Total Christ | Episode 3 | Missional: The Presence of God in Jesus Christ through the global Holy Spirit

originally recorded on 9.21.25

visit cpcnewhaven.org

CPC Adult Sunday StudiesFall 2025Total Christ: The Full Vision for His Church2 | MissionalMissional - The Presence of God in Jesus Christ through the Holy SpiritFrom Last Week: With the gospel as our foundation, we are radically empoweredto boldness because we know God loves us, as well as radically humbled becauseall we have is a gift of grace. Gospel-centered has to do with what God did, thework of God - covenant sealed once for all - whereas now we’re moving to whereGod is and works.Where was the special saving presence of God in Old Testament times?•Eden - see lessons on Creation and the garden as the special Templepresence of God, where God dwelt among his creation and his “image.” Hewas later “occasionally” present throughout Genesis to special people of thefamily of God, their altars, Jacob’s ladder, etc.•Tabernacle - Exodus 40:34-38•Not just anyone could approach it (Exod. 33.4-6) and this was whereMoses spoke to God "face-to-face" (Exod. 33.7-11)•This is what set Israel apart from all other nations - Exod. 33.15-16•Purpose of Israel - Exod. 25.8-9; 29.43-46 ("I will dwell among the people ofIsrael and will be their God. And they shall know that I am the LORD their God,who brought them out of the land of Egypt that I might dwell among them. I amthe LORD their God.").•After the heavenly model - Exod. 25.9, 40; Heb. 8.5ff.•Temple - 1 Kings 8:12-24, 27-30•All the purposes above from the Tabernacle are transferred to the Temple,the 'permanent Tabernacle'Where is the special, saving presence of God found now?Jesus “and” the Church!•Body of Jesus being the new Temple - John. 1.18 [and the rest of the gospel!],Temple's curtain ripped (Matt. 27.51, Mark 15.38, Luke 23.45), Templedestroyed and raised in 3 days, etc.2 of 5•If Jesus is the new Temple, and we are joined with Him, we too arebecoming the Temple of God (Eph. 4.11-16, 1Peter 2.4-9)•Eph. 1.22-3 & Eph. 2.19-22•1Cor. 3.16-7 - [divisions in the body led to Paul's rebuke:] "Do you not knowthat you (pl.) are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? If anyonedestroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and you (pl.)are that temple."•"On earth as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6.10) is a guiding principle andmotivation throughout Scripture (for another example, cf. Jn. 1.51 based onJacob at Bethel in Gen. 28.12, as well as Heb. 10.19-20)•Main Scriptural metaphors for the Church: covenant assembly/gathering,place of mission, people of God, chosen nation, remnant, family, bride, body,building/temple, city, dwelling place of God.•Notice the Church is NOT: a theater; a product to offer consumers;merely the most pragmatic way to grow; something Christians came upwith to help each other.•Note: you in plural form (“y’all”) is overwhelmingly the use in the NTYou could summarize God's purpose in the world as not selecting outindividuals to get to heaven, but rather as working to gather a community intoHis presence on earth as it is in heaven! (Cf. Eph. 2.6, Col. 3.1) We need a wholetransformation of what it means to be a Christian if this is the paradigm. Ratherthan isolated individuals who happen to believe something, to be a Christian isto be apart of a unique community with a unique mission.