• The Science world has been marveling over this wonderful universe that God has created
• The Astrological world has been marveling over the stars and galaxies God created
• The animal lovers have marveled over these beautiful creatures God created
• The religious world has been marveling over this wonderful Bible that God created for us read
• The medical world has been marveling over these wonderful bodies God created for us
Just consider our wonderful bodies that God gave us, for a moment.
Illus: The body is a masterpiece of exquisite design. Beautifully "engineered," it is governed by several hundred systems of control -- each interacting with and affecting the other.
• Our brain has 10 billion nerve cells to record what we see and hear
• Our skin has more than 2 million tiny sweat glands -about 3000 per square inch -- all part of the intricate system which keeps our body at an even temperature
• Our heart is a "pump" that makes our blood travel 168 million miles a day -- equivalent of 6720 times around the world
• The lining of our stomach contains 35 million glands secreting juices which aid the process of our digestion
And these are but a few of the involved processes and chemical wonders which operate to sustain our life.
Illus: A young student had been impressed with the fact that most new products have some "bugs" that must be ironed out before they can operate efficiently.
As he stood gazing at a chart showing the organs, nerves, arteries, and glands in the human body, he suddenly exclaimed, "Just think, the first time God put it together, it worked!"
Illus: God placed within every person, five senses that are absolutely amazing in how they function. For example:
• WE HAVE THE SENSE OF SIGHT
We can see a candle’s flame 30 miles away on a dark, clear night
• WE HAVE THE SENSE OF SMELL
We can smell a single drop of perfume diffused in a three room apartment
• WE HAVE THE SENSE OF TASTE
We can taste .04 ounce of table salt in 530 quarts of water
• WE HAVE THE SENSE OF TOUCH
Our sense of touch can detect a pressure that depresses the skin .00004 (four hundred thousandths) inch on the face or fingertips
• WE HAVE THE SENSE OF SOUND
We can tell where a sound is coming from, even when it arrives at one ear just .0003 second before its arrival at the other ear. (Information came from “Today in the Word”, November, 1996, p. 28)
The Psalmist was fascinated with the human body. He said in Psalm 139:14 “I will praise thee; for I AM FEARFULLY AND WONDERFULLY MADE: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.”
Our bodies are a gift from God, but with that gift comes the responsibility to take care of them. We do this in many ways:
• PROPER SLEEP
• PROPER EXERCISE
• PROPER NUTRITION
One of the popular ways we take care of our bodies is through dieting.
Illus:
• Someone said, “Some people are not good at counting calories and they have the figures to prove it.”
• Someone else said, “I am in shape. Round is a shape.”
• But everyone is trying to figure out how a two pound box of candy can make you gain five pounds
• But we all know this, brain cells come and brain cells go, but fat cells seem to stay forever
We often make jokes about diet and exercise, but we understand that taking care of these bodies is a serious thing.
As we consider the body, notice in our text Paul talks about the human body in two ways:
I. MY BODY IS A TEMPLE
Paul said, “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you...”
When we hear of a temple in the old testament, we immediately think of two things:
• WE THINK OF A "HOLY PLACE"
• WE THINK OF A PLACE WHERE GOD DWELT
Today most Christians think of churches as a HOLY PLACE or a place where GOD DWELLS.
Because we recognize church to be such a place, we ask people to respect it as such.
For example:
• We ask people not to bring food into church, because it is God's House
• We ask children to be quiet and respectful in church, because it is God's House
• We raise our children not to run in church, because it is God's house
• We would be shocked if someone used foul language in church, because it is God's house
• We would be furious if someone committed adultery or another form of immorality in this building, because it is God's house.
• We would be upset if there was a drinking party that included wild music and dancing, because it is God’s house
• We would be disturbed if someone lied and/or cheated in this place, because it is God's house
While many churches cease to teach respect for the house of God, we who love the Lord should continue to teach reverence for the house of God.
Illus: When President Bill Clinton was in the oval office, we were shocked to hear how he desecrated the oval office with Monica Lewinski.
He will go down in the history books as a president who had no respect for the oval office.
Illus: Historians tell us that Ronald Reagan had such respect for the oval office that he would not walk into the oval office unless he had a coat and tie on.
We are pretty particular about what goes on here at the church, and rightfully so!
But while we are particular that the house of God should be treated with reverence, WE ALSO NEED TO REALIZE THAT OUR BODIES ARE THE TEMPLE OF THE HOLY GHOST.
When we leave here, the Holy Spirit is not going to stay here until we come back at the next appointed time. HE WILL GO WITH US, WE ARE THE TEMPLE OF THE HOLY GHOST.
We should be concerned about reverence in the house of God, but we should be equally concerned that these bodies of ours are treated as the temple of God.
Paul said, “…know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you,...”
Listen, if people in the old testament had done to the temple what we do with our bodies, God would have struck them dead.
In fact, some of them were struck dead because of the way they conducted themselves in the temple of God.
Illus: The High priest, when he atoned for the sins of mankind, first had to offer up a sacrifice for himself before he went into the Holy of Holies. If he had sin and entered the Holy of Holies, he was struck dead.
We are told that he had little bells around the hem of his garment, and a rope was tied around him. As long as they could hear the bells, everyone knew God was pleased with him. But once they did not hear the bells, they would drag him out of the Holy of Holies using the rope, because only the high priest could enter there.
Our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit! The very activities that took place in the Temple of God are the very activities that should take place in our bodies.
In the Temple there was ...
A. THE SACRIFICE FOR SIN
In our temples, if we are Christians, the sacrifice for sin has been made by our Savior.
2 Cor. 5:21 “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”
But there is one difference between us being the Temple of the Holy Spirit, and the old Testament Temple.
• In the Jewish temple, more sin required more sacrifices
• The sacrifice for our sins has been made once and for all, on the cross
In our body as a temple, another sacrifice is not needed, but CONFESSION is.
That is, as Christians, sometimes we find ourselves in sin. This is why we read in 1 John 1:9, that, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
In the temple there was sacrifice for sin. Also in the Temple there was ...
B. THE SACRIFICE OF PRAISES
The Jewish people came to worship God in the temple.
Likewise, we are told that we are to worship God in our temples. Look at Hebrews. 13:15, “By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.”
In our hearts there should be a constant offering of praise to God. As we go through the day, we should sing and give praise to God in our temples.
The temple was used as a place of SACRIFICE and PRAISE, but also in the Temple there was ...
C. THE SACRIFICE OF SUPPLICATION
The temple was God's House of Prayer. In Matthew 21:13, Jesus said, “….It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer….”
Illus: If you were to visit Jerusalem, one of the places you would want to visit would be to the “Wailing Wall” This is the place where the temple was once located, and now the only thing that remains there are the large foundation stones. And what you will see all day long, is men and women who have gathered at that site to pray.
The temple was a place of prayer. And now we are the temple of God, and all day long we should be calling upon God. Why? Because we are the temple of God...
Our prayers should be GUIDED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT.
Rom. 8:26 “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.”
How this works is a real mystery. Some folks say this verse of scripture refers to speaking in tongues. But it can not be referring to speaking in tongues, because if a person says something in what they call tongues, it is something that is being uttered.
The Bible says the Spirit of God WITHIN us sometimes takes over as we sit at the feet of Jesus in prayer, and makes “groanings which cannot be uttered.”
Our prayers should be GUIDED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT.
MY BODY IS A TEMPLE, but also-
II. MY BODY IS A TRUST
Paul said in our text verses, “...which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price.”
OUR BODY IS A TRUST FROM GOD!
That is, we have been entrusted by God to use our bodies as the temple of God.
WHY DO WE FAIL TO USE OUR BODIES FOR THE GLORY OF GOD? Because deep down we think that we still own our bodies!
If you listen to lost men talk, they will make it clear that their bodies are to do with as they please.
Illus: How many times have we heard the abortionist say, “A woman’s body is hers to do with as she pleases!”
THIS IS WRONG! Whether she recognizes it or not, the body she has, has been created by God. God has entrusted her to do what He intended for her to do with it.
But while we recognize that in the LOST WORLD they have the wrong ideas about their bodies, WHAT WE DO NOT SEEM TO RECOGNIZE IS THAT MANY CHRISTIANS ALSO HAVE THE WRONG IDEAS ABOUT THEIR BODIES.
They do not realize that their body is the TEMPLE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, and that they have been entrusted TO MAKE SURE IT IS USED FOR THAT ONLY!
Some Christians give lip service to the fact that their bodies belong to God, and then do as they want with these bodies!
Our bodies belong to God! God gives us this body as a TRUST. It belongs to Him, but He has entrusted it to us, for our use for a period of time.
HOW ARE WE RESPONSIBLE? In a number of ways.
1. WE ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CARE FOR THIS BODY
Illus: If a man borrows your wheelbarrow, and someone steals it because he was neglectful in taking care of it, HE IS RESPONSIBLE AND SHOULD REPLACE IT WITH ANOTHER ONE OF LIKE VALUE!
2. WE ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE USE OF THIS BODY
Look at 1 Cor. 6:15-18, we read, “Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid. What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh. But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit. Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.”
Paul is saying, "Don't join the body of God with a harlot!"
WHY? Because that body that you have belongs to God, and when you do that, you, “…Then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid. What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh.”
We are to avoid fornication, which can mean any form of sexual immorality!
This body belongs to God, and God has entrusted me to take care of it!
MY BODY IS A TEMPLE, MY BODY IS A TRUST, and …
III. MY BODY IS A TESTIMONY
Paul also said this about our bodies, “...Therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.”
Since my body is a TEMPLE, and a TRUST, it should also be a wonderful TESTIMONY to God. I should be a testimony of how great my God is BY BRINGING GLORY TO HIM!
Some people have used the body that God gave them, and brought a terrible reproach on the work of God.
Illus: We all remember the terrible disgrace that Jim Bakker and Jimmy Swygert brought on the work of God. For months and months, comedians all over this nation poked fun at the things of God because of what they did with their bodies.
But there are also some men/women who have done some wonderful things with their bodies.
• When I TAKE CARE OF MY BODY, I bring glory to God
• When I THINK PURE THOUGHTS, I bring glory to God
• When I SING PRAISES to God, I bring glory to God
• When I PRAY, I bring glory to God
• When I SERVE in Jesus’ name, I bring glory to God
• When I SHARE in Jesus’ name, I bring glory to God
• When I KEEP MYSELF MORALLY PURE, I bring glory to God
This is His body! He should have the glory!
Conclusion:
I. MY BODY IS A TEMPLE “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you,...”
II. MY BODY IS A TRUST “...which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price:”
III. MY BODY IS A TESTIMONY - “therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.”
What are you doing with LORD’S body?
