Reflection- Heaven on Earth

Part 2

Genesis 28:12 And Jacob had a dream, and behold, a ladder was set on the earth with its top reaching to heaven; and behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it……. 17 And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God.”

Introduction

This morning we pick up with part 2 of 2 of our Summer Reflection on Corporate Worship. And to do so I want to begin with the same cluster of questions that we started with last week: Have you ever wondered why coming to church makes you feel better; or why it seems to offer you a reset in the midst of life; Or why when you are away, something seems to be missing for the rest of the week?

Is it just escapism; is it just delusion or wishful thinking; or is there more to it than that? In other words, is there a deeper reality at work during Sunday worship that exceeds, moods, situations, or our own understanding?

I. Part I (Review)- Corporate Worship as Consummation

Well last week to answer our question (is there something more) we began by noting that the defining context (that which greats you in every detail that God has prescribed to be a part of His corporate worship) of the Sabbath and Corporate Worship has always been completion, fullness, and rest. In other words, God established the Sabbath (corporate wordship) to provide the framework that defines the whole of existence. That is, God intends corporate worship to re-ground you on the fact that everything that is, is from God (in the beginning God). Not only that, everything that is, is for God. That is, it proceeds according to God’s plan to the exact fulfillment/fullness of God’s purpose.

Isaiah 55:11 My Word shall not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.

Simply put, in both the Old and New Testament, God gave corporate worship to ground you on what is most true/real about your life; as well as that which determines the outcome of its every detail (there is your reset). As such, Church is not a static routine. Instead, worship is going somewhere. Not only that, every detail that God has given for His house points to that somewhere. 

However, that’s not all: Corporate Worship does not simply point to, proclaim, or promise the fullness of God’s Kingdom/plan. Instead….

II.Corporate Worship as Enactment: throughout Scripture Corporate Worship is literally an actual participation in the reality that is even now defining the destiny of all life and creation (not as a weekly fix, but as an indicative assurance). Notice then each week Corporate Worship engages you in the very essence/core of God’s redemptive plan (your salvation and the governing reality of all creation):  

A] Notice then, each week you are called out of the neighborhoods, communities, and market places of the nations

Revelation 5:9 And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy art Thou to take the book, and to break its seals; for Thou wast slain, and didst purchase for God with Thy blood men from out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation. (Also- Rev 18:4; II Cor 6:17; Isa 52:11; Mark 2:14)

B] Each week we are brought to the house of the Lord (to God’s holy mountain)

Micah 4:1 And it will come about in the last days That the mountain of the house of the LORD will be established as the chief of the mountains. It will be raised above the hills, and the peoples will stream to it. ^FN#1

          Not only that, notice where this fulfillment takes place (on God’s earth)

Revelation 21:1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth;… ³ And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He shall dwell among them ^FN#2

C] Not only that, each week we directly receive and are nourished by the Kingdom reality that is defining and directing all creation. In other words, what is most true/real about your life and all creation is set before your eyes during corporate worship for you to take part in. How?  

One example is the preaching of God’s Word (God’s promises already underway). Another, is grace filled corporate Worship (a template of how we live our lives ^FN#3). Finally, another example is The Lord’s Table. Remember, the Lord’s Table is the New Testament Holy of holies. It is an entrance into and a participation in the reality that defines the heavenly court. Not only that, as we partake, the Lord’s Table assures us that this reality is already ours, and is already unfolding in and around us ^FN#4.

Hebrews 10:19 We have confidence to enter the holy place (i.e. the Holy of holies) by the blood of Jesus, ²⁰ by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh,

Bottom line: each week, we are called out of the markets and communities of the world to actively engage in the most comprehensive expression of the reality that is already directing our future and the future of all creation. We are called to the Lord’s house, on the “Lord’s Day”, on the Lord’s earth, to hear His Word, to worship in His presence, and to dine with Him at the Table of His heavenly court. In fact, the picture set before us at church each week is a picture of the future and the fullness that is already unfolding in us, and for us, and all around us. And that is why church is such a big deal; and that is why God calls His people to be in His House each week.

Footnotes

1] Remember, the key ingredient that defines fulfillment, it the restoration of our full and immediate fellowship with God

Revelation 21:3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He shall dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God shall be God with them

1 Corinthians 13:12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face;

Therefore, it is vitally important that we recognize the picture presented to us at the Lord’s Table: the Lord’s Table is the New Testament Holy of holies. It is the reality of the heavenly court (the Tabernacle presence of God with/among us), already ours but not yet fully disclosed

Hebrews 10:19 We have confidence to enter the holy place (i.e. the Holy of holies) by the blood of Jesus, ²⁰ by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh,

The point is that corporate worship is a participation in the reality of God’s Kingdom as that reality is even now unfolding and shaping the future. In other words, church is literally heaven on earth.

2] Why is the Tabernacle of God such a big deal? What was in it that made it so important? The answer is that it contained the Holy of holies, God’s Garden promise for all creation. And though man was shut out of both (Eden and the Holy of holies), God preserved His promise for this earth, on this earth, in His temple. Notice then the Eden imagery that God commanded for His house

1 Kings 6:29 Then he carved all the walls of the house round about with carved engravings of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers, inner and outer sanctuaries. 

However, Jesus our high priest has not entered a mere copy of God’s throne room (like that presented in the O.T. Temple) but into heaven itself.

Hebrews 9:24 For Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us;

Notice the result: each week at the Lord’s Table, celebrated on the Lord’s earth, God sets before the eyes of our faith the reality of His heavenly court, where our Savior, future, and King is irrevocably enthroned. He then bids us to take, eat, and receive (to actively partake of) the very spiritual reality that defines that heavenly court and which is, even now, already shaping the future and outcome of all life and creation.

1 Corinthians 10:16 Is not the cup of blessing which we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ? Is not the bread which we break a sharing in the body of Christ? (Heb 10:19)

Hebrews 10:19 Since therefore, brethren, we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, ²⁰ by a new and living way which He has inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh,

Simply put, each week at His Table, God sets before the eyes of our faith the assurance that the Tabernacle of God among men is the reality that is already ours and is already at work in the very details of our life (though we do not yet see the fullness of that reality- Heb 2:8; I Jn 3:2; I Cor 15:24-25)

3] Notice the parallel/consistency here with this notion of Worship and God’s house as a templet for man’s daily task.

1. The Garden of Eden (the sanctuary of God on this Earth) was never intended as a stagnate, final goal. Instead, there was the promise of development and future (be it good or bad)

Genesis 2:9 And out of the ground the LORD God caused to grow every tree that is pleasing to the sight and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden (promise of future blessing), and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (warning of future curse and fall).

At the same time notice that the Garden itself was never the final goal or objective. Instead, God gave it as a templet for man’s work. That is, man was to subdue all creation according to the templet provided by the Garden, thereby making the whole of it a sanctuary fit for God’s fellowship with His people.

Genesis 1:28 And God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; 

In fact, God’s plan for creation to be a sanctuary fit for fellowship has never changed.

Habakkuk 2:14 “For the earth will be filled With the knowledge (direct/relational) of the glory (presence) of the LORD, As the waters cover the sea.

1 Corinthians 15:25 For He (Jesus) must reign until He has put/subdued all His enemies under His feet.

     2. Notice then the tie to our sermon: when man fell, God did not abandon His plan for creation to be His garden sanctuary. Instead, He preserved it as a promise and a picture in the Old Testament Holy of holies. Notice then the direct association God makes with His O.T. sanctuary and His Garden sanctuary in Eden: notice the direct reference Eden woven into the very design of the Holy of holies

1 Kings 6:23 Also in the inner sanctuary (Holy of Holies) he made two cherubim of olive wood, each ten cubits high…. ²⁷ And he placed the cherubim in the midst of the inner house, and the wings of the cherubim were spread out, so that the wing of the one was touching the one wall, and the wing of the other cherub was touching the other wall and their wings were touching each other in the center of the house (in other words, they were blocking entrance into God’s presence- Gen 3:24; Heb 9:8). ²⁹ Then he carved all the walls of the house round about with carved engravings of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers, inner and outer sanctuaries (God commands the entire sanctuary be decorated like the Garden Sanctuary of) Eden).

In turn, Christ fulfills the promise preserved in the O.T. Holy of holies. Man has been restored to fellowship with God and all creation will be God’s Garden sanctuary.

Hebrews 9:24 For Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us;

2 Peter 3:13 But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.

Notice then the point: each week God brings us to His Sanctuary, already on this earth (though the earth is not yet fully God’s sanctuary). He brings us to the Table where we are bid to take, eat, and receive, the very spiritual reality that is seated at His right hand; and which is even now reigning over all creation as King. As we worship, we are reminded of what is most real about the details of our life as well as our chief duty amid all of those duties (Matt 6:33). We are then sent out from God’s earthly sanctuary, to render the section of our Father’s vineyard, where we have been placed to serve, according to the template that His house has provided. Notice then, we follow the Cross into church and follow it back out of church.

1 Corinthians 10:31 Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

4] At once we see something of the importance of the Sacrament and the sacred place it holds in divine worship. Notice then that the Sacrament, the Table of the Covenant, provides a snapshot, a condensed and concentrated expression of the entirety of worship. For example:

• Like corporate worship, the Communion Table is corporate. It is to be engaged by God’s people as a people.
• In the Sacrament, the very heart of the covenant, proclaimed by Scripture, is set before us in outward signs.
• At the Eucharist (the Table of Thanksgiving) we come celebrating, thanking, and worshiping God. In the same way, worship is filled with songs of thanks and praise. In fact, it is at the Table that the heart of that thanksgiving is placed before us.
• Every week worship sets before us what is most true about life. However, it does so not as abstract, ethereal promises; but in concretes in which we actively participate. In the same way, the Table sets before our eyes the very heart of our salvation in outward signs and actions that we can see, taste, and touch. In other words, in both worship and Sacrament, God takes a spiritual reality that we often miss or are quick to forget and sets it before our eyes in concrete, outward demonstrations that we can grasp, point back to and easily recall.
• However, neither worship nor the Table are merely promises of far-off things to come. Rather, in both cases we actively engage, receive, and take part in the reality to which our faith is being directed. Thus, we listen and receive the Word; we lift our hearts and voices in song; and we take and eat the Sacrament; all the while with the assurance that God’s grace and presence are already at work in us.
• Finally, in worship we gather in the Lord’s house, on the “Day of the Lord”, with the Lord’s people, on the Lord’s earth sharing in the reality that is already directing our future and the future of all creation. In the same way, at the Table, we participate in the reality of the heavenly throne room of God (the Tabernacle of God already among us), which in its fullness will define the very fulfillment to come.

Simply put, the Table of the Covenant embodies and encompasses all the components that God has commanded to be a part of His covenant people’s weekly worship. In turn, it sets all of this before our eyes with immediacy. However, the Sacrament is not given to replace or supplant any of these elements of worship. Rather, it is given to focus and reinforce all of them for God’s people. 

            Notice then the picture that greets us each week at Church: Each week, we actively take part in the future of our life and the world, a reality already unfolding for and around us. However, we do so not as a weekly fix or escape. Rather, each week God sets this reality before our eyes in His house and at His Table in the most comprehensive sense this side of His return. He does so in order to remind, assure, and resync us. Thus, the picture that greets us each week at church is that of the people of God, on the Lord’s earth, gathered in worship, with the throne of God (Table) in their midst. In other words, the picture church is given to provide is that of our future already underway.

Revelation 21:3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He shall dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be God with them,

Numbers 2:2 “The sons of Israel shall camp, each by his own standard, with the banners of their fathers’ households; they shall camp around the tent of meeting at a distance.

Revelation 4:4 And around the throne (of God) were twenty-four thrones (the Church); and upon the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting (i.e. the whole Church, 24 = 12 Old + 12 New), clothed in white garments, and golden crowns on their heads.

Revelation 1:10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like the sound of a trumpet, ¹¹ saying, “Write in a book what you see, and send it to the seven churches…. ¹² And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands; ¹³ and in the middle of the lampstands one like a son of man,

Sermon Outtakes 

(this was originally going to be part 3 of our reflection)

III. Worship in Action- finally, notice the way this notion of Corporate Worship as future and fulfillment is not just theory. Rather, it informs every aspect of life.

A] Notice then, our mission is a share in the life and work of God’s Kingdom right now. Already, God is using His people to further and give shape to His Kingdom

Matthew 28:18 “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations

B] Notice the Result:   

1) Where ever you go, you stand on holy ground

Psalm 24:1 The earth is the LORD’s, and all it contains, The world, and those who dwell in it.

2) At every moment you abide in holy time

Daniel 2:21 “And it is He who changes the times and the ages; He removes kings and establishes kings;

3) In all that you do, you are to undertake a holy labor

John 20:21 Jesus therefore said to them again, “Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.”

C] Finally notice the completion of the cycle: each week we return to the Lord’s house to offer the fruit of our labor and to renew our focus and dependence. By doing so we not only proclaim the fundamental reality that defines the future of all creation, we are actually participating in it.