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Posts Tagged ‘Tabernacle’

Courtyard Christianity

Posted in Christianity, religion, Salvation, sanctification, tagged , , , , , , , , on September 26, 2013| 2 Comments »

So I said: “Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, The Lord of hosts.” Isaiah 6:5

A Good Thing

goodThe moment we read a title like ‘Courtyard Christianity’ we tend to think the worst, “Oh great, another dissertation on the reasons why I am a bad Christian,” but that is not the case here. Let me tell you right-up front, if you are a courtyard-Christian, it is a good thing.

However…

It is not the best thing.

Let me explain.

When I think courtyard, I think ‘Tabernacle’; that one hundred and fifty-foot, by seventy five-foot chunk of land set aside as God’s meeting place. A space that you and I might say would be too small for two million desert-roaming Jews, but God might have said, “Don’t worry, it’s big enough; not everyone will be interested.”

Bottom line (and as far as this pertains to the Christian life), if you are in the courtyard of the tabernacle, you are saved. Celebrate! But know this: you can go deeper. Going deeper doesn’t save you; remember: if you’re in the courtyard, figuratively speaking, you are saved.

Sanctuary Christians

There are two types of sanctuary Christians; both are saved, but one is better off than the other. (Please note that I am not saying one is better, but rather that one is in a more favorable position, spiritually speaking). The sanctuary of the tabernacle was the forty-five foot by fifteen foot tent that had two compartments within. The first room of the sanctuary housed the lampstand, the table of show-bread, and the golden censer. If you have left the courtyard and entered this first room of the sanctuary you are in a better place, for you have entered the realm of Christian service.

How So?

The utensils of the sanctuary are symbolic of (they picture) Christian service. A person who trims the wicks of a lampstand is concerned with the light going forth. The one who daily changes the show-bread is interested in feeding the flock. And finally, the one who tends the incense is steeped in intercessory prayer, offering petitions, pleas, and praises as a sweet-smelling fragrance to the Father.

But deeper still are the…

Mercy Seat Christians

maryEntering into the Holy of Holies is to sit at the feet of Jesus. The difference between this best place and the place of service is revealed in the story of Martha and Mary. We know from that account, Mary chose the best seat in the house; the mercy seat. This inner sanctum is the greatest place to be for it is here we are closest to Jesus. And what makes the space so uniquely special is it is a place of refinement and restoration. The veil has been torn, so we should take advantage of the opportunity!

Consider the Ark

The Ark of the Covenant held three things: manna, Aaron’s rod, and the Law; three things that are symbolic of man’s fallen condition. Covering the box (and more importantly these three items) was the mercy seat, symbolic of Christ’s mercy and the covering of our sins. It is in His Holy presence He can do what He desires to do. At this point, we are free to roam and function within the tabernacle!

Conclusion:

Simply put, in the tabernacle, all are saved, but perhaps not all are fulfilled. There is always more to be had if the believer is willing; there is always a deeper experience.

For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart–These, O God, You will not despise. Psalm 51:16-17

These articles may or may not be related:

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The Worker or the Work?

Posted in Bible, Bible Prophecy, health, Holy Spirit, investment, Jesus, sanctification, tagged , , , , , , , , on September 7, 2010| 1 Comment »

Then the word of the Lord came to Solomon, saying: “Concerning this temple which you are building, if you walk in My statutes, execute My judgments, keep all My commandments, and walk in them, then I will perform My word with you, which I spoke to your father David. 1 Kings 6:11-12

Solomon’s Temple, unlike the Lord’s Tabernacle, was a work of man. It is true the hands of men constructed both, but only the Tabernacle was inspired, configured, and directed by God the Father. That’s not to say the Father didn’t appreciate Solomon’s effort (or ours), but that He is most concerned with what it is we are becoming rather than what it is we’re making.

I recall a mentor who once asked me, “So Dave, how are you doing?”

With enthusiasm I told him all the stuff I was doing. He respectfully tolerated my ramblings and then politely asked again, “That’s nice Dave, but how are YOU doing?”

Not unlike the Lord, this friend was more interested in my spiritual condition and much less in my spiritual activities—he wasn’t devaluing; he was prioritizing. My friend’s question reminded me that my faith walk was all about relationship and obedience, and less about construction and creativity. These are the very things that God queried of Solomon’s heart.

A Great Reminder

There are many angles by which a man can stand, but only one angle he can stand straight. God asks me, as He asked Solomon, “As you go about the components of religion and the purposing of your duties, are you walking correctly?” A fair question by One who is more concerned in what I am becoming rather than what I am building. The fact of the matter is that God is more concerned with what He is putting together.

Case in Point

…You also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 2:5

We’re all familiar with this verse from First Peter and how it clearly demonstrates that God not only created us, but is creating something new in us. But are we as familiar with how that doctrine applies to this verse:

And the temple, when it was being built, was built with stone finished at the quarry, so that no hammer or chisel or any iron tool was heard in the temple while it was being built. 1 Kings 6:7

The verse points out that all the preparation for the Temple’s stone, all the chiseling and the hammering and the polishing, was being done in the quarry and not on the Temple grounds. Likewise, as living stones, all our preparation is being done in the quarry (the pits) before we are brought home to be peaceably placed into our spiritual home. Since this is the case, it should be our chief focus to be upon submitted to the process. The Christian who walks in His statutes, executes His judgments, keeps all His commandments, and walks in them, is one who is both blessed and a blessing.


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On the Horns of a Dilemma

Posted in Bible, Bible Prophecy, health, Holy Spirit, investment, Jesus, religion, sanctification, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , on August 18, 2010| 2 Comments »

And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ Matthew 7:23

Here’s the scene: King David is dead and his son Solomon, at age sixteen, is the rookie king. Adonijah, Solomon’s half brother has just been executed by Solomon, and Joab, King David’s formal general is running scared. And he should be. As David lie on his deathbed, Joab had joined forces with Adonijah in his failed coup d’état. But even before his death, David warned Solomon of what a scoundrel Joab was and that a wise man should have him killed.

Moreover you know also what Joab the son of Zeruiah did to me, and what he did to the two commanders of the armies of Israel, to Abner the son of Ner and Amasa the son of Jether, whom he killed. And he shed the blood of war in peacetime, and put the blood of war on his belt that was around his waist, and on his sandals that were on his feet. Therefore do according to your wisdom, and do not let his gray hair go down to the grave in peace. 1 Kings 2:5-6

In fear, Joab runs to the Tabernacle.

So Joab fled to the tabernacle of the Lord, and took hold of the horns of the altar. And King Solomon was told, “Joab has fled to the tabernacle of the Lord; there he is, by the altar.” Then Solomon sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, saying, “Go, strike him down.” 1 Kings 2:28-29

Two Things…

The first thing that jumps out of the text is why King David allowed so much insubordination in his general. If Joab was so horrific a general (and he was), why didn’t David just have him executed? The answer is scandalous: Joab had dirt on David. In addition to Nathan the prophet and Bathsheba; Joab was the only one who knew about David’s plot to kill Uriah (Bathsheba’s husband). While it is true David had confessed his sin to the Lord, his dirty little secret from the world had consequences, essentially leading to the deaths of Abner, Amasa, and his own son Absalom. There is a powerful lesson for all believers in that.

Depart From Me

The other lesson is for the non-believer: in times of trouble evil men cannot cling to a faith they do not have. Even in First Peter 2:16, the writer asserts that believers are not to use their liberties as a cloak for vice. In other words, no one can unrepentive-ly do whatever they like Monday through Saturday and then crawl into the confessional on Sunday and claim sanctuary. For this reason every believer should examine themselves, or more accurately submit themselves to God’s examination, to see if they are truly in the Kingdom of God or merely clinging to the horns of the altar. Joab discovered too late that the church is no sanctuary for the unrepented soul. Let no one make the same mistake.


 

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Camping and Marathons

Posted in Bible, Bible Prophecy, health, investment, Jesus, religion, sports, tagged , , , , , , , on May 15, 2009| 3 Comments »

Moses took his tent and pitched it outside the camp, far from the camp, and called it the tabernacle of meeting. And it came to pass that everyone who sought the Lord went out to the tabernacle of meeting which was outside the camp. So it was, whenever Moses went out to the tabernacle, that all the people rose, and each man stood at his tent door and watched Moses until he had gone into the tabernacle. And it came to pass, when Moses entered the tabernacle, that the pillar of cloud descended and stood at the door of the tabernacle, and the Lord talked with Moses. All the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the tabernacle door, and all the people rose and worshiped, each man in his tent door. So the Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. And he would return to the camp, but his servant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, did not depart from the tabernacle. Exodus 33:7-11Moving Day

You gotta love Moses. The Lord just finishes telling him that He will not travel in the midst of camp, so what does Moses do? He moves his tent outside of the camp! Do we all see the lesson in this? As Christians we must be in that place where we can easily maintain our walk with Christ Jesus and if we find ourselves tabernacled where God is not we must re-pitch our tent. Having said that, we know God is everywhere, but we also know that some places are more conducive to an attentive relationship with Him than others.

Intriguing

What I found to be exceptionally insightful (as it pertains to the Exodus passage) is that anyone could have followed Moses, but out of the two or three million people, only one person did—Joshua. Everyone one else opted to stay at home. Israel was intrigued by the spiritual life, but never moved towards it–a behavior we witness today. There is a growing number of people who falsely believe they are in the faith, when all they really are is fascinated by it. Let us recognize that trait and move far, far away from it.

The Competition

…Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus… Hebrews 12:1b-2a

I want us to re-envision *Paul’s race-analogy. Look around…our opponents in this race are not our friends; they are not our brothers and sisters in the faith. The race we run is against our enemies and their goal is not our goal. While our objective is to finish the race, theirs is to take us out of the race by any means possible. As we pursue the finish line, the competition seeks to finish us.

The Relevance of Speed

In this race, speed has no relevance—honestly; we can walk all the way to the finish line. But know this: as we slow our pace evil catches up and if we stop altogether, evil surrounds us. We know (or we should know) that the opposition is powerless; he cannot inflict wickedness upon us, but the closer he is the louder his taunts. Our rivalry is not pleased when we stumble and fall, but when we fail to rise to our feet and complete the race. Our enemy does not want to kill us; he wants us to kill ourselves…and we do that when we accept that which he offers. So whatever the tempo; a crawl, a stoll, or a trot, keep moving towards Jesus.


*I am not dogmatic about it, and although know one knows for certain, I lean towards Paul being the author of the book of Hebrews

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Bells and Whistles Just Don’t Cut it

Posted in Bible, Bible Prophecy, investment, Jesus, love, religion, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on May 6, 2009| Leave a Comment »

Its all about Bells and PomegranatesYou shall make the robe of the ephod all of blue. There shall be an opening for his head in the middle of it; it shall have a woven binding all around its opening, like the opening in a coat of mail, so that it does not tear. “And upon its hem you shall make pomegranates of blue, purple, and scarlet, all around its hem, and bells of gold between them all around: a golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, upon the hem of the robe all around. And it shall be upon Aaron when he ministers, and its sound will be heard when he goes into the holy place before the Lord and when he comes out, that he may not die. Exodus 28:31-35

Everything in the Tabernacle–from massive tapestry to curious thread, prophetically picture and point towards Jesus and our life in Christ. The skeptic may say that as we draw our Messianic parallels that we are merely grasping at sanctimonious straws in an attempt to somehow qualify our Jesus as Lord. “Coincidence!” they screech. Frankly, I might agree with them if not for the enormous rate-of-occurrence on each and every page of the Bible. Jesus Himself verifies our claim when He in effect declares that the entire Old Testament is a testimony to Him.

You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. John 5:39

Bells

Envision the High Priest and his bell-hemmed robe. Only he could enter the Holy Place and Holy of Holies, that tent within a tent inside the Tabernacle. Those in the Tabernacle’s courtyard could hear him as the bells on his garment jingled-away as he serviced the fixtures inside the tent–a witness that he was engaged in ministry. Lots can be said about active ministry, but one thing is for certain—active ministry has a sound.

Pomegranates

We need not be theologians to grasp that the pomegranate depicts the fruit of the Spirit which the book of Galatians reminds us is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance. Since all those latter things are essentially attributes of love, we could simply say the pomegranate is a depiction of love. So why then the repetitive bell-pomegranate-bell-pomegranate pattern on the robe’s hem? The Apostle Paul gives us that answer.

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. 1 Corinthians 13:1

Paul asserts that as we go about our continual pattern of Christian service—making noise for the Lord as it were, if not seasoned with love throughout, appealing chimes become appalling cymbals. Love must be sandwiched between every word and deed, lest the sounds of loveless ministry frighten everyone away.

By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another. John 13:35


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What God Wants From You

Posted in Bible, Bible Prophecy, health, investment, Jesus, religion, worship, tagged , , , , , , on May 1, 2009| Leave a Comment »

And you shall command the children of Israel that they bring you pure oil of pressed olives for the light, to cause the lamp to burn continually. In the tabernacle of meeting, outside the veil which is before the Testimony, Aaron and his sons shall tend it from evening until morning before the Lord. It shall be a statute forever to their generations on behalf of the children of Israel. Exodus 27:20-21
Connectivity Commanded Continually

In our examination of the Tabernacle we can discern by the Holy Spirit that every bit; every thread is a prophetic arrow pointing us towards Jesus Christ ~and~ our relationship with Him by faith. Even the oil in the Tabernacle lamps is prophetically significant, for in it we have been given a divine edict—a mandate speaking to a sustained union to Christ Jesus. This command finds its roots in our recollection that oil is a symbol of the Person and ministry of the Holy Spirit. Essentially the passage tells us that we are to keep the Holy Spirit flowing. This is our primary sacrifice and the facilitator for all others.

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart– These, O God, You will not despise. Psalm 51:17

We start with a broken spirit in order that His Holy Spirit may take up residence—that is our jumping off (or jumping in) point. Then the application from the Exodus passage kicks in. It commands us to continually maintain connectivity to His Spirit—this is what God desires. Everything else we say or do is really nothing more than a natural byproduct of yielding persistently to the Holy Spirit. Psalm 40 provides even more perspective.

Sacrifice and offering You did not desire; My ears You have opened. Burnt offering and sin offering You did not require. Then I said, “Behold, I come; In the scroll of the book it is written of me. I delight to do Your will, O my God, And Your law is within my heart.” I have proclaimed the good news of righteousness In the great assembly; Indeed, I do not restrain my lips, O Lord, You Yourself know. I have not hidden Your righteousness within my heart; I have declared Your faithfulness and Your salvation; I have not concealed Your lovingkindness and Your truth From the great assembly. Psalm 40:6-7

Read this verse and omit the Holy Spirit from the equation. Suddenly we are left with ears that cannot hear, scripture that cannot be discerned, and service that cannot be enjoyed. Without the Holy Spirit in us there is no preservation of His Word, no proclamation of His truth, and no declarations of His faithfulness. Remove the Holy Spirit or fail to continually our relationship and all we think we have to offer and sacrifice is concealed. This is precisely why God has mandated that we uphold our connection with the Person and ministry of the Holy Spirit. Deny the Spirit and everything we offer is despicable in His sight.


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Jesus Tore the Veil in Half–Don’t Sew it Back Up

Posted in Bible, Bible Prophecy, health, investment, Jesus, love, peace, religion, tagged , , , , , , , , , on April 30, 2009| Leave a Comment »

Putting on the VeilTherefore, since we have such hope, we use great boldness of speech– unlike Moses, who put a veil over his face so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the end of what was passing away. 2 Corinthians 3:12-13

Christians, unpurposefully perhaps, spend an awful lot of time attempting to convey how godly we are. We can find a little comfort in knowing that we are in good company, for Moses was guilty of the very same thing. Out of context we might be persuaded to believe that Moses veiled himself in an act of humility, but God through the Apostle Paul reveals the issue with Moses was actually pride—Moses did not want anyone to see his diminished spirituality.

A Fine Line

When we utter to another, “I have been praying for you, ” is it really about them or about telling them that we pray? Similarly when we declare, “I was fasting and the Lord revealed something to me, ” is it about the revelation or the fact that we fast? The truth just might be that we want others to know how saintly we are to cover up how saintly we are not. We wear our spiritual endeavors as a veil, akin to Moses, so that no one might know the reality of our fading glory. Sadly, the embellishment becomes routine and we likely do not even recognize the behavior having bought the lie.

To make matters worse, when we project a bogus façade, it could cause others to feel inadequate in their faith walk. A believer might look at us in our amped-up spirituality and surmise, “I can’t keep up with that! I’m no prayer warrior, I’m no faster, I’m no wonderful worshipper!” How dare we do that to another believer. A veil is nothing more that a false, legalistic barrier between them and their walk with Christ. We need to remember that Jesus took away that obstruction.

And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. 51 Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom… Matthew 27:50-51

This One’s for Me

We all may be culpable, but please know I choose to blog on this particular issue today because my spirit was convicted– this is a message I need to receive…again. Lord, let me remember that You are and I am not, that You are wonderful and worthy and I am not, and if there is any glow about me it is solely of You. Let me always be a reflection of Your glory, lest I give someone the impression it is me and lest I hinder the spiritual growth of another.


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Colorful Illustrations from the Bible

Posted in Bible, Bible Prophecy, health, investment, Jesus, religion, tagged , , , , , , , on April 29, 2009| 4 Comments »

Moreover you shall make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine woven linen and blue, purple, and scarlet thread; with artistic designs of cherubim you shall weave them. Exodus 26:1Every Single Thread…

The Tabernacle was of course a actual structure built for an exact purpose and a specific people, but as we examine the construction piece by piece; thread by thread as it were, we see a depiction of Christ Jesus emerge. If there were but a few parallels, it might suggest mere happenstance, but the fact that the entire edifice and its furnishings speak practically and prophetically of Jesus is most assuredly a God-thing.

You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. John 5:39

Jesus the Tent

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

In the Gospel of John we discover our first clue. Inspired by the Father he wrote that Jesus became flesh and dwelt with us. The word ‘dwelt’ is key to us because in the original Hebrew text that word is translated ‘to tabernacle’ or to ‘tent with’. Again, if this was the only allusion to the Tabernacle itself, we might say in unison, “Coincidence!” but this is merely the tip of the iceberg. Graciously, as we unravel the Tabernacle we discover that it not only points prophetically to Jesus Christ, but also to us–what is true for Jesus is true for those positioned in Him.

Again, a new commandment I write to you, which thing is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining. 1 John 2:8

Colors of Jesus

There were actually four layers of the Tabernacle’s outer wall, each layer having individual characteristics pointing to Jesus. We will focus on the innermost wall—the side that is seen by those who find themselves inside the Tabernacle. It consisted of four colors: white, blue, purple, and scarlet.

Throughout the Bible we stumble on attributes associated with those colors: white linen speaks to righteousness, blue to heaven, purple to royalty, and finally scarlet to sacrifice. The number four also speaks to the four Gospels of the Bible and they tackle those very qualities of Christ. Matthew speaks to Jesus the King (purple), Mark to His being the suffering servant (scarlet), Luke to His righteous humanity (white), and John to His deity of Heaven (blue).

Jesus the Worm

Jesus said that, not me.

But I am a worm, and no man; A reproach of men, and despised by the people. Isaiah 53:6

I only repeat it here because it is paramount to developing and explaining the typology. Going back to the old Hebrew language we learn that the word for worm is ‘tolaith’ and further research reveals that it has a dual meaning–it is also defined as scarlet. It is not difficult to figure out why– the tolaith worm was ground-up to produce the scarlet pigmentation, thus the reason for the twofold definition, but it is in understanding this worm’s way of life will can appreciate Christ’s use of this expression for Himself.

The worm when giving birth affixes itself to a tree and in the act it dies and the infant worms feed on the flesh. As you might imagine, a bloody red stain is left behind. But then an odd thing occurs—in three days that red spot has dried out, turns white, flakes off and flutters to the ground as snow. I cannot help but think that was the exact image Jesus had in mind when He chose to identify Himself with the tolaith.

“Come now, and let us reason together, ” Says the Lord, “Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool. Isaiah 1:18


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Golden Light

Posted in Bible, Bible Prophecy, investment, Jesus, religion, tagged , , , , , , on April 28, 2009| Leave a Comment »

“You shall also make a lampstand of pure gold; the lampstand shall be of hammered work. Its shaft, its branches, its bowls, its ornamental knobs, and flowers shall be of one piece. And six branches shall come out of its sides: three branches of the lampstand out of one side, and three branches of the lampstand out of the other side. Three bowls shall be made like almond blossoms on one branch, with an ornamental knob and a flower, and three bowls made like almond blossoms on the other branch, with an ornamental knob and a flower–and so for the six branches that come out of the lampstand. On the lampstand itself four bowls shall be made like almond blossoms, each with its ornamental knob and flower. 3And there shall be a knob under the first two branches of the same, a knob under the second two branches of the same, and a knob under the third two branches of the same, according to the six branches that extend from the lampstand. Their knobs and their branches shall be of one piece; all of it shall be one hammered piece of pure gold. Exodus 25:31-36Some fixtures within the Tabernacle were constructed of acacia wood covered with gold, the wood speaking illustratively of Christ’s humanity and the gold His deity. First notice that the lampstand is made exclusively of gold. As we go through each verse and each word in some cases, we further see the significance and prophetic picture being depicted of Jesus Christ and our life in Him.

Pure Gold, Beaten into Form

The pure gold speaks of both deity and perfection; two qualities found only in our Lord. The lampstand was not pieced together, but strenuously beaten and stretched from one source in much the same way Jesus was beaten and stretched out for one singular purpose.

He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. Isaiah 53:5

One Lamp–Six Branches

We cannot picture this lamp with it’s one main shaft and six branches without calling to mind the image Jesus Himself gave us in the Gospel of John.

I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. John 15:5

Out of the Side

The branches come out of the side or main shaft of the lampstand. If we think back to Genesis we remember that in the Garden of Eden, a rib was taken from Adam’s side in order to create for him a bride.

Then the rib which the Lord God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man. Genesis 2:22

Now Consider that Jesus is the Last Adam…

And so it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. 1 Corinthians 15:45

And He Also Takes a Bride

Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. Revelation 21:2

And We Too Were Birthed From His Side

But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out. John 19:34

But What About the Almonds?

I just learned today that in the middle east, the almond is the first tree to blossom and also the first tree to bear fruit. Keeping with the typology and prophetic illustration, Jesus is our first fruits.

But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 1 Corinthians 15:20

“…All of it shall be one hammered piece of pure gold”

This is likely the most exciting aspect of the picture—as one piece in Christ, we are seen as gold too. Consider these three coupled passages…

For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren…You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness…so we, being many, are one body in Christ… Hebrews 2:11; 1 Thessalonians 5:5; Romans 12:5

So We’re Beaten Too?

Understand the implication and see it for the good news it truly is. As Christ’s light most folks do not pay heed to us when things are going well. However, when things start to go sour, then people take notice. “How will ‘Joe-Christian’ fair this storm, ” they likely ask. It is in our misfortunes that we can shine brightest. It was that principle the writer was referring to in 1 Peter 3:14-15 when he wrote…

But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you are blessed. “And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled.” But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you… 1 Peter 3:14-15

So Who Is the Light of the World?

After all Jesus said in John 8:12 that He is the Light of the world and then in Matthew 5:14 He proclaims that we are the light of the world. Which is true? Well since Jesus cannot lie, they are both true. Likely the best correlation we can make is the idea of Jesus being the greater light, as our sun is the greater light. We then would be the lesser light, or in this case the moon. The moon does not have any light of its own, but reflects the light of the son. We are light; reflectors of the Son’s light lest the world gets between the two of us.


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What Level Are You?

Posted in Bible, Bible Prophecy, investment, Jesus, religion, travel, worship, tagged , , , , , , , , on April 27, 2009| Leave a Comment »

And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them. According to all that I show you, that is, the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furnishings, just so you shall make it. Exodus 25:8-9As we read about God’s plan to Moses for His Tabernacle, we will come to learn that the Tabernacle itself has three basic components: the courtyard, the holy place, and the Holy of Holies. In our examination of these parts and their accessories, we can see that they also illustrate three distinct levels that pertain to our life in and walk with Jesus Christ. It is vital to remember that at any level and as it relates to the typology, anyone in the Tabernacle is saved; i.e. a born-again believer.

Level 1

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, Ephesians 2:8

This first level speaks to the person who is saved and is in the courtyard. We recall that the outer courtyard is where the brass altar for sacrifice and the brass laver for cleansing were—constant reminders. In the altar and the laver there is an understanding and receiving: Christ has died for our sins at the altar and there’s an assertion of faith at the laver in our baptism. It is not uncommon for those in the courtyard to aspire towards another level—the option of Christian service.

Level 2

But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light… 1 Peter 2:9

Level two is within the tent, a place with two compartments, the biggest portion of which was called the Holy Place. The Holy Place is the place of Christian works and the tools of the trade are contained within: the table of showbread, the lampstand, and the incense stand; each one representative of a kingdom building endeavor. In the bread we see His Word which we freely partake and distribute. In the lamp we are light that we might go forth and shine with divine intention. And as fragrant incense we may pray intercessorily as Christ Jesus does for us. In the observance of Christian service we may find ourselves longing for level three.

Level 3

“But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:42

Jesus would say to us (as He said to Martha) that level three; that is at His feet, is the best and most highly desired place to be. We would agree. As we read the account of Mary and Martha we see all three levels represented there. Lazarus, Martha and Mary’s brother is not mentioned in the story and suggests he is in the courtyard—a good place to be, but clearly not the best place to be.

The illustration clearly shows Martha caught up in her level two position. Again, not a bad place to be–more rewarding that hanging out in the courtyard, but still not the best place to be. It is obvious to us all that Mary has acquired the best place—at the feet of Jesus, absorbed in just being in His presence—the Holy of Holies.

Finest Choice, But the Least Chosen

As a result of our flesh and the world’s influence I suppose, we falsely believe that as Christians we start at level one and work our way towards level two and then ultimately to level three. God would tell us we have it all backwards.

So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit…Then the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom….Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. John 19:30; Mark 15:38; Hebrews 4:16

There’s God’s formula—because of His Son’s finished work on the cross, we have direct access to the Holy of Holies and can boldly approach Him. It is from this position we are free to move about; between Christian service and courtyard respites. In the Father’s plan there is no striving towards higher levels—we start out at the best possible place—at the feet of Jesus. If we find ourselves involved in procedures and processes believing we can climb higher and higher spiritually, we need to stop. The highest position we can achieve has already been provided for us and all we need is enter into His presence. We are not level-ones working upward; we are level threes moving freely about the Tabernacle as He guides us.


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