The Pattern of Pursuing God
Exodus 25:8
We are called to be priests, and priests prepare the way for God to move and work on earth. As a priest, we live for God to work in us and through us to bring his will, purpose, and presence to earth. But to prepare the way for God to move, we must prepare our lives to pursue God. God gave Moses a glimpse of his dwelling place in heaven and told Moses that he wanted him to build a similar place on earth. This is why the Tabernacle was such a BIG deal to the priest.
1. What thought or idea stood out to you this week as you heard the message?
2. What comes to mind when you think of the Tabernacle?
3. How would you explain to a new believer the best way to pursue a relationship with God?
4. The Tabernacle is a pattern for how we are to prepare ourselves to pursue God. Read Exodus 25:8–9: “Then have them make a sanctuary (Miqdash) for me, and I will dwell (Shakhan) among them. Make this tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly like the pattern I will show you." Why do you think God gave a specific plan for believers to have an intimate relationship with Him?
The Altar – Complete Surrender.
5. Read Hebrews 9:26: "But now He has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of Himself." Jesus is the ultimate sacrifice. We surrender our lives to Jesus because he died for every sin. The judgment for our sin has been paid for. We lay our lives down on the altar. We are no longer defined by our sins, failures, and past, but who we are in Jesus Christ. What does complete surrender look like? Why do people sometimes struggle with complete surrender?
The Laver –Honest Repentance.
6. Read Hebrews 10:19–20: The altar of sacrifice takes care of the payment for our sins. The laver is the continual washing—the daily cleansing that comes from the ministry of the Word of God in our lives. “Without holiness, no one will see the Lord” (Heb. 12:14, NIV). That doesn’t mean we cannot see God without becoming perfect; it means we cannot come any closer to Him without submitting ourselves to the process of sanctification—setting ourselves apart, devoted to His ways. How does honest repentance help us draw closer to God?
7. Read Psalm 139:23-24 - "Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." What five things is the prayer asking of God? What is the real heart of this prayer?
The Golden Lampstand – Spirit Dependency.
8. Read 2 Timothy 1:7: "For the Spirit, God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.” Spirit gives us the ability to do what we cannot do on our own. Just as the light fills the room, it is a constant dependence on the Spirit to fill us so that we can walk in all that God has for us. What confidence do you get from the fact that God gives you the passion and the power to do all that He has called you to do?
The Table of Showbread – Intentional Intimacy
9. The word bread literally means “Bread of face”: the table is where God institutes the ministry of face time. Read Revelation 3:20. How important is “face time” to Jesus? What is He inviting us to do here? What are we saying to Jesus when we don’t take time to be with Him?
The Altar of Incense - Passionate Intercession
10. The smoke from the incense itself, constantly rising from the altar, came to symbolize the prayers of God’s people constantly ascending before the Lord. Read Psalm 141:2: "May my prayer be set before you like incense; may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice." Intercessory prayer is like the incense offered on the Altar – a fragrant offering to God, representing our love and concern for others. Do you think of your prayers as a fragrant offering to God? How can your prayer life be transformed knowing that your prayers are a fragrant offering to God?