I AM YHVH’S TEMPLE – PART 2

2 -- YHVH Is Worshiped Here:

A friend told the story about her 5-year-old son, as he worked on his Speak and Spell computer. He was concentrating intensely, typing words for the computer to say back to him. He punched in the word YHVH. To his surprise, the computer said: [Word not found.] He tried again and got the same reply. With great disgust, he stared at the computer and told in it no uncertain terms, [Yeshua is not going to like this!] I think he was right. Like the boy’s Speak and Spell, I wonder sometimes if we recognize the Name of YHVH as He indwells us as His Temple. More than anything else, the Temple in the Old Testament was a place to worship YHVH. But as for me, I will come into Thy house in the multitude of Thy mercy: and in Thy fear will I worship toward Thy Holy Temple. -- Psalms 5:7. We have thought of thy loving-kindness, O YHVH, in the midst of Thy Temple. -- Psalms 48:9. I will worship toward Thy Holy Temple, and praise Thy Name for Thy Loving-Kindness and for Thy Truth: for Thou hast magnified Thy Word above all Thy Name. -- Psalms 138:2. The focus in the Old Testament was on going to a place where people could worship YHVH. But now, Paul tells us, we are YHVH’s house of worship; both as individuals and as a church, the place where we are at, is the place that YHVH is worshiped. As you sing or pray in your church services, YHVH is there, right in your midst, enjoying your words of praise. Right now, YHVH is reading every word that I write and sees inside each one of our hearts and He knows if we are accepting His Word with a desire to worship Him even more or not. Wherefore we receiving a Kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve YHVH acceptably with reverence and godly fear -- Hebrews 12:28. If I am the Temple of YHVH and we at TTN are the Temple of YHVH collectively, then we have no choice but to be a Temple filled with worship; anything less than this is a denial of YHVH’s presence among us.

Question: Why are you reading this? Why are you a believer? Why do you gather together with other believers? While there are a number of acceptable answers to those questions, such as [I want to learn more about the Bible] or [I need fellowship] or something along those lines, there is one answer that we cannot do without. The answer first and foremost in everything we do in our churches, ministries on TTN and as individuals comes under the heading of worship. I want to worship YHVH; I am a believer because I want to worship YHVH; I gather with other believers because I want to worship YHVH. We are YHVH’s Temple; we are the place of worship; we have been born again by HaRuach of YHVH to worship YHVH and everything else that we do, say or think is secondary to that fact. Being a great evangelist starts with a heart of worship; being a biblical scholar starts with a heart of worship; being a gifted musician starts with a heart of worship. Everything that we do as individuals and as a church or ministry, begins, ends and subsists on worship, because we are the Temple of YHVH.

3 -- YHVH Is Honoured Here:

The church in Corinth that Paul was writing to had many very serious problems. One of the problems they were having dealt with people engaging in inappropriate sexual activity that was definitely outside the Will of YHVH. In response Paul wrote: What? Know ye not that your body is the Temple of Ruach which is in you, which ye have of YHVH, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore, glorify YHVH in your body, and in your spirit, which are YHVH’s. -- 1 Corinthians 6:19-20. He is saying: [How dare you defile the Temple of YHVH which is your body! Don’t you realize that YHVH is with you in the very midst of your sin?] The context of the second verse had to do with the church as a whole; there were people trying to cause divisions within the church, stirring up controversy, trying to ruin the work that YHVH was doing there. Paul responded by saying: Know ye not that ye are the Temple of YHVH, and that HaRuach of YHVH dwelleth in you? If any man defiles the Temple of YHVH, him shall YHVH destroy; for the Temple of YHVH is holy, which Temple ye are. -- 1 Corinthians 3:16-17.

He is saying: [How dare you try to destroy this Temple that YHVH has constructed with His own hands. How dare you dishonour YHVH by dividing His people?] In both cases that we have looked at, YHVH’s Temple was dishonoured when His people engaged in sinful behaviour, either by themselves or as a group. What we need to understand is that we, as the Temple of YHVH, bring YHVH with us everywhere that we go. Every time that we lie, steal, committing adultery or doing anything sinful, YHVH is there. Every time that we go to the movies, to work or to church, YHVH is there. When we go to these places or engage in various activities, we need to understand that we are literally including YHVH in all of them. So, what we want to make sure is that the things that we say and the places we go, are going to bring honour to YHVH rather than dishonour. And grieve not Ruach HaKodesh of YHVH, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. -- Ephesians 4:30. The last thing that we want to do is break YHVH’s heart, it is been broken enough times before and we must refuse to be a part of it anymore. We honour this Temple, when we live under YHVH’s direction.