Read more in this series: Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 / Part 5 / Part 6 / Part 7 / Part 8 / Part 9 / Part 10 / Part 11 / Part 12
As temples of the Holy Spirit, we exist to glorify God while we welcome visitors into His presence. Every choice in our lives should conform to this purpose.
In this series we are exploring what it means to be temples of the Holy Spirit. We’re looking at the nine types of people who visit temples so that we can understand their motivation. If we understand what drives them, we will better understand how to help them on their journey towards the Lord.
Outside the Temple
In the old days a sin offering was made to atone for the people. The blood and fat of a perfect bull would be brought before the Lord. Then the rest of the bull would be burned outside the camp.
This foreshadowed the sacrifice made by Jesus when He gave His life on the cross.
Hebrews 13:11-13 ESV - For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy places by the high priest as a sacrifice for sin are burned outside the camp. So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood. Therefore let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured.
Jesus was crucified outside the city gate. He called Himself the door (John 10:7) and claimed to be the only way to enter the kingdom of heaven.
John 14:6 ESV - Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
If we want to know God, one thing is clear: we can’t get close to Him without stopping at the cross. The temple is a place of relationship with God, and we don’t get to set foot on the temple grounds without going through salvation.
It is here, kneeling at the cross, face down in the dirt, where we find our second visitor.
The Broken-Hearted
Matthew 5:4 ESV - Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
I remember when it finally set in for me—the weight of sin. I had gone to church my whole life, but the weight of sin was something I had never let myself experience. Up to that point, whenever I made a bad decision, I ran.
I didn’t call it that, of course. I told myself I was chasing a new career path or looking for some better life direction. I ran to friends and entertainment. I ran to achievement and popularity. As things got worse, I ran to sinful addictions. I told myself I just needed a way to feel better, but in reality I was running away from guilt and pain. I was lost in the wilderness.
Then I made some choices with consequences so severe that I couldn’t run away. The full weight of what I had done came upon me and threatened to choke the life out of everything I loved. I was separated from my wife and kids. I was barely holding on.
I knew I couldn’t keep running, but I didn’t know what to do. For days on end I went numbly through the motions, unable to feel or think about much of anything except for the unbearable realization of who I had become.
Then my wife invited me to church. As we stood singing worship, the Lord opened my eyes. I somehow knew that there was no way out of my sin except through Jesus. I had heard the gospel many times, and I had even professed Christ, but in my heart of hearts, I had never surrendered to Him.
I realized in that moment that I had been living for myself. Every decision I’d made had been in service of my own desires, and it had gotten me nowhere.
That’s when I surrendered to the Lord. Not a lip-service surrender—a full surrender. I gave him everything. Not just the bad, but all the good, too. I accepted His forgiveness, and in that moment, He changed me.
Joy and thankfulness entered my heart in a way I had not known before. Freedom washed over me in a way I had never felt. I knew I still had healing to do and lots of things to learn, but I also somehow knew that things were going to be okay.
The Lord comforted me. He met me in the lowest part of my life and lifted me up. He set me free and set me on a path of healing.
My wife and I started working on our marriage, and I began growing closer to the Lord through my relationship with Jesus Christ. Today our marriage is better than I ever could have hoped for, and my relationship with Jesus is the most important part of my life.
It wouldn’t have happened if I’d tried to keep running. I had to stop and realize that my life was broken and beyond my power to fix. I had to admit my powerlessness.
Thank God someone was there to point me to Jesus. Thank God for my wife, who invited me to church. Thank God for the worship leaders, who faithfully served. Thank God for the pastor, who explained the truth of the gospel.
Because of their faithfulness, I was able to earnestly believe that God exists and that He could help me. Their faith helped me make the conscious choice to follow Jesus, and to never look back.
The Lifter of My Head
At the foot of the cross are the Broken-Hearted. They are overwhelmed with sorrow. They feel the weight of brokenness.
I was broken because of the consequences of my own sin, but not all are. Some are victims who feel broken by evil people. Some feel the brokenness of tragic loss. Some feel the brokenness of shattered dreams that will never be fulfilled.
Yet all broken-hearted people share one thing: they all know, deep in their hearts, that they are powerless to change, and that no bottle or drug or relationship can repair the damage that’s been done to them.
When we meet the broken-hearted, we can offer comfort. We can support them and encourage them to simply look up into the eyes of the loving Savior.
Psalm 3:3 ESV - But you, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head.
He gave His life to do more than fix us. He gave His life so we could be made new.
2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV - Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
We can comfort the afflicted as Jesus comforts us. God does not despise a broken heart.
2 Corinthians 1:3-4 ESV - Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
We can remind them of God’s promises.
Psalm 119:50 ESV - This is my comfort in my affliction, that your promise gives me life.
We can lead them through a prayer of salvation. The Roman Road is a great way to help someone understand what God has done for them and how they can respond to receive healing and forgiveness.
We only move beyond the cross by accepting salvation. That means confessing our sin, laying it at Jesus’ feet, and receiving His forgiveness. Then we can experience overwhelming joy as our burdens are lifted and our hearts are made new.