HONORING
GOD'S TEMPLE
The
human body is a marvelous work of God's creation. David recognized
this:
Psm.
139:13-16 "...You
formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother's
womb. (14) I will praise You, for I am fearfully and
wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, and that my
soul knows very well. (15) My frame was not hidden from
You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in
the lowest parts of the earth. (16) Your eyes saw my
substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were
written. The days fashioned for me, when as yet there
were none of them."
We
are the crowning achievement of God's creation. All of
creation was in preparation for man's introduction - all pointed at
the final act on day 6.
Gen.
2:4-7 God
made man a physical,
living being.
Gen.
1:26-27 God made man in His
image.
A spirit
being robed in flesh.
Paul
recognized this dual-nature
of man when
speaking of death & resurrection
1
Cor. 15:44-49 A
natural
body - and a spiritual
body
that we long to be clothed
Between
birth and death, our physical body is "where
we live"
and in which we will be judged.
2
Cor. 5:6-10 "So
we are always confident knowing that while we are at home in the
body we are absent from the Lord. (7) For we walk by faith,
not by sight. (8) We are confident, yes, well pleased
rather to be absent from the body and to be present with
the Lord. (9) Therefore
we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well
pleasing to Him. (10)
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ,
that each one may receive the things done in the body,
according to what he has done, whether good or bad."
Man
has had a struggle in this body since the fall in the garden of Eden.
Paul
wrestled with sin as we all do:
(Rom. 7:13-ff)
Rom.
7:24 "O
wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of
death?"
Looking
back at creation - Adam & Eve were INNOCENT - as a little
child
Gen.
2:25 "And
they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not
ashamed."
But
after they ate of the forbidden fruit - their eyes were opened to
know both good and evil.
Gen.
3:7 "Then
the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that
they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and
made themselves coverings."
Their
shame
drove them to cover their nakedness with clothing.
Now
Adam & Eve knew the
shame
of sin - and hid from God
Gen.
3:9-11 "Then
the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, 'Where are you?'
(10) So he said, 'I heard Your voice in the garden, and I
was afraid because
I was naked;
and I hid myself.' (11) And He said, 'Who
told you that you were naked?
Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you
that you should not eat?' "
Notice
what God did next after cursing their lives:
Gen.
3:21 "Also
for Adam and his wife the Lord God made tunics of skin, and
clothed them."
Why?
Not for protection - they had been naked previously with no need.
Now,
because of a sense of shame
they needed suitable clothing.
Does
it matter what we wear? God thinks so. He has much to say of it:
CONSIDER
- God made man & woman attractive
to eachother.
The
Song of Solomon is a beautiful, poetic love song:
Song
of Solomon
1:15-16 (To
his wife) "Behold, you are fair, my love! Behold,
you are fair! You have doe's eyes." (16)
(To
her husband) "Behold, you are handsome, my
beloved! Yes, pleasant!..."
God
instituted the marriage law in which that attraction is to be
fulfilled
Heb.
13:4 "Marriage
is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but
fornicators and adulterers God will judge."
Any
abuse of this is a sin against God & against our body
1
Cor. 6:13-ff The body is not for sexual immorality - not designed for
it
Our
body belongs to God - not to us
Our
body (belonging
to God) can
be made the instrument
of sin
Sexual
sin defiles our body - the temple of God
Our
body & our spirit belong to God - glorify Him in both
The
attraction between men & women is to be controlled
in our heart
Mt.
5:27-30 (Jesus)
"You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not
commit adultery.' (28) But I say to you that whoever looks
at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery
with her in his heart. (29) If your right eye causes you to
sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more
profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for
your whole body to be cast into hell. (30) And if your
right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from
you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your
members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into
hell."
David was guilty of this
(2 Sam. 11)
But
we are responsible for not
tempting
others to sin. Understanding
the attraction between man & woman, don't dress in
such a way to provoke
or encourage
others to lust
Rom.
14:20-21 "Do
not destroy the work of God for the sake of food.
All things indeed are pure, but it is evil for the man
who eats with offense. (21) It is good neither to eat meat
nor drink wine nor
do anything by which your brother stumbles or is offended
or is made weak."
Do
not destroy the work of God for the sake of
clothing
.
1
Tim. 2:8-10 "I
desire therefore that the men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands,
without wrath and doubting; (9) in like manner also, that
the women adorn themselves in modest apparel (kosmios
= orderly,
well- arranged, decent),
with propriety (shamefacedness,
kjv, a
sense of shame, modesty)
and moderation (sobriety,
kjv, soundness
of mind, of good judgment),
not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly
clothing; (10) but, which is proper
for women professing godliness,
with good works."
This
implies that there is improper
dress
"Proper"
dress = appropriate
& characteristic
of a godly woman.
Women
(and
men)
need ot review their wardrobe to insure that what they wear
is not provocative and inappropriate -short,
tight, sheer, billboard for beer
1
Pet. 3:1-6 Dress
is important, but the adornment of the heart is of
greatest significance. If the heart is right, how we
dress will
conform
to godliness.
We
must give account of what we did in this body & how we used it
Have
we used it to fulfill our own lusts, or to cause another to stumble
- or to glorify Him in His temple?
2
Cor. 5:10 "For
we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each
one may receive the things done in the body, according to
what he has done, whether good or bad."
INVITATION
Jn.
14:23 (Jesus)
"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."
HONORING
GOD'S TEMPLE
Part
2
Our
body is a gift from God. It is on loan to us to be used in this life
for His glory.
It
is His temple & we are responsible for how we use it and dress
it. Both body & spirit are His.
How
do we glorify God in our body?
1. How
we use our body in service to Him and
2. How
we adorn our body. The
subject of this lesson
As
we pointed out in the previous lesson, we are responsible not to
become a stumbling block to others - such as dressing to
cause others to lust and commit sin in the heart
(Mt. 25:27-30)
What
we wear says
something about us. It is part of what identifies us
as God's children.
What
we wear can also identify us as being defiant
& rebellious
to God.
WHAT
WE WEAR CAN ATTRACT SIN
Example
- Uniforms identify career people:
Postman, doctor, mechanic, harlot:
Prov.
7:6-10 "For
at the window of my house I looked through my lattice, (7) and
saw among the simple, I perceived among the youths, a
young man devoid of understanding, (8) passing along the
street near her corner; and he took the path to her house
(9) in the twilight, in the evening, in the black and dark
night. (10) And there a woman met him, with
the attire of a harlot,
and a crafty heart."
Gen.
38:12-15 Judah mistook his daughter-in-law for a harlot.
Notice:
a widows garment, & the attire of a harlot.
Notice:
Attire of a harlot was not skimpy
but identifiable.
Beware
- We identify ourselves by how we dress. Don't send a
wrong signal.
WHAT
WE WEAR CAN SHOW RESPECT FOR OTHERS
Joseph
respected the office & authority of Pharaoh when called to him:
Gen.
41:14 "Then
Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him quickly
out of the dungeon;
and he shaved, changed his clothing,
and came to Pharaoh."
Jesus
used this concept of respect for others & for the occasion:
Mt.
22:1-14 A man attending a wedding feast at the king's invitation
came improperly dressed. This was in disrespect of the
occasion.
Consider:
Weddings, funerals, worship.
The
assembly of worship has become an occasion of casual
dress.
Consider
- Why are we here?
Acts
20:7 "Now
on the first day of the week, when
the disciples came together to break bread,
Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and
continued his message until midnight."
Mt.
18:20 "For
where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there
in the midst of them."
Notice
Moses' words to Aaron after Nadab & Abihu died because of failing
to
honor God by offering profane worship:
Lev.
10:3 "And
Moses said to Aaron, 'This is what the Lord spoke, saying: 'By
those who come near Me I must be regarded as holy; and
before all the people I must be glorified.' ..."
Psm.
89:7 "God
is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be
held in reverence by all those around Him."
Growing
up, we dressed in our best for worship. My parents were
teaching me that what we were about to do was something
special.
THERE
IS ANOTHER SIDE TO THIS MATTER
Each
one must examine their own heart on sincerity & reverence for
God.
No
one can nor
should
do this. There is no "dress code" for
worship. If so, it is imposed by man.
Consider
the issue of a woman's covering in the assembly. It was a
matter of custom
and personal preference, not a "dress code."
However,
also notice that it was also a matter of respect for that custom.
1
Cor. 11:1-16 "but if anyone seems to be contentious, we have no
such custom,
nor do the churches of God."
We
are not at liberty to judge others based on their clothing.
Jas.
2:1-9 This is unjustly judging others based on social status.
Note
- the poor
or rich
were distinguished by their dress.
The
poor
could do no better.
The
rich
can become extravagant &
flaunt
their wealth.
(Attitude)
Mt.
23:5 (Jesus)
"But all their (scribes
& Pharisees)
works they do to be seen by men. They make their
phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their
garments. (6) They love the best places at feasts, the best
seats in the synagogues, (7) greetings in the
marketplaces, and to be called by men, 'Rabbi, Rabbi.' "
Phylacteries
- "A small strip of parchment with portions of the law written
on it, fastened by a leather strap to the forehead or
left arm as a reminder of their duty to keep God's
commands.
How
we dress is a matter of judgment & personal preference - like to
that of eating meat offered to an idol.
Rom.
14:1-4 Let not him who wears a suit despise
(look down on)
he who doesn't. (Assumes
he is slack & has a heart problem - He
may.)
Let
not him who does not wear a suit judge him who does.
(Assuming
he is self-righteous & better than others. - He
may be.)
Rom.
14:12-13 God is the judge - not us.
Jas.
4:11-12 "Do
not speak evil of one another, brethren. He who speaks evil of a
brother and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and
judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a
doer of the law but a judge. (12) There is one Lawgiver,
who is able to save and to destroy. Who are you to judge
another?
INVITATION
Our
greatest concern is that what we do in & with our body is
pleasing to God who will judge us on the last day.
2
Cor. 5:1-10 "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of
Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the
body, according to what he has done, whether good or
bad."