Monday, August 23, 2010, 6:40 a.m. – I woke this morning to this song in mind:
We Are Standing On Holy Ground / Bill Gaither
When I walk through the doors I sensed His presence
And I knew this was a place where love abounds
For this is a temple the God we love abides here
Oh we are standing in His presence on holy ground
In His presence I know there is joy beyond all measure
And at His feet sweet peace of mind can still be found
For when we have a need He is still the answer
Reach out and claim it for we are standing on holy ground
We are standing on holy ground
For I know that there are angels all around
Let us praise Jesus now
For we are standing in His presence on holy ground
Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read Revelation 20-22 for my quiet time with the Lord, which speaks of holiness, being priests of God, reigning with Christ for a thousand years, the camp of God’s people, the city he loves, and the Holy City, the new Jerusalem (prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband), i.e. we are (or will be) that Holy City, the wife of the Lamb. There is no temple in this new city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life. It says, “Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city.”
My Thoughts: These verses in Revelation 20-22 are speaking of the future, when Jesus returns for his bride. So, what does that mean for now? As I read the words to this song and then these scripture verses, these questions came to mind, “What is holy ground?” And, “What does it mean to stand on holy ground?” To answer these questions, the first step I believe the Lord led me to take is to examine, in light of scripture, this first stanza of this song, “We are standing on holy ground.” So, I want to look at these specific words and/or phrases:
1. Door(s) – the song said, “When I walk through the doors I sensed His presence.” So, I asked myself, what doors?
2. Place – the song said, “And I knew this was a place where love abounds.” So, I asked myself, where is this place?
3. Temple – the song said, “For this is a temple the God we love abides here.” So, I asked myself, what temple? What is the temple?
4. Stand on holy ground – the song said, “Oh we are standing in His presence on holy ground.” So, I asked myself, what is “holy ground” and what does it mean to “stand on holy ground”?
5. His Presence – the song said, “Oh we are standing in His presence…” So, I asked myself, what is meant by His presence? Where is God’s presence found?
Door – Def: gate; entry; access; admission; way in.
Matthew 7:13-14 says this (Jesus speaking): “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”
Luke 13:23-25: Someone asked him, "Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?"
He said to them, 24"Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. 25Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, 'Sir, open the door for us.'
"But he will answer, 'I don't know you or where you come from.'
John 10:7: Therefore Jesus said again, "I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep.
John 14:6: Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
So, there are no “doors” into God’s presence. There is only one door; one gate; and one way into God’s presence, and that door is Jesus Christ crucified, dead, raised from the dead, ascended to the Father and coming again. He died for our sins and it is by grace, through faith that we are saved. It is a narrow door, because it means dying to our old way of sin, being crucified with Christ, and raised to walk a new life of faith and obedience to our Lord.
Place – Def: home; residence; dwelling.
Ephesians 2:22: And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.
I Corinthians 3:9: For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building.
Acts 17:24: The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth, and does not live in temples built by hands.
Romans 8:11: And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.
I Corinthians 3:16-17: Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him; for God's temple is sacred, and you are that temple.
So, the “place”, i.e. this temple where the God we love abides (lives; dwells) is in the hearts and lives of true believers in Jesus Christ. God no longer dwells in temples (buildings) built by human hands. He lives in us. We are God’s temple. So, Jesus is the door into God’s presence via salvation provided by his death on the cross for our sins so that we could go free (free from the penalty, bondage to and control of sin over our lives). And, if we are the temple; if God dwells within us, then when we enter a physical building built by human hands, we need to understand that the building is not God’s temple; it is not His church. His church is people. His sanctuary is in our hearts, not in a physical building.
The church, i.e. God’s temple is not a place where we can go or attend, such as people ask me, “What church do you attend?” When the Bible referred to the church, it said, “The church that meets at…” We have it backwards when we say we attend such and such a church, meaning a building or a denomination or a physical structure, organization, business, etc. So, when the scriptures tell us not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together and it says, as well, that where two or more are gathered together in God’s name that he is there in the midst of them, it is speaking of the assembling of true believers in Jesus with other true believers in Jesus wherever they assemble, whether it be at home, in a parking lot, the mall, a restaurant, on the internet, etc.
So, to rephrase these first three lines of this song, I would say that when I walked through The Door (Jesus Christ), I entered into God’s presence. I knew this was the place, i.e. the presence of God now living in my heart where God’s love abounds. For my heart and life is a temple now where the God I love abides, lives and dwells, and I am standing in His presence on holy ground. So, if Jesus is the door into God’s presence, and now God dwells within my heart via his Holy Spirit so that I (and the church) am now His temple, then the “holy ground” would have to be inside my heart. So, what does it mean, then, to stand on this “holy ground”?
I know of no other scripture passage that answers that question any better than this passage in Ephesians 6:10-18:
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
To stand means to be unwavering; resolute; determined; steadfast; and to persevere, etc. The word holy means to be set apart from the world, and for God. And, ground means “a reason or basis” for your belief; and “to stick resolutely to decisions, attitudes, or principles in the face of pressure to abandon them” (Encarta). So, this is what it truly means to “stand on holy ground,” i.e. to stand on our faith, on our relationship with Jesus Christ, on our commitment to obey him, to live lives set apart from the world and for God, and to be resolute and determined to not abandon our faith in the face of all opposition.
To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God… He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death… To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it… To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations… He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels… Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on him my new name… To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne… and, He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son. [Ref: Revelation 2 & 3]
http://www.englishclub.com/ref/esl/..._to_water_but_you_can_t_make_it_drink_570.htm
We Are Standing On Holy Ground / Bill Gaither
When I walk through the doors I sensed His presence
And I knew this was a place where love abounds
For this is a temple the God we love abides here
Oh we are standing in His presence on holy ground
In His presence I know there is joy beyond all measure
And at His feet sweet peace of mind can still be found
For when we have a need He is still the answer
Reach out and claim it for we are standing on holy ground
We are standing on holy ground
For I know that there are angels all around
Let us praise Jesus now
For we are standing in His presence on holy ground
Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read Revelation 20-22 for my quiet time with the Lord, which speaks of holiness, being priests of God, reigning with Christ for a thousand years, the camp of God’s people, the city he loves, and the Holy City, the new Jerusalem (prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband), i.e. we are (or will be) that Holy City, the wife of the Lamb. There is no temple in this new city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life. It says, “Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city.”
My Thoughts: These verses in Revelation 20-22 are speaking of the future, when Jesus returns for his bride. So, what does that mean for now? As I read the words to this song and then these scripture verses, these questions came to mind, “What is holy ground?” And, “What does it mean to stand on holy ground?” To answer these questions, the first step I believe the Lord led me to take is to examine, in light of scripture, this first stanza of this song, “We are standing on holy ground.” So, I want to look at these specific words and/or phrases:
1. Door(s) – the song said, “When I walk through the doors I sensed His presence.” So, I asked myself, what doors?
2. Place – the song said, “And I knew this was a place where love abounds.” So, I asked myself, where is this place?
3. Temple – the song said, “For this is a temple the God we love abides here.” So, I asked myself, what temple? What is the temple?
4. Stand on holy ground – the song said, “Oh we are standing in His presence on holy ground.” So, I asked myself, what is “holy ground” and what does it mean to “stand on holy ground”?
5. His Presence – the song said, “Oh we are standing in His presence…” So, I asked myself, what is meant by His presence? Where is God’s presence found?
Door – Def: gate; entry; access; admission; way in.
Matthew 7:13-14 says this (Jesus speaking): “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”
Luke 13:23-25: Someone asked him, "Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?"
He said to them, 24"Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. 25Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, 'Sir, open the door for us.'
"But he will answer, 'I don't know you or where you come from.'
John 10:7: Therefore Jesus said again, "I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep.
John 14:6: Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
So, there are no “doors” into God’s presence. There is only one door; one gate; and one way into God’s presence, and that door is Jesus Christ crucified, dead, raised from the dead, ascended to the Father and coming again. He died for our sins and it is by grace, through faith that we are saved. It is a narrow door, because it means dying to our old way of sin, being crucified with Christ, and raised to walk a new life of faith and obedience to our Lord.
Place – Def: home; residence; dwelling.
Ephesians 2:22: And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.
I Corinthians 3:9: For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building.
Acts 17:24: The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth, and does not live in temples built by hands.
Romans 8:11: And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.
I Corinthians 3:16-17: Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him; for God's temple is sacred, and you are that temple.
So, the “place”, i.e. this temple where the God we love abides (lives; dwells) is in the hearts and lives of true believers in Jesus Christ. God no longer dwells in temples (buildings) built by human hands. He lives in us. We are God’s temple. So, Jesus is the door into God’s presence via salvation provided by his death on the cross for our sins so that we could go free (free from the penalty, bondage to and control of sin over our lives). And, if we are the temple; if God dwells within us, then when we enter a physical building built by human hands, we need to understand that the building is not God’s temple; it is not His church. His church is people. His sanctuary is in our hearts, not in a physical building.
The church, i.e. God’s temple is not a place where we can go or attend, such as people ask me, “What church do you attend?” When the Bible referred to the church, it said, “The church that meets at…” We have it backwards when we say we attend such and such a church, meaning a building or a denomination or a physical structure, organization, business, etc. So, when the scriptures tell us not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together and it says, as well, that where two or more are gathered together in God’s name that he is there in the midst of them, it is speaking of the assembling of true believers in Jesus with other true believers in Jesus wherever they assemble, whether it be at home, in a parking lot, the mall, a restaurant, on the internet, etc.
So, to rephrase these first three lines of this song, I would say that when I walked through The Door (Jesus Christ), I entered into God’s presence. I knew this was the place, i.e. the presence of God now living in my heart where God’s love abounds. For my heart and life is a temple now where the God I love abides, lives and dwells, and I am standing in His presence on holy ground. So, if Jesus is the door into God’s presence, and now God dwells within my heart via his Holy Spirit so that I (and the church) am now His temple, then the “holy ground” would have to be inside my heart. So, what does it mean, then, to stand on this “holy ground”?
I know of no other scripture passage that answers that question any better than this passage in Ephesians 6:10-18:
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
To stand means to be unwavering; resolute; determined; steadfast; and to persevere, etc. The word holy means to be set apart from the world, and for God. And, ground means “a reason or basis” for your belief; and “to stick resolutely to decisions, attitudes, or principles in the face of pressure to abandon them” (Encarta). So, this is what it truly means to “stand on holy ground,” i.e. to stand on our faith, on our relationship with Jesus Christ, on our commitment to obey him, to live lives set apart from the world and for God, and to be resolute and determined to not abandon our faith in the face of all opposition.
To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God… He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death… To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it… To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations… He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels… Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on him my new name… To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne… and, He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son. [Ref: Revelation 2 & 3]
http://www.englishclub.com/ref/esl/..._to_water_but_you_can_t_make_it_drink_570.htm
