The House That’s Built

“And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them.” — Exodus 25:8, KJV

God instructed Moses to build a sanctuary because God wanted to dwell among His people. However, the sanctuary is more than a building. It revealed the plan from beginning to end by which sinful men could be restored to fellowship with the holy God. Today, God wants an even more intimate dwelling place: within us. “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?” (1 Corinthians 3:16). Yet Scripture also warns that God cannot dwell in an unclean temple, “If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy” (verse 17). The question, then, is not only whether we have built a house for God, but what kind of house have we built?

The Sanctuary Within

The sanctuary models the cleansing and transformation God desires to accomplish in us, from beginning to end. From start to finish:

• The Courtyard contains the Altar of Burnt Offering, where sin sacrifice is made, pointing us to Jesus Christ, “the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). We cannot cleanse ourselves. Even if we tried, we would fail. Our salvation comes through repentance, surrender, and faith in Jesus Christ.

• Next is the Laver, where the priests washed their hands and feet before entering the sanctuary. It represents cleansing: the washing away of sin and God's renewing work in us. David prayed, “Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin” (Psalm 51:2).

• Inside the Holy Place is the Table of Showbread, pointing to Christ, the Bread of Life. God is our sustenance, and our continual dependence is upon Him: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). The Seven-Branched Candlestick represents the light of divine truth. "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” is found in Psalm 119:105 (KJV). Jesus declared, “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12). The Altar of Incense represents the prayers of the saints and Christ's intercession for us. Psalm 141:2 says, “Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense”. A clean spiritual house, therefore, is a repentant one that is washed in the blood of the Lamb, that is continually fed by the Word of God, illuminated by God's truth, and connected with God in heaven through prayer. A life of atonement and purification is required.

Beyond the second veil is the Most Holy Place. Here is the Ark of the Covenant. Inside the are the 10 Commandments, the tables of God's law. Above them is the Mercy Seat, overshadowed by the cherubim. God's 10 Commandments reveal His righteous standard, while His mercy provides forgiveness and restoration for the repentant sinner. It does not teach that God's grace abolishes His law. No. No. It shows that God's law and His mercy work together. God does not cleanse His temple by removing His law; He writes His law within His people: “I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts” (Hebrews 8:10).

Our Temple Must Be Cleansed

This is where the sanctuary becomes intensely personal. God wants the inner sanctuary cleansed. Pride and bitterness must go. Dishonesty, lust, selfishness, unforgiveness, every evil word spoken, worldly affection, uncontrolled appetite, and any cherished sin cannot be in the heart while we ask a holy God to occupy our house.

David's prayer must become our prayer: Lord, “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10).

“Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded” (James 4:8).

Ellen White gives a particular warning about the preparation for the final crisis. She wrote that many do not understand the spiritual condition required in order for us to stand during the time of trouble, and that those receiving God's seal must fully reflect Christ's image. She further warns against postponing preparation until the latter rain.

In The Great Controversy, Ellen writes that during the final time of trouble God's people must live before a holy God without an intercessor, and therefore now, while Christ ministers as our High Priest, is the time to separate from sin through faith in His atoning blood and allow our characters to be conformed to the divine pattern.

The right house must be built now. Our temples must be cleansed now.

Questions we must ask while we are building a house for God to dwell in:

• Have I surrendered everything in my life to God?

• Have I allowed Christ to cleanse me of all unrighteousness?

• Have I repented of every known sin?

• Am I feeding daily upon God's Word daily?

• Am I walking in all of the light that God has given me?

• Do I maintain a living prayer life?

• Is God's law (His 10 Commandments) written upon the tablets of my heart?

• Have I received Christ's mercy and extended that mercy to others?

The purpose of the sanctuary is: “that I may dwell among them.” God wants a righteous people in whom He can dwell.

The House That's Built and Country Living

Country living gives us an opportunity to arrange our natural and spiritual homes in the same principle God established in the sanctuary The country home should be a place where worship is central, God's Word is studied, prayer is cultivated, children are trained, useful skills are developed, the soil is worked, healthful living is practiced, and families learn greater dependence upon God rather than the systems of the world. Every physical preparation must point toward a deep authentic spiritual preparation. We are not only building a place where we can survive a crisis; we are building an environment where our characters are preparing for eternity. “Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it” (Psalm 127:1, KJV). The most successful country home is not the one with the most land and resources. The most successful homes are the ones where God dwells.