God’s Story Is Our Story: From Genesis To JesusSample

Reflecting on the last week: In Exodus 40, God’s presence rests on the tabernacle. The King is finally living in the very center of his people’s camp. But how can a holy God live amongst a sinful people? He graciously provides a way through the sacrificial system. Remember, all sin incurs God’s just punishment - death. As sin piles on sin, our debt before God only multiplies. There is life in the blood of an animal (Lev. 17:11), so that its blood could not only ransom (life for a life) an Israelite from the debt he owed for sin, but also wipe away the pollution sin causes. The animal sacrifices were the means God gave so that an unholy people could live with him, a holy God, without being evaporated. These animal sacrifices were never actually the thing that ransomed and cleansed the ancient Israelites. They were always a signpost to the “once for all sacrifice” of Jesus (Heb. 10:10), which definitively ransomed and purified the ancient Israelites (retroactively) as well as us (beforehand). By his blood we are freed to live in God’s presence, his Spirit filling up the church as the LORD filled the tabernacle. This is good news for us all—but it’s also good news for the world. Why? Only a holy people (characterized by neighborly love, Lev. 19:33-34) can reflect a holy God to the watching world. We are the living picture God condescends to use to call people to put their hope, trust and allegiance in Christ. So we may ask: being cleansed and ransomed by the blood of Jesus, what will holy love for my neighbor look like today?