WEBVTT 00:00:01.610 --> 00:00:04.950 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, 00:00:05.269 --> 00:00:09.169 but you are fellow citizens with the saints and 00:00:09.169 --> 00:00:14.230 are of God's household. We are of God's household, 00:00:14.410 --> 00:00:17.769 having been built upon the foundation of the 00:00:17.769 --> 00:00:21.710 apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being 00:00:21.710 --> 00:00:24.969 the cornerstone, in whom the whole building, 00:00:25.109 --> 00:00:28.989 being fitted together, is growing into a holy 00:00:28.989 --> 00:00:32.890 temple in the Lord. in whom we also are being 00:00:32.890 --> 00:00:36.829 built together into a dwelling of God in the 00:00:36.829 --> 00:00:45.450 Spirit. And that is the text we're looking at 00:00:45.450 --> 00:00:48.250 today from the second chapter of Ephesians, continuing 00:00:48.250 --> 00:00:51.130 where we picked up last, or left off, rather, 00:00:51.170 --> 00:00:57.250 last week. I was reading this week a brief... 00:00:57.609 --> 00:01:01.829 paragraph about the Washington Cathedral, which 00:01:01.829 --> 00:01:06.709 I guess more properly is called the Episcopal 00:01:06.709 --> 00:01:11.829 Cathedral of Saint Peter and Saint Paul. It is 00:01:11.829 --> 00:01:14.370 a large edifice that was begun, believe it or 00:01:14.370 --> 00:01:20.170 not, in 1907 and is not yet completed. In fact, 00:01:20.170 --> 00:01:22.650 they say that it probably won't be completed 00:01:22.650 --> 00:01:26.049 until the turn of the century. a few more years 00:01:26.049 --> 00:01:29.269 in the building process. Perhaps you have stood 00:01:29.269 --> 00:01:32.629 in that cathedral. I have not. But I understand 00:01:32.629 --> 00:01:34.930 that it is quite beautiful with its stained glass 00:01:34.930 --> 00:01:40.150 and lovely ornaments. It is a magnificent structure 00:01:40.150 --> 00:01:45.650 that inspires, it is said, worship. Now, we all 00:01:45.650 --> 00:01:49.670 know that God doesn't live in a church. God's 00:01:49.670 --> 00:01:53.569 address is not 1310 West County Road B2, Roseville, 00:01:53.629 --> 00:01:56.730 Minnesota. God doesn't live in the structure 00:01:56.730 --> 00:02:02.489 where we are. But where the church does meet 00:02:02.489 --> 00:02:09.330 can be used of God to inspire worship. God has 00:02:09.330 --> 00:02:13.430 created us so that aesthetics mean something 00:02:13.430 --> 00:02:19.990 to us. Aesthetics strike our senses, and all 00:02:19.990 --> 00:02:22.569 of our senses should be involved in the act of 00:02:22.569 --> 00:02:28.150 worshiping God. A beautiful building does not 00:02:28.150 --> 00:02:30.030 necessarily mean that God has worshipped there. 00:02:30.969 --> 00:02:34.550 That's for sure. But the beauty of a building 00:02:34.550 --> 00:02:39.330 can enhance the worship of God's people. To be 00:02:39.330 --> 00:02:40.969 very frank with you, there's not a whole lot 00:02:40.969 --> 00:02:45.629 here in this room that inspires worship in me. 00:02:45.990 --> 00:02:49.030 It is a beautiful room and adequate for our purposes 00:02:49.030 --> 00:02:52.030 for this time. But I look forward to someday 00:02:52.030 --> 00:02:54.409 when we might be able to construct a building 00:02:54.409 --> 00:02:58.460 that would... more aesthetically stimulate worship 00:02:58.460 --> 00:03:02.919 in us. We're going to try to do something with 00:03:02.919 --> 00:03:06.159 this room to make it a little more such. There 00:03:06.159 --> 00:03:07.860 are a couple of ladies in our church working 00:03:07.860 --> 00:03:12.039 on some banners depicting various stages of the 00:03:12.039 --> 00:03:15.180 life of Christ that we eventually will have hanging 00:03:15.180 --> 00:03:17.659 in here, which I think will kind of break it 00:03:17.659 --> 00:03:19.379 up a little bit. But really, this room was designed 00:03:19.379 --> 00:03:22.740 to be a gym. We've had visitors come in and say, 00:03:22.780 --> 00:03:24.159 oh, it's beautiful. When's it going to be finished? 00:03:25.389 --> 00:03:28.770 Well, you know, this is it. This is it for the 00:03:28.770 --> 00:03:31.990 way it is right now, at least. But the fact is 00:03:31.990 --> 00:03:37.310 that God doesn't live in this building. We are 00:03:37.310 --> 00:03:40.030 the building of God, or in the terms of Paul's 00:03:40.030 --> 00:03:43.210 paragraph here, we are the new temple of God, 00:03:43.289 --> 00:03:46.469 his holy temple that he is constructing in this 00:03:46.469 --> 00:03:49.849 age. Last time together we saw the substructure 00:03:49.849 --> 00:03:53.409 of it, the foundation. of the apostles and prophets, 00:03:53.610 --> 00:03:56.889 and the fact that Jesus Christ himself is the 00:03:56.889 --> 00:04:00.750 cornerstone of it all. Today we want to pick 00:04:00.750 --> 00:04:03.430 it up at that point and move ahead and talk about 00:04:03.430 --> 00:04:07.430 the stones in this living temple. He tells us 00:04:07.430 --> 00:04:09.849 here in a couple of verses who the stones are. 00:04:09.969 --> 00:04:13.469 In verse 20, or backing up to the thought in 00:04:13.469 --> 00:04:17.470 verse 19, he says, You are, fellow citizens and 00:04:17.470 --> 00:04:19.829 saints, having been built upon the foundation. 00:04:21.230 --> 00:04:24.389 And then again in verse 22 he says, in whom you 00:04:24.389 --> 00:04:28.769 also are being built together. And so the stones 00:04:28.769 --> 00:04:34.810 of this living temple are you. You who are the 00:04:34.810 --> 00:04:39.389 saved by grace through faith. Every Christian 00:04:39.389 --> 00:04:43.970 is a living stone in this temple that God is 00:04:43.970 --> 00:04:47.610 constructing for himself during these hundreds 00:04:47.610 --> 00:04:52.060 of years of this age of grace. If you go back 00:04:52.060 --> 00:04:54.360 with me to 1 Peter once again this morning and 00:04:54.360 --> 00:04:56.740 just look briefly, you'll see that Peter also 00:04:56.740 --> 00:05:00.879 says this. He says in verse 4 of the second chapter, 00:05:01.800 --> 00:05:08.579 1 Peter 2, 4, And coming to him, Christ, as to 00:05:08.579 --> 00:05:13.660 a living stone, skip on to verse 5, you also, 00:05:13.779 --> 00:05:18.279 as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual 00:05:18.279 --> 00:05:22.720 house. Our coming to him refers to our coming 00:05:22.720 --> 00:05:28.639 to him in faith. He says, coming to him who is 00:05:28.639 --> 00:05:32.980 the living stone, you also then are made living 00:05:32.980 --> 00:05:38.259 stones. And God is building you up into a house. 00:05:38.420 --> 00:05:42.660 God is, in the terms of Ephesians 2, putting 00:05:42.660 --> 00:05:47.620 you together as a temple for his habitation. 00:05:49.069 --> 00:05:51.769 In the Old Testament, the building was indwelt, 00:05:51.810 --> 00:05:54.949 but in the New Testament, God indwells the individual 00:05:54.949 --> 00:05:59.990 stones of the building. He is the divine stonemason, 00:06:00.009 --> 00:06:03.430 if you please, who is putting each of us who 00:06:03.430 --> 00:06:08.269 is saved into the body or the temple as it pleases 00:06:08.269 --> 00:06:12.029 him. For some, he puts them into a conspicuous 00:06:12.029 --> 00:06:17.459 place, a place of prominence or visibility. Others 00:06:17.459 --> 00:06:20.079 of us he puts into an ordinary place, a plain 00:06:20.079 --> 00:06:23.439 location where routine work is being done, but 00:06:23.439 --> 00:06:27.139 essential work. And then some of us God is pleased 00:06:27.139 --> 00:06:30.579 by his own sovereign choice to put us into a 00:06:30.579 --> 00:06:35.879 hidden place where only he sees our value. But 00:06:35.879 --> 00:06:38.660 he is able to accurately measure our significance 00:06:38.660 --> 00:06:42.120 even in a hidden place to the whole of his work. 00:06:43.149 --> 00:06:45.750 The point is not whether we're in a visible place 00:06:45.750 --> 00:06:49.290 or an ordinary place or a hidden place. The point 00:06:49.290 --> 00:06:52.490 is that we're in a place. And that where God 00:06:52.490 --> 00:06:58.689 places us is his choice. God has mined you and 00:06:58.689 --> 00:07:04.569 me from the query of sin and has fit us by grace 00:07:04.569 --> 00:07:08.129 into this temple. There's a marvelous thing that 00:07:08.129 --> 00:07:10.939 we've sung this morning. That God is the friend 00:07:10.939 --> 00:07:14.620 of sinners. Jesus is the friend of sinners. He 00:07:14.620 --> 00:07:18.699 can set you free. You see, the Lord Jesus Christ 00:07:18.699 --> 00:07:22.819 reached down into the quarry of sin. He's able 00:07:22.819 --> 00:07:25.199 to take a sinner like you and me and to make 00:07:25.199 --> 00:07:29.139 us new creatures. To cleanse us from our sin. 00:07:29.279 --> 00:07:32.519 Give us a new purpose in life. And to invest 00:07:32.519 --> 00:07:35.860 in us spiritual gifts and then to add us to the 00:07:35.860 --> 00:07:40.079 temple. It's a marvelous thing. We are the stones 00:07:40.079 --> 00:07:43.279 of this temple that God is building. Let's think 00:07:43.279 --> 00:07:45.560 thirdly about the superstructure of the building, 00:07:45.699 --> 00:07:48.980 that which is visible, the main part of a building 00:07:48.980 --> 00:07:51.459 that we see. We've seen the individual parts. 00:07:51.519 --> 00:07:54.279 We're the stones. But let's think now about the 00:07:54.279 --> 00:07:56.660 superstructure itself. Now, when Paul wrote about 00:07:56.660 --> 00:08:02.660 that in verses 20 and 21, he may have had in 00:08:02.660 --> 00:08:05.399 mind the Jerusalem temple, which was still standing 00:08:05.399 --> 00:08:09.420 in his day. On the other hand, he may have had 00:08:09.420 --> 00:08:14.519 in mind the temple of Diana or Artemis, the Roman 00:08:14.519 --> 00:08:20.920 Greek goddess whom the Ephesians in their paganism 00:08:20.920 --> 00:08:24.959 worshipped. There was a temple there in the city 00:08:24.959 --> 00:08:27.240 of Ephesus that was one of the seven wonders 00:08:27.240 --> 00:08:30.660 of the ancient world. There was a structure that 00:08:30.660 --> 00:08:34.460 was just unbelievable in its beauty and sadly 00:08:34.460 --> 00:08:36.799 wicked in the worship that was practiced there. 00:08:38.350 --> 00:08:41.169 but they would be quite well aware of a temple 00:08:41.169 --> 00:08:44.950 -type metaphor, even if they had never been to 00:08:44.950 --> 00:08:48.970 Jerusalem and had seen the temple of Herod there 00:08:48.970 --> 00:08:54.330 in that city. He says to them and to us, having 00:08:54.330 --> 00:08:56.830 been built upon the foundation of the apostles 00:08:56.830 --> 00:08:59.289 and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the 00:08:59.289 --> 00:09:02.330 chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building 00:09:02.330 --> 00:09:06.440 being fitted together is growing. into a holy 00:09:06.440 --> 00:09:10.759 temple in the Lord. Seems to me that he gives 00:09:10.759 --> 00:09:14.340 us here a four -fold depiction of this temple. 00:09:15.159 --> 00:09:18.179 Notice that he tells us first that it's massive 00:09:18.179 --> 00:09:23.139 in its dimension. He speaks about the whole building. 00:09:24.019 --> 00:09:28.000 Kind of reminds you of that commercial a few 00:09:28.000 --> 00:09:30.620 years ago, the whole thing that the person ate, 00:09:30.779 --> 00:09:33.639 right? Well, he's talking here about the whole 00:09:33.639 --> 00:09:39.490 building. It is massive in its picture here. 00:09:39.929 --> 00:09:43.110 He describes the dimensions of it in that very 00:09:43.110 --> 00:09:47.450 simple phrase as being very complex. It could 00:09:47.450 --> 00:09:51.330 be read this way, all the building or each individual 00:09:51.330 --> 00:09:55.450 building, which is very suggestive to us because 00:09:55.450 --> 00:09:58.909 it refers to a great temple with many porches, 00:09:58.929 --> 00:10:02.129 courts and towers, etc., all that goes with it. 00:10:02.710 --> 00:10:06.590 Each of these is connected. With the great bond 00:10:06.590 --> 00:10:09.549 of the substructure that's underneath it. If 00:10:09.549 --> 00:10:12.429 you have ever seen a picture in a Bible dictionary 00:10:12.429 --> 00:10:17.190 of Herod's temple, you understand the picture 00:10:17.190 --> 00:10:21.110 that Paul has in mind here. The huge foundation 00:10:21.110 --> 00:10:26.419 that was under that complex of the temple. It 00:10:26.419 --> 00:10:28.539 tied it all together. But the temple itself had 00:10:28.539 --> 00:10:31.039 many porches, and there were lots of rooms in 00:10:31.039 --> 00:10:33.200 it, not just the Holy of Holies and the holy 00:10:33.200 --> 00:10:36.379 place. There were courts outside and many steps 00:10:36.379 --> 00:10:39.960 leading up to it. It was quite a beautiful structure. 00:10:41.019 --> 00:10:43.279 And that is the picture that Paul has here. He 00:10:43.279 --> 00:10:47.519 says, now God is building a living temple. The 00:10:47.519 --> 00:10:51.139 whole building, he says, in its dimension. And 00:10:51.139 --> 00:10:53.419 in saying that, he is saying that what God is 00:10:53.419 --> 00:10:58.259 building in this age is vast. It is vast. It's 00:10:58.259 --> 00:11:01.159 vast in time. It stretches from the day of Pentecost 00:11:01.159 --> 00:11:04.840 until that day when Jesus will come again. It 00:11:04.840 --> 00:11:07.159 is vast in terms of the numbers of people, a 00:11:07.159 --> 00:11:10.860 multitude that cannot be counted. It is vast 00:11:10.860 --> 00:11:13.360 in terms of the kinds of people it reaches, the 00:11:13.360 --> 00:11:15.580 high and the low, the black and the white and 00:11:15.580 --> 00:11:19.840 the red and the yellow. Those who come from civilized 00:11:19.840 --> 00:11:22.419 countries, those who have never known civilization. 00:11:23.850 --> 00:11:26.809 It is a vast building that God is putting together. 00:11:26.870 --> 00:11:30.730 He is calling out a people today through the 00:11:30.730 --> 00:11:33.690 preaching of the gospel. He is calling out a 00:11:33.690 --> 00:11:36.590 people to become living stones in this whole 00:11:36.590 --> 00:11:40.970 complex building he is putting together. And 00:11:40.970 --> 00:11:43.830 then he says that it increases in its cohesion. 00:11:44.190 --> 00:11:48.629 He says the whole building being fitted together. 00:11:51.279 --> 00:11:53.899 That term is only used one at a time in the whole 00:11:53.899 --> 00:11:56.360 Bible, and that's in chapter 4 and verse 16, 00:11:56.659 --> 00:12:00.259 where he uses a very similar phrase in verse 00:12:00.259 --> 00:12:02.580 16 as it's in the English. It says, being fitted 00:12:02.580 --> 00:12:10.039 and held together. The linguistic key of the 00:12:10.039 --> 00:12:12.100 Greek New Testament says regarding this particular 00:12:12.100 --> 00:12:16.600 verb, in construction terms, it represents the 00:12:16.600 --> 00:12:19.539 whole of the elaborate process by which stones 00:12:19.539 --> 00:12:22.919 are fitted together. the preparation of the surfaces, 00:12:23.220 --> 00:12:26.279 including the cutting, rubbing, and testing, 00:12:26.460 --> 00:12:29.940 the preparation of the dowels and the dowel holes, 00:12:30.200 --> 00:12:33.299 and finally the fitting of the dowels with molten 00:12:33.299 --> 00:12:38.580 lead. When they built one of these huge edifices 00:12:38.580 --> 00:12:42.980 in that day, they took very much care in preparing 00:12:42.980 --> 00:12:46.379 the stones so that they would fit right into 00:12:46.379 --> 00:12:50.100 place. And then the stones were held in place. 00:12:50.100 --> 00:12:52.580 They would drill holes down into the stones and 00:12:52.580 --> 00:12:55.940 fill those holes with molten lead so that there 00:12:55.940 --> 00:12:59.059 was not only a heavy stone put in place, but 00:12:59.059 --> 00:13:03.919 it was held there by the lead dowel. Now that 00:13:03.919 --> 00:13:06.139 is the picture that the apostle has in mind. 00:13:06.759 --> 00:13:09.539 He pictures a building that is being carefully 00:13:09.539 --> 00:13:12.159 fitted together. It is a building that binds 00:13:12.159 --> 00:13:16.360 itself into greater solidarity as it is put up. 00:13:17.129 --> 00:13:19.409 It is not a building that's just thrown together 00:13:19.409 --> 00:13:22.149 where stones are piled one on top of another, 00:13:22.389 --> 00:13:25.950 but carefully the stones are put into place so 00:13:25.950 --> 00:13:28.690 that progressively the building is made more 00:13:28.690 --> 00:13:33.029 tight. As each stone is put into place, it is 00:13:33.029 --> 00:13:36.570 joined more firmly together so that the building 00:13:36.570 --> 00:13:40.350 is consolidated. Now, we must expect that to 00:13:40.350 --> 00:13:42.590 be the case because God is the great architect 00:13:42.590 --> 00:13:46.340 of it. And he knows where every stone is supposed 00:13:46.340 --> 00:13:48.639 to be. He knows what every stone is supposed 00:13:48.639 --> 00:13:53.039 to look like. In other words, he knows just how 00:13:53.039 --> 00:13:56.320 he has prepared you and me to be placed into 00:13:56.320 --> 00:14:00.899 this living temple. He knows how he has gifted 00:14:00.899 --> 00:14:05.639 us so that we play our role in the building that 00:14:05.639 --> 00:14:10.500 he's constructing in the spirit. The pyramids 00:14:10.500 --> 00:14:13.000 of Egypt were also the wonders of the ancient 00:14:13.000 --> 00:14:15.519 world, and they are still wonders today in the 00:14:15.519 --> 00:14:18.019 20th century. I have never been privileged to 00:14:18.019 --> 00:14:23.279 see them, but I'm fascinated by them. These tremendous 00:14:23.279 --> 00:14:30.059 monuments to the ancient pharaohs and kings of 00:14:30.059 --> 00:14:33.679 Egypt have stood through thousands of years, 00:14:33.860 --> 00:14:37.139 and there is no mortar that holds those stones 00:14:37.139 --> 00:14:41.549 together. They were so carefully fashioned and 00:14:41.549 --> 00:14:46.529 crafted by skilled men back in those days that 00:14:46.529 --> 00:14:48.649 where those stones were placed, some of them 00:14:48.649 --> 00:14:51.809 weighing five tons, where they were put into 00:14:51.809 --> 00:14:56.210 place by their well -advanced engineering methods, 00:14:56.289 --> 00:15:00.409 those stones have stayed. Now, they have been 00:15:00.409 --> 00:15:02.789 partially buried at times by the sands of the 00:15:02.789 --> 00:15:05.230 desert blowing up against them, but they have 00:15:05.230 --> 00:15:07.429 stayed in place and they are preserved to this 00:15:07.429 --> 00:15:10.490 day. you can enter into those pyramids and see 00:15:10.490 --> 00:15:13.409 the rooms that are there. In some cases, see 00:15:13.409 --> 00:15:19.950 the vaults and the burial rooms where these leaders 00:15:19.950 --> 00:15:23.070 were placed. And even in some of them, you can 00:15:23.070 --> 00:15:26.730 see the paintings on the walls still. How carefully 00:15:26.730 --> 00:15:29.929 those were fitted together. The same is true, 00:15:30.009 --> 00:15:32.590 by the way, of Solomon's temple. It's interesting 00:15:32.590 --> 00:15:34.549 to read about it in the Old Testament because... 00:15:35.000 --> 00:15:37.159 It tells us, the Holy Spirit tells us there, 00:15:37.240 --> 00:15:39.080 that when that temple was put together, there 00:15:39.080 --> 00:15:42.460 was not the sound of a hammer with an earshot 00:15:42.460 --> 00:15:47.740 of the temple. The stones were all cut and then 00:15:47.740 --> 00:15:54.320 polished and carried to the temple so that when 00:15:54.320 --> 00:15:56.360 it was put into place, there would be the sound 00:15:56.360 --> 00:16:00.980 only of a rock being slidden into its spot, not 00:16:00.980 --> 00:16:03.659 the sound of a hammer. So carefully... were those 00:16:03.659 --> 00:16:06.879 stones prepared. And my friend, that's exactly 00:16:06.879 --> 00:16:08.899 what God is doing in your life and mine today. 00:16:10.379 --> 00:16:12.779 Now there are times when you and I say, ouch, 00:16:12.919 --> 00:16:15.340 to what God is doing as he works on this living 00:16:15.340 --> 00:16:19.340 stone. And it seems to grind us a little too 00:16:19.340 --> 00:16:22.659 much on occasion. But you and I can be sure of 00:16:22.659 --> 00:16:25.559 this, that what he is doing is for our good and 00:16:25.559 --> 00:16:29.919 for our glory in Jesus Christ. Because he is 00:16:29.919 --> 00:16:33.980 preparing us, he is fitting us, to be put into 00:16:33.980 --> 00:16:38.120 place in this temple that he's building. It increases 00:16:38.120 --> 00:16:42.159 in its cohesion as it is built up, and then it 00:16:42.159 --> 00:16:47.100 grows in its extension. He says here, the whole 00:16:47.100 --> 00:16:50.440 building being fitted together is growing into 00:16:50.440 --> 00:16:53.559 a holy temple. Present tense there. It is growing. 00:16:53.980 --> 00:16:57.700 All the time it is growing. It is increasing 00:16:57.700 --> 00:17:01.950 in its extension. The term growing here is a 00:17:01.950 --> 00:17:05.849 biological term. That would be inconsistent if 00:17:05.849 --> 00:17:10.490 Paul were speaking of a structure of stone. But 00:17:10.490 --> 00:17:13.390 he's talking about people. He's talking about 00:17:13.390 --> 00:17:16.690 living stones. And so he says, we as living stones 00:17:16.690 --> 00:17:19.450 are growing because the church is an organism, 00:17:19.470 --> 00:17:24.309 you see. As members are added, it enlarges. As 00:17:24.309 --> 00:17:26.690 I've already said, it began on the day of Pentecost 00:17:26.690 --> 00:17:31.130 and through the centuries. Despite fire, despite 00:17:31.130 --> 00:17:35.190 sword, despite prison cells, despite persecution 00:17:35.190 --> 00:17:38.549 and suffering, the church has grown and grown 00:17:38.549 --> 00:17:43.289 and grown and will continue to grow until that 00:17:43.289 --> 00:17:47.269 day that it's finished. And it will be finished 00:17:47.269 --> 00:17:51.769 one day. In Acts 2 .47 it says, The Lord was 00:17:51.769 --> 00:17:56.049 adding to their number day by day those who were 00:17:56.049 --> 00:18:00.960 being saved. The church is intended to grow and 00:18:00.960 --> 00:18:05.900 to keep on growing. I am absolutely perplexed 00:18:05.900 --> 00:18:09.579 by some churches that make decisions not to grow 00:18:09.579 --> 00:18:18.319 anymore. I have a friend, a shirt -tail relative 00:18:18.319 --> 00:18:20.940 by marriage, actually, who moved to Lexington, 00:18:21.079 --> 00:18:24.279 Kentucky. One of the things that he and his wife 00:18:24.279 --> 00:18:27.369 had to do was to relocate in a church. And he 00:18:27.369 --> 00:18:29.470 came back one time and shared with me, he said, 00:18:29.490 --> 00:18:31.690 you know, I just can't understand this one church 00:18:31.690 --> 00:18:35.309 that we visited. He said, they let us know when 00:18:35.309 --> 00:18:37.589 we came that they were very content with what 00:18:37.589 --> 00:18:39.630 they were and the size they were, and they were 00:18:39.630 --> 00:18:42.269 not interested in growing anymore. And he said, 00:18:42.289 --> 00:18:44.069 that's not the kind of a church I want to be 00:18:44.069 --> 00:18:46.430 a part of. You know, it's interesting, they did 00:18:46.430 --> 00:18:49.069 go to that church. God brought in a new ministry, 00:18:49.130 --> 00:18:52.230 and the church is growing again. But how sad 00:18:52.230 --> 00:18:55.490 it is when... an attitude or a spirit, if not 00:18:55.490 --> 00:18:57.690 even a decision is made, at least the attitude 00:18:57.690 --> 00:19:00.410 is made in the parts of people, we've grown big 00:19:00.410 --> 00:19:06.690 enough. That is never the plan of God. Now, a 00:19:06.690 --> 00:19:10.789 church may not always grow quickly. There may 00:19:10.789 --> 00:19:14.349 not be growth by leaps and bounds in a church, 00:19:14.549 --> 00:19:18.250 but the plan of God is for the church to keep 00:19:18.250 --> 00:19:22.559 on growing as it is being fitted together. You 00:19:22.559 --> 00:19:27.000 see, a church never maxes out in its growth until 00:19:27.000 --> 00:19:30.220 it decides mentally that it's done that. And 00:19:30.220 --> 00:19:34.740 then it's done. God intends for the church to 00:19:34.740 --> 00:19:40.359 keep on growing. One of the concerns, frankly, 00:19:40.460 --> 00:19:44.339 that I have regarding our ministry here is that 00:19:44.339 --> 00:19:49.079 we have come to the point once more where we 00:19:49.079 --> 00:19:57.269 really cannot grow. For two reasons. One is our 00:19:57.269 --> 00:20:00.450 parking. Now, we've tried to attack that, and 00:20:00.450 --> 00:20:02.089 some of you are really helping us on it, and 00:20:02.089 --> 00:20:04.589 we appreciate that so much, your willingness 00:20:04.589 --> 00:20:06.730 to park at the high school and ride back here 00:20:06.730 --> 00:20:10.049 so that we can keep spaces open for new people, 00:20:10.130 --> 00:20:13.710 visitors who are coming. The last couple of weeks, 00:20:13.769 --> 00:20:15.549 that has really worked well. We've had a few 00:20:15.549 --> 00:20:20.069 extra spots, both between the services and at 00:20:20.069 --> 00:20:22.559 critical times during the morning. and that has 00:20:22.559 --> 00:20:26.140 meant a great deal. But even more important than 00:20:26.140 --> 00:20:28.579 that is the fact that we're out of space for 00:20:28.579 --> 00:20:32.539 small churches to grow anymore. We have some 00:20:32.539 --> 00:20:35.019 small churches that badly need to divide, and 00:20:35.019 --> 00:20:37.960 we cannot do that without changing our morning 00:20:37.960 --> 00:20:41.259 schedule, not our worship schedule. But some 00:20:41.259 --> 00:20:43.380 of the small churches, I think even today, are 00:20:43.380 --> 00:20:46.660 being asked if they're interested in moving to 00:20:46.660 --> 00:20:52.140 another hour, like at 8 .15 in the morning. Frankly, 00:20:52.220 --> 00:20:55.799 what we need is more space. But I'm not sure 00:20:55.799 --> 00:20:57.720 that I'm ready for another building program right 00:20:57.720 --> 00:21:00.559 now. I'm not sure that you're ready for that 00:21:00.559 --> 00:21:03.460 either, frankly. Now, if the Lord should bring 00:21:03.460 --> 00:21:05.480 in someone this week with a million dollars and 00:21:05.480 --> 00:21:08.299 say, I want to start a building fund, I wouldn't 00:21:08.299 --> 00:21:11.480 turn it down. You understand? I could probably 00:21:11.480 --> 00:21:15.079 get in the mood fairly quickly if that were to 00:21:15.079 --> 00:21:19.650 happen. But just as I stand here this morning, 00:21:19.710 --> 00:21:22.609 I'm not real excited about starting a new building 00:21:22.609 --> 00:21:25.089 by June or something like that, I'll tell you. 00:21:26.190 --> 00:21:28.890 What we really need is for that next phase, the 00:21:28.890 --> 00:21:31.990 CE building next door to us here to be put up 00:21:31.990 --> 00:21:34.769 two or three stories as a part of our original 00:21:34.769 --> 00:21:39.930 design for our church here. I don't think we're 00:21:39.930 --> 00:21:43.630 ready for that. So if we're not ready for that, 00:21:43.690 --> 00:21:45.890 how are we going to keep growing? We've got to 00:21:45.890 --> 00:21:48.289 provide for that growth. If we don't, we'll level 00:21:48.289 --> 00:21:50.730 off. And frankly, when a church decides it's 00:21:50.730 --> 00:21:52.910 going to level off, it doesn't level off. You 00:21:52.910 --> 00:21:56.410 know what happens. It goes downhill. There is 00:21:56.410 --> 00:21:59.910 no such thing as leveling off. I've heard of 00:21:59.910 --> 00:22:02.029 churches that entered into a maintenance time. 00:22:02.289 --> 00:22:04.009 You know, they just kind of maintained themselves. 00:22:04.789 --> 00:22:08.809 I pastored a church for a while that got into 00:22:08.809 --> 00:22:10.690 that frame of mind. Well, you know, we're just 00:22:10.690 --> 00:22:12.410 not going to change anymore. We're just going 00:22:12.410 --> 00:22:15.630 to maintain. And for the two years that I was 00:22:15.630 --> 00:22:17.490 there and they tried to maintain, they went just 00:22:17.490 --> 00:22:21.269 like that. You can't maintain. That's an impossible 00:22:21.269 --> 00:22:24.609 concept in a church. A church is either growing 00:22:24.609 --> 00:22:29.069 or it's dying. And it's not the will of God for 00:22:29.069 --> 00:22:31.809 it to die. A church dies when the people of the 00:22:31.809 --> 00:22:33.569 church make up their mind they're done growing. 00:22:34.230 --> 00:22:36.009 They're not going to change anymore. They're 00:22:36.009 --> 00:22:38.750 not going to do what is necessary so the growth 00:22:38.750 --> 00:22:43.579 can continue. Now, in our case here, because 00:22:43.579 --> 00:22:46.140 we're not ready to build again, it means that 00:22:46.140 --> 00:22:48.660 we're going to have to ask God to give us grace 00:22:48.660 --> 00:22:51.160 that we might be able to change and experiment, 00:22:51.480 --> 00:22:55.799 be creative in meeting at some different times, 00:22:55.799 --> 00:22:59.180 perhaps, some of us at least, so that we can 00:22:59.180 --> 00:23:01.940 continue growth because there will be space for 00:23:01.940 --> 00:23:05.400 people to sit. You say, well, there's still room 00:23:05.400 --> 00:23:07.259 here in the auditorium for worship. Yes, there 00:23:07.259 --> 00:23:10.369 is. And we can continue to grow here for some 00:23:10.369 --> 00:23:12.490 time by adding more chairs and putting the chairs 00:23:12.490 --> 00:23:16.210 we have close together, for that matter. We can 00:23:16.210 --> 00:23:18.250 continue to grow in worship, but you see, coming 00:23:18.250 --> 00:23:20.650 to the worship service is not being a part of 00:23:20.650 --> 00:23:25.109 the church. If you're going to be a part of the 00:23:25.109 --> 00:23:26.990 church, it means being a part of a small church 00:23:26.990 --> 00:23:29.349 and getting involved in the life of the church. 00:23:30.009 --> 00:23:32.130 And that's where, right now, we're at a real 00:23:32.130 --> 00:23:34.410 bottleneck, and we need God's wisdom about that. 00:23:35.309 --> 00:23:37.529 You'll hear tonight one of the things we're doing. 00:23:38.079 --> 00:23:40.380 is putting together some deacon commissions, 00:23:40.539 --> 00:23:43.359 and one of those commissions is a long -range 00:23:43.359 --> 00:23:46.680 planning commission, which some of you will be 00:23:46.680 --> 00:23:49.880 asked to serve on. And these are the kinds of 00:23:49.880 --> 00:23:51.619 things we need to be thinking about, how we're 00:23:51.619 --> 00:23:53.579 going to allow for the Spirit of God to continue 00:23:53.579 --> 00:23:56.720 growth and life and vitality in our church at 00:23:56.720 --> 00:23:58.960 a time when we cannot yet, as far as we know 00:23:58.960 --> 00:24:04.289 today, right now, build another building. God's 00:24:04.289 --> 00:24:06.470 plan is for the church and its superstructure 00:24:06.470 --> 00:24:09.269 to grow in its extension, to reach out to new 00:24:09.269 --> 00:24:13.230 people. A church never gets to the point that 00:24:13.230 --> 00:24:15.730 it doesn't need additional people. It does always 00:24:15.730 --> 00:24:17.650 need people because there are people that need 00:24:17.650 --> 00:24:20.250 the church and who need the Lord Jesus Christ. 00:24:20.450 --> 00:24:23.589 You see, that's the point. When we get to that 00:24:23.589 --> 00:24:25.369 position and think, well, we can just maintain 00:24:25.369 --> 00:24:27.849 now. We've gone far enough. We're big enough. 00:24:28.170 --> 00:24:30.109 What we're saying is there are people out there 00:24:30.109 --> 00:24:33.730 who need the Lord. There are people out there 00:24:33.730 --> 00:24:35.589 who need the ministry of the word of God, and 00:24:35.589 --> 00:24:39.730 of course that's a fallacy. There are many churches 00:24:39.730 --> 00:24:44.630 in our Twin Cities area, but there are many, 00:24:44.710 --> 00:24:47.210 many hundreds of thousands of people who have 00:24:47.210 --> 00:24:49.470 not been reached with the gospel of Jesus Christ, 00:24:49.769 --> 00:24:52.950 and that's why we're here. And so we need to 00:24:52.950 --> 00:24:54.890 keep in mind that God's put us here to grow. 00:24:55.509 --> 00:25:00.480 This is what it says here in his word. And then 00:25:00.480 --> 00:25:02.900 he tells us, fourthly, that he would describe 00:25:02.900 --> 00:25:05.279 the superstructure as holy in its description. 00:25:06.039 --> 00:25:09.359 He says that we are growing into a holy temple 00:25:09.359 --> 00:25:14.519 in the Lord, a holy temple. The word temple here 00:25:14.519 --> 00:25:18.000 is not the word for the temple complex, but it's 00:25:18.000 --> 00:25:21.400 that word for the inner sanctuary of the temple, 00:25:21.539 --> 00:25:26.480 the place of the presence, the shrine, as the 00:25:26.480 --> 00:25:29.569 pagans would have put it there in Ephesus. It 00:25:29.569 --> 00:25:33.170 was that inner shrine which was dedicated to 00:25:33.170 --> 00:25:35.970 the goddess that they worshipped in their heathenism. 00:25:36.450 --> 00:25:38.809 In terms of the Jewish temple, it would refer 00:25:38.809 --> 00:25:42.609 to the Holy of Holies, that innermost cubicle 00:25:42.609 --> 00:25:46.430 where the Ark of the Covenant was placed and 00:25:46.430 --> 00:25:49.049 where God was pleased to manifest his presence 00:25:49.049 --> 00:25:52.789 with the Shekinah glory. Now he tells us here 00:25:52.789 --> 00:25:58.039 that we are growing into a holy place. A holy 00:25:58.039 --> 00:26:02.599 shrine in the Lord. This same picture is used 00:26:02.599 --> 00:26:06.000 in 1 Corinthians 3, verses 16 and 17, where he 00:26:06.000 --> 00:26:09.579 says, Do you not know that you are a temple of 00:26:09.579 --> 00:26:13.660 God? Now, he's writing to a local church, and 00:26:13.660 --> 00:26:17.720 he's saying that to them as a body. We can easily 00:26:17.720 --> 00:26:20.539 say today, You, Grace Church Roseville, do you 00:26:20.539 --> 00:26:25.109 not know that you are a temple, a holy... shrine, 00:26:25.109 --> 00:26:30.009 a holy place of God, and that the Spirit of God 00:26:30.009 --> 00:26:35.390 dwells in you? If any man destroys this temple 00:26:35.390 --> 00:26:38.529 of God, God will destroy him, for the temple 00:26:38.529 --> 00:26:45.930 of God is holy, and that is what you are. The 00:26:45.930 --> 00:26:49.150 superstructure that God is building is a holy 00:26:49.150 --> 00:26:53.720 superstructure of people. And he says, that we 00:26:53.720 --> 00:26:57.539 as a total church, capital C, all of us saved 00:26:57.539 --> 00:27:03.539 in this age, and we as a local church, the visible 00:27:03.539 --> 00:27:07.920 earthly expression of the church, we are also 00:27:07.920 --> 00:27:12.539 a holy temple to the Lord, a sanctuary to the 00:27:12.539 --> 00:27:18.440 Lord. Really, this room is not a sanctuary. We 00:27:18.440 --> 00:27:21.859 call it the worship center. Because the sanctuary 00:27:21.859 --> 00:27:27.759 you see in this age is in us as we gather together 00:27:27.759 --> 00:27:30.599 to worship the Lord. We become the sanctuary 00:27:30.599 --> 00:27:33.519 when we are here. When we leave, the sanctuary 00:27:33.519 --> 00:27:39.059 is gone. Now in verse 22, the apostle gives us 00:27:39.059 --> 00:27:41.039 the scheme of the building. He says that God 00:27:41.039 --> 00:27:43.539 has done all of this so that we might be his 00:27:43.539 --> 00:27:47.049 habitation in the spirit. The Spirit of God is 00:27:47.049 --> 00:27:49.730 the great unifier. He ties us together so that 00:27:49.730 --> 00:27:54.009 we are a permanent abode of God. That word again, 00:27:54.390 --> 00:27:57.069 habitation, is found only one other place, and 00:27:57.069 --> 00:28:00.250 that is in Revelation 18 .2, the very negative 00:28:00.250 --> 00:28:03.829 context there. But it's used many times in the 00:28:03.829 --> 00:28:07.309 Greek translation of the Old Testament, called 00:28:07.309 --> 00:28:11.470 the Septuagint. And there it is used of the place 00:28:11.470 --> 00:28:15.440 where God rests. It is the place where God settles 00:28:15.440 --> 00:28:20.079 down. That is his habitation. And so he tells 00:28:20.079 --> 00:28:24.599 us here that we, as the living temple, the holy 00:28:24.599 --> 00:28:29.240 temple, are God's habitation. We are his resting 00:28:29.240 --> 00:28:34.180 place where God is pleased to settle down. John's 00:28:34.180 --> 00:28:36.700 testimony this morning, and he's not in here, 00:28:36.799 --> 00:28:38.599 but I'll say this. I appreciate the emotion. 00:28:39.920 --> 00:28:42.920 of his testimony and the fact that sharing about 00:28:42.920 --> 00:28:46.259 his salvation experience causes that kind of 00:28:46.259 --> 00:28:48.460 feeling in his heart. God help us when we can 00:28:48.460 --> 00:28:51.019 talk about our conversion and it's just like 00:28:51.019 --> 00:28:53.720 the newspaper. You know, it doesn't have a lot 00:28:53.720 --> 00:28:56.940 of meaning to us. But he was saying that as he 00:28:56.940 --> 00:28:59.440 went into that church, Wooddale Baptist Church, 00:28:59.720 --> 00:29:01.559 and met with that group, there was something 00:29:01.559 --> 00:29:04.940 different about it. Well, of course, because 00:29:04.940 --> 00:29:07.960 that's where God was, you see. He sensed the 00:29:07.960 --> 00:29:11.660 presence of God. There's not a greater compliment 00:29:11.660 --> 00:29:14.180 that can come to a congregation of people than 00:29:14.180 --> 00:29:16.720 for someone to come in and say, I sense the presence 00:29:16.720 --> 00:29:21.319 of God here. That's exactly what God's plan is, 00:29:21.339 --> 00:29:25.819 you see. He wishes to settle down, to abide in 00:29:25.819 --> 00:29:29.160 the church. He says that we are being built together 00:29:29.160 --> 00:29:33.299 for that purpose. Similar phrase to verse 21, 00:29:33.420 --> 00:29:35.339 but a different one. He says built together, 00:29:35.480 --> 00:29:37.480 but the emphasis is on the togetherness of it. 00:29:38.039 --> 00:29:40.940 The importance is that we are a fellowship in 00:29:40.940 --> 00:29:43.980 a local church. God has not created us as his 00:29:43.980 --> 00:29:48.619 people to be lone rangers. I've had people say 00:29:48.619 --> 00:29:50.720 to me, well, I can worship God out there in the 00:29:50.720 --> 00:29:55.220 woods as I'm fishing on Sunday morning. Well, 00:29:55.319 --> 00:29:57.359 you can worship God anywhere, but the point is 00:29:57.359 --> 00:29:59.519 that if you're a child of God, God says to worship 00:29:59.519 --> 00:30:03.160 together in a church, in a congregation of his 00:30:03.160 --> 00:30:06.480 people. That's his plan. God has not created 00:30:06.480 --> 00:30:08.779 us as living stones to be thrown out there and 00:30:08.779 --> 00:30:12.119 be isolated, but he has created us as living 00:30:12.119 --> 00:30:15.980 stones to be placed into a body of people with 00:30:15.980 --> 00:30:21.680 whom we interact and with whom we worship. There's 00:30:21.680 --> 00:30:24.440 great unity that's involved here, which God creates, 00:30:24.640 --> 00:30:29.259 and which we then are exhorted to keep over in 00:30:29.259 --> 00:30:31.119 the fourth chapter of the book of Ephesians. 00:30:32.009 --> 00:30:34.970 We are told to keep that unity that God is building 00:30:34.970 --> 00:30:41.230 together in us. One may not be divisive or be 00:30:41.230 --> 00:30:44.549 a troublemaker in a church and yet not be contributing 00:30:44.549 --> 00:30:48.529 to the unity that God is building. So how can 00:30:48.529 --> 00:30:52.490 one contribute to the unity? Simply by exercising 00:30:52.490 --> 00:30:57.690 the gifts of the Spirit that he has in the fellowship 00:30:57.690 --> 00:31:01.140 of that local church. That's why God has gifted 00:31:01.140 --> 00:31:04.539 us, so that we can exercise those gifts in the 00:31:04.539 --> 00:31:08.359 dynamic of our relationship together as an organism. 00:31:09.240 --> 00:31:11.980 And as we do that, we are going to grow and the 00:31:11.980 --> 00:31:14.140 whole body grows. He talks about that in the 00:31:14.140 --> 00:31:17.579 fourth chapter. We'll get to it eventually. So 00:31:17.579 --> 00:31:20.160 how can I contribute to the unity of this local 00:31:20.160 --> 00:31:23.339 church by exercising your spiritual gifts here? 00:31:25.259 --> 00:31:27.980 God hasn't created the church to be a spectator 00:31:27.980 --> 00:31:30.970 arena. Where people come together and they observe 00:31:30.970 --> 00:31:35.230 others doing the work of the Lord. The church 00:31:35.230 --> 00:31:37.690 is to be a place where all of us as living stones 00:31:37.690 --> 00:31:42.309 are contributing together. He is together building 00:31:42.309 --> 00:31:46.630 us. He is together fitting us into place. So 00:31:46.630 --> 00:31:50.289 that we share ministry together. That's God's 00:31:50.289 --> 00:31:53.670 plan. That's the scheme that he has in mind. 00:31:58.160 --> 00:32:00.539 You know, there is something that amazes me about 00:32:00.539 --> 00:32:03.119 some folks who come to our church, and I don't 00:32:03.119 --> 00:32:05.660 say it in criticism. I simply say it rather in 00:32:05.660 --> 00:32:07.539 astonishment because I've never seen it before 00:32:07.539 --> 00:32:11.380 now. We have not a few people who come to our 00:32:11.380 --> 00:32:13.759 church and who are involved in ministry in our 00:32:13.759 --> 00:32:16.940 church, sometimes in rather significant ways, 00:32:17.220 --> 00:32:20.799 and who have made significant financial commitments 00:32:20.799 --> 00:32:23.039 to our church who are not even members of our 00:32:23.039 --> 00:32:26.740 church. Now, honestly, in all of my ministry, 00:32:26.799 --> 00:32:30.380 I've never seen that before. On one hand, I'm 00:32:30.380 --> 00:32:32.460 glad, because I'm glad people have confidence 00:32:32.460 --> 00:32:35.700 in the leadership of the church, in the ministry 00:32:35.700 --> 00:32:38.019 of the church, in its vision, so that they want 00:32:38.019 --> 00:32:40.720 to do that. On the other hand, frankly, I'm puzzled 00:32:40.720 --> 00:32:45.599 by the fact that people will do that much, even 00:32:45.599 --> 00:32:47.400 contribute of their money, which is usually the 00:32:47.400 --> 00:32:50.059 very last thing that comes, and yet they don't 00:32:50.059 --> 00:32:51.819 want to become a part of the church as a member, 00:32:52.000 --> 00:32:56.420 or at least they neglect to do that. In a few 00:32:56.420 --> 00:32:57.700 minutes, I'm going to give you an opportunity 00:32:57.700 --> 00:33:00.259 to respond to that, by the way, some of you who 00:33:00.259 --> 00:33:03.220 have been in that position. It would sure help 00:33:03.220 --> 00:33:07.799 me and decrease my perplexity. I would appreciate 00:33:07.799 --> 00:33:11.819 that. Well, listen, we have to move ahead because 00:33:11.819 --> 00:33:16.019 he has concluded here what he wants to say about 00:33:16.019 --> 00:33:19.640 the church as the holy temple. Dr. Mull says, 00:33:19.900 --> 00:33:23.039 thus closes the special revelation. of the plan 00:33:23.039 --> 00:33:26.259 and nature of the great living sanctuary, built 00:33:26.259 --> 00:33:30.319 on the Son by the Spirit for the Father to be 00:33:30.319 --> 00:33:33.799 the scene of the manifestation of his glory to 00:33:33.799 --> 00:33:36.599 whatsoever spectators eternity shall bring to 00:33:36.599 --> 00:33:41.140 see it. Last week we had sung for us that beautiful, 00:33:41.339 --> 00:33:47.759 beautiful song, The Holy City. And it describes 00:33:47.759 --> 00:33:50.720 there in musical terms what is set before us. 00:33:51.200 --> 00:33:54.319 Revelation chapters 21 and 22. I don't understand 00:33:54.319 --> 00:33:57.700 all that's in those chapters. But it is a beautiful 00:33:57.700 --> 00:34:00.940 scene, the city that is described there. Some 00:34:00.940 --> 00:34:04.539 1 ,500 miles in its dimensions, whether you see 00:34:04.539 --> 00:34:08.539 it as a cube or a pyramid or a sphere, however 00:34:08.539 --> 00:34:11.559 you may choose to view that description. It is 00:34:11.559 --> 00:34:14.219 an immense city. You know what it says about 00:34:14.219 --> 00:34:17.900 it? The angel says, come here, John. I want to 00:34:17.900 --> 00:34:24.570 show you the lamb's wife. His bride. You see, 00:34:24.610 --> 00:34:26.909 that city that is there is the place you and 00:34:26.909 --> 00:34:30.230 I are going to live for eternity. It's our home. 00:34:30.369 --> 00:34:33.969 It's where we who are part of his bride will 00:34:33.969 --> 00:34:39.070 live in the eternity future. The new Jerusalem, 00:34:39.250 --> 00:34:42.349 the holy city. Well, right now God is building 00:34:42.349 --> 00:34:45.829 that city over there. But right now in a spiritual 00:34:45.829 --> 00:34:51.480 sense, God is building it in us. We are his temple, 00:34:51.559 --> 00:34:54.400 his habitation. And in light of that, there's 00:34:54.400 --> 00:34:56.619 just one word of instruction that I want to close 00:34:56.619 --> 00:34:59.019 with, and it's found over in 2 Corinthians. I'd 00:34:59.019 --> 00:35:02.739 like you to turn there with me. In 2 Corinthians 00:35:02.739 --> 00:35:16.019 6, verse 16, he says, What agreement has the 00:35:16.019 --> 00:35:20.909 temple of God with idols? For we are the temple 00:35:20.909 --> 00:35:26.010 of the living God. Then in chapter 7, verse 1, 00:35:26.110 --> 00:35:28.929 he summarizes his words. He says, Therefore, 00:35:28.929 --> 00:35:31.570 having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse 00:35:31.570 --> 00:35:35.190 ourselves from all defilement of the flesh and 00:35:35.190 --> 00:35:39.030 spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. 00:35:39.369 --> 00:35:42.130 He talks here about our separation from sin. 00:35:43.090 --> 00:35:46.429 And he says, because we are a holy temple of 00:35:46.429 --> 00:35:51.119 God. God wants us to be separate from sin. He 00:35:51.119 --> 00:35:57.340 wants us to perfect holiness in our lives. Perfecting 00:35:57.340 --> 00:36:01.880 holiness in the fear of God, he says. Cleansing 00:36:01.880 --> 00:36:05.320 ourselves of the filthiness of the flesh and 00:36:05.320 --> 00:36:09.260 of the spirit because we're a holy temple. Folks, 00:36:09.260 --> 00:36:11.679 because what God has called us to be, what he 00:36:11.679 --> 00:36:14.760 is fitting us to become, where he has placed 00:36:14.760 --> 00:36:20.750 us, in the new temple. Let's allow our lifestyles 00:36:20.750 --> 00:36:24.349 to reflect the fact that we're a holy temple. 00:36:25.489 --> 00:36:28.510 For not only are we as a congregation a holy 00:36:28.510 --> 00:36:32.070 temple, but we in our bodies, we are holy temples. 00:36:32.610 --> 00:36:36.610 Our bodies themselves are holy to the Lord. He 00:36:36.610 --> 00:36:40.269 has purchased us. So let's live the kind of lives 00:36:40.269 --> 00:36:46.590 that reflect who we are in Jesus Christ. View 00:36:46.590 --> 00:36:50.289 the building, see it rise. The work, how great, 00:36:50.429 --> 00:36:54.949 the plan, how wise. Nor can that faith be overthrown 00:36:54.949 --> 00:36:58.809 that rests upon the living stone. Let's pray. 00:37:05.269 --> 00:37:08.449 I wonder how the message this morning may be 00:37:08.449 --> 00:37:11.070 used of the Spirit of God in your life. Are you 00:37:11.070 --> 00:37:14.980 built on the living stone? Is your faith in Jesus 00:37:14.980 --> 00:37:21.019 Christ? Have you come to him in faith so that 00:37:21.019 --> 00:37:25.719 he can make you a part of the new temple? And 00:37:25.719 --> 00:37:28.579 you, my Christian brother and sister, are you 00:37:28.579 --> 00:37:33.239 living a holy life? Are you in your body a holy 00:37:33.239 --> 00:37:37.119 temple? Are you contributing to the unity of 00:37:37.119 --> 00:37:42.360 this new temple God is creating? What is it that's 00:37:42.360 --> 00:37:44.880 withholding you from membership, taking that 00:37:44.880 --> 00:37:49.260 step in this local church today? Is God leading 00:37:49.260 --> 00:37:54.179 you to make that step? Heavenly Father, I pray 00:37:54.179 --> 00:37:57.840 that you will deal with us personally, lovingly, 00:37:57.840 --> 00:38:01.860 patiently, as only you can, in such a beautiful 00:38:01.860 --> 00:38:05.780 way. And by the Spirit, give us the right desires 00:38:05.780 --> 00:38:08.059 in our hearts and the willingness to follow through 00:38:08.059 --> 00:38:10.719 in obedience to your plan for us. In Jesus' name. 00:38:13.309 --> 00:38:16.849 Amen. I'd like us to sing in closing number 451. 00:38:17.389 --> 00:38:19.610 And as we do that, we're just going to sing a 00:38:19.610 --> 00:38:23.070 verse or two. First of all, I want to give you 00:38:23.070 --> 00:38:25.030 an opportunity if you've never trusted the Lord 00:38:25.030 --> 00:38:28.090 Jesus Christ to do that this morning. And to 00:38:28.090 --> 00:38:29.690 come here in the front where I'll be standing 00:38:29.690 --> 00:38:31.449 and I'll introduce you to a counselor who can 00:38:31.449 --> 00:38:34.710 take you aside privately and can answer whatever 00:38:34.710 --> 00:38:37.230 questions you have as to how to become a real 00:38:37.230 --> 00:38:40.239 Christian. the kind of a Christian that stood 00:38:40.239 --> 00:38:42.260 before you and gave his testimony this morning. 00:38:44.559 --> 00:38:48.059 It may be that you're here today and you've come 00:38:48.059 --> 00:38:50.199 to this fellowship. You're even a contributor 00:38:50.199 --> 00:38:52.519 and you're a minister in the sense that you're 00:38:52.519 --> 00:38:55.360 participating in some ministry, but you're not 00:38:55.360 --> 00:38:58.699 a member of the church. I want to open up that 00:38:58.699 --> 00:39:02.179 invitation today for you so that you can come 00:39:02.179 --> 00:39:04.119 and publicly say, I want to become a part of 00:39:04.119 --> 00:39:06.139 this church, and we can start that process for 00:39:06.139 --> 00:39:09.400 you today. You say, do I have to do that? No, 00:39:09.400 --> 00:39:11.019 you don't have to, but this is an opportunity 00:39:11.019 --> 00:39:13.659 to get started so that you may not neglect it 00:39:13.659 --> 00:39:16.280 anymore as you perhaps have been in the past. 00:39:16.400 --> 00:39:18.719 I urge you to come for that purpose this morning 00:39:18.719 --> 00:39:21.699 and not feel ashamed in coming, but be glad to 00:39:21.699 --> 00:39:24.780 come and to join with us in the work of the Lord 00:39:24.780 --> 00:39:27.119 here at Grace Church as a member of this local 00:39:27.119 --> 00:39:31.699 body. Let's stand together as we sing 451, All 00:39:31.699 --> 00:39:33.159 to Jesus I Surrender.