LWC SERMON GUIDE

I’M UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT

Scriptures to Read and Ponder

1 Corinthians 6:19–20 — Our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit; we are not our own because we were bought at a price.
1 Corinthians 3:16 — God’s people together are His temple, and His Spirit dwells among them.
Romans 8:11 — The same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead lives in us.
John 2:19–21 — Jesus identifies His own body as the true temple, the meeting place of heaven and earth.
1 Peter 1:18–19 — We were redeemed, not with silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ.

The sermon traces the biblical story of God’s dwelling from Eden → Tabernacle → Temple → Jesus → God’s Spirit-filled people, before bringing that truth right down to the individual believer: “your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit.”

Sermon Recap

1. GOD LIVES HERE — The Presence of God

Paul makes an astonishing statement:

“Your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit.”

In Scripture, the temple was never merely a religious building. It represented the dwelling place of God — the place where heaven and earth met.
We see this theme running throughout the biblical story:
- Eden — humanity enjoying unbroken fellowship with God.
- The Tabernacle — God travelling among His people in the wilderness.
- Solomon’s Temple — the established dwelling place of God’s presence among Israel.
- Jesus — the true Temple, God dwelling among humanity in the flesh.
- The Church — God’s Spirit now dwelling among His people.
- The believer — Paul finally brings this truth down to our physical bodies: God lives here.

This changes how we understand Christianity.

Christianity is more than believing certain doctrines about God. It is more than agreeing that Jesus lived, died and rose again.

Christianity is God making His home in us.

Romans 8:11 tells us that the Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead lives in us.

That means the deepest truth about us is not found in:

what we look like,
how much we earn,
what we own,
what we have achieved,
what people think about us,
our weaknesses,
or even our failures.

The deepest truth is Who lives within us.

We may feel ordinary — but God lives here.

We may feel weak — but God lives here.

We may still be works in progress — but God lives here.

And because God lives in His people, wherever His people go, His presence goes with them.

Our homes, workplaces, neighbourhoods and communities become places into which we carry the presence of God.

Mission is therefore not simply carrying a message about God.

We carry His presence.

2. I BELONG TO HIM — The Ownership of Jesus

But Paul does not allow us to turn the indwelling presence of God into a spiritual “superpower” for achieving our own ambitions.

He immediately says:

“You are not your own.”

This confronts one of the deepest assumptions of modern culture:

My life. My body. My choice. My future. My identity.

Jesus lovingly confronts the throne of self.

We can follow Jesus for years while still quietly behaving as though we hold the keys to every room of our lives.

We can say “Jesus is Lord” while still thinking:

my money,
my time,
my ambition,
my body,
my sexuality,
my relationships,
my future.

Paul says something radically different:

“You are not your own; you were bought at a price.”

Christian freedom therefore does not mean being free to do whatever we want.

It means being liberated from everything that once held us so that we can now belong to and serve Jesus.

And this becomes beautiful when we ask:

If I am not my own, whose am I?

The answer is:

I belong to Jesus.

I do not belong to my past.

I do not belong to my sin.

I do not belong to addiction.

I do not belong to whatever once controlled or defined me.

I belong to Jesus.

3. YOU WERE BOUGHT AT A PRICE — The Cross

Paul uses the language of redemption.

Peter says that we were not redeemed with silver or gold but “with the precious blood of Christ.”

The Cross is therefore more than God simply wiping away our mistakes.

Jesus took upon Himself the consequences of human sin, rebellion and evil and gave Himself to bring us home.

The price was Jesus Himself.

And this produces one of the great gospel realities at the heart of the sermon:

The blood purchases us and the Spirit inhabits us.
Grace claims us and the Presence fills us.

God did not simply want us to receive forgiveness.

He wanted us to receive Himself.

4. SO I LIVE FOR HIM — The Lordship of Jesus

Paul then gives us one crucial word:

“Therefore…”

That word establishes the order of the gospel.

Paul does not say:

Honour God so that He will come and live in you.

He does not say:

Become holy enough and perhaps God will accept you.

Instead:

God already lives here.

Christ has already paid the price.

We already belong to Him.

Therefore, honour God with your body.

The order matters:

Grace comes first.
Identity comes first.
Redemption comes first.
Acceptance comes first.
Then obedience.
Then transformation.

Christian obedience is not an attempt to gain God.

Christian obedience is our response to God having gained us.

And because Paul is specifically addressing sexual immorality in 1 Corinthians 6, this truth becomes intensely practical.

Our physical lives matter to God.

Our sexuality matters.

What we watch matters.

What we say matters.

How we treat our bodies matters.

How we treat other people matters.

What happens privately matters.

Not because Christianity is simply obsessed with rules.

Because God lives here.

Holiness is learning to live according to the reality of the One who lives within us.

5. WHOSE KEYS ARE THEY? — The Invitation to Surrender

The sermon began and ended with Gibraltar’s Ceremony of the Keys.

Historically, the fortress keys represented more than access. They represented authority and ownership.

The challenge was:

“Whose keys?”

That question becomes deeply personal.

Imagine the different rooms of your life, each with its own key:

Sunday morning
Monday morning
worship
work
finances
marriage
relationships
sexuality
ambition
time
body
future

It may be easy to say that Jesus has the key to Sunday morning.

But what about Monday?

What about our finances?

What about our relationships?

What about the private rooms nobody else sees?

Jesus does not want our old life with a few Scriptures added to it.

He wants the whole house.

The invitation of the sermon is therefore not simply:

Try harder.

It is:

Holy Spirit, occupy every room.

The intended progression of the message is clear: Presence → Ownership → Lordship → Surrender.

Memorable Quotes & Aha Moments

“God lives here.”
“The deepest truth is not what is happening around you; the deepest truth is Who is living within you.”
“You may look ordinary, but God lives inside you.”
“Mission is that you don’t just carry a message; you carry His presence.”
“If God is living within — if the King lives in the house — then who owns the house?”
“We can follow Jesus for years and still think like we belong to ourselves.”
“Ownership has been transferred.”
“I don't belong to my past. I don't belong to my sin. I don't belong to that which held me. I belong to Jesus.”
“The blood purchases us and the Spirit inhabits us; grace claims us and the presence fills us.”
“God didn't just want us to receive forgiveness; He wanted us to receive Himself.”
“Christian obedience is not an attempt to gain God; Christian obedience is the response of God having gained us.”
“Holiness is us learning to live according to the reality of Who is living within.”
“Whose keys are they?”
“Jesus does not want your life to be your life with Scriptures added.”
“I’m under new management.”

Questions for Discussion & Reflection

Before hearing this message, what did the phrase “your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit” mean to you?
How does seeing the biblical movement from Eden, to the Tabernacle, to the Temple, to Jesus, and finally to Spirit-filled believers deepen your understanding of this verse?
What difference does it make to know that Christianity is not merely believing things about God, but God making His home in us?
We often define ourselves by appearance, achievement, failure or other people’s opinions. Which external things most easily shape your sense of identity?
How could remembering “God lives here” change the way you enter your workplace, home or community this week?
What do you think it means practically to carry God’s presence into ordinary life?
How do you react emotionally to Paul’s words, “You are not your own”? Do they initially feel comforting, challenging, restrictive or freeing?
Are there areas where you believe in Jesus but still instinctively think, “This part of my life belongs to me”?
What changes when you move from thinking “I am not my own” to asking “Whose am I?”
What does being “bought at a price” reveal about both the seriousness of sin and the depth of God’s love for us?
Why is the order of the gospel — grace first, then obedience — so important?
How is holiness different when we understand it as responding to God’s presence rather than simply keeping religious rules?
If your life were a house with different rooms, which rooms have you gladly given Jesus access to?
Is there a room where you are still holding onto the key?
What would it look like this week to genuinely say to Jesus: “Every room is Yours”?

Prayer Points

Holy Spirit, deepen my awareness that You have made Your home in me.
Father, free me from defining myself by appearance, achievement, failure or the opinions of others. Teach me to live from my identity in Christ.
Jesus, thank You that I no longer belong to my past, my failures or anything that once held me. I belong to You.
Thank You for the Cross and for the extraordinary price You paid to redeem me and bring me home.
Teach me to carry Your presence faithfully into my home, workplace, relationships and community this week.
Show me any area of my life where I still behave as though I belong to myself.
Holy Spirit, bring holiness and transformation into my body, thoughts, relationships, sexuality, habits and private life.
Keep me from trying to earn Your acceptance. Teach me obedience that flows from grace and gratitude.
Jesus, I surrender every room of my life to Your lordship.
Holy Spirit, occupy every room. Every key is Yours.

Sermon: I'm under new management