A Place for His Name

Today with Jeannie Greer the glory of God easy to predict. It would no longer be found in a beautiful place, the temple, the glory of God. He said to be found in a beautiful person, Jesus, and anyone who comes to him from any nation by faith for forgiveness and healing for their sin will receive at the moment they asked for and those who come to God through his name in prayer. God says out here the things of the rest Friday. The Bible teaching ministry of pastor, author and theologian JD Greer. As always, I'm your host Molly Bennetts you when were teaching little kids about the Bible as I have to do with my kids explain the Jewish temple as the Old Testament version of the church and any sense that true, but the temple was so much more than a place to worship God. It was actually a symbol of his presence with his people. So why don't we still have the temple today. What changed the question we're tackling today. Pastor JD is continuing our series. The whole story and he titled today's message place for his name, number, national championship, you probably seen this in just about every sport you'll see the winning team immediately put on T-shirts and hats for the team's name and in national champs them and whatever year that they wanted in little of the moment.

The buzzer goes off their weary there's hats and T-shirts forestall that as a kid I always thought like make those things that quickly and then of course I have a genius in a realization that they have a stash of shirts with either teams celebration victory. I'm on hand just ready for whichever team we are one the championship at that. I have a second thought, my God, what happens to the losing team shirts wonder nobody wants to wear that is your team didn't win will for a long time, the NFL, the NBA and all the other leagues sent all those in a wasted shirts announcing the wrong winter straight to the incinerator spent about 15 years ago. Humanitarian aid groups lobby lobby. Those organizations that have them sent to kids in poor countries who would know that they were inaccurate or really even care housing at one point when I lived over in Southeast Asia. I remember 1998 seen a Utah Jazz, 1998 championship at back of course, when Michael Jordan was dominating everything a basketball with the bulls that I saw that shirt and I thought was there ever even a chance that the Utah Jazz is when I will even bring that jerk. These items were created to remember to celebrate a great victory with joy but nobody wants to see him anymore because the side of them only reminds losers now of the shape they feel about what they lost many ways.

That's what the temple became for Israel.

The temple was supposed to be the greatest expression of Israel's victory. It was supposed to be there glory. Instead, it is going to become a great symbol of their failure on first Kings.

They were to look at the base with the whole chapter as we journey through our story here in the whole story to come out to the story of King Solomon David son dedicating the temple that he's just built for God first Kings chapter 8. It is hard for us to appreciate what a magnificent structure. This temple was God had made.

Solomon really really really wealthy and the temple that Solomon builds reflects as well. It was huge.

The book of first Chronicles tells us that it took 150,000 more than 150,000 laborers more than eight years to construct it. Everything was layered in gold.

According to first Chronicles Solomon used more than 4000 tons of gold in more than 40,000 tons of silver, the price of what used in today's value would be more than $160 trillion.

That is trillion with a T. One scholar said that the amount of gold that Solomon used in the temple was about 4 to 5% of all the gold that had been mined on earth.

Up to that point. As in, of all the gold that we never mind on earth 1/20 of it was in one building and then there were the precious stones, marble and onyx and rubies and emeralds that work were all over the walls and the pillars this thing had some serious bling power you were coming up to Jerusalem. You can see it for a long ways off most awesome thing about this temple, however, was when the glory of God in this thick luminescent cloud descended upon and that's the story you see them bursting separate. It tells us of the cloud was so thick in the glory was so bright that the priest had that had to leave the temple.

Maybe they couldn't stand to be there burst in your seat is when the priest withdrew from the holy place the cloud filled the temple of the Lord and the priest could not perform their service because of the cloud for the glory of the Lord filled his temple. Verse 22. Then Solomon stood before the altar, the Lord in front of the whole assembly of Israel spread out his hands toward heaven.

Many pray many records the prayer for us is a lot of great things we can focus on this prayer. I'm only going to have time to choose just a few of them but go to verse 29 he says may arise. God be open toward this temple night and day. This place of what you said my name shall be there so that you will hear the prayer that your servant prays for this place. Verse 33. When your people Israel have been defeated by an enemy because they they sinned against you in many turned back to you in your praise to your name. Making request to you in this temple, then hear from heaven and forgive the sin of your people. When the heavens are shut up and there is no rain. When famine or plat comes to the land or when an enemy beseeches them in any other cities whatever disaster disease may come when a prayer please made by anyone among your people Israel being away or if they are the afflictions of their own hearts real quick that word afflictions means means there sin simple tendencies on the word he used for no is the Hebrew word… Which is a word that means not just a casual knowledge. It's a word that meant very intimate knowledge is in how a man knew his wife sexual intimacy is the word… Means when you're really intimately familiar with the simple tendencies of your heart. You know, I know you expose her to God and admit your weaknesses and you confess it when I do that and spread out their hands for this temple and God hear from heaven, your dwelling place, forgive an act, verse 41. As for the foreigner didn't belong your people Israel is not a Jew but one who is is from a Gentile nation that you want to write enemy nations when they come from a distant land because of your name they heard about you.

They will hear of your great name in your mighty hand in your outstretched arm to hear about all these answers to prayer that we receive in this temple.

And so there to be moved to come and pray toward this temple. I pray God that you will hear from heaven, your dwelling place, do whatever that foreigner ask of you women still foreigner said so that all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you as to your own people, Israel, and they know that this house that I built there is your name indeed verse 54, when Solomon finished praying, all these prayers and supplications of the Lord. We got out from before the altar of the Lord where he been kneeling with his hand spread out toward heaven. All the people to his back. He stood in eternity.

Bless the whole assembly with a loud voice saying, praise be to the Lord.

Not one word has failed. Of all the good promises that he gave to his servant Moses and then repeated through David and many of the other leaders of looked at through the whole story. Verse 58 may turn our hearts toward him to walk in obedience to him and keep the commands, decrees and laws, and to give your ancestors verse 62 than the king and all Israel with him, offered sacrifices before the Lord.

Solomon offered 22,000 cattle in 120,000 sheep and goats which is 142,000 animals. This prayer of Solomon expresses what the temple was supposed to be temple supposed to be a place of refuge for Israel and a place where the foreigner could come and find salvation. This temple was the height of Israel's glory. It was the purpose God had said that he had chosen them for what he wanted to use them for the earth but up.

Bless you. If you remember the promise given Abraham and also make you a blessing to the nations. This is the blessing. Sadly, Israel did not heed Solomon's final admonition that Solomon himself did not even come stay faithful to the commands. The decrees of the laws of God like he admonishes the people to Solomon had a weakness.

You probably know this if you spend any time in Sunday school at all.

Solomon had a weakness in the weakness of the women.

Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines, which are areas like housewives met here.

We we we we know of him is the wisest man ever to live but that is insane and he liked its exotic women.

It seems because he married all these princesses from around the world so they brought their foreign gods into his house with them and he even begin to build little temples and shrines to their gods so that they would be happy, and eventually he began to worship.

There is God's himself.

This was a harbinger of the entire future of Israel Israel to have a succession of kings after Solomon that on the whole, not only tolerate the worship of these other gods, but to give themselves entirely to them was that the worship of false gods. In those days was not was about a whole lot more than just religion for them. These God's promise survival. These gods they thought were the means to something that they needed false gods in the ancient world called Bales and each one. Each bail was tied to a specific thing that people wanted. For example there was the bail of fertility, or there was the bail of good health. Each career field had its own bail.

That was the bail of rain or the bailable harvest to install the bail of hay nearby Greeks had gods and goddesses for every you got that some of you does not like I like the nearby Greeks had gods and goddesses for every sphere of life that Artemis and or Diana was her nickname. She was a goddess of prosperity or money you have, the goddess Athena, who was a goddess of intelligence and political prowess come to all these gods, all these different spheres that promise something specific in here was the deal when you needed something you could if you were in Israel I could ask God to provide a light. Solomon tells them to do and you can wait on him or you could turn to one of those false gods and a lot of times people got impatient with God.

I did ask God to give him a chance and God didn't do it on their timetable didn't like about he should do it so they lost confidence in God and then there were quite sure that he was gonna take care of them like you promised so they they turned idols got put into it at time of testing. You been one of those and then then end and they turned to one of these idols and zygotic the substitute provider on the look to more than I look to you will sadly that's the course that Israel chosen because of that God eventually sent them into exile and out of the promised land given to them just like he promised that he would. The Assyrians are going to invade the northern 10 tribes of Israel in 722 BC and carry off the northern 10 tribes in the captivity and then another kingdom. The Babylonian kingdom is going to come in 586 BC and they're gonna take captive the final to the southern tribes where Jerusalem was now one of Lee first Kings eight and I will want to go to the book of Ezekiel, because right before the southern to tribes where the temple was right before they were carried off into captivity.

The prophet Ezekiel has this vision of the temple right before it's destroyed and this this vision is, the last thing we see a Solomon's Temple in the Bible. I want you to see how he gives you a picture of it because it's really important for understanding where the whole story is going to go from here. First Kings chapter 10 verse four the glory of the Lord the glory that came in on the cloud and and and and rested there and drove the priest out of it because it was so bright that glory rose above the cherubim and move cherubim of the angels and moved to the threshold of the temple, so it leaves the holy place and goes out to the edge of the temple. The cloud follow the temple the presence of God file filled the temple and the court was full there of the radiance of the glory the Lord but is no longer on the holy place. Verse 18 than the glory of the Lord departed from over the threshold of the temple and stopped above the cherubim while I watch the cherubim. The angel spread their wings and they rose from the ground.

They stopped at the entrance of the East gate of the Lord's house or going out the east gate of the temple and the glory of the Lord was above them in the glory of the Lord went up from within the city keeps moving out toward the east and stops above the mountain.

These two it so you get this image of the glory of God lifting about the holy of holies and traveling out to the outer parts of the temple to the holy of holies was there in the center going out the east gate going up the east gate of Jerusalem been going up the mountain. There, on the eastern side, which is the Mount of olives and then disappearing up into heaven, and that's the last they see it it it departed from Earth.

So, you read that right before this temple was destroyed or you think is that it is not the last chapter has a glory in the presence of God departed forever. Is this really the end is the glory of God gone as he departed from your forever no matter thankfully your Bible demand and Ezekiel. God had determined to bring salvation of the human race.

He made unconditional promises to Abraham and Moses of the David and even Israel's failures are not gonna stop him from keeping that promise. Interestingly, when you go to the life of Jesus the Gospel of Luke tells us that on Jesus's final ride into Jerusalem.

Yet she takes a very interesting route because he is he coming into Jerusalem. It says that he went up and out of olives. He got on a donkey came back down which is sort of interesting if you didn't need to go to the Mount of olives he distorted.

He only went out to come by death because of the Mount of olives comes back down it says that he goes to be east gate of Jerusalem and many goes all the way into the temple where he takes out a weapon. He cleanses it.

Driving out the money changers were buying and selling in the temple, and he says you tear, you know I'm tear this temple down a rebuild it in three days talking about himself. Interestingly, the place of Jesus were drove them out from was the court of the Gentiles in his Jesus is driving out these money changers.

He says 1946.

Is it not written, my house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations and know what Solomon said it was supposed to be.

But you know you turned into a den of thieves. This was supposed to be. He set a place where foreigners from rendered nations found open me this is a court of the Gentiles to come in here and watch you in worship and they were supposed to seek help in God but instead you turn this into a place where you could just make money for yourselves to Jesus without a weapon. He cleansed the temple restoring it to its original purpose, and then he offered himself up as a sacrifice because animal blood could never take away sin and animal blood can never cleanse the heart matter how many animals you use only his blood could do those things. His blood could do what no temple, no matter how beautiful, no matter how much gold how much.

So how many diamonds they did what what what it could never do it could not only cleanse our sins, he could take it away and we change our hearts so that we would love and seek God and not give ourselves to idols and then Jesus turns and he says whosoever will, in other words, foreigners from any nation on earth people at any stage of life with whatever they bring to this temple think on the median break is on the real temple may combine the forgiveness and healing that Solomon promised they can find it in my name, the glory of God. Ezekiel predicted would no longer be found in a beautiful place. The temple, the glory of God. He said to be found in a beautiful person, Jesus, and anyone who comes to him from any nation by faith for forgiveness and healing for their sin will receive at the moment they asked for and those who come to God through his name in prayer. God says out here the things of their asking. So we are supposed to. You see, take all the promises that Solomon gave them about the temple take those applied to ourselves. And when we pray in Jesus name. They pray toward the temple whenever ever they were. They turned toward the temple may pray it foretells what were doing is rose just like they turned her face to the temple and pray we are praying in Jesus name, because all these promises become ours in Jesus because he's the real temple, my Paul says in first Corinthians all the promises of God are yes in Christ Jesus. So everything is in the Old Testament applies to me through Jesus's work towards that look like what does that mean how you apply these promises to you, well give you a handful of things here on this is what it looks like to take the promises and make them your number one God answers prayer God answers prayer, and I know none of the dressing so obvious Sunday school answer you like I came to church to hear that course you can say that you know you some useful answers were the answer is always God. Jesus prayer.

The Bible story the kid in Sunday school that the unsocial teacher says, somewhat, has four paws is gray and a bushy tail you give raises hands like I either sound like a squirrel but I know the answer to be Jesus because were in Sunday school. The I know this is like a Sunday school answer like oh God answers prayer course he does. But here's my question for you, you honestly believe that he does answer prayer. Listen to these promises again. Verse 29 for a first Kings eight my eyes, my years ago we opened this temple by day and night here. Whatever my servants pray whatever they pray when you been defeated by an enemy because you sin against me.

When the heavens are shot up because there's no rain even when it's your fault.

In other words, when famine or plague comes to the land or bladder mildew locus or grasshoppers when an enemy procedures you and any of your cities whatever disaster disease may come when disaster disease is coming to your life into the life you want your kids when any prayer plea is made by anyone among your people Israel were for us in the church when you spread out your hands toward this temple, and pray I will forgive men, I will act home. Just forgive also begin to act on your behalf. Were talking mostly about forgiveness yes is the big thing but he said I'm also going to get that act in your life. Is it not clear from these promises that he actually answers prayer, and is it not clear that our prayer changes situations in the clear from how Jesus repeated many of the same promises in his own in his own words and in the New Testament, Matthew 711. Ask ask you will be given to you seek and you will find knock and it will be open to you. Matthew 2122 and all things that you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.

John 1413, whatever you ask in my name, that will I do so that the father may be glorified in the son Paul Miller who wrote a great book called a praying life that all of Jesus's teaching on prayer can be summarized in one word, ask, ask first John 514. This is the confidence which we have before him that if we ask anything according to his will, anything he hears us know don't we see God's willingness to answer prayer even demonstrated in the life of Jesus himself, the gospel of Matthew records a story of a woman who has this will debacles and issue a blood is a chronic disease she's out of 12 years. She comes up behind Jesus to touch the hem of his garment usually make eye contact with and she just wants to touch the hem of his garment goodbye because she needs him to heal her when Jesus turns around him as all these people are there the crowd. He turns on the says who touched me. He generally doesn't seem to know and his disciples like somebody touch to your corral all the people pressing in on you from every side to get you to sign autographs and somebody touch me, touch me in touch me because I know I felt the power go out for me. I explained that what amazes me about this passage is that Jesus talked about his healing power as if it is if it's a reflex, but he can't control like it's an involuntary passive response that was generated by this woman's faith and it happened before even consciously knew about not tell you. Here's what bothers me is a theologian are we talking about Jesus the son of God who knows the end from the beginning.

This he really mean to imply that sometimes our prayers are, or that she surprised them. Of course he's not trying to say that he did when I was going to happen.

There's too many other places in the Bible says that he does.

The only reason I can come up with that the story is told in this way is because Jesus is wanting to show us that his response to faith is so reliable that it might as well be an involuntary reflex. Again, this is first and foremost like I explained it's about salvation. God forgives and healed immediately. When we reach out and we lay hold of him as our Savior in faith, but it's also about how God continues to act and continue to work in our lives there something we say around here are some at church pastoral team which they were trust exists. God moves faith. In other words, in acts of power from God that is not available until you believe when you believe God begins to work if you don't believe in the power is not gonna be there Peter. Peter walked on the water because he believed and when Peter seems to believe he began to sink.

I understand the Bible teaches that God is not a genie in a bottle, but it also shows us that Peter's faith activated Jesus's power to hold them above the waves and when Peter stopped believing the power disappeared and he sank well. Does that mean it was God's sovereign will for Peter say I don't know. I didn't even Celica intelligent question to me. Maybe, but also know that that that Peter had he continued to believe he would have stayed on top of the wave. Let me let me say this in a deliberately provocative way. It's over.

Speak in the Gospels, Jesus does not respond to prayer that you could almost say that Jesus criticizes people for thinking that their prayers are going to make God do something Matthew 67 pieces you think you be her because you're much speaking you think, as you pray all the time that God can suddenly you he got his like your words and easily get inundated like okay what he response to in the New Testament is not words and prayer. What he response of his faith when somebody beliefs and they express that in prayer.

Then he acts how many times do we pray to God much speaking but we do it without faith to one of things I begun the practice of in my prayer time is saying to God after. I pray pray also that and I'll say God I trust you with this reason, I do that because I often find myself telling God about my problems without faith it is going to move. I get out for my prayers worried about them as I was when I got down on my knees see. I know that when I place my trust in him. If you hear what I mean by this. He has to move is not on manipulating image that he promised he will never abandon or let down those lean on him in faith but that of course it made it easier to do things exactly like I think they should be done just that. I know he's moving with goodness and grace as I continue to believe promises that he is trust exists for rear. Today's message is a part of her teaching, the cover to cover over the Bible helping all of Scripture is really the story of Jesus to go along with this series we have a new resource simply called the books of the Bible cards. This set of cards will help you as you read to make connections with the context of the original audience. Each card, one for each of the 66 books includes details about the book when the book was written by him and to him.

Three teachers gleaned from the where the book points to Jesus and the reflection questions to help you apply to ask for the books of the Bible cards when you give today, 866-34-TRUTH 552 20 or you can get and request the cards online.com wave you have it checked out for Katie's newest to do that can't be anything after getting handed answers to questions from listeners like about my genie here.com or through your favorite Molly that if it's inviting you to join us next week when Pastor Katie continues today's message will see you Monday right here on my genie program by Jamie Greer ministry