Chapter 6, What is the cost of following Jesus? He wants our very lives! We must become a temple for Him.
2 Cor. 6:16 b. . . For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said,
"I will DWELL IN THEM AND WALK AMONG THEM;
And I will be their God, and they shall be My people.
(1) Where will God dwell? _________________________
Under the old covenant God first dwelt in the tabernacle of Moses, then in the temple of Solomon. Under the New Covenant God chooses to dwell in the hearts of men.
The Holy Spirit, through John the baptizer, began to prepare the new temple. Luke 1:16-17 "And he will turn back many of the sons of Israel to the Lord their God. 17"And it is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous; so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord."
(1) What did God say John's life mission would be? _______________________________ _______________________________________________________________________God begins the work of preparing the temple of the human heart by bringing divine order through the ministry of John. Note the prophecies concerning John, given in Isaiah: A voice of one calling;"In the desert prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God. 4 Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. 5 And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken."Isaiah 40:3-5
(1) John is to _______________ the way for the Lord.
(2)The language here is symbolic, John is to make ___________ a highway for our God, the ___________ ground shall become __________.
(3) Raising the valley's and lowering the mountains to meet them would make them? ______________. Since we are talking about preparing the human heart to receive Jesus, how would you interpret the symbolism here? ___
______________________________________________________________
John 1:31 I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel."
(1) Could the glory of the Lord be revealed before divine order was in place?_
Mark 1:4 John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness preaching a baptism of repentance [metanoia, change of mind,] for the forgiveness of sins.
(1) The people were going to have to undergo a complete ______________ to prepare themselves to receive the Lord!
Jesus came to build the foundation on the leveled ground of the repentant heart!
1 Cor. 3:11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.
(1) Who is the foundation for our faith in God? ____________________
The final step of preparations:
The sacrifice of the Lamb of God! For the New Testament temple in the heart of man is foreshadowed in the dedication of both the tabernacle and Solomon's temple:
Leviticus 9:6-7 And Moses said, "This is the thing which the Lord has commanded you to do, that the glory of the Lord may appear to you." 7 Moses then said to Aaron, "Come near to the altar and offer your sin offering and your burnt offering, that you may make atonement for yourself and for the people; then make the offering for the people, that you may make atonement for them, just as the Lord has commanded."
(1) For the Glory of the Lord to appear they must do that ____________ __________________________________________________________
Leviticus 9:16 Then he presented the people's offering, and took the goat of the sin offering which was for the people, and slaughtered it and offered it for sin, like the first.
(1) This offering was for the ______ of the people.
Leviticus 9:23 And Moses and Aaron went into the tent of meeting. When they came out and blessed the people, the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people.
(1) What happened when everything was accomplished according to the word of God. The ______ of the Lord _________to all the people.
When Jesus had fulfilled all His Father had ordained for Him to do in His earthly ministry, He willingly went to the cross as our sacrificial lamb, instituting a new covenant taking away the rebellious heart of man. Repentant man, now a clean vessel could be indwelt by the Holy Spirit of God.
Hebrews 8:13-9:1 By calling this covenant "new," he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and aging will soon disappear.
(1) What happened to the temple of old and the old sacrificial system? ____________________________________
Hebrews 9:1 Now the first covenant had regulations for worship and also an earthly sanctuary.
The word of God says this about that tabernacle: They serve at a sanctuary that is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven.." Hebrews 8:5a
Hebrews 9:11 When Christ came as high priest of the good things that are already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation.
(1) What sanctuary did Jesus go through? The one ___ ___________.
(Jesus according to Hebrews 9:12) He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption.
(1) Jesus presented His ________ _________.
Hebrews 9:14 How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!
Sin forgiven under the first covenant was atoned for. The word in Hebrew is kaphar, [kaw-far'] we get our word coffin from it. Its meaning is to cover over. What Jesus did for us was propitiation 1 John 2:2 "and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world." Jesus became our substitute. Our sin debt was no longer just covered over but done away with. Jesus paid the price in full.
Hebrews 9:15 For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance--now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.
(1) Because of what Jesus did as our mediator, what can we now receive?
The promised ______________ ________________.
God illustrates this, As Jesus breathed His last breath, the veil that separated the Spirit of God from man, in the temple, was torn in two. God moved out.
Luke 23:45-46 "for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. 46 Jesus called out with a loud voice, 'Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.' When he had said this, he breathed his last."
One in Heart and Purpose
When Jesus entered Jerusalem in what is termed the triumphal entry, the streets were lined with thousands of followers, a limited number compared to the multitudes that He ministered to during his three and a half year ministry. According to 1 Cor. 15:3b-6a. . . . that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. 6 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time. . . .
(1) During one of Jesus' appearances _____ hundred were present at one time.
On one occasion,[after his resurrection] while he [Jesus] was eating with them, he gave them this command: "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5 For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit." Acts 1:4-5
(1) Jesus commanded them: "_______________________, but wait for the gift [Holy Spirit].
It would be fifty days until the Holy Spirit of God would appear. According to
Acts 1:15 only 120 faithful were found waiting.
In those days Peter stood up among the believers (a group numbering about a hundred and twenty)
(1)God tested the obedience to His word, of those told to wait. Only _____ and __________ faithful were in the group.
Now we come to a translation problem where King James gives the best rendering. Acts 2:1-2 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord [homothumadon, hom-oth-oo-mad-on';); unanimously :- with one accord (mind)]. in one place. 2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
Niv and NASB both render the verse And when the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together [ homou,];. in one place. This makes the verse redundant and nonsensical. Could you be together in two different places?
(1) Accepting the King James rendition-by the words of Jesus,(word of God) they were to remain until God filled them, divine order had come. They were all together and of one _________.
Luke 14:26-27 "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters--yes, even his own life--he cannot be my disciple. 27 And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.
(1) This is a contrast to the depth of Love and commitment that Jesus expects of His disciple. He warns in the ensuing passages to count the cost.
The cross always speaks of death! What does Jesus expect from you and me. ___________________________
Luke 14:33 In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.
(1) We were already eternally condemned when Jesus died for our sins, What must we be willing to give up for Him? __________________________________
(2) In your opinion what happened to the rest of the crowd of converts and onlookers? ______________________________________________.
The remnant who remained on the day of Pentecost had laid aside their dreams, ambitions, goals and personal agendas. (J) Our God is looking for a heart committed to Him.
Hebrews 12:28-29 Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; 29 for our God is a consuming fire.
(1) We serve God not because He is a harsh task-master, but out of _________ and ______. Our fear is that we might offend the one who loves us.
The Glory of the Lord revealed.
John's ministry(repentance and Christ revealed), coupled with the ministry of Jesus, (redemption) resulted in divine order, in the hearts of devotees.
God, true to His previous pattern, revealed His Glory.
Acts 2:2-3 And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent, rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them.
(1) The glory of the Lord appeared as __________of _______ and rested on ______ one of them.
Remember the words of John in Matthew 3:11 "As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
(1) John's baptism is a baptism of ______________. Jesus baptism was that of ________ with the _________ ________.
Acts 2:6 And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together, and were bewildered, because they were each one hearing them speak in his own language.
(1) Was this just a quiet small group thing?
The ____________ came together and they were __________.
As a result of the presence of the Holy Spirit, three thousand were saved and added to the church that day. According to Acts 2:43 And everyone kept feeling a sense of awe;[phobos, , fob'-os; alarm or fright :- be afraid, + exceedingly, fear, terror.] and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles.
(1) Everyone kept a sense of _________.
"As we have already seen, if God reveals His glory and the people return to a lack of fear, there is a certain judgement. In fact, the greater the glory, the greater and swifter the judgement." k
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