Thy mercy, my God, is the theme
of my song. A holy place is where God is,
not where he was at one time. He illustrated this point to
the prophet Isaiah when he said, The heaven is my throne, and
the earth is my footstool. Where is the house that ye build
unto me? And where is the place of my rest? For thus saith the
high and lofty one that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is holy,
I dwell in the high and holy place. Then he goes on to say
where he is pleased to dwell with men. It is not a destination
which they can arrive at through an action of their own free will,
since he says he will dwell with him that is of a contrite and
humble spirit to revive the spirit of the humble and to revive the
heart of the contrite ones. This is exactly what he told
the woman at the well in Samaria when she inquired of him which
religious tradition is the right one. Our fathers worshiped in
this mountain, and ye say that in Jerusalem is the place where
men ought to worship." His answer was quite startling to her as
he laid the axe to the root of her pride in her religious affiliations. Woman, believe me, the hour cometh
when ye shall neither in this mountain nor yet at Jerusalem
worship the Father. Ye worship ye know not what.
We know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. But
the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall
worship the Father in spirit and in truth. For the Father
seeketh such to worship him. God is a spirit, and they that
worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. The true
mount of God is any place where God is pleased to meet with men
according to His own appointment and purpose. Men cannot take
hold of God in any fashion to bring Him to where they are,
nor design some religious tradition which will ensure His continued
presence in their midst, regardless of their sincerity or scriptural
adherence. We must wait upon Him. He does
not wait upon us, but is pleased to visit His people and dwell
with them on His terms and in His time for their benefit. This
is the glorious truth of the gospel which is sent to lighten
the minds of those who are awakened, declaring the wonders of His
redeeming love of unworthy sinners and His determined purpose to
meet with them and nurture them according to the riches of His
amazing grace. It is here that the Lord is pleased
to bring His sheep, which have been scattered far and wide upon
the crags and rocks of this world. Even them will I bring to my
holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer.
Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted
upon mine altar, for mine house shall be called a house of prayer
for all people. This is indeed that of which
he speaks to his disciples when he said, for where two or three
are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
There are many mounts spoken of in the scriptures which denote
the determined purpose of the Lord, to dwell with the people
of his choosing. We have Mount Ararat, where the
ark of Noah's salvation came to rest and from which he saw
the bow of promise signifying the grace and mercy of God to
unworthy sinners. Mount Moriah, where Abraham was
sent to sacrifice his son Isaac. It was here that the Lord did
provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering. Mount Oreb, where the
Lord was pleased to meet with Moses in the burning bush and
he first became acquainted with the absolute holiness of God.
Mount Sinai, where the Lord was pleased to give Moses the coded
law, though this law has served as a schoolmaster to bring his
people unto Christ. As Paul said, I had not known
sin, but by the law. Mount Pisgah, where Moses surveyed
the land of promise as a place he could not enter, thus signifying
the weakness of the law and its limited purpose. Mount Carmel,
where the Lord demonstrated the authority of his prophet, who
would scatter his enemies and triumph utterly over them all.
Mount Zion, where King David brought the Ark of the Covenant
and is synonymous with the Kingdom of God. Yet have I set my King
upon my holy hill of Zion, the Mount of Olives. It is here that
the Lord taught His disciples and often consorted with them.
It is here that the Lord prayed, and did pour out his soul unto
death for those whom he loved from before the foundation of
the world. It is here that he ascended back to heaven to appear
as our intercessor, and it is here that he comes again at the
last trump to receive his purchased possession. And Mount Calvary,
the most glorious mount in all of the scriptures. That which
took place here is that which we are commanded to remember
till he comes again. That of which Paul says, God
forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus
Christ. I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills from whence cometh
my help. My help cometh from the Lord. Have you been to the mount of
God? If you would like a free transcript of this broadcast,
email us at forthepoor at windstream.net.