Building a House for God - 1 Kings 5-7

5, which I think is on page 340, 1 Kings chapter 5.

1 Kings 5 · chapter mention

What we've been doing over the last number of weeks is, our practices is to work through

a book of the Bible, and we've been looking at Kings, which, well, it's all about Kings.

And we're in chapter 5, we're going to look at chapter 5 to 7 this morning. We're just

going to follow along and see what the Bible, what Scripture, what God's Word has to say

to us and how it applies to us. And this morning, we're going to need to put on hard hats. So

if you've got hard hats and a trowel and working boots, because we're going to go into a construction

site. I don't know if there's any builders here, but we're going to go walking through

a construction site. And you go, well, that sounds a bit boring. Well, I'm going to do

my very best to show you that it is not boring, but very, very exciting. So let's pray and ask

for God's help as we look at God's Word, 1 Kings chapter 5 to 7. Let's pray and ask for

1 Kings 5 · chapter mention

his help.

Father, we thank you for all that you provide, and we thank you that we have your Word, the

Bible, in our own language that we can read. Thank you that we have the freedom to meet

as we are right now in this building. And we ask that you would pour out and give to us

your Holy Spirit's power so that the words that we read and look at together would be life-giving

words, life-changing words. And help us to see the wonder that God lives with us and we can

live with God. We ask for your help in Jesus' name. Amen.

Well, you may be familiar with the television program Grand Designs. It follows the stories

of those who plan to build their dream home. So whether it's a glass house in the middle of a forest

or a wooden dome that's perched on the edge of a cliff, we get to see the design and the

decor and then finally we get a visual tour through the finished construction. You see,

when the building is all done, the building becomes a home for a family. That was always

the plan. It might start off with measurements on paper, but it was always meant to be a home,

a place to live. Well, in 1 Kings chapters 5 to 7, which are really quite long and lengthy,

1 Kings 5 · chapter mention

it might seem like an early version of Grand Designs. We even get to go through a visual tour

because Solomon, who's the king, is about to build a temple. Look at chapter 5, verse 5.

Solomon says, I intend therefore to build a temple for the name of the Lord my God.

And for three whole chapters we go into construction overload. We're even told all about the workforce.

So chapter 5, that's where it's got a big 5, and then to verse 15, little number 15.

It tells us there that Solomon had 70,000 carriers and 80,000 stonecutters in the hill,

as well as 3,300 foremen who supervised the project and directed the workers. What a lot of people

are, of course, of course, of course. And if we're not bored already, we get bamboozled with all kinds

of measurements. So look at chapter 6, verse 2. The temple that King Solomon built for the Lord was

60 cubits long and 20 wide and 30 high. Down at verse 6, the lowest floor was 5 cubits wide,

the middle floor 6 cubits, the third floor 7. He made offset ledges around the outside of the temple

so that nothing would be inserted into the temple walls. Still with me? And then the decorators arrived.

Look at verse 29 of chapter 6. On the walls all around the temple, in both the inner and the outer rooms,

he carved cherubim, which were like angels, palm trees and open flowers. And then he's getting

so excited and thinks everybody loves architecture that we get a detailed tour of the whole entrance

to the temple. So look at chapter 7, verse 15. Chapter 7, verse 15. He cast two bronze pillars,

each 18 cubits high and 12 cubits in circumference. Verse 18. He made pomegranates in two rows encircling

around these great big pillars. And then verse 21. He erected the pillars at the portico, that's at the

entrance of the temple. And then he gets really excited and really passionate because he starts giving

them names. The pillar to the south he named Jachin and the one to the north he named Boaz.

Well, if you've managed to get to chapter 5 and you're still awake, you're doing really well.

All this talk of cubits and cherubs and pillars and pomegranates, what's it all about?

Well, behind all the design and all the detail, we must not miss the purpose. When all the building

is done, it becomes a home. That was always the plan. It might start off with measurements,

but it was always meant to be a home, a place to live. Here's the first thing we're going to learn

about this great big construction. First, God longs to live with us. It's a promise to dwell

with his people. Let's go to chapter 6, verse 1. Chapter 6, verse 1. In the 480th year, after the

Israelites came out of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon's reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv,

anybody birthday here in Ziv? The second month, he began to build the temple of the Lord. Now, dates may

seem very unimportant and all may sound very tedious, but these dates act as promise reminders.

You see, 480 years ago, God had rescued the people of Israel from slavery and when he rescued them,

he made this promise. Here it is. You can read it on the screen. Here was God's promise. He said to the

people, let them make a sanctuary for me and I will dwell among them. This was God's desire, God's longing

to be with his people. He had delivered them from slavery so that he might dwell with them.

Now, we might be very familiar with the month of Ziv or have any anniversaries in Ziv,

but it's a reminder. It reminds us that God made a promise to live with his people and when God makes

a promise, he always keeps his promise. This might be a 480 year old promise, but it's a promise and God

keeps his promise to his people. So, under Solomon, God's dwelling place, the temple gets built.

So, it's a promise to dwell and therefore it's a place to live. Look at chapter 6, verse 2.

The temple that King Solomon built for the Lord was 60 cubits long, 20 wide and 30 high. Now, we'll come

back to that structure in a minute, but let's not miss the point of what verse 2 tells us. This was a

building, verse 2, for the Lord. A place for God to live. Could you imagine a house?

Where God could live? Now, that might cause us a little bit of difficulty. How could God live in a temple?

How do you squeeze God into a temple? Remember what God had said through the prophet Isaiah.

Again, you can read it on the screen. God said, heaven is my throne and earth is my footstool.

It's like you can picture God in his greatness, resting his feet, as it were, upon the world.

Where is the house that you would build for me? And where is my resting place be?

Has not my hand made all these things? I've made the world. I've created the world so that they come

into being. You see, it's actually impossible to contain the creator of the universe into a man-made temple.

You can't squeeze God down and push him into a box. God doesn't live in temples or in any other building.

So why on earth is Solomon building a place for God to live?

Well, it's God's means of making himself accessible to the people.

The redeeming God longs to reside with his people.

It's God's way of saying, I want to be with you.

It's like when we got married and Kirsty and I moved into our house together.

You can't get a stronger statement of saying, I want to be with you.

I want to live with you. I want to dwell with you.

You see, Jerusalem was at the very centre of Israel, the centre of the country.

And the temple was at the very centre of Jerusalem.

And God was setting up his home in the temple.

And it's like God is saying, I can't get close enough.

I long to live with my people.

So I'm going to have a temple made so I can dwell with my people.

So God longs to live with us.

That's the first thing we learn.

The second thing we're going to learn is that God's presence makes everything new.

So when God comes to live with us, he makes everything new.

First, eat and remember.

Let's go back and look at the design of the temple.

Chapter 6, verse 2.

Okay, they were told that Solomon built the temple.

It was 60 cubits long, 20 wide and 30 high.

So that's about 24 metres long, 9 metres wide and 14 metres high.

So we've actually got a visual.

I did it myself.

We've got a visual demonstration for you.

It's this building we're in right here.

I provided it for you.

Wasn't that good?

It's roughly, what, 24 metres long, give or take 9 metres wide, 14 metres high.

This is what the temple shape was kind of like.

And in terms of its dimensions, look at chapter 6, verse 3.

The portico, the entrance to the front of the main hall of the temple, extended the width of the temple.

So kind of think down that end.

The other side, you've got a great big entrance, which is about 9 metres wide and about 4 metres out.

So a lovely big entrance.

And inside the main hall, which is this area here, there was a smaller hall, which we read about in verse 19.

He prepared the inner sanctuary within the temple to set the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord.

The Ark of the Covenant was symbolic of God's presence.

So see where these screens are here.

This was kind of like the inner sanctuary, where the Ark was, which was symbolic of God's presence.

So this was the big temple, the outer hall, the inner hall.

This is what it was like.

But what I want us to do now is, I want us to look at the decor.

Look at the decoration of this temple.

Look at verse 19.

Sorry, verse 18.

Chapter 6, verse 18.

The inside of the temple was cedar.

Beautiful carved wood.

Carved with gourds.

Anybody grow any gourds?

You probably don't know what they are, but I think you do know what they are.

They're things like pumpkins and marrows and squash.

Those kinds of fruits and vegetables.

And open flowers.

Everything was cedar.

No stone was to be seen.

Now look down at verse 29.

On the walls, all around the temple, in both the inner and the outer rooms,

he carved cherubim, which were like little angels.

Palm trees and open flowers.

He also covered the floors of both the inner and the outer rooms of the temple with gold.

So here we are.

Can you imagine this room?

Covered in panels all the way around in beautiful cedar wood.

And everywhere you looked around inside this room,

there were these elaborate, beautiful carvings of fruit and vegetables and trees and flowers everywhere,

all over the place.

It was like an artistic garden show.

And then to display their full glory, it was all overlaid with gold.

And in case we miss the point, look at verse 31.

The entrance to the inner sanctuary, he made the doors out of olive wood.

Verse 32.

And on the two olive wooden doors, he carved more cherubim and palm trees and open flowers

and overlaid the cherubim and palm trees with hammered gold.

And he did the same with the main entrance.

Verse 35.

He carved more cherubim and palm trees and open flowers

and had them overlaid with gold hammered evenly over all the carvings.

It's a magnificent work of art.

You could imagine as you came to the entrance of this temple and all the carvings.

It was literally like walking into a garden.

And once you got inside, everything you saw, all the decoration, all the carvings,

was everything that you would find in a garden.

Trees, flowers, fruits.

All these open blossom flowers, all carved beautifully on the walls.

The beauty of creation on display.

It was just like the Garden of Eden where God first walked and dwelled with his people.

Paradise itself.

Now the Garden of Eden was not only a place of God's presence,

but the Garden of Eden was also a place of peace.

It was beauty and harmony.

There was no chaos and disorder in the Garden of Eden right at the very beginning.

And the temple that Solomon was building was to reflect it.

So outside the temple,

so if you can imagine here we are in the temple,

outside in the car park area,

was this huge basin of water.

Could you imagine like a mini swimming pool?

And it was called the sea.

Look at chapter 7, verse 23.

Chapter 7, verse 23.

He made the sea of cast metal,

circular in shape,

measuring 10 cubits from rim to rim,

5 cubits high.

And it took a line of 30 cubits to measure around it.

So you imagine this great big metal basin sitting outside there in the car park.

It goes 5 metres from one side to the other,

3 metres deep,

and 14 metres all the way around.

Now look at the end of verse 26.

We're told at the end of verse 26 that it held 2,000 baths.

That's a measurement.

That's about 44,000 litres of water.

So you can imagine it's like a swimming pool.

But no wonder it was called a sea,

because it was like a mini little sea.

But why on earth?

Just think about it.

Why would Solomon,

after he's built this temple,

then build this sea

out in the middle of the courtyard,

outside?

Why build a sea?

Well, the sea in the Bible

is often associated with evil forces of chaos and destruction.

And outside the temple,

the place of God's presence,

it's like the sea is now contained

in this great metal basin.

All the forces of destruction and chaos,

as it were,

have now been calmed.

That was the symbolism.

There was now peace.

You see,

the temple that Solomon was building

was to demonstrate

what life would be like

when God lives

and dwells with his people.

It will just be like what it was

in the Garden of Eden,

a beautiful new creation

where everything is wonderful and good.

The absence of all evil,

like paradise itself.

God's presence,

when he comes down to live with his people,

makes everything wonderfully new.

So God lives with us.

God's presence makes everything new.

But God has demands

when we're going to live with him.

He has demands if we're going to live with him.

Let's look at these conditions.

As we take this visual tour

through the temple,

God suddenly interrupts and speaks.

In fact,

over the course of these three chapters,

we don't see God directly speaking,

but only once.

And it comes in chapter 6,

verse 11.

Have a look in your Bible,

chapter 6, verse 11.

So we're getting all this construction design.

It's all very elaborate.

And then God suddenly speaks

into the middle of it.

Look what he says,

chapter 6, verse 11.

The word of the Lord came to Solomon.

As for this temple you are building,

if you follow my decrees,

observe my laws,

and keep all my commands,

and obey them,

I will fulfill through you

the promise I gave to David your father.

Here it is.

And I will live among the Israelites,

and I won't abandon my people Israel.

It's only a two-letter word,

but God's promise depends on it.

If you follow my decrees,

if you observe all my laws,

if you obey my commands,

if, if,

then I will live among you

and I will not abandon you.

It sounds so easy,

doesn't it?

Do what I say,

says God,

and you will experience my promise.

I will live with you

and I will dwell with you,

and everything will be put right.

Everything will be beautiful

and everything will be good.

Just simply obey.

Forget all the decor

and all the gold

and all the carvings.

Look at your heart.

Just obey me,

says God,

and you will experience my presence.

Sounds so easy.

Well, let's see how Solomon got on.

Look at chapter 6, verse 37.

Here we come to the end

of the building project.

Chapter 6, verse 37,

the foundation of the temple

of the Lord was laid

in the fourth year

in the month of Ziph,

in the eleventh year

in the month of Bull,

the eighth month,

the temple was finished.

Forget the dates,

we just want to know

that the temple is finished.

And all its details

according to its specifications.

He had spent seven years

building it.

What a mammoth construction.

Seven years.

All those people

building this great big temple.

But let's not stop there.

Let's keep reading.

Chapter 7, verse 1.

It took Solomon

13 years, however,

to complete the construction

of his palace.

Something doesn't seem right,

does it?

Seven years to build a home

for the Creator,

the Redeemer of the world,

and yet Solomon needed

13 years to build

his own home.

It says something

about his priorities,

doesn't it?

Look at verse 2

of chapter 7.

He built the palace.

What a wonderful

grand title

for your house.

The palace

of the forest

of Lebanon.

What a title.

What a place

this must have been.

We can look

at the measurements.

45 metres long,

23 metres wide,

14 metres high.

You know what?

It's double the size

of the temple

that he built for God.

And then we look

in verse 6.

The entrance

that he made

to his palace

was even bigger

than the temple itself.

It seems

that Solomon

is more interested

in building

a palace

for his name

and making

his name great

and God

is clearly

taking second place.

This reminds me

of all the many,

many promises

that I was made

as a kid.

My parents

would say to me,

Johnny,

you can stay up

later

if you clean up

your room.

Johnny,

you can watch TV

if you first

do your homework.

Johnny,

you can have dessert

if you finish up

all your dinner.

But I never

got to experience

the promised blessings

because I could

never keep

the ifs.

And that's

what happened

to Solomon.

He messed up

his priority.

They were a sign

of the disobedience

to come.

He couldn't

keep the ifs.

And God

withdrew his presence

and as we read

on in the story,

in time to come,

the temple

would actually

get destroyed,

obliterated.

And instead

of everything

being made new,

it all descended

into chaos

and disorder.

God's promise

to be with

his people,

it didn't happen.

You see,

God has demands

when it comes

to knowing

and enjoying

his presence.

But the problem

is,

the same with

Solomon,

it's exactly

the same with us.

We've got hearts

that are more

interested

in building up

our own lives

and building up

our own name.

And God

comes a very,

very distant

second.

You see,

unless we love

and obey

God with

all our heart,

we will never

ever get

to enjoy

his presence.

What are we

going to do?

Well,

the good news

is,

God makes

it possible

for people

like us

to live

with him.

look at

our history.

I want you

to imagine

for a minute,

put on your

thinking caps

here,

that you're

standing outside,

this is this

temple,

all the carvings,

all the gold,

all the beauty,

the big swimming

pool outside,

the sea out

there,

the entrance,

you're at the

entrance.

And as you

come up to

these great

big doors

to come into

the temple,

remember the

temple is where

God is,

where God's

presence is,

this is where

you come to

meet God.

The design

is so important.

As you come

up to the

temple,

you discover,

have a look at

chapter 7

verse 21,

you're reminded

that we need

to get our

heads around

this now,

a little bit

of thinking,

chapter 7

verse 21,

we're told

that one of

the pillars

is to the

south and

one is to

the north.

That simply

means that

the temple

is facing

in an

eastwardly

direction.

Now you're

going,

Johnny,

what are you

going on

about?

I've

followed you

so far,

but what's

all this

about the

temple being

in an

eastwardly

direction?

What's so

important about

that?

Well,

think back

to the

Garden of

Eden,

where God

walked and

talked and

dwelled with

the first

people,

Adam and

Eve.

But because

of their

disobedience,

what happened?

they got

removed from

the garden,

they got

removed from

God's presence

and this is

what it says

in Genesis,

you can read

it here on

the screen.

After God

drove the

man out,

he placed

on the

east side

of the

Garden of

Eden

cherubim

and a

flaming sword

flashing back

and forth

to guard

the way

to the

tree of

life.

So God

was saying

to them,

because you've

rebelled

against me,

you can't

be in

my presence,

you can't

be with

me,

you can't

enjoy me,

you can't

know me.

Now go

back to

the temple

that we

were thinking

about.

There you

are at

the entrance

and as

you come

from the

east,

you're

coming up

to the

temple

and on

these great

big double

doors,

what's

carved on

the doors,

do you

remember?

Cherubi.

Those angels

and you're

reminded

you cannot

enter the

presence of

God,

you're not

allowed in.

Everywhere

all over

the door

are these

symbols,

these cherubim

which is

telling you

you can't

get in,

you can't

live with

God,

you can't

be in

his presence.

Now we

mightn't have

any cherubim

as you came

in the doors

this morning

but you

know what?

It's

telling us

the same

thing.

This is

our history,

this is

our story.

God has

made it

crystal clear

that when

we turn

against him

we cannot

live with

him and

enjoy his

presence.

So how

do we?

Well,

it's all

because of

God's

stubborn

grace.

Go to

chapter 7

verse 21

again.

There we

are,

picture

yourself

at the

temple

doors,

the

cherubim

telling you

you can't

come in,

you can't

come into

God's

presence

and then

either side,

what's

either side

of the

doors?

These

enormous

great big

pillars,

eight metres

high,

five and a

half metres

in circumference,

huge big

pillars supporting

the entrance.

But you

see what

they're

called,

they're

given names

aren't

they?

The pillar

to the

south is

named

Jachin and

the one

to the

north is

called

Boaz.

Now these

aren't the

names of

his pet

hamsters.

This is

God's

stubborn

grace.

You know

what Jachin

means?

You might

have a little

footnote in

your Bible.

it means

God

establishes.

And you

know what

Boaz

means?

God is

strength.

So as you

look at one

pillar, it

reminds us of

what God

said he

will do.

I will

establish my

promise to

live with

my people.

And they

look at the

other pillar

and it

reminds them

of how God

will do

it.

I will

fulfil my

promise by

my power.

So in

the face

of all

the rebellion

that is

going on,

we have

God's

stubborn

grace as

if God

is digging

his heels

in and

he's saying

I will

dwell with

my people

and not

even sin

is going

to stop

it or

get in

the way.

My

promise

to live

with my

people

will be

fulfilled

by my

power.

well we

are living

a long

long

ways

from the

temple

of

Solomon

aren't

we?

How does

this promise

ever come

about?

Well the

beauty is

God's

promise

to live

with his

people

becomes

a reality

with the

coming of

Jesus Christ.

through

Jesus

God

now

lives

with us.

Let me

show you

I want to

show you

as we

bring this

to a

conclusion

how we

can

experience

God's

presence

ourself.

Have a

look at

Ephesians

Ephesians 2 · chapter mention

chapter 2

it's in

the New

Testament

Galatians

Ephesians

if somebody's

got a page

number

please shout

it out for

me loud

and clear

Ephesians

Ephesians 2 · chapter mention

chapter 2

thank you

very much

1 1

7 4

Ephesians

Ephesians 2 · chapter mention

chapter 2

and we're

going to

look at

verse 21

1 1

7 4

is that

right?

Yep

1 1 7

4

Ephesians

Ephesians 2 · chapter mention

chapter 2

and again

okay

don't take

off your

hard hats

put them

back on

again

put on

your

building

shoes

and your

trowels

because there's

more building

going on

here

okay

it all

fits in

with the

imagery

verse 21

in him

that is

it's talking

about Jesus

in Jesus

the whole

building

is joined

together

and rises

to become

a holy

temple

in the

Lord

so what

it's telling

us here

is that

Jesus

has come

and Jesus

is now

himself

is like

the builder

and Jesus

is building

a new

temple

not a

physical

temple

made of

wood

and stone

but Jesus

is building

a living

temple

a temple

whose

stones

are people

people

like you

and me

look at

verse 22

and in

him

in Jesus

you too

are being

built

together

to become

a dwelling

in which

God lives

by his

spirit

so here's

the picture

that I

want us

to get

as we

come to

Jesus

as we

repent

of our

sin

and our

rebellion

as we

trust in

Jesus

as we

build our

life on

the foundation

of Jesus

Christ

he takes

us

and he

builds

us

together

to be

a dwelling

place

in which

God lives

by his

spirit

he takes

all our

mess

and all

our

brokenness

and as

he died

on the

cross

he takes

the blame

for the

things that

we have

done wrong

and he

makes us

wonderfully

new

people

and he

builds

us

together

piece

by piece

so that

God

could dwell

and live

amongst

his

people

so as

the

temple

and that

is what

we're

looking at

here

right now

not the

concrete

walls

around us

here

but the

people

the temple

are the

people

those who

trust in

Jesus

Christ

God

is

here

the

creator

of the

universe

is present

by his

holy spirit

now as

you come

here into

this temple

of God's

people

as you

look around

you're not

going to

see carved

wood

and trees

and cherubim

and gourds

and pomegranates

and all of

this stuff

but you know

what you're

going to

see

you're going

to see

new people

new creations

people who

are being

restored and

made more

and more

like the

Lord Jesus

Christ

that is the

new creation

that God

is bringing

about

and God

is saying

I am

living

amongst

you

and I

am

dwelling

amongst

you

but there's

one last

piece of

construction

that I

must show

you

because even

as we

dwell

together

and God

is present

by his

spirit

there is

still chaos

and disorder

around this

world

isn't there

there's still

broken lives

there's still

things that

go wrong

but one

day God

has promised

that he

will come

again

and we

will be

able to

enjoy the

fullness of

his presence

for all

eternity

go to the

very last

book of

your Bible

Revelation

Revelation 21 · chapter mention

chapter 21

and here's

where all

this construction

that we've

looked at

comes to

its finished

design

and wonderful

conclusion

it's a

building

project

that is

still going

on as it

were

but one

day we

will get

to experience

it and

we will

know it

fully and

completely

Revelation

Revelation 21 · chapter mention

chapter 21

at the very

end of your

Bible

let me read

Revelation 21

Revelation 21:1

verse 1

it's like

a picture

of Eden

Eden

restored

everything

put right

here's the

picture

then I saw

a new

heaven and

a new

earth

for the

first heaven

and the

first earth

had passed

away

and there

was no

longer

any

what

any

sea

the chaos

the disorder

the evil

the destruction

it's all

gone

it's no

longer

there

and verse

2

I saw

the holy

city

the new

Jerusalem

now we're

talking temple

language again

coming down

from heaven

from God

prepared as a

bride beautifully

dressed for her

husband

and I heard a

loud voice

from the throne

saying look

God's dwelling

place

is now

among the

people

and he will

dwell with

them

and they

will be his

people

and God

himself

will be

with them

and be

their God

and he

will wipe

away every

tear from

their eyes

and there

will be no

more death

or mourning

or crying

or pain

for the old

order of things

has passed

away

and he

who is

seated on

the throne

said I

am making

everything

new

the finished

construction

project

of God's

new world

where we

can dwell

with him

forever

and forever

this is

God's

stubborn

grace

he made

a promise

I will

dwell

with my

people

he has

done that

through

Christ

and his

promise

keeping

power

will ensure

that if we

trust in him

we will

live with him

forever

and forever

and forever

do you

know God's

presence

with you

today

are you

sure

that you

will dwell

with him

for all

eternity

in God's

new heaven

and new

earth

what an

amazing

prospect

that lies

ahead for

all who

love him

let's pray

father

father

father

god

we thank

you for

that promise

that god

would dwell

and live

with his

people

and we

thank you

that because

of jesus

we can

say

that god

is present

here

now by

his spirit

with his

people

and yet

we long

for that

day

we look

forward

to that

day

when god

will come

again in

all his

fullness

and we

will dwell

with him

in the

new

creation

father

keep us

until that

day we

pray

in jesus

name

amen

we're

going to

sing

name

of all

majesty

there's a

line in

it somewhere

if i could

find it

savior of

calvary

costliest

victory

darkness

defeated

and eden

restored

born as a

man to die

nailed

to a cross

on high

cold in the

grave to lie

jesus is

lord

this is our

wonderful truth

that we can

sing about

let's stand

together

as we sing

music

so

you