The Landmark of the Sanctuary

 Temple Baptist Church - 2-4-2024

Hebrews 10:24-31

 

Introduction: 

 

A.  Sanctuary – A sacred place.  The word sanctuary has religious roots as it referred to a consecrated place where sacred objects are kept.  It often refers to a temple or church, the holiest of holy places.    

 

1.  As early as Genesis 4, we find that Cain and Abel “brought” their sacrifices.  They did not offer just anywhere but there was a special place where they offered. 

 

2.  Abraham built an altar at Bethel (The House of God) and later came back to that same altar, naming it El-Bethel (God-The House of God) and found God there. 

 

3.  When God brought Israel out of Egypt (a beautiful type of salvation), He gave instructions to Moses for the building of the Tabernacle in the Wilderness; when Israel came into the land of Canaan—they brought the Tabernacle with them.

 

3.  Later build Solomon’s Temple.  This beautiful temple was the center of Jerusalem.  When the Jews returned from their captivity in Babylon, the first order of business was the rebuild the walls and Temple. 

 

4.  When the New Testament Jews and Gentiles got saved, they had a local church to attend.  The Bible says much about the local church and works only through it.  It is around the local church that our lives are to be centered.

 

5.  The Local Church is a special place of:

 

a)  Refuge from the storms of life.

 

b)  Rest from the toils of life.

 

c)  Refreshment from the disappointments of life.

 

d)  Restoration from the failures of life.

 

e)  Revival from the lifelessness of life.

 

6.  The Bible calls the Local Church the pillar and ground of the truth:  1 Timothy 3:15  But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.

 

B.  Sometimes, when we go back to Hebrews 10:25, I wonder if I am not “beating a dead horse.”

 

1.  But the Holy Ghost emphasizes the importance of the local church when using the words “and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”  That day is HERE and the house of God forsaken.

 

2.  Preachers preach the important truth found in these verses, we quote these verses often, and yet—continually—we see a decrease in the faithfulness of God’s people to the church. 

 

C.  These verses are the most profound concerning faithfulness to church that you will find.  In them we find:

 

1.  The responsibility to each other – vs. 24

 

2.  The importance and purpose – vs. 25

 

3.  The callousness of the sin – vs. 26

 

4.  The promise of the judgment of God – vs. 27-29

 

5.  The seriousness of unfaithfulness – vs. 29

 

6.  The fearfulness of the Lord – vs. 30-31

 

D.  If God said and meant all of these things, you would think that His children would see the seriousness, repent of their sin, and get faithful but just the opposite is true.  “As the manner of some is” has become the norm for most professing believers. 

 

E.  In the last few years, we have seen a great “falling away” from the local church. 

 

1.  With the rising number of “home churches,” “TV churches,” “Radio Churches,” “golf, fishing, motorcycle, cowboy, etc.,” there has been a great forsaking of the house of the Lord. 

 

2.  I find no substitute in the bible for the local church. 

 

F.  The local church is a landmark of the Lord’s making and it needs not to be removed.  Churches all over the Bible Belt have gone from two services on Sunday and Wednesday night Prayer Meeting to just Sunday morning services.

 

1.  A Place Of Assembly – Hebrews 10:25  Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.  (The word “church” means a called-out assembly.  We are called out of this world to assemble together.  If the Lord did not think that we needed a place of gathering, He would have just let us stay at home.  “Lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God” describes the modern day “Christian.”)

 

2.  A Place Of Exhortation - 2 Timothy 4:2  Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.  (We need each other’s strength to continue on in this “present evil world.”  Bearing one another’s burdens can only come about when we are together to know what those burdens are.)

 

3.  A Place Of Fellowship - Acts 2:42  And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.  (We cannot love each other with a whole heart fervently if we are never together.  I love my family and spend much time with them.  I love my church family and spend much time with them!  We laugh, cry, eat, and share together.)

 

4.  A Place Of Bible Teaching - 1 Timothy 3:15  But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.  (Most believers do not know how to behave in the house of God because they are not there often enough to be taught!   Teaching is a very important of our spiritual welfare!  The largest denomination in America is the “Church of the Ignorant Brethern!”)

 

1 Timothy 4:16  Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.

 

5.  A Place Of Powerful Preaching - 2 Timothy 4:2  Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.  (The pastor is commanded to preach the Word, but many are never there to receive it.  So often I know that a particular message will be of help to someone, and they do not show up.  We need bible preaching and need it from the pastor!)

 

6.  A Place Of Prayer - Matthew 21:13  And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.  (We come, take prayer requests and pray!  We begin each service in prayer, we pray in the prayer rooms, we pray during the services, and we end each service in prayer.  We pray for each other, we pray for our families, we pray for our needs, we pray for the needs of others, we pray for our nation, we pray for Israel, we pray for those in authority over us, we pray for souls, and we pray for the coming of the Lord.  You have not because you ask not is an indictment against those who do not pray!)

 

7.  A Place Of Faithful Giving - Malachi 3:10  Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

 

1 Corinthians 16:2  Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.  (Some tithe and give regularly while some tithe and give irregularly.  The local church pays its bills regularly and missions support should be paid the same.  How would we like it if we got paid on an irregular basis?  We would probably be a little upset.  Missionaries do not get full support because of irregular giving!)

 

8.  A Place Of Divine Approval - Ephesians 5:25-26  Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;    That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word.  (It is a sanctifying place where we are cleansed through the water of the Word.)

Holiness and Meditation

 Temple Baptist Church - 1-7-2024

Psalm 119:9-16

 

Introduction:

 

A.  Beth – the Second Stanza of Psalm 119.  As with Alph, each of the verses in this stanza begin with Beth in Hebrew. 

 

1.  Beth, in the Hebrew, means House.  Abraham named his altar Bethel or “Beth-el”, the house of God.  Abraham did not have a place of worship as we do, therefore, he made a place of worship.

 

2.  In the New Testament, we find the body of the believer is called both a house and a temple, indicating that our bodies are a place of both dwelling and worship.

 

2 Corinthians 5:1  For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

 

1 Corinthians 6:19  What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

 

3.  Since the Holy Ghost indwells the believer, his body is both a dwelling and place of worship.  We are to make our hearts a home for the Word of God and a place of worship of God.  This is what the second stanza, verses 9-16, are all about.

 

B.  Verse 9 begins with a right direction for a young man or a young lady.  For both young and old (as many of us were saved at a more mature age), it is important how we begin our spiritual lives as well as how we end them. 

 

1.  On most grave markers, there are two dates that pertain to the deceased: the date of one’s birth and the date of one’s death.  Often there is a dash (-) in between these two dates.

 

2.  This stanza is not about the New Birth, nor is it about one’s death.  The “-“ is the life from birth to death.  It matters how we start our lives as much as it matters how we finish our lives.

 

3.  How to begin and end our lives in a holy manner.

 

C.  Verses 9-16.  The stanza begins with an important question: “Wherewithal” - An interrogative or a question which can incorporate the following: what? how?, why? or when?  It also ends with a declarative statement: “I will not forget thy word”.  Start right and end right.

 

1.  Before you can start right and end right, you need to get to know the Word of God in several ways.

 

2.  First, you need to have a right perspective of the Word of God.  The First Mention is found in Genesis, chapter 3, where Adam said, “I heard thy voice in the Garden.” 

 

Genesis 3:8  And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.

 

3.  The Word of God that we have is a living Word and an Abiding Word.  Most people treat the Bible as they would do any other manmade book.  I often say that you cannot separate the Inscribed Word of God from the Incarnate Word of God.

 

1 Peter 1:23  Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

 

 

4.  The Word of God is a living Word that not only has life but also gives life.

 

5.  The Word of God is an abiding Word that has been, is, and always will be with us.

 

6.  You cannot have a proper relationship with the Lord without having a proper relationship with the Word!

 

D.  Now, let us look at the “-“ in between a right start and a right finish.  How to start right and finish right. How do we cleanse our way? 

 

1.  Verse 9.  By Heeding God’s Word!  Heeding God’s Word will cleanse the reader.  Most people never read God’s Word much less heed it.  In order to heed God’s Word, you need to know what it says and know it in detail.  So many who maintain that they are saved do not heed God’s Word.  To obey it!

 

Ephesians 5:26  That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,

 

2.  Verse 10.  By seeking God’s Word.  “O let me not wander” is the key.  If we are not seeking, we are wandering.  To stray or get off course.  I know a lady who loves to wander in Walmart.  It is a plea to God to help keep us directed in the Word of God.  We do not lose our Bibles as we normally know where they lie so, seeking does not mean to find it as much as it means to go to where it is and read it.

 

Proverbs 2:13  Who leave the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness;

 

3.  Verse 11.  By hiding God’s Word.  To memorize the Scriptures, thus maintaining the Word of God in our hearts.  The inward Word of God keeps us sensitive to what we do by either guiding or chiding with us.  Moral purity does not come accidentally!  Moral purity is purposed.

 

Proverbs 2:1-2  My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee;  (2)  So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding;

 

4.  Verse 12.  By learning God’s Word.  I found out years ago that I can read God’s Word but not learn God’s Word. “Study … a workman … approved unto God … rightly dividing the Word of Truth”.  A believer can come to church, hear a Sunday School lesson from God’s Word, hear a biblical sermon from God’s Word, and remained unlearned and unchanged.

 

Jeremiah 15:16  Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts.

 

5.  Verse 13.  By sharing God’s Word.  An important part of living a pure life is to share God’s Word.  It keeps us on our “p’s and q’s” because we will not share the Bible unless our lives portray the Bible.  Sin will quickly close our mouths!  Sin should quickly close our mouths so the lost will not hear God’s Word and not see God’s Word in us.

 

Psalms 118:17  I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the LORD.

 

6.  Verse 14.  By desiring God’s Word.  I believe that poor old Job said it all: “Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.” (Job 23:12)  Love God’s Word!  Esteem God’s Word!  More than the riches of this world!

 

1 Peter 2:2  As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:

 

7.  Verse 15.  By meditating on God’s Word.  As we are to pray without ceasing, we are to keep the Word of God unceasingly before us, as frontlets, so as to see the Lord instead of seeing the world. 

 

Psalms 19:14  Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.

 

8.  Verse 16.  By delighting in God’s Word.  If you delight in the Bible, you will not forget the Bible.  The key to cleansing our lives is based upon our desire, delight, and obedience to the Word of God.

 

Romans 7:22  For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:

 

Conclusion:  “Wherewithal” - An interrogative or a question which can incorporate the following: what?  The Word of God.   how?  By heeding and hiding. why? Because the Word of God alone can cleanse.  when?  All the time!

How To Walk Godly in An Ungodly World

 Temple Baptist Church - 6-5-2022

Psalm 101

 

Introduction:

 

A.  We live in difficult times: 

 

1.  As it was in the days of Noe: The mixing of the godly and ungodly lines.  Noah was the only just man alive.

 

2. As it was in the days of Lot: living in a world of sodomy.  Though God spared Lot, he lived a compromised life and died in a cave without repentance.

 

3.  As it was in Laodicea and now the Laodicean Church Age:  Apathy that brings about lukewarmness.  People no longer seem to have a desire for living for Christ.

 

4.  As it was in the perilous times of Timothy's Day:  A worldly Christianity.  Everybody is "saved" but few act like they are.

 

5.  As it was in the times of Apostasy: A general "falling away" from adherence to the Word of God.  Everything that Christians once stood for is under constant attack and the multitudes follow the apostate's pernicious ways.

 

6.  Have we said enough.  I am not trying to discourage you tonight, I am trying to exhort you and so much the more as we see the day approaching: the coming of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ!

 

B.  In this Psalm, we find some directives concerning our steadfastness in these last perilous times.  3,000 years ago, when Psalm 101 was written, God gave Israel the solution to our problems today!  What a glorious Bible we hold in our hands!

 

C.  A simple outline is found here for godly living.

 

1.  Verse 1.  Your Worship.  I WILL SING!  Thank God for His mercy and judgment.  He loves us enough to both correct us and to be merciful to us at the same time.  That ought to make your heart SING!  "I will sing … O LORD, I will sing!"

 

Philippians 4:4  Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.

 

2.  Verse 2.  Your Walk.  I WILL BEHAVE!  We cannot control everything, but we are to control what we can.  It matters not how the world behaves because our behavior is a choice that we personally make.  When we were in our parent's house, we had to behave; when we came of age, we choose to behave.

 

Proverbs 28:18  Whoso walketh uprightly shall be saved: but he that is perverse in his ways shall fall at once.

 

3.  Verses 3-5.  Your Witness.  I WILL NOT FOLLOW!  We are surrounded by the ungodly and they try to incorporate us into their way of thinking and lifestyle.  Stay close to God's House and God's people!  Keep your eyes on Christ, your hearts in the Bible, and constantly renew your minds. 

 

Exodus 23:2  Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil; neither shalt thou speak in a cause to decline after many to wrest judgment:

 

3 John 11  Beloved, follow not that which is evil, but that which is good. He that doeth good is of God: but he that doeth evil hath not seen God.

 

4.  Verses 6-8.  Your Watch.  I WILL KEEP MY EYES UPON THE FAITHFUL!  Know that there are still good, godly people that walk with you.  Stay around and walk with these as God will destroy and cut off the wicked. 

 

Hebrews 10:22-25  Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.  (23)  Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)  (24)  And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:  (25)  Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.