Sermon #1538 Miscellaneous
Sermons
Title: “Jesus walked in the
Text: John 10:22-23
Subject: The Presence of Christ in Our Assemblies
Date: Sunday
Morning—
Tape # X-76b
Introduction:
We have been praying for the
Lord’s blessing upon our upcoming conference for many weeks. We have invested
money, labor, time, and care in making preparations for the meeting. I hope the
conference will be a blessed time of fellowship with friends, old and new. I
hope we will be blessed and that we will be a blessing. But there is one thing
I want more than anything else, one thought that has been on my heart more than
anything else, one thing
about which I have made a matter of prayer more than anything
else. I hope this is your great concern as well.—Will
the Lord walk in our midst? That is what I want to talk to you about tonight.
My text will be John 10:22-23.
(John
10:22-23) "And it was at
“Jesus walked in the temple.” Oh, may he be pleased to do
so again! “Jesus walked in the temple.”
·
Where? "at
The whole length of the four sides of the outer court of the
temple was three quarters of a mile. The eastern side was "Solomon’s Porch. " It contained a large gallery of columns in double
rows. Each column, thirty-five feet high, consisted of one piece of white
marble. The roof above was in panels of cedar-wood. The view, through the
columns, eastward and outward, ranged across the valley over the
As the Master walked among the columns of Solomon’s porch, I cannot
helping wondering what must have been going through
his mind at the time.
o
o
The
typical significance of the temple being fulfilled?
o
The
accomplishment of his mission?
o
The
trials his diciples must soon endure?
·
When? "It was winter." Truly,
this is a time of spiritual winter!
·
The
Ocassion? "It
was the feast of the dedication."
Dr. Gill tells us, “This was the feast of
dedication, appointed by Judas Maccabaeus and his brethren, on account
of the purging the temple, and renewing the altar, after the profanation of
them by Antiochus; which feast lasted eight days, and began on the twenty fifth
of the month Cisleu, which answers to part of our December.”
The feast of dedication, like our annual
conference was a time set aside by the Jews to celebrate God’s goodness in
restoring his worship after a long period of spiritual darkness and idolatry.
It was an annual service of consecration and renewed devotion to the worship of
God.
Proposition: That which stands out about this particular event is the fact
that the Lord Jesus Christ was there, walking with his disciples in the temple.
As we have come together tonight, as we plan to come together with
many friends from around the world next weekend, as we come together every
Sunday morning, every Sunday evening, and every Tuesday night through out the
year, I want three questions to be uppermost in our thoughts.
I. WILL Our Savior
BE HERE?
Will he be in our assembly? The place may be a very
A.
We
have asked him to visit us; and he will not refuse his friends.
B.
We
have tried to prepare for him. We are waiting to welcome him, as Cornelius
waited to hear Peter.
C.
We
have great need of him, and he is full of compassion.
D. We have some of his brethren here among
us, and these bring him with them: indeed, he is in them.
E.
We
have those here whom he is seeking. He seeks lost sheep, and such are here.
F.
He
has promised to come wherever two or three gather in his name (Matt.
·
Trusting
Him.
·
Seeking
His Will.
·
To
Worship Him.
·
For
His Glory.
·
For
The Increase of His Kingdom.
John Trapp wrote, “When Christ saith, ‘I will be with you,’ you
may add what you will - to protect you, to direct you, to comfort you, to carry
on the work of grace in you, and in the end to crown you with immortality and
glory. All this and more is included in this precious promise.”
G. He has been with us for a long time.
II. WILL HE STAY HERE?
He will-
A.
If we
prize his company, and feel that we cannot live without it. We must by earnest
prayer constrain him to abide with us (Luke 24:29).
B.
If we
love him, love his truth, and delight to make it known.
C.
If we
obey his voice.
D. If we reverence him, his Word, and his
worship.
E.
If we
are united in love to him, to one another, and to poor sinners.
F.
If we
sit at his feet like Mary of old.
G. If we are jealously watchful.
III. WHAT WILL HE DO IF HE COMES?
A.
He
will walk among us.
B.
He
will grieve over the spiritual condition of many, even as he mourned over the
ruin of
C.
He
will wait to give audience to any who desire to speak with him.
D. He will speak by his servant; and his
Word, whether received or rejected, will come with great authority and power.
E.
He
will show us the temple itself. He is himself the key to it. Indeed, he is the
(
·
The
(Heb
9:11) "But Christ being come an
high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle,
not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;"
(Rev
15:5) "And after that I looked,
and, behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was
opened:"
·
The
Altar (Heb.
(Heb
8:10) "For this is the
covenant that I will make with the house of
(Rev
8:3) "And another angel came and
stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much
incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the
golden altar which was before the throne."
·
The
Sacrifice (Heb.
(1
Cor 5:7) "Purge out therefore the old
leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our
Passover is sacrificed for us:"
(Heb
9:28) "So Christ was once offered
to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the
second time without sin unto salvation."
·
The
Showbread (Heb. 9:2).
(Heb
9:2) "For there was a tabernacle
made; the first, wherein was the candlestick, and the table, and the
showbread; which is called the sanctuary."
·
The
Veil (Heb.
(Heb
10:20) "By a new and living way,
which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his
flesh;"
·
The
(Heb
9:4-5) "Which had the golden
censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was
the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables
of the covenant; {5} And over it the cherubims
of glory shadowing the mercyseat; of which we cannot now speak
particularly."
(Heb
10:19-20) "Having therefore,
brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, {20} By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us,
through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;"
(1
John 1:7-10) "But if we walk in the
light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the
blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. {8} If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the
truth is not in us. {9} If we confess our sins,
he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from
all unrighteousness. {10} If we say that we
have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us."
(1
John 2:1-2) "My little children,
these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if
any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:
{2} And he is the propitiation for our sins: and
not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world."
·
The
Priest (Heb.
(Heb
10:12) "But this man, after he had
offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of
God;"
(Heb
10:21-22) "And having an
high priest over the house of God; {22} Let us draw near with a true
heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil
conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water."
F.
He
will to his own people reveal his glory, his mercy, his grace, and his love, as once the Lord's light shone above the
mercy-seat.
H. He will take us where he always walks, but
where there is no winter: to the New Jerusalem, to the temple, to a more beautiful
building than Solomon's Porch (Rev. 21:10-11).
Application:
(
How do you respond to that?
How do I?
·
Speak Lord?
·
I have put off my coat. How shall I put it on?
(Psa
102:13) "Thou shalt arise, and have
mercy upon