Sermon Notes of Senior Pastor Glen Weber's Sermon on June 26, 2016 "You Are God s Temple" Part Two of a Three Part Series

Transcription

1 Sermon Notes of Senior Pastor Glen Weber's Sermon on June 26, 2016 "You Are God s Temple" Part Two of a Three Part Series [In today s sermon, "You Are God s Temple Part Two", senior pastor Glen Weber shows that God created sacred spaces the Garden of Eden, the Tabernacle and the Jerusalem Temple so He could be with humanity.] Notes: Introduction: God wants to be with you and me! The Father wants times when He can hang-out with humanity!! Ancient Israel s viewpoint: Three weeks ago, pastor Glen spoke about the fact that when Moses wrote Genesis, the people of Israel would not have been thinking about creation of stuff such as dirt, plants, stars, suns, people, etc. Israel s view of Genesis 1-2 is that God was preparing His temple/cosmos for Himself and humanity. God resting with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. The best we can understand from the literature of the time, Israel would have been thinking temple and the presence of God. Gen. 2:1, Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. God has now completed bringing function and order to the creation. 2) By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. God finished the work He had been doing. 3) Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done. God sets aside sacred time/place to make it holy and rests. In Near Eastern literature, a god resting was understood as him settling his presence into a temple Rest was a very active word to them. A time of ruler-ship and progress having brought peace to a situation. God s rest brings sacred space. The God of Israel had brought order from the chaos of Gen. 1:2 (tohu and bohu) and created a paradise with humanity in it.

2 2 The First Sacred Space: We now come to the first sacred space the Garden of Eden (the temple). Gen. 2:15, The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. First God puts humanity in the Garden of Eden. This is the place of rest that God has created. Humanity will be working and taking care of the garden/earth. As we read three weeks ago from John Walton, this was not a landscaping process, but a participating with God in advancing the creation. 16) And the LORD God commanded the man, You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; The Tree of Life was there for them to partake of as well as all the other food trees. Of course, they chose another way the tree of deciding for themselves what was best for their life. Genesis 3:8, Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden God is walking in the garden in the cool of the day wanting to communicate with Adam and Eve. God didn t hide Himself from mankind, but rather mankind hid themselves from God. 23) So the LORD God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. 24) After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life. God banishes them from the Garden so they can t eat the Tree of Life. But God has not given up on His desire to be with humanity. With Humanity in the Wilderness: Thousands of years later, God again intervenes in the lives of humanity through Moses. Exodus 33:7, Now Moses used to take a tent and pitch it outside the camp some distance away, calling it the tent of meeting. Anyone inquiring of the LORD would go to the tent of meeting outside the camp. Moses and the Tent of Meeting 8) And whenever Moses went out to the tent, all the people rose and stood at the entrances to their tents, watching Moses until he entered the tent. People rise and stood at the entrance of their tents when Moses goes into his tent.

3 3 9) As Moses went into the tent, the pillar of cloud would come down and stay at the entrance, while the LORD spoke with Moses. The pillar of cloud would come down and God would speak with Moses. 10) Whenever the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance to the tent, they all stood and worshiped, each at the entrance to their tent. People worshiped and honored God while He was present at the tent of Moses. 11) The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, but his young aide Joshua son of Nun did not leave the tent of meeting. God would speak to Moses face-to-face meaning as a friend. This was a very relational and friendly meeting. In verses12-22, Moses asks to see the glory of the Lord. God places Moses in a cleft in the rock and covers him with His hand until He has passed by. Then God removes His hand and Moses will be able to only see God s back side. The Tabernacle: In Exodus 35-39, all the preparations for the Tabernacle are discussed in detail. Exodus 40:2, Set up the tabernacle, the tent of meeting, on the first day of the first month. God tells Moses to set up the Tabernacle the Tent of Meeting 3) Place the ark of the covenant law in it and shield the ark with the curtain. The ark of the testimony/covenant was to be placed in it. This was creating a sacred space for God. In verses:4-33, Moses places all the various pieces of liturgical equipment in the Tabernacle. 34) Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. God comes to the Tabernacle with His glory. 35) Moses could not enter the tent of meeting because the cloud had settled on it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle Moses can t even enter the tabernacle because the presence of God is so powerful. In verses 36-38, God stayed with them throughout the entire 40 year journey until they had safely crossed the Jordan River into the land.

4 4 The land of Canaan, a land flowing with milk and honey, was a type of the temple a sacred space where people were to be in relationship with God. But unfortunately, Israel turned away from God time and time again. The Temple in Jerusalem: It was around 400 years since Joshua with his army crossed the Jordan River until David finally secured Jerusalem from the Jebusites. David wants to build a Temple for God in Jerusalem, but God won t allow David to do that because of David s involvement in bloody wars. So, Solomon, David s son was granted by God to build the Temple. Now we look at Solomon s completion of the Temple in Jerusalem. I Kings 5-7, we see all the preparation and building of the Temple just like in Exodus for the Tabernacle. Then the Ark of the Testimony/Covenant is brought to the Temple 1 Kings8:9, There was nothing in the ark except the two stone tablets that Moses had placed in it at Horeb, where the LORD made a covenant with the Israelites after they came out of Egypt. Nothing was in the ark except the two tables of stone Ten Commandments. 10) When the priests withdrew from the Holy Place, the cloud filled the temple of the LORD The cloud fills the Temple. The priests can t function because of God s overwhelming glory same as in Exodus 40. Later, Solomon offers various prayers, including a prayer of dedication (1 Kings 8:22-53). 1 Kings 8:54, When Solomon had finished all these prayers and supplications to the LORD, he rose from before the altar of the LORD, where he had been kneeling with his hands spread out toward heaven. Solomon is on his knees before God with his hands stretched out. 55) He stood and blessed the whole assembly of Israel in a loud voice, Solomon blesses the whole assembly (verses 56-61) Verses The dedication ceremony. 65) They celebrate the festival and then an additional seven days They observed the festival for 14 days instead of 7. 1 Kings 9:1, When Solomon had finished building the temple of the LORD and the royal palace, and had achieved all he had desired to do, 2) the LORD appeared to him a second time, as he had appeared to him at Gibeon.

5 5 When Solomon had finished the Temple, God appears to him, a second time. 3) The LORD said to him: I have heard the prayer and plea you have made before me; I have consecrated this temple, which you have built, by putting my Name there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there. God consecrates the Temple. He enters the Temple for His rest creating sacred space. God say s My eyes and my heart will always be there. Time of meditation before God: Pastor Glen asked the congregation to focus on God in prayer about His desire to be with humanity by creating sacred space from the Garden of Eden on. Closing Prayer