Today’s selected reading continues in the Old Testament prophetic book of Jeremiah, and more specifically, is found in the twenty-sixth chapter of the book. STAND IN THE GATE OF THE LORD’S HOUSE! GO AND STAND IN THE GATE OF THE CHILDREN OF THE PEOPLE, WHEREBY THE KINGS OF JUDAH COME IN, AND BY THE WHICH THEY GO OUT, AND IN ALL THE GATES OF JERUSALEM! [THEN CAME JEREMIAH FROM TOPHET, WHITHER THE LORD HAD SENT HIM TO PROPHESY; AND HE STOOD IN THE COURT OF THE LORD’S HOUSE]. [NOW PASHUR THE SON OF IMMER THE PRIEST, WHO WAS ALSO CHIEF GOVERNOR IN THE HOUSE OF THE LORD, HEARD THAT JEREMIAH PROPHESIED THESE THINGS. THEN PASHUR SMOTE JEREMIAH THE PROPHET, AND PUT HIM IN THE STOCKS THAT WERE IN THE HIGH GATE OF BENJAMIN, WHICH WAS BY THE HOUSE OF THE LORD]. GO DOWN TO THE HOUSE OF THE KING OF JUDAH! STAND IN TH3E COURT OF THE LORD’S HOUSE, AND SPEAK UNTO ALL THE CITES OF JUDAH, WHICH COME TO WORSHIP IN THE LORD’S HOUSE! The more I read these particular set of verses, the more I can’t help but be gripped by a single question—a question which I believe the Spirit of the Lord is emphatically asking the people of the Lord in this generation. WHERE ARE YOU STANDING? WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN CALLED TO STAND? From the seventh chapter of the prophetic book of Jeremiah we find the Lord instructing Jeremiah on specific occasions to go to a specific place, or at other times to take unto himself a specific vessel within his hands. There were times when the word of the Lord was directly linked to a specific place the Lord was sending Jeremiah, while there were other times when the word of the Lord was directly linked to that which Jeremiah was instructed. There were specific times within the life of Jeremiah—this prophet from the priests of Anathoth—when the Lord instructed Jeremiah to go and to stand in a specific place. In other words, the Lord didn’t merely instruct Jeremiah to “Go,” but He took it a step further and instructed him to “stand.” In other words, it wasn’t and wouldn’t be enough for Jeremiah to merely go to the place the Lord had instructed him without also standing in that very place! STANDING IN THE PLACE YOU HAVE BEEN SENT! STANDING IN THE PLACE YOU HAVE BEEN SUMMONED! It’s worth noting that not only was Jeremiah called and instructed to arise and to go to a specific place, but Jeremiah was instructed to arise, to arise and go, and to go and stand in the place to which he was being sent. In other words, the sending was directly linked and connected to the standing, and the two were intrinsically connected to each other. In fact, I would dare say that the act of “standing” was just as important as was the act of “sending.” The act of “sending” was performed on behalf of the Lord, yet the act of “standing” was performed on behalf of, and within the life of Jeremiah. There are times within our lives when we hear the call and instruct to arise and go, and we even hear the call to go and stand, yet we fail to follow through with the second half of this command. OBEDIENCE TO THE CALL IS ONLY PARTIAL OBEDIENCE IF YOU ARE NOT WILLING TO STAND! OBEDIENCE TO THE CALL IS ONLY PARTIAL OBEDIENCE IF YOU ARE NOT STANDING IN THE PLACE WHERE YOU HAVE BEEN SENT! I can’t help but be reminded of specific words of instruction in the Scripture when the believers of and the believers in Jesus Christ are called to do more than simply walk in obedience to the call. We read the words of Jesus just before departing from the presence of His disciples and returning to the right hand of His father in heaven—“All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. GO YE THEREFORE, AND TEACH ALL NATIONS, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world” (Matthew 28:180-20). We read the words of the account of the call and commission of Isaiah when the Lord spoke something very specific after Isaiah’s lip had been touched, cleansed and purged of iniquity—“Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me. And he said, GO, AND TELL THIS PEOPLE” (Isaiah 6:8-10). There is something absolutely wonderful, and at the same time incredibly challenging found within the call and commission of the prophet Isaiah. It is in fact something that we more often than not quickly pass over—either because we don’t see it, or have never seen it.

 When you read concerning the call and commission of Isaiah, you will notice that the first phase of this encounter with the glory of the Lord was a vision of the glorious holiness and presence of the Lord. “In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and His train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphim: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. And one cried unto another, sand said, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: The whole earth is full of His glory. And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke” (Isaiah 6:1-4). Within the first four verses of the sixth chapter of the prophetic book of Isaiah we discover the prophet seeing a tremendous vision of the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and His train filling the Temple. The prophet saw the seraphim standing above the throne of the Lord—each with six wings with which they covered their face, covered their feet, and flew. The prophet Isaiah heard one of these seraphim crying out to another, saying, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of His glory.” The prophet Isaiah saw a vision of the doorposts of the house shaking, and the entire house was filled with smoke. [WHEN THE DOORPOSTS OF THE HOUSE SHAKE AND THE HOUSE IS FILLED WITH SMOKE]. Immediately after this vision of the holiness and glory of the Lord of hosts, the prophet looked inward within himself and had quite a revelation concerning his own condition. “Then said I, Woe is me! For I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts” (Isaiah 6:4-5). Immediately following the vision of the holiness of the Lord, the prophet was utterly and completely consumed with his own iniquity before the Lord, and saw himself as being complete undone before and in the presence of the Lord. Notice next that it was in response to this feeling of being completely undone before and in the presence of the Lord that one of the seraphim flew and did something truly remarkable. “Then flew one of the seraphim unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: and he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged” (Isaiah 6:6-7). After the vision of the holiness of God, and after the vision of his own iniquity, his own undoing, his own uncleanness, one of the seraphim came to the prophet with a live coal from off the altar, of which he touched Isaiah’s lips. It was the process of having his lips touched with a live coal from off the altar that the prophet heard that his iniquity was taken away, and his sin purged.

 When considering the prophetic call and commission of Isaiah, you will notice that first came the upward vision of the holiness and glory of the Lord of hosts. This upward vision of the holiness and glory of the Lord was then immediately followed by an inward vision of his own depravity, his own iniquity, his own undoing, and his own uncleanness. What’s more, is the prophet wasn’t just confronted with his own undoing and uncleanness, but he was also confronted with the undoing and uncleanness of the people with whom he lived. It was in response to this one of the seraphim took a live coal from off the altar with tongs, flew with that same live coal, and then touched Isaiah’s lips with the coal. What’s interesting is that Isaiah didn’t merely see his own undoing and uncleanness, but he saw the undoing and uncleanness of the people with whom he dwelt. When it came to his own iniquity and sin, the seraphim touched his lips with a live coal from off the altar; however, when it came to the undoing, the uncleanness, and the transgression of the people, the Lord would do something completely different. Have you ever noticed that Isaiah didn’t hear the voice of the Lord speak until after his lips had been touched with a live coal from off the altar, and after he had been assured that his iniquity was taken away, and his sin was purged that he then heard the Lord speak. What’s more, is that it was only after his lips were touched, cleansed and purged that he was able to hear the voice of the Lord speaking. Oh, pause for a moment and consider that if you will. Why was it not until after his lips were touched did he then hear the voice of the Lord speak for the first time? Why did the Lord seem to wait until after his lips were touched with a live coal from off the altar before He spoke unto Him? Is it possible that before the Lord can speak directly to us, He first needs to take a live coal from off the altar and touch our lips with it? Is it possible that before the Lord can proceed to speak to us, He first needs to touch and address our lips and the words which proceed from it? Oh, I would dare say that this was one of the main reasons why on the Day of Pentecost the Spirit was manifested in the Upper Room in cloven tongues of fire. While it is true they were all gathered together in the Upper Room and were of one accord, their lips, their tongues, their mouths needed to be touched with the fire of the Spirit of Almighty God. I would dare say that the reason the Lord waited until after the lips of Isaiah had been touched with a live coal from off the altar was that more often than not the Lord’s ability to speak is directly linked to our own speech. What I mean by this is that more often than not the Lord needs to deal with our own speech before He can truly speak to us the way, and in the manner He desires to. We spend so much time desiring the Lord to speak to us, and yet what He really needs to do is take a live coal from off the altar and deal with our lips, deal with our tongue, and deal with our mouth.

 It was until after the prophet Isaiah had his lips touched with a live coal from off the altar, and after he had heard one of the seraphim declare unto him that his iniquity had been taken away, and that his sin was purged that it seemed he was then able to hear the voice of the Lord speaking. Notice that this encounter first began with the prophet seeing a vision of the holiness of God, yet that vision in and of itself wasn’t enough. The prophet needed to encounter and come face to face with his own uncleanness and his own undoing before his lips could be touched, his iniquity taken away, and his sin purged. It wasn’t until his lips were touched, his iniquity was taken away, and his sin purged that he was able to hear the voice of the Lord. In essence, one might say that hearing the voice of the Lord was directly connected to one’s lips being touched. One might be able to say that hearing the voice of the Lord is directly connected to our iniquity being taken away, and our sin being purged. How many of us may have a desire to hear the voice of the Lord speak to us, yet we haven’t encountered or seen a vision of His holiness as did the prophet Isaiah? How many of us may have a desire to hear the voice of the Lord speak to us, yet we haven’t had our lips touched with a live coal from off the altar before the Lord? How many of us may have a desire to hear the voice of the Lord speak to us, yet we haven’t had our iniquity taken away, nor our sin completely purged? I fully recognize that the work of Christ upon the cross was full and complete, and that it is through and by that work that we experience forgiveness and redemption. It’s worth noting that Isaiah was of the seed of Abraham, yet there was a work that needed to be done in his life—a work that couldn’t be done until he first encountered the holiness of the Lord. I would dare say that there are times in our lives when the true work which the Lord desires to do in and within us cannot truly take place until we—like the prophet Isaiah—have seen a vision of the holiness of God. It was in response to the vision of the holiness of the Lord, and in response to hearing the seraphim cry out, saying, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of His glory, that the prophet truly saw himself as he was before and in the presence of the Lord. The work which was experienced in the life of the prophet did not, and perhaps even would not take place until he first encountered the holiness of the Lord, and witnessed the glory and presence of the Lord of hosts.

VISION LEADS TO TRANSFORMATION! VISION LEADS TO CLEANSING! VISION LEADS TO PURIFICATION! VISION LEADS TO PURGING! It was in response to the vision Isaiah saw, and even the vision of himself, that he was able to experience his iniquity being taken away, and his sin purged. In essence, I would dare say that having a vision of God alone isn’t enough within our hearts and lives, for we must also have a vision of ourselves. Notice that it was the vision of the Lord of hosts, which led to and produced the vision which Isaiah saw—first of himself, and then of the people around him. VISION OF GOD! VISION OF ONESELF! VISION OF OTHERS! If I am being completely honest, I would dare say that we have this completely and totally backwards. I would dare say that we have a wrong starting point when it comes to this three-fold vision, for we seem to start with a vision of others. We seem to begin with the vision of others being unclean and undone, and then proceed to “claim” we have seen a vision of God, and then if we are truly honest, we “may” see a vision of ourselves. Consider how much easier it is to begin this process of vision by looking at those around us before and without even being willing to look at ourselves. If we are willing to be honest with ourselves, we will admit that our vision doesn’t begin with the Lord of hosts, or even His holiness, but rather with the uncleanness and undoing of those around us. In all reality, it is easier to begin with the uncleanness and undoing of those around us, for it releases us from having to confront that which is within us. Why on earth would we even think about looking within us when it so much easier to look at others? We must recognize and understand that the prophet didn’t first see a vision of those around him, or even a vision of himself, but a vision of the Lord of hosts. True vision never begins with ourselves, nor even with those around us. True discernment never begins with those around us, or even with ourselves. True knowledge and true understanding never begins with ourselves, or even with others. True spiritual vision first begins with the Lord of hosts, and then only to the degree and measure we have seen Him can that vision zero in on the condition of our own heart and soul. I would dare say that so long as we are willing to have a vision that begins with others, we can never and will never have true spiritual vision that first begins with the Lord, and then immediately directs our attention to the condition of our own hearts and lives. The prophet’s encounter began with the holiness of the Lord, and concluded with his being sent to those with whom he lived, and those with whom he interacted. True vision can never, must never and should never begin outward—outward of ourselves, and even outward of the Lord of hosts—but must always begin upward with the Lord of hosts.

The prophet Isaiah saw a vision of the holiness of the Lord of hosts, saw the seraphim flying above the throne of God, witnessed the doorposts of the house shaking and the house filling with smoke. The prophet Isaiah heard the seraphim crying out, saying, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of His glory. It was this upward vision that would eventually lead to and produce an inward vision—an inward vision of the condition of his lips. Why his lips? The prophet Isaiah saw himself as one who was undone, and then he immediately spoke of his lips being unclean. What’s worth pointing out and noting in this passage is not only vision, but also speech, and hearing as well. VISION—for the prophet Isaiah saw a vision of the holiness of the Lord. SPEECH—for the prophet Isaiah saw himself as being a man of unclean lips. HEARING—because the prophet Isaiah heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? What began with vision would ultimately end up with the prophet’s ability to hear, for without and apart from vision there would have been no hearing. Is it possible that even here in this area we have it all backward and discombobulated? Is it possible that we have allowed ourselves to be out of alignment in this area within our lives as well, for we have chosen to begin with hearing first, before first beginning with vision? How many times have we sought to begin with hearing when in all reality we should have first began with seeing? What’s more—how many times have we even attempted to begin with speaking, without first beginning with vision? VISION APART FROM HEARING! SPEAKING APART FROM VISION! Notice that the act of speaking was directly connected to vision and hearing, for the two must work hand in hand within our lives. If I may be so bold, I would dare say that unless you have experienced both within your life—unless you have both experienced a vision of the holiness of the Lord, and unless you have heard the voice of the Lord—you dare not, you should not, you cannot, you must not go forth with speaking. It wasn’t until the prophet “saw” and the prophet “heard” that he then heard the voice of the Lord, saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” I heard the late Leonard Ravenhill speak of this chapter as including an upward vision [a vision of the holiness of God], an inward vision {a vision of one’s own undoing and uncleanness], and an outward vision {Whom shall I send?] I heard the late Leonard Ravenhill speak of this passage as including “Woe” {Woe is me! For I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts], “Lo” [LO, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged], and “Go” {Go, and tell this people]. Oh, how many times have we sought to begin with “Go” without first experiencing “Woe,” or even “Lo?” How many times have we attempted to begin with “Go,” when we have been unwilling to allow ourselves to experience “Woe” and “Lo”—the first being our own assessment of ourselves and our condition, and the latter being the Lord’s response to that assessment?

To bring all of this back to what we read in the prophetic book of Jeremiah, we read the words of Jesus Christ when He instructs us to “Go into all the world, teaching and baptizing,” and we read the words of the Lord of hosts, when He declared unto Isaiah, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” And then said, “Go and tell this people.” We take no offense and have no issue with obedience to going, yet where the true rubber meets the road is not even necessarily in going, but in standing. The Lord spoke to Abram while still in Ur of the Chaldeas, saying, “Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: and I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: and I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed” (Genesis 12:1-3). We have absolutely no issue with going, with arising, with departing, and even with the journey. Where we seem to have the issue is when the word of the Lord doesn’t simply end and conclude with “go,” but actually proceeds to “stand.” What do you do when you have obeyed the voice of the Lord and like Abraham “departed, as the Lord had spoken unto him,” and then the Lord asks you to stand? What do you do when in the process of obeying the call of God to “go,” you find that you have to actually arise, stand, and even fight? IN the fourteenth chapter of the Old Testament book of Genesis we find Abraham needing to engage in conflict, warfare and battle with certain kings who took Lot, his brother’s son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and then departed. It was true that Abram obeyed the voice of the Lord in leaving Ur of Chaldea, yet there would come a point in that “going” and “departing” when he would have to stand in a very specific place and engage enemy kings in conflict and battle. What’s more, is that consider how the descendants of Abraham—the children of Israel—weren’t merely instructed to go forth from the land of Egypt, but would eventually need to engage certain kings east of the Jordan, and then ultimately thirty-one kings on the other side of the Jordan. What do you do when standing requires you to engage in conflict and battle thirty-one different adversaries and enemies? What do you do when standing in the place of your inheritance requires you to engaged more enemies and adversaries than you even thought or imagined? There are far too many times when we do well with going, yet when it comes to “standing,” we seem to have an issue. On more than one occasion within the prophetic book of Jeremiah, the prophet was not only instructed to go, but also to go and stand. In essence, his ability and willingness to go was directly linked and connected to his willingness and ability to stand. WHEN GOING ISN’T ENOUGH! WHEN GOING DEMANDS STANDING! WHEN GOING REQUIRES STANDING!

I opened this particular with different references to Jeremiah being instructed to stand, and I then proceeded to ask the question—“Where are you called to stand?” WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN CALLED TO STAND? “Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand” (1 Corinthians 15:1). “Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quite you like men, be strong” (! Corinthians 16:13). “Not for that we have dominion over your faith, but are helpers of your joy: for by faith ye stand” (2 Corinthians 1:24). “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage” (Galatians 5:1). “Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil” (Ephesians 6:11). “Wherefore take unto you the whole armouf of God, that ye may be able to withstand, in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness” (Ephesians 6:13-14). “Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel” (Philippians 1:27). “Therefore, my brethren, dearly beloved and longed for, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, my dearly beloved” (Philippians 4:1). “Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, saluteth you, always labouring fervently for you in prayers, that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God” (Colossians 4:12). “For now we live, if ye stand fast in the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 3:8). “Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle” (2 Thessalonians 2:15). Pay close attention to each of these verses of Scripture, for each and every one of these verses—and most certainly a great many more—deal directly with our need to stand. We have been called to stand firm, stand steadfast, stand in faith, stand against the wiles of the devil, standing fast in one spirit, tc. These verses point to the incredible reality that we have been called to stand, and to stand in a very specific place. I wrote and mentioned our standing in the place we have been sent, but I would also declare that just as important as standing in the place we have been sent is standing in the place we have been called to remain. I am thoroughly convinced the Lord has a very specific place He desires each and every one of us to stand in the place where we are at this present moment in time. STANDING IN THE PLACE YOU HAVE BEEN SENT! STANDING IN THE PLACE YOU HAVE BEEN CALLED TO REMAIN!

In the opening verse of this passage of Scripture in the prophetic book of Jeremiah we find the prophet being instructed to stand in the court of the Lord’s house, and to speak unto all the cities of Judah, which come to worship in the Lord’s house. BEFORE YOU WORSHIP, MAY I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION? BEFORE YOU SACRIFICE, MAY I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION? BEFORE YOU PRESENT YOUR OFFERINGS, MAY I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION? BEFORE YOU WORSHIP, THERE IS SOMETHING I HAVE TO SPEAK TO YOU! BEFORE YOU WORSHIP, THERE IS SOMETHING WE NEED TO SPEAK ABOUT! The prophet Jeremiah was instructed to stand in the court of the Lord’s house, and to speak unto all the cities of Judah, for it was in that place where he would speak to all those which came to worship in the Lord’s house. YOU THOUGHT YOU WERE SIMPLY COMING TO WORSHIP, BUT THERE IS SOMETHING I DESIRE TO SPEAK TO YOU! WORSHIP WITHOUT CONFRONTATION! WORSHIP APART FROM CONFRONTATION! If there is one thing this passage reveals to me, it’s that worship doesn’t automatically exclude us from being confronted by the word of God and the word of the Lord. Tell me dear brother, tell me dear sister—do you come to the house of the Lord simply to worship, or do you come to the house of the Lord to be confronted? The problem with many who enter into the Lord’s house today is that they desire to worship without experiencing any confrontation. I know that this reality is even true of my own life, and has been true on many occasions within my life. I have had no problem or issue with coming into the house of the Lord to worship Him, yet I desire such to be absent, free from, and without confrontation. The simple fact that Jeremiah was called to stand in the courts of the Lord meant that in the place of sacrifice, in the place of worship, in the place of offering, the Lord desired to confront and deal with His people. To give you an idea of what this looks like, and perhaps even sounds like, let’s turn our attention to the first chapter of the prophetic book of Isaiah—“Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil; learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow. Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool” (Isaiah 1:16-18). What adds so much more weight and meaning to these words is that the Lord had just spent five or six verses declaring unto them that their worship, their sacrifices, their assemblies, their offerings were utterly and completely worthless in His sight and in His presence. The fact that Jeremiah was instructed to stand in the court of the Lord’s house meant and suggested that the Lord of hosts desired to confront all those that would come to worship in the Lord’s house.

WHEN PROPHETS STAND IN THE GATE! WHEN PROPHETS STAND IN THE COURT! I can’t help but wonder if there were even men and women who grew angry with Jeremiah’s presence in the courts of the Lord, for they didn’t come to the Lord’s house to be confronted with the word of the Lord, but to worship Him at the altar. In fact, this passage proves and reveals that many of those who came to the house of the Lord had absolutely no desire to hear, listen to, or even be confronted by the word of the Lord, for they desired worship without confrontation; they desired worship without incident; they desired worship without altercation. If you read this chapter you will find that the prophets and priests alike sought to put Jeremiah to death, and to completely destroy and remove him from the face of the earth. DON’T YOU KNOW WE DIDN’T COME TO THE HOUSE OF THE LORD TO BE CONFRONTED? DON’T YOU KNOW WE DIDN’T COME TO THE HOUSE OF THE LORD TO HEAR THE WORD OF THE LORD? DON’T YOU KNOW YOUR WORDS ARE INTERFERING WITH OUR WORSHIP? WHEN THE WORD OF THE LORD INTERRUPTS OUR WORSHIP! WHEN THE WORD OF THE LORD INTERFERES WITH OUR WORSHIP! The fact that Jeremiah stood in the court of the house of the Lord suggests that the Lord was more concerned with confrontation than He was with sacrifice and offering. Oh, how many times within our own lives is the Lord more concerned with confrontation than He is with worship and sacrifice? We come to the house of the Lord expecting and believing the Lord desires and requires our worship when in all reality, that which He really and that which He ultimately desires is to reason together with us. Most men and women don’t enter into, or come into the house of the Lord to sit down and reason together with the Lord. Most men enter the house of the Lord to bring their offerings and sacrifices unto the Lord, yet they have absolutely no desire to be confronted with the word of the Lord. CAN’T I JUST WORSHIP AND LEAVE? CAN’T I JUST WORSHIP WITHOUT ACCOUNTABILITY? CAN’T I JUST WORSHIP WITHOUT A RECKONING? CAN’T I JUST WORSHIP WITHOUT A TAKING INTO ACCOUNT? How many times have we entered the house of the Lord, and the minute we discover He desires to speak to us before we worship, we balk at the very thought. What would happen if before we even began worshipping in our services we had a time of confrontation between ourselves and the Lord? What would happen if we didn’t save the altar call for the very end of the service, but actually held it at the beginning? What if before we worshipped we had a little talk with the Lord and allowed Him to speak to us? What if before we approached the altar we dealt with the Lord in the courts? What if before we approached the altar the Lord dealt with us in the courts? Oh that the Lord would be able to lay hold of us, deal with us, and even confront us in the courts before we even reach the altar? Tell me—what good is reaching the altar to present our sacrifices if the Lord desires to confront and hold us accountable? What if the real work takes place between the gate and the altar—in the place of the courts? What if the real work came in the courts of the Lord before we even came to the altar, and before we even present our offerings unto the Lord of hosts? This passage brings us face to face with the fact that worship without, and worship apart from accountability and confrontation is utterly useless, worthless and futile. In fact, I would dare say that if the Lord is unable to deal with and confront you before you approach the altar, than any worship you think you bring to Him can and will be in vain. Oh that we would learn to encounter the Spirit of the Lord between the gate and the altar and not just wait until we get to and approach the altar. Let us not think we can experience worship without and worship absent confrontation and accountability. Let us this day have ears to hear that which the Spirit desires to speak to us in this generation in these Last Days.