Introduction: Grace be to you and peace, from God our Father, and from our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. Our text is the Old Testament Lesson just read, from 1 Kings 8. We begin with prayer.
Dear fellow disciples of our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ:
- It is difficult to know how best to celebrate such a big anniversary. For those who are younger, and for those who struggle with how to apply the lessons of history to our current circumstances, it is challenging to have more than a superficial celebration.
- And even among those who are more oriented to the study of history, it would be difficult to think through the whole past of this congregation’s history, how members and pastors thought at certain periods of the history, what decisions they made, what vision they had of the future and of the potential of this celebration occurring.
- What could be learned? It would be fascinating to have a conversation with the first pastor, and with the founding members. It would be fascinating to time-travel back to the 50th anniversary. But such conversations would be of limited value – things have changed in the world, within our country, and within our church body, with the City of Tacoma, and these changes have impacted the life and ministry of this congregation.
- The text we are considering describes a wonderful time in Israel’s history, a high point. The magnificent temple built by Solomon was completed. The political and economic impetus created by David’s kingdom had continued under Solomon’s reign. The nation of Israel was at the epitome of its power, wealth, and influence.
- This congregation has had such times – when the affairs of the church, as these can be observed and measured, appeared to be flourishing. But we do not live in such times today – and it is sometimes difficult to look backward and not long for “the good old days.” Israel’s fortunes took a nose-dived in the next generation, when the kingdom was split under Solomon’s son. The rest of the history of Israel is far less glorious – and reflects the nature of the life of the church in this fallen world of sin.
- We have the same challenges today – to be the church and to serve God, the only True and Living God, in the midst of difficult and deplorable circumstances. But whether we are at the epitome of our institutional existence or in difficult times, our text shows us the blessed and glorious privilege that is ours as children of God. And this is always what is most important – not the secondary concerns that sometimes dominate our thinking. First, Solomon reminds us that:
I. We Are Blessed To Serve The Magnificent Lord God, The King Of All Creation
Text: “O LORD, God of Israel, there is no God like You, in heaven above or on earth beneath.”
A. He Has Graciously Given Us Wondrous Covenant Promises Of His Steadfast Love – Fulfilled In David’s Greater Son, The Lord Jesus Christ
Text: “There is no God like You . . . keeping covenant and showing steadfast love to Your servants who walk before You with all their heart.”
Jer. 31:33,34 “For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put My law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be My people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they shall all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”
John 3:16 “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
2 Cor. 5:19-21 “God was in Christ God reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making His appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake He made Him to be sin Who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.”
B. He Is Faithful To His Servants Of Faith – So Let Us Also Have Whole-Hearted Devotion To Him
Text: “. . . showing steadfast love to Your servants who walk before You with all their heart.”
C. He Is Ever Close To Us, Willing To Dwell With Us – In The Church
Text: “But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain You; how much less this house that I have built.”
Matt. 28:20 “Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the earth.”
1 Cor. 3:16,17 “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.”
Statement: How easy it is for us to lose sight of Who it is that is our God – and drift into the pitiful habit of merely “playing church.” This has long been a sin of the church – of focusing on the institution more than the One Whom the institution is to serve. No wonder the “institutional church” suffers and falters and is threatened with extinction! And what manner of wickedness has been perpetrated within the church for the sake of growing and maintaining the institution rather than serving the Only True and Living God.
Yes, even the covenant can be lost sight of – as is the case within Roman Catholicism; and also the blessings of receiving God’s Word within us, having Him do the writing in our hearts. When our hearts and minds are on the institution we are not “whole-heartedly” devoted to Him. In fact, we may become oblivious to the fact that the church is His church – that He is present with us at all times. And if we do not remain cognizant that He is with us, within us – and within our fellow believers, this opens the door to all kinds of loveless and faithless behavior. And all of us have observed and experienced plenty of this within the church!
Application: So let us remember Who we serve – and then as concerned as we might be about the institution’s health, we will never falter or despair in our faith and in our devotion to God! Rather our focus will be upon His majesty, His power, and especially His wondrously gracious love for us in Christ Jesus. We will hungrily allow His Word access to our hearts and minds, and we will pray for God to write His Word on our hearts – renewing us day by day in His own glorious image, so that we grow to love as He has loved us!
There is no question as to His devotion and love for us! And there is no question as to His power and authority. And if we know and believe His love for us, then we will be strengthened in our faith and trust in Him, and in our love and devotion to Him. And we will remember that:
II. We Remain At All Times Dependent Upon His Blessing
A. We Will Rejoice That He Hears Our Prayers
Text: “Have regard to the prayer of Your servant and to his pleas, O LORD my God, listening to the cry and to the prayer that Your servant prays before You this day.”
Matt. 7:7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.”
B. We Will Rejoice That He Defends His Name With His Attentiveness To Our Prayers And Faithfulness To His Promises
Text: “that Your eyes may be open night and day toward this house, the place of which You have said, ‘My Name shall be there,’ that You listen to the prayer that Your servant offers toward this place.”
John 17:11,12 “Holy Father, keep them in Your Name, which You have given Me, that they may be one, even as We are One. While I was with them, I kept them in your Name, which You have given Me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.”
C. And We Will Rejoice That He Forgives Us Always – To The End Of Time
Text: “And listen to the plea of Your servant and of Your people Israel, when they pray toward this place. And listen in heaven Your dwelling place, and when You hear, forgive.”
Psalm 130:4 “But with You there is forgiveness, that You may be feared.”
Eph. 1:7 “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.”
1 Jn. 1:7 “The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.”
Rom. 5:20 “Where sin abounded, there grace abounded all the more.”
Statement: You see what matters in this prayer of Solomon – that our focus and attention remain on God, praying to Him, relying upon Him, seeking to serve Him, rejoicing in His gracious love, mercy, and forgiveness! Solomon was not praying out of circumstances of weakness, but at a time of great power and privilege. Yet His prayer was humble, repentant, relying on God, self-deprecating, and knowing what is of paramount importance – the Name and revelation of God, His holy Word.
Application: And nothing has changed. This is what always matters – that our faith, trust, and devotion be in God, remembering Who He is and what He does for us. Institutions come and go; indeed, heaven and earth shall pass away, but the Word of the Lord abides forever. And those who have His Word written in their hearts, who know and believe His love for us, have eternal life. They will not come into condemnation but have passed from death to life.
Conclusion: Sadly, Solomon failed to remember his prayer, his humility, his utter reliance upon God – and fell into such miserable sin that it is reasonable to question whether or not he lost his faith. We too have our own struggles to return to humility and reliance upon God, to see what really matters. But we have the promise of God, that if we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
God is faithful to His covenant and His promises; He is faithful to all of His Word for His Name’s sake. He will be faithful to us as well – His servants in the 21st century.
Life may change, the world may change, the institutional church may change – but God does not change, nor does His Word change. This was the hope of our ancestors in the faith, the hope of those who started this church 125 years ago. They had little but faith at the time, no guarantees of glory or even success – except in what God has promised and what He provides.
We have the same promises and the same providence of God. We don’t know for certain what will happen to our “institutions,” but we know what will happen to the church and the kingdom of God – even the gates of hell cannot prevail against it.
So let us give thanks and praise to God, and humbly rely upon Him, and rejoice to serve Him, for as Solomon confessed: “O LORD, God of Israel, there is no God like You, in heaven above or on earth beneath, keeping covenant and showing steadfast love to Your servants who walk before You with all their heart.” To Him be all honor and glory! Amen.
Votum: And the peace of God, which surpasses all human understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds in the true faith, which is in Christ Jesus, even unto life everlasting, Amen.