Higher Help - the Temple of God — Edgar Reich

Again, welcome and it's a joy and honor to have you join us. We will have a Bible study tonight on higher help and the temple of God. And you see some pictures here with higher help and here is a tree and I'm going to adjust this a little bit so that everyone can maybe see it a little bit better.

You see a tree here and the tree has peaches in it and underneath is a pig and there was a story told by a persecuted Chinese Christian to his persecutor. He was an officer in the Chinese army and he told he was told this story by a persecuted Christian and the Christian said to him, you know, there once was a pig underneath a peach tree and some of the fruit had fallen to the ground and the peaches tasted wonderful and the pig had a wonderful time in eating those peaches.

Once the pig was finished eating the peaches, the pig wanted more but it could not find any more and it started to tear up the ground everywhere to try and find more peaches. And this persecuted Christian said to his persecutor, now you must understand that the pig did not realize that help comes from a higher place, that help comes from above.

And as this army officer reflected on this story, it really impressed on his heart that there was a far greater truth than just the story of the pig. And so he reflected on that and later on became a Christian and then he himself was persecuted.

Higher Help Comes From Above

Now we as Christians can also draw from this story because we go through life with many difficulties, with many trials, with illness, with no money, with being disappointed at times and being down at times.

And what we often do is that we search for good fruit on the earth, on the ground, and it's not there. Our help is higher help and it comes from above. It comes down from the Father and from above. And now as Christians we ought to be reminded of that and let us take a look at 2nd Corinthians chapter 6 verse 16 because we not only have higher help from above, but there is higher help right within us, right within us.

Because in 2nd Corinthians chapter 6 verse 16, it says, and what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are what? Not only the Holy Spirit, but it says here in the Bible very specifically, you are the temple of the living God.

As God has said, I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God and they shall be my people. Praise God. We just read this story about the heavenly throne room from Revelation chapter 5 and we sang this song, holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty.

So there is a heavenly abode and the question is, how can God also be in us? And the answer is, we have so many good Bible scholars, please give me the answer. Why can God also be in us? Because He's everywhere.

Because God is everywhere. He's omniscient. He's omnipresent. He's omnipotent and the omnipresence one means that He can be present everywhere. So He has a heavenly abode, but He's also inside of us. We're never alone.

He's there to help us. And now in North America and in the church, unfortunately, this has been largely forgotten and you see this pig now down here. And the pig has some black spots on it because the church is accepting sin in North America.

The Holiness of God's Temple

In many churches now, they accept sin openly. And can that be a holy temple of God? No, it cannot be. And so if you turn with me to 2nd Peter chapter 2 verses 21, to 22, 2nd Peter chapter 2 verses 21 and 22.

And there it says,. This also represents us if we turn from the truth, if we permit sin into the temple of God. And then the Bible says that we are like dogs going back to our own vomit. That we are like the sows that go back to wallow in the dirt.

And then Revelation chapter 3 verse 16 says,. So then because you are lukewarm, you see the church is largely sleeping in North America. It has no idea of what is going on with all of the besetting sins that are happening, with sin invading the church.

And so the church is asleep and it wallows in dirt. And now the question is, how can we avoid that? Is there higher help for us? And how can we obtain this higher help through the holy temple being in us?

The Resources of Higher Help

How can we obtain this higher help? And I'm going to ask you to help me a little bit on this next sheet here. What kind of higher help do you have to live each day by? What kind of higher help do you have?

Can you name some of them and I'll write them on the sheet? The Bible. Give me more please. Prayer. I'd like more please. The Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit. Did I hear Jesus? I said obedience. Obedience.

God's power. Okay, okay. Is Jesus in us? Is the Son of God in us? Yes. Is he ready to help us? Yes. All right. Christ in me, the hope of glory. And what did the apostles say in Galatians chapter 2 verse 20?

I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer. Christ lives in me. It is no longer I who live. But Christ lives in me. I have higher help. And here the verse we just read from 2 Corinthians 6 .16.

There the Father can also be in his holy temple inside of you. And then we have salvation to help us. We have other believers. Other believers. Believers. There are new creations in Christ. New creations.

Do we have the mind of Christ? Okay, we have the mind of Christ. Do we have the Holy Spirit? Do we have the fruit of the Spirit? So we have the fruit of the Spirit. Can someone name some for me please?

Faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Nine of them. Nine. Okay. The fruit of the Spirit. And then we have gifts from the Spirit. What are the gifts from the Spirit? They are ministry gifts, aren't they?

Either speaking gifts, pastors, evangelists. Preaching. Serving. And many different gifts from the Spirit to help us, yes? We have hands. We have a mouth. We have feet. We have a song in our heart.

Actually, a very commonly overlooked one by literally 99 of the churches that over a third of the Bible is dedicated to is prophecy.

The power of prophecy. Okay, we have prophecy to help us. Okay. And I'm going to stop here. We are also ambassadors. Are we? And we are more than conquerors.

I think we also have, I mean, we mentioned that we have mind of Christ but we have also sound mind comparing to others.

We have a sound mind. So now you say to me, poor little Christian me. Poor little Christian me, I cannot do anything. I'm overwhelmed by the world. But yet, you are the temple of the Holy Spirit. You are the temple of God.

Christ is in you. The Father, Jesus, Holy Spirit, salvation, Bible, prayer, the mind of Christ, the fruit of the Spirit, the gifts of the Spirit. You have hands to move, a mouth to open, feet to move, ambassadors for Christ, conquerors, obedience, power, other believers to help each other, new creation, song, and prophecy.

How poor are you? Don't listen to the lies of Satan, okay? Because that's what's happening. This is what Christians do. They go like this pig on the ground and they look for all of their solutions on the world and they attempt it in their own power.

And God does not want us to do that. In fact, he said in Jeremiah chapter 17, verse 5, he said you're cursed if you attempt it in your own strength. You're cursed. So we must always look for higher help.

Prayer, Obedience, and Receiving the Holy Spirit

And now, how do you obtain and how do you activate higher help? How do you activate it? Through prayer, right? And so I'll give you here Luke chapter 11, verses 9 to 13. Luke 11, 9 to 13. And there it says, So I say to you, ask and it will be given to you.

Seek and you will find. Knock and it will be opened to you for everyone who asks, receives, and he who seeks finds. And to him who knocks, it will be opened. If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone?

No, he won't. Or if he asks for fish, will he give him a serpent? Instead, he won't. Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? No, he won't. If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?

You see, the Holy Spirit is higher power. It is above our power. Because if we rely on the self, then we will be disappointed. We will fail. We will fall by the wayside. But through God's higher power, He is so willing.

Now the next question here is, Is it automatic that we get this higher power? Is it automatic?

No. We have to yield and ask, like you said. We have to yield.

We have to be obedient. And Psalm 66, 18 says, If I regard iniquity in my heart, God will not, He won't hear. Okay? So therefore, this wonderful power, all of these wonderful things are available to us, but they are not unconditional.

The condition is to ask. The condition is to pray. The condition is to be obedient. The condition is to abstain from sin. Now what does it mean to you to be called the temple of God? What does it mean to you?

Can you give me any answers on that? What does it mean to you? God resides. God resides. It means that you have to be holy. You're holy. You ought to be holy, right?

You have to be set apart.

You ought to be set apart for God.

We should live consciously knowing that God is in us.

We ought to live consciously that God is in us.

Yes. Now as far as each one of us being a temple, then each one of us are a vehicle in which God works through if we allow that. Absolutely.

By our own free will. Yes, sister? Being the temple of God, we must maintain it pure and holy. So we ought to be pure and we ought to be holy in this tabernacle. So now for us to understand this temple better, I'm going to go one step further and we're going to go back into the Old Testament to see what the temple of God looked like.

The Old Testament Tabernacle and God's Presence

Pastor Roy has a beautiful example up in his office. It's a little tent tabernacle that he has with the animals that were being sacrificed and also all of the implements of the temple there. We don't have that here now, but we have a rendition on the board here of the old temple.

The old tabernacle of God in the desert. And you can read about that in Exodus chapter 25 verses 8 and 9. And God was very, very specific about his temple. There are many, many chapters in Exodus chapter 25 and then into Leviticus.

There's instructions upon instructions upon instructions upon instructions. And then there are sacrificial animals because God had spoken in the Garden of Eden and he said the wages of sin is death. And so each time an Israelite sinned, he was supposed to bring an animal to be offered on the altar for his sin.

Because God is a just God. He's a specific God. If he puts so much care into the temple in the Old Testament, do you think he might have care about his temple in the New Testament, which is in us? The song we just sang, holy, holy, holy Lord God Almighty, who is and was and is to come.

Would he want that to occur in the temple, in the new temple? Would he want there to be purity and holiness? Absolutely. And so here we have an outline now. The outline here was made up of curtains around the temple in the wilderness.

And then inside you had a two-room sanctuary here. And could anyone tell me why did God want this temple built? Why did God want this temple built?

It's a good answer to manifest his glory, yes. God also wanted the temple built so that he could be.

With his people. Absolutely. That's the answer. Take a look at Exodus chapter 25 verse 8. God loves us so much, he wanted to be with his people. And God wants to be with us. You mean little speck of dust that I am?

And God wants to be with me? Yes. And he wants to be with you, you, you, you, you. With each one of you. He has built a temple inside of you if you're truly a Christian. If you follow Christ and you're born again, you are a temple of God.

And so in Exodus chapter 25 verse 8, what does it say there? Would someone read that please? Let them make me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them. Thank you. And let them make me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them.

Praise God. The them is who? The Israelites. The Israelites. It was the Israelites but in the New Testament the Apostle Paul said that to a very carnal church. He said that to the Corinthian church. The temple is no longer out in the wilderness.

It's no longer the building. You are the temple of the holy and incredible God and he is in you. And as you live holy and acceptable he will do mighty things through you. But you have to participate. It's not an unconditional offer.

So we have to do our part. So now the outside, the circumference was made up of curtains and then inside there was a two room sanctuary and this place here was called the holy of holies. And inside the holies of holies you had an ark.

And there were two angels over the mercy seat. And actually their wings actually go towards each other covering the mercy seat of God. And God said to Moses I'll speak from right here to you. I'll speak to you.

And then there was the holy room, not the holiest of holiest. This is the second room in the front and the entrance was here and on the left hand side there was a lamp stand. On the right hand side there was a table with a show bread.

And then there was an altar of incense where incense would be burned. Now into the holies of holies apart from Moses and later on the priest could only enter once a year. The high priest could only go in here once a year.

He had to also offer a sin sacrifice first. He had to bring blood into the holy sanctuary, the holies of holies to show that the commandment of God was fulfilled. That there was a sacrifice for the sin that he might have committed.

And so he could not enter without that sacrifice and without blood. And now outside the two room sanctuary there was a water basin where the priest had to wash themselves before they would enter the two room holies of holies.

And then there was the altar in front of the wash basin and right after you come into the entrance this is outdoors in the courtyard here and here animals had to be offered and sacrificed to God because he required that where there was sin that there must be death, that there must be the penalty fulfilled.

And every animal that was ever sacrificed on this altar was a foreshadow of whom? Jesus Christ. It was a foreshadow of the Lord Jesus Christ. Later on he just died once for all the sins that had been committed in the past and all of the future sins that would be committed.

But that is not an open invitation for us to continue sin because how does God want to live in his holy temple? If I am a holy temple and I give in to sin all the time why would God want to live in me?

And so beloved, we must, we must live this life that God wants us to live. And now in the altar for the burnt offerings we had many different animals and they were young bulls, goats, sheep, cows, turtle doves and pigeons to be offered as a sacrifice.

Just as an interesting question who would remember how many how many bulls did Solomon sacrifice when he dedicated the temple, the first stone temple? Does anyone remember?

Thousands, I don't know exactly. Pardon me? I think 6 ,000.

But I'm not sure. That's a good guess. But it was 22 ,000 bulls in 2 Chronicles chapter 7 verse 5 and he sacrificed 120 ,000 sheep. Okay? So if you think, oh my poor little animal. I think of my cat, my dog, my baby lamb.

This little baby lamb had to die because of sin, because of your sin, because of my sin. Okay? So God is a just God. He's a serious God. He's a loving God. He loves us to death. But he has also made a commandment that says that the wages of sin is death.

That's what he told Adam and Eve in the garden. You're gonna die. And then he substituted it. Yes, Ralph? One other thing.

Christ's Sacrifice Opens the Way to God

About the two rooms, the holy and the holiest room, they were divided by a veil. When Christ died on the cross, that veil was ripped both physically and between us and God. There is no longer a veil where we can boldly go to God and speak to God because the veil has been removed.

Praise God. Praise God. Yes, that is true. So now we are going to go on and we're going to go from the old temple to the new temple now inside of us. And there are those scholars who have made comparisons between what they see in the new temple in us compared to the old temple.

And so I have another rendition here. And we already covered some of the scriptures. But let us turn to 1 Corinthians chapter 3 verses 16 and 17. 1 Corinthians chapter 3 verses 16 and 17. And there it reminds us do you not know that you are the temple of God and the spirit of God dwells in you?

Now comes a solemn warning, okay, in verse 17. A very solemn warning. If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are. Beloved, we are playing around as Christians.

I hear so many Christians all over the United States and Canada say, it's okay to sin. It's okay. God is Santa Claus. God is like my grandpa. He forgives me. He loves me. Christ has died already. Don't worry about sinning.

It's a lie from hell, beloved. It's a lie from hell. Hey, God reminds us and he says in 1 Corinthians 3 .17 God will destroy him for the temple of God is holy which you are. And then let us look at 1 Corinthians chapter 6 verses 18 to 20.

1 Corinthians chapter 6 verses 18 to 20. And there it says, flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body. But he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. He sins against the temple of God.

Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is where? Where is the temple? In you? In us. God in us. Christ in us. The Holy Spirit in us. Beloved, don't be deceived. Don't misunderstand the scriptures.

It's very, very clear here. For you were bought with a price. Therefore, glorify God in your body and in your spirit which are God's. And then it's explained again and I like you to have these passages because it's so important.

We also have 1 Corinthians chapter 6 verses 18, 19 and 20. Sorry. 2 Corinthians 6, 16. You just read that. 2 Corinthians chapter 6 verse 16. And there it says and what agreement has the temple of God with idols for what are you?

What does it say? Do you believe that? Do you understand that? Do you understand how important that is? How incredible that is? Wow! It's an incredible thing that God has done with us. After we are saved, we are never alone.

We are the temple of God. God is with us. Christ is with us. The Holy Spirit is with us, beloved. And then he said and God made it clear I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God and they shall be my people.

God wanted to dwell with the Israelites. Now he wants to dwell with us, praise God. Does God really want to live in me? He wants.

He wants to live in the Holy Temple.

So God wants to live in His Holy Temple but the condition is also that I live holy, that I live pure before Him and God does not take that away from His Holy Temple. And in the days of old, in the 10th temple if you went there to the temple and you were a foreigner God said put that person to death if you go into that temple because we could not approach this holy, holy God.

Jesus and the Father's Dwelling in Believers

And then we had looked at Galatians chapter 2 verse 20 before and there it says that I am crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live but Christ lives in me. We also have John chapter 14 23 and you might ask, did Jesus ever talk about that?

Did He make a mention of that? So let's take a look at John chapter 14 verse 23 and there a disciple had asked him, Lord how will you manifest yourself to us? And in John chapter 14 verse 23 Jesus answered and said to him if anyone loves me he will keep my word and my father will love him and we will come to him and make our home with him.

And so here Jesus said, my father and I we will come to you but it's conditional. Right? If he will keep my word. So Jesus and the Father they want to be in us and commune with us. And now we come to the new temple and there are comparisons made by some theologians and we will start down here.

Salvation as the Entrance to the New Temple

The temple of God cannot be in us unless we are born again. John chapter 3 3 verse 16 is for God's love the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life.

And now we have the other passages here. We have John chapter 3 verse 36. Could someone read that for me please? John chapter 3 verse 36. Would someone read that for us please?

He that believeth on the Son has everlasting life. And he that believeth not the Son shall not see life but the wrath of God abides on him.

He who believes in the Son has everlasting life and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life but the wrath of God abides on him. Praise God. So the entry to the temple is through salvation and now is that altar still there in us?

And some theologians say yes it is. And the reason it is it's no longer that Christ needs to die again for us because he has done that but take a look at Romans chapter 12 verses 1 and 2. Romans chapter 12 verses 1 and 2.

And because of time I'm going to go ahead and quote these verses. I beseech you therefore by the mercies of God that you present your bodies a living sacrifice wholly acceptable to God which is your reasonable service.

And in order to enter that temple God says lie down on that altar let all the cares of the world be burned off you. Let all the difficulties in life that you go to be burned off you. Let all your sin be burned off you.

Burn the self on the altar and then come come and be with me in my holies of holies. And then we have the water basin and the water basin if we refer to Matthew chapter 3 11 it says I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance but he who is coming after me is mightier than I whose sandals are not worthy to carry.

He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. And so here we are reminded of three purposes we are reminded of water baptism to wash for repentance and the water the living waters also represent the Holy Spirit.

And so we see these three purposes. We see water of baptism water to wash and the living waters of the Holy Spirit. And now as we enter into the sanctuary the first room who is the lamp stand? Can someone help.

Me please? Christ is the.

Light of the world. Yes sir. John chapter 8 verse 12. Please. John chapter 8 verse 12. And Jesus spoke to them again saying I am the light of the world. He who follows me shall not walk in darkness but have the light of life.

And then Jesus passed that torch to us we are to shine for him through the temple of the Holy Spirit. Then we have the show bread which is the show bread. Yes and Christ himself because he is the bread of life.

And so the bread of life in John chapter 6 verses 33 to 35. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world. Then they said to him Lord give us this bread always. And Jesus said to them I am the bread of life.

And now beloved we are coming to the incense altar. And we know from the book of revelation that the incense rises together with the prayers of the saints to come to God. And then brother Ralph pointed out before that.

Bold Access to God's Presence

Now this curtain is torn it no longer divides us from God and that we can all come in the name of Jesus into the very presence of God. And the passage for that is in Matthew chapter 27 verse 51. Matthew 27 51.

Then behold the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom and the earth quaked and the rocks were split. So the door to the holies of holies is.

Open beloved. Yes. God did it from the top to the bottom. God did it from the top.

To the bottom it was not man's hands. From the bottom to the top it was God himself. And so beloved. This is the last page. And God gave us a solemn warning in first Corinthians 3 verse 17. Don't be someone that returns to wallow in the mud anymore.

Because you are cleansed through the blood of Christ. So be holy and live holy. Instead look for higher help. Be clean stay clean. 1 John 1 9 says. If we confess our sins he's faithful. And just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness then ask for higher help.

Ask him in accordance with Luke chapter 11 verse 13. And then after you have asked you must believe that God will do it. Because if you don't believe it then you won't act on it. And so you must ask him to help you.

And then you must believe that he has filled you. And then take a risk. And I have put down Acts chapter 2 verse 23. That's the story of Peter after the Holy Spirit came upon him he had thousands of people thousands of Jewish people.

And you know they had crucified Christ 50 days earlier. And he said to that mob you killed Christ you killed Christ. He could have been himself crucified as he took that risk as he spoke to the people and as he accused them.

And you know the Holy Spirit used his scalpel on their hearts. He cut their hearts deep. And 3000 came and they said what must I do. What must we do. What must we do. Believe and be baptized for the kingdom of God.

And then in final closing attempt great things for God. Expect great things from God because you are the temple of God. Let us pray heavenly father. We thank you so much for your incredible word for the manifold depth of your word towards us that we might understand today that if we are truly a Christian born again that we are filled with your glory we are filled with your glorious temple that you have put on the inside of us.

And now help us to live accordingly. Help us to live up to what you have put inside of us. Help us to live holy. Help us to reject sin. And then help us to believe that higher power is with us. And help us to look to you for higher help.

And then to do the things that we could not possibly do as human beings. So help us to love the unlovable. Help us to love those that hate us. Help us to do good to them that hurt us. Help us to forgive to them that put us down.

Help us to speak up when the whole world is against us. And so we pray that you would help us to be the kind of Christian we ought to be. And we pray this in Jesus name. Amen. Amen.