1 – What does sin do? Isaiah 59:1-2
Sin separates us from God. This isn’t because God chooses to move away from us, but rather because sin moves us away from Him. God loves us more than anything, but there is something inside us He hates more than anything; sin (Hebrews 1:9).
2 – How does God deal with the problem of sin? Exodus 25:8
The separation caused by sin doesn’t stop God from coming near to us. He chooses to bridge that separation through the ministry of the sanctuary.
3 – What happened in the sanctuary? Leviticus 4:32-35
The sanctuary services all centred around sacrifice. An Israelite would bring a lamb to the sanctuary, confess their sins over the animal, take the animal’s life, and then the blood would be caught and applied to the sanctuary.
We see sin transferred from the: Sinner → Sin Offering → Sanctuary.
The Israelite had assurance of forgiveness when they left the sanctuary, having confidence in the provision of blood and the ministry of the priest.
4 – What did this symbolise? 1 Peter 1:18-19 & Hebrews 4:14
Jesus was the Lamb who died in our place as the perfect sacrifice, and He is also the High Priest who applies the merits of His own blood on our behalf. In other words, the sanctuary teaches that Jesus is everything we need for salvation.
5 – Why was such a system required? Leviticus 17:11
“The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). However, God has made provision for an innocent life to take the place of the sinner. A life in exchange for a life. Without this exchange, there would be no possibility of salvation (Hebrews 9:22).
6 – How is this different to pagan sacrifices? Ephesians 5:2
In pagan systems, people appease God by providing their own sacrifices, sometimes even sacrificing themselves or their children. In contrast, the sanctuary service shows us how God gave Himself as the sacrifice in our place.
7 – What did Jesus do with our sins? John 1:29
Jesus took the sins of the world upon Himself, and was separated from God on our behalf so we might be brought near to Him.