The Builder of a Great Temple | Pastor Daniel Batarseh | Maranatha Shabiba 2023 Conference | Friday

Good morning. I hope you rested well. And, so grateful that, our brother prayed, but it's just a habit sometimes to pray before we open God's word again. And so join me as we bow our heads and our hearts, more importantly, before the Lord. Lord, we are overwhelmingly grateful that you have sustained us through our sleep, and that our eyes open this morning.

We have every reason to believe that because we are alive today, you have a purpose for us. And, Lord, we are eager to know your purpose as we expound the word and hear your voice through your established revelation. And so, father, we ask for a special grace, your hand upon the delivery of this word. Lord, your mercy upon our hearts to receive and to discern your voice. Let every obstruction, any interference be canceled by your power.

And, lord, may the living Christ be made more known, more alive, more real to us as we come into your presence as God's people, your temple that you are creating and working on as we speak. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen. The nation of Israel has, undergone many administrations during their interesting history as a people. They have endured many monarchs, many kings, many rulers, and, generally, those rulers have failed to inspire the spiritual prosperity of the nation of Israel, and as a result, they have not prospered in virtually every other area as a nation and as a people.

And now there were early signs for Israel to see a shaky future because they couldn't last past the third king established to see unity. What was one government up to the third king became two different kingdoms in one land. That was never God's plan, but man's sin, selfishness, pride, idolatry, unfortunately, interfered with what the Lord designed initially. And so up to the Babylonian exile, you had a divided country, a divided country that even went to war with one another at times. And it's not difficult to see that the testimony of Israel's political leadership is disappointing to say the least.

All you have to do is read first Kings. All you have to do is read second Kings to get that. And though the various biblical records of these kings would make the reader blush, there is one era. There is one specific period. A time stamp of forty years that even if you ask a Jew today would confess was the golden age for the nation of Israel.

It was a time of unprecedented peace. It was a time of unmatched prosperity for this people, and I am speaking specifically as and to the reign of King Solomon. The reign of King Solomon was unlike any other. The accomplishments of this one man in the span of four decades is remarkable, and when you come to the scriptures, you see that the Holy Spirit takes his time to describe the list of his achievements, the cities that he has built, the the wealth that he bestowed upon this people, the flourishing commerce by land and sea, the diplomatic relationship with the nations, the fullest occupation of the physical promised land, the peak of national security, the absolutely professional and impressive administrative program that he had with those who assisted him, the giftedness of even those who came by his side, the men that he raised up and trained to do what he did with his wisdom was something that you did not see even with his father, David. The political and the economic flourishing that came about from King Solomon, even David, did did not reach, And unfortunately, after Solomon's reign, it was a downward spiral for this nation.

There were some episodes of of hope, of restoration, but no other king, no other succeeding throne has ever reached the heights that Solomon has reached. And on top of all of it, this same man was privileged to be called by God to build the resting place of the Ark of the Covenant, the very first temple of God in Jerusalem. And so it's no surprise that if you were to talk to a Jew back then, if you were to talk to a Jew even today who believes in Israel's history, they would say there was no other time like Solomon's. And even many would say we yearn for what Solomon was able to usher in to be repeated again, and that's really their hope in the Messiah. But you look you look on and you read and you realize that that was never to be really repeated.

Even when the nation of Israel came back from Babylonian exile and attempted to restore what was lost, In Ezra chapter three, you see that the foundation of the temple was laid, and there was mixed reaction. You had people who were rejoicing. Right? But at the same time, you read in Ezra three that you had people who were weeping. Weeping.

And you wonder, why are people weeping? And then you read because there were old men. There were priests and Levites and others who were old enough to remember what it was like to live under Solomon's reign and to see what Solomon was able to create with the blueprint that God had given his father David, and this restorative program did not even cut it. It never came close. That's the reputation that this man Solomon had.

That's the impact that he had generationally. Even the memory of him ruined people's present experiences. And I I paint that portrait, that brief portrait for you to get an idea of the force of Jesus's words in Matthew twelve forty two when he stood before the religious leaders of his day, and he said something greater than Solomon is here. What do you think went through the minds of those Jews in that moment? Here is a man who held no political position.

He had no princely attire. He had no palace to his name. He didn't have a pillow to his name, and yet he had the audacity with absolute confidence to look at these men in their eyes and say something greater than Solomon is here. I am surprised that nobody interfered. I'm shocked.

I wonder why nobody in that very moment did not interrupt and say, what makes you think you're greater than Solomon? And it makes you wonder if that thought passed through their minds. I'm sure it did for some. It did for me when I read that verse. As you heard last night, we know that Jesus is greater than Solomon, but I stare at that verse over and over again and throughout these past few days and weeks wondering, Lord, how are you?

How are you greater than this great brilliant king? And when you compare Jesus to Solomon, you know what you find out? He is greater in every way. Not just in some ways, in every way. Christ is greater, not just in his piety.

He's greater wherever you see Solomon to be great. He outshines Solomon in his wisdom. He outshines Solomon in his wealth. He outshines Solomon in his ability and his achievements, and even the blessings that he was to overflow on those who are willingly to rest under his reign. Christ is greater in every single way, and I hope that you will see that this weekend.

Christ is even greater than Solomon in his crowning accomplishment, the building of the temple. That's what Solomon was really known for. And you might be wondering, how how how is Christ greater than Solomon in that fashion? And my answer is this, because Jesus Christ today, even as we speak, is building a greater house even now. If we can put up Hebrews chapter three verse six, and if you wanna see that reference briefly, let me give you the proof of Jesus being a builder of a house, a greater house than even that glorious majestic building called the temple in Jerusalem.

We are told in Hebrews three six, but Christ is faithful over God's house as a son, and we are his house. We are his house if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope. Hebrews, out of all the places that is where we are told we are his house. Hebrews, the audience are Jewish Christians, and this author is telling this people who are very acquainted with the old covenant system, who understood the Levitical priesthood, who understood the functions and the furnishings of the tabernacle, this writer says with absolute boldness, Christ is building a house. We are that house.

Staggering. Shocking. At least it would have been to them. Those who cherish and prized the temple, the tabernacle are now being told that address of God's abiding place has now changed. You're now the house of God.

We are now the house of God. You think about that further, and you realize, well, this is something significant. It is. The place that was supposed to host the presence of God with veiled splendor and majesty, the place that God established to give man the access to give God acceptable worship has now transferred to flesh and blood. Christ now is committed to perpetually and faithfully work on us in order for us to now be the meeting place with God, and for us to be able to display his glory to whoever would look upon us, and know us, and be acquainted with us.

That's what's happening, and I hope we understand just how massive that truth is. If not, I'll say it as plain as possible. No longer does God look at a building. No longer does he look at a structure to speak for his glory. He recruits blood bought people and adorns them.

No longer does Christ look at specific instruments with materials such as gold and wood to offer pleasing aromas, he now looks to those that he has redeemed, and he asked for your hands, your feet, your eyes, your meditations to give him that pleasing aroma. Everything has changed in the new covenant. Everything has changed, and we need to grasp this or else you will fail to see the privilege of belonging to him, and you will also fail to realize the awe that it is when we come together as God's people recognized as the temple of the Holy Spirit. Peter put it this way in first Peter two five. We are a spiritual house.

Paul clarifies and asks that saying that we are being built together as a dwelling place for God by the spirit. That's Ephesians two twenty two. And so it is sprinkled throughout the Bible. We are now individually the temple of the Holy Spirit, and we also corporately express the house of God hosting his presence and displaying his glory. That's what happened in Christ, and Christ is currently building that.

He's currently making that more real, more accurate, more to his desire and design. And for some reason, if you don't have the awareness of how glorious that is to be the house of God or to realize the divine efforts that went into making that possible, I hope this message will change you. And the way that this message will challenge us to see how Jesus is greater is by looking how Solomon built the the temple, paralleling it to how Christ foreshadowing how Christ is building his temple, and how Christ has even greater greater plans and greater purposes for the house of God. And so this morning, we're gonna look at three simple things. We're gonna go look at the the timing of the building of the temple.

We're going to look at the method of the building of the temple, and lastly, we're gonna look at the glory of the temple itself. The timing of the temple being built, the method of the time of the temple being built, and lastly, the glory that went into the temple that was being built. And our time is going to be consecrated in one specific chapter, first Kings chapter six. And let's just turn our Bibles out of first first Kings chapter six beginning in verse one, and let's look at the timing in which the temple was built, seeing how it points to Jesus Christ in so many ways. In first Kings one, In the four hundred and eightieth year after the people of Israel came out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon's reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv, which is the second month, he began to build the house of the Lord.

Be honest. How many of us would have skipped over that verse? Ziv, eightieth year, fourth year, second month. Give me something from my life today. Right?

But read carefully and read closely. Look what the Holy Spirit is doing. Notice the detail, the precise timing of the building of the temple. You're not only told the year, you're not only told the month, but in God's mind, he is connecting, tracing the commencement of the temple being built with the Exodus. Did you see that?

In the four hundred and eightieth year after the people of Israel came out of the land, this is when the temple began to be erected and created. And you think to yourself, why? Why is the the Holy Spirit trying to bring our minds to the Exodus, and how does that relate to and why is it significant to the building of the temple? And as you think about and as you look into, you realize that perhaps God is trying to say something loud and clear concerning the exodus and the temple and how it relates to us. Could it be that the construction of the temple, the construction of the house of the Lord is the express purpose for why God pea God's people were brought out of Egypt to begin with?

In other words, for this building to be connected with the deliverance of the people of Israel from Egypt is meant to communicate the goal of God in saving Israel from the oppression of pharaoh. The temple was the great anticipation that God had. The temple was the longing that God the temple was the the aim of bringing God's people out, and it's finally here. This is what the Lord wanted to bring his people to. This is what the Lord wanted to bring the people to experience, this glorious thing that's not just a building, but it's it's a it's a gateway into something to meet with God, to worship God, to behold the glory of God.

This is why God brought them out, and that is why the author links the creation of the temple to their salvation. He might be saying, well, didn't they have the tabernacle early on in the wilderness? Yes. They did have the tabernacle. That just further proves the point that God wanted to bring them into the wilderness to worship him, but the tabernacle was temporary.

The tabernacle was mobile. It was not fixed, whereas the nature of the temple is permanent. It speaks of something that is theirs, something that is will continue constancy. This is it. This is being parked here.

It's not going anywhere. At least, that was the intention. And when we think about that, how God links the Exodus with the temple, the temple which is the place where he wants to meet with us, then you understand also that Christ's deliverance in the gospel has no different goal. Is it not the intention of God in Christ that by delivering us from the world, delivering us from pharaoh, delivering us from sin, he longs to bring us to himself? He longs to bring us into his presence.

He longs to bring us into knowing him. That is the goal. One of my favorite verses that proves that is first Peter three eighteen, where he speaks about the sacrifice of Christ and what that sacrifice was intended to bring us to. What do you think it is? Heaven?

What do you think it is? Into a more harmonious life? Into a more stable marriage? No. Here's what it is.

For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God. To God. Not out of hell, not out of the world primarily, not even out of sin. Yes. Those things are true.

And it doesn't even say into heaven, or into a more sense of fulfillment in your existence. The primary aim in Christ suffering, dying, redeeming us with his blood is to bring us to God himself. What does that imply? Personal knowledge. What does that imply?

Fellowship. What does that imply? Relationship with God. I've said it before. I'll say it again.

If you don't want God, you don't want heaven. Just plain and simple, because the essence of heaven is God himself. The glory of heaven is the glory of God. The enjoyment of heaven is God himself, but not just heaven now, today he brings us to God himself. So never fail to associate your salvation with that glorious goal.

God. God. And so in salvation, if you claim to be saved and there is no desire for God, you have to question your salvation. With all due respect, you have to question your salvation because the very intent of him saving you, filling you with the spirit, changing your heart is that you would have this new found yearning for God, to desire Him and long for Him. And so even from the beginning of this conference, ask yourself, even if you've been here, this is your tenth year, ask yourself this question.

Does that testify of my desire? Does that testify of my ambition and my pursuits? Do I long for God? God creating this new temple in us is for that purpose. And if there's not that purpose at all, if it's nonexistent, then you have to ask yourself if you even came out of Egypt to begin with.

You might be still in shackles, my brother. Your master still might be pharaoh, and you might not even realize it. No. In reality, he brings us to God. That is the heart of God in creating the temple.

Was a heart for the Exodus, bring them here in first Kings chapter six verse one, and it is still the heart of God today when people say, oh Lord, set me free. Redeem me with your blood. Wash me. He wants to make you a place where you can know God and give God acceptable worship. Your very own heart.

Not a location in Jerusalem, a forgiven heart becomes a new play meeting place between you and God, where you enjoy him, know him, and love him. But we look here further at the method of the building. Look at verse seven of first Kings chapter six. When the house was built, it was with stone prepared at the quarry so that neither hammer nor ax nor any tool of iron was heard in the house while it was being built. What a fascinating detail for the Holy Spirit to give us.

This is so interesting. The spirit sought necessary to inform us that there was no sound of tools colliding with the material when the temple was being constructed. It was at a distance. All the raw stone and all the things that they used to bring about this structure was done at a distance. And so you wouldn't hear the furnishing.

You wouldn't hear the pulling. You wouldn't hear the polishing. You wouldn't hear all of that. When those materials were ready to be placed and brought together, they would do so in the city where it was planted, but you wouldn't hear it. There was a reverential silence.

There was this elegant rhythm where you would go about in your home, at your work place, and you would barely hear the whisper even of this grand majestic thing being put together. Now why would the Holy Spirit show this? Why is this even important for me to know That the project of the building of Solomon's Temple was generally silent. It was not immediately perceived. Periodically, you would look out and you would see it getting larger, coming together more and more, but if you were distracted to the slightest, you would not be able to understand what was happening.

At least you would not be able to perceive it. And I look at this, and I think to myself that this is an encouragement. This is an encouragement that you have to link when you realize that you're the temple. The church is the temple, and Christ is the one building it. A brilliant man said once, Andrew McLaren, that this is a lesson not to mistake noise and notoriety for spiritual progress.

Do not mistake noise and notoriety for spiritual progress. What does that mean? It's very simple. There are many believers who equate their spiritual effectiveness, their spiritual growth with the attention and the recognition that they might receive from others. That's how people esteem their value, their worth, their fruitfulness.

The Lord has to let what's happening in me be made known in order for it to be true, and to be genuine, and to be powerful. And if it's not known, if it's not receiving that attention, and that recognition, and that appreciation, and maybe it's not really God working in me. And Solomon's temple would testify otherwise. Because the Lord does not need to announce his work in order for it to be legitimate. He doesn't need to advertise what he's doing in you.

Your growth, your godliness, your character being chiseled, your fruitfulness, your gifting does not need to be known to the masses in order for it to be authentic. And some people, unfortunately, live with discouragement because they feel as though they are often overlooked, unappreciated, not praised, not recognized. And if you feel that way, especially as you look out and you see other men and women being raised up, being acknowledged by prominence, and here you are, little Christian, trying to just raise your children and be faithful to the ministry in your local church, don't forget the temple. Don't forget the temple. Even that glorious place was being built silently.

When God works, it's not always loud. And we think if God works, it has to be loud. There has to be at Maranatha Bible Conference year twenty five, Thunderous conviction and rivers of tears that we have to clean up, and explosive miracles. God, if he's working, surely has to be noisy, and obvious, and undeniable. Oh, yeah?

What about the temple? Silent. Subtle. Sometimes even mist. But still God was working on something.

God was building something. And sometimes we look at our own lives, and we feel as though there's been periods, long periods, where monumental moments, even miraculous moments have not been experienced, have not worked through you or to you, and you think to yourself, lord, have you stopped working in me? Lord, have you stopped working on me? Lord, have you stopped working through me? God's work is not always loud, and God's work is not always instantaneous.

How long did it take to build this temple? Well, scroll down with me here and look at verse 38 of first Kings six. And in the eleventh year in the month of Baal, which is the eighth month, the house was finished and all its parts and according to all its specifications, he was seven years in building it. Seven years. You know, David confessed in first Chronicles twenty eight nineteen that this blueprint for the temple came from the hand of God.

This was not man's initiative. This was not man's idea. They didn't have a bunch of architects come together and say, what what can we build for? God gave the specifications for what he expected from his own house. And even though this originated in the mind of God, it didn't take a day.

It didn't take a month. It took seven years. When God works on something, he gladly and often takes his time to do it. And that's helpful for the person who is eager to arrive somewhere in their godliness, eager to arrive somewhere in their effectiveness. The Lord takes his time.

You know, there's a wonderful psalm that says promotion comes from the Lord. You can't promote yourself. You can't expand your influence. You can't do that. You can't even make yourself arise.

Some of those sanctification is a partnership with God. Understand that the Lord knows exactly what he's doing with his syllabus, with his program for your life. So seven years taking to build this building, and our simplicity, we think that if God does something, it has to happen overnight. It has to happen right there and then. No.

He takes time when he makes his men. He takes time when he makes his women. Look at David. We've been studying David in our local church, all the years in the wilderness being pressed and crushed. Look at Joseph.

He he has this glimmer of hope, this little spark that he's gonna get out of prison, all for that guy to forget to mention him after he interpret his dream, and he's in that prison for two extra years. When God sanctifies us, it's often in a slow cooker. He knows exactly when and where and how. And I love to see the temple being built in this way because it encourages me to know that even if you're part of a ministry, even if you're part of a local church, and you long for it to be something, to gain attention, to win people's affection, the Lord takes his time. And so don't be discouraged, don't be downcast, don't wonder.

Just trust him, and look to him, and believe him as you go. Just submit to his work day by day, and let him take you where he wants to take you. That's it. It's so simple. Rest, relax, enjoy him as he builds you.

But I look at this and I think to myself also, this, this silence I wasn't even planning to say this, but I'll say it anyway. Solomon's name means peace. It derives from the word shalom. God did not use David to build his house because David was was a man of war. His hands were stained with blood.

God did not want a man associated with war to be the direct agent to building his house. And so he rises up his son, Solomon, names his name peace, and that was the manifestation of his rule and his reign. His whole rule and reign, except by the end of his life because of his apostasy, never knew war, never knew civil distress, never knew foreign oppression or strife. It was it was calm and tranquil throughout it all. And even in this, you see that the building of it was silent.

It was peaceful. It was it was beautiful. There was no clashing. There was no disruption. There was no painful anything.

There is a grace to it. Let me say this because it's important. There are many churches I've said this in our own church, but I wanna say this for those who represent different ministries here. If you wanna be somebody who's part of God's building program for his church in this hour, God uses men and women of peace. God uses men and women of peace.

If you're a troublemaker, right, God's not gonna use you to build his house. He's not. If you're a person that enjoys drama and strife and gossip and problems and slander, if that's the thrill if you come to the house of God just to create problems, if that's you, you will never be used by God to be part of his building program for the church. Participation in this temple building, be a person of peace. Esteem others higher than yourself.

Fear God. Please fear God. Fear him. Tremble before him. Realize how holy and sacred it is even though you come together weekly and you're familiar with the people you're with.

Those people that you're familiar with, that local church that you're gathered with, that's the temple of the Holy Spirit. And God is wanting to build something that would more reflect his beauty. Don't get in the way of that. Be a person of peace. There's another thing even with the silence.

Something that blesses me tremendously. Not only is it the silence of God's work in our lives per se, not only is it a a nudge to to remember that when God builds something, when he desires to do something to to to really magnify his presence and to showcase his power, you must be a person of peace. But even this, God desires to build us in silence. Yes. Trials and afflictions, they have a way of chiseling us and creating something in us.

But when I look at this, I also realize that there's a theme, and the theme is this, that there is something of valuable production that is realized in the place of silence. Solitude with God. Getting alone with the builder of your heart, the renewing of your mind. Silence before the Lord has a way of stretching you and developing you, and I believe because it's a lost art, many people are stunted in their growth because of a lack of realizing the treasure it is to separate yourself from everything and to just be with God alone. Being with God alone.

I know quiet time, we like to call it that. Right? Is a luxury for some people. Like, brother, if you only knew what my life looked like, I would pay for quiet. I would do anything for quiet.

To which I would respond, you would be amazed to know what God can do with your five loaves and two fishes. If you just give him what you can give him, you would be amazed to know the miracles that he can do. If you just come with that sincerity and humility, say, Lord, this is all I have. This is all I'm able to give with all the other God given responsibilities that you have bestowed on me in providence. Can you do something with this and the Lord can do something with it?

Do you get quiet before God? Do you? Do you have a habitual practice of pulling yourself away from all the noise, even the noise that you would say is ministry? Look Lord, I'm busy. Ping, ping, ping.

Look at what I'm doing for you, Lord. Look, look, look. That's wonderful. The Lord's happy about it. But the Lord wants to do something with you in silence.

There's something, there's a perspective that is built. There is a fortification that is known. There is a conviction that is realized as you step into his light alone, and you allow his voice, and you allow that closed room to be the place where your father is able to do what he wants to do when he rewards you in secret. Silence. The temple was being built in silence.

You will know something of growth when you commit yourself to saying, I am going to just step away and meet with my God. You know, Christ did that often. Christ did that often. And one of the most notable times that he has done it was in John six after he fed the 5,000. He fed the 5,000, and we are told there that they realized that he was the prophet like Moses.

Moses multiplied food in the wilderness. Now here's this Jesus who miraculously made food appear in the wilderness. He satisfied. This is the guy that we've been waiting for. And they, at that time, were ready to make him king.

It's a good thing, isn't it? No. It wasn't a good thing. They wanted Jesus to be king for the wrong reasons, and Jesus was not supposed to be king without first going to the cross. Satan frequently tempted Jesus to pursue his ministry, to pursue his end without the cross.

Even at the very moment Jesus is hanging on the cross, the very people said, come off the cross and prove that you're the son of God. Satan tells him, you can have this whole world if you just bow down and worship me. Satan frequently tempted, even through one of his closest followers, tempted Jesus to not go to the cross. Peter rebuked him, and Jesus returned the rebuke. Get behind me, Satan.

And we know that the the the cross was our redemption. But in in like manner, Satan today tempts Christians to live a crossless life, a crossless Christianity, a Christianity without sacrifice, a Christianity without dying to self, a Christianity that doesn't go to war with your sin and your pride and selfishness. No. He wants you to live your Christian life without a and then we expect at the end of the road to get a crown. How?

It's not going to happen. And so you have this crowd approaching Jesus, and he's hearing the murmurings within the thousands saying, let's make him king. Let's let's make him king now. We can overthrow Rome. He will feed us.

We will know prosperity again in the land. How tempting would it have been for Jesus to to refuse to go to the cross and to become king right there and then, to exercise his power as he has just won the allegiance of multiple thousands of Israelites? You know what he doesn't set in John six fifteen? In John six fifteen, he says, perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself. In Mark, he sends his disciples on the boat.

He goes, boys, go. I'll meet you on the other side. And we're told why he withdrew by himself. And Mark tells us he went to go pray. What a model of Christ.

When everything around him was persuading him to veer off the will of God, Jesus, the Son of the living God, goes by himself to a mountaintop and prays, teaching us what prayer is capable of doing. It cuts off the hooks that try to pull us away from God. It stabilizes us. It realigns our perspective on life and and helps us no. I have been called by God to obey his word, not not to have the easy way out, not to have an easier Christianity, a worldly version of it.

And what prayer does is that it empowers you. God gives you something in that place when you get alone with him. People wonder why they struggle. People wonder why they stumble. People wonder why they don't excel, and it's been year 10.

It's been year 15. Well, how much do you value silence with God? How much do you protect that? You know, when Moses had the meeting place early in Exodus, after the Israelites committed that grave sin of creating the golden calf. Right?

Which is significant. They created the golden calf. We were talking about this yesterday. Where did the Israelites get the material to build the golden calf? Anybody remember?

They got it from Egypt. They got it from Egypt. God told the Egyptians, or rather the Israelites, you're not leaving this place empty handed. And so the Israelites on their way out into the wilderness on Passover night, they went up to the Egyptian neighbors, and they gave them their silver and their gold and their jewelry. Why?

So they can look bougie in the wilderness? People have limited to that to say, this is reparations. This is God's way of saying, if you enslave a people, if you just you should pay it back. That's the surface level. God asked for those materials so that when they went into the wilderness, they would have something to build the tabernacle.

That's what it was for. And what did they do with the gold that they received from the Egyptians? They built a golden calf instead. It's amazing what we can do with the blessings of God. Amazing what we can do with the gifts of God.

God gives us gifts. He brings us out of Egypt, out of the world, and he gives us something in our hands to use for his glory, and we make idols out of it instead. Right? Jesus here meets alone with the Lord. You and I are also called to meet with the Lord alone and know a fortification and a grace that can only come from there.

Look at how God takes his time. Look at how God often makes his men and women and quiet, unseen, overlooked, if you're not famous, doesn't mean you're not spiritual. Okay? If people don't ask for you, doesn't mean that you're not being worked on by the Lord, and being alone with God will excel and protect, will protect it. I was talking about the tabernacle.

Right? The tabernacle, they make that sin with the golden calf and then Moses meets with God as the people are waiting for the next step because the Lord said, my presence, I'm not going with you. So Moses meets with God there in Exodus 33, and it says he had a meeting place with God. There was a tent of meeting, and every time Moses would go there to meet with God, the people would come out of their tents and look and see Moses meeting with God, and they were so excited because they saw that their mediator was meeting with their God, and that perhaps there's hope in this. But there's this little interesting detail in Exodus 33 that whenever Moses left the meeting place, he had Joshua stay at the entrance.

He had Joshua wait, his assistant to wait. Why would he have Joshua wait at that tent of meeting, his personal meeting place with God? Do you know why? Because Joshua was to protect it. And it's a picture of you protecting our meeting with God.

Busyness, the devil, even ministry would love to would love to have you vacate that place. So he said, Joshua, protect this tent of meeting. I'll be back. It's a call for us to guard and to gauge how has my time with lord the lord alone been because so much depends on it. So much depends on it.

Lastly, we talked about the timing of the building. We talked about the method of the building. Now, we come to the glory of the building. The glory I'm speaking about is is often associated with the actual presence of God. Right?

But that's not the glory I'm speaking about. And it's true that without the presence of God in the tabernacle, without the presence of God in the temple, all you have is a hollow religious museum. The essence of that holy place was the holiness of God and God's manifest glory. But I'm not speaking about that glory. I'm speaking about the structure itself.

The very building of the temple was in itself glorious. And every component and facet of it showed something about God. It actually foreshadowed something about Christ. And so when you look at the details of the the tabernacle and the temple, Don't skip it. Ask the Lord, what is this trying to say about God?

And there's one feature about the temple that was new. You don't find it in the tabernacle, and I want to show it to you. It's not in first Kings six. It's in first Kings seven, and it's a neighboring chapter. And I want you to see this in verse 21 of first Kings chapter seven.

It says here in first Kings seven twenty one, he set up the pillars at the vestibule of the temple. He set up the pillar on the south and called its name Yakin. And he set up the pillar on the north and called its name Boaz. And on the tops of the pillars was lily work. Thus, the work of the pillars was finished.

So at the very entrance of the tab of the temple rather, you had these massive towering pillars, just two. Two of them. And these pillars were so significant that God was telling Solomon that they needed to be named something. Each one had a personal name. The one name of the one pillar was Yakin, the other Boaz.

We're familiar with the name Boaz. Why would the Lord ask for these pillars to be named? And it's because the message of those names were to be seen just as reliable as the very pillars that they were on. The pillars associated with those names were to communicate these names, what they mean, are fixed and established and completely trust you can build your faith on these truths. That's what a pillar signifies.

So then what do these things symbolize? The name Yakin, right? There's no j in Hebrew. Yakin means he will establish. He will establish.

The name Boaz means swiftness, but most people also agree that it can mean in him is strength. He will establish, in him is strength. I mean, it makes sense. Right? So you would walk up the courts into the temple.

You would see the temple, and here's the message that's being conveyed when you look at Yaakan and you look at Boaz. God is the one who established the temple. And God is the one who is able to sustain the temple. That's what was being communicated. But I wonder if there was a secondary purpose.

I wonder if when these worshipers would come into the house of God, they would look at those pillars. They would be met. They would stand in the shadow of these monuments, and they were also being told that in the house of God, you will know establishment, and in the house of God, you will know strength in the house of God. So the the place of worship, in essence, promised and reminded and guaranteed a sense of establishment and a knowledge of God's strength. Is it any different with the house of God today?

It's not different. Every time that we gather, as we're gathering this weekend, every time you go to the local church that you are in covenant with, I hope, the moment you walk in, you should be reminded and you should be confident that in this place with God's people, I will know a strengthening. I will know an encouragement. I will know a building up. I will know a protection.

I will know a nourishment. I will be helped by God here. Isn't it sad that the experience of Christians and many local churches is the opposite? It shouldn't be. But when the house is truly there for the glory of God, those are the promises.

Those are the foundational promises that you can expect when you come to the house of the Lord. I know you think that you can do it on your own. I know you're very spiritual. I know that you know your Bible inside out. I know that you watch sermons all throughout the week, but you will never know the fullest extent of flourishment if you do not have that conviction about the house of God.

I'm not talking about the church building that you pop in and escape the moment the guy says amen. I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about being planted in the house of God. You know Psalm 92. Right?

Psalm 92 verse 13. I love how the King James puts it. I know I love how the new King James puts it. Let me read to you how the ESV puts it in Psalm ninety two thirteen. Says here, they are planted in the house of the Lord.

They flourish in the courts of God. The King James says, those who are planted in the house of the Lord, or they who are planted in the house of the Lord, what's the promise? They flourish in the courts of our God. Planted. You know what it means?

Rooted. Firmly fixed. That's where your address is. When you're planted in something, you're not going anywhere else. And with the temple of God then, we realize that he's speaking about the temple, but we're also seeing that in a new covenant lens.

It's true of the church of God. When you choose to be planted in the house of God, only then will you flourish spiritually with the Lord. Only then, only then will you know blessing and fruitfulness and fragrance. Apart from that, you will not flourish. This is what the word of God says.

This is not my opinion. This is what the word of God says. And in this individualistic society and in the way we treat the local church as though it is it's a a place of my convenience, and if it's not for my convenience, then I choose to divorce myself from relating to it, you will not flourish. It doesn't matter what kind of mind you have. Doesn't matter what kind of personality.

Doesn't matter how self disciplined you are. God's mind is not our minds. God's law and God's will is not our subjective interpretation and is not subject to it. You have to be planted in the house of God in order for you to flourish. What does flourishing look like?

Look at verse 14. Tell me any born again believer that doesn't want verse 14 to be real. They still bear fruit in old age. They are ever full of sap and green. That's life.

That is linked to verse 13. Do you want to love the Lord? Do you want to remain devoted to him even into your old age? Be planted in the house of God. Parents, do you wanna see your children flourish?

Lead by example, and don't be cheap with the house of God. Don't. Show them by example the absolute supernatural value that comes from loving the house of God. Loving the house of God. Hey, single people.

Pay attention to this. I don't mean to make this more difficult for you than it already is. I get that the dating scene is not easy. I get that the prospects are becoming less and less. I get the idea that people who present themselves as Christians are living contradictions.

I get it. It's not easy. So I don't mean to make it more difficult. I'm just trying to protect you because the pain of marrying the wrong person is much more severe than remaining single. Find somebody.

If you're gonna look for anybody, look for somebody who has high esteem for the house of God. If you meet any Christian, if you meet anybody who claims to love the Lord, but doesn't love his bride, put a giant question mark on them. K? You want your marriage to be blessed? Find somebody who is planted in the house of the Lord.

You want your children to be blessed? Find somebody who is planted in the house of the Lord. Somebody who is sporadic, has no sense of commitment and devotion to the house of God, I wouldn't consider it. That's just my opinion. Bible opinion.

Bible opinion. Planted in the house of the Lord. You know, there are many parents who ask for help from ministers. I've seen it throughout the years, concerning their wayward children. You know what's amazing?

A lot of them, you don't see them in church. They just appear when their kids are in trouble. And they often ask for, can you please can you please come to our home? And we're more than willing to ask, can you please talk to my son, my daughter? They're getting all swept up in all these things.

And here's what I often say, and I've been saying it lately more than ever. With all due respect, where have you been? With all respect, I'm more than willing to listen to you, but are you plugged into a local church? Do you have elders in your lives? Do you serve in any ministry?

Oh, no. I'm very busy. Okay. Well, then how do you expect my visit to do something when for fifteen, twenty years you've set an example for your children that going to God's house is not important? That hearing God's word, worshiping with God's people is not important.

Planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish. They will flourish. Let me say one more thing. I've said this before, but I'll say for those who've never heard it before. In my also my personal experience, when it comes to counseling in marriage, I've noticed one thing for the most troubled marriages under the banner of Christianity.

The most troubled marriages had this one common denominator, though the problems varied, and it was this. One or both people in that marriage were not serious in their commitment to the church. They didn't have believers in their lives to hold them accountable, to encourage them, to give them counsel. They didn't have elders in their lives to supervise and watch over their souls. They didn't have any of that.

At least one or both. You might have one who was and the other wasn't, or you have both who weren't. And so this is this is not just, like, psychological tricks. There's a spiritual principle here. Be planted in the house of the Lord.

You saw those two biller pillars. In him is strength. He will establish. And that's not just a testament of what he will do for the universal church. That's something that you can expect when you put yourself there and you become a consistent worshiper with the people of God.

Something happened to these pillars as I close. It's in second Kings verse 25, or chapter 25 verse 13. After so many succeeding kings, subsequent monarchs, eventually, the Babylonians came and ransacked Jerusalem and Judah and even the temple. And we read here in second Kings twenty five thirteen what's what happened to these pillars specifically. Chapter 25 of second Kings verse 13.

And the pillars of bronze that were in the house of the Lord, and the stands and the bronze seed that were in the house of the Lord, the Chaldeans broke in pieces and carried the bronze to Babylon. So these these two pillars, he will establish and in him his strength, were ultimately cut in pieces, destroyed, and taken up into Babylon. What happened to God establishing and God strengthening his house? You can see that as a warning that you and I as the temple of the Holy Spirit, we can we can sabotage what God wants to do in us. But I I like to see it in a different lens because that is the temple that Solomon built, and God was willing to protect it along the way.

Right? But the house that he's building today, Jesus made a promise, and the promise is this, that the gates of hell will never prevail. That no enemy will a be able to overcome and overtake the house that he is building today. And so as you look in this world and you see maybe apostasy, and and you see disappointment, and you see a failure in spiritual leadership, realize that nothing, no one will be able to overtake what God started. That is true corporately.

It is true individually. The work that Jesus Christ began in you, he will bring it to completion. He will complete it. You may not see it now. You may not comprehend now, but understand that as long as you remain in him, you will know his favor and his faithfulness until the end.

And even in those moments where we do fail, we get up, we plead for forgiveness, he restores us, and he never puts a pause on that which he started. He will continue until the end. Nothing will ever be able to separate you from the love of Christ. Nothing. That temple is nonexistent today.

That temple is nowhere to be found. It will be rebuilt one day, and that's a whole different teaching. But the temple, the spiritual house of God that started two thousand years ago will continue until the end of the age. I'm so glad to be part of an institution that will never fail. I'm so glad that I'm Christian before I am American.

Right? You're not American before you're Christian. You're a Christian, and your citizenship is in heaven. I like to joke with people. They say, how many citizens do you have?

I'm Canadian, I'm American, and I have a third one. I say, where's your name? Heaven. Heaven. You can't say that at the border, but you can say it with other Christians.

They understand that stuff. The glory of the temple. You and I have to understand that the Lord wants to shine his glory through us. And you will never know, you will never experience the glory of God until you first are convinced that it is glorious and that this is something that you need to be a part of by your participation, not just by your theology, but by your participation. So there is a timing of that temple that testifies that the foundation of this whole thing is Jesus Christ dying for us so that we can know God and meet with God.

There is a method that we need to trust throughout the years, that there is a silent work that God is doing. You may not perceive it. There are days that go by that you might not be able to sense what you wanna sense from God, but that doesn't mean that he's not working in you in a deep and significant way. And there is a glory that you can expect by being part of the house of God. Don't you forfeit that by your foolishness.

Don't you forfeit that by your foolishness. And there is something that the Lord, as you commit being planted in the house of God, that promises you until the end of your life, you will know sap, and you will know life, and you will know fruitfulness in your old age and even in your family. That's his promise. Lord, we claim those promises by faith in Christ, and we thank you that in Jesus Christ, you are building a better house. And we ask, oh, Lord, that our vision of your house would be clarified.

Help us see with the eyes of faith. We're not looking to actual pillars. We're not looking to physical gold. We're not looking to towering stones. We're not looking to veils and inscriptions.

Lord, we look at people from different tribes and nations. We look at different materials, physically speaking. Things that naturally would divide us. Lord, you are bringing and building something with. And so as we even stand in this very room, help us see the absolute beauty of what you are doing.

As we go back to our local church, and we get up every Sunday morning, and we make our way to the house of God, may there be a sense in our hearts realizing I am going ready to be established, ready to be strengthened, ready to be a means to strengthen others as well. Lord, help us see the absolute majesty of the house. We are your house, and would you receive all the glory for it. Lord, we love you, and we worship you in this place as the temple of the Holy Spirit. May you receive acceptable worship, a fragrance on this Friday morning that would be pleasing to you.

In Jesus' name, amen.