1 Chron.22 9-19 Arise and Build a Sanctuary CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO
In 1 Chr 22:9-19, before David died and Solomon ascended to the throne of Israel, God gave David the pattern for the temple that Solomon was to build. In this passage, David charges Solomon to build that “sanctuary of the Lord.” And in order to build it properly, David gives Solomon specific instructions. Those instructions are as important for us today as they were for Solomon back then. To build our sanctuary, we need to:
Set our hearts and souls to seek the Lord – v.19 – this is first and foremost – it is easy to neglect time with the Lord when building a sanctuary – the Lord has to be with us v.11 and prosper us in order to complete this project – v.12 the Lord needs to give us wisdom and understanding in the work to complete it and in the work done within it after it is completed – Hudson Taylor wrote in his journal “Our heavenly Father is a very experienced One. He knows very well that His children wake up with a good appetite every morning…He sustained 3 million Israelites in the wilderness for 40 years. We do not expect He will send 3 million missionaries to China; but if He did, He would have ample means to sustain them all…Depend on it, God’s work done in God’s way will never lack God’s supply.”
Be strong and of good courage – v.13 – we need to not dread or be dismayed – if the Lord wants this done, he will get it done – pastors resign in the middle of and soon after building – people quit – the main ministry suffers – Eddie Rickenbacker said, “Courage is doing what you’re afraid to do. There can be no courage unless you’re scared.”
Give of our own proper good – v.14, 1 Chr 29:3-4 – David gave to the Lord for the sanctuary because he set his affection to the house of his God – we need to do the same – we recognize that our new sanctuary is not his house as Solomon recognized that the heavens could not even contain the Lord – nevertheless, this is where many will come to know the Lord and many will grow in the grace and in the knowledge of the Lord – God provides in two ways for the building of a sanctuary – he gives you enough to regularly give a little more and he blesses you with an abundance so that you can give a large sum –
Cooperate with each other in the work – v.15 – always, in a growing church, manpower is the key to being able to handle the spiritual growth and numerical growth of the congregation – “many hands make light work” – “what we do we do together”
Go get the inhabitants of the land – v.17-18 – David subdued the inhabitants because they were the enemies of Israel – in the same way, the lost are enemies of God and we need to go “win” them for Jesus – this isn’t just a matter of “getting them saved” but it is a matter of preaching to them till they get saved and then preaching to them till they become a part of this church through discipleship – they need to become strong in the Lord and in the power of his might – soul winning class will help us with this