The Temple Site! 2006/22 11/05/06
I don’t know how you feel about Whose you are, but I am excited that I am not my own. I am God’s property, bought with the preciousness of the blood of Jesus. That is a most exciting thought to me. But the more I meditate this point, the more I begin to realize that the time of my acceptance into His kingdom, is also the time that I decided to embrace His choice of me before the foundation of the world, and this was just a beginning moment for me. The rest of the story is still in life’s composer, being written with my daily life.
As I have thought about what we have been hearing and what we are seeing come to pass prophetically, I am overwhelmed that we are in a construction process of very great proportions. “We” and “Us” are being built into a temple, also into God’s house and dwelling, and also His kingdom. The temple, and house, and kingdom, are not being built with hands, but God is the builder and the architect, and by the way, Please note that it is ‘we and the us’, since we, individually and corporately are involved.
We used a portion last week and again this week I look at a scripture that I have always loved, and it is 1 Peter 2:5, where the word calls us to come as living stones and be built into a spiritual house, this work that can only be done by God, and by the way, He needs no help, except our submission to His will. This is all happening right now, in this season, and as a brother once said it is because no matter how devoted we may be to God, we can be absolutely sure that He is far more, immeasurably devoted to you and completing His good work in you, developing, perfecting and completing it, in you. [Phil 1:6]. It is all part of His thoughts and plans for each of us, that we have read many times from Jeremiah 29:11. His destiny for each of us is on the top of His priority list.
There is much to get into here, but I feel that we should begin with the desperate need we have, to always deepen our relationship with our God daily. Speaking of all this, I feel led to read a statement by Oswald Chambers, from his Spirit inspired work, “My Utmost for His Highest”.
“We do not know what God’s compelling purpose is, but whatever happens, we must maintain our relationship with Him. We must never allow anything to damage our intimacy with God, but if something does damage it, we must take the time to make it right again.
The most important aspect of Christianity is not the work we do, but the relationship we maintain and the surrounding influence and qualities produced by that relationship. That is all God asks us to give our attention to, and it is the one thing that is continually under attack. [There can be no legitimate reason for breaking or lessening fellowship, with God or with one another.]”
Now, maintaining that relationship means that we need to enter His Presence and commit to staying there. This is the fruit of continuing to embrace God’s call on your life. Our devotion must far exceed lip service, it must be the only focus of our lives as we live in a very confused ‘new’ world. This is a big order, with many pitfalls and tests, in fact, so many that it would be impossible to number them, but with Him all things are possible. He will meet your need as your deepening devotion is acknowledged by Him.
Now, the building process. When we give ourselves over to Christ and submit to His will in our lives, He begins to clear a site for building. Remember He purchased you to dwell in, and as such to build His kingdom in you and through you. You are an extremely expensive piece of real estate.
Major reconstruction always begins with site clearing. When we say, Lord, I am yours to do with as you see fit, it is then, we have agreed to allow Him to clear our heart, removing all the things that no longer have any priority to us nor to Him. He does this with loving compassion, for He is preparing a dwelling place for Himself within each of us. Some of us need to be reminded once in a while that His will is a far better choice, than any of mine have ever been.
To build His kingdom or dwelling within us, God has to remove all the things that you were at work building when you were so busy building your own kingdom. My early life was built on anything but His foundation. My foundation was full of holes and leaked, and would have collapsed under even the least shaking. Most all of what He removes is a decaying mess. Old ideas, that have been nursed and never bore fruit, old traditions that had little meaning in life, and old ways that we adopted, as the only way we could ever make it from A to Z, and yet, we never got any closer than when we started.
He will go deep and do a thorough work, and most often we will certainly feel it and be most uncomfortable because He has begun to touch some of our sacred cows, but it is God, doing His loving will in our innermost being, and we will never be the same again. We’ll hit this again later in this lesson, but it has to be said several times. Sometimes, I find I don’t receive it the first time around.
Note: We never what we may be holding on too, until the Lord begins to shake it loose and take it from us, then we most often find that we have been ‘white knuckling’ a sacred cow.
Listen, concerning the building process. We need to always remember that the Lord is a Life Being inside of us. He is our High Priest, Who has suffered every temptation and test and trial that we will ever encounter and He has carved a trail, that when followed will lead us to be the finished product, conformed to His image. God is never surprised at our failures and is ever ready to say to us, “Get up, it’s OK, let’s keep walking and finish the course. He is far more active in our daily life than we can imagine, and He knows how to take us across the line.
Note: Our High Priest (Jesus) was tempted in every respect that we are, with much more beside, yet without any flesh response or sin. He has already passed through the heavens, our Lord Jesus Christ, so let us hold fast our confession of faith in Him.
Let the Holy Spirit engrave this verse in your spirit man for recall at times when nothing else will ease you; “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.” (Rom 8:1)
Note: Read 1 John 1:7 & 9; The word “all” is important and it means that our sins past and present have been forgiven and our confession moves us into the flow of that ‘finished’ forgiveness, and we can see that in John 19:30. The word in greek for finished means the most perfectly and complete work ever done, nothing can be added to it and nothing can be taken from it.
This is the yielded life, the life under His hand of construction. Let me quote one brother; “He [Jesus] wants so much for us to yield ourselves to Him so He can live His life through us. He is not interested in our looking spiritual, whatever that means, nor is He interested in our acting spiritual.”
Our God wants us to stop trying to be Christians. Instead, He wants us to give ourselves to Him, so He can do in us and through us, whatever He wants to do. The problem in all this, however, is that we’re so used to doing things in our own certain ways, that surely need changing, that we at first reject the thought of any other way, regardless of where it comes from. We need to take time to examine our daily lives, concentrating on some or our habits of thought, practice, and feelings that are opposed to God and His ways, and His will. I found out there are many of my unchanged ways are not even close to His.
Note: We have said this many times, but we know that Christianity is not an act, it is a relationship with our God. We need to understand that we are committed to Him and His will, spirit, soul and body. Read Mark 12:30 and you will see that we are to love Him with all of our being, not just our spirit.
Now lets go back to the theme of relationships. I was led to a scripture the other morning while meditating on this lesson. Turning to 1 John 1:7, I read;
“But if we [really] are living and walking in the Light, as He [Himself] is in the Light, we have [true, unbroken] fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses (removes) us from all sin and guilt [keeps us cleansed from sin in all its forms and manifestations].”
Reading from an anointed footnote, and I quote; “Our walk in the Light is a test of fellowship with God, since the life of fellowship is a life that is continually cleansed from sin by the blood of Jesus, it also involves our relationship with one another, which indicates that a walk, “in the light” is lived accountably before both God and man.”
Is that clear enough? The reason I stick with this so closely is that we are speaking of kingdom rules, and this kingdom, under the rules of our King, demands a unity among the brethren, that is totally unconditional and unrestrained. We are all parts of one another and one part is weakened without relationship with the other parts and one of the major thrusts of the enemy now is the dividing of the brethren, just as sure as you are sitting here in this room listening or reading from the word. The enemy knows of the anointing that is always present when this unity is present and he will try to cause division by any means. Look and rejoice at Psalm 133:1-3;
“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!
It is like the precious ointment poured on the head, that ran down on the beard, even the beard of Aaron [the first high priest], that came down upon the collar and skirts of his garments [consecrating the whole body].
It is like the dew of [lofty] Mount Hermon and the dew that comes on the hills of Zion; for there the Lord has commanded the blessing, even life forevermore [upon the high and the lowly].”
There is an anointing connected to Christian unity, and what we have just read is running over with anointing. One of the highest priorities in the bible is spiritual unity. When we think on John 17, the priestly prayer of Jesus, prayed just before He crossed over to Gethsemane, He had three instances in one prayer where He prayed that we all be one as He and the Father were one. Their relationship is always one of totally complete harmony. The enemy is always trying to break up communion in the body because he is aware of the anointing that accompanies close fellowship. Lets read several other verses because this is as important as it gets, especially in the days we are in. Lets turn to 1 Peter 3:8;
“Finally, all [of you] should be of one and the same mind (united in spirit), sympathizing [with one another], loving [each other] as brethren [of one household], compassionate and courteous (tenderhearted and humble).”
We are going to go through more word yet and then we will sort out our present condition and its relationship to the kingdom and our residence there. Look at 1 Cor 12:12, 25 & 26;
“For just as the body is a unity and yet has many parts, and all the parts, though many, form [only] one body, so it is with Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One).
So that there should be no division or discord or lack of adaption [of the parts of the body to each other], but the members all alike should have a mutual interest in and care for one another.
And if one member suffers, all the parts [share] the suffering; if one member is honored, all the members [share in] the enjoyment of it.”
Praise God! Do you mind if I stick a verse in at this place that just seems made to order to fit here, and it is found in Eph. 4:16 with emphasis added;
“For because of Him the whole body (the church, in all it’s various parts), closely joined and firmly knit together by the joints and ligaments with which it is supplied, when each part [with power adapted to its need] is working properly [in all its functions], grows to full maturity, building itself up in love.”
Now, with all that said, I think I can now go one step further into the kingdom and say this; there is nothing old in the kingdom. How about that? all there is new and fresh, moving in power and flowing in His Spirit. Listen, we must remember that Jesus, in speaking to Nicodemus, gave great insight into the kingdom. Listen, from the Amplified the approach that he made to Jesus and then catch Jesus answer to him; John 3:2, 3 and 5;
“Who came to Jesus at night and said to Him, Rabbi, we know and are certain that You have come from God [as] a Teacher; for no one can do these signs (these wonderworks, these miracles – and produce the proofs) that You do unless God is with Him.
Jesus answered him, I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, that unless a person is born again (anew, from above), he cannot ever see (know, be acquainted with, and experience) the kingdom of God.
[and the answer to the next thing Nicodemus asked]
Jesus answered, I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, unless a man is born of water and [even] the Spirit, he cannot [ever] enter the kingdom of God.”
Now go over to 2 Cor 5:17 and we will see where the old and the new come into play;
“Therefore if any person is [ingrafted] in Christ ( the Messiah) [born again] he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old [previous moral and spiritual condition] has passed away, Behold, the fresh and new has come.”
Note: I want to add here three verses to this to round it off. Look at 1 Peter 1:3-5;