— Brother Phil Enlow: You want to know why things are happening the way they are now? More and more people are saying no. Thank God there are people who still are gonna say, yes.
(congregational amens ).
But more and more, people are saying no. “For this reason…” (NIV). This is why. “...God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie…” All right? “…And so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.”
Now, this is a case—one of those cases where the NIV gets it right and the King James gets it wrong, in one little, tiny point. You read that in the King James, it’ll say, they will believe ‘a’ lie. The Greek says, ‘the’ lie. What’s the difference?
See, this is not just believing a whole range of stuff that’s wrong, that’s a lie. This is believing the lie that goes right back to the beginning, that your destiny is to be your own god. You have these desires for a reason. They’re born in you, not to be denied but to be fulfilled! You’re supposed to follow that. That’s your destiny, so give yourself to it. That’s the lie! Whatever form that takes.
And I don’t know exactly how this is gonna unfold. I don’t have any dates. I don’t have any of that. I just know that God wants us to be alive and awake. But I’ll tell you, if the devil…to the extent the devil accomplishes what we’re talking about right here, and he gets the broad mass of humanity to, basically, reject God, reject the Gospel, and embrace ‘the lie,’ he’s gonna be able to manipulate this world any way he wants to.
He is a master manipulator, and it will not be hard for him to bring about a global society if that’s exactly what he wants to bring out. I know that’s the driving force behind the people that are ruling things in this planet right now, the money, the power, the philosophy. That’s where it’s headed. That’s where they want to take us. We’ll see what God allows.
But I’ll tell you one thing, there is a temple that is being built and occupied. It was designed to be God’s temple, but man is occupying it. Lost, rebellious man is saying, I am God, falling for the same lie that felled Lucifer in the beginning, who says, “I will be like the most High.” (KJV).
And again, Paul is writing this because he wants God’s people to understand this. Didn’t Paul, back in the first letter to the Thessalonians, talk about, you’re not in darkness, so wake up. Don’t get drunk like those who are drunk in the night. That’s what’s going on. There is a drunkenness with this spirit of delusion that God is allowing because people have rejected truth!
It’s going out with more and more force and more and more clarity every single day, and God wants His people to wake up and say, wait a minute. I don’t have to be a part of that. There is a temple that’s being built.
And I’m just…I’ve gone back and forth on this, trusting the Lord to…I don’t think I’m gonna have time to really go into the other. But do you know, there’s another temple? Do you know God has a temple? Do you understand what’s happening here?
Go back to the beginning. God’s purpose was to live in human beings, to actually live in us, to make His home—to make His home in us. But man said, no, this is my vessel. I will do as I please. I will be my own god.
But God has a people that He is gathering in this hour. We’re not being gathered into cathedrals and buildings as though they are the…that’s what God is after. God’s heart is to live in human beings.
Look at what he says…look what Paul says, in a couple of places. 1st Corinthians chapter 3. This is something that needs to be fleshed out at some point, but he’s talking…he’s talking to the believers there about the building of God’s church, the building of what God wanted to do and how it has to be on the foundation of what Jesus did! It’s not on the foundation of who I am as a human being trying to be me. It’s the foundation of Jesus Christ who shed His blood, gave His life up for me so that I can give myself to Him.
Any other foundation, you haven’t got a foundation. That’s what’s gonna hold people. I’ll tell you, if you don’t have this…if that foundation is not laid in a human heart, you will succumb to the spirit of delusion that is enveloping this dark world. How many times have we said, when you get to that day when Jesus comes, there will be such a radical difference between those who are caught up in glory to be with Him and those upon whom fire rains.
You know, I gave you my secondary title last week. “Glory and Fire” or “Fire and Glory.” That’s where we’re headed. But oh, praise God for the glory that’s coming. But Paul says in verse 16 of 1st Corinthians chapter 3, “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple…” (NIV). That’s pretty plain language. He’s writing to Christian believers and said, don’t you understand? Don’t you get this? You are God’s temple! “…And that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?”
And then, he’s talking about people who would come in and mess with that in some fashion. “If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for God’s temple is sacred, and you together…” you together, “…are that temple.”
How many of you remember what Jesus said that was so misunderstood? The religious leaders said, show us a sign, as to why You’re doing all this. He said, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.”
Of course, they thought He was totally nuts, because they thought He was talking about the building that took 46 years to build. You’re gonna do it in three days? But it says that the disciples understand later on after He was raised from the dead that He wasn’t talking about a building. He was talking about His body.
See, God’s not looking for buildings like we think of them. He’s looking to live in human flesh. And at that point in time, Jesus was God’s temple on earth. His Father lived in Him, and that’s where the expression of everything He said and did came from.
But you know, there’s a glorious prophesy. I’m not gonna try to unpack all of it, but I’m just gonna refer to something that’s come back to me a number of times over the years. This goes back to the Old Testament. How many of you remember the prophecy about, there would be a messenger go out, but then the Lord, whom you seek, will do what? “…Suddenly…come to his temple.” What’s he talking about? When did the Lord come to the temple Paul is talking about? Yeah, that’s what, but when?
( congregational response ).
Yeah. How about the day of Pentecost? All of a sudden, the Lord came to His temple. I believe, by the way, it happened in the physical temple not in the upper room. I can easily prove that. But nonetheless, it wasn’t God…or Christ coming by the Spirit to the physical temple, it was the real temple!
And boy, before that day was ended, that temple was 3,000 members strong, and it became just filled with His life and His power! And there was a unity, there was a power that God exhibited, because it was His temple. Folks, God has called us to be His temple in this hour, when the spirit of rebellious man is occupying the mass of humanity! God still has a temple.
( congregational amens ).
You and I are that temple. I’ve heard a lot of expressions recently that I absolutely agree with. It’s the organic nature of the church. The church is not an organization, any more than your body is an organization. It’s living. It’s interconnected. There’s a shared life that animates, that makes us what we are and gives us power to be alive!
Folks, the only thing that gives you and me power to have anything to do with what God’s purpose is, and eternity is God living in us. That’s what the church is meant to be about. And I’ll tell you, God wants us to see what’s going on, but at the same time, to understand, what He is doing that affects me? He wants to absolutely live in us to the point where we grow up as His temple.
How many of you remember Ephesians chapter 3? Or is it the end of 2, I think? First of all, I’ve got to find Ephesians. There we go. Now I won’t take time to go through all of this, because we’ve seen it so many times. But basically, Paul is dealing with the fact that He’s working out a great purpose. He’s called us. He’s enabled us. He’s done everything that’s necessary to make us what He wants us to be. All right?
Now, he deals with the fact that there are Jews and Gentiles, and where does that fit in? And Paul says, that’s a thing of the past. God’s made us one. He broke the wall down. By the way, He’s not ever gonna rebuild it. God doesn’t have a separate purpose for them, than He has from us. It’s all His purpose for His people, Jew and Gentile alike.
But listen to what he says, in verse 18, “For through him…” through Christ, “…we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers….” He’s writing to Gentiles here…didn’t know anything about all this coming in. “…You are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people….”
All right? Let’s go on and see what he says. “…And also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together…” In Him! “…The whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.”
You want to know what the church is about? There it is. Anything else is just a religious organization. Folks, God has called us together, and I pray that He will give us a fresh understanding, not only of what’s going on in the world so we can be aware, but also of who we are.
We sing the song every now and then, “God is Building a House.” And I am part of that house. “…Building a house that will stand.” Folks, that’s what He’s doing with our lives.
And I had the thought come to me…this is probably where it needs to go in the future. I wonder how much God is at home in us? That’s a sobering thought, isn’t it? Do we, maybe, just need Him to work in us a bit? A big bit…but He’s faithful, isn’t He?
But do you see, God is building us together, to be something that is living…that’s as living as a body, which of course, is the other illustration that he uses in the scriptures. We are literally the body that He lives in. Every one of us is a part of it. He’s designed each one of you to fill a certain place in that.
What other purpose do we have in being here? You see, you come to that day that’s coming, you’re gonna be in one camp or the other. I certainly don’t want to be in the one that’s unaware that He’s coming, and all of a sudden, fire falls. I want to be one that’s looking and ready and understands what God’s purpose is, what He’s called me to, so that I can be part of that.
But I want Him to be more and more at home in my life. I want my life to be more and more an expression of what He wants and His character and His Spirit. Do you think, maybe, the Lord just has a little bit of work to do to get us to where He’s more at home with us? And not just here in the assembly, but I mean outside.
Do you see where the two temples come in? There’s so much more that could be said, and I just…I feel like, maybe, that’s what needs to be said today. I confess I wrestle with these things. I’m trusting the Lord’s in this. The devil fights it. I think that’s what’s going on…because I’ll feel like I’m on the right track, and then all of a sudden…I’m not so sure. But I know that God wants us to understand the things that are going on in the world, so we’re not fooled like the world is.
( congregational amens ).
We’re not dismayed by it. We understand where it’s going. We can pray for those who still have a capacity, who haven’t said that final no. We’re here for a reason to bear witness to the Light, to live out the life of Christ for anybody that can see that Light.
But we’re getting nearer and nearer to that time that he’s talking about here, and we need to live with the knowledge of that. And it’s like I quoted that part of that chorus last week, living with eternity’s values in view. God has called us to live for something that’s eternal.
I think it’s something that I said this morning. We rely naturally on human strength to accomplish things that have to do with this world. That’s how we are constituted. But God is bringing His people to a place where we don’t rely on ourselves anymore, but we learn to let go and rely on Him, to do His will and preform what He wants to do through us, so that what happens, as a result, is not just something that will burn up when this world burns up, but it will last into eternity.
Do you realize the power, the potential that lies in the simplest, smallest, most unimportant, by human measurement, one that’s here…if you’re His, you have the power, by yielding to Him, to have things happen that will have eternal results, every single one of us, because it’s not about us? It’s not I, but Christ that lives in me.
That’s the whole secret of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. God’s building Him a temple. And oh, there’s gonna be a time when that temple will rise, and it will be finished, and like the artist, the ultimate artist that God is, there’s gonna be a day when all that He’s been doing, the veil is gonna be pulled back, and He’ll say, this is what I’ve been doing—this is what I’ve been doing.
Where do you want to be on that day? I want to be part of that. I want to let Him do whatever He needs to do in me to get me ready for that. He’s doing it. To Him will be all the glory.
( congregational response ).
But that is the day that’s coming fast. We’re, well, more than 50 years out of the 60’s. A lot of us didn’t think it was gonna go this long. I don’t know how long it’s gonna go. It doesn’t matter. God knows! I know there is a day coming of glory, and I know there’s a day coming of God’s justice landing upon a wicked world that has chosen to rebel against Him! But oh, there’s gonna be glory for those who have put their trust in Jesus Christ. Is that a faith worth dying for?
( congregational response ).
Living for, dying for, whatever, because that’s all Jesus lived for. That’s all He came to do was to make it possible for you and you and you and me to be part of this. Praise God! Thank God for what He’s given to us through the Gospel. Oh, thank God!
And I’ll tell you, the further we go, the more we see evil arise, we’re gonna find ourselves in more and more difficult places. We’ve said many times, just look overseas, and you’ll find believers who have everything worldly taken from them, sometimes their lives. But there’s one thing they can never take, and that’s Jesus!
And He has promised to be faithful to the end. May He give us the grace to be faithful to the end. That’s what it’s gonna take. But I’ll tell you, when we lose everything that men value in this world, we still have Him.
( congregational response ).
And it’s gonna be okay, because He’s gonna finish what He started. To Him be glory. Two temples! Which one are you a part of? I want to be a part of the one that’s waiting for that day, because I know what’s coming. I know it because He rose from the dead, and He sits on the throne. He rules, and He reigns, and no devil in hell can stop the purpose for which God raised Him up. To God be the glory!
