Dear Pilgrim, do you need cleansing?

Dear Pilgrim, is it the cry of your heart to know Him better? To enjoy a greater fullness of all that is offered through the gospel message? Then allow me to take you to the tabernacle in the dusty desert, the tabernacle that was outlined with great care and in great detail by Yahweh to Moses from the mountain top, the sanctuary in which the Lord would dwell among His people.

Look at the courtyard before us – with linen curtains surrounding it. White linen – symbolizing the purity of the place in which God would dwell. Come with me through the one entrance into the courtyard, that one entrance that speaks of the only way of salvation in His Name, the Name of Jesus Christ, for there is no other Name by which man might be saved. Note the colours of the curtains in the entrance – blue, purple, scarlet – pointing to the Divine King who gave Himself as a Sacrifice.

Do you see the brazen altar? There are many people here, all bringing their sin offerings to the priests to be sacrificed before the Lord, that they might receive forgiveness for their sins. See the grate in the altar, where the fierce fire from the Lord burns up the sacrifice. Bronze – this withstood the fiery judgment and wrath of the Lord when the rebels brought their own incense before the Lord. Oh, Pilgrim, kneel with me and see how this bronze altar points to Him and the sacrifice that would give us the forgiveness we need for our sins. And note that there is no seat next to this altar, for the priests had to stand continually, endlessly repeating the sacrifices - as the blood from the animals could never take away sins. Take comfort, precious Pilgrim, in the knowledge that the Lamb of God sacrificed Himself for our sins once and for all, and He is now seated at the right hand of God. What a Saviour!

But dear Pilgrim, I urge you, not to keep your eyes cast down by the altar. For our God took a great deal of care in outlining the plans for the tabernacle to Moses on the mountain. The tabernacle is not limited to the bronze altar of sacrifice. Lift up your eyes! Do you see – the laver?

Oh Pilgrim, come, walk with me to the laver. These are precious steps we are taking. For when the pattern was given to Moses, it was only the priests who could walk to the laver. The Israelites could go no further than the altar. But the great truth of the Sacrifice our Lord made for us is that now, He has made us all priests. Can I share with you a sorrow of my heart, Pilgrim….for so many years, I remained at the sacrificial altar, eyes cast down, not realising I was free to walk further into the tabernacle. But now He has lifted my eyes, and the laver….

For walking this Pilgrim path, it is dirty, it is dusty, and despite our best efforts our feet get dirty. We are clean, for we have come past the bronze altar, we have accepted His sacrifice, our guilty consciences have been cleansed and we have been given life that we might know Him. Yet we still get dirty. Oh, Pilgrim, come to the laver with me. Be cleansed!

I see you are doing as I have tried so long, my friend. You are trying to cleanse yourself with the water from the laver. It seems the right thing to do, doesn’t it? Yet His ways are higher than our ways, His thoughts higher than our thoughts. Look – here comes One to clean your feet. Pilgrim, I understand the look of horror in your eyes as you realise Who this is, that has been my reaction. “Lord, are You going to wash my feet?...You shall never wash my feet!” Is it not enough that He had to sacrifice Himself on that cross and bear the wrath against sin in our place? Does He now have to come and bend down at our feet, our feet that need to be cleansed, take hold of them, wash them, dry them? This is not how it should be – we should be the ones to bow down at His feet. How can we let Him do this, the King of Kings?

Oh dear Pilgrim, allow yourself to be broken yet deeper still. Broken in recognition of the fact that we can do nothing to cleanse ourselves of our dirt, broken from any remaining vestiges of pride, broken in recognition of the fact that the Servant King is the only One who can cleanse us, that He desires to do this for us, that it is His joy – and gratefully receive, Pilgrim! Take to heart His words “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me”.  We are IN Him, through the sacrifice at the altar – to be WITH Him, to enjoy a greater fullness in our walk with Him, let Him wash us clean. Let us run to Him when our feet have become dirty, just as Peter did when He saw the risen Lord - and was restored in his spirit through an intimate time of fellowship.

And after He has washed your feet clean - fall at His feet and wash them with your tears of worship.

Dear Pilgrim, are you feeling burdened?

He who overcomes,
I will make him
a pillar
in the temple 
of My God
Rev 3:12

Dear Pilgrim, are you feeling weighed down and burdened? Come with me, I have something to show you that will lift your spirits, lighten your heart, fill you with hope.

Come with me to Solomon’s Temple. Majestic! Awesome! Bow down and worship!

Everything about this Temple points us to our Messiah, from the bronze altar and bronze sea in the outer courtyard pointing to the sacrifices of Messiah’s blood and our need for washing clean in Him before we can enter into the Temple to meet with the Presence of the Living God, to all the golden furnishings of the temple inside.

But, dear Pilgrim, I want us to stand in the outer courtyard and look at the pillars standing at each side of the portico of the temple. One of these pillars is called “Jakin”. This means “He establishes”. The other pillar is called “Boaz” – by His strength. Dear pilgrim, can you see – He will establish these pillars in the temple by His strength. He is building His church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it!

Come with me, dear Pilgrim, let us go and walk up to these pillars. Can you lift your head with me and look to the top? Can you see what is on top of the pillars? These are called capitals. Do you see they are in the shape of lilies? This reminds me of the Song of Solomon where the chosen is called a “lily of the valleys”, a lily among thorns. The bridegroom has come and taken this precious lily from the depth of the valley and where has He placed her? Right at the very peak of the pillars adorning His temple! She has made her Aliyah! Pliny has written of the lily ““No flower grows taller; sometimes it reaches three cubits, its neck always drooping under the weight of a head too heavy for it”. It is true – the lily does bow down her head for she knows she has been chosen among thorns, she knows she is what she is all through the grace of God, she knows that she has been established by His strength alone, she sees that she has been lifted up, and she can do nothing but bow down in awed wonder and worship in the presence of the Living God!

Can you also see the decoration of pomegranates around the capital? Such a delicate design, in rows upon rows. An orchard of pomegranates! Can you hear the bridegroom’s voice? Listen! “Your plants are an orchard of pomegranates with pleasant fruits”. The fruit that He has caused to bear in you is an orchard of pomegranates, and this adorns the lily-shaped capital at the very peak of the pillar in His temple!

One final thought, dear Pilgrim. The capital on the pillar is usually there to mediate between the column of the pillar and the load thrusting down upon it, for normally the pillars would be supporting a heavy roof. These capitals have no load bearing down upon them. For He says to us “My yoke is easy and my burden is light”. Oh, dear Pilgrim, as you bow down your head before your God, lift it up in the freedom He has given you! Just as the gates should lift up their heads that the King of Glory should come in, so you too, precious lily, lift up your head, lift up your head – and the King of glory shall come in! Who is this King of Glory? Yahweh Sabaoth, the LORD of hosts, He is the King of Glory!

God Save the Queen!

The king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord;  
he turns it wherever he will. 
- Proverbs 21:1

I have lived through many changes in the 41 years of my life. I have lived in 6 different homes in 4 different towns, and have been governed by 8 different Prime Ministers. I don't have any recollection of the Winter of Discontent of 1978/9 or of the election of Britain’s first female prime minister in 1979. I do however have a vivid memory from 1977 – concerning one of the few constants in my life.

The Queen celebrated her Silver Jubilee in 1977. I remember as a 5 year old our whole school getting involved in the events, decorating our classrooms, receiving a memorial Silver Jubilee tea mug, and having a celebratory party. And I will never forget lining up alongside the Coal Road in Leeds with my class, and waving my British flag furiously as the Queen drove past in her cavalcade. As the Royal car passed, we all glimpsed a gloved hand waving at us. That is a memory that has remained firmly etched on my mind.

The Queen provokes a great deal of respect from my heart. She has dutifully served her country ever since being handed the monarchy at the tender age of 25 upon the death of her father, King George VI, himself a reluctant King following the abdication of his elder brother Edward. The Queen has ceaselessly, and tirelessly, served her country and her citizens for 61 years, making her the second-longest reigning British monarch, only 2 years shy of Queen Victoria’s 63-year reign, to date. My whole life has been lived as a subject under her reign. And she has been part of our family tradition – for each Christmas without fail, we would gather around our television sets at 3pm to watch as the Queen addressed the nation in her annual Christmas Day speech. 

As she approaches the twilight of her years on the throne, I am feeling an increasing burden to pray for her. At her coronation on 2nd June 1953, the Queen made an oath before God. She was asked by the Archbishop of the Church of England if she was willing to take the oath, to which she replied she was willing. She was then asked whether she would govern her subjects according to their respective laws and customs. And then she was asked “Will you to the utmost of your power maintain the Laws of God and the true profession of the Gospel?  Will you to the utmost of your power maintain in the United Kingdom the Protestant Reformed Religion established by law?” She replied “All this I promise to do.” And then laying her hand on the Bible, she said “The things which I have here before promised, I will perform and keep. So help me God.”

As I have reflected upon her reign, and have read the transcripts from each one of those Christmas Day speeches, it has become clear to me that she has found herself caught between two demands placed upon her as Queen – on the one hand to be a dutiful Queen to her subjects and serve them, and on the other hand to discharge the duties under her oath before God. In her very first Christmas Day broadcast in 1952, a few months before her coronation, she said “I want to ask you all, whatever your religion may be, to pray for me on that day - to pray that God may give me wisdom and strength to carry out the solemn promises I shall be making, and that I may faithfully serve Him and you, all the days of my life.” Whilst she has without fail spoken of her faith in Jesus Christ at every one of her Christmas Day speeches, she has also said “Of course religion can be divisive, but the Bible, the Koran and the sacred texts of the Jews and Hindus, Buddhists and Sikhs, are all sources of divine inspiration and practical guidance passed down through the generations. To many of us our beliefs are of fundamental importance. For me the teachings of Christ and my own personal accountability before God provide a framework in which I try to lead my life. I, like so many of you, have drawn great comfort in difficult times from Christ's words and example.” (Christmas Day broadcast, 2000).

The Marriage (Same-Sex Couples) Bill is currently being debated in Parliament. This Bill seeks to corrupt the precious symbol of marriage that God has placed in society, whereupon every marriage between a man and a woman points to the love of Christ for the church. By widening the definition of marriage to include same-sex couples, this precious symbolization will be obfuscated. The Bill has almost finished its passage through the House of Commons, whereupon it will pass to the House of Lords for debate. Assuming it passes through the House of Lords, it must then receive Royal Assent before it becomes an Act of Parliament (law). No sovereign has withheld Royal Assent from any Bill since 1708, so in practice Royal Assent is seen as a formality.

The prayer of my heart, the burden on my soul for my Queen, is that in the twilight of her reign as Queen of England, she will have such an encounter with the King of kings that she will no longer feel the tension between her loyalty to her subjects and her God, but rather will be filled with gratitude that she is being given an opportunity to be faithful to the oath she swore before Almighty God, to maintain the Laws of God in this land. I pray that the revelation she receives from Him will be such that her fear of Almighty God far exceeds any fear of man, and that she will honour the laws of her God over and above the wishes of her people. Above all, I pray that she has such an encounter with the One who sits enthroned on high that she bows her knee before Him and confesses that there is no other Name by which man may be saved other than the Name of Jesus Christ.

May God bless her on this, her birthday. May God save the Queen!

Dear Pilgrim, why are your eyes downcast?

To you I lift up my eyes,
    O you who are enthroned in the heavens!
Psalm 123:1

Dear Pilgrim, where is your gaze today? Under the heat of conviction of sin, are you unable to lift your eyes to heaven, beating your breast, crying out to God to be merciful to you, a sinner? Be reassured, justification is yours.

Yet at the same time, dear Pilgrim, I want to show you that a great blessing awaits His people who, whilst being bowed low in His presence, have the faith to take hold of His Holy boldness to lift up their eyes before Him.

Let us consider dear Abraham, our father in the faith. The Lord Himself instructed Abraham to lift up his eyes on one occasion – and as he obeyed in faith, he saw with his own eyes the land of Promise that would one day be given to him and his descendants. On another occasion when the Lord appeared to Abraham, it was only when he lifted his eyes that he saw the Lord before him. His response to this was to bow low to the ground. There is no other response to the presence of the Lord. Yet this was not the end of Abraham's response. Filled with faith, he implored the Lord "do not pass by your servant...let a little water be brought...wash your feet...rest...while I bring a morsel of bread." Do not pass me by! A cry of faith. A cry from a heart desiring intimacy. A cry from a heart that believes it is possible to fellowship with His Lord, even break bread with Him! What holy boldness! And what a response he received - not only did the Lord condescend to answer Abraham's request, He even confided in Abraham! Oh, can you see with me the greatness of this blessing? How the Lord delighted to answer Abraham’s request – because he had dared to lift his eyes.

As we lift our eyes, He reveals more of Himself to us – the awesome wonder of the work of His hands in creation, and the unchanging, eternal, sure word of the Lord and His attributes. He also uses the lifting of our eyes to reveal our sin to us. Sin…without the shedding of blood there can be no forgiveness of sin. Thus Abraham lifted his eyes and saw the place where he was to offer his sacrifice to the Lord, the sacrifice of his beloved son. But as Abraham lifted his eyes one final time, he set eyes on the greatest blessing of all – the ram caught in the thicket, the Lord’s own provision for the sacrifice. Dear Pilgrim, pause a moment, and consider this – the ram, the Lord’s own sacrifice, also lifted up His eyes. Listen. “He lifted up his eyes…” On whom, dear Pilgrim? On whom did the ram, who would one day be sacrificed to take away the sin of the world, lift up his eyes? “He lifted up his eyes on his disciples…” Oh, dear Pilgrim, listen, take heart, be encouraged, for do you know why He would lift up His eyes on His disciples?

“He lifted up his eyes on his disciples and said ‘Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God’”. 

He lifted up His eyes on His disciples to bless them! Blessed are you who are poor! Oh, what love is this? That the One before Whom we can only bow down low, and lower still as we discover the breadth and depth of His love for us, would stoop down to such a level that He would have to lift His eyes to us? Yes, dear Pilgrim, you who began this morning beating your breast with your gaze downcast, feeling the weight of your sin, your unworthiness before Him, He lifts up His eyes to you to bless you, for yours is the kingdom of God, for your trust and hope are in Him alone! The fulfilment of the Aaronic blessing:

“The Lord bless you and keep you,

The Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you,

The Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace”.

Dear Pilgrim, take heart! You have His peace! Now dare to lift up your eyes to His as you bow low before Him, and He will remind you of His promises, reveal more of Himself to you, quicken you to offer yourself as a living sacrifice to Him, and reassure you that He provides all you need. And He will so fill you with Himself that He will enable you to pray and to serve in accordance with the will of the Father as you lift your eyes to heaven, having encountered the Living God. Dear Pilgrim, join with me in echoing Abraham's cry of faith: "Do not pass by your servant".

Dear Pilgrim, are you thirsty?

Dear Pilgrim, are you thirsty? Are you feeling the burden of walking in a dry, parched land where there is no water? Is your soul thirsty? Are you like a deer, panting for some water? Then come with me, I have something to show you.

Come with me to Kadesh. 40 years of wandering in the desert, witnessing the daily miraculous provision of manna from heaven, and the Israelites are thirsty. There is no water for them. Some of them must surely remember that 40 years ago, when their fathers were thirsty at Horeb and grumbled, Moses cried out to God and was commanded to “Strike the rock, and water will come out of it for the people to drink.” Surely they will remember. Surely they will ask their God to quench their thirst.

Dear Pilgrim, can you hear? That is not the sound of people crying out to God in humility that He might meet their need and quench their thirst! I hear the sound of grumbling. Murmuring. Oh! Why are these people so stiff-necked? Why are they caught in their unbelief?

But what is this? Can you hear the Voice of the Lord, dear Pilgrim? He commands Moses to “Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water.” Not strike the rock! The Rock has been smitten once, this Rock that points us to Christ, that points us to His death once and for all for the forgiveness of sins, from Whom a spring of water welling up to eternal life is given. No, this Rock must not be struck again. All that is needed is to “speak” to the Rock. Speak to Christ. Come before Him in humility, acknowledge your thirst, your need, your desperation for Him. It matters not that water had been given at a previous time to meet a previous thirst. The needs of today are different.

Dear Pilgrim, look! Moses…he is striking the rock twice…frustration, anger….disobeying the command of his God, marring the perfect picture of Christ that God had wanted to provide His people….but look, look at the grace of God. Water….water….it is gushing out of the Rock! Do you see, thirsty Pilgrim? Our God has an abundant provision, and He is waiting for us to ask of Him! Oh, thirsty Pilgrim, come with me to this high mountain in the land of Israel, look, see this water flowing from the temple…come, walk with me…ankle deep…now knee deep….waist deep….deep enough to swim in….it’s too deep to cross! Water…water…it is gushing out of the Rock!

Do you see this, thirsty Pilgrim? Do you see this? Then let us be bold, and let us ask that He might quench the thirst of our souls with the water gushing out of the Rock.

They feast on the abundance of your house;

 you give them drink from your river of delights. 
Psalm 36:8

Aliyah!

Blessed are those whose strength is in You, 

who have set their hearts on pilgrimage. 

A Valley of Dry Bones. Can these bones live? They are so dry, all hope is gone. Without the Lord, there is no hope. But with the Lord, nothing is impossible. He is the God of the hills and the valleys. He comes down to the valley. He breathes – and His breath enters into the dry bones. Life! Hope!

His chosen is a Lily of the Valleys, a lily among thorns. Life may begin in the valleys, but as He comes, leaping across the mountains, and bounding over the hills, the call is to go up. Aliyah!

“Come, let us go up to Zion, to the LORD our God!”

But there are many valleys to be crossed on the way up – for the promised land is a land of mountains and valleys that drinks rain from heaven.  Be encouraged as you cross the valleys, dear pilgrim – the valleys drink the rain from heaven.

As you begin your journey, take note of the signs of the goodness of the LORD. As you pass through the Valley of Eshcol (cluster) taste and see that the LORD is good! Do not be discouraged by the giants in the land – your God is able to deliver you from them! He will give you victory over the giants in the Valley of Elah (oak). Can you see, dear pilgrim, He will bestow on you a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair, He will make you an oak of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of His splendour!

“Come, let us go up to Zion, to the LORD our God!”

The Valley of Baca (Weeping) becomes a place of springs as the pilgrim passes through. Sowing may be done in tears, but there will be reaping with songs of joy. The journey may begin with weeping, carrying seed to sow, but there is a promise of a return with songs of joy, as sheaves are carried back.  Rain from heaven will cover the Valley of Weeping with blessings.

As those blessings continue to fall, dear pilgrim, now see you are in The Valley of Beracah (Blessings). It may seem as if there is no way across this valley, but do not lose heart! Sing your praises to Him! Praise Him for the splendour of His holiness! You will see Him clear the way Himself for you to cross this valley. Receive His blessing and bless Him!

“Come, let us go up to Zion, to the LORD our God!”

The Valley of the Shadow of Death reminds us there is no need to fear evil, for He is with us, and His rod and His staff comfort us.

As we cross these difficult valleys, He provides encouragement all the way. He reveals His glory to us as we ascend a high mountain – we hide from His glory in the cleft of the rocks that He has provided for us. But do not hide from Him too long, dear pilgrim. Listen to the encouragement of His Voice!

My dove in the clefts of the rock

In the hiding places on the mountainside,

Show me your face, let me hear your voice;

For your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely.

Oh! Take the time, dear pilgrim, to feast on these blessed words! Dare to look up! And as you look up, He will give you all the grace you need to traverse every valley in your path. Even the Valley of Achor (trouble). In this world, we will have trouble. But take heart! He has overcome the world. The Valley of Achor. Only He can redeem this from the scene of judgment against the sin of Achan into a door of hope!

O Israel, put your hope in the LORD

For with the LORD is unfailing love

And with him is full redemption.

He himself will redeem Israel from all their sins.

And this door of hope will lead you from strength to strength, until you appear before God in Mount Zion.

“Come, let us go up to Zion, to the LORD our God!”

Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion

Which cannot be shaken but endures for ever.

As the mountains surround Jerusalem,

So the LORD surrounds his people

Both now and for evermore.

Is it for me, dear Saviour?

It was 21 years ago that my blessed God stepped down into my darkness and took away the veil that covered my heart, revealing His glory to me in the face of Jesus Christ my saviour.

I look back and separate those 21 years into two periods. The first 19 years I walked in despair, burdened down by the belief that I was continually failing my precious Lord, unable to appropriate His grace, living under a cloud of wretched condemnation. The last 2 years have been a walk of a completely different kind….of a gradual unfolding of His grace, a growing assurance in the faith, and wonder of all wonders, a lifting of my eyes to behold His face revealed in all its glory.

I want to say today to any precious believers reading this who are all too aware of their unworthiness before Him, who see all too clearly their sinfulness, their wretchedness, their need of Him, who feel they can never come forward to claim their full inheritance – He has made a great promise that stands for all time that is true, and always will be true, for they are His words and He does not lie:

“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” 

Our God is a holy God, who is immortal, invisible, who dwells in unapproachable light, who no man has seen or ever can see. And yet He calls on us to seek after Him. He calls on us to behold His glory in the face of Christ. He calls on us to seek after His face.

And when we do this, we will discover that as we turn towards Him, He comes running towards us to welcome us with the warmth of His embrace, with a kiss. He has a robe to clothe us with, the precious robe of the righteousness of Christ. He has a ring to put on our finger, the ring that symbolises our belonging to His family. Then He bids us enter, to come and eat at His table, like one of the King’s sons.

And more than this, oh! so much more than all of this, He bids us to look up into His face! And as we dare do this, we will discover the most precious pearl. We will see eyes reflecting back to us how much we are loved and delighted in, because we come in the Name of His most beloved Son.

I came across a hymn written by Frances Havergal just before Christmas. I trust she won’t mind, I rewrote the last 3 verses, and giving it a new tune was privileged to be able to lead our congregation in singing it this morning. May these words bless you today. Is it for me, dear Saviour? Oh yes! Yes, it is!

Is it for me, dear Saviour,

Your glory and Your rest,

For me, so weak and sinful?

O shall I be so blessed?

Chorus:

O Saviour, my Redeemer,

What can I but adore,

And magnify and praise You,

And love You evermore?

Is it for me, dear Saviour

The warmth of Your embrace?

A ring and robe You would give me?

Oh boundless, wondrous grace!

Is it for me, dear Saviour

Your gracious “Enter in”,

To come and eat at Your table,

A precious child of the King?

Is it for me, dear Saviour

This boldness in the faith?

That as I bow in Your presence

I look up into Your face?