A Lamp Unto My Feet Bible Study Website
EZRA, THE BELIEVER AS THE TEMPLE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
Lesson #06
THE SOUL AND BODY OF THE BELIEVER
- Memory verse: Eph 4:23-24
- Review:
- In our last lesson we learned that the believer makes his daily life decisions in the soul area of his being (on the porch steps of Solomon’s Temple).
- Paul tells us that these daily life decisions are a choice between the old man of the flesh and the new man of the Spirit.
- Read Col 3:8-10
- This “putting off” the old man and “putting on” the new man is a two-fold process.
- =1= His Spiritual Position: The instant a person is born again by receiving Jesus Christ into his heart, is the moment he puts off the old man of the flesh nature and puts on the new man of the Spirit. His spiritual position is how God sees the new believer in his spiritual reality.
- =2= His Daily Practice: Every day the believer makes choices in his life as to whether to follow his old nature that is still present with the believer but is not dominant in him. This is how the believer sees himself in his current worldly reality.
- Sometimes he makes the right decisions.
- Sometimes he makes the wrong decisions.
- The work of the Holy Spirit in cooperation with the believer is to make the believer’s daily practice match his spiritual position.
- This is a gradual process called “Sanctification”.
- This is what maturity in the Christian life consists of…making faith choices as opposed to flesh choices.
- The more faith choices he makes in his life, the more mature he becomes spiritually.
- The steps of Solomon’s Temple porch are located in the inner courtyard of Solomon’s temple. This area represents the soul of man where he makes his decisions.
- Moving outward from Solomon’s temple, and moving outward from the inner courtyard, we arrive at the outer courtyard. The outer courtyard represents the body of man.
- This was the lowest level of the temple complex.
- The outer courtyard was constantly exposed to outside influences in the same way that man is exposed to outside influences through his body.
- Solomon’s experience:
- In the days of King Solomon, the harem buildings for his 300 concubines and the women’s quarters for his 700 wives was located next to the outer courtyard.
- It was these external influences that turned Solomon’s heart away from following God to permitting his foreign wives and concubines to bring their idols into the temple for worship.
- In the presence of all the idols in the temple, finally the Holy Spirit’s presence left Solomon’s temple in the book of Ezekiel.
- The interesting thing to notice is that the people never even noticed that the glorious light of God’s presence was no long present in the temple.
- The darkness of idolatry came on so gradually that their spiritual eyes became blinded to the difference between light and darkness.
- Jesus’ experience:
- In the days when Jesus walked in Herod’s temple, it was the outer courtyard where the money changers did their ungodly business.
- Twice in his ministry Jesus turned over the tables of the money changers in the outer courtyard.
- He indicated that His Father’s house had become a den of thieves.
- In other words, the enemy had stolen holiness from the temple and the people tolerated it.
- The believer’s experience:
- It is in the area of his soul that the believer makes his flesh choices.
- =1= This is where he is influenced by the world system.
- =2= This is where he is influenced by the temptations of the enemy, Satan.
- =3= This is where he is influenced by bad experiences from his past. We will talk more about this later in our study.
- It is the area of his soul that the believer can make faith choices.
- This is where he can allow God to influence his decisions by the Spirit that dwells within.
- This is where he can allow the mind of Christ to influence him from within.
- Man needs a soul as an expression of life and he needs a body through which to express his life outwardly.
- Read Gal 5:25
- In the daily walk of the believer, he constantly makes choices on the steps of the temple.
- Faith choices:
- It is in the area of his soul that the believer makes his flesh choices.
- Solomon’s experience:
He uses his new will power that God gave him when he was born again to choose faith choices and walk after the Spirit.
When he makes faith choices, he permits God’s life to fill his soul with God’s love and God’s power.
This is single-minded man who lets the Holy Spirit control him.
Read Rom 6:7-8
The believer that has crucified his flesh and considers it dead is free from the temptation to sin.
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- Flesh choices:
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He uses his emotions or desires of the old man to choose to walk after the world.
When he makes flesh choices, he is led into all manner of sins of the flesh.
This is a double-minded man who lets sin control him. He is double minded because he still has the Holy Spirit living inside of him but he is making decisions based on his own flesh desires and emotions.
Read Eph 4:30
The believer that closes the temple door and does not permit the internal love of God and power of the Holy Spirit to exit into the inner courtyard of his soul gives power to his emotions, his flesh, and the desires of his body to influence his decisions.
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- Because the soul and body of man are interconnected. The body often is allowed to win this battle between the Spirit and the Flesh.
- Read 1Joh 2:16
- All temptation of man from the time of Adam and Eve to today falls into these same three categories.
- =1= Lust of the flesh
- =2= Lust of the eye.
- =3= The pride of life.
- Read Gen 3:4-6 The Temptation of Eve
- Lust of the flesh:
- All temptation of man from the time of Adam and Eve to today falls into these same three categories.
- Read 1Joh 2:16
- Because the soul and body of man are interconnected. The body often is allowed to win this battle between the Spirit and the Flesh.
Eve saw that the tree was good for food.
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- Lust of the eyes:
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Eve saw that the tree was pleasant to the eye. The eyes are the gateway into the soul of man.
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- The pride of life:
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Eve saw that the tree was desirable to make one wise. The appeal is to the glory and edification of man. This pride displaces the Holy Spirit within man with the spirit of the world. (Jam 4:4)
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- Read Mat 4:1-10. The Temptation of Jesus who was tempted in all points as we are (Heb 4:15)
- Lust of the flesh:
- Read Mat 4:1-10. The Temptation of Jesus who was tempted in all points as we are (Heb 4:15)
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Jesus was hungry and was told to command the stones be made bread.
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- Lust of the eyes:
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Jesus was shown all the kingdoms of the world.
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- The pride of life:
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Jesus was told to throw himself off the pinnacle of the temple and angels would catch him.
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- Notice the nature of all temptation for the believer appeals to the body and soul of man.
- The lust of the flesh. (Temptation through the body and soul combined)
- The lust of the eye. (Temptation through the body)
- The pride of life. (Temptation of the soul)
- The power of sin
- The power of sin still lives in our unregenerated bodies.
- The believer has a regenerated spirit and a regenerated heart having been born again.
- The believer will receive a new regenerated body at the rapture of the Church.
- Notice that when the believer is born again he does not get a new body.
- Therefore as long as he has this old body, the power of sin is eager to raise his head whenever the believer gives sin an opportunity.
- When the believer receives his new body at the rapture of the church, then the believer will no longer have this battle within him between the flesh and the Spirit.
- When the believer makes his decisions based on emotions, feelings, or his own desires, he is following the leading of the flesh nature and making flesh choices and giving sin an opportunity.
- For the non-believer, the flesh nature is always the winner in this spiritual battle.
- The non-believer has no spiritual power to overcome the temptations of the flesh.
- The sin nature is the enemy’s force that dwells in human flesh.
- Satan uses the power of sin to gain control of the outer courtyard and the inner courtyard of man’s being. If he can control this area of the soul, he can control all areas of man.and his decisions.
- The power of sin still lives in our unregenerated bodies.
- Notice the nature of all temptation for the believer appeals to the body and soul of man.
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Homework
The Hidden Chambers of the Soul
- Application of The Soul and Body of the Believer
- What have new things have you learned that affect how you make decisions in your life?
- What new power did you discover that the believer has in making the right decisions?
- Preparation for The Hidden Chambers of the Soul
- Read 1Chr 28:11-12
- On your temple floor plan, notice where the doors are to these chambers.
- Do the doorways enter into the Holy of Holies?
- Do the doorways enter into the Holy Place?
- Do the doorways enter into the Inner Courtyard?
- On your temple floor plan, notice where the doors are to these chambers.
- Read 1Kin 6:5-8 Three levels of tiered chambers
- Read Eze 8:6-12
- What things did the Israelites hide in the hidden chambers?
- Read 2Chr 29:16
- Read 1Chr 28:11-12
- Memory Verse: Joh 8:32
