THE HOLY SPIRIT OF THE LORD GOD IS WITHIN US

Proclamation:

“Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves.  Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you, unless, of course, you fail the test?”  2 Corinthians 13:5 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written by the apostle Paul, under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God, to the believers in the church at Corinth.  In this the last chapter of Second Corinthians, Paul tells them that he plans to visit them in order to personally address the incorrigible members among them who did not respond to his repeated warnings. (2 Corinthians 13:1-2)  He exhorts them to examine themselves.  Then he asked them a rhetorical question, “Do you not realize that Christ Jesus in you?”  He ends by telling them to strive for full restoration, to encourage one another, to be of one mind, and to live in peace. (2 Corinthians 13:11)

Application:

As believers we are saved, but unfortunately, even though we are believers in Christ, we still sin.  When we fall back into sin, we do not lose our salvation; we just interrupt the fellowship that we have with Christ.  That is why we should frequently ask to be forgiven because we sin daily.  Remember, in addition to our sinful behavior, we can sin with our words (Matthew 15:18) and with our thoughts. (Proverbs 23:7 and Matthew 5:28)  There are also sins of omission as well as sins of commission.  We all need to check ourselves regularly and confess our sins.  Pray that God will forgive us, cleanse our heart and mind, and renew a right spirit within us. (Psalm 51:1-4 and 10)  The Holy Spirit of God is within us (Ezekiel 36:27) and our behavior should exhibit the fruit of The Spirit. (Galatians 5:22-23)  Our life, our walk, and our talk should be different after we accepted Christ than it was beforehand.  And, no matter how long we have been in Christ, we should all be growing in knowledge and holiness. (2 Peter 2:18)  The only things that do not grow are things that are dead.  We should strive to be more Christ-like each day.

THE LORD GOD LOVES HIS HOLY CITY AND HIS HOLY TEMPLES

Proclamation:

“He has founded His city on the holy mountain.  The Lord loves the gates of Zion more than all the other dwellings of Jacob.”  Psalm 87:1-2 (NIV)

Explanation:

The words of this psalm were written by the sons of Korah under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  The sons of Korah were descendants of Levi, the grandfather of Moses.  They were the gate-keepers and musicians in the temple at Jerusalem.  The holy mountains refer to the mountains of Zion and Moriah where the temple of God stood.  The foundation of the holy mountains, the temple, the church, and all believers is Jesus, The Christ.  The Lord God loves all of Zion, the church, and He dwells in the hearts of his people.  He loves the hearts of His people more than any of the physical structures where His people reside.  The city of Jerusalem is God’s chosen worship center and its gates represent access for the potential worshiper into a special worshiping relationship with God.

Application:

Believers know that Zion is a special spiritual place.  However, one does not have to travel to Jerusalem to get there.  All of the structures where The Lord God is worshiped are referred to as the house of God and His presence can fill any temple.  Believers also know that The Holy Spirit of God dwells within each of us. (John 14:17)  Therefore our bodies are also temples of God and we should be very careful regarding how we treat God’s house.  We should each be “centers” for, and vessels of, praise and worship.

HEAR AND OBEY THE WORD OF GOD

Proclamation:

“... Blessed rather are those who hear The Word of God and obey it."  Luke 11:28 (NIV)  The King James version of The Bible reads: “… Blessed are they that hear The Word of God, and keep it.”

Explanation:

These are the words of Jesus, The Christ, as recorded by Luke, the physician and frequent travelling companion of the Apostle Paul.  Jesus was responding to a woman in the crowd, who had just witnessed Him cast out a demon from a man that was mute. (Luke 11:14) She called out to Him and said “Blessed is the mother who gave birth to you and nursed you.” (Luke 11:27)  His response to her was that those who hear and obey The Word of God are blessed.   

Application:

All of us have been blessed in more ways than we can count and we all want additional blessings.  However, this conditional blessing requires a two fold response on our part, we must first "hear" and then "obey" The Word of God.  Many people hear The Word of God, but as the old people used to say, “it goes in one ear and out of the other.”  It does not stop, interact with, or change anything as it passes through their head.  When we hear The Word of God, it ought to change us in some way.  We ought to see things in a different light and we ought to think, speak, and act differently.  We need to be doers of The Word and not just hearers only. (James 1:22)  If after hearing The Word of God we are no different than we were beforehand, then we are not true followers of Christ.  True believers are changed by the exposure to The Word of God and become new creatures. (2 Corinthians 5:17)  The Holy Spirit of God indwells believers and they begin to exhibit the fruit of The Spirit.  Believers are not perfect.  All who truly believe in Christ will change and lose some of their desires for the sinful passions of the flesh. (Galatians 5:16-24)  When we know better, then we ought to do better or we will be convicted by The Holy Spirit within us when we don’t.

Our Bodies Are God's Temple

"Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you?  If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him; for God's temple is sacred, and you are that temple."  1 Corinthians 3:16-17 (NIV)

In his letter to the believers in Corinth, the Apostle Paul told them that The Holy Spirit of God lives within each of them, and therefore their bodies were God's temple.  He also told them that if they or anyone destroys God's temple, God would destroy them.

The Holy Spirit dwells within each believer. (John 14:17 and Romans 8:11)  We are God's temple, and if anyone should try to destroy God's temple, he is sinning and The Lord God will destroy him.  We also should be very careful regarding how we treat God's temple.  We should take care of the inside and outside of God's temple, to keep it looking good and functioning properly in order that we may attract others to God's program.  When we tear down, defile, and destroy our bodies with our bad behavior, our bad social, eating, and drinking habits, we are also sinning.  Our behavior is seen by others and may effect our ability to win souls to Christ.  We are the temple of The Living God, He lives in us, and He walks with us. (2 Corinthians 6:16)  We are to let our light shine so that others can see our good works and glorify our Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:16)  Our light will not shine very well through our unclean behaviors.