Daily Bread - June 20, 2018

Written by Pastor Mark Spitsbergen

Wednesday, 20 June 2018 06:19

Leviticus 16:2 - And the Lord said unto Moses, Speak unto Aaron your brother, that he come not at all times into the holy place within the vail before the mercy seat, which is upon the ark; that he die not: for I will appear in the cloud upon the mercy seat. Degrees of Holiness Part 2 - The General Population: The general population of Israel did not have the same degree of holiness as the priest. The great contrast between the general population of Israel and the priesthood was first observed when Moses acted as the first “high priest.” Moses was allowed to go up into the mountain to behold the presence of God, while all of Israel was commanded to not come near the mountain - under pains of death. Yet at the same time, even though they were not allowed the same proximity to God, they were endowed with holiness to be the people of God, and were commanded to be holy as He is holy (Deuteronomy 7:6, 14:2, 21, Leviticus 11:44-45, 19:2, 20:7-8, 24-26, 22:32-33, Numbers 15:40-41, cf. Exodus 31:13, Ezekiel 20:12). God made them holy, and they became known as the holiness of God (Isaiah 63:18, Jeremiah 2:3, Psalm 34:10, Ezra 9:2). Be Blessed, Pastor Mark Spitsbergen

 

Daily Bread - June 19, 2018

Written by Pastor Mark Spitsbergen

Tuesday, 19 June 2018 04:13

Leviticus 16:2 - And the Lord said unto Moses, Speak unto Aaron your brother, that he come not at all times into the holy place within the vail before the mercy seat, which is upon the ark; that he die not: for I will appear in the cloud upon the mercy seat. Degrees of Holiness Part 1: In the Old Testament, God imparted degrees of holiness to different people and things. The more a person was commissioned to interact with God, and the closer the proximity a person or thing had to God, the higher a degree of holiness was given. With the varying degrees of imparted holiness came greater responsibilities to remain pure and obey God’s commands (Leviticus 10:1, 21:1-15). The Priest There were two classifications of priest: the high priest, and the priest. There was only one high priest - with unique responsibilities to God, the temple, and the people that separated him from all others (1 Chronicles 23:13). The most distinctive nature of the high priest is that he alone is allowed to go into the holy of holies in the temple and interact with God in the daily worship and administration of the temple (Leviticus 16:3-4, 11-16, Exodus 27:20-21, 30:7-8, Leviticus 24:1-4, 5-8, Numbers 8:1-3, cf. also Exodus 25:37, 30:10, Leviticus 4:3-12 and 13-21, 16:1-28). All the other priests were involved in the work of the outer court. There were things that they did to aid the high priest in the sanctuary, but always with extreme supervision and restriction (Exodus 27:21, 28:43, 30:19-20, 40:31-32, Leviticus 10:9, 16:17, Numbers 4:5-20). The high priest is given a greater degree of holiness that distinguishes him from all other priests, based upon his title alone (Leviticus 21:10, Numbers 35:25). The way the high priest is prepared for office and anointed also sets him apart from all others (Exodus 29:5-8, 20-21, Leviticus 8:7-9, 12, 23-24, 30, see also Exodus 28:41, 30:30, 40:13-15, Leviticus 4:3, 5, 16, 6:15, 21:10, 12, Numbers 35:25, Psalm 133:2). It is only the high priest that must go through the consecration ritual when he steps into office. The clothing of the priest also speaks to the degrees of holiness. While all the priests had holy garments, the high priest had much more elaborate attire. It is only the high priest’s garments that are called holy garments (Exodus 28:2, 4, 29:29, 31:10, 35:19). His garments are made of wool, linen, and gold. The responsibility that the High Priest bears upon his shoulders for all of Israel is witnessed by the breastplate (Exodus 28:30). Upon his head, he is crowned with holiness unto the Lord (Exodus 28:36-38). Be Blessed, Pastor Mark Spitsbergen

 

Daily Bread - June 18, 2018

Written by Pastor Mark Spitsbergen

Monday, 18 June 2018 05:59

Exodus 33:16 - For wherein shall it be known here that I and your people have found grace in your sight? is it not in that you go with us? so shall we be separated, I and your people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth. Separated Unto God: Being separated unto God is at the very heart of holiness. Something is not set apart to be made holy over time. Rather, it is set apart because it belongs to God, and is therefore holy. When anything comes into God’s possession and belongs to Him it is only to be used for His purposes, for it is holy. God made the people of Israel His, by the covenant that He established with them, and therefore, they became holy. As a result of being holy, they had to be separated from all other things and learn to walk with Him. God called His people out from among the nations to be uniquely separated unto Himself. The distinction that was placed between His people and the nations was that Israel belonged to Him, and, as a result, they had to remain separated from the influences of the nations or world which operated under the demonic realm. Otherwise their influence would turn their affections and behavior to those things that oppose God. God’s holiness is distinctly revealed in His absolute separateness. Purity can do nothing less than abhor impurity. Every unclean and perverse thing is a threat to holiness and must be put away. If these things that are opposed to holiness are mingled with them, the state of a person is no longer holy. God separated ( בדַָּל /badal) the children of Israel from all other people, which denotes an absolute separation from all other things (Leviticus 20:24). This particular Hebrew word was first observed in the Bible when God separated the light from the darkness (Genesis 1:4). As God had separated the light from the darkness, even so He separated the people of Israel from all other people, because they had become His by a covenant of blood that had transformed them from the profane to the sacred. The first act of this separation began when God called and chose Abraham to be His servant. He called him out from among his nation and family to be separated unto Him. God called Abraham a "Hebrew" ( עִבְרִי ), which is another word for a separated one, or someone who was distinct from all others. Although, there is much debate on the exact meaning of this word, we know that it was associated only with Abraham and his descendants. Therefore, by association, it should be observed that "Hebrew" refers to the one that God called His own and separated unto Himself. Be Blessed, Pastor Mark Spitsbergen

 

Daily Bread - June 16, 2018

Written by Pastor Mark Spitsbergen

Saturday, 16 June 2018 07:00

Exodus 28:36 - And thou shalt make a plate of pure gold, and grave upon it, like the engravings of a signet, HOLINESS TO THE LORD. Holiness Unto the Lord: The one person who was adorned with more holiness above all others was the High Priest. As the High Priest, God placed a special seal upon him, which he wore as a plate across his forehead with the inscription: "Holiness To The Lord" (Exodus 28:36, 39:30). The Lord took Aaron, a normal everyday Israelite who seemingly had little integrity and made him holy (Exodus 32:2). The Lord put His anointing on him and clothed him with holy garments, placed a crown upon his head and the golden plate that said, "Holiness unto the Lord" or "Holy to Yahoah"( ַליהָוהקֶֹדׁש). Unless he had this plate across his head, the offerings that he made on behalf of the people would not be accepted. God dressed him up in holiness so that he could officiate in the holy things. He gave him a new identity, a divine empowerment, and then demanded that he live up to it by carefully following all of the instructions that he was given. Yet, even though Aaron had this special place with God, God ultimately made all of Israel "Holiness unto the Lord" (Jeremiah 2:3, Deuteronomy 7:6). With that holiness, they were to be a kingdom of priests (Exodus 19:6). They were empowered to prosper above all others and be set above all the nations of the Earth. The blessing that was put upon them would secure for them not only great prosperity, but also physical health and divine protection, but most of all God would dwell in their midst (Zephaniah 3:17). God in His great love and mercy gave the people of Israel the divine privilege of living in the Kingdom of God and having days of Heaven upon the Earth (Deuteronomy 11:21). God showed Zechariah that one day everyone in Jerusalem and Judah would be "holy to the Lord" (Zechariah 14:20-21). The holiness of God would be so widespread that God would pour out His Spirit upon all flesh. Instead of only a few, there would be a great multitude given the holiness of God. They would be born of the Holy Spirit, filled with the Holy Spirit, and baptized in the Holy Spirit. Everyone who would believe would be immersed in the fire that God dwells in (Acts 2:3). The ultimate expression of the life of God revealed in men would come by way of the Spirit of Holiness poured out without measure on anyone who would believe, by the Holy Spirit. Be Blessed, Pastor Mark Spitsbergen

 

Daily Bread - June 15, 2018

Written by Pastor Mark Spitsbergen

Friday, 15 June 2018 06:21

Numbers 11:17 - And I will come down and talk with thee there: and I will take of the spirit which is upon thee, and will put it upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with thee, that thou bear it not thyself alone. Measure of the Spirit: Almost everyone is familiar with the phrase “measure of the Spirit.” Yet, an equivalent phrase must also be considered based upon the evidence presented above: “measure of holiness.” When we consider the reality that holiness is not an attribute of God, but His essence (that of which His life consists), then we can appreciate that if we have received anything of His life, it is His holiness. Most people are familiar with the story of Elijah and Elisha. Elijah received a measure of the Spirit/holiness/anointing that allowed him to do the works of power that he did. Elisha received a double measure of what Elijah had, and as a result did twice as many acts of power as Elijah. Similarly, Aaron received the Spirit/holiness/anointing that gave him a holiness to be the High Priest - a unique divine ability to interact with God in the holy of holies. It also gave him a special ability to bless the people so that they might prosper, live in health, and have all of the accompanying benefits of the Lord keeping them and always being with them. Christ Jesus was given the Holy Spirit without measure when He was anointed to preach. In this special anointing of the Holy Spirit, He was given an unlimited ability to work miracles. Of course, Christ Jesus was born with the divine nature which is the Spirit of Holiness. Yet, when He was accompanied by the person the Holy Spirit which in some ways we may consider to be Holiness personified a demonstration of unlimited power was revealed. Be Blessed, Pastor Mark Spitsbergen