Howbeit, The Most High Dwells Not In Temples Made With Hands, As Saith the Prophet, "Hath Not My Hand Made All These Things?" - Part 1795

"Our fathers had the tabernacle of witness in the wilderness, as He had appointed, speaking unto Moses, that he should make it according to the fashion that he had seen, which also our fathers that came after brought in with Jesus into the possession of the Gentiles, whom God drave out before the face of our fathers, unto the days of David, who found favour before God, and desired to find a tabernacle for the God of Jacob, but Solomon built Him and house. Howbeit, the Most High dwells not in temples made with hands," as saith the prophet, "Heaven is My throne, and earth is My footstool: what house will ye build Me?" saith the Lord, "Or what is the place of My rest? Hath not My hand made all these things?" (Acts 7:45-50)

In the example of the woman at the well, "many more believed" because of His [Jesus] own word. This is certainly what we saw when those in the town said unto the woman at the well, "Now we believe not because of [the woman's] saying for we have heard Him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world!" (John 4:41-42)

Just in case we do not understand the totality of prophecy from the old covenant being fulfilled in the new testament side, there is another spoken Word (beyond the prophecy of Joel) that was stated on the day of Pentecost. That is, Peter (standing with the eleven) said, "For David speaks concerning Him --"I foresaw the Lord always before My face, for He is on My right hand, that I should not be moved; therefore, did My heart rejoice, and My tongue was glad; moreover, also My flesh shall rest in hope; because Thou wilt not leave My soul in hell, neither wilt Thou suffer Thine Holy One to see corruption. Thou hast made known to Me the ways of life; Thou shalt make Me full of joy with Thy countenance." (Acts 2:25-28; Psalm 16:8-11; Acts 13:30-37; Hebrews 13:20)

As a consequence, "the God of peace that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant [will] make you perfect in every good work to do His will, working in you that which is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever, amen." (Hebrews 13:20-21; Philippians 2:13)

How? In Thy presence. "For it is God which works in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure ... that ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation; among whom ye shine as lights in the world; holding forth the Word of life ..." (Philippians 2:13-16; II Corinthians 1:14; Galatians 2:2; I Thessalonians 3:5; Matthew 5:15-16; Hebrews 13:20-21; I Peter 4:9; Romans 14:1)

But I digress somewhat. When Peter then "spoke freely" of the patriarch David, who is both dead and buried, he said, "his sepulchre being with us unto this day, therefore, being a prophet and knowing that God has sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, He would raise up Christ to sit on His throne: he seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that His soul was not left in hell, neither His flesh did see corruption. This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses.

Therefore, being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, He hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear. For David is not ascended into the heavens; but He saith Himself, "The Lord said unto My Lord, sit Thou on My right hand, until I make Thy foes Thy footstool." Therefore, let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God hath made that same Jesus whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ." (Acts 2:29-36; Acts 13:36; Psalm 132:11; Psalm 16:10; Isaiah 53:10; Acts 2:24; Acts 1:8; Acts 3:15; Psalm 110:1; Acts 5:31; Hebrews 10:12; John 14:26; Matthew 3:11; Acts 2:1-11, 17; Acts 10:45; Psalm 68:18; Psalm 110:1; John 20:17; I Corinthians 15:25; Ephesians 1:20; Hebrews 1:13)

The same understanding that those who came from the city to see the man that the woman at the well testified of, had come to -- that this man JESUS -- He has the words of life.

But there is more. In Acts 13, apostle Paul stood up in the synagogue and said, "Men of Israel, and ye that fear God, give audience. The God of this people of Israel chose our fathers, and exalted the people when they dwelt as strangers in the land of Egypt, and with an high arm brought He them out of it. And about the time of forty years suffered He their manners in the wilderness. And when He had destroyed seven nations in the land of Chanaan, He divided their land to them by lot. And after that He gave unto them judges about the space of four hundred and fifty years, until Samuel the prophet.

And afterward they desired a king; and God gave unto them Saul the son of Cis, a man out of the tribe of Benjamin, by the space of forty years. And when He had removed him, He raised up unto them David to be their king, to whom also He gave testimony, and said, "I have found David, the son of Jesse, a man after Mine own heart, which shall fulfill all My will. Of this man's seed hath God according to [His] promise raised unto Israel a Saviour -- JESUS.

When John had first preached before His coming the baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel, and as John fulfilled his course, he said, "Whom think ye that I am? I am not He. But behold, there comes One after me, whose shoes of [His] feet I am not worthy to loose. Men and brethren, children of the stock of Abraham, and whosoever among you feareth God, to you is the Word of this salvation sent. For they that dwell at Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they knew Him not, nor yet the voices of the prophets which are read every sabbath day, they have fulfilled [them] in condemning Him.

And though they found no cause of death [in Him], yet desired they Pilate that He should be slain. And when they had fulfilled all that was written of Him, they took [Him] down from the tree, and laid [Him] in a sepulchre. But God raised Him from the dead: and He was seen of many days of them which came up with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are His witnesses unto the people. And we declare unto you glad tidings, how that the promise which was made unto the fathers -- God hath fulfilled the SAME unto us their children, in that He raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm -- "Thou art My Son, this day have I begotten you!"

And as concerning that He raised [Him] up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption, He said on this wise, "I will give you the sure mercies of David ..." wherefore, He saith also in another psalm, "Thou shalt not suffer Thine Holy One to see corruption." For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption: but He, whom God raised again, saw no corruption. Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: and by Him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses. 

Beware therefore, lest that come upon you, which is spoken of in the prophets: "Behold, ye despisers, and wonder and perish: for I work a work in your days, a work which ye shall in no wise believe, through a man declare it unto you."

All this to say that we are living in the last days, a time when God wants to pour out His Spirit upon all flesh -- both His servants and His handmaidens, both Jews and Gentiles. And we are living in the time of grace wherein the Lord will shew wonders in heaven and signs in the earth beneath -- His handiwork for all the world to behold.

Are we taking notice?

It is for this reason therefore that we should not (as the apostles oft declared) be "ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner; but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God; who hath saved us, and called [us] with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus, before the world began ... but is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel ..." (II Timothy 1:8-10; Romans 1:16; I Timothy 2:6; Ephesians 3:1; Romans 3:20; Romans 8:28; Romans 16:25; Ephesians 1:9)

This is why we as believers in Jesus by faith "hold fast the form of sound words," which as Paul states, "thou hast heard of me, in faith and in love which is in Christ Jesus. That good thing which was committed unto thee keep by the Holy Ghost which dwells in us." (I Timothy 1:13-14; Titus 1:9; Romans 2:20; Romans 6:17; II Timothy 4:19)

But far too often, the voices of those who teach and preach CONTRARY TO THE WORD OF GOD, consenting not to wholesome words, the words of our Lord Jesus Christ and to the doctrine which is according to godliness are heard by the masses over the Word which God Himself gave -- so that we might find abundant life in Him. (I Timothy 6:3; I Timothy 3:16)

And thus, instead of believing that Jesus is God manifest in the flesh, these would rather dote about questions and strifes of words, whereof comes envy, strife, railings, evil surmising's, perverse disputing's of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness. But what does the Word tell us, so that we are not tossed to and fro by the whims of this world -- "From such withdraw thyself." (I Timothy 6:3-5)

Why? Because "godliness" is clearly defined for believers in I Timothy 3:16:

"And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory."

"For in Him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily." (Colossians 2:9) The doctrine of Christ expressed, for the world to behold His glory, and gift of salvation! (II John 1:9; Hebrews 6:1-2)

When we diligently study His Word, studying to show ourselves approved unto God -- a workman that need not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of truth -- we begin to understand the Godhead more precisely. (II Timothy 2:15) And because of the desire for more of Him in our hearts, He opens our understanding of His Majesty as King of kings and Lord of lords -- the visible image of the unseen God. Through scripture, we quickly learn that He -- Jesus --  is both Alpha and Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the ending, both Lord and Christ. (Revelation 1:8, 11; Acts 2:36)

And that He shall we serve. His Name -- the precious holy Name JESUS -- is above every other name in this current dispensation of grace. (Acts 4:12; Philippians 2:9)

Therefore, Jesus is not a separate person from the Father, as far too many would have us believe [with their man-made created religious triad god/trinity/triune god] but rather, as proclaimed throughout His Word -- the One and Only God who loved us enough to become our Saviour. 

"He was in the world and the world was made by Him and the world knew Him not. He came unto His own and His own received Him not." (John 1:10-11)

Indeed, Jesus said, "I and My Father are One!" (John 10:30)

Nevertheless, while Jesus walked on earth, He hid His true identity from the world, so that those who would follow Jesus would do so out of love, and a desire wholly to know His love and kindness for His people, and not seek after the material blessings that these might receive. We see this in the feeding of the five thousand, when these looked for Jesus the second day because their bellies were hungry.

Jesus said, "If ye had known Me, ye should have known My Father also: and from henceforth ye know Him, and have seen Him ... he that has seen Me hath seen the Father" (John 14:7-9). As God with us -- the Word made flesh, Jesus revealed Himself to us, identifying Himself as the God of Abraham and the One who revealed Himself to Moses as the I AM. (John 8:24, 58)

"To wit, God was in Christ ...."

Stand in the offering plate.