What God expects of us
Part 1---Dedication of the Temple
In life things change and die, cars, people, animals and that can be painful. When that happens we have to let them go and move on. You know churches are the same; some die and need to be released to become only memories. That is what I have to talk to you about today. We need to let the Buffalo Christian Church go and die. The Buffalo Christian church as we have come to know it.
Let me explain. We have had in the past several years a serious illness in the church. It’s called me itus. What that is, is it is all about me not about God and His church. Some how some of us have forgot this is not our church but it is God’s. It was purchased with the blood of Jesus. Jesus was made the head of the church which is His body. Some have become indifferent as to who has authority, Jesus (Matthew 28:18) only Jesus has full authority in the matters of his church not men. When we get back to the original reason for the church we will see that God has left instructions for us in the matters of what we need to do.
And to day I want all of us to embrace the new Buffalo Christian Church, the Church that belongs to Jesus and follows Him and Him only. But you may ask what we do first to change from the old to the new. Good question. First we must remember what we did when we became followers of Christ. We will be using Old Testament illustrations to understand the new. First we need to dedicate our temple again to Him. What does dedicate mean?
Dedicate—to set apart by a solemn act or religious ceremony, devote or set apart to some work or duty.
Let’s see how it was done before.
2 Chronicles 7:1-16
1When Solomon finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the LORD filled the temple. 2The priests could not enter the temple of the LORD because the glory of the LORD filled it. 3When all the Israelites saw the fire coming down and the glory of the LORD above the temple, they knelt on the pavement with their faces to the ground, and they worshiped and gave thanks to the LORD, saying,
“He is good; his love endures forever.”
4Then the king and all the people offered sacrifices before the LORD. 5And King Solomon offered a sacrifice of twenty-two thousand head of cattle and a hundred and twenty thousand sheep and goats. So the king and all the people dedicated the temple of God. 6The priests took their positions, as did the Levites with the LORD’S musical instruments, which King David had made for praising the LORD and which were used when he gave thanks, saying, “His love endures forever.” Opposite the Levites, the priests blew their trumpets, and all the Israelites were standing.
7Solomon consecrated the middle part of the courtyard in front of the temple of the LORD, and there he offered burnt offerings and the fat of the fellowship offerings, because the bronze altar he had made could not hold the burnt offerings, the grain offerings and the fat portions.
8So Solomon observed the festival at that time for seven days, and all Israel with him—a vast assembly, people from Lebo Hamath to the Wadi of Egypt. 9On the eighth day they held an assembly, for they had celebrated the dedication of the altar for seven days and the festival for seven days more. 10On the twenty-third day of the seventh month he sent the people to their homes, joyful and glad in heart for the good things the LORD had done for David and Solomon and for his people Israel.
11When Solomon had finished the temple of the LORD and the royal palace, and had succeeded in carrying out all he had in mind to do in the temple of the LORD and in his own palace, 12the LORD appeared to him at night and said:
“I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a temple for sacrifices.
13“When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, 14if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 15Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place. 16I have chosen and consecrated this temple so that my Name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there.
Trainer struggles with female boxer not listening (CV01561)
Movie: Million Dollar Baby
After Maggie says she ONLY wants Frankie to be her trainer, he finally gives in to her strong will and dedication: "Okay. If I’m going to take you on (she interrupts)… Look, just listen to me. If I take you on (interrupts again)… This is a mistake already (another interruption)... If I take you on, you don’t say anything, you don’t question me. You don’t ask why, you don’t say anything except maybe, ’Yes, Frankie.’ And I’m going to try and forget the fact that you’re a girl... And don’t come crying to me if you get hurt..." They shake hands, and we see Maggie’s very vigorous training over the next several weeks, including some great advice about hitting her speed-bag: "It’s not about hitting it HARD, it’s how GOOD you hit it." Background narration by Eddie continues: "To make a fighter, you gotta strip them down to bare wood (Frankie to Maggie: "You can rest when you’re dead...come here"). You can’t just tell them to forget everything you know, you gotta make them forget it in their bones. Make them so tired they only listen to you. Only hear you’re voice, only do what you say, and nothing else."
Dedication is done when we give our all to God leaving nothing behind for ourselves. Being completely sold out to God. But the temple I’m talking about is not a building as it was here but something more, not wood, steel mortar, concrete but flesh and blood.
Acts 17:24
24“The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands.
1 Corinthians 6:19&20
19Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.
Psalm 139:13-16
13 For you created my inmost being;
You knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you
When I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,
16 your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.
You see we are the temple that needs to be dedicated back to God. We did this when we first became Christians, but I think some of us forgot what we dedicated or promised to do for God in our lives and we need to be reminded of our dedication and oath.
But there is more we must do.
We must make sacrifices to God that is what He wants.
You may ask what a sacrifice is. This is what Webster’s describes sacrifice as.
Sacrifice—the act of sacrificing an offering to God, to offer to GOD IN WORSHIP, DEVOTE WITH LOSS, to lose something to find something else. To give up one thing for another.
Romans 12:1&2
1Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. 2Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
You see we are the Sacrifice God desires. Not a dead lifeless worthless, useless Sacrifice but one that is alive, active and actively doing His (God’s) will. Not only one time but continually as it did say sacrifices that means more that one. What that is saying is we must do it again and again and again. Until we become the thing He wants us to be. Giving our best so we can become better and better, an ever growing, ever changing life dedicated to God for His purpose and use.
School criticizes athlete for hiring coach to pursue excellence (CV01627)
Movie: Chariots of Fire
University school masters have a private dinner with Harold Abrahams after hearing rumors that he has hired a private coach (in an amateur era the Briton was way ahead with his dedication and professionalism, even though hiring a coach did raise eyebrows among the establishment): "Do we take it that you employ this ’Mr. Mussabini’ on a professional basis?" they ask "...I am honored that he considers me worthy of his complete attention." Harold answers "Never the less, he’s a professional... And there, Mr. Abrahams, I’m afraid our paths diverge. You see, this university believes that the way of the amateur is the only one to provide satisfactory results... You’ve adopted a professional attitude... In the headlong pursuit, may I suggest, of individual glory..." they respond "What I’ve achieved, what I intend to achieve, is for my family, my university, and my country. And I bitterly resent your suggesting otherwise." Harold answers "Your aim is to win at all costs, is it not?" they continue "At all costs, no. But I do aim to win within the rules... You know, gentlemen, you yearn for victory just as I do... I believe in the pursuit of excellence, and I’ll carry the future with ME." Harold responds.
Sacrifice is doing the best you can and admitting you need help to do better. To give up one thing for another. To devote your self at all cost. We need to do that for God’s kingdom. Make God’s church your life.
In His church we all have a part and everyone will have a different part to do that is what makes up the church. But we must remember we are all one in Christ and we belong to each other as well as to Christ.
Romans 12:3-5
3For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. 4Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.
Beloved as we will look in the next few weeks as God’s desire for His people, let us unite under His lordship, His leadership
And his guidance as we claim the new Buffalo Christian Church.
As well as the life that will go with it.
