PREPARING A DWELLING PLACE FOR GOD 

THE BLOOD, THE SPIRIT, AND WORSHIP 

 

TEXT: Exodus 30:1-10 “Make an altar of acacia wood for burning incense. 2 It is to be square, a cubit long and a cubit wide, and two cubits high — its horns of one piece with it. 3 Overlay the top and all the sides and the horns with pure gold and make a gold molding around it. 4 Make two gold rings for the altar below the molding — two on opposite sides — to hold the poles used to carry it. 5 Make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. 6 Put the altar in front of the curtain that is before the ark of the Testimony — before the atonement cover that is over the Testimony — where I will meet with you. 7 "Aaron must burn fragrant incense on the altar every morning when he tends the lamps. 8 He must burn incense again when he lights the lamps at twilight so incense will burn regularly before the Lord for the genera:ons to come. 9 Do not offer on this altar any other incense or any burnt offering or grain offering, and do not pour a drink offering on it. 10 Once a year Aaron shall make atonement on its horns. This annualatonement must be made with the blood of the atoning sin offering for the genera:ons to come. It is most holy to the Lord.” 

 

INTRODUCTION

 

God had brought Israel out of Egypt with a mighty hand through 10 different miracles of His power, the last miracle being the shed blood of the Lamb. But the question is why? Why did God deliver Israel from Egypt? Was it to bring them into the Promised Land? Yes, it was. But God also brought them out of Egypt because His heart was to dwell among them! God wanted them to be with Him and they with Him. And this is the theme of the whole Bible: God’s heart is to dwell with the man He created in His image. This is the truth we find in the Book of Genesis where Adam walked with God, before his fall into sin, and it’s the truth we find in the Book of the Revelation where we find God and redeemed man together in relationship forever. Friend, God wants a relationship with you. God wants to dwell in, with and among His Church! That is His heart, and it is the revelation of the Word of God.  

 

Now, perhaps you’re wondering what that has to do with our text this morning in Exodus 30:1-10. The end result of the construction of the Tabernacle, with all its’ furnishings, which is detailed in the Book of Exodus, is found in these verses in Exodus 40:34-35 “Then the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. 35 Moses could not enter the Tent of Meeting because the cloud had descended upon it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.”  

 

I believe that it remains in the heart of God to dwell among His people. It is the desire of God to fill His Church with His glory and all that that means. We cannot be satisfied with the crumbs of religion when God’s heart for us is relationship! Church, it is the season for revival! The question is this: what must we do today to prepare a place for Him to dwell? The answer to that question will be my message to you this morning. Let’s pray.  

 

In Exodus 30:1-10, we find three very important things that have always been necessary in preparing a place for the dwelling of God.  

 

I. First, in preparing a place for the dwelling of God, there must be the shedding of blood.  

Verse 10 “Once a year Aaron shall make atonement on its horns. This annual atonement must be made with the blood of the atoning sin offering for the genera:ons to come. It is most holy to the Lord.” 

First, what does atonement mean? The Hebrew word is kaw-far; it means to appease, make (an atonement, cleanse, forgive, be merciful, pacify, pardon, purge (away), put off, (make) reconciliation.

 

The only way that sinful man and a holy God can be reconciled is through the shedding of the innocent blood of another to take away man’s sin. There is nothing man can do to take away his own sins. No amount of good works can take away man’s sin. The truth is that man is a sinner and cannot save himself. If sinful man is to be reconciled back to God and have a relationship with God, then he must put his trust in the shed blood of the lamb. This was the lesson on that night in Egypt when the death angel killed all of the first born who did not have the blood of the Lamb on their door posts. No one was spared from judgment and death because of who they were or because of their good works. They were saved only because they trusted in the shed blood of the Lamb to save them! That is why it is called the Passover Lamb. God said when I see the blood, I will Passover you!  

 

On the Day of Atonement, two goats were sacrificed. The two goats constitute one offering: one goat was slain, and its’ blood was sprinkled on the altar typifying Jesus bearing the penalty for our sins on the cross, which is death and eternal separation from God. The High Priest would then lay his hands on the other goat confessing the sins of the na:on. This goat, known as the scapegoat, was then led into the wilderness. This typified the complete removal of our sin, out of sight, to where no witness will ever rise in judgment against us. Jesus not only died for the penalty for our sins, but He also died to take away our sins forever! The root word for scapegoat is Azazel which means “to remove completely!”  

 

Psalm 103:12 says, as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.  

 

Hebrews 8:12 “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more." 

 

What is the point here? The point and the divine truth revealed in the Word of God is that the only way that man can have a relationship with God is through the blood of God’s Son shed on the cross.  

 

The scripture says, “without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins.” (Hebrews 9:22) And if there is no shedding of blood then there is no relationship with God.  

 

God will not dwell in any place or person that has not been cleansed by the blood of Jesus.  

 

 

In order to experience God’s Presence and God’s glory, the Church must be a place where the blood of Jesus is preached as the only way to know God.  

 

This is really not complicated. God sent His only begotten Son into the world to die on the cross for our sins so that you and I can know Him and have a relationship with Him, both now and forever.  

 

What does that mean practically speaking? It means that the way we stay in right relationshipwith God is by trusting in the blood that Jesus shed for us on the cross. We understand that sin breaks our fellowship with God, and the only way to restore that fellowship is by confessing that sin to God and turning from it in repentance. When we do that, the scripture says that “God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (I John 1:9).  

 

We know that the blood of Jesus is not only is the reason why God forgives our sins, but it is also the reason why He forgets our sins! Trusting in the blood of Jesus is how we stay in a right relationshipwith God as a person and as a Church.  

 

The fact that God was willing to give His only begotten Son to die on the cross for our sins should cause us to realize just how much a relationshipwith us means to Him.  

 

Church, it is God’s heart to dwell in us, with us and among us! That is the revelation of the Word of God from Genesis to Revelation! And the way that that happens is through the shed blood.  

 

From the moment that Adam and Eve sinned against God, God shed the blood of an animal to cover man’s sins by making garments to cloth them. (Genesis 3:21) 

 

God also revealed this amazing truth in Genesis 22 when He provided a lamb to take Isaac’s place as a sacrifice on Mount Moriah. It was the same Mount Moriah in Jerusalem where Jesus, the Lamb of God, took our place at Golgotha on a hill called Mount Calvary!  

CONCLUSION 

 

Pastor, what does this have to do with God dwelling among us? What does this have to do with the coming revival?  

 

In the coming move of God, the Holy Spirit will only come to those Churches who are trusting in the blood of Jesus.  

 

Look at how the Holy Spirit spoke this through the Apostle Paul in Galatians l 

3:1-2 “You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. 2 I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard?”  

 

Paul said that we receive the Holy Spirit by trusting in what Jesus did on the cross: “before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified.” Paul’s message was what Christ did on the cross. And it was by their trusting in the message of the cross that they received the Holy Spirit; they received the Presence of God; they had a relationship with God through the Holy Spirit!  

 

The truth of scripture is that the way that we have a relationship with God is by putting our faith in what God’s Son did for us on the cross when He shed His blood to forgive and take away our sins.  

 

Nothing has changed since Paul wrote those words. The only way that we as individuals and as a Church can have a relationship with God is by trusting in the blood of Jesus.  

 

God is not going to pour His Spirit out on any Church that is not trusting totally in the blood of His only begotten Son. It is the only way that we can have and maintain a relationship with Him. It is the only way that revival will come. It is the only way to prepare a place for the dwelling of God. It is the only way we will see signs, wonder, healing and miracles. It is the only way to be a place where the lost can be saved, the hungry be filled with the Holy Spirit, the sick healed and those bound by Satan set free!  

ALTAR 

 

How do we respond to this word preached today? What do we do in order to be prepared for the coming move of God? Simple: 1. Put your trust completely in the blood of Jesus, knowing that through His blood God has not only forgiven your sins but He has forgotten them. 2. When you sin, get that sin under the power of His blood by not only confessing your sin but by also turning from it.  

 

This is how we make ourselves ready for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.