Friday, June 01, 2007
Exodus 26:14-33 The Tent Of Meeting.
The scriptures are wide in their appeal. Sometimes sections that seem boring and meticulous are actually vitally interesting and important. The description of the Tent of meeting, that construction on the inside of the Tabernacle, while it may initially seem boring, is actually heavily laden with major meaning regarding the Nature of God and the nature of man and all the problems of the human Psychie.
Exodus 29:46 And they will know that I am the Lord their God, who brought them out of the land of Egypt, so that I might dwell among them. I am the Lord their God.
The Temple, Solomon’s temple was also designed in this same way. It was designed with an outer court, a holy place and a Holy of Holies. The Tabernacle and the Temple were to be tremendous object lessons that were to teach us of the nature of God, and the nature of man.
The Tabernacle Reflects The Triune Nature of God
One reason for the layout of the Tabernacle in this way, is that it reminds us of the Triunity of God. There are 3 areas, the outer court, the Holy Place, and the Holy of Holies that speak to us of the three Persons of the Godhead, and that speak to us of the unity of the three Persons. God in three persons, blessed Trinity, the hymn says.
Father, Son and Holy Spirit. 3 Yet one. There are 3 distinct Persons, yet One God. It is not Tritheism. Nor is it modalism. Modalism or Monarchical modalism is the idea that God is just one persona who happens to put on different uniforms to erform different tasks.
Modalism teaches that the Father, became the Son who became the Holy Spirit. Hillsong’s Celebrity preacher at their conference this month is modalist T.D.Jakes. While TD Jakes may be an engaging preacher, he is not a Christian. Christians hold to the Triunity of God as an essential belief. TD Jakes doesn’t. Nor, it seems, does Hillsong now, in having this prominent anti-Trinitarian preacher. Or at least they aren’t concerned about such an important issue, as to who this fellow actually worships.
So many things in our world reflect the triunity of God.
For example: all of creation is triune in dimension: height, width and length. Each dimension is distinct from the other two, and yet all three are part of the same, and no part exists without the other two parts.
Time is triune. It is made up of past, present and future. While these fundamental aspects of Creation reflect the triune nature of God, no illustration of this adequately and completely describes the nature of God: He is unique! He is God!
The Tabernacle Reflects The Triune Nature of Man
Genesis 2:7 1 Thessalonians 5:23 Hebrews 4:12
Throughout both the Old and New Testament, the Scriptures reveal that man has been created with three basic parts: the body, the soul, and the spirit.
This trichotomous view of man is apparent even from the moment of man’s creation. In Genesis 2:7 “Jehovah God formed man with the dust of the ground.” With this act, God created man’s body. The verse continues, “And breathed into his nostrils the breath of life.” “Breath” is derived from the Hebrew word neshamah which, significantly, is translated “spirit” in Proverbs 20:27: “The spirit [neshamah] of man is the lamp of Jehovah.” We can thus infer, that God’s breathing into man the breath of life produced man’s spirit. Zechariah 12:1 corroborates the creation of man’s spirit by telling us that just as Jehovah stretched forth the heavens and laid the foundation of the earth, He also formed the spirit of man within him. Genesis 2:7 concludes “And man became a living soul.” The soul (man’s intrinsic person) was the issue of the breath of God entering into the nostrils of the body of dust. The biblical record of the three-step creation of man clearly reveals him to be tripartite.
The New Testament continues and expands on this revelation. First Thessalonians 5:23 says, “And the God of peace Himself sanctify you wholly, and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Here Paul enumerates man’s three distinct parts: “spirit and soul and body,” the repetition of the conjunction “and” serving to reinforce their distinctness. Furthermore, Hebrews 4:12 specifies “The word of God is living and operative and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing even to the dividing of soul and spirit and of joints and marrow.” All three parts are once again articulated in this verse: the joints and marrow pertain to the body, and the soul is explicitly separate from the spirit. These Old and New Testament references exemplify the Bible’s consistent presentation of the tripartite man.
The “Threefold Nature of Man” may be illustrated by the Tabernacle…The Tabernacle and its Courtyard is a type of the “Threefold Nature of Man.” The “Courtyard” represents his Body, the “Holy Place” his Soul, and the “Most Holy Place” his Spirit…After the completion of the Tabernacle it remained empty of the “Presence of God” until the “Spirit of God” descended and took up His abode in the “Most Holy Place.” So a man may be complete as to body, soul and spirit, but his spiritual nature will remain unregenerate until the Holy Spirit enters and takes possession of the “spirit” compartment of his nature. This happens when the “New Birth” takes place. Prior to the New Birth we were “dead in our trespasses in sins. Ephesians 2 tells us. And you were dead in your trespasses and sins 2 in which you previously • walked according to this worldly age, according to the ruler of the atmospheric domain, the spirit now working in the disobedient. 3 We too all previously lived among them in our fleshly desires, carrying out the inclinations of our flesh and thoughts, and by nature we were children under wrath, as the others were also. 4 But God, who is abundant in mercy, because of His great love that He had for us, 5 made us alive with the • Messiah even though we were dead in trespasses. By grace you are saved! 6 He also raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavens, in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages He might display the immeasurable riches of His grace in [His]kindness to us in Christ Jesus.
Which part of us was dead? Well it wasn’t our physical part..that part is dying, not dead.
It wasn’t the soulish part of us. Our mind and will and emotions are all very much there still. Sometimes they are affected by sin, to the extent that we may that someone who is morally reprehensible is “sick” but not dead.
That leaves the spirit. That part of us that communes with God. That part of us that is the vessel for relationship with God. One fo the products of the reconciliation we have experienced through the Lord Jesus Christ is new birth. Titus 3:3 For we too were once foolish, disobedient, deceived, captives of various passions and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, detesting one another. 4But when the goodness and love for man appeared from God our Savior, 5 He saved us— not by works of righteousness that we had done, but according to His mercy, through the washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit. 6 This [Spirit]He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that having been justified by His grace, we may become heirs with the hope of eternal life.
Adrian Rogers said “I believe that human nature consists of three parts because we are created to know three worlds: the spiritual world, the psychological world, and the material or physical world. We could speak of these as the world above us, the world within us, and the world” around us.
You consist of your outer man that relates to the material world.The human body corresponds to the outer part of the tabernacle of the Old testament.
2 Cor 4:16 For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.
1 Cor 6: 19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.
We ought to have give a right value to our bodies. Some of our physical tabernacles are needing some tent repairs. Sometimes the ropes that hold it all tight are sagging a little. Sometimes the tent posts may be a little bowed. A bit of temple maintenance could go along way.
The outer court was the place of sacrifice.. Romans 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
In another perspective, the current phase of over adornment of the outer court is a little worrying. The fascination with beauty, and the overemphasis on fitness and the physical is out of balance. We are more than just our bodies. We are more than just our good looks… and we should give thanks that we are more than our good looks.
Peter tells us that the heavens and earth will one day dissolve (2 Pe. 3:11, 12), and Paul promises that the Lord will reconstruct our physical bodies according to His power to reconstruct heaven and earth (Phil. 3:20, 21). For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: 21 Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.
(2 Cor. 5:1For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: 3 If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked. 4 For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life.
The Greek word for “tabernacle” is skenos, from which we get “skin.” The Old Testament tabernacle was a house of skin where God dwelt, and our body is a house of skin where we dwell. As the tabernacle had three parts, we also are body, soul and spirit (1 Thes. 5:23).
You consist of your inner man that relates to the psychological world.
Psuche in greek means soul.
Psychology literally means the study of the soul.
Our soul consists mainly of our mind, will and emotions.
Mind : Proverbs 24:14 So shall the knowledge of wisdom be unto thy soul: when thou hast found it, then there shall be a reward, and thy expectation shall not be cut off.
Emotions : 1 Samuel 18:1 And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking unto Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.
Will Job 6:7 The things that my soul refused to touch are as my sorrowful meat.
Romans 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
You consist of your innermost man that relates to the spiritual world.Luke 1:46 And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, 47 And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
John 4:23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. 24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
Romans 8: 14 All those led by God’s Spirit are God’s sons. 15 For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry out, “• Abba, Father!” 16 The Spirit Himself testifies together with our spirit that we are God’s children,
The Tent Of Meeting Reflects the Dichotomy Between flesh and Spirit in Man.Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
Do you notice there is just one tent of meeting inside the Tabernacle. It is divided into two sections, one twice the size of the other. The other is least accessible, only the High priest entering there once a year.There is one building, yet there are two parts here. It is hard to discern between soul and spirit in the inner man. Many take a bi-partite view of man (inner and outer) for this reason.
Yet there is a distinction between the two raised in scripture.
Soulish and Spiritual Religion.
In your Christian life, you’re greatest problem is going to be with your soul.
John recognized this when he wrote
1John 2:15 Do not love the world or the things that belong to the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in him. 16 For everything that belongs to the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride in one’s lifestyle—is not from the Father, but is from the world. 17 And the world with its lust is passing away, but the one who does God’s will remains forever.
There needs to be something done about the soul.
. Ephesians 1:18 I pray]that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened so you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the glorious riches of His inheritance among the saints, 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of His power to us who believe, according to the working of His vast strength.
Notice how these three prayers in Ephesians answer to the 3 desires of your soul listed in 1 John 2. Notice also how these prayers and these problems are illustrated by the furnishings of the Tabernacle.
The soul needs enlightenment. This corresponds to the use of the candlestick in the tabernacle. The lust of the eyes is best cured by having the eyes of the heart enlightened. The soul needs enlightening about what is important and what is not.. The hope of your calling is greater than everything, and puts everything else in its right perspective. Our world cries out for perspective. Confusion arises in the soul because we can’t see what is important.
The soul needs sustaining. There are many lusts within your flesh, that are best fulfilled by the stuff God provides, not with our own resources or by satisfying our own desires in a base manner. This corresponds to the table of shewbread which speaks of God supplying our deepest needs.
Phil 4: 19 And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
The soul needs to learn its dependence. Self will and pride need to be sacrificed on the later of prayer.
Romans 12: 1 Therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship. 2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
In 1952, Watchman Nee was imprisoned by the Chinese government for his faith. He remained in prison until his death twenty years later. Watchman Nee in 1933 said :The spirit and the soul are two totally different organs: one belongs to God, while the other belongs to man. By whatever names one may call them, they are completely distinct in substance. The peril of the believer is to confuse the spirit for the soul and the soul for the spirit, and so be deceived into accepting the counterfeit of evil spirits to the unsettling of God's work. The greatest advantage in knowing the difference between spirit and soul is in perceiving the latent power of the soul and in understanding its falsification of the power of the Holy Spirit. Such knowledge is not theoretical but practical in helping people to walk in God's way.
Today's situation is perilous. May we "prove all things; hold fast to that which is good" (1 Thes. 5:21).
Let us remember that all works done through emotion are questionable and transient. In the work done through the power of the Holy Spirit man does not need to exert his own strength nor do anything by himself. If a work is done by soul strength one has to exert lots of energy and employ numerous methods such as weeping, shouting, jumping, incessant singing of choruses, or the telling of a number of moving stories (I do not say that hymns and stories should not be used, only everything must be done within appropriate bounds). For the employment of these methods serves no other purpose than that of trying to stir up the audience. Throughout these thousands of years, Satan has been exerting himself to influence men into expressing their latent power. He has found, now and then, here and there, persons from whom he succeeds in drawing out their soul force. These have become wonder-working religious leaders of the ages. He will confound the work of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit works in man through the human spirit, but now Satan forges in man’s soul many phenomena similar to the workings of the Holy Spirit, causing man to experience false repentance, false salvation, false regeneration, false revival, false joy, and other counterfeits of Holy Spirit experiences.
The Furniture Of The Holy Place Reflects The Soulish Needs of Man.Psalm 23: 3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
All the properties of the soul are defiled by sin. There needs to be restoration.
The furniture of the Holy place too speaks of our restoration:
The Lamp Psa 105:39 He spread a cloud for a covering, and fire to give light by night. Psalm 119: 105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
Jesus is the fulfillment of this to us. John 8:12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
John 8:31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; 32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
Will we be enlightened by the Word of God, or will we live without the word, puffed up by our knowledge, but not submissive to God’s Word?
The Table of the Shew bread
Psa 78:19They spoke against God, saying, "Can God spread a table in the wilderness? 20 He struck the rock so that water gushed out and streams overflowed. Can he also give bread or provide meat for his people?" 21 Therefore, when the LORD heard, he was full of wrath; a fire was kindled against Jacob; his anger rose against Israel, 22 because they did not believe in God and did not trust his saving power. 23 Yet he commanded the skies above and opened the doors of heaven, 24 and he rained down on them manna to eat and gave them the grain of heaven. 25 Man ate of the bread of the angels; he sent them food in abundance.
John 6: 33 For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. 34 Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread. 35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
Will we live self actualized lives, prosperous, manipulating God, demanding of God what He should give us, or will we live submissive lives, recognizing Him as the Holy One and we as sinners accepting whatever God sees fit and willing to sacrifice all for Him who loved us and gave Himself for us. Do we recognize that He is sufficient and that is all that matters. That He is Lord. That we are His children through the new birth, and He cares for His children. So we trust and obey Him who is our sufficient Saviour and friend.
Will we live for ourselves or will we live for Him? Will you make use of the Word of God to take your soulish mind? Will you trust the Sufficiency of Christ, to meet your deepest spiritual and emotional needs?
The altar of incense The holy place of prayer where all our desires and thoughts and emotions are laid bare before Him. Romans 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
Will you worship Him by bringing yourself to the Lord, and leaving yourself for Him to use as He sees fit?
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a grain of wheat fall into the earth and die, it abideth by itself alone; but if it die, it beareth much fruit. He that loveth his life loseth it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal” (John 12.24,25).
Watchman Nee says it well: The word “life” here in the Greek points to the “soul”. It means that whosoever desires to preserve his soul life shall lose his soul life; but whosoever loses his soul life shall keep his soul life to life eternal. If a believer does not set aside his own soul life, the spirit will never be able to work and so profit other people. In order to perform deeper work for the Lord we must deal practically with the soul. The soul life needs to be lost. A grain of wheat is good and its golden color looks very nice. But if it is laid on a table, it remains one grain even until a hundred years later. It will never add one more grain. All our soul powers are like that grain of wheat which has not fallen into the earth. It can never produce fruit.
Many miraculous phenomena are performed by soul force instead of by God. How can they expect good and lasting results if they substitute for the power of God their own natural abilities? Many revival meetings may appear very successful at the moment, but they drop to zero in effectiveness afterwards. It is by coming to God in brokenness John 12: 24 “ I assure you: Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains by itself. But if it dies, it produces a large crop.
I believe many people are so rich and strong that they give no ground for God to work. I frequently recall the words, “helpless and hopeless.” I must tell God, “All that I have is Yours, I myself have nothing. Apart from You I am truly helpless and hopeless.” We need to have such a dependent attitude towards God that it is as if we cannot inhale or exhale without Him. In this way we shall see that our power as well as our holiness all come from Him. Whatever we have is from Him. Oh how God delights in seeing us coming hopeless and helpless to Him.
Our problem is that so many exercise the power of the soul, rather than bring the soul into subjection to the Spirit of God.
Soulish religion may look very much like the real thing: Paul battled it with the Corinthians.
2 Corinthians 11:3 But I fear that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your minds may be corrupted from a complete and pure devotion to Christ. 4 For if a person comes and preaches another Jesus, whom we did not preach, or you receive a different spirit, which you had not received, or a different gospel, which you had not accepted, you put up with it splendidly! 5 Now I consider myself in no way inferior to the “super-apostles.”
Paul battled it under the term “Will Worship” with the Colossians in Col 2:23 Which things have indeed a shew of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body; not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh.
The Lord gave the clearest example of it in dealing with the Israelites immediately after the construction of the Tabernacle.
Leviticus 9:23 And Moses and Aaron went into the tabernacle of the congregation, and came out, and blessed the people: and the glory of the LORD appeared unto all the people.
24 And there came a fire out from before the LORD, and consumed upon the altar the burnt offering and the fat: which when all the people saw, they shouted, and fell on their faces. 10:1 And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the LORD, which he commanded them not. 2 And there went out fire from the LORD, and devoured them, and they died before the LORD.
Here is will worship. Here is man presenting things the way he wants to do it irrespective of wha God’s Word so clearly says.
For us the question is
Will we be enlightened by the Word of God, or will we live without the word, puffed up by our knowledge, but not submissive to God’s Word?
Will we live self actualized lives, prosperous, manipulating God, demanding of God what He should give us, or will we live submissive lives, recognizing Him as the Holy One and we as sinners accepting whatever God sees fit and willing to sacrifice all for Him who loved us and gave Himself for us. Do we recognize that He is sufficient and that is all that matters. That He is Lord. That we are His children through the new birth, and He cares for His children. So we trust and obey Him who is our sufficient Saviour and friend.
Will we live for ourselves or will we live for Him? Will you make use of the Word of God to take your soulish mind? Will you trust the Sufficiency of Christ, to meet your deepest spiritual and emotional needs?
Will you worship Him by bringing yourself to the Lord, and leaving yourself for Him to use as He sees fit?
Exodus 29:46 And they will know that I am the Lord their God, who brought them out of the land of Egypt, so that I might dwell among them. I am the Lord their God.
The Temple, Solomon’s temple was also designed in this same way. It was designed with an outer court, a holy place and a Holy of Holies. The Tabernacle and the Temple were to be tremendous object lessons that were to teach us of the nature of God, and the nature of man.
The Tabernacle Reflects The Triune Nature of God
One reason for the layout of the Tabernacle in this way, is that it reminds us of the Triunity of God. There are 3 areas, the outer court, the Holy Place, and the Holy of Holies that speak to us of the three Persons of the Godhead, and that speak to us of the unity of the three Persons. God in three persons, blessed Trinity, the hymn says.
Father, Son and Holy Spirit. 3 Yet one. There are 3 distinct Persons, yet One God. It is not Tritheism. Nor is it modalism. Modalism or Monarchical modalism is the idea that God is just one persona who happens to put on different uniforms to erform different tasks.
Modalism teaches that the Father, became the Son who became the Holy Spirit. Hillsong’s Celebrity preacher at their conference this month is modalist T.D.Jakes. While TD Jakes may be an engaging preacher, he is not a Christian. Christians hold to the Triunity of God as an essential belief. TD Jakes doesn’t. Nor, it seems, does Hillsong now, in having this prominent anti-Trinitarian preacher. Or at least they aren’t concerned about such an important issue, as to who this fellow actually worships.
So many things in our world reflect the triunity of God.
For example: all of creation is triune in dimension: height, width and length. Each dimension is distinct from the other two, and yet all three are part of the same, and no part exists without the other two parts.
Time is triune. It is made up of past, present and future. While these fundamental aspects of Creation reflect the triune nature of God, no illustration of this adequately and completely describes the nature of God: He is unique! He is God!
The Tabernacle Reflects The Triune Nature of Man
Genesis 2:7 1 Thessalonians 5:23 Hebrews 4:12
Throughout both the Old and New Testament, the Scriptures reveal that man has been created with three basic parts: the body, the soul, and the spirit.
This trichotomous view of man is apparent even from the moment of man’s creation. In Genesis 2:7 “Jehovah God formed man with the dust of the ground.” With this act, God created man’s body. The verse continues, “And breathed into his nostrils the breath of life.” “Breath” is derived from the Hebrew word neshamah which, significantly, is translated “spirit” in Proverbs 20:27: “The spirit [neshamah] of man is the lamp of Jehovah.” We can thus infer, that God’s breathing into man the breath of life produced man’s spirit. Zechariah 12:1 corroborates the creation of man’s spirit by telling us that just as Jehovah stretched forth the heavens and laid the foundation of the earth, He also formed the spirit of man within him. Genesis 2:7 concludes “And man became a living soul.” The soul (man’s intrinsic person) was the issue of the breath of God entering into the nostrils of the body of dust. The biblical record of the three-step creation of man clearly reveals him to be tripartite.
The New Testament continues and expands on this revelation. First Thessalonians 5:23 says, “And the God of peace Himself sanctify you wholly, and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Here Paul enumerates man’s three distinct parts: “spirit and soul and body,” the repetition of the conjunction “and” serving to reinforce their distinctness. Furthermore, Hebrews 4:12 specifies “The word of God is living and operative and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing even to the dividing of soul and spirit and of joints and marrow.” All three parts are once again articulated in this verse: the joints and marrow pertain to the body, and the soul is explicitly separate from the spirit. These Old and New Testament references exemplify the Bible’s consistent presentation of the tripartite man.
The “Threefold Nature of Man” may be illustrated by the Tabernacle…The Tabernacle and its Courtyard is a type of the “Threefold Nature of Man.” The “Courtyard” represents his Body, the “Holy Place” his Soul, and the “Most Holy Place” his Spirit…After the completion of the Tabernacle it remained empty of the “Presence of God” until the “Spirit of God” descended and took up His abode in the “Most Holy Place.” So a man may be complete as to body, soul and spirit, but his spiritual nature will remain unregenerate until the Holy Spirit enters and takes possession of the “spirit” compartment of his nature. This happens when the “New Birth” takes place. Prior to the New Birth we were “dead in our trespasses in sins. Ephesians 2 tells us. And you were dead in your trespasses and sins 2 in which you previously • walked according to this worldly age, according to the ruler of the atmospheric domain, the spirit now working in the disobedient. 3 We too all previously lived among them in our fleshly desires, carrying out the inclinations of our flesh and thoughts, and by nature we were children under wrath, as the others were also. 4 But God, who is abundant in mercy, because of His great love that He had for us, 5 made us alive with the • Messiah even though we were dead in trespasses. By grace you are saved! 6 He also raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavens, in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages He might display the immeasurable riches of His grace in [His]kindness to us in Christ Jesus.
Which part of us was dead? Well it wasn’t our physical part..that part is dying, not dead.
It wasn’t the soulish part of us. Our mind and will and emotions are all very much there still. Sometimes they are affected by sin, to the extent that we may that someone who is morally reprehensible is “sick” but not dead.
That leaves the spirit. That part of us that communes with God. That part of us that is the vessel for relationship with God. One fo the products of the reconciliation we have experienced through the Lord Jesus Christ is new birth. Titus 3:3 For we too were once foolish, disobedient, deceived, captives of various passions and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, detesting one another. 4But when the goodness and love for man appeared from God our Savior, 5 He saved us— not by works of righteousness that we had done, but according to His mercy, through the washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit. 6 This [Spirit]He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that having been justified by His grace, we may become heirs with the hope of eternal life.
Adrian Rogers said “I believe that human nature consists of three parts because we are created to know three worlds: the spiritual world, the psychological world, and the material or physical world. We could speak of these as the world above us, the world within us, and the world” around us.
You consist of your outer man that relates to the material world.The human body corresponds to the outer part of the tabernacle of the Old testament.
2 Cor 4:16 For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.
1 Cor 6: 19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.
We ought to have give a right value to our bodies. Some of our physical tabernacles are needing some tent repairs. Sometimes the ropes that hold it all tight are sagging a little. Sometimes the tent posts may be a little bowed. A bit of temple maintenance could go along way.
The outer court was the place of sacrifice.. Romans 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
In another perspective, the current phase of over adornment of the outer court is a little worrying. The fascination with beauty, and the overemphasis on fitness and the physical is out of balance. We are more than just our bodies. We are more than just our good looks… and we should give thanks that we are more than our good looks.
Peter tells us that the heavens and earth will one day dissolve (2 Pe. 3:11, 12), and Paul promises that the Lord will reconstruct our physical bodies according to His power to reconstruct heaven and earth (Phil. 3:20, 21). For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: 21 Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.
(2 Cor. 5:1For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: 3 If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked. 4 For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life.
The Greek word for “tabernacle” is skenos, from which we get “skin.” The Old Testament tabernacle was a house of skin where God dwelt, and our body is a house of skin where we dwell. As the tabernacle had three parts, we also are body, soul and spirit (1 Thes. 5:23).
You consist of your inner man that relates to the psychological world.
Psuche in greek means soul.
Psychology literally means the study of the soul.
Our soul consists mainly of our mind, will and emotions.
Mind : Proverbs 24:14 So shall the knowledge of wisdom be unto thy soul: when thou hast found it, then there shall be a reward, and thy expectation shall not be cut off.
Emotions : 1 Samuel 18:1 And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking unto Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.
Will Job 6:7 The things that my soul refused to touch are as my sorrowful meat.
Romans 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
You consist of your innermost man that relates to the spiritual world.Luke 1:46 And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, 47 And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
John 4:23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. 24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
Romans 8: 14 All those led by God’s Spirit are God’s sons. 15 For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry out, “• Abba, Father!” 16 The Spirit Himself testifies together with our spirit that we are God’s children,
The Tent Of Meeting Reflects the Dichotomy Between flesh and Spirit in Man.Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
Do you notice there is just one tent of meeting inside the Tabernacle. It is divided into two sections, one twice the size of the other. The other is least accessible, only the High priest entering there once a year.There is one building, yet there are two parts here. It is hard to discern between soul and spirit in the inner man. Many take a bi-partite view of man (inner and outer) for this reason.
Yet there is a distinction between the two raised in scripture.
Soulish and Spiritual Religion.
In your Christian life, you’re greatest problem is going to be with your soul.
John recognized this when he wrote
1John 2:15 Do not love the world or the things that belong to the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in him. 16 For everything that belongs to the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride in one’s lifestyle—is not from the Father, but is from the world. 17 And the world with its lust is passing away, but the one who does God’s will remains forever.
There needs to be something done about the soul.
. Ephesians 1:18 I pray]that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened so you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the glorious riches of His inheritance among the saints, 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of His power to us who believe, according to the working of His vast strength.
Notice how these three prayers in Ephesians answer to the 3 desires of your soul listed in 1 John 2. Notice also how these prayers and these problems are illustrated by the furnishings of the Tabernacle.
The soul needs enlightenment. This corresponds to the use of the candlestick in the tabernacle. The lust of the eyes is best cured by having the eyes of the heart enlightened. The soul needs enlightening about what is important and what is not.. The hope of your calling is greater than everything, and puts everything else in its right perspective. Our world cries out for perspective. Confusion arises in the soul because we can’t see what is important.
The soul needs sustaining. There are many lusts within your flesh, that are best fulfilled by the stuff God provides, not with our own resources or by satisfying our own desires in a base manner. This corresponds to the table of shewbread which speaks of God supplying our deepest needs.
Phil 4: 19 And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
The soul needs to learn its dependence. Self will and pride need to be sacrificed on the later of prayer.
Romans 12: 1 Therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship. 2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
In 1952, Watchman Nee was imprisoned by the Chinese government for his faith. He remained in prison until his death twenty years later. Watchman Nee in 1933 said :The spirit and the soul are two totally different organs: one belongs to God, while the other belongs to man. By whatever names one may call them, they are completely distinct in substance. The peril of the believer is to confuse the spirit for the soul and the soul for the spirit, and so be deceived into accepting the counterfeit of evil spirits to the unsettling of God's work. The greatest advantage in knowing the difference between spirit and soul is in perceiving the latent power of the soul and in understanding its falsification of the power of the Holy Spirit. Such knowledge is not theoretical but practical in helping people to walk in God's way.
Today's situation is perilous. May we "prove all things; hold fast to that which is good" (1 Thes. 5:21).
Let us remember that all works done through emotion are questionable and transient. In the work done through the power of the Holy Spirit man does not need to exert his own strength nor do anything by himself. If a work is done by soul strength one has to exert lots of energy and employ numerous methods such as weeping, shouting, jumping, incessant singing of choruses, or the telling of a number of moving stories (I do not say that hymns and stories should not be used, only everything must be done within appropriate bounds). For the employment of these methods serves no other purpose than that of trying to stir up the audience. Throughout these thousands of years, Satan has been exerting himself to influence men into expressing their latent power. He has found, now and then, here and there, persons from whom he succeeds in drawing out their soul force. These have become wonder-working religious leaders of the ages. He will confound the work of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit works in man through the human spirit, but now Satan forges in man’s soul many phenomena similar to the workings of the Holy Spirit, causing man to experience false repentance, false salvation, false regeneration, false revival, false joy, and other counterfeits of Holy Spirit experiences.
The Furniture Of The Holy Place Reflects The Soulish Needs of Man.Psalm 23: 3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
All the properties of the soul are defiled by sin. There needs to be restoration.
The furniture of the Holy place too speaks of our restoration:
The Lamp Psa 105:39 He spread a cloud for a covering, and fire to give light by night. Psalm 119: 105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
Jesus is the fulfillment of this to us. John 8:12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
John 8:31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; 32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
Will we be enlightened by the Word of God, or will we live without the word, puffed up by our knowledge, but not submissive to God’s Word?
The Table of the Shew bread
Psa 78:19They spoke against God, saying, "Can God spread a table in the wilderness? 20 He struck the rock so that water gushed out and streams overflowed. Can he also give bread or provide meat for his people?" 21 Therefore, when the LORD heard, he was full of wrath; a fire was kindled against Jacob; his anger rose against Israel, 22 because they did not believe in God and did not trust his saving power. 23 Yet he commanded the skies above and opened the doors of heaven, 24 and he rained down on them manna to eat and gave them the grain of heaven. 25 Man ate of the bread of the angels; he sent them food in abundance.
John 6: 33 For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. 34 Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread. 35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
Will we live self actualized lives, prosperous, manipulating God, demanding of God what He should give us, or will we live submissive lives, recognizing Him as the Holy One and we as sinners accepting whatever God sees fit and willing to sacrifice all for Him who loved us and gave Himself for us. Do we recognize that He is sufficient and that is all that matters. That He is Lord. That we are His children through the new birth, and He cares for His children. So we trust and obey Him who is our sufficient Saviour and friend.
Will we live for ourselves or will we live for Him? Will you make use of the Word of God to take your soulish mind? Will you trust the Sufficiency of Christ, to meet your deepest spiritual and emotional needs?
The altar of incense The holy place of prayer where all our desires and thoughts and emotions are laid bare before Him. Romans 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
Will you worship Him by bringing yourself to the Lord, and leaving yourself for Him to use as He sees fit?
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a grain of wheat fall into the earth and die, it abideth by itself alone; but if it die, it beareth much fruit. He that loveth his life loseth it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal” (John 12.24,25).
Watchman Nee says it well: The word “life” here in the Greek points to the “soul”. It means that whosoever desires to preserve his soul life shall lose his soul life; but whosoever loses his soul life shall keep his soul life to life eternal. If a believer does not set aside his own soul life, the spirit will never be able to work and so profit other people. In order to perform deeper work for the Lord we must deal practically with the soul. The soul life needs to be lost. A grain of wheat is good and its golden color looks very nice. But if it is laid on a table, it remains one grain even until a hundred years later. It will never add one more grain. All our soul powers are like that grain of wheat which has not fallen into the earth. It can never produce fruit.
Many miraculous phenomena are performed by soul force instead of by God. How can they expect good and lasting results if they substitute for the power of God their own natural abilities? Many revival meetings may appear very successful at the moment, but they drop to zero in effectiveness afterwards. It is by coming to God in brokenness John 12: 24 “ I assure you: Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains by itself. But if it dies, it produces a large crop.
I believe many people are so rich and strong that they give no ground for God to work. I frequently recall the words, “helpless and hopeless.” I must tell God, “All that I have is Yours, I myself have nothing. Apart from You I am truly helpless and hopeless.” We need to have such a dependent attitude towards God that it is as if we cannot inhale or exhale without Him. In this way we shall see that our power as well as our holiness all come from Him. Whatever we have is from Him. Oh how God delights in seeing us coming hopeless and helpless to Him.
Our problem is that so many exercise the power of the soul, rather than bring the soul into subjection to the Spirit of God.
Soulish religion may look very much like the real thing: Paul battled it with the Corinthians.
2 Corinthians 11:3 But I fear that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your minds may be corrupted from a complete and pure devotion to Christ. 4 For if a person comes and preaches another Jesus, whom we did not preach, or you receive a different spirit, which you had not received, or a different gospel, which you had not accepted, you put up with it splendidly! 5 Now I consider myself in no way inferior to the “super-apostles.”
Paul battled it under the term “Will Worship” with the Colossians in Col 2:23 Which things have indeed a shew of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body; not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh.
The Lord gave the clearest example of it in dealing with the Israelites immediately after the construction of the Tabernacle.
Leviticus 9:23 And Moses and Aaron went into the tabernacle of the congregation, and came out, and blessed the people: and the glory of the LORD appeared unto all the people.
24 And there came a fire out from before the LORD, and consumed upon the altar the burnt offering and the fat: which when all the people saw, they shouted, and fell on their faces. 10:1 And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the LORD, which he commanded them not. 2 And there went out fire from the LORD, and devoured them, and they died before the LORD.
Here is will worship. Here is man presenting things the way he wants to do it irrespective of wha God’s Word so clearly says.
For us the question is
Will we be enlightened by the Word of God, or will we live without the word, puffed up by our knowledge, but not submissive to God’s Word?
Will we live self actualized lives, prosperous, manipulating God, demanding of God what He should give us, or will we live submissive lives, recognizing Him as the Holy One and we as sinners accepting whatever God sees fit and willing to sacrifice all for Him who loved us and gave Himself for us. Do we recognize that He is sufficient and that is all that matters. That He is Lord. That we are His children through the new birth, and He cares for His children. So we trust and obey Him who is our sufficient Saviour and friend.
Will we live for ourselves or will we live for Him? Will you make use of the Word of God to take your soulish mind? Will you trust the Sufficiency of Christ, to meet your deepest spiritual and emotional needs?
Will you worship Him by bringing yourself to the Lord, and leaving yourself for Him to use as He sees fit?
# posted by Groseys messages @ 8:13 PM 
