The Glory of the Temple | A Sermon on 1 Kings 6

Introduction
Last week, we learned about the Tabernacle—the place the ancient Hebrews worshiped God.  Since the Hebrew slaves who left Egypt lived in tents as they wandered through the wilderness, God chose to live in a tent too.  He Instructed the Israelites to build the Tabernacle Tent.  The Israelites worshipped God in the Tabernacle for 480 years.

However, after the Israelites established their kingdom in Israel and were all living in homes, God instructed King Solomon to build a house of worship, the Temple, in Jerusalem.  Today, I hope to express to you the glory of Solomon’s Temple, not to exalt the Temple, but to show how the glory of the Temple exalts the glory and holiness of God.  I want us to remember that the God we worship is the same holy and glorious God.  And I want us to reflect on how we honor God in our own worship space here at Pleasant Grove.

Have you ever had construction work done in your home or where you work?  A few years ago, we had a waterline break in our kitchen while we were out of town for Thanksgiving weekend.  We returned to a home in need of serious repair.  Our homeowner's insurance covered most of the cost.  However, it took several months to renovate all the damage.  In the meantime, our normally quite home was inundated with the sounds of dehumidifiers, hammers, drills, and all kinds of construction.  It was a very noisy affair.

You might imagine the construction of God’s Temple in Jerusalem was a noisy affair too.  But the Israelites revered God so much they even took care to build His Temple in a holy manner.  1 Kings 6:7 says, “The stones used in the construction of the Temple were finished at the quarry, so there was no sound of hammer, ax, or any other iron tool at the building site.”  This gives us a sense of how sacred the ancient Israelites treated the building of God’s Temple.

The Temple
Based on 1 Kings 6:1-10. it took 7 years for Solomon to build the Temple for the Lord.  The inner proportions were 90 feet long, 30 feet wide, and 45 feet high—about the size of a modern basketball court and as tall as a 9 story building.  It featured an entry room across the front, narrow recessed windows, and a three-story complex of rooms along the sides and rear.  The structure was built with finished stones and cedar beams and planks were used for the ceiling.

1 Kings 6:11-13
¹¹ Then the Lord gave this message to Solomon: ¹² “Concerning this Temple you are building, if you keep all my decrees and regulations and obey all my commands, I will fulfill through you the promise I made to your father, David.  ¹³ I will live among the Israelites and will never abandon my people Israel.”

The Interior
Based on 1 Kings 6:14-38, the interior of Solomon's Temple was a magnificent testament to divine glory and unparalleled expense, akin to a multi-billion-dollar construction today.  23 tons of gold were used in the Temple, (a cube of solid gold 4.5’x4.5’x4.5’), worth about $63 million.  The Temple was entirely paneled with the finest cedar wood, symbolizing life and vitality, while the floors were made of high-quality cypress, equivalent to using premium hardwood flooring throughout.  The Most Holy Place, a perfect cube 30 feet in each dimension, was overlaid with solid gold—comparable to millions of dollars in gold leaf—emphasizing the pure holiness of God’s presence.  The walls were adorned with intricate carvings of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers, all gilded with gold, evoking the lush imagery of the Garden of Eden, where God’s presence first dwelled in harmony with creation.  Inside the sanctuary, massive cherubim, each 15 feet tall with wings spanning 15 feet across, were covered in gold, reminiscent of the cherubim guarding Eden.  The lavish use of gold and symbols from the Garden of Eden underscored not only the Temple’s sacredness but also its role as a new Eden, a place where heaven and earth converged in divine splendor.  And of course, the Ark of the Covenant, gilded in gold and symbolizing the throne of God on earth, now resided in the Holy of Holies in the inner Temple.

The Holiness of God
The extravagance and detailed craftsmanship of the Temple furnishings reflect the holiness and majesty of God, who is worthy of the highest honor and reverence.  This is beautifully echoed in 1 Chronicles 29:11, where King David declares, "Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours."  The gold, precious stones, and intricate designs of the Temple were not merely for show; they were physical expressions of worship, meant to honor a God who is infinitely glorious.  Just as the Temple was adorned with the finest materials, so too are we called to offer our best—whether in our actions, our worship, or our devotion—recognizing that God is deserving of all we can give and more.  Is the way you worship God really your best? 

Dedication and Worship
The effort and resources dedicated to building and adorning the Temple demonstrate the importance of worshiping God with our best, symbolizing our deep respect and adoration for Him.  This principle is reflected in Malachi 1:8, where God reproves the Israelites for offering blemished sacrifices, asking, "When you offer blind animals for sacrifice, is that not wrong?  When you sacrifice lame or diseased animals, is that not wrong?  Try offering them to your governor!  Would he be pleased with you?  Would he accept you?"  Just as the Israelites were called to offer their best to God in their sacrifices, the lavish care and resources poured into the Temple’s construction highlight that worship should be marked by excellence and reverence.  Our offerings to God—whether in time, resources, or devotion—should reflect the highest honor, as they symbolize our profound respect and love for Him.  Are you really giving God your best?

Christian Believers Are Now God's Temple
Transitioning to the New Testament, passages like 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 and 1 Peter 2:4-5 emphasize that believers are now the temple of God, housing His Spirit and called to live holy lives.  In 1 Corinthians 3:16-17, Paul writes, "Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in your midst?  If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy that person; for God's temple is sacred, and you together are that temple."  Similarly, 1 Peter 2:4-5 calls believers "living stones" being built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.  These passages reveal the profound truth that, as the New Testament Temple, our lives must reflect the holiness and purity worthy of God's indwelling presence, with our actions and character being offerings of worship to Him.  Is the way you live for God really your best?

Worshipping God with a Shoestring Budget
The extravagant way the ancient Israelites built their Temple and then worshipped God convicts me, because I don’t feel like we honor God that way today.  We don’t really give God our best.
This is something that’s really convicted me lately. 
Today, we worship God on shoestring budget.

Let me tell you something about the way I grew up and how it molded my personality.  I grew up poor.  We didn’t have much and had to make do with what we had.  After my father left my mom alone to raise 4 kids on her own, things got even tighter.  There was a time my mom sent me into our backyard with an ax to chop up old furniture to use for firewood to heat our home, because that’s all the heat we had that winter.  And if something broke—like my bicycle—I would scrabble together parts from other old bikes that were laying around just to fix mine.  I knew my mom couldn’t but me a new bike or even buy parts to fix my broken bike.  So, all my upbringing, I learned to make do with what I had.  I learned to do things as cheap as possible and operate on a shoestring budget and to do all the work myself.

And that has served me well as a pastor in our world, because churches in our modern world always struggle to be fully and properly funded.  Churches don’t have what they really need.  So, for example, when the TV display unit hanging high up on our sanctuary wall stopped working back in 2017, we didn’t pay someone to come install a new one.  No, instead, I rented a scissor lift, and I borrowed a trailer from Tom Sosebee to go pick it up.  Then I enlisted my 18-year-old son, Gavin, to help me install a new TV.  By doing it all ourselves, we probably saved a few hundred bucks.  But I’ll be honest, it scared the crap out of me.  After finishing the job, TW said, “Chris, why didn’t you just pay someone to do it?”  To be honest, the thought never even crossed my mind.  This is the church.  We don’t have money to just “pay someone” to do stuff.  We always have to figure out what’s the absolute cheapest way we can do something.  At least that’s the way I’ve always thought about it.  And I suspect that’s the way most people in the church think about it.  And it effects everything about the way we do ministry.

When it comes to the staff of our church, we always say, “We can’t pay our staff what they’re worth, only what we can afford.”  That's just the reality of our situation with the budget we have.  And so we ask our staff to work for less than what they deserve to be paid.  And I’ve come to believe it’s a sin what we are doing.  Because it’s a lie.  We can afford to pay our staff a proper wage, but it would require everyone in our church to change and be fully committed to worship God with our very best, give God our very best, and live for God with our very best.

A Call to Honor God with Our Very Best
Brothers and sisters, we've walked through the history of the Temple, understanding the immense effort, resources, and reverence that went into its construction.  The ancient Israelites spared no expense, offering their very best to God because they understood that God is worthy of nothing less.  The Temple wasn't just a building; it was a symbol of their deep devotion, a reflection of their understanding that worshiping God required the utmost excellence and reverence.

But here’s the question we need to ask ourselves: Are we offering our very best to God today?

It’s easy to fall into the mindset that we must operate on a shoestring budget, that we must scrimp and save and do things as cheaply as possible.  But when we do that, we risk losing sight of something crucial: that our God is not a God of the leftovers.  He is a God of glory, majesty, and holiness, deserving of the highest honor.

In Malachi 1:8, God challenges the Israelites, saying, "When you offer blind animals for sacrifice, is that not wrong?  When you sacrifice lame or diseased animals, is that not wrong?”  This scripture hits home for us today.  Are we giving God the blind and the lame of our resources, our time, and our talents, or are we giving Him our very best?

Our church, this house of worship, is not just a building.  It’s the place where we come together as a community to honor God, to worship Him, to be in His presence.  It’s a reflection of our devotion, our love, and our respect for Him.  And if we truly believe that God is as holy and glorious as we say He is, then our actions, our service, and our giving should reflect that belief.

So, I challenge you to change today:  Let’s change our attitude about how we support the work of the church.  Let’s stop thinking of it in terms of what we can afford or what’s the cheapest way to get by.  Instead, let’s start thinking about what honors God the most.  Let’s commit to offering our very best in every aspect of our lives—our time, our talents, our resources.

Imagine what could happen if each of us gave God our best.  Imagine how our church could thrive, how our ministry could expand, how we could reach more people for Christ if we all committed to worshiping God with excellence.  It’s not just about money; it’s about the attitude of our hearts.  It’s about recognizing that everything we have comes from God and that He is worthy of our best.  Let’s honor God the way the ancient Israelites did—with reverence, with excellence, and with our very best.

Invitation
As we move toward rededicating our church as Holy Ground on August 25th, let this be a time of personal rededication as well.  Reflect on how you can give God your best—whether it's through your service, your giving, or your devotion.  If you’ve been holding back, now is the time to fully commit.  If you’ve been giving out of convenience rather than sacrifice, now is the time to change that.  Let’s pray together, asking God to help us honor Him with all that we are and all that we have.  And if you feel led to take a step of faith—whether it’s committing your life to Christ, dedicating your talents to His service, or simply choosing to live more fully for Him, I invite you to pray to God about it today and then talk to someone:  a pastor, a spiritual advisor, or a trust Christian friend.

The Tabernacle | A Sermon on Hebrews 9:1-14

Introduction
The blog is the second in a series about Holy Ground, to better appreciate dwelling in the holy presence of God leading up to a rededicate our church as Holy Ground on August 25^th.  Today, one word is the focus of everything we will talk about:  Tabernacle.  

In Exodus, God told Moses to go to Pharoah and tell him to let God's people go.  The Israelites were slaves in Egypt.  However, God delivered them through a series of ten plagues that brought Pharaoh to his knees.  So God led the Israelites out of Egypt and through the wilderness toward the Promised Land.  God appeared as a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.  And God instructed Moses to build a Tabernacle--a big tent complex, worship center--to serve as God's dwelling on earth.  Whenever the pillar of smoke/fire moved, the Israelites moved.  Whenever the pillar stopped, the Israelites erected the Tabernacle and God's presence would enter and rest inside it.

A passage from the New Testament describes the ancient Tabernacle, connects it to Christ, and explains it's significance for us today.

Hebrews 9:1-14
¹ That first covenant between God and Israel had regulations for worship and a place of worship here on earth. ² There were two rooms in that Tabernacle. In the first room were a lampstand, a table, and sacred loaves of bread on the table. This room was called the Holy Place. ³ Then there was a curtain, and behind the curtain was the second room called the Most Holy Place. ⁴ In that room were a gold incense altar and a wooden chest called the Ark of the Covenant, which was covered with gold on all sides. Inside the Ark were a gold jar containing manna, Aaron’s staff that sprouted leaves, and the stone tablets of the covenant. ⁵ Above the Ark were the cherubim of divine glory, whose wings stretched out over the Ark’s cover, the place of atonement. But we cannot explain these things in detail now.

⁶ When these things were all in place, the priests regularly entered the first room as they performed their religious duties. ⁷ But only the high priest ever entered the Most Holy Place, and only once a year. And he always offered blood for his own sins and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance. ⁸ By these regulations the Holy Spirit revealed that the entrance to the Most Holy Place was not freely open as long as the Tabernacle and the system it represented were still in use.

⁹ This is an illustration pointing to the present time. For the gifts and sacrifices that the priests offer are not able to cleanse the consciences of the people who bring them. ¹⁰ For that old system deals only with food and drink and various cleansing ceremonies—physical regulations that were in effect only until a better system could be established.

¹¹ So Christ has now become the High Priest over all the good things that have come. He has entered that greater, more perfect Tabernacle in heaven, which was not made by human hands and is not part of this created world. ¹² With his own blood—not the blood of goats and calves—he entered the Most Holy Place once for all time and secured our redemption forever.

¹³ Under the old system, the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer could cleanse people’s bodies from ceremonial impurity. ¹⁴ Just think how much more the blood of Christ will purify our consciences from sinful deeds so that we can worship the living God. For by the power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins.

Symbols of the Tabernacle
Hebrews describes how the Tabernacle looked (see also the image to the left).  It was a tent designed to be put up, used, taken back down, and moved to a new locations where God led the Israelites.  Whenever the pillar of smoke/fire representing the presence of God stopped, the Israelites stopped.  They erected the Tabernacle and God's glory enter it and made it Holy Ground.  The tent was just physical material, however beautiful and elaborate.  It was God's presence that made it holy.

The Tabernacle had an outer courtyard where priests and Levites would receive ritually pure worshippers who were making a sacrifice.  No one else could enter.  Sacrifices were placed on the Brazen Altar in the courtyard.  There was also a laver for washing.  (With all the sloughtered sacrifices, they certainly needed a large pool for washing.)  Inside the tabernacle were two room--the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place--where only priests could enter.  

The Holy Place was where the priests would perform the daily rituals of lighting the Golden Lampstand, which represented the Tree of Life from the Garden of Eden.  They would also make a daily bread offering on the Table of Showbread.  

The second room, the Most Holy Place, was off limits to everyone.  It house the Ark of the Covenant.  The only person who could enter the ost Holy Place (also called the Holy of Holies), was the High Priest.  And he could only enter once a year on the Day of Atonement.  On that day, the High Priest would enter to sprinkle blood on the Ark, first to atone for his own sins, the again to atone for the community's sins.  

The High Priest enter the Most Holy Place with fear and trembling.  It was highly dangerous to be in the holy presence of God.  He wore a robe with bells on the fringe and a rope tied around his ankle.  As long as the other priests could hear the bells jingling while he was in the Most Holy Place, they knew he was still alive and moving.  But if the bells stopped, they could pull the priest out by the rope tied around his ankle.  Now how would you feel going into such a dangerous situation?

The Ark of the Covenant was thought to be God's Throne (or footstool) on earth.  It was where the presence of God rested when the pillar of smoke/fire came entered the Tabernacle.  Two golden cherubim--spiritual beings (like angels)-- sat atop the Ark, symbolically guarding God’s throne.  The first time we see cherubim in the Bible is when God stationed two cherubim at the gate of the Garden of Eden after God exiled Adam and Eve for their sin.  Again, we see the echo's of the Garden of Eden story.

A curtain (or veil) separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place.  It was a barrier to keep people from stumbling into God’s presence. Why? It's not to protect God and it's not because God is angry and wants to hurt people.  It's because sinful people cannot survive the holy presence of a perfect God.  Our God is an all consuming fire; His glory would consume our sin and us with it.

“Why Does This Matter?”
Hebrews 9:9 tells us what all this has to do with Christians today.  It says, “This is an illustration pointing to the present time…”  The Old Testament system illustrates how God ultimately saves us through Jesus Christ.

In fact, we see the word ""Tabernacle" in a very familiar verse we often read at Christmastime.  John 1:14 - "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth."  The word translated as Dwelling is the Greek word Skenoo, which means to Tabernacle.  Jesus, the Son of God, "tabernacled" among us.  Just as God’s glory dwelled in the Tabernacle in the OT, God’s glory dwelled in Jesus among us on Earth—God in the flesh.  But there’s more.

A Perfect Tabernacle in Heaven
Hebrews 9:11 – “So Christ has now become the High Priest over all the good things that have come. He has entered that greater, more perfect Tabernacle in heaven, which was not made by human hands and is not part of this created world.”

This  description of the Old Testament Tabernacle is a picture of a glorious, heavenly dwelling of God.  And Jesus entered that Tabernacle as our High Priest and offered His own life to atone for us.  Hebrews 9:12, “With his own blood—not the blood of goats and calves—he entered the Most Holy Place once for all time and secured our redemption forever.”

How did Jesus do this?  Jesus died on the cross for our sins.  He shed His blood for us.  The physical things we see on earth are a reflection of the spiritual things happening in the Heavenly realm.  Always remember, we only see things from a earthly perspective.  But, what we see is quite often an echo of the spiritual work of God in the spiritual realm.

Your Sin & God’s Forgiveness
Your sin – your mistakes and your disobedience – separates you from God.  It corrupts your life, messes everything up, and even distorts the world around us.  It is why world is out of whack.  It is why there is disease, disorder, hate, suffering, and death.  Not just your sin, but the sin of the whole world.  But your sin is a big part of the problem.
The world we live in is broke.  We are broke.  I’m broke.  Your broke.  But Jesus came to fix it.  

The Old Testament Tabernacle illustrates how Jesus fixies it all.  He serves as our High Priest to intercede for us to God.  Jesus lays down His own life as the sacrifice for our sins.  He is the Lamb of God.  His blood washes away our sins forever.  When we decide to turn away from our sin, we accept the free gift of God’s grace through Jesus Christ.  God saves us! 

What Happens When God Saves Us?
When God saves us, first of all, our sins are completely washed away. We become holy as God is holy.

Second, there is no longer anything to separate us from God.  We don't have to be like the High Priest in the Old Testament who feared they would dies in God's presence.  No, Hebrews 4:16 says we can "boldly to the throne of grace" because there is no longer any in us.  Christ already atoned for it.

Third, God sends His Holy Spirit to “Tabernacle” inside us.  Just as God's Holy Spirit enterend the Old Testament Tabernacle, and just as God' Holy Spirit descended on Jesus when He was baptized in the Jordan River, God's Holy Spirit comes to reside inside us as His New Testament Tabernacle.  Do you remember the story of Pentecost from Acts chapter 2?  Jesus told His followers to wait in Jerusalem until He sent the Holy Spirit.  So they were all meeting in the Upper Room when the Holy Spirit came during the Feast of Pentecost.  There was the sound of a mighty rushing wind.  And then what appeared as tongues (or pillars) of fire rested atop each believers head!  Do you see the Old Testament image of the Tabernacle being fulfilled?  We are the New Tabernacle!

Fourth, God sees Jesus in us.  We don't have to be afraid.  God no longer sees our sins and mistakes.  He see Jesus in us.  And God says to us what He said to His son at Jesus' baptism:  "Behold, this is my beloved Son!"  If you repent of your sin and follow Jesus as your Savior and Lord, God sees Jesus in you.  That is why when Jesus was crucified, it specifically says the curtain in the Temple was torn from top to bottom (Matthew 27:51)--from the top, meaning it was torn by God and not by human hands.

Fifth, God sends us on a mission.  Tabernacles are meant to be on the move!  They were portable houses of God.  We too are meant to be active and mobile.  Jesus said, "Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and teach them to obey all my commands."  (See Mathew 28:19-20)

Finally, God begins to actually heal us.  It's not just a visual trick that God sees no sin in us.  When His Holy Spirit comes to live in you, the Spirit gets to work cleaning you up from the inside out.  God's holiness starts to take over your life.  His glory starts to shine forth in you.  How glorius!

Invitation
I want to invite you to respond to what God has said to you in this message today.  If you've never done so, why don't you choose to follow Jesus today.  He will save you.  He will liberate you from sin and death and grant you eternal life.  Humble yourself and come to Him today through Jesus Christ.  Pray and ask God to forgive your sins.  Commit to follow Jesus as Lord.  Then you will receive the Holy Spirit and start to serve as God's Tabernacle on earth.

Have you been baptized?  Perhaps God is calling you to be baptized.  Talk to me or to your pastor, and we can perform this powerful and important sacrament for you to be baptized, in obedience to Jesus command and as a way to receive the grace of God in your life.

There may be some reading this who feel God is calling you to ministry.  Right now, the harvest is plentiful.  There are many churches who need pastors, children's ministers, music leaders, youth leaders, volunteers of all sorts.  God is calling many to serve, but they are afraid.  Is God calling you?  Why don't you answer?  Answer the call today.  Talk to your pastor about it; or talk to me.

Perhaps there are some among you who need to join a church.  Christians need to be part of a faith community.  If you are not already a member of a church, find one to join today.  If you are in my area and looking, I invite you to join my church.  You will be loved and you will find a place to serve.  Talk to me.