1 Thessalonians 4:1-8 | Alex Senak

I think most of us as Christian come to our place of worship on Sunday’s and call it a…Church. We don’t hear followers of the one true God saying that they are going to their temple...

I found it interested that this definition of temple says that it is a place of religious worship in other religions than Christianity.

Well those who followed our God in the Old Testament, the Israelites, did call their place of worship a temple. So Why do we not now?

We are going to be answering this question this afternoon.

WE’ll be jumping our from a variety of different scriptures today. But our root scripture is found in:

Romans 8:3–10 (ESV)

For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.

For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness.

Vs 3-But God has doen what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do:

Vs. 7-For to set the mind on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

Before we get into the Spirit of God and gospel of Jesus in the New Testament...

Verse 3 and 7 refer to God’s law…God’s law came about in the Old Testament-

…Moses leads God’s people out of their slavery in Egypt and God gives this law to Moses… in this law were the 10 commandments and 603 others...

Those are alot of LAWS! And after giving these laws God commanded that a tabernacle…a temple would be built:

This temple was made of gold, silver, bronze, acacia wood, good linens, and more and every skilled person used their talents to make different aspects of the temple,

Needless to say this temple was beautiful. A place that would look like a palace out in the wilderness!

This place was for the Israelites to have a place of worship, for them to bring offerings of forgiveness for their sins (breaking any of those 613 laws) and most importantly it represented God’s presence:

The temple had different sections… the outside parts everyone coud go into…the just the priests…and at the very center of the tabernacle/ temple was what they called “The Holy of Holies” this place was separated by a curtain and only the High priest would go into to this place once a year. This was also the place that God’s presence hovered over...

Exodus 40:34–38 ESV

Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. Throughout all their journeys, whenever the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the people of Israel would set out. But if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not set out till the day that it was taken up. For the cloud of the Lord was on the tabernacle by day, and fire was in it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel throughout all their journeys.

Illistration

Once the Israelites reached the promise land and later a permanent temple was built in Jerusalem and represented the same thing…the presence of the Lord. A place of worship, unity, and forgiveness. A place to encounter the Spirit of God.

But then years and years and years passed and people journeyed to the temple to ask for forgiveness of their sins,

but the problem was people went to the temple (the presence of God) and then left but the presence of God did not go with them.

They tried to obide by God’s laws but failed because they belowed to the flesh (worldly desires)…then Jesus hits the scene:

2. Jesus Changes Everything:

Romans 8:3–5 (ESV)

For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do.

By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.

—God knew that we needed his presence to guide us at all times.

ILLISTRATION

That is why Jesus came. And when Jesus died once in for all as the final sacrifice for our sins that curtain that hide the presence of God in the temple was split in two

Matthew 27:51

Matthew 27:51 ESV

And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split.

Jesus split that bariour between humans and God. No longer did we have to shy away from the presence of God because of our sin but we were completely cleanse...

bridging the gap between us and God. This shown that God’s presence was NOT limited by the temple...

3. Pentecost:

Many of you may know that today is Penecost Sunday…The whole reason why I am talking about the Temple of God and his presence is because on this day over 2,000 years ago the presence of God came upon man:

Some of you

Acts 2:1–4 (ESV)

When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.

See when Jesus ascended into heaven he then sent something he said would be way more beneficial for us than himself walking beside us…His Holy Spirit…His very presence living within us.

Today we do not need a temple to go and meet with God…Because we have become that temple if we believe in Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 6:19–20 ESV

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

That beautiful tabernacle described in the Old Testament..

made out of gold, and silver, and expensive linens and wood. the castle in the middle of the wilderness…Is a reflection of how God sees us.

To him we our more valuable ...

He loved us so much that he sent Jesus so that His Spirit (His very presence could dwell within us)

Romans 8:8–10 ESV

Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness.

Conclusion:

If that is true..If we have the Holy Spirit and are now the temple of the Lord.

We should act accordingly.

Living according to the spirit.

Galatians 5:22–23 ESV

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

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