The Spiritual Value Of Our Physical Body

Well, brethren, what part does your physical body play in your spiritual life?

Have you ever thought about that question? What part does your physical body play in your spiritual life? In our calling from God, we're directed to take on the very not-mind, the nature of God the Father and Jesus Christ, to grow in their character, to become as they are, and I think we would all describe that correctly as a spiritual process. But in doing so, do we consider that our physical bodies play an important role in the spiritual relationship that we develop and maintain with God?

Do we take time to focus on our bodies, actually, as being a central element to our interaction with and our worship of God? Again, I think we would label our relationship with Him, rightly so, as spiritual. But we've been created in the flesh, and this is where this interaction is, at least where the vessel in which it's taking place, this physical vessel, even though it's on a spiritual level, and we need to be sure that from that perspective we value our physical body as God does, that we consider the value of it actually in this relationship that He has with us.

It's easy for us to actually, again, view our bodies as disconnected from our spirituality, and yet the Bible teaches much about the purpose, the value, and even the holiness of our bodies as it pertains to this relationship with God.

So the title today is the spiritual value of our physical body, spiritual value of our physical body. And I want to take some time to explore that concept in the message today. Let's begin in the book of Genesis, because why not go to the beginning? There's certain anchor points in the Bible that we come back to often, but they're obviously essential and critical to our very focus and understanding in this life. In Genesis chapter 1 and beginning in verse 26, let's start to understand some of the dynamics of our creation, why we're here, and whose image we ultimately represent, even in the flesh.

Genesis chapter 1 in verse 26, God said, let us make man in our image. We understand this is God the Father and the Word who became Jesus Christ. As James says, we are made in the similitude of God, not in the likeness of the angels, not in the likeness of any other thing. We are in the likeness of God. So he said, let us make man in our image according to our likeness. Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, over the cattle, over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.

So God created man in his own image. In the image of God he created him. Male and female he created them. When God blessed them and he said to them, be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, subdue it, have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.

And so God created man on the earth and in his flesh as flesh and blood human beings made in his image. And as I've spoken on before, this is where it starts, in the flesh, but ultimately it will be fulfilled at the return of Jesus Christ when we are changed and we see him as he is, because we will be as he is.

But in his image and in this likeness begins here in the flesh, and also there is a spiritual component to our makeup that we'll look at here shortly. So we're physical with the spiritual elements as well that God has added to our makeup.

Mankind was put over the rest of the physical creation by God, and we are by design superior to them, superior to all the animals, superior to the physical creation both in mind and being, and that's important to remember. Again, we were not created after the animal kind or any other kind. We were created after the God kind to reflect him, not only in indeed how we look and function, but in our process of thinking and our ability to reach out and truly have a relationship with him.

That's something that sets us apart from the animals and indeed the rest of the creation around us, that ability to reach out and have that specific and direct relationship with God. But it starts here in the flesh. For me, the incredible spiritual value of our physical bodies begins with the recognition that we're ultimately created after the God kind, albeit at a lower level, okay, at this physical level, at this point, but after his kind.

Our human mind shows that we're created for the purpose beyond just surviving here on earth. You know, we're not like the animals that are basically we're here, we're part of this system that now, you know, we live, we reproduce, we die, the next generation, and but there's actually something more that God has intended and purpose for mankind.

And again, that spiritual element that allows for this relationship with him that grows us to that potential. So it's more than just surviving here on earth. Our mind shows that we're made to communicate not only with our fellow man, but also with our creator God through that spiritual element of our existence, which is called the Spirit in Man, right? The Spirit in Man, and that is the element primarily that sets us apart from the rest of the animal creation. In Job chapter 32 verse 8, it says, there is a Spirit in man, and the breath of the Almighty gives him understanding.

So as human beings, we have these physical elements which make up our body, but we have been infused with the spiritual element given to us by God as well, which allows for the intellect that we have, for the higher levels of thinking and reasoning and problem solving that we have. Our ability to develop a personal relationship with him, again, comes through that spiritual element, and it's ultimately through God's Holy Spirit, which binds with the Spirit in man, that we can then become partakers of the divine nature.

Ultimately, again, at the return of Christ, then to become as they are in this ultimate form of birth into the family of God. But all of this happens in the flesh. We are transformed through this life by God's Spirit, interacting with our Spirit into the likeness and the thinking and the character of God.

In the book of Psalms chapter 139 and verse 14, David described just how awesome our human creation is. Psalm 139 and verse 14, David says, I will praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. He said, Marvelous are your works. He says, and that my soul knows very well.

And so with his depth of understanding of the magnificence of our creation, with the depth of his relationship and interaction with God, David praised him for the marvelous work called the human body. It is the most complex and unique organism ever created, and that complexity and uniqueness speaks volumes not about us, but about our Creator, about the one who designed us and fashioned us after his likeness, yes, but for an incredible spiritual purpose. We are fearfully and wonderfully made. Every aspect of our physical body right down to the tiniest microscopic cell, you know, just take a blood sample, take a DNA sample, take whatever you like, put it under the microscope, and look at things at the microscopic level. It reveals, if you have the eyes to see, there is a Creator, right? And it also reveals that we are indeed fearfully and wonderfully made. God created us in the flesh, right? This is where we start. Mr. Nelson in the sermonette says, you know, this is a pilgrimage and this is a journey. There's a destination that God intends we ultimately arrive at, but we are here now and we are in the flesh and we're moving towards the purpose for which he has created us, an incredible spiritual purpose. I think sometimes we can look forward to our change, right? Turn to Jesus Christ and the saints rise to meet him in the air and we have this, we are changed into the spiritual likeness of God, into a God being such as he and Jesus Christ are. And, you know, we can become, I think, sometimes so focused on that that we forget to value these physical bodies as we should for the purpose that God created them while we're here. You know, as we age, we do get aches and pains, various physical discomforts in our life. Perhaps we suffer injuries, we suffer illnesses, and frankly, there's things that many people struggle with legitimately in the flesh. And frankly, your desire to be out of this flesh is legitimately as well, certainly even at more intense at some times than others. But as we endure those things, let's be careful not to forget the intent and the purpose for which God has created these physical bodies to begin with. As you go forward in the message, I want to cover four points in which our physical bodies serve a spiritual purpose. We'll look at four ways in which the spiritual value of our physical body is revealed, not only in God's Word, but in our relationship with God, and indeed how He interacts with us. So point number one, our physical body is the temple of God.

Our physical body is the temple of God, but this is a spiritual connection, and it's a spiritual relationship, but it takes place here. And as a sub-point to that, you can say, as such, it is holy.

By virtue of being the temple of God, we are holy. 1 Corinthians chapter 6, the apostle Paul here is admonishing the church to flee sexual immorality, and in doing so, he highlights as well the direct impact that such sins has on the physical body. But let's also notice what else he mentions coupled together with this. 1 Corinthians chapter 6 and verse 18. 1 Corinthians chapter 6 and verse 18, Paul says, flee sexual immorality. He says, every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body, against his physical flesh, against this body. And the point he's going to get to actually is there is actually a union that takes place between God and man, and we want to be very careful, frankly, even what else we join in this union. Holiness is to be how we live, especially in the presence of God. Carrying on to verse 19, Paul says, or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, which you have from God, and you are not your own, for you are bought at a price. He says, therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.

So there's a purpose behind everything that God does, and the creation of the human body is no different than that. A major purpose of this physical life, again, is to grow in the righteous character of God, right? To take on His nature, to overcome the struggles and the pulls of the flesh, even while living in the flesh, and to grow in that character. And that literally happens through the indwelling presence of God's Spirit as He comes in to live in us as we receive Him through this process of baptism, the laying on of hands, the receiving of the Holy Spirit. Now, His Spirit joins with our spirit. We can say the meeting of the minds, but it happens in this vessel, in this body, the flesh of our physical bodies. And so it's incredible really to consider that one of the purposes of the human body, which God had in mind at the creation, right, when He formed man from the dust of the ground and He breathed into Him the breath of life, a man became a leaving, being God's purpose and intent at that time, was He was fashioning a vessel to receive His Spirit and to be the temple of His Spirit. Jesus Christ was slain right before the foundation of the world, and this plan was understood by God the Father and Jesus Christ and anticipated before the human creation ever came into existence. So this was the purpose even at the moment of Adam's fashioning, that God said, this will be, this human body will be a vessel for my Spirit ultimately as we are in this New Covenant relationship with Him today. So again, there's this purpose behind everything that God does. If we go back up to verse 13 of 1 Corinthians chapter 6, it says, foods for the stomach and stomach for foods, right? You know, we all have a stomach, and the purpose of that is to take in food and to digest it and fuel our body. That's its purpose. And the purpose of food is actually to go into the stomach, to give us that energy. So it's this relationship that they were created for. Foods for the stomach and stomach for foods, but God will destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for sexual immorality, but for the Lord. And it says, and the Lord for the body. And to me, that's kind of an incredible concept to think about, the fact that the body is for the Lord and the Lord for the body. Understand, brethren, there's a very intimate relationship with God that is contained within the dwelling place of our physical body. We're literally created for this relationship with Him. We have the spirit of man, which allows us to reach out on an intellectual level to seek God and to interact in that way. But our body was literally created in the flesh, again, to participate in this intimate relationship with God. Paul reiterates the same purpose in 2 Corinthians chapter 6. 2 Corinthians chapter 6, and picking it up in verse 14. Again, the purpose for this flesh and blood, this physical body. 2 Corinthians chapter 6 and verse 14.

Paul says, do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. Again, he's running up to this concept of, if you're going to be joined with God in this intimate relationship with God, you have to be so careful as to what else you are intimate with in terms of experiences, relationships, individuals. What are we willing to bring into the temple of God?

I'm reaching back into my memory, but if memory serves, someone can Google this, if you like. But, naos, n-a-o-s, would be the Greek word for the holy of holies. The naos. This is where God's presence dwelled behind the veil in the tabernacle and later the temple. And that is literally what Paul is saying that we are. Remember the holy of holies? You didn't just come waltzing in there, you know, unless you were the high priest on the day of atonement with blood. You died. But certainly the point was nothing unclean, nothing came into that presence of God. You and I are literally the naos, the temple of God. And we must be careful, brethren, what we expose our self to. What's our entertainment? What are our habits? How we, you know, what we interact with? What are we willing to bring into the presence of God in His holy temple? Again, verse 14, do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers, for what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? What communion has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? Verse 16, 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, as I will be their God and they shall be my people. So again, Paul explains the intimate relationship that actually is occurring in our body, as we are the temple and God dwells in us. And if our bodies are to serve as that dwelling place for His Spirit, we might ask, does that have specific, you know, does God have expectations? Let's put it that way. Does God have expectations for what we would do in this body or how we would, again, use our energies or even keep ourselves or care for our bodies? Does He require something of us?

Well, verse 17, therefore, in light of this, come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord, do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you. I will be a father to you, you shall be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty. And so we understand there's actually a standard by which we are to keep ourselves as the temple of God, because it is indeed special. We may be flesh and blood. We may be, you know, beings that you can take and, you know, boil down to just some basic elements that really weren't, aren't what, with inflation, what are we worth now? Six dollars, maybe? I don't know. And our basic elements, the point is, though, what God is doing is spiritual, and it's incredible. But we have to do our part in response to Him, and what He's doing with us, He's doing in this flesh.

Recall the physical temple where Solomon constructed. It was spectacular. And there's a whole section of the Bible dedicated to all that went into this temple, and how it was arranged, and the materials that outfitted. It was built according to a divine pattern. How about, let us make man in our image a divine pattern? It was to be, then, the habitation of God in the promised land. The altar overlaid with gold. In her sanctuary overlaid with gold. This was an incredible structure. An incredible emphasis was built into it, intentionally, an incredible effort in order to raise this temple, even to then maintain the temple of God. There's a number of counts in the Old Testament where the temple was sort of forgotten, because worship of God was forgotten in Judah, and it fell into disrepair. But again, this is supposed to be the structure for God's holy habitation. The best materials and workmanship were put into its construction because it was the place of holiness. It was to be a place of peace. The temple was to be a place where the strength and the glory of God's presence was revealed. And it's where a very intimate relationship between God and His people took place. So this wasn't just some board slapped together and some shingles on top. You know, great care was taken in building up and maintaining this structure. And like man or brethren, shouldn't we regard the temple of God today in high esteem as well? Because God says, I'm holy, and you be holy as well. Actually, if I'm in your midst, you are holy. 1 Corinthians chapter 3 verse 17 says, the temple of God is holy, which temple you are. And so if our body is holy, because God's presence is here, then our response should be one of reverence and great care for the divine sanctuary which houses the presence of God's Spirit. And it's something that we should think about, not just, I can't wait to, you know, get out of this body to move on to something better. God does have something better waiting for us, right? Hebrews 11, it was read this morning, something better for us. But while we are here, we've been created in a form that is in the likeness of God for his incredible purpose. And we have a responsibility here as well.

The focus of my sermon isn't necessarily about self-care, but I do think it's important to consider how do we value, how do we care for the spiritual temple of God? Do we maintain it? And do we upkeep it to the best of our ability? God has given us an outline in his Word, you know, don't eat this, don't touch this, withdraw from this. But those are general guidelines, and he gives us the freedom actually to make day-to-day choices how we'll live within the parameters of those guidelines. And the question is, how will we use that freedom? Will we use it to build up the temple, or will we use it to tear down the temple? You know, I've been more cautious and frankly conscious as well of the fact that now that I've turned 50, the trips to Africa and back aren't quite what they were when I was 38. I think that's where I was when I made my first trip. Maybe I was 36. You know, that was an adventure, is to get on the plane. And a few times after that, that was a huge adventure. Now it's just a plane, and the legroom is whatever, and the seat doesn't quite, you know. So, but the fact is, you know, I'm conscious of the fact now that, okay, you can get blood clots, you can, when you're over there, you can pick up this and that, be careful what you eat, and suddenly it's like, you know, we have to be careful with our bodies. And there comes a point in our life when we can't do everything that we once did. Will we stay up until 2 a.m. every night watching TV, rather than getting proper rest? Will we drink an abundance of energy drinks each day to keep the exhausted body going? You know, just another shot of caffeine and adrenaline just to keep you going for another hour or two? Will we regularly fill our bodies with foods that are unhealthy that lead to serious health conditions? These might not seem related on the spiritual level, but understand all these variables pertaining to our physical bodies can actually impact our spiritual relationship with God.

And I'll give you an example. About a year ago, I gave a sermon on drunkenness, and you'll recall that drunkenness. And in that message, I pointed out the fact that drunkenness is sin. And it is sin. One of the reasons it's sin is because it inhibits our clear thinking and it diminishes our access to God's Holy Spirit. Right? Because when we're drunk, our senses are dulled, we're rummy, and literally we're cutting off God's spirits through that intoxication. And for that reason, plus others, drunkenness is a sin. And the point I'm making is there's many physical things that can impact our body's ability for the good or for the bad to interact well with God's Holy Spirit. It's just a condition of my travel, but you know, when I come home, I've been up for the entire day. The flights go out of West Africa at night. So I'm flying out 10 30 11 at night, but I've been up all day. I've been interacting with people. Sometimes it's a Saturday night when I fly out. It's 24 hours, 23 hours home, and I'm not one that generally sleeps at all on the plane. I've tried all kinds of techniques, but it is what it is. So by the time I get home, I'm burning probably anywhere from 42 to 48 hours, because I'm in the middle of the day. You gotta hug the family and, you know, catch up on what's going on. By the time I get to bed, it's like two days, and that's rough at times. But all I can tell you is, in that state, I'm not very sharp, and I need to go hit the sack and get some sleep, frankly, before I could even get down and say an extended, in-depth, focused set of prayers to God, simply by the physical impact of the travel on my body. And that can play out in so many different ways for us. What are we doing? I'm not looking to meddle in our lives. I'm just saying, keep a conscious focus of this, that we are the temple of God. We are holy, and our ability to be sharp and our connection with God's Spirit can come very much back to what we're doing in the flesh and how it is we're upkeeping this temple. Again, we are the temple of God, and that reality adds spiritual value to our physical body. That reality adds spiritual value to our physical body.

Point number two, we worship and glorify God in our physical body. We worship and glorify God in our physical body. Going back to the apostle Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 6 verse 20, he said, For you are bought at a price, therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's. So our worship, our glorifying of God, we would say, well, that's a spiritual process. It is. But he says, you do it in your body and your spirit. We, our body, and indeed, ways that we would worship and glorify him become a part of this spiritual process. I've been asked before what it means to glorify God because, you know, doesn't God have all glory? Does he need us to add glory to him? What does it mean? Let's define that term a little bit. To glorify God is to honor him with our praise and our worship. It's to acknowledge who he is. Right? It's to praise him for his greatness, his power, and his splendor. To praise his mighty works and deeds, which he's done, in heaven and on earth. To sing forth the praises of the fact that he is God. We are his creation and our hope is in him. You know, this is, this is, we don't give anything to God that he doesn't already have. This is an acknowledgement of just how incredible and marvelous he is when we glorify him. We glorify him when we demonstrate our absolute trust in his majesty and when we obey his word faithfully. You know, these scriptures here are all just packed full of how we live, and when we do these things, again, we bring glory to his name because the response of it is glorious.

So, for example, we worship and glorify God by our words of praise. It did words that we speak, the singing that we do, and that requires our physical being, doesn't it? Our mouth, our lips, our tongue, our voice. As we're here singing songs of praise during our worship service today, right, we're with our body, expressing something that truly is spiritual.

But we have to engage ourselves in that process, don't we, for it to take place. The works of our hands as well is another way that we glorify God in our body, what it is that we're doing, just with our physical efforts and the work of our hands. Notice John chapter 17.

John 17. Let's notice Jesus' prayer on the final night of his life and the emphasis on how the work of our hands actually glorify God. John chapter 17 and verse 4, cutting into Christ's prayer here, he says, I have glorified you on the earth, speaking to his Father. I've glorified you on the earth. I have finished the work which you have given me to do. Remember, he said, I haven't come to do my will, but my Father's will. And he's been working till now, and I've been working till now, and Christ came to fulfill something that he was sent to fulfill. And he says, I've glorified you on the earth. And he did so by finishing that work. To be faithfully about our Father's business and diligently putting our effort into doing his work is something that brings glory to him.

Preaching a gospel, preparing a people, loving your neighbor as yourself, reaching out, frankly, in love to the world around you and doing what you can to extend the love of Christ in our community and in our world. These things glorify our Father in heaven. John chapter 15, verse 8. Again, the words of Jesus Christ, John 15 and verse 8, Jesus says, by this my Father is glorified that you bear much fruit, and so you will be my disciples, bearing fruit for the kingdom of God, whether it's through physical actions and growth or whether it's through spiritual work, is clearly something which Jesus states glorifies God. And it's something that we'll all be doing, brethren, if we are truly yielding ourselves to his Spirit in us, if we're led by it, if we're responding to him, the works of our hands in this flesh will be spiritually glorifying God. 1 Corinthians chapter 10 and verse 31 states, Therefore, whatever you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. You see, the glory always goes to him, and it's never about us. The praise goes to him, the honor goes to him, and the works of our hands, the fruit of our lips, fruit of our lips. All these things are meant to bring the praise and the honor to him. Indeed, his Spirit is in us. This body which God has created for us is the physical instrument by which many of these spiritual expressions of our praise can take place. Our prayers, our words, our obedience to his commandments, the work of our hands, the way we help others, they all go into bringing praise and glory to God. And the point is, if we dedicate ourselves and everything that you do to his glory, and we back it up with his words and the character of Jesus Christ, we will realize the spiritual value of our physical bodies. They were created to worship and give praise to God. An incredible spiritual process in this flesh.

Point number three, our physical bodies offer spiritual sacrifices.

Our physical bodies offer spiritual sacrifices. Romans chapter 12 in verse one. Romans chapter 12 verse one, the Apostle Paul writing, he says, I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.

Now, you're going to present your body to something, okay? And before God called us and opened our mind to his truth, we presented our bodies as instruments of sin, right? Leading to death. But God sent his only begotten Son who gave his life. God has called us out of this world. He has given us his spirit, and now through that process we've been set free from sin, and our response is to be directed to presenting our physical bodies as living sacrifices to God. It's a spiritual process. Again, it's a part, if we go back, part of our worship and part of our praise, but we do it with the works of our hands, which means we do not sacrifice ourselves for Jesus Christ in the same way he sacrificed himself for us. Okay, this isn't unto death. That's not what is required, although for some it may ultimately be as we stand for God at the end of the age, but the general requirement is not that you sacrifice yourself unto death. The requirement is you live for him. You live for him. You give your life for him. We lay down our lives in sacrificial service to one another as living sacrifices, and Paul calls this our reasonable service in response to what you've received by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. This is your reasonable service, and it is my reasonable service in return. Romans chapter 6 and verse 11. Romans chapter 6 verse 11, likewise, you also, Paul says, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Therefore, do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey its lust, and do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness. Okay, you're going to do something again with your body. You're going to present it to something that has a spiritual end. Don't present it as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you're not under law, but under grace. You know, the law of the penalty of death does not apply to you if you come under the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. We live in the grace and the mercy of God. But again, it all comes down to our willingness to present our whole being to God, to offer ourselves mind, spirit, and body to Him. And that's what He ultimately is interested in receiving from us. He doesn't want necessarily gifts or sacrifices of what Israel offered. You know, that pointed to something else, but ultimately He wants our mind, our spirit, our bodies, indeed, fully given over to Him as a free will offering. Hebrews 13 and verse 15. Hebrews chapter 13 and verse 15.

It says, therefore, by Him, by Jesus Christ, let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God. That is the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices, God is well pleased. Again, brethren, the presenting of our body as a living sacrifice is at the core of our calling, and is a form of our worship and our expression of praise to God. It's our giving thanks to Him for the fact that we even draw breath, that we even can have this relationship with Him, that He created us to be above the dumb animals of creation. I mean, they're beautiful and glorious in their realm, but He created us for something more, and this great eternal purpose is what we must truly glorify Him in through our body and through our spirit, which are His. As we continue to do so, we'll be reminded of the spiritual value of our physical body and the high degree of importance it plays in our spiritual relationship with Him. Each and every day when you get up in the morning, remember you are the temple of God, and you go forth and you represent Him in this world. And I don't even want to go down a different path. I'm just saying it's why we don't mark ourselves up like billboards, why we don't cover ourselves with tattoos, it's why we don't do a number of different things. We are representing the temple. We are the temple of the living God. Let's not put graffiti on it. Let's use it to bring the glory of God to the world around us. Fourth and final point, our physical body carries the spiritual treasure of God. Our physical body carries the spiritual treasure of God. Let's go to 2 Corinthians chapter 4. 2 Corinthians 4. Let's see what this treasure ultimately is and what our role is dedicated to. I'm getting in the right book here. 2 Corinthians chapter 4.

Picking it up in verse 5, the context here is the preaching of the gospel. Paul just finished saying if our gospel is veiled, it's veiled to those who are perishing. Verse 5, he says, For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your bond servants for Jesus' sake. 2 Corinthians 4 verse 6, For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who was shown in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. He says, But we have this treasure in earthen vessels.

We have this treasure, Paul says, in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. Treasures in earthen vessels. Okay, what are we? We are formed from the dust of the ground. We're clay pots, right? We are earthen vessels. In the context here is the preaching of the gospel, the message of salvation through Jesus Christ. That is the treasure. Paul says, We carry that with us. And it's not like you saying, well, we carry this pot with this treasure inside and we bring it around. Again, we are the vessel. We are the pot. We are the living example of the salvation which comes through Jesus Christ. And Paul says, We carry this spiritual treasure in earthen vessels. You know, a vessel is a container into which something is placed. And vessels are important. You know, some might argue that the vessel doesn't really mean it doesn't mean anything at all. It's the contents of the vessel. Okay, primarily, that is true, but go to the store and buy a gallon of milk without the carton and just see how handy that is. Right? The vessel actually plays a part in the, so we say, the receiving process of the contents. And it's the same with the gospel message of salvation. The Apostle Paul teaches that our physical bodies are the earthen vessels for the spiritual treasure which is of God, and that the excellence of the power would be of Him and not of us. Right? You need what is in the vessel. That's ultimately what you are after. The vessel produces a function to bring that treasure, but, brethren, we are not the message. We are the messengers. But we carry this to the glory of God so that the glory is of Him and not of us. He's allowed us the opportunity by virtue of our covenant with Him to be conveyors of the message of salvation to all of mankind. But, again, we make this effort in the flesh. Carrying on in verse 7, 2 Corinthians 4, in verse 7, again, Paul says, but we have this treasure in earthen vessels that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. He says, we are hard-pressed on every side yet not crushed. Okay, this is the condition of those who went out, and specifically the apostles who went out into that society, carrying this message. We are perplexed but not in despair. We are persecuted but not forsaken, struck down but not destroyed, always caring about in the body, in the physical body, the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifest in our body. For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus' sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. And so we're saying we're examples, again, for this process of forgiveness and salvation in action, so that people, when they look at us and they see our redeemed lives and they hear the message of gospel that we preach, they can be encouraged for themselves, again, knowing the power is from God, not from us, but that indeed the calling does go out, that in God's timing they may participate in this incredible relationship as well. Yes, we are just physical dirt vessels, but the role we play in this body of flesh is still an important part of what God is doing to bring his purpose to pass spiritually in this world. 2 Timothy chapter 2, Paul continues his thought towards vessels.

2 Timothy chapter 2 and verse 20.

Paul says, but in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor, some for dishonor. Therefore, verse 21, if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, from the dishonor, it says he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the master, prepared for every good work. It is important and essential that we don't despise the vessel, brethren. As we consider the future, as we consider our spiritual body yet to come, we are here today. We are here in the flesh, and God is doing a magnificent work and is essential that we don't despise the vessel. Through it, God can accomplish great things, working out what is well pleasing in his sight. And when we acknowledge that God is actually doing a work in this world, and that he's allowed us to participate physically in this process, preaching a gospel, preparing a people, then we recognize the spiritual value of our physical body. That indeed, we can be useful to the master in this vessel. That is not just a physical process. Indeed, it is a spiritual process, but we put our physical energies in our very being into what it is that God is doing, and we carry forth this spiritual treasure to the world.

So those are four points, and you know what? Go exploring. There's so much homework you can do on this topic all throughout the New Testament. Just look for body, look for flesh, look for mortal being, and see all the places that actually our physical bodies are engaged in a spiritual process, which God is carrying out in us. Finally, as we start to wrap up, I think it's important to recognize that God himself took on a physical body in order to accomplish the greatest spiritual purpose for us all, our redemption. And it's kind of a deep concept, okay, to think about and to consider what has taken place, but God himself took on a physical body in order to accomplish the greatest spiritual purpose for us, our redemption. John chapter 1 and verse 1.

John 1, 1, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. Jumping down to verse 14, it says, And so Jesus Christ was given a physical body. Why?

Well, for the purpose of dying for our salvation, the greatest spiritual work that has ever taken place in the flesh, right, took place through the physical body of Jesus Christ, which he offered up for us all. I'll just remind us of Philippians chapter 2, verse 6 through 8. It tells us that he was in the form of God, and yet he humbled himself coming in the likeness of men, and it says he humbled himself even to the point of death on the cross. Again, brethren, what Jesus Christ did in his body of flesh is the turning point in the story of our bodies.

Just think about that. If we think that these physical bodies really can have no spiritual impact, what Jesus did in his body of flesh is the turning point in the story of our bodies. Through a sacrifice, our bodies can change from being instruments of sin and death to being instruments of righteousness to the glory of God. Let's conclude in Hebrews chapter 10.

Hebrews 10. Again, this is an incredible part of our salvation in the spiritual process that God intended and began from the beginning. At our creation, he intended all of this to be such. He knew what man would choose. He knew what would need to be to reconcile less to him.

But it's not just all brain power and mental connection. It is a body and a mortal effort that is put into it because, indeed, brethren, we are mortal beings. Hebrews chapter 10 beginning in verse 5. This is a repeat or fulfillment of a prophecy from Psalm chapter 40. Hebrews chapter 10 and verse 5. Therefore, when he came into the world, Jesus Christ, he said, sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you have prepared for me. Verse 6, and burn offerings and sacrifices for sin you had no pleasure. Then I said, behold, I have come. In the volume of the book it is written of me to do your will, O God. Dropping down to verse 10, it says, by that will, by the will of God, it says, we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And so, brethren, Jesus came in the flesh to do the will of God so that the greatest spiritual gift of God could be poured out on all of us. It was literally his fleshly body that was put on the stake for the sins of the world, and it lie in the grave for three days and three nights. How incredible is that spiritual work which God did through him in the flesh. Again, the prophecy of verse 5, but a body you have prepared for me because a purpose, an incredible spiritual purpose, had been prepared. Brethren, it's easy for us to actually view our physical body as somehow disconnected from our spirituality, and yet the Bible teaches us much about our spiritual purpose, value, and holiness in the spiritual relationship with God. As we await our change to come at the return of Jesus Christ, don't be so intensely forward-looking to that that you forget to value where we are today and who we are today. I do believe we are to intensely look forward to that, okay? It is the driving motivator of our life, but you actually have to take each step in the journey along the way as well. Don't forget to value the physical body God has created for us right here. It is created in His likeness. It is created to be holy, and it is intended to draw us closer to Him as we recognize the spiritual value of what it is that He is indeed working out in our flesh. Brethren, this is an incredible calling from God. Let us put our whole being into glorifying Him.