Romans 15:16 - What the Temple Represents Spiritually, Pt. 1 (02/12/2023)

Good morning everyone, so good to see all of you. It's a lovely day today and we may have balloons flying over our country from China, but we're happy that they don't know how to make bombers and jets, only balloons.

Man, is it crazy world. Was there a third thing? We don't know. We don't even know what the second thing was that they shot down and there was a third thing last night. We need to be very prayerful about our poor old country because a lot of times in the history of the world before an enemy attacks they send things up front to take a look at some things.

They flew it right over all of our missile silos, our atomic, what am I trying to think of, nuclear, there it is, our nuclear missile silos. Flew right over those and looked at them and looked at our military bases and we let them do it.

There's no doubt that it was on purpose because you can't think for a second that they flew this into our airspace and they allowed it to happen on purpose and said that the reason that they allowed it to go all the way across is the waters are warmer and shallower on the east coast and they could retrieve it when they shoot it down.

And then while they were telling the story they shot the second one down in Alaska in cold deep water because now it's okay. So it's just a beautiful demonstration of how when you lie it won't fit everything.

You're going to get caught in your lie when you start lying. That was not the reason and it showed very clearly very quickly that it wasn't the reason because they then did the very thing they said was the bad thing to do.

So anyway it's ridiculous. And then the earthquake, I did a study a number of years ago, not that long ago, but a number of years ago that showed statistically that the earthquakes are getting stronger and more people are being killed by them.

If you go back I forgot how far back I went in history and looked at that but that was true. This now is the largest I think as far as the number of people killed ever and it's up to what 25 ,000 now?

30 now. This morning goes up every day and so we have that going on in the world and let's see there was a third thing I was going to mention. Didn't jot them down so I'll probably forget it but I mean there are so many things going on right now they're pretty prophetic and we don't know where we are on the Lord's timeline.

I found it interesting while Ben was teaching on the churches in the book of Revelation every single, well I won't say all of them because I didn't look at all of them while he was teaching we didn't cover them all, but I think all of them after Jesus gives them the message to the church he tells them now fix it because I'm coming back quickly whatever the thing is each church need to fix it because I'm coming back quickly and he said that as if to say in your lifetime.

Now what's interesting is we know that those were written to specific churches but they also apply to churches today. It was prophetic in a sense because well not in a sense it was prophetic because at any given time it could like you take all the churches in the world right now and every church will fit one of those models now.

So the reason it was given is to us to hold ourselves up against those churches and see which one we're the closest to and whichever good thing the Lord said about that great but whatever the things he wanted to correct we need to correct it just as that church would have to correct it.

The thing that proves it's met for all of us is that he does say at the end fix it because I'm coming back quickly. So we know he's coming soon we just don't know how soon we don't even we you know really don't know if we're even in the seven years or not we could be we don't know but if we see him start to build a temple on the temple mount then we'll know we know right we're pretty close to where we are and so you know it's very interesting.

Did you guys know that for years and years you know the King Ranch down in South Texas they raise Santa Gertrudis cows cattle and bulls and I know that because my grandfather that was his favorite kind of bull so we always had a Santa Gertrudis bull they're really rich red color.

They ship a new calf without blemish to Israel every year from that ranch isn't that interesting just in case they want to start back up the sacrificial system and they come right there from Texas. Now you'll hear articles you'll read articles about they sent one from here and there but they actually come from that ranch and I've always heard that they've got the cornerstone already sitting there ready to use.

I don't know if that's true but I know when brother Rocky was still in here he's in heaven now but he believed that that was the case and he had friends in Hebrew University that did all kinds of studies along those lines just to kind of know where they are if the utensils are ready and all that and they probably are and it's interesting because in this study that I'm preaching through right now where we're dealing with the temple in the wilderness tabernacle and then later the temple there were times when the temple got in disarray and they had to remake the utensils again because someone had stolen them or taken them out of the temple and they had to put them back in there and so it's happened several times through history and it's probably happening now as they get ready for that always thought when Trump was our president he would be the one to destroy the mosques on the temple mount with some jet bombing attack or something but he didn't do it yet but maybe he will someday who knows somebody will you watch all right.

Romans 15:16 and the Temple as a Picture of the Believer

Well let's go ahead and get started. We're launching off of Romans chapter 15 verse 16 where it talks about the gentiles offerings being acceptable and we got to the place in our study where we asked the question what caused the temple to get in such disarray in the first place and that they had to go in and clean it out and make it serviceable again.

How did that even happen. And so we looked in second chronicles mostly chapter 29 to talk about these things and I think last time we talked about how let's see where was I. Yeah we talked about how the first thing they did in second chronicles 29 four and five and six right in that area if you want to turn there the first thing they did was they turned their faces away from God and you remember there were three things their their fathers trespassed which means they got into a lifestyle of sin.

They then forsook the lord and then they turned away their faces and then they turned their backs. So I mean that that's like you you think about they turn their faces from God and then you know like going like this but then they just totally turned around turned their backs to him.

That's a great idea of backsliding right. But that's what they did and that's how they got to the place where the temple was out of order. Um what's interesting about all this is that when you look at it the temple can picture you because the scripture tells us that our body is the temple of the living god now that we have the indwelling of the holy spirit on this side of the cross.

And uh so all of these things that you look at that tabernacle and the things that happened where it was in bad the innermost parts of it were filthy and had to be cleaned out and the doors wouldn't work where they couldn't even go in.

And that picture is jesus standing at the door knocking and us keeping him out for a while that's called being backslidden uh or being carnal a carnal christian it's not spirit filled. And all these things are pictured by that tabernacle.

So that's kind of what we've been talking about. So um we talked about last time that then once they did this they got where they would. They were no longer burning incense. And that picture's prayer of course uh of the believer.

And then today we'll get down to this part. So look at second corinthians 29 7 we'll pick it up right there it says also they have shut up the doors of the porch and put out the lamps and have not burned incense nor offered burnt offerings in the holy place unto god.

And um you know it talks about not burning the incense which is what we talked about last sunday. A great verse to look at. We won't take time to read it now since we already talked about it's romans 8 26 and 27 where it talks about i think my two favorite verses in the whole bible on prayer uh takes quite a bit of study to understand what it's saying about prayer.

It's not an easy passage to interpret but once you figure it out it's very beautiful. But that incense that they stop burning is a picture of the prayers of the saints going up before god. So they had stopped praying.

Well what is that picture in our lives. Well obviously when we get into sin and we turn our faces away from god for a while whether it be a few moments or a few days we tend to not pray. In fact satan comes to us and says you're too dirty to pray.

And the funny thing about that is the only way back is to pray because you have to go to first john 1 9 and you you have to be willing to agree with god that you just sinned and it was sinful that what you did was sinful.

And then when you do he cleanses you from that and from everything else you forgot to confess from all unrighteousness it says. So think about that so that these are these are things that are picturing the life of the believer in the old testament tabernacle.

So today the last part of that verse second corinthians 29 7 it says. And they not only stopped burning the incense but they stopped offering burnt offerings in the holy place unto the god of israel. Now if you remember the very first part of this study that we've been doing for so many sundays now talked about what it what the sacrifices are that we can offer today because we offer up spiritual sacrifices.

We don't kill lambs and so forth because all of those things in the old testament were pictures of jesus christ. He fulfilled all of that in his one life and in his death didn't he. So we don't do that.

It will be done again in the future in a thousand year millennial kingdom. But it will be in memorial looking back at what christ did as a picture of what he did looking back at what he did on the cross.

But anyway when they stopped doing the burnt offerings what that pictures to us. If you review a little bit on the front end of this study in hebrews chapter 1 verse 15 that when we praise god that is an offering from our lips the bible says.

Hebrews 13 16 says when we give to god's work when we give substance whether it be money or things or talent or talents our service whatever when we give that to the lord's work that is a spiritual sacrifice.

And romans 12 1 says that we give our bodies as a living sacrifice when your spirit is connected with the holy spirit and it's in control of your soul which is then in control of your body then your body is used in service to god.

So we talk about the flesh in the negative sense a lot in the bible especially in the new testament. But it's not always in the negative sense when it's under proper control of the new man the body is used in god's service for good things in this world we are the salt and the light.

We are christians which means little little christs that the world can see and all that. So when they stopped offering these these burnt offerings for us it's a picture of us not praying anymore not praising god much anymore not being thankful at this little season in your life or our lives not giving substance when the lord moves us to give money or service or whatever to the church we just don't do it.

Or thirdly not letting our bodies be used for god but letting in the bad sense the flesh take control and so forth. So that's what this part pictures. So the result of this was that they turned away their faces from god they shut the doors of their hearts as jesus knocked on the door.

Revelation 320 is really a christian is a verse to christians not to loss people. It's a beautiful verse to use to witness to people if you want to. But it's really for christians that are backslidden and jesus is at the door of the heart knocking saying if you let me in we'll fellowship again that sort of thing.

Uh it's it's a picture of them putting out the lamps which is uh pictures the presence of god not burning the incense which pictures our prayers. So the prayers stop going up and then no longer offering praise and worship and service and all that all.

Right. So in second chronicles 29 let's keep going a little bit. Look at verse 8 it says. Wherefore the wrath of the lord was upon judah in jerusalem. Wow. You know it's it's fascinating the people that believe in this theory that the rapture takes place at the front end of the seven years.

One of the things they love to say is that god will not put his wrath on his own children. So they'll be removed and won't be here during the tribulation period. Well there are many places in the bible where god put his wrath on his own children.

So that's not uh something that holds up under scrutiny of scripture. In fact i can't find one single argument that they have to prove their theory that holds up under scripture that's properly interpreted in the context that the scripture is written not one.

So that's interesting. But anyway um so here they they come under the wrath of god. Uh the scripture says because they had stopped praying they had stopped serving the lord and all these things that we just saw.

So the wrath of the lord was upon judah in jerusalem and he has delivered them to trouble. That's one thing to astonishment to hissing as you see with your own eyes. So in the day which that was written it was evident that they were under god's chastening.

Well what about america. What do you think. You do you think it's under god's chasing. Have you looked at your president lately. Your president. Oh i you're you're like most everybody in the rooms from texas.

I found it comforting that he felt that oil and gas would be useful for at least another decade. And i guess after that we're just going to dump our uh fighter jets. We're going to dump our you know all of our ships and our army tanks and everything that runs on petroleum.

We're just going to get rid of all that. And so wow what an amazing person for our country to elect. We are at the lowest mark in the history of our nation the lowest mark. We have never dropped this low.

And if you have children and grandbabies you should be fearful right now for the fact that when you have a president like that aggressive nations take note and that's when they start wars. And it's the history of even america.

You check that out you'll see it's true. When we went into world war ii we didn't have nearly we didn't even it was laughable how little equipment we had because they had cut the funding to the military same thing right now.

So it's uh it's it's a difficult time. But it's wonderful to know who's really in control isn't it. And that's something we know. But how would you like to be a person that didn't know that and be an american right now.

But i guess if you didn't know that you would be for biden. So you wouldn't be afraid. You think everything's going to be wonderful. That might have been a rabbit trail. Verse 9 says for lo our fathers have fallen by the sword and our sons and our daughters and our wives are in captivity because of this.

So when a nation backslides away from the lord there's your result. So how many of you think america is going to do well if they stay in the same direction that they're going right now. Not at all not at all.

It leads to trouble astonishment. When people look at the nation that falls under god's chastening hand they hiss when they look at it they go that's terrible. And they make a hissing noise toward that nation.

It leads to the sword and it leads to captivity of the wives and the daughters specifically. And so those are kind of pretty amazing thoughts and what i'm i'm sort of at the end of this study now. But i think it's very important that we tie this in with the spiritual side because if it's true what we're looking at is this wilderness tabernacle and then later the temple as a picture of our own body of our own spirit our soul and our body and how we serve the lord.

Then we need to look at the spiritual side of it that the physical story pictures. Or we should say this physical wilderness tabernacle what is it picture what's the spiritual thing it pictures. And i want to look at that lastly at the end of this study let me read down through just a little bit of second chronicles 29.

Start with about verse 10 where it starts to talk about how they cleaned out this tabernacle that had gotten filthy. Because if we backslide for enough days we will have to do that in our own life. We'll have to go to the lord and clean everything out and start over.

And that's what we're supposed to do. It's no accident i've said this so many times. It's no accident that the lord put this treasure in earth and vessels that he might receive the glory. He made us this way on purpose.

He gave us a old man and a new man and he did not remove the old man yet. And that's on purpose and it's a struggle we are supposed to have. So when we find ourselves sinning we don't quit. We don't listen to satan when he says you might not be saved or you wouldn't have done that.

We don't listen to any of that stuff. We understand what the scripture says about it. And we simply get on our knees and we clean out the tabernacle. We start on the inside with our soul and our minds.

And we use scripture to clean out the mind that we ourselves have put filthy stuff into and we began to take it out. So look at this beautiful picture of this in second chronicles 29 10. Now it is in my heart to make a covenant with the lord god of israel that his fierce wrath may turn away from us.

This was the king of israel. They had a good leader. They'd had more bad ones than good ones if you read the scripture though right. So we're not alone in having a bad leader right now. But but that bad leader put them at risk of the sword and losing their wives and daughters to captivity.

Did he not the bad leader did. So bad leaders are serious problem. You can't take it lightly when one gets elected or when one gets the office even if he didn't get elected. If you know what i mean that's code for those of us who know what really happened.

Right. That's nut. That's far. Right people. So it goes on and it says. Uh in verse 11 my sons be not now negligent. So he's going to fix the problem before the sword comes. That's his goal. For the lord hath chosen you to stand before him to serve him and that you should minister unto him and burn incense again.

Start praying again. Is the picture right. Verse 12 says. Then the levites arose now drop down to verse 15. And they gathered their brethren and sanctified themselves first. They got right with god personally.

And they came according to the commandment of the king by the words of the lord. So the king commanded them to do it because the bible told him to command them to do it. And they came to cleanse the house of the lord which your body which is a picture of your body where you and god meet together in yourself.

In verse 16 says. And the priests went into the inner part of the house of the lord to cleanse it. And they brought out all the uncleanliness that they found in the temple of the lord unto the court of the house of the lord.

So they brought it from the innermost part out to the porch. And the levites took it from the porch and carried it out abroad into the brook kidron. Now i want you to think about that little river right there.

The kidron river is going to tie us in with the spiritual side of this in a minute in a in a beautiful way. So they took the filthiness out of the house of god that the evil people had allowed to get in there and put some of it in there in the first place.

And they brought it out and they threw it into this river. Now they began on the first day of the first month to sanctify to set it apart from the world and make it unto god. And on the eighth day of the month they came to the porch of the lord.

So they sanctified the house of the lord in eight days. And in the 16th day of the first month they made an end to cleaning out the house of god. Verse 18. Then they went into hezekiah the king and they said we have cleansed all the house of the lord and the altar burnt offering with all the vessels thereof they had to put you know recreate the utensils that they use in the service of god.

They put all those back in place and the showbread table and all the vessels thereof. So now they have repaired the house of god right now remember that they took the filth and they threw it into the river kidron.

Now turn with me to john chapter 18. John chapter 18 and verse 1. John 18 1. When jesus had spoken these words he went forth with his with his disciples over the brook kidron. It's the same river where was the garden into the which he entered with his disciples.

So the place where he went to pray before he went to the cross was next to this river this same river that they had thrown the filth of the tabernacle into when they cleansed it i should say the temple when they cleansed it.

And judas also which betrayed him knew the place for jesus oftentimes resorted thither with his disciples. Do you find it interesting that jesus made a habit of going to this place by this kidron river where they had thrown the filthiness of the temple.

And he would go there often to pray because all of the filthiness of all of us was about to be placed upon his temple. Uh when he was going to go to the cross with our sins on his back. Judas then having received a band of men and officers from the chief priests and the pharisees cometh thither with lanterns and torches and weapons.

Jesus therefore knowing all these things that should come upon him went forth and saith unto them who are you looking for. They answered him jesus of nazareth. And jesus said unto them i am he. And judas also which betrayed him stood with him and recognized him i'm sure.

And told him yep that's him. And soon then as soon then as he had said unto them i am he. They went backwards and fell to the ground. Well that's a powerful man isn't it. And he knew they were coming before they arrived.

That is the deity of jesus christ and the power of christ. And he just said i am he. And they fell down like dead men on the ground. Then asked he them again who do you seek. And they said jesus of nazareth.

Why do you think. He asked twice. Well here's the answer. Verse 8. Jesus answered i have told you that i am he. If therefore you seek me let these go. He was taking care of his sheep. He was making sure they didn't hurt the sheep he said.

He asked him twice who do you. Who do you seek. And they said him so he made it clear oh you're just seeking me. We'll let them go then. Brilliant the way that he did that of course marileth unger wrote this in the unger's bible dictionary which is one of the best books.

But if you get one get an old one. Uh edited and written in the 1970s or 80s. The new ones aren't very good. Naturally they change them. But he said this about this river he said to the north of jerusalem begins the torrent bed of the kidron river.

It sweeps past the temple mount. He goes right next to where the temples was and where it will be built soon. I think past where afterward calvary and gethsemane were. It leaves the mount of olives and bethany to the left and bethlehem far to the right.

It plunges down among the bare terraces precipices and crags of the wilderness of judea the wilderness of the scapegoat. You understand how he's tying that in when they took the sins of the people and placed it on the head of the state scapegoat they sent him out into the wilderness.

They didn't kill the scapegoat. That's a picture of jesus taking our sins to hell. And so that's the area where they released the scapegoat. Every year is right in where this river flows through this area so barren and blistered so furnace-like does it become as it drops below the level of the sea that it takes the name wadi and nar which means the fire wadi.

At last its dreary course brings it to the precipices above the dead sea into which it shoots its scanty winter waters. But all summer this river is dry. The valley is only 20 miles long but with a descent of 3912 feet.

It is the brook crossed by david when he was fleeing absalon and second samuel 1523. In this valley in time in the time of josiah became the common cemetery for jerusalem. And so there we see this same same beautiful river.

Now what i'd like you to do is turn with me to john chapter 17 in verse 1 and look at it with me as we read through and we see the spiritual side of what this temple um is picturing as in second chronicles 29 as they took the filth from the tabernacle and threw it into this river.

Verse 19 over there in second chronicles 29 says. Moreover all the vessels which the which king a has in his reign had cast away. So here we see another time in history where a bad king took the vessels and things they used to do the sacrifices and removed them probably melted them down and kept the money because they were made of silver and gold and things.

And so these had to be replaced and he had cast them in in a way cast them away during his transgression or his sin. And it says we prepared and we sanctified and behold they are before the altar of the lord.

So here in in this time they were making the temple of service again. This picture is us getting our lives right with god where we can serve god again when we fall into sin we don't stay down allow satan to make us quit.

We get back up. We go to first john 1 9. First we ask ourselves do we believe this verse. And contemplate that for a few moments and then do what it says and get back up and serve the lord. That's the only way to keep the sword of the lord away from your family.

Think about that it's the only way to keep the wrath of god away from your nation is to have enough christians to do this. So then hezekiah the king rose up early and gathered the rulers of the city and went up to the house of the lord.

He was excited i'll bet you. And they brought seven bullocks seven rams and seven lambs and seven he goats for a sin offering for the kingdom god's perfect number seven and for the sanctuary. So now they're offering all of these animals to cleanse the very sanctuary in which they're supposed to be doing the offerings because it was in disarray.

And they did this for judah and he commanded the priest of the sons of aaron to offer them on the altar of the lord. So they killed the bullets and the priest received the blood and sprinkled it on the altar turning it in uh well they would later take it into the holy of holies and sprinkle that blood anew on the mercy seat turning it into a mercy seat away from being a judgment seat.

Likewise when they had killed the rams they sprinkled the blood upon the altar they killed also the lambs and they sprinkled the blood upon the altar and they brought forth the he goats of the sin offering before the king and the congregation and they laid their hands on them and the priests killed them and they made reconciliation with their blood upon the altar and when they laid their hands on them this was picturing that they had raised their hands above the people and taken the sins of the people and laid their hands on the animal and placed that sin on the animal so the animal would die for their sins which is a picture of jesus of course and so the priest killed them and they made reconciliation with their blood upon the altar or to make an atonement for all Israel.

For the king commanded that the burnt offering and the sin offering should be made for all Israel. And he set the Levites in the house of the Lord with cymbals and psalteries and harps, musical instruments, instruments of David, they called them, and of Gad, the king's seer, and Nathan, the prophet, for so was the commandment of the Lord by the prophets.".

So now they're glorifying the Lord with music, loud music, Matt, loud music, and praising God because now they have made the offerings and they're joyful. And the Levites stood with the instruments of David and the priests with the trumpets.

And Hezekiah commanded to offer the burnt offering upon the altar, and when the burnt offering began, the song of the Lord began also with the trumpets and with the instruments ordained by David, king of Israel.

And all the congregation worshiped and the singers sang and the trumpeters trumped, didn't say that. I just had to say it. The trumpeters sounded. And all this continued until the burnt offering was finished.

And when they had made an end of the offering, the king and all that were present with him bowed themselves and worshiped. Worship always comes at the end of the service, not at the first, like the modern church likes to do it, with loud music, yes, which I love, but it doesn't cause the worship.

It is an effect of it. But anyway, that's a whole nother story. Verse 30, moreover, Hezekiah the king and the princes commanded the Levites to sing praise unto the Lord with the words of David and Asaph the seer.

So they were singing scripture songs. They were singing songs from the Psalms. We do that sometimes. And they sang praises with gladness and they bowed their heads and worshiped. Then Hezekiah answered and said, now you have consecrated yourselves unto the Lord.

Come near and bring sacrifices. So now, that wasn't the end of it. Now they bring will offerings, free will offerings and sacrifices. Each family can bring their own and the priest will take care of that for them.

And that priest is a picture of Jesus, our high priest, right? And then Hezekiah answered and said, now you've consecrated yourselves unto the Lord. Come near, bring sacrifices and thank offerings into the house of the Lord.

And the congregation brought in sacrifices and thank offerings. And as many as were of a free heart brought burnt offerings. And the number of the burnt offerings, which the congregation brought was three score and 10 bullocks.

So that's 40 bullocks, 100 rams, 200 lambs. All these were for a burnt offering to the Lord. And the consecrated things were 600 oxen and 3000 sheep. But the priests were too few so that they could not flay all the burnt offerings.

Wherefore their brethren, the Levites had to help until the work was ended. And until the other priest had sanctified themselves for the Levites were more upright in their heart to sanctify themselves than the priests were.

And in other words, the priests weren't quite ready for this job. They should have been ready. And also the burnt offerings were in abundance with the fat of the peace offerings and the drink offerings for every burnt offering.

So the service of the house of God was set in order. All of this picture is one man, Jesus Christ and his finished work on the cross and his continuing work in heaven as our priest. And Hezekiah rejoiced and all the people rejoiced that God had prepared the people for the thing was done suddenly.

I mean, Hezekiah just said, get it done. They weren't ready and it happened quickly and it saved the nation for a while. Chapter 30 verse one, Hezekiah sent to all Israel and Judah and wrote letters also to Ephraim and Manasseh that they should come to the house of the Lord at Jerusalem to keep the Passover.

Now they're gonna start doing the Passover which they had ceased doing unto the Lord God of Israel for the king had taken counsel and his princes and all the congregation of Jerusalem to keep the Passover in the second month for they could not keep it at the time at that time because the priest had not sanctified themselves sufficiently neither had the people gathered themselves together to Jerusalem so they weren't ready, but they did do it.

Now, all of that is pictured beside the same river, Kidron River in John chapter 17 verse one. So look at it. These words spake Jesus and lifted up his eyes to heaven and said, father, the hour is come.

Glorify thy son that thy son also may glorify thee. So he's in the garden. He knows he's about to go to the cross. The disciples are kind of oblivious. They're not ready. Kind of like those priests weren't ready for what's about to happen, but it's about to happen quickly.

It's going to happen suddenly. It's all been pictured already hundreds of years prior to this. As thou has given him power over all flesh, this is Jesus speaking, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou has given him.

Now I want you to notice a couple of things about John chapter 17. First of all, the entire chapter is a prayer. It's Jesus praying to the father. How many of you think Jesus' prayers get answered? All right.