Much of the Old Testament is dedicated to the building of the tabernacle and then the temple and many do not ask why God included this in his story and why they were built in the first place. This Sunday, unravel why God had people build these buildings and why the impact of these structures still echoes into our lives today as we look at “Jesus in the Tabernacle,” part of our Good News Everywhere Series.
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MESSAGE STUDY NOTES (also as PDF download above)
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WARM UP
When you were young, what did you think “heaven” was like?
READ
Exodus 25:8, 34:6-7; Psalms 16:11; Hosea 6:2; Acts 3:19-20; I Thessalonians 5:10; Revelation 21:3-4; John 1:14; Mark 15:38; Hebrews 10:19-22
TAKEAWAYS
Is there a distance between humans and God?
1. The barrier is real
2. The barrier is exclusive
3. The barrier is torn
1. God always welcomes you
2. You are the new temple
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
1. Why do you think the Bible speaks so much of the value of God’s “presence?”
2. In our culture that values unquestioned “inclusion,” what are your thoughts about the idea of sin being a barrier to God?
APPLICATION
What does being the new temple mean to you practically? How does that reality play out in your life?
FOR MENTORING
Describe “heaven” if it was only a place of (acceptable) earthly pleasures without God.
