WEBVTT

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If you've got a copy of the scriptures and you

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want to follow along, we'll be in the Old Testament

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this morning, 1 Kings chapter 8. When we go somewhere

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one time, we do have to weigh a little bit of

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background and context to sort of understand

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how we got here and what it is we want to see.

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Today we take our text here in the Old Testament.

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And this book of 1 Kings is a book that will

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trace Israel's history from the death of King

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David, who was the most faithful king that Israel

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had. had through the division of the kingdom,

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and it ultimately points to God's faithfulness

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to His covenant promises despite Israel's repeated

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failures. And what we want to see specifically

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today is this is a specific part of Scripture

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that after the temple had been built, Solomon

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offers a prayer of dedication at the completion

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of the temple. Now, you may remember, Moses was

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first given instructions regarding the tabernacle

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that would be a place where God's presence would

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reside there in the wilderness and in those wanderings.

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But eventually, King David desired to build a

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house for the Lord. And even though he was very

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zealous in that, and he was very sincere, the

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Lord said, you will not build a house for me,

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but one of your sons will. And even though David

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would not build the house, he did lay up great

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riches. for that temple to one day be built.

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We're told in 1 Kings chapter 6 that the construction

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of the temple began in Solomon's fourth year

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as he reigned and it was completed in the 11th

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year, 480 years after the Israelites had left

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Egypt. So a long time from the time they had

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left Egypt till this permanent The temple was

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built for the Lord's presence to dwell. And during

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this time of temple construction, we don't have

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time to go through it all, but Solomon employed

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80 ,000 stone cutters, the scriptures tell us,

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to cut every stone outside the temple, bring

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it in, and fit it perfectly in place. And if

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it did not fit perfectly in place, it was cast

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off. There was not to be the sound of a hammer

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or chisel within the walls of the temple. He

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brought cedars in from Lebanon and had many skilled

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tradesmen to do gold. overlays and many skilled

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jobs. Now in today's text we see specifically

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this prayer of dedication that Solomon offers

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in front of all Israel. to the one true God of

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the universe. And a prayer of dedication in and

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of itself, not something we do a lot, is really

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it's a heartfelt invocation to God. It expresses

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commitment and surrender to His will. It's used

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to dedicate oneself for a building like this

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temple to specific endeavors in God's service.

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It acknowledges His sovereignty. And it's not

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a prayer that is merely ritualistic, but it's

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a profound declaration of faith, dependence,

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and showing allegiance upon the Lord. Now as

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we work our way through the text, we will see

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Solomon acknowledge that God had kept his word,

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allowing him to succeed his father David as king.

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and to build a temple there in Jerusalem. But

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Solomon also will recognize that no earthly building

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can contain the infinite God. Yet he asked God

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paradoxically and graciously to place his name

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there, that the Lord might hear the prayers of

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his people that are offered toward the temple.

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And this event had fulfilled a promise that God

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had made to David. And Solomon appraises the

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Lord saying that he has no equal. Now, At some

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point, most of us have been to some sort of ceremony,

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grand ceremony, the opening of a business, a

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building, a school, a stadium, something like

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that when a great work is completed. And you've

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probably been to some sort of dedication like

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that. Sometimes there is a ribbon cutting. It

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can be a very grand affair. There's food and

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balloons and celebration and all this, but...

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Today, as Solomon dedicates his temple, we don't

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see a ribbon cutting. We don't see a lot of these

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things we would do today. He first raises his

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hands and offers praise to the Lord for the work

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that has been completed. Look with me, first

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of all, in verses 22, 23, and 24. 1 Kings chapter

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8, verse 22, 24. Then Solomon stood before the

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altar of the Lord in the presence of all the

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assembly of Israel. and spread out his hands

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toward heaven. And he said, Lord God of Israel,

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there is no God in heaven above or on earth below

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like you, a God who keeps your covenant and mercy

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with your servants who walk before you with all

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their hearts. You have kept what you promised

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to your servant, David, my father. You have both

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spoken with your mouth and fulfilled it with

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your hand as it is. this day. The first thing

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we see is the faithfulness of God. And we see

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here at this time of temple dedication, Solomon

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begins to pray before all of Israel. And the

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prayer of Solomon here in its entirety is one

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of the longest prayers in the Bible. And Solomon

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gives us a good biblical model for prayer here

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in this dedication that we'll see this morning,

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not just for dedicated church building, but also

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in the day -to -day throws of our lives. The

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opening words are of adoration and praise as

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he starts. It says he stood before the altar

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of the Lord in the presence of all Israel. And

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Solomon opens his prayer by praising God for

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who He is. He calls Him by His covenant name.

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In your Bible, you will see capital L -O -R -D.

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In the Old Testament, anytime you see capital

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L -O -R -D, that is Yahweh. That was the original

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word. That is God's covenant name. And when He

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says, Lord Yahweh, God of the covenant, there

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is no one like You. You are a covenant -keeping

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God and you have a steadfast love for your covenant

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people. Solomon addresses God as the Lord, acknowledging

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His sovereignty over heaven and over the earth.

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He specifically identifies Him here. He says,

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God of Israel. God is not abstract. He is not

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distant. He is not far off. Rather, He is near

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to His people. He has a personal relationship

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with His people. If you are a believer, He is

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your God. As a church, we would profess that

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He is our God. And this is a starting point for

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all prayer, that we acknowledge God for who He

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is before we start jumping into what we need

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and the goings on of our lives. Solomon goes

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on to speak of the incomparability of God. He

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said that the Lord is without parallel. Wonderful

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language. There is no one else like Him. He is

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the one only true deity of the cosmos. Israel's

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enemies on every side had many so -called gods.

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But they were not in the same category as the

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true and living God, the one and only, as Solomon

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would go on to say. No one else can we trust

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to satisfy the longings of our souls or take

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care of our physical needs. There is no other

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God like Him, Solomon said, on earth beneath

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or in heaven above. And because of that, we would

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proclaim and attest that there is no other being

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deserving of our worship than the one true God

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of heaven. There is no God like him at all, Solomon

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said. He alone is the one true God. But Solomon

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was not the first to pray this way. This is wonderful.

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In fact, Israel had been doing so from the time

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of Moses. If we went back to Deuteronomy chapter

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4 verse 39, we would see Moses writing there,

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Therefore know this day. and consider it in your

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heart that the Lord Himself is God in heaven.

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Above and on the earth beneath there is no other.

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Solomon's father David echoed very similar words

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in Psalm 86, where David said, Among the gods

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there is none like you, O Lord, nor are there

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any works like your works. All nations whom you

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have made shall come and worship before you,

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O Lord, and they shall glorify your name, for

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you are great. do wondrous things, you alone

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are God." Now when we pray, we would do well

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to model after what we have seen so far. Our

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prayer should start with praising God for who

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He is. We should attest that He is holy, that

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He is righteous, that He is high, that He is

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above the heavens, that He is merciful, that

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He is good, that He is ever faithful to His people.

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And then we praise Him for what He has done.

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past tense, what he is doing, present tense,

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and what he has said he is going to do in the

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future, future tense. Solomon goes on to say

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that the Lord is faithful. Specifically, in this

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instance of temple dedication, God had faithfully

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promised David that one of his sons would not

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only ascend to the throne, but would build a

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temple that David had first desired to build

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for the Lord. David said, here I am. living in

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this wonderful house, Lord, and you are still

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dwelling in a tent. Shame on me." And the Lord

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said, David, it's a wonderful desire, but you

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will not be the one to build my house. One of

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your sons will. Our Lord is unique in His steadfast

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covenantal love, which is His faithfulness to

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fulfill all the promises that He has vowed. to

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keep, promises that were made and affirmed with

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Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. If I was to say to

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you, Church, God has been ever faithful, you

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would respond, amen. But let's qualify that a

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little bit. Let's qualify the question. God promised

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to establish a royal dynasty that endures to

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this day through Jesus Christ, David's royal

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son. Philip Riken said in his commentary, no

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other God had ever promised anyone an eternal

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kingship and then delivered on that promise,

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except God, the one and only. He is a promise

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-keeping God who always keeps His word to His

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people. What God says, He will do. What God says,

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He delivers. Solomon said, what you've said with

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your mouth, you have delivered with your hand.

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That there was no halfway of keeping that promise.

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What God has said in His word, He will do. In

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fact, Solomon's praise should be our praise.

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Jesus said in John 20, 17, I am ascending to

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my Father and your Father, to my God and to your

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God. Through faith in Christ, we have a personal

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relationship with the God of the universe. He

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is our God. We are His people, the sheep of His

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hand, the psalmist said, and we lay in His pastures.

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God not only kept His promise of a royal line,

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but also to provide a Savior by sending His very

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own dear Son to die on the cross for our sins,

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and not just to die on the cross for our sins,

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but also to raise Him up from the grave with

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the power of eternal life. We praise God every

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time we pray, because He is a God who loves His

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people and delivers on every single promise He

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has made to His children. Secondly, not only

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do we believe God's promises, we affirm God's

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promises. Verse 25 and 26, Therefore, Lord God

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of Israel, now keep what you've promised to your

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servant David, my father, saying, You shall not

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fail to have a man set before me on the throne

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of Israel, only if your sons take heed to their

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way, that they walk before me as you have walked

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before me. And now I pray, O God of Israel, let

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your word come true, which you have spoken to

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your servant David, my father. Now while we start

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prayer by acknowledging God for who He is, we

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then do well to ask Him to do what He has said

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in His Word. By affirming the promises He has

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made, knowing what we just read, that He is a

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promise -keeping God. Solomon's petition is based

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on his praise. Now we are tempted at times to

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think of prayer as a way of asking God for things,

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things we want, things we desire. And certainly

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it is appropriate to pray for the things that

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we need, but prayer is also a way, we're told

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in the scriptures, of asking God to confirm the

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promises that He has made, and that is what Solomon

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is doing here. When Solomon prayed for the throne

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of Israel, he was not pursuing his own ambitions,

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but standing on the promises that God had already

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made. God vowed that one day one of David's son

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would sit on this throne, and Solomon was praying

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that God would honor that vow that he had made.

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Notice, though. In those verses we read, walking

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with God was a particular condition of that...

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There are two types of promises and two types

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of covenants, conditional and unconditional.

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This was conditional on Solomon and his sons.

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And Solomon prays that he and his sons would

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walk with the Lord as David had done before.

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If we had time, we could look at so many things.

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We do not. Solomon was a man of wisdom. He was

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a man who had a heart for God, but later in his

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life, and then certainly his sons, would become

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spiritual. failures. They failed to walk with

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God in the way that Solomon had in the early

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part of his life, in the way that David had in

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his life, and their disobedience would ultimately

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lead to Israel's downfall. After Solomon, the

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kingdom would become divided and eventually would

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be carried off into exile. Yet, this is wonderful,

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Solomon's request in this prayer would not be

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answered by one of his sons, but would be answered

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in the person of Jesus Christ. Everything that

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Solomon is praying He was not the ultimate fulfillment.

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It was a shadow. Jesus Christ was the substance.

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Think about this. Jesus prayed in a very similar

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way to Solomon here, Luke 23, 46. Jesus prayed

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to his father to do what he had promised as he

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came to the very end of his earthly life. When

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Jesus was on the cross, Luke 23, Jesus cried

00:14:13.139 --> 00:14:15.519
out with a loud voice. He said, Father, into

00:14:15.519 --> 00:14:18.340
your hands I commit my spirit. And having said

00:14:18.340 --> 00:14:22.340
this, he breathed his last. uttered those words,

00:14:22.419 --> 00:14:25.179
he was entrusting his life, body, and soul to

00:14:25.179 --> 00:14:28.080
the Father's care. And He was asking the Father

00:14:28.080 --> 00:14:31.100
to do what He had promised to do, and that is

00:14:31.100 --> 00:14:33.779
raise Him from the dead and give Him an eternal

00:14:33.779 --> 00:14:36.860
throne. On the third day, God did what He had

00:14:36.860 --> 00:14:39.600
said. He affirmed those promises. His word was

00:14:39.600 --> 00:14:42.659
confirmed by the bodily resurrection of Jesus

00:14:42.659 --> 00:14:45.919
Christ and His ascension to the throne seated

00:14:45.919 --> 00:14:49.179
at the right hand of the Father. Likewise, it

00:14:49.179 --> 00:14:52.399
is good for us to pray the Word of God. It is

00:14:52.399 --> 00:14:54.659
good for us to pray ourselves through the Scriptures.

00:14:54.720 --> 00:14:56.440
It is good for us to pray ourselves through the

00:14:56.440 --> 00:14:59.659
Epistles, through the Psalms, and ask God that

00:14:59.659 --> 00:15:01.919
He would affirm the promises that He has made

00:15:01.919 --> 00:15:04.059
to His people. That is a good thing. That is

00:15:04.059 --> 00:15:07.460
why when Jesus gave us the Lord's Prayer, He

00:15:07.460 --> 00:15:10.320
encouraged us and instructed us to pray, thy

00:15:10.320 --> 00:15:13.779
kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it

00:15:13.779 --> 00:15:17.039
is in heaven. And we trust, based on the past

00:15:17.039 --> 00:15:19.379
deliverances that God has done, that He will

00:15:19.379 --> 00:15:22.539
fulfill every promise He has made to His people.

00:15:23.460 --> 00:15:25.879
The third thing we see here is the transcendence

00:15:25.879 --> 00:15:29.559
of God in verse 27. But will God indeed dwell

00:15:29.559 --> 00:15:32.620
on the earth? Solomon praying here still. Behold,

00:15:32.779 --> 00:15:35.179
heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain

00:15:35.179 --> 00:15:38.740
you, how much less this temple I have built.

00:15:39.139 --> 00:15:41.299
Now, in the middle of this prayer of dedication,

00:15:41.639 --> 00:15:45.299
Solomon asks a very deep theological question.

00:15:46.139 --> 00:15:49.759
And that is, will God indeed dwell on the earth?

00:15:50.029 --> 00:15:53.009
And how so? The highest heaven of heavens cannot

00:15:53.009 --> 00:15:56.149
contain His glory. We see God is transcendent,

00:15:56.269 --> 00:15:59.090
that He is high above the heavens, and Sproul

00:15:59.090 --> 00:16:01.889
put it very nicely. R .C. Sproul says, God transcends

00:16:01.889 --> 00:16:05.419
space as He transcends time. He does not literally

00:16:05.419 --> 00:16:08.679
dwell on a material throne, as Solomon observes

00:16:08.679 --> 00:16:10.519
at the consecration of the Jerusalem temple,

00:16:10.820 --> 00:16:13.519
but there are certain places in creation where

00:16:13.519 --> 00:16:16.379
God has ordained that we will sense His presence

00:16:16.379 --> 00:16:19.120
with particular intensity. Places like the burning

00:16:19.120 --> 00:16:21.919
bush in Exodus chapter 3, places like the inner

00:16:21.919 --> 00:16:24.379
court of the temple and indeed the person of

00:16:24.379 --> 00:16:28.389
Jesus Christ, God's temple incarnate. Heaven

00:16:28.389 --> 00:16:30.730
is one of those places, a literal dwelling place

00:16:30.730 --> 00:16:33.570
of God to which Jesus ascended when His earthly

00:16:33.570 --> 00:16:37.450
work was complete. When we think about the transcendence

00:16:37.450 --> 00:16:42.149
of God, we would try to not become overwhelmed

00:16:42.149 --> 00:16:43.750
because that would be very easy to do, but we

00:16:43.750 --> 00:16:46.210
would do well to say that God is immense, that

00:16:46.210 --> 00:16:50.210
His invisible being fills the entire universe.

00:16:50.289 --> 00:16:54.220
And with that in mind, How could he be held within

00:16:54.220 --> 00:16:58.000
four walls of any building? Nevertheless, Solomon

00:16:58.000 --> 00:17:00.600
prays for God to be with his people. Last three

00:17:00.600 --> 00:17:04.420
verses, 28 through 30. Solomon says, yet, in

00:17:04.420 --> 00:17:07.079
spite of that, regard the prayer of your servant

00:17:07.079 --> 00:17:11.799
and his supplication, O Lord my God. Very personal.

00:17:12.200 --> 00:17:14.519
He says, listen to the cry and the prayer which

00:17:14.519 --> 00:17:17.190
your servant is praying before you today. that

00:17:17.190 --> 00:17:19.670
your eyes may be opened towards this temple night

00:17:19.670 --> 00:17:21.930
and day, toward the place of which you said,

00:17:22.089 --> 00:17:24.950
My name shall be there. And you may hear the

00:17:24.950 --> 00:17:27.430
prayer which your servant makes toward this place,

00:17:27.750 --> 00:17:30.589
and may you hear the supplication of your servant

00:17:30.589 --> 00:17:33.630
and your people Israel, when they pray toward

00:17:33.630 --> 00:17:36.130
this place, here in heaven your dwelling place,

00:17:36.150 --> 00:17:39.230
and when you hear, forgive." Now, we learned

00:17:39.230 --> 00:17:41.630
something here that, of course, God cannot be

00:17:41.630 --> 00:17:44.490
contained. But the true God, as described in

00:17:44.490 --> 00:17:47.150
verse 27, being so transcendent, being high above

00:17:47.150 --> 00:17:50.950
the heavens, can be reached through our prayers.

00:17:50.990 --> 00:17:54.670
This is wonderful. That through our pleas for

00:17:54.670 --> 00:17:58.190
mercy and our pleas for grace to our Lord, through

00:17:58.190 --> 00:18:00.750
prayers of triumph, through prayers of tears,

00:18:01.250 --> 00:18:04.509
Solomon teaches us a great truth. This transcendence

00:18:04.509 --> 00:18:09.430
does not destroy spiritual intimacy. Although

00:18:09.430 --> 00:18:13.269
God is transcendent, He is also available. And

00:18:13.269 --> 00:18:15.609
Solomon points out that He is available night

00:18:15.609 --> 00:18:19.150
and day. Dale Davis in his commentary says, here

00:18:19.150 --> 00:18:22.589
is the reason for both trembling and joy. Yahweh's

00:18:22.589 --> 00:18:25.509
people can never comprehend Him in all the fullness

00:18:25.509 --> 00:18:28.930
of His being. But they can apprehend Him in the

00:18:28.930 --> 00:18:32.630
place of prayer. I cannot encompass God and His

00:18:32.630 --> 00:18:35.190
grandeur, but I can engage Him in His grace.

00:18:35.569 --> 00:18:38.930
His majesty dwarfs our universe, yet His ear

00:18:38.930 --> 00:18:42.150
receives our prayers." This is wonderful and

00:18:42.150 --> 00:18:44.769
amazing, church. I really want you to get this.

00:18:45.230 --> 00:18:48.809
God is accessible and He is available, even though

00:18:48.809 --> 00:18:52.349
He spoke the world into existence. Even though,

00:18:52.349 --> 00:18:54.809
as He said it, creation happened. Even though

00:18:54.809 --> 00:18:59.200
the Lord dwells... in heavens, and that it says

00:18:59.200 --> 00:19:01.359
the highest heavens of heavens cannot even contain

00:19:01.359 --> 00:19:03.819
Him, and that Genesis would just say that, you

00:19:03.819 --> 00:19:06.940
know, He just created the stars also. It's just

00:19:06.940 --> 00:19:09.900
some little subtle note there. Even though He

00:19:09.900 --> 00:19:15.140
is transcendent, He is accessible to His children.

00:19:16.180 --> 00:19:19.920
He is a God not only of grandeur but a God who

00:19:19.920 --> 00:19:23.660
sees and hears His children. He has not cast

00:19:23.660 --> 00:19:26.660
us off to fend for ourself. We are not distant

00:19:26.660 --> 00:19:29.359
from Him. We are not out on our own. He hears

00:19:29.359 --> 00:19:31.940
the prayers of His people and not only does He

00:19:31.940 --> 00:19:35.539
hear them, He cares! God is intimately involved

00:19:35.539 --> 00:19:38.079
in the lives of His children. The Lord has great

00:19:38.079 --> 00:19:40.559
care for all those who have called out on the

00:19:40.559 --> 00:19:42.619
name of the Lord and are saved. Those who have

00:19:42.619 --> 00:19:44.799
been marked out as His and confess His name and

00:19:44.799 --> 00:19:47.700
Savior, the Lord cares about us. It'd be one

00:19:47.700 --> 00:19:49.680
thing if He just heard our prayers. It's a whole

00:19:49.680 --> 00:19:52.519
nother that He has a care for us that we cannot

00:19:52.519 --> 00:19:57.039
even fully comprehend. Church, how many of us...

00:19:57.069 --> 00:19:59.589
have felt the presence of the Lord and felt Him

00:19:59.589 --> 00:20:02.049
drawn near when it felt like the weight of the

00:20:02.049 --> 00:20:04.289
world was on our shoulders, when we were just

00:20:04.289 --> 00:20:07.230
being crushed by the circumstances of life all

00:20:07.230 --> 00:20:10.470
around us and we did not know what to do, when

00:20:10.470 --> 00:20:13.109
crisis strikes, when we are completely sideswiped,

00:20:13.109 --> 00:20:15.450
we just don't know how we're going to carry on.

00:20:15.960 --> 00:20:18.720
But how have we felt the prayers of our brothers

00:20:18.720 --> 00:20:20.579
and sisters in Christ? And have we felt the presence

00:20:20.579 --> 00:20:23.640
of the Lord just undergird us and almost carry

00:20:23.640 --> 00:20:26.019
us through that season where we just felt like

00:20:26.019 --> 00:20:29.680
we couldn't even put one foot in front of the

00:20:29.680 --> 00:20:33.539
other? In those times, we run to the Lord. And

00:20:33.539 --> 00:20:36.359
as we run to Him, we find a place of safety and

00:20:36.359 --> 00:20:39.960
refuge as His children. When we pray, we have

00:20:39.960 --> 00:20:42.819
the privilege to call Him our God. And we are

00:20:42.819 --> 00:20:45.480
a people who desperately need our God. We are

00:20:45.480 --> 00:20:47.720
not self -sufficient. We cannot do anything on

00:20:47.720 --> 00:20:49.599
our own. The very breath that we have in our

00:20:49.599 --> 00:20:53.059
lungs is a gift and a grace from God Almighty.

00:20:53.400 --> 00:20:55.700
Every day that we get up, no matter our age,

00:20:56.059 --> 00:20:58.440
and put our feet on the floor and stand up is

00:20:58.440 --> 00:21:02.920
a gift from God, never to be taken for granted.

00:21:03.339 --> 00:21:07.880
And we should pray accordingly, asking God to

00:21:07.880 --> 00:21:10.319
listen to our humble pleas and our cries for

00:21:10.319 --> 00:21:13.589
mercy. But notice this. Every request Solomon

00:21:13.589 --> 00:21:16.369
has prayed to this prayer is not answered in

00:21:16.369 --> 00:21:19.750
him. It is ultimately answered in Jesus Christ.

00:21:20.009 --> 00:21:22.369
Will God dwell upon the earth, Solomon asks?

00:21:22.890 --> 00:21:26.069
Yes. Matthew told us, we're told in Matthew,

00:21:26.410 --> 00:21:31.549
Jesus was to be called Emmanuel. God with us.

00:21:31.829 --> 00:21:34.630
The temple was never to be a final dwelling place

00:21:34.630 --> 00:21:37.910
of the Lord. Christ Himself was to be the true

00:21:37.910 --> 00:21:42.579
temple. In Christ, the fullness. of God dwelt

00:21:42.579 --> 00:21:49.279
bodily as Christ incarnately came and took on

00:21:49.279 --> 00:21:53.119
flesh and God then dwelt among his people. The

00:21:53.119 --> 00:21:56.119
temple Solomon dedicated is a shadow. Christ

00:21:56.119 --> 00:21:59.359
was the substance. Christ not only coming to

00:21:59.359 --> 00:22:03.960
dwell amongst his people, taking on flesh, He

00:22:03.960 --> 00:22:07.500
lived amongst a fallen race to die for our sins

00:22:07.500 --> 00:22:10.240
and then to rise again so that we could live

00:22:10.240 --> 00:22:13.220
with Him. In Christ, God has certainly dwelt

00:22:13.220 --> 00:22:16.299
on the earth. But after all this, I want you

00:22:16.299 --> 00:22:18.920
to notice God's response to Solomon's prayer,

00:22:19.000 --> 00:22:21.059
this heartfelt prayer that he has made in earnest

00:22:21.059 --> 00:22:23.660
faith, this prayer of dedication, a prayer that

00:22:23.660 --> 00:22:27.130
acknowledged who God was. a prayer that asks

00:22:27.130 --> 00:22:30.869
God to confirm His promises and a prayer to dwell

00:22:30.869 --> 00:22:33.549
amongst His people, to hear their prayers and

00:22:33.549 --> 00:22:35.930
to forgive them. And we would read that in 2

00:22:35.930 --> 00:22:39.009
Chronicles 7. We read it in our Order of Service

00:22:39.009 --> 00:22:42.789
also. When Solomon had finished praying, fire

00:22:42.789 --> 00:22:45.089
came down from heaven. It wasn't just an audible

00:22:45.089 --> 00:22:47.210
voice as it was when Jesus was baptized. Fire

00:22:47.210 --> 00:22:49.890
came down from heaven and consumed the burnt

00:22:49.890 --> 00:22:52.250
offerings and the sacrifices that had been prepared

00:22:52.250 --> 00:22:55.059
and laid out there on the altar. And it says,

00:22:55.220 --> 00:22:57.440
the glory of the Lord filled the temple. And

00:22:57.440 --> 00:22:59.259
the priests could not enter the house of the

00:22:59.259 --> 00:23:00.859
Lord. Why couldn't they go do their duties? Why

00:23:00.859 --> 00:23:03.220
couldn't they do their services? Because the

00:23:03.220 --> 00:23:05.799
glory of the Lord had filled the Lord's house.

00:23:05.920 --> 00:23:07.880
And when Israel, who was all gathered there,

00:23:08.160 --> 00:23:10.000
when the children of Israel saw how the fire

00:23:10.000 --> 00:23:11.799
came down, and the glory of the Lord had entered

00:23:11.799 --> 00:23:14.079
the house and was on the temple, it says they

00:23:14.079 --> 00:23:16.640
bowed their faces to the ground. They went prostrate

00:23:16.640 --> 00:23:19.220
before the Lord on the pavement and they worshiped

00:23:19.220 --> 00:23:23.359
Him and they praised God saying, He is good for

00:23:23.359 --> 00:23:28.480
his mercy endures forever. We hold 1 Kings and

00:23:28.480 --> 00:23:32.000
2 Chronicles together in parallel. Each book

00:23:32.000 --> 00:23:35.039
has a slightly different focus. 1 Kings focuses

00:23:35.039 --> 00:23:39.279
on why the kingdom eventually split, but 2 Chronicles

00:23:39.279 --> 00:23:43.019
focuses on a post -exile people focusing on God's

00:23:42.799 --> 00:23:45.259
faithfulness, proper worship, and the importance

00:23:45.259 --> 00:23:47.000
of the temple. But because of these purposes,

00:23:47.000 --> 00:23:49.859
we have different emphases. But we see here in

00:23:49.859 --> 00:23:52.279
2 Chronicles, when Solomon finished praying,

00:23:52.299 --> 00:23:55.079
this fire descends and comes upon these sacrifices,

00:23:55.460 --> 00:23:57.980
consuming them. And the glory of the Lord, capital

00:23:57.980 --> 00:24:01.279
L -O -R -D, there again, Yahweh, fills the temple

00:24:01.279 --> 00:24:03.799
visibly for all Israel and Solomon, confirming

00:24:03.799 --> 00:24:06.460
that God's acceptance of the worship and the

00:24:06.460 --> 00:24:09.900
prayer that was offered according to His covenant.

00:24:09.960 --> 00:24:12.779
That the overwhelming manifestation of God's

00:24:12.140 --> 00:24:15.859
God's presence in fire and in the temple prevented

00:24:15.859 --> 00:24:19.980
the priests from demonstrating His holiness and

00:24:19.980 --> 00:24:22.539
His sovereign majesty. And in response, what

00:24:22.539 --> 00:24:23.859
do His people do? They're driven to worship.

00:24:24.059 --> 00:24:26.759
They fall down. They put their faces before the

00:24:26.759 --> 00:24:30.079
Lord reverently, confessing God's goodness and

00:24:30.079 --> 00:24:32.039
His steadfast love. And you say, that's great.

00:24:32.299 --> 00:24:34.799
That is wonderful. What about us? What about

00:24:34.799 --> 00:24:36.839
the saints gathered on Kitts Hill here at Mamrie

00:24:36.839 --> 00:24:39.460
Baptist Church this morning? Church, as we have

00:24:39.460 --> 00:24:43.240
heard Solomon pray, we must remember we too have

00:24:43.240 --> 00:24:47.369
a King who prays for us. Not just on this earth,

00:24:47.670 --> 00:24:50.269
Jesus Christ, the greater Solomon, who not only

00:24:50.269 --> 00:24:52.950
prayed for us in the garden and prayed for us

00:24:52.950 --> 00:24:56.089
on this earth, now makes royal intercession for

00:24:56.089 --> 00:25:00.210
us in heaven. In every way that Solomon and his

00:25:00.210 --> 00:25:03.930
sons fell short, Christ never did. They were

00:25:03.930 --> 00:25:05.910
spiritual failures. They transgressed the law.

00:25:05.970 --> 00:25:09.009
They chased after false gods. But in stark contrast,

00:25:09.490 --> 00:25:13.210
Jesus Christ kept the law of God faithfully in

00:25:13.210 --> 00:25:15.930
every point. Jesus is the ultimate fulfillment

00:25:15.930 --> 00:25:19.329
of Solomon's example. In the days of Solomon,

00:25:19.369 --> 00:25:21.289
God put his name on the temple. But what about

00:25:21.289 --> 00:25:24.990
now? What about us? God now dwells among his

00:25:24.990 --> 00:25:28.730
people, the church, by his Holy Spirit. Paul

00:25:28.730 --> 00:25:31.069
would write in Ephesians, Now therefore, you

00:25:31.069 --> 00:25:33.990
are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow

00:25:33.990 --> 00:25:36.549
citizens with the saints and members of the household

00:25:36.549 --> 00:25:39.470
of God, having been built on the foundation of

00:25:39.470 --> 00:25:41.589
the apostles and prophets, with Jesus Christ

00:25:41.589 --> 00:25:44.529
being the chief cornerstone, and whom the whole

00:25:44.529 --> 00:25:48.049
building. Being fitted together grows into a

00:25:48.049 --> 00:25:51.150
holy temple in the Lord, here you are, in whom

00:25:51.150 --> 00:25:55.049
you also are being built together for a dwelling

00:25:55.049 --> 00:25:59.440
place of God in the Spirit. Because God has kept

00:25:59.440 --> 00:26:01.779
the promises that He has made to His beloved

00:26:01.779 --> 00:26:04.900
Son, Jesus Christ, we have every confidence that

00:26:04.900 --> 00:26:06.980
He will keep the promises He has made to us,

00:26:07.079 --> 00:26:10.859
His beloved children. Our expectancy every time

00:26:10.859 --> 00:26:14.019
we go to prayer is based on the fidelity of God's

00:26:14.019 --> 00:26:15.799
promises because He has kept every promise He

00:26:15.799 --> 00:26:18.019
has made in Scripture. Because He has kept every

00:26:18.019 --> 00:26:20.259
promise He has made to His dear Son, we have

00:26:20.259 --> 00:26:22.160
every confidence that He will keep every promise

00:26:22.160 --> 00:26:25.059
that He has made to His children, to you and

00:26:25.059 --> 00:26:28.650
I. We have every expectancy. And when we go to

00:26:28.650 --> 00:26:31.089
prayer, we stand on those promises and we trust

00:26:31.089 --> 00:26:33.849
in them every time we pray. God has promised

00:26:33.849 --> 00:26:36.930
that His church would persevere to the very end,

00:26:37.190 --> 00:26:40.200
that the gates of hell would not prevail against

00:26:40.200 --> 00:26:43.079
it. So church, we pray for the perseverance of

00:26:43.079 --> 00:26:45.240
Christ Church, especially in places that it is

00:26:45.240 --> 00:26:48.059
under severe persecution in countries all over

00:26:48.059 --> 00:26:50.380
the world where our dear brothers in Christ are

00:26:50.380 --> 00:26:52.900
at great risk every time they go to worship.

00:26:52.960 --> 00:26:55.900
God has promised that his kingdom will grow until

00:26:55.900 --> 00:26:58.579
every tribe and nation gives honor and glory

00:26:58.579 --> 00:27:02.759
to him. So we pray that God expand his wide dominion

00:27:02.759 --> 00:27:05.559
by planting new churches and sending gospel workers

00:27:05.559 --> 00:27:09.720
to the ends of the earth. Church, not only does

00:27:09.720 --> 00:27:13.180
God hear us when we pray, we have been granted

00:27:13.180 --> 00:27:16.000
great access to Him. We do not have to go to

00:27:16.000 --> 00:27:19.119
a particular temple and have someone intercede

00:27:19.119 --> 00:27:21.559
for us. We do not have to come and offer physical

00:27:21.559 --> 00:27:24.480
sacrifices to have our sins covered anymore.

00:27:24.539 --> 00:27:27.500
They were atoned by Jesus Christ the righteous.

00:27:27.880 --> 00:27:30.740
No matter the time, Solomon said, day or night.

00:27:30.880 --> 00:27:34.240
Hear the prayers of your people. Forgive them.

00:27:34.460 --> 00:27:37.059
God hears the prayers of His covenant people

00:27:37.059 --> 00:27:40.319
and the assurity of His word. He hears the petitions

00:27:40.319 --> 00:27:43.579
made from our beds during long sleepless nights

00:27:43.579 --> 00:27:45.640
where sleep is gone from us, where the cares

00:27:45.640 --> 00:27:47.619
of the world have overtaken us, where we have

00:27:47.619 --> 00:27:50.460
so much going on and we just don't know what

00:27:50.460 --> 00:27:53.339
to do. He hears us from there. He hears us on

00:27:53.339 --> 00:27:55.759
our best days as we pray throughout our days.

00:27:56.000 --> 00:27:59.079
God hears us in all places at all times. We have

00:27:59.079 --> 00:28:01.740
access to Him. that they did not have at the

00:28:01.740 --> 00:28:05.099
time of this dedication. It was unfathomable

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to God's people. The Lord hears us when we pray,

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and as He hears us, He answers us according to

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His will for the divine purposes of His glory.

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And we rest in that. We take our prayers to the

00:28:18.480 --> 00:28:22.059
Lord, and we rest that His will be done in accordance

00:28:22.059 --> 00:28:25.220
with His glory. You say, okay, in light of this

00:28:25.220 --> 00:28:30.259
text, how now must I live? Church? We must live

00:28:30.259 --> 00:28:33.799
by the truths that we pray. Our prayers must

00:28:33.799 --> 00:28:37.259
be deep. They can't be surface level, superficial,

00:28:37.740 --> 00:28:41.539
robotic. Since God is a faithful God, we trust

00:28:41.539 --> 00:28:44.920
Him to provide for our needs even when we're

00:28:44.920 --> 00:28:47.299
not sure how it's going to be accomplished. Since

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He's a loving God, we believe that He cares for

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us even when we feel forsaken by those around

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us. resting in the fact that He calls us His

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own. Since He is a promise -keeping God, we are

00:28:59.339 --> 00:29:02.259
convinced that He will save us to the very end,

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even when life is hard and we're not sure how

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we can go on from day to day. We rest in the

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truth that God has began a good work in us and

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He will bring it to completion. We have the privilege

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of praying to an all -wise, merciful, gracious

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promise. keeping God. May the Lord help us to

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do so, to pray in this way, seeking his face

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in prayer regularly and consistently for his

00:29:37.660 --> 00:29:43.119
ultimate glory. Church, this is the word of the

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Lord. Amen. We don't get to the Old Testament

00:29:50.750 --> 00:29:53.089
that often. We do on Sunday nights quite a bit,

00:29:53.230 --> 00:29:55.450
but on Sunday mornings we're in the study of

00:29:55.450 --> 00:29:58.849
Matthew, Pastor Ryan, and I enjoy going back

00:29:58.849 --> 00:30:02.069
in the Old Testament and seeing the prophets

00:30:02.069 --> 00:30:04.329
and the saints and the shadows that we see and

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ultimately the fulfillment in Christ. We have

00:30:06.269 --> 00:30:09.029
to find that every single time. We've reached

00:30:09.029 --> 00:30:12.210
a point in our service that we have sang, we

00:30:12.210 --> 00:30:15.970
have praised, we have had public prayer. We've

00:30:15.970 --> 00:30:18.589
opened God's word, and now we come to the point

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of service that we set aside every week to come

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to the table of the Lord and take communion with

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one another. And as we look to these sacraments,

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the bread and the cup, we do invite you to the

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table this morning. It's the Lord's table. But

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by coming to the table, we are not only engaging

00:30:35.670 --> 00:30:36.609
in a common means of