In Heavenly Places
Without the sacrifice that Jesus made for us at Calvary, we could
not have the assurance of eternal life. In fact, we would all be
certain to pay the penalty for our own sins. We would receive
what the apostle Paul called the "wages" of those sins, otherwise
known as DEATH! By paying the penalty for us, Jesus restored the
hope of eternal LIFE. That is the significance of the cross of
Calvary. Without it, we would be lost, regardless of WHAT we might
be able to accomplish in the course of a lifetime.
But even considering the centrality of its role in the plan of
salvation, the cross was not to be an end in itself. It was God's
means of restoring the broken relationship between Himself and
mankind, and eternal peace in the universe. That has ever been
God's purpose. Unfortunately, some Christians treat the event of
Calvary as an end in itself. They believe in the sacrifice that
Jesus made there, but never go on to experience a full personal
relationship with Him.
In the Old Testament sanctuary service, the offering of the
sacrifice (representing Jesus Christ) was the BEGINNING of an
exciting experience with God. The ultimate result was to be
renewed face-to-face communion with God Himself! Likewise, our
Christian experience begins by accepting Jesus as our Savior and
acknowledging the forgiveness of our sins at Calvary. But this is
to be only the BEGINNING of our personal relationship with God. It
is God's intended purpose that this relationship should grow and
mature with each one of us throughout all eternity. It is through
our knowledge of God that we can truly come to understand
ourselves. To be able to know God as a friend is the highest
experience available to mortal mankind. This lesson will examine
how such a relationship is possible.
1. |
After his resurrection, Jesus walked among His disciples for
40 days. What happened to Him after that?
Acts 1:9-11
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2. |
What has Jesus been doing since He returned to heaven?
Hebrews 7:25
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Helps and hints: Several thoughts are suggested by this
passage. In the first place, Jesus is active in heaven. He is
performing a service for us, by ministering to our needs. He is
always on duty in our behalf. Notice that Jesus can "save them to
the uttermost" who approach God through Him. Two meanings are
possible here. Both of them are equally correct. One focuses on
the time element. Because Jesus is alive forever, His ministry is
effective for every generation down to the end of time. The other
focuses on the completeness of Christ's ministry. it is not
important how deep the gutter that Christ pulled us out of, He is
able to remake anyone into the image in which they were created.
Helps and hints: The fact that Jesus entered ONCE into
the holy place emphasizes that His sacrifice will never have to be
repeated. The animal sacrifices were offered repeatedly, to be a
constant reminder of the effects of sin and the coming Messiah.
But now that Jesus has made the true sacrifice, it never needs to
be done again.
Helps and hints: Just as the Old Testament Jew followed
the priest into the holy place of the earthly sanctuary by faith,
so we follow Christ into the heavenly sanctuary by faith. But the
day is coming when we will see Him face to face. Jesus promised,
"To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne,
even as I also overcame and am set down with my Father in his
throne." Revelation 3:21.
Helps and hints: 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "If any man be
in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away;
behold, all things are become new." When we really know Christ,
our deepest loyalties, values, and ambitions are devoted to
heavenly things. While we must live IN the world, we are not OF
the world in that we share the VALUES of the world. In fact, it is
not possible to be a member of God's family while we continue to
embrace the values of this world. Physically, we can have both
feet on this earth and have our values and loyalties in heaven.
But spiritually, we cannot have one foot in heaven and the other on
earth. Jesus said, "He that is not with me is against me; and he
that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad." Matthew 12:30.
8. |
According to the apostle Paul, why did Jesus give Himself for
the church?
Ephesians 5:25-27
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9. |
What instruction did the apostle Peter give his fellow
Christians?
2 Peter 3:18
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Helps and hints: "GROWTH IN GRACE" is an important part
of any Christian's relationship with God. But what does this mean?
And how does it take place? Growth in grace actually means to
begin to see things from God's point of view and begin to act
accordingly. The prophet Isaiah spoke for God when he said, "For
my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,
saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so
are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your
thoughts." Isaiah 55:8,9.
10. |
How did the apostle Paul describe this process?
Romans 12:2
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Helps and hints: Paul says we are to be "renewed" in our
minds. It is this that transforms us so that we can truly serve
God rather than be conformed to the values of this world. The
Bible does not leave it a mystery as to how this is to take place.
Clear instruction was left for the Old Testament Jew, and also for
the New Testament Christian. Let's examine the process outlined by
God.
The Old Testament sanctuary model traces the entire plan of
salvation; from sacrificial offering to face-to-face communion with
God. In the Outer Court, forgiveness of sins was accomplished
through the death of the sacrifice. The washing in the Laver
represented the washing away of those sins. Thus we noticed that
the sinner was freed from the PENALTY of sin. He was admitted by
faith into the house of God. The next phase of the service took
place in the Holy Place, the first room of the sanctuary building
itself. Three pieces of furniture were located in the Holy Place.
These three pieces of furniture hold the key to GROWTH IN GRACE.
They represent the three "building blocks" in our relationship with
God. We will take a look at each one.
Table of Showbread
The Table of Showbread contained 12 loaves of bread, the bread of
life for each of the 12 tribes of Israel. It represented the staff
of life for God's Covenant people. The priests were responsible to
see that there were always fresh loaves on the table. Jesus said,
"I am the bread of life." John 6:35,63. In this way He pointed to
His teachings as the bread of life for us. Bible study is one of
the building blocks of the Christian experience. But as Jesus
distributes the bread of life to us in His Word, He also expects
that Christians will distribute that bread of life to the rest of
the world.
11. |
Once surrounded by thousands of people, the disciples asked
Jesus to send the crowd away because they had nothing to eat. What
did Jesus tell them to do?
Mark 6:37
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Helps and hints: Jesus was preparing His disciples for
the time when He would no longer be with them in person. They
would distribute the bread of life. Notice that in verse 43 they
took up twelve baskets of fragments. The more they distributed,
the more they had for themselves. The twelve baskets corresponded
to the twelve loaves on the table of showbread. The lesson is for
Jesus' disciples today also. Jesus lives our hearts, we can
distribute the Word of God to anyone seeking salvation. "How
beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace."
Romans 10:15. Through the preaching of God's Word, the bread of
life is distributed to all mankind. This is not limited to pulpit
sermons. It happens each time a follower of Christ shares the Word
of God, or witnesses for their Savior in their daily life.
Altar of Incense
In the sanctuary service, the incense represented the sinless life
of Christ, which would be a "sweet smell" unto the Lord. In a
vision of the heavenly sanctuary, the apostle John witnessed that
"another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer;
and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it
with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was
before the throne." Revelation 8:2.
12. |
Of what value are the prayers of the saints?
James 5:16
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Helps and hints: Prayer, personal fervent prayer, may be
the most neglected of the three building blocks of the Christian
life. This kind of prayer can only be offered sincerely by someone
who not only believes in God, but also believes that God can and
will respond to the requests of His people. But it is well to
remember that God is not a slot machine. Proverbs 28:9 reminds us,
"He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer
shall be abomination."
13. |
How are our prayers brought before the throne of God?
Romans 8:26
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Helps and hints: Jesus said, "I have chosen you . . .
that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give
it you." John 15:16. The incense was to represent the sinless
life of Christ. As the Holy Spirit carries the prayers of the
saints to heaven, they are mingled at the altar of incense with the
righteousness of our High Priest, and thus carried spotless to the
throne of God. When we pray to the Father through Jesus, we
recognize that our requests are not based on any righteousness of
our own, but only by faith in Him who is righteous, and who
ministers fur us; Jesus Christ our Lord.
Golden Candlestick
God chose the Old Testament nation of Israel that they should be a
witness for him in the world. They were to bring the light of
god's love to the Gentile nations that surrounded them. When Jesus
came, He said, "As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the
world." John 9:5. He also told his disciples, "Ye are the light of
the world." Matthew 5:14. Just as Jesus is Himself the TRUE LIGHT
of salvation, He has also commissioned His covenant people on earth
to bear witness to Him. He promised His disciples help in
fulfilling that commission and in witnessing for Him in His
absence.
14. |
As a prisoner on the Island of Patmos, the apostle John
received a vision of Jesus. Where did John see Jesus walking?
Revelation 1:12,13
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Helps and hints: John was told, "the seven candlesticks
which thou sawest are the seven churches. Revelation 1:20. The
number seven in prophecy is a symbol of completeness. The seven
churches represent the entire Christian church up through the
Second Coming of Jesus. Jesus is pictured as the priest who
ministers among the candlesticks, keeping the lamps trimmed. What
better illustration could John have been shown of the church as the
light of the world?
15. |
According to Jesus, what would be the work of the Holy Spirit,
and who would He glorify?
John 16:13,14
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Helps and hints: It is the Holy Spirit's work to glorify
Christ through the witness of mankind. Unfortunately there are
some today who attempt to glorify themselves through the vehicle of
the Holy Spirit. Notice that the Holy Spirit supplies us with the
power by leading us into ALL truth. This does not imply that the
Holy Spirit bypasses our reasoning processes, as is commonly taught
today. The result of that teaching is often confusion and
emotional display. Jesus prayed for His disciples in the following
words, "Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth."
John+17:17. the Word of God is the source of truth. It is the
Holy Spirit that guides men in the study of this Word as they are
open to receive Him. It is this that makes them the light of the
world.
16. |
What source of power did Jesus promise the disciples?
Acts 1:8
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Helps and hints: It was the oil in the candlestick that
kept the lights burning in the Old Testament sanctuary service.
Oil is used in the Bible as a symbol for the Holy Spirit. It is
the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives that keeps us burning
as lights for Christ.
17. |
When the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples at Pentecost, what
appeared above their heads?
Acts 2:3
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Helps and hints: The tongues of fire have a direct
connection with the lamps on the golden candlestick. The
appearance above the disciples heads was a seal of their commission
as GOD'S COVENANT PEOPLE, chosen to be the light of the world in
New Testament times. Their connection with Christ through the Holy
Spirit is what KEEPS them burning as lights for Christ today.
These then are the three "building blocks" of the Christian life.
They are the God-given means for overcoming the POWER of sin in our
lives, just as the experience of the Outer Court was God's answer
to the PENALTY of sin. They are the tools by which we grow in
grace, not by our own strength, but by giving opportunity for the
power of God to work within us. If we substitute an abundance of
television time for Bible study, gossip for prayer, and
entertainment over Christian witness, we stifle the working of the
Holy Spirit within us. The choice is up to us. Jesus said, "where
your treasure is, there will your heart be also." Luke 12:34.
Giving God time in our lives is not righteousness by works. It is
cultivating the relationship that God wants to share with us for
all eternity. Those who are not happy relating to God here, would
certainly not be happy in His presence for all eternity. That is
why only those who have learned to appreciate God will share that
privilege. They will experience the third "stage" of salvation.
Having overcome the PENALTY of sin by the blood of Jesus, and the
POWER of sin through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in their
lives, they will be freed from the PRESENCE of sin when Jesus
Christ returns to put an end to the kingdoms of this world and set
up His own eternal kingdom. This is the experience that every true
Christian is waiting for.
"And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true
God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent."
John 17:3.
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