Treasures of the House of God. Sermon preached by Stephen Kennedy

Treasures of the House of God

I Chronicles 28:9-12

As stated before, through the Scriptures we should know and understand about the three homes given to man by God Himself. He gave first a family home to our first parents. God wants all to know the joy of having a family home, saved or unsaved; this is the privilege of man. Second, God will give to all who believe in His Son, Jesus Christ a future home in Heaven with Him. Third, to all who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and are redeemed, He not only gives assurance of a future home in eternity but also the privilege of enjoying a fellowship home with saints here on earth, the gathering place for the family of God. Here we see this fellowship home as the local assembly or the church where we attend regularly. Also we call it "the house of God". 1 Peter 4:17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?

I)                   The Structure for the Lord. Temple building

A)    The Preparation.  Before there has ever been any great achievement there was great planning. Many years of planning and preparing was done before the completion of the temple. So has it been with the church of our Lord Jesus Christ. In fact, He is still building or preparing it. 1 Corinthians 14:40 Let all things be done decently and in order.

1.      Preparation of the Christ. Isaiah 40:3 The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

2.      Preparation of the Church. Revelation 21:2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. Revelation 19:6-7 And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.

3.      Preparation of the Christian. 2 Timothy 2:21 If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work.

B)    The Pattern. Vs. 12

1.      By the Spirit. John 16:13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

2.      As the Shadow. Hebrews 8:5 Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount.

C)    The Purpose. 1 Chronicles 28:9-10 And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the LORD searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever. Take heed now; for the LORD hath chosen thee to build an house for the sanctuary: be strong, and do it.

1.      For Serving the Lord. 1 Corinthians 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

2.      For Seeking the Lord. Matthew 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

3.      For Strengthening in the Lord. Hebrews 10:23-25 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

D)    The Picture. Nothing had ever been built on earth to pattern it after, and nothing would ever be built after it to compare to it. As the tabernacle would picture the Lord Jesus as Saviour and His followers as pilgrims and strangers on the earth, the temple would picture Jesus Christ the Lord and His family permanently in eternity.

1.      Christ. John 2:18-19 Then answered the Jews and said unto him, What sign shewest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things? Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.

a.       His Sacrifice. 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

2.      Christians. 1 Corinthians 6:19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

a.       Our Separation. 2 Corinthians 6:16-18 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. 

II)                The Subject and His Love. Treasures brought

A)    David’s Summons. 1 Chronicles 28:1 And David assembled all the princes of Israel, the princes of the tribes, and the captains of the companies that ministered to the king by course, and the captains over the thousands, and captains over the hundreds, and the stewards over all the substance and possession of the king, and of his sons, with the officers, and with the mighty men, and with all the valiant men, unto Jerusalem. David is giving the Charge to his Son Solomon.

1.      Moses to Joshua. Deuteronomy 34:9 And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom; for Moses had laid his hands upon him: and the children of Israel hearkened unto him, and did as the LORD commanded Moses.

2.      Joshua to his men. Joshua 24:1 And Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and called for the elders of Israel, and for their heads, and for their judges, and for their officers; and they presented themselves before God.  Joshua 24:14 Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD.

3.      Elijah to the sons of prophets. 2 Kings 2:1-3 And it came to pass, when the LORD would take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal. And Elijah said unto Elisha, Tarry here, I pray thee; for the LORD hath sent me to Bethel. And Elisha said unto him, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they went down to Bethel. And the sons of the prophets that were at Bethel came forth to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the LORD will take away thy master from thy head to day? And he said, Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace.

4.      Christ to His Disciples. Mark 14

B)    David’s Spirit. 1 Chronicles 28:2 Then David the king stood up upon his feet, and said, Hear me, my brethren, and my people: As for me, I had in mine heart to build an house of rest for the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and for the footstool of our God, and had made ready for the building: These were brethren whom he love and people whom he cared for; These are not soldiers whom he commanded or servants whom he controlled.

1.      His love for God. Psalms 18:1, A Psalm of David, the servant of the LORD, who spake unto the LORD the words of this song in the day that the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul: And he said, I will love thee, O LORD, my strength. Psalms 31:23 O love the LORD, all ye his saints: for the LORD preserveth the faithful, and plentifully rewardeth the proud doer.

2.      His longing for God. Psalms 27:4 One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in his temple.

3.      His loyalty for God. Psalms 63:1 A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah. O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;

C)    David’s Sword. 1 Chronicles 28:3 But God said unto me, Thou shalt not build an house for my name, because thou hast been a man of war, and hast shed blood. David had been allowed of God to have the plans for the temple, even allowed to make preparation for its building. But he was not given permission to build it. It was not to be built by a sword or a man of war.

John 3:17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

Isaiah 53:7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.

1 Peter 1:18-19 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:

D)    David’s  Service. 1 Chronicles 28:4 Howbeit the LORD God of Israel chose me before all the house of my father to be king over Israel for ever: for he hath chosen Judah to be the ruler; and of the house of Judah, the house of my father; and among the sons of my father he liked me to make me king over all Israel: Although he was not permitted to build this temple, he was still a picture of one greater than Solomon. His kingdom here is said to be "forever." This could only be a prophecy of Jesus Christ. Only the throne of Christ could be forever. Hebrews 1:8 But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.

E)     David’s Son. 1 Chronicles 28:5-7 And of all my sons, (for the LORD hath given me many sons,) he hath chosen Solomon my son to sit upon the throne of the kingdom of the LORD over Israel. And he said unto me, Solomon thy son, he shall build my house and my courts: for I have chosen him to be my son, and I will be his father. Moreover I will establish his kingdom for ever, if he be constant to do my commandments and my judgments, as at this day.  Here is a true picture of Sovereignty. David had many sons but God chose Solomon to build the temple and he was God's choice to sit upon the throne of Israel. God declares: "I have chosen him." "I will be his father." "I will establish his kingdom forever." Here also we see a glimpse of prophecy of one greater than Solomon. Knowing that Solomon's reign lasted only forty years, we see this had to have One greater in mind whose kingdom would be forever. This again could only be our Lord Jesus Christ whose throne is forever and ever.

III)             The Spiritual Lesson. Teachings believed. The treasures were literal in Solomon's day, and so are they today. I know the treasure then was gold and silver, precious stones and other things of great value. The treasure is different today in God's House as we know it. The House of God today may be a very small building or it could be very large. It could be in a busy city or in a small community. It may have cost much to build it or it could be very simple and in some people's eye even unattractive. Yet, still it is to us who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and worship Him in spirit and in truth, the House of God. Here in God's House are many treasures for us to enjoy. The Message of the Scriptures, the Ministry of the Spirit, the Memories of the Saints — these are things the world could never give. They are to be found only in the House of God.

A)     His Word, In which we Look. Psalms 19:10 More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.

1.      The Worth of His Word. Psalm 119

a)      Heed to the His Word. Psalms 119:9 Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.

b)      Hide His Word in our hearts. Psalms 119:11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.

c)      Honour His Word. Psalms 119:16 I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word.

d)     Hope in His Word. Psalms 119:114 Thou art my hiding place and my shield: I hope in thy word.

e)      Happiness in His Word. Psalms 119:162 I rejoice at thy word, as one that findeth great spoil.

2.      The Wealth of His Word.

a)      Gives Sight. Psalms 119:104-105 Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

b)      Gives Strength. Job 23:12 Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.

c)      Gives Stability. Psalms 119:33 Teach me, O LORD, the way of thy statutes; and I shall keep it unto the end.

3.      The Wonder of His Word.

a)      Strength for the weak. 1 Peter 2:2 As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:

b)      Sword for battle. Ephesians 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

c)      Settled in Heaven. Mark 13:31 Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.  It can never decay, be destroyed nor defeated, for it is forever settled in Heaven! Forever, 0 God, give us this treasure!

B)    His Work, In which we Labour.  1 Thessalonians 1:3 Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father; We are not driven to His fields but willingly we go because there is a desire planted deep in our hearts to serve Him who loved us and gave Himself for us.

        Lord, take thy servant weak and thin,

      Move through him like a mighty wind

To spread the Seed on fertile ground,

To free the lost who are inward bound.

Anoint his eye, Lord, let him see,

How fast the night will fall,

And lips to sound the message clear, That Jesus died for all.