Bethel: The House of God

Where is God’s house? Is it a building made with human hands? Stephen, the holy martyr, testified to the Jews, “The Most High DWELLS NOT IN TEMPLES MADE WITH HUMAN HANDS.” Even our beloved apostle Paul, who heard these words come out of Stephen’s mouth, preached the same message the Gentiles saying, “God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that He is Lord of heaven and earth, DWELLS NOT IN TEMPLES MADE HANDS.” So where does God dwell, and what is His temple? Simple, our apostle wrote, “Know you not that YOU ARE THE TEMPLE OF GOD, and that the Spirit of God DWELLS IN YOU?” Many people today believe that God’s house, God’s temple, God’s Church is a brick, steel, or wooden building that is made with human hands. That is the reason the Jews stumbled at the words of Jesus saying, “Destroy THIS TEMPLE, and in three days I will raise it up.” Listen to the response of a carnal mind, “Fourty and six years was this temple in building, and will you rear it up in three days?” The apostle John when on to testify, “He spoke of the TEMPLE OF HIS BODY.” The Jews spoke of a temple made with human hands, but the Lord spoke of a temple that man did not make. To God be glory!

Our father David, King of Israel, wanted to build a house for our God, but Nathan prophesied unto our faher saying, “I will set up your SEED after you, which shall proceed out of your bowels, and I will establish His kingdom. HE SHALL BUILD A HOUSE FOR MY NAME, and I will stablish the throne of His kingdom forever.” That “Seed” that Nathan prophesied about WAS NOT SOLOMON, it was Christ Jesus, the Messiah. The Lord Jesus said, “Upon this rock I WILL BUILD MY CHURCH.” It is also written in the psalms, “Except THE LORD BUILD THE HOUSE, they labor in vain that build it.” Our Lord was not talking about a building made with dead stones, but rather a building made with “lively stones” that “are BUILT UP A SPIRITUAL HOUSE” which are “the spirits of just men made perfect.” Glory be to God for the House, Temple, Church which the Messiah built, the gates of hell still have not prevailed against it as the Lord promised.

Scripture Quotes:

Paragraph 1: Acts 7:48; 17:24

Paragraph 2: 1Cor. 3:16; John 2:19-21

Paragraph 3: 2Sam. 7:12-13; Matt. 16:18;

Psalm 127:1; 1Peter 2:5; Hebrew 12:23