Reality says that we do sin, but...we have the Laver to come to and we can wash and ask Him to cleanse us and He will. Thank you Jesus for the Laver of Your Word. We read in our text that the priests had to wash with water, lest they die...if you and I do not wash in the Laver we will also die spiritually.We need to wash in the Laver of God's Word. COME OFTEN TO THE LAVER. Here are some scripture references: Psalm 119:9, John 15:3, John 17:17.
We do not have the capacity or the ability or the inclination to be cleansed in our own self. We need God's provision The provision in these verses makes it possible to live a sanctified life and be useful to the Lord. Living in the Word of God is the antidote that is required to live above the filth and smut and garbage that we are bombarded with on a daily basis; we are subjected all too often to the pollution of this world, through television, through business dealings; no one can say
that they have not now or ever been contaminated or defiled by the world. Read 1 John 1:8,9 but let us not think for one moment that these verses suggest or even hint that we can continue in sin because we know there is cleansing available. The apostle asks the question in Romans 6:15-19, "What then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? God forbid. Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, You are that one's slave, whether of sin leading to death or of obedience leading to righteousness. But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. For I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness."
About Me
Friday, February 29, 2008
Friday, February 22, 2008
The Laver, a mirror; God's Word
Now we can choose to keep our mirrors and look into them and try to do good works to improve ourselves...or like these women of old we can give them to the Lord, AND LET HIM WORK ON US UNTIL HIS BEAUTY IS SEEN IN US. Jesus looks on us with the express purpose of seeing Himself, His own perfect image in our lives. If we continue to hold onto the mirror and try to improve ourselves in our own strength, we will miss going into the holy place and ultimately, the Holiest of all, the Holy of Holies. We need to turn our mirrors over to Him so that we can look into His mirror and see who we really are and be changed and cleansed by the "washing of the water of the Word." When we look into our own mirror we may come away satisfied with ourselves but when we look into His mirror, the Word, we say what Isaiah said in chapter six and verse#5, "then said I, woe is me! For I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of Hosts."Here are some references...Luke 18:11-13, Rev. 2:2-4, Rev 2:13-16...as God sees...
He knows all about us, He sees everything and many times when in His presence and looking in to His Word, I have said with Isaiah, that ancient prophet of Israel...I am undone. People of God, we need the daily cleansing at the Laver, we need to be like John the Apostle who declares in 1 John 3:2,3, "Beloved...don't you love to be called the Beloved....Beloved, now are we the sons of God; and it does not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when He appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies Himself even as He is pure."It's a hope that purifies the Bible tells us...it is not the fear of hell that purifies...don't concentrate to much on hell, concentrate...focus on Jesus and be like Him. One day we are going to be like Him. One of these days we shall see Him as He is and that hope should cause us to live pure and holy lives. I want to see Him don't you? Don't be afraid of hell rather focus, concentrate on the Lord Jesus Christ. Let us be in a constant state of readiness having our hearts full of love for Him and for His Word. How tragic it would be if we have served the Lord all or most of our lives and at the end miss out by failing to be ready. I often think of the words of the great Apostle Paul when he said "Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world"...some of the saddest words in Holy writ. Jesus said "if you continue in My Word, then are you My disciples indeed." We must continue...we must come to the Laver every day and wash. We are saved by grace, we are kept by grace and that is by keeping His Word. I read a book while we were in Germany last year that was written by a Chinese Christian man who had spent many years in communist prisons simply because of his faith in Christ, and there are many, many Christians in prisons under deplorable conditions in China simply because they profess openly that they love Jesus, anyway this man, saint of God, committed to memory the entire Gospel of Matthew in a twenty eight day period. Psalm 119:11 says, "Thy Word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against Thee." to be cont'd.
He knows all about us, He sees everything and many times when in His presence and looking in to His Word, I have said with Isaiah, that ancient prophet of Israel...I am undone. People of God, we need the daily cleansing at the Laver, we need to be like John the Apostle who declares in 1 John 3:2,3, "Beloved...don't you love to be called the Beloved....Beloved, now are we the sons of God; and it does not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when He appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies Himself even as He is pure."It's a hope that purifies the Bible tells us...it is not the fear of hell that purifies...don't concentrate to much on hell, concentrate...focus on Jesus and be like Him. One day we are going to be like Him. One of these days we shall see Him as He is and that hope should cause us to live pure and holy lives. I want to see Him don't you? Don't be afraid of hell rather focus, concentrate on the Lord Jesus Christ. Let us be in a constant state of readiness having our hearts full of love for Him and for His Word. How tragic it would be if we have served the Lord all or most of our lives and at the end miss out by failing to be ready. I often think of the words of the great Apostle Paul when he said "Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world"...some of the saddest words in Holy writ. Jesus said "if you continue in My Word, then are you My disciples indeed." We must continue...we must come to the Laver every day and wash. We are saved by grace, we are kept by grace and that is by keeping His Word. I read a book while we were in Germany last year that was written by a Chinese Christian man who had spent many years in communist prisons simply because of his faith in Christ, and there are many, many Christians in prisons under deplorable conditions in China simply because they profess openly that they love Jesus, anyway this man, saint of God, committed to memory the entire Gospel of Matthew in a twenty eight day period. Psalm 119:11 says, "Thy Word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against Thee." to be cont'd.
THE LAVER; A PLACE OF SEPARATION
I've said that the Laver was a place of separation and cleansing; God used this Laver to improve the standing of the priests before they came to minister before the Altar and before their fellowshipping at the Table of Shewbread in the glorious light of the golden Candlestick.
They washed wholly once but there was a need for daily cleansing where they washed only their hands and feet. If I am to be used of God in ministry, and this is ministry whether I feel like it or not, I have to come to this basin of mirrors and examine myself and I have done that numerous times and on numerous occasions I have had to repent from my heart because there has been a defilement in my life. I have repented again today and I have washed in the basin of the Water of His Word.
Sometimes people bring their own mirrors and they fix themselves up so that they can be seen as they want to be seen rather than look in God's mirror that reveals what they really look like.
Looking at the words of Paul as he writes to young Timothy, "In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, not with braided hair, or gold or pearls or costly array; But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works. 1 Tim 2:9,10
Peter writes in the same vein in reference to a wife who is married to an unsaved husband in 1 Peter 3:1-6. This truth may use women for illustration purposes but it applies to men also.
Before we can come for daily cleansing to the Laver, we must first stop at the Altar of burnt sacrifices and identify with the sacrifice; we must first be cleansed and sanctified at Calvary before we can wash in the Laver...when we have been forgiven and cleansed at the cross then we
are accepted in the beloved and then we become part of that nation of kings and priests and only then are we permitted access to wash at the Laver, The Laver was only for the priests to use. An Israelite who was not a priest could not go further than the Altar of Sacrifice. As born again Christians we are members of the priesthood, separated unto God. 1 Peter 2:9,10.
We are a special people...can you imagine? You and I, wretched sinners that we are, becoming worthy, made worthy by His blood so that we are now special in His sight? We have been commissioned to proclaim this glorious gospel, that is to proclaim His praises. The praises of Him who has called us out of darkness into His marvelous light. to be continued...
Sunday, February 17, 2008
The Brazen Laver, cont'd
We read the command to construct the Laver and it's design that God gave Moses fromthe 30th. chapter of Exodus and you will notice that there was no dimensions given...the importance of the Laver was not so much the size but rather it's purpose. God had given to Moses the plan for the Laver just as He had all the other parts that went to make up the tabernacle and it's worship.
The Laver was made from highly polished bronze plates that were used for looking glasses that the women used as mirrors. Exodus 38:8 says. "He made the Laver of bronze and its base of bronze, from the bronze mirrors of the serving women who assembled at the door of the tabernacle of meeting." Notice here that the women who served at the tabernacle were the same people who did the giving.....some things never change do they. Here is a question for you; was there a tabernacle or tent of meeting before this one that Moses erected? We will find he answer a little bit later.
As noted in ch. 38, the Laver was made from the highly polished bronze or better still copper plates that the women used for mirrors. And as we study and observe the Laver, two things stand out, at least to me. We behold its truths and in the light that always shone on it ....we can see ourselves. As we gaze into its beauty ...we see ourselves in the Light of its truth. It is highly polished and it shines and sparkles in the sunlight It continues to shine even after the sun went down at night because it is illuminated by the fire from the Brazen Altar because that fire never went out. Can you see the analogy here? Can you take in its message? The Brazen Laver represents the Word of God and as we gaze into the Word we see the beauty of its truths, we see Jesus on every page, we see God's love letter to mankind. But like the mirrors or looking glasses that it was made from, we also see our own reflection, do we not? As you and I look into the pages of God's Word we see what kind of person that we really are. James 1:22-24.
to be continued
The Laver was made from highly polished bronze plates that were used for looking glasses that the women used as mirrors. Exodus 38:8 says. "He made the Laver of bronze and its base of bronze, from the bronze mirrors of the serving women who assembled at the door of the tabernacle of meeting." Notice here that the women who served at the tabernacle were the same people who did the giving.....some things never change do they. Here is a question for you; was there a tabernacle or tent of meeting before this one that Moses erected? We will find he answer a little bit later.
As noted in ch. 38, the Laver was made from the highly polished bronze or better still copper plates that the women used for mirrors. And as we study and observe the Laver, two things stand out, at least to me. We behold its truths and in the light that always shone on it ....we can see ourselves. As we gaze into its beauty ...we see ourselves in the Light of its truth. It is highly polished and it shines and sparkles in the sunlight It continues to shine even after the sun went down at night because it is illuminated by the fire from the Brazen Altar because that fire never went out. Can you see the analogy here? Can you take in its message? The Brazen Laver represents the Word of God and as we gaze into the Word we see the beauty of its truths, we see Jesus on every page, we see God's love letter to mankind. But like the mirrors or looking glasses that it was made from, we also see our own reflection, do we not? As you and I look into the pages of God's Word we see what kind of person that we really are. James 1:22-24.
to be continued
Thursday, February 14, 2008
The Brazen Laver
It has been a while since I have last offered my thoughts on these pages and I will not have to remind you or review too much, although I will just mention where we have covered ground, because you have it here in the previous blogs. And I would like to say how much I appreciate being able to express my thoughts for free using this forum; Blogger.com.
I will just give you a portion to digest today and each day coming so that you can be better prepard for our next Bible Study at the church house. So here is the first excerpt.
In our consideration of the Brazen Laver and what it refers to, we need to read from Ex. Ch. 30, verses 17-21 and I'm reading it from the NKJV. "Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: You shall also make a Laver of bronze, with its base also of bronze, for washing". (I believe that it was copper.) But rather than be accused of argument we shall refer to bronze. "You shall put it between the Tabernacle of meeting and the Altar. And you shall put water in it, for Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet in water from it. When they go into the Tabernacle of meeting, or when they come near the Altar to minister, to burn an offering made by fire to the LORD, they shall wash with water, lest they die. And it shall be a statute forever to them___
to him and to his descendants throughout their generations."
I get goose bumps when I read this portion of scripture, knowing a little bit of it's depth.
After we have looked at all the furnishings and/or the utensils, starting with the Holy of Holies wherin is the Ark of the covenant which contains the tablets of the Law; the ten commandments and the golden pot of manna and Aaron's rod that budded, blossomed and grew fruit; (all in one night) all covered by the Mercy Seat, that golden lid with the cheribim facing one another and their wings touching in unity, made from one hammered out piece of gold, we back out into the Holy Place and there we stop. It is here, in the Light of the Candlestick that we enjoy fellowship at the Table of Shewbread. The golden Altar of Incense is found here where we offer up prayers of supplication unto our God and it is a sweet smelling savour to Him. It is a place of praise and worship, in fact the Bible calls it a sacrifice of praise, even the lifting up of our hands...this is sacrifice and our prayers are sweet incense. God loves to hear us pray. When Jabez called on the God of Israel and prayed, "Oh! that you would bless me indeed and enlarge my territory, That Your hand would be with me and that You would keep me from evil that it may not grieve me"...(a prayer that any one of us might pray) the Biblke says in 1 Chronicles 4, verse 10 that "God granted him his requests". Whatever that request implied or entailed, God freely and readily granted. God was well pleased with Jabez's attitudfe and the fact that Jabez was an honorable man didn't hurt either. He was honorable in character and he was honorable in faith. His prayer was as sweet incense unto God.
He loves to hear us pray, He loves to hear our requests, He wants us to petition Him. Are you worried about the stock market tonight? Tell it to Jesus. Are circumstances overwhelming you? Tell Jesus...Yoiur wife just informed you that her mother is coming to stay indefinitely...pray!
Psalm 37:4 says "Delight thyself also in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.
Our next stop was at the Brazen Altar where the fire was started by God and the sacrifices were made...sacrifices that had to be made over and over and over again because the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer could never take away sin and set men free, but we see in this Brazen Altar a type of Calvary and that once for all time sacrifice that Jesus made when He bore our sins in His own body on that cross. Aren't you glad for the cross tonight? Then we come to the Brazen Laver, last in the order of furnishings as we have been studying it.We will wash there just as the priests did in the Tabernacle service...only there is a huge difference...(Look for more on the Tabernacle tomorrow)
I will just give you a portion to digest today and each day coming so that you can be better prepard for our next Bible Study at the church house. So here is the first excerpt.
In our consideration of the Brazen Laver and what it refers to, we need to read from Ex. Ch. 30, verses 17-21 and I'm reading it from the NKJV. "Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: You shall also make a Laver of bronze, with its base also of bronze, for washing". (I believe that it was copper.) But rather than be accused of argument we shall refer to bronze. "You shall put it between the Tabernacle of meeting and the Altar. And you shall put water in it, for Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet in water from it. When they go into the Tabernacle of meeting, or when they come near the Altar to minister, to burn an offering made by fire to the LORD, they shall wash with water, lest they die. And it shall be a statute forever to them___
to him and to his descendants throughout their generations."
I get goose bumps when I read this portion of scripture, knowing a little bit of it's depth.
After we have looked at all the furnishings and/or the utensils, starting with the Holy of Holies wherin is the Ark of the covenant which contains the tablets of the Law; the ten commandments and the golden pot of manna and Aaron's rod that budded, blossomed and grew fruit; (all in one night) all covered by the Mercy Seat, that golden lid with the cheribim facing one another and their wings touching in unity, made from one hammered out piece of gold, we back out into the Holy Place and there we stop. It is here, in the Light of the Candlestick that we enjoy fellowship at the Table of Shewbread. The golden Altar of Incense is found here where we offer up prayers of supplication unto our God and it is a sweet smelling savour to Him. It is a place of praise and worship, in fact the Bible calls it a sacrifice of praise, even the lifting up of our hands...this is sacrifice and our prayers are sweet incense. God loves to hear us pray. When Jabez called on the God of Israel and prayed, "Oh! that you would bless me indeed and enlarge my territory, That Your hand would be with me and that You would keep me from evil that it may not grieve me"...(a prayer that any one of us might pray) the Biblke says in 1 Chronicles 4, verse 10 that "God granted him his requests". Whatever that request implied or entailed, God freely and readily granted. God was well pleased with Jabez's attitudfe and the fact that Jabez was an honorable man didn't hurt either. He was honorable in character and he was honorable in faith. His prayer was as sweet incense unto God.
He loves to hear us pray, He loves to hear our requests, He wants us to petition Him. Are you worried about the stock market tonight? Tell it to Jesus. Are circumstances overwhelming you? Tell Jesus...Yoiur wife just informed you that her mother is coming to stay indefinitely...pray!
Psalm 37:4 says "Delight thyself also in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.
Our next stop was at the Brazen Altar where the fire was started by God and the sacrifices were made...sacrifices that had to be made over and over and over again because the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer could never take away sin and set men free, but we see in this Brazen Altar a type of Calvary and that once for all time sacrifice that Jesus made when He bore our sins in His own body on that cross. Aren't you glad for the cross tonight? Then we come to the Brazen Laver, last in the order of furnishings as we have been studying it.We will wash there just as the priests did in the Tabernacle service...only there is a huge difference...(Look for more on the Tabernacle tomorrow)
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