And the LORD said unto him, I have heard thy prayer and thy supplication, that thou hast made before Me: I have hallowed this house, which thou hast built, to put My Name there for ever; and Mine eyes and Mine heart shall be there perpetually. And if thou wilt walk before Me, as David thy father walked, in integrity of heart, and in uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded thee, and wilt keep My Statutes and My Judgments: Then I will establish the throne of thy kingdom upon Israel for ever, as I promised to David thy father, saying, There shall not fail thee a man upon the throne of Israel. But if ye shall at all turn from following Me, ye or your children, and will not keep My Commandments and My Statutes which I have set before you, but go and serve other gods, and worship them: Then will I cut off Israel out of the land which I have given them; and this house, which I have hallowed for My Name, will I cast out of My sight; and Israel shall be a proverb and a byword among all people: And at this house, which is high, every one that passeth by it shall be astonished, and shall hiss; and they shall say, Why hath the LORD done thus unto this land, and to this house? And they shall answer, Because they forsook the LORD their God, who brought forth their fathers out of the land of Egypt, and have taken hold upon other gods, and have worshipped them, and served them: therefore hath the LORD brought upon them all this evil. (1 Kings 9:3-9)
The LORD came unto Solomon following the dedication of the temple and Solomon’s prayer unto God. He reminded him of all His promises and the Israelites responsibility to walk in the ways of the LORD and keep His Commandments. God also reiterated unto Solomon that if the people strayed from God’s Word and His Statutes unto Israel, including Solomon, that Israel would be cut off from before the LORD and the temple would no longer be a meeting place for God and His people but a proverb against them because of the judgment of God. God promised to bless those who kept His Word by faith and that judgment would come to the nation that forgot God.
God promised blessing upon Solomon and the people of Israel if they would obey in faith, not because their works would save them, but because of their trust in the LORD God and all His benefits unto His people. He also warned them that judgment would come upon the people and nation that turned away in disobedience from Him and His Commandments. The LORD’S exhortation and warning promised blessing to the faithful and judgment to those who disobeyed God. Even the temple, which God had hallowed by His presence during the dedication, would not stand as a testimony of the grace of God and the faith of His people, but would become a monument and memory of the judgment of God and the disobedience of the people of Israel.
Christians, those who have put their faith and trust in God and His finished and perfect work on the Cross of Calvary, in repentance and surrender on His terms, are now the temple of the living God. God has hallowed us unto Himself, not by our works or because any of us are worthy in any way to receive His grace, but because of His great love for His creation, redeemed out of the bondage of sin. God desires that all return unto Him for His salvation and receive His grace through faith and that His people remain faithful to the calling with which they are called. Chastisement and calamity may arise from our disobedience, and certainly sin has brought evil and destruction to this broken world, but God is gracious and long-suffering. God’s people are to glorify the God who has redeemed them out of the bondage of sin by going out to this lost and dying world and reaching the lost with the Gospel, teaching the nations whatsoever He has commanded, and preaching His Word at all times and in all places. Our faithful obedience, not to gain or keep the salvation which God has given by grace, but because of our love for our Creator, Redeemer, and King, leads us to walk in His ways and do all that He has commanded and commissioned us to do until He is done with us.
Until that day, God has sent those of us who are His saints and know Him out into this world to reach the lost that they might be saved from sin. He desires that His people strive to be holy and obedient unto Him that we might minister to those around us who are hurting and in need as He provides. We serve others, equipped with the Word of reconciliation and righteousness, rightly divided and fitly spoken, that they may see Christ in us, the hope of Glory. Our God has commanded us to love one another with an unfeigned love, even as He first loved us, and to disciple one another in the Word of God so that we may all grow in grace and in the Knowledge of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Our Lord has commissioned those who are His with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, to go where He sends us in the power of the Holy Spirit. As we go, we are to proclaim the Good News of forgiveness through repentance and reconciliation with the Father through faith in His Son, that those who believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah of God might have life in His Name.
God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and the knowledge of the Truth. Jesus loves you and wants to establish a covenant relationship with you that is real and personal. Surrender to Him on His terms and He will give you a brand new life of discipleship and fellowship with Him that is abundant and everlasting. God calls you to faith in Christ and His finished and perfect work on the Cross of Calvary to pay your sIn debt. He has provided the only way of reconciliation with God, forgiveness from God, and Salvation through Jesus Christ, the Son of God who is God the Son, to give you a new life in Christ. Turn away from yourself and your sIn and turn to Him alone for eternal Life, now and always.
In Christ,
Jefferson Sweet
God promised blessing upon Solomon and the people of Israel if they would obey in faith, not because their works would save them, but because of their trust in the LORD God and all His benefits unto His people. He also warned them that judgment would come upon the people and nation that turned away in disobedience from Him and His Commandments. The LORD’S exhortation and warning promised blessing to the faithful and judgment to those who disobeyed God. Even the temple, which God had hallowed by His presence during the dedication, would not stand as a testimony of the grace of God and the faith of His people, but would become a monument and memory of the judgment of God and the disobedience of the people of Israel.
Christians, those who have put their faith and trust in God and His finished and perfect work on the Cross of Calvary, in repentance and surrender on His terms, are now the temple of the living God. God has hallowed us unto Himself, not by our works or because any of us are worthy in any way to receive His grace, but because of His great love for His creation, redeemed out of the bondage of sin. God desires that all return unto Him for His salvation and receive His grace through faith and that His people remain faithful to the calling with which they are called. Chastisement and calamity may arise from our disobedience, and certainly sin has brought evil and destruction to this broken world, but God is gracious and long-suffering. God’s people are to glorify the God who has redeemed them out of the bondage of sin by going out to this lost and dying world and reaching the lost with the Gospel, teaching the nations whatsoever He has commanded, and preaching His Word at all times and in all places. Our faithful obedience, not to gain or keep the salvation which God has given by grace, but because of our love for our Creator, Redeemer, and King, leads us to walk in His ways and do all that He has commanded and commissioned us to do until He is done with us.
Until that day, God has sent those of us who are His saints and know Him out into this world to reach the lost that they might be saved from sin. He desires that His people strive to be holy and obedient unto Him that we might minister to those around us who are hurting and in need as He provides. We serve others, equipped with the Word of reconciliation and righteousness, rightly divided and fitly spoken, that they may see Christ in us, the hope of Glory. Our God has commanded us to love one another with an unfeigned love, even as He first loved us, and to disciple one another in the Word of God so that we may all grow in grace and in the Knowledge of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Our Lord has commissioned those who are His with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, to go where He sends us in the power of the Holy Spirit. As we go, we are to proclaim the Good News of forgiveness through repentance and reconciliation with the Father through faith in His Son, that those who believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah of God might have life in His Name.
God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and the knowledge of the Truth. Jesus loves you and wants to establish a covenant relationship with you that is real and personal. Surrender to Him on His terms and He will give you a brand new life of discipleship and fellowship with Him that is abundant and everlasting. God calls you to faith in Christ and His finished and perfect work on the Cross of Calvary to pay your sIn debt. He has provided the only way of reconciliation with God, forgiveness from God, and Salvation through Jesus Christ, the Son of God who is God the Son, to give you a new life in Christ. Turn away from yourself and your sIn and turn to Him alone for eternal Life, now and always.
In Christ,
Jefferson Sweet
RSS Feed