Unfortunately, not too many professing believers are
able to understand and believe that there is a clear distinction between what
takes place in the outer court and what takes place in the inner court in the
same way that they are unable to make a clear distinction between the first and
great commandment which is to love the Lord our God with all our heart, with
all our soul, and with all our mind which is fulfilled by the proper worship and adoration of the Lord as ordained and the second great commandment which is
to love our neighbor as ourselves by doing unto others what we would like them do unto us.
Nevertheless, in order for one to truly understand the
current disposition of the outer and inner court in our new dispensation, it is
imperative that we know, understand, believe and remind ourselves of three significant
things;
- The earthy
tabernacle was a copy and shadow of the heavenly.
For we have been duly instructed saying that the
Levitical priesthood served the copy and shadow of the heavenly things, as
Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to make the tabernacle. For He
said, "See that you make all things according to the pattern shown you on
the mountain" (Hebrews 8:5).
We have also been instructed saying; “Therefore it was
necessary that the copies of the things in the heavens should be purified with
these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For
Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the
true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us”
(Hebrews 9:23-24).
- Jesus Christ as
every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices.
For we have been duly instructed saying; “For every high
priest taken from among men is appointed for men in things pertaining to God,
that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins.”... Now this is the main
point of the things we are saying: We have such a High Priest, who is seated at
the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, a Minister of the
sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which the Lord erected, and not man. For
every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices. Therefore it
is necessary that this One (Jesus Christ) also have something to offer (Hebrews
5:1; 8:1-3).
- In order to
have fellowship with the Father and with one another an offering for sin has to be offered.
For this is what we have been admonished saying; “This
is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is
light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with
Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk
in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and
the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we
have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess
our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from
all unrighteousness: If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and
His word is not in us” (1John 1:5-10).
Please note carefully that, the cleansing, remission and
forgiveness of sins through the shedding of blood in order to have fellowship
with the Father and with one another is not something of the past but rather
something that is current, something that transpires during the worship /
fellowship service as Jesus plainly said; “For this is My blood of the new
covenant, which is shed for
many for the remission of sins.” And, “if we walk in the light as He is in the
light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His
Son cleanses us from all sin.”
Meaning that, the cleansing, forgiveness and the remission of sins through the
blood of Jesus Christ if we confess them, are feasible through the
participation of the Holy Communion. This is what makes us worthy to have fellowship
with the Father and with one another.
To be continued
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With brotherly love
Lucius Joseph
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