Sometime it is a small favor like a screw driver or a pair of pliers and sometime it is a large favor, Such as:
• They might asked you if they could borrow your car!!! THAT IS A BIG FAVOR!
• They might asked you if they could borrow your riding camper!!! THAT IS A BIG FAVOR!
• They might asked you if they could borrow your boat!!! THAT IS A BIG FAVOR!
When people ask to borrow these things we are reluctant to loan them!!!
Illus: A young boy just got his driver’s licence and asked his dad if he could use the family car.
• His dad said: “I’ll make a deal with you. If you bring your grades up from a C to a B average, study your Bible and get your hair cut, we can talk about the car.”
• The boy gladly agreed. After about six weeks, the young boy approached his dad to ask for the car again.
• The dad replied: “Son, I’m proud. You’ve brought your grades up, you’ve been studying your Bible, and even participating a lot more in the Bible study groups. But, I’m really disappointed, that you haven’t had your hair cut.”
• The young man paused a moment, and then said: “You know Dad, I’ve been thinking about that, and I’ve noticed in my studies of the Bible that Samson had long hair, John the Baptist had long hair, Moses had long hair and there’s even a strong argument that Jesus had long hair also.”
• To this, his father replied: “Did you also notice they all walked everywhere they went?”
It is a big thing to loan something of great value to someone.
If we did loan them what they are asking for it would be someone we thought a lot of and that we knew they could be trusted.
But did you know God loans us some big things and He trust us to use them and not abuse them.
For example, God loans us…
(1)TIME
TIME BELONGS TO GOD!
That is, He created every second, every minute, every hour, belongs to Him.
Illus: Bill Gates with his billions if he was on his death bed he could not buy one second of time from God.
Time is so valuable no amount of money on the earth can buy one second.
God loans us TIME and He decides how much time He is going to loan us.
He loans us TIME and He expects us not to waste it or abuse it.
Illus: To waste time would be like taking an expensive fur coat and using it to shine your shoes.
People who are wasting time do not know what they are doing!!!
This is why the Word of God tells us in Romans 14:12 So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.
That is, on the judgement day everyone of us are going to have to give account of EVERY SECOND, MINUTE AND EVERY HOURS how we have used the time He has intrusted to us.
But there is something else He has loaned, He has loaned us our…
(2) BODIES
Illus: When Rush Limbaugh was alive he would often say in a bragging way on his radio program that HIS BRAIN WAS ON LOAN FROM GOD!
He was absolutely correct!!!
In fact, these bodies that we live in or on loan to us by God our Creator.
Notice, I said OUR BODIES…but actually these bodies belong to God the Creator and He is just loaning them to us.
1 Corinthians 6:19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
These bodies that we live in belong to God. We have been intrusted with them and one day we shall have to give account to God how we have used them or abused them.
2 Corinthians 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.
It is a big thing for God to intrust us with THESE BODIES!!!
It is a big thing for God to loan us these bodies and I am going to say something that can be very controversial.
What I am fixing to say can be taken wrong, but I hope you will listen to me carefully and if you believe in the Word of God and take it seriously I believe you will agree with me!
That is, since I am going to give account to God for how I use my body I do not believe at my death putting my body parts on the open market to donate my body parts to every Tom, Dick and Harry is the right thing to do!
Let me explain why I am not willing to donate my body parts to anyone and everyone?
To help us make the right decision, we need to consider what Paul said in 1 Cor. 10:31. We read, “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or WHATSOEVER YE DO, DO ALL TO THE GLORY OF GOD.”
Can we donate our body parts AND KNOW THAT THE PERSON THAT RECEIVES THEM WILL USE THEM FOR THE GLORY OF GOD?
The Scripture makes it clear, “Whatsoever YE DO, do all to the glory of God.”
If you can not do it knowing it is going to be for the glory of God, YOU SHOULD NOT DO IT.
When you become an organ donor, you are no longer here to determine who will receive these body parts. There are some cases where the family of the deceased had some say in the matter, but most of the time it is done by a reviewing committee. They could donate your body parts to anyone.
• It could be an atheist who will use them to promote atheism
• It could be a prostitute who will use them to spread disease and sorrow
• It could be a gambler
• It could be a rapist
• It could be pornographer
• It could be a liar
• It could be a thief
• It could be a murderer
• It could be a homosexual
The optimist among us might say that it could be to a preacher or missionary who will spread the Word of God. Yes, it could be, and those who donate their body parts certainly hope they would be given to someone who will advance the work of God, BUT WE CAN NOT BE SURE!
However, some have the attitude, if I donate my organs, I can not be responsible for what others will do with them!
Isn’t that like some who send money off to some of these television “Hucksters” and say, “I gave it to them, but I can not be responsible once I gave it.”
The fact is, giving is an AWESOME RESPONSIBILITY, and if we support someone who chooses to live in evil, we become a partaker of what they do.
Illus: Let me illustrate, A thief will steal and bring their stolen merchandise to sell to us dirt cheap. They want $10.00 for a $179.00 skill saw. If you buy it, you become a partaker of their evil deeds.
The police will lock you up for receiving stolen property because they consider you to be a partaker of their evil deeds.
It may seen like a good thing to donate our organs to others after death. When we give them these vital organs, we become a partaker of whatever they involve themselves in.
As good stewards, we have been entrusted with these bodies, and we are going to be held accountable to God for how we use it.
The Bible teaches us christians our bodies are the temple of God.
These bodies have been intrusted to us and we are going to stand before Him one day and give account of how we use them or abuse them.
Have you noticed that everything the Lord has done has caused mankind to marvel?
Such as:
• 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 loaned 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.
Did you know that…
• 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!"
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
Illus: Someone said, “Some people are not good at counting calories and they have the figures to prove it.”
Ilus: Someone else said, “I am in shape. Round is a shape.”
One of the popular ways we take care of our bodies is through dieting.
Now some people can look at food and gain weight.
But there are others abuse the temple of God by gorging themselves with food.
That is, if they see food they have become addicted to it like a man is addicted to alcohol.
Illus: An old man and a young man worked in office next to each other. The young man had noticed that the older man always seemed to have a jar of peanuts on his desk. The young man loved peanuts.
• One day while the older man was away from his desk the young man couldn’t resist and went to the old man’s jar and ate over half the peanuts.
• When the old man returned the young man felt guilty and confessed to taking the peanuts.
• The old man responded "That’s ok since I lost my teeth all I can do is lick the chocolate off the M&Ms."
Its easy to see how eating can get out of control.
Illus: Between the ages of 20 and 50, the average person spends about 20,000 hours – over 800 days – eating.
And it is really the first pleasure that we experience in life. All we had to do was cry, kick and scream loud enough and we were rewarded with sweet, warm milk. Almost all of our attention was focused upon that one pleasure.
Soon we began to grow and we’d hear compliments from our Aunts like, “Oh my, he’s such a good eater” and our Uncle would add, “You’re certainly getting to be a big boy now.”
And of course our reward from Grandma for being so cute and eating all our supper was candy and desserts.
Illus: Did you know It is a absolute sin to gorge these bodies with food. Don’t you realize we have been intrusted with these bodies they are the temple of God
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 and adults 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 in 1 Corinthians 6:19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
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.
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.”
Illus: A little boy was playing with his sail boat he had made. A puff of wind came along and blew it out of his reach. He was shopping with his mother in a place where they sold things like they sale at a flea market. He saw his boat and he asked the clerk how much did he want it. The man sold it to him for one dollar. He was heard walking out of the store saying to himself, “You are mine twice, I made you and now I have bought you!”
That is exactly what the Lord Jesus did, He made us and be paid for us.
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.
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!
Our bodies belong to God! God gives us this body as a TRUST. HE IS THE CREATOR!!! It belongs to Him, but He alone will decide how much time He will loan us to live in these bodies.
HOW ARE WE RESPONSIBLE? WE ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CARE FOR 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 us 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
II. MY BODY IS A TRUST
III. MY BODY IS A TESTIMONY
What are you doing with LORD’S TIME AND HIS BODY?
