SMALL GROUP STUDY GUIDE Message Series: Everybody: A Bible Overview Message Title: Holy Impossible Speaker: Pastor Kevin Myers Date: September 29, 2013 Icebreaker: Can you believe the original Raiders of the Lost Ark movie came out 32 years ago, in 1981? How old were you when you first saw it? What do you remember most about the movie? The thrilling adventure, the fascinating historical and biblical background about the Ark of the Covenant, the creepy melting faces, or just how cute Harrison Ford and Karen Allen were? Quick, can anyone name all of the sequels? (Answer: Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, technically a prequel, released in 1984; Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, 1989; and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, 2008.) Message Overview: Last week we see the birth of the nation of Israel, the people God chose to whom to reveal Himself. This brought us to the top left of the triangular structure used to illustrate major events in the Bible. In Leviticus 11:45, God instructed His people to be holy, because I am holy, a charge that the Apostle Peter later gave to the fledgling church, the mirror image to the 12 Tribes of Israel. Page 1
Today s message focuses on the Holiness of God, allowing us to glimpse not only the awesomeness of it, but the sheer impossibility of anyone even hoping to be holy like God. So this begs the question, How can anyone hope to fulfill the mandate to be holy as God is holy? It s impossible! Not totally. We can take comfort in knowing that nothing is impossible for God: Jesus looked at them and said, With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God. Mark 10:27 (NIV) But we can t understand the power of nothing is impossible until we come to grips with three Impossibles of the Bible: It s IMPOSSIBLE for GOD to be Made Unholy It s IMPOSSIBLE to be Made Holy without the Shedding of Blood In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. Hebrews 9:22 (NIV) Without Faith it s IMPOSSIBLE to please God. And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. Hebrews 11:6 (NIV) Discussion: (Leaders: The questions that follow are designed to stir reflection and discussion on this week s primary Message points. Please read through them prior to your meeting, so you can be prepared to prayerfully pace your group well. And remember, as leader, your goal is to promote increased biblical awareness, as well as individual self awareness a combination that with the help of the Holy Spirit, results in revelation and transformation!) Isaiah, a Hebrew prophet, saw the Lord seated on a throne and he cried out, Woe to me! I am ruined! (Read Isaiah 6:1-5) Why did he react so negatively to what we might consider an awesome, fantastic opportunity? What else can we learn about God s holiness in the following scripture? Exodus 3:1-6, 33:18-23, 34:29-35, and Hebrews 12:14. The tabernacle that God instructed the Hebrew people to build in Exodus 25-27 and 40 provided a process for atonement for sin, allowing the Holy God to dwell among an unholy people. Read Exodus 25:8-9. If you read all of the specification for building and setting up the tabernacle in Exodus chapters 25-27 over the past week, you may have found the details a bit tedious. Why do you think it was important for the people to follow God s instructions exactly? What does His great attention to detail tell us about who God is? How does Hebrews 8:5 tie into the Exodus passage? Page 2
The Gate Imagine what it was like as a head of household in Old Testament times, bringing a lamb to the tabernacle and personally slaughtering the lamb as a substitute sacrifice for the sins of yourself and your family. How would the physical reality of blood on your hands impact your view of sin? Read Hebrews 10:1-4. Why did the people have to sacrifice again and again? The layout of the tabernacle was designed so that distance separated the unholy and the holy, but opportunities for cleansing allowed one to draw nearer to the most holy place. Can you explain the significance of the layout of the tabernacle and its sacrifices to others? Brazen Altar Laver Holy Place Holy of Holies Even with all the sacrifices and cleansing opportunities available, only the high priest could enter the Holy of Holies where God s presence was, and only once a year, on the Day of Atonement. He wore bells on his garment and a rope tied around him, because the people knew he d be consumed with fire if he hadn t properly followed the laws of ceremonial cleansing, and they knew no one would be able to go in to retrieve his body. They took the holiness of God seriously. Are we taking holiness casually? Since we re no longer under the Old Testament contract and aren t required to make animal sacrifices, etc., how can we show appropriate reverence for God s holiness? Read Hebrews 9:18-22. God can t ignore his holy nature. Sin always leads to death (Romans 6:23). What are some ways that man has tried to find peace with God without the shedding of blood? Wrap-Up/Close: We must take seriously God s holiness, for all else pivots on that our inability to achieve God s standards of holiness on our own, God s great mercy and love toward us in making atonement for our sin, the person of Jesus. Have we grasped the gravity and awesomeness of God s holiness? Have we become casual with God, with be holy? Are we relying on our own strength to be acceptable to God? Digging into God s story, as revealed through the Bible, challenges us to get real about what we believe and where we re placing our faith. Next week, we ll reach the top of the triangle as we look at the New Page 3
Contract offered through Jesus. Building on this week s teaching, we ll see how the New Contract is based on the Old Contract. Don t miss it! As you pray together, praise God for the great truth that all things are possible with God! Take time to acknowledge His holiness. Thank Him for making a way for us to be forgiven of our sins and reconciled to Him. Throughout the Week: (Optional) (Leaders: Share these optional exercises for further study and growth with your group.) This week s reading, in preparation for the teaching on the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus: Luke chapters 2 and 4 John 8 Matthew chapters 26-28 To delve further into the significance of the layout of the tabernacle, of the animal sacrifices, and of the roles of the priests and how those relate to us today, read Hebrews 7-10 and look for parallels to what you read in Exodus 25-27 and 40. Also, see the Appendix for specifics about each item in the tabernacle. To memorize: And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. Hebrews 11:6 (NIV) Page 4
Appendix 1 The Tabernacle, 9/29/13 - Week 4 God s Provision for the Tabernacle Before God brought Israel out of Egypt, He provided through the Egyptians an abundance of material for building the Tabernacle (Ex. 3:21-22, 12:35-36). God had already planned this when he made his covenant with Abraham (Genesis 15:14), and He later asked Israel to willingly bring these items as an offering to Him to build the Tabernacle (Exodus 35:4-29). Names for the Tabernacle In Exodus 25:8 God told Moses why he wanted him to build the Tabernacle so God could dwell among the Israelites. The different names used for the Tabernacle reflect some of its attributes. Sanctuary (Exodus 25:8) Literally the Hebrew word means a holy place or a place set apart. This name emphasized God s holiness. Tabernacle (Exodus 25:9) The Hebrew words for Tabernacle and to dwell contain the same root, so Tabernacle literally means a dwelling place. Tent of Meeting (Exodus 29:42) The place where the people presented themselves before God and met with Him. Tent of the Testimony (Numbers 17:7-8) Testimony was the common name for the stone tables bearing the Ten Commandments that were kept in the Ark of the Covenant. Entering the Tabernacle Court Fence and Gate of the Court (Exodus 27:9-19) - First a person would enter the Gate of the Court to make an offering (the five offerings are described in Leviticus 1-6), either a sacrifice for sin or thanksgiving. After passing through the gate, the person would come into the court. The court fence was made of long pieces of white linen held up by posts that surrounded the Tabernacle. Bronze Altar (Exodus 27:1-8) - This altar is the one place where all the sacrifices of the people were to be offered. Most offerings were made for the people s sins (intentional and unintentional sin). Because these sacrifices only temporarily covered the sins of the people, they needed to be offered on a regular basis. God asked them for a perfect, flawless animal (Leviticus 1:3; 4:28) because the animal represented an undeserving recipient of a deserved punishment. Page 5
Bronze Basin (Leviticus 30:17-21) In front of the tent stood the bronze basin for washing. Before making the sacrifice or entering the tent, the priest washed himself at the bronze laver, to purify himself. Tabernacle (Exodus 26) - The priest entered the Tabernacle through the curtains at the entrance. The Tabernacle was divided into two sections- The Holy Place and The Most Holy Place. Everyday some of the priests entered the Holy Place to serve the Lord. This outer room contained the table of showbread, the lamp stand and the altar of incense. Golden Lampstand (Exodus 25:31-40) - The lampstand (menorah) provided light in this otherwise dark room. The lampstand was made from a single piece of gold that had a central shaft and six branches, three on each side. Each branch had knobs, flowers, and an almond-shaped bowl to hold pure olive oil. The lamp was never to be extinguished (Leviticus 24:1-4) and was supposed to light the area in front of it where the Table stood (Numbers 8:1-4). Table of the Presence (Exodus 25:23-30) - On the table of the Presence, the priests placed twelve loaves of bread (probably to represent the 12 tribes of Israel). The priests were to set out fresh bread every Sabbath and were allowed to eat the old bread (Leviticus 24:5-9). The Altar of Incense (Exodus 30:1-10) This altar was rather small and was used to burn special incense (Exodus 30:34-38). The High Priest burned the incense every morning and evening. Curtain (Exodus 26:31-35) - The curtain was a divider between the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place where the Ark of the Covenant was kept. It was a barrier between God and man. Only the High Priest could enter into the Most Holy Place and even he could enter only once a year, on the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16). Ark (Exodus 25:10-22) - The central focus of the entire Tabernacle was the Ark in the Most Holy Place. The Ark was a chest with a very special cover (atonement cover, also called Mercy Seat) made of pure gold, with two winged cherubim on the top facing each other. Inside the Ark were the Tablets of Stone (Ex. 25:16) with the Ten Commandments engraved in them, the golden jar of manna (Exodus 16:32-33), and Aaron s Rod that budded and bore fruit (Num. 17:10). Cloud and Pillar of Fire - The Lord manifested His presence with a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. This cloud or pillar of fire would rest above the Atonement Cover (Exodus 25:21-22). From there, God spoke to Moses (who stood in front of the tent) and gave him His commands (Exodus 25:22, Leviticus 1:1-2). When the cloud or pillar of fire moved, the children of Israel followed it. Wherever it stopped, they camped there until it moved again (Exodus 40:34-38). Page 6