Do You Think Jesus Is Rebuilding A Temple In You?
Good Morning Friends,
If a Gallup poll was conducted by asking the public today’s question, we would get a wide range of answers most based on who we say Jesus is. Some would say a new Temple will be built in Jerusalem. But others would say it is about their body and the body of believers. It hinges on who we believe Jesus to be. Some will say he was an ancient philosopher. Others, that He was a powerful religious leader or an influential social reformer. A few might even deny that He ever existed. The Lord conducted His own poll by asking his followers what others thought. Not surprisingly, Jesus got a wide range of answers. But Jesus was most interested in what His followers thought. So, we begin this devotional by asking the question about belief and affirmation against the backdrop of the rebuilding of the Temple.
So, Do You Think Jesus Is Rebuilding A Temple In You?
Scripture: Once when Jesus was praying alone, with only the disciples near him, he asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?” They answered, “John the Baptist; but others, Elijah; and still others, that one of the ancient prophets has arisen.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered, “The Messiah of God.” He sternly ordered and commanded them not to tell anyone, saying, “The Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.”
Luke 9:18-22 (NRSV)
In the second year of King Darius, in the seventh month, on the twenty-first day of the month, the word of the Lord came by the prophet Haggai, saying: Speak now to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to the remnant of the people, and say, Who is left among you that saw this house in its former glory? How does it look to you now? Is it not in your sight as nothing? Yet now take courage, O Zerubbabel, says the Lord; take courage, O Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest; take courage, all you people of the land, says the Lord; work, for I am with you, says the Lord of hosts, according to the promise that I made you when you came out of Egypt. My spirit abides among you; do not fear. For thus says the Lord of hosts: Once again, in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land; and I will shake all the nations, so that the treasure of all nations shall come, and I will fill this house with splendor, says the Lord of hosts. The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, says the Lord of hosts. The latter splendor of this house shall be greater than the former, says the Lord of hosts; and in this place I will give prosperity, says the Lord of hosts.
Haggai 2:1-9 (NRSV)
Message: Clearly the splendor as the old one, the Solomon’s Temple was much grander than the one being rebuilt following the 70-year exile in Babylon and even the one Herod built before the Romans burned it down. God knew it, the people knew it, and the leaders knew it. But something else is going on here. The thing is that God must build into us the divine before we can build a house for God. Something must be torn down so something better can be put up. The beauty is that Christ fulfills his Word by building himself into us daily but may fulfill it in another way as well. But, for now, I think it best to not think about this as the assembling of parts and materials according to some instructions and regulations, but an establishment formed and being enlarged in us. Christ is still the cornerstone, but the focus is in how the weight is distributed throughout for the structure to function. Unfortunately, the challenge is that we have a certain freedom as humans and darkly abuse it when it comes to building things. The Temple is to be in us as a dwelling place before we can do anything of lasting value. We like the ancient Hebrews may have a challenge in building anything, armed with a shovel in one hand and a sword in the other. Some of us have grown up in a church all our lives and been involved in several building programs and we still get the priorities wrong and really do not know how Jesus really works…who Christ is. The faith experience should open our eyes to the glory of God and remind us that Jesus is not only 100% human but also 100% God. Only when we know Jesus in this way can we grasp the role he plays in our salvation. Knowing and believing that Jesus is our prophet, priest, and king changes our relationship with God and forms our lives on a firm foundation. As prophet he speaks from God and for God through the Scriptures. His living Words still talks to our hearts. When we believe in Jesus as our priest, we develop a confidence that he is our go-between…. that His blood covers our sins as the perfect sacrifice and takes our prayers to the Father. He brings blessings from the Father back to us through the Holy Spirit. When you know and believe that Jesus is the King of kings you have peace and security under his rule in the Spirit. That fact about who we say Jesus is therefore either confirms the truth that our salvation was taken care of by God himself or destroys us. We are to have eyes for God’s glory because we are to be the Temple of God. And God is rebuilding the temple in us and casting out the evil that he sees so that we can glorify God. And who knows this might prompt some to build a physical Temple but if they do and some have committed to this, I wonder if they will be disappointed like the ancient Hebrews.
And So, who we say Jesus is makes a difference in our collective worship and the building up of the Jesus’ church of believers. Our answer to that question is important for both now and when our time of grace ends. And only the Holy Spirit can reveal the correct answer to us. Only the Holy Spirit can cause us to know and believe the truth about Jesus. As guidance we are to believe what the Father says about Jesus. We are to listen for and to him. And then when our faith fills our hearts, we are to say with Peter that Jesus is the Christ of God and in so doing receive the blessing of God’s Temple being rebuilt in us to a God’s glory. We are to be living stones, a called-out assembly, that knows and believes the truth about Jesus. We are not to be disappointed but appointed to the work of bringing heaven to earth. Come Lord Jesus.
Top of Form
Bottom of Form
Pray we never take God for granted. Pray therefor for a time when the Jews acknowledge that Jesus is the Messiah. Pray we believe that Jesus is powerful, personable, and passionate about us, for he is God and cares about us and desires all of us to be saved. Pray therefor that we make Jesus the priority…that Jesus would be preeminent in our life. Pray we realize that there is no other way to God than through Jesus. Pray we realize that this relationship is not based on being good and following rules and regulations but rather making Christ the focus of our attention. Pray we listen to Christ. Pray the Holy Spirit reveals to us the divinity of Jesus. Pray our collective bodies of believers serve as living Temples of worship molded and formed by God. Pray we know and believe the mystery of Jesus rebuilding the Temple in three days and believe that more will be revealed to us when the time has fully come.
Blessings,
John Lawson
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