Thoughts in Worship

Message Magazine's Online Devotional for Sunday, September 24, 2017

Audio Link: https://www.spreaker.com/user/reachmanyradio/thoughts-in-worship-09-24-2017

This is devotional thought number 11 in our devotional series, “Removing the Veil: Sanctuary Living in the 21st Century.” Our subject is: When God Speaks

Here’s the question for consideration: When God has something to say and we are willing to listen, what’s next?

“And when the voice of the trumpet sounded long, and waxed louder and louder, Moses spake, and God answered him by a voice. And the Lord came down upon mount Sinai, on the top of the mount: and the Lord called Moses up to the top of the mount; and Moses went up.” (Exodus 19:19–20).

The journey continues. The trumpets are sounding; the mountain is engulfed and smoking; the earth is quaking; thunders are clapping; lightning is flashing; the people are trembling, and now, YHWH is speaking. Are God’s people ready to listen? Moses spoke. What might He have said? I think this Scripture gives us an idea: “In fact, so awful and terrifying was the [phenomenal] sight that Moses said, I am terrified (aghast and trembling with fear).” (Hebrews 12:21, AMP). Now what?

This is the question we must all ask ourselves. When God is speaking and all around us and in our lives suggests that He trying to get our attention, what do we do next? If we even tell Him of our fear, awe, trembling, uncertainty, or wonderment, where do we go from there? The Bible says that God took this encounter a step further and welcomed Moses into His presence. Even this is awe inspiring because the Bible says that God came down and personally welcomed Moses up. Does that remind you of anything? Generally, we can see this as the condescension of God. However, we can also apply this to life events facilitating prayer encounters with God. Think about it. Jesus said that when we pray, we recognize that our Father is in heaven. The One whose name is Holy and whose kingdom is coming as He prepares to accomplish the fulness of His will on earth, as it is done in heaven abides in heavenly places. This means that when we pray as the Holy Spirit welcomes us into communion with God, He welcomes us up to His throne of grace. While the privilege of prayer, in many ways, is God condescending to give us access, His purpose is to immediately elevate us, spiritually, to where He is. In His presence we find victory over sin. There’s no sin in His throne room. In His presence, we find relief from worry and doubt. There’s no worry in His throne room. In His presence we find peace. There is no discord or strife in His throne room. Thus it is that prayer elevates us to heavenly places. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:” (Ephesians 1:3–4). “And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:6–10).

When God has something to say and we are willing to listen, what’s next? When we listen keenly to God’s will for our lives, He immediately begins to elevate us to personal communion with Him where we will receive power to live according to Jesus Christ’s example. As long as we continue to breathe in His...

Thoughts in Worship

Message Magazine's Online Devotional for Sabbath, September 23, 2017

Audio Link: https://www.spreaker.com/user/reachmanyradio/thoughts-in-worship-09-23-2017

This is devotional thought number 10 in our devotional series, “Removing the Veil: Sanctuary Living in the 21st Century.” Our subject is: A Change in the Atmosphere

Here’s the question for consideration: What happens when God moves upon the scene of our lives?

“And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly.” (Exodus 19:18).

When God moves into a situation, one thing is certain: everything and everyone will be changed.

Picture the scene. The people of God had been preparing for another miraculous God event. They had already seen Pharaoh utterly vanquished by signs, wonders, judgments, and plagues. They had already experienced miraculous deliverance from bondage and dry passage through the midst of the Red Sea. They had already experienced the Lord’s mercy as He dealt with their incessant murmurings. And they had already experienced the miracle of bread from heaven. Now, they were preparing to worship God on a level they had not hitherto experienced. He was going to invade their space with a supernatural presence that would literally change the atmosphere. As our Lord descended upon the mountain, it was engulfed in a non-consuming flame, covered in billows of smoke that did not harm His people, and amid the quaking of earth, which did not destroy the mountain. God changed the atmosphere as He prepared His people to have a close encounter they never could have imagined. They met with Almighty YHWH (blessed be His name)! YHWH came in peace. This is why nobody and nothing was destroyed at the awesomeness of His entrance.

What happens when God moves into your space? Does the atmosphere change? If so, in what ways does it change. Do you recognize when He begins to shake things up in your life so He can get your attention? Do you accept the refining process the fires of God’s curated trials create in your life? Do your prayers ascend like smoke to the throne of God so you can commune with Him? God loves us. His will is for our encounters to be life-changing, yet not destructive. Will we need to surrender and make some difficult changes at times? Yes. Will our lives sometimes burn with tribulations? Yes. Will the effects of our trials linger sometimes? Yes. However, when we worship God continually, as He creates a holy atmosphere in our lives, we will experience higher levels and revelations of His presence. If we remain faithful through the process, we will soon see Him face-to-face. That is the goal, isn’t it? Don’t we want to see God’s face, which only those whom He’s purified will see, and live?

What happens when God moves upon the scene of our lives? Well, if we cooperate with Him, He will carry us through the process to make us holy while He fully restores our characters into His image.—L. David Harris (www.LDavidHarris.com)

#theprotestisnotover #sanctuary

Thoughts in Worship

Message Magazine's Online Devotional for Friday, September 22, 2017

Audio Link: https://buff.ly/2gH49r4

This is devotional thought number 9 in our devotional series, “Removing the Veil: Sanctuary Living in the 21st Century.” Our subject is: Preparing to Meet the Lord

Here’s the question for consideration: What principle must we get deep down inside if we want to experience sanctuary living?

“And Moses went down from the mount unto the people, and sanctified the people; and they washed their clothes.” (Exodus 19:14).

Everybody needs to bathe. Everybody needs to wear clean clothing if we want to look presentable in public. We may not have the newest fashion or clothing purchased within the last few months, but well made, clean clothing provides a confidence boost when we leave our homes to work, play, gt to school, or assemble for worship. God brilliantly uses this basic reality to teach us a divine principle that transcends time and human ingenuity—having the righteousness of Christ.

Yesterday, we discussed that God loves us so much that He put various boundaries in place to protect us from the stark contrast between His holiness and our unholiness as He transforms us into the image of His dear Son and prepares us to live in His presence forever. Today, we see that principle further developed through the cleansing that must take place as we approach His presence. The Bible is clear, and we’ve talked about this several times over the last several months; our righteousness is filthy. Any good work we can do in our own strength is unacceptable to God. So, when He told Moses to sanctify (i.e. set aside for holy use) the people, and for them to wash their garments, He was manifesting His willingness to cleanse them from all sin to establish a bond with them.

The problem many of us have is that we either disregard the ten commandments, and thus have no clear conception of sin, or we do get it and don’t care. Thankfully, there are many who do care, but stay with me. As the Holy Spirit shows us where our lives have gone wrong and how God wants to sanctify us to Himself, He gives us the power to humble ourselves and receive the blessing of Jesus’ righteousness on our behalf. If we accept Jesus’ righteousness, we are saying that we do not trust our own good works; we do not relish our sin habits; we are willing to submit to His leading; and that we are confident in the perfect character of Christ to represent us in judgment. The blessing is that at every stage of this development, the Holy Spirit is teaching and empowering us. He is instilling the commands and guidance of Christ, into our minds. If we will choose to trust in Him continually, we will be prepared to see Him face-to-face without fear when He returns.
In the last book in the Bible, John saw people who embrace this principle to the fullest. Here’s what he saw: “...I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen. And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” (Revelation 7:9–14). All who...

Thoughts in Worship

Message Magazine's Online Devotional for Thursday, September 21, 2017

Audio Link: https://www.spreaker.com/user/reachmanyradio/thoughts-in-worship-09-21-2017

This is devotional thought number 8 in our devotional series, “Removing the Veil: Sanctuary Living in the 21st Century.” Our subject is: A Foretaste of Glory Divine

Here’s the question for consideration: Can God be teaching us lessons even before we know it?

“And thou shalt set bounds unto the people round about, saying, Take heed to yourselves, that ye go not up into the mount, or touch the border of it: whosoever toucheth the mount shall be surely put to death: There shall not an hand touch it, but he shall surely be stoned, or shot through; whether it be beast or man, it shall not live: when the trumpet soundeth long, they shall come up to the mount.” (Exodus 19:12–13).

One thing we must understand about God is that He loves us so much that He must protect us from His essence. Was that confusing? Let me say it this way: the Bible says God is a consuming fire. Sin is flammable. We are sinners. The Old Testament believers understood, in a literal sense, that anyone who stumbled into the presence of God would be consumed. However, God loves us so much, that He put enough separation between us and Him, and then gave us the mediation and blueprint necessary to deal with the sin problem, so we could indeed “...come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16).

It must be difficult for God (I can’t think of another way to say this) to love people with an everlasting love and have to wait until He’s finished refining us, to have face to face communion with us. How must He feel, knowing that we are not ready yet? How much must heaven be anticipating the day when there will be no more sin for us to confess and forsake, no sadness, no pain, and no more separation? How happy will God be when He can finally give us a great big hug? Think about it. He and Enoch were so close, that He could not wait thousands of years to have the kind of closeness I described. This is why the Bible says, “And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.” (Genesis 5:24). Enoch took full advantage of the relationship he could enjoy, in his human form, fashioning his life after God’s plan for him; and thus, God fast forwarded his entrance into the kingdom of heaven. Enoch went to heaven and now literally walks and talks with God. He sees God’s actual face. He hears God’s actual voice. He has conversations with holy angels. He has already received the gift of immortality we all are looking forward to receiving. How did that happen? God set bounds. He installed appropriate safeguards as Enoch learned to pray, listen, receive, comply, surrender, grow, follow, and grow some more. He experienced the most of God a human being could, and God took Him to the next level. He removed the boundary. All of Enoch’s sins, inadequacies, etc., were resolved by the God he loved. Then, it was safe to usher him into His full presence.

We will see God’s handiwork, in moving us through the stages of relationship as we continue our devotional thoughts here. We will see that all things have a time and season, with God. We will see that God set boundaries, for a time, so we can be prepared for next-level living. We should be thankful that God loves us enough to be patient and walk with us, step-by-step, as we approach His throne. We should be thankful that we have Jesus Christ to mediate our experience along the way. One day soon, another trumpet shall sound and all who have kept the faith and finished the race, will join Enoch in God’s presence and receive their crowns of life. Be faithful. It will not be long.—L. David Harris...

Thoughts in Worship

Message Magazine's Online Devotional for Wednesday, September 20, 2017

Audio Link: https://www.spreaker.com/user/reachmanyradio/thoughts-in-worship-09-20-2017

This is devotional thought number 7 in our devotional series, “Removing the Veil: Sanctuary Living in the 21st Century.” Our subject is: Mediation

Here’s the question for consideration: How does God establish a link with people even though sin creates separation?

“And the Lord said unto Moses, Lo, I come unto thee in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with thee, and believe thee for ever. And Moses told the words of the people unto the Lord.” (Exodus 19:9).

One major problem we have, being sinful human beings, is that we are sinful human beings. I suppose that is obvious, but what may not be as obvious is how God bridges the divide between us and Him. How does He continue to be a holy consuming fire, and not destroy us immediately due to our unholiness. Here’s one word with which we all must become acquainted throughout this series—mediation. Mediation, in our context, is the process of someone going in to God for us, and coming out from God to us. We need someone who can speak to the Father on our behalf, through whom He can teach us His ways and guide us on the path of righteousness. The Bible says, “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;” (1 Timothy 2:5). All God-ordained mediation is a microcosm of Jesus fulfilling His ministry of mediating our prayers, resolution of our sin problem, and fitting us for eternal kingdom living.

OK, so we are clear that Jesus is the singular mediator between heaven and earth in the New Testament era. The ceremonial priesthood that we will discuss as we move through this series of devotional thoughts, was fulfilled in Christ, and thereby made null and void upon His death, burial, resurrection, and ministry in heaven. One foundational reality of Protestantism is the fact that while every believer has a ministry of reconciliation, wherein we can pray for and entreat others to give their lives into God’s care, no human priest or faith community in our times can mediate anyone’s salvation. No human being or faith community can merit, reward, qualify, or disqualify anyone’s connection to the Creator. But, we must not miss the lessons God communicated in the Old Testament, which help us understand His present work through Christ in this vein.

Today’s Scripture focus shows the way God manifested His approval of Moses’ special mediation. I will admit, his ministry was unique in that He was not part of the priestly order, yet God used him in unique ways to draw people to Himself and to communicate His will to them. “And the Lord said unto Moses, See, I have made thee a god to Pharaoh: and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet. Thou shalt speak all that I command thee: and Aaron thy brother shall speak unto Pharaoh, that he send the children of Israel out of his land.” (Exodus 7:1–2). Our lesson from all of this is that there are people who show disdain for the servants of God. They show rebellious disregard for the authority and leadership God has placed upon their ministries. Forecasting that fact, and creating insulation against all confusion, God placed His undeniable stamp of approval upon those He called to represent Him. In the case of Moses, God welcomed Him up to the top of the mountain and then elevated him further by enfolding him into a thick cloud, which nobody could penetrate. He spoke to Moses directly so all others could hear. He radiated His light through Moses’ countenance on a at least one occasion. He communicated His will through Moses. He taught the people concerning His blessings, curses, and all other truths they needed to navigate life. He...

Thoughts in Worship

Message Magazine's Online Devotional for Tuesday, September 19, 2017

Audio Link: https://buff.ly/2vW1e37

This is devotional thought number 6 in our devotional series, “Removing the Veil: Sanctuary Living in the 21st Century.” Our subject is: Just When You THOUGHT You Knew it All

Here’s the question for consideration: Did YHWH have a plan for His people, even in the Old Testament era?

“Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.” (Exodus 19:5–6).

Here’s something you absolutely must recognize about God if you wish to worship Him in spirit and in truth. God, the One who inhabits eternity thinks long-term. His thoughts are not our thoughts. His ways are not our ways. As the heavenly bodies and the very throne room itself are higher than the earth, as God’s ways and thoughts higher than our ways and thoughts. While most of us were casting a forward vision into New Testament era for God to establish a royal priesthood of all His people, and a holy nation, He was moving to do so as He taught the Old Testament peoples through the symbols that represented the coming Messiah. While you were thinking He had to wait for the veil to be rent from top to bottom at the death of Christ for Him to reveal His intentions for the entire body of believers and heirs according to the promise He made to Abraham, He was already at work to manifest His royal plan through anyone who would keep covenant with Him and obey His voice. Now, for those of you that may be a stickler for the details (like me), don’t worry. You have already read the facts in our theme text.

It is true indeed that God needed to deliver His children from Egyptian bondange before He could teach them covenant living. It is true that we need to be delivered from the penalty and power of sin, by faith in the blood of Jesus so we can be equipped to live holy lives. It is true that the Old Testament peoples needed to walk through the the training of rites, ceremonies, priests, high priests, sacrifices, etc., to begin to understand the depth and breadth of the cost of sin. It is true that all of this and more prefigured Jesus Christ giving His all to save us. However, if God were to wait for those folks to finally get it, fully, to establish His intention to make them a royal priesthood, it would have been too late for them to finally function as such.

When we are training our children for entrepreneurship, some parents set up the famed lemonade stand. The parents buy the lemons, sugar, pitchers, cups, materials for building the stand, and paper for getting the word out. The parents do all of the heavy lifting while they enlist the help of their children to do what they can according to their stage of development. OK. Got it. It would not make sense to talk to them about investors, venture capitalists, OPM (other people’s money), balance sheets, depreciation, revenues, profits, etc. They just wouldn’t get it, even if they are very intelligent. It would not make sense talking about the the various tax benefits of trusts, corporations, partnerships, etc. They really don’t need all of that at the moment while we set their foundation to become wise entrepreneurs.

However, it would be foolhardy of us to wait until they’re are old to give them a good work ethic, teach them responsibility with their supplies, teach them how to get the word out, and sell a quality product at competitive rates. Afterall, while fresh lemonade being sold from a giant makeshift wooden box with the back cut out of it may be quaint, the supermarket down the road could easily undercut their...

Thoughts in Worship

Message Magazine's Online Devotional for Monday, September 18, 2017

Audio Link: https://www.spreaker.com/user/reachmanyradio/thoughts-in-worship-09-18-2017

This is devotional thought number 5 in our devotional series, “Removing the Veil: Sanctuary Living in the 21st Century.” Our subject is: Preparing to Tabernacle With God

Here’s the question for consideration: What steps does God take to prepare us for sanctuary living?

“And Moses went up unto God, and the Lord called unto him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel; Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself. Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.” (Exodus 19:3–6).

God always has a plan. If we learn to trust Him and follow His plan, we will be saved.

Now we have a birdseye view of God’s plan of salvation. Paul said that the children of Israel were given to us as examples for our learning. What I notice immediately from our theme text is how God prepared the people for holiness. Think about it. The children of Israel were in captivity for many years. They only knew the Egyptian master’s scourge. They were subjugated by a power, that, in past generations elevated one of their brothers to provide help to the entire world during seven years of famine. Their master saw them as a threat, disrespected their God, owned their children, controlled their food, attempted to obliterate their religion, and forced free labor to elevate themselves. Does this sound familiar? So if God was ever to keep His promise to Abraham, that his offspring would be plentiful upon the face of the earth, and inherit the land now inhabited by innumerable enemies, He would need to lead them on a success path that would change their hearts, build their trust, increase their faith, vanquish their enemies, and glorify their God. Step one: deliverance.

If God is preparing us for sanctuary living (i.e. holy living), He first needs to give us a downpayment on that holiness. He miraculously delivered the children of Israel from Egyptian slavery first, and then promised them power, prestige, and holiness if they would just obey Him. Notice that, with God, deliverance comes first. If God were to tell a sin addict to keep His law without delivering that addict from slavery to sin, it would be a recipe for failure. Paul said the carnal mind cannot please God. It cannot be subject to the law of God. Why? That mind has another master—sin/the devil. When you have an opportunity, please read Romans 6-8 and you’ll see what I mean. God breaks the spell unfettered sin has upon us when, through His strength, we accept Him as our Lord and Savior. In a simultaneous transaction, the Holy Spirit begins to empower us to actually live according to our calling. When we receive Him into our lives, we become His children; that is our calling (John 1:11-12; Romans 8:29). And having become His children by faith, we learn to live like children of God. God’s miraculous deliverance begets the power to live holy lives in God’s presence.

If you are yearning to experience the fullness of sanctuary living, accept God’s plan of deliverance, learn to follow His plan, and when you’re feeling faint under trials, don’t give up! Take courage in the following passage: “Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, My way is hid from the Lord, And my judgment is passed over from my God? Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, That the...

Thoughts in Worship

Message Magazine's Online Devotional for Sunday, September 17, 2017

Audio Link: https://www.spreaker.com/user/reachmanyradio/thoughts-in-worship-09-17-2017

This is devotional thought number 4 in our devotional series, “Removing the Veil: Sanctuary Living in the 21st Century.” Our subject is: Understanding Shadows

Here’s the question for consideration: How are we to understand the principle of patterns so we can stay on track?

“And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them. According to all that I shew thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it.” (Exodus 25:8–9).

Well, before we get too deep here let me say one thing of certainty: shadows, types, figures, representations, symbols, and the like help us get a picture of the genuine article, but are not such themselves. Just as the Bible enjoins that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Ghost, and that we are to follow Jesus’ example, yet even when we follow His example we are not Him, such is the case with the sanctuary, as we know it. Simply stated, we are representatives of Christ; reflectors of His light in the world, but He is the true light. Likewise, whatever we learn about the Old Testament sanctuary on earth is a representation of the higher, more perfect entity of the heavenly sanctuary, and ultimately, Jesus Christ Himself. If we don’t get that straight in our minds early, we will certainly get off track. God would have us learn eternal lessons from the symbols and not try to squeeze the eternal realities into their earthly shadows’ mold. Just as shadows give us a view of that upon which the light is shining, the shadows of the Old Testament sanctuary, its articles, services, ceremonies, etc., also give us a view of God’s ministry of salvation, in heavenly places. After the Old Testament system of sacrifices met their fulfillment in Christ, inspiration taught us the following: “For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:” (Hebrews 9:24). As we learn more on this subject, it will become vital that we hearken back to my near perseverative coverage on this point.

Here’s another way of expressing the thought, in living color examples. The Ark of the Covenant in the OT sanctuary had a lid on it called the mercy seat, over which the presence of YHWH hovered. Are we to assume that in heaven there’s a box made of shittim wood over which the presence hovers, or that YHWH sits upon His throne? He sits upon His throne. Crafted on either side of the ark were two cherubims. Are we to assume that images of cherubims are represented in heaven, or that there are real live covering cherubs attending the throne? God has real cherubs attending Him. There was a golden candlestick with seven lamps fueled by olive oil in the sanctuary. Are we to assume heaven needs a light or does it represent the seven spirits of God? There was an altar of incense just before the veil before the presence of God. Is there an actual altar presently in heaven whereon is special incense burning, or does this all represent the prayers of the saints, which Jesus and the Holy Ghost make acceptable to the Father on our behalf?

I could go on, but suffice it to say, we have so much to learn through the OT sanctuary symbols about what God is currently doing for us. We will take our time, and with the aid of the Holy Spirit, we will discover sweet truths that will engender praise, thanksgiving, respect, and full-on worship of our wonderful Savior. Put on your seatbelts, dear friends. It’s going to be a wonderful ride, in Jesus’ name.—L. David Harris (

Thoughts in Worship

Message Magazine's Online Devotional for Saturday, September 16, 2017

Audio Link: https://www.spreaker.com/user/reachmanyradio/thoughts-in-worship-09-16-2017

This is devotional thought number 3 in our devotional series, “Removing the Veil: Sanctuary Living in the 21st Century.” Our subject is: The Pattern We Must Follow

Here’s the question for consideration: What is the Sanctuary?

“And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them. According to all that I shew thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it.” (Exodus 25:8–9).

Let me answer today’s question at the outset. The sanctuary, during the Old Testament era was a place especially designed according to the blueprint God gave, for the purpose of connecting God and humanity. It was the place upon which God descended to give special guidance to His people through signs, ceremonies, practices, and the priestly order. It was a place where God’s people could surrender their sins, in exchange for agreement with God. It was where God’s people learned to fellowship with one another. The Scriptures say that the Old Testament sanctuary was a place of worship, which was a symbol or shadow of the true sanctuary in heaven. The sanctuary is all of this, and more.

I’m not sure if you know this or not, but the sanctuary, whether on earth in the Old Testament or in heaven today, though very real places, direct our attention to a higher principle. All things sanctuary represent Jesus Christ Himself, which is why it matters how we treat this subject. This is much larger than a structural blueprint. It’s much larger than even recognizing there is a sanctuary above (we’ll talk about that in the future). The sanctuary, in its essence, is God. “Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, Or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, Even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.” (Psalm 90:1–2). “Be thou my strong habitation, whereunto I may continually resort: Thou hast given commandment to save me; For thou art my rock and my fortress. Deliver me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked, Out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man.” (Psalm 71:3–4). “Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord God; Although I have cast them far off among the heathen, and although I have scattered them among the countries, yet will I be to them as a little sanctuary in the countries where they shall come. Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord God; I will even gather you from the people, and assemble you out of the countries where ye have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.” (Ezekiel 11:16–17).

If you search the Scriptures from Genesis to revelation, you will find scores of verses that say clearly that our God is our refuge, fortress, and protection—a sanctuary. And as we said the other day, the sanctuary God introduced to the Old Testament peoples was a manifestation of the Emmanuel (i.e. God with us) Principle. Therefore, it makes sense why the same God who called himself a sanctuary to His people in Ezekiel 11, would manifest that reality. “Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days? But he spake of the temple of his body. When therefore he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this unto them; and they believed the scripture, and the word which Jesus had said.” (John 2:19–22). Thus, it also makes sense, then, why John said the following about Jesus Christ in the Revelation: “And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the...

Thoughts in Worship

Message Magazine's Online Devotional for Friday, September 15, 2017

Audio Link: https://www.spreaker.com/user/reachmanyradio/thoughts-in-worship-09-15-2017

This is devotional thought number 2 in our devotional series, “Removing the Veil: Sanctuary Living in the 21st Century.” Our subject is: Moving Back in With God

Here’s the question for consideration: What is the real purpose of the sanctuary?

“And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” (Revelation 21:3–4).

What a day of rejoicing that will be! When we all see Jesus, see our heavenly Father, and experience the blessed Holy Spirit, it will be a day of rejoicing. When we see those angels who excel in strength, and kept their charge to protect us from evil forces, it will be a day of rejoicing. When we have finished our work during the thousand years we live in heaven and are blessed to take an elevator ride down to the earth inside the New Jerusalem, it will be a day of rejoicing. When God finally destroys every root and branch of sin, it will be a day of rejoicing! When the New Jerusalem rests upon the New Earth and the tabernacle of God is with humanity, it will be a day of rejoicing. Look forward to that day. Prepare for that day. Sing wondrous songs leading up to that day. It won’t be long now, but first we all need to move back in with God.

A dramatic indication of broken relationship is when a beleaguered spouse takes his or her things and leaves the marital home. There may have been abuse, adultery, knock down drag out arguments, insults, rage, etc., that eventually led to storming out the door without looking back. That’s sort of how we are in our relationship with God, at times. When we are deceived into thinking we cannot live another day with Him and we choose darling sins instead remaining in the spiritual house with Him, we storm out the door. The problem is, there’s a big bad world out there that will buffet and destroy us if we do not get to safety; and fast! As always, God made the first move to facilitate the process.

We learned yesterday that God removed the frilly little fig leaves of human devising, from Adam and Eve, and covered them fully with the symbol of Jesus Christ’s righteousness, coats of skins. We did not talk about the verses that followed that exchange. The Bible says, “And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever: Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.” (Genesis 3:22–24). God had to evict Adam and Eve so they would not perpetuate their sinfulness by eating from the Tree of Life while in that state. The man and woman for whom the garden was created, had to go; but they did not go without God enacting His plan to move them back in, in due time. What a day of rejoicing that will be!

Fast forward many years to a time when Adam and Eve’s offspring were enslaved in Egypt because the Pharaoh feared the blessings God gave His people under the leadership of Joseph, now deceased. To make a long story short, God enacted a plan to obliterate their slavemaster, release them from bondage, and move them into a land He...