7-19-26 1 Kings

Good morning and thank you for the opportunity to share this morning.

Several months ago the building committee had a job to lay out the church for design.

We were given a bunch of slips of paper saying, Sanctuary, office, bathroom. etc.

We got to work and I failed. I love puzzles, but the thing about puzzles is you often know what the picture looks like, or at least a general idea.

My problem was I had a bunch of slips of paper and no instructions.

So, if there’s anyone out there that might accuse me of just designing the church in my image. Not a chance.

If I had been completely in charge, it would be missing rooms and people would ask why a bathroom was attached to the sanctuary, but you had to go through the storage room to get to it.

But today, we have a neat building coming up and a wonderful team working hard.

As I was reading through 1 Kings this week and looking for Jesus I was in awe as to how long it took to build the temple.

Granted they didn’t have heavy machinery, they had to work silently and they imported a lot of stuff from the surrounding area.

Building takes time.

When I was told it would be an 18-24 month process to build our new church building I was a little annoyed.

How long does it really take to build something.

My dad built houses for a time in my youth and I asked him how long it took for him to do his job.

He said three days.

He didn’t know that I though he meant start to finish, so I was like, wow, they build houses fast.

He was an electrician and his part of the job took him three days per house, and that was with a crew.

Building things takes time.

So when I read that building the Temple and the wall around it took 7 years. Our 2 year project didn’t seem too bad.

Especially since the temple itself was only 3500 sq ft plus a lot of court yard and the walls.

And our build is around 4500 sq ft.

We are starting in 1 Kings 6 today and we aren’t going to stay there long. That is unless you want to know more about cubits and how to build a temple in your back yard.

WHich not many have done, but there is a NEAR full scale replica in Sao Paulo Brazil that you can go in.

But let’s read a few verses to set up where we are going today.

1 Kings 6:1 ESV

1 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.

We’ve got a lot in a timeline here.

We’re going to use Solomon’s point of reference as our starting point.

Israel was in Egypt for about 400 years

Then they left Egypt and got the Tabernacle for about 480 years.

They had the 1st temple for about 400 years before the destruction and exile for 70 years.

Then a new temple is built which last about 580 years.

All together, Almost 2000 years

And then almost 2000 years from then to now

Things take time.

Verses 2-10 take time too. It describes a lot of the structure and how they can build the structure with close accuracy even to this day.

So we have a time frame.

But I want to talk about that time frame a little more.

Now, there are people out there that take numbers and dates out of the Bible and do some wacky stuff with them.

People have predicted dates for Christ’s return from grabbing numbers and making them mean things they don’t.

I’m not doing that. All I’m going to do today is shout out a couple of numbers and parallel them with a few others. They are not going to be exact. It’s not a magic formula. But it is neat how some of these times match up a little.

David didn’t like that he had a nice house and God had a tent.

Just a super fast Bible Recap.

1st in Exodus 20 the people demanded a different a different way to talk to God because lightning from the mountain was scary for them.

So you had the Tabernacle or the tent. That was meant to travel with the people. And it did. For about 39 years, then Moses dies, they go to the promised land and after a few years it gets put up in Shiloh, or Jerusalem for a few hundred years.

David doesn’t like this, but God’s more than okay. In 2 Samuel 7 God tells David that he’s fine with the tent, but a temple will be allowed, but Solomon will have to build it.

One thing to not.

David didn’t want God to have a dwelling less than his own and that seemed to be the case.

But if you keep reading in 1 Kings 7 you see that while Solomon spends 7 years building the temple, he then takes 13 years to build his house. Just saying.

But when Solomon finished the house God had some words

1 Kings 6:11–13 ESV

11 Now the word of the Lord came to Solomon, 12 “Concerning this house that you are building, if you will walk in my statutes and obey my rules and keep all my commandments and walk in them, then I will establish my word with you, which I spoke to David your father. 13 And I will dwell among the children of Israel and will not forsake my people Israel.”

Most of God’s promises do not carry conditions, a few do, and some are very specific. This one is specific, but I’m going to challenge the condition a little here.

I know it says If you obey and keep, then I will establish.

That seems conditional. And I guess it kind of is. But I think it’s a reverse condition.

If I read my Bible everyday, I’m going to grow in my knowledge and faith.

If I don’t then my faith will not grow.

This isn’t God saying I will only bless you if you do as your told.

It’s a you will be blessed as you do as your told, but if you do not do as you are told, you cannot receive the blessings.

For example, if I give Alyce the keys to the car and she drives the way it is intended, then the care will operate well, and if anything unforseen happens then the safety features will give her the best chance of survival.

car

However, if she breaks that trust and drives recklessly, or in any other way, then those safety features will protect her less.

I’m not saying “Alyce, if you don’t drive right, then I’m going to cut out the seatbelts and pop the air bag.

I’m saying that if you do what you are supposed to do, then the car will keep you safe.

That’s what God is saying. If you do what I have asked, then you will be fine.

But if you reject me, God says, then I can’t keep you safe.

God is constantly telling the people what is good for them and that he dwells among them.

We’re going to leave 1 Kings now, and move up to the New Testament and see how these houses that man built relate to Jesus.

John 1:14 ESV

14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Quick greek lesson: the word dwelt here is skeno, which more closely translates Tent. or Tabernacle.

So, Jesus became flesh and tabernacled among us.

And what was the intent of the tabernacle?

It was meant to move around the people.

And it did that during the time of Moses really well, where the people were, the Tabernacle was.

For 39 years.

Then Joshua came along and decided for some reason or another to keep the Tabernacle in what would become Jerusalem.

The tabernacle floated around the wilderness for 39 years and Jesus tabernacled with the world for about 33 years. Neat parallel, even if it’s not exact

Then Solomon takes down the Tabernacle and builds a Temple, and that is definitely NOT mobile.

But Jesus meets us where we are at.

Jesus did dwell among us, but since the temple is what they had at the time, he made use of the illustration.

John 2:19 ESV

19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”

He was not talking about Herod’s temple, which is what was being used at the time. He was speaking of himself.

And he was forshadowing his death and resurrection.

Jesus died. His body was destroyed, but God was not dead, nor was God destroyed.

But the vessel was, for three days.

Then he rose again.

And now the Holy spirit dwells in us.

Before, the HOly Spirit did dwell in people. But most for just periods and some like David, their lifetime.

But now the Holy Spirit dwells in us.

Ephesians 2:19–22 ESV

19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22 In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

1 Corinthians 3:16–17 ESV

16 Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? 17 If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.

We are the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit.

And that comes with a promise.

John 14:15–17 ESV

15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.

I started this talk with about how long it takes to build things. Sometimes it’s long, other time’s it’s short.

When the Holy Spirit resides in you, he’s not on vacation. He’s doing a work in you.

Sometimes that work takes years, or even decades.

Sometimes, it takes seconds.

I tried finding it again, but couldn’t. But I was watching a reel on facebook of a man who after years of struggling with multiple sclerosis gave his life to Jesus, walked with Jesus for a time with the MS and then decided to be baptized.

During the baptism, he was placed under the water and came up with no symptoms. His eyes were tested later and he had started out legally blind and now had 20/25 vision which is better than normal.

I’ve got a friend John over in Klamath who is legally blind and he’s been following Jesus for years.

My friend in Lakeview, Chad, has MS, been a Christian for years.

They may not see a healing this side of eternity, but they will be healed, because the Holy spirit dwells in them.

We are promised that He will dwell within us. He guides us. shopws us the manual for greatness and we have a part in that too.

If we don’t follow, then we can’t see the blessings he has laid out.

God has chosen each and everyone of us to be his.

God has saved us.

But we must recieve that choosing. We must recieve the Holy Spirit and his salvation.

I don’t know where each and every person in this room is on their walk.

I’m still treking along.

I’m not all the way there yet.

I’ve seen his blessings in my life.

I’ve also questioned my trials.

Wherever you are, know this.

If you have accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, then the Holy Spirit is with you and in you.

He is working on you. But sometimes we are our own worst enemy, sometimes we stop the HS from working, or we step away from what he has laid out for us.

Sometimes we let the cares of the world lead us around instead of him.

I get mad at people sometimes because they are older than me and should be further along in there walk and I have to remind myself, that God works on each of us in his timing.

And I am reminded of Paul who had his own struggle

2 Corinthians 12:7–10 ESV

7 So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

I don’t know the full scope of what GOd has planned for me.

He gives me today, my daily bread. He provides for me today and I trust for tomorrow.

WHen it’s hard and I have that thorn. I trust that his grace is sufficient.

A common saying in the world today is “I’ve fallen out of God’s grace.” Signifying that they were once in it.

Let me tell you something about his grace. You can’t fall out of it.

But you can fall into it and then you sink in, stuck.

No matter what trials we have. God is working on us.

The temple took 7 years to build and we might take longer, but we might take less time.

But let him work his grace in you, because it is sufficient. And it is deep.

Let’s pray