2025-11-30: Reverence for the House of God

The Church: House of God

Psalm 84

How lovely is Your tabernacle,
O Lord of hosts!
² My soul longs, yes, even faints
For the courts of the Lord;
My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.

³ Even the sparrow has found a home,
And the swallow a nest for herself,
Where she may lay her young—
Even Your altars, O Lord of hosts,
My King and my God.
⁴ Blessed are those who dwell in Your house;
They will still be praising You. Selah

¹⁰ For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand.
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
Than dwell in the tents of wickedness.

The Dwelling of God

1. The First Paradise
   • God and man dwelling together
   • We lost this and were separated from God
     
     
2. The Altar
   • Meeting with God
     
     
3. The Tabernacle & The Temple
   • God dwells among us but He is still separate from us
     
     
4. The Church
   • God abides in us and we in Him

God is Holy

• Meet and right
• For truly it is fitting and right, and holy and becoming, and profitable to our souls, bodies, and spirits at all times and in all places of Your dominion, to praise You, hymn You, bless You, serve You, worship You, thank You, and glorify You.
• "You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy." (Leviticus 19:2)

My Response to Holiness

• Moses had to remove his sandals (Exodus 3:5)
• Joshua had to remove his sandals (Joshua 5:14-15)
• Isaiah recognized his sinfulness when in the presence of holiness
  • "Woe is me, for I am a man of unclean lips!" (Isaiah 6:1-5)
• The High Priest would wear his bells and his robe when entering the Holy Place
  • "And it shall be upon Aaron when he ministers, and its sound will be heard when he goes into the holy place before the Lord and when he comes out, that he may not die." (Exodus 28:35)
• Elijah, when he heard the voice of God as a gentle whisper, covered his face with a mantle
  • "¹¹ Then He said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; ¹² and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice. ¹³ So it was, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave." (1 Kings 19:11-13)
    

Consumed by Holiness

• When Moses was going to receive the Ten Commandments, God gave bounds to the people not to approach the mountain. "Whoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to death" (Exodus 19:12)
  
• Nadab and Abihu were consumed for disrespecting God's worship
• Uzzah was struck for handling the Ark of Covenant without reverence
• God's holiness is a consuming fire. When you put metal in fire, all of the impurities are consumed away and what's left is just the precious metals - the gold, silver, etc.

How to Approach God's House

• What do I wear
  • Clothing reflects reverence
  • We dress for interviews, weddings, graduations, etc. - how much more for God's house?
  • I am coming to meet the King of kings!
    
    
• How do I speak?
  • The Church is a house of prayer, not a house of conversation
  • Guard your tongue - silence gives room for prayer
  • If a conversation is needed, then quickly and in hushed tones
    
    
• How do I walk?
  • Walk quietly, not running, not wandering aimlessly
  • I'm not chewing gum, I'm not eating or drinking, I'm not taking a phone call - honeslty - I shouldn't even take a text message
    
    
• How do I stand?
  • Attentively
  • Not leaning
  • Not sitting casually
    
• How do i behave?
  • Games?