Genesis chapter 3 tells us that after our first father rebelled against God and introduced sin into humanity, the Lord taught Adam and Eve about the necessity of blood sacrifices.
From that time on, without the shedding of blood no human being can enjoy fellowship with God.
Jehovah took a pair of innocent animals, probably animals which were perfect in every way,
Then in that particular case, the pelts were stripped from each of those carcases to be used to cover the sinners’ naked bodies.
Their sin brought about the first animal death, and in some ways every death ever since, including the murder of their second son.
“And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever: therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.”
You can be very sure that the Cherubims’ flaming sword was a very real angelic sword.
But there is a part of man’s sinfulness which seems to tell to him that he has a “right” to march up to the throne of God whenever he chooses.
If I want to eat of the Tree of Life, I’ll eat of the Tree of Life.
If I want to eat of the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, I will eat that fruit.
If I want to offer sacrifices of potatoes and cauliflower rather than blood, God will just have to accept them.
If I want to get into the Garden of Eden, I’ll climb over the wall if I have to.
If I want to stride up to the Throne of God, no flaming sword is going to keep me away.
History abounds with illustrations of this – beginning with the arrogance of Cain, humanity in Noah’s day, Nimrod and the Tower of Babel.
But the Lord exiled Cain, drowned the Noahic world, condemned Nimrod & destroyed the Tower of Babel.
It’s not that God will not permit sinners to come near to Him, but He demands that it be upon Lord’s terms.
Not only is that God’s demand, but because God really is God, that is the way that it is.
But whether large or small the focal point was always an altar, because no sinner will ever be allowed to approach the Holy God without the blood of a sacrifice – never.
“And for this cause [Jesus] is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. Whereupon neither the first testament was dedicated without blood.
For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the people, Saying, This is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you. Moreover he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle, and all the vessels of the ministry. And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.”
“Without the shedding of blood is no remission.”
Without the shedding of sacrificial blood there is no approach, no prayer, and no acceptable worship of God.
So Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel had an altar. Noah and his family had an altar.
After the Lord called him, Abraham had altars in the places where he lived.
And Isaac and Jacob had their altars as well.
And then began the nation of Israel.
In Exodus, not only do we read of God’s altar, but also of a building and a complex in which it was housed.
It was called the “Tabernacle of God,” the “Tabernacle of Witness” and a few other titles.
Throughout Israel’s forty years in the wilderness, the Lord gave that nation access to Himself through the brass altar which sat in the court-yard of the Tabernacle.
And the Book of Leviticus describes in detail the several different kinds of sacrifices that God required.
When a man needed and wanted God’s forgiveness, it was necessary that he bring sin and transgression offerings – blood sacrifices.
When someone became defiled through the burial of a loved one or in some other manner, there were bloody sacrifices necessary.
Every morning & every evening the priests of Israel offered blood sacrifices to cover the sins of the nation.
The tabernacle was a sort of moveable temple, to give Israel a place to meet God during all their wanderings.
But eventually came the day that she occupied the Promised Land.
Joshua 18:1 says: “The whole congregation of the children of Israel assembled together at Shiloh, and set up the tabernacle of the congregation there. And the land was subdued before them.”
From about 1450 BC throughout the days of Joshua and the Judges, God’s designated place of worship was at Shiloh in the Tribe of Ephraim.
Then 400 years later, David, with the permission of God, brought the most important elements of the Tabernacle to Jerusalem, and a new place of meeting was established.
A few years after that, in about 1000 BC David’s son, Solomon, dedicated the first Temple.
But the most beautiful aspect of that place was the altar where sinners could meet the Lord.
At that point the worship of the Lord lost it’s glamorous building, and sinners were once again required to bow before the Lord at family altars scattered across the Mid-east.
But then eventually by Paul’s day there had been a couple of new, smaller Temples built in Jerusalem.
The infant Jesus was brought to Herod’s Temple and was presented to the Lord, as required by Law.
It was there on two occasions that the Saviour attacked the corruptions that had infested the Temple.
It was there that Paul had studied the Law & there at the Beautiful Gate Peter & John healed a lame man.
God has always had a place where sinners could humbly approach Him.
It was always a place established or approved by Him.
It was never to be a place of man’s invention.
And even when noble King David wanted to build a Temple to the Lord, Jehovah rejected the idea.
He said that He would permit David’s son to build it, but there was just too much blood on his hands.
When the nation of Israel began to worship the idol gods of her neighbors and established new sites of worship, the Lord became displeased.
The Psalmist put it this way: “For they provoked him to anger with their high places, & moved him to jealousy with their graven images. When God heard this, he was wroth, & greatly abhorred Israel:
And delivered his strength into captivity, and his glory into the enemy’s hand.”
Eventually a new place of worship was established in the Temple of Solomon.
But Israel once again chose sin over righteousness, and she turned from the worship of the Lord.
Please turn to Jeremiah 7: “The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,
Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, Amend your ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place.
Trust ye not in lying words, saying, The temple of the LORD, The temple of the LORD, The temple of the LORD, are these.”
Is this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, even I have seen it, saith the LORD. But go ye now unto my place which was in Shiloh, where I set my name at the first, and see what I did to it for the wickedness of my people Israel.
And now, because ye have done all these works, saith the LORD, and I spake unto you, rising up early and speaking, but ye heard not; and I called you, but ye answered not;
Therefore will I do unto this house, which is called by my name, wherein ye trust, and unto the place which I gave to you and to your fathers, as I have done to Shiloh. And I will cast you out of my sight, as I have cast out all your brethren, even the whole seed of Ephraim.”
The beautiful Temple of Solomon was destroyed and both Israel and Judah went into foreign captivity.
But eventually a remnant of Israel returned, and eventually Herod’s Temple was built.
I am not sure that God ever approved of that building, but for the sake of argument, let’s say that He did.
and even though Joseph and Mary presented their first born son there,
and our Lord’s family visited the Temple regularly as they were supposed to do,
And yet on occasions He and His disciples did enter the Temple for various reasons.
“Jesus went up to Jerusalem, and found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting:
And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers’ money, and overthrew the tables;
And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father’s house an house of merchandise.”
And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.” – Matthew 21
“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, & stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, & ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate: & verily I say unto you, Ye shall not see me, until the time come when ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.”
When Christ referred to “your house” he was speaking about the total package: the house of Israel, the city of Jerusalem and the Temple.
If He ever had, the Lord of Glory was making no claim on that Temple – it was just another of the Temples of Men and polluted by the sins of those men.
Were these devout Jews correct about the possibility of the Temple being polluted? Yes, they were.
I am told that on the gate in the wall which separated the court of the Gentiles and the rest of the Temple grounds there was a bold sign which read:
And there was an implied punishment of death.
Have we not given you leave to kill such as go beyond it, though he were a Roman?”
Were these Jews correct about the possibility of the Temple being polluted? Yes, they were.
In this case they erred about Paul’s guilt: he had not brought Greeks into the Temple.
But these Jews were correct about the possibility of the Temple being polluted.
Not only were they right about the possibility, but the fact was that it had ALREADY been polluted.
That pollution wasn’t brought in upon the shoes of Paul, it had been there for decades.
The word “pollute” is the Greek “koinoo” (koin-o-o), from which we get the term “Koine Greek.”
There was, and probably still is, a classical Greek language, AND there was a more COMMON everyday conversational form of Greek.
and in the case of the Temple, there was the possibility of defiling it or bringing it down from its sanctified heights to that of a common building.
It had become a common building.
The sins of Israel had so polluted it that the Lord of Glory had to declare that Israel and her priests had made it a house of merchandise and a den of thieves.
The Temple was already polluted, and if Paul HAD brought in a handful of Gentile saints, it would have become a little more sanctified than it had been before.
Those Jews had good reason to be concerned about the pollution of the place which God had designated for sinners to meet him.
The focal point of that meeting place has always been, and always will be, an altar covered in blood.
When Moses and his workmen fabricated the Tabernacle, God demonstrated His approval of it, when He occupied it.
And it came to pass in the first month in the second year, on the first day of the month, that the tabernacle was reared up. Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.
And Moses was not able to enter into the tent of the congregation, because the cloud abode thereon, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.”
Also the Levites which were the singers, stood at the east end of the altar, and with them an hundred and twenty priests sounding with trumpets:)
It came even to pass, as the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the LORD; and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of musick, and praised the LORD, saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: that then the house was filled with a cloud, even the house of the LORD;
So that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud: for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of God.”
II Chronicles 7: – “Now when Solomon had made an end of praying, the fire came down from heaven, and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the LORD filled the house. And the priests could not enter into the house of the LORD, because the glory of the LORD had filled the LORD’S house.
And when all the children of Israel saw how the fire came down, and the glory of the LORD upon the house, they bowed themselves with their faces to the ground upon the pavement, and worshipped, and praised the LORD, saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever.”
I defy you to find a scripture saying that it is in a secluded cabin in the mountains on in boat on the lake.
Although a Christian can pray and praise God anywhere, he is commanded to regularly assemble with other saints in God’s chosen place to properly worship their Saviour.
“Unto him be glory IN THE CHURCH by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen” – Ephesians 3:21.
Just as when the Lord filled the Tabernacle and the Temple with Himself, the Lord has filled His church.
“And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.
And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”
The Lord had vacated His old Temple and established a new one.
My point to you this morning is this: just as Eden became defiled and Shiloh was deserted by God;
Just as Solomon’s Temple and Herod’s Temple were destroyed,
The Lord’s churches can become polluted and common as well.
The Book of Revelation talks about the Lord extinguishing the candle of His local church.
I could take the next hour pointing to other religious societies and even to other former Baptist churches of Christ, telling you that they are not true Houses of God, but I’m not going to do that.
Rather, I’m going to tell you that THIS church of Christ can become polluted, defiled and common.
This church can become a den of thieves and nothing more than a house of merchandise, if we let it.
The Church of God ought to be special; it ought to have spiritual standards that set it apart from all the assemblies of men.
Our music ought to be higher and spiritual; this ought to be a house of prayer rather than entertainment.
This place and the church within it ought to strive to uplift, to expound and to apply the Word of God rather than the words and ideas of men.
And the focal point of our attention should be Christ and His cross.
I suppose that there are many ways that the Lord’s churches can become common and secular, but let me stick as closely as we can to the illustration that we have in this scripture.
Just as those Asian Jews worried about unbelievers entering into their Temple, the Lord’s church should be concerned about who enters it.
I’m not talking about the people who merely come through the front door during the regular services.
I’m talking about those who seek to become members.
Unlike the majority of the churches of Christendom, God’s churches do not baptize babies, accepting them as church members.
Not only is this a practice which is foreign to the Bible, but where this is practiced, the church becomes filled with people who have never been born again.
God’s churches require regenerated church members – people who have been saved by God’s grace.
They should look, and expect to find, the fruit of repentance in people’s lives.
In other words, before someone can stand in fellowship with God, he must pass the Altar.
Before someone should be allowed to become a member of the Lord’s church, he must be saved.
So even in the Lord’s churches today, the altar is central.
But in our case it is the altar of the cross.
The day that the baptismal font, or even the baptistry, becomes the focal point of a church, that will be the day that church will cease to be recognized by the Lord.
It is the blood of Christ that delivers the sinner from his sin.
It is at the cross where you and I meet the Lord.
Not only must every one of us bow before the Christ of the Cross, but with every act of worship since that first moment, we need to remember that Calvary is the focus.
God forbid that we should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Have you been to Jesus for the cleansing power? Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?