Message Title: Wash in the Word – The Tabernacle and Our Daily Cleansing
Speaker: Greg Short
Location: The Roads Church – Norris City
Main Scripture: Exodus 30:18–21
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Sermon Overview
In this message, Greg Short teaches from Exodus 30 and Hebrews 8 to reveal the spiritual significance of the bronze laver in the tabernacle. Just as the priests had to wash before entering God’s presence, we must daily cleanse our hearts and minds through the Word of God. This isn’t just about salvation—it’s about sanctification. It’s a call to go deeper, to be transformed, and to reflect God’s presence in everyday life.
How to Use This Study Guide
This 5-day guide is designed for individuals, families, and Roads Groups who want to go deeper into the message and allow God’s Word to shape their hearts and lives. Each day includes:
- A daily focus and Big Idea drawn from the sermon
- Full scripture text for meditation
- A quote from the message
- Discussion questions tailored for New Christians, Mature Christians, Jr. & Sr. High Students, Families with Young Children, and Families with Teenagers
- Personal application steps for each group
Whether you’re new to faith, raising a family, mentoring students, or seeking deeper spiritual maturity, this guide invites you to move beyond listening into active spiritual growth.
Why Use This Study Guide?
Studying God’s Word is essential to knowing Him and being transformed into His image. We’re not just learning information—we’re becoming like Jesus. As 2 Timothy 3:16–17 reminds us: “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
Each day ends with a personal application suggestion to help you take what you’ve learned and live it out—but these are simply starting points. We encourage you to ask the Holy Spirit how He wants you to respond. The goal isn’t to complete a task—it’s to walk with God and allow His Word to shape your life in real ways.
Day 1 – The Tabernacle: A Pattern for God’s Presence
Big Idea: God gave Moses a pattern for the tabernacle that reveals how we are to approach Him—through sacrifice, cleansing, and worship.
Key Scripture: Hebrews 8:5 (NKJV)
“These aren’t just stories—these are events. And the tabernacle is a picture of how we draw near to God even today.”
Discussion Questions
New Christians:
- Why would God be so specific about how He wanted His people to approach Him?
- What do you think God wants to show you personally through the pattern of the tabernacle?
Mature Christians:
- How does the pattern of the tabernacle reflect God’s heart for relationship and holiness?
- How can the process of approaching God through “stages” renew our reverence for His presence?
Jr. & Sr. High Students:
- What does it say about God that He created a step-by-step way for people to get close to Him?
- Why might it be important for your generation to understand how to approach God with purpose?
Families with Young Children:
- Why do you think God wanted a special tent (tabernacle) for His people to meet with Him?
- How do we prepare our hearts when we want to spend time with God?
Families with Teenagers:
- What does the layout of the tabernacle teach us about slowing down and honoring God’s presence?
- How can we create patterns in our home that help us come closer to God?
Personal Application
New Christians: Ask God to help you understand how He wants to meet with you. Read Hebrews 8:5 and write one way you want to draw near to Him this week.
Mature Christians: Reexamine your rhythms of worship and prayer. What part of the “approach” to God have you rushed or neglected?
Jr. & Sr. High Students: Sketch or list the “steps” you take when you spend time with God. How can you be more intentional?
Families with Young Children: Build a mini “tent” at home and talk about how God wants to spend time with us. Read a Bible verse together inside it.
Families with Teenagers: Create a shared family space or time each week where you can intentionally “meet with God” together. Start this week.
Day 2 – The Bronze Laver: Washed by the Word
Big Idea: The laver represents how we are continually washed and renewed by God’s Word.
Key Scripture: Exodus 30:20–21 (NKJV)
If you don’t wash, you stink. And if we don’t wash in the Word, we start to carry things that don’t belong.”
Discussion Questions
New Christians:
- What are some practical ways to “wash in the Word” each day?
- Why is it important to keep coming back to Scripture even after we’ve been saved?
Mature Christians:
- What area of your spiritual life most benefits from regular washing by the Word?
- How do you recognize when you’re spiritually “unclean” or weighed down?
Jr. & Sr. High Students:
- What “dirt” do we sometimes carry that only God’s Word can clean?
- How can daily Bible reading help you handle things like stress or peer pressure?
Families with Young Children:
- What does God’s Word do to our hearts when we read it?
- What are some things you want God to help clean in your thoughts or actions?
Families with Teenagers:
- What are some spiritual “habits” that help us stay clean throughout the week?
- What kinds of things can build up in our lives when we skip time in God’s Word?
Personal Application
New Christians: Set a goal to read one Bible passage each day this week and ask, “What do I need to wash off today?”
Mature Christians: Identify an area where spiritual residue has built up. Invite the Holy Spirit to scrub that place clean through the Word.
Jr. & Sr. High Students: Choose one verse to memorize and meditate on. Let it “wash over” your thoughts throughout the day.
Families with Young Children: Use water play (like hand washing or bath time) to talk about how God’s Word helps clean our hearts.
Families with Teenagers: Have each family member choose a verse and share how it helps keep them spiritually clean.
Day 3 – Sanctification: The Process of Becoming Clean
Big Idea: Salvation is instant, but sanctification is a process—we are daily made holy as we walk in obedience to the Word.
Key Scripture: Ephesians 5:26–27 (NKJV)
“God is after transformation, not just conversion.”
Discussion Questions
New Christians:
- What’s one area in your life where you want to grow more like Jesus?
- How is walking with Jesus different than just believing in Him?
Mature Christians:
- How does sanctification challenge your daily routines or priorities?
- How can you help others understand that sanctification is not about perfection?
Jr. & Sr. High Students:
- What’s one thing you’ve seen God change in you over time?
- Why do you think God doesn’t fix everything in us all at once?
Families with Young Children:
- What is one thing you want God to help you grow in this week?
- Can you think of a time when learning a Bible verse helped you change a behavior?
Families with Teenagers:
- Why is it important to let God work on our hearts even after we’re saved?
- What does it look like to grow in spiritual maturity as a family?
Personal Application
New Christians: Write down a list of areas where you want to grow spiritually. Pray over them and commit one to focus on this week.
Mature Christians: Fast or limit a daily distraction this week in order to give more time to the process of sanctification in prayer and the Word.
Jr. & Sr. High Students: Choose a Christ-like character trait (patience, kindness, self-control) and track how the Word helps you grow in it this week.
Families with Young Children: Talk about one thing each family member is working on with Jesus. Pray for each other daily.
Families with Teenagers: Have an honest conversation about how sanctification is a process. What is each person working through with God?
Day 4 – The Mirror of the Word: See What God Sees
Big Idea: The Word of God is a mirror—it doesn’t just show us who we are, it shows us who we’re becoming in Christ.
Key Scripture: James 1:23–25 (NKJV)
“The Word reveals what needs to be washed—but also what God sees in us.”
Discussion Questions
New Christians:
- What does the Bible show you about God’s love for you?
- What’s one thing you’ve seen about yourself recently through Scripture?
Mature Christians:
- How has the Word revealed an area you needed to address—and how did you respond?
- How do you keep your heart tender when the Word shows something uncomfortable?
Jr. & Sr. High Students:
- What do you think it means that the Bible is like a mirror?
- Has God ever used the Word to show you something surprising about yourself?
Families with Young Children:
- What does God see when He looks at your heart?
- Why do we need to ask God for help to see what He sees?
Families with Teenagers:
- What’s something God might be trying to show us as a family?
- How can we stay open to the Word pointing out blind spots in our lives?
Personal Application
New Christians: Read James 1:23–25 aloud and ask, “What do I see in the mirror of God’s Word today?” Journal it.
Mature Christians: Ask the Lord to show you something in the Word you’ve been avoiding—and then face it with courage and surrender.
Jr. & Sr. High Students: Look in a mirror after reading a Bible verse. Ask yourself, “What does God see in me that I often forget?”
Families with Young Children: Use a mirror to talk about how God sees the inside, not just the outside. Remind each other of one good thing God says.
Families with Teenagers: Read a passage together and then go around the room answering, “What do I think God is showing me right now?”
Day 5 – The Call to Go Deeper
Big Idea: Don’t stop at the altar of salvation—keep walking deeper into God’s presence through the Word and obedience.
Key Scripture: John 1:14 (NKJV)
“You were made to do hard things—things bigger than you.”
Discussion Questions
New Christians:
- What is your next step in going deeper with Jesus?
- How can obedience help you grow even when it’s difficult?
Mature Christians:
- What’s one area where God is challenging you to go deeper in faith?
- How are you cultivating a lifestyle of obedience that builds maturity?
Jr. & Sr. High Students:
- What’s something you feel God calling you to do that’s bigger than you?
- What might keep you from obeying God right away?
Families with Young Children:
- What is one way we can follow Jesus more closely this week?
- Why does God sometimes ask us to do things that are hard?
Families with Teenagers:
- What steps can we take as a family to deepen our faith and obedience?
- How does obeying God help us prepare for bigger things He wants us to do?
Personal Application
New Christians: Ask God for the courage to take your next step—whether it’s water baptism, joining a group, or sharing your faith.
Mature Christians: Write down one area you’ve resisted going deeper. Confess it and make a plan to step forward this week.
Jr. & Sr. High Students: Write a prayer asking God to help you do the hard thing He’s calling you to do.
Families with Young Children: Practice obeying right away with a “Jesus says” game, and talk about how following God is part of growing up.
Families with Teenagers: As a family, discuss one “next step” you can take together—like volunteering, reading Scripture, or praying for others.