The Holy of Holies, also known as the Most Holy Place, is the inner room of the Tabernacle where we find the Ark of the Covenant. This is the inner most place of intimacy with God. One priest only one time a year would go into this inner place to meet with God. Can you imagine being the chosen one to go into this place. Of all of God’s people and all of God’s leaders you would have the privilege of going into the inner most place of intimacy with God. Imagine what it would be like to be the person next in line for this honor but you weren’t chosen.
How fascinating it would be to imagine the glorious experience this lucky person got to experience. Man! I wish I could go in there!!! The good news is that you were chosen and you are chosen! You have this phenomenal privilege of going in to God’s presence and not just once a year but any time you desire to do so.
1 Pet 2:9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of the One who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. NIV
How does your perspective compare to the perspective previously described? Are you eager to experience the presence of the God of the Universe? Perhaps this helps us understand some of David’s words in Psalms.
Have you heard all these messages about the sequential progression of entering the presence of God that He has revealed and done anything with it? Have you been a hearer and a doer? Let’s press in not only tonight but let’s do so right now.
Ps 84:1-12 How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD Almighty! 2 My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. 3 Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young-- a place near your altar, O LORD Almighty, my King and my God. 4 Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you. Selah 5 Blessed are those whose strength is in you; In whose heart are the highways to Zion!6 As they pass through the Valley of Baca, they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools….10 Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.
Ps 63:1-8 O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water. 2 I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. 3 Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. 4 I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands. 5 My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you. 6 On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night.
Ps 42:1-2 As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. 2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?
Isa 54:13-15 All your sons will be taught by the LORD, and great will be your children's peace. In righteousness you will be established: Tyranny will be far from you; you will have nothing to fear. Terror will be far removed; it will not come near you. 15 If anyone does attack you, it will not be my doing; whoever attacks you will surrender to you.
The Most Holy Place was the place where blood was sprinkled on the lid of the Ark, the Mercy Seat as an atonement for sins. In the Ark we find manna, Aaron’s rod and the 10 Commandments. These represent Israel’s greatest embarrassments of rejecting God’s provision, rejecting God’s authority and rejecting God’s Laws. It is significant that the greatest mistakes Israel made were covered by the atonement cover on the ark. They were covered!
To atone literally means to cover mistakes. The atonement cover over the ark with the items speaking of disobedience and shame is an incredible shadow. Through Christ and His blood sacrificeour disobedience and shame is covered, or atoned for so we are “at+one” with God as was His original plan.
Atonement= At+One+Ment. Through the sacrifice of Christ we are now “At+One” with God.
1 John 3:21 Dear friends, if we don't feel guilty, we can come to God with bold confidence. TLB
The NIV says, “If our hearts don’t condemn us, we have confidence before God.” Clearly God provides a way to awaken confidence within us to be established as sons and daughters of God. This confidence is significant! May we embrace this grace and express his love with confidence to the world around us every day that we follow his promptings and guidance in our lives.
We Bring GP2RL Action Point:
Come back at 6pm as we pray through the tabernacle together asking God to activate the anointing in our lives.
DISCUSSION GUIDE FOR COMMUNITY GROUP LEADERS
Click here for a downloadable pdf file of this guide.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1. What was something that stood out to you from Sunday’s message?
2. Who is the most famous person alive today that you would love to meet?
3. If this opportunity to meet with them came about how would you feel and how would you approach such a meeting?
The Holy of Holies, also known as the Most Holy Place, is the inner room of the Tabernacle (and also the Temple) in which was kept the Ark of the Covenant, the Mercy Seat (Exodus 26:34), Cherubim (Exodus 25:18-22), manna (Exodus 16:33), Aaron’s rod (Numbers 17:10), and a copy of the 10 Commandments (Deuteronomy 31:26).
This was the place where blood was sprinkled on the Mercy Seat (the lid on top of the Ark) as an atonement for the sins of Israel (Leviticus 16:15-33). The only people allowed to enter the Holy of Holies was the high priest. There was only one high priest at a time, and he could enter only once a year.
Hebrews 9:7-10 But only the high priest entered the inner room, and that only once a year, and never without blood, which he offered for himself and for the sins the people… NIV
God has not merely invited us into a deeper place of intimacy with him. God awakens that deeper place of intimacy within us. We actually have the capacity to have God’s presence activated deep within our souls and this has the ability to change everything about who we are.
Ezekiel 36:26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. NIV
It is obvious through our journey of exploring the Tabernacle that this is God’s sequential progression of meeting with him.
DISCUSSION QUESTION:
1. How will you make it a priority to meet with God this week? Share your approach to prayer and reading your Bible so everybody can hear and consider the different approaches to pursuing God.
As you purpose time to be with God this week focus in on the reality that you have been invited through Christ to come boldly into a place of God’s presence that is truly an amazing honor.
We Bring GP2RL Action Point:
Pray through the tabernacle this week asking God to activate the anointing in your life.
Click here for a downloadable pdf file of this prayer guide.