Grace Series

INTRODUCTION

• In our series we are in some ways back to where we started in week one, but we are twenty-four years later. (Solomon begin to build the temple in the fourth year of his reign. 2 Chronicles 3:2.

• I always found it interesting that Solomon took 7 years to build God’s Temple (1 Kings 6:38) and he took 13 years to build HIS house and complex (1 Kings 7:1).

• Makes you wonder! :)

• Solomon has been on the throne for twenty-four years at this point.

• Once Solomon took power, the nation enjoyed what many considered the golden era of the nation of Israel during Solomon’s forty-year reign!

• As we begin our third message in this series, I have entitled this message GRACE.

• As the message unfolds, I hope that you will see why we are down this path.

• I believe there is a huge misconception when it comes to God with non-Christians, and some Christians.

• We tend to think to God is out to kill our fun, or to limit what we can do because we think that what we want to do is fun.

• People who do not know Jesus may not want to hear about Jesus because they are fearful that they will need to change their life.

• I can respect that thought more than I can respect a Christian who does not think they need to change anything and still be a “follower” of Jesus.

• People get hostile and offended by the thought that there is someone out there who would dare tell them how to live and that there is right and wrong.

• Christians do not spend time in the Word because we do not “time” to do so. Or is there a deeper reason? Maybe we do not WANT to know what God has to say to us?

• Here is something to think about.

• Remember when you were a child, or a teen and your parents told you that you could not do something?

• How did you react? Were you glad that they told you no? PROBABLY NOT!

• We treat God the same way.

• God has given us His Word, and we do not want to spend time in it because we do not want to be told no about something.

• Back to your parents for a minute.

• IF your parents were normal, loving parents, they would do what they did to you because they were trying to protect you or teach you something, not because they were looking to kill your fun.

• How does this fit in with our text today?

› Big Idea of the Message: The Lord is gracious to help us stay on track in our spiritual journey to holiness.

• In other words, God giving us His Word, as well as His guidance, are signs of His grace toward us.

• God wants us to succeed in life!

• Let’s turn to 1 Kings 9:1-5 to begin today.

1 Kings 9:1–5 CSB

1 When Solomon finished building the temple of the LORD, the royal palace, and all that Solomon desired to do, 2 the LORD appeared to Solomon a second time just as he had appeared to him at Gibeon. 3 The LORD said to him:

I have heard your prayer and petition you have made before me. I have consecrated this temple you have built, to put my name there forever; my eyes and my heart will be there at all times.

4 As for you, if you walk before me as your father David walked, with a heart of integrity and in what is right, doing everything I have commanded you, and if you keep my statutes and ordinances, 5 I will establish your royal throne over Israel forever, as I promised your father David: You will never fail to have a man on the throne of Israel.

SERMON

I. A joyful promise.

• The first nine verses are an expansion of 1 Kings 4:13-14.

• In verse three, God refers to answering Solomon’s prayer in chapter 8, which was made after the Temple was built.

• God’s response here comes after Solomon had also completed building his palace, which means that at least thirteen years (1 Kgs 7:1) have passed since Solomon’s prayer!

• I find it encouraging that God remembers our prayers that may have long faded from our own memories.

• God was telling Solomon that He approved of the Temple that he built for God.

• The word Consecrated translates a Hebrew verb meaning “to make holy” or “to put into a state of holiness.”

• It may also be translated “to make acceptable for worship.”

• Unlike the verb rendered “dedicated” in the previous verse, this verb probably implies that some sacred ritual was performed before the sacrifices were made in front of the Temple. (UBSH 1Kings, 2 Kings).