2023.01.29.Cleanse the Temple
William Akehurst, HSWC
Cleanse, purge, sanctify, purify
BIG IDEA: GOD placed the SPIRIT of JESUS into the heart of every believer. JESUS not only cleansed the Temple, but also defined the Temple. We are the Temple of the HOLY SPIRIT. Purify your heart today and allow HIS SPIRIT to cleanse you.
SPIRIT OF JESUS IN YOUR HEART
Galatians 4:6 (NKJV) And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!”
(NLT) 6 And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.”
CLEANSING THE TEMPLE
THE TEMPLE DEFINED
John 2:13-22 (NKJV)
13 Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 And He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers doing business. 15 When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers’ money and overturned the tables. 16 And He said to those who sold doves, “Take these things away! Do not make My Father’s house a house of merchandise!” 17 Then His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up.”
18 So the Jews answered and said to Him, “What sign do You show to us, since You do these things?”
19 Jesus answered and said to them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”
20 Then the Jews said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?”
THE TEMPLE DEFINED
21 But He was speaking of the temple of His body. 22 Therefore, when He had risen from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this to them; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said.
TEMPLE OF GOD IN US – HIS DWELLING PLACE IN YOU
1 Corinthians 3:16-17, 19-20 (NKJV)
16 Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? 17 If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.
19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.
GOD’S TEMPLE IN US
2 Corinthians 6:16 - 7:1 (NKJV)
And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they shall be My people.”
17 Therefore “Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you.”
18 “I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, Says the LORD Almighty.”
LET US CLEANSE OURSELVES
7:1 Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
MY SPIRIT IN YOU, I WILL CLEANSE YOU
Ezekiel 36:27-29 27 I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them. 28 Then you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; you shall be My people, and I will be your God. 29 I will deliver you from all your uncleannesses.
CLEANED BY THE WORD OF GOD
John 15:1-4 1“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
THE SPIRIT OF GOD DWELLS IN US AND GIVE US LIFE
Romans 8:11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.
SPIRIT TEACHES AND GUIDES
John 16:13 However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.
BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM…GOD
I AM, NOT WAS, NOT WILL BE…”I AM”
Psalms 46:10 Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!
LISTEN FOR THAT STILL SMALL VOICE
1 Kings 19:11-12 (NKJV) God’s Revelation to Elijah
11 Then He said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the LORD.” And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake; 12 and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.
THE HOLY SPIRIT ANOINTING TEACHES YOU CONCERNING ALL THINGS.
1 John 2:24-25,27
24 Therefore let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father. 25 And this is the promise that He has promised us—eternal life.
27 But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him.
I gleaned the following from an email devotional I had received that sparked me to the message above.
Let these words speak to you.
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I Hear His Whisper…
The flow of my Spirit is in you.
I have made you into my holy dwelling place. I have cleansed your heart and made you pure in my eyes. My holiness lives in you, for my Spirit lives in you. No evil can touch you when you allow me to fill you with the abundance of my love and power. When I reign as King of your life, your heart becomes the chamber room of my glory. I will finish the beautiful work I have begun in you!
I have molded you into a vessel for purity and power. Holiness is not something you can achieve or produce on your own. It does not originate with man, but it flows from my Spirit within you. What I cleanse, I fill. And what I fill is made holy. Remember how I have worked in your life through your journey with me. I strengthened you in your weakness and held you in your pain. Many times, I have lifted you higher and redeemed your days, filling them with joy. I will never leave you or forsake you. Instead, I will always keep you close. The flow of my Spirit within you has filled you with all you need to live an abundant life—holy and pure in my sight.
I Hear His Whisper written by Brian Simmons and Gretchen Rodriguez
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Philippians 1:9–10
The Passion Translation
I continue to pray for your love to grow and increase beyond measure, bringing you into the rich revelation of spiritual insight in all things. This will enable you to choose the most excellent way of all—becoming pure and without offense until the unveiling of Christ.
Be Blessed and Be A Blessing,
Bill
