Sept 4 THE MERCY SEAT:MADE FOR YOU
LIFE WITH JESUS IS HEAVEN ON EARTH.
YOU’RE A WALKING MIRACLE.
A Verse to Remember:
God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, …Ephesians 2:6
Gospel Story: Where is the true place of worship …..? John 4:21-24
Todays Scripture: Hebrews 9:1-5
That first covenant between God and Israel had regulations for worship and a place of worship here on earth. 2 There were two rooms in that Tabernacle.[a] In the first room were a lampstand, a table, and sacred loaves of bread on the table. This room was called the Holy Place. 3 Then there was a curtain, and behind the curtain was the second room called the Most Holy Place. 4 In that room were a gold incense altar and a wooden chest called the Ark of the Covenant, which was covered with gold on all sides. Inside the Ark were a gold jar containing manna, Aaron’s staff that sprouted leaves, and the stone tablets of the covenant. 5 Above the Ark were the cherubim of divine glory, whose wings stretched out over the Ark’s cover, the place of atonement. But we cannot explain these things in detail now
Reflection:
What the author of Hebrews didn’t take time to explain, let’s give it a go. First off let’s start with the Mercy Seat or the Place of Atonement! Today what I’m saying is that in heaven, this seat was made just for you! In the Tabernacle the mercy seat is the space situated above the arc between the wings of the two cherubim. In he Old system of worship, once a year the High Priest would come to this place. Quite literally a “place” the Hebrews believed was heaven on earth. Why? Because this is where God dwells on earth. And where God lives is heaven. The High Priest would yearly offer sacrifice and sprinkle blood on all the items in the tabernacle so that God would forgive both his sins and the sins of the people-keeping them in a Holy relationship. However, “the Holy Spirit revealed the entrance to the Most Holy Place was not feely open as long as the tabernacles and the system it represented were in place” (H8:8).
Jesus changes all this! In Chapter 8 we are told our Jesus High Priest goes into the “real” tabernacle in heaven, a place not made with human hands and “once and for all” cleanses all the “things” in heaven. This act of love will never to be repeated again. And while the gifts and sacrifices of the past could not cleanse the consciences of people, Jesus one sacrifice and what he does in Heaven gets the job done, finished!
What results from this one act of Jesus’ in the heavenly realm? The old way of being in relationship with God disappears. The entrance to The Most Holy Place is now open to the public! What does that mean for you and I who have place our faith in Jesus. It means, “God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, …Ephesians 2:6. WOW!!!
The Mercy Seat, that “place” of atonement where God dwells, even before the world was even formed, God had your name on it. Reserved just for you through faith in Jesus Christ. Previously, just once a year, only one person could go experience heaven on earth, “time” with God in heaven. What Jesus did in heaven ended this old pattern on earth. Today, everyday and forever the real place of worship, not made with human hands, is ours simply because we walk with Jesus. Jesus makes us a walking miracle because life with Jesus is heaven on earth! We get to live in God’s presence everyday, and forever!!!!! Amazing!