Title: Experiencing God's Presence (Lent Day 33 Sermon)
Who May Come into God’s Presence
Psalm 24:3-5
3 Who will ascend the mountain of the LORD, and who will stand in his holy place? 4 He who has clean hands, a pure heart, does not set his mind on falsehood, and does not swear falsely. 5 I will be blessed by the LORD, and I will find righteousness from the God of my salvation.
3 Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD?
Or who may stand in His holy place?
4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol,
Nor sworn deceitfully.
5 He shall receive blessing from the LORD,
And righteousness from the God of his salvation. (NKJV)
Starting today, the topic will change. Under the theme of “living worthy of the calling,” we will share the sermon seven times. We have shared the words of salvation through God's grace over and over again until now. Salvation is completely what God works in us. It is a gift given to us not because we are worthy of salvation, but because of God's love, mercy, and compassion for us. 2 Timothy 1:9 says, “For God saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus from time immemorial.” Paul pleads with the Ephesian church members, “I beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called” (Ephesians 4:1). We, who have been called to salvation, must reveal the character of a holy Christian and live a holy life.
Now look at today's message. “Who will ascend the mountain of the Lord, and who will stand in his holy place? That is, one who has clean hands, a pure heart, does not set his mind on falsehood, and does not swear falsely. I will receive blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of salvation.” “Who will ascend the mountain of the Lord?” Judging from these words, “Mountain of the Lord” refers to the Temple Mountain, which stood in the temple in the past. seems to say In AD 70, the temple in Jerusalem was completely destroyed by Roman soldiers. However, part of the western wall still remains, and the stairs that went up to the temple to worship through the wall remain. Before the temple was destroyed, the Jews used these stairs to go up to the temple. According to the Gospels, Jesus also came to the temple in Jerusalem several times, so he must have walked down these stairs.
Everyone, do not just read today's Word, but read it through the imagination of the Word. “Who will ascend the mountain of the Lord, and who will stand in his holy place? He has clean hands, a pure heart, and does not set his mind on falsehood, and does not swear falsely.” The speech is interactive. Perhaps the priests asked the worshipers who came up to the Temple Mount in groups. “Who can climb the mountain of the Lord, and who can enter the holy place?” Then, the worshipers would have responded like this. “A person who has clean hands, a person who is pure in heart, who does not indulge in idolatry, who does not swear falsely.”
Isn't that an amazing scene? Priests await worshipers on the way up to the Temple Mount. Then he asked the worshipers who came up in a crowd. And the worshipers faithfully answered the priests' questions. How about trying this in our church today? The elders are standing on Magazine Street and Cottage Street and asking the congregation. “Who can come into the church, and who can worship God?” Then, the church members answer. “A man with clean hands, a pure heart, a man not indulging in idolatry, a man not swearing falsely.” Then, shouldn't the person who asks that question also have a clean life? And whoever answers, can live a week without thinking and answer, “A person with clean hands, a pure heart, a person who does not fall into idolatry, and a person who does not swear falsely”?
The people in the Bible today knew the qualifications of those who could come close to God and worship Him. They knew well that an unclean person, a sinful person, could not enter the holy temple of God. Even those who have fallen into idolatry cannot enter the temple because they cannot praise God with their dirty mouths. He was well aware that even a person who made a false oath in the name of God was not worthy to enter the temple of God because he could not dare to swear allegiance to God.
Today someone stood at the front door of the chapel and said, “Are you qualified to be a worshiper?” If you ask this question, the answer to that question is “Yes. I lived clean for a week. I did not live a life that was shameful before God.” How many people would answer this? “It’s like a star!” Is there anyone out there who would be angry? Wouldn't someone say, "Oh, you're doing well"?
What is the difference between the time when Psalm 24 was written and our day today? There is only one difference. At that time, people feared God. They feared God and felt God's presence through their skin. They really thought that those who stood before God had unclean hands, their hearts were unclean, and that those who worshiped idols would die when they stood before God. To that extent, they lived while feeling the presence of God.
However, this is not the case in our time today. I am not afraid of God. Not fearing God is no other reason. Because they do not feel the presence of God. I'm not sure if God really exists. Do you know what Hebrews 11:6 says? “Without faith it is impossible to please him, for he who comes to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him.” Who comes to God? Aren't you a worshiper of God? Such a person must believe that God exists. It is absurd to worship God without believing in the existence of God.
What is truly deplorable is that our worship today is deviating from its essence. Worship is to God, and worship is becoming a “performance” that people keep showing. Such worship is mistaken as if it were modern worship. Worship should be God-centered, not man-centered.
Everyone, sometimes when you go to an old chapel, the inside of the chapel is dark. Our church is also a 140-year-old church, and it was quite dark at first, but that's how much it was lit up a little. It would be good if our church lights a little bit near the pulpit. Anyway, if you go to the old churches, the lights are dim. In addition, the windows are all stained glass to block out light from outside. Have you been to “Trinity Church” on Boylston Street? The church is so famous that it is always open. Go for it. The church is very beautiful with stained glass. However, only the altar is bright and the rest of the interior is very dark. Go for it. And the ceiling is high. What is strange is that there are so many tourists coming and going, but no one has a normal voice. He whispers into his ear a little. There is absolutely no atmosphere to raise your voice.
I saw an advertisement saying, “Our church is a church that gives comfort.” What the hell is that? Does the church give you comfort? Comfort is not a gift from the church, but a gift that God gives to those who please. As the lower church has become secularized and worship is focused on human beings, it seems that now even “a church that provides comfort” has emerged. People may be offended by such phrases. However, the church is not a place of comfort. This is a place to pray to God, and a place to repent after hearing God's piercing words. It is a place where you vomit out the sins hidden in your heart. Of course, there is the love and fellowship of the saints in the church. However, it is incidental. Fellowship and love are not the essence of the Church. The essence of the church is worship to God.
The temple has a temple wall, and there are four courtyards in it. This courtyard is the place of worship. We know that there is a large building and we go into that building and offer sacrifices, but it is not. There are 4 courtyards within the temple wall, and these are the places of worship. On the outermost side was a courtyard for the Gentiles. This is the courtyard where Gentiles and converts to Jews enter. Then there was a courtyard for Jewish women. The courts of the Gentiles and the courts of women were of different heights. Then there is a court for the Jewish men, and finally there is a court for the priests. In this courtyard, animals are slaughtered, sacrifices are held, and purification ceremonies are held. There was a tabernacle inside this courtyard. Inside the tabernacle is the Holy Place, and past the Holy Place is the Most Holy Place. No one can enter the sanctuary, only the priests. The most holy place inside is where the ark of the covenant of God is located, and only the high priest enters the most holy place once a year. The Holy of Holies was a place where you could meet God directly and feel God's presence.
However, an amazing event occurred when Jesus died on the cross. In Matthew 27:51, when Jesus cried out with a loud voice and his soul departed, “Then the veil of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom.” This means that the door to the sanctuary has been opened. Until now, it was the most holy place where only the high priest had entered once a year, but now the way has been opened for anyone to enter.
When we worship God, in a meaningful sense, we enter the Holy of Holies, pass through the veil that covers the Most Holy, and go to the place where God is present. Can a person who stands in the presence of that God stand in a false and abominable form without resolving his sins? Can you praise God in front of him with a hypocrite who does not repent of his sins? A “comfort church” does not exist in this world. Don't be fooled by those words. Comfort is God's gift to those who feel God's presence in their body and stand before it as upright worshipers.