5, which I think is on page 340, 1 Kings chapter 5.
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
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,
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
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
chapter 2
thank you
very much
1 1
7 4
Ephesians
chapter 2
and we're
going to
look at
verse 21
1 1
7 4
is that
right?
Yep
1 1 7
4
Ephesians
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
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
chapter 21
at the very
end of your
Bible
let me read
Revelation 21
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
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
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