Thursday, 1 October 2020

His house

 

Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus, who was faithful to Him who appointed Him, as Moses also was faithful in all His house. For this One has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as He who built the house has more honor than the house. For every house is built by someone, but He who built all things is God. And Moses indeed was faithful in all His house as a servant, for a testimony of those things which would be spoken afterward, but Christ as a Son over His own house, whose house we are if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end. – Hebrews 3.1-6

 One of the greatest names for the church is ‘the house of God.’  In the Old Testament God dwelt in the Temple. Only the high priest could approach Him. He dwelt in the Holy of Holies.

 Now though the veil that separated man from God has been torn in two. It was God’s work as it was torn from top to bottom. After that God’s house is His church.

 That doesn’t mean that when we go to church the building is His house.  We are His house and we gather together in a building. When Immanuel came He indeed came as God with us.

 We are the House of God. Jesus built us and is building His house.

 What that should mean is that the church should reflect its owner and the One who dwells there.

 How does Jesus look if He is judged by the appearance of His house? How does the church look to the outside? Sometimes it doesn’t look, according to Andrew Peterson, ‘the second coming of the Pharisees.’ God’s house gets dirty and sullied and it looks like any other street on the block. We get involved in all kinds of things that we should not be involved in a no one wants to some into the house. The church in many ways is at the point where is scares people off instead of inviting them in.

 God’s house ought to reflect Him and His glory. What part are you and I doing to make that so?

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