Everything You Need Is Already Inside of You

INTRO: We’re already in 8th month of the year and it seems like 2017 is drawing to a close. The word Isa 60:22 has gone ahead us and some of us are wondering: ‘when will it be my time?’. I want to encourage us that we can still grow and increase because everything we need to become a thousand is already inside of you

Bible passage: Rev 21:22-24. This is John describing the New Jerusalem in a vision and each verse can be seen as stages or aspects to our growth

V22: I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty [the Omnipotent, the Ruler of all] and the Lamb are its temple

TEMPLE v1.0 (use/purpose)

• Firstly, it seems like John is contradicting himself as he apparently sees no temple but then claims that there is in fact a temple- which is God and His Son: Jesus
• So I decided to find out what the word mean and I found- temple: building for worship, where the presence of God resides, a consecrated (set apart) place 🡪 go to God to worship. What does that mean? 2 temples in this verse are different otherwise the verse would be a contradiction. “place” was him himself but we know that He’s not restricted to a physical temple.

John 15: 4-5 4 Remain in Me, and I [will remain] in you. Just as no branch can bear fruit by itself without remaining in the vine, neither can you [bear fruit, producing evidence of your faith] unless you remain in Me. 5 [b]I am the Vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in him bears much fruit, for [otherwise] apart from Me [that is, cut off from vital union with Me] you can do nothing

• Temple is wherever God is- God is in us as we remain in him through fellowship, read word, pray, maintain altar
• Presence of God remains in us causes us to be His temple,

1 Corin 3:16: Do you not know and understand that you [the church] are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells [permanently] in you [collectively and individually]?

• So why am I talking so much about temples. This passage in Revelation 21 starts off with the primary stuff, the foundation- (the understanding of ) our walk and relationship with God
• Just need ourselves to worship, what’s worship? Our whole lives as a believer is worship service honour, communion. Walk with him, fellowship with him, serve. We cannot say: I can only feel god’s presence at church or when this person is preaching. Fundamentally, the only one responsible is you/ your heart although things/people can aid our worship, our worship is not built on external things.
• Sometimes we can behave like the women at the well.

John4: 21- Jesus replied, “Woman, believe Me, a time is coming [when God’s kingdom comes] when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.[…]23 But a time is coming and is already here when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit [from the heart, the inner self] and in truth; for the Father seeks such people to be His worshipers.

• Worship in spirit- with our hearts – no priest, prophet , mountain. In truth= real

TEMPLE v2.0

• Temple: very glorious and awesome

Matthew 24:1 Jesus left the temple area and was going on His way when His disciples came up to Him to call His attention to the [magnificent and massive] [a]buildings of the temple

• There was no physical temple in Revelation 21= Gods glory is enough. Glory coming from God
• What is glory: splendour, magnificence, excellence

Psalms 3:3 But You, O Lord, are a shield for me,
My glory [and my honor], and the One who lifts my head.

• What is (your) glory: money, nice clothes, the mere image or idea of being a thousand/ strong nation
• Our confession should be: God youre my excellence ie glory and your glory is what I what
• It’s enough to beautify our whole lives- all the others are transient
• All you need is Christ, your glory, who is in the inside of you

So: Temple use- we need ourselves to worship/ successfully walk with God and temple beauty (Gods beauty) make God our personal glory –inside too

• Starts with your relationship/ dependence on Christ

Glory of god moved on

V23: And the city has no need of the sun nor of the moon to give light to it, for the glory (splendor, radiance) of God has illumined it, and the Lamb is its lamp and light.

• city had no need to light sources and we can liken this city to ourselves
• We have no need for sun moon- external things to provide us light, because like we said God glory is in us.
• We are the light of the world, the light our god shines in us

Matthew 5: “You are the light of [Christ to] the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; 15 nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good deeds and moral excellence, and [recognize and honor and] glorify your Father who is in heaven.

Only reason because real light abides. So first we need to realize`/ have the understanding that we are his temple- starts with relationship before we can shine (from Rev 21:22)

• Psalm 119:105 The word is a lamp unto my feet and light, Jesus is the Word of God
• When we see darkness we should blame ourselves since we are the light. Can’t blame others devil (kingdom of darkness), God’s already said let there be light

We know the word for the year

The smallest one will become a thousand (a clan),
And the least one a mighty nation.
I, the Lord, will quicken it in its [appointed] time.”

• Power cut example: blame the source of light for darkness as they are the ones responsible
• Confession: let there be light
• Its inside of you but What’s inside light has to come out –has to be on a lampstand not under a basket. The word that’s inside of you hidden in your heart has to be spoken
• Light up your life
• Everyone’s attracted to light (has to shine before men) you can’t find your way without it. Can be a form of evangelism
• A Song writer says: We will now see your power and the whole world will know,
  We're revealing your Kingdom but they won't know until we go

V24: The nations [the redeemed people from the earth] will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring into it their glory

• First clause
• WE DO EVERYTHING BECAUSE OF the light in us, it’s all we need, we live, we succeed by the light, we grow by it-that’s the truth though the world wants us to believe something else/ more than Jesus: logic
• It doesn’t make any sense, give tithe example
• walking by faith. Jesus, the light by which we do everything, is the beginning and perfecter of this faith we are walking my
• Its sufficient for the nations
• Now (2nd clause) notice the kings- were kings- royal priesthood doing something for themselves: what they possess the didn’t just leave it but brought what they inherited 🡪 stir up what is in you as Paul says in 2 Tim 1:6-7 (examples of businesses, ideas etc) - There’s nothing a man has that has not been given by God but sometimes we need to stir it up!
• Faith without works , go forth
• Working and nothing happens: making the dough for the cake- have to keep working to become a thousand even tho sometimes it looks like we wont get the right consistency

CONC: Read Rev 21:22-24.

• I want to make a declaration to a generation that everything that you need is on the inside of you. You don’t have to look outside of yourself, everything that you need in order to move into the next dimension of your life and to affect the world is already on the inside of you. No longer need to look outside of yourself.
• 3 stages starts with God but ultimately end with you
• Relationship with God- understanding
• Speaking the word in our lives
• Walking in the light and actively doing something
• God has already given us everything we need to succeed in this life, it’s in the inside of us. It’s up to us to do, following the steps that we learnt. I really believe that we will grow and be great. That thing that you have given up on keep stirring it, keep bringing and it will be worth it