1 Kings 5-8

SOLOMON’S THE BUILDER

From Tents to Tent-makers
A History of God’s House

I intend, therefore, to build a temple
for the Name of the Lord my God
1 Kings 5-8

The Tabernacle (Acts 7:44-45)
The Tabernacle represented God’s presence in heaven
The Tabernacle demonstrated God’s Omnipresence
The Tabernacle was a place of purity & holiness

The 1st Temple (Acts 7:46-47)
The Temple project carried with it the danger of becoming like any other pagan temple
The Temple was planned with pure intentions
The Temple centralized worship of the one true God

Potential Problems
1. He felt there was no adversary
2. He widened the gap b/w the classes
3. He spent more time on the palace
4. It put too much focus on geography
5. It put God in a box

The 2nd Temple (Haggai 2:3-9)
The 2nd Temple was not nearly as impressive
The People still felt like they were in exile
Herod re-built it, attempting to exalt himself

Jesus Christ (John 2:21, Colossians 2:9)
Jesus left the temple, declaring it desolate
Jesus said He was the true temple
Jesus’ resurrection was the rebuilt temple

The Church
There are many definitions of the word ‘church’
---A ‘church’ can be a building
---A ‘church’ can be an institution
---A ‘church’ can be a local group of believers
The church is the body of Christ
Believers are God’s building/temple (1 Cor. 3:9, 16-17)
God is present in the midst of believers (2 Cor. 6:16)
We must continue offering sacrifices (1 Peter 2:5)
---Sacrifice of mercy (Matthew 9:13, 12:7)
---Sacrifice of love for your neighbor (Mark 12:33)
---Sacrifice of bodily service (Romans 12:1)
---Sacrifice of giving gifts (Philippians 4:18)
---Sacrifice of praise (Hebrews 13:15)
---Sacrifice of good works (Hebrews 13:16)
Only those in Christ are the eternal temple (Rev. 21:22)

Questions to Consider
Why did the veil tear at Jesus’ death?
Where did the 1st generation of believers meet?
How did things change after AD70?
What can we learn from early Christian writings?
How does this relate to building decisions?
What should be allowed in the ‘sanctuary’?
What should be allowed outside the ‘sanctuary?