The Holy of Holies Is Reserved for One Relationship

Sermon outline

Every relationship flows from the one with God, so get that right, know yourself, put your energy into the relationships that add to you, and, as parents, guard and train your children while they are young.

1. The first relationship to get right is with God

   Pastor Thamie reads that God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting people's sins against them. God is so interested in relationship that He sent Jesus to be the bridge between man and Himself. Whether you are an introvert or an extrovert, at school, at home or at work, you deal with people every day, so learning relationships is worth any price.

   “The first relationship that you need to master, get a relationship right with the Lord.”

   • 2 Corinthians 5:19

2. The outer court, the inner court and the Holy of Holies

   Pastor Wesley says our first relationship is with mother and father, and it grows into extended family, church, school and the workplace. Like the tabernacle, there are relationships by association in the outer court, the relationships we grow through life in the inner court, and the Holy of Holies, the most intimate place, which is reserved for God. A husband and wife may come close to it, but God is the ultimate relationship.

   Illustration: The three courts of the tabernacle as a picture of three depths of relationship.

   “The Holy of Holies is really the most intimate form of relationship, and that's really reserved for God.”

3. The home you grew up in, and why it is not your fault

   Pastor Wesley describes three homes: a loving home with both parents, which gives a model for your own marriage; an abusive home, which leaves an obscured picture of life; and a home with one loving parent, which can make you more independent in relationships. Whatever the home, we were made to love, be loved and be accepted. Pastor Thamie adds that God said it is not good for man to be alone, and tells young people that their parents' fighting or divorce is not their fault. If family did not give you love, there is still God and the body of Christ.

   “At the end of the day, we all want to love, we all want to be loved. We all want to be accepted.”

   • Genesis 2:18

4. Reconciliation: the lost child brought home

   What you grew up with does not have to be the base of your future relationships. Between the beginning and the end of your life there is you and there is God, and in Him you can establish a new way of living. Pastor Thamie says success needs redefining, because a man with a nice car and suit may not be able to keep his own family together.

   Illustration: A child gets lost from a playground and wanders into the bush with no food or water. The parent searches without sleeping or eating, at any cost, and when the child is found, carries him home, bathes him, feeds him, puts him to bed and tells him he is loved and safe. That is reconciliation: God sent His Son, washed us in the blood of Jesus and gave us the Holy Spirit.

   “That is what reconciliation is.”

5. Know yourself before you give yourself

   If you do not know what you like and dislike, what you stand for and what you will not tolerate, how can you judge a relationship? Spend time alone, where God can speak to you. Once you know your value system, you will recognise who you can be friends with and who brings junk. Pastor Thamie adds that those who follow the crowd are usually people who do not know who they are.

   “If you stand for nothing, then you'll fall for everything.”

6. Flip the 80 and the 20

   Love and relationship are unlimited resources, but each of us is limited, so be careful where you put your energy. Most people pour eighty per cent into problem relationships, the friend who constantly needs affirmation and gossip, and give twenty per cent to the good ones, like mom and dad. Flip it. Pastor Thamie adds that people add, subtract, divide or multiply, and that a friend who is not popular but wants the best for you is worth keeping.

   Illustration: As we get older, 'How was school?' gets the answer 'fine', and we miss the wealth of wisdom our parents have to give.

   “Love is an unlimited resource, and so is relationships an unlimited resource. But we as an individual are a limited resource.”

7. Parents, guard your children

   Children of eight, ten and twelve are being pushed towards boyfriends and girlfriends when they should be focused on home and studies. Parents have one chance while children are impressionable: train them, correct them and instil godly principles, as other faiths teach their children from the age of three. Telling sons to sow their wild oats devalues somebody else's daughter and teaches a boy to be a bad husband. Pastor Thamie says the responsibility lies with the parents, not the church or the school, including knowing what is on their children's phones.

   “Guard your children. Guard them. Don't let them run wild.”

   • Proverbs 22:6

In this message