Welcome to Sacramento Central Seventh-day Adventist church right here in Sacramento, California on the west coast of the United States of America. Wherever you're joining us from - a big welcome. And we are so glad that you are tuning in. Whether you are listening on the radio, watching live at our website - 'saccentral.org' - or on the various television networks, it doesn't matter. Wherever you are around the world, we are so glad that you are part of our extended family.
And we hear from so many of you and we know that you love singing songs and you love studying God's Word with us and today is no exception. So we're going to get right to our program and start singing 'a shelter in the time of storm' - #528 - so if you're at home - if you have a hymnal pull it out and sing along with us. We're going to do the first, third and fourth stanzas. This is a request from Joseph in australia, selina and jonathan in the netherlands, John in sri lanka, zbigniew in united kingdom, and muyunda in zambia - and, of course, many more people around the world. #528 - First, third, and fourth stanzas.
'A shelter in the time of storm.' No matter what you're going through it seems like this world is just getting more crazy. We do have a shelter that we can go to. Amen. If you have a favorite song that you would like to sing with us, it's so simple. All you have to do is get on your computer or on your smart phone - however you want to get online - and go to our website at 'saccentral.
org'. Click on the 'contact us' link and you can send in your favorite song. If it's in the hymnal it will be right there and you can just pick it and we will do our best to sing that for you as soon as possible. And, of course, our broadcasts - we record three weeks ahead - yes, ahead - so we're already near the end of October so you can start sending in your Christmas favorites. Go right ahead.
We'll be singing those sooner than later. Our next song is #74 - 'like a river glorious' - and we're working our way through the hymnal. This one I don't think is new to most of you so - but we're just - we're going to do it seeing as it's next in line. #74 - We're going to do all - let's see - all three stanzas. Every joy or testing comes from God above, given to his children as an act of love.
Sometimes you may not feel like it's an act of love if you're going through a hard time, but we may trust him fully and for us to do, those who trust him wholly find him wholly true. At this time let's bow our heads for prayer. Father in Heaven, thank you so much that we can trust you. That we know that the trials that come upon us are - if they're not brought on by ourselves - you have given them to us to perfect us and to work on our characters. Father, I just pray that when we go through hard times, we won't give up.
We will trust you more fully. Be with us today as we open up Your Word and we study together. We just pray that you will speak to our hearts. Be with Pastor Doug as he brings us our study and be with each one here and those around the world, that one day soon we can all meet together on the sea of glass and sing praises to your name. In Jesus' Name, amen.
At this time our lesson study is going to be brought to us by Pastor Doug Batchelor. He is the senior pastor here at Sacramento central seventh day adventist church. Amen. Morning. Happy Sabbath.
Thank you for our musicians - our singers - that was good. I enjoyed that. And it's good to be back. I don't know if you noticed I was gone, but I've been gone for a couple of weeks. Karen and I were doing a camp meeting for a couple of weekends in Hawaii.
I know, that's a tough assignment. And that was very nice. I went to kauai - never been there before - and that was beautiful. And then the second week we went to oahu and did a convocation there and had a couple thousand people. It was a real good turnout.
And then I was home for one day and then - home for one night and then flew the next day to Washington, d.c. For some meetings both at the general conference and I was part of a group of religious broadcasters meeting with some government officials to preserve freedom to broadcast - for Christians to broadcast - so we had three meetings. One with a white house meeting - probably a staffer for president obama to talk about freedom and that was canceled because we were there when the government shut down and - but then we were meeting with someone from the senate - we actually met with rand Paul and then we were meeting with someone from the congress - we met with congressman trent franks. And so I was in Washington yesterday morning. So it's a - so if I fall asleep during the sermon that'll be payback for all the times - no.
But you know what was really neat is when I was meeting with the congressman and I just went up to shake his hand - he said, 'doug, I appreciate your programs and keep up the good work. I watch.' I said, 'oh, that's neat. There's actually some people in Washington that are watching so it's not totally hopeless in our government. Just keep that in mind. No, I just thought I'd share that with you.
That was fun. But anyway, I'm thankful to be able to come back and to study this subject of the sanctuary. It is a very interesting study today. I want to also remind our friends that, going along with our study we have a special lesson. This is one of our premium lessons that Amazing Facts carries.
It's called 'God drew the plans' - if you want to understand the subject of the sanctuary, it's really neat. It's fully illustrated. It's got a lot of Scriptures in it and it will explain this subject in a way you can understand. It's free. Call and just ask for offer #129.
And the number, again, is -study-more - that's -788-3966. We'll send it to you for free. Read it and then you share it with somebody else. So we're on lesson #4 today in our study guide, dealing with the subject of the sanctuary. And we have a memory verse.
Memory verse comes from Exodus :8. You have your Bibles? Exodus 25:8 and here in your lesson it's coming from the new American standard Bible and it simply says - you ready? "Let them construct me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them." See? I instinctively went back to the new king James version. But it says, "let them construct a sanctuary for me that I might dwell among them." the Lord - now does God dwell in buildings made with stucco and sheet rock and two-by-fours or does the Lord really dwell in people? You are the temple of God. But this was to represent the presence of God. It sort of gave them a central focal point for his presence being with them.
Now in your lesson - I think we've already done this. I know I did it, I think, when we first introduced this study. In the lesson, on the first page of your lesson, you'll notice there's an outline of the sanctuary. It kind of gives you a map. I bet most of you here know that the sanctuary had those three rooms.
You had the courtyard - three areas - you had the courtyard where you had the altar and you had the laver with water in it. Then you went into the holy place where you had - what was in there? Lampstand, the table of shew bread - show bread - I used the King James - and the altar of incense. And then you had one room left which was what? The most holy place or the holy of holies and in there was one thing. Typically there was one thing in there and that was the ark of the covenant with the angels. It is believed that on the day of atonement they would actually bring the altar of incense into the holy of holies and you'll find reference to that in the book of Hebrews, but normally - because wherever they were ministering to the Lord, they brought that to represent their prayers.
So it may have shifted one day during the year. And so, just to give you a picture of that - now there were three temples in the Bible - earthly temples - you had one during the time of Moses that was the mobile temple, so to speak, that was - they carried with them through the wilderness. They had to pack it around. They'd set it up. They'd use it.
They might stay in one place sometimes for up to a year out of those 40 years of wandering, then they would strike it - pack it all back up again. It was portable so that the levites would carry it to the next location where the pillar of fire guided them. They would pitch their camp, set up the tabernacle - it was the center of their society. Well, the reason it had to be a mobile temple is they were a mobile nation. But once they settled in the promised land, God wanted a fixed place that would represent his presence.
Now, the reason he had this place is because God wants to be with his people. 'Let them build me a sanctuary that I might dwell among them. What is the purpose of the plan of salvation? What has happened because of sin? Sin causes separation. Sin causes separation in families. Sin causes separation among church members.
Sin causes separation of nations and cultures and races and sin separates. Usually because selfishness is like two magnets that repel. And when adam and eve sinned and God came looking for them, they ran from God. Sin causes separation. Now there's some verses for that.
Someone look up - let me just say - who's got our microphones? Elder ray has one over here and do we have a microphone over here? Pancho has one, okay. Someone look up for me Isaiah :7. If we gave you that verse, hold up your hand and we'll bring you the microphone and someone else look up for me psalm 132, verse 4. Which side is that verse on? They're both on that side, okay we'll get you the mic next. As we prepare for that I'm going to read a verse, Deuteronomy :17 - Deuteronomy 31:17, "then my anger shall be aroused against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide my face from them, and they shall be devoured.
" - If they turn from God and worship pagan Gods the Lord said, 'I will hide my face from them.' There's a separation that happens. We can't live without God. You know, the evangelicals typically refer to hell as eternal separation from God. We're, at least, temporarily separated now, but God doesn't want us to be separated. You know, when you get to Revelation it's just such a wonderful statement when it says, 'God himself will be with them.
' God with them. Alright, I think we're ready. Go ahead and read for us Isaiah 64, verse 7. Isaiah 64, verse 7, "for you have hidden your face from us and have consumed us because of our iniquities." What do our iniquities do? Hides the face of God. Why can't we see God right now? Jesus said, 'I'm with you wherever you go.
' Well, why can't we just look and see God like I'm looking and seeing you? For one thing, the presence of God would consume us because sin cannot exist in the presence of a holy God. Sin separated lucifer from God. He was cast out of heaven. God would love to reveal himself to us. Look at the holy men and women of God.
When they had visions of God what was their reaction? They were terrified. These are good people like Moses and Ezekiel and Daniel - and Isaiah said, 'woe is me I am undone.' They were petrified at the holy presence of God and they even saw it veiled. When God came down on Mount Sinai and gave the Ten Commandments he said, 'don't come near the mountain or you'll die. And he was shielded in smoke and clouds because the glory and the holiness of God - Moses came down, his face was shining just from the glory of God. And so, the glory of God would consume us and so even because of his love for us we're separated because of our sin.
It would just destroy us. You know, there are - they call it xp - not computer - it's a pigmentosis disease where these children are born without pigment and if they're exposed to light they get cancer almost immediately. They very quickly develop cancer. How many of you know what xeroderma pigmentosa is? - I'm not saying it right, but it's summarized by xp. These children have to live in the dark and they have to be slathered with sunscreen if they ever just go from the house to the car.
And they just can't get out into the light or it really kills them little by little. And we sort of have a disease of sin where the light of God is more than we can handle. Let me give you another one, Isaiah 59, verse 2, "but your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he will not hear." So sin separates from God. So God wanted a place that would represent his presence. Do you have your Bibles? This is not in your lesson.
Turn with me to Deuteronomy chapter 12 - Deuteronomy 12, verse 13. This is important to remember. When they were in the wilderness and they were wandering around - it was a mobile sanctuary - but God told them it won't always be this way. Deuteronomy 12, verse 13, "take heed to yourself that you do not offer your burnt offerings in every place that you see;" - or any place that you see - "but in the place which the Lord chooses," - now who is going to choose the place? Alright, it's not like they could just say, 'you know, location's important, let's find a good crossroad' and, you know, when you pick a church location's real important - and won't have too much noise and - they weren't supposed to pick it, God said, 'I will pick the place.' So God said, 'I will pick a place.' The reason David waited so long to get things ready to build the sanctuary - God had never told them where yet. Hundreds of years went by during the time of Joshua and the Judges where they didn't know what was the place and so they started making their offerings on every high place and every hill.
That was not God's plan. And, in fact, you know, for a while they did it at shiloh. And you remember Solomon made a big offering at gibeon - a thousand sacrifices - and they were kind of picking different places but they were waiting for the place to build the house of the Lord. They didn't know where to do that. A war almost broke out between three of the tribes in the north which were ephraim, manasseh, or was it gilead - up in gilead is where it was and it was half the tribe of manasseh, and ephraim - gad - that's it - gad, ephraim, and half the tribe of manasseh and they built an altar on the other side of the Jordan in the north in the country of gilead.
And when the other tribes found out they got all armed and ready for war and they came up and said, 'you know that we're not supposed to separate in our worship. God told us he'd tell us the place.' And they said, 'no, no, no, no, no. We didn't do this to establish a new place to offer sacrifice, we did it as a memorial to remind you that we are part of the tribes because in the years that go by you're going to forget. We're on the other side of the Jordan. We're sort of off in the fringes.
We did this just as a memorial that we're all part of the same people.' And they said, 'oh, okay, we'll let it go.' But - so they were waiting for God to choose the place. Now how did God choose the place? Alright, if you look in Genesis 14 - this is the first clue - even before they got into the promised land. Genesis 14, verse 18 - I should say, even before the Exodus. "Then melchizedek king of salem brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of God most high. And he blessed him and said: 'blessed be abram of God most high, possessor of heaven and earth; and blessed be God most high, who has delivered your enemies into your hand.
' And he gave him a tithe of all." Melchizedek is a type of who? Of Christ. And he brings out bread and wine. What did Jesus do at the last supper? Bread and wine - it's a sign of the covenant, right? And it says he's a priest. Jesus is our high priest. And it says he's a king.
Jesus is our king. And his name melchizedek means 'king of righteousness'. Jesus is our king of righteousness. Now here you've got this mysterious priest that appears and Abraham recognizes him as superior - he brings him tithe. This priest appears out of nowhere - the Bible says, 'without beginning of days or end'.
In other words, the Bible doesn't tell us who his people were, what is ancestry was - he just suddenly appears. It's like Jesus is from everlasting to everlasting. But it tells us there is a place where he appears. Where is it? Salem. King of what? Salem.
Later that place is known as - and the word 'salem' is 'shalom' - that's the same word. And the place where he arrives - that he appears - is later known as 'jerushalom' - same place. So this is interesting, this is where the temple ends up being built - at the same place where Abraham pays tithe to this mysterious priest who is a type of Christ. A place is first chosen - it's not even chosen then, it's sort of - a clue is given. Alright? Now there's another clue - Genesis 22, verse 2 - this place - and we're under the section of 'the place of the presence' - Genesis 22, verse 2.
And God says to Abraham - you know this - "take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you." - 'I'm going to pick a place where you're to offer your son.' Where were those mountains of moriah? They were in the same area as salem or shalom - later known as Jerusalem or Mount Zion - it's all the same spot. So another clue about the place where the temple is going to be built. Now here's the last clue: Samuel 24, verse 18 - and, now this happens when David was numbering Israel. He wasn't supposed to number Israel and God was displeased. David was - you know God - just very quickly I have to say this because people say, 'why was God so hard on David for numbering Israel? Don't we do a census and didn't they count their soldiers? What was wrong with that? Aren't you supposed to count your sheep?' That wasn't the reason.
David was numbering Israel because he wanted to see how big his army was. And every time David had gone into battle trusting God he always won. I mean, David and Goliath was exhibit a. He always won trusting God. He didn't trust how many soldiers he had.
Many times David and a handful fought big armies and won. And so now he's starting to trust his army. His faith was shifting from God and God was going to punish them. A plague went through the land. People were dying and David is saying, 'Lord, don't do it to your people.
' He's praying for them, he's interceding. God says, 'okay, make an offering.' Where does he tell him to make the offering? And you read in 2 Samuel 24:18, "and gad came that day to David and said to him, - gad the prophet - 'go up, erect an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of araunah the jebusite.' - Now you know where jebus was? The capital of jebus was Jerusalem. This was a threshing floor in Jerusalem. Now a threshing floor is a big flat paved area - they would pave it with stones - where they'd beat out the grain and they'd separate the chaff. It was usually a high spot because they wanted a breeze.
They'd throw the grain - they beat the grain - they'd roughen up the chaff, they'd throw it in the air on this high spot, the wind would blow the chaff away, the grain would fall down. Have you ever seen women threshing rice or wheat where they're using a winnowing fan - they're throwing it up and it's - the chaff - is blowing away? And so this is a high spot that was in salem or Jerusalem on Mount Zion and God said build an altar here' and David bought the land from araunah the jebusite. That was the place where he told Solomon God wanted them to build the temple. So this is how it ended up - and when the temple was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar and they came back to rebuild, where'd they rebuild it? Same spot. Why haven't the jews rebuilt the temple in some other territory of Israel? Because they know the Bible teaches God picked a spot and they can't rebuild it in that spot now.
Why? There's a very big muslim mosque there. It's the third holiest place for the muslims. They say it's where muhammad briefly ascended into heaven and came back again. It's called the dome of the rock. It's by the wailing wall.
The jews don't go up on the platform there because they say that's holy ground so they pray at the wall. And they're secretly longing for the day when that dome of the rock is not there anymore. And I've been to the dome of the rock and, you know, anyone can go. And you go inside the mosque - you have to take your shoes off - you look down in the hole and you know what's in the middle? The whole dome is built around a rock and in the rock there is a tunnel that goes down to the kidron valley because that was the place where the altar of Solomon supposedly was built where the blood would run. They kept the sanctuary cleansed.
Because they had a lot of sacrifices they allowed the blood to run from that point out to the kidron valley. And so - but the muslims say it wasn't Isaac that was offered here, it was ishmael. But it's the same place that Abraham offered his son. They insist it was ishmael and not Isaac. How many of you knew that? So that spot is a very sacred spot.
That's where the temple was built. That was the place that was chosen. That's why it has not been rebuilt and God said, 'I will pick a place.' Now I gave you a verse - psalm , verse 4 - you're going to read that for us. Go ahead. Psalm 132:4 and 5, "I will not give sleep to my eyes or slumber to my eyelids, until I find a place for the Lord, a dwelling place for the mighty one of Jacob.
" See that was a prayer of David. He said, 'we've got to find a place.' 'It's not fair that I dwell in house made of cedar' David said - 'and the ark of the Lord is in a tent.' You can also read in that same psalm - look at verses 13 and 14. "For the Lord has chosen Zion; he has desired it for his dwelling place; 'this is my resting place'" - for how long? - "'Forever; here I will dwell, for I have desired it.'" God said, 'I have chosen a place that will be the place where my presence is going to be represented. Now, I took a lot of time to talk about that because we've got this whole quarter to talk about the sanctuary. I want you to understand the place that was chosen for the earthly sanctuary God went to great effort to say, 'I'm going to pick a spot on the planet that will - through which this building - I will teach the plan of salvation.
It will be the place where you come to offer your sacrifices. It represents my presence.' Okay. So I think we covered that. Let me give you - let me give you one more verse. Chronicles - 2 Chronicles chapter 5, verse 13 and 14, "indeed it came to pass, when the trumPeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the Lord, and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music, and praised the Lord, saying: 'for he is good, for his mercy endures forever.
' That the house, the house of the Lord, was filled with a cloud, so that the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud; for the glory of the Lord filled the house of God." It actually tells us in - I believe it's in Kings - that fire came down from God when Solomon dedicated his temple and God showed his approval of that location. Now there's no record fire came down when they rebuilt the temple during the time of Ezra and Nehemiah, but fire came down from heaven to show - like in the wilderness when they built the first temple, fire came down from God to inaugurate it. That's why they called it holy fire. Now this fire comes down again - they were only supposed to use the fire from that altar ignited by God, on the altar of incense and for their sacrifices. Why were The Sons of - nadab and abihu - sons of aaron slain? Because they used profane fire.
They just took common fire from the camp fire and brought it into the temple. Alright. So this place was chosen. The Bible tells us - if you go to Monday - this place is supposed to be a holy place. Now what does the word 'holy' mean? Most of you, I assume, brought a book with you today, it's called the Bible.
But often it says on your Bibles - another word. I'm just checking to make sure mine says it - yeah. Holy Bible. If you've got a spanish one it's santa biblia, right? Santa means sanctified. We get the word - it means holy or set aside as different from others.
When two people get married they call it what kind of matrimony? Holy. Why holy? Set aside. It's not a common relationship. It becomes a sacred relationship. It's an exclusive relationship between two people.
The Bible is not like any other book. It's an exclusive book. It's a sacred book. It's a holy book. And so the Bible tells us the temple - your tithe - only a few things are holy in the Bible - tithe is said to be holy.
The sanctuary was to be a holy place. This building where we've gathered to study the word of God has been set aside for a holy purpose. What did Jesus do twice in his ministry when they started treating a place set aside - the temple - for sacred purposes? It turned into sort of a flea Market where they were selling animals and arguing about prices and 'get your temple keychains and t-shirts' - and it just sort of became a bazaar in more ways than one. What did Jesus do? One of the few times that a righteous indignation was seen in Christ and he drove the money changers and the merchants and the animals out of the temple. And then he concluded with a statement.
He said - the Bible tells us - 'this house - my house is to be a house of prayer for all nations and you have made it a den of thieves.' Turned it into the very opposite of what it's supposed to be. So how does God feel about it when those things that are set aside and consecrated as sacred are treated as common or profane? It's something that is supposed to be respected in that way. Okay. So the sanctuary was to be holy. Somebody read for me Exodus 40 - who's got Exodus 40, verses 9 and 10? This is in your - got right behind you ray.
Raise your hand. Okay. And while we get that I'm going to read Leviticus 19, verse 2 - Leviticus 19, verse 2, "speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel and say to them: 'you shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.'" Now should you behave especially good on the Sabbath day? More than other days? Should pastors be Godly people? Because we have a holy work. If you're not a pastor should you be less Godly? Come on now, shouldn't pastors be a better example? It's kind of a trick question. Our expectation of pastors is - you know, there's some things that you just know is not good behavior, but it's especially bad if it's on the Sabbath.
And there's some things you know you shouldn't maybe talk about, but it's especially bad if it's in the church, right? And I know there are people - probably some sitting here today - who might be struggling with smoking, but I've never seen them light up in the sanctuary. There's just something about a holy place, a holy office, that invites us to behave in a unique, sacred way. We're called a holy people. But it's not just pastors. Biblically, you are to be a royal priesthood.
Everybody - man and woman - is part of this spiritual priesthood where we are to represent God - if you're a Christian - to a lost world. Right? All of us have a work to do. And so we're to remember this and be holy in that way. Alright, read for us Exodus 40:9 and 10. Exodus 40:9 and 10, "and you shall take the anointing oil, and anoint the tabernacle and all that is in it; and you shall hallow it and all its utensils, and it shall be holy.
You shall anoint the altar of the burnt offering and all its utensils, and consecrate the altar. The altar shall be most holy." Alright, how many utensils and how much of the furniture was anointed in the sanctuary? It said the word 'all'. It was very important. Where was the ark of the covenant? Holy of holies, right? Who only could go in there? Only the high priest. But in the earthly tabernacle there was one individual besides aaron that went in there.
Moses. What was the only day that the high priest was supposed to go into the holy of holies? Day of atonement. I think we've got another lesson coming on that so I don't want to say too much on that right now, but there was one exception, when Moses went into the holy of holies, other than the day of atonement. When they consecrated the sanctuary all of the furniture and all of the implements were activated. I mean, when you launch a ship what do they do? They Christen it.
You've seen that before where they crack martinelli's or wine or something on it then it slides off its ramp into the ocean and - I saw one clip one time where a queen was launching - I think a british submarine or ocean liner - I'm not sure what it was and she whacked this bottle of champagne and it didn't break. Any of you see that? Then she hit it again and it didn't break. Then finally someone I think, helped her with it and it smashed everywhere, but - so there was like a Christening except God doesn't use champagne. The articles in the sanctuary were inaugurated with the blood of a sacrifice, showing they were set aside for a holy purpose. Now what I'm saying to you - I'm belaboring this because this is a very important point.
Our church, in particular, we believe that Jesus is ministering as our high priest in the heavenly sanctuary, right? And that something unique began in 1844. Now, I even was talking with a friend - some of you have heard of the pastor - the moody Bible church - erwin lutzer - I was with him this week and we had a little study in the supreme court, of all places, on the Sabbath and the state of the dead. We were talking about a number of things. But they take issue with the idea that we think that there's a judgment prior to Christ's coming. It is so simple for me that if Jesus says, 'behold I come and my reward is with me to give to every man according to his works' some judgment takes place before he comes if he knows what rewards are given when he does come.
So that shouldn't be difficult, okay? There's some pre-advent judgment. And if there are seven ages of the church - and many religions believe that - Revelation the seven churches - the seven ages of the church. Are you with me? That we would be in the last stage of the church now, which is known as laodicea, which means 'a judging of the people' or 'a people being judged' and that time period began in 1844. And there's another whole study on that we'll get into later. But the reason I'm saying that is Christ did ascend into the holy of holies right after his sacrifice to activate - to plead his blood - that his sacrifice was acceptable and the heavenly temple - what was being offered in the heavenly temple in the old testament before Jesus died? If there's no blood, what do you offer? That heavenly temple wasn't really activated in that sense until Christ presented his blood.
So he ascended and did that work that Moses did to quickly activate it and then he began his work as our high priest with the daily sacrifices. And, of course, that's all symbolic of things happening here on earth which is, again, I'm trying not to get into that study. Back to holiness. What does holy mean? 'Belonging to or derived from or associated with a divine power; something sacred' - the Bible says, 'be ye holy' - 'regarded as worthy of worship or veneration; to be revered as in a holy book or holy place; living according to a strict or high moral, religious, or spiritual system; saintly, as in a holy person; specified or set apart for religious purpose; a holy place; solemnly undertaken; sacrosanct; a holy pledge; regarded or deserving special respect or reference; a holy quest' - it's not just that you're going to the Market, you're on a holy pilgrimage. Alright, what was on the brow of the high priest? He had a crown.
And what did it say on that crown? 'Holiness unto the Lord.' Does that represent that all of us, in that spiritual precept, are to live holy lives? What was above the head of the woman in Revelation 17? You notice in the forehead - in the Bible a lot of things in the forehead - those who are saved, what do they have in the forehead? The seal of God and that's a symbol for holiness unto the Lord and the Sabbath is part of that because where in the ten commandments does the word 'holy' appear one time? Only in the Sabbath commandment does it appear. That's interesting. Just a footnote. Revelation 17, what does she have on her forehead? The antithesis of holiness - 'Babylon the great the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth' - it's talking about filth and harlotry, immorality - it's the opposite of - but it's a religious institution. Very interesting.
So you've got God's religious institution and the high priest - he's a type of Christ - holy life Jesus lived, and then you've got the devil's church and it's the opposite of that. It's unholiness. So, you know, we're told to be holy. I'll just give you a couple more verses on this. Someone look up Ephesians 4, verse 24.
We've got a hand - richard's got that. Go ahead, ray, you can pass him the microphone. And in the meantime, I'm going to read a couple more verses. Thessalonians 3:13 - now, these are just good verses for you to remember that God is calling us to holiness. And you know why I'm spending more time on this? Because of the - and I believe that grace - it's important to emphasize grace - that we are saved by grace.
But I think that sometimes, while we emphasize that we are saved by grace, we forget that God also expects us and empowers us to live holy lives. We are called - we are commanded to be holy and that means turning from sin. Alright, so 1 Thessalonians :13, "so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints." - Saints means holy ones - they're angels. Thessalonians 4:7 and 8, "for God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness. Therefore he who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who has also given us his holy spirit.
" Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit and he wants us to be living holy lives that they might be holy vessels. It's all through the Bible God calls us to holiness. And this is all in keeping with the sanctuary. Alright, who was going to read for us Ephesians 4:24? Richard. Ephesians 4:24, "and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.
" So we're new creatures. What kind of new man - new creature? Created in holiness - different kind of lives. Not according to our former conduct but new conduct. Hebrews 12, verse 14 - if you forget all the other verses remember this one - "pursue peace with all people, and holiness," - pursue means 'look for; long for; strive for' - holiness, without which no one will see the Lord." I want to see the Lord and his beauty without holiness - no. Blessed are the pure in heart for they will what? See God.
Isn't that what Jesus taught? Will God ask you to do something you can't do? Will God ask you to be something you can't be? If God says, 'be ye holy' - when God said, 'let there be light' did light happen? So when God says 'be holy' - through faith in His Word can you be a new creature? You can. If you've failed before, keep believing you can. You can. And then Peter quotes Leviticus when he says in 1 Peter 1, verses 14 to 16, "as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, 'be holy, for I am holy.'" Now this is an important verse. I'll tell you why.
Some people - since you asked, I'll tell you why - some people say, 'yes, we get a gift of holiness - through justification the Lord covers us with holiness and we may not live and act like we're holy but we get it sort of, you know, it's a vicarious holiness we receive by faith. It's a philosophical phantom holiness. We may not act it but we get credit' - well you do when you're justified, but then you move on to sanctification and you're supposed to conduct yourself in holiness. You notice in that verse it's not talking about just in theory, it's talking about in behavior we're to be holy. Is that clear? The difference that we're making here? Because I run into that all the time.
'Oh, we can't really be holy, it's just sort of - it's the phantom holiness that we get from Jesus' sacrifice on our behalf.' We get credit for his holiness but somewhere along the way we need to bring in sanctification where our conduct is holy, which is what Peter said. Not walking after your former behavior. Alright, 'instruments of the sanctuary'. Now this is a verse I referred to before but I'm going to read now and it's Hebrews 9, verse , "for when Moses had spoken" - now we're in the new testament - "for when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and goats, with water, scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, saying, 'this is the blood of the covenant which God has commanded you.' Then likewise he sprinkled with the blood both the tabernacle and all" - how many? All the utensils. He wasn't the high priest and this was not the day of atonement.
Are you with me? - "All the vessels of the ministry. And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission." So all these things were set aside. What Moses did in the earthly temple to inaugurate it, Jesus did in the heavenly temple following his sacrifice. He went into the holy of holies, then he came back down to earth. Remember when mary went to cling to his feet he said, 'do not cling to me' - I know the King James says 'do not touch me' but that's probably not a good translation.
She was grabbing his feet and keeping him from ascending. He said, 'do not cling to me for I've not yet ascended to my father.' But he said, 'go tell my brethren I ascend to my father your father, my God your God.' So he ascends, he then is declared victorious - he hasn't been to heaven yet from his sacrifice. He goes before The Father into the holy of holies. He presents his blood. The angels sing.
He is declared victorious - that his sacrifice - his life was holy and accepted. He then comes down to earth and you notice how different he is then? He appears in the upper room he says, 'all hail' and they grab him by the feet and worship him and he doesn't say don't touch me.' Why? Because something's happened. He has gone up and presented his blood in the heavenly sanctuary. Now you can read about this in 'the Great Controversy' and other places, but I'm condensing that truth. What Moses did, Jesus did.
Now you've got the different implements, of course. You've got the altar, the laver, there's a door, there's a lamp, there's a table of bread, an altar of incense, and the ark of the covenant. All these things in the articles of furniture are telling us about Jesus. Remember this lesson is called 'lessons from the sanctuary and I - in the introduction I think I briefly talked about these. The altar represents the cross.
That's where the victim was - it went through the fire. Did Jesus go through the fire for us? He was sacrificed. The laver represents water. Jesus said, 'I am the living water' - it also represents baptism. After they washed they then entered the next room and that's where sanctification takes place.
Justification takes place in the courtyard, sanctification takes place in the holy place. There was only one door - Jesus said, 'I am the door.' You needed a priest - Jesus said, 'I am the priest.' You needed a lamb - Jesus said, 'I am the lamb.' You went in there was a light - Jesus said what? 'I am the light of the world.' There was bread - Jesus said what? 'I am the bread of life.' And then there were prayers that were offered on the altar of incense and Jesus said we are to pray in his name - it's the essence of his name. And then in the ark of the covenant there was rock - Jesus said, 'he that hears these words of mine' - rock written with the fingers of God, right? The Word of God was in there written on rock. 'He that hears these words of mine and does them is like a wise man building his house on the rock.' And so Christ is the rock of ages upon - he is the rock that brought down Goliath. He is the rock that brings down the idol in Daniel two - Jesus is that rock.
So everything about the sanctuary and all of its furniture is telling us something about God, okay? The center of divine and communal activity. Now everything I'm about to share with you about - I think virtually all of these verses are based upon the dedication prayer of Solomon when he built the earthly temple. This was the apex - the real climax - the pinnacle of the history of the temple is when Solomon finally - The Son of David - Jesus is The Son of David - dedicates the house of the Lord. It was the most glorious building. It's too bad that the historian herodotus had never seen it because he would have declared it one of the wonders of the ancient world.
Filled with gold - it was enormous in its scale - great big bronze pillars, I mean, it was very majestic. And here, in the dedication prayer of Solomon that is a spirit-filled prayer, he talks about the purpose of this place of worship. And I'll just go through these - these are in your lesson. The temple was a place for seeking forgiveness. You find that in his prayer in verse 30.
If they sinned they would come to this place and offer their sacrifices, okay? It's a place where they would come and make their vows and their oaths in the presence of God. Can you think of somebody who came to the tabernacle and made a vow or an oath in the Bible? How many of you remember where hannah was praying and she made a promise that, 'Lord, if you'll give me a son I'll give him to you.' And where did she go to do that? The high priest was right there. At first he thought she was drunk because she was swaying back and forth and she was so, you know, heartbroken - so much grief that he thought she was intoxicated. But she prayed and he said, 'oh, so sorry I misunderstood you. Your prayer will be answered.
' She believed him. Sometimes pastors say things and people believe and they're blessed because they have faith - pastor doesn't even know what he said. Isn't that right? It's true. You know, the high priest, during Christ's time, he said, 'do you know nothing at all but that it's expedient that one man should perish to save the nation?' And John, in his commentary on that, he says, 'being high priest he didn't even realize that he had uttered a prophecy.' He didn't even know it. But anyway, it was a place where they would make their vows.
One reason is they're kind of recorded there and people - God wanted people to remember 'you said this in the presence of God. You need to keep your promises.' You see, when they were beaten by their enemies they would come and plead for victory at the sanctuary. You find they all gathered before the temple - oh, I won't tell you. Let's see if you know. When's a time when the King and people gathered before the sanctuary because of either a looming battle or a defeat.
Hezekiah is one example, when the - rabshakeh and the assyrians came to attack. Remember when jehoshaphat - an army was gathered against jehoshaphat and they gathered in the courtyard and they prayed and plead before the Lord? Did he give them victory? Both times, okay. They would plead for rain and for natural blessings and I'll be talking about that during the sermon on Elijah a little later, but this was a place where they would come and pray for the bounties of heaven and repent of their sins because sometimes their bad behavior affected the weather. It was a place for the alien to pray, not just the church members, and that's why - by the way, you find that in Isaiah and it says it's to be a house of prayer to all people and it was - that's in Isaiah 56, verse 7. A place to petition God for victory - verses 44 and 45.
So it tells about the different things. It was a center for worship. Oh, and you know something's not in here. Where were the Kings sometimes coronated once the temple was built? Where was joash pronounced king? Wasn't it standing by the pillar in the temple of the Lord? And so it was sort of the center of their divine and communal activity. And then the last part - and I'm running out of time here - is where it says, 'until I went into the sanctuary of God.
' Psalm 27, verse 4, "one thing I have desired of the Lord, that will I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple." To be able to come into the presence of God and talk to the Lord. Now did I give somebody psalm , verse 6? You got it right here? Let's get you a microphone. We're going to let you have the last word. Alright, go ahead. Psalm 23, verse 6, "surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
" That famous psalm. What are the closing words? Psalm 23? 'Goodness and mercy all the days of my life...dwell in the house of the Lord' - for how long? Forever. And that's going to be - why? Because you're going to be in the presence of God forever. We've been separated by sin. Jesus wants to abide with us, he said, right? And so, even in heaven, that'll be the presence of God.
God himself will be with us. For how long? (Forever) that's a wonderful, wonderful truth. Well, we're out of time with that but I want to remind our friends that haven't changed the channel yet that we have a free offer. It's offer #129. When you call ask for this.
It's 1-866 - we'll send it to you just for asking. Talk about the sanctuary. -Study-more - that's 866-788-3966. And God bless you until we study His Word together again next week. In six days God created the heavens and the earth.
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