House of Sacrifice

[Christsfreeservant]

2 Chronicles 7:12 ESV

“Then the Lord appeared to Solomon in the night and said to him: ‘I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a house of sacrifice.’”​

In the time of Solomon, the “house of sacrifice” was the house of the Lord, his temple, which then was a physical temple which Solomon had built according to God’s stipulations. It was to be a place of worship to God, the Lord, in making sacrifices to him for his honor, glory and praise.

Today the “house of sacrifice” is also the house of the Lord, his temple. But, now it is not a physical building. Now it is the hearts and lives of those who are believing in Jesus Christ as Lord and as Savior of their lives – who have died with him to sin, and who are living with him to his righteousness by the grace of God, empowered of the Holy Spirit. We, the people of God, are his temple. He dwells within us by His Spirit. We are Christ’s body, his church.

Now we worship him in spirit and in truth, and it doesn’t matter at what location or on what day of the week. And, now the sacrifice we are to make to our Lord is of our own lives surrendered to Jesus Christ. And, it is to live holy lives set apart (unlike, different) from the world, pleasing unto God, which is our reasonable and acceptable worship of God (Rom. 12:1-2).

And, it is to be no longer conformed to the ways of this sinful world, but it is to be transformed in heart and mind of the Spirit of God away from living in sin to now walking in obedience to Christ; to now walking according to the Spirit and no longer according to the flesh (Rom. 6:1-23; Rom. 8:1-17; Eph. 4:17-24; 1 Jn. 1:5-9; 1 Jn. 2:3-6).

2 Chronicles 7:19-20 ESV

“But if you turn aside and forsake my statutes and my commandments that I have set before you, and go and serve other gods and worship them, then I will pluck you up from my land that I have given you, and this house that I have consecrated for my name, I will cast out of my sight, and I will make it a proverb and a byword among all peoples.”​

God’s land today is also not physical, but spiritual. It is not the physical city of Jerusalem, but it is the Jerusalem from above. And, it is our inheritance, our Promised Land, which is our Sabbath Rest, i.e. our salvation from bondage to sin and our eternal life with God. It is the kingdom of heaven.

And, the Lord has statutes and commandments for his church today to follow, as well, which are part of our salvation from sin and our eternal life with God. For, to come to faith in Jesus Christ we must be crucified with Christ in death to sin, and we must be resurrected with Christ to newness of life in him, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness (Eph. 4:17-24; Rom. 6:1-23; Lu. 9:23-26; Tit. 2:11-14).

And, we must walk (in lifestyle) with him according to (in agreement with) his Spirit, and we must no longer walk (in practice) according to our flesh. And, we must follow him in obedience to his commands he has given for us, his church (Rom. 8:1-17; 1 Jn. 1:5-9; 1 Jn. 2:3-6). For, if we don’t, then we don’t have eternal life with God (Gal. 5:16-21; Gal. 6:7-8; Rom. 2:6-8).

Forsaking our Lord’s Commandments

So, what are some ways the modern church of America (where I live), for example, is turning aside from and is forsaking our Lord’s commandments for us, his church? How is the modern church serving other gods and worshiping them? And, what kinds of gods?

They have wandered away from our Lord’s design and purpose for his church, and they have created their own “church,” patterned after the plans and marketing schemes of human beings. They have turned the Lord’s house into a marketplace, and they have become unequally yoked together with unbelievers in their business plans and goals for “the church.”

As well, they have created their own gospel message of salvation from sin, and they have rejected the gospel of Jesus Christ. For, the gospel they are presenting makes no demands for death to sin, for living to righteousness, for obedience to our Lord’s commands, or for surrender of our lives to Jesus Christ as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to him.

Their gospel teaches a faith that is not of God, but a creation of man, which does not honor Christ as Lord, which does not live in the fear of God, and which gives free license for the “believer” to continue living in sin without guilt, claiming that Jesus’ blood covers it all, and while guaranteeing the “believer” in this false gospel that he will go to heaven when he dies.

So, basically, they deny the working of the Holy Spirit in people’s hearts and lives, and they put a halt to the Spirit’s moving in the lives of believers on a daily basis, too. So, they parallel the apostate church, which is not the true bride of Christ, but is a false church comprised of false believers, who worship a false god – the god of man and of the flesh, and of Satan.

For, not only are they not walking in obedience to the Lord’s commands, but they are blocking the way for so many others to follow our Lord in the path of righteousness, too, for their teaching is spreading across this nation, and I assume other nations, too, like gangrene. And, many are following their path of unrighteousness and are falling prey to their deceiving spirits.

But, not everyone is following them. There are a minority of people who are still walking the way of the Lord who are walking the straight and narrow way of righteousness and holiness. And, they are being persecuted, too, by those who are walking the broad road that leads to destruction.

But, this false church, with its false teaching, and its false gospel is leading the way to a one-world religion. For, the “gospel” they teach could be easily accepted by anyone from any faith, for nothing is required of them other than some acknowledgment of Jesus, and then they are promised forgiveness of sins and eternal life with God. And, this one-world religion is presently in the making, too.

2 Chronicles 7:13-16 ESV

“’When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send pestilence among my people, if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.’”

“Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayer that is made in this place. For now I have chosen and consecrated this house that my name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will be there for all time.”​

So, because the Lord’s adulterous church has rejected his commandments, and they have wandered off to follow after the gods of this world, and the gods of their own flesh, and because they are traveling a road parallel with the apostate (false) church, for they have united with the false church in an unholy union, our Lord is sending judgments upon her in order to bring her to repentance.

And, he is calling out to his adulterous church to humble herself before God, to pray, to seek God’s face, and to turn from her wicked ways. If she does repent of her sins, and if she does turn back to the Lord, to walk with him in obedience to his commands, then the Lord will restore her to fellowship with himself, he will heal her spiritually, and he will renew her to a right relationship with her Lord, in surrender to Christ as her only master.

And, she (they) will be able to enjoy sweet fellowship with their Lord, in harmony with his plans and purposes for her life (their lives). His church will once again be according to his design, and she will function as the Scriptures teach she ought to function for the praise of God (Acts 2-4; Rom. 12; 1 Co. 12-14; Eph. 4, etc.). And, she will give the Lord her praise, not only with her lips, but with how she lives her life for the glory of God in true holiness.

Songs in the Night

An Original Work / December 18, 2013

“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.” Acts 16:25 NIV ‘84

Lord, I praise You forevermore.
You, my Savior, I now adore.
Hope in heaven awaiting me,
Because You died at Calvary.

I have been forgiven,
And I’m bound for heaven.
Jesus set me free from
All my sin, I say.
I will praise Him always!

Lord, I love You for all You’ve done:
Overcame death, my vict’ry won!
Jesus saved me, and now I’m free!
I rejoice in His love for me.

I will walk in vict’ry!
My sin is but hist’ry!
I am free to please Him
With my life today.
I will love Him always!

Lord, I thank You for giving me
A new life bought at Calvary.
Loving Jesus, I meet with Him.
Tender mercies now flow within.

Lord, I am so thankful;
Through my Lord, I’m able
To sit at His table;
Fellowship with Him.
I will thank Him always!

 

[Amittai]

To say that the fivefold is the private preserve of the elite, is lording it. My hunch is that any two or three or four of the fivefold are on the heart - and about to unfold into the awareness - of each believer (not as boss of it). Example can be given by small people to the big, as well.

Communion in sacred things = honour the diverse gifts in our fellows, without waiting for them to be rationed by the bosses!

"Submit" = coordinate in frank integrity. In an old fashioned gearbox, one "submits" the gears to each other. In a church that works, you can "hear it clunk" in all sorts of ways and "see where the wires stick out"! Prov 31:10-31. Then, we'll give each other belief. Jesus' question to us will be, did you give your brother belief? This will be a church outsiders will want to become part of (merely my opinion).

While we are less likely to be present with each other to out of habit trap ourselves into potentially manoeuvring into "behaviours", is a chance to yearn for principle.