Temple Cleansing Part 1 : Cleansing The Temple Of The Holy Spirit Series

• NB : wherever there is a [e], it indicates that that point must be explained or elaborated on.

Text: 1 Cor 6: 19 – 20 : 19 Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.

Theme: Temple cleansing: the temple of the Holy Spirit

Introduction

- This Sunday we begin with Part 1 of a three part sermon series entitled “Cleansing the Temple” [e]

- According to the Word of God, there are 3 important areas of our lives that are of such spiritual significance that they are referred to as “temples”[e]

- What comes to your mind when I refer to a “temple”? [e]

- I have listed some points down in reference to a temple:

• Irrespective of religion, a temple is a place that is considered holy [e]

• A temple is a place where reverence and worship is given to a Divine Presence [e]

• A temple is a place to be respected [e]

• A temple is a place that is to be kept in order according to a set of divine ordinances or instructions [e]

- In this 3-part sermon series, we are going to talk about:

• The temple of the Holy Spirit, which refers to us [e]

• Our homes as a temple or dwelling place of the God Most High [e]

• And the temple of God in reference to the church [e]

- Today, we are going to talk about the temple of the Holy Spirit

- Lets read our Scripture verse for today again [e]

- Immediately some important spiritual facts jump across at us:

• We do not have the right to live as we please….we ought to have the Presence of the Holy Spirit dwelling within us [e]

• God has placed the Holy Spirit within us [e]

• We DO NOT claim ownership of our lives…we belong to God, because we have been bought with a price [e]

• We need to honour God with our bodies [e]

- I also want to bring to your attention our theme this morning : “Temple Cleansing”

- There is a great bring difference between “cleaning” and “Cleansing”

- Cleaning refers to the act of taking something that is existing and performing a process on it that will remove the dirt and make it look and smell and feel better again [e].

- Cleansing refers to the process of getting rid of things that do not belong in a place [e]

- Cleaning is a physical act [e]

- Cleansing is a spiritual act [e]

1. Left unattended, the temple will build up dirt over time.

- Revelation 2 : 4 – 5 4 Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. 5 Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. [e]

- Let me put this passage of Scripture in context…

- God is speaking here to the church at Ephesus.

- But then, how can this be relevant to us?

- Because God does not change His nature, neither does He change His requirements [e]

- So what did happen to the church at Ephesus, and how does it apply to our own spiritual lives? [e]

- What causes dirt to build up in our temple? [e]

- Lets consider this passage of Scripture:

• We have forsaken our first love [e].

• We have fallen / drifted far from God [e].

- Let me ask you a question this morning…

- What happens when you neglect your home?

• It gets dirty [e]

• It falls into a state of disrepair [e]

• It begins to look bad to all those on the outside [e]

• Vermin and pests move in, because these conditions are just right for them to multiply [e]

- When you neglect your relationship with God….

- When you, as the temple of the Holy Spirit, neglect your spiritual life….

• It gets spiritually dirty….sin enters in. 1 John 3: 6 says that no-one who lives in God goes on sinning, so when we neglect God, sin creeps back into our lives [e]

• Our lives fall into a state of disrepair….God is no more there to fix things in our lives [e]

• Everyone on the outside begins to “see the slide” [e]

• There is a great danger of spiritual vermin and pests moving in [e]

- Church of God, allow me to remind you that Jesus is coming back for His Church [e]