WEBVTT 00:00:04.799 --> 00:00:12.480 This podcast is brought to you by Grand Parkway Baptist Church, helping people to know, enjoy, and glorify God. 00:00:12.960 --> 00:00:18.000 For more information about Grand Parkway, visit Grandparkway.org. 00:00:19.039 --> 00:00:33.759 Yes, Lord, your presence needs to be felt, experienced, overwhelming, that's both terrifying and comforting at the same time. 00:00:34.560 --> 00:00:35.759 And we need it. 00:00:38.320 --> 00:00:44.159 We glory that you've we've had lots of problems, even problems this week. 00:00:44.960 --> 00:00:52.719 And yet our biggest problem, sin and death, you have so completely and totally dealt with, it doesn't feel like a problem. 00:00:52.880 --> 00:00:53.920 It does not. 00:00:55.039 --> 00:01:05.680 And would this give us hope that even this morning you you have a word for us to remind us of your presence, your protection, your provision? 00:01:06.640 --> 00:01:11.519 So we submit ourselves to you and speak Holy Spirit through this word this morning. 00:01:11.760 --> 00:01:12.400 Amen. 00:01:12.959 --> 00:01:13.840 Please be seated. 00:01:13.920 --> 00:01:14.959 I'm glad you're here. 00:01:15.120 --> 00:01:17.359 And most of you look showered, maybe a hot shower. 00:01:17.439 --> 00:01:18.799 I'm really glad about that. 00:01:19.200 --> 00:01:42.400 I uh um I want to remind you, remember that time that uh a lot of us went on this unexpected camping trip in our houses, and we uh went off the grid and maybe did about water or hey, remember that one time we went on that mission trip, and um it was in a really nice place, but the uh the utilities were spotty, and um that's kind of what this week felt like in some ways. 00:01:42.640 --> 00:01:45.760 Um it really felt like a big time gap. 00:01:46.079 --> 00:01:50.640 We emailed our community group yesterday, and somebody wrote back, No, we don't have community group, that was last week. 00:01:50.799 --> 00:01:53.120 I'm like, No, no, that was two weeks ago. 00:01:53.519 --> 00:02:00.640 But there's the time gap, and it happens when things are stressful and out of sorts and and all that. 00:02:00.799 --> 00:02:02.719 Um that's what I recognize. 00:02:02.879 --> 00:02:04.719 This is this has been a week. 00:02:04.879 --> 00:02:15.599 Uh Job 37 says, God says, He says to the snow, fall upon the earth, and to the waters be a mighty downpour, so that all men everywhere may know of him. 00:02:17.039 --> 00:02:21.199 So part of what God has been doing is say, Hey, look at me. 00:02:23.039 --> 00:02:24.560 You you need me. 00:02:25.680 --> 00:02:28.479 I I need him more than I need electricity. 00:02:28.719 --> 00:02:33.280 And I learned I I really, I really like electricity a lot. 00:02:33.520 --> 00:02:39.039 When it went out for us, it went about 10 o'clock, boom, like, whoa, it's it's dark in here. 00:02:39.280 --> 00:02:43.520 I don't consider myself a fearful person, but where's the flashlight's at? 00:02:43.680 --> 00:02:44.159 Where's the? 00:02:45.439 --> 00:02:48.159 I really like, I really like hot water. 00:02:48.639 --> 00:02:50.319 I do, I love it. 00:02:51.039 --> 00:02:53.599 But I need him far more than that. 00:02:54.400 --> 00:02:59.280 This morning, I think the Holy Spirit wants to warm and illuminate us with this text. 00:02:59.439 --> 00:03:01.280 We'll be in 2 Chronicles 5. 00:03:01.360 --> 00:03:04.479 And so if you have a Bible or access to a Bible, turn there. 00:03:04.639 --> 00:03:08.560 Let's be in the first 14 verses, and we're gonna answer this question. 00:03:08.800 --> 00:03:15.439 Uh, you may have noticed, you should have noticed, that we got a little scratching of the earth happening on this side over here, right? 00:03:15.599 --> 00:03:18.800 This uh construction project or building a new building. 00:03:19.599 --> 00:03:24.080 How are we going to know if God is pleased with what we're building? 00:03:24.479 --> 00:03:25.840 How are we gonna know that? 00:03:26.080 --> 00:03:28.400 How are we gonna know he's pleased with this? 00:03:30.000 --> 00:03:40.560 This text this morning is about a completed building project, and the people in the text are convinced we know for certain God is pleased with this. 00:03:40.639 --> 00:03:41.520 And they did. 00:03:41.919 --> 00:03:44.879 Now, what we're gonna look at, uh, we've been in Daniel. 00:03:45.280 --> 00:03:52.800 We're gonna back up almost four centuries in salvation history to the completion of the first temple, Solomon's temple. 00:03:53.199 --> 00:03:55.759 So, in Daniel, it's a real low point. 00:03:56.240 --> 00:04:00.879 They're in captivity, it looks like God's abandoned them. 00:04:01.360 --> 00:04:04.800 Today's text is gonna look like God loves us. 00:04:04.960 --> 00:04:06.479 Look what he's doing. 00:04:07.919 --> 00:04:11.599 Let me read the entire text and we'll walk through it verse by verse. 00:04:12.000 --> 00:04:14.479 Chapter 5 of 2 Chronicles. 00:04:15.280 --> 00:04:18.720 Thus all the work that Solomon did for the house of the Lord was finished. 00:04:18.800 --> 00:04:27.680 And Solomon brought in the things that David, his father, had dedicated, and stored the silver and the gold and all the vessels of the treasuries of the house of God. 00:04:27.839 --> 00:04:42.319 Then Solomon assembled the lead elders and of Israel and all the heads of the tribes, the leaders of the fathers' houses of the people of Israel in Jerusalem to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord out of the city of David, which is in Zion. 00:04:42.800 --> 00:04:48.959 And all the men of Israel assembled before the king at the feast that is in the seventh month. 00:04:49.199 --> 00:04:57.759 And all the elders of Israel came out, and the Levites took up the ark, and they brought the ark, the tent of meeting, all the holy vessels that were in the tent. 00:04:58.000 --> 00:05:11.439 The Levitical priests brought them up, and King Solomon and all the congregation of Israel who had assembled before him were before the ark, sacrificing so many sheep and oxen they could not be counted or numbered. 00:05:11.920 --> 00:05:21.120 Then the priests brought the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord to its place in the inner sanctuary of the house, in the most holy place, underneath the wings of the cherubim. 00:05:21.279 --> 00:05:27.040 The cherubim spread out their wings over the ark, so that the cherubim made a covering over the ark with its poles and its poles. 00:05:27.199 --> 00:05:37.360 And the poles were so long that the ends of the poles were seen from the holy place before the inner sanctuary they could not be seen from the outside, and they are there to this day. 00:05:37.680 --> 00:05:45.839 There is nothing in the ark except two tablets that Moses put there at Horeb, where the Lord made a covenant with the people of Israel. 00:05:46.079 --> 00:06:09.519 And when they came out of Egypt, and when the priests came out of the holy place, for all the priests who were present had consecrated themselves without regard to the divisions, and all Levitical singers, Apes, Heman, Jetutin, their sons and kinsmen, arrayed with fine linens and cymbals and harps and lyres stood east of the altar with 120 priests who were trumpeters. 00:06:09.680 --> 00:06:16.000 And it was the duty of the trumpeters and the singers to make themselves heard in unison in place in praise and thanksgiving of the Lord. 00:06:16.160 --> 00:06:25.759 And when the song was raised, the trumpets and cymbals and other musical instruments in praise to the Lord, and this is the song, for he is good, his steadfast love endures forever. 00:06:26.079 --> 00:06:30.319 The house, the house of the Lord, was filled with a cloud. 00:06:30.560 --> 00:06:38.560 So the priests could not stand to minister before the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the house of God. 00:06:40.160 --> 00:06:43.360 They were convinced God was pleased, is what had happened. 00:06:46.319 --> 00:06:49.920 The first one is this there's a process in our approach to God. 00:06:50.079 --> 00:06:51.680 There's always been a process. 00:06:52.000 --> 00:06:55.600 Verse 1, thus all the work Solomon did for the house of the Lord was finished. 00:06:55.759 --> 00:07:02.879 And so if you remember in salvation history, uh God commanded Moses, make this tent. 00:07:03.040 --> 00:07:06.879 I'm gonna protect, provide, and lead you, dwell in this tent. 00:07:07.120 --> 00:07:11.120 And then David wants to build a stone temple. 00:07:11.279 --> 00:07:13.600 And God says, Nope, you're not gonna be the one. 00:07:13.839 --> 00:07:15.920 You got too much blood on your hands. 00:07:16.399 --> 00:07:18.160 But I'll let your son do it. 00:07:18.399 --> 00:07:24.079 So David gets all the drawings and gets everything ready, and we just gotta wait for Solomon to grow up and be king. 00:07:24.160 --> 00:07:27.040 And so the building project is finished. 00:07:27.279 --> 00:07:34.480 All the stones have been not just cut, but laid and squared, and and it's secure and it's watertight. 00:07:34.639 --> 00:07:41.279 All the dust has been swept up, all the little tools left behind, all the little lunch, I mean all this, all this stuff that happens at a construction site. 00:07:41.360 --> 00:07:42.560 It's a bunch of stuff over there. 00:07:42.720 --> 00:07:44.240 There's gonna be a bunch more stuff. 00:07:44.480 --> 00:07:46.319 It's all cleaned up. 00:07:46.639 --> 00:07:48.160 It's already. 00:07:49.439 --> 00:07:51.680 Solomon brought the things, the treasures of David. 00:07:51.759 --> 00:07:57.360 So David has stored these things and brings all these things that are supposed to be in the building, into the building. 00:07:58.879 --> 00:07:59.920 I want to plant this seed. 00:08:00.000 --> 00:08:06.319 You should begin thinking, huh, what will God do when our building's done? 00:08:07.600 --> 00:08:08.879 What will he do? 00:08:09.279 --> 00:08:14.160 Verses 2 and 3, he assembles the elders, the heads of the tribe, the leaders to do one thing. 00:08:14.319 --> 00:08:20.079 So there's two things that happen in this text that tells them God is really pleased with us. 00:08:20.319 --> 00:08:24.079 One they're hoping for, and one they weren't expecting. 00:08:24.560 --> 00:08:27.360 And the hoping for one is this whole Ark of the Covenant deal. 00:08:27.519 --> 00:08:30.560 So he gets everybody, all right, everybody, here's a somebody, get out here. 00:08:30.720 --> 00:08:32.080 We're gonna move the ark. 00:08:32.240 --> 00:08:34.879 And they move it, they say just move it one hill over. 00:08:34.960 --> 00:08:39.200 It's it, city of Zion, and the next hill over is the Temple Mount. 00:08:39.279 --> 00:08:41.840 So let's go down and back up. 00:08:42.000 --> 00:08:43.200 It's not real far. 00:08:45.360 --> 00:08:49.200 Now, the ark, let me show you an actual historical photo of the ark. 00:08:49.279 --> 00:08:50.879 This is a wooden box. 00:08:51.039 --> 00:08:53.200 Uh it's a tree, it's a treasure chest. 00:08:53.360 --> 00:08:56.080 And it probably looked like this. 00:08:56.399 --> 00:08:58.799 It's a wooden box overlaid in gold. 00:08:58.960 --> 00:09:03.919 You have these cherubim on top, and I'll just let you know right now, those poles are too short. 00:09:04.480 --> 00:09:07.039 It's much shorter than the ones in this text. 00:09:07.600 --> 00:09:12.320 The ark is uh it's the physical symbol of God saying, Look, let's make a deal. 00:09:12.559 --> 00:09:15.039 I will be your God and you will be my people. 00:09:15.279 --> 00:09:18.320 I will protect you, I'll provide for you, I will lead you. 00:09:18.480 --> 00:09:20.720 And you just respond to that. 00:09:21.039 --> 00:09:24.559 You respond to my protection with gratitude. 00:09:24.799 --> 00:09:27.679 You respond to my provision with praise. 00:09:27.840 --> 00:09:30.559 You respond to my leading by obedience. 00:09:30.799 --> 00:09:32.080 It'll be great. 00:09:32.399 --> 00:09:34.799 And here, this this box will commemorate it. 00:09:35.039 --> 00:09:37.200 Inside it is the Ten Commandments. 00:09:37.679 --> 00:09:40.080 Let's put a copy of our contract here. 00:09:40.399 --> 00:09:46.320 So in here, in the Ten Commandments, you got the first four are basically God's the first and best of all beings. 00:09:46.480 --> 00:09:50.320 Don't have any beings near me, close to me, nothing like me. 00:09:50.480 --> 00:09:51.519 I'm the best. 00:09:51.679 --> 00:09:55.840 And the next six are, and and and then this is how you treat one another based on that. 00:09:56.000 --> 00:09:57.440 And here's a contract. 00:09:59.039 --> 00:10:04.080 Now, this uh it says it's in the feast of the seventh month. 00:10:04.480 --> 00:10:07.039 You and I, English readers, this doesn't mean a whole lot to Jews. 00:10:07.120 --> 00:10:09.440 This meant a whole lot, like, oh, I know what feast that is. 00:10:09.600 --> 00:10:11.360 It's the feast of the tabernacle. 00:10:11.519 --> 00:10:15.519 This is commemorating when God told Moses, here's what I want you to do. 00:10:15.600 --> 00:10:17.600 Here's what I want you guys to approach me. 00:10:18.240 --> 00:10:30.480 You build an ark, you build a lampstand, you build a table for the bread of presence, you build an altar for the burnt offerings, you build this pool of uh cleansing, and you build a tent to cover most of it. 00:10:30.559 --> 00:10:38.000 And here's how it's got to be woven and this high and this special place for the ark, and the ark is the centerpiece of this tent. 00:10:39.120 --> 00:10:41.840 And the feast of tabernacle is commemorating. 00:10:42.000 --> 00:10:46.080 Let's have a feast every year to remind ourselves, God said, Meet me this way. 00:10:46.879 --> 00:10:52.000 Now we'll give a little peek at the future of the sermon. 00:10:52.159 --> 00:10:53.840 We're gonna see Jesus in the text. 00:10:53.919 --> 00:10:56.960 One way we see him is this Feast of Tabernacles. 00:10:57.200 --> 00:11:01.519 Uh, this is this is when Sam Samuel, Samuel, Samson. 00:11:01.679 --> 00:11:02.480 Is that Samson? 00:11:03.840 --> 00:11:04.639 Solomon. 00:11:06.480 --> 00:11:09.360 I started thinking, how many S's are in the Bible? 00:11:10.480 --> 00:11:11.120 Stay with me. 00:11:11.200 --> 00:11:13.039 Don't get don't start thinking about that. 00:11:13.360 --> 00:11:17.600 Solomon finishes this building project during this feast. 00:11:18.399 --> 00:11:26.879 Then later on, the gospel writer John says of Jesus, he became flesh and dwelt among us. 00:11:27.039 --> 00:11:31.679 This Greek word dwelt references this Hebrew word tabernacle. 00:11:33.120 --> 00:11:36.240 Jesus is truly God's presence with us. 00:11:36.879 --> 00:11:38.559 Back to the text, verses four and five. 00:11:38.639 --> 00:11:45.200 So the Levites say, Take up the ark, the holy vessels, the tent of meeting, and here's the great, great, great news. 00:11:45.360 --> 00:11:47.039 Nothing bad happens. 00:11:48.000 --> 00:11:49.279 This is the fear. 00:11:50.000 --> 00:11:57.120 Because usually when the ark has gotten moved, it's unpredictable, and sometimes it's deadly. 00:11:57.919 --> 00:12:00.879 And so in the beginning, the ark is God's presence. 00:12:00.960 --> 00:12:01.759 This is his contract. 00:12:02.000 --> 00:12:08.960 He says, okay, uh, Israel, when you go battle, okay, you take all your battle stuff, but take the ark with you. 00:12:09.279 --> 00:12:14.480 And because really, I want to get the credit, Lord God, for winning this battle. 00:12:14.720 --> 00:12:19.039 And so you bring the ark, and so they got real comfortable with we go into battle, we bring the ark, we win. 00:12:19.200 --> 00:12:20.240 This is great. 00:12:20.399 --> 00:12:22.159 It's like superpower. 00:12:23.039 --> 00:12:33.360 So much so that King Saul, he's done a couple battles this way, and he wants to go fight the Philistines at a particular time, and he inquires of the Lord, and the Lord says, Nope, don't go. 00:12:34.320 --> 00:12:35.759 And he goes anyway. 00:12:36.799 --> 00:12:40.639 And he takes the ark because that's what you do, because it's your lucky rabbit's foot. 00:12:40.960 --> 00:12:41.279 Right? 00:12:41.600 --> 00:12:43.200 It's how you win. 00:12:43.519 --> 00:12:45.200 God has to help you. 00:12:45.600 --> 00:12:46.879 And they lose. 00:12:47.039 --> 00:12:53.519 And the Philistines capture the ark and they take it back to their capital city and they put it in their temple, their god Dagon. 00:12:53.840 --> 00:13:00.879 And the next day, this the ark that's at the foot of Dagon, like Dagon, God, Dagon falls. 00:13:02.240 --> 00:13:04.639 They meant like, let's let's do a little test. 00:13:04.720 --> 00:13:08.879 We'll put it on a cart with some oxen, and they just start walking to Israel. 00:13:09.759 --> 00:13:13.120 They finally stop, and David goes, So he's kicking, this is great. 00:13:13.200 --> 00:13:21.600 Let's get the ark back here, and they put it on a cart, and they go a little ways, and the cart starts to wobble, and this guy, Usa, goes, Well, I can't have this, reaches out to being very helpful. 00:13:21.759 --> 00:13:22.960 He touches it and he dies. 00:13:23.440 --> 00:13:25.759 So he's kind of all right, park the cart. 00:13:26.399 --> 00:13:28.480 Later on, they move it again. 00:13:28.720 --> 00:13:30.879 You just never know what's gonna happen. 00:13:31.200 --> 00:13:34.000 Almost always when the ark moves, somebody dies. 00:13:36.480 --> 00:13:42.159 And they gotta move this thing from the Mount of Zion to the Temple Mount. 00:13:42.879 --> 00:13:46.639 And some are wondering who's it gonna be? 00:13:48.720 --> 00:13:53.440 And so uh there's a process in our approach to God. 00:13:53.919 --> 00:13:57.440 See, all the stuff has to be in its place, it has to be done the right way. 00:13:58.399 --> 00:13:59.600 I don't know what you think about this. 00:13:59.840 --> 00:14:01.679 There was a few priests who were present. 00:14:02.879 --> 00:14:06.639 What God has done through Christ is he now says, Oh no, we got a whole bunch of priests. 00:14:06.799 --> 00:14:10.000 In fact, if you're a believer, you have a priesthood. 00:14:10.080 --> 00:14:12.799 You are a priest right before God. 00:14:13.679 --> 00:14:19.919 The stuff in its place, it's not the piano, it's not the pulpit, it's you. 00:14:22.480 --> 00:14:25.200 You here is the stuff in its place. 00:14:25.440 --> 00:14:28.320 You here are the consecrated instruments of God. 00:14:30.960 --> 00:14:34.159 Think about your priesthood and what you're you to be doing. 00:14:34.639 --> 00:14:39.360 The the basic thing God is doing is moving us toward one another in love. 00:14:40.080 --> 00:14:55.519 And here's the main thing that looks like us talking to one another, us speaking, the one another commands of admonish one another, console one another, encourage one another, instruct one another. 00:14:56.480 --> 00:15:03.519 And so if you come to church and you don't talk to anybody, you're doing it wrong. 00:15:04.159 --> 00:15:05.360 Let me say that again. 00:15:05.759 --> 00:15:11.840 If you come here, you don't talk to anybody, or you don't listen to anybody, you're doing it wrong. 00:15:15.120 --> 00:15:21.759 You are now these holy vessels of God, and he wants to wield you as a tool in his hand. 00:15:23.279 --> 00:15:29.039 And so when you when you come to the house of the Lord, some things you should always be thinking. 00:15:29.600 --> 00:15:32.559 You gotta think for hours, but at least a couple minutes. 00:15:34.879 --> 00:15:37.360 Who does God want me to speak to today? 00:15:38.320 --> 00:15:42.799 Who does God want me to console or admonish or instruct or encourage? 00:15:43.279 --> 00:15:46.240 The second thing, who does God want me to hear from today? 00:15:47.600 --> 00:15:49.759 There should be some margin when you gather. 00:15:50.000 --> 00:15:52.320 This is not just singing and hearing the preaching. 00:15:53.360 --> 00:16:01.279 Part of the experience in this new temple God has made of the people of God is us speaking to one another. 00:16:01.600 --> 00:16:03.039 So who's God want you to talk to? 00:16:03.200 --> 00:16:04.879 Who's God wants you to hear from? 00:16:06.799 --> 00:16:09.120 And and don't be super cynical. 00:16:09.440 --> 00:16:12.639 Hey, are you just talking to me because the guy said last week talk to people? 00:16:13.200 --> 00:16:14.799 If they are, they're obeying the Bible. 00:16:14.879 --> 00:16:15.279 It's fine. 00:16:15.360 --> 00:16:16.320 That's good. 00:16:17.120 --> 00:16:23.039 When we speak to one another, it's the process that God uses to approach him. 00:16:23.519 --> 00:16:26.080 Second point, there's a price for having the presence of God. 00:16:26.320 --> 00:16:28.000 Let's look at verse 6. 00:16:28.639 --> 00:16:38.320 And King Solomon and all the congregation of Israel who had assembled before him were before the ark, sacrificing so many sheep and oxen that could not be counted or numbered. 00:16:38.639 --> 00:16:40.159 Isn't this hyperbole? 00:16:40.320 --> 00:16:43.759 I mean, couldn't surely someone could just keep track of this stuff, right? 00:16:44.159 --> 00:16:50.320 Surely someone was, you know, a task-oriented, a counter person. 00:16:51.039 --> 00:16:51.840 Surely. 00:16:53.039 --> 00:16:59.360 So look, we're making comparison to between what David did and what Solomon did. 00:16:59.519 --> 00:17:14.079 So when David is gonna move the Arklands of the place called Obed's house, and it gets to Obed's house after Usa reached out and touched it and died, they leave it at Obed's, and Obed's house isn't cursed, isn't what the Philistines experience, it is blessed. 00:17:14.319 --> 00:17:16.240 So for 90 days it's there. 00:17:16.640 --> 00:17:23.200 Obed experiences, I mean, just talk about catch catching a break after break, I mean, just everything going great. 00:17:23.440 --> 00:17:28.960 And David's okay, we're gonna move the ark from Obid's to the city of Zion. 00:17:29.519 --> 00:17:31.599 Not going real far, we're gonna move it. 00:17:32.000 --> 00:17:34.400 I know it's gone badly many, many times. 00:17:34.640 --> 00:17:42.079 And so they move it, they take a few steps, and nothing bad happens, and they begin sacrificing sheep and oxen, and they just do that all the way there. 00:17:44.559 --> 00:17:49.759 The writer of Chronicles is saying Solomon way outdid his dad. 00:17:49.920 --> 00:17:58.960 And it wasn't a competition, it was saying, We are going to not to appease God, but celebrate, thank you for not smiting us. 00:17:59.839 --> 00:18:03.359 Thank you for showing us your kindness and your pleasure. 00:18:04.720 --> 00:18:08.720 The point of this is there's way more sacrificing, no cost was spared. 00:18:08.799 --> 00:18:13.119 Verse 7, they bring the ark to its place, the most holy place, under the cherubim. 00:18:13.200 --> 00:18:20.000 And here's the amazing thing it's it's not in the text, but it's between the lines, nothing happens, nothing bad happens. 00:18:20.400 --> 00:18:27.440 If you've ever had to like uh you know cut some wood, and so you get your saw and you cut it, and you know, you measure, but you just never know. 00:18:27.599 --> 00:18:29.359 I mean, you know. 00:18:30.640 --> 00:18:38.319 Cut a lot of things, and it's it's just never what's happening in this text, which you cut this thing, you put the wood up in the spot, and you almost don't even need anything to secure it. 00:18:38.400 --> 00:18:40.160 It's just it's a perfect fit. 00:18:40.400 --> 00:18:48.400 And so they get the ark into the most holy place and they lay it down, they got these long poles, and no one dies, it doesn't wobble, nothing goes wrong. 00:18:50.559 --> 00:18:51.519 No one dies. 00:18:52.319 --> 00:18:53.920 And to you and me, ah, no one dies. 00:18:54.240 --> 00:18:57.440 Everyone, somebody dies every single time this thing gets moved. 00:18:57.680 --> 00:19:02.559 The thing they're most fearful of is is God we're gonna do this wrong, and he's gonna say, hey, you know what? 00:19:02.799 --> 00:19:03.680 Make a new temple. 00:19:03.759 --> 00:19:05.119 Boom, it's gone. 00:19:05.440 --> 00:19:08.960 I mean, this is kind of what's happened many times before. 00:19:09.440 --> 00:19:13.119 So they bring the ark to the place, nothing bad happens. 00:19:13.440 --> 00:19:16.400 It says the poles were so long, we didn't get near this thing. 00:19:16.559 --> 00:19:19.920 We had these long poles, you could see them from the front of the tent. 00:19:20.079 --> 00:19:24.400 And the time that the chronicler wrote this, you can still see them. 00:19:26.319 --> 00:19:28.240 So there's nothing in the ark but two tablets. 00:19:28.319 --> 00:19:29.839 This is really an understatement. 00:19:30.319 --> 00:19:31.200 These are significant. 00:19:31.359 --> 00:19:34.720 These are the documents of their nation. 00:19:34.880 --> 00:19:37.359 For us in America, it would be the Declaration of Independence. 00:19:37.440 --> 00:19:40.720 If you go into the rotunda at the Capitol, that's usually what declarations held. 00:19:40.799 --> 00:19:43.359 It's under this thick UV protected, bulletproof glass. 00:19:43.440 --> 00:19:45.119 You can't even really touch it without some security guard. 00:19:45.599 --> 00:19:46.240 Don't do that. 00:19:46.480 --> 00:19:48.000 It is the document. 00:19:48.720 --> 00:19:52.880 This thing is 490 years old, these tablets of stone in the box. 00:19:54.160 --> 00:19:56.640 It represents God's covenant with them. 00:19:57.200 --> 00:20:03.039 There's no jar of manna, there's no errand staff, and we're not told why, so we won't speculate, we won't linger. 00:20:03.680 --> 00:20:06.960 But we'll say there's a price for having the presence of God. 00:20:07.279 --> 00:20:08.799 There's a price for it. 00:20:09.279 --> 00:20:10.640 For them, they had to take this risk. 00:20:10.720 --> 00:20:11.440 Let's move the ark. 00:20:11.519 --> 00:20:12.880 Is God's presence going to be with us? 00:20:12.960 --> 00:20:15.920 We're going to sacrifice all these sheep and all these oxen. 00:20:16.160 --> 00:20:18.640 Some people are going to put themselves at risk. 00:20:18.880 --> 00:20:20.799 Some guys were on the poles. 00:20:22.559 --> 00:20:24.000 Some guys were in the front line. 00:20:24.160 --> 00:20:28.640 What if God gets mad and the fire comes down and the front line, we're toast? 00:20:30.640 --> 00:20:31.440 The price. 00:20:31.599 --> 00:20:38.319 Now, for us, the price, the price of God's presence, there's two charges in a sense. 00:20:39.119 --> 00:20:44.400 The biggest price of God being pleased with you has been paid fully by Jesus. 00:20:44.799 --> 00:20:47.519 That's what we call the doctrine of justification. 00:20:47.920 --> 00:20:49.599 Being right in God's eyes. 00:20:49.920 --> 00:20:52.640 God considers all that Jesus did is if you did it. 00:20:53.200 --> 00:21:00.000 So whatever your failures, and there's many, Jesus' perfect living and thinking and acting is in your place. 00:21:01.039 --> 00:21:03.920 The second cost is what writer Hebrews talks about. 00:21:04.000 --> 00:21:05.519 It's what Neil prayed about. 00:21:06.640 --> 00:21:10.960 Let's run the race that's set before us to endure suffering. 00:21:12.319 --> 00:21:16.720 See, often this feels like a price because it feels like a series of many deaths. 00:21:17.279 --> 00:21:21.599 And the song we sang about that you know, you see, I see the ashes, you see the beauty. 00:21:22.400 --> 00:21:23.440 We feel the many deaths. 00:21:23.519 --> 00:21:25.759 God's I see the resurrection out of this thing. 00:21:28.480 --> 00:21:31.440 Nothing in the ark but the two tablets is this price. 00:21:32.960 --> 00:21:35.200 The price we pay is what we call sanctification. 00:21:35.920 --> 00:21:39.920 God's doing it, but it feels like all to us. 00:21:41.680 --> 00:21:52.079 It's like a bunch of many deaths, and ultimately we get to get changed into Jesus' character, and we get to truly know him deeper and deeper as we experience this. 00:21:52.720 --> 00:21:54.319 Let me just offer two questions. 00:21:54.640 --> 00:21:56.079 You might want to write these down. 00:21:58.480 --> 00:21:59.680 Do I want God? 00:22:00.720 --> 00:22:03.200 As long as he gives me what I want. 00:22:04.400 --> 00:22:05.279 Do I want God? 00:22:05.440 --> 00:22:06.720 I got I want you. 00:22:07.039 --> 00:22:09.279 As long as he gives me what I want. 00:22:11.920 --> 00:22:14.160 See, that's how I orientate towards him. 00:22:14.400 --> 00:22:16.240 I'm gonna want nothing to do with sanctification. 00:22:16.319 --> 00:22:18.160 I'm gonna be very allergic to it. 00:22:20.000 --> 00:22:25.519 The second is do I trust these little mini deaths that God brings to me? 00:22:25.839 --> 00:22:28.559 Do I trust his leading me to these things? 00:22:32.319 --> 00:22:37.599 Third point, praise is the proper response for seeing God at work. 00:22:38.960 --> 00:22:40.960 Let's look at the verse 11. 00:22:41.279 --> 00:22:44.400 And so all the priests, it was nobody's day off. 00:22:44.559 --> 00:22:44.799 Right? 00:22:44.880 --> 00:22:53.359 We have this little phrase here in verse 11 that you have uh they they were present and had consecrated themselves without regard to divisions. 00:22:53.599 --> 00:22:56.160 Divisions is just what shift you're on. 00:22:56.640 --> 00:22:59.200 You got these couple hours, you got this couple hours, you know. 00:22:59.519 --> 00:23:03.119 They weren't just there 24-7, you got you got your own shift. 00:23:04.480 --> 00:23:07.680 Everybody was on duty, all hands-on deck day. 00:23:08.240 --> 00:23:09.680 Everybody's clocking in. 00:23:09.839 --> 00:23:19.680 So all the priests are there, and the Levitical singers, and we got their names, and they got uh their kinsmen, right? 00:23:19.839 --> 00:23:21.359 The people we're related to. 00:23:21.599 --> 00:23:30.319 They've got these instruments, the lyres and the harps, and they got this big band of 120 trumpeters. 00:23:30.480 --> 00:23:32.640 I don't know how many trumpeters you know. 00:23:33.200 --> 00:23:34.720 I know a few. 00:23:36.480 --> 00:23:38.880 None of them have a problem being quiet. 00:23:39.200 --> 00:23:40.160 No, that's not true. 00:23:40.240 --> 00:23:41.680 They all have a problem being quiet. 00:23:41.839 --> 00:23:43.839 None of them have a problem being heard. 00:23:44.160 --> 00:23:45.599 The trumpeters, hey, hey, look at me. 00:23:46.640 --> 00:23:47.599 You got 120. 00:23:47.680 --> 00:23:51.440 This is gonna be crank up the volume, big noise. 00:23:51.920 --> 00:23:58.559 If God is pleased with us and we move the ark and it gets in its spot, and the temple doesn't fall, no one dies, we're gonna sh. 00:23:59.039 --> 00:24:02.799 Well, praise is the proper response to when God is at work. 00:24:03.759 --> 00:24:05.279 We're not gonna hold anything back. 00:24:05.440 --> 00:24:06.799 We're not gonna save anything for tomorrow. 00:24:06.880 --> 00:24:08.480 We're gonna give him everything. 00:24:17.440 --> 00:24:21.759 Some of you lost power this week. 00:24:22.240 --> 00:24:23.440 Maybe all of us. 00:24:25.680 --> 00:24:30.480 And when maybe you got a text, or maybe you were there when it was restored. 00:24:33.039 --> 00:24:39.359 Was there a great difficulty conjuring up praise or relief or gratitude? 00:24:40.160 --> 00:24:44.720 We got a text, we're at someone else's house, getting a hot shower, we got a text, power's back on. 00:24:44.960 --> 00:24:47.039 Woo, we were really our house too dry, you know. 00:24:47.279 --> 00:24:52.880 So we made our way home, and you know, my wife's like, our neighborhood's so pretty with the lights on. 00:24:52.960 --> 00:24:55.759 And you know, whoa, we love our couldn't see anything for a while. 00:24:56.799 --> 00:25:02.160 When God does a work, praise is the most natural normative response. 00:25:04.240 --> 00:25:09.119 Verse 13, here's the two elements of the song they sing, the chorus. 00:25:09.359 --> 00:25:12.720 He's good, and his steadfast love endures forever. 00:25:12.799 --> 00:25:14.960 And this God revealing himself as good. 00:25:15.039 --> 00:25:17.440 This is really central to how he reveals himself. 00:25:17.680 --> 00:25:25.279 And what's so ironic is this is the thing that we constantly, repeatedly, creatively doubt. 00:25:26.799 --> 00:25:27.920 Says he's good. 00:25:28.000 --> 00:25:37.359 Uh Jesus in Matthew 7 says, Which one of you, if your child asks for a piece of bread, a roll, you're gonna say, okay, I got one for you. 00:25:37.519 --> 00:25:39.839 Here it comes, and you give him a stone. 00:25:40.240 --> 00:25:41.359 Can't eat this. 00:25:41.599 --> 00:25:43.200 Or which one's asked for a fish? 00:25:43.359 --> 00:25:46.400 Okay, one fish coming right up, and you give him a snake. 00:25:46.640 --> 00:25:48.480 He says, No need to do that. 00:25:48.799 --> 00:25:52.880 And God says, Compared to me, you're evil. 00:25:53.839 --> 00:26:06.559 Really, the the subtext is we're crazy to think that God is being mean to us, or that he's forgotten us, or he's withholding goodness from us and not letting us have it. 00:26:08.720 --> 00:26:13.440 We're crazy to think that we're good and he's not, or that we know and he doesn't. 00:26:13.759 --> 00:26:16.480 That's how we talk to ourselves sometimes. 00:26:16.799 --> 00:26:18.400 God's punishing me. 00:26:18.640 --> 00:26:20.160 God's mad at me. 00:26:20.640 --> 00:26:22.559 I'm not getting what I want. 00:26:23.039 --> 00:26:25.519 I'm not sure if I want God anymore. 00:26:26.480 --> 00:26:32.400 One of the key ways to fight against that is what they're doing here, which is singing, you're good and your steadfast love endures forever. 00:26:32.480 --> 00:26:37.440 In fact, there's a whole psalm, Psalm 136, and I'm gonna pause, it's important enough. 00:26:38.880 --> 00:26:40.799 Read a few verses of this. 00:26:41.920 --> 00:26:46.000 Psalm 136 is a recounting of what God has done. 00:26:46.319 --> 00:26:47.920 Give thanks to the Lord for he's good. 00:26:48.079 --> 00:26:49.680 His steadfast love endures forever. 00:26:49.759 --> 00:26:52.720 Give thanks to the God of gods, his steadfast love endures forever. 00:26:52.799 --> 00:26:55.680 Give thanks to the Lord of Lords, his steadfast love endures forever. 00:26:55.839 --> 00:26:59.680 To him who alone does great wonders, his steadfast love endures forever. 00:26:59.839 --> 00:27:05.920 To him who by understanding made the heavens his steadfast love endures forever, and on and on to 26 verses. 00:27:06.960 --> 00:27:07.920 This would be fun. 00:27:08.160 --> 00:27:10.880 How about some homework from church today? 00:27:11.279 --> 00:27:24.000 How about you write your Psalm 136 so that you can give yourself truth when your self-talk is saying God is not good, and you should recount some major points that God has done. 00:27:24.240 --> 00:27:31.279 We had a kid when he was born that went to the NICU for six days, and none of you would ever think so because he's this big, tall, strong guy. 00:27:32.240 --> 00:27:35.599 But it was this little touch and go in the beginning. 00:27:37.200 --> 00:27:38.480 We're in the NICU. 00:27:39.440 --> 00:27:40.400 Now we're towering. 00:27:40.559 --> 00:27:43.279 Give thanks to the Lord, his love endures forever. 00:27:47.039 --> 00:27:51.039 What would you count as the high point of your history with God? 00:27:51.759 --> 00:27:53.920 You need to write your own Psalm 136. 00:27:54.000 --> 00:27:54.720 You need to share it. 00:27:54.799 --> 00:27:56.960 You're older, you need to share it with your kids. 00:27:57.119 --> 00:28:00.240 They need to know how has God been with you. 00:28:03.759 --> 00:28:08.400 Praise is the normal response of seeing God at work. 00:28:08.640 --> 00:28:09.839 Verse 13 and 14. 00:28:09.920 --> 00:28:19.759 So the house of the Lord, not the house of David, even though David got all supplies, not the house of Solomon, and those Solomon's temple, the house of the Lord was filled with the cloud. 00:28:19.920 --> 00:28:23.440 The glory of the Lord, this is Shekinah glory, his presence. 00:28:23.680 --> 00:28:26.880 Now, this filling happened one other time in history. 00:28:27.200 --> 00:28:35.519 Tells Moses, make the uh tabernacle, do it this way, the tenth instruments, and they get it all set up and it's all done, everything is swept up, and boom. 00:28:35.759 --> 00:28:42.240 God is not just a pillar of fire and cloud, he presents land, and they gotta evacuate. 00:28:43.680 --> 00:28:46.559 And it didn't happen for 490 some years. 00:28:46.880 --> 00:28:48.400 They're not expecting this. 00:28:48.559 --> 00:28:49.359 They're not. 00:28:49.599 --> 00:28:52.319 They're hoping the ark goes well. 00:28:52.559 --> 00:29:00.720 They're hoping, but they're not expecting what God does, which he lands with this physical glory. 00:29:01.839 --> 00:29:07.920 Where it's like the spiritual tear gas, and the priest got it very vacate, make your distance. 00:29:08.240 --> 00:29:11.279 You can't stay in this thing, it'll choke you out. 00:29:12.960 --> 00:29:22.880 So they scatter away, and they were convinced already God was pleased because the ark thing went great. 00:29:23.279 --> 00:29:25.039 And this is above and beyond. 00:29:25.359 --> 00:29:27.440 I can't believe how pleased God is. 00:29:29.039 --> 00:29:32.559 Convinced that God's pleased in what they've done. 00:29:34.400 --> 00:29:37.759 It'd been 490 years since God had done this. 00:29:41.839 --> 00:29:43.680 Fifth, sixth, twentieth hand. 00:29:44.559 --> 00:29:46.559 Maybe you didn't believe it'd ever happen again. 00:29:47.759 --> 00:29:50.319