Be With Me: 7 Minutes of Biblical Wonder

Thirst is essential to life

• it show us that we are in NEED
• it acts as an ALARM
• it needs to be satisfied outside of yourself

Here, Jesus blows our mind and tells us that we can be a "bubbling brook" for others (Proverbs 18:4).  A couple of things have to happen first:

• we have to be thirsty
• we have to turn our toes and feet and hearts toward Jesus in coming and believing
• He has to generously give us the Holy Spirit
• We have to abide there at the source to be able to stay connected
• then out of my heart and flow rivers of living water
• I get to go from just being a consumer to being a consumer AND a source

Listen and hear how THIRST is my FRIEND, and in the end, MY thirst is also YOUR friend.

If I Could Ask Jesus ONE QUESTION.  John 7:35 (Episode #206)

Jesus is at the Feast of Booths in Jerusalem.  Some of the people there charm me.  In Episode #205 they are asking, "Could this be the Christ?"  Today, they are trying to sincerely understand some mysterious things that Jesus says. 

I am an admirer of GENUINE INQUIRY.  God is an admirer of Genuine Inquiry.  This really seems to be what is happening here.  One of my convictions is that GOD CAN TAKE IT.  More than that, as I read the scriptures, HE LOVES real questions. Sometimes, maybe often, like John 7:35, they don't exactly get an answer.  But, He LOVES the questions.

So today, let's give Him one of our own.  If I could ask Jesus one question, what would it be?  Any question.  Let's ask today.  You may have many questions.  Start with just one.  Remember He really likes genuine inquiry, not accusations that are phrased as questions.  I thought of many categories, but they are not YOUR question.  Ask your own question of Jesus.  Be curious.  Be Wondering.  And then, Listen.

We all have limited knowledge.

There are some choice things here that the people of Jerusalem do that commend themselves to us:

• they come to belief
• they believe the miracles and activities of Jesus
• they listened to Jesus
• they listened to Jesus say some big things they didn't quite get their arms all the way around
• they wrestle with their (LIMITED) knowledge of scripture
• they don't hate Jesus and try to kill Him like the authorities do.

So, if you have some limited knowledge of God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, WELCOME TO THE FAMILY.  We all do.  The question today is:  what am I going to do with it?  For today, let's be like the Jerusalem folks.  Listen and admire and imitate.

The PLACE where SINS DISAPPEAR 2 Chron 3:1 (Episode #204)

This is the key verse.  We DISCOVER that the place where the hand of the avenging angel of the Lord is STAYED, and where David builds and altar of thanks (at the Lord's location direction) is not a random place at all.  It is on MOUNT MORIAH.  

Wowser!  This is the same place that Abraham encountered the Lord in the non-sacrifice of Isaac.

The LOCATIONS ARE EXACTLY THE SAME PLACE: the TEMPLE that Jesus is preaching in = Mt. Moriah where Abraham non-sacrificed Isaac = where God provides a RAM = where the wrathful Hand of Lord was STAYED = place where David builds an altar = place where Ornan the Jebusite had a threshing floor = place where God chose for Abraham = place where God chose for David to build and altar = place where TEMPLE was built = place where God provides a LAMB.

This special place has always been a place where God relents from His appropriate WRATH.  It is the place of purchased, costly sacrifice.  It is the place of substitutionary atonement where God's character of mercy, forgiveness and relenting all come to bear.  It has been the place on earth where SINS DISAPPEAR and where HISTORY is actually changed by forgiveness. Bring your grievousness and listen.  Good news today!

David does an excellent job of sinning.  He also does and excellent job of repenting. Then he builds an ALTAR to the LORD at the Lord's DIRECTION and at the Lord's LOCATION.  Will it work?  Will the Lord be satisfied?  Will there be an atonement in this location? 

Will the hand of the Lord's WRATH be STAYED?  Is this where the Lord now wants to AUTHORIZE as His special place on earth?

I'm titling this "I HOPE this WORKS" (in this special place), because that is basically what the bystander Ornan says.  If this altar thing doesn't work here, we are all in very big trouble.  An avenging angel with a drawn sword is perched over his head and over his household at that very moment.  No kidding that you hope this works.

This is another layer as to the SPECIALNESS OF PLACE, particularly of the (eventual) TEMPLE.

Today we are drilling even deeper as to the TEMPLE IN JERUSALEM.  Eventually we find that all these locations we are looking at are in the exactly same place:

The LOCATIONS ARE EXACTLY THE SAME PLACE: the TEMPLE that Jesus is preaching in = Mt. Moriah where Abraham non-sacrificed Isaac = where God provides a RAM = where the wrathful Hand of Lord was STAYED = place where David builds an altar = place where Ornan the Jebusite had a threshing floor = place where God chose for Abraham = place where God chose for David to build and altar = place where TEMPLE was built by Solomon = place where God provides a LAMB.

(yes, I know Jesus was crucified OUTSIDE the walls of the city because it was too brutal to even look at.(Isaiah 53:3) But the EFFECT of the death took place literally IN the Temple as the curtain was torn from top to bottom (Mark 15:38))

In John 7 the citizens are confused that the authorities LET JESUS TEACH in the TEMPLE.
They were concerned about PLACE. Why?  Because it is such a special place. 

Does the TEMPLE MAKE IT a special place? or, does the Temple just RECOGNIZE that it already WAS a special place?Let's find out how it got to be such a special place. 

We have searched to 2000BC to Mt. Moriah with Abraham and the NON-sacrifice of Isaac.  The Lord picks this spot of substitutionary sacrifice.  Not Abraham. 
Location Location Location.

Then in 1000BC we looked at David's Heart in his DESIRE 2 Samuel 7.
No Location yet. No Location yet. No Location yet.

Today we start on a little series in 1 Chronicles 21.  David takes a census.  He sins in doing  so.  God opens up a can of wrath because of that sin.  David repents. Then God RELENTS.  And David builds an ALTAR in thanks. The Lord tells David WHERE.
Same Location. Same Location. Same Location as Abrahams non-sacrifice of Isaac.

Then in a few more years, Solomon builds the temple in Jerusalem.  Guess what:
Same location.  Same Location.  Same Location as Abraham's Non-sacrifice of Isaac.  Same location as David building his altar.

The LOCATION of the Temple that Jesus was teaching in was special to God BEFORE the Temple was even located there!

David: I'll build you a House (temple). God: No, I'll build you a HOUSE (heritage) 2 Sam 7 (Episode #201)

We are wondering why Jesus teaching in the Jerusalem TEMPLE was such a big deal.  Place is important.  Here, we find out something that is even MORE important.  

We will look at the "foundations" of the Temple that Jesus is speaking in physically.  It involves a decision to build a nice HOUSE for God in 2 Samuel 7:2.  But the Lord says:, "You think you are going to build me a house (temple).  I am going to do you one better:  I am going to build YOU (David and his progeny) a HOUSE (a heritage, a lineage, a promised future).  

When Jesus gets to Jerusalem, we find Him occupying both the physical HOUSE that David and Solomon builds and occupying the prophetic and messianic OFFICE that the Lord establishes.  No wonder the Jerusalemites were a bit confused!  Listen, it is easier to see 3000 and 2000 years later.

Why Is there an Israel?
Why is there a Jerusalem?
Why is there a City of David?
Why did the Temple stand in a specific PLACE
What did God do there BEFORE any of that?

We will be centering today on the importance of PLACE.

The reason the Temple in Jerusalem stood there was because of the Lord's Choice. 
 Good stuff happened there.  
First-Resurrection-Faith happened there with Abraham after the Non-Sacrifice of Isaac.  

The Lord picked the place.  Listen and find out what happened at the location of the Temple of Jerusalem 
before there was a temple
before there was a Jerusalem
before there was a City of David
before there was a David.

No wonder we fight about this place now.

The folks of Jerusalem are confused in 33AD why the authorities let Jesus teach in the TEMPLE, in JERUSALEM.  It WAS the most important place on earth. We have the (only and) Most Important God. That is why they built a temple THERE.  In that exact place. 

It is a very important place on our planet.  Before they built a temple there, one could argue it was the most important place on the earth.  The Temple did not make the place important, it was important BEFORE then.  The Temple just RECOGNIZED the place that was already important.  Geography informs interpretation.

That is why our Jerusalem-ites were confused:  They want to kill him.  That was apparently common knowledge by then.  But somehow the authorities are also allowing Jesus to SPEAK OPENLY, and worse:  SPEAK OPENLY IN THE T-E-M-P-L-E.  Where the Hand of the Lord was stayed 1000 years ago. (David and the avenging angel of the Census 2 Samuel 24).  Where the Hand of the Lord was stayed 2000 years ago when a Ram was provided for the non-sacrifice of Isaac. The Temple was a VERY important place because it rests ON a very important place.  Today, if you go to Jerusalem, there is no more temple.  But THE PLACE IS AS IMPORTANT as ever.  Nothing has changed.  Listen and share in their confusion as to why the authorities let Jesus speak in the MOST IMPORTANT PLACE on EARTH.

Perhaps you are frustrated because you "cannot keep the law"; you cannot be as good of a person as you might envision yourself to be.  You may have an understanding of yourself that is not exactly the image that you portray to the world.  It might be a little less pretty on the insides.

If so, you are in good company.  If you are one who is FRUSTRATED with being one "who is obligated to uphold the law" (Bat Mitzvah), take a number.  We all sit with this situation.

Jesus asks for RIGHT judgment about this.  Let's start with WRONG judgment that happened right then:  Lying, accusation of demon possession, wanting to KILL Jesus, Anger and accusing Him of Breaking the Sabbath Law that He actually invented and understands it pretty well.

The Right judgment?  How about appropriate frustration, "hand over my mouth" soberness, an inward call for HELP and Rescue.  Listen for grace this day.