I. Intro.
A. Look for the Ancient Pathway.
1. The Tabernacle serves as a guide for spiritual formation. From the Altar to the Ark, it gives us practical steps to follow Jesus into the Presence of God.
2. Jer 6:16 “Thus says the Lord: “Stand in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; then you will find rest for your souls. But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’
a. “…rest for your souls.” (nephesh: soul)
b. rest is margoa, the only time this used in the Word, it means “a resting place”
3. We are going to look at the Holy Place today, which represents our soul. It also represents Jesus as the TRUTH. We will see that when we encounter Jesus the TRUTH in our soul, we will find rest. BUT… the Lord asks us… will we walk in the truth? Will we embrace truth and follow it’s path?
4. Remember, we are a three part being, spirit, soul and body.
a. Outer Court: body, open to the elements, interfaces with the natural world.
b. Holy Place: soul, mind will and emotions.
c. Holy of Holies: spirit
B. Body (Outer Court) and Soul (Holy Place).
1. There is a separate focus of the Lord’s work for each part of our being.
2. In the Outer Court Jesus ministered to the needs of our bodies.
a. He bought them back from the bondage to sin.
b. He took our sickness and disease, our sin and iniquity on Himself.
c. Brought us through the water of baptism and cleanses us with the Word.
d. In the Holy Place Jesus ministers to our soul with the TRUTH.
e. In the Holy of Holies Jesus ministers to our spirit with LIFE.
C. The work of the Lord to the three parts of our nature.
1. We could say it this way: The spirit is redeemed instantly, the soul is renewed continually and the body will be replaced ultimately.
2. Spirit: When we are born again by believing in our heart that Jesus is Lord and that God has raised Him from the dead and making a public confession of our faith, our spirit is renewed.
a. 1 Cor 6:17 “But he who is joined to the Lord is one Spirit with Him.”
b. Our spirit is fully redeemed and perfected in Christ.
c. 2 Cor 5:21 that we might become the righteousness of God in Jesus Christ.
3. Our spirit is already perfect, but the soul is not.
a. Heb 10:14 “For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.”
b. Two tenses used here, past and present. “has perfected forever” and “are being sanctified.”
c. Our spirit is perfect already, but our soul is not, it needs to be sanctified.
4. Our spirit doesn’t need to grow or get stronger, increase its anointing, etc. What needs to happen is that our soul needs to be sanctified and so that it agrees with the spirit.
a. We spend more time in the soul or the the flesh than we do in the spirit.
b. The perfect spirit is in there, but we’re just unfamiliar with it.
c. The soul is overdeveloped and blocks the spirit.
5. ANALOGY: Body builders who skip leg day.
a. Huge chest and arms, but skinny little chicken legs.
b. That’s what it’s like to have an overdeveloped soul that overshadows the spirit.
c. A mind that’s overthinking everything, emotions that run your life, a will that is stubborn and rebellious.
d. But the spirit has never been exercised and you have nothing to stand on.
6. Our soul is being transformed, sanctified, it’s in a process where the Holy Spirit and the Word of God bring our mind, will and emotions into perfect agreement with the Spirit of God Who is already one with our spirit.
a. This is “the end (goal) of your faith—the salvation of your souls.” (1 Peter 1:9)
7. Our bodies are passing away but eventually, we will be given a new spiritual body that will never wear out.
7. The spirit is redeemed instantly, the soul is renewed continually and the body will be replaced ultimately.
8. At death, the soul and spirit go to be with the Lord.
a. 2 Cor 5:8 “To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.”
b. Luke 23:46 “Father, into Your hands I commit My Spirit.”
c. Rev 6:9 “…the souls of those who had been slain for the Word of God.”
d. Psalm 49:15 But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave, For He shall receive me. Selah”
9. At the resurrection, our soul and spirit will be united with a glorified body.
a. 1 Cor 15:44 sown a natural body, raised a spiritual body
b. 1 John 3:2 “We shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.”
10. What does this all mean? Our spirit is already perfect, our body has an expiration date but our soul needs a lot of work in this life.
II. Encountering Jesus the Truth in our soul.
A. Are we willing?
1. Jer 6:16 “Thus says the Lord: “Stand in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; then you will find rest for your souls. But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’
2. Two questions:
a. Are willing to ask the Lord to lead us down the ancient pathway?
b. Are we willing to walk in it?
B. Jesus wants to minister to our soul with the TRUTH.
1. In the Holy Place we see Jesus ministering to our soul. This is where we meet the Lord in our mind, will and emotions. Here we meet Jesus as The Truth. “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.” (John 14:6)
a. The body needs to be offered up as a sacrifice.
b. The spirit needs to be refreshed by the Tree of Life in His Presence.
c. But the soul needs the TRUTH in order to find rest.
3. What will be the result of submitting to a truth encounter in our mind, will and emotions?
a. Luke 4:18&19 (Jesus’ mission statement.)
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; 19 to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”
b. Matt 11:28-30
28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
c. Psalm 23:3 “He restores my soul.”
C. The one thing that we need to do in order to let Jesus free us with the Truth.
1. If we want to experience the ministry of Jesus to our soul we have to love the TRUTH.
2. John 8:31&32
31 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples
indeed. 32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
a. He was speaking to believers in Jesus
b. They had to abide or remain in His Word and…
c. Knowing the truth will set them free.
3. This tells us that we can believe in Jesus but not be free. We can believe in Jesus but not know the truth if we don’t remain in the Word.
4. In prayer, I asked the Lord how we can guard against deception, immediately He said “You are to love the truth.”
a. 2 Thess 2:9&10
9 The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying
wonders, 10 and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive
the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
b. 1 John 1:7&8
7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of
Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and
the truth is not in us.
D. RECAP:
1. The spirit is already perfect, the body has an expiration date, but the soul is being renovated. Imagine our soul is a house that needs some repairs.
2. Jesus is the Builder in charge of the renovation. The result of His work will be:
a. A heart that used to be broken will be made whole.
b. A mind that was in bondage to trauma based fears & anxiety will be at peace.
c. You will have a new perspective and a positive outlook on life.
3. To make these repairs, Jesus has to replace all the rotten and worn out beliefs, thoughts and attitudes with Truth.
4. All we have to do is love the Truth more than we love our old broken down house.
III. The Articles in the Holy Place.
A. The Lampstand. (Exodus 25:31-40)
1. I like to start with the Lampstand because it is the only light in the Holy Place. The Lampstand represents the perfect unity of the Word and the Spirit in Jesus and it is the only light for our soul.
2. Details.
a. Made from one piece of gold (1 talent of gold , about 75 lbs)
b. One central post, three branches on either side.
c. 7 lights/flames speak of the 7 Spirits of God, the fullness of the Spirit.
d. Sixty-six embellishments, 66 books of the bible.
d. Burned oil, which speaks of the Spirit.
3. Scriptures:
a. Psalm 119:105 “Your Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.”
b. Psalm 43:3 “Oh, send out Your light and Your truth! Let them lead me; Let them bring me to Your holy hill and to Your tabernacle.”
4. Why is this important? Because the only light for our soul is the Word of God as the Spirit gives us revelation. We have to guard against doctrines of demons and the philosophies of men that offer a false light for our soul.
5. Personally, at the Lampstand I see the Lord ministering to our minds. He replaces the lies that we have believed with the TRUTH of His Word.
6. This is different from the cleansing of the Word in the Outer Court. This application of the Word goes deeper than the cleansing. It goes deep inside of us. The Word is implanted into our soul.
7. James 1:21 “Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.”
8. Hebrews 4:12&13
12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. 13 And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.
9. The Word becomes a part of us and we become a Lampstand that shines with the Light of God’s Truth from the inside out. (2 Cor 4:6)
10. In Daniel 5:1-5, God used the Lampstand to bring about the fall of Babylon.
1 Belshazzar the king made a great feast for a thousand of his lords, and drank wine in the presence of the thousand. 2 While he tasted the wine, Belshazzar gave the command to bring the gold and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple which had been in Jerusalem, that the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines might drink from them. 3 Then they brought the gold vessels that had been taken from the temple of the house of God which had been in Jerusalem; and the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines drank from them. 4 They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze and iron, wood and stone. 5 In the same hour the fingers of a man’s hand appeared and wrote opposite the lampstand on the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace; and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote.
11. In the Last Days, God will use the church to bring about the fall of spiritual Babylon. We see this in the book of Revelation as the Lord directed His end time message to the seven churches that He referred to as the seven Lampstands.
12. But how can we be trusted with bringing God’s truth to the nations if we refuse to embrace the truth in our own soul?
B. The Table of Showbread. (Exodus 25:25-30)
1. At the Table of Showbread I see Jesus minister to our emotions. This is where we meet Jesus in His humanity and His divinity, where Jesus our High Priest sympathizes with our weaknesses.
2. Details:
a. Made of wood overlaid with gold, speaking of His humanity & divinity.
b. On the table were 12 cakes/rounds of bread.
c. One of the names of the bread was “The Bread of Faces”
d. We see the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ (2 Cor 4:6)
3. This is the first mention of the word table in the bible. (sulhan) The first mention of the word table is used in the context of fellowship with God.
4. Psalm 23:5 “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies…”
a. The table He has prepared is within our own soul.
b. He calls us to meet with Him there. (Rev 3:20)
5. 1 Corinthians 10:16& 17
16 The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which
we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? 17 For we, though many, are one bread and one
body; for we all partake of that one bread.
a. Communion: common union, a common humanity shared with the Lord.
b. The word used for communion here is ‘koinania’
c. It means fellowship and intimacy
6. You are what you eat. When we partake of His body, we partake of His divine nature and become like Him.
7. John 6:48-51
48 “I am the bread of life. 49 Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead. 50 This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die. 51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.”
8. The Lord is calling us to be honest and open with Him with our emotions but also willing to surrender those emotions to Him to be healed and restored.
9. Psalm 51:6 “Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, And in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom.”
10. Personal Example: When the Lord ministered to my emotions on a hike in Uwharrie.
C. The Altar of Incense. (Exodus 30)
1. The last article that come to in the Holy Place is the Altar of Incense. This is where the priests would light incense as they prayed and worshipped God.
2. In the Bible, incense represents prayer. (Rev 5:8 “…golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.”)
3. This is where the Lord ministers to our will. How do I know this? Jesus is our Great High Priest, He forever lives to intercede for us (Heb 7:25; 9:24). How did Jesus pray?
a. Matt 6:10 “Your kingdom come, Your will be done.”
b. Matt 26:39
39 He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.”
4. Today, in the New Covenant, the true incense is prayer and intercession from the heart. In the OT, incense was a shadow of what was to come, in the NT the substance is prayer from the heart.
5. The Altar of Incense is the last article in the Holy Place before entering the Holy of Holies. There is no way to advance into the Presence of the Lord unless we have surrendered our will to Him.
6. Again, we will only receive revelation of the Lord’s return by prayer and intercession. No amount of studying charts and calendars will ever reveal what the Spirit Himself reveals as we pray and intercede.
7. Zacharias the Priest (father of John the Baptist) received revelation about the Lord’s first advent while ministering at the Altar of Incense.
a. Luke 1:8-12
8 So it was, that while he was serving as priest before God in the order of his division, 9 according to the custom of the priesthood, his lot fell to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord. 10 And the whole multitude of the people was praying outside at the hour of incense. 11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense. 12 And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.
8. Again, if we’re not willing to surrender our will to the Lord in prayer, how will we ever receive revelation of what God’s will is on the earth?
IV. Wrap up and Application.
A. Finding rest for our souls.
1. In the Holy Place, we find Jesus ministering to the needs of our souls with the Truth of His Word.
2. Our spirit is already renewed, our body will be replaced, but our souls are in dire need of the Lord’s ministry and He ministers to us with Truth.
3. Three articles, three aspects of our soul.
a. At the Lampstand, the Lord ministers to our mind. The Spirit revealed Truth of God’s Word is implanted into our soul and replaces the lies we have believed with Truth.
b. At the Table of Communion, He ministers to our emotions. We have fellowship with the Lord as our High Priest who sympathizes with us.
c. At the Altar, the Lord ministers to our will as He shows us how to surrender our will to the Father.
B. But… are we willing?
1. Are we willing to encounter Jesus the TRUTH in your soul, your mind, will and emotions?
2. Are you willing to walk it out?
3. Are we willing to love the truth? All throughout the scriptures we see that God is uncompromising about Truth. There is only God’s Truth as revealed in His Word.
4. We can’t hold onto a false truth because we like how it makes us look or feel and then ask God to reveal His truth in other areas. It’s all or nothing.