“God’s Temple”
1st Kings 6:11-13
Introduction: One of the most fascinating structures built in the ancient world is the temple of Solomon. The temple of Solomon was built to replace the tabernacle the tent that God had commanded Moses to build in the wilderness and which housed the ark of the covenant, the altar for sacrifices and was basically the center of worship for the Israelites. This temple was very extravagant and we won’t go into the details of the building because that covers three chapters. We know from history that it was destroyed during the Babylonian exile and rebuilt by Nehemiah and improved upon by King Herod. All that is left today is the temple mount but many Israelites are actually looking forward to building the temple again. And anyone who studies Bible prophecies know that a temple is spoken of as existing when the anti-Christ arrives on the scene. But the temple pointed to something more, a deeper truth that would be revealed when Jesus Christ came to earth.
1. The temple of Solomon- Solomon carried out what his father David could not. David had a zeal and a passion to build a temple for God. After all the other pagan societies had built temples for their false gods how much more the actual creator God should have a temple. The interesting thing is that while God commanded the original tabernacle to be built he never commanded the Israelites to build a permanent temple in Jerusalem. This was David’s Idea.
A. a shadow of heaven- The tabernacle was a temporary dwelling place where God met with his people as they traveled throughout the wilderness. It was a representation here on earth of the throne room in heaven. It was intended to be merely a shadow of things to come.
Hebrews 8:5 (NIV)
5 They serve at a sanctuary that is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven. This is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the tabernacle: “See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.”
But now David wanted to take it a step further and do something for God. He had this “God you have done so much for me I want to pay you back” kind of thinking. But notice the lord’s response.
B. we can’t build God a house-
2 Samuel 7:5-7 (NIV)
5 “Go and tell my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord says: Are you the one to build me a house to dwell in? 6 I have not dwelt in a house from the day I brought the Israelites up out of Egypt to this day. I have been moving from place to place with a tent as my dwelling. 7 Wherever I have moved with all the Israelites, did I ever say to any of their rulers whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?”
What is the lesson here? It was the pagan Gods that had elaborate permanent temples built to honor them. It was the false religions of Egypt and the surrounding nations that built idols in one place. Did you ever wonder why God didn’t command a permanent dwelling be built for him, why he went from place to place with the Israelites in the wilderness? God is spirit he cannot be contained in a temple. He can make his presence manifest in that way but he is not limited by location. After Jesus came to earth and died on the cross and rose again from the dead he gave us the promise of the Holy Spirit, that is the third person of the trinity God who would dwell not within a temple built by human hands but his people would become his temple. When we confess our sins before God and turn to him he comes to dwell within us and guide us.
2. Temple of God-
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NIV)
19 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price.
Have you ever lived on your own and you had the house the way you wanted it? You put up your favorite posters and everything was kind of arranged to your particular taste. Than you get married and it happens that lava lamp and football jersey isn’t coming out of the box. She wants to put pictures on the wall and but you wouldn’t mind that wall becoming one big T.V set. There are two of you now and you have to think about what the other person wants.
When Jesus comes into your life he now resides at your address. But he isn’t as interested in the décor of your house as much as what’s going on within your heart. What decorates the inside of our hearts and minds. We love our spouse enough to care about their opinion of how the house should be decorated but do we love Jesus enough to let him speak into how his temple adorned. If we are God’s temple are there things in his temple that shouldn’t be there?
Remember when Jesus made a whip and chased the merchants and money changers out of the temple. What did he say? My house shall be a house of prayer. There are certain things that are to be in the temple of God and certain things that aren’t. Perhaps as Christians we ought to look inside and make sure that the merchants haven’t taken up residence, that we aren’t allowing the world to market it’s wares within our soul and to make this temple of the Lords a place of robbers and thieves. Does not the Bible say that Satan comes to steal. He comes to steal our attention from the things of God. He sets up his little demonstration booth, puts on his little microphone and says come over here and look at what I have to offer. We find ourselves distracted by those things that draw our attention away from God. And we justify ourselves by saying I am too busy even though we have created the business ourselves. He creates for us a comfortable distraction.
Now the interesting thing about the merchants and money changers is that they were often in the outer courts .The outer courts of the temple were not part of the original tabernacle. They were a place for the gentiles or non Jews to gather. It was not part of the holy place. In fact far it was far from the most holy place where the presence of God was to be.
When Jesus died on the cross and said it is finished the curtain in the temple that separated the most holy place from the rest of the temple was torn in two symbolizing that the presence of God was no longer in an earthly temple made by human hands but would be available to all who seek God. the sad thing is that many who profess Jesus as their Lord and Savior and even go to church on Sunday have yet to experience the power and the presence of God they have yet to enter the most holy place, they have yet to be baptized, that is immersed in His Spirit because they are still in the outer courts hanging out with the merchants and money changers accepting a water down powerless, joyless version of the life they could have. And than they give up and tell people “Oh yeah I tried Christianity” when they never even got close.
(The basic hindrance to revival of the church in America is not the lack of prayer or methodology, or not enough resources. We have all that. It’s a violation of what Jesus told us love the lord your God with all your heart, your mind and your strength and love your neighbor as yourself.) We have turned the church into self help therapy rather than a place to love God and love others. We are not our own. We were bought with a price. The blood of Jesus. When you come to Jesus you don’t invite him in to be a part of your life he becomes your life and he lives through you to help others. Religion is just a part of life for most people. There are those who get religious and than there are those who get Jesus. I would rather get Jesus. There are three things we need to consider about being God’s temple
A. Sacred-this is a synonym for Holy which means to be set apart or dedicated to the Lord. Your life is sacred to God. You have been set apart for service to God. This doesn’t mean that you have to become a pastor or a missionary but you are called in a sense to serve as a missionary to your family, co-workers and friends who don’t know the Lord.
1 Corinthians 3:16-17 (NIV)
16 Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you? 17 If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is sacred, and you are that temple.
Being holy or being sacred means that we eliminate things from our lives that hinder our relationship with God. Now most people thing about those external habits and it is easy to make a list of do’s and don’ts but I am talking about things like anger, bitterness, rage, envy. Those things that twist us up inside. God wants to clean that stuff out of our lives.
Ephesians 4:22-24 (NIV)
22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
It is not enough to just put off the old habits and desires but they must also be replaced by new habits, new attitudes of the mind. How is that accomplished. A consistent exposure to the Word of God, time with him in prayer.
B. Separate- we are to come out of the world to be separate in lifestyle. Christianity is truly an alternative lifestyle. It is 180% turn around the bible calls repentance.
2 Corinthians 6:14-16 (NIV)
Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? 15 What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? 16 What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.”
A yoke was a piece of wood put between two cattle to keep them neck and neck. Walking at the same pace. We ought to be careful of those who we are in close fellowship with. In other words who we marry, who we partner with in business or ministry, who is our confidant. Many a believer has a strayed from the path that God meant for them by falling in love with someone who’s first love wasn’t Jesus. Now if you became a Christian after you were married that’s a different deal Paul says that you are to remain married if they are willing to live with you and you are to be a sanctifying influence in their lives. But there are many who don’t consider for a moment what that person believes about life. Who do they put their faith in. What are their values.
But this isn’t just about who you marry, it is who you choose to be around. Those people who drag you away from God or those who inspire you to move forward in your spiritual life.
C. Sharing-
Ephesians 2:19-22 (NIV)
19 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. 21 In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. 22 And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.
Christianity is not to be lived in seclusion on some mountain top in Tibet or wandering in the desert contemplating life but to be sharing our life with fellow Christians for the encouraging and building up of one another so we bring glory to God.
Many people have said that the 1st and foremost mission of the church is to win people to Christ to evangelize. While I believe that is part of our mission I am not convinced it is the very 1st priority. It is very difficult to expect people to take the gospel seriously if it comes from someone who isn’t living it.
Before we can tell anybody of the joy we found we need to have that joy, before we can share about the love of Christ we need to display that love, before we can share about God’s forgiveness we need to forgive others. Other wise it is just words in the wind. The main function of the church is to bring glory to God and as we glorify God’s name by our actions people will be open to listen to the message on our lips. If we as Christians can’t share our lives with each other and love each other in spite of our differences than how in the world do we think we can take the message outside the four walls. When people come into the church do they see a people who genuinely love each other or do they over hear murmuring, gossip and complaining and leave figuring they can get that anywhere? Peter said it well in his 1st letter to the church.
1 Peter 2:11-12 (NIV)
11 Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. 12 Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.
If we would practice these three facets of the Christian life we may not silence our critics but we will make many take a second look at the church because they will see that though we aren’t perfect we our the genuine article.
