The Incarnation: Christ as the True Temple

Devotional

Day 1: Christ as the True Temple

The temple in Jerusalem was a mere shadow of the true temple, which is the body of Christ. In the Old Testament, the temple was the dwelling place of God on earth, filled with intricate details and sacred spaces. However, these were just types and prophecies pointing to Jesus, who embodies the ultimate dwelling place of God. In Him, the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily, fulfilling the Old Testament prophecies and types. Jesus' body is the true temple, where God meets humanity in a profound and personal way. [19:20]

Colossians 2:9-10 (ESV): "For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority."

Reflection: How does recognizing Jesus as the true temple change the way you approach your relationship with God today?

Day 2: The New Covenant through Christ's Resurrection

Jesus' statement about destroying the temple and raising it in three days reveals His mission to establish a new covenant. While many misunderstood Him, thinking He referred to the physical temple, He was speaking of His body, foreshadowing His death and resurrection. This act signifies the end of the old dispensation and the beginning of a new era where God dwells in the person of His Son. Through His resurrection, Jesus establishes a new meeting place between God and humanity, inviting us into a deeper relationship with Him. [35:04]

Hebrews 9:15 (ESV): "Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant."

Reflection: In what ways can you embrace the new covenant in your daily life, acknowledging Jesus' role as the mediator between you and God?

Day 3: The Mystery of the Incarnation

The Incarnation is a profound mystery where the eternal God confines Himself to a human body. This marvel challenges human understanding but is central to the Christian faith: God with us, Emmanuel. The birth of Christ is not merely a historical event but a divine intervention that transforms our relationship with God. Through the Incarnation, God becomes accessible and relatable, inviting us to experience His love and grace in a tangible way. [26:57]

1 Timothy 3:16 (ESV): "Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory."

Reflection: How does the mystery of the Incarnation inspire you to deepen your relationship with God and others today?

Day 4: Believers as the Temple of God

As believers, we are now the temple of God, indwelt by His Spirit. The church, the body of Christ, replaces the old temple, and we are called to live as His dwelling place. This truth challenges us to recognize the sacredness of our lives and the profound privilege of being part of His eternal plan. We are invited to live in a way that reflects His presence within us, impacting the world around us with His love and truth. [44:06]

1 Corinthians 3:16-17 (ESV): "Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple."

Reflection: What specific actions can you take today to honor the sacredness of being God's temple in your daily interactions and decisions?

Day 5: Christ's Birth as Divine Intervention

The birth of Christ is not merely a historical event but a divine intervention that transforms our relationship with God. Through His death and resurrection, Jesus becomes the new temple, the sole mediator between God and man. This transformation invites us to experience a renewed relationship with God, where we can approach Him with confidence and receive His grace and mercy. The Incarnation is a reminder of God's love and desire to be with us, offering us hope and redemption. [41:18]

Hebrews 4:14-16 (ESV): "Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need."

Reflection: How can you actively seek to experience the transformative power of Christ's birth and resurrection in your life today?

Sermon Summary

In exploring the profound mystery of the Incarnation, we delve into the symbolism of the temple as a representation of Christ's body. The temple in Jerusalem, with its intricate details and sacred spaces, was a mere shadow of the true temple—Jesus Christ himself. The Old Testament's prophecies and types find their fulfillment in Him, as He embodies the dwelling place of God on earth. Solomon's temple, with its grandeur, was a precursor to the ultimate temple: the body of Christ, where the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily.

Jesus' statement, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up," reveals the dual nature of His mission. While the people misunderstood Him, thinking He referred to the physical temple, He spoke of His body, foreshadowing His death and resurrection. This profound truth underscores the purpose of His coming: to establish a new covenant and a new meeting place between God and humanity. The veil of the temple was torn, signifying the end of the old dispensation and the beginning of a new era where God dwells not in temples made with hands, but in the person of His Son.

The Incarnation is a mystery that confounds human understanding. The eternal God confined Himself to a human body, a marvel that the world struggles to comprehend. Yet, in this mystery lies the heart of the Christian faith: God with us, Emmanuel. The birth of Christ is not merely a historical event but a divine intervention that transforms our relationship with God. Through His death and resurrection, Jesus becomes the new temple, the sole mediator between God and man.

As believers, we are now the temple of God, indwelt by His Spirit. The church, the body of Christ, replaces the old temple, and we are called to live as His dwelling place. This truth challenges us to recognize the sacredness of our lives and the profound privilege of being part of His eternal plan. May we grow in understanding and live in the light of this glorious mystery.

Key Takeaways

1. The temple in Jerusalem was a type of Christ's body, prefiguring the ultimate dwelling place of God on earth. Jesus' body is the true temple where the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily, fulfilling the Old Testament prophecies and types. [19:20]
2. Jesus' statement about destroying the temple and raising it in three days reveals His mission to establish a new covenant. His death and resurrection signify the end of the old dispensation and the beginning of a new era where God dwells in the person of His Son. [35:04]
3. The Incarnation is a profound mystery, where the eternal God confines Himself to a human body. This marvel challenges human understanding but is central to the Christian faith: God with us, Emmanuel. [26:57]
4. As believers, we are now the temple of God, indwelt by His Spirit. The church, the body of Christ, replaces the old temple, and we are called to live as His dwelling place, recognizing the sacredness of our lives. [44:06]
5. The birth of Christ is not merely a historical event but a divine intervention that transforms our relationship with God. Through His death and resurrection, Jesus becomes the new temple, the sole mediator between God and man. [41:18]
** [41:18]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[13:51] - The Temple as a Type of Christ's Body
[14:40] - The Tabernacle and the Temple
[15:27] - Solomon's Dedication of the Temple
[17:21] - Jesus' Body as the True Temple
[19:06] - The Fullness of the Godhead in Christ
[20:13] - Emmanuel: God With Us
[21:07] - Meeting God in Christ
[22:00] - The Mystery of Godliness
[23:31] - The Mystery of the Incarnation
[25:04] - The World’s Blindness to the Mystery
[26:38] - The Marvel of the Incarnation
[28:32] - The Compression of the Godhead
[30:25] - The Dual Nature of Christ
[33:44] - The Purpose of the Incarnation
[37:38] - The New Covenant and Dispensation
[40:26] - The Church as the New Temple
[42:37] - Believers as the Temple of God

Sermon Clips

Jerusalem was nothing but a type or a figure of his body he spake of the Temple of his body they're all thinking of the other Temple and he allows them to do so because he wants to show them the connection so he is saying quite plainly and quite clearly that the temple erected in Jerusalem was a type and a figure of his body. [00:13:34]

Jesus of Nazareth is God God the Eternal son and his body is the house in which he dwells the body of that infant that babe lying in the manger is but the dwelling place of the Eternal God in the person of the son now we've had this same idea in a sense in the first chapter of John's gospel in the 14th verse the word was made flesh and dwelt Among Us. [00:17:48]

For in him dwelleth all the fullness of the godhead but bily same idea exactly in this body dwelleth all the fullness of the godhead it's all in this Temple this body it pleased God it pleased him that in him should all fullness dwell and in him dwelleth all the fullness of the godhead bodily. [00:19:20]

His name Shall be Called Emmanuel which being interpreted as God With Us now that's what you see there in the manger in Bethlehem in that stable God With Us God dwelling with us in that particular form or if you like to take it further you can put it like this as in the temple of world and in the holiest of all God's presence dwelt. [00:20:13]

The temple was to be the house of God the place in which God was going to dwell and particularly that innermost Shrine the holiest of all now then our Lord you see is confirming this teaching and he's explaining it he in saying destroy this Temple and in 3 days I will raise it up is referring primarily as John tells us to himself and to his body in particular. [00:16:52]

The world in its close people has never recognized him whom none of the princes of this world knew for had they known him they would not have crucified the Lord Of Glory they only saw the temple they didn't see the person dwelling in it they saw the external they missed the real glory and Marvel and mystery. [00:24:55]

The Incarnation is a mystery this is Marvel this is wonderful this is miraculous this is Supernatural this is beyond understanding and if we could only see it my dear friends the more these clever modern people fumble at this and stumble at it the more we should be certain of the facts the princes of this world didn't know him they never have done. [00:25:33]

He came in order to introduce a new way for men to know of God he came to introduce a New Covenant a new dispensation and this is how we can put it his body was destroyed he knew it would be he prophesize it but also the temple was destroyed and that is where these two things you see are inter related. [00:37:17]

The whole object I say of the Incarnation is this it is to provide us for a new place in which we we meet with God it's no longer in a temple made with hands God dwelleth not in temples made in hands we meet him in the person of his son the one who came into the Temple of his body and whose body was raised. [00:40:26]

You and I my friends are now in a sense the temple the Lord Jesus Christ now dwells in the church and the church is the temple and the Christian Church replaces the old temple in Jerusalem that's why the notion that some foolish people people seem to have that the temple is going to be rebuilt and that they'll go back to blood offerings and sacrifices is a denial of the New Testament gospel. [00:42:37]

The church as the temple in which he dwell yay beyond that you and I as Christian people the temple in which he dwells and takes up his AB by the spirit he spake of the Temple of his body oh the Marvel the Wonder the mystery the miracle the glory of it all may God give us increasing understanding of all these things. [00:45:54]

May he enable us to realize that as members of the Christian church we are part of this temple in which he dwell and that in US individually he comes to dwell in our hearts by faith he and the father come and they take up their AB in us all that would have been impossible were it not for the birth of the Son of God as the babe of Bethlehem. [00:46:58]

Ask a question about this sermon

Chatbot

Transcript

What was the most surprising thing in this sermon?

Were there any personal stories shared?