Falling Short of The Glory

Introduction The Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ gave this book to me for his people. At the beginning of this process I thought it was for a sermon, but as I continued to write I knew it was more than just a Sunday morning message. There is an anointing of God on this book to help believers evolve from stagnated Christians into a royal priesthood. This will help people at this resent time and for generations to come move into the sanctuary of God and the process depends on each individual. The process of a disciple is a renewed spirit and mind for the glory of God moving the believers from glory to glory. I know this information now rests in the hands of a lover of Christ, who will experience growth in his or her life. In this writing, when I speak of “falling short,” I'm referring to falling short of all the promises that we have made to God. I am speaking of man accepting being any less than a conqueror and lacking the desire to be made in the image of God, when this image is clearly described through his word. Fallen human beings accept hell as their final destination and do not strive for glory. The fallen believes that being defeated, broke, and depressed is an acceptable option. Without the knowledge of the process, we will believe the voice of the enemy. We learn by failing, if we are wise enough to know that we have failed. The wise person will learn from the errors of others and from the men in the Bible. That is one of the reasons it was written—so we may learn from them. Falling short of His glory means not fulfilling your full potential of walking in holiness and becoming the temple of God. Lord, Make Me a Sanctuary The earliest sanctuary was known as the tabernacle, also called the temple, which served as a place of worship. The Lord said to Moses, And let them make me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them (Ex. 25:8). God gave specific instructions for the design and furnishing of the tabernacle that would house His presence. The tent, which was the first structure for worship for the Israelites, was a moveable building. God later allowed Solomon to build a permanent structure, called a “temple,” which would replace the tabernacle. God provided full details for the design of every area of the temple. Yet we still say to God, "Make me a sanctuary,” as if the words of the Old Testament were somehow outdated. The sanctuary that we are constructing today is the character of our lives, which must reflect Jesus. Just as it is with the tabernacle, so it must be with our physical body. Our body is the tabernacle, or sanctuary of God, which is a moveable tent. The earth is not our home, yet we must still go to all nations and make disciples of all men. He does not want man to construct the sanctuary without direction. In the Old Testament, he gave commandments and laws to live by. In the New Testament, he sent the Holy Spirit to construct the inner man as we yield to his direction. Most of the details from the Bible and the beautification of the temple were given for the holy place and the holy of holiest that resides inside. The beauty of man is not the outer shell but the “inner man,” which shows Christ. Christ came to show us a greater tabernacle, not made with hands. The tabernacle that we are to become, as he did, was not a building. We must also realize that that the day is coming when each of us must become that sanctuary for Christ. When we ask God to make us a holy place, to set us apart for his worship, God will say, “Okay, when are you going to start?” Jesus will say, “I would love that. That’s the reason I died --- so you can become the sanctuary and live like me.” Just as Christ is the expressed image of his father and the brightness of his glory, so we must strive in our hearts to become the image of Jesus Christ. Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sin, sat down on the right hand of Majesty on high; (Heb. 1:3). Jesus’ death is an example of how we must forsake all to become the sanctuary of God. Jesus said, “I must die, but in three days I will rebuild the temple.” This does not mean death at the hands of a Roman soldier or on the Roman cross, but rather death of the flesh for the sins of the world. We will also be resurrected to eternal life if we become, and remain, a living sanctuary of God. Becoming a sanctuary depends on how much you are willing to pay for it, but in the end you will flourish: The house of the wicked shall be overthrown: but the tabernacle of the upright shall flourish (Pro.14: 11). Pay, in this context, does not refer to money but rather the amount of your life you are willing to surrender to God. The Lord wants mastery over your entire being. The book of Hebrews tells us how the sanctuary was a foreshadow of human beings. The design of the tabernacle suggests that the old man is to be reformed. As we reach the New Testament we see the word ingrained within us, written upon our heart, and we become the sanctuary of God. The word “sanctuary” also means the most holy place or the holy of holies. Now that you are ready to become a sanctuary, let’s start at the gates of reformation.