The Temple of God

Well, Brother Naz has already been mentioned. We're here observing the annual Holy Day of Pentecost, a day in which God's Holy Spirit was poured out on a group of people who submitted their lives to Him in faith and repentance, and as such has continued down the line to our day, faith and repentance being that process by which we then come through baptism and receive the Holy Spirit of God. Now, there's a number of concepts portrayed in the Bible regarding this day, a number of different directions that I could go with the message, but for this afternoon, I decided to zero in specifically on the church because it was the church that was started, the New Testament church on this day of Pentecost on 31 AD as God's Holy Spirit was poured out.

And so I want to focus on the church and specifically on the function of the church as it pertains to being the spiritual temple of God. We are, as a body of believers, as those with God's Spirit, the spiritual temple of God. In Matthew 16 and verse 18, Jesus Christ declared, I will build my church, and the gates of Hades, or the gates of hell, or the grave, will not prevail against it. It was a promise of a spiritual institution which Jesus Christ would build to the glory of God, a spiritual structure that would be the dwelling place for God in the Spirit and among His people.

Up through the time of the life of Jesus Christ, there was a physical temple in existence, and prior to that, there had been another physical temple, Solomon's temple, up until the destruction by the Babylonians and in the captivity. And prior to that first temple, there had been the tabernacle in the wilderness as well, and each of those were physical structures, not spiritual. They were physical structures. They were physical structures in which physical sacrifices were offered.

There was an altar that would be out front of the tabernacle and the temple, and on the altar they would sacrifice bulls and goats and rams, oxen, lambs, doves, whatever the sacrifice would have been. They would sacrifice those physical sacrifices. There was a physical priesthood who ministered in the temple the Levitic priesthood, the line of the Levites, and then specifically as the high priest, that of the line of Aaron himself.

There was a physical room behind the physical veil in that first tabernacle and temple that contained the ark of the covenant, a physical chest that carried the Ten Commandments, and Aaron's rod that butted in the pots of manna. And the lid to that ark was what was called the mercy seat, where the presence of God then would come and would dwell among his people, that room being called the Holy of Holies.

And what made it so holy was the fact that it was God's presence active and with them. And yet, the physical temple in the scripture is described as a type. It was not the spiritual reality, it was a type, but it pointed to a greater spiritual fulfillment that God the Father would carry out through Jesus Christ. Again, it was a type, it was a copy, in one place it says, you know, the Holy of Holies was a copy of God's literal throne in heaven, and it was symbolic, again, of a greater spiritual reality.

I want to begin today in Hebrews chapter 9. This might seem to be a little bit an odd place to start on the Feast of Pentecost, but I believe you'll come to see how it ties in. Hebrews chapter 9 and verse 1 describing this physical system and then what it was portraying. Hebrews chapter 9 verse 1 says, then indeed even the first covenant had ordinances of divine service and the earthly sanctuary.

For a tabernacle was prepared the first part in which was the lampstand, the table, the showbread, which is called the sanctuary, and behind the second veil the part of the tabernacle which is called the holiest of all, or the Holy of Holies, where the presence of God indeed dwelled. Verse 4, which had the golden censer, the ark of the covenant, overlaid on all sides with gold, in which were the golden pot that had the manna, errands rod that budded, and the tablets of the covenant. And above it were the caribim of glory, overshadowing the mercy seat of these things we cannot now speak in detail.

Verse 6, he says, now these things had been, when these things had thus been prepared, the priest always went into the first part of the tabernacle, performing the services. You know, there was the daily routine, the daily service that the priesthood would perform, even into that first room of the tabernacle.

Verse 7, but into the second part, the high priest went alone once a year, only on the day of atonement, he says, and not without blood, which he offered for himself and for the people sins committed in ignorance. The Holy Spirit indicating this, that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while the first tabernacle was still standing. The holiest of all, again, that room where the presence of God dwelled among his people. The tabernacle in the wilderness, when the cloud moved, they'd pack up the tabernacle, and off they would go, and then reset it back up again, and God's presence would would dwell with them, again, above the mercy seat between the carobim. And the point was, though, that veil was in place, and direct access to God was restricted. You didn't just go walking through the, you know, first room and behind the veil into the second room into God's presence to see what he had on the schedule for today, you would die coming into God's presence. So that that veil of separation existed in that case. But again, this temple system, this priesthood, these sacrifices, they were all a type that they rehearsed that pointed to a greater spiritual reality fulfilled through Jesus Christ. Verse 9 says, it was symbolic. Again, it was a type, it was symbolic for the present time, in which both gifts and sacrifices are offered, which cannot make him who performed the service perfect in regard to the conscience, only concerned with foods and drinks and various washings, fleshly ordinances, imposed until the time of Reformation. But Christ came as high priest of good things to come, with a greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is not of this creation, not with the blood of goats and calves, but with his own blood, he entered the most holy place, once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of bulls and goats, the ashes of a heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal spirit offered himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? And for this reason, he is the mediator of the new covenant by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.

So there was a physical system, a physical tabernacle, and that process that was walked through, there was a covenant under which that took place. But now fulfilled through Jesus Christ, there is a new covenant, there is a new temple, there is a new high priest. The sacrifice and the resurrection of Jesus Christ, it was through that that these things would be fulfilled. And indeed, they were. Again, they were a type under the old covenant system, they were fulfilled through Christ. He would be our high priest. And indeed, he is today at the right hand of God, our mediator, our intercessor, our high priest. He would be the one entering into the presence of God in heaven before his throne, into the true Holy of Holies. And just as the high priest on the day of atonement didn't go without blood, Christ didn't go without blood either. He presented his own blood before the Father on our behalf, that our sins might be forgiven and we might be reconciled to God, again, under the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. So indeed, through that process, a reconciliation has taken place, such as it has taken place in our lives today. There is not a veil that exists in terms of the relationship between us and God. We can go boldly before his throne of grace directly into the presence of God. There would be no need for that separation, no longer that separation between God and his people. And ultimately, a change in the temple structure would take place on this earth as well. It would go from a physical tabernacle, a physical temple, to a spiritual temple in which God's presence would dwell. When Jesus Christ said, I will build my church, he was laying the foundation for the spiritual temple, again, by which God would exist. And he exists today in that temple in you and in me, for all those who have come under that covenant and that sacrifice through baptism, through the receiving of the Holy Spirit. Let's jump forward a ways and take a glimpse at the Apostle Paul's words as it relates to this temple. 1 Corinthians chapter 3 and verse 16. 1 Corinthians chapter 3 and verse 16. Here he's speaking to the church in Corinth, and by extension us as well. This is the spiritual temple. 1 Corinthians 3 and verse 16, Paul says, do you not know that you are the temple of God? He says you are, individually, directly, personally, the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you. If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.

The Greek word, as I've mentioned before here, that's translated temple, is naos, and it's spelled n-a-o-s, naos, and it literally means the sanctuary. It literally means the holy place where God's presence dwelled, as in in the tabernacle and in the temple in the Holy of Holies, where God's presence dwelled. And what Paul is saying today is you are the naos. You are the holy of holies of God, where his Spirit dwells. You, as the church, are literally that temple. So how did this come to be?

You know, we kind of walked through part of this process during the spring holy days, Passover, Days of Unleavened Bread, Christ's Sacrifice. We read through a bit of that in Hebrews as it is lined out, but the fulfillment of this process, how did that come to be whereby we would be the temple containing God's Spirit? Well, it is the significance of this day, is it not? The day of Pentecost, which God's Spirit was poured out upon his people. Sounds like you've been here three times already today. We're going to go forth. Acts 2.

Doesn't hurt certain times of the year that we have a focus in certain places of the Bible.

Acts 2 and verse 1, Christ had told the disciples, the apostles, to tarry in Jerusalem until you have received that gift, that power from on high. Acts chapter 2 verse 1 says, Verse 5, You know, Pentecost, this was a pilgrimage feast. They would come from the surrounding region, you know, millions of Jews, they would come up and assemble in Jerusalem to keep this feast. And so it says, they're here from every nation, every nation under heaven. Verse 12, it says, So they were all amazed and perplex, saying to one another, whatever could this mean?

Others mocking said, They are full of new wine. But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them, Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my words. For these are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. It's only nine o'clock in the morning here. This is a spiritual incident that's taking place, but you know, not the distilled type that maybe you're thinking. This is the Spirit of God. Verse 16, it says, But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel. And it shall come to pass in the last days. This is a quote from Joel. The last day says God, That I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh. Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions, your old men shall dream dreams. And in my maidservant, in my maidservants, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they shall prophesy. I will show wonders in heaven above, and the signs on the earth beneath, blood and fire and vapors smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord. And it shall come to pass, that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Peter's saying this is a fulfillment of that, but as we understand, it's a fulfillment in progression. It was partially fulfilled, and it continues to be fulfilled in our day, and yet the fullness of the extent is obviously not until the end of the age and the day of the Lord. But this is that process that has been prophesied by Joel, and he's saying this is what you see taking place here before you today.

Verse 22, men of Israel hear these words. It says, Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs, which God did through him in your midst. As you yourselves also know, him being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and have put to death, whom God raised up, having loosened the pains of death, because it was not possible that he should be held by it. In other words, Peter is saying, you killed the Messiah. You did it. But I did it as well. And the fact is, though he did not stay dead, his father has resurrected him. He lives. And now there is hope through him for all of mankind that would come to him. Verse 32, this Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses, therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he poured out this which you now see and hear. And so what we see is that the Holy Spirit comes from God the Father through Jesus Christ. There are so many things in the Scripture that are of God through Christ. The creation was of God through Christ. Our calling and being brought to God is of God, but it takes place through Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit is given. It proceeds from the Father. But as we see, again, verse 33, the promise of the Spirit, having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he, Christ, poured out this which you now see and hear. So it's this process by which God gives the Spirit through his Son. And as we'll come to see, they both dwell in us by that same Spirit. Verse 36 says, therefore, let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ. Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and they said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, men and brethren, what shall we do? And Peter said to them, repent. Let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children and to all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God should call. This process, by the way, is the only process by which one may become a part of the Church of God, a part of the body of Jesus Christ, part of the temple of God. None of us can say, well, you know, I think today is a good day. I'll just sign on the dotted line. I think I'll join the Church. There's a process of repentance, of submission to God through baptism, of coming under the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, and then the receiving of the Spirit of God. This is the process that makes us a part of the Church, and this is the process that began here on this day of Pentecost in a very bold and dramatic way.

Verse 40, And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, Be saved from this perverse generation. Then those who gladly received his word were baptized, and that day about three thousand souls were added to them, a very dramatic explosion and increase. You know, these were Jews. You didn't have to go tell them, have you ever heard of the Sabbath? It's on Saturday. Have you ever heard of the Holy Days? That wasn't the process. They were there observing those things. The process was, have you accepted Jesus Christ as your Messiah? He's the one who God sent. He's the one who died for you. Seems like in our day and age, oftentimes that process is reversed. People have no problem claiming Jesus Christ, but actually living according to God's Word, they both go hand in hand.

Verse 42, And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship in the breaking of bread and of prayers. Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. Now all who believed were together and had all things in common, sold their possessions and goods, divided them among all as any one had need. So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, the temple, physical temple, was still there. It would still be standing for four more decades, but the fact was that's where the Jews came. That's where they assembled. You go throughout the accounts of Paul and Peter and those that went out. They'd go to the synagogue first. They'd go to wherever the Jews had gathered and were teaching, and they would bring the message of Jesus Christ, and eventually they'd get kicked out, and they would go and teach where those would hear. The temple was the first logical place to bring this message. There's one accord in the temple, breaking bread from house to house. They ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people, and the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved. So what we notice is here Jesus Christ was building his church. He says he added to it daily those who were being saved, beginning in a dramatic fashion on the day of Pentecost, expanding from that point forward, even such as it is today. We, you and I, are an extension of that first century New Testament church. Now, Scripture shows us that this spiritual temple is being built up, and it's being built up in a very specific way. Just as Moses was instructed to assemble the tabernacle according to the design specifications, essentially, that God had given him, he said, be careful to build it in this way. There's a specific structure and design by which God is building this structure today. Let's go to Ephesians chapter 2, verse 13. You know, you don't just start throwing a bunch of rocks on the ground and hope it turns into a building. There are specific standards and specifications. Ephesians chapter 2 and verse 13, Apostle Paul writing, he says, But now in Christ Jesus, you who once were afar off had been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation. You'll recall in Acts chapter 2, the promises to you and to your children and to all those who are afar off. The Jews were not afar off. They were the people of God under the first covenant, all right, and Israel by and large. But the Gentiles, who in their minds were considered unclean and afar off, were now being brought near through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. That spirit could be extended to them, and they too could become a part of the true body. Verse 15, Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in the ordinances, so as to create in himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, that he might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, therefore putting to death the enmity. And he came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. For through him we both have access by one spirit, notice one spirit, to the Father.

Verse 19, Now therefore you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God. If you've been baptized, if you receive the Spirit of God, you are members of the household of God. Verse 20, Having been built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone. Notice the exacting specifications here. This foundation that's been laid. It's the apostles. It's the prophets. Jesus Christ, the chief cornerstone. Verse 21, In whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit. I want you to sort of imagine in your mind, you've probably all seen stone buildings, stone structures. So just imagine in your mind perhaps a partially completed structure. There's a foundation. There's stones, round stones that have been laid in place and mortared in place, and the walls are being built up. The point is now you've been called to be a part of this structure as well. You are stone, and you will be mortared in right alongside as this temple. It says being fitted together, growing into a holy temple in the Lord.

So what we see is the foundation here of this spiritual temple is specific. It's the apostles and the prophets, those who had God's Holy Spirit who went before us, those who did a spiritual work in which God gave them to do. We are built upon them, and more specifically we're built upon their teachings, their instruction, their examples, what it is that God gave them to deliver. Those things are foundational, brethren, to this temple today, this structure, and how we live our lives. And we pull from the apostles and from the prophets these things that are foundational to the spiritual temple of God. And what stone are they positioned off of? The apostles, the prophets, you kind of figured this foundation that's laid. What stone, though, are they positioned or built off of? Well, it's the chief cornerstone. It's the most important stone of the structure, because when you dig down and you set that stone in, it needs to be the right stone in the right position, the right shape, it needs to be leveled, it needs to be secured, because everything else is going to be built off of that stone, figured off of that stone. And if that stone is not correct, your building is going to have problems. The chief cornerstone of the church, of the spiritual temple of God, is Jesus Christ. He's the stone on which the entire structure depends if it's going to be straight, if it's going to be true and stand the test of time. Because, again, if you have the wrong foundation, the wrong stone, it's not laid level, it doesn't matter what you build with on top of that foundation, it will not withstand the test of time. Jesus Christ, chief cornerstone. The verse 20, again, of Ephesians chapter 2, it says, having been built upon the foundation, again, and visualize this in your mind, of the apostles and the prophets, Jesus Christ, himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building being fitted together grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit. When I read these, I visualize a stone structure that is being built.

I want us to consider the words of verse 22. It says, we are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit. We're being built together. Just as God dwelt in the tabernacle and later the temple by a Spirit, he dwells in the church today by his Spirit, being built together. If we've come to repentance and been baptized and received the Holy Spirit of God, then you are a block of building material for this structure. You have God's Spirit. I have God's Spirit. And yet, it's not like, you know, we just individually do our own thing. It's just me and you, God. No need for anybody else. We got this. No, we are stones individually. But the process doesn't end with just our conversion, does it? Because getting God's Spirit, having him give us that Spirit, it means we become a part of something greater than ourselves. It means we become part of a church, the church, the church of God, the church which Jesus Christ said that he would build.

And church means assembly. Church, by definition, essentially means it's made up of those who have been called out of this world and assembled together as the spiritual body of Christ, the dwelling place of God in the Spirit. And it's by the process of being built together. One stone laid alongside the other, mortared together, bound together by God's Holy Spirit, contributing to the strength of that structure as those walls are being built up, as it becomes now a fitting habitation for God in the Spirit. That's what church means. That's what assembly means. I don't imagine a few stones scattered out in the field over here, and a few stones scattered out in the field over there, is what God had in mind for the assembly. And yet, this is, again, what God is building up together. The temple of God is a spiritual structure being built up together, assembled from living stones. Notice 1 Peter chapter 2.

1 Peter chapter 2 2 and verse 1.

Peter says, therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, all hypocrisy and envy, all evil speaking. You know, he says, just get rid of it. Lay it aside. There's no room for it in the temple.

As newborn babes desire the pure milk of the word that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious. Verse 4, coming to him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious. Jesus Christ is called a living stone.

He's called a living stone because when he walked the earth in the flesh, he possessed God's Spirit as an indwelling presence.

You recall Christ said to the Jews, destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. And they're thinking he's talking about the physical temple. And it took decades to build that temple. What do you mean you'll raise it up in three days? And it says, well, Christ was speaking regarding the temple of his body. He was a living stone. His body was a temple for the spirit of God's Holy Spirit. And he's called a living stone. Brother, you and I are living stones as well.

Verse 5 says, you also, as living stones, you and I with God's Spirit, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. And so I hope you see the parallels of the temple service here, brethren. It is indeed in place and active, but it's not a physical temple. This is a spiritual temple. God has called us to be a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, offering up spiritual sacrifices. We might say, well, what does that even look like? I don't really have time to go into it, but consider Romans 12 verse 1 says, present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. So just as Christ came and laid his life down for us, our response and reasonable service is to lay down our life for one another within the body, offering up those sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. Verse 6 it says, therefore it is also contained in the Scripture, Behold, I lay in Zion the chief cornerstone, elect, precious, and he who believes on him will by no means be put to shame. Therefore to you who believe he is precious, for those who are disobedient, the stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone and a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense. Jesus Christ, who is our chief cornerstone, the chief cornerstone of this spiritual temple was a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense, to many who did not like his actions when he walked to earth and did not like the words he spoke and who it was that he claimed to be. The Jews were offended and a stone of stumbling and rock of offense means they tripped on Jesus Christ. They fell over him. They could not accept him for who and what he claimed to be.

Jesus claimed to be the Messiah and some were offended. Again, that stone of stumbling, that rock of offense. He ate with publicans and sinners and some were offended. Jesus Christ healed on the Sabbath day and some said, how dare he do that? And they were offended. Jesus Christ forgave sins and they said, only God can forgive sins. Who do you think you are? They were offended.

Jesus Christ resurrected Lazarus from the dead. What audacity! They wanted to kill him.

Jesus Christ declared his divinity, stating before Abraham was, I am. They wanted to kill him. And Jesus Christ said, my father and I are one. And they picked up stones. They were offended and they wanted to kill him. The chief cornerstone was the stone which the builders rejected. He has become the chief cornerstone of this temple, of the spiritual house of God. And brethren, we must not in any way consider him to be a stone of stumbling or a rock of offense to us.

Jesus Christ is the chief cornerstone. He is who he said he was. He came and did what he proclaimed he would do. He must not in any way be a stone of stumbling or a rock of offense to us. He must be precious. As Peter said, he was precious to God. He must be precious to us. Therefore, to you who believe, he is precious. But to those who are disobedient, the stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone and a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense. But he is the stone on which this spiritual structure is built. We must not stumble over him. Another element we must understand on this day of Pentecost is that it is God the Father and Jesus Christ who dwell in us by the Holy Spirit. It's God the Father and Jesus Christ who dwell in us by the Holy Spirit. As we read earlier in Acts chapter 2, it is the Father who pours out the Holy Spirit through Christ. So the giving of the Spirit involves them both. They work together in this process. You know, we could say, well, isn't it the Father's Spirit and couldn't he just pour it out directly? Well, yes and yes. But what has God chosen to do? He pours out his Spirit through his Son upon us. And indeed, the Bible shows that they both dwell in us by that same Spirit.

Shortly before his crucifixion, Jesus Christ declared to his disciples that this would be the case, that he and his Father would dwell in us. John chapter 14, let's take a look.

John chapter 14 and beginning of verse 15, John 14 verse 15, Jesus said, if you love me, keep my commandments. He says, and I will pray the Father and he will give you another helper that he may abide with you forever. Jesus Christ was their helper. Okay, he walked and talked with them. He taught them. He had God's Spirit in dwelling. But he says, I'm leaving. But I'll pray to the Father that he sends you another helper, that he, the Holy Spirit is not a direct and different individual. We understand it is the Spirit of God. In translation, it would be just fine as well. But that it may abide with you forever. Verse 17, the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive because it neither sees it or knows it, but you know him, for he will dwell with you and will be in you. The Holy Spirit was working with them at this time, but it was not an indwelling presence until the day of Pentecost. It's just like our young people or people who God is calling. The Holy Spirit is working with them, and as they respond, God works with them and brings them to him. But the Holy Spirit is not an indwelling presence until repentance and baptism and the laying on of hands. But Christ says, you're not going to be left alone. Verse 18, I will not leave you orphans. He says, I will come to you. I'm leaving. My presence is not going to be here, but I'm not deserting you. You're not going to be orphans. I will come to you. Verse 19, a little while longer, and the world will see me no more, but you will see me because I live. You will live also. At that day, you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. What's it talking about? It's talking about a unity that's only possible through the Holy Spirit as an indwelling presence. Verse 21, he who has my commandments and keeps them is he who loves me, and he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him. Judas, not as scary, it said to him, Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us and not to the rest of the world? And Jesus answered and said to him, if anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. We will come to him. We will make our home with him. Verse 24, he who does not love me does not keep my words, and the word which you hear is not mine, but the Father who sent me. They've always worked together. They've always worked in unity, again, of the Father through the Son, but this is what they're doing together. Verse 25, these things I have spoken to you while being present with you, but the Helper, the Holy Spirit, memory serves that word as paracletus, Helper, it's one who comes alongside.

It's not one that's going to rip your arm out of the socket dragging you somewhere, overpowering you. It is the Helper we submit to the Spirit of God. He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all things that I have said to you. So clearly, God the Father and Jesus Christ dwell in us by the Spirit which the Father has sent in Christ's name.

Romans chapter 8 and verse 9 continues the confirmation of this.

Romans chapter 8 and verse 9 says, But you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Again, that indwelling presence, you are now not the carnal physical nature, hopefully. You are now in the Spirit because the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not his. And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. How do we, as the Spirit of God, as the Spirit of Christ, God in you, Christ in you, which is it?

The answer is yes. They are both dwelling in us through the Holy Spirit that God has given us. We have God the Father and Jesus Christ dwelling in us. Verse 10, And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, the Spirit of God the Father, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, which dwells in you.

So again, the same Spirit that is in God. Mr. Oliver was expressing what the Holy Spirit is, and that's a good description of God. God is holy and God is Spirit. Holy Spirit is the essence of who and what he is. That Spirit of God is the same Spirit that Jesus Christ is. Christ is holy and he is Spirit. They're not the blob or munched up together somehow. They are two individual distinct beings, all right, of the same essence, of the same holiness of Spirit in that way. And the Spirit that's in God is the same Spirit that's in Christ, and it's the same essence that God gives that dwells in us as well. Again, not some sort of trinity. I think you understand what I'm saying. They are of the same essence, and they both dwell in us by the Holy Spirit of God. There is only one Spirit. It's not like God has a Spirit that he puts in us, and if Christ wants to come dwell in us, he puts a different Spirit in us, and now we have two Spirits. No, they dwell in us through the Holy Spirit of God. Our fundamental belief booklet in the United Church of God, number one statement, says this way. It says, we believe in the Holy Spirit as the Spirit of God and of Christ.

It says the Holy Spirit is the power of God in the Spirit of life eternal.

They are two distinct beings. They dwell in us by that Spirit, and as we see, they both make their home in us. Colossians chapter 1 verse 24. Colossians chapter 1 and verse 24. Paul says, I now rejoice in my sufferings for you and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ for the sake of his body, which is the church. The church is the body of Jesus Christ. It's the church that Christ said, I will build my church. It's Christ's church. It's also the church of God the Father. It's their church. We are what they are doing together. There's no competition or conflict here, brethren. Verse 25, of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God which was given to me for you to fulfill the word of God, the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations but now has been revealed to his saints. To them, God willed to make known the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. To this end, I also labor, striving according to his working, which works in me mightily. If it seems like the church of God talks about Jesus Christ an awful lot, the truth is we do. Why? Well, because the Scripture talks about Jesus Christ a lot. Prophesied in Genesis, returning in Revelation, and he's all the way in between. All right? The apostles talk about Jesus Christ a lot. God the Father talks about Jesus Christ a lot. Jesus Christ is not the center of everything, as in all roads lead to Christ, and you look no further. You look to Christ, he's pointing us to the Father, and we live by the example that he lived. But Christ is central to God's plan of salvation for all of mankind. You cannot go to the Father apart from Jesus Christ, and so we do focus on Christ. We do look at Christ. We talk about Christ a lot, and we talk about the Father a lot. They are working together. We are their family. Again, Christ in you, the hope of glory is what Paul says here. So a question I would have, maybe this has already spawned a question in your mind, what about the temple, Ben? The physical temple. What about the temple, then? If God and Christ dwell in us, we are the temple of God. God and Christ dwell in us by the Spirit of God. What about the physical temple? You know, isn't the concept of God and Christ in us in conflict with what the Bible states about the physical temple? After all, wasn't the physical temple God the Father's temple only? Wasn't it God the Father's temple only? Or was it? What does the Bible say? What does the Scripture say? What does the Scripture say? We're the Church of God. We need to look at what the Scripture says. John chapter 2.

John chapter 2 and verse 13.

John chapter 2 and verse 13 says, So clearly, the temple, the house of God, the temple of God was Christ's Father's house, right? It was God the Father's house. It's not a trick question. The answer is yes. All right, it is the Father's house. And I doubt any of us would disagree with that point, that it was the Father's house. But the question, brethren, is was it the Father's house only?

Was it the Father's house only? There's a Scripture I've spent a better part of the week looking at, thinking about, considering, because it seems to add something in addition to this point. It's a prophecy concerning the coming of Jesus Christ. Let's go back to Malachi chapter 3 and verse 1.

Malachi chapter 3 and verse 1. Let's see what the Scripture says.

Malachi 3 verse 1. I'll give you a moment to get there.

Malachi 3, 1 says, Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me.

So it starts out, we have a messenger here. Who is this messenger?

We won't turn there for time, but write down in your notes, please. Matthew chapter 11 verse 7 through 10. Go home, look it up, study it. Matthew chapter 7 verse 11 through 10. This messenger, according to Jesus Christ, is John the Baptist.

John the Baptist was the messenger who came preparing the way before Jesus Christ. He was a voice in the wilderness, crying aloud, prepare the way of the Lord.

He prepared the way of Jesus Christ through the baptism, not unto salvation in the Holy Spirit, but of preaching repentance. And he softened up the heart of the people in preparation for Jesus Christ now in the gospel that he would bring. And John said, the one who's coming after me, who's sandal-strapped, I'm not worthy of the loose. That is who he was preparing the way for. So Malachi 3 verse 1 starts with, Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. Again, John the Baptist. And the Lord whom you seek, the Adon, not Adonai, but singular, Adon whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple. Steve mentioned BibleHub.com. I jumped on BibleHub.com because I needed to know, is this his in the Hebrew or is it not? Or is it just kind of added in there? Does it say, you know, he'll come to the temple? No, it is his. The Adon, the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight. Behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. So who is the messenger of the covenant who is coming to his temple? Is it God the Father? Is this a prophecy of God the Father? Is God the Father the messenger of the covenant? He is not. Jesus Christ is the messenger of the covenant who is prophesied to come to his temple. And God says that it is so. In fact, it is the Father here who is declaring it. To look at this scripture, as you would continue to read on, it talks about who can endure the day of his coming, who can stand when he appears, he is like a refiner's fire. We're looking at judgment, then that pertains to the end of the age. But there is a duality it would appear in this process. Christ came suddenly to the temple at his first coming as they're waiting for the Messiah, wondering if they will ever see him. Mary and Joseph bring him to present him at the temple as a child. He's there at 12 years old preaching in the temple. Did you not think I would be about doing my father's business? He came to the temple twice, once at the beginning of his ministry, and at the end of his ministry to drive out the money changers. And he was at the temple a number of times in between. And the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, and he will come suddenly to the temple again. Let me reread it again. Malachi chapter 3 verse 1, Behold, I send my messenger, John, okay, he will prepare the way before me, and the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight. Behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. So Christ calls it his father's house.

And God says it's Christ's temple. Which one is correct? The answer is yes, and yes.

It is the Father's temple, and it is Christ's temple, and Christ's house as well. Like I said, I stared at this verse for quite a bit of this week, and in the end, after wrestling with it, considering it, I decided that God must be right. God must know what he is talking about, and I just simply need to accept what it is God has given us here in the Scripture. Who am I to argue with God?

Brethren, the physical temple was both the temple of God the Father and his, and we are the temple of God the Father and his Spirit and Jesus Christ. And like I said, it is not in conflict. What they are doing, they are doing together. Whose house was the temple of the Lord? I guess I just gave you the answer. It was the Lord's house, right? It was Yahweh's house. It was the Father's house, and it was Christ's house, and there is no conflict. It is clear, brethren, the salvation work of God in Christ has always taken place in the temple, and it will continue to do so in the temple of God today. God the Father and Christ dwell on us today by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. We are the Father's house. We are also the Son's house, and they dwell here in us. Hebrews chapter 3 and verse 1. Again, I'm simply, brethren, trying to read the scriptures for us. Hebrews chapter 3 and verse 1. Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Jesus Christ, who was faithful to him, who appointed him, as Moses also was faithful in his house. For this one who has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses, and as much as he who built the house is more honor than the house. For every house is built by someone, but he who built all things is God. And Moses indeed was faithful in all his house as a servant for the testimony of those things which would be spoken afterwards. Notice verse 6, "...but Christ as a son over his own house, whose house we are, if we hold fast the confidence and rejoicing of hope firm to the end." We are the house of God the Father and Jesus Christ, because they both dwell in us by the Spirit of God. No conflict in them. This is the work they do together, of God, through Christ, the Father of the highest authority, the Son submitting himself to the Father.

They work together. Perfect unity, no competition. I want to point out one more scripture in this regard, lest we think that the concept of connecting God and Christ together with the temple seems out of place. Let's go as far forward in the Bible record pertaining to the temple that we can find. Let's go past the return of Jesus Christ, past the millennium, past the great white throne judgment. What does the Bible say about the temple? Revelation chapter 21.

Revelation 21, beginning in verse 21. Revelation 21, 21. It says, the twelve gates were twelve pearls. Each individual gate was one pearl, and the street of the city was pure gold like transparent glass. But I saw no temple in it, verse 22, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. This is the ultimate spiritual temple. This is the New Jerusalem, the city which God will bring down when His presence comes to dwell literally and in its fullness on the earth. This is the ultimate spiritual temple. The presence of God the Father and Jesus Christ dwelling in the New Jerusalem together will fulfill the requirement for the temple so that there is no need. They themselves, God and Christ, will be the temple as they reign over all things together. Again, verse 22. I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city had no need of sun or moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it, and the Lamb is its light. God and Christ reigning together, their glory illuminating all of creation. Interesting passages, brethren, and the blessing is if you and I indeed are faithful and to the end, we will have opportunity to dwell and be a part of it with them as well.

We are the spiritual temple of God and the Spirit of God and Christ dwell in us, and in light of that reality, what should we look like as the spiritual temple? What should we look like? How should we function? You know, brethren, what must our relationships with one another be? I had Gary Petty's sermon played yesterday, the fruit of the Spirit love, agape, because as has already been mentioned, it's that fruit that ties in all the others together, because all the other fruits are going to be expressed from agape, if indeed that is the Spirit that dwells in us.

There are fruits that will be evident in our lives when we are yielding ourselves to God and to Christ in us, and to the degree that we quench that Spirit will be to the degree that those fruits won't be clearly evident. What are the fruits of the Spirit? Let's go quickly. Galatians chapter 5 verse 22.

Galatians 5 verse 22. Paul says, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace. You know, these aren't carnally devised fruits, all right? We can have a sense of love, joy, peace, apart from God, but it is very limited, very human. This is the fruit of God's Spirit. This is the love that God has in us, the joy that God has in us, if we yield ourselves to it. Peace, the long suffering, the kindness, the goodness, the faithfulness, the gentleness, and the self-control. It says, against such there is no law. There's a law against murder. There's a law against adultery.

There is no law against these fruits. Let's not say, oh, we've heard about love, we've heard about love. No, this is the fruit of God's Spirit. That must be exercised. There is no law against these. The Spirit of God among us, as the temple of God, must be here. And if it is, then the fruits of this Spirit will be evident among us, as the people of God. And so Pentecost is a good time for all of us. It's another time of the year for a self-examination process to say, what about me personally and individually? How am I doing at expressing these fruits? Is God's Spirit present in me? If it is so, then these fruits, brethren, would be evident. Verse 24, and those who are Christ have crucified the flesh with his passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another and being one another. So our actions in our walk would be according to the Spirit, if indeed God dwells in us by his Holy Spirit. And again, we should ask, how am I doing? I'm asking Paul Moody, how am I doing? And how am I contributing to the whole as we are mortared side by side in this spiritual temple? Brethren, let us also never forget that we have an adversary. He is real. He's not just sort of a figment of our imagination. Sometimes we could maybe forget he's out there, but we have an adversary that is real. Satan the devil, and he's walking about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. And if I can borrow a term from a child's bedtime story, Satan is the big bad wolf, and he wants to huff and puff and blow this house down. That is his goal. Any way he can cause spiritual damage to the house of God. If he can, he will target a stone. He and I are living stones in this structure. He'll target a stone that would appear to perhaps be weakened around the mortar, a loose stone. Maybe that connection with the other stones is starting to crumble away. Maybe it's a personal offense. Maybe it's over a perceived injustice. But if we allow that mortar between the stones to crumble, it will be a target for Satan. He will pick up his hammer, and he will pound on that stone until he knocks it loose. If possible, brethren, it must not be possible among us. We must seek to be mortared together, to guard our spirits, to guard our heart.

The Bible says, don't let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil.

Again, he's looking for an open door. He's looking for a place.

He's actually looking for a way to introduce another spirit into the house of God. There's only one spirit which belongs here. It is the spirit of God. But Satan looks for a way to introduce another spirit into the house of God. A spirit of anger, a spirit of contention.

Satan is the accuser of the brethren. He accuses us before God. And you know what? He accuses us before one another as well. Let me tell you what's wrong with those brethren over there.

It is not of God. It is not of the spirit of God. As Hebrews tells us, don't let any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, for by this many have become defiled. Brethren, this is the temple of God. The spirit of God dwells in us. He dwells in you and He dwells in me. And the spirit of God must be at work here. And it is. It is. I see it. And I see it in our interactions. I see it in the way that we support, love, and love one another. It is God's blessing to us. It is God's gift to be mortared side by side, to be built up together as part of the spiritual structure. We're not bound together as a church simply because we are friends.

I look around the church and I think we are a room full of people who would never have ended up sitting together in this room by probably any association out in the world. It would be rare. All right? So we're not a church that has been bound together simply because we are friends. And if our unity is dependent on the fact that you're my friend, so, you know, I'll sit by you, then our unity will not last. And it would continue to crumble and to crumble. Brethren, the Bible shows that it is the Spirit of God which binds us together in unity. It is that glue, it is that mortar that takes the living stones and binds them together for a holy temple of God for the habitation of His Spirit. You've probably all heard the phrase that says, blood is thicker than water.

You know, family, blood sticks closer than anybody else. Blood is thicker than water. I would submit to you that the Spirit is thicker even than blood. It is what binds us together. It is what makes us part of the family of God. Let's conclude in Ephesians.

This few pages over. Ephesians chapter 4 and verse 1.

Ephesians 4 and verse 1. This is the goal. Brethren, if we want to set a goal on this day of Pentecost, this is the goal. Ephesians chapter 4 and verse 1. Paul says, I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you are called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with long suffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. That word bearing, back up in verse 2, bearing with one another in love, if you go and research that out, that's a tough word to live. Enduring one another, sometimes it's coping with one another, sometimes it's suffering under the hand of one another, that concept of suffering with one another and at the hands of each other in love. Yes, these things do at times happen in the church, unfortunately, but we must be bearing with each other in love. Verse 3. Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. It's that mortar, it's that glue that keeps the living stones together. There is one body, verse 4, one body, one Spirit, just as you were called into one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in you all. But to each one of us, grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift. Brother and I personally consider a blessing to be bound together and mortared together with you side by side, part of this structure which God is building. Again, it's for the habitation of His Spirit. Before His crucifixion, Jesus Christ prayed to the Father that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that there may also be one in us, that the world may believe that you sent me.

It's John 17, verse 21. That kind of unity doesn't happen apart from the indwelling of God's Holy Spirit. That's what it takes. That's what was poured out on this day of Pentecost. And part of the responsibility of answering that prayer is not God who fully answers that prayer, that we would be one as He is one. It is not Jesus Christ who has full ability to even answer that prayer. The big part of answering that prayer that Christ gave on the final night before His Father depends on you, and it depends on me as living stones being built up in this house. Responsibility lies largely with us. Brethren, as we move forward from this day of Pentecost, let us yield ourselves to the work that God is doing in us. And what a joy it is! What a blessing it is to be called His people, to be given His Spirit, to be those who are being built up together for a habitation of God in a Spirit. What a blessing that is! Christ said, I will not leave you orphans. He said, I will come to you.

And we can remember the words of Jesus Christ who said, we will come to you, and we will make our home with you.