March 14

EXODUS 25
In late May of 1976 in Stillwater, Oklahoma, I met a girl. She was really pretty. I found out that she had spent the previous summer, 1975, living in Ocean City, New Jersey. I had lived in Ocean City in the summer of 1974. She had dwelt in the same house in which I had dwelt, what a coincidence! We sometimes joke that before we married, we dwelt in the same house together, separately. Our friendship progressed. Seven months after having met her, I determined that I would like to dwell with her all the rest of my days. I talked her into marrying me. In June, slightly over a year from the day we met, we were married, and we began dwelling together. This June we will celebrate 38 years of dwelling together. What a joy it has been to share our lives dwelling together!
The Lord told Moses, “Let them make me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them.” At other places in Scripture the Lord refers to Israel as His ‘bride’ or ‘wife’. Approaching our wedding date, my bride and I began preparing a place to live. We rented a house on the corner of 5th and Hester, and we furnished it. We set it up so that as soon as we returned from our honeymoon, we could begin dwelling together. How about that! The Holy Almighty God wants to dwell among His people as with a spouse! But what does it take for God to dwell with His bride? He describes the furniture of His dwelling place.
His first and foremost piece of furniture, which He commands to be made, is an ark. The Hebrew word ‘arown’ translates variously as “ark, chest, or coffin.” It is a picture of our Lord Jesus. The wood represents His humanity, the gold represents His deity. Together they speak of what the theologians call the “hypostatic union.” That is the two natures or substances constitute one personal subsistence. It is interesting to me that the word can be translated as a coffin. When finished, the tablets of the Ten Commandments were placed inside the ark or coffin, the picture of Jesus. When He went to the cross, He took the charges of the law, The Ten Commandments, which were written against us and wiped them out in His death. Jesus carried them to His tomb and then rose victoriously, having fulfilled the law’s requirement.
On top of the ark was placed the Mercy Seat and Cherubim, made of pure gold. The cherubim are the proclaimers of the holiness of God. The gold represents the deity of Jesus. Once a year on the Day of Atonement, the high priest would sprinkle the blood of the Lamb upon the mercy seat to cover the sins of the people for the next year. It is through the blood of the Lamb of God, Jesus that we receive mercy from God. It is through Jesus that we enter into His mercy
In the Holy Place was the table of showbread. It is also made of wood and covered with gold symbolizing the humanity and deity of Jesus. The bread is a symbol of fellowship with God who gives us life. Jesus said that he was the bread of life. He came so that we might have fellowship with the living, holy, almighty God. Because of Jesus, we can dwell with God! Across the room from the table of showbread was the golden lampstand providing light to the room. Jesus is the light of the world revealing the only true reality. Showing us how our sin is removed and exchanged for His holiness, giving us access to the presence of God. Hebrews 8:5 tells us that the earthly serves as a,

Copy and shadow of the heavenly things, as Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to make the tabernacle. For He said, ‘See that you make all things according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.’

So the Lord has provided for his bride to dwell with Him. He has furnished His dwelling place with that which makes for an enjoyable relationship with Him. It is a loving relationship which He wants with us. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

PSALM 73
A lot of things happen that I do not understand. It is normal to see those who are wholly devoted to walking in the ways of the world become ‘successful.’ This is also true in the American church. Those who compromise the Word of God seem to prosper very much. Like the Psalmist, I sometimes wonder whether I am walking in the right direction. Is it really worth it? The Psalmist was about to conclude, “No, it is not worth it,” until he came into the sanctuary. In the sanctuary he was able to regain his bearings. In the sanctuary he was confronted with the glory of the Eternal God. This earth is but a moment before the Eternal God. The sanctuary was where the Glory dwelt. Outside of the sanctuary we become impressed with the beauties of this world. Outside of the sanctuary our memories of His great glory fade. Outside of the sanctuary our wills soften. Outside of the sanctuary we begin to conform to this world. Outside of the sanctuary we fail to sense that we are on slippery ground-like first time skaters on an ice rink. Outside of the sanctuary I become like an unreasoning beast. But when I come back in the sanctuary, I regain my bearings. When I step back outside after gazing upon His glory in the Sanctuary, I find that He is holding me up in the slippery ice rink of the world, and He never lets go. Consequently, it is good to regularly draw near to Him in the sanctuary to regain my view of His glory, to know that He is walking with me outside. After a life walking with Him, He will receive me into His glory. Can it get any better than this? Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John
P.S. This morning (9/12/12) I learned of yesterday’s attack on the U.S. Embassy in Lybia we have four confirmed dead, including our ambassador. My first response is anger. Indeed that is a righteous response. Anger over murder is not wrong; it is what I do with that anger that can be righteous or unrighteous. It is easy to fall into the mold of the world and demand retaliation for the deaths. It is easy to fall into the mold of the world and wonder how God can be just and permit this to happen. It is easy to fall into the mold of the world and want to take vengeance into my own hands. But when I come into the sanctuary of God, when I remember who He is, when I remember the end of those terrorists, then I realize that God is just, and the end of terrorists is tenuous at best. Those who are far from Him shall perish. Yes they have done horrible things, but God desires them to repent. Unless they repent, they shall perish. It is God’s glory to desire their repentance, but not force repentance, and to grant redemption or perdition dependent upon their repentance.

No Reading in the Poetic or Prophetic books.

MARK 14:1-26
Like many families when I was a kid, we raised many things. At one time or another we had a cat a dog, a covey of rabbits, a parakeet, a hamster, and a variety of fish. But I will never forget raising a bunch of roosters. We bought them as chicks from Stillwater Hatchery. We raised them to the right size and age to eat. Mom was really good at killing those guys. I suppose that I could tell a story or two here, but I will spare you. But one of the things I remember was that having raised the roosters, it put a new light on eating chicken, especially those chickens. One of the roosters I had named Crooked Finger because he had a crooked toe. As we ate the fowl, I often wondered, "Is this Crooked Finger?" Somehow that chicken meat didn't taste quite as good to me as the chicken purchased at the grocery store. (Oh in case you are wondering, we didn't eat our other animals. Just thought you ought to know.)
The Passover meal had been celebrated for over 1470 years by the Jewish people by the time of Jesus' death. Oh sure, there were generations of the nation where the feast was almost lost, but God was the one who initiated the feast, and He always brought back a revival of it. Understanding the Passover is central to understanding the Bible and the whole earthly ministry of Jesus, the Christ. Exodus 12 gives the instructions for how the original Passover was to be carried out. On the tenth day of the first month of the Jewish calendar, each family was to select one lamb. It was to be a lamb without blemish. They essentially lived with the lamb until the 14th day of the month. At twilight they were to slay the lamb, to put blood on the doorposts and lintel, to roast the lamb, and to eat it. All who participated in this event would be spared the visit of the Death Angel that night.
I think selecting the lamb 4 days before slaying it did more than just make sure it was a lamb without blemish. I think it reinforced the whole idea that this innocent being was dying in your place and you could live only by consuming it. Chickens are not the brightest of animals, but they certainly are not as cuddly as a lamb. Was there any emotional bonding between the people and the sacrificial lamb? Who knows! But I suspect there was some.
Jesus makes it very clear to the disciples that He is the central figure in the Passover meal. Covenants at the time of Moses were sealed with a meal. The Passover meal was the covenant meal between God and Israel. He was calling them out of Egypt, calling them out of bondage. But Israel was unable to keep the commands of the covenant. Because of their inability to obey, Jeremiah, at the destruction of Israel, promised a New Covenant which Israel would be able to keep.
Jesus says that His body is the New Covenant through which we are spared the visit of the death angel and given the ability to obey Him. It is one thing to know of Him sacrificing His body for me. It is entirely another to know Him and consider that it was for me that He literally chose to die in my place. The chickens and the lambs didn't have a choice in the matter. He chose to die knowing full well what He was doing. That is part of His glory. He knew. He chose. He died that we might live. It adds a whole different light to communion, particularly when we have bonded to Him in a daily pursuit of His glory. It reminds us of His great love. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john