Living Water Community Church

We explored what the resurrected or new earth will be like according to what we see in scripture. We will have a central capital city called the New Jerusalem. As we examined Revelation 21 and 22 it is clear this city is described as having walls and gates. There are nations mentioned and people are said to bring things into the New Jerusalem from the nations. This indicates there will be rulers and trade will be conducted. The measurements given for the new Jerusalem are stated as being human measurements which places an emphasis on these measurements being actual and not symbolic. The gates of the city are always open which suggest everyone has access to the city all the time. This is important because it means everyone will always have access to the tree of life and the river of life which are both in the city. The idea of open gates also suggest we will travel and visit other areas. In the record John gives in Revelation he states the angel carried him away to a great high mountain which points out how geographically there will be features like mountains in the new earth. This also means there will probably be other features of the new earth which will carry over from the earth we see here. We should expect if there are rivers like the river of life then there will probably also be lakes. The new earth may not be covered with the massive oceans we have now because the Bible states there is no more sea. This too may be because the new earth is free from sin and water is symbolic of cleansing and judgement. Since it is free from sin and death the massive need for judgement and cleansing which is certainly symbolized by the massive ocean is no longer necessary. But water is also life giving and Jesus calls Himself the living water so it makes sense that we would still have water as a symbol of blessing but we will no longer need it as a massive symbol of judgement. 

We have been working our way through Solomon’s prayer of dedication at the temple. The contents of His prayer is interesting because it really seems to reflect what we know about the heart of God. Solomon appears to be moved by God to say what he is saying. His prayer began with a request for justice. There is clearly a dependence expressed here on God bringing justice to the people when no one on earth actually knows the truth in a given situation. Solomon does not detail how God would bring that justice but he asks God to be the one who brings justice to His people. Second Solomon prays for rescue. He demonstrates an understanding of how depraved the hearts of men are. Solomon’s prayer supposes a situation when the people of God are defeated by their enemies, much like they were at AI. For the people of God this kind of defeat is directly related to their sin. Solomon does not suggest this might or might not happen. But rather Solomon says when this happens, declaring it in a way which presupposes this is going to happen. Solomon asks God to be merciful to the people and if the people repent after defeat and turn again to God, Solomon asks God to hear them and forgive them and restore them back to the land He gave to their fathers. Third Solomon imagines God will bring judgement on the people in the form of judgement on the land. A drought is understood by Solomon to be from God as a judgement on sin. Again his request is for God to be merciful to the people and forgive them when they repent and turn from their sin and restore the land and bring rain. The fourth thing we looked at last time was a series of items which we would normally put in the category of natural occurrences. Solomon does not see them as natural. He sees them connected clearly to sin. Yet when we see things like, famine, pestilence, blight, mildew, locust, caterpillar, the enemy at the gate, plague, or sickness we don’t usually connect these things to signs from God that we need to repent, but Solomon did. He prayed the people would repent and God would forgive them. Does this mean every time we see something like this it is a judgement on sin? no. When we look back at Job he clearly was not suffering sickness for a specific sin. But if we saw everything as coming from God we would be driven to examine our hearts. Perhaps we would be driven to reflect more on God and our need to depend on Him more. Certainly our problem is not that we depend on God too much. We could use these things as opportunities to seek to depend on God more. 

We looked at the point in the consecration of the temple when Solomon turned and blessed all the assembly of Israel. He talked about the faithfulness of God. How He delivered His people from the land of Egypt. How He set David up to be king over His people. How David wanted to build God a house, but God told him he could not. But how God had promised David his son would build a house for God. Solomon David’s son has done the work God promised he would and has built a house for God. Solomon points out how this house holds the ark which contains the covenant God had made with His people. Solomon stands before the altar of the temple and begins to pray to God. He talks to God about the fact that there is no God like the God of Israel. The God of Israel is a God who keeps His covenant promises and shows steadfast love to His servants who walk before Him with all their heart. He then talks about the promise God made to David that he would not lack a man to sit before God on the throne of Israel. Solomon recalls how this is a conditional promise because in it David’s sons are to walk before God as David has. This is not saying that all of David’s sons need to be perfect. David was certainly not perfect, but David has a heart which turns to God consistently. 

We worked our way through the dedication of the temple. This was a huge event. A once in a lifetime kind of happening. Solomon assembled all the key leaders of the tribes and the families to come and be present. Of course many of them would have brought their families and children if they could. This was one of the biggest gatherings which had even happened in Jerusalem. The ceremonies started with the ark of the covenant being brought up from the city of David to the temple mount. This was done with so many sacrifices that they could not be numbered. This had to be quite a few because earlier in 1 Kings we saw Solomon offering a thousand sacrifices. So this was way more then that. This was what was going on as they placed the ark of the covenant in the temple in the holy of holies under the wings of the cherubim. The ark only held the two tablets of stone which were inscribed with the law of God. This was the covenant God had made with His people. The law showed the people how they fell short of God’s perfection. The whole sacrificial system highlighted how death was necessary in order for us to be able to be made right with God. It was only death which could restore fellowship. Yet in the midst of all this death bringing God’s covenant into God’s house we see God’s glory. His glory so filled the temple the priest could not even enter it. This is incredible because it is the same thing we see when the ark was placed in the tabernacle and the same thing we see when Jesus is filled with God’s glory and is transfigured before the disciples. Solomon then declared how the Lord dwells in thick darkness. This is a good thing because God dwells with His people and He hides His manifest presence from them so they will not be destroyed by Him. Solomon declares he has built for God an exalted house a place for him to dwell in forever.

We worked through the way in which God administers the rulership of His coming kingdom. First of all we looked at how Jesus whole purpose for coming was to establish a kingdom which Adam had effectively lost. If Jesus had not done this there would be no rescue, redemption or resurrection. Everything really hinged on Jesus defeating sin and death. Through Adam sin and death entered the world and passed to all mankind. Jesus fulfilled the role of the second Adam and lived a life of perfect obedience to God’s law. This qualified Jesus as our perfect representative to conquer sin and death through His atoning death on the cross. This was the defeat of Satan. Jesus took back the rulership of this world. He now rules and reigns at the right hand of God. While men continue to rule in rebellion against God, Jesus continues to reach into the hearts of men and bring them new life. Effectively Jesus changes people from the dominion of darkness to the the kingdom of light and life. But we are not just made a part of the kingdom Jesus is establishing. The Bible talks about us reigning with Christ. Paul in addressing conflict in the church in Corinth asked, “If they knew we would judge angels?” To be a judge one needs to be in a position of authority. The Bible also talks at multiple places about us being given crowns. The concept of a crown almost always implies rulership. The Bible also talks about the kingdom of God as being a kingdom which has no end. This suggest to us a kingdom which is ever expanding. God’s ultimate plan is for His people who are part of Jesus bride to rule the nations. It will be an awesome privilege to be given an assignment by God. God’s assignments for us will be fulfilling and exciting and perfectly suited for each one of us. They will also draw us more deeply into praise and worship of God because His plan and our assignments will show us all how well He knows us and gives us the very things our hearts desire. During our journey through this study of what the Bible says about heaven I have received multiple questions from a variety of people. I want to take a few weeks and look in more detail at some of those questions through the lens of scripture

We worked through the details surrounding the items which held water. The massive sea which was really about the size of the average backyard swimming pool. This was used for the cleansing of the priests. The 10 basins which each held 240 gallons and were used for the ritual cleansing needed in some of the sacrifices. The basins and the sea were all cast in bronze. This should remind us of judgement. Also water itself is a sign of judgment. It certainly sustains life but it can also take life. The earth and all life on it were destroyed by the world wide flood. Pharaoh’s army was destroyed in the waters of the red sea. The bronze sea is a reminder that the power of water and judgement is in the hand of God. Even today in baptism we use water to remind us of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. We enter into the waters of baptism and are identified with Christ as we are raised with him to newness of life. In a sense we symbolically face the judgement of God but are identified with Jesus and cleansed by His blood. There were also 10 lampstands of gold which were in the temple. 5 lining each side of the temple. These lampstands were designed to remind us of trees. Most likely we should think of the tree of life. The tree which was in the garden of Eden is now before the throne of God and it found on both sides of the river of life which flows from the throne of God. These tree lampstands also give light in the darkness. These speak of Jesus in the sense that they offer light to men who would otherwise dwell in darkness. Also Jesus offers life to those who turn to His light and follow Him as their Lord. The other thing which was important about all these furnishings is how a metal craftsman was used by God to bring glory to His name. The simple reminder here is how there is not the huge distinction we often make between the secular and the sacred. The work each person does can be a means used to bring glory to God.

We looked at the return to the record of the building of the temple. This is after we took a few verses and looked at the building of Solomon’s house. Here we learned about the worker in bronze named Hiram who came down from Tyre to work on the temple. He had a Jewish mother and a gentile father. It is a great  picture that the temple was for all people and so a representative of all people was the key artisan doing the bronze work. We also looked at the first items he cast for the temple. The two pillars named Jachin and Boaz. They flanked the entrance to the temple. Their names meant to establish and strength. Because they were the entrance to God’s house they speak of how He establishes and how we need to look to Him for strength. These pillars while beautiful were made of bronze and bronze is almost always a symbol of judgement in the Bible. Here their position points to the fact that those who seek to go before God must first face judgement. This of course points to the reality that Jesus has gone before us and borne our judgement so we can enter freely into the presence of God. 

time we looked at the beginning of chapter 7. In the first 12 verses we have the description of Solomon’s building of his house and how long it took him. It is interesting because the writer inserts this section right in the middle of two sections describing the building of the temple and all of its furnishings. It is also clearly inserted here as a contrast to the building of the temple. The first verse starts with a conjunction in Hebrew. It is only recorded this way in a handful of english translations. The verse in Hebrew would start with the equivalent “and” or “but”. This is important because the last verse in chapter six ends with the statement about the temple that “He was seven years in building it.” the next verse then becomes, “But Solomon was building his own house thirteen years.” This opening verse is then followed with 11 verses describing in broad brush strokes the 5 buildings which made up Solomon’s house. The comparison becomes pretty striking. Solomon spent twice as much time building his own house as he did God’s house but the writer of Kings is emphasizing the importance of God’s house over Solomon’s house by the very brief mention and description he gives. When you think about the people in exile which Kings was written to you see the lesson the writer is teaching. The worship of God and the focus on Him is far more important then the pursuit of our own things even if those things are good things. This is how the people came to be in exile. They did not value the word of God as they should have. They did not do the things which mattered to God. They did the things which mattered to them, and ultimately this is what caused them to be exiled. This really raises questions which are relevant to us today. How important is the worship of God to us. What kind of priority does it receive.

We explored what it means for us to see God, dwell with Him and worship Him in the coming kingdom of heaven. We discussed how simply seeing God Himself will be the most awe inspiring sight we have ever seen. He is the pinnacle of what exists in all of His realm. Everything else pales in comparison to Him. Yet in God’s word this immortal eternal holy and perfect being calls us to know Him and pursue Him. This is an amazing thing. If a human king or celebrity invited us to come their place and spend time with them and get to know them we would feel immediately honored by such a thing. And indeed everyone would understand the honor you have received. But we are talking here about an invitation which eclipses the honor offered to us by a human. This honor is enormous. But it is not just a vague hope. God intends to dwell with His people on earth. It will be a return to God walking with His people and engaging in relationship with them like He did with Adam and Eve. Those who have come to be children of God will dwell in constant unbroken fellowship with Him. This amazing God will be with us in a tangible way which we will be aware of always. There will be an unbreakable ongoing offering of praise and thanks to God for all the things which He has done and is doing. Our lives will be filled with joy at simply being able to stand in awe and worship of God in everything we do. Eating a berry or fruit from the tree of life will be an act of worship. Drinking water from the river of life or really any river will be an act of worship as we praise God for creating it. Life will not distract from the worship of God in eternity but will magnify it. Today I want to turn our attention to an aspect of eternity which is talked about a lot in scripture but not a lot in our churches. I think one of the reasons it is not discussed is because we have ideas and theories about future things which have either spiritualized some of these things away or have forced them into a specific period or dispensation. We are NOT going to really get into the eschatological implications of our passages this morning. Our intention is to look at scripture and really ask you to see with new eyes what it is saying. I believe we are too quick to spiritualize passages which may have a physical perspective which we find conflicting with our view of future things. Let’s be people who are shaped by the word of God and not people who shape it to fit our view.

We looked at the finishing work on the building of the temple structure. We saw a lot of attention being spent of the construction of the Holy of Holies. Especially the two massive cherubim which stood 15 feet high inside the Holy of Holies. It is really amazing to think about this chamber receiving the attention it did when only the High priest ever entered it and that only once a year. The temples of other ancient peoples usually put their carvings and castings of their gods on full display for everyone to see. The place where God dwelt was closed off to everyone. The detailed carvings on the walls of the inner sanctuary and the massive cherubim were there for God. The reflective nature of the gold covering everything emphasized how God dwelt in unapproachable light. The massive cherubim are symbolic of the powerful beings which actually stand before the throne of God. These massive powerful beings emphasize the power of God because they serve Him and He is certainly far more powerful then they are. It is on a micro scale what the universe is on a macro scale. The universe with its countless stars and galaxies exists to bear testimony to the massive size and power of God. In a similar way this detailed gold covered holy of holies which houses the ark of the covenant and these two gold cherubim show the worth and power of God. We also were given some details on the doors of the temple and the inner sanctuary, as well as the descriptions of the courtyard surrounding the temple. The chapter closed with a record that it took 7 years to construct the temple. Immediately at the beginning of chapter 7 the writer tells us Solomon spent 13 years building his own house. These two time periods back to back draw us in and force us to compare and contrast them. Keep in mind there were no chapter breaks in the original book of Kings. These statements of time followed one after the other. If one followed the other then Solomon would have spent half his 40 years as king in building. The record here does not tell us if these projects happened at the same time or if one followed the other. 

We worked through the way Solomon is addressed by God concerning the temple he is building. It is interesting if for no other reason then the fact of what God addresses. He actually says nothing about the building itself other then mentioning at the beginning how what He is saying concern the house Solomon is building. What this tells us is God is confirming that building the temple is recognized by God and thus a good thing. But God addresses Solomon’s actions and charges him with obeying God’s commands. God promises Solomon if he will follow God’s statutes then the promises of establishing his throne and dwelling among the people and not forsaking the people would be fulfilled. God is basically making it clear that His engagement with the people of Israel is not going to be guaranteed simply because they are building an elaborate temple for Him. This really reinforces the ideas central to the greatest commandment. The call to love the Lord our God is the foundation of real worship. Without a relationship of love with God there is really no point in having a place of time to worship. God wants His people to not just go through the external rituals of worship, He wants His people to pursue Him from a heart filled with love for Him. After we examined God’s promises to Solomon if he will just follow God we see a return to the building of the temple. This section is really focused on the interior of the temple. The type of wood which is used, the way it is carved and the shape of the Holy of Holies all points to the rulership of Jesus, His coming kingdom and His role as our Savior. 

There is an attack on Biblical sexuality in the Church today that must be fought against by those who value Truth. The Word of God is clear concerning what is right and wrong sexually and we have a responsibility to oppose the teaching and laws of Government when they run counter to the Truth of God's Word.

We examined the way in which the temple was constructed. It’s dimensions as well as the specifics of its construction. Details like the date the construction began. How long and wide and high it was. How it had windows and a vestibule in front. It records how Solomon built a storage structure 3 stories high around 3 sides of the temple. There is also details like how the stones used in the temple were cut in the quarry away from the temple mount so no hammer or any tool of iron would be heard on the temple mount while it was being built. The thing which really stands out in these opening verses is the detail of the record. God’s house was built with precision. Everything about it was very intentional. The intentionality of the construction of God’s dwelling really foreshadows the intentionality of the construction of God’s future temple which is made of the people of God and built on the great cornerstone of Jesus. 

we talked about the implications of the resurrection. With the resurrection comes the rolling back of the effects of sin. This means the death which Adam experienced when he ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil will be undone. There will not just be a physical resurrection there will be a new spiritual life which we have never been able to experience. We will function in a whole new way. We will see with both physical and spiritual eyes. We will be equipped to hear both the physical and the spiritual realm. We will touch things which have spiritual properties and yet are very real. Remember the angel which stood in Balaam’s path with a sword. That sword was made of some material which exists in the spiritual realm. It was a sword which could be used to kill Balaam. Yet that sword could not been seen or perceived by Balaam without God opening his eyes to it. The spiritual sword was a very real threat to a physical man, yet he had no way of knowing it was there or of the angel which wielded it. That will no longer be a limitation in our resurrected bodies. We will be able to eat and no doubt there will be a new realm of sensations as we taste things which have spiritual properties. Paul describes this physical spirit we will receive as life being swallowed up by life. Not only will our bodies experience a transformation as the physical spirit and physical body are united in us but all creation will be transformed. Paul talks about it in Romans the revealing of the sons of God. All of creation longs for this. When death and the curse are put away then all of creation will rejoice. The sin of Adam subjected all of creation to corruption. This will no longer be the case and the state of perfection in creation will be restored by the rulership of Jesus as the second Adam.

The Birth of Jesus Christ is certainly not what we or the people of the day would have imagined or chosen. In it we get to see the wonder and the beauty of God's unfolding plan.

We worked our way through the establishment of a mutually beneficial relationship between Solomon and Hiram king of Tyre. Hiram would supply Israel with cedar and cypress trees to build the temple and Solomon’s house and Solomon would supply Hiram with food and wine for the duration of the lumber harvesting process. Solomon drafted laborers from among the people to help with the harvesting of wood and the quarrying of stone. This forced labor is one of the things which becomes an issue for the people as we will see later. This relationship with Hiram is also an extension of a positive relationship which David had with him. God’s hand of blessing is clearly on Solomon. His kingdom becomes a kingdom of peace which in this way really foreshadows the kingdom of Jesus which is coming. While we saw the writer of Kings chronicle the supply side for building the temple and palace.

We worked through the second half of chapter 4. In this section we saw an Eden like kingdom described. The people are described as happy and prosperous. Solomon rules most of the developed world at that time. The amount of food needed to supply the daily needs of the royal government indicates a massive and sophisticated means of preparation and distribution. The people lived in safety. God granted Solomon favor and peace with all the nations around him. He had a large army of chariots at his disposal. Solomon was sought after for his wisdom, which was massive in its scope. Greater then the wisdom of Egypt and the people of the east. It encompassed not just social and political things but Solomon had great wisdom about trees, plants, animals, birds and fish. Kings of the earth came to Solomon to hear his wisdom for themselves. 

we talked about the implications of the resurrection. What we see in scripture is how there is a merging of heaven and earth on the new earth. In the descriptions we see of the new earth there is an indication of kings reigning and commerce being carried on. The nations bring their wealth to Jesus at the new Jerusalem. It sounds like an exciting place filled with purpose and activity all done in peace and joy to the glory of God.

we explored the way that God brought blessing and order to the people of Israel. God blessed Solomon and Israel with good leaders who honored God. There was a clear division of labor and there were officers in charge of each area. There were men placed over the different divisions of the tribes. Each division provided supplies for the kings household one month out of the year. We see a sense of peace and order permeating the land of Israel. The promise of God making the descendants of Abraham as many as the sand on the sea shore is cited here. And the people are described as eating and drinking and happy. 

we explored what is probably one of the most well known stories of King Solomon’s reign. We worked our way through the story of the two prostitutes and their fight over a living baby boy which had been born to one of them but which both of them claimed as their own. Most people are familiar with this story because it demonstrates the wisdom of Solomon in getting to truth. One of the problems with familiar stories is we can become so used to the story we miss how the story foreshadows the greatness of Christ. In this story we often miss the fact that these were first of all women. Not only that they were prostitutes. As far as standing in this culture and society they would not have been typically been given the credit for being reliable or in most cases probably not even heard. But Solomon shows them mercy and hears their case. Not only does he hear them but he gives them wise justice. This action would have communicated to all of Israel that if they came to Solomon he would hear them. Of course this perfectly foreshadows Jesus who shows mercy to anyone who comes to Him. He hears us and He justifies us through His own death on our behalf. It is a beautiful picture which draws us to the greatness of the glory of Jesus.