(Preparation for the Passover)
Well here we are brethren, at the beginning of another Year, with Passover rapidly approaching.
I’d like to start today’s message by reading a verse in the book of 1st Ptr.
In this letter, Peter was addressing the strangers (The elect of God that is) that were scattered throughout Asia Minor,
At that time God’s people were beginning to be persecuted by the Roman authorities for confessing to be Christians, and only those who would renounce their faith and worship the Roman gods, were allowed to escape with their lives.
Well Peter was telling the brethren back there in Asia Minor that “Heaven” or the Kingdom of God was worth suffering for. And he began to exhort them to holiness.
In 1 Ptr 2:9 Peter reminds the “People of God” of who they are.
1Pt. 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.
I wanted to start here today, as we approach the upcoming Passover, to remind us of our calling, of our high calling brethren. To remind us of who we are.
In the book of 2 Tim, Paul told Timothy to “Preach the Word” both in season and out of season, and he told him to do it with careful instruction, and for a very good reason,
Because the time will come (Paul told Timothy) when men would not endure sound doctrine.
But instead would turn their ears away from the truth, and unto fables, or myths.
The NIV states it like this: “The time will come, when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers, to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from truth and turn aside to fables, myths and lies.”
That time when precious truth & sound doctrine, would be discarded, and exchanged for fables, myths & lies has arrived.
O, it’s been here for a long time now, but I’m not sure if we deeply comprehend that.
Well today, with Passover just ahead of us, we need to consider some very important truth that is written in the pages of our Bible.
We need to consider some very important sound doctrine that pertains to our preparation for the upcoming Passover.
We need to be prepared, and in the right frame of mind, to take this years Passover.
Especially as we approach the final end of this age and all the coming calamities that pertain to it.
We have an obligation to our Creator brethren, because we are the church of God.
We have been called to be Kings & Priests in His coming Kingdom.
“Kings to rule” & “Priests to teach” A very high calling.
We have been called to be part of His Holy Temple.
Now His house (His Temple) is still in the process of being constructed, having its stones (us) chiseled & shaped and made completely ready before we are brought over to the other side to be erected.
Remember that verse in 1Kgs. 6:7 (I refer to it often) “And the house, when it was in building, was built of stone made ready before it was brought thither.”
That’s the church brethren, being chiseled and shaped and made ready.
And we are not just part of the many that the Father has called,
But for those who will be keeping the upcoming Passover, we are amongst the ones who began to answer that calling, when we made that outward statement by taking that plunge under the water at our baptism.
We are amongst the ones, who made an important commitment to our Creator back then when we were baptism,
Telling Him that we were going to change from our old way of walking, that we were going to get off that wide and broad path (that path that leads to destruction,)
And begin to follow the straight & narrow path, the one that leads to eternal life in the Kingdom of God.
And last, but definitely not least, we are amongst the ones that God gave that very powerful gift of His Holy Spirit to, when we had hands laid on us at baptism, the powerful gift that would enable us to succeed, at reaching our goal.
Brethren, we have no time for fables, we have no time for myths, we have no time for lies.
We need truth; we need sound doctrines, because we need to be growing in grace & in the Knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ
Our spiritual lives are on the line here brethren.
Our opportunity to fulfill our calling and to be granted positions to rule with Him in His Throne is still available to us. But one has to qualify to sit in that throne with Him, and that involves “Judgment”
Now we know that “Judgment” has already begun in the house of God, like we are told in 1Pt. 4:17.
But I hope we are going to see today, that judgment has not only begun in the House of God, but is about to be completed, in the House of God.
The final separation, the final determination of who is part of the Spiritual Tabernacle and who is not, is soon to be decided.
And our opportunity to fulfill our calling, and achieving our goal is about to end.
I hope we are going to see today that part, yes part of the church of God, is soon to be measure and weighed.
I want to turn now to the 1st Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians,
Because the general theme of that entire Book, concerns Christian conduct,
And that theme is very relevant to us at this time, as we approach the Passover.
Because this is the time for us to personally check our progress on our quest for holiness & perfection. On our quest for obtaining that “Holy Righteous Character” that The Father requires of each and every one that He has called.
This is the time to see how well we measure up to the standards that have been set before us, because we want to be totally ready to meet our Creator up in the clouds at His return. And we want to qualify to sit in His Throne with Him.
Remember, Not everyone is going to be there. Not everyone will “love His appearing”.
Not everyone is going to be standing before Him on that “sea of glass” at His return, and given positions of ruler-ship in His coming Kingdom.
There are Scriptures that warn us against “loosing our crowns”. There are Scriptures that tell us very clearly, that one has to qualify, to sit in His throne with Him. Rev 3:21.
So let’s go back in time now and take a look at the Corinthian church, lets see if it relates to us today, in any way.
Now Corinth was an important cosmopolitan City there in Greece, locate about 50 miles west of Athens.
It was situated along a major trade route and had a thriving economy at that time.
Back then, large numbers of travelers and merchants from every Nation were flocking to the City of Corinth.
And by the end of the second century, Corinth had become not only one of the richest cities in the world,
But also one of the wickedest cities of ancient times.
You see, immorality, unscrupulous business dealings, and pagan practices, abounded in the city of Corinth.
But Paul was able to establish a church there during his 18th Month stay.
Yes, in the midst of all that wealth and immorality, in the midst of all that wickedness, Paul started a church.
You see, there were people back there in Corinth, who where also, amongst the “many” whom God The Father was calling.
And a number of them, like many of us, had also begun to answer that calling, they went and got themselves baptized, and had hands laid on them and also received that powerful gift of God’s Holy Spirit.
But a Hugh problem began to develop there in Corinth amongst the brethren. Some of the members of the church of God had begun to drift back into some of their old habits of walking along the wide path of the ways of this world.
O, it was quite easy to do, especially when an environment of wealth and material things, and an abundance of food & drink surrounds you. That spirit of “eat” “drink” & be “merry” is always attractive to us humans, and it’s as powerful as magnets of opposite poles.
Well it got so bad there in Corinth, that some of the members of the church were not only openly committing hideous sins like one man was having his fathers wife, but the sinful acts were being tolerated by the congregation there.
Yes, even that man, who committed that hideous sin, continued to be accepted by the congregation, as a brother, and as part of the church.
Soon, the church there in Corinth was rapidly drifting off track. A clear case of “A little Levin leavens the whole lump.
Even when Passover came around, there was no order, no solemnity as there should have been on such an important occasion.
Instead there was gross disorder, and even drunkenness.
Many, were taking the Passover and the importance of it, much too lightly.
So Paul rebuked the Corinthians, and gave them some very important instructions.
Instructions that are very relevant for all of us in God’s church today.
We may not reside in the ancient city of Corinth, but wherever we live, we are still surrounded by a world of immorality, a world full of unscrupulous business dealings, and an abundance of pagan practices.
And this type of environment can easily begin to stain us,
Even without us even realizing it, as we reside in the midst of this untoward or blemished world.
Those instructions given by Paul concerning our preparation before the taking of the Passover are in 1 Cor. Chapter 11 (let’s turn there please)
These instructions pertain to how we should prepare ourselves before we take the Passover.
Before, we come before our Creator to renew our commitment to Him on the most solemn occasion of the year.
1Cor. 11:28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.
29: For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.
Now I know that these Scriptures are nothing new to our ears, we read & hear these verses year after year.
But as the end of this age approaches, and as we continue to grow in the grace and the knowledge of our Lord and savior, the meaning of these important verses, and our understanding of them should register deeper and deeper within our entire being.
During the past year, we may have done a little backsliding; we may have lost a little ground that we gained at last years Passover.
But now, we have opportunity to move forward.
Yes, Passover is a time for a Christian to take a Hugh leap forward along his journey towards perfection and holiness, along his journey of acquiring that “Holy Righteous Character” of the Father, the character that He wants to bestow in each and every one of us.
What we want to doin this self-examination is to thoroughly search ourselves,
It’s time to take a good look at our behavior, our conduct; we want to thoroughly examine the areas where we are still falling short,
And then, condemn and set right whatever we find wrong.
(Still falling short of WHAT, one might ask) of walking uprightly.
Still falling short of having a changed nature, of being converted, of possessing that “Holy Righteous Character” that our Creator is ceaselessly trying to create in all of us.
Yes, this is the time we need to examine our behavior, our conduct…
Now sometimes we humans need a little motivation to get started and to tackle a project.
So today, I would like to consider the book of Revelation, for a little motivation.
I want to take a look at something in the book of Revelation that can help motivate us to be ready, and of the right frame of mind to take the Passover.
Now the book of revelation is consider by many to be the least understood books of the Bible.
Yet it’s the book who’s name means = To reveal, or “To Take The Cover Off”
I don’t think the cover is off of that book as of yet, but let’s see if we can get a glance of what is brewing in the pot, and see if it can motivate us to both examine our ways, and change our ways, as we approach the Passover, and this years Holy Day Season…
You know how sometimes you enter a house and your nose says WOW!
You smell something good cooking, but you don’t exactly know what it is, so you walk over to the stove and lift up the pots cover to take a look inside.
Well I want to do that here with the book of Revelation and consider a couple of verses that are found in chapter 11. A couple of verses that pertains directly to you and to me.
But first, lets start in chapter 10 so we can see it a bit clearer by putting things in the correct perspective. (Lets go to chapter 10 of the book of revelation)
Now much in chapter 10 will put some “upcoming world events” in the correct order of their time frame.
(You know we’ve been hearing that the “end time events” and such are coming, for years now, some for 20, 30 40, yrs. Well, eventually they will arrive, and that time cant be too far off because soon there will be no church left, considering most of its members are now gray hairs, asides from those who are bald.)
Those events are coming brethren, and probably a lot sooner than we think.
What we will be reading here in chapter 10 has not yet taken place, but will soon be history.
And lets remember that our Creator tells us that He will do nothing, unless He reveals it first Amos 3:7
Rv. 10:1: And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire.
Rv. 10:2: And he had in his hand “a little book open” and he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth.
(His right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on land,) indicates that what he has to say, his words, deal with all creation.
This mighty angel is about to start all the events that will begin the final judgments on this world.
And he’s just about to get the attention of every man, woman and being on planet earth and the heavens above.
Rv. 10:3: And cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth: and when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices.
Now we may not know what these seven thunders are yet, but we do know when they will speak.
The seven thunders will utter their voices directly after the cry of that mighty angel.
And the cry of that mighty angel brethren, is the same exact cry of Mat 25:6 (The midnight cry) announcing: “The Bridegroom Cometh.”
(We all know that verse from Mat 25) “And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet Him.”
You can check that out later, and you will see that the Greek word that is use for the “Cry” that is made at midnight, come directly from the “Cry” that this mighty angel makes, that triggers the seven thunder to utter their voices.
Now this episode, the cry & the seven thunders will get the attention of everyone on the earth, as it tips that first domino over and begins the very rapid succession of all the end time events.
That Greek word used for “Cry” means = To Scream or call aloud, to roar, to utter a deep prolonged cry, as of rage or distress.
Now if I can digress here for a moment, there is a Hebrew word that has a very similar definition to this Greek word that is translated “cry”. Its definition is (almost exact) and its used in Isaiah 17:12 (not turning) where it speaks of the “burden of Damascus,” concerning when that City will become a ruinous heap.
The Hebrew word used there in verse 12 of Isaiah 17 is translated into the word “noise” in the King James Version, but the Hebrew words definition is almost exact as that Greek word that is defined “cry”
Now Damascus is the capital of Syria, and quite unique, it’s the oldest inhabited City in the world,
And it’s soon, to no longer exist.
There is going to be a noise made, a cry (if you will) that is going to be heard all around the globe, when the city of Damascus is soon destroyed, and turned into a “ruinous heap”
(Now back to Chapter 10 of revelation)
Now remember, we are here in chapter 10, only trying to put things and events in perspective
So we can better understand the importance of a couple of verses in chapter 11 that pertain directly to you and to me. That pertain directly to every member of the church of God, whether “converted”, or not “converted”, whether “mature” or not “mature” whether a worker of “righteousness” or a worker of “iniquity”
Remember, the church is full of all the above. (Mat.13:30)
These couple of verses that we will be going to shortly (looking to use for motivation, on our examination of ourselves, to right whatever we are doing wrong,) pertains to every member of the COG.
Makes no difference what group you fellowship with or where you reside on the planet.
So lets move on. Lets hear what the might angel says next, directly after the “Cry” and the seven thunders “utter their voices”.
Rev 10: 5 “And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven, And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer.
Better translated in many versions of the Bible as: There will be “no more delay”
And the word “Time” spoken of here means = Time as succession of measurements of moments
It’s the same word used by Jesus in Acts 1:7 when He was asked by His disciples “Lord, wilt thou at this “time” restore again the Kingdom to Israel? And He said unto them, it is not for you to know the “times” or the seasons, which the Father hath put in His own power.”
Back then they knew not when the Kingdom would be restored to Israel, but when we hear the cry of this mighty angle, and the seven thunders utter their voices, we will know that the time of the restoring of the Kingdom to Israel has arrived.
This same word “time” is also used in 1 Ths. 5, where Paul, (speaking of the return of Christ) talks about when both the “dead in Christ” and “those of His, which are alive and remain” shall be caught up together to meet Him in the air.
There, using that same word Paul says: But of the “times” & seasons you have no need that I write unto you, for that day so cometh as a thief in the night – for those who are in darkness Brethrem.
But we need not be in darkness, that that day should overtake us as a thief in the night, like Paul went on to say.
Those in the church, “us” are suppose to be the “children of light” the “children of the day”
We are not to be “of the night”, “nor of darkness”
Those who are in darkness are the workers of iniquity, the transgressors of the law.
We are not to be asleep as others neither, but awake and watching,
And for a very important reason, because we are approaching the time when that midnight cry is going to be made,
We are approaching the time when the seven thunders are going to utter their voices,
And we are approaching the time when that mighty angel is going to lift up his hand to heaven announce that there should be “time no longer” “that there will be no more delay”
And brethren this brings us to chapter 11 where that motivation in the book of revelation, the verse that I have been referring to, has been printed for us to read and to heed.
Rv. 11:1: And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.
Now what is important for us to realize here brethren, is exactly who is being measured.This word translated Temple here in this verse is the “Sanctuary” the “holy of holies”.There is another Greek word translated Temple that pertains to the entire temple complex, which includes all the courts, all the gates and all the buildings of the Temple.
But this particular Greek word pertains specifically to the “Sanctuary” where the “holy of holies” is located.
This is the same “Temple” that Paul speaks of in 1 Cor. 3 17 (lets go there, but please keep you finger here in Rev 11)
We need to understand that we are not talking about any physical Temple here.
There have been physical Temples in the past, and there may still be another physical Temple built in Jerusalem in the future, but the physical is not what God is most concerned about. And when it comes to Temple’s brethren, the physical is only there so we can better understand the spiritual.
1Cor. 3:17: If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.
This “Temple” is the same exact Temple spoken of in Rev 11:1 It’s the place where God resides.
And it’s what John is told to measure.
This Temple here is the “church” It’s the church that is soon to be measured here brethren.
Now if you don’t feel motivated yet, if that motivation that I have been referring to hasn’t hit home yet, it’s only because we haven’t read the “motivation verse yet” That the next verse.
(Lets go to Rev 11:2 and read the verse that is of utmost importance to each and every member of the COG)
Not every one in the church of God is going to me measured, brethren, some are going to be “left out”
Rv. 11:2: But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.
Brethren, this verse is still speaking of the “spiritual Temple” this verse is still speaking of the church, the members, those who have made that commitment and gotten themselves baptized, and were given the powerful gift of “God’s Holy Spirit”.
But it’s speaking of those members of the church of God who are still standing outside of the “Sanctuary” outside, of the “holy of holies”
Those three words in this verse “Which is without” the Temple, or Sanctuary come from only one Greek word which means = “external” or “outside”. Its root word means “outside of the door” the point where motion or action proceeds.
Do we know brethren, what was directly outside of the Sanctuary door? Do we know what the required action was for the priest to perform there?
The failure for a priest, “us” (the baptized members of the church of God) to take this required action, would prevent his entering into the Sanctuary.
There was only one thing directly outside the entrance into the Sanctuary brethren, and it was a piece of furniture, a very important piece of furniture, made of the bronze mirrors “The looking glasses” of the Israelite women.
This is very important for us to understand; you see one had to perform this required action, before he would ever be granted access into the sanctuary.
Now if we are being denied access to the sanctuary, we have a very serious problem.
Now many of the of those who teach and preach fables, and myths, and lies, (the things that many of the brethren in the churches of God love to hear in their itching ears) will tell you that the requirement is to “be in their particular group” “under their thumb” “following in their footsteps”
Other preachers of fables & lies will tell you that there’s nothing to do, nothing to worry about, nothing to concern ourselves with. They believe that Jesus did it all for us and now we are totally free to come & go into the Sanctuary as often as we please. They say that Jesus fulfilled all the requirements for us.
But those lies will never ever grant you, me, or anyone else entrance into the Sanctuary. In fact, on the contrary, it will keep you on the outside, and eventually “left out”
No one is granted access into the Sanctuary without following the procedure. God is no respecter of person. We have to do things, His way, the right way, the only way.
This is where the “physical temple” can help us better understand.
Just outside of the Sanctuary there was the Laver.
The Laver was a large bronze basin containing water. The Laver was just outside of the entrance to the Sanctuary.
And all the Priests (without exception) had to wash both their hands and their feet at the Laver before they could enter into the Sanctuary. God warned Moses that if any Priest did not wash, he would die Ex 30: 20-21.
The “out side” court of the Tabernacle is where the body was washed, and purified, with “pure water” (the word of God of course)
This particular “outer court” of the Tabernacle was part of the Temple.
But there was no eating of the “show bread” in the “outer court”! The candlestick did not shine in the “outer court”! Nor, indeed was the “savor of incense” even smelled in the “outer court”!
The “outer court” was the place of preparation; of approaching the Almighty.
One had to purify himself before he could enter into the “inner court” or Sanctuary
One has to draw nigh to God before He will draw nigh to us.
The Sanctuary is where God resides.
It’s where each and every member of the church of God belongs today brethren. But not many are residing there in the Sanctuary with our God.
Some have neglected to wash their hands and feet at the laver, with the pure word of God.
Some still haven’t managed to clean up their act, enough to be granted access into the Sanctuary, some never continued to follow that narrow path, the one and only path that leads to life.
Some still haven’t matured, still in need of milk, when they should be chewing strong meat…
The Book of revelation is a small book, but it is not lacking in contents, it contains the entire Bible.
To understand the book of revelation, one has to be familiar with the rest of the bible because Revelation puts it all together.
Jms. 4:8: Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; (That means change your ways) and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
Washing your hand and feet at the Laver means to correct you ways, the Laver was full of “pure water” signifying the “Pure Word” of God of course, the “Scriptures”
God will not dwell with sin. And He will not allow sin to dwell with Him.
1Cor. 6:9 Please: Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived (Don’t listen to those who teach fables, myths and lies, believe the Words of God Himself because He doesn’t lie) neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, (those are homosexuals)
10: Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
11: And such were, (were, that’s past tense) and such were some of you. (That’s past tense; we are not to be doing any of these things anymore)
And if we still are, then we are still outside of the Sanctuary brethren. And if we remain “outside” we will be “left out” (We will not be measured, we will not fulfill our high calling, we will not be sitting in His throne with Him) but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.
Around the time that God first introduced the Laver to His people in the wilderness, to His Priests that is, He made Moses himself, wash the priests the first time at the door of the Tabernacle.
That washing of the Priests, performed by Moses was a one-time ordeal, and Moses was required to wash Aaron and his sons’ entire body, he had to bathe them.
That washing by Moses pictured Christ purifying us by His one time sacrifice on the cross. (It had to do with the “regeneration” spoken of in Titus 3:5)
But the Lavor for washing the hands & feet was for daily cleansing, and had to be performed by the Priest himself.
Those who think that Christ did it all for us, are quite mistaken. O He washed us alright, and made us completely clean. But we are still quite human, still quite corruptible, and still in need of staying clean.
That’s what the daily washing of our hand & feet is all about, that what grants us entrance into the Sanctuary. That’s involves things like “taking every thought into captivity” “turning not to the left or to the right”
Brethren, those of the “inner court” those in the Tabernacle itself (The ones who are soon to be measured) are dwelling in the presence of God Himself today, Even though they are still flesh & blood.
But one has to change his ways before God will dwell with him. (John 14:23 please)
Our God wants to move in with us, and He wants to move in with us now, before He even returns to this earth in all His Glory.
(Let’s start in John 14:21)
Jn. 14:21: He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.
style=”MARGIN: 3px 20px” class=”MsoNormal” align=”left”>22: Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world?
23 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words (commandment keeper) (Don’t be deceived by those who say it is impossible to do) If a man love me, he will keep my words and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. (And you will be part of the “inner court”)
Which court are we standing in brethren? The “inner court” about to be measured and given a crown? Or are we still procrastinating around the “outer court” and about to be “left out?”
Kind of dabbling around in the Laver, playing with its “pure water” instead of using that “pure water” that Word of God to “clean us”, to “correct us” in all of our ways?
Are we “doers” of the Word, or hearers only?
Are we allowing the Word to be the lamp unto our feet, and a light unto our path? Ps 119:105
Do we have “cleansed” hands & feet, or are we still sinners?
Sinners will not inherit the Kingdom of God brethren, not even if you are a priest playing around at the Laver.
Brethren, It’s time to take a good look at our behavior, our conduct; and examine the areas where we are still falling short,
And then, condemn and set right whatever we find wrong.
For those of you who are already in the Sanctuary, you just have to endure, persevere.
But for those of us who are still outside the “Sanctuary” for those of us who have not had the pleasure of having the Father & The Son make Their abode with us, we need to change our ways, and we need to do it now before it is too late, before there is “time no longer” to do so.
Lets go back to Corinth now to conclude. As we look for a little more detail on what we need to be doing as we prepare to take the Passover.
(We left off in V 29)
1Cor. 11:29: For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.
30: For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.
31: For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.
Who likes to be judged? I know I sure don’t! But judgment comes to everyone, one way or another. And we are told here, that if we judge ourselves, we should not be judged.
Now judging ourselves is not easy. It’s not exactly our expertise; our expertise is in judging others, (exactly what the Scriptures tell us NOT to be doing) At least not looking to point out others splinters, when we ourselves are walking around with sinful beams in our own Elephant infested living rooms.
To judge ourselves we must look at ourselves objectively and detect our own shortcomings and sinful conduct. And everything in our human nature rebels against doing that.
The next option is to be judged and disciplined by God. And in most cases, this brings about chastening.
Now chastening is actually good, it has a few meanings: it means to be instructed, or caused to learn.
It means to be corrected, and to sometimes have our character molded by others through reproof and admonition. (Sometimes-through affliction, and even calamities)
None of that sounds pleasant, does it? But it is certainly preferable to the third option.
If we fail to judge ourselves brethren, and if we do not yield to the chastening of God, the final option is to be condemned with the world.
That’s what going to happen to those who remain in the “outer court” There not going to be measured, there going to be “left out” and given unto the Gentiles.
We do not want to be given to the gentiles’ brethren; we want to be measured amongst the upright.
This “measure” comes from the Greek word “metron” and it means to: Ascertain in size by a fixed standard.
Do we know what that FIXED STANDARD IS BRETHREN?
We are talking about the Temple here, the Temple of God.
God is not looking for second best; He’s not looking for day old bread, which can be purchased at a bargain price.
He paid top dollar for this purchase; with His life, with His blood, all of His blood,
That fixed standard is “Completeness” that fixed standard is “Unspotted” ‘Unblemished”
He is speaking of “perfection” here.
Remember we are His Gold, His silver; He’s looking for His reflection here.
When He looks at us, He wants to see Himself, His “Holy Righteous Character” in each and every one of us. Is that what He is seeing in each and every one of us brethren?
When we stand back and take an overall look at the church of God, we see an abundance of false leaders, leading the many astray, just like Jesus told His disciples would happen Mt. 24:5.
We see many Powerful Zealous leaders who have accomplished to fill the “outer court” of the Temple, often putting their emphasis entirely on numbers.
How zealously they have proclaimed their dogmas to us, and engage in their organized and apparently successful evangelistic efforts. But it’s the end of the day now in the church of God, and what do we find?
We find an “outer court” that is bulging at the seams, with many ignorant, filthy, uninformed followers and religious devotees, while the “inner court” the “Sanctuary” remains virtually unoccupied.
Harsh words? Again, just like Jesus said, when He asked the question: “When the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?”
Brethren, repeatedly, we are admonished in Scripture to go beyond the “outer court” We are told to “grow” to “draw nigh” to God. We are warned about the danger of failing to “go on to perfection”
Why are these admonitions so imperative? Simply because the false prophets, the delusions, the diverse doctrines, the other gospels, the damnable heresies and false doctrines are all “within the court that is without the Temple”
If we are part of the many that are still residing in that “outer court” we need to move, we need to take action, we need to go on to perfection, to “put off the old man” put on the new man, and fight the good fight of faith.
All these exhortations are designed to get us out of the “outer court” and into the Sanctuary, into the presence of the Living God Himself!
He desires our fellowship brethren, He wants our hearts. He want to move in with us and make His abode with us, and He wants to do it now, while we are still flesh & blood human beings, and He wants to make His abode with us permanent, yes, for eternity.
Self-examination is what Paul instructed the Corinthians to do in preparation to take the Passover.
Self-examination is what we need to be doing before the 14th of this Month.
Self-examination consists of thoroughly searching ourselves,
It’s time to take a good look at our behavior, our conduct; and examine the areas where we are still falling short,
And then, condemn and set right whatever we find wrong.
Its time to wash our hand and our feet in the Laver, and step into the Sanctuary.
I hope that every one has a good and prosperous Passover, and feast of U. B.
*Scriptures from the King James Version