Title: God's Presence and His Kingdom
Contents
[God's Presence and His Kingdom] 2 Chronicles 6:12-15, 40-42 2006.10.22. Sunday worship service
1) Everything in the world has an essence and an environment surrounding it. People often confuse essence with what is around them. Holding on to a single string around you, you may believe that you have grasped the essence. It's a deflated soccer ball, and the skin of the soccer ball is important, but the wind that inflates the ball in the skin so that it can be kicked. When this wind is lost, the ball is useless. People are just the same. A person adorns himself with various appearances. But rather than that, isn't the essence of man himself, that is, man's life?
2) Solomon built the temple for a long time as his father King David ordered. The floor is made of fine marble and the pillars are made of Lebanese cedar, and the scent of juniper is refreshing when you enter. Jewels are scattered everywhere, so the light sparkles here and there. The draperies embroidered with gold thread and the glossy, mirror-reflective stone floors were truly the most beautiful house in the world. This is the appearance of the temple built by Solomon, that is, its surroundings. If the temple is the house of God, God must be the owner of that house. A house without an owner is called an empty house.
3) The temple, the house of God. It is God who lives in that house. Solomon realized this essence only after he built the temple. “No matter how good a house is, if no one buys it, it’s empty. Isn’t that what this temple is like? God must be in the temple, and His presence is essential.” So Solomon prays before God through today's text. What is the content of his prayer? God, I have built this house, but the essence of this house being a temple belongs to you, God, please come to this temple. May God come and live here. This is verse 41.
1. The essence of the kingdom of God is that God comes into us.
1) As citizens of the kingdom of heaven and becoming children of God, we realize that it is the essence of God entering into us. The children of God are those in whom God lives and is governed by Him. No matter how wonderful and majestic a temple may be, if God is not there, it is just a house. However, no matter how small and humble a temple may be, if God is there, it is a temple. Because it is the kingdom of heaven wherever you are, whether in a booth or in a palace, or where my Lord Jesus is served.
2) The same is true of the Church of God. Now that architecture is advanced, how beautiful are the houses? Sturdy and good looking, using good wood and imported marble. That's why the construction cost goes up, and there are places where the construction of churches exceeds billions of dollars. The sound of the majestic pipe organ reverberates, and the luxurious interior decorations of the expensive sound equipment project and video equipment for heating and cooling facilities are reminiscent of the city of heaven. However, if the Holy Spirit of the Lord does not live in such a beautiful church, it is just a house that has nothing to do with worship and the kingdom of God.
3) The Bible teaches us this, and our faith is the same. As we become the people of the kingdom of God, the Holy Spirit of the Lord enters our heart and teaches us that we become people under His rule.
2. God's glory comes upon those who bow down and worship him.
1) In the Old Testament, when the priests offered sacrifices, God made the smoke of the sacrifice stretched straight to the sky, and then the incense from above filled the temple. Then the priests saw the spread of the incense and declared that God had accepted the sacrifice. “God accepted our worship.” This was the most precious blessing for the people. No matter how splendid and splendid a person's worship may be and use various solemn procedures and methods to praise the holy and holy God, if God does not receive worship, it is in vain.
2) The essence of worship is the center of people who give to God. Methods and procedures The offering is the shell that makes it up. Therefore, those who worship must bring their heart, that is, the essence, to God. “How can you take away your contrite hearts and kill only vague animals and put them on my altar? I have already been satisfied with such sacrifices, and I have been consumed with such sacrifices, and I will sweep away your offerings from my altar.” This is Isaiah 1:11. These words teach us that the central worship we offer is the essence of God's people.
Even the wise man Solomon knew this. So I knew that even though it was a well-built temple, it would be of no use if there was no true worship that surrendered before God. So, as soon as the temple is completed, the first thing he does is submit to God.
3) Our people and our church are the same. Are we God's people? Is our church a community of the kingdom of God? Then there must be worship in our hearts that gives God the center as a sign of true submission to God. Everyone, let's cherish this worship service. Let us have a burning zeal for worship. Worship is something that pleases God, and when we please God, the blessings we receive from God after that are self-evident, without needing to explain.
3. The kingdom of God is established in those who repent of their hearts.
1) Seeing one's mistakes and returning to repentance is the result of applying the Word to oneself. Today's text, 2 Chronicles 6, is the content of Solomon's prayer to God. However, if we look closely, the words “if we come back toward this place” and “if we pray to God” appear 5 times even when we make a mistake unintentionally. It is surprising to hear that Solomon's prayer for asking for the Holy Spirit of God is a prayer of repentance and repentance for his wrongdoing. This teaches the people of this kingdom of God with the Holy Spirit that the true kingdom of God is realized where they discover their faults and turn around.
2) If we are God's people, we must reflect ourselves in the Word. And you have to turn around and go to God. This is repentance. And only true repentance is the way for the kingdom of God to be established. Let us remember God's warning.
When we drive a car, we come across numerous signboards on the road. And the signs tell us to choose the right path. The ability to quickly read the signboard and follow the right path is the power to drive well. But we went the wrong way. I was going to Mokpo, but I took National Route 22 to Suncheon. And the sign points to Suncheon 50Km National Road 22. From before, the navigation searched again for the ding dong ding dong route. go back Make a U-turn 500m ahead on the way you came. Keep screaming. What does that mean? Quickly retrace the way you came. It is a warning that this road is not the road to Mokpo. And the smart driver makes a quick U-turn and takes the road to National Highway 1.
3) This is repentance. Even in our faith, don't we hear God's warnings calling us everywhere? Do not sit in the seat of sin. Do not be with the arrogant. Peek at the fence and don't go over it because you can't stand it. Don't try to get rich by dishonest means. Do not become servants of mammon by serving God and wealth. etc. God warns us with these words and tells us to repent and turn to God.
4. God blesses those who repent by healing them.
1) 2 Chronicles 7 is God's answer to Solomon's prayer in Chapter 6. Verse 14 says, “If my people, who are called by my name, humble themselves and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sins and heal their land.” He does. The promise to heal the land. “Heal this land.” Like the hymn we always sing “revival,” God heals and renews us through repentance. Isaiah 35:7 says that the scorching desert will be turned into a lake, the dry land will be turned into a fountain, grass and reeds and willows will grow in the place where Shirang lies, and the spirit of repentance by God's grace will be like that. .
2) It is said that He healed the hearts of the people who repented and turned toward God, Isaiah 35:1 “The wilderness and the dry land rejoice; the deserts rejoice when they bloom like the lilies; and the beauty of Carmel and Sharon. They will see the glory of the LORD, the beauty of our God.” He does. For those who turn to repentance, it makes their hearts full of the glory of God. Just as Solomon's temple was filled with the glory of God, this is the essence of God's kingdom and temple.
3) The earth has been corrupted by man's error and corruption. Just like the saying that the earth will produce you thorns and thistles, the way to the Garden of Eden is blocked, and the land is full of thorns and bushes. Because of man's corruption and depravity, the earth was corrupted together. Therefore, when people are restored, the earth will also be restored. When we say that God will heal the land, it means that He will heal the people who live in that land and that He will restore us as the people of Eden. God promises to accomplish this restoration through the repentance of His people to return to Him. And the place where there is such restoration and repentance is the essence of the kingdom of God.
closing the speech
1) When driving a car, sometimes it goes too far and you have to make a U-turn. A quick U-turn is best when you've passed it. Isn't that the case in our lives? Humans, by nature, have a habit of continuing what they did once. Persistence of habits or conservative nature is an instinct for everyone. However, the wrong way, the sin, must be quickly cut off and turn to the right way. This is the secret to success in life. The meaning of God's people becoming children of God is this turning away, and the revival and expansion of God's church is a conversion toward God.
2) This is the important secret of the kingdom of God that God promised in Solomon's temple adorned with gold and silver marble and cedar. When you return to Me to mourn and pray, I will heal you and your land. Dear saints of the Lord who are proud to be the people of God's kingdom, I pray that we will become God's blessed people who turn toward grace in line with these words.