Then Shall the Sanctuary Be Cleansed - Donald K. Short
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here that Christ, who "came in <strong>the</strong> flesh," did not<br />
yield to <strong>the</strong> temptation of rendering worship to<br />
"self" but proclaimed that all should "worship <strong>the</strong><br />
Lord thy God" (Mat<strong>the</strong>w 4:10). It was here that<br />
Christ in a very special way began to prove to<br />
humanity that sin could be overcome by God's<br />
word, if man was willing to live by faith. Jesus<br />
knew whereof He spoke when He called man to<br />
repent of serving "self" and <strong>the</strong> desire to have<br />
God's place. He had had that very place but<br />
considered that "to be equal with God" was not<br />
something to covet or grasp or hold on to<br />
(Phillipians 2:6). He was susceptible to conviction<br />
and had a willingness to face <strong>the</strong> selfishness of <strong>the</strong><br />
soul as evidenced in Gethsemane. In this way <strong>the</strong><br />
supreme law of <strong>the</strong> universe was proved valid. God<br />
was not party to a detour around <strong>the</strong> cross.<br />
But Christ's call for repentance went unheeded.<br />
Man had to prove to himself <strong>the</strong> root of his sin, his<br />
desire to take God's place, his will to kill Him. And<br />
so at Calvary <strong>the</strong> evidence was established for<br />
eternity. This is <strong>the</strong> sin facing <strong>the</strong> church and<br />
calling for repentance. This is <strong>the</strong> hidden source of<br />
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