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And The Glory Of The Lord Filled The House

May God's Presence Define Our Church Gatherings

Do you long for your church to be defined not by the style of music or the powerful preaching or the incredible programs or the cool café in the lobby, but by the presence of Almighty God? What would it take to set the right conditions for such a Divine intersection of our lives with his presence? Certainly, God’s sovereignty is a critical factor—he will show up where he chooses, in the way he chooses, when he wants to. But perhaps a key phrase that appears no less than 18 times in Exodus 39-40 is the secret: “And they did as the Lord had commanded.”

The Journey// Focus: Exodus 40:35-35

Then the cloud covered the Tabernacle, and the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle. Moses could no longer enter the Tabernacle because the cloud had settled down over it, and the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle.

After all of the detailed construction of the tabernacle was complete—from the structure itself, to the garments of the priest, to the pots and pans used in ritual worship, the glory of the Lord fill the house.

Feast on that phrase for a moment: “And the glory of the Lord filled the house!”

That is the hope and prayer I have for every corporate gathering in the church where I serve—that every time we come into God’s house to worship him, call upon his name, and hear from his Word, that the glory of his presence would fill his house in an undeniable way.

I bet you long for that, too! Whatever church you belong to, wherever you worship, no matter what the style that defines your spiritual community, my sense is that you and others you gather with desperately long for the manifest presence of Almighty God as you come together. If you are like me, deep down, you don’t want the excellent music, or the great preaching or the beautiful architecture of your building to be what attracts people, you want it to be the glorious presence of God himself. After all, that is what we need most: to encounter the living God.

What would it take on our part to set the right conditions for such a Divine intersection of our lives with his presence? Certainly, God’s sovereignty is at play in this matter—he will show up where he chooses, in the way he chooses, when he wants to. And he does: he reveals his presence in gatherings under trees in Africa, in boardroom Bible studies in Hong Kong, in underground house churches in China, in prayer sessions in dormitories on college campuses. But I want that in my church the next time we gather!

But perhaps a key phrase that appears no less than ten times in Exodus 39 and another eight times in Exodus 40 is the secret: “And they did as the Lord had commanded.” I have a feeling that our slip-shod, overly-casual, low-expectations, anything goes, cheap grace approach to the presence of God these days keeps us from experiencing those deeper dimensions with God that we long for.

Perhaps it is time that we rethink how we plan our worship services. In all honesty, don’t we give more thought to how the people will respond to the music and the message than how God will respond? Of course, worship blesses us, since we were created to worship God and to fully enjoy him forever. But worship is first and foremost for God. He designed it and gave careful instructions for how his people were to approach his glorious presence in worship down to the smallest details. Graham Kendrick offered this insight, “Worship is first and foremost for His benefit, not ours, though it is marvelous to discover that in giving Him pleasure, we ourselves enter into what can become our richest and most wholesome experience in life.”

What if we began to list “for the glory of God alone” at the top of our weekly worship planner?

May doing “everything the Lord has commanded” become our first and highest priority! And may the glory of the Lord fill your house of worship this next Lord’s Day!

Going Deeper: Pray this prayer for a visitation of the glory of God in your church: “Father I long for your presence to fill your house where I worship. I pray that you would work in lives of me and my fellow worshippers as you see fit so that the conditions are set for your glory to sweep over us as you did in the Tabernacle of old. God, we long for you, we desire your glory, we need your holy presence. Come among us, I pray, and declare your greatness. We live for you; we are yours, so come and touch your people that we might never be the same.

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God’s Work—Our Work

It Is The Lord Christ You Are Serving

Our work matters to God, because it reflects his DNA. God is a working God and creative God. We ought therefore to work as if we were to be saved by our works; and so rely on Jesus, as if we did no works.

the Journey // Focus: Exodus 39:42-43

So the people of Israel followed all of the Lord’s instructions to Moses. Then Moses inspected all their work. When he found it had been done just as the Lord had commanded him, he blessed them.

Thank God for work!  No—really!

When we first meet God in the Bible, he is a creating, working God. In fact, we first learn of God that he is the Creator. He takes nothing and makes it something, turning the mess into his masterpiece. Often in the creation account, we find that when God has finished a certain aspect of his work, he looked it over and upon examination, exclaimed, “that’s good.”

When God created the human couple, he declared that his work as Creator was done, and that it, too was good. In fact, he declared it to be his most impressive work: “Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good!” But he didn’t stop either his work or his creativity; he simply assigned it to Adam and Eve. In Genesis 1:28, God says to the couple, “Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground.” In other words, now you take what I’ve done to the next level. Creatively work it so that it brings honor to me.

All that to say, in our passage today, we find a parallel to the creation account in Genesis: “Moses saw that the people had done, that they had done it just as the Lord had commanded, and his summation was that it was good. How do we know that? We see that in response to their creative work, “Moses blessed them. On God’s behalf, Moses is looking it over, then saying, “it is so good.”

Among the many things that could be said in commentary on the construction of the tabernacle, one of the things we can draw from this is a theology of work. Work is what God does, and being made in his image, being assigned responsibilities of co-rulership with him, work is what he has called us to do. Work is not a necessary evil, it is at the heart of our God-infused DNA. Furthermore, we have his creativity in our DNA as well, so our work is to be done in a way that creates beauty and value, bringing honor and glory to the Creator. That is why, over in the New Testament, the Apostle Paul exhorts the Colossians believers,

And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father. Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting for those who belong to the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and never treat them harshly. Children, always obey your parents, for this pleases the Lord. Fathers, do not aggravate your children, or they will become discouraged. Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything you do. Try to please them all the time, not just when they are watching you. Serve them sincerely because of your reverent fear of the Lord. Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ. (Colossians 3:17-24)

So whether it is managing creation on God’s behalf in Genesis, or doing God’s work in constructing a beautiful tabernacle in Exodus, or giving effort in whatever our daily life brings to us, in marriage, our family, or on the job either as an employee or an employer, God has ordained our work. So therefore,

  1. Our work is to do God’s work. In fact whatever we do is God’s work.
  2. In our work we are actually managing God’s creation for him, no matter what it is we have been assigned to do.
  3. When we do our work as God’s work, and we carry out our work in God’s way, we will never lack God’s favor and God’s provision. Like Moses did with the tabernacle workers, God will review it and reward it.

And as we approach our work in that way, whatever we do, big or small, glorious or common, we will find great joy and eternal significance in knowing we have done it as service unto the Lord Christ.

Going Deeper: Reevaluate your work: What you are doing is God-ordained and is an opportunity to be God-honoring. It is an opportunity for you to manage the part of creation assigned to you—at least for the time being—to add value and beauty to it, and to please the true Boss of your work.

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God Cares About the Details of You

For reasons that are important to God, he saw fit to include minute details regarding tabernacle worship in the eternal witness of the Bible. Perhaps in doing that God is reminding us that he cares about the minute details of our lives, too; that we are his holy people—set us apart and sanctified as sacred instruments of God-honoring worship. So much so is God blessed by your holiness that he will even help you on this day to present a holy life before him, even in the details, as Exodus 38:3 describes, even in the pots and pans and utensils of your life.

The Journey // Focus: Exodus 38:21

This is an inventory of the materials [pots, shovels, sprinkling bowls, meat forks, firepans, etc,] used in building the Tabernacle of the Covenant. The Levites compiled the figures, as Moses directed, and Ithamar son of Aaron the priest served as recorder.

The reading in Exodus today isn’t all that exciting to me, frankly. I found my mind wandering to my “to do” list for the day ahead as my eyes passed over the minutiae of the endless list of strange Tabernacle furnishings. Why would I care about “horns overlaid with bronze at the four corners of the altar”? How will details about the “pots, shovels, sprinkling bowls, meat forks and firepans” (Exodus 38:3) provide wisdom for dealing with heady spiritual issues or direction for leading my church toward a glorious future? All this stuff sounds more like a packing list for a camping trip!

But wait…the Lord is in the details!

For reasons that are important to God, he saw fit to include these details in the eternal witness of our Holy Scriptures. Perhaps God is reminding us that he cares about the details of our lives, too, just as he did about the implements of worship for the tabernacle. Maybe he is reminding us through this inventory that we are his holy people; he has set us apart, sanctified us, as sacred instruments of worship.

And, just like the details of tabernacle worship, he cares about the details of our worship. He cares because he is a holy God and he longs for a people who are a holy people who can experience closeness and intimacy with him through the pathway of their worship.

Reading about these ancient artifacts and building plans in Exodus and the archaic sacrificial rituals in Leviticus quickly reminds us that this holy God is very concerned that we, his people, have been selected and set apart for his holy purposes. As we come before God in worship and as we serve God with our daily lives, he doesn’t want our second-rate stuff or sin-tainted lives. He demands, and he deserves, our very best, even in the smallest details.

Given your sin nature and the tendency of your heart to wander, perhaps that sounds to you like you will never be a holy implement of worship. But the good news is that Father God, through the death and resurrection of his Son, Jesus Christ, has cleansed you from all unrighteous and has purified you in holiness. Through his blood, he has made a way into the Holy of Holies; through is death, he ripped the veil separating you from the unapproachable holiness of God. As a Christian, you stand before God in the righteousness of Christ. Yes, you are holy! And that is not due to your own efforts or inherent worthiness. It is all because of God’s mercy and grace.

Yet the truth is, that while your position before God is holy, your walk before him is not always so pure. That is why, on an ongoing, if not daily basis, you ought to surrender your mind—how you think, your heart—what you desire, your hands—what you do, and all your ways down to the minute details of your being to his cleansing power.

God demands daily holiness from you, because he has set you apart to glorify and represent him with your whole life. What an honor that you have been chosen for that purpose! And the God who chose you deserves holiness as your reasonable act of worship. Because of who God is, and for all that he has done to save you, sanctify you and select you, holiness is the very least that you can offer to him.

I have a feeling that even though God demands and deserves your holiness, deep down, as a redeemed believer, holiness is what you desire to give God. And you should know this: that even though you don’t always achieve holiness in your thoughts, feelings and actions, your desire to be holy pleases your Heavenly Father’s heart. So much so is God blessed by your heart’s desire that he will help you this day to present to a holy life before him, even in the details, even in the pots and pans and utensils of your life.

Going Deeper: When you surrendered your heart to Christ, his holiness was transmitted to you. You are holy. Now learn to walk in it. As difficult as that might be, God has set himself to help you achieve the holy walk, for it is God who works in you both to will and to do his good pleasure. (Philippians 2:12-13)

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Psalm 2: God Rules

He Is The Ruler Yet

The hymn writer said it perfectly: “This is my Father’s world, O let me ne’er forget; that though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the Ruler yet.” That must become the settled law of our heart, even though unwanted circumstances, unkind people, and unwise leaders seem to be running the show. They are not – they have been given only a season, but God is the ruler yet!

The Journey: Psalm 2:4

The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them.

In Psalm 14:1, David wrote, “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.” They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good.”

Of course, David’s idea of a fool was different than ours—and much more serious. We speak of a fool as one who lacks intelligence, direction and sound judgment. But David understood the fool to be one who lived willfully in complete disregard to the laws of God. He ignored God’s rightful rule over his life, and perhaps even went so far as to express an attitude that aggressively denied God’s reality, defied God’s moral code, and went so far as to dare God to execute judgment.

By David’s definition, we are living in a time where there are a lot of fools running around. In fact, many of them seem to be running our country. They are in high places of government, finance, cultural influence, and even spiritual leadership.

But as powerful, popular and prosperous as they are, they are still fools. And David’s psalm reminds us of this sobering truth: God still rules. And while the fools are seated in places of power, God is seated in the only place of power that really counts. And he is scoffing at the unbelievable hubris and overt rebellion of these he has created and gives even their very moment-by-moment breath. He sits in the true real and true throne, patiently waiting for them to repent, but knowing they never will.

Psalm 2 speaks of that time when God’s patience will finally come to its end and he will indeed execute judgment on those who have dared and defied him for so long. And it won’t be a pretty picture then. As you read Psalm 2, you realize that it is not a very happy psalm.

Yet there is hope here in David’s song. This psalm of divine judgment is also a contrasting psalm of hope. Embedded in David’s diatribe is also an invitation to live wisely (v. 10—as opposed to how the fool lives) by serving God gladly (v. 11—contrasted with the defiant rebelliousness of sinful man) and the promise that all who willing do will find “blessed” (happiness, favor and eternal joy) “refuge” (a safe and secure place) in him (v.12).

There is not a whole lot you and I can do about all the fools running around these days, but whenever we get frustrated with all the foolishness we’ve got to put up with, we can be reminded that it is God who rules. And when he finally brings all the foolishness to its deserving end, we will have found blessed refuge in him, because he rules in the most important place—the throne of our hearts.

Wherever the fear of God rules in the heart, it will appear both in works of charity and piety, and neither will excuse us from the other. (Matthew Henry)

A Simple Prayer:

God, develop in me the faith to always see through my circumstances, no matter how difficult they may be, to see your hand at work, setting the stage to reveal your glory. Help me to obey, even when to obey would allow those circumstances to threaten my health or happiness. Help me not to despair when the ungodly prosper. And Lord, open my eyes to see and receive your blessing when it would seem impossible that blessings could happen when I am in unwanted circumstances and being affected by ungodly people.
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The Love Test

They Will Know You Belong To Jesus By Your Love

It is always easier to be active than loving, to be charismatically gifted than loving, to be prophetically certain than loving, to be biblically astute than loving. But none of those are substitutes for love. The first characteristic God expects in you is that you love. 1 John 4:16 says, “God is love.” Thus, John says love is to be the very essence of who you are; the manifestation of your character: “Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.”

Going Deep // Focus: 1 Corinthians 13:3 (MSG)

So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I’m bankrupt without love.

Are you a loving person? “Sure,” you say, but really, is love the preeminent characteristic of your life? It should be, since you belong to God, and love is his very essence; the manifestation of his character. 1 John 4:16 says, “God is love.” Thus, John says love is to be the very essence of who you are; the manifestation of your character: “Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.”

Let me suggest a sobering way to measure yourself against the kind of love you have been called to exhibit in every aspect of your life—in your home, at work, when you are on social media, at all times, in every place, with all people! Read Paul’s description of love from 1 Corinthians 13:4-6, but substitute your name whenever the word “love” appears:

“LOVE is patient, LOVE is kind. LOVE does not envy, LOVE does not boast, LOVE is not proud. LOVE is not rude, LOVE is not self-seeking, LOVE is not easily angered, LOVE keeps no record of wrongs. LOVE does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. LOVE always protects, LOVE always trusts, LOVE always hopes, LOVE always perseveres. LOVE never fails!”

Hmm! If you’re like me, you and God have some work to do to get you up to speed in the love department!

Going Deep With God: Here’s a risky assignment: Ask the people who know you best how you measure up in the Love Test of 1 Corinthians 13:4-7.

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God’s Promissory Note Of Love

Worship Then, Worship Now, Worship In Eternity

When you plow through the tabernacle details and are getting a bit bored, or tempted to skip past them, just remember that they are reminding you of a God who cares about your worship because through your worship he wants you to be close to him and him close to you. And furthermore, those details are a promissory note to you that one day in the eternal future, there will no need of a tabernacle because “the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb will be our tabernacle.”

The Journey// Focus: Exodus 37:1-9

Bezalel made the ark of acacia wood—two and a half cubits long, a cubit and a half wide, and a cubit and a half high. He overlaid it with pure gold, both inside and out, and made a gold molding around it. He cast four gold rings for it and fastened them to its four feet, with two rings on one side and two rings on the other. Then he made poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold. And he inserted the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark to carry it. He made the atonement cover of pure gold—two and a half cubits long and a cubit and a half wide. Then he made two cherubim out of hammered gold at the ends of the cover. He made one cherub on one end and the second cherub on the other; at the two ends he made them of one piece with the cover. The cherubim had their wings spread upward, overshadowing the cover with them. The cherubim faced each other, looking toward the cover.

In chapter after chapter over the last sixteen chapters in Exodus we are provided exacting details of the tabernacle, its furnishing and the supplies that will be used for worship. How exciting this must have been for the children of Israel, who up to this point, worshipped a God who took no form and had no sacred temple where the worshipper could meet with him. Unlike the surrounding nations, their God was invisible. Now he would have a home, and they would have a place worthy of a deity.

From our point of view, it is very likely that as we read this tabernacle minutiae between Exodus 25-40 we may be bored and tempted to “speed read” if not skip over it entirely. Yet since we hold a high view of Scripture, namely, that all sixty-six books of the Bible are inspired by God, and are therefore “profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17), we must conclude that God included these chapters as a blue print for worship that still has some application for both our corporate and private worship today. And it does.

Many have undertaken the task of explaining the significance of the tabernacle, but that is neither my expertise nor my purpose here. But I would point out three general “take-aways” from this chapter, and its companion chapters, that should remind us of the grace and mercy of the up-close and personal God to whom we belong.

Firstly, it reminds us that Almighty God, the Creator and Sovereign of the Universe, is worthy of our highest praise and continual adoration. In the artistry and richness of the tabernacle—made according to his design—he tells us that our most careful and costly worship is due him.

Secondly, in calling his people to construct a tabernacle that he, himself, has designed, he is showing us that he has come “to dwell,” literally, to tabernacle, in the midst of his people. That is why his people must be holy, worship him in his holiness, and themselves be holy. But more than that, think of how amazing it was for a God to dwell in his awesome but loving presence among his people! And he does. What other god is like Israel’s God. There is no other. How merciful and lovingly kind Yaweh is!

But thirdly, as significant as this house of worship was for the people of Israel as they journeyed through the desert and later on possessed the Promised Land, the tabernacle was also a picture of what was to come—a prophetic foreshadow of a time when God would come to permanently and personally dwell among his people. He would come one day in the glorious incarnation of his Son (John 1:14), and would again one day return in the Second Coming to usher in his permanent and personal dwelling among his people in the eternal kingdom.

When you plow through the tabernacle details and are getting a bit bored, just remember, those details are reminding you of a God who cares about your worship because through your worship he wants you to be close to him and him close to you. So much so does the Creator desire intimacy with you, his creation, that he sent his Son to physically, literally, bring the tabernacle to you and through his death, make a way—a new and living way—into the place of the Ark of the Covenant, the Holy of Holies. And the full and final fulfillment of that Divine desire to have intimate closeness with you and all his people will be consummated at the Second Coming when there will be no “temple in the eternal city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.” (Revelation 21:22)

Learn to read between the details of the tabernacle the promissory note of love that God has left for you.

Going Deeper: Exodus 37, along with all the chapters between Exodus 25-40, are in a sense, a pre-incarnate sneak peek of what God has planned for his people in both the First and the Second Coming of Jesus. In anticipation of that, re-read John 1 and Revelation 21—and do it from a heart of grateful worship.

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God, Help Me To See My Real Enemy

52 Simple Prayers for Each Week of the Year

Satan hates God, but since he can’t get to God, he goes after you. He is behind every conflict, upheaval, and attack in your life and in your world. Of course, he manipulates people and uses circumstances in the visible realm, but make no mistake, the Enemy is behind it all seeking to steal, kill and destroy. Don’t fall for attacking the wrong enemy. Put on the armor of God and take the fight to the Evil One. And don’t fear: Jesus already defeated him at the cross. You’re just in the mop up campaign, and it will last just a little while longer.

A Simple Prayer to Defeat Satan:

God, help me to see the real enemy—The Enemy—behind every conflict, every upheaval, and every attack. Too often I focus on “flesh and blood” causes, but it is the Evil One who hates me because I belong to you. It is he who uses people and circumstances to derail your plan for me and my trust in your sufficiency. So give me eyes to see, help me to exercise discernment, and remind me to go to battle against him in the armor you have provided the next time I am tempted to take it out on someone else.