Reflectors of Holiness, welcome message.
There are times in our lives when we feel alone, other times when we know that we are part of community, family something bigger than ourselves. There are also if we are in step with him that we know we have a closeness to God that is undeniable. Those times when his Spirit is felt like an anointing or even such a sense of his presence that results in elation. I was once with some men who wanted to give their lives to Christ and after we prayed for them and had them confess their belief in the Romans 10:9-10 format, quoted, one of them went outside for a smoke. He came back up the stair’s ecstatic. This man had been a drug addict and had a few mental health issues left over from that time, he spoke, “Man this is the best high I’ve ever had, if the medical people knew I was feeling like this they would lock me up.” It took a bit of explaining what was happening to him, but he left with a sense of relief in knowing God’s presence with him and that he had gained salvation through God’s grace and now had the deposit of eternal life with him.
Knowing and being in God’s presence is the most wonderful and valuable thing.
After the tabernacles, Holy place and the Holy of Holies were made. Bezelel the man in charge of the whole project; who I will refer to as the Construction Manager who was filled with the Holy Spirit for the purpose of building the tabernacle. After this, two other things were built in the courtyard, reading from Exodus 38: 1-9.
So what were these things for?
Before the priests could go past the courtyard into the holy place they had to do two things they had to make a sacrifice for sins committed, this had to be made on the Altar of Burnt Offering. They didn’t just sacrifice any old huckery ewe or ram this had to be an animal in perfect condition.
Sacrifice means just that; to approach God cost something. Sin is abhorrent to God, and sin had to be dealt with, the sacrifice was for the sin of the person presenting the sacrifice. Sin had to be stripped of its power to condemn. Before Jesus died for all our sins this is how the Hebrew people dealt with their sins.
If however, you were a lamb or a dove the whole process could be extremely costly.
That aside though the people still had to pay for these sacrifices, the cost was out of pocket. People other than priests could also offer a sacrifice on the altar for personal sins.
In regards to the priests once they had made the sacrifice for their sins and the sins of the people they could then approach God; their Holy God, our Holy God. To enter into God’s presence required sacrifice.
There was however another thing that the priest had to do, he had to have a wash!
The symbolism of this is that the second condition of fellowship with God is a cleansed lifestyle.
A big brass washing bowl was made to be in the courtyard, this was called a laver.
An interesting thing about the washing place, this big bowl was that it was made of the mirrors of the women who served at the entrance to the tent of meeting.
The mirrors used by ladies back in those days were made of burnished metals, these were about the size of a modern hand mirror that’s that they were highly polished so that the lady using it could see her beauty, assuming that that was the case; reflected in the metal.
How much would it take for a lady to give up her mirror? That might be the million-dollar question. I thought about a show of hands here, but then I thought that there may be a personal danger.
I have asked a group of ladies earlier about this and the answer was that it would be a very hard thing to give up their mirror or in most cases, it would not happen. There was certainly a huge amount of sacrifice made on behalf of those women in the construction of the laver.
This was giving in an uncommon way.
The washing the cleansing then allowed the priest to go into the Holy place. You can imagine him looking into the laver, this big bowl and seeing his reflection, sins sacrificed for of the water, reflecting a face that shone through the light of the burnished metal of many mirrors.
To walk in God’s presence requires sacrifice and cleansing. (SBI) In this case the cleansing was tied to sacrifice.
The sacrifice for our sins is something that has been paid, John the Baptist said these words about Jesus as he saw him coming towards him as recorded in John’s gospel 1:29; “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”
In Hebrews 10:10 we read, “And by that, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” The possibility to enter into God’s presence is there, Jesus has paid the price, this is the truth! Jesus is the sacrifice that allows us to be in God’s presence.
No more sacrifice is required what is required is a cleansed lifestyle, some see this as a sacrifice, but interestingly this is not a sacrifice it is a release. (Repeat)
God is Holy, how do we now approach a Holy God?
To get a certain job you have to have the right qualifications, there are some pretty good tradespeople here. Just because Olive is a great dressmaker does not mean she can fly a Jumbo jet.
However we argue with God, “just a minute why can’t I do what I want, it’s my life.” (Space)
He created us he knows what we require what is best for us. (space) He wants us to have life I all its abundance.
Has anyone here been to one of the restaurants where you needed to wear a jacket or a tie? If you want to eat their food you have to wear the right clothes. I know in Fijian customs there are some places you can’t go without doing certain things also.
Cleansing in the laver for the priests would have required looking at their reflection. It is been said to have balance in life reflection is required, remember this ‘reflectors of holiness.’ This is not so much reflecting on our image, but the results and outcomes of what we have done in our day and very importantly on our character, to assess this before God and make changes. Internally we should always be aware of our standing before God.
I remember when I was a kid and this is true for the vast majority of boys and quite a few girls, I really enjoyed getting covered in mud, a rugby game, a decent sized puddle, a building site, mud fights, mud pies any excuse was an opportunity for a wallow.
I thought it was great, my mates thought it was great and our Mums thought it was anything but great.
“Don’t think you’re coming in here Andrew Moffatt,” she was serious “Andrew William - she was really serious! You take those muddy clothes off on the back lawn and hose yourself down before you come anywhere near the house!” “But Mum”, “Don’t but me boy, just do it!”
It didn’t matter that it was about two degrees on the back lawn and the water from the hose was freezing if I wanted inside, if I wanted to get into the shower and into warm dry clothes my options were limited. I did it. Then there was the added line, “and hurry up before you catch your death from cold.” Like it was my fault.
I don’t think it was just because Mum had German ancestry that this occurred, I think this is pretty common to Mum kind.
Just as to get inside required cleansing.
To walk in God’s presence requires sacrifice and cleansing!
Jesus has paid the price for our sins, we who trust in Jesus are then free to rid our lives of everything that condemns us. We know what these things are as they accuse our conscience, those things that leave us wondering, “well maybe, maybe not, should I, I know I shouldn’t?”
We know what is wrong. God wants us to be in a relationship with him, to walk in his presence, this requires sacrifice and cleansing, the sacrifice is paid, Jesus took care of that.
Our part in this is to accept Jesus died for us to speak this out and to live a cleansed life. I’m not talking about the extra doughnut or getting grumpy with your spouse.
Without spelling them out it’s the ten commandment stuff, it’s the stuff that destroys relationships, that eventually destroys individuals, that is out of sorts with God’s plan for mankind where we were to live in relationship with him and with one another, not being consumed by self.
To walk in God’s presence requires sacrifice and cleansing!
Walking in God’s presence is the most wonderful and valuable thing.
Do we cleanse ourselves or do we wallow?
This cleansing process can take some time, it may be that much time needs to be spent before God on knees in prayer or it may be that past experiences have to addressed, counselling is undertaken, truths faced up to and repentance engaged in so that we can then reflect God’s holiness through our right living, as we serve others.
We do not have to do this on our own, we belong to a body of believers that is part of the worldwide body of Christ.
God knows our every step the number hairs of our heads or not, he knows our hearts and honours those who honour him.
To walk in God’s presence requires sacrifice and cleansing! He knows those who are stepping in his direction, which people are seeking change, even those who find it a real battle, he honours it.
As I have said the Christian walk is not one we undertake alone, we are here to support one another and God gives us his Holy Spirit as our friend, helper and our comforter.
So we have this group of wonderful individuals, actually three couples. They and their session mates, here in Fiji and in Tonga and New Zealand have an awesome but challenging session name. Holiness is key to the session name and the individuals in the session I am sure will respond to the challenge and reflect, the love of Christ that they know in their lives, the Spirit of God who is at work in and through them.
Life has its challenges to our walking in God’s presence and I am sure like the rest of us, there will be moments, but I all things remember that the closer you are to God, the more defined and visible will be the image of him that you reflect.
We all have this opportunity, not just our cadets to be effected by the holiness of God, as we enter closer to him, respond to his leading, we all of us can. There is a place of prayer here that is called the mercy seat, we serve a Holy God, he is also a merciful God in his presence we are set free. If it is your aim in life to reflect the holiness of God please come to this place and pray.
