MPC 14th January 2007.January 14 - Deut. 12:1-14 "Summer Studies 3: A Biblical Theology of the Temple"
Matt Viney MPC 14th January 2007.
Most of you would know that Kerry and I and our kids have spent the last year in a sleepy little New South Wales town called... Sydney. During the course of the year I had the chance to check out a few different churches around the place. And I specifically remember going to a big contemporary church one quiet Sunday morning. I remember I parked in the enormous carpark. I was ushered into the church by people in church uniforms with those bright orange fluorescent vests on. I was even shown where I needed to sit so they could fit everyone in the place. As the service got under way, eventually the minister came out. And he was a very, very excited man. As he started, these were his opening words. He said in a loud voice, "Isn't it great to be here in the house of God?". And a loud applause rang out across the church as people gladly agreed. Then he said, "Isn't it great to be here in this place, where we can draw close to our mighty God?", which was followed by another lengthy applause.
As I sat there and took in the atmosphere of the place, I started to think more about what the preacher meant by those opening words. Because I've heard Christians call church 'the house of God' before. That the church building is more special than any other kind of building because that's where God is especially present. God is kind of more there than say, in a hospital. Or in the church carpark. And it follows that if that's the case, then if you want to get close to God, then you need to go to the house of God. Which is exactly what the preacher said we were doing. You may think that way yourself, or you may have heard people talk about church, calling it the 'house of God'. And if you open up the Bible you'd find lots of talk about a temple and special places in the Bible where God is said to dwell. There's lots of stuff in the Old Testament about going to the special temple and worshipping God. So, is that what we're doing right now?
Are we in God's special building, drawing close to God right now? Is this the house of God? A building where God especially dwells? Are we closer to God right here, right now than we will be over morning tea later?
This morning we continue what we call our Summer Series, looking at different themes in the Bible. And as we look at each theme we're going to strive to get a sense of the big picture of the Bible. Because you can often understand something better if you know its context. If you know the big picture. And when it comes to reading the Bible, that's what we call Biblical Theology - seeing an issue or a topic as it develops through the Bible, and seeing how it all points to the person and work of Jesus Christ.
So today, we're going look at the idea of the temple and think about how it is that God lives or dwells with his people. What does the Bible really say about this idea of the 'house of God'?
Well, let's start by getting into the Old Testament. But we're not going to start by thinking about a big temple in Jerusalem, but with something else. Something that a lot of Christians don't know much about - the tabernacle. Now, though it's not the most famous thing in the Bible, it's worth checking out…
The story of the tabernacle takes us back more than three centuries before King Solomon built the temple in Jerusalem. When the Israelites were still in the desert after God delivered them out of Egypt. After giving them those famous ten commandments and other instructions, God told them to put up a tent. Which they called the tabernacle. Which would be a dwelling place where he could live among his special people. It'd be a place that would be a constant reminder that he is their God in their midst. A meeting tent - between God and his people.
The tabernacle had to be portable, because the Israelites were heading to the promised land. I'm not sure if you went camping over the holidays, but I can guarantee you that you've never seen a tent like this before. The tabernacle was big, beautiful and made with the greatest care by the most skilled craftsmen. And the reason for the tabernacle was so that God could be with his people wherever they went… that's what he said in Exodus chapter 25 verse 8:
Then have them make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them.
The Israelites had the greatest privilege of any nation on the earth. Not only had God rescued them from slavery in Egypt. He said to Moses, grab some of your best workmen, and make me somewhere to live, so I can live right there with you. So you can see my power and glory with your own two eyes.
What an honour. To be able to wake up and see the glory of God visibly there with you. It would've been awfully hard to be an atheist, wouldn't it? Imagine one of the Israelites saying, "I don't believe in all that God stuff." "What do you mean? God's right there!" And not only that, wherever the Israelites went, God was still there. Reading again, the closing words of the book of Exodus. The tabernacle is finished and God does what he said he'll do. He dwells with them. His glory is there for them to see.
Have a look from verse 34 in Exodus chapter 40,
34Then the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. 35Moses could not enter the Tent of Meeting because the cloud had settled upon it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle… 38So the cloud of the LORD was over the tabernacle by day, and fire was in the cloud by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel during all their travels.
So the tabernacle is a portable temple. And a visible reminder and symbol of God's special relationship with the Israelites. God takes the initiative. He dwells among them, and they can see his glory as they make their way to the Promised Land.
Fast forward nearly 300 years we find King Solomon and the Israelites in the Promised Land. And God confirms his commitment to be with his people, so he tells Solomon that the time's come. It's time to pack up the tabernacle and replace it with something more formal. Something even bigger and more glorious than the tabernacle - the Jerusalem Temple. Which I gather if you were here last year you covered in detail when you looked at the book of 1 Kings.
So Solomon is faced with the prospect of building this grand temple for God. Of building the house of God, where he could dwell with his people. Or at least, a place that would symbolise his presence.
Solomon knows in the end, that the God who made the universe couldn't be contained in a temple. And yet the temple was going to be a unique place... a place when heaven literally met earth. Though God is in heaven, for Solomon, to go to the temple, and to pray in the temple was to be in very presence of God. Though it was in one way, just a big stone building, it was also a tangible symbol of God's presence. You could look out your window and see the Temple of God standing in the midst. God dwelling with you.
And again, just like the tabernacle, when it's finished, God manifests his power and glory in his dwelling place. 1 Kings 8:10:
When the priests withdrew from the Holy Place, the cloud filled the temple of the LORD. 11And the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled his temple.
Of course God is in heaven, but in another way God was also in his temple. Dwelling with his people. And his glory was there on display for all to see.
If you keep scanning through the rest of the Old Testament you'll know how the Israelites responded to their privileged position. They're given the greatest honour among all the nations of the world. God dwells in their midst. They've seen his glory with their own two eyes. And all that God wants, is for them to be faithful to him alone. So that he would be their God, and they would be his people. But over and over again, they reject God. And turn to idols. Which is exactly what God has always warned them against.
And in a lot of ways Israel was like a naughty child that just kept on doing exactly what it's been told not to do.
Our little girl Hannah loves to jump on her bed, like most kids. She also knows that she's not allowed to jump on her bed. Sometimes you can just hear the sound … boing, boing, boing. So I go in there with my most impressive and authoritative sounding voice… 'Hannah! Stop that right now please!' So she stops and sits down on the bed innocently. I step back into the kitchen. What do you think I hear next? Boing, boing, boing!
And the Israelites were a bit like that. God says don't turn your back on me by worshipping other gods. And so what do they do?
God's warned them about the consequences of turning away from him. And one of the key consequences is that their temple… will be destroyed. I mean, it's no use play acting that God's their God if they live in a way that says that he's not their God. No point having the temple if they're not wholeheartedly committed to their God. So in the year 587 BC, the Babylonian army storms into Jerusalem.
And a cloud fills the temple once more. But this time, it isn't the glory of the Lord. It's the temple burning to the ground…Here's how it happened, from the book of the prophet Jeremiah; he says The Babylonians marched on Jerusalem. And the commander sets it on fire…Jer 52:13:
13 He set fire to the temple of the LORD, the royal palace and all the houses of Jerusalem.
Every important building he burned down.
And they break down the walls of Jerusalem.
Just imagine being a Jew at that time. You're fleeing Jerusalem. You can see thick smoke billowing into the sky. Homes lost. The King's palace in flames. And the temple of God is destroyed. You'd have to ask yourself wouldn't you… where's God now? He's certainly not dwelling with us now! What does the future hold for his people? And that's the sort of feeling you get at the end of the Old Testament story. Even years later as they seek to rebuild the temple you still ending up asking the question… but what's next?
When you turn to the New Testament, more than 500 years later, the temple has finally been rebuilt. And with the help of the Romans, it's impressive. Huge stones; marble courtyards. Rome is an occupying force. And as long as the Israelites don't cause trouble, it's going to be business as usual for the temple.
And it's at that point that Jesus begins his public ministry.
It's interesting though. To see what the Gospel accounts say about the temple. And the symbol of God dwelling with his people. Because with Jesus around, God is actually dwelling with his people in a new way. That's not just a symbol at all.
So let's look at John's gospel. Chapter 1. Because John, in the way he sets the scene takes us right back in the Old Testament. To the tabernacle - the tent of God's presence. It's not obvious in the English translation. But look at the words of John 1 verse 14. The invisible God has come in the flesh. So look at what he says:
14The Word [that is, Jesus] became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Here's the key - because, in the original Greek the words "made his dwelling among us" literally means "he tabernacled among us". The Word became flesh… and tabernacled among us.
So for a time God had dwelled with his people in the tabernacle, and demonstrated his glory for all to see. When that time was through he dwelled symbolically with Israel in the majestic Jerusalem Temple, for a time. But God had in store for the world his grand finale. God resolved to dwell - to tabernacle - with his people again. Except this time, God would dwell among men, and show his glory in the person of Jesus Christ.
But if Jesus was like a living temple of God, if Jesus was God in person, dwelling with Israel, what's his attitude to that other temple? What does he make of it? Jesus spent a lot of time in the temple courts, teaching and healing. But in the end, it's the temple and the priests who are his greatest opponents. The temple in Jerusalem is like head office… of an Israel that doesn't want to know him.
So what does Jesus say about the fate of the temple? From the Gospel of Mark 13:1,2:
As he was leaving the temple, one of his disciples said to him, "Look, Teacher! What massive stones! What magnificent buildings!" 2"Do you see all these great buildings?" replied Jesus. "Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down."
The time of the physical temple was almost at an end. And in 70AD because of a Jewish rebellion, in came the Romans. And once again down came the temple. Just like Jesus predicted. Reduced to rubble. Which didn't really matter a whole lot. Because God's people, those who would put their trust in Jesus, would no longer have any need for it.
Now that Jesus was on the scene, those old things, like the tabernacle and the temple in Jerusalem - are old hat. The places that symbolise God dwelling with his people are irrelevant with the coming of Jesus. He came and personally dwelled among Israel. And the glory and power of God was there to see. Not in a big flash building. But in the power, wisdom and humility of Jesus' life and in his death for our sins. And his resurrection from the dead
Jesus changes how we see things, and how we read the Bible. Because whole story of the Bible leads up to and anticipates his coming. And that's the point of Biblical Theology… seeing that bigger picture and how it all comes together with Jesus.
But let's ask the question, is there a temple of God now?… where does God dwell with his people? The Jerusalem temple's gone. Jesus isn't walking around in our midst like he did in Israel 2000 years ago. So where's it at?
Jesus told his disciples just before he was arrested what was going to happen after his death and resurrection. Now that Jesus had dwelt among them. Now that they'd seen his glory, he wasn't going to just zoom back up to heaven and leave them on their own again. But, part of the plan all along was that once Jesus had completed his mission, the Holy Spirit would be given to all those who follow Jesus.
And once Jesus had ascended into heaven, that's exactly what happened. The Spirit was given to his people. So the Bible says that there is still a temple. There's still a place where God dwells, where he tabernacles with us.
He dwells within his people, by the power of his Holy Spirit. The Apostle Paul puts it this way in his letter to the Christians in Ephesus. He talks about the followers of Jesus like they're collectively a kind of building. A temple. He says to them in Ephesians 2:19-22:
21In him [Jesus] the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. 22And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.
In other words, the bricks that make up the new temple are people like you and me. Gentiles and Jews and anyone else… built together. As a holy temple. It's kind of a weird mind bending idea. But God's Spirit, you see, doesn't occupy the empty ceiling space in a building. God's Spirit occupies the hearts of his people. And it's us he's building together. As his church. Interlocking together, loving and serving one another. Rather than a building of bricks and mortar.
Which is a point that's been missed by a number of Christian groups around that are seeking to have the Jerusalem temple rebuilt. By missing the point of where the Bible's story is heading, they end up thinking that God's big plan is still to do with real estate. When the reality is, it's all about people. The problem is that rebuilding the temple would mean a step backwards, not forwards. Back to the old ways of doing things with priests and animal sacrifices. But now that Jesus has come, we know that popping up a new temple in Jerusalem isn't on the to-do list. Because Jesus is what the temple was; and now it's us. As his people!
But missing the point that Jesus has changed things so much is often part of our own tradition. With the idea that coming to church on Sunday is about coming to a special building.
Which brings us back to the question that we asked right at the beginning. Are we sitting in the house of God this morning? The answer is no. You're sitting with the house of God. And you're part of it. Because God ultimately didn't send his Spirit to fill buildings, but to fill hearts. If you've put your trust in Jesus, and if you follow him you're very privileged. Because the Holy Spirit lives in you. And he lives in me.
Did you know that he's at work right now in our hearts, as we look at God's Word. He's always at work, guiding us and transforming us to become more and more like the one who took on flesh. And dwelled among us, giving his life as a payment for our sins. The Spirit dwells in you, no matter if you're here or somewhere else.
And because the Spirit of God is building us together, we have a responsibility to treat each other right, and to stay focused on growing in godliness as we follow Jesus; and particularly, to preserve our unity as a church.
It's because we've got the Spirit dwelling in us that we keep coming back to church Sunday by Sunday. Not because this is some kind of a magical house of God, but because we share the common bond of our new life in Jesus. Which is something worth sharing and celebrating.
We listen to each other, forgive, love, and persevere because the Spirit is at work in us, longing for us to continue to be built up like a temple. As we follow Jesus together, the gifts that the Spirit gives us can be used to encourage and support one another.
So as 2007 begins, let's start the year by resolving to be people who continue in their commitment to follow Jesus. Because as we do, little by little, the Spirit who dwells within us is at work. Building us up. Building up the true house of God.