2 chronicles 7:1-3

When the Glory Falls II Chronicles 7: 1-3

2 Chronicles 7:1–3 NRSV

1 When Solomon had ended his prayer, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the Lord filled the temple. 2 The priests could not enter the house of the Lord, because the glory of the Lord filled the Lord’s house. 3 When all the people of Israel saw the fire come down and the glory of the Lord on the temple, they bowed down on the pavement with their faces to the ground, and worshiped and gave thanks to the Lord, saying, “For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.”

Once again we are privileged to look in on a very special time in the lives of God’s people. For hundreds of years Israel had worshipped the Lord in the Tabernacle, the tent that God had given the blueprint for. This is where the Ark of the Covenant dwelt and where God met with His people. Solomon had been permitted of God to build the Temple, a permanent structure for the Lord to dwell and meet with Israel. The Temple had just been completed and Solomon has just finished the dedication prayer. It was during this gathering that the Lord showed up in their midst in a miraculous way . This was a time of worship and thanksgiving unto the Lord. I am particularly interested in the presence of the Lord during this worship service. I am certain that we have met with the Lord in these days, but we haven’t yet received all that is available to us. We are serving the same God who met with Solomon and honored him and the people with His presence. God didn’t show up because they had just completed the most magnificent structure known to man; He showed up because the people had come with a heart of unity desiring worship ! I don’t know about you, but I would like to experience the glory of the Lord on this scale. I have read about in the Bible. I have heard others talk about special times when the Lord met with them. I have even experienced the Lord in an unusual way on occasion, but nothing like this. Are you interested in seeing the glory fall in our day Are you interested in more than the average service? We need to understand the principles revealed in the text concerning the glory of the Lord. If we are to meet with God and experience His power, we must meet His conditions. I want to preach on the thought: When the Glory Falls. I. The Requirements Disclosed (1) – The obedience and actions of Solomon reveal three specific requirements in experiencing God’s glory. A. Seeking ? – It is evident through the process of building the Temple and the labor that went into it that Solomon sought the presence of the Lord. Here we find him humbly before the Lord in prayer, seeking to meet with Him and experience His presence.  I’m not saying that God requires that we build a magnificent temple in order to meet with Him. In fact we can meet with the Lord at any time and in most any place, but it is essential that we seek to meet with Him.  If we are to see the glory fall in our day and experience a great move of God, we must seek Him. We must earnestly seek the Lord to move among us and transform our lives and worship services. There has to be a heartfelt desire on our part. It will not happen until we seek Him! I. The Requirements Disclosed A. Seeking B. Submission (1) – Solomon has not come in arrogance, reminding the Lord of all that he had done. He isn’t bragging about the beauty and splendor of the Temple. He has come humbly before the Lord in supplication, 6: 19, 21.  Submission is essential in experiencing the glory of God. We have nothing to boast of in ourselves. What could we possibly offer the Lord except our worship? We have not seen God move among us because of any merit of our own. All that we have received has come through His abundant mercy.  If we are to see the Lord do great and mighty things among us, we must humble ourselves before Him and submit to His will for our lives. We must lay ourselves before God and allow Him to work in our hearts. This thing isn’t about us or our accomplishments; it’s all about HIM! I. The Requirements Disclosed A. Seeking B. Submission C. Sacrifice (1) – Solomon offered a sacrifice unto the Lord. He wanted to please the Lord with the sacrifice that he had brought.  This is something that the church knows little about in our day. We want God to bless us. We want Him to meet our needs, but we are willing to sacrifice little in order to receive it.  We no longer need to bring sacrificed to atone for our sin, but if we are to see His glory, we must be willing to pay the price. We must be willing to sacrifice for the presence of God. We must be willing to lay our selfish wants and desires aside to meet with Him. We must want the Lord more than we want anything else! Are you willing to sacrifice to see the Lord’s glory? I. The Requirements Disclosed II. The Response Displayed (1) (1-2) – The people’s obedience brought an unusual response from the Lord. A. The Pleasing of the Lord (1) – Fire came down from heaven, and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices. The worship and sacrifice of Solomon was noticed of God. It was pleasing to Him. He accepted it!  Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could offer worship and sacrifice that pleased the Lord? Wouldn’t it be good to worship in such a way that God noticed our passion for Him and accepted that worship?  Far too often we come with our own agenda. We have an idea of what we wish to accomplish and many times pleasing the Lord isn’t at the top of our list. Oh that we would focus on the Lord in our services and desire to offer praise and worship that would please Him instead of grieving Him! I’m not looking to get out; I’m looking to get in! B. The Presence of the Lord (1) B. The Presence of the Lord (1) – The glory of the LORD filled the house. Do you fully understand what happened here? Solomon and the people offered their worship unto the Lord and He showed up! The glory of our Lord filled the Temple where they were. The God of heaven met with them.  I have been in some wonderful services where the Lord showed up, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen the glory fill the house. This has the idea of “being full, an abundance, to satisfy or fulfill.” The house was literally consumed with the presence of God. He was everywhere they looked.  We need His presence every time we meet. We have the mindset that once in a while is great, and it is, but we could have it more than we do. When the Lord shows up, business will pick up at the house of God! II. The Response Displayed (1-2) A. The Pleasing of the Lord (1) B. The Presence of the Lord C. The Power of the Lord (1) (2) – Solomon wasn’t the only one who recognized what was happening. The priests couldn’t even enter the Temple because the glory of God was so real. They knew that God was there. They sensed His presence and His power.  Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could experience that in our day? I would love to see such an outpouring of God’s Spirit that we were unsure what to do. I would love for His presence and power to be so real that we would sense Him before we ever entered the building.  Imagine the change that would take place in our lives and communities if we got accustomed to the Lord being in the house. Think of the impact on those around us. I don’t know what’s going on out there, but the Lord is there in a mighty way!  We could see mountains moved in our day if we could get to the place where the Lord met with us in a mighty way on a regular basis. There is absolutely no reason that it couldn’t happen. We could tell others with confidence and experience that Jesus is in the house! II. The Response Displayed (1-2) A. The Pleasing of the Lord (1) B. The Presence of the Lord C. The Power of the Lord D. The Purging of the Lord (2) (1) (2) D. The Purging of the Lord (2) – Did you notice who it was that couldn’t enter the Temple? It was the priests, those appointed of God to handle His business. It was those who ought to have been close enough to God to enter in, but even they couldn’t approach such glory. They knew that they were unworthy of such an outpouring of God.  Hey, when the presence and power of God begins to move, it won’t leave us as we are. It wasn’t that they didn’t want to enter the Temple, they couldn’t! When God begins to show up, folks will begin to take inventory of their lives. Being around the presence of God will force us to look within our hearts and see where we stand with Him.  Do you know why it seems as if folks can live as they please through the week and sit on a pew on Sunday untouched and unmoved? It is simple; we aren’t experiencing the presence and power of God. If we ever get in His presence in a mighty way, the Holy Spirit will reveal just where we are. We won’t be able to come before Him with sin in our lives and ignore it! I. The Requirements Disclosed II. The Response Displayed (1) (1-2) III. The Reward Discovered (3) – The people met God’s requirements, He responded to their obedience, and the people were rewarded of God. A. Their Recognition– The children of Israel saw the fire come down and the glory of the Lord upon the house. There was no question as to who had showed up. The people were keenly aware that the Lord was among them. They weren’t running to Solomon to ask what was going on; they knew!  When we get in the presence of our Lord, we will know it. There is no mistaking a genuine move of God. If you are saved, you won’t have to ask others what it going on. The Lord will reveal Himself in such a way that we will know without a doubt. He has met with us recently and I knew it was Him.  When God begins to move in a mighty way, even the lost will recognize Him. We need that moving of the Lord in our day. We need to experience His presence so that we will know that we have met with the Lord. B. Their Reverence– They bowed themselves with their faces to the ground upon the pavement and worshipped. The presence of God and His glory brought a reverent fear unto the people. They had one thing on their mind and that was worshipping the Lord. (I really believe they couldn’t help themselves. God had shown Himself in such a mighty way that they had to worship Him.)  Wouldn’t you like to see that in our day? Wouldn’t you like to see a move of God so strong that the church recognized the Lord and worshipped Him? When we get in His glory, there will be no choice but to worship. It will be such an overwhelming presence that we will have to honor the Lord with our worship. We need that in our day. We likely aren’t experiencing worship because we haven’t seen His glory. We aren’t seeing His glory because our hearts are not right with Him. I want to worship when I gather at God’s house. III. The Reward Discovered A. Their Recognition B. Their Reverence C. Their Rejoicing (3) – Not only did the people worship, but they also praised the Lord. Praise has the idea of “throwing, shooting, or casting; to give thanks and confess.” I want you to get this mental picture. Their hearts were so full of joy that they couldn’t help themselves. Their joy filled the heart and made its way to the mouth. They were literally throwing their praise toward the Lord. They were casting their praise and thanksgiving at the feet of God!  If you ever get in the presence of God in a real way, you will rejoice. We all worship differently, but I can assure you that the praise will not be held within. You will cast that praise upon the Lord. You will offer a tribute of praise. Being in the presence of God makes us mindful of Him and the goodness that He bestows. We would all have to admit that God is good! III. The Reward Discovered A. Their Recognition B. Their Reverence C. Their Rejoicing D. Their Report (3) – The people said concerning the Lord, “For He is good; for His mercy endureth forever.” God had moved among them and they couldn’t hold it in; they could no longer be quiet concerning the God they served.  If you ever get in a “glory patch” you won’t be able to keep it quiet. You will offer praise unto the Lord and tell others about what God has done for you.  I am convinced that we need that in our day. We serve a risen Lord; One who lives and is seated at the right hand of God. He is coming again for His own, and yet many times we show no more excitement about our relationship with Christ than a visit to the dentist. When God shows up, we will proclaim His goodness to those we meet.  Have you told someone lately about the goodness of God? Have you told them what Jesus has done for you? If you aren’t excited about it, I wouldn’t expect them to get excited about it or want what you have. Let’s tell the world about the marvelous Savior that we serve! Do you desire to experience the glory of the Lord? Are you hungry for more than the usual? You can have it and good place to start would be at this altar seeking Him. God desires to meet with us, but most of the time we don’t share His desire. Why not come tonight as the Lord