The Power Of His Presence

THE POWER OF HIS PRESENCE

1 KINGS 8

Introduction

The world's most expensive building is the Abraj Al Bait, located in Mecca, Saudi Arabia - government owned complex of seven skyscraper motels designed to cater to the Muslim pilgrims traveling to Mecca. The royal clock tower has world's largest clock tower. It cost $15bn to construct. 

The second most expensive building is the Marina Bay Sands Skypark in Singapore. At a construction cost of US$5.50bn, Marina Bay Sans is the most expensive resort ever built. The construction consists of three connected 55 story towers and is situated in an area of 38 acres ...  the world’s most expensive standalone casino.

The most expensive building in the US is the Apple Park campus, Cupertino, CA. Cost 5 bn dollars to complete.

If the Great Pyramid were to be built today, it is estimated that it would cost about 1.3 billion US dollars. 

King Solomon’s Temple didn't measure up to these architectural wonders in many ways, but it was supreme over them in the most important way. King Solomon had one thing he sought to emphasize in the building of the temple: the presence of God. 

1 Kings 8:1-13 Then King Solomon summoned into his presence at Jerusalem the elders of Israel, all the heads of the tribes and the chiefs of the Israelite families, to bring up the ark of the Lord’s covenant from Zion, the City of David.  ... When all the elders of Israel had arrived, the priests took up the ark, and they brought up the ark of the Lord and the tent of meeting and all the sacred furnishings in it. The priests and Levites carried them up, and King Solomon and the entire assembly of Israel that had gathered about him were before the ark, sacrificing so many sheep and cattle that they could not be recorded or counted. The priests then brought the ark of the Lord’s covenant to its place in the inner sanctuary of the temple, the Most Holy Place, and put it beneath the wings of the cherubim. The cherubim spread their wings over the place of the ark and overshadowed the ark ... There was nothing in the ark except the two stone tablets that Moses had placed in it at Horeb, where the Lord made a covenant with the Israelites after they came out of Egypt. When the priests withdrew from the Holy Place, the cloud filled the temple of the Lord ...  for the glory of the Lord filled his temple. Then Solomon said, “The Lord has said that he would dwell in a dark cloud; I have indeed built a magnificent temple for you, a place for you to dwell forever.”

1. The Amazing Symbolic Power of Solomon's Temple

*Symbolizes God's Dwelling Place - Psalm 11:4 (CEB) "But the Lord is in his holy temple. The Lord! His throne is in heaven. His eyes see — his vision examines all of humanity."

*Symbol of Divine Victory over his enemies. It is after God's enemies have been defeated that King David

conceives the idea for the temple.

*Place of communication with and about God. The priests instructed the people as to the law of God.

*Symbol of holiness. In the Holy of Holies the wings of the cherubim over the ark of the covenant suggests a

picture of God’s holiness and protection.

*A place of community. God’s people gathered there, but more, the temple would symbolize God's people. Paul would later say that we are God's temple and Apostle Peter would say we are living stones being built into a

spiritual house (1 Peter 2:4-5).

*Symbol of the coming Christ. Jesus even referred to his own death and resurrection when he said, "Destroy this temple and in three days I’ll raise it up. … the temple Jesus was talking about was his body.  (John 2:19-21)

*Symbol of our eternal hope. "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever." (Psalm 23).

All of these are dependent upon the presence of God. We have some lessons to learn from this temple talk…

2. THREE POWERFUL TRUTHS

*He Empowers Us With His Presence. God is always revealing His presence. (walking with Adam, pillar of fire and cloud in the Exodus). The Temple provided an expression of His presence. Everything about it pointed to the God of Israel. Size, beauty, contents all say God is Present! Awareness of Presence of God empowers daily walk.

“We may ignore, but we can nowhere evade the presence of God. The world is crowded with Him. He walks everywhere incognito.” -C. S. Lewis

Are we distracted from awareness of God’s presence? Flooded with information, technology, a thousand voices calling for our attention ... can we hear the God who is there?

*He Empowers Us As His Priests.

Priests helped people bridge gap between humanity and divinity. His presence empowers us to be bridges between those who live far from Him and the God who cares. 1 Peter 2:9 Priestly duties included praying on behalf of the people and sharing the will of God with the people.  Our mission is to be the hands and feet of Christ in the world that surrounds us. In serving FOR Him, we are actually Serving HIM.