Making a Differencewith Pastor Phil Erickson

Jan 28th, 2017 A Sanctuary For The Lord – The Saturday Morning Post

Today’s Passage – Exodus 25 – 27 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read – Luke 11 – 12; Proverbs 28; Psalms 136 – 140

Read the “0128 Evening and Morning“ devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

“And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring me an offering: of every man that giveth it willingly with his heart ye shall take my offering. And this is the offering which ye shall take of them; gold, and silver, and brass, And blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats’ hair, And rams’ skins dyed red, and badgers’ skins, and shittim wood, Oil for the light, spices for anointing oil, and for sweet incense, Onyx stones, and stones to be set in the ephod, and in the breastplate. And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them.” (Exodus 25:1-8)

“What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?” (1Corinthians 6:19)

“Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?” (2Corinthians 13:5)

Good morning. In our passage this morning, the Lord wants a sanctuary, a tabernacle, a temple, so He can dwell with His people. God gave Moses specific instructions on how to build it and what material to use, even the quality. How is your temple?

“Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?” (1Corinthians 3:16)

It all starts with Jesus. God said in Exodus 25, verse 2, “…bring Me an offering…”

“And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.” (Ephesians 5:2)

“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” (John 3:14-18)

Also in Exodus 25, verse 2, God said, “…of every man that giveth it willingly with his heart ye shall take my offering.”

When you realized you were a sinner and on your way to Hell, you brought the only offering you could with a willing heart… yourself. And Jesus received you as His own.

“All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.” (John 6:37-40)

He did all that for us. He sacrificed Himself for our sins. He took the punishment that we deserved. And all because He loved us. And yet, we don’t obey Him. We do what we want to do. We drag Him through all the muck and mire of all the ungodly places we frequent. What do you think of the following verses?

“And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.” (Ephesians 4:30)

“Quench not the Spirit.” (1Thesselonians 5:19)

We grieve the Holy Spirit by doing the things we should not be doing. We quench the Holy Spirit by not doing the things we should be doing. So let me ask again, how is your temple? Is it what it should be? Is it a sanctuary for the Lord? Jesus said…

“…and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world…” (Matthew 28:20)

Peace.