How to Clear Your Conscience
Worship in the Earthly Tabernacle
9 Now the first covenant had regulations for worship and also an earthly sanctuary. 2 A tabernacle was set up. In its first room were the lamp stand and the table with its consecrated bread; this was called the Holy Place. 3 Behind the second curtain was a room called the Most Holy Place, 4 which had the golden altar of incense and the gold-covered ark of the covenant. This ark contained the gold jar of manna, Aaron’s staff that had budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant. 5 Above the ark were the cherubim of the Glory, overshadowing the atonement cover. But we cannot discuss these things in detail now.
6 When everything had been arranged like this, the priests entered regularly into the outer room to carry on their ministry. 7 But only the high priest entered the inner room, and that only once a year, and never without blood, which he offered for himself and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance. 8 The Holy Spirit was showing by this that the way into the Most Holy Place had not yet been disclosed as long as the first tabernacle was still functioning. 9 This is an illustration for the present time, indicating that the gifts and sacrifices being offered were not able to clear the conscience of the worshiper. 10 They are only a matter of food and drink and various ceremonial washings—external regulations applying until the time of the new order.
How would we relate to ceremonial washing and the sacrifice of animals?
Could you be satisfied with entering the Holy Place but never the Holy of Holies?
Would the beauty of the tabernacle be enough to comfort the guilt of your soul?
Would the lamp stand on the table with the holy bread assure you that you are right with God?
Would these clear your guilty conscience?
They would not.
Ceremony does not heal the soul. Ceremony does not deal with the evil whispers that come to our minds… Whispers of adulterous thoughts: lust...anger…hatred…even murder. Whispers in the soul which if heard aloud would ban us even from the presence of our loved ones.
Watching someone else make appeasement for our sins might work.
Once.
Day after day presentations by another for sins WE COMMITTED would not be enough. Before long, our consciences would cry out.
Ceremony never heals the sin cursed soul. Guilt remains.
Human efforts always fall short. Our consciences would wither and die. Evil would gain the upper hand. Or torment would come.
Will I ever be free of the ugly evil I know is inside? Where is the peace? Is there no hope?
Perhaps, this was life while worshiping in an earthly tabernacle.
Our consciences can be washed clean.
There is a NEW TABERNACLE.
What is life like in the NEW TABERNACLE…the one not made by human hands?
The NEW TABERNACLE IS JESUS.
In the NEW TABERNACLE, the blood of Jesus buys us back from the eternal torment of unforgiven sins.
There is forgiveness. There is daily opportunity to seek forgiveness for an evil soul. There is peace. There is hope. There is knowledge that the evil in our lives has been taken away…
This is the NEW COVENANT…THE NEW TABERNACLE.
Only made possible by the true GREAT HIGH PRIEST.
Can we feel the greatness of this? Nothing compares to a soul that is forever free.
[16] "Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." Hebrews 4:16