River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1914-02-12
PASTOR EUssELL's SERMON
Continued from last week J
Gods Temple the church.

SL. Edul lellS eAdcIly what he reIoFS
to by this term. temple of God" say
ing. know We not that We are the tenn
pie of God. and that the Spirit of God
dwelleth in your In the wilderness.
when God entered into covenant reIa-
tionship with the Israelites. becoming
their God and accepting them as His
people under the Law Covenant. He
manifested Himself in the Most Holy
of their Tabernacle. The Divine pres
ence was indicated by a great light
called the Shekinah Glory, which shone
out from between the Cherubim cover
ing the Mercy Seat.
When the Israelites would draw near
TO God, they did so through His APP
pointed servants, Aaron and his sons
These had access to Gods presence
The Tabernacle was therefore the tenn
pie of God, because God was repre-
scented by His Spirit. or Power, or
Presence. there. But it was called the
Tabernacle because it was merely
tent, in contrast with the permanent
building erected later by King Solo
mon. After it's dedication. God appear
ed in that Temple instead of in the
Tabernacle. and His presence was
manifested in the same manner
The Church is the antitypical Tenn
pie of God; but. as St Peter points
out. it as Temple is not yet con-
structed. q Peter 2: A. Each con-
secrated child of God, begotten of the
Holy Spirit. is a living stone in prep
aration for place in the glorious Tenn
pie of God. soon to be constructed
These living stones are Gods work
manship He works In them by the
Spirit of Truth and by His providence
He shapes them, polishes them. devel-
ops their characters. and makes them
ready for the coming building. New
ertheless, this Master-workman always
recognizes the free will of His people.
He works in them only as much as
they are willing to let Him work, only
in harmony with their prayers to be
filled with His Spirit.
Some indeed draw back entirely.
They are at liberty to draw back unto
perdition: or as many do. they are at
liberty to draw back from the full
preparation for the Kingdom and the
Temple, to hold back from the chtsel-
ings and polishings, SO as to be unfit
for place in the Temple. AS long as
they do not draw back in heart, how
ever. but remain loyal to the Lord,
they will get a blessing, even though
they will miss the chief blessing. This
the Apostle shows in the preceding
context, saying, IF any mans work
abide, he shall receive a re-
ward IF any mans work shall be
burned. he shall suffer loss; but ne
himself shall be saved, so as by fire.
because he has built upon the Rock
The Temple Not Yet Built.
According to ST. Peters picture, the
living stones for the Temple are mere
" chiseled and polished during their
earthly life:. and not until the resur-
rection will these living stones come
together as the Temple of God. to be
fully indwelt by His Holy Spirit
Hence St Paul was speaking merely
Of our earthly bodies as temples OF
the Holy Spirit. In other words, he
was calling our feshly tabernacles
temples. So in another place he de
clared. 1--WE that are in this tabernacle
do groan. being burdened; not that we
would be unclothed without taber-
nacle. or bOdyl. but that we would De
clothed upon'-with our Heavenly
house, our spiritual bodies, which God
has promised in the resurrection.
st. Pauls thought appears to be that
wherever God may dwell is necessarily
holy-His temple or His tabernacle;
and that any wilful or intentional de-
liberateness in sin, depraving that tenn
pie or tabernacle, would be an ofense
not only against it, but against God.
Oh, If Christian people who have re-
ceived the begetting of the Holy Spirit
could but comprehend this lesson. we
may be sure that 1t would have pow
erful influence upon their lives!
solomon's Typical Temple.
Under Divine direction the stones
and timbers for Solomon's temple were
prepared before the work of construct
ing the temple began. We read that
the whole building went together per
fectly, without the sound of hammer;
|. e., there was no need to pound or
chisel any part. Every stone was per
fectly fitted for it's place. This is very
much the style of our modern construc-
ton The huge stones in our great
buildings are not chiseled on the spot.
nor during the process of construction.
but in the quarry. and then are Grated
and brought to the building site all
ready to be placed.
God, the great Architect of the spir-
itual Temple. planned and directed that
earthly temples construction so as to
make of 1t an illustration of the real
Temple of God, the Church in glory
In our earthly experiences we receive
the chiselings and polishings necessary
to our various places in the glorious
Temple about to be built Whoever
resists these chiselings. or by untitness
escapes them. will thereby just so sure