The Indwelling & The Filling
Notes
Transcript
Welcome/Prayer
Open to 1 Kings 8… our passage are verses 1-11…
Last week we spoke about how the temple was built and how our God is one of order & purpose...
This week we see the significance of the temple… what it represented and meant…
We will read the passage… then work the text out, then consider the significance of the temple then and end with the significance of the temple now… in doing so we’ll distinguish the difference the indwelling of God’s Spirit and the filling of God’s Spirit...
1 Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes, the leaders of the fathers’ houses of the people of Israel, before King Solomon in Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord out of the city of David, which is Zion. 2 And all the men of Israel assembled to King Solomon at the feast in the month Ethanim, which is the seventh month. 3 And all the elders of Israel came, and the priests took up the ark. 4 And they brought up the ark of the Lord, the tent of meeting, and all the holy vessels that were in the tent; the priests and the Levites brought them up. 5 And King Solomon and all the congregation of Israel, who had assembled before him, were with him before the ark, sacrificing so many sheep and oxen that they could not be counted or numbered. 6 Then the priests brought the ark of the covenant of the Lord to its place in the inner sanctuary of the house, in the Most Holy Place, underneath the wings of the cherubim. 7 For the cherubim spread out their wings over the place of the ark, so that the cherubim overshadowed the ark and its poles. 8 And the poles were so long that the ends of the poles were seen from the Holy Place before the inner sanctuary; but they could not be seen from outside. And they are there to this day. 9 There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets of stone that Moses put there at Horeb, where the Lord made a covenant with the people of Israel, when they came out of the land of Egypt. 10 And when the priests came out of the Holy Place, a cloud filled the house of the Lord, 11 so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord.
(The Text)
Let’s talk about this event -the where, when, who
v. 1 -points out that the temple and palace were constructed outside the original borders of Jerusalem… and at some point, quite likely with this temple construction, the borders of Jerusalem were expanded to include the temple within it...
Now when did this event occur?- In the fall, during the Feast of Tabernacles… this year the feast starts on the 21st of this month.
Now, consider when chapter 6 told us the temple was completed… in the 8th month… but this celebration is in the 7th month...
A few have argued this celebration must have occurred then prior to final completion… but that doesn’t add up with what we read in chapter 6 and chapter 7 especially, when it states the temple was completed first before anything was brought up into it.
Others think this celebration occurred 13 years after temple completion and this is rooted in 1 Kings 9… where God approves of the temple’s construction after both the Solomon’s house and the temple are completed.
The Greek text of the OT, the Septuagint, adds a phrase to verse 1 of chapter 8… saying — “and it happened that when Solomon finished building the house of the LORD and his own house after 20 years” — a statement which of course allows 1 Kings 8 to work with 1 Kings 9.
That phrase more than likely is an interpretive addition that’s not original to the Hebrew in an attempt to sync chapter 8 and 9.
Most hold to a third option… that the dedication happened the following year (959/958 BC)… allowing planning and preparations to be made and to coincide with the Feast of Tabernacles… There’s nothing wrong with God waiting 12 years to speak to Solomon in chapter 9 after he completes his palace… by doing so God warns Solomon of idolatry in light of his massive palace
Who was involved in this celebration?
All the men, all the elders, all the leaders.... essentially everyone who could make it. A massive congregation
And with the throng of people… the priests & Levites brought up the ark of the covenant, the tent of meeting, and all the holy vessels that were in the tent to the temple...
And let’s talk about the ark and its contents — after all the ark itself represents the very presence of Yahweh...
The ark was placed under the two cherubim in the inner sanctuary, the Holy of Holies...
Poles long enough to be seen somehow from the outer sanctuary (Ex 25:15 poles can’t be removed)
15 The poles shall remain in the rings of the ark; they shall not be taken from it.
Then in verse 9 we have an interesting statement about the contents of the ark… the verse mentions only the tablets… and yet Hebrews 9:4 says otherwise...
4 having the golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant covered on all sides with gold, in which was a golden urn holding the manna, and Aaron’s staff that budded, and the tablets of the covenant.
Aaron’s rod (Num 17:10)
10 And the Lord said to Moses, “Put back the staff of Aaron before the testimony, to be kept as a sign for the rebels, that you may make an end of their grumblings against me, lest they die.”
The jar of manna..
33 And Moses said to Aaron, “Take a jar, and put an omer of manna in it, and place it before the Lord to be kept throughout your generations.”
Neither verse in the OT are mentioned as being placed actually in the ark...
So what happened?
Perhaps they once were in the ark and at some point taken out...
Or they were lost… perhaps during the period of the ark’s captivity by the Philistines
We can’t be certain…
Now, let’s talk about the significance of the temple… why all the celebration?
Fulfillment of Promised Rest - 2 Sam 7:10-11 - Ex 15:17
10 And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may dwell in their own place and be disturbed no more. And violent men shall afflict them no more, as formerly, 11 from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel. And I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover, the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make you a house.
17 You will bring them in and plant them on your own mountain, the place, O Lord, which you have made for your abode, the sanctuary, O Lord, which your hands have established.
The Feast of Tabernacles… intentional planning by Solomon
The feast of tabernacles was a feast reminding God’s people of their time as a nation in the wilderness for 40 years, of which God had them dwell in tents/booths… and during that time provided for them…
And now… by replacing the tent of meeting with this temple… and placing the ark in a house of permanence… it reminds Israel all of that God has done for them and what He has promised to do and to see the promise of rest and permanence come to be with this temple and Solomon’s reign.
The temple is now the dwelling place of God and it is one of permanence… unlike the tent of meeting… and the temple has allowed for the things of the tabernacle to united once again… instead the ark being in Jerusalem and the rest of the things in Gibeon.
This new reality is marked by God with a special manifestation of His actual presence via a cloud… as in the days of Israel’s wanderings in the wilderness...
In Rabbinic tradition and teaching this is referred to as the “Shekinah” glory of God… a special localized presence of God…
But that was then… what about today?
(The Temple Today)
Where is it? We know in 586 BC the Babylonians burned and destroyed Solomon’s temple and in 70 AD the Romans burned and destroyed the second temple…
So, other than heaven where does God dwell on earth now?
And no, the answer is not Matt 18:20… where two or three gather… that’s not about God’s dwelling… that’s about God’s authority being available for disciplining a brother or sister in Christ who is in unrepentant sin
We don’t read of God having a special dwelling among His people since He left the temple in Ezekiel 10, until the Son of God Himself comes...
John 1:14, John 14:16 Eph 1:13,
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.
Then Jesus tells His disciples that He must go and in doing so, in leaving, He will send the Spirit which is better...
16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever,
13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,
This indwelling and sealing of the Spirit leads to Paul’s teaching of believers being holy temples of God
1 Cor 3:16-17, 1 Cor 6:19-20
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.
19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.
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.
5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
So, we have the indwelling… but how do we get the filling?
The priests brought the ark into the temple thus signifying the presence of Yahweh within the temple.... but how did the temple come to be filled with the cloud?
Is there more to be experienced for us today than the indwelling of the Spirit?
We know all believers have the Spirit… the indwelling does not change… but the filling can be hindered… and when the filling of the Spirit is hindered… the benefits, the blessings of being Christ’s disciples are diminished in this life… Eph 4:30, 1 Thess 5:19… Eph 5:18
30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
19 Do not quench the Spirit.
18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit,
We must submit ourselves to His will… we must be obedient… the filling is not accomplished by prayer alone… but by obedience
Solomon and Israel experienced the glory of God because of their obedience...
Their lack of it would not have changed the covenant… God keeps His people… in fact God eventually leaves His people because of their disobedience… but He maintains a remnant and His covenant to them… it’s the same for us...
Since it was obedience that brought the manifestation of God’s presence to the temple, and it was disobedience that caused it leave… it’s the same today for us...
And thus we must live as a walking sacrifice remembering that we are not our own...Rom 12:1
1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
Note… this is worship… how we live… and we are called to live in submission to the Spirit… that is— called to live as one who is filled by the Spirit.
If we do then we’ll see the fruit of the Spirit in our lives… in our relationships...
Fruit of the Spirit Gal 5:22-26
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.
And please note this… it’s the fruit, not the fruitS… one fruit, not many...
Also note… this is simply being a nice person… “faithfulness” is part of the fruit and that’s faithfulness to God… to His Word...
This is in contrast to the works of the flesh which Paul gives us early in Galatians 5 in verses 19-21
19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
We must not be known by these things… nor must we practice these things either openly or in the secret… for what do you think you can hide from an all-knowing, all-seeing God… especially One who dwells within you?
Husbands - are your interactions and thoughts towards your wives marked by the fruit of the Spirit or the works of the flesh?
Note… there are no excuses or exemptions to justify the works of the flesh...
No matter how painful… no matter how mistreated you are by your wife… your anger is not justified… your bitterness is not justified...
Remember… you are not your own… you have been bought… you are a holy temple… no unwholesome talk should come from your mouth either...
This building… is not holy… the people in it are… and that holiness does not stop when we exit this building…
So, husbands be sure you are filling yourself with the Spirit as you love your wives…
Fathers - the same… when you discipline your children… do you do so with anger or love?
Do you do so in the Spirit or in the flesh? Are you provoking your children to anger? Or are you raising them in holiness?
If your kids are to go to Hell for their unbelief… let them do so covered in your tears and love for them… not in your anger and wrath...
The same goes for wives and mothers...
Children...
Are you obeying your parents? You may not agree with them… you may not understand… you may not like it… but remember your profession of faith at your baptism… remember to whom you ultimately belong… remember you are holy… be a witness of God’s grace and love towards your parents and towards others…
And children… you who have professed your faith in Christ… how are you towards other children? Are you bully? Or are you kind? Do not think that in the name of fun or having a good time you get a pass from being holy in all your conduct...
Be mindful of your words and your actions towards others… your parents may not be around… but the Spirit is in you and He grieves when you bring another down...
The same goes for outside of the family dynamic and into our workplaces…
Be a witness of God’s love and truth to the bosses and co-workers who make the work place toxic… who make it hard to be filled with the Spirit… pray for opportunities for the Gospel to be shared and doors to be open…
If any of you struggle to die to self in any of these moments… look to the cross… consider what the Son of God gave up when He took on flesh… memorize and ponder Phil 2:3-11
3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Being filled with the Spirit is hard… and this is why we gather… to be filled with the Spirit… Eph 5:18-21
18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, 19 addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, 20 giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21 submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.