BIG PICTURE:  The church is both a ‘royal priesthood’ (in allusion to Exod. 19:6) and a temple in the process of being built and expanded from Christ, the cornerstone of the new, eschatological temple. The purpose of the church as a temple and a holy priesthood is that “you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” (1 Pet. 2:9).  This is the conception of God’s saints being the true temple of God’s presence and extending that presence throughout the earth by means of their witness. The new temple begins with Christ as the “cornerstone” and continues to be “built up as a spiritual house” (1 Pet. 2:4–6) until it is completed on the last day of history. 

Point 1. The construction of the temple (4-5)

Point 2. The foundation of this temple according to Scripture (6-8)

Point 3. The significance of the temple (9-10)

Point 4. The holiness of the temple (11-12)

Peiyi, on this, the day of your baptism into the church of Christ

• . . . remember your heavenly citizenship!
• . . . remember the nature of your warfare!
• . . . remember your calling!

Tracing Out God’s Special Revelatory Presence

• The Garden of Eden. 

• The pillar of fire/cloud in the wilderness wanderings. 

• The shekina (inhabiting, dwelling) glory in the tabernacle’s Holy of Holies 

• The shekina glory in Solomon’s temple (Holy of Holies) 

• Jesus himself (John 1:14; 2:21-22; Luke 23:45) 

• The Holy Spirit indwelling his people. The church is the new temple – a last times, eschatological temple (1 Peter 2:5; Eph. 2:19-22; 2 Cor. 6:16) 

• The New Heaven and New Earth, the New Jerusalem (Rev. 21) 


I received a tremendous amount of help in this sermon from resources by G.K Beale, D.A. Carson, and Karen Jobes.