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1 Kings 8 (Part 1) Bible Study (Solomon Brings the Ark Into the Temple) | Pastor Daniel Batarseh · Bible Study with Pr. Daniel Batarseh | Verse by Verse Series | Maranatha Bible Church - Chicago

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First Kings Chapter 8 Welcome to the dedication service of the
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temple. That is what chapter eight of
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First Kings is all about. We have studied the building of
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the temple. We've studied the details
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surrounding the beautifying of the Temple, some of the
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artifacts, and the articles within the Temple, but now we've
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reached the climax of this thing called the Temple of Solomon,
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and that is primarily the entrance and the arrival of the
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Ark of the Covenant. Solomon decided to make an event
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out of this one central piece to the House of Worship, and that
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is the Ark. And it is no small deal for the
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Ark to now find a permanent home in the house that Solomon built
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for the Lord, like many chapters and 1st Kings.
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Perhaps you already saw that this is a quite lengthy chapter.
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There is no way that we're going to cover all of it in one
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setting, but we will cover much and trust that as we glean
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through it, we will be edified. And so let's come to this
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chapter beginning in verse one and read a a few verses and then
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take our time to dissect what it is that the Holy Spirit has
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inscribed in first kings 8 verse one.
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Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel, and all the
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heads of the tribes, the leaders of the fathers houses of the
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people of Israel, before King Solomon in Jerusalem, to bring
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up the ark of the covenant of the Lord out of the city of
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David which is Zion. And all the men of Israel
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assembled to King Solomon at the feast in the month of Ethanim,
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which is the 7th month. And all the elders of Israel
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came, and the priests took up the ark, and they brought up the
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ark of the Lord, the tent of meeting, and all the holy
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vessels that were in the tent. The priests and the Levites
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brought them up. And King Solomon and all the
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congregation of Israel who had assembled before him were with
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him before the ark, sacrificing so many sheep and oxen that they
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could not be counted or numbered.
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And the priest brought the ark of the covenant of the Lord to
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its place in the inner sanctuary of the house, and the Most Holy
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Place underneath the wings. Of the cherubim.
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Father, this is your word. We are your people as we sang, O
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Lord, we desire to exalt you as we come to the Word.
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Would you be exalted in our thoughts?
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Would you be exalted in our affections?
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Would you be exalted in our obedience?
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We ask that you would energize this meeting by the power of the
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Holy Spirit and that it would be undeniable that you were in the
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midst. Tonight we ask these things with
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great reverence and hope, believing that you hear us even
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now. We tremble at your word and we
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rejoice. At the same time, in Jesus name
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we pray. Amen.
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Amen. The verse one tells us that
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Solomon makes a big event out of the arrival of the Ark of the
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Covenant, but more than just seeing the grandeur of it and
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the celebration around it, we. Were given the precise timing of
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it, you know by now how long it took to build the temple.
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How long did it take? A total of how many years?
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Seven years? Correct.
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But look here with me and notice something.
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We are told here that in verse two it was at the feast in the
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month of Ethanim, which is the 7th month.
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So you know and I know how long it took to build the temple.
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But in the same scripture where we're told how long it took to
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build the temple, we're also told when it was completed.
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And if you do not remember when it was completed, just scroll
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back a couple chapters in chapter 6 and look here with me.
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In verse 38 you will see the precise date and the precise
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months specifically where this all came to an end.
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Concerning this construction of the temple and in the 11th year
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in the month of Bull, which is the 8th month, the house was
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finished in all its parts and according to all its
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specifications he was seven years in building it.
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So in the eighth month of the 11th year.
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This is when the temple was completed.
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What month of the year did the Ark of the Covenant arrive?
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The 7th month. So how many months after the
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Temple was completed did Solomon bring in the ark?
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11 months. Now some would say no, it wasn't
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11 months later. It was probably many years
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later. And they take into consideration
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that perhaps Solomon brought the Ark in after he completed his
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own house, which means many years passed before this took
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place, irrespective of the year. The Holy Spirit underscores and
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sees it necessary for us to know which month out of the year
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Solomon brought in the ark. Why do you think the 7th month
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is important? OK, the number seven is
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important in the Bible, that's true.
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But what took place on the 7th month according to the Jewish
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calendar there, the Feast of Tabernacles?
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Was that the only feast in the seventh month?
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OK, good, Let's do this. How many feasts were commanded
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by the Lord for Israel to observe?
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7. Another #7?
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Correct. Four of them were in the spring.
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Three of them were in the fall. Which ones were during the
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spring? Passover #1.
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Next? Unleavened bread?
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True third. The feast of Firstfruits?
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By the way? All these.
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Feasts point to Jesus Christ. 4th Pentecost or the Feast of
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Weeks. So you have Passover, Unleavened
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Bread, the Feast of Firstfruits, the Feast of Weeks, Feast of
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Pentecost. Then there's a period of break,
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and then you come to the Fall Season.
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And there are three feasts. Which are what?
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First, the Feast of Trumpets. Second, the Day of Atonement,
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Really good. Lastly, the Feast of Booths or
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the Feast of Tabernacles if you really it's a fascinating study.
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If you want to know more details about what these feasts mean, we
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have a whole Bible study on the 7th feast.
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Just look up the church YouTube account and look up the seven
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Feasts of Israel and your mind will be blown away if you don't
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understand the significance of those feasts.
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It's a prophetic timetable really.
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Now we don't know exactly what feast in the seventh month this
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celebration coincides with until you come to the end of this
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chapter. Then you receive the clue that
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tells you which feast exactly. So look at chapter 8, verse 65.
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So Solomon held the feast at that time and all Israel with
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him A great assembly from Libo Hamath to the brook of Egypt
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before the Lord our God. Seven days out of those 3 feasts
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in the seventh month there was only one of those feasts that
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were celebrated throughout a week time.
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And that was the feast of Tabernacles.
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Very good. The Feast of Tabernacles is a
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fascinating feast. One of the reasons why it's
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fascinating is because they were instructed once a year to build
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booths, kind of like tents, more decorative, and they were to
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live in these booths throughout the week.
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More than that, this feast was held at the end of the harvest
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season. And so there would be the in
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gathering of produce and vegetation, all these things,
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and they would dedicate these things to the Lord, and they
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would recognize God for His faithfulness and provision, His
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continual leadership and guidance in their lives.
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But more than just recognizing him for that year, it would
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ultimately be a time of commemoration of a specific
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period in Israel's history, the time in which the people were
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delivered from slavery out of Egypt into freedom through the
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wilderness and through the wilderness.
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They lived in what they lived in tents, they lived in booths.
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And so as they would reflect on what God had done for them, they
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would do so in a very practical and an exciting way by actually
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living in booths at this particular time.
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And this is how they would recognize God's goodness.
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This is how they would recognize his.
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Faithfulness to him. But why coincide this feast with
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the Ark coming into Jerusalem, into the city of David?
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Well, it's for no different reason than why we were told the
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exact time when Solomon began the project a couple chapters
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ago. The reason why the Holy Spirit,
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the reason why we're told that Solomon said this is the feast
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that we want to overlap with. This entrance of the Ark is
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because the Ark is the ultimate fulfillment of the hope of these
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people, the goal of the redemption and the preservation.
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Not the Ark itself, but what the Ark symbolize God's throne and
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His presence in close proximity to those that he delivered,
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exalted, honored, and enjoyed. And so why did the Lord bring
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them out of Egypt? Why did He preserve them through
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the wilderness? Why did he bring him into the
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Promised Land for this very moment that God and man can
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dwell as closely as possible to one another?
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And you heard from a couple Bible studies ago, the goal of
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our redemption in Christ Jesus is no different that the Lord
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would bring us to God. Peter tells us through the
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blood. And so they're supposed to be
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this overlap because they're supposed to recognize at the
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same time, this is what God ultimately provides us, not just
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the things that we enjoy, our protection, our livelihood, but
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His presence, His person. And you know what's so
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fascinating? During the millennial reign,
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this very feast will be one of the feast.
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Not every feast is going to be recognized when Jesus Christ
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returns the rules on the earth. But this feast, the feast of tag
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manacles, will be a global mandate.
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All the nations must recognize the Feast of Boots and they must
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come to Jerusalem as they did. This is a pilgrimage feast and
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recognize and honor the Lord. So this feast is even pointing
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to what's to come. That's why Peter got so excited
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on the Mount of Transfiguration when he saw Jesus and his glory,
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Moses and Elijah. What did he say?
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Out of nowhere, let's build tents for you.
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Was he? Was he just groggy and he didn't
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know what he was saying? Some people say it, say say
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that, and they teach it that way.
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No, Peter understood the Old Testament.
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When Christ comes in his glory, we will celebrate the Feast of
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Tabernacles. Let's do it now.
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Let's do it right now. We can build boots for you and
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you and you. We could just stay right here.
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And if you want the reference for that, that's in Zechariah
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1416, where we were told that all the nations will gather and
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come to Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Boots.
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And if you. Didn't there was punishment?
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There is punishment. So there's a prophetic hope in
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this that the one that the Ark points to will one day enter and
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arrive, establish his throne, the glory of God.
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Not on a chest, not on a treasure piece, but in the
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person of Jesus Christ. He will come and he will rule
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and reign, and he will be in close proximity to his own, and
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we will celebrate that truth. And.
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We will realize that this is the goal of our redemption.
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Christ himself, Christ himself. When you and I preach the
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gospel, we're not just preaching for people to get to heaven.
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We're preaching for people to get to Christ.
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We're preaching for people to know Christ, love Christ.
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Christ is heaven. You don't have Christ in heaven.
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You don't have heaven. And so This is why this is
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taking place. And now we come here again in
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verse 3, let's be reminded what happens at all.
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The elders of Israel came, and the priests took up the ark, and
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they brought up the ark of the Lord, the tent of meeting, and
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all the holy vessels that were in the tent, the priests and the
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Levites brought them up. I see something of Solomon's
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wisdom here, because his father had an opportunity to bring the
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Ark into its rightful place at one time when it was returned
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from the Philistines. Did David do it right the first
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time? No, he blew it.
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For some reason. He found the confidence to do
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his own way, an easier way, the worldly way.
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He saw the Philistines bring the ark on a cart and he thought,
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well, that's pretty convenient, put it on a cart.
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Why put it on the shoulders of our men?
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Put it on a cart on a new cart and they paid a high price for
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it. We pay a high price when we
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imitate the world, when God's given us a blueprint for how he
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should be honored and worshipped.
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And so David made a mistake. He paid a high price.
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Somebody died. He got afraid.
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He says, I don't want to deal with this.
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And then he finds the grace to do it again.
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And he does it the right way by adhering to the biblical
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mandate. And I see Solomon here doing it
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right the first time. He didn't have to make the same
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mistake as his father. Wisdom is not just glean by
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learning from your own mistakes. Wisdom is glean when you observe
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and study the mistakes of others and say I can avoid this
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altogether. I thought about that.
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I thought further. Isn't it sad that Solomon here
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learned from the mistake of his father in this area but not in
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another area pertaining to marriage and woman?
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We can be very picky and choosy with sins in our lives.
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There are people who are very passionate about certain
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standards of righteousness and very very, very loose in other
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standards. If you're going to stand up for
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righteousness, stand for righteousness and everything.
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If you're going to stand up for the word of God, don't get
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passionate about one era. Get passionate for everything.
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No matter what the word of God demands, submit to it and preach
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it with equal passion and stand for it with equal conviction.
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You know Jesus says whoever takes the least of these things
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and teaches others to do life swap likewise.
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Will be called least in the Kingdom of heaven.
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When I read that in the in the summer of the Mount, I said,
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Lord, I don't want to make light of anything of your word because
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I don't want to come to your Kingdom at the end and say, you
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know, because you treated these things lightly and you taught
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others to do the same, you're going to be called leasing the
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Kingdom, God forbid. God forbid.
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What happens after Solomon is leading this procession with the
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priests? They slaughter these animals
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without number. They didn't even count them.
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They now come to the goal. They come to the parking spot,
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so to speak, of the Ark, and look at this in verse six.
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Then the priest brought the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord to
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its place in the inner sanctuary of the house in the Most Holy
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Place, underneath the weeks. The wings of the cherubim.
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For the cherubim spread out their wings over the place of
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the Ark, so that the cherubim overshadowed the Ark and its
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poles. And it says here in the polls
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were so long that the ends of the polls were seen from the
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Holy Place before the inner sanctuary, but they could not be
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seen from outside. We'll get to that in a moment.
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So remember, though the temple served this same person purpose
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as the Tabernacle, it looked very different.
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It had the same compartments, the same sections, But when you
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came into the Most Holy Place, you saw two towering cherubim
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that stood on their feet. And if you read the measurement
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of these cherubim, we've read it in back in a few chapters ago.
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If you do the equivalency of the measurements today that we used
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to the to the feet, it it would be 15 feet high each.
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These are tall images, and their wingspan covered the length of
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the Most Holy Place. You had their outer rings, outer
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wings touching the walls, and then their inner wings kissing
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each other. So these wings just cover the
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whole span of the room. And then they placed the Ark of
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the Covenant in the center, underneath the inner wings of
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the cherubim. Why are the cherubim place in
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the Most Holy Place? Why?
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Why? Out of all the imagery, out of
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all the creatures that you could have created, why did God ask
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for the cherubim to be placed there?
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Any idea? So one very strong case you can
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make is that it makes a reference to the Garden of Eden,
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that after men and women were expelled from paradise, God
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called for the Chairman to guard the tree of life.
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And So what you have here in a sense is a reference to the
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Garden and how man is still through sin, kept from enjoying
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the fullness of the presence of God.
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Very good point. Yes, very good.
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And so may. You didn't say this, but I'm
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assuming you're going to say this, that this is a picture of
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even the throne of God. Yes, because whenever you and I
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get an honor to see a glimpse of the throne of God, the celestial
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throne of God, in the scriptures it is often characterized by
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these other worldly beings that surround the throne, whether
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that be cherubim or whether that be seraphim, these amazing
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creatures that are giving glory to God that would frighten us.
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But in fact they are the ones who can't even stand in the
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holiness of God without covering their faces.
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At least the Seraphim. Any other ideas?
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Yes, yes. So that's Seraphim, more
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specifically the burning ones. But you see the cherubim in
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Revelation, so they're there in Ezekiel as well.
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So these creatures are there in the throne.
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So I make the case, as much as you have the a strong case
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concerning the garden, especially what was woven into
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what the veil. The cherubim were woven onto the
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veil, which is very much a strong picture of, hey look, the
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presence of God is being guarded by these holy beings.
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More than that is that the Holy Place is a reflection of the
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throne of God, and like you said, God's presence surrounded
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by these holy beings that worship him.
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With that being said, can I ask this question at this point in
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Solomon's temple? How many cherubim were in the
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Most Holy Place? Was it one?
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OK, so total how many more than that?
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You had four total. You had one in each side.
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And then you had two cherubim that were infused on what?
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On the Ark of Covenant itself. And so let me show you the
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reference of this, because this is quite amazing when you
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consider the four cherubim and how they were positioned,
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they're different. So go to Exodus with me and look
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at the construction, the building of the Ark of the
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Covenant in verse 18 of chapter 25.
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Exodus chapter 25, verse 18. Here's the instruction given to
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Moses concerning the cherubim on the lid of the Ark of the
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Covenant. What was the lid of the Ark of
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the Covenant called? Very good the mercy seat.
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Here is the instruction. And you shall make 2 cherubim of
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gold of hammered work, shall you make them on the two ends of the
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mercy seat? Make one cherub on the one end
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and one cherub on the other end of one piece.
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With the Mercy seat shall you make the cherubim on its two
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ends. The cherubim shall spread out
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their wings above, overshadowing the mercy seat with their wings,
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their faces one to another, toward the Mercy Seat shall the
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faces of the cherubim be so on both ends of this chest piece,
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called the Ark of the Covenant, you had one cherub facing the
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other. Their wings are overshadowing
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the Ark, and not only are they facing one another, but their
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faces are downward. Looking at the mercy seat now,
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the two cherub that Solomon built, they're much bigger.
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They were not directly attached to the Ark of the Covenant, but
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based on the description here, where were they facing?
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They were facing outward. They were facing toward what?
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You have the most Holy place, if we're looking at it from the
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view of the cherub. They're looking toward the holy
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place, are they not? If you want the reference for
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this, the exact reference is Second Chronicles 313, where
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we're told that they face the nave they faced outward.
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So let me paint this picture. You have two bigger cherub that
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were facing outward, and you had two smaller cherub that were
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facing downward and looking toward the mercy.
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Seat. And this is really an exciting
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illustration. It's really a picture of
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something that you and I kind of read in the New Testament.
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In what sense? Well, Peter says something quite
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fascinating concerning the gospel.
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He says this mystery of the gospel of human salvation, the
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mercy of God in this gospel is something that angels long.
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To lick into. They longed to study this.
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They longed to try to understand redemptive history and why this
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holy God would redeem these rebels.
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They longed to look into the mystery and the mercy of God.
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And yet at the same time we're told by Paul in Ephesians
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chapter three that the church is really something of a spectacle
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and that through the Church the wisdom of God is made known to
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these authorities and to these beings from where heavenly
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places. So you have these otherworldly
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beings that are also looking at this phenomenon called the
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Church and how God not only saves these sinners, but he is
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conforming them and he is working in them and through
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them. And not to others, but even to a
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world unknown to us, at least how we perceive it.
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Humanly speaking world that we believe in, but a world that we
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can't immediately interact with. They're looking in and they're
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saying what is this thing called the Church?
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Look at the wisdom of God in the church.
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Look at the grace of God in the Church.
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And these cherub. They were not looking at the
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mercy see two of them were but these other two were looking out
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into the holy place where the priests were ministering.
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It's so fascinating to see how the old connects with the new.
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Here's another point and one of the gospel accounts we're told
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that when the woman came to the tomb and they and they looked
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in, one of the accounts tells. Us that on the bed that Jesus
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laid on, there was an Angel on one end and there was an Angel
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on the other end. What do you think that is
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supposed to point back to? Well, who's in the middle?
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It would have been that precious, holy, sinless body of
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the Lord Jesus Christ who is ultimately the mercy seat.
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Isn't the Bible rich? Isn't the Bible fascinating
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because it's authored by an amazing God and so they placed
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the ark of the covenant here. And Speaking of pre serving they
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would have seen something. This might be a shocking
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statement. They would have seen something
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of the most holy place. Now that sounds illegal because
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it is illegal. But notice verse 8 with me of
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first kings 8. And the poles were so long the
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poles of the Ark of the Covenant, that the ends of the
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poles were seen from the holy place.
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Before the inner sanctuary, but they could not be seen from
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outside. You want to talk about wrestling
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with a verse? Because we're told throughout
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the Old Testament, especially when the ark was introduced to
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the people, that they had no right to freely look upon the
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Ark of the covenant. Even when it was transported, it
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was covered. It was a holy thing.
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And yet here we're told that the poles, because the Ark also had
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poles for the priests to put on their shoulders, those poles,
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according to Exodus, were to never be removed.
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They were to always remain intact with the Ark.
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But here the Holy Spirit highlights that they were so
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long that the ends of the poles were sticking out, and that they
24:33
could be seen. From the holy place, How do we
24:37
make sense of this? Trust me, many people have tried
24:40
to give many explanations, and the most satisfacting,
24:43
satisfactory explanation that I could agree with is that these
24:50
ends of the poles did not actually stick out where you can
24:53
see them clearly and get a glimpse of a piece of the art.
24:56
But they were being impressed upon the veil, and as they were
25:00
being impressed on the veil, there was almost two bulges
25:05
against the curtain. And so it was known that these
25:09
were the poles that were pressing against the screen, but
25:12
they weren't completely protruding out.
25:18
Why is this important for us to even know?
25:21
That's the question I always ask when it comes to an obscure
25:22
verse like this. Why is it important for me to
25:24
know that if that is the explanation of this verse, that
25:28
these poles were elevating the screen, so to speak, and if you
25:34
were serving there in the Holy place, you would see it.
25:36
You would see a dent, so to speak, into this thick curtain
25:39
called the veil? Well, it looks like Urghese has
25:43
a question or answer. Yes.
25:50
So in a practical sense, it would be a constant reminder
25:53
that the ark is here. It'd be a constant reminder to
25:56
the to the ministers that the presence of God is in the midst.
26:01
But this is not dogmatic, This is not definite, so to speak.
26:05
This is just working with what we have here.
26:08
I just began to think about what the Ark symbolized, what the
26:11
veil symbolized, and how we're being told that it was seen by
26:15
the priest. Right.
26:16
This is important for them to register what was happening.
26:19
The Ark represents very simply the presence of God and in God
26:23
dwelling in and through the ark, manifesting his glory through
26:26
the ark. This is God's longing the the
26:28
constant threat throughout the Bible, God's longing to dwell
26:31
with man. What is the veil symbolize?
26:35
Why is there even a veil to begin with?
26:39
Separate the presence of God from who, from man, from sinful
26:46
man. And again, if you even look at
26:47
what's woven on the veil, it's very clear.
26:50
In the Tabernacle, especially the cherubim are there, which is
26:53
supposed to be a constant reminder of the Garden of Eden,
26:56
that the cherubim were raised up to block man's entrance into the
27:00
presence of God. And so you have the Ark of the
27:04
Covenant, which symbolizes the presence of God.
27:06
You have the veil that speaks of the separation caused by sin,
27:10
and then you have the poles that are pressing against the veil.
27:15
And this is the thought that ran through my mind.
27:17
Disagree with me if you would like that.
27:20
If this ark represents God's presence, wanting to dwell with
27:23
man, this veil representing sin, here is God reaching out.
27:29
Here is God reaching out. You know what James tells us?
27:33
That this God yearns jealously for the spirits that he has made
27:37
in US. In a sense, even as redemptive
27:41
history is progressing, what you're what you're seeing in the
27:44
Most Holy Place is that God is longing to touch man, redeem
27:50
man, rescue man, being closer proximity to man.
27:54
And so you have the Tabernacle or the ark was very comfortable
27:57
in you have the Temple of Solomon where now the poles, the
28:01
extension of the ark are pressing against the veil.
28:04
And then you come to the New Testament where Jesus Christ
28:07
comes in the flesh and he tabernacles among men.
28:09
And then, after Jesus Christ ascends into heaven, he sends
28:12
his. Spirit.
28:12
And what does he do? He dwells in you and I.
28:15
How much closer can you get than that?
28:18
You are the temple of the Holy Spirit.
28:21
And so here we have a God who first love us, and we can love
28:24
him because he first love us. Here is a God that even in this
28:27
small picture showing his longing and yearning to be with
28:32
you and I, he doesn't need us, but He desires us.
28:38
This moved me when I saw this, and I wonder if it ran through
28:43
the mind of the priests as they were serving there.
28:46
There's the ark being pressed against the veil.
28:50
What does that say about God's heart?
28:51
And we read on. And what do we see?
28:57
Something else concerning the ark.
28:58
This is the concluding thought concerning the ark.
29:02
It's not so much about the ark itself, but the contents in the
29:05
ark. If you were troubled by verse 8,
29:08
at least puzzled get. Ready for verse nine?
29:13
There was nothing in the Ark. Except the two tablets of stone
29:20
that Moses put there at Horeb, where the Lord made a covenant
29:24
with the people of Israel when they came out of the land of
29:27
Egypt. Why is that puzzling?
29:34
Because there are two other articles that were supposed to
29:36
be in the Ark. And if you want a summation of
29:41
this, it's actually in the New Testament.
29:43
What book do you think I'm about to quote?
29:46
Very good. You know your Bible as well.
29:48
Hebrews 9, verse three and four. I want you to see this with your
29:51
own eyes. Hebrews 9, three and four.
29:55
The author of Hebrews, who many believed to be Paul, masterfully
29:58
makes a case for the supremacy of Christ, and he speaks about
30:05
the very structure that we are referring to, though it's very
30:09
likely he's actually speaking about the Tabernacle more than
30:12
the temple. So what does he say here?
30:16
Says here in verse 4 having the golden altar of incense in the
30:23
ark of the covenant covered on all sides with gold in which was
30:26
a golden. Urn holding the Manna and Aaron
30:29
staff that budded and the tablets of the covenant.
30:33
There it is. You have three things.
30:36
The golden urn of Manna that was ordered in Exodus.
30:41
You have Aaron's rod that budded that was ordered in #17 and then
30:46
you have the tablets which was ordered back in Exodus to be
30:50
placed in the Ark of the Covenant.
30:53
Do we have a contradiction here because we're told in First
30:55
Kings 8-9 that there was nothing except for the tablets of stone?
30:59
No one, because it could be that the author, if he was just
31:02
speaking about the Tabernacle and others, would even make the
31:05
case that it was only the tablets of stone that were
31:10
committed to be in the Ark and the golden Urn of Manna and
31:14
Aaron's rod were to be placed around the Ark.
31:17
Where do they get that notion from?
31:19
Well, if you look at the instructions about the Golden
31:21
Urn and Aaron's rod, there's very specific language and the
31:25
language was this place it before the Ark of the Covenant.
31:31
And so they would make the case on top of that.
31:34
Well, if you look at the author's point here.
31:37
He adds another thing. In the Most holy place that's
31:39
technically not supposed to be there.
31:40
What is it? Look at verse 4 again.
31:42
What's out of place? What's not supposed to be be
31:45
there? Somebody whispered it.
31:51
Don't be shy. Huh.
31:54
Huh. The first thing having the
31:56
golden altar of incense and the Ark of the Hold on, There's no
32:00
end in the in the Most Holy Place, the only thing in the
32:05
Most Holy. Place is the Ark of the
32:06
Covenant. The one piece of furniture
32:09
before you would enter into the Most Holy Place was the altar of
32:12
incense. That was the closest thing to
32:15
the veil that would lead into the Most Holy Place, which is a
32:19
practical picture of what that the closest place you can be in
32:24
terms of knowing the presence of God is prayer.
32:28
The altar of incense symbolizes prayer and that was the closest
32:31
thing to the presence of God symbolizing the Ark of the
32:33
Covenant. You want to be close to the
32:35
Lord? Get a prayer life.
32:37
You want to know his presence, get a prayer life.
32:39
But more than that, it's a picture of the intercessory
32:41
ministry of Jesus. It's amazing.
32:43
So this altar of incense, why? Well, why?
32:45
Where did you go? What?
32:47
Why is the golden altar of incense in the Most Holy Place?
32:51
And here's the argument. Well, in doesn't necessarily
32:54
mean in if it's true that the golden altar is not in the Most
32:57
Holy Place. And you can also say that the
33:00
Golden Urn and the the budded staff is not in the Ark of the
33:05
Covenant. Regardless, we can still ask the
33:08
question based on 1st Kings 8-9 what happened to the Golden Urn
33:14
of Manna and to Aaron's staff? Because it's being explicitly
33:19
stated there was nothing in the Ark as though the the Holy
33:24
Spirit wants us to know nothing else was in this.
33:27
The only thing that's important to know that was in the Ark is
33:31
the law. No explanation.
33:36
You'd be hard pressed to find an answer to why, but what many
33:43
would say if you don't hold to this view that it's not
33:46
necessarily and maybe before or around.
33:48
That there was something significant that happened in the
33:50
history of the Ark of the Covenant that could possibly
33:52
explain what happened to these other articles.
33:55
I'm thinking something obviously in between Moses time with the
33:58
Tabernacle and Solomon's time with the Temple.
34:01
Was there any significant episode that could explain the
34:06
missing Golden Urn and Aaron Staff?
34:11
The Ark was captured By who? The Philistines.
34:15
First Samuel 4-5 and six? Because what people would say to
34:20
this is, well, clearly they were.
34:21
Removed somehow, some way they were removed.
34:25
Well, how were they removed? Ah.
34:29
Maybe during that 7th month period when it was stolen from
34:32
the people of Israel, the Philistines found liberty to say
34:36
oh look what's in here. And so it could be that they
34:41
either removed or took, for whatever reason, the Golden Urn
34:44
of Mana and Aaron's. But it's staff.
34:46
And if that is true, if that is the explanation, I find it
34:49
absolutely hilarious that they left the.
34:50
Law in there, like what is this Looks like commands.
34:54
Keep it in there, give it back to them.
34:55
We don't want that. And if that is true, then what a
35:00
wonderful lesson of how the enemy works.
35:05
You know how God wants you to see Him in a relational way, and
35:14
even through the commandments that you would see it as a
35:17
delight because you love the person behind the commands.
35:21
You know how? Satan would like you to view God
35:24
through the law and the law alone.
35:27
Do's and don'ts. Do's and don'ts, do's and
35:31
don'ts. You know, so many people believe
35:32
Christian is just about do's and don'ts, Do's and don'ts.
35:35
Can I do this? Can I not do this?
35:37
Can I go there? Can I not go there?
35:39
Yes, commands are important, but the law here the.
35:41
Tablets do not symbolize the commands of God as a response of
35:46
our love toward Him. This is speaking about the
35:48
condemnation of the law, the condemnation of the law, And if
35:52
you purely view the God of this book through the lens of the
35:57
law, you're doomed. You're doomed.
36:00
You're hopeless. That's the point of the law.
36:02
To make you feel hopeless, To show you that you cannot satisfy
36:06
this righteous demand. So if the enemies of Israel did
36:13
remove these two other things, which is significant?
36:15
The rod symbolizes resurrection. I won't get into the other
36:19
details. Here's the law.
36:21
That's the only thing that's left.
36:22
You're saying? Well, yeah, but the law is
36:25
important. It is important.
36:26
But for what purpose? Be careful how you relate to the
36:28
law, even the law in the Ark of the Covenant.
36:30
Notice where it was placed. Are you with me?
36:33
Notice where it was placed. The law on the tablets of stone
36:37
were in the ark. Correct.
36:39
Yes. God's holiness, Yes.
36:42
The code of his righteousness, Yes, His standards for us to
36:45
relate to him. But also yes, impossible to
36:49
keep, impossible to observe. So it's in the Ark as a memorial
36:54
of His Holiness. But what is on top of the Law?
36:59
The mercy seat. The Mercy seat Shields the law.
37:05
The Mercy of God covers the demands of the Law.
37:08
And what was in between that mercy?
37:10
What was in between those cherubim?
37:11
Once a year, the blood blood was sprinkled on the mercy seat, and
37:17
it was the Mercy that was hovering over the Law.
37:23
You can't keep this law. You need mercy.
37:26
That's the message of the ark of the covenant and Jesus the
37:29
greater ark of the covenant. And So what happens?
37:36
Let's read verse. 10 And when the priest came out of the Holy
37:39
place, a cloud filled the House of the Lord, so that the priest
37:44
could not stand to minister because of the cloud.
37:48
For the glory of the Lord filled the House of the Lord.
37:51
So once the Ark was placed, people stepped back and a
37:57
manifestation of the glory of God began to reveal itself.
38:05
And this is not the first time that a cloud filled the House of
38:09
the Lord. In Exodus 40, we're told that at
38:11
the completion of the Tabernacle and the placement of all the
38:15
ordered pieces. A cloud also came and filled the
38:18
House of the Lord. Why did the cloud come in the
38:22
Tabernacle? Why did the cloud come in the
38:23
temple? As a sign of divine approval of
38:26
what just took place. And the people would have
38:28
witnessed and recognized. God is pleased with this work.
38:32
He will dwell here. He does say yes, and he does
38:35
accept this offering. But notice the language here.
38:39
In verse 10 and verse 11, a cloud filled the House of the
38:45
Lord. And then you read on and it says
38:47
the same thing. The glory of the Lord.
38:50
Filled the House of the Lord. I told you.
38:51
That's the same language used in Exodus chapter 40 as well.
38:54
It filled the Tabernacle. Do you think God's desire is any
39:00
less for the House of God today? Who am I speaking about this
39:03
church building? I'm speaking about you and I.
39:07
In the same way that the Lord filled the Tabernacle, in the
39:09
same way that the Lord filled the temple.
39:12
In the same way the Lord wants to fill you and I not partially,
39:18
completely, not in sections of your life, in saturation of your
39:23
entire life. Paul, commanded by the Spirit in
39:26
Ephesians 518, to be filled with the Holy Spirit, filled,
39:32
bubbling over, saturated, covered in the fragrance of the
39:38
person and will and character of Jesus Christ.
39:40
And that is something you and I should long for that every part
39:44
of who we are would be. Permeated by him?
39:47
Permeated by him? How ridiculous would it be if
39:50
the glory of the Lord filled just a couple of the rooms in
39:52
the house? What's this?
39:56
No, everything was blanketed over.
39:59
And the will of God in the person.
40:01
The Holy Spirit is no different for you and I.
40:02
He wants every corner of your life to be touched by him, to
40:07
reflect Him. To carry his glory.
40:10
To carry his glory. How does that look?
40:13
Does that look like you try really hard to look righteous
40:15
and stoic? That's not the glory of God.
40:17
It's not. It's not you being legalistic
40:20
and you looking like you're sour and you think that being holy
40:23
means that you're not an enjoyable person.
40:25
God forbid. That's just when you allow the
40:28
Holy Spirit, as you surrender every part of your life, to take
40:31
control of that and to guide you and lead you and to convict you
40:34
and to conform you and to give you the wisdom to know how to
40:37
respond to every situation, circumstance, scenario, person,
40:40
the way Jesus would. That's what the glory of God
40:42
looks like. And so yearn for that to be
40:45
filled with the Holy Spirit. By the way, that's not a
40:47
suggestion. It's a command.
40:50
Hey, if you feel like it'd be filled with the holy.
40:51
Spirit, Huh. Is that how Paul spoke about the
40:54
Holy Spirit? No.
40:55
Be filled? And the verb tense?
40:58
There's continually filled, continually filled, continually
41:02
filled. So now the glory of God shows up
41:08
to the degree that it was so thick in the House of God that
41:11
the the priest couldn't even continue to minister.
41:13
They had to excuse themselves. And this was a sight for all to
41:17
see. And Solomon saw this.
41:20
And as Solomon is witnessing the glory of God now perfuming this
41:24
house, because what's the House of God without the glory of God?
41:27
What's the temple without the presence of God?
41:29
It's just a hollow museum. There are many religious
41:35
facilities today that prize and praise of their artifacts and
41:38
their art and all these different things and materials.
41:41
And the money they spent and they're bankrupt of the presence
41:44
of God because it's not for the glory of God and it doesn't host
41:49
the truth of God. So Solomon now for the rest of
41:53
this chapter is really going to respond to this.
41:54
He's going to respond to what's taking place here in the first
41:57
thing he does is he says something to the Lord and then
42:00
he's going to say something to the people.
42:01
And that's what we're going to cover the next few verses here
42:04
and then we will end. Let's read here in verse 12
42:07
then, Solomon said. The Lord has said that he would
42:11
dwell in thick darkness. I have indeed built you an
42:15
exalted house, a place for you to dwell in forever.
42:19
Where does God dwell? According to Solomon, In what
42:25
thick darkness is that your imagination when it comes to the
42:31
manifestation of the glory of God?
42:32
Do you see a thick darkness or an unapproachable light?
42:37
According to First Timothy 616 First John, we're told that God.
42:41
Is. Light God is light.
42:45
First Timothy six. He dwells in unapproachable
42:48
light. Solomon thick darkness, Which
42:53
one is it? How can you have?
42:54
God is light. He dwells in unapproachable
42:56
light, but He also dwells in thick darkness.
43:00
Again, this is reminiscent of what happened on Mount Sinai.
43:03
When the Lord came, He also came to reveal himself in his glory
43:06
and a thick dark cloud, Thunder clapping, trumpet sounds.
43:12
It was absolutely terrifying. And here's God coming again in
43:15
thick darkness. Contradiction.
43:18
No. A declaration of the mercy of
43:20
God. How so?
43:24
Well, if he does dwell in unapproachable light, if his
43:27
unfiltered presence is consuming, so beautiful.
43:32
I mean, if you have the glory of God causing them not to be able
43:34
to minister, what would it look like if you removed every veil?
43:38
He would absolutely overwhelm you.
43:41
Dare I say, kill you? Lord, show us your glory.
43:45
Be careful, because when even the closest followers and
43:49
greatest servants of God were exposed to the glory of God,
43:51
they couldn't stand under their own feet.
43:54
You talk about Daniel, who is called the beloved of the Lord,
43:59
And when he had some glimpse of the glory, the messengers of
44:03
God, he fainted. So thick darkness, I say the
44:09
mercy of God. Why?
44:10
Because if that is, what happens to those who see just a
44:14
percentage of his power. What would it be like if it came
44:19
in its complete form? And so, God, I believe in thick
44:21
darkness cloaks himself. He provides this canopy, this
44:28
pavilion. This way of.
44:31
Shielding the brilliance of His Holiness so that he could make
44:35
himself known without making his subjects turn into fine powder.
44:41
And so this thick darkness is really a screen so that the Lord
44:46
can come and meet with his people.
44:48
And you know what? He does that in the New
44:49
Covenant? The person of Jesus Christ.
44:51
He doesn't come in thick darkness.
44:52
He comes in flesh and he walks among us, and he eats with us
44:57
and he touches us. Oh yeah, you come in the glory.
44:59
Oh, if God really wants to reveal himself, let him reveal
45:02
himself. And be careful, one he does
45:06
reveal himself too. He knows his nature better than
45:09
yours, and in his mercy he comes in the flesh for many reasons,
45:16
for many reasons. One of them is because He's
45:18
merciful and the glory of God shines through the sun.
45:22
So he dwells in thick darkness. And then he says, I have indeed
45:25
built you an exalted house, a place for you to dwell in
45:27
forever. Now look at this.
45:29
Then the king, verse 14, turned around and blessed He blessed
45:33
all the assembly of Israel, while all the assembly of Israel
45:37
stood. So as he's witnessing this, He's
45:43
glory of the Lord dwells in thick darkness.
45:45
I have indeed built you a house, an exalted house that you may
45:48
dwell in forever. And he's just overwhelmed by
45:51
this. And then he turns around toward
45:52
the people who are standing there witnessing the same thing,
45:54
and he begins to bless him. What a wonderful pattern.
45:58
What a wonderful pattern for us to consider for our own lives,
46:00
That when you and I behold the glory of God, when we are
46:03
visited by manifestations of his faithfulness, even his beauty in
46:08
the word in life, you know what should that do to us?
46:12
It should cause us to do many things.
46:14
Worship him, adore him, yes, but also turn around and bless
46:17
others. The closer you are to the Lord,
46:20
the more the Lord shows you should make you of a greater
46:22
blessing to other people. I know a lot of people who have
46:26
a lot of biblical knowledge, but the way they treat people shows
46:28
that I don't know if you really got what you got.
46:33
The more you know, the more you see it will make an impression
46:35
on you that will have you turning around and looking at
46:38
others and blessing them. And he blesses them by speaking
46:42
to them about the truth of God. Look at verse 15.
46:44
And he said, blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who
46:47
with his hand has fulfilled what he has promised with his mouth.
46:49
To David, my father saying, since the day that I brought my
46:53
people Israel out of Egypt, I chose no city out of all the
46:57
tribes of Israel in which to build a house that my name might
47:00
be there, but I chose David to be over my people Israel.
47:05
Now it was in the. Heart of David, my Father, To
47:07
build a house for the name of the Lord, the God of Israel.
47:10
But the Lord said to David my father, whereas it was in your
47:13
heart to build a house for my name, you did well in that it
47:17
was in your heart. Do you sense the preciousness of
47:23
that commentary? He's telling the people, you
47:27
know, hey, look, my father originally had this desire to
47:31
build what you see, and it was in his heart.
47:37
And although it was in his heart, the Lord recognized that.
47:40
And he prays that. And he goes on to explain how he
47:42
didn't fulfill that through David, but through myself.
47:47
You know what's so precious about this?
47:49
The Lord knows the desires of our hearts.
47:53
That's what's so beautiful about this verse.
47:54
The Lord sees, recognizes, and if it's the right desire, even
47:59
praises the desires of our hearts.
48:03
Think about that. Think about how weighty that is.
48:06
Yet this thing, this chamber that entertains so many things,
48:10
that meditates and dreams and hopes, God sees it all, and he
48:15
saw it in David. And he prays that you did well.
48:18
You know what He didn't say? He didn't say you did well, and
48:21
that you built me a house. He says you did well, that it
48:25
was in your heart. The simple desire alone blessed
48:30
God. The wish alone pleased God, and
48:35
it was something that he was willing to command.
48:38
You know, you might have desires to serve God in a particular
48:40
way, and you never saw it realized.
48:42
Do you realize that God is pleased with the desire alone?
48:49
Perhaps you feel limited. Perhaps you're struggling with
48:52
God's Providence, maybe even with God's gifting in your life,
48:56
and you'd understand. I have this desire, Lord, why
48:59
aren't you allowing me to walk in these desires?
49:02
They're for you. And that's wonderful.
49:03
We're about to find out how God does lead us in a moment.
49:07
But be at rest with this truth, that the Lord sees that desire,
49:11
and though it may never be realized the way you had hoped,
49:13
for the desire alone blesses him.
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That moved my heart. That moved my heart.
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But here's the other lesson. Look at verse 19.
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And nevertheless you shall not build the house, but your son
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who shall be born to you, shall build the house for my name.
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So the desire was there. It was strong.
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You read the Psalms? It actually says that he did not
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sleep until he built the house for the Lord.
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David could even sleep at night. Talk about desire.
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This man could not even put his eyes to rest because he could
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not fathom that he lived in a house and God lived in a tent.
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I must in my lifetime do something, contribute to the
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honor and glory of God. He couldn't sleep.
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And yet, as strong as those feelings were, as strong as that
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passion were, Passion was. The Lord says you're not going
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to build it. Here's the truth in that.
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Here's the lesson. Feelings, no matter how strong
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they are, do not determine the legitimacy of it being realized.
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No matter how strong your passion is, no matter how strong
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your desire is, it's not always an indication that's the will of
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God. Oh, this is so important, man,
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because our emotions can dictate so much.
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I really want to do this, even if it's for the Lord.
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But it doesn't mean it's from God.
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He can use desires to nudge you in a direction.
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He can use and even deposit things in you to lead you in a
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certain place, in a certain course of action.
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But not always. David is an example of that.
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He had this passion, passion. He had this longing, and yet it
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was not in alignment with God's will.
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Too many people live by their emotions.
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Too many people live by what they feel.
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Too many people interpret what they feel to be God's will
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again. This is a call for wisdom.
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At the same time, again like in First Timothy three, he who
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desires the office of an overseer desires a noble thing.
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God can speak through your desires, but if you always think
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that everything you feel and long for is the will of God,
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you're in trouble. So what do I do?
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Will you take those desires, those plans, those dreams, those
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hopes? And you laid them at the feet of
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Lord saying, Lord, I desire this to you.
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Is this what you want? Is this you saying this is what
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you want me to do? If not, then Lord, make me
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sensitive enough to you to know that this is not from you.
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It's simple as that. You do your part and surrender
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to him in humility and he'll do his part.
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He's a big God. He knows how to lead your life.
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He knows how to clear the air. He knows how to subdue you and
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keeping you from making foolish mistakes even in the name of
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your feelings. Just surrender it to him, no
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matter how strong those feelings are.
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Learn to bring him to the Lord and let him clarify if this is
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from him or not. Do you want further proof of
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this? OK, fine.
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Let me give you a New Testament. Unless you beat me over the head
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and say, oh, you're Old Testament.
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OK, a New Testament. Was there a man who desire to do
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something very noble, very righteous, very holy, and the
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Lord said no on many examples. Let me give you one of the
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clearest ones. Go to Acts 16.
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Here's Paul. And what does Paul want to do?
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He wants to preach the gospel. He wants to.
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Fulfill the Great Commission verse six of Acts 16.
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In Acts 16, verse six we read and they went through the region
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of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy
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Spirit to speak the Word in Asia.
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Is it speaking the Word a good thing?
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Amen, isn't it? Preaching to the lost a
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wonderful thing, Amen. Isn't spreading the gospel to
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the nations the will of Christ one of his final commands before
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he sent it to Amen and yet? Here's Paul strategizing a
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brilliant man and realizing, OK, where do we need to go next?
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And he goes to this region and having been forbidden from the
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Holy Spirit. No.
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OK and so look at verse 7. And when they had come up to
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Meijia, they attempted to go into Bethenia, but the Spirit of
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Jesus did not allow them. No talk about patience.
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Traveling wasn't easy back then, by the way.
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You can't call an Uber. You can't take a flight?
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No. Very difficult.
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So they go here? No.
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How did the Lord make it known? It's debated, but it was clear
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enough for them to say the Lord doesn't want us here next door.
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No. Why?
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Because it wasn't the time for this region to receive the
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gospel. And there was a more pressing
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matter that needed to be attended to.
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There was a call from Macedonia. So here's another example of a
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good thing, a noble thing, a passionate pursuit.
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Being redirected by God, who is all knowing.
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And so this is a call for us to be prayerful, to be sensitive,
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to be seeking counsel, and to walk in the Spirit and ask the
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Lord to work with our feelings and to sober us if those
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feelings are not in alignment with His desires for our lives.
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Additionally, may I add that noticing in both David and
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Paul's examples, the Lord guides us not just through open doors,
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but closed doors. We're very simplistic in the way
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we view and even counsel people's leadership or God's
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leadership in people's lives. God can lead you through
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hindrance. Often times when we feel
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resistance, when we feel obstacles, we call a preming,
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OK, Satan is hindering us here. Let's pray.
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What if it's God? What if it's God doing a very
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wonderful job, keeping you from making a very foolish mistake in
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terms of timing, in terms of your resources, in terms of you
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getting in trouble if you go in that direction at this time?
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So how do we deal with this? Because Paul says to the
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Thessalonians that he tried to go through them, but Satan
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hindered him. The place of prayer, the place
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of being with spirit filled believers.
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The place of seeking counsel from spirit filled people.
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That's where you're and I are the safest.
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And so be encouraged. With this, you might have a
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strong desire, and that desire will not be realized.
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Maybe not realized at all, maybe not realized at this time.
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God is no less leading you there than He is.
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If He gave you what you desired, you might be thinking, the way
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God is going to answer is going to open this door.
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God can slam the door shut in your face, and it's just as an
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act of mercy. As though he had opened the door
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for you to walk through. Open your mind.
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Expand the breath of your understanding how God leads and
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shepherds his sheep. And realize that his Nos are
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just as good as his yeses. And you?
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Know what's so fascinating? If I was Paul, at least we have
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no indication that Paul felt this way.
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But if I was Paul, I'd be very puzzled.
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I'd be puzzled by this. OK, go here.
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Nope. Go here.
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Nope. It's like what's going on?
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And the leadership of God can be puzzling in our lives, but it's
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never void of purpose. He's never forgetful.
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He with all the millions of children that he has in the
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world, he's never overwhelmed. I get overwhelmed when I have so
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many emails to answer that week. I get Frank, oh, I got to do
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this. It just messes up with my
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routine. But God is not like me.
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He's not like you. Thank God for that.
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He's not overwhelmed. He doesn't break out in the
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sweat when all these needs come to him.
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At the same time effortless. You know, he's writing a million
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stories right now, and it's just nothing to him.
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You know, he's providentially putting pieces in the lives of
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every single one of his children.
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And he's enjoying it. This is the God you and I serve,
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so be careful. Bring that passion to the feet
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of Jesus. Say, Lord, is this your will?
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And be careful when you see circumstances that don't seem to
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fit with your timeline or your script.
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Realize that God is a better story writer than you are.
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Let's come back and finish first.
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Kings 8 verse 20 Now the Lord has fulfilled his promise that
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he made, For I have risen in the place of David my father, and
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sit on the throne of Israel as the Lord promised.
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And I have built the house for the name of the Lord, the God of
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Israel. And there I have provided a
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place for the ark in which is the covenant of the Lord that He
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made with our fathers when he brought them out of the land of
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Egypt. And for the rest of this chapter
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Solomon is going to pray a very, very long prayer, with several
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requests in the subject of our study.
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Next week will be what these requests mean for us, and some
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wonderful lessons about what we should do in prayer.
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Let's pray. It is indeed our delight, Lord,
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to be sanctified by the truth. Your word is truth.
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Thank. You, for manifesting your glory
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through this chapter. Thank you for teaching and
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instructing us about who you are.
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Lord, may we be a people with a greater zeal and curiosity to
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look into the things of the mystery of the Gospel and to
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realize that the Church is no small thing but a trophy case of
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your grace. May not the angels and the
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creatures of another world outdo us in the pursuit of knowing
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your truth more and understanding your character and
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how you relate to us? Lord, every person here has a
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different background. Every person here is enduring or
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enjoying a season that's different than the other.
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But, Lord, may we be reminded by the simple truth that you are in
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control and that your will takes priority over our desires, and
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that, Lord, your leadership is greater than how we could
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conjure up a plan for our own lives.
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Lord, thank you that there's a day coming where the Greater Ark
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of the Covenant will make his way to Jerusalem, and we will
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rule and reign with him and we will know His presence forever.
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And you will fashion us with bodies unlike the priest who
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could not be in the same presence of that glory.
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We will be able to register, receive, enjoy and drink every
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drop of your brilliance and holiness for ages unending Glory
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be to the Father. Glory be to the Son, Glory be to
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the Holy Spirit. In Jesus name we pray.
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Amen. Amen.
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Hey, if you were touched by this Bible study and you feel that it
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is necessary for you to not stand but to just be in a place
59:56
of quiet prayer and to talk to the Lord, you do that.
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You're not forced to stand. But if you want to stand in
1:00:01
honor of the Lord and sing to him, you can stand.
1:00:03
At this moment. All I ask is that you respond to
1:00:05
the Bible study in one way or another.
1:00:07
That could be by singing or that can be by saying, Lord, thank
1:00:10
you. You spoke to my heart or Lord
1:00:13
throughout the whole Bible study.
1:00:14
My heart was dry. I don't want to leave here Dry
1:00:16
touch my heart. You just commune with the God
1:00:18
that you just heard about, and he will honor that.
1:00:21
Whenever you're ready, please.