Thoughts On Building Temples

HE WALKED ACROSS THE DUSTY STONY GROUND, KICKED A ROCK AND BENT AND DREW IN THE DIRT. HE LOOKED AROUND AT THE DESOLATE LAND SCAPE AND DOWN AT THE CITY BELOW AND WONDERED IF HIS DREAM WOULD EVER BE A REALITY. WOULD IT REALLY HAPPEN, SOMEDAY WOULD THE PEOPLE OF GOD WORSHIP ON THIS GROUND? WOULD SONGS OF PRAISE FILL THE AIR? WOULD THE WORD OF GOD BE READ ALOUD? WOULD PRAYERS BE UTTERED AND HEARD?

HE HAD A DREAM, A DREAM OF A BUILDING CALLED A HOUSE OF GOD, A DREAM OF A BUILDING WHERE HIS PEOPLE COULD WORSHIP. A DREAM OF A PERMANENT HOME FOR THEIR SERVICES. AND NOW AS HE STOOD ON THE EMPTY LOT HE WONDERED JUST HOW LONG IT WOULD BE UNTIL THE DODDLINGS HE MADE IN THE DIRT WOULD ACTUALLY BECOME A BUILDING.

IT WAS LATER, THE DREAM HAD TAKEN ON A SUBSTANCE AND AS HE STOOD AND WATCHED THE MEN AND WOMEN EXERCISE THEIR TALENTS AND GIFTS HIS DREAM WAS BECOMING A REALITY IN FRONT OF HIS VERY EYES. THERE WERE THOSE WHO HAD DOUBTED AND THOSE WHO HAD SCOFFED BUT NOW THEY COULD SEE WHAT BEFORE ONLY HE COULD SEE AND THE DOUBTERS HAD BEEN SILENCED. SO MUCH HAD BEEN DONE, BUT SO MUCH MORE STILL HAD TO BE FINISHED. HE HADN’T REALIZED THAT THE TRANSITION FROM DREAM TO REALITY WOULD TAKE SO MUCH TIME, SACRIFICE AND SO MUCH TALENT. THERE WERE TIMES THAT HE KNEW THAT WHATEVER IT COST IT WAS WORTH IT, WHILE OTHER TIMES HE WONDERED IF IT WOULD BE WORTH WHAT IT COST.

HIS DAYS WERE CONSUMED WITH BUILDING AND DURING THE NIGHT HE TOSSED AND TURNED WITH A THOUSAND QUESTIONS RACING THROUGH HIS HEAD. HIS LIFE REVOLVED AROUND THE CONSTRUCTION AND HE BEGAN TO BORE HIS FRIENDS WITH HIS OBSESSIVE TALKING OF THE PROGRESS. HE STEPPED THROUGH THE RUBBLE OF CONSTRUCTION AND LISTENED TO THE SAWS AND HAMMERS AND HIS MINDED DRIFTED BACK TO HOW MUCH SIMPLER THIS HAD BEEN AS SIMPLY A DREAM.

IT WAS LATER, MUCH LATER IT SEEMED LIKE A THOUSAND YEARS LATER BUT IT COULDN’T HAVE BEEN THAT LONG AND HE STOOD AND LOOKED AT WHAT HAD ONCE BEEN A DREAM. HE COULD HARDLY TAKE IT ALL IN, THE SIZE, THE SPLENDOUR OF IT. JUST LIKE HE HAD DREAMED, IT HAD COME TRUE AND WAS NOW A REALITY, HE WISHED HIS FATHER COULD BE WITH HIM TO SEE THIS ACCOMPLISHMENT.

NO MORE WOULD HIS PEOPLE WORSHIP WITHOUT A PERMANENT SPIRITUAL HOME, NO MORE WOULD THEY FEEL LIKE NOMADS. GOD HAD GIVEN HIM A VISION FOR WHAT COULD BE DONE AND HAD GIVEN HIM THE STRENGTH TO DO IT AND IT WAS FINISHED. AS A MATTER OF FACT WE ARE TOLD IN 1 Kings 6:14 So Solomon built the temple and completed it.

THIS MORNING WE ARE GOING TO LOOK AT SOME THOUGHTS ON TEMPLE BUILDING. NOW WE ARE THREE THOUSAND YEARS APART AND SEVERAL HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS DIFFERENT IN COST. AFTER ALL SOLOMON’S TEMPLE MADE BOB SCHULLER’S CRYSTAL CATHEDRAL LOOK LIKE A SHACK. AND YET EVEN WITH ALL THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE TEMPLE OF SOLOMON AND NORTH POINT WESLEYAN CHURCH THERE MUST BE SOME COMMON GROUND. A COMMON THREAD OR TWO WHICH WEAVES IT’S WAY THROUGH THE TWIN TAPESTRY OF GOD’S HOUSE.

1) THEY BOTH BEGAN WITH A DREAM 1 Chronicles 22:7 David said to Solomon: "My son, I had it in my heart to build a house for the Name of the LORD my God. DAVID STARTED OFF WITH A DREAM, HE COULD SEE THE TEMPLE IN HIS MINDS EYE. HE WANTED TO BUILD A BUILDING TO BE CALLED GOD’S HOUSE. IT PROBABLY STARTED OFF INNOCENTLY ENOUGH, A WORD, OR A THOUGHT, MAYBE IT WASN’T EVEN DAVID’S ORIGINAL IDEA OR THOUGHT, MAYBE SOMEBODY SAID SOMETHING IN CONVERSATION THAT STUCK IN DAVID’S MIND.

AND THERE THE THOUGHT BEGAN TO GERMINATE AND GROW UNTIL IT BECAME A PASSION WITH DAVID TO BUILD A HOUSE FITTING TO BE CALLED GOD’S HOUSE. AND SO DAVID BEGAN TO PLAN AND THINK AND DOODLE . MAYBE HE USED TO SIT AT MCMALACHI’S AND DODDLE ON THE PAPER PLACE MATS WELL HE DRANK COFFEE. MAYBE HE CALLED IN AN ARCHITECT AND DRAFTSMAN AND BEGAN LOOKING AT DRAWINGS. WE DON’T KNOW EVERYTHING THAT DAVID DID BUT WE DO KNOW THAT THIS BECAME AN ALL CONSUMING VISION OF WHAT COULD BE DONE. BECAUSE WE ARE TOLD THAT HE CALLED IN THE HEAD PROPHET IN 2 Samuel 7:2 he said to Nathan the prophet, "Here I am, living in a palace of cedar, while the ark of God remains in a tent."

AND THAT THOUGHT GRIPPED HIM THAT HE WAS LIVING IN A BETTER HOME THEN HE WORSHIPPED IN. AND HE BEGAN TO DREAM AND IMAGINE AND ENVISION. HE BEGAN TO BUILD TEMPLE IN THE AIR BECAUSE HE HAD LEARNT THE SECRET THAT IF YOU DON’T BUILD CASTLE IN THE SKY YOU WON’T BUILD ANYTHING ON THE GROUND. AND HE FOUND A SITE THAT LOOKED PROMISING AND HE PACED OUT THE PLOT OF DIRT AND DREAMT AND ENVISIONED WHAT WOULD GO WHERE.