“May you succeed in building the house of the Lord your God”

“. . .may the Lord be with you, and may you succeed in building the house of the Lord your God, as he said about you”

(1 Chr. 22:11 CSB17).

The words above were originally spoken by King David to his son Solomon. But as I read them this morning, I realized that they apply to each and everyone of us who, by God’s grace, has become a follower of Jesus Christ.

David was speaking to Solomon about the magnificent temple it would be his job to build. We are called by God to work together to build an even more glorious temple. The temple is where people experience God. Today, because of the new covenant established by the blood of Christ, the Holy Spirit dwells in each of us. You are a temple of God (1 Corinthians 3:16)! While the Bible speaks of each of us being a temple of God, a place where God dwells in a special way, it also speaks of all of us together being God’s holy temple:

19 So then you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with the saints, and members of God's household,

 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone.

 21 In him the whole building, being put together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.

 22 In him you are also being built together for God's dwelling in the Spirit.

(Eph. 2:19-22 CSB17)

In other words, when we work to build up the church, we are doing the same job Solomon did: we are building a glorious temple, a place to experience God.

Solomon was chosen to be in charge of building the temple. Who is in charge of building the temple we are working on? None other than the King of Kings and Lord or Lords, our Savior Jesus Christ:

I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. (Matt. 16:18b CSB17)

So, our Lord is in charge, and each of us is called to serve Him in this work.  What do we need to succeed in this task? The same things Solomon needed. Back in 1 Chronicles 22, after praying for Solomon’s success, David continues to pray and speak about five things Solomon would need:

1. Insight

Solomon is famous for his wisdom. We need wisdom as we work together with others to reach people for Christ and to help each other grow in Christ. Praise God, He has promised to give us wisdom when we ask for it (James 1:5).

2. Obedience

The temple is God’s temple and it must be built God’s way. Therefore, obeying all that Jesus commands  is essential for building up His church (Matthew 28:20).

3. Strength

The workers in Solomon’s day needed physical strength as they worked with stone, bronze, and lumber to build the great temple. How much more we need spiritual strength to do the work Christ leads us in. Our strength comes from our relationship with God (Psalm 28:7, Ephesians 6:10).

4. Courage

David encouraged his son to be courageous. We all need courage for the work of building God’s spiritual temple, His church. Our work is opposed by fierce and ruthless enemies: the world, the devil, and our own flesh. Praise God, he gives us the courage we need to press with the task in this dark and evil world (John 16:33, 1 Corinthians 16:13).

5. God’s Provision

David gathered great provisions for the work Solomon would do. In the same way, God provides all we need as we work to build His church. One of the resources He prepares for us is other Christians. He provides all the people with all the right gifts and experiences to work together to build His glorious temple (Ephesians 4:11, 1 Corinthians 12:28).

Be Encouraged!

Like Solomon, God has called you to help build something glorious. The temple Solomon built would eventually be utterly destroyed. But the Church will last forever, shining in the kingdom of our God. As you think about this, hopefully the words David spoke to Solomon three thousand years ago will suddenly feel fresh and relevant to your life today:

¹¹ "Now, my son, may the Lord be with you, and may you succeed in building the house of the Lord your God, as he said about you.

 ¹² Above all, may the Lord give you insight and understanding when he puts you in charge of Israel so that you may keep the law of the Lord your God.

 ¹³ Then you will succeed if you carefully follow the statutes and ordinances the Lord commanded Moses for Israel. Be strong and courageous. Don't be afraid or discouraged.

 ¹⁴ "Notice I have taken great pains to provide for the house of the Lord-- 3,775 tons of gold, 37,750 tons of silver, and bronze and iron that can't be weighed because there is so much of it. I have also provided timber and stone, but you will need to add more to them.

 ¹⁵ You also have many workers: stonecutters, masons, carpenters, and people skilled in every kind of work

 ¹⁶ in gold, silver, bronze, and iron-- beyond number. Now begin the work, and may the Lord be with you."

 (1 Chr. 22:11-16 CSB17)

  Hebrews 13:16 And do not forget to do good and to share with others . . .

Why Royal Weddings Are So Popular

I didn’t get up early to watch the royal wedding. In fact, I didn’t even watch a video of it. But I can understand why so many people did. It makes sense to me why huge crowds lined up to catch a glimpse of it. Every royal wedding (and for that matter, all our less-than-royal weddings) is a dim reflection of something we all long for. We long for the fulfilment of God’s plans. It will be the most glorious event in all history. I’m talking about the wedding of the Lamb.

Jesus died so that He could make us holy. Because He wants and is worthy of a spotless bride:

CSB Ephesians 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her

 26 to make her holy, cleansing her with the washing of water by the word.

 27 He did this to present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or anything like that, but holy and blameless.

Just like in the best fairy tales, before the wedding, the groom rescues His bride. Jesus is the hero who slays the dragon. Jesus rescues us both from our own sins and from a sinful, evil world and all the forces of evil in it.

While we cannot save ourselves, neither are we passive in preparing for the great wedding day. All of our serving, praying, giving, and going for God are righteous acts that are part of the preparation. Like every bride, we, the Church, are getting ready:

Revelation 19:7 Let us be glad, rejoice, and give him glory, because the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his bride has prepared herself.

 8 She was given fine linen to wear, bright and pure. For the fine linen represents the righteous acts of the saints.

After all the struggles and warfare, all the defeats and victories, there comes a magnificent event. We will spend the rest of eternity in a perfect love relationship with our God and with our Savior. He has prepared a new home for us to share together. It will be glorious.

These truths are so moving, they are perhaps best captured in song. Here are two songs that capture some of this truth:

CSB17 Revelation 21:1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.

 2 I also saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared like a bride adorned for her husband.

 3 Then I heard a loud voice from the throne: Look, God's dwelling is with humanity, and he will live with them. They will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them and will be their God.

 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; grief, crying, and pain will be no more, because the previous things have passed away.

Hebrews 13:16 And do not forget to do good and to share with others . . .