The Lord is In His Holy Temple

 

Habakkuk 2:19,20

Woe to him who says to wood, ‘Awake!’ To silent stone, ‘Arise! It shall teach!’ Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver, Yet in it there is no breath at all in the midst of it. 

“But the LORD is in His holy temple. Let all the earth keep silence before Him.”

Psalm 11:4

The LORD is in His holy temple; the LORD is on His heavenly throne. His eyes are watching closely; they examine the sons of men.

    There is no God but our God. Wooden idols cannot breathe, speak or move under their own power. Stone carvings cannot move under their own strength, for they have none. They are empty gods and have no power.

     Only God is Holy. Only God breathes. Only God speaks. Only God moves. For He is GOD. He is JEHOVAH. And His very presence demands a holy, sanctified people. 

    There will be a day when all peoples everywhere will take a knee in His presence. Every tongue, every nation, every language will praise God. Isaiah spoke of this event first - Isaiah 45:23 - and Paul repeated it when teaching the church, the believers, in Rome - Romans 14:11. 

    To God be the glory. To God be the praise. To God, and to God alone, our worship is directed. It's why we look to the skies, for He is above the heavens. It's why we lift our hands and raise our arms: we long for His embrace. It's why we fall to the ground, when we worship: for we awed when He extends Himself to be with us where we are. We revere our God for He IS GOD. 

Guard Your Heart - - Keep His Word

 

John 14:23

Jesus replied, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word. My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him."

*Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 

Keep: to watch over, to guard

From the Greek word 'téreó' (pronounced tay-reh'-o): I watch, I guard, I maintain, I keep intact. 

    I keep intact His Word. Not a phrase one would normally associate with keeping God's Word, yet it is completely accurate. For what does Christ say in Revelation? Revelation 22:18, 19 "I testify to everyone who hears the words of prophecy in this book: If anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. And if anyone takes away from the words of this book of prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and the holy city, which are described in this book."

    If anyone 'adds to' or 'removes from (takes away) the Book of Prophecy, God will take away that person's share in the Tree of Life and the holy city. A person will lose their life and their spiritual inheritance, when they detract from The Word. Death and destruction will be their reward. 

    Denying The Word, ignoring The Word, living in defiance of The Word is not keeping The Word. Twisting The Word to suit your own selfish agenda is not keeping The Word. 

     

KEEP MY WORD

>Be Diligent

2 Chronicles 31:21 "And in every work that he began in the service of the house of God, and in the law, and in the commandments, to seek his God, he did it with all his heart, and prospered."

>Be Careful

The Lord's instructions to Joshua: 

Joshua 1:7, 8 "Above all, be strong and very courageous. Be careful to observe all the law that My servant Moses commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may prosper wherever you go. This Book of the Law must not depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. For then you will prosper and succeed in all you do."

>Be Faithful

John's revelation from Christ: 

Revelation 22:9

"Behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of prophecy in this book."

THE WORD IS LIFE

John 8:51

"Truly, truly, I tell you, if anyone keeps My word, he will never see death.”

John 11:26

"And everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?"

John 3:16

"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."

Philippians 2:16

"Holding forth The Word of Life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain."

THE WORD IS THE FATHER'S WORD

John 14:24

"Whoever does not love Me does not keep My words. The word that you hear is not My own, but it is from the Father who sent Me."

John 7:16

"Jesus answered them and said, “My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me."

John 12:49

"I have not spoken on My own, but the Father who sent Me has commanded Me what to say and how to say it."

John 8:26

""I have much to say about you and much to judge. But the One who sent Me is truthful, and what I have heard from Him, I tell the world."

THE TRINITY TAKES UP RESIDENCE

Our key verse for today:

John 14:23

Jesus replied, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word. My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him."

Revelation 3:20

"Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me."

Matthew 28:19, 20

"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

    Let us open the doors of our hearts, invite Jesus in and He will feed and sustain us with The Word of God in The Spirit of God. Let us put out the welcome mat for The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit now that we may dine at the welcome table. Believe, Receive, Rejoice.  

Words of Life - Statler Bros. 

Ancient Words - Michael W. Smith

Abide In Me - Andrew Marcus 

Abba - John Mark Pantana

Welcome, Holy Spirit - Jimmy Swaggart