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 “This is the law of the house: absolute holiness.” Ezekiel 43:12

 

Most translations use the word “temple” instead of “house” in this verse.  And “temple” is probably the more accurate term; as this section of scripture deals with the Millennial Temple of Christ during the 1,000 year reign of Christ upon the Earth in the not-to-distant future.

This word “temple” can also be carried over to the New Testament where we find some interesting verses:

• Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. 1 Cor. 3:16-17
• For you are the temple of the living God. 2 Cor. 6:16

A little history from the book of Ezekiel concerning this temple might prove helpful before we move on to the teaching.  In this Millennial Temple described in Ezekiel, we find that an angel gives Ezekiel all of the measurements for this temple (to view this temple, please click here).  But when the Lord Jesus walks into the temple through the Eastern gate (the gate reserved solely for the coming and going of the Lord – Ez. 44:3), the angel no longer is doing the speaking.  The Lord Jesus picks up the narrative, and the first thing He says when He walks through the Eastern gate in all of His glory (Ez. 43:2) is, “This is the law of the house: absolute holiness.”

The very first thing on the Lord’s mind when He comes into the temple after it has been prepared for Him, is holiness.  He wasn’t really interested in the construction of the temple itself and all the work that went into it…He wasn’t really interested in the four kitchens, or the promenades, or all the different gates, or the architecture, or the engraved artwork throughout the temple, or the massive gallery, or the courtyards, or the dining rooms, or anything else.  What was foremost on His mind was holiness.

This has not changed one single bit.  The Lord is coming to you to reside within; and the gate He is coming through is your heart. He is coming in all of His glory.  And His main interest as soon as He comes is holiness.  

What does He really see when He comes in?  Does he see purity within?  The word of God teaches, “Without holiness, no man shall see the Lord.”  Holiness is the prerequisite to even enter into Heaven itself.  Yes, I realize that the main prerequisite of getting there is believing on the Lord Jesus Christ.  But I’m talking about what follows after a person believes.  I say it all the time, it’s not enough to believe.  Believing is proven out by our obedience of hating sin, and loving righteousness.  God hates sin with everything in Him.  His Son died for it.  And how shall we live any longer in it? 

Just this morning I was meditating on the truth of how much God hates sin.  Because when we sin, we are in essence saying, “The cross or the blood was not enough.” And this so offends the Father.  He sent His only Son to forever pay for the wages of sin, and to also break the curse of sin for those who will believe on his Name. 

I think there are less people in Heaven than we think there is.  God said in Revelation that nothing unholy shall be permitted in.  Some commentators will tell you that holiness is imputed.  Show me one verse in the Old Testament or in the New Testament that even suggests this.  Holiness is not imputed, it is lived out in righteousness.  Holiness is hating what God hates.  Holiness is being scared to death to sin.  Holiness runs from temptation as fast as it can.  Holiness works righteousness into the heart and soul of a person.

Holiness is the number one thing on God’s mind.  The Holy Spirit said through Peter, “Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.” 1 Peter 1:16

God has set the benchmark.  And the benchmark is His own holiness.  We are to measure ourselves to that benchmark.  Are we measuring up?  The Word of God has so much to say on holiness.  Men have written entire commentaries on this one theme. 

God expects us to be holy, act holy, think holy, and live holy in our hearts.  Paul wrote in Ephesians 1:4, “According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love.”  We should be holy.  This is God’s expectation of His own offspring.  If we’re not living this life…we may not be His offspring…maybe we have deceived ourselves.

There are verses for each of the following descriptions: God is holy – the Son is holy – the Holy Spirit is holy – the Word of God is holy – Heaven is holy – the angels are holy – the prophets are holy.  What makes a person think that he will make it if he is living unholy, and harboring secret sins, fantasies, lusts, and desires in his heart or in his mind? 

After teaching this teaching a few months ago to a group of about 175 men, one man walked up to me afterwards and said to me, “I’ve been living a lie all these years.  I thought I was saved and going to make it, but you shattered all my lies tonight and exposed me to myself.  I’ll be eternally grateful to you for this.”

Many think that they can just come to the Lord and hen do and live their lives just as they were.  They are deceived to the core.  That’s called a Christ-less Christianity.  It’s a Cross-less Christianity.  It’s living out a lie. 

Holiness demands something of you.  It demands your life.  It demands your affections.  It demands what you think about.  It demands obedience.  It demands righteousness.  Holiness is a commandment!!  God gave us this commandment first in Lev. 20:7, and then He follows it up throughout the rest of the entire Bible.

Before a person can walk in holiness, he has to first desire it with all his heart.  He has to be captivated by the beauty of it.  Several times in the Word of God, holiness is called “beautiful.”  Holiness is beautiful to God.  Once a person sees sin for what it really is, and they contrast this with the beauty of God…sin will pass away into a faded memory…like a bad dream that you wake up from, but can’t quite remember what it was about.

Friends…God hates sin.  He hates it.  Please don’t commit it, please don’t think about it, please don’t dabble with it.  The wages of sin is death.  This is written in the New Testament.  This Greek word for “death” is spiritual death.

THE WAGES OF SIN IS DEATH!!!!!!!!!!!!!  God has written this to US!!  This is not a game – this is life and death.  Don’t play with God, don’t tempt Him…you’ll lose each and every time.  Make a decision today to walk humbly and broken and holy before Him. 

Hebrew 3:7, 3:15, and 4:7 says, “Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says (and is saying right now to you), “Today if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts, as when they provoked Me.”

Please notice carefully the words “if you hear His voice.” Now here is the hundred-thousand-dollar question…can you, can you really hear His voice…right now…today?  “For him who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

“And the Lord said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against Me, him will I blot out of My book.”  Exodus 32:33 – “He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life.”  Revelation 3:5.  Let’s make sure that we are living a life of obedience, and be found by Him preparing for the next life, remembering that scripture says, “For surely there is a hereafter.” Jesus did not spill His blood to give everyone a life of ease and contentment in this life…He spilled His blood to prepare them for the next life!!

 So began to obey the law of the house…”Absolute Holiness.”