(The Activity of the Holy Spirit) the Temple of the Holy Spirit — Peter Brandon

And you remember we noticed that the composition of the body it's in three bodies soul and spirit. The body makes us well conscious. The soul makes us self-conscious and the spirit makes us God conscious.

We notice the complications of the body of sin. It's a body that's limited and it's a body that's lifeless. And then lastly we saw the great truth that God has given to us if we are Christians a body like a temple of the Holy Ghost.

The Body as the Temple of the Holy Spirit

Now we're going to read from the sixth chapter and for the sake of time we just read from verse nine. Know you not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God be not deceived neither fornicators nor idolaters nor adulterers nor effeminate nor abusers of themselves with mankind.

That means homosexuals nor thieves nor covetous greedy nor drunkards nor revilers nor extortioners. That means thieves and robbers shall enter the kingdom of God but such were some of you. But he are watched but he are sanctified but he are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of God.

All things are lawful unto me but all things are not expedient. All things are lawful for me but I will not be brought under the power of any meat for the belly and belly for meats but God shall destroy both it and them.

Now the body is not for fornication but for the Lord and the Lord for the body God hath both raised up the Lord and will also raise up us by his own power. Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ.

Shall I then take the members of Christ and make the members of a harlot. God forbid. What. Know ye not that he which is joined to a harlot is one body for two set. He shall be one flesh. But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit.

Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body. But he that committed fornication sinneth against his own body. What. Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you which you have of God and you're not your own for you're bought with a price.

Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit which are God. Now when a person is saved there are three phases in that salvation. First of all the moment you trust Christ to be your savior you are released immediately once and for all from the guilt of sin and that is why you can have perfect peace.

Secondly you need to be saved day by day from the power of sin and that is the daily salvation. When the scripture says he is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by him seeing he ever lives to make intercession for them.

That salvation is the daily salvation that he wants to give to each one of us. Then there will come a day when the Lord Jesus comes and you'll be saved from the very presence of sin and you will have a glorified body.

Salvation from Sin's Guilt, Power, and Presence

Now we're going to spend one or two nights or days on that subject of the glorified body. Now immediately a person becomes a Christian. We shall see his body becomes very sacred it becomes the temple of the Holy Ghost.

Now we live in a new age movement. The western world is now being governed by a philosophy perhaps some of you will know this called existentialism and therefore the western world is no longer Christian.

It's pagan. And this is what existentialism teaches. It teaches that man has grown out of the idea of God he doesn't need God any longer. When we were babies children and the human family they believe has been babies and children for years.

So they tell us now he's grown out of the idea of wanting a God and man is God. It's a form of pantheism and all the laws affiliated to God need to be jettisoned such as the laws of marriage and the laws of the ten commandments.

And therefore man is now free to do exactly what he likes. And all the laws that have governed society over the years need to be abandoned. Now that has brought in the permissive society and we all know as Christians as we look at the western world they are in an appalling condition.

But this now bears upon Christian people and therefore for a girl in some schools to keep her virginity at the age of 13 and 14 she becomes a square and she becomes an object of ridicule. Now what we need to do today is to find out again our absolutes and for all Christians to stand up and to be counted.

I believe this in the next few years it won't be easy to live a Christian life. It's going to be difficult. But if we get grounded in the word of God and in the teaching of the new testament all of us will have the power to stand and to become a real witness for the Lord Jesus.

Corinth's Permissive Society and the Tainted Body

Now Corinth was very similar as far as its permissive society was concerned as Britain and Australia and the western world. In fact they were so immoral in Corinth that they had a temple and in that temple there were priestesses who were really what we would call religious prostitutes.

And when they had a certain part of worship in their pagan religion there were cases of immorality. Now that's all I'm prepared to tell you. But you can see from that the appalling permissiveness that marked the Corinthian society.

Now what the apostle is going to show here is three things and I want to share them with you that the body can be tainted and then every Christian's body will be tested. And then there comes a moment in our experience when we get a divine revelation from scripture and we discover that the body is the temple of the Holy Ghost.

Can I go over that the body tainted the body tested and then the body as the temple of the Holy Ghost. Now if you want to see how it's going to be tainted look with me at verses 9 and 10 and then look at verses 14 and 15 and we shall see that on the surface.

Let's read it again and let's look at these verses as carefully as we can know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God be not deceived. Neither fornicators nor idolaters nor adulterers nor effeminate nor abusers of themselves with mankind nor thieves nor covetous nor drunkards nor revilers nor extortioners shall inherit the kingdom of God.

Now what does that mean. Does it mean that a robber cannot go into heaven. What about the penitent malefactor today. Thou shalt be with me in paradise. Does it mean that people who were fornicators and adulterers before they were saved cannot go into the kingdom of heaven.

Then thousands of people were. What about the Samaritan harlot the woman with five husbands. Come see a man which told me all things that ever I did. What about the woman that was caught in the very act of adultery.

And the Lord said neither do I condemn thee go and sin no more. So what does it mean. When a person becomes a Christian he ceases to be a fornicator. He ceases to be adulterer. It doesn't mean that one act of drunkenness makes you a drunkard.

But it means simply this. A person who persists in those sins so that he is constantly being drunk constantly being immoral constantly being an idolater proves that that person has never been saved. And it's as clear and as concise as that.

And then he goes on to show that once we are really marked by those things the body does get painted. For instance I knew a man who was gloriously saved as a drunkard. And the moment he got saved he didn't drink as far as alcohol.

Immediately he stopped. But that man died when he was 56 with a diseased liver. You see the Lord saved him and sanctified him but didn't heal the body. Take for instance people that smoke until they are 40 years of age.

Well they may become a Christian at the age of 40 but God doesn't heal them from the cancer that they've given themselves through smoking their souls are saved. You see the body can be fainted. That's why may I say this with a loud voice.

All those who are saved when they are young have been saved from the complications of a sinning body. And people who have gone deeply into sin and were saved would tell you this. They wish they had been saved when they were children.

So please if you were saved when you were young thank God for it that you have been saved from all the complications that sin brings. But then he says to these people who were adulterers who were fornicators who were homosexuals and drunkards and thieves he said look you've been washed.

Washed, Sanctified, and Justified in Christ

What does that mean. When God cleanses a person from sin he cleanses not only the sins they know but the sins he knows. And every single sin has been put away so that they stand before the Lord absolutely clean.

And you're cleansed through the precious blood of Christ. But more having used the word washed and that's the bottom run of the ladder. He uses now another word that's sanctified. Now what does that mean.

When a golden vessel was actually given to the Lord and used in the tabernacle it was sanctified. It was set apart for one purpose alone and that was to be used by the priests when the children of Israel were gathered uh carried away into captivity.

You will remember there was a man called Belshazzar and he called for the holy vessels to be brought to him. And he used those vessels for a drunken orgy. And whilst he was drinking from them the hand came so up weighed in the balances and found wanting why he was using something that was sanctified for a drunken orgy.

Now every single Christian has not only been washed but he's been set apart for God. And we shall see that that God has put you on one side for the purpose of his own glory. And then he uses another word justified.

Now what does that mean. The word justified is much deeper than the word forgiveness. The word forgiveness there is linked with the washing. But the word justified simply means this that God looks upon you as in Christ and you are a completely new creature.

So that when a person is justified he is taken completely out of the Adamic family and he's put right into the Christ family. And God says right. I pronounce you just I pronounce you righteous. In other words he is a completely new creature before God.

That means homosexuals. That means adulterers. That means fornicators. That means drunkards. All those that have been saved are no longer drunkards. They're no longer homosexuals. They are new creatures in Christ Jesus.

And that is why these people can come into fellowship and sit around the Lord's table and praise the Lord. Even with those that were saved in their very youth new creatures in Christ Jesus. God doesn't look upon them and say well you were a very naughty boy when before you were saved I can't look upon you as some of those that were saved in their youth not a bit of it they're completely new creatures in Christ Jesus.

Sexual Union, Christ's Body, and the Harlot

But then he goes on look at verse 14 and 15 and God hath raised up the Lord and will also raise up us by his own power. Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ. Shall I then take members of Christ and make them members of a harlot.

God forbid. What. Know you not that he which is joined to a harlot is one body for two saith he shall be one flesh. And he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit. Now what was he saying. One or two in the assembly were slipping out and they were going back to the old temple of pagan worship.

It was an occasional thing and perhaps one or two of them was having a biological union with a priestess. Now this is what Paul is saying. The moment you have a biological union with a priestess and she's a harlot.

You are one flesh. Now note this marriage as far as God is concerned is when two people come together and first of all they pledge wholeheartedly their devotion one to another and they say until death do us part.

Then comes that marvellous act of a biological union and that makes them one and listen one forever. Nothing can separate that biological union. What God has joined together. Let no man put a son. Now what he was saying was this these people were members of Christ meaning members of his mystical body.

And now being members of that mystical body they were having a biological union with a harlot. Can you see the wickedness of it. And so their bodies were tainted. And all of us want to keep our bodies from being tainted.

Fleeing Sexual Immorality

But then he shows that the body is going to be tested. Look at verse 18 flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body. But he that commits fornication sins against his own body. Now I admit this is a difficult verse but we must look at it.

The word flee means to run for your life. You know there are times in your experience when sin will come especially these physical sins. And you must run tear away from it. And I want to say this to you as young people don't be mesmerized by the modern philosophy.

It's dangerous and it's from the devil. Follow the scripture and flee from fornication. Now the word fornication here comes from a greek word called porneia and it doesn't always mean premarital sex. It can refer to every form of sexual perversion.

Therefore what he was basically saying is this run away from every form of sexual misbehavior. Now keep that in your mind. That will be a tremendous blessing with you if you can hold to that fact. Now what about marriage.

If you are to marry God has already planned a partner for you. You don't have to go around dating in order to find that partner. God has already planned that partner for you. The matter of falling in love is a sensitive mechanism that you can spoil and smash once and forever.

If you mess about with flirtation keep that sensitive mechanism working correctly and properly. And you will discover this if you are laid on the altar and you are a consecrated christian that God will bring together two people.

And when you meet you will know that that meeting is of God. You see this idea of having one girl and another girl or another man and another man whether his brother or sister it doesn't matter. You know what i mean by that no matter what sex it is it's not right.

If you keep your body clean and pure and wait upon God he will bring across your path his partner. Now why. Because marriage means that two people become one and only God knows your other half. And if we give ourselves completely to God he will bring someone that will fit into the other half of our personality.

So that two people become one. And you need to be made one physically. You need to be one emotionally. You need to be one mentally. And of course you must be one spiritually. The idea to ever think of marrying an unsaved person is almost foolhardy.

You see quite frankly the word is right when it says that we must not be yoked together with unbelievers. So every christian should tell himself i must marry but i must marry in the Lord. But more lots of christians have married in the Lord but it's not been of the Lord.

They don't live happy lives. And in the home there's quarreling and arguing now that's not of God what you want to be married in the Lord and of the Lord so that you've got God's partner that fits you beautifully.

And only God knows that partner. Now he says free fornication. Everything that a man doeth is without the body. But he that commits fornication sins against his own body. Now what does this mean. If i tell a lie i don't sin against my body.

I sin against my soul. If i lose my temper i don't sin against my body. I sin against my soul. You see sin fiery lusts war against the soul. But if a man slips up and he has a biological union outside the realm of marriage he sins against the body.

And what does that mean. He's lost his virginity and she's lost her virginity and she's lost it forever. You will never get it again. And that's one of the reasons why some christian marriages are not functional.

Those people lost their virginity before marriage. And that is why it's a lovely thing when you join two people together in marriage to know that they're absolute virgins. They're pure they're clean. Now if some of you have lost your virginity get away and plead with the Lord to forgive you and have mercy on you.

Those who have kept it get away today and say Lord keep me pure until the day when that union will become beautiful and God glorified and God bless you. Scores of christian marriages break up before people are married.

When people lose their virginity now can you see that you sin against your body. Then he makes this great statement. What. Now you say that's bad grammar but not when the apostle used it. When i was at school we used to have a geography master and a history master by the name of harbert.

And he used to come into the class with a boxing glove. And while he was teaching he was swirling the boxing glove. What a difference today. And if you lost contact with him you gain contact with the boxing glove.

And he would say brandon play attention. One day he came in with the boxing glove swinging twice as rapidly as usual. And he said what. We'd all made a blunder with our history work. He was disgusted.

Now that's exactly what it means. What paul as it were is almost letting his hair down. And he's disgusted with them because of these cases of immorality. And he says what. Then he makes this statement.

The Body as the Inner Shrine of God's Presence

Know ye not that your body is the temple of the holy ghost. Now that is the pattern of the body. Now what does that mean. If we were heathens and we were watching the children of israel erecting their tabernacle and their tents we would be amazed that the apple pie order of their camp and especially of the sanctuary the tabernacle.

And if we saw an israelite straying around and we caught him over and we said something like this we like your camp. Why do you have all the tents in apple pie order. Well our god is a god of discipline.

We've got a problem. What's that. What's that tent. That's all covered with a kind of a black sheet. That's a seal skin in the bible. It's called a badger skin but it should be a seal skin. Oh what is that.

Oh that's the place where our priests worship. What's that funny little thing that they dip their hands in. Oh that's the laver. Before they can go into the presence of our Yahweh. He would drop his head and just lift it again.

They must be washed. He's very particular. He's holy. What's that funny thing there. That's all the time smoking. Oh that's our altar. That's where the offerings are offered. Who are those men. All in white.

Oh they're our priests. They're the only ones who allowed to go in. And they can't go into the end place because that's the dwelling place of our god. Then one would say look do you know there's something that stopped us from attacking you.

What's that. What's that enormous cloud that finalizes right at the end of the tent. And he would drop his head and say don't call that a funny cloud. That's the shekinah glory. And he would drop his head and say Yahweh that symbolizes the very presence of god.

And the priests can't go in there. And when the high priest goes in there once a year we almost hold our breath. That's the holiest of all. He would walk away. Now this is what paul is saying. Know ye not that your body is not like the court of the tent tabernacle.

Not like the holy place. But here it comes. Know ye not that your body is the inner shrine the holy of holies of god. And every person's body that's born of god is absolutely. There are more inner temples in this tent than god ever had in the old testament.

Every single person's body is the holiest of all. And every part of you is sacred. Now i want you to do this today. I want you to get alone and say this. This mind is an inner temple mind. These eyes are inner temple eyes.

These ears are inner temple ears. These lips are inner temple ears lips. This heart is an inner temple heart. These hands are inner temple hands. Every part of my body is now can you see the contrast committing fornication committing immorality.

When your body is the temple of the holy god can you see it. Then he goes on the preciousness of the body which is in you which you have of god. And you're not your own. You're bought with a price. Therefore when god looks upon this tent he sees over everybody one word soul.

And what's the price. The precious blood of christ. Can you value that. And therefore every part of your body belongs to the lord jesus because he paid the price for you. But more. What's the purpose of the body.

Glorifying God Through the Body

The purpose of the body is this that you should glorify him in your spirit. And you should glorify him in your body which are gods. Now what does that mean. Now here's a secret in the holy place there was a piece of furniture that was called the golden altar.

I wish we had a replica here so you could see on the day of atonement the priest would come with a censer and there would be some coals put on that altar. And he would burn this censer. And he would fill a little kind of a golden censer.

It was a bowl with the incense. And probably the golden altar on the day of atonement was placed within the holiest of all. And before he would go into the presence of god he would go in with this censer with a beautiful fragrance.

And he would fill the holiest of all with that fragrance. And that was a picture of the beauty of christ the worth of christ being seen before god. Now says the apostle your body becomes like that golden altar.

And therefore you are to glorify him in your body. That means everything that you do should be something like a fragrance going up to the nostrils of god. And then not only glorify him in your body but even in the motive the very spirit that's behind it.

You should glorify him now i want to close as i say this. If that comes as a revelation to us today we'll never be the same again when god opened my eyes to see that i could hardly sit down for an hour.

I walked about saying lord my body the temple of the holy ghost. There were tears because of my failure. There were joys. Because i knew the power was there to overcome all sin. Oh may god make that a wonderful revelation to each one of us that our bodies are the temple of the holy ghost.