Temporary Temples

This morning, I want us to spend some time looking at Buildings. They are

all around us – we live in a building – some of us work in a building – and

we are thankful for the shelter that our buildings provide for us.

But when you think about the shelter and the protection our buildings

provide for us, we also understand that those that shelter and protection is

not permanent – the status of any building is temporary.

Some of you know of my love for old buildings – and, in particular – my

hobby of photographing old barns. I even have a name for my adventures

in that area. I call it “OUR VANISHING LANDSCAPE.”

I roam around the countryside looking for – and photographing old barns – I

find some in remarkable, great condition for their ages – some in the

condition of nearly falling down and unusable.

I won’t even consider photographing a nice new modern barn.

Now, back to considering our temporary temples.

Today, when a building needs to be taken down, charges of explosives are

set to reduce the buildings to a pile of rubble in minutes. What took weeks

or months to build is reduced to a pile of bricks and lumber in just minutes.

The building is now unrecognizable. Once the debris is cleared away there

is no evidence that the building ever existed.

READ: Luke 21:5-6; Mark 13:13

And while some were talking about the temple, that it was adorned with beautiful stones and votive gifts, He said, “As for these things which you are looking at, the days will come in which there will not be left one stone upon another which will not be torn down.”

Luke 21:5-6

You will be hated by all because of My name, but the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.

Mark 13:13

In the Scriptures Jesus and His Apostles are talking about a building,

As we follow their conversation, We can see at least three (3) views of this

building,

1. It is an admired building.

2. It is a destructible building.

3. It is a permanent building.

First, let’s look at the Admired Building

One admired building in existence at the time was Herod’s Temple.

Herod’s temple sat on top of Mount Moriah – its construction began in the

year 19 B.C. and it covered 20 acres.

The stones used to construct the Temple measure 40 feet X 18 feet X 12

feet. Some of those stones must have weighed several tons!

What is amazing, to me anyway, is how they were able to move those

stones. With the crude equipment they had available – nothing like movers

of buildings have available today.

How were they able to move them and get them into place?

Our finite minds cannot comprehend such abilities. But, we have to

remember that God is in this – it is His plan – so it is going to happen

whether we can comprehend it or not!

A writer somewhere in the past wrote this about the Temple: “He who never

saw the Temple of Herod never saw a fine building.”

The building was the ultimate in human art and achievement.

It seemed so secure and so solid that it would stand forever.

As the Apostles viewed the Temple they were awestruck by its

magnificence.

It is important to remember that these men were Galileans – they were

what we would today describe as “country boys.”

They were experiencing – for the first time – the amazing aspects of the Big

City.

By the way, the Jews were also just as impressed with the magnificent

building. They expected that an earthly kingdom would come.

So, they saw this impressive building as part of that kingdom on earth.

It was impossible for them to believe that such a building could ever be

destroyed in any way.

Now, let’s look at the Destructible Building

This great building – Herod’s Temple – was not one that would stand

forever. Even in all of its majesty, and all of its indestructible glory, it was

destructible.

In fact, it was destroyed in 70 A.D. – less than 50 years after Jesus made

this prophecy.

The temple was destroyed by the order of the Roman officer Titus.

There was no stone that was left unturned – it was utterly destroyed.

Today, the buildings we see in our cities and towns, along the roadways, all

of them – they are all vulnerable to destruction.

Weather conditions will destroy buildings – tornados, typhoons, cyclones,

all these are destructive; wars have destroyed buildings; fire destroys

buildings, a lack of maintenance will destroy buildings.

Our buildings are not exempt from destruction.

Yet, we admire a nice stately building. Some people will worship a

particular building – even above their worship of our Lord.

Those who construct the buildings have an amount of well-deserved pride

in their work – “see what we have done!”

Now, the reality is this.....buildings are temporary. They are subject to

destruction and ruin.

So, what is the point of all of this?

We can relate all of this to *the destruction and the deterioration of a

building, to our physical bodies.

Our physical bodies are also subject to destruction.

Look at Job 4:18-21: READ

“He puts no trust even in His servants; and against His angels He charges

error. How much more those who dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation

is in the dust? Who are crushed before the moth! Between the morning and

evening, they are broken to pieces; Unobserved, they perish forever.

Is not their tent cord plucked up within them? They die, yet without

wisdom.”

Our origin is from dust --- our final outcome is dust - to which we will return.

The duration of life on earth is short – compared to eternity.

So, there is a building that is destructible. But there is something even

more vital when we look at buildings.

Now, let’s look at the Permanent Building.

Luke 21:33: “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass

away.”

Jesus’ words will remain throughout eternity. They will never pass away.

They will never become obsolete. Jesus’ words will never lose any of their

power.

There is a great Gospel song, written by Andrae Crouch by the title: “The

Blood Will Never Lose Its Power. The first verse says this:

The blood that Jesus shed for me, Way back on Calvary. The blood that

gives me strength from day to day --- It will never lose its power.

It reaches to the highest mountain; And it flows to the lowest valley. The

blood that gives me strength from day to day, it will never lose its power.

And, as His word will never pass away, those who endure will be saved,

they will never pass away – living forever with Him.

We see that promise in Mark 13:13 where Jesus says, “You will be hated by

all because of My name, but the one who endures to the end, he will be

saved.”

So, we look at the magnificent buildings --- They are temporary – They will

be destroyed.

Look at your life --- Will your life be destroyed!

Or will you endure and be saved?