The Holy Spirit and Family

“Then Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.’”

                                                Acts 2:38-39

The first thing God instituted for mankind on the earth is the family:

“So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”

                                                Genesis 1:27

The first thing God blessed on the earth is the family:

 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it;”

                                                Genesis 1:28

God is one and He designed the marriage relationship for oneness: Genesis 2:24; Eph. 5:30-32

The first thing on earth affected by sin was the family: Gen. 3:16

The first murder was committed within the family (Gen. 4:8)

When God called Abram, He told him, “In you all the nations of the earth shall be blessed.”

                                                Genesis 12:3

God placed families in the center of the Ten Commandments: Ex. 20:12

Three of the Ten Commandments involve family: Ex. 20:12, 14, 17

The entire Old Testament and the four Gospels are the story of Abraham’s family as they walk with God.

The last thing God says to the nation of Israel in the Old Testament is about family: 

                                                  Malachi 4:5-6

The evidence is overwhelming – God’s heart is for families.

It should be no surprise to us that God places such great importance on the family. The family is the most basic unit of society.

And this brings us back to our foundational passage. (Acts 2:38-39)

The Holy Spirit arrives and the first thing He announces through Peter is “I am here for your families.”  (Acts 2:11; 38-39)

God wants to heal planet earth. It is only logical that He would want to begin the restoration of all things with the family.

God’s primary means of revealing Himself to humanity is a family:

                       

                        Father, Son, and Holy Spirit   

                                   

It is a mystery that we don’t quite understand but, family is how God has chosen to reveal Himself to us.

Family is the place of primary formation of character, beliefs, morality, values, communication skills, reasoning abilities, and much, much more. And the Holy Spirit wants to invade, permeate, heal, and transform it.            

There are two more reasons God is so obsessed with indwelling families.

·         The first family devastated by sin was not Adam’s. It was God’s. Remember Luke 3:38?

             “…Adam, the son of God.”

·         The family that paid the highest price for sin is God.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

                                                John 3:16

God’s answer for the families of the world is His indwelling Holy Spirit.

If anyone can fix, heal and bless the families of the earth it is God. He has been doing this perfectly for a long time.

 He can be trusted with my family.

 He can be trusted with your family.

I wonder if we will choose to trust Him today.

A prayer:

Father God, today I trust you with my family. I invite you to invade us with Your Holy Spirit. Come and fill my family with Your presence today. Guide us and direct us how to relate with each other in ways that will make You feel welcome and comfortable. Make us Your permanent home. I surrender control of my family to Your Fatherhood. Come and order our family relationships and our home with and for Your presence. 

More Unity

We are exploring Jesus’ prayer for unity through the indwelling Spirit of God.

John 17:20-23

“I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.

“And the glory which You gave Me I have given them that they may be one just as We are one; I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.”

We've already seen how the church, the apostles, and the elders continually brought each other back to the indwelling presence of God to restore unity in the church in Jerusalem. Now, let’s look at how Paul dealt with division, the solution he used, and if it worked.

We find this situation in the church in Corinth:

“Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. For it has been declared to me concerning you, my brethren, by those of Chloe’s household, that there are contentions among you.

Now I say this, that each of you says, ‘I am of Paul’, or ‘I am of Apollos,’ or ‘I am of Cephas,’ or ‘I am of Christ.’

Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?”

                                                                            I Corinthians 1:10-13

After reading this, I think it is safe to say that the church in Corinth was in a fairly unhealthy place, as far as unity goes. What is Paul’s solution?

“Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.”

                                                                              I Corinthians 2:12

Paul spends most of chapter two encouraging the Corinthian church to be spiritual. He contrasts spiritual people and fleshly people. He extols the glorious wisdom of God that is found in Christ Jesus. He has us all thinking, “Yes! I get revelation like that! God shares His wisdom with me!” Then, Paul hits us with this zinger:

“for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men?”

                                                                               I Corinthians 3:3

Paul’s measure of maturity is not revelation but, the ability to maintain unity.

How does Paul say we maintain unity?

“Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.”

                                                                         I Corinthians 3:16-17

Yet again, we see an apostle returning to the truth of the indwelling Spirit of God to restore and maintain unity. This is the model for the New Testament church.

Did It Work?

So, did it work? Did Paul’s pointing the Corinthian church back to the indwelling Spirit of God work to restore unity?

I Corinthians is believed to have been written between 53 and 57 C.E. (AD). We have a letter written to the church in Corinth by Clement. Clement was the fourth bishop of Rome. He writes to the church in Corinth regarding divisions in their church. This letter is believed to have been written sometime between 95 and 97 C.E.  

So, did Paul’s solution work? It appears to have worked for an entire generation. The reason I say this is because Clement opens his letter with this:

“Because of the sudden and repeated misfortunes and reverses that have happened to us, brothers, we acknowledge that we have been somewhat slow in giving attention to the matters in dispute among you, dear friends, especially the detestable and unholy schism, so alien and strange to those chosen by God, which a few reckless and arrogant people have kindled to such a pitch of insanity that your good name, once so renowned and loved by all, has been greatly reviled. For has anyone ever visited you who did not approve of your most excellent and steadfast faith? Who did not admire your magnanimous piety in Christ? Who did not proclaim the magnificent character of your hospitality? Who did not congratulate you on your complete and sound knowledge?”

                                                                        I Clement 1:1-2

Allowing for diplomatic flattery, it appears that Paul’s pointing the Corinthian church back to the indwelling Spirit of God healed the church enough to live peaceably together for the next 40 years. It wasn't until all of the apostles had died that these issues (again, issues common to man) arose in this church again.

Our Two Lessons:

1.      Maturity is measured by our ability to maintain unity.

2.      Unity is maintained through the indwelling Spirit of God.

Father, please give us the grace to live in the unity You have provided for us by making us Your home.

Note:  The writings of Clement of Rome and St. Ignatius of Antioch deal almost exclusively with divisions in the church. You can read their writings, in English, in “The Apostolic Fathers in English” by Michael W. Holmes, published by Baker Academic.

 Unfortunately, both Clement of Rome and St. Ignatius of Antioch chose to go a different route in dealing with divisions in the church. They both basically said, “Submit to the bishop because the apostles said so.” The church has, for the most part, followed this path ever since. 

Unity In The Book Of Acts

We have begun to look at unity and the indwelling Spirit of God. The early was confronted with this problem almost immediately.  We are still basking in the glory of the church’s earl experiences in Jerusalem in Acts chapters 2 through 5. The arrival of the Holy Spirit, the lightning like growth of the church, the miraculous healings, the apostles standing up to councils and imprisonments. 

This is heady, intoxicating stuff!

Suddenly, we are brought back down to earth. There is a petty disagreement between believing factions. They call on the apostles to mediate. The apostles had been present when Jesus prayed for unity. They, no doubt, remembered His solution. They gave the solution to the church:

Then the twelve summoned the multitude of the disciples and said, “It is not desirable that we should leave the word of God and serve tables. Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business;”  

                                                                                     Acts 6:2-3

Full of the Holy Spirit

The apostles of the Lord believed that unity would be restored and maintained by leaders who were full of the Holy Spirit. They immediately turned to what the Lord had prayed the night before He was crucified – the indwelling presence of God.

In Acts chapter 7, Stephen preaches to a crowd. This is the pinnacle of his message:

“However, the Most High does not dwell in temples made with hands, as the prophet says:

            ‘Heaven is My throne,

            And earth in My footstool.

            What house will you build for Me?

                   Says the LORD,

            Or what is the place of My rest?

            Has My hand not made all these

               things?’

                                                Acts 7:48-50

And as Stephen is being martyred, he has this testimony:

“But he (Stephen), being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of the God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God,”

                                                                        Acts 7:55

Finally, as he is about to go be with the Lord, Stephen prays for his murderers:

“Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, ‘Lord, do not charge them with this sin.’ And when he had said this, he fell asleep.”

                                                                        Acts 7:60

Being filled with the Holy Spirit, Stephen is able to continue to pursue unity in the face of death.

May each of us be given this grace.

Peter and Gentile Believers

In Acts chapter 10, Peter is instructed by God to go to Caesarea and share the Good News of Jesus with a gentile named Cornelius. As Peter is preaching, the Holy Spirit falls in Cornelius’ house and fills every gentile there. They speak in tongues just like all the believers in the Upper Room on the day of Pentecost, years earlier.

“For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God. Then Peter answered, ‘Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?’”

                                                                                    Acts 10:46-47

Once back in Jerusalem, Peter gets called on the carpet for his actions. Peter gives a detailed account to the church in Jerusalem. He ends with this appeal:

“And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them, as upon us at the beginning. Then I remembered the word of the Lord, how He said, ‘John indeed baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’

If therefore God gave them the same gift as He gave us when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could withstand God?

When they heard these things they became silent; and they glorified God, saying, ‘Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life.’”

                                                                                    Acts 11:15-18

First, in Caesarea, Peter appeals to the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit, to maintain unity with the Jewish believers who were with him. Then, back in Jerusalem, he makes the same appeal, although a little more forcefully, to maintain unity in the entire church.

The Jerusalem Council

Finally, Paul and Barnabas are confronted by some men from the church in Jerusalem. Paul and Barnabas are leading many gentiles to faith in Christ but, they are not teaching these new believers to obey the Law of Moses. These men took it upon themselves to preach,

“Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.”

                                                                                    Acts 15:1

When Paul and Barnabas returned to Jerusalem they reported “to the church and the apostles and the elders” (notice the order).

“But some of the sect of the Pharisees who believed rose up, saying, ‘It is necessary to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the Law of Moses.’”

                                                                                    Acts 15:5

The apostle and elders of the church in Jerusalem decide they need to call a council.

“And when there had been much dispute, Peter rose up and said to them: ‘Men and brethren, you know that a good while ago God chose among us, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the world of the gospel and believe. So God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them by giving them the Holy spirit, just as He did to us, and made no distinction between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.

Now therefore, why do you test God by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved in the same manner as they.’”

                                                                                    Acts 15:7-11

What was the result?

“Then all the multitude kept silent and listened to Barnabas and Paul declaring how many miracles and wonders God had worked through them among the Gentiles.”

 Acts 15: 12

 Here is an excerpt from the letter the church in Jerusalem sent to the Gentile church:

“it seemed good to us, being assembled with one accord, to send chosen men to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. We have therefore sent Judas and Silas, who will also report the same things by word of mouth. For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things…”

                                                                                    Acts 15:25-28

Again and again, the early church, the apostles and the elders turned to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to secure and maintain unity.

Shouldn't we do the same?

Lord, by Your Holy Spirit who lives within us, I ask You to bring us back to unity in Your church!

Jesus' Intercessory Prayer

John 17:20-23

“I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.

“And the glory which You gave Me I have given them that they may be one just as We are one; I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.”

Jesus prayed for unity in His church. There is no denying that we currently do not have unity. It is true that there are many and varied reasons for the schisms that we currently live with. And, could one of the reasons we are not experiencing unity be because we have not emphasized His Indwelling Presence?

Do I believe that I’ve found the key to healing the church’s wounds and making her whole again? While I do not claim that level of intelligence, I believe that the simple answer is yes. I will explain this as fully as I can as we continue.

Before we go any further, I would like to point out that I am not proficient at this myself. So, my writing does not come from any sense of superiority or judging my brothers and sisters in the Lord. I’m trying to figure this out just like everybody else.

Praying for unity is the last thing Jesus did at the last supper. Obviously, it was heavy on his heart. This should not surprise us fora number of reasons:

• ·          Jesus knew what was in all of our hearts: John 2:23-35
• ·         Reconciliation (restoring unity) was Jesus’ ministry: 2 Corinthians 5:17-19
• ·                     As a Jewish man, Jesus understands the importance of the oneness of God (Deuteronomy 6:4)
• ·         As a Jewish man, Jesus knew the power of unity: Genesis 11:1-9 (tower of Babel); Leviticus 26:8 Deuteronomy 32:30; Ps. 133:1
• ·         Jesus experienced disunity within the ranks of His own disciples: Matthew 18:1-5; Mark 10:35-45

As Jesus is praying for unity within the church and among all believers, notice that He believes the answer is the indwelling presence of God.

I don’t think there is any other way to read this passage. He says it three separate times in these four verses:

21 “that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us,”

22 “And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one:”

23 “I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, “

So, we should not be surprised that we have this challenge in the church and in our relationships. It is common to all mankind.

Jesus knew disunity was coming.

He prayed for unity.  

Then He sent the answer in the form of the Indwelling Holy Spirit.

Lord, restore unity to Your church. 

I Will Not Leave You Fatherless

Before we go any farther I believe it is important to revisit our portion of scripture that is our “jumping off point”.

John 14:18 “I will not leave you fatherless. I will come to you.”

There are several companion passages to this one in the New Testament. One is:

“For you did not receive the Spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,”  

                                                Romans 8:15-16

Luke 3:38 tells us that Adam was “the son of God.”

We see over and over again that in God’s restoration of creation, He is not content to restore the way we think of restoration. He always makes it better than it originally was.  In this case, the glory of God rested on Adam and Eve (they were naked and unashamed). Now, His glory lives within us!

One Story, One Observation

I have a story to tell and an observation to share, then I will come back to verse 18.

Story

I never knew my father. He left the family when I was 18 months old. I have no memories of ever seeing him again. My childhood was truly fatherless and manless.  My mother was strong and did her best to be provider, protector, shepherd, teacher, and mother. Being a mere human, this was impossible. The unfortunate result in my life was a distorted and confused understanding of what either father or mother is supposed to be. And my life revealed this lackluster understanding at every turn. (And, in many ways, probably still does. I am a work in progress)

When I surrendered to the love and Lordship of Christ I was told that God was now my father. In my creative artist’s mind this presented me with a tremendous opportunity. You see, I grew up wanting to replace Mike Schmidt at third base for the Philadelphia Phillies. My mother taught me enough about baseball to get on a team and get some decent coaching. I took it from there.

From the age of seven to fifteen, I put in hours every day developing my skills as a baseball player. I had no one to work with me. I did not realize that I could ask my coaches to work with me one on one and no one told me I could. So, I worked alone. I worked as diligently as I could. By fifteen it was obvious that I was not going to be good enough to make the Rookie League so, I decided to focus on swimming to try to get a college scholarship.

The one thing that I always noticed was that the other kids had their dads at their games. Their dads played catch with them in the back yard. Their dads supported and were proud of them.

I never had that.

At twenty-one I was recently out of the Air Force and born again. I was starting life all over again. I thought, “If God is my Father, than I want to know what it is like to play baseball with my Dad.”

I went to the batting cages with Him. I talked with Him the whole time. Instead of coaching myself on my technique, I imagined Him telling me what adjustments I needed to make. It was fun!

Observation

At the time of this writing, I have been taking up space on this planet for over forty-five years (counting from conception). I have noticed that, most of the Christian men I've known who are willing to marry single mothers have incredibly blessed marriages and lives.

 I find it to be an amazing phenomenon.

We know that widows and orphans are dear to God’s heart:

“Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.”

                                                                                                James 1:27

“You shall not afflict any widow or fatherless child. If you afflict them in any way, and they cry to at all to Me, I will surely hear their cry; and My wrath will become hot, and I will kill you with the sword; your wives shall be widows, and your children fatherless.” Exodus 22:22-24

“At the end of every third year you shall bring out the tithe of your produce of that year and store it up within your gates. And the Levite, because he has no portion nor inheritance with you, and the stranger and the fatherless and the widow who are within your gates, any come and eat and be satisfied, that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hand which you do.” Deuteronomy 14:28-29 (also Duet. 16:11, 14; Duet. 24:17-21; 26:12-12; 27:19; Psalm 10:14, 18; 82:3; and on and on it goes)  

Job believed that his relationship with God, his wealth, and his place of influence in the community were directly due to his care for the fatherless, widows, foreigners, and the poor. (Job 29)

Back To The Beginning

We saw earlier that Adam was God’s son. And, Jesus, when first explaining the coming of the Holy Spirit says, “I will not leave you fatherless. I will come to you.”

Apparently, since the fall, God has considered humanity to be “Fatherless”.

Obviously most foreigners, widows, and orphans (the handicapped, as well) are the most vulnerable in our society. It is understandable that our compassionate God would go out of His way to make sure that we care for them.

 And, maybe it wasn't until Jesus began to reveal the Fatherhood (heart?) of God that humanity could begin to realize that when we take care of these most vulnerable that we are, indeed, taking care of ourselves. I say this, because, until we receive the Holy Spirit – the Spirit of adoption – we are every bit as Fatherless, widowed (without provision or protection), Levite (without inheritance), handicapped, and foreigners (aliens without the benefits of citizenship, living away from our Father’s land).  

“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”                   

John 1:12-13

Are you enjoying a Father-child relationship with God?

The type of Father who wants us loved, provided for, protected, socially integrated in a fulfilling way, and whole spirit, soul, and body.

The Holy Spirit resides within us to lead us into this reality.

As I meditate on the wonders of God being my Father, I hear my heart say,

“Daddy, more, please!?”

The Sacrifice

We are considering the Lord’s promise in John 14:16-18 “And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever – the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.”  NKJV

The consequences and ramifications of the fulfillment of this promise are many. Again, humanity will probably be investigating the wonders of this gift throughout eternity.

We already examined, in part, how Acts 2:1-4 is the beginning of the fulfillment of this promise:

“When the day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”

From here we looked at two of the Old Testament types of this event.  

·         The dedication of the tabernacle of Moses (Leviticus 9:22-24)

·         The dedication of Solomon’s temple (I Kings 8:10-13; 2 Chronicles 5:11-14; 2 Chron. 7:1-3)

After reading these passages, we can see that one important thing is missing from the account in the books of Acts that was vital in the two Old Testament types we referenced – the sacrifice.  In Leviticus 9:22-24 and 2 Chronicles 7:1-3 fire came down from heaven to consume the sacrifice. The sacrifice seems to be missing in the book of Acts. 

Where is it?

The obvious answer is: the perfect sacrifice had occurred fifty-one days before – on the cross. Jesus was the sacrifice that pleased God to the point of answering by fire. Jesus laid down His life, was crucified, descended into hell and rose again the third day. He ascended into Heaven where He now sits at God the Father’s right hand. (I think I've heard and/or read that somewhere) So there is no sacrifice to be consumed.

Or is there?

In the tabernacle of Moses and the temple of Solomon the fire consumed the sacrifice. Jesus gave Himself completely and there was nothing left to consume. So, why the fire from heaven? The fire did not consume the apostles and other disciples who were in the upper room. They were able to lead, support, and train the great influx of new converts that came into the church in the next hours and days. Again, why the fire?

Could it be that the fire that came from heaven in the book of Acts was more like what we see in Romans 2:25-29?

“For circumcision is indeed profitable if you keep the law; but if you are a breaker of the law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision. Therefore, if an uncircumcised man keeps the righteous requirements of the law, will not his uncircumcision be counted as circumcision? And will not the physically uncircumcised, if he fulfills the law, judge you who, even with your written code and circumcision, are a transgressor of the law?

For He is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God.”

Could it be that the fire from heaven came to consume us inwardly and our outward lives will show that consummation?

Isn't this what the Holy Spirit through the apostle Paul urges in Romans 12:1-2?

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” (Jeremiah 24:7, 11:19-20, Ezekiel 18:30-32)

This is precisely what Jesus asked for:

“Then Jesus said to His disciples, ‘If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.” Matt. 16:24-25 (also Matt. 10:37-39)

John the Baptist said of Jesus, “He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.” (Matt. 3:11)

Can we reasonably expect to receive one and not the other? Would we won’t to?

Do we have the courage to allow the fire of the Holy Spirit to consumer our lives?

If we do not, are we at least willing to pray for the grace to be willing?

His Glory

If we are going to have the courage to believe that we are filled with His glory, than wouldn't it make sense to find out what that glory is? It does to me so, that is what we will investigate next.

In Exodus 33 and 34 Moses has several different types of encounters with God. We will focus on only one at this time.

Exodus 33:18     And he (Moses) said, “Please, show me Your glory.”

To our amazement and, probably to Moses’, as well, God grants the request.

Can you imagine what must have been going on in Moses’ heart and mind? This God that revealed Himself to in the burning bush, kept him safe from Pharaoh and his political cronies. Brought the ten plagues to Egypt, orchestrated the Passover, separated the Red Sea and allowed all of Israel to cross on dry ground and then closed it up again on Egypt’s mighty army, the God who made bitter water sweet, and made enough water flow from a rock to take care of entire nation plus their animals, the God that was guiding them with a pillar of cloud during the day and a pillar of fire by night – that awesome, terrifying God –

Is about to reveal to him His glory.

Moses is about to learn what makes this God so special.

What was Moses feeling? Excitement, anticipation, fear, humility? What did that feel like? What thoughts were swirling around in Moses’ mind? Was he able to sleep that night? What was it like explaining to his leaders what was about to happen? As he approached the cave God told him to be in at the appointed time was he in a cold sweat? Was thinking, “what if He doesn’t show up?” Followed immediately with, “What if He does?” “Am I going to live through this either way?”

We don’t know. But we do know that God did show up.

Exodus 34:5-8

Now the LORD descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD. And the LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children to the third and the fourth generation.”  So Moses made haste and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshiped.

There are numerous theological things in this passage but, I will only focus on what God revealed about Himself to Moses. Moses has asked God to reveal His glory. Moses has already seen God’s power, His authority over nature and all matter. Moses is already terrifyingly familiar with God’s destructive power; His ability to decimate the most powerful nation to have ever existed up that point.

God could have said, “Moses, you have seen what I can do. I am the King of the Universe. I am all powerful. There is none like me. Do what I say or else.”

Instead, God says, in effect, “Moses, what is most important for you to know about me is: mercy, compassion, patience, goodness, and truth and I am still just.”

We know that this is not all there is to God’s glory. We also know that this is what He chooses to emphasize throughout His word. (Micah 6:8, Matthew 23:23, Ps. 100:5)

We also know that these are the attributes He wants us to emphasize in our lives. ( Matthew 5-7, I Corinthians 13, Galatians 5:22-23, Matthew 22:36-40)

When we are filled with God’s Spirit, His glory fills the temple.

We have been filled with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  

Now all we have to do is live it. 

His Glory Fills the Temple

We are investigating God coming to live inside of believers. This is what Jesus said was going to happen in John 14: 16-18. After His death, burial, resurrection and ascension, something magnificent happens in Acts 2:1-4. ₁

“When the day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”

God the Holy Spirit fills His temple! He has come to take make His home amongst His people – just as He promised. A number of Old Testament images come instantly to mind₂ but, we will only focus on two:

·         The dedication of the tabernacle of Moses (Leviticus 9:22-24)

·         The dedication of Solomon’s temple (I Kings 8:10-13; 2 Chronicles 5:11-14; 2 Chron. 7:1-3)

At the dedication of the tabernacle of Moses, God consumed the sacrifice with fire from heaven. Then He filled the tabernacle with a cloud of His glory (we will research His glory a little later). He filled the tabernacle so completely that Moses and Aaron could not enter.

At the dedication of the temple of Solomon the priests had sanctified themselves and assembled before the LORD as one. They did not assemble according to their assigned divisions. The Levites were all clothed in white and sang in unison. And 120 more priests were there sounding trumpets. As they were all praising as one. God consumed the sacrifice with fire from heaven. Then He filled the temple with His glory so that the priests could not continue ministering (making offerings and liturgical prayers).

There is powerful symbolism here. Symbolism lived out in real lives and real events.

·         Unity among God’s people

·         Acceptable sacrifice

·         Sanctification

·         These three combine to create an atmosphere so congruent with God’s nature that an extraordinary response is granted. God reveals Himself and “takes up residence”.

This is what happened in acts chapter two. This is what happens every time someone comes to faith in Jesus.

Have you put your faith in Christ, yet? Have you received the Holy Spirit? Have you been filled as His temple?

 Wouldn’t you say that today is a great day to be filled with His glory?

 Wouldn’t you say that, right now, is the perfect time to be filled with His glory? 

All you have to do is ask...

Footnotes

1.      John 20:19-23     Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. So Jesus said to them again, “Peace be to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, “Received the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”

I am not skipping over this passage of scripture. There simply wasn’t room for ample explanation. I do believe that the ten Apostles present did receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit at this time. Also, it is not entirely out of the realm of possibility that Thomas received the indwelling of the Holy Spirit at this time – wherever he was. This is what happened to Eldad and Medad in Numbers 11:24-30.

The difference between what transpired here and Acts chapter two is at least two fold:

a.      Jesus was transferring His own earthly authority specifically to the apostles.

b.      While the apostles received the indwelling of the Holy Spirit at this time, in Acts chapter two God filled His new temple – the entire church.

2.      See also Moses at the burning bush (Exodus 3), Elijah’s challenge to the prophets of Baal (I Kings 18:20-40) ;Elijah in the cave (I Kings 19:1-18)