YOU ARE GOD’S TEMPLE
Rev. Bernt P. Tweit
Old Testament Lesson; Ezekiel 34:11-16
Gospel Lesson; Mark 8:27-35
Sermon Text; 1 Corinthians 3:16-23
A number of years ago, during Dwight Eisenhower’s term as president, he was vacationing in Denver. While he was on that vacation, it came to his attention that a six-year old boy, named Paul Haley, was dying of an incurable cancer. The little boy had one dream. His dream was that someday he would meet the president.
On an August, Sunday morning, President Eisenhower woke up and said to one of his aides, "Let’s go see Paul Haley."
And so, they got into the presidential limousine and drove over to the home of Paul Haley (who had no idea that he was coming)! Flags on the fenders of the black limousine were flying, as they drove up. The doors flew open, and out walked the President! He walked up to Paul’s house and knocked on the door.
The door opened up, and there stood Donald Haley, the boy’s father. He was wearing blue jeans, an old dirty shirt, and had a day’s growth of beard. He asked, "Yes, can I help you?"
The President replied, "Is Paul here? Tell him the President would like to see him."
Little Paul walked around his father’s legs, stood and looked with amazement, into the face of the man he admired. His dream had come true!
Eisenhower knelt down, shook his hand and took him out to see the presidential limousine. Before he said good-bye, he hugged little Paul Haley. They shook hands again and the President left.
Little Paul Haley’s dream came true, didn’t it? His dream came through, with an unannounced visit by President Eisenhower, who had stopped by to see him!
It was an exciting time for everyone, except Donald Haley, the father. He said, "How can I ever forget standing there dressed like I was, in those jeans and an old, dirty shirt and an unshaven face, meeting the President of the United States."
The President made an unannounced stop at the Haley residence. We then see the reaction of a son and his father. One was excited and the other was ashamed.
One of these days, God will call an unannounced end to the world and we will stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ. How exciting it will be, for us, God’s people, to meet Jesus, on Judgment Day! It will be our dream come true! How tragic though, it will be, for unbelievers, to meet the Lord unprepared and be ashamed.
The reason I bring this up today is that our text reminds us who we are. Our text says,
"Don’t you know that you yourselves
are God’s temple and that
God’s Spirit lives in you?"
You
are God’s temple!
Based on our text today, I would like us to consider these two things: Since we are God’s Temple, God wants us to be holy and, God also wants us to be wise.
You are God’s temple,
therefore be holy.
You are God’s temple, therefore be holy. Let me explain why the apostle Paul wrote the words of our text today. The Corinthian Christians were in danger of forgetting who they were. Remember, they were God’s temple!
Elsewhere, Paul wrote these words, "You are…members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus, Himself, as the chief cornerstone. In Him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord."
Every believer is a dwelling place of the Triune God. We are all God’s temple. The blood of the Lamb purifies God’s temple, making it sacred and holy. Being God’s temple, we are holy. We are sanctified. We are set apart, for God. And we are separated from the world. We are that temple! God has placed His name on us! He will not tolerate the defilement of His name or dwelling place.
Paul needed to remind the congregation in Corinth, about that, because they were forgetting who they were. They were forgetting that they were God’s temple.
Isn’t that really what the 1st Petition of the Lord’s Prayer is all about? We say, ‘Hallowed be thy name’ or ‘Holy be your name’. Martin Luther rightly wrote, "God’s name is holy, when His Word is taught in its truth and purity and we, as Children of God, live holy lives according to it."
True teaching and pure living build up God’s temple, but false teaching and impure living destroy God’s temple. The Corinthian Christians were having problems. How many problems did they have? Many!
First of all, there were factions in the church. As our text alludes to, some were following the teacher Apollos, some were following another teacher Peter, and some were following Christ. Instead of being united in the Lord, they were creating factions, dividing themselves up into little clicks, and following the teachings of just one of those leaders.
Immorality was taking place in the congregation. A son was having improper relations with his father’s wife. And, although they knew about it, the congregation didn’t say anything to him.
Lawsuits were happening. Christians were bringing into the pagan courts lawsuits against other Christians.
Some were eating meat that was offered to idols and injuring the weak faith of some Christians.
There were abuses of the Lord’s Supper. Some people were getting drunk at the love feast.
Problems arose with marriages. They debated whether it is it better to be married or better not to get married.
Even during the church services, there wasn’t unity. People were getting up, speaking, and not having respect for the person who was leading the service. Those people who were talking all at once during the worship service, caused disorderly conduct in the assemblies.
There were even heresies being taught about the resurrection. Some leaders were teaching correctly, saying that the resurrection had already happened, while others were saying that Christ’s resurrection never occurred.
The words of our text for today were sharp words, not only to the Christian congregation in Corinth, but also sharp words for us today. We need to remember who we are. We are God’s temple. Paul warns that God will destroy those responsible for destroying the temple of God.
"Don’t be deceived;
God cannot be mocked.
A man reaps what he sows."
Galatians 6:7
As our text alludes, if we destroy God’s temple, God will also destroy us. Paul’s words are a sharp warning to us also, to watch out for everything that might desecrate God’s temple. The way to unity is through the teaching of God’s Word, in all its truth and purity. False teaching divides, disrupts and shatters unity.
Thanks be to God that we don’t have all of these problems going on at once in our congregation, like it was in Corinth. But yet, we have problems of our own. Our very own problems stem from the very same problem that the Corinthian congregation had and that is our sin. Our sin leads to the many problems we have. And we do struggle with our own sin.
God demands perfect holiness from us. He says,
"Make every effort to live in peace
with all men and
be holy;
without holiness, not one will see the Lord."
Hebrews 12:14
Because of our sin, we don’t deserve to see the Lord. But thanks be to God, that through the cross of Christ, we have been made holy. Jesus has made us holy.
"…We have been made holy
through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ
once for all."
Hebrews 10:10
We, who are not holy, have been made holy through Christ’s body and through His death. We are God’s temple and we are holy!
You are God’s temple,
therefore be wise.
Our text today says something very strange, "We should become a ‘fool’ so that we may become wise."
Back in the days that Paul wrote these words, he was writing to a group of people who were very concerned about their environment. The ancient Greek culture prided themselves on their eloquence, wisdom and learning. Even though Corinth was not the center of intellectual activity that Athens was, nevertheless her citizens were very concerned about their culture, environment and surroundings. The Christians in Corinth were products of that culture and environment. They were affected by the spirit of their times.
But the wisdom of the world is diametrically opposed to the wisdom, which comes from God. The world thinks and acts differently.
This was the heart of the divisions in Corinth. Paul told them that they should become ‘fools’ in the eyes of the world. They should become ‘fools’ for Christ. We, also, should become ‘fools’ for Christ. For the wisdom of the world considers the message of the cross to be foolishness. The world looks at what Christ did for our salvation and thinks it is foolish. The world looks at God sending His Son to die on the cross like a common criminal, to be foolish. But yet, in the eyes of God, those who believe that are wise. Those who believe that, look to Jesus and His Words that say,
"I am the way
and the truth
and light.
No one
comes to the Father
except through me."
John 14:6
Those who are wise, look at the words of scripture that say,
"Salvation is found in no one else.
For there is no other name
under heaven
given to men,
by which we must be saved."
Acts 4:12
The eyes of the world may think that is foolish, yet in the eyes of God, those who believe in Jesus as their Savior are wise. That ‘foolishness’ is the only way of salvation. The world considers it foolish to believe that the Son of God became man, to die the death of a common criminal, for the sins of the world. But that ‘foolishness’ is the only way to Heaven.
If we are worldly-wise, we may think that we don’t need a Savior, and that we can earn our own way. But false wisdom is a trap. It is a trap that destroys eternally. The wisdom of this world cannot lead to eternal life, because,
"No eye has seen,
no ear has heard,
no mind has conceived what
God has prepared for those who love Him."
I Corinthians 2:9
God alone can reveal Heaven and the pathway to Heaven. And that way is through His Son. On their own, the wisest of the wise cannot discover God’s plan of salvation.
This morning we heard the story about President Eisenhower’s unannounced visit to Paul Haley. It should remind us that someday God will call an unannounced end to the world, as we know it. We will stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ, meet our Maker and our Savior! How exciting that day will be! And so, never should we ever forget who we are. It is important for us to remember that we are God’s temple. We have been founded on Jesus, and His work of the redemption of our sins, for our salvation. We are therefore holy, through Jesus’ death on the cross. And now God wants us to be wise. He wants us to know that His wisdom is far different from the wisdom of this world.
Never forget who you are.
You are God’s temple.
Amen.
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