The Holy of Holies..Craig Denison Ministries

 The Holy of Holies

Craig Denison Ministries

Weekly Overview: 

God’s presence is real, full of love, and completely transformational. It takes what was broken and brings healing. It takes what was lost and guides us to our rightful place in the Father. It satisfies the weary, brings light to the darkness, and pours out the refreshing rain of God’s love on the dryest, deepest parts of the soul. Scripture contains story after story of God coming down to meet God’s children where they are, and your heavenly Father has the same heart for you as he did them. He longs to make the reality of his presence known to you. He longs to refresh you with his nearness. You were created for encountering God, and you will never be satisfied until you continually live in the experience for which you were created. Allow your desires to be stirred up to encounter the living God this week as we read powerful stories of God’s people encountering his manifest presence. May you respond to God’s word by seeking out that for which you were made: continual encounter with your heavenly Father.

Scripture:“Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.” Hebrews 10:19-22

Devotional:    

Descriptions of the Holy of Holies strike fear in my heart. Leviticus 16:1-5 describes the work a priest would have to go through in order to enter into the presence of God and not be killed. Scripture says,

The Lord spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they drew near before the Lord and died, and the Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron your brother not to come at any time into the Holy Place inside the veil, before the mercy seat that is on the ark, so that he may not die. For I will appear in the cloud over the mercy seat. But in this way Aaron shall come into the Holy Place: with a bull from the herd for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering. He shall put on the holy linen coat and shall have the linen undergarment on his body, and he shall tie the linen sash around his waist, and wear the linen turban; these are the holy garments. He shall bathe his body in water and then put them on. And he shall take from the congregation of the people of Israel two male goats for a sin offering, and one ram for a burnt offering.”

The holiness of God required absolute purity from all who would enter into his presence. And so powerful was God’s presence that it killed the two sons of Aaron, the high priest. When I picture the terrifying, powerful presence of my God as told in the Old Testament, my heart is filled with reverence and awe. How could this holy God love me, a broken and helpless sinner? How could I come before God and enter into his presence when his holiness requires such purity?

But Hebrews 9:11-12 says,

When Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.

Our high priest entered into the holy places on our behalf and secured safe passage for us all to enter into God’s presence. Hebrews 10:19-22 describes this powerful truth in saying,

Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

What’s more, through the death of Jesus, God is now able to flood the earth with his presence. Christ defeated the power of sin and death and made the way for you and me to be the new temple of God’s holy, powerful presence. 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 states, “Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple.” Later, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says, “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”

The question before you today is this: are you experiencing the fullness of what has been made available to you through Christ? Are you experiencing the power and nearness of the God who has made his temple within you? Are you living out of the holiness of the very Spirit who dwells within you and has made you a righteous new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17, 2 Corinthians 5:21)?

1 Corinthians 6:20 commands us to “glorify God in [our] body” as a response to being filled with the presence of God through the work of our high priest, Jesus Christ. It’s in living our life out of the inner working of the Holy Spirit that we begin to experience all that God intends for us. We must first acknowledge that the very presence of God who dwelled within the Holy of Holies and was so powerful that it killed men now dwells within us. The same Spirit who raised Christ from the dead lives within us. And in acknowledging the reality of God’s presence in our lives we must begin to realign our lives with the will of the Spirit. We must react to God’s grace with our obedience. So great was God’s desire to provide you with an abundant life in him that he sent Jesus as the final, perfect sacrifice. The fact that you are now the temple of the Holy Spirit means that you have God himself to guide you, love you, fill you, heal you, and deliver you. You have access to a more real and intimate relationship with your heavenly Father than you can fathom.

Spend time in prayer acknowledging the presence of God within you and responding to his presence with humility and trust. Allow the Spirit to transform you in his presence and guide you into who you were created to be. May you encounter the power of the God who loves you too much to allow you to lead a life apart from his holy and loving presence.

Guided Prayer:

1.  Meditate on the power of the presence of God that dwells within you. Reflect on the holiness of God as described in the Old Testament accounts of the Holy of Holies.

“The Lord spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they drew near before the Lord and died, and the Lord said to Moses, ‘Tell Aaron your brother not to come at any time into the Holy Place inside the veil, before the mercy seat that is on the ark, so that he may not die. For I will appear in the cloud over the mercy seat. But in this way Aaron shall come into the Holy Place: with a bull from the herd for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering. He shall put on the holy linen coat and shall have the linen undergarment on his body, and he shall tie the linen sash around his waist, and wear the linen turban; these are the holy garments. He shall bathe his body in water and then put them on. And he shall take from the congregation of the people of Israel two male goats for a sin offering, and one ram for a burnt offering.’” Leviticus 16:1-5

“On its hem you shall make pomegranates of blue and purple and scarlet yarns, around its hem, with bells of gold between them, a golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, around the hem of the robe. And it shall be on Aaron when he ministers, and its sound shall be heard when he goes into the Holy Place before the Lord, and when he comes out, so that he does not die.” Exodus 28:33-35

2. Now meditate on the fact that you are the temple of the Holy Spirit. Acknowledge the reality of the Holy Spirit in your life. Open your heart and mind to experience his nearness, love, and power.

“Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple.” 1 Corinthians 3:16-17

“Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

3. Come before God with the boldness made available to you through Christ. Ask the Spirit to guide you deeper into God’s presence. Ask God to reveal to you new parts of his love for you. God is infinite. His presence never runs out. Take time to rest in the wonderful, real, and loving presence of your heavenly Father.

“But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.” Hebrews 9:11-12

“Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.” Hebrews 10:19-22

In God’s presence you can experience all he longs to do in you. Allow the Spirit to guide you to past wounds that need to be healed. If you are suffering from a physical ailment, ask the Spirit to heal you. God’s Spirit is as alive and active today as ever, working to heal the brokenness of a world wrought with the destruction of sin. Allow him to work in you, that you might be a picture to others of the reality of your heavenly Father’s love for his children. Open your heart, ask him to move and work, and receive whatever it is he desires to give you today. There’s no time like being in the presence of God to experience all that he has to offer us in his love and grace.

Extended Reading: Hebrews 9-10

Sing for Joy..Whitney Hopler

 Sing for Joy

By Whitney Hopler

“Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.” – Psalm 95:1 NIV

If you ever see me driving on a road or walking on a nature trail, you may catch me singing. I often sing while doing chores at home too. For years, I sang in church worship groups and in school and college choirs. And yes, like many people, I also love to sing in the shower. There’s something about singing that brings me joy. Usually, the songs I sing are praise songs since I love to worship God by singing to him. Singing helps me notice God’s presence with me. While I know with my mind that God is always with me, I know that with my heart while singing. God’s love reaches me as I reach out to him through a song. I sing no matter what circumstances I face or how I feel. I sometimes sing more when I’m feeling down than when I’m feeling upbeat. Why? Because I know that by the end of a song, I’ll feel better than I did when I began. Singing makes me more aware that God – the source of my hope and help – is right there with me. It’s as if I’m opening my soul to joy when I lift my voice in song.

The act of singing is more than just an expression of emotion. It’s a powerful way to connect with God and bring ourselves closer to him. Through singing, we can open our hearts and minds to God’s presence and allow him to work in and through us. Singing can help us find joy by focusing on the present moment, where we can notice God’s presence. Psalm 16:11 (CSB) says of God: “In your presence is abundant joy.” The fact that God chooses to be with us is something to celebrate! There’s no greater gift than our all-loving, all-powerful God choosing to be in a relationship with us. Psalm 95:1 encourages us to “sing for joy to the LORD” and “shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.” We should celebrate the fact that God is our firm foundation – our source of strength and stability. Knowing he is steadfast and faithful, we can turn to God for joy and help in all situations. 

As we sing and shout for joy to the Lord, we express our gratitude and praise and reinforce our relationship with God. We can deepen our connection to God through worship and experience his love and grace more profoundly. This verse also reminds us that worship is not something we do alone. It invites us to come together as a community to sing and shout for joy. Doing so can encourage and uplift one another, strengthening our bonds and faith. Psalm 98 describes all parts of creation singing a song of praise to God. Verse 4 of that psalm in the English Standard Version urges: “Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises!” When we sing for joy to God, we will be able to enjoy his awe-inspiring presence with us, wherever we are. 

Intersecting Faith and Life:
As you reflect on how singing to God can bring you joy, consider these questions:

• How does singing to God make you feel?
• When have you experienced a shift in your mood or perspective while singing to God?
• When you join others in your church to sing to God during worship services, how does that help you notice God’s presence?
• How does singing to God strengthen your faith in him?
• What is one of your favorite worship songs, and why?
• How can you plan to incorporate more singing into your prayer life with God to cultivate more joy? 

Further Reading:

• Ephesians 5:19
• Psalm 22:3
• Hebrews 2:12
• Psalm 71:23
• Psalm 105:2

Don’t Take Jeremiah 29:11 Out of Context..Kelly Givens

Don’t Take Jeremiah 29:11 Out of Context
By Kelly Givens

“’For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” – Jeremiah 29:11

My Old Testament professor had this to say about the ever-popular Jeremiah 29:11: “I am going to destroy what this verse means to you, but then I’m going to reframe it so you understand it better within it’s original context, and then you will love it even more when we’re done.” He definitely had our attention!

We often approach Jeremiah 29:11 as a security blanket: God has a plan for me that is good, so clearly this suffering I’m going through will end soon and then my flourishing will begin! But that is not at all what God was promising to the Israelites, and it’s not what he’s promising us, either.

Author and blogger Mary DeMuth addresses our misunderstanding of this verse in her article, Jeremiah 29:11 Doesn’t Mean What You Think. As she explains, the heart of the verse is “not that we would escape our lot, but that we would learn to thrive” in the midst of it.

Here’s the context for Jeremiah 29: the Israelites were in exile, a punishment from God as a result of their disobedience. The prophet Jeremiah confronts the false prophet, Hananiah, who had boldly proclaimed that God was going to free Israel from Babylon in two years (spoiler alert: God doesn’t do this).

Jeremiah calls out Hananiah’s lie, and then states the promise we read in 29:11. God does indeed have a good plan for the Israelites, and it is a plan that will give them hope and a prospering future. Sounds good, right?

The thing is, before he shares this promise, just a few verses earlier, he gives them this directive from God: “seek the peace and the prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” (29:7)

This is not at all what the Israelites wanted to hear! They wanted to be told that they were going to go home. They wanted to be told that their suffering was going to end. Instead, God’s plan was for them to stay right where they were, and to help prosper the nation that enslaved them!

And then came the biggest blow of all. In verse 10, God says that he would fulfill this “after seventy years are completed in Babylon.” This meant that none in the current generation of Israelites would ever return to their home.

What a crushing thing to be told!

Mary DeMuth writes:

Yes, of course God knows the plans He has for us. And ultimately He will give us a glorious future. But as we walk out our lives on this crazy earth, let’s remember that the best growth comes through persevering through trials, not escaping them entirely. And when we learn perseverance, we find surprising joy.

What hard thing are you currently going through? In the midst of your suffering, cling to Jeremiah 29:11, but cling to it for the right reason: not in the false hope that God will take away your suffering, but in the true, gospel confidence that he will give you hope in the midst of it.

Choosing Love over Rights..Dr. Charles Stanley

 Choosing Love over Rights

Dr. Charles Stanley

Matthew 5:38-48

We talk a lot about rights these days. Yet the attention given to human entitlements hasn’t brought about corporate or personal freedom. Instead, most people are prisoners of jealousy (you have greater rights than I do!), greed (I deserve more!), or bitterness (my rights have been violated!).

Instead of focusing on the privileges due us, we should take the biblical perspective of loving enemies and forgiving persecutors (Matt. 5:44). Believers lay down their rights so they can take up the cause of a holy kingdom. That doesn’t mean that we let people trample on us. Rather, we offer a proper response according to biblical principles. In short, believers should be more concerned about showing God’s love to those who do wrong than about demanding their rights.

Maybe you’re thinking, But he doesn’t know how I’ve been mistreated. Indeed I do not. But what I do know is how Jesus Christ, our example, reacted to terrible abuse. He was betrayed by His friends, persecuted by His people, condemned by His peers, and crucified for our sins. Yet He said, “Father, forgive them” (Luke 23:34).

Before assuming that Jesus’ capacity for forgiveness and love is out of reach for mere human beings, remember: His Spirit dwells in believers. We can choose to give away our rights and let God’s love work through us.

Luke 6:29 says to turn the other cheek and give up more than is asked because expressing love outweighs exerting our rights. You can’t lose when you show others the boundless care of the Lord. You gain His blessing, and, hopefully, someone will be saved because of your example.