forgiveness for sin, but did not have the power to cleanse the inner thoughts from sin. So, under the old sacrifice system there was always a knowledge of sin and the people were never able to have a clear conscience.
God ordained the Old Covenant Law for a ‘season,’ but it was just a blueprint of the good things that were coming to mankind through the New Covenant High Priest Jesus Christ.
Paul describes the coming of Christ in Galatians 4:4 as ‘fullness of time’ when God established a New Covenant with mankind through His own Son. Christ stepped into time, not as a replacement of the Torah Law, but as the very fulfillment of the entire Old Covenant along with its temple, sacrifices and rituals.
The reason the book of Hebrews was written was to clearly show us that the old system of the Torah law has been replaced by the new system of the Spirit of resurrection life.
It was in the fullness of times when the pre-existing Christ took upon Himself human flesh (Phil. 2:6-7). I John 1:14 says that “the Word became flesh, and dwelt or tabernacled among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.” He came into the world as Immanuel, which means ‘GOD WITH US’ (Matt. 1:23). Hebrews 2:14 says that because, “we are human beings — made of flesh and blood — Jesus also became flesh and blood by being born in human form” (N.L.T) to become our High Priest.
Jesus was just like any other man except for the sin nature. He was made like us in all things, was tempted like us yet without sin and it was so He could sympathize with our weaknesses (Hebrews 2:17, 4:15). He not only sympathized with our weaknesses, but literally took them upon Himself at the Cross. The Son of God humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a Cross that’s in Philippians 2:8. However, what appeared to be defeat and failure at the Cross was really the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God. It was through the death of the Son of God on the Cross-that Satan was stripped of his power and authority over mankind that’s in Hebrews 2:14. Jesus tasted death for everyone.
Peter in Acts 2:24 and 33 said “God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power...He was neither abandoned to Hades nor did His flesh see corruption. This Jesus God raised up again-having been exalted to the right hand of God...”. However, unlike the Aaronic priest:
JESUS AS OUR GREAT HIGH PRIEST DID NOT ENTER INTO AN EARTHLY TABERNACLE “MADE WITH HANDS, A MERE COPY OF THE TRUE ONE, BUT INTO HEAVEN ITSELF, NOW TO APPEAR IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD FOR US” (Hebrews 9:24).
Jesus is the mediator of the New Covenant, which is established on better promises (Hebrews 8:6). Jesus unlike Aaron was holy, innocent, undefined, unstained by sin and exalted above the heavens. (Hebrews 7:26). The Old Covenant priests always had to offer sacrifices for their sins and the sins of the people, but Jesus offered up himself once and for all. It is the ONE sacrifice of Christ that has dealt with the sin problem forever: “He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God...And their. sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more. Now where there is forgiveness for these things, there is no longer any offering for sin.” (Hebrews 10:12,17).
We also need to recognize that the Aaronic priesthood was limited to the nation of Israel, but Jesus Christ the High Priest after the order of Melchizedek has an eternal ministry to all nations Revelation 5:5-9. The ministry of Jesus is universal, ministering to all men without prejudice or partiality. The ministry of Jesus as our High Priest is also an eternal ministry. Because of death, the Old Covenant priests were prevented from continuing, but JESUS, BECAUSE HE ABIDES FOREVER, HOLDS HlS PRIESTHOOD PERMANENTLY (Hebrews 7:23-24) seated forever on the throne of grace. This throne is not a big chair somewhere in outer space, but is a symbolic picture of the supreme authority given to Christ through His resurrection from the dead. He entered into the heavenly realm to appear in the presence of God for us.
As our High Priest He exercises every function of His office in endless life and power. This endless life and power never ceases for a moment. It will never end, for He will never end.
Jesus came to bridge the gap between God and sinful man. Man needed someone to stand in the gap. Jesus filled that gap as the perfect holy sacrifice for our sins. Now through His resurrection from the dead and ascension into the heavenly realm He ministers before God the Father as our merciful and faithful High Priest. It is because of Him that we can now enter into the very presence of God. In understanding our High Priest Jesus Christ, we come to realize that we are now a ‘holy priesthood’ that is born of His Spirit to offer up spiritual sacrifices which are acceptable to God (I Peter 2:5).
We have entered this priesthood by divine birthright (John 1:12-13). It is our privilege and right to enter into the very presence of God through the One Sacrifice of Christ. In the lessons during this section, we are going to be focusing upon how we can cooperate with the grace of God living the cruciform life sacrificing as a New Testament priest. What I am going to do is use the pattern laid out in the tabernacle of Moses and temple to show you how as priests under the New Covenant we are to offer up acceptable sacrifices to a loving Father.
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Next Lesson: Lesson 23 - Part I The Sacrifice of Our Bodies
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