Building the Spiritual House

Scriptural Text:

1563 If Jesus Came To Your House

If Jesus came to your house to spend a day or two.…

If He came unexpectedly. I wonder what you’d do.

Oh, I know you’d give your nicest room to such an honored guest.

And all the food you’d serve to Him would be the very best,

And you would keep assuring Him you’re glad to have Him there.…

But.… when you saw Him coming, would you meet Him at the door.

With arms outstretched in welcome to our heav’nly visitor?

Or would you maybe change your clothes before you let Him in,

Or hide some magazines and put the Bible where they’d been?

Would you turn off the radio and hope He hadn’t heard,

And wish you hadn’t uttered that last, loud and hasty word?

Would you hide your worldly music and put some hymn books out?

Could you let Jesus walk right in, or would you rush about?

And I wonder.… If the Savior spent a day or two with you,

Would you go right on doing the things you always do?

Would you go right on saying the things you always say?

Would life for you continue as it does from day to day?

Would your family conversation keep up its usual pace?

And would you find it hard each meal to say a table grace?

Would you sing the songs you always sing and read the book you read?

And let Him know the things on which your mind and spirit feed

Would you take Jesus with you everywhere you’d planned to go,

Or would you, maybe, change your plans for just a day or so?

Would you be glad to have Him meet your very closest friends,

Or would you hope they’d stay away until His visit ends?

Would you be glad to have Him stay forever on and on,

Or would you sigh with great relief when He at last was gone?

It might be interesting to know the things that you would do,

If Jesus came in person to spend some time with you.

—Author Unknown

If you struggle with anything in this illustration, you have a poor foundation, and need to come and be build up by the Spirit of God. "We must come and keep on coming with our sinfulness, our brokenness, our need. We must come and keep on coming until his transforming love builds us into people whose very presence makes others hungry for God."

God’s summoning of individuals and people to himself, so that they will belong to him and serve him in his world. The calling of a believer may involve a specific place, task or vocation in life.

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God calls individuals to belong to him and serve him(; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; )

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God calls all people everywhere (Ac 17:30)

(NKJV ) 39For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”

39For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”

Therefore from Scriptural teaching,

We are to live as the people of God-The life of a spiritual temple(, Ps. 127:1).

(NKJV) 19Or 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? 20For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.

(NKJV) 19Or 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? 20For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.

19Or 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?

(NKJV) 19Or 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? 20For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.

20For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.

However, unless the Lord builds the house the builders work in vain (). We, that is most, don’t know how to build a house, and none of us know how to build a spiritual house.

by wisdom a house is built (); the wise man built his house on rock (; ); the foolish man built his house on sand (; ); woe to him who builds his house with unrighteousness ()

by wisdom a house is built (); the wise man built his house on rock (; ); the foolish man built his house on sand (; ); woe to him who builds his house with unrighteousness (

The house of God under the new covenant

The house of God is in the hearts of God’s people(; ;  -49; ; ; ; ; )

(NKJV) 6And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!”

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6And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!”

(NKJV) 48“However, the Most High does not dwell in temples made with hands, as the prophet says: 49‘Heaven is My throne, And earth is My footstool. What house will you build for Me? says the Lord, Or what is the place of My rest?

48“However, the Most High does not dwell in temples made with hands, as the prophet says:

48“However, the Most High does not dwell in temples made with hands, as the prophet says:

49‘Heaven is My throne, And earth is My footstool. What house will you build for Me? says the Lord, Or what is the place of My rest?

The house of God is In the church, the body of Christ (;  ; )

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Note Point 1: As believers continue in fellowship with Christ, they “are being built up as a spiritual house” (v. 5).

Jesus is risen from the dead and hence is the living stone—the foundation of God’s new temple.

We are living stones in God’s new temple (i.e., spiritual house).

Jesus is risen from the dead and hence is the living stone—the foundation of God’s new temple.

Note Point 2: not only we are God’s temple but are also a holy priesthood, which offers spiritual sacrifices (; ; ) by the power of the Holy Spirit.

(NKJV) 1I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.

1I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.

(NKJV) 18Indeed I have all and abound. I am full, having received from Epaphroditus the things sent from you, a sweet-smelling aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God.

18Indeed I have all and abound. I am full, having received from Epaphroditus the things sent from you, a sweet-smelling aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God.

(NKJV) 15Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. 16But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.

15Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.

16But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.