Posted by: Bill Hornbeck | November 9, 2022

“how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?”

Today’s devotion comes from Exodus 29:35-38.  Here is a link to this Scripture – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus%2029&version=NASB1995

I quote only the following verses.

“Each day you shall offer a bull as a sin offering for atonement, and you shall purify the altar when you make atonement for it, and you shall anoint it to consecrate it.  For seven days you shall make atonement for the altar and consecrate it;  then the altar shall be most holy, and whatever touches the altar shall be holy.”  Exodus 29:36-38.  

——————–

The focus of today’s Scripture is the altar and the purification of the altar and the holiness of the altar and the ability of the altar to make whatever touches the altar to be holy.  

Today’s Scripture leads us to meditate on the holiness of Christ and His ability to make God’s chosen people holy.

“We have an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle have no right to eat.  For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy place by the high priest as an offering for sin, are burned outside the camp.  Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people through His own blood, suffered outside the gate.”  Hebrews 13:10-12.   

“For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation (Christ) through sufferings.  For both He who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from one Father;  for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren,”.  Hebrews 2:10-11.

“But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation;  and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.  For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?”  Hebrews 9:11-14.

“knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.”  1 Peter 1:18-19.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him.  In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.  In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us.  …”  Ephesians 1:3-7. 

“But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, so that, just as it is written, “LET HIM WHO BOASTS, BOAST IN THE LORD.”  1 Corinthians 1:30-31.

“For you are a holy people to the LORD your God;  the LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for His own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.”  Deuteronomy 7:6.

Comments Off on “how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?”

Posted in Uncategorized | Tags:

Posted by: Bill Hornbeck | November 8, 2022

“Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord.”

Today’s devotion comes from Exodus 29:31-34.

“You shall take the ram of ordination and boil its flesh in a holy place.  Aaron and his sons shall eat the flesh of the ram and the bread that is in the basket, at the doorway of the tent of meeting.  Thus they shall eat those things by which atonement was made at their ordination and consecration;  but a layman shall not eat them, because they are holy.  If any of the flesh of ordination or any of the bread remains until morning, then you shall burn the remainder with fire;  it shall not be eaten, because it is holy.”  Exodus 29:31-34.

——————

Today’s Scripture points us to the Lord’s Supper and how it is reserved for believers and how “those things by which atonement was made” shall be eaten and drank in a worthy manner.

“For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread;  and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is My body, which is for you;  do this in remembrance of Me.”  In the same way He took the cup also after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood;  do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”  For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.

Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord.  But a man must examine himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup.  For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself if he does not judge the body rightly.  For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep.  But if we judged ourselves rightly, we would not be judged.  But when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord so that we will not be condemned along with the world.

So then, my brethren, when you come together to eat, wait for one another.  If anyone is hungry, let him eat at home, so that you will not come together for judgment.  The remaining matters I will arrange when I come.”  1 Corinthians 11:23-24.

“How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace?  For we know Him who said: “VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY.”  And again, THE LORD WILL JUDGE HIS PEOPLE.”  It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” Hebrews 10:29-31.

Comments Off on “Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord.”

Posted in Uncategorized | Tags: ,

Posted by: Bill Hornbeck | November 7, 2022

“I will fill the soul of the priests with abundance, And My people will be satisfied with My goodness,” declares the LORD.”

Today’s devotion comes from Exodus 29:22-30.  Here is a link to this Scripture – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus%2029&version=NASB1995

I quote only the following verses.

“Then you shall take the breast of Aaron’s ram of ordination, and wave it as a wave offering before the LORD;  and it shall be your portion.  You shall consecrate the breast of the wave offering and the thigh of the heave offering which was waved and which was offered from the ram of ordination, from the one which was for Aaron and from the one which was for his sons.  It shall be for Aaron and his sons as their portion forever from the sons of Israel, for it is a heave offering;  and it shall be a heave offering from the sons of Israel from the sacrifices of their peace offerings, even their heave offering to the LORD.”  Exodus 29:26-28.

—————     

God provided food for His priests, Aaron and his sons, through the breast of the ram of ordination.

First, God provided that it would be waved as a wave offering before the LORD as an act of worship to the LORD.  

“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”  Matthew 6:33.

Second, after putting God first, Aaron and his sons could keep the breast of the ram of ordination and eat it.

We are reminded of the Lord’s Supper.  

First, we use the Lord’s Supper to worship God.  “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.”  1 Corinthians 11:26.

Second, we use the Lord’s Supper to eat the bread and drink the cup for spiritual nourishment.  “So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves.  He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”  John 6:53-54.

“I will fill the soul of the priests with abundance,
And My people will be satisfied with My goodness,” declares the LORD.” Jeremiah 31:14.

Comments Off on “I will fill the soul of the priests with abundance, And My people will be satisfied with My goodness,” declares the LORD.”

Posted in Uncategorized

Posted by: Bill Hornbeck | November 6, 2022

“Therefore, brethren, … we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus”

Today’s devotion comes from Exodus 29:19-21.

“Then you shall take the other ram, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the ram.  You shall slaughter the ram, and take some of its blood and put it on the lobe of Aaron’s right ear and on the lobes of his sons’ right ears and on the thumbs of their right hands and on the big toes of their right feet, and sprinkle the rest of the blood around on the altar.  Then you shall take some of the blood that is on the altar and some of the anointing oil, and sprinkle it on Aaron and on his garments and on his sons and on his sons’ garments with him;  so he and his garments shall be consecrated, as well as his sons and his sons’ garments with him.”  Exodus 29:19-21.

———————

If Aaron and his sons chosen by the LORD out of all of Israel to be priests needed to be consecrated to such an extent to be able to minister to the LORD, then it should give us pause to the rest of us how we can ever be prepared to approach the Holy, Holy, Holy LORD!

If even the garments of Aaron and his sons needed to be consecrated, then how can we ever appear before the LORD?!

“In the year of King Uzziah’s death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple.  Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings:  with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.  And one called out to another and said,

“Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts,
The whole earth is full of His glory.”

And the foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of him who called out, while the temple was filling with smoke. Then I said,

“Woe is me, for I am ruined!
Because I am a man of unclean lips,
And I live among a people of unclean lips;
For my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.” Isaiah 6:1-5.

But, there is hope!

“Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal in his hand, which he had taken from the altar with tongs.  He touched my mouth with it and said, “Behold, this has touched your lips;  and your iniquity is taken away and your sin is forgiven.”  Isaiah 6:6.

“Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.  Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful;  and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another;  and all the more as you see the day drawing near.”  Hebrews 10:19-25.

Comments Off on “Therefore, brethren, … we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus”

Posted in Uncategorized

Posted by: Bill Hornbeck | November 4, 2022

“But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place.”

Today’s devotion comes from Exodus 29:15-18.

“You shall also take the one ram, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the ram;  and you shall slaughter the ram and shall take its blood and sprinkle it around on the altar.  Then you shall cut the ram into its pieces, and wash its entrails and its legs, and put them with its pieces and its head.  You shall offer up in smoke the whole ram on the altar;  it is a burnt offering to the LORD:  it is a soothing aroma, an offering by fire to the LORD.”  Exodus 29:15-18.

————————

God’s provision of the ram as a burnt offering to the LORD as a soothing aroma to the LORD points us to Christ Who “… gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.”  Ephesians 5:2.

God also “manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place.  For we are a fragrance of Christ”.

“But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place.  For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing;  to the one an aroma from death to death, to the other an aroma from life to life.  And who is adequate for these things?  For we are not like many, peddling the word of God, but as from sincerity, but as from God, we speak in Christ in the sight of God.”  2 Corinthians 2:14-17.

God draws His chosen people to Christ. “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day.” John 6:44. 

In the concluding Scripture, we see how Christ is “a pleasing fragrance” to His bride, the Church, God’s chosen people.

“The Song of Songs, which is Solomon’s.

2 “May he kiss me with the kisses of his mouth!
For your love is better than wine.
3 “Your oils have a pleasing fragrance,
Your name is like purified oil;
Therefore the maidens love you.
4 “Draw me after you and let us run together!
The king has brought me into his chambers.”

“We will rejoice in you and be glad;
We will extol your love more than wine.
Rightly do they love you.” Song of Solomon 1:1-4.

Comments Off on “But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place.”

Posted in Uncategorized | Tags: ,

Posted by: Bill Hornbeck | November 3, 2022

“So, let us go out to Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach.”

Today’s devotion comes from Exodus 29:10-14.

“Then you shall bring the bull before the tent of meeting, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the bull.  You shall slaughter the bull before the LORD at the doorway of the tent of meeting.  You shall take some of the blood of the bull and put it on the horns of the altar with your finger;  and you shall pour out all the blood at the base of the altar.  You shall take all the fat that covers the entrails and the lobe of the liver, and the two kidneys and the fat that is on them, and offer them up in smoke on the altar.  But the flesh of the bull and its hide and its refuse, you shall burn with fire outside the camp;  it is a sin offering.”  Exodus 29:10-14.

—————-

In today’s Scripture, we read that God provided a bull as a sin offering.  But, the bull needed to be slaughtered in order to obtain blood for the sin offering.  “And according to the Law, one may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”  Hebrews 9:22.

But, this provision was only a shadow of the good things to come.  “For the Law, since it has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the very form of things, can never, by the same sacrifices which they offer continually year by year, make perfect those who draw near.  …  For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.”  Hebrews 10:1 and 4.

God’s provision of the bull as a sin offering points us to God providing His One and Only Son, Jesus Christ, to be the One and Only Sin Offering.

“In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace”,  Ephesians 1:7.

“For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.”  Hebrews 10:14.

“And there is salvation in no one else;  for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”  Acts 4:12.

In today’s Scripture, we also read that God also provided disposition of the flesh of the bull and its hide and its refuse which was to be burned with fire outside the camp.  This provision points us to Christ suffering outside the gate for us. 

“We have an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle have no right to eat.  For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy place by the high priest as an offering for sin, are burned outside the camp.  Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people through His own blood, suffered outside the gate.  So, let us go out to Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach.  For here we do not have a lasting city, but we are seeking the city which is to come.”  Hebrews 13:10-14.

“3 He was despised and forsaken of men,
A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;
And like one from whom men hide their face
He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.

4 Surely our griefs He Himself bore,
And our sorrows He carried;
Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten of God, and afflicted.
5 But He was pierced through for our transgressions,
He was crushed for our iniquities;
The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him,
And by His scourging we are healed.” Isaiah 52:3-5.

“So, let us go out to Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach.  For here we do not have a lasting city, but we are seeking the city which is to come.”  Hebrews 13:13-14.

Let us follow the example of Abraham. 

“By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance;  and he went out, not knowing where he was going.  By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise;  for he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.”  Hebrews 11:8-10.

Comments Off on “So, let us go out to Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach.”

Posted in Uncategorized | Tags:

Posted by: Bill Hornbeck | November 2, 2022

“Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and anointed us is God, who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge.”

Today’s devotion comes from Exodus 29:1-10.

““Now this is what you shall do to them to consecrate them to minister as priests to Me:  take one young bull and two rams without blemish, and unleavened bread and unleavened cakes mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers spread with oil;  you shall make them of fine wheat flour.  You shall put them in one basket, and present them in the basket along with the bull and the two rams.  Then you shall bring Aaron and his sons to the doorway of the tent of meeting and wash them with water.  You shall take the garments, and put on Aaron the tunic and the robe of the ephod and the ephod and the breastpiece, and gird him with the skillfully woven band of the ephod;  and you shall set the turban on his head and put the holy crown on the turban.  Then you shall take the anointing oil and pour it on his head and anoint him.  You shall bring his sons and put tunics on them.  You shall gird them with sashes, Aaron and his sons, and bind caps on them, and they shall have the priesthood by a perpetual statute.  So you shall ordain Aaron and his sons.”  Exodus 29:1-10.

————-

“You shall put the holy garments on Aaron and anoint him and consecrate him, that he may minister as a priest to Me.  You shall bring his sons and put tunics on them;  and you shall anoint them even as you have anointed their father, that they may minister as priests to Me; and their anointing will qualify them for a perpetual priesthood throughout their generations.”  Exodus 40:13-15.

God provided that Aaron and his sons be anointed with anointing oil to consecrate (set them apart) to serve Him as priests which leads us to meditate on God anointing us with the Holy Spirit to seal us in Christ, teach us, and give us power to do good.

“You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.”  Acts 10:38.

“Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and anointed us is God, who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge.”  2 Corinthians 1:21-22.

“In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.”  Ephesians 1:13-14.

“I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever;  that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.”  John 14:16-17.

“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.”  John 14:26. 

“As for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you;  but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him.”  1 John 2:27.

“but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you;  and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”  Acts 1:8.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control;  against such things there is no law.”  Galatians 5:22-23. 

Comments Off on “Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and anointed us is God, who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge.”

Posted in Uncategorized | Tags: , , ,

Posted by: Bill Hornbeck | November 1, 2022

“But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD”

Today’s devotion comes from Exodus 28:39-43.

“You shall weave the tunic of checkered work of fine linen, and shall make a turban of fine linen, and you shall make a sash, the work of a weaver.

“For Aaron’s sons you shall make tunics;  you shall also make sashes for them, and you shall make caps for them, for glory and for beauty.  You shall put them on Aaron your brother and on his sons with him;  and you shall anoint them and ordain them and consecrate them, that they may serve Me as priests.  You shall make for them linen breeches to cover their bare flesh;  they shall reach from the loins even to the thighs.  They shall be on Aaron and on his sons when they enter the tent of meeting, or when they approach the altar to minister in the holy place, so that they do not incur guilt and die.  It shall be a statute forever to him and to his descendants after him.”   Exodus 28:39-43.

—————— 

God provided that Aaron and his sons serve Him as priests which leads us to meditate on God making us too “A royal PRIESTHOOD”.  

“But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God’s OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;  for you once were NOT A PEOPLE, but now you are THE PEOPLE OF GOD;  you had NOT RECEIVED MERCY, but now you have RECEIVED MERCY.”  1 Peter 2:9-10.

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

“And they *sang a new song, saying,

“Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.

“You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth.” Revelation 5:9-10.

God also provided priestly garments for Aaron and his sons “for glory and for beauty” which leads us to meditate on God providing us beautiful good works to do which glorify God.

“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”  Ephesians 2:10.

“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.” Titus 2:11-14.

Comments Off on “But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD”

Posted in Uncategorized | Tags:

Posted by: Bill Hornbeck | October 31, 2022

“For you are a holy people to the LORD your God; the LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for His own possession”

Today’s devotion comes from Exodus 28:36-38.

“You shall also make a plate of pure gold and shall engrave on it, like the engravings of a seal, ‘Holy to the LORD.’  You shall fasten it on a blue cord, and it shall be on the turban;  it shall be at the front of the turban.  It shall be on Aaron’s forehead, and Aaron shall take away the iniquity of the holy things which the sons of Israel consecrate, with regard to all their holy gifts;  and it shall always be on his forehead, that they may be accepted before the LORD.”  Exodus 28:36-38.

——————–       

God provided a gold plate for Aaron to wear on his forehead with the engraving “Holy to the LORD” which leads us to meditate on the fact that we too are chosen to be “a holy people to the LORD”.

“For you are a holy people to the LORD your God;  the LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for His own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.”  Deuteronomy 7:6.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him.  …”  Ephesians 1:3-4.

Comments Off on “For you are a holy people to the LORD your God; the LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for His own possession”

Posted in Uncategorized

Posted by: Bill Hornbeck | October 30, 2022

“by Your abundant lovingkindness I will enter Your house”

Today’s devotion comes from Exodus 28:31-35.

“You shall make the robe of the ephod all of blue.  There shall be an opening at its top in the middle of it;  around its opening there shall be a binding of woven work, like the opening of a coat of mail, so that it will not be torn.  You shall make on its hem pomegranates of blue and purple and scarlet material, all around on its hem, and bells of gold between them all around:  a golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, all around on the hem of the robe.  It shall be on Aaron when he ministers;  and its tinkling shall be heard when he enters and leaves the holy place before the LORD, so that he will not die.”  Exodus 28:31-35.

————–

God provided bells on the hem of the robe to produce the tinkling sound which served as a reminder of the reverence that Aaron (and us today) should have when we enter the presence of the LORD.  

We remember when the LORD appeared at Mount Sinai just before He gave the Ten Commandments to the people.

“The LORD came down on Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain;  and the LORD called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up.  Then the LORD spoke to Moses, “Go down, warn the people, so that they do not break through to the LORD to gaze, and many of them perish.  Also let the priests who come near to the LORD consecrate themselves, or else the LORD will break out against them.”  Exodus 19:20-22.

“4 For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness;
No evil dwells with You.
5 The boastful shall not stand before Your eyes;
You hate all who do iniquity.
6 You destroy those who speak falsehood;
The LORD abhors the man of bloodshed and deceit.” Psalm 5:4-6.

Yet, too often we enter church on Sunday boldly, stomping into church, as if we are doing God a favor.  We do not properly sense our unholiness and His holiness.  

“10 Now therefore, O kings, show discernment;
Take warning, O judges of the earth.
11 Worship the LORD with reverence
And rejoice with trembling.
12 Do homage to the Son, that He not become angry, and you perish in the way,
For His wrath may soon be kindled.
How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!” Psalm 2:10-12.

As an analogy, think of when you were a freshman student in college and approached a Professor’s office. Did you knock loudly on his door?  Did you throw open his office door?  No!  You very respectfully softly knocked on the door and patiently waited in fear and trembling until the Professor opened the door and said that you could come into his office.

How much more should we show respect to the Creator of the Universe!

“Thus says the LORD,

“Heaven is My throne and the earth is My footstool.
Where then is a house you could build for Me?
And where is a place that I may rest?
2 “For My hand made all these things,
Thus all these things came into being,” declares the LORD.
“But to this one I will look,
To him who is humble and contrite of spirit, and who trembles at My word.” Isaiah 66:1-2.

But, such humility and repentance and reverence does not come to us naturally; it is a work of God’s grace!

Reformed Doctrine teaches us that man’s natural condition was corrupted by the fall of Adam (through Adam’s sin). Reformed Doctrine describes that natural condition as “Total Depravity”, the “T” of “TULIP”, the Five Points of Calvinism, the Reformed Doctrine of Salvation, as more fully taught by the Canons of Dordt.

We were “dead” in sin. Ephesians 2:1-5. We were hostile to God. Romans 8:7 and Colossians 1:21. We were in bondage to sin. Romans 7:14-15.

“10 as it is written,

“THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE;
11 THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS,
THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD;
12 ALL HAVE TURNED ASIDE, TOGETHER THEY HAVE BECOME USELESS;
THERE IS NONE WHO DOES GOOD,
THERE IS NOT EVEN ONE.” Romans 3:10-12.

“13 “THEIR THROAT IS AN OPEN GRAVE,
WITH THEIR TONGUES THEY KEEP DECEIVING,”
“THE POISON OF ASPS IS UNDER THEIR LIPS”;
14 “WHOSE MOUTH IS FULL OF CURSING AND BITTERNESS”;
15 “THEIR FEET ARE SWIFT TO SHED BLOOD,
16 DESTRUCTION AND MISERY ARE IN THEIR PATHS,
17 AND THE PATH OF PEACE THEY HAVE NOT KNOWN.”
18 “THERE IS NO FEAR OF GOD BEFORE THEIR EYES.” Romans 3:13-18.

In conclusion, in briefest summary, it is only through God’s grace that we can stand in the presence of God. In the verse following the Scripture of Psalm 5:4-6 above, we read of such grace of God.

“But as for me, by Your abundant lovingkindness I will enter Your house,
At Your holy temple I will bow in reverence for You.” Psalm 5:7.

“Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.” Jude 1:24-25.

Comments Off on “by Your abundant lovingkindness I will enter Your house”

Posted in Uncategorized

« Newer Posts - Older Posts »

Categories