OPEN: According to a story in R.Digest from several years ago, a great emperor named Shah Jahan once built an absolutely beautiful structure in memory of his wife of 19 years who died while bearing their 14th child.
When she died, Shah Jahan left his wife’s deathbed and went straight to his quarters, locking the doors behind him. For 3 days he remained within, taking no food or drink. When he reappeared 9 days later, his raven black hair had turned completely white.
Returning to his palace, the emperor began the construction of his wife’s tomb on the Jumna river within easy view of his windows.
To build it, 22,000 men and women labored 24 hours a day for 22 years. It was a white marble tomb decorated with 28 different types of gems. A sheet of pearls was spread over the coffin, doors of solid silver opened onto the tomb and a solid gold railing surrounded the monument.
Does anybody know what the name is - of this building in India? (The Taj Mahal)
Shah Jahan planned a mirror image of the Taj - in black marble - as his own tomb. But that never happened. He was taken prisoner by his son, who usurped the throne in 1658, and was confined in his own palace and lived until his death. And so it was that when his guards found Shah Jahan dead at the age of 74, his eyes were still open, fixed upon the shimmering jewel of the Taj Mahal.
APPLY: It is NOT uncommon for someone to create or build something beautiful for the one they love. That’s what David (a man after God’s own heart) wanted to do. He wanted to build something beautiful for his God.
As I read the text for this morning’s sermon a couple of things really stuck out to me.
I. A man/ woman after God’s own heart wants to build a house worthy of their God.
David wanted to build a Temple for His God. For several hundred years, the Ark of God had been housed in a Tent like structure called the Tabernacle. All the sacrifices offered up to God had been done - for generations in the courtyard of this temporary structure.
But NOW, David wants to change all that. HIS GOD deserves better than a simple tent. And he’s basically asked God’s permission to build a permanent house of worship in Jerusalem. In fact, David was so committed to this project that he accumulated many of building materials and stored them away during his reign.
Now, we love God too, and we’ve been talking for a few years now about building a worship center worthy of the God we serve. We want to build a beautiful structure in which we can sing, and pray and take communion together. We want this building not only to be functional… but also worthy of the God we love.
(DATA ON BUILDING FUND FINANCES)
Now, we’re going to get that structure built in good time… in God’s time.
And I’ve talked with various people who’ve decided to give God extra money (above/beyond tithe) for this building. I didn’t solicit their comments, they simply told me about their decisions as we talked about different matters.
One person has decided to give their tithe… and then to give a 1/10 more for the bldg. Fund.
One woman has committed herself to give to fund as much as she spends on food at restaurants throughout the week… and she told me she had accumulated $84 this past month.
The SonShine Boys (our Gospel Quartet) are putting on their concert tonight and will have an offering taken up for the building fund.
And I’m sure some people have decided to put the church building fund in their wills
I’m not worried. In God’s time, we’ll build a beautiful worship center built right over there (pointing to the area where it will be built).
II. But we need to realize that it’s possible to build a building God doesn’t want
David asked for permission to build a temple for God, and what did God say? (NO)
God told David – I don’t need a fancy building.
In Isaiah 66:1 we’re told “This is what the LORD says: ‘Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. Where is the house you will build for me? Where will my resting place be?’”
God doesn’t NEED a building. And he tells David - you’re not going to build me one.
(pause…) But, now wait a minute – if God didn’t need a Temple, how come the Lord told David that his son (Solomon) would build a Temple for Him? In 2 Samuel 7:12-13 God tells David “When your days are over and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom. HE IS THE ONE WHO WILL BUILD A HOUSE for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.”
So… God’s not AGAINST having a Temple built it’s just that David’s not going to get to build it. How come?
Well, 1 Chronicles 22:7-8 tells us that David said to Solomon: “My son, I had it in my heart to build a house for the Name of the LORD my God. But this word of the LORD came to me: ‘You have shed much blood and have fought many wars. You are not to build a house for my Name, because you have shed much blood on the earth in my sight.’”
Now David wasn’t really at fault in this. The wars he fought and the conflicts he engaged in – he did it all for God. (pause…) So why wouldn’t God let David build the Temple?
Well… because God wanted His Temple to be identified with peace not war
ILLUS: A commentator named John Gill noted that the reason God didn’t want the Temple built by a man known as warrior, was that “the church of God, of which this house was a type, was to be built by Christ, the Prince of peace, and to be supported and maintained not by force of arms… but by the preaching of the Gospel of peace.”
David – a man after God’s own heart. A man who went to war on God’s behalf… but he was NOT allowed to build the Temple. That doesn’t seem to make sense… until you realize… As far as God’s concerned - HOW we build something is more important than WHAT we build. (repeat that last phrase.
WHY?
Because it’s possible to build a building that’s as full of dead bones as the Taj Mahal.
ILLUS: One Sunday morning an old cowboy entered a church just before services were to begin. Although the old man and his clothes were spotlessly clean, he wore jeans, a denim shirt and boots that were very worn and ragged. In his hand he carried a worn out old hat and an equally worn out Bible.
The church he entered was in a very upscale and exclusive part of the city. It was the largest and most beautiful church the old cowboy had ever seen. The people of the congregation were all dressed with expensive clothes and accessories. As the cowboy took a seat, the others moved away from him. No one greeted, spoke to, or welcomed him.
They were all appalled at his appearance and did not attempt to hide it. The preacher gave a long sermon about Hellfire and brimstone and a stern lecture on how much money the church needed to do God’s work.
As the old cowboy was leaving the church, the preacher approached him and asked the cowboy to do him a favor. “Before you come back in here again, have a talk with God and ask him what He thinks would be appropriate attire for worship.”
The old cowboy assured the preacher he would.
The next Sunday, he showed back up for the services wearing the same ragged jeans, shirt, boots, and hat. Once again he was completely shunned and ignored.
The preacher approached the man and said, “I thought I asked you to speak to God about what you should wear before you came back to our church.”
“I did,” replied the old cowboy.
“If you spoke to God, what did he tell you the proper attire should be for worshiping in here?” asked the preacher.
“Well, sir, God told me that He didn’t have a clue what I should wear. He said He’d never been here before.”
Let me let you in on a secret…
III. You’ll never build a building of brick and mortar that is worthy of your God
You can build the most beautiful structure in Logansport…
No… you can build the most imposing building in the state of Indiana
No… you can build the most impressive church bldg. in the USA
No… you can build the most fabulous house of God in the WORLD
…and STILL NOT have built a CHURCH worthy of your God.
Why?
Because God’s not looking for brick and mortar. God’s not looking for impressive church structures. God doesn’t build HIS church with lumber and stone.
Really? Then what does He build it with?
1 Corinthians 3:16 declares: Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you?
Peter tells us that “you (and I)…, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 2:5
YOU AND I are the stones with which God builds His Temple with. And we are built upon the foundation of Jesus Christ. That’s the ONLY building God really cares about.
Paul writes in I Corinthians that…
Some people “…build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones…
(Brad put these up separately)…others build with wood, hay, stubble”1 Corinthians 3:12
My point is… we don’t want to get sidetracked by our desire to have a physical building. As nice as a new worship center will be, and as much use as we’ll be able to make of that new building it’ll be made of perishable materials.
ILLUS: We had a man visit here several months ago. He loved the atmosphere. He liked the people. He liked the preaching. But he went and worshipped somewhere else. Do you know why? Because we didn’t have the elegant worship center he was seeking. You know what he was looking for? He was looking for a church built with perishable materials.
But, on the day of judgment, God’s not going to ask us how nice our church bldg was. He’s not going to ask to see the blueprints for the worship center. Or ask us to give Him the grand tour of that – or any other – bldg we build.
He’s going to ask
· how much you prayed for your brothers and sisters in Christ
· how hard you tried to promote peace and love and joy in Church
· how kind you were to others in church who might not be easy to love
o how did you speak of them when they weren’t around
o and did you take opportunities to build them up and help them out
One of the things that has made me so proud of this Congregation is that you folks always try so hard to build a church that pleases God. This is a loving congregation and a safe place to worship. I’m confident that if Jesus came today most of you wouldn’t have to be ashamed of what you’ve built.
And many of you build God’s church in another significant way
· Last Wednesday, Summer (a young lady) was baptized. Why was she baptized? Because her boyfriend Larry loved Jesus and he introduced her to Him.
· Earlier this month Richard was baptized into Christ. Why was he baptized? Because his cousin-in-law Kathryn loved Jesus and she spoke with him about his need for a savior.
AND THAT’S JUST BEEN THIS MONTH
This type of witnessing has happened again and again over the past 9 years I’ve been here. People have come to Christ most often because you have loved Jesus and you have introduced them to Him. Over the past 9 years, I’ve watched people come to Christ because they sense how much you love Jesus and how much you love this church.
And when people come to worship here, they don’t come because of the stain glass windows and the padded pews. They don’t come because of the impressive pulpit and dazzling decorations.
(pause…) Which is just as well since we don’t have those things. They come and they worship and they return again because you are a people committed to building a church that will honor your God.
CLOSE:
God’s building a church, it’s gonna march like a mighty army now
God’s building a church it’s like water to a dry and barren land.
God’s building a church – it’s gonna rise from a valley of dead dry bones
Sanctified, glorified, filled with the Holy Ghost’s power and might
Purified with fire divine,
God’s building a church.
SERMONS IN THIS SERIES (A Man After God’s Own Heart)
Measuring Up - 1 Samuel 16:1-16:13
Be Prepared/ Scout Sunday - 1 Samuel 17:1-17:53
A Friend After Your Own Heart - 1 Samuel 18:1-18:5
A Heart To Honor Authority - 1 Samuel 24:1-24:22
An Obedient Heart - 2 Samuel 6:1-6:15
A Heart To Worship - 2 Samuel 6:12-6:23
The Heart Of A Shepherd - Psalms 23:1-23:6
The Over-exposed Heart - 2 Samuel 11:1-11:5
The Undeserving Heart - Psalms 51:1-51:1
The Weakened Heart - 2 Samuel 3:17-3:39
The Heart Of A Father - 2 Samuel 13:1-13:39
A Heart to Build - 2 Samuel 7:1-7:17
The Dead Dog Syndrome - 2 Samuel 16:5-16:14
