Ex. 25:8, “And let them make
me a sanctuary;
that I may dwell among them.”
The title
of this series is “Dwelling with God.” The title of the blog that this series
is a part of is “From God’s Heart to Yours.” I need to share some of God’s
heart on this topic before finishing up the teaching with a review of the applications of the priest's uniform.
Let’s start with
some Scriptures that mostly clearly express God’s desire for what our heart’s
desire should be.
Psalm 84:1 How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of
Heaven’s Armies.
2 I long, yes, I faint with
longing to enter the courts of the Lord. With my whole being, body and soul, I
will shout joyfully to the living God.
3 Even the sparrow finds a home,
and the swallow builds her nest and raises her young at a place near your
altar, O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, my King and my God!
Psalm 27:4 One
thing I have desired of the Lord, That will I seek: That I may dwell in the
house of the Lord All the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the Lord, And
to inquire in His temple.
Psalm 63:1 O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My
soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land Where
there is no water.
2 So I have looked for You in the sanctuary, To see
Your power and Your glory.
3 Because Your loving kindness is better than life,
My lips shall praise You.
While my wife was doing most of the driving down to
and back from Florida on our Christmas trip to see our son and his wife, I had time to lay back and pray, and as I did the Lord
stirred up a heart cry, “God send us people to disciple who will in turn make
disciples.” After I cried out to God for awhile I asked the Lord about what
steps we, as a church, may need to take, or be prepared to take as
HE answers that prayer? The following 6 things came to mind.
1)
Be a people who spend time alone in His Presence. We follow the words of the old song, "Turn your eyes upon Jesus until the things of earth grow strangely dim." Disciples must, above all else, practice the Presence and hear from God personally.
Be a people who spend time alone in His Presence. We follow the words of the old song, "Turn your eyes upon Jesus until the things of earth grow strangely dim." Disciples must, above all else, practice the Presence and hear from God personally.
2) Walking in the Spirit while in the world, we also
practice the Presence. This practice in all parts of life we consequently lead
others by that example.
3) We need to have a powerful prayer life so that
people know we are a people of prayer and seek us out when they face the stuff
of life and realize they need prayer. I’m not necessarily talking about mature
believers. May we have such an experiential understanding of our role as
priests of God that people will seek us out for help.
4) We experience God’s Presence as the power and
experience Him so that others are provoked to do likewise.
5) As we stand in the gap for people we eventually
will see them get connected to Jesus. Then we step into the role of the great
commission and take the opportunity to make disciples.
6) The Lord sending us “fresh fish” may require us to
change our routine, to alter our time priorities, perhaps make changes in our
church services. We need to be willing to do whatever the Lord leads us to do
when He leads us to do it. Jesus is Lord and works all things together for our
good.
Let’s pray
for, and expect, that after a few months of the Evangelistic Crusade type
meetings with Peter Kumar every 1st Friday, we will see this happen.
Let’s make every effort to invite the people that need to hear the message of
salvation, healing and deliverance and that they experience Jesus. May God give
us more and more opportunities to share our testimonies and brag about Jesus to
those outside the church.
Meaningful results of any outreach requires that
the intercessors be faithful to saturate things in prayer.
Exodus 19:6 And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests
and a holy nation.’ …
As we
review the teaching on the priests’ uniform, let’s keep what I just said in
mind. Everything I’ve taught about the Tabernacle all leads to our role in
God’s process of building His church.
God’s Call of the Priesthood:
Heb. 5:4 And
no man takes this honor to himself, but he who is called by God, just as Aaron
was.
5 So also
Christ did not glorify Himself to become High Priest, but it was He who said to
Him: "You are My Son, today I have begotten You.” (NKJ)
Likewise,
we are children of God.
God’s Purpose for the Priesthood
Heb 5:1 For
every high priest taken from among men is appointed for men in things
pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins.
2 He can
have compassion on those who are ignorant and going astray, since he himself is
also beset by weakness.
Moved with
compassion, Jesus did miracles. We should follow His example and see Him do
things beyond our human capabilities.
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God’s Purpose for the Priests Uniform:
Exod 28:2 "And
you shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty.
(NKJV)
Psalm 132:16
I will also clothe her priests with salvation, and her saints shall
shout aloud for joy. (NKJV)
This
calling is to a joyous lifestyle of loving others more than ourselves. It’s is
so rewarding and liberating.
As we looked closely at this uniform, we saw things that apply to how we
conduct ourselves as a nation of priests unto God. It is like when you dress up
in a fancy dress or suit, you are more mindful to watch your manners and are
acutely aware of why you are dressed up. It is also like a solder dressed in
full battle gear, ready to use everything he (or she ) is wearing.
Ø The clothes are a constant reminder of the dignity and
responsibilities of the office the Lord has called us to. We are Christ’s
ambassadors. Our lives reflect Him to the world. We should conduct ourselves in
such a way that people see His love and holiness in us, without hypocrisy,
without grounds for accusation.
Ø These clothes were for beauty and glory. God sees us,
His bride, as beautiful. He invested His Glory in us - Christ in us, the Hope
of Glory.
Review of the NOW applications of various parts of
the uniform
Ø the Golden
Crown of Aaron,
o
Would you live your life any differently if you
wore a hat or tee shirt that said Holy to the Lord on it?
Ø The Ephod, a fancy embroidered over garment held together at the shoulders with
stones engraved with the names of the 12 tribes
o
WE CARRY
THE NAMES OF OUR LOVED ONES ON OUR SHOULDERS
o
Sometimes we may experience this weight as a burden to pray.
Ø The weight on the shoulders was increased
because also hanging from the them was the
Breastplate
of Judgment:
o
9” square plate holding 12 engraved stones is hanging from the shoulders
and fastened around the body, held close to the heart. Each stone was big
enough for the name of a tribe to be on it.
light because
Jesus is the burden bearer.
o
Exodus 28:30 Insert the Urim and Thummim into the sacred chest piece Aaron will always carry over his heart the objects used to determine the Lord’s will for his people.
Hear the
still small voice of God directing your steps.
Bells on the bottom hem of the blue robe
Ex. 28:33 "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:
35 "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.
The fancy
embroidered pomegranates could have been symbolic of the sweetness of God’s
Holy Presence. The bells were a signal to everyone within earshot that the
priest was going into the Holy Place; it was a call to prayer. Thank God it’s
no longer an annual ritual.
Conclusion:
Experiencing the Shekinah.
History changed when the Tabernacle was completed.
Everything was in place. Then suddenly,
like on the day of Pentecost, God did the unexpected and started something
marvelous in motion.
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Ex. 40: 34 Then a cloud covered the tent of the
congregation, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.
35 And Moses was not able to enter into the tent of
the congregation, because the cloud abode thereon, and the glory of the LORD
filled the tabernacle.
All the Hebrew and Greek words translated as
Tabernacle refer to a dwelling place, a booth or a covering. Just as the cloud
covered Israel in the wilderness, and the fire held enemies at bay and provided
light at night, the Shekinah enters our room. Because they followed the cloud
& the fire, they became bearers of the Presence.
Psalm 65:4 Blessed is the man You choose, And cause to
approach You, That he may dwell in Your courts. We shall be satisfied with the
goodness of Your house, Of Your holy temple.
Psalm 85:9 Surely
His salvation is near to those who fear Him, That glory may dwell in our land.
The Almighty dwelling with man, showing us His
glory can be such an awesome demonstration of God’s great love There is nothing
in life as fantastic as experiencing the Shekinah, God’s Manifest Presence in
such awesome power. It causes you to just fall in love with Him, intensely. Things
happen when the Lord shows up in His power. Lives are changed. Miracles,
healings, deliverance, Divine callings are realized. The chains of the power of
sin and of the enemy of our souls are broken. Our emotions react to Him, tears
may flow, hysterical laughter may break out, bodies may shake, people may dance
and sing – all spontaneously.
Let me repeat what I said in my opening of this sermon find an altar, to do this and pray for whatever specific needs you may have. Please, don’t leave still carrying burdens you came in with.
You can send your prayer requests as a MESSAGE from the Glad Tidings Tabernacle facebook page
Let’s pray
for and expect that after a few months of the Evangelistic Crusade type
meetings with Peter Kumar every 1st Friday, we will see this happen.
Let’s make every effort to invite the people that need to hear the message of
salvation, healing and deliverance and to come to Glad Tidings Tabernacle, that they experience Jesus. May God give
us more and more opportunities to share our testimonies and brag about Jesus to
those outside the church.
