Deal or No Deal? The Choice is Yours
It’s Not My Temple…It’s His!
A few weeks ago, we began a new sermon series entitled Deal or No Deal? The Choice is Yours!
I wanted to talk about making the choice to obey God and not waver from His ideal for your life in the following areas of your life: Your Time * Your Treasure * Your Temple * Your Testimony * Your Talents
Our theme verse for this series is a verse that summarizes this so clearly and profoundly:
I Corinthians 6:20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.
John 3:30 He must increase, but I must decrease.
And I want you to make the BEST CHOICES…not just “ok” choices or “good” choices but the BEST choices in life. Luke 10:42 But one thing is needed [necessary] , and Mary has chosen that good part [best], which will not be taken away from her [eternal impact].
This series is all about making a CHOICE on how to use this life of yours.
It’s Not My Temple, It’s His!
Today, we make our one singular choice to Follow God’s Way…with our “Temple” our bodies/heart/mind. Let me first define what I am referring to when I say “your ‘Temple.’”
The word “Temple” was used in two different ways in the Bible.
1) The physical temple (like the temple I referred to on Easter Sunday)
2) Our own hearts/minds
You see, the temple was a place where people would worship God corporately. And there were specific requirements that needed to be met in order to keep the process pure and according to God’s commands. Likewise, when I say, “It’s not my Temple…It’s His,” I am saying that God calls for us to offer our hearts, lives and bodies to be a pure sacrifice…similar to what the physical, Jewish temple was utilized for.
Paul, in his statements to the religious debaters on Mars Hill, made this statement about how God dwells in our hearts – our spiritual temples – if we are believers in Jesus Christ.
Acts 17:24-28a NKJV “God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. 25 Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things. 26 And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, 27 so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; 28 for in Him we live and move and have our being…”
Acts 17:24-28a NLT “He is the God who made the world and everything in it. Since he is Lord of heaven and earth, he doesn’t live in man-made temples, 25 and human hands can’t serve his needs—for he has no needs. He himself gives life and breath to everything, and he satisfies every need. 26 From one man he created all the nations throughout the whole earth. He decided beforehand when they should rise and fall, and he determined their boundaries. 27 “His purpose was for the nations to seek after God and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him—though he is not far from any one of us. 28 For in him we live and move and exist…”
So, I would like to compare the way in which people prepared coming to the physical Temple for worship to the way in which we need to prepare our own temples to present to God in worship. God desires our Temples to be in Five Spiritual Conditions of your Spiritual Temple:
1. Our Temples Must Be Temples of WORSHIP!
When you would approach the Temple in Biblical times, you had to approach the Temple prepared to worship.
Jeremiah 26:2 "Thus says the LORD: Stand in the court of the LORD’s house, and speak to all the cities of Judah that come to worship in the house of the LORD all the words that I command you to speak to them; do not hold back a word.
You see, my friend, when you say “No Deal” to sin and offer your heart as a Temple that is full of praise and thanksgiving to God…and you give to God all His due praise, it will be a an acceptable and well-pleasing offering to God! …and a testimony to others (which we’ll talk about more next week).
In fact, the moment Jesus ascended back into heaven after rising from the dead 40 days earlier, notice where the disciples went/and what they did: Luke 24:50-53 And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them. 51 Now it came to pass, while He blessed them, that He was parted from them and carried up into heaven. 52 And they worshiped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, 53 and were continually in the temple praising and blessing God. Amen.
LIKEWISE, if we are believers in Jesus Christ, our temples must be a constant residence of praise and worship for God! How do you know if you have given your Temple to God? Simply ask yourself if your heart is a heart that exudes praise and worship for the Lord!
The physical Temple of the Bible was made for worship...and anyone who came to that temple should expect worship to be occurring. Likewise, if God examines your heart, He should expect for worship to be occurring in your Temple!
It is a sobering, yet true, reality: “An absence of worship in the Temple is to fear the absence of God in the Temple!”
Is your Temple yielded to God? Is it a Temple of Praise & Worship? Because “It’s not my Temple…it’s His!
Satan would have you question this truth by saying, “C’mon, you are the ‘great one!’ Why attribute praise to God when you’re the one who accomplished all that you have today?” In essence, say “No Deal” to God’s way of how your Temple should be used.
…But the choice is yours.
2. Our Temples Should Be Temples of HUMILITY
It follows logically, that as a result of praising God and standing in His greatness and worshiping Him, it will indeed humble us. When you would approach the Temple in Biblical times, you had to approach the Temple reverently. What is interesting about the actual stairway that led up to the temple, is that the steps are different sizes and widths (you can actually walk up this stair case today). Some believe that the staircase was built this way so that those coming up to God in worship could not rush right up to God in a hasty, disrespectful manner…so as to be disrespectful to God. The varying steps and widths would make you have to always keep your head down in humility so as to make sure you were approaching God in a humble disposition.
You see, when we cultivate the temple within us, we need to do so knowing that, frankly, we can’t do it on our own. It is God’s power working through us that allows us to live…and move…and have our being.
II Corinthians 4:7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.
Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
3. Our Temples Must Be PURE!
God will break us in order to purify us! When you would approach the Temple in Biblical times, you had to approach the Temple fully cleansed. Prior to stepping into the temple to worship, you had to wash your entire body in a “Mikvah” (MICK-vah).
A Mikvah was likened to a baptismal tank that is located near the entrance of the temple; you’d dunk yourself in and symbolically wash your body which would be a statement to all those around you that “my body is clean…so is my heart, as I proceed up to the temple to worship.”
LIKEWISE, if we are believers in Jesus Christ, our temples to be pure and holy before Him.
Psalm 24:3-4 Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD? Or who may stand in His holy place? 4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, nor sworn deceitfully.
II Corinthians 6:14-20 Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? 15 And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? 16 And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they shall be My people.” 17 Therefore “Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you.” 18 “I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the LORD Almighty.”
One word of caution at this point - If the Temple is being used for impure purposes, then God will cleanse it!
Mark 11:15 So they came to Jerusalem. Then Jesus went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. 16 And He would not allow anyone to carry wares through the temple. 17 Then He taught, saying to them, “Is it not written, “My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations’? But you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’ ”
4. Our Temples Must Be GUARDED!
When you would approach the Temple in Biblical times, you would have noticed the very obvious presence of Temple officers posted at strategic sites – especially during busy times – not only for physical protection, but for the purpose of keeping order and prevent anything “unclean” or “unacceptable” from entering into the temple for worship.
Just like the temple officers were posted at strategic places in the temple to protect it from anything unclean or improper from happening, we too need to have a guarded temple.
II Corinthians 10:4-6 explains exactly how we are to protect our temple from sin – in essence, pursue holiness and allow it to channel all your energy towards obedience! 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, 6 and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.
5. Our Temples Must Be BROKEN!
Meaning, you have a burden to see everyone come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Your heart breaks over sin in your life and the lives of others. And, you desire for everyone you see to honor God through their lives.
Your heart’s passion is the very passion of God’s: I Timothy 2:4, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
But know this - just as God desires us to be made broken over sin and to see others break from the bonds of sin, He also desires to repair broken temples! Temples that have been tarnished and vandalized by the scars of sin:
John 8:3-11 Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, 4 they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. 5 Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?” 6 This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear. 7 So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” 8 And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. 9 Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. 10 When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?” 11 She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”
You see…the same love that builds up your temple, cleanses your temple, and helps you guard your temple, is the same love that can restore your temple! Restore it from being desperately wicked to being cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ!
There is actually one more thing you need to do if you want to give your “Temple” fully to God, you need to give the keys of your Temple to God.
You see, just before the Passover, the temple officers would open the large stone doors to the inner portion of the temple until the Passover was complete. They did this in somewhat of a symbolic way, just to say to God that they were welcoming Him into their midst. But, after the Passover was over, they would shut these large doors – until the next festival.
Today, after we welcome Him in and enjoy fellowship with Him, and cleanse our Temple, and purify it, and become humbled by His presence, and are broken over sin in our lives…THEN, we need to hand over the keys to the door of our Temple and say, “Lord, it’s all Yours…You can come and go as You wish. Do with it as You will. Because my house is Your house! “
“It’s not my Temple…It’s His!” So, the choice is yours – DEAL OR NO DEAL!
If you have never really accepted Jesus as your personal Savior, would you do it right now? Do not delay or put it off. If you would like to receive Christ by faith, pray this simple prayer in your heart:
Dear Lord, I acknowledge that I am a sinner. I believe Jesus died for my sins on the cross, and rose again the third day. I repent of my sins. By faith I receive the Lord Jesus as my Savior. You promised to save me, and I believe You, because You are God and cannot lie. I believe right now that the Lord Jesus is my personal Savior, and that all my sins are forgiven through His precious blood. I thank You, dear Lord, for saving me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
If you prayed that prayer, God heard you and saved you. I personally want to welcome you to the family of God and rejoice with you.
