Thoughts in Worship

Message Magazine's Online Devotional for Friday, November 3, 2017

Audio Link: https://www.spreaker.com/user/reachmanyradio/thoughts-in-worship-11-03-2017

This is devotional thought number 51 and final in our devotional series, “Removing the Veil: Sanctuary Living in the 21st Century.”

We have invested quality time in directing our minds to the plan of salvation as taught in the sanctuary services on earth in the Old Testament. We have shown how Jesus is our Sanctuary. We have seen the purpose of sanctuary living, which is for God to dwell in us beginning now, so we can live with Him forever. When sin has been finally eliminated from the universe, God will receive His reward - the blessing of having His faithful children with Him.
There is so much more to cover, but we must conclude our series here, with somewhat of a comprehensive view, so we can move to our next series titled, “The Protest is Not Over: Transformation is Key to Reformation.” Considering the times, we need to cut our sanctuary series short.
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“And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.” (Revelation 12:10).

The truth surrounding this verse is encouraging. Our focus will be the accuser of our brethren being cast down, who accused them before God day and night. There is never a time when the devil is not tempting, seeking to destroy, or accusing us before God. He is constantly working toward our demise. His issue with humankind is connected to his hatred for God, and his own impending doom. He realizes that he has but a short time (Revelation 12:12).
In the Old Testament services, during the time of atonement, which came once every year, many elements of God’s judgment were revealed. The high priest would appear before the majesty of God in the holy of holies, while the people of Israel afflicted their souls making certain nothing came between them and their God. There was a selection process to decide between two goats - which would be the Lord’s goat and which would be the scapegoat. The Lord’s goat would be the sacrifice made for the atonement of the sins of the people, signifying the substitutionary death that Jesus would experience to save us from our sins. The scapegoat would have all of the purged sins for which the Lord’s goat atoned, laid on its head signifying ultimate responsibility for the sin, and the people were completely cleansed. This goat represented the devil and it was taken by a strong man into the wilderness where it was left to die with the sins symbolically on its head (Leviticus 16). A major component in this entire process was that those who accepted the responsibility for their sin, confessed them to God, forsook them, and those who believed in the atonement process would have the record of their sin blotted out. This is important.
In the Jewish economy the justice system was simple. In a court-like setting there was a judge, advocate, accuser, and the accused. The judge and advocate was the same person. Did you know that Jesus is both judge and advocate for His people in the judgment (John 5:22; 1 John 2:1)? If the accuser did not bring a strong enough case against the accused, it was not merely thrown out; the penalty was transferred from the accused to the accuser. This is a glorious truth. The accuser, that is, the devil, is without evidence against the people of God, because we love the Lord, and He expunges our record of sin because of Jesus’ sacrifice (Zechariah 3). This means that the ultimate punishment for sin is symbolically transferred from the sinner, to the Lord, to the sanctuary, and ultimately it lands on the head of the...