WEBVTT 00:00:00.140 --> 00:00:03.740 The chapters for today or the verses for today 00:00:03.740 --> 00:00:13.460 is verses 16 and verse 17. 1 Corinthians 3 verse 00:00:13.460 --> 00:00:20.739 16 and 17. Do you not know that you are the temple 00:00:20.739 --> 00:00:25.440 of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? 00:00:26.100 --> 00:00:29.579 If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will 00:00:29.579 --> 00:00:33.880 destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which 00:00:33.880 --> 00:00:38.340 temple you are. Let's bow before the Lord and 00:00:38.340 --> 00:00:42.000 ask for his grace to be with us and the illumination 00:00:42.000 --> 00:00:44.840 of the Spirit. We pray, Father, today that you 00:00:44.840 --> 00:00:47.899 would be with us as we look into this word. We 00:00:47.899 --> 00:00:50.579 ask, O Lord, that you would give us the right 00:00:50.579 --> 00:00:53.460 words to say, that you would help us, Lord, to 00:00:53.460 --> 00:00:55.679 expound this passage in the way that it ought 00:00:55.679 --> 00:00:58.869 to be. Lord this is a wonderful passage we pray 00:00:58.869 --> 00:01:01.350 that you would open it up to us from your word 00:01:01.350 --> 00:01:04.510 for your word speaks life to us Lord and so we 00:01:04.510 --> 00:01:07.349 pray that you would breathe life to all of this 00:01:07.349 --> 00:01:10.349 congregation Lord through your word as it is 00:01:10.349 --> 00:01:13.530 read and preached even now Lord we thank you 00:01:13.530 --> 00:01:16.390 for this opportunity and we ask Lord that the 00:01:16.390 --> 00:01:18.469 words of our mouth might be pleasing in your 00:01:18.469 --> 00:01:26.409 sight we pray this in Jesus name amen You are 00:01:26.409 --> 00:01:32.750 the temple of God and the Spirit of God dwells 00:01:32.750 --> 00:01:37.549 in you With these startling words Paul switches 00:01:37.549 --> 00:01:40.129 from writing in third person about the minister 00:01:40.129 --> 00:01:44.269 of God in verses 1 through 14 And he speaks directly 00:01:44.269 --> 00:01:48.370 to the Corinthian Church the word you hear is 00:01:48.370 --> 00:01:52.450 The similar to our word y 'all is you all you 00:01:52.450 --> 00:01:56.329 plural? It is to the Corinthian Church and thus 00:01:56.329 --> 00:02:01.290 it is to us as we have been given the word of 00:02:01.290 --> 00:02:05.430 God. He declares to them that they, the corporate 00:02:05.430 --> 00:02:11.090 body of believers, are a building, a temple wherein 00:02:11.090 --> 00:02:14.610 God dwells and is worshiped. The temple that 00:02:14.610 --> 00:02:18.819 he speaks of, is a garden temple. Remember just 00:02:18.819 --> 00:02:21.620 a few verses before he said, you are God's field, 00:02:22.039 --> 00:02:25.719 you are God's building. It is reminiscent of 00:02:25.719 --> 00:02:29.280 the Garden of Eden and of Solomon's temple, which 00:02:29.280 --> 00:02:33.860 included gardens as well. But Paul has something 00:02:33.860 --> 00:02:37.460 even much more glorious in mind. Remember how 00:02:37.460 --> 00:02:40.580 Jesus spoke of the wisdom of Solomon, but then 00:02:40.580 --> 00:02:43.500 he said, indeed a greater than Solomon is here, 00:02:43.680 --> 00:02:48.120 Luke 11 verse 31. And so indeed here again, something 00:02:48.120 --> 00:02:50.979 greater is here. So that we want to look not 00:02:50.979 --> 00:02:53.740 only at this passage, but at others in the Old 00:02:53.740 --> 00:02:56.539 Testament and New Testament that will help us 00:02:56.539 --> 00:03:01.240 to understand the glory, the majesty, the holiness, 00:03:01.800 --> 00:03:07.919 and the grandeur of this temple of God. But first, 00:03:08.199 --> 00:03:11.319 what is a temple? There are various words used 00:03:11.319 --> 00:03:14.379 in the Bible to refer to a temple, such as the 00:03:14.379 --> 00:03:20.020 word sanctuary, or the holy place, or the tabernacle, 00:03:20.120 --> 00:03:24.520 which was a transportable temple, and the dwelling 00:03:24.520 --> 00:03:28.460 place of God. After the crossing of the Red Sea, 00:03:28.840 --> 00:03:31.159 the escape from Egypt, and the destruction of 00:03:31.159 --> 00:03:33.979 Pharaoh and his armies, the song of Moses is 00:03:33.979 --> 00:03:37.159 sung with praises for God's salvation and deliverance, 00:03:37.159 --> 00:03:40.740 and they sing, verse 17 and 18 of Exodus 15, 00:03:41.039 --> 00:03:44.000 you will bring them in and plant them in the 00:03:44.000 --> 00:03:48.099 mountain of your inheritance in the place, O 00:03:48.099 --> 00:03:52.599 Lord, which you have made for your own dwelling, 00:03:53.199 --> 00:03:57.120 the sanctuary, O Lord, with your hands have established. 00:03:57.310 --> 00:04:00.689 the Lord shall reign forever and ever. Now God 00:04:00.689 --> 00:04:04.289 gives much greater detail in Exodus 29 verse 00:04:04.289 --> 00:04:08.169 43 as he speaks about the tabernacle of meeting 00:04:08.169 --> 00:04:14.030 and the altar. He says, there I will meet with 00:04:14.030 --> 00:04:18.029 the children of Israel and the tabernacle shall 00:04:18.029 --> 00:04:22.240 be sanctified by my glory. So I will consecrate 00:04:22.240 --> 00:04:24.579 the tabernacle of meaning in the altar and I 00:04:24.579 --> 00:04:27.180 will consecrate both Aaron and his sons to minister 00:04:27.180 --> 00:04:30.860 to me as priests. I will dwell among the children 00:04:30.860 --> 00:04:35.160 of Israel and will be their God. So we see again 00:04:35.160 --> 00:04:38.399 that this temple and this tabernacle was a dwelling 00:04:38.399 --> 00:04:42.319 place of God where God meets with his people. 00:04:43.699 --> 00:04:47.680 A temple then is this place. It's a place where 00:04:47.680 --> 00:04:50.879 God dwells. It's a place filled with his glory 00:04:50.879 --> 00:04:54.079 and with his spirit. It's a place where the people 00:04:54.079 --> 00:04:57.939 of God worship him and where God speaks to them 00:04:57.939 --> 00:05:03.600 and he blesses them. Now after the fall, sacrifices 00:05:03.600 --> 00:05:08.759 are offered at this temple as well in order to 00:05:08.759 --> 00:05:11.459 purify the people so that they can meet with 00:05:11.459 --> 00:05:16.959 God. In this full sense, the Garden of Eden and 00:05:16.959 --> 00:05:22.149 Adam are both types of a temple. Before the fall, 00:05:22.589 --> 00:05:25.370 God creates the heavens and earth as a sacred 00:05:25.370 --> 00:05:29.709 place where He rests and He rules. The Garden 00:05:29.709 --> 00:05:33.329 of Eden in that sense functions as the original 00:05:33.329 --> 00:05:38.470 sanctuary. God walks there. Genesis 3 verse 8. 00:05:38.730 --> 00:05:42.680 He is present there. The garden has an eastward 00:05:42.680 --> 00:05:44.939 orientation and there are rivers flowing out 00:05:44.939 --> 00:05:47.899 and precious stones and trees and a priestly 00:05:47.899 --> 00:05:51.420 role for Adam He is to serve God there and to 00:05:51.420 --> 00:05:55.100 tend and keep the garden Tending by the way that 00:05:55.100 --> 00:05:58.279 word for in Genesis 2 for tending serving and 00:05:58.279 --> 00:06:01.240 keeping are the same verbs that are used for 00:06:01.240 --> 00:06:05.500 priests in the Tabernacle and temple later on 00:06:05.500 --> 00:06:10.420 in the Old Testament Now Adam as well in one 00:06:10.420 --> 00:06:16.000 sense is a temple because in him God forms him 00:06:16.000 --> 00:06:18.699 from the dust of the earth and then what does 00:06:18.699 --> 00:06:23.060 he do? He fills him with the breath of life and 00:06:23.060 --> 00:06:26.040 that word breath is like spirit. He and spirits 00:06:26.040 --> 00:06:29.639 him in this way. He fills him with the breath. 00:06:29.709 --> 00:06:34.269 life and man becomes a living soul and then the 00:06:34.269 --> 00:06:36.810 Lord God comes walking in the garden of the cool 00:06:36.810 --> 00:06:39.430 of the day and what does he do he wants to have 00:06:39.430 --> 00:06:43.750 fellowship with Adam and Eve but after Eve is 00:06:43.750 --> 00:06:46.629 deceived and Adam rebels against the commandment 00:06:46.629 --> 00:06:49.069 of the Lord that fellowship is broken and they 00:06:49.069 --> 00:06:53.240 hide from God And then, as Jeff Taylor puts it, 00:06:53.519 --> 00:06:56.560 the fall is actually a detempling. It is the 00:06:56.560 --> 00:06:59.839 withdrawal of the glory presence of God, and 00:06:59.839 --> 00:07:04.420 it is the collapse of the first sanctuary. The 00:07:04.420 --> 00:07:07.420 temple of God is corrupted. The presence of God 00:07:07.420 --> 00:07:10.800 departs, and man dies a spiritual death, and 00:07:10.800 --> 00:07:14.800 he is expelled from the garden. While the details 00:07:14.800 --> 00:07:17.300 are not recorded during this pre -Sinai time, 00:07:17.500 --> 00:07:21.720 God does instruct them on how to make sacrifices 00:07:21.720 --> 00:07:25.240 and he delineates between right sacrifices and 00:07:25.240 --> 00:07:29.500 wrong sacrifices which we see with Cain and Abel 00:07:29.500 --> 00:07:32.959 where Cain's sacrifice was not acceptable to 00:07:32.959 --> 00:07:38.810 God and Abel's was. He gives them the wisdom 00:07:38.810 --> 00:07:43.730 to do so in light of the fall. He makes provision 00:07:43.730 --> 00:07:46.430 for sin so that man could walk with God again 00:07:46.430 --> 00:07:49.029 and men begin to call him the name of the Lord. 00:07:49.430 --> 00:07:52.990 Enoch walks with God and Noah finds grace in 00:07:52.990 --> 00:07:55.509 the eyes of the Lord. But it is not until the 00:07:55.509 --> 00:07:58.889 children of Israel, this is almost 2 ,000, 2 00:07:58.889 --> 00:08:01.410 ,500 years later. It is not until the children 00:08:01.410 --> 00:08:05.660 of Israel are led from Egypt. They are then baptized 00:08:05.660 --> 00:08:09.560 in the Red Sea and they come to Mount Sinai where 00:08:09.560 --> 00:08:12.560 we then see the plans revealed to Moses for a 00:08:12.560 --> 00:08:14.740 corporate place of worship, of the worship of 00:08:14.740 --> 00:08:18.220 God. A place where God dwells that is filled 00:08:18.220 --> 00:08:22.300 with the glory cloud again, his spirit, and where 00:08:22.300 --> 00:08:25.079 priests are called to minister. The first is 00:08:25.079 --> 00:08:28.759 a tabernacle. As I mentioned, a portable sanctuary. 00:08:29.149 --> 00:08:31.769 so that he could dwell among his people again. 00:08:32.070 --> 00:08:34.769 And then that tabernacle exists for a number 00:08:34.769 --> 00:08:38.230 of years, actually a good number of years, until 00:08:38.230 --> 00:08:42.110 finally David's son Solomon is given permission 00:08:42.110 --> 00:08:46.529 to build the temple. It has a holy place and 00:08:46.529 --> 00:08:48.710 the most holy place, which they are a perfect 00:08:48.710 --> 00:08:51.649 cube where God's glory dwells above the ark. 00:08:51.809 --> 00:08:55.649 And the purposes are atonement sacrifices. God's 00:08:55.649 --> 00:08:58.009 presence is seen in the Shekinah glory cloud 00:08:58.009 --> 00:09:01.519 that fills it. We see that in Exodus 40 verse 00:09:01.519 --> 00:09:05.320 34 and 35. And there is a covenant relationship 00:09:05.320 --> 00:09:08.019 between God and his people where they worship 00:09:08.019 --> 00:09:11.340 him and receive forgiveness and blessings and 00:09:11.340 --> 00:09:14.779 food. Hear these words from Exodus 40 verse 34. 00:09:15.379 --> 00:09:18.659 Then the cloud covered the tabernacle of meeting 00:09:18.659 --> 00:09:22.759 and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. 00:09:23.139 --> 00:09:26.309 And Moses. was not able to enter the tabernacle 00:09:26.309 --> 00:09:29.769 of meeting because the cloud rested upon it and 00:09:29.769 --> 00:09:33.210 the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. 00:09:34.409 --> 00:09:38.070 Same type of experience we again see when the 00:09:38.070 --> 00:09:41.330 temple was dedicated in second Chronicles 5 verse 00:09:41.330 --> 00:09:44.350 13 and 14 There was so much music and there was 00:09:44.350 --> 00:09:46.370 singing and there were singers and there was 00:09:46.370 --> 00:09:49.289 priests and the glory of the Lord came down on 00:09:49.289 --> 00:09:52.570 it and the sacrifice was lit by the fire from 00:09:52.570 --> 00:09:56.350 the Lord and The the place was so filled with 00:09:56.350 --> 00:09:58.669 the glory of the Lord that the priests were not 00:09:58.669 --> 00:10:05.519 able to minister in that temple Now As I said 00:10:05.519 --> 00:10:12.659 two weeks ago, Paul in this passage is depicting 00:10:12.659 --> 00:10:16.240 the Corinthian church and all Christian churches 00:10:16.240 --> 00:10:23.000 as a part of this end time temple. The temples 00:10:23.000 --> 00:10:27.350 that were built back then were destroyed. And 00:10:27.350 --> 00:10:30.529 so what does God do? Does he raise up another 00:10:30.529 --> 00:10:34.190 building in a particular location after he destroys 00:10:34.190 --> 00:10:39.889 the temple? No, he does not. Instead, the Christian 00:10:39.889 --> 00:10:44.649 church gathering together in congregations is 00:10:44.649 --> 00:10:48.250 the new temple, which is why he looks to them 00:10:48.250 --> 00:10:51.429 and he speaks directly and he says, y 'all are 00:10:51.429 --> 00:10:57.940 this temple. You are this. temple of the Lord. 00:10:59.179 --> 00:11:05.179 And the Spirit of God dwells within you. This 00:11:05.179 --> 00:11:07.639 is that which was prophesied in Malachi chapter 00:11:07.639 --> 00:11:11.320 1 and verse 11. For from the rising of the sun, 00:11:11.720 --> 00:11:15.460 even to its going down, my name shall be great 00:11:15.460 --> 00:11:19.200 among the Gentiles. In every place incense shall 00:11:19.200 --> 00:11:22.799 be offered to my name, and a pure offering for 00:11:22.799 --> 00:11:27.149 my name. shall be great among the nations, says 00:11:27.149 --> 00:11:30.570 the Lord of hosts. This is the temple described 00:11:30.570 --> 00:11:34.970 in the latter part of the book of Ezekiel, where 00:11:34.970 --> 00:11:39.330 in chapter 47, the water flows out from underneath 00:11:39.330 --> 00:11:41.830 the threshold of the temple toward the east, 00:11:42.210 --> 00:11:46.450 and those waters bring healing, not just to the 00:11:46.450 --> 00:11:49.549 immediate land, not just to the immediate people, 00:11:49.950 --> 00:11:55.019 but to all the nations. of the earth this is 00:11:55.019 --> 00:11:59.039 that temple having laid this foundation then 00:11:59.039 --> 00:12:02.080 for understanding the context of this incredible 00:12:02.080 --> 00:12:05.399 statement now let's look at the at each aspect 00:12:05.399 --> 00:12:09.240 of these verses number one do you know that you 00:12:09.240 --> 00:12:13.100 are the temple of do you not know that you are 00:12:13.100 --> 00:12:15.200 the temple of god and that the spirit of god 00:12:15.200 --> 00:12:18.950 dwells in you Secondly, if anyone defiles the 00:12:18.950 --> 00:12:22.590 temple of God, God will destroy him. And thirdly, 00:12:22.850 --> 00:12:26.629 for the temple of God is holy, which temple you 00:12:26.629 --> 00:12:30.610 are. So first of all, the church is God's temple 00:12:30.610 --> 00:12:36.269 because the Holy Spirit now dwells in it. Verse 00:12:36.269 --> 00:12:40.740 16. Ezekiel again prophesied of a time... that 00:12:40.740 --> 00:12:45.759 would come when God would put His Spirit in His 00:12:45.759 --> 00:12:49.759 people and that His Spirit would dwell with them. 00:12:50.200 --> 00:13:10.850 Hear the prophecy from Ezekiel 36 verse 25. I 00:13:10.850 --> 00:13:13.570 will put my spirit within you and cause you to 00:13:13.570 --> 00:13:16.710 walk in my statutes, and you shall keep my judgments 00:13:16.710 --> 00:13:19.529 and do them. Then you shall dwell in the land 00:13:19.529 --> 00:13:21.970 that I gave to your fathers. You shall be my 00:13:21.970 --> 00:13:26.610 people and I will be your God." This was prophesied 00:13:26.610 --> 00:13:29.350 by various prophets throughout all of the Old 00:13:29.350 --> 00:13:32.429 Testament. And now Paul says, this is happening. 00:13:32.649 --> 00:13:37.409 This is it right now. This is your experience. 00:13:37.990 --> 00:13:42.490 This is a reality. for you in the Christian church. 00:13:43.129 --> 00:13:46.090 Now it's prophesied in many places also. The 00:13:46.090 --> 00:13:49.009 Gentiles would be brought into the church and 00:13:49.009 --> 00:13:52.529 become part of God's people. Gentiles were the 00:13:52.529 --> 00:13:55.649 non -Jews. Sometimes they're called Greeks, but 00:13:55.649 --> 00:13:58.289 other times Gentiles, and that is spread over 00:13:58.289 --> 00:14:01.389 through all of the world, all of those who were 00:14:01.389 --> 00:14:05.950 not God's chosen people, the Jews, God's chosen 00:14:05.950 --> 00:14:10.509 people at that time. Now this happened this happened 00:14:10.509 --> 00:14:13.690 as many Jews and all of the Jewish leadership 00:14:13.690 --> 00:14:17.289 Rejected Christ when Christ was on earth They 00:14:17.289 --> 00:14:21.429 put him to death and all the walls though with 00:14:21.429 --> 00:14:25.070 the death of Christ All the walls between Jew 00:14:25.070 --> 00:14:29.789 and Gentile are then swept away There is now 00:14:29.789 --> 00:14:34.250 a new people of God and this new people of God 00:14:34.250 --> 00:14:39.450 consists of both Jew Gentile. We see this in 00:14:39.450 --> 00:14:42.149 Ephesians chapter 2 when Paul expounds on it 00:14:42.149 --> 00:14:45.250 wonderfully. Therefore remember he says that 00:14:45.250 --> 00:14:47.970 you once Gentiles in the flesh who are called 00:14:47.970 --> 00:14:51.350 uncircumcision by what is called the circumcision 00:14:51.350 --> 00:14:54.149 made in the flesh by hands that at that time 00:14:54.149 --> 00:14:57.570 you were without Christ being aliens from the 00:14:57.570 --> 00:15:00.049 Commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the 00:15:00.049 --> 00:15:03.210 covenants of promise having no hope without God 00:15:03.210 --> 00:15:07.009 in the world. But now in Christ Jesus, you who 00:15:07.009 --> 00:15:10.649 were once were far off have been brought near 00:15:10.649 --> 00:15:15.679 by the blood. Christ for he himself is our peace 00:15:15.679 --> 00:15:19.200 he has made both one and has broken down the 00:15:19.200 --> 00:15:21.759 middle wall of separation having abolished in 00:15:21.759 --> 00:15:24.600 his flesh the enmity that is the law of commandments 00:15:24.600 --> 00:15:29.460 campaigned in ordinance so in ordinances so as 00:15:29.460 --> 00:15:34.659 to create in himself one new man from the two 00:15:34.659 --> 00:15:37.600 thus making peace and that he might reconcile 00:15:37.600 --> 00:15:40.940 them both to God in one body through the cross 00:15:40.940 --> 00:15:45.799 there by putting to death the enmity this is 00:15:45.799 --> 00:15:49.820 descriptive of the new temple the new temple 00:15:49.820 --> 00:15:53.480 of God the spirit that once filled the physical 00:15:53.480 --> 00:15:57.480 tabernacle in the temple now dwells and fills 00:15:57.480 --> 00:16:01.659 the people of God and at the initiation of this 00:16:01.659 --> 00:16:05.139 on the day of Pentecost tongues of fire come 00:16:05.139 --> 00:16:08.940 and rest on the heads of those assembled as the 00:16:08.940 --> 00:16:12.279 Spirit comes. This is reminiscent and echoing 00:16:12.279 --> 00:16:15.960 the temple dedication where, as 2 Chronicles 00:16:15.960 --> 00:16:19.320 7 says, fire came down from heaven and consumed 00:16:19.320 --> 00:16:22.019 the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the 00:16:22.019 --> 00:16:25.200 glory of the Lord filled the temple. And so what 00:16:25.200 --> 00:16:28.139 do we see? We again see the fire, but this is, 00:16:28.139 --> 00:16:32.059 as it were, tongues of fire on everyone's head. 00:16:32.460 --> 00:16:36.279 Filling them with the spirit, cleansing them. 00:16:37.059 --> 00:16:40.200 Now Jesus himself is the cornerstone of this 00:16:40.200 --> 00:16:43.360 new temple. We see that in a number of places 00:16:43.360 --> 00:16:46.360 in the New Testament. At the cross, at the time 00:16:46.360 --> 00:16:49.259 of the cross, when Jesus died, there was a veil 00:16:49.259 --> 00:16:53.500 that separated the most holy place in the temple. 00:16:54.080 --> 00:16:56.759 Nobody could go into the holy place except the 00:16:56.759 --> 00:17:00.220 high priest once a year. But when Jesus died, 00:17:00.799 --> 00:17:06.200 this... veil actually tore apart. No man was 00:17:06.200 --> 00:17:08.220 there doing it. In fact, it couldn't be done 00:17:08.220 --> 00:17:10.819 in the way that it was woven. It was so tightly 00:17:10.819 --> 00:17:14.480 woven together. It could not just be pulled apart. 00:17:14.720 --> 00:17:18.099 And so rather here we see the power of God at 00:17:18.099 --> 00:17:23.180 work and that veil is torn asunder. And now all 00:17:23.180 --> 00:17:26.880 who are believers in Christ Jesus can go into 00:17:26.880 --> 00:17:32.099 the most holy presence. They become the temple 00:17:32.099 --> 00:17:36.880 instead of being barred from the most holy place. 00:17:37.440 --> 00:17:42.019 Indeed, we enter the holiest place of the temple 00:17:42.019 --> 00:17:46.859 boldly, Hebrews says, verse chapter 10. Therefore, 00:17:47.259 --> 00:17:52.259 brethren, having boldness to enter the holiest 00:17:52.259 --> 00:17:56.559 by the blood of Jesus. by a new and living way 00:17:56.559 --> 00:18:00.240 which he consecrated for us through the veil 00:18:00.240 --> 00:18:04.339 that is his flesh and having a high priest over 00:18:04.339 --> 00:18:10.839 the house of God let us let us draw near with 00:18:10.839 --> 00:18:14.380 a true heart in full assurance of faith having 00:18:14.380 --> 00:18:16.599 our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience 00:18:16.599 --> 00:18:21.160 and our bodies washed with pure water therefore 00:18:21.920 --> 00:18:25.319 The church, indwelt by the same spirit, becomes 00:18:25.319 --> 00:18:29.119 the new temple, as stated in our passage today. 00:18:29.900 --> 00:18:34.740 This is the new building, as stated in Ephesians 00:18:34.740 --> 00:18:39.500 2, verse 19 to 22, and indeed we are all living 00:18:39.500 --> 00:18:43.859 stones of this temple, 1 Peter chapter 2, verse 00:18:43.859 --> 00:18:48.420 4 and 5. Going to the Ephesians passage, he says, 00:18:48.799 --> 00:18:51.759 now therefore you are no longer strangers and 00:18:51.759 --> 00:18:54.339 foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints 00:18:54.339 --> 00:18:57.460 and members of the household of God, having been 00:18:57.460 --> 00:19:00.400 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, 00:19:01.119 --> 00:19:04.079 Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone 00:19:04.079 --> 00:19:08.259 in whom the whole building being fitted together 00:19:08.259 --> 00:19:13.059 grows into a holy temple in the Lord. in whom 00:19:13.059 --> 00:19:16.980 you also are being built together for a dwelling 00:19:16.980 --> 00:19:21.799 place of God in the Spirit. This is temple language. 00:19:22.559 --> 00:19:26.019 As throughout the whole Bible, God dwells with 00:19:26.019 --> 00:19:30.299 his people and his people love and worship him. 00:19:31.240 --> 00:19:34.099 Now we could go to the passage in Peter in first 00:19:34.099 --> 00:19:38.019 Peter 2 verse 1 and 10 This is this is just a 00:19:38.019 --> 00:19:40.960 glorious passage. We come to him as a living 00:19:40.960 --> 00:19:45.180 stone We are then as living stones being built 00:19:45.180 --> 00:19:48.339 up a spiritual house the holy priesthood to offer 00:19:48.339 --> 00:19:52.400 up spiritual sacrifices Acceptable to God through 00:19:52.400 --> 00:19:55.539 Jesus Christ. You are a chosen generation. You 00:19:55.539 --> 00:19:57.940 are a royal priesthood You are a holy nation. 00:19:58.099 --> 00:20:00.880 You are his own special people so that you might 00:20:00.839 --> 00:20:05.200 proclaim his praises. In the times past you were 00:20:05.200 --> 00:20:08.920 not the people of God but now you are the people 00:20:08.920 --> 00:20:13.119 of God. This is the passage in 1st Peter chapter 00:20:13.119 --> 00:20:17.440 2. Let us go and going back now to 1st Corinthians 00:20:17.440 --> 00:20:21.380 3. Let us take note of the context of this passage. 00:20:21.700 --> 00:20:24.759 What is the context in which Paul tells them 00:20:24.759 --> 00:20:26.819 that they are in the temple of the Lord? Well 00:20:26.819 --> 00:20:28.680 what was happening at the church in Corinth? 00:20:28.940 --> 00:20:32.099 What was Paul writing to them about just before 00:20:32.099 --> 00:20:35.319 he says they're the temple of God? There were 00:20:35.319 --> 00:20:39.460 factions, there was envy, there were strife, 00:20:39.559 --> 00:20:43.019 and there were divisions. Some of them were teaching 00:20:43.019 --> 00:20:47.039 the wisdom of the world instead of Jesus Christ 00:20:47.039 --> 00:20:51.700 and him crucified. For as the temple of the Lord 00:20:51.700 --> 00:20:55.099 is holy and the church is that temple, Then is 00:20:55.099 --> 00:20:57.400 what he's saying we should ought to live together 00:20:57.400 --> 00:21:00.400 and worship God with love for one another, with 00:21:00.400 --> 00:21:03.099 the unity of the Holy Spirit in the bond of the 00:21:03.099 --> 00:21:05.900 peace, in the bond of peace. And we should not, 00:21:06.019 --> 00:21:11.359 we must not succumb to dividing and devouring 00:21:11.359 --> 00:21:14.640 and biting each other and making factions and 00:21:14.640 --> 00:21:18.799 divisions among us. By their factions, they were 00:21:18.799 --> 00:21:22.059 corrupting and defiling the temple of God. And 00:21:22.059 --> 00:21:25.900 by our actions, we can do the same. So we must 00:21:25.900 --> 00:21:29.720 beware. We must be mindful. We are the temple 00:21:29.720 --> 00:21:34.460 of God. We cannot get into these kind of biting 00:21:34.460 --> 00:21:40.059 and devouring and envy and factions. That's the 00:21:40.059 --> 00:21:44.039 immediate context here. The temple of the Lord, 00:21:44.359 --> 00:21:47.259 Christ Church, must be maintained in a place 00:21:47.259 --> 00:21:54.170 of protection, of love, unity of worship and 00:21:54.170 --> 00:21:57.509 a biblical and godly order now the old temple 00:21:57.509 --> 00:22:00.349 was divided up amongst orders as ordained with 00:22:00.349 --> 00:22:03.569 God as ordained by God with each doing their 00:22:03.569 --> 00:22:06.170 own part and all together in the worship of God 00:22:06.170 --> 00:22:08.769 the families of the Levites were divided into 00:22:08.769 --> 00:22:12.369 different courses and with various responsibilities 00:22:12.369 --> 00:22:15.309 there was priests There were singers. There were 00:22:15.309 --> 00:22:18.049 those who handled the sacrifices and helped in 00:22:18.049 --> 00:22:20.009 the slaughter of the animals. There were those 00:22:20.009 --> 00:22:22.569 who baked the bread or handled the utensils. 00:22:22.990 --> 00:22:26.789 So also is God's temple today. And we should 00:22:26.789 --> 00:22:29.910 not be jealous one of another and not be divided 00:22:29.910 --> 00:22:33.289 into factions with one another, but we must recognize 00:22:33.289 --> 00:22:37.140 the various gifts. and the parts that God has 00:22:37.140 --> 00:22:40.839 given to us all and then live in peace together 00:22:40.839 --> 00:22:45.490 in a holy unity in the worship of God. The orders 00:22:45.490 --> 00:22:49.430 for this new temple are set forth in various 00:22:49.430 --> 00:22:51.450 books of the New Testament. We've already looked 00:22:51.450 --> 00:22:53.529 at some of them. We're going to be looking a 00:22:53.529 --> 00:22:55.849 lot more as we go through the book of 1st Corinthians. 00:22:56.390 --> 00:22:59.430 But God sets up leaders. God gives gifts that 00:22:59.430 --> 00:23:01.650 are distributed to many different ones among 00:23:01.650 --> 00:23:04.829 the saints. And all of these gifts in this order 00:23:04.829 --> 00:23:08.349 must be encouraged and maintained and upheld. 00:23:11.490 --> 00:23:19.880 Excuse me. But the most important of all is that 00:23:19.880 --> 00:23:25.559 the presence of the Holy Spirit must be in this 00:23:25.559 --> 00:23:30.440 temple. That is most important. Remember the 00:23:30.440 --> 00:23:33.460 glory cloud that filled the temple as a visible 00:23:33.460 --> 00:23:36.940 symbol of the presence of the Holy Spirit? Remember 00:23:36.940 --> 00:23:41.019 Adam who received the breath of life? A temple 00:23:41.019 --> 00:23:44.680 without the Spirit of God is only an empty shell. 00:23:45.000 --> 00:23:47.859 It is a caricature of what it ought to be and 00:23:47.859 --> 00:23:54.819 it has no life in it. It's like the Valley of 00:23:54.819 --> 00:23:59.250 Dry Bones described in Ezekiel 37. and then God 00:23:59.250 --> 00:24:02.789 calls all the bones together and they form the 00:24:02.789 --> 00:24:06.670 various body, the body parts all come together 00:24:06.670 --> 00:24:09.150 and they form various bodies, but still they 00:24:09.150 --> 00:24:13.170 lay there dead until the Spirit of God comes 00:24:13.170 --> 00:24:19.529 and breathes life into them. And so also, must 00:24:19.529 --> 00:24:26.789 we rely upon, pray for, and encourage the presence. 00:24:26.990 --> 00:24:31.890 of the Spirit of God in our midst. If we do not, 00:24:32.289 --> 00:24:34.329 it's like going to one of the many beautiful 00:24:34.329 --> 00:24:37.849 and stately European cathedrals or the National 00:24:37.849 --> 00:24:41.890 Cathedral in Washington DC. These buildings reflect 00:24:41.890 --> 00:24:44.450 the glory of God and their beautiful architecture 00:24:44.450 --> 00:24:47.670 and craftsmanship, and they should shout forth 00:24:47.670 --> 00:24:52.930 God's praises. But alas, those who meet there, 00:24:53.329 --> 00:24:55.390 some of them are not even professing Christians 00:24:55.390 --> 00:25:00.019 at all. And some are cold, are lifeless, hard 00:25:00.019 --> 00:25:04.400 -hearted, ritualistic, and dead. Some are apostate. 00:25:04.599 --> 00:25:07.680 Some are quite liberal in theology and disobedient 00:25:07.680 --> 00:25:11.440 to the Word. They are like museums showcasing 00:25:11.440 --> 00:25:17.660 what should be there, but is not. The orders 00:25:17.660 --> 00:25:21.460 are still there. The form is there. The liturgy 00:25:21.460 --> 00:25:24.700 of the service of God in some of them. But there 00:25:24.700 --> 00:25:28.289 is no life. No spirit of God bringing conviction 00:25:28.289 --> 00:25:32.549 to sinners and comfort to the saints. God gives 00:25:32.549 --> 00:25:35.230 many warnings in the New Testament. Through the 00:25:35.230 --> 00:25:37.769 Apostle Paul he says, quench not the spirit, 00:25:38.109 --> 00:25:42.529 Paul tells the Philippians. And also grieve not 00:25:42.529 --> 00:25:46.049 the spirit, he tells the Ephesians. And let all 00:25:46.049 --> 00:25:48.710 bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and 00:25:48.710 --> 00:25:51.730 evil speaking be put away from you with all malice. 00:25:51.880 --> 00:25:56.440 Ephesians 4 30 and 31 years later Jesus tells 00:25:56.440 --> 00:25:59.500 John in the book of Revelation to write the church 00:25:59.500 --> 00:26:03.880 at Ephesus and he says tell them remember therefore 00:26:03.880 --> 00:26:07.779 from whence you have fallen repent and do the 00:26:07.779 --> 00:26:11.980 first works or else he says these most chilling 00:26:11.980 --> 00:26:15.640 words I will come to you quickly and remove your 00:26:15.640 --> 00:26:21.579 lamp stand from its place unless you repent This 00:26:21.579 --> 00:26:25.920 is a warning to us that we can have the forms. 00:26:26.039 --> 00:26:29.339 We can have a form of godliness. We can even 00:26:29.339 --> 00:26:32.619 mouth the right words. But if the Holy Spirit 00:26:32.619 --> 00:26:35.900 is not burning and is not alive within us and 00:26:35.900 --> 00:26:40.079 within the congregation, we are but an empty 00:26:40.079 --> 00:26:44.140 shell. Christian believers are fully dependent 00:26:44.140 --> 00:26:47.339 on the indwelling Spirit to make them holy and 00:26:47.339 --> 00:27:01.819 to be proper living stones of this temple. Secondly, 00:27:03.400 --> 00:27:07.160 those who defile God's temple will be destroyed 00:27:07.160 --> 00:27:11.299 by God. Paul says in the first part of verse 00:27:11.299 --> 00:27:14.880 17. Now the word defile and destroy, they're 00:27:14.880 --> 00:27:18.019 the same word. it can mean defile or destroy 00:27:18.019 --> 00:27:21.700 or to tear down so it's the same word and in 00:27:21.700 --> 00:27:24.640 this it's it's a sense kind of like the the word 00:27:24.640 --> 00:27:27.720 in the law what's called the lex talionis an 00:27:27.720 --> 00:27:31.680 eye for an eye a tooth for a tooth and so forth 00:27:31.680 --> 00:27:34.799 deuteronomy 19 and 21 as well as in exodus 21 00:27:34.799 --> 00:27:37.299 and others so in other words what god does is 00:27:37.299 --> 00:27:40.400 commensurate to the offense you despoil the temple 00:27:40.400 --> 00:27:45.869 of god and god will despoil you There are multiple 00:27:45.869 --> 00:27:50.789 precedents of judgment on temple defilers in 00:27:50.789 --> 00:27:53.109 the Old Testament, and there's some in the New. 00:27:53.650 --> 00:27:56.529 In the Old Testament, we look back on, and we 00:27:56.529 --> 00:27:59.809 remember the two oldest sons of Aaron, Nadab 00:27:59.809 --> 00:28:03.549 and Abihu. I don't know, it seems from the context 00:28:03.549 --> 00:28:06.009 that maybe they were drunk or had too much to 00:28:06.009 --> 00:28:08.569 drink. because there's a prohibition against 00:28:08.569 --> 00:28:10.809 priests being drunken right after this occurrence. 00:28:10.890 --> 00:28:13.630 So we can kind of infer that that might be the 00:28:13.630 --> 00:28:16.470 case. Anyway, they offered strange fire to the 00:28:16.470 --> 00:28:18.650 Lord. It was fire that had not been sanctified. 00:28:18.890 --> 00:28:21.430 It was not from the right place as God had spelled 00:28:21.430 --> 00:28:24.250 out to them. And so they offered this strange 00:28:24.250 --> 00:28:27.910 fire and boom, they were dead just like that. 00:28:28.930 --> 00:28:31.269 They had to be carried out. And God told Aaron, 00:28:31.430 --> 00:28:34.009 don't even mourn for them. Don't weep over them. 00:28:35.400 --> 00:28:38.940 You do the service that God has given to you. 00:28:39.660 --> 00:28:43.380 This was judgment on those who defiled the temple. 00:28:43.940 --> 00:28:45.920 There was another one. It was a man named Uzzah. 00:28:46.480 --> 00:28:48.900 And the Ark of the Covenant that belonged in 00:28:48.900 --> 00:28:51.539 the Tabernacle through the sin of the Israelites 00:28:51.539 --> 00:28:53.480 had actually been carried out to battle and was 00:28:53.480 --> 00:28:56.740 taken captive by the Philistines. The Philistines 00:28:56.740 --> 00:28:59.240 had all sorts of trouble with it and we're not 00:28:59.240 --> 00:29:01.299 going to get into all of that. But they finally 00:29:01.299 --> 00:29:04.180 decided to bring this back. It was a period of 00:29:04.180 --> 00:29:06.900 time they decided to bring it back to Jerusalem 00:29:06.900 --> 00:29:10.059 where it belonged or to wherever the Tabernacle 00:29:10.059 --> 00:29:12.400 was. I'm not sure if it was in Jerusalem then 00:29:12.400 --> 00:29:15.019 yet or not. But anyway, instead of carrying it 00:29:15.019 --> 00:29:18.440 by priests, which the way there which was the 00:29:18.440 --> 00:29:20.099 way it was supposed to be done and which God 00:29:20.099 --> 00:29:23.079 had instructed them they put it on a cart and 00:29:23.079 --> 00:29:25.720 the cart went through a big pothole or something 00:29:25.720 --> 00:29:28.539 like that and it tipped and the ark started to 00:29:28.539 --> 00:29:31.400 sway and this man Uzzah reaches out with his 00:29:31.400 --> 00:29:34.640 hand as an unsanctified man and he touches the 00:29:34.640 --> 00:29:39.579 ark and again what happens boom he's dead just 00:29:39.579 --> 00:29:46.539 like that and so they fear and they set the ark 00:29:46.539 --> 00:29:50.480 down and there it remains in the house of Obed 00:29:50.480 --> 00:29:53.200 -Edom I think it's for three months and then 00:29:53.200 --> 00:29:55.940 David brings the ark back at an appropriate time 00:29:55.940 --> 00:29:59.440 and they do it the proper way we see priests 00:29:59.440 --> 00:30:03.259 and people defiling the temple which led to the 00:30:03.259 --> 00:30:06.059 Babylonian destruction and this is in 2 Kings 00:30:06.059 --> 00:30:10.440 25 and 2 Chronicles 36 and Jeremiah 7 and Ezekiel 00:30:10.440 --> 00:30:13.940 8 through 11 but I'll just summarize with these 00:30:13.940 --> 00:30:17.440 words from 2 Chronicles 36 verse 16, the priests 00:30:17.440 --> 00:30:20.460 and the people, they mocked the messengers of 00:30:20.460 --> 00:30:23.700 God, they despised his words, and they scoffed 00:30:23.700 --> 00:30:26.220 at his prophets until the wrath of the Lord rose 00:30:26.220 --> 00:30:29.619 against his people, till there was no remedy, 00:30:29.880 --> 00:30:34.559 and they were carried off into judgment. God's 00:30:34.559 --> 00:30:38.339 own warning in Ezekiel 24 and 21, he says, I 00:30:38.339 --> 00:30:43.200 will destroy the sanctuary because of uncleanness. 00:30:43.700 --> 00:30:45.640 And that's what happened. The temple then was 00:30:45.640 --> 00:30:48.259 destroyed. So that was the first temple. The 00:30:48.259 --> 00:30:51.019 second temple then began to be built under Zerubbabel 00:30:51.019 --> 00:30:54.660 and then it was added to much over a period of 00:30:54.660 --> 00:30:57.880 time and eventually became known as Herod's temple, 00:30:58.059 --> 00:31:00.180 the temple that was there and still being built 00:31:00.180 --> 00:31:04.059 in the time of Jesus. And what does Jesus do? 00:31:04.269 --> 00:31:07.789 Jesus again, look at Matthew chapter 23, chapter 00:31:07.789 --> 00:31:11.930 24, which we have gone through. Jesus says again, 00:31:12.250 --> 00:31:14.930 because of all of the corruption, because of 00:31:14.930 --> 00:31:18.410 the evil, what is he going to do? He will destroy 00:31:18.410 --> 00:31:22.150 this temple and he will raise up his own body 00:31:22.150 --> 00:31:26.690 as the new temple, as the new temple. Now in 00:31:26.690 --> 00:31:29.410 the context here again, Paul's been warning against 00:31:29.410 --> 00:31:32.430 divisions and jealousy and human wisdom. This 00:31:32.430 --> 00:31:34.829 is in chapters 1, 2, and 3 of 1st Corinthians, 00:31:34.990 --> 00:31:37.470 which we've been looking at. These are not minor 00:31:37.470 --> 00:31:40.890 sins. They are acts of temple vandalism. That's 00:31:40.890 --> 00:31:43.890 what's going on here. They are vandalizing God's 00:31:43.890 --> 00:31:46.630 temple in what they're doing with their factions. 00:31:49.160 --> 00:31:52.660 False teachers or divisive leaders who tear down 00:31:52.660 --> 00:31:55.859 the unity built on Christ, the only foundation 00:31:55.859 --> 00:32:00.440 are in the act of destroying the temple. This 00:32:00.440 --> 00:32:03.099 actually sets the stages which we'll get to in 00:32:03.099 --> 00:32:08.599 chapter 5 when the incestuous man was to be delivered 00:32:08.599 --> 00:32:11.900 to Satan for what? For the destruction of the 00:32:11.900 --> 00:32:16.460 flesh so that he might be saved. So we see this 00:32:16.460 --> 00:32:18.539 kind of setting the stage there. What was he 00:32:18.539 --> 00:32:21.619 doing? He was destroying God's temple by his 00:32:21.619 --> 00:32:25.059 actions and they refused to rebuke him or to 00:32:25.059 --> 00:32:27.900 remove him from the Christian assembly. Rather 00:32:27.900 --> 00:32:30.440 they were accepting him and even delighting in 00:32:30.440 --> 00:32:32.500 what he was doing and living with his father's 00:32:32.500 --> 00:32:37.279 wife. Another way to defile God's temple is to 00:32:37.279 --> 00:32:41.380 introduce idolatrous worship into it. Now many 00:32:41.380 --> 00:32:45.339 times, idolatrous worship included sexual immorality. 00:32:45.940 --> 00:32:48.420 This kind of defiling worship was quite prevalent 00:32:48.420 --> 00:32:52.819 in this time. It happened in a lot of the pagan 00:32:52.819 --> 00:32:57.599 religions that were extant in the various places 00:32:57.599 --> 00:33:00.880 where God was raising up churches. But we see 00:33:00.880 --> 00:33:03.500 how this even came into some of the churches 00:33:03.500 --> 00:33:07.319 in Asia, again, when we see Jesus giving them 00:33:07.319 --> 00:33:10.220 warning and revelation. to the seven churches 00:33:10.220 --> 00:33:13.680 of Asia. Chapter 2 verse 14 to Pergamum he says, 00:33:14.160 --> 00:33:17.319 I have a few things against you because you have 00:33:17.319 --> 00:33:20.740 there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam who 00:33:20.740 --> 00:33:23.359 taught Balak to put a stumbling block before 00:33:23.359 --> 00:33:25.920 the children of Israel to eat things sacrificed 00:33:25.920 --> 00:33:30.279 to idols and to commit sexual immorality. There 00:33:30.279 --> 00:33:34.940 were some in Pergamos or in Pergamum who said 00:33:34.940 --> 00:33:38.319 this or who were doing this and encouraging people 00:33:38.700 --> 00:33:43.839 to commit sexual adultery probably is a part 00:33:43.839 --> 00:33:47.859 of worship. This again is clear to the church 00:33:47.859 --> 00:33:51.480 in Thyatira because there he says, nevertheless, 00:33:51.519 --> 00:33:54.940 I have few things against you because you allow 00:33:54.940 --> 00:33:59.299 that woman Jezebel who calls herself a prophetess 00:33:59.299 --> 00:34:05.819 to teach and to seduce my servants to commit 00:34:05.819 --> 00:34:09.659 sexual immorality. to eat things sacrificed to 00:34:09.659 --> 00:34:12.679 idols and I gave her time to repent of her sexual 00:34:12.679 --> 00:34:15.699 immorality and she did not repent indeed I will 00:34:15.699 --> 00:34:18.280 cast her into a sickbed and those who commit 00:34:18.280 --> 00:34:20.679 adultery with her into great tribulation unless 00:34:20.679 --> 00:34:25.880 they repent of their deeds Paul says here if 00:34:25.880 --> 00:34:31.619 anyone defiles the temple of God God will destroy 00:34:31.619 --> 00:34:38.639 him this is a sober word of warning Number three, 00:34:38.960 --> 00:34:44.139 God's temple is holy, therefore you are holy. 00:34:45.099 --> 00:34:47.539 The temple is a place of worship, as we mentioned, 00:34:48.059 --> 00:34:50.480 and therefore we must understand how to worship 00:34:50.480 --> 00:34:54.460 a holy God and in a holy place. Now in order 00:34:54.460 --> 00:34:57.199 to understand this more fully, we're going to 00:34:57.199 --> 00:35:00.579 turn to the book of Isaiah chapter six, where 00:35:00.579 --> 00:35:03.679 Isaiah sees the Lord God Almighty seated on his 00:35:03.679 --> 00:35:10.239 throne. This is very instructive for us Hear 00:35:10.239 --> 00:35:13.139 the word of the Lord in the year that King Uzziah 00:35:13.139 --> 00:35:17.300 died. I saw the Lord sitting on a throne High 00:35:17.300 --> 00:35:20.320 and lifted up and the train of his robe filled 00:35:20.320 --> 00:35:24.460 the temple Above it stood seraphim each one had 00:35:24.460 --> 00:35:28.219 six wings with two He covered his face with two 00:35:28.219 --> 00:35:31.760 He covered his feet and with two he flew and 00:35:31.760 --> 00:35:37.150 one cried to another and said holy Holy, holy 00:35:37.150 --> 00:35:41.550 is the Lord of hosts. The whole earth is full 00:35:41.550 --> 00:35:44.670 of his glory. And the posts of the door were 00:35:44.670 --> 00:35:47.530 shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and 00:35:47.530 --> 00:35:51.730 the house was filled with smoke. So I said, woe 00:35:51.730 --> 00:35:55.050 is me, for I am undone, because I am a man of 00:35:55.050 --> 00:35:57.449 unclean lips, and I dwell on the midst of a people 00:35:57.449 --> 00:36:00.050 of unclean lips. For mine eyes have seen the 00:36:00.050 --> 00:36:03.409 King, the Lord of hosts. then one of the seraphim 00:36:03.409 --> 00:36:06.170 flew to me having in his hand a live coal which 00:36:06.170 --> 00:36:08.130 he had taken with the tongues from the altar 00:36:08.130 --> 00:36:11.510 and he touched my mouth with it and said behold 00:36:11.510 --> 00:36:14.510 this has touched your lips your iniquity is taken 00:36:14.510 --> 00:36:20.409 away and your sin is purged we get an understanding 00:36:20.409 --> 00:36:23.570 of the holiness of god as we look at this passage 00:36:23.570 --> 00:36:26.849 about the holiness of god and the undumbness 00:36:26.849 --> 00:36:31.409 of man without christ in need And when we come 00:36:31.409 --> 00:36:35.650 and we have sins and our sins need to be purged. 00:36:35.989 --> 00:36:38.550 I'd like you to note immediately the majesty 00:36:38.550 --> 00:36:42.090 and the glory of God's temple. For He is high 00:36:42.090 --> 00:36:45.789 and He is lifted up. The train of His robe fills 00:36:45.789 --> 00:36:49.070 the temple. This is like the glory cloud of the 00:36:49.070 --> 00:36:51.489 Tabernacle and Solomon's temple filled with the 00:36:51.489 --> 00:36:54.829 presence of God by the Spirit. And this shows 00:36:54.829 --> 00:36:57.989 to us that an understanding of being the temple 00:36:57.989 --> 00:37:01.530 of God is we must see God as sovereign, as high, 00:37:01.769 --> 00:37:04.989 as lifted up, as ruling over all, and before 00:37:04.989 --> 00:37:08.929 whom the earth shakes. And we must see our own 00:37:08.929 --> 00:37:14.969 sin and desire it to be taken away. We see that 00:37:14.969 --> 00:37:19.269 in the imagery of this. But then we also notice 00:37:19.269 --> 00:37:21.409 that above the throne in the temple stood the 00:37:21.409 --> 00:37:24.949 Seraphim. What are the seraphim? Well, they're 00:37:24.949 --> 00:37:29.269 ministers of God. They are fiery, holy angels, 00:37:29.449 --> 00:37:34.670 for so the word means. They are fiery, holy angels 00:37:34.670 --> 00:37:37.929 who hover over the throne. This then makes sense 00:37:37.929 --> 00:37:40.829 of Psalm 104 verse four, where he says he makes 00:37:40.829 --> 00:37:43.849 his ministers a flame of fire. Ministers and 00:37:43.849 --> 00:37:46.980 angels to the same words that are used. He makes 00:37:46.980 --> 00:37:49.579 his angels, he makes his ministers a flame of 00:37:49.579 --> 00:37:52.880 fire. And what happens with these seraphim? If 00:37:52.880 --> 00:37:55.219 you can imagine these children as you think about 00:37:55.219 --> 00:37:59.440 this, these glorious, huge, angelic beings, well, 00:37:59.739 --> 00:38:02.800 they have six wings on them, and with two of 00:38:02.800 --> 00:38:05.440 them, they cover their face, and with two of 00:38:05.440 --> 00:38:08.179 the wings, they cover their feet, and with two, 00:38:08.260 --> 00:38:12.460 they fly. So imagine these fiery... angels of 00:38:12.460 --> 00:38:16.039 God flying around in the temple room of God, 00:38:16.219 --> 00:38:19.460 hovering over the throne. And then we're going 00:38:19.460 --> 00:38:22.179 to see what one of them does in just a moment. 00:38:22.360 --> 00:38:25.159 And all the time as they're doing this, they 00:38:25.159 --> 00:38:32.059 cry out three times, holy, holy, holy is the 00:38:32.059 --> 00:38:36.039 Lord God of hosts. As R .C. Sproul said, we don't 00:38:36.039 --> 00:38:38.920 hear of the other attributes of God in this same 00:38:38.920 --> 00:38:42.139 way. We think of God as just, but we don't say, 00:38:42.179 --> 00:38:44.340 we don't hear in the word of God, God is just, 00:38:44.659 --> 00:38:48.800 just, just. Or love, that God is love, love, 00:38:49.239 --> 00:38:53.739 love. But with this we do, God is so holy that 00:38:53.739 --> 00:38:58.840 it's described in these words, holy, holy, holy. 00:38:59.840 --> 00:39:07.719 So incredible is our God. So holy is he. And 00:39:07.719 --> 00:39:12.380 as they cry this out in this glorious throne 00:39:12.380 --> 00:39:15.960 room of God, the posts of the door of the temple 00:39:15.960 --> 00:39:21.199 start to quiver and to shake as the voice of 00:39:21.199 --> 00:39:26.059 the angel cries out, and then the house is filled 00:39:26.059 --> 00:39:32.440 with smoke. And in this temple, overcome by the 00:39:32.440 --> 00:39:35.639 glory and the majesty of God, Isaiah cries out, 00:39:36.599 --> 00:39:42.599 Woe is me I am undone Because I'm a man of unclean 00:39:42.599 --> 00:39:45.099 lips and I dwell on the people in the midst of 00:39:45.099 --> 00:39:48.239 a people of unclean lips For mine eyes have seen 00:39:48.239 --> 00:39:51.079 the king the Lord of hosts then one of these 00:39:51.079 --> 00:39:54.900 fiery creatures the seraphim They flew to him 00:39:54.900 --> 00:39:57.719 and they have a hot coal from the altar and then 00:39:57.719 --> 00:40:00.860 he touches Isaiah's mouth and he says this has 00:40:00.860 --> 00:40:03.500 touched your lips and so your iniquity is taken 00:40:03.500 --> 00:40:09.119 away and your sin is purged. Now we take all 00:40:09.119 --> 00:40:12.860 of this imagery that I just described and now 00:40:12.860 --> 00:40:16.099 we think of it that we are the temple of God 00:40:16.099 --> 00:40:19.599 and that God's spirit dwells right here with 00:40:19.599 --> 00:40:24.900 us. Then as we worship God in this holy temple 00:40:24.900 --> 00:40:29.659 we must have clean hands and clean hearts and 00:40:29.659 --> 00:40:35.179 worship God in spirit and in truth. I'm reminded 00:40:35.179 --> 00:40:40.860 of these words after Paul describes this glorious 00:40:40.860 --> 00:40:44.059 or the glorious state of the Church of God in 00:40:44.059 --> 00:40:47.559 Hebrews chapter 12. He then says in conclusion 00:40:47.559 --> 00:40:50.860 of that passage, he says, therefore, since we 00:40:50.860 --> 00:40:53.559 are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, 00:40:54.000 --> 00:40:59.280 let us have grace by which we may worship God 00:40:59.280 --> 00:41:03.110 acceptably. How do we worship God acceptably? 00:41:03.409 --> 00:41:08.489 With reverence and godly fear. Do we understand 00:41:08.489 --> 00:41:11.429 why now as we look into all of these passages 00:41:11.429 --> 00:41:14.329 in the Old and New Testament and we see the glories 00:41:14.329 --> 00:41:17.590 of the temple of God and it's residing right 00:41:17.590 --> 00:41:22.269 here for dear congregation, you are the temple 00:41:22.269 --> 00:41:28.670 of Almighty God and his spirit dwells here with 00:41:28.670 --> 00:41:34.389 us. Do we get the picture of how Paul says, the 00:41:34.389 --> 00:41:37.570 temple of God is holy and you are this temple. 00:41:37.710 --> 00:41:44.469 Therefore, you are holy. You are hagios, a most 00:41:44.469 --> 00:41:48.969 holy thing, a saint of God. Brothers and sisters, 00:41:49.170 --> 00:41:51.949 then let us live and act in a way befitting our 00:41:51.949 --> 00:41:55.389 station and calling. Therefore, in the congregation 00:41:55.389 --> 00:41:59.010 and the assembly in our bodies, understand who 00:41:59.010 --> 00:42:03.340 you are. Understand who you are and that you 00:42:03.340 --> 00:42:06.760 are created for worship and for fellowship with 00:42:06.760 --> 00:42:10.699 God and with his people. And so, in the assembly 00:42:10.699 --> 00:42:14.440 of God's people, in the congregation, in God's 00:42:14.440 --> 00:42:17.780 temple, we should live, we should act, we should 00:42:17.780 --> 00:42:22.340 speak, and we should dress in a holy manner with 00:42:22.340 --> 00:42:25.980 reverence toward God and love for one another. 00:42:26.559 --> 00:42:29.360 This means not living together with envy, strife, 00:42:29.500 --> 00:42:31.679 division, and factions, as I already mentioned. 00:42:31.980 --> 00:42:34.480 This means that the Word of God must be spoken. 00:42:34.559 --> 00:42:37.159 It must be preached. It must be sung and prayed 00:42:37.159 --> 00:42:40.980 with the power of the Holy Spirit. The worship 00:42:40.980 --> 00:42:43.880 of God is to be done in good order and not with 00:42:43.880 --> 00:42:46.880 babblings and confusion. As Paul says in 1 Corinthians 00:42:46.880 --> 00:42:51.199 14 and verse 40, that in the public worship service, 00:42:51.219 --> 00:42:56.840 let all things be done decently and in order 00:42:56.840 --> 00:43:01.880 and in first timothy chapter two verse nine and 00:43:01.880 --> 00:43:07.639 ten the women are admonished to be adorned in 00:43:07.639 --> 00:43:12.119 appropriate clothes that are well arranged beautiful 00:43:12.119 --> 00:43:16.679 seemly and modest with propriety and moderation 00:43:16.679 --> 00:43:20.440 and not to be ostentatious or to flaunt their 00:43:20.440 --> 00:43:26.530 wealth or their bodies this is also part dwelling 00:43:26.530 --> 00:43:31.010 in the temple that God has made and has given 00:43:31.010 --> 00:43:36.530 to us all is to be done in the recognition that 00:43:36.530 --> 00:43:40.110 we are God's temple and God's temple is holy 00:43:40.110 --> 00:43:47.090 and therefore we are holy I'd like to wrap this 00:43:47.090 --> 00:43:50.690 up with just a few a few applications first of 00:43:50.690 --> 00:43:53.989 all I want to set something straight right now 00:43:53.989 --> 00:43:56.949 because right now If you read the news media 00:43:56.949 --> 00:44:00.050 at all, there's a big conversation going on about 00:44:00.050 --> 00:44:03.110 the rebuilding of the third temple on the Temple 00:44:03.110 --> 00:44:05.969 Mount in Jerusalem and that somehow this fits 00:44:05.969 --> 00:44:08.929 into the war against Iran. I would just like 00:44:08.929 --> 00:44:12.150 to say categorically that the belief that a third 00:44:12.150 --> 00:44:14.690 temple must be rebuilt is a false and a wrong 00:44:14.690 --> 00:44:18.269 interpretation. It is in no way in mind in this 00:44:18.269 --> 00:44:21.769 passage or in my sermon today. The new temple, 00:44:21.769 --> 00:44:23.750 the third temple, if there is such a thing in 00:44:23.750 --> 00:44:26.960 that way is the Church of Jesus Christ. That 00:44:26.960 --> 00:44:31.420 is the temple of God. The Roman Emperor Julian 00:44:31.420 --> 00:44:34.519 the Apostate attempted this. He attempted to 00:44:34.519 --> 00:44:40.059 rebuild the third temple as a building. But the 00:44:40.059 --> 00:44:43.159 Roman historian Marcellinus records this. He 00:44:43.159 --> 00:44:46.820 says, although this alpius pushed the work on 00:44:46.820 --> 00:44:50.519 with vigor, aided by the governor of the province. 00:44:51.559 --> 00:44:55.019 Terrifying balls of flame kept bursting forth 00:44:55.019 --> 00:44:58.219 near the foundations of the temple and made the 00:44:58.219 --> 00:45:01.539 place inaccessible to the workmen. He continues, 00:45:01.840 --> 00:45:04.659 some of the workmen were burned to death. And 00:45:04.659 --> 00:45:08.179 since in this way, the elements persistingly 00:45:08.179 --> 00:45:12.719 repelled them, the enterprise was halted. That's 00:45:12.719 --> 00:45:16.039 what happened when somebody tried to build the 00:45:16.039 --> 00:45:20.280 third temple. So, do not take part, dear brothers 00:45:20.280 --> 00:45:22.940 and sisters, in hoping for the rebuilding of 00:45:22.940 --> 00:45:27.099 a third temple. It is here and it is Christ's 00:45:27.099 --> 00:45:34.300 Church. Secondly, this also shows forth the importance 00:45:34.300 --> 00:45:38.360 of the corporate worship and that we are regular 00:45:38.360 --> 00:45:41.760 in attendance and we're part of it. We are part 00:45:41.760 --> 00:45:45.219 of the temple of God. We are the temple. And 00:45:45.219 --> 00:45:48.420 so we need, we are urged throughout the passage 00:45:48.420 --> 00:45:51.119 of scripture, we are to make sure that we are 00:45:51.119 --> 00:45:54.159 there, that we don't forsake the assembly, that 00:45:54.159 --> 00:45:57.059 we don't forsake the gathering, but that we worship 00:45:57.059 --> 00:46:01.840 God in a corporate manner. Of course, we all 00:46:01.840 --> 00:46:04.719 know that we're all to worship God singly and 00:46:04.719 --> 00:46:07.340 in our homes, but there's something about the 00:46:07.340 --> 00:46:09.820 corporate gathering, the temple that is the temple 00:46:09.820 --> 00:46:13.360 of God that is different than simply staying 00:46:13.360 --> 00:46:17.420 at home and worshiping God there. Pastor Joseph 00:46:17.420 --> 00:46:20.579 Spurgeon makes this observation and I heartily 00:46:20.579 --> 00:46:23.420 concur with this. He says, as the temple of God 00:46:23.420 --> 00:46:27.480 is built, we do this in corporate worship together 00:46:27.480 --> 00:46:32.320 on the new Sabbath day. the Lord's Day. Brethren, 00:46:32.320 --> 00:46:35.880 he says, I say this to reinforce that the Lord's 00:46:35.880 --> 00:46:39.519 Day in gathering together is very important and 00:46:39.519 --> 00:46:42.320 should only be missed on rare occasions of sickness 00:46:42.320 --> 00:46:45.340 or travel, in which case seek out another faithful 00:46:45.340 --> 00:46:48.519 church to attend. The apostles, under the authority 00:46:48.519 --> 00:46:51.980 of the risen Lord, consistently gather the church 00:46:51.980 --> 00:46:55.500 on the first day of the week. Under the old covenant, 00:46:56.099 --> 00:46:58.559 God tied the Sabbath to the completion of the 00:46:58.559 --> 00:47:01.650 old creation. and to Israel's redemption from 00:47:01.650 --> 00:47:05.170 Egypt in Deuteronomy 5. Under the new covenant, 00:47:05.449 --> 00:47:09.449 Christ ties the day to his resurrection and the 00:47:09.449 --> 00:47:12.750 new creation. The moral principle of Sabbath 00:47:12.750 --> 00:47:17.349 remains, one day in seven, holy to the Lord. 00:47:17.829 --> 00:47:21.590 Let us gather together as the people of God. 00:47:21.829 --> 00:47:26.010 This should be very important for us and in our 00:47:26.010 --> 00:47:31.070 lives. Thirdly then, church, You have a glorious 00:47:31.070 --> 00:47:34.010 and a wonderful inheritance. Those who teach 00:47:34.010 --> 00:47:36.869 and preach in this temple of God must make sure 00:47:36.869 --> 00:47:38.949 that they teach and build up the congregation 00:47:38.949 --> 00:47:42.510 with the wisdom of God and not the foolishness 00:47:42.510 --> 00:47:46.269 of men or man's wisdom. The congregation, though, 00:47:46.409 --> 00:47:49.110 you all have a part to play in this as you are 00:47:49.110 --> 00:47:52.750 the ones who affirm the calling and the qualifications 00:47:52.750 --> 00:47:56.289 of your ministers. For Paul warns Timothy of 00:47:56.289 --> 00:48:00.750 the time that will come. when those who hear 00:48:00.750 --> 00:48:04.389 will not endure sound doctrine, but according 00:48:04.389 --> 00:48:07.349 to their own desires, because they have itching 00:48:07.349 --> 00:48:10.489 ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers, 00:48:10.769 --> 00:48:14.030 and they will turn their ears away from the truth 00:48:14.030 --> 00:48:18.510 and be turned aside to fables. 2 Timothy 4, 3 00:48:18.510 --> 00:48:22.170 and 4. Let it not be so among us, but brothers, 00:48:22.559 --> 00:48:25.480 and sisters, the congregation, let us embrace 00:48:25.480 --> 00:48:28.559 our status and calling as the temple of God. 00:48:28.840 --> 00:48:31.800 With wise and godly ministers and as faithful 00:48:31.800 --> 00:48:35.559 members of the household of God, let us use our 00:48:35.559 --> 00:48:41.099 gifts in service to the Lord. And again, I go 00:48:41.099 --> 00:48:46.840 back to Hebrews 12, 28. Therefore, since we are 00:48:46.840 --> 00:48:50.139 receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let 00:48:50.139 --> 00:48:55.269 us have grace. by which we may worship God acceptably 00:48:55.269 --> 00:48:59.929 with reverence and godly fear for our God is 00:48:59.929 --> 00:49:02.510 a consuming fire. Let's pray.