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“The Sanctuary
of God” Jer 17:12 “A glorious high throne,
set on high, from the beginning, is the place of our sanctuary.” BACKGROUND Faith in the midst of darkness
is difficult. Hope when all hope seems gone is devastating to
the soul. The destruction of Judah with its beautiful cities,
among which are Bethlehem, the birth place of the Messiah, and Jerusalem,
the holy city is but 20 years into the future. Jeremiah cried
from the depths of his being with tremendous agony as he realized what
was soon to come to God’s chosen people. Jehoiakim is the king of Judah when these words of our text were given to Jeremiah. This chapter 17 contains a
time of communion between Jeremiah and Jehovah. The prophet poured
out his soul in an agony of protest in prayer. Jehovah patiently
answered him telling him of inevitable judgment. Jehovah told Jeremiah that
he wanted him to remain unmarried and therefore have no children.
He commanded him to abstain from both mourning and rejoicing. At this charge by Jehovah, Jeremiah spoke forth these tremendous words: “A glorious throne, set on
high, from the beginning, is the place of our sanctuary.” The prophet lifted his eyes
to the heavens, his vision lifted above the impending doom and coming
destruction of Judah and saw “A glorious throne, set on high.”
Moreover he knew by revelation that this glorious throne was from the
beginning of everything, and the declaration from God is that this throne
is the place of our sanctuary. TRANSITION In our gloom, in our sorrow,
in our hope that has all but gone, in our most troubling times we need
to lift our eyes, our vision, and look towards the heavens and see that
glorious throne which is from the beginning and know that we have there
a place of sanctuary. MEANING
OF SANCTUARY What is it that we mean when
we utter the word “sanctuary?” For some of us, maybe most
of us, this building in which we are gathered together today comes to
mind. We refer to this building as the house of God, and in this
place where the altar, the anointing oil, the table that holds the plates
for our gifts to God, where we gather for worship and the hearing of
the word we often refer to as the sanctuary. The times have changed, the
cultures have changed, and the lands have changed. Sanctuary for
the Jewish people was the Temple of the Lord. Men could take hold
of the horns of the altar and claimed safety. Churches in England
and other countries often allowed people to claim sanctuary within the
confines of the church buildings. The Egyptians had their sanctuary
temples consisting of a single chamber. Men could find peace, safety,
comfort, rest, protection, refuge in the sanctuary. A place of sanctuary means:
There is a sense of peace and
quietness in the sanctuary. Overcome in the conflict, bruised
and broken in the battle, the spirit of man runs into the place of peace,
healing, restoration, quietness, the man runs to the sanctuary. Our homes are invaded, our
lives are stressed to the breaking point, our tears run down our cheeks
from the horrendous searing of pain from fragmented relationships and
we desire to run somewhere, anywhere to find peace, comfort, assurance
that everything is going to be O.K. It is then that we run to
a place of safety. We desire sanctuary. “A glorious throne set on
high from the beginning is the place of our sanctuary.” THE THRONE
OF GOD The statement is NOT that the
sanctuary of God is a throne, but that the throne of God is a sanctuary.
That statement is the deepest note to be played in the glorious music
of the Divine revelation revealed to us in His Holy Word. The throne
of God is our sanctuary! The sanctuary which contains
the worship of His people, along with the rituals, the priests, the
sacrifices, these do not affect the throne of God. It is the throne
of God itself that speaks to us of our sanctuary. Not in the activities
of the place or the hour of worship, but in the right relationship to
the God Who calls us to the activities of worship and service. There is a throne in Heaven upon which God sits; it is from there that His laws are revealed and the laws by which He governs; it is from the throne of God on high from the beginning that grace ushers forth to men; it is the place of administration, law with its rewards for keeping His law and punishment for disobeying his laws. It is the center of all authority, all power, and all truth. All of the revelation of the
Bible is brought sharply into view; all the light that shines forth
is focused into these words: “A glorious throne, set on high, from
the beginning, is the place of our sanctuary.” What is it that John saw: “A
Lamb, as though it had been slain, in the midst of the throne.” That throne is the place of
our sanctuary. Man’s place of privacy, of protection, of peace,
of safety and rest is never found until man finds the throne of God.
He never finds the security until man enters into right relationship
with the throne of God. SET ON HIGH The throne
of God is on high.
He is our high tower, the righteous run into it. The throne is
high above all clamor, turmoil, danger, hopelessness, loneliness, and
pain. “He shall dwell on high. The throne of God is the place where men find purity, because he is there set above evil. The throne of God is the place where men find privacy, because he is lifted high above the disturbance. The throne
of God is the place where men find protection, because he is lifted above all enmity. THE BEGINNING In the beginning God created.
In the beginning was the Word. In the beginning was the glorious
throne of God on high. It is God who was, who is, and who is to
come. It is God who is the great I AM. It is God who is
the beginning and the end. This is sanctuary. The throne is
settled in eternity.
We look back as far back as we can look and there at the beginning of
all things, before the beginning of anything, there was God, there was
the throne of God, glorious, on high. Jesus said that the Law of
Moses was but an accommodation to weakness, but the Divine purpose and
goodness is from the beginning. The fixed
point in the universe,
of time and space, is
the fact of the throne of God. The comfort for our lives is
found in our relation to the throne by submission to its authority.
Not escape from the throne, not hiding from God, not finding some place
where He cannot find us; but running to the throne, hurrying to it,
submitting to its authority, yielding to its judgment, consenting to
its verdicts, abandoning ourselves to its government; that is sanctuary. To kiss
the scepter of the King, is to discover the heart of the
Father. “Father, I know that all my life Is portioned out for me, The changes that are sure to come I do not fear to see; I ask You for a present mind Intent on pleasing
you. In service which your will appoints, There are no bonds for me: My inmost heart is taught ‘the truth’ That makes Your children ‘free.’ A life of self-renouncing love Is one of liberty.” Rev 3:12 He who overcomes, I will make
him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. I
will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My
God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God.
And I will write on him My new name. CLOSING Are you bruised today?
Is your heart burdened down with despair? Are there troubles brewing
in your marriage, with your children, with your own life? Do you
need sanctuary today? Do you need to find a place of rest?
This altar is a place to begin! You will find your sanctuary,
your place of peace, your place of rest, your place of safety by running
to his throne, not running from it, but by running into it. “The
righteous run into it and are safe.” He is waiting for you.
Come today to his throne and find your rest. |