In Exodus 25:31 and 36 we notice three descriptions about the golden candlestick. It was made of:
1. Pure gold.
2. Beaten gold.
3. Solid gold (made of the same piece of gold).
1. PURE GOLD
We can give praise to our Father God that His Son, Jesus Christ is pure gold.
Gold in Scripture speaks of heaven.
Revelation 21:18: “And the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass.”
Revelation 21:21: “And the street of the city was pure gold as it were transparent glass.”
Pure gold means that there is no impurity, e.g. no tin, iron, clay, or any other foreign substance at all.
1 John 1:5: “God is light and in him is no darkness at all.” The pure light of God can only come on a pure golden candlestick. Anything less than pure is not worthy of His light.
Jesus Christ is the great light of the world (Matthew 4:16) and is in the midst of the seven-branched candlestick.
John’s testimony in Revelation 1:12, 13 says: “And I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.”
We ask the question: how is it that the candlestick was pure gold and yet the seven churches of Asia, which Jesus called the seven branches of the candlestick, were in many cases anything but pure? The answer is found in each of the church’s relationship with Jesus Christ. We are being made pure and accounted as pure gold because of what Jesus is and has already credited to us.
As the priests worked in the tabernacle to dress and trim the lamps morning and evening to keep them pure and clean, so our High Priest, Jesus Christ purifies us by His Holy Spirit morning and evening. He is pure and holy and therefore day by day sanctifying us. We must work with Him and by faith yield ourselves to the refining, purifying work of His Spirit in our lives. If we do not, we are in danger of having our candlestick removed.
Revelation 2:5: “Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent."
Be encouraged.
Colin Campbell
We are now going to look at the fourth golden ministry we read about in God’s Word.
It is true that we can give without loving, but we cannot love without giving. John 3:16 says: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
What gifts of speech a man may own,
I once heard a prophetic utterance as I was about to return home from a men’s conference. The message came forth that the heavens are weeping over our nation’s children who are crying themselves to sleep because they have no fathers to answer their questions.
Men, one of the greatest responsibilities of good fatherhood is to be available to your children as much as possible. All children need the godly, stabilizing input and influence of their fathers, some more than others.
Proverbs 31:10 (AMP) states that the virtuous woman is “Far more precious than jewels and her value is far above rubies or pearls.” Expensive jewelry is kept in a safe place where it is protected from thieves and destroyers, such as the Crown Jewels.
When your heart is turned toward your children, you will find yourself smiling at them more. A loving smile does wonders, even when a child does not deserve it. A smile of agreement and approval always gives encouragement. A knowing smile gives comfort and assurance to a child who needs to overcome insecurity and uncertainty.
Many Christians who say they believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God fail to realize that God's first mandate for all husbands and wives to be fruitful and multiply. It is just as important today as it was to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.
Men, if we have no zeal, we are like gasoline without octane. What man wants to drive a car that has no "get up and go"? Come on! Sluggishness is something we men cannot stand when it comes to driving cars or working any kind of machinery, including computers.
The very first mandate God gave to the husband and wife was: “Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth” (Genesis 1:28).
STRONG HOMES MAKE STRONG CHURCHES!
Now is NOT the time for coffee and tea gatherings or prayer breakfasts where we do more talking and breakfasting than praying. Now is not the time for levity, laughing, joking, and telling funny stories.
It takes men of backbone to speak the truth. Men who are wishbones wish that things were better. They wish they had the prosperity of past years. They wish God would answer their feeble prayers. They wish that someone else would speak up for them. But they themselves will not lift a finger or a toe to make a solid stand for truth. IT'S HIGH TIME FOR MEN WITH REAL BACKBONE TO SPEAK UP FOR TRUTH.
God looks for men who will deny themselves the easy road, especially if the easy road includes the lusts of the flesh and yielding to temptations. Everything is acceptable on the easy road, as long as it makes you feel good and requires no moral resistance.
God looks for men who will stand out from the crowd--men who will not be crowd lovers, crowd blenders, crowd pleasers, or crowd followers, but men who will dare to be different (2 Chronicles 16:9).
One of the great acts of courage in the Bible (and of course there are many) was displayed by Jonathan, King Saul's son in 1 Samuel, chapters 13-14. The Bible is full of courageous acts.
Men who do not have "spark" are bland and boring. Their eyes are dull and lifeless. They have no oomph in their personality or spring in their step.
Men, if we are going to be men of courage, we must speak up for what's right when the opportunity presents itself. If you have any truth in you, for goodness sake, SAY IT! Do not hide truth behind closed doors. Edmund Burke wrote, "All it takes for evil to flourish is for good men to do nothing."
The nation needs men who will not compromise their moral values, even under extreme pressure. It needs men who will not compromise truth, even if it financially advantages them to do so. Some men will say anything to get what they want, whether in marriage, promotion, election to public office, or government hand-outs.