Let God Be Magnified

The Following is a sermon that the great theologian J. Dwight Pentecost gave at the Dallas Theological Seminary Chapel service. It has some amazing insight on the relationship between the Temple of God and His people. He contrasts the Old Testament Temple with that of the New Testament Temple – us.

So as the Tabernacle of the nation Israel was to reveal the Father, our role, as believers, is to reveal the Father to a world in darkness. Through which we carry on the ministry of Jesus Christ who was sent first, and in part, to reveal the Father.

A New Temple

Given by J. Dwight Pentecost September 1, 2006 at Dallas Theological Seminary Chapel Service

“Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.” – 1 Corinthians 6:19.20

Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you.

You are a temple in which God dwells.

Background:

“He erected the court all around the tabernacle and the altar, and hung up the veil for the gateway of the court. Thus Moses finished his work.” – Exodus 40:33

Moses was giving careful instruction about the erection and formation of the Tabernacle. Piece by piece the articles of furniture were installed. When he finished the work a cloud covered the congregation and the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle. Moses was not able to enter because of the glory of the Lord.

“who alone possess immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen.” – 1 Timothy 6:16

Paul writes that God dwells in light into which no man can enter.

“Shekinah.” The outshining of the essential glory that belongs to the God of Glory.

Saul of Tarsus on his way to Damascus saw a great light shining from Heaven and such was its brilliance that he was left blinded.

It was the brilliance of the outshining of the glory of God.

The Synoptic Gospels and their story of the Transfiguration: they exhaust language to try and describe the brilliance of the outshining of the face and of the clothing of Jesus Christ.

The glory that filled the Tabernacle was probably no less than the light that blinded Saul or that radiated from the person of Jesus Christ at His transfiguration.

The light that emanated above the mercy seat transfigured and transformed the Tabernacle so that as men approached the Tabernacle they realized that the transformed building was the channel through which God was revealing Himself to the nation Israel.

He’s a God of glory.

That was the edifice through which God was revealing Himself – His nature, His character – to the nation that He had redeemed by blood from bondage.

“There I will meet with you; and from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are upon the ark of the testimony, I will speak to you about all that I will give you in commandment from the sons of Israel.” – Exodus 25:22

The Tabernacle was designed to be a meeting place between God and His redeemed people. And in connection with the erection of the Tabernacle God had made it very clear, “I will meet with you there.”

It was not meant to attract the nation to itself but became the transformed vehicle through which God revealed Himself.

“For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand outside.
I would rather stand at the threshold of the house of my God
Than dwell in the tents of wickedness.” – Psalm 84:10

We can see why David could write so graphically, so beautifully, so gloriously about the power of His God. The doorkeeper is not a casual visitor at the door for he positions himself at the door and takes that door a his place of residence.

David had such a glorious concept of God because he spent time in God’s presence and what which was transfiguring and transforming the physical building was transforming David himself.

He’s learning of God and he can pass that on in the songs that he wrote to be sung to the praise and glory of God.

In the New Testament Jesus Christ came into the world to reveal the Father:

“No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.” – John 1:18

Explained = declared = introduced = revealed.

Jesus Christ’s ministry up the point of His death was not to provide a sacrifice for sins because we were not saved by the life of Christ but by His words and by His works.

Jesus was revealing the Father.

“And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.” – John 1:14 (dwelt = tabernacled)

He came and “tabernacled” among us. So that the physical body of Christ becomes the channel through which the God of all glory revealed Himself to those whom He’d come to save.

Jesus fulfilled that which the Tabernacle was a prototype, a foreshadow – to reveal the Father.

And when Jesus was challenged about His claim to be the Son of God in John 8:28 He said (paraphrase) “my words and my works are a revelation of My Father because they aren’t My words but My Father’s words, and not My works but My Father’s works.”

“Philip said to Him, ‘Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.’” – John 14:8

Jesus said to him (paraphrase), “everything I did it wasn’t I doing it, it was the Father doing it. The Father was revealing Himself through My works.”

In John 17 we see Jesus as He is about to move on to the cross and the world still needs a revelation of the Father because they’re in darkness – (paraphrase) “For the same reason that You sent me into the world I now, in turn, send them into the world.”

The work of redemption was not to be done by the twelve who would disseminate the message concerning the Son of God – that could only be accomplished by death. But He is setting them apart to carry on the work that He was first of all sent into the world to do – that is to reveal the Father.

And for that same reason He sends them into the world – to make the Father known.

How would it be done?

In the book of Acts the twelve are duplicating the miracles that Jesus performed. These miracles were not only to convince the nation that Jesus is the Son of God, but through those very miracles to reveal the nature and character of His Father.

It is in this light that Paul is saying to these Corinthians (remember 1 Corinthians 6:19,20 from beginning). God has placed you where you are in order that you might be a tabernacle through which God reveals Himself, makes Himself known, so that man will not be attracted to the Tabernacle, the Temple, but will be attracted to the person who is revealing Himself through you.

This essentially means that every believer is a Theologian – a revealer of God.

“I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever;” – John 14:16

Jesus promises believers will be indwelt by the Holy Spirit.

“I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. … In that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.” – John 14:18.20

Jesus promises believers will be indwelt by the Son.

“Jesus answered and said to him, ‘If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him.’” – John 15:23

Jesus promised believers will be indwelt by the Father.

And the Triune God who set apart the Tabernacle to be a channel through which God revealed Himself to the people of Israel has set you apart to be the channel through which He reveals Himself, makes Himself known, displays His glory. Not that people would be attracted to the Tabernacle but to the God who indwells it.

This brings us to face a very serious question.

You who are married:
If your spouse were asked to write out her concept of God through what she sees of Him in you, what would be the nature of her theology?

You who are parents:
If your children got the concept of God from what they see you doing and listening to what you say how far short, what the Scripture reveals about God, would their disclosure reveal?

To you who are students:
If your classmates receive their concept of God by what they hear you say, see you do, what would their concept be?

That is why Peter says we are living epistles read and known by all men:

“You are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by all men;” – 2 Corinthians 3:2

It is the desire of God the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit so to live through you, and speak through you that They use you as They used the Tabernacle to reveal His indescribable glory to the nation He redeemed from bondage.

You are theologians. How are you living out what the Bible describes as the “character of God”?