Main Thought:
In the Garden of Eden, humanity enjoyed perfect fellowship with God. Sin broke that relationship and brought separation. But even after sin entered the world, God still made a way to dwell among His people through the tabernacle and sacrifices. In the fullness of time, Jesus fulfilled what the tabernacle and sacrifices only foreshadowed. Through His sacrifice, believers become the dwelling place of God.
Main Passage:
“And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them.”
- Exodus 25:8 NKJV
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”
- John 1:14 NKJV
“But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.”
- Hebrews 9:11-12 NKJV
““This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them,” then He adds, “Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.”
- Hebrews 10:16-17 NKJV
Discussion Questions:
What does the Garden of Eden teach us about God’s original desire for humanity?
What does the tabernacle teach us about God’s character and how did the tabernacle point forward to something greater?
How is Jesus greater than the sacrifices of the Old Testament and what does it mean that believers are now the temple of the Holy Spirit?