The law, grace and truth (6)

Father God, thank you for the entrance of Your Word brings light. May Your light shine and illuminate our understanding in the name of Jesus, Amen. Thank you LORD.

In my previous post, I shared on how different women in the New Testament worshipped God through their faith, obedience and humility to the Word of the LORD. However, in this post, I'm sharing on another form of worshipping God that has been made available to us by His grace. In the law, people had to build a dwelling place for God's presence also known as a tabernacle (Exodus 26). The LORD shared the specifications for building this tabernacle with Moses who then shared the instructions with specific men like Bezalel that the Spirit of the LORD empowered with the ability to accomplish this task (Exodus 31:3-5). In this tabernacle, was the Holy of Holies, a sacred place where God's presence dwelt that only a designated high priest in the tribes of the Levites had access to.

When Jesus came to the earth, His primary mandate was to remove every barrier that would hinder our intimacy and relationship with God, the Father. During the Passover, the Jews had asked Him to show them a sign that He was the One sent by God. Jesus responded in John 2:19 NKJV, "...Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." John 2:20-21 (NKJV) says, "Then the Jews said, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?" But He was speaking of the temple of His body." When Jesus died on the cross and His body was raised from the dead by the power of God, the veil is now torn as seen in Matthew 27:51 and now we can boldly approach God's throne. As a result, Christ has given us direct access to God, the Father and the Holy of Holies. This access is no longer limited to some priests as it was in the law but it is for all who will believe in God and His Son Jesus Christ whom He sent. In Hebrews 7:23-24, we are reminded that the former priests in the law were prevented by death from continuing in their service to God unlike Jesus who continues forever with an unchangeable Priesthood.

Hebrews 9:11-12 (NKJV) continues to tell us more about Jesus' Priesthood under the new covenant:

11."But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation.

12.Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption."

Under the Old covenant, God's people built physical altars to worship God or to seek His counsel on a particular issue or to commemorate an intimate moment with Him that would be a reminder of God's goodness but today under the new covenant, your heart is God's altar. The Word of the LORD in Hebrews 8:10 NKJV says, "For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people."

As seen above, in the New Testament, every person who is born of God after receiving Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour has God living in their born again spirit. This is the reason 1 Corinthians 3:16 reminds us,"Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?" Under the new covenant of grace, your body is God's temple just like it was with Jesus. Hence, God no longer lives in temples made by human hands (Acts 17:24) but His presence is now with and in His people.

Revelation 21:24 NKJV says, "And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth shall bring their glory and honor into it."

1 Peter 2:9, reminds us we are a royal priesthood, a holy nation and chosen generation that God has called out of darkness into light to proclaim His praises. Matthew 5:14 (NKJV) reminds us that as a child of God, "You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill that cannot be hidden."

May I submit to you that you are the nation and the kings of the earth who are bringing their glory and honor into the new Jerusalem that God has prepared for all His sons and daughters in heaven. PRAISE GOD!

Friend, there is an accountability system that has been created by God, the Father where our works and everything we do here on earth has a ripple effect to eternity whose glory and honor you will bring before God's presence. Apostle Paul in Philippians 2:12 cautions us to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling. So friend, whatever you do, if its raising your children, be the best parent you can be, if it is a spouse, be the best spouse, if it is ministering to God's people, do it wholeheartedly, if it is work concerning your career and marketplace, be the excellent business woman or employee or manager as this is also a form of worshipping God and giving glory to His name. Thankfully, God provides the strength to do all that is required of us in each season. He is not looking for perfection which is comforting. It is excellence and doing the best you know how to do with the grace He makes available in each season of your life. James 4:17 reminds us, "Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin."

I'll end with this Word found in Hebrews 2:14 (AMP)

"For as we all know, He (Christ) does not take hold of [the fallen] angels [to give them a helping hand], but He does take hold of [the fallen] descendants of Abraham [extending to them His hand of deliverance]."

AMEN, thank you LORD.

Invitation to salvation: Today, God's free gift of salvation through His Son Jesus Christ is extended to you regardless of whether you are Jew or Gentile. When you receive this free gift of salvation, you officially become a child of God. Salvation is not something you have to earn because God has freely given it to you through Jesus. So if you feel a stirring in your heart to know more and draw closer to God's heart, please say these words:

"I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that; Jesus Christ, the Son of God came in a human body to die for my sins so that I could have a new life where I am dead to sin and alive to God. I repent of my past sins and enter the Kingdom of light where I choose relationship with Jesus Christ as my Lord and Saviour and with God as my loving Father today and forever. Thank you Father that because the Son has made me free, I am now free indeed." AMEN.

YOU ARE NOW A NEW CREATION & CHILD OF GOD - PRAISE GOD! Please find a church, become a member and get water baptized!