<p>Free sharing permitted under the Creative Commons <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/">BY-NC-ND 3.0 (US)</a> license.</p>

Advent HOPE Sabbath School

Karl Tsatalbasidis

The Heavenly Sanctuary and the Universal Characteristics of Worship and Music

And how fitting, we are talking about the heavenly sanctuary and the universal characteristics of worship and music.

If you are here for the first time, in other words, if you weren't here last night, then I would ask you to review that because we're going to switch gears majorly.

We talked about the building blocks of what was termed cultural worship and we looked at Jeroboam, we looked at some of the principles of the Second Vatican Council, which took place between 1962 and 1965, and we looked at how those principles have really taken root, not only in Protestantism, but unfortunately in many parts of Adventism as well.

So we're going to look at a much different foundation here this morning, because there is a ground in which we can understand these things, incorporate them into our lives, and thus experience the power that the Holy Spirit wants in our transformation and in our mission.

We want to wrap this thing up and go home.

And part of the building blocks of doing that, part of not short-circuiting this process is making sure we understand the true ground of what worship is so that he can press the power button and so that our witness can be effectual.

I just invite you to bow your heads as I pray.

Dear gracious, loving, Heavenly Father, Lord, our hearts long to worship you in spirit and in truth.

1 day very soon, this will wrap up, and I pray that each and every 1 of us will be among those that are on the sea of glass, praising your holy name.

May we learn that song here and now through all the vicissitudes of life, through all the challenges, the trials, the perplexities.

May you place that song in our hearts and may we sing and may our worship always be acceptable to you.

May he always be our teacher and our guide, I ask in Jesus' name, amen.

The heavenly sanctuary is the center of worship.

We're going to examine 4 different time periods.

We're going to look at 4 different time periods.

We're going to look at before the creation of the earth.

We're going to see that the heavenly sanctuary was central.

We're going to see that the heavenly was central throughout the Old Testament era, throughout the New Testament era, and also in heaven, and we will explore the implications of all that.

Turn with me and your Bibles to the book of Jeremiah, chapter 17, and verse 12, as we look at the centrality of the heavenly sanctuary before the creation of the universe.

Jeremiah chapter 17 and verse 12, Jeremiah 17 verse 12, it says, "...a glorious high throne from the beginning is the place of our sanctuary.

Now, there was, of course, the temple that everyone would resort to in Jeremiah's day.

But notice he says, a glorious high throne from the beginning is the place of our sanctuary.

This was the place from which the angelic host would gather together and worship God.

But Jeremiah is saying that during the existence of the earthly temple, it was also the place of our, meaning the Israelites that were gathering together to worship, in Jeremiah's day.

And so it is extremely central here, even before the creation of everything else.

Once it was created, then it became the center because that was the place where God's presence was.

So, let's go through the heavenly sanctuary as the center of worship in the Old Testament era.

And what we're going to do here is we're going to make a connection between the earthly temple and the heavenly.

Now, in Exodus chapter 25 verses 8 and 9, every good Adventist should know this, and let them make me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them." And then in verse 9 it says, "...see that you make it according to the pattern which was showed you in the mount." The idea of an earthly sanctuary or an earthly temple didn't come from the surrounding nations.

Now, God also chooses the place where he wanted his people to assemble anciently.

So I'm going to go to the book of Deuteronomy now, chapter 12 and verse 5.

The Israelites just couldn't assemble in any place.

We didn't pick the time, God picked the time.

And as we're about to find out, God picks the place.

He picked the place back then where he wanted his people to gather.

In verse 5 he says, "...but unto the place which the Lord your God shall choose out of all your tribes to put his name there, even unto his habitation or his dwelling you shall seek and thither shalt thou come." So God chooses the place and he says he wants to put his name there.

That doesn't mean he's going to carve his initials somewhere in the earthly temple or the earthly sanctuary.

What that means is that he's going to be present there.

God's name is synonymous with his presence.

And for homework, you can read 2 Chronicles 20 verses 8 and 9, where you find his name and his presence actually being synonymous.

So when he says, I'm going to put my name there, he's actually saying, I'm going to reveal myself there.

So if you choose to go someplace else, You might have an encounter, but it's not going to be with me because I told you to go here.

Just for time, we will not read Deuteronomy 16 because it basically says the same thing.

So I want to go to the, instead of the earthly sanctuary, the 1 where they would transport from place to place, I want to go to 1 Kings 8, verse 29.

Because this is the permanent sanctuary here.

So 1 Kings 8, this is where Solomon is dedicating the temple.

And so don't lose the bigger picture, we're trying to show that even during the Old Testament times, the place that they actually gathered was the heavenly.

So as he's in the middle of this prayer of dedication, he says in 1 Kings 8, verse 29, he says that, "'Thine eyes may be opened toward this house night and day, even toward the place of which thou hast said, My name shall be there.

So he's saying, I'm going to be present there.

That you may hearken unto the prayer which your servant shall make toward this place." Now, let's read verse 30.

"...and hearken thou unto the supplication of thy servant, and of thy people Israel, when they shall pray toward this place, hear thou in heaven your dwelling place, and when you hear, forgive." Now notice that in verse 30.

They're actually gathered around the earthly temple.

Now of course God is present in the temple if you read verse 12.

He actually makes himself known there and the priests have to run out of the temple because his presence is being revealed there.

But Solomon here is saying, when we gather around the earthly temple, I want you to hear, you would think it was going to say, I want you to hear from where you're being present right here in the earthly temple.

He says, I want you to hear from heaven your dwelling place.

Now this occurs several times in this chapter.

For instance, if you go down to, that would be verse 39, we can go down to verse 39, it's mentioned in other places but very clear here.

In verse 39, it says, then hear thou in heaven your dwelling place and forgive.

Then in verse 43, hear thou in heaven your dwelling place and do according to all that the stranger calls you for.

And then in verse 49, notice, then hear thou their prayer and their supplication in heaven your dwelling place and maintain their cause.

So, as they are gathered around the earthly, they're actually pictured as they're gathering around the heavenly.

I want to mention 1 more text in 2 Chronicles 30.

Verse 27, this is a reformation that took place in the days of Hezekiah.

2 Chronicles chapter 30 verse 27, it says, then the priests, the Levites, arose and blessed the people, and their voice was heard, and their prayer came up to his holy dwelling place even unto heaven." So, when God's people are gathered around the earthly temple to worship God, they are pictured as ultimately gathering around the heavenly temple.

Thus, the heavenly temple is the center of worship in the Old Testament.

In the Old Testament era, God chose 1 place to manifest his presence.

God didn't say, look, I'm going to meet with the Israelites here and they're going to build me a sanctuary.

And then I'm going to meet with the Edomites over there and build them a sanctuary and so forth and so on.

Because there's only 1 sanctuary in heaven.

And so that is typified by having 1 central location around which he wanted his people to come.

He did not, again, choose a place for the Israelites and other places for other nations to worship God according to their culture.

When Israel did that in the days of Jeroboam, the results were disastrous.

We're not talking about cosmetic changes here.

And I actually want you to turn to Hebrews chapter 12.

Back to Menu

The Heavenly Sanctuary and the Universal Characteristics of Worship and Music

Transcript

Sponsor

Recorded

Related

Talking Points 1st Quarter 2024: Psalms

12 Worship That Never Ends

28m

MTYC 2010 Breakout Seminar - Music

Making Music Practical

50m

Lifestyle of the Last Generation

iWorship

1h

Revelation Made Simple

18. Revelations Spiritual Revolution for a New Millennium

57m

The Power of Unity: Reflecting Christ in Every Relationship

01 Unity in Diversity, Part 01

53m

The Power Of Praise

30m

Music in Your Sphere: Max the Potential of Music in Ministry

1. The Song of the Spheres

50m

The Sweetest Song I Know: Authentic Musical Worship Deepens Our Experience with Christ

Music in Worship, Part 1: In Spirit and in Truth

41m

Bruce Ashton - My Way or God's Way: Defining Christian Worship

Selling Worship or Selling-out Worship?

48m

Doug Batchelor: The Victorious Life

The Purpose of Worship, Part I

56m

Karl Tsatalbasidis ~ The 'Rock' and Worship: Music and Worship at the End of Time

Watch and Pray, or Dance and Play?

1h

Sound Doctrine