Entertaining the Presence Part 5
• 2 Chronicles 5:11 The priests then withdrew from the Holy Place. All the priests who were there had consecrated themselves, regardless of their divisions.
• Consecration was a part of the preparation they went through before the Lord sent His presence so strong.
• Joshua 3:5 “Joshua told the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do amazing things among you.”
o We again see consecration as part of a preparation process before the Lord comes.
• The words, “among you” that most translations use really refers to the inward part of the human body.
The miracles will be in us as much as they are around us.
What does consecration mean?
• “The separation of oneself from things that are unclean, especially anything that would contaminate one’s relationship with a perfect God.”
• In the days of the ancient Hebrews it often involved cleansing with water.
• In the ancient days consecration also involved changing clothes. See Exodus 19:10-11
• But for us today this doesn’t hold the same place.
o We have Jesus and the Holy Spirit to wash us clean.
o For us consecration comes in the form of confession and repentance.
Another meaning: But there is another meaning we see in scripture for consecration.
• It means to dedicate something to the Lord. See Exodus 13:2
• This will look different for us today, but there is still a call for us to dedicate ourselves to the Lord.
In the New Testament: We don’t see the word consecration used in the NT, but we see the same concept.
• Col 3:5-15: You see the concepts of cleansing and clothing, of dedicating yourself to the Lord.
• 2 Corinthians 6:17 Paul calls believers to be a holy people, and separate themselves from the world.
• Romans 12:1-2 Remember fire always falls on sacrifice.
• 1 Peter 2:9 We are chosen to simply declare the praises of God.
So what does all this mean for us today? Three Simple ideas to practice
• Preparation: Before Sunday, spending time in the Lord’s presence, letting Him bring to mind the things that we need to confess.
• Dedication: Dedicating ourselves daily if needed as a living sacrifice to the Lord
o The Lord will not give us the sustained presence we are after unless we are all in for Him lest we waist it.
• Purpose We consecrate ourselves for the purposes of the Lord. Not from a sense of duty or obligation.
o We understand that we are a chosen people and we have a purpose in that.
