GOD'S TEMPLE

IT MAY BE YOUR BODY, BUT IT'S STILL GOD'S TEMPLE

1 Cor. 6:15-20

Intro: When we speak of the church, we are often referring to this building where we meet throughout the week and gather for worship. However, this building is not the church! It is a place where the church gathers. The church is that universal, mystical body made up of every person who has trusted Jesus Christ by faith and has been born into the family of God. What we are sitting in today is not the sanctuary, you, if you are saved, are the sanctuary of God. The word "temple" in verse 19 refers not to the whole place of the temple, but just to the Holy of Holies, the place where God dwells. What Paul is trying to tell us is that we are the dwelling place of Almighty God! I do not know how that touches you, but that is a sobering realization to me.

Somehow, we have the opinion that what we do has no effect on us spiritually. The truth, however, is vastly different. If you are saved, God lives in you. Therefore, everywhere you go, everything you do, everything that touches you, in effect, touches God. That is why Paul tells these Corinthian Christians that they are God's Temples. It appears that many were using their bodies for immoral purposes and were defiling their temple. In Corinth, there was the Temple of Diana. Diana was the goddess of sex and love. In her temple, there were over 1,000 female priestesses. In reality, they were nothing more than prostitutes. Because to worship Diana, you had to have sexual intercourse with one of the temple prostitutes.) Many in this church were used to this lifestyle. They reasoned that God had saved their souls and that their body was different.

When God gave His plans for the Tabernacle, and later on the Temple, He set forth in no uncertain terms the plain fact that He demanded purity in the materials and construction; otherwise, He would never fill it with His glory. God will not fill a dirty temple. It may be that you have been letting your guard down and using your body to do things that aren't right in the sight of God. If that is the case, I want you to know that there is forgiveness in Jesus Christ. Perhaps, we just all need a reminder of whose we really are. It May Be Your Body, But It's Still God's Temple!

Comparison between the Physical Temple of God and our bodies;

I.  A PLACE OF DEDICATION  The earthly Temple was a place wholly dedicated to God and His glory. Nothing that defiled was allowed on the grounds. When something out of the ordinary occurred, God took immediate steps to take care of the problem. ( Nadab and Abihu - Lev. 10:1-2 - These sons of Eleazar offered strange fire before the Lord and God killed them. It appears from the text, Lev. 10:8-11, that these men were guilty of drunkenness before the Lord.)  The earthly temple was a place set apart for God and His glory.

B. These earthly bodies we dwell in are also set apart for His glory! According to our text, no one in this room has the right to use his/her body for anything other than that which glorifies the Lord, v. 19b, 20. The reason? We have been bought with a price! Jesus went to Calvary and paid the price for our sins. When we came to Him by faith in His shed blood, we entered into a covenant relationship with God. In that relationship, He has promised to love us, keep us, provide for us and ultimately take us to Heaven to spend eternity with Him. Our promise was to turn from sin and follow Him totally. In truth, when we came to Jesus for salvation, we gave up all claims to our body and what we desire to do with it. We do not belong to ourselves, we belong to the Lord!) Therefore, regardless of what we are doing, if it does not bring honor and glory God, then it is sin - Rom. 14:23; 1 Cor. 10:31!

II. A PLACE OF DEVOTION:  The temple was place where men gathered to worship God. They came to the temple and glorified the Lord. It was a place where songs were sung, prayers were prayed, hands were raised, praise rendered and God was magnified. The temple is a place of worship - Isa. 56:7.

B. Just as that temple was devoted to God as a place of worship, these bodies are to be places where God is worshiped. The truth is, these bodies will render worship to one God or another! The Corinthian believers acknowledged Jesus Christ with their mouths, then with their bodies they participated in the worship of Diana.)  The question may arise, "How can I worship God with my body?" The answers are many, but here are a few.

1. Present It As A Living Sacrifice - Rom. 12:1-2, covenant with God that you will use your body for nothing that will dishonor and degrade His Name.

 (2) Prostrate It In Prayer - Jer. 33:3, Take you body aside from the world and go to the Lord in prayer on a regular basis. Nothing glorifies the Lord quiet like people who trust Him enough to call on Him in faith. 

 (3) Practice His Presence - Heb. 13:5; Matt. 28:20, never forget that Jesus is ever with you. Learn to walk in the knowledge of His abiding presence. If you will stop to consider that Jesus is there and He is watching, it may prevent you from engaging in activities that would dishonor His name.

 (4) Praise Him Continually - Heb. 13:15; Psa. 47:1, determine in your heart that you will no circumstance of life, no bump in the road to stop you from having a thankful heart of praise before the Lord.

(5) Place Your Body In His Hand For Service - Rom. 6:16, you will yield your body to one master of the other. It will either be the gods of this world, (The world, the flesh, the Devil), or it will be the Almighty. Yield yourself to the Lord and He will use you for His glory and bless you. These other things, will just leave you broken and empty.  Can you honestly say that you are using your body as a "House of Worship" before the Lord?