Chapter 8, 1 Kings 8. There are many blessed prayers
recorded in Scripture. Amazingly, three of them can
easily be remembered because they are in the same chapter.
Ezra 9, Nehemiah 9, Daniel 9. Those three prayers are wonderful. You haven't read them in a while,
go back and read them. Ezra praying, Nehemiah and Daniel,
David, Psalm 51. That's a favorite of all of God's
people. We pray that prayer constantly,
don't we? The greatest of all is certainly
in John 17. Our Lord's high priestly prayer
before He went to Calvary's cross, of which this prayer must surely
be a type. This is the prayer of Solomon
at the completion of the temple. And it doesn't need much comment,
this prayer. If you were able to enter into
it as we read it, we could go home, couldn't we? Being blessed
for just having read the prayer. Blessed prayer. Hear and forgive. Hear and forgive. Hear and forgive. this temple or house or place
that he speaks of, you know that God, that there's nothing special
or holy about a building, about a place like this place. There's nothing sacred about
this building. There never has been anything
holy or sacred about earthly things or materials or building
or so forth. Those things in the Old Testament,
this house, this temple, represent the Lord Jesus Christ. There
are no holy thing, no holy land, no holy building, no holy place.
This all speaks of and represents the Lord Jesus Christ, whom Scripture
says tabernacled among us, took a body, a dwelling place, like the tabernacle
of old, who came in the name of the Lord, who is the ark of
the covenant, who is the mercy seeker. That's Sunday morning's
message. And so this represents, this
temple, this house, represents the Lord Jesus Christ. And it also represents the church. He says that, that you're the
temple, God's people are the temple, the dwelling place of
God's Holy Spirit, where Christ dwells in the midst, where his
name is, where the ark of the testimony, the gospel is, where
his people go and worship and pray unto the Lord. So this represents
Christ and his church, that whoever prays in the name of Christ,
Repentance toward God. You see this throughout this
prayer, don't you? Repentance toward God and faith
toward the Lord Jesus Christ. That's what this all represents.
Against thee have I sinned, forgive me in Christ. Forgive me for
Christ's sake. That's what this is speaking
of. Not talking about a building looking toward the east, toward
Mecca. No, no. It's looking to the Lord
Jesus Christ. He said, look unto me and be
ye saved. All the ends of the earth. And
the church, as His temple, is the place where Christ meets
and His people gather together to pray. Where His people are
gathering together, two or three, there Christ is. That's where
you want to be, because that's where He's forgiving sins. That's
who He's hearing. Have a man like Solomon standing
up and praying, and other men praying, and servants like the
Levites praying. The Lord hears where His people
meet, where Christ is honored. And like Ezra's prayer, Nehemiah's
prayer, Daniel's prayer, David's prayer, this is all a confession
of sin from start to finish. It's all a confession of sin,
a plea for forgiveness, as we said, faith toward the Lord Jesus
Christ. That's what this is all about.
That's what this whole book is about. That's our pressing need. That's our pressing need. Well, look at verse 22 now. Begin
here, verse 22. Solomon stood before the altar
of the Lord in the presence of the congregation. Actually, he
kneeled down. Now in verse 54, it says that,
that he arose from kneeling on his knees with his hands spread
toward heaven. And Solomon said, verse 23, O
Lord God of Israel, there is no God like Thee. in heaven above
or on earth beneath. No God like the living and true
God. Who is God? David, where is your
God? Our God is in the heavens. What
can He do? What can He do? He hath done
whatsoever He hath pleased. God who is God. There is no God
like the God of Israel. Like Him, no one above Him in
heaven above or on earth beneath. Look at this. Here's what makes
Him great. Verse 23, He keeps covenant and mercy. He keepeth
covenant and mercy. The gospel of God is God's covenant
with Christ, which speaks of the mercy of God. It's the gospel
of God and all the promises of God in Christ Jesus are sure. Yea and Amen in the Lord Jesus
Christ. God who cannot lie. We sang that. He cannot lie. Promised that
those who believe and trust Christ, He keeps mercy reserved for them.
He remembers for them His covenant. He keeps it. When we forget it,
He can't. He remembers. That's what makes
Him great. He can't forget what we forget. He can't remember what we can't
forget. Our sins. He's great. He keeps
covenant mercies. Verse 24. And here's the sure...25. Here are the sure mercies of
David. Did you preach on this Sunday, Gabe? 2 Samuel 23. Here. Okay. This is the sure
mercies of David. That's what this is. Verse 24
and 25, "...the Lord has kept with thy servant David, my father,
that thou promised him. Thou speakest also with thy mouth,
and hast fulfilled it with thine hand, as it is this day. Now,
Lord God, keep with thy servant David, my father, that thou promised
him, saying, There shall not fail thee a man in my sight to
sit on the throne of Israel." The sure mercies of David And
our salvation, all our salvation is that there is a man on the
throne right now, the Son of David, the Lord Jesus Christ.
A man touched with a feeling of our infirmity. A high priest
after the order of Melchizedek, seated on the throne, having
finished his work. The only high priest who sat
down. The work accomplished. He came to do that for his people.
And he finished the work and sat down at the right hand of
the majesty on high after he purged our sin. And there he
reigns and rules as a covenant head, ensuring that all of his
people get what he did for them. Get those mercies. Touched with
our infirmities, leading and guiding, it says in verse 25,
that thy children take heed to their way and walk before me
as thou hast walked before me. I love what Sheba said just a
few chapters over in 1 Kings 10. She said concerning Solomon,
which is what we say of Christ, the Lord must have loved Israel
to put you on the throne. Since the Lord loved His people,
He made Christ the King. And we have a glorious high Savior on the throne. That's
the sheer mercies of God through the Son of David. Verse 26. Now,
O Lord God of Israel, let Thy Word, I pray, be verified. Lord, confirm this in our hearts. Assure our hearts before You.
Let the Word be verified. You know, we believe the Word,
don't we? I believe this Word. I do. I need it confirmed in
my heart, in my experience. I need it confirmed. I need to
be grounded, established, strengthened, and settled by the Word. Lord,
take the Word and verify it to me. To me. Say unto my soul,
I am thy salvation. Just what you said to David,
say it to me. Say it to me. Verse 27, will
God indeed dwell on the earth? And speaking of a place where
God dwells, will He dwell on the earth? That's what Solomon
asked. Well, Job said he would, didn't
he? In Job 19, Job said, I know that my Redeemer liveth and he
shall stand at the latter day on this earth. Yes, he will. Will God dwell on this earth?
The heaven of heavens can't contain him. Scripture said, he said,
how much less this house that I build. But miracle of miracle,
God was manifest in the flesh and dwelt among us. And the Lord
whom you seek came to his temple. Will God dwell in this little
place? This little red brick place in the middle of nowhere? Will God come to be in our midst? He said He would. He said He
would. All who meet in His name, where
two or three are gathered in my name, we're going to look
more at that Sunday morning what that means. He said He would. Wherever the ark is, that's where
He'll be. The Shekinah glory will be there. The cloud will come. Look at verse 28. Yet would you
have respect unto the prayer of thy servant. Lord, hear the
prayer of our Lord Jesus Christ and His supplication. O Lord
my God, hearken unto the cry unto the prayer which thy servant
prayeth before thee today. Didn't our Lord say that the
Father always hears Him? Didn't He say that? When He came
to Lazarus' tomb, He prayed to the Father and He said, I know
that thou hearest me. I know you always hear me. And
Scripture says, he ever liveth to make intercession for them.
He assured his disciples, he said, the Father always hears
me on your behalf. And so he's our ever-living intercessor. But he said there at Lazarus'
tomb, he said, and I said this for their sake, I know you always
hear me. The Lord spake out loud so we
would have that written. And he said, I said this for
their sake. The Lord always hears. Verse
29, The Lord, that your eyes may be opened toward this house,
night and day, even toward the place of which thou hast said,
My name shall be there, that thou mayest hearken unto the
prayer of thy servant, that thy servant shall make toward this
place. Our Lord's eyes are always on His beloved. That's the Lord
Jesus Christ. Poor illustration, but it's the
best I can do. I love my children so much that
I have a hard time taking my eyes off of them. I gaze at them
at times. Even my grown daughter, who's
a young woman, she was with us the other day walking. I asked
her, Mother, I just kept looking at you and saying, isn't she
beautiful? That's the way the Lord God looks
upon His Son. He delights in it. He delights in it. And all those
in Him, all those in Him, He looks upon them. His eyes are
toward them. Even when our eyes aren't upon
Him, His eyes are upon us. Day and night. Day and night. His eye of love, His eye of protection. Those in Christ, those outside
of Christ, the wrath of God abides on them. Verse 30, Harken thou
to the supplication of thy servant and thy people Israel when they
pray toward this place, and hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place,
and when thou hearest, forgive. This is what he's going to ask
for from here on out. He's going to confess for us. And I hope
we can get her into it. The sins. Did not our Lord say
to pray this way? Forgive us our trespasses. And so Solomon, so Ezra, Nehemiah,
David, And our Lord prays for us, prays for us. And this is
our great need. And again, I'm not talking about
a building made with hands. Nothing special at all about
that building. How do I know? God had it torn
down twice. One Solomon built in all its
grandeur, bought it to the dust. Zerubbabel built another one.
That's the one our Lord entered in and said, it's going to come
down. Not one stone left standing on
another, didn't it? That's not the temple of God that we're
to look to. That's not the place that we're
to look to, a building. It's a person, the Lord Jesus
Christ. That temple, no one will tear
down. It ever dwelled. That's the one
of which he spoke that they didn't understand when he said, destroy
this temple and in three days I'll raise it again. And they
scoffed and they mocked as he was hanging on the tree that
said, you're the one that's going to raise the temple in three
days. And he did. Which was his body. And he went. And that temple
ever dwells in the presence of God. That's who we pray to. That's
who we look to. There's not many people who know
that. And there's still millions of people all over the earth
right now going through all these motions and so-called holy men
with their holy water and their holy buildings and people visiting
the holy land and doing all this stuff that has no spiritual value
whatsoever. These were all types and shadows
and symbols and pictures of the Lord Jesus Christ. And He came,
He took away the first, and He established the second Himself.
And they're not going to get it through your head. A lady
wrote and took issue with me on this, but I don't care. They're
not going to build another temple for the Lord to come and dwell
in, in Jerusalem. No sir. He's the temple. He's the temple. That's who he's
talking about. Now, look at it. If any man trespass
against his neighbor, read on. And verse 32. Lord, judge. And I'm going to have to skip
through this. Can't read it all again. Let
me just paraphrase for you. If there's matters of judgment
between two, in order for the Lord to judge between the true
and the false. That's what this is all about.
The judge between the just and the unjust, the wicked and those
that are righteous. How's he going to do that? Well,
Scripture says that God will, Paul said this, he said that
God has appointed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness
by that man whom He hath ordained. All of us are trespassers. All
of us have sinned and come short of the glory of God. God is angry
with the wicked every day. He said the wicked will receive.
All right. But He talked about the wicked
and the just. Who are they? In Christ. Who maketh thee a dipper? He's
made unto us righteousness. Not by works of righteousness
which He hath done. We have none. But according to
His mercy, He saved us in Christ. See, we've been justified by
Christ. And all who look to Him, all
who look to the Lord Jesus Christ, in Him there's no condemnation,
but full justification. That's what that's talking about.
And God judges between the true and the false. He knows those
that truly look to His Son, those who don't. He knows who's just
going through lip service and who's using His name. He knows
who's just using Jesus as a fire escape from hell. And those who
truly love His Son, God knows He looks on the heart. He judges. He judges not like man does. He knows. Verse 33. When your
people, Israel, be smitten down before the enemy, when, not if,
when? When they'll be smitten down
because they've sinned. He's going to go on to say this,
that all these things come upon them because they sinned against
thee. Psalm 51, is that maybe one of
your favorite chapters in all the Bible? It is to all of God's
people. Why? Do you know that most of
the martyrs went to their grave, went to the fiery stake, went
to their death quoting Psalm 51? At Silas Nichols' graveside ceremony,
I stood up and read Psalm 51. And standing beside me was a
Southern Baptist preacher at one of these so-called churches
locally. And as I began to read that at
that gravesite, I looked over at him and he had the most puzzled
look on his face. Like, why in the world are you
reading that? He didn't know, did he? Have mercy on me, O God. Isn't that every child of God's
constant cry? Isn't that what this whole prayer
is all about? Have mercy on me, O God, according to Thy lovingkindness,
according unto the multitude of Thy tender mercy. Blot out
my transgressions. Wash me throughly from my iniquity.
Cleanse me from my sin. I acknowledge my transgression.
My sin is ever before me. Against Thee and Thee only have
I sinned and done this evil in Thy sight. And we know our greatest need
is mercy. And we know where that mercy
is. It's in the Lord Jesus Christ. The blood that was shed for remission
of our sin. If they pray and confess, hear
in heaven and forgive the sin of your people. Verse 35, when
heaven shut up, there is no rain. Drought was always because of
sin. Drought was always, when the
Lord withheld rain, He always did that throughout the Old Testament. That was His chief judgment upon the land. Drought. Rain, you know. Rain is the greatest
blessing of God. Rain that comes down. Rain sustains
life. Without it, we die. We can't
go three days without water. And it comes freely now. That's
where it comes from, God. Which is a picture of salvation,
mercy, grace, Christ, rain. Drop down, ye heaven, let the
sky pour forth righteousness. Christ came down like rain on
the mown grass. Fragrance of Him. Soothing of
Him. Water of life. And when the people
sin against God, it dries up the rain. When we go through
droughts, the world goes through droughts literally, physically,
because of sin. He's still doing it. He's still
doing it and men don't see it. And spiritually we go through
droughts, don't we? All of us. Why? Why? I know why. Every time it happens to me,
I know why. Don't you? Hmm. When it dries up. Well, I'm dried up. Oh Lord,
because they sinned against Thee. If they pray toward Christ and
confess Your name, oh my, the Lord, the Lord God, merciful,
gracious. Hmm. When you afflict them, trials,
hear Thou in heaven and forgive. Hear thou and heaven, and forgive.
And teach them the good way wherein they should walk. Verse 37, if
there's in the land famine, if there's pestilence, and all of
these things, these are the plagues of Israel that you read about
in Deuteronomy 28. Go back and read that sometime.
The Lord told the children of Israel. It was all written to
the children of Israel. He said, here are the promises,
blessings, and here are the curses. I'll put on you the plagues of
Egypt. God's people are not immune from
the plagues of Egypt. Why? Because we act like Egyptians. The children of Israel, when
they came out, they had earrings in their ears. The men, they
got that from the Egyptians. And on and on it went. They had
all those perversions. And it wasn't long until they
were right back doing what the Lord brought them out of. Right?
Lord, Moses wasn't gone 40 days until they were in a mess. So these plagues often plague
us, but not unto judgment and damnation. Not to condemnation,
but for our good. For our good. Whatever prayer,
verse 38, in supplication is made, look at this, by any man,
any man, whosoever will, or all of them put together, any and
all, whoever, knows, here's the worst plague of all, here's what
we're plagued with more than anything, verse 38, who every
man who knows the plague of his own heart, And if anybody in here does not
know the plague of your heart, I don't think you know God. I
don't think you know Christ. I don't think you've ever heard
the gospel. And if your heart ever ceases
to plague you, I don't think you know God, and I don't think
you've heard the gospel. This is the first thing that
the Lord teaches His people, the Holy Spirit teaches, convinces
us. And it's a continual lesson all
our days to humble us and know the plague of our heart. You
all know what Psalm 38 says? Like Psalm 51? Sure you do. David
said, my loins are filled with a loathsome disease. David? Yes. Saw Romans 7. You know what Romans 7 says?
Sure you do. Paul, the great apostle said,
the things that I would do, I don't. The things that I don't want
to do, that's what I do. In my flesh dwelleth no good
thing. O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me? Those who
know the plague of their hearts, that's who need Christ, and only
those. And that's who God will hear,
because God sure knows He sure knows. Look at it. Verse 39,
Hear thou in heaven, and forgive, and do, and give every man according
to his ways, whose heart thou knowest. For thou, even thou
only, knowest the hearts of all the children of men. Here's a
good prayer to pray, Lord, show me my heart. The natural man,
his heart is Deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked,
and the Lord has to show him that, has to show him the plague
of his heart, and then give him a new heart, break his heart.
To this man will I look, the Lord said, Isaiah 66, he that
is poor and of a contrite heart, and trembleth at my word, the
word which convicts, convinces of sin, tremble. That's the one
I'll look to in what? Love, mercy, and grace. Oh Lord. Look at verse 40, that
they may fear Thee all the days they live in the land, that they
may fear Thee. There is forgiveness with Thee, David said in Psalm
130. There is forgiveness with Thee. Thank God. Our Lord said
all manner of sins shall be forgiven. If we confess our sins, He is
faithful and just to forgive us our sins, all our sins, transgressions. And the blood of Jesus Christ,
God's Son, cleanses us from all sin. What a wonderful birth. What a wonderful birth. But he
said in Psalm 130, he said, There is forgiveness with thee. Why?
That thou mayest be feared. That thou mayest be feared. Learn from it. Verse 41, Moreover
concerning a stranger, if there is a stranger that comes in from
a far country, and he prays toward this house. Do you remember people,
you Gentiles, you without Christ, aliens from the commonwealth
of Israel, strangers from the covenant of promise, having no
hope, without God in the world, do you remember? It wasn't that
long ago, but now, in Christ Jesus, who ye who sometime were
far off are made nigh. There was a time I was a stranger
to all this. It was strange to me. God was
strange to me. All of this talk of blood redemption,
Christ needing forgiveness, I didn't know the plague of my heart.
And I was a stranger to it all. I had no interest whatsoever.
And I was far off without God, without hope, without Christ,
but God. But now, I'm no longer a stranger,
but a fellow citizen of the household of the same. If they pray, these
Gentiles, they fear Thee and call, hear them. Hear them. Verse 44, if people
go out to battle against their enemy, wherever you send them, they
go out to battle. Over there earlier it said they'd
be smitten down. They'd be smitten down before
their enemy. That Lord said that Satan is
a roaring lion, seeketh whom he may devour. My enemies are
many. David said that over and over
again. The adversary. The world. And the worst fellow
of all is this old man. He keeps me down. They get me
down. All the time I'm smitten down.
I'm cast down all the time. When they're smitten down. And
they go out to battle against their enemy. And they wrestle.
They wrestle. Oh Lord, wherever You send them,
if they pray. If they pray unto the Lord Jesus
Christ. The One you've chosen among the
people, the One that you've set up in your name. Hear thou in
heaven, verse 45, and their supplication, and maintain their cause. He
says that two or three times. What is their cause? David said,
is there not a cause? Oh yeah. The cause of God's people. Their cause is the glory of God.
That's what they really seek. And that's how you know the difference.
That's how you know the difference. Whether God does anything for
them or not, they're going to glorify Him. They're going to
worship Him because He's worthy. God's cause is their salvation,
His glory, and their salvation. For the great love wherewith
He loved them. And that love is effectual. And that cause, the Lord maintains
that cause. He maintains it. David said,
is there not a cause? Yes, there is. And the Lord maintains
that cause. Verse 46, if they sin against
thee, there is no man that sinneth not. And you be angry with them
and deliver them to the enemy. And they're captives. Oh, my. Oh, my, my, my, my. You ever
feel like you're captive all over again? Huh? Satan's sin in the world. Things
you thought you were rid of a long time ago. Things you thought
You had the victory over, and now the times when you write
back, feel like you're captive all over again. Anybody? Anybody? Here's the key. Here's freedom.
If they make supplication, if they say, verse 47, we've sinned
and done perversely, we've committed wickedness and returned unto
thee with all their heart and all their soul in the land of
their enemy, and led them away captive. As a young preacher, I didn't
used to think there was any hope for somebody that left the Gospel
and stayed away a long time. I didn't think there was any
hope. I know better now. And I said as much as a young
preacher. And I'm not going to say that
again. As long as this Gospel is preached, it doesn't matter
how long that product goes away. It doesn't matter. There's forgiveness
with that. And if God in His mercy and His
grace will turn us, we'll be turned. And we come
back and He'll receive us like we never left. Because He's God
and He's not a man. Just like the prodigal. My, my, what a God. Well, that's
why He says, oh, you're so great. So great. I'm glad he's higher
than us, aren't you? Oh my, where are we? Verse 49, verse 50. Forgive thy people
that have sinned against thee, and all their transgression,
wherein they have transgressed against thee. And give them compassion
before them who carried them captive. Surely everybody in here has
a story of how you have obtained favor in the sight of the Egyptians.
Everybody in here can tell some story, probably a recent one,
of something amazing that the Lord has led unbelievers to do
and ended up being for your good. My, my. That's of the Lord. It's
not of the goodness of their heart. There's none that do us
good. No, not one. Not unregenerate people. But
the Lord leads them to do that and gives compassion. Gives them
compassion for His people's sake, like the Egyptians. And they
be thy people, verse 51. This is why the Lord will do
this. You know why the Lord will do all this. You know why the
Lord will answer this prayer. You know why He'll forgive every
time they call upon Him. You know why? Verse 51. Because they be thy people. because
he chose them. We were sinners when he chose
us. He knew what he was getting when he chose us. He didn't save
us because there was any goodness in us. And he's not going to
keep us when he doesn't find any. I mean, he's not going to throw
us out, cast us out. He said, I'll never cast you
out. They are my people. They are thine inheritance, the
heathen, right? Those are the ones you brought
out of Egypt. Verse 52, "...that your eyes may be opened unto
the supplication of thy servant." Oh my, our Lord's Prayer in John
17. Oh my. That's, as we said, that's
the greatest prayer in all of Scripture. If you've never read
it, read it. If you don't know what it's saying, read it. And
the Lord prayed through the whole prayer for His people. He said,
I pray not for the world. I pray for them that Thou hast
given Me. For they are Thine. Thine are Mine. Mine are Thine. And I have glorified Him then.
Unless someone says, we're just talking about the apostles. He
says, no, neither pray I for them only, for these alone, but
for them also which shall believe on Me through their word. That's
me. Two thousand years later, that's
me. And so he prays and he prays that wonderful prayer which the
Father answers for all of His people. I will, Father. He says, I will that they whom Thou
hast given Me be with Me where I am. If I could have it, I would
have my loved ones, you, every one of you, with me forever. Well, I can't do it. I can't
do anything according to my will. But Jesus Christ can, and He
does. They're your people. They're
your people. Verse 53, you separated them
from among all the heathen and among all the people of the earth
to be thine inheritance. Like you said to Moses, O Lord
God, they're your people. When they sin and they cry, please
forgive them. Isn't that good news? That's the gospel. That's the
gospel. For Christ's sake. For Christ's
sake. He went on, and I'm not going to go into it, but I do
want to show you one verse. He turned around and blessed
the people and blessed the Lord for giving them rest. He said
in verse 56, not one word of his good promise has failed. You can trust him. Yes, you can. Yes, you can. And so he offered
sacrifices and had a big feast that lasted 14 days. And down
in verse 66, the last verse, on the eighth day, he sent the
people away and they blessed the king. That's what we do in
the King of Kings. And they went under their tents,
and that's where we're going back tonight, going to our little
tents. We don't have here a permanent place, just a tent. And they
went back joyful and glad of heart. And I hope somebody's
got some joy out of this and some gladness of heart. I hope
you can say from the heart, I was glad when they said unto me,
Let's go to the house of the Lord. I'm sure glad I heard that.
I hope somebody. You can say thank you or whatever. Just something, just to know
you've heard something, okay? This is good. Man, this is good. Man, this is good. Wonderful
prayer. And they all went back and said,
joyful, glad of heart for all the goodness that the Lord had
done for David his servant and his people. My, my, we don't
deserve this gospel. We don't deserve it. But that's such is our God. He's
good. He's great. Delights to show
mercy. My, my. And I'm so glad because
I need it. All right, stand with me. Our Lord and our God, again we
say that our words are so shallow in light of this prayer you led
your servant Solomon to pray on behalf of your people. But
this is our prayer, Lord. All that he spoke, all that's
written, all that our Lord Jesus Christ spake, Lord, is our plea
that for Christ's sake you will hear him and forgive us. Thank You, Lord, for the blood
that was shed on Calvary's tree and placed on the mercy seat
for forgiveness of our sin. Thank You. We plead that always. Let us never lose sight of that.
Lord, take these words, take Your Word, write them on the
tables of our heart, dig our ears, let these sayings sink
down deep in our ears, because if we haven't heard it today,
we'll need it at another time. And let it spring up at a time
just when we need it. For Your great name's sake, and
it is for Your honor and glory and the praise of Your Son that
we've met here tonight. Amen. Thank you.