Care for the Temple

Temples...  

• A temple is a house for a god, a place where the god dwelt and was worshiped.
• Often enormous and elaborate, excessively adorned.
• Breathtaking works of art, a dedication from man to their god

Do you know that your body is a temple? The Bible tells us in 1 Corinthians:

(1Co 3:16-17 NIV) Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in your midst? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy that person; for God's temple is sacred, and you together are that temple.

You are a temple of God and the Spirit of God lives in you!  God values you so much that he will bring ruin on anyone who ruins this temple.  God’s temple is holy, and you – Christ follower - are His temple.

Read 1 Corinthians 6:12-20

(1Co 6:12-20 NIV) "I have the right to do anything," you say--but not everything is beneficial. "I have the right to do anything"--but I will not be mastered by anything. You say, "Food for the stomach and the stomach for food, and God will destroy them both." The body, however, is not meant for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. By his power God raised the Lord from the dead, and he will raise us also. 

Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself? Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never! Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, "The two will become one flesh." But whoever is united with the Lord is one with him in spirit. 

Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body. Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.

Scripture is addressing the wrong thinking about the free use of our bodies - sexual sin.

In verse 13, Paul states that our bodies were “made for the Lord, and the Lord cares about our bodies.” (NLT) There is a freedom to choose to follow temptation and sin.  However, we were ultimately created to glorify God.

Jump to verse 19, “Or don’t you know that our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God?  You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price.  So, you must honor God with your body.”

When Christ chose to go to the cross and die, he chose to pay the price for human salvation.  There had to be a death payment for sin.  When you choose to accept Christ’s payment of sin, you receive the free gift of salvation, and the Holy Spirit.  You became the temple of the Holy Spirit.  Therefore, you no longer belong to yourself, the Spirit lives in you.  You have been bought with a price, and you are the Lord’s.  (1 Corinthians 6:13)

The Bible says, in Romans 8:11-14.

 (Rom 8:11-14 NIV) And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you. Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation--but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live. For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.

The Holy Spirit is God with you, to guide and advise you away from sin.  

What are some things that keep us from God’s purpose for our bodies? 

            *  lust
            *  fear of missing out
            *  insecurity 
            *  envy
            *  coveting what others look like, are like...
            *  feeling like you already surrendered enough
            *  lack of caring
            *  hate of self

The Spirit empowers us to turn away from the sinful desires and choose what is right.  On our own, we fail, but with the Spirit we have the power to claim victory over sin.  Verse 16 says (Rom 8:16 NIV) The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children.  As his adopted children, we have a place in the future Glory of His resurrected kingdom!!!

Remember Psalm 139! 

The Lord God created you/made you/designed you with a purpose.  

He knows you inside and out.  

He has chosen you and given you the Holy Spirit to live in you.  

What an honor and privilege to be His temple.  

We are then challenged to care and maintain that temple, to glorify HIM.

Ask yourself:

1. Whose temple, are you?  The Lord’s, Your own, or the Worlds
2. What are you doing to maintain yourself as a holy temple for the Lord Jesus Christ?
3. How are you adorned?

Just as we need discipline in our skin care we discipline in our spiritual care: (Psalm 119:10-16)

Caring for our temple from the inside out:

 

When you care for your skin,Care for your heart: take some personal time this week to read and understand the following Bible verses.  Read the verse, but also take the time to read the context this verse is set in... read the whole section.

Cleanse ~ seek forgiveness (Matthew 6:33)

Moisturize ~ Praise and thank the Lord (Psalm 139:14)

Tone ~ scripture memorization (Psalm 119:11)

Mask ~ Meditation/Prayer/fasting (1 Thessalonians 5:17)

Protect ~ Put on the full armor of God (Ephesians 6:11)

If anything you read here makes you question whether you are a temple of the Lord’s, please send me a message.  Make sure you have power and victory over sin.  Come--take your place in God’s family!

All scripture quoted in this blog was taken from: https://www.blueletterbible.org/ and is in the New International Version of the Bible.