Good morning. Turn to 1 Kings chapter 6. And it came to pass in the 480th
year after the children of Israel were come out of the land of
Egypt, In the fourth year of Solomon's reign over Israel,
in the month Ziph, which is the second month, that he began to
build the house of the Lord. And the house which King Solomon
built for the Lord, the length thereof was three
score cubits, 90 feet long, And the breadth thereof, 20 cubits,
30 feet wide, and the height thereof, 30 cubits, 45 feet high. And the porch before the temple
of the house, 20 cubits was the length thereof, according to
the breadth of the house. And 10 cubits was the breadth
thereof before the house. And for the house, he made windows
of narrow lights. And against the wall of the house,
he built chambers roundabout, against the walls of the house
roundabout, both of the temple and of the oracle, and he made
chambers roundabout. The nethermost chamber was five
cubits broad, and the middle was six cubits broad, and the
third was seven cubits broad. These are buildings on the wall
outside of the temple. In the house he made narrow dress
round about that the beams should not be fastened in the walls
of the house. Verse seven, this is the verse I want to emphasize. And the house, when it was in
building, was built of stone made ready before it was brought
thither. So that there was neither hammer
nor axe, nor any tool of iron heard in the house, which was
in the building. Let's pray together. Lord, we come into your presence
in Christ's name and Lord, we ask in his name
that we might be found in him. that we might be enabled to rest
in him, to look to him only, and to walk with him by faith.
We ask for the spirit of worship. We ask that we might be enabled
by your grace to hear your gospel. Bless us for Christ's sake. Forgive
us of our sins for Christ's sake. May we hear the joyful sound
and Lord, what we're asking for ourselves, we ask for all your
people, wherever they meet together in Christ's name, we pray. Amen. Now first Kings six and seven,
those two chapters are about the building of the temple. God moved Solomon to begin and
to complete this construction project. And it took seven years. That's a long time. Seven years
to build this building. It took 150,000 laborers and
3,300 foremen over the laborers. Seven years in construction and
the size of the building was not as big as this room. It was 2,700 square feet. Now it was 45 feet high, but
this room has 3,200 square feet. So this building that took 150,000
people to make it, seven years. What kind of construction
project was this? Why did it take so long And how
come there were so many people in it, used to make this building? Now what this represents is the
temple of God. Well, it is the temple of God,
but it represents the true temple of God. Within this building,
there was a room called the Oracle. And I love the way, this took
the place of the Holy of Holies. There hadn't been the tabernacle
that was movable all over the place, but no longer. Now there's
this fixed temple, and within the temple, there's a room called
the oracle. It's called that several times
in this chapter and the next chapter, the oracle. And I think
that's glorious. It represents the holy of holies,
the place where the priest would bring in the blood once a year
behind the veil, and it's called the oracle. It was 30 feet by
30 feet by 30 feet. It was a perfect cube. And it's
called the Word of God, the Oracle of God. Christ Jesus himself,
how God saves sinners through him is the Word, is the Oracle
of God. Now, this building was made of
cedar planks, the hardest wood covered with gold. That represents
the deity and the perfect humanity of the Lord Jesus Christ. And
I think it's interesting how even the floors were poured gold floors made of gold. I don't read of any other building. I don't know. Maybe there have
been, but I don't know of any other building where the floors
were made of gold, but I, I can't help, but think of how in heaven
and since the streets are going to be paved with gold. That shows
how unimportant gold is. The streets are paved with gold. And I dare say that this may
be the only building ever constructed that was perfect. Everything
was in perfect square. Everything was perfect. Now, Solomon knew that this building
couldn't contain the Lord God. Look in 1 Kings 8 when he's dedicating
the temple. Verse 27, But will God indeed
dwell on the earth? He's speaking of dedicating this
temple to God. But will God indeed dwell on
the earth? Behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot
contain thee. You know, the entire universe
is in the palm of his hand. Somebody says, is it expanding?
Is it contracting? I don't know. I don't know, but
I do know this. The entire universe is in the
palm of his hand and he cannot be contained by a building. But this building represents
something. It represents the person of the
Lord Jesus Christ. Christ Jesus is the temple of
God. He's the dwelling place of God.
He is God. And in him dwells all the fullness
of the Godhead bodily. Who can understand or grasp or
explain that? All the fullness of the immense,
immutable, eternal God dwells in the body of Jesus Christ.
And the church, every believer, is said to be the temple of God. Christ dwells in every believer. Christ in you, the hope of glory. Now, that's something believed. Not understood, but believed. The mystery of the gospel. And
then look in verse seven. And the house, when it was in
building, 1 Kings chapter 6 verse 7, And the house, when it was
in building, was built of stone made ready before. Now just get a hold of that.
The house was made of stone made ready before. It was brought hither so that
there was neither hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron heard
in the house. while it was in the building.
And when's the last time you were at a construction site?
They're so loud. Jackhammers and heavy equipment
and the pounding of hammers. And it's just a loud place. I've never been to a construction
site that wasn't very loud. But here, there was complete
silence in the putting together of this temple. You couldn't
hear the sound of work at all. Now that is why it took 150,000
men to use these stones out of the quarry and have them chiseled
perfectly before they were brought to the construction site, that
they would fit in perfectly. They were made ready before they
were brought into this house. Now I couldn't help but think
of Exodus 20. Turn with me there. This is the giving of the law. God had just given the Ten Commandments,
and what a mercy, after He's given the Ten Commandments, we
read about an altar. Now what's an altar for? It's
for sacrifice. After God gave the Ten Commandments,
He knew the children of Israel weren't going to keep them. So
even in this very chapter regarding the law, we're given some so
important information regarding sacrifice and the altar. Now
let's pick up reading. In verse 24 of Exodus chapter
20, an altar of earth thou shalt make unto me and shalt sacrifice
thereon thy burnt offerings and thy peace offerings, thy sheep
and thine oxen in all the places where I record my name. I will
come unto thee and I will bless thee. Now, all these sheep and
oxen are given for is to picture the coming lamb of God. He's
saying, you're not going to keep this law. I know you won't, but
I'm providing a sacrifice. And look what's said about this
altar. And if thou will make me an altar stone, thou shalt
not build it of ewen stone, for if thou lift up thy tool upon
it, thou hast polluted it. If you put your tool, your works
anywhere in this, all you've done is polluted it. Now, in 1 Kings chapter 7, turn
back there, notice this phrase, and the house
was in building, was built of stone, made, ready, before it was brought thither. Now, when I read this verse of
scripture a couple of weeks ago, it thrilled me. It thrilled me. Stone made ready before it was
brought into the temple. And I thought, this is great. And I looked up on Sermon Audio,
and that's what I always do to find out if I can find any sermons
on it, and I found one. And in this sermon, the man dealt
with the stones being made ready during this life. How trials
and troubles and afflictions polish us and make us more ready
for the kingdom of heaven. And we become more and more confirmed,
conformed to the image of Christ through the experiences he brings
our way. And what occurred to me when
I heard that, I thought that ruined that verse for me, if
that's what it means. I was so happy. And if that's what it
means, I've lost all my happiness about it because all that is,
is what is called progressive sanctification. Now, what is
progressive sanctification? People use the term a lot. What
is progressive sanctification? Well, sanctification means holy,
separate, made holy. And those who maintain progressive
sanctification maintain that we are gradually through God's
working on us and chiseling on us and we're made more and more
conformed to the image of Christ. We're made more and more holy
and less and less sinful. Two things about that. Number
one, it does not line up with the word of God. That's what's
most important. It doesn't line up with the word
of God when Paul is speaking of his own experience. And I
feel sure that Paul wasn't hanging out in bars or robbing banks
or anything like that. I feel quite sure of that. He
was living a life of godliness and sincerity and what a man
Paul was, but what is his confession about himself from his own experience?
Two things. Number one, I'm the chief of
sinners right now. Number two, oh wretched man that
I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death. Now,
if in your experience, you rise above that, your experience is
contrary to Paul's, and it's not scriptural. It's just not
scriptural. I know people can take this and
abuse it and say, what's grace done for you? Well, grace done
a lot for me. But I'm talking about my experience,
about myself. If this verse of scripture means
you're gradually made more and more conformed to the image of
Christ through this process of what God brings you through, I hope I'm growing in grace.
That's what we're going to talk about this morning in the service,
what is growth in grace. But this is not some kind of
process. This life is not some kind of
process. where I become more and more conformed to the image
of Christ because I was conformed to the image of Christ when God
foreknew me and predestinated me to be conformed to the image
of Christ, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
Moreover, whom he did predestinate, then he also called. Whom He
called, then He also justified. Whom He justified, then He also
glorified. I was conformed to the image
of Christ in the act of God's foreknowledge and predestination.
And that's not something I grow into. That's not something I
become more and more conformed to. When God conformed me to
the image of Christ, I was conformed to the image of Christ. And I
stand before God as I've always stood in the person of my representative,
the Lord Jesus Christ. perfectly conformed to his image. Right now, when I was born, before
I was born, and when I'm in glory, notice these stones were made
ready not gradually made ready before
they were brought into the temple that there would be no sound
of works at all in this temple. Human works are not allowed in
the equation. How do you feel about that? Does
that offend you? To every believer, they're thankful. They're thankful. My salvation
was made ready before I was ever born, when Christ stood as my
surety and said, of my hands shall you require of him. If
I bring him not and set him before you, then let me bear the blame
forever. My salvation was made ready when
Christ stood as my surety. My salvation was made ready That's
perfect, perfectly chiseled, perfect. stone to fit perfectly
in the temple, my salvation was made ready when Christ kept the
law for me. I love that scripture where he
said to John the Baptist, thus it becometh us to fulfill all
righteousness. When he kept the law, I did too. And I was made ready in perfect
righteousness before God before I was ever born when Christ kept
the law for me. I was made ready When Christ
cried from the cross, it is finished. Nothing left to do. I was made ready. Where do you come into this?
Rest. Rest. There's nothing for me
to do. Rest. Don't you do anything? Well, yeah, I rest. I rest. I believe on the Son of God.
And that's what it is to be made ready beforehand. And I know
what that does to the child of God. It gives them assurance.
It gives them confidence. It gives him joy to know that
my salvation was accomplished by what my Lord did. It doesn't
give him some kind of license that, well, good. Now I can go
out and sin all I want. It doesn't have that, that, uh,
view toward a child of God. When he hears this, it just makes
him rejoice in Christ Jesus, the Lord already glorified. Now, let me show you a couple
of scriptures. Turn to Hebrews chapter 10. You know, I was looking over
these notes this morning. I thought, well, these are scriptures I
go to all the time. And I thought, well, is there
a problem with that? No, there's no problem with it
all. Hebrews chapter 10. Verse. 10. By the witch will, by God's
will We are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus
Christ and our acceptance of him as our personal savior. No
one doesn't say anything like that, does it? We are sanctified through the
offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. Now, what that means is it's
in the perfect tense in the original. Perfectly completed, never to
be repeated. It knows no progress, it knows
no gain, it knows no loss. It's perfect in Christ Jesus. What a gospel. Once for all. Made ready and perfected once
for all. Now turn with me to Hebrews chapter
four. And this is saying the exact
same thing. Hebrews chapter four, verse three,
for we, which have believed do enter into rest. As he said, as I've sworn in
my wrath, talking about those who didn't believe if they shall
enter into my rest or they won't enter into my rest, although
the works were what finished. from the foundation of the world. They were prepared and completed
before time began. Now that's what God's word says.
And this is what we rest in, that our salvation was prepared
by God before time began. Now turn with me to Ephesians
chapter two. This is what all this pictures,
Ephesians chapter two. Beginning in verse 20. Let's start in verse 19. Now, therefore,
you are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens
with the saints and the household of God and are built upon the
foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself. Don't you love the way that sounds?
Jesus Christ himself, being the chief cornerstone in whom all
the building fitly framed together. These rocks chiseled out before
time began, so they join perfectly together. Groweth up unto an
holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are builded together
for inhabitation of God. through the spirit. That's what
this temple represents, the church, which is the habitation of God
through the spirit. Look in Ephesians chapter four. Verse 11, and he gave some apostles
and some prophets and some evangelists and some pastors and teachers
for the perfecting, the maturing of the saints. for the work of
the ministry, for the edifying, the building up of the body of
Christ, till we all come in the unity of the faith and of the
knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect man, unto the measure
of the stature of the fullness of Christ, that we henceforth
be no more children tossed to and fro and carried about with
every wind of doctrine, by the slide of men and cunning craftiness,
whereby they lie and wait to deceive, But speaking the truth
in love, we may grow up into Him in all things, which is the
head, even Christ, from whom the whole body fitly joined together
and compacted by that which every joint supplieth according to
the effectual working and the measure of every part. maketh
increase of the body into the edifying of itself in love. Now
there's the temple, there's the true temple. And I would, there's
so much in that verse of scripture that I don't have time to, it's
all what we're looking at now, we'll look at it some other time,
what all that means, but this is the temple of God. Turn to
1 Peter 2. 1 Peter 2. Verse four, to whom coming as
unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men. He's
the foundation stone rejected by men, but chosen of God and
precious. You also as living stones, lively
stones are built up a spiritual house. and holy priesthood to
offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. Wherefore also it's contained
in the scripture, behold, I lay in Zion. This is God speaking.
I lay in Zion, a chief cornerstone, elect and precious. And he that
believeth on him shall not be confounded, shall not be put
to shame, shall not be confused. You're going to understand that
he only is your foundation. Now here's the evidence of all
this, verse seven, unto you therefore which believe, he is precious. Now that's the hallmark of all
them that believe, he is precious. But unto them which be disobedient,
unbelieving, The stone which the builders disallowed and rejected,
the same as made the head of the corner, and a stone of stumbling
and a rock of offense, even to them which stumble at the word,
being disobedient, whereunto also they were appointed." You know, instead of trying to explain
that verse of scripture, I'm just going to believe it. And
I'm not ashamed of it. Does that say they were appointed
to this? Yes, it does. Do I understand all of that and
all the implications? No, I don't. But I do know that
God is sovereign and whatever he does is right, just, holy,
and true. And I rest in that. I rest in that. They were appointed.
But you are a chosen and elect generation. A royal priesthood. holy nation, a peculiar or a
purchased people, that you should show forth the praises of him
who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light, which
in times past were not a people, but are now the people of God,
which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy."
Now that's what God's temple is. They're stones made ready
before. by God. And they're living stones,
they're living stones laid on the foundation that God has laid,
Christ being the chief cornerstone. And they fit perfectly together. And this temple, the church of
the living God, all of God's elect, all for whom Christ died,
the general assembly and church of the firstborn whose names
are written in heaven, that's the way the scripture calls them,
the spirits of just men made perfect. This is the true temple
of God. And the fact that we were made
ready beforehand is a reminder to us that our salvation has
nothing to do with our works, but has wholly to do with Him
making us ready beforehand. And you know what we say to that? Thank you, Lord. for saving my
soul. Thank you, Lord, for making me
whole. Thank you, Lord, for giving to
me thy great salvation, so rich, so free. Amen.