Category: Revelation

  • We are God’s temple

    The way we treat one another matters

    Saturday afternoon, I was reading in the Acts of the Apostles when a question hit me.

    In those days Peter stood up among the brothers (the company of persons was in all about 120) and said, “Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus. Acts 1:15-16 ESV

    What is the significance of 120? That number rang a bell with me.

    When King Solomon opened the new temple, it was accompanied by great ceremony, including…

    And when the priests came out of the Holy Place (for all the priests who were present had consecrated themselves, without regard to their divisions, and all the Levitical singers, Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun, their sons and kinsmen, arrayed in fine linen, with cymbals, harps, and lyres, stood east of the altar with 120 priests who were trumpeters; and it was the duty of the trumpeters and singers to make themselves heard in unison in praise and thanksgiving to the Lord), and when the song was raised, with trumpets and cymbals and other musical instruments, in praise to the Lord, “For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever,” the house, the house of the Lord, was filled with a cloud, so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the house of God.2 Chronicles 5:11-15 ESV

    Jesus is the temple, but as His body, we form part of it. We no longer need to go to a special building to offer our sacrifices.

    The New Testament reinforces that idea elsewhere.

    The one who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God. Never shall he go out of it, and I will write on him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own new name. Revelation 3:12 ESV

    As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 2:4-5 ESV

    Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? 1 Corinthians 3:16 ESV

    The fact that we belong to Jesus and, as His body, form part of God’s temple has profound implications for the way we treat other believers.

    Jesus said

    By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. John 13:35 ESV

    When we are harsh or unforgiving toward believers, we defame the very temple of Christ. When we choose not to love other believers, we choose to turn our back on part of the temple.

    Ouch!

    I confess that as I typed that out, I realized that I had some repenting to do.  I can be critical and unloving toward other believers. I don’t like some believers for a variety of reasons, and I had to ask the Lord for forgiveness.

    As we learn to live with one another, to extend grace, forgiveness and love, let’s remember why we do it and give Him the glory.

    Kevin

    SUMMARY

    Reading about the 120 in Acts 1 led me to see that, as His body, we believers form part of God’s temple. That gives us every reason to extend grace, forgiveness and love to one another.

    TAKEAWAY

    You no longer need a special building to offer your sacrifices; as part of Christ’s body, you form part of His temple.

    Other believers form part of the temple too, so the way you treat them matters; your love for one another is how all people will know you are His disciples.

    As you learn to extend grace, forgiveness and love to other believers, remember why you do it and give Him the glory.

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  • A Snowy Day

    White Garments and the Righteousness of Christ

    The air was fresh and crisp, and the late morning temperature was barely below freezing. The bright morning sun set the snow aflame with sparkling diamonds of light. The effect was brilliant but blinding, and I needed sunglasses. Seeing the brilliant white snow made it easy to see why snow blindness might be an issue.

    The Bible often uses the color white as a metaphor for purity.

    We see an example of that on the Mount of Transfiguration.

    And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one on earth could bleach them. And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. Mark 9:2-4 ESV

    In writing to the church in Sardis, John spoke of the Lord’s promise of white garments.

    Yet you have still a few names in Sardis, people who have not soiled their garments, and they will walk with me in white, for they are worthy. The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels. Revelation 3:4-5 ESV

    The idea of new garments for old, putting on a new nature, shows up in a beautiful Old Testament prophetic passage. Admittedly it doesn’t mention “white,” but we see a delightful picture of the transformation.

    Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him.  And the Lord said to Satan, “The Lord rebuke you, O Satan! The Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is not this a brand plucked from the fire?” Now Joshua was standing before the angel, clothed with filthy garments. And the angel said to those who were standing before him, “Remove the filthy garments from him.” And to him he said, “Behold, I have taken your iniquity away from you, and I will clothe you with pure vestments.”  And I said, “Let them put a clean turban on his head.” So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him with garments. And the angel of the Lord was standing by. Zechariah 3:1-5 ESV

    My dear friends, that is what happens to you and me as believers. When we turn to Christ, we exchange our filthy rags of sin for the covering of His righteousness. In glory, when we are free of any taint or possibility of sin and fully righteous, we will have our own white garments. We will be entirely righteous and whole and able to serve, worship and fellowship fully with the Lord of our salvation.

    How glorious will that be? I look forward to seeing all of you clothed in robes of white, so brilliant it makes the eyes hurt.

    None of us deserve to be covered in the imputed righteousness of Christ, yet in His perfect love and mercy, He makes it possible. It is a gift we cannot earn, but we must humbly accept it in repentant faith.

    Be blessed

    Kevin

    SUMMARY

    The blinding brightness of sunlit snow reminded me how Scripture pictures purity in dazzling white garments. Through Christ, we are offered that same white covering as a gift, not something we can earn.

    TAKEAWAY

    You don’t have to clean yourself up before coming to Christ. Like Joshua the high priest, He removes what’s filthy and clothes you in what’s pure.

    The white garments Revelation promises the redeemed picture complete, unstained righteousness, not a reward for good behavior.

    This righteousness isn’t something you earn. It’s a gift you receive by turning to Christ in repentant faith.

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