Moses saw the pattern to build the tabernacle. He was told specifically to build according to the pattern shown to himon the mountain. Heb.8:5...Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount. Notice the spirit emphasizes all things. Now we know this was a shadow of the things to come for we know the church is the true tabernacle of God and is the body of Christ. We are to build according to the pattern. Yet, for centuries we have ignored the word of God and followed our own pattern the pattern of divisiveness, separation and independent behavior. Can you hear the cry of disobedience we shout in the ears of our God when we ask him to “Bless our works” which are according to the pattern of man and not his word? How long shall we stay in Babylon? How long shall we embrace confusion as the childrens meat? We have worshiped denominations and doctrines established by the visions of men handed down for centuries. We somehow think that because the way things have been is the way they must continue. We follow a form of religion but we deny and ignore the pattern he has shown us on the mount. We have a form of religion but deny the power. We have ignored all things.
Thank God the sprit did not call the first church the Jewish church but instead it was called the church in Jerusalem. All other churches were called by the city where the believers resided. Nowhere in the scriptures is a church called by a man’s name, some form of doctrine or national origin. This is the pattern of today’s places of worship. Brethren these things ought not to be. We must open our hearts and build according to the pattern shown to us on the mountain. A wise man builds his house upon a rock and establishes all things.
Matt. 15:1 Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying, 2 Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread. 3 But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition? 4 For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death. 5 But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; 6 And honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition. 7 Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, 8 This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. 9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
Do we think we can transgress the commandment of God with our traditions? How is it we can replace the expressed commandments of God with our ideas? The reason is we have the spirit of the Pharisees controlling our churches with the traditions of men. The Pharisees came to Jesus to challenge him because it appeared he was not following Moses. The Lord responds by pointing out that Moses taught us to honor our father and mother. Children were to provide and make sure their parents were well cared for even if it cost them money. Yet those who felt they were serving God would dedicate the funds unto God and therefore free themselves of this obligation toward their parents. Of course they kept most of the dedication for themselves. Thus they found a loophole to the commandment of God.
The religion of today is full of loopholes. Ways to justify disobedience to the commandments of God. The traditions create blindness to the word of God and leave us empty spiritually. We are full of vanity, which we offer to God as pure religion and undefiled. Our mouths speak but our words have no honor for they make void the promises of God. We worship in vain and teach the doctrines and commandments of me. Matt 15:14 Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch. We must depart from the traditions of men, leave Babylon (baby land), assemble ourselves together and form the wineskin that the Lord has chosen.
Matt. 18:15 Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. 16 But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. 17 And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as a heathen man and a publican. 18 Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. 19 Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
We are the two or more. You are the two or more; a least if you made it this far in the chapter. If they neglect to hear the church let them be as unbelievers or like politicians, liars, ignorant of the ways of God full of themselves looking to practice witch craft and magic to enslave the masses. The Lord’s emphasis is on the church. The church is the ecclesia, the called out ones who assemble themselves unto the Lord to worship him so they may function according to the pattern shown on the mountain. The Lord showed how he felt about the church even before the Holy Spirit formed it on the day of Pentecost. When Peter spoke, "Thou art the Christ" our Lord declared on this testimony he would build his church and the gates of hell would not prevail against her. It was on the confession of Peter, “Thou art the Christ.” The Lord is building his church and the gates of hell will not prevail against her. This confession must continue in our mouths. “You are the Christ, the son of the living God and upon our confession you are continuing to build your church.”
Why would we want anything else? We want to be found not wanting but found with full faith and obedience unto the Lord. We want to be filled with all the glory of God for it is Christ in us the hope of glory. It is through the power of the Holy Spirit we are built-up into a habitation of the Lord. Man cannot build what God has not ordained but he certainly has torn down the temple and made it into a den of thieves and place of unrighteousness before the Lord. We must leave these whorehouses and assemble ourselves unto God.
Isa.4:1 And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name, to take away our reproach. If we cling unto the Lord he will take away our reproach. 2 In that day shall the branch of the LORD be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and comely for them that are escaped of Israel. 3 And it shall come to pass, that he that is left in Zion, and he that remaineth in Jerusalem, shall be called holy, even every one that is written among the living in Jerusalem: 4 When the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof by the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning. 5 And the LORD will create upon every dwelling place of mount Zion, and upon her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night: for upon all the glory shall be a defense. 6 And there shall be a tabernacle for a shadow in the daytime from the heat, and for a place of refuge, and for a covert from storm and from rain.
Ex.15:17 Thou shalt bring them in, and plant them in the mountain of thine inheritance, in the place, O LORD, which thou hast made for thee to dwell in, in the Sanctuary, O Lord, which thy hands have established. He will lead us to a dwelling place, which his hands have established. In the mountain refers to a high place that is above the thinking of man and employs the mind of God. This is a place for him to dwell and not us. We are looking for a place we can feel comfortable but it is not about us it is about his well being done in the earth as it is in heaven. We are the instruments, which bring about his will in the earth. This is why we must follow him and be perfect even as our Father is perfect.
Ex. 23:20 Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place, which I have prepared. The place he has prepared is where he has sent us. When the children left Egypt the plan of God was to lead them to the promise land where they would build cities and become a Nation honoring the Lord God. He brought them out that he might bring them in. The promise land was a place he had already prepared for them to go. They did not wander to Europe, China or some other place of their choice. They went where they were led by his sprit. When they entered the promise land the first place they conquered was Jericho. This was a magical city full of sorcery and wisdom of man. They worshiped stars and knew much about astrology. All their magic was not able to protect them from the power of God. Here we see the plan of God in the Old Testament, the establishing of his presence through his people in every city. Joshua led them from place to place until every city was conquered. All seven nations and five kings were destroyed. We are the ecclesia and he has called us out of Egypt and Babylon to serve the living God in the place that he leads us.
Ex. 23:21 Beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not, for he will not pardon your transgressions: for my name is in him.
Deut.16:2 Thou shalt therefore sacrifice the Passover unto the LORD thy God, of the flock and the herd, in the place, which the LORD shall choose to place his name there. He will place his name where two or more are gathered in his name. They shall ask anything and he will do it. How do we expect to receive anything from God if we will not be obedient to his word and let his Holy Spirit guide us into all truth? We cannot walk outside of his will and expect to receive his benefits. The Lord requires obedience rather than sacrifice. Sacrifice all you want at the altars of your choice and you will find you will remain weak and sickly until you come to the place he has chosen for your life.
We are to present ourselves in the place he has chosen. Not the place we have chosen. Our hands are to be full of the things of God but empty of the wisdom of man. As long as we walk in the institution of man we will be empty of the spirit of God. We will have a form of religion but not his power. We cannot serve God and mammon. There must come a time when we walk not in rebellion or the spirit of disobedience but in the obedience of the Lord. We have partaken of the Feast of Unleavened Bread but it is time to move to the Feast of Tabernacles. Many talk about how they have arrived and are waiting to enter this feast but where is the talk of UNITY? This is a new experience the church has not embraced or recognized as part of fulfilling all righteousness. We have partaken of Passover and Pentecost but we have not had our eyes open to the new experiences. We have not appeared before the Lord as he has commanded for we have ignored his word and not walked in unity.
Deut.31:11 When all Israel is come to appear before the LORD thy God in the place, which he shall choose, thou shalt read this law before all Israel in their hearing.
All the believers all over this country need to appear before the Lord. In the place he has chosen. This is not in a denominational structure, a place where we all say the same thing, and a place where we all agree on the same doctrine or a place that pleases our flesh. He has chosen the place for all his saints. This is a place in every city where the banner of the Lord is held high and the exclusion of others is not accepted. This place of worship is not a place where we rally around one man and his doctrines. It is not a place where the spiritually enlightened form their own place of sanctification from the poor in spirit. It is not a place where present truth explodes on the scene giving the hearers the right to separate from the church. This has happened for centuries. God reveals himself in a certain form and man builds a tabernacle of truth around that one specific revelation. Doubtless, I shall come to revelation but it should not separate me from my brothers and sisters in the Lord. This is a hard saying but one worthy of embracing. the voice 1998
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The Place I have Chosen 1c:return
THE PLACE I HAVE CHOSEN: One Part B