Let's take our Bibles and turn
with me to the book of 2nd Chronicles. 2nd Chronicles chapter 7. You'll find Samuel, 1st and 2nd
Samuel, 1st and 2nd Kings. You'll come to 2nd Chronicles. 2nd Chronicles chapter 7 and
verse 1 says this, Now when Solomon had made an end of praying, the
fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and
the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the house. Our scripture today is a blessed
revelation of God's acceptance of the work and the obedience
and the efforts of a man named Solomon. This was David's son,
Solomon, in the building and the dedication of a temple. Now,
I'm going to tell you what I'm actually preaching on. So that you'll understand, you
won't have to wonder, where is he going with this? There's a man named Solomon,
and he's a picture and type of the Lord Jesus Christ. You'll
hear me say that again. He's a picture of Christ. And
God ordained, commissioned this man Solomon to build a temple. And that temple that was built
back in the Old Testament, beautiful, gorgeous temple, that temple
is a picture, it's a type of the bringing together, the assembling
of the body of the Lord Jesus Christ. The church. That's what
that temple is all about. It's a picture of Solomon who's
a picture of Christ building, establishing, erecting a temple
that pictures His bride. The beauty of it by His imputed
righteousness. All that went into all of the
stuff that went into that temple, it's a picture of the Lord building
His bride. That's what this is all about.
So as we look at these scriptures this morning, keep that in mind,
this is what it's talking about. And it'll make a whole lot of
sense to you. It's not just history. If this
is just history, as I've told you before, well, what's that
got to do with me now, right now? But if I can enter in to
being a part of this temple that's being built and God calling out
His bride and assembling her together, those lively stones
we just talked about. Now I can enter into that. So
let's look at this just a few minutes. That's what I just read
right there. When Solomon had made an end
of praying, the fire came down from heaven, consumed the burnt
offering, the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled
the house. That scripture right there is
the glorious revelation of the victory of the Lord Jesus Christ
over sin, over Satan, over death and hell toward His people. It's
the setting forth of the Father's justice and wrath against the
rebellion of His people of which Christ bore, that sin that made
Him. And finally it's the revelation
of the blessed state of God's people to be found in Christ
without condemnation before God's law. Now let's just look at it
for a few minutes and I'll tell you for the sake of time I won't
read all of the scriptures, I'll read many of them, but I'll tell
you, if you want to make a note, just go back and read this, I'll
tell you where these are found. So, before the temple of Solomon
was built, I'm talking about the historical, before that temple
was historically built, God was pleased to bless His people with
His presence in a movable a tabernacle. It was just, it
was portable. They could take it, pick it up,
move it, and the Lord directed Moses, I want you to build this,
exactly all the furniture that went inside that tabernacle in
that holy place, in the holy of holies, all of that was according
to God's direction. And that's where the Ark of God,
the Ark of God, what was that? It was a box. It was a box, and
it was made out of precious wood, shittum wood, and it was covered
inside and outside with gold, and on top of it, the lid was
called the mercy seat. That's what covered over it,
and it had two golden cherubims, these angelic creatures, and
their wings touched each other. That was the mercy seat set on
top. And that tabernacle housed that ark, The Holy of Holies. That holy place was that outer
court. Well, they had an outer court
where the priest could all, everybody could, you know. But then there
was the Holy of Holies, where one time a year, one day, one
day a year, the high priest could go in to that behind the veil,
not without blood, on the day of atonement. And he would sprinkle
that mercy seat with the blood of the sacrifice. And God said,
that's where I'm going to meet with you. Now that ark was a
picture of Christ. It was the evidence of God's
presence. That's where that ark, that piece,
God said, I'm going to meet with you right there. That's where
I'm going to meet with you. So they had this place. Well,
in the process of time, God moved. upon David to think, consider
a permanent building, a temple that was going to be built for
God. And David's heart was moved to
build this house, this temple, and establish it. That was found
in 2 Samuel 7, 1-3. In his heart, he had a heart,
he wanted to build a temple, plans to build it, but God forbid
it. God would not allow David, King
David, to build the temple. In 1st Chronicles 22, 6-8, it
says this was the reason that God was not going to allow King
David to build the temple. Here was the reason. Thou hast
shed blood abundantly, and hast made great wars. Thou shalt not
build a house under my name, because thou hast shed blood,
much blood, upon the earth in my sight." Now, David, a man
after God's own heart, he had in his heart he wanted to build
a permanent building, a temple, for God's honor, God's glory,
where the ark would be and it would be permanently set right
there. But God told him, he said, no,
you're not going to do it. And the reason you're not going
to do it is because you've shed much blood. Now, listen, David
shed much blood at God's direction. The Lord was the one that directed
David to shed much blood. He engaged in the battles, you
know, but here's what was set forth in that. David, as a picture
of Christ, even there, was a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ's great
victory. over all the enemies of God's
people, death, sin, hell, the grave. David did what he did
under God's direction. But God said, you're not going
to build it because you shed much blood. But the shedding
of that blood was a glorious picture of the Lord Jesus Christ's
victory. But even God wisely, He wouldn't
let David do it. Even the Lord sent him to do
it and accomplish God's purpose. He said, no, you're not going
to do it. He said, I tell you He's going to do it. He said,
your son Solomon is going to do it. I'm going to give you
a son. You're going to call him Solomon. And he's the one that I'm going
to allow to build this temple. Now the name Solomon means peace. That's what Solomon means. Let
me just read this to you. It's in Zechariah. Zechariah
chapter 6. Zechariah chapter 6. Now here's
David's son who is also now a picture of Christ. His name is peace. He said you're the one that's
going to build it. You're the one that's going to
be able to construct it. And listen to this prophecy by the
prophet Zechariah concerning the building of this temple.
Zechariah chapter 6 verse 12-13. You speak unto him saying, Thus
speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is
the branch. He shall grow up out of His place. He shall build the temple of
the Lord. Even He shall build the temple of the Lord. And He
shall bear the glory and all sit and rule upon His throne. No, and shall sit and rule upon
His throne. He shall be a priest upon His
throne and the counsel of peace shall be between them both. Now, He said, no, you're not
going to build it because you shed much blood. The glorious
victor. Now he said, I tell you who's
going to build this temple. This temple is going to be established
in peace between me and my people. Peace. Solomon is going to build
this temple. So David was not permitted to
actually build the temple, but the thing about it was, was that
Almighty God was pleased to allow David, who couldn't build the
temple, He was the one that was going to have to supply all of
the material that was going to be in that temple. David, who
couldn't build it, he would supply everything in that temple. I'll
just read this, 1st Chronicles chapter 29, verses 1-5. Furthermore, David the king said
unto the congregation, Solomon my son, whom alone God has chosen,
and yet young and tender, the work is great, The palace is
not for man, it's for the Lord God. Now I've prepared with all
my might for the house of my God, the gold. For things to
be made of gold, silver for things of silver, brass for the things
of brass, iron for the things of iron, wood for the things
of wood, onyx stone for the stones to be set, glistening stones,
diverse colors, all manner of precious stone, marble stones
in abundance. Moreover, because I've set my
affection to the house of my God, I have of mine own proper
good, gold and silver, which I've given to the house of my
God, over and above, all that I've prepared for the holy place,
even three thousand talents of gold, of the gold of Ophir, and
seven thousand talents of refined silver to overlay the walls of
the house withal. The gold for the things of gold,
silver for the things of silver, all manner of work to be made
of the hands of articipers, And who then is willing to consecrate
his service this day unto the Lord? God told David, you can't
build it, but you're going to provide everything for it. Your
son, peace, is going to construct it. He's going to actually put
it together. He's going to put it together to my honor, but
you're going to supply everything. Everything that is supplied inside
that temple, you as the conqueror over death, hell, and the grave,
you're going to have to make it all worthy. It's going to
cost you. You that are the victor, you're
the one upon whom all of this is justly going to be used. You victoriously got by a picture
of the Lord's strength. Everything that's going to go
in that temple, everything that goes in that temple, all of it's
going to be had justly, victoriously. But your son's going to put it
together. That's what's going to happen. David said, I'm going
to give all the stuff, all the gold, all the silver. One of
the things that amazed me, he said in 1st Chronicles 29, 4,
3,000 talents of gold. I thought, how much is 3,000
talents of gold? Well, I looked it up. 112.5 tons of gold. 112.5 tons. I mean
gold is like $1800 an ounce now. I don't know what it was then. But 112.5 tons of gold is a lot
of gold. You know what that set forth? the preciousness of the righteousness
in which God robes His people. That temple that's being built,
it's built based on the victory of the Lord Jesus Christ and
His obedience before God. And in the building of that temple,
oh, how precious His people are robed in Him. We have no earthly
idea. eye hath not seen, ear hath not
heard, neither hath entered into the heart of man that which God
has prepared for those that love him." Oh, David said, I'll supply
all. And not only was the Lord pleased
to make provision for the temple through King David, the Lord
was pleased also to have the temple built in the spot where
Christ's glory as the substitute of His people was wonderfully
revealed. This place right here was called
Moriah. It was going to be built on Mount
Moriah. Now let me tell you what happened
on Mount Moriah. It's found in Genesis 22 verses
1 and 2, but let me tell you what it was. God told Abraham,
he said, you take your son, your only son, and you take your son
Isaac, and you take him to the place that I'll show you. And
I want you to sacrifice your son unto me as a burnt offering. Now you remember what a burnt
offering is. A burnt offering is the offering that is the sweet
savor offering that set forth the obedience of the Lord Jesus
Christ in His submission to lay down His life. You remember what
happened? Abraham and Isaac was going up that hill and Isaac
says, well here's the fire. And here's the wood. Where's
the sacrifice? This is Isaac that said that.
The one that Abraham, his dad, was going to sacrifice. Where's
the lamb? Where's the lamb? And Abraham
said, my son, God will provide himself a lamb. So Abraham goes
up there and he lays out that altar and he put that boy on
that altar. Bound him. And there he raised
that knife up. God stopped him. There was a
ram caught in the thicket. He said, you put that. There's
a picture of the glorious submission of the Lord Jesus Christ. When
his daddy put him up on that altar, no record. He kicked,
fretted, fought. Dad raised that knife up. God
stopped him. Took that ram, put him on there.
There's substitution. God told David, he said, I want
you to put that temple where I'm going to build this temple,
where I'm going to build my glorious temple of my people and have
a place of my residence with my people. I'm going to make
them what they are. You're going to supply it. Peace
is going to erect it. Peace before God. Peace established
between God and men. That's where we're going to put
it, right here on this place that honors my son. I'll tell
you something else that happened at Moriah. There was a day that
David wanted to number the people. And he was advised by his advisor,
he said, oh, Lord bless you beyond measure, but don't do this. Don't
start counting. Don't start looking at the bottom
line and trying to figure out how many men you got, how much
money do you have. Please don't do that, David.
David numbered the people. And Almighty God, because David
looked at the flesh, God asked him, he said, well, what do you
want? Do you want to be under the submission
of your people? What do you want? David said,
Lord, you decide. Three days, pestilence. God was
going to sin because of David's disobedience. Almighty God, when
He sent and chastisement because of David's disobedience. Scripture
says that the Lord in the days of those pestilence killed 70,000
men because of one man's disobedience. 70,000 men. And the Lord sent
a prophet to instruct David of God's pleasure to show mercy
and forgiveness, but only through a sacrifice. That sacrifice was
going to picture the Lord Jesus. He sent him to a place of a threshing
floor, a man named Orona. Orona was this man's name, 2
Samuel 14. And he said, you go and you buy
the threshing floor of Orona. You buy that floor and you take
that All that threshing floor, you take the oxen, you build
an altar, kill the oxen, you make a sacrifice unto me right
there. That was at Moriah. David comes to Aaronah and he
said, I'd like to buy your threshing floor. Aaronah said, you're the
king, I'll give it to you. Whatever you need, I'll give
it to you. David said, no. I will surely buy it of thee
at a price, neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the Lord
my God of that which costs me nothing." No sir, I want to pay
you exactly whatever this piece of property is worth. I want
to know the going market price. What's it going to cost? They
told him. David shelled out the money. Built an altar out of all that
wood and stuff. Took the oxen to lay. Sacrificed
unto the Lord. Where is Solomon going to build
this temple? He's going to build it exactly
on the spot where the Lord Jesus Christ, the substitute of his
people, the sacrifice of his people, was greatly set forth. Oh, the significance of that
place. David, you're not going to build it. You're a bloody
man. Your son, Solomon, is going to build it. Not only Is He going
to build it? He was going to build it in exactly
the time that it was going to be built. He set forth the date
that that building was going to be established. But what did
that set forth? Galatians 4, 4 and 5, when the fullness of
the time was come, God sent forth His Son. made of a woman, made
under the law to redeem them that were under the law that
we might receive the adoption of sons. So the Lord was pleased
to bless a man, to be a victor. to establish all of the things
that were going to be needed. And God chose His Son. Peace was going to erect it.
And then, whenever it was done, the Scripture says, 1st Chronicles
29-28, concerning David, he died in a good old age, full of days,
riches and honor. And Solomon, his son, reigned
in his stead. Now, the Son is left. The One who is peace Himself.
And the Scripture says that Concerning that construction, David's got
all of this stuff piled up. All the gold, all the silver,
all the wood, everything is there. There's all the material. It's
all been bought and paid for. Paid for by his victory. Paid
for by his victorious you know, overridings against all God's
enemies. It's all there. But how is it
going to be built? What is it going to take to build
it? Now, what is that going to take?
That's going to take some wisdom. To be able to take what has been
provided and according to God's will and God's purpose to be
able to put it together. So here's what's needed. You
need some wisdom. And what happens? 1 Kings chapter
3, 1 Kings chapter 3. Here's a young man, young man
Solomon, young fellow. 1 Kings 3 verse 5, And Gibeon
the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night, and God
asked him, What shall I give thee? What Solomon is about to ask
is under the inspiration of God's Spirit. Man by nature, he's selfish,
isn't he Fred? What is a man going to ask for?
Well, give me money and give me fame. That's man by nature. But what does God move upon this
boy to ask? Solomon said, He showed unto
my servant David, my father, great mercy. According, he walked
before thee in truth and righteousness, uprightness of heart with thee. Thou hast kept him. This great
kindness. Thou hast given him a son to
sit on his throne as it is this day. And now, O Lord my God,
thou hast made thy servant king instead of David, my father,
but a child. I know not how to go out and
come in. Here's a young fellow. that has
given the responsibility. You put this temple together.
And you do it according to God's instruction, God's will, God's
direction. That's what you're going to do.
And Solomon knew it. David told him. He said, you're
the one. And he said, I'm a little child. I know not how to go out
or come in. Thy servant is in the midst of
thy people. Thou has chosen a great people
that can't be numbered or counted for multitude. thy servant an
understanding heart, to judge thy people, that I may discern
between good and bad. But who is able to judge this,
thy so great a people? And the speech pleased the Lord,
that Solomon had asked this thing. And God said unto him, Because
thou hast asked this thing, hast not asked for thyself long life,
neither hast thou asked riches for thyself, nor asked the life
of thine enemy. Ye have asked for thyself understanding,
to discern judgment. Behold, done according to Thy
words, lo, I have given Thee a wise and understanding heart,
so that there is none like Thee before Thee, neither after Thee
shall any arise like unto Thee. Oh, what a picture of Christ.
What do you want? Wisdom. That's what I want. Lord,
would You give me an understanding heart. Oh, that Solomon who was
peace, pictured peace, that had been wrought before God the sacrifice
of the Lord Jesus Christ. That's wisdom himself. Just like
Proverbs 8. Wisdom that came up with him
ever before him. What a picture of Christ himself. What would be required to bring
this temple here? What's it going to be required
to bring God's people out and establish them, put them here,
put them there, the body where He placed them? What's it going
to take? It's going to take power and victory and wisdom. Only
God can do that. Here's Solomon. What did he ask for? He asked
for wisdom. Wisdom to know how God can be just and justify a
sinner. Wisdom in humbling himself and
making himself of no reputation before God. Wisdom. For God that cannot die, how
can God who cannot die, how can God atone for sin and shed His
own blood and die? How can God do that? Become a
man. Oh, the wisdom of God Almighty
in the building of His temple and bringing it together, establishing
this. And here's an amazing thing about
that temple when it was being built. When that temple was being
built, do you know the scripture says, listen to this, 1 Kings
6 and 7, and the house, when it was in building, was built
of stone made ready, that is complete made ready, before it
was brought thither. so that there was neither hammer,
nor axe, nor any tool of iron heard in the house while it was
in building. You know what that meant? Everything
had to be prepared. There was going to be no sounds
of construction. What size do you need on that?
I need something 37 and 7 sixteenths. Alright, well hang on just a
second. Let me go cut one and I'll fix it. Oh no, no, no, no. Every
stone, everything had to be built off-site. There was no sound
of hammer, no sound of an axe, nor any tool of iron heard in
the house. Do you know what that means? It was all done before. It was all prepared before. and brought and assembled when
Almighty God, I love this passage of scripture, I'll read it to
you, 2 Timothy chapter 1 verse 9 and 10. 2 Timothy 1, 9 and 10. Who has saved us and called us with a holy calling,
not according to our works, but according to His own purpose
and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world
began, but is now made manifest in the appearing of our Savior,
Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death and has brought life and
immortality to light through the Gospel. When Almighty God
assembles His people and brings them, calls them out of darkness,
Let me tell you when all of that was established before the foundation
of the world. Who has saved us and then called
us. When was the saving done? It
was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began. There
ain't no figuring out in time what God's going to do in the
assembling of His church. All of this established before
the foundation of the world. Now I'll tell you what's going
to happen. I'll tell you what's going to happen. Old Marvin may
be built, may be born in central Louisiana. But I'll tell you
what's going to happen. I'm going to have him, I'm going
to put him in Louisiana first, I'm going to leave him there
and then I'm going to call him out of darkness and I'm going to send
him to Tennessee and he's going to stay in Tennessee for 20 years. And then in 20 years, I'm going
to move and I'm going to have a group of men come over here
and ask him to consider Coming over here is the pastor, and
he's going to tell them no, that he just feels he needs to be
in Tennessee. But about a year or so later,
I'm going to move him here. That's what he's going to do.
And there's not going to be any sounds of axe, and we're not
going to work all these details out in time. All of this was
established before the foundation of the world. That's how this
temple is going to be built. It's going to be put together.
This whole body, fitly the scripture says, joined together and compacted
by that which every joint supplies. They put all that stuff together
and these pieces went together and they went together just like
that. And it fit perfectly. Just established exactly. The scripture declares in Romans
chapter 8 concerning that which Almighty God has done, Romans
8, 28 to 30, we know that all things work together for good
to them that love God, them who are the called according to His
purpose, for whom He did foreknow in predestinating grace. He also
did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son, that
He might be the firstborn among many brethren, Moreover, whom
He did predestinate, that is before the foundation of the
world, He established the destination before. Whom He did predestinate,
them He also called, He named them. And whom He called, them
He justified, all past tense. Whom He justified, He glorified. What shall we say to these things?
If God be for us, who can be against us? So here is Solomon's
temple. A picture of the glorious work
of God Almighty in His electing, redeeming, regenerating grace. Sovereign grace. He said, this
is the way it's going to be. I'm going to have a people. I
called them, chose them in Christ before the foundation of the
world. I justified them. I glorified them. All in Christ. All these works were finished
from the foundation of the world. Now, they're all going to be
brought together. And they're all going to fit
just perfectly. I've got a group I'm going to put over at Katie,
and I've got a group over here at Todd's Road, and I've got
a group over here in Danville, and I've got them here and there.
And I'm going to put them just exactly where I say they're going to
be. And that's where they're going to be. I'm going to fix
them right there. So in conclusion, I'm going to
tell you what, you know, I've got to sum up chapters here.
But in chapters 3 and 4, I'm summing up what I've been telling
you. Chapters 3 and 4 of 2 Chronicles. The Scripture is declaring the
actual account. Go back and read this. It will
tell you all the calipers were put here in the temple. They
had the wings and they touched and just... You have to line
it, line it, how all of it was being put in the staircases were
put here and these were so many cubits and so many, all of that,
it gave all the dimensions, get all how that temple was put together,
everything within it was a blessed picture. God's provision for
His people and establishing them, that was the construction of
it. That's what's going on right
now. We're seeing it right now. In
chapter 5 of 2 Chronicles, it's when the altar was brought in. It had all been built. And there
it was. And the altar was put in place. And that altar was a picture,
it's a type of right now. Here we are. where two or three
are gathered together in my name, I'm in the midst of you. The
Lord said that. That ark set forth the glorious
presence of God. He said, I'm there. I'm there.
And so when the Lord was pleased, he had it constructed, and he
had the ark brought in. In chapter 6 of 2 Chronicles,
the Holy Spirit recorded a prayer of Solomon. in the dedication
of that temple. And here he was, and he began,
go back and read it. He said, Lord, if your people,
those that are called by your name, Lord, if they transgress,
Lord, if they look toward this temple, Lord, would you forgive
them? Lord, would you have mercy? Lord,
if they stumble, if they fall, I'm praying. There's a picture
of Christ, the great high priest. whoever liveth to make intercession."
And here Solomon, a picture of Christ, he prayed for the Lord's
continual mercy and forgiveness, asking God to bless him in all
the circumstances of this life. their transgressions and keep
them Lord. And he prayed that glorious dedication. That came right on up. Back in
2 Chronicles chapter 7, if you look back at 6 and you start
reading, just read that prayer. There's a picture of our great
intercessor, the great high priest who has ever stood. He didn't
become a great high priest. livid to make intercession. And the scripture says after
that great temple was established, built, put together. Now here
we are, I'm going to read this verse of scripture in closing.
This right here sets forth the glory of what happened at Calvary. Here's Solomon now, a picture
of Christ, the great high priest who built it, who God used to
build that temple, a picture of Christ building his church.
All of it went in there, all that stuff was gotten by victory,
power, God's might, put together in peace, established before
God, the ark was put in there, God's presence. Pray, God bless
it, Lord bless this, bless this, keep you people. And here's the
Lord Jesus Christ now in type at Calvary. And when Solomon
had made an end of praying, when he at Calvary set forth
these glorious words, it is finished. When Solomon had made an end
of praying, interceding, the fire came down from heaven and
consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices. It is finished. And what happened?
Almighty God poured out justly His wrath upon Christ who has
made sin for us in the establishing of His temple. What's it going
to take for peace to be established and wrought before God and men?
Justice! Justice! The soul that sinned
is going to die. He made an end, fire came down
from heaven, consumed the burnt offering, him the burnt offering,
the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord. What glory? Moses said, Lord, show me your
glory. The Lord said, okay. I'm going
to have mercy on whom I'm going to have mercy. I'm going to have
compassion on whom I'll have compassion. The fire came down
from heaven, consumed the sacrifice, and the glory of the Lord, to
have mercy and compassion on whomsoever He will, and whomsoever
He will, filled the house. All that the Father giveth me
shall come to me. And Him that cometh to me, I
will in no wise cast out. May God be pleased to bless this
message of peace wrought with God through the person of the
Lord Jesus Christ for His glory and our good. Amen.