Because 2022 – Week 4
Message Recap: This week Pastor Bret walked us through the articles in the temple and how people in the Old Testament viewed worship. Then he jumped ahead to show us how those items were pointing to Jesus.
Opening Questions
- What is a family heirloom that you have?
- Why is it important and what family member does it remind you of?
Note to Huddle Leaders: This week is very lengthy due to going through the entire 7 items discussed on Sunday. Feel free to pick your favorite items, drop questions, or just get through what you can and encourage the others in your group to finish on their own. It’s up to you, but just know you probably won’t be able to get through all of these in one sitting.
Read and Reflect
Temple Item- Door
1 Kings 6:31
31 For the entrance of the inner sanctuary he made doors of olive wood, the lintel and five-sided doorposts.
John 10:9
I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.
John 14:6
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.
- What was significant about the temple door being the barrier between the Holy of Holies (inner sanctuary) and the rest of the temple?
- When Jesus says that He is the door, what does that mean?
- Why is Jesus the only way to gain access to the Father?
- Why might people struggle with Jesus saying that He is the only way to get to God?
Temple Item- Fire on the altar for sacrifice
Leviticus 3:1
If your offering is a fellowship offering, and you offer an animal from the herd, whether male or female, you are to present before the Lord an animal without defect.
John 1: 29
29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
Romans 12:1
Therefore I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.
- Why were the Israelites to bring an animal without defect?
- What did John the Baptist mean when he called Jesus “the Lamb of God?”
- Why would that phrase have been significant to the Israelites?
- What does it mean to present our bodies as living sacrifices as an act of worship?
- What does that look like on a daily basis?
Temple Item- Water
Exodus 30:17-20 CSB (This was the purpose of the water basin as laid out in the regulations regarding the tabernacle)
17 Then the Lord spoke to Moses. He said, 18 “Make a large bronze bowl for washing. Make a bronze stand to put it on. Place the bowl between the tent of meeting and the altar. Put water in it. 19 Aaron and his sons must wash their hands and feet with water from it. 20 When they enter the tent of meeting, they must wash with water so that they will not die. They will come to the altar to serve me. They will bring a food offering to the Lord.
2 Chronicles 4:5 CSB (This was Solomon’s version in the Temple)
5 The basin was three inches thick, and its rim was fashioned like the brim of a cup or a lily blossom. It could hold eleven thousand gallons.
John 7:37
37 Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink.”
- Why was it important for the priests to wash their hands and feet before entering the tent of meeting?
- What are some ways people may “cleanse” themselves before entering into worship before the Lord?
- What does Jesus mean by saying, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink?”
- How would you describe to someone the process of coming to Jesus and drinking?
Temple Item- Light
Exodus 25:37 NASB
37 Then you shall make its lamps seven in number; and they shall mount its lamps so as to shed light on the space in front of it.
John 8:12 CSB
Jesus spoke to them again: “I am the light of the world. Anyone who follows me will never walk in the darkness but will have the light of life.”
- What was the purpose of the lamps in the temple?
- How did Jesus live His life as the light of the world?
- If you are a follower of Jesus, how do you shine the light of life in front of you?
Temple Item- Bread
Leviticus 24:5-6, 8-9 CSB
5 “Take fine flour and bake it into twelve loaves; each loaf is to be made with four quarts. 6 Arrange them in two rows, six to a row, on the pure gold table before the Lord.
8 The bread is to be set out before the Lord every Sabbath day as a permanent covenant obligation on the part of the Israelites. 9 It belongs to Aaron and his sons, who are to eat it in a holy place, for it is the holiest portion for him from the food offerings to the Lord; this is a permanent rule.”
John 6:35a
35 “I am the bread of life,” Jesus told them. “No one who comes to me will ever be hungry…
- Why was bread important to the Israelites and what things might it have reminded them of?
- When Jesus claims to be the “bread of life,” what does that mean?
- What are some of the ways we won’t be hungry if we find our sustenance in Christ?
Temple Item- Incense
Exodus 30:7-8 CSB
7 Aaron must burn fragrant incense on [the incense altar]; he must burn it every morning when he tends the lamps. 8 When Aaron sets up the lamps at twilight, he must burn incense. There is to be an incense offering before the Lord throughout your generations.
Psalm 141:2
May my prayer come to you like the sweet smell of incense.
When I lift up my hands in prayer, may it be like the evening sacrifice.
Matthew 6:9 CSB
9 “Therefore, you should pray like this: Our Father in heaven, your name be honored as holy.
- Why was incense an important part of the temple?
- What are the similarities between incense and prayer?
- When Jesus taught people how to pray, why did He start with “Our Father in heaven”?
Temple Item- Blood
Leviticus 17:11 CSB
11 For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have appointed it to you to make atonement on the altar for your lives, since it is the lifeblood that makes atonement.
Luke 22:20 CSB
20 In the same way he also took the cup after supper and said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.
- What was the significance of blood in the Old Testament?
- What does atonement mean?
- Why could Jesus’ blood start the new covenant?
- How do we get atonement through Jesus’ blood?
Challenge Question
- Just as the articles of the temple pointed to Jesus, what are some ways that your life points to Jesus?
Memory Verse:
John 6:35a
35 “I am the bread of life,” Jesus told them. “No one who comes to me will ever be hungry…
Prayer TACOS
Thanksgiving- Thank God for the intricacy in which He laid out the plans of the tabernacle and temple in such a way that it pointed the way to Jesus. Thank the Lord for bringing the new covenant so we have access to the Father.
Adoration– Tell God how awesome He is for making a way for us to be in His presence.
Confess to those moments this past week where your life didn’t point others to Jesus. Ask for forgiveness.
Others- Pray for those who are still in the darkness. Pray by name for one person you know who is not walking in the light of Christ
Self- Ask the Lord for an opportunity this week to have a spiritual conversation with the person you know who is not following after the Lord.