Preparing to Build Your Temple
Text: 1 Chronicles 22:5,6; 1 Corinthians 6:19,20
1 Chronicles 22:5,6
5 And David said, Solomon my son is young and tender, and the house that is to be builded for the LORD must be exceeding magnifical, of fame and of glory throughout all countries: I will therefore now make preparation for it. So David prepared abundantly before his death.
6 Then he called for Solomon his son, and charged him to build an house for the LORD God of Israel.
1 Corinthians 6:19,20
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?
20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.
Subject: Preparing to Build Your Temple
At the writing of our Old Testament text, David was the reigning king of the children of Israel. And at this point in David’s life, we must understand that he had lived a storybook life; the kind of life that many folk can only dream of living. It was a life filled with many great achievements and acts of extreme heroism.
If we were to research our Bible and look at the history of this man called David, we would find out that David came from very humble beginnings. Can I get a witness?
We would find that he served his father as a shepherd boy out in the pasture. And most of us know that life out on the pasture was not an easy life to have. We know that there were many dangers out in the pasture. For the Word of God reveals to us how David had to oftentimes rescue his sheep from the mouths of bears and wolves. Have I got a witness?
And yet even though man knew nothing about this ruddy, little shepherd boy, God saw David even where he was, and sent the prophet Samuel to find and anoint David as the future king of Israel.
The Bible tells us that one of David’s first and greatest acts was going up against the Philistine giant by the name of Goliath. Despite the fact that many of the soldiers in Saul’s army were terrified of this giant who was killing opposing soldiers left and right, David had no fear.
Instead of fearing the giant, he put all of his faith in God. And you see my brothers and sisters, you need to know today that if you put all of your faith in God, there is no challenge that you can not overcome. Can I get a witness?
For the Bible tells us that not only did David battle the giant Goliath, but he battled him without any battle armor. For the history of David tells us that he refused to wear King Saul’s battle armor to fight the giant Goliath, but instead he took a sling shot and 5 smooth stones with him into battle. And again, my brothers and sisters, you need to understand that God will not always provide you with the tools that somebody else thinks that you should have. But he will provide you with the tools that are best for you. And if God provides your tools for you, those tools will be capable of accomplishing any task that God has laid before you. Am I right about it?
The Bible tells us that after the slaughter of the Philistines, Saul made David the general of the armies of Israel. And because he was an anointed child of God, David maintained a perfect war battle, causing envy and malice to creep into the heart of Saul.
After making many attempts on the life of David, the Bible tells us that King Saul was killed in battle. And David was elevated as King of a united Kingdom of Israel.
It was under David that the wealth and power of Israel began to grow. He defeated the Philistines a second time. He defeated Zobah and Syria. He defeated the children of Ammon. Everybody who came David’s way, were sure to meet with defeat and destruction.
But like so many of us, David ended up with a blemish on his illustrious record. Just like us he strayed outside of the will of God to satisfy his will for the flesh. For the Bible tells us that David plotted the murder of one of his own soldiers, just so he could have this man’s wife as his own.
But even in his wrongdoing, David remained faithful and committed to God. He knew who had brought him through all of the trials and tribulations in his life. He knew who had been there with him in the heat of the battle. He knew who had never turned his back on him when he needed a true friend. So he repented of his sins and asked God for forgiveness. And God forgave him.
My brother and sisters on this special occasion, we must know and understand that the first thing we must do before we’re ready to get prepared for the building of our temple, is to get all of the blood off of our hands.
Many of us have blood on our hands because we have killed someone with our tongues. James calls the tongue an unruly evil full of deadly poison. When we scandalize somebody’s name we are murdering their reputation by injecting it with a deadly poison from our tongues. Have I got a witness?
When we smile in someone’s face but talk about them behind their back, we are in essence using our tongue as a knife, and stabbing them in the back.
When we lie on or about someone, we are in essence murdering that person’s reputation. But I stopped by to let you know today, that if you have blood on your hands, you need to get it off before you prepare to build the temple. If you have blood on your hands, you need to stop what you’re doing right now and find a closet to go and have a little talk with Jesus. If you have blood on your hands, you may be able to help prepare for the building of the temple, but you may not be able to see the finished product.
For the Bible tells me that although God forgave David, it was because of the blood on his hands that David was not allowed to build the temple of God. Have I got a witness?
David’s son Solomon would ultimately have the responsibility of building the temple. But that didn’t stop David from being able to prepare for the building of the temple.
Our text today, reaches a seasoned and an aging King David. David understood how magnificent the house of the Lord had to be. He knew and understood how famous this particular house of the Lord had to be. He knew that this place would require great preparation and planning.
So the Bible tells us in our text that David made preparation for the building of the temple. Even though he knew that he wouldn’t be able to build it himself, he still made preparations. Even thought he knew that he would never lay his own eyes on its magnificence, he made the preparations anyhow. Despite the fact that somebody else was going to build the house that he had dreamed all of his life of building, David was okay with helping them out with the preparations.
You see my brothers and sisters, a lot of folk will not help somebody else out if they know that won’t benefit them. Have I got a witness?
We won’t give to the little child selling donuts because it’s not benefiting our church. We won’t give to the Usher’s Day program because we’re not an usher. We won’t give money to build or expand the fellowship hall of the church, because we’re so old and grumpy and don’t want to fellowship with anybody anyway.
But not only that. There are so many parent today, who don’t even take out any insurance to leave their children a little something behind when they themselves have been called on to glory. And we wonder why the rich keep on getting richer. It’s because they’ve made provisions that will allow their children to live better than they did. They’ve made arrangements that will benefit their children when they’re no longer here. But instead of seeing their children get ahead, a whole lot of black parents are so afraid of their children having more than they have.
But I’m here to tell you today that it’s time for us to shed our attitude of our selfishness and focus on doing the will and the work of God while we still can. Just like David we must make preparations to build the temple of God. Am I right about it?
For the Bible tells us in this passage of 2nd Chronicles that David got all of the masons together to get the stones prepared for the building of the temple. He prepared a whole lot of iron for nails for the doors of the gates and the joinings. He set aside so much brass and cedar trees that the bible says that it was beyond calculation. He knew what it took to get prepared for the building of the temple.
And on this afternoon Greater Thankful, I want you to know that it’s all right to get prepared for the building of your new church. It’s alright to raise money and to get all of the plans in order. It’s alright to work together to reach your common goals.
But I wouldn’t be doing you justice this evening, if I didn’t stop by and let you know that even while you’re preparing to building your temple to the Lord, you need to also be working on the building of that building not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. Have I got a witness?
It’s nothing wrong with having a beautiful sanctuary where you can go to lift up and praise the name of the Most High God. But in your preparation, you ought to make sure that you’re still working on building that spiritual temple that will get you into the kingdom of heaven. Am I right about it?
You need to start today by loving everybody. Have I got a witness?
There are too many people today that call themselves Christians, but don’t love their brothers and sisters in Christ. Oh Lord.
There are too many folk today, claiming that they love the Lord, but they don’t even love the members in their own family. Am I right about it?
But I’m here to let you know today, that if you don’t have Love in your heart, you might as well know this evening that you’re knocking on the gates of hell. For the Bible tells me that the He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. Have I got a witness?
The next thing that you need to do make sure that your spiritual temple is in order is to study the word of God. Ain’t the Lord alright?
For the Bible tells me that if you want to be approved unto God, if you want to be recognized as a workman in God’s vineyard, if you want to know the difference between good doctrine and false doctrine, then you need to study the word of God. Ain’t the Lord alright?
The next thing that you need to do, is make sure that you maintain some fellowship with the Lord. Have I got a witness?
Paul tells us that we need to pray without ceasing. In other words, You need to pray in the morning. Pray in the midday hour. Pray when the sun is going down. Pray at the hour called midnight. And if you keep in fellowship with the Lord, he’ll walk with you, he’ll talk with you, he’ll tell you that you’re his own. Oh Lord.
And I can hear right now, somebody asking, well brother preacher, why are you telling us all of this.
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? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.
If you want, your physical building to become a spiritual building you have to stop what you’re doing and get right with the Lord.
Do you know He’s alright. Have you tried Him? Won’t He make a way for you.
That’s why he died on Calvary’s cross. (close)
